News & Articles on Burma-Friday, 18 March, 2011

News & Articles on Burma
Friday, 18 March, 2011
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Local residents in Shan army areas notified to evacuate
BGF staffs have problem getting salary
Suu Kyi and Renegade Faction Try to Bury Hatchet
Misreading Burma's Crisis
Myanmar donates cash to Japan for quake, tsunami victims
Myanmar military to launch new newspaper
Myawaddy Braces for Attack
Psych. warfare unit to launch newspaper
UN delays responding to Suu Kyi’s request for new envoy
Mongolian president encourages Suu Kyi, democracy movement
Statement on the Conclusion of the 2010 Article IV Consultation with Myanmar
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Local residents in Shan army areas notified to evacuate
Friday, 18 March 2011 14:42 Hseng Khio Fah

Hundreds of local residents living in Wanhai of Shan State South’s Kehsi township, where the headquarters of Shan State Army (SSA) ‘North’ is based, are now leaving the area following the SSA’s call asking everyone to evacuate to other areas for their safety, according to local sources.

“They [SSA] said the security around the village is unpredictable and fighting could break out at anytime. Therefore, the group was asking everyone, especially women, children and elderly people to leave the area at their earliest possible,” said a local villager who just arrived in Monghsu township this morning.

“But men and youth were asked to remain in the area in order to help fight with the group,” she added.

According to him, the call came out after the SSA received the junta’s ultimatum to surrender by 1st April. It was also demanded to pull out from all their bases spread out in areas outside its main base, within this week.

Since then, everyone is rushing to evacuate to other places, especially to towns like Monghsu, Kehsi and Taunggyi up to date. Some people were going with Tolaji (Chinese made farm tractor) and trucks while some were fleeing in bullock-carts.

“Transport fare in Monghsu has increased dramatically when many people are coming to take the buses here. Buses are full everyday,” said a local villager in Monghsu.

Meanwhile, people from and nearby Honam, Pangpien villages, where the first fighting of the SSA and Burma Army took place, are still fleeing as well up to this day. At present, Monghsu is hosting hundreds of refugees including injured people, but accurate data of the refugees are not available as people are not gathered at one place, residents in Monghsu said.

Dozens of civilians in the conflict zones were reportedly killed and injured by the Burma Army’s heavy shells.

“People are very frightened, not only the refugees, but also the townspeople. Some of them are even moving out to other cities due to fear that hostilities will spread to the town,” the source in Monghsu said.

The SSA and the Burma Army have been fighting in several places in Shan State South’s Monghsu’s township and Shan State North’s Tangyan township since Sunday, on 13 March.

The latest reports say the attack is believed to be taking place in Mongyai township as hundreds of Burma Army troops were seen heading toward Nawngkhio, a village in the township. http://www.shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3513:local-residents-in-shan-army-areas-notified-to-evacuate&catid=86:war&Itemid=284
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BGF staffs have problem getting salary
Friday, 18 March 2011 10:56 KNG

Hundreds of teachers and healthcare staff who are serving under the Border Guard Force (BGF), formerly the New Democratic Army-Kachin (NDA-K), are unsure when their salary will be paid in the new financial year, a staff member said.

The NDA-K which transformed into the BGF, under control of the Burmese military in 2009, released members over 50 years-old and now they have ordered civilian teachers and healthcare staff to fill out a questionnaire with biographical information.
pangwa-kachin-state

Zahkung Ting Ying, former NDA-K leader, who is an independent member of Burma's Nationalities Parliament.
“They are demanding biographical data from teachers and healthcare staff, so we don’t know whether they will be considered legal government employees,” one of the staff said.

There are about 100 healthcare staff and 200 teachers working in the former NDA-K controlled area in the Pangwa Region in Burma’s northern Kachin State, close to the China border, whose salary has been paid in Chinese currency by NDA-K headquarters in Pangwa.

However, no one knows who will provide their salary in the new financial year from, April 2011- April 2012, the source said.

Employees did not receive salaries since early February and some staff and teachers have gone back to their homes.

“Around 10 teachers from Sagain, Magwe Division and from Yesagyo have gone back,” according to a resident.

The salaries for graduated teachers are Yuan 205 and undergraduate teachers are paid Yuan 165. There are about 10,000 students in the NDA-K controlled area, said a staff member working in education.

Zahkung Ting Ying, former NDA-K leader and now independent member of Burma's Nationalities Parliament (Amyotha Hluttaw), representing Sawlaw, Chipwi and N’Jang Yang Township was attending a meeting in Nawpyidaw when the rumor spread salaries might be unavailable for teachers.
http://www.kachinnews.com/news/1873-bgf-staffs-have-problem-getting-salary.html
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Suu Kyi and Renegade Faction Try to Bury Hatchet
By BA KAUNG Friday, March 18, 2011

In an attempt to thaw the tension between them, National League for Democracy (NLD) leader Aung San Suu Kyi met with members of the party's breakaway faction, the National Democratic Force (NDF), on Thursday despite the fact that their differing political standpoints were openly exposed in a recent meeting with European diplomats.

“We explained to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi why we set up our own party and she did not voice any complaint this time around,” said Khin Maung Swe, one of the leaders of the NDF, which broke away from Suu Kyi's NLD last year to contest the November general election.

The decision to contest the election strained relations within the NLD, including between Suu Kyi and her former political colleagues. But Khin Maung Swe claimed that they are now on better terms.

“We had an exchange with her that was frank and interactive—like in the old days,” he said.

He said that Suu Kyi enquired as to why certain NDF representatives spoke in opposition to each other during recent parliamentary sessions in Naypyidaw.

Her remarks clearly referred to an incident on Tuesday in the Lower House when three NDF lawmakers' proposals for education and pension reform were met with an unexpected objection by one of the party's own MPs, Kyi Myint.

“We now have an MP in parliament who is going his own way and expressing opinions that do not reflect party policy,” said Khin Maung Swe, adding that he told Suu Kyi the same thing.

The meeting between Suu Kyi and the NDF came a day after a group of European Union diplomats organized a meeting in the Italian embassy in Rangoon between Suu Kyi and leaders of five different political parties, including the NDF, all of which contested the elections.

It is not clear to what extent Suu Kyi and these political parties can or will cooperate with each other in their opposition to the military regime, but when they were asked by EU diplomats about their opinions on the Western economic sanctions and the possibility of an anti-government uprising in Burma, they gave different responses.

According to Ohn Kyaing, an NLD spokesman, Suu Kyi maintained that the untimely lifting of sanctions, whether partially or wholly, would send a wrong signal to the regime. He said she echoed last month's NLD statement that the sanctions were aimed at helping the democratic cause in Burma and the dismal economic conditions in the country were directly linked to the lack of good governance.

“I think the diplomats wish to sound out our opinion for an EU review of sanctions, which is due to happen soon,” Ohn Kyaing said.

By contrast, the NDF representatives and the leaders of the other four political parties supported the lifting of sanctions, which do not directly target the military rulers and their business cronies, said Khin Maung Swe.

While there are reported divisions within the EU member states regarding sanctions against Burma, there is speculation that the EU will relax sanctions, such as ending its travel ban on the junta leaders.

Khin Maung Swe said that the EU diplomats also asked the party leaders whether they saw any possibility of an anti-government revolution similar to that in the Arab world.

“I answered that there is little sign of that in the near future, while Daw Suu said we need to wait and see how the situation in Burma plays out,” he said.

A European diplomat who joined the discussions was quoted as telling the AFP news agency that the meeting was aimed at creating interaction among Burmese opposition groups.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=20966
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EDITORIAL
Misreading Burma's Crisis
Friday, March 18, 2011

Now that Burma's new Parliament has been formed and we've all had a chance to witness the workings of this new legislative body in action, most Burmese are now thoroughly convinced that the country's military supremo, Snr-Gen Than Shwe, has indeed handed over power—from his right hand to his left hand.

That is the joke now circulating inside Burma, and for most observers, it comes much closer to the truth than the more laughable claims coming from some quarters that real change is afoot in the country.

In the months since last year's bogus “election,” Than Shwe has systematically consolidated his hold on power. His long-time loyalist Thein Sein has been named president, and military hardliner Tin Aung Myint Oo has assumed one of two vice-presidential positions—the other going to a token ethnic Shan candidate from the junta's proxy party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP).

Prior to the first session of Burma's new Parliament, Than Shwe signed a law that gives the commander-in-chief of the military—the position currently held by Than Shwe himself—absolute authority to use unlimited “Special Funds” in performing his duties of protecting the Constitution and preserving national sovereignty. These funds, which are in addition to a US $2 billion budget, will be permanently at the military's disposal to ensure that it need never worry about losing its half-century-old grip on Burma.

It is still unclear how the new system is going to work in Burma, but one thing is certain: Than Shwe continues to call the shots. The ruling junta, the State Peace and Development Council, holds the real power, and nobody knows when it will be abolished. The fear is that Than Shwe, who has so far shown no signs of leaving, will remain in power in the foreseeable future. Even if he does leave, he has selected a “new leadership” whose sole role is maintain the status quo.

Meanwhile, in Naypyidaw, Burma's supposed legislators sit around waiting for Than Shwe to make his latest decree so they can turn it into law. All of this is going on without any outside scrutiny, as reporters are prevented from entering the Parliament buildings and coverage of the proceedings by the state-run media is heavily censored. Local audiences say that these broadcasts remind them of Burma's socialist era, when Parliament existed merely to rubber stamp Ne Win's whims, while others compare the country's new legislature to the military-sponsored National Convention that drafted the 2008 Constitution.

To be fair, legislators have been allowed to ask questions and discuss proposals submitted by fellow MPs, albeit within strictly enforced limits. But whenever the tiny contingent of opposition parliamentarians direct a question to a government minister, they are stonewalled, and every proposal is either rejected outright or deferred indefinitely. Needless to say, none of these questions or proposals are revealed to the public.

In its latest report on Burma, the Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG) argued that it would be a mistake to say that nothing has changed in the country and urged the international community to encourage the government to move in the right direction. As “encouragement,” it has called on the West to rethink its sanctions and restrictions on development assistance. It also said that a new generation has taken over as Than Shwe and his deputy, Vice Snr-Gen Maung Aye, have stepped aside.

It is safe to say that ICG’s reading of the situation in Burma is wrong. No new generation has taken over power in Burma. It is just old wine in a new bottle. The majority of Burmese don’t even bother talking about Parliament and the soon to be inaugurated new government. ICG now faces its own moral crisis, brought on by its failure to acknowledge Burma's real political problems and conflicts.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/opinion_story.php?art_id=20964
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Myanmar donates cash to Japan for quake, tsunami victims

Posted : Fri, 18 Mar 2011 05:03:41 GMT
Category : Asia (World)
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Yangon - Military-run Myanmar has donated 100,000 dollars to earthquake and tsunami victims in Japan's hard-hit Sendai area, media reports said Friday.

Myanmar Foreign Minister Nyan Win passed the donation to Japan's Ambassador Takashi Saito in a ceremony held in Naypyitaw, 350 kilometres north of Yangon, on Thursday, the New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported.

Myanmar, which has been under military dictatorships since 1962, is ranked among the world's least-developed countries by the United Nations.

After World War II, Japan was Myanmar's main foreign aid donor until 1988, when a brutal army crackdown on a mass pro-democracy movement that left at least 3,000 dead prompted an end to or cuts in assistance from many multi-lateral and bilateral sources.

Myanmar was not the only impoverished South-East Asia to send cash to disaster-stricken Japan this week.

Cambodia and Laos earlier this week pledged 100,000-dollar donations to disaster victims, although the two countries remain recipients of Japanese development aid.

Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar are all members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations, a group that has close political and economic ties with Japan.

Posted by Earth Times Staff http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/372293,japan-quake-tsunami-victims.html
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Myanmar military to launch new newspaper

Mar 18, 2011, 3:05 GMT

Yangon - Myanmar's military will launch a new daily newspaper on 27 March, to mark the 66th anniversary of Armed Forces Day, sources said Friday.

The Myawaddy daily will be run by the military's Directorate of Public Relations and Psychological Warfare, one of the new daily's employees said.

The newspaper's launch comes at a time when the military is supposedly withdrawing from politics. The country held its first election in 20 years on November 7, and will set up a new elected government by April 1.

Although elected, the new government will be dominated by ex-military men who packed the winning party - the Union Solidarity and Development Party - and by the senate, one-quarter of whom were appointed by the military.

The Myawaddy will be Myanmar's fourth daily newspaper.

Kyaymon, Myanma Ahlin and the English-language New Light of Myanmar are all under the Ministry of Information.

The headquarters of Myawaddy will be in Naypyitaw, Myanmar's capital since 2005.

Myanmar has been under military dictatorships since 1962 and is ranked among the world's most repressive regimes in regards to press freedom.
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1626984.php/Myanmar-military-to-launch-new-newspaper
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Myawaddy Braces for Attack
By THE IRRAWADDY Friday, March 18, 2011

Residents of the Burmese border town of Myawaddy began fleeing the area on Thursday amid reports that a breakaway faction of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), a former cease-fire armed group, is preparing to launch an offensive against Burmese troops based in the town.

Local sources said that while some residents had fled to the nearby town of Kawkareik, most were staying in their homes to avoid getting caught up in the latest armed clashes between government troops and the DKBA.

“The government authorities here are saying this is just rumor, but their families were the first to flee,” said one local resident.

Meanwhile, Col San Aung of DKBA Brigade 5, the renegade group that has been clashing with government troops in the area since late last year, confirmed reports that it is planning to launch an attack on the town soon, but has been delayed due to the unseasonably wet weather.

He warned local people in the area to travel with caution, but assured them that the DKBA would only attack military targets.

“People should not worry too much, because we will only go after the government's military installations,” he said, adding that his group had already announced its intention to start a new offensive after high school exams are completed this month.

The town's residents said they were very cautious about the latest development because Burmese government forces launched military offensives against the rebel Shan State Army-North on Sunday.

A bus driver in Myawaddy said that just a few days ago, three Burmese soldiers were killed during an ambush by DKBA troops on the Myawaddy-Kawareik road—the main trading route between Thailand and Burma.

On Nov. 7 of last year—the day Burma held its first general elections in 20 years—armed clashes broke out between DKBA troops and the Burmese army, sending tens of thousands of refugees fleeing to the Thai border.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=20962
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Psych. warfare unit to launch newspaper
By FRANCIS WADE
Published: 18 March 2011

The Burmese regime’s psychological warfare department is soon to launch a daily newspaper in what one analyst said could be a means to counter the growing influence of the internet.

The launch of The Myawaddy, which will be headquartered in Naypyidaw, brings to four the number of state-run daily newspapers in Burma, all which act as mouthpieces for the ruling junta.

Political analyst Aung Naing Oo told DVB that the move was yet another attempt by the junta to counter the flow of independent media in Burma that has spread as more Burmese log on to the internet.

Although Burma has one of the lowest internet penetration rates in the world, social networking sites have grown in popularity. Burmese junta chief Than Shwe is believed to have eyed with concern the key role played by social media and SMS messaging in the ongoing Middle East uprisings.

Zinn Linn, deputy head of the Burma Media Association, told DVB that the junta’s Directorate of Public Relations and Psychological Warfare, which comes under the intelligence department, had a chequered history of using media as a propaganda tool.

“When they [the military government] were fighting against the communist revolt and the Karen and ethnic revolts, through the psychological warfare department they delivered false information: for example, [Burmese troops] bombed pagodas and railway lines and through the media they blamed it on the armed opposition.”

The directorate comes under Burma’s Military Affairs Security department, formerly known as Military Intelligence, which is headed by Major General Kyaw Swe. The other state-run daily newspapers, Kyaymon, the New Light of Myanmar, Myanmar Ahlin and the Yadanabon, are all under the Ministry of Information.

The launch date of The Myawaddy is set for 27 March, otherwise known as Armed Forces Day. The decision to launch it on the same day as segments of Burmese society celebrate the country’s maligned military is telling, Zinn Linn says.

“Anyone who think media freedom has improved since the [November 2010] elections is dreaming,” he said. “On the surface the Myawaddy will be a colourful publication with nice pictures to attract people’s interest, but in essence it’s a vessel that the so-called civilian government can use to spread false news and propaganda.”

The psychological warfare department also runs Myawaddy TV and the Myawaddy magazine.

Newspapers such as the New Light of Myanmar are littered with mantras demanding that Burmese “Crush all internal and external destructive elements as the common enemy” and “Oppose those trying to jeopardize stability of the State and progress of the nation”, whilst reserving a space to warn that media such as DVB is “generating public outrage”.

Apart from a handful of privately-owned magazines that nonetheless come under strict censorship by the ruling junta, all newspapers are state owned and often act as the government mouthpiece.

Front-page articles seldom deviate away from coverage of ribbon-cutting ceremonies or diplomatic visits to the handful of countries still allied with Burma, while any material or opinion critical of the government is strictly prohibited.

All published material in Burma must first be approved by the Press Registration and Scrutiny Division (PRSD), which often takes days. Ross Dunkley, the detained former editor of the Myanmar Times, the only newspaper in Burma with foreign funding, has said in the past that some 20 percent of its articles submitted to the censor board are rejected,

More than 20 media workers are in jail, some serving sentences of up to 27 years.
http://www.dvb.no/news/psych-warfare-unit-to-launch-newspaper/14828

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UN delays responding to Suu Kyi’s request for new envoy
Friday, 18 March 2011 15:45 Thomas Maung Shwe

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is still considering the appointment of a full-time replacement for the UN’s special envoy to Burma, his spokesperson said in New York on Thursday. The role is currently held on an interim basis by Ban’s chief of staff, the former Indian diplomat Vijay Nambiar, who took over the role more than a year ago.

Former Burma envoy Dr. Ibrahim Gambari, Ban and his chief of staff, the former Indian diplomat Vijay Nambiar, walk together at the UN building in New York in this undated photo. Photo: UN Handout

Former Burma envoy Dr. Ibrahim Gambari, Ban and his chief of staff, the former Indian diplomat Vijay Nambiar, walk together at the UN building in New York in this undated photo. Photo: UN Handout
The Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi was quoted earlier this month saying that she wanted an envoy to be appointed as soon as possible.

She told Radio Free Asia on March 4: ‘I think that if a responsible person is appointed full time to properly monitor Burma in depth, then the secretary-general will be apprised of the exact situation in Burma. That is why I am hoping that such a full-time person will be appointed as soon as possible.”

The UN spokesperson responded to a question about Suu Kyi’s desire for a new Burma envoy saying that both Suu Kyi and various UN- member states who are part of the Friends of Myanmar group have called for a full-time envoy.

‘The secretary-general has said he has taken note of these ideas, and he will reflect on them and take them into account’, said the spokesperson.

Three months ago both the British and Mexican ambassadors to the UN told Inner City Press reporter Matthew Russell Lee that they wanted the secretary-general to quickly find a replacement for Nambiar.

Suu Kyi’s reference to wanting a ‘responsible person’ in the role of Burma envoy may have been a reference to her refusal to meet Nambiar’s Nigerian predecessor Ibharim Gambari on at least one occasion. Gambari, who served as Ban’s special envoy to Burma while Suu Kyi was under house arrest, previously served as Nigeria’s ambassador to the UN during the rule of military dictator Sani Abacha. http://www.mizzima.com/news/world/5035-un-delays-responding-to-suu-kyis-request-for-new-envoy.html
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Mongolian president encourages Suu Kyi, democracy movement
Friday, 18 March 2011 15:28 Thea Forbes

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) - The president of Mongolia, the first democratic state in Central Asia, has extended his support to Burma’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a telephone call, according to the US Campaign for Burma.

Burmese Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi addresses a large crowd outside the National League for Democracy headquarters in Rangoon, a day after her release from house arrest. It was her first public speech in seven years. Photo: Mizzima

Burmese Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi addresses a large crowd outside the National League for Democracy headquarters in Rangoon, a day after her release from house arrest. It was her first public speech in seven years. Photo: Mizzima
President Elbegdorj, who co-drafted Mongolia’s 1992 Constitution, said that Mongolia’s transition from Communism to democracy could be seen as an example of moving from oppression to freedom and that free market reforms and human rights can be linked to economic development in Burma.

‘I would encourage Burma’s rulers to realize that democracy should not be feared but embraced’, said Elbegdorj.

Noting the waves of pro-democracy movements that have spread throughout the Middle East in recent weeks, Elbegorj said he believed that the Burmese people could realize democracy in their own oppressive state.

‘As we continue to watch the millions of people struggling in the Middle East for greater freedoms and oppressive regimes fall, I am confident that the strength of the Burmese people, to peacefully but forcefully push for the democracy that is rightly theirs, will be realized’, he said. ‘No amount of oppression or the longstanding violence against the Burmese and ethnic groups can stand against a people that want to be free’. http://www.mizzima.com/news/regional/5034-mongolian-president-encourages-suu-kyi-democracy-movement.html
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Statement on the Conclusion of the 2010 Article IV Consultation with Myanmar
Press Release No. 11/87
March 17, 2011

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded—on a lapse-of-time basis1—the 2010 Article IV consultation with Myanmar on March 16, 2011, and considered and endorsed the staff appraisal without a meeting.

Under Article IV of its Articles of Agreement, the IMF has a mandate to exercise surveillance over the economic, financial and exchange rate policies of its members in order to ensure the effective operation of the international monetary system. The IMF’s appraisal of such policies involves a comprehensive analysis of the general economic situation and policy strategy of each member country. IMF economists visit the member country, usually once a year, to collect and analyze data and hold discussions with government and central bank officials. Upon its return, the staff submits a report to the IMF’s Executive Board for discussion. The Board’s views are subsequently summarized and transmitted to the country’s authorities.

1 The Executive Board takes decisions under its lapse-of-time procedure when the Board agrees that a proposal can be considered without convening formal discussions.


IMF EXTERNAL RELATIONS DEPARTMENT
Public Affairs Media Relations
Phone: 202-623-7300 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 202-623-7300 end_of_the_skype_highlighting Phone: 202-623-7100 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 202-623-7100 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Fax: 202-623-6278 Fax: 202-623-6772 http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2011/pr1187.htm