News & Articles on Burma-Thursday, 16 December, 2010

News & Articles on Burma
Thursday, 16 December, 2010
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Suu Kyi calls on Europe and Germany to be more supportive
Council calls for Aung Sang Suu Kyi to be invited to Galway to receive freedom
Some Burmese NGOs Say Suu Kyi Hampers Their Work
China to Issue Loan to Fund Gas Projects in Myanmar
Myanmar Launches Largest Hydropower Plant To Fulfil Electricity
White Tigers form legal, talks panels
Suu Kyi to meet young activists
Junta Ends Border Trade Blockade After China Protest
Role for Suu Kyi sought to solve Myanmar issue
Burma's Eight-Month International Trade Value Hits $8.8 Billion
Local Militias Enlisted in Pressure Campaign
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Politics | 15.12.2010
Suu Kyi calls on Europe and Germany to be more supportive

In an exclusive interview with DW, Burmese civil rights activist Aung San Suu Kyi talks about the changes in Myanmar (Burma) she has experienced after her release and her future plans.

Aung San Suu Kyi was released on November 13 after more than seven years of house arrest. In 1991, the pro-democracy activist received the Nobel Peace Prize. The 65-year old has spent 15 of the last 21 years in detention.

Deutsche Welle: What is your daily routine these days?

Aung San Suu Kyi: My daily routine is very, very hectic. If I look back at today, I had about two, three appointments this morning and two in the afternoon, and I still haven't finished my work yet. So, it is extremely hectic.

What kind of appointments are these?

I am meeting diplomats, I am meeting political parties, I am meeting individuals, we have our National League for Democracy (NLD) office meetings. Then I am speaking to people on the phone. And there are individual journalists and correspondents, who have managed to come to Burma, and I have to meet them as well.

What was the biggest change you noticed in your city after your house arrest was lifted?

I think the number of hand phones! The moment I was released, I saw all those people with their hand phones which they were using to take photographs. I think what it means is that there is an improvement in communications.

And what about the Burmese society? Did you find any other changes?

Prices have gone up sky-high, and people are very concerned about it. Everybody talks about the rise in prices. Also, the attitude of the young people has improved considerably. They want to be involved in the political process, and they are much more outgoing and proactive than they were seven years ago.

When you were released, it was striking that many young people turned up to greet you. What are your expectations from the youth of Burma?

It is for them to understand that it is up to them to bring change to our country, and that they should not depend on me or the NLD or anybody else. We will do our best, but in the end I want them to have this self-confidence to believe that they can do it for themselves.

How do you see the future of your party, the National League for Democracy?

We are going to stand as a political force because we have the full support of the people. Of course, the authorities are trying to deregister our party, and I am contesting that at court, but that is a legal matter. The real political truth of the situation is that we have the confidence, the trust and the support of the people, and that will keep us going as the most important opposition force in Burma today.

Have you tried to get in touch with the government after your release?

No, not yet. I have, of course, been sending indirect messages through almost every speech I have made, every interview I have had, that I would like to have dialogue. I think we should discuss our differences and come to an agreement that we should be prepared to compromise on both sides.

But why haven't you taken any concrete step to initiate this kind of a dialogue?

We are waiting for the right time, which I hope is not too far off.

Burma is a country with many ethnic minorities, whose relationship with the majority has been rather tense over the recent decades. What do you plan to do to reach out to these groups?

We have been reaching out to these groups for a number of years, and I can claim that we have had a certain amount of success. Not only do we have very strong allies among the parties which contested the 1990 elections, we also have the support of other ethnic groups, including the ceasefire groups along the frontiers, who have expressed an interest in what we are trying to do - to revive the spirit of true union.

Last week, the Nobel Peace Prize for the Chinese democracy activist Liu Xiaobo turned into a major international controversy. What is your reaction, being a Nobel laureate yourself?

I have a great respect for the Norwegian Nobel Committee, and I believe they must have sound reasons for choosing to give him the award this year. I personally don't know much about Liu Xiabo because I have been under house arrest for about seven years, and all I know about him is that what I heard on the radio. But I do believe that the Nobel Committee must have sound reasons for selecting him.

In Europe, people are wondering what they can do to support Burma. What is your advice?

First of all, it would be very helpful if all the countries of Europe could speak with one voice. Even within the European Union there are different attitudes and different voices, and I think that weakens the [Burmese] opposition. It would help us a great deal if all European countries called for certain steps to be taken in Burma - the release of political prisoners, inclusiveness of the political process, specifically with the NLD, and negotiations.

Do you have any specific European countries in mind, which you want to see more active in this?

As I am talking to you in Germany - I would like Germany to be more active.

You said in previous interviews that you will need time to form an opinion about international sanctions against the Burmese regime. What is your impression so far on this matter?

So far, I have not got the impression that economic sanctions have really hurt the public, but of course there are other voices that are perhaps still waiting to be heard, so we have yet to find out. I have been released just for over a month, and I haven't had time to go into this issue; I am waiting to read the latest report of the IMF, and perhaps the ADB and other economic institutions.

How influential is the West in Burma? Compared with that, how do you see India's and China's role?

I think the role of the West in Burma and the role of India and China are quite different. I would not like to think of them as competing for influence, or competing for ascendancy over Burma. It is not as though we were not able to shape our own destiny. But certainly, because India and China are very close neighbors, they have a certain advantage over those countries that are situated very far away.

Does this mean that what the West does with regard to Burma is not so important?

No, it has its importance, depending on how and what actions the West is taking, which is why I said earlier that it would be good if all the Western nations could coordinate their efforts. Not just the Western nations, it would be good if the whole international community, including the United Nations, coordinated its efforts. That would help us very greatly indeed, and if it called for the same basic steps, that would mean progress.

What are your expectations from India and China?

We would like them to engage with us. To begin with, we'd very much like India and China to give us the opportunity to explain our point of view to them. We have very little contact with China and India. We have more contact with the Indian government than with the Chinese government, in fact I don't think we have any contact with the Chinese government at all. We would like to have contact with them, we would like them to listen to our side of the story, and make them understand that we look upon them as neighbors, and that we would like to be friends with them. We are not hostile to them even if we are working for democracy in Burma.

What are your plans for the coming weeks?

The man that I fear most in the world is the man who keeps my appointment book. I haven't gone through next week's appointments with him...

Interviewer: Thomas Baerthlein
Editor: Shamil Shams http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,6343472,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf
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Council calls for Aung Sang Suu Kyi to be invited to Galway to receive freedom
Galway Advertiser, December 16, 2010.

By Kernan Andrews

Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung Sang Suu Kyi has been invited to officially visit the city and receive the Freewoman of Galway honour, originally given to her in 2005.

Ms Suu Kyi, who was, until recently living under house arrest in Burma, was originally conferred with the honour five years ago, but was unable to receive it due to her incarceration by the Burmese military.

Following her release, calls have come from both the Labour party and Independent councillor Catherine Connolly to invite the pro-democracy leader to Galway and grant her the honour with a formal reception.

At Monday’s city council meeting Labour councillor and Galway West candidate Derek Nolan called for the Department of Foreign Affairs to invite Ms Suu Kyi to Ireland. The motion was passed.

“This situation needs to be remedied,” said Cllr Nolan. “Aung San Suu Kyi has been a global icon of heroic and peaceful resistance in the face of military repression, and she takes her rightful place in history among Martin Luther King and Mahatma Ghandi. I hope that at some time she will be able to accept our invitation.” http://www.advertiser.ie/galway/article/34432
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Some Burmese NGOs Say Suu Kyi Hampers Their Work
By HTET AUNG Thursday, December 16, 2010

Some Burmese non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have complained to a United Nations envoy that their work has been hampered by the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and her active involvement in social issues.

The complaints were voiced in a meeting between Vijay Nambiar, the UN secretary-general's special envoy to Burma, and representatives of local NGOs during his two-day visit to Burma. Unofficial notes on the meetings, obtained by The Irrawaddy, reported that the potential for opening up the country's civil society groups to address the country's social issues in the post-election period had been discussed.

Among those who met Nambiar were Nay Win Maung, of Myanmar Egress; Khin Maung Yin and Dr Myo Lwin of the Pyo Pin Program; Thiha Kyaing of the Phoenix Association (Myanmar); Myint Su from the Local Resource Center; and officials from the Metta Foundation and the International Development Enterprise.

The notes on the meeting said Nay Win Maung and Khin Maung Yin told the UN envoy it had become more difficult to carry out their social works after Suu Kyi's release because of what they perceived as her hardline political stand. Her call for a second Panglong conference, for example, was “dangerous,” they said.

However, the notes didn't elaborate precisely on how the NGOs felt Suu Kyi's political stand could hamper their social works. The Irrawaddy tried to contact Nay Win Maung to obtain further elaboration but couldn't reach him.

Nay Win Maung is one of the founders of Myanmar Egress, which actively promoted the Nov. 7 election through voter education programs. He also owns the local weekly journal The Voice. Khin Maung Yin is a leader of the Pyo Pin Program, which is funded by the UK Department for International Development via the British Embassy in Rangoon.

“They don't view the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi positively,” said Thiha Kyaing. “They said they could do their social works better before Daw Suu was freed and that after her release the political situation became shaky. It was difficult for them to operate their works.”

Thiha Kyaing said he didn't share these views. “Most of the people who met the special envoy are not really working at the grassroots level and they spoke mostly about policy issues, neither truly representing nor knowing the real situation of the community.”

Phoenix Association is a non-profit social organization and its members are people living with HIV/AIDS. The organization was established in 2005 with the objective of supporting HIV/AIDS patients facing social and economic problems.

Thiha Kyaing said the Phoenix Association had not experienced greater difficulty in carrying out its social work since Suu Kyi's release, which the organization viewed positively.

“In fact, Daw Suu's influence can even be used to raise funds for our work.” he said. “People in the communities that I am working with strongly support Daw Suu.”

In the unofficial meeting notes, Nay Win Maung and Khin Maung Yin said Suu Kyi needs to update her knowledge of the changes that occurred during her house arrest.

They complained they hadn't had a chance to meet Suu Kyi—although Thein Oo, the National League for Democracy (NLD) official responsible for arranging all meetings with Suu Kyi, told The Irrawaddy: “There has so far been no request from Egress to meet with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.”

Ohn Kyaing, the NLD central executive committee member responsible for contacts with other local organizations, dismissed the Egress and Pyo Pin Program complaints as “baseless.” He said: “Since her release, she has already made clear that she is willing to cooperate with all parties.”

Following her release last month, Suu Kyi has advocated a strengthening of the civil society organizations. In a video speech sent to the recent EU Development Forum, she called for more investment in the development of civil society organizations, adding that it must be “accountable and transparent.”
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=20331
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China to Issue Loan to Fund Gas Projects in Myanmar

Dec. 16 – On November 30, Myanmar Foreign Investment Bank and China Development Bank Corporation signed an agreement in Myanmar’s capital of Naypyitaw for cooperation that commits US$2.4 billion of loan issuance from China in the future.

According to Jin Honggen, economic and commercial counselor to the Chinese embassy in Myanmar’s largest city Yangon, the loan will mainly be invested in the China-Myanmar gas pipeline, which runs from Myanmar’s Kyaukphyu, Rakhine to China’s Yunnan Province. The massive natural gas project in Kyaukphyu will involve Myanmar, China, South Korea and India, with Myanmar will taking up 7.3 percent of the shares.

Jin added that the completion of the project will benefit both Myanmar and China because the natural gas will also be supplied to meet Yunnan Province’s industrial and residential requirements.

Although he did not provide more details, Jin said the rest of the loan will be used in other different projects, while Dr. Maung Aung, a Myanma economist hopes the government will use the funds to strengthen Myanmar’s infrastructure, which – according to Economy Watch – is generally considered to be the main hindrance to the country’s underdeveloped international trade.

Myanmar is currently one of the leading producers of natural gas via pipeline in the Asia-Pacific region. A report on the Myanmar Times says the country’s two offshore projects in the Gulf of Mottama produce more than 1 billion cubic feet of gas every day, and Myanmar has so far earned more than US$2 billion from exporting natural gas to Thailand. The new gas project addition is hoped to bring the country even more earnings over the next three years.
http://www.2point6billion.com/news/2010/12/16/china-to-issue-loan-to-fund-gas-projects-in-myanmar-8243.html
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December 16, 2010 12:15 PM
Myanmar Launches Largest Hydropower Plant To Fulfil Electricity

YANGON, Dec 16 (Bernama) -- Myanmar launched its largest hydropower plant of Yeywa Wednesday in northern Mandalay region, which is believed to contribute much to the development of the country's industrial sector and fulfil domestic electricity demand, China's Xinhua news agency reported.

The RCC embankment and Yeywa hydropower plant project was implemented by the Ministry of Electric Power-1 and the project involved contract by the CGGC International of the Gezhouba Group and China's SINOHYDRO Corporation.

The Yeywa dam is not only the first ever RCC facility in Myanmar but also the third largest RCC dam across the world, experts said, adding that the Yeywa hydropower plant is the 15th facility of its kind in the country.

Lying on the Myitnge River, 50 km southeast of Mandalay city, the 790-megawatt (mw) Yeywa hydropower plant was installed with four 197.5 mw generators that will generate 3.55 billion kilowatt- hours of electricity annually to fulfill electricity need of the nation.

The project, which costs about US$600 million, started in 2001 lasting for 10 years and the No. 1 generator started functioning in February 2010, No. 2 in July 2010, No. 3 in October and No. 4 on the day of total inauguration.

The completion of the project adds generating capacity to the country's total by nearly 50 percent, contributing to easing the country's electricity shortage and playing an important role in development of central Myanmar and its socio-economy as a whole.

The Yeywa hydropower plant is said to mainly distribute electricity to the commercial city of Yangon running short of electricity.

With development of the nation, electricity is in high demand and Myanmar claimed that all-out efforts were made on self-reliant basis in a short time for generating electricity that is essential for daily socio-economic life of the people and in building the industrialised nation.

Myanmar Prime Minister U Thein Sein, who inaugurated the plant, told the ceremony that although the nation is rich in water resources that can generate hydropower according to the geographical condition, Myanmar could generate 529.1 mw across the nation before 1988 due to many limitations such as the need of huge investment and long construction period.

As generating of electricity has been speeded up after 1988, 15 hydropower plants including the present Yeywa's, one coal-fired power plant and 15 gas-power plants totaling 31 across the nation are now generating 3,045 mw, he disclosed.

In addition, out of the ongoing hydropower projects, Shwegyin's that can generate 75 mw and Kunchaung's that can yield 60 mw are expected to be launched soon.

According to official statistics, installed capacity of 62 ongoing power stations totaled 41,393 mw with another one 25 mw plant being planned.

Upon completion of all the plants, Myanmar sees 44,267 mw of installed capacity with 94 power stations, generating more than 254 billion kilowatt-hours annually.

Meanwhile, according to other official report, a Japanese company, High Tech Concrete Technology Co Ltd, reached a contract with Myanmar in May this year on concrete work of Upper Yeywa hydropower project which is a follow-up one of the Yeywa project.

Moreover, four companies have signed a memorandum of understanding in April this year to jointly implement another giant hydropower project originally agreed between the electric power authorities of Myanmar and Thailand four years ago.

The Hutgyi hydropower project will be implemented among the Department of Hydropower Planning of the Myanmar Ministry of Electric Power-1, SINOHYDRO Corporation Ltd of China, EGAT International Co Ltd of Thailand and International Group of Entrepreneur Co Ltd.

Experts of Myanmar and Thailand have made initial survey on some river ports along Myanmar's Thanlwin River in preparation to build the hydropower plant already agreed in December 2005 between Myanmar and Thailand.

Soil tests on banks of some three ports along the river in southeastern Kayin state were carried out then by experts of Myanmar and the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) to build the Hutgyi hydropower plant under an agreement signed in December 2005.

The Hutgyi hydropower plant will consist of a 600 megawatt (mw) turbine that can produce 3.82 billion kilowatt hours (kwh) yearly.

The project constitutes part of those on the Thanlwin and Tanintharyi Rivers agreed earlier between Myanmar and Thailand in June 2005.

Furthermore, the Myanmar government is also encouraging local private companies to invest in hydropower projects to share the government's efforts in fulfilling the country's growing electric power demand.

-- BERNAMA http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsworld.php?id=550459
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White Tigers form legal, talks panels
Wednesday, 15 December 2010 23:57 Ko Wild

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – The Shan Nationals Democratic Party had decided to form legal advisory and “dialogue-organising” committees, on the final day of its three-day party conference in Taunggyi, the capital of Shan State, party sources said.

Popularly known as the White Tiger Party, its legal committee will comprise three lawyers: party central executive committee member Sai Phoe Myat; lawmaker-elect Nan Wa Nu, who was to take the People’s Assembly seat of Kunhing Township; and party member Nan Kham Ping, a party source said.

The dialogue panel would be led by chairman Sai Aik Paung, aka Sai Ai Pao, general secretary Sai Hla Kyaw and central executive committee member Sao Than Myint, the source said.

Mizzima reported last week, quoting party founder Sao Hsai Mong, that the three-day conference was to address issues such as education and health services in the towns where its party offices were located. He added that the agenda would also include its five-year policy plan. On Monday, the SNDP decided to list a public company to assist in fund-raising.

Kengteng-branch chairman Nan Ngwe Mya was added to the central executive committee, bringing the committee’s total to 16 members, a party source said, adding that central executive committee member Sai Maung was appointed as joint secretary.

Two central executive committee members have been nominated to be sent to the party’s liaison offices in Kachin and Karenni states, while central executive members to be sent to Sagaing and Mandalay divisional offices have yet to be named.

The party had decided to combat drug-trafficking and abuse in Kachin and Shan states and Sagaing Division during its five-year parliamentary term, a senior member said.

The White Tiger Party won just 34 out of 102 parliamentary seats in the Shan State Assembly. Most of the remaining posts were won by the junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP). The National Unity Party and Pa-O National Organisation won a few seats in the state’s assembly, so the White Tiger Party needs to co-operate with the two parties in that legislature.

According to the 2008 constitution, the People’s Assembly must be convened within 90 days of the polling date, November 7. Before that, the ruling Burmese military junta would impose 39 parliamentary laws, a party member said. “About two weeks after the laws have been imposed, the People’s Assembly will be convened”, he said.

Last month, some USDP leaders who are also incumbent ministers met the SNDP chairman and vice-chairman in Rangoon and Lashio respectively. Details about the meetings remained undisclosed.

For the final day of the conference, Dr. Nay Win Maung, co-founder Myanmar Egress, gave a talk on the 2008 constitution, party sources said.
http://www.mizzima.com/news/election-2010-/4682-white-tiger-party-to-form-two-committees.html
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Suu Kyi to meet young activists
Wednesday, 15 December 2010 21:53 Mizzima News

Chaing Mai (Mizzima) – Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is to meet young activists from youth organisations on Friday, a party leader said today.

Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi delivers an address in honour of Burma’s National Day at the National League for Democracy headquarters in Bahan Township, Rangoon, on December 1, 2010. She is set to meet activist young people from various organisations at NLD headquarters on Friday, December 17, 2010. Photo: Mizzima
She will meet the under-35 activists at National League for Democracy headquarters on Shwegondine Road in Bahan Township, Rangoon.

“After 2007, some young activists did not join the NLD. They formed many community organisations. Many [of them] … requested a meeting with Aunty [Suu Kyi],” NLD central committee member Phyu Phyu Thin told Mizzima.

“Youth groups know each other well and created links. I don’t know how many people will attend the meeting as we are only in contact the leaders of the youth organisations,” Phyu Phyu Thin added.

According to Ministry of Immigration and Population figures released in the middle of this year, Burma has a total population of 59 million, more than 30 million of whom are over 18.

Although the authorities had been keeping a close watch on NLD headquarters, there should be no problems, Phyu Phyu Thin said.

“I think we will not be in any danger. Aung San Suu Kyi and we [NLD] are co-operating with the international community in social activities for the youth. So, I think meeting the youth inside Burma won’t cause any problems,” she said.

Since Suu Kyi was released from house arrest, she has met diplomats, representatives of political parties and allied political organisations, independent candidates and junior NLD leaders.

Currently, the NLD was preparing to file a further appeal over the dissolution of the party, NLD spokesman and lawyer Nyan Win said, even though the Supreme Court in Naypyidaw had rejected NLD’s appeal over its dissolution on November 22. http://www.mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/4681-suu-kyi-to-meet-young-activists-at-nld-party-headquarters.html
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Junta Ends Border Trade Blockade After China Protest
By WAI MOE Wednesday, December 15, 2010

The Burmese regime has allowed trade to resume at a Sino-Burmese border crossing point in Kachin State after the Chinese embassy in Rangoon complained recently about the closure, according to diplomatic sources in the former capital.

The trade blockade, which had been in force since late November, affected the movement of goods between the Kachin State capital of Myitkyina and Laiza, on the state's border with China.

“Officials from the Chinese embassy met with Burmese Commerce Minister U Tin Naing Thein a few days ago to protest the border closure in Kachin State,” the source said.

In addition to complaints from the Chinese embassy, Chinese officials with the Sino-Burmese border committee also raised the issue with their Burmese counterparts, according to border-based sources.

As a result of the protests, the Burmese authorities have allowed goods, including seasonal produce such as bananas, to enter China since Monday.

Observers said the Burmese regime's disruption of trade along this route appeared to be aimed at the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), a cease-fire group that has rejected the junta's border guard force (BGF) plan, which seeks to put ethnic militias under Burmese military command.

However, a KIO source said that the border tension could also be related to a trip to Putao, in the far north of Kachin State, by a number of senior Burmese military leaders in late November for the opening of a bridge there.

Lt-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, the joint chief of staff of the army, navy and air force, traveled to the area along with three Bureaus of Special Operations chiefs—Maj-Gen Myint Soe, Maj-Gen Aung Than Htut and Maj-Gen Soe Win—as well as Judge Advocate-General Maj-Gen Yar Pyae and the commander of the Northern Regional Military Command, Brig-Gen Zeyar Aung.

Other VIPs on the trip included Construction Minister Khin Maung Myint and Minister for Communications, Posts and Telegraphs Thein Zaw, who are both senior leaders of the junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party.

Tensions along the Sino-Burmese border have grown steadily since the regime proposed the BGF plan in April 2009, with some observers expecting a complete breakdown in the coming months of a series of cease-fire agreements that have been in place for the past two decades.

In August 2009, the Burmese junta launched an offensive against the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, an ethnic Kokang-Chinese armed group that refused to join the BGF. The resumption of hostilities in the area forced about 37,000 Kokang-Chinese refugees to flee to China and earned the Burmese junta a rare rebuke from its allies in Beijing.

According to a leaked cable from the US embassy in Beijing that has appeared on the WikiLeaks website, a senior official of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yang Yanyi, told US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell in October 2009 that the Burmese regime’s action against the ethnic Kokang had ramifications for China, but Beijing hoped the junta was working out the situation through dialogue.

Yang also said China opposed the use of force to resolve issues along the Sino-Burmese border and “would not allow Burma to fall into chaos,” adding that Chinese officials told their Burmese counterparts that China had “legitimate interests” in dealing with the border situation.

The cable noted that Yang told Campbell that the Burmese regime had been unable to realize true national reconciliation and economic development. She also said the Burmese people were unsatisfied with the country's state of affairs.

The regime itself appears to have a very different assessment of its accomplishments over the past two decades. In a speech given at the elite Defense Services Academy in Maymyo on Friday, the head of the Burmese junta, Snr-Gen Than Shwe, said that the regime had successfully held a national convention to achieve what he called “national reconsolidation.”

He also highlighted the country's economic progress under military rule, saying that every sector of the economy has seen significant development in the 22 years since the regime seized power.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=20328
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Role for Suu Kyi sought to solve Myanmar issue
DPA/Bangkok
Latest Update: Thursday16/12/2010December, 2010, 01:42 AM Doha Time

Indonesia said yesterday that recently freed opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi needs to play a part in the solution of Myanmar’s ongoing political problems.

Suu Kyi was released from seven years of house detention on November 13, a week after military-ruled Myanmar staged its first general election in two decades.

Observers slammed the election as a sham designed to cement the army’s rule over the country, which has been under military dictatorships since 1962.

The polls, held on November 7, seemed timed to exclude Suu Kyi from the process and undermine her potential role in the post-election period. But Indonesia, which will assume the chairmanship of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) next year, made it clear that it still sees Suu Kyi as playing a pivotal part.

“Our vision from the start was that it would take the election and national dialogue, inclusive of Aung San Suu Kyi, for further development in Myanmar post-election,” said Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa.

“In short, what we are going to suggest in the most constructive way, is that we need to see Daw (Madam) Aung San Suu Kyi and the authorities in Myanmar as being part of the solution to the situation in Myanmar,” Marty told a seminar on ASEAN policy at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.

Indonesia will chair two Asean summits and the East Asia Summit, which includes ASEAN, Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the US. Myanmar’s political problems promise to be a major subject of debate at these forums, as they have been for the past two decades.

Western democracies slapped economic sanctions on Myanmar, in 1988 when the army cracked down on pro-democracy demonstrators, leaving an estimated 3,000 people dead. Asean has traditionally followed a policy of “constructive engagement” with the pariah state, even allowing it to enter its fold in 1997 despite objections from the region’s main allies.
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=404845&version=1&template_id=45&parent_id=25
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Burma's Eight-Month International Trade Value Hits $8.8 Billion
By WAI MOE Thursday, December 16, 2010

Driven by a sell-off of natural resources, the value of Burma’s exports hit US $5.5 billion for the past eight months, while the total value of its international trade was $8.8 billion, according to the junta’s Ministry of Commerce. Burmese economic observers predicted, however, that the import-export revenues would not directly benefit most Burmese people.

Citing Ministry of Commerce statistics, 7 Day News Journal, a Rangoon weekly journal, reported on Thursday that during the period from April 1 to December 7 of Burma's 2010-11 fiscal year, Burma exported goods valued at $ 5.5 billion and imported goods valued at $3.3 billion.

A platform in Burma's Yetagun Offshore Field in the Andaman Sea that produces natural gas exported to Thailand. (Photo: Reuters)
A ministry official told 7 Day News Journal that most of Burma's export revenue came from selling natural gas, followed by jade, to Asian countries. These goods were delivered by sea and road.

Burma’s export earnings from natural gas during the eight-month period were estimated to be $4 billion and Jade exports delivered by sea during the eight-month period hit US $1.1 billion, excluding jade sold at the Naypyidaw gems fair in November.

Burmese beans were the third most significant export, valued at over $520 million, while teak wood exports reached $180 million.

Burma's biggest trading partners for the eight-month period were Thailand, Singapore and China-Hong Kong.

Trade with Thailand was valued at over $2 billion, with Singapore $1.1 billion and with China-Hong Kong $ 900 million.

The Ministry of Commerce statistics also showed that Burma’s trading value in each of the 2009-10 and 2008-09 fiscal years exceeded $11 billion.

Although the Burmese military regime has earned billions of dollars from exporting natural gas to Thailand, economic observers said they are skeptical that the Burmese people's incomes and quality of life would improve as a result.

“It is easy to get money from selling the country’s natural resources,” said a Burmese economist in Rangoon who spoke on condition of anonymity. “But those natural resources will not come back, and so the question is how to use the money for the country’s development such as in the health and education sectors—how to bring resources from underground to development above ground.”

He added that for the past 22 years, no independent researcher has had access Burmese government expenditures, which are not publicly disclosed.

While junta officials often claim they are “looking beyond 2010” and there will be more economic opportunities following the election held on Nov. 7, Burmese experts said the country's rate of development is still behind where it stood prior to the 1962 military coup.

A Thailand-based Burmese economist, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said the billions of dollar Burma receives from its import-export trade will not find its way into the hands of the nearly 50 million ordinary Burmese citizens, since there is no transparency and accountability for how and where the money is spent and multiple billions of dollars are likely spent on the junta’s military ambitions.

In addition, intelligence sources said that although Burma earns billions US dollars by exporting natural gas, the money received is reportedly transferred directly from foreign oil companies to the junta’s undercover accounts at two Singaporean banks.

These accounts are reportedly controlled by ex Lt-Gen Tin Aye, who is junta chief Snr-Gen Than Shwe’s most trusted revenue guardian. Intelligence sources said Tin Aye is also in-charge of the junta’s missile programs.

According to Burmese experts, the majority of Burmese are still living in poverty and spending more than 70 percent of their income to purchase food.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=20334
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Local Militias Enlisted in Pressure Campaign
By KO HTWE Thursday, December 16, 2010

Local militias are being enlisted by the Burmese army in Shan State in the regime campaign to pressure armed ethnic groups to join the controversial Border Guard Force (BGF).

The Shan State Army-South and the Shan State Army-North are among the armed groups resisting the regime demand to transform its forces into the BGF. Other groups defying the regime demand include the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA) and the United Wa State Army (UWSA).

SSA-S Spokesman Sai Lao Hseng told The Irrawaddy on Thursday that although his armed group wanted a negotiated settlement, it was ready to counter any military offensive by the Burmese army. “If they choose to fight we are ready,” he said.

Government troops clashed with the SSA-S in central and southern Shan State this month. Talks had been held between militia leaders and the army on military cooperation, according to Saengjuen Sarawin, deputy editor of the Shan Herald Agency for News.

Four ethnic armed groups—the UWSA, the NDAA, the SSA-N and SSA-S—discussed the possibility of deepening cooperation and mutual support at a meeting in Mongla during the Shan New year.

This month, the Burmese army has deployed more troops and weapons near the headquarters of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) in Laiza and at other locations across Kachin State.

Altogether, 17 cease-fire groups have come under pressure by the regime since April 2009 to accept the BGF plan. Several of the smaller ethnic cease-fire groups have accepted the plan, but all of the larger armies, such as the UWSA—with 30,000 troops— and the KIO with 10,000—have rejected the plan.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=20332