News & Articles on Burma-Friday, 13 January, 2011

News & Articles on Burma
Friday, 13 January, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------
Than Shwe Chooses Next President—Himself
Ethnics Seek Vice-President Nomination
Burma Army to set up more battalions on the Thai-Burma border
Burmese Bank Rumored on Verge of Bankruptcy
Security Tightened in Search for Militants, Dissidents
Escaped prisoners say Burmese Army using them as human mine sweepers
The Show in Burma is coming up
Burma to privatise 90% of its companies - report
The Suu Kyi effect: A new age of quiet defiance
Suu Kyi fights for party’s existence
MYANMAR: Addicted to poppy farming
SNLD: Insurrections in Burma is junta creation
Burma’s first parliamentary assembly and the question of self-determination
Release of Suu Kyi May Boost Tourism
--------------------------------------------------------------


Than Shwe Chooses Next President—Himself
By THE IRRAWADDY Friday, January 14, 2011

Burma's military junta strongman, Snr-Gen Than Shwe, has reportedly drawn up a draft outlining his lineup of the future ruling hierarchy, some two weeks ahead of the opening session of Parliament on Jan. 31, according to sources in Burma’s administrative capital, Naypyidaw.

Than Shwe has reportedly penciled himself in as President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.

However, the junta’s No.2, Vice Snr-Gen Maung Aye, is reportedly set to retire from office for reasons of ill-health.

The military regime's Secretary-1 ex-Gen Tin Aung Myint Oo is reported to be one of two vice presidents. The junta’s No.3, ex-Gen Shwe Mann is to be appointed as the Chairman of the Union Hluttaw [parliament], one of the most powerful posts under the 2008 Constitution.

And Prime Minister Thein Sein, who is also the chairman of the junta’s proxy party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), will hold onto the party leadership position, the sources said.

Lt-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, the current Joint-Chief of Staff (Army, Navy, Air Force) is reportedly set to become the Commander-in-Chief, while Maj-Gen Soe Win, the Chief of the Bureau of Special Operations-6, is to be appointed Deputy Commander-in-Chief.

Lt-Gen Myint Aung, who was reportedly in line to be Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, will now take the position of Minister of Defense, while Lt-Gen Ko Ko, who was said to be in line to be Deputy Commander-in-Chief, is now set to become the Minister of Home Affairs.

Despite the authenticity of the leaked information and the reliability of its sources, The Irrawaddy cautions that any speculation of the divisions of power in Burma is very difficult to ascertain as every and any decision can be taken, modified or reversed at any time by one man, the dictator Than Shwe.

In late August, an extensive military reshuffle took place when several older military generals were replaced with younger ones, starting with the military’s third-highest ranking position of Joint-Chief of Staff. At that time, the junta’s top two generals, Than Shwe and Maung Aye, reportedly resigned from the military. Later, they appeared in public still in military dress and addressed as Commander-in-Chief and Deputy-Commander-in- Chief of the Armed Forces.

However, military sources in Naypyidaw said Than Shwe reportedly told his spiritual leaders and close friends and relatives in July that he wanted to take a rest from leading the country. His wife Kyaing Kyaing disagreed that he should retire and argued that he still had “a lot of work to do for the country.”

“What we know is that he is not fit and needs to rest,” said a military source. “But his family won't let him—especially his wife, his daughters and his favorite grandson. They simply can't face losing power.”

The official added: “You have to understand that our leadership prides himself on being unpredictable.”
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=20528
-------------------------------------------------------
Ethnics Seek Vice-President Nomination
By KO HTWE Friday, January 14, 2011

Six ethnic political parties that won seats in November's general election will meet on Saturday in Rangoon with a view to establishing a unified approach in calling for equality and self-determination in the new Parliament.

The parties will also discuss a proposal to nominate an ethnic representative as vice president in both or either of the houses to be submitted to the Electoral College, according to several ethnic party leaders.

“Our nomination will be in line with the rules of the Constitution,” said Aye Maung, the chairman of the Rakhine National Democratic Party (RNDP). “We would like to propose an ethnic representative to be Minister of State, but that simply won't happen.”

The six parties that will meet include the All Mon Regions Democracy Party, the Chin National Party, the RNDP and the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP), said Sai Saung See, the vice-chairman of the SNDP.

He said the ethnic parties wish to nominate one representative that will stand before each House—the Pyithu Hluttaw (Peoples' Assembly) and Amyotha Hluttaw (Nationalities Assembly)—which each hold a duty to elect one vice-president as two of the three members of the Electoral collage.

The other Electoral College vice-president will be selected by the 25 percent of Parliamentary seats held by military appointees.

“We believe the chief ministers of each state should appoint a representative from the ethnic minorities,” said Saung See.

Some of the 14 regional and state chief ministers have already been selected, and the six parties will discuss a nomination for the position of Chief Minister of State, he added.

However, said Aye Maung, it seems the chief ministers will be representatives with an ethnic background appointed from the Union Solidarity and Development Party.

Although representative from the Phalon-Sawaw Democratic Party cannot attend the meeting, they have said they will stand by the decision made by the parties on Saturday, said the party chairman, Khin Maung Myint.

Burma’s Parliament will convene on Jan. 31 for the first time in 22 years. Both the Upper and Lower Houses (the Amyotha Hluttaw and the Pyithu Hluttaw), as well as the 14 regional and state parliaments, will commence sessions at 8:55 am in Naypyidaw, according to state media reports. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=20527
--------------------------------------------------
Burma Army to set up more battalions on the Thai-Burma border
Friday, 14 January 2011 13:43 Hseng Khio Fah

The Burma Army is reportedly going to set up a new town and 3 more battalions in Shan State East's Mongton Township bordering with Thailand's Chiangmai province, where the United Wa State Army (UWSA) and the Shan State Army (SSA) 'South' are active, according to local sources.

The location of the new town will be at Monghta village tract, west of Mongton, 44 kilometers north of Chiangmai's Wiang Haeng district. This project was announced when Brig-Gen Than Htun Oo, Commander of the Triangle Region Command, visited the areas recently, said Mongton residents.

"He [the commander] told that Monghta village will be developed into a town and will place at least 3 permanent battalions there and urge people to relocate there," a resident said. "No one gave him [the commander] any response on that day 12 January."

According to him, a plot of land will be sold at Kyat 45,000 (U $ 50). The commander was reported to have arrived in the area since 11 January and was still said to be touring in their bases along the Thai-Burma border until yesterday.

A Thai-Burma border watcher analyst on the subject of the planned project that the military junta is likely to block the route of the UWSA fighters because Monghta, where the project will taken place, is positioned between operational areas of UWSA's 778th Brigade and 772nd Brigade and also serves as the gateway to the anti-Naypyitaw Shan State Army (SSA) 'South" base Loi Taileng.

"It will be easy for them [the junta] to watch over all the movements not only of the Wa but also the SSA fighters if they can hold this point plus Thai army activities," he said.

A similar project was also reported to be constructed in Shan State South's areas between the Shan State Army (SSA) North bases in the west and United Wa State Army (UWSA) bases in the east, in December. It was the installation of artillery and infantry units in areas where the two groups [SSA 'North' and Wa] that are at loggerheads with the junta are active.

Currently, the number of reports of the Burma Army's expansion in the ethnic states, especially in armed groups controlled areas, has increased.
Nevertheless, many think that there as yet any sign of a major operation, but believe it will be after a new government is installed. The first session of Burma's new parliament will be convened on 31 January. http://www.shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3411:burma-army-to-set-up-more-battalions-on-the-thai-burma-border&catid=86:war&Itemid=284
--------------------------------------------
Burmese Bank Rumored on Verge of Bankruptcy
By YENI Friday, January 14, 2011

Cooperative Bank, Burma's second-largest privately owned financial institution, is fighting for its survival as depositors rush to withdraw their savings amid rumors that the bank's owner is involved in a business dispute with a crony of one of the ruling regime's most powerful generals.

According to Rangoon-based business sources, the bank's reserves have dwindled to almost nothing, and its chairman, Khin Maung Aye, is struggling to secure credit from other banks to stay afloat.

Among the banks that Khin Maung Aye has turned to are Kanbawza Bank, owned by Aung Ko Win, a close associate of Vice Snr-Gen Maung Aye, the Burmese junta's second in command, and Myawaddy Bank, owned by the military-run Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited.

“None of them will lend him anything. We are very concerned that Cooperative Bank is on the verge of collapse because of its extremely weak financial position,” said a source close to the banks.

However, there have also been reports that some of Burma's senior leaders have stepped in to prevent the failure of the bank. Specifically, former Gen Thein Sein, the country's prime minister, and former Maj-Gen Tin Htut, the minister of the Co-operatives and patron of the Cooperative Bank , who are said to be close to Khin Maung Aye, are believed to have intervened on the bank's behalf.

The same reports added, however, that Khin Maung Aye remains under pressure, with some other leading generals pushing for his resignation as the bank's chairman and as the secretary general of the Myanmar Bank Association.

According to Burma's Central Bank, Cooperative Bank held around 35 billion kyat (US $42 million) in deposits before the crisis. However, sources said that depositors began quietly withdrawing their money from the bank in mid-December after it was rumored that Khin Maung Aye was on bad terms with former Lt-Gen Thiha Thura Tin Aung Myint Oo, the regime's secretary 1 and Trade Council chairman.

Sources said that Khin Maung Aye's troubles started when he complained late last year about Tin Aung Myint Oo's decision to give licenses to Asia World, a company owned by his business associate Tun Myint Naing (aka Steven Law), the son of former drug lord Lo Hsing Han, to operate ground handling and passenger services at the country's two international airports in Rangoon and Mandalay.

Tin Aung Myint Oo has also recently awarded several other major contracts to Asia World, including for construction of hydro-power plants, jetties in Rangoon port, airports, and roads and bridges.

“Khin Maung Aye openly asked Tin Aung Myint Oo to give the ground handling and passenger services licenses to MAI [Myanmar Airways International], which is partly owned by Cooperative Bank,” a source said, adding that this prompted the regime's secretary 1 to urge some action against Khin Maung Aye in meetings with other top generals in Napyidaw.

According to business sources, the Trade Council has been pushing Khin Maung Aye to sell Cooperative Bank's shares in MAI and hand control of the airline to Kanbawza Bank, which bought the former national airline early last year in partnership with Cooperative Bank and Tun Foundation Bank. Meanwhile, Khin Maung Aye's construction company, Kaung Myanmar Associates Construction, has also lost contracts to build state guest houses in Naypyidaw.

As Khin Maung Aye's fortunes continue to plummet, business people are watching the market closely to see what impact all of this is having.

One effect so far, according to business sources in Rangoon, has been a rise in demand for gold, as businessmen who have withdrawn their money from Cooperative Bank buy the precious metal for safekeeping.

“Demand has immediately jumped up,” said the owner of a gold shop in Rangoon. “When I ask the customers, I found that many were businessmen who had withdrawn their money from Cooperative Bank.”

The price of gold in the Rangoon market on Friday was 634,500 kyat ($761.70) per kyat-thar (0.036 ounce).

Another reason for the increased demand for gold, said some observers, was that many business people are buying it as a hedge against a further decline in the value of the US dollar against the kyat. One US dollar is currently selling for 833 kyat.

Yan Pai and Aung Thet Wine also contributed this article.
http://irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=20526
-------------------------------------------------
Security Tightened in Search for Militants, Dissidents
By THE IRRAWADDY Friday, January 14, 2011

The Burmese authorities have tightened security at border checkpoints and increased nighttime screening of households in the former capital Rangoon in an attempt to track down dissidents and militant anti-government activists.

At least 10 police checkpoints have been set up on the road from the restive border town of Myawaddy in Karen State to the country's largest city, Rangoon. Sources said that at no less than four of these checkpoints, passengers were ordered off buses, searched and questioned by a combined force of police, military intelligence and immigration officials.

The number of checkpoints has also increased in Chin, Kachin and Shan states on roads to border-crossings to India and China, according to local sources.

“Passengers coming from the Indian and Chinese borders were mostly checked for illicit drugs,” said a bus driver. “Those coming from the Thai border were checked to see whether they were political dissidents or members of armed groups, or just migrant workers.”

Rangoon residents reported that nighttime checks of households, family members and guests have recently increased.

“No one dares to receive a guest without a national identity card. The guest must be registered at the local quarter authorities,” said a Rangoon resident, adding that he heard that the military government has a plan to digitize national identity cards to make it easier for the security forces to track down dissidents.

Those heading by road to the capital, Naypyidaw, were checked at least once and their national identity cards were scrutinized, military sources said. Even relatives visiting family members at the military headquarters in Naypyidaw were checked en route, they said.

“The security forces have been provided with a list and photographs of those wanted by military intelligence,” said a member of the Vigorous Burmese Student Warriors, a militant group blamed by the Burmese regime for a deadly bombing campaign conducted during last April's water festival in Rangoon.

The group has neither claimed responsibility nor rejected the regime's allegations. In a recent interview with The Irrawaddy, the senior member of the group said that it will increase attacks against the Burmese military government in the form of urban warfare.

In a related development, an anti-personnel land mine exploded in Kawkareik Township in Karen State on Friday, seriously injuring at least 15 bus passengers, including four military personnel. The renegade Brigade 5 of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army is suspected of planting the device on the road. http://irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=20525
-----------------------------------------
NEWKERALA.COM
Escaped prisoners say Burmese Army using them as human mine sweepers

London, Jan 14 : Three prisoners who managed to escape from the clutches of the Burmese Army have claimed that military junta in Myanmar is using about 600 prisoners as human mine sweepers along the country's border with Thailand.

The Telegraph quoted the three prisoners, as saying that as prisoners did not possess money to bribe their jailers to avoid forced military service, they were being sent to the frontier to act as 'porters carrying ammunition'.

"We had to carry ammunition, equipment and food for the soldiers. The worst thing is that they used prisoners to clear minefields ahead of their advance. There were many prisoners who were injured by the landmines after they were forced to walk ahead of the soldiers. We ran away because we didn''t want the same thing to happen to us," one of the escaped prisoners said.

According to a human rights group, these prisoners suffered serious injuries as they were forced to walk ahead of troops across mined land.

The Burmese military regime regularly tortures its opponents, attacks rebel villages and uses rape as a weapon of war, reports said.

--ANI http://www.newkerala.com/news/world/fullnews-124134.html
-----------------------------------------------------
The Show in Burma is coming up
By Dr. Tint Swe

The Burmese military regime has recently announced on 4th November, the enactment of a law under which all males between 18 and 45 and all females between 18 and 35 years of age can be drafted into the armed forces. While there is no doubt of a shortage of volunteers to join the Army, nobody knows why such a law was kept away from the public for two months. It is also strange that it was enacted on the eve of the Parliament session that is scheduled to convene on January 31, 2011.

The bill would not have been rejected by the parliament as the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) has 259 out of 330 seats i.e. 78.48% in the Pyithu Hluttaw (House of Representatives) and 129 out of 168 seats i.e. 76.79% in the Amyotha Hluttaw (House of Nationalities). In addition there are 25% selected army parliamentarians. What was the hurry then?

Even earlier, the National Service in Military (NSM) was in practice but enforced only for medical doctors. Out of the fresh MBBS and BDS degree holders some of them were inducted into military service for three years. They had to undergo a month-long basic military training at the Medical Corps Center. Regrettably it was found that the majority of recruited doctors showed no signs of interest in army and 90% of them left after the term. Moreover the Tatmadaw (Army) had been short of physicians and dental surgeons because all Universities and schools were repeatedly shut down following the 8888 student-led uprising. Then the military regime started the Defense Services Medical Academy in 1992 providing stipends and exclusive facilities for them.

According to the Human Rights Watch, Burma has the largest number of child soldiers in the world. In 2002 there was a report named “My Gun was as Tall as Me: Child Soldiers in Burma” and in 2007 a new report was titled “Sold to be Soldiers: The Recruitment and Use of Child Soldiers in Burma’ appeared.

In October 2006 the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) was handed over a list of 17 complaints of child recruitment by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). In March 2007 the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on Burma, expressing grave concern at the continuing recruitment and use of child soldiers and strongly urging the regime to put an immediate end to the practice. In April 2007 the UN Security Council working group on children and armed conflict placed the situation of children affected by armed conflict in Myanmar on its agenda.

In February 2007 a Supplementary Understanding was signed by the SPDC and the International Labor Organization (ILO), which has been monitoring rampant forced labor practice in Burma. It provides for a complaint mechanism which allows the citizens to bring cases of forced labor under ILO Convention 29 Concerning Forced Labor to the ILO liaison office in Yangon. Since then ILO office in Rangoon is busy.

Hence the new law will help to recruit soldiers at will. But for what purpose! The observers predict that more young Burmese will be leaving the country to escape from five years imprisonment if they fail to serve in the armed forces. They will do so because they dislike military service as the regime has severely damaged the integrity of once reputed Burma Army. They also do not think it is right when no possible foreign aggression is perceived and conflict will be only internal, with the possibility of ethnic groups rising against the regime particularly after the recent elections.

Five million Burmese are living or working in other countries. Twenty years ago before this military junta seized the power, for Burmese citizens going abroad was a luxury and only political dissidents crossed the borders with Thailand, India, Bangladesh and China to seek shelter. The prediction that the election held on 7th November 2010 would not halt or stop refugee and migrant workers outflow is proved correct and a new group of refugees evading the mandatory conscription is bound to grow.

The parliaments will meet at 8:55 AM on 31st January 2011 as per an official broadcast on 10th January. On 11 January the booklets on Rules and Regulations for parliaments were also sold but an elected representative failed to buy a copy even after standing for 45 minutes in a long queue.

Apart from the USDP, other parties have not received any official communication on the date for parliaments. he list of military representatives is yet to be announced.

Those who will be in the Pyithu Hluttaw (House of Representatives) and in the Amyotha Hluttaw (House of Nationalities) can correctly guess that they will have to go Naypyitaw. But Region and State parliament representatives have no idea of the location where they have to make debates and laws.

One parliamentarian who was also elected in 1990 election said, “We have waited for two decades to make our demands through the parliament. Now that the parliament is going to be convened, I hope I will be able to work for the good of the people and the country from within the system.” He is from the National Democratic Force (NDF).

Many observers continue making the mistake that NDF which won only 8 seats in the Pyithu Hluttaw, 4 seats in the Amyotha Hluttaw and 4 seats in the Regions and States Parliament is the sister party of the National League for Democracy (NLD) which did not contest in the election held in 2010. The NDF is totally different from the Party for National Democracy (PND) which was purposely formed before the 1990 election for fear of dissolution of the NLD. When Aung San Suu Kyi received the leaders of NDF on 30th December, it was more social or personal and no politics was discussed during that meeting.

Optimists, who hoped for better life and conditions after the election, have seen no release of prisoners, no relaxation and on the contrary, experience more censorship after the much-criticized election. So they have to look forward to convening the parliament and formation of the new government. Will they be lucky?

The restrictions for parliamentary conduct have been made known. Any protest staged within parliament is liable to two years of imprisonment. It is meant particularly for non-USDP representatives: 66 in the Pyithu Hluttaw, 107 in the Amyotha Hluttaw, 886 in the Regions and State Parliaments and 29 ethnic representatives.

Some observers consider that USDP is a pro-junta party. In fact it is more than a sister party but identical twins. So all policies and practices will be exactly the same as those of the SPDC era. The Burmese people cannot expect any improved livelihood and the neighbors cannot hope for enhanced cross-border relations.

To sum up, a new stage has been set in Burma to perform the old drama.

Dr. Tin Swe is an elected member of Parliament from Burma from the NLD now living in F-15, Vikas Puri, New Delhi and can be reached at his mobile- 981-000-3286, e-mail drswe01@gmail.com http://www.eurasiareview.com/analysis/the-show-in-burma-is-coming-up-13012011/
-----------------------------------------------------
14 January 2011 Last updated at 04:06 GMT
Burma to privatise 90% of its companies - report
By Mark Gregory BBC News

The Burmese government may be planning a dramatic change in the way the country's economy is managed.

According to a report in local news media, the government intends to privatise 90% of state-owned enterprises by the end of this year.

If true, it would mark a major shift in policy for the country, which recently held its first election in 20 years.

Until fairly recently it has been the most rigidly state-dominated economy in Asia after North Korea.

So is the report credible? Hard information on economic policy in Burma is almost impossible to obtain.

The notoriously secretive government rarely speaks to Western media.

But within that context, the latest report appears reasonably well sourced.

The reputable Burmese business news magazine Biweekly Eleven quotes the deputy minister for industry, U Khin Kyaw, as saying the government plans to sell most state enterprises into private hands within the next few months.
Politics

Observers say the main motivation for this dramatic policy shift would be political not economic.

Burma recently had a general election - the first in two decades - which, while by no standard free or fair, is leading to a change of generation in the leadership.

One theory is the privatisation programme provides a kind of golden parachute for those exiting power.

This suggests that most of the privatised assets will be acquired at knock-down prices by people who have had positions in government, and by their families and friends.

"I think what's really going on is there's going to be a bit of a firesale, if you like, of these assets to people closely connected to the current regime," said Sean Turnell, a professor of economics at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia.

"And really the motivation for them is making sure this wealth remains in their hands, regardless of what happens to the political situation," Mr Turnell said.

In fact Burma has already moved towards liberalising what has been one of the most state-dominated economies in Asia.

More than 100 government-owned enterprises, including petrol stations and port facilities, were sold off within the last 12 months.

China has emerged as the main buyer for Burma's plentiful exports of gas, gems and other natural resources in recent years.

But observers say sensitivities about national sovereignty make it unlikely that the Burmese authorities would allow Chinese firms to acquire outright ownership of privatised assets.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12188585
-------------------------------------------------------
The Suu Kyi effect: A new age of quiet defiance

Two months after her release, Burma's most famous dissident is inspiring a shift among protesters
By Phoebe Kennedy in Rangoon
Friday, 14 January 2011

Aung San Suu Kyi, centre, opens the National League for Democracy's HQ in Rangoon

Her release brought joy and a rare glimpse of hope to the long-suffering people of Burma. Now, two months after democracy heroine Aung San Suu Kyi was freed from house arrest, the euphoria has faded, but hope remains.

On the surface, little has changed. After a November election boycotted by Ms Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party and decried as rigged by other opposition politicians, the Burmese junta is pressing ahead with its plans to create a "discipline-flourishing democracy".

A new parliament will convene at the end of January with the ruling generals firmly in control. A quarter of the seats in the two-house Union Parliament are reserved for military nominees. Of the seats contested in the election, 80 per cent went to the junta's proxy, the Union Solidarity and Development Party. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/the-suu-kyi-effect-a-new-age-of-quiet-defiance-2184290.html
-----------------------------------------------
Suu Kyi fights for party’s existence
By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Published: 14 January 2011

Democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi appealed to Burma’s Supreme Court Thursday, the latest in a string of legal wranglings over the dissolution of her political party before last year’s elections.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner’s National League for Democracy (NLD) was disbanded for boycotting the military-ruled country’s first election in 20 years in response to rules that seemed designed to bar her from taking part.

“We submitted our special appeal to the Supreme Court in [the capital] Naypyidaw this afternoon. We are waiting for their reply,” said Nyan Win, one of Suu Kyi’s lawyers and a party spokesman.

Suu Kyi, a co-founder of the NLD, was released from more than seven years in detention on 13 November, a few days after the rare election in which the junta-backed party claimed overwhelming victory.

Shortly after her release, the court refused to hear her lawsuit against the junta for dissolving the NLD. She had unsuccessfully filed an earlier suit with the Supreme Court aimed at preventing its abolition.

Court verdicts in the military-ruled country rarely favour opposition activists, and a series of appeals by Suu Kyi against her house arrest – before it expired in November – were rejected.

The NLD was founded in 1988 after a popular uprising against the military junta that left thousands dead. Two years later the party won elections in a landslide but the results were never recognised by the regime.
http://www.dvb.no/news/suu-kyi-fights-for-partys-existence/13707
-------------------------------------------
MYANMAR: Addicted to poppy farming
Source: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN)
Date: 13 Jan 2011

SHAN STATE, 13 January 2011 (IRIN) - Poverty and lucrative profits make poppy cultivation increasingly attractive to farmers who would otherwise produce legal crops to feed their families and make a living, say experts.

"More of the rural poor continue to be drawn into participating in the illicit drug trade as a last means of finding money to feed their families," Jason Eligh, Country Representative for the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Myanmar, told IRIN.

Shan State, 400km north of the capital, Yangon, between Myanmar, Laos and Thailand, produces more than 90 percent of all opium in Myanmar, an estimated 35,000 tons in 2010, according to UNODC.

UNODC is the only international agency directly involved in supporting different crops in poppy cultivation areas, with three agriculture projects in southern Shan State trying to reach 100,000 people. However, much more needs to be done to stop farmers from reverting to opium production, said Eligh.

"UNODC wants to see a strong alternative development response, one that includes market access, community mobilization, access to credit, improved technology and better overall infrastructure in rural areas."

Cash crop

In 2010, a higher proportion of farmers' income came from poppies than in previous years, reversing a trend of steady decline in the past six years.

Between 2003 and 2009, the proportion of total household income from poppies fell from 70 to 20 percent, according to a December 2010 UNODC report. [ http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportID=91358 ]

In 2010, however, high prices paid for poppy in Myanmar and low food security throughout the country meant income from the seed contributed to 43 percent of total household income in Shan State, the report stated. About a quarter of the state's population was involved, estimate aid agencies.

Though prices at source (farm-gate) for poppy fell marginally in 2010 from 2009, opium overall remained lucrative at US$305 per kilo. Poppy farmers can earn 13 times more money cultivating poppies than rice, making poppies the cash crop of choice for most, based on the UNODC report.

Farmers forced out of poppy cultivation are having problems growing other food to survive. "I grow enough vegetables to keep my family going, but that is all," U Tin Kyi told IRIN.

U Tin Kyi grew poppy seeds to supplement his income until authorities destroyed his fields two years ago. Like many of his neighbours in this hilltop village, U Tin Kyi has little extra income. "The fuel cost to get to the market outweighs any profit I would make from selling vegetables," he told IRIN.

Eradication efforts

Poppy cultivation continued to rise in Myanmar in 2010, despite an official 15-year drug elimination plan developed in the late 1990s. In 2009, the authorities initiated the final five-year phase of this plan.

Government figures claim 8,268 hectares of poppy-cultivating land were eradicated in 2010, a 102 percent increase on the previous year.

But other groups calculate that Myanmar's poppy cultivation area and yield actually increased during this period.

"In 2010 we estimate that there [was] 20 percent more area under opium poppy cultivation, a 46 percent increase in average opium yield, and a 17 percent increase in the number of households involved in domestic opium poppy cultivation," said Eligh of UNODC.

In northern Shan State, in 2008, government figures showed 25 percent of poppy fields were destroyed, but a 2010 report [ http://www.womenofburma.org/Report/PoisonedHillsFinal.pdf ] by Palaung Women's Organization (PWO), an NGO based in Mae Sot along the Thai-Myanmar border, stated only 11 percent of poppy fields had been eradicated.

Government anti-drug teams were only destroying easily visible poppy fields and filing false eradication data to the police headquarters, the report said. At the same time, farmers were forced to pay taxes to continue growing poppies.

In Mantong village in northern Shan State, PWO estimated the government collected approximately $37,000 in poppy taxes in 2008. A selection of IRIN reports are posted on ReliefWeb. Find more IRIN news and analysis at http://www.irinnews.org

Une sélection d'articles d'IRIN sont publiés sur ReliefWeb. Trouvez d'autres articles et analyses d'IRIN sur http://www.irinnews.org

This article does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies. Refer to the IRIN copyright page for conditions of use.

Cet article ne reflète pas nécessairement les vues des Nations Unies. Voir IRIN droits d'auteur pour les conditions d'utilisation.

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/JDUN-8D49AW?OpenDocument
-------------------------------------------------------
SNLD: Insurrections in Burma is junta creation
Thursday, 13 January 2011 15:52 Hseng Khio Fah

Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) met with Paul Grove, the senior Republican aide on the Senate Appropriations subcommittee for foreign operations to stress the fact that insurrections in Burma, which have taken place for over six decades now, is intentionally created by the ruling military junta. They constitute one of its ways to keep and expand its power, according to the party’s spokesperson, Sai Leik.

“We explained to him [Mr Grove] about Burma’s problems and asked him to help us,” Sai Leik said.

In its meeting on 11 January, SNLD explained to Senator Grove that the reason Burma’s problem cannot be solved is not due to problems between Burmese people and ethnic nationalities, as the ruling junta wants the international community to believe.

“The reason is it [the military junta] doesn’t want to hand over its power to a people-elected government. It then finds ways to make people unhappy with them [the military junta] until the people could not bear it and resisted,” said Sai Leik. “This is why insurrections have not ended yet.”

Without the uprisings, the junta would not have a proper reason to show the international community why it keeps controlling the country. For instance, it claims that ethnic areas have no peace and stability even though the junta contributes to this lack of peace and stability.

“They are taking advantage of the situation to control the country. In order to end the instability, there must be a tripartite dialogue,” a SNLD secretary told Mr Grove.

To make the tripartite dialogue a reality, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and National League for Democracy (NLD) must propagate the principles of democracy and federalism among the people, which the non-Burma ethnic parties will have to propagate each among its own people. Both must then propagate them among the military until its lower ranks and officers push the top brass to open dialogue with the democratic and ethnic movements, he said.http://www.shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3410:snld-insurrections-in-burma-is-junta-creation&catid=85:politics&Itemid=266
------------------------------------------------
Burma’s first parliamentary assembly and the question of self-determination
Fri, 2011-01-14 01:53 — editor

* Article

By - Zin Linn

Burma’s new legislative body is to convene for the first time on January 31, nearly two months after the military-ruled nation held a widely denounced election, the military junta’s media announced on last Monday. The new parliament, it is expected, will honor the final steps of its so-called seven-step roadmap to democracy.

The two-chamber national parliament will meet in the capital Naypyidaw, while new regional legislatures too will convene at the same time, government-controlled television reported, quoting an order from junta chief Senior General Than Shwe.

The new parliament was elected in polls held last November, which was criticized as sham by the opposition parties, including the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who was recently freed from house arrest. The vote was widely alleged by democracy activists and Western governments as of fraud and bullying as well as barred the opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her party from participating.

According to a brief announcement by junta’s media, the country’s 1,154 lawmakers will assemble in a gigantic new building in the remote capital of Naypyitaw. It will be the first parliamentary session since a 1988 assembly in the old capital of Rangoon (Yangon).

The ruling junta’s military-backed party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), claimed more than 76 percent of seats in the two-house of the Union Parliament in November 7 polls, the country’s first in two decades.

According to new laws announced by head of the junta in November, members of parliaments will not be permitted the freedom of expression if their presentations jeopardize national security or the unity of the country. Any protest inside the parliament is carrying a punishment of up to two years imprisonment. Anyone apart from lawmakers that enters parliament while it is in session has to face a one-year prison term.

The election results give surety that the military, which has ruled Burma since 1962, will continue to exercise power.

A quarter of the seats in parliament were already reserved for the armed forces, which together with its political proxy USDP will have a happy majority for passing laws and electing the president. Under the junta’s 2008 constitution, parliament need not meet more than once a year. Dissatisfaction is spreading all through the society due to the flawed electoral process.

Up to now, it is unclear what function Than Shwe plans to play for his role.

The country’s last elections in 1990 were overwhelmingly won by the opposition party led by Aung San Suu Kyi. The military refused to hand over of power and locked up Aung San Suu Kyi for most of the past 21 years, and released her a week after the controversial elections. Her Party has been disbanded and has not been allowed sitting in the proposed new parliament. She was under detention for more than a decade and a half and was freed on 13 November, 2010.

Simultaneously, the three ceasefire armed groups have challenged Burma Army that pressured them to transform into Border Guard Forces (BGFs). For that reason, the groups have come around declining BGF plan in order to avoid Burmese junta’s oppressive strategies. The UWSA, the NDAA, and the Shan State Army-North are along with the other armed ethnic groups which are defying the military regime’s demands on them to join its Border Guard Force (BGF). Actually, the junta’s BGF program intended to win over the ceasefire groups by laying down their arms.

Coincidentally, the United Wa State Army (UWSA)’s political wing United Wa State Party (UWSP) has drawn another contradictive proposal which includes a point to demand for a state with the Right of Self Determination from the new government, quoting UWSP sources Shan Herald Agency for News said. The said proposal was drawn at the UWSP’s 5th annual district level party congress which is being held in Mongmai, 170 km north of its main base Panghsang from 20 to 29 December.

The UWSP’s new proposal which is to be presented to the new parliamentary government planned to be held on 31 January, 2011. In the proposal, UWSP says that their armed force will remain in the Wa State to defend their independence. Although they will not secede from the Union, they will steadfastly demand for a state with the Right of Self Determination from the upcoming government, upholding a policy of non-alignment and neutrality.

Subsequently, at the meeting of the 3rd Central Standing Committee (CSC) of the 14th KNU Congress was successfully held from December 14 to 19, 2010, according to the Karen National Union (Supreme Headquarters) source. KNU adopted the four guiding principles delineated by the late heroic leader Saw Ba U Gyi. The four principles are “Surrender is out of the question”, “We shall retain our arms”, “Recognition of Karen State must be complete” and “We shall decide our own political destiny.”

KNU says in its statement dated 23 December 2010: “As the parliament and government that would come into being according to the SPDC Road Map were for realization of the 2008 Constitution, the meeting adopted the view that instead of resolving the problems faced by Burma, it would create more insecurity and conflicts, especially in the political and military fields.”

As the self-styled new civilian government is the rebirth of the same military itself, the ethnic autonomy seems to be out of question. Correspondingly, national reconciliation proposal by Burma’s Nobel laureate has also to be faced the same destiny. Thus, people of Burma have to continue struggle for national reconciliation plus self-determination.

Obviously, Burma’s military dictators have held the recent polls, not to restore freedom, justice and equality, but to resume the military dictatorial power and to monopolize the country’s all-out economic opportunities.

However, the first issue the new government has to decide the question of self-determination. The ethnic parties are not only representing in parliament they also demand for autonomy even outside the parliament.

- Asian Tribune - http://www.asiantribune.com/news/2011/01/13/burma%E2%80%99s-first-parliamentary-assembly-and-question-self-determination
--------------------------------------
Release of Suu Kyi May Boost Tourism
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Friday, January 14, 2011

INLE LAKE, Shan State — The boatman turns off the engine and lets his long boat glide along Burma's Inle Lake, as foreign tourists soak in the stunning scenery of villages built on stilts dotting the shorelines of the massive freshwater lake ringed with picturesque mountain ranges.

Ngae Ni, 35, graduated as a chemist more than a decade ago but he became a boatman because he could not get a better job in Southeast Asia's only military-ruled nation and one of its poorest. He earns up to $250 a month ferrying foreigners around the lake.

Sunset in Inle lake. (Photo: David Townsend)
"I hope that ... more tourists will come here. They should really see the poverty in our country with their own eyes," he said during a recent trip, flashing a smile with his betel nut-stained teeth.

He may get his wish. The release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest in November appears to be opening the way for more tourists by easing concerns that visiting the country is a signal of support for Burma's military dictatorship.

Suu Kyi herself, in an interview with The Associated Press shortly after her release, said large group tourism wasn't encouraged, but "individuals coming in to see, to study the situation in the country might be a good idea."

International activist groups, which have long called for a tourism boycott, have followed Suu Kyi's lead and softened their stance, now only asking that tourists snub package tours and cruise ships, which are often operated by government cronies.

Colorado-based Asia Transpacific Journeys, which specializes in custom journeys and small group trips to Asia, said bookings to Burma have surged 150 percent since November compared to a year ago, as more travelers now feel more comfortable visiting the country.

Even before Suu Kyi's release, the tourism issue long divided activists both inside and outside Burma.

Supporters of a boycott believed tourism dollars sent the wrong signal and helped fund a government that still holds some 2,000 political prisoners. But others argued that tourism gave the isolated Burmese a rare opportunity to connect with the outside world, and that visitors give moral and sometimes even financial support to communities in need.

Also, the government is less involved in tourism than in the past, with many state-owned hotels and other tourism assets sold to private investors in the past decade.

Burma, however, remains a relatively remote destination for most, and no one expects an overnight tourism boom.

Suu Kyi's release isn't likely to draw Americans in large numbers, partly because Asia isn't high on their travel list and many consider the country dangerous following the military's violent crackdown on in 2007, said Douglas Shachnow, head of the Florida chapter of the Pacific-Asia Travel Association.

"The release is just not a big issue," he said. "There are other more long-standing factors that will ... (limit tourism to) all but the most interested, inquisitive, open-minded travelers with the financial wherewithal."

Still, tourism has been growing for several years, if from a small base.

Arrivals to Burma surged 34 percent to 212,500 in the first nine months of last year and may hit a record of 300,000 for all of 2010, according to the Bangkok-based Pacific-Asia Travel Association. Asians make up about two-thirds of the arrivals, Europeans 22 percent and Americans only 8 percent.

The total is a far cry from the 14 million who visit neighboring Thailand every year, the 4 million who go to nearby Vietnam, and the 2 million each to Cambodia and Laos.

Burma tourism revenue hit $196 million in 2009, almost double what it was in 2002, the Pacific travel association said. Tourism isn't a main revenue earner for the government, compared to the billions the junta makes from natural resources such as timber, jewels, oil and natural gas.

Some of the country's tour operators are hoping for a bumper year with new hotels set to open this year. Burma also joined with Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos last year in a campaign to encourage tours combining their countries.

The sector is hampered by a string of issues including poor infrastructure, limited tourism facilities and difficulty in getting visas. Many areas, especially along the country's border, are closed to tourists. The Internet is unreliable and credit cards are useless due to international sanctions, making it a hard-cash country.

In December, travel operators preparing for the busiest time of the year were dealt a blow when the government suspended the operations of private airline Yangon Airways in a move seen as politically motivated. The carrier's owner is linked to a fractious ethnic minority group.

Despite the impediments, Burma appeals to travelers with its spectacular landscape and wide offerings from ancient Buddhist monuments to jungle trekking, bucolic villages and beach holidays.

One of its key attraction is Bagan, one of the world's most remarkable archaeological sites where more than 2,000 ancient Buddhist temples and stupas dot the vast dusty plain. Others include Inle Lake, home to Ngae Ni's Intha tribe, famed for their unique one-leg rowing technique and floating vegetable gardens.

Bernard Dufour, 62, from Reunion Island off the coast of Madagascar, said he had skipped Burma in the past but decided to visit in November with his wife on friends' recommendations. He said he made sure to support local residents and avoid state-run facilities.

"It's a beautiful country. I don't feel it's wrong to visit as long as I am not supporting the government," he said as he sat cross-legged on the dusty floor of a small meditation cave nestled in a hillock near Inle Lake during a jungle trek.

According to government data, there are some 6,000 licensed tour guides and companies as well as more than 600 hotels and accommodation across the country. But in a country where a third of the population lives below the poverty line, many villagers are increasingly depending on tourism to supplement their income.

Many young people learn English and other foreign languages to become part-time tourist guides. Children as young as 6 are often seen at major tourist spots, hawking souvenirs to foreigners.

Jan Zalewski, analyst with London-based research house IHS Global Insight, said Burma is much more open today than it was two decades ago, suggesting that further engagement—including investment in tourism—could lead to a further opening-up.

"By supporting private ventures such as small guesthouses, as well as a fair degree of exposure to the Burmese people, such tourism could indeed contribute to the development of a population which might be able to provide stronger checks and balances to the policies of the government," Zalewski said.

Foreign travelers have engaged and touched many poor communities along the way.

A new one-story school block opened in a village nearby the meditation cave in late 2009, sponsored by a Japanese couple. Some 100 tribal children now no longer need to trek for an hour to school.

In their former school, teachers appeal for donation. The names "Mama Oo and Mama Judy from Australia" were scrawled on a small new whiteboard that contrasted with the bare crumbling facilities, reminding the children to thank their benefactors who had donated books, pencils and rice.

About two dozen children, ages 6 to 10, dutifully perform a medley of English nursery rhymes and local songs for foreign visitors, swaying their hips and clapping their hands as they dance while standing on old wooden chairs.

---------------------------

Aung San Suu Kyi Seeks to Revive Her Party

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

RANGOON — Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is seeking to revive her political party in military-run Burma by launching an appeal to the Supreme Court of a ruling that upheld its banning, her lawyers said Thursday.

Suu Kyi, who freed from house arrest in November, has sent her team of lawyers to the capital of Naypyitaw to submit the appeal, said one of the lawyers, Nyan Win.

The legal move appears to be largely symbolic, since Burma's courts invariably adhere to the junta's policies, especially on political matters. Previous appeals by Suu Kyi to the courts, on matters such as her detention, have been shunted aside or dismissed.

A similar appeal in November to restore the National League for Democracy was dismissed. The party lost its legal status because it failed to reregister in order to take part in general elections that month, claiming the balloting would be neither free nor fair.

The elections were swept by a party close to the ruling military junta, and the opening session of the new Parliament is scheduled for Jan. 31.

Nyan Win told earlier told reporters that the state Election Commission does not have the authority to dissolve the NLD, which was registered under a previous party registration law. Suu Kyi's party won a landslide victory in the last election in 1990, but was not allowed to take power by the military.

The 65-year old Nobel prize laureate has spent 14 of the past 20 years under house arrest. Her last period of detention lasted seven years.
Copyright © 2008 Irrawaddy Publishing Group | www.irrawaddy.org
http://www.irrawaddy.org/highlight.php?art_id=20523

Read More...

Collapse...

News & Articles on Burma-Thursday, 13 January, 2011

News & Articles on Burma
Thursday, 13 January, 2011
-------------------------------------------------
Hydropower attracts big investment in Myanmar
Freed Myanmar democracy icon seeks to revive party
Conscription Law Likely to Drive More Youths out of Burma
Armed conflict threat looms large in Burma
Industrial projects boon to real estate in Burma
Myanmar To Privatise 90 Per Cent Of State-Owned Industries This Year
Can Indonesia turn Asean into a global player?
NLD to donate rice, water pipes to famine victims
Myanmar enacts military draft law for men, women
Thais Barred From Entering Into Myanmar For Safety
------------------------------------------------------



Myanmar Times: January 10 - 16, 2011
Hydropower attracts big investment in Myanmar
By Juliet Shwe Gaung

ONE-THIRD of the total foreign investment in Myanmar went into the hydropower sector during the first seven months of the 2010-2011 fiscal year, and hydropower represented the second-largest investment sector, according to official figures.

Figures from the government’s Central Statistical Organisation show that from April to October 2010, foreign investment in the power sector reached US$5.03 billion. Total foreign investment in all sectors during the period was $15.9 billion.

Investment in hydropower was second only to oil and gas, which amounted to $9.8 billion, while the mining sector stood in third place with investment totalling $990 million during the period.

In 2010 a total of seven memoranda of understanding (MOU) and memoranda of agreement (MOA) were signed between investors and the Department of Hydropower Planning under the Ministry of Electric Power (1).

In February, the government signed an MOA with China for implementation of a 1400 megawatt (MW) hydropower project on the upper Thanlwin (Kunlong) River in Shan State. An MOU was also signed between China and the Htoo Group of Companies for construction of a coal-fired thermal power plant in Yangon.

In April, an MOA was signed with Thailand and China for implementation of the 1360MW Hutgyi hydropower project in Kayin State, and the following month an MOU was signed with China for construction of the 520MW Mawlite hydropower project and a Kalewa coal-fired power plant, both in Sagaing Region.

July saw the signing of an MOA with China for a 1055MW Ngaw Chan Hka hydropower project in Kachin State.

China and Thailand signed another MOU with the government in November for the 1400MW upper Thanlwin (Ming Long) project in Shan state. Other agreements were signed in the same month for the 520MW Shwe Li (2) and 280MW Belin hydropower projects in Shan state.

There are currently 16 hydropower stations and one coal-fired power plant operating in Myanmar. The most recent to open was the Yeywa hydropower project in Mandalay Region, the first dam built in the country using roller compacted concrete construction techniques. Opened on December 15, it has the capacity to generate 790MW of power.

The 75MW Shwegyin hydropower project is about 80 percent complete and is one of 10 projects due to be completed in 2012. Altogether these projects will generate 1656MW, in addition to the 2100MW currently generated for the entire country though hydropower.

A former official from the Ministry of Electric Power (1) said Myanmar was unable to exploit all the identified hydropower resources on its own, so it had signed joint-venture agreements with neighbouring countries like Thailand, China and Bangladesh for implementation and export of power.

The joint-venture projects not only generate foreign exchange revenue during the concession period, but also increase the country’s overall power generation, because the agreements entitle Myanmar to 10-15pc of the annual electricity generated from the power stations free of charge, he said.
http://www.mmtimes.com/2011/business/557/biz55702.html
----------------------------------------------------
Freed Myanmar democracy icon seeks to revive party
AP

YANGON, Myanmar – Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is seeking to revive her political party in military-run Myanmar by launching an appeal to the Supreme Court of a ruling that upheld its banning, her lawyers said Thursday.

Suu Kyi, who freed from house arrest in November, has sent her team of lawyers to the capital of Naypyitaw to submit the appeal, said one of the lawyers, Nyan Win.

The legal move appears to be largely symbolic, since Myanmar's courts invariably adhere to the junta's policies, especially on political matters. Previous appeals by Suu Kyi to the courts, on matters such as her detention, have been shunted aside or dismissed.

A similar appeal in November to restore the National League for Democracy was dismissed. The party lost its legal status because it failed to reregister in order to take part in general elections that month, claiming the balloting would be neither free nor fair.

The elections were swept by a party close to the ruling military junta, and the opening session of the new Parliament is scheduled for Jan. 31.

Nyan Win told earlier told reporters that the state Election Commission does not have the authority to dissolve the NLD, which was registered under a previous party registration law. Suu Kyi's party won a landslide victory in the last election in 1990, but was not allowed to take power by the military.

The 65-year old Nobel prize laureate has spent 14 of the past 20 years under house arrest. Her last period of detention lasted seven years. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110113/ap_on_re_as/as_myanmar_suu_kyi
-------------------------------------------------------
Conscription Law Likely to Drive More Youths out of Burma

13 January 2011: The new decree recently issued by Burma's ruling military junta obligating every citizen over the age of 18 years to enter military service will likely cause more young people to flee the country, the Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO) has warned.

According to a new law enacted by the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) on November 4, and entered into the official gazette on December 17 last year, young men and women between the ages of 18 and 35 are required to serve in the Burmese military for at least two years. Failure to perform military service is punishable by imprisonment of up to three years.

But the new decree is likely to cause more youths to flee the country to avoid being forcibly called to serve in the military.

Salai Bawi Lian Mang, Executive Director of Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO) said, "When enforced, this new measure will almost certainly cause an exodus of more youths out of Burma as we have seen in the pre-election period, in which dozens of young people fled to India from Chin State to avoid conscription into the militia forces."

According to CHRO, several dozen youths from southern Chin State's Paletwa Township fled to India in January of 2010 when the Burmese army tried to forcibly enlist them for the militia service.

Other incidents of forcible conscription involving minors and high school students were reported by CHRO from Matupi Township.Two army deserters recently interviewed by the CHRO said that they were drafted in 2007 before they were only 16 and 17 respectively by troops from Burma Army Light Infantry Battalion (304) stationed at Belkong village of Maupti Township. CHRO also reported that since June 2009 as many as 1,160 youths were conscripted into the militia service in the Matupi Township area.

Young people are more likely to be called to perform mandatory and unpaid work, as well as, targeted for conscription into the army and militia services. In Chin State, these measures have caused the forced migration of people, especially the youths, out of Chin State. More refugees in neighboring countries are young people under the age of 35. http://chinlandguardian.com/news-2009/1160-conscription-law-likely-to-drive-more-youths-out-of-burma.html
---------------------------------------------------
Armed conflict threat looms large in Burma
By Zin Linn Jan 12, 2011 8:49PM UTC

The inauguration of the Pathein-Monywa road built by Public Works of the Ministry of Construction took place at the pavilion near Kankalay Junction in Kyaunggon Township on January 11, with an address by Burma’s Prime Minister Thein Sein.

Thein Sein underscored peace, stability, national unity and national development as key necessities for democratization.

In his speech, he said, “Before long, Hluttaw (Parliament) sessions will be held to form Union government, R e g i o n / S t a t e governments, self-administered zone leading bodies along with a check and balance system for three pillars, namely legislative, executive and judicial sectors. Community peace, stability, national unity and national development are requirements of democratization. So, these requirements are to be fulfilled all the more in such a transitory period.”

Meanwhile, conflicts between the junta’s armed forces and ethnic Karen armed units have been continuing along the Thai-Burma border near Mae Sot in Tak Province of northwestern Thailand. As 11 shells have struck into the Thai side, the Thai head of the Thai-Burma Border Committee (TBC) in Mae Sot has sent a letter to the TBC office in Burma’s Myawaddy district urging the Burmese soldiers to cautiously seek their targets in order to avoid firing into Thailand.

Although Thein Sein highlighted the importance of peace and stability, the military junta has enacted a law that could draft men and women into its army and mete out prison sentences of up to five years for draft dodgers, according to an official document.

The law, dated Nov. 4, 2010, but yet to be made public, will come into force when proclaimed by the ruling military council, said an official gazette with limited circulation. The law says that every male between the age of 18 and 45 and females between 18 and 35 may be drafted to serve for two years, which could be increased to five years in times of national emergencies.

Without any external threats, the Burmese army has been expending its strength over 400,000 soldiers and is one of the strongest in the region. Its armed forces have been engaging in ongoing conflicts with several ethnic rebel groups seeking self-determination since 1948.

According to Irrawaddy News, the Burmese regime has been reinforcing its troops in several areas where ethnic armed groups that did not follow the border guard force (BGF) plan are based, according to ethnic sources. Armed reinforcements have been reported in southern Karen State and in central and southern Shan State in eastern Burma since early December last.

Sporadic armed clashes has been going on in recent weeks between the junta’s troops and armed ethnic groups such as the Karen National Union (KNU), the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) Brigade 5, the Shan State Army–North (SSA-North) and Shan State Army-South (SSA-South).

According to a report by the Thailand-based Kachin News Group (KNG), the junta also began dispatching fresh troops and munitions in Kachin State in late November.

KNG said eye witnesses had confirmed that a number of vehicles carrying military supplies arrived in Bhamo Township in Kachin State on November 30 from Mandalay. They said that the military trucks continued to Laiza, close to the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) headquarters which is on the Sino-Burmese border. The KIO is the second largest ethnic armed group in Burma with some 10,000 fighters. It is also one of the ethnic rebels that denied the junta’s BGF policy.

Several analysts believe conflicts could rise as more ethnic armed groups refuse to abide by the junta’s new constitution. Also, the ethnic groups think the incoming namesake civilian government will leave them even without basic rights that they currently have.

In state-run media, the junta also condemned the Second Panglong Initiative or National Reconciliation forum raised by democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi and some prominent ethnic leaders as an unnecessary approach.

The nation risks a return of armed conflict as a result of denial of a true federal system in the 2008 Constitution drawn by the incumbent military junta.
http://asiancorrespondent.com/46003/armed-conflict-will-return-after-new-government-shaped-in-burma/
-------------------------------------------------
Industrial projects boon to real estate in Burma

PRSEA | Jan 13, 2011 |

Foreign-invested cooperation projects in Rakhine state Sittway, Tanintharyi region’ s Dawei and Sagaing region’s Monywa have raised Burmese real estate prices as the market anticipates localised socio-economic booms, the Xinhua News Agency has reported.

In Sittway, a project on construction and operation of a 120- million-USD multi-modal transit and transport facility, covering the port, waterways and road infrastructure, connecting the Sittway Port in Myanmar with the Indian state of Mizoram is under construction following a framework agreement signed between India and Myanmar in 2009.

In Dawei, a deep seaport, industrial zone and road and rail link to Thailand in southern Tanintharyi region is in the initial stages of implementation under a framework agreement signed between Thailand and Myanmar in November 2010.

The project represents the first ever special economic zone in Myanmar and completion is targeted for 10 years in three phases.

The project, which costs 13 billion U.S dollars, specifically includes construction of Dawei Deep Seaport, buildings for shipyard and maintenance work, establishment of zone, petrochemical industries, oil refinery, steel plant, power stations and Dawei-Bangkok motor road and railroad and laying of oil pipeline along the motorway and railroad.

A total of 25 vessels ranging from 20,000 to 50,000 tons will be able to berth at 22 wharves simultaneously and 100 million tons of goods will be handled a year with the deep seaport made up of the south port and the north port.

An area of 250 square kilometers has been designated to build a zone comprising two heavy industrial zones, one medium heavy industrial zone and one light industrial zone.
A power station that can generate 4,000 megawatts will also be built for the whole project.
Moreover, the 170 kilometers each long motor road and railroad that will link Dawei deep seaport to Myanmar-Thai border will be built phase by phase.

The road will reach the Greater Mekong Sub-region Southern Corridor that leads to Vung Tau and Quy Nhon of Vietnam through Sisiphon of Cambodia via Bangkok, Thailand, according to the port authorities.

On completion the port and its road and rail links will facilitate the movement of trade along the South East Asia east-west corridor and south from China’s eastern provinces along a high-speed rail link through Lao PDR; the construction of which is currently being negotiated by the Thai and Chinese governments.

Foreign investors in Thailand have already expressed interest in the Burmese port as an alternative to Thailand given pressures on the existing eastern seaboard infrastructure, more stringent environmental regulations and uncertain political risks. http://www.property-report.com/site/industrial-projects-boon-to-real-estate-in-burma-11067
--------------------------------------------
January 13, 2011 12:52 PM
Myanmar To Privatise 90 Per Cent Of State-Owned Industries This Year

YANGON, Jan 13 (Bernama) -- Myanmar has planned to privatise 90 percent of state-owned industries during the year, leaving the remaining 10 percent to be held back by the government, China's Xinhua news agency cited the local Biweekly Eleven News' report Thursday.

The move is to be made in line with the coming change of government after the general election, Deputy Minister of Industry-2 U Khin Maung Kyaw was quoted as saying.

In addition to the state-owned industries, other state-owned properties such as motor vehicles, enterprises, fuel-filling stations, buildings, land plots, recreation places, roads, bridges and ports are being privatised, said private companies.

According to the report, during 2010, 110 state-owned economic enterprises, 32 buildings, 246 fuel-filling stations, eight wharves along the Yangon Port and port areas have been sold under competitive bidding system.

During this year, other state-owned industries, economic enterprises and properties in regions and states will also follow suit, the report added.

-- BERNAMA http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsworld.php?id=556319
-------------------------------------------
REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE
Can Indonesia turn Asean into a global player?
By Kavi Chongkittavorn
The Nation: Published on January 10, 2011

For the record, 2011 will be an exciting year for Asean - based on the must-do list the new Asean chair has vowed to accomplish at regional and international levels. In its second week, Indonesia has taken the chair with a confidence and relish rarely witnessed in Asean's over four-decade history, coupled with a blueprint to push the grouping into the global limelight. Jakarta's enthusiasm has already drawn praise from the secretary-general of Asean, Dr Surin Pitsuwan, who complimented the chair's preparedness to be "engaged, proactive, using the Asean platform to enhance Asean's profile in the global arena".

Last week, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa outlined three major tasks the Asean chair will tackle - to make tangible progress towards the Asean Community, to establish "dynamic equilibrium" between Asean and the major powers and, finally, to ensure Asean can be a peacemaker in a complex world. Indeed, it will be a tall order as the chair has to overcome existing divergent views and entrenched positions held by Asean members. That is easier said than done. For instance, the previous chair, Vietnam, faced great difficulty in garnering the grouping' s common position on global issues. Indonesia's Permanent Representative to Asean, Ambassador I Gede Ngurah Swajaya, understood the dilemma well and was succinct in saying the efforts of promoting a united Asean in a community will require Asean's collective voice, assets, diplomatic networks and constructive solution-oriented mindset.

Inevitably, the most tangible progress in achieving the Asean Community remains the promotion and protection of human rights in Asean. Under its chair, Indonesia hopes the Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) will be more effective in fulfilling its mandate, reflecting the members' commitment to respect human rights. One immediate task is to agree on the guidelines of modality, which is a euphemism for terms of procedure - the term turned down by AICHR's conservative members last year.

Dr Sriprapha Petcharamesree, Thai representative of AICHR, said it was time that AICHR deliver after more than a year of preparation and meetings. She reiterated that the new chair can provide the much-needed impetus and direction on human rights protection. This year, AICHR plans to deliberate on the draft Asean Human Rights Declaration. However, without the guidelines, AICHR activities and the utilisation of its US$200,000 fund, it cannot begin. The protection of migrant workers' rights, on which the Philippines and Indonesia are very keen, will also be high on the agenda. At this juncture, it is hard to say if Asean can agree on the legally binding documents on this sensitive issue as some members oppose the idea.

Truth be told, all Asean members have problems with human rights records, including the chair. But the way each nation chooses to handle them will mark the grouping's departure from the past. So far, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia remain open and tolerant to international enquiries, which continue unabated to pressure for more transparency and access. On its own, AICHR does not have the mandate to investigate alleged human rights abuses or write-up annual reports on individual member countries.

But the best practice from these three countries and others could in the long-run serve as role models and subsequently impact on the culture of non-interference and result in better human rights cooperation and protection. The continued appeal from academics and civil-society organisations to end the non-interference principle and opt for collective responsibility is unattainable at the moment.

In addition, what Jakarta can do to make Asean more people-centred is to promote the stakeholders' participation. Indonesia is well-positioned to do so due to its active civil-society sector with more than 25,000 organisations of myriad interests and purposes. As a moderate and secular Muslim country, Indonesia continues to be the fulcrum of inter-faith dialogue forums, essential not only to Asean but the broader global community as well. For instance, the interface between the Asean leaders and civil society groups could be brought back to fit into the slogan of people-centred community-building in Asean. In 2008, Thailand did its fair share by encouraging the Asean-based civil groups to contribute their input. However, lack of mutual trust and uncompromised views and less-than friendly encounters from both sides derailed long-term engagements.

Beyond the region, a more consolidated and unified Asean is a prerequisite to engage major powers of the world. This year will witness how Asean tackles its multiple relations with the US, Russia, China, Japan and India. The first expanded East Asia Summit scheduled at the end this year and will set forth the tone and level of their engagements. Indonesia has already come forward pushing the EAS as the forum for discussion of strategic issues at both global and regional levels, similar to the US position. Other Asean members prefer a more encompassing forum, involving pertinent global issues including economics and science and technology. Key security and political issues such as nuclear non-proliferation, maritime cooperation and safety navigation, human trafficking, climate change and the Korean Peninsula will definitely top the EAS agenda.

The future of Asean's role in the global community as envisaged by Natalegawa is intricately linked to the outcome of the association's effective engagement with these dialogue partners and the broader community. He believes the role would serve as the vanguard for the promotion of democratic values, human rights and tolerance at the global level. Interestingly, both Indonesia and the US share similar concerns and agenda. They are the core to trans-Asia Pacific cooperation for the time being, due to their respective chairing of economic groupings. Washington will host the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders meeting in Hawaii later this year.

The two nations must work in tandem to ensure that healthy cooperation will continue at all levels. The Indonesia-US relations, further boosted by President Barack Obama's brief visit last November, will play a pivotal role in defining the parameter of future cooperation in the region and the overall US policy. Among the Asean membership, Indonesia has the most extensive diplomatic relations with the global community. This year, Jakarta will establish new diplomatic relations with 21 countries, reaching all UN members, except for Israel.

Despite all the above-mentioned strengths, Indonesia inherits a weakness: its reservations about economic integration with Asean. It has asked for a one-year delay in the Asean-China free-trade agreement through emergency exit clauses related to general commitment. Obviously, domestic adjustments and improved competitiveness of local industries are essential to improve Indonesia's economic profile and respect within Asean. To ensure its sustainability, the newly found intellectual leadership within the grouping must be rooted in all areas. Otherwise, its ambitious plan to shape Asean's future well beyond the Asean Community in 1,451 days would be hampered. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2011/01/10/opinion/Can-Indonesia-turn-Asean-into-a-global-player-30146030.html
---------------------------------------
NLD to donate rice, water pipes to famine victims
Source: Mizzima News
Date: 12 Jan 2011

Chiang Mai (Mizzima)––The National League for Democracy (NLD) will donate rice and water pipes to famine victims in villages in four townships in Chin State.

Rat infestations in August 2010 lead to widespread crop destruction and a severe food shortage in about 120 villages in Mindat, Matupi, Paletwa and Kanpetlet townships in southern Chin State.

NLD General-Secretary Aung San Suu Kyi met with Pu Van Lian, the chairman of the NLD (in Chin State), on January 10, and she promised to donate rice to famine victims in Paletwa and Kanpetlet townships.

In the meeting, Pu Van Lian told Suu Kyi that some people in Mindat and Thantlang townships also did not have enough food. NLD leaders are now discussing how much they can help those townships, said Ohn Kyaing, an NLD information committee member.

'They said there was a water shortage in Falam Township. There is a stream on the mountain about five miles from Falam. So, to get water, they need to lay water pipelines. That's why they asked us to donate water pipelines', said Ohn Kyaing.

Pu Van Lian said that water pipes with a diameter of two inches (about 5.08 centimeters) cost about 6 million kyat (about US$ 6,000), according to Ohn Kyaing.

Chin National Party's chairman Pu Zozam said, 'I'm very glad to hear that Aung San Suu Kyi will donate rice to the victims. I would like to urge her to donate to us in the future, too. All villages have suffered water shortages'.

The Chin National Party contested in the 2010 election and won a total of nine parliamentary seats .

Last month, Suu Kyi, members of the Committee Representing the People's Parliament and independent candidates who contested in the recent national elections donated food and shelter valued at 20 million kyat (about US$20,000) to Cyclone Giri victims in Arakan State.

The NLD, with the help of independent donors, businessmen and international organisations, has donated food and money to cyclone Nargis and Giri victims, people living with HIV and political prisoners. In early January, the NLD also organised a trade fair in and the profits will be donated to aid political prisoners and people living with HIV.

"We support many patients who live with HIV, and we will receive more patients in our HIV centre. We have to struggle in order to be able to help people', Ohn Kyaing told Mizzima. ?

There are about 130 HIV patients in the NLD's Thukha Yeikmyone Centre, managed by NLD central committee member Phyu Phyu Thin, in South Dagon Township in Rangoon. http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/VVOS-8D2NG6?OpenDocument
--------------------------------------------
Associated Press Featured Article
January 12, 2011
Myanmar enacts military draft law for men, women
By Associated Press ,

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Military–ruled Myanmar has enacted a law that could draft men and women into the armed forces and mete out prison sentences of up to five years for draft dodgers, according to an official document seen Monday. The country currently has a volunteer army.

The law, dated Nov. 4, 2010, but yet to be made public, will come into force when proclaimed by the ruling military council, said an official gazette with limited circulation.

Myanmar's 400,000–strong military ranks among the largest in the world. Its troops are engaged in continuing conflicts with several ethnic minority groups seeking autonomy from the central government.

Some analysts say conflicts could escalate as more ethnic groups refuse to adhere to a Constitution and government they say will deprive them of even more rights than they currently enjoy. The government is set to replace the junta, possibly toward the end of this month.

The law states every male between the age of 18 and 45 and females between 18 and 35 may be drafted to serve for two years, which could be increased to five years in times of national emergencies. Both sexes are required to register at 18.

Those who fail to report for military service could get three years in prison, a fine or both, and those who deliberately inflict injury upon oneself to avoid conscription could be imprisoned for up to five years, fined or both.

In times of national crisis the government can recruit all or some of those eligible for military service.

Civil servants, students, persons serving prison terms or those taking care of elderly parents will enjoy temporary postponement of military service but could be later called to serve. Totally exempt are members of religious orders, married women or divorcees with children and disabled persons. http://topnews360.tmcnet.com/topics/associated-press/articles/2011/01/12/134225-myanmar-enacts-military-draft-law-men-women.htm
--------------------------------------------
January 12, 2011 16:21 PM
Thais Barred From Entering Into Myanmar For Safety

BANGKOK, Jan 12 (Bernama) -- Thai nationals have been prohibited from any cross-border travel at a checkpoint in Thailand's northwestern Tak Province after a former Thai political candidate was detained by the armed Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) while crossing the border into the Myanmar side for his business, Thai News Agency (TNA) reported.

Tak Governor Samart Loyfah said on Wednesday that Thai people have been temporarily barred from travelling out of or into the Thai-Myanmar border in Tak Province for their safety--following the arrest of the former Thai political candidate of the Ruamjai Pattana Party, Kriangsak Bhumrungroj, who is also a Thai Public Health Ministry retiree, by the DKBA militants before the Thai authorities successfully negotiated for his release Tuesday evening.

Samart noted that Thai border police and military forces have intensified security measures in Tak's five districts bordering Myanmar--amid escalating warfare between Myanmar government troops and the breakaway karen forces.

-- BERNAMA http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsworld.php?id=556085

__._,_.___

Read More...

Collapse...

News & Articles on Burma-Wednesday, 12 January, 2011

News & Articles on Burma
Wednesday, 12 January, 2011
-------------------------------------------------
Junta Troops Using Prisoners as Human Minesweepers
China to Operate Oil Wharf in Burma
UN probe must include all armed groups
Artillery shells hit Thailand as fighting rages
Port Project Raises Concerns about Rights, Environment
Karen rebels hold Thai man hostage
University Students Protest Against Rising Bus Fares in Kalay
Parliamentary Books Sell Out on First Day
Minister's Sons to Manage Gas Pipelines
------------------------------------------------





Junta Troops Using Prisoners as Human Minesweepers
By SAI ZOM HSENG Wednesday, January 12, 2011

The Burmese army has been using hundreds of prison inmates as porters and human minesweepers in the recent conflict with a breakaway faction of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), according to a human rights group based in the Thai border town of Mae Sot.

An estimated 600 prisoners have been sent to the conflict area since fighting broke out between the Burmese army and the DKBA on Nov. 7, said the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners-Burma (AAPP), citing accounts from three recently escaped prisoners.

A civilian porter, center, is forced to carry supplies for Burmese soldiers. (Photo: Free Burma Rangers)
“This shouldn’t happen in any situation,” said Bo Kyi, the joint secretary of the AAPP, speaking to The Irrawaddy on Wednesday. “They are, in effect, executing these prisoners by other means.”

He added that the AAPP would continue to investigate the matter and release a statement when it has gathered further evidence. If the claims were true, he said, “It would definitely constitute a crime against humanity.”

The three porters, who all came from Pakokku Prison in Magway Division and were assigned to the Burmese army's Palaw Tapo camp in Myawaddy, Karen State, escaped to Mae Sot on Tuesday and are receiving help from local groups that support refugees on the border.

The oldest of the escaped prisoners, Thaung Htay Oo, 28, told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that they were part of a group of 30 inmates from the same prison who had been sent to the area to act as porters.

“We couldn't pay a bribe to the prison officials, so we were sent to the front line,” he said. “We had to carry ammunition, equipment and food for the soldiers. The worst thing is that they used prisoners to clear minefields ahead of their advance.”

He added that he and the two other escaped prisoners—Tin Zaw Min, 21, and Moe Yarzar, 17—fled to Thailand to escape the fate of other porters they had seen.

“There were many prisoners who were injured by the landmines after they were forced to walk ahead of the soldiers. We ran away because we didn’t want the same thing to happen to us,” he said.

Moe Yarzar, the youngest of the three, said that he and the other prisoners from Pakokku Prison were sent to the front line at the end of December, along with other inmates from prisons in Meiktila, Hpa-An and Kawkareik.

“Tin Zaw Min and I were sentenced to five years after we beat up a policeman who slapped my mother. The situation in prison was bad, but on the front line it was much worse. That's why we decided we had to get away, no matter what happens,” he said.

He added that even old men were sent to the conflict area if they couldn't pay a 100,000 kyat (US $120) bribe to prison officials.

Sources on the border say that clashes that took place between DKBA Brigade 5 and Burmese troops on Sunday and Monday were the most intense since fighting started two months ago, suggesting that the Burmese regime is stepping up its efforts to crush the rebel group.


DKBA Brigade 5 is led by Col Saw Lah Pwe, who broke away from the DKBA, a longtime ally of the Burmese regime, late last year.
Other armed groups opposed to the Burmese regime, including the Karen National Liberation Army and the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front, have cooperated with Saw Lah Pwe’s Brigade 5 since fighting started on Nov. 7.

Meanwhile, Thailand's government announced on Wednesday that Thai nationals were prohibited from crossing the border into Burma, after a Thai man was reportedly abducted by members of the DKBA and held for a ransom of 300,000 baht ($9,800).
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=20513
-------------------------------------------------
China to Operate Oil Wharf in Burma
By THE IRRAWADDY Wednesday, January 12, 2011

China's Qingdao Port has signed an agreement with the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) to build and operate a wharf on Burma's western coastline from which China will send its crude oil brought from Africa and the Middle East via an inland pipeline to Yunnan Province.

On Jan. 7, CNPC Southeast Asia Pipeline Co., Ltd. and Qingdao Port (Group) Co. Ltd. signed a strategic framework agreement in Beijing on operating the oil wharf in the Arakan coastal town of Kyauk Phyu in Burma, according to the CNPC website.

Kyauk Phyu port in Arakan State (PHOTO: vesseltracker.com)
The state-run China Daily quoted Zhang Hongbo, an industry analyst at China International Trust and Investment Corporation (CITIC) as saying: “This agreement is very important for Qingdao Port because this is the first time the port will extend its management expertise overseas.”

CNPC is China's largest oil company. It is the majority shareholder in the joint-venture project which is constructing a dual oil and gas pipeline from Burma's western coast to China's Yunnan Province. Within Burma, the company will build a 793 km-long gas pipeline and a 771 km-long crude pipeline.

The construction of the pipelines officially started on June 3, 2010, after Premier Wen Jiabao, who was then visiting Burma, attended a signing ceremony in Naypyidaw with Burma's Prime Minister Thein Sein, certifying a shareholder agreement between CNPC and Burma's state-owned Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE).

“The agreements defined CNPC Southeast Asia Co., Ltd. as the controlling party of the joint venture to be in charge of the design, construction, operation, expansion and maintenance of the Myanmar oil and gas pipeline,” said the CNPC website.

But the CNPC gave Qingdao Port, the ninth largest port in the world, the right to construct and manage the wharf in Burma through which China will annually channel 22 million tons of oil and 12 billion cubic meters of gas to Yunnan Province.

China has been expanding its contracts around the world to secure the country's energy security. The cross-border oil and gas pipeline between China and Burma is the fourth after the Kazakhstan-China Crude Pipeline, the Central Asia-China Gas Pipeline, and the Russia-China Crude Pipeline.

Moreover, China has sought the right to operate foreign ports in recent years. The China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO), the country's largest shipping company, won the right to operate Piraeus Port in Greece in 2009. China has invested heavily in Kyauk Phyu deep seaport project in Arakan State.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=20512
----------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------
UN probe must include all armed groups
By KIRSTY OGILVIE
Published: 12 January 2011

Any UN Commission of Inquiry must be truly objective and should investigate all parties to the conflict in Burma. Practically, the threat of an investigation could do much to discourage violations of international humanitarian and human rights law. Politically, a comprehensive investigation might be less likely to antagonise the regime and could engender the support of more of the international community. Only such an impartial investigation could set the stage for real national reconciliation.

It is clear that the UN should instigate a Commission of Inquiry into international crimes committed in Burma. Failure to do so is evidence of its continued impotence and inertia. Egregious human rights abuses such as torture, extrajudicial killings, internal displacement, sexual violence and the use of child soldiers have been documented for decades. The scale and gravity of these breaches of international criminal law powerfully suggest that they amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes. An objective investigation into the situation in Burma is therefore imperative.

While the actions of the Burmese government in its various guises are thoroughly deplorable, it must also be recognised that international crimes have been perpetrated by non-state armed groups in Burma. Reports of torture, forced labour and murder committed by these groups are less well-documented and must equally be investigated. Additionally, the recruitment of child soldiers and the use of land mines must urgently be examined. The Burma Lawyers’ Council is trying to educate non-state armed groups about humanitarian and human rights law in the hope that this will help them to adhere to international legal standards. The mere threat of an investigation could have immediate preventative effects and catalyse real change in the attitudes of all armed groups.

Additionally, a partisan inquiry could be politically counterproductive. An investigation only into the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) would be seen, correctly, as a direct attack on the regime. It would be unlikely to engender cooperation from the military and would almost certainly muzzle any steps towards dialogue with the generals. China would be likely to seek to protect the regime in the belief that an international investigation would increase instability in the border regions.

When considering international investigations and judicial processes, we must look beyond the purely legal. Such processes also aim to be anthropologically cathartic. By giving victims of violence the opportunity to confront those held to have wronged them, these processes allow meaningful collective reconciliation and can avoid the perpetuation of enmity. The suggestion that only one party to a conflict is blameworthy denies the victims of other parties a voice. A one-sided investigation could deny the real harm suffered by thousands of civilians at the hands of non-state armed forces. Enmities could remain unresolved, or, as history has demonstrated, deepen. Beware victors’ justice. To be truly beneficial, a Commission of Inquiry must investigate the perpetration of crimes by all parties.

It is understandable that some members of the opposition movement might be uneasy about the investigation of anti-regime armed groups. At this stage, however, concerns about international prosecution are premature. Both the Tutsis and the Hutus were investigated by the Commission of Experts instructed by the UN Security Council to investigate the situation in Rwanda. The Hutu extremists were found to be ultimately responsible for the atrocities committed, and it was only they that were consequently prosecuted in the specially created international tribunal.

There is no established protocol for the creation of a Commission of Inquiry. An inquiry could be instigated by various bodies including the UN Security Council, the Secretary-General, the Human Rights Council or the International Labor Organization. The appeal of the first is that it is the only UN body that could force a referral to the International Criminal Court or set up another international tribunal. It is therefore arguable that only a Security Council mandated Commission of Inquiry would have any real potential bite.

A UN Commission of Inquiry would not be the first in Burma. In response to an ILO Commission of Inquiry, several Tatmadaw Kyi soldiers found guilty of recruiting minors were eventually punished. The Secretary-General’s 2010 report to the UN General Assembly on children and armed conflict states that a tiny number of child soldiers have been released through Burmese Government mechanisms. These commendable, if inadequate, steps demonstrate that objective investigations and recommendations can have some beneficial effect in and of themselves.

Notably, however, Commissions of Inquiry established by the Security Council with regard to the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda and Darfur were all part of a process that ultimately resulted in international criminal trials. We should not be too hasty to leap to criminal proceedings. Lawyers may talk about the integrity of the pursuit of international justice, but we are navigating inherently political waters. Even the ICC retains the right to refuse a case where an investigation may aggravate a conflict or destabilise a reconciliation effort. Highlighting this, some fear that the indictment of Omar al-Bashir has significantly hindered peace-building efforts in Darfur. Thirty years after the fall of the Khmer Rouge, the functioning of the internationalised Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia is threatened by political discontent.

The creation of any international judicial mechanism for Burma is a long way off. Since Burma is not a party to the Rome Statute, the ICC cannot initiate proceedings without the order of the Security Council. More immediate concerns therefore include persuading China and Russia not to veto a Security Council mandated Commission of Inquiry. To that end it is critical that calls for an investigation are cogent, developed and impartial. Though political and economic interests may be difficult to overcome, it is likely that China would at least consider supporting measures with the potential to lay the groundwork for genuine security in the border areas.

Kirsty Ogilvie is a Fellow of International Criminal Law at the Burma Lawyers’ Council, and was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 2010 http://www.dvb.no/analysis/un-probe-must-include-all-armed-groups/13681
----------------------------------------------------
Artillery shells hit Thailand as fighting rages
By DVB
Published: 12 January 2011

A number of stray artillery shells fired during fighting in eastern Burma have landed in Thailand, causing locals to evacuate.

Heavy fighting erupted this week between Burmese troops and the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), who have been battling one another in eastern Karen state since November last year.

The Thai News Service reported today that eleven shells had so far landed on Thai soil close to the border town of Mae Sot. The Thai army has subsequently bolstered security along the shared border, while a number of refugees had fled into Thailand.

The DKBA is joined by the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF). The combined forces are reportedly facing off against six Burmese army battalions in the area around Hpalu village, which has become the focus of clashes.

The Bangkok Post said today that DKBA troops had taken a Thai civilian, identified only as Mr Kriangsak, hostage in Karen state and were demanding a 300,000 baht ($US9,800) ransom.

The man had reportedly crossed over the border to negotiate a financial matter with the DKBA, but upon failing to reach an agreement, was taken hostage.

Fighting first began on 8 November after DKBA troops, led by renegade commander Na Kham Mwe, took key government positions in Myawaddy, across the border from Mae Sot. Clashes have since continued to occur on a regular basis.

Reports have also emerged that a number of child soldiers have deserted the Burmese army in recent days. One 17-year-old told DVB that the army had stopped providing food rations for troops fighting in Karen state, thus forcing them to escape to the Thai border.

Recruitment of child soldiers by the Burmese army and a number of ethnic armies is widespread, despite being illegal under Burmese law.
http://www.dvb.no/news/artillery-shells-hit-thailand-as-fighting-rages/13674
------------------------------------------------
Port Project Raises Concerns about Rights, Environment
By YENI Wednesday, January 12, 2011

A new deep-sea port and special economic zone in Tavoy, southern Burma, will bring much-needed infrastructure to the military-ruled country and be a boon to regional trade, but will also present serious risks to the local population and environment, according to experts.

The multi-billion dollar project, which will be financed by the Bangkok-based Italian-Thai Development Public Company, will cover an area of about 260 square kilometers (100 square miles) and affect more than 30,000 people from 19 villages in Yephyu and Longlon townships, near Tavoy, the capital of Tenasserim Division.

Local sources say that even though preparatory work on some parts of the project has already begun, residents of the area still haven't been told how the plan to build what is expected to become Southeast Asia's biggest special economic zone will affect them.

Villagers in the area say they are worried about where they will be relocated to and how they will be compensated for the loss of their land, but don't expect to have any choice in the matter. “If they order us to move, we can't resist,” a villager from Nabule, in the project area, told The Irrawaddy.

Italian-Thai will reportedly spend US $8.6 billion on the new mega-project, which will combine a deep-sea port, industrial estate and trans-border route with sea, road and rail links with Thailand.

The proposed industrial estate will contain a power plant, a steel mill, an oil refinery, a petrochemical complex, a fertilizer plant, a shipbuilding and maintenance yard and a variety of light- and medium-industry factories, as well as a pipeline linking Tavoy to Pu Nam Ron in Thailand’s Kanchanaburi Province.

There will also be residential and commercial developments, including a tourist resort and a recreation complex, according to a PowerPoint presentation prepared by Italian-Thai that is widely circulating on the Internet.

The 10-year project was signed in Naypyidaw on Nov. 2 of last year, five days before Burma held its first election in 20 years. Now groundwork for the first phase of construction—the road to Thailand, a water reservoir, a water and waste-water treatment plant and the 400 MW coal-fired power plant—have been initiated and are due to be completed within five years.

The idea to create this massive new economic zone first started to gain traction in 2008, when the foreign ministers of Thailand and Burma signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the sidelines of a meeting of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) foreign ministers in Singapore. It received a further boost late last year during a visit to Naypyidaw by Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who signed an agreement on the project with his Burmese counterpart Thein Sein on Oct. 11.

However, there are still hurdles facing the project, largely due to the involvement of Burma's Western-sanctioned military regime. The Asia Development Bank (ADB) has declined to support the project, despite the fact that it will connect with the three economic corridors of the ADB's Greater Mekong Sub-Region development plan, which aims to create links between the economies of mainland Southeast Asia and China. Thailand's Kasikorn Bank has also rejected Italian-Thai's bid for financing, and the support of major shipping companies and manufacturers is also doubtful. However, according to a report by the International Herald Tribune, Italian-Thai has received backing for the project from a private bank that it would not name.

Meanwhile, Thailand's Minister of Industry, Chaiwut Bannawat, will lead a delegation of Thai business representatives on a fact-finding mission to Burma from Jan. 18-22 to seek information on the Burmese regime's investment policy and its framework for development of the Tavoy project, according to reports by The Nation, a Bangkok-based English-language daily.

While the Thai investors seem confident of the project's eventual success, other observers are less sure about its prospects, at least in terms of bringing any real benefit to the local economy.

Sean Turnell, an expert on the Burmese economy at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, said he was cautiously optimistic about the project. “Longer term, and come a reasonable government in Burma that was genuinely concerned with economic development, Tavoy could become the sort of infrastructure the country needs. But even such longer-term benefits presuppose such a government will emerge,” he said.

In a properly governed economy, the increased efficiencies from such a facility would pay dividends that would accrue to the country hosting it, the Australian economist also noted. “In Burma such dividends will flow not into the country's economy as such, but to the regime and its business associates,” he added.

The International Herald Tribune reported that the project includes a profit-sharing agreement with the Burmese junta, but executives from Italian-Thai said they could not divulge details. Meanwhile, business sources in Rangoon told The Irrawaddy that some of the regime's closest cronies have already been awarded huge contracts related to the Tavoy project. These include Max Myanmar owner Zaw Zaw, who accompanied Burma's top general on a tour of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone in China last year, and Stephen Law, who heads Asia World, the country's largest conglomerate, founded by former drug lord Lo Hsing Han in 1992. Both are on US sanctions lists, and both are favored business associates of junta head Snr-Gen Than Shwe and are especially close to former Lt-Gen Thiha Thura Tin Aung Myint Oo, the Secretary 1 of the ruling junta and chairman of the regime's Trade Council.

With some of Burma's top businessmen already on board, the project has also attracted the attention of other local business people hoping to cash in on what looks like a potential goldmine. Residents of villages near the project area, most of whom make a living by farming or fishing, say that there has been a sudden influx of outsiders, including not only Thai employees of Italian-Thai, but also Burmese from other parts of the country trying to snap up properties ahead of the coming rush.

“There are lots of people coming and going all the time, many of them hunting for houses and land to buy,” said one resident of Maungmagan, a village well known for its attractive beach.

He said people are trying to acquire houses and plots of land in his village because it is not located inside the project area. In that area, he said, nobody is interested in buying property because they know that it could soon be taken away from them.

In Tavoy, a city of around 150,000 inhabitants, residents told The Irrawaddy that land and house prices have doubled or tripled in recent months as businessmen, most of them close to the military regime, look for places to open banks, hotels and other businesses. One local business owner said that an acre of land in downtown Tavoy suitable for building a hotel is now worth as much as 1.5 billion kyat ($1.8 million)—three times what it would have cost before.

The Tavoy project is also expected to increase tourism in the region, especially in southern Tenasserim's Mergui archipelago. One proposal that has been put forward is to extend the reach of the project by 300 miles (483 km) to include the archipelago's pristine islands, which are already famous for their white sand beaches, crystal clear water and abundance of marine life.

While foreign investors consider the potential for future spinoffs from the Tavoy project, Burma's domestic media has focused mainly on its possible impact on the country's economy. Most reports have highlighted how Tavoy will become the region's biggest and most modern seaport, providing a shortcut between Europe and mainland Southeast Asia and possibly transforming Burma's economy the way that Shenzhen marked China's first step along the way to becoming an economic superpower.

What Burma's heavily censored domestic media has not mentioned, however, is the cost of this project for those who will be most directly affected by it. This cost, say observers who have been watching this project take shape, will be measured not only in the loss of land by farmers currently working their fields in the area, but also in the long-term environmental degradation it is expected to cause.

Local officials have told The Irrawaddy that many farmers continue to grow seasonal crops in the project area, but others who worked at rubber plantations are already gone, forced to leave to make way for companies that are increasingly moving in to claim land that has sustained local people for generations.

According to locally based researchers, Kaung Myat Co, Ltd, a Burmese logging company, recently seized 2,000 acres of land in the area, while Hein Yadanan Company confiscated 500 acres belonging to villagers living in Myatta, near the region where the deep-sea port project will be built.

Saw Eh Na, one of the researchers, said that the villagers were not compensated for the loss of their land, and most now have no means of making a living. He added that the land confiscation was likely related to the sea-port project. “The companies will plant rubber that they can sell to companies in the industrial zone that will be built in the Dawei port area,” he said.

Sources also said the trade route that will be built from Tavoy to Thailand also crosses several plantations belonging to Myatta village residents, meaning that many more villagers fear they will soon be forced off their land.

Environmentalists are also worried. They say that the planned project will damage the region's coastline and its relatively untouched wilderness areas. Fueling their concerns is the fact that no environmental impact assessment has been carried out and that the project does not include any environmental conservation plan.

“The construction of a deep-sea port and industrial zone on the Tenasserim coast will severely affect the biodiversity along the coastal region,” said a Burmese marine biologist from the Marine Science Association of Myanmar, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Another scientist who has studied the the region's unique, life-supporting ecosystems echoed these concerns: “Mangrove forest and coral reef are very important places for a wide range for aquatic species. They are necessary environments for the life and reproduction of those species. Without them, aquatic animals can no longer exist. As a result, biodiversity will be ruined.”

Especially sensitive, he said, are the 601 species of coral reefs that have reportedly been found in the Mergui archipelago, which comprises over 800 islands.

Referring to the lack of strong regulations and good governance to protect the environment, an official from the Forest Resource Environment Development and Conservation Association (FREDA), a leading Burmese environmental NGO based in Rangoon, also warned of long-term costs.

“Fuel wastes from ships and petrochemical waste from the factories will become an environmental problem that is quite difficult to tackle,” the official said.

None of this is likely to stop the Tavoy project from going ahead, however. As Matthew Smith, a senior consultant at EarthRights International (ERI), an international environmental and human rights group, has noted, “The well-being of the population and the environment simply haven't been prioritized under military rule, especially when business interests come into play.”

This was amply illustrated recently when a court in Kachin state awarded villagers evicted from the Hugawng Valley Tiger Reserve just 80,000 kyat ($96) per acre for land confiscated by the Yuzana Company, which in 2006 was granted 200,000 acres in the reserve to establish sugarcane and tapioca plantations. This was the same amount that was originally offered to them by Yuzana, which is owned by Htay Myint, who is on the US sanctions blacklist and soon to become a sitting member of Burma's Parliament after winning a seat in Tenasserim Division as a candidate for the regime-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party.

Many observers believe, however, that it is precisely this disregard for environmental and human rights protections that makes the Tavoy project so appealing to Thai investors. They note that the shift to Burma comes as Thailand imposes stricter environmental regulations in the wake of findings that residents of Map Ta Phut in Rayong Province had an increased risk of cancer due to air and groundwater pollution from the country's largest industrial port.

However, shifting to Burma carries its own dangers, say activists.

“Investors face serious material and reputational risks, despite the regime's propaganda, and what Asian companies investing in these projects aren't thinking about is the possibility of serious liabilities in courts of law for complicity in abuses in Burma,” said ERI's Matthew Smith.

Ba Thant in Tavoy and Aung Thet Wine in Rangoon contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2008 Irrawaddy Publishing Group | www.irrawaddy.org
http://www.irrawaddy.org/highlight.php?art_id=20508
-------------------------------------------
Karen rebels hold Thai man hostage

* Published: 12/01/2011 at 12:00 AM
* Newspaper section: News

TAK : The Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) has taken a Thai man hostage in Burma territory and is demanding a 300,000 baht ransom, police say.

The man, identified as only Kriangsak, was being held opposite Tak's Umphang district, they said. Mr Kriangsak is a resident of Taperpoo village in tambon Mokro of Umphang district.

The police said yesterday Mr Kriangsak crossed the border into Burma to negotiate a financial matter with a group from the DKBA. However, he failed to reach an agreement and the DKBA took him hostage and demanded 300,000 baht in cash in exchange for his freedom.

The DKBA claimed Mr Kriangsak owed them this amount.

Tak governor Samat Loifa has assigned Umphang district chief Chawengsak Jaikham to contact the DKBA about Mr Kriangsak's welfare. It has yet to respond.

Yesterday, a special task force of the 4th Infantry Division in Mae Sot district watched an armed confrontation between the DKBA and the Burmese military near Manao island opposite Mae Konken village in tambon Mahawan.

A number of K-81 grenades exploded in Thai territory, a special task force source said.

The source said Thai members of the Thai-Burmese Border Committee (TBC) sent a memo to their Burmese counterparts in Myawaddy asking them to seek assurances from the Burmese military that explosive projectiles were not fired into Thailand.

A group of Burmese soldiers has been surrounded by DKBA militants. The source said a lot of Burmese troops had been killed or injured. http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/215604/karen-rebels-hold-thai-man-hostage
-------------------------------------------
University Students Protest Against Rising Bus Fares in Kalay

Students walking on foot in Kalay (Photo: CG)

12 January 2011: About 500 university students take to the street in Kalay Myo of Sagaing Division today, protesting against a sharp rise in bus fare introduced in the new year by the military authorities.

The students of three universities including Kalay University, Kalay Computer University and Tehnological University (Kalay) walk on foot from Kalay Train Station towards downtown around 7:30am, demonstrating against an increase of bus fares from 100 to 200 Kyats.

"They [the students] have been walking on foot towards their universities since early morning. They are protesting against the bus fares being increased from 100 to 200 Kyats for a single journey to the university," a local resident of Kalay Myo told Chinland Guardian.

"The students have faced difficulties in waiting for and getting on the buses as the service is so limited. So, they are demanding more bus services from the authorities," said a local witness.

In 2007, a sharp increase in fuel price led to popular protests later known as "Saffron Revolution" led by Buddhist monks, which was brutally put off by the military regime.

There are about 4,000 students studying at Kalay University, 1,000 at Government Tehnological University and 400 at Computer University in Kalay Myo. http://chinlandguardian.com/news-2009/1158-university-students-protest-against-rising-bus-fares-in-kalay.html
------------------------------------------------------
Parliamentary Books Sell Out on First Day
By WAI MOE Tuesday, January 11, 2011

The main government bookstore in Rangoon sold out on Tuesday of a set of 17 legal books detailing new parliamentary laws and bylaws on the first day they were for sale.

The set of books was launched a day following the military government's announcement that it will convene the new Parliament on Jan. 31. Several government bookstores, information offices and the Public Relations Department also put the set of legal books for sale on Tuesday.

The state media announced on Monday that the 17 books detailing new laws and bylaws would be published as a matter of public information. The announcement was made alongside junta chief Snr-Gen Than Shwe’s declaration that the opening sessions of the new parliaments were to take place at 8:55 am on Jan. 31.

An official with the Sarpay Beikman Book House, belonging to the Ministry of Information, told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that one set of 16 law books costs 2,900 kyat (approx. US $3), and that every set was sold out by early that afternoon. He said that one book was yet to hit the bookstands, but that it would do so later that day.

A Rangoon-based journalist who bought the legal books at Sarpay Beikman Book House in downtown Rangoon on Tuesday morning said she witnessed a crowd of people buying the books. “But the bookstore would only sell one set of books per customer,” she said.

Even though Burma's military junta has ruled the country with an iron fist since 1962—particularly over issues such as press freedom—many Burmese citizens have continued to show their desire for knowledge and awareness of contemporary political, economic and social issues by reading and through foreign broadcasts on shortwave radios.

In additional to the pre-parliamentary opening session, the talk of the town on Tuesday was a report stating that every citizen of Burma should do military service.

International media reported on Monday that all men between 18 and 45 and all women between 18 and 35 will be drafted under a new military conscription law.

Commenting on publishing, Nyan Win, a lawyer and spokesman for the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), said that he had learned that new laws and bylaws had been issued by the junta in October though they were not publicly announced. He said that the NLD will soon respond to the new laws and bylaws.

Ahead of the Upper and Lower House openings in Naypyidaw on Jan. 31, officials at the administrative capital are busy preparing a reduction in government ministries, cooperating and assimilating similar ministries into one.

“Currently there are 32 ministries in the Cabinet,” said an official source who spoke on condition of anonymity. “Under the coming government, they will be reduced by up to 50 percent.” http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=20503
--------------------------------------------
Minister's Sons to Manage Gas Pipelines
By YAN PAI Wednesday, January 12, 2011

The IGE Group of Companies, which is owned by Nay Aung and Pyi Aung, the sons of the Burmese regime's Minister of Industry 1 Aung Thaung, has obtained an official permit from the Trade Policy Council (TPC) to transport pipelines to the project areas where natural gas will be transferred from offshore rigs in Burma's western Arakan State to China's Yunnan Province, according to business sources in Burma.

A businessman close to the military regime told The Irrawaddy, on condition of anonymity, that the IGE was granted the pipelines permit even though other companies, which are also close to the military regime, such as Asia World and Max Myanmar, also tried to obtain it.

A ceremony is held to mark the start of construction of the China section on the Sino-Burmese oil and gas pipeline project in China's Yunnan province on September, 2010. [Photo:Xinhua]
“It is a special project, so the decision was taken primarily by “Thiha Thura” Tin Aung Myint Oo, the Secretary 1 of the State Peace and Development Council [SPDC],” he said. Tin Aung Myint Oo is also the chair of the TPC overseeing investment and import-export contracts.

He said the pipelines for the project will be imported from China and then transported to the project areas. Two entry points for the pipelines have been arranged—by road through the Sino-Burmese border in Yunnan Province, and by shipment via the port in Rangoon.

In 2008, IGE reportedly signed a contract worth US $30 million with China's state-run Sinohydro Corporation for the construction of a hydro-power plant on the Salween River.

According to Thailand-based NGO Shwe Gas Movement, IGE will also be responsible for road construction and other related infrastructure projects along the route of the pipeline.

In addition, MRT Construction Co., a subsidiary of IGE, has reportedly been granted a construction permit for a safari project in the country's capital, Naypyidaw.

Aung Thaung is believed to be one of junta chief Snr-Gen Than Shwe's most trusted subordinates, and his son, Maj. Pyi Aung, is married to Nandar Aye, the daughter of Vice Snr-Gen Maung Aye, the regime's second-in-command.

According to business sources, Nay Aung is involved in gold mining, oil and gas, importing, and logging businesses under the company names of Aung Yee Phyo, IGE, MRT and the Amara Group, as well as a banking corporation called United Amara.

“Nay Aung can get along well with every ministry,” concluded the businessman. “He has established good relations even with ordinary staff members from the various ministries, so often he knows what a particular ministry needs better than its own ministers.”

Meanwhile, Tin Aung Myint Oo, who reportedly controls personally the movements of construction and other important businesses, has authorized work permits to several of his close business associates.

A businessman close to Asia World, a company owned by his business associate Tun Myint Naing (aka Steven Law), the son of former drug lord Lo Hsing Han, told The Irrawaddy that Tin Aung Myint Oo granted the company permission for the construction of several projects, including hydropower plants, jetties in Rangoon port, airports, and roads and bridges.

He said Tin Aung Myint Oo also gave permission to Max Myanmar, a company owned by his close business associate Zaw Zaw, the chairman of the Myanmar Football Federation, for the construction of several other projects, including the Tavoy deep seaport in southern Burma, football stadia and a children's hospital in Rangoon.

A businessman close to the Htoo Company, which is owned by business tycoon Tay Za, told The Irrawaddy that Tin Aung Myint Oo originally granted the company permission for the construction of Kyauk Phyu deep seaport in western Arakan State, but later ordered that the contract be shared between Htoo Company and his (Tin Aung Myint Oo's) son, former Capt. Tayza Saw Oo, and the Asia World Company.

Political analysts said that Tin Aung Myint Oo has prioritized large-scale projects for prominent businessmen close to him because he may be unsure what his role in the soon-to-be-formed new government will be.

Another of IGE's subsidiaries, the Singapore-registered UNOG, in January 2010 signed a production-sharing contract with Malaysia's Petronas to explore for oil and gas in three blocks in the Gulf of Martaban, south of Rangoon.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=20509

Read More...

Collapse...