- Reported that Dr. Min Soe Lin, Mon National Democratic Front's
General Secretary, is suffered with serious tuberculosis in jail.

Mar 02 2003

- The United Nations special human rights rapporteur on Burma, Paulo
Sergio Pinheiro, reiterated his call for the international community to
engage and not isolate military-ruled Myanmar.
- Senior Gen. Than Shwe warned that ``destructive elements'' and
neocolonialists were trying to undermine government efforts to stabilize and
develop the country in a statement marked the 41st anniversary of
Peasant's Day.

Mar 04 2003

- US Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Richard Lugar and
Senator Mitch McConnell also called on the American government to continue
putting pressure on the military government to encourage it to hold
talks with Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
- Indian Defence Minister George Fernandes attended the function to
release the book Burma File: 'A Question of Democracy', written by
journalist Soe Myint who hijacked a Thai Airways flight to Kolkata in 1991 and
now lives in Delhi while awaiting trial in the anti-hijacking case.

Mar 05 2003

- Exiled representatives of Mon ethnic group urged the United Nations
to pressure the military government to release three ailing Mon leaders
jailed on political grounds.

Mar 07 2003

- Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said people do not want their daily existence to
be ruled by the orders and whims of those whose authority is based on
might of arms, in her essay wrote for PARADE magazine in US.
- The British government said it will toughen its policies toward the
military regime unless its rulers show a real commitment to reform.
- Four regional human rights groups said Democratic reform in country
is essential to protect women in the military-ruled country against
sexual violence in their letter wrote to country's human rights envoy Paulo
Sergio Pinheiro.

Mar 08 2003

- Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said in a radio interview with the US
government-funded Radio Free Asia that it is more important for the military
government to resume reconciliation talks with pro-democracy activists
rather than open a dialogue with the United States.

Mar 12 2003

- U.N. special human rights rapporteur Paulo Sergio Pinheiro urged the
world to engage the Burma's regime, rather than isolate it.

Mar 13 2003

- Burma human rights day which was named in 1989 by Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi. - Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has renewed her appeal for the country's
military rulers to start meaningful political talks in her BBC Interview.
- The All Women Movement Committee of Burma (AWMCB) called on the
United Nations to pressure the military rulers to release more than 100
ailing political prisoners held throughout the country.

Mar 16 2003

- Released 45 prisoners from various facilities around the country.
- Daw Aung San Suu Kyi told the Voice of America's Burmese-language
radio service that NLD has never protested against humanitarian assistance
to the country and only demanded terms and conditions under which
humanitarian assistance should be provided.
- U Lwin, the Secretary of the National League for Democracy let out
his exasperation over utter futility of the UN Special Envoy Paulo Sergio
Pinheiro report to the Human Rights Commission.

Mar 19 2003

- The U.N. human rights envoy to Myanmar Paulo Sergio Pinheiro arrived
to push for independent investigations into alleged rights violations.

Mar 21 2003

- NLD said the war in Iraq is the result of its dictatorial leadership,
urged all nations to work towards achieving harmony in the wake of the
U.S.-led attack.

Mar 22 2003

- A United Nations investigator who is assessing the human rights
situation in country interviewed political prisoners in Rangoon's main
Insein prison.
- South Africa Archbishop Desmond Tutu broadsided U.S for its sinister
intention to wage war in Iraq by pointing out why did U.S not remove
the military government of Burma.

Mar 23 2003

- A United Nations human rights envoy to Myanmar complained of finding
bugging equipment in a room where he was conducting private interviews
of political prisoners.

Mar 24 2003

- A visiting U.N. human rights envoy suspended his mission to Myanmar
after finding a bugging device.
- The United States rebuked the country over the incident of bugging
device in prison interview room.
- Soe Myint, the jounalist facing trial in India for hijacking a Thai
aircraft to the metropolis in 1990, expressed his determination to fight
his case.

Mar 26 2003

- Protesters in London wearing face masks of the British American
Tobacco deputy chairman call for the company to close the factory it jointly
owns with Burma’s military dictatorship.

Mar 27 2003

- NLD General Secretary Aung San Suu Kyi called for a democratic
government in country and urged party followers to maintain unity, loyalty
and understanding at 58th Armed Forces Day celebrations at the National
League for Democracy (NLD) headquarters in Rangoon.

Mar 31 2003

- The United States praised Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi
as a humane rule of law to the Burmese people in its annual human
rights report.