News & Articles on Burma
Tuesday, 11 October, 2011
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Burma's Prisoner-Release Plan Met With Caution
Burma Announces a Mass Prisoner Amnesty— Is Real Reform Next?
Burma announced to free 6,359 prisoners, but how many political detainees?
Burma announces amnesty for 6,359 prisoners
Myanmar gives amnesty to 6,300 prisoners
Western oil groups eye Myanmar changes cautiously
Factbox - Sanctions imposed on Myanmar
Myanmar Releases 6,300 Prisoners
Myanmar says it will free 6,300 prisoners
US will positively respond to Myanmar's 'dramatic political development'
Myanmar set to free thousands of “prisoners of conscience”
Burma to free thousands of prisoners
Govt claims Kachin army drugs link
KIA Denies Govt Allegations of Drug Links
Burma to Compensate China for Dam Suspension
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October 11, 2011
Burma's Prisoner-Release Plan Met With Caution
Daniel Schearf | Bangkok, Thailand
Burma has announced it will release thousands of prisoners as part of a general amnesty amid indications that political prisoners could be among those set free. A leading rights group has dismissed the news, though, as a ploy that shows no real change in policy.
Burma’s state TV announced Tuesday that authorities would release more than 6,300 prisoners as part of an amnesty plan.
Myanmar Radio and Television 4 said officials have prepared a list of the prisoners who will be set free, but did not name anyone.
The news reader said prisoners who already have served parts of their sentences with good behavior will be released under a humanitarian amnesty by President Thein Sein. He said 6,359 inmates will be set free beginning Wednesday in accordance with the constitution.
There was no confirmation, however, that any of Burma’s estimated 2,000 political prisoners will be among those given amnesty.
On-screen text during the announcement repeated the official line that Burma has no political prisoners, only criminals. But there have been other indications that some political prisoners are about to be released.
Tuesday’s edition of the official New Light of Myanmar newspaper published a plea from Burma’s Human Rights Commission urging Sein to release “prisoners of conscience.” On Monday, a Norwegian deputy foreign affairs minister told VOA's Burmese service that parliament speaker Thura Shwe Mann assured him political prisoners will be released beginning within days.
Critics of Burma’s government say that even if the political prisoners are freed, that does not indicate a change of policy by authorities.
Bo Kyi, a spokesman for the Thailand-based Association for Political Prisoners in Burma, said authorities’ refusal to recognize the existence of political prisoners means they would still have criminal records.
Lawyers arrested for defending democracy activists would be unable to practice law, he said, and students sentenced for protesting would not be allowed to continue their studies.
“The European Union or the United States should consider what they are saying and should maybe carefully interpret what they are saying. Right now, I don’t see any policy changes. So, what we need is first like policy changes to recognize them as political prisoners to release them as political prisoners,” he said.
Bo Kyi also said the amnesty is a ploy to get economic sanctions against Burma lifted and to increase support for the country to host the Association of Southeast Asian Nations meetings in 2014.
He notes even as the amnesty was announced, recently arrested political activists are on trial and a journalist imprisoned for photographing a bombing had his sentence increased.
On Monday, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell told an audience in Bangkok that there have been dramatic developments in Burma, but Washington is waiting for more substantial moves.
“We are prepared for a new chapter in our relations and we are watching carefully developments on the ground. And, I think it would be fair to say that we will match their steps with comparable steps,” said Campbell.
Campbell listed the release of political prisoners among several steps the United States wants to see Burma take. http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Burmas-Prisoner-Release-Plan-Met-With-Caution-131514143.html
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Burma Announces a Mass Prisoner Amnesty— Is Real Reform Next?
Posted by Hannah Beech Tuesday, October 11, 2011 at 6:34 am
Squeezed between booming India and equally booming China, Burma has long felt like a time capsule of repressive rule, economic mismanagement and military dominance. But is change finally coming to this strategic crossroads? On Oct. 11, in a state T.V. announcement emblazoned with a “breaking news” banner, the country's government announced a prisoner amnesty affecting 6,359 inmates that would begin on Wednesday, potentially leading to freedom for some of the country's 2,000 or so political prisoners. The same day, a government-run human-rights council urged in an open letter to state media that “what is referred to as prisoners of conscience” be released, in order to promote the task of “nation-building.”
In 2009 and May of this year, Burma, also known as Myanmar, granted amnesty to tens of thousands of inmates, however, few political prisoners were released. But this time the fact that the government human-rights commission acknowledged the existence of prisoners of conscience, plus positive noises made by Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin at the U.N. late last month, are buoying hopes. The release of Burma's political prisoners—who range from politicians, monks and journalists to lawyers, ethnic activists and a famous comedian—might encourage Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi to call for an end Western sanctions on the regime. Some outside observers have called the economic restrictions noble but ineffective, given that Burma freely trades with its Asian neighbors, most notably China and Thailand. But so far, opposition icon Suu Kyi has continued to support the sanctions.
In recent weeks, Burma's leaders have not only made human-rights concessions that are pleasing the West but they have also distanced themselves from the country's biggest trading partner and patron, China. Last month, Prime Minister Thein Sein, a retired general who now heads the country's nominally civilian government, suspended a $3.6 billion Chinese-directed dam in northern Burma that was designed to send most of its future electricity over the border to China. The abrupt decision on the Myitsone hydropower project initially led to grumbles from China's Foreign Ministry, but on Oct. 10, Wunna Maung Lwin visited Beijing to smooth over relations.
Thein Sein has also met in recent weeks with Suu Kyi, who was released from house arrest last year, just days after carefully orchestrated elections in which her National League for Democracy (NLD) did not take part. (The last polls in 1990, which her NLD won, were ignored by the ruling junta.) Critics say the current government is merely a civilian figleaf for the military regime. Nevertheless, there's no question that promises of reform are beginning to play out—perhaps because Burma wants support in its campaign to chair the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2014.
Last week, in a startling interview with Radio Free Asia, Burma's censorship chief hinted that his own bureau should be disbanded. Tint Swe, the head of the Press Scrutiny and Registration Department, said Burma should accept press freedoms in its near future. Last month, websites that had long been banned, like the BBC and YouTube, were unblocked. But press restrictions still remain, and a Burmese magazine that put Suu Kyi on the cover last month was suspended for a fortnight. At least two journalists have been imprisoned in the past year for their work.
On Monday, Kurt Campbell, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, acknowledged that there were “dramatic developments underway” in Burma. “The United States is prepared to match the steps that have been taken,” he said during a stop in Bangkok. As the prisoners being walking out of some of the world's most notorious jails tomorrow, the world will see just how many steps Burma is willing to take toward real change.
Read more: http://globalspin.blogs.time.com/2011/10/11/burma-announces-a-mass-prisoner-amnesty%e2%80%94-is-real-reform-next/#ixzz1aUAnnWZD
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Burma announced to free 6,359 prisoners, but how many political detainees?
By Zin Linn Oct 11, 2011 8:54PM UTC
Burma or Myanmar government’s appointed human rights body – Myanmar National Human Rights Commission – has submitted a request in open letter to President Thein Sein of Burma (Myanmar) today. The MNHRC ‘s chairman Win Mra has urged Burma’s President to release prisoners of conscience in the open letter which appeared in the state-owned media today.
The Rights Commission says in its letter that the establishment of the organization is meant to promote and protect the fundamental rights of citizens enshrined in the Constitution. It can also be regarded as fulfilling the hope and aspiration of the international community.
The letter also says: “The release of those prisoner, convicted for breach of the existing laws, who do not pose a threat to the stability of state and public tranquility in the interest of national races will enable them to participate in whatever way they can in the nation-building tasks.”
The open letter marks an important swing in a country where military-dominated government accustomed to say no to the existence of political prisoners.
Many people notice the letter that published in the state-owned newspapers as a significant sign. Because the government controlled newspapers have a habit of revealing government attitude.
Concurrently, at 1 pm today, Burma’s state-owned MRTV television has broadcast 6,359 prisoners will be freed tomorrow the full moon day of Tha-din-gyut in Burmese calendar as an amnesty given by the new president.
The announcement came out following the chairman of the national human rights body urged President Thein Sein to release “prisoners of conscience” in an open letter in state media.
However, the MRTV did not mention about the numbers of convicts considered to be political prisoner would be among those released.
According to earlier news, Shwe Mann, speaker of Burma’s lower house of parliament, told Norway’s visiting deputy foreign minister Espen Barth Eide that the government has a plan to release more than 1200 political prisoners “within days” at a meeting on 7 October.
Shwe Mann’s assertion was supported by an anonymous government official who confirmed prisoners would be released before the country’s president Thein Sein leaves for an official visit to India on Wednesday (12 October).
Ahead of the government’s today announcement on amnesty, a movement of letter-campaigns has been taking place across the country urging President Thein Sein to release all political prisoners for the sake of national reconciliation. Several famous writers, poets, musicians, artists and intellectuals have signed the petition letter in order to initiate national reconciliation in Burma.
On last May 17, the new Burmese government released more than 14,600 prisoners who had less than one year left on their terms. However, under that clemency line-up, very few political prisoners released because most of political prisoners are serving long-terms imprisonments at least 10 years, 65 years and up to 104 years.
Together with its 2,000 political prisoners, Burma has more than 60,000 prisoners in 42 prisons and 109 labor camps.
Human rights watchdogs and the U.S. State Department have stated the government must go further and immediately release Burma’s estimated 2,100 political prisoners. U.S. President Barack Obama renewed American economic sanctions on Burma for another year in May, saying the large-scale repression of the democratic opposition in that country has not been resolved. http://asiancorrespondent.com/66983/burma-announced-to-free-6359-prisoners-but-how-many-political-detainees/
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Burma announces amnesty for 6,359 prisoners
By A Washington Post Correspondent, Updated: Tuesday, October 11, 9:23 PM
RANGOON, Burma — Burma on Tuesday announced amnesty for 6,359 prisoners, a group expected to include hundreds of political prisoners whose release would be a dramatic sign of opening after nearly 50 years of autocratic rule.
The United States and Europe have long demanded the release of political prisoners as a condition for lifting of economic sanctions on Burma, also known as Myanmar.
The sanctions tightly restrict investment, trade and financial transactions. Easing them probably would accelerate a realignment of Burma’s previously close relations with authoritarian China, which was stunned last month when Thein Sein halted construction of a mammoth Chinese-financed dam in the north of the country. Thein Sein leaves this week for a trip to India, the world’s largest democracy, which has long competed with China for influence and business deals in Burma.
State-controlled Burmese media said the releases of inmates would begin Wednesday, a Buddhist religious holiday. The announcement didn’t name those due to be freed, but both supporters and foes of the regime, as well as diplomats, said they believe the amnesty will cover many pro-democracy activists and others imprisoned because of their political beliefs.
The announcement came on the same day that a newly established human rights commission in Burma issued an open letter to President Thein Sein, urging him to free “prisoners of conscience” who do not pose a “threat to the stability of the state and public tranquility.”
Such prisoners, who are scattered in jails across the country, range from former student leaders--some of whom have been in prison since pro-democracy protests in 1988--to military intelligence officers jailed after the 2004 purge of Khin Nyunt, a former prime minister and spy chief who had tried to reach out to opposition forces.
Their numbers are estimated to range from 600 to more than 2,000. Burma, ruled by military generals in one guise or another since 1962 and long one of the world’s most repressive states, denied for decades that such prisoners even existed.
Thein Sein, an ex-general, took office in March and has since implemented some reforms, passing laws that allow trade unions and opening talks with Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma’s main opposition leader.
Speaking in Bangkok on Monday, a day before the amnesty news, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt M. Campbell said there “are clearly changes afoot” in Burma and added that Washington will respond favorably, though he didn’t spell out how.
Early steps are likely to include an easing of U.S. pressure on the World Bank and International Monetary Fund not to provide financial assistance Burma. An IMF team is due to visit Rangoon, also called Yangon, soon, to advise on how to reform its chaotic and corrupt foreign exchange system, which includes a plethora of different, state-fixed rates.
A single exchange rate would mark an important step in reforming Burma’s decrepit economic system, which has enriched insiders but wrecked what had been, when the country gained independence from Britain in 1948, Southeast Asia’s most prosperous economy.
Tin Oo, vice chairman of the National League for Democracy and a longtime lieutenant of Suu Kyi, said a release of political detainees would signal an important break with the past, though he noted that previous governments had also issued amnesties. A May amnesty for 1,400 inmates included just a few dozen political prisoners.
The current government, despite being stacked with generals, seems more serious about change than its predecessors, Tin Oo said.
He described the Thein Sein as someone Suu Kyi “can work with,” unlike the country’s previous leader, Senior Gen. Than Shwe, who ruled from 1992 until earlier this year.
Since being released from house arrest last year, Suu Kyi has held a series of meetings with the president and senior officials to discuss the release of political prisoners and other issues.
Government censors, who vet all publications, this week allowed her photograph to appear on the front page of several privately run journals. State-run newspapers have dropped what had been a campaign to demonize her and her supporters in the National League for Democracy.
Taken together, the recent reforms “have gone too far to be just window dressing,” said Steven Marshall, the International Labor Organization’s liaison officer in Rangoon. “The political environment now is very different than what it was before.” http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/burma-announces-amnesty-for-6359-prisoners/2011/10/11/gIQAPV2KcL_story.html?wprss=rss_world
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Myanmar gives amnesty to 6,300 prisoners
By Aye Aye Win: Associated Press, Tuesday, October 11, 2011
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Myanmar‘s newly elected civilian government announced Tuesday it will release more than 6,300 prisoners in an amnesty that could help patch up the country’s human rights record and normalize relations with Western nations.
It was widely expected that many of the country’s estimated 2,000 political prisoners would be among those freed, but the amnesty announcements broadcast on state radio and television did not supply any names.
Freedom for political detainees has been hotly anticipated as part of liberalizing measures since Myanmar‘s long-ruling military government handed power in March to a military-backed civilian administration.
“We welcome the amnesty announcement. This is very good news and we hope that many political prisoners will be among those freed,” said Nyan Win, a spokesman for democracy movement leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The announcement said 6,359 inmates would be released beginning Wednesday under a humanitarian amnesty signed by the president for inmates who are old, disabled or unwell or who had shown good “moral behavior.”
Relatives of political detainees were excited by the announcement but wary, given that they could not be sure who would be among those released. The president instituted an earlier amnesty soon after taking office, but it included just a few dozen political detainees.
“We are waiting for the good news, but we have not yet been contacted by authorities here,” said Ma Nyein, sister-in-law of prominent comedian and activist Zarganar, who is serving a 35-year sentence in Myitkyina Prison in northernmost Kachin State.
She said she was unable to reach the prison by phone Tuesday.
Most prominent political prisoners, including many affiliated with ethnic minorities, are held in facilities far from the country’s main city of Yangon, in a policy apparently aimed at limiting their ability to communicate through visiting family members and lawyers.
Zarganar was arrested in 2008 after he gave interviews to foreign news outlets criticizing the junta’s slow response to Cyclone Nargis, which left nearly 140,000 people dead or missing. He was convicted of causing public alarm and illegally giving information to foreign media.
The release of political detainees has been a key concern of the United States, which has been seeking to re-engage with Myanmar after isolating its former military government with political and economic sanctions over its poor record on human rights and democracy.
“We have made clear our desire to see continuing progress on issues such as prisoner releases” and other matters, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt M. Campbell said Monday during a lecture in the Thai capital, Bangkok.
Myanmar officials who have spoken privately of the release do not expect all of the country’s 2,000 political detainees to be freed. But a failure to release a substantial number could be considered by Washington as an inadequate gesture.
“There are clearly changes afoot, but we are at the early stages of that process, and we are looking to see whether they will be sustained,” said Mr. Campbell, the top U.S. diplomat for Asia. The United States believes Myanmar‘s elections were flawed but has been encouraged by its liberalizing trend since the civilian administration took power, Mr. Campbell said.
“I think it would be fair to say that we will match their steps with comparable steps,” he said.
The U.S. could ease restrictions on financial transactions and travel by top Myanmar officials, and also unblock aid by some multilateral agencies as well as resume its own assistance. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/oct/11/myanmar-gives-amnesty-6300-prisoners/
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Western oil groups eye Myanmar changes cautiously
By Tom Bergin; LONDON | Tue Oct 11, 2011 9:00am EDT
Oct 11 (Reuters) - International energy groups say recent signs of political change in autocratic Myanmar are unlikely to lead to a rapid expansion of their activities in the country, which holds valuable reserves of oil and gas.
Christophe de Margerie, Chief Executive of France's Total SA , said his company, which has a project in the former British colony, would like to play a bigger role in the country, formerly known as Burma, but had to see concrete signs of increased democratisation before this was possible.
Western trade sanctions have been in place since the military crushed a 1988 student uprising isolating Myanmar's army dictatorships but in March, the army nominally handed over power to civilians after elections in November. The process was ridiculed at the time as a sham to cement authoritarian rule behind a democratic facade.
It was followed by other overtures such as calls for peace with ethnic minority guerrilla groups, some tolerance of criticism and more communication with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who was released last year from 15 years of house arrest.
On Tuesday, state television said 6,359 prisoners would be freed on Wednesday and political detainees are expected to included.
"We decided that... it was important to be in Myanmar but that we will not invest until things are getting better... I do hope that will happen," Total's de Margerie told reporters on the sidelines of the Oil and Money conference in London.
Total leads the $1 billion Yadana gas project in the Andaman Sea, and the CEO said he would like to back additional exploration and production investments.
U.S. oil major Chevron is a partner in Yadana but Washington banned new investments in Myanmar by U.S. companies in 1997 and barred imports.
New investments by western oil companies could be a boon for the companies which build and supply their facilities but Andrew Gould, chief executive of the world's largest oil services company, Schlumberger , said it was too soon to tell the implications from the recent political easing.
Myanmar's crude oil reserves are estimated at 3.2 billion barrels, the energy ministry has said. This compares with China's proven oil reserves of 14.8 billion barrels, Malaysia's 5.8 billion, Vietnam's 4.4 billion and Indonesia's 4.2 billion barrels, at the end of 2010, according to the BP Statistical Review.
The country's proven gas reserves tripled in the past decade to around 800 billion cubic metres, equivalent to more than a quarter of Australia's, BP Statistical Review figures show.
Malcolm Brinded, Executive Director for Upstream International, Royal Dutch Shell PLC and Ali Moshiri, President, Chevron Africa and Latin America Exploration and Production Company all declined to talk about possible new investments in Myanmar. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/11/oil-myanmar-idUSL5E7LB1MA20111011?rpc=401&feedType=RSS&feedName=rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews&rpc=401
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Factbox - Sanctions imposed on Myanmar
ReutersBy Asia Desk, Singapore | Reuters – 7 hours ago
(Reuters) - A new official human rights body in Myanmar urged the president on Tuesday to release "prisoners of conscience" in an open letter in state media, the clearest sign yet that the reclusive state may free political prisoners within days.
The United States, Europe and Australia have made the release of an estimated 2,100 political prisoners a key condition before they would consider lifting sanctions imposed in response to human rights abuses.
Washington's demands go beyond prisoners, making it unclear whether it would lift sanctions if the prisoners are released and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi withdraws her support for punitive measures.
Here is an overview of existing sanctions on the former Burma and its rulers:
EU SANCTIONS:
-- The European Union adopted a Common Position on Myanmar in 1996, including a ban on the sale or transfer from the EU of arms or weapons expertise to Myanmar, or of any equipment that might be used for internal repression.
-- EU governments tightened sanctions after a crackdown on pro-democracy protests led by Buddhist monks in September 2007, targeting 1,207 firms with measures including visa bans and asset freezes.
In April 2009, the EU extended for another year a visa ban and asset freezes on members of the Myanmar military government and its backers. It has long called for the release of political prisoners.
-- France said last year there should be a global embargo on arms sales to Myanmar and economic sanctions focussed on its key exports, timber and rubies. Britain called for the U.N. Security Council to impose a global arms embargo.
-- The EU has added members of the judiciary responsible for Suu Kyi's extension of house arrest in 2009 to its list of military officials subject to asset freezes and bans on travel.
U.S. SANCTIONS:
-- The United States first imposed broad sanctions in 1988 after the junta's crackdown on student-led protests. It banned new investment in Myanmar by U.S. nationals or entities in 1997.
-- Washington has gradually tightened sanctions to try to force Myanmar's generals into political rapprochement with Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, which won a landslide election victory in 1990 but was kept out of power.
-- President Barack Obama renewed the U.S. sanctions in May last year. Washington has said sanctions will be reassessed if the government formed after last year's election made major efforts to improve the country's human rights record.
-- In July 2008, the Treasury moved to block the assets and transactions of Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd and the Myanmar Economic Corp and their subsidiaries.
-- The moves banned American individuals and businesses from transactions with the firms and froze any assets they had under U.S. jurisdiction.
-- The Burma Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003 banned all imports from Myanmar, restricted financial transactions, froze the assets of certain Myanmar financial institutions and extended visa restrictions on junta officials.
OTHER SANCTIONS:
AUSTRALIA - Since October 2007, Australia has implemented sanctions against members of Myanmar's leadership and their associates and supporters.
Sanctions currently cover: targeted financial sanctions (implemented by the Reserve Bank of Australia), restrictions on financial transactions involving Myanmar's leadership and its associates and restrictions on visas and travel to Australia.
CANADA -- Imposed sanctions in November 2007 banning exports to Myanmar, except for humanitarian goods, and barring imports. It froze the Canadian assets of Myanmar citizens connected with the junta. Canada also prohibited the provision of financial services and the export of technical data to Myanmar and banned new investment by Canadians.
NEW ZEALAND -- Has a long-standing ban on visas for military leaders and their families.
JAPAN -- Japan froze new development assistance to Myanmar in 2003, while continuing humanitarian aid. It restored development help in June and the Foreign Ministry said it may make further moves if political prisoners are released.
ASIA -- Most Asian governments have favoured a policy of engagement towards Myanmar and southeast Asian countries have called for Western sanctions to be lifted.
(Compiled by Asia Desk, Singapore; 65 6870 3815) http://uk.news.yahoo.com/factbox-sanctions-imposed-myanmar-071001636.html
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Myanmar Releases 6,300 Prisoners
AYE AYE WIN 10/11/11 09:35 AM ET AP
YANGON, Myanmar — Myanmar's newly elected civilian government announced Tuesday it will release more than 6,300 prisoners in an amnesty that could help patch up the country's human rights record and normalize relations with Western nations.
It was widely expected that many of the country's estimated 2,000 political prisoners would be among those freed, but the amnesty announcements broadcast on state radio and television did not supply any names.
Freedom for political detainees has been hotly anticipated as part of liberalizing measures since Myanmar's long-ruling military government handed power in March to a military-backed civilian administration.
"We welcome the amnesty announcement. This is very good news and we hope that many political prisoners will be among those freed," said Nyan Win, a spokesman for democracy movement leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
President Thein Sein, a former army officer who took office in March, has begun a dialogue with the democracy movement and promised other reforms that could start to reverse the harsh policies of decades of military rule.
The announcement said 6,359 inmates would be released beginning Wednesday under a humanitarian amnesty signed by Thein Sein for inmates who are old, disabled, unwell or who had shown good "moral behavior."
Relatives of political detainees were excited by the announcement, but wary, given that they could not be sure who would be among those released. Thein Sein instituted an earlier amnesty soon after taking office, but it included just a few dozen political detainees.
"We are waiting for the good news but we have not yet been contacted by authorities here," said Ma Nyein, sister-in-law of prominent comedian and activist Zarganar, who is serving a 35-year sentence in Myitkyina prison in northernmost Kachin State.
She said she was unable to reach the prison by phone Tuesday.
Most prominent political prisoners, including many affiliated with ethnic minorities, are held in facilities far from the country's main city of Yangon, in a policy apparently aimed at limiting their ability to communicate through visiting family members and lawyers.
Zarganar was arrested in 2008 after he gave interviews to foreign news media criticizing the junta's slow response to Cyclone Nargis, which left nearly 140,000 people dead or missing. He was convicted of causing public alarm and illegally giving information to foreign media.
The release of political detainees has been a key concern of the United States, which has been seeking to re-engage with Myanmar after isolating its former military government with political and economic sanctions over its poor record on human rights and democracy.
"We have made clear our desire to see continuing progress on issues such as prisoner releases" and other matters, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt M. Campbell said Monday during a lecture in the Thai capital, Bangkok.
Myanmar officials who have spoken privately of the release do not expect all of the country's 2,000 political detainees to be freed. But a failure to release a substantial number could be considered an inadequate gesture by Washington.
"There are clearly changes afoot, but we are at the early stages of that process and we are looking to see whether they will be sustained," said Campbell, the top U.S. diplomat for Asia.
The United States believes Myanmar's elections were flawed but has been encouraged by its liberalizing trend since the civilian administration took power, Campbell said.
"I think it would be fair to say that we will match their steps with comparable steps," he said.
The U.S. could ease restrictions on financial transactions and travel by top Myanmar officials, and also unblock aid by some multilateral agencies as well as resume its own assistance. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/11/myanmar-releases-prisoners_n_1004690.html
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Myanmar says it will free 6,300 prisoners
Published: Oct. 11, 2011 at 7:23 AM
NAYPYITAW, Myanmar, Oct. 11 (UPI) -- The Myanmar government would offer amnesty to some 6,300 prisoners, state media said Tuesday but critics said they had doubts.
CNN reported it was not clear if those to be released Wednesday would include political detainees, the release of whom the United States and other critics of Myanmar's decades-long military rule have been demanding.
Myanmar was formerly called Burma.
The amnesty announcement reportedly came after a call by the government-appointed National Human Rights Commission to pardon "prisoners of conscience."
CNN reported the commission was appointed last month but some of its members had previously defended past Myanmar's human rights record.
The New York Times reported there was no mention of prisoners of conscience in the official announcement, adding there are an estimate 2,100 political prisoners currently in detention.
However, there have been changes in the country since elections last November, which led to the appointment of a military-backed civilian government.
Myanmar's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who had been held under house arrest for years before being freed, has since met with new President Thein Sein. Last month, Myanmar Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin met with U.S. officials in Washington.
Kurt Campbell, U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, said Monday there have been dramatic developments in Myanmar and the United States is watching carefully, prepared for a new chapter in relations.
Late last month, President Thein Sein suspended construction on a $3.6 billion China-led hydroelectric project, which had been opposed by Suu Kyi and environmental groups.
Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/10/11/Myanmar-says-it-will-free-6300-prisoners/UPI-14931318332192/#ixzz1aU6f5r26
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US will positively respond to Myanmar's 'dramatic political development'
Washington, Oct 11 : A senior U.S. official has described political overhauls under way in Myanmar as a "dramatic development", but assured that Washington would respond to the situation there positively to improve ties between both countries.
Speaking at a forum in Bangkok on U.S. engagement in Asia, Kurt Campbell, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said that discussions between the U.S., Europe and Asian countries over Myanmar have "stepped up very, very substantially" in recent months amid rising hopes the secretive Southeast Asian nation could be embarking on its most extensive effort at overhauls in more than a decade.
Among other steps, Myanmar has eased curbs on the Internet, relaxed restrictions on the media, and launched what Campbell described as a "very consequential" dialogue with dissident Aung San Suu Kyi, who was released from more than seven years of house arrest last year.
The government has also promised to take other steps soon, including the possible release of hundreds of political prisoners whose incarceration has long bedeviled relations between Myanmar and the West.
"Compared to what we have experienced in the past, there are clearly changes afoot. The United States is prepared to match the steps that have been taken and we''re in the process" of determining how to proceed, The Wall Streets Journal quoted Campbell, as saying.
However, he cautioned that changes in Myanmar were in the "early" stages and that U.S. officials still had "enduring concerns" over a range of issues in the country, including unconfirmed reports that Myanmar''s government is engaged in a covert nuclear-proliferation program with North Korea, which Myanmar officials deny.
--ANI http://www.newkerala.com/news/2011/worldnews-85171.html
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Myanmar set to free thousands of “prisoners of conscience”
Aung Hla Tun, Yangon— Reuters; Published Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011 7:07AM EDT
Last updated Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011 8:49AM EDT
Reclusive Myanmar is expected to release a number of political detainees on Wednesday under an amnesty for thousands of prisoners announced after the national human rights commission urged the president to free “prisoners of conscience.”
The United States, Europe and Australia have made the release of an estimated 2,100 political prisoners a key condition before they would consider lifting sanctions imposed on the pariah Southeast Asian state.
State television said 6,359 prisoners who are “elderly, sick, disabled or have served their punishment with good conduct and character” would be freed on Wednesday, but did not say if political detainees would be among them.
General prisoner amnesties are fairly common in Myanmar. A May amnesty for 14,000 inmates included just 47 political prisoners, which human rights activists called a token gesture.
But there may be more reason for optimism this time.
One lawmaker, who attended a meeting on Friday in the capital, Naypyitaw, told Reuters the release of political prisoners could come “in a few days”. He said that was the message given by Shwe Mann, the lower house speaker.
In an open letter published on Tuesday, Win Mra, chairman of the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission, wrote that prisoners who did not pose “a threat to the stability of state and public tranquility” should be released.
“The Myanmar National Human Rights Commission humbly requests the president, as a reflection of his magnanimity, to grant amnesty to those prisoners and release them from the prison,” the letter ended.
The commission was formed last month by President Thein Sein, a former general but who took over this year as the first civilian head of state in half a century.
The open letter marks a significant shift in the former British colony, also known as Burma, where authorities have long refused to recognise the existence of political prisoners, usually dismissing such detainees as common criminals.
There have been other significant signs of change since the army nominally handed over power in March to civilians after elections in November, a process ridiculed at the time as a sham to cement authoritarian rule behind a democratic facade.
Recent overtures by the government have included calls for peace with ethnic minority guerrilla groups, some tolerance of criticism and more communication with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who was released last year from 15 years of house arrest.
“It raises the question of whether the government is indeed moving towards some serious relaxation of its control of the population and of the way politics works in Myanmar,” said Milton Osbourne, Southeast Asia analyst at Australia’s Lowy Institute for International Policy.
The government has faced pressure for change on multiple fronts - from the wildly popular Suu Kyi to the need to find alternatives to China in the face of popular resentment of its influence, to growing frustration in Southeast Asia over Myanmar’s isolation as the region approaches an EU-style Asian community in 2015.
Diplomats say other factors play into Myanmar’s desire to open up, include a need for technical assistance from the World Bank and other multilateral institutions which cut off ties years ago in response to rights abuses.
The country’s infrastructure is in shambles and its economy has few sources of growth beyond investment from China and Thailand, and about 30 percent of the population living in poverty, according to UN data.
Some analysts say Myanmar also wants to show the United States that it is independent of China.
Last week, the government suspended a $3.6-billion, Chinese-led dam project, a victory for supporters of Suu Kyi and a sign the country was willing to yield to popular resentment over China’s growing influence.
These moves have stoked hopes the new parliament will slowly prise open the country of 50 million people that just over 50 years ago was one of Southeast Asia’s wealthiest as the world’s biggest rice exporter and a major energy producer.
Nestled strategically between economic powerhouses India and China, Myanmar has been one of the world’s most difficult destinations for investors, restricted by sanctions, blighted by 49 years of oppressive military rule and starved of capital despite rich natural resources, from gems to timber to oil.
In November 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama offered Myanmar the prospect of better ties if it pursued democratic reform and freed political prisoners, including opposition leader Suu Kyi.
But Washington’s demands go beyond prisoners, making it unclear whether it would lift sanctions if the prisoners are released.
The United States has also demanded more transparency in Myanmar’s relationship with North Korea and an end to human-rights abuses involving ethnic minorities in remote regions bordering Thailand and China.
A European diplomat in Bangkok said many European countries had privately urged the European Union to ease sanctions and that the EU could face strong internal pressure to do so if prisoners were released and Suu Kyi changed her stance.
“All it would take is for Suu Kyi to urge sanctions to come down,” said the diplomat, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the subject.
In Tokyo, a foreign ministry official said Japan had resumed some aid to Myanmar in June after the release of Suu Kyi and other signs of reform.
“We may continue with this stance if there are more releases of political prisoners,” the official said. “Work still needs to be done in terms of democracy but we think they are moving in the right direction.”
Myanmar also appears to be trying to convince the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to allow it to take its rotating presidency in 2014, two years ahead of schedule and a year before the next general election.
Hosting ASEAN would give Myanmar a degree of international recognition and help convince the World Bank and other multilateral institutions to return to the impoverished nation.
It is unclear whether all political prisoners would be released at once, or indeed how many would be freed.
Nyan Win, a spokesman for Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy, said he had not heard whether political detainees would be freed. Families of prisoners also had not been told.
“We are still trying to find out,” said Ma Nyein, sister-in-law of Zar Ga Nar, a jailed comedian and government critic. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/asia-pacific/myanmar-set-to-free-thousands-of-prisoners-of-conscience/article2197074/singlepage/#articlecontent
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BANGKOK POST
Burma to free thousands of prisoners
Published: 11/10/2011 at 02:32 PM
Online news: Asia
Burma announced a mass prisoner amnesty Tuesday, raising hope for the imminent release of hundreds of political detainees in what would be a major sign of change in the authoritarian state.
More than 6,300 prisoners will be pardoned from Wednesday "on humanitarian grounds", state television announced, without saying whether political prisoners would be among them.
The fate of the country's estimated 2,000 political detainees, who include pro-democracy campaigners, journalists, monks and lawyers, has long been a top demand of Western nations that have imposed sanctions on Burma.
The announcement came just hours after a government-appointed human rights panel called for a pardon for the country's "prisoners of conscience".
This file photo shows protesters in mock chains and prison cells rallying in front on the Myanmar Embassy in Manila, in June. Myanmar will grant an amnesty to more than 6,300 prisoners, state media announced on Tuesday, without saying whether political detainees would be included.
The National Human Rights Commission said freeing detainees "who do not pose a threat to the stability of state" would allow them to participate in "nation-building", according to an official English-language newspaper.
It noted that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and foreign governments were calling for "the release of what is referred to as 'prisoners of conscience'," in a rare official acknowledgement of their existence.
On Monday a government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that political prisoners were expected to be freed within days.
Their release would be arguably the clearest sign yet of change under a new leadership that has reached out to critics including opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, freed in November after seven straight years of detention.
President Thein Sein, a former general and senior junta figure, has surprised critics by signalling a series of political reforms since taking power following a controversial election last November.
He has been applauded by international observers for holding direct talks with Suu Kyi, whose National League for Democracy (NLD) on Monday said it was "expecting" all political detainees to be released.
A top US official, Kurt Campbell, on Monday hailed recent developments in Burma, including what he described as "very consequential dialogue" between Suu Kyi and the leadership.
He hinted that concrete moves towards democracy by Burma could lead to an easing of sanctions.
"We will match their steps with comparable steps," he said.
The new regime, which came to power after controversial elections held a few days before Suu Kyi's release, appears keen to improve its image and in August held the first talks between her and Thein Sein, a former general.
Suu Kyi, whose party won 1990 election but was never allowed to take power, has said she believes Thein Sein genuinely wants to make reforms, but she cautioned it was too soon to say whether he would succeed.
The NLD boycotted last year's ballot, largely because of rules that would have forced it to expel imprisoned members. As a result it was delisted as a political party by the regime. http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/260804/burma-to-free-thousands-of-prisoners
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Govt claims Kachin army drugs link
By JOSEPH ALLCHIN
Published: 11 October 2011
Claims by the Burmese government that it has seized a large quantity of methamphetamine and other drug paraphernalia during fighting with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) have been dismissed by critics and Kachin personnel as propaganda.
The claim surfaced in a New Light of Myanmar article today, which said that KIA forces had attacked a “work camp” at Tima, in Shan state’s Muse township, on 21 September. Troops captured three police officers, three Myanmar Correctional Department staff and 55 others.
During a subsequent 11-day effort to rescue the captives, the Burmese army claimed to have seized small arms, bags of gunpowder and “46 buildings”, the article said. It added that it had “rescued 37 prisoners” whom the KIA claimed it had freed from the Tima work camp.
The operation continued, and on 8 October the Burmese army allegedly seized over half a million “stimulant tablets”, tablet moulds and a machine for making pills, along with precursor chemical for methamphetamine, sulphuric acid.
This “obviously proved that despite showing various reasons, KIA group is producing and selling narcotic drugs menacing the mankind,” the newspaper said.
Author Bertil Lintner, who has written extensively on Burma’s narcotics industry, however questioned why accusations of KIA involvement in the drugs trade had not surfaced during the KIA’s 17-year ceasefire with the Burmese government, which ended in June. He told DVB that Naypyidaw “uses the drugs as a political tool”, and once ceasefires breakdown, “all these groups are involved with narcotics”.
“As soon as the groups have a ceasefire agreement with the government, you never hear anything about drugs; on the contrary they [government] defend them and claim they are not involved. With the Kokang [ethnic army], for instance, they never said anything about them and the drugs trade, and they were involved.”
Fighting between the two sides has displaced some 25,000 civilians already, whilst a report last week by the Kachin Women’s Association of Thailand (KWAT) claimed that 37 women and girls, some as young as nine, had been raped by Burmese troops, 13 of whom subsequently died. The Kachin News Group alleged that three women were gang-raped by Burmese forces on 7 October in Shadan Pa, west of the Bhamo-to-Myitkina road.
James Lung Dao, spokesperson of the KIA’s political wing, the Kachin Independence Organisation, told DVB that the drugs accusation was “false information”, and added that it is “impossible” to trade in narcotics without Burmese government consent. Lintner corroborated that “to my knowledge they [KIA] have never been involved in the drugs trade”.
Lung Dao added: “President Thein Sein is talking about peace in Naypyidaw… and at the same time the army is busy attacking Kachin.” He also claimed that KWAT’s numbers for rape cases were conservative estimates.
Lintner described this as a two-pronged strategy, trying to “tame” the ethnic groups after the major armies refused to sign up to the government’s Border Guard Force plan.
Along with the Kachin accusation, the New Light of Myanmar said the Karen army splinter group, the KNU/KNLA Peace Council, had handed over “arms for peace”, while a little known group from Mongla in Shan state signed a peace deal with the Burmese.
The offensive against the KIA has been a tough sell for President Thein Sein, who has been successfully improving the image of the regime, notably an apparent turnaround on the massive Myitsone hydropower project in Kachin state, and promise that 6,300 prisoners will be released tomorrow. http://www.dvb.no/news/govt-claims-kachin-army-drugs-link/18085
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KIA Denies Govt Allegations of Drug Links
By KO HTWE Tuesday, October 11, 2011
The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has denied government allegations that it is involved with drug trafficking by saying the reports are merely an attempt to discredit the armed group.
State-run newspaper The New Light of Myanmar reported on Tuesday that government troops confiscated 521,340 amphetamine pills, one machine for producing tablets, four tablet moulds and related equipment in a KIA Battalion 1-controlled area near Muse Township, in northern Shan State. Another 1,020 tablets of the stimulant were also reported found nearby.
“The incidents obviously prove that despite offering alternative reasons, the KIA group is producing and selling narcotic drugs that menace mankind,” said the report.
Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Tuesday, La Nan, the joint-secretary of the KIA's political wing the Kachin Independence Organization, denied the area was under KIA control and said that the government knows that narcotics have been distributed by militias there for a long time.
“There are many incidents when [the government] has made narcotics arrests in the area but after receiving bribes they release the trafficker and it never gets published in the newspapers. But now they want to accuse Kachin groups of having links with narcotics,” said La Nan.
In August 2009, government troops defeated the Kokang ethnic armed group—otherwise known as the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army—and seized its capital of Laogai, in northeastern Shan State.
Burmese authorities said that they raided the city to search for drugs, and hundreds of refugees fled into China as a result of the fighting.
The city had long benefited from booming border trade with China and substantial Chinese investment, but it has come almost to a standstill since junta troops seized control on August 24.
La Nan also said that the area of Muse Township where this week's narcotics seizure took place was three miles away from KIA Battalion 9 and notorious for drugs despite being under the administration of the government.
“In 2006, the KIA also performed a drugs raid in the area and the government accused us of collecting bribes to stop our operation,” said La Nan.
The report also said that the Burmese government column seized one AK-47, 60 rounds of ammunition, two 60 mm mortars, one M-21, 12 assorted small arms, 16 assorted mines and 45 bags of gunpowder.
“We have no reason to keep weapons in that area. We do not have enough ammunition to distribute to the village,” said La Nan.
In 2010, the Burmese junta accused the KIA of being “insurgents” and blamed the group for a mine blast which killed two and injured one in Kachin State.
Loikang, near Kutakai Township, was the headquarters of KIA Brigade 4 but fell into government hands in September. The Brigade was based across northern Shan State but KIA Battalions 2 and 9, under Brigade 4, already lost their bases to advancing government soldiers.
Government newspapers also accused the KIA of opening fire at a work camp in Tima, near Muse Township of Muse District in Shan State, on September 21. Reports allege that three members of the Myanmar Police Force, three staff of the Myanmar Correctional Department, eight small arms and 55 prisoners were seized. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=22238
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Burma to Compensate China for Dam Suspension
By BA KAUNG Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Burma and China have resolved a dispute over the recent suspension of the Chinese-backed Myitsone hydro-power dam project in Kachin State, according to a Burmese presidential adviser who said that Burma may have to compensate China for the move.
The sudden suspension of the US $3.6 billion project earlier this month angered Beijing and the state-owned China Power Investment (CPI) corporation, the main investor in the scheme. In an interview with Chinese state media, CPI president Lu Qizhou warned the Burmese government of possible legal repercussions and said the suspension of the project would cause immeasurable losses to both countries.
A week after Beijing called for talks to address the issue, Burmese President Thein Sein held a rare meeting with the Chinese ambassador to Burma, Li Junhua, in Naypyidaw on Saturday and briefly explained his reasons for making the decision, according to presidential adviser Dr Nay Zin Latt.
At the same time, Thein Sein sent his foreign minister, Wunna Maung Lwin, to Beijing for talks with Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping and his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi over the dam suspension issue.
In its coverage of the meetings, the Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua reported on Monday that the two sides had agreed to properly settle the matter while reaffirming commitments aimed at achieving joint development.
The meetings clearly highlighted the magnitude of Thein Sein's decision, which has been widely seen as a demonstration of his new, quasi-civilian government's eagerness to demonstrate that it is not a client of China and is ready to re-balance its international relations.
“It is not good for Burma or any other nation to rely too much on relations with just one country. We must forge friendly ties with all nations,” said Nay Zin Latt in an interview with The Irrawaddy on Monday, describing the president's decision as an extraordinarily bold step taken in the national and public interest.
He added that the Myitsone dam issue has been thoroughly settled by both sides, but Burma might have to compensate China, probably in the form of granting economic concessions to its giant resource-hungry neighbor.
“I don't think we have to pay them back in the form of billions of dollars,” he said, without specifying what kind of economic concessions Burmese leaders agreed to offer to make up for the suspension of the Myitsone project, which was expected to generate 6,000 megawatts of electricity, mostly for export to China.
It also remains unclear if the project has been canceled completely, because in his original announcement, Thein Sein only said it had been suspended for the remainder of his term in office, which expires in 2016. Meanwhile, it is believed that work is still continuing on six other hydro-power dams in Kachin State connected to the Myitsone dam project.
In response to a comment by the CPI president that suspension of the project would make it impossible for Burma to implement a loan agreement between China and Burma's former military junta, Nay Zin Latt said Burma will find other means of repaying the loan.
“Using revenues from other sources, not only from Myitsone, we can repay the loan. For example, we can pay back using revenues from the gas pipeline to China,” he said, referring to the $2.5 billion oil and natural gas pipelines being constructed by China's state-owned China National Petroleum Corp from the Bay of Bengal to China's Yunnan Province through central and northeastern Burma.
The pipelines are seen as China's most geopolitically and economically important investment in Burma. Last week, Burmese activists called for a suspension of the pipeline project, citing human rights violations, but both the Chinese and Burmese governments have expressed optimism that it will continue smoothly. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=22239
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Wednesday, October 12, 2011
News & Articles on Burma-Tuesday, 11 October, 2011-UZL
Sunday, October 9, 2011
News and Articles on Burma-Saturday, 08 October 2011-uzl
News and Articles on Burma
Saturday, 08 October 2011
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KWAT reveals Burma govt’s atrocities against Kachin people
Kachins protest against Chinese policies in Burma
Will Burma allow press freedom in the near future?
Burma censor chief calls for more media freedom
Burma censorship chief calls for 'press freedom'
Burma Exposes Fault Lines in China’s Dam-building Juggernaut
US keen to improve ties with Burma
Censorship boss calls for press freedom
Burma gas campaigners hit brick wall
Myanmar VP to discuss dam row with China
Myitsone Dam: a new catalyst for reform in Burma?
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KWAT reveals Burma govt’s atrocities against Kachin people
Created on Friday, 07 October 2011 14:16
Published on Friday, 07 October 2011 14:16
Written by KNG
KWAT's Hkawn Seng Pan (left) and Shirley Seng (right) explained their report in a press conference in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
The Kachin Women’s Association of Thailand released a report revealing the government of Burma’s atrocities against Kachin people during the past four months during its current war against Kachin resistance forces since June 9.
A report by KWAT entitled “Burma’s Covered Up War: Atrocities Against the Kachin People”, released on Oct. 7, stated the Burma Army broke a 17 year ceasefire with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and has committed killings, torture and sexual violence, displacing over 25,000 people.
The report said 37 women and girls were raped and 13 were killed during the first two months of the conflict in Kachin State.
KWAT spokesperson, Shirley Seng, said, “Some women were gang-raped in front of their families. In one case, soldiers slaughtered a woman’s grandchild in front of her before raping and killing her also.”
In September, the government began its offensive against KIA positions, deploying over 1,000 troops from nine battalions in northern Shan State, to seize Kachin strongholds and committed rape and sexual violence against local women.
On September 24, Burma Army soldiers committed three separate rapes involving two girls, aged 14 and 17, and one woman, aged 40, in Muse and Kutkai townships, according to KWAT documents.
During the press release in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Shirley Seng said there are over 25,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) on the Kachin State-China border facing shortages of food and medicine.
refugee“The regime has blocked agencies working officially inside Burma from assisting them,” she said.
However, she said her appeals to foreign governments to address this humanitarian crisis have so far fallen on deaf ears.
KWAT urged the international community to abandon its “wait and see” policy with Burma and bring increased pressure on the government to end its military offensive and atrocities, and also provide urgently needed humanitarian aid to the Kachin IDPs.
“The failed policy allowed the government to start the new war against the Kachin people as well as it lets it carry on attacking women and children. ‘Wait and See’ is a death sentence for us,” Shirley Seng said. http://kachinnews.com/news/2087-kwat-reveals-burma-govts-atrocities-against-kachin-people.html
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KACHIN NEWS GROUP
Kachins protest against Chinese policies in Burma
Kachin protested Chinese government regarding its policies in Burma at its Consulate in Los Angeles, California.
Kachins protested in three locations in the United States on Friday against the Chinese government’s policies in Burma, according to protesters.
The demonstrations took place at the Chinese Embassy in Washington DC, and two Chinese Consulates in Houston, Texas and Los Angeles, California, protest leaders said.
The largest demonstration was in Washington, where nearly 100 protesters, including ethnic Chin, Karen and Shan from Burma, joined together, according to participants.
Gum San, Interim President of the Kachin National Organization (USA) and the leader of the Washington protest told the Kachin News Group, “We have to protest against the Chinese government because it supports the Burmese government, which is oppressing citizens and ethnic minorities like fascist Japan- which oppressed Chinese people in WW II. So, China should stop its support and protection of the Burmese government.”
A joint statement by Kachin, Chin, Karen and Shan organizations was handed to the embassy.
The statement urges China to:
1) open the border crossings into China to allow people fleeing from Kachin, Shan, and Karen States to take refuge;
2) provide humanitarian assistance to those who flee into China and to those who remain as internally displaced persons in northern Burma;
3) stop supporting the Burmese regime politically, economically, and militarily;
4) halt investment in Burma until the restoration of genuine democracy in the country;
5) open up communication and dialogue with leaders of the democratic movement, including leaders of minority ethnic groups and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
Mawrin Seng Mai, a Kachin movie and pop star who joined the demonstration at the Los Angeles Chinese Consulate told KNG, “We urged the Chinese government to support the United Nations’ effort to solve Burma’s problems and listen to the voices of ethnic minorities”.
It was the first time the Kachin protesters demonstrated in front of the Houston Chinese Consulate, protest leader Sut Nau said.
He said, “We will continue to protest against the Chinese government as long as it supports the Burmese regime because we cannot go back to our homeland and join the Kachin Independence Army, which is resisting the offensive by the regime with arms.”
The new military-dominated government, formed in March, led by ex-general Thein Sein, launched large-scale offensives against ethnic Kachin, Karen and Shan in March. http://kachinnews.com/news/2089-kachins-protest-against-chinese-policies-in-burma.html
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Will Burma allow press freedom in the near future?
By Zin Linn Oct 08, 2011 6:01PM UTC
The director of Burma’s authoritarian state censorship board – the Press Scrutiny and Registration Department – gave a rare interview to the Washington DC based Radio Free Asia (Burmese Branch) Saturday. Tint Swe, a retired major and head of PSRD, said that he believes press freedom will come in accordance with democratic norms within an appropriate time in Burma which was under the nominally civilian government since March this year.
He even expressed his personal view that his own censorship office should be shut down, RFA broadcast Saturday. Tint Swe said that the PSRD has been created since 1962 under the late Gen Ne Win’s regime.
The Printers and Publishers Registration Law was introduced shortly after the 1962 military-coup that brought Gen Ne Win and his Burma Socialist Programme Party to power forcibly. Under this law all printers and publishers are required to register and submit copies of books, magazines and periodicals to Press Scrutiny Boards (PSB) for scrutiny prior to publication or production, or in some cases after. The PSB, which was under the Ministry of Home and Religious Affairs, had general powers to veto publications and command revision in line with the junta’s policies, at a large expenditure to the publisher.
In 1989, sentences under the Printers and Publishers Registration Law are increased to seven years imprisonment and fines to 30,000 kyats ( $ 5,000).
Tint Swe told Radio Free Asia that censorship should come to an end as part of democratic reforms under the new civilian government.
“There is no press censorship office in most countries in the world including our neighbors and as it is not compatible with democratic norms, press restriction should be abolished in the near future,” he said in an interview with RFA Burmese Service.
But he added that newspapers and other publications should accept press freedom with responsibilities.
In response to the question concerning democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi,Tint Swe said that news journals and periodicals have been allowed to publish photos and news-reports on pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi exclusive of restrictions that were previously forced.
“The coverage for Aung San Suu Kyi’s activities is not restricted now and further press freedom is predictable in the near future as the nation go through democratic change,” he told the RFA Burmese Service.
Since the new President Thein Sein’s government came to power in March after controversial November elections, Burma’s information minister has announced an insignificant moderation of inflexible censorship rules for some journals and periodicals, whereas keeping rigid limitations on political and economic news issues.
In June, sports journals, entertainment magazines, factions and some unimportant journals have been allowed to publish without permission in advance from the PSRD.
In September, Internet users in Burma can have access visiting banned media websites for the first time, including the BBC and exiled media organizations such as the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB).
Journalists in Burma have received draconian jail sentences for reporting information challenging to the regime. In January 2010, DVB reporter Hla Hla Win received a 20-year sentence for violating the Electronic Act, and is now in jail serving 27 years; her helper, Myint Naing got seven years. There are a total of 17 DVB journalists behind bars.
Photojournalist Sithu Zeya had been sentenced to eight years in jail last December. Zeya was sentenced by the military controlled court in Insein prison for his photos of the scene of an explosion at a traditional water festival pavilion in Rangoon in April 2010. Sithu Zeya’s father, Maung Maung Zeya, also a video reporter for DVB, was sentenced on February 4, 2011 to a total of 13 years in prison by an arbitrary court in Rangoon.
Paris based Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) ranks Burma 174 out of 178 countries in its 2010 press freedom index. The country is one of the few in the world to operate such a strictly censored system. Burma’s ranking was expected and well deserved. In fact, there is no press freedom at all in Burma.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also said last month that Burma’s press freedom remained among the world’s most restricted, calling for an end to “draconian” reporting laws and for the freeing of jailed journalists.
Unless the Thein Sein government guarantees human rights including the freedom of expression and freedom of association, people will not believe that the government is on the right track of reforms. http://asiancorrespondent.com/66753/will-burma-allow-press-freedom-in-the-near-future/
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Burma censor chief calls for more media freedom
By Rachel Harvey BBC South East Asia Correspondent
The head of Burma's powerful press censorship department has called for greater media freedom in his country.
Tint Swe said censorship was incompatible with democratic practices and should be abolished in the near future.
The comments will be seen as further evidence that the new civilian-military hybrid government is trying to soften its stance.
Burma is said to have the world's most heavily censored media.
But recent reforms suggest that real change could be in prospect.
Some previously blocked websites are now accessible.
Newspapers have been allowed to publish photographs and reports about the pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, something that would have been unthinkable a year ago before her release after years of house arrest.
Now the man in charge of media restrictions says censorship should be abolished altogether.
Tint Swe, who made his remarks in an interview with Radio Free Asia, cautioned however that all publications should accept the responsibilities that go with press freedom, though he didn't spell out what those responsibilities might be.
His comments will be seen by many as another sign of the new administration's determination to reform.
How far and how deep those reforms might eventually be is now the subject of intense debate in diplomatic circles. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-15227175
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Burma censorship chief calls for 'press freedom'
RANGOON, BURMA - Oct 08 2011 08:34
The head of Burma's repressive state censorship body has called for press freedom in the army-dominated country -- even suggesting his own department should be shut down, a report said on Saturday.
Tint Swe, director of the Press Scrutiny and Registration Department set up more than four decades ago, told Radio Free Asia that censorship should cease as part of reforms under the new nominally civilian government.
"Press censorship is non-existent in most other countries as well as among our neighbours and as it is not in harmony with democratic practices, press censorship should be abolished in the near future," he said in an interview.
But he added that newspapers and other publications should accept press freedom with responsibilities.
He also said newspapers were being allowed to publish reports on pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was released shortly after last November's election, without restrictions that were previously imposed.
'Democratic change'
"There are no restrictions now on coverage for Aung San Suu Kyi’s activities and more freedom is expected in the near future as the country undergoes democratic change," he told the broadcasting corporation.
Since the new administration came to power in March after controversial November elections, Burma has announced a slight easing of strict censorship rules for some publications, while keeping a tight grip on news titles.
Publishers were told in June that sports journals, entertainment magazines, fairytales and the winning lottery numbers would not need to have prior approval from the information ministry before they are printed.
A journalist at a Rangoon newspaper, requesting anonymity, welcomed Tint Swe's call for censorship to be fully lifted, saying there was "a sense of optimism but it is tempered with a healthy dose of caution" among reporters. http://mg.co.za/article/2011-10-08-burma-censorship-chief-calls-for-press-freedom/
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Burma Exposes Fault Lines in China’s Dam-building Juggernaut
By Marwaan Macan-Markar
BANGKOK, Oct 7, 2011 (IPS) - When Burma’s new president, Thein Sein, took the unusual step of opposing the construction of one of China's largest investment projects in the country – a mega dam – he did more than acknowledge the concerns of local communities and environmental activists.
He succeeded in shedding light on the questionable business practices of China’s global dam-building juggernaut.
"Many dams built by China overseas are done without reference to international environmental and social standards," says Grace Mang, the China global programme coordinator for International Rivers, a U.S.-based environmental lobby. "Information and data is also difficult to obtain given the lack of transparency."
It is a concern that has grown as China has encouraged its state-backed companies to tap rivers in many developing countries for dam opportunities.
"We are seeing more (Chinese) energy companies and engineering firms look to overseas markets to maintain their profitability," Mang said in an interview with IPS. "Chinese companies also benefit under China’s ‘going out’ policy – under which the Chinese government is actively promoting and forcing their enterprises to look overseas for business."
Consequently, China’s international investment portfolio is brimming with 251 dams being built in 68 countries, ensuring that the country’s place as the world’s leader in dam building has been cemented. "The scale of dam building is also unprecedented," says Mang of China’s dam investments, nearly 90 percent of which are in developing countries like Sudan, Ethiopia, Cambodia and Burma. "China has lent more money for dam building than the World Bank."
But one of China’s largest investments in Burma – a mega dam on the Irrawaddy River – has exposed the Asian giant to the perils of taking for granted an ally with a long history of political oppression.
This lesson from a country that has been under military rule for nearly 50 years came in the wake of the unprecedented message delivered by President Thein Sein to parliament on Sept. 30. The head of the quasi-civilian government wanted the construction of the Myitsone Dam to be stopped because "it was contrary to the will of the people."
The 3.6 billion dollar dam being built by China Power Investment (CPI) on the Irrawaddy River in northern Burma was to have generated 6,000 megawatts of power, most of which were to be transmitted to China to meet its energy needs. The reservoir was to engulf 766 square kilometres of forest land, an area the size of Singapore, and displace 12,000 people from the ethnic Kachin minority.
"The decision to halt the Myitsone dam will be quite shocking to the Chinese," says Sean Turnell, an Australian academic who publishes ‘Burma Economic Watch’, a regular online review of the Southeast Asian nation’s economic trends. "They have grown used to a compliant Burma."
Many Chinese investments in Burma, or Myanmar, do not improve the infrastructure "beyond that created for the very narrow purpose of serving China’s interest," Turnell told IPS. "All the roads, bridges, rail lines and the like are built to make more efficient the extraction of resources in Burma for Chinese buyers."
"It’s a wake-up call to the Chinese that it’s in their interest to do business differently in Mynamar," adds Thant Myint-U, a Burmese historian and author of a new book, ‘Where China Meets India – Burma and the New Crossroads of Asia’. "To be fair, Chinese companies have not acted very differently from how companies from many other companies operate (in the country)."
"The principle problem is on the Myanmar side and the lack of enforced regulations to protect the environment and the interests of local people," he said in an interview.
Such an environment has seen Chinese investments in Burma reach new heights last year, hitting 8.17 billion dollars, mostly in the hydropower, oil and gas sectors. This amount boosted to 12.32 billion dollars the Chinese investments in the country, out of Burma’s total of 20 billion dollars since 1988.
Six other mega dams, also planned by the Chinese state-backed dam builder CPI, are part of that investment portfolio. They will be supplying power to China as would two other energy sources – gas and oil. An estimated 12 million cubic meters of Burmese natural gas and 22 million tones of oil from the Middle East will be carried annually through two 2,800 kilometre-long pipelines being built spanning the country.
Burma’s increasing dependence on China has grown in the past two decades, as Western countries, led by the United States and the European Union, targeted the Burmese military regimes that preceded the six-month-old Thein Sein administration.
The regimes were hit with economic sanctions and regular censure at international forums for their notorious human rights record.
Yet the reaction among Burmese to China’s economic steamroller is similar to the anti-Chinese outrage that has burst to the surface in parts of Africa, where Bejing-backed companies have bulldozed their way using a business model that places greater emphasis on signing deals with governments than paying attention to affected communities.
"Burmese resentment against China is extremely high now, and they regard China as a coloniser and opportunist (exploiting) Burma’s natural resources," says Aung Din, the executive director of the U.S. Campaign for Burma, a Washington D.C.-based lobby. "Nobody in Burma likes the expansion of the Chinese empire inside Burma, forcing Burmese to move away from their land, losing their inheritance and properties."
Such rage against China cuts across all its investments. The Myitsone Dam emerged as a flashpoint no sooner a 2006-deal was signed, even resulting in attacks against Chinese staff working at the dam site.
"The Chinese didn’t want to hear about the social and environmental cost of this dam," says Naw Din Lahpai, editor of a news outlet covering events of the Kachin, the ethnic minority living in the area where the dam is being built. "They thought an agreement with the authorities only mattered." (END) http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=105380
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US keen to improve ties with Burma
Steven Lee Myers, Thomas Fuller
October 8, 2011
WASHINGTON: The United States is considering a significant shift in its long-strained relationship with the autocratic government of Burma, including relaxing restrictions on financial assistance and taking other steps to encourage what senior US officials describe as startling political changes in the country.
The thawing, while in its early stages, follows a political transition in Burma after deeply flawed elections last year that nonetheless appears to have raised the possibility that the new government will ease its restrictions on basic freedoms and co-operate with the repressed opposition movement led by the Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
The apparent shift offers the United States the chance to improve ties with a resource-rich south-east Asian country. Last week the new Burmese leadership unexpectedly halted work on a $3.6 billion dam project strongly backed by China, its main ally, prompting criticism from the Chinese government.
Advertisement: Story continues below
The new President, U Thein Sein, a former general who was part of the military junta that ruled the country for two decades, has signalled a sharp break from the centralised, erratic policies of the past. He is rewriting laws on taxes and property ownership and loosening restrictions on the media.
For the first time, the government has discussed with Aung San Suu Kyi and US officials the possibility of releasing hundreds of political prisoners, after years of denying there were any at all.
The Obama administration, although sceptical, has responded to this openness with a series of small diplomatic steps, hoping that a democratic transition could bring stability and economic opportunities at a time of increasing US competition with China over influence in Asia.
''They are moving into a more pluralistic form of government. I wouldn't call it totally democratic. But things are changing very rapidly,'' said Priscilla Clapp, the chief of mission at the US embassy in Burma from 1999 to 2002.
The New York Times
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/world/us-keen-to-improve-ties-with-burma-20111007-1ldl4.html#ixzz1aD3QvSpN
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Censorship boss calls for press freedom
By AFP
Published: 8 October 2011
The head of Burma’s repressive state censorship body has called for press freedom in the army – dominated country – even suggesting his own department should be shut down, a report said Saturday.
Tint Swe, director of the Press Scrutiny and Registration Department set up more than four decades ago, told Radio Free Asia that censorship should cease as part of reforms under the new nominally civilian government.
“Press censorship is non-existent in most other countries as well as among our neighbours and as it is not in harmony with democratic practices, press censorship should be abolished in the near future,” he said in an interview.
But he added that newspapers and other publications should accept press freedom with responsibilities.
He also said newspapers were being allowed to publish reports on pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was released shortly after last November’s election, without restrictions that were previously imposed.
“There are no restrictions now on coverage for Aung San Suu Kyi’s activities and more freedom is expected in the near future as the country undergoes democratic change,” he told the broadcasting corporation.
Since the new administration came to power in March after controversial November elections, Burma has announced a slight easing of strict censorship rules for some publications, whilst keeping a tight grip on news titles.
Publishers were told in June that sports journals, entertainment magazines, fairytales and the winning lottery numbers would not need to have prior approval from the information ministry before they are printed.
But the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said last month that Burma’s media remained among the world’s most restricted, calling for an end to “draconian” reporting laws and for the freeing of jailed journalists.
The CPJ said the new regime had done little to ease restrictions, while two journalists have been given lengthy jail sentences since the election.
In September, Burma’s internet users were able to see banned media websites for the first time, including the BBC and exiled media organisations such as the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB).
But the move, which was not officially announced, came in the same week that a court added an extra decade to the sentence of a journalist jailed over his work for DVB. He now faces 18 years in prison. http://www.dvb.no/news/censorship-boss-calls-for-press-freedom/18024
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Burma gas campaigners hit brick wall
By NAW NOREEN
Published: 7 October 2011
The Korean company behind a major pipeline project in Burma says it has completed drilling and production tests and will move to the next phase of development, despite continuing calls from campaigners that the project be shelved.
The Shwe pipeline venture is estimate to be worth $US30 billion for the Burmese government, but environmental and human rights groups claim it will come at great human and ecological cost.
Burmese are also angry that the country’s vast natural gas resources, largely located off its western coast, are being sold to China, despite a shortage of energy in the country.
But the country’s democracy movement scored a point recently after Naypyidaw halted work on a massive China-backed dam in the north following months of protest, spurring campaigners to demand it shelves other environmentally destructive projects.
“The [pipeline] project could destroy the future for people’s social life, businesses and their livelihood, so the [government] needs to listen to the people’s voice,” said Wong Aung, from the Shwe Gas Movement (SGM). “This is a Chinese project run by China and when it’s completed, all the resources and future business opportunities will be sold to China. So everyone should stand against it.”
But the likelihood of the pipeline venture also being stopped is slim: Daewoo, the lead construction company in the project, announced this week that it had begun infrastructure work following successful early testing.
Along with Hyundai Heavy Industries, Daewoo will develop seabed platforms and onshore terminals in Burma’s impoverished Arakan state, as well as the 2,600 kilometre pipeline that will run from the town of Kyaukphyu across Burma to China’s southern Yunnan province. The company is expected to net more than $US320 million in profit each year once the gas starts flowing.
In a statement this week, SGM said Burmese will see little of the capital made from the pipeline, which will provide for around six percent of China’s total oil and gas needs.
“The revenues will disappear into a fiscal black hole that omits gas revenues from the national budget, clearly to the benefit of the regime and investors.”
The main Chinese company involved, the state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation, has made various efforts at placating criticism of the project and offering sweeteners to its opponents, including a recent pledge that it will finance the construction of schools and hospitals along the pipeline route.
Additional reporting by Francis Wade http://www.dvb.no/news/burma-gas-campaigners-hit-brick-wall/18010
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Myanmar VP to discuss dam row with China
Saturday, 08 October 2011 02:01
YANGON: Myanmar’s vice-president, Tin Aung Myint Oo, will visit China this month to discuss the suspension of a controversial dam built and financed by Chinese firms, a senior Myanmar official said yesterday.
“The visit is expected to take place in the middle of this month after President Thein Sein returns home from India on October 15,” the government official said, asking not to be identified since he was not authorised to talk to the media.
President Thein Sein is due to make his first state visit to India from October 12 to 15.
The official purpose of the vice-president’s visit to China is to attend the opening of a China-Asean Exposition from October 21 to 26. “However, he will meet Chinese leaders on the sidelines of the Expo to explain the shelving of the Myitsone mega dam,” the government official said.
The Myitsone dam in northern Myanmar would have generated electricity mostly for China and flooded an area about the size of Singapore. It was opposed by many local people as well as environmentalists.
Bowing to their criticism, President Thein Sein suspended the project in a surprise move on September 30.
China’s Foreign Ministry has called for “friendly consultations” on the matter.
Lu Qizhou, general manager for China Power Investment Corp, a Chinese state-owned firm involved in the project, has warned of “immeasurable losses” for both sides and said the suspension could lead to a series of legal problems.
The halting of the controversial dam has been seen as another sign of change in Myanmar, where a nominally civilian government was installed this year after half a century of oppressive military rule.
The deal to build the dam was arranged under the military regime. Vice-President Tin Aung Myint Oo and former military ruler Than Shwe were reported to be backers of the dam.
Tin Aung Myint Oo will be accompanied on his visit to China by cabinet members, including a minister with responsibility for electric power, and leading business people, including Tun Myint Naing, chairman of Asia World Construction Co, a major subcontractor on the dam project.
REUTERS http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/s.-asia/philippines/168261-myanmar-vp-to-discuss-dam-row-with-china.html
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Myitsone Dam: a new catalyst for reform in Burma?
Editorial Desk
The Nation (Thailand)
Publication Date : 07-10-2011
It must have taken a good deal of courage for Burmese President Thein Sein to come out recently and stop the construction of the Chinese-funded Myitsone Dam in Kachin State. Like it or not, the decision was timely and hit all the right nerves for both Burma sceptics and supporters of the regime. Certainly it has raised the ire of the Chinese. If there has been anything at all positive in the past three months since the buzz began about "reform" in the pariah state, this is it. It is the most immediate and concrete sign of the Burmese government listening to any opinion other than its own.
This move will certainly win Thein Sein lots of support from local and international observers of Burma - something which he badly needs in order to fight against the hardliners within his own cabinet. Indeed, that might be what the Naypyidaw government wants people to think. Somehow, it might also want to see reform-minded lawmakers win the day.
But the international community has to remain cautious, even after this latest development. There have been many times in the past when the Burmese regime has cheated and betrayed its own people. To suggest that Burma has changed because of sudden political reforms and a new political system would be hard to believe, even for the most optimistic of observers. More action needs to be forthcoming, especially regarding the release of political prisoners, over 2,000 of whom still remain in custody.
Although nobody knows the exact number of political prisoners and how many "classifications" there are, it is clear that their freedom is another prerequisite before Burma can gain international support. Ongoing dialogue with the opposition leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, must continue and expand. At the moment, attempts are being made to undertake further ceasefire talks with the various armed minority groups in the border regions. There is an urgent need to bring these rebel groups to the negotiating table, but to do so, the Naypyidaw government must do more to appease these groups.
In this connection, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa has already said he will visit Burma this month, but the date has not yet been set. He has said such things before, but he still has not visited Burma as the chair of Asean. It is thus imperative that he go there as soon as possible. But for him to go, he wants to see more positive signs from the regime beyond the current "road map". Otherwise, there is a possibility he will pass on this decision and let the incoming chair, Cambodia, carry the process forward if possible.
There is a high level of unease among the Indonesian leaders about Burma's overall attitude. Previous attempts, two years ago, between Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Burmese strongman, General Than Shwe, to communicate directly, did not work out as planned.
Obviously, at the moment, Burma needs Asean more than ever before. For the first time - after more than 14 years of membership in the regional grouping - it has shown willingness to work with Asean and the international community to improve Burma's image and promote reforms.
President Thein Sein realises now that there is a small window for him to assert himself locally and internationally. So, he must not miss the chance. If he succeeds, he will be the one who gets due recognition, as he is scheduled to meet all the leaders from Asean, the US, Russia, China, India, Australia, Japan and South Korea at the upcoming Bali summit. So, the stakes are very high for him as well as for Burma. http://www.asianewsnet.net/home/news.php?id=22538&sec=3
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Saturday, October 8, 2011
News & Articles on Burma-Friday, 07 October, 2011-UZL
News & Articles on Burma
Friday, 07 October, 2011
-------------------------------------------
Myanmar's careful reformist: Thein Sein
Burma rebuffs China
US keen to improve ties with Burma
Burma VP to talk dam fiasco with China
Myitsone Dam: a new catalyst for reform in Burma?
New Burmese Govt 'Reformist and Open-minded': US
Kachin Women’s Group Issues Report Detailing Human Rights Violations
No Progress in Talks Between NMSP, Mon Govt
Thai PM Yingluck strengthens ties with Burma to renew border trade
Detecting a Thaw in Myanmar, U.S. Aims to Encourage Change
China paper defends Myanmar investment
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ALJAZEERA
Myanmar's careful reformist: Thein Sein
Reform and submission to the people's will has Myanmar sprung up for hope, yet hardliners and China complicate matters.
William Lloyd George Last Modified: 07 Oct 2011 10:15
It was only a matter of time before Myanmar's generals realised the best way out of an embarrassingly underdeveloped nation and western sanctions, was best done through 'reforms'. Spearheaded by several seemingly 'reformist' general-cum-politicians, with the backing of 'moderate' intellectuals and businessmen, Myanmar has witnessed changes, radical only to a nation considered six months ago to be one of the worst dictatorships in the world.
Following a string of small reforms, it was last week when the most striking took place. For the first time in most the population's memory, Myanmar's President, Thein Sein, said he would give in to the desire of the people. That desire, was to prevent the completion of the Myitsone Dam, saving the mighty Irrawaddy river and surrounding areas from catastrophe. Over ten thousand people supposedly would have been displaced by the construction, and an area the size of Singapore flooded
No one is quite sure why Thein Sein made this surprising decision, or who was really behind it. Most puzzling was whether the decision was sanctioned by previous hardline generals, or not. In the weeks leading up to his announcement, the campaign to “save the Irrawaddy” had grown unprecedented and, unrestricted momentum. Artists, academics, politicians and others from all corners of society, joined forces to raise awareness and pressure the government. The issue generated public debate, which had not been seen in Myanmar for decades, if ever.
As the movement grew at an alarming rate - one, which was not talking about democracy, but the environment - the cancellation gave Thein Sein the opportunity to increase much needed support domestically, and fend off hardliners in parliament looking for excuses to undermine him. It has also given him the chance to gain support internationally, which will in turn help him domestically.
And so far Thein Sein's efforts are working. The US has already said they believe “winds of change are blowing through Burma”. Nations from across the globe have shown support for the recent changes and said they would engage further if progress continues. Japan has already restarted all aid it previously put on hold, and Yangon national airport has seen a flurry of Japanese engineers coming to inspect 'potential projects'. A variety of businessmen, academics and opportunists will no doubt be checking flights to Yangon, eager to jump on board with 'cautious optimism'.
The real test, though, will come next month when ministers across South East Asia make a judgement over whether Myanmar should hold the 2014 ASEAN chairmanship. An obvious incentive for the recent reform drive; chairmanship would bring legitimacy to the up till now notorious regime who engineered the apparent power shift to the civilian government, and, no doubt, a complete lifting of sanctions, allowing western companies to openly do business with the regime's cronies.
It is widely believed that last years 'elections' were a show to bring in a more civilian looking government namely the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), and many hardliners still hope to keep the status quo and their positions of power. However, as reformists such as Thein Sein gain more domestic support, we could be seeing the beginning stages of a political transition. But so far, much is left to be done.
Despite the USDP recently offering peace talks with ethnic armies, the state military is now engaged in fighting on all its borders. Some have been fighting for over sixty years - the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), have been fighting the longest civil war in the world - others have only just resumed fighting. Having enjoyed a ceasefire since 1994, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), based on the Sino-Burma border have been blasted with mortars over the last two months, with countless civilians caught in the middle of the conflict.
Tensions began to brew when the Kachin rejected the regime's 'Border Guard Proposal', which was a nice way of Nay Pyi Daw saying, “lay down your weapons and join the Myanmar Union Army”. The answer was 'no', and remains 'no'. The same goes for the Shan State Army-North who continue to also face bombardment and heavy offensives on a daily basis. If the USDP, and those behind it are serious about reform, one would expect fighting to cease, and dialogue to commence immediately.
Even the biggest sceptics, though, cannot deny there has been some changes. It is clear that more power than was previously expected has been placed in the hands of Thein Sein, and others who battle to rule Parliament. Diplomats, businessmen and even Suu Kyi, who recently met Thein Sein have cautiously hinted that there is some sincerity in Thein Sein's desire to improve the country. Yet, one would be foolish to think he is completely in control, and while he may be sincere, there are many behind, and around him, eager to keep the status quo.
Despite these hardline anti-reformists, the last three years has seen a flurry of soldiers, businessmen and others join the ranks of 'the moderates'. Networks have been formed between completely different groups, who, before, would never have discussed anything of a political, economical or social nature. Military officials for the first time were talking to former political prisoners about how to improve the country. A discourse unseen before, has been shared between these actors, who want to see Myanmar pulled out from the pit it has fallen into. This movement towards change, has undoubtedly had some input into Thein Sein's decision to halt the dam, and all the positive developments we have seen up till now. Putting too much emphasis, though, on their input, would be downplaying the intelligence and wickedness of a regime historically so skilful in manipulating the international community.
Despite the warranted scepticism by many, the latest PR campaign to become a 'real' government in the eyes of the world, and the movement for change from inside, has brought some positive developments. Aung San Suu Kyi, the long time democracy activist, who has spent the last thirteen out of nineteen years under house arrest in her crumbling mansion, was released following last years elections. Since her release she has faced little harassment, rallied, given speeches and even travelled outside the capital. Last week was the third time she met with government liaison minister, Aung Kyi, since her release and left the meeting noting that there was opportunities for change, but did not go on to say change was afoot.
On international Democracy Day, without announcement, the government lifted bans on several media outlets, and other sites such as 'youtube'. Some of these, were exiled news agencies, which had fed news into the country for decades, trying to counter state media propaganda or heavily censored journals. For their 'evilness', a spot was kept in the daily state mouth piece, the new light of Myanmar, alerting the public of their intent to destroy the prosperous nation. This, too, has been taken away.
Despite these small, yet important reforms, the recent reforms have stopped short of giving any legal or official guarantees that things will not just regress later, like has happened many times before. It is expected that in the coming weeks, batches of political prisoners will be released. The release of over 2,000 prisoners of conscience has long been a demand of the international community, and continues to be a set benchmark for the rulers to prove real progress is taking place.
With some of the most radical and respected political activists behind bars, it can't be expected that all will be released over night, fearing they will once again rouse the masses. However, without any timetable, or releases, the hardline activists are right to continue blasting the regime for lack of progress. As should ASEAN and the rest of the international community.
The day after UN Human Rights Envoy Tomas Quintana visited Myanmar, former military officer Nay Myo Zin, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for allegedly sending a political document on how to achieve democracy, out of the country. He worked as a volunteer for a blood donor group closely related to Suu Kyi's party NLD. Then just two weeks ago, a Yangon court added an extra ten years onto the sentence of Sithu Zeya a 21-year video journalist, for his alleged connections with exiled TV station the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB). Both cases, show that the government is not completely dedicated to its reforms directed towards press freedom and democracy, and shows, perhaps, the hardliners are still very much pulling strings behind the scenes.
Despite the possibility that some of these reforms are not being conducted on a moral basis, or a duty felt by the rulers to finally work for their country, they have to be treated as positive steps. The reformists need to be supported. If the reports are right, and they are battling the hardliners, they will need all the help they can get. Both through private confidential channels, such as one-on-one diplomatic meetings, and other incentives to continue risking their livelihoods to push through much needed reform. The dangers are great, if the reformists don’t get the support they need and deserve, progress could once again be stalled, and even worse, a military coup or cancellation of upcoming 2015 elections. Like has happened many times before, when engagement fails, the hardliners are more than happy to get blood back on their hands, and guard their vested interests.
The halting of the dam is undeniably a big step, and the complications it has caused with China may allow some space for 'western nations' to improve their lost relationship with Nay Pyi Daw. China has previously exploited the isolation sanctions had created, but with a growing understanding between the reformists in Nay Pyi Daw and Washington this could soon be a thing of the past. Despite there being over six dams in the making - something highlighted by environmental groups, plus no legal assurance of the dam's cancellation - Beijing has voiced unprecedented outrage over the cancellation, its biggest single project in Myanmar, and it appears Beijing was not consulted before the decision went public.
Showing a willingness to go against China, could be one of Thein Sein's biggest achievements. If Myanmar proves to be moving away from being Beijing's pawn, the west may jump at the opportunity to stop sanctions. Something many in the country, including several generals are hoping for is an end to China's neo-colonization of Burma. Over the last two decades, China has bought up much of city centres, fuelling anti-Chinese sentiment across the nation.
Despite the potential 'breakthrough' and hope of Myanmar separating itself from China, now is not the time for the international community to go all out rewarding the USDP for its tiny steps of progress. Only when solid guarantees through timelines and laws are made, political prisoners released with no risk of more later being arrested, and more economic reforms made, should the international community even contemplate treating the USDP like the country's government.
If the regime-government is able to escape from all its sins, and avoid the much demanded and, deserved international crime court, reforms need to be made quickly and efficiently. This time they should not be given the space, or more importantly neglect to once again fool around, with the lives of their nation, and the hopes of the international community. Few Burmese are expecting much from the USDP, and it is about time, they proved their people wrong and worked to improve the country, the hardline Generals have for too long destroyed. If the reformists can continue to gain support domestically and internationally, we could witness a real political transition that benefits the Burmese people. Those who do show themselves to be reformists must be treated with caution, but supported accordingly.
William Lloyd George is a freelance journalist based in Mae Sot, on the Thai-Myanmar border, for the last four years. He has reported extensively from inside Myanmar and on the many conflicts along its borders. He is currently working on a book about Myanmar with American photojournalist KC Ortiz.
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial policy. http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/10/2011105154431129473.html
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Khaleej Times Online > OPINION
Burma rebuffs China
Bertil Lintner
7 October 2011
At a time when Asian countries are increasingly worried about China’s growing assertiveness, Burma’s rejection of a huge Chinese hydroelectric dam project has raised new questions: Is this a rare victory for civil society in a repressive country? Or does it indicate an internal dispute over the country’s dependence on China? Regardless, the public difference over a close ally’s project marks a new stage in the Burma-China relationship.
On September 30, Burma’s new president, Thein Sein, sent a statement to the country’s parliament announcing that a joint venture with China to build a mega-dam in the far north of the country had been suspended because “it was contrary to the will of the people.” The $3.6 billion Myitsone Dam would have been world’s 15th tallest and submerged 766 square kilometers of forestland.
It’s unclear if Chinese counterparts were consulted before the decision was made public. Burma has depended on its powerful northern neighbour for trade, political support and arms deliveries since the West shunned the Burmese regime following massacres of pro-democracy demonstrators in 1988.
Public opinion may have played its part. Under the 2006 deal, 90 per cent of power generated from Myitsone would have gone to China. Anger over environmental destruction galvanised people against the regime in a way that the country had not seen for years. The dam was a dagger in the heart of the Kachins, the predominant ethnic minority in the area. Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi threw her support behind the anti-dam movement. Many made their voices heard over Facebook – a new tool for anti-regime activists.
People inside Burma can’t protest openly, but “Save the Irrawaddy” meetings have been held in Rangoon. Burmese exiles have staged anti-Chinese demonstrations outside Burmese and Chinese embassies abroad. Anti-Chinese sentiment is growing in Burma, especially in the north where Chinese influence is the strongest. But public opinion has never been a strong factor when it comes to influencing the Burmese regime. The regime doesn’t want to risk another outbreak of anti-government protests similar to the 2007 monks’ movement and invite international condemnation with more US and EU sanctions.
Dissatisfaction within the armed forces over China’s growing influence in Burma is a more likely reason for the move to suspend the dam project. Burma has historically had a strained relationship with its northern neighbour. From the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 until 1962, Beijing maintained a cordial relationship with the non-aligned democratic government of Prime Minister U Nu.
Burma was the first country outside the communist bloc to recognise the new regime in Beijing. After General Ne Win staged a coup d’etat in 1962, the Chinese, long wary of the ambitious, sometimes unpredictable general, prepared for all-out support for the insurgent Communist Party of Burma (CPB). Anti-Chinese riots in Rangoon in 1967 – orchestrated by military authorities to deflect public anger over a deteriorating economy – provided an excuse for Chinese to intervene. On New Year’s Day 1968, armed CPB units entered northeastern Burma from China’s Yunnan Province. Over the next decade, China poured more aid into the CPB effort than any other communist movement outside of Indochina.
Mao’s death in 1976, and the subsequent return to power of pragmatist Deng Xiaoping changed things. Supporting revolutionary movements in the region was no longer in Beijing’s interest. Still, China coveted Burma’s forests, rich deposits of minerals and natural gas, and hydroelectric power potential. Ending Chinese support to the CPB ushered in a more cordial era in Sino-Burmese relations, the relations growing by leaps and bound after the 1988 bloody suppression of pro-democracy movement in Burma. Apart from supplying Burma with vast quantities of military hardware, by 1991, Chinese experts assisted in a series of infrastructure projects. Chinese military advisers soon arrived, the first foreign military personnel stationed in Burma since the 1950s. Cross-border trade between China and Burma boomed.
More recently, China has provided Burma with low-interest loans, and Chinese investment in the sanctions-hit economy is substantial, particularly true of the energy sector.
China still has contracts to build six other mega-dams on the Irrawaddy and source rivers. That Thein Sein dared to make his public statement reveals a wrinkle in Sino-Burmese relations – and how Burma may try to balance foreign relations, perhaps returning to its former policy of strict neutrality and non-alignment.
Some academic observers assert that Beijing’s influence over the Burmese government is exaggerated. Although China provided Burma with up to US$1.6 billion worth of military hardware since 1989, the regime has recently turned to Russia, the Ukraine and North Korea to diversify its arms-procurement program.
Instead of democratising the country, Burma’s new government seems to have chosen to play “the China card,” an attempt to win support of the West. An unsigned opinion piece in The Bangkok Post, written by a Burmese government official, lays out its position: “We do not want our country to become a satellite state of the Chinese government.” From the regime’s point of view, improved relations with the West could be accomplished simply by playing up the Chinese threat, with the hope of diminishing Western criticism of the regime.
But the regime has time and again stressed that how the country is governed is an internal matter. The West must decide if it will play along.
Bertil Lintner is a Swedish journalist based
in Thailand and the author of several works on Asia.
© 2011 Yale Center for the Study of
Globalisation http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/opinion/2011/October/opinion_October34.xml§ion=opinion&col=
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US keen to improve ties with Burma
Steven Lee Myers, Thomas Fuller
October 8, 2011
WASHINGTON: The United States is considering a significant shift in its long-strained relationship with the autocratic government of Burma, including relaxing restrictions on financial assistance and taking other steps to encourage what senior US officials describe as startling political changes in the country.
The thawing, while in its early stages, follows a political transition in Burma after deeply flawed elections last year that nonetheless appears to have raised the possibility that the new government will ease its restrictions on basic freedoms and co-operate with the repressed opposition movement led by the Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
The apparent shift offers the United States the chance to improve ties with a resource-rich south-east Asian country. Last week the new Burmese leadership unexpectedly halted work on a $3.6 billion dam project strongly backed by China, its main ally, prompting criticism from the Chinese government.
The new President, U Thein Sein, a former general who was part of the military junta that ruled the country for two decades, has signalled a sharp break from the centralised, erratic policies of the past. He is rewriting laws on taxes and property ownership and loosening restrictions on the media.
For the first time, the government has discussed with Aung San Suu Kyi and US officials the possibility of releasing hundreds of political prisoners, after years of denying there were any at all.
The Obama administration, although sceptical, has responded to this openness with a series of small diplomatic steps, hoping that a democratic transition could bring stability and economic opportunities at a time of increasing US competition with China over influence in Asia.
''They are moving into a more pluralistic form of government. I wouldn't call it totally democratic. But things are changing very rapidly,'' said Priscilla Clapp, the chief of mission at the US embassy in Burma from 1999 to 2002.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/world/us-keen-to-improve-ties-with-burma-20111007-1ldl4.html#ixzz1ZqunOz5T
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Burma VP to talk dam fiasco with China
By FRANCIS WADE
Published: 7 October 2011
Burma’s hawkish vice president will travel to Beijing before the end of the month to discuss Naypyidaw’s shock cancellation of a major dam project in northern Burma financed by China.
The suspension of the Myitsone dam has angered China, which appears not to have been consulted over the decision. Around 90 percent of the power would have gone to China, which provided the vast majority of the $US3.6 billion price tag on the project.
Now Tin Aung Myint Oo is being forced to explain the decision to officials in Beijing, and will travel to China shortly after President Thein Sein returns from a visit to India on 15 October, Reuters quoted a government official as saying. The official reason for the vice president’s trip is to attend the opening of a China-Asean Exposition.
The People’s Daily, the official newspaper of China’s ruling Communist Party, today carried an article responding to protestations against its energy projects in Burma.
“Looking at public opinion in Myanmar [Burma], as some non-government organisations do not trust the government and have been influenced by foreign media, very few present positive information regarding Chinese investors…”
It continued that assessments had been carried out prior to starting on the Myitsone dam, with experts finding the impact would be “rather small”. Environmental groups however point to the estimated 20,000 people likely to be displaced by the dam, as well as long-term damage to the ecosystem of the IrrawaddyRiver, to counter these claims.
Following the announcement a week ago that the dam would not go ahead, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told Burma that it must “guarantee the lawful and legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies”.
It marks a rare fissure in relations between the two countries: Burma relies on Beijing for political support and the billions of dollars in investment it pours into the country each year, while China sees its neighbour as a veritable goldmine of easily-exploitable natural resources.
Writing in the Jakarta Globe, journalist Bertil Lintner said that the decision may have been triggered by a disagreement within the upper echelons of Burma’s government over the extent to which China’s energy need were dictating the priorities of Naypyidaw.
This theory suggests that growing public disquiet over the dam was less a factor, despite Thein Sein’s reference to “respecting the will of the public” as the cause of the decision.
Although the strong relationship has major benefits for both countries, Burma’s rulers remain intensely nationalistic and wary of an over-dependence on the regional superpower. Recent shifts in the political landscape in Burma also suggest the government is attempting to curry favour with critical western countries.
“From the Burmese regime’s point of view, improved relations with the West could be accomplished simply by playing up the Chinese threat, with the hope of diminishing Western criticism of the regime,” Lintner wrote.
In an interview with the New York Times yesterday, US envoy to Burma Derek Mitchell appeared to suggest that Washington was rethinking its punitive measures on Burma in light of recent changes, of which the Myitsone cancellation is being hailed as the most positive. http://www.dvb.no/news/burma-vp-to-talk-dam-fiasco-with-china/18020
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Myitsone Dam: a new catalyst for reform in Burma?
Editorial Desk
The Nation (Thailand)
Publication Date : 07-10-2011
It must have taken a good deal of courage for Burmese President Thein Sein to come out recently and stop the construction of the Chinese-funded Myitsone Dam in Kachin State. Like it or not, the decision was timely and hit all the right nerves for both Burma sceptics and supporters of the regime. Certainly it has raised the ire of the Chinese. If there has been anything at all positive in the past three months since the buzz began about "reform" in the pariah state, this is it. It is the most immediate and concrete sign of the Burmese government listening to any opinion other than its own.
This move will certainly win Thein Sein lots of support from local and international observers of Burma - something which he badly needs in order to fight against the hardliners within his own cabinet. Indeed, that might be what the Naypyidaw government wants people to think. Somehow, it might also want to see reform-minded lawmakers win the day.
But the international community has to remain cautious, even after this latest development. There have been many times in the past when the Burmese regime has cheated and betrayed its own people. To suggest that Burma has changed because of sudden political reforms and a new political system would be hard to believe, even for the most optimistic of observers. More action needs to be forthcoming, especially regarding the release of political prisoners, over 2,000 of whom still remain in custody.
Although nobody knows the exact number of political prisoners and how many "classifications" there are, it is clear that their freedom is another prerequisite before Burma can gain international support. Ongoing dialogue with the opposition leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, must continue and expand. At the moment, attempts are being made to undertake further ceasefire talks with the various armed minority groups in the border regions. There is an urgent need to bring these rebel groups to the negotiating table, but to do so, the Naypyidaw government must do more to appease these groups.
In this connection, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa has already said he will visit Burma this month, but the date has not yet been set. He has said such things before, but he still has not visited Burma as the chair of Asean. It is thus imperative that he go there as soon as possible. But for him to go, he wants to see more positive signs from the regime beyond the current "road map". Otherwise, there is a possibility he will pass on this decision and let the incoming chair, Cambodia, carry the process forward if possible.
There is a high level of unease among the Indonesian leaders about Burma's overall attitude. Previous attempts, two years ago, between Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Burmese strongman, General Than Shwe, to communicate directly, did not work out as planned.
Obviously, at the moment, Burma needs Asean more than ever before. For the first time - after more than 14 years of membership in the regional grouping - it has shown willingness to work with Asean and the international community to improve Burma's image and promote reforms.
President Thein Sein realises now that there is a small window for him to assert himself locally and internationally. So, he must not miss the chance. If he succeeds, he will be the one who gets due recognition, as he is scheduled to meet all the leaders from Asean, the US, Russia, China, India, Australia, Japan and South Korea at the upcoming Bali summit. So, the stakes are very high for him as well as for Burma. http://www.asianewsnet.net/home/news.php?id=22538&sec=3
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New Burmese Govt 'Reformist and Open-minded': US
By LALIT K JHA Friday, October 7, 2011
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration on Thursday showered praise on Burma's new government, calling it reformist and open-minded, even as it conceded that it still had a long way to go.
“We are gratified that we have a more reformist, more open-minded government in Burma that we can work with. If that were the situation in Syria, then we would be in a different place,” the US State Department spokesperson, Victoria Nuland, told reporters at her daily news conference.
“The number one thing that has changed in Burma is we have a new set of leaders who are more willing to work cooperatively with the opposition,” Nuland said in response to a question.
However, she said, the recent signs of reform in Burma are just a start. “We don't disagree that there is a huge amount of work to be done in Burma,” she said.
“My point was simply that we have a new government in Burma that seems to be making more efforts than its predecessor in terms of engaging Aung San Suu Kyi and engaging civil society, in terms of thinking twice about things like the dam in the north that have been so controversial among the Burmese population. And we want to encourage that trend. And we are trying to do so,” she said.
Asked if Burma has been a topic of discussion with India and China, Nuland said that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had spoken about the country with the Chinese and Indian ambassadors during bilateral talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting in New York last month.
Meanwhile, prominent American senator John McCain commended the decision of the Burmese government to suspend the Myitsone dam project in northern Burma's Kachin State last week.
“I commend President Thein Sein and other government leaders in Naypyidaw for their bold and responsible decision to suspend construction of the Myitsone dam project, which has been estimated to do irreparable harm to the Irrawaddy River,” he said.
“More than any issue in recent memory, this project and its reportedly disastrous environmental impact have united the Burmese people in overwhelming public opposition,” the senator said.
McCain said it was to the credit of Thein Sein and his allies in government that, in the face of considerable internal and external pressure, they listened to the voice of the people and made a dramatic change in government policy for the sake of the public interest.
“This was a democratic act, and I hope the government in Naypyidaw will continue to respond to the peaceful will of the people to make additional positive changes in other areas,” McCain said.
In an interview with The New York Times, Derek Mitchell, the new US special envoy to Burma, also acknowledged recent evidence of reforms in the country.
“We’re going to meet their action with action. If they take steps, we will take steps to demonstrate that we are supportive of the path to reform,” said Mitchell, who spent five days in Burma last month and attended two meetings in New York and Washington last week between senior State Department officials and Burmese Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=22214
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Kachin Women’s Group Issues Report Detailing Human Rights Violations
By KO HTWE Friday, October 7, 2011
A Kachin human rights group has accused Burma’s regime of displacing over 25,000 villagers and deliberately targeting civilians in killings, torture and sexual violence during the past four months of fighting with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in Kachin State and northern Shan State.
“Burma’s Covered Up War: Atrocities Against the Kachin People,” a 20-page report issued by the Kachin Women’s Association of Thailand (KWAT) on Friday, claimed that displaced villagers sheltered in makeshift camps along the Burma-China border are facing severe shortages of food and medicine because the regime has blocked agencies working officially inside Burma from assisting them.
“Thousands of villagers from Kutkai who have been displaced in recent weeks, but denied refuge in China and are unable to access camps in KIA-controlled areas of Kachin State, have dispersed to towns, other villages and jungle hiding sites,” KWAT said in a press release on Friday.
“It is a long-term political problem. China has many interests in Burma so they are reluctant to accept refugees,” said Shirley Seng, a spokesperson for KWAT, at the organization’s press conference on Friday.
KWAT alleged that government troops have raped 37 women and girls between the ages of nine and 50 during the conflict, 13 of whom were killed.
“Our documentation team was deeply shocked at the details of these crimes. Some women were gang-raped in front of their families. In one case, soldiers slaughtered a woman’s grandchild in front of her before raping and killing her also,” said Seng.
“We cannot show who the victims are because we cannot guarantee their safety if we do, but we have evidence,” said Seng in response to a reporter’s question.
In addition, the KWAT report provided details regarding the number and location of other human rights violations committed by Burmese troops, including: torture and ill treatment; forced labor and portering; forced relocation; land mine injuries; and disappearance of local residents.
However, The Irrawaddy cannot independently verify any of these cases, and the Burmese government has not yet responded to the allegations.
The researchers who collected the data were trained by KWAT in human rights principles and standards for documentation and reporting, according to the KWAT report.
According to Hkawng Seng Pan, who also spoke at the KWAT press conference, the Burmese army has deployed nearly 13 battalions among the Kachin population of nearly 2 million.
Women's rights groups have long accused Burmese government soldiers of using systematic rape against ethnic women as a weapon and strategy to terrorize the ethnic population.
In 1994, the Kachin Independence Organization, the KIA’s political wing, signed a ceasefire agreement with the Burmese junta. However, tension between government troops and the KIA increased following the KIA’s refusal to join the government’s Border Guard Force.
In June 2011, clashes between the KIA and government troops broke out and fighting has continued since that time, with local residents often caught up in the conflict.
KWAT has urged the international community to abandon its “wait and see” policy with respect to Burma, bring increased pressure on the regime to end its military offensives and atrocities and provide urgently needed humanitarian assistance to the displaced Kachin.
“’Wait and see’ is a death sentence for us,” said Shirley Seng.
Since 1997, the Burmese regime has destroyed more than 3,000 villages and displaced over half-a-million civilians in eastern Burma, according to the Thailand Burma Border Consortium, an umbrella organization responsible for the distribution of aid at the Thai-Burmese border. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=22218
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No Progress in Talks Between NMSP, Mon Govt
By LAWI WENG Friday, October 7, 2011
Delegations representing the New Mon State Party (NMSP) and the Mon State government met in Ye Township on Thursday, but failed to make any progress in efforts to avert a return to hostilities, according to NMSP sources.
Nai Hong Sar Pon Khaing, a spokesperson for the NMSP, told The Irrawaddy on Friday that three leaders from the group—Nai Tala Nyi, Nai Baya Lai and Lt-Col Nai Hong Sar of the NMSP's armed wing, the Mon National Liberation Army (MNLA)—met a delegation led by Col Htay Myint Aung, the Mon State minister for security and border affairs, at a military base in Ye.
The spokesperson said that he could not provide any further details, but Nai Shwe Thein, an executive committee member of the NMSP, said the meeting was held in accordance with the group's policy of insisting that any formal talks must include other members of the United Nationalities Federation Council (UNFC), an umbrella group of ethnic militias, and must be held directly with Naypyidaw.
“Our delegation called for a nationwide ceasefire and political talks with the UNFC. Their delegation said it would will convey this message to Naypyidaw,” said NMSP Secretary Nai Hang Thar, adding that the meeting did not focus on his party.
Last month, Ohn Myint, the chief minister of Mon State, proposed to Naypyidaw to form a peace mission consisting of members of his cabinet, but the idea was rejected because the delegation was to be led by the Mon State minister of electric power and industry, Nai Lawi Oung, who is also a former NMSP central committee member.
“We heard that Naypyidaw turned down the Mon State government's peace mission proposal,” said Nai Kao Rot, a former deputy army chief who currently serves as a military adviser to the MNLA.
NMSP party leaders said that they would continue to support the UNFC's calls for inclusive talks directly with Naypyidaw, which wants one-on-one talks mediated by state governments.
This week's meeting was the first between the NMSP, which reached a ceasefire agreement with Burma's then military junta in 1995, and a government delegation since a new quasi-civilian administration assumed power in Naypyidaw in March.
The Burmese government has recently reached an agreement with two other ceasefire groups, the United Wa State Army and its ally, the National Democratic Alliance Army, in Shan State, aimed at avoiding the breakdown of a two-decade-old ceasefire agreement.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=22219
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Thai PM Yingluck strengthens ties with Burma to renew border trade
By Zin Linn Oct 07, 2011 3:10PM UTC
At the invitation of Burma’s President Thein Sein, a delegation led by Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand Ms. Yingluck Shinawatra arrived in Nay Pyi Taw on a goodwill visit to Burma (Myanmar) on October 5, the New Light of Myanmar highlighted in its editorial today. The president of Burma held a meeting with visiting Thai Prime Minister Ms. Yingluck Shinawatra and party at President’s Office in Nay Pyi Taw.
According to the government-owned New Light of Myanmar newspaper, Thai PM Ms. Yingluck discussed cooperation matters between the two countries, border affairs, border trade and future tasks for Burmese migrant workers in Thailand. The construction of the Thingannyinaung to Kawkareik road was also discussed.
President Thein Sein discussed cooperation between the two countries in the smooth implementation of Irrawaddy-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) among Burma (Myanmar), Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, and promotion of trade and investment between the two countries.
Thailand has for decades served as a shelter for Burmese opposition activists fleeing political, ethnic and religious persecution. Border camps in Thailand hold an estimated 150,000 Burmese, thousands of them are unregistered. Another two to three million Burmese have slipped into Thailand proper to escape a shattered economy at home, providing low-cost labour for Thai businesses.
Thailand is so far Burma’s top foreign investor and depends on Burma for 20 percent of its electricity consumption, whilst importing a range of commodities from the military-run country.
A dispute between the two governments emerged in July 2010 after Burmese authorities closed their area of the Myawaddy passage, objecting to Thailand’s construction of a self-protective wall to prevent erosion on its side of the river.
The border trade and transport at the Mae Sot-Myawaddy border has been stopped since Burmese officials shut the border at the Thai-Burma Friendship Bridge across the Moei River and at over 20 cross-border trading ports since July 12, 2010.
During talks with Burma’s President, Ms. Yingluck urged mutual support to reopen the border checkpoint at Tak’s Mae Sot-Myawaddy as a way to improve trade and further economic cooperation. Ms. Yingluck also expressed Thailand’s policy of not letting any armed grouping to use its territory to launch any offensive against the Burmese government.
While Western countries have endorsed economic sanctions on Burma due to its deplorable human rights record, Asian countries like China, India and Thailand have established formal relationships and close economic ties. http://asiancorrespondent.com/66697/thai-pm-yingluck-strengthens-ties-with-burma-to-renew-border-trade/
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Detecting a Thaw in Myanmar, U.S. Aims to Encourage Change
By STEVEN LEE MYERS and THOMAS FULLER
Published: October 6, 2011
WASHINGTON — The United States is considering a significant shift in its long-strained relationship with the autocratic government of Myanmar, including relaxing restrictions on financial assistance and taking other steps to encourage what senior American officials describe as startling political changes in the country.
The American special envoy to Myanmar, Derek Mitchell, met with government and opposition leaders in Yangon last month.
The thawing, while in its early stages, follows a political transition in Myanmar after deeply flawed elections last year that nonetheless appears to have raised the possibility that the new government will ease its restrictions on basic freedoms and cooperate with the repressed opposition movement led by the Nobel laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
The new president, U Thein Sein, a former general who was part of the military junta that ruled the country for two decades, has in six months in office signaled a sharp break from the highly centralized and erratic policies of the past. Mr. Thein Sein’s government is now rewriting laws on taxes and property ownership, loosening restrictions on the media and even discussing the release of political prisoners.
The apparent shift offers the United States the chance to improve ties with a resource-rich Southeast Asian nation that after many years of semi-isolation counts neighboring China as its main ally. Last week, Myanmar’s new leadership unexpectedly halted work on a $3.6 billion dam strongly backed by China, prompting angry criticism from the Chinese government and the state-owned Chinese company that was building it.
The Obama administration, though skeptical, has responded to this new openness with a series of small diplomatic steps of its own, hoping that a democratic transition in Myanmar could bring stability and greater economic opportunities to the region at a time of increasing American competition with China over influence in Asia.
“We’re going to meet their action with action,” the administration’s newly appointed special envoy to Myanmar, Derek Mitchell, said in an interview. “If they take steps, we will take steps to demonstrate that we are supportive of the path to reform.” Mr. Mitchell spent five days last month in Myanmar, meeting with senior leaders in the government and opposition. That visit was followed by two meetings in New York and Washington last week between senior State Department officials and Myanmar’s new foreign minister, U Wunna Maung Lwin.
Mr. Wunna Maung Lwin, whose travel in the United States is normally sharply restricted, was the first foreign minister from Myanmar invited to the State Department since the military junta took power.
The motivation for the changes has baffled American officials and others, but Myanmar appears eager to end its diplomatic isolation and rebuild a dysfunctional economy that has trapped the country’s population of 55 million people in poverty, which the government acknowledged for the first time in Mr. Thein Sein’s inaugural address in March.
Members of Mr. Thein Sein’s government have since met several times with Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi, who was released from years of house arrest last November and whose name was so demonized by the previous junta that it was typically whispered in public. She, too, has expressed cautious support for what appears to be a political opening.
The government has also for the first time discussed with her and American officials the possibility of releasing hundreds of political prisoners, after years of denying there were any at all. The government has even assembled a list of those it is considering releasing. About 600 people are on it, though opposition leaders and diplomats say that there are nearly 2,000 political prisoners listed in a database compiled by an organization in Thailand. “We told the government we cannot accept their list,” said U Win Tin, a founding member of the National League for Democracy, Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi’s party. “We gave that message to the government, but we don’t know yet whether they will change their list.”
Even so, the senior administration official said that the mere acknowledgment that Myanmar held political prisoners reflected a significant shift in the new government’s attitude. Signals like that, even if tentative, have begun to win over skeptics who have seen false dawns before in Myanmar.
“It’s very exciting,” said Priscilla A. Clapp, who was the chief of mission at the United States Embassy in Myanmar from 1999 to 2002. “They are moving into a more pluralistic form of government. I wouldn’t call it totally democratic. But things are changing very rapidly.”
Ms. Clapp and others warned that the changes, which are exceeding expectations inside Myanmar and abroad, remained a work in progress. “Any transition this dramatic is a recipe for instability,” she said. “Anything can happen. There could be a coup, a counterrevolution.”
Senior Gen. Than Shwe, who led the junta for nearly two decades and stepped down in March, remains an uncertain factor in the tumultuous transition. It was under General Than Shwe’s leadership that the government carried out a deadly crackdown on protests led by Buddhist monks in 2007 and restricted foreign aid in the aftermath of a cyclone that killed more than 100,000 people.
The reasons that General Than Shwe ceded power to the current government have not been fully explained beyond the notion that he was ready for retirement. In leading the drive for reforms, Mr. Thein Sein appears to be siding with a younger generation of military officers who believe that maintaining the junta’s oppressive policies and hermetic attitudes toward the outside world would be a dead-end path for the country.
The decision by Mr. Thein Sein last week to suspend work on the giant hydroelectric dam on the Irrawaddy River was interpreted by many as a sign that the president was moving out from under the shadow of General Than Shwe.
Obama administration officials are now debating additional steps to support the nascent changes and encourage more, including the creation of a truly democratic political system and an end to violence against Myanmar’s ethnic minorities. The outreach is being closely coordinated with Congress, with other countries, including members of the European Union, and with Myanmar’s opposition.
“We’re not looking to move I think any faster than anyone else here,” Mr. Mitchell said. “I think we’re all looking to move step by step. We are going to test. There is no single point where we are absolutely certain that reform is going to be sustained and irreversible.”
Myanmar faces American sanctions first imposed in 1997 and expanded as recently as 2008. One hundred senior officials or businesses remain on the Department of the Treasury’s list banning any commercial trade. Lifting those sanctions would require new legislation in Congress. That is unlikely to happen unless Myanmar convinces its critics that its transformation is fundamental.
In the meantime, though, the administration is considering waiving some restrictions on trade and financial assistance and lifting prohibitions on assistance by global financial institutions, like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. An I.M.F. team is scheduled to visit this month for consultations on modernizing the country’s exchange rate system and lifting restrictions on international transactions.
Assistance like that is needed to overhaul what for years was a Soviet-style planned economy, where the military ran factories producing soap and bicycles. Ancient-looking cars still ride on potholed roads, and some buildings look as if their last coat of paint was applied during the days when Myanmar was a British colony, known as Burma.
Many in Myanmar remain unconvinced that genuine democracy has arrived.
“All these Western countries are hearing about some changes and they are very happy and keen,” said Mr. Win Tin of the opposition party. “I think that’s wrong. They should listen very carefully and wait to see whether what this government calls change is real and genuine.”
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton echoed that caution. She recently noted what she called “welcome gestures” but raised a series of issues. “We have serious questions and concerns across a wide range of issues — from Burma’s treatment of ethnic minorities and more than 2,000 prisoners to its relations with North Korea,” she said, using Myanmar’s colonial name, which is official American policy.
She added that the day before she spoke, a 21-year-old journalist was sentenced to 10 years in prison in Myanmar.
Steven Lee Myers reported from Washington, and Thomas Fuller from Bangkok. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/07/world/asia/united-states-aims-to-encourage-change-in-myanmar.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all
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China paper defends Myanmar investment
Fri Oct 7, 2011 12:04pm IST
BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese projects in Myanmar spur economic growth and guarantee environmental protection, Chinese state media said on Friday, defending infrastructure investment there from public opinion it said had been hijacked by foreign press.
Beijing has pressed for an "appropriate solution" after Myanmar shelved plans for the $3.6 billion Chinese-backed Myitsone dam, slammed by opponents for forced relocation of residents and environmental damage.
"In recent years, Chinese companies have been active in building Myanmar's economy and have provided large amounts of advanced technology and equipment," the ruling Communist Party's official newspaper, the People's Daily, said.
The paper said a network of hydroelectric dams relieved power shortages and that bridges built across the Irrawaddy River would improve transportation and promote development.
"Looking at public opinion in Myanmar, as some non-government organisations do not trust the government and have been influenced by foreign media, very few present positive information regarding Chinese investors..." it said.
Experts from the two countries, the article said, had found the environmental impact to be "rather small".
China Power Investment Corp, which had been building the Myitsone dam project, met the demands of Myanmar's government and used World Bank and Asian Development Bank environmental impact assessment standards, the report said.
It had spent more than $25 million resettling people on the upper reaches of the Irrawaddy, creating a model for local village construction, the paper said.
"The people of Myanmar have clearly not received full and accurate information ... especially in regard to Chinese investors' fulfillment of social obligations and contributions to local society," it said.
Economic relations between China and Myanmar -- formerly known as Burma -- are booming, with trade rising by more than half last year to $4.4 billion. China's investment in Myanmar reached $12.3 billion, according to Chinese data.
Myanmar, under comprehensive sanctions by Western countries for human rights issues, also sees Beijing as an important diplomatic ally. The People's Daily report lashed out at the United States and Europe for those sanctions.
"Because of U.S. and European sanctions, Myanmar has received the least international development aid among so-called most impoverished nations," it said.
(Reporting by Michael Martina; Editing by Ron Popeski) http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/10/07/idINIndia-59760420111007
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