News & Articles on Burma-Wednesday, 15 February, 2011

News & Articles on Burma
Wednesday, 15 February, 2011
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Tin Aye, Protegé of Burmese Junta Leader, Resigns
Music helps police discover Myanmar bride's nationality
129 Myanmar migrants found off Indonesia: Police
Nominees for region and state ministers approved by Parliament
Aussie publisher's fate with Burma govt
Land grab for new regional command triggers mass exodus
Top US senator 'deeply concerned' for Suu Kyi safety
THE ABSENT NEIGHBOUR
$3.2m lawsuit for defending Burmese migrants
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Tin Aye, Protegé of Burmese Junta Leader, Resigns
By THE IRRAWADDY Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Tin Aye, a former top general and a member of the Lower House of Burma's military-dominated Parliament, resigned from the country's main legislature today in a move seen as a sign of growing dissatisfaction among senior military figures with the country's new power-sharing arrangement.

In this photo taken on Aug. 25, 2008, Tin Aye meets Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie in Beijing. (Photo: Xinhua)
According to opposition MPs, Tin Aye, a protege of Burmese junta chief Snr-Gen Than Shwe and the former chief of Defense Industries, did not appear at today's session of Parliament.

“Tin Aye’s letter requesting permission to resign was read out by Khin Aung Myint, the speaker of the Upper House, today. All of the MP were surprised,” an opposition MP told The Irrawaddy.

His resignation follows recent reports of the arrest and dismissal of Lt-Gen Thura Myint Aung, who was reportedly in line to succeed Than Shwe as commander-in-chief of Burma's armed forces, and adds to speculation that top generals are unhappy with their new positions within the country's post-election political order.

Tin Aye, who won a seat in Mandalay Division's Tada-U Township as a member of the junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party, is currently a member of the ruling State Peace and Development Council, which is due to be dissolved once a new government is formed.

A graduate of Intake 9 of the elite Defense Services Academy, Tin Aye has made numerous official visits to various countries, including China, North Korea, Russia and Ukraine to procure arms and military equipment.

When Gen Shwe Mann, the regime's No 3, made a secret visit to Pyongyang in November 2008, Tin Aye was among the senior military officials who accompanied him.

Tin Aye also served as the chief of Defense Industries, which makes munitions for Burma's armed forces, and took over as chairman of the Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd, a military-owned conglomerate, when Lt-Gen Win Myint, a former adjutant-general, was removed in 2002. http://irrawaddy.org/highlight.php?art_id=20770
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Music helps police discover Myanmar bride's nationality

By Pan Zheng | 2011-2-16 | ONLINE EDITION

A 22-year-old Myanmar woman who was abducted to Jiangsu Province has been rescued by police. Yangtze Evening News said local police figured out her nationality by playing national songs of different countries.

The woman by the name of Wenma came to Yiling Town of Jiangdu City last August with a middle-aged woman who told locals that Wenma was her poor relative from Yunnan Province and wanted to marry a man who would pay her parents the bride price.

Wenma eventually got "married" with a 28-year-old man surnamed She after She's parents paid that woman about 30,000 yuan. Wenma could not speak Chinese but she was diligent in doing housework. Her "husband" and his parents were all satisfied with her.

She's mother talked happily about her "daughter-in-law" with local villagers. But one neighbor did not believe in her story about Wenma and called the police.

Huang Bin, deputy director of the Exit and Entry Department of Jiangsu Provincial Public Security Bureau, came to check and found Wenma was not a Chinese citizen, but Huang could not determine her nationality due to language barrier.

Judging her appearance, Huang guessed Wenma was from Southeast Asia, so he played the national songs of Southeast Asian nations one by one and watched her reaction. When the 12th song, from Myanmar, was played, Wenma suddenly brightened up. The answer was obvious.

With help from the Myanmar embassy in Beijing, Jiangdu police accompanied Wenma to her country early this month and reported her abduction to Myanmar police. Wenma's abductor, a Yunnan woman surnamed Lei is now on police's wanted list.
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=463946&type=National
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129 Myanmar migrants found off Indonesia: Police
Feb 16, 2011 | * AFP

A wooden boat carrying more than one hundred migrants from Myanmar's Rohingya minority has been found drifting off Indonesia's Sumatra island, local police said on Wednesday.

The 129 male migrants from the Muslim community had been at sea for about three weeks when their boat experienced engine trouble, Aceh provincial maritime police chief Mohammed Zaini told AFP.

"The 129 Muslim Rohingyas were rescued by Indonesian fishermen after their boat's engine malfunctioned. We have given them food and are now carrying out medical check-ups," he added.

"We're coordinating with the immigration office, Jakarta Government and the International Organisation for Migration for follow-up action," Zaini said.

The men, many looking pale and tired, were being temporarily housed near the provincial capital Banda Aceh at the Northern tip of Sumatra island after being rescued on Tuesday.

Seven of them were receiving medical attention, Zaini said.

One of them, 27-year-old Nur Alam, said they had left their homes in Myanmar's Western Arakan state because they were being abused by the military.

"We've been drifting for 20 days. We left Myanmar because we had been cruelly treated by the military. Muslims there were killed and tortured," he told AFP.

"We want to go to Indonesia, Malaysia or any other country which is willing to take us in," he added.

Myanmar effectively denies citizenship rights to the Rohingya, leading to discrimination and abuse and contributing to a regional humanitarian crisis as hundreds try to flee the country by boat every year.
http://www.asianage.com/international/129-myanmar-migrants-found-indonesia-police-872
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Nominees for region and state ministers approved by Parliament
Wednesday, 16 February 2011 14:11 Phanida

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Continung his business of forming a new government, Burmese President Thein Sein submitted a list of approved ministers for region and state assemblies during a joint session of Parliament on Tuesday.

One candidate minister’s name was removed from the list after opposition lawmakers submitted a petition objecting to the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) lawmaker Kwi Thang’s nomination as a minister, because he is under age 35, said Chin National Party (CNP) chairman Zo Zam.

The chief minister of Chin State, Hong Ngai, nominated Kwi Thang as a minister on Monday, but Zo Zam said Kwi Thang, 34, does not meet the criteria to be appointed according to the Constitution. Eleven CNP lawmakers and the Chin Progressive Party (CPP) signed the petition and submitted it to President Thein Sein.

Zo Zam said the letter was submitted on Tuesday and when President Thein Sein read the list of ministers, Kwi Thang’s name was not included.

State-run newspapers on Tuesday had included Kwi Thang’s name on a list of approved ministers of Chin State.
Three women have received approval as region or state ministers. They are Bauk Ja of Sumprabum Township Constituency No. 1; Shan race representative and Minister of Kachin State Khin Pyone Yi; and Region Minister of Rangoon Division, San San Nwe.

Karen People’s Party (KPP) chairman Saw Tun Aung Myint said that the number of female ministers was small and more women were needed. He said he believed that the nominations were based on the lawmakers’ level of education.

In the national cabinet, only three women out of a total of 155 ministers (126 ministers of regions or states and 29 race representative) are women.

‘I think the chief minister appointed the ministers based on his personal preference, whether man or woman. The ministers should be educated persons. But in our Chin State, the highest education of some ministers is grade eight or nine’, Zo Zam said.

At the union level, none of the 22 female lawmakers in Parliament were appointed as cabinet ministers. In the recent election, more than 30 wome won their races.

Most of the region or state ministers nominated are from representatives of the USDP or the armed forces.
Among nine nominees from each region or state, at least six are USDP representatives and one is a military representative. At most, there are two nominees from ethnic political parties, including Shan, Mon, Arakan, Karen and Phalon-Sawaw in each region or state.

Approved region and state minister nominees include:

Kachin State

Approved ministers of Kachin State are Defence Services Personnel Representative Colonel Than Aung, Nyunt Aung, B. Htaw Zaung, Alay Par, Kaman Du Naw, Aung Naing, Sai Maung Shwe, Khin Maung Tun, and Bauk Ja. Women include Burmese national race representative Pa (aka) Khin Maung Swe, Shan national race representative Khin Pyone Yi, Lihsu national race representative Ar Hsi and Rawan national race representative Gwam Ring Dee were nominated as ministers for National Race Affairs.

Kareenni State

Approved ministers of Karenni State are Defence Services Personnel Representative Colonel Tin Soe, Tau Yei, Chit Hla,Ye Win, Saw Hu Hu, Koe Yei, Than Kyaw Soe, Poe Yei (aka) Poe Yei Yan Aung, and Aung Naing Oo. Burmese national race representative Sein Oo has been nominated as the minister for National Race Affairs.

Karen State

Approved ministers of Karen State are Defence Services Personnel Representative Colonel Aung Lwin, Chit Hlaing, Saw Khin Maung Myint, Min Soe Thein (aka) Naing Min Soe Thein, Saw Christopher, Saw Hsa Law La, Than Daing, Saw Win Htein and Saw Kyi Lin. Burmese national race representative Khin Kyu, Pa-O national race representative Khun Than Myint and Mon national race representative Naing Chit Oo were nominated as ministers for National Race Affairs.

Mon State

Approved ministers of Mon State are Defence Services Personnel Representative Colonel Htay Myint Aung, Dr Khin Maung Thwin, Dr Toe Toe Aung, Dr Hla Oo, Myo Nyunt, Win Maw Oo, Tun Hlaing, Naing Lawei Aung and Dr Min Nwe Soe. Karen national race representative Aung Kyaw Thein, Pa-O national race representative Pe Mya (aka) Kun Pe Mya and Burmese national representative Thet Win were nominated as ministers for National Race Affairs.

Arakan State

Approved State Ministers are Defence Services Personnel Representative Colonel Htein Lin, Kyaw Khin, Kyaw Thein, Soe Aye, Mya Aung, Tha Luche, Dr Aung Kyaw Min, Aung Than Tin and Hla Han. Chin national race representative Ko Ko Naing was nominated as minister for National Race Affairs.

Shan State

Approved ministers are Defence Services Personnel Representative Colonel Aung Thu, Kun Thein Maung, Thaung Shwe, Dr Myo Tun, Tu Maung, Sai Aik Paung, Sai Hsalu, Sai Naw Khan, Tin Tun Aung, and Sai Tun Yin. Sai Aik Paung is the chairman of Shan nationalities Democratic Party.

Kachin national representative Duwa Zok Dong, Kayan (Padaung) national race representative Laurent, Burmese national representative Naing Win, Lahu national representative Sha Mwe Lashang, Lishu national representative Whan Hsan (aka) Yaw Wi, Akha national representative Peter Thaung Sein and Inntha national representative Win Myint were nominated for ministers for National Race Affairs.

Sagaing Division

Approved ministers of Sagaing Region are Defence Services Personnel Representative Colonel Kyi Naing, Sein Win, Saw Myint Oo, Sein Moung, Than Htaik, Tin Ngwe, Dr Myint Thein, Tin Win and Kyaw Win. Chin national race representative Noh Thang Bell (aka) Noh Thang Kat and Shan national race representative San Shwe were nominated as the ministers for National Race Affairs.

Taninsarim Division

Approved ministers of Taninsarim Region are Defence Services Personnel Representative Colonel Zaw Lwin, Myat Ko, Dr Win Aung, Dr Win Aung, Than Aung, Dr Kyaw Hsan, Win Swe, Thein Lwin, and Aung Kyaw Kyaw Oo. Karen national representative Saw Harvey was nominated minister for National Race Affairs.

Pegu Division

Approved ministers of Pegu Division are Defence Services Personnel Representative Colonel Thet Tun, Ye Myint Tun, Myint Lwin Oo, Dr Kyaw Oo, Kyaw Myint, Tun, Tin Soe, Kyaw Htay, and Baby Ohn. Karen national representative Saw Jubilee San Hla was nominated as minister for National Race Affairs.

Magway Division

Approved ministers are Defence Services Personnel Representative Colonel Arnt Zaw, Win Myint Maung, Win Pe, Nay Shin, Aung Kyaw Min, Aung Naing, Kyi Min, Thein Tun, and Myint Naing.
Chin national representative Salai Hla Tun was nominated as minister for National Race Affairs.

Mandalay Division

Approved ministers of Mandalay Division are Defence Services Personnel Representative Colonel Aung Kyaw Moe, Aung Zan, Myint Than, Dr Win Hlaing, Phone Zaw Han, Kyaw Hsan, Than Soe Myint, Dr Myint Kyu and Aung Moung. Phone Zaw Han is the mayor of Mandalay. Shan national representative Sai Maung Hla was nominated as minister for National Race Affairs.

Rangoon Division

Approved ministers of Rangoon Division are Defence Services Personnel Representative Colonel Tin Win, Retired ambassador Hla Myint, retired Colonel Nyan Tun Oo, Soe Min, Kyaw Soe, Than Myint, Aung Khin, San San Nwe and Dr Myint Thein. Retired Colonel Nyan Tun Oo is a brother-in-law of Nanda Kyaw Swar, who is the deputy speaker of the Upper House. Karen national representative Saw Tun Aung Myint and Arakanese national representative Zaw Aye Maung were nominated as ministers for National Race Affairs.

Irrawaddy Division

Approved ministers of Irrawaddy Division are Defence Services Personnel Representative Colonel Maung Maung Win, Tin Soe, Win Ko Ko, Hla Khaing, Soe Myint, San Maung, Than Tun, Saw Mya Thein and Kyaw Win Naing. Karen national representative Mahn Than Shwe and Arakanese national representative Ba Kyuu were nominated as ministers for National Race Affairs. http://asiancorrespondent.com/48481/the-junta-refuses-allowing-press-freedom-in-burma/
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Aussie publisher's fate with Burma govt
Ron Corben
February 16, 2011 - 6:09PM
AAP

The fate of imprisoned Australian publisher Ross Dunkley lies with the Burmese legal system and government after investors settled over management control of the Myanmar Times newspaper, according to a senior investor representative.

Dunkley, chief executive officer and editor-in-chief of the weekly Myanmar Times, was detained last week after returning from overseas. He faces charges of breaching Burma's immigration and visa laws.

His arrest came against a backdrop of a struggle for control over the Myanmar Times publishing company, Myanmar Consolidated Media Group (MCM), the only publishing house in Burma with foreign investors.
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David Armstrong, chairman of Post Media, an investor in MCM, said Australian mining magnate Bill Clough, also an investor in MCM, held talks on Monday with the Burmese shareholders.

Armstrong said it had been agreed to appoint Dr Tin Tun Oo chief executive officer and editor of the Burmese language Myanmar Times.

Armstrong said Clough would be acting managing director and editor-in-chief of the English language Myanmar Times. He said this marked a compromise over the management of the paper.

Clough is also the CEO of Twinza Oil, which in 2006 signed a $30 million deal to explore oil reserves off Burma's southern coastline.

"(Dunkley's) fate is in the hands of the Myanmar legal system and Myanmar government, so we can only speculate," Armstrong told AAP.

Post Media is also a key shareholder in the Cambodia-based Phnom Penh Post.

The Myanmar Times began operations in 2000. Parent company MCM besides publishing The Myanmar Times weekly in both English and Burmese languages, also publishes two Burmese language magazines and employs over 350 people.

In 2000 the main Burmese shareholder, was Sonny Swe, who had close ties with the former military intelligence chief, Khin Nyunt. But Khin Nyunt was deposed as prime minister in 2005 after falling out with more hard-line members of the military government.

In 2006 Sonny Swe was also held on corruption charges and his shares were eventually transferred to Dr Tin Tun Oo.

Tin Tun Oo, an unsuccessful candidate during Burma's November general elections under the pro-military party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), also publishes local magazines and journals.

In a statement, Post Media said the management change was announced to staff. The appointment was not expected to affect the newspaper's publishing schedule or operations.

Armstrong said concerns remained for Dunkley's wellbeing ahead of his court appearance.

"If they follow the normal procedures, the next step for Ross is to appear in court on February 24," Armstrong told AAP.

"The last we heard he was okay but just what happens is really completely out of our hands (and it) would be pointless to even speculate. We just hope he gets out soon," he said.

An independent news agency, Mizzima, said Aung Thein, Dunkley's lawyer, had said the Australian was likely to face deportation in the case. Dunkley's current visa expires on February 27.

An Australian embassy official in Burma visited Dunkley on Saturday. The official said Dunkley was in good health and was looking forward to his release.

© 2011 AAP http://news.brisbanetimes.com.au/breaking-news-world/aussie-publishers-fate-with-burma-govt-20110216-1awgy.html
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Land grab for new regional command triggers mass exodus
Tuesday, 15 February 2011 18:53 S.H.A.N.
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Confiscation of land without compensation in Namzang and Kunhing townships, where the latest regional command “Middle East” is being set up since last month, has led to thousands of people fleeing to the Thai-Burma border, according to social workers on the border and sources inside.

The military has already seized some 6 square mile cultivated land north of Kholam, Namzang township alone, where farmers had been growing corn, peanuts and sesame. More than 20 paddy rice fields have also been impounded northwest of the town.

“They promised to pay compensations”, said a local source. “But so far we have yet to receive a single kyat.”

The Burma Army has also brought in more than 100 people from lower Burma both for cheap labor and for resettlement, “These plus reports that a recruitment drive for the Army is due to begin soon have driven hundreds of people, both old and young, to the border.”

A social worker in Chiangmai confirmed the report adding, “Last month there were only about 500 people coming from the area. Now February is just halfway through but more than 1,000 have arrived.”

The new regional command, 4th in Shan State and 14th in the whole country, is reportedly commanded by Brig Gen Myat Tun Oo. “It is the Burma Army’s answer to the Wa and Shan refusal to accept Naypyitaw’s Border Guard Force (BGF) program,” said a Shan State Army officer. http://www.shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3466:land-grab-for-new-regional-command-triggers-mass-exodus&catid=87:human-rights&Itemid=285
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Top US senator 'deeply concerned' for Suu Kyi safety
– Tue Feb 15, 6:35 pm ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The top US Senate Republican, Mitch McConnell, said Tuesday he had spoken by telephone with Myanmar democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi and was "deeply concerned" about her safety.

"I am deeply concerned about the junta's recent threats to her wellbeing and those of her National League for Democracy colleagues," McConnell, a fierce and frequent critic of Myanmar's military rulers, said in a statement.

"Such efforts at intimidation are an outrage and should be universally condemned by those around the world who value freedom and democracy. Along with my colleagues in the Senate, I will continue to closely monitor Suu Kyi's safety and the situation in Burma," said the senator.

State media in Myanmar warned in a recent commentary that Suu Kyi and her party will "meet their tragic ends" if they keep up their opposition to an end to Western sanctions.

The remarks follow a recent statement by Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) that argued that the punitive measures were helping to pressure the authorities and had not affected the economy significantly.
[ For complete coverage of politics and policy, go to Yahoo! Politics ]

It was the first explicit criticism of her by state media since her release in November after seven years of house arrest, days after an election that was denounced by democracy activists and the West.

The NLD reacted cautiously to the commentary, saying it had not received any official response from the authorities to its statement on sanctions.

Still, McConnell said Suu Kyi was "in good spirits and remains a vigorous champion for the people of Burma."

His office said it was the senator's first time speaking to her directly, and that they discussed US policy towards Myanmar, prospects for the country's future, and her personal safety. http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110215/pl_afp/myanmarpoliticsoppositionus
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The Telegraph, Calcutta, India
Wednesday , November 5 , 2008
THE ABSENT NEIGHBOUR
- China looms large in every aspect of India’s Myanmar policy
Krishnan Srinivasan

In the vast number of publications on India’s foreign relations, Myanmar is a neighbour that has remained mainly absent. In part, this is is because of the reclusive nature of that regime, and partly because Myanmar is not regarded as an important international player; but mainly because relations between the two countries were virtually non-existent in the three decades between the military coup that deposed U Nu in 1962 and the mid-Nineties.

Burma was the largest province in British India, and only in 1937 was it acknowledged as an independent entity within the British Empire. Indians were drafted in large numbers into the colonial army during the three Anglo-Burma wars of the 19th century, and about 4 lakh Indians were sent there to run several public services. Added to these were the immigrant, Tamil-speaking Chettiars and agricultural workers. The persons of Indian origin on the eve of the Japanese invasion numbered 1.1 million, mainly in urban centres. These people became a bone of contention, being treated as resident aliens and discriminated against, though they had lived in Burma for generations. Despite these privations, the Indian government estimates — mainly guesswork — that there are nearly three million persons of Indian origin in Myanmar today, and in contrast with most such communities living abroad, this one is neither well-off nor well regarded.

In the late Eighties, India supported the pro-democracy uprising and offered sanctuary to Burmese dissidents. But a few years later, New Delhi switched to constructive engagement with the military regime in Yangon as part of its ‘look east’ policy, to counter growing Chinese influence, and the desire for closer ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The need for new sources of energy played its part, and a powerful ingredient in India’s thinking was the imperative to develop the Northeast without the disruption of insurgencies.

The first border trade agreement was signed with Myanmar in 1994, involving points in Manipur and Mizoram and, the next year, a joint military operation against insurgents took place. High-level military-to-military contacts began in 2000. Heads of state visited each other, and accords were concluded on security, culture, hydro-electricity, petroleum, remote-sensing, and Buddhist studies. Indian loans of $40 million were offered to Yangon.

The rationale for India’s policy to befriend Myanmar despite that regime’s ill-treatment of people of Indian origin and repression of its own citizens is understandable, but the lack of beneficial results from the new orientation is harder to comprehend. The new strategy has failed even partially to open a closed polity, and insurgency in the Indian Northeast has not diminished because India and Myanmar have varying types of problems with different sets of insurgents and do not share the same priorities in addressing them. Cooperation against the cross-border militants has tailed off. It was hoped that greater border trade with Myanmar would introduce regeneration in our Northeast and help to quell narcotic and arms trafficking and AIDS. But only one of the two proposed border posts is open, for which India blames Myanmar, the road on the Indian side to Moreh is sub-standard, two-way trade is constrained by the small list of tradable goods, excessive regulation and restrictions, and is negligible compared to trade across the Myanmar borders with China and Thailand. Our Northeast is swamped by goods of Chinese origin, but there is hardly any movement of Indian exports in the opposite direction. The benefits of economic prosperity seen in other parts of India have not yet touched the region.

India interacts with Myanmar in several economic fora — the Bay of Bengal Initiative, the Kunming Initiative, and the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation Initiative. Apart from China, Myanmar is the only one of India’s neighbours that exports more to India than it imports, and India does not even rank among Myanmar’s top five import sources. Trade is hampered by both countries not accepting direct payment methods such as telegraphic transfers or letters of credit, forcing the involvement of third parties, such as Singapore. Transaction costs are high and the disparity between the real and official rates of exchange is another disincentive, as is the difficulty in obtaining export credit and insurance. Many Indian companies are even disinclined to reveal they are operating in Myanmar.

India has given $100 million credit for Myanmar infrastructure, while $ 57 million has been offered to upgrade Burmese railways. A further $27 million in grants has been pledged for road and rail projects, but there is little yet to show for this approach in terms of concrete benefit. The Tamu-Kalemayo 160 kilometre road in Myanmar has been built by India, and India and China are planning to rebuild the Stillwell Road, on which the Chinese work has already started. The Kaladan river project to link a newly constructed Sittwe port to the Indian Northeast involves dredging the river to create a trans-shipment terminal and will take several years. A proposed railway from Hanoi to Imphal and a 1,500 km Trans-Asian highway from India to Bangkok are still being talked about. The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation is working three offshore blocks off the Rakhine coast, but the debate continues on whether the energy extracted would be transported to India by pipeline or as liquefied natural gas, while Bangladesh blows hot and cold on the use of its territory for transit. Meanwhile, China has predictably moved faster. It is building pipelines to Yunnan, a deep-sea port at Kyaw Phuy, and a road linking that port with Kunming.

China looms large in every aspect of India’s Myanmar policy, but after the barren years since the Sixties, India has to play catch-up with a weak hand. India’s desire to regenerate the Northeast is matched by China’s wish to develop Yunnan and Sichuan and to integrate the economies of autonomous Burmese border regions with southern China’s economy. Large numbers of Chinese investors and traders and the large Chinese diaspora in Myanmar, estimated at 2 million, are assisting actively in this process.

New Delhi takes some comfort from the view that Myanmar wishes to balance the preponderance of China with relations with India and the Asean, but in the jostling for influence in the spaces along India’s frontiers, India is faltering in Myanmar with adverse consequences for the ‘look east’ and Northeast strategies. Departments in our capital blame one another for the loss of momentum, and no one is prepared to drive forward the agenda without a clearer directive of priority from the political leadership,

India’s maritime strategy focuses on threats in the Indian Ocean. New Delhi is not reassured by Burmese promises that its territory would not be used for military purposes against any third party, and the Indian military is concerned about China modernizing naval bases at Hanggyi, Cocos, Akyab, Mergui and the port at Kyauk Phuy. This has become an unequal triangular relationship where one party seems to be reaping all the benefits. New Delhi was reluctant to condemn Myanmar during the monk-led fuel-and-food protests of 2007 and quick to send relief after the recent cyclone. But while this was noted positively in the new capital of Naypyitaw, a realistic assessment is that if India had not responded in the way it did, there would have been a negative fall-out. The outcomes of the energies expended by India over the past two decades have been negligible. The situation calls for a re-appraisal designed to turn the tide more in our favour.

The author is former foreign secretary of India
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081105/jsp/opinion/story_10057616.jsp
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$3.2m lawsuit for defending Burmese migrants
By JOSEPH ALLCHIN
Published: 16 February 2011

A Malaysia-based Japanese multinational is lining up a multi-million dollar defamation lawsuit against a lawyer who is defending a group of Burmese workers threatened with deportation.

Electrical components’ company Asahi Kosei has denied allegations lodged by lawyer Charles Hector that it attempted to deport two workers back to Burma. The two men are among 31 who complained that their employers at the company had broken contractual obligations, including a refusal to pay the agreed salary.

Hector, who is defending the 31, went public with the allegations after receiving no response to a letter sent to Asahi Kosehi on behalf of the workers. He mustered the support of some 77 organisations in multiple countries who composed a media statement on the 11 February, as well as writing a post on his blog. It was after this that Asahi Kosei responded with their MYR10 million ($US3.27 million) legal threat.

“The attempt to go against human rights defenders personally is an attempt to suppress the public interest function that human rights activists play in highlighting violations of human rights visited on marginalised people by the bigger, more powerful employer companies,” said Pranom Somwong of the Workers Hub for Change (WH4C).

According to Malaysian government statistics, there are close to 100,000 registered Burmese workers in the country, comprising some five percent of the total registered workers. Rights group say however that hundreds of thousands additional migrants from Burma are unregistered. Given the sketchy legal status of many, violations of labour rights are believed to be common.

The situation between the 31 Burmese and their employers turned nasty on 7 February, a week after they filed their complaints, when a mob escorted by police arrived at their hostel in the Balakong township of Selangor, Malaysia, and threatened them. The mob then cut the electrics and walked off with household appliances, such as the hostel’s television and cooking utensils.

Mirroring a recent incident in Johor in Malaysia, the police allegedly nabbed two of the workers’ leaders, Thiha Soe and Aung San. They believed they were being taken to Kuala Lumpur International Airport, WH4C says, but managed to escape.

The following day the workers submitted a complaint to the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) and were preparing a complaint for the labour ministry when on 9 February they were given a new contract to sign. Accompanying the contract however was an ultimatum that if they refused to sign, they would be deported to Burma immediately.

Twenty-nine of the workers signed under pressure but Thiha Soe and Aung San refused. They were then separated and handed over to the recruitment agents who took them to unknown locations, possibly with a view to sending them back to Burma.

Asahi Kosei makes parts for a number of international brands, such as JVC, Seiko, Hitachi, Mitsubiushi, Philips and Sharp. It has denied all allegations, and told Hector that it had made all payments to the recruitment agents, thereby passing the blame onto them. But a subsequent letter sent by the veteran lawyer to the company was ignored, prompting him to go public with the case.

“The fact of the matter is that workers in a company should be the responsibility of the said company, and they cannot just avoid responsibility by saying that these are not their own workers but workers of some other company,” said Pranom.
http://www.dvb.no/news/3-2m-lawsuit-for-defending-burmese-migrants/14293