News &Articles on Burma-Friday, 17 February 2010-uzl

News &Articles on Burma Friday, 17 February 2010 ----------------------------------------------- EU eases travel ban on Burma, while war in Kachin State unresolved EU starts lifting Myanmar sanctions, rewards reforms PR Campaign Begins for Suspended Myitsone Dam EU lifts travel ban for Burma's top officials Burma to start disaster warning system UN official targets health, job creation World Bank returns to Burma after 25 years out Sky trains and subways for Burma? Restrictions on UN work in Burma should be lifted ----------------------------------------------- EU eases travel ban on Burma, while war in Kachin State unresolved By Zin Linn Feb 17, 2012 11:23PM UTC The European Union has eased travel restrictions for Burmas 87 high-ranking officials, including President and vice-presidents. International sanctions have been imposed on Burma since 1988, when the military harshly cracked down on pro-democracy protests, leaving an estimated 3,000 people dead. The United States and the European Union increased their sanctions after the junta refused to acknowledge the NLDs victory in 1990 elections and then arrested opponents and suppressed every type of opposition. Most of the sanctions target the top generals in particular. In addition to the U.S. and EU sanctions, the current army-backed government has suffered various sanctions from Australia, Canada and Japan. It has been left without development assistance from international financial institutions such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the Asia Development Bank. The Council said in its press release today that it suspended admission restrictions concerning 87 persons, comprised of the president, the vice presidents, cabinet members and the speakers of the two houses of parliament and their family members. Those individuals remain subject to a freeze of their assets within the EU. We have seen historic changes in Burma/Myanmar and we strongly encourage the authorities to continue this process. I have launched a full review of our policy towards Burma/Myanmar, and todays decision to suspend certain restrictive measures is a reaction to the positive signs coming from the country. I will visit Burma/Myanmar in April after the by-elections, by which time I hope we will have had the chance to complete the review and to have made decisions at an EU level to respond to what I hope will be continued progress, said Catherine Ashton, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The decision gave legal effect to an agreement among EU foreign ministers in January to commence easing sanctions on Burma. The ministers also pledged additional action if the reforms keep on. The Council has welcomed the dialogue between President U Thein Sein and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. It also hailed the changes to the Electoral Law adopted by the Parliament. The Council greeted the NLDs decision to register as a political party to contest the 1 April by-elections. The EU put together particular importance to the free and fair conduct of these elections. The EUs Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs visited Burma on 12 February for a three-day visit to assess the ongoing reforms and to encourage their continuation. He has also announced an aid package of about $200m (?128m) focused on health, education sectors. Commissioner Piebalgs said that if by-elections in April were free and fair, more sanctions were likely to be eased. The 27-nation bloc is reviewing its sanctions, which include an arms embargo, a ban on gems and an assets freeze on nearly 500 people and 900 entities. They are all due to expire on April 30. Ms Catherine Ashton said she will visit Burma in April following the by-elections in the South-East Asian country. In the meantime, Burmas armed forces continue nonstop to attack positions held by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in the Kachin controlled areas. Despite President Thein Sein ordered twice to halt the offensive against the Kachin rebels, the Burmese army has continued its aggressive operation against the KIA and Kachin civilians so far. As a consequence, lots of human rights abuses made by governments soldiers are taking place along the Sino-Burma border where the war-driven refugees run away. So, some analysts deem that Western democracies should think over and over again regarding lifting of sanctions as a reward for the Burma/Myanmar government if the unjust Kachin offensive failed to stop immediately. http://asiancorrespondent.com/76289/eu-eases-travel-ban-on-burma-while-war-in-kachin-state-unresolved/ ------------------------------------------- Feb 17, 2012 - 13:58 EU starts lifting Myanmar sanctions, rewards reforms By Justyna Pawlak BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union lifted travel restrictions against Myanmar president Thein Sein and other top officials on Friday in a first step towards rewarding the government for democratic reforms after half a century of military rule. The bloc's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, also held out the prospect of a further easing of sanctions, which target nearly a thousand firms and institutions with asset freezes, impose restrictions on hundreds of officials and include an arms embargo and investment bans. "We have seen historic changes ... and we strongly encourage the authorities to continue this process," Ashton said in a statement. By April, she said, EU governments will have held a review of their sanctions policy towards Myanmar and could take further steps, depending in part on the results of a parliamentary by-election. "I will visit (Myanmar) in April after the by-elections, by which time I hope we will have had the chance to complete the review and to have made decisions at an EU level to respond to what I hope will be continued progress," she said. On Thursday, the World Bank said it was in the process of returning to Myanmar, underlining a growing acknowledgement in the West of the southeast Asian nation's efforts to emerge from decades of isolation. Other multilateral lenders such as the Asian Development Bank have also taken preliminary steps towards resuming activities, while the United States has eased some restrictions. CRACKDOWNS EU sanctions were imposed after bloody military crackdowns on a pro-democracy movement, whose figurehead is Nobel Peace Prize-winning dissident Aung San Suu Kyi. Suu Kyi, who was freed in 2010, has reversed her stance on boycotting the army-dominated political system following the reforms and will stand in the April polls. Last March, a civilian administration took office in the former Burma after decades of army rule, although a new parliament is still dominated by military personnel and an army-backed party that won a general election in November 2010 amid opposition complaints of rigging. But hundreds of political prisoners have been freed and the new government appears eager to repair relations with the West. Myanmar's strategic location at a crossroads in Asia and its natural resources mean it has long been regarded as an investment opportunity by its neighbours, particularly China. Now the country, which missed out on Asia's economic boom, is being eyed with interest by Western investors. Myanmar's ports on the Indian Ocean make it an important ally for Beijing. China's state energy group CNPC has started building a crude oil port there, part of a pipeline project aimed at cutting out the long detour oil cargoes take through the congested and strategically vulnerable Malacca Strait. Friday's easing of European travel bans affects 87 people, including Myanmar's vice-presidents, cabinet members and the speakers of the two houses of parliament and their families, along side the president. The officials remain subject to an EU asset freeze. (Reporting by Justyna Pawlak; Editing by Rosalind Russell) Reuters http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/news/international/EU_starts_lifting_Myanmar_sanctions,_rewards_reforms.html?cid=32142584 ---------------------------------------- PR Campaign Begins for Suspended Myitsone Dam By BA KAUNG / THE IRRAWADDY Friday, February 17, 2012 China Power Investment Corporation (CPI), the major investor in the suspended US $3.6 billion Myitsone dam project in Burma, has reportedly embarked on a public relations campaign in Kachin State in the hope of restarting the project in the near future. On Thursday, media groups inside Burma reported that over the past two weeks, CPI employees have been distributing pamphlets extolling the benefits of the megadam project to locals in Aung Myaytha and Mali Yang villages in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State. A villager in the area was quoted in the report as saying that the pamphlets said that the Myitsone project will benefit the local residents and it will not have any negative impact because it will be constructed in a very systematic way. The report comes five months after Burmese President Thein Sein made the historical decision to suspend the project until at least 2016 when his presidential term expire. He cited environment concerns and public criticism; pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi was among the many public voices calling for the dam's suspension. The decision to abort the multimillion-dollar hydropower project angered the Chinese government which called for friendly consultations with Naypyidaw to resolve the matter while insisting that the Myitsone hydropower plant is a China-Myanmar joint-investment project which has gone through scientific feasibility studies and strict examinations by both sides. A 6000-megawatt dam project planned for construction at the confluence of Burma's largest river, the Irrawaddy, the Myitsone dam is part of a seven-cascade dam project mainly financed and built by Chinese state-owned companies. Much of the electricity it was to generate was scheduled to be exported to China. Many assumed that the construction of six smaller hydro-dam projects in Kachin State were also halted along with Myitsone dam closure in September. But the latest reports indicate that construction is ongoing at those smaller dam projects. Sources have also reported that CPI officials have visited the dam sites last month when they conducted meetings with local officials aimed at implementing the projects. Several observers in Kachin State say they believe that CPI and the Chinese investors are still intent on realizing this project despite the popular concerns within Burma. Earlier in January, Chinese energy lobbyist Zhang Boting published an essay stating that the Myitsone dam construction will contribute to poverty alleviation efforts in Burma. The essay was published on the website of the Chinese governments most authoritative mouthpiece, The Peoples Daily. Zhang is the deputy secretary-general of the Chinese Hydropower Engineering Association in charge of international projects. CPI also published an essay recently on its website, describing as objective Suu Kyi's criticism of the ecological problems of the Myitsone dam project, but saying that the Burmese democracy icon is not a professional ... and so cannot comprehensively and accurately evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of construction of hydropower projects and dams. Patrick Boehler contributed to this report. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=23057 ------------------------------------------ Radio Australia News EU lifts travel ban for Burma's top officials Last Updated: 4 hours 40 minutes ago The European Union has eased travel restrictions for 87 high-ranking Burmese officials, including President Thein Sein. Hailing the "remarkable programme of political reform" in Burma, the EU said it eased restrictions for the president, the vice presidents, cabinet members, the speakers of the two houses of parliament and their families. "We have seen historic changes in Burma and we strongly encourage the authorities to continue this process," EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said in a statement. The decision gave legal effect to an agreement among EU foreign ministers in January to begin easing sanctions on Burma. The ministers also pledged further action if the reforms continue. The 27-nation bloc is reviewing its sanctions, which include an arms embargo, a ban on gems and an assets freeze on nearly 500 people and 900 entities. They are all due to expire on April 30. "I will visit Burma in April after the by-elections, by which time I hope we will have had the chance to complete the review and to have made decisions at an EU level to respond to what I hope will be continued progress," Ms Ashton said. http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/stories/201202/3433809.htm ----------------------------------------- Burma to start disaster warning system By NAW NOREEN Published: 17 February 2012 Satellite image from NASA shows Cyclone NArgis sweeping over southern Burma in May 2008 (Reuters) Burma will capitalise on developments in its domestic internet system to better prepare the country for possible future natural disasters. A foundation run by former meteorology department chief Tun Lwin is being set up to tackle Burma's poor monitoring system. Ecodep will open a centre in Irrawaddy division, where tens of thousands of people lost their lives in 2008's Cyclone Nargis. "We will mainly [distribute] information via the internet -- now there are big towns with internet access in the [Irrawaddy] region, such as Bogale and Phyarpon," he said. Staff would be trained in how to use the internet, and warnings would be distributed to fishermen and farmers via bodies like the Fisheries Association and the Rice Association. "Our aim is to provide swift and solid information for grassroots people while using language that they can understand and offering them advice." Tun Lwin hasn't had an easy relationship with the Burmese government -- following Cyclone Nargis, which left up to 140,000 people dead, he resigned his post. Authorities claimed he had failed at his job of providing warning of natural disasters, but he says he told the government of the impending disaster several days in advance, and that they sought to use him as a scapegoat to cover their own ineptitude. http://www.dvb.no/news/burma-to-start-disaster-warning-system/20306 -------------------------------------------- UN official targets health, job creation By AFP Published: 17 February 2012 U.N special envoy to Burma Vijay Nambiar talks to reporters after he met Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, at Suu Kyi's residence in Rangoon February 16, 2012 (Reuters) A top UN official urged Burma Friday to ensure that a new reform drive benefits citizens of the impoverished nation in areas such as healthcare and education. Vijay Nambiar, special adviser to the UN chief on Burma, made the appeal at the end of a five-day visit during which he met key figures including President Thein Sein and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Nearly one year after a quasi-civilian government took over from outright military rule, Nambiar praised the changes under way, which have "attained an unprecedented level of initiative," a UN press release said. The priorities he highlighted on his visit included credible by-elections in April, peace with ethnic rebel groups and deliverance on the needs of the people, "so that they start benefiting in real terms from the reforms so far". "Health, education and job creation remain key responsibilities for both central and local authorities in order to empower people to participate fully and equitably in the country's development and growth," said the statement. Only with "sound economic policies" can the change "be accelerated in the interest of the entire population of Myanmar [Burma]," it added. The new regime --- dominated by former generals --- has begun to usher in a string of reforms, including the release of hundreds of political prisoners. The progress has been hailed by Western powers who are mulling easing sanctions on Burma, which remains one of the world's most isolated and least developed countries despite a wealth of natural resources. http://www.dvb.no/news/un-official-targets-health-job-creation/20301 ------------------------------------------------ World Bank returns to Burma after 25 years out By HANNA HINDSTROM Published: 17 February 2012 World Bank President Robert Zoellick has been urged to emphasise civic participation in Burma's development (Reuters) The World Bank is set to re-engage with Burma 25 years after freezing its lending, but the Southeast Asian country must first repay several hundred million dollars in outstanding arrears. The announcement came as the global financial institution held a board of directors meeting on the future of the country yesterday and is the latest sign that the international community is ready to welcome Burma back in from the cold. "We are encouraged by developments in Myanmar [Burma] and we have begun the process of re-engaging with the government to support reforms that will benefit all of the people of Myanmar, including the poor and vulnerable," said the bank's vice president for East Asia and Pacific, Pamela Cox. The World Bank froze all its operations in Burma in 1987 after the country's repeated failure to meet its loan repayments or to implement economic or political reform. According to Reuters, Burma owes some $US11.02 billion in external debt run up decades ago, while its foreign currency reserves are a little over $US7 billion. Both the United States and the European Union have begun easing their sanctions against Burma and have indicated that they will remove further restrictions provided free and fair by-elections are held on 1 April. Cox highlighted the importance of budget transparency and working closely with civil society organisations to promote social accountability and inclusivity. Earlier this week, Human Rights Watch urged the World Bank to "take special care to avoid further bolstering the economic elite" in its re-engagement process. Continued violence in many of Burma's border areas -- notably Kachin state -- has been a key source of concern for potential donors. The Bank insists that it will provide technical assistance on economic incentives to help with the peace process in border areas in an effort to promote peace and security. Although the US -- the World Bank's largest shareholder --- waived sanctions on limited technical assistance earlier this month, additional restrictions means it is still required to oppose any new lending by the institution. Despite vast natural resource wealth, Burma remains the poorest country in Southeast Asia and ranks 149 out of 187 on the UN's Human Development Index. http://www.dvb.no/news/world-bank-returns-to-burma-after-25-years-out/20309 ------------------------------------------- Sky trains and subways for Burma? Rail transport minister has audacious plans for Burma's commercial capital Patrick WinnFebruary 17, 2012 03:12 Burma trains 2012 02 17 Are subways and elevated rail lines coming to Yangon, the impoverished former capital of Burma? In an interview with Reuters, the rail transport minister of Burma (officially titled Myanmar) said the government has designs on lines akin to modern rail systems in Bangkok or Beijing. If completed, this would be a stunning development for a city where decrepit buses and taxis routinely afford passengers a view of the road through holes in their floorboards. It's also a bit ambitious for a government with more pressing needs; run-down hospitals and broke schools come to mind. And what happened to those plans to build a subway in Burma's new capital modeled on rail lines in North Korea? ----------------------------------------------- Restrictions on UN work in Burma should be lifted February 17, 2012 3:48 pm Rangoon - The international community should lift restrictions on UN programmes in Burma to support its government's reforms, a visiting senior UN official said Friday. "Now is the time to step up support and to adjust existing policies in order to help build conditions for sustaining the reform and for the betterment of Myanmar's peoples," said Vijay Nambiar, special adviser on Myanmar to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. "It is urgent that the government delivers on the socio-economic needs of the people so that they start benefiting in real terms from the reforms so far," he said at the end of a five-day visit to Burma. The statement seemed directed at the United States, which is the largest contributor to the UN budget at 22 per cent and which has blocked UN agencies in Burma from working directly with the government for the past two decades. The restrictions were meant to punish the former ruling military junta for its poor human rights record and refusal to make political reforms. The civilian, albeit pro-military government that came to power in March after the country's first elections in 20 years has pushed through a series of political and economic reforms that have prompted a flood of high-levels visits to the once-pariah state. "The changes currently under way in Burma have attained an unprecedented level of initiative as recognized by a range of stakeholders across the political spectrum," Nambiar said as he prepared to leave Burma after talks with President Thein Sein, legislative Speaker Shwe Mann and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.//DPA http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Restrictions-on-UN-work-in-Burma-should-be-lifted-30176114.html __._,_.___ Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post | Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (9)