News & Articles on Burma-Saturday, 16 October, 2010

News & Articles on Burma
Saturday, 16 October, 2010
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NLD and Ethnic Leaders Tour Kachin State
UN chief slams Burma junta on rights ahead of election
Detention of Aung San Suu Kyi disappoints Ban
Ban feels frustrated by Myanmar's lack of engagement
Ban slams Myanmar junta
UN chief slams Burma junta on rights
ASEAN Chief’s Burma Perspective seems to be a Daydream
Burma has ‘one doctor for every 8000 prisoners
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NLD and Ethnic Leaders Tour Kachin State
By THE IRRAWADDY Saturday, October 16, 2010

Several leaders of the National League for Democracy (NLD), Burma's recently dissolved main opposition party, are traveling in Kachin State with a prominent ethnic leader to meet with local party members and lobby for a boycott of next month's election.

NLD central executive committee member Ohn Kyaing told The Irrawaddy that he and several other senior party members visited the state capital of Myitkyina on Friday with ethnic Arakanese politician Aye Thar Aung to brief NLD members on the party's stand on the Nov. 7 election.

Vice chairman of the National League for Democracy (NLD) Tin Oo (Center) and other senior officials address reporters at the party's headquarters in Rangoon on March 29, 2010. (Photo: Reuters)
Ohn Kyaing, who is a spokesperson for the NLD, said that the meetings were held in the homes of party members and were also attended by local people with an interest in Burma's current political situation.

“Local party members actively discussed the election boycott and how to make the NLD stronger,” said Ohn Kyaing. “Some Kachin young people who are not NLD members also came to listen to us speak and to discuss these issues.”

Aye Thar Aung, who is the chairman of the Arakan League for Democracy and also the general secretary of the Committee Representing the People’s Parliament, a group consisting of parliamentarians elected when Burma last went to the polls in 1990, spoke about the need for unity and solidarity among Burma's ethnic peoples and the NLD's future plans, according to Ohn Kyaing.

Aye Aye Mar, another leading member of the NLD, discussed detained party leader Aung San Suu Kyi's message to the Burmese public, while other speakers covered a range of issues, from the role of young people in the election boycott to the decision of some senior party members to break away from the NLD to form a new party, the National Democratic Force, to run in the election.

The senior NLD members also visited several other townships in Kachin State on Thursday to brief local party members on the NLD's position on the general election. Around 400 members attended the briefing on Thursday, said Ohn Kyaing.

The NLD leaders arrived in Myitkyina on Friday and are scheduled to visit other parts of Kachin State on Saturday. It was not clear if they planned to meet with ethnic Kachin politicians or the leaders of Kachin cease-fire groups.

NLD leaders have been touring Burma to meet with party members for the past several months and have continued their activities despite being banned by the junta-appointed Union Election Commission on Sept. 14 for failing to re-register their party to contest the election.

On Oct. 5, Suu Kyi filed a lawsuit against the Burmese military regime at Rangoon Supreme Court, accusing the junta of illegally dissolving her party.

The NLD won the 1990 election by a landslide, but was never allowed to take power. Instead, its leader Suu Kyi has been detained for more than 15 of the past 21 years. Her latest term of house arrest is due to end on Nov. 13, just days after Burma's first general election in 20 years.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=19747
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Bangkok Post
UN chief slams Burma junta on rights ahead of election

* Published: 16/10/2010 at 03:58 AM
* Online news: Asia

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday expressed "grave concern" at the Burma junta's refusal to free opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi ahead of a November election.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, pictured in September 2010, on Friday expressed "grave concern" at the Burma junta's refusal to free opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi ahead of a November election.

The UN chief accused the junta of being "slow and incomplete" in meeting political commitments and said its refusal to hold talks with the international community was "deeply frustrating".

In a report on human rights in Burma, Ban made repeated calls for the military government to free Aung San Suu Kyi if it wanted the November 7 election to have any international credibility.

Aung San Suu Kyi has spent most of the past two decades under house arrest. Her National League for Democracy (NLD) won the last election in 1990 but she was never allowed to take power. The junta has banned the NLD from taking part in this vote.

The UN leader said that since he visited Burma in July 2009, the government has shown "some signs of flexibility" with acts such as releasing more than 130 political prisoners in September last year.

"However, the detention of other political prisoners and the continued house arrest of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi remain of grave concern," he said in the report.

He called for "respect for the fundamental freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly and association for all citizens, including engagement in political debate and access to the media."

He added: "Failure to fulfil these responsibilities could seriously undermine the credibility of the elections."

The UN has been trying to engage the Burma government by arranging a visit to the country for Ban's special envoy, Vijay Nambiar.

But diplomatic sources said Burma had only agreed to invite Nambiar after the election and this was turned down by the UN leadership.

Ban said Burma has not invited his chief of staff. He described the junta's attitude as "deeply frustrating" and "a lost opportunity for Burma."

He called for other countries, particularly Burma's neighbours, to apply more pressure and said that contacts with opposition groups and the government were continuing outside the country.

Ban said that deadlocked negotiations between the government and "key armed ethnic ceasefire groups" was also a concern.

The UN chief warned that the November 7 elections "present a major test of the prospects of peace, democracy and prosperity in the country."

The junta has banned 10 parties, including the NLD, from contesting the election but 42 parties have been registered.

Ban said: "It is all the more necessary for the authorities to ensure that the elections are conducted in an inclusive, credible, participatory and transparent manner.

"In this regard, I reiterate my call for the release of all political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, as the clearest signal of such commitments."

He added that "failure to seize this opportunity could undermine the credibility of the process, efforts to advance national reconciliation and the prospects of needed reforms in the political, social and economic fields." http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/201676/un-chief-slams-burma-junta-on-rights-ahead-of-election
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NEWKERALA.COM
Detention of Aung San Suu Kyi disappoints Ban

United Nations, Oct 16 : United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has renewed his appeal for the release of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners by the authorities in Myanmar.

He has been frustrated on the subject and asked the authorities to ensure that the upcoming parliamentary elections are ''inclusive, credible, participatory and transparent.'' ''It is a source of disappointment that despite our best efforts, Myanmar failed to utilise my good offices and engage meaningfully on issues of mutual interest and concern,'' he told the General Assembly yesterday in a report on the human rights situation in the South-East Asian country for the August 2009-August 2010 period.

''Myanmar's lack of engagement is deeply frustrating, as it not only contradicts its stated policy of cooperation with the United Nations but also limits my ability to fully implement the mandate entrusted to me by the General Assembly,'' he said, stressing that the elections, Myanmar's first in 20 years and only the third multiparty poll in more than 60 years since Independence, present a major test for the prospects of peace, democracy and prosperity.

He noted that since his last visit to Myanmar in July 2009, continuous efforts were made to engage the authorities but the government has not extended an invitation to his Special Adviser, nor has it pursued further opportunities for meaningful dialogue among key stakeholders.

Since that visit there have been some signs of flexibility such as the release in September, 2009, of over 130 political prisoners as part of a broader amnesty.

''However, the detention of other political prisoners and the continued house arrest of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi remain of grave concern,'' he stressed.

''I strongly urge the Myanmar authorities once again to release without delay, all the remaining political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, so that they can freely participate in the political life of their country. This will be the clearest signal of their commitment to a credible electoral process.'' He underscored the need for progress in overcoming Myanmar's twin legacies of political deadlock and armed conflict. ''Myanmar faces the longer-term challenges of reversing two generations of non-democratic rule as well as socio-economic stagnation,'' he wrote.

''Addressing the challenges of national reconciliation, democratisation and respect for human rights remain essential responsibilities. In that regard, it is critical to pursue dialogue and cooperation among all stakeholders, as well as greater political, social and economic openness. In order to respond to the expectations of the people, it will be necessary to establish a credible civilian system and shift to greater pluralism and broad-based policymaking.''

--UNI http://www.newkerala.com/news/world/fullnews-63813.html
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NEWKERALA.COM
Ban feels frustrated by Myanmar's lack of engagement

New York, Oct 16 : Declaring himself frustrated by the lack of engagement from the Myanmar authorities to ensure that the upcoming elections are 'inclusive, credible, participatory and transparent,' Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon once again calls for the release of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners.

"It is a source of disappointment that, despite our best efforts, Myanmar failed to utilize my good offices and engage meaningfully on issues of mutual interest and concern," he tells the General Assembly in a report on the human rights situation in the South-East Asian country for the August 2009-August 2010 period.

"Myanmar's lack of engagement is deeply frustrating, as it not only contradicts its stated policy of cooperation with the United Nations
but also limits my ability to fully implement the mandate entrusted to me by the General Assembly," he says, stressing that the elections, Myanmar's first in 20 years and only the third multiparty poll in more than 60 years since independence, present a major test for the prospects of peace, democracy and prosperity.

He notes that since his last visit to Myanmar in July 2009, continuous efforts were made to engage the authorities but the Government has not extended an invitation to his Special Adviser, nor has it pursued further opportunities for meaningful dialogue among key stakeholders.

Since that visit there have been some signs of flexibility such as the release in September, 2009, of over 130 political prisoners as part of a broader amnesty.

"However, the detention of other political prisoners and the continued house arrest of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi remain of grave concern," he stresses.

"I strongly urge the Myanmar authorities, once again, to release, without delay, all the remaining political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, so that they can freely participate in the political life of their country. This will be the clearest signal of their commitment to a credible electoral process."

He underscores the need for progress in overcoming Myanmar's twin legacies of political deadlock and armed conflict.

"Myanmar faces the longer-term challenges of reversing two generations of non-democratic rule as well as socio-economic stagnation," he writes.

"Addressing the challenges of national reconciliation, democratization and respect for human rights remain essential responsibilities. In that regard, it is critical to pursue dialogue and cooperation among all stakeholders, as well as greater political, social and economic openness. In order to respond to the expectations of the people, it will be necessary to establish a credible civilian system and shift to greater pluralism and broad-based policymaking," the Secretary-General says.

--IBNS http://www.newkerala.com/news/world/fullnews-63881.html
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Oct 16, 2010
Ban slams Myanmar junta

UNITED NATIONS - UN SECRETARY General Ban Ki Moon on Friday expressed 'grave concern' at the Myanmar junta's refusal to free opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi ahead of a November election.

The UN chief accused the junta of being 'slow and incomplete' in meeting political commitments and said its refusal to hold talks with the international community was 'deeply frustrating'.

In a report on human rights in Myanmar, Mr Ban made repeated calls for the military government to free Aung San Suu Kyi if it wanted the Nov 7 election to have any international credibility.

Ms Suu Kyi has spent most of the past two decades under house arrest.

Her National League for Democracy (NLD) won the last election in 1990 but she was never allowed to take power. The junta has banned the NLD from taking part in this vote.

The UN leader said that since he visited Myanmar in July 2009, the government has shown 'some signs of flexibility' with acts such as releasing more than 130 political prisoners in September last year. -- AFP
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_591490.html
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UN chief slams Burma junta on rights
October 16, 2010 - 6:19AM

AFP

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday expressed "grave concern" at the Burmese junta's refusal to free opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi ahead of a November election.

The UN chief accused the junta of being "slow and incomplete" in meeting political commitments and said its refusal to hold talks with the international community was "deeply frustrating".

In a report on human rights in Burma, Ban made repeated calls for the military government to free Aung San Suu Kyi if it wanted the November 7 election to have any international credibility.
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Aung San Suu Kyi has spent most of the past two decades under house arrest. Her National League for Democracy (NLD) won the last election in 1990 but she was never allowed to take power. The junta has banned the NLD from taking part in this vote.

The UN leader said that since he visited Myanmar in July 2009, the government has shown "some signs of flexibility" with acts such as releasing more than 130 political prisoners in September last year.

"However, the detention of other political prisoners and the continued house arrest of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi remain of grave concern," he said in the report.

He called for "respect for the fundamental freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly and association for all citizens, including engagement in political debate and access to the media."

He added: "Failure to fulfil these responsibilities could seriously undermine the credibility of the elections."

The UN has been trying to engage the Burmese government by arranging a visit to the country for Ban's special envoy, Vijay Nambiar.

But diplomatic sources said Burma had agreed to invite Nambiar only after the election and this was turned down by the UN leadership.

Ban said Burma had not invited his chief of staff. He described the junta's attitude as "deeply frustrating" and "a lost opportunity for Myanmar".

He called for other countries, particularly Burma's neighbours, to apply more pressure and said that contacts with opposition groups and the government were continuing outside the country.

Ban said that deadlocked negotiations between the government and "key armed ethnic ceasefire groups" was also a concern.

The UN chief warned that the November 7 elections "present a major test of the prospects of peace, democracy and prosperity in the country".

The junta has banned 10 parties, including the NLD, from contesting the election but 42 parties have been registered.

Ban said: "It is all the more necessary for the authorities to ensure that the elections are conducted in an inclusive, credible, participatory and transparent manner.

"In this regard, I reiterate my call for the release of all political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, as the clearest signal of such commitments."

He added that "failure to seize this opportunity could undermine the credibility of the process, efforts to advance national reconciliation and the prospects of needed reforms in the political, social and economic fields".

© 2010 AFP http://www.watoday.com.au/breaking-news-world/un-chief-slams-burma-junta-on-rights-20101016-16nyb.html
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ASEAN Chief’s Burma Perspective seems to be a Daydream
Sat, 2010-10-16 06:15 — editor

* News Comments

By Zin Linn

The secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has called on Burma's government to ensure the coming elections help lead to national reconciliation. Surin Pitsuwan hopes Burma's conflicts with the international community over its human rights record may also be resolved after the vote, according to VOA’s Ron Corben from Bangkok.

When Burma became a member of the Association of Southeast Asian nations in 1997, many countries criticized ASEAN leaders because of Burma's questionable human rights record.

Burma has suffered under military boots since 1962. The regime has earned a reputation as one of the world's worst human rights violators. It brutally suppressed pro-democracy movements in 1988, during the Depayin conspiracy on May 30, 2003, and the Saffron Revolution in September 2007, as well as many other sporadic crackdowns.

ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan said on 13 October that he hopes the elections will offer a chance for national reconciliation and help end Burma's international isolation.

However, last July, Burma's ethnic Karen communities and rights groups said Burma's armed forces stepped up attacks on villages in eastern Karen state, including the torching of several homes forcing hundreds to escape into the jungles. Rights groups fear the attacks may be the start of a campaign ahead of upcoming elections this year.

The military forces later torched the villages forcing more than 900 people to flee into the nearby jungles. Zipporah Sein, general-secretary of the Karen National Union, fears the attacks are part of a new campaign of intimidation by the military ahead of national elections scheduled for later this year, as reported by VOA last July.

The junta has arrested over 2,200 political dissidents, including Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been confined to her residence for 15 of the last 21 years. The secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has called on Burma's junta to guarantee the coming polls help lead to national reconciliation. However, dreaming of reconciliation without releasing political prisoners is building castles in the air.

Burma has even created disagreement within ASEAN, because some members, such as the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore, have hard-pressed the military regime for political change. Other members, particularly Laos and Cambodia, are different.

After years of pressure, Burma is holding elections on November 7, the first time in 20 years.

"Myanmar has been a major issue for ASEAN in its cooperation, interaction with the global community," Surin said. "We would like to see this issue behind us. And the only way that that can be done is to make sure that this election is going to be a relatively effective mechanism for national reconciliation."

Coincidentally, a landmine blasted in Kachin State on 13 October, leaving two dead and one wounded. Five villagers from Pinkyaing Village, Pinball Village-tract Mogaung Township stepped on a mine planted by KIA insurgents while climbing Nwalabo, the New Light of Myanmar said today.

Two who hunt animals were killed and one was injured in the blast which occurred 10 miles en route for the west of their village. The injured was then sent to Pinbaw Station Hospital for medical treatment.

From 1st January to 14th October, 11 men and three women, altogether 14 have fallen to victims of mine attacks by insurgents across the nation. Figures also show that 52 men and seven women; altogether 59 were injured in the mine blasts according to the New Light of Myanmar.

This is the first time that the junta has used the term "insurgent" to describe the ethnic Kachin Independence Army since the group signed a cease-fire agreement with the junta in 1994 that ended a decades-long struggle against the government for autonomy. Using the term "insurgent"is not a good sign.

Tensions between the Burma Army and ceasefire groups, the UWSA, Kachin Independence Army (KIA), SSA ‘North’ and the NDAA have soared after the junta’s latest deadline for the groups to disarm expired on September 1. Both sides have been reinforcing their troops on heightened alert after none of them accepted the junta’s plan.

The Burmese Junta’s radio and television said the Union Election Commission had decided that the election in a number of townships in five states would not be free and fair.

On 16 September, the UEC announced that the elections will not be held in some areas in Kayin State, Kachin State, Kayah State, Shan State and Mon State as they are in no position to host free and fair elections in the Multiparty Democracy General Elections to be held on 7 November 2010. The announcements did not clarify how many constituencies have been removed from the election.

The states are home to armed ethnic groups, which defend against the Burmese junta's attempts to assimilate them into a border guard force. Hence, several ethnic leaders asserted that they don't have faith in the planned 2010 election where they could have little space. For, it will not create a real peaceful federal union as the Burmese armed-forces take not only 25 percent of all seats but also seize additional 50 percent via junta-backed party in the upcoming parliaments as set by the 2008 Constitution.

The junta’s planned election setting can be seen evidently as a wonderful structure of grabbing power incessantly. Persons may be changeable but military dictatorship will hold on power for many more decades.

Recently, incidents between the Burmese Army and ceasefire groups, the UWSA, Kachin Independence Army (KIA), SSA ‘North’ and the NDAA, have increased after the junta’s latest deadline for the groups to disarm expired on September 1. Both sides have been reinforcing their troops who are on heightened alert with none accepting the junta’s demand.

The International Crisis Group (ICG) said that the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) has had “basic discussions” with Beijing over the contours of a “genuine union” within Burma in which the ethnic groups would have autonomy, possibly similar to the Special Administrative Regions in China¬Hong Kong and Macao.

However, many critics are skeptical, saying the regime has made promises of reconciliation in the past without honoring them. Kraisak Choonhavan, president of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC), said the junta has often stated that it would respect democratic values, but has constantly refused to let its opponents participate freely in the political process.

Analysts say the 2008 Constitution and the junta's unyielding adherence to its seven-step roadmap in the direction of the 2010 elections will create a highly unstable political climate. Without an agreement on national reconciliation, the elections will only lead to further political mayhem.

The Burmese Generals’ intentions are clearly visible. Their practices are rooted in disrespect for human rights. Political prisoners, who stand on principle, including Aung San Suu Kyi, are not likely to be released before November polls.

Moreover, Burma’s junta said any group failing to surrender by the deadline will automatically become an unlawful association. The nation seems to be tumbled into a horrified tragedy due to negligence of national reconciliation and ethnic self-determination aftermath of the planned polls.

Although, Mr. Surin Pitsuwan would like to see national reconciliation in Burma after November elections, the down-to-earth circumstances will not let his dream to come true.

- Asian Tribune - http://www.asiantribune.com/news/2010/10/16/asean-chief%E2%80%99s-burma-perspective-seems-be-daydream
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Burma has ‘one doctor for every 8000 prisoners
By DVB
Published: 15 October 2010

Details of healthcare professionals available to Burma’s estimated 200,000 prisoner population has exposed a grossly under-resourced sector, with one doctor available for every 8000 inmates.

The prisoner population is spread over 43 prisons and around 100 labour camps scattered across the country, from the notorious Insein prison in Rangoon, built by the British in 1871, to remote camps along the Burma-China border.

Tate Naing, secretary of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners-Burma (AAPP), says there are around 200,000 prisoners in total, although government figures are more conservative. Around 2,170 of these are monks, activists, lawyers, policians, relief workers and journalists.

Burma’s healthcare system outside of prisons is already amongst the worst in the world, with the ruling junta thought to spend only around $US0.40 per person each year.

But yesterday an official from the Prison Administration Department was quoted in the Weekly Eleven News Journal as saying that there are only 109 medical staff assigned to prisons and camps across Burma, 32 of which are trained doctors. A number of other specialists pay twice-weekly visits to prisons.

“Sometimes it can take two or three days to see a doctor,” said Kyaw Hsan, who in 2000 was sentenced at the age of 15 to five years in prison, and now lives in Thailand. “You’ll be sent to a clinic to assess you, and if it’s serious you go to the prison hospital.

“The hospital is really bad for criminals, not so bad for political prisoners. The politicals sleep in a bed but criminals have to sleep on the floor, with no mat. The toilet is a plastic bowl – we used to have to hand-wash the floor around the bowl and there were loads of flies and mosquitoes.

Medicine donated by the International Committee of the Red Cross, which the junta has now blocked from visiting prisoners in Burma, was often given to political prisoners, Kyaw Hsan said, while the common criminals were forced to buy their medicine from the doctors.

Only when it became obvious that the prison hospital could not treat the patient would they be sent to a local hospital outside of the gates, he added.

According to official government statistics, Insein prison has around 5000 inmates, although other estimates put the figure closer to 10,000. Mandalay prison holds around 3000. Inmates of remote labour camps and prisons are often subject to harsh weather conditions, particularly in the country’s far north where temperatures in winter drop to near freezing.
http://www.dvb.no/news/burma-has-%E2%80%98one-doctor-for-every-8000-prisoners%E2%80%99/12246

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