18.02.2009
The Plank - Can Hillary Help Liberate Burma?
Hillary Clinton has indicated that the United States is considering a major shift in its policy toward Burma, most notably by lifting the economic sanctions that have restricted trade and investment in one of the world's most brutalizing regimes. While maintaining that the Obama administration is still considering its options, Clinton asserted that "the path we have taken in imposing sanctions hasn't influenced the Burmese junta." She added that engagement--the approach undertaken by Burma's neighboring countries--also failed to convince the authoritarian leaders to change their course.
Why hasn't America's approach made a difference? Well, other powerful actors--namely China and India--have stepped into the void, fostering lucrative partnerships with the regime. The military rulers have exploited the country's vast natural resources--not only its infamous gemstones, but also timber, metals, and natural gas. Moreover, the regime has continued to receive mixed messages from the international community: While the U.S. and E.U. have loudly condemned the regime, the Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has supported "constructive engagement" that has ensured that the regime has never been diplomatically isolated. Altogether, the Burmese junta neither needs nor wants to seek out America's approval.
It's encouraging to hear Clinton's admission that both sanctions and engagement have failed to bring any reform to Burma in the past 20 years. So what can be done instead, and how can the U.S. adopt a leadership role? Michael Green and Derek Mitchell have laid out some provocative alternatives in Foreign Affairs, suggesting that the U.S. go through China and India--Burma's "greatest enablers"--and make Burma more of a priority in diplomatic talks: "In discussions with Beijing, Washington could make China's Burma policy another test of its readiness to be a ‘responsible stakeholder,' much as it has already done in regard to Darfur," the authors write.
Clinton has already given strong signals that the U.S. will be more actively involved in Southeast Asia than under the Bush administration-not only by visiting Jakarta on her first overseas trip, but also by agreeing to attend a ministerial summit that Condi Rice "tended to skip" and to sign an ASEAN treaty of "amity and cooperation" that Bush refused to agree to. Meanwhile, the reasons for prioritizing Burma are becoming all the more urgent. As Green and Mitchell point out, the country is more than a political and humanitarian disaster--it's fast becoming a serious international security threat. Given such threats, the U.S. shouldn't hesitate in taking a leadership role in addressing the Burma crisis--not by going it alone, Rambo-style, but by diplomatically engaging and pressuring those most likely to influence the regime.
--Suzy Khimm
Saturday, March 14, 2009
ABC Online - Burma needs to speed up democracy: Indonesia FM
ABC Online - Burma needs to speed up democracy: Indonesia FM
By Sen Lam for Connect Asia
Posted 23 minutes ago
Indonesia's Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda has criticised Burma's lack of progress towards democracy, as well as its human rights record.
But he says the international community must stay engaged with Indonesia's fellow ASEAN member, arguing that pressure and sanctions have proved ineffective in achieving change.
Dr Wirajuda has told Sen Lam on ABC Radio Australia's Connect Asia program that the regional problem created by the outflow of Rohingya refugees only emphasises the need for an international approach.
"There is a sign of moving here and as a process of course you can not expect that we can change tomorrow," he said.
"But we are all working and in fact I would say that the neighbouring countries of Burma, not only ASEAN, have also worked together."
Dr Wirajuda is in Sydney for two days of discussions with the Australian Government.
Travel warnings
Dr Wirajuda says he will keep raising the issue of Australian travel warnings, despite failing in his latest appeal for them to be lifted.
Australia says travel advisories are assessed regularly on the basis of expert advice.
But he says there have not been been any recent terrorist bombings, and potential threats are often exaggerated.
He says Australia should follow the example of countries such as the United States and lift its travel advice.
"It's more a matter of Australians to decide of course, but it has to be commensurated through the developments on the ground," Dr Wirajuda said.
"First there has been no incidents of terrorism bombings in Indonesia in the past three years and countries like the United States and Canada have lifted their travel warnings since last year.
"The fact there has been quite a flowing of tourists from Australia it is also a fact, the Australian people themselves decide whether to travel to Indonesia by their own judgement, so it is in this context that we see that it is timely for the Australian government to lift the travel advice.
"Indonesia is one of the most successful countries in combating terrorism so the potential threat was often overblown, our police have been very effective in their task to combat terrorism."
By Sen Lam for Connect Asia
Posted 23 minutes ago
Indonesia's Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda has criticised Burma's lack of progress towards democracy, as well as its human rights record.
But he says the international community must stay engaged with Indonesia's fellow ASEAN member, arguing that pressure and sanctions have proved ineffective in achieving change.
Dr Wirajuda has told Sen Lam on ABC Radio Australia's Connect Asia program that the regional problem created by the outflow of Rohingya refugees only emphasises the need for an international approach.
"There is a sign of moving here and as a process of course you can not expect that we can change tomorrow," he said.
"But we are all working and in fact I would say that the neighbouring countries of Burma, not only ASEAN, have also worked together."
Dr Wirajuda is in Sydney for two days of discussions with the Australian Government.
Travel warnings
Dr Wirajuda says he will keep raising the issue of Australian travel warnings, despite failing in his latest appeal for them to be lifted.
Australia says travel advisories are assessed regularly on the basis of expert advice.
But he says there have not been been any recent terrorist bombings, and potential threats are often exaggerated.
He says Australia should follow the example of countries such as the United States and lift its travel advice.
"It's more a matter of Australians to decide of course, but it has to be commensurated through the developments on the ground," Dr Wirajuda said.
"First there has been no incidents of terrorism bombings in Indonesia in the past three years and countries like the United States and Canada have lifted their travel warnings since last year.
"The fact there has been quite a flowing of tourists from Australia it is also a fact, the Australian people themselves decide whether to travel to Indonesia by their own judgement, so it is in this context that we see that it is timely for the Australian government to lift the travel advice.
"Indonesia is one of the most successful countries in combating terrorism so the potential threat was often overblown, our police have been very effective in their task to combat terrorism."
Envoy says Myanmar rights grim, fails to meet Suu Kyi
Envoy says Myanmar rights grim, fails to meet Suu Kyi
Thu Feb 19, 2009 4:55pm GMT
By Aung Hla Tun
YANGON, Feb 19 (Reuters) - A U.N. envoy said on Thursday human rights in military-ruled Myanmar had not improved since his last visit seven months ago, but he hoped the regime would listen to his recommendations this time.
Human rights rapporteur Tomas Ojea Quintana met a handful of political prisoners in Yangon's Insein Prison, and senior government officials in the junta's remote capital Nay Pyi Taw during his five-day mission.
But the Argentine lawyer failed to meet junta leader Senior General Than Shwe or opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose latest detention began in May 2003.
Nobel laureate Suu Kyi is among 2,162 people believed to be in detention in Myanmar for their political or religious beliefs.
"The human rights situation in Myanmar is still challenging. It's difficult to affirm that the human rights situation has improved," he told reporters before leaving Yangon.
However, he said some "positive signs" emerged from his meetings in Nay Pyi Taw, where he called for the progressive release of prisoners of conscience.
"I discussed this issue with the Minister of Home Affairs, and he said he's going to consider this recommendation," he said.
Quintana is the second top U.N. envoy to visit the former Burma this month, but observers said neither appear to have much to show for their efforts.
Earlier this month, U.N. special envoy Ibrahim Gambari met Suu Kyi, but failed to make headway on bringing the military and Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) closer to talks on political reform.
"Frankly, I don't see any tangible results from Quintana's mission based on what is known of his activities," said a former Myanmar politician who declined to be named.
"So far as I know, he just went on a guided tour and met with people the regime had arranged," he said. Quintana was allowed to visit Karen State, home to one of the world's oldest insurgencies and where rights groups have accused Myanmar's military of widespread abuses.
But the envoy was denied access to Kachin and Rakhine states. Rakhine is home to hundreds of thousands of Rohingya, a Muslim ethnic group which made headlines after reports of them were mistreated by the Thai military after fleeing over the border to escape poverty and hardship.
Ojea, whose own parents were political prisoners under a military regime in Argentina, met two NLD MPs during his visit to Yangon's notorious Insein Prison, diplomats said.
Tin Min Htut and Nyi Bu were sentenced to 15 years in prison in a closed trial the day before Quintana arrived in Myanmar.
The two men were arrested last August after writing an open letter to the United Nations criticising Myanmar's planned 2010 general election under a new constitution critics say will entrench the military's grip on power.
By Aung Hla Tun
YANGON, Feb 19 (Reuters) - A U.N. envoy said on Thursday human rights in military-ruled Myanmar had not improved since his last visit seven months ago, but he hoped the regime would listen to his recommendations this time.
Human rights rapporteur Tomas Ojea Quintana met a handful of political prisoners in Yangon's Insein Prison, and senior government officials in the junta's remote capital Nay Pyi Taw during his five-day mission.
But the Argentine lawyer failed to meet junta leader Senior General Than Shwe or opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose latest detention began in May 2003.
Nobel laureate Suu Kyi is among 2,162 people believed to be in detention in Myanmar for their political or religious beliefs.
"The human rights situation in Myanmar is still challenging. It's difficult to affirm that the human rights situation has improved," he told reporters before leaving Yangon.
However, he said some "positive signs" emerged from his meetings in Nay Pyi Taw, where he called for the progressive release of prisoners of conscience.
"I discussed this issue with the Minister of Home Affairs, and he said he's going to consider this recommendation," he said.
Quintana is the second top U.N. envoy to visit the former Burma this month, but observers said neither appear to have much to show for their efforts.
Earlier this month, U.N. special envoy Ibrahim Gambari met Suu Kyi, but failed to make headway on bringing the military and Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) closer to talks on political reform.
"Frankly, I don't see any tangible results from Quintana's mission based on what is known of his activities," said a former Myanmar politician who declined to be named.
"So far as I know, he just went on a guided tour and met with people the regime had arranged," he said. Quintana was allowed to visit Karen State, home to one of the world's oldest insurgencies and where rights groups have accused Myanmar's military of widespread abuses.
But the envoy was denied access to Kachin and Rakhine states. Rakhine is home to hundreds of thousands of Rohingya, a Muslim ethnic group which made headlines after reports of them were mistreated by the Thai military after fleeing over the border to escape poverty and hardship.
Ojea, whose own parents were political prisoners under a military regime in Argentina, met two NLD MPs during his visit to Yangon's notorious Insein Prison, diplomats said.
Tin Min Htut and Nyi Bu were sentenced to 15 years in prison in a closed trial the day before Quintana arrived in Myanmar.
The two men were arrested last August after writing an open letter to the United Nations criticising Myanmar's planned 2010 general election under a new constitution critics say will entrench the military's grip on power.
Myanmar rights situation still challenging: UN
Myanmar rights situation still challenging: UN
Thu Feb 19, 10:15 am ET
YANGON (AFP) – Myanmar's human rights situation remains "challenging" and there are few signs of improvement, a UN independent expert on human rights said as he wrapped up a six-day visit Thursday.
But Tomas Ojea Quintana, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, said that there were "positive signs" from the ruling junta over his recommendations to the regime.
Quintana said he had recommended the "progressive release" of political prisoners held by the military regime when he met Myanmar's minister for home affairs.
"The human rights situation is still challenging. It is difficult for me to affirm that the human rights situation has improved," Quintana told reporters before flying out from Yangon.
Quintana, who arrived in the Southeast Asian nation on Saturday, said he had met five political prisoners during a four-hour visit to the notorious Insein prison in Yangon. He also met chief justice Aung Toe, he said.
The regime has handed out heavy jail terms to dozens of pro-democracy activists in recent months, many of them involved in protests led by Buddhist monks that erupted in 2007.
Quintana's visit is expected to pave the way for a possible trip later in the year by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.
Quintana said he planned to return to Myanmar in December.
The UN's Special Envoy to Myanmar, Ibrahim Gambari, was in Myanmar last month and met detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi but failed to secure a meeting with Myanmar's head of state Senior General Than Shwe.
Aung San Suu Kyi has spent most of the last 19 years under detention by the junta that has ruled the country since 1962. Her National League of Democracy won a landslide election victory in 1990 that the junta refused to recognise.
The regime has promised to hold elections in 2010, but critics have dismissed the polls as a sham.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said earlier this week that US President Barack Obama's administration was looking for a better way to bring change to Myanmar.
"We are conducting a review of our policy," Clinton said in Tokyo when asked whether there was an alternative to sanctions.
Former US President George W. Bush's administration strengthened decade-old sanctions against Myanmar.
Thu Feb 19, 10:15 am ET
YANGON (AFP) – Myanmar's human rights situation remains "challenging" and there are few signs of improvement, a UN independent expert on human rights said as he wrapped up a six-day visit Thursday.
But Tomas Ojea Quintana, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, said that there were "positive signs" from the ruling junta over his recommendations to the regime.
Quintana said he had recommended the "progressive release" of political prisoners held by the military regime when he met Myanmar's minister for home affairs.
"The human rights situation is still challenging. It is difficult for me to affirm that the human rights situation has improved," Quintana told reporters before flying out from Yangon.
Quintana, who arrived in the Southeast Asian nation on Saturday, said he had met five political prisoners during a four-hour visit to the notorious Insein prison in Yangon. He also met chief justice Aung Toe, he said.
The regime has handed out heavy jail terms to dozens of pro-democracy activists in recent months, many of them involved in protests led by Buddhist monks that erupted in 2007.
Quintana's visit is expected to pave the way for a possible trip later in the year by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.
Quintana said he planned to return to Myanmar in December.
The UN's Special Envoy to Myanmar, Ibrahim Gambari, was in Myanmar last month and met detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi but failed to secure a meeting with Myanmar's head of state Senior General Than Shwe.
Aung San Suu Kyi has spent most of the last 19 years under detention by the junta that has ruled the country since 1962. Her National League of Democracy won a landslide election victory in 1990 that the junta refused to recognise.
The regime has promised to hold elections in 2010, but critics have dismissed the polls as a sham.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said earlier this week that US President Barack Obama's administration was looking for a better way to bring change to Myanmar.
"We are conducting a review of our policy," Clinton said in Tokyo when asked whether there was an alternative to sanctions.
Former US President George W. Bush's administration strengthened decade-old sanctions against Myanmar.
Mizzima News - 'Free Daw Suu Kyi' campaign spreads
Mizzima News - 'Free Daw Suu Kyi' campaign spreads
by Phanida
Tuesday, 17 February 2009 23:24
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Pegu Division members of the 'National League for Democracy' (NLD), began their 'Free Daw Aung San Suu Kyi' signature campaign for their leader from the 14th of this month.
The youth wing of the NLD party collected signatures from the people in eastern Pegu Division, Daik Oo, Kawa, Thanatpin, Waw and Thayawadi in western Pegu Division.
"Our youth leaders collected signatures from the common people. The people are interested in this campaign. But, some people did not dare to give their signatures out of fear and they were also unaware that they could participate in such campaigns at their own free will as their right," Pegu Division NLD Organizing Committee member Daw Khin Nyunt Mu told Mizzima.
However, people from all walks of life including workers, cycle rickshaw pullers, doctors and lawyers added their signatures in this campaign.
She said that this was a public awareness campaign among the people on political prisoners, who are languishing in jails for their political conscience.
Similarly, the NLD party members held prayer meetings this morning in Pegu and Thedaw village, Meiktila Township in Mandalay Division, for the freedom of all political prisoners including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
"They offered floral and oil lamps at the southeast corner of Shwemawdaw pagoda platform in Pegu and said prayers at 6 o'clock this morning. Then we offered alms to 30 invited monks at 8 a.m," she said.
Similar alms food offering ceremonies were held in Meiktila, they offered alms to 130 monks, Meiktila Township NLD Secretary Daw Myint Myint Aye said.
Moreover, the people from Meiktila sent a letter signed by them to Snr. Gen. Than Shwe by post yesterday asking him to provide 24 hours a day uninterrupted power and water supply in Meiktila.
"We sent a letter signed by over 500 people to Naypyitaw (new jungle capital) by post demanding full supply of water and electricity in Meiktila. This movement can be joined by all those who signed in this petition letter boldly. We could collect 513 signatures for this letter," she said.
The letter says, in Meiktila, electricity is supplied by 6 hourly load shedding to 13 wards in Meiktila city by dividing the whole city to A, B & C. But the power supply is never available even for this 6 hourly period and also the people rely on tube wells in the city, though the big Meiktiala reservoir is seen in the city.
This letter was copied by copier machines and these copies were sent to local authorities of the District Peace and Development Council (PDC), Township PDC, District and Township Electrical Engineers Offices, Mandalay Division and Township City Development Committees (municipal bodies).
"In Kyigon ward, electricity is available once in every 10 days. But this ward has not been provided power for over one month now. In Thirimingalar ward, power is available once in every four days. It got power on 7th for the last time and since then, the area was blacked out. It should not be like that. The water supply should be available regularly in this technologically advanced age. We can say such unavailability of water and power in our city has been continuing for over a decade," she said.
During this campaign, ten-household-headmen from Aung Zeya Ward summoned the people, who had signed on the petition letter and warned them not to sign such a letter in future.
A similar campaign was launched in Chauk, Magwe Division by NLD party members and the local authorities collected signatures citing non-involvement in this campaign to counter the people's campaign, a local resident from Chauk told Mizzima.
A local resident said that they had already got over 800 signatures in this campaign and expected to get at least 10,000 more signatures. The letter signed by the people will be sent to the authorities on the 25th of this month, the local resident added.
by Phanida
Tuesday, 17 February 2009 23:24
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Pegu Division members of the 'National League for Democracy' (NLD), began their 'Free Daw Aung San Suu Kyi' signature campaign for their leader from the 14th of this month.
The youth wing of the NLD party collected signatures from the people in eastern Pegu Division, Daik Oo, Kawa, Thanatpin, Waw and Thayawadi in western Pegu Division.
"Our youth leaders collected signatures from the common people. The people are interested in this campaign. But, some people did not dare to give their signatures out of fear and they were also unaware that they could participate in such campaigns at their own free will as their right," Pegu Division NLD Organizing Committee member Daw Khin Nyunt Mu told Mizzima.
However, people from all walks of life including workers, cycle rickshaw pullers, doctors and lawyers added their signatures in this campaign.
She said that this was a public awareness campaign among the people on political prisoners, who are languishing in jails for their political conscience.
Similarly, the NLD party members held prayer meetings this morning in Pegu and Thedaw village, Meiktila Township in Mandalay Division, for the freedom of all political prisoners including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
"They offered floral and oil lamps at the southeast corner of Shwemawdaw pagoda platform in Pegu and said prayers at 6 o'clock this morning. Then we offered alms to 30 invited monks at 8 a.m," she said.
Similar alms food offering ceremonies were held in Meiktila, they offered alms to 130 monks, Meiktila Township NLD Secretary Daw Myint Myint Aye said.
Moreover, the people from Meiktila sent a letter signed by them to Snr. Gen. Than Shwe by post yesterday asking him to provide 24 hours a day uninterrupted power and water supply in Meiktila.
"We sent a letter signed by over 500 people to Naypyitaw (new jungle capital) by post demanding full supply of water and electricity in Meiktila. This movement can be joined by all those who signed in this petition letter boldly. We could collect 513 signatures for this letter," she said.
The letter says, in Meiktila, electricity is supplied by 6 hourly load shedding to 13 wards in Meiktila city by dividing the whole city to A, B & C. But the power supply is never available even for this 6 hourly period and also the people rely on tube wells in the city, though the big Meiktiala reservoir is seen in the city.
This letter was copied by copier machines and these copies were sent to local authorities of the District Peace and Development Council (PDC), Township PDC, District and Township Electrical Engineers Offices, Mandalay Division and Township City Development Committees (municipal bodies).
"In Kyigon ward, electricity is available once in every 10 days. But this ward has not been provided power for over one month now. In Thirimingalar ward, power is available once in every four days. It got power on 7th for the last time and since then, the area was blacked out. It should not be like that. The water supply should be available regularly in this technologically advanced age. We can say such unavailability of water and power in our city has been continuing for over a decade," she said.
During this campaign, ten-household-headmen from Aung Zeya Ward summoned the people, who had signed on the petition letter and warned them not to sign such a letter in future.
A similar campaign was launched in Chauk, Magwe Division by NLD party members and the local authorities collected signatures citing non-involvement in this campaign to counter the people's campaign, a local resident from Chauk told Mizzima.
A local resident said that they had already got over 800 signatures in this campaign and expected to get at least 10,000 more signatures. The letter signed by the people will be sent to the authorities on the 25th of this month, the local resident added.
NPR - Myanmar's People Slide Deeper Into Despair
NPR - Myanmar's People Slide Deeper Into Despair
Michael Sulliva/NPR
by Michael Sullivan
More than eight months after Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar, villagers are sharing 40 temporary shelters in this village in the Irrawaddy Delta. Only two out of 250 homes remained after the storm last May. Only five people died, although no one survived in neighboring villages.
All Things Considered, February 17, 2009 · The military-led government continues to rule Myanmar with an iron fist even as it prepares for general elections in 2010 that almost everyone but the government regards as a sham. Foreign reporters aren't welcome in Myanmar. But NPR's Michael Sullivan made a clandestine visit earlier this month to have a firsthand look.
Cyclone Nargis last May devastated Myanmar's Irrawaddy Delta. The country's largest city, Yangon, took a beating, too. The cyclone uprooted hundreds of century-old trees, ripped off roofs and wreaked havoc with the power grid, leaving most of the city without electricity for weeks.
More than eight months on, Yangon looks pretty much back to normal — for a city of the last century, at least. Vegetable sellers hawk their wares near the city center while ancient cars and buses choke the streets at evening rush hour. Bus conductors hustle fares and shout destinations to would-be customers on the curb.
Electricity is still in short supply, not because of the cyclone, locals say, but because the government is siphoning it off to its new jungle capital in Nipadaw to the north. Government representatives used to tell us when they were going to cut power, one man says bitterly. Now they don't even bother.
Portable generators outside shops get the job done, but the fuel is expensive — even as the military government rakes in huge sums each year exporting natural gas to neighboring Thailand.
'We Are Helpless Against Them'
At Yangon's magnificent Shwedegon Pagoda, locals still come to pray for better luck and a better life for their families.
It's an act of faith, and faith is about all they have these days in Myanmar. Once Southeast Asia's breadbasket, the country is now a beggar, thanks to the mismanagement and greed of those in power. That's even though the country is rich in natural resources, such as timber, minerals and natural gas.
One of the guides here — lowering his voice, wary of informers — complains about the government's response to Cyclone Nargis, which killed more than 140,000 people.
Myanmar's military rulers initially refused to allow aid shipments and aid workers into the country, he says, their paranoia and fear of outsiders contributing to the death toll. We are like dogs and they are our masters, the guide says, and we are helpless against them.
The masters have been particular active recently, rounding up hundreds of democracy activists and sentencing them to lengthy jail terms. Myanmar's jails now hold more than 2,000 political prisoners — twice as many as there were before the monks marched in 2007.
Myanmar's tourism industry is taking a beating, too. Take Bagan, the country's top tourist destination. One particular night, a brother-and-sister singing duo performs to a near-empty house at a popular hotel there.
It is high season for tourists, yet less than one-third of the rooms are occupied. The crackdown on the monks and the government response to Nargis have cut deeply into business.
Remote Areas Still Suffering
Far to the south, in the Irrawaddy Delta, the areas hardest hit by Nargis were largely off limits to foreigners after the cyclone. But a few who made it down to the road that leads to the coastal town of Bogalay told stories of the road lined with desperate people who, having lost everything, were begging for food, money, anything.
These days, the same road looks different — the houses mostly rebuilt, the cyclone damage largely invisible. In more remote areas, though, it's a different story.
The only way to reach many remote areas is by boat. Our destination is a village just a few miles from the sea. Out of 250 houses, only two were left standing by the cyclone. Most of the villagers survived, however, by taking refuge in the local monastery.
Eight months later, construction of a new school, with materials donated by foreign charities through the government, is under way. Some NGOs also have donated plastic sheeting and roofing supplies to help provide shelter for the overwhelming majority of villagers who lost theirs.
Sitting in his monastery, the senior monk says his village was luckier than most. But the government, he says flatly, did nothing to help. In fact, he says, the military showed up a few days after the cyclone — not to bring relief supplies, but to ensure that no foreigners came to help without permission.
Why does the government treat its people this way? Because when people are starving, the monk says, they're easier to control. But if they hear me talking like this, he says, they'll throw me in jail for 50 years.
Proper Shelter A Particular Problem
The good news is the first post-Nargis rice crop is in. It's down about 50 percent in this village, the paddies contaminated with saltwater from the storm. But there is enough food to go around. What's still lacking, though, is proper shelter.
A 19-year-old woman rocks a 3-month-old baby in the temporary shelter that's been home since Nargis destroyed hers eight months ago. There are 40 more families like hers in the village. And these aren't FEMA trailers, either — just blue plastic sheeting wrapped around four poles, topped with a crude thatch roof.
The woman says her husband is a day laborer and doesn't make enough money to allow them to build something better.
When asked how much it would cost to build a new house, she responds, about $500. And how long will it take to come up with that amount? About 10 years, maybe more, she says.
We stuff a handful of cash in her hand and leave. On the way out, my driver from Yangon just shakes his head. The rainy season is coming, he says. That hut will never last. How, he asks, will that baby stay dry?
The Regime Is 'Durable'
Back in Yangon, yet another musician plays to an empty house at one of the city's finest hotels. It's not just tourism that's down. The economy in general is suffering. The global economic turmoil has reached Myanmar, too, in the form of fewer exports and less remittance money from Burmese working abroad.
A foreign diplomat says the stress on the economy may yet cause problems for the regime. He notes that the last two uprisings against the military — in 1988 and again in 2007 — began over economic issues. If things continue to get worse, it could happen again, he says.
But the regime is very durable, he warns. And it continues to tighten its grip.
Opposition icon Aung San Suu Kyi remains under house arrest. U.N. envoys come and go frequently but leave empty-handed — while Myanmar's people slide deeper into despair.
Michael Sulliva/NPR
by Michael Sullivan
More than eight months after Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar, villagers are sharing 40 temporary shelters in this village in the Irrawaddy Delta. Only two out of 250 homes remained after the storm last May. Only five people died, although no one survived in neighboring villages.
All Things Considered, February 17, 2009 · The military-led government continues to rule Myanmar with an iron fist even as it prepares for general elections in 2010 that almost everyone but the government regards as a sham. Foreign reporters aren't welcome in Myanmar. But NPR's Michael Sullivan made a clandestine visit earlier this month to have a firsthand look.
Cyclone Nargis last May devastated Myanmar's Irrawaddy Delta. The country's largest city, Yangon, took a beating, too. The cyclone uprooted hundreds of century-old trees, ripped off roofs and wreaked havoc with the power grid, leaving most of the city without electricity for weeks.
More than eight months on, Yangon looks pretty much back to normal — for a city of the last century, at least. Vegetable sellers hawk their wares near the city center while ancient cars and buses choke the streets at evening rush hour. Bus conductors hustle fares and shout destinations to would-be customers on the curb.
Electricity is still in short supply, not because of the cyclone, locals say, but because the government is siphoning it off to its new jungle capital in Nipadaw to the north. Government representatives used to tell us when they were going to cut power, one man says bitterly. Now they don't even bother.
Portable generators outside shops get the job done, but the fuel is expensive — even as the military government rakes in huge sums each year exporting natural gas to neighboring Thailand.
'We Are Helpless Against Them'
At Yangon's magnificent Shwedegon Pagoda, locals still come to pray for better luck and a better life for their families.
It's an act of faith, and faith is about all they have these days in Myanmar. Once Southeast Asia's breadbasket, the country is now a beggar, thanks to the mismanagement and greed of those in power. That's even though the country is rich in natural resources, such as timber, minerals and natural gas.
One of the guides here — lowering his voice, wary of informers — complains about the government's response to Cyclone Nargis, which killed more than 140,000 people.
Myanmar's military rulers initially refused to allow aid shipments and aid workers into the country, he says, their paranoia and fear of outsiders contributing to the death toll. We are like dogs and they are our masters, the guide says, and we are helpless against them.
The masters have been particular active recently, rounding up hundreds of democracy activists and sentencing them to lengthy jail terms. Myanmar's jails now hold more than 2,000 political prisoners — twice as many as there were before the monks marched in 2007.
Myanmar's tourism industry is taking a beating, too. Take Bagan, the country's top tourist destination. One particular night, a brother-and-sister singing duo performs to a near-empty house at a popular hotel there.
It is high season for tourists, yet less than one-third of the rooms are occupied. The crackdown on the monks and the government response to Nargis have cut deeply into business.
Remote Areas Still Suffering
Far to the south, in the Irrawaddy Delta, the areas hardest hit by Nargis were largely off limits to foreigners after the cyclone. But a few who made it down to the road that leads to the coastal town of Bogalay told stories of the road lined with desperate people who, having lost everything, were begging for food, money, anything.
These days, the same road looks different — the houses mostly rebuilt, the cyclone damage largely invisible. In more remote areas, though, it's a different story.
The only way to reach many remote areas is by boat. Our destination is a village just a few miles from the sea. Out of 250 houses, only two were left standing by the cyclone. Most of the villagers survived, however, by taking refuge in the local monastery.
Eight months later, construction of a new school, with materials donated by foreign charities through the government, is under way. Some NGOs also have donated plastic sheeting and roofing supplies to help provide shelter for the overwhelming majority of villagers who lost theirs.
Sitting in his monastery, the senior monk says his village was luckier than most. But the government, he says flatly, did nothing to help. In fact, he says, the military showed up a few days after the cyclone — not to bring relief supplies, but to ensure that no foreigners came to help without permission.
Why does the government treat its people this way? Because when people are starving, the monk says, they're easier to control. But if they hear me talking like this, he says, they'll throw me in jail for 50 years.
Proper Shelter A Particular Problem
The good news is the first post-Nargis rice crop is in. It's down about 50 percent in this village, the paddies contaminated with saltwater from the storm. But there is enough food to go around. What's still lacking, though, is proper shelter.
A 19-year-old woman rocks a 3-month-old baby in the temporary shelter that's been home since Nargis destroyed hers eight months ago. There are 40 more families like hers in the village. And these aren't FEMA trailers, either — just blue plastic sheeting wrapped around four poles, topped with a crude thatch roof.
The woman says her husband is a day laborer and doesn't make enough money to allow them to build something better.
When asked how much it would cost to build a new house, she responds, about $500. And how long will it take to come up with that amount? About 10 years, maybe more, she says.
We stuff a handful of cash in her hand and leave. On the way out, my driver from Yangon just shakes his head. The rainy season is coming, he says. That hut will never last. How, he asks, will that baby stay dry?
The Regime Is 'Durable'
Back in Yangon, yet another musician plays to an empty house at one of the city's finest hotels. It's not just tourism that's down. The economy in general is suffering. The global economic turmoil has reached Myanmar, too, in the form of fewer exports and less remittance money from Burmese working abroad.
A foreign diplomat says the stress on the economy may yet cause problems for the regime. He notes that the last two uprisings against the military — in 1988 and again in 2007 — began over economic issues. If things continue to get worse, it could happen again, he says.
But the regime is very durable, he warns. And it continues to tighten its grip.
Opposition icon Aung San Suu Kyi remains under house arrest. U.N. envoys come and go frequently but leave empty-handed — while Myanmar's people slide deeper into despair.
The Japan Times - Myanmar refugees to try resettling
Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2009
The Japan Times - Myanmar refugees to try resettling
Pilot project to select 90 in Thai camps eligible to live in Japan
By MARIKO KATO, Staff writer
As Japan prepares to take in Myanmarese from Thai refugee camps, it is important that the communities they resettle in fully support their integration into society, experts said at a recent Tokyo symposium held by the Foreign Ministry.
In fiscal 2010, Japan will begin a three-year pilot program to accept 90 refugees residing in Thailand just across the border from junta-ruled Myanmar, becoming the first Asian country to take in refugees living in foreign camps.
Refugees are increasing in number, but their resettlement in third countries is not keeping up with the pace, Mitsuko Shino, a Foreign Ministry director of humanitarian affairs, told the Feb. 5 symposium.
"Japan will take social responsibility by starting this program," she said, adding the project will reflect the viewpoint of the receiving community.
There are currently 110,000 Myanmarese refugees in Thai border camps, which have existed for more than 20 years, but not all of them want to move away. Since the 2005 start of a resettlement program, about 30,000 have been relocated to other countries, mainly the United States as well as Canada and Australia.
Japan plans to select 30 refugees a year from the Mae La camp in Tak Province in northwest Thailand, after interviewing people approved by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.
Those chosen will receive three to four weeks of classes on Japanese language and culture and undergo health checks prior to leaving Thailand.
Daniel Alkhal, a representative for UNHCR, which identifies refugees in need of resettlement and assesses their eligibility, praised the quality of the program despite its small scale, and expressed hope that the people selected ultimately gain permanent residence and citizenship in Japan.
"Integration is a psychological process on both sides," said Dominique Collinge, a minister counselor for the Permanent Mission of Canada in Geneva.
Canada has to date taken in 2,600 Myanmarese from Thai refugee camps, according to UNHCR, and grants permanent resident status upon arrival and citizenship after three years. The government runs the Host Program, where native families are coupled with immigrants to share evening entertainment or trips to the supermarket.
"We accept resettlement refugees because they need us, not because we need them," Collinge said, noting refugees bear the responsibility of having to pay back the loan for initial travel and medical costs.
"We tell them you will not be assisted all the time; you will have to work. And they have the pride of reimbursement," he said, noting 90 percent have paid their debt.
According to Irena Vojackova-Sollorano, a regional representative for International Organization for Migration, an intergovernmental agency that oversees part of the resettlement process, refugees from tropical forests may have a hard time adjusting to colder, urban environments, and their education level is varied.
"Some of them have never had monthly salaries, so we practice job interviews with them. We also teach them how to behave on a plane," she said. "But the most important point is that they are very much eager to learn and work."
Upon arriving in Japan, the refugees will reside in specially allocated facilities in the Tokyo metropolitan area. They will receive food and clothes for a week and undertake a six-month assistance program, including language training, employment consultations and help in sending their children to school.
"This is necessary to reach the minimum standard needed to live in Japan," said Hiroshi Karube, director general of the Refugee Assistance Headquarters, a quasi-governmental organization.
After the assistance program is completed, the refugees will continue to receive periodic support in various areas.
According to UNHCR, there are 11.4 million refugees worldwide, more than half of them in Asia. About 1 percent are in need of resettlement, with 19 countries currently taking 69,610 a year. Of them, the U.S. takes in 50,000.
Japan has accepted about 11,000 Indochinese refugees since the late 1970s until recently.
One who resettled in Japan was Ponnareth Kugo. Born in 1964 in Cambodia, she fled to Thailand during the bloody Pol Pot regime.
"The resettlement country is like a foster parent," said Kugo, who married a Japanese in 1988 and obtained Japanese citizenship. "Refugees do not need sympathy. Their greatest joy is to be treated as equal."
Collinge noted: "It really takes time to make a resettlement refugee program successful. You have to ask the refugees what they want — it must be a dual process. You have to make the refugees love Japan, and you do that by making them feel welcome."
When asked how to increase public support, he replied, "by talking about it, like this."
The Japan Times - Myanmar refugees to try resettling
Pilot project to select 90 in Thai camps eligible to live in Japan
By MARIKO KATO, Staff writer
As Japan prepares to take in Myanmarese from Thai refugee camps, it is important that the communities they resettle in fully support their integration into society, experts said at a recent Tokyo symposium held by the Foreign Ministry.
In fiscal 2010, Japan will begin a three-year pilot program to accept 90 refugees residing in Thailand just across the border from junta-ruled Myanmar, becoming the first Asian country to take in refugees living in foreign camps.
Refugees are increasing in number, but their resettlement in third countries is not keeping up with the pace, Mitsuko Shino, a Foreign Ministry director of humanitarian affairs, told the Feb. 5 symposium.
"Japan will take social responsibility by starting this program," she said, adding the project will reflect the viewpoint of the receiving community.
There are currently 110,000 Myanmarese refugees in Thai border camps, which have existed for more than 20 years, but not all of them want to move away. Since the 2005 start of a resettlement program, about 30,000 have been relocated to other countries, mainly the United States as well as Canada and Australia.
Japan plans to select 30 refugees a year from the Mae La camp in Tak Province in northwest Thailand, after interviewing people approved by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.
Those chosen will receive three to four weeks of classes on Japanese language and culture and undergo health checks prior to leaving Thailand.
Daniel Alkhal, a representative for UNHCR, which identifies refugees in need of resettlement and assesses their eligibility, praised the quality of the program despite its small scale, and expressed hope that the people selected ultimately gain permanent residence and citizenship in Japan.
"Integration is a psychological process on both sides," said Dominique Collinge, a minister counselor for the Permanent Mission of Canada in Geneva.
Canada has to date taken in 2,600 Myanmarese from Thai refugee camps, according to UNHCR, and grants permanent resident status upon arrival and citizenship after three years. The government runs the Host Program, where native families are coupled with immigrants to share evening entertainment or trips to the supermarket.
"We accept resettlement refugees because they need us, not because we need them," Collinge said, noting refugees bear the responsibility of having to pay back the loan for initial travel and medical costs.
"We tell them you will not be assisted all the time; you will have to work. And they have the pride of reimbursement," he said, noting 90 percent have paid their debt.
According to Irena Vojackova-Sollorano, a regional representative for International Organization for Migration, an intergovernmental agency that oversees part of the resettlement process, refugees from tropical forests may have a hard time adjusting to colder, urban environments, and their education level is varied.
"Some of them have never had monthly salaries, so we practice job interviews with them. We also teach them how to behave on a plane," she said. "But the most important point is that they are very much eager to learn and work."
Upon arriving in Japan, the refugees will reside in specially allocated facilities in the Tokyo metropolitan area. They will receive food and clothes for a week and undertake a six-month assistance program, including language training, employment consultations and help in sending their children to school.
"This is necessary to reach the minimum standard needed to live in Japan," said Hiroshi Karube, director general of the Refugee Assistance Headquarters, a quasi-governmental organization.
After the assistance program is completed, the refugees will continue to receive periodic support in various areas.
According to UNHCR, there are 11.4 million refugees worldwide, more than half of them in Asia. About 1 percent are in need of resettlement, with 19 countries currently taking 69,610 a year. Of them, the U.S. takes in 50,000.
Japan has accepted about 11,000 Indochinese refugees since the late 1970s until recently.
One who resettled in Japan was Ponnareth Kugo. Born in 1964 in Cambodia, she fled to Thailand during the bloody Pol Pot regime.
"The resettlement country is like a foster parent," said Kugo, who married a Japanese in 1988 and obtained Japanese citizenship. "Refugees do not need sympathy. Their greatest joy is to be treated as equal."
Collinge noted: "It really takes time to make a resettlement refugee program successful. You have to ask the refugees what they want — it must be a dual process. You have to make the refugees love Japan, and you do that by making them feel welcome."
When asked how to increase public support, he replied, "by talking about it, like this."
RFA - Burma Cuts Jail Terms
RFA - Burma Cuts Jail Terms
2009-02-17
A Burmese appeal court reduces two prison terms as a senior U.N. envoy visits.
BANGKOK—Burmese authorities have reduced from 26 years to 10 years the prison term handed down to the wife of an activist involved in helping victims of Tropical Cyclone Nargis, according to her lawyer.
Another activist, Wai Myo Htoo, also had his sentenced reduced from 26 to 10 years, their lawyer, Myint Thwin, said in an interview. Both are held at Mandalay Prison.
“The order was passed today,” Myint Thwin said Feb. 17. “The Division Court reduced Kathi Aung's prison term by 16 years, so it remains only 10 years. The court combined all the charges into one and commuted the sentence."
The United Nations envoy on human rights in Burma, Tomas Ojea Quintana, is currently in Burma on his second visit to the country since taking that office in May 2008.
Ojea Quintana visited Karen state, where U.N. and human rights groups say the military has committed atrocities against rebels and minorities, and expects to also visit Rakhine state, home to the Rohingya Muslim minority.
On Monday, a Burmese source said, the envoy met with five political prisoners at Rangoon's notorious Insein Prison: student leader Kyaw Ko Ko, lawyer Nyi Nyi Htwe, opposition MP's Nyi Pu and Tin Min Htut, and Buddhist nun Daw Ponnami.
Myint Thwin also voiced concern about nine other youths detained at Mandalay Prison for their alleged roles in the 2007 "saffron revolution"—a monk-led series of protests sparked by rising fuel prices, which ended in an armed crackdown in October 2007.
Myint Thwin said he was unable to proceed with appeals for the remaining activists because their families hadn’t contacted him.
“I haven't had any contact from the remaining families, and since we do not have the general power of attorney, we cannot proceed with appeals,” he said.
“We want to assure those families that we will not charge them at all for any service. We want them to contact us as soon as possible so that we can proceed with their appeal using the general power of attorney.”
Miscarriage in prison
Kathi Aung, 23, whose husband Tun Tun has been in hiding from the authorities since September, suffered a second-trimester miscarriage in prison and has since been diagnosed with a heart condition, according to her parents.
Aung was six months pregnant when she miscarried in prison on or around Dec. 27, her parents said in an interview. Kathi Aung’s mother, Thi Da Aung, said that when she visited her daughter on Jan. 21, “She was thin and pale.”
Thi Da Aung also said authorities threatened to transfer her daughter to a remote prison if she spoke to the media.
Kathi Aung was initially handed a 26-year sentence for allegedly crossing the Burmese border and maintaining contact with illegal organizations, although her husband says she had no involvement in politics.
Exile groups speak out
Two Burmese exile groups, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) and the Burmese Women's Union, in December cited Kathi Aung’s case in a joint statement condemning inadequate health care for political prisoners in Burma.
“The authorities have clearly failed to meet their obligations” under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, which the junta signed in 1997, the statement said.
“As a result, Kay Thi [Kathi] Aung has suffered a terrible loss. She needs urgent medical treatment,” it said, calling for the reinstatement of prison visits in Burma by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Tun Tun, 24 and known as Myo Min Oo, said from an undisclosed hiding place in December that the authorities had come looking for him in early September at the same time that they detained a number of other activists, whose work with Nargis victims showed up gaping holes in the government's handling of the disaster.
When police couldn’t find him, he said, they detained his wife.
Until September, Tun Tun had been working closely with two Buddhist monks who were helping Nargis victims in Bogalay, Dedaye, Pyapone, and other disaster-stricken towns in the south of the country, collecting donations and distributing aid to the victims.
Cyclone aid
Tun Tun worked with two monks helping cyclone victims left without government aid, first in Mandalay, then on several trips to the devastated Irrawaddy delta.
Both monks have since been arrested on suspicion of re-grouping for further mass demonstrations on the first anniversary of the crackdown on the Saffron Revolution.
According to official figures, Cyclone Nargis killed 84,537 people and left 53,836 missing and 19,359 injured.
Local people left homeless and without food or water in the wake of the storm complained that the government prevented aid from reaching those who needed it, and hindered attempts by religious groups and private individuals to plug the gap.
In December, New York-based Human Rights Watch renewed its criticism of Burma's treatment of political prisoners, both in court and in prison.
It urged ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan to send an independent legal assessment team to monitor the situation, calling on ASEAN to address Burma's lack of respect for the rule of law when it holds its rescheduled ASEAN summit meeting in early 2009.
2009-02-17
A Burmese appeal court reduces two prison terms as a senior U.N. envoy visits.
BANGKOK—Burmese authorities have reduced from 26 years to 10 years the prison term handed down to the wife of an activist involved in helping victims of Tropical Cyclone Nargis, according to her lawyer.
Another activist, Wai Myo Htoo, also had his sentenced reduced from 26 to 10 years, their lawyer, Myint Thwin, said in an interview. Both are held at Mandalay Prison.
“The order was passed today,” Myint Thwin said Feb. 17. “The Division Court reduced Kathi Aung's prison term by 16 years, so it remains only 10 years. The court combined all the charges into one and commuted the sentence."
The United Nations envoy on human rights in Burma, Tomas Ojea Quintana, is currently in Burma on his second visit to the country since taking that office in May 2008.
Ojea Quintana visited Karen state, where U.N. and human rights groups say the military has committed atrocities against rebels and minorities, and expects to also visit Rakhine state, home to the Rohingya Muslim minority.
On Monday, a Burmese source said, the envoy met with five political prisoners at Rangoon's notorious Insein Prison: student leader Kyaw Ko Ko, lawyer Nyi Nyi Htwe, opposition MP's Nyi Pu and Tin Min Htut, and Buddhist nun Daw Ponnami.
Myint Thwin also voiced concern about nine other youths detained at Mandalay Prison for their alleged roles in the 2007 "saffron revolution"—a monk-led series of protests sparked by rising fuel prices, which ended in an armed crackdown in October 2007.
Myint Thwin said he was unable to proceed with appeals for the remaining activists because their families hadn’t contacted him.
“I haven't had any contact from the remaining families, and since we do not have the general power of attorney, we cannot proceed with appeals,” he said.
“We want to assure those families that we will not charge them at all for any service. We want them to contact us as soon as possible so that we can proceed with their appeal using the general power of attorney.”
Miscarriage in prison
Kathi Aung, 23, whose husband Tun Tun has been in hiding from the authorities since September, suffered a second-trimester miscarriage in prison and has since been diagnosed with a heart condition, according to her parents.
Aung was six months pregnant when she miscarried in prison on or around Dec. 27, her parents said in an interview. Kathi Aung’s mother, Thi Da Aung, said that when she visited her daughter on Jan. 21, “She was thin and pale.”
Thi Da Aung also said authorities threatened to transfer her daughter to a remote prison if she spoke to the media.
Kathi Aung was initially handed a 26-year sentence for allegedly crossing the Burmese border and maintaining contact with illegal organizations, although her husband says she had no involvement in politics.
Exile groups speak out
Two Burmese exile groups, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) and the Burmese Women's Union, in December cited Kathi Aung’s case in a joint statement condemning inadequate health care for political prisoners in Burma.
“The authorities have clearly failed to meet their obligations” under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, which the junta signed in 1997, the statement said.
“As a result, Kay Thi [Kathi] Aung has suffered a terrible loss. She needs urgent medical treatment,” it said, calling for the reinstatement of prison visits in Burma by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Tun Tun, 24 and known as Myo Min Oo, said from an undisclosed hiding place in December that the authorities had come looking for him in early September at the same time that they detained a number of other activists, whose work with Nargis victims showed up gaping holes in the government's handling of the disaster.
When police couldn’t find him, he said, they detained his wife.
Until September, Tun Tun had been working closely with two Buddhist monks who were helping Nargis victims in Bogalay, Dedaye, Pyapone, and other disaster-stricken towns in the south of the country, collecting donations and distributing aid to the victims.
Cyclone aid
Tun Tun worked with two monks helping cyclone victims left without government aid, first in Mandalay, then on several trips to the devastated Irrawaddy delta.
Both monks have since been arrested on suspicion of re-grouping for further mass demonstrations on the first anniversary of the crackdown on the Saffron Revolution.
According to official figures, Cyclone Nargis killed 84,537 people and left 53,836 missing and 19,359 injured.
Local people left homeless and without food or water in the wake of the storm complained that the government prevented aid from reaching those who needed it, and hindered attempts by religious groups and private individuals to plug the gap.
In December, New York-based Human Rights Watch renewed its criticism of Burma's treatment of political prisoners, both in court and in prison.
It urged ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan to send an independent legal assessment team to monitor the situation, calling on ASEAN to address Burma's lack of respect for the rule of law when it holds its rescheduled ASEAN summit meeting in early 2009.
EARTHtimes - UNhuman rights envoy visits Myanmar's military capital
EARTHtimes - UNhuman rights envoy visits Myanmar's military capital
Posted : Wed, 18 Feb 2009 03:18:47 GMT
Author : DPA
Yangon - United Nations special human rights envoy Tomas Ojea Quintana visited Myanmar's junta headquarters of Naypyitaw Wednesday, for talks likely to concentrate on the country's estimated 2,100 political prisoners. UN officials said it was not known which generals Quintana would meet in Naypyitaw, 350 kilometres north of Yangon. He is expected to at least meet with Prime Minister General Thein Sein, who also met with UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari on an official visit last month.
Myanmar's military supremo and junta chief, Senior General Than Shwe, has refused meetings with any UN representatives since May, when he granted an audience with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
Quintana arrived in Yangon on Saturday for a trip aimed at pressing for the freedom of the country's 2,100 political prisoners, including opposition leaders Aung San Suu Kyi and Tin Oo.
Tin Oo, the 82-year-old deputy leader of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), was sentenced to another year under house arrest on the eve of Quintana's arrival.
The UN rapporteur on human rights also visited jails in the Karen State and the notorious Insein prison in Yangon, meeting with several political prisoners.
Critics of his visit called it a "showboat" mission for the junta, permitted only to improve its image at the 14th summit of the Association of South-East Asian Nations in Thailand later this month.
While allowing the visit, the regime has already sent a clear message to Quintana that it will continue to brook no political opposition.
Besides slapping another year on to Tin Oo's house arrest Friday, the day before Quintana's arrival, Myanmar courts sentenced NLD members Nyi Bu and Tin Min Htut to 15 years for sending an open letter to the UN in August that was critical of the military's plans to set up a civilian government.
Quintana hopes to persuade the junta to free hundreds of political prisoners before a scheduled general election in 2010.
His mission was to encourage the regime to progressively release "prisoners of conscience," giving independence to the judiciary, bringing laws into line with international human rights standards and training officials to respect these rights, according to a statement released by the UN in Geneva.
It was not known if he would visit Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest since May 2003 and has spent almost 13 of the past 19 years in detention.
Posted : Wed, 18 Feb 2009 03:18:47 GMT
Author : DPA
Yangon - United Nations special human rights envoy Tomas Ojea Quintana visited Myanmar's junta headquarters of Naypyitaw Wednesday, for talks likely to concentrate on the country's estimated 2,100 political prisoners. UN officials said it was not known which generals Quintana would meet in Naypyitaw, 350 kilometres north of Yangon. He is expected to at least meet with Prime Minister General Thein Sein, who also met with UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari on an official visit last month.
Myanmar's military supremo and junta chief, Senior General Than Shwe, has refused meetings with any UN representatives since May, when he granted an audience with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
Quintana arrived in Yangon on Saturday for a trip aimed at pressing for the freedom of the country's 2,100 political prisoners, including opposition leaders Aung San Suu Kyi and Tin Oo.
Tin Oo, the 82-year-old deputy leader of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), was sentenced to another year under house arrest on the eve of Quintana's arrival.
The UN rapporteur on human rights also visited jails in the Karen State and the notorious Insein prison in Yangon, meeting with several political prisoners.
Critics of his visit called it a "showboat" mission for the junta, permitted only to improve its image at the 14th summit of the Association of South-East Asian Nations in Thailand later this month.
While allowing the visit, the regime has already sent a clear message to Quintana that it will continue to brook no political opposition.
Besides slapping another year on to Tin Oo's house arrest Friday, the day before Quintana's arrival, Myanmar courts sentenced NLD members Nyi Bu and Tin Min Htut to 15 years for sending an open letter to the UN in August that was critical of the military's plans to set up a civilian government.
Quintana hopes to persuade the junta to free hundreds of political prisoners before a scheduled general election in 2010.
His mission was to encourage the regime to progressively release "prisoners of conscience," giving independence to the judiciary, bringing laws into line with international human rights standards and training officials to respect these rights, according to a statement released by the UN in Geneva.
It was not known if he would visit Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest since May 2003 and has spent almost 13 of the past 19 years in detention.
US looks for better way to sway Myanmar: Clinton
US looks for better way to sway Myanmar: Clinton
Tue Feb 17, 9:33 am ET
TOKYO (AFP) – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Tuesday US President Barack Obama's administration is looking for a better way to bring change to military-ruled Myanmar and help the country's people.
"We are conducting a review of our policy," Clinton told a Tokyo University student from Myanmar who asked whether there was an alternative to sanctions in order to promote economic and political freedom in the country.
"We are looking at what steps we could take that might influence the current Burmese government and we are also looking for ways that we could more effectively help the Burmese people," she said.
Clinton, speaking at a town-hall type meeting with students at Tokyo university, used the term Burma, the country's name before the military junta changed it to Myanmar.
Recalling a speech she gave to the Asia Society in New York last week, Clinton said: "We want to see a time when the citizens of Burma and the Nobel prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi live freely in their own country."
Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy party, has spent most of the past 19 years under house arrest by the junta that has ruled the country since 1962.
"I've spoken with many people already who are strong supporters of the Burmese people who have said 'let's look to see if there's a better way', so we are doing that," the chief US diplomat said.
"And I hope we will be able to arrive at a policy that can be more effective."
A day after Obama took office a senior official in Yangon said Myanmar hoped that the new president would change Washington's tough policy towards its military regime and end the "misunderstandings" of the past.
Former US President George W. Bush's administration strengthened decade-old sanctions against Myanmar while his wife Laura was an outspoken critic of the country's ruling junta.
Tue Feb 17, 9:33 am ET
TOKYO (AFP) – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Tuesday US President Barack Obama's administration is looking for a better way to bring change to military-ruled Myanmar and help the country's people.
"We are conducting a review of our policy," Clinton told a Tokyo University student from Myanmar who asked whether there was an alternative to sanctions in order to promote economic and political freedom in the country.
"We are looking at what steps we could take that might influence the current Burmese government and we are also looking for ways that we could more effectively help the Burmese people," she said.
Clinton, speaking at a town-hall type meeting with students at Tokyo university, used the term Burma, the country's name before the military junta changed it to Myanmar.
Recalling a speech she gave to the Asia Society in New York last week, Clinton said: "We want to see a time when the citizens of Burma and the Nobel prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi live freely in their own country."
Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy party, has spent most of the past 19 years under house arrest by the junta that has ruled the country since 1962.
"I've spoken with many people already who are strong supporters of the Burmese people who have said 'let's look to see if there's a better way', so we are doing that," the chief US diplomat said.
"And I hope we will be able to arrive at a policy that can be more effective."
A day after Obama took office a senior official in Yangon said Myanmar hoped that the new president would change Washington's tough policy towards its military regime and end the "misunderstandings" of the past.
Former US President George W. Bush's administration strengthened decade-old sanctions against Myanmar while his wife Laura was an outspoken critic of the country's ruling junta.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
