缅甸风云：RIPPLES Made by Premier Sein Win, Dr. Zarni & Prof. Win

TAYZA THURIA: In the evening of 7th June 2005, a meeting was held by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Burma (UK) in the All Party Select Committee Room 15. All Party Parliamentary Group on Burma is a group of the UK cross party parliamentarians who are interested in issues relating to Burma. At the meeting on 7 June, only three elected MPs and one Noble Lord appear to have been present, Vera Baird and Ann Clwyd (Labour) and Alistair Carmichael and Lord Alton (Lib Dem). Only the first two were formally listed as members of the All Party Group on Democracy in Burma in the previous Parliament, though membership seems to be fairly fluid and interested parliamentarians can always look in for particular meetings. No Conservative MPs or Lords seem to have been present. The main purpose of the meeting was presumably to enable British parliamentarians to meet Dr Sein Win and his colleagues. But Dr Zarni, who has critical opinions on the Burmese Exiled Government, also came to that meeting as All Party Group on Burma meeting is open to all, and anyone who is interested in Burma is welcome to attend the meeting.

The confrontation between the two gentlemen created huge ripples across Burmese democratic community on the internet. I, Tayza, here compiled short biographies of these two gentlemen, and also other politicians' opinions on that confrontation between these two Burmese politicians in British Parliament. Dr. Sein Win's Biogr.: Elected People's Representative, NLD, Constituency: Paukkhaung, Pegu/Bago Division Date of Birth: 16 December 1944 Place of Birth: Taungdwin Gyi Father: U Ba Win* Mother: Daw Khin Saw

Current Duties: Prime Minister of National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB) Member, Presidium of the National Council of the Union of Burma (NCUB) Member, Members of Parliament Union (MPU)

Dr. Sein Win is the Prime Minister of the NCGUB and the former leader of the Party for National Democracy(PND). In late 1990, Dr. Sein Win left for the liberated area on the Thai-Burma border and set up the NCGUB. Dr. Sein Win is the son of U Ba Win*, the elder brother of Gen. Aung San; assassinated along with Gen. Aung San in 1947. In 1965 he graduated from Rangoon University in Mathematics and later went to Hamburg University and obtained a Master of Science in 1974 and a doctorate in Mathematics in 1979. From 1980-1982 he taught at Colombo University in Sri Lanka and from 1982-1984 at Nairobi University in Kenya. From 1986-1988 he taught at the Workers’ College as a part-time Mathematics Lecturer. After the 1988 uprisings, he was the Treasurer of the Information Department of the NLD and in charge of the Party for National Democracy (PND). The PND was then banned on 20 December 1990 and he was charged with breaking the Political Parties Registration Act. Dr. Sein Win received 17,511 valid votes or 50 % and won Paukkhaung Constituency in the 1990 elections. The Election Commission subsequently and dismissed him as an MP on 26 December 1990. He opposed the State Government and took part in forming a parallel government and was nominated to head an interim government to be formed in the jungles. Dr. Sein Win left Burma and co-founded the NCGUB on the Thai-Burma border in December 1990 and MPU in 1995. He was elected Prime Minister of the NCGUB. He currently lives in the United States Dr. Dr.Zarni 's Biogr.: Political exile from Burma (born in 1963 in Mandalay, Burma) is founder and director of the Free Burma Coalition. For the past 15 years, Zarni has been an activist on campuses in democratic countries in Asia, Europe, and North America. In 1995, he established the Free Burma Coalition News Digests and Activist Update, an on-line news and action alerts, which he has maintained and edited since. He has written articles and book chapters on "Free Burma" activism. and edited an activist manual entitled Free Burma Coalition Manual: How You Can Help Burma's Struggle for Freedom (1997). A former professor of Education at National-Louis University in Chicago, Zarni completed an MA in Education from the University of California-Davis and also earned a Ph.D. in Curriculum from the University of Wisconsin at Madison A Fellow in the Rockefeller Foundation Next Generation Leadership Program (2001-03) He is also a member of the Georgetown Leadership Seminar, Georgetown University Edmund Welsh School of Foreign Service (2004). [His biography from his FBC website] . ***Dr. Zarni recently visited Rangoon for one day and met with officials of the Ministry of Defense. Dr. Zarni said the purpose of his Burma trip during which he exchanged views with three Burmese military intelligence officials was to see if there are constructive ways and to find out ways in which the United States can be more constructive about helping break the political stalemate in Rangoon, rather than simply increasing sanctions. [VOA 22.07.2004]

Canada-based political analyst U Myint Shwe says 'Every body can go and talk to the military any time with a view to negotiate', he says. But Professor Kanbawza Win disagrees with him saying that although people can have differing opinions, there must be a collective decision making process. [bbc 05.08.2004]

Various people expressed their opinions. [Non of them is my creation, I just compiled excerpts of various opinions] Mg Daung/peacock_[8888@yahoo.com] said....The subdued Prime Minister of NCGUB spoke softly and too humbly for an audience of influential UK parliamentarians. Zarni launched his verbal attack on Dr. Sein Win and the democracy movement by giving a lengthy introduction of himself and arguing that the military junta should not be labelled as dictator. The chairperson of the meeting, Ms Ann Clwyd (Member of Parliament) tried to stop Zarni from giving a lengthy speech during the question and answer session.

Dr.Zarni concluded by making a comparison between the anti-apartheid campaign of South Africa and Burma. He claimed that the Nelson Mendala compromised with the apartheid regime in order to liberate South Africa and it is not an evident in the Burmese Democracy movement. In response his statement on South Africa, the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament said he supported and actively took part in the anti-apartheid movement of South Africa and he particularly found several critics like Zarni but when the actual freedom came South Africa the point of views of critics proved wrong. Similarly, the analysis of the critics of the Burmese democracy movement would prove to be wrong when freedom actually comes in Burma.

Dr Sein Win explained to the audience that Dr Zarni must be missing the country by living in exile and frustrated for not being able to returned to Burma. Dr Taung Thun made a direct remark to Zarni by pointing out to the audience that the Prospect Burma (set up with funds of Aung San Su Kyi' nobel peace prize) funded Zarni's education in exile and it is an irony that Aung Su Kyi is facing criticism from him. DR. Zarni replied...Dr. Thaung Tun and I have known each other for about a decade. Maybe he had said what he said without really knowing what he was talking about - who financed my education. Maybe he opted for distortions in order to make his point. I received a one-time only "partial grant" for my doctoral research, in the amount of £1,200 in 1995 (correct year?)- if my memory serves me well. Even if my entire education in the United States were funded by the Prospect Burma, which is far from being the case, nowhere in the Prospect Burma's mission statement - or any document PB grantees may have to sign - is it mentioned that "any Burmese student who has ever received a full or partial scholarship award from the charity must not hold or express views that are critical of either the NLD or Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. At the height of Pepsi Boycott, I received ONCE 6,000 (Six Thousands, US Dollars) from the Open Society Institute Supplementary Grants Program in New York. (If you consider OSI Scholarship Program a part of Burmese democracy movement, you should include this amount in your calculation of how my long career as a student was financed.) *[excerpts from his email to women-group-burma at Sat Jun 11, 2005 7:32 pm, Subject: the UK parliment burma briefing] Paw Tin" wrote...Now he, Dr Zarni, is telling the truth that he never participated in 1988. He visited to Zarni Nyunt Aung house and requested for helping him to apply for asylum. He started a Pepsi boycott campaign and formed Free Burma Coalition with the help from left wing American students who hate big corporations. With the help of the white American university students, Pepsi boycott campaign was a hit because not only American students participated in the campaign but also the Burmese activists such as Tun Myint, Khin Ohamma and others joined with him. ...his white supporters to leave him from his circle. Then he fired his associates ... ...Tun Kyaw Nyein, Bo Bo Kyaw Nyein and Dr. Khin Saw Win and her husband left FBC. His old team left him and formed US campaign for Burma group. After that US Campaign for Burma gained support and trust from activists and supporters around the world... *[excerpts from his email to NLDmembrsnSupportersofCRPPnNLDnDASSK@yahoogroups.com, at Mon, 13 Jun 2005 18:10:32 -0700] UK.org, Collective comment:01 June 2005; Posted: 12 June 2005 [excerpts] Why we criticize the NLD & NCUGB! There have been a number of criticisms involving the NCGUB one being; it is a major blocking point which prevents any dialogue between the NLD and the SPDC. ...ASSK was not an elected representative of the NLD at the time of the 1990 elections, so therefore held no position of authority hence, giving her no right to sit at the debating table. It did not matter to the regime that her absence from the election was the result of their actions; as far as they were/are concerned she has no authority to hold political debate. Sein Win, cousin to ASSK, with help from others, formed the NCGUB, and a number of elected NLD members of the 1990 elections, joined with them, to form what the NLD leadership regarded in truth, as an illicit party. The NLD members were effectively treated as renegades by their own party. While other members remained in Burma to stand their ground the NCGUB deserted to the US. Kelvin Minn" attacked ...We just follow DASSK because she is our icon for freedom in Burma. Even she wont get democracy, but she is always a legend.How much did you have sacrificed for Burma? Have you done anything good to your country?If you done good things, why did u move to US? If its not from the US goverment, you wont be able to get asylum.

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