News & Articles on Burma-Tuesday, 20 December 2011-uzl

News & Articles on Burma Tuesday, 20 December 2011 ------------------------------------------ Burma's Suu Kyi meets Thailand PM Thai PM meets Burma's Suu Kyi Thailand seen buying more natural gas from Myanmar Thaksin's Role in Yingluck Trip Raises Concerns Suu Kyi Expresses Sadness at Havel's Death Yeoh on Burma ban after The Lady Burmas most famous comedian Zarganar shocked in Bangkok Zarganar Wants Sanctions to End, Won't Run for Parliament Japanese FM to Visit Burma Thaksin behind PM's Burma trip Famed Burma satirist 'shocked' by freedom Famed Myanmar comedian shuns parliamentary politics ------------------------------------------- Burma's Suu Kyi meets Thailand PM Tuesday December 20 2011 Burma's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has met Thailand's prime minister in her first ever audience with a head of government from the region, her political party said. The meeting was also Suu Kyi's first with a prime minister since her release from house arrest about a year ago, National League for Democracy spokesman Nyan Win said. Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra attended a two-day summit of regional leaders in Burma's capital, Naypyidaw, and than travelled to Yangon to meet Suu Kyi at the Thai ambassador's residence. Details of the half-hour talks were not immediately available. Yingluck afterwards visited Yangon's Shwedagon pagoda, the country's most revered Buddhist shrine, before her scheduled departure for home. The meeting is the latest in a series for Suu Kyi that have raised hopes of democratic change in Burma after decades of military rule. Suu Kyi also met this month with US secretary of state Hillary Clinton and with China's ambassador to Burma. She is to meet with Japanese foreign minister Koichiro Gemba later this month and Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague in January, Nyan Win said. Yingluck is the first prime minister from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to meet Suu Kyi. Burma joined the regional bloc in 1997 and will chair ASEAN for the first time in 2014 despite concerns from human rights groups that its democratic reforms have not gone far enough. The ASEAN chairmanship is supposed to rotate annually among its 10 members, but Burma was forced to skip its turn in 2006 because of intense criticism of its rights record. http://www.argus.ie/breaking-news/world-news/burmas-suu-kyi-meets-thailand-pm-2968923.html ----------------------------------------- Thai PM meets Burma's Suu Kyi December 20, 2011 - 8:49PM AP Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has met Thailand's prime minister in her first ever audience with a head of government from the region. The meeting on Tuesday was also Suu Kyi's first with a prime minister since her release from house arrest about a year ago, National League for Democracy spokesman Nyan Win said. Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra attended a two-day summit of regional leaders in Burma's capital, Naypyidaw, and than travelled to Rangoon to meet Suu Kyi at the Thai ambassador's residence. Advertisement: Story continues below Yingluck afterward visited Rangoon's Shwedagon pagoda, the country's most revered Buddhist shrine, before her scheduled departure for home. The meeting is the latest in a series for Suu Kyi that have raised hopes of democratic change in Burma after decades of military rule. Suu Kyi also met this month with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and with China's ambassador to Burma. She is to meet with Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba later this month and Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague in January, Nyan Win said. Yingluck is the first prime minister from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to meet Suu Kyi. Burma joined the regional bloc in 1997 and will chair ASEAN for the first time in 2014 despite concerns from human rights groups that its democratic reforms have not gone far enough. The ASEAN chairmanship is supposed to rotate annually among its 10 members, but Burma was forced to skip its turn in 2006 because of intense criticism of its rights record. ASEAN is made up of Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. (c) 2011 AP http://www.watoday.com.au/breaking-news-world/thai-pm-meets-burmas-suu-kyi-20111220-1p497.html --------------------------------------------------- Thailand seen buying more natural gas from Myanmar Dec 20 (Reuters) - Thailand is expected to buy at least 2 billion cubic feet per day (cf/d) of natural gas from resource-rich Myanmar over the next 20 years to meet rising energy demand, an energy ministry official said on Tuesday. Songpob Polchan, Director-General of the Department of Mineral Fuels, said Thailand was now using about 1.1 billion cf/d of natural gas, accounting for 25 percent of the country's 4 billion cf/d energy demand, mostly for power generation. "Electricity demand in Thailand is rising amid limited gas volumes available now in the Gulf of Thailand and we expect the trend will lessen in the future," Songpob told reporters. Thailand has been talking with neighbouring countries including Myanmar and Cambodia to seek more cooperation in petroleum exploration and production. It is seeking more concessions for petroleum exploration for its top energy firm PTT Pcl and Thai Energy Minister Pichai Naripthanphan, who accompanied Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra during a Dec. 18-20 visit to former British colony, is meeting with Burmese Energy Minister to discuss potential oil deals. State-controlled PTT group has expressed interest in investing in three petroleum blocks, one onshore and two offshore MD7 and MD8, in Myanmar. PTT's subsidiary, PTT Exploration and Production Pcl , has said it wants to join bids for 2-3 blocks of the total 18 to be opened by Myanmar government. Songpob said cost for a deep sea petroleum exploration was usually very high with an estimate of up to 2-3 billion baht ($64-96 million) per well while well exploration in the Gulf of Thailand could cost up to $3-5 million each. PTTEP, a flagship in the upstream petroleum exploration business of PTT, has about 40 oil and gas exploration and development projects now. It has four projects in Myanmar and is a minority partner in the Yetagun and Yadana gas developments. Myanmar natural gas accounts for about 30 percent of Thailand's consumption, mostly in power generation. Hopes of economic reforms and foreign investment opportunities are running high three weeks after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's landmark visit. ($1 = 31.30 Baht) (Reporting by Ploy Ten Kate; editing by James Jukwey) http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/20/thailand-natgas-myanmar-idUSL3E7NK51J20111220?rpc=401&feedType=RSS&feedName=rbssEnergyNews&rpc=401 ------------------------------------------------ Thaksin's Role in Yingluck Trip Raises Concerns By SAW YAN NAING Tuesday, December 20, 2011 Former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra has confirmed that he visited Burma last week to pave the way for a trip to the country by his sister, the current Thai PM Yingluck Shinawatra, raising concerns that relations between the two neighbors could once again become entangled in Thaksin's business interests. Yingluck arrived in Naypyidaw on Monday to attend the Greater Mekong Subregion Summit, and on Tuesday evening met with Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Rangoon, in the first such meeting between Burma's most famous dissident and a visiting Thai premier. In a telephone interview with The Bangkok Post, Thaksin said that he traveled to Burma last Thursday to meet President Thein Sein and former junta leader Than Shwe. He said that his sister's visit to Burma, which would include discussions on energy deals, would benefit Thailand. However, Yingluck's decision to visit Burma accompanied by Energy Minister Pichai Naripthaphan and executives of the Thai state-owned oil and gas company, PTT Public Co Ltd, has come under criticism from some who say that plans to increase investment in Burma's energy sector would serve the interests of Thaksin's cronies. According to Kavi Chongkittavorn, a columnist for the Bangkok-based newspaper The Nation, negotiating an energy deal was Yingluck's top priority on this trip. Boosting her politcal legitimacy by meeting with Suu Kyi was her second priority, he said, speaking to The Irrawaddy on Tuesday. But some observers said that involving her brother---who also traveled to Burma in October, just ahead of her first visit to the country, according to diplomatic sources---may have undone any good that might have come from her meeting with Suu Kyi. Kraisak Choonhavan, a former MP from Thailand's opposition Democrat Party who also closely follows Thai-Burma relations, said that Thaksin has always claimed that he is not involved in his sister's administration. By admitting that he has played a role in his sister's dealings with Burma, however, he has shown that this is not the case. "We gave her [Yingluck) the benefit of the doubt because she is our leader, but this insensitive act has damaged her government," said Choonhavan, referring to Thaksin's trip to Burma on behalf of his sister. Besides its interest exploring and developing offshore and onshore gas fields in Burma, Thailand is also heavily invested in a Special Economic Zone in Tavoy, in southern Burma's Tenasserim Division. The US $60 billion project includes a deep-sea port and a giant industrial zone, and will be directly linked to Thailand by a new highway, a railway, transmission lines and oil and gas pipelines. Although it is not clear what involvement, if any, Thaksin has in this project and other proposed investments, the former premier, who was ousted by a military coup in 2006, was in the past accused of using his political office to enrich his business interests through deals with Burma. In 2004, Shinawatra Satellite Co, a telecoms company owned by the Shinawatra family, leased a satellite service to Bagan Cybertech, a Burmese company owned by the son of former Burmese Prime Minister Gen Khin Nyunt. Thaksin was later found guilty by a Thai court of pressuring the Foreign Ministry to approve a 4 billion baht ($128 million) loan to Burma to pay for the deal. With or without Thaksin's involvement, however, Thailand's investment in Burma looks set to grow. Speaking to the Bangkok Post, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, the director of the Institute of Security and International Studies at Chulalongkorn University, described Burma as "Thailand's energy lifeline." However, internal conflict in Burma could continue to hamper foreign investors' efforts to exploit the country's resources. The Tavoy deep-sea port project is strongly opposed by the Karen National Union (KNU), which is active in the area between the port and the Thai border, on the grounds that it is fueling human rights abuses against the local population. According to Saw Kwe Htoo Win, the chairman of the KNU's Mergui-Tavoy District, the Burmese government has stepped up its security in the area, sending additional troops and supplies to bolster forces already stationed there. "Normally, they use human porters, but this year, they've used hundreds of horses and donkeys to carry supplies," he said. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=22685 ----------------------------------------- Suu Kyi Expresses Sadness at Havel's Death By WAI MOE Monday, December 19, 2011 Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has expressed her sadness at the death of former Czech President Va'clav Havel who died on Sunday at his home in Prague. "Suu Kyi expressed her sadness for him [Havel] when she arrived at the party headquarters for the CEC meeting on Monday morning," said Ohn Kyaing, a spokesman for her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD) referring to the Central Executive Committee meeting. "The party will announce an official message of condolences soon." Havel's empathy with the people of Burma and with Suu Kyi had long evident. Shortly after he became the president of the former communist country of Czechoslovakia, he nominated the Burmese pro-democracy leader, then under house arrest, for the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize. Speaking to The Irrawaddy in an interview in 2001, Havel said, "The fact is that my friend, Ms Aung San Suu Kyi, deserved this prize. I hold her, and her non-violent struggle for democracy, in high regard." The chain-smoking Czechoslovak, and later Czech republic, president and former dissident playwright, had no doubts as to who was to blame for Burma's woes. "What is unacceptable is when a military which partially creates social and ethnic problems by its actions argues that it is the only entity capable of solving them." Havel stood until his last days as an advocate for Burma's pro-democracy movement alongside other figures such as Desmond Tutu of South Africa. In 2005, Havel and Tutu jointly wrote a report titled "Threat to the Peace," recommending the UN Security Council to intervene in Burmese issues. Havel never missed a chance to show solidarity with the Burmese people when they faced significant challenges during the 2007 Saffron Revolution and the 2008 devastation of Cyclone Nargis. "In Burma, the power of educated monks---people who are unarmed and peaceloving by their very nature---has risen up against the military regime," Havel wrote in September 2007. "Of course, if they fail to feel the benefit of universal and coordinated international political, economic and media support, all development in Burma may quickly be put back nearly 20 years," he added. In May 2008, he joined with other world figures, such as Tutu, former German President Richard von Weizsa"cker, Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic Karel Schwarzenberg, and former President of South Africa Frederik Willem de Klerk, in publicly attacking Naypyidaw over its lack of response to the cyclone crisis. "The enormous suffering of the Burmese people caused by the recent cyclone, which has caused tens of thousands of deaths, deserves the sympathy of the entire world," said the joint statement, which was titled "Referendum Farce in Burma." "But more than sympathy is needed, because the Burmese military junta's incompetence and brutal oppression are further aggravating the tragic consequences of this natural disaster," it said. Even in his last days, Havel did not neglect to cite Burma at international fora. On Dec. 11, Havel called for the international community to encourage the signs of cautious change in Burma. "It is crucial that the international community adopts effective policies that encourage a meaningful and result-oriented dialogue between the Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and the Burmese authorities," he said. A mutual admirer, Suu Kyi often cited Havel's well-known writings, including quotes from "The Power of the Powerless," when interviewed or when she spoke to the public in front of her lakeside house in Rangoon in the mid-1990s. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=22680 ---------------------------------------- Yeoh on Burma ban after The Lady Press AssociationPress Association -- 55 minutes ago Michelle Yeoh has revealed that she has been banned from Burma - along with her new film, The Lady. In the film, which is out on December 30, the 48-year-old stars as Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese pro-democracy activist who spent more than a decade under house arrest for speaking out against the government. "I've been banned from Burma, for the moment," Michelle said. "The film has been banned. Even the hawkers have been told that pirated DVDs are banned from the street!" The Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon star was deported from the country after she visited Suu Kyi while researching the film - a project that she is passionately devoted to. "I think it is very important that we as Asians tell our own stories and not just wait for other people to tell our stories for us," Michelle declared. The former beauty pageant queen was only known to Asian audiences until her hit turn as Bond girl Wai Lin in Tomorrow Never Dies, which she still remembers fondly. "It was a fantastic experience," Michelle gushed. "You know when you do a Bond movie you should have a good time, because you're going to be part of a legacy that's going to stay with you for the rest of your life." Sweeping biopics and action flicks aside, the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon star confesses that she is keen to explore her funny side. "I've been talking about wanting to do a romantic comedy," Michelle laughed. "I don't know why I haven't done that." http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/yeoh-burma-ban-lady-112623666.html ------------------------------------------ Burmas most famous comedian Zarganar shocked after seeing liberty in Bangkok By Zin Linn Dec 20, 2011 7:26PM UTC 0 Comments and 0 Reactions It seemed a very amazing and remarkable event with Burmas most famous comedian Zarganar also known as Maung Thura at Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT) at 8 pm Monday. Popular for his political jokes and satire on military-ruling regardless of dictatorship, 50-year-old Zarganar was thrown into jail four times by Burmas previous military junta. Former dental student Maung Thura is a poet and script-writer as well as actor and film producer. He was released from his latest prison term on 12 October from Myit-kyi-na prison. The comedian was set free under the Thein Sein Governments amnesty, which included more than 200 political prisoners. Zarganar is celebrated for his jokes on juntas policies and for helping victims of Cyclone Nargis. The quasi-civilian government has recently granted him a passport. It is his first ever trip outside of the country; the FCCT arranged a reception event with Zarganar as its special guest. He started his speech using the word shock since he saw differences between Thailand and Burma in physical appearance. When I saw the airplane I got a shock! When I saw the airport I got a shock! When I saw good road and big bridge I got a shock! And seeing big buildings I got a shock! he told a crammed audience who were present at there to pay attention to him in Bangkok. He continued that the most shocking vision for him was the different faces of young citizens between two countries neighboring Thailand and Burma. The faces of youths in Bangkok express pleasant with freedom and self-confidence while youths in Burma look unpleasant with insecurity and fright on their faces. It made completely shocked him, the famous comedian Zarganar said. Burma seems towards change after the new government took office. Some observers said that situation unexpectedly appeared to be shifted in an optimistic bearing. Thein Sein met with Aung San Suu Kyi at his presidential office in Naypyidaw. Over 200 political prisoners released to exploit international optimism. Some media restrictions relaxed to show governments soft stance. Moreover, the National League for Democracy led by Suu Kyi was allowed to register as a political party to contest in the imminent by-election. Besides, the government has been going into cease-fire talks with some ethnic armed groups. Responding an answer from an audience whether he has an idea of entering politics, the comedian said that he had no plan to take part in the parliament by contesting an upcoming by-election. I dont want to go to Naypyitaw, and I dont want to participate in the by-election. Zarganar said. Aunty is aunty, Zarganar is Zarganar, the comedian made different between himself and the Ladys choice to go in politics. Burmas Nobel laureate was freed from house arrest on November 13, 2010, days after the first general election in twenty years. The National League for Democracy (NLD) was deprived of its category as a lawful political party by the previous junta last year after it decided to stay away from the election in 2010, complaining the set of laws was unjust. Last month, Lower House Speaker Thura Shwe Mann said that he welcomed the NLDs return to parliament politics. Shwe Mann also said he welcomes her on behalf of the Peoples Parliament if she was planning to compete for it. Burmas Union Election Commission allowed formation of National League for Democracy as a political party last week. The NLDs application for registration as political party has been submitted by 21 members including U Tin Oo and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. It is in harmony with law and rules as the commission is scrutinizing applications for registration and allowing formation of political parties. Since elections in November 2010 were widely criticized as vote-rigging, the new governments initial reforms have been watchfully welcomed. This is watch-and-see time, so we just open the window to watch the government, what they do, what they are going to do, the famous comedian said. As Burma seeks to recover from its secluded position, Zarganar said lifting sanctions imposed by the West would show the way to more development aid from foreign countries for our people, not for our military. However, Suu Kyi has been supporting the Western sanctions as part of her struggle against highhanded military rule in Burma. In other words, she is using the sanctions as a tool to help the emergence of the reconciliation dialogue. Zarganar sees current situation as an appreciation to some extent. Now I am here. That is an improvement, Zarganar said after getting a passport and visiting Bangkok as his first overseas excursion in his lifetime. But suspicion for the regime still keep in his mind, since Thein Sein government formed mainly with former military generals and there are more than a thousand political prisoners in its notorious prisons where human rights abuses are still happening. http://asiancorrespondent.com/72452/burma%e2%80%99s-most-famous-comedian-zarganar-shocked-after-seeing-liberty-in-bangkok/ -------------------------------------------- Zarganar Wants Sanctions to End, Won't Run for Parliament By BA KAUNG Tuesday, December 20, 2011 BANGKOK---Burmese comedian activist Zarganar called for the lifting of Western economic sanctions against Burma, but balked at formally joining the political arena and running for the military-dominated Parliament. The lifting of sanctions would bring much-needed aid to the country's impoverished people, particularly the garment factory workers, said Zarganar in a press briefing on Monday night at the Foreign Correspondents Club in Bangkok, Thailand (FCCT). "I discussed this with nearly 16 ambassadors and also with the World Bank officials here in Bangkok," said Zarganar, a former political prisoner making his first trip outside Burma after being released from prison in October as part of a government amnesty. Zarganar is on a trip to Thailand and Cambodia to study filmmaking in preparation for his role in organizing the "The Art of Freedom Film Festival" in Rangoon next month. The very fact that the authorities issued a passport and allowed him to visit foreign countries attests to the start of change under Burma's new quasi-civilian government, which is led by former army generals who are making tentative political and economic reforms, said Zarganar. However, the 50-year old entertainer dissident said that he wished to help his country progress by working outside the formal political process. "I don't wish to go to Naypyidaw. I don't wish to go to the Parliament. I don't wish to become an MP. I wish to work for my country's youth, many of whom still don't understand about democracy and human rights," he said. "We must focus on the majority of our poor people, 70 percent of whom are peasants. Not on the rich people." When asked by The Irrawaddy if his comment showed a disagreement with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has decided to compete for a parliamentary seat in the coming by-elections, Zarganar said, "Aunty is Aunty, Zarganar is Zarganar. I stood firmly by my principles under the BSPP [the ruling party under former dictator Gen Ne Win in the 1980s]. Now I am doing the same...But the disagreement is everywhere." Regarding his foreign country travel experience after years of incarceration, he said he was shocked to see many young people in Bangkok who, in contrast to the youth in Burma, seemed to have no sense of insecurity. "In our country, our young people lost their freedom and their self-confidence. Their faces are full of anxiety. There was quite a difference from what I saw in Bangkok and what I saw in Rangoon, although we are neighboring countries. So we have to change our attitudes and promote our young people." Dressed in a traditional Burmese sarong, Zarganar also did not fail to perform his role of political satirist to a crowd of nearly 100 people at the FCCT. The audience broke into loud laughter when he recounted the following tale: "King Kong was chasing a passenger plane, sending all of the passengers crying for help. The Prime Minister of China warned him to stop or face his army, but King Kong didn't listen. Vladimir Putin of Russia made the same warning, but to no avail. Then US President Barack Obama threatened him with his Seventh Fleet, but King Kong just laughed and didn't care. But when the Burmese leader warned that he would be sent to the USDP [Burma's military-backed ruling party] if he kept following the plane, King Kong fled the scene." http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=22684 --------------------------------------- Japanese FM to Visit Burma By LALIT K JHA Tuesday, December 20, 2011 WASHINGTON---Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba will travel to Burma next week, as he and his American counterpart, Hillary Clinton, agree to deepen their coordination to ensure the continuation of positive trends in this Southeast Asian nation. "I am encouraged by the progress in democratization and national reconciliation in Myanmar," Gemba told reporters at a joint news conference with Clinton. "Secretary Clinton visited Myanmar earlier this month, and I will visit there next week," said Gemba who is on his first trip to the US in the capacity of foreign secretary. The two leaders discussed a wide range of issues, including the death of North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il. "Against this backdrop, we agree to deepen coordination between Japan and the United States so that this positive trend will be further solidified in Myanmar," Gemba said. Responding to the statement, Clinton said, "I welcome the news that the foreign minister will soon visit Burma. "We now have a real opportunity through sustained diplomacy to test the new government and to overcome the obstacles in the way to Burma achieving its rightful place in the community of nations," she said. Later in the day, diplomats of India, Japan and the United States met at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department for their first ever trilateral dialogue, during which developments in Burma was one of the major issues of discussion. "Later today, Japanese and US officials will meet with counterparts from India for our first ever trilateral meeting, and the United States supports a meeting between Japan, China, and ourselves, as Foreign Minister Gemba recently proposed," Clinton said. Asked about India's role, Gemba said the US and Japan have affirmed to deepen their strategic relationship with India. "As a specific example of collaboration, the Japan-US-India trilateral dialogue will be held at the working level here in Washington DC today," he said. "Due to the most recent developments, we are seeing an increasing level of interest in and attention to how the process of dealing with the abduction issue develops in Japan. I expressed my gratitude to the consistent support extended by the United States for raising the abduction issue every time during the US-North Korea dialogue," said the Japanese Foreign Minister in reference to the alleged kidnapping on Japanese soil of a number of Japanese citizens by North Korean agents between 1977 and 1983. "Moreover, taking into account this new situation, I ask for continuous understanding and support from the United States for resolving the issue. Also, when we look at the Asia-Pacific region, trust and cooperation among Japan, the United States, and China is critical for ensuring stability in the region. With this in mind, I proposed to Secretary Clinton to launch a trilateral dialogue among these three countries, and in response, Secretary Clinton shares my view," he said. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=22683 ---------------------------------------------- Thaksin behind PM's Burma trip Paved way for historic Suu Kyi meeting today Published: 20/12/2011 at 12:00 AM Newspaper section: News Ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra confirmed yesterday he travelled to Burma last week to help smooth the way for his sister, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, to visit and said the move would benefit Thailand. The meeting today between Ms Yingluck and Burma's pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi is symbolic of democracy and the cordial relations Thailand and Burma have enjoyed, he said. Thaksin told the Bangkok Post in an exclusive interview by phone from Dubai he travelled to Burma last Thursday and visited Burmese President Thein Sein and former president Than Shwe. Thaksin admitted he helped smooth the way for Ms Yingluck to visit and meet Mrs Suu Kyi. Burma's poppy profits Thaksin said the meeting of the two political leaders has significant implications and shows two things. First, allowing Ms Yingluck to meet Mrs Suu Kyi means Burma attaches a great deal of importance to Thailand. It is the first time a Thai leader has met the democracy icon. Burma has never allowed the leaders of other countries to hold such a meeting before, Thaksin said. Second, the world community will also know Thailand has advocated and promoted democracy vigorously and that Burma considers Thailand as its most important neighbour. "Relations between Thailand and Burma have never faded since my time. I never used a stick to deal with Burma like the superpowers did. I always used a carrot to deal with it," Thaksin said. He also said when he was prime minister, he once offered Burma an opportunity to use Bangkok as a venue to draw up its constitution and gave Burma a chance to explain itself to western countries with the goal of them lifting sanctions on the country. Ms Yingluck yesterday left Bangkok for Burma's capital Naypyidaw to attend the 4th General Mekong Sub-Region (GMS) Summit to discuss development of land transport in the region before visiting Rangoon, where she will meet Mrs Suu Kyi. The GMS comprises Thailand, Cambodia, Burma, Laos,Vietnam and China. At the meeting, three memorandums of understanding (MoUs) will be signed. They comprise the Joint Cooperation in Further Accelerating the Construction of the Information Superhighway and its Applications in GMS, the Joint Action to Reduce HIV Vulnerability Related to Population Movement, and the Establishment of the GMS Freight Transporters Association. Previously, a government source said the government would use the occasion of Ms Yingluck's two-day Burma visit to hold separate meetings with Burmese officials and investors to discuss transport and energy development projects. Thailand plans to buy natural gas and invest in construction of a transport system linking the Dawei industrial complex in southern Burma with the west of Thailand. But critics fear the Yingluck government's plan to open transport and energy talks with Burma might benefit Thaksin's cronies. When Thaksin was prime minister between 2001 and 2004, the government took a special interest in investing in land transport, energy and telecommunications development in Burma. The former premier ordered the Foreign Ministry to help Burma secure a 4 billion baht loan from the Export-Import Bank of Thailand to buy equipment from his telecoms empire. Thaksin said yesterday that after the GMS meeting Thailand would gain benefits from Burma, including more gas field development deals. Energy Minister Pichai Naripthaphan, who is accompanying Ms Yingluck to Burma, said PTT Plc executives have also joined the trip to hold talks on oil and gas exploration. The Burmese government is offering licences for exploration and production firms to drill onshore and offshore. PTT Exploration and Production Plc is seeking licences for an onshore petroleum block as well as the MD7 and MD8 offshore gas blocks in the Gulf of Martaban, Mr Pichai said. If Burma awards the concessions to the company, this would help boost Thailand's energy security, he said. Government spokesman Thitima Chaisaeng said Ms Yingluck would take the opportunity to get to know Mrs Suu Kyi. It was a good chance for the two female leaders to exchange views on Mrs Suu Kyi's role in the pursuit of democracy. The prime minister will also ask Mrs Suu Kyi to visit Thailand if and when she is allowed to leave Burma in the future, Ms Thitima said. Meanwhile, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, director of the Institute of Security and International Studies (ISIS) at Chulalongkorn University and an expert on international relations, said Ms Yingluck's visit was well-timed given the flurry of recent positive developments in Burma. Her visit comes at a time when reform and dialogue are gaining momentum in Burma. "If Burma continues with a transition from military rule to democratic reform, Thailand will not want to miss the train. The democracy train in Burma bodes well for Ms Yingluck's democracy credentials," Mr Thitinan said. Most importantly, he said, Burma is now Thailand's energy lifeline and a longstanding source of labour for the Thai economy. Thai investments in Dawei also underscored Burma's crucial role in boosting Thailand's future economic growth, he said. http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politics/271560/thaksin-behind-pm-burma-trip --------------------------------------------- THE BANGKOK POST Famed Burma satirist 'shocked' by freedom Published: 20/12/2011 at 02:32 PM Online news: Asia He kept his quick wit throughout jail terms, torture and solitary confinement, but it seems nothing quite prepared Burma's most famous comedian for his first trip out of the military-dominated state. Prominent Myanmar comedian and vocal government critic, Zarganar (C), is seen here being welcomed by supporters upon his arrival at Yangon airport following his release from detention, on October 12. Myanmar freed one of its most famous political prisoners under an amnesty by the new leadership. "When I saw the airplane I got a shock, when I saw the airport I got a shock, when I saw the big building and big bridge and good road I got a shock," he told a packed audience that turned out to hear him in Bangkok. But it is the faces of young people in neighbouring Thailand -- expressing "freedom" and "self-confidence" -- that have really stunned the 50-year-old Zarganar. "Our young people in my country, daily they worry... Their faces are full of anxieties," he told the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand late Monday. "We are neighbouring countries, but quite different." During his first short stint abroad, however, the bald and bespectacled dissident is not dwelling on anxiety. Renowned for his humour in the face of repression and held in jail four times by Burma's ruling generals, the poet, performer and filmmaker was released from his latest prison term in October and has since finally been granted a passport. "Now I'm here, this is improvement," said Zarganar, who on Tuesday was headed to Cambodia before he returns home. His release, part of a wider prisoner amnesty, was one of several promising moves made by the new nominally civilian government this year that surprised skeptical Burma observers after almost 50 years of outright army rule. Although elections last November were widely criticised by the West, the new administration's nascent reforms have been cautiously welcomed and spurred a landmark visit by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in recent weeks. "This is watch-and-see time, so we just open the window to watch the government, what they do, what they will do," Zarganar said. As the country tries to shake off its isolated status, he said lifting sanctions imposed by the West would lead to more aid from foreign countries "for our people, not for our military". For Zarganar and his fellow citizens of Burma, formerly called Burma, progress has been a long time coming. Born Maung Thura, a year before the army grabbed power in 1962, he worked with several performance groups while studying at dental school and later adopted the name Zarganar, meaning "tweezers". He joined the 1988 student-led uprising against the then military dictator Ne Win and was arrested that year, tortured and sent to Rangoon's Insein Prison, where he was held for several months before being released in 1989. Since then, he has been arrested three more times for his dissident activities "so I'm very familiar with the prisons, I'm very used to the iron bars," he said. He talked about "a very rude and terrible time" during his earlier years of detention, which included five years in solitary confinement without windows, fresh air or even toilet paper -- using leaves instead. Conditions were less horrific during his latest jail term, stemming from his rush to help victims of the devastating Cyclone Nargis that tore through the Irrawaddy Delta in May 2008, leaving 138,000 people dead or missing. As the regime drew global condemnation for refusing aid groups access for weeks, the comedian was among the first bands of local people to get provisions to some of the 2.4 million desperately struggling for survival. He was sentenced to 59 years' imprisonment after organising aid-related activities, later reduced to 35 years, and in late 2008 was moved to Myitkyina prison in the remote far north of the country. It was here Zarganar said he came across a jailed colonel who, back in 1988, had tortured him with kickings, beatings and electric shocks. "He cried but I smiled. I gave him my hand to shake. Every day I talked a lot to him, I can forgive him." Zarganar said he was saddened that his enemy-turned-prison mate remains locked up, alongside hundreds of political prisoners. "We have to support them morally and financially. It's very important," he said. For all his activism, Zarganar has no intention of running for political office in upcoming by-elections -- unlike democracy icon and fellow former prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi, whom he affectionately refers to as "Auntie". His plans on returning to Burma include an Art of Freedom film festival and a short film, "Hello Democracy", about his "shock" on meeting the outside world. For him, the key is getting young people into education and politics. "I love my country and I love my people. To save my people -- that's my own principle, just like that," he said. http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/271677/famed-burma-satirist-hocked-by-freedom -------------------------------------------- Famed Myanmar comedian shuns parliamentary politics Dec 20, 2011, 4:58 GMT Bangkok - Famed Myanmar comedian Maung Thura, better known as Zarganar, has no plans to take his wit to parliament by contesting an upcoming by-election after being freed from prison two months ago. 'I don't want to go to Naypyitaw,' Zarganar said, referring to the new capital founded by the military in 2005. 'I don't want to enter the by-election.' Myanmar is expected to stage a by-election in March or April, 2012, which opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is expected to contest. 'Aunty is aunty, Zarganar is Zarganar,' the comedian said of her decision to re-enter politics. Suu Kyi was freed from house arrest on November 13, 2010, days after the first general election in two decades. Zarganar was speaking in Thailand Monday. He was released from jail on October 12 in an amnesty that included more than 200 other political prisoners. Human rights groups say 600 to 1,000 prisoners of conscience remain in Myanmar jails. The comedian, famous for his irreverent jibes about the military establishment that has ruled the country since 1962, has been jailed four times since 1988, when an army crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators killed 3,000 people. The pro-military government that came to power in March has shown some signs of reforms, such as opening a dialogue with Suu Kyi, freeing some political prisoners and easing travel restrictions 'Now I am here. That is an improvement,' Zarganar said of his visit to Bangkok, his first trip overseas in his lifetime. But scepticism runs deep about the regime, which is packed with former military men. 'This is watch-and-see time,' Zarganar said. Zarganar was seeking advice from Thai filmmakers on how to organize Myanmar's first film festival. He was to travel to Phnom Penh Tuesday on a similar mission. The comedian is also working on his own film titled, Hello Democracy. http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1681797.php/Famed-Myanmar-comedian-shuns-parliamentary-politics