Peaceful Burma (ျငိမ္းခ်မ္းျမန္မာ)平和なビルマ

Peaceful Burma (ျငိမ္းခ်မ္းျမန္မာ)平和なビルマ

TO PEOPLE OF JAPAN



JAPAN YOU ARE NOT ALONE



GANBARE JAPAN



WE ARE WITH YOU



ဗိုလ္ခ်ဳပ္ေျပာတဲ့ညီညြတ္ေရး


“ညီၫြတ္ေရးဆုိတာ ဘာလဲ နားလည္ဖုိ႔လုိတယ္။ ဒီေတာ့ကာ ဒီအပုိဒ္ ဒီ၀ါက်မွာ ညီၫြတ္ေရးဆုိတဲ့အေၾကာင္းကုိ သ႐ုပ္ေဖာ္ျပ ထားတယ္။ တူညီေသာအက်ဳိး၊ တူညီေသာအလုပ္၊ တူညီေသာ ရည္ရြယ္ခ်က္ရွိရမယ္။ က်ေနာ္တုိ႔ ညီၫြတ္ေရးဆုိတာ ဘာအတြက္ ညီၫြတ္ရမွာလဲ။ ဘယ္လုိရည္ရြယ္ခ်က္နဲ႔ ညီၫြတ္ရမွာလဲ။ ရည္ရြယ္ခ်က္ဆုိတာ ရွိရမယ္။

“မတရားမႈတခုမွာ သင္ဟာ ၾကားေနတယ္ဆုိရင္… သင္ဟာ ဖိႏွိပ္သူဘက္က လုိက္ဖုိ႔ ေရြးခ်ယ္လုိက္တာနဲ႔ အတူတူဘဲ”

“If you are neutral in a situation of injustice, you have chosen to side with the oppressor.”
ေတာင္အာဖရိကက ႏိုဘယ္လ္ဆုရွင္ ဘုန္းေတာ္ၾကီး ဒက္စ္မြန္တူးတူး

THANK YOU MR. SECRETARY GENERAL

Ban’s visit may not have achieved any visible outcome, but the people of Burma will remember what he promised: "I have come to show the unequivocal shared commitment of the United Nations to the people of Myanmar. I am here today to say: Myanmar – you are not alone."

QUOTES BY UN SECRETARY GENERAL

Without participation of Aung San Suu Kyi, without her being able to campaign freely, and without her NLD party [being able] to establish party offices all throughout the provinces, this [2010] election may not be regarded as credible and legitimate. ­
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon

Where there's political will, there is a way

政治的な意思がある一方、方法がある
စစ္မွန္တဲ့ခိုင္မာတဲ့နိုင္ငံေရးခံယူခ်က္ရိွရင္ႀကိဳးစားမႈရိွရင္ နိုင္ငံေရးအေျဖ
ထြက္ရပ္လမ္းဟာေသခ်ာေပါက္ရိွတယ္
Burmese Translation-Phone Hlaing-fwubc

Friday, September 30, 2011

News & Articles on Burma-Thursday, 29 September, 2011-UZL

News & Articles on Burma
Thursday, 29 September, 2011
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Burma’s FM offers olive-branch while Burma Army shelling on ethnic Kachin
‘Myanmar will not cooperate with India in crossborder insurgencies’
Aung San Suu Kyi to Meet Burmese Labor Minister
What Thein Sein promised Suu Kyi
Suu Kyi to hold more talks with Myanmar regime
Govt and Wa Delegations to Meet in Lashio
Suu Kyi and Aung Kyi to Meet Once Again
ICG Burma Report Blasted by Global Justice Center
Female Japanese tourist murdered in Myanmar
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Burma’s FM offers olive-branch while Burma Army shelling on ethnic Kachin
By Zin Linn Sep 29, 2011 4:00PM UTC
Burma’s Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin told the Assembly’s high-level debate on 27 September that his Government has launched a series of political, economic and social reforms aimed at improving the welfare of its people, but uttered lament that these efforts are being hindered by international economic sanctions.
As a signal of ‘national reconsolidation,’ the Government had last month offered an olive branch to all “national race armed groups,” FM Maung Lwin said.
But, while Maung Lwin was delivering an address about his regime’s olive-branch policy towards ethnic armed groups, his government has been launching a major offensive targeting the KIA’s Brigade 4 near the Sino-Burma border.
Maj-Gen Aung Kyaw Zaw, commander of northeastern Shan State regional command, takes charge of driving Kachin rebel troops out of Shan State near the Sino-Burmese border. China’s major oil pipeline which channels the Burma’s Kyaukpyu deep-sea port on Arakan coast in the Bay of Bengal to Kunming in China’s Yunnan Province will pass through central Burma and next to the current conflict zones in Shan State. That will extensively improve China’s energy security while also creating the presence of Chinese ships in India’s eastern backyard.
Kachin rebels are keeping hold of the hilly terrain of both Kachin and northern Shan states where they have launched guerrilla warfare combating the Burma Army for self-determination since 1961.
The four days of heavy fighting between the Burma Army and Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in Burma’s northeast Shan State has produced over 20,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs), in line with IDP assistance groups, Kachin News Group reported.
Most IDPs are mothers and their children as well as elderly men and women who are fleeing to nearby towns, churches and the China border, leaving behind their homes, livestock, paddy fields, land and crops, quoting local sources, KNG said.Most schools in the war zone have been closed as Burmese government’s all-out offensive started on Saturday.
Some war-stricken refugees are fleeing to Pangsai and Mongkoe but the victims are prevented from crossing into China by both Burmese police and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and Border Guard Force, referring sources in the two border towns, KNG reported.
As said by IDPs in Kyukok (Pangsai), a large number of IDPs are fleeing from Northern Shan State after government troops fired hundreds of 120 mm mortar rounds daily into the camps and villages in the KIA controlled areas since Saturday.
The on-going civil war in Kachin State between the Burma Army and KIA has intensified since 9 June. Over 30,000 Kachin IDPs have fled to the camps in KIA controlled areas, near the Sino-Burma border as well as to government-controlled towns. Non-Governmental Organizations, churches and oversea Kachin communities have been helping IDPs in both KIA and government controlled areas In Kachin State.
Until now, IDPs in northern Shan State have not received any aid from the Burmese government or non-governmental organizations, church leaders said. As said by the KIA brigade officials, there is no ending sign of the ongoing war and thousands of IDPs under the KIA Brigade 4 controlled area are likely to run away soon.
The Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) has rejected an offer of Burmese government’s new peace talks along with a statement released on August 18. The government’s offer was rejected because it did not include country-wide political dialogue but only talks with each individual ethnic armed group, quoting Salang Kaba Lar Nan, Joint General Secretary-2 of the KIO, Kachin News Group said.
According to Lar Nan, the peace offer statement lacks political dialogue. The government forces the ethnic groups to talk under the rule of the military-centered 2008 Constitution. Peace negotiations have failed because the KIO desires to solve the country’s six decade-long political problems based on the 1947 Panglong Agreement. However the government is intent on negotiations based on the 2008 Constitution.
As the ethnic armed groups did not agree to the 2008 Constitution, the government peace offer seems to be empty. Unless there is genuine movement toward political change initiated by the government, such as releasing political prisoners and genuine talks with all political stakeholders, Burma’s six-decade long political stalemate will not be erased simply.
The Kachin Independence Organization urges the international community, including the UN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Burma’s neighbors, to facilitate ending country’s civil war by way of national reconciliation.
In fact, Burmese government needs to offer a genuine olive branch to ethnic armed-groups including the KIO, if it really wants lifting of international economic sanctions that – as said by Wunna Maung Lwin – hampered the country’s growth. http://asiancorrespondent.com/66119/burma%E2%80%99s-fm-offers-olive-branch-while-burma-army-shelling-on-ethnic-kachin/
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‘Myanmar will not cooperate with India in crossborder insurgencies’
Bertil Lintner, a scholar on Indo-Burmese affairs, tells Ratnadip Choudhury why it is tough for Myanmar to crack down on Northeast insurgency groups. Edited excerpts from an interview.
















You have seen the insurgencies of Southeast Asia from Ground Zero. In some areas they have joined the mainstream, in many places they continue with their struggles. How do you see the future?
It varies from country to country. In democratic countries, rebels and former rebels can join the mainstream and become politicians. But this is not possible in countries such as Myanmar. Hence, the civil war there is bound to continue. The only solution to the Myanmar problem is to adopt some kind of federalism rather than a centralised system, which the country follows. But that would also mean that the entire political system in Myanmar would need an overhaul, which is not easy.
The insurgent outfits of Northeast India have lost sanctuaries in Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh. Reports indicate that they are holed up in Myanmar. Do you see more disintegration in ethnic insurgency?
India wants to open a west-east corridor through Myanmar for two reasons. First, it wants to trade directly with Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand and Malaysia. Second, it would be in India’s interest to keep China at bay in Myanmar. But in order to do so, the Northeast needs to be pacified. This is why there was an expulsion of ULFA and UNLF leaders from Bangladesh - at India’s insistence - and the arrest of Anthony Shimray, the chief arms procurer of the NSCN(IM). Evidently the rebels are in a tight corner, which is why they are trying to survive by banding together into various fronts.
There are media reports of an operation by the Myanmar army against Northeastern insurgent groups from India camping in Myanmar. Does this mean that Myanmar will help India with a major crackdown?
That was a phantom operation. It never took place and it was no coincidence that the news about the alleged fighting was leaked just before the new Myanmar president, Thein Sein, was to make an official visit to India. It is like when US dignitaries visit Myanmar, the authorities always carry out a big drug bust before they arrive. It is not in the interest of the Myanmar authorities to work against rebels from the Indian side who have established a presence in Mayanmar’s Northwestern region. They see it as India’s problem. Myanmar government has too many problems of its own. I believe it is in the interest of Myanmar to have a buffer of instability with India.
Where do you think India has gone wrong with its policy when it comes to sub-continental neighbours, particularly Myanmar?
India’s policy is not wrong. Myanmar is not interested in cooperating with its neighbours when it comes to crossborder insurgencies. It fights insurgents on its own terms and doesn’t want to get into joint operations, which India wants with its neighbours.
Is there a chance that India will get Myanmar’s support?
It is not in Myanmar’s interest to launch military operations against Indian insurgents. As long as these rebels don’t bother the Myanmar army, the army won’t bother them.
In 1985, when you became the first foreign journalist to cross over from Nagaland to Myanmar, you saw two major insurgents, the Naga rebels and the ULFA, gearing up. After three decades, both are involved in peace processes at different levels. Does this guarantee a solution to the conflicts?
It depends how you define a solution. From the Indian point of view it would mean neutralising such groups by turning their leaders into politicians and businessmen. And, so far, that policy has been quite successful. But solving the underlying ethnic tensions between the Centre and the Northeast is a different ballgame.
You have been in touch with the Naga rebel leaders for a long time. The NSCN(IM) has been involved in peace parleys for four years. In ULFA, chair Arabinda Rajkhowa is leading the peace bandwagon while its army chief Paresh Baruah is waging war with a handful of cadres. Do these splits weaken the scope of dialogue?
These are exactly the developments that New Delhi wants.
India-China relations have been in trouble for some time as India says China is supplying arms to the Northeast insurgents. There are also reports that the rebels are being trained in frontier China. How big can this become?
The rebels from northeast buy weapons from the black market. But in reality, it is more grey than black. The informal weapon trade in China is run by former army officers and well-connected private dealers. The rebels have to pay for these weapons. The Chinese authorities allow this to happen as retaliation towards India allowing the Dalai Lama and the Tibetans to operate from their territory. Even though the Tibetans are not waging an armed struggle against the Chinese government, they are attracting attention and moral support from the international community, which has disturbed China. So they are letting Baruah and his comrades do what they want in China, which includes buying arms.
There are reports that the Indian rebel groups are regrouping in Myanmar, the Kachins are once again helping them with arms and Chinese help is being rendered. What is your opinion?
The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) is not helping the ULFA or any other insurgent group from India. They need weapons for their own struggle especially after their ceasefire agreement with the Myanmar government broke down earlier this year. They are in no position to share their weaponry with anybody else. The weapons from China that reach India’s Northeast are most probably trucked across Myanmar by the United Wa State Army, which is also a main supplier of narcotics to Manipur, Nagaland and beyond. Its ceasefire agreement with the Myanmar government enables it to transport whatever it wants across Myanmar.
Ratnadip Choudhury is a Principal Correspondent with Tehelka.
ratnadip@tehelka.com http://www.tehelka.com/story_main50.asp?filename=Ws280911Myanmar.asp
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VOA News: September 29, 2011
Aung San Suu Kyi to Meet Burmese Labor Minister

A spokesman for Aung San Suu Kyi says the Burmese democracy leader will meet Friday with Labor Minister Aung Kyi.

It will be the third meeting between the two since Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest late last year. She has also met with President Thein Sein as the new government cautiously begins to engage its critics.

Nyan Win, a spokesman for Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, was unable to say what will be discussed in the meeting at a government guest house in Rangoon.

But the exile Irrawaddy newspaper said there is speculation that the talks will touch on prospects for the release of political prisoners and the NLD's bid to be re-registered as a political party.

The NLD was stripped of its party certification when it refused to contest elections in November, which were widely denounced as unfairly designed to ensure victory by supporters of the former military junta. The party refused to run because Aung San Suu Kyi, still under house arrest at the time, was not allowed to be a candidate.

The new government, which took office at the end of March, is dominated by past and former military officers and their close supporters. http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Aung-San-Suu-Kyi-to-Meet-Burmese-Labor-Minister--130770403.html
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What Thein Sein promised Suu Kyi
By Larry Jagan

BANGKOK - An emerging rapprochement between Myanmar President Thein Sein and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has set a new tone over the country's historically military dominated political landscape. The two met on August 19 and details now emerging from that closed-door encounter indicate that major concessions could be in the cards in the weeks ahead.
Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who has spent 15 of the last 21 years under house arrest, recently told a small group of supporters outside of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party headquarters she believes there is an "opportunity for change". She has met and made public appearances with top government officials and insiders say that more meetings are imminent, perhaps as early as next week.

The high-level meetings, a parliamentary motion and recent official pronouncements have raised speculation that Thein Sein's government is poised to release over 2,000 political prisoners, a major sticking point to his winning international recognition for the country's recent transition from military to democratic rule. Many of those held are affiliated with Suu Kyi's NLD or other political groups opposed to military rule.

Myanmar Foreign Minister Wanna Maung Lwin told the United Nations General Assembly in New York earlier this week that the government intended to free more prisoners in the near future, though he did not mention whether political prisoners would be included. A government official who requested anonymity claimed they may be released in three batches, with more than 200 set to walk free within next week, including renowned comedian and blogger Zaganar.

If true, the release of political prisoners would send a clear signal both domestically and internationally that Thein Sein's government, formed in March after last year's elections, is following through on his democratic reform vows. "There is enough to make us cautiously optimistic, with the stress on optimistic," a senior International Labor Organization official in Yangon told Asia Times Online.

Although tight-lipped about the details of his visit, which included talks with both President Thein Sein and Suu Kyi, US special envoy to Myanmar Derek Mitchell was likewise upbeat about the prospects for change. At the end of an earlier visit, Mitchell said "genuine and concrete reforms" were needed before Washington would consider reciprocating. Thein Sein is lobbying for the end of US and European economic sanctions.

"I think it would be fair to say that winds of change are clearly blowing through [Myanmar]," Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell told reporters in Washington earlier this month. "The extent of it is still unclear, but everyone who's gone there recognizes that there are changes."

Significantly, many of the government's concessions have come without formal announcement or legal commitment. To mark Democracy Day, the government unblocked many censored international news sites, including the BBC, Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), and Burmese language broadcasts of Radio Free Asia and Voice of America. The move followed an earlier relaxation of blocks on Skype, Yahoo! and Youtube.

The list of small incremental changes is long, though few if any have been enacted by law. The most critical change, however, is that Thein Sein, the country's quasi-civilian leader and former military general, seems willing to involve Suu Kyi in the country's political future. This represents a sharp reversal of the outgoing junta's stance, which banned her NLD after it refused to participate in last November's polls.

While Suu Kyi said she was happy with the outcome of her August 19 meeting with Thein Sein, few details of the substance of the talks have been revealed. The two met privately - "four-eyes", as Asian diplomats like to call it - for a little over an hour. Atmospherics and appearance matter in Myanmar's cultural context and both came out of the meeting relaxed and smiling.

More symbolically, a photo of General Aung San, Myanmar's independence hero and Suu Kyi's assassinated father, was hanging in the presidential palace where they met. Over the past decade, former ruling General Than Shwe had tried to remove Aung San's name and image from the national memory. Many analysts have perceived the reemergence of Aung San's portrait as a significant sign of change.

"It was important to show the Lady that we are willing to work with her," said a government official close to the president, referring to Suu Kyi. "We see her as a potential partner, not an adversary."

Another message apparently sent was that Suu Kyi is viewed by the new regime as an important public figure rather than a politician or leader of the legally banned NLD. During the closed door meeting, Thein Sein apparently talked about the role she could play in the future, according to sources in Naypyidaw who spoke on condition of anonymity.

They characterized the meeting as more trust-building exercise than negotiation, where both leaders laid out scenarios for the process of genuine reform and democracy to take root. Thein Sein apparently assured Suu Kyi that although her NLD party is currently illegal, it would be left alone and she would be free to travel freely inside the country, the sources said. Thein Sein's wife even invited her to an informal working dinner with other ministers' wives, they said.

Prisoner politics
The political prisoner issue was high on Suu Kyi's agenda, and she apparently told the president that there could be no forward movement without their unconditional release. Thein Sein's advisors know that this is also the key to improved relations with the outside world, including their neighbors in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). A mass release would likely smooth the way for Myanmar to take ASEAN's chairmanship for 2014, a decision that will be made later this year.

Whether Thein Sein has the power to follow through, however, is still in question. Former junta leader Than Shwe has made it clear on at least two occasions - once just after last November's elections last and again earlier this year before Thein Sein was officially sworn in - that the release of political prisoners and jailed former military intelligence officers was non-negotiable.

However, a recent motion to free political prisoners adopted by a majority of parliament may have set the seal for the release of at least some of them. Analysts say it was highly significant that the lower house speaker Thura Shwe Mann - the former third top general in the ruling junta - was the one that steered the motion through parliament.

When it appeared the motion was set to be rejected, Thura Shwe Mann called a 15-minute recess on the pretense the computer screens which showed the voting results were down. During the break he apparently lobbied the military parliamentarians who make up 25% of parliament - a quota set by the new constitution adopted in a sham referendum in 2008 - to support the proposal. It then passed with a large majority.

Thura Shwe Mann, formerly seen as Than Shwe's heir apparent, strongly supports the new president, according to sources close to him. They say he sees the release of political prisoners issue as something he can support that would make a difference, both domestically and internationally. His support is crucial because for various reasons the government cannot be seen to be bowing to international pressure on the issue.

Thein Sein's and Suu Kyi's meeting also touched on private matters, according to inside government sources. Significantly, Thein Sein has recently intervened to save from demolition the now dilapidated house in which Aung San and his family once lived in Pymina while he was leading the battle for independence against British colonialists. Suu Kyi reportedly sent the president an old photo of the house with her standing outside of it when she was a very young child as a token of appreciation.

Diplomats in Yangon who have recently met Suu Kyi all say that she is confident about the future and optimistic about the possibility of genuine change. Thein Sein can be trusted, he is genuinely trying to reform the country, and needs international support, she has told several foreign envoys.

Long time observers see similarities between the current warming trend and previous secret talks between Suu Kyi and former military intelligence chief and prime minister Khin Nyunt. Those talks led to Suu Kyi's release from house arrest in May 2002 but little else. She was rearrested a year later after her entourage was attacked by armed pro-government thugs who massacred many of her supporters. Khin Nyunt was purged in 2004 and remains under house arrest.

While arguments persist as to whether those talks represented a genuine opening, there is little doubt that the lack of international support for Khin Nyunt's gambit contributed its demise. This time, diplomats say, the international community, including the US, is keen not to make the same mistake.

Like then, there are still military hardliners waiting in the wings ready to pounce if given the opportunity. These same hardliners - now led by the Vice President Thin Aung Myint Oo - are apparently not pleased by Thein Sein's overtures towards Suu Kyi. Some hardline ministers apparently did not know the meeting had taken place until they saw it on the evening television news, according to government insiders.

Many diplomats and analysts believe Thein Sein's conciliatory gestures are genuine and a mass release of political prisoners would set the stage for substantive talks with Suu Kyi towards national reconciliation. Government insiders claim another meeting between the two is tentatively scheduled for after next week's first phase release.

However some believe another military coup is also possible, particularly if the army decides change, including the release of political prisoners, risks instability. For the moment, the Armed Forces Commander Gen Min Aung Hlaing has signaled his support for Thein Sein and Thura Shwe Mann, but the military's sustained support is by no means certain.

That's especially true if former military supremo Than Shwe starts to feel threatened by the change underway, including engagement with Suu Kyi, and decides to intervene. Under the 2008 constitution, the military may legally seize power in the name of upholding national security. "If we fail, we'll end up in jail," said a senior member of government on condition of anonymity.

Larry Jagan previously covered Myanmar politics for the British Broadcasting Corporation. He is currently a freelance journalist based in Bangkok. http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/MI30Ae01.html
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Suu Kyi to hold more talks with Myanmar regime
(AFP) –

YANGON — Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi will hold another round of talks with the new army-backed government, her spokesman said on Thursday, following signs of a thaw in relations.

Friday's meeting with labour minister Aung Kyi in Yangon will be the third since the Nobel Peace Prize winner's release from seven straight years of house arrest last November, shortly after a widely criticised election.

The opposition leader also met President Thein Sein -- a former junta prime minister -- in the capital Naypyidaw last month, one of several tentative signs that the regime is reaching out to its opponents.

Myanmar is now ruled by a nominally civilian government but its ranks are filled with former generals and the country still has about 2,000 political prisoners.

In an interview with AFP earlier this month, Suu Kyi said there had been "positive developments" in Myanmar, but added that it was unclear whether Thein Sein would be able to carry through his reform pledges.

Her spokesman Nyan Win said Friday's meeting with Aung Kyi -- the former liaison between Suu Kyi and the junta -- would take place at the State Guest House, but he gave no information about what might be discussed.

The 66-year-old dissident's National League for Democracy (NLD) party won a 1990 election but was never allowed to take power.

Last month the daughter of Myanmar's liberation hero General Aung San travelled unhindered on her first overtly political trip outside her home city since being released from detention, addressing thousands of supporters.

The international community has called for a number of reforms in Myanmar including the release of political detainees and an end to rights abuses, particularly against ethnic minorities.

Copyright © 2011 AFP. All rights reserved. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5glOaGmeks_CAnTzySUAmRw4Z8_Sg?docId=CNG.f582da93057f0e3389e6e0e5a288c42d.311
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Govt and Wa Delegations to Meet in Lashio
By WAI MOE Thursday, September 29, 2011

Government representatives led by the secretaries of the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), Aung Thaung and Thein Zaw, are scheduled to meet a delegation of the United Wa State Army (UWSA) on Saturday in Lashio, the headquarters of the Burmese army's North-East Regional Military Command (RMC) in northern Shan State.

The Wa delegation, led by Xiao Ming Liang, the vice chairman of the United Wa State Party (UWSP), the political wing of the UWSA, will include Bao Youlaing, the brother of Wa leader Bao Youxiang and a politburo member of the UWSP; Zhao Guo-ang, who is in charge of the UWSP’s external relations; Aik Laing, the commander of the UWSA’s key Brigade 418 in northern Shan State; and Le Zuliang, the UWSP's information officer.

According to ethnic sources, the delegation left the UWSA headquarters at Panghsang on Thursday for the Lashio talks.

The scheduled meeting comes as the government army is carrying out a major offensive against the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), a former ceasefire group, in northern Shan State and nearly a month after the last meeting between the two sides on Sept 6 in Kengtung, headquarters of the Triangle RMC.

Observers said the government and Wa representatives will likely discuss the future status of the UWSA. Burma’s 2008 Constitution makes it illegal for any non-state army to exist in the country, and since 2009, the government has called on all ethnic ceasefire groups to join a Border Guard Force (BGF) under Burmese military command—a move that has heightened tensions between the government and ethnic armed groups in the north and south of the country.

Recently, however, Naypyidaw temporarily suspended its calls on the UWSA and its ally, the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), also known as the Mongla group, to join the BGF. Both groups are said to be backed by China and were trained by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army when they were part of a communist insurgency that ended in the late 1980s.

Ethnic sources said that government officials have been in touch with the UWSA since their meeting in Kengtung earlier this month. Two significant issues in the talks between Naypyidaw and Panghsang are the status of the Wa army and of three Wa townships that are not recognized in the 2008 Constitution as Wa territory.

“The meeting will likely focus on the status of the Wa army,” said Aung Kyaw Zaw, a Burmese military observer based on the Sino-Burmese border.

“Wa leaders seem to hope they will get the same treatment they received in 1989, shortly after they split from the Communist Party of Burma,” he said. “But the current situation under the 2008 constitution is quite different. I think a temporary ceasefire agreement can't guarantee lasting peace.”

Another reason the Burmese government is keen to pursue talks with the UWSA is that it wants to prevent the group from getting involved in ongoing armed conflicts in northern Shan State and Kachin State. The government army is currently battling with the KIA and the Shan State Army (SSA), which are both informal allies of the UWSA.

“I think the Burmese officials will tell the Wa delegation to avoid the Burmese army’s offensives against the KIA and the SSA,” said Khuensai Jaiyen, the editor of Chiang Mai, Thailand-based Shan Herald Agency for News and a close observer of conflicts in Shan State.

However, he added that the Wa leadership told other ethnic armed groups in northern Burma that their relationship with Panghsang would not be affected by the talks with Naypyidaw.

On Sept 6, the government and Wa delegations signed an initial “agreement for building peace,” ensuring that the government's ceasefire with Burma's largest ethnic armed group, with an estimated strength of 30,000 troops along the Sino-Burmese border, would hold, at least for now.

The agreement requires “peace delegations” from both sides to meet at agreed to times and places to maintain peace, stability and development in the Wa special administrative zone.

A day after the UWSA signed the initial agreement, an NDAA delegation signed a similar agreement in Kengtung.

During the Kengtung meetings with the UWSA and NDAA, government representatives did not raise the BGF issue. A Wa source said that when the Wa delegation asked why the government was suddenly silent on this issue, they were told that the current government was not the same as the regime that preceded it, and would discuss the status of the Wa troops later.

The meeting between the USDP leaders and the UWSA comes soon after a regular meeting of Burmese military commanders, held once every four months.
imilarly scheduled meetings of the government and the National Defense and Security Council have also recently been held.

After signing the initial agreement, the Wa leadership met with UWSA military commanders in Panghsang on Sept 14-16 to discuss the details of the Kengtung talks.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=22167
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Suu Kyi and Aung Kyi to Meet Once Again
By SAI ZOM HSENG Thursday, September 29, 2011

Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is scheduled to meet Aung Kyi, Burma’s minister of labor and minister of social welfare, relief and resettlement, on Friday afternoon. This will be Suu Kyi’s fourth meeting with officials of Burma’s new government since she was released from house arrest on Nov. 13, 2010.

The meeting will reportedly take place at the Sane Lae Kan Thar state guesthouse in Rangoon at 1 p.m. On Friday, but Nyan Win, a spokesperson for Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD), told The Irrawaddy that no detailed information about the meeting had been announced.

Suu Kyi and Aung Kyi previously met twice this year, once in July and once in August. She also met with Burma’s President Thein Sein in August. Statements issued after each meeting said that both parties were satisfied with the discussions that took place.

There is speculation in the Rangoon-based political community that issues such as the release of political prisoners and the party registration of the NLD will be discussed at the meeting on Friday.

On Tuesday, Burma’s Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin addressed the issue of political prisoners at the 66th session of the UN General Assembly, saying that an early amnesty program is being considered. He also asked the international community to lift the sanctions which have been imposed on Burma.

Aye Thar Aung, the secretary of the Committee Representing the People's Parliament, said that the government must release the political prisoners if they want the international community to lift the sanctions.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Thursday, Aye Thar Aung said, “We really hope to see the release of the political prisoners, such as the 88 Generation Student leaders, the ethnic leaders, comedian Zaganar, etc. Although we heard some rumors about the release of prisoners, we can’t confirm yet whether political prisoners are included.”

On Thursday afternoon, there were rumors that Zaganar, a well-known Burmese comedian, and Min Ko Naing, a leader of the 88 Generation Students Group, both of whom are serving long sentences, had been released from prison. But their respective families confirmed that it was just a rumor.

Suu Kyi has repeatedly called for a dialogue with the Burmese government since her release late last year after more than seven years under house arrest. Her release came just days after Burma held its first elections in two decades.

A retired major general, Aung Kyi held a number of meetings with Suu Kyi in the wake of a crackdown on the monk-led protests in September 2007 that drew widespread international condemnation and brought renewed calls for political reform in the military-ruled country. Observers noted, however, that the talks were chiefly intended to lessen pressure on the regime and never produced any substantive results. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=22166
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ICG Burma Report Blasted by Global Justice Center
By SAW YAN NAING Thursday, September 29, 2011

The Global Justice Center, an international human rights legal organization, has issued a strong condemnation of the latest report on Burma by the International Crisis Group (ICG), which was titled “Myanmar: Major Reform Underway.”

In an open letter released on Sept. 20, the Global Justice Center called on the ICG to stop supporting unconditional engagement with Burma’s military rulers.

“This policy, encouraging ‘the West to robustly engage the new Burmese government at the highest levels,’ ignores both ‘on the ground facts’ and peremptory norms of international law,” the letter read. (See: http://www.globaljusticecenter.net/news-events/news/2011/ICGLetter.pdf)

The ICG fails to acknowledge that “the new Burmese government” is illegal because it is based on a constitution mandating a bifurcated sovereignty, a fundamental breach of the law of nations, said the letter.

The ICG report was released on Sept. 22 and calls on the outside world to actively support efforts by Burma’s President Thein Sein to implement political and economic reforms. The report says that the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank must support Burma's tentative reforms, adding that failure to do so would be to “the lasting detriment” of the Burmese people.

In its 21-page report, the ICG said that recent positive developments have emerged in Burma, including a meeting between President Thein Sein and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, which could be the beginning of historical change in the country.
The Global Justice Center also called on the Board of the ICG to revisit and change its policy on Burma.

In its letter to the ICG, the Global Justice Center said that Burma’s new Constitution guarantees the military impunity from prosecution, encouraging the military’s continuing crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes.

In addition, the sham election held in November 2010 has escalated the risk Burma poses to global peace and security to an all-time high, as armed conflicts broke out between government troops and ethnic armed groups in the wake of the election, according to the letter.

Burma’s civil war continues and is marked by heinous crimes of genocide by the military against the Kachin, Karen, Shan and other ethnic groups. The military’s war crimes, in particular the use of child soldiers and rape as a weapon of war, remain unabated, in spite of the UN Security Council’s denouncement thereof, said the Global Justice Center.

The letter stated that the post-election landscape in Burma is one of escalated military crimes, including genocide and war crimes, which present a threat to peace and security. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=22165
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Female Japanese tourist murdered in Myanmar
Crime Sep. 29, 2011 - 09:14PM JST ( 20 )
YANGON —

A Japanese tourist has been killed in Myanmar and a motorcycle taxi driver arrested on suspicion of her murder, a government official said Thursday.

Chiharu Shiramatsu, 31, was killed on Wednesday near Kyaukpadaung, close to the ancient temple city of Bagan, after hiring the motorcycle taxi to go sightseeing, according to the authorities.

“She was killed by a motorcycle taxi driver who tried to rape her,” a Myanmar government official who declined to be identified told AFP.

Min Theik, the 39-year-old motorcycle taxi driver, was arrested at the scene.

Violent crime involving foreign tourists is relatively rare in military-dominated Myanmar.

© 2011 AFP http://www.japantoday.com/category/crime/view/female-japanese-tourist-murdered-in-myanmar

Read More...

Thursday, September 29, 2011

News & Articles on Burma-Wednesday, 28 September, 2011-uzl

News & Articles on Burma

Wednesday, 28 September, 2011
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Burma is still reluctant to initiate reform
Burma to free more prisoners: minister
Myanmar Reforms, Invites Foreign Investors
Goods May Soon Flow Again to Wa State
Wa top official remains in jail
Burmese Army Kills Two Civilians in Raid
Do Not Back Down on Burma
Burma promises prisoner amnesty
Burma FM says prisoner release looming
Kachin Rebels Lose Major Stronghold as Govt Army Advances
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Burma is still reluctant to initiate reform
By Zin Linn Sep 28, 2011 7:05PM UTC

Recent developments have potential for progress in Burma (Myanmar), Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said yesterday, while calling on the new namesake civilian Government to do more to guarantee creating a comprehensive transform.

A new Government was established in Burma (Myanmar) six months ago, and more recently the country has received a series of high-level bilateral visits. In addition, President Thein Sein has made a pledge for the nation to “catch up with the changing world.”

“Real opportunities for progress exist, but the Government must step up its efforts for reform if it is to bring about an inclusive – and irreversible – transition,” Mr. Ban said in a press statement issued after the ministerial meeting of the Group of Friends on Myanmar (Burma), which was held at UN Headquarters on the margins of the 66th session of the General Assembly, according to the UN News Centre.

“In particular, the authorities must cultivate improved dialogue with all political actors and release all remaining political prisoners,” he said.

Mr. Ban said change is not only possible, but necessary, adding that the international community has a responsibility to support Myanmar’s change.

The Group of Friends, founded in December 2007, is designed to serve as a consultative forum for developing a shared approach in support of the Secretary-General’s good offices mandate on Myanmar. Its members are Australia, China, the European Union, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Norway, Russia, Singapore, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States and Viet Nam.

Meanwhile, Myanmar’s Foreign Minister told the Assembly’s high-level debate on Tuesday that the Government has launched a series of political, economic and social reforms aimed at improving the welfare of its people, but voiced regret that these efforts are being hampered by international economic sanctions.

The unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States against Myanmar should lift at this moment, FM Maung Lwin said. Myanmar (Burma) has emerged as a new democratic nation in accordance with the constitution approved by the overwhelming majority of the people, he emphasized.

But, Burma’s 2008 constitution is null and void under international law. Burma’s new constitution, additionally, guarantees the military impunity from prosecution, encouraging the military’s continuing crimes against humanity, genocide, and war crimes, the Global Justice Center criticizes.

FM Maung Lwin should not be neglected the facts on the ground. Actually, Assistant Secretary Kurt Campbell and Special Representative and Policy Coordinator for Burma Ambassador Derek Mitchell met with him on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York on September 22.

During the meeting, Campbell and Mitchell welcomed recent positive steps taken by the Burmese Government, including President Thein Sein’s dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi. They emphasized that the United States seeks concrete steps from the Thein Sein Government to show a true commitment to reform including release of all political prisoners, further meaningful dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi, a cessation of warfare against ethnic people, and transparency in its relationship with North Korea.

It is nonsensical that Maung Lwin is asking to lift sanctions without releasing 2,000 political prisoners, no meaningful dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi and no cessation of warfare against Kachin, Shan and Karen ethnic armed groups who revolt seeking self-determination for nearly six decades.

Maung Lwin stated that Myanmar keen on to the promotion and protection of human rights, and those rights are guaranteed by the new constitution. But actually, the constitution is major divergence between military-backed government and the political oppositions.

Maung Lwin’s speech is in fact one-sided viewpoint that neglects the UN’s successive decisions on Burma (Myanmar) and the findings of the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights.

In his end-of-mission statement in August, the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Burma, Tomás Ojea Quintana expressed concern about the ongoing charges of torture and abuses during interrogation, the use of prisoners as porters for the military, and the transfers of prisoners to remote prisons where they are unable to receive family visits or packages of essential medicine and supplemental food.

Quintana also expressed concern about attacks against civilian populations, extrajudicial killings, sexual violence, arbitrary arrest and detention, internal displacement, land confiscations, the recruitment of child soldiers, as well as forced labour and portering.

As a gesture of “national reconsolidation,” the Government had last month offered an olive branch to all “national race armed groups,” Maung Lwin said, adding that some of the groups had accepted the reconciliation offer.

But, while Maung Lwin was delivering an address about his regime’s olive-branch policy towards ethnic armed groups, his government has been launching a major offensive targeting the KIA’s Brigade 4 near the Sino-Burma border. The Kachin Independence Organization urged the international community, including the UN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Burma’s neighbors, to help ending of country’s civil war by way of national reconciliation.

Hence, FM Maung Lwin’s expressions at the UN Assembly are quite the opposite of his government’s activities on the ground. Burma actually is not on the right track to reform so far. http://asiancorrespondent.com/66058/burma-is-still-reluctant-to-initiate-reform/
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BANGKOK POST
Burma to free more prisoners: minister

Published: 28/09/2011 at 01:32 AM
Online news: Asia

Burma will free more prisoners in the future, the country's foreign minister told the UN on Tuesday, without saying whether these would include political detainees.

Myanmar's Foreign Minister, U Wanna Maung Lwin arrives for the the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Jakarta, May 2011. Myanmar will free more prisoners in the future, the country's foreign minister told the UN on Tuesday, without saying whether these would include political detainees.

Foreign Minister U Wanna Maung Lwin, making the country's first address to the UN General Assembly since a nominally civilian government took power, also appealed for the lifting of international sanctions.

Seeking to boost the government's international image, Lwin said that since a first amnesty was decreed by the military-backed President Thein Sein in May about 20,000 inmates had been released.

The minister also highlighted a deal reached with some armed opposition ethnic groups in August and how a national human rights commission started work this month.

"The president in exercising the mandate vested upon him by the constitution will further grant an amnesty at an appropriate time in the near future," Lwin said.

Burma's democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi has said she believes the president wants "positive" change in the country which had been ruled by a junta for decades up to the elections last November.

But many governments say they want to see more proof of the change and rights groups are wary of the Burma government's public statements.

"The foreign minister would be more convincing if the government released all political prisoners and held security forces accountable for the brutal suppression of monks and peaceful protesters exactly four years ago," said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch.

The minister did not say if the estimated 2,000 political prisoners would be among those who would qualify for the new amnesty.

But he did say that sanctions by the United States, European Union and other countries were hurting the poor nation.

"It is regrettable that the government's efforts to improve the livelihood of the people are hampered by the economic sanctions," he said, calling for a lifting of the "unilateral sanctions."

"Burma has transformed towards a democratic nation in a smooth and peaceful manner," said Lwin.

"The steps taken by the government of Burma are concrete, visible and irreversible," he added. "Burma has strong determination to continue implementing the democratization process amidst all the challenges." http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/258593/burma-to-free-more-prisoners-minister
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September 28, 2011 12:03 PM
Myanmar Reforms, Invites Foreign Investors
By P.Vijian

NEW DELHI, Sept 28 (Bernama) -- Myanmar is steadily dismantling its rigid trade policies, to entice foreign funds in an effort to shape the agrarian economy and compete with its prosperous Asean neighbours.

After the nation's military leadership allowed a civilian president to rule in the resource-blessed country last March, investment-hungry Myanmar is liberalising to promote investments.

"Myanmar's trade laws and policies are now more attractive and friendly to facilitate investments.

"Myanmar is situated between large markets like China and India and can serve as a gateway to Asean with extensive trade opportunities," visiting Myanmar Trade Minister, U Win Myint, told a trade meeting in Delhi on Tuesday.

According to the country's National Planning and Development Ministry, Myanmar pulled in US$20 billion (RM62 billion) in foreign direct investments (FDI) between 2010 until March this year.

Neighbouring China pumped in US$8.3 billion (RM25.7 billion) while Hong Kong was the second largest investor with US$5.4 billion (RM16.7 billion) -- funds much needed to rev up one of Southeast Asia's most backward economies.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Myanmar's Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry president Win Aung, also assured major reforms were in the pipeline to lure foreign money to the country's shores.

"The liberalisation of trade polices has started substantially with laws for FDIs and land lease to be very flexible. Foreign private companies are encouraged to form partnerships (with local firms)," said Aung.

A partner of the trade-robust 10-member Asean bloc, currently Myanmar's economy is moving at about five percent.

-- BERNAMA http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsbusiness.php?id=616225
--------------------------------------------
Goods May Soon Flow Again to Wa State
By SAI ZOM HSENG Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Although a two-year-old Burmese government blockade of goods to Wa State is still being enforced, some United Wa State Party (UWSP) officials are hoping that goods will soon be allowed to flow into their area through a track in northern Shan State.

The last meeting between the government and the UWSP, which is the political wing of the United Wa State Army (UWSA), produced good results, according to a UWSP official. The meeting was held in Keng Tung, eastern Shan State, in the first week of September.

The official told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that the civilian government just wants to make sure that the UWSA is not involved in the fighting between the government troops and other ethnic armed groups.

“If we think carefully, there’s a link between the meetings in Keng Tung, the recent skirmishes between the government and other ethnic armed groups and the Myitsone Dam Project, which has become a controversial issue for all people in the country. The government doesn’t want us involved in those problems. They want to control us in the name of ‘ensuring peace, stability and development,’” he said.

During the early September meeting in Keng Tung between the government representatives and delegations from the UWSA/UWSP and the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), an ethnic armed group based in Mongla, eastern Shan State, the government temporarily dropped its Border Guard Force (BGF) proposal and an interim ceasefire agreement was signed.

A source close to the UWSA and UWSP said that in exchange for signing the interim ceasefire agreement and promising that they won’t get involved in the other armed conflicts, the government dropped its ban on the importation of goods into Wa State and its suspension of Yangon Airways, which is owned by Aik Hawk, an ethnic Wa who is the son-in-law of UWSA/UWSP leader Bao Yuxiang.

As a result, goods will soon be allowed to be imported along the Lashio-Tangyan-Panghsang highway, a track in northern Shan State. In addition, Yangon Airways will begin flying again in October, and government medical and educational staff, who left Wa State when tension rose between the UWSA and the Tatmadaw, will now return to Panghsang and Mong Maw, the major cities in the state.

The previous Burmese regime proposed the BGF plan in 2009 in order to control all ethnic armed groups, but the strong armed groups such as the UWSA, the Kachin Independence Army, the Shan State Army, the Karen National Union, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (an ethnic Kokang armed group that has now been defeated by the Burmese army) and the New Mon State Party refused to transform.

The UWSA is known as the strongest ethnic armed group and has approximately 20,000 to 30,000 troops. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=22156
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Wa top official remains in jail
Monday, 26 September 2011 16:29 Hseng Khio Fah

One of the United Wa State Army (UWSA) top ranking officials, Ta Pan, was not seen among group of 16 opium traffickers released recently by the government’s special amnesty, according to sources from the group.

“They were only his followers, not him. He is still required to serve his full term,” said a source.

Ta Pan was Commander of Mongyawn-based 2518th Independent Regiment (new renamed 518th Brigade) and is an adopted son of Bao Youri, eldest brother of Bao Youxiang, the United Wa State Army's supreme commander and leader.

He together with other 16 officers were arrested by the Burma Army in September 2005 in Mongpiang, 100 km west of Kengtung following a seizure of 496 kg of heroin.

They were sentenced to ten years in jail under the Narcotic Law Section 19 (A) by the district court in Kengtung, capital of Shan State East on 22 September, 2005, and transferred to Buthidaung Prison on the western Burmese border.

According to Narinjara report on 21 September, the government on 16 September released 16 opium traffickers who are the Wa ethnic nationalities from Buthidaung prison with the special relaxation on their lengthy jail terms.

“Their release can likely be related to the recent ceasefire agreement signed between the two sides [The UWSA and Government],” according to a border watcher.

The release came after the government and its group met on 6 September to sign a new ceasefire pact.

8 top leaders of the UWSA, including Chairman Bao Youxiang and Wei Hsuehkang have indicted by a New York Court in January 2005. http://shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4062:wa-top-official-remains-in-jail&catid=93:general&Itemid=291
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Burmese Army Kills Two Civilians in Raid
By LAWI WENG Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Two civilians were shot dead in Lort Taing village, Kaleingaung Sub-Township, while Burmese government troops hunted an armed ethnic Mon group, according to local sources.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Wednesday, a local resident from the settlement in northern Tenasserin Division’s Yebyu Township said Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 282 soldiers killed the pair at around 7 pm on September 25.

“There were two victims, one is Karen and another is Mon,” he said.

They [LIB 282] did not give compensation to the families who held funerals on September 26, he added.

The Mon victim was called Nai Wan and over 50 years old, according to another villager who recently arrived at the Thai-Burmese border.

“Nai Wan got shot while he was having tea near to a house while there was a video show,” said the source.

He also revealed that LIB 282 sprayed bullets at local people while Burmese soldiers attempted to arrest some members of a Mon armed group who entered the village in the evening.

One member of the Mon armed group, led by Nai Chain Dein and Nai Bin, was arrested by LIB 282, according to villagers.

Lort Taing is a Karen village of around 100 houses including some Mon families. It lies around one hour's drive from Yebyu Township.

Meanwhile, troops from LIB 282 have not allowed residents of Lort Taing to leave their village. This means local people have not been able to tend to their crops which has caused food shortages, according to sources.

The Burmese government has categorized Lort Taing village has a “black area” in Kaleingaung Sub-Township. Many villagers have been detained and tortured at the hands of both Mon armed groups and Burmese military battalions stationed in the area. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=22158
---------------------------------
Do Not Back Down on Burma
By Walter Lohman and Robert Warshaw
September 27, 2011

Known globally for headlines about brutal military crackdowns on protestors, incarceration of over 2,000 political prisoners, rampant corruption, ethnic war, press censorship, and shady dealings with North Korea—involving potentially the development of nuclear weapons—the reclusive nation of Burma has recently attracted attention for nominal reforms, among them the November 2010 election that created a “civilian” government and the subsequent release of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest.

As most of the rhetoric and “reforms” are either institutional window dressing or have been seen before,[1] they could very well prove nothing more than an extensive public relations campaign ahead of a decision on whether Burma chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2014. Burma remains far from taking action on the key indicators of real reform. Until it does, the U.S. should hold fast its sanctions and limit future engagement.

Burmese Reforms: Beyond the Surface

Few observers question that last November’s election was farcical at best. President Obama denounced it, asserting that it “failed to meet any of the internationally accepted standards associated with legitimate elections.”[2] Despite widespread criticism, the elections elevated former general and Prime Minister Thein Sein to the presidency.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s release from house arrest and August’s hour-long meeting with Thein Sein were positive steps—but hardly ones taken for benevolent reasons. Simply put, President Thein Sein has likely calculated that her followers no longer threaten his regime, at least not until the 2015 elections. Indeed, with her National League for Democracy party banned from political activism, her movements closely scrutinized, and her appearances restricted, the Nobel Prize winner enjoys only a modicum of freedom. Earlier this month, she published her first article in the Burmese media in many years, yet the government slashed all political reference within it. Meanwhile, over 2,000 political prisoners are still languishing in Burmese prisons.

Burma still ranks abysmally in the annual Freedom House rankings, receiving the lowest score possible. Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index lists Myanmar as the world’s second most corrupt nation,[3] and The Heritage Foundation’s Index of Economic Freedom ranks Burma as Asia’s second-least-free economy, behind only North Korea. Burma has also “failed demonstrably” on counter-narcotics[4] and is “of particular concern” regarding religious freedom.[5] While few expected dramatic change after one year of civilian rule, policymakers should not forget the realities in Burma as characterized by these various rankings.

Frankly, Burma is still miles away from meriting the lifting of sanctions. U.S. Special Representative and Policy Coordinator for Burma Derek Mitchell’s recent fact-finding trip to Burma did nothing to change this outlook. Mitchell met separately with government and opposition leaders, discussing a broad range of issues. However, he admitted to “no outcomes that were tangible” and recognized that this trip’s purpose was to engage relevant parties, build relationships, and foster trust.

What Should the U.S. Want from Burma, and What Should It Expect?

What the U.S. should want from Burma is simple: rule of law, respect for internationally recognized human right standards, and stability. This will not happen overnight. At the most realistic levels, the U.S. should want Burma to take demonstrable steps toward developing a genuine democratic system, permitting real political dissent, further loosening restrictions on Aung San Suu Kyi, freeing political prisoners, protecting basic human rights, combating its drug trade, and severing its ties with North Korea.

What the U.S. should expect, however, is not so encouraging. The current regime still views maintaining power as its top priority, and without democratic legitimacy, brute force is ultimately its only claim to power. Any genuine challenge to its prerogatives of power will be swiftly extinguished. It will certainly entertain no changes that facilitate such challenge.

Stay the Course

With ASEAN set to decide soon whether Burma will assume the 2014 ASEAN chairmanship, the Burmese regime knows that any political crackdown would seriously jeopardize its standing. To that end, Burma, acting in its national interest, should demonstrate with its actions that its reforms are not merely a public relations campaign.

Until then, U.S. sanctions, outlined through executive orders and congressionally passed mandates,[6] should continue to push Burma toward more substantial political reforms and should not be lifted for the foreseeable future.

Recommendations

Push for a U.N. Commission of Inquiry for Burma. The Administration has publicly supported the inquiry into crimes against humanity and war crimes but refrained from exercising any diplomatic influence to make it happen. As currently constituted, this makes it either a cynical ploy to appease human rights groups or another effort at “leading from behind” that is actually not “leading” at all.
Limit engagement with the Burmese regime to the special envoy level. Two years ago, President Obama accommodated the Burmese junta in order to convene the first ever U.S.–ASEAN Leaders Summit—he consented to attend despite the presence of the Burmese prime minister. If that is the price the U.S. must pay to engage ASEAN as a whole at the head-of-government level, it was a tolerable deal. But that annual meeting is where presidential-level engagement should end.
Establish concrete, identifiable benchmarks for continued diplomatic engagement. These should include releasing political prisoners, lifting political censorship, ending the regime’s war against ethnic minorities, and measurably improving its overall human rights conditions. Further engagement by Ambassador Mitchell should be contingent on identifiable steps toward these benchmarks.
Make clear to ASEAN that, under current circumstances, Burma’s 2014 chairmanship is unacceptable. Without major, irreversible political changes in Burma, it is absolutely inconceivable that any U.S. Administration will continue diplomatic engagement through Burma’s chairmanship year. ASEAN should fully understand that if Burma is permitted the chairmanship in 2014, this means no U.S. participation in ASEAN-centered meetings—most notably the U.S.–ASEAN Summit, the East Asia Summit, and the ASEAN Regional Forum—and no new initiatives in the lead-up and through its chairmanship.

Sustain Pressure on Naypyidaw

U.S. sanctions alone have not yielded satisfactory results in Burma, but that does not mean the absence of sanctions would promote reform. In fact, a persuasive argument can be made that a sanctions policy involving the full weight of American diplomacy has never been tried.

Certainly, removing sanctions now would do more to bless the superficial changes that have taken place since 2010 in Burma than they deserve. With the 2014 ASEAN chairmanship in Burma’s sights, a new campaign of U.S.-led pressure, along with continued sanctions, is needed to bring real reform to Burma.

Walter Lohman is Director of, and Robert Warshaw is a Research Assistant in, the Asian Studies Center at The Heritage Foundation. http://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2011/09/Do-Not-Back-Down-on-Burma
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Burma promises prisoner amnesty
Wednesday September 28 2011

Military-dominated Burma said its democratic reforms were irreversible and promised a prisoner amnesty in the near future.

Foreign minister Wanna Maung Lwin told the United Nations General Assembly that talks last month between Burma's president and democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi were intended to put aside differences and find common grounds to co-operate.

The minister urged nations to lift economic sanctions.

In November, Burma held its first elections in 20 years. The new government is nominally civilian but remains dominated by the military, which has ruled since 1962.

Western nations are urging Burma to free its more than 2,000 political prisoners and reconcile with Ms Suu Kyi, whose party won 1990 elections but was barred from taking power. The party boycotted the November poll, saying the rules governing it were unfair.

Wanna Maung Lwin gave no details about the planned amnesty, other than that it would happen "at an appropriate time in the near future".

"We hope the near future will come very soon," said British ambassador to the UN Sir Mark Lyall Grant, after a meeting later of the Friends of Burma, a group of about 15 interested Western and Asian nations.

In his address, Wanna Maung Lwin referred to a May amnesty granted by president Thein Sein that he said led to the release of 20,000 prisoners by the end of July.

Western nations were, however, disappointed, as only a few dozen political detainees were reportedly freed.

Another amnesty could be well-timed. Burma is vying to win the support of neighbouring governments for its bid to chair the Association of South-east Asian Nations in 2014. ASEAN leaders may reach a decision at a summit this November. http://www.goreyguardian.ie/breaking-news/world-news/burma-promises-prisoner-amnesty-2889066.html
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Burma FM says prisoner release looming
By JOSEPH ALLCHIN
Published: 28 September 2011

Burma’s foreign minister has told the UN General Assembly (UNGA) that an amnesty for prisoners is on the cards, but gave no date for a possible release.

Addressing the UN General Assembly in New York, Wunna Maung Lwin said that the country’s president would grant the amnesty “at an appropriate time in the near future”.

Among Burma’s prisoner population are nearly 2000 jailed activists, lawyers, doctors and journalists. The government however refuses to acknowledge that it holds political prisoners.

Wunna Maung Lwin said that between 16 May and the end of July the government had released 20,000 prisoners – only a fraction of these were political prisoners.

Rumours have circulated that prominent political prisoners, such as the comedian Zarganar, may be released in the coming weeks.

The amnesty would be part of national “re-consolidation” efforts, said the foreign minister, along with an “olive branch” for “national race” armed groups. He said offers of negotiation had been accepted by some armed groups, but did not mention the ongoing offensives against the Kachin and Shan armies.

Wunna Maung Lwin also took a shot at international sanctions on Burma, claiming that: “It is regrettable that the government’s efforts to improve the livelihood of the people are hampered by the economic sanctions.”

Political prisoners are seen as one of the biggest indicators of a lack of progress in the country since elections last year. Human Rights Watch’s deputy Asia director, Elaine Pearson, said: “Burma’s foreign minister would be more convincing if the government released all political prisoners and held security forces accountable for the brutal suppression of monks and peaceful protesters exactly four years ago.”

But accepting that the 2000-odd prisoners of conscience are indeed political, or that accountability for the military should be sought, remains very unlikely: the 2008 constitution, which Wunna Maung Lwin contentiously told the summit was “approved by the overwhelming majority of the people,” guarantees that military personnel are immune from prosecution in a civilian court, and a state of emergency can be declared at any time.

The foreign minister added: “The new government pledged that all citizens shall enjoy equal rights in terms of law and is determined to reinforce the judicial power,” despite a recent affirmation in parliament of racial profiling for Arakanese Muslims because they looked like Bangladeshis.

“The government also assured the nation to amend and revoke existing laws and adopt new laws as may deem necessary to implement the necessary provisions of the fundamental rights of citizens,” he continued.

The government is expected to release a new law regarding the rights of labour to organise, but the voting record for amending laws within parliament has been concurrent with the make-up of the houses, which vote overwhelmingly with a conservative, pro-military line.

This has included bills on amending laws such as the Unlawful Association Act, which is used to block potential candidates from holding office or arbitrarily detaining journalists such as 21-year-old DVB reporter, Sithu Zeya, who is serving an 18-year sentence, pending an appeal.

The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, responding in a press statement released after the foreign minister’s address, said: “Real opportunities for progress exist, but the Government must step up its efforts for reform if it is to bring about an inclusive – and irreversible – transition.” He further added to the chorus calling for the release of political prisoners. http://www.dvb.no/news/burma-fm-says-prisoner-release-looming/17850
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Kachin Rebels Lose Major Stronghold as Govt Army Advances
By BA KAUNG Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Civilians have fled in terror as the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) loses its major stronghold in Burma's northern Shan State after a massive four-day military offensive by government troops.

The KIA Brigade 4 headquarters at Loikang, near Kutakai Township, fell into government hands at 6:30 pm on Tuesday evening after being relentlessly pounded “day and night” with heavy artillery fire on multiple fronts.

According to latest reports from frontline areas, both sides have thousands of soliders fighting and at least 15 battalions of the Burmese government army are relentlessly shelling rebel-controled areas with 120mm, 105mm and 80mm artillery fire.

“This stronghold is not of much strategic value and our battalions in the surrounding mountains remain as strong as before,” said Col Zau Raw, commander KIA forces in northern Shan State.

The current conflict by Kutakai Township, northern Shan State, lies a few kilometers from the proposed Chinese oil pipeline (Photo: Irrawaddy)
The government army has also reportedly reinforced its troops in Myitkyina and Bhamo townships of Kachin State, indicating it will launch further military offensives towards KIA bases in the region. Some exchanges of fire were also reported between the two sides in areas near the KIA's main headquarters in Lazia, Kachin State, on Tuesday.

Government forces—under the direct command of northeastern Shan State regional commander Maj-Gen Aung Kyaw Zaw—seems determined to drive Kachin rebel troops out of Shan State and secure the economically and militarily strategic region near the Sino-Burmese border. China's major oil pipeline from the Bay of Begal to Yunnan Province will pass through central Burma and near the current conflict zones in Shan State.

Kachin rebels are relying on the mountainous terrain of both Kachin and northern Shan states where they have used guerrilla tactics to fight the Burmese government for greater autonomy since 1961.

The KIA has an estimated 10,000 troops with 4,000 of them under the command of KIA Brigade 4 based across northern Shan State. The KIA 9th and 2nd battalions under Brigade 4 already lost their bases to advancing government troops on Monday.

Zau Raw said that his troops were launching guerrilla counter attacks in a number of areas across northern Shan State as Burmese government troops advance. Both sides have not released the exact number of casualties suffered and the Burmese government's official media outlet is yet to comment on the latest fighting.

Thousands have already left the warzone and fled to safer areas, but there have been reports of the Burmese and Chinese authorities blocking refugees from crossing the border into China.

“Hundreds of civilians were seen fleeing in all directions to escape the bombardment. Thousands of displaced civilians are in dire need of humanitarian assistance from inside Burma and the outside world as they have been subject to investigation, rape, torture, extra-judicial execution and destruction of homes and communities,” said KIA sources.

The current conflict is the most intense since the collapse of a 17-year ceasefire agreement between the two sides in June when fighting broke out near Chinese-built hydropower plants in Bhamo Township of Kachin State. This followed the KIA's outright rejection of the government's border guard force plan under the new civilian administration which took office in March this year.

During two following rounds of peace talks, the government offered the KIA a chance to renew the 1994 ceasefire agreement but rejected their demands for a political dialogue between all ethnic armed groups and Naypyidaw.

KIA officials have said that they are prepared to continue fighting as long as the Burmese government does not seek a political solution to the decades-old conflict.

This latest round of hostilities brings a sharp contrast to the rosy picture created by the nominally civilian government in Naypyidaw, which is adopting a range of tentative economic and political reforms and reaching out to the democratic opposition led by pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi.

Timeline

February 1947—Kachin leaders sign the Panglong Agreement with the Burmese government, which laid the foundation for the creation of a fully autonomous Kachin State.

February 1961—A group of educated young Kachin men found the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and pledged to fight for a free Kachin republic.
Intense fighting with the Burmese Army ensues.

October 1980—Brang Seng, the chairman of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), the KIA's political wing, goes to Rangoon and meets with Burmese government for peace talks. He asks the Burmese government for Kachin State autonomy with self determination.

December 1980—The Burmese government rejects the KIO's demand for the inclusion of autonomous rights in the Constitution, saying the demands had not been accepted “by a vote of the people.” Peace efforts break down and fighting resumes.

February 1994—KIO signs a ceasefire agreement with the ruling military regime of the State Law and Order Restoration Council.

September 2010—KIO formally rejects the Burmese government's border guard force (BGF) plan which would subjugate the KIA under Burmese military command. The KIO calls for the emergence of a genuine federal state. Naypyidaw subsequently forces the closure of KIA liaison offices in Kachin State.

September 2010—Burma's Election Commission rejects the registration of three Kachin political parties from running in the country's first national elections in 20 years, saying the party leaders were linked with the KIA.

May 2011—KIO sends a letter to the Chinese government urging Beijing to withdraw its investment from the controversial Myitsone Hydropower Dam project in Kachin State, warning that local resentment against this project could spark a civil war.

June 9, 2011—Deadly fighting between the KIA and Burmese Army breaks out near a hydropower dam project, bringing this strategic region neighboring China to the verge of a civil war.

June 30, 2011—KIA and government officials hold their first round of peace talks, during which the KIA explicitly says it wants to have a political dialogue with Naypyidaw rather than renewing a ceasefire agreement.

August 1, 2011—Second round of peace talks held between KIA and Burmese government delegation. The KIA repeats its call for political talks with Napyidaw but the government delegation asks rebel leaders to accept the BGF plan and work under the new Constitution.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=22160
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Read More...

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

News & Articles on Burma-Tuesday, 27 September, 2011-uzl

News & Articles on Burma
Tuesday, 27 September, 2011
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Burma: Foreign Minister Meeting (Taken Question)
Burma police prevent rare democracy protest
Petition urges US to press Burma war probe
Thousands Flee as Kachin Fighting Escalates
Ban to Hold Meeting on Burma, as KIO Calls for UN Help
Death of a Journalist
Kachin Rebels Under Heavy Govt Army Bombardment
UN war crimes’ probe wins support in US
Protracted shelling unnerves Kachin army
War in NE Burma produces new IDPs
India wants to double trade with Myanmar
------------------------------





Burma: Foreign Minister Meeting (Taken Question)
Tuesday, 27 September 2011, 2:53 pm
Press Release: US State Department
Taken Question
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
Question Taken at the SEPTEMBER 26 Daily Press Briefing
September 26, 2011

Question: Can you please provide a read-out of Assistant Secretary Campbell’s meeting with Burmese Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin?

Answer: Assistant Secretary Kurt Campbell and Special Representative and Policy Coordinator for Burma Ambassador Derek Mitchell met with Burmese Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 22. The meeting was productive with an open and candid exchange of views by both sides. Assistant Secretary Campbell and Ambassador Mitchell welcomed recent positive steps taken by the Government of Burma, including President Thein Sein’s dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi. They emphasized that the United States seeks concrete steps from the Government of Burma to signify a genuine commitment to reform including release of all political prisoners, further meaningful dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi, a cessation of hostilities in and violence against ethnic areas, and transparency in its relationship with North Korea. http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1109/S00813/burma-foreign-minister-meeting-taken-question.htm
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BANGKOK POST
Burma police prevent rare democracy protest
Published: 27/09/2011 at 04:32 AM
Online news: Asia

Police in military-dominated Burma on Monday prevented a rare protest by pro-democracy activists on the fourth anniversary of a bloody crackdown on a monk-led uprising, an official said.

Myanmar protesters offer prayers at the Sule Pagoda after they agreed to call off a rally when asked by the authorities to do so, in downtown Yangon. Police in military-dominated Myanmar on Monday prevented a rare protest by pro-democracy activists on the fourth anniversary of a bloody crackdown on a monk-led uprising, an official said.

About 200 people had planned to march to Rangoon City Hall but agreed to call off the rally when asked by the authorities to do so, according to witnesses. Afterwards about 30 of them held prayers at a pagoda.

"After police asked them to stop, they prayed ... and then dispersed," according to a government official who did not want to be named.

Police said no arrests were made.

"We came here to pray for the release of political prisoners and to mark the fourth anniversary of the Saffron Revolution, but a police officer asked us not to go anywhere so that's why we have to go home," one of the activists said.

Other activists wore slogans on their T-shirts calling for an end to a controversial hydroelectric power project in northern Kachin State, electricity from which is destined for neighbouring China.

Last week police arrested a man who staged a rare solo protest against the Myitsone dam outside a Chinese embassy building in Rangoon. Concerns are growing in Burma about the impact of the project on the Irrawaddy River.

Security was tight on the anniversary of the crackdown on the 2007 protests, which began as small rallies against the rising cost of living but escalated into huge anti-government demonstrations known as the "Saffron Revolution."

At least 31 people were killed by security forces while hundreds were beaten and detained in the crackdown that ensued.

Burma is now ruled by a nominally civilian government but its ranks are filled with former generals and the country still has more than 2,000 political prisoners.

In recent weeks the regime has shown signs of engaging with its opponents, including pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party won a 1990 election but was never allowed by the junta to take power.

The regime released the Nobel Peace Prize winner in November last year, shortly after an election that was marred by widespread complaints of cheating and intimidation. Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party boycotted the vote.

In an interview with AFP earlier this month, Suu Kyi said there had been "positive developments" in Burma, but it was unclear whether President Thein Sein would be able to carry through his reform pledges.

The dissident said she did not want a popular revolt in Burma of the kind seen in Libya, adding: "Everybody knows that Libya's troubles are going to drag on for a long time." http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/258495/burma-police-prevent-rare-democracy-protest
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BANGKOK POST
Petition urges US to press Burma war probe

Published: 27/09/2011 at 01:32 AM
Online news: Asia

A petition by thousands of Americans on Monday urged the United States to press for a UN-led probe into alleged crimes against humanity in Burma, saying the country needs accountability to move ahead.

US Campaign For Burma activists protest across the street from the Burmese Embassy in Washington DC in 2007. A petition by thousands of Americans on Monday urged the United States to press for a UN-led probe into alleged crimes against humanity in Myanmar, saying the country needs accountability to move ahead.

The US Campaign for Burma said that 13,000 US citizens signed the petition, many of them at concerts by U2 whose frontman Bono is a longtime supporter of Burma's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The advocacy group's executive director Aung Din presented the petition to the US State Department's ambassador-at-large on war crimes, Stephen Rapp, on the fourth anniversary of Burma's bloody crackdown on a monk-led uprising.

The State Department and rights groups say that Burma's military has razed villages, forced villagers into labor and used rape as a weapon of war in its campaign against ethnic minority rebels.

"Justice is a crucial part of national reconciliation in any country. Burma cannot move forward until these attacks stop and the rule of law is realized," Aung Din said in a statement, using Burma's earlier name.

"Four years ago peaceful monks were massacred, and yet the perpetrators of these atrocities have never been held accountable. How long will the Obama administration wait before taking real action to help find justice?" he said.

The United States has publicly supported a UN-led Commission of Inquiry into possible crimes against humanity but has done little to make the idea a reality, with officials believing that Asian nations would oppose the effort.

President Barack Obama's administration in 2009 opened a dialogue with Burma after concluding that the previous efforts to isolate the regime had failed. US officials have hailed what they see as promising signs but insist that more action is needed.

Burma's junta handed power to a nominally civilian government in March, although the opposition says that the change is cosmetic with the military still firmly in charge.

Suu Kyi, in a recent interview with AFP, said that a UN probe would help bring "future harmony and forgiveness" and "has nothing to do with revenge."

But the International Crisis Group in a recent report warned that a commission could "cause retrenchment" by Burma's leadership. http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/258423/petition-urges-us-to-press-burma-war-probe
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Thousands Flee as Kachin Fighting Escalates
By KO HTWE Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Thousands of villagers have been forced from their homes since Friday as fighting between the Burmese Army and Kachin Independence Army (KIA) Battalion 4 intensifies, according to volunteer groups.

Kaw Ja, a member of a Kachin youth group which is helping refugees in the area, said that many thousands of people living in four townships in the northern Shan State battle region have taken shelter with relatives or friends due to the conflict.

She claimed that as many as 20,000 refugees may have abandoned their homes in the region, but The Irrawaddy cannot independently verify this figure.

“Villagers can hardly be found in the war zone. But it is hard to tell if they are refugees or internally displace people because most take shelter in houses of relatives or close friends. Some villagers who have no relatives or friends have taken shelter at the church, but they run away when the police investigate and take their photo,” said Kaw Ja.

There are more than 200 villages boasting a population of over 200,000 people from various ethnic groups in the area controled by KIA Battalion 4. Many residents who accept villagers face an investigation from authorities for having overnight guests without permission, she added.

“I heard villagers are running as much as they can, but still nobody is giving them assistance,” said La Rit who heads the Kachin Refugee Support Group.

Due to the outbreak of violent clashes between the KIA and government troops in June, Laiza has seen an influx of more than 10,000 refugees.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Tuesday, KIA spokesman La Nan said that he did not know many details about the refugees other than increasing numbers could be heading to border towns such as Muse, Kyugok and Namkham.

Since 1997, the Burmese regime has destroyed more than 3,000 villages and displaced over half-a-million civilians in eastern Burma, according to the Thailand Burma Border Consortium, an umbrella organization responsible for the distribution of aid at the Thai-Burmese border.

Most villagers head to churches in the area but investigations by the Burmese authorities make them flee in terror, claims Mai Ja of the Kachin Women's Association Thailand, one of the groups engaged in relief efforts near the Sino-Burmese border.

Recently, international and regional human rights groups —including the International Federation for Human Rights, Altsean-Burma and Burma Lawyers’ Council—urged the European Union to support the establishment of a UN Security Council Commission of Inquiry into crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Burma. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=22152
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Ban to Hold Meeting on Burma, as KIO Calls for UN Help
By LALIT K JHA Tuesday, September 27, 2011

WASHINGTON — As UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon prepares to hold a meeting of his “Group of Friends on Burma” on Tuesday to discuss the current situation in the country, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) is calling on the world body to take a more active role in resolving its armed conflicts.

Several ministers from key countries are expected to participate in the meeting of the “Group of Friends,” a consultative forum for developing a shared approach in support of the implementation of the secretary-general’s good offices mandate in Burma.

Among its key members are Australia, Indonesia, Russia, the United States, China, Japan, Singapore, Vietnam, France, Norway, Thailand, India, Portugal and Britain. Burmese Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin, who is in New York to attend this year's session of the UN General Assembly, is expected to attend the meeting.

The announcement of the meeting came on the same day that KIO President Lanyaw Zawng Hra wrote to Ban seeking UN assistance in ending Burma's civil war. In his five-page letter, Lanyaw said that ethnic conflict in Burma directly affects regional development and the stability of neighboring countries.

The KIO urged the international community, including the UN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Burma's neighbors, to help the country find a way to end its civil war and finally achieve national reconciliation.

“Despite the fact that Burma achieved independence in I 948 as the Union of Burma, it has been operating as a Unitary System, rather than practicing a true federal system as agreed to by independence leader Gen. Aung San and ethnic leaders,” the letter said.

Lanyaw said that over the past 60 years, successive governments have ignored agreements with ethnic groups and broken promises to build a federal union. “In fact they have found new ways to suppress the concerns of the ethnic minority people; continuing to ignore our basic rights despite our willingness to resolve these differences through peaceful means,” he wrote.

“This ongoing disrespect of our original agreement ensured by the Burman majority rulers has driven the ethnic minority to maintain arms to protect our peoples and to ensure our basic rights, self-determination and promised autonomy inside our own lands,” he wrote.

Claiming that since independence in 1948, the ethnic minority territories have been pushed to the outer edges of the country bordering all of the neighboring nations, the letter said the civil war is happening in almost all of the border areas of Burma.

“One can interpret this civil war as a people's war to secure equal rights for not only the ethnic minority, but also the problems of unequal development in the country. It also presents a very complex set of national security issues. As such, these civil wars are not only the concern of our own country but also viewed as problematic and burdensome for our neighboring nations,” he said. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=22147
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Death of a Journalist
By YAMAMOTO MUNESUKE Tuesday, September 27, 2011

It was painful to witness the images broadcast worldwide on September 27, 2007. Japanese cameraman Kenji Nagai was lying on his back on a street in Rangoon. Then there was the piercing sound of a bullet fired from the rifle of a soldier.

Kenji Nagai, a man I considered a colleague, was dead. Immediately, I thought: It could have been me. As a photojournalist, I also report on conflicts. I have covered many Asian countries, including Burma, and I imagined myself in Kenji Nagai’s place, lying dead on a street in Rangoon.

But, I was in Japan, and he was in Rangoon. However, I knew the streets where the pro-democracy demonstrations occurred—the scene was very familiar to me.

For me, the shooting confirmed the true mentality of the Burmese junta, which has been killing and imprisoning the Burmese people with impunity for decades: 3,000 or more people dead in 1988 alone, the year I started covering events in Burma.

On the day Kenji Nagai was murdered, I was taking photographs of Burmese exiled activists who were demonstrating in front of the Burmese Embassy in Tokyo, demanding the Japanese government stop supporting the State Peace and Development Council financially.

Later that day, my mobile phone started ringing, one call after another without a break. News agencies and newspapers were calling me to check if the unidentified Japanese journalist killed in Rangoon was me or not. One call was from Australia, from my Burmese friend who had worked as my interpreter when I made trips to Burma. He explained that he was worried about me when he heard the news.

Before long, the Japanese media confirmed the dead journalist was Kenji Nagai. His name was new to me, and we had never met.

The TV news showed video of the shooting of Kenji Nagai over and over again for several days. The Japanese public was horrified and angry. The Japanese government seemed shocked. Perhaps for the first time, the government realized the SPDC is truly an evil government.

When the funeral service was held on October 8, 2007 in Tokyo, hundreds of Burmese exiles attended the service to honor Kenji Nagai. They apologized for his death on behalf of the SPDC government, which they hate. It was a natural feeling for the Burmese people who live in Japan to express their sorrow for Kenji Nagai, who was now a martyr in the Burmese struggle for democracy.

Media coverage on Kenji Nagai focused on his personality, his professional work in Iraq and elsewhere, but neglected any factual background on what had been happening in Burma under the military regime for the past 20 years. There were almost no critical questions about Japan’s foreign policy toward the military junta—whether it was trying to help the country move toward democracy or helping the SPDC.

As a photojournalist, I have been critical of Japan’s foreign policy which has favored the SPDC generals rather than the democratic forces and the ethnic minorities. You can get a sense of Japan’s policy toward the SPDC through various comments made by top Japanese diplomats.

For instance, the then Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi made an ignorant comment in May 2003, when she was asked about the murderous attack on Aung San Suu Kyi’s motorcade at Depayin. She said, “There is no deterioration of environment for dialogue between the SPDC and Aung San Suu Kyi.” She retracted her comment the next day.

In May 2006, Japanese ambassador to the UN, Kenzo Oshima, said, “Burma does not constitute a regional threat yet,” and along with China and Russia, Japan opposed efforts by the US and EU to put Burma on the Security Council agenda.

The latest and most shameless comment was made by Yoichi Yamaguchi, the former Japanese ambassador to Burma (1995-97). After the killing of Nagai, he was quoted in the Japanese media as saying several offensive comments:

“Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy gave money to the demonstrators.”

“There is not a single so-called political prisoner there [in Burma] in the true sense.”

“The regime has succeeded in maintaining economic growth of over 5 percent annually, earning it the widespread trust of the people.”

After Kenji Nagai’s death, the Japanese government took a seemingly strong stance. In New York, Foreign Minister Komura demanded an apology from the SPDC. But as time passed and the crackdown by security forces continued, the Japanese government remained quiet, simply waiting for the UN Security Council to act.

“The government will coordinate efforts with the United Nations and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to make progress in the democratization of Myanmar [Burma],” Komura said after the UNSC’s presidential statement was announced.

Later, Japan cancelled a grant of up to 552 million yen (US $4.7 million).
The grant had been intended to finance the construction of a human resources center.

On October 28, the People’s Forum on Burma, an NGO formed in Tokyo in 1996 to support the Burmese people’s struggle for democracy, made a plea for the Japanese government to fundamentally change its foreign policy toward the SPDC by giving full-scale humanitarian support to the 160,000 displaced people in refugee camps in Thailand.

The group also asked for a halt in grants to the Union Solidarity and Development Association, which was accused of taking part in the suppression of the demonstrators. In 2006, the USDA received a Japanese grant of nearly 24 million yen ($209,000) for construction of three grade school buildings. It also demanded that Japan stop humanitarian aid to subsidize Burma’s healthcare and education budgets while the military regime allocates more than 50 percent of its national budget on the military.

The group wants to pressure the Japanese government to support the Burmese people and the pro-democracy groups, instead of helping to keep the generals in power.

A Burmese citizen in Tokyo, a former political prisoner, said Burmese exiles remember two Japanese citizens: one with hate, and one with great respect.

One is former ambassador Yoichi Yamaguchi; the other is journalist Kenji Nagai.

Yamamoto Munesuke’s books include “Burma’s Children” and “Burma’s Great Illusions.” He was deported from Burma in 1998 “for gathering news,” following his exclusive interview with Aung San Suu Kyi.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=22150
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Kachin Rebels Under Heavy Govt Army Bombardment
By BA KAUNG Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Incessant barrages of heavy artillery fire by Burmese government troops on Monday evening have forced Kachin Independence Army (KIA) forces in northern Shan State to withdraw their military bases.

More than 1,000 government troops have been involved in the ongoing military onslaught since Friday. The KIA's two battalions reportedly lost their bases on Monday, which are located between Muse and Kutakai towns close to the Sino-Burmese border.

The KIA has an estimated 10,000 troops with 4,000 of them based in northern Shan State. The government's military offensive against the KIA—under the direct command of military regional commander Maj-Gen Aung Kyaw Zaw—has raged for five days without any signs of abating.

In its Tuesday offensive which began at 8 am, hundreds of Burmese Army soldiers opened a three frontal attack against a strategic mountain called “Chan Shin” which was held by KIA forces headquartered in Loikang, near Kutkai.

Col. Zau Raw, commander of KIA forces in northern Shan State, told The Irrawaddy that the government army has been using 105mm artillery and is trying to seize their military stronghold in Loikang.

“The KIA has occupied all the strategic locations in the area and instead of directly confronting the Burmese Army forces, we are launching counter guerrilla attacks and also using heavy weapons,” he said. He added that refugees fleeing the conflict were prevented from crossing the Sino-Burmese border by Chinese authorities, but The Irrawaddy cannot independently verify this report.

The KIA official revealed that three KIA soldiers have been killed since Friday and a number have also been wounded. But the number of government casualties remains unknown with Burmese state-run media neglecting to mention the fighting until Tuesday.

The current conflict is the most intense since the collapse of a 17-year ceasefire agreement between the two sides in June when fighting broke out near Chinese-built hydropower plants in Bhamo Township of Kachin State. This followed the KIA's outright rejection of the government's border guard force (BGF) plan under the new civilian administration which took office in March this year.

During two following rounds of peace talks, the government offered the 10,000-strong KIA a chance to renew the 1994 ceasefire agreement but rejected their demands for a political dialogue between all armed ethnic forces and Naypyidaw.

Sporadic fighting between the two sides has continued in different parts of Kachin and Shan states since then.

The KIA has been fighting the Burmese government from 1961 until 1994 when a fragile ceasefire agreement was reached. It sought to guarantee regional development and offered political solutions for the KIA's demand for greater autonomy within a federal system, but this never materialized.

Kachin leaders rejected the current 2008 Constitution as they believe it failed to guarantee ethnic rights, and are currently asking Napyidaw for a political dialogue while expressing a lack of confidence regarding the government's recent tentative economic and political reforms.

The government appears well prepared for the latest offensive against KIA troops as it has renewed a temporary ceasefire with the 20,000-strong United Wa State Army (UWSA)—Burma's largest ethnic armed group—in east of the country a few weeks ago. The UWSA also refused to accept the BGF plan.

Even though there has been no indication that the UWSA is providing military aid to the KIA in the latest fighting, another local armed group, the Shan State Army, is now fighting alongside KIA troops against the government army, KIA officials claim.

The fighting has forced the China-run hydropower plants in Bhamo Township to shut down and creates difficulties for other major Chinese investments. These include the controversial Myitsone Dam Project in Kachin State and a strategic oil pipeline passing from the Bay of Bengal to Yunnan Province through central Burma and northern Shan State.

Asked if the Burmese authorities will be able to wipe out KIA forces in Shan State, Zau Raw said, “No, No. That will be impossible. We have been fighting this war for over 50 years with guerrilla tactics and we are still using this same method.”

“Heavy clashes have broken out across the region and our policy is to continue to defend our areas by guerrilla warfare.” http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=22153
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UN war crimes’ probe wins support in US
By AFP
Published: 27 September 2011


Some 13,000 Burmese pro-democracy activists in US have signed a petition urging Obama to back a UN war crimes' probe into Burma (Reuters)

A petition by thousands of Americans on Monday urged the United States to press for a UN-led probe into alleged crimes against humanity in Burma, saying the country needs accountability to move ahead.

The US Campaign for Burma said that 13,000 US citizens signed the petition, many of them at concerts by U2 whose frontman Bono is a longtime supporter of Burma’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The advocacy group’s executive director Aung Din presented the petition to the US State Department’s ambassador-at-large on war crimes, Stephen Rapp, on the fourth anniversary of Burma’s bloody crackdown on a monk-led uprising.

The State Department and rights groups say that Burma’s military has razed villages, forced villagers into labour and used rape as a weapon of war in its campaign against ethnic minority rebels.

“Justice is a crucial part of national reconciliation in any country. Burma cannot move forward until these attacks stop and the rule of law is realised,” Aung Din said in a statement.

“Four years ago peaceful monks were massacred, and yet the perpetrators of these atrocities have never been held accountable. How long will the Obama administration wait before taking real action to help find justice?” he said.

The United States has publicly supported a UN-led Commission of Inquiry into possible crimes against humanity but has done little to make the idea a reality, with officials believing that Asian nations would oppose the effort.

President Barack Obama’s administration in 2009 opened a dialogue with Burma after concluding that the previous efforts to isolate the regime had failed. US officials have hailed what they see as promising signs but insist that more action is needed.

Burma’s junta handed power to a nominally civilian government in March, although the opposition says that the change is cosmetic with the military still firmly in charge.

Suu Kyi, in a recent interview with AFP, said that a UN probe would help bring “future harmony and forgiveness” and “has nothing to do with revenge.”

But the International Crisis Group in a recent report warned that a commission could “cause retrenchment” by Burma’s leadership. http://www.dvb.no/news/un-war-crimes-probe-gathers-steam-in-us/17840
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Protracted shelling unnerves Kachin army
By AYE NAI
Published: 27 September 2011

Four days of heavy shelling by Burmese troops against Kachin forces in the country’s northeast has prompted the rebel group to relocate non-combatants to safer areas and send all its soldiers to the frontline.

The spokesperson of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), La Nan, said the group will “utilise guerrilla warfare tactics” in a bid to fend off the Burmese assault, which has seen around 1000 troops deployed to KIA territory in northern Shan state.

Two KIA bases have been vacated since the assault began on Friday in Muse, Kutkai and Man Tong townships.

“It’s quite intense fighting. The [Burmese army’s] forces are exceeding 1000 troops and they are still reinforcing,” said La Nan.

The current fighting marks some of the heaviest seen since clashes broke out between two sides in June, triggered largely the KIA’s refusal to accede to demands to become a government-controlled Border Guard Force. The government is also keen to gain control of areas close to KIA territory that host lucrative hydropower projects.

The fighting has affected areas of northern Shan state and southern and central Kachin state where the KIA has a strong presence. Until June the opposition group had maintained a 17-year ceasefire with the central government.

The Kachin Women’s Association Thailand reported yesterday that it has so far documented 37 cases of rape in areas of Kachin state where government troops are active. The group said it had counted 18 by the end of June, and feared the phenomenon, long derided by human rights groups as a “weapon of war” of the Burmese army, was escalating.

According to the KIA, the current offensive is being directly supervised by Lieutenant General Soe Win, the Burmese military’s second-ranking official, and the Northeastern Regional Military Command. It pre-empted the army’s quarterly meeting in Naypyidaw on Saturday last week.

Prior to the first wave of attacks on Friday, the KIA’s Brigade 4 raided a police station in the Shan state town of Muse. It has also launched attacks on Burmese outposts in Lweje town and Singlun village tract in eastern Kachin state, while battles continue in Dawphonyan sub-township.

“Although [the government] is talking about political dialogue, the military can use military means to solve the problems,” said La Nan. “Their aim is to conquer everything. I think the result of the quarterly meeting will be a war cry.”

The political wing of the KIA, the Kachin Independence Organisation, recently sent a letter to UN chief Ban Ki-moon urging the body to mediate in the conflicts unfolding inBurma’s border region.

The Burmese army is also battling opposition forces in Karen state and southern Shan state. http://www.dvb.no/news/protracted-shelling-unnerves-kachin-army/17845
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War in NE Burma produces new IDPs
Published on Monday, 26 September 2011 10:20
Written by KNG

The Burma Army’s storm-offensive against the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), which started on September 24 in northeast Shan State, is producing new Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), local IDP observers said.

Hundreds of Kachin and Shan IDPs were displaced in at least six villages, especially in the controlled area of the KIA’s Brigade 4, during three-days of heavy fighting, IDP observers said.

The IDPs in villages like Daknai, Nawng Ing, Mungli, as well as villages in Htanhpa Bum Mountain and villages in Banggai Bum Mountain under control of a KIA Battalion under Brigade 4, are fleeing to the government-controlled towns of Nam-um, Nampaka and Muse, according to IDPs.

The residents of villages in KIA’s Battalion 2, near the town of Tamonye, are fleeing to Kutkai and Tamonye, said IDPs.

Some IDPs from the villages of Dima and Nawng Ing are fleeing to the China border, near Pangsai. The morning of September 26, about 40 IDPs from Dima and Nawng Ing, in Pangsai, were prevented from crossing the China border by Burmese policemen. They were instructed to find shelter at Pangsai Kachin Baptist Church, according to IDPs.

An IDP in Pangsai said, “We have to flee to the secured area because we cannot live in our village. The government troop’s mortar rounds landed in our village and injured some villagers. We are extremely worried about being tortured by Burmese soldiers. So, we have to leave.”

At another Burmese border town, Mongkoe, Chinese People’s Liberation Army soldiers and border guard troops only allow their own citizens to cross to the Chinese border town of Manghai and prevented Burmese IDPs from entering into China, Mongkoe residents said.

More IDPs will be produced in northern Shan State because there is no sign of a stoppage in the fighting between the government troops and KIA in the short term.

On Saturday, the government launched the storm-offensive with over 1,000 troops, the largest number of troops ever deployed in the KIA’s Brigade 4 area, in Northern Shan State.

Since the civil started in Kachin State, about 10,000 Kachin IDPs have taken shelter in government-controlled Myitkyina, Waingmaw, Manmaw (Bhamo) and N’Mawk (Momauk) and over 20,000 Kachin IDPs have sheltered in the KIA headquarters at Laiza, near the China border.

The IDPs in Kachin state mainly receive aid and support from local NGOs like the Metta Development Foundation, Kachin churches and the KIO.

Until now, Kachin and Shan IDPs in Northern Shan State have not received any aid from local NGOs and international refugee agencies, said IDP observers.
http://kachinnews.com/news/2069-war-in-ne-burma-produces-new-idps.html
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27 Sep, 2011, 03.20PM IST, PTI
India wants to double trade with Myanmar

NEW DELHI: Leveraging the India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement, India wants to double its commerce with Myanmar and diversify the bilateral engagement to agro-research and natural gas exploration.

The India-Myanmar trade, comprising pulses, meat, products, timber and pharmaceuticals, is only USD 1.5 billion at present.

"I propose that we work towards doubling of bilateral trade by 2015. We also need to work towards broad-basing our trade basket," Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said while chairing Joint Trade Commission meeting along with Myanmar Commerce Minister U Win Myint here.

Sharma said business community of the two countries should utilise Duty Free Tariff Preference Scheme and the ASEAN FTA channels to diversify the bilateral trade.

India has operationalised its Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN), of which Myanmar is a leading member.

Sharma said construction of the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project comprising waterway and roadway by 2013 would transform the trade between India's north-eastern states and the rest of the world.

Being built at USD 120 million, the project envisages a direct trade corridor between Indian ports on the eastern seaboard and Sittwe Port in Myanmar and then through riverine transport and by road to Mizoram.

The two countries have recognized the need to collaborate in building a land customs station at India-Myanmar Border (at Mizoram).

It was noted that the border trade point at Moreh, on Indian side and Tamu, on Myanmar side, is stabilising.

Sharma invited his Myanmar counterpart to inaugurate the second border trade point at Zowkhatar (Mizoram) that will connect to Rhi in Myanmar. The ministers stressed the need for two additional border trade points - Pangsau Pass (in Arunachal Pradesh) and Avangkhung (in Nagaland).

India and Myanmar have also expanded the list of items for border trade from 22 to 40.

Sharma offered India's assistance for capacity building in agricultural research and improving the seed variety in Myanmar.

He said India is keen to participate in the gas sector of Myanmar. Indian companies have shown interest in setting up of gas-based units and invest in LNG infrastructure.

He also pushed for Indian participation in allocation of gas blocks in Myanmar. The Myanmar side showed strong support for the proposal, a Commerce Ministry statement said.

Myanmar is source of one-third of India's imports in pulses and one-fifth in timber.

With the implementation of India-ASEAN FTA and the Duty Free Tariff Preference Scheme, the two countries can step up the commercial engagement, it was noted at the meeting. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/foreign-trade/india-wants-to-double-trade-with-myanmar/articleshow/10139379.cms

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