Myanmar detains dozens of opposition members
Sun Jul 19, 12:11 pm ET
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – Authorities in military-run Myanmar detained dozens of opposition party members Sunday as they returned from ceremonies marking the death of the father of jailed pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, witnesses said.
The arrests came after riot police set up barricades around the Martyr's Mausoleum where the official ceremony took place to commemorate the death of Gen. Aung San, the country's independence hero.
At least 50 members of the opposition National League for Democracy party were walking in small groups when they were arrested, witnesses said on condition of anonymity for fear of official reprisal.
They were released later in the day, a government official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. He did not comment on why police had detained them.
NLD spokesman Nyan Win confirmed the release.
Some of the NLD members had been attending a ceremony at party headquarters to mark Gen. Aung San's death 62 years ago, while others had been at the official commemoration.
"Some members were roughly taken into trucks, and those who ran away were chased," a witness said. Some who ran onto public buses were dragged out and taken away.
At least three journalists and cameramen who had been filming NLD members walking to the mausoleum were detained. They were released minutes later after police told them not to use video footage that showed heavy security.
Gen. Aung San and other government leaders were assassinated by gunmen during a Cabinet meeting on July 19, 1947, six months before Britain granted independence to the Southeast Asian colony.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi marked the anniversary of her father's death inside Yangon's Insein prison. She is on trial on charges of violating the terms of her house arrest by giving shelter to an uninvited American man who swam to her lakeside home in May.
If convicted, she faces up to five years in prison. Her trial is to resume Friday.
Earlier Sunday, hundreds of riot police erected barricades secured with barbed wire and blocked streets leading to the Martyr's Mausoleum. More than two dozen trucks carrying riot police and four prison vans were parked near the monument, located near the famed Shwedagon pagoda.
Flags were flown at half-staff at the mausoleum as officials placed flowers at the tomb, and families of the slain leaders joined the tightly guarded wreath-laying ceremony.
Authorities allowed about 30 NLD members to pay tribute at the mausoleum but turned away others who wore T-shirts emblazoned with images of Aung San.
Suu Kyi, 64, who used to attend the official ceremony, was absent for a sixth consecutive year and instead marked the day by donating food to patients at the hospital inside the prison, Nyan Win said.
Martyr's Day was an important event on Myanmar's calendar for years, but has been gradually downgraded as Suu Kyi has become more popular, particularly since a 1988 pro-democracy uprising that was crushed by the junta.
Myanmar, also known as Burma, has been under military rule since 1962.
Suu Kyi has been in detention for 14 of the past 20 years. Her party won national elections in 1990, but Myanmar's generals refused to relinquish power.
Her trial has drawn condemnation from the international community and her supporters within Myanmar, who worry that the ruling junta has found an excuse to keep her detained through elections planned for next year.
Sun Jul 19, 12:11 pm ET
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – Authorities in military-run Myanmar detained dozens of opposition party members Sunday as they returned from ceremonies marking the death of the father of jailed pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, witnesses said.
The arrests came after riot police set up barricades around the Martyr's Mausoleum where the official ceremony took place to commemorate the death of Gen. Aung San, the country's independence hero.
At least 50 members of the opposition National League for Democracy party were walking in small groups when they were arrested, witnesses said on condition of anonymity for fear of official reprisal.
They were released later in the day, a government official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. He did not comment on why police had detained them.
NLD spokesman Nyan Win confirmed the release.
Some of the NLD members had been attending a ceremony at party headquarters to mark Gen. Aung San's death 62 years ago, while others had been at the official commemoration.
"Some members were roughly taken into trucks, and those who ran away were chased," a witness said. Some who ran onto public buses were dragged out and taken away.
At least three journalists and cameramen who had been filming NLD members walking to the mausoleum were detained. They were released minutes later after police told them not to use video footage that showed heavy security.
Gen. Aung San and other government leaders were assassinated by gunmen during a Cabinet meeting on July 19, 1947, six months before Britain granted independence to the Southeast Asian colony.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi marked the anniversary of her father's death inside Yangon's Insein prison. She is on trial on charges of violating the terms of her house arrest by giving shelter to an uninvited American man who swam to her lakeside home in May.
If convicted, she faces up to five years in prison. Her trial is to resume Friday.
Earlier Sunday, hundreds of riot police erected barricades secured with barbed wire and blocked streets leading to the Martyr's Mausoleum. More than two dozen trucks carrying riot police and four prison vans were parked near the monument, located near the famed Shwedagon pagoda.
Flags were flown at half-staff at the mausoleum as officials placed flowers at the tomb, and families of the slain leaders joined the tightly guarded wreath-laying ceremony.
Authorities allowed about 30 NLD members to pay tribute at the mausoleum but turned away others who wore T-shirts emblazoned with images of Aung San.
Suu Kyi, 64, who used to attend the official ceremony, was absent for a sixth consecutive year and instead marked the day by donating food to patients at the hospital inside the prison, Nyan Win said.
Martyr's Day was an important event on Myanmar's calendar for years, but has been gradually downgraded as Suu Kyi has become more popular, particularly since a 1988 pro-democracy uprising that was crushed by the junta.
Myanmar, also known as Burma, has been under military rule since 1962.
Suu Kyi has been in detention for 14 of the past 20 years. Her party won national elections in 1990, but Myanmar's generals refused to relinquish power.
Her trial has drawn condemnation from the international community and her supporters within Myanmar, who worry that the ruling junta has found an excuse to keep her detained through elections planned for next year.
********************************************************
Security tight in Myanmar on Martyr's Day
Sun Jul 19, 1:43 am ET
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – Myanmar's military rulers tightened security in downtown Yangon on Sunday as officials gathered to commemorate the death 62 years ago of the father of jailed opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Myanmar independence hero Gen. Aung San and other government leaders were assassinated by gunmen during a Cabinet meeting on July 19, 1947, shortly after Britain granted independence to the Southeast Asian colony.
Nobel Peace laureate Suu Kyi marked the anniversary of her father's death inside Yangon's notorious Insein prison. The 64-year-old is on trial for allegedly violating the terms of her house arrest by giving shelter to an uninvited American man who swam secretly to her lakeside home in May.
If convicted, she faces up to five years in prison. Her trial resumes Friday.
On Sunday, hundreds of riot police erected barricades secured with barbed wire and blocked streets leading to the Martyr's Mausoleum. More than two dozens trucks carrying riot police and four prison vans were parked near the monument located near the famed Shwedagon pagoda.
Flags were flown at half staff in the capital as Yangon officials placed flowers at the tomb, and families of slain leaders joined the tightly guarded wreath-laying ceremony.
Aung San Suu Kyi, who usually attended the official ceremony, was absent for the sixth consecutive year, marking the day by donating food to patients at the hospital inside the prison, said Nyan Win, a spokesman for her National League for Democracy party and one of her lawyers.
Martyr's Day was an important event on Myanmar's calendar for years, but has been gradually downgraded as Suu Kyi has become more popular, particularly since a 1988 pro-democracy uprising that was crushed by the junta.
Myanmar, also known as Burma, has been under military rule since 1962.
The 64-year-old Suu Kyi has been under house arrest for 14 of the past 20 years. Her opposition party won national elections in 1990, but Myanmar's generals refused to relinquish power.
Her trial has drawn condemnation from the international community and her supporters within Myanmar, who worry the ruling junta has found an excuse to keep her detained through elections planned for next year.
Sun Jul 19, 1:43 am ET
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – Myanmar's military rulers tightened security in downtown Yangon on Sunday as officials gathered to commemorate the death 62 years ago of the father of jailed opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Myanmar independence hero Gen. Aung San and other government leaders were assassinated by gunmen during a Cabinet meeting on July 19, 1947, shortly after Britain granted independence to the Southeast Asian colony.
Nobel Peace laureate Suu Kyi marked the anniversary of her father's death inside Yangon's notorious Insein prison. The 64-year-old is on trial for allegedly violating the terms of her house arrest by giving shelter to an uninvited American man who swam secretly to her lakeside home in May.
If convicted, she faces up to five years in prison. Her trial resumes Friday.
On Sunday, hundreds of riot police erected barricades secured with barbed wire and blocked streets leading to the Martyr's Mausoleum. More than two dozens trucks carrying riot police and four prison vans were parked near the monument located near the famed Shwedagon pagoda.
Flags were flown at half staff in the capital as Yangon officials placed flowers at the tomb, and families of slain leaders joined the tightly guarded wreath-laying ceremony.
Aung San Suu Kyi, who usually attended the official ceremony, was absent for the sixth consecutive year, marking the day by donating food to patients at the hospital inside the prison, said Nyan Win, a spokesman for her National League for Democracy party and one of her lawyers.
Martyr's Day was an important event on Myanmar's calendar for years, but has been gradually downgraded as Suu Kyi has become more popular, particularly since a 1988 pro-democracy uprising that was crushed by the junta.
Myanmar, also known as Burma, has been under military rule since 1962.
The 64-year-old Suu Kyi has been under house arrest for 14 of the past 20 years. Her opposition party won national elections in 1990, but Myanmar's generals refused to relinquish power.
Her trial has drawn condemnation from the international community and her supporters within Myanmar, who worry the ruling junta has found an excuse to keep her detained through elections planned for next year.
********************************************************
North Korea focus of Asian conference
By DENIS D. GRAY (AP) – July 17, 2009.
BANGKOK (AP) — The United States is expected to trumpet its comeback onto the Asian scene after years of neglect as a major security conference tackles the seemingly intractable issues of North Korea's nuclear threat and political repression in Myanmar.
Asia's "two devils" will hold center stage at the annual Asian Regional Forum that begins Wednesday amid hopes that a united front could be forged among enough of the 27 forum members to exert meaningful pressure on North Korea and Myanmar.
Terrorism may also feature, sparked by suicide bombings Friday at American-owned luxury hotels in Indonesia's capital Jakarta that left eight people dead and wounded more than 50 others. The bombings ended a four-year lull in attacks in the world's most populous Muslim nation.
"The presence of Asian countries, especially China, may help the U.S. communicate its concern more effectively to North Korea. Even if there is no breakthrough, this is a good opportunity to have a discussion that goes beyond condemnation," says Chaiwat Khamchoo, an international relations expert at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University.
The United States, represented by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, will join foreign ministers of Asian nations, plus Russia and the European Union. North Korea is sending a lower-level official to the meeting on the Thai resort island of Phuket.
Security also looms as a concern at the conference itself and an anxious Thai government has dispatched some 10,000 security forces to Phuket to insure that the upcoming international conference is not disrupted.
An Asian summit in April at the Thai seaside resort of Pattaya was shut down when protesters seeking the ouster of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's government overran the hotel where the meeting was taking place. Regional leaders and delegates fled the venue by helicopter and speedboat.
The 15-year-old forum is likely to see declarations of stepped-up U.S. involvement in Asia. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Scot Marciel recently told reporters in Washington that Clinton would stress how focused the U.S. administration is on improving its relationship with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. ASEAN foreign ministers are holding a two-day meeting this weekend before the forum begins.
"We have started by reinvigorating our bedrock alliances, which did fray in recent years," she said in a recent speech at the Council on Foreign Relations. "We are both a trans-Atlantic and a trans-Pacific nation."
She cited strengthening bilateral relations with Japan, Korea, Thailand and the Philippines, as well as trans-Pacific institutions. She is in India prior to the Thailand conference.
The Thai hosts say Clinton will probably sign ASEAN's seminal Treaty of Amity and Cooperation to which more than a dozen countries outside the bloc have already acceded.
"The U.S.'s love for the region was lost during the Bush administration. But it is not the case now that President (Barack) Obama is in power. Therefore, more active engagement with the region is anticipated," says Pavin Chachavalpongpun a political scientist at Singapore's Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
Condoleezza Rice, secretary of state under President George W. Bush, skipped the forum twice in three years, and did not show up at several major ASEAN conferences.
Such renewed engagement, Pavin says, would not only prove useful as a strategy "against the two regional devils — Myanmar and North Korea — but would be good for the U.S. in the long run as it seeks to counter the growing military strength of China."
Marciel would not rule out the possibility of talks with the North Koreans at Phuket, "but at this point, there's nothing set." More likely, he said, would be bilateral meetings with China, South Korea, Russia and Japan — the other participants in stalled talks with Pyongyang aimed at ending its nuclear program.
Coming after a failed mission to Myanmar by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the conference is unlikely to budge the impoverished country's junta from pursuing the trial of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi or releasing some 2,100 other political prisoners.
But the region could move closer to a consensus on Myanmar, also known as Burma.
ASEAN, which includes Myanmar, has recently issued some sharp criticism in sharp contrast to its earlier soft-pedaling, and even China, Myanmar's closest ally, has backed the U.N.'s call for Suu Kyi's release.
The U.S. delegation at the forum may well seek counsel from Asian countries as the Obama administration pursues a review of its Myanmar policy which began in February.
Clinton and other top Obama officials have indicated that past U.S. Myanmar policy, grounded in tough economic sanctions, has not yielded results in easing the military's iron-fisted rule.
Irrespective of what is voiced at Phuket, Suu Kyi is likely to be found guilty for violating the terms of her house arrest by harboring an uninvited American man who entered her residence. The Noble Peace Prize laureate faces up to five years in prison.
Associated Press writers Ambika Ahuja and Caroline Stauffer in Bangkok and Foster Klug in Washington contributed to this report.
By DENIS D. GRAY (AP) – July 17, 2009.
BANGKOK (AP) — The United States is expected to trumpet its comeback onto the Asian scene after years of neglect as a major security conference tackles the seemingly intractable issues of North Korea's nuclear threat and political repression in Myanmar.
Asia's "two devils" will hold center stage at the annual Asian Regional Forum that begins Wednesday amid hopes that a united front could be forged among enough of the 27 forum members to exert meaningful pressure on North Korea and Myanmar.
Terrorism may also feature, sparked by suicide bombings Friday at American-owned luxury hotels in Indonesia's capital Jakarta that left eight people dead and wounded more than 50 others. The bombings ended a four-year lull in attacks in the world's most populous Muslim nation.
"The presence of Asian countries, especially China, may help the U.S. communicate its concern more effectively to North Korea. Even if there is no breakthrough, this is a good opportunity to have a discussion that goes beyond condemnation," says Chaiwat Khamchoo, an international relations expert at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University.
The United States, represented by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, will join foreign ministers of Asian nations, plus Russia and the European Union. North Korea is sending a lower-level official to the meeting on the Thai resort island of Phuket.
Security also looms as a concern at the conference itself and an anxious Thai government has dispatched some 10,000 security forces to Phuket to insure that the upcoming international conference is not disrupted.
An Asian summit in April at the Thai seaside resort of Pattaya was shut down when protesters seeking the ouster of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's government overran the hotel where the meeting was taking place. Regional leaders and delegates fled the venue by helicopter and speedboat.
The 15-year-old forum is likely to see declarations of stepped-up U.S. involvement in Asia. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Scot Marciel recently told reporters in Washington that Clinton would stress how focused the U.S. administration is on improving its relationship with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. ASEAN foreign ministers are holding a two-day meeting this weekend before the forum begins.
"We have started by reinvigorating our bedrock alliances, which did fray in recent years," she said in a recent speech at the Council on Foreign Relations. "We are both a trans-Atlantic and a trans-Pacific nation."
She cited strengthening bilateral relations with Japan, Korea, Thailand and the Philippines, as well as trans-Pacific institutions. She is in India prior to the Thailand conference.
The Thai hosts say Clinton will probably sign ASEAN's seminal Treaty of Amity and Cooperation to which more than a dozen countries outside the bloc have already acceded.
"The U.S.'s love for the region was lost during the Bush administration. But it is not the case now that President (Barack) Obama is in power. Therefore, more active engagement with the region is anticipated," says Pavin Chachavalpongpun a political scientist at Singapore's Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
Condoleezza Rice, secretary of state under President George W. Bush, skipped the forum twice in three years, and did not show up at several major ASEAN conferences.
Such renewed engagement, Pavin says, would not only prove useful as a strategy "against the two regional devils — Myanmar and North Korea — but would be good for the U.S. in the long run as it seeks to counter the growing military strength of China."
Marciel would not rule out the possibility of talks with the North Koreans at Phuket, "but at this point, there's nothing set." More likely, he said, would be bilateral meetings with China, South Korea, Russia and Japan — the other participants in stalled talks with Pyongyang aimed at ending its nuclear program.
Coming after a failed mission to Myanmar by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the conference is unlikely to budge the impoverished country's junta from pursuing the trial of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi or releasing some 2,100 other political prisoners.
But the region could move closer to a consensus on Myanmar, also known as Burma.
ASEAN, which includes Myanmar, has recently issued some sharp criticism in sharp contrast to its earlier soft-pedaling, and even China, Myanmar's closest ally, has backed the U.N.'s call for Suu Kyi's release.
The U.S. delegation at the forum may well seek counsel from Asian countries as the Obama administration pursues a review of its Myanmar policy which began in February.
Clinton and other top Obama officials have indicated that past U.S. Myanmar policy, grounded in tough economic sanctions, has not yielded results in easing the military's iron-fisted rule.
Irrespective of what is voiced at Phuket, Suu Kyi is likely to be found guilty for violating the terms of her house arrest by harboring an uninvited American man who entered her residence. The Noble Peace Prize laureate faces up to five years in prison.
Associated Press writers Ambika Ahuja and Caroline Stauffer in Bangkok and Foster Klug in Washington contributed to this report.
********************************************************
SE Asian nations face anger over new rights body
by Martin Abbugao – 1 hr 14 mins ago
PHUKET, Thailand (AFP) – Southeast Asian foreign ministers were set to endorse the region's first ever human rights body Monday, despite criticisms that it will be toothless to tackle rogue members like Myanmar.
Officials meeting in the Thai resort island of Phuket ahead of the continent's main security forum later this week are also expected to discuss the deadly hotel bombings in Jakarta and North Korea's nuclear programme.
But the main focus will be on the landmark watchdog proposed by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), for which ministers will agree final terms before its official launch by leaders of the bloc in October.
According to a draft seen by AFP, the rights body will lack powers to punish violators such as military-ruled Myanmar, and can at best require its 10 member nations to provide reports on their internal rights situations.
Rights groups said in a joint letter to Thailand's foreign minister Kasit Piromya that the new body's remit would "fall far too short of international standards" and asked to meet Kasit to discuss their points.
The rights body in its current form "may not only disappoint all peoples in ASEAN, but also risks compromising the international standing of ASEAN," said the letter signed by Forum-Asia and Solidarity for Asian People's Advocacy, two leading regional advocacy groups.
ASEAN has faced persistent criticism for failing to censure military-ruled Myanmar -- the group's so-called problem child since it joined in 1997 -- for its treatment of democracy activists including detained Aung San Suu Kyi.
The ruling junta sparked fresh international outrage in May by putting the Nobel Peace laureate on trial following a bizarre incident in which an American man swam to her lakeside house.
On Sunday, Myanmar authorities arrested around 20 members of Aung San Suu Kyi's party after they had marked the anniversary of her father's death in 1947.
But a draft of the rights body's terms of reference affirms ASEAN's underlying principle of non-interference in domestic affairs, which has been used by some members to fend off criticism about rights abuses.
It lists no sanctions for countries that fail to provide the required reports on their rights situations and it rejects notions of a universal standard of human rights.
The draft says the body will promote rights "within the regional context," bearing in mind national, historical and religious difference and "taking into account the balance between rights and responsibilities."
Kasit on Sunday admitted that there had been compromises to ensure that Myanmar signed on for the rights body, but he defended it by saying that it was still an important step for the region.
He said Myanmar had given details to fellow ASEAN nations on Sunday about the junta's preparations for elections in 2010, including election law and the establishment of an election commission, he said.
ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan said endorsing the body would be a "good beginning."
Human rights have been a perennial challenge for ASEAN in the 42 years since it was founded as a bulwark against the spread of communism. Its members now include an absolute monarchy, a dictatorship and two communist states.
The annual ASEAN foreign ministers meeting on Monday comes ahead of the 27-member ASEAN regional forum later this week, which groups the bloc's members along with the United States, the EU, China, Japan and other countries.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is due in Phuket on Wednesday for talks that are likely to include the standoff over North Korea's nuclear programme.
The twin suicide bombings at hotels in the Indonesian capital on Friday which killed eight people are also set for discussion, officials said.
by Martin Abbugao – 1 hr 14 mins ago
PHUKET, Thailand (AFP) – Southeast Asian foreign ministers were set to endorse the region's first ever human rights body Monday, despite criticisms that it will be toothless to tackle rogue members like Myanmar.
Officials meeting in the Thai resort island of Phuket ahead of the continent's main security forum later this week are also expected to discuss the deadly hotel bombings in Jakarta and North Korea's nuclear programme.
But the main focus will be on the landmark watchdog proposed by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), for which ministers will agree final terms before its official launch by leaders of the bloc in October.
According to a draft seen by AFP, the rights body will lack powers to punish violators such as military-ruled Myanmar, and can at best require its 10 member nations to provide reports on their internal rights situations.
Rights groups said in a joint letter to Thailand's foreign minister Kasit Piromya that the new body's remit would "fall far too short of international standards" and asked to meet Kasit to discuss their points.
The rights body in its current form "may not only disappoint all peoples in ASEAN, but also risks compromising the international standing of ASEAN," said the letter signed by Forum-Asia and Solidarity for Asian People's Advocacy, two leading regional advocacy groups.
ASEAN has faced persistent criticism for failing to censure military-ruled Myanmar -- the group's so-called problem child since it joined in 1997 -- for its treatment of democracy activists including detained Aung San Suu Kyi.
The ruling junta sparked fresh international outrage in May by putting the Nobel Peace laureate on trial following a bizarre incident in which an American man swam to her lakeside house.
On Sunday, Myanmar authorities arrested around 20 members of Aung San Suu Kyi's party after they had marked the anniversary of her father's death in 1947.
But a draft of the rights body's terms of reference affirms ASEAN's underlying principle of non-interference in domestic affairs, which has been used by some members to fend off criticism about rights abuses.
It lists no sanctions for countries that fail to provide the required reports on their rights situations and it rejects notions of a universal standard of human rights.
The draft says the body will promote rights "within the regional context," bearing in mind national, historical and religious difference and "taking into account the balance between rights and responsibilities."
Kasit on Sunday admitted that there had been compromises to ensure that Myanmar signed on for the rights body, but he defended it by saying that it was still an important step for the region.
He said Myanmar had given details to fellow ASEAN nations on Sunday about the junta's preparations for elections in 2010, including election law and the establishment of an election commission, he said.
ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan said endorsing the body would be a "good beginning."
Human rights have been a perennial challenge for ASEAN in the 42 years since it was founded as a bulwark against the spread of communism. Its members now include an absolute monarchy, a dictatorship and two communist states.
The annual ASEAN foreign ministers meeting on Monday comes ahead of the 27-member ASEAN regional forum later this week, which groups the bloc's members along with the United States, the EU, China, Japan and other countries.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is due in Phuket on Wednesday for talks that are likely to include the standoff over North Korea's nuclear programme.
The twin suicide bombings at hotels in the Indonesian capital on Friday which killed eight people are also set for discussion, officials said.
********************************************************
Jakarta bombings loom over Asian security meeting
by Danny Kemp – Sun Jul 19, 11:58 am ET
PHUKET, Thailand (AFP) – Asian foreign ministers met on Sunday ahead of the continent's biggest security dialogue, under the shadow of the Jakarta bomb attacks and North Korea's nuclear programme.
A proposed regional rights body that critics say will lack teeth to tackle violators such as Myanmar is also on the agenda at days of talks culminating in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum.
The 27-member forum, which includes Asian nations, the EU and the United States, meets on the resort isle of Phuket on Thursday with a debut appearance from US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The fight against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Pakistan as well as tensions between Thailand and Cambodia over an ancient temple on their border are also on the long list of security problems facing Asia.
But Friday's twin suicide bombings at hotels in the Indonesian capital which police said left nine people dead have unexpectedly thrown the Southeast Asian terror network Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) back into the spotlight.
Indonesian police Sunday confirmed JI as having carried out the attack, which has shattered years of calm in ASEAN's most populous member nation. The group carried out the 2002 Bali bombings which left more than 200 dead.
"It remains for all of us to work vigorously in future to prevent terrorist acts," Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said after meeting counterparts from the 10-member ASEAN in Phuket on Sunday.
"At the beginning of our meeting, all of us expressed condolences to the Indonesian government and people and especially to the bereaved families," Kasit said.
Kasit meanwhile defended an unprecedented new regional rights body as ministers prepared to endorse its terms of reference on Monday, despite admitting that it would involve compromises on military-ruled Myanmar.
Myanmar, ASEAN's most troublesome member since joining the bloc in 1997, has stirred up fresh international outrage by putting democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi on trial over an incident in which an American swam to her lakeside house.
Leaders of the bloc are set to launch the rights watchdog in October but critics say it will be powerless to investigate or punish abuses such as those by Myanmar but also by communist Vietnam and Laos.
"It is important to make this human rights body credible, but at the same time take into account the real situation in ASEAN member countries," Kasit said.
Shortly before he spoke, Myanmar authorities detained around 20 members of Aung San Suu Kyi's party as they headed back from events to mark the anniversary of her father's death in 1947.
Myanmar also showed its defiance of foreign opinion earlier this month by refusing to allow UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to visit the opposition leader when he visited.
Meanwhile hopes of any resolution to the tensions over North Korea's nuclear programme dimmed after the communist state's foreign minister declined to attend the ARF and sent a roving ambassador instead.
US State Department officials said they expected the showdown over North Korea's nuclear and missile tests and political repression in Myanmar to be among the leading topics that Clinton will discuss when she arrives.
Regional tensions have soared since the North quit six-nation talks on nuclear disarmament and vowed to restart its atomic weapons programme in the wake of its recent defiant nuclear test and missile launches.
Foreign ministers from the other five parties -- the US, Russia, China, Japan and South Korea -- will all be in Phuket.
But Bridget Welsh, an associate professor of political science at the Singapore Management University, said the ARF's role in containing North Korea would be "very limited".
"ASEAN countries (in particular) will not be able to do more than express their concern," Welsh said.
Thousands of troops and police threw a ring of steel around Phuket to prevent a repeat of anti-government protests which derailed a key Asian summit in the coastal city of Pattaya in April.
by Danny Kemp – Sun Jul 19, 11:58 am ET
PHUKET, Thailand (AFP) – Asian foreign ministers met on Sunday ahead of the continent's biggest security dialogue, under the shadow of the Jakarta bomb attacks and North Korea's nuclear programme.
A proposed regional rights body that critics say will lack teeth to tackle violators such as Myanmar is also on the agenda at days of talks culminating in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum.
The 27-member forum, which includes Asian nations, the EU and the United States, meets on the resort isle of Phuket on Thursday with a debut appearance from US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The fight against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Pakistan as well as tensions between Thailand and Cambodia over an ancient temple on their border are also on the long list of security problems facing Asia.
But Friday's twin suicide bombings at hotels in the Indonesian capital which police said left nine people dead have unexpectedly thrown the Southeast Asian terror network Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) back into the spotlight.
Indonesian police Sunday confirmed JI as having carried out the attack, which has shattered years of calm in ASEAN's most populous member nation. The group carried out the 2002 Bali bombings which left more than 200 dead.
"It remains for all of us to work vigorously in future to prevent terrorist acts," Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said after meeting counterparts from the 10-member ASEAN in Phuket on Sunday.
"At the beginning of our meeting, all of us expressed condolences to the Indonesian government and people and especially to the bereaved families," Kasit said.
Kasit meanwhile defended an unprecedented new regional rights body as ministers prepared to endorse its terms of reference on Monday, despite admitting that it would involve compromises on military-ruled Myanmar.
Myanmar, ASEAN's most troublesome member since joining the bloc in 1997, has stirred up fresh international outrage by putting democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi on trial over an incident in which an American swam to her lakeside house.
Leaders of the bloc are set to launch the rights watchdog in October but critics say it will be powerless to investigate or punish abuses such as those by Myanmar but also by communist Vietnam and Laos.
"It is important to make this human rights body credible, but at the same time take into account the real situation in ASEAN member countries," Kasit said.
Shortly before he spoke, Myanmar authorities detained around 20 members of Aung San Suu Kyi's party as they headed back from events to mark the anniversary of her father's death in 1947.
Myanmar also showed its defiance of foreign opinion earlier this month by refusing to allow UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to visit the opposition leader when he visited.
Meanwhile hopes of any resolution to the tensions over North Korea's nuclear programme dimmed after the communist state's foreign minister declined to attend the ARF and sent a roving ambassador instead.
US State Department officials said they expected the showdown over North Korea's nuclear and missile tests and political repression in Myanmar to be among the leading topics that Clinton will discuss when she arrives.
Regional tensions have soared since the North quit six-nation talks on nuclear disarmament and vowed to restart its atomic weapons programme in the wake of its recent defiant nuclear test and missile launches.
Foreign ministers from the other five parties -- the US, Russia, China, Japan and South Korea -- will all be in Phuket.
But Bridget Welsh, an associate professor of political science at the Singapore Management University, said the ARF's role in containing North Korea would be "very limited".
"ASEAN countries (in particular) will not be able to do more than express their concern," Welsh said.
Thousands of troops and police threw a ring of steel around Phuket to prevent a repeat of anti-government protests which derailed a key Asian summit in the coastal city of Pattaya in April.
********************************************************
Burma Wants Freedom and Democracy (Weblog)
Myo Yan Naung Thein's price for Burma's Freedom
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Myo Yan Naung Thein's price for Burma's Freedom
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Myo Yan Naung Thein, 34 years of age, graduated Architect, French Language Instructor, Tourist Guide, and Former P.P is one of the student leaders with his firm determination in restoration of democracy in Burma.
Due to his leadership role in the 1996 December Student Demonstrations he was sentenced to prison for 7 years by the military government in 1997 under Section 5/j of the Penal Code completing his sentence on 9 October 2002. He is one of the leading members of the 88-generation student and he was working for democracy of Burma for a very long time until his re-arrest in 2007.
After his release in 2002 he studied French becoming a French teacher, he is very fluent in English, French and Spanish. He worked as a tourist guide and his wife Aye Mya Nadi is a linguist, very fluent in Italian.
Myo Yan Naung Thein always played a vital role in the struggle for freedom in Burma. He actively participated in the 2007 Saffron revolution. Because of his political and democratic activities the military government constantly monitored him very closely.
On 14th December 2007 about 20-30 policemen, soldiers and military intelligences raided Myo Yan Naung Thein’s house re-arresting him apparently, for being linked to activists who filmed the September'07 protests and for speaking to the exiled media.
Presently he is at Thandwe prison in western Burma miles away from his hometown, serving his 2 years sentence under Section 505/b of the penal code dictated at Pabedan Township Court and Insein prison special court on 13 November 2008.
Due to this stressful situation his mother in her 70s is bed ridden diagnosed with high blood pressure and a heart condition. She anxiously expects the day of her son’s release from prison. His wife Aye Mya Nadi was threatened with arrest.
On 28th January 2008, his mother saw him for the very first time after 6 weeks in detention, a heart-breaking scene when she saw him. The inflicted torture by the Special Police and Swan-Ar-Shin (government sponsored militias) during detention has caused him paralysis along his left side body unable him to walk properly. Once a healthy and fit person he has become a dependable person needing aid for walking. His crime, being a freedom fighter, making him a prisoner of conscience.
In Burma, time sentences are life and death. There is no rule of law and the laws are dictated by the generals to suit their moods.
IMMEDIATE HEALTH CONCERNS:
Myo Yan Naung Thein is in urgent need of consistent neurologist treatment. During detention following his arrest, he was tortured by Special Branch and Swan-Arr-Shin junta sponsored militias. He was severely beaten suffering head injuries. His nervous system appears to have been affected, as he is suffering from paralysis along his left-hand side of his body.
On 29 May 2008 his brother Myo Thein reported to the media that Myo Yan Naung Thein’s medical condition was rapidly deteriorating. He was vomiting daily and could not sleep. He required assistance to walk to the visiting room to see his family on visiting days.
In May 2008 Myo Yan Naung Thein requested the prison authorities to allow him to see a neurologist instead he was punished for his request with two weeks solitary confinement in an Ayutheit cell, where prisoners with mental problems are normally kept. He was reportedly given medication for a mental health problem, even though his problem was neurological not mental. Whilst he was in that cell he had to sit on the wet floor as the roof of the building was not properly repaired following the damage caused by the Nargis Cyclone.
As Myo Yan Naung Thein is unable to walk he was brought to court on a stretcher for a brief court appearance on 26 June, he remained in custody.
On 27 August 2008, his brother Myo Thein reported to AAPP, Myo Yan Naung Thein's trial progress and that his health situation was being treated at the hospital.
On 13 May 2009 Myo Yan Naung Thein’s health situation worsen and no medical treatment was received for more than two months since he complained about his deteriorating health situation.
His legs are stiff and cannot bend at all that people have to carry him to move around. This is the new development of health build up apart from his neurological problem. He cannot sleep nor eat well as consequence, he has lost a lot of weight.
According to the neurologist, he needs to take medication regularly and treat his illness appropriately.
"Whenever international attention divert from these vulnerable political prisoners, they are treated very inhumanely [by the junta] and medical treatment is ignored" said Kyaw Lin Oo, Director at the Burma Democratic Concern (BDC) in Thailand.
“I am very sad to learn that in Than-Dwe prison, there is no doctor or medics to look after prisoners. I am sure that this is the regime's systematic attempt to kill political dissidents”, said Myo Thein, Director at the Burma Democratic Concern (BDC) in United Kingdom.
Visiting him is very difficult for the family members due to natural barriers. By coach it takes 2 days to get there, roads are very bumpy and dangerous as they are built through mountains and jungles. Bus fares are very expensive and trips are risky.
“The reason the military junta send political prisoners to remote prisons is to extend punishment onto political prisoners' families”, said Khin Maung Win, Director at the Burma Democratic Concern (BDC) in United States.
Due to his leadership role in the 1996 December Student Demonstrations he was sentenced to prison for 7 years by the military government in 1997 under Section 5/j of the Penal Code completing his sentence on 9 October 2002. He is one of the leading members of the 88-generation student and he was working for democracy of Burma for a very long time until his re-arrest in 2007.
After his release in 2002 he studied French becoming a French teacher, he is very fluent in English, French and Spanish. He worked as a tourist guide and his wife Aye Mya Nadi is a linguist, very fluent in Italian.
Myo Yan Naung Thein always played a vital role in the struggle for freedom in Burma. He actively participated in the 2007 Saffron revolution. Because of his political and democratic activities the military government constantly monitored him very closely.
On 14th December 2007 about 20-30 policemen, soldiers and military intelligences raided Myo Yan Naung Thein’s house re-arresting him apparently, for being linked to activists who filmed the September'07 protests and for speaking to the exiled media.
Presently he is at Thandwe prison in western Burma miles away from his hometown, serving his 2 years sentence under Section 505/b of the penal code dictated at Pabedan Township Court and Insein prison special court on 13 November 2008.
Due to this stressful situation his mother in her 70s is bed ridden diagnosed with high blood pressure and a heart condition. She anxiously expects the day of her son’s release from prison. His wife Aye Mya Nadi was threatened with arrest.
On 28th January 2008, his mother saw him for the very first time after 6 weeks in detention, a heart-breaking scene when she saw him. The inflicted torture by the Special Police and Swan-Ar-Shin (government sponsored militias) during detention has caused him paralysis along his left side body unable him to walk properly. Once a healthy and fit person he has become a dependable person needing aid for walking. His crime, being a freedom fighter, making him a prisoner of conscience.
In Burma, time sentences are life and death. There is no rule of law and the laws are dictated by the generals to suit their moods.
IMMEDIATE HEALTH CONCERNS:
Myo Yan Naung Thein is in urgent need of consistent neurologist treatment. During detention following his arrest, he was tortured by Special Branch and Swan-Arr-Shin junta sponsored militias. He was severely beaten suffering head injuries. His nervous system appears to have been affected, as he is suffering from paralysis along his left-hand side of his body.
On 29 May 2008 his brother Myo Thein reported to the media that Myo Yan Naung Thein’s medical condition was rapidly deteriorating. He was vomiting daily and could not sleep. He required assistance to walk to the visiting room to see his family on visiting days.
In May 2008 Myo Yan Naung Thein requested the prison authorities to allow him to see a neurologist instead he was punished for his request with two weeks solitary confinement in an Ayutheit cell, where prisoners with mental problems are normally kept. He was reportedly given medication for a mental health problem, even though his problem was neurological not mental. Whilst he was in that cell he had to sit on the wet floor as the roof of the building was not properly repaired following the damage caused by the Nargis Cyclone.
As Myo Yan Naung Thein is unable to walk he was brought to court on a stretcher for a brief court appearance on 26 June, he remained in custody.
On 27 August 2008, his brother Myo Thein reported to AAPP, Myo Yan Naung Thein's trial progress and that his health situation was being treated at the hospital.
On 13 May 2009 Myo Yan Naung Thein’s health situation worsen and no medical treatment was received for more than two months since he complained about his deteriorating health situation.
His legs are stiff and cannot bend at all that people have to carry him to move around. This is the new development of health build up apart from his neurological problem. He cannot sleep nor eat well as consequence, he has lost a lot of weight.
According to the neurologist, he needs to take medication regularly and treat his illness appropriately.
"Whenever international attention divert from these vulnerable political prisoners, they are treated very inhumanely [by the junta] and medical treatment is ignored" said Kyaw Lin Oo, Director at the Burma Democratic Concern (BDC) in Thailand.
“I am very sad to learn that in Than-Dwe prison, there is no doctor or medics to look after prisoners. I am sure that this is the regime's systematic attempt to kill political dissidents”, said Myo Thein, Director at the Burma Democratic Concern (BDC) in United Kingdom.
Visiting him is very difficult for the family members due to natural barriers. By coach it takes 2 days to get there, roads are very bumpy and dangerous as they are built through mountains and jungles. Bus fares are very expensive and trips are risky.
“The reason the military junta send political prisoners to remote prisons is to extend punishment onto political prisoners' families”, said Khin Maung Win, Director at the Burma Democratic Concern (BDC) in United States.
********************************************************
Washington Post - Clinton Returns to Asia Without New Policy
Clarity on U.S. Stance Toward Burma Was Expected at Regional Meeting
By Glenn Kessler, Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, July 18, 2009
MUMBAI, July 17 -- Nearly six months after announcing a high-profile review of U.S. policy to Burma during a trip to Indonesia, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is returning to Asia without a new policy.
Clinton will attend a gathering of Southeast Asian foreign ministers in Phuket, Thailand, including the Burmese foreign minister, and many experts had expected the Obama administration to make clear its intentions at the gathering. But U.S. officials said the review was put on hold pending the outcome of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's trial that began in May -- and the military junta that rules Burma has repeatedly delayed the court proceedings, apparently with an aim of pushing it past the annual gathering of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
U.S. officials are holding out hope that the court will release Suu Kyi, opening up the possibility of dialogue. But the result has been that the United States has been largely silent on Burma, even as the government launched a military offensive against the Karen ethnic group that has spilled over the border into neighboring Thailand, with thousands of refugees fleeing the fighting as an estimated 3,300 villages were burned.
Clinton arrived here Friday on the first leg of a week-long tour of India and Thailand but did not talk to reporters during her 16-hour journey. She will attend the ASEAN meetings on Wednesday and Thursday.
Burma, also known as Myanmar, is regarded as one of the world's most oppressive nations, run by generals who have enriched themselves while much of the country remains desperately poor. The National League for Democracy, Suu Kyi's party, won a landslide electoral victory in 1990, but the military leadership refused to accept it. Since then, she has been under house arrest for most of the time, as have hundreds of her supporters.
Sean Turnell, an associate professor at Macquarie University in Australia and a specialist on Burma's economy, estimates that the government has reserves of about $5 billion, largely from natural gas fields that bring in about $2 billion a year.
"The financial position of the regime is very strong," he said, even as it has pleaded poverty with international donors. "It is extraordinary they are allowed to get away with it."
In May, just days before Suu Kyi's six-year term under house arrest was due to expire, the government put her on trial for an incident involving a U.S. citizen who swam across Rangoon's picturesque Lake Inya to reach Suu Kyi's lakefront bungalow and allegedly stayed there one or two nights. Suu Kyi was taken to Rangoon's notorious Insein Prison on charges of violating the terms of her detention by hosting a foreigner, which could bring a three- to five-year prison term, according to Burmese opposition officials.
Suu Kyi, 63, is said to be in poor health and has recently been treated for dehydration and low blood pressure.
When U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon visited Burma this month, the government rejected his request to meet with Suu Kyi.
Indeed, few experts think the junta will show leniency toward Suu Kyi as it is preparing for elections in 2010 to solidify its rule. The government had revived a lawsuit seeking to take away her home at the time the American intruder presented another opportunity to put her in jail. Before the new charges were lodged, the National League for Democracy had issued a statement saying it would consider participating in the election but only if Suu Kyi was freed, the constitution was amended and the elections were free and fair.
When Clinton announced the policy review in February, she indicated that she thought years of tough sanctions on Burma had failed to have an impact. "Clearly, the path we have taken in imposing sanctions hasn't influenced the Burmese junta," she said during a news conference in Jakarta during her first overseas trip as secretary of state, adding that the route taken by Burma's neighbors of "reaching out and trying to engage them has not influenced them, either."
But U.S. officials say the emerging policy review does not envision major changes in the U.S. approach, though it had not yet been reviewed by senior officials when Suu Kyi's trial began. Under the new policy, meetings would have been authorized between Burmese and U.S. officials at the deputy assistant secretary of state level, but sanctions would have been maintained and humanitarian assistance would continue.
"The outcome of the trial will affect the policy review," said a senior administration official speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was discussing internal deliberations. "The Burmese have indicated some interest in improving relations with us. If the outcome is bad, it makes it harder."
With the policy review uncompleted and U.S. attention focused mostly on Suu Kyi, diplomatic activity has continued without the forceful intervention of the United States. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown called for new financial sanctions against Burma and the European Union issued a tough statement calling for Burma to halt the military offensive against the Karen.
At the United Nations, the U.S. focus on Suu Kyi's trial -- and failure to speak out against the military offensive when it started -- has played into the hands of Russia and China, which have long bridled at the Bush administration's success in getting Burma on the Security Council agenda. Chinese ambassador Liu Zhenmin said that the Security Council cannot be about one individual, no matter how iconic. "The situation in Myanmar poses no threat to international or regional peace or security," he said, referring to the key factors that put a country on the Security Council docket.
Scot Marciel, deputy assistant secretary of state for Asia, rejected the idea that the administration has been hampered by the uncompleted review. "We're not left empty-handed or frozen, if you will, by the fact that the review is not completed," he said. "We have been extremely active diplomatically on Burma policy."
But Michael Green, top Asia adviser in the George W. Bush White House, said the Obama administration "is stuck in a sense" because it has so hinged the policy review on Suu Kyi's trial. Green said Southeast Asia is waiting for an answer from Clinton because her comments in Jakarta left the impression that the United States might lift sanctions. "She is going to have to lay down some clear signals and clear principles" in Thailand, he said.
Clarity on U.S. Stance Toward Burma Was Expected at Regional Meeting
By Glenn Kessler, Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, July 18, 2009
MUMBAI, July 17 -- Nearly six months after announcing a high-profile review of U.S. policy to Burma during a trip to Indonesia, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is returning to Asia without a new policy.
Clinton will attend a gathering of Southeast Asian foreign ministers in Phuket, Thailand, including the Burmese foreign minister, and many experts had expected the Obama administration to make clear its intentions at the gathering. But U.S. officials said the review was put on hold pending the outcome of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's trial that began in May -- and the military junta that rules Burma has repeatedly delayed the court proceedings, apparently with an aim of pushing it past the annual gathering of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
U.S. officials are holding out hope that the court will release Suu Kyi, opening up the possibility of dialogue. But the result has been that the United States has been largely silent on Burma, even as the government launched a military offensive against the Karen ethnic group that has spilled over the border into neighboring Thailand, with thousands of refugees fleeing the fighting as an estimated 3,300 villages were burned.
Clinton arrived here Friday on the first leg of a week-long tour of India and Thailand but did not talk to reporters during her 16-hour journey. She will attend the ASEAN meetings on Wednesday and Thursday.
Burma, also known as Myanmar, is regarded as one of the world's most oppressive nations, run by generals who have enriched themselves while much of the country remains desperately poor. The National League for Democracy, Suu Kyi's party, won a landslide electoral victory in 1990, but the military leadership refused to accept it. Since then, she has been under house arrest for most of the time, as have hundreds of her supporters.
Sean Turnell, an associate professor at Macquarie University in Australia and a specialist on Burma's economy, estimates that the government has reserves of about $5 billion, largely from natural gas fields that bring in about $2 billion a year.
"The financial position of the regime is very strong," he said, even as it has pleaded poverty with international donors. "It is extraordinary they are allowed to get away with it."
In May, just days before Suu Kyi's six-year term under house arrest was due to expire, the government put her on trial for an incident involving a U.S. citizen who swam across Rangoon's picturesque Lake Inya to reach Suu Kyi's lakefront bungalow and allegedly stayed there one or two nights. Suu Kyi was taken to Rangoon's notorious Insein Prison on charges of violating the terms of her detention by hosting a foreigner, which could bring a three- to five-year prison term, according to Burmese opposition officials.
Suu Kyi, 63, is said to be in poor health and has recently been treated for dehydration and low blood pressure.
When U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon visited Burma this month, the government rejected his request to meet with Suu Kyi.
Indeed, few experts think the junta will show leniency toward Suu Kyi as it is preparing for elections in 2010 to solidify its rule. The government had revived a lawsuit seeking to take away her home at the time the American intruder presented another opportunity to put her in jail. Before the new charges were lodged, the National League for Democracy had issued a statement saying it would consider participating in the election but only if Suu Kyi was freed, the constitution was amended and the elections were free and fair.
When Clinton announced the policy review in February, she indicated that she thought years of tough sanctions on Burma had failed to have an impact. "Clearly, the path we have taken in imposing sanctions hasn't influenced the Burmese junta," she said during a news conference in Jakarta during her first overseas trip as secretary of state, adding that the route taken by Burma's neighbors of "reaching out and trying to engage them has not influenced them, either."
But U.S. officials say the emerging policy review does not envision major changes in the U.S. approach, though it had not yet been reviewed by senior officials when Suu Kyi's trial began. Under the new policy, meetings would have been authorized between Burmese and U.S. officials at the deputy assistant secretary of state level, but sanctions would have been maintained and humanitarian assistance would continue.
"The outcome of the trial will affect the policy review," said a senior administration official speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was discussing internal deliberations. "The Burmese have indicated some interest in improving relations with us. If the outcome is bad, it makes it harder."
With the policy review uncompleted and U.S. attention focused mostly on Suu Kyi, diplomatic activity has continued without the forceful intervention of the United States. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown called for new financial sanctions against Burma and the European Union issued a tough statement calling for Burma to halt the military offensive against the Karen.
At the United Nations, the U.S. focus on Suu Kyi's trial -- and failure to speak out against the military offensive when it started -- has played into the hands of Russia and China, which have long bridled at the Bush administration's success in getting Burma on the Security Council agenda. Chinese ambassador Liu Zhenmin said that the Security Council cannot be about one individual, no matter how iconic. "The situation in Myanmar poses no threat to international or regional peace or security," he said, referring to the key factors that put a country on the Security Council docket.
Scot Marciel, deputy assistant secretary of state for Asia, rejected the idea that the administration has been hampered by the uncompleted review. "We're not left empty-handed or frozen, if you will, by the fact that the review is not completed," he said. "We have been extremely active diplomatically on Burma policy."
But Michael Green, top Asia adviser in the George W. Bush White House, said the Obama administration "is stuck in a sense" because it has so hinged the policy review on Suu Kyi's trial. Green said Southeast Asia is waiting for an answer from Clinton because her comments in Jakarta left the impression that the United States might lift sanctions. "She is going to have to lay down some clear signals and clear principles" in Thailand, he said.
********************************************************
The Alexandria Town Talk -Refuge from Burma seeks education to help people back home
By David Dinsmore • ddinsmore@thetowntalk.com • July 19, 2009
Juler Wah's laugh is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.
Yet, laugh he did as he sat in the living room of Louisiana State University at Alexandria professor Rhonda Shook Thursday morning, talking about life since coming to the United States. His journey to that moment, however, was not as simple as the smiles he shared with his friend.
Wah is a Karen refugee who fled Burma - officially known as the Union of Myanmar - when he was age 11 to live in camps and villages along Thailand's border with his native land.
The Karen make up the largest ethnic minority group living in eastern Burma and northwestern Thailand. Though there are more than 6 million living in the country, they still only make up a small percentage of Burma's population, Wah said.
The Karen National Union has been fighting for independence from the Burmese - the country's majority group that rules by dictatorship - for nearly 50 years, Wah said. This has resulted in violent conflicts between Burmese soldiers and Karen villages.
That's what happened in July 1997 in Wah's village.
"They take livestock, took people for forced labor ... they kill villagers," Wah said.
During the fighting in his village, soldiers demanded all of his family's food, he said. His mother pleaded with the men, but they took her outside and beat her for not complying.
When Wah's grandfather asked why they were beating her, the soldiers killed him. They also arrested two of Wah's uncles for their alleged connections to the Karen National Union.
In August 1997, Wah joined a group of 100 Karen on a 10-day
trek to the Thailand border. Along with his parents and two siblings, they made their way across the rugged terrain of eastern Burma with a small amount of food and potable water.
The travelers quickly depleted the supplies, and many of the children like Wah became very ill. The group reached the border and were taken into one of the refugee camps for registration and assignment.
Wah was taken to a hospital with the other sick children, where he stayed for a month for treatment.
Life in the refugee camps was crowded, but Wah found happiness in opportunities he did not have back home, such as attending school.
The Burmese forced the school near Wah's village to close its doors when he was 5, so he was never able to complete a grade. After relocating to Thailand, however, Wah was able to graduate high school and enter two English language programs that led him to Shook.
She had traveled to the area for a summer with the ethnographic goal of recording the lives of some of the people in the refugee camps.
"Once we got there, we found out there was no journalistic activity allowed," Shook said.
The camps, however, were in need of art teachers, and Shook took this as her chance to gain entry.
While teaching at a school in Thoo Mweh Khee, Shook received Wah as her interpreter. The process of translating took awhile because Wah would often have to speak her words in three or four different languages so all of the children could understand.
With his help, Shook was able to accomplish her goal of creating narratives of the children's lives. She gave Wah her business card just in case and then returned home.
"I kept that, because I knew I wanted to go to school," Wah said.
One random day, Shook received a voicemail on her office phone from a familiar voice. Wah called her from Oakland, Calif., where he had been residing for seven months after receiving acceptance by the U.S. to complete his postsecondary education.
Shook tried calling him back many times but was able to reach him. The problem was he no longer had the cell phone he had used to call her. Two men had held him up at gunpoint and taken his belongings just before he reached his front door while returning home from his job at a Mexican restaurant.
Shook finally contacted him through the social media Web site, Facebook, and invited him to visit once he completed the mandatory year of residence needed before he could travel and begin looking for schools.
"I want to have a very good education. I know it's very important," Wah said Thursday as he took a break from making his way through the list of films Shook recommended he watch during his visit.
Wah said he wants to use his education to join a non-governmental organization and help his people along the Thailand and Burma border.
"If I don't go home, I will feel guilty," Wah said.
His resolve and determination to help is a sentiment shared by many in the area, Shook said.
"So many kids have experienced horrible things, but they don't hate," Shook said. "They want to make the world better."
One of the best ways to do this is to become a teacher, Wah said. Yet, this means more than instructing math and science classes. It's equally important to teach people to stay positive.
For now, however, Wah is searching for the right school and sponsors to help him reach his goals of getting a degree while still dealing with the culture shock of living in the U.S.
"At first, it was very hard," Wah said. "Communication was difficult ... people talked too fast."
Yet, he gradually became acclimated to his life in this country and even has begun volunteering with the International Rescue Committee to help other people get settled.
"I'm lucky to have stayed alive, and I'm lucky to be here," Wah said.
By David Dinsmore • ddinsmore@thetowntalk.com • July 19, 2009
Juler Wah's laugh is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.
Yet, laugh he did as he sat in the living room of Louisiana State University at Alexandria professor Rhonda Shook Thursday morning, talking about life since coming to the United States. His journey to that moment, however, was not as simple as the smiles he shared with his friend.
Wah is a Karen refugee who fled Burma - officially known as the Union of Myanmar - when he was age 11 to live in camps and villages along Thailand's border with his native land.
The Karen make up the largest ethnic minority group living in eastern Burma and northwestern Thailand. Though there are more than 6 million living in the country, they still only make up a small percentage of Burma's population, Wah said.
The Karen National Union has been fighting for independence from the Burmese - the country's majority group that rules by dictatorship - for nearly 50 years, Wah said. This has resulted in violent conflicts between Burmese soldiers and Karen villages.
That's what happened in July 1997 in Wah's village.
"They take livestock, took people for forced labor ... they kill villagers," Wah said.
During the fighting in his village, soldiers demanded all of his family's food, he said. His mother pleaded with the men, but they took her outside and beat her for not complying.
When Wah's grandfather asked why they were beating her, the soldiers killed him. They also arrested two of Wah's uncles for their alleged connections to the Karen National Union.
In August 1997, Wah joined a group of 100 Karen on a 10-day
trek to the Thailand border. Along with his parents and two siblings, they made their way across the rugged terrain of eastern Burma with a small amount of food and potable water.
The travelers quickly depleted the supplies, and many of the children like Wah became very ill. The group reached the border and were taken into one of the refugee camps for registration and assignment.
Wah was taken to a hospital with the other sick children, where he stayed for a month for treatment.
Life in the refugee camps was crowded, but Wah found happiness in opportunities he did not have back home, such as attending school.
The Burmese forced the school near Wah's village to close its doors when he was 5, so he was never able to complete a grade. After relocating to Thailand, however, Wah was able to graduate high school and enter two English language programs that led him to Shook.
She had traveled to the area for a summer with the ethnographic goal of recording the lives of some of the people in the refugee camps.
"Once we got there, we found out there was no journalistic activity allowed," Shook said.
The camps, however, were in need of art teachers, and Shook took this as her chance to gain entry.
While teaching at a school in Thoo Mweh Khee, Shook received Wah as her interpreter. The process of translating took awhile because Wah would often have to speak her words in three or four different languages so all of the children could understand.
With his help, Shook was able to accomplish her goal of creating narratives of the children's lives. She gave Wah her business card just in case and then returned home.
"I kept that, because I knew I wanted to go to school," Wah said.
One random day, Shook received a voicemail on her office phone from a familiar voice. Wah called her from Oakland, Calif., where he had been residing for seven months after receiving acceptance by the U.S. to complete his postsecondary education.
Shook tried calling him back many times but was able to reach him. The problem was he no longer had the cell phone he had used to call her. Two men had held him up at gunpoint and taken his belongings just before he reached his front door while returning home from his job at a Mexican restaurant.
Shook finally contacted him through the social media Web site, Facebook, and invited him to visit once he completed the mandatory year of residence needed before he could travel and begin looking for schools.
"I want to have a very good education. I know it's very important," Wah said Thursday as he took a break from making his way through the list of films Shook recommended he watch during his visit.
Wah said he wants to use his education to join a non-governmental organization and help his people along the Thailand and Burma border.
"If I don't go home, I will feel guilty," Wah said.
His resolve and determination to help is a sentiment shared by many in the area, Shook said.
"So many kids have experienced horrible things, but they don't hate," Shook said. "They want to make the world better."
One of the best ways to do this is to become a teacher, Wah said. Yet, this means more than instructing math and science classes. It's equally important to teach people to stay positive.
For now, however, Wah is searching for the right school and sponsors to help him reach his goals of getting a degree while still dealing with the culture shock of living in the U.S.
"At first, it was very hard," Wah said. "Communication was difficult ... people talked too fast."
Yet, he gradually became acclimated to his life in this country and even has begun volunteering with the International Rescue Committee to help other people get settled.
"I'm lucky to have stayed alive, and I'm lucky to be here," Wah said.
********************************************************
Pioneer Press - Myanmar's narrow view of storm recovery
Regime limits what U.N. visitors see
By John Heilprin, Associated Press
Updated: 07/18/2009 08:54:10 PM CDT
KYON DA VILLAGE, Myanmar — As the U.N. helicopter skimmed above the placid Irrawaddy Delta, Myanmar's military junta was putting the final touches on its showcase village.
Throngs of people lined the muddy walkways of Kyon Da Village, a relief camp erected in this cyclone-hit area, while others stayed in their homes — neat rows of small houses made out of dried palm and matted bamboo.
The new houses on stilts replaced the plastic tents and stacks of supplies put on display for visitors a year earlier, after Cyclone Nargis devastated the delta in May 2008.
For the early July visit by U.N. officials, some villagers smiled, and their kids sported freshly starched and ironed white linen garments. Many of the women and children wore Thanaka, a cosmetic used by Burmese women for 2,000 years — golden-colored tree bark that is ground, made into paint and used to draw circles on the cheeks and even their ears.
About 1,000 homes collapsed and more than 100 people died in Kyon Da when the cyclone struck.
The angry waters that swallowed 138,000 lives in the cyclone have receded. Seen from above, where there had been a monolith of shimmering water was now a patchwork of rice field and border, river and shoreline, muddy pond and gray cloud.
Gone were the endless stretches of flooded rice fields and islands of destroyed homes with a few people standing on the rooftops. It affected more than 2 million, leaving a quarter-million homeless.
The biggest health threats remain HIV and AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, according to the International Organization for Migration, which began partnering with Myanmar's government in 2005. In the past year IOM-led medical teams treated 110,613 people in 858 of the affected villages.
Local medical officials in Kyon Da Village began to explain to a reporter how the clinics were all busy, with the village and the broader Irrawaddy Delta region suffering from a high number of respiratory infections.
But after government minders began listening in, the medical officials suddenly seemed to lose their ability to speak English. End of conversation.
Residents spoke of some improved health conditions — fewer cases of diarrhea and several new clinics nearby. Some other improvements were obvious, but this was the camp that the xenophobic junta that rules Myanmar, also known as Burma, wanted the world to see.
"Clearly, they are living in their own world," a senior U.N. official along for the village inspection said of Myanmar's ruling junta, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid angering authorities.
Many Western nations haven't fully opened their wallets to the U.N.'s three-year, $691 million recovery plan, lacking trust in Myanmar or not wanting to provide too much help to an authoritarian regime, a senior U.N. humanitarian official said on condition of anonymity to protect his relationship with Myanmar authorities.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's first trip to Myanmar more than a year earlier helped overcome the reluctance for which the junta was widely condemned in granting foreign aid agencies access in the first weeks after the disaster, which almost certainly added to the death toll.
But to focus on securing cooperation from Myanmar's government with various humanitarian agencies, Ban dropped any appeals to the ruling generals to improve their human rights' record or to release jailed democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and thousands of other political prisoners.
Ban's visit was meant to make up for that. He held two rare meetings with the junta chief, Senior Gen. Than Shwe, but was not allowed to see the 64-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who has been detained by the ruling generals for nearly 14 of the past 20 years.
Suu Kyi is now on trial, charged with violating her house arrest, and faces five years in prison if convicted in a trial that has sparked global outrage.
On a brief visit to Kyon Da Village carefully scripted by Myanmar's government, the U.N. chief was haunted by the memory of a baby girl he encountered here a year ago. "She was only one day old," Ban mused aloud.
He had seen the mother living in a tent with the girl, hours after her birth. He'd seen another girl, too, just 19 days old, sick and clinging to life, but lacking medical support. He'd told the mothers not to lose hope, the United Nations was there to help.
But the U.N.'s World Food Program, which has operated in Myanmar for 15 years, still cannot muster 44 percent of the $79 million it says is needed over three years. The World Health Organization still lacks 57 percent of $42 million in projected needs for 325 townships.
Ban wasn't able to determine the whereabouts of those fledgling lives he'd seen the year before. Instead, he and his entourage — top aides and two journalists — got a snapshot that showed some improvements while masking remaining problems.
Ban, who carried the same message as last year that the U.N. was there to help and keep hope alive, said he was satisfied "the government has taken necessary measures."
Nearly a quarter-million people in remote villages rely on boat deliveries of clean drinking water, rice fields remain bare or contaminated with salt from the floodwaters, and food handouts are increasingly scarce.
Schools are rebuilt but short of teachers, and a half-million people still live in the most basic of shelters.
Regime limits what U.N. visitors see
By John Heilprin, Associated Press
Updated: 07/18/2009 08:54:10 PM CDT
KYON DA VILLAGE, Myanmar — As the U.N. helicopter skimmed above the placid Irrawaddy Delta, Myanmar's military junta was putting the final touches on its showcase village.
Throngs of people lined the muddy walkways of Kyon Da Village, a relief camp erected in this cyclone-hit area, while others stayed in their homes — neat rows of small houses made out of dried palm and matted bamboo.
The new houses on stilts replaced the plastic tents and stacks of supplies put on display for visitors a year earlier, after Cyclone Nargis devastated the delta in May 2008.
For the early July visit by U.N. officials, some villagers smiled, and their kids sported freshly starched and ironed white linen garments. Many of the women and children wore Thanaka, a cosmetic used by Burmese women for 2,000 years — golden-colored tree bark that is ground, made into paint and used to draw circles on the cheeks and even their ears.
About 1,000 homes collapsed and more than 100 people died in Kyon Da when the cyclone struck.
The angry waters that swallowed 138,000 lives in the cyclone have receded. Seen from above, where there had been a monolith of shimmering water was now a patchwork of rice field and border, river and shoreline, muddy pond and gray cloud.
Gone were the endless stretches of flooded rice fields and islands of destroyed homes with a few people standing on the rooftops. It affected more than 2 million, leaving a quarter-million homeless.
The biggest health threats remain HIV and AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, according to the International Organization for Migration, which began partnering with Myanmar's government in 2005. In the past year IOM-led medical teams treated 110,613 people in 858 of the affected villages.
Local medical officials in Kyon Da Village began to explain to a reporter how the clinics were all busy, with the village and the broader Irrawaddy Delta region suffering from a high number of respiratory infections.
But after government minders began listening in, the medical officials suddenly seemed to lose their ability to speak English. End of conversation.
Residents spoke of some improved health conditions — fewer cases of diarrhea and several new clinics nearby. Some other improvements were obvious, but this was the camp that the xenophobic junta that rules Myanmar, also known as Burma, wanted the world to see.
"Clearly, they are living in their own world," a senior U.N. official along for the village inspection said of Myanmar's ruling junta, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid angering authorities.
Many Western nations haven't fully opened their wallets to the U.N.'s three-year, $691 million recovery plan, lacking trust in Myanmar or not wanting to provide too much help to an authoritarian regime, a senior U.N. humanitarian official said on condition of anonymity to protect his relationship with Myanmar authorities.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's first trip to Myanmar more than a year earlier helped overcome the reluctance for which the junta was widely condemned in granting foreign aid agencies access in the first weeks after the disaster, which almost certainly added to the death toll.
But to focus on securing cooperation from Myanmar's government with various humanitarian agencies, Ban dropped any appeals to the ruling generals to improve their human rights' record or to release jailed democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and thousands of other political prisoners.
Ban's visit was meant to make up for that. He held two rare meetings with the junta chief, Senior Gen. Than Shwe, but was not allowed to see the 64-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who has been detained by the ruling generals for nearly 14 of the past 20 years.
Suu Kyi is now on trial, charged with violating her house arrest, and faces five years in prison if convicted in a trial that has sparked global outrage.
On a brief visit to Kyon Da Village carefully scripted by Myanmar's government, the U.N. chief was haunted by the memory of a baby girl he encountered here a year ago. "She was only one day old," Ban mused aloud.
He had seen the mother living in a tent with the girl, hours after her birth. He'd seen another girl, too, just 19 days old, sick and clinging to life, but lacking medical support. He'd told the mothers not to lose hope, the United Nations was there to help.
But the U.N.'s World Food Program, which has operated in Myanmar for 15 years, still cannot muster 44 percent of the $79 million it says is needed over three years. The World Health Organization still lacks 57 percent of $42 million in projected needs for 325 townships.
Ban wasn't able to determine the whereabouts of those fledgling lives he'd seen the year before. Instead, he and his entourage — top aides and two journalists — got a snapshot that showed some improvements while masking remaining problems.
Ban, who carried the same message as last year that the U.N. was there to help and keep hope alive, said he was satisfied "the government has taken necessary measures."
Nearly a quarter-million people in remote villages rely on boat deliveries of clean drinking water, rice fields remain bare or contaminated with salt from the floodwaters, and food handouts are increasingly scarce.
Schools are rebuilt but short of teachers, and a half-million people still live in the most basic of shelters.
********************************************************
Bangkok Post - Abhisit rejects possible Burma sanctions
Published: 20/07/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News
Sanctions will not solve problems in Burma and should not be applied, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva says.
Speaking on his weekly radio and TV programme in his capacity as chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Mr Abhisit yesterday said some Western dialogue partners might want sanctions to be applied against Burma, so all Asean countries should help express Asean's stance against such measures.
Thailand is hosting an Asean foreign ministers meeting until Saturday in Phuket. The forum will discuss Burma after the junta barred United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon from meeting jailed opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi during his visit two weeks ago.
Mrs Suu Kyi is charged with breaching the terms of her house arrest after an American swam across a lake to her house a few months ago.
Mr Abhisit said even though Asean had protested against Burma's treatment of Mrs Suu Kyi, it would not do anything to meddle in its internal affairs.
Asean wanted Burma to know how the international community felt about human rights there.
"The junta should use this occasion to improve Asean's understanding of the situation in the country," he said.
Published: 20/07/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News
Sanctions will not solve problems in Burma and should not be applied, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva says.
Speaking on his weekly radio and TV programme in his capacity as chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Mr Abhisit yesterday said some Western dialogue partners might want sanctions to be applied against Burma, so all Asean countries should help express Asean's stance against such measures.
Thailand is hosting an Asean foreign ministers meeting until Saturday in Phuket. The forum will discuss Burma after the junta barred United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon from meeting jailed opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi during his visit two weeks ago.
Mrs Suu Kyi is charged with breaching the terms of her house arrest after an American swam across a lake to her house a few months ago.
Mr Abhisit said even though Asean had protested against Burma's treatment of Mrs Suu Kyi, it would not do anything to meddle in its internal affairs.
Asean wanted Burma to know how the international community felt about human rights there.
"The junta should use this occasion to improve Asean's understanding of the situation in the country," he said.
********************************************************
The Nation - Keep extraneous issues out of the Asean meeting
Published on July 19, 2009
Any mention of Thaksin risks derailing the proceedings, perhaps violently
Thailand as the host and chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) should not allow any domestic controversies to dilute the substance of the Asean Ministerial Meeting in Phuket next week. Foreign ministers of Asean and their dialogue partners will have a series of discussions on the transformation of the group into a real legal-based regional community and many other important issues such as the deadly virus type-A (H1N1) pandemic and the ongoing global economic crisis.
Asean is in the process of becoming a community. Its charter came into force in December last year, and its economic, political-security and social communities are being established. The group aims to be a caring organisation, and terms of reference for the human-rights body are to be adopted by the foreign ministers during the Phuket meeting. The establishment of the mechanism will be officially announced at the 15th summit in October in Thailand.
The Asean Ministerial Meeting and Post Ministerial Conference in Phuket this week is also important for a high-profile dialogue partner like the United States, since Washington will sign in the Instruments of the Accession and Extension to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, a founding document of Asean, to foster the US role in the region.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will call a sideline meeting with Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam on Mekong-basin development and cross-border issues, suggesting a significant move by the US in the sub-region under the Asean footprint. Clinton will also take the opportunity to address US concern over political developments in Burma, notably the ongoing trial of opposition leader Aung San SuuKyi.
Every move during the Phuket meeting is significant and important for the future of Asean and its members. Nothing should overshadow the meeting.
Thailand took the position of rotating chairman of the group last year, and officials at the Foreign Ministry are already aiming high for many remarkable turning points in Asean. The group was born in Bangkok in 1967 as an ad-hoc grouping, and Thailand hoped that it would turn into a legal-based international organisation in its native Bangkok last year.
The Asean charter really came into force with Thailand's chairmanship, but unfortunately the announcement could not be made in the Kingdom due to political difficulty after the airport closure by the protesting People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), of which the current foreign minister Kasit Piromya is an active member and the Democrat Party a major supporter. The charter's announcement was scheduled for the 14th Asean summit due in Chiang Mai in December but was made at Asean headquarters in Jakarta instead.
Thailand's domestic political problems have hurt Asean again since then. The PAD's enemy red-shirt movement took revenge on the Democrat-led government by disrupting a major Asean summit with partners from Asia and the Pacific in Pattaya in April, storming into the meeting venue.
Internal political conflict is not over yet. The government has not given up its attempts to hunt down its foe former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and Thaksin's supporters are not giving up either. The red shirts keep up anti-government protest.
They say they will not stage any protest in Phuket to disrupt the Asean meeting, but nobody believes them since Thaksin has called on them to take action against the meeting to discredit the government.
The military has stepped up restrictions and security measures to control the whole of Phuket island during the Asean meeting. Security is so tight as to disturb local people and tourists. The military has set up a lot of checkpoints on the island and will keep all unregistered vehicles off the island. The atmosphere in Phuket is almost like that in the restive South, where troops pop up everywhere hunting for insurgents.
The red shirts have not moved yet, but the opposition has begun to use the Asean event to campaign against the government. Pheu Thai spokesman Prompong Nopparit on Tuesday petitioned Clinton via the US Embassy accusing Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's government of having no legitimacy to administer the country.
The government will not sit still and will take the opportunity of the Asean meeting to move against Thaksin, with Kasit in the chair informing his Asean counterparts of his government's stance on Thaksin and asking them to block Thaksin's movements.
The foreign minister used the forum of the Non-Allied Movement in Egypt to move against Thaksin, meeting his counterparts from Malaysia and Montenegro to verify recent reports of the presence of the deposed premier in those countries. Thaksin claims he holds a Montenegrin passport and has stopped over in Kuala Lumpur with the protection of the Malaysian special branch.
Kasit may repeat his performance during the Asean meeting and thus provoke Thaksin's supporters to retaliate. If both sides spoil the Asean forum for their own political gain, the meeting will be overshadowed by a domestic issue. If the retaliation is strong, it could turn into violence and disrupt the meeting.
The best way is for the government to concentrate on the substance of Asean and not try to bring Thaksin or anything related to Thaksin to Phuket.
Published on July 19, 2009
Any mention of Thaksin risks derailing the proceedings, perhaps violently
Thailand as the host and chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) should not allow any domestic controversies to dilute the substance of the Asean Ministerial Meeting in Phuket next week. Foreign ministers of Asean and their dialogue partners will have a series of discussions on the transformation of the group into a real legal-based regional community and many other important issues such as the deadly virus type-A (H1N1) pandemic and the ongoing global economic crisis.
Asean is in the process of becoming a community. Its charter came into force in December last year, and its economic, political-security and social communities are being established. The group aims to be a caring organisation, and terms of reference for the human-rights body are to be adopted by the foreign ministers during the Phuket meeting. The establishment of the mechanism will be officially announced at the 15th summit in October in Thailand.
The Asean Ministerial Meeting and Post Ministerial Conference in Phuket this week is also important for a high-profile dialogue partner like the United States, since Washington will sign in the Instruments of the Accession and Extension to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, a founding document of Asean, to foster the US role in the region.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will call a sideline meeting with Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam on Mekong-basin development and cross-border issues, suggesting a significant move by the US in the sub-region under the Asean footprint. Clinton will also take the opportunity to address US concern over political developments in Burma, notably the ongoing trial of opposition leader Aung San SuuKyi.
Every move during the Phuket meeting is significant and important for the future of Asean and its members. Nothing should overshadow the meeting.
Thailand took the position of rotating chairman of the group last year, and officials at the Foreign Ministry are already aiming high for many remarkable turning points in Asean. The group was born in Bangkok in 1967 as an ad-hoc grouping, and Thailand hoped that it would turn into a legal-based international organisation in its native Bangkok last year.
The Asean charter really came into force with Thailand's chairmanship, but unfortunately the announcement could not be made in the Kingdom due to political difficulty after the airport closure by the protesting People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), of which the current foreign minister Kasit Piromya is an active member and the Democrat Party a major supporter. The charter's announcement was scheduled for the 14th Asean summit due in Chiang Mai in December but was made at Asean headquarters in Jakarta instead.
Thailand's domestic political problems have hurt Asean again since then. The PAD's enemy red-shirt movement took revenge on the Democrat-led government by disrupting a major Asean summit with partners from Asia and the Pacific in Pattaya in April, storming into the meeting venue.
Internal political conflict is not over yet. The government has not given up its attempts to hunt down its foe former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and Thaksin's supporters are not giving up either. The red shirts keep up anti-government protest.
They say they will not stage any protest in Phuket to disrupt the Asean meeting, but nobody believes them since Thaksin has called on them to take action against the meeting to discredit the government.
The military has stepped up restrictions and security measures to control the whole of Phuket island during the Asean meeting. Security is so tight as to disturb local people and tourists. The military has set up a lot of checkpoints on the island and will keep all unregistered vehicles off the island. The atmosphere in Phuket is almost like that in the restive South, where troops pop up everywhere hunting for insurgents.
The red shirts have not moved yet, but the opposition has begun to use the Asean event to campaign against the government. Pheu Thai spokesman Prompong Nopparit on Tuesday petitioned Clinton via the US Embassy accusing Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's government of having no legitimacy to administer the country.
The government will not sit still and will take the opportunity of the Asean meeting to move against Thaksin, with Kasit in the chair informing his Asean counterparts of his government's stance on Thaksin and asking them to block Thaksin's movements.
The foreign minister used the forum of the Non-Allied Movement in Egypt to move against Thaksin, meeting his counterparts from Malaysia and Montenegro to verify recent reports of the presence of the deposed premier in those countries. Thaksin claims he holds a Montenegrin passport and has stopped over in Kuala Lumpur with the protection of the Malaysian special branch.
Kasit may repeat his performance during the Asean meeting and thus provoke Thaksin's supporters to retaliate. If both sides spoil the Asean forum for their own political gain, the meeting will be overshadowed by a domestic issue. If the retaliation is strong, it could turn into violence and disrupt the meeting.
The best way is for the government to concentrate on the substance of Asean and not try to bring Thaksin or anything related to Thaksin to Phuket.
********************************************************
The Financial Times - Burma faces EU sanctions threat
By Tim Johnston, Bangkok
Published: July 18 2009 03:00 | Last updated: July 18 2009 03:00
The European Union would impose new sanctions on the Burmese government and its supporters if Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel laureate and opposition leader, was not freed at the end of her current trial, a senior British official said.
Ms Suu Kyi , who has spent 13 of the past 19 years under house arrest, faces up to five years in jail if she is convicted of breaking the terms of her detention by letting John Yettaw , an American, stay the night after he came uninvited to her home.
By Tim Johnston, Bangkok
Published: July 18 2009 03:00 | Last updated: July 18 2009 03:00
The European Union would impose new sanctions on the Burmese government and its supporters if Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel laureate and opposition leader, was not freed at the end of her current trial, a senior British official said.
Ms Suu Kyi , who has spent 13 of the past 19 years under house arrest, faces up to five years in jail if she is convicted of breaking the terms of her detention by letting John Yettaw , an American, stay the night after he came uninvited to her home.
********************************************************
The Star/Asia News Network
AsiaOne - Asean rights body takes shape
By MERGAWATI ZULFAKAR and YENG AI CHUN
Mon, Jul 20, 2009
PHUKET, Thailand - Asean has proposed to name its human rights body the Asean Inter-Governmental Commission of Human Rights, paving the way for leaders of the grouping to launch it when they meet in October.
However, ministers will have further discussions on the draft of the commission's terms of reference at their retreat today before reaching a final decision on it.
Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said the terms of reference would be reviewed in the next five years to enhance the body's role.
'We have also agreed that we will appoint a representative from each Asean country to the body who will serve for a three-year period,' he told a press conference yesterday.
'The draft terms of reference reflects the maximum consensus among us. It is important to make the human rights body credible and also take into account the real situation in member countries.
'It is the beginning of an evolving process. It is a living document that will provide a platform for furthering Asean's efforts in the promotion and protection of human rights,' he said.
Foreign Minister Datuk Anifah Aman told Malaysian media that the ministers deliberated at length on the wording on the five-year review to further strengthen the body.
He also stressed that the commission would not be mere window dressing.
By MERGAWATI ZULFAKAR and YENG AI CHUN
Mon, Jul 20, 2009
PHUKET, Thailand - Asean has proposed to name its human rights body the Asean Inter-Governmental Commission of Human Rights, paving the way for leaders of the grouping to launch it when they meet in October.
However, ministers will have further discussions on the draft of the commission's terms of reference at their retreat today before reaching a final decision on it.
Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said the terms of reference would be reviewed in the next five years to enhance the body's role.
'We have also agreed that we will appoint a representative from each Asean country to the body who will serve for a three-year period,' he told a press conference yesterday.
'The draft terms of reference reflects the maximum consensus among us. It is important to make the human rights body credible and also take into account the real situation in member countries.
'It is the beginning of an evolving process. It is a living document that will provide a platform for furthering Asean's efforts in the promotion and protection of human rights,' he said.
Foreign Minister Datuk Anifah Aman told Malaysian media that the ministers deliberated at length on the wording on the five-year review to further strengthen the body.
He also stressed that the commission would not be mere window dressing.
********************************************************
Business Mirror - ‘Push Burma on rights violations’
Monday, 20 July 2009 02:37
A COALITION of civil-society organizations on Burma called on the foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) meeting in Phuket, Thailand, to push for a stronger mechanism for the terms of reference (TOR) of the Asean Human Rights Body.
The Task Force on Asean and Burma (TFAB), a coalition of 69 civil-society groups working on democratization in Burma, said an effective and credible Asean Human Rights Body will help improve the lingering rights atrocities in Burma, particularly the continued detention of prodemocracy and Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
“We are concerned that the TOR [of the Asean Human Rights Body] misses the essential mechanisms to protect human rights and to perform its duty independently,” said TFAB in an open letter sent to the delegates of the 42nd Asean Foreign Ministers meeting in Phuket.
TFAB coordinator Aung Myo Min said the TOR should “envisage an independent, effective and credible Asean human-rights body that will work to ensure that all member-states in Asean act upon their obligation to protect, promote and fulfill all human rights in line with international norms and standards.”
He said, “A mere window-dressing body will only further confirm the lack of Asean’s political will as a regional bloc to protect the rights of the people in the region.”
The open letter also urged a serious resolution to the continued sham trial of Burma’s Nobel peace icon Suu Kyi, who is being tried at Insein prison for breach of terms of detention after an unknown American swam into her prison area.
The terms of reference of the Asean human-rights body had first included a provision on “sanctions and expulsions” against an Asean-member nation that commits rights atrocities against its people.
But the foreign ministers of the regional bloc, governed by a policy of “constructive engagement and noninterference” in the last 40 years, stripped off the provision on “sanctions and expulsions.”
Instead, the decision on a particular member violating the terms of reference will now be left to the Asean heads of states to decide.
The coalition said in the past 10 years, Burma’s military regime has destroyed over 3,200 villages in eastern Burma.
It added that an upsurge of attacks in the past month, which aims to annihilate Karen opposition before the 2010 elections, has caused more than 6,400 people to flee to safety along the Thai-Burma border—the latest wave of ethnic refugees fleeing from the Burmese military’s atrocities.
The TOR is expected to be adopted at the 42nd Asean foreign ministers meeting in Phuket in time for the formal launch of the Asean Human Rights Body in the Asean Summit in October 2009.
The open letter also called on Asean Foreign Ministers to employ a Charter provision which states: “In the case of serious breach of the Charter or noncompliance, the matter shall be referred to the Asean Summit for decision.”
“At this critical time, Asean cannot afford to be weak on human rights. Asean leaders must take more firm measures and not let Burma slide by on false promises. Otherwise, it risks losing its credibility to the international community,” said the coalition.
Besides the Philippines and Burma, Asean also groups Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore. E. Torres
Monday, 20 July 2009 02:37
A COALITION of civil-society organizations on Burma called on the foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) meeting in Phuket, Thailand, to push for a stronger mechanism for the terms of reference (TOR) of the Asean Human Rights Body.
The Task Force on Asean and Burma (TFAB), a coalition of 69 civil-society groups working on democratization in Burma, said an effective and credible Asean Human Rights Body will help improve the lingering rights atrocities in Burma, particularly the continued detention of prodemocracy and Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
“We are concerned that the TOR [of the Asean Human Rights Body] misses the essential mechanisms to protect human rights and to perform its duty independently,” said TFAB in an open letter sent to the delegates of the 42nd Asean Foreign Ministers meeting in Phuket.
TFAB coordinator Aung Myo Min said the TOR should “envisage an independent, effective and credible Asean human-rights body that will work to ensure that all member-states in Asean act upon their obligation to protect, promote and fulfill all human rights in line with international norms and standards.”
He said, “A mere window-dressing body will only further confirm the lack of Asean’s political will as a regional bloc to protect the rights of the people in the region.”
The open letter also urged a serious resolution to the continued sham trial of Burma’s Nobel peace icon Suu Kyi, who is being tried at Insein prison for breach of terms of detention after an unknown American swam into her prison area.
The terms of reference of the Asean human-rights body had first included a provision on “sanctions and expulsions” against an Asean-member nation that commits rights atrocities against its people.
But the foreign ministers of the regional bloc, governed by a policy of “constructive engagement and noninterference” in the last 40 years, stripped off the provision on “sanctions and expulsions.”
Instead, the decision on a particular member violating the terms of reference will now be left to the Asean heads of states to decide.
The coalition said in the past 10 years, Burma’s military regime has destroyed over 3,200 villages in eastern Burma.
It added that an upsurge of attacks in the past month, which aims to annihilate Karen opposition before the 2010 elections, has caused more than 6,400 people to flee to safety along the Thai-Burma border—the latest wave of ethnic refugees fleeing from the Burmese military’s atrocities.
The TOR is expected to be adopted at the 42nd Asean foreign ministers meeting in Phuket in time for the formal launch of the Asean Human Rights Body in the Asean Summit in October 2009.
The open letter also called on Asean Foreign Ministers to employ a Charter provision which states: “In the case of serious breach of the Charter or noncompliance, the matter shall be referred to the Asean Summit for decision.”
“At this critical time, Asean cannot afford to be weak on human rights. Asean leaders must take more firm measures and not let Burma slide by on false promises. Otherwise, it risks losing its credibility to the international community,” said the coalition.
Besides the Philippines and Burma, Asean also groups Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore. E. Torres
********************************************************
The Jakarta Post - SE Asia human rights body criticized as toothless
The Associated Press , Phuket, Thailand | Sun, 07/19/2009 5:24 PM | World
Southeast Asian officials on Sunday were finalizing an unprecedented regional human rights body which has sparked criticism from activists that it will be toothless.
Endorsement is expected Monday at a conference of the region's foreign ministers, with official approval coming at a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, in October.
Critics say the ASEAN Human Rights Body is unlikely to have bite since the 10-nation bloc has traditionally operated by consensus and shuns interference in the internal affairs of its members, which include military-run Myanmar and Communist Vietnam and Laos.
The body would not investigate or prosecute human rights violators, according to the terms under discussion. Instead, it would take a "constructive and non-confrontational approach" to promote and protect human rights. There is no provision in the draft for human rights experts to sit on the body.
"The organization must be realistic by taking into consideration the political differences and readiness in promoting human rights of each ASEAN member country," a conference document says.
Such statements have drawn fire from private groups and academics.
"Members of the body should be able to consider human rights in places such as Burma (Myanmar) and Cambodia or southern Thailand, or what's the point?" said Chalida Tajaroensak, president of the Thailand-based People's Empowerment Foundation.
The conference is taking place amid international outrage over the trial of Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who faces up to five years in prison on charges of violating terms of her house arrest by allowing an uninvited American to stay at her home.
Myanmar's human rights record is expected to feature at a meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum, which follows the ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting and includes 27 members including the United States, Russia and China.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who arrives Tuesday, is expected to bring up both Myanmar and North Korea's nuclear program.
The new human rights body is called for in the ASEAN Charter, promulgated seven months ago to serve as the 42-year-old bloc's constitution.
Last month, more than 200 groups urged in a letter to the drafters to make the rights body an "effective mechanism." But activists acknowledged that they had a hard struggle ahead, given opposition from Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar and Cambodia.
"Even Singapore and Malaysia have said our demands are difficult," said Yuyun Wahyuningrum of FORUM-ASIA, a Bangkok-based regional rights lobby.
In recent drafting sessions, Indonesia and Thailand said the body should at least be able to "monitor and review" the human rights situation in every member country and make country visits, said a Southeast Asian diplomat who insisted on anonymity since he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Some other ASEAN members such as the Philippines are not backing that suggestion because they say convincing Myanmar and others to accept a human rights body is enough of a milestone, as weak as it may be, the diplomat said.
The Associated Press , Phuket, Thailand | Sun, 07/19/2009 5:24 PM | World
Southeast Asian officials on Sunday were finalizing an unprecedented regional human rights body which has sparked criticism from activists that it will be toothless.
Endorsement is expected Monday at a conference of the region's foreign ministers, with official approval coming at a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, in October.
Critics say the ASEAN Human Rights Body is unlikely to have bite since the 10-nation bloc has traditionally operated by consensus and shuns interference in the internal affairs of its members, which include military-run Myanmar and Communist Vietnam and Laos.
The body would not investigate or prosecute human rights violators, according to the terms under discussion. Instead, it would take a "constructive and non-confrontational approach" to promote and protect human rights. There is no provision in the draft for human rights experts to sit on the body.
"The organization must be realistic by taking into consideration the political differences and readiness in promoting human rights of each ASEAN member country," a conference document says.
Such statements have drawn fire from private groups and academics.
"Members of the body should be able to consider human rights in places such as Burma (Myanmar) and Cambodia or southern Thailand, or what's the point?" said Chalida Tajaroensak, president of the Thailand-based People's Empowerment Foundation.
The conference is taking place amid international outrage over the trial of Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who faces up to five years in prison on charges of violating terms of her house arrest by allowing an uninvited American to stay at her home.
Myanmar's human rights record is expected to feature at a meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum, which follows the ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting and includes 27 members including the United States, Russia and China.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who arrives Tuesday, is expected to bring up both Myanmar and North Korea's nuclear program.
The new human rights body is called for in the ASEAN Charter, promulgated seven months ago to serve as the 42-year-old bloc's constitution.
Last month, more than 200 groups urged in a letter to the drafters to make the rights body an "effective mechanism." But activists acknowledged that they had a hard struggle ahead, given opposition from Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar and Cambodia.
"Even Singapore and Malaysia have said our demands are difficult," said Yuyun Wahyuningrum of FORUM-ASIA, a Bangkok-based regional rights lobby.
In recent drafting sessions, Indonesia and Thailand said the body should at least be able to "monitor and review" the human rights situation in every member country and make country visits, said a Southeast Asian diplomat who insisted on anonymity since he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Some other ASEAN members such as the Philippines are not backing that suggestion because they say convincing Myanmar and others to accept a human rights body is enough of a milestone, as weak as it may be, the diplomat said.
********************************************************
July 19, 2009 22:39 PM
October Launch For Asean Commission On Human Rights
PHUKET, July 19 (Bernama) -- Asean has decided to name its much-awaited human rights body as the Asean Inter-Govermental Commission on Human Rights, and agreed to review or amend the Terms of Reference (TOR) every five years after it is enforced.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Anifah Aman said the name was decided after a lengthy discussion during the Foreign Ministers Meeting with the High Panel Level which drafted it.
He said, some of the provisions were not agreed upon initially by the foreign ministers who later agreed to compromise, and struck a balance between protection and promotion of human rights in the 10-member countries with over 560 million population.
According to him, Indonesia wanted the body to have more power to ensure protection of human rights, adding that the final TOR would not have any provision that allowed for sanction against any member countries.
"We are happy with the outcome...we put lot of arguments as we dont' want window-dressing. That is the reason the ministers agreed to have a review every five years and if necessary, foreign ministers can ask for a review if there is a necessity at any time," he said.
The ministers kicked-off their annual 42nd Asean Ministerial Meeting (AMM) here Sunday, which would be followed by the Post-Ministerial Conferences (PMC) and the Asean Regional Forum (ARF).
Although the word 'protection' was not inserted, Anifah said it would be included in the political declaration to be issued at the 15th Asean Summit here in October, where the 10 Asean leaders were expected to launch the commission.
"There will be mechanism for amendment and any country can request for amendment. But the most important thing is to implement and safeguard human rights in good faith," he said.
Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, who chaired the meeting, told a press conference that they hoped to endorse the TOR at AMM Retreat Monday so that each member country could start national selection of the members of the body immediately.
The members, one each from member countries, will serve a three-year term.
Kasit said the purpose of the commission was to promote and protect human rights in Asean countries, with tasks including enhancing public awareness of human rights, and engaging with other Asean bodies like civil society organisations.
He said that foreign ministers also endorsed the draft agreement on privileges and immunities of Asean, aimed at giving such provisions in the same manner that was accorded to other regional and international organisations, such as the United Nations.
The Asean secretary-general would be given the power to make transactions on Asean's behalf.
Kasit said ministers were also briefed on the progress of the legal experts' work regarding dispute settlement mechanisms (DSM), adding that Asean currently had DSM for economic agreements such as Asean Comprehensive Investment Agreement, as well as for political and security agreements under the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.
The new DSM would cover disputes arising from the Asean Charter which came into force last December, existing agreements that do not have provisions for dispute settlement mechanism and future agreements.
Kasit said the DSM was to make Asean rule-based, having mechanisms and rules to resolve disputes among the member countries.
October Launch For Asean Commission On Human Rights
PHUKET, July 19 (Bernama) -- Asean has decided to name its much-awaited human rights body as the Asean Inter-Govermental Commission on Human Rights, and agreed to review or amend the Terms of Reference (TOR) every five years after it is enforced.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Anifah Aman said the name was decided after a lengthy discussion during the Foreign Ministers Meeting with the High Panel Level which drafted it.
He said, some of the provisions were not agreed upon initially by the foreign ministers who later agreed to compromise, and struck a balance between protection and promotion of human rights in the 10-member countries with over 560 million population.
According to him, Indonesia wanted the body to have more power to ensure protection of human rights, adding that the final TOR would not have any provision that allowed for sanction against any member countries.
"We are happy with the outcome...we put lot of arguments as we dont' want window-dressing. That is the reason the ministers agreed to have a review every five years and if necessary, foreign ministers can ask for a review if there is a necessity at any time," he said.
The ministers kicked-off their annual 42nd Asean Ministerial Meeting (AMM) here Sunday, which would be followed by the Post-Ministerial Conferences (PMC) and the Asean Regional Forum (ARF).
Although the word 'protection' was not inserted, Anifah said it would be included in the political declaration to be issued at the 15th Asean Summit here in October, where the 10 Asean leaders were expected to launch the commission.
"There will be mechanism for amendment and any country can request for amendment. But the most important thing is to implement and safeguard human rights in good faith," he said.
Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, who chaired the meeting, told a press conference that they hoped to endorse the TOR at AMM Retreat Monday so that each member country could start national selection of the members of the body immediately.
The members, one each from member countries, will serve a three-year term.
Kasit said the purpose of the commission was to promote and protect human rights in Asean countries, with tasks including enhancing public awareness of human rights, and engaging with other Asean bodies like civil society organisations.
He said that foreign ministers also endorsed the draft agreement on privileges and immunities of Asean, aimed at giving such provisions in the same manner that was accorded to other regional and international organisations, such as the United Nations.
The Asean secretary-general would be given the power to make transactions on Asean's behalf.
Kasit said ministers were also briefed on the progress of the legal experts' work regarding dispute settlement mechanisms (DSM), adding that Asean currently had DSM for economic agreements such as Asean Comprehensive Investment Agreement, as well as for political and security agreements under the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.
The new DSM would cover disputes arising from the Asean Charter which came into force last December, existing agreements that do not have provisions for dispute settlement mechanism and future agreements.
Kasit said the DSM was to make Asean rule-based, having mechanisms and rules to resolve disputes among the member countries.
********************************************************
ABS CBN News - Jakarta fails in bid to strengthen ASEAN human rights body
by Purple S. Romero, abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak | 07/19/2009 5:49 PM
PHUKET - Indonesia failed to get the support of the majority of the other ASEAN member-states in its bid to give more “teeth” to the ASEAN human rights body (AHRB).
Documents obtained by Abs-cbnnews.com/Newsbreak show that the terms of reference (TOR) for the regional human rights mechanism does not specify measures for the enforcement of its rights protection mandate, leaving it with no power to investigate human rights violations.
According to the report of the AHRB chair of the high-level panel (HLP), majority of the member-states believed that the current TOR already “embraces” elements of Indonesia ’s call for the body to have stronger protection powers.
“Most of us believed that the current draft TOR already embraces elements of those proposals, even though it does not explicitly say so,” the chair’s report stated.
The HLP is scheduled to endorse the draft TOR to the foreign ministers on Sunday.
However, the HLP noted that the body’s protection powers could still evolve. “We hope that the existing protection functions in the draft TOR shall be further developed to become a stronger mechanism,” the report stated.
The AHRB’s rights protection mandate –or the lack of it, as critics said – is one of the most ticklish issues in its creation, as the ASEAN reels from international criticism over its stand not to push for sanctions against Myanmar.
Myanmar took the heat from the international community after it put pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi on trial for allegedly harboring American John William Yettaw in her home last May.
The junta reportedly opposed the strengthening of the AHRB’s rights protection powers in the HLP meeting in July 2008. Myanmar Foreign Minister Nyan Win purportedly said that the human rights body should also observe ASEAN’s principle of non-interference.
In a press conference last Friday, ASEAN secretary-general Dr.Surin Pitsuwan said that “some member-states are emphasizing the promotion and protection of human rights,” while some are “satisfied with the rule of law.”
Vitavas Srivihuk, ASEAN director-general for ASEAN affairs, echoed this in a press conference on Saturday.
He stressed that there is a need to “strike a balance between protection and promotion powers,” adding that the AHRB should be developed “step-by-step.”
by Purple S. Romero, abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak | 07/19/2009 5:49 PM
PHUKET - Indonesia failed to get the support of the majority of the other ASEAN member-states in its bid to give more “teeth” to the ASEAN human rights body (AHRB).
Documents obtained by Abs-cbnnews.com/Newsbreak show that the terms of reference (TOR) for the regional human rights mechanism does not specify measures for the enforcement of its rights protection mandate, leaving it with no power to investigate human rights violations.
According to the report of the AHRB chair of the high-level panel (HLP), majority of the member-states believed that the current TOR already “embraces” elements of Indonesia ’s call for the body to have stronger protection powers.
“Most of us believed that the current draft TOR already embraces elements of those proposals, even though it does not explicitly say so,” the chair’s report stated.
The HLP is scheduled to endorse the draft TOR to the foreign ministers on Sunday.
However, the HLP noted that the body’s protection powers could still evolve. “We hope that the existing protection functions in the draft TOR shall be further developed to become a stronger mechanism,” the report stated.
The AHRB’s rights protection mandate –or the lack of it, as critics said – is one of the most ticklish issues in its creation, as the ASEAN reels from international criticism over its stand not to push for sanctions against Myanmar.
Myanmar took the heat from the international community after it put pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi on trial for allegedly harboring American John William Yettaw in her home last May.
The junta reportedly opposed the strengthening of the AHRB’s rights protection powers in the HLP meeting in July 2008. Myanmar Foreign Minister Nyan Win purportedly said that the human rights body should also observe ASEAN’s principle of non-interference.
In a press conference last Friday, ASEAN secretary-general Dr.Surin Pitsuwan said that “some member-states are emphasizing the promotion and protection of human rights,” while some are “satisfied with the rule of law.”
Vitavas Srivihuk, ASEAN director-general for ASEAN affairs, echoed this in a press conference on Saturday.
He stressed that there is a need to “strike a balance between protection and promotion powers,” adding that the AHRB should be developed “step-by-step.”
********************************************************
Monday, July 20, 2009
The Manila Times - Myanmar junta braces for pressure
PHUKET, Thailand: Military-ruled Myanmar is set to face renewed pressure over its trial of Aung San Suu Kyi when foreign ministers and diplomats from Asia, Washington and Europe meet this week, analysts say.
The Nobel Peace Prize-winning democracy leader faces up to five years in jail on charges of breaching her house arrest after a bizarre incident in which an American man swam to her lakeside residence in May.
The ruling junta has defied international outrage about her trial and dealt a humiliating snub to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon by refusing to allow him to visit the opposition figurehead when he visited the country earlier this month.
The issue is set to be a major topic on the agenda of the 27-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Regional Forum, the region’s biggest security dialogue, and associated meetings starting Sunday.
Hillary factor
The presence of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will also add to the pressure on Myanmar’s ruling generals, while China, the junta’s key backer, will also be at the forum.
But historically there has been little that anyone can do to force the regime’s hand, said Bridget Welsh, an associate professor of political science at the Singapore Management University.
“Most certainly Clinton’s presence will build pressure, but pressure alone has proven not to be effective. The aim should be to broaden the dialogue with the region to allow for more points of discussion,” Welsh told Agence France-Presse.
The 10-member Asean spoke out strongly against the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi but has faced international criticism in the past for failing to take on Myanmar, the most troublesome member of the bloc.
Welsh recommended that Asean take a carrot-and-stick approach.
“Asean has little traction on this issue. It needs to continue to illustrate its concerns for the issue of the trial and political pressure, while simultaneously engaging in the area of humanitarian relief,” she said.
“Asean needs to maintain communication with the region through the network it has deepened over the last few years”, including its assistance following deadly Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar in May 2008.
No leverage
The international community has, however, struggled to find any leverage with Myanmar’s military, which has ruled the country since 1962 and kept Aung San Suu Kyi in detention for most of the last two decades.
Her party won the country’s last elections in 1990 but was never allowed to take office. Critics say her trial is a way for the junta to keep her locked up for elections promised by the junta in 2010.
The elections will be held under a widely criticized constitution voted in just days after Nargis, which provides a major role for the military in any government and bars Aung San Suu Kyi from standing.
Sanctions by the United States and European Union have failed to bite—yet Ban’s hopes that his success in persuading Myanmar to accept cyclone aid last year would be repeated with regards to political prisoners were dashed.
Activists urged the ministers meeting this week to get tough.
“It is imperative that Asean undertake additional and unified actions to ensure that Myanmar begins a process of national reconciliation,” the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus, an advocacy group, said in a statement.
“Strong, integrated and decisive action by Asean and its member-states will serve as an effective indicator to the junta that they must begin the reconciliation process or face regional and international rebuke,” it said.
ARF background
Established in 1994, the Asean Regional Forum (ARF) is an annual gathering of foreign ministers of countries in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
The Forum was initiated as part of an attempt to separate discussions on political and security issues of Post-Ministerial Conferences, a mechanism in which Asean engages with its dialogue partners, from discussions on other issues, in order to facilitate more in-depth discussions and concrete outcomes on issues relating to the region’s security.
At present, the Forum comprises 26 countries and one organization: the 10 Asean member states, the 10 Asean Dialogue Partners (Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the United States), and seven other countries in the Asia and Pacific region (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Pakistan, East Timor, Mongolia, Bangladesh and Papua New Guinea). It is noteworthy that all major countries with leading international roles, whether as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, or participants in the Six-Party Talks on the situation in the Korean Peninsula, are represented in the Asean Regional Forum.
In this upcoming Forum, besides the discussion on following-up on and review of activities in the past year, other main topics of discussion are expected to include the future direction of the Asean Regional Forum. The participating foreign ministers are expected to adopt a number of documents including the Forum’s vision statement, its work plan on counter terrorism and transnational crime 2009 to 2010 and its work plan on disaster relief 2009 to 2011.
The Manila Times - Myanmar junta braces for pressure
PHUKET, Thailand: Military-ruled Myanmar is set to face renewed pressure over its trial of Aung San Suu Kyi when foreign ministers and diplomats from Asia, Washington and Europe meet this week, analysts say.
The Nobel Peace Prize-winning democracy leader faces up to five years in jail on charges of breaching her house arrest after a bizarre incident in which an American man swam to her lakeside residence in May.
The ruling junta has defied international outrage about her trial and dealt a humiliating snub to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon by refusing to allow him to visit the opposition figurehead when he visited the country earlier this month.
The issue is set to be a major topic on the agenda of the 27-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Regional Forum, the region’s biggest security dialogue, and associated meetings starting Sunday.
Hillary factor
The presence of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will also add to the pressure on Myanmar’s ruling generals, while China, the junta’s key backer, will also be at the forum.
But historically there has been little that anyone can do to force the regime’s hand, said Bridget Welsh, an associate professor of political science at the Singapore Management University.
“Most certainly Clinton’s presence will build pressure, but pressure alone has proven not to be effective. The aim should be to broaden the dialogue with the region to allow for more points of discussion,” Welsh told Agence France-Presse.
The 10-member Asean spoke out strongly against the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi but has faced international criticism in the past for failing to take on Myanmar, the most troublesome member of the bloc.
Welsh recommended that Asean take a carrot-and-stick approach.
“Asean has little traction on this issue. It needs to continue to illustrate its concerns for the issue of the trial and political pressure, while simultaneously engaging in the area of humanitarian relief,” she said.
“Asean needs to maintain communication with the region through the network it has deepened over the last few years”, including its assistance following deadly Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar in May 2008.
No leverage
The international community has, however, struggled to find any leverage with Myanmar’s military, which has ruled the country since 1962 and kept Aung San Suu Kyi in detention for most of the last two decades.
Her party won the country’s last elections in 1990 but was never allowed to take office. Critics say her trial is a way for the junta to keep her locked up for elections promised by the junta in 2010.
The elections will be held under a widely criticized constitution voted in just days after Nargis, which provides a major role for the military in any government and bars Aung San Suu Kyi from standing.
Sanctions by the United States and European Union have failed to bite—yet Ban’s hopes that his success in persuading Myanmar to accept cyclone aid last year would be repeated with regards to political prisoners were dashed.
Activists urged the ministers meeting this week to get tough.
“It is imperative that Asean undertake additional and unified actions to ensure that Myanmar begins a process of national reconciliation,” the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus, an advocacy group, said in a statement.
“Strong, integrated and decisive action by Asean and its member-states will serve as an effective indicator to the junta that they must begin the reconciliation process or face regional and international rebuke,” it said.
ARF background
Established in 1994, the Asean Regional Forum (ARF) is an annual gathering of foreign ministers of countries in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
The Forum was initiated as part of an attempt to separate discussions on political and security issues of Post-Ministerial Conferences, a mechanism in which Asean engages with its dialogue partners, from discussions on other issues, in order to facilitate more in-depth discussions and concrete outcomes on issues relating to the region’s security.
At present, the Forum comprises 26 countries and one organization: the 10 Asean member states, the 10 Asean Dialogue Partners (Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the United States), and seven other countries in the Asia and Pacific region (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Pakistan, East Timor, Mongolia, Bangladesh and Papua New Guinea). It is noteworthy that all major countries with leading international roles, whether as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, or participants in the Six-Party Talks on the situation in the Korean Peninsula, are represented in the Asean Regional Forum.
In this upcoming Forum, besides the discussion on following-up on and review of activities in the past year, other main topics of discussion are expected to include the future direction of the Asean Regional Forum. The participating foreign ministers are expected to adopt a number of documents including the Forum’s vision statement, its work plan on counter terrorism and transnational crime 2009 to 2010 and its work plan on disaster relief 2009 to 2011.
********************************************************
ELECTRIC NEWS - From 'classy' mall to Myanmar market
Local tenants at Peninsula Plaza unhappy that Myanmar shops are driving up rent
By Hedy Khoo
July 20, 2009
STEP through the sliding glass doors of Peninsula Plaza at City Hall and you may think you are in Yangon.
The words on shop signboards are Burmese.
So are the goods available, ranging from vegetables to betel nuts.
As the mall becomes a preferred hang-out for Myanmar people, more local shops are moving out.
Yet there is so much demand for shop space in this nearly 30-year-old building that rental rates are high.
For Myanmar businesses, it is the place to be if they want to capture the Myanmar crowd.
Madam Ivy Yap, who is in her 50s, works for a photo-developing shop.
She said rent was less than $2,000 when the 300 sq ft shop opened in 2001. Now it has doubled to nearly $4,000.
Many of the other local tenants had moved away or closed down in the last few years, she said. 'They were quite unhappy when this place turned into Little Myanmar. They wanted a local customer base, but the crowd here became mostly Myanmar nationals.'
One of the neighbouring shops which shut down used to sell electronic items. MadamYap said: 'His business dropped as the Myanmar crowd here did not purchase items from his shop. Fewer locals came here to shop since many shops cater more to the Myanmar people.'
Another business that moved out sold sporting goods.
Demand driving up rent
Mr Raymond Ang, 61, the senior property manager for Peninsula Plaza, said the shopping centre opened in 1980, but it was only in the last 10 years that it took such a distinctly Myanmar flavour.
Said Mr Ang: 'It started with two Myanmar food shops about 20 years ago. The Myanmar nationals who patronised the shops liked to hang around and do their shopping here.
'Shops then began selling Myanmar products to cater to the demand. The central location also helped to attract more Myanmar customers to come here.'
She believes it is precisely this crowd that has led to rocketing rental prices.
Said Madam Yap: 'The high demand of Myanmar businesses looking to rent shop spaces here drove the rental prices up and made it hard for some of the local businesses.'
Her shop managed to survive by catering to the Myanmar crowd.
'We were not affected because Myanmar customers make up 70 per cent of our clientele,' she said.
Madam Yap even made the effort to learn some simple Burmese phrases to communicate with her customers.
'We have to make the effort to adapt to our customers in order to serve them better,' she explained.
'They are usually very pleasant to deal with because they are quite soft-spoken and polite.'
Mr William Toh, 56, director of Cathay Photo, is aware of the rental issue. He also said several local long-time tenants he knew had moved out.
His business is unaffected as his company owns the seven units it occupies on the first floor.
However, other local tenants are grumbling.
One Singaporean employee at a first-storey shop which has been there for 19 years does not like the shift in the image of the building.
'In the 1980s, this shopping centre had a classy image. Now it looks like a market upstairs with all the grocery shops selling everything from CDs to vegetables,' he said.
He pointed out that on weekends, large groups of male Myanmar nationals gather outside the building.
'They stand or sit around smoking or drinking, and it frightens our customers, especially our female customers,' he said.
'The rent went up but our business is affected.'
Rogue agents
Mr Soe Soe, 42, a Singaporean of Myanmar origin, runs Mya Nandar Restaurant in the building.
He said the demand from Myanmar businesses wanting to rent shop space in the building was driving up the rental rates.
In 2005, he paid $6,000 a month for 670 sq ft. This has doubled to $12,000.
'I can understand why some of the local businesses resent the Myanmar tenants,' he said.
'This is partly due to some rogue property agents who make prospective Myanmar tenants outbid one another.'
The building's shop units are mostly owned by private individuals.
'The landlord of the shop unit then tells his local tenant to either match the offer or move out,' he explained.
'But the Myanmar business owners are also victims to these rogue agents.'
Mr Soe Soe said it is hard for the Myanmar tenants to break even, with the high rents and stiff competition.
'Almost everyone is selling the same products from Myanmar, and it is hard to complete. More businesses have opened, but the number of Myanmar customers has fallen since the economic crisis hit,' he said.
'Many of the Myanmar people who studied here and graduated find it difficult to get jobs here so they either go home or go elsewhere. There are also fewer Myanmar workers being hired to come here.'
Madam Than Than Swe, 38, who runs a grocery shop on the third storey, said she has been in business for one year but is still making a loss.
Her rent is $3,800 for 300 sq ft.
'The competition here is very tough. It is hard to do business,' she said. 'Everyone is setting up the same type of business because everyone is targeting our own people.'
Local tenants at Peninsula Plaza unhappy that Myanmar shops are driving up rent
By Hedy Khoo
July 20, 2009
STEP through the sliding glass doors of Peninsula Plaza at City Hall and you may think you are in Yangon.
The words on shop signboards are Burmese.
So are the goods available, ranging from vegetables to betel nuts.
As the mall becomes a preferred hang-out for Myanmar people, more local shops are moving out.
Yet there is so much demand for shop space in this nearly 30-year-old building that rental rates are high.
For Myanmar businesses, it is the place to be if they want to capture the Myanmar crowd.
Madam Ivy Yap, who is in her 50s, works for a photo-developing shop.
She said rent was less than $2,000 when the 300 sq ft shop opened in 2001. Now it has doubled to nearly $4,000.
Many of the other local tenants had moved away or closed down in the last few years, she said. 'They were quite unhappy when this place turned into Little Myanmar. They wanted a local customer base, but the crowd here became mostly Myanmar nationals.'
One of the neighbouring shops which shut down used to sell electronic items. MadamYap said: 'His business dropped as the Myanmar crowd here did not purchase items from his shop. Fewer locals came here to shop since many shops cater more to the Myanmar people.'
Another business that moved out sold sporting goods.
Demand driving up rent
Mr Raymond Ang, 61, the senior property manager for Peninsula Plaza, said the shopping centre opened in 1980, but it was only in the last 10 years that it took such a distinctly Myanmar flavour.
Said Mr Ang: 'It started with two Myanmar food shops about 20 years ago. The Myanmar nationals who patronised the shops liked to hang around and do their shopping here.
'Shops then began selling Myanmar products to cater to the demand. The central location also helped to attract more Myanmar customers to come here.'
She believes it is precisely this crowd that has led to rocketing rental prices.
Said Madam Yap: 'The high demand of Myanmar businesses looking to rent shop spaces here drove the rental prices up and made it hard for some of the local businesses.'
Her shop managed to survive by catering to the Myanmar crowd.
'We were not affected because Myanmar customers make up 70 per cent of our clientele,' she said.
Madam Yap even made the effort to learn some simple Burmese phrases to communicate with her customers.
'We have to make the effort to adapt to our customers in order to serve them better,' she explained.
'They are usually very pleasant to deal with because they are quite soft-spoken and polite.'
Mr William Toh, 56, director of Cathay Photo, is aware of the rental issue. He also said several local long-time tenants he knew had moved out.
His business is unaffected as his company owns the seven units it occupies on the first floor.
However, other local tenants are grumbling.
One Singaporean employee at a first-storey shop which has been there for 19 years does not like the shift in the image of the building.
'In the 1980s, this shopping centre had a classy image. Now it looks like a market upstairs with all the grocery shops selling everything from CDs to vegetables,' he said.
He pointed out that on weekends, large groups of male Myanmar nationals gather outside the building.
'They stand or sit around smoking or drinking, and it frightens our customers, especially our female customers,' he said.
'The rent went up but our business is affected.'
Rogue agents
Mr Soe Soe, 42, a Singaporean of Myanmar origin, runs Mya Nandar Restaurant in the building.
He said the demand from Myanmar businesses wanting to rent shop space in the building was driving up the rental rates.
In 2005, he paid $6,000 a month for 670 sq ft. This has doubled to $12,000.
'I can understand why some of the local businesses resent the Myanmar tenants,' he said.
'This is partly due to some rogue property agents who make prospective Myanmar tenants outbid one another.'
The building's shop units are mostly owned by private individuals.
'The landlord of the shop unit then tells his local tenant to either match the offer or move out,' he explained.
'But the Myanmar business owners are also victims to these rogue agents.'
Mr Soe Soe said it is hard for the Myanmar tenants to break even, with the high rents and stiff competition.
'Almost everyone is selling the same products from Myanmar, and it is hard to complete. More businesses have opened, but the number of Myanmar customers has fallen since the economic crisis hit,' he said.
'Many of the Myanmar people who studied here and graduated find it difficult to get jobs here so they either go home or go elsewhere. There are also fewer Myanmar workers being hired to come here.'
Madam Than Than Swe, 38, who runs a grocery shop on the third storey, said she has been in business for one year but is still making a loss.
Her rent is $3,800 for 300 sq ft.
'The competition here is very tough. It is hard to do business,' she said. 'Everyone is setting up the same type of business because everyone is targeting our own people.'
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New Kerala - 384 Myanmarese to be repatriated in 3 phases from Andaman
Port Blair, Jul 18: The Indian Coast Guard Ship Sarang on Friday sailed for Yangoon for repatriation of 123 Myanmar fishermen who had completed their jail term in Andaman.
Another 261 fishermen will be repatriated in two other batches on July 24 and 30, sources said.
''For the first time, the Myanmarese fishermen team were taken by Andaman and Nicobar police via Coast Guard ship for repatriation,'' top-level officer in Andaman and Nicobar police department informed UNI today.
These fishermen were apprehended by Coast Guard and police in various anti-poaching operations.
Last year, the Indian Coast Guard ships had repatriated 432 Myanmarese fishermen.
The ships also got back four innocent fishermen from these islands, who had inadvertently drifted into Myanmar waters due to engine failure.
''Coast Guard Ship Sarang is based in Chennai. This ship will reach Yangoon on July 19. The repatriation has been planned consequent to an agreement between the Myanmar and Indian government,'' Public Relations Officer of Indian Coast Guard in Andaman, Commandant Vijay Singh, told UNI today.
Officials of the Myanmar embassy in New Delhiand Consulate General of Myanmar in Kolkata were in Port Blair to coordinate the pre-repatriation formalities and take over the Myanmar national on behalf of the government.
Port Blair, Jul 18: The Indian Coast Guard Ship Sarang on Friday sailed for Yangoon for repatriation of 123 Myanmar fishermen who had completed their jail term in Andaman.
Another 261 fishermen will be repatriated in two other batches on July 24 and 30, sources said.
''For the first time, the Myanmarese fishermen team were taken by Andaman and Nicobar police via Coast Guard ship for repatriation,'' top-level officer in Andaman and Nicobar police department informed UNI today.
These fishermen were apprehended by Coast Guard and police in various anti-poaching operations.
Last year, the Indian Coast Guard ships had repatriated 432 Myanmarese fishermen.
The ships also got back four innocent fishermen from these islands, who had inadvertently drifted into Myanmar waters due to engine failure.
''Coast Guard Ship Sarang is based in Chennai. This ship will reach Yangoon on July 19. The repatriation has been planned consequent to an agreement between the Myanmar and Indian government,'' Public Relations Officer of Indian Coast Guard in Andaman, Commandant Vijay Singh, told UNI today.
Officials of the Myanmar embassy in New Delhiand Consulate General of Myanmar in Kolkata were in Port Blair to coordinate the pre-repatriation formalities and take over the Myanmar national on behalf of the government.
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The Irrawaddy - Burmese FM to Face Suu Kyi and North Korea Questions at ARF
By WAI MOE, Saturday, July 18, 2009
PHUKET — Burmese Foreign Minister Nyan Win arrives in Thailand on Saturday to face questions from the international community over the charges against pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Burma’s relations with North Korea.
Nyan Win is scheduled to arrive in the Thai resort town of Phuket on Saturday afternoon to attend the Asean Ministerial Meeting (AMM) and Asean Regional Forum (ARF), according to official sources.
These high-profile meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) come as Suu Kyi is set to face final arguments in her trial for allegedly violating the terms of her house arrest. In a rare move, Asean member countries have criticized the Burmese junta for the trial against Suu Kyi, who is accused of allowing an American intruder to stay overnight in her home.
On Friday, when the AMM began, Asif Ahmad, Southeast Asia head for the British Foreign Office, said that the European Union would impose tougher sanctions on the Burmese military regime if Suu Kyi is sentenced.
Ahead of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s arrival in Phuket, Scot Marciel, the State Department’s deputy assistant secretary for East Asia and the Pacific, told reporters on Wednesday that Clinton would raise Burma issues at the ARF, which will be attended by senior representatives of 27 Asia-Pacific countries.
Besides Suu Kyi’s trial, another concern relating to Burma is its increasing military ties with North Korea. In a recent briefing to Congress, Kurt Campbell, a senior official of the US State Department, said that the US is closely watching the activities of the two pariah states.
Security analysts suspect that North Korea has been helping the Burmese junta since the 1990s to develop its tunnel and underground warfare capabilities, as well as providing mid-range missile and nuclear technology. Shortly after the UN Security Council imposed fresh sanctions against Pyongyang in June, the US Navy began tracking the Kang Nam 1, a North Korean cargo ship believed to be heading toward Burma.
Fears that Burma may be developing a nuclear program are a growing concern for countries in the region, particularly neighboring Thailand, prompting the Thai military to increase its scrutiny of Naypyidaw’s relations with Pyongyang.
Beijing is also a factor in North Korea-Burma relationship. The junta’s No 3, General Shwe Mann, has visited North Korea via China at least three times in the past two years. Some analysts suspect that Beijing is playing the role of mediator in relations between the two countries.
“China wants Burma and North Korea as allies to balance power in geopolitics,” said Aung Kyaw Zaw, a Burmese analyst based on the Sino-Burmese border. “But now China’s tactics could backfire if it doesn’t handle the military and nuclear ambitions of the two countries well.”
Burma’s human rights record also presents major challenges for its neighbors.
On July 20, Asean foreign ministers are scheduled to adopt the Terms of Reference of the Asean Human Rights Body (AHRB), which will be formally announced at the 15th Asean Summit in October, according an official press release.
However, human rights activists say that the AHRB will have little credibility unless Asean can persuade the Burmese regime to changes its behavior.
“At this critical time, Asean cannot afford to be weak on human rights. Asean leaders must take firmer measures and not let Burma slide by on a false promise,” said Khin Ohmar, coordinator of the Burma Partnership, who was prevented from attending a meeting between Asean civil society organizations and Asean leaders because of the junta’s demands.
By WAI MOE, Saturday, July 18, 2009
PHUKET — Burmese Foreign Minister Nyan Win arrives in Thailand on Saturday to face questions from the international community over the charges against pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Burma’s relations with North Korea.
Nyan Win is scheduled to arrive in the Thai resort town of Phuket on Saturday afternoon to attend the Asean Ministerial Meeting (AMM) and Asean Regional Forum (ARF), according to official sources.
These high-profile meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) come as Suu Kyi is set to face final arguments in her trial for allegedly violating the terms of her house arrest. In a rare move, Asean member countries have criticized the Burmese junta for the trial against Suu Kyi, who is accused of allowing an American intruder to stay overnight in her home.
On Friday, when the AMM began, Asif Ahmad, Southeast Asia head for the British Foreign Office, said that the European Union would impose tougher sanctions on the Burmese military regime if Suu Kyi is sentenced.
Ahead of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s arrival in Phuket, Scot Marciel, the State Department’s deputy assistant secretary for East Asia and the Pacific, told reporters on Wednesday that Clinton would raise Burma issues at the ARF, which will be attended by senior representatives of 27 Asia-Pacific countries.
Besides Suu Kyi’s trial, another concern relating to Burma is its increasing military ties with North Korea. In a recent briefing to Congress, Kurt Campbell, a senior official of the US State Department, said that the US is closely watching the activities of the two pariah states.
Security analysts suspect that North Korea has been helping the Burmese junta since the 1990s to develop its tunnel and underground warfare capabilities, as well as providing mid-range missile and nuclear technology. Shortly after the UN Security Council imposed fresh sanctions against Pyongyang in June, the US Navy began tracking the Kang Nam 1, a North Korean cargo ship believed to be heading toward Burma.
Fears that Burma may be developing a nuclear program are a growing concern for countries in the region, particularly neighboring Thailand, prompting the Thai military to increase its scrutiny of Naypyidaw’s relations with Pyongyang.
Beijing is also a factor in North Korea-Burma relationship. The junta’s No 3, General Shwe Mann, has visited North Korea via China at least three times in the past two years. Some analysts suspect that Beijing is playing the role of mediator in relations between the two countries.
“China wants Burma and North Korea as allies to balance power in geopolitics,” said Aung Kyaw Zaw, a Burmese analyst based on the Sino-Burmese border. “But now China’s tactics could backfire if it doesn’t handle the military and nuclear ambitions of the two countries well.”
Burma’s human rights record also presents major challenges for its neighbors.
On July 20, Asean foreign ministers are scheduled to adopt the Terms of Reference of the Asean Human Rights Body (AHRB), which will be formally announced at the 15th Asean Summit in October, according an official press release.
However, human rights activists say that the AHRB will have little credibility unless Asean can persuade the Burmese regime to changes its behavior.
“At this critical time, Asean cannot afford to be weak on human rights. Asean leaders must take firmer measures and not let Burma slide by on a false promise,” said Khin Ohmar, coordinator of the Burma Partnership, who was prevented from attending a meeting between Asean civil society organizations and Asean leaders because of the junta’s demands.
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Mizzima News - Than Shwe’s grandson learns flying
Friday, 17 July 2009 13:39
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – The Burmese military junta supremo Snr Gen Than Shwe’s grandson Pho La Pyea is said to be taking flying lessons, according to eyewitnesses.
The pampered grandson, Pho La Pyea (alias) Nay Shwe Thway Aung, reportedly flew his grandfather’s private Russian-made helicopter from the Meikhtila airbase and landed n Bagan town, sources said.
The white helicopter was gifted to Snr Gen Than Shwe by his close friend and business crony Tayza, sources in the military said.
Friday, 17 July 2009 13:39
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – The Burmese military junta supremo Snr Gen Than Shwe’s grandson Pho La Pyea is said to be taking flying lessons, according to eyewitnesses.
The pampered grandson, Pho La Pyea (alias) Nay Shwe Thway Aung, reportedly flew his grandfather’s private Russian-made helicopter from the Meikhtila airbase and landed n Bagan town, sources said.
The white helicopter was gifted to Snr Gen Than Shwe by his close friend and business crony Tayza, sources in the military said.
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