News & Articles on Burma-Thursday, 21 July, 2011-UZL

News & Articles on Burma
Thursday, 21 July, 2011
----------------------------------------
Authorities Distribute Wanted Posters for Burma Bomb Suspects
Former Spy Chief Hits Hard Times
Is Burma attempting to colonize Kachin state?
‘We will not fight a defensive war for a long time’
US renews sanctions, urges pressure
Burmese troops close in on Laiza
One new political party granted for set-up in Myanmar
A martyr’s son remembers Burma’s independence heroes
Myanmar set to privatize Yangon commuter train
Burmese Army to start full-scale offensive against Kachin minority
GMS travel show to be held in Myanmar ancient city
-------------------------------------------------




Authorities Distribute Wanted Posters for Burma Bomb Suspects
By THE IRRAWADDY Thursday, July 21, 2011

The Burmese government has put up wanted posters in public places in Burma’s major cities that identify seven people suspected of involvement in June bomb attacks in Mandalay, Pyin Oo Lwin and Naypyidaw

The posters, which include the names and photographs of the suspects, were placed in train stations, hotels and other public places in the downtown areas of cities such as Rangoon, Mandalay, the national capital Naypyidaw, and the Kachin State capital Myitkyina.

The seven suspects included three ethnic Shan: Shin Mwe Hla, Sai Sam and Sai Aik.

An official from the Special Branch Police in Rangoon told The Irrawaddy on Thursday that the four other suspects—Amy Kyaw, Kyaw Thiha, Thet Htun and Aung Ko Ko (aka Ko Ko Naing)—are members of the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF), a Burmese armed opposition group.

However, Salai Yaw Aung, a committee member of the ABSDF, said, “None of our members have names like those mentioned by the Burmese authorities. The government probably wants to increase security forces in the cities, and they are using this announcement to do so.”

He also said that the ABSDF was not involved in any bomb blasts that hurt members of the public.

The Burmese authorities asked civilians to report any information they had about the posted suspects to local police stations or call Naypyidaw by using phone numbers such as 067 21790 and 067 24061.

In June, explosions hit Naypyidaw, the country's second-largest city of Mandalay and the town of Pyin Oo Lwin, in the first major series of bombings since Burma’s new government took power in March.

In mid-June, Burmese and Chinese police conducted searches of ethnic Shan hotels on the Sino-Burma border, said local residents. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21737
----------------------------------------------
Former Spy Chief Hits Hard Times
By WAI MOE Thursday, July 21, 2011

Gen Khin Nyunt was once one of most powerful men in military-ruled Burma, acting as the ruling junta's spy chief and secretary-1 and the country's prime minister.

These days, however, the he finds himself under house arrest, reduced to requesting the release of family members and selling orchids to make ends meet, following his ouster and a purge of his intelligence officers and their colleagues seven years ago.

According to current and former Burmese official sources, the former spy chief asked senior junta leaders, Snr-Gen Than Shwe and Vice Snr-Gen Maung Aye, in early 2011 to ease restrictions on his family members, including his wife Khin Win Shwe, and allow them to engage in normal economic activities even though he himself is under house arrest.

He also asked the junta in Naypyidaw to reconsider its treatment of his two sons, Ye Naing Win and Lt-Col Zaw Naing Oo, and son-in-law Tin Htut, who have been in prison since October 2004, when the Burmese army cracked down on military intelligence officers under Khin Nyunt's command.

Khin Nyunt’s request to the top generals via the Ministry of Home Affairs came before President Thein Sein’s new administration was formed at the end of March.

The deposed general reportedly addressed his request to his “former colleagues or comrades.”

Sources said he also told the junta leaders that now that he has turned 70, his heath is worsening day by day. He said he spends his time engaged in religious activities and wants to use his last days enjoying a “peace family life.”

But the sources said his family seems to be in dire financial straits, struggling even to send his grandchildren to school and forced to earn extra income by selling orchids grown at their residential compound on Nawaday Street in Rangoon's Bogyoke Aung San Market.

The former No 3 in Burma’s power hierarchy from 1988 to 2004 was quoted by sources as telling the junta leaders that the family was making only a small amount of money from selling orchids, and could not even cover its expenses, which are partly supported by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Khin Nyunt's brother-in-law Than Nyein, a former political prisoner and the chairman of the National Democratic Force, told The Irrawaddy on Thursday that he didn't know anything about the former spy chief and his family because their political paths diverged long ago.

“But my sister [Khin Win Shwe] plants orchids as a hobby,” Than Nyein said, adding that his sister hasn't been allowed to visit their 96-year-old mother since October 2004. According to sources, Khin Nyunt asked his former junta colleagues to grant his wife permission to make a family visit to see her mother.

Following the crackdown on Khin Nyunt and the Directorate of Defense Services Intelligence (DDSI) in October 2004, all property belonging to intelligence officers was seized and some relatives of senior intelligence officers were arrested and imprisoned.

In Khin Nyunt's case, his entire family was detained, including his wife, sons, daughter and son-in-law.

Bagan Cyber Tech, a company run by Khin Nyunt’s son, Ye Naing Win, was seized, while Sunny Swe, son of intelligence officer Brig-Gen Thein Swe and a close associate of Ye Naing Win, was forced to transfer his stake in The Myanmar Times, a weekly newspaper, to the Ministry of Information.

In April 2005, Khin Nyunt and dozens of his aides, including former Foreign Minister Win Aung and former Secretary-3 Lt-Gen Win Myint, were sentenced to up to 160 years in prison on corruption charges. Win Aung died in Insein Prison in April 2009 while he was serving a long jail term.

In November 2010, a video showing Khin Nyunt being taken from his home to a guesthouse in Insein Prison soon after his ouster was leaked and appeared on the Internet. In the video, Khin Nyunt told then police chief Brig-Gen Khin Yi and other officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs that since he started his detention, he had to cut his hair by himself.

When a number of imprisoned intelligence officers were released in June of this year, nearly seven years after the crackdown on Khin Nyunt and the DDSI, some Burmese observers speculated that Khin Nyunt might also be released soon.

“Seven years is not a big thing to consider. He [Khin Nyunt] has no problem with U Than Shwe and U Thein Sein,” said Phone Win, the director of a Burmese NGO, Minglar Myanmar, who ran as an independent candidate in last year's election. “Therefore he could be released soon.”

Phone Win added the recent release of former intelligence officers seemed to based more on humanitarian considerations than anything else.“The current rulers do not need them,” he said, ruling out the possibility that the new government might want to recruit their services.

However, a Naypyidaw source said he thought that it was unlikely that Khin Nyunt and his family would be released in the near future.

The junta leaders discussed the possible release of Khin Nyunt before the new administration came into office in late March, but the move, proposed by Vice Snr-Gen Maung Aye, was rejected by Snr-Gen Than Shwe, he said.

http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21736
------------------------------------------
Is Burma attempting to colonize Kachin state?
By Zin Linn Jul 21, 2011 10:53PM UTC

The fighting between Burma’s armed forces and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) increased soon after the Kachin people abandoned new ceasefire talks with the government at Laiza on July 12 and 13.

All at once, the war has gradually broadened in three main areas in Kachin State, the Sinbo area in Mohnyin Township, Manmaw (Bhamo) District and Waingmaw Township, referring local people Kachin News Group said.

On July 16, when government troops tried to penetrate into Laiza, the KIA’s restricted area, the fighting broke out. It was the largest battle of the week, said the Kachin News Group’s reporter in Laiza.

KIA captured seven Burmese soldiers, including a captain after two days of fighting at Hka Ya, near the Kachin headquarters at Laiza, in Burma’s Northern Kachin State. The captive soldiers are from Infantry Battalion No. 21, based in Myitkyina. They were captured with 19 weapons, including two machine guns, a 60 mm mortar and the main military communication device, according to KIA officials in Laiza.

Fighting has happened in another location in Kachin State close to the Shan State border since July 16, a local resident said. A Burmese Army deputy battalion commander and three soldiers were killed during the conflict with the KIA in Manje Township, in Manmaw District, in Kachin State, KIA officials said.

The Burmese soldiers were from the Light Infantry Battalion No. 348 based in Mong Mit. They were killed during fighting with the KIA Battalion 12, led by Major Zau Gam, which is based in Manje (Mansi) Township, southern Manmaw (Bhamo) District, according to KIA officials in Laiza headquarters. The KIA also captured three guns carried by dead soldiers, KIA officials said.

A KIA soldier was killed yesterday by Burmese troops led by the dead-deputy commander, after the KIA fighter was captured with his gun, according to KIA Battalion 12.

Besides, the Burmese government has been driving a wedge into ethnic factions. The government deploys quite a lot of Kachin soldiers from pro-government militias and its Border Guard Force (BGF), in the civil war against the KIA in Kachin State and Northern Shan State, sources from Kachin militias and the BGF said.

Sixty militiamen from the Rebellion Resistance Force (RRF), based in Hkawng-lang-hpu, in Puta-O District, led by Tanggu Dang, a.k.a. Ah Dang, have been deployed to KIA strongholds near the China border, in eastern Kachin State, since June, sources close to the militia group said.

According to sources close to the Burmese Army, the Burmese government is going to start a full-blown maneuver against the minority Kachin army in the country’s north after losing recent battles.

Burmese troops are currently in action in eight townships – Mohnyin, Myitkyina, Waimaw (Waingmaw), N’mawk (Momauk), Manje (Mansi), Sumprabum, Hpakant and Danai – said KIA officials in Laiza headquarters.

The KIA’s 4th Brigade and its five battalions are based in Muse, Kutkai and Lashio In Northern Shan State. Burmese troop has been reinforcing significantly in KIA 4th Brigade’s area since early July, as said by local witnesses.

In Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State, tanks and war planes are preparing for the offensive against the KIA, which has bases around Kachin State and Northern Shan State, said Myitkyina residents. Fuel, arms and ammunition have been stockpiled at the Northern Regional Military Command, according to local military observers.

According to Burmese military sources, on July 18, high level military summit was held in Naypyidaw, Burma’s capital, followed by a regional military meeting at Northern Regional Command, in Myitkyina, the next day.

The key agenda of discussion in the two meetings concentrated on the offensive against the KIA and all remaining minority armed groups which rejected transforming into the government-controlled Border Guard Force (BGF), added the sources. It was alleged that the war plan was ordered by two top military leaders, Senior General Than Shwe and Vice-Senior Maung Aye.

In hope of setting up political dialogue, the KIO signed a ceasefire agreement with the then junta on February 24, 1994 and supported the military-favored 2008 constitution. However, no political dialogue happened in the 17-year ceasefire time and the KIO was squeezed transforming into the government-controlled Border Guard Force (BGF) before the November 7 election.

The latest series of armed clashes in Kachin state have prompted observers to believe that purposeful war in the border regions may not be avoidable.

The Thein Sein government seems to be unenthusiastic to end political and civil contradictions in ethnic regions. So, it is clear that Thein Sein government is not heading toward democracy. Instead it is attempting to colonize the ethnic states ferociously. http://asiancorrespondent.com/60620/is-burma-attempting-to-colonize-kachin-state/
----------------------------------------------
‘We will not fight a defensive war for a long time’
Wednesday, 20 July 2011 15:33 Mizzima News

(Interview) – Since July 11, fierce fighting has begun in Shan State between Shan State Army-North (SSA-N) and government troops. The battle lines has moved closer to the headquarters of the Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP), the political wing of the SSA-N, and thousands of villagers have fled for safety. Mizzima reporter Kyaw Kha interviewed SSPP Central Committee member Major Sai Hla on the current situation.

Question: What’s the status of the war now?

A: The battle is getting fiercer. Our Wan Hai HQ security forces had four clashes on Tuesday with government troops that were approaching our HQ at locations in Kyethi and Mongyai townships. The first clash was fought near Wan Mu village in Kyethi Township, only five miles northwest of our HQ. The second clash was fought in Pan Se village, eight miles northwest of Kyethi. The third clash was fought on the Mongyai-Wan Hai-Mong Hsu Highway eight miles east of Mongyai. The final clash was fought around Nam Phu Pha Lan village, south of Mongyai.

We are fighting with government troops under the command of Military Operations Command (MOC) No. 2 in Kyethi Township; and in Mongyai Township we are fighting with troops under the command of the Northeast Regional Command. Our Wan Hai forces are in a defensive position around our HQ.

Q: You say fighting is fierce. Both sides are using heavy weapons in this battle, right?

A: Their ground forces also use small arms in the battle and they are using heavy weapons such as 120 mm and 81 mm mortars. We are in defensive battle now. We also used heavy weapons such as 60 mm mortars and 57 mm recoilless rifles in the four clashes on Tuesday.

Q: You say the government troops are approaching your Wan Hai HQ. Do they want to overrun the HQ?

A: Their regional commander Aung Than Htut has given an order to overrun the Wan Hai HQ within one week starting July 16. Now it has been three days and they have not yet taken our position. We will defend our position as much as we can, but we will not fight a defensive war for a long time, say for months. We never fight like that. It’s not beneficial for us.

Q: How about the casualties on both sides in the battle?

A: Some artillery shells fell into villages so both sides may have casualties, but we do not know the exact casualty figures at the moment.

We have already told all the local villagers to flee from the danger zone starting July 16-17. Most of the villages are in Kyethi Township. We told more than 20 villages close to our Wan Hai HQ to flee from the area. They are now hiding in the forests. And also we instructed about 500 households in Wan Hai to move to safer places. About 1,000 villagers have already fled from the war zone. That’s all. Some big villages have about 100 villagers. Some have just 7 to 80 villagers.

Q: Where are the refugees located? Do they have access to relief organizations? Are they getting any help?

A: They fled to areas that they think will be safe from the ongoing battles. They are hiding in the forests, valleys and on their farms but not many people are at the same place. They are in groups of just 5 to 10 people in each hiding place. They have no access to any relief organizations and no one comes to help them. They have to manage for themselves for their daily meals. At this time, no one can get to these war refugees. They have to leave their homes, cattle and farms behind and flee to their hiding places. If their farms lie fallow this cultivation season, they will face starvation next year.

Q: In Kachin State, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) helps the war refugees by providing shelter and relief supplies at refugee camps. Why doesn’t the SSA-N provide such assistance to your people in times of war?

A: The KIO has base camps on the border so it can create refugee camps, but we are in a guerilla war and our bases are encircled by enemy troops. We have only limited room to maneuver. Government troops have issued orders to their troops to arrest all Shan males found in this war zone.

Some of them come to us for refuge. We cannot help many refugees. They become a burden for us. So we tell them to flee to a safe haven on their own. The refugees have to struggle by themselves. http://www.mizzima.com/edop/interview/5634-we-will-not-fight-a-defensive-war-for-a-long-time.html
------------------------------------------
US renews sanctions, urges pressure
By AFP
Published: 21 July 2011

The US House of Representatives on Wednesday approved renewal of sanctions on Burma first passed in 2003 in response to alleged rights violations and failure to adopt democratic reforms.

Lawmakers adopted the measure by voice vote.

The annual legislation, which has passed easily in Congress in the past, bans the import of goods from Burma, including lucrative gems, and restricts visas issued to government officials.

Democratic Representative Joe Crowley, a key author of the measure, said such legislation sent Burma’s people the message that Washington is “an ally in their struggle for human rights”.

It also sends “a clear signal to others around the world that the US will not turn a blind eye to crimes against humanity,” Crowley said in a statement.

President Barack Obama earlier in May extended a separate set of sanctions that bar US investment in Burma.

The US Senate was expected to approve a companion measure as soon as it won approval from the chamber’s finance committee, sending the legislation to Obama to sign into law.

“We should be doing all we can to expand these sanctions into an even greater multilateral effort to support the Burmese people,” said Crowley, who accused Burma’s rulers of “carrying out crimes against humanity.”

“The sooner these abuses are investigated, the sooner they will end,” he said.
http://www.dvb.no/news/us-renews-sanctions-urges-pressure/16657
------------------------------------
Burmese troops close in on Laiza
By DVB
Published: 21 July 2011

A column of Burmese soldiers have reportedly reached a village close to the headquarters of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in a sign that the group’s grip on its territory in northern Burma may be weakening.

Locals in Nalon have fled four miles to the town of Laiza, the home of the KIA, after hundreds of soldiers yesterday flooded the village. A resident of Nalon said that troops had tried to sow disquiet among the population of the village, which is made up of ethnic Shan and Kachin.

“A Burmese army column from Talawgyi, estimated to be about 50 to 100-strong, has arrived in Nalon and they are inciting division among the ethnics,” he said. “They were telling the Shan not to trust the Kachin as they were providing information [to the KIA] via mobile phones and warned them to inform the army when they see someone using a phone.”

Concerns have also mounted that additional troops were being deployed to an outpost at Lajaryang, and that an attack on Laiza is drawing close.

Another Burmese column travelling from the Kachin state capital of Myitkyina has reached Dabatyang village, around 30 miles from Laiza. The KIA has troops stationed in a village around two miles from Dabatyang, and locals there fear fighting may be imminent.

Intense clashes have erupted across areas of Kachin state over the past two months, forcing thousands of refugees to Laiza and into China. Refusals from a multitude of armed ethnic groups to become government-controlled Border Guard Forces have engulfed parts of Burma’s northern and eastern border regions in violence.

Colonel Zau Raw, commander of the KIA’s Shan state-based Battalion 4, told The Irrawaddy Magazine yesterday that the Burmese army would launch an assault on Laiza before the end of the week.

The KIA last week captured five Burmese army personnel, including two officers, following an exchange of fire between the two sides on the highway connecting Myitkyina to Bhamo, where the Kachin army has a strong presence.

The Kachin Women’s Association of Thailand (KWAT) issued a statement on 19 July saying that 16,000 refugees sheltering in makeshift camps along the China-Burma border are “urgently in need of aid”.

“A humanitarian crisis is looming in Kachin State,” said KWAT spokesperson Shirley Seng. “We need concerted international pressure, particularly from China, to force the regime to implement a nationwide ceasefire before it is too late.”

The same group has documented the rape of 32 women and girls by Burmese troops since fighting began on 9 June.
http://www.dvb.no/news/burmese-troops-close-in-on-laiza/16666
-----------------------------------
One new political party granted for set-up in Myanmar
13:51, July 21, 2011

One new political party, the People 's Democracy Party (PDP), has been granted by the Myanmar Union Election Commission for establishment, official media reported Thursday.

The establishment of the 16-member political party, inclusive of Dr. Than Htaik Oo, in Myanmar's post election has brought the total number of political parties in the country to 38.

In the Nov. 7, 2010 multi-party general election held across Myanmar's seven regions and seven ethnic states, 37 political parties including 82 independents took part and 1,154 candidates out of over 3,000 representing political parties in the contest were elected as parliamentary representatives at three levels.

Besides the 1,154 elected parliamentary representatives, 388 or 25 percent were directly nominated by the military, bringing the total of the parliamentary representatives to 1,542.

The 659 union parliament representatives (house of representatives and house of nationalities) were made up of 493 elected ones and 166 or 25 percent directly nominated military ones.

Of the 493 elected parliamentary house of representatives and house of nationalities, 388 came mainly from the majority winning Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), led by then Prime Minister U Thein Sein, 17 from the National Unity Party (NUP), 21 from The Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP), 16 from the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party (RNDP) and 12 from the National Democratic Force (NDF).

In the presidential election held at the first session of the union parliament on Feb. 4 as a follow-up of the general election, U Thein Sein won the presidency and U Tin Aung Myint Oo and Dr. Sai Mauk Kham as vice presidents. All of the three represent the USDP.

The new government, led by President U Thein Sein, assumed office on March 30, 2011.

Source:Xinhua http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90851/7447397.html
---------------------------------------
A martyr’s son remembers Burma’s independence heroes
Wednesday, 20 July 2011 12:03 Ko Pauk

(Interview) – People should study the history of the Burmese independence struggle, says the son of Ba Win, one of the assassinated fallen martyrs. Prime Minister of the exile National Coalition Government of Union of Burma (NCGUB), Dr. Sein Win is the fifth of Ba Win’s siblings and a nephew of assassinated hero General Aung San. He was elected in the 1990 general election as a representative of the National Democracy Party. He became the prime minister of the NCGUB in December 1990 and now lives in Washington D.C. Mizzima reporter Ko Pauk interviewed Sein Win on the occasion of the 64th anniversary of Martyrs’ Day.

Dr. Sin Win, son of Ba Win, one of the assassinated Burmese martyrs Photo: Mizzima

Dr. Sin Win, son of Ba Win, one of the assassinated Burmese martyrs. Photo: Mizzima
Question: Does your family plan to lay a wreath at the Marytrs’ Mausoleum in Rangoon?

Answer: I’m not sure. My mother has died and my elder brothers are old now. I think some of them will visit the mausoleum and lay a wreath there but it will not be like in the past, when our entire family visited there. I offered alms at a monastery this morning for the fallen martyrs.

Q: When was your last visit to the mausoleum?

A: I visited almost every year, but in 1989 they made some restrictions by ordering us to visit the mausoleum under their arrangement not by our own family plan. So I didn’t visit that year. At that time, the political parties wanted to visit by marching in procession. They didn’t allow this plan and ordered us to follow their plan. It made for a confrontation between them and us.

Q: What are your thoughts about Burma on this Memorial Day?

A: I was only three at that time. I cannot remember all these things. They are like a dream. My feelings are not that different from the people. I knew about the martyrs through books like other ordinary people. When I grew up, I saw the helter-skelter situation and the chaos in my country, the people suffering and the troubles.

Q: You’re proud of your father’s role in the birth of the country?

A: I am proud of all of them. There were many more people who struggled and sacrificed for the independence of the country at that time. Soldiers and army officers were among those patriotic people. They shared all the happiness and woes of the people in this struggle. I am proud of them for this. I am very proud of the independence struggle of our country.

Q: How much did Burma lose with the deaths of these martyrs?

A: They lost their lives while they were working for the good of the country. They were planning to rebuild our country after regaining independence. They were discussing what would be our country’s goals and its future, what to do for the welfare of the people. They were assassinated at this precious time and at this very important moment. You can compare the state of our country now with other neighbouring countries such as Thailand and Malaysia. We must study and sum up the political, economic and social situations of these countries. It’s not enough to pay homage to the fallen martyrs only on this day. We must study and sum up how we can follow the goals, programmes and democratic aspirations they adopted for the country.

Q: What is your definition of a martyr?

A: The first point I’d like to talk about is General Aung San. Since his adulthood, he devoted all his life to the independence struggle and sacrificed his life for the cause of this struggle. He lived modestly and simply. His motto was independence is first, independence is second, and independence is third. He achieved many things, for instance, the Panglong Agreement. So this is a martyr. After reaching the Panglong Agreement with the ethnic people, our independence struggle was very close to a final victory. I feel proud when I see the nine martyrs are never forgotten by the people who pay homage to them to this day.

Q: Have you noticed any change in attitude of the successive regimes on Martyrs’ Day?

A: Yes, I noticed it. As a family member of a martyr, we offered alms to the monks every year on this day. We laid wreaths at the mausoleum. We met our friends there too. We know that the situation has changed. In 1962, General Ne Win visited the mausoleum in person and laid a wreath. In that year, many students were shot to death by the military on July 7. They made a grand exhibition about General Aung San that year in honour of him to win back the people’s support and to console the people. Who came and laid wreatsh this year, in 2011? Who in the government came this year? They downgraded the protocol of this occasion year by year. It’s nonsense.

By doing so, they tarnish our country’s image and dignity. Our people pay respect to whoever deserves it. They tried to destroy all these traditions. Some of the new generation do not know about these things. Who worked for independence? Who played what role? They don’t know about these things. The current regime had nothing to do with the independence struggle. They didn’t play any role in the struggle. They know about the martyrs well. Now they are trying to destroy all this history. The path they are taking is wrong. They are oppressing and destroying the people’s lives and property rather than protecting and defending them. They are persecuting the people. The war is raging in ethnic areas. They are persecuting the common people who have nothing to do with this civil war. The path they are taking is the opposite of the path laid down by General Aung San.

I’d like to urge the new generation and everyone else to study the history of the Burmese independence struggle and the history of our country. They need to understand the story of our country. http://www.mizzima.com/edop/interview/5633-a-martyrs-son-remembers-burmas-independence-heroes.html
--------------------------------------------
Myanmar set to privatize Yangon commuter train
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published:July 21, 2011, 7:34 AM
Updated: July 21, 2011, 7:40 AM

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) - The main commuter rail service providing cheap transport in Myanmar's biggest city is to be privatized.

The state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper ran an advertisement Thursday inviting parties interested in operating the service to contact the Ministry of Railway Transportation.

The junta that took over Myanmar in 1988 has moved to liberalize its once-socialist economy, with privatization accelerating in recent years. State-owned enterprises, buildings, fuel stations and wharves were auctioned off last year.

The railway ministry operates the train service on a loop connecting downtown Yangon with satellite towns and suburban areas. Tickets cost 20 kyat (about 3 cents) per trip, with 21 trains running 200 loops daily to serve about 100,000 commuters.
http://www.buffalonews.com/business/24-hour-business-news/article495975.ece
-------------------------------------------
Burmese Army to start full-scale offensive against Kachin minority
Created on Wednesday, 20 July 2011 07:00

KIA troops prepare for offensive of Burmese troops in Waingmaw township, eastern Kachin State. Photo: Kachin News Group
The military-backed Burmese government is going to start a full-scale offensive against the minority Kachin army in the country’s north after losing recent battles, sources close to the Burmese Army said.

In Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State, tanks and war planes are preparing for the offensive against the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), which has bases around Kachin State and Northern Shan State, said Myitkyina residents.

Fuel, arms and ammunition have been stockpiled at the Northern Regional Military Command, located in the town, after being transported from Mandalay to Myitkyina by ship and train, according to local military observers.

Burmese ground troops are currently operating in eight townships in Kachin State: Mohnyin, Myitkyina, Waimaw (Waingmaw), N’mawk (Momauk), Manje (Mansi), Sumprabum, Hpakant and Danai, said KIA officials at their Laiza headquarters, in eastern Kachin State.

In Northern Shan State, the KIA’s Brigade 4 and its five battalions are based in Muse, Kutkai and Lashio, where troop movements and reinforcements have been significantly increased since early July, witnesses said.

A high level military meeting was held in Naypyidaw, Burma’s capital, on July 18, followed by a regional military meeting at Northern Regional Command, in Myitkyina, the next day, said Burmese military sources.

The discussion in the two meetings centered on the offensive against the KIA and all remaining minority armed groups which rejected transforming into the Burmese Army-controlled Border Guard Force (BGF), added the sources.

The offensive was ordered by the country’s two top military leaders, Senior General Than Shwe and Vice-Senior Maung Aye.

The military claimed at the meetings the government will eliminate the KIA first as an example to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which was the same tone taken by political leader, Thein Sein, before the November 2010 Election, said Burmese military sources.

The 17-year old ceasefire ended on June 9 and the military clashes between government and Kachin troops have gradually escalated into full-scale civil war, said local military observers.

The KIA, the second strongest ethnic armed group in military-dominated Burma, is calling for a countrywide ceasefire and genuine political dialogue based on the 1947 Panglong Treaty, which created a multi-ethnic Union of Burma. http://www.kachinnews.com/news/1986-burmese-army-to-start-full-scale-offensive-against-kachin-minority.html
---------------------------------------
GMS travel show to be held in Myanmar ancient city
English.news.cn 2011-07-21 12:42:53

YANGON, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Tourism working group of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS)-Economic Cooperation will hold GMS travel show in Myanmar's ancient city of Bagan later this year for development of tourism as part of its economic cooperation in the subregion, according to tourism circle Thursday.

Six Mekong countries -- China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam will participate in the show, the sources said.

The 4,500-km Mekong river originates from China's Qinghai and runs through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam down to South China Sea near Ho Chi Minh city.

Myanmar, a member of the six-country GMS, has worked for closer economic ties together with other members of the grouping.

Tourism-related figures show that the number of tourist arrivals in Myanmar reached 106,795 in the first three months of 2011, up 24 percent from 85,519 in 2010 correspondingly.

Visitors from Thailand stood top in Myanmar's tourist arrival, followed by those from China, France, South Korea and America.
Editor: Xiong Tong http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/travel/2011-07/21/c_13999607.htm

__._,_.___