Thursday, 14 June 2012-News & Articles on Burma

Thursday, 14 June 2012 News & Articles on Burma ----------------------------------------- Suu Kyi warns investors off Myanmar's state oil & gas firm Suu Kyi calls for Myanmar investment Myanmar unrest needs political settlement: Suu Kyi Aung San Suu Kyi pushing the democratic agenda Suu Kyi urges care as world reaches out to Myanmar Europe trip part thanks, part political lecture tour for Myanmar's democracy icon Suu Kyi Violence tests Myanmar's media, and its censors 28 dead in Myanmar communal unrest Aung San Suu Kyi arrives in Geneva for European tour Suu Kyi to address labor conference at start of European tour Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi begins landmark Europe visit Communal unrest threatens Myanmar's future: UN ILO to lift restrictions on Myanmar Myanmar's Suu Kyi arrives in Geneva for European tour ILO lifts most of restrictions on Myanmar Will the International Donors leave Kachin people of Burma in the dark? ----------------------------------------- Suu Kyi warns investors off Myanmar's state oil & gas firm Published on Thu, Jun 14, 2012 at 19:26 | Source : Reuters By Stephanie Nebehay and Tom Miles GENEVA (Reuters) - Myanmar's Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi urged foreign governments not to allow their companies to form joint ventures with the state-owned oil and gas company until it improved its business practices. Suu Kyi, speaking to the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva on Thursday, said: "The Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE)... with which all foreign participation in the energy sector takes place through joint venture arrangements, lacks both transparency and accountability at present." "The (Myanmar) government needs to apply internationally recognised standards such as the IMF code of good practices on fiscal transparency. Other countries could help by not allowing their own companies to partner MOGE unless it was signed up to such codes," she said. The hugely popular leader of Myanmar's opposition is on her first visit to Europe in nearly a quarter of a century, fearful until now that if she left Myanmar, the junta whose rule she fought against for two decades would block her return. Myanmar has granted Chinese state-owned oil firm CNPC oil and gas pipeline concessions that will enable Middle East energy supplies to a take short-cut on the route to China, cutting out the extra expense and journey time of using the Malacca Strait. "Quite frankly none of us know what's in those contracts, this is what I mean by lack of transparency in the country," Suu Kyi said. "Lack of transparency leads to all kinds of suspicions that shore up trouble for the future." Asked about Chevron and Total , the big Western oil firms with investments in Myanmar, she said: "I have to say that I find that Total is a responsible investor in the country, even though there was a time when we did not think they should be encouraging the military regime by investing in Burma. "They were sensitive to human rights and environmental issues and now that we've come to a point in time when we would like investors who are sensitive to such issues, I am certainly not going to persuade Chevron or Total to pull out." A day after the U.N. agency lifted its more than decade-old restrictions on Myanmar in recognition of progress, Suu Kyi received a standing ovation at the ILO's annual ministerial conference, where she said foreign direct investment that created jobs should be invited. As sanctions are lifted, investment in the country should be responsible and add to, rather than subtract from, the process of democratisation, she said. "The reason why we have to be careful about the extractive industries is because what you extract doesn't go back in, and secondly because they don't provide as many jobs as some other industries, so we want to approach this with caution. "Burma is a land with a lot of energy resources. We do not want to dissipate it. I would like to see a sound effective energy policy in Burma and this should be related to the kind of extractive investments that we invite in." She also said responsible foreign investment in agribusiness could be beneficial, as long as the right precautions are taken to protect smallholders. (Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay and Tom Miles; Editing by Toby Chopra) http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/wire-news/suu-kyi-warns-investors-off-myanmars-state-oilgas-firm_718034.html --------------------------------------------------- Suu Kyi calls for Myanmar investment 2012-06-14 17:35 AP Geneva - Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi called for international investment to create jobs for her country's youth at the start of a landmark tour of Europe following years under house arrest. Suu Kyi, who arrived at the UN offices in Geneva to flowers and applause, appealed for the investment in a speech to delegates at the International Labour Organisation conference. "It's not so much joblessness as hopelessness that threatens our future," she said, making her first visit to Europe in 24 years. "Unemployed youth lose confidence in the society that has failed to give them the chance to realise their potential. "Foreign direct investment that results in job creation should be invited," she added. Suu Kyi also spoke of the plight of migrant workers from Myanmar in Thailand, calling for co-ordinated social, political and economic policies "that will put our country once again on the map of the positive and the successful". Oil giants She told her audience she was "profoundly moved" by the "totally unexpected, very warm welcome" she had received as she began a five-country tour which will include a speech in Oslo to accept the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize she was unable to receive at the time. Her visit marks a new milestone in the political changes that have swept the country formerly known as Burma since decades of military rule ended last year, bringing to power a new quasi-civilian government. The Myanmar opposition leader has spent the last quarter of a century either confined to her Yangon home on the orders of the ruling military junta or too afraid to leave the country in case she would not be allowed to return. She also told reporters that she thought French and US oil giants Total and Chevron, long a target of human rights activists for their activities in Myanmar, should continue to operate there. "I find that Total is a responsible investor ... it is sensitive to human rights," she said after her speech. The previous "concerns" about their support for the junta were a thing of the past, and she was "not going to persuade Total or Chevron to pull out" of Myanmar, especially when there was such a need for "democracy-friendly investment", she said. Forced labour Switzerland is the first stop on a tour of more than two weeks that will take her to Norway, Britain, France and Ireland. Myanmar President Thein Sein has recently overseen a series of reforms. They included releasing hundreds of political prisoners, signing peace pacts with armed rebel groups and welcoming Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party back into mainstream politics. The ILO, a United Nations agency which draws up and monitors international labour standards, has sought for years to rid Myanmar of the practice of forced labour which it says is widespread there. In March the government signed an action plan to eliminate it outright by 2015. Suu Kyi will later on Thursday take the train to the capital Bern where she will meet Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter. A foreign ministry statement said the talks would focus on the political situation in Myanmar, "which is currently undergoing a process of opening up". Self-conscious Suu Kyi will dine with Swiss President Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf in the evening and visit parliament before heading to Oslo on Friday. Later in the trip the 67-year-old activist will address Britain's parliament and receive an Amnesty International human rights award in Dublin from rock star Bono. The daughter of Myanmar's independence hero General Aung San won her first-ever seat in parliament in April, prompting Western nations to start rolling back sanctions. In her address, Suu Kyi admitted she still felt "a little self-conscious" about referring to herself as an elected member of parliament. The politician left Yangon as western Myanmar was rocked by sectarian violence between Buddhists and Muslim Rohingya that has left dozens dead. It prompted President Thein Sein to warn of disruption to the fragile reform process. - AFP http://www.news24.com/World/News/Suu-Kyi-calls-for-Myanmar-investment-20120614 --------------------------------------- Myanmar unrest needs political settlement: Suu Kyi Posted: 14 June 2012 2333 hrs GENEVA: Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi said on Thursday a ceasefire to halt ethnic violence in Myanmar's Kachin state was not enough and underlined the need for a political solution. "Ceasefire is not enough," Suu Kyi told reporters in Geneva where the veteran activist has begun a landmark European tour after years spent under house arrest. "We have to have a political settlement if there is going to be the kind of peace that is lasting and meaningful." Suu Kyi was asked to comment on the violence affecting various parts of Myanmar at a press conference at the UN which followed an address to the International Labour Organization. "I think the most important lesson we need to learn from it is the need for rule of law," she said. "We have said again and again ... that rule of law is essential if we are to put an end to all conflict in our country. "Without the rule of law such communal strife will only continue." "We need the cooperation of all peoples to bring this to an end." - AFP/cc http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/1207666/1/.html -------------------------------------- Aung San Suu Kyi pushing the democratic agenda Updated: 16:30, Thursday, 14 June 2012 inShare RTɠNews Deputy Foreign Editor Anthony Murnane examines the current situation facing Aung San Suu Kyi as the opposition leader in Burma. Aung San Suu Kyi will arrive in Ireland after she delivers her acceptance speech in Oslo for the Nobel Peace Prize she was awarded in 1991. The Burmese pro-democracy leader has had a busy time since she was released from house arrest in November 2010. Her first foreign trip in over 20 years was to Thailand last month. She was greeted by thousands of supporters during a visit that came only weeks after she swore the oath of office and led 42 of her National League for Democracy party members into parliament. However, their numbers are not significant enough to wield any power under the government of President Thein Sein. Among the democratic changes by the military leaders were the elections on 1 April and the release of hundreds of prisoners, including prominent political prisoners such as Ms Suu Kyi herself. On her first foreign trip in 22 years to Thailand, she told the World Economic Forum in Bangkok that a ''healthy scepticism is in order'' in relation to the reforms. Ms Suu Kyi realises she needs to be tactical in her battles. Already she has joined her MPs in swearing an oath of office after failing to replace the phrase ''safeguard the constitution'' with ''respect the constitution''. For his part, ruling general Thein Sein is facing a challenge at home from a wave of sectarian violence in western Rakhine state, where a state of emergency has been imposed in response to violent clashes between Buddhists and Muslims. Ms Suu Kyi has called for "sympathy" with minorities in the wake of the unrest. Pushing the democratic agenda will be difficult for the opposition. Most of the seats in parliament are still held by the military backed ruling party and the army and any constitutional change needs a 75% majority. But now Ireland is to be visited by The Lady - a woman of regal carriage who has fought oppression and violence with peaceful means for more than two decades. http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0613/aung-san-suu-kyis-role-in-burma-today.html -------------------------------------------- Suu Kyi urges care as world reaches out to Myanmar By FRANK JORDANS Associated Press June 14, 2012 9:50AM GENEVA Foreign investment must help not hurt Myanmars goal of moving toward full democracy, opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi said Thursday as she welcomed efforts to reach out to her country while it emerges from decades of isolation under military rule. The Nobel Peace laureate is on her first trip to Europe in 24 years and her comments abroad are being closely watched by foreign governments and businesses eager to invest in Myanmar, as well as by the countrys own reformist rulers wary of her status as political superstar. Speaking calmly to a hall full of U.N. diplomats brimming with excitement at her presence, Suu Kyi delivered a thoughtful message on workers rights and investors responsibilities. I would like to call for aid and investment that will strengthen the democratization process, she told the annual meeting of the International Labor Organization in Geneva, which has long supported her cause. We accept that investments must pay off, she added. But we would like these profits to be shared between the investors and our people. Suu Kyi highlighted the secrecy surrounding recent deals between China and the Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise. The state-owned company that all foreign firms seeking to tap into the countrys oil and gas riches must deal with lacks both transparency and accountability at present, she said. Western companies, too, have been eager to invest in the Southeast Asian nation as the sanctions it faced under military rule are gradually lifted. Any new investment that comes in because of the lifting or suspension of sanctions should add to the democratic process rather than subtract from it, Suu Kyi told reporters after the speech. Many years as an international pariah have left Myanmar, also known as Burma, poor and in need of foreign investment, but concerns remain about corruption and money being used to prop up the powerful military. Suu Kyis two-week visit to Europe next takes her to the Swiss capital Bern for a meeting with the government. On Friday, she flies to Oslo, where she will make a belated acceptance speech Saturday for the Nobel Peace Prize that was awarded to her in 1991. At the time, she was detained by the military after leading a pro-democracy party to victory in Myanmars 1990 election. Also on her itinerary are France, Ireland and Britain, where she will speak to both houses of parliament and receive an honorary doctor from Oxford. Though willing to chide her government, Suu Kiy was cautious when asked about the sensitive issue of Myanmars western Rakhine state, where violent clashes have occurred recently between the Bhuddhist population and the Muslim Rohingya ethnic group. Suu Kyi refused to say outright whether the Rohingya should have Myanmar citizenship, instead saying the issue should be decided by the rule of law. Her National League for Democracy remains outside of the government but has endorsed the reforms instituted by Myanmar President Thein Sein, who is backed by the still-powerful military. Suu Kyi hinted that her political ambitions may not stop at a supporting role in the new Myanmar. I do not stand here as a representative of the workers, or of employers, or of government, she told the ILO meeting. Not yet anyway. Asked later by The Associated Press whether she could forgive the junta for ignoring the outcome of the 1990 elections and keeping her under house arrest for 15 of the next 22 years, the woman who is seen as an icon of the democracy movement took the high road. In some ways I dont think they really did anything to me, she said. Well, they placed me under house arrest, but that gave me a lot of time to read, she added, wistfully. I do not think I have anything to forgive them for. Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. http://www.suntimes.com/news/world/13181082-418/suu-kyi-urges-care-as-world-reaches-out-to-myanmar.html ---------------------------------------- Europe trip part thanks, part political lecture tour for Myanmar's democracy icon Suu Kyi By: Frank Jordans, The Associated Press Posted: 06/13/2012 3:01 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies) | Last Modified: 06/13/2012 2:06 PM GENEVA - Twenty-four years ago Aung San Suu Kyi left Europe for what was then a military-controlled nation called Burma. She returns Wednesday the icon of Myanmar's democracy movement to a continent eager to hear from her whether the country's recent reforms truly spell the end of its cruel dictatorship. The trip is seen as a sign of gratitude to those governments and organizations that supported Suu Kyi's peaceful struggle against Myanmar's generals over more than two decades, 15 years of which she spent under house arrest. In Geneva, her first stop, Suu Kyi will on Thursday address the annual meeting of the U.N.'s International Labor Organization, whose campaign against slavery and child labour in Myanmar drew constant attention to the junta's abusive exploitation of its people. Suu Kyi then flies to Oslo, where on Friday she will formally receive the Nobel Peace Prize that was awarded to her 21 years earlier while she was detained by the military after leading a pro-democracy party to victory in Myanmar's 1990 elections. The prize catapulted her struggle against Myanmar's dictatorship into wider public consciousness and put Suu Kyi among the ranks of Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev, South Africa's anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela and the Dalai Lama. Norway is also home to the Democratic Voice of Burma, an opposition broadcaster that has received generous funding from the Norwegian government and others. Also on her itinerary are France and Ireland, where she will be feted by pop band U2 and its activist frontman Bono at a concert hosted by the human rights group Amnesty International. The greatest attention is likely to be paid to her stopover in Britain next week. Suu Kyi studied and lived in Britain for years, and it is in Myanmar's former colonial power she left behind husband Michael Aris and their two sons, Alexander and Kim, when she travelled to her homeland in 1988 to nurse her ailing mother. Aris died of cancer in 1999, having been denied a visa to Myanmar. Suu Kyi had refused to leave the country, fearing she would be permanently exiled by a junta that saw the daughter of Myanmar's independence hero Gen. Aung San as a threat to their power. The 66-year-old, who won a parliamentary seat in Myanmar earlier this year, will address both houses of Britain's parliament during her visit and accept an honorary doctorate at Oxford. Suu Kyu's speeches will be closely watched by governments and businesses, less for the skilful political rhetoric attributed to her than for signs that it is now safe and proper to invest in Myanmar at a time when it is making tenuous democratic progress. In November 2010, she was released from house arrest and in April she won a seat in Parliament. Eager to compete with China and Japan for Myanmar's abundant resources and emerging consumer class, European countries in April lifted decades-old sanctions imposed on the junta. At the time, Shada Islam, head of policy at the independent Brussels-based think-tank Friends of Europe, said there were strong economic reasons for Europe to thaw its relationship with Myanmar. "There is concern that with competition to do business with Myanmar heating up, a failure to lift sanctions could penalize European companies vis-a-vis their Asian and American rivals," she said. But wariness remains over the intentions of Myanmar's President Thein Sein, who retains close ties to the military, and a recent wave of deadly sectarian violence between Buddhists and Muslims in western Myanmar that rights groups say has the potential to escalate. Her scheduled return to Myanmar by the end of the month gets her back in time to attend the July 4 reconvening of Parliament, which was announced Tuesday night on state television. The parliamentary session will be considering crucial legislation, including media regulation and foreign investment.http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/world/europe-trip-part-thanks-part-political-lecture-tour-for-myanmars-democracy-icon-suu-kyi-158839195.html ----------------------------------------- Thursday, June 14, 2012 Violence tests Myanmar's media, and its censors (Reuters) - When Myanmar emerged last year from army rule, state censors started to loosen their powerful grip, allowing newspapers to report freely on what had been unthinkable, from the views of opposition politicians to allegations of government corruption. But as sectarian violence rages between majority Buddhists and Muslim Rohingyas in western Rakhine state, the old ways are returning. Censorship is creeping back, raising questions about whether the pre-screening of copy will be dropped, as the government has said. "We cannot write whatever we want," said Maung Wuntha, a prominent author and journalist who was jailed for publishing work deemed subversive by the former regime. "We can only write when the press scrutiny board approves ... and despite that, we were warned," he said, referring to government warnings about stories on the unrest. The Rakhine state violence is perhaps as big a test for Myanmar's media as it is for a government desperate to put on a presentable face for the outside world. The unrest is an extremely sensitive issue in Myanmar. The Rohingyas are not recognised as one of Myanmar's numerous ethnic groups and their very presence is contested by many. State media has said a five-day rampage of rioting in Rakhine state killed at least 21 people. What started it remains a mystery but it seems almost certain to have stemmed from last month's rape and murder of a Buddhist Rakhine woman, allegedly by three Muslims who are now on trial. The incident led to calls for retribution that were swiftly answered by Buddhist vigilantes, who lynched 10 Muslims with no ties to the alleged killers. JAIL RISK Myanmar's censors leapt straight back into action when the Snapshot news journal published without its permission a photograph, still doing the rounds on the Internet, purporting to show the body of the woman who was raped and murdered. The chief minister for Yangon, Myint Swe, issued a warning late on Sunday to journalists with private media that they faced nine years in prison if they used inflammatory language that could incite violence and endanger stability. Ironically, the government may have broken its own rules when state media reported the deaths of the 10 Muslims using the word "kalar", a derogatory term for people of South Asian descent in Myanmar. The references were removed from websites. Myint Swe's words appear to have been heeded, with self-censorship taking a hold in the media. "Everyone was quite disgruntled at the warning," said a Yangon-based editor, who declined to be identified, adding that most domestic media had written very little about the violence. For half a century, every song, book, cartoon, news story and piece of art required approval by teams of censors working for a board known as the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division. Since the military ceded power to a quasi-civilian government in March 2011 after elections in late 2010, the authorities have relaxed censorship and in May announced that print media content would soon no longer need to be screened. INFLAMMATORY POSTINGS The latest warning, editors say, has cast doubt on whether that will really happen. "It's quite laughable but also worth contemplating that just as they were talking about loosening censorship, it seems to become more restrictive," said Thiha Saw, editor of Myanma Dana business magazine. "For us, we just have to continue to do our part and write what we can accurately," he said. Meanwhile, thousands of unfiltered opinions and comments about the unrest, many inflammatory, have appeared on the web forums of news journals and on Facebook pages as nationalist anger runs wild. Some people, journalists included, have taken aim at exiled media such as the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) and foreign media organisations that were praised for their truth-telling during the military's oppressive 49-year reign. Now they are being accused of bias towards stateless Rohingyas, whom many Buddhists blame for instigating the arson, rioting and machete attacks in Rakhine state. David Stout, a copy editor with the DVB, said nationalist passions expressed in unfiltered postings on websites run by some media organisations had highlighted the need for balanced and responsible reporting of what was really taking place. "It's kind of hard to tell what's true and what's rumour," he said. "There are alleged incidents about things that have happened, things that could happen and things that will happen ... I see a lot of irresponsible reporting or postings, things that haven't necessarily been verified." Internet access is low in Myanmar, with only 0.2 percent of the population online by some estimates. But young people are increasingly using social media to share news and opinions and there is a large Myanmar diaspora worldwide. Maung Wuntha, the veteran journalist, warned of trouble ahead if Facebook pages or websites carrying inflammatory content became more widely viewed, but censorship wasn't the answer, he said. "I don't believe you should restrict them or censor them," he said. "The readers should be rational and use their own reasoning to differentiate between right and wrong." (Writing by a Reuters staff reporter; Editing by Martin Petty, Alan Raybould and Robert Birsel) http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/6/14/worldupdates/2012-06-14T053247Z_1_BRE85D078_RTROPTT_0_UK-MYANMAR-VIOLENCE-MEDIA&sec=Worldupdates --------------------------------------- 28 dead in Myanmar communal unrest By AFP SITTWE: Twenty-eight people have been killed and dozens more wounded in several days of sectarian clashes in western Myanmar, a government official said Thursday. A state of emergency has been declared for Rakhine state, which has been rocked by a wave of rioting and arson, posing a major test for the reformist government which took power last year. "The latest death toll we can confirm is 28 with 53 people wounded," the official, who did not want to be named, told AFP in the state capital Sittwe, without saying whether they were Buddhist or Muslim Rohingya. The figure raises the last official toll given on Tuesday of around 25 dead and 41 wounded since Friday. The toll does not include 10 Muslims who were killed on June 3 by a Buddhist mob in apparent revenge for the rape and murder of a woman, which sparked the violence in Rakhine. Hundreds of homes on both sides have been torched. An uneasy calm has returned to central Sittwe, an reporter said Thursday, after security forces enforced another night of curfew. More than 30 people were held after breaking the curfew on Wednesday night, the official added. The stateless Muslim Rohingya are scattered around the globe and viewed by the United Nations as among the most persecuted minorities on the planet. About 800,000 Rohingya live in Myanmar, according to the UN, mostly in Rakhine. The government considers the Rohingya to be foreigners, while many citizens see them as illegal immigrants and view them with hostility. http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-54231-28-dead-in-Myanmar-communal-unrest:-official ---------------------------------------- Aung San Suu Kyi arrives in Geneva for European tour Due to deliver a speech in Oslo for her 1991 Nobel Peace Prize AFP/PTI / Geneva Jun 14, 2012, 11:26 IST Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi arrived in Switzerland on a historic European tour which will see her accept the Nobel Peace Prize that thrust her into the global spotlight two decades ago. Suu Kyi, who has not visited Europe since 1988 after years spent under house arrest, arrived at Geneva airport at 21:15 GMT yesterday, an airport spokesman said. He said she left the aeroplane "smiling and seemingly in great form" after the flight from Munich, which was delayed for about 30 minutes. The trip marks a new milestone in the political changes that have swept the country formerly known as Burma since decades of military rule ended last year, bringing to power a new quasi-civilian government. Switzerland is the first stop on a more than two-week tour for Suu Kyi, who will visit Norway, Britain, France and Ireland. She is due to deliver a speech in Oslo for her 1991 Nobel Peace Prize. Suu Kyi left Yangon as western Myanmar was rocked by sectarian violence between Buddhists and Muslim Rohingya that has left dozens dead and prompted President Thein Sein to warn of disruption to the fragile reform process. She will address the International Labour Organization (ILO) conference in Geneva on Thursday before travelling to Swiss capital Bern to meet President Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf and Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter. On Friday she will visit the Swiss parliament before heading for Oslo. Later in the trip, the veteran activist will address Britain's parliament and receive an Amnesty International human rights award in Dublin from rock star Bono. The daughter of Myanmar's independence hero General Aung San won her first ever seat in parliament in April, prompting Western nations to start rolling back sanctions. http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/aung-san-suu-kyi-arrives-in-geneva-for-european-tour/174669/on ------------------------------------------ Suu Kyi to address labor conference at start of European tour By the CNN Wire Staff, June 14, 2012 -- Updated 0600 GMT (1400 HKT) (CNN) -- The Nobel laureate and Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is set to address an international conference in Switzerland on Thursday, the first speech of her landmark visit to Europe. Suu Kyi, who arrived in Geneva late Wednesday, will speak at the annual conference of the International Labor Organization, a U.N. agency. Worker and employer representatives, as well as government officials, will attend the event. The organization has for years pressured Myanmar -- formerly known as Burma -- to eradicate forced labor, which it says is widespread in the country. On Wednesday, the conference voted to lift restrictions on Myanmar's participation in the organization's activities, ending 13 years of isolation. Suu Kyi, who was recently elected to Myanmar's parliament, appeared "very happy and had a smile across her face" when she got off the plane in Geneva, said airport spokesman Bertrand Staempski. It is her first trip to Europe in more than two decades. During her trip, she will finally collect the Nobel Peace Prize that she was awarded in 1991, but could not receive it at the time because she was under house arrest. While in Europe, she is also scheduled to address both houses of the British Parliament, be the guest of honor at a concert in Dublin, Ireland, and celebrate her 67th birthday with family. It is Suu Kyi's second trip abroad since she returned to Myanmar in 1988 to care for her dying mother. A military coup that September put Gen. Saw Maung in power, setting off anti-government demonstrations and a crackdown that left hundreds dead. Suu Kyi -- whose husband, Michael Aris, remained in England -- became a leading activist and co-founder of an opposition group, the National League for Democracy. She was placed under house arrest for the first time the following July on charges of trying to divide the military. She spent much of the next two decades confined to her home by the ruling junta. When her party won the 1990 general election in a landslide vote, the military rulers -- in power since 1962 -- refused to let the National League for Democracy serve, nullifying the results. Suu Kyi remained under house arrest. In 1991, Suu Kyi won the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought and the Nobel Peace Prize, which cited her "nonviolent struggle for democracy and human rights." But she remained in detention. In accepting the prize at the time on his mother's behalf, Alexander Aris said, "I personally believe that, by her own dedication and personal sacrifice, she has come to be a worthy symbol through whom the plight of all the people of Burma may be recognized." The military rulers have since loosened their grip on power, allowing a series of democratic reforms. Her house arrest ended in 2010, and she was able to travel around the country during her party's election campaign this year. Facts about Suu Kyi Born: June 19, 1945 Her parents: Gen. Aung San, who fought for Burma's independence from Britain and became Burma's first prime minister before being assassinated in 1947; Khin Kyi, a diplomat and ambassador to India Husband: Michael Aris, a British Tibetan scholar, who died in 1999 Children: Kim and Alexander Education: St. Hughes College, Oxford University On Saturday, about 21 years after she was awarded the prize, Suu Kyi is expected to finally deliver her Nobel lecture at the Oslo City Hall in Norway. Cities hosting her are well prepared for the fanfare. In Dublin, a giant banner hangs from Liberty Hall ahead of her scheduled Monday arrival. There, she will be the special guest at a concert, "Electric Burma." The event is organized by Art for Amnesty founder Bill Shipsey and features a range of entertainers and personalities, including Bono, Vanessa Redgrave, Bob Geldof, Angelique Kidjo and former Tiananmen Square student activist Wu'er Kaixi. Amnesty International, which has campaigned for Suu Kyi and other political prisoners in Myanmar during the past two decades, will award Suu Kyi its highest honor, the Ambassador of Conscience Award. Past recipients include Nelson Mandela and Vaclav Havel. Bono, who has long dedicated the song "Walk On" to Suu Kyi at U2 concerts to highlight her detention, will present the award. Tickets for the event sold out in 20 minutes. After the concert, Dublin Mayor Andrew Montague and Amnesty will co-host another event. Suu Kyi, who received the Freedom of Dublin City 12 years ago while under house arrest, will sign the Roll of Honorary Freedom and address the crowd. From Ireland, she plans to travel to Britain -- where she spent time as a student -- to celebrate her birthday Tuesday, before she addresses lawmakers at Westminster Hall in London on June 21, an honor usually reserved for heads of state. Suu Kyi's trip will end in Paris, where she will be a guest of French President Francois Hollande from June 26 to 29 in honor of her "fight for democracy and the rights of man and to reaffirm France's will to support the political transition in Myanmar," according to the Elysee Palace. CNN's Elizabeth Yuan and Jethro Mullen contributed to this report. http://edition.cnn.com/2012/06/14/world/europe/switzerland-myanmar-suu-kyi/index.html --------------------------------------- BBC NEWS Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi begins landmark Europe visit Aung San Suu Kyi: "I'm sure it's going to be a memorable trip for me" Burma: Battle for Democracy Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has arrived in Geneva, where she will address the United Nations at the start of a visit to Europe. She is due to make a speech at the UN's International Labour Organisation, which has led a long campaign against child and slave labour in Burma. Aung San Suu Kyi spent much of the past 24 years under house arrest in Burma. The visit, her first to Europe since 1988, is seen as another milestone for the country's political progress. During a tour lasting over two weeks, she will visit the UK, Switzerland, Ireland, France and Norway, where she will accept her 1991 Nobel Peace Prize. Correspondents say Aung San Suu Kyi is addressing the ILO in recognition of its longstanding focus on the poor human rights record of former Burma's military rulers. It is her second recent overseas trip, after visiting Thailand in May. She told reporters before she left Burma that she expects the trip to Europe to be eye-opening. "Each country will be different. I will know how backward [Burma] is when I reach the other countries," she said. She also added that she "would like to do my best for the interests of the people". Reform Ms Suu Kyi has spent much of the past two decades under house arrest as a political prisoner. But as part of Burma's recent reform process, she was freed in late 2010 and won a seat in parliament in by-elections in April this year. Her decision to travel is seen as a sign of confidence in the government of President Thein Sein, who has pursued a course of reform since coming to power last year, in Burma's first elections in 20 years. Aung San Suu Kyi is the daughter of Burmese independence leader Aung San, who was assassinated in 1947. She became the leader of Burma's pro-democracy movement when, after living abroad for many years, she returned to Burma in 1988, initially to look after her sick mother. After that, she did not leave the country until recently, fearing that the country's then military rulers would not allow her to return to Burma. The decision meant that she was unable to receive in person her Nobel Peace Prize, awarded in 1991, or be with her British husband, Michael Aris, when he died in 1999. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18435374 ----------------------------------------- Communal unrest threatens Myanmar's future: UN Posted: 14 June 2012 1250 hrs Members of a Rakhine family sit in a monastery used as a temporary shelter for people displaced by ongoing violence in Sittwe, capital of Myanmar's western state of Rakhine on June 13. (AFP Photo) BANGKOK: A UN envoy has warned that communal violence in western Myanmar poses a threat to the country's shift towards democracy and said discrimination against the minority Rohingya was behind the unrest. A state of emergency is in place in Rakhine state where clashes have caused dozens of deaths and forced hundreds of people from both sides to flee their homes since Friday. Tomas Ojea Quintana, the UN's Special Rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, urged the country's reformist government to tackle the "root cause" of discrimination against Rohingya living in the strife-hit region. He added: "The underlying tensions that stem from discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities pose a threat to Myanmar's democratic transition and stability. "I urge all sides to exercise restraint, respect the law and refrain from violence," he said in a statement released late Wednesday. Decades of discrimination have left the Rohingya stateless, scattered around the globe and viewed by the United Nations as among the most persecuted minorities on the planet. About 800,000 Rohingya live in Myanmar, according to the UN, mostly in Rakhine. The Myanmar government considers the Rohingya to be foreigners, while many citizens see them as illegal immigrants and view them with hostility. Rohingya are subject to forced labour, restrictions on freedom of movement, lack of land rights, education and public services, according to a UN refugee agency (UNHCR) report published in December. The UN has evacuated most of its foreign staff from its main base in Rakhine. - AFP/al http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/1207544/1/.html -------------------------------------- Financial Times: June 13, 2012 11:15 pm ILO to lift restrictions on Myanmar By Gwen Robinson in Bangkok Myanmar received a significant economic boost on Wednesday when the International Labour Organisation voted at its annual conference to lift restrictions on the country, paving the way for its admission to membership and preferential treatment for its exports to EU markets. The decision, taken a day before Myanmars opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi addresses the plenary session of the ILO conference in Geneva, removes a crucial impediment in Myanmars trade and business ties with the EU. Despite its decision to suspend most economic sanctions on the country in late April, the EU has continued to exclude Myanmar from its generalised system of preferences (GSP), which gives developing countries preferential access to EU markets. The EU withdrew those trade privileges from Myanmar in the late 1990s, citing the widespread use of forced labour and the ban on trade unions. The suspension of sanctions did not affect the trade restrictions, which have severely disadvantaged Myanmars products in EU markets particularly of garments, one of its mainstay exports. The US also removed GSP on Myanmars imports, although a separate act of Congress takes precedence over the GSP ban. Wednesdays decision ends 13 years of ILO restrictions on Myanmar and follows the governments agreement in March on an action plan to eliminate forced labour by 2015. In efforts to get the restrictions lifted, Myanmar passed legislation to prosecute those suspected of using forced labour. The reformist government of President Thein Sein also pushed legislation through parliament last year to legalise trade unions, and about 40 have been created since then, according to a spokesman for ILO director-general Juan Somavia. The EUs member countries had left it up to the ILO to determine when to lift the trade restrictions, which included a ban on both ILO membership and technical co-operation, except for the purpose of combating forced labour. Myanmar has not been invited to ILO meetings although it permitted an ILO office to open in Yangon some years ago. Lady Ashton, the EUs foreign policy chief, said in April that the blocs foreign affairs council supported reinstating the GSP programme, which would reduce tariffs on Myanmars exports to the EU, but could only do so after a favourable assessment by the ILO. At the same time, Karel de Gucht, the EUs trade commissioner, said: If you want to support the . . . transition in Myanmar, it is very important that they can export, they can sell goods into the European market. Ms Suu Kyi is expected to urge countries to remain vigilant towards any abuse of labour in Myanmar when she embarks on her first visit to Europe and only her second trip outside Myanmar since 1988 with an address to the ILOs plenary session on Thursday. She made a historic visit to Thailand at the end of April, after spending much of the past two decades under house arrest. http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/aa93a9fe-b599-11e1-b8d0-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=published_links%2Frss%2Fworld_asia-pacific%2Ffeed%2F%2Fproduct#axzz1xk6urMTu --------------------------------------- Myanmar's Suu Kyi arrives in Geneva for European tour Channel News Asia: Posted: 14 June 2012 0617 hrs Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi (C) is surrounded by media representatives ahead of her departure at Yangon International Airport on June 13, 2012. (AFP PHOTO/Ye Aung Thu) GENEVA: Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi arrived in Switzerland on Wednesday on the first leg of a historic European tour which will see her accept the Nobel Peace Prize that thrust her into the global spotlight two decades ago. On her arrival in Geneva Suu Kyi stepped off the flight "smiling and seemingly in great form," an airport spokesman said. The lakeside city is the starting point for the more than two-week trip taking the opposition leader to Britain, France, Ireland and Norway, where she will give a speech acknowledging the 1991 Nobel award. The visit marks a new milestone in the political changes that have swept the country formerly known as Burma since decades of military rule ended last year, bringing to power a new quasi-civilian government. It is Suu Kyi's first trip to Europe since 1988 after spending the majority of the next 22 years under house arrest. She left Yangon as western Myanmar was rocked by sectarian violence between Buddhists and Muslim Rohingya that has left dozens dead and prompted President Thein Sein to warn of disruption to the fragile reform process. The president is credited for a series of reforms including releasing hundreds of political prisoners, signing peace pacts with armed rebel groups and welcoming Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party back into mainstream politics. In Switzerland she will follow in the footsteps of fellow political icon Nelson Mandela by addressing the International Labour Organisation (ILO) conference in Geneva before talks with Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter in the capital Bern. Later in the trip Suu Kyi will address Britain's parliament and receive an Amnesty International human rights award in Dublin from rock star Bono. The daughter of Myanmar's independence hero General Aung San won her first ever seat in parliament in April, prompting Western nations to start rolling back sanctions. Suu Kyi addressed the ILO by video last year when she urged the agency, which draws up and monitors international labour standards, to expand its work in her country and "help usher in an era of broad-based social justice." The United Nations body has long sought to end the practice of forced labour in member Myanmar, said to be widespread by a panel investigating in the 1990s. The agency withdrew its technical aid and banned the country from the majority of its meetings after the government failed to act. Progress was made in the last decade however and in March this year Myanmar signed an action plan agreement which aims to eliminate forced labour by 2015. On the eve of Suu Kyi's visit, ILO members attending its annual conference agreed to restore full membership rights to the country. The agency is also playing an advisory role in the establishment of trade unions which were banned under the military junta. The ILO welcomed Suu Kyi's decision to address the conference in person this year. "I would say it's remarkable," said Kari Tapiola, special advisor to ILO Director General Juan Somavia. "It shows her interest in the labour agenda that she has decided to come here before going to visit Oslo." Suu Kyi will later take the train to Bern where she will meet with Burkhalter. "The political situation in Myanmar, which is currently undergoing a process of opening up, will be the focus of the talks," a Foreign Ministry statement said. Suu Kyi will dine with Swiss President Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf on Thursday evening and visit parliament before heading to Oslo on Friday. Switzerland recently announced it will open an embassy in Myanmar and increase its development aid to about 25 million Swiss francs ($26 million) over the next four years. - AFP/de http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/1207505/1/.html ------------------------------------------------ New Light of Myanmar [ 14 jUNE 2012 ] ILO lifts most of restrictions on Myanmar Lifting, removing and suspending of restrictions benefits Myanmar in trading with EU for interests of people Republic of the Union of Myanmar Press release of Ministry of Labour ILO lifts most of its restrictions on Myanmar 1. Restrictions were imposed on Myanmar at 87th Internatioanl Labour Conference in 1999 and 88th International Labour Conference in 2000 as regards measures for ending forced labour in Myanmar. From 6 to 11 June 2012, ILO governing body, selection committee comprising representatives from employers and employees reviewed the countrys actions for ending forced labour in Myanmar and submitted the draft for resolutions on Myanmar to the 101st International Labour Conference on 13 June, 2012. 2. The draft of the resolutions submitted by the Selection Committee was unanimously supported by representatives of governments, labour unions and employers organizations and the draft was approved at 6.10 pm local time (10.40 pm Myanmar strandard time) on 13 June, 2012. 3. Following are the key notes of the resolutions on Myanmar at the 101st International Labour Conference. (a) To lift all restrictions imposed on Myanmar at the 87th International Labour Conference in 1999. (b) Five restrictions were imposed on Myanmar at the 88th International Labour Conference in 2000. Out of them, it was decided to lift sub paragraph (d) which is to review on Myanmar by international labour unions, sub paragraph (c) which is to make resolutions at the United Nations General Assembly and ECOSOC meeting, and sub paragraph (d) which is to report Myanmars fulfillment of the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry to international organizations. As regards sub paragraph (b), it is decided to suspend ILO's measures to make necessary review in engagement with Myanmar for one year. Minutes of the Selection Commission state that Special Sitting held under sub paragraph (a) is to be suspended as long as all measures against such forced labour are taken. (c) To provide technical assistances to Myanmar by International Labour Organization and necessary financial resources by member countries and organizations in order that the country which is experiencing rapid reforms may not lose the opportunity. (d) Myanamar government is to implement the joint-strategy urgently for ending of forced labour ahead of targeted time. 4. Thanks to lifting, removing and suspending of restrictions, the country may get special benefits in trading with the EU for the interests of Myanmar people. 5. Myanmar delegation comprising representatives of employers and employees led by the Union Minister for Labour and for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement and the Attorney-General of the Union attended the 101st International Labour Conference at which the Union Minister and the Attorney-General of the Union met representatives of international governmental institutions, employers organizations and labour unions and gave a clear and complete account of developments and implementation in Myanmar, bringing fruitful results for the interests of Myanmar people. Ministry of Labour 13 June, 2012 http://myanmar.com/newspaper/nlm/index.html ------------------------------------------------ Asian Correspondents Will the International Donors leave Kachin people of Burma in the dark? By Zin Linn Jun 14, 2012 11:01PM UTC Chairman of the Union Peace-making Central Committee, President of Myanmar (Burma) Thein Sein received a delegation from Peace Donor Support Group (PDSG) coordinators Norway, United Nations, Australia, Britain, the World Bank and European Union at Myanmar International Convention Centre in Naypyitaw on 12 June, the state-run New Light of Myanmar Daily said. According to the newspaper, the President said that his government has been making efforts focusing on peace and stability and economic development. Peace and stability is the first requirement of the country whose democracy is budding with little democratic experience and practice, he said. Accordingly, his government has taken essential measures so that all can participate in political process, Thein Sein told the PDSG delegation. In his discussion, the President said that since the government has taken the office, it has made contact with those armed group separately and made contacts and built somewhat understanding with 10 out of 11 armed groups. The government also has initiated contacts with the KIA group in Kachin State and it is believed to see the good results sooner, Thein Sein said. However, last month, one remarkable meeting of the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) was held from May 8 to 9 2012, on the Thai-Burma border. It was attended by the UNFC central executive committee members and top leaders of the member organizations. At this meeting, serious discussion was held on Burma Armys military offensive against the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), as the main target. The UNFC issued a statement with an ultimatum to Burma Army to stop military offensives in Kachin State by June 10, 2012 during the meeting. The statement said, if the Burma Army (Government armed forces) does not stop its transgression and military offensives in Kachin State by June 10, 2012, UNFC members, who have agreed ceasefire with U Thein Sein government, have decided to review the peace process and future programs, including the preliminary ceasefire agreements reached. The members of the UNFC are Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), Karen National Union (KNU), Karenni National Progressive Party ( KNPP), Chin National Front (CNF), New Mon State Party (NMSP), Shan State Progress Party (SSPP), Pa-ao National Liberation Organization (PNLO), Palaung State Liberation Front ( PSLF), Arakan National Council (ANC), Lahu Democratic Union, Wa National Organization (WNO) and Kachin National Organization (KNO). At the start of this year, most members of UNFC agreed to a ceasefire agreement with the Burmese government. The KNU, which fought against the Burmese government for six decades, also took the ceasefire in January, which publicizes the governments efforts of peace promise in the country. There are many different ethnic groups in Burma. The ethic leaders said that it is essential to have ethic unity in order to have development and peace in the country. With the purpose of having this, the government needed to solve the political problems through dialogue and negotiation. Unfortunately, the UNFCs deadline to end military offensives in Kachin State has disregarded since riots in Rakhine State arrest public attention. Burma Armys activities in Kachin State indicate that scenario for an ending to the warfare has died away because more governments troops has been deployed more and more and fighting has been ongoing almost every day in Kachin and Shan State. One noteworthy comment in the UNFCs statement said that the objective of Burma Armys offensives in Northern Shan State and Kachin State is to protect foreign investments mega business projects. The UNFC members oppose brutal military offensives and the killing of fellow citizens, for the benefit of foreign interest. UNFC members also support the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the Kachin peoples militia and their allied forces resisting transgression of the governments aggressive forces. Meanwhile, the state media highlighted that the Australian Ambassador had strongly supported the reform process of Myanmar (Burma). The Australian Foreign Minister had paid a visit to Myanmar and contributed USD 5 Million for health care services. The British ambassador said the British Prime Minister recognized reforms and fully support implementing the process based on partnership. He said Britain would provide US$ 5 million assistance package for currently needed sectors and US$ 300 million for coming three years. Besides, the EU resident envoy said to assist Euro 150 million for development programmes in 2012-2013 fiscal year. EU planned to provide technical assistances and initial cash aid package of Euro 3-4 million for clearing landmines and would provide sector-wise assistances. The World Bank is in negotiation with Myanmar officials to provide cash and technical assistances in construction of infrastructures and socioeconomic improvement as well as in paying debts. After the debts have been paid off, Myanmar would be able to borrow US$ 300 million yearly. In contrast, HRW said in its report released on 20 March that the Burmese government has committed serious abuses and blocked humanitarian aid to tens of thousands of displaced civilians since June 2011, in fighting in Burmas northern Kachin State. Some 75,000 ethnic Kachin displaced persons and refugees are in desperate need of food, medicine, and shelter, HRW said. The Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) has made constant attempts to talk for a proper peace in Kachin State. However, the Thein Sein government has delayed to talk about political solutions proposed by KIO before a ceasefire. If Western democracies truly want a satisfactory reform in Burma, they should not neglect the ongoing war in Kachin State which may damage the whole process at any time soon. Even some analysts believe that current Rakhine unrest may not go up into such big volume if the government properly tackles it. Despite tackling the issue acceptably, governments media somewhat instigate the racial violence in western Burma. So, some consider the regimes stance as shifting the peoples awareness from unjust war in Kachin State plus its domestic emergencies. Peace Donor Support Group (PDSG) coordinators should not abandon 75,000 ethnic Kachin displaced persons in the dark. http://asiancorrespondent.com/84284/will-the-international-donors-leave-kachin-people-of-burma-in-the-dark/ __._,_.___ Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post | Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (1) Recent Activity: Visit Your Group

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