News & Articles on Burma Saturday, 19 November 2011 ------------------------------------------- Obstacles lie ahead in Burma's bid for reform KIA pushes back Burmese Army troops from Laiza headquarters UN's Ban says he will visit Myanmar, urges reforms EU Hails Myanmar Moves, Reviewing Policy Key US senators hail Clinton Burma trip Gillard warns Burma has a lot more to do Clinton to visit Burma for fact-finding U.S. sees Burma reforms as strategic opening to support democracy Suu Kyi party to register for election Myanmar dissident returns to politics US sanctions on Myanmar to continue Analysis: US overtures may lure Myanmar from China Myanmar regime loosens its grip on elections Suu Kyi's party decides to enter legal politics for democratization in Burma --------------------------------------------- 19 November 2011 Last updated at 12:45 GMT Obstacles lie ahead in Burma's bid for reform By David Loyn BBC News, Naypyidaw, Burma Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has announced she is ready to re-enter politics, but many obstacles still lie ahead for a country still coming to terms with reform. Driving through the Burmese countryside, I passed a Land Rover that must have been half a century old, four monks clinging to its green frame, as they rattled through the countryside, saffron robes blowing in the breeze. Women with their faces daubed in sandalwood paste under conical straw hats glanced up as we passed. Behind them, a man stood under an awning rhythmically treading a water pump to irrigate the paddy fields as they worked. Our destination could not have been more different from this timeless scene. The neat lawns in the strange fantasy-land of the new capital Naypyidaw, carved out of the jungle, where everything is on a gargantuan scale. When it was built, civil servants were told to move north overnight from Rangoon - disrupting families and lives. Suicide rates in this weird place are said to be very high. There are tens of thousands of hotel rooms, empty most of the year, except during a gem fair, when Chinese buyers descend on Naypyidaw to deal in Burma's mineral wealth. The presidential palace with its vast air-conditioned spaces, and chandeliers sparkling with thousands of lights, seem more than incongruous in a country where state spending on health per person is less than $1 (?0.70) per year. The new town exists in a fantasy economy. As it is a capital city, foreign diplomats will be expected to move here, and areas have been marked out for them already. But one Western embassy worked out that the way the sites are being financed, it would cost $70m over 30 years if they took up the offer. But in a military state, normal economics have been turned on their head for a long time. There are several exchange rates for the Burmese currency, as black market money flows in and out of the country. In the wings The real power here lies in the hands of men who are called "cronies" in normal conversation. Like Russian oligarchs, the cronies in Burma are the men behind the scenes, close to China and outside democratic control as they profit from monopolies in timber, gems and gas. Continue reading the main story Start Quote In a sequence of carefully choreographed moves, the government is easing its relationship towards this iconic figure End Quote They are watching in the wings, as a government with reform on its mind moves steadily away from the corruption and repression of a world that, in the past, suited them well. Change means that recently released prisoners can write in dissident newspapers that are no longer censored and are distributed openly. Until only a few months ago there were daily attacks on the BBC in Burma's main newspaper. Aung San Suu Kyi said that one of the biggest signals of change was that she, for the first time, had been able to talk openly to the BBC in Rangoon, after I was given an unprecedented visa. The political impact of all this is seismic. Bumping along in the back of a van on our way to see a school opened in the last year by Aung San Suu Kyi's supporters, Myo Yan Naung Thein, the leader of the last major student protest back in 1996, told me in clear and stark terms that protest is over. He and his comrades - who made new alliances in jail - have formed a loose network of pro-democracy groups, backing Aung San Suu Kyi, and working within the system for the first time. He said: "If you can't beat them, join them." In a graphic image, the former student leader said that if Burmese people were willing to line up, 10 by 10 by 10 in front of soldiers shooting, then revolution would be possible, as they would wear out the will of the army after thousands had died. "But," he concluded, "we don't have enough blood to shed". In calling off protests, the pro-democracy activists are putting all their trust in secret conversations that the new President Thein Sein has had with Aung San Suu Kyi. In a sequence of carefully choreographed moves, the government is easing its relationship towards this iconic figure - not unlike the way white South Africa changed course and opened Nelson Mandela's prison doors. Posters of Aung San Suu Kyi are openly for sale on the streets, and she will run for parliament, probably next year. But Aung San Suu Kyi has not brought all of her party with her in her decision to compromise with the regime. There was another protest by Buddhist monks in Mandalay this week. Small demos like these are a distraction. More widespread protests though could destabilise the confidence built between Aung San Suu Kyi and the reformist president and his allies. And it would strengthen the hand of hard-liners opposed to reform in the strange fantasy capital. Formidable obstacles to reform remain and high hopes rest on the slender figure of Aung San Suu Kyi. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-15798106 -------------------------------------------- KIA pushes back Burmese Army troops from Laiza headquarters Kachin News Group The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) troops pushed back Burmese Army soldiers from its Laiza headquarters on Thursday, seizing many arms and field artillery, said frontline sources. Almost all government military columns in the N'tap Bum mountain range, about 8 miles southwest of Laiza headquarters in eastern Kachin State were pushed back to the mountainsides, said KIA officers from the headquarters. According to KIA officers on the frontline, Burmese soldiers are fleeing from the strategic mountain range discarding their arms and artillery. A KIA officer on the frontline told Kachin News Group, "We can push most Burmese troops out of the mountain range today. We seized weapons from the Burmese Army but small numbers of soldiers remain in the mountain range". A resident of Laiza said on Thursday afternoon, that people in the KIA headquarters relaxed from 24-hours monitoring when they heard that the Burmese troops in the strategic mountain range close to the headquarters had been pushed away from the mountain. ntapbumKIA officers on the frontlines said they seized the largest number of weapons from government troops in the mountain range in the five-month war. A resident of Laiza said he saw some mortar rounds and small arms in Laiza today morning, which were brought back to Laiza from the mountain by KIA troops. About 1,000 Burmese troops arrived on the N'Tap Bum since mid-October in order to capture Laiza headquarters. The Burmese Army has been using an unidentified chemical weapon (or poison gas) in their offensive against the Kachin troops. Dozens of Kachin soldiers became unconsciousness, were given to bouts of vomiting and weakness after they breathed in the poisonous gas when mortar rounds loaded with it were fired. KIA officers in Laiza said government troops tried to control the military strategic mountain range thrice but failed every time. If government troops control the mountain range, it may pave the way to capture Laiza, according to KIA officers. http://kachinnews.com/news/2156-kia-pushes-back-burmese-army-troops-from-laiza-headquarters.html ------------------------------------------- UN's Ban says he will visit Myanmar, urges reforms AFP United Nations leader Ban Ki-moon said on Saturday he planned to visit Myanmar "as soon as possible", after talks with President Thein Sein where he urged progress on nascent reforms. "I am also planning to visit Myanmar as soon as possible -- he invited me so I accepted his invitation," Ban told a press conference after the meeting with Thein Sein. "I strongly urged him it is not necessary to wait 'til 2014 but even before that they should take all the political reforms," he said, referring to the date when Myanmar will host the Southeast Asian bloc's annual summit. "I told him that there will be huge expectations... and he should meet the expectations of the the international community." UN envoy to Myanmar, Vijay Nambiar, said that Ban's visit had not been finalised but would take place "in the next few months". Myanmar's new nominally civilian government has called for the lifting of punishing sanctions imposed by the United States and other nations during its decades of military rule. "I think there is a movement now to consider looking at these issues again," Nambiar said of the sanctions, adding that the decision was "for the countries concerned" to make. "I think it is important that the people, the livelihoods of the people... are developed. All actions should be taken in order to reach that goal," he said. http://news.yahoo.com/uns-ban-says-visit-myanmar-urges-reforms-075622994.html -------------------------------------------- EU Hails Myanmar Moves, Reviewing Policy 19 Nov 2011 The European Union on Friday welcomed Myanmar allowing the party of democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi to take part in upcoming by-elections, and was looking at whether such reforms could justify the bloc further easing its sanctions, reports Reuters. The EU said positive moves by Mynamar's civilian government since elections last year had exceeded expectations, but it urged the reclusive Asian country to release more dissidents. "The EU has always stated that it will respond to positive events in the country. The restrictive measures have already been partly modified this year," EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton said in a statement. "A more substantial review of EU policy is already under way." The opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Suu Kyi, said on Friday it would contest the forthcoming by-elections, after the government amended its law on registration of political parties. The party boycotted last year's national election, and Friday's move was seen as further sign of political rapprochement. "The continuing positive developments in Myanmar are a source of great hope and encouragement," Ashton said. "I look forward to them continuing, including a further substantial release of political prisoners." Ashton said "the European Union will want to accompany Myanmar on the path it is taking, both with political and economic engagement." However, she stressed that "fair and transparent elections leading to a wider representation of the people" would be a key factor in making national reconciliation a reality. The EU comments came after U.S. President Barack Obama said on Friday he saw "flickers of progress" and would be sending Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for a historic visit that could help Myanmar emerge from a half century of isolation. Clinton's December 1 visit would be the first by a U.S. secretary of state since a 1962 military coup ushered in decades of military rule that ended in March, when a nominally civilian parliament was established. Some Western governments believe the military remains in charge. Ashton said she looked forward to talking directly to interlocutors in Myanmar and a spokesman said the EU was working on plans to send a top EU official to Myanmar, but no dates had been set. Ashton sent her top foreign policy adviser to Myanmar earlier this year, and the EU, in a move to encourage reform, slightly eased sanctions in April by ending travel bans and asset freezes on 24 civilian government officials. "A year ago, most were sceptical about transition," an EU official said. "Six months ago, most began to realize reforms were kicking in. Today, there is a different climate in the country." The new government has called for peace with minority groups, displayed some tolerance of criticism, suspended an unpopular Chinese-funded dam project, freed about 230 political prisoners and improved relations with Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace laureate who was released from house arrest in 2010. However, large numbers of political prisoners remain and EU officials have said they would wait to see how many were actually freed when judging the government's sincerity. "We are cautiously optimistic. Without a doubt, positive steps have been taken, but there is also much that remains," Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said. "It is good to have a diplomatic engagement policy of trying to influence (matters)." http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/eu-hails-myanmar-moves-reviewing-policy/103168/ ----------------------------------------------- Key US senators hail Clinton Burma trip AFP November 19, 2011, 8:53 am AP Enlarge photo Key US senators have hailed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's planned visit to Burma next month, expressing hopes it would spur greater democratic reforms in the formerly military-ruled country. "Burma is moving in the right direction, but actions still speak louder than words," said Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry, a Democrat sometimes mentioned as a possible successor to Clinton as the top US diplomat. Kerry praised Burma's new political reforms but said its government must "unconditionally release all prisoners of conscience" and halt "atrocities" in battling ethnic minority rebels along its border with Thailand. "To help keep the Burmese government on the right track, President Obama and Secretary Clinton are implementing a forward-leaning approach that combines principled engagement and energetic pressure," he said. News of Clinton's trip - the first by a US secretary of state in 50 years - came as opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party said it would return to Burma's official political arena after years of marginalisation under military rule. Clinton's trip would be the most significant US policy move on the country in many years, after decades of using sanctions to isolate the country over human rights abuses by generals who refused to shift to democracy. However, since elections a year ago, the new nominally civilian government has surprised observers by holding direct talks with Suu Kyi, freeing 200 dissidents and freezing work on an unpopular mega-dam. Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy announced Friday it would re-register as a political party and take part in upcoming by-elections, after years of being sidelined and repressed. The party, which won 1990 polls in a landslide but was never allowed to take power, refused to participate in the country's first vote in 20 years because of rules that would have forced it to expel imprisoned members. Senator John McCain, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, hailed Suu Kyi's return, saying "Burma has reached an important milestone today on its path to a more democratic system." "This is an important step toward greater political reconciliation in Burma, and I think Secretary Clinton's decision to visit the country sends the right signal of America's support for the ongoing process of change," he said. Like Kerry, McCain called on Burma to release "prisoners of conscience", cease attacks against ethnic minorities and move forward with "dialogue and reconciliation". "A lot remains to be done in order for the Burmese people to enjoy the greater freedom and democracy that they both desire and deserve," he said. Democratic Senator Jim Webb, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations East Asian and Pacific affairs subcommittee, said Clinton's trip will help determine how serious Burma is about democratic reforms. "I am hopeful that Secretary Clinton's visit will provide an opportunity to closely examine any substantive improvements in our relations during this transitional period," said Webb, who has long called for greater US engagement with Burma. Webb also called for Washington "to take advantage of all of the tools at our disposal to facilitate Burmese economic development, political reconciliation, and ultimately greater progress toward democratic governance." In 2009, Webb became the first US lawmaker to visit Burma in more than a decade and the only US official to meet with its former junta leader, Than Shwe. "Burma is now in the midst of a key transitional period that has yielded greater opportunities for interaction with government leaders and civil society, and restructuring of government and military institutions," said Webb. http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/world/11824451/key-us-senators-hail-clinton-burma-trip/ --------------------------------------------- Gillard warns Burma has a lot more to do Karlis Salna, AAP South-East Asia Correspondent, AAP November 19, 2011, 10:19 pm Prime Minister Julia Gillard has not ruled out a boycott of the 2014 East Asia Summit if Burma fails to make good on its stated commitment to democratic and human rights reform. Since holding elections a year ago following almost four decades of military rule, Burma has been ushered back into the broader international political arena. It was last week given the green light to chair the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), and consequently the East Asia Summit, in 2014 after making further commitments to economic and political reform. But Ms Gillard, who spoke with Burma's President Thein Sein on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Bali on Saturday night, has warned that Australia's support for the new government and any review of current sanctions would carry strict conditions. While Australia does not have any direct economic sanctions against Burma, it does have financial and travel sanctions against individual members of the new regime who were part of the former military junta. "I made the point to him that Australia welcomes the progress that has been made in Burma," Ms Gillard told reporters in Bali on Saturday. "We're welcoming the developments; the developments are happening rapidly. We will obviously calibrate issues about sanctions against change as it occurs." "But I do want to be very, very clear. There is a lot more to do in Burma." The new government in Burma has won approval for recently holding direct talks with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi as well as freeing 200 political prisoners. As many as 2000 dissidents, however, remain imprisoned in Burma, while there are also concerns about ongoing conflicts with and treatment of ethnic minorities. "There is a lot more to do, a lot more to do in Burma in releasing political prisoners, in ensuring that there is proper democratic structures and that there is proper responses for human rights and I made that point directly to the president," Ms Gillard said. Ms Gillard also refused to rule out a boycott of the East Asia Summit if Burma failed to make good on its commitment to political and human rights reform. "Any decision about attending the summit in 2014 would be taken in 2014," she said. "The bigger point that I am making is that of course East Asia Summit nations would want to see continued progress between now and 2014." Ms Gillard's comments come after Kevin Rudd became the first Australian foreign minister to visit Burma in almost a decade. The US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, will now also visit Burma to examine whether its military-backed leadership is committed to political and economic reform. Mrs Clinton, whose visit early next month will be the first by a US secretary of state in 50 years, said the trip is aimed at testing new government's "true intentions". "We're hoping, most certainly for the people of Burma, that this is real. But if it is, the United States will support and encourage it," she said in an interview with CNN. "We'd like to see more political prisoners released. We would like to see a real political process and real elections. We'd like to see an end to the conflicts, particularly the terrible conflicts with ethnic minorities," she said. "But we think there's an opportunity and we want to test it." http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/11832318/gillard-warns-burma-has-a-lot-more-to-do/ ------------------------------------------- Clinton to visit Burma for fact-finding 19 November 2011 | 10:44:53 AM | Source: AFP US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday her trip to Burma is to find out whether the military-backed leadership there is committed to both political and economic reform. "One of the reasons that I'm going is to test what the true intentions are and whether there is a commitment to both economic and political reform," Clinton said in an interview with CNN television. Her historic visit to Burma, announced by President Barack Obama, follows several visits made by US special envoy Derek Mitchell as well as conversations Clinton and Obama have had with Burma's democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi. "And there certainly does seem to be an opening," Clinton said during the interview with the US network on the Indonesian island of Bali, the venue for a regional summit she and Obama are to attend. "Now how real it is, how far it goes, we're going to have to make sure we have a better understanding than we do right now. But at least there has been some forward movement," Clinton said. "And in this part of the world, we have examples of countries that did finally get on a democratic path after authoritarian regimes, military dictatorships, all of the problems that have been around for a long time," she said. "So we're hoping, most certainly for the people of Burma, that this is real. But if it is, the United States will support and encourage it," the chief US diplomat said, referring to Myanmar by its former name. In another interview with Fox News, Clinton said there were specific steps she expected from Myanmar. "We'd like to see more political prisoners released. We would like to see a real political process and real elections. We'd like to see an end to the conflicts, particularly the terrible conflicts with ethnic minorities," she said. "But we think there's an opportunity and we want to test it." Obama said Friday he would send Clinton to Burma on December 1-2, the first visit there by a US secretary of state for 50 years, to encourage democratic reform. The announcement came as Suu Kyi's party said it would return to Myanmar's official political arena after years of marginalisation under military rule. http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1606307/Clinton-to-visit-Burma-for-fact-finding ---------------------------------------------- U.S. sees Burma reforms as strategic opening to support democracy By David Nakamura and William Wan, Saturday, November 19, 10:09 AM BALI, Indonesia --- Burma seemed poised for a historic shift Friday as dissident leader Aung San Suu Kyi ended her long boycott of the country's authoritarian political system and President Obama announced plans to send the U.S. secretary of state there for the first time in half a century. The back-to-back announcements were the clearest sign yet of how seriously the Obama administration and Suu Kyi --- the standard-bearer of Burma's long- persecuted democracy movement --- are taking the political changes instituted by the country's leaders. "After years of darkness, we've seen flickers of progress," Obama said from Indonesia, where he was attending a summit with Asian leaders, who anointed Burma the next chair of their regional grouping. The nominally civilian government of President Thein Sein --- who, like many members of the leadership, is a former military officer --- has released some political prisoners, allowed greater freedom for the media and outlined an agenda of political and economic opening. The shifts this year come as the leaders of Burma, also known as Myanmar, seem to be reevaluating their regional allegiances. As they make overtures to the United States, they are showing increasing concern about the power and assertiveness of longtime ally China. China issued a veiled warning after Obama's announcement that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton would visit Burma on Dec. 1 and 2. "We are willing to see the U.S. and other Western countries improve contacts with Myanmar and make better relations," said Liu Weimin, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman in Beijing. "At the same time, we hope that both the domestic and foreign policies of Myanmar are conducive for the peace and stability of Myanmar." In making his decision, Obama consulted with Suu Kyi during a 20-minute phone call while en route to Indonesia --- the first conversation between them. According to senior administration officials, the two compared thoughts on the new leadership's commitment to reform in a country that has seen five decades of repressive military rule, isolation from the West and ethnic violence. A gamble by Suu Kyi For Suu Kyi, a 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, the decision to work with the government is a gamble fraught with national and personal consequences. Burma seemed similarly poised for reform two decades ago when her party decisively won a 1990 general election. Instead, the ruling military junta barred Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy from power and kept her under house arrest for most of the next two decades. In an interview Thursday with the Telegraph, a British newspaper, Suu Kyi voiced optimism about the measures undertaken by the new government. "There has been change, not sufficient yet but we'll get there," she said. "I hope it will come along steadily and at a fast enough pace to make it credible. With the right kind of institutions, starting with the rule of law, Burma could progress very quickly." In her conversation with Obama, Suu Kyi endorsed his intention to send Clinton to Burma as a way to encourage the government to build on its actions. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-sees-burma-reforms-as-strategic-opening-to-support-democracy/2011/11/18/gIQA22gwZN_story.html?wprss=rss_world --------------------------------------------- Suu Kyi party to register for election Updated: 18:55, Saturday November 19, 2011 Democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition announced its return to Burma's political arena on Friday, as the country's reforms received a dramatic seal of approval from the United States. After speaking directly to Nobel laureate Suu Kyi for the first time, in a call from Air Force One, US President Barack Obama said Hillary Clinton would next month become the first US secretary of state to visit Burma for 50 years. ' Attending an Asian summit in Indonesia, Obama said Clinton's December 1-2 trip was designed to stoke 'flickers' of democratic reform in a country that for decades has been blighted by military rule and international isolation. In rare elections a year ago, Burma's military rulers gave way to a nominally civilian administration which released Suu Kyi from years of house arrest and has since made a surprising series of conciliatory gestures. Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) said it would re-register as a political party and contest coming by-elections after boycotting last year's poll -- paving the way for the 66-year-old democracy heroine to run for office. She told her party on Friday that they should rejoin the mainstream political process and contest all 48 seats available in upcoming by-elections. 'Why? The NLD has not worked as a political party for a long time so we need to practise as a political party again,' she said to party delegates in Rangoon, before their official decision to re-register was announced. The NLD won a landslide victory in polls in 1990 but the then-ruling junta never allowed the party to take power. Suu Kyi, although a figurehead for the campaign, was under house arrest throughout. Burma's next election was not held until November last year, and the NLD boycotted it -- mainly because of rules that would have forced it to expel imprisoned members. Suu Kyi was again under house arrest. EU chief diplomat Catherine Ashton welcomed the 'courageous' return of the NLD to the political arena as another sign of 'great hope' in the military-dominated nation. 'This is a courageous and welcome decision. Fair and transparent elections leading to a wider representation of the people in the Burmese parliament will be a key step towards making national reconciliation a reality,' she said. After spending 15 of the past 22 years in detention, Suu Kyi hinted to her party on Friday that she would stand for office herself in the by-elections. No polling dates have yet been set. 'If I think I should take part in the election, I will. Some people are worried that taking part could harm my dignity. Frankly, if you do politics, you should not be thinking about your dignity,' she said. 'I stand for the re-registration of the NLD party. I would like to work effectively towards amending the constitution. So we have to do what we need to do.' Party spokesman Nyan Win said the group would re-register as soon as they could, possibly next week. Asked whether Suu Kyi would stand, he said: 'I believe she will.' Burma's 2010 election, widely discredited by outside observers, brought the army's political proxies to power after decades of outright military rule, but the new government has surprised critics with its recent reformist moves. It has held direct talks with Suu Kyi, freed about 200 dissidents from jail, frozen work on an unpopular mega-dam and passed a law giving workers the right to strike. As a reward for its conciliatory moves, Burma has won South-East Asia's backing to chair the region's ASEAN bloc in 2014, despite concerns the move was premature. Analysts say the return of the NLD would add to the legitimacy of the army-backed government, which is seeking to end its global isolation by loosening political shackles -- but would also increase the relevance of the popular but long-excluded Suu Kyi. Renaud Egreteau, Burma expert at Hong Kong University, said Suu Kyi had been led 'back to the game' by Prime Minister Thein Sein. 'It is he and his entourage who have brought Aung San Suu Kyi back to the front of the stage because they need her,' he told AFP. http://www.skynews.com.au/world/article.aspx?id=686941&vId=2858927&cId=World --------------------------------------------- Myanmar dissident returns to politics BALI, INDONESIA November 18, 2011 Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's most prominent democracy campaigner, announced Friday that she would rejoin the political system of the military-backed government that persecuted her for more than two decades. Her announcement came shortly after U.S. President Barack Obama disclosed that he was sending Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on a visit there next month, the first by a U.S. secretary of state in more than 50 years. The re-entry of Aung San Suu Kyi and her party into formal politics was seen as a milestone in reconciliation efforts between the military leadership and the country's democracy movement, whose members were jailed and repressed during years of authoritarian rule. The party's decision was unanimous, according to a statement. (c) Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal http://www.edmontonjournal.com/Myanmar+dissident+returns+politics/5737223/story.html --------------------------------------------- US sanctions on Myanmar to continue Last Updated: Saturday, November 19, 2011, 12:41 US sanctions on Myanmar to continue Washington: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has ruled out lifting sanctions on Myanmar, arguing that more concrete steps need to be taken by the new government in the Asian country. "We're not ending sanctions. We are not making any abrupt changes," Hillary told the Fox news in an interview. President Barack Obama said in Indonesia that he is sending Hillary to Myanmar to hold talks with the government and the pro-democracy leaders including Aung San Suu Kyi. Scheduled to travel to Myanmar on December 01, Hillary would be the first US Secretary of State to travel to Myanmar in 50 years. Justifying the decision, she said a wind of change is blowing in Myanmar, but more still needs to be done. "Part of why I'm going is to make my own evaluation as to how serious and sincere they are. We are encouraged by some of the steps that they've taken, but they have to do more. And we've consistently said that," Hillary told the MSNBC. "They have to release all political prisoners. I mean, that just is a condition. They need to begin to look at how they resolve these ethnic conflicts that have driven tens of thousands of Burmese of different ethnicities into refugee status. They have to have a real electoral system with an open door to political parties and free expression. I mean, this is about whether they are on a path to democracy," Hillary said. "There is still a lot to be done and it has to be tested, but I'm going to go and meet with, obviously, Aung San Suu Kyi, but the highest levels of the government, civil society, other members of the opposition, and just convey that the United States is prepared to support a peaceful institutionalisation of democracy," she told Fox news. "We'd like to see more political prisoners released. We would like to see a real political process and real elections. We'd like to see an end to the conflicts, particularly the terrible conflicts with ethnic minorities. But we think there's an opportunity and we want to test it," she said. In another interview to the CNN, Hillary said she is going to Myanmar to test the waters there. "One of the reasons that I'm going is to test what the true intentions are and whether there is a commitment to both economic and political reform," she said. "We have followed the situation very closely. We had the first-ever special envoy to Burma, created by the Congress, appointed by the Administration, over the last several months, has been there several times. I've talked to Aung San Suu Kyi; the President has. We've had many interactions with her through top officials, along with others. And there certainly does seem to be an opening," Hillary said. "Now how real it is, how far it goes, we're going to have to make sure we have a better understanding than we do right now. But at least there has been some forward movement... So we're hoping, most certainly for the people of Burma, that this is real. But if it is, the United States will support and encourage it," she added. PTI http://zeenews.india.com/news/world/us-sanctions-on-myanmar-to-continue_742641.html ------------------------------------------- November 19, 2011 3:21 AM Analysis: US overtures may lure Myanmar from China (AP) WASHINGTON --- The first visit to Myanmar in a half-century by the top U.S. diplomat opens a door for that nation's military-dominated government to reduce its international isolation and dependence on a staunch but mistrusted ally: China. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will travel to Myanmar, also known as Burma, on Dec. 1-2, to meet with government and opposition leaders. It is the culmination of a two-year effort to engage with a repressive regime the U.S. had long shunned. Washington hopes to encourage further democratic reform rose after Myanmar staged elections last year that ushered in a government of civilians, albeit dominated by a military structure that had directly ruled the country since 1962. The new government also freed and began high-level talks with Nobel laureate and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The Obama administration's diplomatic overtures have a strategic intent, too, of seeking to expand U.S. ties in economically vibrant Southeast Asia as a counter to the growing influence of China. China has been an all-weather friend to its southern neighbor, Myanmar, and its ruling generals. After a bloody 1988 crackdown on democracy protesters that heralded Myanmar's descent into pariah status, China provided diplomatic support, investment and weaponry, while Western nations imposed tough economic, trade and political sanctions. Despite that backing, Myanmar's fiercely nationalistic leaders have an ingrained suspicion of China and are wary of becoming in thrall to another power. They have sought to balance China's influence by building ties with a neighbor to the west, India. "Burma has always been uncomfortable with both of those relationships and wants to balance them with others," said Priscilla Clapp, who served as the top U.S. diplomat in the country between 1999 and 2002. "That's the choice they are making now." She said that many of the older generation of army officers that now hold senior positions in the government first gained their military experience fighting insurgents who once controlled large tracts of the vast country's north, backed by China under then-ruler Mao Zedong. China has long since ended that support. And its economic footprint has grown in the past two decades, particularly in the north of the country, through investments and exploitation of natural resources, such as oil, gas, minerals and timber. The Chinese influence has bred resentment among the wider population, said Aung Din, a former political prisoner in Myanmar and now executive director of the U.S. Campaign for Burma. Probably the single most significant decision made by the new government of President Thein Sein has been to suspend work on a massive, China-backed hydropower dam in northern Kachin State that would have yielded major revenues from electricity exports. Thein Sein said the project, which would have flooded an extensive area and disrupted the flow of the nation's main Irrawaddy River, was against the will of the people. His decision also sent a powerful signal at a time the U.S. was making energetic efforts to engage Thein Sein's government: Myanmar was not beholden to China. Myanmar will have to do more to get what it really wants from Washington: the lifting of sanctions. That would require the approval of Congress, where some influential lawmakers have strong personal interest in restoring democracy to Myanmar. The country will first need to fully reconcile with Suu Kyi, release its political prisoners and make peace with ethnic insurgents. In the meantime, the Obama administration can reward progress with significant gestures. Clinton's visit, the first by a U.S. secretary of state since John Foster Dulles in 1955, is a diplomatic boost to Thein Sein and rewards the tentative reforms he has initiated so far that could yet face resistance from hard-liners in the military establishment. Clinton's visit also should strengthen the hand of Suu Kyi, who gave her green light for the trip and whose approval will be key to further U.S. steps to deepen ties with the government. Even if Myanmar's government unclenches its fist to meet the extended hand that the Obama administration says it is offering, do not expect lightning political change. Washington has welcomed the decision of Suu Kyi's party to contest coming by-elections after unfair regulations were amended. But even if it should fare well, her party will have limited leverage. The military-proxy party controls nearly 80 percent of the seats. ____ EDITOR'S NOTE --- Matthew Pennington covers U.S.-Asian affairs for The Associated Press. WASHINGTON (AP) --- The first visit to Myanmar in a half-century by the top U.S. diplomat opens a door for that nation's military-dominated government to reduce its international isolation and dependence on a staunch but mistrusted ally: China. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will travel to Myanmar, also known as Burma, on Dec. 1-2, to meet with government and opposition leaders. It is the culmination of a two-year effort to engage with a repressive regime the U.S. had long shunned. Washington hopes to encourage further democratic reform rose after Myanmar staged elections last year that ushered in a government of civilians, albeit dominated by a military structure that had directly ruled the country since 1962. The new government also freed and began high-level talks with Nobel laureate and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The Obama administration's diplomatic overtures have a strategic intent, too, of seeking to expand U.S. ties in economically vibrant Southeast Asia as a counter to the growing influence of China. China has been an all-weather friend to its southern neighbor, Myanmar, and its ruling generals. After a bloody 1988 crackdown on democracy protesters that heralded Myanmar's descent into pariah status, China provided diplomatic support, investment and weaponry, while Western nations imposed tough economic, trade and political sanctions. Despite that backing, Myanmar's fiercely nationalistic leaders have an ingrained suspicion of China and are wary of becoming in thrall to another power. They have sought to balance China's influence by building ties with a neighbor to the west, India. "Burma has always been uncomfortable with both of those relationships and wants to balance them with others," said Priscilla Clapp, who served as the top U.S. diplomat in the country between 1999 and 2002. "That's the choice they are making now." She said that many of the older generation of army officers that now hold senior positions in the government first gained their military experience fighting insurgents who once controlled large tracts of the vast country's north, backed by China under then-ruler Mao Zedong. China has long since ended that support. And its economic footprint has grown in the past two decades, particularly in the north of the country, through investments and exploitation of natural resources, such as oil, gas, minerals and timber. The Chinese influence has bred resentment among the wider population, said Aung Din, a former political prisoner in Myanmar and now executive director of the U.S. Campaign for Burma. Probably the single most significant decision made by the new government of President Thein Sein has been to suspend work on a massive, China-backed hydropower dam in northern Kachin State that would have yielded major revenues from electricity exports. Thein Sein said the project, which would have flooded an extensive area and disrupted the flow of the nation's main Irrawaddy River, was against the will of the people. His decision also sent a powerful signal at a time the U.S. was making energetic efforts to engage Thein Sein's government: Myanmar was not beholden to China. Myanmar will have to do more to get what it really wants from Washington: the lifting of sanctions. That would require the approval of Congress, where some influential lawmakers have strong personal interest in restoring democracy to Myanmar. The country will first need to fully reconcile with Suu Kyi, release its political prisoners and make peace with ethnic insurgents. In the meantime, the Obama administration can reward progress with significant gestures. Clinton's visit, the first by a U.S. secretary of state since John Foster Dulles in 1955, is a diplomatic boost to Thein Sein and rewards the tentative reforms he has initiated so far that could yet face resistance from hard-liners in the military establishment. Clinton's visit also should strengthen the hand of Suu Kyi, who gave her green light for the trip and whose approval will be key to further U.S. steps to deepen ties with the government. Even if Myanmar's government unclenches its fist to meet the extended hand that the Obama administration says it is offering, do not expect lightning political change. Washington has welcomed the decision of Suu Kyi's party to contest coming by-elections after unfair regulations were amended. But even if it should fare well, her party will have limited leverage. The military-proxy party controls nearly 80 percent of the seats. ____ EDITOR'S NOTE --- Matthew Pennington covers U.S.-Asian affairs for The Associated Press. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-215_162-57328112/analysis-us-overtures-may-lure-myanmar-from-china/ ---------------------------------------- Myanmar regime loosens its grip on elections Party of imprisoned opposition leader Suu Kyi to contest upcoming vote By Damien McElroy And Alex Spillius, Daily Telegraph, With Files From Reuters November 19, 2011 3:08 AM Hillary Clinton next month will become the most senior Western official to visit Myanmar in decades as Washington intensifies its effort to encourage what it called "flickers of progress" from the military regime. U.S. President Barack Obama telephoned Aung San Suu Kyi, the opposition leader and fellow Nobel Peace Prize winner, from Air Force One to get her blessing for a visit by the U.S. Secretary of State, the first in more than 50 years. In a conversation that was unthinkable just six months ago, U.S. officials said that "the president was very struck by both her substantive observations and her warmth. They reviewed the progress that has been made in Burma [which the regime calls Myanmar], including her release, her dialogue with the government, the release of some political prisoners, and legislation that could open the political system further." En route to a summit in Indonesia, where he will encounter Thein Sein, Myanmar's military-backed president, Obama said: "For decades Americans have been deeply concerned about the denial of basic human rights for the Burmese people." He said that the current environment in Myanmar was a rare opening that could help millions of people "and that possibility is too important to ignore." "After years of darkness, we've seen flickers of progress in these last several weeks," he added. Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) announced Friday it would re-register as a political party and contest coming byelections after boycotting an election last year. "The NLD has not worked as a political party for a long time so we need to practice as a political party again," Suu Kyi said. The NLD won a landslide victory in 1990, but the ruling junta never allowed the party to take power. Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest, a sentence that would last for 20 years. Myanmar's next election was not held until November last year, and the NLD boycotted it, mainly because of rules that would have forced it to expel imprisoned members. Myanmar recently amended the political party law removing the clause barring anyone convicted of a crime from joining a party or taking part in an election, paving the way for those who had served a prison term, including Suu Kyi, to contest the polls. The decision to amend the party laws was widely seen as a move to bring the NLD into Myanmar's new legislative apparatus, which has operated more freely than expected and allowed the kind of public debate that was forbidden under the military. Now aged 66, Suu Kyi hinted that she would contest one of the 48 by-election seats available. No polling dates have been announced. "If I think I should take part in the election, I will," she told senior party members in Rangoon. "Some people are worried that taking part could harm my dignity. Frankly, if you do politics, you should not be thinking about your dignity." Ko Ko Hlaing, a senior adviser to Sein, said the NLD's decision was a "significant step". "[Suu Kyi's] party will be a formidable opposition force in the parliament. That is a very good formula for the democratic system," he said. ? Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Myanmar+regime+loosens+grip+elections/5737953/story.html#ixzz1e9nFHgi5 ---------------------------------------- Suu Kyi's party decides to enter legal politics for democratization in Burma By Zin Linn Nov 19, 2011 12:16AM UTC The National League for Democracy party (NLD), led by Burma's Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has decided to re-register officially so as to take part in upcoming elections. Out of 116 central committee members of the party, 106 representatives join in Friday meeting to make a historic decision. The NLD declined to register as a party ahead of 2010 polls because of a restriction that prevented Aung San Suu Kyi and several politicians under detention from running in the polls. Mainstream of the representatives supported in favor of re-registering as a legal party, after the government amended some clauses of the party registration law. The government also showed some soft stances including release of some political prisoners and reducing some media limitations in recent months, some sources said. The NLD's Friday decision indicates that it has confidence in government's recent political reforms by the military-backed government which took office after the controversial elections in November 2010. On Thursday, the National League for Democracy party welcomed the approval of Burma's bid to chair Southeast Asia's regional bloc in 2014, saying it would boost political change in the inaccessible nation. Many democracy-supporters in the country and members of the National League for Democracy back up the idea of re-entering the NLD to play in the national politics. In its Friday statement, the party said the "NLD has unanimously decided to re-register as a political party... and will run in the elections". Most Burma watchers believe the participation of some NLD legislators including Suu Kyi in the existing parliament would definitely improve the military-dominated government's image and legitimacy. According some analysts, Suu Kyi's decision seems to be originated in a negotiation with President Thein Sein in August, in Nay Pyi Taw. To amend party registration law and to free political prisoners seem to be part of the said compromise consequently. Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama declared in Bali today that he will send Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Burma next month---for the first visit to the country by a US secretary of state since military rule was first imposed nearly 50 years ago. In his official statement, Obama said, "Last night, I spoke to Aung San Suu Kyi, directly, and confirmed that she supports American engagement to move this process forward. So today, I've asked Secretary Hillary Clinton to go to Burma. She will be the first American Secretary of State to travel to the country in over half a century, and she will explore whether the United States can empower a positive transition in Burma and begin a new chapter between our countries." "That possibility will depend upon the Burmese government taking more concrete action. If Burma fails to move down the path of reform, it will continue to face sanctions and isolation. But if it seizes this moment, then reconciliation can prevail, and millions of people may get the chance to live with a greater measure of freedom, prosperity, and dignity. And that possibility is too important to ignore." So, some observers believe that NLD's today decision seems to be interconnected with international encouragement by the US and other Western democracies. The international community including the UN has been pushing Burma (Myanmar) to free the remaining political prisoners as well as to give a political space for the NLD. Furthermore, the United States, the European Union and the United Nations are also asked the regime to stop warring against ethnic rebel groups and open a meaningful political dialogue with the ethnic groups who launched armed struggles for their self-determination for more than fifty years. If those ethnic rebellions were not resolved within a few months, the task to create reconciliation between government and the ethnic groups would likely be taken care by the NLD following the expected bi-elections in the near future. Hence, after a tough decision of reregistering, the NLD headed by Suu Kyi has to face many more struggles including the constitutional issues on the road to democratization of the nation. http://asiancorrespondent.com/69935/suu-kyi%E2%80%99s-party-decides-to-enter-legal-politics-for-democratization-in-burma/ __._,_.___
Saturday, November 19, 2011
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