WEF CLAIMS FOR U WIN TIN

Burma has been ruled by the military since 1962 and under international sanctions since the junta overturned 1990 elections won by the NLD. The party's leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, 63, has spent 12 of the past 18 years under house arrest.U Win Tin is serving a seven-year sentence for sending testimony to the United Nations about human rights violations against political prisoners, according to the statement."His detention constitutes a clear breach of his right to freedom of expression, which is guaranteed by numerous international conventions,'' the groups said in the letter. "We respectfully but urgently call on your government to demonstrate strength and compassion by releasing U Win Tin immediately.''The Paris-based WAN defends and promotes press freedom and represents 18,000 newspapers. The WEF is the organization for editors within the World Association of Newspapers.

ILO slams Myanmar for keeping six 'labour activists' in jail

The International Labour Organization (ILO) on Friday blasted Myanmar's Supreme Court for denying an appeal by six activists to overturn their lengthy jail sentences for attending a Labour Day event. Thurein Aung, Wai Lin, Kyaw Min, Myo Min, Nyi Nyi Zaw and Kyaw Kyaw were arrested on May 1, 2007, after attending a Labour Day function at the American Centre of the US Embassy in Yangon.
A Myanmar court sentenced Nyi Nyi Zaw and Kyaw Kyaw to 20 years in jail and the other four to 28 years for assembling at a public place without authorization.
Myanmar's Supreme Court on June 27, this year, turned down an appeal by the six to reduce their lengthy jail terms for such a minor offence, said their lawyer Aung Thein.
"It was our hope that their appeal to the Supreme Court would result in the quashing of their sentences and their immediate release," said Kari Tapiola, ILO executive director in charge of standards and fundamental principles of rights at work.
"It would have been hoped that in view of the government of Myanmar's publicly expressed intent to take the country into general elections in 2010, that the fundamental freedom of association rights would be respected," added Tapiola.
Having recently pushed through a constitution that will assure the military's control over any elected government, Myanmar's ruling junta has promised to hold polls sometime in 2010.
Myanmar, also known as Burma, has been under military rule since 1962. The government has one of the world's worst records in human rights and labour rights abuses.

Regime Media Accuses Western Politicians, Media of Cyclone Opportunism

Burma’s state-run The New Light of Myanmar on Friday accused unnamed western politicians of making political capital out of the Cyclone Nargis disaster.In a commentary that also slammed the western press coverage of the catastrophe, the official daily said: “In truth, some politicians from the countries of the west bloc exploited the sufferings of storm victims for political gain.” Two US newspapers, The New York Times and The Washington Post, and The Times of London were accused of irresponsible and untruthful reporting. They and other western publications had concocted false stories and photos, “stolen news stories” and carried “mock interviews,” the newspaper charged. The reports weren’t believed by most Burmese but still impacted on the goodwill of aid donors, it complained.The New York Times was singled out for allegedly “creating” stories about starving farmers in the cyclone-devastated areas. Western press reports had also claimed cyclone victims were despairing and without hope, although that wasn’t the case, The New Light of Myanmar said.The newspaper’s commentator recalled the case of a Washington Post report in 1981 about a heroin victim. The report was disclosed as a fabrication after winning the writer, Janet Cooke, the Pulitzer Prize, the commentator said.The New Light of Myanmar also questioned the amount of aid “powerful countries” were offering Burma in comparison with the “hundreds of billions of dollars” spent on military engagement in Iraq and Afghanistan.