Myanmar junta still repressing monks: rights group
Mon Sep 21, 11:27 pm ET
BANGKOK (AFP) – Myanmar's Buddhist monks face continuing intimidation, repression and severe jail sentences two years after the junta's crackdown on anti-government protests, a rights group said Tuesday.
A report from Human Rights Watch (HRW) said around 240 monks were serving tough prison terms, while thousands have been disrobed or live under "constant surveillance" following their leading role in the 2007 demonstrations.
The protests began as small rallies against the rising cost of living but escalated into huge demonstrations led by crowds of monks that posed the biggest challenge to junta rule in nearly two decades.
The new report said the potential for a repeat of the protests is "very real" if the international community does not put pressure on the regime to enact credible political reform ahead of elections planned for 2010.
It details the arrest, beating and detention of individual monks after the 2007 uprising, in which at least 31 people were killed as security forces cracked down on protesters in the country formerly known as Burma.
The junta has since closed down health and social service programmes run by local monastic groups across the country and intensified surveillance of monasteries, according to the report.
It said many monks -- who also face repression for their important social service role after the devastation of Cyclone Nargis in 2008 -- have left their monasteries and returned to their villages or sought refuge abroad.
The cyclone killed 138,000 people and prompted international criticism of the government's slow response.
"The stories told by monks are sad and disturbing, but they exemplify the behavior of Burma's military government as it clings to power through violence, fear, and repression," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
"The monks retain a great deal of moral authority, making principled stands by monks very dangerous for a government that doesn't."
Meanwhile the rights group accused the junta of using Buddhism as a tool to gain political legitimacy -- for example by lavishing gifts on selected senior monks and monasteries.
"It would not be surprising to see monks on the streets again if social grievances are not addressed," Adams added.
On Friday Myanmar authorities freed two journalists who helped victims of last year's cyclone and released several opposition activists as part of an amnesty for more than 7,000 prisoners, according to witnesses.
Their release followed another HRW report on Wednesday that said the number of political prisoners in Myanmar had doubled to more than 2,200 in the past two years.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon welcomed the release of prisoners but urged the junta to free those still being held, including opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Mon Sep 21, 11:27 pm ET
BANGKOK (AFP) – Myanmar's Buddhist monks face continuing intimidation, repression and severe jail sentences two years after the junta's crackdown on anti-government protests, a rights group said Tuesday.
A report from Human Rights Watch (HRW) said around 240 monks were serving tough prison terms, while thousands have been disrobed or live under "constant surveillance" following their leading role in the 2007 demonstrations.
The protests began as small rallies against the rising cost of living but escalated into huge demonstrations led by crowds of monks that posed the biggest challenge to junta rule in nearly two decades.
The new report said the potential for a repeat of the protests is "very real" if the international community does not put pressure on the regime to enact credible political reform ahead of elections planned for 2010.
It details the arrest, beating and detention of individual monks after the 2007 uprising, in which at least 31 people were killed as security forces cracked down on protesters in the country formerly known as Burma.
The junta has since closed down health and social service programmes run by local monastic groups across the country and intensified surveillance of monasteries, according to the report.
It said many monks -- who also face repression for their important social service role after the devastation of Cyclone Nargis in 2008 -- have left their monasteries and returned to their villages or sought refuge abroad.
The cyclone killed 138,000 people and prompted international criticism of the government's slow response.
"The stories told by monks are sad and disturbing, but they exemplify the behavior of Burma's military government as it clings to power through violence, fear, and repression," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
"The monks retain a great deal of moral authority, making principled stands by monks very dangerous for a government that doesn't."
Meanwhile the rights group accused the junta of using Buddhism as a tool to gain political legitimacy -- for example by lavishing gifts on selected senior monks and monasteries.
"It would not be surprising to see monks on the streets again if social grievances are not addressed," Adams added.
On Friday Myanmar authorities freed two journalists who helped victims of last year's cyclone and released several opposition activists as part of an amnesty for more than 7,000 prisoners, according to witnesses.
Their release followed another HRW report on Wednesday that said the number of political prisoners in Myanmar had doubled to more than 2,200 in the past two years.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon welcomed the release of prisoners but urged the junta to free those still being held, including opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
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US Senator calls hearing on Myanmar policy
22 mins ago
WASHINGTON (AFP) – A key US Senator sharply critical of US economic sanctions on Myanmar announced Tuesday he would hold an October 1 hearing on their effectiveness in fostering democratic reforms there.
Democratic Senator Jim Webb, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said the panel would evaluate the effectiveness of the US approach.
Webb, whose home state is Virginia, denounced US sanctions in late August after making a rare visit to Myanmar, warning they were "overwhelmingly counterproductive" and risked pushing Myanmar closer to regional giant China.
Webb's office said a list of witnesses for the hearing -- typically a step towards introducing legislation -- would be made public at a future date.
The hearing "will examine Burma?s current economic and political situation and discuss how the country?s long history of internal turmoil and ethnic conflicts has affected the development of democracy," his office said.
"In addition, it will review the current policy of US-imposed economic sanctions unmatched by many other countries, discuss what role the United States can and should play in promoting democratic reform in Burma, and hear testimony on how to frame a new direction for US-Burma relations."
Webb's office announced the hearing one week after US President Barack Obama's acting point man on Myanmar said that a review of US policy was almost complete and hinted at changes in the way Washington has pressed for democratic reforms there.
22 mins ago
WASHINGTON (AFP) – A key US Senator sharply critical of US economic sanctions on Myanmar announced Tuesday he would hold an October 1 hearing on their effectiveness in fostering democratic reforms there.
Democratic Senator Jim Webb, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said the panel would evaluate the effectiveness of the US approach.
Webb, whose home state is Virginia, denounced US sanctions in late August after making a rare visit to Myanmar, warning they were "overwhelmingly counterproductive" and risked pushing Myanmar closer to regional giant China.
Webb's office said a list of witnesses for the hearing -- typically a step towards introducing legislation -- would be made public at a future date.
The hearing "will examine Burma?s current economic and political situation and discuss how the country?s long history of internal turmoil and ethnic conflicts has affected the development of democracy," his office said.
"In addition, it will review the current policy of US-imposed economic sanctions unmatched by many other countries, discuss what role the United States can and should play in promoting democratic reform in Burma, and hear testimony on how to frame a new direction for US-Burma relations."
Webb's office announced the hearing one week after US President Barack Obama's acting point man on Myanmar said that a review of US policy was almost complete and hinted at changes in the way Washington has pressed for democratic reforms there.
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Suu Kyi party seeks meeting of detained leaders
Tue Sep 22, 3:31 am ET
YANGON (AFP) – The party of Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi said Tuesday it had urged the chief of the ruling junta to allow a meeting between its detained leaders so they can discuss upcoming elections.
The Nobel Laureate's National League for Democracy (NLD) has not yet said if it will participate in next year's polls, which critics say are a sham designed to legitimise the military regime's iron grip on power.
"We wrote a letter to Senior General Than Shwe on September 16," party spokesman Nyan Win told AFP, referring to the reclusive junta leader.
"The main thing we urged for is permission for a get-together of the detained party leaders Aung San Suu Kyi, Tin Oo (vice chairman) and our central executive committee members," he said.
He said they wanted to lay down NLD policy for the future and make "important decisions according to the recent political situation."
"I cannot say whether they will decide for (participating in) the forthcoming elections or not. But the elections matter will be included in their consideration at the meeting," Nyan Win said.
The NLD won a landslide victory in the country's last elections, in 1990, but was never allowed to govern, and pro-democracy icon Suu Kyi has been in detention for 14 of the past 20 years.
She had her house arrest extended by 18 months in August, when she was found guilty of breaching her detention rules after an American man swam uninvited to her home in May.
Her sentence, which keeps her off the scene for the elections, provoked international outrage and she has appealed against the ruling, with a verdict due in October.
Tin Oo has also been under house arrest since 2003.
Myanmar's military government announced that it would hold the elections in 2010 after approving a controversial constitution in May 2008, just days after devastating Cyclone Nargis hit the country.
The junta released a batch of political activists earlier this month as part of an amnesty for more than 7,000 prisoners, but UN chief Ban Ki-moon has pressed the government to free those still being held, including Suu Kyi.
Tue Sep 22, 3:31 am ET
YANGON (AFP) – The party of Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi said Tuesday it had urged the chief of the ruling junta to allow a meeting between its detained leaders so they can discuss upcoming elections.
The Nobel Laureate's National League for Democracy (NLD) has not yet said if it will participate in next year's polls, which critics say are a sham designed to legitimise the military regime's iron grip on power.
"We wrote a letter to Senior General Than Shwe on September 16," party spokesman Nyan Win told AFP, referring to the reclusive junta leader.
"The main thing we urged for is permission for a get-together of the detained party leaders Aung San Suu Kyi, Tin Oo (vice chairman) and our central executive committee members," he said.
He said they wanted to lay down NLD policy for the future and make "important decisions according to the recent political situation."
"I cannot say whether they will decide for (participating in) the forthcoming elections or not. But the elections matter will be included in their consideration at the meeting," Nyan Win said.
The NLD won a landslide victory in the country's last elections, in 1990, but was never allowed to govern, and pro-democracy icon Suu Kyi has been in detention for 14 of the past 20 years.
She had her house arrest extended by 18 months in August, when she was found guilty of breaching her detention rules after an American man swam uninvited to her home in May.
Her sentence, which keeps her off the scene for the elections, provoked international outrage and she has appealed against the ruling, with a verdict due in October.
Tin Oo has also been under house arrest since 2003.
Myanmar's military government announced that it would hold the elections in 2010 after approving a controversial constitution in May 2008, just days after devastating Cyclone Nargis hit the country.
The junta released a batch of political activists earlier this month as part of an amnesty for more than 7,000 prisoners, but UN chief Ban Ki-moon has pressed the government to free those still being held, including Suu Kyi.
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US diplomat visits American detained in Myanmar: spokesman
1 hr 33 mins ago
YANGON (AFP) – The United States embassy in Myanmar said Tuesday that it has been allowed a visit to an American citizen held in the country since his detention at an airport almost three weeks ago.
A spokesman for the embassy told AFP that Kyaw Zaw Lwin was detained in Yangon on September 3 and the consular visit was granted on Sunday, although they could not give details as to why he was held.
"Our consul obtained permission and he went and saw him," the spokesman said, adding that they had since passed on information of the Myanmar-born man's circumstances to his family.
"At this point that's all we can say," he added.
Myanmar dissident groups have said Kyaw Zaw Lwin is a democracy activist, and that some of his relatives, including his mother, were arrested during the junta's crackdown on mass protests of September 2007.
He travelled to the country after obtaining a visa from Myanmar's embassy in Bangkok, according to exiled group The 88 Generation Students-Australia.
In a letter to the junta chief Than Shwe, posted online in English, the group suggested the government "set up the plan to arrest him at arrival at the Rangoon (Yangon) airport because you knew his involvement of democracy".
1 hr 33 mins ago
YANGON (AFP) – The United States embassy in Myanmar said Tuesday that it has been allowed a visit to an American citizen held in the country since his detention at an airport almost three weeks ago.
A spokesman for the embassy told AFP that Kyaw Zaw Lwin was detained in Yangon on September 3 and the consular visit was granted on Sunday, although they could not give details as to why he was held.
"Our consul obtained permission and he went and saw him," the spokesman said, adding that they had since passed on information of the Myanmar-born man's circumstances to his family.
"At this point that's all we can say," he added.
Myanmar dissident groups have said Kyaw Zaw Lwin is a democracy activist, and that some of his relatives, including his mother, were arrested during the junta's crackdown on mass protests of September 2007.
He travelled to the country after obtaining a visa from Myanmar's embassy in Bangkok, according to exiled group The 88 Generation Students-Australia.
In a letter to the junta chief Than Shwe, posted online in English, the group suggested the government "set up the plan to arrest him at arrival at the Rangoon (Yangon) airport because you knew his involvement of democracy".
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Myanmar-American held in Yangon for 3 weeks
Tue Sep 22, 3:44 am ET
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – The U.S. Embassy said Tuesday that it has been allowed to visit a Myanmar-born American detained in the country for the past three weeks but refused to divulge details about his health or whereabouts.
Embassy spokesman Drake Weisert said officials were allowed to visit Kyaw Zaw Lwin on Sunday and have since contacted his family. He had a visa to visit the country, but it is unclear why he traveled to Yangon.
Dissident groups have said the Maryland-based Kyaw Zaw Lwin arrived in Yangon on Sept. 3 and has not been heard from since. It is not known why the junta detained him, but many of his family members have been held over the years for their pro-democracy activities.
Kyaw Zaw Lwin's mother is serving a five-year jail term while his sister was sentenced to 65 years in prison for her role in pro-democracy protests two years ago.
The news of Kyaw Zaw Lwin's whereabouts comes just days after the junta announced it was granting early release to 7,114 prisoners for good behavior on humanitarian grounds. The country is believed to hold roughly 65,000 prisoners, including more than 2,200 political detainees, according to estimates by human rights groups.
Only 119 of those released Friday were political prisoners and the amnesty did not include the country's best-known political prisoner, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who is head of the National League for Democracy and remains under house arrest.
The junta has repeatedly denied holding any political prisoners, saying all inmates have been found guilty of criminal offenses.
The New York-based Human Rights Watch said the number of political prisoners has more than doubled in the past two years, and more than 100 dissidents have been jailed in recent months.
Among those imprisoned in the past two years include people involved in peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations in 2007 and some who assisted victims of the cyclone in 2008. The group said some were handed decades-long sentences.
It said the country has 43 known prisons holding political activists and more than 50 labor camps.
Tue Sep 22, 3:44 am ET
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – The U.S. Embassy said Tuesday that it has been allowed to visit a Myanmar-born American detained in the country for the past three weeks but refused to divulge details about his health or whereabouts.
Embassy spokesman Drake Weisert said officials were allowed to visit Kyaw Zaw Lwin on Sunday and have since contacted his family. He had a visa to visit the country, but it is unclear why he traveled to Yangon.
Dissident groups have said the Maryland-based Kyaw Zaw Lwin arrived in Yangon on Sept. 3 and has not been heard from since. It is not known why the junta detained him, but many of his family members have been held over the years for their pro-democracy activities.
Kyaw Zaw Lwin's mother is serving a five-year jail term while his sister was sentenced to 65 years in prison for her role in pro-democracy protests two years ago.
The news of Kyaw Zaw Lwin's whereabouts comes just days after the junta announced it was granting early release to 7,114 prisoners for good behavior on humanitarian grounds. The country is believed to hold roughly 65,000 prisoners, including more than 2,200 political detainees, according to estimates by human rights groups.
Only 119 of those released Friday were political prisoners and the amnesty did not include the country's best-known political prisoner, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who is head of the National League for Democracy and remains under house arrest.
The junta has repeatedly denied holding any political prisoners, saying all inmates have been found guilty of criminal offenses.
The New York-based Human Rights Watch said the number of political prisoners has more than doubled in the past two years, and more than 100 dissidents have been jailed in recent months.
Among those imprisoned in the past two years include people involved in peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations in 2007 and some who assisted victims of the cyclone in 2008. The group said some were handed decades-long sentences.
It said the country has 43 known prisons holding political activists and more than 50 labor camps.
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Moderate earthquake rattles northwest Myanmar
Tue Sep 22, 2:53 am ET
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – A moderate 5.6-magnitude earthquake shook parts of northwestern Myanmar early Tuesday causing no casualties but damaging Buddhist temples believed to date to the 11th century, officials and residents said.
The moderate earthquake occurred just after 2 a.m. with the epicenter about 260 miles (418 kilometers) northwest of the commercial capital, Yangon, said Thein Htay, an official from the national Meteorological Department.
The quake was felt in several towns in the northwestern Magway Division, none of which are densely populated or have high-rise buildings, he said. There were no known casualties.
Residents reported damage to two ancient Buddhist temples in Ohn Pwetaw village and a pagoda in Yay Nan Chaung, saying the structures were believed to have been built in the 11th century and were known for their colorful frescoes.
The extent of the damage was not immediately known. The residents requested anonymity because of fears of speaking to reporters in the military-ruled country.
Tue Sep 22, 2:53 am ET
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – A moderate 5.6-magnitude earthquake shook parts of northwestern Myanmar early Tuesday causing no casualties but damaging Buddhist temples believed to date to the 11th century, officials and residents said.
The moderate earthquake occurred just after 2 a.m. with the epicenter about 260 miles (418 kilometers) northwest of the commercial capital, Yangon, said Thein Htay, an official from the national Meteorological Department.
The quake was felt in several towns in the northwestern Magway Division, none of which are densely populated or have high-rise buildings, he said. There were no known casualties.
Residents reported damage to two ancient Buddhist temples in Ohn Pwetaw village and a pagoda in Yay Nan Chaung, saying the structures were believed to have been built in the 11th century and were known for their colorful frescoes.
The extent of the damage was not immediately known. The residents requested anonymity because of fears of speaking to reporters in the military-ruled country.
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U.S. allows Myanmar minister to visit Washington
Mon Sep 21, 10:54 pm ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) – In a gesture toward Myanmar's military rulers, the United States has allowed the country's foreign minister to travel to Washington to visit the Myanmar embassy, a U.S. official said on Monday.
Foreign Minister Maj. Gen. Nyan Win did not meet any U.S. officials while in Washington and is now in New York for the U.N. General Assembly, said the U.S. official, who spoke on condition that he not be named.
"The foreign minister has already made a side trip to Washington ... while in Washington he did not meet anybody from the U.S. government," the official said.
Relations between the United States and Myanmar, which has been under military rule for almost five decades, have been strained this year by the junta's conviction of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi for an internal security breach.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner, who has spent 14 of the past 20 years in some form of detention, was sentenced on August 12 to another 18 months of house arrest, enough to keep her off the campaign trail for next year's elections.
Suu Kyi was indicted in May for breaking a security law protecting the state from "subversive elements" a few weeks before her house arrest was due to be lifted.
Her trial triggered international outrage and critics said the charges were trumped up by Myanmar's military rulers to minimize her influence before Myanmar's elections next year.
The charges stemmed from a bizarre incident in May, when an American, John Yettaw, swam to her lakeside home in Yangon and stayed there, uninvited, for two days. He was sentenced to seven years' hard labor but was later deported.
Myanmar plans to hold its first election in two decades next year, which the junta says will bring an end to almost five decades of unbroken military rule. Few, however, are convinced, and say the army will still hold the real power.
The Obama administration is reviewing its policy toward Myanmar, sometimes known by its colonial name Burma. While U.S. sanctions have not brought change in Myanmar, there appears to be little sentiment now in the administration to ease them.
Mon Sep 21, 10:54 pm ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) – In a gesture toward Myanmar's military rulers, the United States has allowed the country's foreign minister to travel to Washington to visit the Myanmar embassy, a U.S. official said on Monday.
Foreign Minister Maj. Gen. Nyan Win did not meet any U.S. officials while in Washington and is now in New York for the U.N. General Assembly, said the U.S. official, who spoke on condition that he not be named.
"The foreign minister has already made a side trip to Washington ... while in Washington he did not meet anybody from the U.S. government," the official said.
Relations between the United States and Myanmar, which has been under military rule for almost five decades, have been strained this year by the junta's conviction of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi for an internal security breach.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner, who has spent 14 of the past 20 years in some form of detention, was sentenced on August 12 to another 18 months of house arrest, enough to keep her off the campaign trail for next year's elections.
Suu Kyi was indicted in May for breaking a security law protecting the state from "subversive elements" a few weeks before her house arrest was due to be lifted.
Her trial triggered international outrage and critics said the charges were trumped up by Myanmar's military rulers to minimize her influence before Myanmar's elections next year.
The charges stemmed from a bizarre incident in May, when an American, John Yettaw, swam to her lakeside home in Yangon and stayed there, uninvited, for two days. He was sentenced to seven years' hard labor but was later deported.
Myanmar plans to hold its first election in two decades next year, which the junta says will bring an end to almost five decades of unbroken military rule. Few, however, are convinced, and say the army will still hold the real power.
The Obama administration is reviewing its policy toward Myanmar, sometimes known by its colonial name Burma. While U.S. sanctions have not brought change in Myanmar, there appears to be little sentiment now in the administration to ease them.
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Myanmar PM to attend UN assembly after 14-yr absence
Tue Sep 22, 2009 6:23pm IST
By Aung Hla Tun
YANGON (Reuters) - The prime minister of army-ruled Myanmar plans to visit the U.N. General Assembly for the first time in 14 years, a government official said on Tuesday.
When General Thein Sein travels to New York he will be the most senior junta member to attend the annual gathering of world leaders since the second-in-command, Maung Aye, in 1995.
"He is leaving Myanmar for New York via Singapore this weekend," said the official, who asked not to be identified.
The visit follows the decision by the United States to lift a visa ban to allow the country's Foreign Minister, Nyanm Win, to visit the Myanmar embassy in Washington before going to the U.N.
Since a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Myanmar in 1988, Washington has maintained a broad range of sanctions on the generals, including travel restrictions, to force them to initiate reforms.
The Obama administration is reviewing its policy towards the former Burma, although there are no signs of a change in its stance towards sanctions, which have been largely ineffective because of continued trade with neighbours China and India.
Relations between the United States and Myanmar appear less frosty than in recent years after last month's visit by Senator Jim Webb, the first by a U.S. official in more than a decade, which was described by the junta as "a success for both sides".
Myanmar's military, which has ruled the country since a 1962 coup, will hold elections next year, the first in two decades, as part of its protracted seven-stage "road map" to democracy, a plan derided as a sham by critics of the regime.
An Asian diplomat in Yangon said the Myanmar premier will use the trip try to convince the international community of the legitimacy of the polls.
"He will explain the election to the general assembly and some officials from Obama administration and prominent politicians, including Jim Webb, on the sidelines of this trip," the diplomat added.
Tue Sep 22, 2009 6:23pm IST
By Aung Hla Tun
YANGON (Reuters) - The prime minister of army-ruled Myanmar plans to visit the U.N. General Assembly for the first time in 14 years, a government official said on Tuesday.
When General Thein Sein travels to New York he will be the most senior junta member to attend the annual gathering of world leaders since the second-in-command, Maung Aye, in 1995.
"He is leaving Myanmar for New York via Singapore this weekend," said the official, who asked not to be identified.
The visit follows the decision by the United States to lift a visa ban to allow the country's Foreign Minister, Nyanm Win, to visit the Myanmar embassy in Washington before going to the U.N.
Since a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Myanmar in 1988, Washington has maintained a broad range of sanctions on the generals, including travel restrictions, to force them to initiate reforms.
The Obama administration is reviewing its policy towards the former Burma, although there are no signs of a change in its stance towards sanctions, which have been largely ineffective because of continued trade with neighbours China and India.
Relations between the United States and Myanmar appear less frosty than in recent years after last month's visit by Senator Jim Webb, the first by a U.S. official in more than a decade, which was described by the junta as "a success for both sides".
Myanmar's military, which has ruled the country since a 1962 coup, will hold elections next year, the first in two decades, as part of its protracted seven-stage "road map" to democracy, a plan derided as a sham by critics of the regime.
An Asian diplomat in Yangon said the Myanmar premier will use the trip try to convince the international community of the legitimacy of the polls.
"He will explain the election to the general assembly and some officials from Obama administration and prominent politicians, including Jim Webb, on the sidelines of this trip," the diplomat added.
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EarthTimes - 127 political prisoners among 7,000 freed, Myanmar group says
Posted : Tue, 22 Sep 2009 09:47:28 GMT
By : Anna Meyer
Bangkok - Myanmar freed 127 political prisoners in an amnesty of 7,114 jail inmates last week, a prison-watch group based in Thailand said Tuesday. Myanmar's junta announced a general amnesty Thursday for the prisoners "on humanitarian grounds" and began freeing inmates Friday.
But according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma), a group based on the Thai-Myanmar border, only 127 political prisoners were released under the amnesty, of whom 43 were members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) opposition party, headed by Aung San Suu Kyi, who remained under house detention.
"Important political figures like Daw [Madam] Aung San Suu Kyi, Shan NDL leader U Khun Tun Oo, 88 Generation Students leader Min Ko Naing and other prominent activists are still in prison because the regime perceives them as a threat to its absolute power," association head Tate Naing said.
The 88 Generation Students is a group behind the 1988 pro-democracy uprising that was brutally suppressed by the military in a country that has been under military rule since 1962.
The current military regime, which came to power on September 16, 1988, had released 45,732 prisoners under six previous amnesties, but according to association, only 1.3 per cent of them were political prisoners.
An estimated 2,000 political prisoners remained in Myanmar jails, 124 of whom are known to be in poor health.
"We are happy for those political prisoners released and for their loved ones, but from a political perspective, this is just a cynical ploy designed to ease international pressure," Tate Naing said.
Myanmar has been under increasing pressure from the international community to release all its political prisoners, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Suu Kyi, prior to a general election planned in 2010.
Without participation by the country's main opposition figures, the polls would lack credibility and would not be accepted by the international community, both the regime's critics and allies have warned.
"There can be no real progress towards democracy in our country until all political prisoners are released," Tate Naing said.
Posted : Tue, 22 Sep 2009 09:47:28 GMT
By : Anna Meyer
Bangkok - Myanmar freed 127 political prisoners in an amnesty of 7,114 jail inmates last week, a prison-watch group based in Thailand said Tuesday. Myanmar's junta announced a general amnesty Thursday for the prisoners "on humanitarian grounds" and began freeing inmates Friday.
But according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma), a group based on the Thai-Myanmar border, only 127 political prisoners were released under the amnesty, of whom 43 were members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) opposition party, headed by Aung San Suu Kyi, who remained under house detention.
"Important political figures like Daw [Madam] Aung San Suu Kyi, Shan NDL leader U Khun Tun Oo, 88 Generation Students leader Min Ko Naing and other prominent activists are still in prison because the regime perceives them as a threat to its absolute power," association head Tate Naing said.
The 88 Generation Students is a group behind the 1988 pro-democracy uprising that was brutally suppressed by the military in a country that has been under military rule since 1962.
The current military regime, which came to power on September 16, 1988, had released 45,732 prisoners under six previous amnesties, but according to association, only 1.3 per cent of them were political prisoners.
An estimated 2,000 political prisoners remained in Myanmar jails, 124 of whom are known to be in poor health.
"We are happy for those political prisoners released and for their loved ones, but from a political perspective, this is just a cynical ploy designed to ease international pressure," Tate Naing said.
Myanmar has been under increasing pressure from the international community to release all its political prisoners, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Suu Kyi, prior to a general election planned in 2010.
Without participation by the country's main opposition figures, the polls would lack credibility and would not be accepted by the international community, both the regime's critics and allies have warned.
"There can be no real progress towards democracy in our country until all political prisoners are released," Tate Naing said.
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EarthTimes - Two years after 'saffron revolution,' Myanmar monks under thumb
Posted : Tue, 22 Sep 2009 08:17:16 GMT
By : Jolissa Graham
Bangkok - Two years after Myanmar's Buddhist monks launched their unsuccessful "saffron revolution," more than 250 monks and nuns remained in prison and the monasteries have been infiltrated by the ruling military junta, a Human Rights Watch report released Tuesday said. "The movement as such has been forced underground," the report's author, Bertil Lintner, said at a press conference in Bangkok. "But it doesn't mean it's dead. Monks are not foolish. They are not going to take to the streets to commit suicide, but when the time is right, I am sure you will see the monks again."
Myanmar's ruling military generals have always shown public reverence for the monkhood but have also tried to systematically control the institution's political activism.
Since 2007, the controls have intensified, especially in anticipation of the general election in 2010, which promises to be neither free nor fair, Linter said.
"There are agents in all major monasteries watching who is going in and out," Lintner said. "The monasteries have been infiltrated with informers."
Regulations to register as a monk have also been tightened.
"There is more scrutiny of who is registering to be a monk and more scrutiny of sermons to make sure they aren't tinged witha political agenda," said David Mathieson, Myanmar expert for Human Rights Watch.
The report was released on the anniversary of the September 22, 2007, demonstration, in which thousands of barefoot monks marched into Yangon in a peaceful protest against decades of military rule and deteriorating economic conditions in the country of 54 million.
The demonstration raised hopes that Myanmar was finally being pushed toward political change because the junta would be afraid to crack down on the country's revered Buddhist monks. That optimism proved unfounded.
"The hopes that everyone had that this would carve out greater freedom in Burma were crushed five days later when the military started shooting, beating and arresting hundreds of Buddhist monks," Mathieson said.
At least 31 deaths were confirmed by the United Nations in the crackdown although other organizations estimated much higher casualties. Hundreds of monks and their followers were arrested. Thousands were disrobed and forced out of the monkhood.
As of last month, there were 237 monks in Myanmar jails and another 35 nuns, the Human Rights Watch report said.
The report was researched and written by Lintner, a well-known Myanmar expert who has spent a lifetime reporting and writing books on the South-East Asian country.
Lintner travelled to Malaysia, Sri Lanka, London and New York to interview monks who fled
Posted : Tue, 22 Sep 2009 08:17:16 GMT
By : Jolissa Graham
Bangkok - Two years after Myanmar's Buddhist monks launched their unsuccessful "saffron revolution," more than 250 monks and nuns remained in prison and the monasteries have been infiltrated by the ruling military junta, a Human Rights Watch report released Tuesday said. "The movement as such has been forced underground," the report's author, Bertil Lintner, said at a press conference in Bangkok. "But it doesn't mean it's dead. Monks are not foolish. They are not going to take to the streets to commit suicide, but when the time is right, I am sure you will see the monks again."
Myanmar's ruling military generals have always shown public reverence for the monkhood but have also tried to systematically control the institution's political activism.
Since 2007, the controls have intensified, especially in anticipation of the general election in 2010, which promises to be neither free nor fair, Linter said.
"There are agents in all major monasteries watching who is going in and out," Lintner said. "The monasteries have been infiltrated with informers."
Regulations to register as a monk have also been tightened.
"There is more scrutiny of who is registering to be a monk and more scrutiny of sermons to make sure they aren't tinged witha political agenda," said David Mathieson, Myanmar expert for Human Rights Watch.
The report was released on the anniversary of the September 22, 2007, demonstration, in which thousands of barefoot monks marched into Yangon in a peaceful protest against decades of military rule and deteriorating economic conditions in the country of 54 million.
The demonstration raised hopes that Myanmar was finally being pushed toward political change because the junta would be afraid to crack down on the country's revered Buddhist monks. That optimism proved unfounded.
"The hopes that everyone had that this would carve out greater freedom in Burma were crushed five days later when the military started shooting, beating and arresting hundreds of Buddhist monks," Mathieson said.
At least 31 deaths were confirmed by the United Nations in the crackdown although other organizations estimated much higher casualties. Hundreds of monks and their followers were arrested. Thousands were disrobed and forced out of the monkhood.
As of last month, there were 237 monks in Myanmar jails and another 35 nuns, the Human Rights Watch report said.
The report was researched and written by Lintner, a well-known Myanmar expert who has spent a lifetime reporting and writing books on the South-East Asian country.
Lintner travelled to Malaysia, Sri Lanka, London and New York to interview monks who fled
***************************************************************
OfficialWire - Fixed-Line Subscriber Numbers In Myanmar Continue To Ease Upwards With Annual Growth Appearing To Be Around 10% In The 2008/09 Period
New report provides detailed analysis of the Telecommunications market
Published on September 21, 2009
by Press Office (Companiesandmarkets.com and OfficialWire)
LONDON, ENGLAND
Myanmar (Burma) - Telecoms, Mobile & Internet
Myanmar’s telecommunications sector continues to be dominated by the state-owned monopoly telephone service provider, Myanmar Posts and Telecommunications (MPT). With the government’s conservative approach to structural reform, it was not surprising that MPT continues to maintain its monopoly over the telecom sector, being the sole national telephone network operator.
MPT drafted a 20-year master plan the period 1990 to 2010 and under this plan a range of different projects have been implemented over the years to improve the underdeveloped network. The expansion has been characterised, however, by a somewhat erratic rate of progress. Nevertheless, the country has managed to move from around 100,000 installed fixed lines to an estimated one million in 2008. Over the same time period the number of fixed-line subscribers increased from 76,000 to an estimated 800,000. Despite this tenfold increase, however, by 2009 the country’s fixed-line penetration was still less than 2%.
The dispersion of network infrastructure has been heavily biased towards the cities, with Yangon and Mandalay having estimated telephone penetrations of 6% and 4% respectively. According to the ITU, the official waiting list for telephone services stood at 106,000 by end-2004. (There has been no updated figure published since then.) The installation of new telephone services could often take years. The official waiting time for a telephone line was 3.6 years. This was despite the fact that MPT said it had been expanding the network by approximately 15% each year. To catch up on demand, it was estimated that MPT would need to install more than 500,000 new telephone lines. This would represent a capital investment of around US$600 million – money that was simply not available.
Foreign investment in the telecom sector continued to stay low, due to the political situation in Myanmar, the structure of the country’s telecom industry and the general state of the economy, this also being despite the government’s attempts to increase foreign interest. Investment in the telecom sector has been running at less than US$6 million per year. By mid-2008 most villages in Myanmar were still without a fixed-line telephone service. "Over 6,000 villages in Burma have no phone lines. They have never heard the dial tone," admitted an engineer from Myanmar Posts and Telecommunications in 2005.
However, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) that rules the country has declared via its website that it has been making ‘all-out efforts’ for the development and improvement in the telecom sector. ‘As regards telephone communications, auto-telephones were already being installed. Now, one can make telephone contact inside and outside Myanmar quite conveniently’, the website claimed. It also added ‘Since the communication sector plays an important role in all round development, the necessary improvements such as installation of microwave telephone exchanges in many townships and introducing of mobile phones via satellite communication offered people easy access. In other words, it is an easy access even to the remotest areas in Mandalay’. Of course, the website did not offer any statistics on the number of telecom (either fixed line or mobile) subscribers in the country. An unfortunate by-product of the government’s conservative approach has been that official, up-to-date statistics continue to be hard to come by.
Key highlights:
Note: Key highlights for the Myanmar market are based on estimated figures and conjecture as the administration continues to either not issue information or issue contradictory information.
Myanmar’s mobile market, after reportedly growing at an annual rate in excess of 40% in 2007, continued the pattern in 2008 with a 38% jump in subscribers.
Of course, this mobile subscriber growth was from a low base and the estimated 400,000 mobile subscribers early in 2009 still only constituted a penetration of 8%.
Fixed-line subscriber numbers continue to ease upwards with annual growth appearing to be around 10% in the 2008/09 period. Penetration remained low, however, still down below 2%.
Internet penetration also continues to be disconcertingly low with accurate figures hard to obtain. Certainly, Internet penetration was below 2 subscribers per 10,000 of population coming into 2009.
While Myanmar still needs to seriously address regulatory reform, there was no evidence that any real progress had been made on this front in 2008/09.
This report provides an overview of the trends and developments in the telecommunications markets in Myanmar (Burma).
New report provides detailed analysis of the Telecommunications market
Published on September 21, 2009
by Press Office (Companiesandmarkets.com and OfficialWire)
LONDON, ENGLAND
Myanmar (Burma) - Telecoms, Mobile & Internet
Myanmar’s telecommunications sector continues to be dominated by the state-owned monopoly telephone service provider, Myanmar Posts and Telecommunications (MPT). With the government’s conservative approach to structural reform, it was not surprising that MPT continues to maintain its monopoly over the telecom sector, being the sole national telephone network operator.
MPT drafted a 20-year master plan the period 1990 to 2010 and under this plan a range of different projects have been implemented over the years to improve the underdeveloped network. The expansion has been characterised, however, by a somewhat erratic rate of progress. Nevertheless, the country has managed to move from around 100,000 installed fixed lines to an estimated one million in 2008. Over the same time period the number of fixed-line subscribers increased from 76,000 to an estimated 800,000. Despite this tenfold increase, however, by 2009 the country’s fixed-line penetration was still less than 2%.
The dispersion of network infrastructure has been heavily biased towards the cities, with Yangon and Mandalay having estimated telephone penetrations of 6% and 4% respectively. According to the ITU, the official waiting list for telephone services stood at 106,000 by end-2004. (There has been no updated figure published since then.) The installation of new telephone services could often take years. The official waiting time for a telephone line was 3.6 years. This was despite the fact that MPT said it had been expanding the network by approximately 15% each year. To catch up on demand, it was estimated that MPT would need to install more than 500,000 new telephone lines. This would represent a capital investment of around US$600 million – money that was simply not available.
Foreign investment in the telecom sector continued to stay low, due to the political situation in Myanmar, the structure of the country’s telecom industry and the general state of the economy, this also being despite the government’s attempts to increase foreign interest. Investment in the telecom sector has been running at less than US$6 million per year. By mid-2008 most villages in Myanmar were still without a fixed-line telephone service. "Over 6,000 villages in Burma have no phone lines. They have never heard the dial tone," admitted an engineer from Myanmar Posts and Telecommunications in 2005.
However, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) that rules the country has declared via its website that it has been making ‘all-out efforts’ for the development and improvement in the telecom sector. ‘As regards telephone communications, auto-telephones were already being installed. Now, one can make telephone contact inside and outside Myanmar quite conveniently’, the website claimed. It also added ‘Since the communication sector plays an important role in all round development, the necessary improvements such as installation of microwave telephone exchanges in many townships and introducing of mobile phones via satellite communication offered people easy access. In other words, it is an easy access even to the remotest areas in Mandalay’. Of course, the website did not offer any statistics on the number of telecom (either fixed line or mobile) subscribers in the country. An unfortunate by-product of the government’s conservative approach has been that official, up-to-date statistics continue to be hard to come by.
Key highlights:
Note: Key highlights for the Myanmar market are based on estimated figures and conjecture as the administration continues to either not issue information or issue contradictory information.
Myanmar’s mobile market, after reportedly growing at an annual rate in excess of 40% in 2007, continued the pattern in 2008 with a 38% jump in subscribers.
Of course, this mobile subscriber growth was from a low base and the estimated 400,000 mobile subscribers early in 2009 still only constituted a penetration of 8%.
Fixed-line subscriber numbers continue to ease upwards with annual growth appearing to be around 10% in the 2008/09 period. Penetration remained low, however, still down below 2%.
Internet penetration also continues to be disconcertingly low with accurate figures hard to obtain. Certainly, Internet penetration was below 2 subscribers per 10,000 of population coming into 2009.
While Myanmar still needs to seriously address regulatory reform, there was no evidence that any real progress had been made on this front in 2008/09.
This report provides an overview of the trends and developments in the telecommunications markets in Myanmar (Burma).
***************************************************************
September 22, 2009 18:33 PM
Police Arrest Seven, Rescue Myanmar Kidnap Victim
SUNGAI PETANI, Sept 22 (Bernama) -- Police have rescued a Myanmar national who was abducted earlier this month after they arrested seven people, two of them women, in a raid on a house in Pekan Sungai Lalang here.
Kedah CID chief ACP Zakaria Ahmad said the five Malaysians and two Myanmar men, who were detained on Sept 12, led police to a vacant house here where the abducted man, Aung Naing, 30, was found with his hands and legs tied up and his body bearing marks of physical abuse.
He said the police also recovered RM23,850, believed to be the bulk of the ransom of RM24,000 demanded by the abductors and which had been paid by the victim's younger brother.
The brother had lodged a police report on Sept 7 claiming that Aung Naing was missing and that he had received a demand for a RM24,000 ransom for his release.
Zakaria said that based on initial investigation, Aung Naing was abducted by two Myanmar nationals who had collaborated with a Malaysian couple.
Police Arrest Seven, Rescue Myanmar Kidnap Victim
SUNGAI PETANI, Sept 22 (Bernama) -- Police have rescued a Myanmar national who was abducted earlier this month after they arrested seven people, two of them women, in a raid on a house in Pekan Sungai Lalang here.
Kedah CID chief ACP Zakaria Ahmad said the five Malaysians and two Myanmar men, who were detained on Sept 12, led police to a vacant house here where the abducted man, Aung Naing, 30, was found with his hands and legs tied up and his body bearing marks of physical abuse.
He said the police also recovered RM23,850, believed to be the bulk of the ransom of RM24,000 demanded by the abductors and which had been paid by the victim's younger brother.
The brother had lodged a police report on Sept 7 claiming that Aung Naing was missing and that he had received a demand for a RM24,000 ransom for his release.
Zakaria said that based on initial investigation, Aung Naing was abducted by two Myanmar nationals who had collaborated with a Malaysian couple.
***************************************************************
Inner City Press
As Japan and Clinton Met, Sri Lanka Not Mentioned, Myanmar Only Later, Prisoner Questions
By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, September 21 -- When U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton met Monday one on one with her Japanese counterpart Katsuya Okada, neither Myanmar nor Sri Lanka was discussed, Inner City Press learned Monday night. These are two countries where, as reported, international "crimes have occurred."
Next to a hotel conference room full of dozens of Japanese reporters, a briefing was given Monday night for two non-Japanese journalists by Yasuhisa Kawamura, the Deputy Press Secretary of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The invitation to the briefing said that "Kawamura will accept journalist's questions on any topic of interest."
The operative word, it turned out, was "accept" -- because when Inner City Press asked about Japan's desire for a seat on the UN Security Council, whether the election in Japan has impacted that and what might be accomplished during this week's General Assembly meetings, Mr. Kawamura said, "I don't have that particular answer."
The briefing focused on or was limited to Minister Okada's "forty five minute" meeting with Hilary Clinton. Inner City Press asked if the talk of "stability" in Afghanistan included any discussion of the contested elections. Mr. Kawamura said that he meant stability "in a general way," adding, "let me repeat, Japan will continue to provide support with reconstruction efforts in civilian areas." He said that refueling in the Indian Ocean did not come up.
Inner City Press asked either if Myanmar and Sri Lanka had arisen in the meeting with Hilary Clinton, or for Japan's and its new administration's view of these issues. Mr. Kawamura said, "As far as I know, at today's meeting they didn't pick up Myanmar or Sri Lanka." He then said that "Japan is concerned about with others the Myanmar situation."
Having received not even a no comment about Sri Lanka, Inner City Press asked again, about the visit by Japan's envoy Akashi, and whether Japan would continue funding what some characterize as internment camps. Mr. Kawamura said, "again, today they didn't discuss Sri Lanka. There was a breakthrough in the civilian conflict this summer." He said, "Japan gave [funds] in the hope of internal... mutual understanding among races."
Mr. Kawamura paused and then added, "I need to confirm with Mister Minister," saying that before the election "we did assist." Might it change?
After the briefing was formally declared closed, Mr. Kawamura indicted he wanted to add that at a "trilateral" meeting of Hilary Clinton, Mr. Okada and their Australian counterpart, Myanmar was discussed. Minister "Okada added that it was regrettable that Aung San Suu Kyi is still detained" while welcoming the new of the release of some other prisoners. [See below.]
After the briefing was finally seemingly over, Inner City Press returned a phone call and Mr. Kawamura said he wanted to "amend" certain of his answers. Where he had said that Japan would "consult" with the U.S., he had meant Japan would "examine internally" and then "cooperate" with the U.S.. Where he had seemed to over-emphasize particular issues, he only meant that they were a "focus." But there was no additional information about Myanmar, and none at all about Sri Lanka.
Footnotes: Considering -- or "focusing on" -- Hilary Clinton, we note that on this same September 21, the U.S. office on war crimes issues was to turn in a report on Sri Lanka to the U.S. Congress. There's a scheduled protest by the UN on September 22 for inaction on Sri Lanka, just as there was a similar protest earlier at the Japanese mission. And then, at 11:30 p.m. on Monday night, another Japanese press conference was called for.
On Myanmar, while the UN is bragging -- along with Myanmar -- that of the more then 7000 prisoners to be released, 250 are "political prisoners," responsible observers count only these 54:
From Insein Prison, Rangoon Division
1. Eik Khaing Oo (Female) (Journalist)
2. U Tin Mya (Chairman, NLD Thingangyun Township)
4. Kyaw Kyaw Thant (Journalist)
5. Monywar Aung Shin (a) U Aye Kyu (NLD and a Poet)
6. U Nine Nine (NLD MP)
7. Tin Tin Myint (Female)
8. Than Than Htay (Female) (NLD)
9. Thin Min Soe (Female)
10. Kyi Kyi Min (Female)
11. Tin Myo Htut (a) Kyaw Oo
12. Win Myint
13. Ashin Sandaw Batha (Monk)
14. Aung Gyi
15. Mi Mi Sein (Female)
16. Ma Htay (a) San San Myint (Female)
From Butheetaung Prison, Rakhine State
17. Nyi Nyi Min
From Oo-Bo Prison, Mandalay
18. Than Than Sint (Female)
From Ka Le Myo Prison, Sagaing Division
19. Zaw Htut Aung
20. U Ba Min (NLD)
21. U Nyo Mya (NLD)
22. Michael Win Kyaw (NLD)
23. Thet Zin (Journalist)
From Myitkyina Prison, Kachin State
24. Kyaw Maung
25. Nay Win
26. Kyi Lin
27. Soe Wai (a) Than Zaw
From Lashio Prison, Shan State
28. Soe Han
From Bago (Pegu) Prison
29. Bo Gyi
30. Khin Khin Lay (Female)
31. Pe Tin
From MawlaMyine Prison, Mon State
32. Tin Myint
33. Zin Mar Htwe (Female)
34. Moe Hlaing
35. Moe Lwin
36. Myo Min Lwin
From Taungoo Prison, Mandalay Division
37. Thet Oo
38. U Pannita (a) Myint Aye (Monk)
39. Zaw Tun
From Myingyan Prison, Mandalay Division
40. Bo Bo
41. Sanda (Female)
From Pa-an Prison, Karen State
42. Pyait Phyo Aung
43. Wunna Soe
From Tharyarwaddy Prison, Pegu (Bago) Division
44. U Ba Chit
45. Aye Min Min
46. Tin Tun
47. Shwe Thar
From Sagaing Prison, Sagaing Division
48. Maw Si
49. Khin Maung Thein
50. Tin Maung Nyunt
51. Aung Swe
From Kut Kai Prison, Shan State
52. Than Tun
From Shwebo Prison, Sagaing Division
53. Aung Myo
From Theinni Prison, Shan State
54. Maung Maung Htwe
Despite this, one of the UN's major Myanmar staffers last week approached Inner City Press to gloat that even publications which call the country Burma say 250 political prisoners are being released. But do that? Are they? Watch this site.
As Japan and Clinton Met, Sri Lanka Not Mentioned, Myanmar Only Later, Prisoner Questions
By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, September 21 -- When U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton met Monday one on one with her Japanese counterpart Katsuya Okada, neither Myanmar nor Sri Lanka was discussed, Inner City Press learned Monday night. These are two countries where, as reported, international "crimes have occurred."
Next to a hotel conference room full of dozens of Japanese reporters, a briefing was given Monday night for two non-Japanese journalists by Yasuhisa Kawamura, the Deputy Press Secretary of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The invitation to the briefing said that "Kawamura will accept journalist's questions on any topic of interest."
The operative word, it turned out, was "accept" -- because when Inner City Press asked about Japan's desire for a seat on the UN Security Council, whether the election in Japan has impacted that and what might be accomplished during this week's General Assembly meetings, Mr. Kawamura said, "I don't have that particular answer."
The briefing focused on or was limited to Minister Okada's "forty five minute" meeting with Hilary Clinton. Inner City Press asked if the talk of "stability" in Afghanistan included any discussion of the contested elections. Mr. Kawamura said that he meant stability "in a general way," adding, "let me repeat, Japan will continue to provide support with reconstruction efforts in civilian areas." He said that refueling in the Indian Ocean did not come up.
Inner City Press asked either if Myanmar and Sri Lanka had arisen in the meeting with Hilary Clinton, or for Japan's and its new administration's view of these issues. Mr. Kawamura said, "As far as I know, at today's meeting they didn't pick up Myanmar or Sri Lanka." He then said that "Japan is concerned about with others the Myanmar situation."
Having received not even a no comment about Sri Lanka, Inner City Press asked again, about the visit by Japan's envoy Akashi, and whether Japan would continue funding what some characterize as internment camps. Mr. Kawamura said, "again, today they didn't discuss Sri Lanka. There was a breakthrough in the civilian conflict this summer." He said, "Japan gave [funds] in the hope of internal... mutual understanding among races."
Mr. Kawamura paused and then added, "I need to confirm with Mister Minister," saying that before the election "we did assist." Might it change?
After the briefing was formally declared closed, Mr. Kawamura indicted he wanted to add that at a "trilateral" meeting of Hilary Clinton, Mr. Okada and their Australian counterpart, Myanmar was discussed. Minister "Okada added that it was regrettable that Aung San Suu Kyi is still detained" while welcoming the new of the release of some other prisoners. [See below.]
After the briefing was finally seemingly over, Inner City Press returned a phone call and Mr. Kawamura said he wanted to "amend" certain of his answers. Where he had said that Japan would "consult" with the U.S., he had meant Japan would "examine internally" and then "cooperate" with the U.S.. Where he had seemed to over-emphasize particular issues, he only meant that they were a "focus." But there was no additional information about Myanmar, and none at all about Sri Lanka.
Footnotes: Considering -- or "focusing on" -- Hilary Clinton, we note that on this same September 21, the U.S. office on war crimes issues was to turn in a report on Sri Lanka to the U.S. Congress. There's a scheduled protest by the UN on September 22 for inaction on Sri Lanka, just as there was a similar protest earlier at the Japanese mission. And then, at 11:30 p.m. on Monday night, another Japanese press conference was called for.
On Myanmar, while the UN is bragging -- along with Myanmar -- that of the more then 7000 prisoners to be released, 250 are "political prisoners," responsible observers count only these 54:
From Insein Prison, Rangoon Division
1. Eik Khaing Oo (Female) (Journalist)
2. U Tin Mya (Chairman, NLD Thingangyun Township)
4. Kyaw Kyaw Thant (Journalist)
5. Monywar Aung Shin (a) U Aye Kyu (NLD and a Poet)
6. U Nine Nine (NLD MP)
7. Tin Tin Myint (Female)
8. Than Than Htay (Female) (NLD)
9. Thin Min Soe (Female)
10. Kyi Kyi Min (Female)
11. Tin Myo Htut (a) Kyaw Oo
12. Win Myint
13. Ashin Sandaw Batha (Monk)
14. Aung Gyi
15. Mi Mi Sein (Female)
16. Ma Htay (a) San San Myint (Female)
From Butheetaung Prison, Rakhine State
17. Nyi Nyi Min
From Oo-Bo Prison, Mandalay
18. Than Than Sint (Female)
From Ka Le Myo Prison, Sagaing Division
19. Zaw Htut Aung
20. U Ba Min (NLD)
21. U Nyo Mya (NLD)
22. Michael Win Kyaw (NLD)
23. Thet Zin (Journalist)
From Myitkyina Prison, Kachin State
24. Kyaw Maung
25. Nay Win
26. Kyi Lin
27. Soe Wai (a) Than Zaw
From Lashio Prison, Shan State
28. Soe Han
From Bago (Pegu) Prison
29. Bo Gyi
30. Khin Khin Lay (Female)
31. Pe Tin
From MawlaMyine Prison, Mon State
32. Tin Myint
33. Zin Mar Htwe (Female)
34. Moe Hlaing
35. Moe Lwin
36. Myo Min Lwin
From Taungoo Prison, Mandalay Division
37. Thet Oo
38. U Pannita (a) Myint Aye (Monk)
39. Zaw Tun
From Myingyan Prison, Mandalay Division
40. Bo Bo
41. Sanda (Female)
From Pa-an Prison, Karen State
42. Pyait Phyo Aung
43. Wunna Soe
From Tharyarwaddy Prison, Pegu (Bago) Division
44. U Ba Chit
45. Aye Min Min
46. Tin Tun
47. Shwe Thar
From Sagaing Prison, Sagaing Division
48. Maw Si
49. Khin Maung Thein
50. Tin Maung Nyunt
51. Aung Swe
From Kut Kai Prison, Shan State
52. Than Tun
From Shwebo Prison, Sagaing Division
53. Aung Myo
From Theinni Prison, Shan State
54. Maung Maung Htwe
Despite this, one of the UN's major Myanmar staffers last week approached Inner City Press to gloat that even publications which call the country Burma say 250 political prisoners are being released. But do that? Are they? Watch this site.
***************************************************************
Jane's Security News - Clouded alliance - North Korea and Myanmar's covert ties
By Bertil Lintner
22 September 2009
Concerns about military co-operation between North Korea and Myanmar have heightened since June when a North Korean freighter destined for Myanmar was suspected of carrying military cargo in violation of UN Security Council sanctions.
Bilateral co-operation between the two countries has increased, focusing on conventional military transfers. North Korean experts also appear to have been covertly assisting Myanmar in constructing an extensive tunnel network as emergency shelters for military personnel and equipment.
Allegations that Pyongyang is providing assistance to Myanmar's ruling junta in installing nuclear research reactors and uranium prospecting appear far-fetched. No evidence - satellite imagery or eyewitness - has emerged of this.
Myanmar has plenty of reasons to pursue a nuclear programme and North Korea to supply one. Naypyidaw fears external military intervention, and may perceive a deliverable nuclear weapon as an ultimate security guarantee. Pyongyang continues to desire foreign currency, and the sale of nuclear technology or expertise could be one source.
However, a deliverable nuclear arsenal remains far beyond what Myanmar can currently achieve and afford.
Whether or not in nuclear co-operation, North Korean-Myanmar relations are set to intensify. Conventional military transfers are set to continue, with Myanmar seeking to procure further equipment to aid its counter-insurgency campaigns near its borders.
By Bertil Lintner
22 September 2009
Concerns about military co-operation between North Korea and Myanmar have heightened since June when a North Korean freighter destined for Myanmar was suspected of carrying military cargo in violation of UN Security Council sanctions.
Bilateral co-operation between the two countries has increased, focusing on conventional military transfers. North Korean experts also appear to have been covertly assisting Myanmar in constructing an extensive tunnel network as emergency shelters for military personnel and equipment.
Allegations that Pyongyang is providing assistance to Myanmar's ruling junta in installing nuclear research reactors and uranium prospecting appear far-fetched. No evidence - satellite imagery or eyewitness - has emerged of this.
Myanmar has plenty of reasons to pursue a nuclear programme and North Korea to supply one. Naypyidaw fears external military intervention, and may perceive a deliverable nuclear weapon as an ultimate security guarantee. Pyongyang continues to desire foreign currency, and the sale of nuclear technology or expertise could be one source.
However, a deliverable nuclear arsenal remains far beyond what Myanmar can currently achieve and afford.
Whether or not in nuclear co-operation, North Korean-Myanmar relations are set to intensify. Conventional military transfers are set to continue, with Myanmar seeking to procure further equipment to aid its counter-insurgency campaigns near its borders.
***************************************************************
Jane's Security News - Myanmar's limited nuclear designs
22 June 2007
There has been a flurry of international interest in Myanmar's recent moves to re-establish diplomatic relations with North Korea and to recommence talks with Russia on the construction of a nuclear reactor.
While the regime's human rights record, including renewed detention of local human rights leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi for another year on 25 May, is the prime cause for Western condemnation, the appearance of a nuclear-equipped Myanmar in league with fellow pariah North Korea was sure to attract Western attention.
North Korea and Myanmar were previously linked by US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice in her 2005 list of 'outposts of tyranny' along with other US betes noires including Belarus, Cuba, Iran and Zimbabwe. However, the theories that Myanmar is pursuing a nuclear weapons programme do not stand up to closer scrutiny.
Myanmar has been in discussions with Russia since 2000 about the purchase of a 10 megawatt (MW) low-enriched water reactor for medical research purposes. Neighbouring countries including Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia have similar existing facilities.
The initial talks with Atomstroiexport of Moscow and Myanmar's Minister of Science and Technology U Thaung broke off in 2003 reportedly because Myanmar had insufficient funds for the project. However, the country's balance of payments position is now better than it has been for decades thanks to growing export earnings from natural gas. The authorities in the new capital, Naypyidaw, therefore feel it is time to resume negotiations. These are set to continue in the second half of 2007.
22 June 2007
There has been a flurry of international interest in Myanmar's recent moves to re-establish diplomatic relations with North Korea and to recommence talks with Russia on the construction of a nuclear reactor.
While the regime's human rights record, including renewed detention of local human rights leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi for another year on 25 May, is the prime cause for Western condemnation, the appearance of a nuclear-equipped Myanmar in league with fellow pariah North Korea was sure to attract Western attention.
North Korea and Myanmar were previously linked by US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice in her 2005 list of 'outposts of tyranny' along with other US betes noires including Belarus, Cuba, Iran and Zimbabwe. However, the theories that Myanmar is pursuing a nuclear weapons programme do not stand up to closer scrutiny.
Myanmar has been in discussions with Russia since 2000 about the purchase of a 10 megawatt (MW) low-enriched water reactor for medical research purposes. Neighbouring countries including Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia have similar existing facilities.
The initial talks with Atomstroiexport of Moscow and Myanmar's Minister of Science and Technology U Thaung broke off in 2003 reportedly because Myanmar had insufficient funds for the project. However, the country's balance of payments position is now better than it has been for decades thanks to growing export earnings from natural gas. The authorities in the new capital, Naypyidaw, therefore feel it is time to resume negotiations. These are set to continue in the second half of 2007.
***************************************************************
The Weekly Standard - Webb Goes on the Record on Burma
Posted by Michael Goldfarb on September 21, 2009 12:51 PM
Josh Rogin sat down with Senator Jim Webb last week and tried to get some answers on Burma. According to Webb, everything that's been written about his botched Burma diplomacy is wrong, a lie, a distortion, or a misunderstanding. But there is one incontrovertible fact: Webb's meddling has gotten him at odds with Burma's democratic opposition, including the imprisoned leader of Burma's democracy movement, Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
As we reported in THE WEEKLY STANDARD, after Webb met with Suu Kyi last month, he surprised Burma-watchers around the world when he declared that Suu Kyi was on board with his plan to coddle Burma's repressive regime by dropping U.S. sanctions. It was Webb's "clear impression from [Suu Kyi] that she is not opposed to lifting some sanctions," he said at a press conference. Such a sentiment would have marked a major shift for Suu Kyi and Webb's comments rattled her supporters. Nyan Win, Suu Kyi's lawyer and one of only two people allowed access to Suu Kyi under the terms of her house arrest, was asked to clarify whether this was, in fact, Suu Kyi's new position. According to Nyan Win, Suu Kyi "replied that she had not discussed the issue [sanctions] with anyone recently."
Yet Webb still stands by his "impression" and tells Rogin, "Only the people who were in the meeting know what was said." Imagine if South Africa's apartheid regime had granted segregationist Senator James Eastland access to an imprisoned Nelson Mandela only to have Eastland emerge and declare that Mandela was a strong advocate for closer relations between their two countries. Webb is shilling for the junta (and some of his friends in the business community) and trying to leverage Suu Kyi's moral authority to get sanctions dropped. Suu Kyi has made clear -- at the risk of further antagonizing her captors -- that Webb is misrepresenting her position, but Webb is undeterred.
From the Burmese dissidents who have fled the junta and can thus freely speak to the media, the response to Webb's bungling has been severe. An op-ed in the Washington Post by Suu Kyi's colleague in the National League for Democracy party said Webb's "efforts have been damaging to our democracy movement." Another former political prisoner of the Burmese junta, U Pyinya Zawta, accused Webb of trying to "pressure my country's democracy movement into giving up economic sanctions--the most important tool in our struggle for freedom."
Webb also continues to support the elections being held by Burma's junta next year, telling Rogin that "if we develop relationships, we can improve the environment under which the elections are held." Those elections are overwhelmingly opposed by Burma's democratic opposition and will be held under a constitution that enshrines military rule.
They are a complete sham designed to do nothing more than bolster the junta's legitimacy -- a goal Webb already furthered when he became the first U.S. official ever to meet with General Than Shwe, the junta's top general, last month.
As for Webb's furious denial that he never placed a hold on Kurt Campbell 's nomination (the most important nomination under his jurisdiction) as we first reported -- Webb insists that the months-long delay in scheduling that hearing "was due to the need to thoroughly examine Campbell's business dealings related to StratAsia, the consulting firm he founded with Bush administration NSC Asia director Michael J. Green." Two sources tell THE WEEKLY STANDARD that Webb's inquiries went far beyond Campbell's business dealings.
Whatever Webb was fishing for, it had nothing to do with StratAsia. If these sources are wrong, there is a simple way for Webb to clear all this up: release every communication he had with the executive branch -- State, DoD, and the White House -- as it relates to Kurt Campbell's nomination. There is no need for us to see the return traffic as that might compromise confidential or classified information, but if Webb is telling the truth about this then there is no harm done in the release of his correspondence related to the confirmation process. Unlike the truth about his meeting with Suu Kyi, solving this mystery doesn't depend on the good will and generosity of the Burmese junta.
Posted by Michael Goldfarb on September 21, 2009 12:51 PM
Josh Rogin sat down with Senator Jim Webb last week and tried to get some answers on Burma. According to Webb, everything that's been written about his botched Burma diplomacy is wrong, a lie, a distortion, or a misunderstanding. But there is one incontrovertible fact: Webb's meddling has gotten him at odds with Burma's democratic opposition, including the imprisoned leader of Burma's democracy movement, Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
As we reported in THE WEEKLY STANDARD, after Webb met with Suu Kyi last month, he surprised Burma-watchers around the world when he declared that Suu Kyi was on board with his plan to coddle Burma's repressive regime by dropping U.S. sanctions. It was Webb's "clear impression from [Suu Kyi] that she is not opposed to lifting some sanctions," he said at a press conference. Such a sentiment would have marked a major shift for Suu Kyi and Webb's comments rattled her supporters. Nyan Win, Suu Kyi's lawyer and one of only two people allowed access to Suu Kyi under the terms of her house arrest, was asked to clarify whether this was, in fact, Suu Kyi's new position. According to Nyan Win, Suu Kyi "replied that she had not discussed the issue [sanctions] with anyone recently."
Yet Webb still stands by his "impression" and tells Rogin, "Only the people who were in the meeting know what was said." Imagine if South Africa's apartheid regime had granted segregationist Senator James Eastland access to an imprisoned Nelson Mandela only to have Eastland emerge and declare that Mandela was a strong advocate for closer relations between their two countries. Webb is shilling for the junta (and some of his friends in the business community) and trying to leverage Suu Kyi's moral authority to get sanctions dropped. Suu Kyi has made clear -- at the risk of further antagonizing her captors -- that Webb is misrepresenting her position, but Webb is undeterred.
From the Burmese dissidents who have fled the junta and can thus freely speak to the media, the response to Webb's bungling has been severe. An op-ed in the Washington Post by Suu Kyi's colleague in the National League for Democracy party said Webb's "efforts have been damaging to our democracy movement." Another former political prisoner of the Burmese junta, U Pyinya Zawta, accused Webb of trying to "pressure my country's democracy movement into giving up economic sanctions--the most important tool in our struggle for freedom."
Webb also continues to support the elections being held by Burma's junta next year, telling Rogin that "if we develop relationships, we can improve the environment under which the elections are held." Those elections are overwhelmingly opposed by Burma's democratic opposition and will be held under a constitution that enshrines military rule.
They are a complete sham designed to do nothing more than bolster the junta's legitimacy -- a goal Webb already furthered when he became the first U.S. official ever to meet with General Than Shwe, the junta's top general, last month.
As for Webb's furious denial that he never placed a hold on Kurt Campbell 's nomination (the most important nomination under his jurisdiction) as we first reported -- Webb insists that the months-long delay in scheduling that hearing "was due to the need to thoroughly examine Campbell's business dealings related to StratAsia, the consulting firm he founded with Bush administration NSC Asia director Michael J. Green." Two sources tell THE WEEKLY STANDARD that Webb's inquiries went far beyond Campbell's business dealings.
Whatever Webb was fishing for, it had nothing to do with StratAsia. If these sources are wrong, there is a simple way for Webb to clear all this up: release every communication he had with the executive branch -- State, DoD, and the White House -- as it relates to Kurt Campbell's nomination. There is no need for us to see the return traffic as that might compromise confidential or classified information, but if Webb is telling the truth about this then there is no harm done in the release of his correspondence related to the confirmation process. Unlike the truth about his meeting with Suu Kyi, solving this mystery doesn't depend on the good will and generosity of the Burmese junta.
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Irish Examiner - Quake damages ancient Buddhist temples in Burma
Tuesday, September 22, 2009 - 09:35 AM
A 5.6-magnitude earthquake shook parts of north-western Burma today, damaging Buddhist temples believed to date to the 11th century.
The moderate earthquake occurred just after 2am with the epicentre about 260 miles north- west of the commercial capital, Yangon, said Thein Htay, an official from the national Meteorological Department.
The quake was felt in several towns in the north-western Magway Division, none of which are densely populated or have high-rise buildings, he said. There were no known casualties.
Residents reported damage to two ancient Buddhist temples in Ohn Pwetaw village and a pagoda in Yay Nan Chaung, saying the structures were believed to have been built in the 11th century and were known for their colourful frescoes.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009 - 09:35 AM
A 5.6-magnitude earthquake shook parts of north-western Burma today, damaging Buddhist temples believed to date to the 11th century.
The moderate earthquake occurred just after 2am with the epicentre about 260 miles north- west of the commercial capital, Yangon, said Thein Htay, an official from the national Meteorological Department.
The quake was felt in several towns in the north-western Magway Division, none of which are densely populated or have high-rise buildings, he said. There were no known casualties.
Residents reported damage to two ancient Buddhist temples in Ohn Pwetaw village and a pagoda in Yay Nan Chaung, saying the structures were believed to have been built in the 11th century and were known for their colourful frescoes.
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The Irrawaddy - Clinton Expected to Address 'Friends of Myanmar' Group
By LALIT K JHA, Tuesday, September 22, 2009
WASHINGTON — US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is expected to attend a meeting on Wednesday of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s “Group of Friends” on Myanmar (Burma), signaling a heightened interest by the Obama administration in the Burma issue.
Informed sources told The Irrawaddy that the meeting—on the sidelines of the ongoing UN General Assembly session—could provide a platform for Clinton to inform international partners about the administration’s review of its Burma policy. The US State Department has indicated that Clinton will announce the results of the review soon.
Clinton told the Brookings Institute last week that she would discuss Burma with Asian partners in New York.
Ban’s 14-member “Group of Friends” was established by the secretary-general in December 2007. Several foreign ministers are expected to attend Wednesday’s meeting, although it is understood that Burmese Foreign Minister Nyan Win will not be there.
UN diplomatic sources said Nyan Win’s absence is understandable; given that a majority of the countries in the group do not agree with the Burmese regime’s “road map” and the continued house arrest of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Informed sources said the junta’s most recent amnesty was received coolly in the West in view of Suu Kyi’s continued detention. In a statement on the amnesty, Ban called on the junta to take further steps to ensure the release of remaining political prisoners, including Suu Kyi, as a necessary move towards a credible process of national reconciliation and democratic transition.
Meanwhile, Burmese Prime Minister Thein Sein is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly on September 28.
Travel restrictions on Burmese diplomats in New York will also apply to Thein Sein, authoritative sources here said. His visa, like those of all Burmese officials, is annotated: "Traveler to remain within a 25-mile radius of UN headquarters, New York City," the sources said.
Burma is expected to figure prominently on the agenda of a meeting of foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Saturday, convened by UN Secretary General Ban. Burmese Foreign Minister Nyan Win is expected to attend.
By LALIT K JHA, Tuesday, September 22, 2009
WASHINGTON — US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is expected to attend a meeting on Wednesday of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s “Group of Friends” on Myanmar (Burma), signaling a heightened interest by the Obama administration in the Burma issue.
Informed sources told The Irrawaddy that the meeting—on the sidelines of the ongoing UN General Assembly session—could provide a platform for Clinton to inform international partners about the administration’s review of its Burma policy. The US State Department has indicated that Clinton will announce the results of the review soon.
Clinton told the Brookings Institute last week that she would discuss Burma with Asian partners in New York.
Ban’s 14-member “Group of Friends” was established by the secretary-general in December 2007. Several foreign ministers are expected to attend Wednesday’s meeting, although it is understood that Burmese Foreign Minister Nyan Win will not be there.
UN diplomatic sources said Nyan Win’s absence is understandable; given that a majority of the countries in the group do not agree with the Burmese regime’s “road map” and the continued house arrest of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Informed sources said the junta’s most recent amnesty was received coolly in the West in view of Suu Kyi’s continued detention. In a statement on the amnesty, Ban called on the junta to take further steps to ensure the release of remaining political prisoners, including Suu Kyi, as a necessary move towards a credible process of national reconciliation and democratic transition.
Meanwhile, Burmese Prime Minister Thein Sein is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly on September 28.
Travel restrictions on Burmese diplomats in New York will also apply to Thein Sein, authoritative sources here said. His visa, like those of all Burmese officials, is annotated: "Traveler to remain within a 25-mile radius of UN headquarters, New York City," the sources said.
Burma is expected to figure prominently on the agenda of a meeting of foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Saturday, convened by UN Secretary General Ban. Burmese Foreign Minister Nyan Win is expected to attend.
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Mizzima News - Junta attempts to revive outdated Labour Ministry
by Ni Moe Myint
Tuesday, 22 September 2009 21:41
Rangoon (Mizzima) – It has become mandatory for factories and business establishments to recruit and hire employees they need through their respective township labour offices, under the Ministry of Labour, as of now.
In a meeting between Deputy Minister of Labour, Aung Kyi, and employers under the 'Union of Myanmar Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industry' (UMFCCI), the Deputy Minister informed them about the labour regulation of hiring workforce and signing of an employment contract by both the employer and the employee.
"We were told to hire labour through township labour offices and had to submit the bio-data of our employees, to the labour office too. Then we had to sign an employment contract as well," a factory owner, from Shwe Pyi Thar Industrial Zone, who met the Deputy Minister told Mizzima.
The Ministry has also instructed all township labour offices to conduct surprise checks on the factories and other business establishments.
Beginning earlier this month, the Deputy Minister of the Labour Ministry had met employers and employees from Rangoon’s Industrial Zones, the responsible people from UMFCCI, township labour office staff and had instructed all of them to implement this regulation.
"It is believed that it is being implemented by the order of the Senior General. The labour offices must get involved in all labour related issues, such as placement, intervening in trade dispute between employer and employees. The township labour officers, who cannot implement it, would be either transferred or dismissed from their posts," a township labour office officer, who met the Deputy Minister, said.
An officer from the Township Labour Office said that it was an attempt to revive the long lost role of the Labour Ministry.
When contacted, a Ministry of Labour staff in Naypyidaw said about the new labour regulation, "It is published in the daily papers. We are not authorized to answer this question."
In practice, it has been learnt that no employer or employee have contacted the labour offices for both recruitment and finding jobs.
"We are just issuing labour registration cards, when the job seekers come and ask for it. No job seeker has contacted us yet for this purpose. And also no employers have contacted us for recruiting their employees," an officer from the Labour Department said.
When questioned, some workers from the Industrial Zones said that they did not know about the registration at township labour offices for placement.
"When I applied for a job at this factory, I had to visit a labour office for labour registration card, as it was the required document besides the national ID and recommendation letter from our local authority. We knew it. No one told us that the job seekers could go to these labour offices for job placement. We got to know about it only today, when we met the officials from the Labour Ministry," a female worker, from a garment factory at Shwe Pyi Thar Industrial Zone, who met the minister, said.
by Ni Moe Myint
Tuesday, 22 September 2009 21:41
Rangoon (Mizzima) – It has become mandatory for factories and business establishments to recruit and hire employees they need through their respective township labour offices, under the Ministry of Labour, as of now.
In a meeting between Deputy Minister of Labour, Aung Kyi, and employers under the 'Union of Myanmar Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industry' (UMFCCI), the Deputy Minister informed them about the labour regulation of hiring workforce and signing of an employment contract by both the employer and the employee.
"We were told to hire labour through township labour offices and had to submit the bio-data of our employees, to the labour office too. Then we had to sign an employment contract as well," a factory owner, from Shwe Pyi Thar Industrial Zone, who met the Deputy Minister told Mizzima.
The Ministry has also instructed all township labour offices to conduct surprise checks on the factories and other business establishments.
Beginning earlier this month, the Deputy Minister of the Labour Ministry had met employers and employees from Rangoon’s Industrial Zones, the responsible people from UMFCCI, township labour office staff and had instructed all of them to implement this regulation.
"It is believed that it is being implemented by the order of the Senior General. The labour offices must get involved in all labour related issues, such as placement, intervening in trade dispute between employer and employees. The township labour officers, who cannot implement it, would be either transferred or dismissed from their posts," a township labour office officer, who met the Deputy Minister, said.
An officer from the Township Labour Office said that it was an attempt to revive the long lost role of the Labour Ministry.
When contacted, a Ministry of Labour staff in Naypyidaw said about the new labour regulation, "It is published in the daily papers. We are not authorized to answer this question."
In practice, it has been learnt that no employer or employee have contacted the labour offices for both recruitment and finding jobs.
"We are just issuing labour registration cards, when the job seekers come and ask for it. No job seeker has contacted us yet for this purpose. And also no employers have contacted us for recruiting their employees," an officer from the Labour Department said.
When questioned, some workers from the Industrial Zones said that they did not know about the registration at township labour offices for placement.
"When I applied for a job at this factory, I had to visit a labour office for labour registration card, as it was the required document besides the national ID and recommendation letter from our local authority. We knew it. No one told us that the job seekers could go to these labour offices for job placement. We got to know about it only today, when we met the officials from the Labour Ministry," a female worker, from a garment factory at Shwe Pyi Thar Industrial Zone, who met the minister, said.
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Political prisoner amnesty a ‘cynical ploy’
Sept 22, 2009 (DVB)–The recent release of hundreds of political prisoners in Burma was a “cynical ploy to ease international pressure”, said a Thailand-based group of former political prisoners.
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners-Burma (AAPP) today confirmed that of approximately 7,000 released from jails, at least 127 are political prisoners.
Of those released, 43 are from the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) party, including three elected MPs. The government said that the amnesty was granted “on humanitarian grounds”.
The 127 released represent a small dent in the number of political prisoners in Burma, now believed to be over 2,200. Significantly major leaders such as 88 generation leader Min Ko Naing, Shan Nationalities League for Democracy leader U Khun Tun Oo remain behind bars.
Most notably, opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi will likely spend the next 18 months under house arrest, the only Nobel laureate to be in detention. Tate Naing, AAPP secretary and former political prisoner, described the three as a “threat to [the junta’s] absolute power”.
“There can be no real progress towards democracy in our country until all political prisoners are released,” he said.
This is thought to be the sixth prisoner amnesty since 2004, with only around 1.3 percent considered political prisoners by AAPP.
The timing of such releases is by many considered to be significant. This one comes shortly before a UN General Assembly hearing that will be attended by Burmese prime minister Thein Sein, and a day after a damning Human Rights Watch report on political prisoners in Burma.
Another notable detainee to have been released was award-winning journalist Eint Kaing Oo, who was imprisoned after reporting on post-cyclone Nargis recovery last year.
AAPP estimate that 124 political prisoners in Burma are in “poor health”. In July an 87-year-old member of the NLD who had collapsed frequently during his trial was sentenced to two years in prison.
Reporting by Joseph Allchin
Sept 22, 2009 (DVB)–The recent release of hundreds of political prisoners in Burma was a “cynical ploy to ease international pressure”, said a Thailand-based group of former political prisoners.
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners-Burma (AAPP) today confirmed that of approximately 7,000 released from jails, at least 127 are political prisoners.
Of those released, 43 are from the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) party, including three elected MPs. The government said that the amnesty was granted “on humanitarian grounds”.
The 127 released represent a small dent in the number of political prisoners in Burma, now believed to be over 2,200. Significantly major leaders such as 88 generation leader Min Ko Naing, Shan Nationalities League for Democracy leader U Khun Tun Oo remain behind bars.
Most notably, opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi will likely spend the next 18 months under house arrest, the only Nobel laureate to be in detention. Tate Naing, AAPP secretary and former political prisoner, described the three as a “threat to [the junta’s] absolute power”.
“There can be no real progress towards democracy in our country until all political prisoners are released,” he said.
This is thought to be the sixth prisoner amnesty since 2004, with only around 1.3 percent considered political prisoners by AAPP.
The timing of such releases is by many considered to be significant. This one comes shortly before a UN General Assembly hearing that will be attended by Burmese prime minister Thein Sein, and a day after a damning Human Rights Watch report on political prisoners in Burma.
Another notable detainee to have been released was award-winning journalist Eint Kaing Oo, who was imprisoned after reporting on post-cyclone Nargis recovery last year.
AAPP estimate that 124 political prisoners in Burma are in “poor health”. In July an 87-year-old member of the NLD who had collapsed frequently during his trial was sentenced to two years in prison.
Reporting by Joseph Allchin
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