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S.H.A.N. & Burma's News Published by Burma's Chinese (boxun.com)

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President George W. Bush, being concerned over Burma's human rightsviolations, inequality of nationalities and Burmese soldiers' gang-rape,accompanying by his four-member advisory team, met about one hour withCharmTong, a 23-year-old Shan woman leader campaigning for the human rights,equalrights of all ethnic nationalities and security rights of women in themilitary-ruled Burma.

"The president is pleased to welcome such a courageous and compassionatewoman to the White House," said White House spokesman Scott McClellan .

As co-founder of the widely respected Shan Women's Action Network (SWAN),Charm Tong is a "courageous and compassionate" critic of Burma'smilitaryrulers, She "has dedicated her life to helping those who sufferunder the military rule in Rangoon and to exposing the regime's abuses,particularly against women," McClellan told reporters.

Charm Tong, the Shan lady of the central Shan state, home to thecountry's biggest ethnic minority, fled to Thailand as a small child toescape ethnic persecution in Burma. Her father is a commander of the ShanState Army, an insurgent group still battling Burma's troops. He died lastyear.

Charm Tong has co-founded a network of human rights monitors on theThai-Burmese border and established a school for poor Shan refugees. HerSWAN group has documented the systematic rape of innocent ethnic girls andwomen as a weapon of war by Burma's soldiers.

Her SWAN is best known for producing the 2002 report " License to Rape," which shocks the world. This report documented 625 cases of rape againstethnic Shan women, a high percentage of which were incidents of gang rapedescribed as a systematic campaign of sexual violence by the Burmese Army.

Charm Tong was awarded earlier this year the 2005 Reebok Human RightsAward given to young people who risk their lives to fight injustice andoppression.

She was named among "Asia's heroes of 2005" by Time magazine this month.She was also among four Burmese women nominated this year for the NobelPeace Prize. (boxun.com)