News & Articles on Burma
Wednesday, 11 May, 2011
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Sensitive News Barred: Rangoon Minister
NLD to Advise Farmers and Workers
Despite Improvements, Child Soldier Recruitment Continues
Jailed activists’ children get school aid
Top UN official visits Myanmar
Peace, political amnesty to be discussed with UN special envoy
NUP will try to amend the Constitution in next Parliament session
Will ASEAN give chair to Burma despite rights record?
Burma party to ‘robust’ bear trade
ASEAN in Quandary over Burma's Request to Head Bloc
Oil drilling to begin in Burma’s eco-sensitive Hukaung Valley
Civil Servants Killed in Northern Shan State
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Sensitive News Barred: Rangoon Minister
By THE IRRAWADDY Wednesday, May 11, 2011
RANGOON—The government of the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) will not allow media coverage which is sensitive to national security or critical of the state, said a senior official of the Rangoon regional administration on Tuesday.
“Regarding freedom of press—journalists can write stories if they are not sensitive to the state. If media coverage endangers the state or our citizens’ security, nobody can cover it,” said Nyan Tun Oo, a minister of the Rangoon regional administration, speaking to reporters during a press conference at the city’s parliament building.
The press conference was the first held by the Rangoon administration since the USDP regime was sworn in on March 30.
Nyan Tun Oo (left) addresses reporters in Rangoon on May 10. (IRRAWADDY)
When the editor of Snap Shot Journal, Myat Khe, questioned the minister, he responded by saying that he would stop the press conference immediately if journalists cross-examined him or asked “colored” questions.
“I want to remind you that you can only write the news if it is not sensitive to the state,” he repeated.
Commenting on how the current regime plans to control corruption, Nyan Tun Oo, the co-host of the press conference, said that the government could not take action against corruption as it would result in “a shortage of experienced government staffers.”
Addressing reporters, he said, “We cannot take action at the moment on corruption issues. If we did, who would replace all those corrupt officials?”
Burma has been listed as one of the most corrupt countries in the world for decades. According to Transparency International’s Corruption Index 2010, Burma is the second most corrupt nation after Somalia out of 178 countries.
Even though President Thein Sein and other high-level ministers in Naypyidaw are yet to hold a press conference, local journalists said they had expected to be briefed by Rangoon's chief minister ex Lt-Gen Myint Swe at the press conference on Tuesday.
However, a minister of Rangoon's regional administration, Nyan Tun Oo, and another administrative officer, Khin Maung Tun, hosted the press conference.
“We thought Chief Minister U Myint Swe would hold the press conference. Then U Nyan Tun Oo came out at the event,” said an editor with a Rangoon journal who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Journalists attending the press conference said that Nyan Tun Oo briefed reporters on behalf of Rangoon’s administration on municipal issues such as the better distribution of electricity, and the selection of ward officials.
“Responding to a news report that local businessmen paid bribes to become ward heads, he said that the administration of Rangoon will select only respectable persons,” said a journalist who attended the press conference. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21280
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NLD to Advise Farmers and Workers
By SAI ZOM HSENG Wednesday, May 11, 2011
The National League for Democracy (NLD), led by pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, is offering consultations, advice, training and other types of support to farmers, workers and civil society groups in order to promote their rights and expand the NLD's civil society network.
Win Htein, one of the leaders of the NLD, said that Suu Kyi, after she was released from house arrest in Nov. 2010, advised party members to provide training and to promote and protect the rights of farmers and workers. She wants the effort to be run by associations and networks which are not influenced by politics, he added.
Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Wednesday, Win Htein said, “It is necessary to have a committee and associations which will support the farmers and workers. We will also consult with other societies to form such kinds of associations and networks.”
A farmer who has attempted to form a local farmers association, and who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that farmers' associations are necessary in Burma and all of the farmers have to try to form associations and expand the network.
“We are glad that the NLD supports our forming associations and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi thought deeply for us and for our wishes,” a farmer said.
Phyu Phyu Thin, a member of the Social Assistance Committee of the NLD, said that there is an NLD committee which assists farmers by educating them about their rights and providing agricultural training.
“In my point of view, this is a very good and useful program for the farmers, and I believe that they can realize their rights. The farmers are enjoying the training, they had patient and active discussions with the trainers,” Phyu Phyu Thin said.
The farmers’ network was formed in March 2011 at the NLD headquarters and had 33 members from 19 townships at the time of formation. Since that time, the party has been providing training to farmers, which is currently ongoing.
The NLD is also supporting the formation of a workers association. On May 1, the party issued a statement which urged the International Labor Organization to keep pressuring the new government to allow a workers’ union which guarantees the rights of the workers.
In addition, the NLD is currently working on campaigns to release political prisoners and to protect the environment.
The NLD was disbanded on May 6, 2010 because of its refusal to register for the Nov. 7, 2010 election. The party’s Central Executive Committee made the decision to protest the exclusion of its leader and the dissolution of the party was announced on September 14, 2010. However, the party still remains active.
Some political observers said that the NLD has turned to social activities rather than political activities, and party spokesperson Ohn Kyaing told The Irrawaddy recently that there has been no threats from authorities regarding the party’s social activities. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21277
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Despite Improvements, Child Soldier Recruitment Continues
By KO HTWE Wednesday, May 11, 2011
The Burmese military is still recruiting underage children despite its policy against doing so, claim victims and activists.
Aye Myint, a lawyer and workers' rights activist in Pegu, told The Irrawaddy that the recruitment of children into the army is worse than last year.
“I received fifteen complaints from Rangoon, Irrawaddy, Mandalay and Pegu divisions. Three others are now collecting documents. Most of the persons that complained to the International Labor Organization (ILO) will be able to return to their home sooner or later,” said Aye Myint.
In January, 15-year-old Aung Ko and 12-year-old Thein Min Htike went missing on the way from Mawlamyinegyunn Township in the Irrawaddy Region to Rangoon while going to visit relatives, according to a family member.
The boys' mother, San Aye, said that three months later her sons informed the family that they had been recruited into the army and were receiving basic military training at Training Battalion No. 9 in Thaton Township, Mon State.
“One of my children is so young that he is not novitiate yet. I don’t wish to let them be conscripted into the army. I don’t want to live without them. My husband is now acting crazy and every day I have to shed tears,” said San Aye. “The children rang us and said they are okay and don’t want to come back, but it seems like someone is beside them.”
Pho Phyu, a legal advocate, said that he received three cases of child recruitment recently from the Irrawaddy region.
“The recruitment is still ongoing. We have some difficulties in this case. Although we can contact the child, the army transfers the child to another place and then loses the child. So we contact ILO,” said Pho Phyu.
Burmese child soldiers have been arrested and imprisoned as punishment for deserting when they tried to run away from their army bases.
The Burmese regime formed a committee to investigate child soldier issues in 2004 and it has since denied using child soldiers in the army.
According to the ILO's data, there were 261 underage recruitment complaints and 80 young men discharged or released as a result of the complaints from the beginning of 2010 until now. Of the remaining complaints, approximately 110 are in process, which means that the military is investigating, and 80 are being assessed by the ILO.
Steve Marshall, the ILO liaison officer in Rangoon, said that when the issue of child soldier recruitment was raised back in 2007, the subject was very sensitive, but since that time the military response has been quite positive and there has been considerable improvements over the last few years.
“Every complaint we submit is received and acted on relatively efficiently, and if it is found that a person is under 18 then he is most definitely discharged and the perpetrator prosecuted,” said Marshall.
“It is important that we do not simply respond to complaints, that we are able to become more proactive working together to ensure the correct administrative policies are in place to stop the practice, and we look forward to working with the government to achieve that ideal position,” he added.
Rangoon-based 7 Day News journal, quoting a UNICEF official, reported that the number of underage soldiers recruited is decreasing and 402 child soldiers have been sent home since 2004.
“Children themselves come to the army to join. All of the child soldiers have no document such as identity and birth certificate. And its hard to differentiate who are 17-years old or 18-years old because of the same body structure. Some children want to join the army because they envy the officers they have seen,” Ramesh Shrestha, a UNICEF Representative in Burma, told the 7Day News journal. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21281
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Jailed activists’ children get school aid
By NAW NOREEN
Education for the children of more than 100 political prisoners in Burma yesterday received a small boost yesterday after the National League for Democracy (NLD) made its tenth schooling donation.
Speaking at an event at the NLD’s Rangoon headquarters yesterday, Aung San Suu Kyi said that the nearly 2,100 political prisoners in Burma were jailed “for their work in making the country freer for its 60 million people”, according to NLD spokesperson Ohn Khaing.
Suu Kyi reportedly added that “every citizen should have a right to self-determination and to take part in shaping the country the way they want it to be”.
Around 40,000 kyat ($US50) was given to the children of 123 activists, MPs, lawyers and doctors who languish in prisons across the country. The absence of an earning parent has meant children of political prisoners often struggle to pay for schooling.
A new government budget announced in March allocates less than one percent of annual spending to the education sector, and 1.3 percent on healthcare. Military spending meanwhile accounts for nearly a quarter of the budget.
Despite once boasting a strong education sector, Burma’s now lags behind most regional countries. Education resources are scarce, although various Thailand-based NGOs provide material to schools inside the country.
The Rangoon-based Blood Group, led by NLD member Nyi Nyi, is due to open a free education centre on 18 June for orphaned and homeless children, with a view to expanding the programme.
Around 100 children have so far signed up to courses that teach manual work, literature and citizenship, amongst others.
http://www.dvb.no/news/jailed-activists%E2%80%99-children-get-school-aid/15614
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May 11, 2011
Top UN official visits Myanmar
YANGON - A TOP aide to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon has arrived in Myanmar on an official visit to meet members of the country's newly elected government and pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The three-day visit by Vijay Nambiar is the first by a top UN diplomat since a nominally civilian government took over from the ruling junta in March.
Officials said Mr Nambiar was scheduled to meet high-ranking government officials on Wednesday in the remote capital of Naypyitaw.
He was expected to meet Suu Kyi on Thursday in Yangon. The Nobel laureate was released from house arrest after the elections, which her party boycotted.
Critics say Myanmar's election was a charade to ensure continued military domination. -- AP http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_667331.html
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Peace, political amnesty to be discussed with UN special envoy
Tuesday, 10 May 2011 21:38 Tun Tun
New Delhi (Mizzima) – The Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP) said on Tuesday that peace and political amnesty are top priorities to be discussed with the UN special envoy to Burma Vijay Nambiar during his visit to Rangoon this week.
Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and UN special envoy to Burma, Vijay Nambiar, at Suu Kyi's home in Rangoon in 2010. Nambiar will meet with Burmese opposition groups and others this week in Rangoon and Naypyitaw. Photo: Mizzima
Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and UN special envoy to Burma, Vijay Nambiar, at Suu Kyi's home in Rangoon in 2010. Nambiar will meet with Burmese opposition groups and others this week in Rangoon and Naypyitaw. Photo: Mizzima
A handful of opposition political parties, including the SNDP, have been invited to meet with Nambiar at the UN office in Rangoon on Friday. During his visit, he is also likely to meet with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
‘Peace is the most important topic on our agenda. No. 2 is political amnesty’, Saw Than Myint, the party’s treasurer and diplomatic official, told Mizzima. ‘Presently, our country is not peaceful. So, peace is high in our agenda. We need to establish peace for the sake of the people’.
A central executive committee member and an MP from each of the invited parties will attend the meeting. Most of the parties are those that recently asked the European Union to renew Burma’s Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) status, according to Saw Than Myint.
Agence France-Presse reported that Burma’s Foreign Affairs Minister Wunna Maung Lwin would meet with Nambiar in Naypyitaw on Wednesday.
The National League for Democracy said that if Nambiar meets with the NLD, their leaders will again tell him to urge the government to grant an amnesty to all political prisoners.
‘We will ask him to urge the government to immediately release all political prisoners without exception. And we want the UN to help in establishing human rights in Burma. If so, we will be able to achieve political reconciliation’, said Ohn Kyaing, an NLD spokesman.
He added, however, that since the new government has not made any fundamental changes, the NLD would call on him to put the government under more pressure.
‘Political reconciliation will improve Burma’s economy. A healthy economy can resolve the people’s problems’, Ohn Kyaing said.
Nambiar is a veteran Indian diplomat who the UN recently appoint as special envoy to Burma, replacing Ibrahim Gambari. The Thai-based Forum for Democracy in Burma (FDB) said that the UN special envoy always urges the government to grant political amnesty and to implement an all-inclusive political dialogue.
This time it may offer something new. ‘The UN may offer cooperation in Burma’s developmental processes’, said FDB general secretary Dr. Naing Aung.
He said that UN officials’ interactions with the Burmese regime have not borne fruit and it should cooperate more with political groups in Burma.
‘Both the government and the opposition have demands. So, the UN should enthusiastically help in conducting negotiations between the two sides. In the past, the UN’s efforts have not fulfilled people’s hopes. To achieve effectiveness, it needs to talk with the main political groups frequently’, Naing Aung told Mizzima.
NLD spokesperson Ohn Kyaing noted: ‘The former UN special envoys also urged the Burmese government to grant political amnesty. Mr. Nambiar has visited Burma once, too. But, nothing was improved’.
Nambiar made his first visit to Burma in November 2010 and met with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, NLD leaders and ethnic leaders from the Committee Representing the People's Parliament during a two-day visit. http://www.mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/5247-peace-political-amnesty-to-be-discussed-with-un-special-envoy.html
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NUP will try to amend the Constitution in next Parliament session
Wednesday, 11 May 2011 12:21 Kyaw Kha
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – While providing no specific details about its proposals, the National Unity Party (NUP) has said it will introduce legislation to amend the 2008 Constitution through Parliament during the next session.
More than 140 central committee members from across the country met this week and agreed on the move. The next session of the Parliament may be held in early 2012, according to some observers. Presently, the party’s legal aid committee is studying what constitutional changes might be proposed.
During the party meeting, members discussed goals, policies, financial issues and public relations.
The NUP now has about 700,000 members, said party spokesman Han Shwe The party decided it will not organize a business to raise funds, as permitted under election laws, but instead it will collect 100 kyat (1 US $ 0.13 cents) from each party member and accept donations from supporters in Burma. Political parties are barred from accepting donations from outside Burma.
The NUP won 64 parliamentary seats in the recent election, the second highest number of parliamentary seats by a single party. The party’s members of Parliament did not submit any proposals or raise any objections in the first Parliament session, which met from February to March.
The NUP is the official successor of the former Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP) led by dictator Ne Win, who ruled the country from 1962 to 1988. After the 1988 pro-democracy movement, the BSPP was removed from power. Following leadership changes, it was renamed the National Unity Party.
http://www.mizzima.com/news/election-2010-/5249-nup-will-try-to-amend-the-constitution-in-next-parliament-session.html
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Will ASEAN give chair to Burma despite rights record?
Wed, 2011-05-11 00:38 — editor
News Analysis
By - Zin Linn
In view of many international observers, the Association of South-East Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) negligence to take firm position on Burma (Myanmar) has become its Achilles’ heel. As usual, the association’s statement proves member-countries’ lack of collective will to take a strong position against Burma. Changing itself into a semi-civilian regime through vote-rigging, Burma makes a mockery of the ASEAN Charter, which states that the region must be more responsive to human rights issues.
The Charter was intended to transform ASEAN into an institution similar to the European Union and to entrust members with strengthening democracy, enhancing good governance and the rule of law, and protecting human rights and fundamental freedom.
A communiqué issued at the end of the two-day ASEAN leaders' summit in Jakarta said: "We considered the proposal of Myanmar (Burma) that it would host the ASEAN summits in 2014, in view of its firm commitment to the principles of ASEAN."
It also emphasized that ASEAN leaders supported the "steady progress and political developments in Myanmar" after it held general elections and formed a new government in March, calling the ballot "successful." But, ASEAN leaders overlook the true story about the 7-November election which unfairly allowed the junta-backed party to rig the votes.
The election, Burma's first in 20 years, was severely criticized by the oppositions and the Western Democracies, as undemocratic polls for not allowing watchdogs and media.
Human Rights Watch pointed out in its 6th May statement that Burma has failed to address concerns repeatedly raised by ASEAN leaders in past summits.
“Rewarding Burma with ASEAN’s chairmanship after it staged sham elections and still holds 2,000 political prisoners would be an embarrassment for the region,” said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
“ASEAN leaders need to decide if they will let Burma demote ASEAN to the laughingstock of intergovernmental forums.”
The Asian Network For Free Elections (ANFREL) released a statement dated 9 November calling attention to ballot counting procedures that made by the Union Election Commission (UEC). It said the counting process was not made transparent to the public and the media beginning with the first advance voting period.
Moreover, ethnic nationalities in Burma that fight for self-determination were prevented from participating in the election. More than 3,000 villages in ethnic nationality areas have also been excluded from the electoral exercise because of continuing armed conflict.
Thus, calling the ballot "successful" means ASEAN supports an undemocratic vote-rigging election in Myanmar (Burma).
Southeast Asian leaders have no objection to Burma or Myanmar's request to chair the 10-member ASEAN bloc in 2014, as long as it continues making progress towards democracy, Indonesia's President said on Sunday after the group's latest summit.
"ASEAN leaders do not object in principle," Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said at his closing news conference. "But Myanmar, which is a focus of world attention, is expected to continue progress on democracy so when it becomes chair it does not generate negative views."
However, the Thein Sein government has been reinforcing its troops in several areas where ethnic armed groups that did not follow the border guard force (BGF) plan are based. Armed reinforcements have been reported in Karen State and Shan State in eastern Burma since early this year.
Sporadic armed clashes has been going on recently between the junta’s troops and armed ethnic groups such as the Karen National Union (KNU), the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) Brigade 5, the Shan State Army–North (SSA-North) and Shan State Army-South (SSA-South).
Hence, Burma has been going on with war against the ethnic minorities who are defending their basic civil rights including self-determination. If ASEAN leaders consider offering the chair to Burma in 2014, they should pressure Thein Sein government to stop the unjust war on the ethnic people. They ought to push Burma to end the civil war.
In this ongoing civil war, Burmese soldiers have been committing lots of crimes – lootings, rapes, burnt down villages, destroying the crops, killing innocent ethnic villagers, forced-labor and forced conscription.
Moreover, Thein Sein government still detains over 2,000 political prisoners including important ethnic leaders. To take the ASEAN chair, Burma must not keep political prisoners who really are committing no crime but expose their political beliefs.
In addition, Thein Sein government must allow ‘Freedom of Expression’ and ‘Free Press’. Burma is one of the most autocratic and covered up countries in the world, due to both its restrictive press laws and its practice of punishing journalists. In recent elections, the Burmese junta did not allow press freedom for both Burmese and international news media.
It was a significant hindrance to Burma becoming a free society. So, the analysts state that in the absence of media freedom Burma (Myanmar) should not act as ASEAN chair since there will not be accountability and transparency.
Reporters Without Borders released in its annual press freedom report in October 2010, ranking Burma 174th out of 178 countries. On October 18, Burma announced that foreign journalists would not be granted access to Burma to cover the news on elections.
The ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC) also calls on ASEAN leaders attending the 18th ASEAN Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia on 7-8 May 2011 to reject the application by Myanmar (Burma) to chair ASEAN in 2014 unless real democratic and human rights reforms are made by the Myanmar government.
The AIPMC said in its statement that oppression in Myanmar makes up a black stain on the credibility of ASEAN. It will be an obstacle to efforts by ASEAN to build an ASEAN Community by 2015.
Looking at the fact on the ground in Burma, there is more belligerences in these days, more military attacks in the ethnic minority areas, more forced labors, more child soldiers, more political prisoners, more refugees, more restrictions toward media, more control on Internet users and civil societies.
So, ASEAN has to be very vigilant and to put more pressure on Burma until the essential benchmarks for chairmanship are fulfilled before 2014.
- Asian Tribune - http://www.asiantribune.com/news/2011/05/10/will-asean-give-chair-burma-despite-rights-record
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Burma party to ‘robust’ bear trade
By DVB
Published: 11 May 2011
The illegal trade in bear parts is continuing “unabated” across Asia, according to a report by wildlife monitoring group TRAFFIC that accuses Burma of indulging in the widespread sale of bear products.
Poaching of the endangered animal is driven largely by the demand for its bile which is used in traditional medicine and folk remedies, according to the report, ‘Pills, Powders, Vials & Flakes: The bear bile trade in Asia’. In Burma, along with China, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Malaysia, these products were observed in half of all outlets surveyed.
While domestic trade of bear bile is legal in mainland China and Japan, it is illegal in Cambodia, Malaysia, Burma, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. All cross-border products found in Burma were sourced from neighbouring Laos, despite a strict ban on international trade.
According to Kaitlyn-Elizabeth Foley, lead author of the report and senior programme officer of TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, both the Asiatic Black Bear and the Sun Bear are threatened by the trade. Both species are found in the region, and are native to Burma.
“The study makes a clear case for authorities to shut down businesses selling illegal bear products and prosecute individuals caught selling, buying, transporting or keeping bears illegally,” said Foley.
Under Burmese law, the hunting and sale of protected animals such as the two bear species is punishable by up to seven years imprisonment. But an investigation by the group of 42 stalls in the Shan state towns of Mong La and Tachilek found that 30 sold bear gall bladder. “All were openly displayed and sold in whole form with price dependent on weight,” it said. Prices for a single gall bladder in Burma hovered around $US50, while in Hong Kong one could reach $US2000.
The report continued that the high turnover in trade meant that sourcing bear products from wild, and not farmed, species “is almost a certainty”.
“It is likely therefore, that the trade of bear products in Myanmar [Burma] puts an unsustainable pressure on wild populations both in Myanmar and surrounding countries.”
Burma, the report added, “plays a critical role as a producer of bear bile products and a transit for illegal trade through wildlife trade hubs such as Mong La and Tachilek.
“It is also a concern that foreigners may continue to establish bear farms in Myanmar, especially in light of increasing pressure on China and Vietnam to stop bear farming.”
http://www.dvb.no/news/burma-party-to-%E2%80%98robust%E2%80%99-bear-trade/15606
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ASEAN in Quandary over Burma's Request to Head Bloc
By Marwaan Macan-Markar
BANGKOK, May 11, 2011 (IPS) - The new Burmese government’s request to chair the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) by 2014 has given its neighbours a political headache they have decided to put off dealing with till later this year.
But the dilemma that the 10-member regional bloc faces with Burma, or Myanmar as it is also known, is not the same one that had dogged it in the past, when the country’s oppressive record was seen as undermining ASEAN's international credibility.
This time it is Burma’s slow and controlled transition towards democracy that puts ASEAN in a quandary.
The final statement read by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the end of the 18th ASEAN summit held May 7-8 in Jakarta reflected the new political realities Burma’s neighbours are grappling with. "We considered the proposal of Myanmar to host the ASEAN summit in 2014, in view of its firm commitment to the principles of ASEAN," the statement said.
"ASEAN leaders do not object in principle to the proposal," Yudhoyono added during the closing press conference in the Indonesian capital. "But Myanmar, which is the focus of world attention, is expected to continue progress on democracy so when it becomes chair it does not generate negative views."
Holding out such a diplomatic carrot exposes ASEAN, which Burma joined in 1997, as being more lenient towards member countries such as Vietnam, Laos and Brunei. The latter have chaired ASEAN before, despite lacking the fledgling plural political culture taking shape in Burma following its first general election in two decades last November, ending nearly 50 years of military rule.
That November poll, despite its flaws, paved the way for a small parliamentary opposition to emerge, complemented by the political freedom granted to pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi after seven years under house arrest. The Nobel Peace laureate has resumed her role as a widely respected government critic.
"What differentiates Burma from other countries in ASEAN is not a lack of representative institutions," said Thant Myint-U, a Burmese historian and author of ‘The River of Lost Footsteps", an account of the country’s transformation during British colonialism.
"However flawed the elections, Burma now at least has a semi-elected legislature that includes opposition parties, and opposition figures including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi speak openly to the international media," Thant said.
"This is far from ideal, but it’s certainly no worse, and arguably much better, than several other ASEAN countries," he explained to IPS. "What differentiates Burma are the continued detention of large number of political prisoners, something that will hopefully change soon; Western sanctions; its extreme poverty; and perhaps most importantly, the unfinished nature of its six decade-long armed conflicts."
Other Burma watchers also draw attention to the changing political landscape in the country, that hints at a shift away from the dominant grip of the military, headed since the early 1990s by Senior Gen. Than Shwe, and military strongman Ne Win before him.
"There is a diffusion of state power, unlike before, where power was in the hands of one man, Than Shwe and before him Ne Win," asserts Richard Horsey, a former United Nations official who served in the country.
"Four power blocs are emerging—to balance each other and to compete with each other. They are the military, executive, parliament and the Union Solidarity and Development Party (the political arm of the former junta which triumphed at the polls)," Horsey, the author of a book on forced labour in Burma, told IPS. "Before the Nov. 7 polls, people had to impress Than Shwe to get things approved. But not any more."
The International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based think tank, has similarly argued for countries to move away from punishing Burma, calling for a policy that "provides much greater support for Myanmar’s people."
"It would be a mistake to conclude that nothing has changed," the Crisis Group noted in a March report, "Myanmar’s Post-Election Landscape". "These changes are unlikely to translate into dramatic reforms in the short term, but they provide a new governance context, improving the prospects for incremental reform."
By contrast, Vietnam and Laos, which have been under the iron grip of communist-ruled governments since the mid-1970s, and Brunei, an absolute monarchy, appear far from opening up to political change. Landlocked Laos had a tightly controlled election for its national assembly on the eve of ASEAN’s 18th summit, where there was no hint of an opposition. The same is expected to follow on May 22 for Vietnam’s national assembly election, say analysts.
Of ASEAN’s other members—Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand—only Indonesia and the Philippines win accolades for having an increasingly open democratic culture. While Cambodia and Singapore are largely one-party, authoritarian states, Thailand’s democracy has been hampered by military interference.
Consequently even trenchant critics of Burma, like Human Rights Watch (HRW), the New York-based global rights lobby, note that the country’s new government has put ASEAN in a spot by making a push to host the 2014 ASEAN summit in its quest for international legitimacy.
"Burma’s new argument is that it is no worse than Vietnam, Laos, Brunei and arguably even Cambodia," says Phil Robertson, HRW’s deputy Asia director. "The government will say they should not be singled out; don’t make us the whipping boy.
"It was easier for ASEAN when things used to be black and white, between the military and Suu Kyi. But now things have faded to grey, and Burma will try to use this ‘grey’ strategy," he told IPS. "But for us, nothing has changed in Burma." (END) http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=55578
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Oil drilling to begin in Burma’s eco-sensitive Hukaung Valley
Tuesday, 10 May 2011 17:24 Thomas Maung Shwe
(News Analysis) – Endangered tigers and local villagers are threatened by an oil-drilling venture due to start in a remote area of Burma’s northern Kachin State.
The Hukaung valley is home to rare tigers and other endangered species including leopards, Himalayan bears and elephants. Photo: Wildlife Conservation Society
The Hukaung valley is home to rare tigers and other endangered species including leopards, Himalayan bears and elephants. Photo: Wildlife Conservation Society
A Singapore-based joint venture firm Silver Wave Exploration & Production announced last week that it will soon begin drilling for oil on land that includes the ecologically sensitive Hukaung Valley in Kachin state.
Environmentalists and opposition activists worry Silver Wave’s exploitation of the 19,066-sq km block of land could wipe out endangered animals and kick people off their land.
The Hukaung valley, also spelt Hukawang, is home to rare tigers and other endangered species including leopards, Himalayan bears and elephants.
Activists have expressed concern that local villagers and farmers will be driven off their land and made homeless by Silver Wave’s operations.
In 2001, the Burmese military regime in collaboration with the American NGO Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) established the Hukaung Valley Tiger Reserve. Local residents were given no opportunity for input and many critics from Burma’s democratic opposition worried that the reserve was a bogus ploy by the military regime to get foreign funds. The critics also charged that a key backer of the project WCS’s former director of science and exploration, Dr. Alan Rabinowitz, was woefully naïve for working with the Burmese regime and praising the generals.
Tigers in the wild are said to number a mere 3,000 worldwide, according to WCS.
In 2004, the reserve’s total area expanded to include the entire valley of 21,890 square kilometers, creating what was heralded as the largest tiger reserve in the world. Since the reserve’s expansion, the Burmese regime has encouraged logging, gold mining, large scale farms and the building of factories inside what is supposed to be a tiger and nature reserve.
According to a report in the Business Times of Singapore, Silver Wave Exploration & Production was formed recently as a joint venture between Silver Wave Energy Pte Ltd, another Singaporean firm, BFI Holding Pte Ltd, and two firms from Japan, Star Field Corporation and Star Holding Corporation.
A press release issued by BFI Holdings on April 18 stated that Silver Wave Exploration’s drilling programme in the Hukaung valley will begin this year and have a budget of US$ 100 million. The press release also indicated that Silver Wave exploration ‘has acquired all licence rights for exploration and production oil-prospecting acquisitions at Block B (B 2)’ which Silver Wave energy had previously received from state-owned Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE).
The BFI press release said that Block B2 is located in the Hukaung Valley, although several previous MOGE reports including a detailed map made for an Asia Development Bank conference in 2008 placed B2 further south in an area of Northern Sagain Division called Zebyutaung-Nandaw (also spelt Zeebyutaung) in Pinlebu Township. The 2008 MOGE report listed the Hukaung block as PSC-A. The reason for the discrepancy remains unclear.
The red star marks the area of the Hukaung Valley wildlife reserve.
The red star marks the area of the Hukaung Valley wildlife reserve.
Silver Wave Energy Pte Ltd while based in Singapore is owned by Burmese businessman Min Min Aung (also known as Minn Minn Oung) and is part of his Silver Wave Trading group, a conglomerate known for having close ties to Burma’s generals.
Silver Wave Energy Pte Ltd has been active in both offshore and onshore oil and gas exploration in Burma since at least 2006. Min Min Aung previously joined forces with government officials from the Russian republic of Kalmykia to form Silver Wave Sputnik Petroleum Pte incorporated in Singapore.
Burmese state media reported in March 2007 that Silver Wave Sputnik and Silver Wave Energy signed an agreement with state-owned MOGE to explore for oil in the Hukaung Valley. Boris Chedyrov, the Kalmykia Republic’s Minister for Energy, attended a March 2007 ceremony with Min Min Aung and Burmese government officials.
In September 2008, The New Light of Myanmar reported that MOGE had signed a deal with Russian firm Nobel Oil of the Russian Federation to allow for oil and gas exploration in the Hukaung and U-ru regions. It appears that Nobel Oil let their licenses for these areas expire without renewing them.
Junta land grab in Hukaung Valley makes thousands homeless
According to a report produced by the Kachin Development Networking Group (KDNG) in August of last year, since 2006 the Yuzana Corporation has with the support of central government authorities expropriated more than 809 square km (200,000 acres) of land in the Hukaung valley from local Kachin villagers.
KDNG reports that hundreds of families have been displaced by Yuzana’s land acquisition. As with many other such state approved land grabs in Burma, the displaced families were not adequately compensated and many were forced to say they were moved ‘willingly’.
Yuzana has planted large plantations of cassava root and sugar cane on the contested land. Instead of hiring local people for the massive plantation farms, Yuzana has imported workers belonging to the Burman majority from the south of the country.
Reports from the area indicate that the Yuzana’s operations have created intense resentment among the remaining Kachin residents of the Hukaung Valley. The Burmese military is reportedly giving the Yuzana employees military training to deal with unhappy local residents. Yuzana is headed by Htay Myint, a real estate tycoon said to be close to Burma’s generals. http://www.mizzima.com/edop/analysis/5246-oil-drilling-to-begin-in-burmas-eco-sensitive-hukaung-valley.html
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Civil Servants Killed in Northern Shan State
By THAN HTIKE OO Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Two civil servants from Burma's Ministry of Education and their spouses were killed in April while working in the area where ongoing conflicts between the Shan State Army-North (SSA-North) and Burmese government troops are taking place, according to local residents.
A resident of Hsipaw told The Irrawaddy that 4 persons were killed in April in Kun Khike Village in Hsipaw Township, Shan State.
"Four people in total—a female teacher and her husband, and also a school sentry and his wife— got killed in Kon Khike village,” he said, adding that since the killings people in the village have been afraid to go out at night.
Saengjuen Sarawin, an editor at the Shan Herald News Agency based in Chiang Mai, Thailand, said that similar killings of teachers and local villagers have occurred in Tong Yan Township.
The SSA-North officially denied on April 23 that the killings concerned their troops. The SSA-North has reportedly formed an investigative body to explore the real causes of the deaths.
According to Saengjuen Sarawin, 9 local people, including the school teacher, were killed in Hsipaw and Tong Yan townships.
It is not known who is responsible for the murders. Local people said the deaths could have been orchestrated by either the SSA-North or the government troops.
"If you have personal conflict with someone, and you charge him or her of being an informer or something like that, the accused will have consequence. People are always becoming scapegoats in war," a Hsipaw resident said.
The current armed conflict broke out between the SSA-North and government troops in early February.
The fighting then spread out into Mong Hsu, Mong Yawn, Tangyan, Kyethi, and Lashio, which are under control of Shan State Army (North), including Nansang, Mongmit, and Hsipaw.
The relationship between the SSA-North and the government has been strained since the regime began pressing the ethnic ceasefire groups to accept its Border Guard Force plan in April 2009. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21275
Thursday, May 12, 2011
News & Articles on Burma-Wednesday, 11 May, 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
News & Articles on Burma-Tuesday, 10 May, 2011
News & Articles on Burma
Tuesday, 10 May, 2011
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China to break ground on huge Burma mine
US Official Seeks Feedback on Burma's New Government
Canada Urges Accreditation of Burma Ambassador
UN special envoy to visit Myanmar
Coal transport plan scrapped
Rangoon's Former Mayor in Corruption Scandal
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China to break ground on huge Burma mine
By FRANCIS WADE
Published: 10 May 2011
A trial operation will begin in July on the giant Tagaung Taung nickel mine in northern Burma run by the world’s largest steel manufacturer, but environmentalists have warned of “toxic” consequences.
The deal, signed in July last year, becomes the largest cooperation project for mining between China and Burma. Overseeing the operation will be Chinese metals giant Taiyuan Iron and Steel Group and the China Nonferrous Metal Mining Company (CNMC).
The two are set to sink around US$800 million into the project, located just 200kms from the China border, which will generate some 85,000 tonnes of nickel-iron each year to feed China’s soaring demands for steel.
The dwindling global reserves of nickel has pushed nations like China, the world’s leading steel producer, to rush for control of resources, according to environmentalist Steve Green. Nickel is a key component in steel manufacturing.
He said however that one of the main problems with such projects in Burma is the absence of any post-mining remediation, particularly the lack of tailings management where the waste from the manufacturing process is safely disposed of.
“This means there will be toxic downstream contamination for generations to come,” he said, as the chemicals used in the process seep into waterways. He added that such a large-scale project could also result in the confiscation of local land by the Burmese military.
Taiyuan, the largest steel manufacturer in the world, and CNMC will operate the mine for two decades. Smelting and “service” facilities are already under construction there.
Chinese weapons giant Norinco last year signed a lucrative deal to operate the Monywa copper mine, also in Sagaing division.
Matthew Smith, senior consultant at EarthRights International, told DVB that in both cases, the likelihood of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) being made public prior to commencement of the projects was slim.
Although the Export Import Bank (EXIM) of China provided funding for Tagaung Taung, meaning an assessment may well have been done in keeping with its own environmental regulations, ERI claims that “the chances are no one’s seen it”.
Of Norinco, which reportedly won the contract following the sale of heavy artillery to Burma several weeks prior, Smith said: “Unfortunately Burmese law doesn’t require an EIA of international standards and there’s no evidence the company is guided by any sort of enlightened self-interest.” He added that the “same concerns would apply” for the Tagaung Taung mine.
China has been accused of outsourcing its pollutive industries to countries like Burma where environmental regulations are not enforced by the state. China is battling rising energy demands with rapidly depleting domestic resources.
http://www.dvb.no/news/china-to-break-ground-on-huge-burma-mine/15600
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US Official Seeks Feedback on Burma's New Government
By SAW YAN NAING Tuesday, May 10, 2011
A high-ranking US diplomat based in Rangoon is currently traveling in central Burma and speaking with a variety of people—including representatives from the government, civil society and political parties—to get their perspective on Burma's new government, said sources in Rangoon.
Western diplomatic sources based in Rangoon told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that Larry Dinger, who has been the Chargé d’Affaires at the US embassy in Rangoon since 2008, is making the trip as part of an ongoing effort to engage with key stakeholders throughout Burma.
Myint Thein, the deputy-chairman of the National League for Democracy's (NLD) Chauk Township branch office in Magwe Division, said that Dinger met NLD members in Chauk Township on Monday.
“He [Dinger] asked us if we have any optimism regarding Thein Sein’s speech claiming that the government is building up a democratic country. Is it any change or not? Are there any restrictions still placed on the NLD's political movement?” Myint Thein said.
Myint Thein told Dinger that it is too early to have a positive perspective on the president’s speech. Instead, it is very important to have dialogue, national reconciliation—including with ethnic leaders—and the release of political prisoners while attempting political reform.
“We haven’t seen any progress, so we have to wait and see,” Myint Thein told the US official.
Dinger also met with 15 NLD members in Yenangyaung Township, Magwe Division. Khin Saw Htay, a local organizing committee member of the NLD who attended the meeting, said Dinger asked about her opinion of Thein Sein's speech as well.
“We told him that even though the government announced that it is working on building a democratic nation, they didn’t release political prisoners. We don't accept its announcement. We also don’t support the Constitution and the election,” said Khin Saw Htay.
Khin Saw Htay said she pointed out to Dinger that opposition poltical parties that contested the election can’t do anything for the people of Burma and the new government is dominated by ex-Burmese military leaders.
“I think he also wanted to know how alert the Burmese people are about politics. And he may want to know if the NLD maintains a political movement,” said Khin Saw Htay.
Dinger also met in central Burma with members of political parties who contested the general election in Nov. 2010, including the National Democratic Force (NDF), National Unity Party (NUP) and Democratic Party (Myanmar). His meeting with members of the NDF—a breakaway faction of the NLD—took place in Yenangyaung Township.
Party sources said that Dinger focused on Thein Sein's speech and the survival of the pro-democracy movement and opposition political parties.
Dinger previously held several meetings in Rangoon with opposition leaders and politicians, including NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi and leaders of the NLD, NDF and Democratic Party (Myanmar), where he talked about US initiated economic sanctions on Burma. In these meetings, Dinger reportedly said the US sanctions were only aimed at putting pressure on Burma to speed up the process towards a democratic government.
The Obama administration said in April that it will continue to engage the Burmese leadership despite the fact that Burma has ignored, and often directly contradicted, the advice of the international community.
At a panel discussion on Burma in Washington D.C. in April, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific, Joseph Y. Yun, told the audience that the Obama administration is trying its best to engage with the Burmese junta, but without any success.
The NLD, which won a landslide victory in the 1990 general election only to have the ruling military junta refuse to transfer power, was dissolved by the Burmese government in 2010 for refusing to register for the November election. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21267
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Canada Urges Accreditation of Burma Ambassador
By LALIT K JHA Tuesday, May 10, 2011
WASHINGTON — A reciprocal accreditation of ambassadors between Canada and Burma would provide Canada with more opportunities to effectively convey to the Burmese government its concerns about human rights and democracy, a Canadian Foreign Ministry official has said.
Canada has been made to wait several months for its ambassador-designate, Ron Hoffman, to present his credentials to Naypyidaw. Canada has said it hopes to finalize the matter soon given that the new Burmese envoy, Kyaw Tin, presented his credentials to Canadian Governor General David Johnston at a simple ceremony in Ottawa last month.
“The reciprocal accreditation of ambassadors will provide us with more opportunities to communicate our key concerns on security, human rights, and democratic development,” said Priya Sinha, a spokesperson for Canada’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
Canada's most recent ambassador to Burma, Denis Comeau, completed his assignment in July 2007.
“The scheduling of ceremonies for ambassadors to present their credentials is determined by the host country. It is not uncommon for these ceremonies to take a number of months or longer to be organized,” Sinha said when asked why it is taking so long for Canada’s ambassador-designate to present his credentials.
“This new Canadian ambassador has been in Thailand for at least two years trying to get his credential accepted by the junta,” said Tin Maunghtoo, of Canadian Friends of Burma, adding that Hoffman went to Burma earlier this year to present his credentials. “But because of some situations such as the arrival of the new year, [an official visit from] senior officials from China, and the official inauguration of the new government and president, his credential process was not completed,” he said.
Although the ambassadorial posts have been vacant for the past few years, diplomatic relations between Canada and Burma were not broken off during this period.
“We commend individuals and organizations who have sought to increase awareness and understanding of democratic rights and processes among the Burmese people while operating in a repressive environment. We look forward to engaging with these stakeholders as they continue working to try and build a truly democratic Burma,” Sinha told The Irrawaddy. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21263
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UN special envoy to visit Myanmar
May 10, 2011, 1:45 GMT
Yangon - United Nations special envoy to Myanmar Vijay Nambiar is to visit the country this week, a government official said Tuesday.
'Nambiar will visit here on Thursday,' an official who requested anonymity told the German Press Agency dpa. 'He will stay in Myanmar for three or four days and is scheduled to meet both government and opposition figures.'
Nambiar is expected to meet Myanmar's new president, Thein Sein, and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, according to the official.
It would be Nambiar's first meeting with Suu Kyi, who was only released from six years of house detention on November 13. She has spent about 15 of the past 21 years under house arrest.
The UN special envoy last visited Myanmar five months ago, following the November 7 general election which brought the pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party to power.
The polls were generally slammed by Western democracies as a sham, since they excluded democracy heroine Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) party.
Myanmar has been under military rule since 1962. An election in 1990 was won by the NLD but they were blocked from assuming power by the ruling junta.
The NLD boycotted the November polls after the military passed regulations that would have forced them to drop Suu Kyi from their party in order to contest the elections.
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1638079.php/UN-special-envoy-to-visit-Myanmar
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Bangkok Post
Coal transport plan scrapped
Published: 10/05/2011 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News
CHIANG RAI : A lignite mining company has scrapped a plan to transport 5,200 tonnes of coal daily from Burma through Mae Fa Luang and Mae Chan districts after fierce local protests.
Saraburi Coal Co representative Pakon Ruamthong told authorities of the decision in a meeting yesterday.
The company tried in vain for two years to convince residents to allow the transportation of the imported coal.
The company planned to use up to 200 six and 10-wheel trucks a day to take lignite from the Mong Kok mine in the eastern Shan State via Ban Mong Kao Lang in Mae Fa Luang and use tambon Pa Sang in Mae Chan as a transit point.
The lignite was to be supplied to cement producing plants in Saraburi.
Protesters, including former beauty queen Preeyanuch Parnpradub, who has a house in Pa Sang, were worried the lignite would pollute the air and water enroute.
The company, an affiliate of Italthai Public Co, had proposed covering the coal in the trucks with canvas and limiting the trucks' speed to 25 kilometres per hour as they pass through communities.
Mr Pakon said the firm will now ask Burmese authorities to allow the lignite to be transported via the town of Tachilek, opposite Mae Sai district in Chiang Rai, instead.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/236193/coal-transport-plan-scrapped
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Rangoon's Former Mayor in Corruption Scandal
By THE IRRAWADDY Tuesday, May 10, 2011
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The former mayor of Rangoon, Aung Thein Linn, has been summoned to answer questions concerning allegations that he stole at least two billion kyat [more than US $2 million] of Rangoon Municipal Committee funds during his tenure in office from 2003 to 2011, said sources in the former capital.
Aung Thein Linn's successor Hla Myint summoned him last month to explain where the missing funds are, according to a source at Rangoon Municipal Committee. However, Aung Thein Linn is yet to appear.
Incumbent Rangoon Mayor Hla Myint is a retired army colonel and former diplomat.
"[Aung Thein Linn] sequestered hundreds of plots of land and a number of apartments,” said a civil servant. “He also awarded himself a massive slice of the budget for proposed road constructions. Very little was ever spent on roads during his time in office.”
Rumors that Aung Thein Linn had been arrested have circulated around Burma and abroad in recent days. However, his son-in law, Kyaw Thu Soe, told The Irrawaddy that he had not been detained.
Aung Thein Linn is currently a member of the Central Committee at the Rangoon Division branch of the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP).
He won the parliamentary seat for South Okkalapa as a USDP candidate in November's election, but was widely alleged to have rigged the polls.
Aung Thein Linn reportedly seized for himself plots of land in Shwe Pyi Thar, South Dagon and North Dagon townships in Rangoon Division, while allegedly misusing hundreds of millions of kyat from a cement factory in Tharsi Township in Mandalay Division. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21265
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
News & Articles on Burma-Monday, 09 May, 2011
News & Articles on Burma
Monday, 09 May, 2011
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ASEAN must think twice before handing chair to Burma
Burma's Asean Chairmanship Still Uncertain
Burma Conference Banned From Chiang Mai
Asean Open to Burmese Leadership, But Democratic Reforms Still Needed
Local Authorities in Shan State Profit from Opium Production
Burma not confirmed as chair in 2014
ASEAN mulls single currency
Visa on arrival hopes dashed
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Asian Correspondent
ASEAN must think twice before handing chair to Burma
By Zin Linn May 09, 2011 3:18PM UTC
A communiqué issued at the end of the two-day ASEAN leaders’ summit in Jakarta said: “We considered the proposal of Myanmar (Burma) that it would host the ASEAN summits in 2014, in view of its firm commitment to the principles of ASEAN.”
It also emphasized that ASEAN leaders supported the “steady progress and political developments in Myanmar” after it held general elections and formed a new government in March, calling the ballot “successful.” But, ASEAN leaders overlook the true story about the November 7 election, which unfairly allowed the junta-backed party to rig the votes.
The election, Burma’s first in 20 years, was severely criticized by the opposition and critics in the West as undemocratic.
The Asian Network For Free Elections (ANFREL) released a statement dated November 9 calling attention to ballot counting procedures that made by the Union Election Commission (UEC). It said the counting process was not made transparent to the public and the media beginning with the first advance voting period.
Moreover, ethnic nationalities in Burma that fight for self-determination were prevented from participating in the election. More than 3,000 villages in ethnic nationality areas have also been excluded from the electoral exercise because of continuing armed conflict.
Thus, calling the ballot “successful” means ASEAN supports an undemocratic vote-rigging election in Burma.
Southeast Asian leaders have no objection to Burma or Myanmar’s request to chair the 10-member ASEAN bloc in 2014, as long as it continues making progress towards democracy, Indonesia’s president said on Sunday after the group’s latest summit.
“ASEAN leaders do not object in principle,” Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said at his closing news conference. “But Myanmar, which is a focus of world attention, is expected to continue progress on democracy so when it becomes chair it does not generate negative views.”
However, the Thein Sein government has been reinforcing its troops in several areas where ethnic armed groups that did not follow the border guard force (BGF) plan are based, according to ethnic sources. Armed reinforcements have been reported in southern Karen State and in central and southern Shan State in eastern Burma since early this year.
Sporadic armed clashes have been going on recently between the junta’s troops and armed ethnic groups such as the Karen National Union (KNU), the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) Brigade 5, the Shan State Army–North (SSA-North) and Shan State Army-South (SSA-South).
So, the Burma Army has been going on with war against the ethnic minorities who are defending their basic civil rights, including self-determination. If ASEAN leaders consider offering the chair to Burma (Myanmar) in 2014, they should pressure Thein Sein government to stop the unjust war on the ethnic people. They ought to take facilitator role to stop the civil war in Burma. In this civil war, Burmese soldiers have been committing lots of crimes – lootings, rapes, burning villages, destroying crops, killing innocent ethnic villagers, forced-labor and forced conscription.
Moreover, the Thein Sein government still detains over 2,000 political prisoners including important ethnic leaders. To take the ASEAN chair, Burma must not keep political prisoners who really are committing no crime but expose their political beliefs.
In addition, the Thein Sein government must allow freedom of expression and a free press. Burma is one of the most autocratic and covered up countries in the world, due to both its restrictive press laws and its practice of punishing journalists. In recent elections, the Burmese junta did not allow press freedom for both Burmese and international news media.
It was a significant hindrance to Burma becoming a free society. So, the analysts state that in the absence of media freedom Burma (Myanmar) should not act as ASEAN chair since there will not be accountability and transparency.
Reporters Without Borders released its annual press freedom report in October 2010, ranking Burma 174th out of 178 countries. On October 18, Burma announced that foreign journalists would not be granted access to Burma to cover the news on elections.
Looking at the facts on the ground in Burma, there are more military attacks in the ethnic minority areas, more forced labor, more child soldiers, more political prisoners, more refugees, more restrictions toward media, more control on Internet users and civil societies.
So, ASEAN needs to be very cautious and to put more pressure on Burma until the fundamental benchmarks for chairmanship are carried out before 2014.
http://asiancorrespondent.com/54080/asean-should-not-decide-simply-on-chairmanship-to-burma/
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Burma's Asean Chairmanship Still Uncertain
By SAW YAN NAING Monday, May 9, 2011
It is still uncertain if the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) will allow Burma to assume the bloc's chairmanship in 2014 despite concerns over the country's human rights record, according to sources close to Asean leaders.
According to a statement released yesterday, the leaders of Asean said they would consider Burma's proposal to host the Asean Summits in 2014 based on its firm commitment to the principles of the regional grouping.
“What we hear is that there need to be some missions into Burma, probably by Indonesia and maybe joined by the Philippines, to examine whether Burma is ready to chair Asean in 2014,” Phil Robertson, the deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch (HRW), told The Irrawaddy on Monday.
Burmese President Thein Sein attended the May 7-8 Asean Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, on his first trip abroad as president since he took office in March. He said that Burma is ready for the Asean chairmanship in 2014.
Singapore, one of the founding members of Asean, did not agree with Burma’s proposal. However, the Burmese regime's bid to become Asean's chairman will be discussed again at an upcoming Asean summit in Bali in October.
Burma skipped its turn to act as chairman of the grouping in 2006 due to international pressure over its poor human rights records.
“What Asean should be doing is putting human rights issues first. And they should be very clear and say that without human rights improvement in Burma, there is no way we can consider the Burmese government’s request to become the chair of Asean,” said Robertson.
Robertson said a major concern was that no one at the Asean meeting was talking about the release of 2,000 political prisoners, the continuing use of forced labor and offensives against ethnic nationalities.
Last weekend, HRW released a statement urging Asean to reject Burma’s request to become chairman until the Burmese government takes genuine steps towards improving human rights.
To improve its human rights record, Burma should release political prisoners, stop forced labor and work on political reconciliation with all stakeholders, including pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and leaders of ethnic minorities, said Robertson.
Despite Burma's lack of action on addressing these issues, the Asean leaders said in their statement that they reiterated their support for the “steady progress and political developments” in Burma following the holding of general elections in 2010 and the formation of a new parliamentary government.
Debbie Stothard, the coordinator of the Alternative Asean Network on Burma (Altsean), said that Burma was not qualified to chair Asean in 2014 because the current Burmese leaders have not made an effort to achieve genuine democratic reform in the country.
She said that real change in Burma would include the release of all political prisoners, a national cease-fire, a tripartite dialogue between the ruling regime, the democratic opposition and ethnic groups, and ending war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Burmese army in its campaigns against ethnic minority groups.
Ohn Kyaing, a spokesperson of the dissolved main opposition party, the National League for Democracy, agreed that the regime still has far to go before it can take a leading role in Asean. “In fact, there has been no change in Burma, even though it has announced a new government,” he said, speaking to The Irrawaddy on Monday.
He also said he didn't think Asean would give the chairmanship to Burma, as it would damage the image of the bloc.
HRW also pointed out that Burma has failed to address concerns repeatedly raised by Asean leaders in past summits. It said that elections held last November were a sham, as international election observers were not allowed into the country for monitoring. The main military-backed party claimed around four-fifths of the seats in Parliament and now dominates the government.
Khin Maung Swe, a leader of the National Democratic Front, one of the opposition parties that contested the election, said: “It is reasonable for Burma to seek to become the chair of Asean because it is a member of the Asean bloc, and the decision will be made by Asean leaders. But to show progress on human rights and democracy, it is necessary to at least release political prisoners.”
Thu Wai, the chairman of the Rangoon-based Democratic Party (Myanmar), which also ran last year, said that Burma may be qualified to host the Asean Summit in 2014, but it is still doubtful that the current government is committed to real political reform.
Burma become a member of Asean in 1997 along with Laos, while Cambodia joined the grouping in 1999. Asean was firstly established in 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. It has since expanded to include 10 nations in the Southeast Asian region. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21259
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Burma Conference Banned From Chiang Mai
By KO HTWE Monday, May 9, 2011
Thailand's National Security Council (NSC) has banned a Burmese pro-democracy event in Chiang Mai following a complaint from Naypyidaw, according to sources in the northern Thai city.
The prohibition come after news leaked to Burmese officials that outlawed ethnic armed groups planned to hold a meeting at a hotel in Chiang Mai on May 3 to 7. According to a Thai official who asked to remain anonymous, the Burmese government then sent an objection to their Thai counterparts.
“The order came down from the NSC,” said the official. “The Burmese government got wind that the United Nationalities Federal Council [UNFC] had scheduled a conference in Chiang Mai. We don’t know who gave them the information. It seems that there is informer within that group.”
The UNFC is an umbrella group of Burmese resistance movements and ethnic militias, including the Karen national Union, the Kachin independence Organization, the Karenni National Progressive Party, the New Mon State Party, the Shan State Army and the Chin National Front.
Other Burmese events in Chiang Mai, including a celebration of Aung San Suu Kyi's birthday on June 19, have also been banned by the Thai authorities.
Burmese exile groups have enjoyed relative freedom in Chiang Mai in recent years. Many previously reported harassment and repression under the administration of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in the early 2000s.
Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Monday, Khuensai Jaiyen, the editor of Chiang Mai-based Shan Herald Agency for News, said that previously the Burmese government only learned about the opposition groups' meetings after they had concluded.
“The Thai authorities told the organizers that they will not allow such a meeting on Thai soil,” he said. “They said that the ban includes any meeting involving groups that are opposed to the new Burmese government.
“It appears that there is an informer inside the opposition group,” he added. “It threatens unity within the alliance.”
The immigration office in Chiang Mai has also instructed hotels and conference centers in Chiang Mai to inform them of any suspected meeting scheduled by Burmese opposition group, according to a local hotelier.
At the 15th Asean Summit in Cha-am, Thailand, in 2009, Burma's then Prime Minister Thein Sein told his Thai counterpart Abhisit Vejjajiva that Burma will not allow anyone to use Burmese territory to attack Thailand. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21258
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Asean Open to Burmese Leadership, But Democratic Reforms Still Needed
By ISMIRA LUTFIA / JAKARTA GLOBE Monday, May 9, 2011
Indonesia, as the current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, says Burma still needs to prove its move toward democracy is sincere if it wants to lead the bloc in 2014.
In his closing remarks at the 18th Asean Summit in Jakarta, which ended on Sunday, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the regional grouping’s leaders “in principle” did not object to Burma becoming chair.
He said Laos, which was set to assume the rotating leadership of the 10-member bloc in 2014 based on the alphabetical order of member countries, had proposed it swap with Burma so it could concentrate on ongoing domestic issues.
“Based on Laos’s request, Myanmar [Burma] has been asked to take the chairmanship in 2014 and Laos will assume it in 2016,” he said. “In principle, Asean’s leaders do not object to the proposal.”
However, Yudhoyono said Burma was expected to show progress in its move toward democracy so it would not cast the bloc in a negative light.
Burma’s chairmanship will be discussed again at the next regional summit in November.
“We hope that Myanmar [Burma] will continue with the process since it has caught the world’s attention,” the president added.
The 2014 chairmanship will come at a critical time for Asean since it will be the last year before the planned single regional community is realized in 2015.
Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa said on Thursday that Burma’s readiness to assume the chairmanship “extends beyond practical readiness” and that Indonesian officials would visit Burma to review developments in its new government and the process of becoming a more democratic country.
Burma’s military junta held general elections in November in an effort to transition to civilian rule, leading Asean members to push the United States and Europe to drop sanctions against it.
But many observers dismissed the elections as a sham and said the generals would still be pulling the strings behind the scenes. The country’s Parliament is still dominated by the military and its political proxies.
Any decision to allow Burma to chair Asean could provoke strong protests from Western governments and human rights groups, and could complicate efforts by Asean to work more closely with the US and the European Union.
Human Rights Watch sharply criticized Asean’s readiness to allow Burma to head the grouping in 2014. “This is unfortunately a decision of political convenience over political principle, and indicates once again that human rights is not a priority for Asean,” said Phil Robertson, HRW’s deputy Asia director.
Although the rotating chairmanship of Asean is determined by alphabetical order, Indonesia asked at the 16th Asean Summit in April 2009 to swap its turn with Brunei so it could focus on hosting the 21st Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in 2013.
Following the 2009 summit in Hanoi, however, Asean leaders said such an exchange would not create a precedent, a principle that was reaffirmed by Asean Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan after the summit.
He said it would be a “one-off swap” and would not further affect the rotation system prescribed by the Asean Charter. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21254
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Local Authorities in Shan State Profit from Opium Production
By NAYEE LIN LATT Monday, May 9, 2011
Local army and police units in southern Shan State are reportedly imposing a “tax” of up to 80,000 kyat (US $96) per acre on farmers growing opium poppies in exchange for turning a blind eye to cultivation of the illicit crop, according to local residents.
“The tax ranges from 50,000 to 80,000 kyat, depending on how far the farm is from the city,” said a poppy farmer in Mongpan.
There are many areas in southern Shan State known for opium production, including Inlone, Loilem, Mongpan, Hopong, Pinlaung, Laikha, Hsihseng, Kunhing and Panglong.
Farmers in these areas prefer to grow opium rather than other crops because they can make about 800,000 to 900,000 kyat ($964-1,084) per viss (1.63) of raw opium, according to the farmer.
“Even raw opium pays a good price, so farmers don't mind paying the tax if it means they can grow as many acres as they want. And the local authorities don't care how much opium is produced, as long as we pay the tax,” he added.
In July 2010, Burma was named the world's second-largest opium production country by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Burma is also ranked Southeast Asia's fourth-largest producer of methamphetamines.
Most of the money for large-scale opium cultivation comes from wealthy Chinese businessmen, who have far more money to invest than local farmers. Some Chinese businessmen pay to grow hundreds of acres of poppies, said a Loilem resident.
“There is more interest in growing opium poppies in recent years because business is good. But it is mainly Chinese businesspeople fueling this growth, as local farmers are too poor and traditionally only plant enough to support themselves and their families,” said the resident.
“You can take as many acres as you want to grow opium poppies, as the land is considered to be wild. Wealthy Chinese are involved in a big way, purchasing many acres of land,” said a farmer in Mongpan.
In 2009, UNODC reported that Burma had 3,200 hectares of land under opium poppy cultivation, up 11 percent from the previous year, and 50 percent more than in 2006. Despite these increases, however, Burma's government claims it is committed to eliminating the production of narcotic drugs in the country.
Thein Nyunt, the secretary of the Central Committee for Progress of Border Areas and National Races, was quoted by The New Light of Myanmar on March 24 as saying that drug elimination remains a key part of a 15-year regional development plan due to end in 2014.
However, farmers say that government efforts to crack down on opium production have been minimal.
“The authorities sometimes destroy opium poppy fields, but only ones with a poor yield, or ones that have already been harvested,” said an opium farmer in Lai-Hla Township.
In addition to the local authorities, Pa-O cease-fire groups in Hopong, Hsihseng, Pekon and Panglong townships also demand payment for permission to grow opium poppies, he said.
Opium cultivation is also an important source of income for many others in this impoverished part of Shan State. Sap collectors, who make incisions on the poppy pods to extract the raw opium, can make more than 10,000 kyat ($12) per day during the harvest period, but wages are even higher if their services are urgently needed, according to local residents.
Local villagers are not the only ones earning these wages. Local people say that others, including university students and relatives of soldiers and police based in the area, are also seen harvesting the sticky liquid that is the raw material of a multi-billion drugs industry.
“Due to job scarcity and the lack of regular classes at university, many students from Panglong come to work in the fields. You can even see children and drug addicts out there, as well as family members of local soldiers and police, because it's an easy way to make money,” said a resident of Loilem.
A report by the US State Department said that the illicit drug trade in Burma is strongest in remote and conflict-affected ethnic areas of the country. It also notes that drug trafficking-related corruption among mid-level civilian and military officials is rampant, and accuses the Burmese regime of failing to make the fight against illicit drugs a priority. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21256
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Bangkok Post
Burma not confirmed as chair in 2014
Achara Ashayagachat
Published: 9/05/2011 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News
JAKARTA : Asean failed to resolve the issue of Burma's chairmanship yesterday, the last day of the bloc's 18th summit in Jakarta.
A statement from the current chair, Indonesia, only reiterated support for the steady progress and political development in Burma following a general election and the formation of a new government.
"We considered the proposal of Myanmar to host the Asean summit in 2014, based on its commitment to the principles of Asean," the statement said.
While the news was welcomed by some exiled Burmese dissidents, their concerns have not yet been rebutted as the majority of Asean members including Thailand have expressed support for Naypyidaw.
Previously, senior officials and foreign ministers had consented to Burma's request to assume the rotating chair, which it agreed not to take up in 2005 to pursue domestic political reform.
However, Indonesia reasserted that the question of Burma as chair was not urgent and could be discussed at the next Asean summit in October in Bali, sources said.
Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said Thailand had no objection to Burma assuming the chair as its November election was a critical turning point.
Asean has also stipulated that whenever Burma had a new government, it could resume the chair, he added.
However, Burma should also undertake appropriate steps including the release of political prisoners, freer mobility for the people and liberalisation towards democracy, Mr Kasit said.
"These components could seal Burma's stronger chairmanship of Asean. It's like a score-card," he said.
Khin Ohnmar, from Burma Partnership, said it was a huge relief that Burma's formal request for the chair of Asean was not approved.
But she noted that Asean should not fall into the same trap as when they accepted Burma as a member in the hope that engagement would help bring about democratic change.
"Asean should start engaging with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, ethnic representatives, the National League for Democracy and others to support the national reconciliation process," she said.
Aung Myo Min, director of the Human Rights Education Institute of Burma, said allowing Burma to take the chair of Asean in 2014 would jeopardise the bloc's community goal in 2015.
"How can a country with no respect for dialogue, for political and peaceful solutions, strengthen regional peace as a whole?" he said.
Writer:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/235999/burma-not-confirmed-as-chair-in-2014
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ASEAN mulls single currency
By JOSEPH ALLCHIN
Published: 6 May 2011
The prospect of a single ASEAN currency was raised at a high level ministerial meeting in Hanoi this week in a move that would ask serious questions of the regional bloc, not least its less developed economies like Burma.
A briefing paper was prepared for the ASEAN+3 meeting of deputy finance ministers and was the first time that such an idea has been studied “concretely”, according to Dow Jones financial news.
Experts suggest however that this could spell “the end of the regime” in Burma. Australian-based Burma economics expert Sean Turnell told DVB that such a move would bar the Burmese government from funding itself through printing money as it pleases. That practice, he said, has led to the “biggest divergence” between an official and unofficial currency in history.
The briefing paper was prepared by Japan’s Institute for International Monetary Affairs, Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, and the University of Indonesia, with an eye to “accelerate the integration process”, the Dow Jones report said.
“As economic integration deepens further in East Asia, it would be more beneficial to East Asian countries to adopt an exchange rate regime that collectively floats against the US dollar and the euro while maintaining a stable intra-regional exchange rate.”
This could initially be achieved through what is known as a currency basket, where an average value of a group of regional currencies is worked out and traded against international currencies such as the dollar or the euro.
Burma’s dual exchange rate and massive inflation rates would be a major stumbling block, but the prospect of a single currency could alternatively be a way out of the country’s persistent currency woes.
Turnell believes that ASEAN ignoring Burma’s self-financing through printing money is a “massive problem… which would undermine any sought of single currency”. If this was prohibited, as it is in the EU, for example, which has a single currency, then the Burmese regime’s “main financing vehicle would disappear in a single stroke”.
Europe’s experience moreover, where economies such as Greece, Ireland and Portugal collapsed under the weight of enormous government debt, has warned other blocs away from seeking a single currency. And while the divergence between Greece and Germany is great, the two systems are not as alien as Singapore’s to Burma’s, for instance.
While the prospect of an ASEAN single currency or regional monetary unit (RMU) is at present a distant possibility, moves such as the China-ASEAN free trade agreement have encouraged many to look at such mechanisms as most East Asian economies continue to perform well.
http://www.dvb.no/news/asean-mulls-single-currency/15562
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Visa on arrival hopes dashed
By SHWE AUNG
Published: 9 May 2011
Burma will not be bringing back the visa-on-arrival scheme anytime in the near future because of a lack of improvement in tourism infrastructure, the tourism minister has stated.
The announcement dashes hopes of a reintroduction of the popular scheme that saw tourism numbers to the isolated country hit record highs last year, despite it only being active for four months.
A businessman who attended a recent meeting with Hotel and Tourism Minister Tint Hsan said it would instead be a step by step process.
“He [Tint Hsan] said it would be embarrassing if we open the visa on arrival when our country is not yet ready [to service tourists],” he said. “Last year, big crowds of tourists came in and it got out of control. We need to prepare a lot.”
Hotel and tourism business owners also reportedly urged the minister to appoint a ‘Visit Myanmar Year’ as it did in 1996, although that was roundly seen as a failure.
Burma remains Southeast Asia’s least travelled country, largely due to the controversy surrounding much of the tourism industry: rights groups claim that the money spent by tourists lines the pockets of the ruling regime, which has been known to use slave labour in the development of tourism infrastructure.
Numbers of visitors are rising however, with figures for last year showing a 33 percent increase on 2009. Still, however, the 300,000-odd that visited in 2010 pale ni comparison to the roughly 14 million that hit Thailand each year.
The visa scheme was halted in September last year after managing to attract 80,000 visitors in the four months of its existence. Observers speculated that it had been stopped to prevent journalists entering under the guise of tourists to cover the November elections.
http://www.dvb.no/news/visa-on-arrival-hopes-dashed/15568
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Monday, May 9, 2011
News & Articles on Burma-Monday, 08 May, 2011
News & Articles on Burma
Monday, 08 May, 2011
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Asean Open to Burma Chairing Bloc: SBY
Asean considers giving Burma chairmanship in 2014
Myanmar to chair ASEAN chair despite rights record
Myanmar could lead ASEAN in 2014
ASEAN to agree to give Myanmar chairmanship
ASEAN considers giving Myanmar chairmanship in 2014
EU to negotiate FTA with all ASEAN countries, except Myanmar
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Asean Open to Burma Chairing Bloc: SBY
May 08, 2011
Southeast Asian leaders have no objection to Burma’s request to chair the 10-member Asean bloc in 2014, as long as it continues making progress towards democracy, Indonesia’s president said on Sunday after the group’s latest summit.
“Asean leaders do not object in principle,” Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said at his closing news conference.
“But Burma, which is a focus of world attention, is expected to continue progress on democracy so when it becomes chair it does not generate negative views.”
A communique issued at the end of the two-day Asean leaders’ summit in Jakarta said: “We considered the proposal of Burma that it would host the Asean summits in 2014, in view of its firm commitment to the principles of Asean.”
It added that Asean leaders supported the “steady progress and political developments in Burma” after it held general elections and formed a new government in March, calling the ballot “successful”.
A previous draft communique said Asean had already “consented to the proposal” to chair the bloc in 2014. But the final draft, and Yudhoyono’s comments, suggest a final decision will be made at a later date.
Burma held elections earlier this year to switch from military to civilian rule, leading the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) to push the United States and Europe to drop sanctions against it.
But many observers dismissed the election as a sham that has kept the generals in power behind the scenes.
Any decision to allow Burma to chair Asean would provoke protests from Western governments and rights groups, and would complicate efforts by Asean to work more closely with the United States and the European Union.
Rights group Human Rights Watch sharply criticized Asean’s apparent readiness to allow Burma’s 2014 presidency.
“This is unfortunately a decision of political convenience over political principle, and indicates once again that human rights is not a priority for Asean,” said Phil Robertson, the HRW’s Asia deputy director.
Reuters http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/asean-open-to-burma-chairing-bloc-sby/439858
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Asean considers giving Burma chairmanship in 2014
JAKARTA, INDONESIA - May 08 2011 14:03
South-east Asian leaders said on Sunday they were considering allowing Burma to chair the 10-member Asean group in 2014, backing away from an earlier draft statement that said they had already agreed to the country's request.
A communique issued at the end of a two-day Asean leaders' summit in Jakarta said: "We considered the proposal of Myanmar [Burma] that it would host the Asean summits in 2014, in view of its firm commitment to the principles of Asean."
It added that Asean leaders supported the "steady progress and political developments in Myanmar" after it held general elections and formed a new government in March, calling the ballot "successful".
A previous draft communiqué said Asean had already "consented to the proposal" to chair the bloc in 2014.
Burma held elections earlier this year to switch from military to civilian rule, leading the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) to push the United States and Europe to drop sanctions against it.
But many observers dismissed the election as a sham that has kept the generals in power behind the scenes.
Any decision to allow Burma to chair Asean would provoke protests from Western governments and rights groups, and would complicate efforts by Asean to work more closely with the United States and the European Union. - Reuters http://mg.co.za/article/2011-05-08-asean-considers-giving-burma-chairmanship-in-2014/
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Myanmar to chair ASEAN chair despite rights record
STAFF WRITER 12:28 HRS IST
Jakarta, May 8 (AP) Myanmar will likely take over the rotating chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2014 despite the military-dominated country's record on human rights.
The regional grouping is supposed to rotate the post every year between its 10 member countries.
Myanmar was forced to skip its turn in 2005 after coming under heavy pressure from the international community over slow progress on national reconciliation and human rights.
A draft of the ASEAN chairman statement seen by The Associated Press and to be issued at the close of a two-day summit later today says Southeast Asian leaders "consented to the proposal of Myanmar that it would host the ASEAN Summits in 2014. http://www.ptinews.com/news/1575244_Myanmar-to-chair-ASEAN-chair-despite-rights-record-
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Myanmar could lead ASEAN in 2014
Dina Indrasafitri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sun, 05/08/2011 8:00 AM | World
ASEAN leaders will discuss Myanmar’s request to chair the grouping in 2014 on Sunday, but as Indonesia wants to maintain engagement with Myanmar, ASEAN will likely let the reclusive country take the post.
Myanmar president Thein Sein, who heads the military-backed party that overwhelmingly won controversial general elections late last year, requested the country chair ASEAN in 2014 at Saturday’s leaders’ meeting.
“Today we heard Myanmar’s request, which will be discussed [Sunday],” Indonesian Foreign Ministry director general for ASEAN cooperation Djauhari Oratmangun said on the sidelines of the 18th ASEAN Summit in Jakarta on Saturday.
Foreign Ministry director for ASEAN political cooperation Ade Padmo Sarwono said Indonesia, a supporter of engaging Myanmar, would listen to the views of other member states before making a decision.
Officials said Saturday that Laos supported Myanmar’s bid while Thailand and several other countries indicated they weren’t opposed to Myanmar chairing ASEAN in 2014, while Singapore is reported to have said it would be better to push back the date because of human rights concerns.
Given the way ASEAN makes decision, officials said there was no reason to reject Myanmar’s bid as Indonesia and the other ASEAN states backed the results of the country’s election.
“Myanmar feels they have completed their democratization process with the election, and with the release of [pro-democracy icon] Aung San Suu Kyi they want to claim their right as possible chair,” an ASEAN official said on condition of anonymity.
The grouping rotates its chair every year. However, Myanmar was forced to skip its turn in 2005 after coming under heavy pressure from the international community over its stalled progress on national reconciliation and human rights issues.
ASEAN’s likely decision to allow Myanmar to chair the group in 2014 will face criticism from regional and international civil society groups.
New York-based Human Rights Watch urged ASEAN to reject Myanmar’s request until the country’s government took genuine steps toward improving human rights, including the release of more than 2,000 political prisoners.
HRW pointed out that Myanmar failed to address concerns repeatedly raised by ASEAN leaders in past summits.
It said Myanmar held sham elections in November 2010, with widespread restrictions on opposition parties, continued detention of political activists, and severe limits on basic freedoms of expression, association, and assembly, with international election monitoring not allowed inside as the main military-backed party swept the large majority of seats and now dominates the government.
“Rewarding Burma [Myanmar] with ASEAN’s chairmanship aft er it staged sham elections and still holds 2,000 political prisoners would be an embarrassment for the region,” Elaine Pearson, HRW’s deputy Asia director, said. http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/05/08/myanmar-could-lead-asean-2014.html
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ASEAN to agree to give Myanmar chairmanship
(Reuters)
8 May 2011
JAKARTA - Southeast Asian leaders on Sunday will agree on Sunday to allow Myanmar to chair the 10-member ASEAN group in 2014, a draft statement seen by Reuters said, a move likely to spur protests from Western nations and rights groups.
Myanmar held elections earlier this year to switch from military to civilian rule, leading the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to push the United States and Europe to drop sanctions against it.
But many observers dismissed the election as a sham that has kept the generals in power behind the scenes.
“(We) consented to the proposal of Myanmar that it would host the ASEAN summits in 2014, in view of its firm commitment and dedication to implement the ASEAN community building as well as to ASEAN solidarity,” said the draft statement to be released on Sunday.
The draft added that ASEAN leaders supported the “steady progress and political developments in Myanmar” after it held general elections and formed a new government in March, calling the ballot “successful”.
ASEAN has in the past, along with Western nations, called on Myanmar to include pro-democracy opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi in any political solution, and so the decision appears to be a change of stance.
Rights group Human Rights Watch slammed the ASEAN decision.
“This is unfortunately a decision of political convenience over political principle, and indicates once again that human rights is not a priority for ASEAN,” Phil Robertson, the HRW’s Asia deputy director said.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2011/May/international_May359.xml§ion=international&col =
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ASEAN considers giving Myanmar chairmanship in 2014
JAKARTA | Sun May 8, 2011 3:43pm IST
Regional leaders pose for a group photo prior to a dinner upon arrival at the 18th ASEAN Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia May 7, 2011. REUTERS/Achmad Ibrahim/Pool
(Reuters) - Southeast Asian leaders said on Sunday they were considering allowing Myanmar to chair the 10-member ASEAN group in 2014, backing away from an earlier draft statement that said they had already agreed to the country's request.
A communique issued at the end of a two-day ASEAN leaders' summit in Jakarta said: "We considered the proposal of Myanmar that it would host the ASEAN summits in 2014, in view of its firm commitment to the principles of ASEAN."
It added that ASEAN leaders supported the "steady progress and political developments in Myanmar" after it held general elections and formed a new government in March, calling the ballot "successful".
A previous draft communique said ASEAN had already "consented to the proposal" to chair the bloc in 2014.
Myanmar held elections earlier this year to switch from military to civilian rule, leading the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to push the United States and Europe to drop sanctions against it.
But many observers dismissed the election as a sham that has kept the generals in power behind the scenes.
Any decision to allow Myanmar to chair ASEAN would provoke protests from Western governments and rights groups, and would complicate efforts by ASEAN to work more closely with the United States and the European Union.
(Reporting by Olivia Rondonuwu; Editing by Andrew Marshall) http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/05/08/idINIndia-56855220110508?rpc=401&feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&rpc=401
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EU to negotiate FTA with all ASEAN countries, except Myanmar
Sunday, 08 May 2011 02:37
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 05/07/2011
The European Union is looking forward to engaging in free trade agreements with ASEAN member nations. EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht talked to The Jakarta Post’s Sita Winiawati Dewi and other reporters in Jakarta on Friday.
What is the progress of FTA negotiations with Indonesia?
With Indonesia, the idea last year was to have a Vision Group to assemble a report, and they have come up with their report and it will be officially presented in June in Europe. All we are waiting for are signatures from Indonesia to start the official scope exercise and subsequent negotiations. I think we have made very good progress. I don’t want to put a date on it because of the responsibility of our Indonesian counterparts. It’s up to them.
Would that be a region-to-region approach or region-to-country approach. How does it work?
We started the negotiations with ASEAN as a bloc, but we had to stop this for two main reasons. There’s a very different level of development in each of the countries, which has made negotiations very difficult.
Secondly, because of Myanmar. But even if we were to negotiate under present circumstances, region-to-region, in practice, it would be largely a discussion with each individual country, because there is no common external tariff, custom union nor internal market, which means that in any case, you would have different arrangements from one country to another. We are now negotiating to take care so that all of these negotiations have the same backbone. That’s one of the discussion [points] with Vietnam. We want them to agree on the level of ambitions that coincide with a common backbone. Once we have completed these negotiations with all of the individual member states interested in doing so, there’s where the economic community comes about. I think that would be the right moment to move into the region-to-region approach.
The whole ASEAN region has poor human rights and democracy track records. Some members are stuck, or even moving backwards. So why is Myanmar singled-out, and do you think this problem could be overcome?
First of all, I wouldn’t say that the only country that has been shaved from the region-to-region approach is Myanmar. That is certainly not true. I would say that if you were to continue a bloc-to-bloc [approach], it would take years. You would be better to take it one after another to achieve practical results. There is not only the link to Myanmar. That is not true. What is true is that the Myanmar topic is extremely sensitive in Europe. But we are also open to changes. For example, there has been a recent election and there also has been the freeing of Aung San Suu Kyi. We have reacted by softening some of the sanctions. We are ready to be reactive to positive developments in that country. But much more should be done. And by the way, I believe ASEAN is playing a positive role by putting pressure on Myanmar to walk in the right direction. Now, as you say there are human rights problems in some of these countries, I don’t want to single out any one. We are going to address it in the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and also in the Partnership Cooperation Agreement (PCA), which are political angles in these kinds of agreements. And we have the policy that a PCA comes before the FTA, or at least simultaneously.
Would the EU negotiate one-by-one until the tenth country? Would there be a limitation on the number of countries that will negotiate with the EU?
We negotiate with any country that asks us to negotiate. I think it’s clear that in the moment we would not be ready to engage FTA negotiations with Myanmar. There’s no certain limitation and I hope that limitations will disappear. But for now, if Myanmar were to ask us to negotiate on a free trade agreement, we would say no. http://www.eastwindburma.net/eng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=812:eu-to-negotiate-fta-with-all-asean-countries-except-myanmar&catid=81:myanmar-news&Itemid=458
Sunday, May 8, 2011
News & Articles on Burma-Saturday, 07 May, 2011
News & Articles on Burma
Saturday, 07 May, 2011
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Leaders to discuss Myanmar's bid to chair ASEAN in 2014
Burma’s New President Is No Moderate
Southeast Asian leaders gather in Jakarta
ASEAN must thoughtfully handle Burma's proposal for chair
EU to negotiate FTA with all ASEAN countries, except Myanmar
Southeast Asian leaders meet in Indonesia
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Leaders to discuss Myanmar's bid to chair ASEAN in 2014
AMITA O. LEGASPI, GMA News
05/07/2011 | 02:35 PM
The leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are set to discuss Myanmar’s bid to chair the 10-country regional bloc in 2014, but would most likely not issue a decision on the request yet.
Indonesian foreign minister Marty Natalegawa told reporters the ASEAN leaders would definitely look into the matter but “I have a feeling personally that this is not a matter that will be decided here."
In a separate interview, Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said the ministers "agreed to recommend Myanmar's bid for chairmanship to the leaders."
If the matter will not be decided in this Summit, Myanmar would have to wait until the next ASEAN meet in November to be held in Bali, Indonesia.
Indonesia is the current chair of the ASEAN.
Myanmar had formally submitted its request to exchange its chairmanship with Laos but sources said Myanmar still hopes to get the chairmanship.
The ASEAN chairmanship is a matter decided by the leaders of the member-states years ahead.
After Indonesia, Cambodia will take over the chairmanship for 2012 and will be followed by Brunei for 2013.
In 2006, Myanmar skipped its turn to chair ASEAN due to international pressure for democratic reforms on the condition that it could ask to lead the group at a later time if it felt it was ready.
Myanmar President Thein Sein, appointed in March 2011, brought up the issue when he met with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono when he arrived last Thursday in Indonesia for the Summit.
Marty said “the matter was discussed and the chairman of ASEAN, our President, mentioned that this will be brought to the attention of the other leaders for their perusal and consideration."
“There will be a process to ascertain the readiness of Myanmar to assume chairmanship in 2014," Marty said.
He will be going to Myanmar soon to assess the progress and political situation there. He said other ASEAN countries are welcome to come also.
In a separate interview, Philippine House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte expressed hope that Myanmar will be able to implement changes in its political system by 2014.
“Matagal pa rin naman yun (That’s still a long way from now). I think a lot of things will happen before that. Let’s hope that by that time they will be up to it. I believe they are up in terms of competence, but there is a question on the philosophy of their government and in its human rights record)," he said.
A international human rights group earlier said the ASEAN leaders should reject Myanmar's bid for chairmanship until its government takes genuine steps toward improving human rights, including the release of more than 2,000 political prisoners.
Human Rights Watch said Myanmar has failed to address concerns repeatedly raised by ASEAN leaders in past summits.
It said Myanmar held sham elections in November 2010, with widespread restrictions on opposition parties, continued detention of political activists, and severe limits on basic freedoms of expression, association, and assembly. International election monitoring was also not allowed.
The military-backed party won a large majority of seats and now dominates the government.
"Rewarding Burma with ASEAN's chairmanship after it staged sham elections and still holds 2,000 political prisoners would be an embarrassment for the region," said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
"ASEAN leaders need to decide if they will let Burma demote ASEAN to the laughingstock of intergovernmental forums," she added.
Since the election, Burma freed democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi when her house detention order expired. But more than 2,000 activists, journalists, artists, aid workers, and members of political parties remain in Burma's squalid prisons, locked up for peaceful acts expressing opposition.
She added ASEAN member states should set clear benchmarks for Burma to earn the right to be chair, starting with the immediate release of all political prisoners in Burma, an inclusive dialogue with all political and ethnic parties, and cooperation with international efforts to promote accountability for human rights abuses.
"ASEAN leaders should not be fooled into thinking Aung San Suu Kyi's release means any progress on reform in Burma," said Pearson. "They should join Indonesia and the Philippines in calling for Burma to release all political prisoners." — LBG, GMA News http://www.gmanews.tv/story/219931/world/leaders-to-discuss-myanmars-bid-to-chair-asean-in-2014
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Burma’s New President Is No Moderate
David Scott Mathieson | May 07, 2011
The Asean summit that starts on Saturday is a debut for Burma’s new President Thein Sein and the now ostensibly civilian, but still tightly military-controlled government formed on March 30.
Since the elections of Nov. 2010 and the release of dissident Aung San Suu Kyi, many governments in Asia and the West have intensified their search for moderates in Burma’s new military-parliamentary complex, in order to increase engagement with the government. Thein Sein’s inaugural speech is being lauded as a blueprint for a new moderate government, with his emphasis on tackling corruption, promoting the role of the media, and emphasizing health and education. But these are just words; there has been no discernible improvement in the human rights situation of Burma at all since the elections, no release of political prisoners, no letup in fighting in ethnic conflict zones or granting basic freedoms to Burma’s 59 million citizens.
It is thus disquieting to hear many informed observers on Burma refer to Thein Sein as “Mr Clean.” Without questioning the commentators’ standards of hygiene, it is safe to say that the former Lt. Gen. Thein Sein is actually a ruthless loyalist with a well-established past in command positions during some of Burma’s darker and most corrupt periods.
It is a matter of public record that Thein Sein was the commander of the Triangle Region Military Command from 1997 to 2001. This is the area infamously known as the Golden Triangle, long a redoubt of drug lords and warring ethnic and Communist armies. During his tenure, there was a decline in opium and heroin production in his area of operations, but there are two main reasons for this — neither necessarily due to a firm commitment to drug eradication.
First, Afghanistan heroin production was booming at the end of the 1990s, so Burmese syndicates such as the massive United Wa State Army couldn’t compete on global markets because of the more labor-intensive production of opium in Burma, and overwhelming new supply. Second, the main drug producers were actually branching into massive methamphetamine production, which was proving easier to manufacture, supply, and sell. The UWSA’s central narco-financier, Wei Hsueh-kang, has been under indictment by the United States since 1998, with a $2 million price tag on his head (eight other senior leaders were indicted in 2005).
Neighboring Thailand paid the highest price for the surge in meth exports, which was the main catalyst for then-Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s murderous domestic “war on drugs” in 2003. The new town of Mong Yawn close to the Thai border was the lynchpin in the UWSA’s strategy to increase drug supply into Thailand. To help Mong Yawn grow, the UWSA forcibly relocated nearly 100,000 civilians from northern Shan State from 1999 to 2001, ostensibly to break their dependence on opium cultivation. As the Lahu National Development Organization (an ethnic community development NGO from Burma), and numerous Western and Thai journalists who covered the operation reported, in this draconian transmigration hundreds are suspected to have died from abuses and disease, including an anthrax outbreak. I lived in this area in 2003, with ethnic Shan, Lahu and Akha refugees, who could see their seized land on the other side of the valley, occupied by relocated ethnic Wa, guarded by UWSA and Burmese army camps. Thein Sein’s headquarters in the town of Kengtung was right in the middle of this nearly year-long relocation.
What Thein Sein’s specific role was in the Mong Yawn project is not known, but he could not have been unaware of it, nor could he have been unwitting to the explosion of drug money in his area of operations. At the time, senior Thai army commanders claimed that Thein Sein not only knew the drug plants were there, but was actively protecting them: then Third Army Commander Lt. Gen. Wattanachai Chaimuenwong and Thai army commander Gen. Surayud Chulanont raised this fact on a regular basis, during frequent border skirmishes between Burmese and Thai forces during this period due to massive drug smuggling being protected by units within Thein Sein’s command area. According to Bertil Lintner, a noted expert on the regional drug trade, and numerous academics and researchers on Burma’s military such as Mary Callahan, Burma’s regional commanders have long been suspected to be sitting on top of a corrupt patronage system that maintains order through regulating rackets and illicit trade, not interdicting them.
Thein Sein’s recent past suggests no grounds for optimism either. Following his stint in the Golden Triangle, Thein Sein was the military adjutant general and then secretary no. 1 of the ruling State Peace and Development Council. He has since been a senior member of the regime, including serving as prime minister when scores of protesters were killed on the streets of Rangoon in a peaceful uprising in September 2007. He was in charge of the government when Western relief agencies were denied access to Burma following the devastating Cyclone Nargis in 2008. Instead of giving priority to aid for the sick and injured, the government focused on its sham constitutional referendum that is the blueprint for continued authoritarian rule. Perhaps most disturbing, since he became prime minister in 2007, the number of political prisoners doubled to more than 2,200.
The search for “pragmatists over hard-liners” within the ruling elite has been a central fault-line in the speculative trade of Burmese political analysis for years. Many Western journalists, academics, aid workers and diplomats believed former Prime Minister and military intelligence chief Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt was the pragmatic player who was negotiating between his intelligence faction, Suu Kyi and the West to broker a deal for democratic reforms. This apocryphal glasnost was ruptured in October 2004 when Khin Nyunt and his intelligence clique, more than 800 officers, were rounded up by the so-called hard-liners. Most are in prison or under house arrest.
It remains unclear why Khin Nyunt was considered to be a moderate given his long years of ruthless repression of the opposition, widespread use of torture against dissidents and lucrative cease-fire deals with drug lords. Perhaps it was because he would talk about possible reform with outsiders, yet his vision was of a Burma no longer ostracized by the rest of the world, not a free and democratic country. The Burmese academic Kyaw Yin Hlaing in a recent article disputed the view of Khin Nyuint as a clandestine liberal: “He was only liberal to the extent that being liberal served his interest.”
Since the November 2010 elections, most Asian and some Western countries have adopted a “glass half-full” view of Burma, seeing the release of Suu Kyi as a key concession and searching for avenues of enhanced interaction. Pragmatic policy makers may well subscribe to this Ouija-board political analysis, but in the absence of hard evidence of the new government’s sincerity to engage in reforms, including improving the rights situation, they should also take a glance at the ruthless past of these fledgling faux-democrats.
Admitting that many of Burma’s power-holders have a brutal past does not suggest that the rest of the world doesn’t have to deal with them: Asean and its dialogue partners must increase engagement on a number of fronts. However, engagement is best approached with some basic principles in hand and a clear view of whom you are dealing with, not who you would like them to be.
David Scott Mathieson is a senior researcher in the Asia Division of Human Rights Watch. http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/opinion/burmas-new-president-is-no-moderate/439595
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Southeast Asian leaders gather in Jakarta
Niniek Karmini
May 7, 2011 - 6:54PM AP
A bloody border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia threatened to dominate an annual summit of Southeast Asian nations on Saturday, with Burma's bid to become chair of the regional grouping and talks on easing economic disparities across borders also on the agenda.
In his speech that opened the two-day summit, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, was formed based on a desire to create peace and promote stability through regional integration and cooperation.
"We realise that to ensure peace and stability in East Asia, ASEAN must first be able to guarantee peace in its own region," said Yudhoyono, the group's current chair.
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"ASEAN is obliged to respond to the dynamics of conflict, which can affect the image of ASEAN and sustainable peace in the region," he said, apparently referring to the deadly dispute between Thailand and Cambodia that began last month.
Another hot topic at the summit was expected to be Burma's request to chair ASEAN in 2014. Some countries say Burma is ready, but others argue the government has not yet done enough to improve human rights.
Presidents and prime ministers filed into the tightly guarded summit venue in the Indonesian capital to talk about their long-stated goal of building a competitive and highly integrated economic region.
That will mean everything from improving road, rail and other transportation links to finding ways to guarantee food security and overcome vast energy challenges.
But regional security concerns such as the potentially oil-rich Spratly islands claimed by China and several ASEAN nations - a dispute that worries the US as well - and terrorism following the death of Osama bin Laden were likely to steal the show.
The most pressing issue, however, is renewed fighting along the border of Thailand and Cambodia, which has claimed nearly 20 lives in the last two weeks, sending tens of thousands of people fleeing their homes, though fighting has eased in recent days.
Meeting on Friday ahead of the ASEAN leaders' weekend summit, several foreign ministers urged both countries to settle the issue peacefully, citing the regional bloc's bedrock principle of settling disputes amicably.
When Cambodia spoke about the border dispute, however, Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Promya, visibly irked, said he was ready to argue with anyone who would attempt to discuss the bilateral conflict in detail during the annual gathering. After the outburst, the other ministers evaded the issue, according to two ASEAN diplomats who attended the meeting and spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the dispute.
As current chair of ASEAN, Indonesia has been trying to help mediate the dispute over small parcels of land claimed by both countries, but has so far made little headway.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said he wants ASEAN to oversee a permanent ceasefire, according to his top adviser, Sri Thamrong, but Thailand still believes the problem should be settled bilaterally or through the International Court of Justice.
Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario told reporters that during the ministerial meeting, he raised the need for ASEAN to end a nine-year disagreement with China that has prevented both sides from completing the guidelines of a 2002 accord aimed at preventing armed conflicts over the disputed Spratly Islands.
The guidelines would allow China and claimant countries to pursue joint development projects to ease tensions in the disputed South China Sea region, he said.
Four ASEAN members - Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam - are among the claimants. They have agreed to pursue their claim as a bloc through ASEAN, but China has disagreed, preferring to discuss the dispute bilaterally.
Meanwhile, Burma's president, Thein Sein, who heads the military-backed party that overwhelmingly won general elections late last year, was expected to ask for the right to chair ASEAN in 2014.
The regional grouping is supposed to rotate its chair every year between member countries - Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
However, Burma was forced to skip its turn in 2005 after coming under heavy pressure from the international community over slow progress on national reconciliation and human rights.
Thailand and several other countries have indicated they wouldn't be opposed to Burma chairing ASEAN in 2014, but Singapore said it would be better to push back the date because of lingering concerns about human rights abuses.
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/southeast-asian-leaders-gather-in-jakarta-20110507-1ed9b.html
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ASEAN must thoughtfully handle Burma's proposal for chair
Sat, 2011-05-07 02:07
By - Zin Linn
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been considered granting military-led Myanmar (Burma) the chair of the grouping in 2014, regardless of grave concerns about human rights violations and sham democratic system.
Senior ASEAN officials meeting in Jakarta ahead of a leadership summit at the weekend said Myanmar (Burma) had sought the chair of the 10-nation bloc in 2014, when communist Laos was due to take the job. At the meeting, the Laotian officials said that they would not mind switching with Burma with its chair in 2014. Cambodia and Brunei will the AEAN chair in 2012 and 2013 respectively.
The new ex-general Thein Sein-led namesake civilian government of Burma is upset to acquire ASEAN’s endorsement. If it accepted as chairman of the organization would definitely provide them crucial recognition. Burma under the former military junta missed out its turn as chair of ASEAN in 2006 because of strong international objections led by Western countries.
In 2004 August, activists in ASEAN area launched an international campaign calling for Burma to be disqualified from chairing the regional bloc in 2006, saying it would affects the grouping's credibility and reputation.
At that time, a delegation led by Dr Gothom Ariya, the then secretary-general of the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (Forum-Asia) presented Thai Foreign Ministry officials an open letter with signatures by organizations from the region, East Asia, Europe and North America. Copies of the letter addressed to respective ASEAN governments were delivered by a group of activists to member nations' embassies in Bangkok.
Burma abandoned the opportunity to preside over ASEAN in 2006 due to international objections for its lack of political improvement. Burma has often pledged to perform economic and political reforms but all of those promises to ASEAN have been broken.
Human Rights Watch pointed out in its 6 May Statement that Burma has failed to address concerns repeatedly raised by ASEAN leaders in past summits.
“Rewarding Burma with ASEAN’s chairmanship after it staged sham elections and still holds 2,000 political prisoners would be an embarrassment for the region,” said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
“ASEAN leaders need to decide if they will let Burma demote ASEAN to the laughingstock of intergovernmental forums.”
Burma‘s President Thein Sein has already arrived in Indonesia, the current chair of ASEAN, to be present at the two-day summit opening Saturday. He met Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Thursday on what is his first journey overseas as president since he was sworn in on March 30.
On the other hand, The ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC) also calls on ASEAN leaders attending the 18th ASEAN Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia on 7-8 May 2011 to reject the application by Myanmar (Burma) to chair ASEAN in 2014, unless real democratic and human rights reforms are made by the Myanmar government.
The AIPMC says in its statement that oppression in Myanmar make up a black stain on the credibility of ASEAN. It will be an obstacle to efforts by ASEAN to build an ASEAN Community by 2015. ASEAN should rather consider suspending Myanmar from the organization over its flagrant violations of the ASEAN Charter.
The AIPMC underlines: “We urge Thailand in particular to refrain from any considerations to repatriate refugees from Myanmar currently on Thai soil. Most importantly, we call on ASEAN to support the call for a UN-led Commission of Inquiry to investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity in Myanmar as a step towards ensuring that this region will no longer tolerate impunity and violations of human rights and to press upon Myanmar the need for tangible steps towards inclusive democracy in the country.”
AIPMC gives a clear message to Burma that genuine political reform was expected before Burma could become the chairman of ASEAN.
However, the chairmanship remains ASEAN’s only influence with the Burmese government and the group should take advantage of it more efficiently. ASEAN ought to take part to start a meaningful dialogue between Thein Sein government and the political dissident groups including key opposition party led by Aung San Suu Kyi.
ASEAN should make use of Burma's bid for chair in three years' time as a useful bargaining chip. This opportunity may be a delicate diplomatic attempt for ASEAN to play as a facilitator between President Thein Sein and the democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi. All at once, the grouping can take part in addressing relationship between Burma and the Western democracy countries as well.
I n brief, ASEAN should persuade its member Burma to organize a national reconciliation talk among the Burma’s stake-holders. At this point, the most important thing ASEAN has to do is driving the new Thein Sein government to release all political prisoners as a sign of benevolence message not only to its own people but also to the International Community.
In brief, while coping with the Burma topic, ASEAN must abide by the ASEAN Charter that specifies the loyalty “to the principles of democracy, the rule of law and good governance, respect for and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms”.
- Asian Tribune - http://www.asiantribune.com/news/2011/05/06/asean-must-thoughtfully-handle-burmas-proposal-chair
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EU to negotiate FTA with all ASEAN countries, except Myanmar
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 05/07/2011 11:16 PM |
The European Union is looking forward to engaging in free trade agreements with ASEAN member nations. EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht talked to The Jakarta Post’s Sita Winiawati Dewi and other reporters in Jakarta on Friday.
What is the progress of FTA negotiations with Indonesia?
With Indonesia, the idea last year was to have a Vision Group to assemble a report, and they have come up with their report and it will be officially presented in June in Europe. All we are waiting for are signatures from Indonesia to start the official scope exercise and subsequent negotiations. I think we have made very good progress. I don’t want to put a date on it because of the responsibility of our Indonesian counterparts. It’s up to them.
Would that be a region-to-region approach or region-to-country approach. How does it work?
We started the negotiations with ASEAN as a bloc, but we had to stop this for two main reasons. There’s a very different level of development in each of the countries, which has made negotiations very difficult.
Secondly, because of Myanmar. But even if we were to negotiate under present circumstances, region-to-region, in practice, it would be largely a discussion with each individual country, because there is no common external tariff, custom union nor internal market, which means that in any case, you would have different arrangements from one country to another. We are now negotiating to take care so that all of these negotiations have the same backbone. That’s one of the discussion [points] with Vietnam. We want them to agree on the level of ambitions that coincide with a common backbone. Once we have completed these negotiations with all of the individual member states interested in doing so, there’s where the economic community comes about. I think that would be the right moment to move into the region-to-region approach.
The whole ASEAN region has poor human rights and democracy track records. Some members are stuck, or even moving backwards. So why is Myanmar singled-out, and do you think this problem could be overcome?
First of all, I wouldn’t say that the only country that has been shaved from the region-to-region approach is Myanmar. That is certainly not true. I would say that if you were to continue a bloc-to-bloc [approach], it would take years. You would be better to take it one after another to achieve practical results. There is not only the link to Myanmar. That is not true. What is true is that the Myanmar topic is extremely sensitive in Europe. But we are also open to changes. For example, there has been a recent election and there also has been the freeing of Aung San Suu Kyi. We have reacted by softening some of the sanctions. We are ready to be reactive to positive developments in that country. But much more should be done. And by the way, I believe ASEAN is playing a positive role by putting pressure on Myanmar to walk in the right direction. Now, as you say there are human rights problems in some of these countries, I don’t want to single out any one. We are going to address it in the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and also in the Partnership Cooperation Agreement (PCA), which are political angles in these kinds of agreements. And we have the policy that a PCA comes before the FTA, or at least simultaneously.
Would the EU negotiate one-by-one until the tenth country? Would there be a limitation on the number of countries that will negotiate with the EU?
We negotiate with any country that asks us to negotiate. I think it’s clear that in the moment we would not be ready to engage FTA negotiations with Myanmar. There’s no certain limitation and I hope that limitations will disappear. But for now, if Myanmar were to ask us to negotiate on a free trade agreement, we would say no. http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/05/07/eu-negotiate-fta-with-all-asean-countries-except-myanmar.html
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Southeast Asian leaders meet in Indonesia
AFPBy Romeo Gacad | AFP – Sat, May 7, 2011
An Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting in Jakarta. The talks wereovershadowed by conflict on the Thai-Cambodia border and ongoing rights abuses in MyanmarEnlarge Photo
An Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting in Jakarta. The talks wereovershadowed …
Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) met in Indonesia on Saturday for talks overshadowed by conflict on the Thai-Cambodia border and ongoing rights abuses in Myanmar.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono opened the two-day summit in the Indonesian capital, which is expected to focus on long-term efforts to create a closely integrated regional economic zone by 2015.
Other issues expected to be addressed include the scourge of human trafficking in the region, food security, territorial disputes in the South China Sea, and East Timor's membership bid.
But even before they gathered in Jakarta, the 10-member group's leaders were already under pressure to reject a request by military-led Myanmar to chair the block in 2014.
Human rights activists said ASEAN would become a "laughing stock" if they agreed to give such an honour to a country like Myanmar, a pariah state in the democratic world and serial rights abuser.
They are also facing mounting pressure to do something to end a bloody border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia which has claimed 18 lives and temporarily displaced 85,000 people in recent months.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa met his counterparts from both countries in Jakarta on Friday and said the two sides had agreed to accept 15 Indonesian military observers on each side of the disputed frontier.
But he said the deployment of this modest observer mission, which would have no power to police a ceasefire, was still some way off due to unreconciled differences over troop deployments.
"We're seeing a status quo, meaning exchange of fire and artillery, as we talk about ASEAN community. That's not quite right. There's something wrong if we keep on doing this," he said.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/southeast-asian-leaders-meet-indonesia-013726259.html
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