http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/111480.htm
Fact Sheet
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
Washington, DC
October 31, 2008
Child Soldiers: U.S. Policy and Action
The forced recruitment of children for use in armed conflict is defined as one of the “Worst Forms of Child Labor” under International Labor Organization Convention 182. An estimated 200,000 to 300,000 children under the age of 18 are serving as soldiers for both rebel groups and government forces in current armed conflicts worldwide.
U.S. Law and Policy Regarding Child Soldiers
The United States does not permit compulsory recruitment of any person under 18 for any type of military service. However, the U.S. does permit 17-year-olds to volunteer for service in its armed forces. This practice is subject to a range of safeguards, including requirements for proof of age prior and parental consent.
U.S. law and policy are consistent with its obligations under the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict (OP), which permits governments to accept 16- or 17-year-old volunteers into their armed forces under certain conditions. The OP prohibits any compulsory recruitment of children under the age of 18 into governmental armed forces and requires State Parties to take “all feasible measures” to ensure that members of their armed forces that are under the age of 18 do not take a direct part in hostilities. It also requires Parties to prohibit and criminalize the recruitment and use in hostilities of persons under age 18 by non-state armed groups.
The forced or compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflict is defined as one of the “worst forms of child labor” under International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention 182. The U.S. ratified this convention in 1999.
Section 699C of the 2008 Appropriations Act contains a U.S. foreign assistance restriction on those countries identified in the Department’s Country Reports on Human Rights Practices as “having governmental armed forces or government supported armed groups, including paramilitaries, militias, or civil defense forces, that recruit or use child soldiers.” Section 699G on the Act also contains an assistance restriction on Sri Lanka dealing with child soldiers and other human rights abuses. The 2008 Appropriations Act was passed at the end of 2007.
New legislation addressing the issue of child soldiers has also recently been cleared for White House action. On September 15, 2008, the Child Soldier Accountability Act was passed by both the House and Senate, and cleared for White House action. This Act would prohibit the recruitment or use of child soldiers, extend U.S. criminal prohibitions relating to recruitment and use of child soldiers, designate certain persons who recruit or use child soldiers as inadmissible aliens, and allow the deportation of certain persons who recruit or use child soldiers.
U.S. Activities To Improve the Situation
The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL), Bureau of African Affairs, Bureau for International Organization Affairs, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, Office of Trafficking in Persons, and the U.S. Mission to the UN are all involved in addressing children and armed conflict issues in some capacity. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) are also engaged on this issue.
USG Reporting: The Department of State’s annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices and the Trafficking in Persons Reports cite countries in which the recruitment of child soldiers occurs. The practice is also reported on in the DOL’s annual Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor Report mandated by the Trade and Development Act of 2000.
UN and Multilateral Efforts: The U.S. works with foreign governments, UN agencies, non-governmental organizations and others to monitor, report on, and prevent the unlawful recruitment and use of child soldiers and to protect, assist, and rehabilitate children associated with fighting forces through Disarmament, Demobilization, Rehabilitation and Reintegration (DDRR) Programs. The DDRR programs include counseling, formal and informal education, vocational training and physical rehabilitation (e.g., prosthetics) for former child soldiers.
The U.S. is engaged with the UN Security Council and its Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC) Working Group to address children and armed conflict issues (UNSCR 1612). The CAAC Working Group reviewed a number of country situations this year (Burma, Burundi, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nepal, Philippines, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Uganda) and made recommendations to various entities, including the Secretary-General, the government of the country concerned, rebel groups, and international organizations.
The U.S. encourages all countries to ratify ILO Convention 182 against the Worst Forms of Child Labor, as well as to sign and ratify the Optional Protocol.
USG Programming: In 2008, DRL is funding two grants totaling nearly $1 million for child soldier reintegration programs in Burundi, particularly girl child soldiers.
DOL currently has over $20million in funding to go towards five projects which specifically address child soldiers in Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Nepal, Sierra Leone, and Uganda. DOL also funds an additional 14 projects to educate children and protect them from exploitation in countries recovering from armed conflict or in post-conflict situations.
Across seven war-affected countries, USAID has contributed more than $10 million over the past several years toward the demobilization of child combatants and reintegration into their communities. USAID’s Displaced Children and Orphans Fund and the Leahy War Victims Fund also support a variety of programs that address children in vulnerable situations, including children affected by armed conflict.
In 2006, the U.S. gave over $100 million to UNICEF, which is committed to improving the lives of children around the world.
Improved Coordination and Knowledge-sharing: While the activities of various U.S. agencies have contributed to addressing the child soldier issue, key agencies will need to work more effectively together to address the issue as a whole and its related challenges. Some challenges may include: the sexual exploitation of girls and women by child soldiers, reintegration of former child soldiers into their communities, re-recruitment of former child soldiers, protection of children during peacekeeping missions, and the flow of light weapons.
The Department of State promotes knowledge-sharing with other federal agencies engaged in ending unlawful child soldiering and protecting the interests of children. DRL has co-hosted seminars and fora to discuss policy and programming gaps, and to address specific problems, such as child soldiering. For more information about one of these fora, see Policy Forum on Children and Armed Conflict: Child Soldiers as Combatants, Victims, and Survivors.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Child Soldiers: U.S. Policy and Action
China and ASEAN
http://www.oxan.com/worldnextweek/2008-10-30/TalkingPointFri_ChinaandASEAN.aspx
Friday, October 31
The initial phases of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (FTA) have brought significant benefits for both parties, helping to absorb external pressures at a time of slowing global growth. On October 22, Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan told the fifth China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit that it is paramount for the two partners to accelerate their economic cooperation in the face of weakening global demand. ASEAN officials also stated their wish for deeper economic ties with China, stressing the need to reduce the bloc's exposure to slowing demand from the United States, Europe and Japan.
ASEAN doubts.
However, despite their hopes that Chinese demand will help compensate for slowing exports to OECD economies, ASEAN leaders have less positive expectations for the relationship than their Chinese counterparts. Political and business leaders are worried about their ability to expand or even retain market access in China. There are several concerns:
Structural shift. China's economy is moving away from traditional processing and assembly operations, sourcing more components domestically as its industries move up the value chain. South-east Asia lacks the technology and skills to provide many of the required high-end imports and raw materials. It thus risks the prospect of a shrinking trade surplus with China and greater vulnerability to currency fluctuations.
Third markets. China is likely to move more aggressively into low-cost markets as import demand slumps in the United States and Western Europe, intensifying competition with ASEAN suppliers. Diplomatic relations have already been strained over China's undercutting of rice, footwear, toys, clothing and textile products. Similar frictions are likely over exports of high technology goods, such as chips and disk drives.
Farm tensions. Pressure to dismantle tariffs on agricultural goods will become a key issue during the final stage of implementation of the FTA 2010-2015, as farm sectors underpin the economies of the less advanced ASEAN members. Although the six advanced countries have gained from an 'Early Harvest' programme of lower tariffs, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Burma fear they will be at a commercial disadvantage.
Investment outlook.
Investment is likely to accelerate in both directions as the FTA takes full effect, but will be influenced by development trends within the respective markets:
Policy flips. China is becoming more selective with the type of investment it wants as it confronts economic instability resulting from excess capacity and a reliance on FDI rather than domestic consumption. On ASEAN's side, the bloc has been unable to achieve consistent investment policies among its own members due to internal rivalries and self interest, undermining efforts to promote the region as a single, unified market.
Growth triangles. Inadequate infrastructure is hampering efforts to use the FTA as an investment springboard for less developed regions through special economic zones, such as the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle and China's Beibu Gulf Economic Area. Although communications are being improved under the Greater Mekong Subregion grouping, investors cite higher costs for a reluctance to support fringe areas.
China links its investment priorities closely to foreign policy objectives, with Burma, Cambodia and Laos of particular strategic importance. ASEAN, originally established as an anti-communist bloc during the Cold War, banned contact with China until the early 1990s. Although commercial interests now prevail, there is potential for latent mistrust of China's political and security ambitions to resurface in future.
Read more
SOUTH-EAST ASIA: Region looks to China as OECD slows -- The Oxford Analytica Daily Brief (subscribers only)
About the Daily Brief
Please rate this article
Despite their hopes that Chinese demand will help compensate for slowing exports to OECD economies, ASEAN leaders have less positive expectations for the relationship than their Chinese counterparts.
US Presidential Election 2008 Coverage
Read articles from The World Next Week about this year's presidential election
Latest: Turnout - Thursday, 30 October
In dealing with junta, keep kid gloves on
http://www.bangkokpost.com/011108_News/01Nov2008_news18.php
ACHARA ASHAYAGACHAT
The Burmese junta's mentality has not changed much despite the deadly cyclone five months ago, nor has Thailand's so-called democratically-elected government veered from its course as the mouthpiece of its neighbour to the west.
But in the months since Cyclone Nargis struck Burma on May 2, the international community has substantially reviewed, if not changed, its attitude and policy of engagement with Burma.
The Somchai administration, like its short-lived predecessor the Samak government, has recently shown to the world that Thailand is a true friend of the authoritarian government, without even having to make two visits to Burma like the former premier Samak Sundaravej.
Prime Minister Somchai spent his three-day stay in Beijing appeasing the Burmese junta and seeking sympathy from the international community for the ongoing political woes back home.
Foreign Minister Nyan Win, after hearing sweet words from the Thai leader at one of the sessions of the Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem) in Beijing last week, approached him and Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat to express his appreciation for Mr Somchai's understanding of Burma's spirit and situation.
Mr Somchai told the Asem leaders that they should look to the future and use this opportunity to enhance the newfound partnership in a constructive manner to benefit the Burmese people more, such as through the role of Asean, Burma and the international community under the framework of the Tripartite Core Group (TPG).
Just like his two predecessors Samak Sundaravej and Thaksin Shinawatra, Mr Somchai has acted as the Burmese junta's spokesman when defending its iron-fisted policy against its own people and the opposition.
"We do not believe in sanctions. They rarely work. I feel that political progress needs to occur in tandem with economic, social and human resources development. Support for development in these areas will contribute to democratic development," Mr Somchai said.
In a separate meeting between the Thai foreign minister and his French counterpart Bernard Kouchner, the French minister still complained to Thailand about the time-buying tactics of the Burmese regime despite its up-front positive gesture to the global efforts on humanitarian assistance, public health, agriculture and human resources development, especially after Cyclone Nargis.
Another expert-level talk between the European Commission and the Burmese officials, on the sidelines of the Asem, also went nowhere as the message hit a wall; the Europeans' call for the release of political prisoners including Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, was later watered down as the leaders' statement could not mention the Lady's name at all, while the EU's call for an "inclusive" election process in 2010 has yet to surface. Yet, there are some who shared PM Somchai's sentiment that the Nargis phenomenon might really be a blessing in disguise.
The Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG), in its recently launched report, said the international community should build on the unprecedented cooperation between the Burmese government and humanitarian agencies.
"Burma/Myanmar After Nargis: Time to Normalise Aid Relations" argues that the recent cooperation has proved that it is possible to work with the military regime on humanitarian issues and to deliver assistance in an effective and accountable way.
If the current opening can be used to build confidence and lay the basis for a more effective aid structure, it may be possible not only to meet the immediate needs, but also to begin to address the broader crisis of governance and human suffering, said the ICG report.
The junta's initial response to Cyclone Nargis shocked the world, with international agencies and local donors denied access to affected areas.
But, little noticed, the situation subsequently improved markedly, to the point where the UN humanitarian chief was able to describe it in July as a normal international relief operation.
Communications between the government and international agencies have much improved, said the report. Visas and travel permits today are easier and faster to get than before. Requirements for the launch of new aid projects have been eased.
By and large, the authorities are making efforts to facilitate aid, including allowing a substantial role for civil society.
The ICG called on international donors to end aid restrictions, which have seen Burma receiving 20 times less assistance than similar countries and which have weakened, not strengthened, the forces for change.
This means more aid, but also different aid, aimed at raising income and education as well as health levels, fostering civil society and improving economic policy and good governance, the report said.
Aid alone will not bring sustainable human development, never mind peace and democracy, says Robert Templer, programme director of Crisis Group Asia.
Yet, due to the limited links between Burma and the outside world, aid has unusual importance as an arena of interaction between the government, society and the international community.
However, this message has not convinced most of the activists worldwide; Burma's struggle towards democracy and a fair share in self-determination, unfortunately, will still be determined by the status quo.
Burmese dissidents in exile, including those in Thailand, have acknowledged this but have yet to make their voices and the truth in their native country known to the world. Their fighting tactics against the ruling regime in Naypidaw still remain the same: keep the issue alive, especially in light of the new US presidency.
The Washington-based National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma/Burma Fund has released a report on how "Burma is Still Desperate Five Months after the Cyclone".
According to the report, the cyclone destroyed the equivalent of up to 21% of the country's GDP for the previous fiscal year.
In social terms, the figures are no less serious: in the Irrawaddy and Rangoon districts, 75% of health facilities and 91% of general public education facilities have been destroyed. Roughly more than one-third of those in these areas have some form of lung or stomach ailment. Some 23% of households in cyclone-hit regions reported psychological problems.
A disproportionately high female mortality rate means many infants cannot get proper care and feeding. Those surviving are highly susceptible to being forced into the sex trade due to employment pressures.
The report concludes with recommendations to provide direct assistance to victims, urging the international donor community to ensure the involvement of affected communities at all stages in the management of the relief.
Problems on the ground were also acknowledged at a two-day closed door meeting in Bangkok early this week, which drew lessons from recent disasters in the Asia-Pacific region in order to formulate the medium- and long-term post-Nargis recovery strategies, particularly on issues of disaster risk reduction, sustainable settlement policies, livelihood recovery strategies, and restoring economic and social infrastructure.
Speaking at the Escap-organised session on settlement plans and country experiences, the deputy for Donor and International Relations at the Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency for Aceh and Nias, Heru Prasetyo, shared critical lessons from the Aceh tsunami reconstruction effort.
He stressed that there was a need for continuous coordination of funding, programmes and resources, as well as ongoing monitoring, accountability and public communication.
Taking into account the lessons learnt and shared at the meeting by the representatives from Aceh, Bangladesh, Pakistan and other countries which have dealt with the effects of previous natural disasters, the meeting's participants agreed that it was particularly important to focus on a number of principles to guide the implementation of recovery activities.
These included, among others, the need for all recovery efforts to aim to rebuild better and more safely, with a community-based approach in order to reduce future disaster risks; and the need for disaster risk reduction to be an essential pillar of any recovery programme so that it becomes an integral part of a holistic multi-disciplinary approach to disaster management.
Switzerland company to advise on hydropower projects in Myanmar
http://insurancenew snet.com/ article.asp? n=1&neID=20081031375. 4_f123005793d34a 84
Oct 1, 2008
Copyright: XINHUA NEWS AGENCY
Source: Comtex Business
YANGON, Oct 31, 2008 (Xinhua via COMTEX News Network) -- A Switzerland company will provide consulting services for implementation of hydropower projects in Myanmar, the state-run newspaper New Light of Myanmar reported Friday.
Under the agreement, signed by the Hydropower Implementation Department (HID) under the Myanmar Ministery of Electric Power-1 and the Colenco Power Engineering Limited of Switzerland in the new capital of Nay Pyi Taw on Wednesday, the Switzerland company will supply consulting services for in-house engineering services for the implementation of hydropower projects in Myanmar, the paper said.
Meanwhile, under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed earlier this month in Nay Pyi Taw between the Myanmar Ministry of Electric Power-1, the Italian-Thai Development Public Co. Ltd based in Thailand and the Windfall Energy Services Ltd of British Virgin Island based in Singapore, the two foreign companies will launch the hydropower project of 600 megawatts (mw) in Myanmar's southern Tanintharyi division.
The MoU came after India's National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Ltd took up two similar projects in Myanmar last month, namely the Htamanthi's of 1,200 megawatts' (mw) generating capacity and the Shwesayay's of 600 mw under similar MoU.
In recent years, companies from Thailand, China, South Korea, Bangladesh and India were engaged in Myanmar's hydropower projects.
Myanmar has signed five contracts respectively with some Chinese companies since 2004 on the implementation of the country' s 790-mw Yeywa hydropower project on the Myitnge River which can generate 3.55 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually upon completion.
Other China-involved hydropower projects went to Upper Paunglaung by the Yunnan Machinery and Equipment Import and Export Co Ltd (YMEC) and the Upper Thanlwin by the Farsighted Investment Group Co Ltd and Gold Water Resources Ltd.
Moreover, the China Power Investment Corporation (CPI) was also reportedly to build seven hydropower projects for Myanmar on the confluence of Ayeyawaddy river and Maykha and Malikha rivers in Kachin state with a combined capacity of 13,360 mw.
In the latest development, Myanmar and Bangladesh are enhancing cooperation in seeking to build hydropower plants in Myanmar for export of electricity to Bangladesh. The exploration has identified potential sites for such move in some areas in two states in western and northwestern parts of the country.
According to the government's National Investment Commission, the electric power sector dominated foreign investment in Myanmar with 6.311 billion U.S. dollars as of the end of 2007.
Statistics also show that Myanmar had a total of over 1,690 mw of installed generating capacity of electric power as of April 2008 and the power generated stood 6.603 billion kwh in 2007-08, up from 6.172 billion kwh in 2006-07.
This is a news service of Thomson Business Intelligence Service ©2006. This content is for your personal use only, subject to Terms and Conditions. No redistribution allowed.
Japan fires air force head Who Said a U.S. trap・Led to the Pearl Harbor Attack
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/01/world/asia/01tokyo.html?em
By NORIMITSU ONISHI
Published: October 31, 2008
TOKYO — A high-ranking Japanese military official was dismissed Friday for writing an essay stating that the United States had ensnared Japan into World War II, denying that Japan had waged wars of aggression in Asia and justifying Japanese colonialism.
The Defense Ministry fired Gen. Toshio Tamogami, chief of staff of Japan’s air force, late on Friday night, only hours after his essay was posted on a private company’s Web site. The quick dismissal seemed intended to head off criticism from China, South Korea and other Asian nations that have reacted angrily to previous Japanese denials of its militarist past.
The defense minister, Yasukazu Hamada, said the essay included an “inappropriate” assessment of the war, adding, “It was improper for a person in his capacity as air force chief of staff to publicly state a view clearly different from the government’s.”
In the essay, General Tamogami, 60, elaborated a rightist view of Japan’s wartime history shared by many nationalist politicians. But it was a rare formulation from inside Japan’s military, which, as Japan has been shedding its postwar pacifism in recent years, has gained a more prominent role.
Japan’s military — whose operations are restricted by the nation’s war-renouncing Constitution — should be allowed to possess “offensive weaponry” and widen its defense activities with allies, the general also wrote.
The article was posted on the Web site of a real estate developer called Apa Group after taking the $30,000 first prize in an essay-writing contest sponsored by the company.
General Tamogami wrote that Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941 and thereby drew the United States into World War II after being caught in “a trap” set by President Roosevelt.
“Roosevelt had become president on his public pledge not to go to war, so in order to start a war between the United States and Japan, it had to appear that Japan took the first shot,” he wrote.
He denied that Japan had invaded China and the Korean Peninsula, arguing that Japanese forces became embroiled in domestic conflicts on the Asian continent.
“Even now, there are many people who think that our country’s aggression caused unbearable suffering to the countries of Asia during the Greater East Asia War,” he wrote, using the term favored by Japan’s right to refer to World War II. “But we need to realize that many Asian countries take a positive view of the Greater East Asia War. It is certainly a false accusation to say that our country was an aggressor nation.”
Since the mid-1990s, the Japanese government has officially apologized for its wartime past and acknowledged its aggression in Asia. But in recent years, nationalist politicians belonging to the right wing of the long-governing Liberal Democratic Party have waged a campaign to revise Japan’s wartime history.
Few politicians have spoken as comprehensively as General Tamogami did. Instead they have telegraphed their sympathies with the rightist view of history. The current prime minister, Taro Aso, in the past publicly praised Japanese colonial rule on the Korean Peninsula. Mr. Aso, whose family’s mining business used forced laborers during World War II, also said Koreans gladly adopted Japanese names.
Hours before the general’s dismissal, Mr. Aso said, “Even though he published it in a private capacity, given his position, it is not appropriate.”
Last year, Shinzo Abe, then the prime minister, drew anger in Asia and the United States by denying the Japanese military’s involvement in recruiting the wartime sex slaves known euphemistically as “comfort women.”
His comments led the United States House of Representatives to adopt a nonbinding resolution calling on Japan to acknowledge and apologize for its wartime sex slavery. Japan has yet to respond.
Some of the Beautiful Temples of the World!!!
http://gsainath4u.blogspot.com/2008/10/some-of-beautiful-temples-of-world.html
Shwedagon Pagoda
The Shwedagon Pagoda also known as the Golden Pagoda, is a 98-metre (approx. 321.5 feet) gilded stupa located in Yangon, Burma. The pagoda lies to the west of Kandawgyi Lake, on Singuttara Hill, thus dominating the skyline of the city. It is the most sacred Buddhist pagoda for the Burmese with relics of the past four Buddhas enshrined within, namely the staff of Kakusandha, the water filter of Konagamana, a piece of the robe of Kassapa and eight hairs of Gautama, the historical Buddha.
Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat (or Angkor Vat), is a temple complex at Angkor, Cambodia, built for King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation—first Hindu, dedicated to Vishnu, then Buddhist. The temple is the epitome of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors.
Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple (Srirangam):-2.jpg)
-1.jpg)
The temple occupies an area of 156 acres (6,31,000 m²) with a perimeter of 1,116m (10,710 feet) making it the largest temple in India and one of the largest religious complexes in the world. In fact, Srirangam temple can be easily termed as the largest functioning Hindu temple in the world (Angkor Wat being the largest non-functioning temple). The temple is enclosed by 7 concentric walls with a total length of 32,592 feet or over six miles. These walls are enclosed by 21 Gopurams (Towers). Among the marvels of the temple is a "hall of 1000 pillars" (actually 953).
Harmandir Sahib
Sri Harmandir Sahib or Darbar Sahib, informally referred to as The Golden Temple or Temple of God, is culturally the most significant place of worship of the Sikhs and one of the oldest Sikh gurdwaras. It is located in the city of Amritsar, which was established by Guru Ram Das, the fourth guru of the Sikhs and the city that it was built in, is also due to the shrine, known as "Guru Di Nagri" meaning city of the Sikh Guru.
Prambanan
Prambanan is the largest Hindu temple compound in Central Java in Indonesia, located approximately 18 km east of Yogyakarta. The temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the largest Hindu temples in south-east Asia. It is characterised by its tall and pointed architecture, typical of Hindu temple architecture, and by the 47m high central building inside a large complex of individual temples.
Wat Rong Khun
Wat Rong Khun is a contemporary unconventional buddhist temple in Chiang Rai, Thailand. It was designed by Chalermchai Kositpipat. Construction began in 1998 and is expected to end in 2008.
Wat Rong Khun is different from any other temple in Thailand, as its ubosot (Pali: uposatha; consecrated assembly hall) is designed in white color with some use of white glass. The white color stands for Lord Buddha’s purity; the white glass stands for Lord Buddha’s wisdom that "shines brightly all over the Earth and the Universe."
Taktshang:
Taktshang is the most famous of monasteries in Bhutan. It hangs on a cliff at 3,120 metres (10,200 feet), some 700 meters (2,300 feet) above the bottom of Paro valley, some 10 km from the district town of Paro. Famous visitors include Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal in the 17th century and Milarepa.
The name means "Tiger's nest", the legend being that Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) flew there on the back of a tiger. The monastery includes seven temples which can all be visited. The monastery suffered several blazes and is a recent restoration. Climbing to the monastery is on foot or mule.
Burma's foreign earnings to decline-MIZZIMA
http://www.mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/1228-burmas-foreign-earnings-to-decline-.html
by Mizzima News
Saturday, 01 November 2008 16:59
Rangoon — Burma's export earnings are likely to suffer a decline in the current fiscal year, largely resulting from a negative global economic outlook, according to analysts.
"Export [earning] is heavily dependent on natural gas sales – and closely related to slumping oil prices. As such, earnings could experience a drawback in the coming year," a former financial and monetary expert with the Ministry of Finance and Revenue said.
The current fiscal year of 2008-2009 will end on March 31, 2009. The expert said gas prices were always related to oil prices, so the price of gas would decline with the decreasing price of oil.
The price of oil has fallen by over half since its July high of 147 dollars per barrel, with the price now standing at around 67 dollars per barrel.
According to figures released by the Ministry of Commerce, the country has been enjoying a trade surplus since 2002-2003 due largely to the export of gas to Thailand, the principle importer of Burma's gas, resulting in the country earning more than USD 2 billion for the year 2007-2008.
However, the Bank of Thailand said last week that negative factors – including the global recession and domestic political upheaval - would affect the Thai economy until at least early next year.
Another Burmese business expert said the country has already begun suffering from the global economic slowdown, specifically referring to the vital industries of garments and tourism.
"Global demand for services and products from these sectors are showing signs of decline," he said.
Burmese garment and apparel products mainly go to the EU and Japan, markets negatively affected by the financial tsunami originating from the US credit crunch.
"တိုက္ပြဲေခၚသံ"-(ေက်ာင္းသားတပ္မေတာ္ ေမြးဖြားျခင္း အႏွစ္ႏွစ္ဆယ္ျပည့္ အမွတ္တရ)
[Ye Yint Thet Zwe]
ေဗဒင္ ကိန္းခန္း
အတိတ္ တေဘာင္
ဘိုးေတာ္ေတြရဲ ့ အေဆာင္ေတြနဲ ့
လူေရာင္ျပန္ခ်င္သူမ်ား၊
ဒီမွာေလ
ဇာတ္တူသားစားလို ့
ဟသာၤကိုးေသာင္းပ်က္စီးေၾကာင္းတရား
စစ္အုပ္စုမွာ နားမရွိရွာဘူး
အခုေတာ့
ေခ်ာင္ပိတ္ရိုက္ခံရတဲ့
ေခြးတေကာင္ရဲ ့ တံုံ ့ျပန္မႈမ်ိဳး
ဂမူးးရႈးထိုး ကမၻာ့အလယ္မွာ ၊
မွတ္ထားၾကစမ္းေဟ့
ေက်ာင္းသားတပ္မေတာ္ တဲ့
တကမၻာလံုးမွာ
ငါတို ့ ႏိုင္ငံတခုထဲသာရွိေနတာ
ဂုဏ္ယူစရာ
စစ္အုပ္စုရဲ ့ ေနျပည္ေတာ္က
ရုပ္ထုႀကီး သံုးခု ခမ်ာမွာေတာ့
သနားစရာ ၊
အာဏာရူးတို ့ေရ
အကုသိုလ္ေတြ
ရင္းႏွီးျမဳပ္ႏွံမွေတာ့
အကုသိုလ္ေတြပဲ
ရိတ္သိမ္းရေတာ့မွာေပါ့ ၊
ငါတို ့အဖို ့မွာေတာ့
'လူထုတိုက္ပြဲနဲ ့လက္နက္ကိုင္တိုက္ပြဲ
ႀကိဳးပမ္းေပါင္းစပ္ၾက'ဆိုတဲ့
တပ္ဦးရဲ ့ေႁကြးေက်ာ္သံသာ
မၿပီးဆံုးေသးတဲ့ ေတာ္လွန္ေရးအတြက္
တိုက္ပြဲေခၚသံျဖစ္တယ္ ။
(ေက်ာင္းသားတပ္မေတာ္ ေမြးဖြားျခင္း အႏွစ္ ႏွစ္ဆယ္ျပည့္သို ့)
--
Posted By Ye Yint Thet Zwe to Ye Yint Thet Zwe at 10/30/2008 10:54:00 AM
Helping Burma, Not Its Regime
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/31/AR2008103103599.html
Saturday, November 1, 2008; Page A14
In his Oct. 27 op-ed column, "On Burma, A Phony Realism," Fred Hiatt offered a distorted view of the International Crisis Group's report "Burma/Myanmar After Nargis: Time to Normalize Aid Relations." Mr. Hiatt acknowledged that Western sanctions have delivered neither democracy nor prosperity to the Burmese people but then attacked the report for saying just that.
The West's confrontational approach to Burma has shored up the regime's claim that it is defending the country against internal and external enemies, undermined Western influence, and impeded efforts to help ordinary people cope with repression and poverty. When a policy has been tried for 20 years with such spectacular lack of success, it is time to change tack. The cases of Somalia, Afghanistan and East Timor show how irresponsible it is to drive countries to collapse and how difficult it is for them to recover.
As we reported, the government's initial response to Cyclone Nargis, which killed more than 100,000 people, was appalling, with international agencies and local donors prevented from delivering aid. But while the international media were focused on other issues, disaster response improved to the point that in July, the U.N. humanitarian chief described it as "a normal international relief operation." Corrupt officials have almost certainly stolen some aid, something that, unfortunately, happens in many countries. But that doesn't mean people should not be helped.
This opening should be seized. Carefully designed aid programs can address Burma's dire humanitarian and developmental problems without propping up the regime.
JOHN VIRGOE
South East Asia Project Director
International Crisis Group
Jakarta
The hospital on Middle Island / Myanmar
Families wait for medical attention at the Ma Gyi Bin hospital. The hospital regularly gets many more patients than it is capable of treating. Photo: Anne Richard/The IRC
http://blog.theirc.org/2008/10/31/the-hospital-on-middle-island-myanmar/
Posted by The IRC on October 31st, 2008
A guest post from Gordon Bacon, the International Rescue Committee’s emergency coordinator in Myanmar.
Gordon Bacon
In the five months since Cyclone Nargis struck the coast of Myanmar, I have had the opportunity to meet some remarkable people.
One of them is Dr. Zaw Thein Kyaw, the only doctor at Ma Gyi Bin Station Hospital on Middle Island in the south west of the Irrawaddy Delta. With assistance from the IRC, Dr. Zaw has been working tirelessly to provide medical care to people in need, despite limited resources. The Ma Gyi Bin Station Hospital is the main health center in the region, serving some 45,000 people.
When I first visited it, the hospital was severely damaged, its roof leaking, windows broken, walls and interior severely water damaged and its equipment in a state of disrepair. Its small stock of medicine is still not adequate for its needs, while its 50 beds are crammed into an area designed for only 16.
Dr. Zaw accepts these challenges and works diligently every day to do what he can for his patients. On a day in September when IRC staff were visiting, he performed three life-saving operations in a row. On another day he performed six hours of surgery on a young woman, even without all the equipment necessary for such a major operation, and saved her life.
The IRC began supporting Dr. Zaw in June by supplying clean water to the hospital and Ma Gyi Bin village. Since then, the IRC has also helped repair the damaged building and delivered medicine and surgical equipment.
Dr. Zaw recently told me a story that highlights the challenges of providing healthcare in the region and how the IRC can help. An old woman was bitten by a cobra and had to be brought to the hospital by boat from her village, a journey of about an hour. Dr. Zaw didn’t have any snake bite serum available so he did what he could before sending the woman on a 6 hour boat ride to a bigger hospital upriver. Sadly, she died during the trip. After talking with Dr. Zaw about this tragedy, the IRC was able to provide the hospital with 20 units of snake bite serum. The next time a snake-bite victim appears at the hospital, emergency treatment will be available.
The IRC is also going to provide a number of boats for Middle Island. Some will be used as ambulance boats to help people reach the hospital quickly in an emergency. In a country where everyone travels by boat, ambulance boats are a necessity to make sure that the sick, injured or dying can reach a hospital in time for treatment. Other boats will be used to provide mobile medical services such as assisting the local midwife to carry out her health activities around the widespread villages in her area.
The IRC is currently putting some $84,000 of work and supplies into the Ma Gyi Bin Station Hospital. Among the supplies are a new operating table to replace the dilapidated one currently being used, extra surgical equipment, a solar-powered refrigerator for blood samples and a generator so that treatment can continue even if the electricity goes out.
With the help and support of the IRC, Dr. Zaw is finally able to give the people of Ma Gyi Bin the medical care they need and deserve.
Myanmar allots land for more local, foreign IT companies to work in cyber city
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-11/01/content_10290339.htm
www.chinaview.cn 2008-11-01 10:24:00 Print
YANGON, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Myanmar authorities have allotted land for 35 more local and foreign information technology companies to work in northern Myanmar's new Yadanabon Myothit cyber city, the official newspaper New Light of Myanmar reported Saturday.
These companies were allotted with 372 acres (150 hectares) of land in the soft-base factory area of the cyber city for the development of their business undertakings, the report said.
The Internet of the cyber city not only links with the whole country but also connect neighboring China, Thailand and India, experts said.
The Yadanabon Myothit cyber city covers an overall area of 10,000 acres (4,050 hectares), located in hilly Pyin Oo Lwin near a highway, 67 kilometers east of the second largest city of Mandalayin the north, and 20 percent of the cyber city area produce software and hardware.
The cyber city was formally inaugurated in December last year.
Myanmar has been lunching an ICT development master plan under the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) and detailed programs to link international networks are also being carried out in accordance with the master plan drafted by the Myanmar Computer Federation.
Being a signatory to the e-ASEAN Framework Agreement initiated at the 2000 Singapore summit, Myanmar has formed the e-National Task Force to support the IT development.
Besides, the country has also signed a series of memorandums of understanding since 2003 with such companies as from Malaysia, Thailand, China and South Korea on ICT development.
Meanwhile, a three-day ICT exhibition from Friday to Sunday, co-sponsored by the Myanmar Computer Federation (MCF), Myanmar Computer Professionals Association and the Myanmar Computer Entrepreneurs Association, is being launched in Yangon, aimed at promoting the development of the advanced technology.
In the exhibition, four companies sell latest PC, Laptop, 3G Phone, iPod, MP 4 Player, Printer, Scanner and Computer Software at special prices.
Editor: Wang Hongjiang
MYANMAR HEALTH TESTS ON POPULAR INSTANT COFEE MIXES
http://www.culturalnews.it/dettaglio.asp?id=11167
Not only melamine in Chinese milk and milk derivate products. Burma's Food and Drug Authority (FDA), under the Ministry of Health, said it is continuing laboratory tests of food items, including popular instant coffee mixes, for the presence of an industrial chemical, having previously declared 16 milk powder brands circulating markets in early October to be contaminated. "We are still testing all food items, including instant coffees, and will continue periodically stating our findings," says Dr. Kyaw Linn, General Director of the FDA, told Mizzima on Thursday.
At meantime, in Rangoon, rumors have spread among consumers that companies are retracting instant coffee packets from retail stores as they have been found to contain the chemical melamine. An official at the famous Mikko Coffee-mix company said, "We also heard the rumors that the chemical melamine had been found in packets of coffee-mix. And customers are calling often call to inquire about it." The official at Mikko Coffee-mix added that they have not retracted any of their products and that strong sales continue. The official, however, said his company's products have been declared melamine free by the FDA and that they are busy trying to promote sales after receiving FDA approval. Similarly, another popular instant coffee-mix company, Super, said it has not retracted any of their products, though rumors suggest that Super Coffee-mix is the brand found to contain the chemical melamine. Meanwhile, Dr. Kyaw Linn of the FDA said besides continued testing the FDA has issued orders to its branches across the country to seize milk brands found to contain the industrial chemical melamine if found still circulating markets. Earlier in October, authorities said they had identified 16 milk powder brands which were contaminated with melamine, and issued a warning to stores not to sell the products as well as to consumers to cease using the powders. In food field problems go on.
MYANMAR: OPPOSITE KAREN FIGHTERS ON THAI-BURMESE BORDERS
http://www.culturalnews.it/dettaglio.asp?id=11168
Chiang Mai, Thailan and Myanmar borders - An outpost of a Karen rebel group fighting for autonomy was seized yesterday Friday October the 31th by a joint operation conducted by a rival Karen faction and government troops. The KNU has been fighting Burma's central government for nearly 60 years for the right to self-determination. Last year, there were more than 1,000 encounters and minor skirmishes along the Thai-Burmese border between the KNU and opposition forces.
Following a two-day Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) assault, backed up by government troops, the outpost of the Karen National Union's (KNU) 6th Brigade, 201st Battalion, at Khalelawse, was seized this morning at about 11 a.m. Some sources said the KNU lost two soldiers in the battle, but Pado Saw Hla Ngwe denied the the loss of any troops. He said they were forced to withdraw from the outpost due to the superior firepower of enemy. "They (DKBA) tried to seize this outpost yesterday with fire support provided by the junta's forces. After about 150 KNLA (rebel) forces entered Khalelawse at about 11 a.m. today, we withdrew from this outpost," KNU Joint General Secretary (1) Pado Saw Hla Ngwe said.
Khalelawse outpost is situated opposite the village of Ohn Phyan, within one kilometer of the Ohn Phyan refugee camp and about 80 kilometers south of Mae Sot on the Thai-Burma border.
Joint forces of the Burmese Army and DKBA also attacked and overran a KNU outpost at Wawlaykhe, in Kawkareik Township, Karen state, in early June of this year. However, the KNU retook the outpost within a few days.
Posts
