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

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

News & Articles on Burma-Tuesday, 26 July, 2011

News & Articles on Burma
Tuesday, 26 July, 2011
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EU Must Act to End Crimes in Burma
Burmese Army Begin Major Offensive in Shan State
Suu Kyi-Aung Kyi Meeting Viewed as 'Positive'
Ban Calls for Early Action on Release of Political Prisoners
Environment Working Group criticizes Burma on environment policy
UN chief welcomes political dialogue in Myanmar
First dialogue between Myanmar new gov't and Aung San Suu Kyi paves way for future co-op
Burma Democracy Leader Aung San Suu Kyi Meets Government Official
Rubber Plantations Seized in Mon State
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COMMENTARY
EU Must Act to End Crimes in Burma
By ZOYA PHAN Tuesday, July 26, 2011

As many people in Europe prepare for their summer holidays, behind the scenes discussions will soon start between European governments about the contents of the next UN General Assembly Resolution on Burma, even though it probably will not be voted on until December.

The reason for starting so early, and why they are so important this year, is that the EU, which drafts the resolution, has to decide whether or not to include the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Southeast Asian nation.

Given the situation in Burma, past and present, and the fact that the dictatorship has ignored 20 previous resolutions calling for an end to abuses, to simply set up an inquiry to establish the truth about what is taking place should not be controversial.

But it is. Countries like Germany and Italy are opposing the EU including an inquiry in the resolution. They don’t do so publicly, how could they? It’s a shameful position for them to hold, and indefensible.

There have been 20 General Assembly Resolutions on Burma calling for human rights to be respected, all of them ignored by the regime. For 19 years the General Assembly has called on the junta to respect international law, yet violations are increasing, not decreasing.

There have been 18 requests for the administration to investigate abuses. The regime has not only ignored these, it added a clause to the constitution granting all members of the military immunity for crimes committed.

UN General Assembly Resolutions on Burma have described at least 15 different kinds of human rights violations which could be classified as war crimes or crimes against humanity.

In 2010 it looked as if, after 20 years, the patience of the General Assembly was finally wearing out. The Resolution on Burma, passed on Dec. 24, stated that UN members: “Expresses grave concern at the continuing practice of arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, rape and other forms of sexual violence, torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and urges the government of [Burma] to undertake without further delay a full, transparent, effective, impartial and independent investigation into all reports of human rights violations, and to bring to justice those responsible in order to end impunity for violations of human rights, and, regretting that previous calls to that effect have not been heeded, calls on the government to do so as a matter of priority and, if necessary, drawing on the assistance of the United Nations.”

Given this clear acknowledgement that past resolutions have been ignored, and serious abuses were taking place, surely it would be inconceivable for the General Assembly to pass yet another resolution on Burma which it knows will be ignored, and not take practical action in response.

In addition, with the dictatorship breaking ceasefire agreements and a massive increase in abuses such as gang-rape, arbitrary executions, slave labour and mortar-bombing of civilian villages, the case for an inquiry is stronger than ever before.

But the willingness of countries like Germany to overlook the seriousness of human rights abuses when there are profits to be made for their companies, and the willingness of other EU members such as Sweden to delude themselves that Burma’s new president might be a secret moderate, despite all evidence pointing to the opposite being true, should not be underestimated.

This is what is happening in the EU today. Despite ethnic women and children being gang-raped in Burma on a daily basis, the EU acts like the three wise monkeys. They see no evil, hear no evil, and don’t talk about the evil.

Despite abuses taking place on a scale and of equal seriousness as occurred in some countries in the Middle East, the EU has stayed silent. This is unacceptable. Their silence is not neutral, it is interpreted by the Burmese regime as acceptance of their acts, a green light to continue their abuses. Their silence is complicity.

Twenty UN General Assembly Resolutions on Burma have not led to any improvement in human rights in my country. However, a Resolution that sets up a Commission of Inquiry would have an impact. The mere establishment of an investigation, and the scrutiny and attention it would bring, would very likely result in a reduction in human rights abuses. The regime does not want the world to know what it is doing to the people, this is why it bans foreign journalists.

I have met with governments across Europe to ask them to take action to help my people. Over and over again I have been told how they are powerless to make a difference, that they have done all that they can. But now they have a chance to act, and in a way which could save lives.

They can include a Commission of Inquiry in the next General Assembly Resolution on Burma.
An Inquiry will not stop all abuses, or even most abuses, but it will stop some abuses, and if that means one less 12-year-old girl being raped in front of her mother, and one more child who does not have to watch his father being shot by a soldier, then it is an action worth taking.

By early September the EU is likely to have made what will, for some people in Burma, literally be a life or death decision. I hope European diplomats and politicians will remember that it is real lives and real people we are talking about. If they decide to “wait and see” again, what we will see is more death and more rapes.

Zoya Phan is campaigns manager at Burma Campaign UK. Her autobiography is published as Undaunted in the USA, and Little Daughter across the rest of the world.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/opinion_story.php?art_id=21763
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Burmese Army Begin Major Offensive in Shan State
By KO HTWE Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Burmese government troops have launched a major offensive against the headquarters of the Shan State Army (SSA) in Wan Hai in a bid to dominate a strategically important junction connecting northern and southern Shan State, according to Shan sources.

“They are attacking us in order to militarily dominate the area. They want to use our camp as a base from which they can launch an offensive against the United Wa State Army (UWSA) in the future,” said Maj Sai Hla, a spokesman for the SSA and its political wing, the Shan State Progressive Party.

Wan Hai, located between Kyethi, Monghsu and Mongnaung townships, is an important transport hub in central Shan State. The SSA—a former ceasefire group known until recently as the SSA-North—controls territory in Kyethi and Monghsu townships in southern Shan State and Mongyai and Tangyan townships in the northern part of the state.

According to local residents, the motive for the recent attacks may be commercial as well as military: there are coal mines in Kyethi and the SSA extracts antimony near Wan Hai—both of which the government would like to control.

However, some observers said it was unlikely that the fighting was directly linked to a struggle for control of natural resources.

“It is possible that the government wants to extract natural resources from the area, but I haven't heard that they have discovered any precious metal there,” said Khuensai Jaiyen, the editor of the Thailand-based Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN).

The situation in Shan State contrasts with that in Kachin State, where the government is seeking to negotiate an end to hostilities with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).

“I asked officials why the government has launched continuous attacks on the SSA rather than negotiating, as it is doing with the KIA, and I was told that the government thinks it can easily break the SSA because Wan Hai is not near the border, and because some of the SSA's brigades have already joined the Border Guard Force (BGF),” said a member of the Shan Nationalities Development Party from Kyethi Township.

Two brigades of the former SSA-North have joined the BGF, which puts troops belonging to former ceasefire militias under Burmese military command, but the strongest, the 3,000-strong Brigade 1, led by Col Pang Fa, refused.

The Burmese regime began pushing 17 different ceasefire groups to join the BGF ahead of last year's Nov. 7 election, but most refused, including the UWSA, with 30,000 troops, and the 10,000-strong KIA.

The UWSA and the Shan State Army-South, a non-ceasefire armed group, have offered support to the SSA since it resumed hostilities with the Burmese Army.

Htay Aung, a Burmese military researcher, said that the government army would likely concentrate its attacks on the SSA and KIA Brigade 4, which occupy areas between the Burmese Army's positions and the UWSA, while continuing to negotiate with stronger groups.

“The negotiations will only last for a while, but I don't think they will bring an end to this civil war. The government cannot attack the UWSA right now because of its strength, so they are going after their weaker allies. But ultimately, these attacks threaten the UWSA, too,” he said. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21770
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Suu Kyi-Aung Kyi Meeting Viewed as 'Positive'
By SAI ZOM HSENG Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Three leading Burmese politicians have said that they see a positive outcome from Monday's meeting between pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and a senior government official.

Aye Thar Aung, the secretary of the Committee Representing the People’s Parliament (CRPP), Khin Maung Swe, a leading member of the National Democratic Force (NDF), and Hla Soe, the secretary of the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party, all agreed that similar meetings should take place in the near future, that details of an agenda and a timeframe should be laid out, and that both the government and the opposition should be able to work toward achieving positive results.

On Monday, the government and Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), issued a joint statement at a press briefing in Rangoon stating that both sides are optimistic about and satisfied with the dialogue.
CRPP's Aye Thar Aung said both sides must be honest and do what is best for the country.

“The release of a statement is the difference between past negotiations and this meeting,” he said. “However, we would not look favorably upon this meeting if it transpires that Naypyidaw is only doing it as a maneuver to win backing for the Asean chairmanship.”

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Suu Kyi, who was released in November from seven continuous years of house arrest, met Aung Kyi, the minister of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement Minister on Monday afternoon at a state guest house in Rangoon. Aung Kyi had previously met Suu Kyi for talks after he was appointed as “liaison minister” in October 2007.

Khin Maung Swe, who was formerly a leading figure in the NLD, said that his party, the NDF, welcomes anyone who works for national reconciliation which, he said, is essential for Burma.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Tuesday, Khin Maung Swe said, “We heard that Aung San Suu Kyi and Aung Kyi discussed the rule of law and ways to benefit the population. We are really happy with that message.”

Khin Maung Swe said that although the previous talks did not bear fruit, this meeting could lead to the resumption of cooperation between the government and opposition groups.

“They should seek trust-building between each other by holding a series of meetings aimed at cooperating and fulfilling the needs of the country,” he said.

Burma's state-owned media carried news of the meeting, quoting Aung Kyi as saying, “I don't think there has not been any tangible result [sic]. We held talks for nine times [sic] and that produced results to some extent. I hope this meeting will produce better results.”

However, in Thailand, Khin Ohmar, the chairperson of the Network for Democracy and Development, said that the government planned this meeting solely because they desire the Asean chairman position.

“I don’t think the government is honest about this meeting,” she said. “It is just window dressing. They want the international community to know that they have started a dialogue toward national reconciliation. They are using Aung San Suu Kyi.”

She said that Asean member states should not ignore the human rights abuses in Burma, nor the political prisoners, nor the ongoing armed conflicts in ethnic regions when it takes the decision whether or not to hand over the chairmanship to Naypyidaw.

Arakan leader Hla Soe said that there have been no major changes in the country despite the move to a civilian government.

“Even the most basic needs of the people have not been met,” he said. “The country is not stable yet, and clashes are breaking out everywhere. If the government truly wants to assume the chair at Asean, they must first change the political situation in their own country.”

Burma is scheduled to take over the chairmanship of Asean in 2014. However, Surin Pitsuwan, the bloc's secretary-general, said in May that the group will listen to the opinions of member states before handing the position to Burma.

Burmese opposition groups have demanded that the Southeast Asian grouping withhold the chairmanship from the Burmese government until it realizes several key conditions, such as steps toward national reconciliation with the political opposition and armed ethnic groups, and the release of political prisoners.

A Rangoon-based veteran foreign journalist who spoke on condition of anonymity said that this meeting is essentially different from prior talks because at this meeting Suu Kyi was not under house arrest.

The journalist said that many of those within the Rangoon media community welcomed Mondays' meeting, and did not view the event as a public relations exercise on behalf of the Burmese government.
“I assumed that they talked about the existence of the NLD under the issue of ‘Rule of Law,’ but­as we all know­the appearance of Aung San Suu Kyi’s serious demeanor and body language suggested she was not satisfied with the outcome of their meeting.”

The meeting was agreed after Burmese authorities had urged the NLD earlier this month to stop engaging in unlawful activities in opposition to the new parliament.

The NLD was dissolved on Sept. 14, 2010, for not refusing to participate in November's general election. The opposition party claimed it was not entering the election race because of an “undemocratic” military-drafted constitution and “unfair” election laws.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21772
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Ban Calls for Early Action on Release of Political Prisoners
By LALIT K JHA Tuesday, July 26, 2011

WASHINGTON — UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday welcomed a meeting between Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and a senior government official on Monday, and renewed calls for the new Burmese government to release the country's nearly 2,000 political prisoners.

“[Ban] also calls upon the government of Myanmar [Burma] to consider early action on the release of political prisoners in that country,” UN spokesman Martin Nesirky told reporters at his daily briefing at the UN headquarters in New York.

In response to a question on the meeting, Nesirky said Ban noted that “the parties have expressed satisfaction at their positive talks and their intention to cooperate further on matters beneficial to the people of Myanmar.”

Nesirky noted that Ban's special adviser on Burma, Vijay Nambiar, recently traveled to the country and met Suu Kyi and Aung Kyi, the official who met with Suu Kyi on Monday, as well as other government officials and representatives from political parties.

“In line with the international community's expectations and Myanmar's national interest, the secretary-general hopes such efforts will continue with a view to building mutual understanding through genuine dialogue,” the UN spokesman said.

Meanwhile in Washington, the Obama administration said it wants the new Burmese government to take more steps toward democratic reform.

“We want to see them take more democratic steps, more reformed steps,” said State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland. “We call on them to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi in an environment where she feels safe and secure, where she can have an influence on the future of her country.”

However, she refrained from making any comment on Monday’s meetings.

“I can’t speak to this specific meeting, but those are the steps that we want to see, and we want to make sure also that the Burmese government is taking great care with her security,” said Nuland. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21765
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Environment Working Group criticizes Burma on environment policy
By Zin Linn Jul 26, 2011 2:03AM UTC

The Burma Environment Working Group made a press conference on Burma’s serious environmental issues at Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand in Bangkok on Monday. The group released a press statement about Burmese regime’s negligence of environmental protection in the country.

Burma has extensive biodiversity and abundant natural resources, which have in recent years been threatened by militarization, large-scale resource extraction and infrastructure development, the group said. According to group’ 100-page report – Burma’s Environment: People, Problems, Policies – the regime does not allow its citizens to take part in decision-making on development sector that always neglects the livelihoods of the respective populace in the project areas.

While foreign direct investment for last year reached up to $ 20 billion, for example through large dams financed by neighbouring China, India and Thailand, there are no respectable frameworks to protect Burma’s environment and communities, the group said.

“Foreign Direct Investment in Burma’s natural environment is skyrocketing, but there is no corresponding attention to environmental protection, multi-ethnic participation and sustainable development,” said Sein Twa of the Burma Environment Working Group.

“Control over natural resources is a major cause of conflict in ethnic areas, where the majority of Burma’s resources remain,” the report said.

Heavy fighting between the rebel ethnic Kachin and government armed forces took place last month in the far north of the country around a dam financed by China, with authorities saying they acted to defend the plant from attacks.

“The renewed war in Kachin state is an example of what Burma can continue to expect as foreign direct investment increases,” said Paul Sein Twa, referring to the conflict that resumed on 9 June between Kachin Independence Army and the Burma Army around Chinese-led hydropower dams in Kachin State.

“Without genuine multi-ethnic participation and sound regulatory framework, Burma’s environment will continue to be a source of conflict,” he said.

Burma does not have domestic laws and policies to protect people and environment, the report says. The report also points out that Burma is currently facing many threats to natural environment and sustainable livelihoods, such as construction of large dams, oil and gas extraction, mining, deforestation, large-scale agricultural concessions, illegal wildlife trade and climate change.

The group’s report said an estimated 48 hydropower projects were currently being planned, constructed or already existed on country’s rivers.

More than 90 percent of the hydropower they produce is bound for China and neighbouring countries, instead of providing domicile populations who face serious ongoing energy shortages.

The new government under President Thein Sein “is failing to make progress on that front,” said Paul Sein Twa during the press conference at FCCT.

Burma is a state party to several international treaties relating to the environment, but it is unclear whether the contents of those treaties have been ratified in practice and incorporated into domestic law, according to the BEWG’s report.

The environment activists called for new and existing investors to stop immediately all project-related works – especially in responsive states all over Burma – until satisfactory safeguards are in place to ensure investment does not lead to unnecessary destruction of the n`tural environment and local livelihoods. The new measures are brought in to ensure sustainable development and multi-ethnic participation, the activists of the group say publicly.
http://asiancorrespondent.com/60915/environment-working-group-criticizes-burma-on-environment-policy/
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UN chief welcomes political dialogue in Myanmar
13:31, July 26, 2011

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon has welcomed a dialogue between the Myanmar government and the country's political figure Aung San Suu Kyi, according to a statement released here Monday.

"The secretary-general welcomes the meeting today in Yangon between Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and Minister for Social Welfare U Aung Kyi," Nesirky said. "He notes that the parties have expressed satisfaction at their positive talks and their intention to cooperate further on matters beneficial to the people of Myanmar."

Aung San Suu Kyi, 66, was released from house arrest on November 13, 2010, days after Myanmar elected a new government.

In her first-ever meeting with the new government on Monday, according to U Aung Kyi, law enforcement, eradication of disunity, and the interests of Myanmar's people were discussed.

Nesirky said that Ban "encourages such contacts and dialogue."

"In line with the international community's expectations and Myanmar's national interest, the secretary-general hopes such efforts will continue with a view to building mutual understanding through genuine dialogue," Nesirky said.

Source:Xinhua http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90856/7451933.html
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First dialogue between Myanmar new gov't and Aung San Suu Kyi paves way for future co-op
Xinhua, July 26, 2011

By Feng Yingqiu

At the invitation of the Myanmar new government, noted political figure Aung San Suu Kyi met with Union Minister of Labor U Aung Kyi at the Sein Lei Kan Tha State Guest House in Yangon Monday, representing the first dialogue between the two sides after the new government came into being.

After the meeting, U Aung Kyi and Aung San Suu Kyi issued a joint press release, saying that the two sides are optimistic about and satisfied with the dialogue.

They held talks about opportunities for both sides to work together for the well being of the public, the statement said.

The statement disclosed that their discussions included matters for the rule of law, elimination of disagreement and serving national interest.

The pair agreed that they will meet again at a mutually convenient time, the statement added.

U Aung Kyi further told the press that the present meeting will produce better result as compared with the last nine occasions which produced results to some extent, adding that the two sides agreed to keep holding talks and describing the present meeting as the first step to working together in the future.

Aung San Suu Kyi maintained that she was in favor of beneficial results to the country. "Whatever acts we do, whatever talks we hold, and whoever we work with, our goal is to serve the interest of the nation and the people. This is what we hope," she spoke to the press when interviewed and was published by the state and local media. http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90777/90851/7451917.html
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July 25, 2011
Burma Democracy Leader Aung San Suu Kyi Meets Government Official
Daniel Schearf | Bangkok

Burma's Labor and Social Welfare Minister Aung Kyi, right, reads statement to the media after meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi, left, at Seinlekhanthar government guest house in Yangon, July 25, 2011
Photo: AP
Burma's Labor and Social Welfare Minister Aung Kyi, right, reads a statement to the media after meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi, left, at Seinlekhanthar government guest house in Yangon, July 25, 2011

Burma’s democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has met with an official of the new government, the first such meeting since her release from house arrest. The meeting raises hopes for a regular dialogue between her and the military-dominated government. But, there is skepticism that the talks will lead to genuine reforms.

Burma’s Labor and Social Welfare Minister Aung Kyi says he and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi talked about the rule of law and cooperating in the interests of the country and people. Reading a statement to journalists after their meeting Monday, he said they both viewed the discussion positively and that they would meet again.

It was the first time a government official met with the Aung San Suu Kyi since she was released from house arrest after last year’s election.

She has sought a dialogue with the government on improving the country’s poor human rights record and efforts at democracy.

Zin Linn, a spokesman for the Burma government in exile in Thailand, says there are worries that the meeting, like past ones, is just for show. He points out the two met nine times while Aung San Suu Kyi was under house arrest, with little to show for it.

"If they are really going along to the democracy path, they should release the political prisoners," said Zin Linn. "So, they should release these political prisoners and stop fighting against the ethnic peoples. And also, they should first of all reform their law and order system. There is no law at all in Burma."

The meeting came just days after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for dialogue between the two sides at a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Indonesia.

Burma hopes hold ASEAN’s rotating chair in 2014. Zin Linn says the government may want to deflect international opposition to the idea.

"So, that's why this time also I think due to the U.S. pressure and also they have a proposal to the ASEAN to have their chair in 2014, to pass such difficulties, I think they show this talk as a softened stance," said Zin Linn.

Despite the skepticism, there are signs of improved relations between the government and Aung San Suu Kyi.

Earlier this month, officials invited her to a ceremony honoring her late father, a hero of Burma’s struggle for independence.

Burma’s nominally civilian government took office in March after decades of direct military rule.

But the election in November was widely condemned as a sham designed to disguise continued military rule.

Aung San Suu Kyi was banned from participating and the government disbanded her National League for Democracy, the largest opposition, for boycotting the polls.

A military-backed party won the controversial elections amid reports of widespread fraud and intimidation.

The NLD won Burma’s previous election in 1990 by a landslide but the military refused to let it take power.

The military government arrested opposition leaders, and many were forced to flee the country. http://www.voanews.com/english/news/asia/Burma-Democracy-Leader-Aung-San-Suu-Kyi-Meets-Government-Official-126115583.html
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Rubber Plantations Seized in Mon State
By KHIN OO THAR Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Local army and navy units in Mon State have seized over the past two months more than 3,000 acres of rubber tree plantations from local farmers on Kywekonnyima Island near Ye Township, displacing more than 20 families without offering any compensation, according to local sources.

Nai Au Mon, the head of the Thailand-based Human Rights Foundation of Monland, told The Irrawaddy on Friday that Naval Infantry Battalion 43 had confiscated rubber tree plots in eastern Kywekonnyima, western Kywekonnyima and Minthar villages, resulting in a severe job scarcity in the areas. Consequently, he said, the more than 20 families directly affected have already moved to Thailand, he said.

He said 70 percent of the people in Mon State depend on rubber plantations for their livelihoods, but over time, the government, acting through the army and navy, has continuously seized their lands.

He added that most local people do not understand about labor laws and human rights, and that because of poor infrastructure and roads they have little access to other areas.

Local sources in Moulmein, the capital of Mon state, told The Irrawaddy that more than 10,000 acres of rubber tree plantations in Moulmein, Thanpyuzayat, Mudon, Kyaikmayaw and Ye townships were confiscated during 2010.

“Boards reading 'Army Area, No Trespassing!' have been placed inside our plantations,” said a plot owner in Mudon. “We are physically threatened any time we try to extract latex.”

He said friends and family members of army and navy personnel are been allocated the plots that were previously owned by local farmers, or are being offered jobs in the rubber plantations.

The farmer added that he and other rubber growers plan to report the matter to the prime minister of Mon State and to local political parties.

Nai Ngwe Thein, the chairman of the All Mon Region Democracy Party (AMRDP), told The Irrawaddy that such violations were common under the previous ruling junta and no one could stop them. However, since the country now has a new civilian government, he said he hopes the plight of the people in Mon State will be recognized.

“About 13,000 acres of rubber plantations are located on both sides of the Moulmein-Ye highway, enclosed by fences, with signs stating that it is the property of the army,” said the AMRDP chairman. “I heard that those lands were confiscated for the construction of army bases.”

He said that additional battalions had been deployed and stationed in Mon State; consequently, in recent years, farmland and rubber plantations had been confiscated from farmers and allocated to the army and navy.

“I don't think we will be able to stop the land confiscations,” said Nai Ngwe Thein. “But, I expect appropriate compensation will be offered to the farmers under this new government.”

Local sources said people living in eight of the 10 townships in Mon State exist primarily on income from rubber plantations. Many said that the land seizures had been committed by both the army and the local land records departments.

According to the Independent Mon News Agency, a standard plot comprises 200 or more rubber tress, each of which is valued at between 10,000 kyat [US $13] and 50,000 kyat [$64]. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21766

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