Myanmar, North Korea arms links would be a worry: Clinton
By Arshad Mohammed and Alan Raybould
By Arshad Mohammed and Alan Raybould
Reuter - Wednesday July 22
BANGKOK (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton voiced concern on Tuesday about the possibility of military links between North Korea and Myanmar and called on Myanmar to end human rights abuses and the mistreatment of minorities.
"We know that there are also growing concerns about military cooperation between North Korea and Burma, which we take very seriously. It would be destabilizing for the region. It would pose a direct threat to Burma's neighbors," she said.
Clinton was addressing a news conference in Thailand, en route to an Asian security forum on the Thai island of Phuket where both North Korea and Myanmar, also known as Burma, will be represented.
North Korea tested a nuclear device in May and test-launched seven ballistic missiles earlier this month in defiance of a U.N. resolution. It will come under pressure at Phuket to restart talks on ending its nuclear program.
A North Korean ship tracked by the U.S. Navy in June and July on suspicion of carrying a banned arms cargo was rumored to be heading for Myanmar, but in the end never docked there.
"It is something, as a treaty ally of Thailand, that we are taking very seriously," Clinton said, referring to the reported military links between North Korea and Myanmar, which shares a border with Thailand.
"Our position is that we are willing to have a more productive partnership with Burma if they take steps that are self-evident," she added.
"End the political prisoners in detention who have been rounded up by the government and other steps that Burma knows it could take; end the violence against their own people, including the minorities ...; end the mistreatment of Aung San Suu Kyi."
Pro-democracy leader Suu Kyi has spent 14 of the past 20 years in detention in Myanmar, mostly under house arrest at her lakeside home in the former capital, Yangon.
She is currently on trial, charged with breaching security laws when an uninvited American swam across the lake and spent two days in her home.
The trial is widely seen as a trumped-up affair that the military regime will use to keep Suu Kyi out of the way until after elections due next year. Adding to the international outrage over her treatment, it is being held behind closed doors.
Before the bizarre incident involving the swimmer and the subsequent trial, Clinton had broached the prospect of a change in U.S. policy toward Myanmar after years of sanctions had done little to soften the regime's hard line against opponents.
Myanmar has been under military rule of one sort or another since 1962, during which time it has been riven by dozens of ethnic guerrilla wars, funded in part by money from opium sales from the notorious "Golden Triangle."
In June government forces captured three Karen rebel positions in the east of the country, forcing thousands more refugees to flee over the border to Thailand.
"We know that there are also growing concerns about military cooperation between North Korea and Burma, which we take very seriously. It would be destabilizing for the region. It would pose a direct threat to Burma's neighbors," she said.
Clinton was addressing a news conference in Thailand, en route to an Asian security forum on the Thai island of Phuket where both North Korea and Myanmar, also known as Burma, will be represented.
North Korea tested a nuclear device in May and test-launched seven ballistic missiles earlier this month in defiance of a U.N. resolution. It will come under pressure at Phuket to restart talks on ending its nuclear program.
A North Korean ship tracked by the U.S. Navy in June and July on suspicion of carrying a banned arms cargo was rumored to be heading for Myanmar, but in the end never docked there.
"It is something, as a treaty ally of Thailand, that we are taking very seriously," Clinton said, referring to the reported military links between North Korea and Myanmar, which shares a border with Thailand.
"Our position is that we are willing to have a more productive partnership with Burma if they take steps that are self-evident," she added.
"End the political prisoners in detention who have been rounded up by the government and other steps that Burma knows it could take; end the violence against their own people, including the minorities ...; end the mistreatment of Aung San Suu Kyi."
Pro-democracy leader Suu Kyi has spent 14 of the past 20 years in detention in Myanmar, mostly under house arrest at her lakeside home in the former capital, Yangon.
She is currently on trial, charged with breaching security laws when an uninvited American swam across the lake and spent two days in her home.
The trial is widely seen as a trumped-up affair that the military regime will use to keep Suu Kyi out of the way until after elections due next year. Adding to the international outrage over her treatment, it is being held behind closed doors.
Before the bizarre incident involving the swimmer and the subsequent trial, Clinton had broached the prospect of a change in U.S. policy toward Myanmar after years of sanctions had done little to soften the regime's hard line against opponents.
Myanmar has been under military rule of one sort or another since 1962, during which time it has been riven by dozens of ethnic guerrilla wars, funded in part by money from opium sales from the notorious "Golden Triangle."
In June government forces captured three Karen rebel positions in the east of the country, forcing thousands more refugees to flee over the border to Thailand.
*****************************************************
Is Myanmar going nuclear?
By DENIS D. GRAY, Associated Press Writer – Tue Jul 21, 5:20 am ET
BANGKOK (AP) – The recent aborted voyage of a North Korean ship, photographs of massive tunnels and a top secret meeting have raised alarm bells that one of the world's poorest nations may be aspiring to join the nuclear club — with help from its friends in Pyongyang. No one expects military-run Myanmar, also known as Burma, to obtain an atomic bomb anytime soon, but experts have the Southeast Asian nation on their radar screen.
"There's suspicion that something is going on, and increasingly that cooperation with North Korea may have a nuclear undercurrent. We are very much looking into it," says David Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security, a Washington, D.C. think tank.
The issue is expected to be discussed, at least on the sidelines, at this week's ASEAN Regional Forum, a major security conference hosted by Thailand. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, along with representatives from North Korea and Myanmar, will attend.
Alert signals sounded recently when a North Korean freighter, the Kang Nam I, headed toward Myanmar with undisclosed cargo. Shadowed by the U.S. Navy, it reversed course and returned home earlier this month.
It is still not clear what was aboard. U.S. and South Korean officials suspected artillery and other non-nuclear arms, but one South Korean intelligence expert, citing satellite imagery, says the ship's mission appeared to be related to a Myanmar nuclear program and also carried Scud-type missiles.
The expert, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said North Korea is helping Myanmar set up uranium- and nuclear-related facilities, echoing similar reports that have long circulated in Myanmar's exile community and media.
Meanwhile, Japanese police arrested a North Korean and two Japanese nationals last month for allegedly trying to export a magnetic measuring device to Myanmar that could be used to develop missiles.
And a recent report from Washington-based Radio Free Asia and Myanmar exile media said senior Myanmar military officers made a top secret visit late last year to North Korea, where an agreement was concluded for greatly expanding cooperation to modernize Myanmar's military muscle, including the construction of underground installations. The military pact report has yet to be confirmed.
In June, photographs, video and reports showed as many as 800 tunnels, some of them vast, dug in Myanmar with North Korean assistance under an operation code-named "Tortoise Shells." The photos were reportedly taken between 2003 and 2006.
Thailand-based author Bertil Lintner is convinced of the authenticity of the photos, which he was the first to obtain. However, the purpose of the tunnel networks, many near the remote capital of Naypyitaw, remains a question mark.
"There is no doubt that the Burmese generals would like to have a bomb so that they could challenge the Americans and the rest of the world," says Lintner, who has written books on both Myanmar and North Korea. "But they must be decades away from acquiring anything that would even remotely resemble an atomic bomb."
David Mathieson of the New York-based Human Rights Watch, who monitors developments in Myanmar, says that while there's no firm evidence the generals are pursuing a nuclear weapons capability, "a swirl of circumstantial trends indicates something in the nuclear field is going on that definitely warrants closer scrutiny by the international community."
Albright says some of the suspicion stems from North Korea's nuclear cooperation with Syria, which now possesses a reactor. Syria had first approached the Russians, just as Myanmar did earlier, but both countries were rejected, so the Syrians turned to Pyongyang — a step Myanmar may also be taking.
Since the early 2000s, dissidents and defectors from Myanmar have talked of a "nuclear battalion," an atomic "Ayelar Project" working out of a disguised flour mill and two Pakistani scientists who fled to Myanmar following the Sept. 11 World Trade Center attack providing assistance. They gave no detailed evidence.
Now a spokesman for the self-styled Myanmar government-in-exile, the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma, says that according to sources working with the dissident movement inside the Myanmar army, there are two heavily guarded buildings under construction "to hold nuclear reactors" in central Myanmar.
Villagers in the area have been displaced, said spokesman Zinn Lin.
Andrew Selth of Australia's Griffith University, who has monitored Myanmar's possible nuclear moves for a decade, says none of these reports has been substantiated and calls the issue an "information black hole."
He also says Western governments are cautious in their assessments, remembering the intelligence blunders regarding suspected weapons of mass destruction in Saddam Hussein's Iraq.
A U.S. State Department official, speaking on customary rules of anonymity, said he would not comment on intelligence-related matters such as nuclear proliferation.
"I don't want that to be seen as confirmation one way or the other. Obviously, any time that a country does business with North Korea we're going to watch to see what that is," the official said.
Alarm bells about Myanmar's aspirations have rung before. In 2007, Russia signed an agreement to establish a nuclear studies center in Myanmar, build a 10-megawatt nuclear research reactor for peaceful purposes and train several hundred technicians in its operation.
However, Russia's atomic agency Rosatom told The Associated Press recently that "there has been no movement whatsoever on this agreement with Burma ever since."
Even earlier, before the military seized power, Myanmar sought to develop nuclear energy, sending physicists to the United States and Britain for studies in the 1950s. The military government established a Department of Atomic Energy in 2001 under U Thaung, a known proponent of nuclear technology who currently heads the Ministry of Science and Technology.
Myanmar is a party to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, and under a safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency, it is obligated to let the U.N. watchdog know at least six months in advance of operating a nuclear facility, agency spokesman Ayhan Evrensel said.
Evrensel said the Vienna-based IAEA has asked Myanmar to sign a so-called "additional protocol" that would allow agency experts to carry out unannounced inspections and lead to a broader flow of information about Myanmar's nuclear activities.
The regime has remained silent on whatever its plans may be. A Myanmar government spokesman did not respond to an e-mail asking about Russian and North Korean involvement in nuclear development.
In a rare comment from inside Myanmar, Chan Tun, former ambassador to North Korea turned democracy activist, told the Thailand-based Irrawaddy magazine, "To put it plainly: Burma wants to get the technology to develop a nuclear bomb.
"However, I have to say that it is childish of the Burmese generals to dream about acquiring nuclear technology since they can't even provide regular electricity in Burma," the Myanmar exile publication quoted him last month as saying.
Some experts think the generals may be bluffing.
"I would think that it's quite possible Yangon would like to scare other countries or may feel that talking about developing nuclear technologies will give them more bargaining clout," said Cristina-Astrid Hansell at the California-based James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. "This is not unreasonable, given the payoffs North Korea has gotten for its nuclear program."
By DENIS D. GRAY, Associated Press Writer – Tue Jul 21, 5:20 am ET
BANGKOK (AP) – The recent aborted voyage of a North Korean ship, photographs of massive tunnels and a top secret meeting have raised alarm bells that one of the world's poorest nations may be aspiring to join the nuclear club — with help from its friends in Pyongyang. No one expects military-run Myanmar, also known as Burma, to obtain an atomic bomb anytime soon, but experts have the Southeast Asian nation on their radar screen.
"There's suspicion that something is going on, and increasingly that cooperation with North Korea may have a nuclear undercurrent. We are very much looking into it," says David Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security, a Washington, D.C. think tank.
The issue is expected to be discussed, at least on the sidelines, at this week's ASEAN Regional Forum, a major security conference hosted by Thailand. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, along with representatives from North Korea and Myanmar, will attend.
Alert signals sounded recently when a North Korean freighter, the Kang Nam I, headed toward Myanmar with undisclosed cargo. Shadowed by the U.S. Navy, it reversed course and returned home earlier this month.
It is still not clear what was aboard. U.S. and South Korean officials suspected artillery and other non-nuclear arms, but one South Korean intelligence expert, citing satellite imagery, says the ship's mission appeared to be related to a Myanmar nuclear program and also carried Scud-type missiles.
The expert, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said North Korea is helping Myanmar set up uranium- and nuclear-related facilities, echoing similar reports that have long circulated in Myanmar's exile community and media.
Meanwhile, Japanese police arrested a North Korean and two Japanese nationals last month for allegedly trying to export a magnetic measuring device to Myanmar that could be used to develop missiles.
And a recent report from Washington-based Radio Free Asia and Myanmar exile media said senior Myanmar military officers made a top secret visit late last year to North Korea, where an agreement was concluded for greatly expanding cooperation to modernize Myanmar's military muscle, including the construction of underground installations. The military pact report has yet to be confirmed.
In June, photographs, video and reports showed as many as 800 tunnels, some of them vast, dug in Myanmar with North Korean assistance under an operation code-named "Tortoise Shells." The photos were reportedly taken between 2003 and 2006.
Thailand-based author Bertil Lintner is convinced of the authenticity of the photos, which he was the first to obtain. However, the purpose of the tunnel networks, many near the remote capital of Naypyitaw, remains a question mark.
"There is no doubt that the Burmese generals would like to have a bomb so that they could challenge the Americans and the rest of the world," says Lintner, who has written books on both Myanmar and North Korea. "But they must be decades away from acquiring anything that would even remotely resemble an atomic bomb."
David Mathieson of the New York-based Human Rights Watch, who monitors developments in Myanmar, says that while there's no firm evidence the generals are pursuing a nuclear weapons capability, "a swirl of circumstantial trends indicates something in the nuclear field is going on that definitely warrants closer scrutiny by the international community."
Albright says some of the suspicion stems from North Korea's nuclear cooperation with Syria, which now possesses a reactor. Syria had first approached the Russians, just as Myanmar did earlier, but both countries were rejected, so the Syrians turned to Pyongyang — a step Myanmar may also be taking.
Since the early 2000s, dissidents and defectors from Myanmar have talked of a "nuclear battalion," an atomic "Ayelar Project" working out of a disguised flour mill and two Pakistani scientists who fled to Myanmar following the Sept. 11 World Trade Center attack providing assistance. They gave no detailed evidence.
Now a spokesman for the self-styled Myanmar government-in-exile, the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma, says that according to sources working with the dissident movement inside the Myanmar army, there are two heavily guarded buildings under construction "to hold nuclear reactors" in central Myanmar.
Villagers in the area have been displaced, said spokesman Zinn Lin.
Andrew Selth of Australia's Griffith University, who has monitored Myanmar's possible nuclear moves for a decade, says none of these reports has been substantiated and calls the issue an "information black hole."
He also says Western governments are cautious in their assessments, remembering the intelligence blunders regarding suspected weapons of mass destruction in Saddam Hussein's Iraq.
A U.S. State Department official, speaking on customary rules of anonymity, said he would not comment on intelligence-related matters such as nuclear proliferation.
"I don't want that to be seen as confirmation one way or the other. Obviously, any time that a country does business with North Korea we're going to watch to see what that is," the official said.
Alarm bells about Myanmar's aspirations have rung before. In 2007, Russia signed an agreement to establish a nuclear studies center in Myanmar, build a 10-megawatt nuclear research reactor for peaceful purposes and train several hundred technicians in its operation.
However, Russia's atomic agency Rosatom told The Associated Press recently that "there has been no movement whatsoever on this agreement with Burma ever since."
Even earlier, before the military seized power, Myanmar sought to develop nuclear energy, sending physicists to the United States and Britain for studies in the 1950s. The military government established a Department of Atomic Energy in 2001 under U Thaung, a known proponent of nuclear technology who currently heads the Ministry of Science and Technology.
Myanmar is a party to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, and under a safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency, it is obligated to let the U.N. watchdog know at least six months in advance of operating a nuclear facility, agency spokesman Ayhan Evrensel said.
Evrensel said the Vienna-based IAEA has asked Myanmar to sign a so-called "additional protocol" that would allow agency experts to carry out unannounced inspections and lead to a broader flow of information about Myanmar's nuclear activities.
The regime has remained silent on whatever its plans may be. A Myanmar government spokesman did not respond to an e-mail asking about Russian and North Korean involvement in nuclear development.
In a rare comment from inside Myanmar, Chan Tun, former ambassador to North Korea turned democracy activist, told the Thailand-based Irrawaddy magazine, "To put it plainly: Burma wants to get the technology to develop a nuclear bomb.
"However, I have to say that it is childish of the Burmese generals to dream about acquiring nuclear technology since they can't even provide regular electricity in Burma," the Myanmar exile publication quoted him last month as saying.
Some experts think the generals may be bluffing.
"I would think that it's quite possible Yangon would like to scare other countries or may feel that talking about developing nuclear technologies will give them more bargaining clout," said Cristina-Astrid Hansell at the California-based James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. "This is not unreasonable, given the payoffs North Korea has gotten for its nuclear program."
*****************************************************
Gandhi trust awards Aung San Suu Kyi peace prize
Mon Jul 20, 6:48 pm ET
DURBAN, South Africa (AFP) – The Mahatma Gandhi prize was on Monday handed over to a representative of Myanmar's imprisoned Aung San Suu Kyi, an AFP correspondent said.
The Durban-based committee behind the International Award for Peace and Reconciliation handed over the prize to Aung San Suu Kyi's cousin, the head of Myanmar's self-proclaimed government-in-exile, Sein Win, as the country's rights icon awaits trial on charges of violating her house arrest.
"Everybody would have wanted to see her collect this prize in person," her representative said. "Obviously that would have been better (but) she has to attend to her trial in Burma at the moment. I'm worried they will find her guilty."
The prize is awarded by the Gandhi Development Trust in honour of the pre-eminent political and spiritual leader of India during that country's movement for independence from the British empire.
Gandhi's early years as a lawyer were spent in South Africa, where the recipient of last year's prize, anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, fought an even longer struggle for freedom.
Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has been deprived of her liberty for more than 13 of the last 19 years, and has been kept in jail since May after an American man swam uninvited to her home.
Mon Jul 20, 6:48 pm ET
DURBAN, South Africa (AFP) – The Mahatma Gandhi prize was on Monday handed over to a representative of Myanmar's imprisoned Aung San Suu Kyi, an AFP correspondent said.
The Durban-based committee behind the International Award for Peace and Reconciliation handed over the prize to Aung San Suu Kyi's cousin, the head of Myanmar's self-proclaimed government-in-exile, Sein Win, as the country's rights icon awaits trial on charges of violating her house arrest.
"Everybody would have wanted to see her collect this prize in person," her representative said. "Obviously that would have been better (but) she has to attend to her trial in Burma at the moment. I'm worried they will find her guilty."
The prize is awarded by the Gandhi Development Trust in honour of the pre-eminent political and spiritual leader of India during that country's movement for independence from the British empire.
Gandhi's early years as a lawyer were spent in South Africa, where the recipient of last year's prize, anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, fought an even longer struggle for freedom.
Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has been deprived of her liberty for more than 13 of the last 19 years, and has been kept in jail since May after an American man swam uninvited to her home.
*****************************************************
Clinton in Thailand for talks on N.Korea, Myanmar
by Lachlan Carmichael – Tue Jul 21, 6:04 am ET
BANGKOK (AFP) – US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Thailand on Tuesday for a regional security conference expected to focus on the North Korean nuclear threat, Myanmar's rights record and terrorism.
Following a five-day visit to India, Clinton flew to Bangkok where she will meet Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, before heading to the island of Phuket for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum (ARF) on Wednesday.
State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said Clinton's talks with Abhisit would focus on "cooperation on climate change and counter-terrorism, regional security, and Thailand's leadership role as ASEAN chair."
Clinton touched down in Thailand and headed straight for her meeting with Abhisit, without making any comment on the flight from New Delhi, an AFP correspondent said.
US officials said a key thrust of her debut appearance at the ARF would be how to crank up the pressure on North Korea to return to multilateral nuclear disarmament talks after its missile and nuclear weapons tests.
They said Clinton would meet one-on-one with her counterparts from South Korea, China, Japan and Russia -- all of whom were North Korea's partners in six years of disarmament negotiations.
North Korea withdrew from the talks after the UN censured its long-range missile test in April. The showdown with the international community took another turn for the worse when it staged a nuclear test in May.
Pyongyang's foreign minister has declined to attend the security forum, instead sending a roving ambassador to the grouping of 27 nations including the United States and European Union.
The US State Department has been coy on whether Clinton would meet any North Korean delegates in Phuket.
The forum will also face the perennial challenge of Myanmar, which has sparked international outrage by putting pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi on trial over an incident in which an American man swam to her lakeside house.
Myanmar, ASEAN's most troublesome member since joining the bloc in 1997, showed its defiance earlier this month by refusing to allow UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to visit the opposition leader when he visited the country.
Clinton is also expected to discuss the region's economy and joint action on tackling swine flu, and will hold an unprecedented meeting with counterparts from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia to discuss health and environmental issues concerning the Mekong river.
ARF will also tackle terrorism after deadly suicide blasts Friday at two hotels in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, a key ASEAN state that Clinton visited in February on her first overseas tour as secretary of state.
Clinton will also sign a non-aggression pact with ASEAN in a bid to counter the influence of China. Washington held off signing for years over concerns it would leave little room for it to tackle political and security issues.
Security in Phuket is heavy with thousands of police and soldiers on duty to prevent a repeat of an incident in April when anti-government protesters derailed a key Asian summit in Thailand.
"Thailand will provide tight security for all foreign ministers but I have ordered the Thai security team for the US delegation will be more alert," Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban told reporters.
"As of now we have no intelligence that there is any threat."
During her visit to New Delhi and Mumbai, Clinton said she had reassured her hosts that President Barack Obama would not only maintain but deepen a "strategic partnership" launched under his predecessor George W. Bush.
Deals were struck paving the way for billions of dollars in exports of civilian nuclear reactors and military hardware to India, but differences of opinion remain between New Delhi and Washington over climate change.
by Lachlan Carmichael – Tue Jul 21, 6:04 am ET
BANGKOK (AFP) – US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Thailand on Tuesday for a regional security conference expected to focus on the North Korean nuclear threat, Myanmar's rights record and terrorism.
Following a five-day visit to India, Clinton flew to Bangkok where she will meet Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, before heading to the island of Phuket for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum (ARF) on Wednesday.
State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said Clinton's talks with Abhisit would focus on "cooperation on climate change and counter-terrorism, regional security, and Thailand's leadership role as ASEAN chair."
Clinton touched down in Thailand and headed straight for her meeting with Abhisit, without making any comment on the flight from New Delhi, an AFP correspondent said.
US officials said a key thrust of her debut appearance at the ARF would be how to crank up the pressure on North Korea to return to multilateral nuclear disarmament talks after its missile and nuclear weapons tests.
They said Clinton would meet one-on-one with her counterparts from South Korea, China, Japan and Russia -- all of whom were North Korea's partners in six years of disarmament negotiations.
North Korea withdrew from the talks after the UN censured its long-range missile test in April. The showdown with the international community took another turn for the worse when it staged a nuclear test in May.
Pyongyang's foreign minister has declined to attend the security forum, instead sending a roving ambassador to the grouping of 27 nations including the United States and European Union.
The US State Department has been coy on whether Clinton would meet any North Korean delegates in Phuket.
The forum will also face the perennial challenge of Myanmar, which has sparked international outrage by putting pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi on trial over an incident in which an American man swam to her lakeside house.
Myanmar, ASEAN's most troublesome member since joining the bloc in 1997, showed its defiance earlier this month by refusing to allow UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to visit the opposition leader when he visited the country.
Clinton is also expected to discuss the region's economy and joint action on tackling swine flu, and will hold an unprecedented meeting with counterparts from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia to discuss health and environmental issues concerning the Mekong river.
ARF will also tackle terrorism after deadly suicide blasts Friday at two hotels in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, a key ASEAN state that Clinton visited in February on her first overseas tour as secretary of state.
Clinton will also sign a non-aggression pact with ASEAN in a bid to counter the influence of China. Washington held off signing for years over concerns it would leave little room for it to tackle political and security issues.
Security in Phuket is heavy with thousands of police and soldiers on duty to prevent a repeat of an incident in April when anti-government protesters derailed a key Asian summit in Thailand.
"Thailand will provide tight security for all foreign ministers but I have ordered the Thai security team for the US delegation will be more alert," Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban told reporters.
"As of now we have no intelligence that there is any threat."
During her visit to New Delhi and Mumbai, Clinton said she had reassured her hosts that President Barack Obama would not only maintain but deepen a "strategic partnership" launched under his predecessor George W. Bush.
Deals were struck paving the way for billions of dollars in exports of civilian nuclear reactors and military hardware to India, but differences of opinion remain between New Delhi and Washington over climate change.
*****************************************************
Trafficking syndicate: Malaysia busts officials
AFP – Tuesday, July 21
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) — Malaysian police have arrested five immigration officials for involvement in an international trafficking syndicate dealing in refugees from Myanmar, a top officer said Tuesday.
The five were among nine people detained for receiving payments from a syndicate that "sold" refugees mostly from Myanmar's Rohingya minority as forced labour, Criminal Investigation Department head Mohammad Bakri Zinin told state media.
His comments were confirmed to AFP by police.
"According to a victim, the suspects were directly involved in human trafficking, starting from the Malaysia-Thai border" to other "exit points to international countries," he told state news agency Bernama.
"Upon reaching the exit point, the victims were handed over to a syndicate before being taken to a neighbouring country," he added without identifying the exit points.
Bakri said the refugees were charged between 300 to 600 ringgit (85 to 169 dollars) each and those who could not afford to pay would be sold to owners of fishing industries in Thailand until they worked off their debts, the New Straits Times reported.
He said the five immigration officers had been operating their network since last year with the other four people arrested responsible for transporting the illegals across the county, the paper reported.
Police were made aware of the group's existence in March this year.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said recently his country was being used as a transit point for illegal immigrants.
One of Asia's largest importers of labour, Malaysia relies on its 2.2 million migrants to clean homes, care for children and work in plantations and factories.
The Bengali-speaking Rohingya Muslims are from mainly Buddhist Myanmar, which denies the minority group citizenship and property rights, leading to their abuse, exploitation and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee their country.
AFP – Tuesday, July 21
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) — Malaysian police have arrested five immigration officials for involvement in an international trafficking syndicate dealing in refugees from Myanmar, a top officer said Tuesday.
The five were among nine people detained for receiving payments from a syndicate that "sold" refugees mostly from Myanmar's Rohingya minority as forced labour, Criminal Investigation Department head Mohammad Bakri Zinin told state media.
His comments were confirmed to AFP by police.
"According to a victim, the suspects were directly involved in human trafficking, starting from the Malaysia-Thai border" to other "exit points to international countries," he told state news agency Bernama.
"Upon reaching the exit point, the victims were handed over to a syndicate before being taken to a neighbouring country," he added without identifying the exit points.
Bakri said the refugees were charged between 300 to 600 ringgit (85 to 169 dollars) each and those who could not afford to pay would be sold to owners of fishing industries in Thailand until they worked off their debts, the New Straits Times reported.
He said the five immigration officers had been operating their network since last year with the other four people arrested responsible for transporting the illegals across the county, the paper reported.
Police were made aware of the group's existence in March this year.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said recently his country was being used as a transit point for illegal immigrants.
One of Asia's largest importers of labour, Malaysia relies on its 2.2 million migrants to clean homes, care for children and work in plantations and factories.
The Bengali-speaking Rohingya Muslims are from mainly Buddhist Myanmar, which denies the minority group citizenship and property rights, leading to their abuse, exploitation and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee their country.
*****************************************************
EarthTimes - Clinton condemns Myanmar junta's treatment of Aung San Suu Kyi
Posted : Tue, 21 Jul 2009 13:11:43 GMT
Bangkok - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Tuesday condemned the Myanmar junta's imprisonment of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on the eve of attending Asia's main security meeting. "We have made it clear that we expect fair treatment of Aung San Suu Kyi, and we have condemned the way she has been treated by the regime in Burma," Clinton told a press conference before attending the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), Asia's main security meeting in Phuket this week.
The meeting is being watched for signs of change in US policy towards the region's two trouble spots - Myanmar and North Korea.
"Our position is we are moving towards a more productive partnership with Burma if they take certain steps."
The steps included political reforms, "ending violence against their own people including the ethnic minorities" and better treatment of political prisoners including opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The US secretary of state was in Bangkok for a quick stopover to meet with Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to discuss bilateral relations before flying on to Phuket Island to attend the upcoming ARF.
The ARF is likely to focus on the North Korean issue and Myanmar's political instability when foreign ministers from the grouping's 27 members meet Thursday.
North Korea is the only country that has refused to send a foreign minister to the forum, but will be represented by five lower-level officials.
Clinton said she would not meet separately with the North Korean delegation. North Korea has refused to resume the Six-Party Talks that are the key forum for negotiations on Pyongyang's nuclear armaments issue.
Clinton is to fly on to Phuket Island, 600 kilometres south of Bangkok, on Wednesday when she was tentatively scheduled to sign the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) in South-East Asia, a loose agreement on the terms of engagement in the region.
The previous US administration of US President George W Bush refused to sign the TAC.
President Barack Obama has indicated a change in the US approach in Asia, attaching more importance to multilateral groupings such as ASEAN rather than pursuing Bush's bilateral diplomacy.
"We are pleased with the US foreign policy which clearly attaches more importance to this region as a whole," Thai premier Abhisit said on Monday. "I think this accession to the TAC is a reflection of that."
Clinton will then attend the ARF on Thursday. The forum gathers foreign ministers from the 10 member states of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and their main Asian and non-Asian allies such as the United States, the European Union and Russia.
Posted : Tue, 21 Jul 2009 13:11:43 GMT
Bangkok - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Tuesday condemned the Myanmar junta's imprisonment of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on the eve of attending Asia's main security meeting. "We have made it clear that we expect fair treatment of Aung San Suu Kyi, and we have condemned the way she has been treated by the regime in Burma," Clinton told a press conference before attending the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), Asia's main security meeting in Phuket this week.
The meeting is being watched for signs of change in US policy towards the region's two trouble spots - Myanmar and North Korea.
"Our position is we are moving towards a more productive partnership with Burma if they take certain steps."
The steps included political reforms, "ending violence against their own people including the ethnic minorities" and better treatment of political prisoners including opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The US secretary of state was in Bangkok for a quick stopover to meet with Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to discuss bilateral relations before flying on to Phuket Island to attend the upcoming ARF.
The ARF is likely to focus on the North Korean issue and Myanmar's political instability when foreign ministers from the grouping's 27 members meet Thursday.
North Korea is the only country that has refused to send a foreign minister to the forum, but will be represented by five lower-level officials.
Clinton said she would not meet separately with the North Korean delegation. North Korea has refused to resume the Six-Party Talks that are the key forum for negotiations on Pyongyang's nuclear armaments issue.
Clinton is to fly on to Phuket Island, 600 kilometres south of Bangkok, on Wednesday when she was tentatively scheduled to sign the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) in South-East Asia, a loose agreement on the terms of engagement in the region.
The previous US administration of US President George W Bush refused to sign the TAC.
President Barack Obama has indicated a change in the US approach in Asia, attaching more importance to multilateral groupings such as ASEAN rather than pursuing Bush's bilateral diplomacy.
"We are pleased with the US foreign policy which clearly attaches more importance to this region as a whole," Thai premier Abhisit said on Monday. "I think this accession to the TAC is a reflection of that."
Clinton will then attend the ARF on Thursday. The forum gathers foreign ministers from the 10 member states of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and their main Asian and non-Asian allies such as the United States, the European Union and Russia.
*****************************************************
Global Security Newswire
Myanmar Might Be Building Nuclear Program, Experts Say
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
A number of analysts say that a growing amount of circumstantial evidence suggests the military government of Myanmar is laying the groundwork for a nuclear program, the Associated Press reported today (see GSN, May 16, 2007).
Images released last month showing a network of 800 tunnels, apparently excavated with help from nuclear pariah North Korea, and rumors that a North Korean freighter was ferrying weapons to Myanmar before turning around under U.S. pressure several weeks ago, have stoked concerns of an atomic alliance between the Asian nations (see GSN, July 7).
"There's suspicion that something is going on, and increasingly that cooperation with North Korea may have a nuclear undercurrent," said David Albright, president of the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security. "We are very much looking into it."
Washington is also looking into it, and U.S. envoys are expected to raise the matter -- at least in private meetings -- this week at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations conference in Thailand.
It remains unclear why Myanmar is building the tunnels, or what was being carried by the North Korean ship. Officials in Seoul and Washington believe the cargo was along the lines of small arms, while one South Korean intelligence analyst said satellite images indicated the ship carried Scud-type missiles and possibly material for a nuclear program in Myanmar.
North Korea is a known proliferator that is already suspected of helping Syria to build a reputed nuclear reactor destroyed in a September 2007 Israeli airstrike (see GSN, June 18).
Myanmar has joined the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and signed a safeguards deal with the International Atomic Energy Agency. However, it has yet to agree to the Additional Protocol, which would allow the U.N. nuclear watchdog to conduct more intrusive monitoring of any nuclear operations.
Myanmar's interest in nuclear technology dates back to the 1950s, AP reported. It signed a deal with Russia in 2007 for acquisition of a civilian nuclear research reactor and atomic studies center; Moscow, though, said that nothing has come of the agreement.
The South Korean expert said North Korea is helping Yangon build facilities for uranium operations or other nuclear activities -- a suspicion long espoused by exiled Burmese citizens and journalists. Exiles for years have claimed the government is running a nuclear-related venture called the "Ayelar Project" out of a defunct flour mill. A Burmese shadow government, operating in exile, has said Yangon is building two facilities "to hold nuclear reactors," citing military sources inside Myanmar.
Myanmar is probably not close to developing a nuclear weapon, if that is its intention, experts said.
"There is no doubt that the Burmese generals would like to have a bomb so that they could challenge the Americans and the rest of the world," said author Bertil Lintner. "But they must be decades away from acquiring anything that would even remotely resemble an atomic bomb."
Reports regarding possible nuclear-related activities in Myanmar have yet to be confirmed from inside of what is essentially an "information black hole," said Australian analyst Andrew Selth, who has been studying the issue for 10 years.
Myanmar should be scrutinized for any traces of a burgeoning program regardless of its intention, said David Mathieson of Human Rights Watch. "A swirl of circumstantial evidence indicates something in the nuclear field is going on that definitely warrants closer scrutiny by the international community," Mathieson said.
Still, others think that hints of a nuclear program in Myanmar might be a ruse orchestrated by the Burmese government to give itself more leverage in Southeast Asia. "I would think that it's quite possible Yangon would like to scare other countries, or may feel that talking about developing nuclear technologies will give them more bargaining clout," said Cristina-Astrid Hansell, an analyst with the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. "This is not unreasonable, given the payoffs North Korea has gotten for its nuclear program."
The U.S. State Department said it is examining the issue. "I don't want this to be seen as a confirmation one way or another," said a department official. "Obviously, any time that a country does business with North Korea we're going to watch to see what that is"
Myanmar Might Be Building Nuclear Program, Experts Say
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
A number of analysts say that a growing amount of circumstantial evidence suggests the military government of Myanmar is laying the groundwork for a nuclear program, the Associated Press reported today (see GSN, May 16, 2007).
Images released last month showing a network of 800 tunnels, apparently excavated with help from nuclear pariah North Korea, and rumors that a North Korean freighter was ferrying weapons to Myanmar before turning around under U.S. pressure several weeks ago, have stoked concerns of an atomic alliance between the Asian nations (see GSN, July 7).
"There's suspicion that something is going on, and increasingly that cooperation with North Korea may have a nuclear undercurrent," said David Albright, president of the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security. "We are very much looking into it."
Washington is also looking into it, and U.S. envoys are expected to raise the matter -- at least in private meetings -- this week at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations conference in Thailand.
It remains unclear why Myanmar is building the tunnels, or what was being carried by the North Korean ship. Officials in Seoul and Washington believe the cargo was along the lines of small arms, while one South Korean intelligence analyst said satellite images indicated the ship carried Scud-type missiles and possibly material for a nuclear program in Myanmar.
North Korea is a known proliferator that is already suspected of helping Syria to build a reputed nuclear reactor destroyed in a September 2007 Israeli airstrike (see GSN, June 18).
Myanmar has joined the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and signed a safeguards deal with the International Atomic Energy Agency. However, it has yet to agree to the Additional Protocol, which would allow the U.N. nuclear watchdog to conduct more intrusive monitoring of any nuclear operations.
Myanmar's interest in nuclear technology dates back to the 1950s, AP reported. It signed a deal with Russia in 2007 for acquisition of a civilian nuclear research reactor and atomic studies center; Moscow, though, said that nothing has come of the agreement.
The South Korean expert said North Korea is helping Yangon build facilities for uranium operations or other nuclear activities -- a suspicion long espoused by exiled Burmese citizens and journalists. Exiles for years have claimed the government is running a nuclear-related venture called the "Ayelar Project" out of a defunct flour mill. A Burmese shadow government, operating in exile, has said Yangon is building two facilities "to hold nuclear reactors," citing military sources inside Myanmar.
Myanmar is probably not close to developing a nuclear weapon, if that is its intention, experts said.
"There is no doubt that the Burmese generals would like to have a bomb so that they could challenge the Americans and the rest of the world," said author Bertil Lintner. "But they must be decades away from acquiring anything that would even remotely resemble an atomic bomb."
Reports regarding possible nuclear-related activities in Myanmar have yet to be confirmed from inside of what is essentially an "information black hole," said Australian analyst Andrew Selth, who has been studying the issue for 10 years.
Myanmar should be scrutinized for any traces of a burgeoning program regardless of its intention, said David Mathieson of Human Rights Watch. "A swirl of circumstantial evidence indicates something in the nuclear field is going on that definitely warrants closer scrutiny by the international community," Mathieson said.
Still, others think that hints of a nuclear program in Myanmar might be a ruse orchestrated by the Burmese government to give itself more leverage in Southeast Asia. "I would think that it's quite possible Yangon would like to scare other countries, or may feel that talking about developing nuclear technologies will give them more bargaining clout," said Cristina-Astrid Hansell, an analyst with the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. "This is not unreasonable, given the payoffs North Korea has gotten for its nuclear program."
The U.S. State Department said it is examining the issue. "I don't want this to be seen as a confirmation one way or another," said a department official. "Obviously, any time that a country does business with North Korea we're going to watch to see what that is"
*****************************************************
Inner City Press
As Myanmar Moves to Exclude Hundreds of UN Staff, Ban Has No Comment on Detentions
By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, July 20 -- A week after UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon claimed credit for the Myanmar military government's vague statement that it would offer amnesty to some political prisoners this year or in 2010, though apparently not including opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the UN had no comment Monday on that government's detention of peaceful marchers to Suu Kyi's father's grave.
Inner City Press asked Ban's Deputy Spokesperson Marie Okabe at the UN's regular briefing, and Ms. Okabe called the arrests a "temporary detention... I don't have a direct comment on that." Video here, from Minute 12:23.
Since Mr. Ban after his briefed the Council acknowledged that he didn't have any specifics about Myanmar's purported commitment to release political prisoners, a week later on Monday Inner City Press asked Mr. Okabe if he had sought or gotten any further information. "He responded to the question" at the stakeout, Ms. Okabe said, adding that the ball remains in Myanmar's court.
Meanwhile, the Myanmar government is now refusing to renew visa for hundreds of UN international staff, only a week after the UN's Ban Ki-moon briefed the Security Council on what he called the victory of future release of undefined political prisoners. Up to 400 World Food Program staff are slated for expulsion in August, Inner City Press is told by local UN sources, who previously blew the whistle on the UN's silence as Than Shwe took up to 25% of post-cyclone aid funds by requiring the UN to convert dollars to Foreign Exchange Certificates controlled and valued by the government.
These well-placed sources now surmise that the Than Shwe regime does not want international observers to its scam 2010 election, and to the land grab by regime cronies that is occurring in the run up. The sources expressed despair about last week's Security Council briefing, seeing it as a quid pro quo in which Ban was allowed to take credit for future release of prisoners in exchange for not pushing on other issues. Contacted again on Monday, the sources said that the lack of comment on political detentions was simply part of this larger pattern.
As Myanmar Moves to Exclude Hundreds of UN Staff, Ban Has No Comment on Detentions
By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, July 20 -- A week after UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon claimed credit for the Myanmar military government's vague statement that it would offer amnesty to some political prisoners this year or in 2010, though apparently not including opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the UN had no comment Monday on that government's detention of peaceful marchers to Suu Kyi's father's grave.
Inner City Press asked Ban's Deputy Spokesperson Marie Okabe at the UN's regular briefing, and Ms. Okabe called the arrests a "temporary detention... I don't have a direct comment on that." Video here, from Minute 12:23.
Since Mr. Ban after his briefed the Council acknowledged that he didn't have any specifics about Myanmar's purported commitment to release political prisoners, a week later on Monday Inner City Press asked Mr. Okabe if he had sought or gotten any further information. "He responded to the question" at the stakeout, Ms. Okabe said, adding that the ball remains in Myanmar's court.
Meanwhile, the Myanmar government is now refusing to renew visa for hundreds of UN international staff, only a week after the UN's Ban Ki-moon briefed the Security Council on what he called the victory of future release of undefined political prisoners. Up to 400 World Food Program staff are slated for expulsion in August, Inner City Press is told by local UN sources, who previously blew the whistle on the UN's silence as Than Shwe took up to 25% of post-cyclone aid funds by requiring the UN to convert dollars to Foreign Exchange Certificates controlled and valued by the government.
These well-placed sources now surmise that the Than Shwe regime does not want international observers to its scam 2010 election, and to the land grab by regime cronies that is occurring in the run up. The sources expressed despair about last week's Security Council briefing, seeing it as a quid pro quo in which Ban was allowed to take credit for future release of prisoners in exchange for not pushing on other issues. Contacted again on Monday, the sources said that the lack of comment on political detentions was simply part of this larger pattern.
*****************************************************
The Jakarta Post - Indonesia criticizes military-ruled Myanmar
Tue, 07/21/2009 9:59 PM | World
Indonesia, which has been pushing Southeast Asian nations for tougher action against human rights violators, said Tuesday that 2010 elections in military-ruled Myanmar would not be free and fair if democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi remained in detention.
"We have been saying to them (Myanmar) directly that the process must be inclusive for all groups in society ... including Aung San Suu Kyi," Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda told The Associated Press on the sidelines of a regional conference on the resort island.
While still espousing its core doctrine of noninterference in the affairs of its members, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, has voiced sharp criticism of Myanmar and acknowledged that it remains a burden and roadblock to its progress.
"We should see whether from now until 2010 they develop a credible process leading to truly democratic elections acceptable to the international community," Wirayuda said, noting that Myanmar's ruling junta changes "too slowly, and often a little change at a time."
He said the "big test" will be whether the regime's promised elections next year are truly "multiparty, meaning inclusive in nature, but also whether the process is a democratic one."
Wirayuda said ASEAN has been "able to develop a more open, frank discussion with Myanmar." But he acknowledged it is hard to determine whether that cooperation will make a difference inside the country.
The Phuket meeting takes place amid international outrage over the trial of Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate 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 dismal human rights record will certainly be stressed by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who arrives in Thailand later Tuesday and is to take part Wednesday in the ASEAN Regional Forum, an annual gathering of 27 Asian, European and U.S. ministers to discuss key security issues.
Clinton, who arrives from India, is scheduled to hold talks Tuesday with Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva in Bangkok.
On Monday, the ASEAN foreign ministers approved the formation of a landmark human rights commission. But the new body cannot monitor or punish member nations such as Myanmar, also known as Burma - a weakness that prompted sharp criticism from activists and disappointment from some ASEAN members.
"We deeply regret that our ministers finally adopted mechanisms that have less than minimal credibility in terms of protection. We are not living 40, 50 years ago," said Rafendi Djamin of Solidarity for Asia Peoples' Advocacy Task-Force on ASEAN and Human Rights, an umbrella group for some 60 non-governmental organizations.
Sinipan Sammydorai of the Singapore-based Task Force on ASEAN Migrant Workers said that "ASEAN stooped so low as to accept Burma's standards of human rights."
Abhisit said the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights, due to be formally unveiled at the bloc's summit in October, will focus on human rights promotion rather than protection. He said the grouping will not impose sanctions or other punitive measures on Myanmar.
"It's better to make a start than to leave it hanging, with no progress at all," Abhisit said. The body would give ASEAN "more room for maneuver" when dealing with Myanmar, he said.
ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan said Indonesia had wanted the commission's mandate to weigh more heavily toward human rights protection, rather than just promotion. As it stands, the so-called "terms of reference" for the new body state that all should abide by international human rights practices and stresses there is to be no interference in internal affairs of members.
"We somewhat insisted for better terms of reference for an ASEAN human rights body. As it is an evolving process, we were expected to accept what we have now," Wirayuda said. He said Indonesia gave its endorsement after seeking commitment that at a review process in five years, the commission's protection mandate would be strengthened.
He said that the commission's current standards were "not up to standards that exist at the international and other regional levels."
Tue, 07/21/2009 9:59 PM | World
Indonesia, which has been pushing Southeast Asian nations for tougher action against human rights violators, said Tuesday that 2010 elections in military-ruled Myanmar would not be free and fair if democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi remained in detention.
"We have been saying to them (Myanmar) directly that the process must be inclusive for all groups in society ... including Aung San Suu Kyi," Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda told The Associated Press on the sidelines of a regional conference on the resort island.
While still espousing its core doctrine of noninterference in the affairs of its members, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, has voiced sharp criticism of Myanmar and acknowledged that it remains a burden and roadblock to its progress.
"We should see whether from now until 2010 they develop a credible process leading to truly democratic elections acceptable to the international community," Wirayuda said, noting that Myanmar's ruling junta changes "too slowly, and often a little change at a time."
He said the "big test" will be whether the regime's promised elections next year are truly "multiparty, meaning inclusive in nature, but also whether the process is a democratic one."
Wirayuda said ASEAN has been "able to develop a more open, frank discussion with Myanmar." But he acknowledged it is hard to determine whether that cooperation will make a difference inside the country.
The Phuket meeting takes place amid international outrage over the trial of Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate 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 dismal human rights record will certainly be stressed by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who arrives in Thailand later Tuesday and is to take part Wednesday in the ASEAN Regional Forum, an annual gathering of 27 Asian, European and U.S. ministers to discuss key security issues.
Clinton, who arrives from India, is scheduled to hold talks Tuesday with Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva in Bangkok.
On Monday, the ASEAN foreign ministers approved the formation of a landmark human rights commission. But the new body cannot monitor or punish member nations such as Myanmar, also known as Burma - a weakness that prompted sharp criticism from activists and disappointment from some ASEAN members.
"We deeply regret that our ministers finally adopted mechanisms that have less than minimal credibility in terms of protection. We are not living 40, 50 years ago," said Rafendi Djamin of Solidarity for Asia Peoples' Advocacy Task-Force on ASEAN and Human Rights, an umbrella group for some 60 non-governmental organizations.
Sinipan Sammydorai of the Singapore-based Task Force on ASEAN Migrant Workers said that "ASEAN stooped so low as to accept Burma's standards of human rights."
Abhisit said the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights, due to be formally unveiled at the bloc's summit in October, will focus on human rights promotion rather than protection. He said the grouping will not impose sanctions or other punitive measures on Myanmar.
"It's better to make a start than to leave it hanging, with no progress at all," Abhisit said. The body would give ASEAN "more room for maneuver" when dealing with Myanmar, he said.
ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan said Indonesia had wanted the commission's mandate to weigh more heavily toward human rights protection, rather than just promotion. As it stands, the so-called "terms of reference" for the new body state that all should abide by international human rights practices and stresses there is to be no interference in internal affairs of members.
"We somewhat insisted for better terms of reference for an ASEAN human rights body. As it is an evolving process, we were expected to accept what we have now," Wirayuda said. He said Indonesia gave its endorsement after seeking commitment that at a review process in five years, the commission's protection mandate would be strengthened.
He said that the commission's current standards were "not up to standards that exist at the international and other regional levels."
*****************************************************
July 21, 2009 15:43 PM
Thailand Needs Bolder Approach On Myanmar
By D. Arul Rajoo
BANGKOK, July 21 (Bernama) -- Thailand needs a bolder approach in dealing with Myanmar to show that engagement with the country could produce concrete results and not empty promises, said the Human Rights Watch (HRW).
Its executive directior for Asia, Brad Adams, said as the current Chair of Asean, Thailand should take Myanmar to task for breaching the Asean Charter on human rights and democratic values.
"We recognise the widespread frustration among Asean member states over the intransigence of the ruling SPDC (State Peace and Development Council) in multilateral forums, and urge you to find ways to end their spoiling tactics," he said in an open letter to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.
Adams said Abhisit should candidly point out that Myanmar's scheduled 2010 general election would not be regarded as remotely credible without the freedom of democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners, as well as without a free campaign.
The implementation of the so-called 'roadmap', including the 2008 constitutional referendum, had a clear aim towards a stage-managed electoral process that would ensure continued military rule with a civilian facade, he said.
He said Abhisit should seek details from the Myanmar Government on its announcement that it was "processing to grant amnesty to prisoners on humanitarian grounds and with a view to enabling them to participate in the 2010 elections".
Myanmar has become a sticky issue for Asean since it joined the grouping in 1997.
The Thai foreign minister said Monday that Asean could not move forward until changes occured in the country, and many critics had labelled the proposed Asean Inter Governmental Commission on Human Rights as 'toothless' and a mere 'talk show' due to human rights abuses in Myanmar.
Adam said the role of Asean and Thailand to lead principled international engagement on political, security, and humanitarian issues in Myanmar was urgently needed.
He also called on Thailand to respect its obligation under international law not to refoul any asylum seeker or refugee to Myanmar, as well as guarantee all Burmese access to screening and status determination procedures if they wished to make an asylum claim, prior to deportation or forced return.
During the 42nd Asean Ministerial Meeting here, Asean foreign ministers agreed to offer access to the Myanmar Government to visit its citizens being held in several countries in the region, especially the Rohingya minority group.
Thailand Needs Bolder Approach On Myanmar
By D. Arul Rajoo
BANGKOK, July 21 (Bernama) -- Thailand needs a bolder approach in dealing with Myanmar to show that engagement with the country could produce concrete results and not empty promises, said the Human Rights Watch (HRW).
Its executive directior for Asia, Brad Adams, said as the current Chair of Asean, Thailand should take Myanmar to task for breaching the Asean Charter on human rights and democratic values.
"We recognise the widespread frustration among Asean member states over the intransigence of the ruling SPDC (State Peace and Development Council) in multilateral forums, and urge you to find ways to end their spoiling tactics," he said in an open letter to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.
Adams said Abhisit should candidly point out that Myanmar's scheduled 2010 general election would not be regarded as remotely credible without the freedom of democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners, as well as without a free campaign.
The implementation of the so-called 'roadmap', including the 2008 constitutional referendum, had a clear aim towards a stage-managed electoral process that would ensure continued military rule with a civilian facade, he said.
He said Abhisit should seek details from the Myanmar Government on its announcement that it was "processing to grant amnesty to prisoners on humanitarian grounds and with a view to enabling them to participate in the 2010 elections".
Myanmar has become a sticky issue for Asean since it joined the grouping in 1997.
The Thai foreign minister said Monday that Asean could not move forward until changes occured in the country, and many critics had labelled the proposed Asean Inter Governmental Commission on Human Rights as 'toothless' and a mere 'talk show' due to human rights abuses in Myanmar.
Adam said the role of Asean and Thailand to lead principled international engagement on political, security, and humanitarian issues in Myanmar was urgently needed.
He also called on Thailand to respect its obligation under international law not to refoul any asylum seeker or refugee to Myanmar, as well as guarantee all Burmese access to screening and status determination procedures if they wished to make an asylum claim, prior to deportation or forced return.
During the 42nd Asean Ministerial Meeting here, Asean foreign ministers agreed to offer access to the Myanmar Government to visit its citizens being held in several countries in the region, especially the Rohingya minority group.
*****************************************************
July 21, 2009 20:46 PM
Myanmar Main Jailed Seven Years For Causing Death Of Colleague
SHAH ALAM, July 21 (Bernama) -- A Myanmar factory worker was sentenced to seven years jail by the High Court here Tuesday for causing the death of a colleague, also a Myanmar, two years ago.
Judge Datuk Syed Ahmad Helmy Syed Ahmad handed down the sentence after the accused, Zaw Nyunt, 26, pleaded guilty to an alternative charge of causing the other man's death under section 304 (b) of the Penal Code, which provides for a jail term of up to 10 years.
In his judgement, Syed Ahmad Helmy said that although the case originated from a fight, the court could not deny it cost the life of a person.
"The court also cannot avoid taking into consideration the numerous crime cases involving foreign workers in the country, which has put additional pressure on the police to preserve peace and harmony," he said.
He ordered the jail sentence to run from the date of the accused's arrest on April 1, 2007.
Nyunt had stabbed Zaw Zaw Aung, 20, with a knife at their hostel located at Lot 2425, Jalan Teratai, Batu 5 1/2, Jalan Meru, Klang near here at around 10.30pm on March 31, 2007.
The duo were employees of Notion Venture (M) Sdn Bhd and before the incident took place, the victim, who was drunk had been scolding people passing by the hostel.
This caused the accused to try and restrain him from continuing his verbal barrage but instead earned the wrath of the victim who grabbed a bicycle chain to attack him (Nyunt).
Nyunt then left him and went into the hostel to watch television and while doing so the victim again came at him, this time with a stick.
Other present tried to separate the duo during the ensuing scuffle but were unsuccessful.
As the fight was going on, the accused managed to grab a knife and stabbed the victim twice in the stomach.
Nyunt on seeing the victim collapse to the floor then ran away from the scene.
Hostel mates rushed Aung to a clinic in Meru but was pronounced dead on arrival.
Nyunt was arrested by police at 1am the next day.
Myanmar Main Jailed Seven Years For Causing Death Of Colleague
SHAH ALAM, July 21 (Bernama) -- A Myanmar factory worker was sentenced to seven years jail by the High Court here Tuesday for causing the death of a colleague, also a Myanmar, two years ago.
Judge Datuk Syed Ahmad Helmy Syed Ahmad handed down the sentence after the accused, Zaw Nyunt, 26, pleaded guilty to an alternative charge of causing the other man's death under section 304 (b) of the Penal Code, which provides for a jail term of up to 10 years.
In his judgement, Syed Ahmad Helmy said that although the case originated from a fight, the court could not deny it cost the life of a person.
"The court also cannot avoid taking into consideration the numerous crime cases involving foreign workers in the country, which has put additional pressure on the police to preserve peace and harmony," he said.
He ordered the jail sentence to run from the date of the accused's arrest on April 1, 2007.
Nyunt had stabbed Zaw Zaw Aung, 20, with a knife at their hostel located at Lot 2425, Jalan Teratai, Batu 5 1/2, Jalan Meru, Klang near here at around 10.30pm on March 31, 2007.
The duo were employees of Notion Venture (M) Sdn Bhd and before the incident took place, the victim, who was drunk had been scolding people passing by the hostel.
This caused the accused to try and restrain him from continuing his verbal barrage but instead earned the wrath of the victim who grabbed a bicycle chain to attack him (Nyunt).
Nyunt then left him and went into the hostel to watch television and while doing so the victim again came at him, this time with a stick.
Other present tried to separate the duo during the ensuing scuffle but were unsuccessful.
As the fight was going on, the accused managed to grab a knife and stabbed the victim twice in the stomach.
Nyunt on seeing the victim collapse to the floor then ran away from the scene.
Hostel mates rushed Aung to a clinic in Meru but was pronounced dead on arrival.
Nyunt was arrested by police at 1am the next day.
*****************************************************
Myanmar to cooperate with Japan in setting up milk pasteurizing industry
www.chinaview.cn 2009-07-21 17:11:27
YANGON, July 21 (Xinhua) -- The Myanmar Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department will cooperate with Japan Life Source Technology Association to set up milk pasteurizing industry in thecountry's middle part of Mandalay division, sources with the MLBVD said on Tuesday.
The project, worth of one million yen (about 10,000 U.S dollars), is aimed at encouraging the country's dairy sector development and production of quality milk and dairy products.
The project, which planned to start in September this year, will be implemented with the machinery support from Japan and technical experts of both sides. the sources said.
For the purpose of this move, Myanmar will pay a five-day visit to Japan to hold discussion relating to this project there.
Meanwhile, Myanmar is also setting up its first international-level dairy industry in the new capital of Nay Pyi Taw with the help of Australian technical experts.
The dairy factory, which cost about one million U.S. dollars, has targeted to manufacture its long-preservable dairy products next year.
Moreover, the country has taken some measures to boost dairy products and stabilize the domestic market by offering loan to milk cow breeders.
Statistics show that there are more than 500,000 milk cows in Myanmar and milk factories went to 434 in number which are producing condensed milk at 120,000 viss (198 tons) per day or 73,000 tons per year.
The country imported 31.4 million U.S. dollars worth of condensed milk and 5.8 million dollars worth of milk powder and other milk food and malted milk in the fiscal year 2007-08.
www.chinaview.cn 2009-07-21 17:11:27
YANGON, July 21 (Xinhua) -- The Myanmar Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department will cooperate with Japan Life Source Technology Association to set up milk pasteurizing industry in thecountry's middle part of Mandalay division, sources with the MLBVD said on Tuesday.
The project, worth of one million yen (about 10,000 U.S dollars), is aimed at encouraging the country's dairy sector development and production of quality milk and dairy products.
The project, which planned to start in September this year, will be implemented with the machinery support from Japan and technical experts of both sides. the sources said.
For the purpose of this move, Myanmar will pay a five-day visit to Japan to hold discussion relating to this project there.
Meanwhile, Myanmar is also setting up its first international-level dairy industry in the new capital of Nay Pyi Taw with the help of Australian technical experts.
The dairy factory, which cost about one million U.S. dollars, has targeted to manufacture its long-preservable dairy products next year.
Moreover, the country has taken some measures to boost dairy products and stabilize the domestic market by offering loan to milk cow breeders.
Statistics show that there are more than 500,000 milk cows in Myanmar and milk factories went to 434 in number which are producing condensed milk at 120,000 viss (198 tons) per day or 73,000 tons per year.
The country imported 31.4 million U.S. dollars worth of condensed milk and 5.8 million dollars worth of milk powder and other milk food and malted milk in the fiscal year 2007-08.
*****************************************************
eTaiwan News - Malaysian officers held over Myanmar migrant sale
By JULIA ZAPPEI - Associated Press
2009-07-21 11:47 AM
Malaysian authorities have arrested five immigration officers suspected of selling illegal immigrants from Myanmar to human traffickers, police said Tuesday.
It is the first time Malaysia has found evidence that government officials were involved in the forced labor exploitation of Myanmar migrants at its border with Thailand _ an accusation that prompted the U.S. State Department to put Malaysia on a list of top trafficking offenders last month.
Police federal crimes investigation head Mohamad Bakri Zinin said authorities have arrested five Immigration Department officers and four bus drivers over the past five days.
Investigations showed the officers brought Myanmar migrants _ who lived in Malaysia without valid travel documents _ to Malaysia's northern border with Thailand and handed them to human traffickers in exchange for up to 600 ringgit ($170) for each.
The traffickers took the migrants into Thailand and told them to pay 2,000 ringgit ($570) each for their freedom or they would be forced to work in the fishing industry, Mohamad Bakri said.
"These things really happen," Mohamad Bakri said.
All nine arrested could be charged for profiting from the exploitation of trafficked persons, he said. The bus drivers allegedly helped transport the migrants to the border.
If convicted, they face up to 15 years in prison.
The officers arrested were reportedly senior state-level personnel. Immigration officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
In April, a report by the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations said illegal Myanmar migrants deported from Malaysia have been forced to work in brothels, fishing boats and restaurants across the border in Thailand if they had no money to buy their freedom.
The U.S. State Department recommended that Malaysia fully implement and enforce its anti-trafficking laws _ which have been in place for several years _ and increase prosecutions, convictions and sentences for trafficking.
The United Nations refugee agency has registered more than 48,000 refugees in Malaysia, most from Myanmar. But community leaders estimate the number of people from military-ruled Myanmar living in Malaysia is about twice that.
By JULIA ZAPPEI - Associated Press
2009-07-21 11:47 AM
Malaysian authorities have arrested five immigration officers suspected of selling illegal immigrants from Myanmar to human traffickers, police said Tuesday.
It is the first time Malaysia has found evidence that government officials were involved in the forced labor exploitation of Myanmar migrants at its border with Thailand _ an accusation that prompted the U.S. State Department to put Malaysia on a list of top trafficking offenders last month.
Police federal crimes investigation head Mohamad Bakri Zinin said authorities have arrested five Immigration Department officers and four bus drivers over the past five days.
Investigations showed the officers brought Myanmar migrants _ who lived in Malaysia without valid travel documents _ to Malaysia's northern border with Thailand and handed them to human traffickers in exchange for up to 600 ringgit ($170) for each.
The traffickers took the migrants into Thailand and told them to pay 2,000 ringgit ($570) each for their freedom or they would be forced to work in the fishing industry, Mohamad Bakri said.
"These things really happen," Mohamad Bakri said.
All nine arrested could be charged for profiting from the exploitation of trafficked persons, he said. The bus drivers allegedly helped transport the migrants to the border.
If convicted, they face up to 15 years in prison.
The officers arrested were reportedly senior state-level personnel. Immigration officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
In April, a report by the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations said illegal Myanmar migrants deported from Malaysia have been forced to work in brothels, fishing boats and restaurants across the border in Thailand if they had no money to buy their freedom.
The U.S. State Department recommended that Malaysia fully implement and enforce its anti-trafficking laws _ which have been in place for several years _ and increase prosecutions, convictions and sentences for trafficking.
The United Nations refugee agency has registered more than 48,000 refugees in Malaysia, most from Myanmar. But community leaders estimate the number of people from military-ruled Myanmar living in Malaysia is about twice that.
*****************************************************
The New York Times - Using Scientific Tools in an International War on Fake Drugs
By THOMAS FULLER
Published: July 20, 2009
“Let’s use some Atlanta drug money,” said Facundo M. Fernández, a chemistry professor, as he picked out a limp, ratty dollar bill from his wallet and handed it to one of his graduate students.
Minutes later, after running the bill through the laboratory’s high-tech machinery, the chemists had found what they were looking for: traces of cocaine.
Dr. Fernández, a professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, said that the demonstration, which he repeated with other bills provided by a reporter, showed both how pervasive cocaine was in the United States and how sensitive his machines were.
They can instantly identify the chemical makeup of food, drugs and just about anything placed in front of their stainless-steel aperture. The uses of the machines, known as mass spectrometers, are manifold — the federal Department of Homeland Security has commissioned Dr. Fernández to study whether the technology can help sniff for explosives at airports.
But Dr. Fernández’s main focus is counterfeit pharmaceutical drugs, especially in poorer countries, where government regulation is weak. He is part of an informal group of researchers and government officials spanning Africa, Asia and the United States who have teamed up with Interpol, the international police agency, to use cutting-edge technology in tracking fake drugs that claim to treat malaria. Counterfeit malaria drugs are of particular concern because of the scale and severity of the disease — it kills more than 2,000 children a day in Africa alone — and fears that fake or substandard malaria drugs are aggravating a growing problem of drug resistance.
For years, scientists have been able to analyze the ingredients of a pill or capsule using mass spectrometers, which identify chemicals by measuring molecular weights. But the overall process was time-consuming, taking about an hour per sample.
A scientific breakthrough in 2005 added an “ion gun” to the machines and allowed Dr. Fernández to check hundreds of pills a day. A technician simply holds the sample — a pill, dog food or a dollar bill, for example — up to the machine, which emits a jet of helium gas and captures a minute amount of the material, instantly identifying its component parts.
Contrary to the common belief that counterfeit drugs are just sugar pills, Dr. Fernández said, most fakes have some level of active ingredient. Many contain the cheap and readily available pain reliever paracetamol, which might temporarily soothe some symptoms but will not fight the underlying disease.
Sometimes researchers find harmful or very unexpected chemicals. Once, when analyzing what was suspected to be a counterfeit antimalarial pill, his team discovered traces of sildenafil, the main ingredient in the anti-impotency drug Viagra.
“We feel like detectives,” said Dr. Fernández, who is from Argentina. “You never know what you’re going to find.”
The counterfeit drug business has become increasingly attractive for criminal syndicates; the profit potential is vast, yet the punishment for those caught is typically much less severe than for illegal drugs like cocaine, law enforcement officials say.
This is especially true in Asia, where many countries impose the death penalty for trafficking heroin, Ecstasy or even marijuana but where combating counterfeit drugs is not a priority.
Three years ago, the World Health Organization estimated that as many as one in four pharmaceutical drugs sold in the developing world were counterfeit. It is impossible to know the exact level, but there is general agreement that the level of fake drugs is “unacceptably high,” in the words of the organization.
“We have discovered that no class of drugs had been spared,” said Aline Plançon, the head of Interpol’s counterfeit drug department. “It’s not just primary medicines. There’s also lifestyle drugs, herbal drugs, vaccines.”
Counterfeiters have become more sophisticated in recent years, churning out pills and packaging that look like the real thing.
But as the work of Dr. Fernández and others indicates, the sleuthing, too, is becoming more high-tech, relying on innovative forensic tools.
Dallas C. Mildenhall, another scientist in the anti-counterfeit network, helps track fake drugs by analyzing the microscopic pollen grains embedded in the pills or packaging.
Forensic investigators have used pollen grains for decades to help solve murders and other crimes, but Dr. Mildenhall pioneered using the tiny grains, which are ubiquitous in clothing, nostrils, hair, food and nearly everything exposed to air, to help combat counterfeiters.
Because many plants are specific to certain parts of the world, pollen helps determine where the drugs were manufactured. “Pollen markers give you an idea of the environment,” Dr. Mildenhall said by telephone from his office in New Zealand, where he is a researcher at GNS Science, a government organization. “Is it wet, dry, hot, cold? Are the soils acidic or not?”
Dr. Mildenhall’s work has helped establish that many counterfeits come from the border area between China and Vietnam as well as the general vicinity of the Golden Triangle, the area famous for heroin production where the borders of Laos, Myanmar and Thailand meet.
Three years ago, an analysis by Dr. Mildenhall of both pollen grains and specific minerals found in counterfeits helped pinpoint production to one particular site in southern China. In what was dubbed Operation Jupiter, Interpol handed over the evidence, and the Chinese government arrested three suspects.
Dr. Mildenhall is now involved in a project led by Paul N. Newton, the head of the Oxford University Center for Tropical Medicine in Laos, to determine whether counterfeit antimalarial drugs found in Africa were imported from Asia or manufactured locally.
“In Africa, it’s often said that fake drugs are coming from India and China,” Dr. Newton said from his office in Vientiane, the capital of Laos. “We don’t have any evidence ourselves at the moment to confirm or deny that.”
The results of the study will be out later this year, said Dr. Newton, who has led the research on counterfeit antimalarial drugs.
Using technology to combat counterfeit drugs has been a “necessary complement” to old-fashioned police work, said Ms. Plançon of Interpol. But she said the main obstacle to cracking down on fakes was a lack of political will and cooperation between countries.
“Politicians need to understand that this problem is much more serious than they think,” she said in a phone interview from her office in Geneva. “The more we work on these criminal networks, the more we see that they’re interconnected across continents.”
Ms. Plançon said that the police were discovering vast quantities of counterfeit drugs in Asia. Last year, in a coordinated police crackdown called Operation Storm, Interpol announced that 200 raids in Southeast Asia had yielded 16 million doses of fake drugs, with a street value of $6.6 million.
Officials from Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam participated in the operation, which resulted in 27 arrests.
Sabine Kopp, the acting head of anti-counterfeiting activities at the World Health Organization, said that Interpol’s role had helped pressure governments into action. “There’s a lot more discussion,” Dr. Kopp said. “There’s a lot more agreement to share information.”
But there are also signs that the problem is spreading. Mrs. Plançon said the police were discovering not only counterfeit drugs but fake medical supplies like blood bags, syringes, bandages and contact lenses.
Mass spectrometers may have a role in weeding out some of these counterfeits. Dr. Fernández, of Georgia Tech, is using them to test whether mosquito nets treated with insecticide, a crucial way to combat malaria, are genuine.
One major limitation of using the technology is cost. A typical mass spectrometer goes for about $150,000, a budget-breaker for governments of poorer countries.
With time, though, Dr. Fernández hopes, costs will come down far enough that machines could be installed in local pharmacies.
“I always dream that at some point the end-consumer will be able to check,” Dr. Fernández said. “You put your tablet in front of a machine and you get a red light or a green light. That would be the end of counterfeit drugs.”
By THOMAS FULLER
Published: July 20, 2009
“Let’s use some Atlanta drug money,” said Facundo M. Fernández, a chemistry professor, as he picked out a limp, ratty dollar bill from his wallet and handed it to one of his graduate students.
Minutes later, after running the bill through the laboratory’s high-tech machinery, the chemists had found what they were looking for: traces of cocaine.
Dr. Fernández, a professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, said that the demonstration, which he repeated with other bills provided by a reporter, showed both how pervasive cocaine was in the United States and how sensitive his machines were.
They can instantly identify the chemical makeup of food, drugs and just about anything placed in front of their stainless-steel aperture. The uses of the machines, known as mass spectrometers, are manifold — the federal Department of Homeland Security has commissioned Dr. Fernández to study whether the technology can help sniff for explosives at airports.
But Dr. Fernández’s main focus is counterfeit pharmaceutical drugs, especially in poorer countries, where government regulation is weak. He is part of an informal group of researchers and government officials spanning Africa, Asia and the United States who have teamed up with Interpol, the international police agency, to use cutting-edge technology in tracking fake drugs that claim to treat malaria. Counterfeit malaria drugs are of particular concern because of the scale and severity of the disease — it kills more than 2,000 children a day in Africa alone — and fears that fake or substandard malaria drugs are aggravating a growing problem of drug resistance.
For years, scientists have been able to analyze the ingredients of a pill or capsule using mass spectrometers, which identify chemicals by measuring molecular weights. But the overall process was time-consuming, taking about an hour per sample.
A scientific breakthrough in 2005 added an “ion gun” to the machines and allowed Dr. Fernández to check hundreds of pills a day. A technician simply holds the sample — a pill, dog food or a dollar bill, for example — up to the machine, which emits a jet of helium gas and captures a minute amount of the material, instantly identifying its component parts.
Contrary to the common belief that counterfeit drugs are just sugar pills, Dr. Fernández said, most fakes have some level of active ingredient. Many contain the cheap and readily available pain reliever paracetamol, which might temporarily soothe some symptoms but will not fight the underlying disease.
Sometimes researchers find harmful or very unexpected chemicals. Once, when analyzing what was suspected to be a counterfeit antimalarial pill, his team discovered traces of sildenafil, the main ingredient in the anti-impotency drug Viagra.
“We feel like detectives,” said Dr. Fernández, who is from Argentina. “You never know what you’re going to find.”
The counterfeit drug business has become increasingly attractive for criminal syndicates; the profit potential is vast, yet the punishment for those caught is typically much less severe than for illegal drugs like cocaine, law enforcement officials say.
This is especially true in Asia, where many countries impose the death penalty for trafficking heroin, Ecstasy or even marijuana but where combating counterfeit drugs is not a priority.
Three years ago, the World Health Organization estimated that as many as one in four pharmaceutical drugs sold in the developing world were counterfeit. It is impossible to know the exact level, but there is general agreement that the level of fake drugs is “unacceptably high,” in the words of the organization.
“We have discovered that no class of drugs had been spared,” said Aline Plançon, the head of Interpol’s counterfeit drug department. “It’s not just primary medicines. There’s also lifestyle drugs, herbal drugs, vaccines.”
Counterfeiters have become more sophisticated in recent years, churning out pills and packaging that look like the real thing.
But as the work of Dr. Fernández and others indicates, the sleuthing, too, is becoming more high-tech, relying on innovative forensic tools.
Dallas C. Mildenhall, another scientist in the anti-counterfeit network, helps track fake drugs by analyzing the microscopic pollen grains embedded in the pills or packaging.
Forensic investigators have used pollen grains for decades to help solve murders and other crimes, but Dr. Mildenhall pioneered using the tiny grains, which are ubiquitous in clothing, nostrils, hair, food and nearly everything exposed to air, to help combat counterfeiters.
Because many plants are specific to certain parts of the world, pollen helps determine where the drugs were manufactured. “Pollen markers give you an idea of the environment,” Dr. Mildenhall said by telephone from his office in New Zealand, where he is a researcher at GNS Science, a government organization. “Is it wet, dry, hot, cold? Are the soils acidic or not?”
Dr. Mildenhall’s work has helped establish that many counterfeits come from the border area between China and Vietnam as well as the general vicinity of the Golden Triangle, the area famous for heroin production where the borders of Laos, Myanmar and Thailand meet.
Three years ago, an analysis by Dr. Mildenhall of both pollen grains and specific minerals found in counterfeits helped pinpoint production to one particular site in southern China. In what was dubbed Operation Jupiter, Interpol handed over the evidence, and the Chinese government arrested three suspects.
Dr. Mildenhall is now involved in a project led by Paul N. Newton, the head of the Oxford University Center for Tropical Medicine in Laos, to determine whether counterfeit antimalarial drugs found in Africa were imported from Asia or manufactured locally.
“In Africa, it’s often said that fake drugs are coming from India and China,” Dr. Newton said from his office in Vientiane, the capital of Laos. “We don’t have any evidence ourselves at the moment to confirm or deny that.”
The results of the study will be out later this year, said Dr. Newton, who has led the research on counterfeit antimalarial drugs.
Using technology to combat counterfeit drugs has been a “necessary complement” to old-fashioned police work, said Ms. Plançon of Interpol. But she said the main obstacle to cracking down on fakes was a lack of political will and cooperation between countries.
“Politicians need to understand that this problem is much more serious than they think,” she said in a phone interview from her office in Geneva. “The more we work on these criminal networks, the more we see that they’re interconnected across continents.”
Ms. Plançon said that the police were discovering vast quantities of counterfeit drugs in Asia. Last year, in a coordinated police crackdown called Operation Storm, Interpol announced that 200 raids in Southeast Asia had yielded 16 million doses of fake drugs, with a street value of $6.6 million.
Officials from Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam participated in the operation, which resulted in 27 arrests.
Sabine Kopp, the acting head of anti-counterfeiting activities at the World Health Organization, said that Interpol’s role had helped pressure governments into action. “There’s a lot more discussion,” Dr. Kopp said. “There’s a lot more agreement to share information.”
But there are also signs that the problem is spreading. Mrs. Plançon said the police were discovering not only counterfeit drugs but fake medical supplies like blood bags, syringes, bandages and contact lenses.
Mass spectrometers may have a role in weeding out some of these counterfeits. Dr. Fernández, of Georgia Tech, is using them to test whether mosquito nets treated with insecticide, a crucial way to combat malaria, are genuine.
One major limitation of using the technology is cost. A typical mass spectrometer goes for about $150,000, a budget-breaker for governments of poorer countries.
With time, though, Dr. Fernández hopes, costs will come down far enough that machines could be installed in local pharmacies.
“I always dream that at some point the end-consumer will be able to check,” Dr. Fernández said. “You put your tablet in front of a machine and you get a red light or a green light. That would be the end of counterfeit drugs.”
*****************************************************
July 21, 2009
The Straits Times - N.Korea fears pressure at meet
PHUKET (Thailand) - NUCLEAR-ARMED North Korea on Tuesday expressed concerns that it will come under pressure at Asia's biggest annual security meeting here this week, a Thai official said.
North Korean ambassador-at-large Pak Kun-Gwang met Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya for a 30-minute meeting ahead of Thursday's Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Regional Forum, the official said.
Pyongyang's withdrawal from multilateral talks on its nuclear aims are expected to dominate the forum, which will also feature the other parties at the talks - the United States, China, Japan, South Korea and Russia.
'North Korea expressed concerns that this forum will put pressure on them,' Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, the secretary to the Thai foreign minister, told reporters in the resort island of Phuket, the venue for the forum.
Mr Chavanond said Thailand's Kasit had assured the North Korean ambassador that the aim of the security meeting was to foster peace and friendship.
'The Thai minister has told them that North Korea should listen to the United States as President Barack Obama's government is new. He asked North Korea to look on the positive side,' he added.
North Korea's foreign minister has declined to attend the meeting, sending a five-member delegation including the ambassador to Phuket.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who arrived in Thailand earlier on Tuesday, said that Washington was taking concerns about possible military cooperation between North Korea and military-ruled Myanmar 'very seriously.' -- AFP
The Straits Times - N.Korea fears pressure at meet
PHUKET (Thailand) - NUCLEAR-ARMED North Korea on Tuesday expressed concerns that it will come under pressure at Asia's biggest annual security meeting here this week, a Thai official said.
North Korean ambassador-at-large Pak Kun-Gwang met Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya for a 30-minute meeting ahead of Thursday's Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Regional Forum, the official said.
Pyongyang's withdrawal from multilateral talks on its nuclear aims are expected to dominate the forum, which will also feature the other parties at the talks - the United States, China, Japan, South Korea and Russia.
'North Korea expressed concerns that this forum will put pressure on them,' Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, the secretary to the Thai foreign minister, told reporters in the resort island of Phuket, the venue for the forum.
Mr Chavanond said Thailand's Kasit had assured the North Korean ambassador that the aim of the security meeting was to foster peace and friendship.
'The Thai minister has told them that North Korea should listen to the United States as President Barack Obama's government is new. He asked North Korea to look on the positive side,' he added.
North Korea's foreign minister has declined to attend the meeting, sending a five-member delegation including the ambassador to Phuket.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who arrived in Thailand earlier on Tuesday, said that Washington was taking concerns about possible military cooperation between North Korea and military-ruled Myanmar 'very seriously.' -- AFP
*****************************************************
Fox News - Source: Burma Calls for Nukes, N. Korea Answers
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
SEOUL, South Korea — The recent aborted voyage of a North Korean ship, photographs of massive tunnels and a top secret meeting have raised alarm bells that one of the world's poorest nations may be aspiring to join the nuclear club — with help from its friends in Pyongyang. No one expects military-run Burma, renamed Myanmar, to obtain an atomic bomb anytime soon, but experts have the Southeast Asian nation on their radar screen.
"There's suspicion that something is going on, and increasingly that cooperation with North Korea may have a nuclear undercurrent. We are very much looking into it," says David Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security, a Washington, D.C. think tank.
The issue is expected to be discussed, at least on the sidelines, at this week's ASEAN Regional Forum, a major security conference hosted by Thailand. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, along with representatives from North Korea and Burma, will attend.
Alert signals sounded recently when a North Korean freighter, the Kang Nam I, headed toward Burma with undisclosed cargo. Shadowed by the U.S. Navy, it reversed course and returned home earlier this month.
It is still not clear what was aboard. U.S. and South Korean officials suspected artillery and other non-nuclear arms, but one South Korean intelligence expert, citing satellite imagery, says the ship's mission appeared to be related to a Burma nuclear program and also carried Scud-type missiles.
The expert, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said North Korea is helping Burma set up uranium- and nuclear-related facilities, echoing similar reports that have long circulated in Burma's exile community and media.
Meanwhile, Japanese police arrested a North Korean and two Japanese nationals last month for allegedly trying to export a magnetic measuring device to Burma that could be used to develop missiles.
And a recent report from Washington-based Radio Free Asia and Burma exile media said senior Burma military officers made a top secret visit late last year to North Korea, where an agreement was concluded for greatly expanding cooperation to modernize Burma's military muscle, including the construction of underground installations. The military pact report has yet to be confirmed.
In June, photographs, video and reports showed as many as 800 tunnels, some of them vast, dug in Burma with North Korean assistance under an operation code-named "Tortoise Shells." The photos were reportedly taken between 2003 and 2006.
Thailand-based author Bertil Lintner is convinced of the authenticity of the photos, which he was the first to obtain. However, the purpose of the tunnel networks, many near the remote capital of Naypyitaw, remains a question mark.
"There is no doubt that the Burmese generals would like to have a bomb so that they could challenge the Americans and the rest of the world," says Lintner, who has written books on both Burma and North Korea. "But they must be decades away from acquiring anything that would even remotely resemble an atomic bomb."
David Mathieson of the New York-based Human Rights Watch, who monitors developments in Burma, says that while there's no firm evidence the generals are pursuing a nuclear weapons capability, "a swirl of circumstantial trends indicates something in the nuclear field is going on that definitely warrants closer scrutiny by the international community."
Albright says some of the suspicion stems from North Korea's nuclear cooperation with Syria, which now possesses a reactor. Syria had first approached the Russians, just as Burma did earlier, but both countries were rejected, so the Syrians turned to Pyongyang — a step Burma may also be taking.
Since the early 2000s, dissidents and defectors from Burma have talked of a "nuclear battalion," an atomic "Ayelar Project" working out of a disguised flour mill and two Pakistani scientists who fled to Burma following the Sept. 11 World Trade Center attack providing assistance. They gave no detailed evidence.
Now a spokesman for the self-styled Burma government-in-exile, the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma, says that according to sources working with the dissident movement inside the Burma army, there are two heavily guarded buildings under construction "to hold nuclear reactors" in central Burma.
Villagers in the area have been displaced, said spokesman Zinn Lin.
Andrew Selth of Australia's Griffith University, who has monitored Burma's possible nuclear moves for a decade, says none of these reports has been substantiated and calls the issue an "information black hole."
He also says Western governments are cautious in their assessments, remembering the intelligence blunders regarding suspected weapons of mass destruction in Saddam Hussein's Iraq.
A U.S. State Department official, speaking on customary rules of anonymity, said he would not comment on intelligence-related matters such as nuclear proliferation.
"I don't want that to be seen as confirmation one way or the other. Obviously, any time that a country does business with North Korea we're going to watch to see what that is," the official said.
Alarm bells about Burma's aspirations have rung before. In 2007, Russia signed an agreement to establish a nuclear studies center in Burma, build a 10-megawatt nuclear research reactor for peaceful purposes and train several hundred technicians in its operation.
However, Russia's atomic agency Rosatom told The Associated Press recently that "there has been no movement whatsoever on this agreement with Burma ever since."
Even earlier, before the military seized power, Burma sought to develop nuclear energy, sending physicists to the United States and Britain for studies in the 1950s. The military government established a Department of Atomic Energy in 2001 under U Thaung, a known proponent of nuclear technology who currently heads the Ministry of Science and Technology.
Burma is a party to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, and under a safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency, it is obligated to let the U.N. watchdog know at least six months in advance of operating a nuclear facility, agency spokesman Ayhan Evrensel said.
Evrensel said the Vienna-based IAEA has asked Burma to sign a so-called "additional protocol" that would allow agency experts to carry out unannounced inspections and lead to a broader flow of information about Burma's nuclear activities.
The regime has remained silent on whatever its plans may be. A Burma government spokesman did not respond to an e-mail asking about Russian and North Korean involvement in nuclear development.
In a rare comment from inside Burma, Chan Tun, former ambassador to North Korea turned democracy activist, told the Thailand-based Irrawaddy magazine, "To put it plainly: Burma wants to get the technology to develop a nuclear bomb.
"However, I have to say that it is childish of the Burmese generals to dream about acquiring nuclear technology since they can't even provide regular electricity in Burma," the Burma exile publication quoted him last month as saying.
Some experts think the generals may be bluffing.
"I would think that it's quite possible Yangon would like to scare other countries or may feel that talking about developing nuclear technologies will give them more bargaining clout," said Cristina-Astrid Hansell at the California-based James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. "This is not unreasonable, given the payoffs North Korea has gotten for its nuclear program."
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
SEOUL, South Korea — The recent aborted voyage of a North Korean ship, photographs of massive tunnels and a top secret meeting have raised alarm bells that one of the world's poorest nations may be aspiring to join the nuclear club — with help from its friends in Pyongyang. No one expects military-run Burma, renamed Myanmar, to obtain an atomic bomb anytime soon, but experts have the Southeast Asian nation on their radar screen.
"There's suspicion that something is going on, and increasingly that cooperation with North Korea may have a nuclear undercurrent. We are very much looking into it," says David Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security, a Washington, D.C. think tank.
The issue is expected to be discussed, at least on the sidelines, at this week's ASEAN Regional Forum, a major security conference hosted by Thailand. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, along with representatives from North Korea and Burma, will attend.
Alert signals sounded recently when a North Korean freighter, the Kang Nam I, headed toward Burma with undisclosed cargo. Shadowed by the U.S. Navy, it reversed course and returned home earlier this month.
It is still not clear what was aboard. U.S. and South Korean officials suspected artillery and other non-nuclear arms, but one South Korean intelligence expert, citing satellite imagery, says the ship's mission appeared to be related to a Burma nuclear program and also carried Scud-type missiles.
The expert, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said North Korea is helping Burma set up uranium- and nuclear-related facilities, echoing similar reports that have long circulated in Burma's exile community and media.
Meanwhile, Japanese police arrested a North Korean and two Japanese nationals last month for allegedly trying to export a magnetic measuring device to Burma that could be used to develop missiles.
And a recent report from Washington-based Radio Free Asia and Burma exile media said senior Burma military officers made a top secret visit late last year to North Korea, where an agreement was concluded for greatly expanding cooperation to modernize Burma's military muscle, including the construction of underground installations. The military pact report has yet to be confirmed.
In June, photographs, video and reports showed as many as 800 tunnels, some of them vast, dug in Burma with North Korean assistance under an operation code-named "Tortoise Shells." The photos were reportedly taken between 2003 and 2006.
Thailand-based author Bertil Lintner is convinced of the authenticity of the photos, which he was the first to obtain. However, the purpose of the tunnel networks, many near the remote capital of Naypyitaw, remains a question mark.
"There is no doubt that the Burmese generals would like to have a bomb so that they could challenge the Americans and the rest of the world," says Lintner, who has written books on both Burma and North Korea. "But they must be decades away from acquiring anything that would even remotely resemble an atomic bomb."
David Mathieson of the New York-based Human Rights Watch, who monitors developments in Burma, says that while there's no firm evidence the generals are pursuing a nuclear weapons capability, "a swirl of circumstantial trends indicates something in the nuclear field is going on that definitely warrants closer scrutiny by the international community."
Albright says some of the suspicion stems from North Korea's nuclear cooperation with Syria, which now possesses a reactor. Syria had first approached the Russians, just as Burma did earlier, but both countries were rejected, so the Syrians turned to Pyongyang — a step Burma may also be taking.
Since the early 2000s, dissidents and defectors from Burma have talked of a "nuclear battalion," an atomic "Ayelar Project" working out of a disguised flour mill and two Pakistani scientists who fled to Burma following the Sept. 11 World Trade Center attack providing assistance. They gave no detailed evidence.
Now a spokesman for the self-styled Burma government-in-exile, the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma, says that according to sources working with the dissident movement inside the Burma army, there are two heavily guarded buildings under construction "to hold nuclear reactors" in central Burma.
Villagers in the area have been displaced, said spokesman Zinn Lin.
Andrew Selth of Australia's Griffith University, who has monitored Burma's possible nuclear moves for a decade, says none of these reports has been substantiated and calls the issue an "information black hole."
He also says Western governments are cautious in their assessments, remembering the intelligence blunders regarding suspected weapons of mass destruction in Saddam Hussein's Iraq.
A U.S. State Department official, speaking on customary rules of anonymity, said he would not comment on intelligence-related matters such as nuclear proliferation.
"I don't want that to be seen as confirmation one way or the other. Obviously, any time that a country does business with North Korea we're going to watch to see what that is," the official said.
Alarm bells about Burma's aspirations have rung before. In 2007, Russia signed an agreement to establish a nuclear studies center in Burma, build a 10-megawatt nuclear research reactor for peaceful purposes and train several hundred technicians in its operation.
However, Russia's atomic agency Rosatom told The Associated Press recently that "there has been no movement whatsoever on this agreement with Burma ever since."
Even earlier, before the military seized power, Burma sought to develop nuclear energy, sending physicists to the United States and Britain for studies in the 1950s. The military government established a Department of Atomic Energy in 2001 under U Thaung, a known proponent of nuclear technology who currently heads the Ministry of Science and Technology.
Burma is a party to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, and under a safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency, it is obligated to let the U.N. watchdog know at least six months in advance of operating a nuclear facility, agency spokesman Ayhan Evrensel said.
Evrensel said the Vienna-based IAEA has asked Burma to sign a so-called "additional protocol" that would allow agency experts to carry out unannounced inspections and lead to a broader flow of information about Burma's nuclear activities.
The regime has remained silent on whatever its plans may be. A Burma government spokesman did not respond to an e-mail asking about Russian and North Korean involvement in nuclear development.
In a rare comment from inside Burma, Chan Tun, former ambassador to North Korea turned democracy activist, told the Thailand-based Irrawaddy magazine, "To put it plainly: Burma wants to get the technology to develop a nuclear bomb.
"However, I have to say that it is childish of the Burmese generals to dream about acquiring nuclear technology since they can't even provide regular electricity in Burma," the Burma exile publication quoted him last month as saying.
Some experts think the generals may be bluffing.
"I would think that it's quite possible Yangon would like to scare other countries or may feel that talking about developing nuclear technologies will give them more bargaining clout," said Cristina-Astrid Hansell at the California-based James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. "This is not unreasonable, given the payoffs North Korea has gotten for its nuclear program."
*****************************************************
Moscow stands by Myanmar nuclear cooperation deal
19:4821/07/2009
MOSCOW, July 21 (RIA Novosti) - Nuclear cooperation between Russia and Myanmar is not in conflict with the Nonproliferation Treaty or IAEA requirements, and will move ahead, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Tuesday.
Andrei Nesterenko's comment came in response to U.S. concerns over the cooperation.
However, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said earlier on Tuesday that Washington was taking concerns about military cooperation between nuclear-armed North Korea and Myanmar "very seriously," but made no mention of Russia.
"Our cooperation with Myanmar is absolutely legitimate and in full compliance with our obligations under the Nonproliferation Treaty and IAEA requirements," Nesterenko said.
He added that the IAEA had no problem with Myanmar over its nonproliferation commitments.
Russia signed an agreement in 2007 on the construction of a nuclear research center in Myanmar, and it will stand by this agreement, Nesterenko said.
The center will include a 10 MW light-water research reactor.
19:4821/07/2009
MOSCOW, July 21 (RIA Novosti) - Nuclear cooperation between Russia and Myanmar is not in conflict with the Nonproliferation Treaty or IAEA requirements, and will move ahead, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Tuesday.
Andrei Nesterenko's comment came in response to U.S. concerns over the cooperation.
However, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said earlier on Tuesday that Washington was taking concerns about military cooperation between nuclear-armed North Korea and Myanmar "very seriously," but made no mention of Russia.
"Our cooperation with Myanmar is absolutely legitimate and in full compliance with our obligations under the Nonproliferation Treaty and IAEA requirements," Nesterenko said.
He added that the IAEA had no problem with Myanmar over its nonproliferation commitments.
Russia signed an agreement in 2007 on the construction of a nuclear research center in Myanmar, and it will stand by this agreement, Nesterenko said.
The center will include a 10 MW light-water research reactor.
*****************************************************
Globe and Mail - Tsunami could devastate Myanmar, Bangladesh
MICHAEL CASEY
BANGKOK — Associated Press Last updated on Friday, Apr. 03, 2009 10:46AM EDT
More than one million people in South Asia's Bay of Bengal could be swept to their deaths by a tsunami if a giant earthquake were to hit off the coast of Myanmar, according to a study published Thursday.
But the study's author, Phil Cummins, said he does not have enough data to say whether such a cataclysmic event – a quake projected to be from 8.5 magnitude to 9.0 magnitude – is likely to hit parts of Myanmar and Bangladesh in the next few decades or in several hundred years. Smaller quakes in the immediate area are rare.
“I don't want to cause a panic. There is no reason anything like this would happen soon,” said Dr. Cummins, of Geoscience Australia, the federal agency that carries out geoscientific research.
The threat of tsunamis has taken on added urgency in recent years after a 9.3-magnitude earthquake off Indonesia's Sumatra island in December, 2004, triggered a tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people and left a half million homeless in a dozen countries. Myanmar and Bangladesh suffered relatively minor damage from the tsunami, with 61 people and two people killed, respectively.
Previous research had shown the potential for large quakes in the Bay of Bengal area but Dr. Cummins said his study, which appeared in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature, is the first to suggest that a big quake could spawn a tsunami “that could have pronounced impact on the Chittagong coast and the Ganges-Bhramaputra delta at the northern tip of” the bay.
The numbers of people at risk from a tsunami, he wrote, may be “over a million,” given that the region is home to Bangladesh's second largest city of Chittagong and that there are tens of millions of people living just above sea level in the region.
Dr. Cummins has not presented his findings to the governments of Myanmar and Bangladesh. Officials from Myanmar and Bangladesh could not immediately be reached for comment.
The area that he studied is a section of the Sunda Megathrust known as the Arakan Subduction Zone where the Indian and Southeast Asia plates meet. The Sunda Megathrust stretches all the way from Western Australia to the Himalayas, and ruptures along that fault line were blamed for the Sumatra earthquake in 2004.
Examining historical records, Dr. Cummins found evidence that an earthquake estimated at magnitude 8.5 to 9.0 struck off the western Myanmar coast in April, 1762 – the most recent large quake found in the records.
He said it probably produced a tsunami, citing eyewitness accounts of waves washing over nearby Cheduba Island, submerged coasts near Chittagong and causing river levels as far inland as the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka – about 100 kilometres.
He said future quakes and tsunamis were likely, given the historical accounts and more recent surveys of the area, which determined that a magnitude 8.5 quake could hit the area every 100 years and a 9.0 every 500 years.
“I would hope this spurs further work in confirming these past events,” he said. “It should be possible to answer how big was this event, how often do these events occur and what kind of tsunamis are generated through further geological investigation.”
He said it was difficult for local authorities to take action to prevent the disaster, since it was not likely an immediate threat and any tsunami would probably inundate threatened regions from within 10 minutes to two hours.
The reaction to Dr. Cummins's findings has been mixed, with some tsunami experts saying they shed important light on a section of Sunda Megathrust that has received little attention in the past.
“The main value of the paper is in advertising the danger of the section of the megathrust that no one has worried about,” said California Institute of Technology's Kerry Sieh, who has used coral records and GPS networks to predict that a big quake and tsunami are likely to hit parts of Sumatra Island in the coming decades.
“The effects on the west coast of Myanmar and, more importantly, Bangladesh would be awful,” he said.
But Costas Synolakis, director of the Tsunami Research Center at the University of Southern California, insisted that he and others presented findings at earlier seminars showing that there was a threat of a quake-generated tsunami in the Bay of Bengal but that the worst impact would be in Sri Lanka.
“There is nothing new here,” Dr. ynolakis said in an e-mail interview.
He also said the scenario presented by Dr. Cummins “could lead to a massive panic south of Chennai (India) and possibly a sense of reassurance in Sri Lanka,” where he said the threat of another tsunami was worse.
MICHAEL CASEY
BANGKOK — Associated Press Last updated on Friday, Apr. 03, 2009 10:46AM EDT
More than one million people in South Asia's Bay of Bengal could be swept to their deaths by a tsunami if a giant earthquake were to hit off the coast of Myanmar, according to a study published Thursday.
But the study's author, Phil Cummins, said he does not have enough data to say whether such a cataclysmic event – a quake projected to be from 8.5 magnitude to 9.0 magnitude – is likely to hit parts of Myanmar and Bangladesh in the next few decades or in several hundred years. Smaller quakes in the immediate area are rare.
“I don't want to cause a panic. There is no reason anything like this would happen soon,” said Dr. Cummins, of Geoscience Australia, the federal agency that carries out geoscientific research.
The threat of tsunamis has taken on added urgency in recent years after a 9.3-magnitude earthquake off Indonesia's Sumatra island in December, 2004, triggered a tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people and left a half million homeless in a dozen countries. Myanmar and Bangladesh suffered relatively minor damage from the tsunami, with 61 people and two people killed, respectively.
Previous research had shown the potential for large quakes in the Bay of Bengal area but Dr. Cummins said his study, which appeared in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature, is the first to suggest that a big quake could spawn a tsunami “that could have pronounced impact on the Chittagong coast and the Ganges-Bhramaputra delta at the northern tip of” the bay.
The numbers of people at risk from a tsunami, he wrote, may be “over a million,” given that the region is home to Bangladesh's second largest city of Chittagong and that there are tens of millions of people living just above sea level in the region.
Dr. Cummins has not presented his findings to the governments of Myanmar and Bangladesh. Officials from Myanmar and Bangladesh could not immediately be reached for comment.
The area that he studied is a section of the Sunda Megathrust known as the Arakan Subduction Zone where the Indian and Southeast Asia plates meet. The Sunda Megathrust stretches all the way from Western Australia to the Himalayas, and ruptures along that fault line were blamed for the Sumatra earthquake in 2004.
Examining historical records, Dr. Cummins found evidence that an earthquake estimated at magnitude 8.5 to 9.0 struck off the western Myanmar coast in April, 1762 – the most recent large quake found in the records.
He said it probably produced a tsunami, citing eyewitness accounts of waves washing over nearby Cheduba Island, submerged coasts near Chittagong and causing river levels as far inland as the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka – about 100 kilometres.
He said future quakes and tsunamis were likely, given the historical accounts and more recent surveys of the area, which determined that a magnitude 8.5 quake could hit the area every 100 years and a 9.0 every 500 years.
“I would hope this spurs further work in confirming these past events,” he said. “It should be possible to answer how big was this event, how often do these events occur and what kind of tsunamis are generated through further geological investigation.”
He said it was difficult for local authorities to take action to prevent the disaster, since it was not likely an immediate threat and any tsunami would probably inundate threatened regions from within 10 minutes to two hours.
The reaction to Dr. Cummins's findings has been mixed, with some tsunami experts saying they shed important light on a section of Sunda Megathrust that has received little attention in the past.
“The main value of the paper is in advertising the danger of the section of the megathrust that no one has worried about,” said California Institute of Technology's Kerry Sieh, who has used coral records and GPS networks to predict that a big quake and tsunami are likely to hit parts of Sumatra Island in the coming decades.
“The effects on the west coast of Myanmar and, more importantly, Bangladesh would be awful,” he said.
But Costas Synolakis, director of the Tsunami Research Center at the University of Southern California, insisted that he and others presented findings at earlier seminars showing that there was a threat of a quake-generated tsunami in the Bay of Bengal but that the worst impact would be in Sri Lanka.
“There is nothing new here,” Dr. ynolakis said in an e-mail interview.
He also said the scenario presented by Dr. Cummins “could lead to a massive panic south of Chennai (India) and possibly a sense of reassurance in Sri Lanka,” where he said the threat of another tsunami was worse.
*****************************************************
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
ANALYSIS
The Manila Times - Asean rights body better than nothing
By Rachel O’brien, Agence France-Presse
PHUKET: Southeast Asia’s first rights body panders to abusers like Myanmar and is virtually powerless, but remains a “historic” step in the right direction, analysts and activists said.
Foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) defended the proposed rights commission against criticisms that it would be toothless as they endorsed final terms for the watchdog on Monday.
The group’s democratic members led by Indonesia had pressed for a body with more power, while countries with poor rights records, including military-ruled Myanmar and communist Laos and Vietnam, have tried to water it down.
“There’s probably a lot of people who are skeptical of the whole process,” David Mathieson of Human Rights Watch told Agence France-Presse.
“But the point is—it’s been a long time coming and Asean is pretty weak on a lot of issues, and they have got to start somewhere. It’s a first step and it’s an imperfect first step.”
Rights commission
The long-awaited commission, to be formally launched at an Asean leaders’ summit in October, is designed to address criticisms throughout the bloc’s 42-year history that it is soft on human rights.
Yet its terms of reference show that it will focus on the promotion of rights rather than protection, with the body having no power to punish members that violate their obligations.
It also follows Asean’s underlying—and controversial—principle of non-interference in domestic affairs, which has been used by some members to fend off criticism about alleged rights abuses.
Activist Debbie Stothard of the Alternative Asean Network on Burma said civil society groups had lobbied the bloc’s top levels to “make sure the human rights commission actually has teeth”—but to little avail.
“It’s pretty clear that the human rights body is being developed to fit the lowest common denominator, to fit the comfort level of the most repressive regimes in Asean, such as the Burmese junta,” Stothard said.
Stothard said the watchdog is “supposed to set the standards and aspire to them” rather than accommodate “people who don’t even like human rights.”
Notorious abuser
Myanmar, which was formerly known as Burma, is the most notorious rights abuser in the region, with more than 2,000 political prisoners in detention, including Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
The ruling junta sparked international outrage in May when it put Aung San Suu Kyi on trial for an incident in which an American man swam to her house, and then refused to allow visiting UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to see her this month.
Vietnam has meanwhile faced criticism from the United States and European Union over a series of recent arrests including that of a prominent human rights lawyer for “propaganda” against the state.
Laos has faced criticism for the alleged persecution of members of the ethnic minority Hmong community, while Cambodia’s rulers have faced calls to end a spate of legal action against critics.
Even democratic Thailand and Indonesia have come under fire from rights groups for alleged abuses by their security forces in recent months.
But while Mathieson warned that the new Asean body faced a “lot of work” in the region, he added: “Overall the fact that they are even thinking about it is the first step and that’s to be welcomed.”
He said it was up to all Asean countries and civil society groups to “turn the whole mechanism into something useful.”
“I think it’s a very good step to set up a permanent [rights] organization,” said Ukrist Pathmanand, an associate professor in political science at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University.
“It’s a historic step for human rights in this region,” he said. “I think whether we criticize it or not depends on what is next for the role of this organization.”
ANALYSIS
The Manila Times - Asean rights body better than nothing
By Rachel O’brien, Agence France-Presse
PHUKET: Southeast Asia’s first rights body panders to abusers like Myanmar and is virtually powerless, but remains a “historic” step in the right direction, analysts and activists said.
Foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) defended the proposed rights commission against criticisms that it would be toothless as they endorsed final terms for the watchdog on Monday.
The group’s democratic members led by Indonesia had pressed for a body with more power, while countries with poor rights records, including military-ruled Myanmar and communist Laos and Vietnam, have tried to water it down.
“There’s probably a lot of people who are skeptical of the whole process,” David Mathieson of Human Rights Watch told Agence France-Presse.
“But the point is—it’s been a long time coming and Asean is pretty weak on a lot of issues, and they have got to start somewhere. It’s a first step and it’s an imperfect first step.”
Rights commission
The long-awaited commission, to be formally launched at an Asean leaders’ summit in October, is designed to address criticisms throughout the bloc’s 42-year history that it is soft on human rights.
Yet its terms of reference show that it will focus on the promotion of rights rather than protection, with the body having no power to punish members that violate their obligations.
It also follows Asean’s underlying—and controversial—principle of non-interference in domestic affairs, which has been used by some members to fend off criticism about alleged rights abuses.
Activist Debbie Stothard of the Alternative Asean Network on Burma said civil society groups had lobbied the bloc’s top levels to “make sure the human rights commission actually has teeth”—but to little avail.
“It’s pretty clear that the human rights body is being developed to fit the lowest common denominator, to fit the comfort level of the most repressive regimes in Asean, such as the Burmese junta,” Stothard said.
Stothard said the watchdog is “supposed to set the standards and aspire to them” rather than accommodate “people who don’t even like human rights.”
Notorious abuser
Myanmar, which was formerly known as Burma, is the most notorious rights abuser in the region, with more than 2,000 political prisoners in detention, including Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
The ruling junta sparked international outrage in May when it put Aung San Suu Kyi on trial for an incident in which an American man swam to her house, and then refused to allow visiting UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to see her this month.
Vietnam has meanwhile faced criticism from the United States and European Union over a series of recent arrests including that of a prominent human rights lawyer for “propaganda” against the state.
Laos has faced criticism for the alleged persecution of members of the ethnic minority Hmong community, while Cambodia’s rulers have faced calls to end a spate of legal action against critics.
Even democratic Thailand and Indonesia have come under fire from rights groups for alleged abuses by their security forces in recent months.
But while Mathieson warned that the new Asean body faced a “lot of work” in the region, he added: “Overall the fact that they are even thinking about it is the first step and that’s to be welcomed.”
He said it was up to all Asean countries and civil society groups to “turn the whole mechanism into something useful.”
“I think it’s a very good step to set up a permanent [rights] organization,” said Ukrist Pathmanand, an associate professor in political science at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University.
“It’s a historic step for human rights in this region,” he said. “I think whether we criticize it or not depends on what is next for the role of this organization.”
*****************************************************
Asia News Network - Burma urged to release all detainees
Nirmal Ghosh - The Straits Times
Publication Date: 21-07-2009
Asean foreign ministers on Monday urged Burma's ruling regime to release all detainees, including pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, to pave the way for genuine reconciliation and meaningful dialogue involving all parties concerned and with a view to enabling them to participate in the 2010 general election.
"We encouraged the Burmese government to hold free, fair and inclusive elections...thereby laying down a good foundation for future social and economic development," the joint communique said.
Burma is estimated to be holding well over 2,000 political prisoners in squalid jails. It has invited the disapproval of the international community recently by putting Ms Suu Kyi under trial over an alleged breach of the terms of her house arrest.
But the statement also added that Burma had expressed its view that pressure from the outside world and economic sanctions were hampering democratisation and development efforts.
It recognised that the Burmese government was trying to address many complex challenges and reiterated Asean's policy of constructive engagement and support for the efforts of the United Nations to engage with the regime.
Asean Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan acknowledged that without the resolution of the issue of Burma, "Asean will continue to have a burden...to explain to the rest of the world".
He said Asean had offered to deliver humanitarian assistance to the Rohingya population of Burma's Rakhine state, in order to allay some of the hardship that has been driving them to seek refuge in Bangladesh and other neighbouring countries. Burma had agreed to consider the proposal.
Dr Surin added: "Asean takes a positive approach. While (the ministers) expressed their wish to see Burma moving in the direction of national reconciliation and sustainable political balance, they also wish to engage to help and support in many different areas."
Nirmal Ghosh - The Straits Times
Publication Date: 21-07-2009
Asean foreign ministers on Monday urged Burma's ruling regime to release all detainees, including pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, to pave the way for genuine reconciliation and meaningful dialogue involving all parties concerned and with a view to enabling them to participate in the 2010 general election.
"We encouraged the Burmese government to hold free, fair and inclusive elections...thereby laying down a good foundation for future social and economic development," the joint communique said.
Burma is estimated to be holding well over 2,000 political prisoners in squalid jails. It has invited the disapproval of the international community recently by putting Ms Suu Kyi under trial over an alleged breach of the terms of her house arrest.
But the statement also added that Burma had expressed its view that pressure from the outside world and economic sanctions were hampering democratisation and development efforts.
It recognised that the Burmese government was trying to address many complex challenges and reiterated Asean's policy of constructive engagement and support for the efforts of the United Nations to engage with the regime.
Asean Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan acknowledged that without the resolution of the issue of Burma, "Asean will continue to have a burden...to explain to the rest of the world".
He said Asean had offered to deliver humanitarian assistance to the Rohingya population of Burma's Rakhine state, in order to allay some of the hardship that has been driving them to seek refuge in Bangladesh and other neighbouring countries. Burma had agreed to consider the proposal.
Dr Surin added: "Asean takes a positive approach. While (the ministers) expressed their wish to see Burma moving in the direction of national reconciliation and sustainable political balance, they also wish to engage to help and support in many different areas."
*****************************************************
HRW - Letter to Thai PM Vejjajiva on the Situation in Burma
July 20, 2009
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva
Government House
Pitsanulok Road, Dusit
Bangkok 10300
Thailand
Re: Situation in Burma
Dear Prime Minister,
We write to you about the human rights and political situation in Burma. We believe that Thailand, as the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Burma’s major political and economic partner, has significant leverage and policy options that can help improve respect for human rights and promote political reform in Burma.
As the recent trip of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon demonstrates, the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) is becoming increasingly belligerent to international efforts to assist Burma’s long-delayed political reforms. The role of ASEAN and Thailand to lead principled international engagement on political, security, and humanitarian issues in Burma is urgently needed.
Despite many promises by the SPDC for a democratic transition, Burma remains one of the most repressive countries in the world. There are strict limits on basic freedoms of expression, association, and assembly. More than 2,100 political prisoners suffer in Burma’s squalid prisons. These prisoners include Aung San Suu Kyi and many members of the political opposition, courageous protestors who peacefully took to the streets in August and September 2007, and individuals who criticized the government for its poor response to Cyclone Nargis in May 2008. The implementation of the so-called “roadmap,” including the 2008 constitutional referendum, has a clear aim towards a stage-managed electoral process that will ensure continued military rule with a civilian façade.
At the same time, government abuses in ethnic minority areas continue. There is overwhelming evidence of the recruitment and deployment of child soldiers, the use of forced labor, forced relocation, summary killings, rape, and other abuses against ethnic populations by the Burmese armed forces and its proxies in the context of military operations.
Corruption and mismanagement have meant that under military rule Burma has become one of the poorest and most unstable countries in Asia. While receiving an estimated US$150 million per month in gas export revenue in 2008, the Burmese government has done almost nothing to improve the basic welfare of its people. Hardship sparked a series of demonstrations and arrests. Protests by Buddhist monks and civilians in August and September 2007 against the government’s decision to raise fuel prices were brutally crushed by the Burmese security forces and pro-government thugs from the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) and a civilian paramilitary group called Swan Ar Shin.
On June 26, 2009, during an official visit to China you rightly pointed out that “the international community can only get access [to Burma] through the role of neighbors like Thailand that continue to engage with” Burma. The international community relies on Burma’s neighbors like Thailand to contribute constructively to the national reconciliation process, a peaceful transition to democratic rule, and the improvement of human rights in Burma. However, there should be no wishful thinking that conciliatory talks from Thailand and others will somehow cause the SPDC to soften its stance. Thailand needs a bolder approach in dealing with Burma to show that engagement with Burma can produce concrete results, not empty promises. We welcome your statement as ASEAN’s chairman calling for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, which demonstrated that ASEAN would no longer protect Burma from international pressure.
As the current Chair of ASEAN, Thailand should take Burma to task for breaching the ASEAN Charter on human rights and democratic values. We recognize the widespread frustration among ASEAN member states over the intransigence of the SPDC in multilateral forums, and urge you to find ways to end their spoiling tactics. You should candidly point out that Burma’s scheduled 2010 general election will not be regarded as remotely credible without the freedom of Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners, without the National League for Democracy (NLD) and other political parties being able to campaign freely, and without the lifting of political repression that has been going on for decades.
On July 13, the Burmese government stated that it is “processing to grant amnesty to prisoners on humanitarian grounds and with a view to enabling them to participate in the 2010 general elections.” We call on you to seek firm details from your Burmese counterparts regarding how many political prisoners will be entitled to such an amnesty and when the release will take place. In the past, thousands of convicted criminals have been released, but among them only a handful of political prisoners. Anything short of the release of all 2,100 political prisoners will be unacceptable to the international community.
Decades of unabated repression and misrule have driven millions of Burmese to seek refuge and better living conditions in Thailand and other neighboring countries. Thailand has borne a great burden in hosting Burmese migrants, asylum seekers and refugees. You have an opportunity to end the embarrassing record of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whose administration increased the arrest and intimidation of Burmese activists living in Thailand, and pressured the UN High Commissioner on Refugees to suspend screening of new asylum seekers from Burma in January 2004.
We urge Thailand to respect its obligation under international law not to refoul (forcibly return) any asylum seeker or refugee to Burma. Specifically, the Thai government should guarantee all Burmese access to screening and status determination procedures if they wish to make an asylum claim, prior to deportation or forced return. All migrants wishing to apply for asylum should have the practical means to do so and not be barred from making such application by Thai authorities.
Thailand’s treatment of refugees, asylum seekers, and migrant workers from Burma, as evidenced recently in the furor concerning the Rohingya boat people, has subjected Thailand to international scrutiny. We urge you to protect the rights of Burmese refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants in Thailand, especially when there has been no tangible improvement in the abysmal conditions causing them to flee Burma. The positive response by Thai authorities to recent refugee arrivals in Ta Song Yang district of Tak province during fighting along the border in June shows that Thailand can accept asylum seekers, facilitate humanitarian assistance to people fleeing conflict and safeguard its territorial integrity.
We have learned that Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya has talked to ethnic populations along the Thai-Burmese border several times to convince them to enter ceasefire dialogues with the Burmese government. While acknowledging that the end of armed conflicts between the Burmese government and ethnic populations can help reduce conditions that push refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants to come to Thailand, we urge you not to pressure those ethnic populations to reach agreements with the SPDC without concrete assurances from the Burmese government about their basic rights and freedoms. Otherwise, this will only put the lives of these populations in greater danger, and continue to adversely affect Thailand’s border security. In this light, we also remind you that an end to fighting in Burma does not in itself mean an end to political, ethnic, and other persecution.
As you are aware, in the context of large-scale infrastructure projects, the Burmese military has a long record of carrying out serious abuses, including forced relocations of civilians and forced labor. In addition, there are credible reports of serious abuses by Burmese government agents in the context of a variety of other sectors, such as mining and logging. Some of these projects receive foreign investment, including from Thailand. In this light, we urge you to put human rights safeguards over investment projects of Thai companies in Burma and suspend those projects that fail to ensure sufficient assessment of human rights and environmental impacts.
We do not underestimate the challenge that you will face in addressing these issues with your Burmese counterparts. But we think Thailand has unique leverage that can make a significant difference in Burma in the years ahead.
We look forward to your attention to these matters of concern.
Yours Sincerely,
Brad Adams
Executive Director, Asia Division
Human Rights Watch
July 20, 2009
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva
Government House
Pitsanulok Road, Dusit
Bangkok 10300
Thailand
Re: Situation in Burma
Dear Prime Minister,
We write to you about the human rights and political situation in Burma. We believe that Thailand, as the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Burma’s major political and economic partner, has significant leverage and policy options that can help improve respect for human rights and promote political reform in Burma.
As the recent trip of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon demonstrates, the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) is becoming increasingly belligerent to international efforts to assist Burma’s long-delayed political reforms. The role of ASEAN and Thailand to lead principled international engagement on political, security, and humanitarian issues in Burma is urgently needed.
Despite many promises by the SPDC for a democratic transition, Burma remains one of the most repressive countries in the world. There are strict limits on basic freedoms of expression, association, and assembly. More than 2,100 political prisoners suffer in Burma’s squalid prisons. These prisoners include Aung San Suu Kyi and many members of the political opposition, courageous protestors who peacefully took to the streets in August and September 2007, and individuals who criticized the government for its poor response to Cyclone Nargis in May 2008. The implementation of the so-called “roadmap,” including the 2008 constitutional referendum, has a clear aim towards a stage-managed electoral process that will ensure continued military rule with a civilian façade.
At the same time, government abuses in ethnic minority areas continue. There is overwhelming evidence of the recruitment and deployment of child soldiers, the use of forced labor, forced relocation, summary killings, rape, and other abuses against ethnic populations by the Burmese armed forces and its proxies in the context of military operations.
Corruption and mismanagement have meant that under military rule Burma has become one of the poorest and most unstable countries in Asia. While receiving an estimated US$150 million per month in gas export revenue in 2008, the Burmese government has done almost nothing to improve the basic welfare of its people. Hardship sparked a series of demonstrations and arrests. Protests by Buddhist monks and civilians in August and September 2007 against the government’s decision to raise fuel prices were brutally crushed by the Burmese security forces and pro-government thugs from the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) and a civilian paramilitary group called Swan Ar Shin.
On June 26, 2009, during an official visit to China you rightly pointed out that “the international community can only get access [to Burma] through the role of neighbors like Thailand that continue to engage with” Burma. The international community relies on Burma’s neighbors like Thailand to contribute constructively to the national reconciliation process, a peaceful transition to democratic rule, and the improvement of human rights in Burma. However, there should be no wishful thinking that conciliatory talks from Thailand and others will somehow cause the SPDC to soften its stance. Thailand needs a bolder approach in dealing with Burma to show that engagement with Burma can produce concrete results, not empty promises. We welcome your statement as ASEAN’s chairman calling for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, which demonstrated that ASEAN would no longer protect Burma from international pressure.
As the current Chair of ASEAN, Thailand should take Burma to task for breaching the ASEAN Charter on human rights and democratic values. We recognize the widespread frustration among ASEAN member states over the intransigence of the SPDC in multilateral forums, and urge you to find ways to end their spoiling tactics. You should candidly point out that Burma’s scheduled 2010 general election will not be regarded as remotely credible without the freedom of Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners, without the National League for Democracy (NLD) and other political parties being able to campaign freely, and without the lifting of political repression that has been going on for decades.
On July 13, the Burmese government stated that it is “processing to grant amnesty to prisoners on humanitarian grounds and with a view to enabling them to participate in the 2010 general elections.” We call on you to seek firm details from your Burmese counterparts regarding how many political prisoners will be entitled to such an amnesty and when the release will take place. In the past, thousands of convicted criminals have been released, but among them only a handful of political prisoners. Anything short of the release of all 2,100 political prisoners will be unacceptable to the international community.
Decades of unabated repression and misrule have driven millions of Burmese to seek refuge and better living conditions in Thailand and other neighboring countries. Thailand has borne a great burden in hosting Burmese migrants, asylum seekers and refugees. You have an opportunity to end the embarrassing record of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whose administration increased the arrest and intimidation of Burmese activists living in Thailand, and pressured the UN High Commissioner on Refugees to suspend screening of new asylum seekers from Burma in January 2004.
We urge Thailand to respect its obligation under international law not to refoul (forcibly return) any asylum seeker or refugee to Burma. Specifically, the Thai government should guarantee all Burmese access to screening and status determination procedures if they wish to make an asylum claim, prior to deportation or forced return. All migrants wishing to apply for asylum should have the practical means to do so and not be barred from making such application by Thai authorities.
Thailand’s treatment of refugees, asylum seekers, and migrant workers from Burma, as evidenced recently in the furor concerning the Rohingya boat people, has subjected Thailand to international scrutiny. We urge you to protect the rights of Burmese refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants in Thailand, especially when there has been no tangible improvement in the abysmal conditions causing them to flee Burma. The positive response by Thai authorities to recent refugee arrivals in Ta Song Yang district of Tak province during fighting along the border in June shows that Thailand can accept asylum seekers, facilitate humanitarian assistance to people fleeing conflict and safeguard its territorial integrity.
We have learned that Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya has talked to ethnic populations along the Thai-Burmese border several times to convince them to enter ceasefire dialogues with the Burmese government. While acknowledging that the end of armed conflicts between the Burmese government and ethnic populations can help reduce conditions that push refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants to come to Thailand, we urge you not to pressure those ethnic populations to reach agreements with the SPDC without concrete assurances from the Burmese government about their basic rights and freedoms. Otherwise, this will only put the lives of these populations in greater danger, and continue to adversely affect Thailand’s border security. In this light, we also remind you that an end to fighting in Burma does not in itself mean an end to political, ethnic, and other persecution.
As you are aware, in the context of large-scale infrastructure projects, the Burmese military has a long record of carrying out serious abuses, including forced relocations of civilians and forced labor. In addition, there are credible reports of serious abuses by Burmese government agents in the context of a variety of other sectors, such as mining and logging. Some of these projects receive foreign investment, including from Thailand. In this light, we urge you to put human rights safeguards over investment projects of Thai companies in Burma and suspend those projects that fail to ensure sufficient assessment of human rights and environmental impacts.
We do not underestimate the challenge that you will face in addressing these issues with your Burmese counterparts. But we think Thailand has unique leverage that can make a significant difference in Burma in the years ahead.
We look forward to your attention to these matters of concern.
Yours Sincerely,
Brad Adams
Executive Director, Asia Division
Human Rights Watch
*****************************************************
Asian Tribune - Address the issue of Myanmar’s human rights violations and failure to reform democratic governance
Published by editor Myanmar Jul 19, 2009
The ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC) urges Foreign Ministers, at their current 42nd ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Thailand to address the issue of Myanmar’s human rights violations and failure to reform democratic governance .
In contradiction to numerous elements in the ASEAN Charter, Myanmar’s military dictators have continued its policies of repression and violence against its citizens.
The ongoing sham trial of Burma’s pro-democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi clearly shows the lengths to which the junta will go to repress democratic
efforts and oppress democracy aspirants. In Eastern Myanmar’s Karen State, a renewed military offensive by the military junta, and allied armed groups
since June, have sent thousands of villagers, including children, fleeing into the jungle and across the border to Thailand.
International reports indicate that the armed conflicts, in the breath of the country, involving Myanmar’s junta, government backed militia and non-state armed groups, also gives rise to the continued use of thousands of child soldiers.
Repeated calls from the international community, including from ASEAN member states, while welcomed by the AIPMC, have thus far failed to spur any effective movement towards genuine democratic reform.
Actions of an ASEAN member state reflect upon the entire grouping. It is imperative that ASEAN undertake additional and unified actions to ensure that Myanmar begins a process of national reconciliation, especially prior to holding its election scheduled for next year.
The military’s biased constitution, adopted in 2008, and planned general election in 2010, will only serve to entrench its dominance in government, as certain constitutional provisions guarantee a governing role for the military’s leaders.
Furthermore, as the constitution was drafted without the input of many stakeholders, it is not representative of the desires of Myanmar’s diverse peoples.
Resolving the current political stalemate in Myanmar is central to improving the dire living conditions of its people. Without genuine dialogue and reconciliation among all concerned parties, desperately needed changes in security, education, healthcare and the economy will remain elusive.
The democratic opposition front and ethnic minority leaders have repeatedly signaled their willingness to engage with the junta only to be turned down by the regime’s generals.
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. As Myanmar’s closest neighbours, and largest trading partners, ASEAN member states are in a particularly influential position and as such should spur much-needed reforms in Myanmar.
A IPMC Parliamentarians strongly encourages the AMM and the ensuing ASEAN Regional Forum to take up the issue of Myanmar’s democratisation and human rights and deliver meaningful positions, on the Burma crisis, following its deliberations.
Published by editor Myanmar Jul 19, 2009
The ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC) urges Foreign Ministers, at their current 42nd ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Thailand to address the issue of Myanmar’s human rights violations and failure to reform democratic governance .
In contradiction to numerous elements in the ASEAN Charter, Myanmar’s military dictators have continued its policies of repression and violence against its citizens.
The ongoing sham trial of Burma’s pro-democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi clearly shows the lengths to which the junta will go to repress democratic
efforts and oppress democracy aspirants. In Eastern Myanmar’s Karen State, a renewed military offensive by the military junta, and allied armed groups
since June, have sent thousands of villagers, including children, fleeing into the jungle and across the border to Thailand.
International reports indicate that the armed conflicts, in the breath of the country, involving Myanmar’s junta, government backed militia and non-state armed groups, also gives rise to the continued use of thousands of child soldiers.
Repeated calls from the international community, including from ASEAN member states, while welcomed by the AIPMC, have thus far failed to spur any effective movement towards genuine democratic reform.
Actions of an ASEAN member state reflect upon the entire grouping. It is imperative that ASEAN undertake additional and unified actions to ensure that Myanmar begins a process of national reconciliation, especially prior to holding its election scheduled for next year.
The military’s biased constitution, adopted in 2008, and planned general election in 2010, will only serve to entrench its dominance in government, as certain constitutional provisions guarantee a governing role for the military’s leaders.
Furthermore, as the constitution was drafted without the input of many stakeholders, it is not representative of the desires of Myanmar’s diverse peoples.
Resolving the current political stalemate in Myanmar is central to improving the dire living conditions of its people. Without genuine dialogue and reconciliation among all concerned parties, desperately needed changes in security, education, healthcare and the economy will remain elusive.
The democratic opposition front and ethnic minority leaders have repeatedly signaled their willingness to engage with the junta only to be turned down by the regime’s generals.
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. As Myanmar’s closest neighbours, and largest trading partners, ASEAN member states are in a particularly influential position and as such should spur much-needed reforms in Myanmar.
A IPMC Parliamentarians strongly encourages the AMM and the ensuing ASEAN Regional Forum to take up the issue of Myanmar’s democratisation and human rights and deliver meaningful positions, on the Burma crisis, following its deliberations.
*****************************************************
Bangkok Post - FM:Burma key to fate of Asean
No plans to revise engagement policy
Writer: ACHARA ASHAYAGACHAT and THANIDA TANSUBHAPOL
Published: 21/07/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News
PHUKET :The Association of Southeast Asian Nations cannot move forward until changes occur in Burma, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya says.
The Burmese issue was the focus of talks among Southeast Asian foreign ministers here yesterday.
Other Asean ministers reiterated a call for the Burmese government to immediately release political prisoners, including opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, to pave the way for national reconciliation and their participation in "inclusive" general elections next year.
Despite the strong call for change, the 10-member grouping showed no intention to revise its constructive engagement with the military regime.
"Recognising the fact that the Myanmar [Burmese] government has been trying to address many complex challenges, we remained constructively engaged with Myanmar as part of the Asean Community building process," they said in a statement released yesterday.
Burma maintained its position that "pressure from the outside and economic sanctions were hampering" its plan to restore democracy and development efforts, the statement said.
But Mr Kasit, who is chairing the foreign ministers' meeting, said his Burmese counterpart Nyan Win knew full well Asean could not move forward without changes in Burma. So it was a joint undertaking, he said.
Asean secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan said Asean members should come forward with their own contribution to assistance in the Cyclone Nargis humanitarian efforts. Burma had received at least US$100 million (3.5 billion baht) in pledges for the latter half of the three-year recovery plan prepared by the Tripartite Core Group comprising representatives from the United Nations, Burma and Asean.
"The Asean contributions will create a momentum for international donors to give more support to the $300 million needed for the recovery," he said.
He called for a similar strategy in dealing with the Rohingya issue in Burma. "There should be a way for the tripartite group to work together to deliver humanitarian assistance to reduce the social and economic pressures that are pushing the people out of the country," Mr Surin said.
In his opening statement to the ministerial meeting, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva outlined the future of the group which needed quick and united action to tackle threats and challenges and better linkages to serve the region's single market idea.
"Effective action must replace extended deliberation. We must show to the world that Asean is ready to meet any challenge and is well-prepared to act decisively," Mr Abhisit said.
He said the future of the group depended on efforts to invest in education and other human resource development.
"Globalisation will be beneficial only if the people in the region are competitive, prepared and able to take advantage of it," he said.
Mr Abhisit repeated calls to oppose protectionism and urged Asean to live with others' expectations of it being a driving force.
"The world is closely watching Asean, pinning on us the hope that we will be a dynamic growth pole for the global economy in this time of crisis," he said.
The ministers also endorsed the terms of reference on the Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights amid Indonesian discontent over the scope of the agency's functions.
Indonesia wanted the commission to be set up in October to do more than promoting rights issues among the 10 Asean members.
Mr Kasit said at the end of the meeting Asean had opted to work towards conciliation and consultation in an amicable manner when there were differences or non-compliance including on human rights matters.
No plans to revise engagement policy
Writer: ACHARA ASHAYAGACHAT and THANIDA TANSUBHAPOL
Published: 21/07/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News
PHUKET :The Association of Southeast Asian Nations cannot move forward until changes occur in Burma, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya says.
The Burmese issue was the focus of talks among Southeast Asian foreign ministers here yesterday.
Other Asean ministers reiterated a call for the Burmese government to immediately release political prisoners, including opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, to pave the way for national reconciliation and their participation in "inclusive" general elections next year.
Despite the strong call for change, the 10-member grouping showed no intention to revise its constructive engagement with the military regime.
"Recognising the fact that the Myanmar [Burmese] government has been trying to address many complex challenges, we remained constructively engaged with Myanmar as part of the Asean Community building process," they said in a statement released yesterday.
Burma maintained its position that "pressure from the outside and economic sanctions were hampering" its plan to restore democracy and development efforts, the statement said.
But Mr Kasit, who is chairing the foreign ministers' meeting, said his Burmese counterpart Nyan Win knew full well Asean could not move forward without changes in Burma. So it was a joint undertaking, he said.
Asean secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan said Asean members should come forward with their own contribution to assistance in the Cyclone Nargis humanitarian efforts. Burma had received at least US$100 million (3.5 billion baht) in pledges for the latter half of the three-year recovery plan prepared by the Tripartite Core Group comprising representatives from the United Nations, Burma and Asean.
"The Asean contributions will create a momentum for international donors to give more support to the $300 million needed for the recovery," he said.
He called for a similar strategy in dealing with the Rohingya issue in Burma. "There should be a way for the tripartite group to work together to deliver humanitarian assistance to reduce the social and economic pressures that are pushing the people out of the country," Mr Surin said.
In his opening statement to the ministerial meeting, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva outlined the future of the group which needed quick and united action to tackle threats and challenges and better linkages to serve the region's single market idea.
"Effective action must replace extended deliberation. We must show to the world that Asean is ready to meet any challenge and is well-prepared to act decisively," Mr Abhisit said.
He said the future of the group depended on efforts to invest in education and other human resource development.
"Globalisation will be beneficial only if the people in the region are competitive, prepared and able to take advantage of it," he said.
Mr Abhisit repeated calls to oppose protectionism and urged Asean to live with others' expectations of it being a driving force.
"The world is closely watching Asean, pinning on us the hope that we will be a dynamic growth pole for the global economy in this time of crisis," he said.
The ministers also endorsed the terms of reference on the Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights amid Indonesian discontent over the scope of the agency's functions.
Indonesia wanted the commission to be set up in October to do more than promoting rights issues among the 10 Asean members.
Mr Kasit said at the end of the meeting Asean had opted to work towards conciliation and consultation in an amicable manner when there were differences or non-compliance including on human rights matters.
*****************************************************
Bangkok Post - Opinion: Asean seeks to 'unchain' the mind of Burmese junta
Writer: PAVIN CHACHAVALPONGPUN
Published: 21/07/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News
Featuring high in the Asean Regional Forum (ARF) agenda this year is the issue of political deadlock in Burma.
After all these years, and since it became a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 1997, Burma has shown, time and again, that it has managed its domestic affairs without restraint.
The recent trial of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), is the junta's latest defiance against heightening international pressure.
Back in early May 2008, Burma was hit hard by Cyclone Nargis which slammed into the Ayeyawaddy Delta, causing almost 140,000 deaths and leaving 2 million homeless.
Initially, Burmese leaders were reluctant to open up their country for foreign assistance, fearing that the West would use this opportunity to interfere in its domestic politics, or even to deploy their troops on Burma's soil. It was the case of being overly paranoid and extremely xenophobic.
Asean, led by Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan, eagerly embarked on a mission to convince the Burmese junta to accept international aid. He, on behalf of Asean, offered to play a "broker," connecting Burma and the outside world in the reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts. Leaders in Naypyidaw finally agreed with Mr Surin's initiative.
My Burmese friend and I were commissioned by Mr Surin to document Asean's role in the post-Nargis relief efforts. We shuttled between Bangkok, Singapore and Rangoon to conduct countless interviews and to visit the areas devastated by the cyclone. The picture of floating corpses is still fresh in my memory.
Asean has done an excellent job in reaching out to the Burmese junta and explaining to them the important notion of humanitarian assistance and good governance. For once, we believed that we had done something meaningful for Burma, especially in unblocking obstacles that stood in the way of our relief efforts. We were successful in opening up Burma to the world.
But the growing discontent inside Burma and the trial of Mrs Suu Kyi fiercely contested our belief of a new Burma that seemed to open itself up and allow itself to be acclimatised by the global reality. The junta has still refused to set Mrs Suu Kyi free, even despite the plea of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. As of now, the junta wants to go ahead with next year's election without the participation of the NLD.
The conclusion here is that Asean might have been successful, drawing from its Nargis experience, in opening up Burma. But the opening up process was merely physical. Asean has so far been unable to open the junta's mind. The Burmese border might be open. But the leaders' mental doors are still tightly closed.
Why?
First, the Burmese junta has been living in insecurity. Its only tool of survival is repression and intimidation. In strengthening its power position, the junta has painted the image of the outside world as black, including that of the Burmese dissidents. Leaders in Naypyidaw have rejected the idea of democracy, even when they pretended to go along with their own roadmap. Democracy is an evil word. To them, it does not even match Burma's political culture and the Burmese lifestyle.
Of course, all these imaginings are part of the junta's self-construction as the ultimate moral authority within the domestic realm. Asean and the global community have failed to unlock the junta's mentality, mainly because political power is not easily negotiable and particularly if unlocking the mentality only means surrendering of its power.
Bangkok's elite should realise how hard it is to let go of power, as they faced the challenge of Thaksin Shinawatra. They, too, have a blocked mind.
Second, simply summarising that Burma cared about the well-being of the Nargis survivors and truly understood the meaning of humanitarian assistance just because it opened the door to foreign donors, could totally mislead us all. As the Burmese leaders compromised their position in the aftermath of Nargis, Asean hoped that it would be granted more access to the heart of the junta.
Yet, aiding suffering Nargis survivors and releasing potential political contenders from incarceration are two different things. Mrs Suu Kyi has always been perceived as a threat to the regime. She is a democratic icon and a symbol of legitimacy. Since 1997, Burma has sent out the message that free political thought is intolerable. Such a message remained unaltered even in the midst of the Nargis attack.
Third, the closed mind of the Naypyidaw elite is putting the Asean Charter to the greatest test. The Burmese junta fully knows that there is no provision in the Charter that indicates any punishment for a badly behaved member. True, the codification of norms governing relations between state and its citizens is included in the Asean Charter. The Asean human rights body has also been in operation.
The imminent question is how Asean can make use of these new mechanisms to make a breakthrough in the Burmese political crisis, especially in unchaining the mind of the leaders.
The launch of the book on Asean's role in the Nargis relief efforts during the AMM in Phuket, may connote a time to celebrate the grouping's success in such a meaningful mission. The launch would serve well the ARF agenda on the current situation in Burma, as Asean optimists are convinced that the same method could work in resolving the Burmese political problem: Asean being an honest broker in linking Burma with the world. There is nothing wrong with being optimistic. Having long observed Burma's politics over the past two decades however, I think that being realistic is a more rational approach, as I try to examine the complicated situation in that country.
In realistic terms, the prolonged crisis in Burma seems to suggest that perhaps the junta has intentionally hidden the key that could be used to unlock its own mindset. The political conflict in neighbouring Thailand makes the Burmese leaders even more wary of opening up and welcoming democracy.
Asean's push for change in Burma is highly commendable. Secretary-General Surin has done a remarkable job in opening up a channel of communication, no matter how narrow it is, between Burma and the world. But Cyclone Nargis is an episode of catastrophe. The real disaster for Burma and the Burmese people, which will be more devastating than Nargis, is indeed the persistent existence of the Burmese military regime.
Dr Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a visiting research fellow at Singapore's Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, is co-author, with Moe Thuzar, of "Myanmar: Life After Nargis."
Writer: PAVIN CHACHAVALPONGPUN
Published: 21/07/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News
Featuring high in the Asean Regional Forum (ARF) agenda this year is the issue of political deadlock in Burma.
After all these years, and since it became a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 1997, Burma has shown, time and again, that it has managed its domestic affairs without restraint.
The recent trial of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), is the junta's latest defiance against heightening international pressure.
Back in early May 2008, Burma was hit hard by Cyclone Nargis which slammed into the Ayeyawaddy Delta, causing almost 140,000 deaths and leaving 2 million homeless.
Initially, Burmese leaders were reluctant to open up their country for foreign assistance, fearing that the West would use this opportunity to interfere in its domestic politics, or even to deploy their troops on Burma's soil. It was the case of being overly paranoid and extremely xenophobic.
Asean, led by Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan, eagerly embarked on a mission to convince the Burmese junta to accept international aid. He, on behalf of Asean, offered to play a "broker," connecting Burma and the outside world in the reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts. Leaders in Naypyidaw finally agreed with Mr Surin's initiative.
My Burmese friend and I were commissioned by Mr Surin to document Asean's role in the post-Nargis relief efforts. We shuttled between Bangkok, Singapore and Rangoon to conduct countless interviews and to visit the areas devastated by the cyclone. The picture of floating corpses is still fresh in my memory.
Asean has done an excellent job in reaching out to the Burmese junta and explaining to them the important notion of humanitarian assistance and good governance. For once, we believed that we had done something meaningful for Burma, especially in unblocking obstacles that stood in the way of our relief efforts. We were successful in opening up Burma to the world.
But the growing discontent inside Burma and the trial of Mrs Suu Kyi fiercely contested our belief of a new Burma that seemed to open itself up and allow itself to be acclimatised by the global reality. The junta has still refused to set Mrs Suu Kyi free, even despite the plea of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. As of now, the junta wants to go ahead with next year's election without the participation of the NLD.
The conclusion here is that Asean might have been successful, drawing from its Nargis experience, in opening up Burma. But the opening up process was merely physical. Asean has so far been unable to open the junta's mind. The Burmese border might be open. But the leaders' mental doors are still tightly closed.
Why?
First, the Burmese junta has been living in insecurity. Its only tool of survival is repression and intimidation. In strengthening its power position, the junta has painted the image of the outside world as black, including that of the Burmese dissidents. Leaders in Naypyidaw have rejected the idea of democracy, even when they pretended to go along with their own roadmap. Democracy is an evil word. To them, it does not even match Burma's political culture and the Burmese lifestyle.
Of course, all these imaginings are part of the junta's self-construction as the ultimate moral authority within the domestic realm. Asean and the global community have failed to unlock the junta's mentality, mainly because political power is not easily negotiable and particularly if unlocking the mentality only means surrendering of its power.
Bangkok's elite should realise how hard it is to let go of power, as they faced the challenge of Thaksin Shinawatra. They, too, have a blocked mind.
Second, simply summarising that Burma cared about the well-being of the Nargis survivors and truly understood the meaning of humanitarian assistance just because it opened the door to foreign donors, could totally mislead us all. As the Burmese leaders compromised their position in the aftermath of Nargis, Asean hoped that it would be granted more access to the heart of the junta.
Yet, aiding suffering Nargis survivors and releasing potential political contenders from incarceration are two different things. Mrs Suu Kyi has always been perceived as a threat to the regime. She is a democratic icon and a symbol of legitimacy. Since 1997, Burma has sent out the message that free political thought is intolerable. Such a message remained unaltered even in the midst of the Nargis attack.
Third, the closed mind of the Naypyidaw elite is putting the Asean Charter to the greatest test. The Burmese junta fully knows that there is no provision in the Charter that indicates any punishment for a badly behaved member. True, the codification of norms governing relations between state and its citizens is included in the Asean Charter. The Asean human rights body has also been in operation.
The imminent question is how Asean can make use of these new mechanisms to make a breakthrough in the Burmese political crisis, especially in unchaining the mind of the leaders.
The launch of the book on Asean's role in the Nargis relief efforts during the AMM in Phuket, may connote a time to celebrate the grouping's success in such a meaningful mission. The launch would serve well the ARF agenda on the current situation in Burma, as Asean optimists are convinced that the same method could work in resolving the Burmese political problem: Asean being an honest broker in linking Burma with the world. There is nothing wrong with being optimistic. Having long observed Burma's politics over the past two decades however, I think that being realistic is a more rational approach, as I try to examine the complicated situation in that country.
In realistic terms, the prolonged crisis in Burma seems to suggest that perhaps the junta has intentionally hidden the key that could be used to unlock its own mindset. The political conflict in neighbouring Thailand makes the Burmese leaders even more wary of opening up and welcoming democracy.
Asean's push for change in Burma is highly commendable. Secretary-General Surin has done a remarkable job in opening up a channel of communication, no matter how narrow it is, between Burma and the world. But Cyclone Nargis is an episode of catastrophe. The real disaster for Burma and the Burmese people, which will be more devastating than Nargis, is indeed the persistent existence of the Burmese military regime.
Dr Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a visiting research fellow at Singapore's Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, is co-author, with Moe Thuzar, of "Myanmar: Life After Nargis."
*****************************************************
The Nation - Would Thailand allow Asean to check its human rights?
By Supalak Ganjanakhundee
Published on July 22, 2009
What's the point in setting up a rights body when it can't do anything?
Perhaps, it is unrealistic to hand over any regional human-rights violation cases to the Asean Inter-governmental Commission on Human Rights, simply because the body is not designed to handle any serious problems.
On Monday, Asean foreign ministers endorsed the final draft of the terms of reference to set up the commission, and its establishment will be announced officially during the 15th Asean Summit in October together with a declaration addressing major elements in human rights questions.
The Asean human-rights commission will not be able to save Burma's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from trial because it has no clauses allowing it to accept any complaints about human-rights violations. Also it has no mandate to take any action either.
Of the ten mandates and functions it's been given, the human-rights commission will be promoting mostly the idea, but has no mechanisms to protect people whose rights are being violated. The only clause that might help it "protect" people is one that says the body can "obtain information" from member states on the promotion and protection of human rights. However, it is unclear whether this "information" will come in the form of complaints, be a situation assessment or none of the above.
The other question is who would be sending this information to the commission? Could it be a representative of the Asean members? The terms of reference say each Asean member must have one representative sit on the commission for three years, which can be renewed for another three years.
Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said it was not necessary to have a government official represent an Asean member in the commission, even though this is not prohibited in the terms of reference.
However,if the representatives are from the government,it is possible the human-rights information provided might be "doctored". If this is so, little can be done about it and the commission will eventually lose its credibility.
Still, Asean wants to make this commission a credible and realistic one. However, its being realistic can also be problematic. The commission might risk losing its credibility if it takes into account the real situation of human-rights violations in its member countries and realises it can't do anything about it.
After all, most Asean members have their own human-rights problems, not to mention the state of things in Burma.
In fact, even Thailand, which is the current chair of Asean, is being widely questioned about its handling of the situation in the deep South, where more than 3,500 people have been killed since violence erupted in 2004. Many cases, including that of the missing Muslim lawyer Somchai Neelapaijit, have not been solved yet and newspapers keep reporting cases of suspected militants being tortured. Will Thailand be reporting such cases to the human-rights commission? Or would they be called domestic affairs, which are nobody's business?
So, how will the commission ever get a chance to build its credibility if nobody reports controversies on their own land?
National human rights bodies, be they on regional or international levels, should be given some teeth so they can take action against human-rights violations. Promoting human rights is necessary but not enough. Encouraging member states to access international human rights instruments is fine, but this will not solve any problems.
Many members have already signed these instruments but never taken any action to provide protection for their citizens. In many cases, member states continue violating rights despite signing up the right documents.
Look at Thailand, for instance. An imam in the deep South was tortured around the time that Thailand signed the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
By Supalak Ganjanakhundee
Published on July 22, 2009
What's the point in setting up a rights body when it can't do anything?
Perhaps, it is unrealistic to hand over any regional human-rights violation cases to the Asean Inter-governmental Commission on Human Rights, simply because the body is not designed to handle any serious problems.
On Monday, Asean foreign ministers endorsed the final draft of the terms of reference to set up the commission, and its establishment will be announced officially during the 15th Asean Summit in October together with a declaration addressing major elements in human rights questions.
The Asean human-rights commission will not be able to save Burma's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from trial because it has no clauses allowing it to accept any complaints about human-rights violations. Also it has no mandate to take any action either.
Of the ten mandates and functions it's been given, the human-rights commission will be promoting mostly the idea, but has no mechanisms to protect people whose rights are being violated. The only clause that might help it "protect" people is one that says the body can "obtain information" from member states on the promotion and protection of human rights. However, it is unclear whether this "information" will come in the form of complaints, be a situation assessment or none of the above.
The other question is who would be sending this information to the commission? Could it be a representative of the Asean members? The terms of reference say each Asean member must have one representative sit on the commission for three years, which can be renewed for another three years.
Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said it was not necessary to have a government official represent an Asean member in the commission, even though this is not prohibited in the terms of reference.
However,if the representatives are from the government,it is possible the human-rights information provided might be "doctored". If this is so, little can be done about it and the commission will eventually lose its credibility.
Still, Asean wants to make this commission a credible and realistic one. However, its being realistic can also be problematic. The commission might risk losing its credibility if it takes into account the real situation of human-rights violations in its member countries and realises it can't do anything about it.
After all, most Asean members have their own human-rights problems, not to mention the state of things in Burma.
In fact, even Thailand, which is the current chair of Asean, is being widely questioned about its handling of the situation in the deep South, where more than 3,500 people have been killed since violence erupted in 2004. Many cases, including that of the missing Muslim lawyer Somchai Neelapaijit, have not been solved yet and newspapers keep reporting cases of suspected militants being tortured. Will Thailand be reporting such cases to the human-rights commission? Or would they be called domestic affairs, which are nobody's business?
So, how will the commission ever get a chance to build its credibility if nobody reports controversies on their own land?
National human rights bodies, be they on regional or international levels, should be given some teeth so they can take action against human-rights violations. Promoting human rights is necessary but not enough. Encouraging member states to access international human rights instruments is fine, but this will not solve any problems.
Many members have already signed these instruments but never taken any action to provide protection for their citizens. In many cases, member states continue violating rights despite signing up the right documents.
Look at Thailand, for instance. An imam in the deep South was tortured around the time that Thailand signed the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
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The Nation - Fears it might be a 'toothless tiger'
By Kittipong Thavevong
Published on July 21, 2009
Phuket - Advocates voice concerns that the commission will not be able to control abuse in member countries like Burma
Phuket - Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday that in the initial stages, the Asean human-rights commission will focus on promotion rather than protection of rights.
"Progress will first be made on the front of promotion, but the protection side will not be ignored. It is better to make a start than to leave it hanging with no progress at all," Abhisit explained.
Protection would be achieved through a roadmap and an evolutionary process among the member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, he said.
In response to concerns about it "lacking teeth" to protect Asean citizens against human-rights violations in their countries, Abhisit said: "We want to establish a body that promotes the issue. Once that is put into place, there will be more teeth for the body in terms of protection."
Human-rights advocates have expressed concerns that the new body will fall short of international standards and lack the power to deal with problematic Asean countries like military-ruled Burma. In addition, civil society groups campaigning in Phuket during the regional meetings say they don't want an Asean human-rights body that is a "toothless paper tiger".
"The body has two purposes - promotion and protection - and three principles: credibility, realistic and evolutionary," Abhisit said, referring to possible obstacles posed by undemocratic governments of certain member countries, particularly Burma.
The prime minister was speaking at the Sheraton Grande Laguna hotel in the resort island of Phuket following the opening ceremony of the 42nd Asean Foreign Ministers Meeting yesterday morning.
Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, as chair of the Asean meetings, said on Sunday night that more effort would be made to promote and protect human rights in the region.
Asean foreign ministers met with the High-Level Panel, which presented them with draft terms of reference on the body's establishment.
The body, expected to be officially called the Asean Inter-Governmental Commission on Human Rights, as suggested by the panel, is required under the Asean Charter, which came into effect last December.
When the terms of reference are finalised by the foreign ministers in Phuket, the rights body will be set up at the summit of Asean leaders in October, again in Phuket. Thailand is actively pushing for the body to be created during its rotating chairmanship, which expires at the end of this year.
By Kittipong Thavevong
Published on July 21, 2009
Phuket - Advocates voice concerns that the commission will not be able to control abuse in member countries like Burma
Phuket - Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday that in the initial stages, the Asean human-rights commission will focus on promotion rather than protection of rights.
"Progress will first be made on the front of promotion, but the protection side will not be ignored. It is better to make a start than to leave it hanging with no progress at all," Abhisit explained.
Protection would be achieved through a roadmap and an evolutionary process among the member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, he said.
In response to concerns about it "lacking teeth" to protect Asean citizens against human-rights violations in their countries, Abhisit said: "We want to establish a body that promotes the issue. Once that is put into place, there will be more teeth for the body in terms of protection."
Human-rights advocates have expressed concerns that the new body will fall short of international standards and lack the power to deal with problematic Asean countries like military-ruled Burma. In addition, civil society groups campaigning in Phuket during the regional meetings say they don't want an Asean human-rights body that is a "toothless paper tiger".
"The body has two purposes - promotion and protection - and three principles: credibility, realistic and evolutionary," Abhisit said, referring to possible obstacles posed by undemocratic governments of certain member countries, particularly Burma.
The prime minister was speaking at the Sheraton Grande Laguna hotel in the resort island of Phuket following the opening ceremony of the 42nd Asean Foreign Ministers Meeting yesterday morning.
Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, as chair of the Asean meetings, said on Sunday night that more effort would be made to promote and protect human rights in the region.
Asean foreign ministers met with the High-Level Panel, which presented them with draft terms of reference on the body's establishment.
The body, expected to be officially called the Asean Inter-Governmental Commission on Human Rights, as suggested by the panel, is required under the Asean Charter, which came into effect last December.
When the terms of reference are finalised by the foreign ministers in Phuket, the rights body will be set up at the summit of Asean leaders in October, again in Phuket. Thailand is actively pushing for the body to be created during its rotating chairmanship, which expires at the end of this year.
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Mizzima News - ASEAN Foreign Ministers expect Burma to act responsively
by Usa Pichai
Tuesday, 21 July 2009 10:48
Phuket, Thailand (Mizzima) – As the 42nd ASEAN Foreign Minister’s Meeting officially kicked off in Thailand's island province of Phuket, delegates to the conference expressed concern regarding the political situation in Burma.
Presiding over the opening ceremony of the meeting, Thailand’s Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva spoke of the future goals for the bloc: “ASEAN must be able to act decisively and in a timely manner to address both internal and external threats and challenges to the security and welfare of its member states and peoples.”
In a 12-page Joint Communiqué released on Monday, entitled 'Acting Together to Cope with Global Challenges,' attending ministers said they “encourage the Myanmar [Burmese] Government to hold free, fair and inclusive elections in 2010, thereby laying down a good foundation for future social and economic development.”
“In this regard, recalling the ASEAN Leaders' Statement on 19 November 2007, we reiterated our calls on the Government of Myanmar [Burma] to immediately release all those under detention, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, thereby paving the way for genuine reconciliation and meaningful dialogue involving all parties concerned and with a view to enabling them to participate in the 2010 General Elections,” the group stated.
“Myanmar [Burma] expressed its view that pressure from the outside and economic sanctions were hampering Myanmar's [Burma’s] democratization and development efforts. Recognizing the fact that the Myanmar [Burmese] Government has been trying to address many complex challenges, we remained constructively engaged with Myanmar [Burma] as part of the ASEAN community building process,” the statement added.
Foreign Ministers from the 10-member grouping further vowed to continue supporting the ongoing initiative of the good office of the United Nations Secretary-General and welcomed Burma’s assurances to cooperate fully with the United Nations.
Thailand’s Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, during a press conference as the group’s chair, added, “My Myanmar [Burmese] friends, particularly the Foreign Minister, know very well what are the wishes of the rest of the ASEAN friends, what are the obligations on the part of Myanmar [Burma] to help to move ASEAN forward. Without changes in Myanmar [Burma], ASEAN cannot move forward…Give us the time to do it.”
Also on Monday, the foreign ministers endorsed the terms of reference for an 'ASEAN Inter-governmental Commission on Human Rights,' the newly coined name for the regional human rights body, which has already come under criticism for lacking independence, credibility and effectiveness.
However, the group maintains that the terms of reference for the rights body is a living document providing an evolutionary framework for furthering ASEAN’s efforts in the promotion and protection of human rights. It is scheduled to be reviewed five years after coming into force, which is expected to be later this year.
by Usa Pichai
Tuesday, 21 July 2009 10:48
Phuket, Thailand (Mizzima) – As the 42nd ASEAN Foreign Minister’s Meeting officially kicked off in Thailand's island province of Phuket, delegates to the conference expressed concern regarding the political situation in Burma.
Presiding over the opening ceremony of the meeting, Thailand’s Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva spoke of the future goals for the bloc: “ASEAN must be able to act decisively and in a timely manner to address both internal and external threats and challenges to the security and welfare of its member states and peoples.”
In a 12-page Joint Communiqué released on Monday, entitled 'Acting Together to Cope with Global Challenges,' attending ministers said they “encourage the Myanmar [Burmese] Government to hold free, fair and inclusive elections in 2010, thereby laying down a good foundation for future social and economic development.”
“In this regard, recalling the ASEAN Leaders' Statement on 19 November 2007, we reiterated our calls on the Government of Myanmar [Burma] to immediately release all those under detention, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, thereby paving the way for genuine reconciliation and meaningful dialogue involving all parties concerned and with a view to enabling them to participate in the 2010 General Elections,” the group stated.
“Myanmar [Burma] expressed its view that pressure from the outside and economic sanctions were hampering Myanmar's [Burma’s] democratization and development efforts. Recognizing the fact that the Myanmar [Burmese] Government has been trying to address many complex challenges, we remained constructively engaged with Myanmar [Burma] as part of the ASEAN community building process,” the statement added.
Foreign Ministers from the 10-member grouping further vowed to continue supporting the ongoing initiative of the good office of the United Nations Secretary-General and welcomed Burma’s assurances to cooperate fully with the United Nations.
Thailand’s Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, during a press conference as the group’s chair, added, “My Myanmar [Burmese] friends, particularly the Foreign Minister, know very well what are the wishes of the rest of the ASEAN friends, what are the obligations on the part of Myanmar [Burma] to help to move ASEAN forward. Without changes in Myanmar [Burma], ASEAN cannot move forward…Give us the time to do it.”
Also on Monday, the foreign ministers endorsed the terms of reference for an 'ASEAN Inter-governmental Commission on Human Rights,' the newly coined name for the regional human rights body, which has already come under criticism for lacking independence, credibility and effectiveness.
However, the group maintains that the terms of reference for the rights body is a living document providing an evolutionary framework for furthering ASEAN’s efforts in the promotion and protection of human rights. It is scheduled to be reviewed five years after coming into force, which is expected to be later this year.
*****************************************************
Mizzima News - Hillary Clinton to meet Burmese humanitarian worker
Tuesday, 21 July 2009 21:43
New Delhi (mizzima) – The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who reached Bangkok on Tuesday to attend a regional security conference, will meet humanitarian workers in Thailand, including Burmese humanitarian worker Dr. Cynthia Maung on Wednesday.
Clinton, who flew into Thailand following a five-day visit to India, will meet humanitarian workers on Wednesday in Bangkok before leaving for Thailand’s resort Island of Phuket to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum (ARF).
During their meeting, Dr. Cynthia Maung is likely to raise the issue of democracy and human rights in her homeland besides expounding on the situation of humanitarian work along the Thai-Burmese border.
Dr. Cynthia Maung, an ethnic Karen doctor heads the Mea Tao clinic in Thailand’s Measot town, opposite Burma’s Myawaddy town. She is a renowned humanitarian worker contributing her expertise in medicine for Burmese people including migrant workers, refugees and orphans.
She left her homeland, Burma, in 1989 a year after the brutal military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters. Since then she has run the Mea Tao clinic, which has expanded from a small clinic to a full-fledged hospital with over 100 paramedics.
Dr. Cynthia Maung received Southeast Asia’s Ramon Magsaysay Award for community leadership and was listed as one of 2003 Time Magazine’s Asian Heroes. She has received six international awards for her work. In 1999, she was the first recipient of the Jonathan Mann Award, sponsored by US and Swiss health organizations.
Meanwhile, the US Secretary of State, who was received by Thailand’s Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Tuesday, is expected to raise the issue of Burma and North Korea at the ARF meeting.
Tuesday, 21 July 2009 21:43
New Delhi (mizzima) – The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who reached Bangkok on Tuesday to attend a regional security conference, will meet humanitarian workers in Thailand, including Burmese humanitarian worker Dr. Cynthia Maung on Wednesday.
Clinton, who flew into Thailand following a five-day visit to India, will meet humanitarian workers on Wednesday in Bangkok before leaving for Thailand’s resort Island of Phuket to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum (ARF).
During their meeting, Dr. Cynthia Maung is likely to raise the issue of democracy and human rights in her homeland besides expounding on the situation of humanitarian work along the Thai-Burmese border.
Dr. Cynthia Maung, an ethnic Karen doctor heads the Mea Tao clinic in Thailand’s Measot town, opposite Burma’s Myawaddy town. She is a renowned humanitarian worker contributing her expertise in medicine for Burmese people including migrant workers, refugees and orphans.
She left her homeland, Burma, in 1989 a year after the brutal military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters. Since then she has run the Mea Tao clinic, which has expanded from a small clinic to a full-fledged hospital with over 100 paramedics.
Dr. Cynthia Maung received Southeast Asia’s Ramon Magsaysay Award for community leadership and was listed as one of 2003 Time Magazine’s Asian Heroes. She has received six international awards for her work. In 1999, she was the first recipient of the Jonathan Mann Award, sponsored by US and Swiss health organizations.
Meanwhile, the US Secretary of State, who was received by Thailand’s Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Tuesday, is expected to raise the issue of Burma and North Korea at the ARF meeting.
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Mizzima News - Counter people with people: Home Minister
by May Kyaw
Tuesday, 21 July 2009 21:33
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – The Home Minister of the Burmese military junta had at a point of time exhorted the staff members of the General Administration Department at a meeting to ‘counter people with people and counter politics with politics’.
In the Home Ministry’s directive, a copy of which has been leaked and is with Mizzima, the Home Minister Maj. Gen. Maung Oo had given such a blatant instruction to officials of the General Administration (GA) Department at a meeting in Naypyitaw Home Ministry’s Meeting Hall on 20 January 2007.
“Counter people with people, counter politics with politics. There is no need to get involved personally. Do it carefully and do it daringly,” he had directed.
In the six-page directive, he had instructed organizing of NGOs so as to be pro-government, to mobilze people, not to confront the army, to go in for fund raising for the welfare of the Home Ministry staff members and to monitor the activities of the ‘National League for Democracy’ (NLD).
Moreover Maj. Gen. Maung Oo had also said that the staff of the Home Ministry should use their power for their livelihood instead of begging.
“Regarding smuggling, arrest them. Report to the authorities, anything you seize from them, either a car or a motorcycle. Surrender them to the customs department. You will get 50 per cent reward money from these goods. So you don’t need to beg, but arrest them for your living,” the directive says.
He had also talked of the junta’s plan of holding mass rallies against the opposition forces in late 2007 to senior officials in the GA Department across the country.
Following the saffron revolution in September 2007, protest rallies were organized by the junta backed civilian organisation - ‘Union Solidarity and Development Association’ - in some States and Divisions across the country.
The meeting presided by the Maung Oo was also attended by the Burmese Deputy Home Minister and Director General of the General Administration.
During the meeting, Deputy Minister Brig. Gen. Phone Swe advised GA officials to build trust and win the respect of ethnic people in their respective regions and to prepare for joining a political party.
Director General Myat Ko also informed the ‘District Peace and Development Council’ (DPDC) Chairmen and ‘Township Peace and Development Council’ Chairmen to thoroughly scrutinize before giving recommendations to establishment of social organizations and to make office expenses frugally.
The DPDC and TPDC are under the jurisdiction of the Home Ministry’s GA Department. While most Chairmen of DPDC has military backgrounds, a few are selected from the civilians and there are a total of 62 districts in the Burmese administration.
Divisional and State level PDC are controlled and are under the charge of the commander of the military regional command in their respective regions.
by May Kyaw
Tuesday, 21 July 2009 21:33
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – The Home Minister of the Burmese military junta had at a point of time exhorted the staff members of the General Administration Department at a meeting to ‘counter people with people and counter politics with politics’.
In the Home Ministry’s directive, a copy of which has been leaked and is with Mizzima, the Home Minister Maj. Gen. Maung Oo had given such a blatant instruction to officials of the General Administration (GA) Department at a meeting in Naypyitaw Home Ministry’s Meeting Hall on 20 January 2007.
“Counter people with people, counter politics with politics. There is no need to get involved personally. Do it carefully and do it daringly,” he had directed.
In the six-page directive, he had instructed organizing of NGOs so as to be pro-government, to mobilze people, not to confront the army, to go in for fund raising for the welfare of the Home Ministry staff members and to monitor the activities of the ‘National League for Democracy’ (NLD).
Moreover Maj. Gen. Maung Oo had also said that the staff of the Home Ministry should use their power for their livelihood instead of begging.
“Regarding smuggling, arrest them. Report to the authorities, anything you seize from them, either a car or a motorcycle. Surrender them to the customs department. You will get 50 per cent reward money from these goods. So you don’t need to beg, but arrest them for your living,” the directive says.
He had also talked of the junta’s plan of holding mass rallies against the opposition forces in late 2007 to senior officials in the GA Department across the country.
Following the saffron revolution in September 2007, protest rallies were organized by the junta backed civilian organisation - ‘Union Solidarity and Development Association’ - in some States and Divisions across the country.
The meeting presided by the Maung Oo was also attended by the Burmese Deputy Home Minister and Director General of the General Administration.
During the meeting, Deputy Minister Brig. Gen. Phone Swe advised GA officials to build trust and win the respect of ethnic people in their respective regions and to prepare for joining a political party.
Director General Myat Ko also informed the ‘District Peace and Development Council’ (DPDC) Chairmen and ‘Township Peace and Development Council’ Chairmen to thoroughly scrutinize before giving recommendations to establishment of social organizations and to make office expenses frugally.
The DPDC and TPDC are under the jurisdiction of the Home Ministry’s GA Department. While most Chairmen of DPDC has military backgrounds, a few are selected from the civilians and there are a total of 62 districts in the Burmese administration.
Divisional and State level PDC are controlled and are under the charge of the commander of the military regional command in their respective regions.
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The Irrawaddy - Burmese Opposition Leaders Reject FM’s Comments
By SAW YAN NAING - Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Opposition and ethnic leaders in Rangoon on Tuesday rejected suggestions that the Burmese regime might be open to calls for change after Foreign Minister Nyan Win, attending a regional ministerial meeting in Thailand, said that the junta was still considering a number of proposals from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
On Sunday, Nyan Win told his counterparts at the Asean Ministerial Meeting in Phuket that the release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners demanded by the UN chief during a recent visit to Burma had not been ruled out.
Nyan Win’s comments, apparently intended to deflect international criticism of the regime’s imprisonment of Suu Kyi on charges of violating the terms of her house arrest, were rejected out of hand by leading members of Burma’s political opposition.
Khin Maung Swe, the main spokesperson for the central information committee of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy, said the release of Suu Kyi was a matter of urgency. He said that genuine national reconciliation talks would be possible only if the regime released Suu Kyi and dropped the charges against her.
“Since Asean holds a constructive engagement policy among its member countries, it is up to them [Asean members] to engage Burma to solve the political conflict through negotiation,” said Khin Maung Swe.
Aye Thar Aung, the Rangoon-based chairman of the Arakan League for Democracy, also said that the release of all political prisoners in Burma was only the first step of the process of national reconciliation.
He added that the Asean Regional Forum (ARF), a gathering of high-ranking officials from 27 countries that will begin in Phuket tomorrow, was not likely to have much impact on the situation in Burma.
Thawng Kho Thang, a senior member of the Rangoon-based United Nationalities League for Democracy, said he did not expect the Burmese regime to respond constructively to the Ban’s proposals. He urged international and regional leaders attending the ARF to put more pressure on the junta.
“All members of Asean have to press the Burmese representatives to engage with them positively. They have to pressure the representatives politically and economically. Diplomacy alone does not work,” said Thawng Kho Thang.
By SAW YAN NAING - Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Opposition and ethnic leaders in Rangoon on Tuesday rejected suggestions that the Burmese regime might be open to calls for change after Foreign Minister Nyan Win, attending a regional ministerial meeting in Thailand, said that the junta was still considering a number of proposals from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
On Sunday, Nyan Win told his counterparts at the Asean Ministerial Meeting in Phuket that the release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners demanded by the UN chief during a recent visit to Burma had not been ruled out.
Nyan Win’s comments, apparently intended to deflect international criticism of the regime’s imprisonment of Suu Kyi on charges of violating the terms of her house arrest, were rejected out of hand by leading members of Burma’s political opposition.
Khin Maung Swe, the main spokesperson for the central information committee of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy, said the release of Suu Kyi was a matter of urgency. He said that genuine national reconciliation talks would be possible only if the regime released Suu Kyi and dropped the charges against her.
“Since Asean holds a constructive engagement policy among its member countries, it is up to them [Asean members] to engage Burma to solve the political conflict through negotiation,” said Khin Maung Swe.
Aye Thar Aung, the Rangoon-based chairman of the Arakan League for Democracy, also said that the release of all political prisoners in Burma was only the first step of the process of national reconciliation.
He added that the Asean Regional Forum (ARF), a gathering of high-ranking officials from 27 countries that will begin in Phuket tomorrow, was not likely to have much impact on the situation in Burma.
Thawng Kho Thang, a senior member of the Rangoon-based United Nationalities League for Democracy, said he did not expect the Burmese regime to respond constructively to the Ban’s proposals. He urged international and regional leaders attending the ARF to put more pressure on the junta.
“All members of Asean have to press the Burmese representatives to engage with them positively. They have to pressure the representatives politically and economically. Diplomacy alone does not work,” said Thawng Kho Thang.
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DVB News - Opposition party expands women’s wing
July 21, 2009 (DVB)–Burma’s opposition National League for Democracy party is planning to expand its central women’s working group following recent changes to other core sections of the party.
Last week the National League for Democracy (NLD) reorganised its information committee and appointed new public relations staff. The move followed the recent expansion of its central youth wing.
Now the group is in talks over the possible expansion of its women’s group, although it has said that work delegation, and not the looming 2010 elections, is the reason.
“We invited party members from other states and divisions to the discussion which started today and it will last for five days,” said Dr Win Naing, NLD information official.
“We are forming an assist group for the central women’s work group as some of its members have been in poor health and some have passed away.
The expansion plan is being organised by Dr May Win Myint, a former political prisoner and 1990 elected people’s parliament representative.
The NLD began carrying out expansion works after senior member Win Tin recently urged the party to strengthen itself with more members and accommodate more input from the public.
“I urged them work on politics that are more face-to-face with the public,” he said.
“We should expand as much as we can and we need to be able to talk with the people, we need to reach to them…and we need to be able to work with them.”
Reporting by Htet Aung Kyaw
July 21, 2009 (DVB)–Burma’s opposition National League for Democracy party is planning to expand its central women’s working group following recent changes to other core sections of the party.
Last week the National League for Democracy (NLD) reorganised its information committee and appointed new public relations staff. The move followed the recent expansion of its central youth wing.
Now the group is in talks over the possible expansion of its women’s group, although it has said that work delegation, and not the looming 2010 elections, is the reason.
“We invited party members from other states and divisions to the discussion which started today and it will last for five days,” said Dr Win Naing, NLD information official.
“We are forming an assist group for the central women’s work group as some of its members have been in poor health and some have passed away.
The expansion plan is being organised by Dr May Win Myint, a former political prisoner and 1990 elected people’s parliament representative.
The NLD began carrying out expansion works after senior member Win Tin recently urged the party to strengthen itself with more members and accommodate more input from the public.
“I urged them work on politics that are more face-to-face with the public,” he said.
“We should expand as much as we can and we need to be able to talk with the people, we need to reach to them…and we need to be able to work with them.”
Reporting by Htet Aung Kyaw
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