Burma Related News - May 20-23, 2007.

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BURMA RELATED NEWS - MAY 20-23, 2007.
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HEADLINES
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AFP - Myanmar arrests two more democracy activists
AFP - US urges Myanmar to release Aung San Suu Kyi
AFP - Cambodia, Myanmar move to strengthen tourism ties
AP - Myanmar urged to relent on Suu Kyi
AP - U.N. rights chief: Free Myanmar activist
Reuters - Philippines says Myanmar's Suu Kyi not on ASEAN agenda
Reuters - Resettlement of Myanmar refugees under way from northern
Thai camp
M&C - Cambodia, Myanmar agree on direct flights
Asia Times - Myanmar drops a nuclear 'bombshell'
IHT - Chinese diplomats criticize Myanmar's new capital
IHT - Thailand's PTTEP says natural gas wells off Myanmar affirm
commercial potential
Kyodo News - Myanmar expects new constitution this year, Cambodian
minister says
Kyodo News - Gambari designated to support human rights, democracy in
Myanmar
Kyodo News - U.S. envoy urges Myanmar to release Aung San Suu Kyi
Kyodo News - Amnesty raps Japan over death penalty, asylum seekers
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Myanmar arrests two more democracy activists
Wed May 23, 12:28 AM ET

YANGON (AFP) - Myanmar has arrested another two members of the
National League for Democracy, the party of detained opposition leader
Aung San Suu Kyi, activists said Wednesday, as a round-up of her
supporters continued.

The junta began detaining pro-democracy activists on May 15, in an
apparent crackdown ahead of a May 27 review of Aung San Suu Kyi's
house arrest, which is expected to be extended further by the military-
run state.

"Two NLD members were taken by the authorities on Monday for no
reason," said Myint Thein, spokesman of the NLD, which won elections
here in 1990 but was never allowed to take office.

He said one woman was arrested in Yangon as she led a prayer vigil for
Aung San Suu Kyi, and a man was arrested at a different location in
the city.

At least 60 pro-democracy activists have been detained in the past
week as they went to pagodas to pray for Aung San Suu Kyi's release,
and 45 people, mostly NLD members, remain in custody.

"We haven't got any information on those arrested people," Myint Thein
said.

Despite the spate of arrests, the NLD is continuing its daily prayer
vigils for 61-year-old Aung San Suu Kyi, which began on May 1.

Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has spent most of the last 17
years under house arrest at her lakeside Yangon home, where she has
little contact with the outside world apart from a live-in maid and
visits by her doctor.

Calls for her release from world leaders past and present, as well as
human rights advocates, have been growing ahead of the review date,
but there are few signs Myanmar's military leaders plan to free her.
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US urges Myanmar to release Aung San Suu Kyi
Tue May 22, 11:18 AM ET

BANGKOK (AFP) - The United States on Tuesday urged military-run
Myanmar to release democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi and other political
prisoners ahead of the junta's review of her detention this week.

Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, who was travelling in
neighboring Thailand, said the junta's detention of Aung San Suu Kyi
and other political prisoners was "very damaging" to Myanmar, formerly
known as Burma.

"The continued incarceration and house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi is
one of several issues that are posing a real blockage in terms of
Burma being able to rejoin the international community until they lay
out political process and release political prisoners including Aung
San Suu Kyi," he said.

Myanmar has been ruled by the military since 1962. The United Nations
has estimated there are some 1,100 political prisoners, including 61-
year-old Aung San Suu Kyi, the world's only detained Nobel peace
laureate.

The junta is to review the latest period of her detention on May 27.
Despite growing international calls demanding her freedom, the
military regime is likely to extend her house arrest.

Meanwhile, Southeast Asian lawmakers who oppose Myanmar called on
regional powers to slap sanctions on the junta after Russia agreed to
build a nuclear facility in the country.

Asian nations largely maintain trade with Myanmar in contrast with the
United States and European Union, which have imposed sanctions in
hopes of freeing Aung San Suu Kyi.

Russia said this month it would help design and equip a nuclear
research centre in Myanmar, which has also restored relations with
North Korea, a fellow nuclear pariah for the West.

"Japan and China can work together. They united against a nuclear
North Korea," Cambodian MP Son Chhay said in Tokyo at an Asian
lawmakers' forum on Myanmar.

"So if Burma develops a nuclear facility, they can work against
Myanmar," he said.

Senator Aquilino Pimental Jr. of the Philippines said that if the
situation deteriorates, the United States, Japan and European Union
should impose sanctions by freezing Myanmar-linked bank accounts.

"In my mind, this is a very dangerous development, and it is against
the ASEAN declaration that ASEAN must never be involved in nuclear
activity," he said, referring to the Russia-Myanmar deal.

"It is dangerous to have a nation with nuclear capability, especially
a nation that does not respect the rules of law," he added.

Lawmakers from Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Singapore and Thailand met in Tokyo for two days with Sein Win, the
cousin of Aung San Suu Kyi and the opposition's "prime minister-in-
exile."

The United States last week renewed sanctions on Myanmar for another
year, citing the junta's detention of Aung San Suu Kyi and other
political prisoners.

Aung San Suu Kyi has spent most of the last 17 years under house
arrest at her lakeside Yangon home, with little contact with the
outside world apart from a live-in maid and visits by her doctor.

Her opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), won a
landslide victory in 1990 elections, but the junta never allowed it to
take office.
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Cambodia, Myanmar move to strengthen tourism ties
Tue May 22, 11:12 AM ET

YANGON (AFP) - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen met with junta head
Senior General Than Shwe in military-ruled Myanmar on Tuesday,
officials said, as the two nations moved to improve tourism links.

Hun Sen arrived in Myanmar on Monday morning, his first visit to this
isolated state since 2000. During the three-day trip he will discuss
the possibility of introducing direct flights between the two nations.

The visit comes as Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's house
arrest is due to be reviewed and likely extended this weekend, but
Cambodian officials have been tight-lipped about whether Hun Sen will
urge the junta to free her.

Officials from both countries have said the focus would be trade and
tourism.

Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith told AFP that Hun Sen
would discuss ways of making travel easier between Myanmar and nearby
Thailand,

Cambodia and Laos, with possible direct flights and package tours.

"Buddhism will be the potential tourist link for these four countries
-- like Cambodia, there are a lot of temples in Myanmar," Khieu
Kanharith said.

These talks are hoped to spur action on a tourism agreement already
signed between the two countries, but which has not been implemented
yet.

Tourism is a key industry in impoverished Cambodia, and tourist
arrivals in Myanmar are also creeping up, despite calls by supporters
of Aung San Suu Kyi for tourists to boycott the country.

Information ministry sources said that Hun Sen met with Myanmar's
Senior General Than Shwe on Tuesday morning.

On Monday, Hun Sen met with acting premier Thein Sein and a number of
officials, including the transport and foreign ministers and the
deputy minister for tourism, the state-run New Light of Myanmar
newspaper said.

The government mouthpiece said that Hun Sen, who will spend his whole
visit in the new administrative capital Naypyidaw before heading home
on Wednesday morning, discussed a "further strengthening of bilateral
ties."

Cambodia has close diplomatic ties with Myanmar, which has been under
military rule since 1962 and is one of the most isolated nations in
the world.

Diplomatic relations between the two nations date back to 1955, but
were broken off in 1974 as the Khmer Rouge advanced on Phnom Penh.

Ties were restored in 1994 as Cambodia emerged from decades of civil
war. A Myanmar embassy opened in Phnom Penh in 1999, and one Western
diplomat in the Cambodian capital said Hun Sen was keen to cultivate
regional relations.

He said Hun Sen "has a long-term view of where he wants Cambodia to
be," and could see engaging Myanmar as part of a larger plan to raise
the country's profile as a regional power.
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Myanmar urged to relent on Suu Kyi
By JIM GOMEZ, Associated Press Writer
Tue May 22, 11:59 AM ET

MANILA, Philippines (AP) - Southeast Asian nations appealed Tuesday to
Myanmar to free Aung San Suu Kyi, the democracy leader who has spent
more than 11 of the last 17 years in detention.

Calls for Suu Kyi's freedom have been growing as she completes her
latest detention term Sunday. The military government has given no
indication it intends to release her from house arrest, and it is
expected to renew its detention order.

The Nobel Peace laureate has given a face to the junta's history of
political repression. Many nations have condemned her confinement,
including Myanmar's fellow members in the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations.

"It's a consensus that we want to see her early release," Philippine
Foreign Undersecretary Erlinda Basilio said. "We'd like to see the
lifting of the order."

He was speaking at a meeting of senior ASEAN diplomats to prepare for
the annual meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers in Manila in July.
The Philippines also will host a meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum,
Asia's largest security forum, in August.

Myanmar's delegate, Aung Bwa, said he was unaware if his government
would extend Suu Kyi's detention. "Let's wait and see," he said.

Suu Kyi, head of the National League for Democracy party, has been
held continuously since May 30, 2003, when her motorcade was attacked
by a mob during a political tour of northern Myanmar.

ASEAN has often pressed Myanmar to democratize, a familiar refrain at
the 10-nation bloc's annual meetings.

Imron Cotan, who led Indonesia's delegation, expressed impatience. "We
have made these calls repeatedly, and Myanmar has found it difficult
to respond," he said.

In Bangkok, visiting Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill
urged Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, to free Suu Kyi and other
political prisoners.

"The continued incarceration or house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi is
one of several issues that's posing a real blockage in terms of Burma
being able to rejoin the international community," Hill told
reporters.

Last week, President Bush told Congress that he intended to continue
U.S. economic and political sanctions against Myanmar.

Although bound by an ASEAN edict not to interfere in each other's
affairs, some members, like Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia,
have become more blunt in their criticism of Myanmar.

Authoritarian members, like Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos, have adopted a
friendlier attitude and have refused to engage use stinging words
against the ruling generals.

Myanmar has been under military rule since 1962, and the current
leaders took power in 1988. They called elections in 1990, but refused
to recognize the results when Suu Kyi's party won a resounding
victory.

Myanmar should have been the ASEAN chairman and host of the regional
summit this year, but it gave up the chance amid protests by Western
governments. The prestigious chairmanship, rotated alphabetically
among all members, was abruptly passed on to the Philippines.
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U.N. rights chief: Free Myanmar activist
Mon May 21, 3:47 PM ET

GENEVA (AP) - Myanmar should release Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu
Kyi from house arrest if it wants to show the world it is serious
about human rights and democracy, a senior United Nations official
said Monday.

Suu Kyi, who has been confined by the country's ruling junta for 11 of
the last 17 years, completes her latest detention term Sunday. The
military has given no indication it intends to release her from house
arrest, and the order is likely to be renewed.

U.N. High Commissioner Louise Arbour said Myanmar should
unconditionally release Suu Kyi and more than 1,000 other political
prisoners it holds in prisons and labor camps throughout the country.

Suu Kyi's release "would demonstrate a willingness to abide by
universally accepted human rights standards," she said. "It would
also, I believe, facilitate national dialogue and free the government
and the people to focus on the need to unite the country and to allow
the emergence of democratic structures to decide on the way forward."

Suu Kyi's party won a general election in 1990, but the military
junta, which seized power in 1988, refused to recognize the result and
instead persecuted members of the pro-democracy movement. She has been
held since May 2003, when her motorcade was attacked by a pro-junta
mob during a political tour in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.

Myanmar, one of the world's most isolated countries, has been at odds
for years with the U.N., whose bodies have accused to southeast Asian
nation of practicing torture and forced labor, and using its armed
forces to target ethnic minorities.

The European Union and many countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia,
Singapore, Thailand, and Japan, have also urged Myanmar to free Suu
Kyi.

Last week, President Bush told Congress that he intended to continue
U.S. economic and political sanctions against Myanmar because of
concern over what was described as the worsening repression in the
country.

The White House said Myanmar's generals have in recent weeks increased
attacks on ethnic groups, arrested students and harassed democracy
activists.
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Philippines says Myanmar's Suu Kyi not on ASEAN agenda
Wed May 23, 2007 4:12 PM IST

MANILA (Reuters) - Southeast Asian diplomats will not discuss the
continued detention of Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in
preparatory meetings for a regional summit in July, a senior Filipino
official said on Wednesday.

"We're not taking up Myanmar," Erlinda Basilio, foreign affairs
undersecretary for policy, told reporters.

Officials from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) were meeting in Manila this week to decide on the agenda for a
meeting of their foreign ministers in the Philippine capital in late
July.

The Philippines, which holds the rotating chairmanship of ASEAN, will
also host a meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum, Asia's largest
security forum, in August.

Affirming the bloc's policy on non-interference on internal problems,
Basilio said the human rights situation in Myanmar and Suu Kyi's case
were never discussed in preparatory meeting.

She said ASEAN officials would also not raise the issue during
meetings on Friday with 17 security partners, including some of
Myanmar's harshest critics, such as the United States, and the
European Union.

On Tuesday, Christopher Hill, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State,
renewed calls for the release of the Nobel Peace laureate after
meetings with Thai officials in Bangkok.

His appeals came a day after similar appeals were made by Louise
Arbour, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, who also
asked for the release of more than 1,000 political prisoners across
Burma.

Suu Kyi has been under house arrest for 11 of the past 17 years. Her
latest four-year detention was due to expire on May 27, but, the
generals running the poor Southeast Asian state were expected to
extend the term for another year.
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Resettlement of Myanmar refugees under way from northern Thai camp
23 May 2007 12:24:48 GMT
Source: UNHCR

BANGKOK, Thailand, May 23 (Reuters) - A group of more than 30 ethnic
Karen refugees from Myanmar has left the northern Thai camp of Mae La
to start a new life in the United States as the second phase of a huge
resettlement operation gets under way.

"These refugees who fled fighting in eastern Myanmar have little
realistic prospect of going home and they have been leading a very
restricted life in the camp for more than a decade," said UNHCR
Representative in Thailand Hasim Utkan, who was at the camp send-off
with a group of European Union delegates. "So, while it's hard for
them to leave a country just across the border from their homeland,
they are excited about a new future in the US."

The 31 refugees left the overcrowded Mae La early on Tuesday morning
in pouring rain to travel by bus to Bangkok, from where they will fly
on to cities in the US states of California, Indiana, Kentucky, New
York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Texas.

Between May 16 and the first week of July, 404 refugees are scheduled
to depart Mae La for the US, with an overall planning figure of nearly
10,000 refugees from Thailand to depart to America by September 30
this year - the vast majority from Mae La.

"The scale of the resettlement operation is really quite amazing. This
is something which has rarely been offered in a refugee situation,"
said Utkan.

"The resettlement has also changed the camp atmosphere. There's been
an injection of movement and change and it's nice to see a glimmer of
hope in an otherwise static environment."

Some 45,000 mainly ethnic Karen refugees live in Mae La, one of nine
Thai government-run refugee camps strung along the border with Myanmar
which shelter a total of 140,000 refugees. Some 43 percent of Mae La's
camp population have been submitted for resettlement by UNHCR
following a verification exercise in December 2006.

The first phase of the resettlement operation from Thailand started
last year from Tham Hin, the most southerly camp. So far, 2,486
persons have been resettled from Tham Hin with another 1,719
undergoing processing.

The current group resettlement operation will dwarf previous
resettlement activities. Since 2004, close to 10,000 refugees from
Myanmar have been resettled. With the programme picking up speed, the
numbers are expected to significantly rise this year - 18,000 from Mae
La alone are applying for resettlement.

The resettlement from the camps is being logistically organized by the
International Organisation for Migration (IOM). The operation includes
medical screening, a short cultural orientation course and travel. The
US government's Overseas Processing Entity, OPE, also has a large
operation at the camp.

For many refugees, the prospect of resettlement is both exciting and
bewildering. There has been a focus on sharing information, with both
the OPE and IOM stepping up efforts to give a more detailed cultural
orientation and providing more information about conditions on arrival
so refugees can make an informed choice.

"The refugees obviously have a lot of questions about what will life
be like on the other side. It's important that they have some
communication from those who have left, to help them make up their
minds," Utkan added.

Not everyone in the camp wishes to be resettled, but one side benefit
for those opting to remain will be less crowded living conditions.
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Monsters and Critics
Cambodia, Myanmar agree on direct flights
May 23, 2007, 10:47 GMT

Phnom Penh - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen returned from a three-
day official visit to Myanmar Wednesday, with the country declaring it
had successfully negotiated for direct flights between the two
nations.

Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, who accompanied Hun Sen, told
a press conference that the two nations had agreed to the flights in
an effort to boost tourism between the two culturally rich nations.

'There will be direct flights from Bagan and Mandalay ... to Siem
Reap,' he told reporters without naming a date on which the first
flights will be available.

Bagan and Mandalay are two cultural hubs of Myanmar, also known as
Burma. Siem Reap is the gateway to the 800-year-old Angkor Wat temple
and a world famous collection of surrounding temples which form the
keystone of Cambodia's booming tourism industry.

Hor Namhong said the two nations shared a similar Buddhist culture and
the direct flights were a natural extension to both country's tourism
sectors.

He said direct flights between Myanmar and the Cambodian capital Phnom
Penh were also planned in the near future.

Although opponents to Myanmar's harsh ruling military junta have tried
to discourage tourism, saying it only supports a government notorious
for human rights
abuses, Cambodia has taken the traditional Association of South-East
Asian Nations (ASEAN) line that Myanmar's politics are an internal
issue for the Myanmar government.

Both Myanmar and Cambodia are members of the 10-nation ASEAN bloc and
Cambodia has actively sought to increase inter-ASEAN tourism in recent
years and has maintained cordial bilateral ties to Myanmar.

Hun Sen was also accompanied by Tourism Minister Thong Kong and
Commerce Minister Cham Prasith on his visit, which Hor Namhong said
had also further strengthened bilateral trade ties.

ASEAN consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
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Asia Times - May 24, 2007
Myanmar drops a nuclear 'bombshell'
By Larry Jagan

BANGKOK - Myanmar's military leaders have never made a secret of their
interest in developing a domestic nuclear-energy industry. Plans to
buy a nuclear reactor from Russia have been in the pipeline for years,
and this month in Moscow the two sides formally resurrected those
controversial plans.

Myanmar's move notably comes at a time when both Iran and North Korea
have raised US hackles through their nuclear programs. Washington in
recent years has referred to Myanmar as an "outpost of tyranny" and
maintains trade and investment sanctions against the military regime.
Some political analysts are already speculating whether Myanmar might
try to use the threat of re-gearing its nuclear test reactor to
reproduce weapons as a way to counteract US-led pressure for political
change.

Under the new agreement, Russia's atomic energy agency Rosatom will
build a nuclear-research center, including a 10-megawatt light-water
nuclear reactor with low-enriched uranium consisting of less than 20%
uranium-235, an activation analysis laboratory, a medical isotope
production laboratory, a silicon doping system, and nuclear-waste
treatment and burial facilities, according to a statement released by
Rosatom.

The project is initially slated to focus on medical and agricultural
research in support of Myanmar's languishing and highly underdeveloped
economy, a Western diplomat acquainted with the nuclear plans told
Asia Times Online on condition of anonymity. As part of the agreement,
Russian universities would also be tasked with training an additional
350 Myanmar-national specialists to work at the planned nuclear
center.

Over the past six years, more than 1,000 Myanmar scientists,
technicians and military personnel have received nuclear training in
Russia, according to Myanmar government officials. Under a 2002
agreement, Russia was set to build a nuclear reactor in Myanmar but
later scrapped the plan over the junta's lack of funds. Nonetheless,
Moscow informed the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) in mid-2003 that it planned to provide training in nuclear
science to some 300 Myanmar citizens each year.

According to Russian officials, the construction and supervision of
the planned research center will come under the control of the IAEA.
Myanmar is currently a member of the IAEA and already reportedly has a
so-called "safeguards agreement" in place. Under the nuclear Non-
Proliferation Treaty (NPT), states in compliance with their
safeguards' obligations and other provisions are allowed to pursue
nuclear energy or technology solely for peaceful purposes.

In practice, however, verifying the fulfillment of those obligations
has proved difficult, most recently witnessed in the case of Iran's
secretive nuclear-energy program, which it insists is for peaceful
purposes and within its NPT rights, while others, such as US, suspect
it is geared for a weapons program. Russia is also involved in
developing a nuclear facility for Iran.

There are already concerns in some diplomatic quarters that Myanmar's
notoriously reclusive regime could throw up similar challenges to IAEA
inspectors. No timetable has yet been set for the implementation of
this one-off safeguards agreement, nor have any provisions been set
for procuring supplies beyond what is required initially to establish
the nuclear-research center, diplomats note.

Moreover, the junta's stated motivation for establishing a nuclear-
research reactor has vacillated over time. In January 2002, then-
foreign minister Win Aung told this correspondent that Myanmar was
committed to developing a nuclear-research facility for medical
purposes and also possibly to generate nuclear power. Myanmar "is keen
to explore the use of nuclear energy", he said at the time. "After
all, many other countries in the world are using nuclear power."

At that time, Win Aung said no deal had been signed, but that initial
research had been undertaken. Apparently the initial plans to develop
a nuclear-energy industry emerged a year or two earlier. Win Aung told
the IAEA in September 2001 of the country's plans to acquire a nuclear-
research reactor and requested the agency's help in securing one,
according to IAEA officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Two months later, the IAEA sent an inspection team to Myanmar to
assess the country's preparedness to use and maintain a nuclear
reactor safely. The team concluded that the safety standards in place
were well below the minimum the body would regard as acceptable,
according to the IAEA officials. At the time, Myanmar failed to
respond to the IAEA report and prompted UN nuclear officials in Vienna
to fear that Myanmar planned to proceed with its nuclear ambitions
without the necessary safety requirements.

Groundbreaking had reportedly commenced, but construction was halted
when Moscow realized the junta didn't have the financial resources to
pay for the facility. Yet the junta never fully abandoned its nuclear
ambitions.

On the nuclear prowl
In recent years, Myanmar has sent emissaries abroad to explore
different options for developing a nuclear reactor and avenues for
acquiring nuclear technology, according to Western diplomats tracking
the junta's nuclear plans. They contend that this year Deputy Foreign
Minister Kyaw Too made a low-profile visit to Iran in the regime's
search for nuclear technology and materials.

Myanmar's close contacts with Pakistan have also recently come under
diplomatic scrutiny. Western diplomats based in Islamabad say they are
convinced that the junta's desire to acquire nuclear know-how has been
a central focus of the budding bilateral relationship. Pakistani
officials have fervently denied that they are in any way abetting
Myanmar's nuclear ambitions. But widespread rumors that two Pakistani
nuclear scientists accused of nuclear proliferation were given
sanctuary in Myanmar in 2003 still linger.

More ominous have been the growing contacts between Myanmar and North
Korea - last month the countries formally re-established diplomatic
relations. According to a US State Department official involved in
monitoring nuclear-proliferation issues, several suspicious shipments
have arrived from North Korea over the past six months. "We have been
tracking North Korean ships and several docked in Yangon late last
month originated from the port where we believe nuclear materials may
be shipped," he said.

After one North Korean ship docked at Yangon's port last November, the
official said, Washington reminded the junta that it was obliged to
search the ship under the UN sanction measures adopted the previous
month after Pyongyang staged its controversial nuclear test. Myanmar
authorities reported back three days later, according to US sources,
saying that the vessel in question contained nothing illicit or
suspicious.

Last year's shipments from North Korea also reportedly upset China -
as neither Pyongyang nor Yangon informed Beijing of the two countries'
increasing military-to-military contacts. For their part, Chinese
authorities are convinced that Myanmar has recently received military
hardware, including missiles, from North Korea, but not nuclear
weapons or materials, according to a senior government source in
Beijing.

The latest North Korean shipment arrived in Yangon this week and its
cargo is being unloaded amid exceptionally tight security, according
to Yangon residents who have passed by the port facilities.

There is still no confirmed site for the planned nuclear reactor,
though reliable sources believe it will be built somewhere in the
country's central Mandalay division. North Korean technicians
reportedly visited the site last year, according to a Myanmar military
source who spoke with Asia Times Online.

At the same time as the junta presses ahead with its plans for a
nuclear reactor, the government has stepped up its exploration for
uranium in the country. Surveys and test mining are taking place at
four sites, including in the ethnic Kachin and Shan states, a
government official told Asia Times Online on condition of anonymity.
At the time the original plans for a nuclear reactor were mooted, the
government had reportedly discovered uranium deposits in five areas in
central and northern Myanmar, according to official government
statistics.

The nuclear reactor that the regime now plans to build is reportedly
not capable of producing enriched uranium or potentially of any
military use, according to senior nuclear specialists who monitor
these matters closely. Nonetheless, there are still concerns both in
the West and in the region that Myanmar's military rulers over the
long term could harbor nuclear-weapon ambitions.

"The generals cannot be trusted," said a Bangkok-based Western
diplomat who follows Myanmar affairs. "While they say they will let
the IAEA in at the moment, the history of rogue regimes like the one
in Yangon is that they never keep their promises."

Larry Jagan previously covered Myanmar politics for the British
Broadcasting Corp. He is currently a freelance journalist based in
Bangkok.
********************************************************
The International Herald Tribune
Chinese diplomats criticize Myanmar's new capital
ReutersPublished: May 23, 2007

BEIJING: The Chinese Foreign Ministry has published an unflattering
account of Myanmar's new capital, expressing surprise that such a poor
country would consider such an expensive move and not even tell
Beijing, its erstwhile ally.

The military government relocated Myanmar's capital in 2005 from
colonial-era Yangon to remote Naypyidaw, 390 kilometers, or 240 miles,
to the north.

The move came as a shock to diplomats in Yangon - including the
Chinese, according to an account issued on the Foreign Ministry's Web
site this week, couched in diplomatic language and attributed only to
its embassy in Yangon.

The embassy account said it was not even sure what name to use at
first. Initially officials were told the new capital would be
Pyinmana, but then they began noticing the Myanmar media using the
newer name. "We asked about this but got nowhere," the account said,
adding dryly that their diplomats had not been allowed to visit the
new capital until "conditions were right."

The biggest shock apparently came when they were eventually allowed
in. There was an airport whose only building was a VIP terminal, six
small hotels, one hospital and no cellphone reception.

"They are also in the process of building four golf courses," the
embassy said in the article, which was interspersed with pictures of
deserted new roads, lonely-looking government buildings and an empty
patch of land earmarked for the new embassy district.

China rarely criticizes its allies and has a policy of not interfering
in other countries' domestic affairs, so the article suggested that
its diplomats could be resisting a move to the new capital.

Foreign Ministry officials have not said whether the embassy will
move.

One of the biggest problems with the new capital, the article noted,
was the poor transportation links.

"If you are in a rush and unable to get a flight, you'll have to
drive, but the road is not good, and it takes about seven hours one
way," the report said. "Many people can't stand it."

China provides weapons to Myanmar for use in dealing with domestic
unrest, as well as diplomatic cover at the United Nations, in exchange
for access to its many natural resources.

The new capital had in effect put the government into "isolation" when
it came to dealing with the foreign embassies still back in Yangon,
the Foreign Ministry account said.

"To set up a thriving city with complete facilities and infrastructure
in this patch of land without a single foundation," it said, "will
doubtless be a serious test for the government."
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The International Herald Tribune
Thailand's PTTEP says natural gas wells off Myanmar affirm commercial
potential
The Associated Press
Published: May 23, 2007

BANGKOK, Thailand: Thailand's PTT Exploration & Production Pcl has
confirmed the commercial potential of a natural gas field offshore
Myanmar and plans to drill three more appraisal wells, the company
said in a statement released Wednesday.

PTTEP announced the discovery of gas in the M9 exploration block -
about 300 kilometers (185 miles) south of Yangon - in January, and has
been drilling appraisal wells this year to evaluate the size of the
field and develop a production plan. Two wells drilled in April and
May have affirmed the commercial potential of the field, the company
said in it statement to the Stock Exchange of Thailand.

"The news is good but we need to do more exploration and confirm the
production plan," said Sidhichai Jayamt, the company's manager for
external relations.

Drilling results for the two wells reported Wednesday indicated a good
flow potential from the field, he said.

"We may not have to drill the same amount of wells as in the Gulf of
Thailand" to develop the field, Sidhichai said, although the company
would have to confirm that the flow rates would hold.

The flow rate from the Zawtika-3 well tested at 26.68 million standard
cubic feet of gas a day from one zone in the well. The rate from the
Zawtika-4 well tested at a combined 71.1 million cubic feet of gas per
day from two zones.

Comparatively, normal flow rates in the Gulf of Thailand are 5 million
cubic feet of gas a day to 10 million cubic feet a day, Sidhichai
said.

PTTEP International Ltd., a 100-percent owned subsidiary of PTT
Exploration & Production, is operator and sole shareholder of the M9
gas block.

PTTEP's exploration program for the block called for spending US$16
million in the first four years, starting from 2004, Sidhichai said.
The company can't yet say when commercial production from the field
might begin, he said.

The company will develop its production plan for the block after the
completion of the three more appraisal wells in July, he said.
********************************************************
Wednesday May 23, 2:08 PM
Myanmar expects new constitution this year, Cambodian minister says

(Kyodo) _ Myanmar's ruling generals expect to see a new constitution
within this year and promised an eventual election, Hor Namhong,
Cambodia's foreign minister said Wednesday, shortly after returning
from Myanmar.

He said that Lt. Gen. Thein Sein, Myanmar's acting prime minister, and
Sr. Gen. Than Shwe, head of the junta, both stressed a commitment to
democratization.

"Seven out of 15 chapters in the (new) constitution have been drafted,
and the rest of eight chapters are expected to wrap up by the end of
this year," Hor Namhong quoted the generals as telling Cambodian Prime
Minister Hun Sen.

They added that a public referendum on the new constitution and a
presidential election will be among the following steps.

The generals also asked for "understanding" of "difficulties" Myanmar
faces, including rebellious armed groups and more than 100 ethnic
groups.

Asked if Cambodia had pressed for the release of detained democracy
leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Hor Namhong said, "It was not Cambodia's
position, and neither other ASEAN member states, to interfere in
another's internal affairs."

Hun Sen made a three-day visit through Wednesday to Myanmar to
strengthen bilateral relations and to push for implementation of
already signed agreements and a memorandum of understanding.

Since 1996, Cambodia has signed pacts with Myanmar on tourism, flight
services and cultural cooperation, and an MOU on agricultural and
fishery cooperation.
During the visit, Hun Sen had discussions with Thein Sein and called
on Than Shwe.

Senior government sources told Kyodo News that Hun Sen did not touch
on the issue of Suu Kyi's detention when he met with his Myanmar
counterpart, nor was he allowed to meet with Suu Kyi.

Ahead of Hun Sen's departure for Myanmar, Cambodian opposition party
leader Sam Rainsy suggested Hun Sen should raise democratic reform
with the junta and press for the release of Suu Kyi.

"I think that what Cambodia should do is to tell Myanmar to release
Aung San Suu Kyi and to make democratic reform. Such a meeting (with
Myanmar's leader) could be useful if there is an increase of pressure
on military-ruled Myanmar," Sam Rainsy had said.
********************************************************
Wednesday May 23, 4:40 AM
Gambari designated to support human rights, democracy in Myanmar

(Kyodo) _ U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon designated Ibrahim
Gambari, his special adviser on the International Compact with Iraq
and Other Issues, Tuesday to be charged with continuing to pursue the
United Nations' good offices mandate in its dealings with Myanmar and
is effective immediately.

"In the discharge of his functions, Mr. Gambari will work in
coordination with relevant parts of the UN system in order to support
Myanmar's efforts in implementing relevant General Assembly
resolutions," Ban said in a statement released Tuesday.

Ban also said he looked forward to continued cooperation with the
government of Myanmar and all parties to the national reconciliation
process, "with a view to making tangible progress towards the
restoration of democracy and the protection of human rights in
Myanmar."

Prior to taking up his post under Ban Gambari served as undersecretary
general for political affairs under former Secretary General Kofi
Annan.
********************************************************
Tuesday May 22, 6:59 PM
U.S. envoy urges Myanmar to release Aung San Suu Kyi

(Kyodo) _ U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill repeated
a call Tuesday for the release of Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu
Kyi and other Myanmar political prisoners from detention.

Speaking to reporters after meeting with Thai Foreign Minister Nitya
Phibulsonggram, Hill said the Myanmar junta should reconsider the
detention of Suu Kyi, adding the action is one of several issues that
pose a real blockage in terms of Myanmar being able to rejoin the
international community.

"It's very damaging for Burma's reputation, damaging for the country,
so I hope that they will reconsider that measure," he said.

Suu Kyi has been under house arrest since 2003. The detention order is
to expire this weekend, but it is expected the generals will continue
it for yet another year.

U.S. President George W. Bush decided last week to extend sanctions on
Myanmar for another year, ruling Myanmar's policies and actions are
still threats to U.S. national security and foreign policy.

On North Korea, Hill said he needs more time to find a solution to a
financial dispute with N. Korea.

But he reiterated that North Korea should respond quickly, inviting an
International Atomic Energy Agency inspection team and beginning the
process of shutting down and disabling its nuclear facilities.

On Thai-U.S. relations, Hill said the United States hopes to see
Thailand return to parliamentary government soon and a general
election held as scheduled at the end of this year.

He also met with Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont and discussed
bilateral issues.
********************************************************
Wednesday May 23, 8:52 PM
Amnesty raps Japan over death penalty, asylum seekers

(Kyodo) _ Amnesty International criticized Japan in its annual report
released Wednesday for "lagging behind the steady global march" toward
the abolition of the death penalty as it continues executing death row
inmates.

In the 2007 report titled the State of the World's Human Rights,
Amnesty Secretary General Irene Khan also drew attention to cases of
asylum seekers in Japan detained indefinitely without contact with the
outside world.

She expressed hope in the report that Japan would reconsider its
policy on executions following the forthcoming call for a universal
moratorium on the death penalty to be pursued at the U.N. General
Assembly.

Elsewhere in the world, the report drew attention to many human rights
breaches in areas including Darfur in Sudan, Iraq, Israel, the
Palestinian regions and Myanmar.
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