News & Articles on Burma-Monday, 14 March, 2011

News & Articles on Burma
Monday, 14 March, 2011
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Junta, Shan army exchange fire again
Burma expects PR boost from Blatter visit
Jealousies Divide 'United' Junta
EU Wants Burmese Refugees to Stand on Own Feet
Gem fair sees jade prices soar 10-fold
Parties lobby EU for end to sanctions
The EU continues humanitarian projects in Myanmar and Thailand
‘Buildings cracked; everything shook’
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-12724473
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Junta, Shan army exchange fire again
Monday, 14 March 2011 17:38 Hseng Khio Fah
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Clashes between Shan State Army (SSA) ‘North’ and Burma Army troops were reported yesterday twice in the area of Shan State South’s Monghsu township, according to local sources.

The first attack took place at around 18:30 (local time) yesterday and the second one around 08:00 this morning, lasting about half an hour each. Both attacks took place in Mong Awd village tract, Monghsu, where the SSA troops are active. But no details of the attacks have been known so far.

The SSA side had about 60 men and while the Burma Army had 200, who were dispatched from proper Burma to Monghsu. They came in over 20 military trucks which were also carrying military supplies.

According to local villagers, it was the SSA that opened fire first. “The SSA knew that the junta authorities were sending more troops to its areas,” said a source.

During these days, the military junta is reported to have been busy deploying more troops to areas along the Salween, where the Shan State Army (SSA) is active in the west and the United Wa State Army is in the east, according to local sources.

The total number of troops sent yesterday to the two groups’ controlled territories was about 10 battalions, estimated around 1,000 soldiers, according to an officer from the SSA’s First Brigade.

They were dispatched from different parts. Some were deployed from Shan State North’s Lashio to Tangyan and Mongyai townships, northern part of SSA’s First Brigade Headquarters Wanhai, while others were sent from Shan State South’s Mongnawng sub-township to Monghsu township, east of Wanhai.

“The deployment coming from Mongnawng to Monghsu was about 200 soldiers. They came in about 40 military trucks also carrying military supplies. They arrived at around 3 or 4 pm,” said an eye witness from Monghsu.

Likewise, a source from Nampawng village located between Lashio and Tangyan said, “They [the military trucks] did not come together, only 10 to 15 trucks per convoy. All were filled with soldiers.”

The SSA said the Burma Army is planning to make another ‘Four Cuts campaign: cutting food, funds, information and recruits and an additional: communication routes.

The relationship between SSA and the Burma Army turned sour since the SSA refused to accept Naypyitaw’s militia force program in 2009.

The SSA First Brigade, now officially known as Shan State Progress Party/ Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA), is also allied with the United Wa State Army, the National Democratic Alliance Army and the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO). The United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) confirmed that the SSPP/SSA had decided to “wait and see instead of joining it.” The alliance, which was formed last month, has 11 member organizations. http://www.shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3505:junta-shan-army-exchange-fire-again&catid=86:war&Itemid=284
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Burma expects PR boost from Blatter visit

* Published: 14/03/2011 at 12:00 AM
* Newspaper section: News

Football crazy Burma is hosting the head of world football this week _ a visit which the regime's top generals hope to milk for all its worth.

Sepp Blatter, the president of the international football's governing body Fifa, is making a two-day official visit to Burma beginning tomorrow in what may be a diplomatic coup for the military junta.

In the first-ever visit by a senior Fifa official to the country, Mr Blatter will open the new Myanmar Football Academy, built with funds from Fifa and inspect some of the "Football for Hope" projects also initiated by the organisation.

These are part of Fifa's programmes all over the world that combine football and social development.

Mr Blatter was invited by the president of the Myanmar Football Federation, the wealthy businessman Zaw Zaw during the World Cup in South Africa last June.

While in Burma he will seek ways for the Myanmar Football Federation to strengthen the local professional leagues, said sources in Rangoon.

However, Western diplomats in the region fear that Mr Blatter, a controversial and outspoken 74-year-old Swiss, will be exploited by the regime for its own ends.

Mr Blatter is also scheduled to visit the secretive, new capital Naypyidaw, where he will meet the president-elect Thein Sein as well as the football-mad military supremo, Than Shwe.

"Such a high-profile visitor will undoubtedly be used to try to give credibility to the newly formed civilian government," said a western diplomat based in Rangoon.

For a regime struggling against international condemnation and isolation over its human rights record, especially by the West, this would be a welcome recognition.

Sources close to the Fifa delegation say Mr Blatter was reluctant to go to Naypyidaw _ where he will stay overnight tomorrow _ but had no choice for football's sake.

"The trip is purely to promote sport," said a football official in Rangoon on condition of anonymity.

The charismatic opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi _ recently released after more than seven years under house arrest _ is also a football fanatic, according to sources in her party.

Some western government officials tried to encourage the football boss to include a meeting with her on this visit, but this was turned down as the trip was confined to sport, and was not meant to be political.

But the Fifa head's visit is something of a diplomatic coup for the top general Than Shwe _ who is a keen follower of the English Premier League and watches it regularly on satellite television. He is reported to be an avid Manchester United fan, as is his eldest grandson _ Nay Shwethway Aung, nicknamed Pho La Pyit. Two years ago, he encouraged his grandfather to establish a professional football league in Burma.

Football is Burma's most popular sport. Each weekend the country comes to a virtual stop to watch the English league on pirated television transmissions illegally siphoned from Thailand.

Millions of kyat, the local currency, are wagered on each game.

Now that Burma has its own league, interest has peaked further. There are some 100 players on monthly salaries ranging from 300,000 kyat (9,000 baht) to one million kyat, including foreign players, mostly from Africa.

In January 2009, Than Shwe ordered the regime's cronies and businessmen to set up professional football teams, offering incentives including gem and jade mines.

Eight wealthy businessmen _ probably the richest businessmen in Burma _ with close ties to the top generals, established teams which took part in the first competition last year. Each team was encouraged to have foreign coaches and were allowed to have a maximum of five foreign players.

The eight new soccer clubs represented eight different regions of the country. The top general's grandson himself happens to be a player for the Delta United team owned by businessman Zaw Zaw, the key promoter of the Burmese football league.

Than Shwe, according to sources in Naypyidaw, immediately saw the political value of setting up a football league in a bid to capture credibility and support ahead of last year's elections.

If nothing else, it would be a distraction, one senior government official said.

Than Shwe apparently had grandiose ideas, including wanting to see former Manchester United star David Beckham play. That certainly would have been a coup as Becks is one of the best known and admired international superstars. Although the level of foreign players did not match the expected icons of the sport, the league proved popular.

Zaw Zaw, for his efforts in establishing the league, has now become the senior patron of the league and the titular head of the country's football body. He is renowned to be close to Than Shwe and his grandson.

His Max Myanmar group is notorious, and now one of the biggest companies in the country. He and his companies are subject to US sanctions.

The regime's top generals are quite convinced that they have the money and power to buy their way into the international sport.

Than Shwe briefly considered a take-over bid for the top English club, Manchester United, according to a secret document leaked by whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks.

A cable sent from the US embassy in Rangoon to Washington, revealed that military commander-in-chief Than Shwe was advised by his grandson before January 2009 to look into the possibility of buying the Barclays Premier League giants.

A bid of $1 billion was considered, before being dropped in favour of creating a new Burmese football league.

The US diplomatic cable said: "One source reports that the grandson wanted Than Shwe to offer $1 billion for Manchester United. He thought that sort of expenditure could look bad, so he opted to create for Burma a league of its own."

What this reveals though is Than Shwe clearly wants to use sport to bolster the popularity of his political puppets, and sees football as a major means to do that.

So Mr Blatter's visit to Burma this week fits neatly into the senior general's game plan _ even if FIFA try to avoid being used for propaganda purposes. http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/226522/burma-expects-pr-boost-from-blatter-visit
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Jealousies Divide 'United' Junta
By WAI MOE Monday, March 14, 2011

One of the Burmese junta’s best known mottos is: “We will remain united whoever tries to break us up.” The military authorities ensure that plaques and signs are put up bearing this slogan in military schools, bases and public places across the country.

However, much as the slogan clearly prescribes an undivided approach to external threats, it does not appear to have generated the same team spirit when it comes to internal conflicts, in particular, splits and jealousies within the military hierarchy based on business interests.

Even some of Burma's top generals have fallen prey to the “dog eat dog” syndrome that plays out continually in Naypyidaw.

Most recently, over the weekend of March 5-6, several cabinet members and military cronies were left miffed when they were not included in a thinly veiled scheme by the Trade Policy Council to sell off cheaply into private hands a list of state-owned buildings and properties in Rangoon.

Many of the properties included colonial buildings that were former ministries, and other edifices located in the city's commercial hub. They were offered to many military officers and their friends and families, but certain potential investors missed out on the opportunity to take advantage on the discounted properties.

“The division in privileges has led to jealousies and rivalries between several military generals and cabinet ministers, as well as among the community of influential family members,” said a Rangoon businessman, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Now, some of them don't talk to each other. They compete fiercely to win contracts on any state property that is put up for sale.”

As an example, he said that ex-Brig-Gen Thein Zaw, the minister of Communications, Posts and Telegraphs, and Soe Tha, the minister of National Planning and Economic Development, are no longer on speaking terms following a dispute that arose when they both tried recently to buy out the same state firm in Rangoon.

Since the beginning of this year, the junta has announced the sell-off of five large state-owned corporations and buildings, including the former Offices of the Ministers, a British colonial edifice where Burma’s independence hero Aung San and eight of his colleagues were assassinated in 1947.

Observers have said that the property sellouts have no benefit to the people of Burma; instead, the public buildings—several of which feature unique Victorian architecture that is considered characteristic of Rangoon, and are popular with tourists—are being transferred into the hands of Burma's military and business elite.

Family members of many of the military's top generals, such as Snr-Gen Than Shwe, Vice Snr-Gen Maung Aye, Gen “Thura” Shwe Mann, Secretary-1 ex-Gen Tin Aung Myint Oo and ex-Lt-Gen Tin Aye, all own former state properties and/or have taken over formerly state-run business enterprises, such as hydropower and mining contracts.

Although junta chief Than Shwe’s favorite grandson Nay Shwe Thway Aung is only 21 years of age, his buying power in Rangoon is second to none.

Sources have said that Nay Shwe Thway Aung has recently purchased huge estates on Rangoon’s Parami Road and Kabar Aye Pagoda Road where he intends to construct shopping complexes and business centers.

“These are large plots of land he [Than Shwe's grandson] bought,” said a government official in Rangoon who wished to remain anonymous. “No other businessman has dared to even dream about acquiring these properties.

“But this is Nay Shwe Thway Aung’s era. He can do anything he wants,” he said.

Reports from Naypyidaw suggest that several military officers dislike Nay Shwe Thway Aung because he has assumed a high rank within military circles despite the fact he has never served in the army, and is reputed to be pretentious. Displeasure was also expressed by the military elite that Than Shwe's grandson was permitted to sit in the front row beside his grandfather at official photo shoots.

“Nay Shwe Thway Aung has been involved in several business disputes with the sons of other top generals, including Aung Thet Mann, Toe Naing Mann and Shwe Mann. But, in the end, they always have to concede to Nay Shwe Thway Aung,” he added.

The family of junta No.2 Maung Aye is thought to be the richest in the country. His daughter, Nandar Aye, and her husband, Pyi Aung, who is son of Industry-1 Minister Aung Thaung, own and run the largest multinational in Burma—the IGE Group. Their other partner is Nay Aung, the other son of Aung Thaung.

The company is involved in the oil and gas industries, the timber trade, mining, tourism, banking and construction, either directly or through its sister companies: UNOG Co. Ltd; the Amara Co. Ltd; MRT Co. Ltd; FCEC Co. Ltd; and various others.

Another contentious issue among the generals is Than Shwe’s “divide and rule” tactic of reshuffling his closest allies in the post-election political arena. Junta No.3 Shwe Mann became the Lower House speaker while his fellow generals former Prime Minister Thein Sein and Tin Aung Myint Oo were selected as president and vice-president respectively.

Even though no one dares complain to Than Shwe­his orders are considered absolute­several high-ranking officers are reportedly very unhappy with the new lineup. Only one, Lt-Gen Myint Aung, dared to refuse Than Shwe’s appointment of him as defense minister. He was quickly dismissed and confined to virtual house arrest.

But the ill feeling does appear to have had some effect on Than Shwe. His four daughters who held symbolic positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reportedly resigned earlier this year in what Burma observers see as a face-saving maneuver.

“Although Than Shwe's son-in-law Zaw Phyo Win is still with the ministry, the daughters’ resignations are good news for all other staff members,” said a former Burmese diplomat in Rangoon. “They [the daughters] just claimed fake salaries. They never actually went to work or did anything.”
http://irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=20929
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EU Wants Burmese Refugees to Stand on Own Feet
By THE IRRAWADDY Monday, March 14, 2011

A visiting European Union (EU) delegation said it will provide career training to Burmese refugees on the Thai-Burmese border to empower them to support themselves, but that it must reduce annual aid and supplies to the displaced.

A representative for the EU delegation spoke during a visit to Mae La refugee camp, the biggest of its kind, which houses around 50,000 mostly ethnic Karen people who fled from their homes due to attacks by the Burmese Government Army. There are currently 150,000 Burmese refugees living on the Thai-Burmese border.

The project will aim to help Mae La refugees make enough income to support themselves, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response Kristalina Georgieva told camp committees on Sunday evening while leading the delegation. The EU project will include agriculture, livestock and handicraft training.

Karen students walk in Mae La camp, near the Thai-Burmese border in Mae Sot district, Tak province, 600 km (373 miles) north of Bangkok. (Photo: Reuters)
Saw Htun Htun, the chairman of Mae La refugee camp, told The Irrawaddy: “The EU officials said they will reduce its current aid year by year. However, they said they will help the refugees until they can stand on their own feet. They will also provide career training to the refugees.”

Saw K’nyaw Poe, a Karen refugee in Mae La camp, said, “Many people here are interested in having a paid job inside or outside the camp to making their living. They are bored staying in the camp for years and are unable to travel freely outside. Those who illegally travel outside the camp can be arrested and tortured at any time.”

Htun Htun said the refugee camp committees also welcomed the project by the EU and believe that it will improve the life of residents by allowing them to support themselves.

Refugees in the nine camps on the Thai-Burmese border are not officially allowed to travel and work outside the camp, but the EU delegation said it will also urge Thai authorities to stop these restrictions.

The EU has been supporting Burmese refugees on the Thai-Burmese border since 1995. Food and supplies for refugees have been reduced as humanitarian relief funding for the West has decreased, according to a camp committee member.

The Thailand Burma Border Consortium (TBBC), which has been caring for Burmese refugees for the past 25 years, said that livelihood programs will likely operate inside the camp as the Thai authorities do not allow Burmese refugees to travel outside and seek employment.

Sally Thompson, the deputy director of the TBBC, said, “We all like to see the refugees becoming self-reliant. But there are limits that can be achieved within the current refugee policy here in Thailand.”

While non-governmental organizations have started to support self-reliance programs towards refugees, Thompson said she believes it is too early to reduce aid supplies as most still remain heavily dependent on humanitarian assistance for even their basic needs.
http://irrawaddy.org/highlight.php?art_id=20928
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Gem fair sees jade prices soar 10-fold
By AHUNT PHONE MYAT
Published: 14 March 2011

Sale prices for Burma’s iconic jade stone have jumped as much as ten times in the past year, according to gem merchants whom last week attended the 48th Gems Emporium in Naypyidaw.

Despite the price hike, as many as 17,000 sets of jade were bought, one gem business owner at the emporium told DVB.

“Jade prices are going very high – about 10 times more than last year’s price,” he said. “A piece of jade that was worth 200,000 kyat ($US230) to 300,000 kyat ($US340) about three years ago is now worth about 1.5 million kyat ($US1,705) to two million kyat ($US2,272).”

He added that the dramatic increase was largely down to growing demand from Chinese buyers, who are also hungrily snapping up Burmese pearl which was second bestselling gem at the emporium. Another gem businessman said that Chinese traders made up three-quarters of the buyers in Naypyidaw last week.

With bans on imports of Burmese jade to the US, China has quickly become the world’s top market for the coveted stone, which is mined heavily in Burma’s northern Kachin and Sagaing states, often in operations backed by Chinese businessmen.

“China has high buyer demand for jade as the country’s economy is growing,” said another man. “And the Burmese government, which is sanctioned by western countries, was looking to sell the gems, so it’s a win-win situation.”

He added that the Burmese government “doesn’t care about the international sanctions and they wanted to show off how much money they can still make from selling the gems”.

Burmese government figures claim that profits made from selling jade has climbed from $US198 million in 2005 to $US1,700 million in 2010, despite seeing falls in profit from other precious stones.

The last gems emporium in Naypyidaw in November last year made record sales of $US1.4 billion, suggesting that the sanctioned industry is buoyant.

Burma is thought to produce around 90 percent of the world’s jade and gems, much of which goes to China and other regional nations, such as Singapore.

Most of the produce comes from Burma’s ethnic regions, particularly the Hpakant mines in Kachin state where the conditions for workers are notoriously poor. Around 30 government-licensed companies mine precious stones in Kachin state, where they have had to vie for territory with the opposition Kachin Independence Army.
http://www.dvb.no/news/gem-fair-sees-jade-prices-soar-10-fold/14716
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Parties lobby EU for end to sanctions
By DVB
Published: 14 March 2011

Ten opposition parties have joined together to call on the EU to terminate sanctions on Burma, claiming that the post-election “evolution” underway in the country warranted a rethink of European policy.

An open letter sent to Brussels last week and signed by the ‘Myanmar Fraternal Democratic Parties’ – a loose alliance that includes the National Democratic Force (NDF) and Democratic Party Myanmar (DPM), as well as a number of ethnic parties – criticised the current embargo as responsible for “[denying Burmese] the benefits of increased foreign investment that brings technology, better working conditions and modern global ideas”.

“Though sanctions are not the prime cause for poverty in our country, they have hit labor-intensive sectors like garments, seafood and wood processing, and prevent new jobs from being created”, it continued, adding that the EU should also lift its opposition to tourists travelling to Burma.

Khin Maung Swe, leader of the NDF, said that the group had also called on EU ministers to aid dialogue between the opposition and the Burmese junta.

The debate over whether sanctions should remain on the pariah has split the opposition: some say that measures such as the visa ban are making life uncomfortable for the ruling generals, while others see the approach as ineffective in the face of continued regional, particularly Chinese, investment in Burma. Some even claim the protracted debate is itself an obstacle to progress in the military-ruled country.

The letter’s signatories are all part of the body of democratic parties that competed and won seats in the November 2010 elections. The National League for Democracy (NLD), which despite its boycott of the polls is still considered to be the leading opposition force in Burma, continues to be the strongest proponent of sanctions but has acknowledged the need for a review.

In a statement released last month, the party led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi said it would look to engage with Western nations in a bid to modify sanctions following a study in which it found that Burmese citizens were not affected by the embargo.

Suu Kyi herself has said however that greater foreign investment, provided it is done carefully, could improve conditions for Burmese who have been “left behind”.

Some analysts claim that the poor targeting of sanctions effectively amounts to a humanitarian boycott, with the quantity of overseas development assistance (ODA) going into Burma now lower than Cambodia, despite having a population three times the size.

The remaining signatories to the EU letter are the Chin National Party, Democracy and Peace Party, Nationla Political Alliance, Phalon-Sawaw Democratic Party, Rakhine Nationalities Democratic Party, Shan Nationalities Democratic Party, Union Democratic Partyand Wunthanu National League for Democracy.
http://www.dvb.no/news/parties-lobby-eu-for-end-to-sanctions/14721
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The European Union continues its steady support for humanitarian projects in Myanmar and Thailand in 2011
Reference: IP/11/300 Date: 14/03/2011
IP/11/300
Brussels, 14 March 2011

The European Union continues its steady support for humanitarian projects in Myanmar and Thailand in 2011

The European Union's humanitarian assistance for Myanmar and Thailand will reach €22.25 million this year. The size of the contribution was announced in Bangkok by Kristalina Georgieva, the European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid, International Cooperation and Crisis Response. From the European humanitarian aid budget, €8 million will be allocated to refugees from Myanmar living in border camps in Thailand, and €14.25 million will provide help to vulnerable communities in Myanmar, including those affected by cyclone Giri.

"The European Union has long been a leading supporter to the people in need of humanitarian aid in Thailand and Myanmar; in 2011, our assistance will remain generous as we continue to work for sustainable solutions for the refugees and disaster-stricken communities in the region," Commissioner Georgieva said. She gave details of the Commission's 2011 humanitarian support in Myanmar and Thailand after visiting the Mae Sot - Mae La refugee camp in Western Thailand and after meeting Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya.

The €8 million funding for the refugees in six of the nine camps along the border will mainly provide food assistance, health care, clean water and sanitation. Over 100,000 refugees will benefit from European aid.

The €14.25 million allocation for Myanmar includes €5m for the remaining humanitarian needs in the aftermath of cyclone Giri which hit Rakhine State in October 2010. Immediately after the disaster, the European Commission provided €3 million in aid, but four months on, the affected communities are still facing considerable challenges and need humanitarian support.

Background

Today, over 140,000 refugees from Myanmar live in nine camps in Thailand. The European Commission is among the largest donors to the camps and since 1995 has provided, including 2011 funding, €149 million: €103m for humanitarian aid and €46m through other longer-term assistance budgets.

Including Member States' donors (DFID, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, the United Kingdom), the European Union has been providing € 25 million per year since 2007 in humanitarian aid to the refugee camps in Thailand. This is more than half of the overall humanitarian support to the refugees and displaced along the border.

The European humanitarian assistance covers food support, basic healthcare, water and sanitation. Essential food aid is provided to over 65,000 refugees, and 100,000 benefit from basic medical services. The projects that receive financing from the European Union are implemented primarily through international non-governmental organisations and UNHCR.

To ensure that refugees get not only immediate support, but also a chance for a better future and greater self-reliance, the European Commission plans to gradually refocus its aid to camp residents – from humanitarian relief toward more sustainable support.

The European Commission provided €110,000 to the Thai Red Cross to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to people affected by the floods which inundated the north-eastern and central provinces of Thailand in August and September 2010.

For more info

For information on the European Commission’s humanitarian support for refugees in Thailand:

http://ec.europa.eu/echo/aid/asia/thailand_en.htm

Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva’s website:

http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/georgieva/index_en.htm
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‘Buildings cracked; everything shook’
By KHIN MIN ZAW
Published: 14 March 2011

First-hand accounts from Burmese nationals of the recent earthquake in Japan have described how communication is down across many parts of the country and thousands remain trapped in relief camps with little food.

Estimates of the number of those killed by Japan’s strongest earthquake on record vary, but the US Geological Survey says it is likely more than 10,000. Local reports say that two thousand bodies were found this morning in the worst-hit Miyagi Prefecture in the country’s northeastern region, which was submerged by the resulting tsunami, while 10,000 were reported missing in Minamisanriku alone.

Than Than Aye, 55, told DVB that she had been at her home in Tokyo, 230 miles from the epicentre, on Friday last week when the 9.0-magnitude quake struck.

“I was at home watching parliamentary news [on television] and an announcement about the earthquake appeared [on the screen],” she said. “Then the earthquake came; everything was shaking, and I hastily put on a helmet and ran out to the street.

“Electric wires were making banging sounds. A building nearby cracked and the water came along very strong. I didn’t know where to run. Someone shouted ‘duck! duck!’ so we ducked and then ran into [a nearby] school.

“My body was shaking so much when I made my way to the school I couldn’t even walk properly. There were kids in the school. No one dared to stay inside the school building – everyone was out in the compound. It was very cold too.”

Fears of further disaster are growing after an explosion occurred at a second nuclear reactor building at the Fukushima Daiichi atomic power plant this morning, although a government spokesperson told The Guardian that there was a “low possibility” of a dangerous radiation leak

Than Than Aye, who has now been moved to a relief camp, said telephone lines were down and there was no gas in Tokyo, which is home to nearly 13 million people, although electricity remained on in some parts of the city.

She said that people, including children, in the relief camp she was in had been given blankets but were struggling to find food.

According to Japan’s foreign ministry, nearly 6000 Burmese are registered in the country, although the figure for unregistered migrants is likely to be a lot higher. It is not clear whether Burmese are among the quake victims.

Taiwanese media said today that of the 5,450 Taiwanese in Japan, more than 1,700 had not been accounted for.

The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) quoted the Japanese government as saying that 2.6 million households are without electricity and nearly 3.2 million people are running out of gas supplies, while 1.4 million people have no access to water. Nearly 600,000 have been evacuated from the country.
http://www.dvb.no/news/%E2%80%98buildings-cracked-everything-shook%E2%80%99/14710

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