News & Articles on Burma-Thursday, 28 April, 2011

News & Articles on Burma
Thursday, 28 April, 2011
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Five ethnic parties call for release of political prisoners
Will Burma’s Presidential Advisory Council run efficiently?
Mae Sot Police to Raid Burmese Opposition?
Suu Kyi Listens to Needs of Farmers
Can US Envoy Succeed Where UN Has Failed?
China, Myanmar sign MoU on rail transport project
Myanmar president enlists confidante of opposition leader Suu Kyi as adviser
Import of Illegal Cars into Burma Up Sharply
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Five ethnic parties call for release of political prisoners
Thursday, 28 April 2011 16:49 Ko Wild

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – The festering issue of a general amnesty for political prisoners was addressed again this week, this time by five ethnic political parties who issued a joint statement urging the government to release all political prisoners for the sake of national reconciliation.

The statement was issued in Rangoon on Wednesday by a group calling itself the Brotherhood Forum, made up of the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party, the All Mon Region Democratic Party, the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party (RNDP), the Phalon-Sawaw Democratic Party and the Chin National Party.

thei-sein-speak

Burmese President Thein Sein, the figurehead of the new government. Photo: Mizzima
“The government should announce a general amnesty’, said RNDP secretary Hla Saw, adding that he is a former political prisoner who was released from prison in 1980 under a general amnesty.

The release of political prisoners has so far not even been mentioned by the leaders of the new government. Consecutive Burmese governments have repeatedly said that there are no political prisoners in the country, contending that all those in prison are there because they violated laws. However, international organizations and the Burmese democratic opposition say that there are more than 2,000 political prisoners.

According to the new Constitution, the president has the power to grant amnesty in accordance with the recommendation of the National Defence and National Security Council.

Other issues raised in the joint statement included the need to find a way to permanent peace in ethnic regions, to narrow the developmental gap between the states and regions and to seek help from the international community for underdeveloped ethnic regions which have suffered from long periods of war.

In early April, the Group of Democratic Party Friends, an alliance of six political parties, urged the new government to hold an all-inclusive Union Conference to seek a solution to end the civil conflicts in Burma and to declare a general political amnesty.

In his inaugural address, President Thein Sein said the government would carry out it duties in accordance with the Constitution. Thein Sein, who is also chairman of the Special Project Implementation Committee, said on April 22 the government needs to implement special development projects in the states and regions.

However, he has said nothing about the issue of amnesty for political prisoners. http://www.mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/5195-five-ethnic-parties-call-for-release-of-political-prisoners.html
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Will Burma’s Presidential Advisory Council run efficiently?
By Zin Linn Apr 28, 2011 11:34PM UTC

Burma’s President Thein Sein has shaped a 9-member President’s Advisory Council recently. The council was formed on 11th April 2011 and publicly order was issued on 19th April 2011. The 9-member council has been shaped in three sections.

First section was formed as ‘Advisory Council on Politics’ and headed by Ko Ko Haling, 56 years old retired-colonel, an existing advisor to the News and Periodicals Department of Ministry of Information. His team was made up with Dr Nay Zin Latt and Ye Tint.

Second section was formed as ‘Advisory Council on Economics’. It will be headed by U Myint, a former Chief of Least Developed Countries Section, Development Research and Policy Analysis Division with the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (UNESCAP). Other two members are Set Aung and Dr. Tin Hla Bo.

Third section was formed as ‘Advisory Council on Law’ headed by Retired Senior Police Officer Sit Aye followed by Daw Khin Myo Myint and Than Kyaw. Sit Aye has a law degree and he is a graduate of the Police Officer Intake-1. Sit Aye has had a remarkable career working as joint-secretary for the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Working Committee on Trafficking in Persons and heading the Financial Intelligence Unit. He also supervised the Transnational Organized Crime unit while acting as a member of the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control.

Since there was no such a council in the past decades, it could catch public attention to some extent. Actually, U Myint is the center of attention because he is a famous political moderate and also a good friend of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The appointment of an associate of Suu Kyi to a high-level position in the new government is an extraordinary case as the outwardly civilian government is controlled by her military-backed opponents. Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy refused to take part in last year’s unfair polls and Suu Kyi remains key opposition against the ruling faction.

Next interesting point is that U Myint is an astonishing frank critic of the military regime’s disappointed economic track record. He used to discuss and point out the causes and consequences of corruption, especially in the context of a least developed country with considerable guideline and central bearing.

In one of his papers published in 2000 – Corruption: Causes, Consequences and Cures – he underscored, “Corruption places severe constraints on a country’s capacity to undertake economic reforms. This is because reforms require greater transparency, accountability, free and fair competition, deregulation, and reliance on market forces and private initiative, as well as limiting discretionary powers, special privileges, and price distortions – all of which will reduce opportunities for economic rent on which corruption thrives. The rich and the powerful, the main gainers of a corrupt system, will therefore oppose reforms.”

So, people are wondering whether U Myint’s advices are accepted by the President Thein Sein’s cabinet which has been formed with former corrupted ministers.

Burma had been under military rule since 1962 and a namesake change of civilian government happened after last November election. The country turned into one of the poorest in Asia under mismanagement and corruption of military regime. As there is no hope for future under military, many intellectuals left the country that caused lack of experienced economic executives.

President’s Advisory Council will be expected to be expended later for assorted sectors such as the environment, education and health.

However, observers are suspicious of the President’s motives and they dare not believe that good advices of the council will be taken into account properly.
http://asiancorrespondent.com/53408/will-burma%E2%80%99s-presidential-advisory-council-run-efficiently/
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Mae Sot Police to Raid Burmese Opposition?
By THE IRRAWADDY Thursday, April 28, 2011

MAE SOT — Thai police is likely to begin raiding buildings and apartments in the border town of Mae Sot that Burmese opposition groups rent for offices and residences, according to sources close to Burmese police.

The plan was agreed in a meeting on Wednesday in Myawaddy—the Burmese town across the border from Mae Sot—attended by Thai police from Mae Sot and Burmese police from Myawaddy.

“Burmese and Thai police held a special meeting yesterday. The Burmese police asked the Thai police to take action regarding anti-human trafficking, anti-drug trafficking, border affairs and Burmese dissidents in Mae Sot,” said a government servant close to the Myawaddy police.

“The Burmese police gave detailed information, addresses and photos of offices and houses which have been rented by Burmese dissidents,” he added.

Burmese police accused the Mae Sot-based Burmese dissidents of conducting terror-style attacks such as armed attacks and bomb blasts in Myawaddy, the source said. Therefore they asked the Thai police to take immediate action against Burmese dissidents.

Based on the bilateral agreement in the meeting yesterday, some observers in Mae Sot said that the Burmese and Thai police will likely soon speed up criminal cases on the Thai-Burmese border.

Bilateral anti-human trafficking measures and criminal cases on the border were also discussed during the meeting, which Tak Province’s Pol Maj-Gen Chamlong Nomsian attended. Thai immigration officials and border committee members also attended the meeting, said border sources.

In the past, Thai police have occasionally launched raids and cracked down on Burmese dissidents.

In October 2009, Thai security forces raided the homes of 10 leaders of the Karen National Union (KNU) in Mae Sot. Also, in February 2010, Thai police in Mae Sot raided the office of Karen journalists, the Karen Information Center and the home of David Takapaw, the vice chairman of the KNU. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21204
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Suu Kyi Listens to Needs of Farmers
By WAI MOE Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Burma’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi met with farmers for the first time since her November release, and said that the development of their lives is vital for the country since they make up the majority of the population.

“The lives and living standards of farmers in this country are very poor. Some might be disappointed that they can not improve their lives in this country. But don’t despair! Look forward!” Suu Kyi told attendees at the meeting on Tuesday.

Her meeting with farmers was part of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party’s agriculture workshop at their Rangoon headquarters from April 27-29.

The NLD invited 38 farmers from Irrawaddy Division, Pegu Division, Rangoon Division and Arakan State as part of the workshop, according to party spokesman Ohn Kyaing.

“The workshop was designed to discuss the daily dilemmas of farmers and technical topics including environmental issues,” Ohn Kyaing told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday.

Farmers told Suu Kyi that the main challenges they face include land confiscations, increasing commodity prices and the lack of state support for farms. The NLD is planning more agriculture workshops in May for farmers from other states/divisions, Ohn Kyaing added.

“I was very glad to meet [Suu Kyi] and tell her about our difficulties. And from the workshop, I learned related knowledge which I can share with other people from my village when I go back home,” said Aye San Maung, a farmer from Irrawaddy Division.

He added that farmers from Irrawaddy Division—the biggest rice producer in Burma—are not getting enough subsidized support from the state and so often require loans from moneylenders or businessmen.

Mann Nyunt Thein, another farmer from Irrawaddy Division, explained that due to unusual weather, rice and other agriculture products have been decreased in the division.

The NLD’s agriculture workshop was organized after President Thein Sein brought up development in the sector during a Special Projects Implementation Committee meeting on April 22.

“To secure people's nourishmentt, measures must be taken to improve the agricultural sector first and then to establish a modern industrialized nation and develop other economic sectors,” Thein Sein said at the meeting.

Despite an outcry from the international community for a genuine dialogue between the ruling regime and pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, there is no prospect of a potential meeting with the new government.

“We have not got any sign from the regime that they want to engage in dialogue. But we do not see any sign of more suppression of us either at the moment,” Ohn Kyiang said. http://irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21194
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COMMENTARY
Can US Envoy Succeed Where UN Has Failed?
By AUNG ZAW Wednesday, April 27, 2011

After nearly 50 years of military rule and countless efforts to restore democracy by every means imaginable, Burma has become a land where hope springs eternal, but caution rules the day. And so the appointment of Derek Mitchell as the first ever US special envoy to Burma has been greeted by veterans of the country's democratic struggle as an occasion for guarded optimism.

In his current position as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs at the US Department of Defense, Mitchell is no stranger to Burma. He has followed the country's affairs closely and in the past met with leading dissidents, including Aung San Suu Kyi.

Aung Zaw is founder and editor of the Irrawaddy magazine. He can be reached at aungzaw@irrawaddy.org.
Suu Kyi, who has seen many foreign emissaries come and go in her more than two decades as leader of Burma's pro-democracy movement, welcomed the news of Mitchell's appointment in characteristic fashion. “I'm a cautious optimist,� she said, fully aware that this new development isn't likely to produce a breakthrough anytime soon.

Perhaps adding to Suu Kyi's muted sense of expectation is the fact that Burma is already undergoing a “democratic transition� initiated by the ruling junta. But these changes, which are entirely cosmetic, are aimed not at moving the country forward, but at keeping the current rulers firmly in control.

As long as the regime can keep up its pretense of engaging in political reforms, it is unlikely to listen to those calling for more fundamental change. One of Mitchell's first tasks, then, must be to let the generals know that they aren't fooling anybody with their parliamentary masquerade party in Naypyidaw.

Meanwhile, Suu Kyi knows that it is her role to encourage the efforts of anyone genuinely interested in helping Burma to emerge from half a century of regressive rule. Not really knowing what approach Mitchell intends to take, she nonetheless expressed confidence in his good will. “As a special envoy, he probably sees that his duty is to try to bring about democratization of Burma as smoothly and quickly as possible. So we look upon him as a friend,� she said.

But as a friend of Burma, Mitchell will have his work cut out for him. Past special envoys from the United Nations have all failed abysmally to win any compromises from the regime, and the Obama administration's attempts to engage the junta that remains in the shadows of the new government have so far met with indifference.

Joseph Yun, a senior State Department official, recently said that the rulers of Burma were wrong to think that they have nothing to gain from engaging the United States.

“I really urge the Burmese government that there will be something in it. In the end, they have to join the international community,� he said. The thought in Washington, however, is that the US has offered a generous amount of time and space to repair the relationship, but the Burmese side has failed to take advantage of the opportunity.

Since President Obama rolled out his engagement policy, which represents a break from the sanctions-only approach of past administrations, Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell has visited Burma twice, only to conclude that the new approach has made little impression on the Burmese generals. Indeed, engagement can only work if both sides have the political will to work together to achieve a specific outcome. If not, it is just one hand clapping.

The US isn't about to give up on engagement with the regime, but in the meantime, it is also increasing its investment in the democratic opposition. A few weeks ago, Vital Voices, a Washington-based non-governmental organization that empowers emerging leaders and social entrepreneurs around the globe, honored Suu Kyi with the “Global Trailblazer Award,� recognizing her as the “Voice of the Decade.�

“On this night, we honor Aung San Suu Kyi, a woman who endured years of isolation from her family and the world with unfaltering grace and the strength of steel,� said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who founded Vital Voices in 1997.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, Clinton added: “I call again for the Burmese authorities to allow [Suu Kyi] and her party to participate in Burma’s political process and that they be granted freedom of movement, expression, and assembly.�

By stating unequivocally what it wants from the Burmese generals, Washington may be making Mitchell's job that much harder. But at the same time, it is providing a clear basis upon which meaningful contact between the two countries can be established, avoiding the pitfalls of UN envoys who only managed to go through the motions of engagement while being given the runaround by the generals.

At this stage, we can be reasonably certain that Mitchell will be nothing like Ibrahim Gambari, the Nigerian diplomat who served as the UN's special envoy to Burma until he quit in 2009. Gambari did such a poor job that in 2008, Suu Kyi refused to meet him, and former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice ordered the US mission at the UN to seek his dismissal as special envoy, citing his poor performance in the role.

So what are Mitchell's strengths? For many Burmese, the mere fact that he isn't working for the UN—which has earned a reputation for being completely ineffectual in its dealings with the regime—is a real plus. But beyond this, he is considered very knowledgeable about Burma, meaning that the generals will have a harder time trying to exploit his efforts to their own advantage.

Another real advantage he possesses is his understanding of China, the country that many see as holding the key to Burma's future. A fluent speaker of Mandarin Chinese, Mitchell will undoubtedly spend a good deal of time talking to Chinese officials. Although the US and China currently take very different positions on Burma, both share an interest in seeing the country remain stable. Eventually, this could translate into a common approach that would make a real difference in Burma.

Besides China, Mitchell will also have to engage Burma's other neighbors and regional players such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Japan. But the most daunting task he will face is simply getting the generals in Naypyidaw to stop speaking into their echo chamber and start listening to the voices of those seeking to bring Burma back into the global community. http://www.irrawaddy.org/opinion_story.php?art_id=21195
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China, Myanmar sign MoU on rail transport project
(Xinhua) Updated: 2011-04-28 11:08

NAY PYI TAW - China and Myanmar reached a memorandum of understanding in Nay Pyi Taw Wednesday on a joint rail transport construction project extending between Myanmar's border town of Muse and western Rakhine state's Kyaukphyu, a port city.

The MoU on building the railroad, signed between the China Railways Engineering Corporation and the Myanmar Union Ministry of Rail Transportation, was witnessed by Myanmar Vice President U Tin Aung Myint Oo, Chinese ambassador to Myanmar Li Junhua, Myanmar Union Minister of Rail Transportation U Aung Min and President of the China Railways Engineering Corporation Li Changjin.

The MoU covers the environment conservation and development project along the rail road between the two destinations.

According to the MoU, the first phase of the overall project of Muse-Lashio-Kyaukphyu is from Muse to Lashio in Shan state which stretches as 126 kilometers with 41 big and small bridges, 36 tunnels and seven railway stations to be added along the route.

The project, targeted to complete within three years, is to be implemented in line with another ongoing China-Myanmar gas pipeline project from Kyaukphyu to Kunming in southwest China's Yunnan province via Muse.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2011-04/28/content_12412367.htm
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Myanmar president enlists confidante of opposition leader Suu Kyi as adviser
By Associated Press, Published: April 27

YANGON, Myanmar — An economist who is close to pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi said Wednesday that he has been appointed to an advisory board by Myanmar’s new president.

The appointment of an associate of Suu Kyi to a high-level position in the new government is a surprise because the nominally civilian regime is dominated by her longtime foes in the military. Her party refused to take part in last year’s army-arranged polls — charging they were unfair — and Suu Kyi remains the face of the country’s opposition.

The new president, Thein Sein, is a former general and was once prime minister under the junta. He is now the leader of the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party, which won a huge majority in last November’s general election that critics dismissed as rigged in favor of the army.

The body, with advisers in economic, political and legal affairs, was announced on April 19 in the limited circulation Government Gazette, said U Myint, who will head the economic section. The state press has not yet reported the appointments.

The retired senior economist for the U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific has advised Suu Kyi, a close friend, on economic affairs.

Asked if he might help bridge the gap between Suu Kyi and the new government, U Myint said it was not his mandate to bring about a dialogue and he had no intention of doing so, but he would try “to improve understanding and trust between the two parties.”

Describing the board as “something different” and innovative, he said his appointment showed that the government was willing to give a role to the academic community, but it was too early to say how successful it would be.

Myanmar was under military rule from 1962 until the nominal change to a civilian regime last month. The country became one of the poorest in Asia under military rule, and brain drain caused in part by the military’s undemocratic rule left the country with a shortage of skilled economic managers.

All three members of economic advisory section are civilian academics while the three members of the political body are former military officers and the legal group is headed by a retired police colonel.

U Myint said his first task is to work on the alleviation of rural poverty. He expressed confidence that he would be allowed to work freely but was less sure his advice would be taken.

“It’s easy to give advice, but we have to wait and see how it will be implemented and if there is the capacity,” he said.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/myanmar-president-enlists-confidante-of-opposition-leader-suu-kyi-as-adviser/2011/04/27/AFBRjUyE_story.html
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Business
Import of Illegal Cars into Burma Up Sharply
By THE IRRAWADDY Thursday, April 28, 2011

MAE SOT — The illegal import of second-hand Japanese cars from Thailand into Burma has recently increased threefold, according to Burmese car brokers doing business at the border.

“Now at least 100 Japanese cars are carried by boats into Burma every day,” said a Burmese car broker working in the Thai border town of Mae Sot, which sits opposite Burma's Myawaddy Township.

After arrival at Thailand's ports from Japan, second-hand cars are transported to Mae Sot by Thai companies. Hundreds of Japanese cars are sent to Mae Sot every day, and this week an estimated 4,000 cars were waiting to be carried across the Moei River to Myawaddy, according to an employee of a Thai company.

Observers say that traders are exploiting a legal loophole in the Thai Board of Investment (BOI) law known as the Alien Business Law of 1972 (ABL), which grants an exemption from import duties, export duties and business taxes on certain designated machinery, spare parts and raw materials that are imported into Thailand but not sold in the country.

The price of an illegally imported Japanese car ranges from 200,000 to 300,000 baht (US $5,979 to $8,968), and the average cost of transporting a car is 10,000 baht ($334.50), said a car broker.

The Mae Sot—Myawaddy border crossing is a major trading point between the two countries, but it has been closed by Burmese government since July 2010. The broker said that despite the border closure, the illegal import of cars into Burma has not been affected.

Local car brokers allege that because the illegal import of cars is such a lucrative business, high-ranking Burmese military officials and their family members are either directly involved or have to be bribed to allow transport of the cars to destinations inside Burma.

Illegal vehicles are regularly smuggled into Burma across the Thai-Burmese border. Smugglers usually bribe border security forces and local authorities to transport the illegal vehicles into the country.

Normally, Burma allows only a few thousand cars to be imported officially each year through the Union of Myanmar Economic Holding Ltd (UMEHL), a military-run conglomerate, and businessmen close to the ruling generals.

Since early last year, the Ministry of Commerce has deregulated the import of cars and allowed some private-owned companies to import buses and heavy machinery.

Burma's import restrictions have skewed the prices of cars—both new and used—to prices that would be considered absurd in neighboring countries.http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21201