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| Yettaw’s testimony disturbs judges |
| Friday, 29 May 2009 |
Though the court had initially thought of giving a verdict on the trial against opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on Friday, May 29, the testimony of Yettaw on Wednesday, where he said he had met security officials guarding the residence of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi during his visit, made it difficult for the judges in deciding on the case, sources in the police told Mizzima.
Yettaw, in his testimony said he was not troubled by the security guards. Due to his testimony, the judges found it difficult in giving a verdict on Friday and were reportedly forced to prolong the trial until next week, a senior police officer told Mizzima.
Yettaw, in his testimony, said during his first visit to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi he met armed security personnel on his way out but they did not trouble him except asking a few questions. And during his second visit, he met five armed security personnel but they only threw stones at him and did not troubled him further.
He added that he had gone to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s house because he had a vision that a group of terrorist is about to assassinate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and God had send him to inform her and the Burmese government.
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| Court rejects three witnesses in Suu Kyi’s trial |
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New Delhi (Mizzima) – The special court in Insein Prison on Wednesday rejected three witnesses submitted by opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s lawyers, leaving just one remaining defense witness.
Nyan Win, a member of Aung San Suu Kyi’s legal team, told Mizzima that a judge of the special court on Wednesday announced the rejection of three witnesses – Win Tin, Tin Oo and Khin Moe Moe – accepting just Kyi Win as a defense witness.
“There is nothing much I can say. The facts speak for themselves. The prosecution had fifteen witnesses examined and we are left only with one,” Nyan Win said.
On Wednesday, the court heard the testimony of Aung San Suu Kyi’s live-in party members Khin Khin Win and Win Ma Ma, in addition to American Yettaw.
Nyan Win said the court has fixed the next hearing for 10 a.m. (local time) Tuesday but he is not sure whether there will be any examination of the defense witness.
“I think a verdict might be possible by Friday,” said Nyan Win, adding that authorities are in a hurry to get the case over with.
“But we are determined to fight the case in a higher court if Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is sentenced,” he added.
The Nobel Peace Laureate on Tuesday appeared before the court and gave testimony to the effect that she is innocent. In her testimony, reproduced by the NLD in a statement on Wednesday, she said she had not been warned or investigated by the authorities concerned when her doctor reported Yettaw’s previous visit, in November 2008, to them.
She admitted that she knew of Yettaw’s earlier visit through Khin Khin Win and had informed her doctor, Tin Myo Win, who reported the information to the concerned authorities.
“I informed the authorities on 4 December 2008 through Dr. Tin Myo Win who visited me on that day for a regular medical check-up. The authorities didn’t ask me any questions and I didn’t hear of any action being taken on this report either,” she said in her statement.
“There was no warning given to me to inform the authorities concerned in such a case as an intrusion into my residence,” she said, adding that she had intended to inform the authorities of Yettaw’s last visit through her doctor, who would be visiting her on May 7.
Following the pro-democracy leader’s testimony there has been speculation on the whereabouts of Dr. Tin Myo Win and the reason for not including him among the defense witnesses submitted by her lawyers.
Nyan Win, however, said Dr. Tin Myo Win, who was briefly detained on May 7 and later released, is currently safe with his family.
“We did not include Dr. Tin Myo Win as one of the defense witnesses because whatever Dr. Tin Myo Win knows and would testify to has already been testified to by prosecution witnesses,” Nyan Win explained.
Aung San Suu Kyi also pointed out that while security in her house was breached she did not see any security guards being produced as prosecution witnesses.
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| Chevron determined to retain investments in Burma |
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New Delhi (Mizzima) - Chevron Corps has made it abundantly clear that it will not pull out of Burma but would retain its investments for compelling business reasons, and even if they do withdraw they will be replaced by other competitors.
Chevron’s stance was in response to a query by Mizzima regarding the company shareholder’s proposal to disclose the criteria it uses to start and end investments in high-risk countries particularly Burma.
The proposal by, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, an advocacy group for workers, to Chevron to disclose its criteria to decide on starting investments in a country, was supported by more than 25 per cent of the company’s share holders on Wednesday.
Teamsters (IBT) said the shareholders support indicates that there is growing concern among investors on Chevron’s investments in Burma.
In 2005 Chevron began investing in Burma after taking over the shares from another US Oil company UNOCAL, joining Total of France and PTTEP of Thailand in its investments on exploration of oil and natural gas.
Human rights activists, however, have severely condemned Chevron and urged it to pull out of Burma saying its business involvement provides a financial lifeline to the Burmese military regime, which is well-known for its appalling human rights violations.
“We are pleased that other Chevron shareholders recognize the enormous legal, financial, political and risks to reputation associated with operating in Burma and are demanding increased disclosure on how these decisions are made,” Thomas Keegel, General Secretary-Treasurer of the Teamsters said in a statement released on Wednesday.
But Gareth Johnstone, Chevron Corps’ Media Advisor for Asia Pacific, told Mizzima in an email interview, “We do not disclose our investments on a country-by-country basis.”
He said, Chevron maintains health and social programmes that improve the quality of life of communities in Burma, where it operates.
“The benefits of Yadana projects community engagement programmes along the pipeline have been confirmed by multiple third-party audits,” Johnstone added.
Chevron intends to be “a force for positive change” and brings international experience and a sound approach to corporate responsibility in working with communities, he said.
“People living near the project are better off by virtue of Chevron and its partners being there,” he said.
Johnstone also said, even if Chevron pulls out of Burma “many competitors would take Chevron’s place – potentially impacting the commitment and level of CE/CR activities along with programmes and opportunities for the people of Myanmar [Burma].”
But Naing Htoo, a Burmese environmental activist, working with the Earth Rights International said, the Yadana project has brought in militarization along the pipeline and evidence speaks of severe human rights violations committed by the soldiers.
He said, as the Burmese Army is responsible for protecting the pipeline, an increasing number of army battalions have been moved along the pipeline in Karen and Mon states of southern Burma.
Rights abuses such as forced labour, land confiscation, forced relocation, rape, torture, and extra-judicial killings have increased in these states since 1992, he added.
Though the Burmese regime earns over US$ 900 million from the Yadana project from 2007, the money fills the coffers of the military and is never spent on development or social welfare programmes.
He said, while the benefits go to the military regime, the locals pay a heavy price for the pipeline and therefore urged the company to pull out of Burma.
Editing by Mungpi
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| Suu Kyi defence reduced to one witness |
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Suu Kyi defence reduced to one witness
(DVB)–Three of the four witnesses representing Aung San Suu Kyi’s defence team were disqualified yesterday in a move that Suu Kyi’s party believe to be an attempt by judges to finish off the trial “as soon as they can”.
The trial of Burma’s opposition leader, her two caretakers and US citizen John Yettaw, whose stay at Suu Kyi’s compound triggered charges that she had breached house arrest conditions, is now in its ninth day.
Yesterday, however, the court announced that it would not allow three of Suu Kyi’s four witnesses – Tin Oo, Win Tin and Khin Moe Moe – to testify.
A lawyer for Suu Kyi said that no proper reason was given, and claimed that the Act the judges used to disqualify the three was only attributable to people deemed a “threat and a disturbance to the trial”.
“We have no idea how our three witnesses have became attributable to that disqualification and we think this is wrong under legal terms,” said Nyan Win.
“In our analysis, we see that [the government] is trying to finish off his trial as soon as they can.”
In a similar move, the prosecution team on Monday abruptly dropped its nine remaining witnesses, leaving Suu Kyi to testify in front of the court on Tuesday with little preparation or access to lawyers.
The courtroom will tomorrow hear statements from the last remaining witnesses.
Suu Kyi has denied charges under the Law Safeguarding the State from the Dangers of Subversive Elements, in which she is accused of harbouring Yettaw in breach of conditions of her house arrest.
The opposition leader told the courtroom yesterday that the breach of security that allowed Yettaw into the house was the fault of authorities charged with guarding her compound, and not Suu Kyi.
Yettaw yesterday added substance to this argument with claims that he had passed a number of soldiers en route to the compound.
“He said, on his second visit, he was seen by about four to five soldiers on his way into her compound,” said lawyer Nyan Win.
“They were carrying guns with them but they didn’t do anything to stop him from approaching the house, apart from throwing some stones at him.”
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| Burma rejects foreign 'interference' over Suu Kyi |
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(AFP)–Burma angrily rejected foreign "pressure and interference" over the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi, denying that the trial was a political ploy to keep her locked up for elections in 2010.
The ruling junta handed down a stinging rebuttal to Asian and European ministers at a meeting in Cambodia, in its strongest reaction yet to the storm of international outrage over its treatment of the pro-democracy icon.
"It is not political, it is not a human rights issue. So we don't accept pressure and interference from abroad," Burma Deputy Foreign Minister Maung Myint told counterparts in Phnom Penh.
He told the meeting of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and EU ministers that Aung San Suu Kyi's trial for allegedly violating the terms of her house arrest were an "internal legal issue".
The comments came as the sole defence witness took the stand at the closed court in Rangoon's notorious Insein prison, with judges disqualifying the only other three people called to testify on behalf of the Nobel laureate.
ASEAN last week issued a rare condemnation of the most troublesome of its 10 member nations, while the EU has repeatedly called for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and threatened to tighten sanctions against Burma.
US President Barack Obama on Tuesday described the proceedings as a "show trial".
Separately, Burma's state media carried a foreign ministry statement saying that the trial would "not have any political impact" and that it would continue to hold elections next year under its "roadmap" to democracy.
Critics say the polls are a sham designed to entrench the regime's hold on power.
Aung San Suu Kyi faces up to five years behind bars on charges of violating her house arrest, stemming from a bizarre incident in which an American swam to her home to warn her of a divine vision that her life was at risk.
Judges at the closed court on Thursday finished questioning legal expert Kyi Win, the only witness for the defence, said Nyan Win, who is on Aung San Suu Kyi's legal team and is also the spokesman for her political party.
He said both sides would give their closing statements on Monday but it was not yet clear when a verdict would be reached.
The court had barred three out of four defence witnesses, including the detained deputy chairman of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, Tin Oo, and another senior party member, he added.
Outside the court security officials arrested a lone protester in his 50s holding a banner in Burmese and English said "Saving Suu is saving Burma".
Aung San Suu Kyi, who turns 64 next month, has spent 13 of the last 19 years in detention. The junta lifted the latest six-year period of her house arrest on Wednesday but she is in jail pending the verdict.
Yettaw, 53, a devout Mormon and US military veteran, took the stand on Wednesday for the first time and said that he was ordered by God to swim to Aung San Suu Kyi's house after having a dream that she would be assassinated.
The military regime annulled elections in 1990 that the NLD won by a landslide. It has ruled the country with an iron fist since 1962. |
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| Confusing Testimony, Conflicting Reports Emerge from Yettaw Trial |
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Confusing testimony and conflicting reports have emerged from the trial of John William Yettaw, the 53-year-old American whose uninvited visit to Aung San Suu Kyi’s home triggered a criminal case against her.
Burma’s state-run The New Light of Myanmar today reported that Yettaw had testified on Wednesday that he did not swim across Inya Lake to Suu Kyi’s compound, but had instead “walked along the bund of Inya Lake through [sic] the drain.”
Speaking to The Irrawaddy after Yettaw’s testimony, Suu Kyi’s lawyer Kyi Win said that when making his statement, the American had motioned with his arms in a pumping action as if walking quickly, but not as if he were swimming.
During nearly three hours of questioning, the former US-Vietnam War veteran from Falcon, Missouri, repeatedly said he “walked though” the lake to reach Suu Kyi's house, according to lawyers who spoke to The Irrawaddy.
The lawyers could not ascertain, however, whether Yettaw was referring to his first visit to Suu Kyi’s compound in November or to both visits.
How exactly he was able to traverse the 5-meter (15-foot) deep lake by foot was not clarified.
When a prosecution lawyer asked Yettaw whether he was making this statement about “walking through” the lake for the first time, Yettaw replied that he had repeatedly told police this during his interrogation, but the police officers did not record the details.
The banks of Inya Lake are blocked by security restrictions at many points and the lake is too deep to “walk through,” even at its perimeter. Local residents also say the lake is strewn with thick reeds and undergrowth.
The confusion over the testimony and the doubts it raises over whether his nocturnal swim across Inya Lake was, in fact, physically possible, is compounded by the disparity in reports from Burma’s official media.
It is still far from clear how Yettaw entered the Nobel Peace Prize laureate’s lakeside residence on May 3.
According to lawyers who were present in the courtroom, when Yettaw, a Mormon, took the stand for the first time he told the court that he was "sent by God" to warn both her and the Burmese junta of a "terrorist plot” to assassinate her.
The pro-junta media also reported on Wednesday's testimonies by Suu Kyi’s two companions—Khin Khin Win and Win Ma Ma—who are also on trial.
According to The New Light of Myanmar, both women stated that they had heard Yettaw “moaning” outside the house; Khin Khin Win testified that this happened at about 3:30 a.m. She said she found a man lying outside the house and informed Suu Kyi. Both women testified that Yettaw was not let into the house until it was light.
Yettaw reportedly collaborated this evidence, saying that he lay down near the back door due to cramp in both legs and tiredness. According to the official media, Yettaw then stated that he “entered the residence easily as the back door was not locked.”
According to a lawyer who spoke to The Irrawaddy, Yettaw also testified that when he left Suu Kyi's house on the occasion of his first visit on November 30, 2008, a policeman spotted him and pointed a gun at him. The policeman then shouted: “What are you doing?" According to the lawyer, Yettaw stated that the guard allowed him to continue to the lake after he responded by saying, “I'm coming back.”
However, official Burmese media did not report how Yettaw entered and left the compound on his second visit on May 3-5.
According to Suu Kyi’s lawyer Nyan Win, Yettaw testified that—on the night of May 3—as he was entering Suu Kyi’s compound, four or five policemen saw him and threw stones at him.
Yettaw reportedly told the court that police evidence, including the Book of Mormon, a video camera, black Muslim robes, stockings and dark glasses were left behind in the lakeside house.
According to Suu Kyi's lawyer, Yettaw testified that Suu Kyi told him to "respect the law" and "go back as soon as possible."
Nyan Win said that during questioning, lawyers and even the judge laughed openly and mocked Yettaw.
The lawyer said that Suu Kyi expressed pity for the American for the way the court had humiliated him.
"She said that even if we don't believe another person’s religion, we still have to respect their opinion," Nyan Win told The Irrawaddy.
The trial has been taking place behind closed doors inside the compound of Rangoon's notorious Insein prison. A handful of reporters and diplomats were permitted to attend Suu Kyi’s first appearance in court; however, only a representative of the US embassy has been allowed to attend Yettaw’s trial.
Initially, state media reported that police authorities had fished Yettaw out of Rangoon's Inya Lake early on Wednesday, May 6, while he was returning from a visit to Suu Kyi's home.
The report said the American man had confessed to swimming across the lake, sneaking into Suu Kyi's residence and then swimming back before being spotted by police and arrested. The state-run press reported that he swam with an empty 5-liter plastic water jug, presumably to use as a float, adding that police confiscated the man's belongings, which included a US passport, a black backpack, a pair of pliers, a camera and two US $100 bills.
However, observers have questioned how an asthmatic, diabetic 53-year-old man, apparently not close to peak fitness, could swim two kilometers (1.2 miles).
Yettaw also testified that while in Thailand he had 10 times visited the Mae Taw Clinic in Mae Sot, according to Thursday’s The New Light of Myanmar. He also stated that he had met with Bo Kyi of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma).
Bo Kyi confirmed to The Irrawaddy that he had met Yettaw in Chiang Mai and said that Yettaw had told him he was conducting research on Burmese political prisoners.
Meanwhile, local sources told The Irrawaddy that at 3 p.m. On Thursday, a police convoy left Insein Prison. An unconfirmed report said that police were taking Yettaw to the east bank of Inya Lake apparently to re-enact the scenario of his swim to Suu Kyi’s compound.
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| Is Yettaw a Triathlete? |
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John William Yettaw would have to be a triathlete to have swum two kilometers across Inya Lake carrying a backpack full of clothes, presents and books, according to a technical director with the world’s leading SCUBA diving authority.
“A triathlete can swim two kilometers (1.2 miles) in about 40 minutes,” said Mike Holme, the director of training at the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) in Sydney, Australia.
“However, given the weight that this guy [Yettaw] was carrying and the conditions, it would be a big ‘ask.’ It’s not impossible, but he would have to be in very good shape.”
On Tuesday, police evidence was produced at the trial in Rangoon of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is accused of breaking the terms of her house arrest by allowing an American intruder to stay overnight at her lakeside home on May 3-5.
According to one of her lawyers, Nyan Win, who is also a spokesman for Suu Kyi’s opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), the 60 items of police evidence that were found in Suu Kyi’s home that allegedly belong to Yettaw include a black backpack, a video camera, two black Muslim robes, veils, stockings, pliers, money, a passport, sunglasses and several books, including the Book of Mormon. He was reportedly also carrying an empty five-liter plastic bottle.
It is alleged that 53-year-old Yettaw, who appears heavyset in photographs and is known to suffer from asthma and diabetes, attached homemade fins to his sandals and swam across Inya Lake on the night of May 3.
It is unknown where he set off from, only that state-run media reported that he was fished out of the water by police on the morning of May 5 on the west bank of the lake near the International Business Center and the American embassy.
If he had embarked from the same location, he would have had to swim two kilometers laden with the backpack and its contents to get to Suu Kyi’s compound.
A Thailand-based journalist familiar with Inya Lake speculated that—because most of the lakeside is off-limits to the public—the only other place where Yettaw could have set off from would be the Jade Gardens, which is a park located on a small peninsula just 100 to 200 meters in front of Suu Kyi’s house. The Jade Gardens are closed at night and security around the park is said to be “very tight.”
According to Holme, the five-liter bottle could have been used as a flotation device and, if the backpack were securely attached, it could have supported up to five kilograms in weight.
The weight of Yettaw’s backpack is not known. However, just the Book of Mormon alone would weigh about one kilogram if it were a hardback edition.
“First of all, those homemade fins wouldn’t have given him adequate propulsion,” said Holme. “And if the backpack and its contents got wet, it would be even harder to keep them afloat.”
Security around the detained opposition leader’s house is notoriously tight with an estimated 12 to 15 police officers on duty 24 hours a day. Police boats are a frequent sight on Inya Lake as they patrol the waters around Suu Kyi’s house.
To date, no statement has been issued by Burmese authorities that would suggest that Yettaw was spotted by security guards or police during his epic swim into Suu Kyi’s compound.
According to Rangoon residents, the perimeter of Inya Lake is covered in thick reeds, which make treading water very difficult and which have been responsible for many deaths in the past when people get tangled in the undergrowth. The water around Suu Kyi’s house is thought to be about five meters (15 feet) deep.
It is alleged by Burmese military authorities that when Yettaw arrived at the house, he was met by Suu Kyi’s two companions who fed him because he was exhausted. At 5 a.m. they informed Suu Kyi that an intruder had entered the house, said Nyan Win.
According to Suu Kyi’s lawyer, she asked him to leave but he was unable to go because of exhaustion and his health conditions.
Suu Kyi is reported to have allowed the American to stay the next day before he left the following night at 11:45 p.m.
According to the New Light of Myanmar newspaper, Yettaw was fished out of Inya Lake by police at around 5 a.m. the following morning. How and where Yettaw spent the five hours before his reported arrest is unknown.
At her trial on Tuesday, Suu Kyi told the court: “I only know that he went to the lakeside. I do not know which way he went, because it was dark.”
Speaking to The Irrawaddy, spokesman Nyan Win said, “If the security had been proper, the American would not have got there.”
Speculation that Yettaw had in fact been allowed to enter Suu Kyi’s home by security personnel has been fueled by a statement from a Rangoon taxi driver that appeared on a Burmese Web site, niknayman-niknayman.co.cc.
He said that in November he drove Yettaw to the gate of Suu Kyi’s house and witnessed him showing a “red card” to security guards before being allowed to enter the compound.
Suu Kyi is expected to testify again on Wednesday. She faces up to five years’ imprisonment if found guilty of Section 22 of the Law Safeguarding the State from Dangers of Subversive Elements.
Yettaw has been charged with immigration violations and for breeching sanitation codes by swimming in the lake. He faces a maximum sentence of six years.
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| Last Witness Speaks at Suu Kyi's Trial |
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RANGOON — The sole witness allowed for pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi defended her innocence Thursday, the last chance to speak before closing arguments Monday in a trial that could send the Nobel Peace laureate to prison for five years.
Kyi Win, a legal expert and member of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party, argued there was no legal basis to the charge that Suu Kyi had violated the terms of her house arrest when an American secretly swam to her home.
Prosecutors seemed very unhappy at his testimony, Kyi Win told reporters outside the courtroom. Reporters had not been allowed inside.
Suu Kyi's defense team has conceded most of the basic facts of the case—that 53-year-old John W. Yettaw swam to and sneaked into her lakeside home, where he stayed for two days.
But Suu Kyi has pleaded not guilty, and her lawyers insist it was the duty of government guards outside her closely watched property to prevent any intrusions.
The court at Rangoon's Insein Prison rejected three other defense witnesses Wednesday. It had approved 23 prosecution witnesses, and 14 of them testified.
The court will recess for Friday and hear closing arguments from both sides on Monday, Kyi Win said.
Lawyers will meet with their clients Saturday.
Two female party members who live with Suu Kyi, and Yettaw, face the same charge as Suu Kyi and have also pleaded not guilty.
The brisk trial has drawn outrage from the international community and Suu Kyi's local supporters, who worry that the military junta has found an excuse to keep her detained through next year's elections.
Her years-long house arrest had been due to end Wednesday, but the American's bizarre visit this month brought her arrest instead.
A Foreign Ministry statement, carried Thursday in state-owned newspapers, said the trial "will not have any political impact."
"The government, therefore, will hold multiparty general elections, fifth step of the Road Map, in 2010," the statement said, referring to the junta's "road map to democracy," which critics say will merely extend the military's decades-long, largely unpopular rule under the guise of democracy.
Burma has been under military rule since 1962, even though Suu Kyi's party won the 1990 general election.
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| Suu Kyi Protester Arrested |
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A solo demonstrator was arrested at about 1:20 p.m. On Thursday for protesting outside the prison where pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is being tried for violating the terms of her house arrest, according to witnesses.
Win Tin, a central executive committee member of Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), confirmed reports that a man in his early fifties, identified as Zaw Nyut, was arrested outside Rangoon’s infamous Insein Prison.
“He came from Aung Thukha Street to Insein Road, and demonstrated on the road,” said Win Tin. “He was holding a poster with the words, ‘We must save Amay Suu right now,’ written on it,” he added.
Amay Suu (“Mother Suu”) is how many Burmese refer to Suu Kyi.
“He also shouted slogans demanding the release of Daw Suu,” said Win Tin. “He was arrested by security forces and members of the USDA after taking just four or five steps,” he added, referring to the Union Solidarity and Development Association, a junta-backed organization.
According to witnesses at the scene of the arrest, Zaw Nyut had been coming to the area every day since last Monday, when legal proceedings against Suu Kyi began at a special court inside the prison.
Hundreds of people, including members of the NLD, have gathered outside Insein Prison since the trial started.
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| Explosions Shake Parts of Moulmein |
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Three bomb blasts shook parts of Moulmein, the capital of Mon State, on Wednesday. No casualties were reported, the state-run Myanmar Alin newspaper said on Thursday.
The blasts occurred three days after a small explosive device was found in the roof of a lavatory of a train in Naypyidaw-Pyinmana Station.
Reporting on the find, the state-run newspaper The New Light of Myanmar claimed insurgent groups had assigned two terrorists to plant bombs in Naypyidaw, Rangoon, Mandalay and other major cities, with the aim of provoking public panic and causing casualties.
One of Burma’s most active armed groups, the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front—known as the “student army”—released a statement on Monday denying it had anything to do with the explosions.
The first two Moulmein explosions occurred within half an hour of each other on Wednesday morning in a drain at the roadside in the city’s Shwe Taung Ward and near the government office in Sit Kare Gone Ward, Myanmar Alin said.
The third blast occurred on Wednesday evening near the office of the International Organization for Migration in Mayan Gone Ward.
According to a Rangoon based reporter, security has been stepped up on roads on the outskirts of Burma’s former capital and check points have been set up. Private vehicles and taxis are being stopped and their drivers questioned.
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| Paramilitary Forces Beef Up Insein Prison Security |
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RANGOON — About 500 members of the paramilitary group Swan Arr Shin and the government-affiliated Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) are reportedly being paid to strengthen security around Insein Prison, where Aung San Suu Kyi stands trial.
Crowds of members of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy and other activists gather daily near the prison to show solidarity with her, and the deployment of pro-regime forces is seen as an attempt to intimidate them.
The hired irregulars, who helped police break up price-rise protests in August 2007, are paid 2,000 kyat (US $2) a day and provided with lunch, according to a ward official from Insein Township’s West Ywa Ma quarter. The daily fee would rise to as much as 20,000 kyat ($20) if they were called upon to deal with any outbreak of trouble, the official said.
"They are from the outskirts of Rangoon, such as Daw Pon, Shwe Pyi Thar and Hlaing Thar Yar Townships, although some are also from Insein Township,” he said.
The hired force includes several women. "I came here because I will get 2,000 kyat and a free lunch,” said one 28-year-old woman from Shwe Lin Ban village in Hlaing Thar Yar Township. She was assigned by Swan Arr Shin to join other women in patrolling the Insein market area and watch for any outbreak of trouble there.
Other Swan Arr Shin groups are reportedly deployed at the NLD headquarters and places frequented by NLD members.
"The authorities usually deploy double the number of NLD members [at any gathering],” said a resident of Insein Township’s Pein Ne-Kone ward. “If the NLD assembles 200 activists, the authorities posts 400 of their own people, believing they can intimidate the NLD with sheer numbers.”
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| Suu Kyi Trial Nears End |
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RANGOON — Burma's military government said Thursday that its trial of Aung San Suu Kyi would have no political impact, though many have criticized the proceedings as a ploy to sideline the pro-democracy leader during elections scheduled for 2010.
The highly popular Suu Kyi, whom the regime has sought to remove from the political arena through years of detention, is on trial for violating the terms of her house arrest after an American man swam to and sneaked into our lakeside home.
A Foreign Ministry statement, carried in state-owned newspapers, said the trial was strictly related to the rule of law and "will not have any political impact."
"The government, therefore, will hold multiparty general elections, fifth step of the Road Map, in 2010," the statement said, referring to the junta's "road map to democracy," which critics say will merely extend the military's decades-long rule under the guise of democracy.
The only witness the defense is allowed to call was scheduled to appear at Thursday's court session as the proceedings seemed to be nearing their end.
One of Suu Kyi's lawyers, Nyan Win, said that all but one of her witnesses had been disqualified, making it likely that the verdict will come this week.
If convicted, the 63-year-old Suu Kyi could be sentenced to five years in prison. Burma's courts operate under the influence of the military and usually deal harshly with political dissidents.
John W. Yettaw, the American whose uninvited visit to Suu Kyi's home triggered the case against her, testified Wednesday that he was "sent by God" to make his nighttime swim to her compound earlier this month, according to Nyan Win.
The regime's critics charge that the case against the Nobel Peace laureate—who has been in detention without trial for more than 13 of the past 19 years—was concocted to keep her detained during elections the government has planned for next year. She pleaded not guilty Friday.
Nyan Win said Wednesday that legal expert Kyi Win would testify that her harboring Yettaw did not constitute a violation of her house arrest and that it was the duty of government guards outside her property to prevent any intrusions.
Kyi Win, a member of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party, was briefly arrested after the bloody 1988 pro-democracy uprising and two years later won a parliamentary seat in elections the regime has never recognized.
The rejected witnesses were another lawyer and two senior members of Suu Kyi's party.
The court said legal procedure allows it to reject witnesses who are proposed "for the purpose of vexation or delay or for defeating the ends of justice."
Nyan Win told reporters it was unfair and inappropriate to reject witnesses in such an important case. He said the court had approved 23 prosecution witnesses, of whom 14 took the stand.
He said the court would hear Kyi Win's testimony on Thursday and judgment "is likely" to be made on Friday.
Two female party members who live with Suu Kyi, and the 53-year-old Yettaw, face the same charge as Suu Kyi and have also pleaded not guilty.
During three hours of prosecution questioning on Wednesday, Yettaw, of Falcon, Missouri, spoke repeatedly of his plan to warn Suu Kyi of his premonition that she would be killed, said Nyan Win, who added that he said he had been sent by God.
Yettaw, who also secretly visited the house late last year without meeting Suu Kyi, said he visited because "in his vision, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi would be assassinated by terrorists and the terrorists would put the blame on the government. So he came to warn both the government and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi," according to Nyan Win. "Daw" is a term of respect used for older women.
Many of Suu Kyi's supporters have criticized Yettaw as a fool or dupe for getting her into trouble.
Nyan Win said the defense had nothing to ask the man.
Suu Kyi acknowledges that she allowed him to stay for two days after he swam across a lake to enter her house and then said he was too tired and ill to leave immediately.
In a statement submitted to the court Tuesday, Suu Kyi said she intended to report the visit through her doctor, Tin Myo Win, one of the few outside people allowed to see her. But after the intrusion, Tin Myo Win was not allowed into her house and was later held by authorities for more than a week. He has not appeared at the trial.
Yettaw testified that security personnel observed him during both his visits to Suu Kyi's house, said Nyan Win.
But in neither case did they try to stop him.
The trial has sparked intense criticism worldwide of Burma's military regime, even among the country's Asian neighbors that normally refrain from commenting on its internal affairs.
Burma has been under military rule since 1962, even though Suu Kyi's party won the 1990 general election.
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| Security beefed up in and around Rangoon |
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Security remains tight in Rangoon, particularly around Insein prison, where the trial against Aung San Suu Kyi continues on Wednesday, which also marks the 19th anniversary of Burma’s last general election.
Armed security forces are patrolling the streets and are stationed at road junctions, eyewitnesses said.
“Today, there are a lot more security personnel everywhere compared to other days. We don’t know what kind of information they [authorities] have for increasing the security to this level,” an eyewitness told Mizzima.
“As far as I can see at least eight vehicles used by the riot police have been parked in front of Insein Bazaar. And the police are fully armed. The Insein Bazaar is connected to the prison. And we can also see police vehicles and trucks patrolling the city. Some said about four to five police vehicles are patrolling the streets in Minglartaungnyunt and in other townships,” he added.
The eyewitness also said, members of the pro-junta groups, the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) and Swan Arrshin members – are mixing among the people and some are even disguised as tri-shaw drivers.
“The weather is cloudy and the streets are quite clear,” he added.
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| Suu Kyi’s testimony in court |
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The Rangoon North District court sitting inside Insein prison on Tuesday examined Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and prosecution witness Investigating Officer Police Captain Than Soe of the Special Branch. Below is an excerpt of the examination held on Tuesday in court, published by the junta’s the New Light of Myanmar newspaper.
Q : Do Daw Khin Khin Win and Daw Win Ma Ma (a) Ange Lay stay with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi?
A : Yes, in my home.
Q : Are the restriction order, prohibition order and the order for extension of the prohibition order issued?
A : Yes, the orders are issued to me.
Q : Did American citizen Mr. John William Yettaw come to your home on 30 November, 2008?
A : I was told about his arrival, but I didn’t see him.
Q : Did American citizen Mr. John William Yettaw intruded into your house compound swimming across the Inya Lake on 3 May night.
A : As for as I understand, he arrived at my home in the morning of 4 May.
Q : What time did he arrive at your home?
A : I don’t know. I was reported on his arrival about 5 am.
Q : Who reported to you?
A : Daw Khin Khin Win reported to me that a person was in my home.
Q : Who was that person?
A : I didn’t know who was that person then, but I knew him later on.
Q : Is that person American citizen Mr. John William Yettaw?
A : Yes.
Q : Did you report to the authority concerned on his arrival at your home?
A : No.
Q : Is it true that you received Mr John William Yettaw, gave food to him and arranged accomodation for him?
A : I permitted him to take shelter at my home temporarily.
Q : Did you provide food and talk to Mr. John William Yettaw and accept letters and gifts from him?
A : I talked to Mr. John William Yettaw. I am not sure whether letters and items remained or were left by Mr. John William Yettaw. Only Mr. John William Yettaw himself knows that matter.
Q : Which date and time did Mr. John William Yettaw leave your home?
A : Mr. John William Yettaw left my home between 11.45 pm and mid-night on 5 May.
Q : Which way did Mr. John William Yettaw take when he left your home?
A : I only knew that Mr. John William Yettaw went to the lake. Because of the darkness, I don’t know which way he took.
Q: Did Police Captain Tin Zaw Tun come and confiscate the things Mr. John William Yettaw had left at the residence of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi?
A: Yes, Police Captain Tin Zaw Tun came and confiscated the things Mr. John William Yettaw had left.
Q: Were there members of security force at the surrounding of the residence while Mr. John William Yettaw was at the residence of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi?
A: They were not in the compound. I don’t know whether they were out of the compound or not.
Q: Did American citizen Mr. John William Yettaw take photos and shoot video in the house of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi?
A: I don’t know whether he took photos and shot video while I was at my house. I only learnt that he took photos and shot video when I appeared in court.
Q: Do Daw Aung San Suu Kyi know the facts prescribed in restriction order, prohibition order and order for extension of the prohibition order.
A: Yes, I know the facts written in the orders.
Following Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s testimony and questions by the court, prosecution witness Investigating Officer Police Captain Than Soe of Special Branch was examined.
The witness said he received the case, Bahan Police Station case (Pa) 302/ 09 under section 13 (1) of Immigration Act (Emergency Provisions), on May 11, to be examined. On the same day he questioned prosecution witnesses and on May 12, he continued to question the prosecution witnesses and received the search forms handed over by Police Captain Maung Maung Myint and Police Captain Tin Zaw Tun. And he also got the sample of Mr. John William Yettaw’s hand writing in connection with the case and sent it together with Mr. John William Yettaw’s hand writing confiscated at the house of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to the Criminal Investigation Department in order to be examined whether they were written by same person.
He said, Mr. John William Yettaw was questioned on the same day and the prosecution witnesses were examined on 13 May, and he presented two search forms handed over by Police Captain Sa Kyaw Win and May on 14, Mr Yettaw was arrested as per Case No. 264/09 of Bahan Police Station and filed against him under section 13 (1) of Immigration Act (Emergency Provisions) at Rangoon North District Court.
The proceedings are adjourned until 10 a.m. on 28 May.
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| Aung San Suu Kyi’s house arrest lifted |
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New Delhi (Mizzima) - Burma’s military authorities on Tuesday lifted the house arrest order of opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, her lawyer said. But she remains under detention inside Rangoon’s notorious Insein Prison, where she is facing trial on charges of breaching her terms of detention.
One of her lawyers, Nyan Win, told Mizzima that Police Brigadier General Myo Thein, along with Burma’s Police Chief Khin Yi, on Tuesday morning read out an order removing restrictions imposed on Aung San Suu Kyi under her former sentence of house arrest.
“It implies that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is no more under house arrest, but she remains under detention as she is currently facing a trial,” Nyan Win explained.
Myo Thein also told foreign diplomats and journalists that authorities had been thinking of releasing Aung San Suu Kyi when her current term of detention expires on May 27, but the American’s visit had interrupted their considerations.
Khin Yi and Myo Thein said authorities had considered releasing her even though her detention period could still be extended for another six months. However, they did not cite any legal reasons for why her house arrest could have been extended.
Aung San Suu Kyi’s International Lawyer, Jared Genser, was outraged at the news, saying no legal grounds – both by international and domestic law – can allow the extension of her detention.
Genser, in an email message, said the junta’s claim has already been considered and rejected by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which is part of the U.N. Human Rights Council.
Genser said Daw Aung San Suu Kyi cannot be legally placed under further house arrest. He cited the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention’s opinion issued on the holding of the Burmese pro-democracy leader.
The opinion, issued by the Working Group on August 29, 2008, states that Burma’s 1975 State Protection Law allowed Aung San Suu Kyi to be detained only until May 2008.
“Therefore, the most recent extension on 28 May, 2008, amounts to a prima facie violation of the Union of Myanmar’s own laws,” the opinion read.
And even if the junta claims that the order to restrict her was issued only on November 28, 2003, she could only be detained up to November 27, 2008, the opinion stated.
Court Testimony
Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday gave her testimony to the court, stating that she had not invited and had not known of the visit of John William Yettaw until she was informed of his presence by her housemate, Khin Khin Win, on May 4.
The Nobel Peace Laureate also said she had given Yettaw temporary refuge as he pleaded with her to allow him to stay. She also admitted providing food.
Further, she confirmed she had not informed the police after Yettaw left her home, saying that her political convictions did not allow her to push Yettaw into danger by informing the police about his visit.
“Aung San Suu Kyi said that by herself and her friends facing restrictions, and not receiving protection under the law, her political convictions could not allow any other person to be put in danger,” Nyan Win, one of her lawyers, recounted of her testimony.
Nyan Win said the court on Tuesday did not allow for any cross examination of Aung San Suu Kyi, the judge only reading out questions to which she gave short but precise answers.
Nyan Win also said the judge on Monday refused to allow him a meeting with his client to prepare for Tuesday’s testimony.
The court has fixed the next hearing to be on Wednesday, but Nyan Win said it will only be concerned with the cases against Khin Khin Win, Win Ma Ma and Yettaw. Aung San Suu Kyi is not slated to appear again until Thursday.
“I think at this rate the trial could be over within days. It might take only about another three or four days,” said Nyan Win, adding that the verdict could probably already have been given to the judge.
“But if the court reaches a verdict and sentences her, we will move to higher courts for appeal and will continue fighting,” he added.
‘Half-open’ court again
Authorities for the second time on Tuesday allowed 25 journalists – 15 correspondents for foreign media outlets and 10 domestic correspondents – along with 29 diplomats into the court to witness the proceedings against Burma’s pro-democracy leader.
They were also given a press briefing by Police Brigadier General Myo Thein, where Police Chief Khin Yi was also present.
A correspondent for a foreign news service in Rangoon told Mizzima that the junta probably wants to signal to the world that they are not restricting journalists and diplomats to hear the testimony of Aung San Suu Kyi and wants to prove they are conducting an open court.
“But what an open court it is? I don’t understand,” he said.
Last Wednesday authorities had allowed 10 journalists and 30 foreign diplomats into the special court in Insein Prison. Kyi Win, a member of Aung San Suu Kyi’s legal team, said they welcomed the move but would like to see the trial be even more open.
He termed the court “a half-open court” and urged the government to open up more.
But the following day, Thursday, the court was again conducted behind closed-doors, with no other people present except those directly involved in the case – judges, legal advisors and security officials. |
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| Asian, European Ministers express concern over Suu Kyi |
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New Delhi (Mizzima) - Foreign Ministers from Asia and Europe on Tuesday concluded a two-day meeting in Hanoi with a statement calling on Burma’s military government to release political prisoners, even as the regime conducts a trial against opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
The chair’s statement said Ministers had discussions and exchanged views on the recent developments relating to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and “called for the early release of those under detention and the lifting of restrictions placed on political parties.”
The Foreign Ministers, in their statement, also called on the Burmese government to prepare and conduct the election slated for 2010 in a “free and fair manner.”
The Ministers, however, reaffirmed the “sovereignty and territorial integrity of Myanmar [Burma] and in that context, reiterated that the future of Myanmar [Burma] lies in the hands of all its people.”
The Foreign Ministers, during the two-day meeting, were also briefed by Burmese Foreign Minister Nyan Win on recent developments regarding the junta’s planned roadmap to democracy.
On Tuesday, Burmese authorities read out an order lifting the house detention restrictions on pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. However, she remains under detention inside Insein Prison as she is currently facing a trial under charges of breaching her detention law.
The Foreign Ministers also encouraged the Burmese regime to engage “all stakeholders in an inclusive process in order to achieve national reconciliation and economic and social development.” |
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| Letter submitted by Suu Kyi to the court |
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New Delhi (Mizzima) – Opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi submitted a letter to the court as her statement on Tuesday, the third day after the court accepted charges against her. Her party the National League for Democracy party on Wednesday released the letter for public information.
“Daw Suu submitted it to the judge yesterday. We consulted legal counsels whether we should publicize the letter as public information. Then the Central Executive Committee (CEC) decided it should be informed to the public, so we are producing the whole document word for word,” Ohn Kyaing told Mizzima.
Below is the statement of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi read out to Mizzima’s reporter Nem Davies by Ohn Kyaing over telephone.
Announcement No. 14-05-09
27th May 2009
4th Waxing day of Nayone, 1371 BE
The full text of statement submitted by the National League for Democracy leader General Secretary Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to the court regarding the case charged against her, as per section 256 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
(a) – 1. In this aforesaid case, Police Special Branch Pol. Lt. Col. Zaw Min Aung filed case against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi under section 22 of the ‘Law safeguarding the State from the danger of those desiring subversive acts – 1975’ and Daw Khin Khin Win (daughter of U Tin Ohn), Daw Win Ma Ma (daughter of U Nyan Lin) and John William Yettaw for abetting Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in committing this crime under section 22 of aforesaid 1975 Law and section 109 of Criminal Code, at Bahan Police station on 11 May 2009.
2. Regarding the visits by Mr. John William Yettaw, I first heard of his first visit on 30 November 2008 from Daw Khin Khin Win who lives with me. I informed this incident to the authorities concerned on 4 December 2008 through Dr. Tin Myo Win who visited me on that day for regular medical checkup. The authorities didn’t ask me any question and I didn’t hear any action taken being taken on this report either. There was no warning given to me to inform the authorities concerned in such a case of intrusion into my residence. I found out about the second visit of Mr. John William Yettaw only on the morning of 4th May 2009. I asked him to leave my house. He told me that he would leave my home at night otherwise he would be arrested if he leaves during day time. And then when night fell, he requested me again to let him stay overnight on the excuse of his health condition.
3. Nowadays, many of my political colleagues and sworn friends are languishing in jail, serving long prison terms, without enjoying the protection of the law and its leniency. My political conscience does not allow me to push anyone to be arrested and being taken into custody so I let him stay at my home temporarily.
4. Who is the intruder, what were his objectives did not matter to me and I do not care. I did it in accordance with my political belief and conscience. I intended to report this incident to the authorities concerned through Dr. Tin Myo Win when he came to me on his scheduled visit on 7 May 2009. But on that day, 7 May 2009, Dr. Tin Myo Win was not allowed to visit me and only police personnel came to me instead.
5. I did in responding to the incident on 30 November 2008 to downplay this incident and to avoid giving unnecessary trouble to the security personnel deployed at my home. The authorities seemingly accepted the way I handled this case by not objecting or criticizing me for handling the case in this way. I think the authorities accepted and agreed to my act. In the examination of a recalled prosecution witness, he testified to the court that I and the authorities were jointly responsible for the security of my house. This statement is absolutely wrong.
6. I was charged with violation of the restriction and internment order made under the ‘Law safeguarding the State from the danger of those who desiring subversive acts’.
a. The statements given in court by the prosecution witnesses and the internment order exhibited in court clearly proves that I did not violate the terms of the said internment order.
b. The prosecution testified in court that the internment order is the restriction and deprivation of fundamental rights of the citizen as per the provisions of the 1974 Union of Socialist Republic of Burma’s Constitution. This constitution has not been in force and has collapsed since the military took over power in 1988. The interment order made under the said constitution which is no longer in force is unlawful.
7. The root cause of the case is security -- lapse of security or breach of security, but till today, no action was taken against the security personnel responsible. But they took action against me only and put me on trial. This is a biased act.
8. I hereby submit my statement stating that I did not commit the crime that I have been charged with.
9. By the resolution of the Central Legal Aid Committee constituted under the Central Executive Committee, meeting held on 26 May 2009
Central Executive Committee
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| Plight of Rohingya forgotten: HRW report |
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New Delhi (Mizzima) - Regional countries and neighbors should press Burma’s ruling junta to cease in the systematic abuse of the Rohingya and provide necessary assistance to those who have fled to their shores, Human Rights Watch (HRW) argues in a new report.
HRW, in a 12-page report entitled “Perilous Plight: Burma’s Rohingya Take to the Seas,” details how the Burmese government’s systemic rights abuses have caused the Rohingya, a Muslim minority living predominantly in Northern Arakan State, to flee their homes for other countries, often entailing a great risk to their lives.
The report says persecution and human rights violations against the Rohingya in Burma, particularly in Arakan State, have persisted for over 20 years, with insufficient international attention.
Persecution and abuse includes extrajudicial killings, forced labor, religious discrimination and restrictions on movement, all exacerbated by a draconian citizenship law that leaves the Rohingya stateless.
"The treatment of the Rohingya in Burma is deplorable - the Burmese government doesn't just deny Rohingya their basic rights, it denies they are even Burmese citizens," said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia Director at Human Rights Watch, in a press statement.
"Instead of sidestepping the issue, ASEAN should be pressing Burma's military rulers to end their brutal practices," Pearson said.
According to a Rohingya community leader, now living in London, the Rohingya are prohibited from owning property and are not allowed to pursue higher education.
“Even marriage requires permission from the authorities for us,” the leader told Mizzima in an earlier interview.
The HRW report says such deplorable conditions at home have forced thousands of Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh and other Southeast Asian countries, where hostile conditions often await them.
David Scott Mathieson, Burma consultant for HRW in Bangkok, said members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have not taken effective action on the issue, stating, “The response has been uneven and counter-productive.”
“They [ASEAN] need to openly criticize the SPDC’s treatment of the Rohingya and call on them to stop their actions. They can create a mechanism within the grouping,” argued Mathieson, referring to the Burmese junta by its official name – State Peace and Development Council (SPDC).
In late 2008 and early 2009, hundreds of Rohingya boatpeople were rescued from the shores of Thailand, India and Indonesia, after they were found drifting in the Andaman Sea for weeks.
The issue became a hot topic after some survivors confessed that they were first captured by Thai authorities and sent back into the sea with little or no food in engineless boats, an allegation Thailand has denied.
The topic was discussed by officials of the countries involved. On the occasion, Burmese Foreign minister Nyan Win informed his ASEAN counterparts that while the Rohingya are not among the 130 ethnic nationalities registered in the country, the government would accept their return if they could prove their birth in Burma.
“The landing of Rohingya boatpeople in Southeast Asian countries is the direct result of persecution in Burma,” said Mathieson.
Though the topic was prominent for a while and regional countries agreed to address the topic at the Bali Conference, nothing has materialized since the conference culminated a month ago.
“There was a lot of attention in January and February this year…but there was no solution and that is unacceptable,” Mathieson stipulated.
The report calls on regional countries to provide assistance to the Rohingya boatpeople who fled their homeland due to severe rights violations and for the military regime in Burma to cease all persecution. |
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| Underground medics: rebuilding Burma’s ruin |
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Rosalie Smith
May 27, 2009 (DVB)–Government spending on healthcare in Burma ranks among the lowest in the world, eclipsed by the wealth of public money that lines the pockets of the army.
While the Southeast Asian pariah state has no external enemies, indeed it has not been at war with another country since 1956, 40 per cent of its budget goes on military financing. Alongside this, the meagre three per cent used to support almost 50 million people pales in comparison.
In 2000, the World Health Organisation ranked Burma’s healthcare system second worst in the world, one notch above Sierra Leone, a country whose infrastructure has been obliterated by a decade of civil war.
Burma cannot use the same excuse. Wild financial mismanagement by the ruling junta, resistance to offers of aid from overseas, and a myopic focus on its own military might has caused a total breakdown in national healthcare. One of the largest groups of people in Burma paying the price for this are the internally displaced persons (IDPs).
Hospitals in Burma operate on a very rudimentary basis, lacking in vaccinations and other drugs, and riddled with corruption. In this context, IDPs are forced to rely solely on emergency health care.
Into this void have stepped voluntary medics, who travel into Burma’s remote areas where the concentration of IDPs is often high. In Burma’s eastern states alone there are over half a million IDPs who have fled either to escape the conflict between the Burmese army and armed ethnic rebel groups, or to avoid forced relocation by the army.
One such group is the Back Pack Health Worker Team (BPHWT), operating out of the Thai-Burma border town of Mae Sot. A BPHWT report published in 2006 found that child victims of forced relocation are 2.4 times more likely to die and around three times more likely to suffer from malnutrition than children allowed to stay in their own homes. Ironically, after fleeing, the use of contraception falls drastically as well. IDP’s are also nearly five times more likely to get injured by landmines, given the frequency with which they move from one location to another.
In this context, the ‘free agents’ of Burma’s underground healthcare system are invaluable. Another multi-ethnic volunteer organisation, the Free Burma Rangers (FBR), has conducted over 350 humanitarian missions of one to two months into the most conflict-heavy areas in Burma. They provide emergency shelter, food and clothing, along with medical care, and continue to document human rights violations inside Burma. Per mission, up to two thousand patients are treated.
Reversing a slide
In 1997, 500,000 people were found displaced in Karen state. Many schools and clinics had also been forcibly relocated. Compared to 1997, however, there are now 10 more clinics in Karen state, operated by FBR along with some partner organizations.
“Figures should be going the other way,” said Thauwa A Ta from FBR.
“In 2004 and 2006, the Burmese army conducted more offensives. Since the 2006 attack, however, there are again 10 more clinics and there are also more schools.”
Landmines, forced labor and the constant threat of Burmese army’s attack are only a small part of the health risks that IDPs face. Many preventable or curable diseases, such as diarrhea or vitamin deficiencies, can be fatal to IDP’s. Cholera, malaria and haemorrhagic dengue fever are endemic in Burma.
Ethnic Back Pack Teams work closely with local community leaders in areas where no healthcare is available. Training for Back Pack Medics is rigorous, with at least one year’s experience in the field compulsory.
“Basically, everyone must finish at least six months basic medical training, and every six months we do an upgrade short course or a workshop,” director Mahn Mahn explained.
The work these grassroots organisations do is highly dangerous. According to the first Geneva Convention, health workers should be offered protection. This, however, does not apply in Burma.
In the first eight years of the BPHWT program, seven backpack medics and one traditional birth attendant were killed, either from landmines or at the hands of the Burmese army. The Free Burma Rangers have also lost team leaders to disease and attacks.
An FBR member known only as Monkey acknowledged the tense environments they work in.
“Once the army was 10 minutes from where we conducted our mission. We were hiding in a small forest,” he said.
“The villagers told us not to worry, they would protect us. I looked at the villagers; they were very calm so I wasn’t scared anymore.”
Currently, there are 49 FBR teams and 70 Back Pack Teams operating in eastern Burma. The relief these organizations bring, however, is still inadequate compared to the extent of medical assistance needed.
“All FBR help to internally displaced people inside Burma is maybe 10 per cent of what is needed,” Thauwa A Ta admits.
“The army will eventually win. In 20 years there might not even be people in these areas anymore.” |
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| Suu Kyi blames lack of security |
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(DVB)–A lapse in security by police guarding Aung San Suu Kyi’s compound is responsible for the visit of US citizen John Yettaw, for which she is currently standing trial, she told the courtroom today.
Speaking on the eighth day of her trial in which she is accused of breaching conditions of her house after the US citizen swam to her compound and stayed two nights, Suu Kyi pinned the blame for the incident on the government.
“Even though the main cause of the situation that has happened is a lack of, or a breach of security [at my house], no action was taken on those responsible for the security,” Suu Kyi told the court.
“But only I am under prosecution and such an act is unjust.”
The statement was released by her National League for Democracy party, who today reiterated its call for her release.
Facing questions over why she failed to report the incident, Suu Kyi reminded the court that Yettaw had visited in November last year and she had notified authorities.
“But the authorities did not conduct any investigation on that and I learnt no action was taken regarding on that,” she said.
“Nor I was given any direction [by the authorities] to make an immediate report to them when a situation like that takes place.”
She added that she didn’t report the latest incident due to concern that it would harm both Yettaw and the security forces.
Furthermore, Suu Kyi’s doctor, her only regular contact with the outside world, had been barred from entering her house the day after news surfaced of Yettaw’s visit. As a result, Suu Kyi said, she was unable to report the incident.
Reporting by Francis Wade |
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| Two bombs explode in Mon state |
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(DVB)–Two bombs exploded near government buildings in the capital of Mon state this morning, following state-run newspaper reports yesterday on alleged bombing plots by exiled opposition groups.
According to police in the Mon capital, Moulmein, the first bomb had been planted in a drain in front of the government’s Economic Bank, and was detonated at around 9 o’clock this morning.
Shortly afterwards, a second bomb exploded near the Forestry Department building. No one was injured in either attack.
“So far we have no report on causality and we are still investigating the case,” said a police official on duty at Moulmein police station.
Yesterday, the state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported that a bomb had been found aboard a train headed for Burma’s capital, Naypyidaw.
Information was found, it said, which pointed towards student-group All Burma Students Democratic Front (ABSDF), a member of the Forum for Democracy in Burma (FDB), as likely being responsible.
FDB General Secretary Naing Aung said however that the accusations were part of government plans to discredit opposition groups prior to the 2010 elections.
“[It is] also to prevent the public, who have awoken politically due to the current situation with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, from joining further anti-government movements,” he said.
Reporting by Naw Say Phaw and Aye Nai |
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| Burmese Citizens are Angry, but Silent |
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The trial of Aung San Suu Kyi has gripped the hearts of the Burmese people because they respect and love her. Rationally, however, they know they can have little affect on the junta’s show trial now unfolding in Insein Prison.
A prominent writer in Rangoon summed it up in a phone conversation with The Irrawaddy on Wednesday: “The trial has made people feel helpless and even more hopeless.”
There are three factors that account for the lack of even modest public protests by ordinary citizens and political activists—economic hardship, harsh military oppression and lack of opposition leadership.
The people know the trial of the pro-democracy leader is rigged, and that she will soon be sentenced to up to five years in prison. They’re angry, but their anger is suppressed, boiling but contained—they can’t afford to let it overcome their daily struggle to survive and provide for their families.
Win Tin, a prominent member of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD), the main opposition party, said: “People are angry, but they are more concerned with their daily living.”
There’s no doubt that many people are unwilling to openly show their support for Suu Kyi because of the junta’s well-known willingness to use violence against citizens, which creates real, understandable fear. Images of the bloody crackdown on the monk-led protests in 2007 are still fresh in people’s minds.
“The trial has made people harbor more hatred towards the generals than ever,” the writer said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “On the other hand, they are more frightened.”
For Burma, the political tide turned on May 14 when Suu Kyi was transferred from her home to Insein Prison and charged with violating the terms of her house arrest after an eccentric American intruder swam across Inya Lake and illegally entered her compound, where he remained for two days.
A lack of leadership within the political opposition has been a topic of concern. About 2,100 political prisoners, including many potential leaders, are in jail.
Sein Win, an outspoken and well-known Rangoon journalist, told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday, “The leading political party is weak.”
Even so, the ailing, respected journalist said he still believes in the people: “Our people are as courageous as ever since the era of the independence struggle,” in the early 20th Century.
On Wednesday, the NLD held its 19th anniversary of the election in which it won by a landslide, only to see the junta not honor the results, and it issued a strong statement calling for the release of its leader, Suu Kyi.
Since the trial began last week, the junta has beefed up security around Insein Prison and infiltrated members of Sawn Arr Shin, a junta-backed paramilitary group, among Suu Kyi’s supporters, who maintain a vigil outside the gates.
One supporter at the prison said, “They provoke us. One of them deliberately uttered a provocative remark: “‘Why are you guys coming to see the wife of a kalar?’” referring to Suu Kyi’s marriage to a British citizen. In Burmese, kalar is a vulgar term that refers to an Indian and Western people. The supporter said, “We have to hold back our anger.”
While anger is suppressed inside the country, the uproar within the international community is louder than ever.
“It is time for the Burmese government to drop all charges against Aung San Suu Kyi and unconditionally release her and her fellow political prisoners,” US President Barack Obama said on Tuesday. “Aung San Suu Kyi has represented profound patriotism, sacrifice and the vision of a democratic and prosperous Burma.”
The international community, including the European Union and the United Nations Security Council, has all expressed their concerns about Suu Kyi’s trial. Even members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have been more outspoken than ever against the junta.
However, seasoned observers are skeptical that the international community will take further steps beyond expressing concern. Again, the ruling generals are experts at gauging international reaction and moving ahead with disdain, ever tightening their grip on power while nullifying the moves of the opposition.
The international community’s competing policies of economic sanctions versus constructive engagement have both had little impact on the junta’s hold on power or influenced its movement toward democratic reconciliation.
Both critics and dissents are also saddened that mounting pressure from the international community will likely have no affect on the trial’s verdict or sentence. After attending the trial last week, British Ambassador to Burma Mark Canning summed it up, “I think this is a story where the conclusion is already scripted.
I don’t have confidence in the outcome.”
What wasn’t scripted was the spontaneous sign of respect by international diplomats last week and on Tuesday, who rose to their feet when Suu Kyi walked into the courtroom. The gesture spoke louder than words.
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| NLD Issues List of Demands to Junta |
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Burma’s opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), marked the 19th anniversary of its election victory by issuing a statement to the Burmese military government with a list of political demands.
Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Wednesday, party spokesperson Ohn Kyaing confirmed that the NLD had demanded that the junta:
• unconditionally releases all political prisoners, including NLD party leaders Aung San Suu Kyi and Tin Oo;
• sets proper conditions for political dialogue;
• allow the reopening of NLD offices across the country;
• allows free election campaigning;
• accepts the registration of political parties (including ethnic parties) that were banned after they won seats in the 1990 election.
The NLD pointed out in the statement that the Burmese military regime had broken the 1990 election law that required that parliament would be formed of parliamentarians elected in the 1990 national election.
The party further contended that the military government had previously accepted that the national convention would be made up of elected members of parliament (MPs). However, in the 1993 national convention, only 107 members out of 702 representatives at the convention were MPs—just 15.2 percent of the Burmese people’s representatives. The others were hand-picked by the junta.
The five-page statement also claimed that when the military junta reconvened the national convention in 2004, only 13 elected MPs out of 1,086 representatives were invited—a mere one percent of democratically elected representatives.
The NLD, led by detained leader Suu Kyi, won the 1990 national election with a landslide 82 percent of votes, but were never allowed to take office.
Also on Wednesday, the NLD released another statement on behalf of Suu Kyi. Link to that story: http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=15746
The NLD marked the 19th anniversary of its election victory at its party headquarters in Rangoon at 12 o’clock noon on Wednesday. The event was attended by party members, MPs, representatives from allied ethnic parties, veteran politicians and Rangoon-based diplomats.
Several dozen members of the pro-junta Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) and Swan Arr Shin were stationed around the NLD headquarters in Bahan Township, but no trouble was reported.
“They [USDA and Swan-Arh-Shin] are waiting in three trucks on the street,” said a local resident in Bahan Township, “while plain-clothes policemen are coming and going around the NLD headquarters.”
Meanwhile, Asian and European Union foreign ministers made a joint-statement during a two-day meeting in Hanoi on Tuesday, calling on the Burmese junta to release detained political prisoners, as international pressure mounts on the regime over its trial and detention of Suu Kyi.
In their statement, the foreign ministers called on Burma to prepare for and conduct elections scheduled for next year in a free and fair manner and encouraged the military government to engage all stakeholders in an inclusive process in order to achieve national reconciliation, and economic and social development.
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| Suu Kyi Accuses Prosecution of Bias |
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Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has issued a statement denying that she broke the terms of her house detention order and saying she gave John William Yettaw temporary shelter because she didn’t want to be responsible for his arrest.
In the statement, released on Wednesday by her National League for Democracy, Suu Kyi said: "I gave a temporary shelter as requested because I don’t push any one to be arrested and detained according to my political belief."
She added in her statement: "It is not important for me whoever the intruder is and what his aim is. I just did according to my political belief."
Accusing the authorities of bias against her, Suu Kyi, who has been held under house arrest for 13 of the past 19 years, questioned why legal action was not being taken against security officials guarding her home.
"This incident occurred because of a security breach (by authorities). However, until now no action has been taken on security," Suu Kyi said in her statement. "The fact that I am the only party being prosecuted shows the partiality of the prosecution."
Suu Kyi also rejected testimony by a prosecution witness accusing her of violating terms of her house arrest order barring contact with outsiders. She pointed out the 1974 state constitution containing the prohibition order lost its legality after the present Burmese military government took power in 1988.
Suu Kyi also said she had never been warned that she should report any outside intrusion to the authorities. She also rejected a statement by a prosecution witness claiming that she and the authorities were together responsible for the security of her home. “That statement is totally wrong,” she said in her statement.
Suu Kyi said she told Yettaw to leave when the American arrived at her lakeside home on the morning of May 4. Yettaw told her that he would be arrested if he left during the day and asked if he could stay temporarily, promising to depart under cover of night.
But Yettaw did not leave as promised, pleading poor health, and asked to stay one more night.
Suu Kyi said Yettaw had made an unauthorized visit to her home in November 2008, and she had asked her doctor, Tin Myo Win, to report it to the authorities. No action had then been taken, she said.
Suu Kyi faces up to five years imprisonment if found guilty of violating the terms of her house arrest order by allowing Yettaw to stay.
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| New Web Site Gathers High Profile Support for Suu Kyi |
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A new Web site was launched on Wednesday to coordinate support among international figures, NGOs and trade unions for Burmese opposition leader Aung San Kyi.
The organizers of the site, the Global Campaign to Free Aung San Suu Kyi, said it is intended to become the global hub of the international campaign to release Suu Kyi, who has spent 13 of the past 19 years under house arrest and is now on trial in Rangoon.
The launch of the Web site was timed to coincide with the sixth anniversary of her current term of house arrest. The site is named 64forSuu.org to mark Suu Kyi’s 64th birthday on June 19.
Celebrated supporters of the campaign to free Suu Kyi were invited to contribute 64-word messages. Among those who responded was British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who said: “We must do all we can to make this birthday the last you spend without your freedom."
Brown said: "I add my voice to the growing chorus of those demanding your release. For too long the world has failed to act in the face of this intolerable injustice. That is now changing. The clamor for your release is growing across Europe, Asia, and the entire world.”
Among other leading personalities who contributed to the site at its launch were former Czech President Vaclav Havel, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, actors George Clooney, Daniel Craig, Stephen Fry, Kevin Spacey and Sarah Brown, comedian Eddie Izzard and footballer David Beckham.
Organizations contributing to the site include the Burma Campaign-UK, the US Campaign for Burma, Amnesty International, Britain’s Trades Union Congress, Not on Our Watch, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, the Open Society Institute, Avaaz and English Pen.
The site also invites anyone to upload video, text, images or twitter messages of support for Suu Kyi.
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| Detained party member to testify for Suu Kyi |
| Tuesday, 26 May 2009 |
(DVB)–The detained deputy leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD) will be called as a defence witness in the trial of NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi as the court today reopens to journalists.
Deputy leader Tin Oo will be one of four witnesses called up by Suu Kyi’s lawyers. NLD member Win Tin, who was released last year after spending 19 years in prison, and two other lawyers, will also be used.
Tin Oo was arrested along with Suu Kyi following the 2003 Depayin massacre, in which a government-backed mob opened fire on a convoy of NLD supporters, killing 70. He has been under house arrest ever since.
Suu Kyi is also set to testify today. Last week she pleaded innocent to charges related to breaching conditions of her house arrest following the intrusion of US citizen John Yettaw into her compound earlier this month.
Yesterday the prosecution abruptly dropped its eight remaining witnesses. A member of her legal team, Nyan Win, told AFP yesterday that he thought the trial was being rushed through by the judges.
"She will be questioned by the judge [today],” he said.
“This was a surprise to us because we need more time to discuss the case with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.”
Judges announced yesterday that they would again be allowing diplomats and journalists into the courtroom.
The move is seen as an attempt by the regime to deflect international criticism of the trial.
If found guilty, the charges carry a maximum sentence of five years, which would ensure she is imprisoned well beyond the scheduled 2010 elections. Critics see the trial as a means to this end.
Reporting by Francis Wade |
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| Bomb accusations ‘to discredit’ opposition groups |
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(DVB)–Government accusations that a bomb found on a train heading towards Burma’s capital is the work of opposition groups was an attempt to weaken anti-government movements, said a member of the accused group.
On Sunday the state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported that a bomb had been found on train destined for the remote jungle capital, Naypyidaw.
Information was found, it said, which pointed towards student-group All Burma Students Democratic Front (ABSDF) as likely being responsible.
“ABSDF…is now plotting to commit subversive acts such as attaching anti-government posters to the walls of buildings…and planting mines with the intention that they will explode if the posters are taken off,” it said.
The ABSDF is part of coalition group Forum for Democracy in Burma (FDB), whom the article stated had been “organizing members of antigovernment groups for explosive courses and anti-government courses”.
FDB general secretary Naing Aung said the accusations were part of government plans to discredit opposition groups prior to the 2010 elections.
“[It is] also to prevent the public, who have awoken politically due to current situation with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, from going further up to anti-government movements,” he said.
“The government is creating a lot of political confusion for the people, such as attempting to disarm ceasefire groups, putting Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in trial and declaring groups like the Burma Lawyers’ Council illegal.”
Reporting by Aye Nai |
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| Asian and European ministers agree on Burma |
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(AFP)–Foreign ministers from Asia and Europe called for the release of Burma opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi at a summit in Hanoi yesterday.
Delegates said the issue vaulted to the top of the agenda alongside discussions on North Korea’s nuclear testing at wide-ranging talks by the Asia-Europe (ASEM) foreign ministers.
ASEM groups include the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the European Union (EU), China, South Korea, Japan, Mongolia, Pakistan and India.
A draft pronouncement called for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, who is set to testify today at her trial in Rangoon.
"In light of the concern about the recent development to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, ministers... called for the early release of those under detention and the lifting of restriction placed on political parties," said the draft, seen on Monday.
She faces up to five years in jail on charges of violating her house arrest - which her lawyers said was to expire Wednesday - after an incident in which an American man swam to her house.
A top Burmese police officer said today that the junta had the right to extend her house arrest by six months.
ASEM ministers have agreed to a text that "makes specific reference to the release of political prisoners and particularly Aung San Suu Kyi," British junior foreign minister Bill Rammell said.
But Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt cautioned that "things are moving forward but nothing is ready until it's ready."
France's human rights minister, Rama Yade, said delegations had spoken about Aung San Suu Kyi's plight in "sometimes not very diplomatic" tones.
She said that while ministers had agreed to the statements about North Korea and Burma, "everything could change again, but for the moment they are along that line."
During a meeting Monday with Burma Foreign Minister Nyan Win on the sidelines of the ASEM talks, the EU called for Aung San Suu Kyi's immediate release, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Kohout said.
Rammell described Nyan Win's tone at the ASEM meeting as "very resistant" while Bildt said Burma was "defensive".
"I think the Burmese regime has miscalculated and has been somewhat taken aback by the force of international reaction," Rammell said.
China, a close ally of both North Korea and Burma, has played a "very constructive" role in the ASEM talks, said Alexander Stubb, the Finnish foreign affairs minister. |
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| Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s cross-examination |
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Burmese opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday looked a little weak, but otherwise appeared fine. She spoke to the audience before and after today's hearing but since her voice was low the only words that could be heard were reportedly, “Thank you for your concern,” and “I am happy to see you.”
Diplomats and other invited guests stood up as a sign of respect as she entered the courtroom, prompting security personnel to remind them to sit down.
The trial began at 1:05 p.m. (local time) and concluded at 2:00 p.m. (local time). One of her lawyers, Nyan Win, apparently complained to the judges that he had not had adequate opportunities to meet with his client. But his complaint drew no reply from the judicial panel.
As the proceeding began the judge read out questions to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who generally answered in one or two sentences.
She was first asked whether she knew about the restriction order on herself and her two live-in aides, to which she answered she only knew of the restrictions on her.
When asked of whether she knew about a November 30, 2008, incident in which American John Yettaw reportedly made his first visit to her house, she said she had heard about it but did not see him.
Asked of whether she knew about his subsequent intrusion on the night of May 3, 2009, she replied she knew about it only in the morning at around 5 a.m. (local time), adding that it was Khin Khin Win, one of her live-in aides, who informed her.
Asked whether she knew Yettaw prior to his visit, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said she only learned of him and his identity when he was found in her home.
She was then asked whether she reported to the police when Yettaw left the premises on May 5 at about 11:45 p.m. She replied, "No."
Next asked whether she had spoken to Yettaw, she responded, "Yes."
She was then questioned as to whether she knew of Yettaw's return path following his visit. She replied that she knew he headed toward the lake but that since it was dark she could not say for sure what route he took.
The judge then asked whether Yettaw had left items, including a Mormon book, at her home on purpose or had forgotten them. She replied she did not know whether he had forgotten them or deliberately left them behind.
She was then asked whether she had provided food and accommodation to Yettaw. She said she had afforded him temporary refuge.
Asked whether she knew about Yettaw taking photos and video, she replied that she only knew of the photos and videos when they were presented in the court.
The judge then asked of the situation of the security personnel at her home. She replied that there were no security guards inside her compound, but did not know the situation outside her compound.
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