- Update Information
"No. 5 [Childrearing] 'Anticipatory Project for the Elimination of
Childcare Waiting Lists' Starts!"
http://nettv.gov-online.go.jp/eng/prg/prg2013.html
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Prime Minister KAN's TV
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The following are the messages contained in the videos:
"No. 5 [Childrearing] 'Anticipatory Project for the Elimination of
Childcare Waiting Lists' Starts!"
Narration: At the start of the week, the Prime Minister Kan
received a basic plan of the "Anticipatory Project for the
Elimination of Childcare Waiting Lists," which is intended to
create places for children who cannot be enrolled in childcare
facilities due to overcapacity. The method and idea contained in
the plan have a strong mark of Prime Minister Kan's belief.
--- The elimination of childcare waiting lists has long been
repeated as a slogan.
Prime Minister: Indeed.
--- Will it be different this time?
Prime Minister: Yes. In many cases, new policy initiatives are
blocked by the barriers of jurisdiction within the bureaucracy. The
issue has hitherto been addressed separately by the Ministry of
Health, Labour and Welfare, which is responsible for overall
childrearing policies, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports,
Science and Technology, which supervises kindergartens, and
municipalities. This is why I resolved to create a task force team
dedicated to eliminating childcare waiting lists.
I therefore asked Ms. Tomiko Okazaki, Minister of State for Social
Affairs and Gender Equality, and Ms. Yoko Komiyama, Vice Minister
of Health, Labour and Welfare, to organize the team and tackle this
as priority assignment. Normally, this kind of planning would take
much longer, sometimes two or three years, as it requires inter-
ministerial coordination. Thanks to the task force team, I could at
least shorten it to few months.
Narration: By allowing diverse and flexible childcare services
while ensuring the quality, outside the existing regulatory
framework and securing necessary facilities and human resources for
the sector, this project is going to increase the availability by
35,000 in the next fiscal year for estimated 26,000 children on
waiting lists. It will seek to increase the capacity even further,
in anticipation of the future increase of children needing
childcare.
Why put so much effort into the elimination of childcare waiting
lists? The Prime Minister explains that it concerns not only
parents with children but also the future of the Japanese society
as a whole.
Prime Minister: This policy produces three major effects at once.
First, parents hitherto unable to access childcare facilities can
have their children looked after. Second, women will be able to
continue working while raising children, which would offset the
demographic decrease of the workforce. Third, this would curb the
trend of declining birthrates, as women who hesitated to have more
than one child would be encouraged to have two or three children if
they were able to continue working.
Narration: A country in which families can raise children without
anxiety, supported by the whole society. To realize this, the Prime
Minister appointed her to be the director general of the task force
team office.
Muraki: One day, together with Minister Okazaki, I was summoned to
the Prime Minister's Office, where the Prime Minister instructed me
to implement measures to eliminate childcare waiting lists. My
initial feeling was, "that is impossible".
Narration: The government has already been set to implement the
"New System for Children and Child-rearing," a comprehensive
measure including the elimination of childcare waiting lists, from
2013.
Muraki: The Prime Minister said, "It is a fine idea to build
a complete system from 2013, but what about children waiting right
now? They cannot wait so long." It is hard to argue against this
obvious statement.
Narration: Hence the project was compiled. It contains a number of
breakthroughs. The first is deregulation.
Prime Minister: Although we need to ensure safety, regulations that
do not fit the reality should be removed as much as possible. For
example, we may remodel unused school classrooms and shops to have
childcare facilities in convenient places. We may also treat non-
authorized childcare facilities like authorized ones if they meet
certain conditions. These kinds of positive deregulation should be
advanced side by side.
Narration: Next is the breakaway from the principle of
"horizontally egalitarian principle".
Prime Minister: There is a prevailing assumption that it must be
done uniformly across the nation, which tends to slow the process,
since whenever a uniform action is called for there are always some
who hesitate. Therefore, we decided to solicit municipalities
willing to take on the challenge, and support them financially. As
such, we will start from the municipalities that raised hands.
Narration: The idea is to support municipalities that applied for
the scheme similar to the special zone system, and then use them as
models for the nationwide application. First, something must be
done for the major cities where the situation is the most pressing.
Prime Minister: In Tokyo, I have seen childcare facilities inside
office buildings created for the employees. This is very helpful
for working parents, but they also say that it would be best if
their children are taken care of near to where they live, since it
is a pain to bring their children along all the way to the center
of Tokyo. They say it is impossible to have their children get on
fully-packed trains. I believe that large cities must be more
friendly to childrearing.
Narration: Discussion at the task force team continued for more
than a month. The experience was new even to the experienced Muraki.
Muraki: Politicians in the team were very outspoken, going beyond
their ministries' usual boundaries. They never backed down,
insisting that there should be some way to make the impossible
possible. That was an enormous pressure, and the ministries must
have had a difficult time responding to all their requests. That
said, there was a strong shared feeling across the ministries to
advance a process to truly eliminate childcare waiting lists. So we
decided to think over the issue again, and gradually the solution
took shape. That was a fun experience.
Narration: As a result, the "Anticipatory Project for the
Elimination of Childcare Waiting Lists" was drafted at an eye-
opening speed.
Muraki: On the day that we submitted the paper to the Prime
Minister, we also informed the municipalities that we have compiled
such a plan. I am looking forward to having various discussions
with interested municipalities.
Prime Minister: I would like to secure enough funds for this in the
budget formulation process going forward, and start the project as
expected of the Cabinet, "true-to-its-word".
===================================================================
Publication : Cabinet Public Relations Office
1-6-1 Nagata-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8968, Japan
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
"Prime Minister KAN's TV" E-mail Service-(December 7, 2010)
ミャンマー：スーチーさんと米高官が会談へ
ミャンマーからの情報によると、米国務省のヤン国務副次官補（東アジア・太平洋担当）が７日、最大都市ヤンゴン入りし、１１月に行われた総選挙に参加した政党の代表らと会談した。ヤン氏は１０日まで滞在し、ニャンウィン外相ら軍事政権高官のほか民主化運動指導者、アウンサンスーチーさんとも会談する予定。米高官の同国訪問は今年５月のキャンベル国務次官補以来で、１１月の総選挙やスーチーさんの自宅軟禁解除後は初めて。民政移管へ向けた軍事政権やスーチーさんの対応を見極める狙いとみられる。【バンコク】
ＮＥＷＳ２５時：ミャンマー 総選挙の投票率発表
ミャンマー選挙管理委員会は８日付国営紙を通じて、総選挙（１１月７日投票）の投票率が国会下院選７７・２６％、上院選７６・７８％だったと発表した。前回９０年の総選挙（国民議会）は７２・５９％で、今回はこれを上回った。
前回選挙で圧勝した民主化運動指導者アウンサンスーチーさん率いる「国民民主連盟」（ＮＬＤ）は、選挙参加を拒否したため投票率の行方が注目されていた。【バンコク】
News & Articles on Burma-Tuesday, 07 December, 2010
News & Articles on Burma
Tuesday, 07 December, 2010
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Next Two Months Crucial for Burma: Ban
Thai and Burmese FM hold secret talks
Myanmar gem fair nets record $1.4 bln -govt official
US diplomat in Burma for post-election talks
Suu Kyi appeals to India for strengthened relations
Junta-backed militias pulling ahead of Wa
President Obama join the mine ban treaty
Burma must free political prisoners - UN
US official arrives in Myanmar to meet Aung San Suu Kyi
US diplomat in Myanmar for post-election talks
Actress Yeoh Meets Myanmar's Suu Kyi to Discuss Film
India Delivers Heavy Machinery for Burmese Army
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Next Two Months Crucial for Burma: Ban
By LALIT K JHA Tuesday, December 7, 2010
WASHINGTON — UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Monday that developments in the next two months could potentially determine the future course of Burma, after a general election that was far below the expectations of the international community.
Ban, who again expressed his disappointment over the developments in Burma, briefed the Friends of the UN Secretary-General in Burma, in a closed meeting at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
He was accompanied by his Chef de Cabinet Vijay Nambiar, who also spoke to the Group of Friends of Burma about his recent visit to Burma in his capacity as special adviser dealing with that country. The European Union was a special invitee to the meeting.
Few details of the meeting were forthcoming. “The Secretary-General told the Group of Friends that, regrettably, the conduct of the elections was far below the international community’s expectations. Looking ahead, we need to keep encouraging the authorities to take steps to make the political transition broad-based and inclusive,” said spokesman Martin Nesirky.
“He (Ban) said that the next two months will be a crucial period that could potentially determine the future course of Myanmar’s political development and its place in the international community. The authorities, in particular, should be in a better position now to meet their responsibilities,” Nesirky told UN correspondents at his daily noon briefing.
Later in the afternoon, Nambiar briefed the members of the UN Security Council, the details of which were not provided. Nambiar has come under criticism from some diplomats for his stance on Burma and some diplomats have urged the secretary-general to replace Nambiar with a full-time envoy for Burma.
British ambassador to the UN Mark Lyall Grant told reporters that he raised this issue at the Friends of Burma and the Security Council meetings.
Mexican Ambassador to the UN Calude Heller also was quoted as saying that Ban Ki-moon should name a full-time envoy for Burma.
Earlier, a statement issued by the office of the spokesperson of the UN secretary-general said the meeting called upon Burmese authorities to build on recent developments, including through the specific steps proposed by the UN to make the political transition broad-based and inclusive.
“The authorities should be in a better position now to meet their responsibilities to move towards greater openness, dialogue and reconciliation so that all those who have a contribution to make can do so,” it said, adding that in order for any transition to succeed, it should involve not only those who participated and won seats in the election, but also those who did not or could not.
“This must include the release of political prisoners. Addressing concerns about the credibility of the process to date is also essential for any next steps to succeed,” the UN statement said. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=20260
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Thai and Burmese FM hold secret talks
By NAW NOREEN
Published: 7 December 2010
Burma’s foreign minister Nyan Win yesterday travelled to the border town of Tachilek to meet with his Thai counterpart in what observers claim may be an attempt to negotiate the re-opening of a key border crossing further south.
The three-hour meeting was held Monday morning at the Regina Hotel in Tachilek, which also acts a major trading point between the two countries, although it was the issue of the closed Friendship Bridge in Mae Sot that likely topped the agenda.
Nyan Win was reportedly joined by a team of 20 Burmese officials, including business and trade minister, Tin Naing Thein, temporary border trade director general, Aung Naing Oo, and the Burmese ambassador to Thailand, Kyi Thein. Thai foreign minister Kasit Piromya brought with him a 15-strong delegation.
A Thai journalist from Channel 3 followed the Thai team to the airport in nearby Chiang Rai, but Kasit reportedly refused to answer his questions.
The closure of the Mae Sot crossing by Burmese authorities in July has angered Thailand. Burma officially claims the decision was made over safety concerns for tourists in its border town of Myawaddy, while it is thought the real reason lies behind Thailand’s construction of a defensive wall on its side of the Salween river.
Thailand’s countrywide border trade generates around US$4.3 billion each year for the developing economy. According to TTR Weekly, Thailand is losing an estimated US$2.7 million day while the Mae Sot crossing is closed.
Bangkok has also earmarked around $US38.6 million to develop a special economic zone in the Mae Sot-Myawaddy region, although it is unclear whether the latest dispute will have any impact on this.
http://www.dvb.no/news/thai-and-burmese-fm-hold-secret-talks/13262
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Myanmar gem fair nets record $1.4 bln -govt official
YANGON | Tue Dec 7, 2010 4:50am EST
YANGON Dec 7 (Reuters) - Gem traders in Myanmar, one of the world's biggest producers of precious stones, took in a record 1.08 billion euros ($1.44 billion) at a 13-day emporium last month, a government official said on Tuesday.
The fair in the capital, Naypyitaw, attracted some 6,700 traders, 4,000 of them from overseas, with 9,157 lots of jade, 273 lots of gems and 237 lots of pearls sold in auctions, said the official, who requested anonymity.
"These are the highest proceeds from a single sale of jade, gems and pearls since 1964," he told Reuters.
Gemstones are a lucrative source of income for Myanmar's military government, despite Western sanctions imposed on the resource-rich country, some of which outlaw the procurement and sale of Burmese stones.
Myanmar produces more than 90 percent of the world's rubies and fine-quality jade. Most of Myanmar's jade and gemstone mines are run by the defence and mines ministries and businessmen with close connections to the regime.
The United States Congress passed a bill in October 2007 to expand sanctions prohibiting the domestic sale of rubies, jade and other gems routed through Myanmar's neighbours. Experts say this has had only a limited impact on the junta because most buyers are from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
This is the first time in five years that the government has indicated how much money has been generated from the emporium, which is usually held in the biggest city, Yangon.
Officials said trade fairs held in March and October generated 400 million and 700 million euros respectively.
Myanmar recently launched a drive to attract foreign investment, particularly from Asian countries, to what it says is a market with vast potential held back by Western sanctions. [ID:nSGE6AG07J].
Many analysts believe the regime is trying to promote its natural resources, particularly energy, to attract foreign interest and force a review of trade embargoes that prevent the powerful military from procuring better-quality arms. ($1=.7518 Euro) (Reporting by Aung Hla Tun; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Alan Raybould)
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Bangkok Post
US diplomat in Burma for post-election talks
* Published: 7/12/2010 at 03:01 PM
* Online news: Asia
A senior US diplomat arrived in Burma Tuesday, officials said, for the first high-level talks with the government and democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi since her release and a controversial election.
A senior US diplomat arrived in Burma Tuesday, officials said, for the first high-level talks with the government and democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi since her release and a controversial election.
Joseph Yun, the deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, is due to urge the ruling military junta to free political prisoners and engage with the opposition, according to the US State Department.
"The US official arrived here with Thai Airways this morning," said an airport official, who declined to be named. An unnamed government source also confirmed his arrival.
Nyan Win, spokesman for Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD), said Yun would hold talks with the Nobel Peace Prize winner on Friday.
Yun's visit is set to last until December 10 and will include meetings with "senior government officials and representatives of political parties", a US embassy spokeswoman confirmed.
He will also hold talks with non-governmental organisations, ethnic minority groups, and civil society, she said.
Yun will urge the authorities to "improve their human rights record, release all political prisoners immediately and unconditionally, and begin genuine dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi, and pro-democracy and ethnic leaders toward national reconciliation," a US State Department spokesman said.
"He will also review US government humanitarian assistance to the Burmese people," the official added. Burma is Burma's former name.
Suu Kyi was freed from detention on November 13, days after a rare election which has been widely panned by international observers including US President Barack Obama, who said Burma's "bankrupt regime" had stolen the vote.
His administration launched dialogue with Burma's military rulers last year after concluding that Western attempts to isolate the regime had produced little success.
Suu Kyi, who spent 15 of the last 21 years locked up, has welcomed this engagement but warned against "rose-coloured glasses", saying greater human rights and economic progress were still needed.
She told CNN in an interview last month that Washington must be "keeping your eyes open and alert and seeing what is really going on, and where engagement is leading to and what changes really need to be brought about".
Suu Kyi's NLD party boycotted the November 7 vote because of rules that appeared to exclude the dissident from participating and was subsequently disbanded by the junta.
The party won the previous vote in 1990 but was never allowed to take power.
In November 2009 and May this year, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs Kurt Campbell travelled to Burma to meet government officials and Suu Kyi, while she was still under house arrest. http://www.bangkokpost.com./news/asia/210103/us-diplomat-in-burma-for-post-election-talks
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Suu Kyi appeals to India for strengthened relations
Tuesday, 07 December 2010 14:18 Mizzima News
New Delhi (Mizzima) – In a video message, Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is calling on Indian leadership, which has for years sought closer relations with Burma’s military rulers, to increase its support for Burma’s pro-democracy forces.
During the footage, provided to Mizzima, Suu Kyi renews her appeal for assistance in returning democracy to Burma and thus providing for increased peace, prosperity and stability throughout the region.
The video message is to be delivered at today meeting of Burmese and Indians who are celebrating her freedom at Press Club of India in New Delhi. Several Indian law makers and Suu Kyi’s supporters will participate in the celebration which is jointly organized by Burmese democracy movement in India and Delhi-based Women in Security Conflict Management and Peace (WISCOMP).
Aung San Suu Kyi who is a recipient of India’s highest civilian ward of Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding in 1995, reminds her listeners that over 2,000 political prisoners in Burma, as well as millions more, remain awaiting their right to live in freedom and “look toward India as a longstanding friend of Burma to help…in that quest.”
Often compared with India’s Mahatma Gandhi for their similarities in expounding non-violent solutions to national crises, Suu Kyi also spent a number of years living in India, graduating from Lady Shri Ram College in New Delhi with a degree in politics in 1964.
Additionally, the Indian government of Jawaharlal Nehru played a crucial role in buttressing the besieged democratically elected government of Burma during the late 1940s and 1950’s.
However, while initially actively supportive of Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) party in the wake of the 1988 unrest and subsequent 1990 general election in which the NLD emerged victorious, New Delhi has since the mid-1990s increasingly sought to better relations with Burma’s generals with a focus on securing economic concessions.
Indirectly referencing and questioning Indian foreign policy, Suu Kyi simply requests, “We would like much closer ties between the government of India and those working for democracy in Burma.”
In July of this year, Indian leadership feted Burmese leader Than Shwe and his delegation for nearly a week, agreeing to a number of memorandums predominantly dealing with business and development pacts.
Nonetheless, Burma’s opposition leader conveys her thankfulness for the continued actions of Indian authorities in assisting Burmese refugees and political groups having sought exile in India.
“I appreciate very much what India has done to assist refugees who have gone to India,” adds the Noble Peace laureate, “and to those of our political groups who are now in India working for democracy in Burma.”
Tens of thousands of Burmese are estimated to have made their way to India, with much of the population existing in India’s northeastern border states with Burma, especially Manipur and Mizoram.
Suu Kyi, during her two-minute greeting, states she looks forward to the day when all Burmese living abroad in India and elsewhere can feel confident in returning home to a peaceful and prosperous Burma.
http://mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/4643-suu-kyi-appeals-to-india-for-strengthened-relations.html
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Junta-backed militias pulling ahead of Wa
Tuesday, 07 December 2010 11:16 S.H.A.N.
Burma Army controlled militias have successfully overtaken the Wa in heroin production and trade during the year and are likely to outstrip it at methamphetamines during the upcoming year, according to a veteran drug watcher in eastern Shan State.
“One reason is almost all the poppy growing areas are under the joint control of the Burma Army and the militias,” the source who knows both the Wa and the militias explained. “Another is the investors and the chemists working with the ceasefire groups like Wa have been moving over to the militias, since their relations with Naypyitaw broke down last year.”
According to Shan Drug Watch, a program run by SHAN, 46 out of 55 townships in Shan State are growing poppies and nearly all are under the control of the Burma Army and the Burma Army backed militias.
Of the 9 townships that are reportedly poppy-free:
1 Mongla (since 1997)
2 Kokang (since 2003)
4 Wa (since 2005)
2 Danu (under Burma Army control)
The source, who requested his identity be withheld, added, “Until last year the militias were way behind the ceasefire groups both in quantity and quality of their products. But this year, the militias have surpassed them in quantity when it comes to yaba (methamphetamine) and both in quantity and quality when it comes to heroin.”
The best quality heroin blocks are coming from Namzang township in Loilem district, Shan State South, where Nayai and Markkieng militias are supreme. “The shoes (“Kep tin” Shan slang for heroin blocks made by Markkieng) are compact like brinks,” Shan Drug Watch’s latest report in October says. “Try dropping one on the ground, and it will not crack like those manufactured by other militias. Sometimes they are even preferred to those of the Wa, which are also of high quality.”
According to the expert source, the Wa, who now are being forced to rely on the junta-backed militias for safety passage of their products, are more humble in their dealings with the militias. “I was surprised to find one of the militia leaders speaking condescendingly to the Wa recently,” he said. “The tables have obviously turned on them now.”
Both the Kachin News Group and SHAN reported earlier that Naypyitaw had been closing on the Wa channels of revenue and opening up for the militias under its own control.
On 27 March, almost 3 month ago, militia leaders who were attending the 63rd anniversary of Burma’s Armed Force Day ceremony were reportedly told by the Tachilek area commander Col Khin Maung Soe on the sidelines: “This is your grate opportunity. You would do well not to let it slip by. My only advice is to sell as much as you can across the border (i.e. Thailand) but not on this side of the border.” (Shan Drug Watch, October 2010)
On the other hand, yaba made by the Wa are still fetching better prices than those made by the militias in Tachilek, opposite Maesai, despite a 10 baht drop since last year, according to local sources: 46-47 baht ($1.5) to 32-33 baht ($1).
Burma’s ruling junta announced in 1999 of a 15 year master plan to eliminate drugs by 2014
The United Wa State Army (UWSA)’s relations turned sour following its decision to stop fighting against the anti-Naypyitaw Shan State Army (SSA) South in 2005. It turned from bad to worse after its refusal to accept Naypyitaw’s “one country, one military” principle unless and until its self rule demand is recognized by Naypyitaw.
At least 6 of the drug bosses were elected during last month's polls. http://shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3352:junta-backed-militias-pulling-ahead-of-wa&catid=89:drugs&Itemid=286
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President Obama join the mine ban treaty
By DESMOND TUTU AND JODY WILLIAMS
Published: Monday, Dec. 6, 2010 - 5:10 am
Along with 14 of our brother and sister Nobel Peace laureates - including democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma - we have written to fellow laureate President Obama to urge him to bring the United States into the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty. Many of the Nobel Peace laureates have long expressed concern at the humanitarian impact of antipersonnel mines and have worked for their eradication.
Last week more than 100 governments, as well as civil society organizations and U.N. agencies, were in Geneva for their 10th-annual assessment of the successes of the Mine Ban Treaty, as well as the remaining challenges for the total elimination of antipersonnel landmines.
Universalizing the treaty - getting all countries to come on board - remains one of those challenges. Despite the fact that 156 countries are party to the treaty, the United States still has not taken the final step and joined. We say "final step" because we have followed the situation and recognize that the U.S. government has, for almost two decades, essentially adhered to the treaty.
We commend the fact that the United States is not known to have used antipersonnel mines since the first Gulf War in 1991. It became the first country in the world to unilaterally ban exports of the weapon in 1992. The country has not produced antipersonnel mines since 1997, and has already destroyed many millions of its stockpiled mines. For almost 20 years, the United States has also been the largest funder of global mine clearance and victim assistance programs.
Almost one year ago, the Obama administration announced that it was undertaking a review of U.S. policy on antipersonnel landmines, and it should be coming to a conclusion soon. We trust that the review has been guided by the moral and humanitarian imperatives that have already led 80 percent of the world's nations to ban the weapon, including nearly all U.S. military allies.
Policy deliberations are not always easy, especially when it comes to military matters and disarmament. One frequently cited concern is the Korean peninsula, where there are landmines in and around the DMZ, the heavily guarded demilitarized zone separating the two countries. Those landmines, however, are under the jurisdiction and control of South Korea. Moreover, U.S. allies have assured the government that, under the terms of the treaty, the United States could maintain its defense relationship with, and troop presence in, South Korea, even if that nation has not yet joined.
U.S. accession to this important international disarmament treaty would bring great benefits to the United States - and to the entire world. It would strengthen U.S. national security, international security and international humanitarian law. It would help strengthen the fundamental goal of preventing innumerable civilians from falling victim to these indiscriminate weapons in the future, and help ensure adequate care for the hundreds of thousands of existing survivors and their communities.
We also have no doubt at all that U.S. membership in the Mine Ban Treaty would help spur to action the other 38 states that remain outside the treaty.
In our letter to President Obama, we recognized that in his position as both president and commander in chief, he has many aspects to consider in being the person who will ultimately have to make the final decision on U.S. landmine policy. But we also have no doubt that the president feels deeply the suffering of the innocents affected by war and its aftermath, and he should have no trouble recognizing that the devastating impact of landmines on civilians is a terror of its own sort.
We strongly urge President Obama - with the support of his administration and the military forces under his command - to decide to join the Mine Ban Treaty and submit it to the Senate for its consent by early next year. It is time for the United States, with the world's most powerful military, to ban a weapon that it has in practice already eschewed for almost 20 years.
ABOUT THE WRITERS
The Rev. Desmond Tutu of South Africa received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984; he is now retired. Jody Williams received the same award in 1997; she is chair of Nobel Women's Initiative ( www.nobelwomensinitiative.org).
This essay is available to McClatchy-Tribune News Service subscribers. McClatchy-Tribune did not subsidize the writing of this column; the opinions are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the views of McClatchy-Tribune or its editors.
Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/12/06/3236186/president-obama-join-the-mine.html#ixzz17PiZCRBR
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Burma must free political prisoners - UN
December 7, 2010 - 10:39AM
AFP
The United Nations has made a fresh call for Burma to free all political prisoners after talks between key countries on how to coax the junta out of its isolation.
The call was made at a meeting convened by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon after a special envoy visited Burma.
Participants urged Burma's ruling generals to launch talks with the Aung San Suu Kyi-led opposition following elections and the junta's release of the long-detained Nobel Peace Prize-winning democracy icon, a UN spokesman said in a statement on Monday.
"In order for any transition to succeed, it is imperative that this should involve not only those who participated and won seats in the election, but also those who did not or could not," said the statement.
"This must include the release of political prisoners. Addressing concerns about the credibility of the process to date is also essential for any next steps to succeed."
The international community widely criticised Burma's November 7 election. Most opposition parties were banned and Suu Kyi's release from nearly two decades of detention only came after.
Ban has called for "broad-based and inclusive" political changes, but the junta has shown little sign that it will make concessions, diplomats said.
UN envoy Vijay Nambiar addressed the so-called Group of Friends meeting with Ban and representatives of about 14 countries, including Australia, Britain, China, France, India, Russia and the United States, as well as Burma's southeast Asian neighbours.
He then briefed the UN Security Council on his visit but did not speak to reporters after the closed hearing.
© 2010 AFPhttp://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/burma-must-free-political-prisoners--un-20101207-18neq.html
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The National
US official arrives in Myanmar to meet Aung San Suu Kyi
Reuters
Last Updated: Dec 7, 2010
YANGON // A United States official arrived in army-ruled Myanmar today for talks with Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who was recently freed from house arrest, plus a minister and newly elected lawmakers, a government official said.
The visit by Joseph Yun, deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, is seen as a move by Washington to test the political waters in Myanmar, a month after a controversial general election and Ms Suu Kyi's release from years of detention.
Efforts by Barack Obama's administration to improve ties with the regime have been largely fruitless, and its calls for an inclusive election and the release of more than 2,100 political prisoners fell on deaf ears.
Two days after Ms Suu Kyi's release on November 13, State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said Washington was prepared to have "a different kind of relationship" with Myanmar, but only under certain conditions. He did not elaborate.
Analysts believe Washington might be reassessing its stance on sanctions against the regime, which critics say have failed and simply pushed the generals closer to China.
Ms Suu Kyi, who has led the fight for democracy in Myanmar, has hinted she might try to work with the West to review sanctions, which she previously backed, if she believes they are hurting the Burmese people.
Mr Yun was scheduled to visit foreign minister Nyan Win in the capital, Naypyitaw, a government official said. It was not known if Mr Yun would meet with the junta's reclusive leadership.
He next plans to travel to the biggest city, Yangon, to meet Suu Kyi, political party leaders and representatives of ethnic groups, the official said.
The most recent visitor from Washington was assistant secretary of state Kurt Campbell in May, when he met with several ministers and Ms Suu Kyi while she was under house arrest.
"I think the main purpose of Yun's visit is to find out the opinions of different political forces including Aung San Suu Kyi and the regime before reviewing the Obama administration's policy on Myanmar," said a retired diplomat in Yangon. http://www.thenational.ae/news/worldwide/asia-pacific/us-official-arrives-in-myanmar-to-meet-aung-san-suu-kyi
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US diplomat in Myanmar for post-election talks
YANGON (AFP) – A senior US diplomat arrived in Myanmar Tuesday, officials said, for the first high-level talks with the government and democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi since her release and a controversial election.
Joseph Yun, the deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, is due to urge the ruling military junta to free political prisoners and engage with the opposition, according to the US State Department.
"The US official arrived here with Thai Airways this morning," said an airport official, who declined to be named. An unnamed government source also confirmed his arrival.
Nyan Win, spokesman for Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD), said Yun would hold talks with the Nobel Peace Prize winner on Friday.
Yun's visit is set to last until December 10 and will include meetings with "senior government officials and representatives of political parties", a US embassy spokeswoman confirmed.
He will also hold talks with non-governmental organisations, ethnic minority groups, and civil society, she said.
Yun will urge the authorities to "improve their human rights record, release all political prisoners immediately and unconditionally, and begin genuine dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi, and pro-democracy and ethnic leaders toward national reconciliation," a US State Department spokesman said.
"He will also review US government humanitarian assistance to the Burmese people," the official added. Burma is Myanmar's former name.
Suu Kyi was freed from detention on November 13, days after a rare election which has been widely panned by international observers including US President Barack Obama, who said Myanmar's "bankrupt regime" had stolen the vote.
His administration launched dialogue with Myanmar's military rulers last year after concluding that Western attempts to isolate the regime had produced little success.
Suu Kyi, who spent 15 of the last 21 years locked up, has welcomed this engagement but warned against "rose-coloured glasses", saying greater human rights and economic progress were still needed.
She told CNN in an interview last month that Washington must be "keeping your eyes open and alert and seeing what is really going on, and where engagement is leading to and what changes really need to be brought about".
Suu Kyi's NLD party boycotted the November 7 vote because of rules that appeared to exclude the dissident from participating and was subsequently disbanded by the junta.
The party won the previous vote in 1990 but was never allowed to take power.
In November 2009 and May this year, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs Kurt Campbell travelled to Myanmar to meet government officials and Suu Kyi, while she was still under house arrest. http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101207/wl_asia_afp/myanmarusdiplomacy
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Actress Yeoh Meets Myanmar's Suu Kyi to Discuss Film
December 7, 2010
YANGON (Reuters Life!) - Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh visited Myanmar at the weekend to discuss her plans to play the lead role in a new film about recently released pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Yeoh, who is best known for playing Chinese spy Wai Lin alongside Pierce Brosnan in the 1997 James Bond film "Tomorrow Never Dies" spent Sunday with the Nobel Peace Prize winner to discuss the possibility of playing her in a movie.
The charismatic Suu Kyi, daughter of late independence hero Aung San and adored by many in Myanmar, spent 15 of the past 21 years in detention because of her fight against military dictatorship. She was released on November 13 after her latest period of house arrest expired.
"(Suu Kyi) saw her off at the airport this morning," said Nyan Win, Suu Kyi's lawyer and spokesman.
"Yeoh spent the whole day at Daw Suu's residence," he added, referring to Suu Kyi. "I understand she is planning to play her in a film in the near future."
Yeoh, 48, is also a dancer and is well known for performing her own stunts in action movies.
She has starred mostly in Asian films and was nominated for a BAFTA award for best actress for her role in Ang Lee's 2000 box office hit "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" which won four Academy Awards.
(Reporting by Aung Hla Tun; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Daniel Magnowski)
Copyright 2010 Reuters News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101207/wl_asia_afp/myanmarusdiplomacy
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India Delivers Heavy Machinery for Burmese Army
By ZARNI MANN Tuesday, December 7, 2010
NEW DELHI — The India government handed over to Burmese authorities a consignment of heavy machinery and other equipment at a ceremony on the Indo-Burmese border on Monday.
The machinery and equipment included four bulldozers, two motor graders, one 6KV generator, one pickup, three motorcycles, three HCL computer sets and six walkie talkies.
The consignment was handed over at the Indo-Burmese border town of Moreh by Lt-Gen N K Singh, on behalf of the Indian government. It was formally accepted by Burmese Brig-Gen Soe Lwin, Commander of Northwestern Regional Military Command.
The handing-over ceremony was conducted under tight security in a cordoned-off area of the town and was accompanied by music and dancing. Local people were barred from attending, however, said one resident.
The Manipur-based Sangai Express newspaper quoted Soe Lwin as saying at the ceremony that the consignment was the fifth handed over so far to Burma. He said it would be used by the Burmese army in construction work in the border region.
The newspaper said Singh also expressed India's hope that such assistance would help strengthen bilateral relations between his country and Burma. He pledged continuing Indian help for the Burmese army.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=20261
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