*********************************************************
BURMA RELATED NEWS - APRIL 26- 28, 2008
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HEADLINES
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AP - Security tightened in Myanmar amid rumors of anti-government
campaign
AP - Pro-democracy Myanmar residents hold mock referendum outside
embassy in Japan in protest
AP - Myanmar activists stage anti-junta protest in Thailand
AP - Myanmar man arrested, 12 demonstrators hurt in scuffle with Japan
police outside embassy
AFP - Myanmar nationals in Singa****e signal 'no' as they wait to vote
AFP - Suu Kyi party says opponents of Myanmar constitution beaten up
Daily Yomiuri - Myanmar to let Suu Kyi vote in May referendum
CNA - Myanmar nationals determined to vote in referendum
MCOT - Thailand sup****ts Myanmar on its 'road to democracy'
The Straits Times - Thailand hopes Myanmar referendum is 'credible'
Bloomberg - Myanmar Nationals in Singa****e, Indonesia Vote on
Constitution
Irrawaddy - UNSC Deadlocked on Burma
Irrawaddy - Suu Kyi=92s Party Launches Vote =91No=92 Tour
DVB News - Minister=92s insult to Daw Suu provokes anger
DVB News - Factory workers pressured to cast multiple =93Yes=94 votes
DVB News - Officials vote =93Yes=94 on behalf of civil servant
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Security tightened in Myanmar amid rumors of anti-government campaign
AP - Monday, April 28
YANGON, Myanmar - Security was tightened Sunday in Myanmar's largest
city as rumors spread that pro-democracy activists would launch
protests against an upcoming referendum on a draft constitution backed
by the ruling military.
Riot police and junta sup****ters carrying batons were deployed at
major road junctions and Buddhist monuments including Yangon's famous
Shwedagon Pagoda, the site of many earlier demonstrations in the
staunchly Buddhist country.
Dissidents in Myanmar and exile groups elsewhere have urged voters to
vote against the constitution, saying it is merely a ploy to
perpetuate more than four decades of military rule.
Voting ahead of the May 10 referendum by Myanmar citizens has already
begun in some countries including Japan and Singa****e, where about a
thousand people lined up outside their country's embassy Sunday.
At least 230 Myanmar citizens held their own mock "referendum" outside
the Myanmar Embassy in Tokyo, where official polls were also held for
expatriates with the required official do***ents such as exit permits.
The requirement effectively excludes most exiles and dissidents from
the vote. The same rules applied to expatriate voters elsewhere.
A Myanmar man was arrested and 12 demonstrators were injured Saturday
in a scuffle with Japanese police in Tokyo as about 150 Myanmar
citizens and Japanese sup****ters demanded all expatriates be allowed
to vote.
Another protest in Tokyo ended peacefully Sunday.
About 100 Myanmar activists also staged a peaceful demonstration in
Thailand's capital, Bangkok, shouting slogans against the draft
constitution.
University student Myo Myint Maung, 23, a spokesman for the Overseas
Burmese Patriots _ a loose network of Myanmar activists based in
Singa****e _ said many were wearing caps printed with the word "No" on
them.
He urged everyone to vote 'no' "because the draft constitution is for
a sham democracy," the student said. "It's not for a true and real
democracy as all the terms in the constitution are biased toward the
military regime."
The new constitution is supposed to be followed in 2010 by a general
election, and both votes are elements of a "roadmap to democracy"
drawn up by the junta. The draft constitution guarantees 25 percent of
parliamentary seats to the military and allows the president to hand
over all power to the military in a state of emergency.
Myanmar, also known as Burma, has been under military rule since 1962.
Its government has been widely criticized for human rights abuses and
suppression of pro-democracy parties such as the one led by Nobel
Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest
for over a decade.
The ruling junta refused to honor the results of 1990 general
elections won by Suu Kyi's party.
Last September at least 31 people were killed and thousands more were
detained when the military cracked down on peaceful protests led by
Buddhist monks and democracy advocates.
**********************************************************
Myanmar activists stage anti-junta protest in Thailand
By SAKCHAI LALIT,Associated Press Writer
AP - Sunday, April 27
BANGKOK, Thailand - About 100 activists demonstrated Sunday at the
Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok, denouncing next month's referendum as a
ploy to help Myanmar's ruling junta keep its grip on power.
The demonstrators, organized by the Joint Action Committee for
Democracy in Burma, chanted slogans against the May 10 referendum on a
draft constitution the junta says is part of a "road map to
democracy." Myanmar is also known as Burma.
A statement from the umbrella committee for a dozen dissident exile
organizations said the constitution was drawn up solely by pro-junta
groups and would give the military great powers in any future
government.
"The army chief of staff has full power (under the constitution) to
take over political power any time he thinks the country is in
danger," the statement said.
The Bangkok protest was peaceful _ in contrast to one in Tokyo a day
earlier when 10 demonstrators, demanding that all Myanmar expatriates
be given the right to vote in the referendum, were injured in a
scuffle with police outside the Southeast Asian country's embassy.
Japanese police said the injured were among about 150 people,
including Myanmar citizens and some local sup****ters, who called for
all Myanmar citizens living abroad to be allowed to vote on the
constitution.
Myanmar's government has stipulated only citizens with legitimate
government do***ents, such as exit permits, can vote overseas. That
rule would exclude most political exiles and refugees.
Myanmar has been under military rule since 1962. It has been widely
criticized for human rights abuses and suppression of pro-democracy
parties like that led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi,
who remains under house arrest.
**********************************************************
Pro-democracy Myanmar residents hold mock referendum outside embassy
in Japan in protest
By MARI YAMAGUCHI,Associated Press Writer
AP - Monday, April 28
TOKYO - More than 200 Myanmar citizens living in Japan held a mock
vote Sunday on the southeast Asian country's new draft constitution,
criticizing an official referendum on the charter as a ploy to help
the ruling junta stay in power.
At least 230 Myanmar expatriates took part in the protest "vote"
outside the Myanmar Embassy in Tokyo, organizers said.
The protesters "voted down" the draft charter 224 to six, said one of
them, Than Htut Aung. They placed an envelope containing the mock
ballot cards in the embassy's mailbox, he said.
"That's the voice of the people in our country," he said. "The
military junta's referendum is meaningless and we strongly oppose it."
The Myanmar Embassy had mailed a letter earlier this month to more
than 2,000 of its citizens in Japan, inviting them to vote on the
proposed constitution in a two-day advance poll held over the weekend
at the embassy, Japanese police and the Foreign Ministry said.
An estimated 2,300 Myanmar expatriates in Japan received invitations,
according to a count by the protesters.
It was not immediately known if Myanmar was holding similar votes for
its citizens elsewhere.
Myanmar's ruling junta, facing growing domestic and international
pressure to ease its authoritarian rule, recently announced it will
hold the constitutional referendum on May 10 as part of a "road map to
democracy."
Critics have said the charter is a sham designed to perpetuate
military rule and to keep pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize
laureate Aung San Suu Kyi from running for office.
In Tokyo on Sunday, protesters also denounced Myanmar's government for
not letting all of its citizens living abroad vote in the referendum.
The government has stipulated that only citizens with legitimate
government do***ents such as exit permits can vote overseas _ a rule
that excludes most political exiles and refugees.
"All of us should be allowed to vote," Than said. "The military regime
is excluding us because they only want the yes votes."
Fewer than 100 people had voted officially at the embassy as of Sunday
afternoon, according to a count by protesters. No official count was
available from the embassy, whose telephone operator hang up when The
Associated Press called seeking information.
Critics said they did not believe their ballots would be secret and
that the majority of those invited to vote did not show up for fear of
casting votes against the constitution.
A Myanmar man was arrested and 12 demonstrators were injured Saturday
in a scuffle with Japanese police as about 150 Myanmar citizens and
Japanese sup****ters demanded all expatriates be allowed to vote.
Sunday's protest ended peacefully.
**********************************************************
Myanmar man arrested, 12 demonstrators hurt in scuffle with Japan
police outside embassy
By MARI YAMAGUCHI,Associated Press Writer
AP - Sunday, April 27
TOKYO - A Myanmar man was arrested and 12 demonstrators were injured
Saturday in a scuffle with Tokyo police, at a rally to demand that all
Myanmar expatriates be allowed to vote in a constitutional referendum.
The incident occurred outside the Myanmar Embassy where Myanmar
citizens with the required do***ents could vote this weekend on
whether to accept the draft charter, although apparently only some had
been notified in advance of the vote, a Foreign Ministry official
said.
The Myanmar embassy had informed the ministry of the balloting and
requested tighter-than-usual security in the area, the official said
on condition of anonymity, citing the issue's sensitivity.
A 41-year-old Myanmar man living in Japan was arrested after hitting a
policeman in the face as riot police tried to chase away about 150
protesters sitting outside the embassy, a Tokyo Metropolitan Police
spokesman said on condition of anonymity, citing policy.
All 12 of those injured were taken to a hospital for treatment, said
Tokyo Fire Department official Yo****nori Naga****ki.
He said the injuries were mostly cuts and bruises and were not life
threatening.
The police spokesman confirmed that four Myanmar citizens were taken
to a hospital, and said two of them were slightly injured while two
others felt sick. He said he did not have details about any others who
might have been hurt.
The injured were among about 150 people _ mostly Myanmar citizens and
some Japanese sup****ters _ demanding that all Myanmar citizens living
abroad be allowed to vote in a referendum on the new constitution, the
police spokesman said. The vote will be held in Myanmar on May 10.
Myanmar's government has stipulated that only citizens with legitimate
government do***ents, such as exit permits, can vote overseas _ a rule
that excludes most political exiles and refugees.
The Foreign Ministry official said some of the demonstrators might not
have had the required do***ents or did not receive notices about the
weekend vote.
About 3,000 Myanmar citizens in Japan were believed to be eligible
voters, he said.
Officials at the Myanmar Embassy could not be reached for comment
Saturday.
Myanmar's ruling junta recently announced it would hold the
constitutional referendum as part of a "road map to democracy."
Critics have said the charter is a sham designed to perpetuate
military rule and keep pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize
laureate Aung San Suu Kyi from running for office.
**********************************************************
Myanmar nationals in Singa****e signal 'no' as they wait to vote
AFP - Monday, April 28
SINGA****E (AFP) - - About 500 Myanmar nationals in Singa****e wore
****rts displaying the word "no" as they waited Sunday to vote in a
referendum on a new constitution for their country, an AFP re****ter at
the scene said.
They were among a large crowd of Myanmar nationals outside the embassy
being watched by a dozen Singa****e police officers.
Than Su, a Myanmar national working in Singa****e, was wearing the red
"no" T-****rt which he said reflected his position on the referendum.
"It is my feeling on the matter," Than Su, 28, told AFP. He declined
to give his surname but said he was working as a technician with a
Singa****ean firm.
Myanmar's generals say the referendum will pave the way for democratic
elections in 2010, but analysts say the constitution enshrines the
role of the military which has ruled since 1962 and leaves political
parties with little room to campaign.
Myo Myint Maung, spokesman for the Overseas Burmese Patriots activist
group, said an embassy official demanded that the red T-****rts and
caps be removed or they would not be allowed to cast their votes.
Another Myanmar national, William Thein, said he wore the "no" T-****rt
as an expression of sup****t for his compatriots at home.
"We want to say to our brothers and sisters back home that we overseas
Burmese are overwhelmingly against the referendum so we want them to
be encouraged," said 34-year-old Thein, who works as an engineer.
Since Friday, Myanmar nationals have begun voting on the referendum at
the embassy. Voting at the embassy will close on Tuesday evening.
In Myanmar, voting is set for May 10.
The referendum will be the first balloting in Myanmar since 1990, when
Aung San Suu Kyi led the National League for Democracy to a landslide
victory that was never recognised by the junta.
Singa****e is home to an estimated 30,000 Myanmar nationals, many of
them drawn by jobs as labourers that pay far above what they could
earn in their poverty-stricken homeland.
**********************************************************
Suu Kyi party says opponents of Myanmar constitution beaten up
Sat Apr 26, 3:05 PM ET
YANGON (AFP) - Myanmar's pro-democracy party led by Nobel peace
laureate Aung San Suu Kyi said Saturday opponents of the junta's
proposed constitution were being beaten and intimidated ahead of next
month's vote.
The National League for Democracy (NLD) said six party members had
been attacked by unknown people and 20 others detained and tortured in
the run-up to the May 10 ballot.
The ruling generals say the vote will be fair and that approval of the
charter will usher in multiparty elections in 2010, but pro-democracy
activists say it simply entrenches the role of the military, which has
ruled since 1962.
The NLD, which has publicly called on people to vote "No," said it had
re****ted the incidents but the authorities had taken no action to
investigate.
"The responsible authorities have never done any investigating,
charging or taking any action to 'uphold law and order' over those
crimes committed against NLD party members," it said.
Six party members had been attacked and beaten by unknown assailants
since the junta announced in February it would hold a referendum on
the proposed constitution, it said. One member needed 21 stitches in
his head after an assault, which also affected his vision.
Another 20 party members who wore T-****rts printed with the word "No"
were recently arrested in the western ****t town of Sittwe and tortured
while being detained for investigation.
The party said the attacks and arrests were intimidation tactics
against opponents of the junta-backed constitution. Officials would
not comment on the party's charges.
The junta, however, has said the vote would be held in a "systematic
and fair manner," state media re****ted Saturday.
Vice-Senior General Maung Aye, the junta's number two, told a passing
out parade for army recruits that the military was trying to produce a
constitution that would pave the way to democracy, the New Light of
Myanmar newspaper said.
"Comrades, it is the Tatmadaw (military) that is constantly striving
for the emergence of a constitution capable of shaping the multiparty
democracy system," the general said Friday.
"The Commission for Holding Referendum will organise the national
referendum in a systematic and fair manner for approving of the draft
constitution on 10 May," he said, adding that the "road map" to
democracy would be nearly complete once the constitution was approved.
Maung Aye also appeared to give a veiled warning to opponents of the
charter.
"Some dissidents at home and abroad are making attempts to undermine
the process of the systematic handover of the state power by the
Tatmadaw," Maung Aye said.
"However, I would like to assert that the Tatmadaw will put in the
fore the wishes of the people," he said.
State media have been giving extensive coverage to junta slogans and
activities promoting a "Yes" vote as a patriotic duty and have not
re****ted on any opposition.
"To approve the state constitution is a national duty of the entire
people today. Let us all cast 'Yes' vote in the national interest,"
the New Light of Myanmar said in a front-page banner Saturday.
The NLD said Friday that the generals were doing everything in their
power to force a "Yes" vote. The junta has also rejected foreign
observers.
The proposed constitution reserves one quarter of seats in both
chambers of parliament for military members.
Voting is already underway at embassies for overseas Myanmar
nationals.
The referendum will be the first balloting in Myanmar since 1990, when
Aung San Suu Kyi led the NLD to a landslide victory that was never
recognised by the junta.
Aung San Suu Kyi, who has spent 12 of the past 18 years under house
arrest or in prison, would be barred from running for president under
the new constitution because she was married to a foreigner.
**********************************************************
The Daily Yomiuri - Apr. 27, 2008
Myanmar to let Suu Kyi vote in May referendum
Norimasa Tahara / Yomiuri ****mbun Correspondent
BANGKOK--The Myanmar military government has decided to allow pro-
democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi to vote in a May 10 national
referendum on whether to endorse a draft constitution, sources in the
ruling junta said Saturday.
According to the sources, the Myanmar government placed the name of
Suu Kyi on the list of eligible voters. Suu Kyi is a Nobel Peace Prize
laureate who is under house arrest, since her National League for
Democracy (NLD) party won a general election but was prevented by the
military from taking office.
The Myanmar military junta apparently is seeking to dodge criticism at
home and abroad by allowing Suu Kyi to take part in the
"democratization process" it envisages, with a May 27 deadline
approaching for extending her house arrest.
Other names on the eligible voters list include Tin Oo, the deputy
leader of the NLD, which Suu Kyi leads. Tin Oo also is under house
arrest.
Suu Kyi will be allowed to cast a ballot at her home in Yangon in
early May before the May 10 referendum, the sources said. The sources
told The Yomiuri ****mbun that it will be her choice whether to vote.
Myanmar's national referendum law, which went into force in February,
stipulates that people detained at police stations and prisons also
are qualified to vote in the referendum. But it was previously thought
that the junta highly likely would not list the names of detainees who
are on trial and those under house arrest, including Suu Kyi.
Since February, the NLD, which opposed the junta's drafting of a new
constitution that acknowledges the military's leading role in
politics, and groups of young priests, who played a central role in
antigovernment demonstrations last year, have been waging a campaign
calling on voters to reject the new constitution in the referendum.
Meanwhile, the junta is calling for sup****t for the new constitution
by utilizing state media and pro-military organizations. In addition,
the Myanmar government is harshly cracking down on NLD members,
detaining more than 140 people, according to sources in Yangon.
Meanwhile, the junta is coming under increasing pressure from the
international community.
On Wednesday, the United States submitted a draft U.N. Security
Council presidential statement to the council, urging the Myanmar
government to allow politicians, including Suu Kyi, to participate in
the referendum.
The U.S. Senate voted Thursday to award Suu Kyi the Congressional Gold
Medal, the U.S. top civilian honor.
**********************************************************
Myanmar nationals determined to vote in referendum
Channel NewsAsia - 2 hours 11 minutes ago
SINGA****E: A referendum vote on whether Myanmar=92s military government
can amend their country=92s constitution is ending on 29 April.
But not all Myanmar nationals living in Singa****e will get to cast
their vote because not all of them have been invited to do so.
Nonetheless, at least 2,000 Myanmar nationals were at the Myanmar
Embassy on Sunday afternoon, trying to make their vote count.
Even though there are about 30,000 Myanmar nationals living in
Singa****e, the Myanmar Embassy has only sent out 10,000 invitation
letters and SMSes asking them to vote in the referendum.
The 10,000 are said to be those on its database.
But the uninvited said their Myanmar pass****t is proof they are
citizens too and they should be allowed to vote. Some have waited to
do so since Friday =97 the first day of voting.
Moe Kyaw Thu, a Myanmar national, said: "They told me they would
contact me. I waited for the whole evening and when I didn=92t get the
call, I came back here yesterday afternoon. They again said they would
contact me, so I waited until the embassy closed. I turned up again
this morning..."
Myo Myint Maung, a member of the Overseas Burmese Patriots Activist
Group, said: "This is the third consecutive day that I have come here
to vote. So far, I have not been successful because I have no
invitation letter although the referendum law says I can vote when I
am above 18 years.
"Since Friday, I think only about 300 to 400 people have been able to
vote. This process is taking too long. It really is too slow to
accommodate all these voters."
Despite the long wait, the crowd has stayed patient, although some
have made their views known through their t=97****rts, which have the
word "NO" on them.
Myanmar monks have also turned up at the embassy. They said their
presence would help voters to stay calm.
**********************************************************
MCOT
Thailand sup****ts Myanmar on its 'road to democracy'
BANGKOK, April 28 (TNA) -- Thailand is sup****ting Myanmar on its long-
standing attempt to build democracy in the country and will not
interfere in that country's internal politics,
Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama said on Monday.
Speaking on the eve of a three-day official visit beginning Tuesday by
Myanmar Prime Minister Gen. Thein Sein, his first visit here since
taking up his post in October, Mr. Noppadon said Thailand will watch
political developments in Myanmar after that country holds its
national constitutional referendum on May 10.
Mr. Noppadon said Myanmar does not want Thailand to interfere in its
internal politics, but what Thailand can do is to give moral sup****t
to that country in order to achieve democracy.
Any interference could backfire to Thailand's detriment, the minister
said.
According to earlier press re****ts, Myanmar's proposed constitution
reserves 25 per cent of the parliamentary seats for the military and
bars pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, now under house arrest in
Yangon, from seeking office.
Major issues which are expected to be discussed by Gen. Thein Sein and
Thai prime minister Samak Sundaravej on Wednesday are trans****tation
links, drug suppression along the border, energy cooperation by
building hydro dams cooperation in identifying persons holding dual
nationality and the joint cooperation on solving border problems.
At present, there are an estimated 2.2 million Myanmar people in
Thailand illegally, two million workers and the remainder having fled
to this country as refugees or displaced persons, Mr. Noppadon said.
Thailand will not push back these displaced persons to their country,
but will provide assistance on a humanitarian basis, he said.
Thai government spokesman Pol. Lt-Gen. Vichianchote Sukchote-rat said
on Monday that Gen. Thein Sein will arrive in Bangkok Tuesday at
1.30pm and that Mr. Samak will host dinner for him at his residence.
On Wednesday, the two leaders will discuss bilateral cooperation
before senior officials of the two countries meet, according to the
spokesman.
Gen. Thein Sein will have an audience with His Majesty King Bhumibol
Adulyadej at Bangkok's Chitrlada Palace at 5pm Wednesday and the Thai
government will host a dinner for him at Government House later that
evening.
On Thursday, Gen. Thein Sein and his delegation will inspect crop
substitution programmes being demonstrated atop Doi Tung in Thailand's
northernmost province of Chiang Rai and a Thai handicraft centre
before departing for home from there.
**********************************************************
The Straits Times - April 28, 2008
Thailand hopes Myanmar referendum is 'credible'
BANGKOK - THAILAND'S foreign minister said on Monday he hoped
Myanmar's upcoming referendum on a new constitution would be
'credible', on the eve of a visit by the country's prime minister.
Noppadon Pattama said the neighbours may discuss the referendum, which
Myanmar's military rulers say will pave the way for elections in 2010,
during General Thein Sein's visit.
'The democracy process could be brought up at the talks as Thailand
wants the May 10 referendum to be successful and credible,' Mr
Noppadon told re****ters.
'We want to see Myanmar on a good development track.'
Detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other pro-democracy
activists say the proposed constitution simply entrenches the role of
the military, which has ruled since 1962.
Ms Aung San Suu Kyi would be barred from running for president under
the new constitution because she was married to a foreigner.
Mr Noppadon said Thailand would not raise her participation in the
ballot as it was a 'domestic' issue for Myanmar.
The two countries would discuss drugs and the nearly two million
illegal workers and almost 200,000 displaced people from Myanmar
living in Thailand, he said.
Mr Thein Sein will be accompanied by the foreign, interior, trans****t,
labour and construction ministers for his three-day visit.
He is due to meet with his Thai counterpart Samak Sundaravej and with
King Bhumibol Adulyadej on Wednesday.
Thailand is one of the biggest investors and trading partners in
Myanmar, spending billions of dollars a year to tap into the country's
natural gas and hydropower resources to fuel its own growing economy.
**********************************************************
Myanmar Nationals in Singa****e, Indonesia Vote on Constitution
By Katherine Espina
April 27 (Bloomberg) -- Myanmar nationals living abroad began voting
on whether the country's military government should be able to rewrite
the constitution, an indicator of how a later vote within their
homeland may proceed.
Citizens of the country formally known as Burma lined up in front of
their embassy in Singa****e for the third day to cast ballots in an
April 25-29 vote. In Indonesia, voting started at 9:30 a.m. today and
will end at 4:30 p.m. local time. The referendum in Myanmar is May
10.
The Myanmar referendum marks the first time citizens have voted in 18
years. Myanmar's junta says the vote is designed to pave the way for
democratic elections in 2010, while the U.S. State Department said
April 11 it's an attempt by the military to retain power.
``The destiny of Myanmar tem****arily lies in the hands of our people
and not in the hands of the military generals,'' said Myo Myint Maung,
a spokesman for the Singa****e-based Overseas Burmese Patriots, an
activist group. ``This is a special occasion, a short-lived moment of
democracy even if results won't be favorable to the future of our
nation.''
Some voters in Singa****e today wore T-****rts that read, ``We pursue
peace, justice and democracy for Burma.'' Hundreds of people have
voted in the city state, Myo said. In Indonesia, four people showed up
to cast ballots two hours after voting started, Jamil Setiawan, a
security guard at the embassy in Jakarta said. Calls to the embassy
were unanswered.
Ten demonstrators demanding all Myanmar citizens overseas should have
the right to vote were injured in a scuffle with Japanese police
yesterday in Tokyo, the Associated Press said in a re****t. Officials
at the Southeast Asian nation's embassy gate in Tokyo declined to
comment and phone calls to the embassy were unanswered.
The referendum is the ``government's effort to legitimize military
rule in Myanmar,'' London-based rights group Amnesty International
said last month.
Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party on April 2 called on voters
to reject changes to the constitution. The modifications would bar Suu
Kyi from holding office and ensure the military is represented in
parliament, the Associated Press re****ted, citing a draft.
International condemnation of Myanmar's military government has
increased since it deployed soldiers in September to end anti-
government protests.
Myanmar, which has a population of 47 million, has been under military
rule since 1962.
**********************************************************
The Irrawaddy - Monday, April 28, 2008
UNSC Deadlocked on Burma
By LALIT K JHA / UNITED NATIONS
The Security Council remains deadlocked on a presidential statement on
Burma even as diplomats of the 15-member UN body met last week for the
second time in a month.
Diplomatic sources told The Irrawaddy that representatives from the
Security Council member nations met on Thursday to discuss the second
draft proposed by three permanent members=97the United States, Britain
and France.
A copy of the second draft obtained by The Irrawaddy reflects the
urgency on the part of the three Western powers as time seems to be
fast running out in the run-up to the May 10 referendum on the draft
constitution, which is heavily loaded in favor of the Burmese military
junta.
However, it appears that the two staunch sup****ters of the military
junta=97veto-wielding China and Russia=97are in no hurry and continue to
block any effort for a discussion or move to get the non-binding
presidential statement passed by the Security Council.
With both groups apparently reluctant to change their respective
stands, diplomatic sources said the next meeting on the US-proposed
presidential statement would be held at the ambassadorial level.
However, it is not clear when the permanent representatives of the 15-
member Security Council would be meeting on the issue of Burma.
While there is little change between the two drafts of the
presidential statements except for the replacement of words here and
there, the second draft circulated among the member nations last week
urged the Burmese military government and all parties concerned to co-
operate fully with the United Nations.
Given that the time is running out, the proposed presidential
statement urges the Burmese junta to take on an "urgent basis,"
instead of a "timely manner" (as was in the previous draft),"
concrete, meaningful steps" that result in genuine,
"substantive" (added this time) dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi and all
concerned parties and ethnic groups in order to achieve an inclusive
national reconciliation with the direct sup****t of the United Nations.
Except for these minor amendments, there has not been any change
between the two drafts, which China and Russia have opposed.
Referring to the May 10 referendum, the draft statement calls on the
junta to make the process all inclusive and credible by allowing full
participation of all political actors, including Suu Kyi.
It reminds the Burmese regime of its commitment to have a free and
fair referendum in which all parties will be allowed to participate on
equal terms. The statement stresses that this commitment must be
followed by action, including the guarantee of freedoms of expression,
association and assembly in the political process leading up to the
referendum, as well as independent monitoring of the vote counting.
Last week, the US ambassador to the UN, Zalmay Khalilzad, acknowledged
that their efforts to send a strong message to the military junta had
not yet been successful.
Expressing frustration at the Russian and Chinese vetoes, Khalilzad
said, "The Council cannot be silent=97should not be silent=97in the face
of what has happened and what has not happened."
**********************************************************
The Irrawaddy - Monday, April 28, 2008
Suu Kyi=92s Party Launches Vote =91No=92 Tour
By WAI MOE
The National League for Democracy (NLD), the party of Burma=92s
democracy icon, Aung San Suu Kyi, is taking its vote =93No=94 campaign
across the county even as the regime is warning opposition forces to
cease anti-referendum efforts.
Win Naing, a NLD spokesperson, told The Irrawaddy on Monday that
leading members of the party were traveling to other cities to explain
the party=92s position on the constitution and the referendum.
=93At the moment, we can campaign in at least five regions of the country
=97it is what we can do under the oppressive conditions created by the
authorities,=94 he said.
=93The NLD also plans to monitor the voting in the country as long as we
can,=94 said Win Naing. =93The party will also explain how to vote
=91No=92 =
to
the people of Burma through members in rural and urban areas. Our
position is that people should vote against the unjust and
undemocratic constitution in the referendum.=94
Kyaw Hsan, the minister of information and a central secretary of the
Union Solidarity and Development Association, traveled to Sagaing
Division in northern Burma on April 21, the junta=92s mouthpiece, Myanma
Alin=92s re****ted on Monday. He called on local people to vote =93yes=94
in
the referendum and vowed the constitution would guarantee stability,
development and democracy.
Meanwhile in Rangoon, the largest city in Burma, security was
tightened by authorities.
=93There are police in civilian clothes and uniforms along with Swan Ah-
****n at bus stops in Rangoon both in downtown areas and outside of
downtown,=94 a student in Rangoon said. =93Some of them were holding
batons and some were holding guns.=94
Rumors were circulating that the authorities would set up CCTV cameras
at polling booths to allow them to determine who voted =93Yes=94 or
=93No,=
=94
said a taxi driver in Rangoon. =93So I am now thinking whether I should
go to vote, because I don=92t want to vote =91Yes=92 but I don=92t want
authorities to know how I voted.=94
Sources said vote =93No=94 campaigns by dissident groups could be found
across the city. =93I saw a group of students distributing vote =91No=92
leaflets in Tamwe Town****p,=94 said a shop owner.
One opposition group, The All Burma Federation of Student Union,
released a statement on Monday sup****ting the vote =93No=94 campaign and
launched its own house-to-house, underground campaign across the
country.
=93There are more than 10 young organizations that are campaigning to
vote against the constitution,=94 said Tun Myint Aung of the 88
Generation Students group.
=93Activists will try to monitor voting on May 10,=94 he said. =93Then
everyone will know if the junta cheated and how they cheated.=94
The well-known comedians, the Moustache Brothers, are conducting a
vote =93No=94 campaign in their nightly performances in Mandalay, the
second largest city, using a visual gag of crossing their arms over
their chests, a tourist told The Irrawaddy.
"The military junta is doing its utmost to encourage everyone to vote
'Yes' on May 10 and endorse the constitution,=94 says Par Par Lay, one
of the Moustache Brothers. =93But the Moustache Brothers would like
everyone to know that they will vote 'No' in the referendum.=94
=93This is a sham constitution that the junta is trying to force onto
us,=94 he says. =93If we vote
'Yes,' democracy will never come to Burma."
Par Par Lay and Lu Maw, his fellow comedian, were both imprisoned for
seven years during the 1990s. Par Par Lay was jailed again for more
than one month during the 2007 civil uprising.
**********************************************************
Minister=92s insult to Daw Suu provokes anger
Apr 25, 2008 (DVB)=97Locals in Yaynanchaung, Magwe division, were
furious after the minister of electric power (1), colonel Zaw Min,
made a derogatory remark about Daw Aung San Suu Kyi during a =93Vote
Yes=94 campaign in the area.
One Yaynanchaung resident said Zaw Min had indirectly insulted the
National League for Democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi during his
campaign speech.
"He said that if one lets one=92s daughter marry a dog, then she will
only be a dog's wife, or if she marries a beggar, she will be a
beggar's wife,=94 the resident said.
=93He went on to say that if a woman marries a Kalar [vulgar term for
Indian and also for westerners] then she'll be a Kalar's wife. He said
people would be wise not to make the wrong decision [by choosing the
Kalar's wife]."
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi could be excluded from running for office by the
junta=92s constitution due to her marriage to a foreign national.
The Yaynanchaung resident said news about Zaw Min=92s remark about Daw
Aung San Suu Kyi had spread quickly across the region and people were
angered by what he had said.
"Everyone understands what Zaw Min meant but they wouldn't speak out
against him,=94 he said.
=93Now a lot of people are going to vote =91No=92 at the referendum
because
they hate his foul mouth."
**********************************************************
Factory workers pressured to cast multiple =93Yes=94 votes
Apr 24, 2008 (DVB)=97Factory workers in Rangoon have been pressured by
Industry (1) minister Aung Thaung to cast three =93Yes=94 votes each in
advance of the upcoming national referendum.
A resident of Mayangone town****p in the former capital said female
factory workers had already cast three =93Yes=94 votes per person in
advance, as directed by Aung Thaung via their factory employers.
"They were making the women cast three 'Yes' votes per person =96 one as
a member of the USDA, another as a member of the Myanmar Maternal and
Child Welfare Association and the other one as a Myanmar Women=92s
Affairs Federation member," the resident said.
"It wasn't like they had to vote in person =96 the government officials
took their ID card numbers and addresses and then the votes will be
cast by the officials on their behalf."
**********************************************************
Officials vote =93Yes=94 on behalf of civil servant
Apr 25, 2008 (DVB)=97A civil servant in Magwe division's Salin town****p
who tried to vote in advance of the referendum was informed by local
authorities they had already cast =93Yes=94 votes on her behalf.
U Tar, a 1990 people=92s parliament representative for Salin town****p,
said the woman was due to go on a trip and would not be in the
town****p for the referendum.
"A female teacher who was due to go on an advanced teacher training
program went to the town****p authorities and informed them she was
there to vote in advance for the national referendum as she was going
to be away on that day," U Tar said.
"But the town****p officials told her she didn't need to worry about it
as they had already cast 'Yes' votes in advance for her and the other
three people in her family."
U Tar strongly condemned the actions of the local authorities in
denying the woman her right to vote in the referendum.
"This is not the normal procedure in a national referendum,=94 he said.
=93The government is doing whatever they want and abusing their
authority. There is no justice here."
**********************************************************
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