News & Articles on Burma
Monday, 08 May, 2011
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Asean Open to Burma Chairing Bloc: SBY
Asean considers giving Burma chairmanship in 2014
Myanmar to chair ASEAN chair despite rights record
Myanmar could lead ASEAN in 2014
ASEAN to agree to give Myanmar chairmanship
ASEAN considers giving Myanmar chairmanship in 2014
EU to negotiate FTA with all ASEAN countries, except Myanmar
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Asean Open to Burma Chairing Bloc: SBY
May 08, 2011
Southeast Asian leaders have no objection to Burma’s request to chair the 10-member Asean bloc in 2014, as long as it continues making progress towards democracy, Indonesia’s president said on Sunday after the group’s latest summit.
“Asean leaders do not object in principle,” Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said at his closing news conference.
“But Burma, which is a focus of world attention, is expected to continue progress on democracy so when it becomes chair it does not generate negative views.”
A communique issued at the end of the two-day Asean leaders’ summit in Jakarta said: “We considered the proposal of Burma that it would host the Asean summits in 2014, in view of its firm commitment to the principles of Asean.”
It added that Asean leaders supported the “steady progress and political developments in Burma” after it held general elections and formed a new government in March, calling the ballot “successful”.
A previous draft communique said Asean had already “consented to the proposal” to chair the bloc in 2014. But the final draft, and Yudhoyono’s comments, suggest a final decision will be made at a later date.
Burma held elections earlier this year to switch from military to civilian rule, leading the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) to push the United States and Europe to drop sanctions against it.
But many observers dismissed the election as a sham that has kept the generals in power behind the scenes.
Any decision to allow Burma to chair Asean would provoke protests from Western governments and rights groups, and would complicate efforts by Asean to work more closely with the United States and the European Union.
Rights group Human Rights Watch sharply criticized Asean’s apparent readiness to allow Burma’s 2014 presidency.
“This is unfortunately a decision of political convenience over political principle, and indicates once again that human rights is not a priority for Asean,” said Phil Robertson, the HRW’s Asia deputy director.
Reuters http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/asean-open-to-burma-chairing-bloc-sby/439858
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Asean considers giving Burma chairmanship in 2014
JAKARTA, INDONESIA - May 08 2011 14:03
South-east Asian leaders said on Sunday they were considering allowing Burma to chair the 10-member Asean group in 2014, backing away from an earlier draft statement that said they had already agreed to the country's request.
A communique issued at the end of a two-day Asean leaders' summit in Jakarta said: "We considered the proposal of Myanmar [Burma] that it would host the Asean summits in 2014, in view of its firm commitment to the principles of Asean."
It added that Asean leaders supported the "steady progress and political developments in Myanmar" after it held general elections and formed a new government in March, calling the ballot "successful".
A previous draft communiqué said Asean had already "consented to the proposal" to chair the bloc in 2014.
Burma held elections earlier this year to switch from military to civilian rule, leading the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) to push the United States and Europe to drop sanctions against it.
But many observers dismissed the election as a sham that has kept the generals in power behind the scenes.
Any decision to allow Burma to chair Asean would provoke protests from Western governments and rights groups, and would complicate efforts by Asean to work more closely with the United States and the European Union. - Reuters http://mg.co.za/article/2011-05-08-asean-considers-giving-burma-chairmanship-in-2014/
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Myanmar to chair ASEAN chair despite rights record
STAFF WRITER 12:28 HRS IST
Jakarta, May 8 (AP) Myanmar will likely take over the rotating chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2014 despite the military-dominated country's record on human rights.
The regional grouping is supposed to rotate the post every year between its 10 member countries.
Myanmar was forced to skip its turn in 2005 after coming under heavy pressure from the international community over slow progress on national reconciliation and human rights.
A draft of the ASEAN chairman statement seen by The Associated Press and to be issued at the close of a two-day summit later today says Southeast Asian leaders "consented to the proposal of Myanmar that it would host the ASEAN Summits in 2014. http://www.ptinews.com/news/1575244_Myanmar-to-chair-ASEAN-chair-despite-rights-record-
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Myanmar could lead ASEAN in 2014
Dina Indrasafitri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sun, 05/08/2011 8:00 AM | World
ASEAN leaders will discuss Myanmar’s request to chair the grouping in 2014 on Sunday, but as Indonesia wants to maintain engagement with Myanmar, ASEAN will likely let the reclusive country take the post.
Myanmar president Thein Sein, who heads the military-backed party that overwhelmingly won controversial general elections late last year, requested the country chair ASEAN in 2014 at Saturday’s leaders’ meeting.
“Today we heard Myanmar’s request, which will be discussed [Sunday],” Indonesian Foreign Ministry director general for ASEAN cooperation Djauhari Oratmangun said on the sidelines of the 18th ASEAN Summit in Jakarta on Saturday.
Foreign Ministry director for ASEAN political cooperation Ade Padmo Sarwono said Indonesia, a supporter of engaging Myanmar, would listen to the views of other member states before making a decision.
Officials said Saturday that Laos supported Myanmar’s bid while Thailand and several other countries indicated they weren’t opposed to Myanmar chairing ASEAN in 2014, while Singapore is reported to have said it would be better to push back the date because of human rights concerns.
Given the way ASEAN makes decision, officials said there was no reason to reject Myanmar’s bid as Indonesia and the other ASEAN states backed the results of the country’s election.
“Myanmar feels they have completed their democratization process with the election, and with the release of [pro-democracy icon] Aung San Suu Kyi they want to claim their right as possible chair,” an ASEAN official said on condition of anonymity.
The grouping rotates its chair every year. However, Myanmar was forced to skip its turn in 2005 after coming under heavy pressure from the international community over its stalled progress on national reconciliation and human rights issues.
ASEAN’s likely decision to allow Myanmar to chair the group in 2014 will face criticism from regional and international civil society groups.
New York-based Human Rights Watch urged ASEAN to reject Myanmar’s request until the country’s government took genuine steps toward improving human rights, including the release of more than 2,000 political prisoners.
HRW pointed out that Myanmar failed to address concerns repeatedly raised by ASEAN leaders in past summits.
It said Myanmar held sham elections in November 2010, with widespread restrictions on opposition parties, continued detention of political activists, and severe limits on basic freedoms of expression, association, and assembly, with international election monitoring not allowed inside as the main military-backed party swept the large majority of seats and now dominates the government.
“Rewarding Burma [Myanmar] with ASEAN’s chairmanship aft er it staged sham elections and still holds 2,000 political prisoners would be an embarrassment for the region,” Elaine Pearson, HRW’s deputy Asia director, said. http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/05/08/myanmar-could-lead-asean-2014.html
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ASEAN to agree to give Myanmar chairmanship
(Reuters)
8 May 2011
JAKARTA - Southeast Asian leaders on Sunday will agree on Sunday to allow Myanmar to chair the 10-member ASEAN group in 2014, a draft statement seen by Reuters said, a move likely to spur protests from Western nations and rights groups.
Myanmar held elections earlier this year to switch from military to civilian rule, leading the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to push the United States and Europe to drop sanctions against it.
But many observers dismissed the election as a sham that has kept the generals in power behind the scenes.
“(We) consented to the proposal of Myanmar that it would host the ASEAN summits in 2014, in view of its firm commitment and dedication to implement the ASEAN community building as well as to ASEAN solidarity,” said the draft statement to be released on Sunday.
The draft added that ASEAN leaders supported the “steady progress and political developments in Myanmar” after it held general elections and formed a new government in March, calling the ballot “successful”.
ASEAN has in the past, along with Western nations, called on Myanmar to include pro-democracy opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi in any political solution, and so the decision appears to be a change of stance.
Rights group Human Rights Watch slammed the ASEAN decision.
“This is unfortunately a decision of political convenience over political principle, and indicates once again that human rights is not a priority for ASEAN,” Phil Robertson, the HRW’s Asia deputy director said.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2011/May/international_May359.xml§ion=international&col =
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ASEAN considers giving Myanmar chairmanship in 2014
JAKARTA | Sun May 8, 2011 3:43pm IST
Regional leaders pose for a group photo prior to a dinner upon arrival at the 18th ASEAN Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia May 7, 2011. REUTERS/Achmad Ibrahim/Pool
(Reuters) - Southeast Asian leaders said on Sunday they were considering allowing Myanmar to chair the 10-member ASEAN group in 2014, backing away from an earlier draft statement that said they had already agreed to the country's request.
A communique issued at the end of a two-day ASEAN leaders' summit in Jakarta said: "We considered the proposal of Myanmar that it would host the ASEAN summits in 2014, in view of its firm commitment to the principles of ASEAN."
It added that ASEAN leaders supported the "steady progress and political developments in Myanmar" after it held general elections and formed a new government in March, calling the ballot "successful".
A previous draft communique said ASEAN had already "consented to the proposal" to chair the bloc in 2014.
Myanmar held elections earlier this year to switch from military to civilian rule, leading the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to push the United States and Europe to drop sanctions against it.
But many observers dismissed the election as a sham that has kept the generals in power behind the scenes.
Any decision to allow Myanmar to chair ASEAN would provoke protests from Western governments and rights groups, and would complicate efforts by ASEAN to work more closely with the United States and the European Union.
(Reporting by Olivia Rondonuwu; Editing by Andrew Marshall) http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/05/08/idINIndia-56855220110508?rpc=401&feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&rpc=401
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EU to negotiate FTA with all ASEAN countries, except Myanmar
Sunday, 08 May 2011 02:37
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 05/07/2011
The European Union is looking forward to engaging in free trade agreements with ASEAN member nations. EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht talked to The Jakarta Post’s Sita Winiawati Dewi and other reporters in Jakarta on Friday.
What is the progress of FTA negotiations with Indonesia?
With Indonesia, the idea last year was to have a Vision Group to assemble a report, and they have come up with their report and it will be officially presented in June in Europe. All we are waiting for are signatures from Indonesia to start the official scope exercise and subsequent negotiations. I think we have made very good progress. I don’t want to put a date on it because of the responsibility of our Indonesian counterparts. It’s up to them.
Would that be a region-to-region approach or region-to-country approach. How does it work?
We started the negotiations with ASEAN as a bloc, but we had to stop this for two main reasons. There’s a very different level of development in each of the countries, which has made negotiations very difficult.
Secondly, because of Myanmar. But even if we were to negotiate under present circumstances, region-to-region, in practice, it would be largely a discussion with each individual country, because there is no common external tariff, custom union nor internal market, which means that in any case, you would have different arrangements from one country to another. We are now negotiating to take care so that all of these negotiations have the same backbone. That’s one of the discussion [points] with Vietnam. We want them to agree on the level of ambitions that coincide with a common backbone. Once we have completed these negotiations with all of the individual member states interested in doing so, there’s where the economic community comes about. I think that would be the right moment to move into the region-to-region approach.
The whole ASEAN region has poor human rights and democracy track records. Some members are stuck, or even moving backwards. So why is Myanmar singled-out, and do you think this problem could be overcome?
First of all, I wouldn’t say that the only country that has been shaved from the region-to-region approach is Myanmar. That is certainly not true. I would say that if you were to continue a bloc-to-bloc [approach], it would take years. You would be better to take it one after another to achieve practical results. There is not only the link to Myanmar. That is not true. What is true is that the Myanmar topic is extremely sensitive in Europe. But we are also open to changes. For example, there has been a recent election and there also has been the freeing of Aung San Suu Kyi. We have reacted by softening some of the sanctions. We are ready to be reactive to positive developments in that country. But much more should be done. And by the way, I believe ASEAN is playing a positive role by putting pressure on Myanmar to walk in the right direction. Now, as you say there are human rights problems in some of these countries, I don’t want to single out any one. We are going to address it in the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and also in the Partnership Cooperation Agreement (PCA), which are political angles in these kinds of agreements. And we have the policy that a PCA comes before the FTA, or at least simultaneously.
Would the EU negotiate one-by-one until the tenth country? Would there be a limitation on the number of countries that will negotiate with the EU?
We negotiate with any country that asks us to negotiate. I think it’s clear that in the moment we would not be ready to engage FTA negotiations with Myanmar. There’s no certain limitation and I hope that limitations will disappear. But for now, if Myanmar were to ask us to negotiate on a free trade agreement, we would say no. http://www.eastwindburma.net/eng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=812:eu-to-negotiate-fta-with-all-asean-countries-except-myanmar&catid=81:myanmar-news&Itemid=458
Monday, May 9, 2011
News & Articles on Burma-Monday, 08 May, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
News & Articles on Burma-Wednesday, 20 April, 2011
News & Articles on Burma
Wednesday, 20 April, 2011
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Philippines urges Myanmar to free all political prisoners
Myanmar hopes to chair ASEAN in 2014
Burma Army soldiers fleeing from battlefields in Shan state
US Pushes Asean to Reject Burma
Activists target president with campaign
Politicians warned against ‘unlawful’ contacts
Migrants freed from Bangkok ‘factory prison’
Plight of Burmese Child Sex Slaves Revealed
Burma needs to stop ethnic wars and to release political prisoners
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Philippines urges Myanmar to free all political prisoners
INQUIRER.net First Posted 14:36:00 04/20/2011
MANILA, Philippinines—The Philippines has urged Myanmar to release the military-ruled nation’s political prisoners, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario noted Myanmar’s roadmap to democracy, which he said is crucial in “establishing a clear path to being able to join other countries of Asean in embracing democracy.”
In a meeting April 10 at the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Informal Special Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on the East Asia Summit in Bangkok, Del Rosario conveyed to Myanmar’s Foreign Minister Lwin Manila’s appeal to free the more than 2,000 political prisoners.
The United States has said that the most important step Myanmar can take to improve its international relations is to free its jailed political dissidents.
Lwin said Yanggoon has been making headway in implementing political reforms, citing that national elections were held, a new constitution was adopted, and the Parliament was convened.
The Asean is urging Western nations to lift sanctions against Myanmar, an Asean member. They have been imposed for its alleged rights abuses and suppression of democracy.
The European Union has eased sanctions on Myanmar's government, with the lifting of a visa ban on some civilian members of the regime.
The Obama administration has shifted the long-standing US policy of isolating Myanmar's generals, attempting to engage them while retaining sanctions imposed because of the military's poor record on human rights and democracy.
Washington is also concerned about Myanmar's alleged nuclear ambitions and trade in weapons with North Korea. http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20110420-332258/Philippines-urges-Myanmar-to-free-all-political-prisoners
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Myanmar hopes to chair ASEAN in 2014
BY NAOJI SHIBATA DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE EDITORIAL BOARD
2011/04/20
photoSurin Pitsuwan during an interview in Nara on April 18 (Naoji Shibata)
NARA--Myanmar (Burma) has told the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that it wants to chair the grouping in 2014 after declining the post in 2006 amid Western criticism.
In an interview with The Asahi Shimbun on April 18, Surin Pitsuwan, the ASEAN secretary-general, indicated that U.S. approval may hold the key.
He said the leaders of other ASEAN members will decide on the chairmanship, adding that the opinions of East Asia Summit members will likely be respected.
Surin said he wanted ASEAN's dialogue partners to "feel comfortable enough to come to our meeting."
Japan, China and South Korea are among the 16 members of the East Asia Summit. The United States and Russia will join this year.
Myanmar was scheduled to chair ASEAN in 2006. But other members persuaded it not to accept the post because the United States and European countries were critical of slow progress toward democracy in Myanmar.
The government of Myanmar said it has shifted from a military regime to civilian rule after a general election in November.
It apparently hopes to demonstrate its legitimacy internationally by chairing ASEAN before its full-scale economic integration, which is slated for 2015.
Surin said he hopes the new Myanmar government, which still comprises many former military officials, will make substantial progress toward democracy.
"We hope there is a substantive change (in the way) they deal with their problems and their relations with the rest of the world," he said.
He also asked Western countries to lift economic sanctions against Myanmar at an early date, saying that its people are suffering more than its government.
Touching on other regional issues, Surin said the ASEAN Regional Forum is expected to discuss Thailand's border dispute with Cambodia at its meeting in July.
Thailand has refused to accept observers from Indonesia, this year's ASEAN chair, for the disputed border.
Surin said cautiousness is strong within the Thai military, rather than the government, toward an Indonesian mission.
"It's not the government (but) the military establishment and various other players in the system" that are not ready to accept observers, Surin said.
He added that he is watching Thailand's response after a general election to be held in the near future.
Surin offered his condolences to victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake on behalf of ASEAN. He said ASEAN wants to do whatever it can.
He and his friends already donated $10,000 (830,000 yen) through the Nippon Foundation to support the quake-hit areas. http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201104190195.html
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Burma Army soldiers fleeing from battlefields in Shan state
Wednesday, 20 April 2011 16:11 Hseng Khio Fah
During these days, a large number of soldiers from Burma Army troops fighting with the Shan State Progress Party/ Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA) in Shan State South, have reportedly been deserting from the battlefields, local sources reported.
So far, the known deserters were ten, all from Light Infantry Battalions (LIB) 513 and 542 that have been fighting with the Shan army on 16-17 April, in Tawng Hio village, 20 miles south of Tangyan township, a source said.
“They [the soldiers] deserted during the fighting. They changed into civilian clothes and passed through the village. Five soldiers came out on 17 April and another five on 19 April,” said an eye witness.
At least 10 Burma Army soldiers were reportedly killed including a battalion commander and 15 injured in the clash that took place on 16-17 April. They also lost five RPG launchers and 6 backpacks to the Shan army, according to a civil servant from Tangyan.
None of the members from Shan army were reported injured or killed. The two-day siege was led by Major Sai Hseng with over a hundred men from Brigade No. 36, according to the SSA.
“Burma army soldiers took refuge villagers’ trenches, bunkers and monastery making the Shan army unable to fire,” said a source.
The battles between the Shan army and the Burma Army have begun since 13 March up to date and had injured and killed dozens of civilians including soldiers. Meanwhile, the Burma Army demanded the Shan army to withdraw all of its troops that had moved to the north of Mandalay-Lashio highway. However, the Shan army has yet to give any response and is still active in the areas together with the anti-Naypyitaw Shan State Army (SSA) “South” of Yawd Serk.
Last week, six Burma Army soldiers from Infantry battalion (IB) 152 based in Kholam sub-township of Namzarng township, surrendered to the SSA ‘South’ along with their weapons due to discrimination, abuses and forced labor, according to the SSA ‘South’. http://www.shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3621:burma-army-soldiers-fleeing-from-battlefields-in-shan-state&catid=86:war&Itemid=284
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US Pushes Asean to Reject Burma
By LALIT K JHA Wednesday, April 20, 2011
WASHINGTON—The Obama administration has said it is unwilling to work with the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) with Burma as its chair, given its poor track record on human rights and democracy.
The US government's views in this regard are being conveyed to Asean members at a time when Burma has intensified its bid to take on the chairmanship of the regional bloc in 2014.
“I mean, obviously, we would have concerns about Burma in any kind of leadership role because of their poor human rights record and domestically, I don’t have any more comment beyond that,” the State Department spokesman, Mark Toner, told reporters at his daily news conference.
Toner was responding to reports that the new civilian government in Burma has submitted a letter to the Asean Secretariat stating its readiness to take up the group's chair in 2014. At the 11th summit meeting in Vientiane in November 2004, under pressure from colleagues and the international community, Burma missed the chance to take the chair.
Burma wants Asean leaders to make a decision at the upcoming Jakarta summit on May 7-8, so it will have sufficient time to prepare for the year-long chair in three years time.
However, US officials said the Obama administration's position is clear—that unless Burma improves on its human rights records and addresses the issue of real democracy in the country, it will be tough for the international community to work with Asean if Burma plays a leadership role.
The State Department said it hoped that the nomination of a new special US representative to Burma by the US president last week would give fresh impetus to its policy on Burma.
“Hopefully, it will add new impetus to our outreach to Burma. But also, again, this is an individual who can also underscore our deep, deep concerns about the authoritative rule there,” Toner said when asked about the special US representative to Burma.
Meeting the long pending demand of his lawmakers, Obama, last week nominated diplomat Derek Mitchell as his special US representative on Burma. A well-known South East Asia hand, Mitchell will hold an ambassadorial rank in this capacity.
Currently the principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific security affairs at the Department of Defense, Mitchell still has to undergo the rigorous confirmation process of the US senate before he can take on the new position.
“Whenever you name a senior official like this to do something, to lead our efforts in Burma, it elevates the initiative,” Toner said. “But we remain committed to our two-track approach to Burma and the engagement door does remain open.”
Meanwhile Surin Pitsuwan, the Asean secretary-general, told Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun on Monday that US approval may hold the key to the bloc's decision on Burma's chairmanship.
He said the leaders of other Asean members will decide the matter, adding that the opinions of East Asia summit members will likely be respected.
Japan, China, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and India are among the 16 members of the East Asia Summit alongside the 10 Asean member states.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21138
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Than Shwe Still in Control but Progress Possible: Former US Envoy
By LALIT K JHA Tuesday, April 19, 2011
WASHINGTON—Priscilla Clapp, a former US charge d'affaires to Burma, said last week that the country's new government is still a work in progress and that the complex post-election environment may evolve over the coming five years.
Speaking at a conference on Burma and North Korea in Washington, Clapp said the key determinant during this period will be the fate of Snr-Gen Than Shwe.
“He still controls major decisions and can be expected to do so as long as he survives. Both the SPDC [State Peace and Development Council, the name of the former ruling junta which was recently dissolved] and the new government are reflections of his predilections and preferences, and there is no question that he exists in his own strange universe, harboring deep and irrational apprehensions about the outside world that tend to deny Burma the benefits of interaction with a dynamic global community. Things could change rather quickly once he is no longer in place.”
Clapp said that despite their deliberate exclusion from the 2010 elections, the National League for Democracy (NLD) and Aung San Suu Kyi will remain a potent political force in Burma that could serve to strengthen the position of opposition parties in the new parliaments if the NLD leadership is able to associate with a broad coalition of opposition forces and the government does not take further repressive measures against them.
Noting that economic reform will be key to the success of political transition in Burma, Clapp said that if the country continues its current descent into predatory crony capitalism, under which wealth is held only by a small upper layer of privileged society, resentment will fester and problems will arise.
“If the new leadership recognizes the need for serious reform, as has been advocated for many years by the international financial institutions, the conditions for real economic development could be put in place rather quickly,” she said.
The new government must also, she stressed, immediately address the SPDC’s unfinished business with the cease-fire groups. She said that rather than dictating conditions, the government must negotiate reasonable agreements that allow these groups to become part of the new government and not left out in the cold as they were by the arbitrary election laws.
“So long as this situation is neglected, a threat of renewed insurgency along Burma’s borders will hang over the heads of the country’s new leaders,” she said.
Clapp said that despite the dissolution of the SPDC with the swearing in of the new government, many of its elements are still in place. Than Shwe is still the ultimate authority, and former senior members of the SPDC and its ministries still occupy positions of power in the new government, albeit without their military uniforms.
“Many of the privileges accruing to the military under the SPDC have been preserved in one form or another in the new government,” she said.
For example, she noted that just before the new government was sworn in, the SPDC established a 'special fund' under the sole authority of the commander-in-chief to be used for purposes determined by the military.
“This fund is probably the Special Projects Fund controlled by the Senior General [Than Shwe] under the SPDC, which was the off-line account for the hard currency earnings from gas and other resource exports,” she said.
“Its creation suggests that the military will continue to control the lion’s share of national resources under the new government and there will be little chance of improving the public welfare,” she said.
The involvement of the former SPDC hierarchy could act as a spoiler as the new government attempts to implement provisions of the 2008 Constitution, Clapp said, noting that it is a discouraging sign that the new government does not feel bound to observe the provisions of its own Constitution as the law of the land.
“Although we can hardly consider the Constitution to be a prescription for democracy, it was at least a step in the right direction,” she said.
“For example, the SPDC flagrantly disregarded both its spirit and content by promulgating election laws designed to favor the government party and to impose harsh restrictions on all opposition parties, especially the NLD. As if this were not enough, election officials engaged in blatant ballot box stuffing when it became apparent that some of the government’s chosen candidates would lose to opposition parties in a fair vote,” she said.
Rumors persist that a supreme state council with the same membership as the outgoing SPDC may be created to serve as the ultimate authority for major government decisions.
“If such a body is established, either formally or informally, it will be clearly extra-constitutional and outside the law,” she said.
“Despite the remnants of the SPDC that persist in the new government, we would make a mistake to conclude that it is merely a carbon copy of the SPDC. The new government is a far more complex creature and some of its features will introduce elements of competition, popular representation and even transparency that have not existed for decades,” Clapp said.
One must begin to distinguish between the uniformed military and those who have been forced out of uniform and into political life.
“As they become increasingly involved in the process of parliamentary governance, the ex-generals will probably seek to translate their new elected and appointed positions into greater power for civilian institutions in order to replicate the authority they had while in uniform. Uniformed military will no longer control civilian institutions as they did under the SPDC and it can be said that they have taken one or two steps back to the barracks,” she observed.
“Although we have only had a brief glimpse so far of how the new national parliament will operate, there are early signs that it will be at least somewhat more responsive to public concerns than was the case under military rule,” Clapp said.
“In response to questions from opposition parties, for example, the new parliament provided more substantive answers than was ever the case with the SPDC. The optimists among us can hope that this trend continues as the parliamentary committees begin to do their work,” she said.
Copyright © 2008 Irrawaddy Publishing Group | www.irrawaddy.org
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21131
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Activists target president with campaign
By AYE NAI
Published: 19 April 2011
Burmese President Thein Sein will be the target of a signature campaign led by activists in Burma who are demanding the government release political prisoners and begin political dialogue with the opposition.
According to campaign organiser Phyo Min Thein, one-time chairman of the Union Democratic Party (UDP), the petition will also call for the safe return of refugees and political exiles and an end to intractable conflicts with armed ethnic groups.
“The first step [the new government] needs to take is to release the detained democracy activists to allow them to take part in rebuilding our nation and developing a democratic system,” he said.
“We hope the government led by President Thein Sein will make a positive response to our call.”
Activists in Burma face significant risks, with hundreds behind bars for speaking out against what they claim is injustice by the government. Burma holds nearly 2,200 political prisoners.
Their release would prove to Burmese and the international community that “[the government] is governing the country under real democratic standards”, said monk Dhamma Thiri, a leader of All Burma Monks’ Association.
The prospect of a prisoner amnesty had been mooted as one of the first signs of appeasement by the new government, which was sworn in last month, but nothing has yet taken place.
The campaign organisers are also looking to establish a youth network to further unify activists’ demands.
Phyo Min Thein said the first step would be to collect signatures in Rangoon from National League for Democracy members, ethnic political groups, veteran politicians and former students during the 1988 uprising.
http://www.dvb.no/news/activists-target-president-with-campaign/15317
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Politicians warned against ‘unlawful’ contacts
By SHWE AUNG
Published: 20 April 2011
One of the ubiquitous signs seen in Burma warning people not to 'divide the country' (Wikimedia Commons)
Politicians in Burma are forbidden from communicating with groups deemed by the government to be ‘unlawful’, according to the country’s Union Election Commission.
Parties risk being dissolved if they refuse to abide by the new rules that effectively sever contact between MPs and exiled media and human rights groups, a directive issued on 5 April warns.
It could also cut lines of communication with the National League for Democracy (NLD), Burma’s most potent opposition force whose party status was cancelled last year after it refused to compete in the November polls. Party spokesperson Nyan Win said how that the NLD has never been declared “unlawful” by the government.
There is still however a great deal of ambiguity over who qualifies as an ‘Unlawful Association’, a charge that is used frequently by Burmese courts to jail activists, journalists and lawyers.
“There are a lot of points they didn’t make clear as to which groups are unlawful,” said Nay Myo Wei, chairman of the Peace and Diversity Party. “It will be difficult [to be clear] if the government or the UEC doesn’t specify which groups we should not be communicating with.”
The party is preparing a letter for the UEC in which it will also ascertain whether the NLD falls under this banner.
Burmese law dictates that any “combination or body of persons” deemed by the president to be “[interfering] with the administration of the law or with the maintenance of law and order”, or indeed who is “a danger to the public peace”, will serve a minimum two-year jail term.
The subsequent criteria defining these charges is vague.
But according to the leader of the National Democratic Force, Khin Maung Swe, parties had already been told not to communicate with unlawful groups – still, however, no list of those that fit the criteria has been released.
Several inside reporters for DVB have been sentenced under the Unlawful Associations Act, suggesting that links to certain exiled groups is a crime under Burmese law. State media in Burma regularly accuses groups like DVB and Radio Free Asia of “generating public outrage”.
The directive casts further doubt on assertions by the government, which was sworn in last month, that Burma is transitioning to a new era of civilian rule that it brands “disciplined democracy”.
Some observers claim however that a greater degree of transparency exists in the new parliament, although no let up in the oppressive political climate in Burma is evident.
http://www.dvb.no/news/politicians-warned-against-%E2%80%98unlawful%E2%80%99-contacts/15340
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Migrants freed from Bangkok ‘factory prison’
By MAHN SAIMON
Published: 20 April 2011
Police raids on a factory in the Din Daeng area of Bangkok yesterday ended in the release of more than 60 Burmese migrants who claim they were kept in prison-like conditions and forced to work.
The majority of those used as factory “slaves”, and Thai media has described the incident, were female, one of the released told DVB. They had been kept in four-storey building and were prohibited from leaving or making phone calls.
Thai authorities carried out the raids after two of the migrants escaped this month and told police of the situation.
“We had to live like prison inmates and I’m now having difficulty moving my lower body parts,” said one female, who came to Bangkok from the Thai border town of Mae Sot in search of better wages.
“I have been here for eight months but most of the rest have been only for about two or three months. We made an attempt to escape [in January] but they got the police to catch us and fined us THB5000 [$US165] each,” she said.
A Thai anti-human trafficking official said that employers at the garment factory had threatened further arrest if the migrants attempted to flee, adding that they were forced to work and paid little.
The Bangkok Post quoted a police official who said they had worked on average 16 hours a day for only THB200 ($US7) a month, while one migrant told DVB they received only THB10 ($US0.30) for each garment they made.
“I have about THB40,000 ($US1,330) debt and [the employers] still haven’t covered our travel expense [to Bangkok],” she said.
Trafficking of Burmese migrants to Thailand is rife: many are approached by trafficking rings in Burma with promises of higher wages in Thailand, but poor anti-trafficking enforcement and state corruption mean that the majority are forced into exploitative labour.
The Thailand-based Nation newspaper said that two of the suspects – identified as Darong Wu, 50, and his wife Namee Li, 26 – have been detained by police on suspicion of trafficking and labour violations.
http://www.dvb.no/news/migrants-freed-from-bangkok-%E2%80%98factory-prison%E2%80%99/15337
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Plight of Burmese Child Sex Slaves Revealed
By BA KAUNG Tuesday, April 19, 2011
RANONG, Thailand—“The latest price of 'opening a Burmese packing' here is 13,000 baht,” explained Thidar, a Burmese prostitute in Thailand's Ranong province bordering southern Burma.
Inside the brothel of No. 3 Ranongpattani Road, a group of Burmese prostitutes reveal that “opening a Burmese packing” means a Burmese virgin girl being forced to work for the first time in the brothels of this small fishing port town.
They explain that every month around 40 girls from all over Burma—some as young as 13 or 14—are sold by human traffickers to Thai brothels in Ranong. Some are even sent to the popular tourist resort of Phuket, with around 200 Burmese girls currently working as prostitutes in their brothel alone.
“She came here for 'packing opening' three months ago,” Thidar said, pointing at a Burmese teenager sitting in the corner of the dingy room where they received Thai and Burmese customers.
Thidar herself is a former vegetable seller from Rangoon's Insein Township. She was approached 10 years ago in her local market by a Burmese woman who told her that she could make good money at a restaurant in Kawthaung, the Burmese border town on the opposite side to Ranong.
“The woman said I would have a good selling job and I wanted to earn some money,” she said. So at the tender age of 15, she left her mother and stepfather and was taken from Rangoon to Kawthaung with two female companions of a similar age.
Upon arrival in Kawthaung she was kept in a restaurant sealed with curtains for two days, but ran away after being forced into sex with a Burmese man.
“I ran away in the rain onto the streets of Kawthaung market,” she said. “When I saw a police station, I asked for help. But the lady followed me and brought me back from the police saying I would be sent home to Rangoon.”
But when she was back to the brothel again, she was tied with ropes and flogged. A few days later, she was taken with some other young girls to Ranong in a small boat and sold to a Thai brothel owner in the neighborhood of Paukkhaung.
“After I arrived, I was asked to take a pill and then I fell asleep. When I woke up, I found myself naked and smeared with blood.”
The brothel owner told her that she had to pay back the amount of money which he had bought her for. Even since then, she has been working as a prostitute and now has two children fathered by a Mon fisherman who died at sea during a storm.
These prostitutes' income depends on the number of customers they receive. For a single instance of sexual intercourse the brothel owner charges a customer 350 baht, of which the worker only receives half.
“I don't know what else to do for a living except this job. I could not undo what had happened, so I kept this job,” she said.
According to Thidar and her fellow workers, poverty and lack of care by their own parents were main reasons why they were tricked by human traffickers and forced into prostitution. Ei Ei, in her 20s, the daughter of a sea gypsy family in Kawthaung, said she hates her mother who never sent her to school and did not look after her properly. She added that she held various jobs to support the family ever since childhood.
“I used to work on a dynamite-fishing boat and also on a squid boat at sea,” she said.
She was later approached by a prostitution broker and first arrived in a Ranong brothel five years ago. As a prostitute, she has already married four times and is now addicted to various kinds of illicit drugs which she buys with her meager wages or receives from customers in exchange for oral sex.
She said that the use of drugs, particularly a drug compound called “Asean” popular among the Burmese community there, helps her forget the harsh treatment received from her customers.
“The Burmese fishermen are the worst in abusing us. They force me to perform oral sex against my will and they also refuse to use condoms,” she said.
Like most of her colleagues, she has no identification card and thus has to pay the police a license fee of 200 baht every day.
In this town of 130,000 thousand Burmese migrant workers, the local police refuse to tackle the human trafficking issue and are even collaborating with the criminals, claims Kyaw Than, a local Burmese restaurant owner who migrated from Burma 32 years ago.
“These very young Burmese girls keep streaming in. The policemen themselves are involved in these issues,” he said.
Burmese workers in Ranong face high risks of disease including malaria and HIV/AIDS, plus limited access to medical facilities and a poor educational environment for their children. These migrants—particularly Burmese sex workers—also face police and military harassment, according to a 2009 survey by the Institute of Developing Economies.
“Some of the Thai brothel owners immediately deport Burmese sex workers as soon as they are found to be HIV positive,” said Khine Pan Zon, an aid worker for the World Vision NGO who is giving health counseling to Burmese sex workers in Ranong.
She added that those HIV-positive sex workers who continue to work often no longer care about their own lives and start abusing drugs, cutting off contact with their family members back in Burma.
There are an estimated 1,000 Burmese sex workers in the town, with nearly 40 of them said to have come from Burma's Irrawaddy Delta after it was devastated by Cyclone Nargis in 2008.
“I am now sending money to my family in Burma and will go back there once I saved some money,” said a 32-year-old Burmese sex worker from Irrawaddy Division who works in a karaoke shop.
“I just came here to get a proper job, but ended up in an unexpected life. So there is no way out for now.”
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21134&page=2
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Burma needs to stop ethnic wars and to release political prisoners
By Zin Linn Apr 20, 2011 7:58PM UTC
At least 10 Burma Army soldiers were reportedly died in action including a battalion commanding officer and 15 injured in the combat that occurred on 16-17 April. The Shan army also seized five RPG launchers and 6 backpacks from Burmese troops, quoting a civil servant from Tangyan Shan Herald Agency for News (S.H.A.N.) reported.
None of the members from Shan army were injured or killed, the source said. The two-day siege was led by Major Sai Hseng with over a hundred men from Brigade No. 36, according to the SSA.
The SSA’s First Brigade-turned Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA) is reportedly expanding its controlled area to Namtu, Namhsan, Mongmit and Kyaukme townships while combating against the Burma army, as said by the local residents. The clashes between the two sides are reported almost everyday since 13 March. The SSA was given an ultimatum to lay down arms by Burma Army on 1st April. But up till now the SSA is still reportedly take no notice of it.
Throughout these days, several soldiers from Burma Army troops warring with the Shan State Progress Party/ Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA) in Shan State South have reportedly been deserting from the battlefields, local sources reported via Shan Herald Agency for News.
Up to now, the identified deserters were as many as ten; all of them were from Light Infantry Battalions (LIB) 513 and 542. The two battalions have been fighting against the Shan soldiers on 16-17 April, in Tawng Hio village in Tangyan Township, a local source said.
“The soldiers deserted during the fighting. They changed into civilian clothes and passed through the village. Five soldiers came out on 17 April and another five on 19 April,” said an eye witness.
According to a source Burma army soldiers took shelter under villagers’ trenches, bunkers and monastery to avoid shooting from the Shan armed forces. The battles between the Shan army and the Burma Army have begun since 13 March up to date and had injured and killed dozens of civilians including soldiers.
Meanwhile, the Burma Army demanded the Shan army to withdraw all of its troops that had moved to the north of Mandalay-Lashio highway. However, the Shan army has yet to give any response and is still active in the areas together with the Shan State Army (SSA) “South” led by Yawd Serk.
Last week, six Burma Army soldiers from Infantry battalion (IB) 152 based in Kholam sub-township of Namzarng township, surrendered to the SSA ‘South’ along with their weapons due to discrimination, abuses of power and forced labor, according to the SSA ‘South’.
At the same time, ten villagers in Kyaukme, Shan State North, have been detained and tortured over suspicion of collaboration with the Shan State Army (SSA) ‘North’, quoting local sources Shan Herald Agency for News said. They were detained by troops from Light Infantry Battalions 501 and 502, based in Kyaukme together with troops from Mogok, Namlan and Mongmit.
On the other hand, the family members of the detained victims are expecting helps from elected Shan representatives. The SNDP leader Sai Ai Pao is a State Assembly representative for Hsenwi and state minister for Industry and Mines. Besides, Sai Naw Kham is also a State Assembly representative for Hsipaw as well as state minister for Construction.
However, this war upon ethnic populace launched by Burma Army produces not only deserters from Burmese military but also victims from Shan villages. In addition, it forces to flee political exiles, illegal migrants and refugees into neighboring countries.
Currently, political activists in Burma have been taking historic risks with a signature-campaign to release political prisoners who are behind bars for speaking out against what they say is injustice by the government.
Some political analysts believe releasing over 2,000 political prisoners and stopping the aggressive wars on ethnic people are the most important topics to address by the new ‘Thein Sein government’. Releasing political prisoners and calling peace to armed ethnic groups would prove to the international community that new government is going along political change through the real democratic values.
http://asiancorrespondent.com/52826/burma-needs-to-stop-ethnic-wars-and-to-release-political-prisoners/
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Thursday, March 17, 2011
News & Articles on Burma-Wednesday, 16 March, 2011
News & Articles on Burma
Wednesday, 16 March, 2011
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Home News Burmese troops forced out by Kachin army in north
FIFA President holds press conference in Yangon
UN in Myanmar identifies strategic priorities for the future
Can aid bring the west's influence to bear on Burma?
Clamp tightened on MPs questions
Karens Flee Fighting in Burma, But Live in Limbo in Thailand
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Home News Burmese troops forced out by Kachin army in north
Burmese troops forced out by Kachin army in north
Tuesday, 15 March 2011 00:00 KNG
Burmese troops were forced out of the territory of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in Waingmaw Township in Kachin State on Saturday, March 12, said sources from both sides.
Eighteen Burmese soldiers, who entered the area of the KIA’s Ngwa Lay post, in Lahpai Village, on the Stilwell Road, also Ledo Road between Sadung-Kambaiti, finally withdrew from the area after they were repeatedly warned that the KIA troops would open fire, said a local resident.
kachin-army
More KIA troops are deploying in Sadung, Waingmaw township in eastern Kachin State, where the Burmese troops are increasingly operating.
KIA sources said the KIA refused the Burmese military’s request for permission to go to Kambaiti through Ngwa Lay post, after being asked many times.
The Burmese troops were from the battalion under command of the Burmese Army’s Regional Operation Command (ROC) based in Danai (Tanai) in Hukawng Valley, western Kachin State, according to residents of Lahpai.
The KIA official said it has informed the Burmese junta that it will stop Burmese troops when they enter KIA territories in Kachin State and Northern Shan State.
James Lum Dau, of KIO foreign affairs in Bangkok, Thailand, told the Kachin News Group, “We are still keeping the policy that we will not start war with the Burmese junta. We are seeking ways to establish a genuine political dialogue with the Burmese military leaders.”
Since December last year, several separate Burmese troops, with around 100 soldiers or over 10 soldiers, have operated near other controlled areas of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), the political-wing of KIA, in Sadung area, in Waingmaw Township, according to the KIA officials.
Some parts of Sadung, where over 20,000 acres of opium are currently grown, are jointly controlled by the Burmese junta and it’s Border Guard Force, formerly known as the New Democratic Army-Kachin (NDA-K), according to the KIA Drug Eradication Committee.
Villagers and the KIA Drug Eradication Committee said the Burmese Opium Eradication Campaign in the area not only demands money from opium field owners but also interferes with the current KIA drug eradication campaign.
Two-days of fighting took place between Burmese troops and the Shan State Army-North (SSA-N) at Mong Awd village tract, in Monghsu, Shan State on March 13 and 14.
Both the KIO and SSA-N are members of the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), an alliance of 11 ethnic organizations, which formed last month.
The UNFC aims to restore a genuine federal union in Burma by pressuring the ruling Burmese military junta politically and militarily. However, the alliance is now in “wait and see” mode, while observing the new military-backed civilian government being formed by the Burmese junta.
James Lum Dau said the junta’s recent attempts to intimidate the KIO and other ethnic armed groups are typical and are nothing to worry about. http://www.kachinnews.com/news/1870-burmese-troops-forced-out-by-kachin-army-in-north.html
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FIFA President holds press conference in Yangon
08:48, March 16, 2011
The International Federation of Association Football(FIFA) president Joseph Sepp Blatter held a press conference in Myanmar's Yangon Tuesday.
Blatter, who headed a 7-member delegation, arrived in Yangon Tuesday at the invitation of the President of Myanmar Football Federation (MFF) U Zaw Zaw who is a famous business tycoon of Myanmar during the World Cup in South Africa last June.
"This is my first visit to Myanmar. I will meet with Myanmar's Prime Minister U Thein Sein in the new capital of Nay Pyi Taw tomorrow. I am very glad to meet with him," Blatter said. "I have a very good impression on Myanmar and people in the country are very nice".
He visited Yangon and Mandalay, observing facilities constructed under the arrangement of FIFA Goal Project during his 2-day visit in Myanmar.
The facilities include Goal Hotel where MFF office is located in Yangon, Youth Football Academy in Mandalay and International Standard audience-stand at Thuwunna Sport Ground in Yangon.
He attended the opening ceremony of Youth Football Academy in Mandalay Tuesday afternoon.
He will visit Nay Pyi Taw on Wednesday and observe new sports grounds and stadium which is an construction for coming South East Asian Games to be hosted in Myanmar in 2013 .
While in Myanmar he will seek ways for the Myanmar Football Federation(MFF) to strengthen the local professional leagues.
Blatter, a Swiss citizen, was elected as the 8th FIFA President in June, 1998.
The 75-year-old is one of the most talented and experienced persons of international sports diplomacy and is totally committed to serving football, FIFA and the youth of the world.
Source: Xinhua http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90779/90871/7321134.html
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UN in Myanmar identifies strategic priorities for the future
Source: United Nations Country Team in Myanmar
Date: 15 Mar 2011
Yangon, 15 March 2011 ---- Four strategic priorities and key elements of the new Strategic Framework for the United Nations in Myanmar were presented today at the monthly Humanitarian Partnership Group meeting, attended by over 80 experts, heads of missions and UN agencies, diplomats and aid workers.
The priorities, which are the result of extensive analysis of humanitarian and development challenges in the country, will guide UN engagement and programming and form the basis of a new Strategic Framework for the period 2012-2015. "The UN Strategic Framework aims to be a collective, coherent and integrated programming and monitoring framework for UN contributions in Myanmar, based on the UN's comparative advantages.
The UN Strategic Framework is based on the analyses of the country's situation, development challenges that it faces and opportunities ahead of it," said Bishow Parajuli, UN Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator, who chaired the meeting.
The UN Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator explained that consultations had been held with focal points from all relevant government ministries, the latest in February. Based on these consultations it had been agreed that UN engagement would focus on four Strategic Priorities, namely:
1. Encourage inclusive growth (both rural and urban), including agricultural development and enhancement of employment opportunities
2. Increase equitable access to quality social services
3. Reduce vulnerability to natural disasters and climate change
4. Promote good governance and strengthen democratic institutions and rights.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/KKAA-8EZ7LQ?OpenDocument&RSS20&RSS20=FS&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ReliefwebClimateChange+%28ReliefWeb+-+Climate+Change%29
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Can aid bring the west's influence to bear on Burma?
The UK is to become Burma's biggest foreign aid donor, but the country's oppressive regime and its opaque political arena mean bringing change won't be easy
MDG : Myanmar : A girl fetches water from a pond on the outskirts of Yangon A girl fetches water from a pond on the outskirts of Rangoon. Photograph: Nyein Chan Naing/EPA
"We do not have a normal aid relationship here," says Paul Whittingham, head of the Burma section of the Department for International Development (DfID). And it isn't, not only does Burma receive some of the lowest levels of development assistance in the world but aid giving is also extremely politicised.
So it was a brave move for Britain's coalition government to increase aid to the country in its aid reviews last week: the UK is to become Burma's largest foreign donor. The government has pledged to spend £185m over the next four years. This reflects a "strong commitment" by the development secretary, Andrew Mitchell.
The world came to know most about Burma's donor situation in the wake of perhaps its darkest hour, when it was hit by Cyclone Nargis, the country's worst cyclone on record.
The surprising aspect of this disaster was how the military were prepared to make a dark situation that much darker. In the days and weeks after the tragedy aid was blocked by the government, which ignored the massive loss of life and the suffering.
DfID's new funding will be more per year than the Burmese government spends on health. The government of Burma is "not committed to poverty reduction", says Whittingham. Such a record leads to the abnormal situation Whittingham refers to, asserting that: "It is not an easy country in which to do business."
Perhaps the most controversial area is the funding of civil society organisations (CSOs), the most opaque and political area of aid giving. Mark Farmaner, director of the Burma Campaign UK, notes that there are around 300 such groups in the country and only 10% are registered – registration for some equates to approval from the regime.
But these registered groups nonetheless receive foreign money. Farmaner believes there is a "preference" among donors to work with groups that have an understanding with the country's repressive regime. However, even those registered are keen not to reveal foreign funding links, and ask donors and the press not to reveal the connections.
Donor preference reflects a cultural difference between many in Rangoon and elected representatives in donor nations and exiled Burmese. The latter would seemingly prefer much of the funding to be channelled to exiled groups linked to the largest democratic entity, Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD). Both camps allege that the other is out of touch.
This cultural difference was evidenced by the US mission to Burma in a leaked cable from 2008, sent by the chargé d'affaires, Shari Villarosa. While lambasting the NLD, describing its leadership as "sclerotic", she suggested: "We should seek every opportunity to support and increase the capacity of Burma's nascent civil society", in order, "to reform their political and economic systems in a manner that best promotes US economic and strategic interests".
Civil society then, should be funded as a way of effecting political change. We cannot know which organisations are being funded because they face repression from the military. The military may well argue its case for blocking foreign money, saying it is likely to create imbalances in a poor country. The danger is that western representatives will be free to act with as little scrutiny as the government.
Dr Maung Zarni, a fellow at the London School of Economics, says: "The words 'civil society' include only organisations and individuals on the ground which are free-market-friendly and amenable to dominant western views."
Whittingham, however asserts: "I have absolute confidence that we can support a range of civil society groups inside the country, and I don't want to comment on individual examples."
What appeared in last year's election was the National Democratic Force (NDF), an NLD splinter. It participated in the fraudulent "poll", seeing co-operation with the military as pragmatic – and preferable to principled objection – and was the toast of diplomatic Rangoon.
CSO's made in the west's image are seemingly favoured by diplomats and made up of an elite who will subsequently favour Washington over Beijing. They hope to slowly seduce the military to create an investment friendly Burma without the "idealist" Suu Kyi and her NLD.
A prime example is Myanmar Egress, a CSO tolerated by the military and connected to the NDF. It is uniquely capable of lobbying, and boasts about that fact to journalists.
The NLD's vice-chair, Tin Oo, asked in a letter to the top European commission diplomat to Burma, Andreas List: "Is 'Myanmar Egress', the organisation founded by Mr Nay Win Maung, independent from the junta's influence or is it a broker between the government's cronies and the NDF, which it is touting as a substitute for NLD?"
Meanwhile, the NLD is under severe pressure, with its members jailed, exiled or swamped by military intelligence. It is not allowed to act as a political party.
For many, the west has "lost" Burma – its soft-power washed away by its principled sanctions and relegated by China's permanence in the region. This renewed commitment by DfID suggests a need to wrestle it back, using one of the most important soft-power tools: development aid.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2011/mar/16/burma-uk-international-aid-dfid
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Clamp tightened on MPs questions
By DVB
Published: 16 March 2011
MPs in Burma have been given what appears to be a veiled warning about the submission of questions to parliament, in a move that could further stifle political debate in the military-ruled country.
Parliament began accepting questions for the first time on 10 March, six weeks after it first opened following the November elections last year.
Shwe Mann, speaker of the People’s Parliament and former top-ranking junta chief, told representatives yesterday that only questions with direct relevance to current affairs could be asked in the chamber, although little clarification was given to define the boundaries of discussion.
According to National Democratic Force (NDF) representative Kyi Myint, the powerful speaker was making reference to queries submitted by MPs regarding the controversial allocation of national budgets, some of which Shwe Mann claimed had “no relevance with the country’s situation”.
The announcement of a new government budget has drawn sharp rebukes from opposition parties in Burma, with nearly a quarter allocated to the military and the creation of a Special Funds Law that gives the commander-in-chief, currently Than Shwe, supreme authority to allocate unlimited additional money to the army without any notice, and without parliamentary consent.
The healthcare sector is meanwhile set to receive only 9.5 billion kyat ($US110 million), or 1.3 percent of the total budget. This equates to around $US2 per person per year.
Neighbouring Thailand meanwhile spends more than 10 percent of its annual budget on healthcare; among Shwe Mann’s instructions, Kyi Myint said, was that MPs in Burma shouldn’t make comparisons with neighbouring countries.
Five queries were raised by MPs in the People’s Parliament session yesterday, including the one directed to the education minister regarding the maintenance of basic education schools in Arakan state.
Hpone Myint Aung, the NDF’s representative in the National Parliament, said meanwhile that many queries submitted by MPs were turned down by the government under the ‘no relevancy’ pretext.
He said that MPs were stonewalled on topics related to finance, particularly when mooting the prospect of infrastructural projects such as roads and bridges which would require significant amounts of money.
Burma’s three parliaments are dominated by the junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), of which Shwe Mann is a member and which swept 80 percent of the vote in the elections.
http://www.dvb.no/news/clamp-tightened-on-mps-questions/14784
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Karens Flee Fighting in Burma, But Live in Limbo in Thailand
Danielle Bernstein | Mae Sot March 16, 2011
The European Commission visited Burmese refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border this week to evaluate a shift in priorities from basic relief services to longer-term sustainable assistance. But as aid workers on the border scramble to cope with the newest wave of ethnic Karen refugees fleeing war at home, questions remain about whether sustainable assistance is possible in such an unstable region.
More than 10,000 refugees from eastern Burma have crossed into Thailand since fighting erupted between government troops and the opposition Democratic Karen Buddhist Army in November after the country’s first national elections in two decades.
Thailand considers them to be illegal migrants, so they are not allowed in the refugee camps, and have little access to humanitarian aid. Instead, they seek shelter in the jungle or in squatter camps.
Four months of continuous fighting in border areas of Burma’s Karen State shows no signs of letting up. Sally Thompson, of the Thai/Burma Border Consortium says the election has made Thai authorities more reluctant to offer aid to refugees.
"The fact that the elections have been held is seen as the start of a new phase which is not more refugees,” Thompson said. “The hope from the Thai government and others is that the new phase is that the refugees will be able to gradually return back to Burma so there is not a willingness at this stage to put new mechanisms in place that are likely to attract more refugees to Thailand it would be seen from the Thai government’s perspective if they were to establish more official sites they consider that would be a pull factor."
Thompson’s organization estimates more than 140,000 people from Burma live in 10 refugee camps along the border. Thousands more reside in nine camps inside Burma that the consortium monitors.
The lack of health care at home or in Thailand remains a critical issue for the refugees.
"Basically there’s no effective health system in eastern Burma and so people are coming to places like Mae Tao clinic because it’s the only place they can get any health care,” Thompson added. “There’s no health system that’s been put in place from the government’s side what people have access to is what the ethnic groups themselves have established."
The Mae Tao clinic, founded by Dr. Cynthia Maung in Mae Sot, provides free health services to refugees. Lok Gwa, a trainee surgeon at the clinic, says since the border was closed in September, they have been seeing fewer patients. Hospital records confirm patient numbers have held at around 10,500 a month, about 2,000 less than usual.
The clinic’s staff says this indicates not that fewer people are sick, but that fewer can reach the clinic and either go without, or must have health care come to them.
Naw Paw Hser Mu Lar has spent the past 10 years as a member of the Backpack Health Worker Team, a network of more than 300 mobile health care providers who care for those living in conflict areas in Burma.
She says the fighting has led to a rise in malaria, diarrhea, maternal and child illnesses, and land mine injuries since November.
"Policy has not changed,” said Mu Lar. “I think more fighting than last year. More patients. More fighting means more patients, more serious cases."
Mahn Mahn, the president of the Backpack Health Worker Team, has similar fears.
"In terms of before the election in Burma we expected there would be more conflict but nobody in the international community believed us,” Mahn Mahn said. “But anyway, before the election in Burma we started to prepare for after the election, and fighting started in Myawady and then we started to form the seven emergency backpack teams."
Human rights activists and refugees say the conflict escalated after the election, as the Burmese army tries to gain control over more Karen territory.
Burma’s military government has signed peace agreements with several of the country’s ethnic militias, including the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army. But none of the ethnic groups agreed with a government demand that they become part of a national border guard, and as a result, fighting has flared in many parts of the country.
A European Union delegation plans to visit the border refugee camps this week. The team aims to evaluate new sustainable options for helping the Burmese, even as Thai officials look to repatriate them. Thompson sees the resolution to Burma’s refugee crisis as primarily a political one.
"Until the ethnic issue is resolved in Burma the conflict will be ongoing,” Thompson said. “It’s very unlikely in the short-term that the ethnic issue will be resolved so it’s very likely that we will see low intensity ongoing conflict in the ethnic areas which will continue to generate more arrivals into Thailand."
Karen refugees began fleeing into Thailand 26 years ago, and aid workers say what originally was seen as temporary situation has become permanent. The EU says its delegation hopes to come up with ways to help the refugees rebuild their lives, and bring them health care, education and livelihoods. http://www.voanews.com/english/news/asia/southeast/Karens-Flee-Fighting-in-Burma-But-Live-in-Limbo-in-Thailand-118072334.html
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Tuesday, February 1, 2011
ミャンマー 「タンシュエ大統領」強まる 軍政は継続へ
毎日新聞 2月1日(火)1時1分配信
拡大写真
タンシュエ氏＝ＡＰ
【バンコク西尾英之】ミャンマーの首都ネピドーで３１日開会した国会下院は、議長に現政権ナンバー３のシュエマン前軍総参謀長（６３）を選出した。シュエマン氏は最高指導者、タンシュエ国家平和発展評議会議長（７７）の後継者と目され、２月にも選出される大統領の有力候補の一人だった。シュエマン氏の議長就任で、大統領にはタンシュエ氏が選出される可能性が強まった。
現地からの情報によると、上下院は１日午前、副大統領３人の選出手続きに入る。このうち１人が大統領に選ばれるが、タンシュエ氏が副大統領に選出されれば大統領就任は確定的になる。
ミャンマー国内では最近になって、タンシュエ氏自身が大統領就任に意欲を示しているとの観測が広がっていたが、本命とみられていたシュエマン氏の下院議長選出は、現地でも驚きをもって迎えられている。現地情報筋は、氏が議長を辞任して改めて副大統領に選ばれることも不可能ではないが現実的ではなく、タンシュエ氏の大統領就任の可能性が強まったとの見方だ。
これまで独裁的権限を振るってきたタンシュエ氏が民政移管後の国家元首である大統領に横滑りすれば、民政移管が見せかけに過ぎないことがより鮮明になり、ミャンマーと米欧など国際社会との関係修復は極めて困難になる。
一方、高齢で健康に不安を抱えるタンシュエ氏が海外での国際会議出席など大統領の職務をこなすのは困難との見方から、氏は軍を統括する国防治安評議会議長に就任して院政を敷くとの観測もある。このほかの大統領候補には現政権ナンバー４のテインセイン首相（６５）らの名前が挙がっている。
国会上院は３１日、議長にキンアウンミン文化相を選出した。
◇多勢に無勢、論戦も困難…民主化勢力、少数民族政党
選挙結果に基づく複数政党参加の議会としては１９６２年以来４９年ぶりという歴史的な国会では、民主化勢力や少数民族政党が、民主化や民族自治拡大、国民経済の改善などで政権に論争を挑む構えだ。しかし軍部寄り議員が圧倒的多数を占める国会で、実りある議論が交わされる望みは薄い。
「議会ではガソリンなど燃料費の高騰や、携帯電話などの高額な通信費について議論したい」。３１日、初登院を前に民族衣装で正装した民主化勢力「国民民主勢力」（ＮＤＦ）のミャニャナスエ議員は毎日新聞に語った。
上下院で少数民族系政党として最も多い計２１議席を獲得した「シャン民族民主党」の議員は毎日新聞に「副大統領には少数民族議員を擁立する。我々は国会議員として自身の信じる行動を取る権利がある」と話す。
だが議会は圧倒的に軍部寄り議員が優勢だ。１１月の総選挙は民主化運動のシンボルとして国民の人気が高いアウンサンスーチーさん（６５）を排除して実施され、軍事政権翼賛政党「連邦団結発展党」（ＵＳＤＰ）と、政権に近いとされる旧ネウィン政権系の「国民統一党」が、合わせて上下院とも民選枠のほぼ８割を獲得した。さらに憲法の規定で両院とも定数の２５％の軍推薦枠議員が加わる。
これに対しＮＤＦは両院合わせて１２議席。地盤とする選挙区では比較的善戦した各少数民族系政党も、全体ではわずかな議席しか獲得できなかった。
少数野党のＮＤＦや少数民族系政党が議会で自身の要求を訴えても実現は極めて困難だ。
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