Associated Press - 31 March 2008

YANGON, Myanmar – Myanmar’s draft constitution ensures that

pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi cannot make a political

comeback and guarantees a strong military presence in parliament,

according to a copy of the proposed charter obtained Monday.

The draft constitution was completed in February but has not yet been

made public. A copy of the 457-article, 194-page proposed charter was

obtained by The Associated Press.

Most of the draft’s contents adhere to guidelines adopted by a National

Convention last year, after 14 years of on-and-off meetings.

One of the most disputed clauses of the draft effectively bars Suu Kyi from

holding office because she was married to a foreigner, maintaining

a controversial clause from the guidelines.

Suu Kyi’s late husband Michael Aris was a Briton and both their children

are British citizens.

In a significant change the guidelines, the draft delays when the constitution

would take effect. Instead of after voters accept it in a referendum,

as stipulated by the guidelines, it would become effective only after

parliament’s first session _ which could not happen until at least 2010.

The ruling military junta announced in February it will hold a referendum

in May on the new constitution, followed by long-awaited general elections

in 2010. Parliament convenes within 90 days of the election. The junta

calls the process its “roadmap to democracy.”

The draft charter allots 25 percent of seats in both houses of parliament

to the military. It empowers the president to transfer legislative,

executive and judicial powers to the military’s commander in chief for

a year if there is “sufficient reason” to declare a state of emergency.

The draft constitution stipulates that no amendments to the text can be

made without the consent of more than 75 percent of lawmakers _ making

proposed changes unlikely unless supported by the military’s

representatives in parliament.

The new constitution is supposed to replace the one scrapped when the

current junta took power in 1988.

Bangkok Post – 30 March 2008

Politicians elected to the Burmese parliament in 1990 and then prevented

from taking office by the ruling junta issued an appeal to parliamentarians

around the world Monday, rejecting the new military-dominated

constitution and criticising the United Nations’ “weak” efforts to promote

democratic rule.

Fourteen of the would-be Burmese parliamentarians said efforts by UN

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari

have been ineffective in pressuring the military government to moderate

it’s authoritarian policies and bring national reconciliation.

“The UN Security Council, the highest authoritative body of the United

Nations, has failed to take an effective and timely action to stop

one-sided act of the SPDC (State Peace and Development Council) and to

enforce realising of real national reconciliation and democratisation in

Burma,” the parliamentarians’ letter said.

“UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has remained weak, not using his

position to call for the UN Security Council action on Burma and his

Special Envoy Mr Gambari is apparently misleading the world body in

favour of the military junta.”

The junta announced on February 9 that it would hold a constitutional

referendum in May of this year followed by a general election in 2010.

Ban Ki-moon sent his envoy Gambari to Burma on March 6 to try to persuade

he SPDC to launch a credible process of national reconciliation.

The parliamentarians and other critics of the junta have lambasted the

proposed constitution as a blatant attempt to perpetuate permanent

military rule and exclude opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her

National League for Democracy (NLD) from participating in the transition

to democratic rule.

Suu Kyi’s NLD won a landslide victory in the country’s only democratic

election in 1990, but the junta jailed or exiled most of the winning

candidates. Suu Kyi remains under house arrest in Rangoon.

In its open letter to the world’s fellow-parliamentarians, congressmen and

senators, the elected Burmese MPs called for the UN Security Council to

impose a binding resolution instructing the junta to implement genuine

democratic reforms.

It also called on the world’s governments to ban all weapons sales to

Burma and urged the “Chinese government to stop protecting the Burmese

military regime and start cooperating with members of the UNSC (UN

Security Council) to enforce positive change in Burma.”

AP- 27 March 2008

YANGON, Myanmar – Myanmar’s junta chief marked Armed Forces Day on

Thursday by urging soldiers to “crush” anyone attempting to destabilize

the tightly controlled country.

Senior Gen. Than Shwe made the comments in a nationally televised speech

after an annual military parade to mark the holiday, which celebrates the

army’s strength.

The junta chief called on his troops “to join hands with the people

to crush internal and external destructive elements sabotaging stability

and progress of the state.”

The 75-year-old Shwe stood for an hour under the glaring tropical sun

Thursday as he reviewed 13,000 troops and delivered his speech, putting

to rest rampant rumors about his declining health.

Military top brass, diplomats and local journalists also attended the event,

which was held at a massive parade ground in Naypyitaw, the remote

administrative capital the junta relocated government offices to in 2005.

Agence France Presse – 26 March 2008

BANGKOK: Pro-democracy leaders jailed in Myanmar last year for protesting against the military government are suffering from worsening health due to poor prison conditions, an activist said Tuesday.

Tun Myint Aung, a leader of the pro-democracy 88 Generation Student Group, said that top activists like Min Ko Naing and Ko Ko Gyi had serious health problems because prison authorities were not letting them leave their cells. “Some of them are in a bad health situation, because they lock the people in their cells most of the time, so their legs are getting too weak to walk,” he told AFP, speaking by telephone from an undisclosed location in Myanmar.

“Last month they were banned even from taking a bath. They aren’t permitted to walk and exercise,” he said.

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AFP – 26 March 2008

SINGAPORE – Military-ruled Myanmar is looking at the Indonesian

model for its planned transition to civilian rule, UN special envoy

Ibrahim Gambari said in remarks published Wednesday.

“I can reveal to you that the junta has been looking for a model closer to

Indonesia where there was a transition from military to civilian rule and

ultimately to democracy,” Gambari said in an interview with Singapore’s

Straits Times newspaper.

Gambari, who visited Myanmar earlier this month, said the country’s

military rulers were also studying the experience of Thailand, which had

previously come under army rule, the report said.

The Indonesian model of transition to civilian rule was engineered by then

president Suharto, an army general who seized power in 1966 in the violent

aftermath of a botched coup blamed on the Indonesian communist party.

Suharto, who assumed the presidency in 1968, later retired from the military

but ensured that the armed forces would continue to play a key role in the

country’s politics.

Under his rule, the military was guaranteed seats in parliament and officers

held key posts as administrators.

Suharto also consolidated various political parties under a single party

during his 30-year rule that ended following massive street demonstrations

in 1998.

The Straits Times said Gambari spoke at length on the proposed Myanmar

constitution, which bars detained democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi from

running in the elections and is dismissed by critics as another means for

the junta to remain in power.

Gambari said the charter’s text includes clauses that would keep the

military’s dominant role in politics.

About 25 percent of the parliamentary seats would go to the junta, which

would have the power to appoint personnel to key ministries such as defence,

home affairs and border affairs, the report quoted Gambari as saying.

While the proposed constitution calls for a multiparty democracy with

regular elections, it gives extensive powers with the president, who can

appoint or dismiss legislative and judicial officials, the report added.

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Xinhua – 26 March 2008

JAKARTA — Indonesia and Thailand on Wednesday said that ASEAN

member countries were the best to play peaceful roles to help settle the

crisis in Myanmar, the leaders of the two countries said here.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Thai Prime Minister

Samak Sundravej told a joint press conference after a meeting at the State

Palace that both countries support the Myanmar road map to democracy.

The agreement came after the failure of the United Nations special envoy

Ibrahim Gambari to settle the crisis in Myanmar recently.

“On our fellow (Myanmar), both of us agree that the countries in the ASEAN

region are in the best position to understand and have dialogue with the

Myanmar government,” Thai Prime Minister Sundravej said.

During the meeting with President Susilo, Sundrajev said they discussed

how Thailand, which will become the chairman of the ASEAN in July this

year, and Indonesia work closely together with other ASEAN countries to

develop and materialize an effective and strong ASEAN in order to settle

the crisis in Myanmar.

“We also discussed how the ASEAN could play a positive role in working

with Myanmar to help it face the challenges it is facing,” he said.

On his turn, President Susilo said that Indonesia and Thailand insist

to contribute for the crisis settlement in Myanmar.

“The cooperation of Thailand and Indonesia is aimed at contributing

to the crisis settlement in Myanmar,” he said.

The president reaffirmed Indonesia’s support on the road map

to democracy in Myanmar.

“We will give assistance to maintain the stability and integrity

(of Myanmar) in its way to reach the road map,” said Susilo.

Newly-elected Sundravej is on his two-day visit to Indonesia. He will

leave for Thailand on Thursday.

Indonesia, which has supported the Myanmar government plan to hold

a referendum in May and a general election in 2010, has asked for the

transparency of the election process.