Activists: Myanmar dam will lead to more abuses
By CAROLINE STAUFFER,Associated Press Writer - Thursday, August 6
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) – The construction of two dams in Myanmar could displace thousands of ethnic minorities, put them at greater risk of human rights abuses and send them fleeing into neighboring Thailand, activists warned Wednesday.
The dams _ proposed for the 1,500-mile (2,400-kilometer) Salween River, the last major free-flowing river in Southeast Asia _ would generate electricity that would mostly be bought by Thailand. Thai and Chinese companies are involved in the construction.
Human rights and environmental activists have long been critical of such deals with Myanmar's junta, noting that the military often commits human rights abuses as it tries to clear areas for construction. The proposed Hatgyi and Tasang dams would be in an area of Myanmar where the military has brutally suppressed the Karen minority's bid for independence.
Damming the Salween has also raised environmental concerns, both in Myanmar and in China, where the river is known as the Nu. Activists say the projects would threaten one-third of the 75 fish species in the river. In 2004 Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao announced the suspension of all projects on the Nu River pending further scientific study.
"Construction of the dams at this time will cause extensive environmental damage, and the Karen people will be displaced," said Vice President David Tharckabaw of the Karen National Union on Wednesday. "Thousands could cross into Thailand as refugees."
The group, which is fighting for autonomy in eastern Myanmar, has petitioned Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to abandon the proposed dam projects, but has had no immediate response.
Sommai Kamolyabutra, a representative of the Thai agency in charge of the project, Electrical Generating Authority of Thailand, or EGAT, said Tuesday that construction will not begin at either site until a final power purchase agreement with Myanmar has been reached and the Thai government approves the deal. Sommai was involved in recent discussions on the dam.
The Thai Prime Minister's office is expected to release a bipartisan report on the two dam sites later this month.
EGAT says the dams would generate electrical power necessary for Thailand's growing economy and neighboring countries, while curbing reliance on natural gas as a power source. Environmental groups say the Tasang would be one of the largest in Southeast Asia, with a 7,110 megawatt capacity. Sommai said the Hatgyi would produce 1,360 megawatts. Thailand is expected to purchase about 85 percent of the power generated.
But activists say such benefits come with high costs.
The Shan Women's Action Network says the number of Myanmar troops has increased fivefold near the proposed site of Tasang dam in Shan State over the last few years. An official opening ceremony for the Tasang project was held in 2007, but construction has not begun.
The Thai Burma Border Consortium, a key aid provider for refugees along the Thai-Myanmar frontier consortium says nearly 500,000 people have been displaced from their homes in eastern Myanmar _ a figure that includes those forced from at dam sites but also civilians uprooted in military operations aimed at eradicating insurgents in the area.
Such military buildups are often accompanied by human rights abuses, according to the network and the border consortium. The groups have documented sexual violence committed by army troops against hundreds of women around the Tasang dam site. The government has consistently denied any violations.
Although the Karen insurgents have also come in for some criticism of using boy soldiers and other human rights abuses, the United Nations and international human rights groups have documented atrocities by Myanmar troops in great detail.
By CAROLINE STAUFFER,Associated Press Writer - Thursday, August 6
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) – The construction of two dams in Myanmar could displace thousands of ethnic minorities, put them at greater risk of human rights abuses and send them fleeing into neighboring Thailand, activists warned Wednesday.
The dams _ proposed for the 1,500-mile (2,400-kilometer) Salween River, the last major free-flowing river in Southeast Asia _ would generate electricity that would mostly be bought by Thailand. Thai and Chinese companies are involved in the construction.
Human rights and environmental activists have long been critical of such deals with Myanmar's junta, noting that the military often commits human rights abuses as it tries to clear areas for construction. The proposed Hatgyi and Tasang dams would be in an area of Myanmar where the military has brutally suppressed the Karen minority's bid for independence.
Damming the Salween has also raised environmental concerns, both in Myanmar and in China, where the river is known as the Nu. Activists say the projects would threaten one-third of the 75 fish species in the river. In 2004 Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao announced the suspension of all projects on the Nu River pending further scientific study.
"Construction of the dams at this time will cause extensive environmental damage, and the Karen people will be displaced," said Vice President David Tharckabaw of the Karen National Union on Wednesday. "Thousands could cross into Thailand as refugees."
The group, which is fighting for autonomy in eastern Myanmar, has petitioned Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to abandon the proposed dam projects, but has had no immediate response.
Sommai Kamolyabutra, a representative of the Thai agency in charge of the project, Electrical Generating Authority of Thailand, or EGAT, said Tuesday that construction will not begin at either site until a final power purchase agreement with Myanmar has been reached and the Thai government approves the deal. Sommai was involved in recent discussions on the dam.
The Thai Prime Minister's office is expected to release a bipartisan report on the two dam sites later this month.
EGAT says the dams would generate electrical power necessary for Thailand's growing economy and neighboring countries, while curbing reliance on natural gas as a power source. Environmental groups say the Tasang would be one of the largest in Southeast Asia, with a 7,110 megawatt capacity. Sommai said the Hatgyi would produce 1,360 megawatts. Thailand is expected to purchase about 85 percent of the power generated.
But activists say such benefits come with high costs.
The Shan Women's Action Network says the number of Myanmar troops has increased fivefold near the proposed site of Tasang dam in Shan State over the last few years. An official opening ceremony for the Tasang project was held in 2007, but construction has not begun.
The Thai Burma Border Consortium, a key aid provider for refugees along the Thai-Myanmar frontier consortium says nearly 500,000 people have been displaced from their homes in eastern Myanmar _ a figure that includes those forced from at dam sites but also civilians uprooted in military operations aimed at eradicating insurgents in the area.
Such military buildups are often accompanied by human rights abuses, according to the network and the border consortium. The groups have documented sexual violence committed by army troops against hundreds of women around the Tasang dam site. The government has consistently denied any violations.
Although the Karen insurgents have also come in for some criticism of using boy soldiers and other human rights abuses, the United Nations and international human rights groups have documented atrocities by Myanmar troops in great detail.
*********************************************************
U.N. team to visit Myanmar over child soldiers
By Patrick Worsnip – Tue Aug 4, 7:00 pm ET
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The United Nations said on Tuesday it was sending a team to Myanmar to press for action by the government and rebel groups to end the practice of using child soldiers.
Reports by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon have accused the army of Myanmar's military government and ethnic rebel militias, such as Karen groups in the east of the country, of recruiting children to serve as fighters.
The latest report, issued in June, said there had been "grave violations" against children in Myanmar. It accused the junta of failing to provide proof of measures it said it was taking to end use of child soldiers, and of blocking U.N. access to rebel groups.
But Radhika Coomaraswamy, U.N. special representative for children and armed conflict, said on Tuesday there had been some positive developments and that the government of the Asian country had been releasing some children.
"We still are not sure how comprehensive that is and the extent of it," she told a news conference. "And so I am dispatching a team (to Myanmar) at the end of this month."
The team would be talking to rebel groups that had started peace negotiations with the government of Myanmar -- also known as Burma -- and to the junta, Coomaraswamy said.
She said the aim would be to push for plans that the United Nations seeks to draw up with armies that use child soldiers in order to halt the practice. So far it has none with the Myanmar government or rebels.
The United Nations is already seeking to persuade the junta to democratize and release political prisoners.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited last month but his trip produced no immediate result and the world body is now awaiting the outcome of a trial of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Coomaraswamy was speaking shortly before the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution aimed at stepping up pressure on the issue of children by expanding a blacklist of government armies and rebel groups contained in periodic reports by Ban.
The resolution asked Ban to include not just those that recruit child soldiers but also those that engage "in patterns of killing and maiming of children and/or rape and other sexual violence against children, in situations of armed conflict."
The Mexican-drafted resolution mentioned no names, but there have been allegations of such abuses in Democratic Republic of Congo, the western Sudan region of Darfur, and elsewhere.
The blacklist aims at "naming and shaming" but does not provide for sanctions.
By Patrick Worsnip – Tue Aug 4, 7:00 pm ET
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The United Nations said on Tuesday it was sending a team to Myanmar to press for action by the government and rebel groups to end the practice of using child soldiers.
Reports by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon have accused the army of Myanmar's military government and ethnic rebel militias, such as Karen groups in the east of the country, of recruiting children to serve as fighters.
The latest report, issued in June, said there had been "grave violations" against children in Myanmar. It accused the junta of failing to provide proof of measures it said it was taking to end use of child soldiers, and of blocking U.N. access to rebel groups.
But Radhika Coomaraswamy, U.N. special representative for children and armed conflict, said on Tuesday there had been some positive developments and that the government of the Asian country had been releasing some children.
"We still are not sure how comprehensive that is and the extent of it," she told a news conference. "And so I am dispatching a team (to Myanmar) at the end of this month."
The team would be talking to rebel groups that had started peace negotiations with the government of Myanmar -- also known as Burma -- and to the junta, Coomaraswamy said.
She said the aim would be to push for plans that the United Nations seeks to draw up with armies that use child soldiers in order to halt the practice. So far it has none with the Myanmar government or rebels.
The United Nations is already seeking to persuade the junta to democratize and release political prisoners.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited last month but his trip produced no immediate result and the world body is now awaiting the outcome of a trial of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Coomaraswamy was speaking shortly before the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution aimed at stepping up pressure on the issue of children by expanding a blacklist of government armies and rebel groups contained in periodic reports by Ban.
The resolution asked Ban to include not just those that recruit child soldiers but also those that engage "in patterns of killing and maiming of children and/or rape and other sexual violence against children, in situations of armed conflict."
The Mexican-drafted resolution mentioned no names, but there have been allegations of such abuses in Democratic Republic of Congo, the western Sudan region of Darfur, and elsewhere.
The blacklist aims at "naming and shaming" but does not provide for sanctions.
*********************************************************
US man in Suu Kyi case 'better' in Myanmar: source
Wed Aug 5, 3:21 am ET
YANGON (AFP) – The US man on trial in Myanmar for trespassing at Aung San Suu Kyi's home was said to be feeling better in intensive care Wednesday after having a seizure in prison, a hospital worker said.
John Yettaw, 54, who has epilepsy and other health problems according to his lawyer, was taken from Insein prison to Yangon General Hospital on Monday night, where he was recovering after treatment.
"Mr Yettaw is feeling better now. He is staying in the intensive care unit," the hospital worker said on condition of anonymity.
The source added that neurological specialists had visited the unit to give him treatment, but could not give any further details.
Yettaw was being kept under guard away from other patients, a hospital worker said Tuesday, while a spokesman for the US embassy in Yangon confirmed he had been taken to the city hospital.
Khin Maung Oo, Yettaw's lawyer, said his client had been staying at the prison's hospital during his trial, where he had been receiving treatment for diabetes, epilepsy and a heart complaint by doctors from the health ministry.
"(But) when I met him for the verdict date on July 31 he said he was fine," the lawyer told AFP Tuesday.
Yettaw, a former military veteran from Missouri, is on trial alongside opposition leader Suu Kyi and two of her female aides after he donned homemade flippers and swam to her home in May.
The devout Mormon said he embarked on his mission to warn Suu Kyi of a vision he had had that she would be assassinated.
He faces charges of abetting Suu Kyi's breach of security laws, immigration violations and a municipal charge of illegal swimming. All four defendants face up to five years in prison.
Yettaw was arrested just days before the most recent, six-year spell of Suu Kyi's house arrest was due to expire in the military-run nation.
Suu Kyi is accused of breaching the terms of her house arrest by giving Yettaw refuge at her home, but critics say the charges have been trumped up to keep her locked away until after elections scheduled for 2010.
A verdict in her case had been expected last week but judges postponed their pronouncement until August 11, saying they needed time to review the case.
Wed Aug 5, 3:21 am ET
YANGON (AFP) – The US man on trial in Myanmar for trespassing at Aung San Suu Kyi's home was said to be feeling better in intensive care Wednesday after having a seizure in prison, a hospital worker said.
John Yettaw, 54, who has epilepsy and other health problems according to his lawyer, was taken from Insein prison to Yangon General Hospital on Monday night, where he was recovering after treatment.
"Mr Yettaw is feeling better now. He is staying in the intensive care unit," the hospital worker said on condition of anonymity.
The source added that neurological specialists had visited the unit to give him treatment, but could not give any further details.
Yettaw was being kept under guard away from other patients, a hospital worker said Tuesday, while a spokesman for the US embassy in Yangon confirmed he had been taken to the city hospital.
Khin Maung Oo, Yettaw's lawyer, said his client had been staying at the prison's hospital during his trial, where he had been receiving treatment for diabetes, epilepsy and a heart complaint by doctors from the health ministry.
"(But) when I met him for the verdict date on July 31 he said he was fine," the lawyer told AFP Tuesday.
Yettaw, a former military veteran from Missouri, is on trial alongside opposition leader Suu Kyi and two of her female aides after he donned homemade flippers and swam to her home in May.
The devout Mormon said he embarked on his mission to warn Suu Kyi of a vision he had had that she would be assassinated.
He faces charges of abetting Suu Kyi's breach of security laws, immigration violations and a municipal charge of illegal swimming. All four defendants face up to five years in prison.
Yettaw was arrested just days before the most recent, six-year spell of Suu Kyi's house arrest was due to expire in the military-run nation.
Suu Kyi is accused of breaching the terms of her house arrest by giving Yettaw refuge at her home, but critics say the charges have been trumped up to keep her locked away until after elections scheduled for 2010.
A verdict in her case had been expected last week but judges postponed their pronouncement until August 11, saying they needed time to review the case.
*********************************************************
Strategy Page - The Burmese Bomb
NUCLEAR, BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS
August 5, 2009: Recent evidence that Myanmar (Burma) and North Korea have been cooperating on military projects has led to suspicions that Myanmar is developing nuclear weapons. Several refugees from Myanmar insist that there is a nuclear weapons program, with military personnel sent off to Russia for training, and North Korea supplying technology and equipment. But there's nothing definitive, and no compelling reason for the Burmese dictators to spend money they don't have for a weapon they don't need.
Myanmar has military needs, but of a more mundane nature. Last year, India quietly stopped selling weapons to Myanmar. Other nations have picked up the slack. The previous supplier, India, was becoming uneasy doing business Myanmar. India, and Bangladesh had made an informal deal with Myanmar to drive rebels from each other's borders. Over the last few years, the three countries have worked out these deals, to rid themselves of rebel groups that had only survived because they could flee across the border and set up camp until their pursuers went away. For decades, Myanmar's neighbors avoided such cooperative relations, as a form of protest against the Burmese military dictatorship. But eventually, the need to deal with various rebel organizations overcame this distaste, for a while, anyway. Four years ago, India began selling weapons to Myanmar, to obtain a little more enthusiastic cooperation in the anti-rebel department. Burmese troops have cleared out most of the Indian rebels from their side of the border. Apparently India believes that it can resume arms sales if the "rebels in Burma" problem gets out of hand again. Meanwhile, Myanmar gets all the weapons it needs from China and North Korea, although it has to pay (many of the Indian items were free, or cut rate.)
Myanmar has been ruled by a military dictatorship for the last 45 years. The generals have run the economy into the ground, and succeeded in suppressing all attempts at establishing a representative government. They have also managed to maintain the support of a fairly large army. How have they managed to pull this off for so long? Simple, the generals have concentrated on maintaining the loyalty of the officers and senior NCOs in the armed forces. This is done by making the military a well paid, by Burmese standards, profession, and selecting carefully from among those who apply to be career soldiers.
NUCLEAR, BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS
August 5, 2009: Recent evidence that Myanmar (Burma) and North Korea have been cooperating on military projects has led to suspicions that Myanmar is developing nuclear weapons. Several refugees from Myanmar insist that there is a nuclear weapons program, with military personnel sent off to Russia for training, and North Korea supplying technology and equipment. But there's nothing definitive, and no compelling reason for the Burmese dictators to spend money they don't have for a weapon they don't need.
Myanmar has military needs, but of a more mundane nature. Last year, India quietly stopped selling weapons to Myanmar. Other nations have picked up the slack. The previous supplier, India, was becoming uneasy doing business Myanmar. India, and Bangladesh had made an informal deal with Myanmar to drive rebels from each other's borders. Over the last few years, the three countries have worked out these deals, to rid themselves of rebel groups that had only survived because they could flee across the border and set up camp until their pursuers went away. For decades, Myanmar's neighbors avoided such cooperative relations, as a form of protest against the Burmese military dictatorship. But eventually, the need to deal with various rebel organizations overcame this distaste, for a while, anyway. Four years ago, India began selling weapons to Myanmar, to obtain a little more enthusiastic cooperation in the anti-rebel department. Burmese troops have cleared out most of the Indian rebels from their side of the border. Apparently India believes that it can resume arms sales if the "rebels in Burma" problem gets out of hand again. Meanwhile, Myanmar gets all the weapons it needs from China and North Korea, although it has to pay (many of the Indian items were free, or cut rate.)
Myanmar has been ruled by a military dictatorship for the last 45 years. The generals have run the economy into the ground, and succeeded in suppressing all attempts at establishing a representative government. They have also managed to maintain the support of a fairly large army. How have they managed to pull this off for so long? Simple, the generals have concentrated on maintaining the loyalty of the officers and senior NCOs in the armed forces. This is done by making the military a well paid, by Burmese standards, profession, and selecting carefully from among those who apply to be career soldiers.
*********************************************************
The Australian - Burma's deadly course
Greg Sheridan, Foreign Editor | August 06, 2009
BURMA is a bugger of a problem. And it's getting worse.
Last weekend, Fairfax papers reported testimony from two Burmese defectors which suggested Rangoon had progressed some distance towards building clandestine nuclear facilities with North Korean assistance.
Burma is a rogue state. Rogue states, like failed states (such as Somalia), are beyond international norms and almost by definition do not care about international opinion, with the exception generally of their one or two sponsors.
Burma is a particularly difficult case. If ever there was an example ofthe need for some new thinking, it's Burma.
Just establishing the facts is extremely challenging. The defector testimony said Burma was constructing tunnels in which it had also begun constructing nuclear reactors, with North Korean help.
This was a valuable story, not because what the defectors say is necessarily true, but because it is useful to know what defectors are saying. After Iraq, everyone is very careful about defector testimony regarding nuclear matters.
Defectors don't always tell you the truth. Sometimes they say what they believe their interrogators want to hear. Sometimes they say what will maximise their value. Sometimes they don't know the truth.
On the other hand, defectors have on occasions given critically important and accurate testimony. It was dissident testimony that revealed Iran's secret nuclear programs.
I have been following this Burmese story a long time. In 2006, I reported that US intelligence harboured deep concerns about Burma's ambitions to acquire nuclear material and expertise from North Korea.
At that time, the best US analysis was that no nuclear material had yet passed from North Korea to Burma.
Having talked to some extremely well-informed Asian analysts, I'm inclined to think the Burmese defector testimony was exaggerated.
No one knows for sure. The stakes are so enormous that we need to make a serious effort, though, to find out all we can. Much of the defector testimony seems to hinge on North Korean assistance in building tunnels. It is true that tunnels can be used to hide reactors. However, there is also significant evidence that North Korea has been helping the paranoid Burmese regime build tunnels as elaborate air raid shelters for the ruling junta in the event of US attack.
A US air attack on Burma is almost inconceivable but Than Shwe's military junta is intensely paranoid. It moved its capital from Rangoon to an inland city apparently because it feared Rangoon was susceptible to military attack.
There is no doubt there is a deep relationship between the Burmese and North Korean militaries. The two countries have a strange history.
Burma broke diplomatic relations with Pyongyang in 1983 after North Korean agents attempted to kill Chun Doo-hwan, the South Korean president then visiting Burma. They missed Chun but killed 20 other people. The two dictatorships re-established relations in April 2007.
Since then, the militaries of both countries have had an intense and deepening relationship. Burma is thought to have imported a great deal of standard infantry equipment from North Korea. Burma maintains the biggest standing army in Southeast Asia, with more than half a million troops and a paramilitary force of more than 100,000. Western governments have been a bit cagey about revealing how much they know of what military materiel has passed between North Korea and Burma. They normally don't go beyond calling on Burma to fully implement UN resolutions that ban member states from trading with North Korea in military equipment and arms.
North Korea also has a record of selling nuclear material to anyone who will buy it. In 2007 the Israelis destroyed a nuclear reactor the North Koreans had helped the Syrians build.
Further, Burma certainly has an indisputable interest in acquiring nuclear technology. A few years ago it signed a deal with Russia to build a small nuclear reactor for research purposes and for the production of nuclear medical materials.
This is a truly bizarre project. Burma has one of the most primitive, impoverished and ineffective health systems in the world. International analysts do not believe Burma could safely run such a reactor. The Russians insist that what they provide Burma will comply completely with International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards. Most analysts think the Russians are on the level about this and have no desire to proliferate any weapons-usable technology to the Burmese. However, the US State Department has criticised the Russian project, saying in effect that it has no reasonable rationale and presents serious dangers.
It seems that the project has gone extremely slowly, primarily because of Burmese financing difficulties.
An important insight comes from India. Indian sources reveal that two Pakistani nuclear scientists, Suleiman Assad and Muhammad Mukhtar, who were part of A.Q. Khan's nuclear proliferation network, went to live in Burma several years ago. After 9/11 the American FBI had wanted to talk to them about their nuclear proliferation activities.
There is some disagreement among Indian sources as to whether the men defected to Burma or were encouraged by the Pakistan government to go there.
It seems strange, as China and India, not Pakistan, are the two main external competitors for influence within Burma.
Nonetheless, the Indian sources reporting this are entirely credible, with intelligence and high government service backgrounds.
The Pakistanis surely didn't pick Burma for the lifestyle.
Perhaps the most intriguing evidence of all was US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton remarking at the recent ASEAN meeting in Thailand: "We worry about the transfer of nuclear technology from North Korea to Myanmar (Burma)."
Does that statement confirm that such a transfer has taken place?
Probably not. If the Americans had hard evidence of this they would almost certainly be taking stronger international action. But it would be important for Clinton to send a strong public message, not least to the Burmese, if, as seems likely, the Americans were aware even that the Burmese were talking it over with the North Koreans, or in the very early stages of a nuclear effort.
Finally, the Burmese operate at a pretty primitive level technologically. It's unlikely they could produce nuclear reactors or weapons. But in these matters intent is everything. The Burmese might be the only people in the world who see the North Koreans as at least partly a positive model, having secured themselves from external interference through possession of nuclear weapons.
This is a difficult story but one of immense importance. This column has long believed that by isolating Burma the West only serves to increase the rogue-state mentality that animates its rulers. It is an extremely unpleasant regime, for which there is no ethical defence at all. But if we continue to isolate it, we drive it into the welcoming arms of China and make it more likely to turn towards rogue-state solutions, of which nuclear weapons are the apex. It's a tough and ugly call, but the West needs a new policy of engagement with Burma.
Greg Sheridan, Foreign Editor | August 06, 2009
BURMA is a bugger of a problem. And it's getting worse.
Last weekend, Fairfax papers reported testimony from two Burmese defectors which suggested Rangoon had progressed some distance towards building clandestine nuclear facilities with North Korean assistance.
Burma is a rogue state. Rogue states, like failed states (such as Somalia), are beyond international norms and almost by definition do not care about international opinion, with the exception generally of their one or two sponsors.
Burma is a particularly difficult case. If ever there was an example ofthe need for some new thinking, it's Burma.
Just establishing the facts is extremely challenging. The defector testimony said Burma was constructing tunnels in which it had also begun constructing nuclear reactors, with North Korean help.
This was a valuable story, not because what the defectors say is necessarily true, but because it is useful to know what defectors are saying. After Iraq, everyone is very careful about defector testimony regarding nuclear matters.
Defectors don't always tell you the truth. Sometimes they say what they believe their interrogators want to hear. Sometimes they say what will maximise their value. Sometimes they don't know the truth.
On the other hand, defectors have on occasions given critically important and accurate testimony. It was dissident testimony that revealed Iran's secret nuclear programs.
I have been following this Burmese story a long time. In 2006, I reported that US intelligence harboured deep concerns about Burma's ambitions to acquire nuclear material and expertise from North Korea.
At that time, the best US analysis was that no nuclear material had yet passed from North Korea to Burma.
Having talked to some extremely well-informed Asian analysts, I'm inclined to think the Burmese defector testimony was exaggerated.
No one knows for sure. The stakes are so enormous that we need to make a serious effort, though, to find out all we can. Much of the defector testimony seems to hinge on North Korean assistance in building tunnels. It is true that tunnels can be used to hide reactors. However, there is also significant evidence that North Korea has been helping the paranoid Burmese regime build tunnels as elaborate air raid shelters for the ruling junta in the event of US attack.
A US air attack on Burma is almost inconceivable but Than Shwe's military junta is intensely paranoid. It moved its capital from Rangoon to an inland city apparently because it feared Rangoon was susceptible to military attack.
There is no doubt there is a deep relationship between the Burmese and North Korean militaries. The two countries have a strange history.
Burma broke diplomatic relations with Pyongyang in 1983 after North Korean agents attempted to kill Chun Doo-hwan, the South Korean president then visiting Burma. They missed Chun but killed 20 other people. The two dictatorships re-established relations in April 2007.
Since then, the militaries of both countries have had an intense and deepening relationship. Burma is thought to have imported a great deal of standard infantry equipment from North Korea. Burma maintains the biggest standing army in Southeast Asia, with more than half a million troops and a paramilitary force of more than 100,000. Western governments have been a bit cagey about revealing how much they know of what military materiel has passed between North Korea and Burma. They normally don't go beyond calling on Burma to fully implement UN resolutions that ban member states from trading with North Korea in military equipment and arms.
North Korea also has a record of selling nuclear material to anyone who will buy it. In 2007 the Israelis destroyed a nuclear reactor the North Koreans had helped the Syrians build.
Further, Burma certainly has an indisputable interest in acquiring nuclear technology. A few years ago it signed a deal with Russia to build a small nuclear reactor for research purposes and for the production of nuclear medical materials.
This is a truly bizarre project. Burma has one of the most primitive, impoverished and ineffective health systems in the world. International analysts do not believe Burma could safely run such a reactor. The Russians insist that what they provide Burma will comply completely with International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards. Most analysts think the Russians are on the level about this and have no desire to proliferate any weapons-usable technology to the Burmese. However, the US State Department has criticised the Russian project, saying in effect that it has no reasonable rationale and presents serious dangers.
It seems that the project has gone extremely slowly, primarily because of Burmese financing difficulties.
An important insight comes from India. Indian sources reveal that two Pakistani nuclear scientists, Suleiman Assad and Muhammad Mukhtar, who were part of A.Q. Khan's nuclear proliferation network, went to live in Burma several years ago. After 9/11 the American FBI had wanted to talk to them about their nuclear proliferation activities.
There is some disagreement among Indian sources as to whether the men defected to Burma or were encouraged by the Pakistan government to go there.
It seems strange, as China and India, not Pakistan, are the two main external competitors for influence within Burma.
Nonetheless, the Indian sources reporting this are entirely credible, with intelligence and high government service backgrounds.
The Pakistanis surely didn't pick Burma for the lifestyle.
Perhaps the most intriguing evidence of all was US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton remarking at the recent ASEAN meeting in Thailand: "We worry about the transfer of nuclear technology from North Korea to Myanmar (Burma)."
Does that statement confirm that such a transfer has taken place?
Probably not. If the Americans had hard evidence of this they would almost certainly be taking stronger international action. But it would be important for Clinton to send a strong public message, not least to the Burmese, if, as seems likely, the Americans were aware even that the Burmese were talking it over with the North Koreans, or in the very early stages of a nuclear effort.
Finally, the Burmese operate at a pretty primitive level technologically. It's unlikely they could produce nuclear reactors or weapons. But in these matters intent is everything. The Burmese might be the only people in the world who see the North Koreans as at least partly a positive model, having secured themselves from external interference through possession of nuclear weapons.
This is a difficult story but one of immense importance. This column has long believed that by isolating Burma the West only serves to increase the rogue-state mentality that animates its rulers. It is an extremely unpleasant regime, for which there is no ethical defence at all. But if we continue to isolate it, we drive it into the welcoming arms of China and make it more likely to turn towards rogue-state solutions, of which nuclear weapons are the apex. It's a tough and ugly call, but the West needs a new policy of engagement with Burma.
*********************************************************
Inner City Press - On Child Soldiers, UN's Ban was Mute in Myanmar, But Spoke in Nepal
By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, August 4 -- When UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon last month visited Myanmar, the most active recruiter of child soldiers in the world, he did not raise the issue. Now the UN's envoy on the topic Radhika Coomaraswamy is "dispatching a team" to Myanmar this month, mostly to talk with "non-state actors who have entered into peace negotiations" with the government.
Mr. Ban held a staged meeting with such groups too when he was there. He did not raise child soldiers, and later one of the group confided that its talking points were prepared by the government.
Inner City Press asked Ms. Coomaraswamy if Ban had raised the child soldier issue while in Myanmar. She said he'd raised it in Nepal, but not necessarily in Myanmar.
Afterwards, Inner City Press asked her what countries may be added to the "Annex II" list, now that the scope has been broadened to include maiming and sexual violence. We'll have to see, she said.
Inner City Press also asked again about the child soldiers captured along with the Justice and Equality Movement force in Omburman, Sudan in May 2008. Has any recruiter of these child soldiers been charged with a crime? Ms. Coomaraswamy said that JEM is subject to investigation by the International Criminal Court. We'll wait for Moreno Ocampo, then .
The recurring issue of minors recruited into violent criminal gangs, which Inner City Press has asked Ms. Coomaraswamy and Mexico's Ambassador Claude Heller about several times, is now said to be assigned to a new envoy, on the topic of Children and Violence. We aim to have more on that in the near future.
Footnotes: while some in the UN think it unfair to continue to enumerate what wasn't accomplished during Ban Ki-moon's visit, others on Tuesday contrasted that trip to Bill Clinton quick trip to North Korea resulting in the release of the two American journalists. One wag asked, "Why couldn't Ban have done that?" Why indeed.
On Myanmar, Team Ban has gotten bitter even about Hilary Clinton's announcement that the U.S. would invest if Aung San Suu Kyi is released. A Ban official asked Inner City Press, "Why didn't she coordinate with Mr. Ban?" Why didn't Bill Clinton?
By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, August 4 -- When UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon last month visited Myanmar, the most active recruiter of child soldiers in the world, he did not raise the issue. Now the UN's envoy on the topic Radhika Coomaraswamy is "dispatching a team" to Myanmar this month, mostly to talk with "non-state actors who have entered into peace negotiations" with the government.
Mr. Ban held a staged meeting with such groups too when he was there. He did not raise child soldiers, and later one of the group confided that its talking points were prepared by the government.
Inner City Press asked Ms. Coomaraswamy if Ban had raised the child soldier issue while in Myanmar. She said he'd raised it in Nepal, but not necessarily in Myanmar.
Afterwards, Inner City Press asked her what countries may be added to the "Annex II" list, now that the scope has been broadened to include maiming and sexual violence. We'll have to see, she said.
Inner City Press also asked again about the child soldiers captured along with the Justice and Equality Movement force in Omburman, Sudan in May 2008. Has any recruiter of these child soldiers been charged with a crime? Ms. Coomaraswamy said that JEM is subject to investigation by the International Criminal Court. We'll wait for Moreno Ocampo, then .
The recurring issue of minors recruited into violent criminal gangs, which Inner City Press has asked Ms. Coomaraswamy and Mexico's Ambassador Claude Heller about several times, is now said to be assigned to a new envoy, on the topic of Children and Violence. We aim to have more on that in the near future.
Footnotes: while some in the UN think it unfair to continue to enumerate what wasn't accomplished during Ban Ki-moon's visit, others on Tuesday contrasted that trip to Bill Clinton quick trip to North Korea resulting in the release of the two American journalists. One wag asked, "Why couldn't Ban have done that?" Why indeed.
On Myanmar, Team Ban has gotten bitter even about Hilary Clinton's announcement that the U.S. would invest if Aung San Suu Kyi is released. A Ban official asked Inner City Press, "Why didn't she coordinate with Mr. Ban?" Why didn't Bill Clinton?
*********************************************************
The Canadian Press - Activists say dam in Myanmar will force people from their homes, lead to human rights abuses
By Caroline Stauffer – 5 hours ago
BANGKOK, Thailand (CP) — The construction of two dams in Myanmar could displace thousands of ethnic minorities, put them at greater risk of human rights abuses and send them fleeing into neighbouring Thailand, activists warned Wednesday.
The dams - proposed for the 1,500-mile (2,400-kilometre) Salween River, the last major free-flowing river in Southeast Asia - would generate electricity that would mostly be bought by Thailand. Thai and Chinese companies are involved in the construction.
Human rights and environmental activists have long been critical of such deals with Myanmar's junta, noting that the military often commits human rights abuses as it tries to clear areas for construction. The proposed Hatgyi and Tasang dams would be in an area of Myanmar where the military has brutally suppressed the Karen minority's bid for independence.
Damming the Salween has also raised environmental concerns, both in Myanmar and in China, where the river is known as the Nu. Activists say the projects would threaten one-third of the 75 fish species in the river. In 2004 Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao announced the suspension of all projects on the Nu River pending further scientific study.
"Construction of the dams at this time will cause extensive environmental damage, and the Karen people will be displaced," said Vice-President David Tharckabaw of the Karen National Union on Wednesday. "Thousands could cross into Thailand as refugees."
The group, which is fighting for autonomy in eastern Myanmar, has petitioned Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to abandon the proposed dam projects, but has had no immediate response.
Sommai Kamolyabutra, a representative of the Thai agency in charge of the project, Electrical Generating Authority of Thailand, or EGAT, said Tuesday that construction will not begin at either site until a final power purchase agreement with Myanmar has been reached and the Thai government approves the deal. Sommai was involved in recent discussions on the dam.
The Thai Prime Minister's office is expected to release a bipartisan report on the two dam sites later this month.
EGAT says the dams would generate electrical power necessary for Thailand's growing economy and neighbouring countries, while curbing reliance on natural gas as a power source. Environmental groups say the Tasang would be one of the largest in Southeast Asia, with a 7,110 megawatt capacity. Sommai said the Hatgyi would produce 1,360 megawatts. Thailand is expected to purchase about 85 per cent of the power generated.
But activists say such benefits come with high costs.
The Shan Women's Action Network says the number of Myanmar troops has increased fivefold near the proposed site of Tasang dam in Shan State over the last few years. An official opening ceremony for the Tasang project was held in 2007, but construction has not begun.
The Thai Burma Border Consortium, a key aid provider for refugees along the Thai-Myanmar frontier consortium says nearly 500,000 people have been displaced from their homes in eastern Myanmar - a figure that includes those forced from at dam sites but also civilians uprooted in military operations aimed at eradicating insurgents in the area.
Such military buildups are often accompanied by human rights abuses, according to the network and the border consortium. The groups have documented sexual violence committed by army troops against hundreds of women around the Tasang dam site. The government has consistently denied any violations.
Although the Karen insurgents have also come in for some criticism of using boy soldiers and other human rights abuses, the United Nations and international human rights groups have documented atrocities by Myanmar troops in great detail.
By Caroline Stauffer – 5 hours ago
BANGKOK, Thailand (CP) — The construction of two dams in Myanmar could displace thousands of ethnic minorities, put them at greater risk of human rights abuses and send them fleeing into neighbouring Thailand, activists warned Wednesday.
The dams - proposed for the 1,500-mile (2,400-kilometre) Salween River, the last major free-flowing river in Southeast Asia - would generate electricity that would mostly be bought by Thailand. Thai and Chinese companies are involved in the construction.
Human rights and environmental activists have long been critical of such deals with Myanmar's junta, noting that the military often commits human rights abuses as it tries to clear areas for construction. The proposed Hatgyi and Tasang dams would be in an area of Myanmar where the military has brutally suppressed the Karen minority's bid for independence.
Damming the Salween has also raised environmental concerns, both in Myanmar and in China, where the river is known as the Nu. Activists say the projects would threaten one-third of the 75 fish species in the river. In 2004 Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao announced the suspension of all projects on the Nu River pending further scientific study.
"Construction of the dams at this time will cause extensive environmental damage, and the Karen people will be displaced," said Vice-President David Tharckabaw of the Karen National Union on Wednesday. "Thousands could cross into Thailand as refugees."
The group, which is fighting for autonomy in eastern Myanmar, has petitioned Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to abandon the proposed dam projects, but has had no immediate response.
Sommai Kamolyabutra, a representative of the Thai agency in charge of the project, Electrical Generating Authority of Thailand, or EGAT, said Tuesday that construction will not begin at either site until a final power purchase agreement with Myanmar has been reached and the Thai government approves the deal. Sommai was involved in recent discussions on the dam.
The Thai Prime Minister's office is expected to release a bipartisan report on the two dam sites later this month.
EGAT says the dams would generate electrical power necessary for Thailand's growing economy and neighbouring countries, while curbing reliance on natural gas as a power source. Environmental groups say the Tasang would be one of the largest in Southeast Asia, with a 7,110 megawatt capacity. Sommai said the Hatgyi would produce 1,360 megawatts. Thailand is expected to purchase about 85 per cent of the power generated.
But activists say such benefits come with high costs.
The Shan Women's Action Network says the number of Myanmar troops has increased fivefold near the proposed site of Tasang dam in Shan State over the last few years. An official opening ceremony for the Tasang project was held in 2007, but construction has not begun.
The Thai Burma Border Consortium, a key aid provider for refugees along the Thai-Myanmar frontier consortium says nearly 500,000 people have been displaced from their homes in eastern Myanmar - a figure that includes those forced from at dam sites but also civilians uprooted in military operations aimed at eradicating insurgents in the area.
Such military buildups are often accompanied by human rights abuses, according to the network and the border consortium. The groups have documented sexual violence committed by army troops against hundreds of women around the Tasang dam site. The government has consistently denied any violations.
Although the Karen insurgents have also come in for some criticism of using boy soldiers and other human rights abuses, the United Nations and international human rights groups have documented atrocities by Myanmar troops in great detail.
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Myanmar calls for taking prevention against crime
www.chinaview.cn 2009-08-05 11:13:01
YANGON, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Myanmar authorities are calling on the country's people to stay alert and take prevention against crime especially that targeting taxi drivers, the official newspaper New Light of Myanmar reported Wednesday.
Residents in the former capital city of Yangon are being urged to cooperate with the police authorities to combat such crime committed frequently.
The report cited a recent incident of attempted robbery in suburban township of Hlaingtharya as saying that a man attempting to rob a taxi driver was arrested by the police force patrolling the city.
The taxi, hired by a man, was forced to stop under a bridge and the passenger held arms around the driver and cut the latter's throat with a blade.
Defending against the blade attacks, the driver, with bruises and cuts in his hand, shouted for help but the passenger opened the door of the car he hired and ran away.
The offender was finally caught by the police force patrolling nearby.
Meanwhile, four robbers, who stormed a jewelry shop in Yemethin, Myanmar's Mandalay division, and killed a motorcyclist in May, have also been arrested by the police force with some of the jewelry they robbed, according to earlier official report.
The four culprits, broke the counter of Ngwe Yadana Aung jewelry shop on May 6 with a long-barrel gun and took away gold necklaces and gold bracelets worth about 240 million Kyats (240,000 U.S. dollars).
The robbers shot a motorcyclist to death and injured two others.
www.chinaview.cn 2009-08-05 11:13:01
YANGON, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Myanmar authorities are calling on the country's people to stay alert and take prevention against crime especially that targeting taxi drivers, the official newspaper New Light of Myanmar reported Wednesday.
Residents in the former capital city of Yangon are being urged to cooperate with the police authorities to combat such crime committed frequently.
The report cited a recent incident of attempted robbery in suburban township of Hlaingtharya as saying that a man attempting to rob a taxi driver was arrested by the police force patrolling the city.
The taxi, hired by a man, was forced to stop under a bridge and the passenger held arms around the driver and cut the latter's throat with a blade.
Defending against the blade attacks, the driver, with bruises and cuts in his hand, shouted for help but the passenger opened the door of the car he hired and ran away.
The offender was finally caught by the police force patrolling nearby.
Meanwhile, four robbers, who stormed a jewelry shop in Yemethin, Myanmar's Mandalay division, and killed a motorcyclist in May, have also been arrested by the police force with some of the jewelry they robbed, according to earlier official report.
The four culprits, broke the counter of Ngwe Yadana Aung jewelry shop on May 6 with a long-barrel gun and took away gold necklaces and gold bracelets worth about 240 million Kyats (240,000 U.S. dollars).
The robbers shot a motorcyclist to death and injured two others.
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8 H1N1 patients discharged from hospital in Myanmar
www.chinaview.cn 2009-08-05 11:17:01
YANGON, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Eight H1N1 patients have recovered and been discharged from hospitals in Myanmar, according to the Health Department Wednesday.
Surveillance measures against family members of the eight were halted, the department said, adding that the remaining five are still kept in separate rooms of the special hospitals with their conditions improving.
Myanmar reported the first case of the new flu A/H1N1 on June 27 with a 13-year-old girl who developed flu symptoms after coming back from Singapore a day earlier.
So far, the authorities have given medical check up to over 2 million people at airports, ports and border checkpoints since the outbreak of epidemic in Mexico on April 28, it said.
The authorities claimed that the 13 human flu cases are all imported ones.
The authorities continue to take preventive measures against the possible spread of the global human flu pandemic, advising all private clinics in the country to report or transfer all flu-suspected patients, who returned from abroad, to local state-run hospitals or health departments for increased surveillance.
www.chinaview.cn 2009-08-05 11:17:01
YANGON, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Eight H1N1 patients have recovered and been discharged from hospitals in Myanmar, according to the Health Department Wednesday.
Surveillance measures against family members of the eight were halted, the department said, adding that the remaining five are still kept in separate rooms of the special hospitals with their conditions improving.
Myanmar reported the first case of the new flu A/H1N1 on June 27 with a 13-year-old girl who developed flu symptoms after coming back from Singapore a day earlier.
So far, the authorities have given medical check up to over 2 million people at airports, ports and border checkpoints since the outbreak of epidemic in Mexico on April 28, it said.
The authorities claimed that the 13 human flu cases are all imported ones.
The authorities continue to take preventive measures against the possible spread of the global human flu pandemic, advising all private clinics in the country to report or transfer all flu-suspected patients, who returned from abroad, to local state-run hospitals or health departments for increased surveillance.
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Bureau News
August 4th, 2009
Gaea Times - WHO says swine flu deaths surge to at least 1,154 _ up from 816 only a week ago
GENEVA — The World Health Organization said Tuesday that 1,154 swine flu victims have died since the virus emerged in April.
WHO said that includes 338 deaths reported in the week leading up to last Friday.
More than 300 of the new deaths were in the Americas, bringing the death toll in that region to 1,008 since the virus first emerged in Mexico and the United States, and developed into the global epidemic.
WHO also said there is no evidence that the new H1N1 virus is mutating into a more dangerous form, but that six patients have been found with a virus resistant to Tamiflu, the most commonly used swine flu drug.
Laboratory confirmed cases of the disease have reached 162,380, but WHO said this number understates the total caseload because hard-hit countries are no longer testing all the people with flu symptoms.
At least 168 countries and territories have reported confirmed swine flu cases.
August 4th, 2009
Gaea Times - WHO says swine flu deaths surge to at least 1,154 _ up from 816 only a week ago
GENEVA — The World Health Organization said Tuesday that 1,154 swine flu victims have died since the virus emerged in April.
WHO said that includes 338 deaths reported in the week leading up to last Friday.
More than 300 of the new deaths were in the Americas, bringing the death toll in that region to 1,008 since the virus first emerged in Mexico and the United States, and developed into the global epidemic.
WHO also said there is no evidence that the new H1N1 virus is mutating into a more dangerous form, but that six patients have been found with a virus resistant to Tamiflu, the most commonly used swine flu drug.
Laboratory confirmed cases of the disease have reached 162,380, but WHO said this number understates the total caseload because hard-hit countries are no longer testing all the people with flu symptoms.
At least 168 countries and territories have reported confirmed swine flu cases.
*********************************************************
Amnesty International - Human Rights Flashpoints
Asia, Individuals at Risk | Posted by: Christoph Koettl, August 4, 2009 at 4:32 PM
MYANMAR - Tensions rise in anticipition of verdict
The situation in Myanmar (Burma) is getting more tense this week in anticipation of a verdict against Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday, August 11. She is currently held in Myanmar’s notorious Insein prison, awaiting her verdict in a trial that has gathered worldwide attention. Given the fact that the “Four Eights” anniversary is to take place only 3 days prior to the release of Aung San Suu Kyi’s verdict, these two highly politically charged events can prove to be a galvanizing force for major protests. Looking at the regime’s track record of violent suppression of any dissent, recent developments justify major concern of what will happen in the country in the next few days. Last week, authorities detained 30 members of the National League for Democracy (NLD), in an apparent attempt to block them from organizing protests on July 31, the day the verdict was originally expected. All those arrested are at risk of torture. While some of the opposition members were released, further arrests can be expected in the run up to the announcement of the verdict. If there are outbreaks of demonstrations in spite of government attempts to forestall them, there is the added concern that we will see violent tactics by the police and armed forces to suppress them like the ones we saw in the uprisings of August and September of 2007. Reports are indicating that the regime has heightened its alert and has deployed security forces in strategic areas of the country, something that is very characteristic of the government preparations to prevent suspected dissent.
Call for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi
Overheard
“(…) we have consistently had a very consistent public message that we believe that she should be immediately and unconditionally released, along with the 2,100 other political prisoners in Burma. I know Secretary Clinton has been very engaged with her colleagues, with some of her foreign minister colleagues. It was a topic at the ASEAN meeting, and she took every opportunity to urge her colleagues to make a similar message on the need for Aung San Suu Kyi to be released conditionally.” - Ian Kelly, Department of State, July 30, 2009.
“Suu Kyi’s continued detention, isolation, and show trial based on spurious charges cast serious doubt on the Burmese regime’s willingness to be a responsible member of the international community.” President Obama, May 26, 2009.
Asia, Individuals at Risk | Posted by: Christoph Koettl, August 4, 2009 at 4:32 PM
MYANMAR - Tensions rise in anticipition of verdict
The situation in Myanmar (Burma) is getting more tense this week in anticipation of a verdict against Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday, August 11. She is currently held in Myanmar’s notorious Insein prison, awaiting her verdict in a trial that has gathered worldwide attention. Given the fact that the “Four Eights” anniversary is to take place only 3 days prior to the release of Aung San Suu Kyi’s verdict, these two highly politically charged events can prove to be a galvanizing force for major protests. Looking at the regime’s track record of violent suppression of any dissent, recent developments justify major concern of what will happen in the country in the next few days. Last week, authorities detained 30 members of the National League for Democracy (NLD), in an apparent attempt to block them from organizing protests on July 31, the day the verdict was originally expected. All those arrested are at risk of torture. While some of the opposition members were released, further arrests can be expected in the run up to the announcement of the verdict. If there are outbreaks of demonstrations in spite of government attempts to forestall them, there is the added concern that we will see violent tactics by the police and armed forces to suppress them like the ones we saw in the uprisings of August and September of 2007. Reports are indicating that the regime has heightened its alert and has deployed security forces in strategic areas of the country, something that is very characteristic of the government preparations to prevent suspected dissent.
Call for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi
Overheard
“(…) we have consistently had a very consistent public message that we believe that she should be immediately and unconditionally released, along with the 2,100 other political prisoners in Burma. I know Secretary Clinton has been very engaged with her colleagues, with some of her foreign minister colleagues. It was a topic at the ASEAN meeting, and she took every opportunity to urge her colleagues to make a similar message on the need for Aung San Suu Kyi to be released conditionally.” - Ian Kelly, Department of State, July 30, 2009.
“Suu Kyi’s continued detention, isolation, and show trial based on spurious charges cast serious doubt on the Burmese regime’s willingness to be a responsible member of the international community.” President Obama, May 26, 2009.
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The Bangkok Post - EDITORIAL: Burma must come clean
Published: 5/08/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News
The evidence is now overwhelming of an alliance between Burma and North Korea. The vital question for Thailand is whether whatever ventures the two rogue states have started up pose a threat to our neighbourhood.
In one sense, the answer is a clear "yes", since secrecy breeds suspicion. But as this newspaper showed in three major reports last Sunday, the Burma-North Korea alliance vastly increases the stakes of international diplomacy in our backyard and in the rest of Southeast Asia.
Any project involving nuclear weapons paints a new bull's-eye over the region, not to mention that Burma would be in gross and unforgivable violation of the Asean agreements it has signed.
First, the known facts.
Burma, with experts from North Korea, has undertaken huge earthworks in areas where foreigners and most Burmese are not allowed. Truck-sized tunnels have been burrowed into the ground and hills in the general region of the heavily secured new capital, Naypyidaw, in remote central Burma.
Commercial satellite photos show more than 600 tunnel complexes. Other photographs, taken on the ground and smuggled out of the country, show that some of the tunnels are fortified with blast-proof doors.
During construction of these tunnels, which was begun by 2003, Burma renewed official relations with North Korea, cut off in 1983 after state-sponsored terrorists from Pyongyang attempted to assassinate South Korean president Chun Doo-hwan in Rangoon with three deadly bombs.
Relations resumed in April, 2007. At the time, the chief concern of Burma's neighbours and the United Nations was that the twin rogue states would collude against human rights, chiefly with Burma purchasing weapons from North Korea.
The Burmese military continues to abuse citizens at the whim or acquiescence of the ruling junta. But the tunnel projects and increasingly warm relations between Burma and North Korea raise major questions that get to the very basis of Southeast Asian diplomacy, cooperation and peace.
Burma and its dictatorship have clearly violated major tenets of Asean. Indeed, as details of the tunnel projects emerged to the public, Burmese officials were attending the Asean Regional Forum in the southern Thai resort island of Phuket. The purpose of the ARF is specifically to encourage openness among all members in order to build trust.
Even the most peaceful and innocent nuclear project requires Burma - by Asean and by United Nations law - to fully reveal the work. It must be remembered that the junta has stated that it wants a small nuclear reactor, such as the one in Bangkok. Russia announced it would help to achieve that aim; then the subject was dropped from public discussion. But even that proposal must be fully public, and conducted through the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency.
There also has been speculation that the tunnels are part of a plan to mine uranium, and again Burma would be breaking international law not to discuss that.
On general principles of regional agreement, Burma must quickly disclose what it is up to with the tunnel complexes. The generals can prove that reports of nuclear cooperation with North Korea are wrong.
But by their silence they also can encourage even more distrust and suspicion about the intentions of their violent regime.
Published: 5/08/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News
The evidence is now overwhelming of an alliance between Burma and North Korea. The vital question for Thailand is whether whatever ventures the two rogue states have started up pose a threat to our neighbourhood.
In one sense, the answer is a clear "yes", since secrecy breeds suspicion. But as this newspaper showed in three major reports last Sunday, the Burma-North Korea alliance vastly increases the stakes of international diplomacy in our backyard and in the rest of Southeast Asia.
Any project involving nuclear weapons paints a new bull's-eye over the region, not to mention that Burma would be in gross and unforgivable violation of the Asean agreements it has signed.
First, the known facts.
Burma, with experts from North Korea, has undertaken huge earthworks in areas where foreigners and most Burmese are not allowed. Truck-sized tunnels have been burrowed into the ground and hills in the general region of the heavily secured new capital, Naypyidaw, in remote central Burma.
Commercial satellite photos show more than 600 tunnel complexes. Other photographs, taken on the ground and smuggled out of the country, show that some of the tunnels are fortified with blast-proof doors.
During construction of these tunnels, which was begun by 2003, Burma renewed official relations with North Korea, cut off in 1983 after state-sponsored terrorists from Pyongyang attempted to assassinate South Korean president Chun Doo-hwan in Rangoon with three deadly bombs.
Relations resumed in April, 2007. At the time, the chief concern of Burma's neighbours and the United Nations was that the twin rogue states would collude against human rights, chiefly with Burma purchasing weapons from North Korea.
The Burmese military continues to abuse citizens at the whim or acquiescence of the ruling junta. But the tunnel projects and increasingly warm relations between Burma and North Korea raise major questions that get to the very basis of Southeast Asian diplomacy, cooperation and peace.
Burma and its dictatorship have clearly violated major tenets of Asean. Indeed, as details of the tunnel projects emerged to the public, Burmese officials were attending the Asean Regional Forum in the southern Thai resort island of Phuket. The purpose of the ARF is specifically to encourage openness among all members in order to build trust.
Even the most peaceful and innocent nuclear project requires Burma - by Asean and by United Nations law - to fully reveal the work. It must be remembered that the junta has stated that it wants a small nuclear reactor, such as the one in Bangkok. Russia announced it would help to achieve that aim; then the subject was dropped from public discussion. But even that proposal must be fully public, and conducted through the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency.
There also has been speculation that the tunnels are part of a plan to mine uranium, and again Burma would be breaking international law not to discuss that.
On general principles of regional agreement, Burma must quickly disclose what it is up to with the tunnel complexes. The generals can prove that reports of nuclear cooperation with North Korea are wrong.
But by their silence they also can encourage even more distrust and suspicion about the intentions of their violent regime.
*********************************************************
The Bangkok Post - Army denies Burma ambitions
Writer: WASSANA NANUAM AND ANUCHA CHAROENPO
Published: 5/08/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News
There is no truth to reports that Burma is planning to build a secret nuclear reactor and plutonium storage facilities with the help of North Korea and Russia, a highly placed army source says.
There is no concrete evidence to show Burma has any nuclear ambitions, the source said yesterday.
There is only cooperation between Burma's military rulers and North Korea on conventional weapons.
Burma has built two unusual tunnels, but these were for security reasons, the source said. The tunnels are to serve as large bunkers in the event of a US air strike, which the junta fears, not for storing nuclear weapons.
The Central Intelligence Agency and other US security agencies have asked the Thai army to monitor Burma-North Korea relations, said another source in the army's intelligence unit responsible for Burmese affairs.
The US agencies warned that nuclear technology transfer to Burma was imminent, but they had not shown proof to back the claim, the source said.
"We have listened to them, kept figuring out the alleged nuclear weapons development plans and monitored every movement ever since, but have still not found anything unusual," he said. "The army is not worried at all because if this is true, the US would have come out publicly to confirm it by now."
Acting government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said the government had yet to discuss the reports on Burma's nuclear ambitions first made public in the Bangkok Post Sunday of Aug 2 or taken a stand on the issue.
If Burma was planning to develop nuclear weapons, it would pose a threat to the security of the entire Southeast Asian region, he said.
Writer: WASSANA NANUAM AND ANUCHA CHAROENPO
Published: 5/08/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News
There is no truth to reports that Burma is planning to build a secret nuclear reactor and plutonium storage facilities with the help of North Korea and Russia, a highly placed army source says.
There is no concrete evidence to show Burma has any nuclear ambitions, the source said yesterday.
There is only cooperation between Burma's military rulers and North Korea on conventional weapons.
Burma has built two unusual tunnels, but these were for security reasons, the source said. The tunnels are to serve as large bunkers in the event of a US air strike, which the junta fears, not for storing nuclear weapons.
The Central Intelligence Agency and other US security agencies have asked the Thai army to monitor Burma-North Korea relations, said another source in the army's intelligence unit responsible for Burmese affairs.
The US agencies warned that nuclear technology transfer to Burma was imminent, but they had not shown proof to back the claim, the source said.
"We have listened to them, kept figuring out the alleged nuclear weapons development plans and monitored every movement ever since, but have still not found anything unusual," he said. "The army is not worried at all because if this is true, the US would have come out publicly to confirm it by now."
Acting government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said the government had yet to discuss the reports on Burma's nuclear ambitions first made public in the Bangkok Post Sunday of Aug 2 or taken a stand on the issue.
If Burma was planning to develop nuclear weapons, it would pose a threat to the security of the entire Southeast Asian region, he said.
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The Nation - Letter to Editor: Burmese junta will benefit from Salween dam
Published on August 5, 2009
The Thai government will soon make a decision to support the damming of the Salween River.
It will be lobbied by investors who wish to make money from this scheme. But largely the people and environment that will be most affected will have no say. This matter may not mean much to you. But it means a lot to the people who will lose their homes and livelihood. It will mean a lot to the people who are forced to relocate, or are forced to work as slaves for the Burmese army and in the construction of roads and the dam. It will mean a great deal to those that are raped and murdered by the Burmese army as it enters the region to gain control of the dam.
The dam will make a lot of money for the Burmese government at a time when it is suspected of building nuclear weapons. The energy produced by the dam is not needed by Thailand, so where will it go to in Burma? The Salween is one of the last big rivers to be undisturbed by dams. Over the last century humans have dammed almost all large rivers. This has brought some short-term gains, but now it is becoming apparent that it is at a huge environmental and human cost.
Please publish information on this issue and the desire of the people that this dam be stopped.
PAUL GARRIOCH
HEIDELBERG, ALABAMA
Published on August 5, 2009
The Thai government will soon make a decision to support the damming of the Salween River.
It will be lobbied by investors who wish to make money from this scheme. But largely the people and environment that will be most affected will have no say. This matter may not mean much to you. But it means a lot to the people who will lose their homes and livelihood. It will mean a lot to the people who are forced to relocate, or are forced to work as slaves for the Burmese army and in the construction of roads and the dam. It will mean a great deal to those that are raped and murdered by the Burmese army as it enters the region to gain control of the dam.
The dam will make a lot of money for the Burmese government at a time when it is suspected of building nuclear weapons. The energy produced by the dam is not needed by Thailand, so where will it go to in Burma? The Salween is one of the last big rivers to be undisturbed by dams. Over the last century humans have dammed almost all large rivers. This has brought some short-term gains, but now it is becoming apparent that it is at a huge environmental and human cost.
Please publish information on this issue and the desire of the people that this dam be stopped.
PAUL GARRIOCH
HEIDELBERG, ALABAMA
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Sri Lanka – Myanmar Joint Commission to consolidate bonds of friendship and cooperation
Published by editor Sri Lanka Aug 5, 2009
Colombo, 05 August, (Asiantribune.com): “Sri Lanka and Myanmar are pillars of the Buddhist world. We have preserved the purity of Buddhism and the practice of the Dhamma. Sri Lanka had the profound privilege of extending the greatest gift of Buddhism to Myanmar, said Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama.
Delivering an opening remarks at the Sri Lanka – Myanmar Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation held in Colombo said, “Myanmar in turn has played a significant role in the development of the Buddha Sasana in Sri Lanka. The Chapters of the Amarapura Nikaya and the Ramanna Nikaya stand as living proof of the close Buddhist ties that exist between Sri Lanka and Myanmar.”
Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama further added, “It is a source of a great pride and satisfaction to us that Myanmar was among the first group of countries in which Sri Lanka opened a resident Diplomatic mission soon after gaining independence in 1948. I also recall that in 1954 Myanmar was one of the countries present at the Colombo Powers Meeting when the Non Aligned Movement was conceived. The foreign policy agenda of my government gives high priority to forging close relations with fraternal Asian countries.”
Given below the opening remarks by Rohitha Bogollagama, MP, Minister Foreign Affairs of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka at the Second Meeting of the Sri Lanka – Myanmar Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation held in in Colombo:
Your Excellency U Nyan Win, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Union of Myanmar, Members of the Myanmar and Sri Lanka Delegations to the Second Meeting of the Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation,
It is my pleasure to extend friendly greetings and a very warm welcome to the delegation from Myanmar led by H.E. Nyan Win Minister of Foreign Affairs. I wish you a pleasant and fruitful stay in Sri Lanka. I also welcome the Secretaries of line Ministries and representatives of Agencies who are participating on the Sri Lanka side.
This Joint Commission Meeting is convened soon after the visit to Myanmar by His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa, President of Sri Lanka. The successfully concluded State Visit of His Excellency President Rajapaksa to Myanmar in June 2009 was to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the establishment of Diplomatic Relations between our two countries. However, the bonds between Sri Lanka and Myanmar go back many centuries. We are two Asian countries who have inherited the fruits of ancient civilizations. The bedrock of our bilateral relations lies in the historical, religious and cultural ties between our two countries which have existed from about the third century.
Sri Lanka and Myanmar are pillars of the Buddhist world. We have preserved the purity of Buddhism and the practice of the Dhamma. Sri Lanka had the profound privilege of extending the greatest gift of Buddhism to Myanmar. Myanmar in turn has played a significant role in the development of the Buddha Sasana in Sri Lanka. The Chapters of the Amarapura Nikaya and the Ramanna Nikaya stand as living proof of the close Buddhist ties that exist between Sri Lanka and Myanmar.
It is a source of a great pride and satisfaction to us that Myanmar was among the first group of countries in which Sri Lanka opened a resident Diplomatic mission soon after gaining independence in 1948. I also recall that in 1954 Myanmar was one of the countries present at the Colombo Powers Meeting when the Non Aligned Movement was conceived. The foreign policy agenda of my government gives high priority to forging close relations with fraternal Asian countries.
The traditional friendship which I have just referred to has to be further strengthened by developments in our economic relations. Through the Second Joint Commission Meeting we must endeavour to build on the existing ties and explore new areas of cooperation which would lead to further collaboration in trade and investment, air links and further cooperation in the field of religious and Buddhist education. The mechanism of the Joint Commission will establish the pathway to make further progress in these sectors.
Not only do we seek to expand the volume of bilateral trade, we look forward to welcoming joint ventures from Myanmar. It is also heartening to note that a Business Delegation for Myanmar will be visiting Sri Lanka this week to interact with the Chambers of Commerce of Sri Lanka and discuss avenues to further expand our trading links.
With a view to increasing the trade volume between Sri Lanka and Myanmar it is imperative that we establish a working group at an appropriate Senior Official level to study the current barrier to trade and to propose suitable remedies. Since a drawback in promoting trade is a lack of direct sea and air links between the two countries, I am glad that an invitation has been extended by the Sri Lankan Aviation Authorities to their Myanmar counterparts, to visit Sri Lanka at a mutually convenient time for bilateral discussions.
I invite the Myanmar business leaders to explore the possibility of investing in Sri Lanka and take the advantage of the benefit granted under Sri Lanka’s bilateral Free Trade Agreement with India and Pakistan.
There is another facet of our relations and this is the field of tourism. Considering the close ties between our countries in the cultural field and the tourist attractions offered by Sri Lankan there is potential for further expansion in the area of tourism. In view of the close affinity of culture and religion, there is much potential for promoting and marketing, cultural, tourism and Buddhist pilgrimage tours between the two countries. It would be very much appreciated if on a reciprocal basis both sides can agree to consider the possibility of waving the visa fees for pilgrim travellers as well as for Buddhist monks engaged in Buddhist studies.
Keeping in view our close cultural links it would be feasible to consider signing MoU between the Independent Television Net work in Sri Lanka and the Myanmar Radio and Television to exchange documentaries on religious and cultural matters. This could be further expanded to include exchange of media personnel of the two countries as well.
Excellency,
I wish to express my gratitude for the decision of the Myanmar Government to donate a Tusker to Sri Lanka, I am happy to inform the arrangements regarding the transportation of the Tusker would be looked after by the Sri Lanka side.
I would also like to reiterate the request by H.E. the President of Sri Lanka during the State Visit to Myanmar regarding the possibility of obtaining marble for the purpose of building “Stupas” in the nine provinces of Sri Lanka.
I am also pleased to inform that Sri Lanka will draw up a work plan for the implementation of the MoU on cultural cooperation signed between our two countries in 2007.
Excellency,
Sri Lanka faces a challenging task, we have tread a new path of peace and reconciliation. I am happy to inform you that we have been able to unify the entire country from the yoke of terrorism and liberate the areas which were under the control of the LTTE for the past 26 years. Our existing security cooperation can be further strengthened to ensure that both our countries can be freed from the scourge of terrorism and conflict forever. Despite the military defeat of the LTTE in Sri Lanka it should be borne in mind that the activities of LTTE networks overseas including its front organisations and pro LTTE groups continue to be active. We are grateful for the support extended by Myanmar in not allowing any group to use its territory to undertake hostile acts against Sri Lanka. Continued vigilance in this regard is very much appreciated. It would be beneficial if there is regular exchange of intelligence sharing between the intelligence agencies of Sri Lanka and Myanmar.
As active members of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) Asia Cooperation Dialogue and the Colombo Plan both Sri Lanka and Myanmar match the quest for economic growth whilst aiming for sustainable human development and measures to improve the quality of life of our peoples. We in Sri Lanka are very glad that Myanmar has obtained “observer” status at SAARC in 2008 and believe that this paves the way for improved regional connections.
Excellency,
It is my fervent wish that this Second Session of the Joint Commission, in the year that we commemorate 60 years of the establishment of Diplomatic Relations, will provide the necessary impetus to further develop and consolidate the bonds of friendship and cooperation that so happily exist between Sri Lanka and Myanmar.
Published by editor Sri Lanka Aug 5, 2009
Colombo, 05 August, (Asiantribune.com): “Sri Lanka and Myanmar are pillars of the Buddhist world. We have preserved the purity of Buddhism and the practice of the Dhamma. Sri Lanka had the profound privilege of extending the greatest gift of Buddhism to Myanmar, said Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama.
Delivering an opening remarks at the Sri Lanka – Myanmar Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation held in Colombo said, “Myanmar in turn has played a significant role in the development of the Buddha Sasana in Sri Lanka. The Chapters of the Amarapura Nikaya and the Ramanna Nikaya stand as living proof of the close Buddhist ties that exist between Sri Lanka and Myanmar.”
Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama further added, “It is a source of a great pride and satisfaction to us that Myanmar was among the first group of countries in which Sri Lanka opened a resident Diplomatic mission soon after gaining independence in 1948. I also recall that in 1954 Myanmar was one of the countries present at the Colombo Powers Meeting when the Non Aligned Movement was conceived. The foreign policy agenda of my government gives high priority to forging close relations with fraternal Asian countries.”
Given below the opening remarks by Rohitha Bogollagama, MP, Minister Foreign Affairs of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka at the Second Meeting of the Sri Lanka – Myanmar Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation held in in Colombo:
Your Excellency U Nyan Win, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Union of Myanmar, Members of the Myanmar and Sri Lanka Delegations to the Second Meeting of the Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation,
It is my pleasure to extend friendly greetings and a very warm welcome to the delegation from Myanmar led by H.E. Nyan Win Minister of Foreign Affairs. I wish you a pleasant and fruitful stay in Sri Lanka. I also welcome the Secretaries of line Ministries and representatives of Agencies who are participating on the Sri Lanka side.
This Joint Commission Meeting is convened soon after the visit to Myanmar by His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa, President of Sri Lanka. The successfully concluded State Visit of His Excellency President Rajapaksa to Myanmar in June 2009 was to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the establishment of Diplomatic Relations between our two countries. However, the bonds between Sri Lanka and Myanmar go back many centuries. We are two Asian countries who have inherited the fruits of ancient civilizations. The bedrock of our bilateral relations lies in the historical, religious and cultural ties between our two countries which have existed from about the third century.
Sri Lanka and Myanmar are pillars of the Buddhist world. We have preserved the purity of Buddhism and the practice of the Dhamma. Sri Lanka had the profound privilege of extending the greatest gift of Buddhism to Myanmar. Myanmar in turn has played a significant role in the development of the Buddha Sasana in Sri Lanka. The Chapters of the Amarapura Nikaya and the Ramanna Nikaya stand as living proof of the close Buddhist ties that exist between Sri Lanka and Myanmar.
It is a source of a great pride and satisfaction to us that Myanmar was among the first group of countries in which Sri Lanka opened a resident Diplomatic mission soon after gaining independence in 1948. I also recall that in 1954 Myanmar was one of the countries present at the Colombo Powers Meeting when the Non Aligned Movement was conceived. The foreign policy agenda of my government gives high priority to forging close relations with fraternal Asian countries.
The traditional friendship which I have just referred to has to be further strengthened by developments in our economic relations. Through the Second Joint Commission Meeting we must endeavour to build on the existing ties and explore new areas of cooperation which would lead to further collaboration in trade and investment, air links and further cooperation in the field of religious and Buddhist education. The mechanism of the Joint Commission will establish the pathway to make further progress in these sectors.
Not only do we seek to expand the volume of bilateral trade, we look forward to welcoming joint ventures from Myanmar. It is also heartening to note that a Business Delegation for Myanmar will be visiting Sri Lanka this week to interact with the Chambers of Commerce of Sri Lanka and discuss avenues to further expand our trading links.
With a view to increasing the trade volume between Sri Lanka and Myanmar it is imperative that we establish a working group at an appropriate Senior Official level to study the current barrier to trade and to propose suitable remedies. Since a drawback in promoting trade is a lack of direct sea and air links between the two countries, I am glad that an invitation has been extended by the Sri Lankan Aviation Authorities to their Myanmar counterparts, to visit Sri Lanka at a mutually convenient time for bilateral discussions.
I invite the Myanmar business leaders to explore the possibility of investing in Sri Lanka and take the advantage of the benefit granted under Sri Lanka’s bilateral Free Trade Agreement with India and Pakistan.
There is another facet of our relations and this is the field of tourism. Considering the close ties between our countries in the cultural field and the tourist attractions offered by Sri Lankan there is potential for further expansion in the area of tourism. In view of the close affinity of culture and religion, there is much potential for promoting and marketing, cultural, tourism and Buddhist pilgrimage tours between the two countries. It would be very much appreciated if on a reciprocal basis both sides can agree to consider the possibility of waving the visa fees for pilgrim travellers as well as for Buddhist monks engaged in Buddhist studies.
Keeping in view our close cultural links it would be feasible to consider signing MoU between the Independent Television Net work in Sri Lanka and the Myanmar Radio and Television to exchange documentaries on religious and cultural matters. This could be further expanded to include exchange of media personnel of the two countries as well.
Excellency,
I wish to express my gratitude for the decision of the Myanmar Government to donate a Tusker to Sri Lanka, I am happy to inform the arrangements regarding the transportation of the Tusker would be looked after by the Sri Lanka side.
I would also like to reiterate the request by H.E. the President of Sri Lanka during the State Visit to Myanmar regarding the possibility of obtaining marble for the purpose of building “Stupas” in the nine provinces of Sri Lanka.
I am also pleased to inform that Sri Lanka will draw up a work plan for the implementation of the MoU on cultural cooperation signed between our two countries in 2007.
Excellency,
Sri Lanka faces a challenging task, we have tread a new path of peace and reconciliation. I am happy to inform you that we have been able to unify the entire country from the yoke of terrorism and liberate the areas which were under the control of the LTTE for the past 26 years. Our existing security cooperation can be further strengthened to ensure that both our countries can be freed from the scourge of terrorism and conflict forever. Despite the military defeat of the LTTE in Sri Lanka it should be borne in mind that the activities of LTTE networks overseas including its front organisations and pro LTTE groups continue to be active. We are grateful for the support extended by Myanmar in not allowing any group to use its territory to undertake hostile acts against Sri Lanka. Continued vigilance in this regard is very much appreciated. It would be beneficial if there is regular exchange of intelligence sharing between the intelligence agencies of Sri Lanka and Myanmar.
As active members of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) Asia Cooperation Dialogue and the Colombo Plan both Sri Lanka and Myanmar match the quest for economic growth whilst aiming for sustainable human development and measures to improve the quality of life of our peoples. We in Sri Lanka are very glad that Myanmar has obtained “observer” status at SAARC in 2008 and believe that this paves the way for improved regional connections.
Excellency,
It is my fervent wish that this Second Session of the Joint Commission, in the year that we commemorate 60 years of the establishment of Diplomatic Relations, will provide the necessary impetus to further develop and consolidate the bonds of friendship and cooperation that so happily exist between Sri Lanka and Myanmar.
*********************************************************
The Irrawaddy - UN Chief to Hold ‘Friends of Burma’ Meeting
By LALIT K JHA, Wednesday, August 5, 2009
WASHINGTON — United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will convene a meeting of the Group of Friends on Burma on Wednesday to review the world body’s policy on the military-ruled country.
Formed in December 2007, the Group of Friends consists of Australia, China, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Norway, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, Britain, the US and Vietnam, as well as the country holding the presidency of the European Union.
Ban is expected to brief UN ambassadors from these countries on his recent trip to Burma and the latest developments in the country, including the ongoing trial of Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has spent nearly 14 of the last 20 years under house arrest.
Ibrahim Gambari, the UN special envoy to Burma, is also expected to brief the group.
During the meeting, Ban will seek advice from members of the group on how the world body can move forward in its efforts to help resolve Burma’s longstanding political stalemate and other issues.
Meanwhile, in yet another effort to show the world that they are united against the military regime, pro-democracy organizations from both inside and outside of Burma have decided to form a common platform and launch a transition plan.
The plan, known as the “Proposal for National Reconciliation,” will be formalized at a two-day meeting in Jakarta on August 12-13.
“This is history being made,” said Dr Sein Win, prime minister of the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB), the Burmese government in exile, speaking on behalf of all the groups involved.
“The last time all major ethnic and pro-democracy organizations have forged a common position was in 1947 when all forces agreed to seek independence from the British,” he said. “As such, this is the first time an indigenous coalition has agreed to work together against a homegrown power.”
Sein Win said the alliance, known as the Movement for Democracy and Rights for Ethnic Nationalities, believes the proposal provides a means by which Burma can move through a phase of democratic reform without upheaval and recrimination.
The proposal envisages opening a process of dialogue with the junta, effectively offering a sustainable exit strategy for the military rulers. While it acknowledges a place for a functioning military, it presents a democratic future in rooted in civilian, not military, rule, said Sein Win.
By LALIT K JHA, Wednesday, August 5, 2009
WASHINGTON — United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will convene a meeting of the Group of Friends on Burma on Wednesday to review the world body’s policy on the military-ruled country.
Formed in December 2007, the Group of Friends consists of Australia, China, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Norway, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, Britain, the US and Vietnam, as well as the country holding the presidency of the European Union.
Ban is expected to brief UN ambassadors from these countries on his recent trip to Burma and the latest developments in the country, including the ongoing trial of Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has spent nearly 14 of the last 20 years under house arrest.
Ibrahim Gambari, the UN special envoy to Burma, is also expected to brief the group.
During the meeting, Ban will seek advice from members of the group on how the world body can move forward in its efforts to help resolve Burma’s longstanding political stalemate and other issues.
Meanwhile, in yet another effort to show the world that they are united against the military regime, pro-democracy organizations from both inside and outside of Burma have decided to form a common platform and launch a transition plan.
The plan, known as the “Proposal for National Reconciliation,” will be formalized at a two-day meeting in Jakarta on August 12-13.
“This is history being made,” said Dr Sein Win, prime minister of the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB), the Burmese government in exile, speaking on behalf of all the groups involved.
“The last time all major ethnic and pro-democracy organizations have forged a common position was in 1947 when all forces agreed to seek independence from the British,” he said. “As such, this is the first time an indigenous coalition has agreed to work together against a homegrown power.”
Sein Win said the alliance, known as the Movement for Democracy and Rights for Ethnic Nationalities, believes the proposal provides a means by which Burma can move through a phase of democratic reform without upheaval and recrimination.
The proposal envisages opening a process of dialogue with the junta, effectively offering a sustainable exit strategy for the military rulers. While it acknowledges a place for a functioning military, it presents a democratic future in rooted in civilian, not military, rule, said Sein Win.
*********************************************************
The Irrawaddy - Rebel Groups Welcome UN’s Child Soldiers Probe
By SAW YAN NAING, Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Burma’s Karen National Union (KNU) and Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) said Tuesday they would welcome the arrival of a UN team which is being formed to look into charges that they are recruiting child soldiers.
The UN announced earlier on Tuesday that it was sending a team to Burma in order to press the ethnic rebel groups and the Burmese regime to stop using child soldiers.
The announcement followed a recent allegation by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that the Burmese army and ethnic rebel groups, including the KNU, are recruiting children to serve as fighters. The KNU and KNPP both denied the allegation.
KNU General-Secretary Zipporah Sein said: “I want to tell the UN to come to our areas and monitor the situation by itself. We will allow them if they want to come.”
She said the KNU had stopped the recruitment of child soldiers since 2003 and had signed an agreement with UNICEF in 2007 banning the practice.
Zipporah Sein conceded that the KNU had allowed children to serve as soldiers in the past as some young people wanted to sign up after they and their families suffered torture and other abuse at the hands of Burmese army troops.
The KNPP also denied recruiting child soldiers and said the proposed UN team would be welcome to inspect its territory.
Khu Oo Reh, secretary 1 of the KNPP said: “We warmly welcome them to come and witness the situation in our area.”
According to an Associated Press report, the UN Security Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to name and shame nations and rebel groups engaged in conflicts leading to children being killed, maimed and raped.
The UN stressed the council's intention “to take action,” including possible sanctions against governments and insurgent groups that continue violating international law on the rights and protection of children in armed conflicts.
Mexico’s UN Ambassador, Claude Heller, said: “Notwithstanding, we must also recognize that there is still much to be done if we want children to never again fall victim to the spiral of violence that armed conflicts generate.”
The latest report by Ban in June accused the Burmese junta of failing to provide proof of measures it said it was taking to stop the use of child soldiers, and of blocking UN access to its associated rebel groups.
The UN’s special representative for children and armed conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy, was quoted by Reuters as saying: “We still are not sure how comprehensive that is and the extent of it. And so I am dispatching a team [to Burma] at the end of this month.”
The team would hold talks with Burmese regime and rebel groups that made peace with the regime, said Coomaraswamy.
Aye Myint, a leader of a social and labor rights group inside Burma, Guiding Star, said that the recruitment of the child soldiers is still widely practiced in the Burmese army.
In the last three months, more than 20 children who say they were forced by Burmese officials to serve as soldiers were helped by Aye Myint’s group and International Labour Organization to return to their families.
Aye Myint said the latest, Ye Ko Ko, 17, was reunited on Tuesday with his parents. Another young soldier, Aung Zaw Myo, 14, had contacted his family on Tuesday but remained in the Burmese army.
According to the UN, there are globally still some 250,000 child soldiers.
By SAW YAN NAING, Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Burma’s Karen National Union (KNU) and Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) said Tuesday they would welcome the arrival of a UN team which is being formed to look into charges that they are recruiting child soldiers.
The UN announced earlier on Tuesday that it was sending a team to Burma in order to press the ethnic rebel groups and the Burmese regime to stop using child soldiers.
The announcement followed a recent allegation by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that the Burmese army and ethnic rebel groups, including the KNU, are recruiting children to serve as fighters. The KNU and KNPP both denied the allegation.
KNU General-Secretary Zipporah Sein said: “I want to tell the UN to come to our areas and monitor the situation by itself. We will allow them if they want to come.”
She said the KNU had stopped the recruitment of child soldiers since 2003 and had signed an agreement with UNICEF in 2007 banning the practice.
Zipporah Sein conceded that the KNU had allowed children to serve as soldiers in the past as some young people wanted to sign up after they and their families suffered torture and other abuse at the hands of Burmese army troops.
The KNPP also denied recruiting child soldiers and said the proposed UN team would be welcome to inspect its territory.
Khu Oo Reh, secretary 1 of the KNPP said: “We warmly welcome them to come and witness the situation in our area.”
According to an Associated Press report, the UN Security Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to name and shame nations and rebel groups engaged in conflicts leading to children being killed, maimed and raped.
The UN stressed the council's intention “to take action,” including possible sanctions against governments and insurgent groups that continue violating international law on the rights and protection of children in armed conflicts.
Mexico’s UN Ambassador, Claude Heller, said: “Notwithstanding, we must also recognize that there is still much to be done if we want children to never again fall victim to the spiral of violence that armed conflicts generate.”
The latest report by Ban in June accused the Burmese junta of failing to provide proof of measures it said it was taking to stop the use of child soldiers, and of blocking UN access to its associated rebel groups.
The UN’s special representative for children and armed conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy, was quoted by Reuters as saying: “We still are not sure how comprehensive that is and the extent of it. And so I am dispatching a team [to Burma] at the end of this month.”
The team would hold talks with Burmese regime and rebel groups that made peace with the regime, said Coomaraswamy.
Aye Myint, a leader of a social and labor rights group inside Burma, Guiding Star, said that the recruitment of the child soldiers is still widely practiced in the Burmese army.
In the last three months, more than 20 children who say they were forced by Burmese officials to serve as soldiers were helped by Aye Myint’s group and International Labour Organization to return to their families.
Aye Myint said the latest, Ye Ko Ko, 17, was reunited on Tuesday with his parents. Another young soldier, Aung Zaw Myo, 14, had contacted his family on Tuesday but remained in the Burmese army.
According to the UN, there are globally still some 250,000 child soldiers.
*********************************************************
Mizzima News - Leaflets recalling 8.8.88 distributed in Pegu
Wednesday, 05 August 2009 21:22
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Three days from the anniversary of Burma’s historic day - August 8, leaflets exhorting people not to forget the peoples’ uprising, were distributed in Pegu town, north of Burma’s former capital Rangoon.
Half A-4 size papers dated 6 August, 2009 were distributed in market places, on roads, and at crowded places, local residents said.
“It is dated August 6, 2009. And below there are two paragraphs saying ‘our bodies may be shattered but our spirits will continue to live.’ And in the next paragraph it says ‘have you forgotten August 6, 1988, when innocent students and people shed their blood in Pegu’. The leaflets were signed ‘Spirits of 88’,” a local resident, who read it, told Mizzima.
Another local said he had also seen the leaflets being distributed on Paya Street and Thanatpin streets in Shwe Mawtaw ward of the town. But later, the leaflets were collected by the police.
A police official at the No (1) police station in Pegu town, when contacted, admitted that they had collected the leaflets that were strewn in the town.
“Yes, we have collected the leaflets. The words are like a poem. We don’t know who distributed the leaflets. But it is not related to 8.8.88,” the police officer said.
On August 8, 1988, students, monks and civilians across the country came out on the streets in protest against the Burmese Socialist Programme Party regime led by the late dictator General Newin. Authorities brutally cracked down on the protesters, killing over 3,000 people and arresting hundreds of protesters.
The day came to be known as the four eights or 8.8.88 in modern Burmese history. Any reference to the four eights has since been banned by the military rulers, who grabbed power in a coup in September 1988.
Two days prior to the historic day, on August 6, 1988, students in Pegu led a mass protest. The Burmese Army opened fire on the protestors, killing scores.
Local residents said, every year before the anniversary of the four eights, leaflets or other forms of exhortations, not to forget the day is distributed in the town.
Wednesday, 05 August 2009 21:22
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Three days from the anniversary of Burma’s historic day - August 8, leaflets exhorting people not to forget the peoples’ uprising, were distributed in Pegu town, north of Burma’s former capital Rangoon.
Half A-4 size papers dated 6 August, 2009 were distributed in market places, on roads, and at crowded places, local residents said.
“It is dated August 6, 2009. And below there are two paragraphs saying ‘our bodies may be shattered but our spirits will continue to live.’ And in the next paragraph it says ‘have you forgotten August 6, 1988, when innocent students and people shed their blood in Pegu’. The leaflets were signed ‘Spirits of 88’,” a local resident, who read it, told Mizzima.
Another local said he had also seen the leaflets being distributed on Paya Street and Thanatpin streets in Shwe Mawtaw ward of the town. But later, the leaflets were collected by the police.
A police official at the No (1) police station in Pegu town, when contacted, admitted that they had collected the leaflets that were strewn in the town.
“Yes, we have collected the leaflets. The words are like a poem. We don’t know who distributed the leaflets. But it is not related to 8.8.88,” the police officer said.
On August 8, 1988, students, monks and civilians across the country came out on the streets in protest against the Burmese Socialist Programme Party regime led by the late dictator General Newin. Authorities brutally cracked down on the protesters, killing over 3,000 people and arresting hundreds of protesters.
The day came to be known as the four eights or 8.8.88 in modern Burmese history. Any reference to the four eights has since been banned by the military rulers, who grabbed power in a coup in September 1988.
Two days prior to the historic day, on August 6, 1988, students in Pegu led a mass protest. The Burmese Army opened fire on the protestors, killing scores.
Local residents said, every year before the anniversary of the four eights, leaflets or other forms of exhortations, not to forget the day is distributed in the town.
*********************************************************
Mizzima News - Censor Board alters requirements for presenting draft copy
by Nem Davies
Wednesday, 05 August 2009 23:17
New Delhi (Mizzima) – Burma’s Censor Board under the Ministry of Information has imposed a new time limit and altered requirements for weekly journals in presenting their draft copies.
Starting from the first of this month, the Censor Board directed weekly journals to present draft journal copies no later than 12 noon.
“Power in Rangoon is unpredictable and unreliable. If the power is not available when we need it, it will be inconvenient for us. So, we are unlikely to finish before their deadline,” said one Rangoon-based journal editor.
However, an editor of a best selling weekly journal welcomed the new scheme.
“This new system is long overdue. It is very much convenient for all media persons,” he said, indicating that workload would be lightened.
Previously, weekly journals had to present their draft copies in hard copy, printed on A3 and A4 paper. But, starting last month, they could present their draft copies in soft copy form, stored on a CD after being converted to PDF format, along with a paper copy.
Now, only the CD form will be required.
Additionally, journals were also directed to deposit censor fees at the rate of 200 kyat (1 USD = 1,100 kyat) per page, not significantly different from former fee rates.
“Even so, it is still cheap for us in comparison with the previous system of presenting in hard copy printed on paper”, commented one journal editor.
Some journals estimate they can save over 30,000 kyat per issue from this new system, as a blank CD costs only 150 kyat, in contrast to the old system of presenting on A3 and A4 paper.
by Nem Davies
Wednesday, 05 August 2009 23:17
New Delhi (Mizzima) – Burma’s Censor Board under the Ministry of Information has imposed a new time limit and altered requirements for weekly journals in presenting their draft copies.
Starting from the first of this month, the Censor Board directed weekly journals to present draft journal copies no later than 12 noon.
“Power in Rangoon is unpredictable and unreliable. If the power is not available when we need it, it will be inconvenient for us. So, we are unlikely to finish before their deadline,” said one Rangoon-based journal editor.
However, an editor of a best selling weekly journal welcomed the new scheme.
“This new system is long overdue. It is very much convenient for all media persons,” he said, indicating that workload would be lightened.
Previously, weekly journals had to present their draft copies in hard copy, printed on A3 and A4 paper. But, starting last month, they could present their draft copies in soft copy form, stored on a CD after being converted to PDF format, along with a paper copy.
Now, only the CD form will be required.
Additionally, journals were also directed to deposit censor fees at the rate of 200 kyat (1 USD = 1,100 kyat) per page, not significantly different from former fee rates.
“Even so, it is still cheap for us in comparison with the previous system of presenting in hard copy printed on paper”, commented one journal editor.
Some journals estimate they can save over 30,000 kyat per issue from this new system, as a blank CD costs only 150 kyat, in contrast to the old system of presenting on A3 and A4 paper.
*********************************************************
Visitors told of Burma prisoner amnesty
Aug 5, 2009 (DVB)–A list of political prisoners to be released in an amnesty has already been drawn up by the Burmese government, according to family members visiting political prisoners last week.
The Burmese ambassador to the United Nations, Than Swe, said in July that the government would be releasing prisoners “with a view to enabling them to participate in the 2010 general elections”.
The pledge was greeted with widespread skepticism, with some observers claiming it was being done to avoid UN Security Council action.
But the wife of National League for Democracy (NLD) member, Ko Zaw Zaw Aung, who is in Tharawaddy prison, said that authorities there have already drawn up a list of releases.
“According to the sources, the list of people who will be released from prison had already been posted inside the prison,” she said. “They said 52 people will be released.”
Around 100 political prisoners still remain inside the prison, according to Ko Zaw Zaw Aung, who was arrested whilst demonstrating in front of the NLD headquarters in August 2007 against the hike in fuel and commodity prices which triggered the September 2007 monk-led protests.
Similarly, a list of people has reportedly been drawn up in Kale prison, Sagaing division, according to the sister of activist Su Su Nway, who heard the news when she visited the prison.
“[Su Su Nway] said she may be one of the political prisoners released; she was perhaps informed by someone inside there,” said Ma Htay Htay Kyi, adding that her sister had told her she did not have permission to talk about it.
The amnesty pledge followed a visit to Burma in early July by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, intended in part to pressure for the release of political prisoners.
Than Swe told the Security Council that the Burmese government would "implement all appropriate recommendations that [the] Secretary General had proposed".
The Burmese government has previously granted an amnesty to prisoners following a visit by UN human rights rapporteur Tomas Ojea Quintana. Over 6,000 prisoners were released but only around 30 had been charged on political grounds.
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners-Burma (AAPP), over 2,160 prisoners remain languishing in Burma’s notorious prisons, 472 of which are members of the National League for Democracy party.
Reporting by Nang Kham Kaew
Aug 5, 2009 (DVB)–A list of political prisoners to be released in an amnesty has already been drawn up by the Burmese government, according to family members visiting political prisoners last week.
The Burmese ambassador to the United Nations, Than Swe, said in July that the government would be releasing prisoners “with a view to enabling them to participate in the 2010 general elections”.
The pledge was greeted with widespread skepticism, with some observers claiming it was being done to avoid UN Security Council action.
But the wife of National League for Democracy (NLD) member, Ko Zaw Zaw Aung, who is in Tharawaddy prison, said that authorities there have already drawn up a list of releases.
“According to the sources, the list of people who will be released from prison had already been posted inside the prison,” she said. “They said 52 people will be released.”
Around 100 political prisoners still remain inside the prison, according to Ko Zaw Zaw Aung, who was arrested whilst demonstrating in front of the NLD headquarters in August 2007 against the hike in fuel and commodity prices which triggered the September 2007 monk-led protests.
Similarly, a list of people has reportedly been drawn up in Kale prison, Sagaing division, according to the sister of activist Su Su Nway, who heard the news when she visited the prison.
“[Su Su Nway] said she may be one of the political prisoners released; she was perhaps informed by someone inside there,” said Ma Htay Htay Kyi, adding that her sister had told her she did not have permission to talk about it.
The amnesty pledge followed a visit to Burma in early July by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, intended in part to pressure for the release of political prisoners.
Than Swe told the Security Council that the Burmese government would "implement all appropriate recommendations that [the] Secretary General had proposed".
The Burmese government has previously granted an amnesty to prisoners following a visit by UN human rights rapporteur Tomas Ojea Quintana. Over 6,000 prisoners were released but only around 30 had been charged on political grounds.
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners-Burma (AAPP), over 2,160 prisoners remain languishing in Burma’s notorious prisons, 472 of which are members of the National League for Democracy party.
Reporting by Nang Kham Kaew
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