News & Articles on Burma
Wednesday/Thursday 29-30 June, 2011
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Burma's junta warns Suu Kyi's party to cease its 'agitation'
US nominee to seek coordination with China, India on Myanmar
Myanmar tells Suu Kyi to stay out of politics
Suu Kyi warned on planned tour
Screw turned on Suu Kyi
NLD Pressured to Cease Political Activities
Tatmadaw Commanders Discuss Recent Ethnic Conflicts
Bombs Hit Taungoo and Thanbyuzayat
Burma govt ups pressure on Suu Kyi ahead of tour
Farmers' Loan Scheme Rife With Bribery
Verdict due in Burma for Aussie news man
US nominee concerned over Burma Asean chair
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Burma's junta warns Suu Kyi's party to cease its 'agitation'
By Andrew Buncombe, Asia Correspondent
Thursday, 30 June 2011
AP
Burma's military rulers are worried about a planned tour of the country by Aung San Suu Kyi. The democracy leader wants to meet 'ordinary people' and hear their concerns
Burma's main opposition party has vowed to continue its struggle for democracy despite a demand from the authorities to cease political activities.
Several of the country's state-owned newspapers yesterday published details of a letter the Burmese Home Affairs Ministry sent to Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD). It called on the party to end "illegal activities", including its agitation and opposition to the recently elected parliament. The letter said the NLD had been formally dissolved in September last year when it voted to boycott a controversial election, held at a time when Ms Suu Kyi and up to 2,000 other political prisoners remained behind bars.
Last night, a senior member of the NLD, Win Tin, confirmed the party had received the letter and said it would be writing back to the Home Ministry. He said Ms Suu Kyi had requested a meeting with officials to discuss the allegations of illegal activity.
Speaking from Rangoon, Win Tin, who spent almost 19 years in jail before being released in September 2008, said: "We are going to make our political activities as normal.
"In the coming days we are going to do our political works... we are living according to the law."
The commentary, which appeared in three state-controlled publications, quoted the letter from the Home Ministry as saying of the NLD: "If they really want to accept and practice democracy effectively, they are to stop such acts that can harm peace and stability and the rule of law as well as the unity among the people including monks and service personnel." It also raised concerns about Ms Suu Kyi's plans to tour Burma in order to meet ordinary people and hear their concerns. When she last carried out such a trip in 2003, dozens of her supporters were attacked and killed by militias that support the military authorities. The 66-year-old herself narrowly escaped with her life.
"We are deeply concerned that if Aung San Suu Kyi makes trips to countryside regions, there may be chaos and riots, as evidenced by previous incidents," the letter said.
"The government has said that Aung San Suu Kyi is just an ordinary public member, so it will not restrict her from travelling and doing things in accordance with the law, but she shall honour the laws for the rule of law."
The warning comes as Ms Suu Kyi and her party have become increasingly active after her release from more than seven years of house arrest last November. Her release house arrest came after a controversial election that saw a party backed by the military junta gain the most seats.
The junta claims to have stood back from politics and allowed a civilian administration, headed by President Thein Sein, to take over. The claim is questioned by many observers.
Mark Farmaner, of the Burma Campaign UK, said: "Today's threats will dash the hopes some still held that there could be change coming in Burma. Burma's new dictator, Thein Sein, has revealed his true colours with these threats. He is emerging as even less tolerant of dissent than Than Shwe." News of the warning from the authorities comes a day after it emerged that actress Michelle Yeoh, who plays Ms Suu Kyi in a forthcoming film, had been deported from Rangoon's airport last week. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/burmas-junta-warns-suu-kyis-party-to-cease-its-agitation-2304504.html
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US nominee to seek coordination with China, India on Myanmar
Washington, Jun 30 (PTI)
US President Barack Obama's nominee to become his point man on Myanmar, Derek Mitchell intends to strengthen policy coordination with key players like India, China and Japan to achieve the global objectives in the Southeast Asian nation.
Mitchell, who has been nominated by Obama to be the first US Coordinator for Policy on Burma, told his confirmation hearing in the US Congress that Myanmar was a source of concern and political instability in the region.
Contending that the policy of pressure and engagement alone has not worked in that country, he said he would seek "direct and candid" talks with Myanmar's leaders and suggested that the US should "respond flexibly and with agility to opportunities as they arise."
Mitchell said he hoped to coordinate policy with key players like China, India, Japan, South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
"To date, in my view, the inability of key members of the Burma-interested community around the world to coordinate their approach to Burma has only undermined the effective realisation of shared objectives," he said.
With a government that has chosen to distance itself from the outside world, Myanmar is now the poorest country in Southeast Asia and "a source of great concern and potential instability in the region", he said.
Though rich in natural resources, nearly a third of its population lives in poverty and thousands are forced to seek asylum in neighbouring countries due to "systemic repression" of the ethnic-minorities, he said.
He said though the Myanmar government has claimed a successful transition to a disciplined democracy, a political system that exhibits anything close to recognisable standards of representative democracy remains to be seen. http://www.deccanherald.com/content/172622/us-nominee-seek-coordination-china.html
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Myanmar tells Suu Kyi to stay out of politics
by Hla Hla Htay, Agence France-Presse
Posted at 06/30/2011 9:13 AM | Updated as of 06/30/2011 10:39 AM
YANGON - Myanmar's regime told pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi Wednesday to halt all political activities and warned her planned first national tour since being freed could spark riots and chaos.
Official media said the home affairs ministry had written to the Nobel Peace Prize winner, who spent most of the past two decades locked up at the hands of the junta, to state that her party's activities had broken the law.
It is the first time since she was released last year that the authorities have explicitly warned Suu Kyi to stay out of politics.
She replied that she had no intention of canceling the planned tour.
"We cannot stay away from the people when doing politics," she told a meeting of youth members of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party.
Suu Kyi held an hour of talks Wednesday with a senior Japanese diplomat, saying afterwards that politics were discussed.
Asked by AFP about the tour, she said, "I will go," while adding: "We have to wait for the right weather conditions."
No schedule has been announced for the democracy icon's trip around Myanmar, also known as Burma.
Security is a major concern as Suu Kyi's convoy was attacked in 2003 in an ambush apparently organized by a regime frightened by her popularity.
A political tour would be a test of both the 66-year-old's popularity following an election that left her sidelined from politics, and of her ability to travel around the country unhindered by official intervention.
The state-run New Light of Myanmar reported that the home affairs ministry had informed Suu Kyi her party was breaking the law by maintaining party offices, holding meetings and issuing statements.
"If they really want to accept and practice democracy effectively, they are to stop such acts that can harm peace and stability and the rule of law as well as the unity among the people including monks and service personnel," it said.
The democracy icon was freed in November after seven straight years of house arrest, less than a week after an election in Myanmar that critics said was a charade aimed at preserving military rule behind a civilian facade.
Her party won a landslide election victory in 1990 that was never recognized by the junta.
The NLD was disbanded by the military rulers last year because it boycotted the November poll, the first in 20 years, saying the rules were unfair.
The New Light, a mouthpiece for the regime, also warned Suu Kyi against launching a political tour.
"We are deeply concerned that if Daw Aung San Suu Kyi makes trips to countryside regions, there may be chaos and riots, as evidenced by previous incidents," a commentary in the newspaper said.
"The government has said that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is just an ordinary public member, so it will not restrict her from traveling and doing things in accordance with the law, but she shall honor the laws for the rule of law."
Renaud Egreteau, a Myanmar expert at the University of Hong Kong, said the warning illustrated the regime was worried about the freed democracy leader's plans.
"The authorities are doubtless uneasy with the idea of Suu Kyi testing her popularity in the country, especially if she goes to NLD strongholds like Mandalay to rally support," he said.
In a BBC lecture broadcast on Tuesday, Suu Kyi said the recent uprisings in the Middle East had given fresh hope to people in her country.
"The universal human aspiration to be free has been brought home to us by the stirring developments in the Middle East," she said.
"Do we envy the people of Tunisia and Egypt? Yes, we do envy them their quick and peaceful transitions. But more than envy is a sense of solidarity and of renewed commitment to our cause, which is the cause of all women and men who value human dignity and freedom," Suu Kyi added.
Pro-democracy protests in 1988 and 2007 were brutally crushed by the military rulers of Myanmar.
Suu Kyi held a meeting Wednesday with Japan's Parliamentary Vice Foreign Minister Makiko Kikuta where they agreed on the need to build goodwill between the two states.
Expressing "concern" for Suu Kyi's safety and security, Washington on Wednesday urged Myanmar to respect the democracy icon's freedom to travel and engage in political activities.
State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner added "it is the responsibility of the Burmese authorities in fact to ensure her safety and that of Burma's citizens."
Earlier the nominee to be US pointman on Myanmar, Derek Mitchell, said the White House would seek a positive relationship with the secretive nation but hoped the regime would address human rights issues and a lack of democracy.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/global-filipino/world/06/30/11/myanmar-tells-suu-kyi-stay-out-politics
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Suu Kyi warned on planned tour
June 30 2011 at 01:01am
Associated Press
Myanmar's pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi (right) and Japanese Parliamentary Vice Foreign Minister Makiko Kikuta pose after their meeting at the National League for Democracy Party headquarters in Yangon, Myanmar. Their meeting came as Myanmar's state media warned Suu Kyi over her plans to travel outside Yangon to meet supporters.
Yangon - A possible tour of Myanmar by pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi could cause riots, state media warned on Wednesday, implying she would be responsible for her own safety.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Suu Kyi is planning her first trip outside the former capital Yangon since she was freed from home detention last year after elections to end army rule.
The military still effectively controls the government in the Southeast Asian country formerly known as Burma.
“Her followers and supporters are gushing that the icon must keep in touch with the public. They seem willing to exploit the public. They also propagate that the government is responsible for security of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on her trip,” a commentary in all three official newspapers said.
“We are deeply concerned that if Daw Aung San Suu Kyi makes trips to countryside regions, there may be chaos and riots, as evidenced by previous incidents,” it added.
“Daw” is an honorific in Myanmar for women.
In Washington, the US State Department said it was concerned about the warning and that it was up to Myanmar's government to ensure that Suu Kyi is free to travel, express her views and fully participate in the political process.
“We remain concerned for her safety and security. And it is the responsibility of the Burmese authorities, in fact, to ensure both her safety and that of Burma's citizens,” department spokesperson Mark Toner said.
In 2003, in an episode now known as the Depayin Massacre, Suu Kyi's motorcade was attacked by pro-junta thugs and 70 of her supporters died in what was seen as an assassination attempt.
“The government has said that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is just an ordinary public member, so it will not restrict her from travelling and doing things in accordance with the law, but she shall honour the laws for the rule of law,” the commentary read.
Suu Kyi, 66, has not announced any dates for the tour, nor an itinerary.
Her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), was officially dissolved last year when it refused to register for elections held in November. Suu Kyi was released from seven years of house arrest a week after the vote.
Official media, a mouthpiece for the government, also said on Wednesday the government had warned the NLD “not to harm peace and stability” and to respect the law.
“If they really want to accept and practice democracy effectively, they are to stop such acts that can harm peace and stability and the rule of law as well as the unity among the people including monks and service personnel,” the letter said, according to state media.
NLD spokesman Nyan Win confirmed a letter had been received. “We got that letter yesterday but we still have not talked it over and decided what to do about it,” he said.
The newspapers said the letter accused the party of keeping its headquarters and various offices open and organising meetings even through it had been dissolved.
“Such acts are not only against the law but also tantamount to opposing the Hluttaws (legislature),” they said. - Reuters
http://www.iol.co.za/news/world/suu-kyi-warned-on-planned-tour-1.1090961
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Screw turned on Suu Kyi
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Burma's new military-backed government has reportedly warned pro- democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her party to halt all political activities.
The home affairs ministry has written to the Nobel Peace Prize winner saying her party is breaking the law by maintaining party offices, holding meetings and issuing statements, the state-owned New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported.
"If they really want to accept and practice democracy effectively, they are to stop such acts that can harm peace and stability and the rule of law as well as the unity among the people including monks and service personnel," it said.
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Suu Kyi was freed in November after seven straight years of house arrest, less than a week after an election in Burma that critics said was a charade aimed at preserving military rule behind a civilian facade. Her National League for Democracy party was disbanded by the military rulers last year because it boycotted the poll, saying the rules were unfair.
The paper said the party could transform into a social organization provided it obtained permission from the authorities. The English-language daily, a mouthpiece for the regime, also warned that a planned political tour by Suu Kyi could lead to turmoil.
"We are deeply concerned that if Daw Aung San Suu Kyi makes trips to countryside regions, there may be chaos and riots, as evidenced by previous incidents," the newspaper said.
No schedule has been announced for the trip. Security is a major concern as her convoy was attacked in 2003 in an ambush apparently organized by a regime frightened by her popularity.
A political tour would be a test of both the 66-year-old's popularity following an election that has left her sidelined from politics, and of her freedom to travel around the country unhindered by the authorities.
In 1990 she led her party to a landslide election win that was never recognized by Burma's military rulers.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=6&art_id=112637&sid=32884046&con_type=1&d_str=20110630&fc=7
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NLD Pressured to Cease Political Activities
By THE IRRAWADDY Wednesday, June 29, 2011
The actions of the National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, are unlawful and against the state and could harm Burma's peace, stability and rule of law, according to the state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper on Wednesday.
The newspaper reported that the Ministry of Home Affairs sent a letter to Suu Kyi and Aung Shwe, the chairman of the NLD, on Tuesday urging them to stop engaging in unlawful activities in opposition to the new Parliament and government.
It also noted that the party was dissolved on Sept. 14, 2010, for refusing to take part in last year's election, but continued to run its headquarters and branch offices around the country.
The newspaper quoted the letter as saying: “If they really want to accept and practice democracy effectively, they are to stop such acts that can harm peace and stability and the rule of law as well as the unity among the people including monks and service personnel.”
Asked about the legal implications of the letter, Aung Thein, a Rangoon-based lawyer, said that it could signal government plans to crack down on the party.
“The government may use the fact that the NLD was dissolved as an excuse to increase restrictions on its political gatherings in the near future,” he said.
This latest pressure on the NLD comes soon after Suu Kyi expressed support for calls to establish a UN Commission of Inquiry (CoI) on crimes against humanity and war crimes in Burma in video testimony to the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
In her message, Suu Kyi made clear that the purpose of the CoI is to determine the extent of human rights violations in the country, not to prosecute the perpetrators.
However, in its letter, the Home Ministry said that the NLD's actions could “lead to more difficulties in national reconsolidation.”
The Irrawaddy was unable to reach the NLD for comment on Wednesday due to technical problems in contacting the party's headquarters.
Besides boycotting the elections held last year on Nov. 7, the NLD has also called for amendments to the new Constitution approved through a controversial referendum in 2008. The NLD lodged an appeal to the Supreme Court to protect the party's legal status, but it was turned down in November. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21594
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Tatmadaw Commanders Discuss Recent Ethnic Conflicts
By WAI MOE Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Commanders of the Tatmadaw (Burma’s armed forces) held their latest four-monthly meeting last week where “limited operations� in ethnic areas were discussed as well as intelligence reform.
Recent military operations in Kachin, Shan and Karen states were examined following unexpected government casualties amounting to 30 dead including 10 officers—one Lieutenant-Colonel and two Majors amongst others—in Kachin State alone this month, according to intelligence sources.
President ex-Gen Thein Sein’s new military-backed government came to office on March 30, but regional stability has suffered with armed conflicts spreading from Karen ethnic areas to ceasefire regions in Shan and Kachin states near the Sino-Burmese border.
Citing weekly military reports from regional military commands to the War Office in Naypyidaw, sources said that skirmishes and casualties were reported in Karen National Union (KNU) areas from Tenasserim Region to Karen State after March 30.
“There have been red remarks (government troop casualties) in reports on skirmishes in KNU areas every week during the past three months,� said a military source that spoke on condition of anonymity.
He added that, unlike last year, government troops are currently taking part in two other armed conflicts—in Kachin and Shan states—and said that most of the recent casualties were through ambushes and snipers.
On June 9, fierce fighting broke out in Kachin State, near the Sino-Burmese border in northern Burma, after nearly 17 years of ceasefire between the regime and the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO).
Earlier, government troops skirmished in Shan State with the Shan State Army (North) ceasefire group. Fighting with the SSA-North took place in both northern and southern Shan State with the cooperation of the non-ceasefire Shan State Army (South).
Tension between Naypyidaw and ethnic ceasefire groups began in April 2009 when the military junta, the State Peace Development Council (SPDC), forced ceasefire armed groups to transform into Border Guard Forces (BGF) under the commander-in-chief of the Tatmadaw.
Many ethnic armed groups—including the influential United Wa State Army (UWSA) and KIO—rejected the BGF saying it involved disarming without any political guarantees.
From April 2009 to August 2010, Lt-Gen Ye Myint, then chief of the Military Affairs Security (MAS) and now Mandalay Region’s chief minister, served as the main negotiator between Naypyidaw and ethnic ceasefire groups over the BGF.
However, Naypyidaw has not held any main negotiator with ethnic armed groups since Ye Myint was replaced in the chief MAS post by Maj-Gen Kyaw Swe, formerly the commander of Southwest Regional Military Command, in August 2010.
“During ongoing armed conflicts with Kachin Independence Army (KIA) troops, former minister of Telecommunications, Post and Telegraphs U Thein Zaw came for negotiations as a member of Parliament—but no one from the military commanders [turned up],� said an intelligence officer with the KIA from Laiza who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“It means negotiations came from former generals or the Parliament, rather than from the military. It is quite odd as there is no guarantee from military commanders,� he added.
Another highlighted issue at the commanders’ four-monthly meeting last week was reportedly reform of intelligence, particularly collaboration between the government secret services under a main body. The regime has attempted since early this year to replace the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) which was abolished in late 2004.
A Burmese intelligence report suggests that a new collaboration called the “National Defense and Security Force� will oversee military intelligence bodies such as the Military Affairs Security and other secret agencies including Special Branch (SB) and the Bureau of Special Investigation (BSI) under the Ministry of Home Affairs, even though there has been no official confirmation.
Brig-Gen Soe Shane—General Staff Officer at the War Office and a senior figure regularly beside former junta chief Snr-Gen Than Shwe during trips at home and aboard—is tipped to head the new national intelligence collaboration, according to sources. In the past Soe Shane studied counter intelligence with the Military Intelligence Service, which was abolished in 2004.
Aung Lynn Htut, a former counter intelligence officer and ex-Burmese deputy chief of mission to Washington, said he also heard reports about Naypyidaw’s reform for intelligence collaboration under the military-backed new administration.
“Intelligence collaboration like the NIB will be more powerful under the new administration while MAS is under the commander-in-chief,� he said. “If Brig-Gen Soe Shane becomes the national intelligence collaboration’s director, Snr-Gen Than Shwe and his family will be safer as Gen Min Aung Hlaing is commander-in-chief of the defense services and Brig-Gen Soe Shane is intelligence chief.�
Meanwhile, former deputy chief of Military Intelligence Maj-Gen Kyaw Win visited Thailand’s northern capital of Chiang Mai—where many Burmese dissidents are based—in early June, the same time as government troops were battling the KIA in northern Burma.
Although the purpose of Kyaw Win’s trip is undisclosed, a Thai intelligence source said he went back to Burma by Air Bagan on June 12. Kyaw Win was one of the key players for securing ceasefire agreement with ethnic armed groups. He is also one of two Military Intelligence senior officers who were not imprisoned during the Burmese Army’s crackdown on former colleagues in October 2004.
Copyright © 2008 Irrawaddy Publishing Group | www.irrawaddy.org http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21593
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Bombs Hit Taungoo and Thanbyuzayat
By LAWI WENG and WAI MOE Wednesday, June 29, 2011
A bomb blast shook Pegu Region’s key town of Taungoo—base of the Burmese government's Southern Regional Military Command headquarters—while there was a second explosion and two buses set on fire in Mon State.
The latest unrest comes after three bombs ripped through Naypyidaw, Mandalay and the military town of Pyin Oo Lwin on Friday.
Witnesses in Taungoo said the bomb exploded in front of Kha Paung Hall early Wednesday afternoon, but no casualties have so far been reported. “The blast made a huge hole in front of the hall. Shortly after the blast, security forces came to view the site and blocked access to the area,” said a local physician in the town.
Due to the Southern Regional Military Command base, Taungoo is a strategic town situated en route to the regime capital Naypyidaw in the north and another key town in Pegu Region, Prome, to the west. It is also on the road east towards Karani State’s Loikaw and Karen State’s Than Daung.
On June 18, an unknown group of armed men launched a rocket propelled grenade attack on a hydropower project only 14 miles from Taungoo.
Meanwhile a bomb went off behind the township authority office in Thanbyuzayat, Mon State, at 12:30am on Wednesday morning.
“It was only one bomb and did not cause any causalities or damage,” a resident told The Irrawaddy by phone on Wednesday.
But the bomb blast was not the only recent trouble to have occurred in Mon State. Local sources revealed that an unknown armed group also torched two buses at Thar Yar Aye village between Thanbyuzayat and Lamine townships.
The vehicles from Yar Zar Min and Shwe Lee Yadanar companies were set on fire at around 9 am on Wednesday, according to an eyewitness who was a passenger on one of the buses.
“They stopped around 20 buses at the same time and set fire to two of them. They took away six people—some of whom were bus drivers. I did not dare to look at their faces and don't know why they shot the buses and burned them,” he said.
These latest bomb attacks come soon after the National League for Democracy revealed that their leader Aung San Suu Kyi had planned travel outside of former capital Rangoon this week, but has since postponed visiting regional areas until July.
Regarding Friday's three explosions in upper Burma, the state media has accused three men with ethnic Shan names of being the bombers. “Sai Kyaw Myint Oo, Sai Hsam and Sai Aik rented houses and bought a cheap car without a license with the intention of detonating bombs in Naypyidaw, Mandalay and Pyin Oo Lwin simultaneously,” The New Light of Myanmar said on Wednesday. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21596
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Burma govt ups pressure on Suu Kyi ahead of tour
By Zin Linn Jun 30, 2011 1:08AM UTC
The military-backed Burmese government has warned Aung San Suu Kyi, General Secretary of the National League for Democracy, to stop political activities including meetings and delivering statements, the state-run New Light of Myanmar said on Wednesday.
The Wednesday newspaper raised the issue in a commentary under the caption of “Right to make choice still in the hand” by Pyae Sone Aung, a ghost-writer. In one paragraph, the commentary says, “From the point of law, NLD is defunct. The Union Election Commission issued Announcement (18/2010) dated 9-4-2010 reminding the 10 political parties that still met Article 25 of Political Parties Registration Law at that time that they could apply within 60 days for continued existence as political parties. However, only five of them did so. It is common knowledge that the five political parties did not include NLD.”
It also underlines that the NLD has been removed from the list of political parties and has been dissolved according to Announcement 97/2010 dated 14-9-2010 by the Union Election Commission.
Aung San Suu Kyi
Aung San Suu Kyi. Pic: AP.
The commentary also predicted that it was “deeply concerned” that Suu Kyi’s tours would be met with “chaos and riots.”
Here is an Excerpt from the commentary: “It is said that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will soon make a tour of the country. Her followers and supporters are gushing that the icon must keep in touch with the public. They seem willing to exploit the public. They also propagate that the government is responsible for security of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on her trip. We are deeply concerned that if Daw Aung San Suu Kyi makes trips to countryside regions, there may be chaos and riots, as evidenced by previous incidents.”
According to the state-media, the government has said that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is just an ordinary public member, so it will not restrict her from travelling and doing things in accordance with the law, but she shall honour the laws for the rule of law.
Although no schedule has been announced for the trip, her supporters and the NLD members are worried about the trip. Safety measures of Suu Kyi is a major concern as her convoy was under a attack on 30 May 2003. In fact, it was an premeditated ambush apparently organized by the military regime displeased by her charismatic reputation.
The commentary says in a clause that the Lady may choose a different method to defy the current government. It says, “ A broadcast aired on 23 June morning by BBC says that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi lives in non-violence policy, but she can practice alternative policy if necessary.”
However, the NLD Executive Committee immediately released a statement on Wednesday saying it has never breached the existing laws. To solve out this misunderstanding, the party asked the home minister to give an appointment to discuss the matter.
Burma or Myanmar had its first general election in nearly 20 years in last November; declaring it would allow civilian participation in the country’s political affairs. The international election watchdogs said the election was a festival of vote-rigging by the military-backed party.
Suu Kyi was freed from house arrest last year, where she spent 15 of the past 21 years in detention, shortly after the November election.
The NLD headed by Aung San Suu Kyi won a landslide victory in 1990 elections which the military authorities never honored the outcome. Suu Kyi has constantly argued the dissolution of the NLD by the current election commission from the law points after boycotting the 2008 constitution and the 2010 election. http://asiancorrespondent.com/58782/burma%E2%80%99s-new-government-challenges-aung-san-suu-kyi-for-her-activities/?utm_source=Asian+Correspondent&utm_campaign=26778d3203-DAILY_RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email
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Farmers' Loan Scheme Rife With Bribery
By KHIN OO THAR Wednesday, June 29, 2011
The Voice Weekly online, a news journal in Burma, reported in its June 16 issue that President Thein Sein has established model farms for agriculture and animal husbandry, and has, in fact, been conducting his own research by tilling the soil by hand.
"Even though he is a president, he worked on the farm," The Voice quoted Thein Aung, the Prime Minister of Irrawaddy Region, as saying at a ceremony. "Based on his findings, he laid down guidelines on how to improve the farmers' situation."
Days after his inauguration as president, Thein Sein formed an advisory board consisting of three committees—political, economic and legal—for his new government. He also formed an anti-poverty committee with economists and assigned them to collect related papers and organize discussions.
"The agricultural sector is the key to Burma's economic structure. A good agricultural foundation will benefit the country," wrote economist Dr. U Myint, the current head of the President's Economic Advisory Committee, in his paper regarding anti-poverty programs.
In official speeches, Thein Sein said he will prioritize the farming sector as over 70 percent of the country's population are farmers, and agricultural loans will be given out to farmers at low interest rates.
Many farmers, however, have said that although the Myanmar Agricultural Development Bank, which is under control of the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, has offered more loans than in previous years, lower level staff and local authorities often deny farmers loans for petty or often trivial reasons.
"I had to sign for a 70,000-kyat [US $90] loan, but I was only given 50,000 kyat [$64]," said a farmer from Shwenyoma Village in Kyaukpyu Township in Arakan State. "When I asked about the rest of my loan, I was told that I had to give it as commission to the township authorities and the bank manager."
In particular, farmers in cyclone-affected areas of Irrawaddy Division and Arakan State have reportedly encountered bureaucratic hurdles when applying for agricultural loans from the government.
In first first presidential address to parliament on March 30, Thein Sein called for a "clean" government.
“The most important task of the new administration is to work together to create good governance and clean government,� Thein Sein was reported as saying by The New Light of Myanmar, a state-run newspaper.
However, since the new government was sworn in, bribery and illegal taxation have reportedly increased across the country.
"Responsible persons at different levels [of government] need to practice their performances in accordance with the president's speech,� said Ba Shin, an elected MP representing the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party (RNDP) in Kyaukpyu. “Because bribery and forced taxation is on the increase at township and village levels these days.�
A legislator in Naypyidaw, who is a member of the new parliament's bill-drafting committee, told The Irrawaddy that the ongoing parliamentary sessions in the capital have touched on farmers' affairs, but no effective action has come of it.
"Discussions on agriculture-related issues took place in the parliament, but legislators were not allowed to speak about the real needs and difficulties," said the parliamentarian who requested anonymity.
Nay Myo Wai, the chairman of the Peace and Diversity Party, said he shared a similar view.
"Some laws related to farmers need to be amended, but I haven't heard any discussion about them in the current parliamentary meetings,� he said. “The new parliament is quiet and not dissimilar from the one during the era of the Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League in the 1940s.�
Khin Su Su Aung, a party candidate for the National Democratic Front who contested the election last November in Irrawaddy's Bogale Township, said farmers in the Delta areas have had to endure land confiscations carried out by the local Forest and Land Records Department, as well as being subject to manipulation and exploitation by their village headmen.
"There are many farmers whose lands were confiscated by the Forest Department at the time loans were being offered. More and more farmers are in big trouble now," she said.
Many farmers from Cyclone Nargis-affected areas in the delta told The Irrawaddy that although agricultural loans have been available for several weeks now, they are not sufficient to meet the farmers' needs for rice cultivation.
Consequently, although rice season has arrived, many farmers are not sowing a crop this year.
"No matter how many acres of farmland we own, each of us received only 200,000 kyat [$255] on loan,� said Win Maung, a local farmer from Poenyo Village in Bogale. “We have to spend about 95,000 kyat [$121] per acre. Out of the loan, about 7,000 kyat [$9] was deducted to cover administration costs.�
He said most of the farmers in Nargis-affected areas own at least 10 acres of farmland and the current financial predicament was leading to a heavy impact on rice production and quality.
Local farmers in Tharyawaddy District in western Pegu Division also said that those who wanted agricultural loans had to bribe their village heads and other authorities.
Dr U Myint, however, said the huge recovery costs for shelters and livelihoods in Nargis-affected areas reinforce the fact that many people are in need of loans and, therefore, the government should pay particular attention to ensure that these farmers receive agricultural loans.
He wrote in his paper that the government should prioritize its incentives to farmers, offering consistent agricultural loans couple with systematic procedures whereby farmers can pay off their loans and help to improve Burma's farming sector and rice production.
Apart from governmental support, he said, the private sector, social organizations and non-governmental organizations also need to participate in these endeavors.
He also said that governmental assistance to farmers had lessened since Burma declared independence. The country exported 3.3 million tonnes of rice in 1938-39, the highest amount of exports in the world at that time. However, the amount of rice export in 2007-08 had declined to just over 300,000 tonnes, the economist said.
Copyright © 2008 Irrawaddy Publishing Group | www.irrawaddy.org http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21597
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Verdict due in Burma for Aussie news man
June 30, 2011 - 10:54AM
AAP
A Burmese court is due to hand down its verdict in the case of an Australian publisher charged with assault and immigration violations.
Ross Dunkley, 55, co-founder of the Myanmar Times newspaper, is facing charges of assault and administering drugs to a Burmese woman as well as immigration breaches.
Executives backing Dunkley's media company in Burma are hopeful a judge will clear the Australian when the verdict is handed down at the Kamaryut Township court near Rangoon on Thursday.
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At a court hearing earlier this month, Dunkley denied all criminal charges and immigration violations.
Dunkley was arrested on February 10 in Rangoon and spent several weeks detained at the notorious Insein Prison before being released on bail on March 29.
Dunkley has previously told the court the Burmese woman involved in the case, Khaing Zar Lin, had been at his residence on January 19.
But he told the court he had not given the woman drugs nor had he assaulted her.
Dunkley also pleaded not guilty to breaches of the Emergency Immigration Act of 1947.
Zar Lin, who is eight months' pregnant, had applied to have the charges withdrawn but the request was rejected by police prosecutors.
News agency reports said the public prosecutor, Mone Mone, had asked the court to hand down an appropriate punishment, without setting down any specific sentence.
Dunkley, a long-time publisher in Asia, together with Australian mining magnate Bill Clough and Bangkok-based Post Media holds a 49 per cent stake in Myanmar Consolidated Media, publisher of English and Burmese language versions of The Myanmar Times and Burmese language magazines.
Along with the The Myanmar Times, Myanmar Consolidated Media publishes two Burmese language magazines and employs more than 350 people.
Dunkley is also publisher of the Cambodia-based Phnom Penh Post after purchasing the paper in 2008.
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-world/verdict-due-in-burma-for-aussie-news-man-20110630-1grue.html
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US nominee concerned over Burma Asean chair
Published: 30/06/2011 at 10:31 AM
Online news: Asia
The nominee to be US pointman on Burma said he would seek greater global coordination to push for democracy and voiced concern that the Asean bloc was considering the regime as its head.
File photo shows Myanmar Buddhist nuns walking along a road in Yangon. The nominee to be US pointman on Myanmar said he would seek greater global coordination to push for democracy and voiced concern that the ASEAN bloc was considering the regime as its head.
Derek Mitchell, a veteran policymaker on Asia, was nominated to be the first US coordinator for policy on Burma as President Barack Obama's administration pursues an engagement drive with the country also known as Burma.
In his Senate confirmation hearing, Mitchell said he would seek "direct and candid" dialogue with Burma's leaders and that the United States should "respond flexibly and with agility to opportunities as they arise."
"The United States still seeks a peaceful, prosperous, open and democratic Burma that respects the rights of all its citizens and that adheres to its international obligations," said Mitchell, now a senior Pentagon official.
"The United States remains prepared to establish a positive relationship based on mutual respect and mutual benefit with a Burmese leadership that adheres to and advances these principles."
Mitchell was testifying just as the regime stepped up pressure on pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, warning her not to embark on her first national tour since she was released from house arrest in November.
The State Department responded with concern, and deputy spokesman Mark Toner urged authorities to ensure the Nobel Peace Prize winner was "free to travel, free to express her views and to fully participate in political activities."
Mitchell said he hoped to coordinate policy with key players, including the European Union, China, India, Japan, South Korea and especially Asean, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations of which Burma is one of 10 members.
In the clearest comment yet from a senior US official, Mitchell expressed concerns that Asean was considering Burma to chair the economically dynamic bloc in 2014.
"I think, frankly, where Burma is today, Asean recognizes that Burma is an outlier and is somewhat of an embarrassment to the organization," he said.
"I think Burma has some work to do in order to make Asean nations comfortable with that -- and the rest of the international community."
US officials have previously declined to state opposition publicly, saying 2014 was a long way off and that Asean's chairmanship was a decision for the bloc itself, which includes Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.
The Obama administration launched talks with Burma in 2009, concluding that the previous Western policy of isolating the state had been unsuccessful. The European Union and Japan have also stepped up diplomacy, with a senior Japanese official meeting with Suu Kyi on Wednesday.
China traditionally has been Burma's main source of support, while India -- in one of its main foreign policy divergences with the United States -- has also developed stronger relations with the military-backed government.
Asean has long struggled with how to deal with Burma. Asean nations called for a lifting of Western sanctions after Burma held elections last year.
The United States and opposition groups have rejected a letup in pressure, saying that the political transition has been purely cosmetic.
But Senator Jim Webb, a longtime advocate of engaging Burma who chaired the hearing, urged the United States to consider easing sanctions, saying there was a window of opportunity.
Webb pointed to the regime's release of Suu Kyi and the participation of other opposition parties in the election, saying: "I believe these changes yield promise for improving accountability and transparency in Burma."
However, many US lawmakers strongly support sanctions on Burma, in part due to concerns for Suu Kyi's safety.
Senator John Kerry, the head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Burma needed to show its sincerity about dialogue by releasing political prisoners and easing restrictions on the media.
"Southeast Asian countries can send a message about their own expectations by linking Burma's chairmanship of Asean in 2014 to tangible political progress," Kerry said. http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/244746/us-nominee-concerned-over-burma-asean-chair
Friday, July 1, 2011
News & Articles on Burma-30-JUNR-2011
News & Articles on Burma-Thursday 30 June, 2011
News & Articles on Burma
Thursday 30 June, 2011
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Bans on Suu Kyi threaten Rudd meeting
Myanmar's Suu Kyi plans first trip since release
Democracy hopes fading in Myanmar
Suu Kyi calls for talks with home minister
Chinese made military trucks arriving at border raises question
Burma's Ethnic Insurgencies Erupt in a Chain Reaction
Suu Kyi to Visit Pagan Next Week
KIA Meet Burma Army Officials
Nominee US Envoy Seeks 'Candid' Talks with Naypyidaw
Migrants saved from Thai ransom round-about
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Bans on Suu Kyi threaten Rudd meeting
Dan Oakes
July 1, 2011
KEVIN RUDD could be flying into a diplomatic storm in Burma, with the dictatorial regime banning the opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, from meeting with ''foreign organisations''.
Mr Rudd touched down in Burma last night and is due to meet Ms Suu Kyi, a Nobel peace laureate, tomorrow.
He is also scheduled to meet Burma's President, Thein Sein, the foreign minister and speaker of the parliament.
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''A meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi remains part of the minister's schedule,'' a spokeswoman for Mr Rudd said last night from Burma's largest city, Rangoon.
However, reports this week in the regime's Burmese language newspaper suggest Ms Suu Kyi could be stopped from meeting any foreign officials.
Ms Suu Kyi, who has spent 15 of the past 21 years in detention, was released from house arrest in November and immediately called for a ''peaceful revolution'' in Burma, which is ruled by a nominally civilian government that is stacked with members of the former junta.
She recently announced plans to tour the country and meet with supporters of her National League for Democracy party, repressed by the junta since it won elections in 1990, but the regime is tightening the screws on the 66-year-old.
This week the regime told Ms Suu Kyi to halt all political activities and warned the proposed tour could spark riots, for which she would be held responsible. The last time she campaigned outside Rangoon, in 2003, her convoy was set upon by government-backed thugs.
Now the regime, possibly spooked by Ms Suu Kyi's recent meetings with foreign officials such as the Japanese vice-foreign minister and former US presidential candidate John McCain, has threatened to halt the procession of foreign dignitaries trying to meet the democracy icon.
An editorial in the regime's newspaper, translated for the Herald by Burmese activists in Australia, accused the NLD of violating the ban on its activities.
Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/bans-on-suu-kyi-threaten-rudd-meeting-20110630-1gt3p.html#ixzz1Qm3Vu09U
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Thursday June 30, 2011
Myanmar's Suu Kyi plans first trip since release
YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi will next week travel outside her home city for the first time since her release from a seven-year stint of house arrest last November, a spokesman for her former party said.
Suu Kyi plans to join her son, Kim, on a four-day pilgrimage from July 4 to Bagan, an ancient city about 700 km (435 miles) north of Yangon, where she has spent the past eight years.
Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi (C) holds her birthday gift as she makes her way through the crowd gathered at her National League for Democracy (NLD) head office in Yangon June 19, 2011. (REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun)
"The purpose of the trip is purely religious," Han Tha Myint, a spokesmen for Suu Kyi's now defunct National League for Democracy Party (NLD), said on Thursday, adding she would travel by plane.
Suu Kyi, 66, was expected to go on a series of one-day trips outside Yangon next week, prompting concerns by her supporters about her personal safety. Several government-run newspapers carried commentaries on Wednesday warning of "chaos and riots" if Suu Kyi went ahead.
The Nobel laureate's last tour in 2003 was marred by an ambush on her motorcade by thugs believed to be hired by the then ruling military junta.
More than 70 of her supporters were killed in the incident, known as the Depayin Massacre. It was widely seen as an assassination attempt on Suu Kyi, who was put back under house arrest, or what the regime called "protective custody".
The U.S. State Department said on Wednesday the new Myanmar government was responsible for Suu Kyi's safety everywhere in the country.
The charismatic figurehead of Myanmar's fight against five decades of military dictatorships has been given unprecedented freedom by the generals who have long despised her and still control Myanmar behind a new civilian government.
Through its media mouthpieces, the government has warned Suu Kyi not to overstep the mark, saying she would meet a "tragic end" and accusing her of provocative acts.
Since her release on Nov. 13 last year, the daughter of slain independence hero Aung San has be conciliatory in her comments about the country's rulers and has urged dialogue.
She has met regularly with diplomats and envoys and analysts expect her to play a pivotal role in the debate over whether Western sanctions on the former British colony should be lifted.
The government has not responded to her offer but has instead invited the NLD, which was disbanded for boycotting last year's much-criticised election, to register as a social organisation, then run in the next polls in 2015.
"They still have opportunity to participate legally in the next election if they want to," said a commentary published in three newspapers on Thursday.
"We do not want to see street politics, public panic and anarchy again.
"If they want to serve public interests, I would like to request they be considerate towards the public and continue to do politics in the framework of the law," it said.
(Reporting by Aung Hla Tun; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Alex Richardson)
Copyright © 2011 Reuters http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/6/30/worldupdates/2011-06-30T201533Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_-580140-2&sec=Worldupdates
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Democracy hopes fading in Myanmar
Published: June 30, 2011 at 10:00 AM
LONDON, June 30 (UPI) -- The main opposition party in Myanmar vowed to play a role in political life, but one advocate said hopes for democracy in the country are waning.
State-run newspapers in Myanmar ran columns warning pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi that her travels outside of the commercial capital Naypyitaw could stoke chaos in the country.
Mark Farmaner, an advocate at Burma Campaign UK, told The Independent newspaper in London any hopes of democratic reform in the country were fading quickly.
"Myanmar's new dictator, Thein Sein, has revealed his true colors with these threats," he said. "He is emerging as even less tolerant of dissent than (former leader) Than Shwe."
Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace prize laureate, led her National League for Democracy to a 1990 election victory that was never recognized. She spent much of the last decade in detention but was freed last year during the country's general elections.
Her NLD decided against taking part in the election. Win Tin, a senior NLD member, was quoted as saying his group's activities would carry on "according to the law."
Myanmar touted last year's elections, the first in nearly two decades, as a path toward civilian leadership, though the election was dubbed a sham by the international community.
Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2011/06/30/Democracy-hopes-fading-in-Myanmar/UPI-58321309442446/#ixzz1Qm2SMC69
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Suu Kyi calls for talks with home minister
By AHUNT PHONE MYAT
Published: 30 June 2011
The National League for Democracy’s (NLD) secretary Aung San Suu Kyi has called for a meeting with the government’s Home Affairs Minister in a response to a letter sent to her and the group’s chairman Aung Shwe on June 28 warning them to stop their political activities.
The exchange of letters came as warnings in the state press were published which seemed to take offence to the continuing activities of the group; “the NLD is found to have kept opening its party headquarters and branches in states and regions and other towns, erecting the signboards and hoisting flags at some offices, issuing statements, publishing periodicals and videos, meeting with other organisations and holding meetings and ceremonies. Such acts are not only against the law but also tantamount to opposing the hluttaws [parliaments] at various levels.”
The NLD, after a Central Executive Committee meeting yesterday afternoon, sent a letter signed by Suu Kyi to the Home Affairs minister and former army Brigadier-General Ko Ko, calling for a meeting with him to ‘negotiate for the rule of law.’
The letter contested the government’s claim; that the NLD is officially defunct, according to the Political Parties Registration Law announced last year, after failing to register for the 2010 elections, citing laws in the 2008 constitution.
“Article 409 of the Constitution of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (Burma) provided that; the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (Union Parliament) shall enact necessary laws concerning political parties, so only the [Union Parliament] has the authority to enact the Political Parties Registration Law,” said the NLD letter.
“The NLD is defunct by the Political Parties Registration Law but that was not enacted by the Union Parliament,” read the letter.
The letter also claimed the NLD is still legally standing as a political party as it doesn’t violate articles 407, 409 and 466 of the constitution, adding that the group is abiding by legal procedures and the rule of law but didn’t intend to oppose the parliaments or the government.
“The NLD is not committing acts that can harm peace and stability and the rule of law as well as unity among the people – we are an organisation that genuinely wishes for the rule of law and are constantly striving to achieve national reconciliation.”
The NLD’s spokesperson Nyan Win told DVB that: “We see that our party still exists according to the law but the government sees that we are already dissolved – but this is not to argue.”
“We sent a letter [to Ko Ko] calling him to arrange a meeting to discuss on the rule of law.”
Suu Kyi has been planning to tour the country, the first such trip since 2003?s Depayin Massacre at which her convoy was attacked by thugs believed to have been connected to the Union Solidarity & Development Association, which morphed into the military’s favoured party the Union Soldiarity and Development Party (USDP) for the election. This event lead to her last spell under house arrest.
This plan, which by all accounts remains and Suu Kyi’s recent ‘Reith Lecture‘ which was aired by the BBC have caused the establishment concern. In her widely broadcasted lecture the Nobel Laureate expressed envy for Egypt and Tunisia who had over thrown autocratic leaders relatively quickly. She also refused to rule out violence as an effective means to enact political change.
http://www.dvb.no/news/suu-kyi-calls-for-talks-with-home-minister/16360
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Chinese made military trucks arriving at border raises question
Thursday, 30 June 2011 17:53 Hseng Khio Fah
More than a hundred Chinese made military trucks were reported to have arrived in Muse, a bustling border trade town between China and Burma since Sunday, raising question whether they will be used in the war against Kachin Independence Army (KIA), according to local sources.
“Some say they are heading to KIA’s areas while others say they are to be brought to Naypyitaw,” an eyewitness said.
The 6 wheel Sino trucks are produced by Japanese Howo Company in China and exported to Burma by way of Jiegao-Muse.
In addition, hundreds of Burma Army soldiers are also reported to have been sent to the town to receive the trucks, according to a source.
The arrival of both military trucks and troops has fueled fear among the populace whether the war with the KIA may spread to the area, according to sources.
A Sino truck seen Jiegao
Recently, around 50 people in civilian clothes believed to be Burma Army agents are seen crossing the border each day following a report of a recent meeting between the Burma Army and Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) officers, where the former had asked the latter to permit its troops and those of its allies to cross the border to attack and capture Laiza, the headquarters of KIA.
Phoe Than Chaung, spokesman for the Communist Party of Burma (CPB) commented that soldiers crossing to China territory is not likely to be for the purpose to attack the KIA but could be their holiday visit.
“I don’t think China will let its territory to become destabilized. If it does, its investment along the border will be affected and thousands of people will come to take refuge in its soil which is what it fears the most. China therefore will do everything to prevent incidents which can destroy its border stability,” he said.
The move by the Burma Army can only be one of its tactics and psychology warfare to use China and ethnic armed groups against each other. A larger scale offensive against the ethnic armed groups would have been launched a long time ago if the Burma Army really wanted to destroy ethnic armed groups, Phoe Than Chaung said.
“But I don’t think they will destroy them [the ethnic armed groups] as their existence justifies their own stay in power. If there is no civil war, there would not have been any reason to stay in power,” he explained.
According to him, ethnic armed struggles in Burma, which have taken place for over six decades now, were created by the military junta in order to expand and preserve its rule over the people. http://www.shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3820:chinese-made-military-trucks-arriving-at-border-raises-question&catid=86:war&Itemid=284
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Burma's Ethnic Insurgencies Erupt in a Chain Reaction
By Russ Wellen, June 30, 2011
The respective rebellions of Burma's (or Myanmar, as its government prefers it be called) three largest ethnic minorities are, for once, all aflame at the same time. At Asia Times Online, Brian McCartan writes: "Myanmar moved closer to civil war in recent weeks after fighting broke out in Kachin State," thus breaking its ceasefire with Burma's ruling junta. "Myanmar's newly elected government now faces ethnic insurgencies on three separate fronts," thus putting at risk "Myanmar's development and international confidence in its supposed democratic transition."
"In the southeast," meanwhile, a revolt by "the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) on November 7, 2010, election day, resulted in the temporary seizure of two important border towns." What's significant about this is that, despite the noble sentiments suggested by its name, the DKBA had been allied with the government.
McCartan again: "Although the government was able to retake the towns, fighting continued in the area and the [DKBA] allied itself with the Karen [ethnic group] National Liberation Army." He adds: "The operations of [the] DKBA commander Major General Lah Pweh . . . have added new energy to the Karen insurgency through stepped up ambushes and attacks on army camps both in rural areas and in towns and villages."
Meanwhile, about Shan State, the third large minority, McCartan writes that "increasing government pressure against the 1st Brigade of the Shan State Army-North (SSA-N)," with which the government also had a ceasefire, "resulted in open conflict in early March." The government had been trying to "incorporate the military units of the ethnic ceasefire armies into the Myanmar armed forces ahead of the 2010 elections," but the 1st Brigade, as well as other SSA-N brigades, had refused to join. McCartan again.
Indications are that if the government chooses to continue pushing these conflicts fighting could continue for years. Myanmar army casualties, if insurgent and exile media reports are accurate, have been high while insurgent casualties remain low. . . . Many Myanmar Army units have not seen combat in many years. . . . Low morale is a major problem among government troops. . . . Units are hugely under resourced and desertion is rife.
But
To continue operating, the insurgent groups will require safe havens and access to supplies and ammunition either through the direct or tacit approval of neighboring governments and militaries in China and Thailand. Thailand has increasingly turned its back on the ethnic groups along its border as it has emerged as Myanmar's top trading partner. [Its] relationship [with China], too, may be changing as China's investments in Myanmar expand, including strategically important energy projects such as the Shwe gas project and a vital oil and gas pipeline scheduled to run from the Indian Ocean to China's southern Yunnan province across Myanmar.
Still
A new alliance of 15 insurgent and former ceasefire groups, including the KNU, KIA and the SSA, offers new hope. [But it] remains to be seen whether. . . . the so-called United Nationalities Federal. . . . can coordinate operations on the battlefield or maneuver politically with internal ethnic political parties or internationally.
McCartan concludes that, unless the junta, in its present form as an ostensibly elected government, "can come to a sincere agreement with ethnic insurgents, the country seems poised to spiral into the type of widespread civil war not seen in its ethnic territories for over two decades."
http://www.fpif.org/blog/burmas_ethnic_insurgencies_erupt_in_a_chain_reaction?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+FPIF+%28Foreign+Policy+In+Focus+%28All+News%29%29
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Suu Kyi to Visit Pagan Next Week
By WAI MOE Thursday, June 30, 2011
Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is scheduled to visit the ancient city of Pagan in Mandalay Region next week on her first trip outside of Rangoon since her release from house arrest in November, according to her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD).
Win Htain, an NLD leader and Suu Kyi’s close aide, told The Irrawaddy on Thursday that Suu Kyi will be traveling to Pagan for sightseeing rather than on party business, saying that her son, Htain Linn, also known as Kim Aris, will join her on the trip.
Although Win Htain did not provide any further details about the trip, an NLD source who spoke on condition of anonymity said it is scheduled to begin on July 4. The source added that Suu Kyi may be planning to fly to Pagan, as she attempted to buy an air ticket on Thursday.
He added that Suu Kyi got a green light for the trip from the authorities after she informed them of her plan earlier this month.
However, Burma's state-run media warned yesterday that Suu Kyi's travels could cause unrest in the country. “We are deeply concerned that if Daw Aung San Suu Kyi makes trips to countryside regions, there may be chaos and riots, as evidenced by previous incidents,” the New Light of Myanmar newspaper said on Wednesday.
Suu Kyi’s last trip outside of Rangoon was in May 2003, when she visited Mandalay and Sagaing regions. Her trip ended when she and her supporters were ambushed by government-backed thugs in Depayin, Sagaing Region. She narrowly escaped the attack, but was later placed in detention, where she remained until her release last November.
News of Suu Kyi’s trip to Pagan comes amid concerns about security in the country, after a series of bomb blasts hit Burma's second largest city of Mandalay, the capital Naypyidaw, and Pyin Oo Lwin, a town near Mandalay region closely associated with the armed forces, last Friday, injuring three people.
It also follows moves by the military-backed government of President Thein Sein to restrict the NLD's political activities, which it described as illegal because of the party's dissolution last year for refusing to take part in an election staged by the former military junta.
On Tuesday, Minister of Home Affairs Lt-Gen Ko Ko sent a letter to Suu Kyi and NLD Chairman Aung Shwe saying that the party should form a social organization if it wants to engage in social affairs.
In a letter of reply sent on Wednesday, Suu Kyi said that the NLD is not doing anything to harm rule of law, stability and unity among monks and government servants. She added that the party also wants rule of law and is always making efforts for national reconciliation.
However, on Thursday, prominent NLD leader Win Tin said that the party doesn’t have any plans at present to register as an nongovernmental organization or political party. He added that he is concerned the government could be gearing up for another crackdown on the party.
“There's a possibility that party leaders could be arrested again, and party offices seized,” he said. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21604
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KIA Meet Burma Army Officials
By BA KAUNG Thursday, June 30, 2011
LAIZA, Kachin State—The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and Burmese army officials held formal talks in the town of Lagayan this morning—the first time the two sides have sat down together since hostilities in Kachin State restarted three weeks ago. The renewed fighting near the Chinese border effectively ended a 17-year-old ceasefire between the two sides.
KIA officials, led by second-in-command Gen Gun Maw, met with the Burmese military delegation, led by Col Than Aung, minister for border affairs in Kachin State.
During the meeting, representatives of the KIA called on the Burmese government to release any form of documentation, such as a letter from Naypyidaw, to confirm the government's intentions and commitment toward a formal ceasefire, according to Kachin officers.
Slide Show (View)
“This meeting is a prelude,” said Gun Maw after the meeting, adding that he does not know when the next meeting will be held.
Meanwhile, some war refugees fled areas near the recent fighting in Momauk Township and are currently living in relief camps in the KIA’s headquarters of Laiza in Kachin State. Other refugees have tried to enter Chinese territory upon hearing rumors that Burmese troops were entering China’s Yunnan Province to attack KIA troops from the rear.
Sources within the 10,000-member KIA confirmed that nearly 100 Burmese army troops have arrived on the Chinese border near Burma’s Muse Township in civilian dress. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21602
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Nominee US Envoy Seeks 'Candid' Talks with Naypyidaw
By MATTHEW PENNINGTON / AP WRITER Thursday, June 30, 2011
WASHINGTON — The United States is prepared to have a positive relationship with Burma and seeks better international coordination in encouraging democratic reform in the Asian country, the nominee to be US special envoy said Wednesday.
Derek Mitchell, who is currently a senior defense official for Asia-Pacific affairs, said that the inability of key members of the international community to coordinate their approach had undermined their efforts to press the government of Burma, also known as Myanmar, to free political prisoners and hold dialogue with its opponents.
While signaling willingness to improve US-Burma ties, Mitchell was critical of Burma's claims to have made a transition to civilian rule after elections last year, saying its political system falls far short of representative democracy.
"Burma remains a country at war with itself and distrustful of others," Mitchell said at a confirmation hearing before a Senate panel. "Burma is the poorest country in Southeast Asia and a source of great concern and potential instability in the region."
His comments came as Burmese government warned pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi against engaging in political activities, and issued a thinly veiled threat ahead of her planned first tour outside the main city Rangoon since her release from house arrest seven months ago. A commentary in state newspapers Wednesday said the trip could trigger riots and chaos.
John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the appointment of the special envoy offers Burma's leaders an opportunity to redefine their relationship with the United States.
"I and others will be watching to see whether Burma's government is interested in a path towards peace and democracy or whether it remains anchored to the failed policies of the past. A critical upcoming test will be Aung San Suu Kyi's ability to speak freely and move about the country," Kerry said in a statement Wednesday.
The State Department expressed concern for Suu Kyi's safety. Spokesman Mark Toner called on Burma to let her travel freely and fully participate in political activities.
In the past year-and-a-half, the Obama administration has shifted from a policy of isolating Burmese generals to engaging them. That has not yielded the desired results: the release of the more than 2,000 political prisoners and a government dialogue with Suu Kyi, whose party has been de-registered after it boycotted the November elections.
Burma came under military rule in 1962 and has brutally suppressed political dissent since then. Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy swept 1990 elections but was barred from taking power.
If confirmed, Mitchell said he would seek a "candid dialogue" with the government and would respond "flexibly" to evolving conditions there. But he said that the government had not yet taken steps to merit lifting sanctions—a step which Burma's neighbors in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have been calling for since the flawed poll.
Mitchell said he would coordinate with international partners including Asean, India, China, Europe, South Korea and Japan, to see if they can "find ways to come together with a more coherent approach" in dealing with Burma.
Sen. Jim Webb, who met with Burma's then-leader Snr-Gen Than Shwe in 2009, said that given the strategic importance of Burma—located between regional powers India and China—and the critical humanitarian needs in the country, the US should seek a more sustained, direct engagement with the government and civil society.
Mitchell said it was "absolutely critical" that Burma abide by UN nonproliferation sanctions that bar military trade with North Korea. His comments reflected international concern that Pyongyang could have exported missile technology to Burma, and that Burmese rulers may have nuclear ambitions. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21600
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Migrants saved from Thai ransom round-about
By AYE NAI
Published: 30 June 2011
Three Burmese migrant workers who were held for ransom by human traffickers after being sold on to them by two Thai policemen were rescued by police from the same station in Thailand’s capital, Bangkok yesterday afternoon.
The three; Byauk Owe, 18, Ko Kyaw, 30 and Maung Owe, 19, who worked at a canned fish factory in Bang Bon district, were arrested by two policemen while having stroll on Sunday evening. They were taken to the police station where they were asked to show identification.
May Thazin Oo, elder sister of Byauk Owe said they were sold by the police to two human traffickers for 8000 Baht [US $260] each after they failed to show legal documents.
“The two policemen came on a bike – one of them was in uniform and the other in civilian clothing. They asked them to show their work permits but [the three] could only show them receipts for a medical check-up [part of the procedure in acquiring the legal migrant work permits] but the police tore them up and took them to Tha Kham police station,” May Thazin Oo told DVB.
“When they arrived at the station, the policemen told them to contact their relatives but the three didn’t have any phone numbers with them. The police then called two Burmese nationals they had connections with, who came and ‘bailed’ them out,”
The two Burmese who turned up were believed to have done police translating work before and have a broad local knowledge and had allegedly acted as middle men or informants for the police. As a result they were able to contact a family member.
Thazin Oo continues; “Then the two Burmese called us and told us to give ransom of 5000 Baht [US $162] for each of them. We went and waited at the place they indicated but they didn’t show up.”
Meanwhile the three detainees were sold again to a Burmese national from the Mon ethnic group, a human trafficker who again contacted the family and asked again for ransom, this time of 16,000 Baht [US $520] for each person. The traffickers threatened to sell them to sea fishing boats if the family failed to give the ransom.
The family then contacted the police who followed with them to the appointment with the Mon traffickers and then arrested them and rescued the three detainees.
It turned out that the policemen who initially handed the three Burmese migrants to the two Burmese nationals were from the same police station who rescued them. May Thazin Oo said the police are showing photos of officials in the station to the three to identify the two policemen.
Such cases are believed to be widespread with the New York based Human Rights Watch recently telling the UN that; “Thai government officials and police, and private employers, enjoy widespread impunity in abusing the rights of Burmese.”
Migrant workers are estimated to make up 5% of the Thai workforce whilst accounting for some 7% of GDP, taking as they do some of the toughest and least desirable jobs. Their subjugation is a boon for employers but the Thai government has been attempting to put in place legislation to regularise migrant labour. This resulted in a proposed plan to force employers to buy private health insurance for migrants whilst Thai nationals enjoy the far superior government care. Rights groups were keen to point out that such discrimination in the work place is illegal under Thailand’s treaty obligations.
http://www.dvb.no/news/migrants-saved-from-thai-ransom-round-about/16365
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