News & Articles on Burma-Monday, 09 May, 2011

News & Articles on Burma
Monday, 09 May, 2011
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ASEAN must think twice before handing chair to Burma
Burma's Asean Chairmanship Still Uncertain
Burma Conference Banned From Chiang Mai
Asean Open to Burmese Leadership, But Democratic Reforms Still Needed
Local Authorities in Shan State Profit from Opium Production
Burma not confirmed as chair in 2014
ASEAN mulls single currency
Visa on arrival hopes dashed
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Asian Correspondent
ASEAN must think twice before handing chair to Burma
By Zin Linn May 09, 2011 3:18PM UTC

A communiqué issued at the end of the two-day ASEAN leaders’ summit in Jakarta said: “We considered the proposal of Myanmar (Burma) that it would host the ASEAN summits in 2014, in view of its firm commitment to the principles of ASEAN.”

It also emphasized that ASEAN leaders supported the “steady progress and political developments in Myanmar” after it held general elections and formed a new government in March, calling the ballot “successful.” But, ASEAN leaders overlook the true story about the November 7 election, which unfairly allowed the junta-backed party to rig the votes.

The election, Burma’s first in 20 years, was severely criticized by the opposition and critics in the West as undemocratic.

The Asian Network For Free Elections (ANFREL) released a statement dated November 9 calling attention to ballot counting procedures that made by the Union Election Commission (UEC). It said the counting process was not made transparent to the public and the media beginning with the first advance voting period.

Moreover, ethnic nationalities in Burma that fight for self-determination were prevented from participating in the election. More than 3,000 villages in ethnic nationality areas have also been excluded from the electoral exercise because of continuing armed conflict.

Thus, calling the ballot “successful” means ASEAN supports an undemocratic vote-rigging election in Burma.

Southeast Asian leaders have no objection to Burma or Myanmar’s request to chair the 10-member ASEAN bloc in 2014, as long as it continues making progress towards democracy, Indonesia’s president said on Sunday after the group’s latest summit.

“ASEAN leaders do not object in principle,” Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said at his closing news conference. “But Myanmar, which is a focus of world attention, is expected to continue progress on democracy so when it becomes chair it does not generate negative views.”

However, the Thein Sein government has been reinforcing its troops in several areas where ethnic armed groups that did not follow the border guard force (BGF) plan are based, according to ethnic sources. Armed reinforcements have been reported in southern Karen State and in central and southern Shan State in eastern Burma since early this year.

Sporadic armed clashes have been going on recently between the junta’s troops and armed ethnic groups such as the Karen National Union (KNU), the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) Brigade 5, the Shan State Army–North (SSA-North) and Shan State Army-South (SSA-South).

So, the Burma Army has been going on with war against the ethnic minorities who are defending their basic civil rights, including self-determination. If ASEAN leaders consider offering the chair to Burma (Myanmar) in 2014, they should pressure Thein Sein government to stop the unjust war on the ethnic people. They ought to take facilitator role to stop the civil war in Burma. In this civil war, Burmese soldiers have been committing lots of crimes – lootings, rapes, burning villages, destroying crops, killing innocent ethnic villagers, forced-labor and forced conscription.

Moreover, the Thein Sein government still detains over 2,000 political prisoners including important ethnic leaders. To take the ASEAN chair, Burma must not keep political prisoners who really are committing no crime but expose their political beliefs.

In addition, the Thein Sein government must allow freedom of expression and a free press. Burma is one of the most autocratic and covered up countries in the world, due to both its restrictive press laws and its practice of punishing journalists. In recent elections, the Burmese junta did not allow press freedom for both Burmese and international news media.

It was a significant hindrance to Burma becoming a free society. So, the analysts state that in the absence of media freedom Burma (Myanmar) should not act as ASEAN chair since there will not be accountability and transparency.

Reporters Without Borders released its annual press freedom report in October 2010, ranking Burma 174th out of 178 countries. On October 18, Burma announced that foreign journalists would not be granted access to Burma to cover the news on elections.

Looking at the facts on the ground in Burma, there are more military attacks in the ethnic minority areas, more forced labor, more child soldiers, more political prisoners, more refugees, more restrictions toward media, more control on Internet users and civil societies.

So, ASEAN needs to be very cautious and to put more pressure on Burma until the fundamental benchmarks for chairmanship are carried out before 2014.
http://asiancorrespondent.com/54080/asean-should-not-decide-simply-on-chairmanship-to-burma/
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Burma's Asean Chairmanship Still Uncertain
By SAW YAN NAING Monday, May 9, 2011

It is still uncertain if the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) will allow Burma to assume the bloc's chairmanship in 2014 despite concerns over the country's human rights record, according to sources close to Asean leaders.

According to a statement released yesterday, the leaders of Asean said they would consider Burma's proposal to host the Asean Summits in 2014 based on its firm commitment to the principles of the regional grouping.

“What we hear is that there need to be some missions into Burma, probably by Indonesia and maybe joined by the Philippines, to examine whether Burma is ready to chair Asean in 2014,” Phil Robertson, the deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch (HRW), told The Irrawaddy on Monday.

Burmese President Thein Sein attended the May 7-8 Asean Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, on his first trip abroad as president since he took office in March. He said that Burma is ready for the Asean chairmanship in 2014.

Singapore, one of the founding members of Asean, did not agree with Burma’s proposal. However, the Burmese regime's bid to become Asean's chairman will be discussed again at an upcoming Asean summit in Bali in October.

Burma skipped its turn to act as chairman of the grouping in 2006 due to international pressure over its poor human rights records.

“What Asean should be doing is putting human rights issues first. And they should be very clear and say that without human rights improvement in Burma, there is no way we can consider the Burmese government’s request to become the chair of Asean,” said Robertson.

Robertson said a major concern was that no one at the Asean meeting was talking about the release of 2,000 political prisoners, the continuing use of forced labor and offensives against ethnic nationalities.

Last weekend, HRW released a statement urging Asean to reject Burma’s request to become chairman until the Burmese government takes genuine steps towards improving human rights.

To improve its human rights record, Burma should release political prisoners, stop forced labor and work on political reconciliation with all stakeholders, including pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and leaders of ethnic minorities, said Robertson.

Despite Burma's lack of action on addressing these issues, the Asean leaders said in their statement that they reiterated their support for the “steady progress and political developments” in Burma following the holding of general elections in 2010 and the formation of a new parliamentary government.

Debbie Stothard, the coordinator of the Alternative Asean Network on Burma (Altsean), said that Burma was not qualified to chair Asean in 2014 because the current Burmese leaders have not made an effort to achieve genuine democratic reform in the country.

She said that real change in Burma would include the release of all political prisoners, a national cease-fire, a tripartite dialogue between the ruling regime, the democratic opposition and ethnic groups, and ending war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Burmese army in its campaigns against ethnic minority groups.

Ohn Kyaing, a spokesperson of the dissolved main opposition party, the National League for Democracy, agreed that the regime still has far to go before it can take a leading role in Asean. “In fact, there has been no change in Burma, even though it has announced a new government,” he said, speaking to The Irrawaddy on Monday.

He also said he didn't think Asean would give the chairmanship to Burma, as it would damage the image of the bloc.

HRW also pointed out that Burma has failed to address concerns repeatedly raised by Asean leaders in past summits. It said that elections held last November were a sham, as international election observers were not allowed into the country for monitoring. The main military-backed party claimed around four-fifths of the seats in Parliament and now dominates the government.

Khin Maung Swe, a leader of the National Democratic Front, one of the opposition parties that contested the election, said: “It is reasonable for Burma to seek to become the chair of Asean because it is a member of the Asean bloc, and the decision will be made by Asean leaders. But to show progress on human rights and democracy, it is necessary to at least release political prisoners.”

Thu Wai, the chairman of the Rangoon-based Democratic Party (Myanmar), which also ran last year, said that Burma may be qualified to host the Asean Summit in 2014, but it is still doubtful that the current government is committed to real political reform.

Burma become a member of Asean in 1997 along with Laos, while Cambodia joined the grouping in 1999. Asean was firstly established in 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. It has since expanded to include 10 nations in the Southeast Asian region. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21259
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Burma Conference Banned From Chiang Mai
By KO HTWE Monday, May 9, 2011

Thailand's National Security Council (NSC) has banned a Burmese pro-democracy event in Chiang Mai following a complaint from Naypyidaw, according to sources in the northern Thai city.

The prohibition come after news leaked to Burmese officials that outlawed ethnic armed groups planned to hold a meeting at a hotel in Chiang Mai on May 3 to 7. According to a Thai official who asked to remain anonymous, the Burmese government then sent an objection to their Thai counterparts.

“The order came down from the NSC,” said the official. “The Burmese government got wind that the United Nationalities Federal Council [UNFC] had scheduled a conference in Chiang Mai. We don’t know who gave them the information. It seems that there is informer within that group.”

The UNFC is an umbrella group of Burmese resistance movements and ethnic militias, including the Karen national Union, the Kachin independence Organization, the Karenni National Progressive Party, the New Mon State Party, the Shan State Army and the Chin National Front.

Other Burmese events in Chiang Mai, including a celebration of Aung San Suu Kyi's birthday on June 19, have also been banned by the Thai authorities.

Burmese exile groups have enjoyed relative freedom in Chiang Mai in recent years. Many previously reported harassment and repression under the administration of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in the early 2000s.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Monday, Khuensai Jaiyen, the editor of Chiang Mai-based Shan Herald Agency for News, said that previously the Burmese government only learned about the opposition groups' meetings after they had concluded.

“The Thai authorities told the organizers that they will not allow such a meeting on Thai soil,” he said. “They said that the ban includes any meeting involving groups that are opposed to the new Burmese government.

“It appears that there is an informer inside the opposition group,” he added. “It threatens unity within the alliance.”

The immigration office in Chiang Mai has also instructed hotels and conference centers in Chiang Mai to inform them of any suspected meeting scheduled by Burmese opposition group, according to a local hotelier.

At the 15th Asean Summit in Cha-am, Thailand, in 2009, Burma's then Prime Minister Thein Sein told his Thai counterpart Abhisit Vejjajiva that Burma will not allow anyone to use Burmese territory to attack Thailand. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21258
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Asean Open to Burmese Leadership, But Democratic Reforms Still Needed
By ISMIRA LUTFIA / JAKARTA GLOBE Monday, May 9, 2011

Indonesia, as the current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, says Burma still needs to prove its move toward democracy is sincere if it wants to lead the bloc in 2014.

In his closing remarks at the 18th Asean Summit in Jakarta, which ended on Sunday, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the regional grouping’s leaders “in principle” did not object to Burma becoming chair.

He said Laos, which was set to assume the rotating leadership of the 10-member bloc in 2014 based on the alphabetical order of member countries, had proposed it swap with Burma so it could concentrate on ongoing domestic issues.

“Based on Laos’s request, Myanmar [Burma] has been asked to take the chairmanship in 2014 and Laos will assume it in 2016,” he said. “In principle, Asean’s leaders do not object to the proposal.”

However, Yudhoyono said Burma was expected to show progress in its move toward democracy so it would not cast the bloc in a negative light.

Burma’s chairmanship will be discussed again at the next regional summit in November.

“We hope that Myanmar [Burma] will continue with the process since it has caught the world’s attention,” the president added.

The 2014 chairmanship will come at a critical time for Asean since it will be the last year before the planned single regional community is realized in 2015.

Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa said on Thursday that Burma’s readiness to assume the chairmanship “extends beyond practical readiness” and that Indonesian officials would visit Burma to review developments in its new government and the process of becoming a more democratic country.

Burma’s military junta held general elections in November in an effort to transition to civilian rule, leading Asean members to push the United States and Europe to drop sanctions against it.

But many observers dismissed the elections as a sham and said the generals would still be pulling the strings behind the scenes. The country’s Parliament is still dominated by the military and its political proxies.

Any decision to allow Burma to chair Asean could provoke strong protests from Western governments and human rights groups, and could complicate efforts by Asean to work more closely with the US and the European Union.

Human Rights Watch sharply criticized Asean’s readiness to allow Burma to head the grouping in 2014. “This is unfortunately a decision of political convenience over political principle, and indicates once again that human rights is not a priority for Asean,” said Phil Robertson, HRW’s deputy Asia director.

Although the rotating chairmanship of Asean is determined by alphabetical order, Indonesia asked at the 16th Asean Summit in April 2009 to swap its turn with Brunei so it could focus on hosting the 21st Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in 2013.

Following the 2009 summit in Hanoi, however, Asean leaders said such an exchange would not create a precedent, a principle that was reaffirmed by Asean Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan after the summit.

He said it would be a “one-off swap” and would not further affect the rotation system prescribed by the Asean Charter. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21254
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Local Authorities in Shan State Profit from Opium Production
By NAYEE LIN LATT Monday, May 9, 2011

Local army and police units in southern Shan State are reportedly imposing a “tax” of up to 80,000 kyat (US $96) per acre on farmers growing opium poppies in exchange for turning a blind eye to cultivation of the illicit crop, according to local residents.

“The tax ranges from 50,000 to 80,000 kyat, depending on how far the farm is from the city,” said a poppy farmer in Mongpan.

There are many areas in southern Shan State known for opium production, including Inlone, Loilem, Mongpan, Hopong, Pinlaung, Laikha, Hsihseng, Kunhing and Panglong.

Farmers in these areas prefer to grow opium rather than other crops because they can make about 800,000 to 900,000 kyat ($964-1,084) per viss (1.63) of raw opium, according to the farmer.

“Even raw opium pays a good price, so farmers don't mind paying the tax if it means they can grow as many acres as they want. And the local authorities don't care how much opium is produced, as long as we pay the tax,” he added.

In July 2010, Burma was named the world's second-largest opium production country by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Burma is also ranked Southeast Asia's fourth-largest producer of methamphetamines.

Most of the money for large-scale opium cultivation comes from wealthy Chinese businessmen, who have far more money to invest than local farmers. Some Chinese businessmen pay to grow hundreds of acres of poppies, said a Loilem resident.

“There is more interest in growing opium poppies in recent years because business is good. But it is mainly Chinese businesspeople fueling this growth, as local farmers are too poor and traditionally only plant enough to support themselves and their families,” said the resident.

“You can take as many acres as you want to grow opium poppies, as the land is considered to be wild. Wealthy Chinese are involved in a big way, purchasing many acres of land,” said a farmer in Mongpan.

In 2009, UNODC reported that Burma had 3,200 hectares of land under opium poppy cultivation, up 11 percent from the previous year, and 50 percent more than in 2006. Despite these increases, however, Burma's government claims it is committed to eliminating the production of narcotic drugs in the country.

Thein Nyunt, the secretary of the Central Committee for Progress of Border Areas and National Races, was quoted by The New Light of Myanmar on March 24 as saying that drug elimination remains a key part of a 15-year regional development plan due to end in 2014.

However, farmers say that government efforts to crack down on opium production have been minimal.

“The authorities sometimes destroy opium poppy fields, but only ones with a poor yield, or ones that have already been harvested,” said an opium farmer in Lai-Hla Township.

In addition to the local authorities, Pa-O cease-fire groups in Hopong, Hsihseng, Pekon and Panglong townships also demand payment for permission to grow opium poppies, he said.

Opium cultivation is also an important source of income for many others in this impoverished part of Shan State. Sap collectors, who make incisions on the poppy pods to extract the raw opium, can make more than 10,000 kyat ($12) per day during the harvest period, but wages are even higher if their services are urgently needed, according to local residents.

Local villagers are not the only ones earning these wages. Local people say that others, including university students and relatives of soldiers and police based in the area, are also seen harvesting the sticky liquid that is the raw material of a multi-billion drugs industry.

“Due to job scarcity and the lack of regular classes at university, many students from Panglong come to work in the fields. You can even see children and drug addicts out there, as well as family members of local soldiers and police, because it's an easy way to make money,” said a resident of Loilem.

A report by the US State Department said that the illicit drug trade in Burma is strongest in remote and conflict-affected ethnic areas of the country. It also notes that drug trafficking-related corruption among mid-level civilian and military officials is rampant, and accuses the Burmese regime of failing to make the fight against illicit drugs a priority. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21256
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Bangkok Post
Burma not confirmed as chair in 2014
Achara Ashayagachat
Published: 9/05/2011 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News

JAKARTA : Asean failed to resolve the issue of Burma's chairmanship yesterday, the last day of the bloc's 18th summit in Jakarta.

A statement from the current chair, Indonesia, only reiterated support for the steady progress and political development in Burma following a general election and the formation of a new government.

"We considered the proposal of Myanmar to host the Asean summit in 2014, based on its commitment to the principles of Asean," the statement said.

While the news was welcomed by some exiled Burmese dissidents, their concerns have not yet been rebutted as the majority of Asean members including Thailand have expressed support for Naypyidaw.

Previously, senior officials and foreign ministers had consented to Burma's request to assume the rotating chair, which it agreed not to take up in 2005 to pursue domestic political reform.

However, Indonesia reasserted that the question of Burma as chair was not urgent and could be discussed at the next Asean summit in October in Bali, sources said.

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said Thailand had no objection to Burma assuming the chair as its November election was a critical turning point.

Asean has also stipulated that whenever Burma had a new government, it could resume the chair, he added.

However, Burma should also undertake appropriate steps including the release of political prisoners, freer mobility for the people and liberalisation towards democracy, Mr Kasit said.

"These components could seal Burma's stronger chairmanship of Asean. It's like a score-card," he said.

Khin Ohnmar, from Burma Partnership, said it was a huge relief that Burma's formal request for the chair of Asean was not approved.

But she noted that Asean should not fall into the same trap as when they accepted Burma as a member in the hope that engagement would help bring about democratic change.

"Asean should start engaging with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, ethnic representatives, the National League for Democracy and others to support the national reconciliation process," she said.

Aung Myo Min, director of the Human Rights Education Institute of Burma, said allowing Burma to take the chair of Asean in 2014 would jeopardise the bloc's community goal in 2015.

"How can a country with no respect for dialogue, for political and peaceful solutions, strengthen regional peace as a whole?" he said.



Writer:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/235999/burma-not-confirmed-as-chair-in-2014
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ASEAN mulls single currency
By JOSEPH ALLCHIN
Published: 6 May 2011

The prospect of a single ASEAN currency was raised at a high level ministerial meeting in Hanoi this week in a move that would ask serious questions of the regional bloc, not least its less developed economies like Burma.

A briefing paper was prepared for the ASEAN+3 meeting of deputy finance ministers and was the first time that such an idea has been studied “concretely”, according to Dow Jones financial news.

Experts suggest however that this could spell “the end of the regime” in Burma. Australian-based Burma economics expert Sean Turnell told DVB that such a move would bar the Burmese government from funding itself through printing money as it pleases. That practice, he said, has led to the “biggest divergence” between an official and unofficial currency in history.

The briefing paper was prepared by Japan’s Institute for International Monetary Affairs, Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, and the University of Indonesia, with an eye to “accelerate the integration process”, the Dow Jones report said.

“As economic integration deepens further in East Asia, it would be more beneficial to East Asian countries to adopt an exchange rate regime that collectively floats against the US dollar and the euro while maintaining a stable intra-regional exchange rate.”

This could initially be achieved through what is known as a currency basket, where an average value of a group of regional currencies is worked out and traded against international currencies such as the dollar or the euro.

Burma’s dual exchange rate and massive inflation rates would be a major stumbling block, but the prospect of a single currency could alternatively be a way out of the country’s persistent currency woes.

Turnell believes that ASEAN ignoring Burma’s self-financing through printing money is a “massive problem… which would undermine any sought of single currency”. If this was prohibited, as it is in the EU, for example, which has a single currency, then the Burmese regime’s “main financing vehicle would disappear in a single stroke”.

Europe’s experience moreover, where economies such as Greece, Ireland and Portugal collapsed under the weight of enormous government debt, has warned other blocs away from seeking a single currency. And while the divergence between Greece and Germany is great, the two systems are not as alien as Singapore’s to Burma’s, for instance.

While the prospect of an ASEAN single currency or regional monetary unit (RMU) is at present a distant possibility, moves such as the China-ASEAN free trade agreement have encouraged many to look at such mechanisms as most East Asian economies continue to perform well.
http://www.dvb.no/news/asean-mulls-single-currency/15562
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Visa on arrival hopes dashed
By SHWE AUNG
Published: 9 May 2011

Burma will not be bringing back the visa-on-arrival scheme anytime in the near future because of a lack of improvement in tourism infrastructure, the tourism minister has stated.

The announcement dashes hopes of a reintroduction of the popular scheme that saw tourism numbers to the isolated country hit record highs last year, despite it only being active for four months.

A businessman who attended a recent meeting with Hotel and Tourism Minister Tint Hsan said it would instead be a step by step process.

“He [Tint Hsan] said it would be embarrassing if we open the visa on arrival when our country is not yet ready [to service tourists],” he said. “Last year, big crowds of tourists came in and it got out of control. We need to prepare a lot.”

Hotel and tourism business owners also reportedly urged the minister to appoint a ‘Visit Myanmar Year’ as it did in 1996, although that was roundly seen as a failure.

Burma remains Southeast Asia’s least travelled country, largely due to the controversy surrounding much of the tourism industry: rights groups claim that the money spent by tourists lines the pockets of the ruling regime, which has been known to use slave labour in the development of tourism infrastructure.

Numbers of visitors are rising however, with figures for last year showing a 33 percent increase on 2009. Still, however, the 300,000-odd that visited in 2010 pale ni comparison to the roughly 14 million that hit Thailand each year.

The visa scheme was halted in September last year after managing to attract 80,000 visitors in the four months of its existence. Observers speculated that it had been stopped to prevent journalists entering under the guise of tourists to cover the November elections.
http://www.dvb.no/news/visa-on-arrival-hopes-dashed/15568

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