News & Articles on Burma
Friday, 18 March, 2011
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Local residents in Shan army areas notified to evacuate
BGF staffs have problem getting salary
Suu Kyi and Renegade Faction Try to Bury Hatchet
Misreading Burma's Crisis
Myanmar donates cash to Japan for quake, tsunami victims
Myanmar military to launch new newspaper
Myawaddy Braces for Attack
Psych. warfare unit to launch newspaper
UN delays responding to Suu Kyi’s request for new envoy
Mongolian president encourages Suu Kyi, democracy movement
Statement on the Conclusion of the 2010 Article IV Consultation with Myanmar
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Local residents in Shan army areas notified to evacuate
Friday, 18 March 2011 14:42 Hseng Khio Fah
Hundreds of local residents living in Wanhai of Shan State South’s Kehsi township, where the headquarters of Shan State Army (SSA) ‘North’ is based, are now leaving the area following the SSA’s call asking everyone to evacuate to other areas for their safety, according to local sources.
“They [SSA] said the security around the village is unpredictable and fighting could break out at anytime. Therefore, the group was asking everyone, especially women, children and elderly people to leave the area at their earliest possible,” said a local villager who just arrived in Monghsu township this morning.
“But men and youth were asked to remain in the area in order to help fight with the group,” she added.
According to him, the call came out after the SSA received the junta’s ultimatum to surrender by 1st April. It was also demanded to pull out from all their bases spread out in areas outside its main base, within this week.
Since then, everyone is rushing to evacuate to other places, especially to towns like Monghsu, Kehsi and Taunggyi up to date. Some people were going with Tolaji (Chinese made farm tractor) and trucks while some were fleeing in bullock-carts.
“Transport fare in Monghsu has increased dramatically when many people are coming to take the buses here. Buses are full everyday,” said a local villager in Monghsu.
Meanwhile, people from and nearby Honam, Pangpien villages, where the first fighting of the SSA and Burma Army took place, are still fleeing as well up to this day. At present, Monghsu is hosting hundreds of refugees including injured people, but accurate data of the refugees are not available as people are not gathered at one place, residents in Monghsu said.
Dozens of civilians in the conflict zones were reportedly killed and injured by the Burma Army’s heavy shells.
“People are very frightened, not only the refugees, but also the townspeople. Some of them are even moving out to other cities due to fear that hostilities will spread to the town,” the source in Monghsu said.
The SSA and the Burma Army have been fighting in several places in Shan State South’s Monghsu’s township and Shan State North’s Tangyan township since Sunday, on 13 March.
The latest reports say the attack is believed to be taking place in Mongyai township as hundreds of Burma Army troops were seen heading toward Nawngkhio, a village in the township. http://www.shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3513:local-residents-in-shan-army-areas-notified-to-evacuate&catid=86:war&Itemid=284
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BGF staffs have problem getting salary
Friday, 18 March 2011 10:56 KNG
Hundreds of teachers and healthcare staff who are serving under the Border Guard Force (BGF), formerly the New Democratic Army-Kachin (NDA-K), are unsure when their salary will be paid in the new financial year, a staff member said.
The NDA-K which transformed into the BGF, under control of the Burmese military in 2009, released members over 50 years-old and now they have ordered civilian teachers and healthcare staff to fill out a questionnaire with biographical information.
pangwa-kachin-state
Zahkung Ting Ying, former NDA-K leader, who is an independent member of Burma's Nationalities Parliament.
“They are demanding biographical data from teachers and healthcare staff, so we don’t know whether they will be considered legal government employees,” one of the staff said.
There are about 100 healthcare staff and 200 teachers working in the former NDA-K controlled area in the Pangwa Region in Burma’s northern Kachin State, close to the China border, whose salary has been paid in Chinese currency by NDA-K headquarters in Pangwa.
However, no one knows who will provide their salary in the new financial year from, April 2011- April 2012, the source said.
Employees did not receive salaries since early February and some staff and teachers have gone back to their homes.
“Around 10 teachers from Sagain, Magwe Division and from Yesagyo have gone back,” according to a resident.
The salaries for graduated teachers are Yuan 205 and undergraduate teachers are paid Yuan 165. There are about 10,000 students in the NDA-K controlled area, said a staff member working in education.
Zahkung Ting Ying, former NDA-K leader and now independent member of Burma's Nationalities Parliament (Amyotha Hluttaw), representing Sawlaw, Chipwi and N’Jang Yang Township was attending a meeting in Nawpyidaw when the rumor spread salaries might be unavailable for teachers.
http://www.kachinnews.com/news/1873-bgf-staffs-have-problem-getting-salary.html
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Suu Kyi and Renegade Faction Try to Bury Hatchet
By BA KAUNG Friday, March 18, 2011
In an attempt to thaw the tension between them, National League for Democracy (NLD) leader Aung San Suu Kyi met with members of the party's breakaway faction, the National Democratic Force (NDF), on Thursday despite the fact that their differing political standpoints were openly exposed in a recent meeting with European diplomats.
“We explained to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi why we set up our own party and she did not voice any complaint this time around,” said Khin Maung Swe, one of the leaders of the NDF, which broke away from Suu Kyi's NLD last year to contest the November general election.
The decision to contest the election strained relations within the NLD, including between Suu Kyi and her former political colleagues. But Khin Maung Swe claimed that they are now on better terms.
“We had an exchange with her that was frank and interactive—like in the old days,” he said.
He said that Suu Kyi enquired as to why certain NDF representatives spoke in opposition to each other during recent parliamentary sessions in Naypyidaw.
Her remarks clearly referred to an incident on Tuesday in the Lower House when three NDF lawmakers' proposals for education and pension reform were met with an unexpected objection by one of the party's own MPs, Kyi Myint.
“We now have an MP in parliament who is going his own way and expressing opinions that do not reflect party policy,” said Khin Maung Swe, adding that he told Suu Kyi the same thing.
The meeting between Suu Kyi and the NDF came a day after a group of European Union diplomats organized a meeting in the Italian embassy in Rangoon between Suu Kyi and leaders of five different political parties, including the NDF, all of which contested the elections.
It is not clear to what extent Suu Kyi and these political parties can or will cooperate with each other in their opposition to the military regime, but when they were asked by EU diplomats about their opinions on the Western economic sanctions and the possibility of an anti-government uprising in Burma, they gave different responses.
According to Ohn Kyaing, an NLD spokesman, Suu Kyi maintained that the untimely lifting of sanctions, whether partially or wholly, would send a wrong signal to the regime. He said she echoed last month's NLD statement that the sanctions were aimed at helping the democratic cause in Burma and the dismal economic conditions in the country were directly linked to the lack of good governance.
“I think the diplomats wish to sound out our opinion for an EU review of sanctions, which is due to happen soon,” Ohn Kyaing said.
By contrast, the NDF representatives and the leaders of the other four political parties supported the lifting of sanctions, which do not directly target the military rulers and their business cronies, said Khin Maung Swe.
While there are reported divisions within the EU member states regarding sanctions against Burma, there is speculation that the EU will relax sanctions, such as ending its travel ban on the junta leaders.
Khin Maung Swe said that the EU diplomats also asked the party leaders whether they saw any possibility of an anti-government revolution similar to that in the Arab world.
“I answered that there is little sign of that in the near future, while Daw Suu said we need to wait and see how the situation in Burma plays out,” he said.
A European diplomat who joined the discussions was quoted as telling the AFP news agency that the meeting was aimed at creating interaction among Burmese opposition groups.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=20966
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EDITORIAL
Misreading Burma's Crisis
Friday, March 18, 2011
Now that Burma's new Parliament has been formed and we've all had a chance to witness the workings of this new legislative body in action, most Burmese are now thoroughly convinced that the country's military supremo, Snr-Gen Than Shwe, has indeed handed over power—from his right hand to his left hand.
That is the joke now circulating inside Burma, and for most observers, it comes much closer to the truth than the more laughable claims coming from some quarters that real change is afoot in the country.
In the months since last year's bogus “election,” Than Shwe has systematically consolidated his hold on power. His long-time loyalist Thein Sein has been named president, and military hardliner Tin Aung Myint Oo has assumed one of two vice-presidential positions—the other going to a token ethnic Shan candidate from the junta's proxy party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP).
Prior to the first session of Burma's new Parliament, Than Shwe signed a law that gives the commander-in-chief of the military—the position currently held by Than Shwe himself—absolute authority to use unlimited “Special Funds” in performing his duties of protecting the Constitution and preserving national sovereignty. These funds, which are in addition to a US $2 billion budget, will be permanently at the military's disposal to ensure that it need never worry about losing its half-century-old grip on Burma.
It is still unclear how the new system is going to work in Burma, but one thing is certain: Than Shwe continues to call the shots. The ruling junta, the State Peace and Development Council, holds the real power, and nobody knows when it will be abolished. The fear is that Than Shwe, who has so far shown no signs of leaving, will remain in power in the foreseeable future. Even if he does leave, he has selected a “new leadership” whose sole role is maintain the status quo.
Meanwhile, in Naypyidaw, Burma's supposed legislators sit around waiting for Than Shwe to make his latest decree so they can turn it into law. All of this is going on without any outside scrutiny, as reporters are prevented from entering the Parliament buildings and coverage of the proceedings by the state-run media is heavily censored. Local audiences say that these broadcasts remind them of Burma's socialist era, when Parliament existed merely to rubber stamp Ne Win's whims, while others compare the country's new legislature to the military-sponsored National Convention that drafted the 2008 Constitution.
To be fair, legislators have been allowed to ask questions and discuss proposals submitted by fellow MPs, albeit within strictly enforced limits. But whenever the tiny contingent of opposition parliamentarians direct a question to a government minister, they are stonewalled, and every proposal is either rejected outright or deferred indefinitely. Needless to say, none of these questions or proposals are revealed to the public.
In its latest report on Burma, the Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG) argued that it would be a mistake to say that nothing has changed in the country and urged the international community to encourage the government to move in the right direction. As “encouragement,” it has called on the West to rethink its sanctions and restrictions on development assistance. It also said that a new generation has taken over as Than Shwe and his deputy, Vice Snr-Gen Maung Aye, have stepped aside.
It is safe to say that ICG’s reading of the situation in Burma is wrong. No new generation has taken over power in Burma. It is just old wine in a new bottle. The majority of Burmese don’t even bother talking about Parliament and the soon to be inaugurated new government. ICG now faces its own moral crisis, brought on by its failure to acknowledge Burma's real political problems and conflicts.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/opinion_story.php?art_id=20964
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Myanmar donates cash to Japan for quake, tsunami victims
Posted : Fri, 18 Mar 2011 05:03:41 GMT
Category : Asia (World)
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Yangon - Military-run Myanmar has donated 100,000 dollars to earthquake and tsunami victims in Japan's hard-hit Sendai area, media reports said Friday.
Myanmar Foreign Minister Nyan Win passed the donation to Japan's Ambassador Takashi Saito in a ceremony held in Naypyitaw, 350 kilometres north of Yangon, on Thursday, the New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported.
Myanmar, which has been under military dictatorships since 1962, is ranked among the world's least-developed countries by the United Nations.
After World War II, Japan was Myanmar's main foreign aid donor until 1988, when a brutal army crackdown on a mass pro-democracy movement that left at least 3,000 dead prompted an end to or cuts in assistance from many multi-lateral and bilateral sources.
Myanmar was not the only impoverished South-East Asia to send cash to disaster-stricken Japan this week.
Cambodia and Laos earlier this week pledged 100,000-dollar donations to disaster victims, although the two countries remain recipients of Japanese development aid.
Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar are all members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations, a group that has close political and economic ties with Japan.
Posted by Earth Times Staff http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/372293,japan-quake-tsunami-victims.html
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Myanmar military to launch new newspaper
Mar 18, 2011, 3:05 GMT
Yangon - Myanmar's military will launch a new daily newspaper on 27 March, to mark the 66th anniversary of Armed Forces Day, sources said Friday.
The Myawaddy daily will be run by the military's Directorate of Public Relations and Psychological Warfare, one of the new daily's employees said.
The newspaper's launch comes at a time when the military is supposedly withdrawing from politics. The country held its first election in 20 years on November 7, and will set up a new elected government by April 1.
Although elected, the new government will be dominated by ex-military men who packed the winning party - the Union Solidarity and Development Party - and by the senate, one-quarter of whom were appointed by the military.
The Myawaddy will be Myanmar's fourth daily newspaper.
Kyaymon, Myanma Ahlin and the English-language New Light of Myanmar are all under the Ministry of Information.
The headquarters of Myawaddy will be in Naypyitaw, Myanmar's capital since 2005.
Myanmar has been under military dictatorships since 1962 and is ranked among the world's most repressive regimes in regards to press freedom.
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1626984.php/Myanmar-military-to-launch-new-newspaper
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Myawaddy Braces for Attack
By THE IRRAWADDY Friday, March 18, 2011
Residents of the Burmese border town of Myawaddy began fleeing the area on Thursday amid reports that a breakaway faction of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), a former cease-fire armed group, is preparing to launch an offensive against Burmese troops based in the town.
Local sources said that while some residents had fled to the nearby town of Kawkareik, most were staying in their homes to avoid getting caught up in the latest armed clashes between government troops and the DKBA.
“The government authorities here are saying this is just rumor, but their families were the first to flee,” said one local resident.
Meanwhile, Col San Aung of DKBA Brigade 5, the renegade group that has been clashing with government troops in the area since late last year, confirmed reports that it is planning to launch an attack on the town soon, but has been delayed due to the unseasonably wet weather.
He warned local people in the area to travel with caution, but assured them that the DKBA would only attack military targets.
“People should not worry too much, because we will only go after the government's military installations,” he said, adding that his group had already announced its intention to start a new offensive after high school exams are completed this month.
The town's residents said they were very cautious about the latest development because Burmese government forces launched military offensives against the rebel Shan State Army-North on Sunday.
A bus driver in Myawaddy said that just a few days ago, three Burmese soldiers were killed during an ambush by DKBA troops on the Myawaddy-Kawareik road—the main trading route between Thailand and Burma.
On Nov. 7 of last year—the day Burma held its first general elections in 20 years—armed clashes broke out between DKBA troops and the Burmese army, sending tens of thousands of refugees fleeing to the Thai border.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=20962
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Psych. warfare unit to launch newspaper
By FRANCIS WADE
Published: 18 March 2011
The Burmese regime’s psychological warfare department is soon to launch a daily newspaper in what one analyst said could be a means to counter the growing influence of the internet.
The launch of The Myawaddy, which will be headquartered in Naypyidaw, brings to four the number of state-run daily newspapers in Burma, all which act as mouthpieces for the ruling junta.
Political analyst Aung Naing Oo told DVB that the move was yet another attempt by the junta to counter the flow of independent media in Burma that has spread as more Burmese log on to the internet.
Although Burma has one of the lowest internet penetration rates in the world, social networking sites have grown in popularity. Burmese junta chief Than Shwe is believed to have eyed with concern the key role played by social media and SMS messaging in the ongoing Middle East uprisings.
Zinn Linn, deputy head of the Burma Media Association, told DVB that the junta’s Directorate of Public Relations and Psychological Warfare, which comes under the intelligence department, had a chequered history of using media as a propaganda tool.
“When they [the military government] were fighting against the communist revolt and the Karen and ethnic revolts, through the psychological warfare department they delivered false information: for example, [Burmese troops] bombed pagodas and railway lines and through the media they blamed it on the armed opposition.”
The directorate comes under Burma’s Military Affairs Security department, formerly known as Military Intelligence, which is headed by Major General Kyaw Swe. The other state-run daily newspapers, Kyaymon, the New Light of Myanmar, Myanmar Ahlin and the Yadanabon, are all under the Ministry of Information.
The launch date of The Myawaddy is set for 27 March, otherwise known as Armed Forces Day. The decision to launch it on the same day as segments of Burmese society celebrate the country’s maligned military is telling, Zinn Linn says.
“Anyone who think media freedom has improved since the [November 2010] elections is dreaming,” he said. “On the surface the Myawaddy will be a colourful publication with nice pictures to attract people’s interest, but in essence it’s a vessel that the so-called civilian government can use to spread false news and propaganda.”
The psychological warfare department also runs Myawaddy TV and the Myawaddy magazine.
Newspapers such as the New Light of Myanmar are littered with mantras demanding that Burmese “Crush all internal and external destructive elements as the common enemy” and “Oppose those trying to jeopardize stability of the State and progress of the nation”, whilst reserving a space to warn that media such as DVB is “generating public outrage”.
Apart from a handful of privately-owned magazines that nonetheless come under strict censorship by the ruling junta, all newspapers are state owned and often act as the government mouthpiece.
Front-page articles seldom deviate away from coverage of ribbon-cutting ceremonies or diplomatic visits to the handful of countries still allied with Burma, while any material or opinion critical of the government is strictly prohibited.
All published material in Burma must first be approved by the Press Registration and Scrutiny Division (PRSD), which often takes days. Ross Dunkley, the detained former editor of the Myanmar Times, the only newspaper in Burma with foreign funding, has said in the past that some 20 percent of its articles submitted to the censor board are rejected,
More than 20 media workers are in jail, some serving sentences of up to 27 years.
http://www.dvb.no/news/psych-warfare-unit-to-launch-newspaper/14828
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UN delays responding to Suu Kyi’s request for new envoy
Friday, 18 March 2011 15:45 Thomas Maung Shwe
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is still considering the appointment of a full-time replacement for the UN’s special envoy to Burma, his spokesperson said in New York on Thursday. The role is currently held on an interim basis by Ban’s chief of staff, the former Indian diplomat Vijay Nambiar, who took over the role more than a year ago.
Former Burma envoy Dr. Ibrahim Gambari, Ban and his chief of staff, the former Indian diplomat Vijay Nambiar, walk together at the UN building in New York in this undated photo. Photo: UN Handout
Former Burma envoy Dr. Ibrahim Gambari, Ban and his chief of staff, the former Indian diplomat Vijay Nambiar, walk together at the UN building in New York in this undated photo. Photo: UN Handout
The Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi was quoted earlier this month saying that she wanted an envoy to be appointed as soon as possible.
She told Radio Free Asia on March 4: ‘I think that if a responsible person is appointed full time to properly monitor Burma in depth, then the secretary-general will be apprised of the exact situation in Burma. That is why I am hoping that such a full-time person will be appointed as soon as possible.”
The UN spokesperson responded to a question about Suu Kyi’s desire for a new Burma envoy saying that both Suu Kyi and various UN- member states who are part of the Friends of Myanmar group have called for a full-time envoy.
‘The secretary-general has said he has taken note of these ideas, and he will reflect on them and take them into account’, said the spokesperson.
Three months ago both the British and Mexican ambassadors to the UN told Inner City Press reporter Matthew Russell Lee that they wanted the secretary-general to quickly find a replacement for Nambiar.
Suu Kyi’s reference to wanting a ‘responsible person’ in the role of Burma envoy may have been a reference to her refusal to meet Nambiar’s Nigerian predecessor Ibharim Gambari on at least one occasion. Gambari, who served as Ban’s special envoy to Burma while Suu Kyi was under house arrest, previously served as Nigeria’s ambassador to the UN during the rule of military dictator Sani Abacha. http://www.mizzima.com/news/world/5035-un-delays-responding-to-suu-kyis-request-for-new-envoy.html
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Mongolian president encourages Suu Kyi, democracy movement
Friday, 18 March 2011 15:28 Thea Forbes
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) - The president of Mongolia, the first democratic state in Central Asia, has extended his support to Burma’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a telephone call, according to the US Campaign for Burma.
Burmese Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi addresses a large crowd outside the National League for Democracy headquarters in Rangoon, a day after her release from house arrest. It was her first public speech in seven years. Photo: Mizzima
Burmese Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi addresses a large crowd outside the National League for Democracy headquarters in Rangoon, a day after her release from house arrest. It was her first public speech in seven years. Photo: Mizzima
President Elbegdorj, who co-drafted Mongolia’s 1992 Constitution, said that Mongolia’s transition from Communism to democracy could be seen as an example of moving from oppression to freedom and that free market reforms and human rights can be linked to economic development in Burma.
‘I would encourage Burma’s rulers to realize that democracy should not be feared but embraced’, said Elbegdorj.
Noting the waves of pro-democracy movements that have spread throughout the Middle East in recent weeks, Elbegorj said he believed that the Burmese people could realize democracy in their own oppressive state.
‘As we continue to watch the millions of people struggling in the Middle East for greater freedoms and oppressive regimes fall, I am confident that the strength of the Burmese people, to peacefully but forcefully push for the democracy that is rightly theirs, will be realized’, he said. ‘No amount of oppression or the longstanding violence against the Burmese and ethnic groups can stand against a people that want to be free’. http://www.mizzima.com/news/regional/5034-mongolian-president-encourages-suu-kyi-democracy-movement.html
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Statement on the Conclusion of the 2010 Article IV Consultation with Myanmar
Press Release No. 11/87
March 17, 2011
The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded—on a lapse-of-time basis1—the 2010 Article IV consultation with Myanmar on March 16, 2011, and considered and endorsed the staff appraisal without a meeting.
Under Article IV of its Articles of Agreement, the IMF has a mandate to exercise surveillance over the economic, financial and exchange rate policies of its members in order to ensure the effective operation of the international monetary system. The IMF’s appraisal of such policies involves a comprehensive analysis of the general economic situation and policy strategy of each member country. IMF economists visit the member country, usually once a year, to collect and analyze data and hold discussions with government and central bank officials. Upon its return, the staff submits a report to the IMF’s Executive Board for discussion. The Board’s views are subsequently summarized and transmitted to the country’s authorities.
1 The Executive Board takes decisions under its lapse-of-time procedure when the Board agrees that a proposal can be considered without convening formal discussions.
IMF EXTERNAL RELATIONS DEPARTMENT
Public Affairs Media Relations
Phone: 202-623-7300 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 202-623-7300 end_of_the_skype_highlighting Phone: 202-623-7100 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 202-623-7100 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Fax: 202-623-6278 Fax: 202-623-6772 http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2011/pr1187.htm
Thursday, March 24, 2011
News & Articles on Burma-Friday, 18 March, 2011
ညီေတာ္တေယာက္ ကဗ်ာေကာက္ရျခင္း
ေမြးေန ့ရက္မွာလည္း
ေဘးေတြ ့လ်က္သာပဲလုိ ့
ကဗ်ာထဲ ေရးရမလို။
ဘယ္ႏွႏွစ္ေျမာက္လဲ
ဒါလည္း မေ၀ခဲြတတ္ေတာ့
ေၾကကဲြဇာတ္က အတိၿပီးျပန္။
ေအာ့ဇ၀စ္အက်ဥ္းထဲမွာလား
နာဇီလက္သစ္ေတြ လက္ထဲမလား
မယားနဲ ့သားအတြက္ ဗေလာင္ဆူ
ဂ်ပန္ဆူနာမီ ငလ်င္လွဳိင္းက
ဘာလင္တံတိုင္းကို ေက်ာ္ခဲ့
အေဖာ္မဲ့သူရဲ ့ေသာက
ေလာကျပက္ရယ္ ျပဳသကို။
ငိုလို ့လဲ မဆံုးတဲ့ ၀တၳဳ
ဒီရာစုမွာ ေရးသား
တရားရွင္ရဲ ့ စီရင္ခ်က္ေပလား
ဘ၀ခါးခါးကိုမွ ၿမိန္ၿမိန္ယွက္ယွက္
ေသမင္းလက္ကို ပုတ္ထုတ္ခဲ့
ေနာက္မဆုတ္တတ္တဲ့ ရာဇ၀င္
ေမြးေန ့ရွင္သာ ေရးေပေတာ့။ ။
(ရဲရင့္သက္ဇဲြ ေမြးေန ့သို ့)
ေမာင္လြမ္းဏီ
၂၂ မတ္ ၂၀၁၁
News & Articles on Burma-Wednesday, 23 March, 2011
News & Articles on Burma
Wednesday, 23 March, 2011
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Sanctions must stay in place: Myanmar's Suu Kyi
Burmese Tuning in to Events in Libya
Suu Kyi says sanctions must remain
Thai investments to focus on Dawei: NESDB
It takes a village to support a military intervention
Refugees reject ‘insurgent, criminal’ claims
Shouldering China’s toxic burden
Burmese minister says Thailand prolonging conflict
Burma Says Thailand Can Do More to Stop Karen Insurgents
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STRAITS TIMES: Mar 23, 2011
Sanctions must stay in place: Myanmar's Suu Kyi
BERLIN - MYANMAR'S opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi said on Wednesday that sanctions against the military junta in her country should remain, as the European Union prepares to decide whether to lift the action.
In an interview with German daily Frankfurter Rundschau, the Nobel peace laureate insisted: 'Sanctions must remain in place. Sanctions should only be lifted when something has changed here.'
The EU is poised to decide in April whether to continue sanctions against the regime for human rights abuses following Ms Suu Kyi's release from house arrest in November.
Last week, EU diplomats held talks with Ms Suu Kyi, 65, about the possibility of lifting Western sanctions, which global think-tank International Crisis Group recently criticised as 'counterproductive.'
Supporters of the trade and financial sanctions say they are the only way to pressure the military rulers of Myanmar, where there are believed to be about 2,200 political prisoners behind bars.
Despite the restrictions on Western businesses, Asian companies, especially from China, India, Thailand and South Korea, have overlooked the political situation and human rights abuses to invest in resource-rich Myanmar. -- AFP http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_648347.html
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Burmese Tuning in to Events in Libya
By KO HTWE Wednesday, March 23, 2011
The Burmese people, many of whom are hungry for a revolution of their own, are watching closely the events taking place in Libya and the attacks by coalition forces on that country, while at the same time soberly realizing that they are not likely to receive the same type of international military support.
UN Security Council Resolution 1973, which authorizes a no-fly zone in Libya and the prevention of attacks on Libyan civilians, is popular in Burma.
But Chan Tun, a veteran politician based in Rangoon, told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that the international policy on Burma is totally different from Libya. In particular, he pointed out that because China and India support Burma, they would not allow foreign intervention as has happened in Libya, so the people of Burma believe that the ability to create change in the country is in their own hands.
“Burma gets support from India and China, but how people in Burma suffer is not their concern. Those countries only look out for their own interest. They will form a relationship with the government in hand,” said Chan Tun.
Without the involvement of the Burmese Army, change will not occur and the revolution in Burma will not reach its goal, he added.
But Phyo Min Thein, another politician based in Rangoon, pointed out that conditions could lead to the type of revolution that has occurred in several Arab countries.
“If the Burmese people's standard of living gets worse in the future, then an uprising may take place,” he said.
Authorities assume the culprits of the recent “Just Do It Against Military Dictatorship” campaign launched on the social network Facebook are eminent politicians and so are watching their steps, he added.
The Burmese junta appears also to be paying close attention to events in Libya. The state-run newspaper on Wednesday highlighted an address delivered by Snr-Gen Than Shwe on the 65th Anniversary Armed Forces Day, in which he said: “It is an absolute necessity to avoid relying on external powers.”
In addition, an article in the state-run The New Light of Myanmar on Tuesday said: “Old and neo-colonialists are casting a covetous eye on rich deposits of natural resources in Myanmar [Burma] and leveling accusations against the Tatmadaw [Burmese armed forces].”
The desire of Burmese citizens to watch the American-led military operation launched in Libya is fueling the demand for satellite receivers and dishes in Burmese cities, said an employee of an electronics sales center in Rangoon.
Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Tuesday, the electronic sales center employee said demand has doubled and possibly tripled, and residents are buying even more satellite receivers than during the 2010 World Cup season.
“These days, people set up 8-ft satellite receivers and dishes that will cost nearly 30,000 kyat (US $ 34.09). But many like the 2 foot UBC receiver and dish because of better reception,” said the electronics center employee.
Satellite dishes are popular because an 8-ft dish and receiver made in Burma costs about 100,000 kyat ($113.64) and the regular monthly or annual fees demanded by other pay-television services are not applicable.
However, many news lovers from Burma cannot afford to set up the satellite, so they watch the news in tea shops and other places.
“Many Burmese concentrate on world affairs. Most of them envy the coalition of forces launching military operations in Libya,” said a politician from Rangoon.
Many have to rely on news from a satellite because Burmese state-run television does not air and Rangoon–based journals don't publish some of the news about military operations in Libya.
The Burmese government ordered a massive hike in annual satellite television license fees in January, from 6,000 kyat ($6.82) to 1 million kyat ($1,136). However, payment of the licenses has yet to be enforced.
Most of the state-run television channels in Burma, including TV Myanmar, Myawaddy TV, MRTV 4 and International Myanmar, normally broadcast the regime's propaganda and opinions.
Although the pay-television services provided by Shwe Than Lwin and Forever Group feature CNN and other foreign news channels, reports on Burma and the military regime are subject to censorship.
Shwe Than Lwin is in collaboration with the military regime's Ministry of Information and Myanma Posts and Telecommunications, while the Forever Group is widely believed to have close ties with incumbent Information Minister Brig-Gen Kyaw Hsan.
The Irrawaddy reporter Linn Thant contributed to this article.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=20994
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Suu Kyi says sanctions must remain
By AFP
Published: 23 March 2011
Burma’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi said on Wednesday that sanctions against the military junta in her country should remain, as the European Union prepares to decide whether to lift the action.
In an interview with German daily Frankfurter Rundschau, the Nobel peace laureate insisted: “Sanctions must remain in place. Sanctions should only be lifted when something has changed here.”
The EU is poised to decide in April whether to continue sanctions against the regime for human rights abuses following Suu Kyi’s release from house arrest in November.
Last week, EU diplomats held talks with Suu Kyi, 65, about the possibility of lifting Western sanctions, which global think-tank International Crisis Group recently criticised as “counterproductive”.
Supporters of the trade and financial sanctions say they are the only way to pressure the military rulers of Burma, where there are believed to be about 2,200 political prisoners behind bars.
Despite the restrictions on Western businesses, Asian companies, especially from China, India, Thailand and South Korea, have overlooked the political situation and human rights abuses to invest in resource-rich Burma.
http://www.dvb.no/news/suu-kyi-says-sanctions-must-remain/14898
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Thai investments to focus on Dawei: NESDB
By Nalin Viboonchart
The Nation
Published on March 23, 2011
Narongchai Akrasanee, a former commerce minister and director of the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB), said there was more opportunity for Thai companies to invest in Burma than in Thailand.
Narongchai made the remarks as keynote speaker at a seminar on the Asean Economic Community (AEC) held by the Federation of Thai Industries and the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion.
He said the NESDB saw bleak prospects in Thailand for heavy-industry investments such as upstream steel projects, as well as for the Southern Seaboard project. Thus those investments will go to Dawei (formerly known as Tavoy), which provides more opportu?nity for Thai industrialists.
"We used to talk about the Southern Seaboard and Pak Bara deep-seaport projects in the past. But now, we'll forget them," he said. "Thailand's major investments, such as upstream steel projects, will absolutely head to Dawei. Thai people have protested against those projects, so we cannot go any further anyway."
The uncertain political situation in Burma will not be a concern for Thai investments in Dawei, since the Burmese government has announced the region will become a special economic zone, he added.
Narongchai said the country's plan to concentrate on investments in Dawei would harmonise with the country's intention to benefit from the AEC, which will be fully implemented in 2015.
The countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion will be important production bases for Thailand because those countries have resources that Thailand can access to increase production capacity, he said.
The AEC will allow Thailand to allocate its resources for maximum benefit. The country will move out of businesses that it does not have expertise in, he said.
Narongchai said Thailand had three main areas with potential to benefit from the AEC: services, industry and agriculture-related business.
The 11th National Economic and Social Development Plan team believes the service industry has the most potential with regards to the AEC. Development and government support will focus on this seg?ment from now on.
The next sector to benefit will be agriculture-related industries.
Narongchai said conflict between Thailand and Burma was a concern that could hinder cooperation among Asean countries. Regional agreements might not succeed if the two countries still had border prob?lems.
Anurut Vongvanich, chief executive officer of the British Dispensary, said at the same seminar that Thai businesspeo?ple should be aware of the AEC and identify prompt action to take if they wanted to be suc?cessful once the AEC was in place.
"We have to change our mindset and open ourselves to others. If we have to set up joint ventures with other companies to benefit our businesses, we must do that," he said.
Anurut said building brands might not be difficult for Thai companies. Seeking strategic alliances to expand market channels and doing regional business were now concerns, he said. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2011/03/23/business/Thai-investments-to-focus-on-Dawei-NESDB-30151515.html
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Libya
It takes a village to support a military intervention
Mar 21st 2011, 16:15 by M.S.
EVERYBODY'S uncertain over the military intervention in Libya, including myself, but as Jonathan Chait says, a lot of people are uncertain for the wrong reasons. As Mr Chait sums it up, the argument is basically that we shouldn't intervene in Libya because we're not intervening in lots of other places where worse things are happening. He points to Andrew Sullivan, who says "we have done nothing in Burma or the Congo and are actively supporting governments in Yemen and Bahrain that are doing almost exactly—if less noisily—what Qaddafi is doing," and to Ezra Klein, who says "Every year, one million people die from malaria. About three million children die, either directly or indirectly, due to hunger. There is much we could due to help the world if we were willing. The question that needs to be asked is: Why this?" (Jeffrey Goldberg has the weakest version of the argument: "I've been wondering just exactly why armed intervention in Libya is so urgently sought by the West, and why armed intervention in other places that are suffering from similar man-made disasters (Yemen, the Ivory Coast, and the big enchilada, Iran, to name three) is not." Perhaps because Iran is 10 times the size of Libya and the government seems to command the fervent support of about half the population?) Mr Chait's response is that "the Libya question is only about Libya":
Should we also spend more money to prevent malaria? Yes, we should. But I see zero reason to believe that not intervening in Libya would lead to an increase in in American assistance to prevent malaria. Why not intervene in Burma or Yemen or elsewhere? I would say the answer is prudential: for various political, geographic, and military reasons, the United States has the chance to prevent slaughter in Libya at reasonable cost, and does not have the chance to do so in Burma.
Mr Chait has a very strong argument here, and in fact it's stronger than he makes it sound. He should have gone into specifics on those political and geographic reasons, or rather, into one big specific: the Arab League's support for Euro-American intervention in Libya. As Hillary Clinton said last week, Arab League support for a no-fly zone changed the diplomatic landscape, soothing Western qualms about outside intervention in yet another Arab country and quieting Chinese and Russian objections to violations of sovereignty. But this really isn't just about a diplomatic shift making it easier to get a resolution through the UN Security Council. The regional context is the single most important factor differentiating successful from unsuccessful military interventions. The US-led coalition effort to reconquer Kuwait from Iraq in 1991 was successful, and led to the re-establishment of a stable Kuwaiti state, because it was supported by the Gulf states and the major Arab countries, and not opposed by Iran. The NATO and UN interventions in Bosnia and Kosovo were hardly shining triumphs, but they basically stabilised the Balkans and arguably triggered Serbia's transition to democracy, mainly because the former Yugoslavia is in Europe, and the overwhelming political dynamic for Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Kosovo and Macedonia is the relationship with the EU and NATO.
In contrast, interventions in Somalia, Afghanistan and (the second time around) Iraq have been crippled by unfriendly regional environments. Euro-American objectives in Afghanistan cannot be accomplished without Pakistan. Euro-American objectives in Iraq cannot be accomplished without Iran. Western countries cannot simply parachute into these parts of the world and reshape the political landscape. Things are different in Libya in great measure because Egypt, Tunisia and their Arab League fellows don't want to see Muammar Qaddafi win; they've never much liked the guy, even before the revolt, and they don't want to have an unstable, post-civil-war pariah state in North Africa. Their unwillingness to supply any meaningful military support to the intervention is a problem, and it's not clear how deep their commitment runs. But the fact that they're spontaneously committing to the intervention, that the regional attitude is friendly towards a popular revolt to overthrow Mr Qaddafi and towards UN-approved intervention to protect that revolt, makes a huge difference. That doesn't mean that the intervention in Libya will be a success, but it helps a lot.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2011/03/libya_0
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Refugees reject ‘insurgent, criminal’ claims
By NAW NOREEN
Published: 23 March 2011
Karen refugees in Thailand have spoken of their anger at claims made by Burma’s information minister that the majority of those living in Thai camps are insurgents or subversives.
Kyaw Hsan made the comments yesterday during a parliamentary session in which he also questioned why the Thai government wasn’t doing more to help curb protracted civil in Karen state.
Questioned about aid and assistance to refugees in Karen state, where ethnic armed groups have been battling a 60-year conflict against the Burmese army, he said that the government had so far spent 6.8 billion kyat ($US773,000) on healthcare, food and education for victims of the fighting.
But referring to assistance offered to the 150,000-odd who have fled Burma and now live in refugees camps along the Thai border, Kyaw Hsan said that “most of them are remnant insurgents and their families, expatriates and those who fled after committing crimes”.
A spokesperson for the Karen Refugee Committee said however that “there is no ground to support” those claims.
Saw Htun Htun, chairperson of Mae La camp, Thailand’s biggest refugee camp for Burmese, said that the 45,000-strong population there “are refugees who fled our homes due to persecution from the war”.
That claim was supported by Sally Thompson, deputy director of the Thailand Burma Border Consortium (TBBC), who said that domestic instability was the key reason behind the exodus of Karen to Thailand over the past two decades.
The conflict between the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and the Burmese government is thought to be the world’s longest-running. More than half a million are displaced inside eastern Burma, largely due to the fighting, while hundreds of thousands have fled the country.
Kyaw Hsan’s comments follow claims made by the governor of Thailand’s Tak provice, which borders Karen state, that the Burmese were angry at Thailand for its perceived sheltering of Karen insurgents.
Samart Loifah said that Burma believed the border town of Mae Sot and the surrounding area had become a second home for the KNLA, which has a number of bases on the Burmese side of the porous frontier with Thailand, where cross-border movement is easy.
http://www.dvb.no/news/refugees-reject-%E2%80%98insurgent-criminal%E2%80%99-claims/14880
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Shouldering China’s toxic burden
By FRANCIS WADE
Published: 23 March 2011
Four years ago a World Bank report landed on the desk of the Chinese health ministry containing shocking statistics on pollution-related deaths in the country, so much so that Beijing promptly engineered the removal of a third of it over fears that the findings, if they went public, could spark “social unrest”. Around 750,000 people die each year of pollution-related illnesses, the report said, many of whom fall victim to China’s distinction as the world’s leading coal consumer. The findings were smothered for years, with the final report, “Cost of Pollution in China”, resorting to abstract gauges such as the economic burden of premature deaths, rather than the cold, hard figures.
Fast forward to now and this burden has taken on a new form: China has begun to fear that the by-products of rapid industrialisation and surging growth rates are now “a serious obstacle to social and economic development”, as environmental minister Zhou Shengxian said last month, and has positioned the battle against pollution as a key priority in the government’s five-year plan. On the surface this will come as welcome news to many, with Beijing acknowledging the need to look for slower, more sustainable forms of growth, but beneath lurks a different reality.
The inconvenient truth is that China’s swelling middle class and its soaring demands for energy, rising at nine percent each year, are an impediment to Zhou’s ambitions and, further down the line, the progress of the country. If energy consumption continues to increase at current rates, by 2020 China will require twice as many dams, coal-fired power stations, nuclear plants and other power sources. Factor in rapidly depleting natural resources, and a conundrum forms for the rising superpower: can it continue with its aggressive expansion of its domestic energy industry, to the detriment of its environment and people, or does it look for alternatives?
The alternatives may not be the sustainable measures mooted by Zhou, but something more sinister: China has been increasingly out-sourcing its pollutive and ecologically destructive industries to regional neighbours, relying on their flimsy environmental regulations and suppression of public disquiet on which to lump the burden. This co-opting of resource-rich smaller states like Laos and Burma has been aggressive, and shows little sign of abating; instead, the alarm bells recently sounded by Zhou could give it a further prod as Beijing looks to shift the by-products of its growth elsewhere.
Already the China National Heavy Machinery Corporation Company (CHMC) is the main economic thrust behind Burma’s largest open-pit coal mine and coal-fired power plant in Tigyit, Shan state, that a report in January said had triggered skin infections among half of the 12,000-strong local population and caused the forcible displacement of more than 320 households; people that receive no benefits from the project, given that the energy produced from the 2000 tonnes of lignite mined each day is shipped to a nearby cement factory for use in dam construction. A 600 megawatt coal-fired power plant, part-operated by the China Guodian Corporation, is also under construction in Sagaing division, with the power slated to be sent to Burma’s largest copper mine in nearby Monywa, operated by Chinese weapons giant Norinco. The output from Monywa will go to feed China’s booming electronics manufacturing sector, with a statement last year on the Norinco website tellingly boasting that the deal would “enhance the influence of our country in Myanmar [Burma]”. A similar agreement will also see China’s Taiyuan Iron and Steel (Group) Company, the largest steel manufacturer in the world, mine Sagaing division for nickel.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg for the pariah, pockmarked as it is by Chinese dams, mines and pipelines, and whose dependency on its northern neighbour for capital risks further subservience to Beijing’s needs. In 2009 Burma was added to a special ‘watch list’ of resource-rich (and easily exploitable) countries drawn up by Beijing’s Ministry of Land and Resources, and environmental experts from the Burma Rivers Network warned in January this year that China will take nearly half of the electricity produced by planned hydropower projects in Burma, with Thailand and India accounting for the majority of the remaining output. Around 10 percent will go to the Burmese military, largely for the construction of ventures like the Shwe dual pipeline project, which will transport Burmese gas and Middle Eastern oil offloaded on Burma’s western coast to China, while one percent will be used for domestic consumption. This is despite the fact that only one-fifth of the Burmese population have regular access to electricity.
This pattern is becoming increasingly common across Southeast Asia and indeed the world, with China behind more than 100 large dam projects in nearly 40 countries. Beijing’s heavy upstream damming of the Mekong River is seen as largely responsible for record low water levels last year in downstream nations, with Laotian capital Vientiane reporting major shortages and Burma, Thailand and Cambodia all suffering droughts. This did little to aid China’s projection of a brotherly relationship with its smaller siblings and threatened a public relations disaster, yet still Beijing is planning six more dams along the river, and has pumped significant capital into several projects mooted for Laos and Cambodia; overall, it is estimated that Chinese companies will be behind the development of 40 percent of hydropower projects along the Mekong, outside of China. Environmental groups in Cambodia, whose fledgling economy is dependent on the Mekong, have reacted strongly to the prospect of the 3,300 megwatt Sambor dam, which a 1994 study estimated would displace over 5,000 people and add another knot to the country’s drip feed.
Yet as environmentalist Steve Green, who has monitored the impact of Chinese expansion on Southeast Asia, points out, the exporting of its mega-projects sees China “simply out-competing with the Western countries that established the model of unsustainable consumerist growth in the first place”. Industrialising Britain set the trend for emerging economies as it farmed out industry to the Orient, where cheap labour and a lax regulatory system made it an attractive, and obvious, platform on which to drive its own growth. Indeed this kind of exploitative practice continues today, with a recent investigation uncovering toxic levels of water pollution in Baotou, Inner Mongolia, where the world’s largest source of rare-earth metals is being mined by Chinese companies to make magnets for, ironically, the wind turbines now ubiquitous along Britain’s ‘green’ coasts.
This quasi neo-colonialist venture being undertaken by Beijing is reflective of two things: one, that China simply won’t be able to support its population if current growth rates continue, or more ominously, that the hidden costs of growth are paradoxically spelling the end for a sizeable chunk of its population; and two, that China sees the strengthening of its presence in strategically important regional countries like Burma as crucial to its rise. The two issues overlap considerably, with China’s increasing dependence on foreign energy reserves providing a pretext for its encroachment over Southeast Asia, which brings with it the political and economic stranglehold on a region so integral to an emerging superpower. The trans-Burma Shwe pipeline is perhaps the most obvious example of where these two necessities align, providing as it does a means to avoid the Malacca Straits beneath Singapore and thus the potential for patrolling US warships to cut China’s main sea route to key oil-producing nations in the event that Beijing and Washington fall out.
But as Zhou referenced, there is a strategic importance to promoting environmental regulation, which China half acknowledged when it drew up domestic laws requiring Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) for potentially damaging projects inside the country; these however are less well defined when applied to overseas ventures, and to date nothing has been made binding. This has meant that when, for instance, logging was banned in Yunnan province in the late 1990s following heavy erosion and flooding, the sourcing shifted south to Kachin state in Burma, where the junta has long turned a blind eye to the threat faced by the world’s last natural teak forest.
With a key mantra of Chinese investors to make previously inaccessible resources accessible, China has exploited remote and politically sensitive areas, while its blanket governmental policy of not interfering in domestic affairs of other countries has, like the majority of other Asia-Pacific countries, provided one excuse for it to continue business in pariah states like Burma. The EIAs that Beijing asks of its companies are cosmetic at best, with fines capped at a maximum of only around $US25,000 if the developer ignores this, and more importantly, no demand that they withdraw from the area once the project has begun.
So with growing disquiet at home about China’s environmental crisis – 16 of 20 most polluted cities are in China, while environmental authorities receive around 630,000 letters each year seeking environmental redress – China needs to act quickly to avoid the social unrest it has forewarned. While Zhou’s fears show that public opposition has made an impact on energy policy, elsewhere in countries like Burma, citizen voices are not heard. This, combined with a void in state-directed environmental regulations, makes industrial out-sourcing an all-too convenient solution for a country and a business sector caught in such a critical dilemma.
http://www.dvb.no/analysis/shouldering-chinas-toxic-burden/14885
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Burmese minister says Thailand prolonging conflict
Last Updated: 10 hours 54 minutes ago
Burma's Information Minister has blamed Thailand for prolonging the conflict between the Burmese military government and Karen rebels.
Minister Kyaw San has described refugee camps in Karen State as insurgent bases, which he says are supported by Burma's neighbour in the region. Although he did not name any country directly, the eastern State borders Thailand's west.
The Minister was responding to a question in parliament about the government's plan to end the insurgency in Karen state, and the rebels role in any peace agreement. http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/stories/201103/3171049.htm?desktop
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Burma Says Thailand Can Do More to Stop Karen Insurgents
VOA News March 22, 2011
Karen villagers carrying relief supplies flee Burma soldiers in Karen State, Burma, January 8, 2010 (file photo)
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Burma's information minister says neighboring Thailand could do more to help curb a decades-old insurgency in Burma's east.
Burma's state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper said Information Minister Kyaw Hsan told a parliamentary session Monday that if Thailand stood as a friendly nation, the problems in Burma's Karen State would soon be solved.
The information minister did not mention Thailand by name, but referred to it as "the neighbor" of Karen state.
Thailand hosts thousands of ethnic Karen refugees from Burma.
Karen people are Burma's largest ethnic minority group. Armed rebel groups in Karen state have fought Burma's military government for decades as they seek autonomy from the central government.
Kyaw Hsan said the insurgents use refugee camps in Thailand as their base to launch attacks on the Burmese army. He said the insurgents remain active with the assistance of certain super powers, international non-governmental organizations and Thailand. http://www.voanews.com/english/news/asia/-Burma-Says-Thailand-Can-Help-Prevent-Karen-Insurgents-118458879.html
Concern in Tokyo over radiation in tap water
Reuters/Damir Sagolj
A group of policemen make their way through ruins as they look for bodies of victims in Rikuzentakata, japan. More photos »
ShareretweetEmailPrint Play Video AP – Japan buries its dead as radiation fears grow
Slideshow:Japan hit by huge earthquake, tsunami Play Video Video:Japan Water Supply a Health Threat? ABC News Play Video Video:Hopes dim for tsunami victims' family AFP AP – Shelves selling bottled water are empty at a convenience store in Tokyo Wednesday, March 23, 2011. A … By ELAINE KURTENBACH and SHINO YUASA, Associated Press Elaine Kurtenbach And Shino Yuasa, Associated Press – 1 hr 2 mins ago
TOKYO – Radiation leaking from Japan's tsunami-damaged nuclear power plant has caused Tokyo's tap water to exceed safety standards for infants to drink, officials said Wednesday, sending anxiety levels soaring over the nation's food and water supply.
Residents cleared store shelves of bottled water after Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara said levels of radioactive iodine in tap water were more than twice what is considered safe for babies. Officials begged those in the city to buy only what they needed, saying hoarding could hurt the thousands of people without any water in areas devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
"I've never seen anything like this," clerk Toru Kikutaka said, surveying the downtown Tokyo supermarket where the entire stock of bottled water sold out almost immediately after the news broke, despite a limit of two, two-liter bottles per customer.
The unsettling new development affecting Japan's largest city, home to around 13 million people, added to growing fears over the nation's food supply.
Radiation from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant has seeped into raw milk, seawater and 11 kinds of vegetables, including broccoli, cauliflower and turnips, from areas around the plant. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it was halting imports of Japanese dairy and produce from the region near the facility. Hong Kong went further and required that Japan perform safety checks on meat, eggs and seafood before accepting those products.
Officials are still struggling to stabilize the nuclear plant, which on Wednesday belched black smoke from Unit 3 and forced the evacuation of workers, further delaying attempts to make needed repairs. The plant, 140 miles (220 kilometers) north of Tokyo, has been leaking radiation since the quake and tsunami knocked out its crucial cooling systems.
The crisis is emerging as the world's most expensive natural disaster on record, likely to cost up to $309 billion, according to a new government estimate. Police say an estimated 18,000 people were killed.
Concerns about food safety spread Wednesday to Tokyo after officials said tap water showed elevated radiation levels: 210 becquerels of iodine-131 per liter of water — more than twice the recommended limit of 100 becquerels per liter for infants. Another measurement taken later at a different site showed the level was 190 becquerels per liter. The recommended limit for adults is 300 becquerels.
"It is really scary. It is like a vicious negative spiral from the nuclear disaster," said Etsuko Nomura, a mother of two children ages 2 and 5. "We have contaminated milk and vegetables, and now tap water in Tokyo, and I'm wondering what's next."
Infants are particularly vulnerable to radioactive iodine, which can cause thyroid cancer, experts say. The limits refer to sustained consumption rates, and officials urged calm, saying parents should stop giving the tap water to babies, but that it was no problem if the infants already had consumed small amounts.
Click image to see photos of quake, tsunami damage
Reuters/Yuriko Nakao
They said the levels posed no immediate health risk for older children or adults.
"Even if you drink this water for one year, it will not affect people's health," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said.
Dr. Harold Swartz, a professor of radiology and medicine at Dartmouth Medical School in the U.S., said the radiation amounts being reported in the water are too low to pose any real risk, even to infants who are being fed water-based formula or to breast-fed infants whose mothers drink tap water.
Although the amounts are well above established limits, that doesn't automatically mean there's a health threat, he said.
"We live in a world that has natural background radiation that's many times greater than the amounts we're talking about here," Swartz said.
Still, because it's easy to avoid tap water, it makes sense for Japanese parents with infants to do so, he said.
Radioactive iodine is also short-lived, with a half-life of eight days — the length of time it takes for half of it to break down harmlessly.
Richard Wakeford, a public health radiologist at the University of Manchester in Britain, blamed the spike in radiation on a shift in winds from the nuclear plant toward Tokyo. He predicted lower levels in coming days once the wind shifts back to normal patterns. "I imagine that bottled water is now quite popular in Tokyo," he said.
Tokyo's municipal government said it would distribute 240,000 bottles of water to households with infants. They estimated that there are currently 80,000 babies in the affected area, with each infant getting three bottles of 550 milliliters.
Edano pleaded with shoppers to restrict purchases of bottled water to the bare necessity, urging them to think of tsunami victims in need.
"We have to consider Miyagi, where there is no drinking water at all," he said, referring to a stricken region. "Under these conditions, we would appreciate it if people would avoid buying more water than they need."
The latest data showed sharp increases in radioactivity levels in a range of vegetables. In an area about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northwest of the nuclear plant, levels for one locally grown leafy green called kukitachina measured 82 times the government limit for radioactive cesium and 11 times the limit for iodine.
The death toll from the disaster continued to rise, with more than 9,500 bodies counted and more than 16,000 people listed as missing.
With supplies of fuel and ice dwindling, officials have abandoned the traditional practice of cremation in favor of quick, simple burials. Some are interred in bare plywood caskets and others in blue plastic tarps, with no time to build proper coffins. The bodies will be dug up and cremated once crematoriums catch up with the glut, officials assured families.
In Higashimatsushima in Miyagi prefecture, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo, soldiers lowered plywood coffins into the ground, saluting each casket.
Some relatives placed flowers on the graves. Most remained stoic, folding hands in prayer. Two young girls wept inconsolably, hugged tightly by their father.
"I hope their spirits will rest in peace here at this temporary place," said mourner Katsuko Oguni, 42.
Masaru Yamagata, a Higashimatsushima official, said the crematorium cannot keep up with demand.
"Giving the grieving families coffins is the most we can do right now," Yamagata said. "Every day, more dead bodies are found, and we need more coffins quickly."
Hundreds of thousands remained homeless, squeezed into temporary shelters without heat, warm food or medicine and no idea what to call home after the colossal wave swallowed up communities along the coast.
The tsunami also heavily damaged the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear facility, with explosions and fires in four of the plant's six reactors sending radioactive steam into the air.
Progress in cooling down the troubled plant has been intermittent, disrupted by rises in radiation, elevated pressure in reactors and overheated storage pools.
The plant's operator had restored circuitry to bring power to all six units and turned on lights at Unit 3 late Tuesday for the first time since the disaster — a significant step toward restarting the cooling system.
It had hoped to restore power to cooling pumps at the unit within days, but experts warned the work included the risk of sparking fires as electricity is restored through equipment potentially damaged in the tsunami.
And then on Wednesday, black smoke suddenly billowed from Unit 3, prompting another evacuation of workers from the plant in the afternoon, Tokyo Electric Power Co. officials said. They said there had been no corresponding spike in radiation at the plant.
Hidehiko Nishiyama of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said officials did not know the reason for the smoke.
Tokyo Electric manager Teruaki Kobayashi said the pump for Unit 3 had been tested and was working Wednesday. But officials weren't sure when they would be able to turn the power on to the pump.
Nuclear agency official Kenji Kawasaki said workers would not be allowed to return to the plant until Thursday morning, since smoke was still rising as of late Wednesday night.
As a precaution, officials have evacuated residents within 12 miles (20 kilometers) of the plant and advised those up to 19 miles (30 kilometers) away to stay indoors to minimize exposure.
And for the first time, Edano, the chief Cabinet secretary, suggested that those downwind of the plant should stay indoors with the windows shut tight — even if just outside the zone.
___
Associated Press writers Tomoko A. Hosaka, Yuri Kageyama and Jay Alabaster in Tokyo, Tim Sullivan in Higashimatsushima, Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington, Lindsey Tanner in Chicago and Foster Klug in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report.
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