News & Articles on Burma-Thursday, 18 November, 2010

News & Articles on Burma
Thursday, 18 November, 2010
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Suu Kyi Release a Junta Strategy for Sanctions Removal?
USDP Wins 76.5 Percent of Vote
Aung San Suu Kyi: Champion for freedom
Suu Kyi urges ‘strong spirit’ in HIV sufferers
Suu Kyi has support in Burmese Army: Report
Suu Kyi has support in Burmese Army: BBC
Myanmar democracy icon calls her detention illegal
Suu Kyi release sparks sanctions debate
Ministers to discuss situation in Myanmar
Burma urges Thailand to help refugees
'We Must Help the Most Needy'
Myanmar election commission publishes election final results
Junta Putting Pressure on Buddhist Clergy: Clinton
Foreign companies work in dozens of gas blocks in Myanmar
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Suu Kyi Release a Junta Strategy for Sanctions Removal?
By SAW YAN NAING Thursday, November 18, 2010

Burma's military regime may have released pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in order to convince countries that have imposed sanctions on the junta to ease or lift the restrictions and to strengthen economic ties with its trading partners, according to some Burma analysts.

The analysts said that the regime may now see Suu Kyi as a card they can play in order to get sanctions lifted. This would include getting Suu Kyi, who is trusted by and influential among western democracies, to speak on behalf of sanctions removal.

Thakin Chan Tun, a veteran Rangoon politician, said that sanctions were put in place because Suu Kyi was taken as a political prisoner. Therefore, granting her freedom is likely part of a Burmese government strategy to ease sanctions, he said.

Burma watcher Jeff Kingston, the director of Asian Studies at Temple University's Japan campus, said that because Suu Kyi's opinion plays a crucial role in shaping western governments’ engagement [with Burma], cooperating with Aung San Suu Kyi and embarking on substantive, time-bound reforms remains the Burmese government’s key to rejoining the international community and opening the spigots of development assistance.

“What the military does not seem to realize is that Ms. Suu Kyi is its trump card if it seeks to ease sanctions and tap into all the benefits that rejoining the international community can provide,” said Kingston.

If the junta does in fact now realize that Suu Kyi is their trump card, as certain analysts believe, there is some evidence that the junta's strategy is working, at least at in its initial stages.

When released on Nov. 13, Suu Kyi did not criticize China. Last year, she also said that she was willing to work with the Burmese generals for the removal of sanctions if evidence was provided that lifting sanctions would benefit the Burmese people.

Burma economic specialist Sean Turnell of Macquarie University in Australia, however, said he thinks that Suu Kyi will not allow herself to be used by the regime to get sanctions lifted without concessions on the regime's part.

“Indeed, if she is able to engage in a genuine exchange with them [the junta], she may just be able to use sanctions as leverage to push for economic reform,” said Turnell.

Kingston worries that if Suu Kyi gains momentum in trying to strengthen the rule of law and expose unfairness and corruption in the recent election, the junta will put her back in jail. If this happens, he said, it will demonstrate that the new government is just like the old, ensure that sanctions remain in place and send the entire process back to square one.

Aung Naing Oo, a Burmese analyst in Chiang Mai, said that sanctions should be removed as they prevent reconciliation and impact only the welfare of the people rather than the Burmese generals and their cronies.

Along with other observers, Aung Naing Oo believes that sanctions are a political tool that do not affect the regime. Even though the West imposed sanctions on Burma, the generals and their cronies can deal with Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and China, he said.

“Aung San Suu Kyi should use the sanctions as a tool to start the process of national reconciliation with the military,” Aung Naing Oo said.

“If Suu kyi is talking about sanctions or asking the international community to remove sanctions, it will be a step closer toward reconciliation,” he said.

Some observers said that, in addition to helping remove sanctions, Suu Kyi’s release may decrease the stigma of doing business with the junta.

For example, Italian-Thai Development, a construction company based in Thailand, early this month entered into a contract worth US $8 billion with Myanmar Port Authority for an infrastructure project in Tavoy, Tenasserim Division.
Opposition activists, however, worry that international trade with Burma will only benefit the military regime, not ordinary people.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=20120
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USDP Wins 76.5 Percent of Vote
By THE IRRAWADDY Thursday, November 18, 2010

Burma's Union Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday announced the final results for the Nov. 7 general election, with the regime-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) winning 883 of the 1,154 parliamentary seats, or 76.5 percent, according to a Chinese newspaper.

The People's Daily, a daily newspaper that is an organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, reported on Thursday that Burma's EC had declared the USDP, led by Prime Minister Thein Sein, the winner of 259 out of 325 seats in the House of Representatives, or 79.6 percent; 129 out of 168 seats (76.7 percent) in the House of Nationalities; and 495 of 661 seats (74.8 percent) in regional and state parliaments.

The report also said that the National Unity Party (NUP) had come in second with a total of 63 seats. The Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP) took 57 seats and the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party 35 seats. The National Democratic Force (NDF) and the All Mon Region Democracy Party ( AMRDP) each won 16 constituencies.

No official results have been announced to date in Burma's state-run media.

Several opposition parties that participated in the elections have filed complaints alleging vote fraud, voter intimidation and vote-fixing by the USDP assisting by local authorities.

On Tuesday, the EC warned political parties against “making allegations” that their candidates were not elected at the polls “through foreign radio stations and print media,” saying that such allegations “go against Article 64 of the respective Election Law.”

According to government website “mrtv.net.mm”, Article 64 reads: “Whoever is found guilty of dishonestly and fraudulently lodging any criminal proceedings against any person regarding offences relating to election shall, on conviction, be punishable with imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years or with a fine not exceeding 300,000 kyat (US $300) or with both.”

The EC said that any complaint must follow “in accordance with the rules and regulations.”

The warning appeared just days after Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi was released from more than seven continuous years of house arrest.

Suu Kyi has already announced her intention to join party colleagues in an investigation of alleged electoral fraud. She told reporters, however, that while her party plans to issue a report, it has no plans to protest the results of the election as it didn't take part.

Meanwhile, Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy has struggled to demand official recognition at Naypyidaw's Supreme Court.

Several politicians told The Irrawaddy that they are unsatisfied with the EC procedures during the election.

The chairman of the All Mon Regions Democracy Party (AMDP), Nai Ngwe Thein, said that many of his party candidates, including himself, lost seats after the Township Election Commission fixed the voting results by adding illegal advance votes. He said his party sent a letter of complaint to the EC in Mon State requesting an investigation into the alleged irregularities.

The Mon State's EC, however, took no action, he said. “Later, I confirmed that our letter had been received by the commander of Military Regional Southeast Command based in Moulmein, the capital of Mon State,” he added.

Thu Wai, the chairman of the Democratic Party (Myanmar), said his party had filed a string of complaints against the USDP alleging campaign violations. However, he said it appeared that the EC has never responded to any complaint.

He said that he and the “Three Princesses”—the daughters of former prime ministers—each ran as candidates for the Democratic Party (Myanmar) and each suffered defeat in Sunday's polls.

“We don't want to file another complaint,” said Thu Wai. “If we do, we have to pay one million kyat (US $1,000) for each submission. Also, I don't think it will change the result.”

Observers have speculated that the winning election candidates will be summoned soon to gather and form national and regional governments in Naypyidaw.

The current ruling regime will continue to rule the country after the elections for up to three months, until the formal transfer of power takes place.

“Under the constitution, this be convened, at which a temporary chairperson for the house will be chosen. This will mark the formal start of the five-year legislative term, most likely in December 2010 or early January 2011,” the Amsterdam-based Burma Centrum Nederland reported in October.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=20118
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Aung San Suu Kyi: Champion for freedom
Published: Thursday, November 18, 2010, 5:00 AM
The Post-Standard Editorial Board

Just days after Myanmar’s military government released pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi editorial from house arrest, both sides were behaving perfectly in character.

Suu Kyi Tuesday filed a request to have her political party, the National League for Democracy, reinstated. The government warned against filing complaints over the Nov. 7 election, which human rights groups and much of the Western world believe was rigged in the junta’s favor.

Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize winner who has been under house arrest for 15 of the last 21 years, is showing her characteristic courage and commitment to human rights and democracy. The government is again showing its intolerance. It’s the same government that barred Suu Kyi’s party from taking power in 1990, and has subjected party members to repression.

The political opposition in Myanmar, formerly Burma, has “been systematically silenced, incarcerated and deprived of any opportunity to engage in political processes that could change Burma,” President Barack Obama said Sunday.

Myanmar no doubt wants to remind Suu Kyi of the consequences of speaking out. If she remains true to her splendid form, she will continue to play her role as champion for freedom, challenging those who would prefer she lose her script.
http://blog.syracuse.com/opinion/2010/11/aung_san_suu_kyi_champion_for.html
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Suu Kyi urges ‘strong spirit’ in HIV sufferers
By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Published: 18 November 2010

Burma’s newly freed democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi visited a group of HIV sufferers on Wednesday and offered them the flowers she was given to celebrate her release from years of house arrest.

The Nobel Peace Laureate told a 500-strong gathering in eastern Rangoon, including about 100 patients, that they should keep a “strong spirit”, as she called for greater financial support to tackle the virus.

“What we can do now is try to get as much medicine as we can for the patients here,” said Suu Kyi, the popular 65-year-old opposition leader who was released from more than seven years of detention on Saturday.

“All patients here should keep a strong spirit. Your spirit is the main thing. There are many people to take care of you. Keep in your mind that there are many people who value you,” she told the crowd.

Aung San Suu Kyi seen talking to HIV sufferers at a gathering in Rangoon (DVB)
Suu Kyi, who had been locked up for 15 of the past 21 years, was released less than a week after a widely criticised poll that consolidated the military regime’s decades-long grip on power, but was dismissed by many as a sham.

HIV/AIDS is one of the leading health issues afflicting Burma, where the junta spends just 0.5 percent of gross domestic product on health, according to a United Nations report earlier this year.

And despite being one of the least developed countries, overseas development aid trickling into Burma is among the lowest in the world.

“We need a lot of money to get antiretroviral drugs,” Suu Kyi told reporters at the gathering. “We need money for food. We need money for more housing.”

The comments followed her first political speech in years on Sunday, in which she appealed to a sea of jubilant supporters for unity, and she has since begun the daunting task of rebuilding the weakened opposition movement. http://www.dvb.no/news/suu-kyi-urges-%E2%80%98strong-spirit%E2%80%99-in-hiv-sufferers/12935?
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The Economic Times: 18 NOV, 2010, 02.32PM IST,PTI
Suu Kyi has support in Burmese Army: Report

Read more on »suu kyi release|suu kyi|support|burmese army

LONDON: Burmese pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, who was released last week after more than seven years under house arrest, has wide support within the lower ranks of the country's military, the BBC has claimed.

According to the BBC Burmese service, infantrymen from two Burmese Army divisions confirmed reports that several hundred soldiers travelled to capital Rangoon on Saturday to witness release of the 65-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

Suu Kyi was freed a week after a military-backed political party won Burma's first election in nearly 20 years.

And, the soldiers from battalions in Rangoon and Bago divisions, who went to Suu Kyi's house, said they hoped that the leader of the fight against the military dictatorship in Burma, could talk to their superiors about supply shortages.

"We went there to greet her because we believe the hardships the lower rank and file are facing can be solved if Ms Suu Kyi and the military commanders work together. We have high hopes for Ms Suu Kyi," a soldier was quoted as saying.

However, the extent of support for her in the army is not clear, the BBC said.

In September, soldiers in many areas reportedly refused to carry out routine tasks in protest at short rations and lack of access to their pay.

In a series of interviews, soldiers in garrison towns said their rations had been cut for several weeks. They said their commanders had barred access to money they had saved, which is kept in a central fund.

The Burmese authorities have denied any disquiet in the military. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/Suu-Kyi-has-support-in-Burmese-Army-Report/articleshow/6947039.cms?
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Suu Kyi has support in Burmese Army: BBC
Press Trust of India / London November 18, 2010, 14:39 IST

Burmese pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, who was released last week after more than seven years under house arrest, has wide support within the lower ranks of the country's military, the BBC has claimed.

According to the BBC Burmese service, infantrymen from two Burmese army divisions confirmed reports that several hundred soldiers travelled to capital Rangoon on Saturday to witness release of the 65-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

Suu Kyi was freed a week after a military-backed political party won Burma's first election in nearly 20 years.
And, the soldiers from battalions in Rangoon and Bago divisions, who went to Suu Kyi's house, said they hoped that the leader of the fight against the military dictatorship in Burma, could talk to their superiors about supply shortages.

"We went there to greet her because we believe the hardships the lower rank and file are facing can be solved if Ms Suu Kyi and the military commanders work together. We have high hopes for Ms Suu Kyi," a soldier was quoted as saying.

However, the extent of support for her in the army is not clear, the BBC said.

In September, soldiers in many areas reportedly refused to carry out routine tasks in protest at short rations and lack of access to their pay.

In a series of interviews, soldiers in garrison towns said their rations had been cut for several weeks. They said their commanders had barred access to money they had saved, which is kept in a central fund.

The Burmese authorities have denied any disquiet in the military. http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/suu-kyi-has-support-in-burmese-army-bbc/116394/on
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Thursday, Nov. 18, 2010 Comments
Myanmar democracy icon calls her detention illegal
The Associated Press

YANGON, Myanmar -- Myanmar's democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi said Thursday that her recent release from seven years of detention did not signal a softening in the military's harsh, decades-long rule of the Southeast Asian nation.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Suu Kyi called her detention "illegal" and said she was released simply because the decreed period of her house arrest had ended.

"I don't think there were any other reasons," she said in an interview in her small, Spartan office, decorated with little beyond a vase of flowers and a black and white photograph of her late father, Aung San, who helped lead colonial Burma to independence from Britain.

"My detention had come to an end and there were no immediate means of extending it," she said.

The 65-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate, set free from her lakeside residence Saturday, has made it clear she plans to pursue her goal of a democratic Myanmar but has been careful not to verbally challenge the junta or call for its overthrow.

Since Saturday, though, the generals and their longtime archrival have had no contact.
"I haven't seen any sign of the junta at all since I came out. They haven't made any move to let us know what they feel about the situation," she said.

She added, though, that her goals would not change: "I had better go on living until I see a democratic Burma," she said, laughing.

She has called for face-to-face talks with junta leader Gen. Than Shwe to reach national reconciliation.

Suu Kyi has been detained for 15 of the past 21 years but has remained the dominant figure of Myanmar's battered pro-democracy movement. More than 2,200 political prisoners remain behind bars.

A week before her release, a military-backed political party swept the first elections in 20 years amid widespread accusations that the balloting was rigged. Final results have yet to be announced, but some military candidates grabbed 90 percent and more of the votes in their constituencies.

Read more: http://www.kentucky.com/2010/11/18/1530177/myanmar-democracy-icon-calls-her.html?#ixzz15coWUZDh
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Suu Kyi release sparks sanctions debate

By Tim Johnston in Bangkok
Published: November 18 2010 08:48 | Last updated: November 18 2010 08:48
The release of Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese opposition leader, has revived the prospect that the sanctions which have locked western energy, engineering and tourism companies out of one of the last untapped economies of Asia may be lifted.

For the past two decades, western companies have been kept out of Burma by a combination of sanctions, reputational risk and economic mismanagement by the ruling junta.

Ms Suu Kyi has been a staunch supporter of the sanctions, which were imposed after the ruling military annuled the result of elections in 1990 that produced a resounding victory for her National League for Democracy.

But she appears to have revisited that position during her recent seven-year stint under house arrest.

“If people really want sanctions to be lifted, I will consider this,” Ms Suu Kyi said during her first days of freedom.

With the prospect that sanctions could be lifted, Sean Turnell, a Burma expert at Australia’s Macquarie University, says “a lot of ears are pricking up in a lot of boardrooms”.

Western investors have had to sit on the sidelines while companies from China, India, South Korea and Thailand have been investing heavily, particularly in energy and natural resources such as timber, rubber and gems.

According to the government, Burma has 90,000bn cubic feet of gas and 3.3bn barrels of recoverable oil reserves. It has already signed exploration and production deals with Cnooc and Kogas, the South Korean state gas company, and also with Thailand’s PTT Exploration and Production and Malaysia’s Petronas.

Chevron and Total have remained in Burma as the sanctions did not apply to companies that already had operations in the country.

Mr Turnell believes that even if sanctions are lifted, the energy sector will still be dominated by regional players who are willing to pay a premium for energy security and have more flexible accounting rules.

“The politics in the oil and gas sector is not going to go away,” Mr Turnell says of a country which ranks second from bottom in Transparency International’s corruption perceptions index.

For western investors, the prize is likely to be in infrastructure. Ital-Thai, Thailand’s largest construction company, is already looking for co-developers for the $8bn first stage of a port and industrial park at Tavoy on Burma’s Andaman coast. The rest of the country’s decaying roads, railways and ports also need heavy investment.

But that too will take some time. Much of the funding for any large-scale infrastructure programmes would likely come from the multi-lateral lending agencies such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, which have effectively suspended lending since 1988 when hundreds of students were killed in pro-democracy demonstrations.

The first barrier to go is likely to be the unofficial boycott on tourism. Ms Suu Kyi has always been vague on whether she supported a blanket tourism ban, but until recently she had never corrected the perception that she was against tourists coming to the country. Win Tin, one of her closest advisors, recently said that tourists should come to the country so they could see the reality on the ground.

The US and Canada have broad ranging measures that bar almost all trade with the country, and the European Union has so-called targeted sanctions which are designed to isolate individual members of the regime and its supporters, many of whom have profited from their control of the economy.

Even though most western politicians agree that sanctions have failed to produce any progress, there has been reluctance to lift them in case the generals assume their intransigence is being rewarded.

In all likelihood, western governments will defer to Mrs Suu Kyi when considering any change of policy.

“She clearly enjoys a huge amount of international support and a decisive influence over western policy, in particular on sanctions,” said Thant Myint-U, a Burma analyst.

“It’s hard to think of any other country in the world, let alone a country of 60m, where western policy is made on the basis of a single person, however worthy,” he said.

While Ms Suu Kyi appears to have softened her resistance, she is unlikely to call for the wholesale repeal of sanctions immediately. Her control over the process is her most important lever in getting the generals to negotiate.

General Than Shwe, the country’s leader, said in 2007 that if Ms Suu Kyi abandoned her support for sanctions he would be willing to meet her, a move that would have been seen as a significant concession by the military.

Ms Suu Kyi is therefore likely to demand something more substantial than a meeting before she gives up her trump card. Although she has the ability to get the restrictions lifted, she probably does not have enough power to re-impose them if the government reneges on its promises.

Hopes of change must be tempered by past experience, however. The generals who run Burma have released Ms Suu Kyi before, and little changed. Although the military is keen to encourage economic development, it is unlikely to sacrifice their hold on power to achieve it. And, if sanctions are lifted at all, it will be done in a piecemeal fashion.

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Ministers to discuss situation in Myanmar
By Toby Vogel
18.11.2010 / 05:14 CET

Policy to be reviewed in wake of release of Aung San Suu Kyi.

The EU's foreign ministers will next week review the Union's policy on Myanmar (Burma) following the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the country's opposition, on Saturday (13 November).

Ministers are not expected to change the sanctions policy, which has been in place since 1996, when they meet on Monday (22 November). The review will, however, help determine the preconditions for a change of course.

As yet, it is unclear what stance Suu Kyi will take on the continuation of sanctions and what prospects there are of the military loosening its grip on the country.

The sanctions include measures targeted at members of the country's military leadership, such as an asset freeze and travel restrictions. Other sanctions are broader, restricting trade in the natural resources of Myanmar, one of the world's poorest countries.

Political prisoners
The ministers will also have to decide next year whether the EU's special envoy for Myanmar, currently Piero Fassino, should be integrated into the EU's new diplomatic service.

Catherine Ashton, the EU's foreign policy chief, has called on Myanmar's rulers to free all remaining political prisoners. “This would allow for a truly inclusive dialogue and for the beginning of a credible transition to democracy,” she said.

? At Monday's meeting, the ministers will prepare for EU summits with Africa (29-30 November), Russia (7 December) and India (10 December). They will also discuss the situation in Sudan, ahead of a referendum in January on independence for the south. http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/imported/ministers-to-discuss-situation-in-myanmar-/69435.aspx?
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Burma urges Thailand to help refugees
By Marisa Chimprabha
The Nation
Phnom Penh
Published on November 18, 2010

Burma has asked Thailand to help people fleeing clashes between Burmese troops and ethnic rebels, because they believe the conflict will continue for some time yet.

Abhisit, Thein Sein and leaders of Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam were in Phnom Penh for the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (Acmecs) summit.

At a press conference, Abhisit said he had raised the subject of the conflict with Thein Sein on the sidelines of the summit, because the clashes were affecting Thailand as people fled across the border to safety and the conflict spilled over into Thai soil.

“The Burmese premier told me the fighting would continue for quite a while. He also asked me to help provide humanitarian assistance to the Burmese refugees,” the premier said.

“I informed the Burmese PM we were willing to help the people. Most of the thousands who had earlier escaped to Thailand have already returned home.”

Abhisit also told Thein Sein it was clear the conflict spilling over into Thai soil was unintentional. When asked about his thoughts on the recent release of Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Abhisit said the matter had been mentioned in the summit.

“Burma said Aung San Suu Kyi had been released as per the law once her detention period expired,” he said.

Suu Kyi was released on November 13, shortly after the junta held its first general election in two decades. Results of the election, which the West branded as a sham, saw most of the parliamentary seats being won by the military-controlled party.

Commenting on his earlier statement that Suu Kyi’s release would help ease tension with the West, Abhisit said western nations had not clarified their stance on the release. However, he admitted, the decision to free Suu Kyi could be considered a response to the call by international communities to release her. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2010/11/18/national/Burma-urges-Thailand-to-help-refugees-30142522.html?
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'We Must Help the Most Needy'
By HSAT LIN Thursday, November 18, 2010

RANGOON — A crowd of several thousand people waited in front of a house for HIV/AIDS patients in Ward 18 of South Dagon Township in Rangoon on Wednesday afternoon. Aung San Suu Kyi was scheduled to arrive soon, to visit the 120 patients, in one of her first stops after her release from house arrest.

HIV/AIDS activist Phyu Phyu Thin, who coordinates the HIV/AIDS house as a National League for Democracy project, told the people that Suu Kyi would speak to the people on the street. A ripple of comments ran through the crowd—people in trees, on roof tops and even on perched on lampposts.

The HIV/AIDS patients in the house were waiting anxiously. Shortly after 2 p.m., the crowd began to stir and people started shouting, “Be well, Aung San Suu Kyi!”

A white sedan had stopped, and she was getting out of the car. She wore a traditional Burmese dress— a white blouse and a red sarong, with a spray of white roses in her hair. She was jostled among security guards as the crowd pressed in to see her, but she never stopped smiling.

“Stop it! Or she will fall down,” warned a concerned voice in the crowd. “The reporters are out of control too,” said an NLD youth member, referring to 40 to 50 domestic reporters who vied for her attention.

Inside the house, HIV/AIDS patients presented flowers to Suu Kyi and her close, senior colleagues Tin Oo and Win Tin. It looked like some of the patients seemed to forget about their suffering while looking at Suu Kyi, who talked with and encouraged each patient individually.

She asked about the conditions in the house. At one point, she went over to talk to patients who were too sick to stand or sit up.

As she passed out flowers, Suu Kyi said they were the flowers given to her upon her release.

After visiting with the patients, she went outside and launched into a speech to thousands of people waiting for her words.

She talked about exchanging flowers with the patients inside and pointed out how everyone should help each other.

“When I was freed, people gave me flowers,” she said. “I received many more flowers than what I have given out today. I thought that today I could get much in turn by giving back. Try to give others a little but not with any expectation for a return! Try to give with empathy! You may not get anything back, but you will gain much satisfaction.”

Speaking about giving, she said, “I want you to help others who are poorer than you. Many people only focus on self-interest. But I want you to have the desire to help and work for others. Such desire has to be built up. This is called altruism. I want you to build it up.”

Suu Kyi talked about how she will work to provide more food and medicine donations for the HIV/AIDS patients living in the house.

“First, we will try our best to get as much medicine as we can for the patients here,” she said. “Everybody should give a hand as much as possible.”

A woman next to me said, “She is very smart. She didn't say a word about politics. She only talked about love and altruism. I was about to cry while listening to her.”

Talking directly to the patients, Suu Kyi looked at them and said, “You should be mentally strong. Morale matters. There are many people who want to take care of you. You have to bear in mind that there are many people who value you.”

“Human beings have basic dignity and values. Those are recognized by the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights. So, don't loose heart! Remember that everybody has value,” said Suu Kyi.

A man in his 30s said, “I have never heard a Suu Kyi speech in my life. It's so good to hear her. We now know what we should be doing.”

Suu Kyi concluded by telling the people why she had come to visit the HIV/AIDS patients on one of her first stops after her release.

“Because they are the people needing the most help,” she said. “We must help the most needy people first. It doesn't mean that I have forgotten others or I don't value them. Those who need more help should be given more. This is a moral value everybody should keep.” http://www.irrawaddy.org/highlight.php?art_id=20119
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Myanmar election commission publishes election final results
08:30, November 18, 2010

The Myanmar Union Election Commission Wednesday announced the last series of election results with the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDA) winning the majority of 883 parliamentary seats or 76.5 percent out of the final total of 1,154 at three levels.

The USDA, led by Prime Minister U Thein Sein, occupies 259 seats or 79.6 percent out of 325 with the house of representatives, 129 seats or 76.7 percent out of 168 with the house of nationalities and 495 seats or 74.8 percent out of 661 with the seats of region or state parliament.

The USDP is followed by the National Unity Party (NUP) with 63 seats, in which 12 with the house of representatives, 5 with the house of nationalities and 46 with the region or state parliament.

The Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP) took 57 seats, in which the party shares 18 with the house of representatives, 3 with the house of nationalities and 36 with the region or state parliament.

The Rakhine Nationalities Development Party held 35 seats with 9 in the house of representatives, 7 in the house of nationalities and 19 in region or state parliament, while the National Democratic Force (NDF) and the All Mon Region Democracy Party ( AMRDP) each with 16 at three levels of parliament.

Some minor number of seats were won by other parties which fielded a lesser number of candidates for the election.
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90851/7202920.html
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Junta Putting Pressure on Buddhist Clergy: Clinton
By LALIT K JHA Thursday, November 18, 2010

WASHINGTON—The Burmese military junta continues its tight control over the activities of Buddhist monks and discriminates against religious minorities, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday.

“In Burma, the government continues its tight control of the activities of Buddhist clergy and discriminates against minority religious communities,” Clinton said in remarks on the release of the annual State Department report on religious freedom.

“The release last Sunday of Aung San Suu Kyi is a positive step. However, there are more than 2,100 political prisoners in Burma, including many monks and other religious figures,” Clinton said.

The report identifies Burma as one of the eight countries that have been designated as countries of particular concern.

“Those eight countries are Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Uzbekistan,” said Michael Posner, the assistant secretary of state for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor.

“We are now reviewing that process separate from this report. This report states the facts. Now, we’re going to have an internal process where we evaluate these, and in the next couple of months, we will designate countries going forward that are on this list,” she said.

The International Religious Freedom Report 2010 by the State Department said the Burmese government imposed restrictions on certain religious activities and limited freedom of religion, although generally permitted adherents of government-registered religious groups to worship as they chose.

Noting that there was no change in the government's limited degree of respect for religious freedom during the reporting period, the report said religious activities and organizations were subject to restrictions on freedom of expression, association and assembly.

“The government continued to monitor meetings and activities of virtually all organizations, including religious organizations and required religious groups to seek permission from authorities before holding any large public event,” the report said.

The Burmese military rulers continued to systematically restrict Buddhist clergy efforts to promote human rights and political freedom, it said, adding that many of the Buddhist monks arrested in the violent crackdown that followed pro-democracy demonstrations in September 2007, including prominent activist monk U Gambira, remained in prison serving long sentences.

According to the report, the Burmese government also actively promotes Theravada Buddhism over other religions, particularly among ethnic minorities.

“Christian and Islamic groups continued to struggle to obtain permission to repair places of worship or build new ones. The regime continued to closely monitor Muslim activities. Restrictions on worship for other non-Buddhist minority groups also continued,” it said.

Although there were no new reports of forced conversions of non-Buddhists, authorities in some cases influenced placement of orphans and homeless youth, preferring Buddhist monasteries to Christian orphanages in an apparent effort to prevent Christian groups’ or missionaries’ influence, it said.

Adherence or conversion to Buddhism was an unwritten prerequisite for promotion to senior government and military ranks. All senior level officers of the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) and the armed forces are Buddhists, it said.

The report said during the reporting period, social tensions continued between the Buddhist majority and the Christian and Muslim minorities.

“Widespread prejudice existed against citizens of South Asian origin, many of whom are Muslims. The government continued to refuse to recognize the Muslim Rohingya ethnic minority as citizens and imposed restrictions on their movement and marriage,” it said.

Meanwhile, senior US Sen. Mitch McConnell, on Wednesday urged the Burmese rulers to ensure that the release of Aung San Suu Kyi is permanent.

“Make no mistake, the release of Suu Kyi is a positive step forward in Burma. Yet it is only the first—and by no means the final—step that must take place in that beleaguered country,” he said in a statement.

“While fellow advocates of democracy in Burma rightly rejoice in her being freed, our feelings of joy and relief are tempered by several sobering concerns,” he said.

“First, there is the matter of her safety. We all remember the brutal attack against her in 2003. That must not be permitted to happen again. Second, we know Suu Kyi has been released in the past only to be later detained on trumped-up charges. We want her release to be permanent, not temporary. Third, although she was granted unconditional release, it remains to be seen whether the regime will tolerate her active participation in public affairs,” McConnell said.

“And that is essential for Burma to undertake any meaningful progress toward democracy. Finally, while Suu Kyi has been released from detention, more than 2,000 other prisoners of conscience remain imprisoned in Burma. Only when all are unconditionally freed can the people of Burma truly begin the process of democratic reform and reconciliation,” he said.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=20114#
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Home>>ChinaBiz >> World Business >> Asia/Oceania
Foreign companies work in dozens of gas blocks in Myanmar
13:37, November 18, 2010

Foreign companies are working in 42 gas exploration blocks in Myanmar's oil and gas fields under respective contracts, the Biweekly Eleven News reported Thursday.

The 42 blocks include 12 in the inland and 30 in the offshore areas. The 30 offshore blocks further include 10 deep-sea blocks.

There are 31 inland and 5 offshore oil and gas fields in Myanmar.

Starting 1998, Myanmar has been able to export gas to Thailand and in the next few years, the export will be expanded to China, the biweekly said.

Oil and gas stands the sector with most foreign investment.

In 2009-10, Myanmar produced nearly 7 million barrels of crude oil and 400 billion cubic-feet (11.32 billion cubic-meters) of gas, according to official statistics.

Meanwhile, to boost oil and gas output from the inland blocks, Myanmar imported four huge seep-soil drilling machines from China for use in newly-explored Thagyitaung, Kyaukhwet, Maubin and Pyay oil and gas fields, the report added.

According to the geological condition, Myanmar has 14 geological valleys in the onshore regions, among which the state- run Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise has conducted surveys in the central region, Pay and Delta regions.

It was reported that there remains many more promising regions for exploitation of oil and gas in the country.

In the latest development, oil and natural gas are also being exploited at new blocks such as MD-4 in the west of Dawei, Tanintharyi division, MD-5 in the west of Palaw and MD-6 on the west of Myeik which were found in Mottama offshore deep sea region.

Although annual foreign investment in the oil and gas sector stood only 278.6 million U.S. dollars in 2009-10, it was raised sharply to 9.81 billion dollars merely in the first five months (April-August) of 2010-11, a latest statistics show.

Source:Xinhua http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90778/90858/90863/7203640.html?

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