Good Activity, Praying for Freedom

Burmese People from Batam, Indonesia, released Birds on 30/10/2007, intend for Freedom of Buma and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all Burma Political Prisoners.

By Saying "Good Job"

The forbidden city: Construction workers at the almost-finished City Hall in Naypyidaw, Burma's new capital. Some 80,000 laborers are scheduled to finish building the secluded city by 2012. AP

Stumbling through Burma's new capital

Hacked out of malarial jungle, Burma's new capital is a medley of mammoth buildings and quiet zones, built by an army of poor laborers.

By Anuj Chopra

from the October 31, 2007 edition

Reporter Anuj Chopra gives his impressions of Burma's new capital, Naypyidaw, an island of relative opulence in one of Southeast Asia's poorest countries.

When the deeply-rutted village tracks morphed into wide, paved, six-lane roads, I knew I was nearing Burma's new jungle capital.

A long and bumpy overnight bus ride, traversing 250 miles from Rangoon, has brought me to Naypyidaw – the country's administrative capital since 2005, and a secluded, secretive sanctuary for Burma's military generals. In Rangoon, two private bus services refused to sell me a ticket, fearing retribution from the military junta for ferrying a foreigner to the generals' nerve center. One owner of a rickety bus agreed to take me after I offered to pay double – with the caveat that he'd offload me the minute he sensed trouble with military authorities.

Fortunately, it was a smooth ride (but for the rutted roads) and I was dropped at the hotel zone. I asked for a room at the Myat Taw Win hotel, one of many plush hotels, nervous I might be turned away. The receptionist gave me a cold stare, noted down my passport details in a mammoth register, and for $60 a night, offered me the key to a luxurious, self-contained villa with foreign cable TV and air conditioning.

After some arguing, the hotel agreed to rent me a $3-an-hour motorbike with a driver, for a quick tour of Naypyidaw. "No pictures," I was warned. Two men caught taking pictures a few months ago are now serving time in the notorious Insein prison in Rangoon, I was reminded.

At first, Naypyidaw feels less like a city and more like a series of desolate zones, carefully dispersed. It is eerily quiet, unlike Rangoon's crumbling, colonial-era streets. Due to be completed by 2012, it is reminiscent of Russia's Potemkin villages, the fake settlements built to impress visiting dignitaries during the reign of Catherine II.

We ride past behemoth buildings – government offices, diplomatic quarters with blue and yellow metal roofs glinting in the sun, a parliamentary building, and a large military complex, the latter strictly out of bounds for civilians. Their Stalinist feel is heightened by the gigantic statues of bygone Burmese kings.

Hacked out of a malarial jungle, this 6-square-mile inland fortress is teeming with an army of 80,000 bedraggled-looking construction workers, some of whom human rights groups claim are forced laborers.

The military junta has never given any real explanation as to why it chose to relocate the capital to Naypyidaw. One theory was that Rangoon had become too congested; another was that it was done on the advice of Gen. Than Shwe's fortune teller, whom the leader has a habit of consulting on matters of state.

But the city, hemmed in by mountains and forests, undoubtedly confers the junta a strategic vantage point over potential threats. When widespread protests erupted on the streets of Rangoon in September, the ruling military generals hunkered down here from the enraged crowds in this outpost. It's their war bunker.

There are unconfirmed reports of extensive tunneling at the main site and of missile-proof caves in nearby mountains.

Naypyidaw is being built by a handful of Burmese business conglomerates such as Asia World, Htoo Trading, Eden Group, and Max Myanmar, with close ties to the junta. Asia World, a Rangoon-based construction giant run by former drug lord Lo Hsing Han, is believed to be handling over two-thirds of the construction project.

I was worried I had been spotted clicking pictures, but I wasn't questioned when I settled the hotel bill. On the bus back to Rangoon, sitting next to me, was an employee of Asia World. In a casual conversation, he revealed that the junta was defaulting on payments to the company.

Despite the losses, Asia World isn't withdrawing from the project because it was granted a government license to import foreign cars, a favor that ensures it profits elsewhere.

Last week, democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi met with junta leaders, and more recently authorities agreed to a visit by Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the UN special rapporteur for human rights in Burma (also known as Myanmar), despite barring him for years.

In Rangoon, I realize the regime's expenditure on the new capital has created even more resentment against the junta. "The new capital is an epic waste of money," says a senior journalist based in Rangoon. "Only a sliver of the budget goes to healthcare and education."

French foreign minister in China with sensitive issues on agenda

31 October 2007 | 11:49 | FOCUS News Agency Beijing. France's foreign minister held talks with China's leaders Wednesday to pave the way for President Nicolas Sarkozy's visit and push Beijing on a range of sensitive issues, including Myanmar and Iran, AFP informed. At the start of Bernard Kouchner's two-day trip, both sides talked up the prospects of continued warm bilateral relations despite differences over human rights and France's call for China to do more to resolve tensions in Myanmar. "The relationship between the two countries is excellent," Kouchner told reporters after meeting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi for nearly 90 minutes.

Gambari returns to Myanmar on Saturday - diplomat

YANGON (Reuters) - U.N. special envoy Ibrahim Gambari will return to army-ruled Myanmar on Saturday to try to coax the generals into talks on reform with captive opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a diplomat said.

"We have heard Myanmar has given the green light to Mr. Gambari to come on November 3," a Yangon-based Asian diplomat told Reuters.

Gambari has been on a six-country Asian diplomatic tour to press neighbours -- especially India and China -- to take a tougher line against the regime after it crushed pro-democracy protests last month.

United Nations special envoy to Myanmar Ibrahim Gambari smiles during a news conference in New Delhi in this October 23, 2007 file photo. Gambari will return to army-ruled Myanmar on Saturday to try to coax the generals into talks on reform with captive opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a diplomat said. (REUTERS/B Mathur)

Official media say 10 people were killed in the biggest anti-junta protests in two decades, although Western governments say the real toll is likely to be far higher.

On Wednesday, 200 Buddhist monks staged a march in central Myanmar for the first time since the crackdown last month.

The maroon-robed monks chanted prayers as they marched through the town of Pakkoku, where soldiers fired warning shots over the heads of monks early last month, triggering nationwide protests.

Gambari's schedule was not immediately known, but the Nigerian diplomat met junta chief Than Shwe and Suu Kyi during his last visit in early October.

"We think he is going is to be busier during this visit than his previous one," the diplomat said. That first trip resulted in the appointment of retired General Aung Kyi as a go-between for Suu Kyi and Than Shwe, who is widely known to loathe the 62-year-old Nobel laureate.

Aung Kyi held a 75-minute meeting with Suu Kyi last week, although it is not known what they discussed.

Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party won a 1990 election by a landslide only to be denied power by the military, which has ruled since a 1962 coup. She has spent 12 of the last 18 years in detention.

Copyright © 2007 Reuters

Monks march in central Myanmar

(CNN) -- More than 70 Buddhist monks marched in central Myanmar Wednesday, dissident sources near the Myanmar-Thailand border told CNN.

The march took place in the town of Pakokku, located about 330 miles (530 kilometers) north-northwest of Yangon. The march was the first reported since a government crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations in September, in which as many as 110 people are believed to have been killed -- including 40 Buddhist monks.

The monks in Pakokku shouted no slogans, but The Associated Press cited one monk who told the Democratic Voice of Burma -- a Norway-based short-wave radio station and Web site run by dissident journalists -- that it was a continuation of protests last month.

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"We walked around the town and chanted ... We are continuing our protest from last month as we have not yet achieved any of the demands we asked for," the monk told Democratic Voice of Burma in the AP report.

He said that they had little time to organize the march so it was small but "there will be more organized and bigger protests soon."

The demonstrations in Yangon last month numbered up to 100,000 people and were crushed when troops fired on protesters September 26-27 in a crackdown that left at least 10 people dead by the government's count, drawing international condemnation.

Myanmar's military junta admitted in mid October to detaining more than 2,900 people during the crackdown, with hundreds of them still believed to be in custody.

Casualty estimates vary, but some opposition groups says as many as 200 people may have been killed.

Re-Call 2

France demands 'new spirit' action on Burma

BREAKING NEWS

The foreign minister of France called Tuesday for a "new spirit" in diplomacy towards Burma, warning the military junta could not just go back status quo after last month's ruthless crackdown on monk-led protests.

"We cannot accept that it will come back like before, to the status quo," said French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner of Burma's political stalemate. "This is no longer possible."

On September 26-27 the Burmese military put a brutal end to weeks of peaceful protests led by Buddhist monks, killing at least ten people and horrifying world opinion anew.

A much more bloody crackdown on demonstrators in 1988 left about 3,000 people dead, prompting sanctions and condemnations from the international community. Burma has been under military rule since 1962.

Kouchner, who was in Bangkok on the second leg of a tour of Asia to discuss the Burmese issue, has proposed setting up a trust fund to offer aid to Burma's "miserable" people as an incentive to the government to implement democratic reforms.

At a press conference, the French foreign minister acknowledged that the proposal was not a new one. The World Bank several years ago offered Burma millions of dollars in aid on the condition that it agree to a roadmap of political and economic reforms.

Burma's military leaders rejected the proposal.

"This (fund) is not new, sanctions are not new but let's start having a new spirit, a new movement, a new strength and we will succeed," urged Kouchner, after holding talks with Thai Foreign Minister Nitya Pibulsonggram.

Part of that "new spirit" appears to be an acknowledgement that the military will need to be part of the solution, and introducing democracy to Burma will be a long process.

"We don't want to change the regime immediately, overnight," Kouchner told a press conference. "This is impossible, ridiculous and counterproductive."

Kouchner, who will travel on the China on Wednesday, has called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to apply more pressure on Burma.

But Thailand, and Asean in general, remain reluctant to follow Western democracies in slapping economic sanctions on Burma.

"We in Thailand have the problem of proximity," said Nitya, pointing to Thailand's 2,400-kilometre border with Burma.

Thailand is also the main importer of Burma's natural gas reserves from the Gulf of Martaban, which are pumped ashore by an international petroleum consortium that includes France's Total and the US-based Chevron.

Kouchner rejected the idea of prohibiting Total from continuing to do business in the pariah state.

"Imagine that we turn off the tap of Total, who will suffer?" he asked rhetorically. "The people of Burma, the people of Thailand. And who will replace the French? Some other people."

Respect Them

People's Voices

Burmese people 'waiting in the dark'

It has been a month since rare anti-government protests in Burma were suppressed by the military government there. The BBC news website asked people in Burma, who had been previously e-mailing daily updates about the unrest, to describe how life has changed and what has been happening since the dissent was silenced. CHERRY WINN Life is back to normal now, 'normal' being a total decline in every area. Poverty, fear, lack of human rights, that's what's normal here. The government pushed us into a situation even worse than before. People drink rice juice when they can't afford to buy food The inflation rate is getting higher and higher. We expect that prices will go up because the economy is suffering from the political instability. People suffer as they don't earn enough to buy daily essentials. Many families can only afford one meal a day and people have started to drink rice juice when they can't afford to buy food. There are two groups of people - a small group determined to fight until they reach their goal and a huge number of people who wait in the dark and hope for salvation from outside. We are sure that there will be more protests in the future and finally there'll be a great revolution. SAMSON Life has changed a lot for many people. The place once full of hope is now shrouded with fear. Fear is everywhere and it's stronger than before. With fear comes anger. This anger will never go away until this regime is destroyed forever. The anger will go away only when there is true democracy. The soldiers act like gods treating people like slaves. The increase in food prices will affect the poor first and then everyone else. There are millions of people in this country under the poverty line. Millions will starve to death. The people of Myanmar [Burma] do not accept this situation. If there's no democracy, the revolution will not end. DA VINE Armed soldiers are still patrolling the areas near pagodas and the city centre. They keep questioning people who come to pagodas and I've heard that some have been arrested without doing anything wrong. We, Burmese people, are Buddhist. Do we need reasons to visit pagodas? Some people, especially older ones, are not happy with the protests, because they know from previous experience how it's going to end. This does not mean that they support this government. They just want us to take more time. But I think that we are running out of time. They came to my aunt's house and checked her computer for proxy software Some private computers have been checked by the military to see if photos or videos of the protests have been sent from there. My aunt's PC was checked. They came to her house and checked her computer for proxy software. They have even installed some software that can track down what we are doing on the internet. She has warned me not to do anything silly. What happened a month ago is very much in people's minds and many are prepared to go on the streets again, if they get a chance. We won't stop fighting for democracy. We want them to leave the throne and free Aung San Suu Kyi. THAN TOE Unfortunately, everything in Yangon [Rangoon] is back to where it used to be. Since protests were brutally suppressed, no one dares to demonstrate anymore. People are outraged but they are also scared. Now the only news you hear is about rallies in support for the government. Apparently such rallies are carried out across the country. The daily government newspapers write how people support their road map to democracy, which is nothing but a lie. The people have lost their voice once again The internet is back to normal, although they have banned sites like CNN, blogspot and Flickr. YouTube was also banned since someone uploaded General Than Shwe daughter's lavish wedding. We are genuinely disgusted with the government. They beat the monks so the people have lost their voice once again. They are waiting for someone brave enough to lead them, but until that happens, their voice is silenced. JEAN MICHEL, A FOREIGNER LIVING IN RANGOON Life is more difficult now. Although life seems to have returned back to normal with shops and schools open, many businesses have closed down. People are very worried about this. They need to work, otherwise where can they get money from? Tens of thousands of people work in the tourism industry. The season is dead, no tourists are coming in, where will the money come from? Although the situation has calmed down, there are still some interrogations going on. Now people just wait for negotiations with the UN to bring some results and it there's no result, they'll go back to the streets. AUNG People in Yangon [Rangoon] are trying to keep quiet after the protests. They are still worried about those who were arrested and detained. This is added to the constant worry about the high cost of food, clothing and shelter. Many people's income went down after the unrest. People are fed up with the government and tired of waiting for a response from the outside world. They are losing hope. I live in a monastery, but the internet there is cut off. I have to go to an internet café and I don't feel safe doing that. No one accepts this situation. NANG On the surface, it is like nothing ever happened. It seems that everything is back to normal, like the junta wants the world to believe. The imposed curfew was lifted and people are struggling for their daily existence as usual. However, it will never be the same for the people of Burma especially those who witnessed the inhumanity. What happened during the last month has changed everything. Nothing will ever be the same. Many believe that this is just the beginning, not the end You can smell the fear in the air. You can feel it everywhere. There is so much distrust between people as there are rumours that the junta's thugs and intelligence personnel are everywhere. The internet is available again but many people do not dare use it as there are rumours of plain-clothed government personnel mixing with ordinary people in cyber cafés. Some people have accepted the situation but many are hoping that something will happen gradually. Some even believe that a much bigger demonstration will take place soon. Many believe that the UN and the US will be able to change everything. Many believe that this is just the beginning, not the end.

September ရဲ့ အမွတ္တရ

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