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BURMA RELATED NEWS - FEBRUARY 12, 2005 YANGON (AP) - Myanmar's ruling junta urged unity among the country's many ethnic groups at a Union Day ceremony Saturday, just days after police imprisoned two ethnic Shan political leaders. Union Day commemorates the signing of a 1947 agreement between ethnic leaders and the late independence hero Gen. Aung San _ father of detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi _ to resist British colonial rule. Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, won independence in 1948. "The entire mass of the people are to make harmonious efforts to further strengthen national solidarity to shape a peaceful, modern, developed, discipline-flourishing democratic nation," top junta leader Sr. Gen. Than Shwe said. Myanmar must "remain vigilant with nationalistic awareness that the old and new colonialists alike, bent on occupying our country, have hatched wicked schemes to weaken our national solidarity and are still attempting to dissolve the national strength," he said. Than Shwe's message was read out by Yangon Division commander Maj. Gen. Myint Swe at a flag-raising ceremony held under tight security Saturday morning at People's Park in the capital, Yangon. But the ceremony came four days after two political leaders from the Shan ethnic minority were arrested in Yangon. Police took Chairman Khun Htun Oo and General Secretary Sai Nyunt Lwin of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy from their homes on Wednesday, family members said. The reasons for their detentions were not known. U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said late Friday that the United States was deeply concerned over their detention, and renewed a call for the immediate release of Suu Kyi and other political prisoners. Boucher said the United States was also worried that the junta had prohibited a coalition of pro-democracy ethnic parties from commemorating Union Day. The party of Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest since a pro-government mob attacked her motorcade in May 2003, will hold a separate ceremony at its Yangon headquarters later Saturday. Party members, ethnic political leaders, veteran politicians and diplomats were invited. NEW DELHI (AP) - India and Myanmar have agreed to intensify their fight against terrorism through increased intelligence sharing and a crackdown on drugs and weapons smuggling across their border. Senior officials also agreed to strengthen bilateral relations at the first meeting of the India-Myanmar Consultative Group on Nontraditional Security Issues in New Delhi, said an External Affairs Ministry statement issued late Friday. The group was set up during a visit to India last October by Myanmar's top military leader Senior Gen. Than Shwe. It comprises officials from several ministries. "They agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the field of nontraditional security issues, including counterterrorism through exchange of information and intelligence, capacity building, mutual legal cooperation and joint efforts to curb illegal trafficking in drugs ... as well as small arms and light weapons," the statement said. The two-day meeting ended Friday. Troops from Myanmar recently stepped up efforts to prevent insurgents from India's northeastern Manipur state from fleeing into Myanmar. Than Shwe assured India during an October visit that Myanmar won't allow its soil to be used by anti-India terrorist groups. India condemned Myanmar's military dictatorship after it brutally crushed a 1988 pro-democracy uprising, and many Myanmar political exiles are based in New Delhi. But relations between India and Myanmar have warmed over the past few years, as India looks to forge closer economic and political ties with its Southeast Asian neighbors. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is "deeply concerned" over the arrests in Myanmar of several pro-democracy leaders, including the chairman of the Shan National League for Democracy, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said on Friday. "These actions further demonstrate the junta's rejection of genuine national reconciliation as well as its disregard for the well-being of the Burmese people and the views of the international community," Boucher said in a statement. The U.S. is also concerned that authorities have prohibited the United Nationalities Alliance, Myanmar's leading coalition of pro-democracy ethnic political parties, from commemorating Union Day on Feb. 12, he said. Boucher's comments came after Hkun Htun Oo and Sai Nyunt Lwin, chairman and general-secretary of the Shan ethnic minority party, were arrested on Wednesday by Myanmar authorities. "We reiterate our call on the junta to release Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners immediately and unconditionally, to allow the National League for Democracy to reopen its offices nationwide, and to engage the democratic opposition in a meaningful dialogue leading to genuine national reconciliation and the establishment of democracy," Boucher said. KUALA LUMPUR :(ChannelNewsAsia) The UN special envoy to Myanmar, Razali Ismail, Saturday expressed concern about the arrest of several pro-democracy leaders by the military government and its move to ban groups from commemorating a key pre-independence event. "The United Nations is very concerned at the arrest. We are following the situation very closely," Razali told AFP. Among those held was Hkun Htun Oo, the chairman of the Shan National League for Democracy. The military has also prohibited the United Nationalities Alliance, Myanmar's leading coalition of pro-democracy ethnic political parties, from commemorating Union Day on February 12. Razali, a former top Malaysian diplomat, said in principle the alliance had the right to commemorate Union Day. On that day in 1947, various ethnic communities within what was known as Burma then unanimously called for independence from Britain. Burma became independent a year later but has been ruled by a military government since the 1960s. The United States Friday slammed Myanmar's military government over the arrests. Razali also expressed concern that he had not been allowed to return to the isolated Asian country, where he has pushed for democratic reforms. "I have not been given any indication if I will return to Myanmar in the near future. This is a matter of deep regret and concern to the United Nations," he said. Razali was last permitted to enter Myanmar last March, when he urged all parties "to turn over a new page for a credible democratic transitional process." - AFP [World News]: Beijing, Feb 11 : Two high-grade highways linking China and Myanmar will be open to traffic in the next two years, the state media reported. The highway linking Tengchong in China's Yunnan province with Myitkyina, Myanmar, will be finished by the end of this year, at a cost of 180 million Yuan (USD 21.79 million), a commerce department official of the southwest province said. Another highway, linking Zhangfeng to Bhamo, Myanmar, will be open to traffic by 2006, the official said. It will cost 28 million Yuan (USD 3.39 million). The construction of both the highways started in the second half of 2004, Xinhua news agency reported. The official said the reconstruction of the two highways will help regional economic cooperation and development. PTI Feb 11, 2005 (DVB) - U Shwe Ohn, the Shan veteran politician was put under house arrest for one year on 11 February by the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) according to our sources in Rangoon. The house arrest came after the arrests of 7 Shan ethnic leaders, 3 from Shan's ceasefire group and 4 from the 1990 election winning party Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) including U Khun Tun Oo, the chairman. U Shwe Ohn went to Taunggyi, the capital of Shan State on 7 Feb where he had met with the New Generation (Shan State) and discussed about the future of the Shan State and the role of the ceasefire groups at the National Convention, according to local politicians in Taunggyi. The meeting was attended by several Shan politicians, representatives of Shan ceasefire groups and U Thu Wai, the chairman of Democracy party. On the next evening, on 8 Feb he was put under house arrest with act 10 (B)at his brother Dr. Aung Myint's residence in Taunggyi, the source said. The organizer of the meeting U Myint Than from New Generation (Shan State) and some members were also arrested by Special Branch Police at the same day. Three members from Shan State Peace Council including Gen Hso Ten were arrested at the guest house where the delegations were staying. A well-known female politician Daw Cho Cho Kyaw Nyein and U Thu Wai who attended the meeting were allowed to return to Rangoon but it is not certain that whether they reach home safe and sound. U Shwe Ohn, together with some other ethnic national leaders and General Aung San (father of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi) laid down the policies of the emergence of democracy in Burma and equal rights and autonomy for ethnic nationals in the union of Burma signed the Panglong Treaty in southern Shan State town of Panglong on 12 February 1947. |
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