Burma Related News - Nov 20, 2007.

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BURMA RELATED NEWS - NOVEMBER 20, 2007
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HEADLINES
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AFP - UN Envoy 'Disappointed' Over Cancelled Burma Briefing
AFP - India PM prods Myanmar over democracy: official
AFP - Southeast Asian summit soured by Myanmar row
AP - Adoption of landmark ASEAN Charter overshadowed by lack of
democracy in Myanmar
AP - ASEAN summit opens amid contention over Myanmar, snubbed UN
address
Reuters - Activists attack ASEAN on lack of Myanmar pressure
Kyodo News - Japan Warns Burma of Aid Cut Over Slain Reporter, Urges
Accepting UN Proposals
IHT - Surprise pressure from Myanmar's neighbors
CNA - China's PM Wen says sanctions, pressure will not work on Myanmar
CNA - Myanmar to explain reporter's killing: Japanese minister
CNA - Gambari likely to visit Myanmar in December
DVB News - Child soldier unable to leave Burmese army
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UN Envoy 'Disappointed' Over Cancelled Burma Briefing
Tue Nov 20, 3:02 AM ET
By Ian Timberlake

SINGAPORE, Nov 20, 2007 (AFP) - The United Nations special envoy to
Myanmar [Burma], Ibrahim Gambari, said Tuesday he was "disappointed"
by the decision to cancel his briefing to Southeast Asian leaders
meeting here.

When asked by AFP for his reaction to Monday's decision by the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which Myanmar is a
member, he replied: "Disappointed, of course. That was why I came
here."

"This was not part of my broader agenda. This would have been a
bonus," Gambari told AFP at his Singapore hotel, insisting that ASEAN
leaders had nevertheless issued an "extremely positive" statement on
Myanmar.

Gambari arrived here early Tuesday, a day before he was to brief the
10 ASEAN leaders plus their six dialogue partners -- Australia, China,
India, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea -- on the Myanmar situation.

ASEAN has come under mounting pressure to rein in its errant member
after the September crackdown on protesters, led by Buddhist monks,
that left at least 15 people dead and sparked worldwide outrage.

But Southeast Asian leaders decided late Monday to scrap the briefing
after Myanmar Prime Minister Thein Sein objected, saying Gambari
should report only to the UN Security Council -- and not to Asian
leaders.

"Prime Minister Thein Sein of Myanmar made clear that the situation in
Myanmar was a domestic Myanmar thing and that Myanmar was fully
capable of handling the situation by itself," said Singapore Prime
Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

"In view of Myanmar's position, professor Gambari will not brief the
ASEAN or the East Asian summit leaders," Lee told a press conference,
flanked by his ASEAN counterparts -- except Thein Sein.

But Lee added: "Most leaders expressed the view that Myanmar could not
go back or stay put. The process of national reconciliation had to
move forward and the UN take a vital role in this process."

Gambari told AFP: "If you look at the statement that came out... it
was extremely positive."

"For us at the UN, this was an extremely constructive outcome of their
discussions so far," he added.

Lee indicated that leaders would be welcome to meet Gambari
individually, and the UN envoy said he already had appointments with
the Singapore prime minister and Philippines President Gloria Arroyo.

When asked if he would meet with anyone from Myanmar, he replied: "I
hope so."
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India PM prods Myanmar over democracy: official
Tue Nov 20, 2:58PM ET

NEW DELHI (AFP) - India's prime minister on Tuesday prodded Myanmar's
junta to cede ground to pro-democracy forces, a government official
said.
In a meeting with Myanmar's Prime Minister Thein Sein, Indian premier
Manmohan Singh said "the reform process should be broad-based,
including pro-democracy leader Aung Sang Suu Kyi and various ethnic
nationalities."

He also said democratic reforms in Myanmar "should be carried forward
expeditiously," Indian foreign ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said.

The comments came in talks ahead of an ASEAN meeting in Singapore,
where Southeast Asian leaders will debate Myanmar following the
junta's bloody suppression of protests in September.

Singh had earlier told reporters that he would press Myanmar on
democracy and human rights, but also underscored India's need to
cooperate with the regime in the battle against cross-border
insurgents.

"Myanmar is our neighbour and what goes on there has an important
bearing on our own country. A number of insurgent groups take
advantage of the instability in Myanmar to indulge in unlawful
activities in our northeast," Singh said.

India has opposed actions such as economic sanctions that could derail
development of gas- and oil-fields or halt cooperation on a crackdown
of Indian separatist groups based in Myanmar.

On Monday, Indian officials and militant leaders in revolt-wracked
northeastern Indian states said Myanmar troops have launched a
clampdown against anti-Indian separatists.

At least half a dozen separatist groups from India's northeast have
bases in Myanmar.
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Southeast Asian summit soured by Myanmar row
by Jason Gutierrez
Tue Nov 20, 4:59 AM ET

SINGAPORE (AFP) - Southeast Asian leaders vowed Tuesday to forge ahead
with their annual summit, which has been thrown into disarray by a
dispute over how much pressure to put on the ruling generals of
Myanmar.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong made a plea for the crisis in
Myanmar, which has exposed divisions within the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), not to completely dominate the
summit.

"ASEAN leaders will strive to prevent the Myanmar issue from
obstructing our efforts to deepen integration and build an ASEAN
community," said Lee, the summit host as the bloc marks its 40th
anniversary.

The bloc's 10 leaders got on with business Tuesday, including the
signing of a long-awaited charter and a blueprint for economic
integration to create a common market of half a billion people.

But observers said ASEAN's credibility had been shattered by Myanmar's
success in forcing the cancellation of UN special envoy Ibrahim
Gambari's planned briefing on the crisis in the military-run country.

Gambari said he was "disappointed of course" by the decision to axe
his talks with 16 Asian leaders here on the results of his two visits
to Myanmar since the regime's violent crackdown on pro-democracy
protests in September.

"That was why I came here," he said in an interview with AFP.

However, he said that while the briefing would have been a "bonus", he
was heartened by ASEAN's statement urging the junta to move forward
with national reconciliation and continue working with the United
Nations.

Singapore had invited Gambari to address the ASEAN leaders, together
with their six dialogue partners, including China and Japan, who
collectively make up the East Asia Summit (EAS).

But during heated talks at dinner Monday, Myanmar Prime Minister Thein
Sein objected to the event, which some other Southeast Asian leaders
also opposed on the grounds it had been taken outside the ASEAN forum.

A diplomat told AFP that at one point, Indonesian President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono, a retired army general, stood up and raised his
voice, asking how ASEAN had come to such a point of discord.

Thein Sein had been expected to face a grilling over the regime's
bloody campaign to suppress dissent, which left 15 dead. Instead he
walked away with a victory as his neighbours caved in.

"That's a domestic issue, no need to raise in EAS," Myanmar Foreign
Minister Nyan Win said on Tuesday.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar insisted the move should
not be "considered a slap to the UN" and that Gambari could meet with
leaders individually. Philippines President Gloria Arroyo was to see
him on Tuesday.

But observers said the atmosphere had been poisoned by the Myanmar
fiasco.

"Certainly, this is a victory for Myanmar," said Hiro Katsumata from
the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.

"What is lost is the reputation of the association," he told AFP.

The United States said here that ASEAN's credibility was at stake over
its handling of Myanmar, which the bloc has been reluctant to punish
despite its refusal to shift to democracy or release opposition leader
Aung San Suu Kyi.

The Myanmar issue has exposed splits within the grouping, a disparate
collection of young democracies as well as socialist regimes,
monarchies and authoritarian states.

A landmark charter signed Tuesday, which commits member states to
notions of democracy and human rights, had to be watered down before
all 10 members agreed to sign.

Arroyo has warned that her country might not ratify the charter unless
Aung San Suu Kyi is released -- in a major challenge to the bloc's
consensus-based approach.

ASEAN leaders also approved a blueprint for a common market embracing
the region's nearly 570 million people by 2015 -- a target which faces
significant hurdles.

"A free and open investment regime is key to enhancing ASEAN's
competitiveness in attracting foreign direct investment as well as
intra-ASEAN investment," the document said.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
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Adoption of landmark ASEAN Charter overshadowed by lack of democracy
in Myanmar
By EILEEN NG,Associated Press Writer
AP - Wednesday, November 21

SINGAPORE (AP) - Southeast Asian leaders signed a landmark charter
Tuesday to promote free trade and human rights, but troublesome
neighbor Myanmar undercut their ambitious goal of establishing an EU-
style bloc.

The long-overdue ASEAN Charter will formally turn the 40-year-old
organization _ often derided as a toothless talk shop _ into a rules-
based legal entity if ratified by all 10 members of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations. That means ASEAN can sue and be sued under
the charter, and will be held accountable for all the treaties and
agreements it signs. It will also set up enforceable financial, trade
and environmental rules.

But the pact must be ratified by each member nation and some have said
they would have trouble accepting it unless Myanmar restores democracy
and frees opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under house
arrest for 12 of the last 18 years.

ASEAN leaders have rejected calls to suspend Myanmar from the bloc to
punish the junta's crackdown on pro-democracy protesters that left 15
people dead in September, and its refusal to free Nobel laureate Suu
Kyi.

The Charter must be ratified by a Cabinet decision, referendums or by
parliaments of member nations, a process likely to take a year. The
pact will collapse if one country fails to ratify it.

"ASEAN Leaders will strive to prevent the Myanmar issue from
obstructing our efforts to deepen integration and build an ASEAN
Community," Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told the summit.
He reiterated ASEAN leaders had urged Myanmar's junta to open a
"meaningful dialogue" with Suu Kyi, free all political detainees and
work toward a "peaceful transition to democracy."

ASEAN Secretary General Ong Keng Yong insisted the body was not
kowtowing to Myanmar by shelving Gambari's scheduled address on
Wednesday. "We live to fight another day," Ong told reporters. "We
don't want to come across as being too confrontational in a situation
like this."

One of the most significant pledges in the charter is to set up a
regional human rights body. Critics note, however, that it will have
limited impact, given that it will not be able to punish governments
that violate the human rights of their citizens.

Negotiators have watered it down by dropping earlier recommendations
to consider sanctions, including possible expulsion, in cases of
serious breaches of the covenant by member nations.

"It seems that Myanmar is getting VIP status in ASEAN," said Hiro
Katsumata, a regional analyst with the Institute of Defense and
Strategic Studies in Singapore.

"What is lost here is the reputation and credibility of ASEAN. It's a
tradeoff for ASEAN to maintain its unity and keep Myanmar happy."

The one-day summit was further marred by a diplomatic blunder when
ASEAN leaders abruptly withdrew an invitation to U.N. envoy Ibrahim
Gambari to address Asian leaders after Myanmar objected. Gambari _
whose invitation to address ASEAN was reneged while he was en route
from New York to Singapore _ salvaged the diplomatic faux pas by
meeting privately with officials from Thailand, Malaysia and the
Philippines.

The envoy told Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo that "on
balance," the United Nations was making progress, said Philippine
Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo.

"For instance, that he was able to talk to Aung San Suu Kyi," Romulo
said. "Of course, that is not yet (her) release, which is what we are
asking for."

ASEAN was founded during the Cold War years as an anti-communist
coalition, evolving into a trade and political bloc. It consists of
Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

They will hold a second conclave Wednesday, known as the East Asia
Summit, with leaders of China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia
and New Zealand.

They will then face more fire on Thursday when they meet with
ministers from the EU, which has adopted sanctions against Myanmar.
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ASEAN summit opens amid contention over Myanmar, snubbed UN address
Tue Nov 20, 2:50 AM ET

SINGAPORE (AP) - Southeast Asian leaders adopted a landmark charter
Tuesday that seeks to promote free trade and human rights, but their
vision to create an integrated, EU-style bloc is being marred by
Myanmar's snub to democracy.

In a diplomatic bungle, the 10 members of the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations also abruptly withdrew an invitation to U.N. envoy
Ibrahim Gambari to address Asian leaders after Myanmar objected.

They further rejected calls to suspend Myanmar from the bloc to punish
the junta's crackdown on pro-democracy protesters that left 15 people
dead in September, and its refusal to free opposition leader Aung San
Suu Kyi.

``ASEAN Leaders will strive to prevent the Myanmar issue from
obstructing our efforts to deepen integration and build an ASEAN
Community,'' Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in his
opening remarks at the annual summit.

Still, ASEAN leaders urged Myanmar's junta to open a ``meaningful
dialogue'' with Suu Kyi, release her from house arrest, free all
political detainees and work toward a ``peaceful transition to
democracy.''

The key event of the gathering was the adoption of the ASEAN Charter
after nearly three years of haggling.

The long-overdue ASEAN Charter is aimed at formally turning the 40-
year-old organization _ often derided as a toothless talk shop _ into
a rules-based legal entity. That means ASEAN can sue and be sued under
the charter, and will be held accountable for all the treaties and
agreements it signs. It will also set up enforceable financial, trade
and environmental rules.

One of the most significant pledges in the charter is to set up a
regional human rights body. Critics note, however, that it will have
limited impact, given that it will not be able to punish governments
that violate the human rights of their citizens.

Negotiators have watered it down by dropping earlier recommendations
to consider sanctions, including possible expulsion, in cases of
serious breaches of the covenant by member nations.

``Of course there has been some watering down,'' said former
Indonesian foreign minister Ali Alatas, who helped draft the charter.
Still, ``I think it's a good step forward; it's a momentous step
forward.''

Charm Tong, a Shan refugee from Myanmar and well-known human rights
activist who was welcomed by U.S. President George W. Bush at that
White House last year, called the ASEAN Charter a sham for caving into
Myanmar, also known as Burma.

``ASEAN is shameful because it washes its hands off Burma, and passed
on the burden of dealing with Burma to the UN,'' Tong said in a
statement released by the Solidarity for Asia Peoples Advocacies.

Bodyguards for Myanmar's Foreign Minister, Nyan Win, pushed away
reporters trying to get him to comment on the debate. ``I have no
comment on that question,'' Nyan Win said when asked about why the
junta would not release Nobel laureate Suu Kyi, who has been under
house arrest for 12 of the last 18 years.

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo warned Manila was
unlikely to ratify the ASEAN Charter unless Myanmar restores democracy
and frees Suu Kyi.
``The expectation of the Philippines is that if Myanmar signs the
charter, it is committed to returning to the path of democracy and
releasing Aung San Suu Kyi,'' Arroyo told Myanmar's Prime Minister
Thein Sein during a meeting Monday.

``Until the Philippine Congress sees that happen, it would have
extreme difficulty in ratifying the ... charter,'' she said.

The Charter must be ratified by a Cabinet decision, referendums or by
parliaments of member countries, a process likely to take a year. The
pact will collapse if one country fails to ratify it.

Myanmar is satisfied with the document, Myanmar senior diplomat U Aung
Bwa told AP. ``Myanmar will go along; all's well that ends well,'' he
said.

ASEAN was founded during the Cold War years as an anti-communist
coalition, evolving into a trade and political bloc. It consists of
Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

They will hold a second conclave Wednesday, known as the East Asia
Summit, with leaders of China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia
and New Zealand.
Lee, the chairman of ASEAN this year, had invited Gambari to address
the expanded summit about the progress he has made with Myanmar's
junta. He announced late Monday that objections by Myanmar and other
ASEAN leaders forced him to withdraw the invitation, even as Gambari
was en route to Singapore from New York.

Instead, Lee said, Gambari would meet with leaders and brief them
individually.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo said Arroyo was to meet
with Gambari later Tuesday.

When asked whether Manila was confident the junta would bow to
international pressure to seek democratic reforms, Romula replied:
``Who knows; there might be a miracle.''
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Activists attack ASEAN on lack of Myanmar pressure
Tue Nov 20, 3:25 AM ET

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - A Myanmar dissident slammed ASEAN's failure to
pressure the junta over its crackdown on pro-democracy protests, as
the 10-member group unveiled a charter on Tuesday aimed at enshrining
human rights and democracy. "It's a historical moment for them to sign
the charter, which is supposed to be the charter for the protection
and promotion of human rights, and now they let the (Myanmar) regime
take over their agenda," said Thailand-based Khin Ohmar.

"Now they're taking sides with the regime it seems," said Khin Ohmar,
a former student leader of Myanmar's 1988 uprising, in which up to
3,000 people died.

"I think it's a bad step and backtracking," she added.

The charter aims to integrate the economies of ASEAN's 10 member-
nations and to "strengthen democracy, enhance good governance and the
rule of law, and to promote and protect human rights and fundamental
freedoms."

"Burma has been a major shame for ASEAN," Khin Omar said. "The social,
economic and security aspects that it's looking to resolve and promote
in the region, will not happen if they don't resolve Burma's
situation," she said, speaking at the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents
Club.

But Myanmar's Foreign Minister U Nyan Win told his Japanese
counterpart on Tuesday in Singapore that Western sanctions had hurt
ordinary citizens the most and the way toward democratization was
through economic development.

"The West has imposed economic sanctions, which directly harm the
lives of ordinary citizens," a Japanese official quoted U Nyan Win as
telling Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura.

"I am not aware of a case in which sanctions resulted in the progress
of democratization. Rather, economic development leads to
democratization."

Nyan Win also criticized the West for only listening to the
opposition.

"Not everything that the opposition, which stands up to the
government, says is correct. Only when one realizes that there are
mistakes among the opposition, can we come closer to each other."

Small demonstrations around the region were staged to protest what
critics say is ASEAN's soft approach to the junta's iron-fisted rule.

In Singapore, four Singaporeans defied a ban on both Myanmar protests
and a general law on group protests with a march towards the ASEAN
summit venue, while in Bangkok about 20 activists protested in front
of the stock exchange.

In Kuala Lumpur, some 200 people from Myanmar living in Malaysia
staged a skit mocking Myanmar's crackdown on the recent monk-led
protests in the country.

ASEAN diplomats say the group is grappling with a dilemma. On the one
hand, Maynmar's membership is complicating its efforts to create a
powerful and influential bloc in a globalize world. But shoving the
junta beyond the pale would drive Myanmar further into China's embrace
and to ASEAN's disadvantage.

ASEAN has instead opted for "engagement" with Myanmar, calling on the
junta to work with the United Nations towards democracy and to release
political detainees.

But Khin Omar said ASEAN was setting itself up for more pressure. "If
they don't get some kind of resolution toward Burma during this
summit, I think the whole international community and governments will
put more pressure on ASEAN.

"We don't want another killing. This regime will not hesitate to do
that. The Burmese people have paid their price, now it's really up to
the international community to really do their work," she added.
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Japan Warns Burma of Aid Cut Over Slain Reporter, Urges Accepting UN
Proposals
Tue Nov 20, 2:40 AM ET

Singapore, Nov. 20 Kyodo -- Japan on Tuesday expressed its
dissatisfaction over Myanmar's [Burma] failure to fully account for
the fatal shooting of a Japanese journalist in September, with Foreign
Minister Masahiko Komura warning his counterpart that Tokyo may
further cut aid to Myanmar depending on its handling of the matter.

In talks with Myanmar Foreign Minister Nyan Win in Singapore on the
sidelines of a regional summit, Komura also called for Myanmar's
democratization and urged it to accept the proposals from U.N. special
envoy Ibrahim Gambari.

"I told him that special envoy Gambari is Myanmar's friend and that it
should adopt and implement as much as possible what Mr. Gambari
suggests," Komura told reporters after the meeting. "The Japanese
government gives its full support to Mr. Gambari as a member of the
United Nations and also for the sake of the Myanmar people."

On the shooting of Japanese video journalist Kenji Nagai, Komura
reiterated Japan's demand for the return of the video camera and tape
he was believed to be using to film the protests when shot. Footage
taken by other individuals in the area suggests that security forces
removed the video camera from Nagai's body.

"The Myanmar foreign minister said the police will soon brief the
Japanese Embassy in Myanmar and that he will give the police strict
instructions to make a thorough search for the missing belongings,"
Komura said. "I don't know if these words will be acted on, but I am
holding out hope to a certain extent."

Japan canceled 552 million yen worth of grants-in-aid to Myanmar in
light of the shooting but is continuing humanitarian assistance such
as support for polio vaccinations.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has abandoned earlier plans
to have Gambari, special envoy for U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon,
brief either the ASEAN leaders' summit or the broader East Asia Summit
in Singapore on the political situation in Myanmar amid strong
resistance from Myanmar's junta.
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The International Herald Tribune
Surprise pressure from Myanmar's neighbors
By Wayne Arnold
Published: November 19, 2007

SINGAPORE: An emerging rift among Asian leaders over Myanmar burst
into the open at a regional summit meeting on Monday when the
Philippine president suggested that her country might not ratify a new
regional charter unless Myanmar committed to democratic reforms and
released the pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Myanmar, because of its violent crackdown on a domestic uprising in
September and stubborn resistance to democratic reform, has become a
major stumbling block at the 13th summit meeting of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations.

Originally scheduled as five days of polite ceremonies commemorating
the group's 40th anniversary and the signing of a new charter binding
Asean into a European-style community, the meeting has become mired in
the question of whether Asean can make progress as an institution
without the ability to influence a member whose brutal behavior
violates the group's central principles.

At an informal dinner between heads of state Monday night at the five-
star Shangri-La Hotel here, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of the
Philippines directly addressed the problem.

"The belief of the Filipino people and the Philippine Congress, as
well as my own, that those who will sign the Charter agree to the
objective, spirit and intent of establishing a human rights body -- the
full protection of human rights within Asean," she said, reading out a
prepared statement, a copy of which was forwarded to reporters. "With
this in mind, the expectation of the Philippines is that if Myanmar
signs the Charter, it is committed to returning to the path of
democracy and release Aung San Suu Kyi. Until the Philippine Congress
sees that happen, it would have extreme difficulty in ratifying the
Asean Charter."

The issue had already surfaced during a working lunch of trade
ministers and the United States trade representative, Susan Schwab,
who said the situation in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, was
holding up negotiations for a United States-Asean free-trade
agreement.

"It is impossible to imagine an FTA in the near term under the current
political circumstances," she said afterward. "The reputation and
credibility of Asean as an organization has been called into question
because of the situation in Burma."

Asean members have rejected calls to impose sanctions on Myanmar or
expel it from the group. On Monday, they went so far as to oppose a
proposal by Singapore to invite Ibrahim Gambari, a United Nations
envoy to Myanmar, to give them a special briefing, according to The
Associated Press.

Many analysts predict that Myanmar's prime minister, Thein Sein, will
persuade other Asean members that the military junta is changing,
allowing Asean to fall back on its longstanding policy of
noninterference in each other's affairs. The junta has allowed Aung
San Suu Kyi to meet with some of her opposition colleagues, and on
Monday, Reuters reported that state television showed her meeting with
a junta member, Aung Kyi, for the third time since the junta crushed
the popular protests.

Thus far, Asean has preached the virtue of "constructive engagement"
with Myanmar as preferable to isolation.

Yet as Arroyo demonstrated so dramatically, pressure is building in
the organization. Though they are conflicted by their own human rights
problems and their lucrative economic ties with Myanmar, Asean members
may ultimately be forced to take a stand, analysts said.

This is not only because Myanmar has become a diplomatic liability,
but also because its military appears to have lost the ability to
prevent the exodus of political refugees and economic migrants, which
long served as tacit justification for its rule.

"It's a time bomb," said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, director of the
Institute of Security and International Studies in Bangkok. "The
regime is creating these displaced people. The repression within Burma
is having adverse consequences."

Established in 1967 as a bulwark against communism, Asean was composed
originally of the region's more developed and democratic states:
Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Since
the end of the Cold War 15 years ago, it has carved out a new a role
as a nonpartisan agent of economic development, admitting smaller
neighbors with less democratic governments such as Brunei, Vietnam,
Laos, Cambodia and, in 1997, Myanmar.
None of the group's members have a spotless record on human rights.
Vietnam and Laos are notorious for their intolerance of dissent.
Arroyo's own government faces criticism over extrajudicial killings.

Last week, the Malaysian police used fire hoses to quell political
protests in the capital. And Singapore has rejected requests to stage
an anti-Myanmar rally in keeping with its ban on public gatherings of
more than four people without a police permit.

Asean also has a vested interest in Myanmar's status quo. Roughly 75
percent of Myanmar's exports flow to fellow Asean members. Thailand
depends on Myanmar for natural gas, an industry in which Malaysia also
invests.

Singapore has stakes in Myanmar hotels, aviation and ports.

"You can't overestimate how much politics in these countries is driven
by business interests," said Karim Raslan, a Malaysian lawyer,
columnist and author.

Still, while Asean members like Laos and Vietnam have defended Myanmar
and condemned Western sanctions, others have been gradually losing
their tolerance.

The clearest sign of a shift under way was Asean's public reaction to
the crackdown in Myanmar -- it demanded a stop to the violence,
expressed its revulsion and called for the release of political
detainees.

"It was very un-Asean-like language," said Dave Mathieson at Human
Rights Watch in Thailand.

Even Singapore, which has perhaps the most extensive trade and
investments with Myanmar of Asean's members, has begun debating its
relationship with the junta.

Singapore's foreign minister was even obliged recently to explain the
country's trade ties with Myanmar to the country's Parliament, where
he dismissed Singapore's arms exports to Myanmar as "insignificant."

It was Singpaore that invited Gambari, the United Nations envoy, to
give a briefing on the situation in Myanmar on Wednesday afternoon.
After Myanmar expressed its objections, The AP reported, other Asean
members -- including Malaysia and Indonesia -- rejected the briefing as
inappropriate.

Earlier in the day, Arroyo met one-on-one with Myanmar's prime
minister and read him her statement.

The new Asean charter commits members to strengthening democracy and
protecting human rights, and calls for the establishment of an Asean
human rights body.

But the draft also reaffirms the principle of "non-interference in the
internal affairs of Asean member states" and critics of the charter
say it has been watered down to exclude any enforcement mechanism.

Despite the new Philippine challenge that Arroyo laid down Monday
night, constructive engagement appears likely to remain the basis of
Asean's approach to Myanmar. And many analysts agree that Asean can
exert more leverage over Myanmar as a fellow member than as a former
one. "Expelling them would be a mistake," said Mathieson. "It would
actually encourage their intransigence."
*************************************************************
Channel NewsAsia
China's PM Wen says sanctions, pressure will not work on Myanmar
Posted: 21 November 2007 0226 hrs

SINGAPORE : Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao reiterated in regional
talks on Tuesday that sanctions and pressure would not help
reconciliation efforts in military-run Myanmar, an official said.

Wen discussed Myanmar in bilateral talks with New Zealand Prime
Minister Helen Clark and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
on the sidelines of the Southeast Asian summit, foreign ministry
spokesman Qin Gang said.

"Each leader discussed the issue of Myanmar (and) one common view was
that Myanmar should realise reconciliation, stability and development
through its own efforts," Qin said of the talks.

"The international community should offer constructive help on the
basis of respecting Myanmar's sovereignty. Sanctions and pressure are
not helpful."

On Sunday, Wen also urged reconciliation in bilateral talks with
Myanmar Prime Minister Thein Sein and in discussions with his
Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong.

But Qin said Wen would not be meeting with UN special envoy to
Myanmar
Ibrahim Gambari who arrived in Singapore only to find that his
Wednesday speech to Southeast Asian leaders had been cancelled at the
last minute.

Qin refused to comment on reports that China played a role in
preventing Gambari from addressing the meeting, saying the decision
was made by the hosts, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN).

Gambari has visited Myanmar twice since the nation's ruling military
sparked international outrage after violently suppressing pro-
democracy rallies in September.

Myanmar had objected to him briefing regional leaders, saying he
should only report to the United Nations on his findings.

China is the closest Myanmar has to an international ally, and is
considered one of the few nations with any influence over its ruling
generals.
*************************************************************
Channel NewsAsia
Myanmar to explain reporter's killing: Japanese minister
Posted: 21 November 2007 0048 hrs

SINGAPORE : Myanmar on Tuesday promised Japan it would provide more
details about the killing of a Japanese journalist shot while covering
the military's crackdown on protests two months ago, a minister said.

Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said his Myanmar counterpart
Nyan Win had made the pledge during talks on the sidelines of this
week's Southeast Asian summit in Singapore.

"The minister said the government will have its police brief the
Japanese embassy in Myanmar on the situation," Komura told reporters.

Nyan Win also promised to deliver a "stern order" to police to look
for "missing items" - a reference to the camera of Kenji Nagai, a
video journalist who was killed on September 27 in Myanmar's main city
of Yangon.

"Japan will watch what they will do with a certain expectation,"
Komura said.

Television footage showed the 50-year-old Nagai apparently being shot
at close range by security forces as he filmed the crackdown.

He was seen clutching his video camera in his hand. But APF News, a
Tokyo-based news agency that hired Nagai, has said the camera was not
found among Nagai's personal effects returned by Myanmar.

The state-run New Light of Myanmar has described Nagai's death as an
accident but complained that he "dishonestly" entered the country on a
tourist visa.

Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda plans to discuss the issue with
his counterpart Thein Sein on Wednesday, officials said.

"I told him that how Myanmar solves this problem over Mr Nagai will
inevitably affect Japan's policy toward his country," Komura said.

Japan has cancelled nearly US$5 million in aid to Myanmar in its first
act of protest against the crackdown and Nagai's killing. The grants
had been intended to finance the construction of a human resources
training centre.
*************************************************************
Gambari likely to visit Myanmar in December
By S Ramesh/Valarie Tan, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 20 November 2007
2204 hrs

SINGAPORE : United Nations Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari is likely to
visit Myanmar again next month.

Dr Gambari, who is in Singapore for the ASEAN summit, said this when
he met several ASEAN leaders on Tuesday.

One of them was Philippine President Gloria Arroyo.

According to Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo, Dr Gambari
was disappointed that he had not been able to brief ASEAN and East
Asian leaders.

Dr Gambari is however expected to meet ASEAN Foreign Ministers, to
update them on his recent visit to Myanmar.

But when this meeting is taking place has yet to be confirmed.

Mr Romulo added that Dr Gambari had noted progress in Myanmar but had
also stressed that the road ahead was still long.

As for the Philippines' stand on ratifying the ASEAN Charter, Mr
Romulo reiterated that President Arroyo's position on the matter has
been consistent.

Her stand is that there has to be progress in Myanmar before the
Philippine legislature can be convinced to give its endorsement to the
Charter.

President Arroyo has been calling for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi
before her country can recognise the Charter.
*************************************************************
Child soldier unable to leave Burmese army

Nov 20, 2007 (DVB)-Burmese military officials have refused to let a 14
year old boy from South Dagon township leave the army, despite his
parents providing proof that he is underage.

According to a local representative of the family, Maung Kyaw Min Thu
went missing on 14 September after spending five days visiting his
uncle's house in Insein.

His parents, U Thaung Aye and Daw Aye Naing, filed a missing person
report with their local authorities and searched for him, but he was
nowhere to be found.

On 18 September, a man came to see Thaung Aye and Aye Naing and told
them that he had seen their son while visiting someone in the army,
and the boy had told him to tell his parents to come and get him from
the barracks.

Thaung Aye went to the army barracks on 20 September but was told by
guards that he could not enter unless he came with a representative.

When Thaung Aye and Aye Naing returned to the barracks on 9 November,
following the public protests in the country, they were told that
Maung Kyaw Min Thu had already been sent to a training camp in
Bassein, Irrawaddy.

The following day, his parents went to military unit 3 of basic
military training camp 6 in Bassein, where they had learned their son
was training, hoping to take him home.

The family's representative said that military officials said that
Maung Kyaw Min Thu had signed up to the army by choice.

"We were met by officials there who showed us all the documents on him
enlisting himself into the military of his own accord. They let us
meet with the kid and told us to ask him ourselves if he wanted to go
home or not. He looked all shaky and nervous when he said he was happy
there and that he wished to stay in the military," said the
representative.

"But when we were having lunch with him later, he told his parents
that he wanted to go home. He also mentioned that he would tell us
everything on his situation there if he would be allowed to leave the
camp right away; if not, he would not say anything because he was
scared he would be beaten."

Maung Kyaw Min Thu's parents showed the army officers his birth
certificate and other documentation to prove he was below the legal
age to join the army, but the officers said that the documents could
have been forged, and they threatened to prosecute the boy for making
false claims about his age when he was recruited.

The military officers made Thaung Aye and Aye Naing sign a letter
confirming that their son was over 18 and had joined the army of his
own free will.

The family's representative said that they signed the letter as they
were afraid to disobey the army officers.

Maung Kyaw Min Thu's case has now been filed with the International
Labour Organisation and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

A report released on 31 October by international rights group Human
Rights documented the recruitment and deployment of child soldiers by
the military regime in Burma.

Due to the constant pressure on military recruiters to find new
recruits, the report states that children as young as ten are being
targeted and threatened with arrest or beaten if they refuse to join.

Records of enlistment are regularly falsified to show that children
are over 18, and some are sent into combat situations soon after their
18-week training ends.

The report also criticised the Burmese government's denial of the
problems with child recruitment, and described its efforts to prevent
the practice as ineffective.
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