News & Articles on Burma-Thursday, 04 August, 2011

News & Articles on Burma
Thursday, 04 August, 2011
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War crimes continue in Kachin state as ceasefire urged
Shan party: Time for all to smoke peace pipe
Killing the Irrawaddy
US Urged to Welcome Former Child Soldiers
Why the Hurry to Reach a Ceasefire?
Ethnic Parties Call for Aid to Refugees
Child abuse rife in Burma, despite laws
Myanmar steps up efforts in promoting tourism
'88 Generation Students' Leaders Welcome Suu Kyi, Aung Kyi Talks
Myanmar, India step up cooperation in health sector
Bangladesh, Myanmar agree to increase trade
US confirms key diplomats for Myanmar, Vietnam

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War crimes continue in Kachin state as ceasefire urged
By Zin Linn Aug 04, 2011 2:10PM UTC

Five ethnic parties called on the Burmese government to form a peacemaking committee on Wednesday to stop the widespread war in ethnic areas, according to Mizzima News.

“We urged the government to shoulder responsibility to form a peacemaking committee in the form of a workshop to bring about peace,” RNDP vice chairman Ohn Tin, an Upper House MP representing the Man-aung constituency, told Mizzima.

On 3 August, the last day of a two-day inter-party meeting, the Chin National Party, All Mon Region Democracy Party, Phalon-Sawaw Democratic Party, Shan Nationalities Democratic Party and Rakhine Nationalities Development Party (RNDP) urged the government and ethnic armed groups to stop warfare and to declare an end to hostilities. In addition to the 31 representatives of the five political parties, the Kayan National Party also attended the meeting as an observer.

The group also asked the government, local and foreign charitable organizations and other donors to help war refugees who have fled their homes due to the fighting.

The Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) wants to sign a meaningful and strong ceasefire agreement with the Burmese government this time, unlike the agreement in 1994, which deprived a lot of rights and benefits for the Kachin people and the armed group itself, the Kachin News Group quoted a KIO official saying.

“The 1994 ceasefire agreement made us suffer for 17 years. We knew it was politically fruitless and the wrong agreement but we had to follow it. As a result, we have been highly criticized by Kachin people.”

This is in spite of the fact that the KIO had no satisfactory option to review the condition and it signed the ceasefire agreement with the then-Burmese junta devoid of any political discussion.

Recently, the KIO has proposed an end to the merciless fighting if the government will inaugurate talks for a countrywide ceasefire. But Burmese government authorities did not reveal any obvious positive sign, according to La Nang, a spokesman for the KIO.

The KIO has met Burmese mission three times within last two months in an effort to sign a new armistice. Even though, preliminary talks are starting, Burma armed forces do not stop their military movements and the government soldiers are committing various war crimes.

A Kachin villager was brutally killed by Burmese soldiers in Kahtan-Yang village, in Kamaing Township, Burma’s northern Kachin State, said local witnesses, according to the Kachin News Group . Hpukjawng Seng Du, 30, was arrested and buried alive on 31 July in the forest near the village by government soldiers, said the villagers. According to Mizzima News, Seng Du was identified as a telecommunications operator for the KIO.

KIO joint secretary and spokesman, La Nang, confirmed the death of Seng Du and it is under investigation whether he was a KIO member.

According to villagers, the above war crime was committed by the Waingmaw-based Infantry Battalion No. 58, under Northern Regional Military Command (NC), in Myitkyina, and Hlaingbwe-based Light Infantry Battalion No. 338, under Mawlamyine-based South Eastern Regional Military Command (SEC).

The same day about 7 a.m. Burmese government soldiers from the same military columns murdered 17 year old Marip Tang at his home, another war crime in the same village, added villagers.

Kahtan-Yang villagers are fleeing to the town of Kamaing after they learnt brutal murders at their village, fearing more atrocious killings, villagers said. Burmese soldiers from the same unit arrested eight villagers in Kawng Ra, in Kamaing, as porters on 30 July, to bury corpses, quoting local witnesses Kachin News Group said.

On 24 July, KIA ambushed Burmese convoy from Infantry Battalion No. 105 at Nga Pauk Kone in Kamaing. Four soldiers were killed and roughly 10 wounded. The areas around Kamaing on Namti-Hpakant route has become a war zone between the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and Burmese troops since the renewed skirmishing started on 9 June.

On 2 August, the KIA launched another ambush-attack on a Burmese military truck at around 5 pm (local time) in N’mawk Township, Manmaw District, Northern Kachin State.

The attack took place during two days of talks negotiating a new ceasefire between delegates from the Kachin Independence Organization and the Burmese government at the KIO’s Laja Yang Liaison Office.

The truck carried military personnel, policemen and intelligence agents from the Military Affairs Security (MAS). The ambush took place on the road connecting N’mawk (Momauk) and two Taping (Dapein) dams near the Sino-Burma border. It occurred in the KIA’s Battalion 15 area, quoting local sources at the scene the Kachin News Group said. As revealed by witnesses, there were casualties in the attack but the accurate number is unknown.

Recently, Burma’s Nobel laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, released an open letter addressed to President Thein Sein and ethnic armed groups. Suu Kyi made an appeal for political talk and an urgent ceasefire between major ethnic rebel groups – Kachin Independence Organization, Karen National Union, New Mon State Party, Shan State Army – and government troops.

She said that she was ready to contribute all her might to end the armed conflicts and to reconstruct Burma as a peaceful developed nation. http://asiancorrespondent.com/61700/burmese-soldiers-continue-war-crimes-in-kachn-state-while-people-urge-for-ceasefire/
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Shan party: Time for all to smoke peace pipe
Thursday, 04 August 2011 13:31 S.H.A.N.
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The Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP), third largest winning in the November elections, submitted a petition to the lower house speaker on 31 July calling for peace talks and cessation of human rights abuses, according to the party leadership.

“The gist of the letter is that we had been fighting for more than 60 years with no sign of either side giving up,” said Sai Tin, Central Executive Committee member and Laikha township MP for People’s Assembly. “It’s high time we all sat at the negotiating table for sensible consultation.”

The letter also contains a list of human rights abuses allegedly committed by the Burma Army during its 4 month campaign against the Shan State Army (SSA)

Copies of the petition were forwarded to the President, two Vice Presidents, union ministries concerned and to the chief ministers of states, according to Sai Tin.

The announcement by the SNDP coincided with the joint statement released yesterday by Karen, Mon, Chin, Arakan and Shan parties, calling for:

Nationwide ceasefire
The setting up of a peace making commission
Assistance to the war victims, together with permission for the ethnic parties to give assistance

The 5 parties expect their call will be a topic to be discussed at the upcoming parliamentary sessions that will begin on 22 August.

Naypyitaw is currently holding peace talks with the Kachin Independence Army and pulling out its troops from areas surrounding Wanhai, the Shan State Army (SSA)’s headquarters, in Kehsi township. http://shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3913:shan-party-time-for-all-to-smoke-peace-pipe&catid=85:politics&Itemid=266
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Killing the Irrawaddy
By AUNG DIN Thursday, August 4, 2011

Being neighbors with China is not something the people of Burma chose for themselves, but they have to heavily bear the repercussions. For many decades, China’s influence has intruded on their daily lives politically, economically, socially and culturally. However, the relationship has now reached a tipping point, as this dominant neighbor is not only supporting the country’s ruling dictators, and stealing the country’s vast natural resources, but also directly destroying the lives of the people of Burma.

In this land of pagodas, paddy fields and smiles, for centuries the people of Burma have proudly owned seven natural treasures gifted by Mother Nature. They are the three parallel chains of mountain ranges, called the Western Yoma (Rakhine Yoma), the Bago Yoma and the Eastern Yoma (the Shan Yoma), and the four major rivers, called the Irrawaddy (Ayeyawady), the Chindwin, the Sittaung and the Thanlwin. All are national landmarks of the country, and they have grown together with its people for countless generations. The Irrawaddy is the most important river among the four, and it is now under attack by the greedy autocrats, the Burmese regime and the Chinese government. If no efforts are made right now, the Irrawaddy will disappear from the map of Burma in coming decades. It will become a tragic memory of history for future generations in Burma.

Map: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0605/feature5/map.html)
The Irrawaddy was born at the confluence of the N’mai (Mayhka) and Mali (Malihka) rivers in Kachin State, northern Burma, where snow-capped mountains stand high guarding the country’s border with China. According to Kachin legend, the confluence is where the Father Dragon and his two sons Hkrai Nawng and Hkrai Gam were born and are settled. Traditionally, the Kachin people believe that if the waterway is broken and the dragons are disturbed, they will be angry and create a natural disaster. A famous present-day author created another symbolic metaphor, writing that a young man (N’mai River with strong current) and a young woman (Mali River with steady flow of water) met here secretly, made love, and as a consequence a girl was born. This girl became the mother river of Burma. Her finest waterways, and long journey of 1,348 miles (2,170 Km) from the mountains in the north to the Andaman Sea in the south, effectively and consistently help the livelihoods of millions of people in Burma. Many cities, townships, villages and ports are situated on the riverbanks of the Irrawaddy. It is an essential and vital factor in the nation’s transportation, fishing, weather and, importantly, agriculture, especially rice production.

In May 2007, the Burmese military regime and China’s state-owned “Chinese Power Investment Corporation” (CPI) signed an agreement to build seven large dams in Kachin State within ten years, with the expected date of completion in 2017. One dam will be built on the Mali River, five dams on the N’Mai River and one at the confluence of the Mali and N’Mai, called “Myitsone” (junction of two rivers in Burmese). After completion of the seven dams, about 13,360 Megawatts (MW) of electricity will be produced annually and transported to Yunnan Province to feed China’s expanding energy need. The Myitsone Dam at the confluence of the Mali and N’Mai is the largest among the seven dams, and is expected to produce 3,600 to 6,000 MW of electricity annually. It will become the fifteenth largest hydroelectric power station in the world. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 next page »
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21835
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US Urged to Welcome Former Child Soldiers
By LALIT K JHA Thursday, August 4, 2011

WASHINGTON—Narrating the painful story of his life as a child soldier and his eventual escape from the clutches of brutal army officials, Hein Min Aung, a former child soldier from Burma, urged the Obama administration at a congressional hearing on Wednesday to help in the resettlement of others like him in the United States.

“It is my hope that by telling my story in the United States, I will be able to raise awareness about 70,000 child soldiers in Burma,” Hein Min Aung said at the hearing, organized by Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson.

Speaking in Burmese with simultaneous interpretation in English, Hein Min Aung, who flew to the US from New Zealand, where he now lives, to attend the hearing, said thousands of child soldiers in Burma need the help of the US government.

The Obama administration also needs to urge the United Nations to pressure the Burmese government to end child conscription, he said, adding that the US government could also talk directly with the Burmese authorities to convince them of the need to protect child from being forced into military service.

“Most of all, [child soldiers] need to know that they are not forgotten, that there are people in the world who care what happens to them, and who are working to end the nightmare of child conscription,” he said.

Now 26, Hein Min was forcibly conscripted into the Burmese Army at the age of 14. He escaped two years later, and was granted refugee status by the UN refugee agency, UNHCR. Now a citizen of New Zealand, he is currently in the US meeting lawmakers, think tanks and US officials to brief them on the condition of child soldiers in Burma.

“Burma has the highest number of child soldiers in the world today. I would like to share with you my experience as a forcibly conscripted child soldier in the Burmese military, the atrocities I witnessed as a soldier and my escape to Thailand at the age of 16,” he said at the congressional hearing, which was attended by Burma-watchers in Washington and legislative aides of lawmakers.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Thaung Htun, founder of the Burma Fund UN Office, urged the US to address the issue of child soldiers in Burma through the UN mechanism. He said that because of the veto powers of China and Russia, the UN Security Council is not able to take any action against the Burmese government. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21833
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Why the Hurry to Reach a Ceasefire?
By SAW YAN NAING Thursday, August 4, 2011

Two months after fighting broke out between Burmese government troops and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), ending a 16-year ceasefire, Naypyidaw is redoubling its efforts to end hostilities in Kachin State, even suggesting that it might be open to nationwide talks aimed at easing ethnic tensions elsewhere in the country.

La Nan, the joint-secretary of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), the political wing of the KIA, said that an agreement has not yet been reached, but noted that in the latest round of negotiations, held earlier this week in Lajayang, Kachin State, the government delegation, led by Col Than Aung, seemed uncharacteristically ready to compromise.

Naypyidaw still hasn't agreed to announce a nationwide political dialogue within 15 days of the ceasefire coming into effect, as demanded by the leaders of the KIO, but there has been a notable change in the government's willingness to at least discuss the idea.

In one recent letter, the Burmese government said that it agreed to attempt to reach a temporary ceasefire, to be followed by further dialogue aimed at achieving long-term peace in the country.

“We've never heard this tone from the government before. They've always avoided this sort of thing in the past. But this time, they're not just talking about a ceasefire, but also long-term peace and political dialogue,” said La Nan.

However, it remained unclear why Naypyidaw is suddenly pushing for an early ceasefire with the KIO.

“They seem to be trying to come closer to our position. The way they are speaking now makes us more inclined to accept their call for a ceasefire. But we want to proceed slowly, and they seem to be in a hurry to sign a deal and continue further talks in the future,” said La Nan.

To further encourage the KIO to agree to a ceasefire, Naypyidaw said it would bring 58 witnesses, including Kachin elders from social and religious organizations, to attend the signing of an agreement between the government and the KIO leaders.

However, the sticking point remains the KIO's insistence on a nationwide dialogue that includes other ethnic armies. Under the current agreement proposed by the government, both sides would stop fighting within 48 hours of signing a deal.

Clashes between government and KIA troops first broke out on June 9, after months of tensions over the KIA's refusal to join a proposed Border Guard Force (BGF) established by the Burmese Army.

Almost every other ceasefire ethnic army similarly balked at the BGF proposal, setting the stage for a showdown with the newly installed government formed in March by the winners of last year's heavily rigged election.

Some observers said that Naypyidaw's efforts to avert any worsening of the situation in Kachin State could be related to its bid to assume the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in 2014—a move that would go far toward legitimizing the outcome of the Nov 7 election.

The biggest obstacle to winning the chairmanship is opposition by the regional grouping's Western trade and strategic partners, particularly the US.

In June, the US raised concerns over the renewed violence in Kachin State and other regions of the country and called on Naypyidaw to halt hostilities with ethnic armed groups. It also said the conflicts underscore the need for an inclusive dialogue between the Burmese government and opposition and ethnic minority groups to begin a process of genuine national reconciliation.

Other observers have suggested that the government's sudden eagerness to end the conflict could be a result of its desire to preempt any attempt by the democratic opposition, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, to get involved.

On July 28, three days after a rare meeting with a senior government minister, Suu Kyi sent an open letter to President Thein Sein and leaders of ethnic armed groups calling for a ceasefire and offering to play a role in efforts to achieve a lasting political solution to the country's ethnic divisions.

It was not clear if Suu Kyi and minister Aung Kyi, discussed the situation in Kachin State, but some have suggested that they may have agreed to cooperate on the issue during their talks, adding that Naypyidaw may be prepared to allow Suu Kyi to participate in ceasefire efforts in order to improve its international image.

It seems far more likely, however, that the government is hoping to head off any talk of Suu Kyi's involvement in this highly sensitive matter by resolving it before her offer wins any further support from ethnic armed groups, many of whom say they would welcome her participation.

Zipporah Sein, the general-secretary of the Karen National Union, said that if the government really wanted to achieve ethnic reconciliation with Suu Kyi's help, it would probably succeed. However, she said she doubted that Naypyidaw is interested in achieving genuine peace.

“If they want a ceasefire, all they have to do is stop attacking ethnic people. Ethnic armed groups don't go into the cities to attack them; they come into the ethnic areas to attack us. If they stopped, there would be peace across the country,” she said.

Some, however, believe that Thein Sein's government is sincere about wanting to bring peace to Burma. Nay Zin Latt, a member of the Burmese president’s political advisory board, told The Irrawaddy that Thein Sein has a plan to end conflict with ethnic armed groups, but it would take a long time to achieve lasting results.

Meanwhile, in Kachin State, the government appears to be keen not to waste any more time.

“I don’t know what they will do if we sign the agreement. But they seem to really want it soon,” said La Nan. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21836
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Ethnic Parties Call for Aid to Refugees
By KO HTWE Thursday, August 4, 2011

Five ethnic parties issued a joint statement on Wednesday urging Burma's new government, as well as NGOs and relief groups both inside and outside the country, to provide aid to war refugees and Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in Kachin, Shan and Karen states and their respective borders.

The statement was issued by the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party (RNDP), the All Mon Regions Democracy Party (AMRDP), the Phalon Sawaw Democratic Party (PSDP), the Shan Nationalities Development Party (SNDP) and the Chin National Party (CNP).

The statement also called for a ceasefire between Burmese government forces and ethnic armed group, and voiced the group's support for the increase in pensions issued to retired services personnel.

“More than 10,000 innocent people are in trouble at the border,” said Salai Ceu Bik Thawng, the general-secretary of the CNP. “Without viewing the refugees from a political point of view, we urge that aid be provided to the refugees on humanitarian grounds.”

State-run newspapers and private media in Burma have to date failed to cover the current crisis facing thousands of ethnic minority people in northern and eastern Burma.

“The refugee situation is not being publicized at all,” said Salai Ceu Bik Thawng. “So people don't know what is happening and don't make donations or apply pressure on relief groups to react.”

At the Sino-Burmese border, in the Maijayang and Magayang areas under the control of the Kachin independence Army, there are 17,521 refugees, most of whom are women and children, said La Rit who heads the Kachin refugee support group.

“Most of the children under the age of five suffer from diarrhea,” he said. “Among postnatal and pregnant women the most urgent requirement is medication and food.”

Asked by The Irrawaddy how he regarded the ethnic parties' call for action, La Rit said he welcomed the statement, but did not expect the government to allow aid through.

According to various news reports, Yunnanese authorities donated a supply of medicine last month, but refugees at the border claim it was never received.

According to the 2010 report by the Thailand Burma Border Consortium, there are 128,750 war refugees in Shan State, and 113,500 in Karen State.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy, Dr. Sai Kyaw Ohn, a Lower House MP representing the SNDP, said he believed that if Burma was able to support the war refugees, they would not be so inclined to seek resettlement in third countries.

The five ethnic parties have also issued a statement calling for the formation of a peace commission to resolve the ongoing armed conflicts in ethnic areas in eastern and northern Burma.

However, a proposal to form a peace commission was outvoted earlier this year at the first session of parliament in the Lower House. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21837
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Child abuse rife in Burma, despite laws
By NAW NOREEN

While child protection laws do exist in Burma, rights groups complain they are poorly enforced (Reuters)

Forced recruitment of child soldiers and sexual assault against minors is commonplace in Burma and must be tackled by the government, a domestic rights group has said.

The Human Rights Defenders and Promoters (HRDP), a nationwide network of rights monitors, said that in June and July it received 10 complaints of rape of underage girls and 18 cases of child soldier recruitment by the Burmese army.

“Society is not doing much to protect children from sexual abuses and courts are dropping these cases without following legal procedures,” said Maung Maung Lay, who called for tougher laws to protect children.

He claimed some of the cases over rape he had seen appeared to be planned. “Often the girls are left with unwanted pregnancies and they are isolated from their families and kept under detention.

“They are also given abortions by illegal practitioners. And so often, these crimes are settled with punishments as light as a year prison term.”

The group released a statement this week calling on the government, UN and civil society organisations in Burma to step up their enforcement efforts, and claimed that despite the presence of groups such as UNICEF and Save the Children in Burma, abuses continue.

“They are international and both financially and figuratively strong,” said Maung Maung Lay. “However, there is little effort being put into raising public awareness on how victims can contact them or to seek help from them.”

A number of groups, including the two mentioned above and the International Labour Organisation (ILO), go to considerable effort publishing leaflets aimed at engendering knowledge among Burmese of their rights, and what measures to take if they feel these are being exploited.

Pressure from the Burmese government, which is notoriously suspicious of foreign-financed groups working in Burma, means however that these methods often fail to reach their intended target.

“We’ve never seen those leaflets being distributed to the public,” Maung Maung Lay said. “They actually do provide legal help for the children but it is hard for them to take preventative measures when the government doesn’t like them doing those things.”

Burma is considered among the world’s leading recruiters of child soldiers, despite groups like the ILO having a mandate in the country to monitor and investigate the problem. http://www.dvb.no/news/child-abuse-rife-in-burma-despite-laws/16884
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Myanmar steps up efforts in promoting tourism
English.news.cn 2011-08-03 21:52:06 FeedbackPrintRSS
by Feng Yingqiu

YANGON, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar's tourism authorities are taking measures and cooperating with private tour operators and travel agencies in the country to improve tourism services in a bid to lure more foreign tourist.

Tour operators were invited by the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism in Nay Pyi Taw Tuesday to the meet for seeking means for improving tourism services using their experiences and knowledge.

"Myanmar is pursuing the objectives of improving Myanmar tourism industry and making Myanmar a tourist's paradise," Minister U Tint Hsan told the meeting.

LIFTING VASA-ON-ARRIVAL SUSPENSION

As one of the measures in promoting tourism, Myanmar has lifted suspension of visa-on-arrival arranged through travel agencies for visitors from regions where no Myanmar embassy is set up.

Myanmar re-granted the visa-on-arrival of its kind, which was halted in last September ahead of then Myanmar's general election in November the same year.

At present, as a special case, Myanmar issues such visa to travelers brought back from Cambodia's Siem Reap and China's Guangzhou after the Myanmar Airways International (MAI) launched its maiden flights to the two destinations in February and March this year.

Meanwhile, Myanmar is deliberating to grant such visa-on- arrival for 10 selected countries phase by phase.

DELIBERATING WITH GSM MEMBERS FOR SINGLE VISA APPLICATION

Myanmar is deliberating with five other member countries of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) -- China, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam to introduce single visa system as part of its economic cooperation in the subregion.

The plan will be raised at the GMS travel show to be held in Myanmar's ancient city of Bagan later this year.

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 including tourism together with other members of the grouping. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/travel/2011-08/03/c_131027645.htm
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'88 Generation Students' Leaders Welcome Suu Kyi, Aung Kyi Talks
By THE IRRAWADDY Thursday, August 4, 2011

Imprisoned dissidents who are leaders of the 88 Generation Students group reportedly welcomed the recent meeting between pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Aung Kyi, Burma's minister of labor as well as minister of social welfare, relief and resettlement, and urged more pro-active dialogue aimed at national reconciliation.

Min Ko Naing, Ko Ko Gyi and Htay Kywe, all of whom are serving 65-year priosn sentences, managed to get their comments to the public one week after the first meeting between Suu Kyi and a member of Burma's new government took office in late March.

Min Ko Naing, who is being held in Keng Tung Prison in eastern Shan State, said through an information channel that he thinks the meeting between Suu Kyi and Aung Kyi was “a good step.”

A message from Ko Ko Gyi, who is in Mong Set Prison in Shan State, said he supports the meeting and calls for more meaningful dialogue. Ko Ko Kyi, who is described by colleagues as a “strategist,” said that the pro-democracy leader should take a wider leading role in the development of democracy and peace in Burma.

Htay Kywe’s brother-in-law, Pyo Min Thein, who is also member of the 88 Generation Students group, told The Irrawaddy on Thursday that Htay Kywe said the meeting between Suu Kyi and Aung Kyi was a positive step. Htay Kywe is serving his sentence in Buthitaung Prison, Arakan State.

“Even though the 88 Generation Students leaders have sacrificed a lot for the country, they are always optimistic. Therefore our party take their concerns seriously,” said Win Htain, one of Suu Kyi’s close aides at the National League for Democracy(NLD), in response to the 88 Generation Students leaders’ messages.

The 88 Generation Students group was formed by former student leaders who led the mass uprising against dictator Ne Win’s Burmese Socialist Programme Party in the summer of 1988, during which at least 3,000 people were killed by government security forces.

Throughout 1988-1991, most of the student leaders were arrested and given long prison sentences. Min Ko Naing was arrested in 1989 and spent 15 years in prison. Ko Ko Gyi was arrested in 1991 and imprisoned and released in 2005.

After their release, the former student leaders formed the 88 Generation Students group, which became a prominent dissident movement while Suu Kyi was under house arrest. The group undertook various political activities until its leaders were once again arrested on August 21, 2007 for their involvement in a protest march against fuel price hikes and given matching 65-year sentences.

The former student leaders reportedly take the same position—that they will not make an appeal to get individual sympathy from the government. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21838
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Irish Sun
Myanmar, India step up cooperation in health sector
Wednesday 3rd August, 2011

Myanmar and India are stepping up bilateral cooperation in the health sector, a media report said.

Talks have taken place between the Myanmar Union Health Minister Pe Thet Khin and Indian Ambassador to Myanmar Villur Sundararajan Seshadri in Nay Pyi Taw, Xinhua reported Wednesday.

The negotiation covered upgrading of Yangon's Children's Hospital and Sittway General Hospital, provision of telemedicine for Yangon General Hospital, training specialists and other medical professionals for liver transplantation and other subjects, said the official daily New Light of Myanmar reported Wednesday.

In February, India held a pharmaceuticals exposition in Yangon, showcasing pharmaceutical products and medical equipment of India.

Myanmar imported over 5,000 categories of pharmaceutical products from abroad annually and the import in the fiscal year 2009-10 registered a value of $147.7 million, an increase of 17.4 percent from 2008-09.

According to official statistics, Myanmar-India bilateral trade reached $1.07 billion in 2010-11, standing as Myanmar's fourth largest trading partner after Thailand, Singapore and China.

Of the total, Myanmar's export to India amounted to $876.91 million, while its import from India was valued at $194.92 million. http://story.irishsun.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/2411cd3571b4f088/id/820232/cs/1/
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Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Business
Bangladesh, Myanmar agree to increase trade
Refayet Ullah Mirdha

The joint trade commission of Bangladesh and Myanmar agreed to increase bilateral trade by strengthening border transactions, said a commerce ministry official yesterday.

The trade between the two neighboring countries is expected to increase to $500 million from $160 million now, said Syed Mahmudul Huq, chairman of the Bangladesh Myanmar Business Promotion Council, who was present at a meeting of the commission in Myanmar.

The commission held its fifth meeting in Myanmar's city of Nay Pyi Taw on July 21-22. Ghulam Hussain, commerce secretary, led the Bangladesh delegation to the meeting where some other officials and private entrepreneurs discussed ways of increasing the bilateral trade.

At the meeting, both countries agreed to increase the ceiling for transaction value to $50,000 per consignment from $30,000. The decision came into effect from August 1.

Bangladeshi importers now settle their payments for bulk shipments through bank drafts issued by foreign banks to a third country.

“We have discussed border trade, minimising the trade gap between the countries, facilitation and promotion of trade of agricultural products, food grains and other products under private sector initiative,” the commerce ministry official said.

Officials of both countries also discussed how to complete border transactions through the Asian Clearing Union payment system.

They also formed a joint committee on coastal shipping. The shipping committee is scheduled to sit a meeting either in Bangladesh or Myanmar to identify the commercial shipping routes, identify the ports of call and fix the tariff for shipping lines between the two countries.

He said the officials discussed the potential for setting up wholesale border markets at Bangladesh's Teknaf and Myanmar's Maungdaw, a border town.

Myanmar urged Bangladeshi entrepreneurs to invest in agriculture in the Southeast Asian country as it has a lot of land suitable for the purpose.

The Myanmar government also said they are ready to give long-term lease of land to Bangladeshi entrepreneurs for agricultural purposes from which both the countries would benefit.

Bilateral trade balance has been heavily tilting in favour of Myanmar over the years. Bangladesh exported goods worth $9.17million to Myanmar in 2008-09 while it imported goods worth $66.65 million from the country. http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=196943
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STRAIT TIMES: Aug 4, 2011
US confirms key diplomats for Myanmar, Vietnam

WASHINGTON - VETERAN Asia hand Derek Mitchell has been confirmed as the first US special envoy to Myanmar, who will pursue President Barack Obama's policy of engaging the military-backed regime.

In addition to endorsing Mr Mitchell, the Senate late on Tuesday confirmed the appointment of career foreign service officer David Bruce Shear as the new ambassador to Vietnam, who succeeds Mr Michael Michalak.

Mr Mitchell fills a post that was created when Congress, under then-president George W. Bush, approved a wide-ranging law on Myanmar in 2008 that tightened sanctions.

The position was not filled at the time due to a political dispute.

After Mr Obama took office in January 2009, his administration concluded that the sanctions aimed at isolating Myanmar had been ineffective and initiated a dialogue with the junta while maintaining the sanctions.

The United States has voiced disappointment over developments in Myanmar, including an election in November widely denounced as a sham, but has said that it sees no alternative to engagement at such a fluid time. – AFP http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_698278.html
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KIO wants strong and meaningful ceasefire agreement

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Created on Saturday, 30 July 2011 07:00
Published on Saturday, 30 July 2011 07:00
Written by KNG
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Lanan KIO 3011

KIO General Secretary No. 2 Salang Kaba La Nan (right) in Laiza HQ in Kachin State, Northern Burma

The Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) wants to sign a meaningful and strong ceasefire agreement with the Burmese government this time, not like the agreement in 1994, which hampered a lot of rights and benefits for the Kachin people and the armed group itself, said a KIO official.


“The 1994 ceasefire agreement made us suffer for 17 years. We knew it was politically fruitless and the wrong agreement but we had to follow it. As a result, we have been highly criticized by Kachin people.”

The KIO signed the ceasefire agreement with the Burmese military regime without any political dialogue.

The KIO’s joint-secretary said the military backed government, which came into power through the 2008 constitution, should take the lead in negotiating a country-wide ceasefire and resolve political problems based on the spirit of the 1947 Panglong Agreement, the historic treaty forming a multi-ethnic Union of Burma by the four major ethnic groups--- the Burman, Shan, Kachin and Chin.

After the Panglong Treaty, a power struggle between the majority Burmans and ethnic minorities led to a war one year after Burma received independence from the British, in 1948.

A July 28 open letter written by Burma’s pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, strongly called for a ceasefire between the Burmese government, led by ex-general, President Thein Sein, and ethnic armed groups, including the KIO, Karen National Union (KNU), New Mon State Party (NMSP) and the Shan State Army (SSA).

The Burmese government started the civil war with the KIO again on June 9, after the failure of their Border Guard Force (BGF) proposal, which was rejected by the KIO several times.

The two sides have met three times within last two months in an attempt to sign a new ceasefire agreement. http://kachinnews.com/news/2004-kio-wants-strong-and-meaningful-ceasefire-agreement.html