News & Articles on Burma-Wednesday, 04 May, 2011

News & Articles on Burma
Wednesday, 04 May, 2011
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US lawmakers want urgent UN probe on Burma
Myanmar war crime probe urged
Foreign minister denies Myanmar purchasing arms from RI
Myanmar war crime probe urged
Independent broadcaster urges Myanmar to release 17 of its video journalists detained there
Journalists in Burma call for relaxation of censorship
Fourth NLD charity school opens in Pegu Region
Arrested for possession of document on reconcilliation
A military dictatorship in all but name
Myanmar president pledges to work for best of nation with advisory board
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Bangkok Post
US lawmakers want urgent UN probe on Burma

Published: 4/05/2011 at 02:31 AM
Online news: Asia

US lawmakers called Tuesday on President Barack Obama to show greater urgency in setting up a UN probe into alleged war crimes in Burma, saying that widespread abuses were going unpunished.

Myanmar guards of honour parade during a ceremony marking the country's 64th Union Day anniversary in the capital Naypyidaw on February 12. US lawmakers called on President Barack Obama to show greater urgency in setting up a UN probe into alleged war crimes in Myanmar, saying that widespread abuses were going unpunished.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in August last year that the United States would support a UN commission of inquiry, which could lead to charges against the military-backed regime in the country also known as Burma.

But activists say that the Obama administration's backing has only been rhetorical, with some policymakers believing that there is not yet enough global support for a probe amid certain opposition by Burma's ally China.

In a letter to Obama, 31 members of the House of Representatives said that "the military regime's continuous egregious crimes against humanity continues" which "requires a renewed sense of urgency."

"We believe the time has come to once and for all make this happen," they wrote.

"We strongly urge you to redouble United States efforts, at the highest levels, to establish the commission," the letter said.

The letter was led by lawmakers including Representative Joe Crowley, a member of Obama's Democratic Party from New York who is active on Burma, and Representative Don Manzullo, a Republican from Illinois who heads the East Asia subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

The letter pointed to a January report by the Physicians for Human Rights group, which found mass rape against ethnic minority women and said more than 90 percent of families in Chin state reported at least one relative forced into labor.

The Obama administration in 2009 launched an engagement drive with Burma, saying that Western efforts to isolate the regime had failed.

The administration has said it has been disappointed by the results but plans to continue talks, seeing no better alternative. http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/235290/us-lawmakers-want-urgent-un-probe-on-burma
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Myanmar war crime probe urged
Channel NewsAsia
Posted: 04 May 2011 0415 hrs

WASHINGTON: US lawmakers on Tuesday called on President Barack Obama to show greater urgency in setting up a UN probe into alleged war crimes in Myanmar, saying that widespread abuses were going unpunished.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in August last year that the United States would support a UN commission of inquiry, which could lead to charges against the military-backed regime in the country also known as Burma.

But activists say that the Obama administration's backing has only been rhetorical, with some policymakers believing that there is not yet enough global support for a probe amid certain opposition by Myanmar's ally China.

In a letter to Obama, 31 members of the House of Representatives said that "the military regime's continuous egregious crimes against humanity continues" which "requires a renewed sense of urgency."

"We believe the time has come to once and for all make this happen," they wrote.

"We strongly urge you to redouble United States efforts, at the highest levels, to establish the commission," the letter said.

The letter was led by lawmakers including Representative Joe Crowley, a member of Obama's Democratic Party from New York who is active on Myanmar, and Representative Don Manzullo, a Republican from Illinois who heads the East Asia subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

The letter pointed to a January report by the Physicians for Human Rights group, which found mass rape against ethnic minority women and said more than 90 per cent of families in Chin state reported at least one relative forced into labour.

The Obama administration in 2009 launched an engagement drive with Myanmar, saying that Western efforts to isolate the regime had failed.

The administration has said it has been disappointed by the results but plans to continue talks, seeing no better alternative.

-AFP/wk http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/1126618/1/.html
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Foreign minister denies Myanmar purchasing arms from RI
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 05/04/2011 7:35 PM | National

Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa said Wednesday that he was not aware of a plan for arms procurement by Myanmar from Indonesia’s state-owned arms producer PT Pindad.

“I’m not aware of a plan by any particular entity to sell arms to Myanmar or any other country,” he told The Jakarta Post.

He also said that arms purchases and sales were a sensitive issue to discuss.

“There are standards and norms that must be respected and I’m sure it applies equally to our relationship with Myanmar,” Marty said. (swd) http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/05/04/foreign-minister-denies-myanmar-purchasing-arms-ri.html
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Myanmar war crime probe urged
Posted: 04 May 2011 0415 hrs

WASHINGTON: US lawmakers on Tuesday called on President Barack Obama to show greater urgency in setting up a UN probe into alleged war crimes in Myanmar, saying that widespread abuses were going unpunished.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in August last year that the United States would support a UN commission of inquiry, which could lead to charges against the military-backed regime in the country also known as Burma.

But activists say that the Obama administration's backing has only been rhetorical, with some policymakers believing that there is not yet enough global support for a probe amid certain opposition by Myanmar's ally China.

In a letter to Obama, 31 members of the House of Representatives said that "the military regime's continuous egregious crimes against humanity continues" which "requires a renewed sense of urgency."

"We believe the time has come to once and for all make this happen," they wrote.

"We strongly urge you to redouble United States efforts, at the highest levels, to establish the commission," the letter said.

The letter was led by lawmakers including Representative Joe Crowley, a member of Obama's Democratic Party from New York who is active on Myanmar, and Representative Don Manzullo, a Republican from Illinois who heads the East Asia subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

The letter pointed to a January report by the Physicians for Human Rights group, which found mass rape against ethnic minority women and said more than 90 per cent of families in Chin state reported at least one relative forced into labour.

The Obama administration in 2009 launched an engagement drive with Myanmar, saying that Western efforts to isolate the regime had failed.

The administration has said it has been disappointed by the results but plans to continue talks, seeing no better alternative.

-AFP/wk http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/1126618/1/.html
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Independent broadcaster urges Myanmar to release 17 of its video journalists detained there
The Canadian PressBy Todd Pitman, The Associated Press | The Canadian Press – Wed, 4 May, 2011

BANGKOK - An independent news broadcaster urged Myanmar on Wednesday to release 17 of its journalists detained there, saying the Southeast Asian nation remains as repressive as ever despite an official transition to civilian rule.

The Norway-based Democratic Voice of Burma, which has aired rare news video from Myanmar for years, said its video reporters had been detained every year since 2007, when the military junta launched a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.

The country, formerly known as Burma, has been ruled by the military since 1962. In March, the junta officially disbanded to hand power to a nominally civilian government dominated by key figures from the military regime.

"The ongoing incarceration of journalists, who are among the nearly 2,100 political prisoners in Burma, and the absence of any evidence that the government is moving to free them, are clear signs that little has changed since the ostensible end to military rule," DVB said in a statement.

The video, TV and radio broadcaster relies on an undercover network of dozens of journalists to transmit stories. In 2008, an award-winning documentary film called "Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country," followed the reporters' struggle.

David Mathieson, a Myanmar researcher for Human Rights Watch, said the repressive environment stoked fear in other reporters working in the country.

"What the authorities do is ... target a small number of journalists and throw them in prison with outrageous sentences as a message to the rest," Mathieson said. "There is a very clear line here that you cannot cross. Once you cross it, you get a punitive sentence."

DVB executive director Aye Chan Naing said the broadcaster's 17 journalists were among 25 media workers currently behind bars in Myanmar.

DVB reporter Hla Hla Win, for example, was jailed in 2009 and is serving a 27-year sentence after interviewing Buddhist monks near the anniversary of the 2007 uprising.

"Censorship is one the main priorities of the regime," said Naing. "They spend a lot of money controlling the media to get maximum impact from their own propaganda. Inevitably, independent journalists become their target." http://ca.news.yahoo.com/independent-media-group-calls-myanmars-government-release-17-092815401.html
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Journalists in Burma call for relaxation of censorship
By AHUNT PHONE MYAT
Published: 4 May 2011

On press freedom day media workers in Burma have urged the new government led by former general Thein Sein to relax the censorship laws imposed by the previous military junta [SPDC].

Journalists were calling on the new government to abolish the 1962 Printers and Publishers Registration Law and other censorship regulations laid down by the SPDC.

Ko Ko, secretary of Myanmar Writers and Journalists Association and chairperson of the recently formed Committee for Professional Conduct said: “Flourishing of the fourth pillar [journalism] is a necessary feature of a democratic system and we believe that the government including President Thein Sein, if looking to bring about a democratic system, would understand this.”

“We request [the government] to make this happen in practice.”

Veteran journalist Kyaw Yin Myint also petitioned the government for media freedom, pointing out that it would be a “real benefit” for the people.

“There should be a freedom to write something that poses no harm or threat to the people, the society or the government,” said Kyaw Yin Myint.

“I think by allowing it, there will be more positive outcomes than negative ones. The faster that freedom is granted, the better it will be for society.”

Ko Ko said although the main responsibility to do so lies with Information Ministry, other government departments need to change their habit of hostility towards the media.

“It would be hard to change a habit that has survived for so many years – it will take time,” he added.

“There should not only be a change of policy, but also a change of mind set for the people especially those in government departments.”

A news journal editor, under condition of anonymity, said there should be an appointment of clear procedures and regulations by the government.

“They should describe precisely what we are not allowed to write and also provide a reason when an item is rejected [by the censor board],” said the editor.

Burma’s legal system has been extremely vague so that not only is press freedom curtailed through pre-submitting copy but fear of irritating those in power is ubiquitous, with the government’s overarching control over the legal system used to detain or harass the journalist, with little or no recourse to a fair trial.

“Also, we should be allowed to question their scrutinising. By doing these, there will be more transparency to work,” added the editor.

The government recently announced that certain genres of publications would not be obliged to pre submit copy before publication, these include sports, children’s and supernatural. Conspicuous by its absence however, was political publications which will still need to be pre-submitted to the censor board. Typifying the perpetuation of censorship has been a ban on reporting on the debates or occurrences inside parliament, much to the ire of the few elected representatives in the various houses.

Whilst despite Thein Sein’s assertion that the media needed to be “respected” there has been little evidence that the harassment of journalists is ceasing, or that those journalists in jail will be released.

It was recently reported that a former army captain is awaiting trial under the electronics act, for mere possession of a document pertaining to the controversial Burmese topic of national reconciliation.

Burma is regularly ranked as one of the most draconian media environments on the planet with French media group, Reporters Sans Frontieres ranking Burma 171 out of 175 nations last year.

DVB has marked press freedom day by launching a campaign to free its 17 video journalists currently in jail.
http://www.dvb.no/news/journalist-in-burma-call-for-relaxation-of-censorship/15516
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Fourth NLD charity school opens in Pegu Region
Wednesday, 04 May 2011 12:24 Te Te

New Delhi (Mizzima) – A township branch of the National League for Democracy (NLD) has opened a free school for poor high school students in Taungoo in Pegu Region.

Students at Mom's Home, a free elementary school in Hlaingtharyar Township in Rangoon, sponsored by the NLD. Photo: Mizzima

Students at Mom's Home, a free elementary school in Hlaingtharyar Township in Rangoon, sponsored by the NLD. Photo: Mizzima
The school, which opened on Monday, was organized by NLD members, local residents and teachers as part of the NLD social network program which is reaching out to rural areas.

‘In our township, there are many poor students who cannot attend the government school or who cannot afford to pay for extra private tuition. So, we talked with retired teachers, private donors and area residents to open the free school’, Aung Soe Myint, a member of the NLD Tauugoo Township branch told Mizzima.

Currently, the classes are held in the party’s office in Aung Soe Myint’s home in Aungmingalar Ward.

Eight retired teachers have volunteered to work and more than 90 students in grade 9 and nearly 50 in grade 10 have registered to attend.

The students will study the syllabus of the government high school from Monday through Friday, and on weekends, they will study English. Later, the project will try to help outstanding students to attend an international school in Rangoon.

In Taungoo, many students rely on private tuition to obtain a better education but many parents cannot afford to pay, according to Aung Soe Myint.

‘Many teachers in government school shirk their responsibilities because they want the students to come to their private tutoring sessions’, he said. ‘Although I can understand their financial problems, they really overdo this business. So, if a student cannot afford to take private tutoring, they might have trouble passing the exams’, he said. The Ward Administration Office asked about the free school, but it has not created any obstacles, he said.

Residents donated chairs, fluorescent lights, electrical power inverters and batteries. To take more students, the school needs more classrooms.

In Rangoon, the total private tuition fee for a grade 10 student is about US $1,200 per year, said the mother of a student.

The NLD says it is trying to open more free schools with the help of its young activists’ social network.

‘During the military dictatorship, children did not receive good education and could not access a good health care system. Parents could not afford to pay the children’s tuition fees. On the other hand, there are many young people who want to volunteer in free charity schools, so with the help of the social network, we can open schools’, said Ohn Kyaing, a spokesman in Rangoon.

Currently, free schools run by local NLD branches include Mom’s Home school in Hlaingtharyar Township, the Baydar school in Sanchaung Township in Rangoon and the Myat Mikhin school in Sittwe in Arkan State.

The Baydar school provide courses in social relationships, world affairs, South East Asian Studies and basic English. Mom’s Home is a free elementary school that also provides a basic English course.

The national budget allocated to education is 4.57 percent; the military affairs budget is 30 percent. There are an estimated 410,000 schools and 8 million students in Burma, according to the Education Ministry.
http://www.mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/5217-fourth-nld-charity-school-opens-in-pegu-region.html
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Arrested for possession of document on reconcilliation
By AYE NAI
Published: 4 May 2011

A former army captain, Nay Myo Zin, arrested last month by the Burmese authorities has been charged with the Electronic Acts and transferred to Rangoon’s Insein Prison, according to his family.

Nay Myo Zin, a devoted charity worker and blood donor since his retirement from the army, was arrested by Burmese intelligence for no clear reason on 2 March.

His mother and wife were allowed to visit him at Insein prison yesterday and learnt that he is to appear at a hearing in a special court room inside the prison’s compounds on May 5.

Such trials are not nominally closed but in practice judges abrogate responsibility for admission to the trials to prison authorities who invariably favour the government prosecutor in barring admittance to family members and legal aid for the defendant and not presenting the defendant with the charges prior to the trial, a situation the Asian Human Rights Commission described as reducing the judicial system to; “non-sense and double speak“.

Zin Myo, wife of Nay Myo Zin alleges that the intelligence found a document on his computer that had something to do with national reconciliation which led him to face charges under the Electronic Acts.

“He didn’t do anything wrong or even rebel against the state. He didn’t do anything to harm the nation,” said Zin Myo.

“He welcomed the new government led by President Thein Sein and wished to work for national reconciliation. He said that was his only intention,” said Zin Myo.

His mother, Khin Thi said her son was in good health.

“Apparently, there was an email in his inbox regarding national reconciliation which he was going to send to a friend and that was all [the intelligence] found,” said Khin Thi.

“He said he missed his son and asked us to take care of him. We will bring the child to see his father on Monday next week.”

The family was allowed to visit him after they sent a letter to president Thein Sein whilst previous attempts to see him were denied by authorities following his arrest.

Aung Thein, former central court lawyer and now legal advisor in Rangoon says that the Electronics Act (33) was commonly used by the previous State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) government to persecute political activists and those being charged with it can face jail terms from 7 up to 15 years if found guilty.

“33(b) is used to charge those leaking the government’s secret laws and one maybe sentenced from 7 up to 15 years under that law,” said Aung Thein.

“A lot of people including [88 Generation Students leaders] Min Ko Naing and Ko Ko Gyi were charged and imprisoned under the law throughout in year 2008 [following 2007 monk-led protests.]”

National League for Democracy’s Legal Assistance Wing is preparing to provide legal aid for Nay Myo Zin in his trial.
http://www.dvb.no/news/arrested-for-possession-of-document-on-reconcilliation/15510
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A military dictatorship in all but name
Posted by New Internationalist Editorial |

Burma’s much-touted ‘roadmap to democracy’ is anything but, say Jody Williams and Tin Tin Nyo.

One could be forgiven for thinking that democracy is busting out all over Burma. After all, the military junta that runs the country is making a big show of handing over power to parliament, and declaring a victory for General Than Shwe’s much-touted ‘roadmap to democracy’.

The trouble is, as we all well know, real democracy is hard work and requires a lot more than a ‘roadmap’. It involves bothersome things like free and fair elections, respect for human rights and equality before the law. That’s why most people in Burma, including women and ethnic minorities, are not fooled by this superficial display of democracy in Burma.

Over 2,000 political prisoners languish in Burma’s prisons in abhorrent conditions. Ethnic communities live in fear as they roam the jungle night after night trying to avoid forced labour and execution. Girls and women are left to the mercy of military gangs as they are raped, mutilated and tortured. Children are snatched from their parents and forced to porter for soldiers or used as de-facto mine sweepers. Surely, this is not what democracy entails.

Burma’s fearless moral leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has repeatedly called for national reconciliation, a process in which the National League for Democracy, ethnic nationalities and the regime could engage in genuine dialogue. There are no indications that such dialogue is on the radar screen. Instead, an inclusive political process remains elusive and human rights abuses continue unabated, especially in ethnic areas.

The elections in November 2010 were neither free nor fair, so it has come as little surprise that the ‘new’ parliament looks like the old military government. Its leadership includes ex-general Thein Sein, the head of the main pro-military party and a dependable ally of general Than Shwe. Recently the Economic Intelligence Unit put it succinctly: ‘The country remains a military dictatorship in all but name.’

Oddly, though, many countries are willing to overlook the lack of real change. Some democratic countries, like India and Germany, took Aung San Suu Kyi’s release from house arrest last November as a sign that it was time to relax the international community’s efforts to bring about change in Burma.

The sad truth is that Aung San Suu Kyi is not free.

Only three months after her release, a commentary in the state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper threatened that ‘if Daw Suu Kyi and her party keep going the wrong way… they will meet their tragic ends’. And after months of silence, Burmese officials have still not granted the six Nobel Laureates who have continuously supported Aung San Suu Kyi visas to visit their sister Laureate in Rangoon. This is not an oversight. It is a clear signal that the government perceives Aung San Suu Kyi’s work with international activists a threat to the status quo.

Meanwhile, Burma is violating international laws standards on a daily basis, and there is little indication that this is going to change anytime soon. The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Tomas Ojea Quintana, certainly recognizes this reality. At the most recent Human Rights Council session in April he reiterated his recommendation to establish a UN Commission of Inquiry in Burma.

Such an action has strong support from women of Burma.

Representing thousands of other women, last year 12 courageous women of Burma travelled to New York City to testify in front of an international tribunal, and describe the atrocities they have suffered under the Burmese military. They believed that their testimonies, which according to their own words are ‘normal stories inside Burma’, would provide the basis for the establishment of a UN Commission of Inquiry.

It is sad to see that a year later, the international community has not matched these women’s courage. This is not the dawn of a new era in Burma; it is just business as usual. With the military steadfast in their power, women and ethnic communities of Burma will continue to suffer the same atrocities at the hands of the new ‘civilian’ regime.

It is time for the international community to demonstrate that we are as committed to the people of Burma as we are to pro-democracy movements in Libya. It is time for concrete actions. The establishment of a Commission of Inquiry can no longer be delayed as it has more potential for a roadmap to democracy than any military blueprint could ever have.

Jody Williams received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 for her work on banning landmines, and is the Chair of the Nobel Women’s Initiative. Tin Tin Nyo is the General Secretary of the Women’s League of Burma. http://www.newint.org/blog/2011/05/04/burma-military-dictatorship/
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Myanmar president pledges to work for best of nation with advisory board
11:14, May 04, 2011

Myanmar has formed a nine-member advisory board to the president U Thein Sein, who pledged to work for the best of the nation with the advice presented by the board.

The introduction of the advisory board on political, economic and legal affairs came a month after the newly elected president's cabinet was sworn in to office on March 30 with a commitment to good and clean governance.

The advisory board dealing with political affairs include three noted persons -- U Ko Ko Hlaing, Dr. Nay Zin Latt and U Ye Tint, all of whom are noted for their past experiences on the political arena, local media said.

U Ko Ko Hlaing stands as current vice chairman of the Myanmar Writers and Journalists Association and a presenter with Myanmar Radio and Television-4 and FM Radio on international affairs. He is also a retired colonel.

Dr. Nay Zin Latt is known as a famous writer with weekly journals commenting on international affairs and widely accepted by the public. He is also secretary of the Myanmar Hoteliers' Association. U Ye Tint is a former editor-in-chief of the "Mirror" daily.

The advisory board handling economic affairs comprise of economists Dr. U Myint, U Sat Maung and Dr. Tin Hla Bo, while the legal affairs team is made up of retired police chief U Sit Aye and Daw Khin Myo Myint and U Than Kyaw.

It is assigned to study the current domestic and international affairs, taking lessons from their events and submit to the president advice that may benefit the nation, local media reported.

Since assuming office on March 30, the Myanmar new president has been putting hope on creating good governance and clean government in the course of building a modern, developed and democratic nation.

It was expressed in his series of speeches delivered to his government cabinet and union-level organizations.

U Thein Sein stressed the need to follow some policies in implementing the final step of the seven-step roadmap, laid down by the previous government to shape a modern, developed and democratic nation.

He emphasized the utmost importance for the administrative bodies to be transparent, accountable and consistent with the constitution and the existing laws in carrying out their works, while respecting the people's wishes and ensuring all inclusiveness.

He also stressed the importance of discipline, democratic system and rule of law.

He called for respecting the role of the media which is to inform the people what they should know and appreciating positive suggestions from the media.

He warned that "if the administrative mechanism guarantees the people's life security and civil servants treat the people fairly, and the people lead a peaceful life under the protection of the law, the constitution that shapes the administrative mechanism will be reliable."

Noting that Myanmar is not a rich country yet, U Thein Sein pointed out that "there are still people whose life is a battle against poverty, whose life is a hand-to-mouth existence and many unemployed people."

In order to become a clean government, U Thein Sein stressed refraining from corruption and bribery which he said would tarnish the image of the nation and the people.

He also stressed the importance of the cabinet's first five years' term in running the government, believing that if a giant step is taken, the nation will have a prosperous future.

He emphasized the need to create job opportunities for everyone in the market economy system and levy tax so that contribution will be made to the growth of the gross domestic product (GDP).

Assuring free engagement in cultivation and trade under law with more restrictions to be lifted, the president stressed the need to manipulate the market with rules and laws, urging the people to work on a self-reliant basis for socio-economic development instead of relying solely on the government.

Source: Xinhua http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90851/7369334.html

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