Obama has powerful tool to pressure Myanmar
By FOSTER KLUG, Associated Press Writer – Tue Dec 22, 3:03 am ET
WASHINGTON (AP) – If talks with Myanmar over democratic reforms fail, the Obama administration could tie up large amounts of money that the country's ruling generals stash in international banks from the sale of natural gas.
So far the administration has been hesitant to go that route.
But pressuring banks to avoid doing business with Myanmar's leaders could be a powerful economic weapon — one that already is being used elsewhere. It's an approach, for example, that has been used to try to push North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons ambitions.
Congress already has provided the power for the administration to go after the banks and some rights groups want President Barack Obama to use it right away, or at least if direct talks fail.
U.S. officials have just started face-to-face negotiations and want to give them more time to show results. Imposing the banking sanctions would be expensive and time-consuming, and Myanmar isn't a top priority on a crowded foreign policy agenda that includes Afghanistan and Iran.
Still, the administration has warned of tougher action if engagement breaks down with Myanmar, also known as Burma. And the mere threat could add force to the U.S. negotiating position.
"We will reserve the option of tightening sanctions on the regime and its supporters to respond to events in Burma," Obama's top diplomat for East Asia, Kurt Campbell, told lawmakers in September.
Myanmar has one of the most repressive governments in the world and has been controlled by the military since 1962. For years, the United States has used punishing sanctions to try to force change on the country, with little success. Former President George W. Bush's administration favored shunning Myanmar, and Bush's wife, Laura, and many in Congress were strong advocates of the nascent democracy movement there.
Now, the Obama administration has reversed the isolation policy in favor of engagement, which it hopes will persuade the generals to grant greater freedoms to opposition parties and minorities and to free political prisoners.
Myanmar has since made a few symbolic gestures of good will, letting detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi meet with Campbell, for instance, and releasing some political prisoners. At the same time, it has continued to persecute ethnic minorities, journalists and student activists.
Obama himself spoke of a possibly stronger position on Myanmar in his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech. There will be engagement and diplomacy with Myanmar, he said, "but there must be consequences when those things fail."
Activists say financial measures that hinder Myanmar's ruling generals' ability to access the international banking system might do what broader economic sanctions have failed to do.
"What the Burmese government values is not its commerce with the outside world but the financial proceeds of that commerce," said Tom Malinowski of Human Rights Watch.
"Once the Burmese government deposits the checks in its bank accounts, there's a lot the United States government can do to prevent that money from being used in the international banking system."
Treasury officials have targeted 40 people and 44 entities since the Myanmar junta killed and arrested protesters during demonstrations in 2007. Being added to the sanctions list prevents people from making transactions in the banking system of the United States.
But a 2008 law grants the Treasury Department authority to impose conditions on banking relationships, meaning sanctions could affect activities of international banks.
Myanmar has lucrative natural gas deals with its neighbors and with some European and U.S. companies, with revenues going into foreign banks. Under its new authority, the U.S. can let these banks know it has concerns about their association with Myanmar that could hurt these banks' ability to work with U.S. financial institutions, said Jennifer Quigley, advocacy director for the U.S. Campaign for Burma.
Supporters of the banking sanctions often raise North Korea, saying that the United States effectively froze the North out of the international banking system in 2005, hurting leader Kim Jong Il.
For the moment, the Obama administration is urging patience as it pursues talks.
Next year's elections in Myanmar will provide a good look at the junta's intentions. A big question will be whether high-level U.S.-Myanmar talks lead to true participation by minorities and opposition groups or merely let the generals consolidate power.
By FOSTER KLUG, Associated Press Writer – Tue Dec 22, 3:03 am ET
WASHINGTON (AP) – If talks with Myanmar over democratic reforms fail, the Obama administration could tie up large amounts of money that the country's ruling generals stash in international banks from the sale of natural gas.
So far the administration has been hesitant to go that route.
But pressuring banks to avoid doing business with Myanmar's leaders could be a powerful economic weapon — one that already is being used elsewhere. It's an approach, for example, that has been used to try to push North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons ambitions.
Congress already has provided the power for the administration to go after the banks and some rights groups want President Barack Obama to use it right away, or at least if direct talks fail.
U.S. officials have just started face-to-face negotiations and want to give them more time to show results. Imposing the banking sanctions would be expensive and time-consuming, and Myanmar isn't a top priority on a crowded foreign policy agenda that includes Afghanistan and Iran.
Still, the administration has warned of tougher action if engagement breaks down with Myanmar, also known as Burma. And the mere threat could add force to the U.S. negotiating position.
"We will reserve the option of tightening sanctions on the regime and its supporters to respond to events in Burma," Obama's top diplomat for East Asia, Kurt Campbell, told lawmakers in September.
Myanmar has one of the most repressive governments in the world and has been controlled by the military since 1962. For years, the United States has used punishing sanctions to try to force change on the country, with little success. Former President George W. Bush's administration favored shunning Myanmar, and Bush's wife, Laura, and many in Congress were strong advocates of the nascent democracy movement there.
Now, the Obama administration has reversed the isolation policy in favor of engagement, which it hopes will persuade the generals to grant greater freedoms to opposition parties and minorities and to free political prisoners.
Myanmar has since made a few symbolic gestures of good will, letting detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi meet with Campbell, for instance, and releasing some political prisoners. At the same time, it has continued to persecute ethnic minorities, journalists and student activists.
Obama himself spoke of a possibly stronger position on Myanmar in his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech. There will be engagement and diplomacy with Myanmar, he said, "but there must be consequences when those things fail."
Activists say financial measures that hinder Myanmar's ruling generals' ability to access the international banking system might do what broader economic sanctions have failed to do.
"What the Burmese government values is not its commerce with the outside world but the financial proceeds of that commerce," said Tom Malinowski of Human Rights Watch.
"Once the Burmese government deposits the checks in its bank accounts, there's a lot the United States government can do to prevent that money from being used in the international banking system."
Treasury officials have targeted 40 people and 44 entities since the Myanmar junta killed and arrested protesters during demonstrations in 2007. Being added to the sanctions list prevents people from making transactions in the banking system of the United States.
But a 2008 law grants the Treasury Department authority to impose conditions on banking relationships, meaning sanctions could affect activities of international banks.
Myanmar has lucrative natural gas deals with its neighbors and with some European and U.S. companies, with revenues going into foreign banks. Under its new authority, the U.S. can let these banks know it has concerns about their association with Myanmar that could hurt these banks' ability to work with U.S. financial institutions, said Jennifer Quigley, advocacy director for the U.S. Campaign for Burma.
Supporters of the banking sanctions often raise North Korea, saying that the United States effectively froze the North out of the international banking system in 2005, hurting leader Kim Jong Il.
For the moment, the Obama administration is urging patience as it pursues talks.
Next year's elections in Myanmar will provide a good look at the junta's intentions. A big question will be whether high-level U.S.-Myanmar talks lead to true participation by minorities and opposition groups or merely let the generals consolidate power.
*************************************************************
December 22, 2009 13:43 PM
MTV Documentary On Anti-Human Trafficking Introduced In Myanmar
YANGON, Dec 22 (Bernama) -- A documentary film of the international Music Television (MTV) has been introduced in Myanmar, to raise the awareness about human trafficking in Asia and the Pacific, China's Xinhua news agency reported, citing the official newspaper New Light of Myanmar as saying on Tuesday.
The 30-minute film, made by the MTV EXIT (End Exploitation and Trafficking) campaign and supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), will soon be broadcast in such Myanmar television channels as MRTV, MWD and MRTV-4.
The film is narrated in 12 different languages by Lucy Lieu of Hollywood, Rain of South Korea, Ta Ta Yang of Thailand, Karen Mok of China, Lara Dutta of Bollywood and Myanmar vocalist Phyu Phyu Kyaw Thein.
The film would raise the awareness of Myanmar women in human trafficking and produce a good outcome for Myanmar youths, said the Myanmar vocalist.
MTV Documentary On Anti-Human Trafficking Introduced In Myanmar
YANGON, Dec 22 (Bernama) -- A documentary film of the international Music Television (MTV) has been introduced in Myanmar, to raise the awareness about human trafficking in Asia and the Pacific, China's Xinhua news agency reported, citing the official newspaper New Light of Myanmar as saying on Tuesday.
The 30-minute film, made by the MTV EXIT (End Exploitation and Trafficking) campaign and supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), will soon be broadcast in such Myanmar television channels as MRTV, MWD and MRTV-4.
The film is narrated in 12 different languages by Lucy Lieu of Hollywood, Rain of South Korea, Ta Ta Yang of Thailand, Karen Mok of China, Lara Dutta of Bollywood and Myanmar vocalist Phyu Phyu Kyaw Thein.
The film would raise the awareness of Myanmar women in human trafficking and produce a good outcome for Myanmar youths, said the Myanmar vocalist.
*************************************************************
China Signals Resistance to Iran Sanctions, Seeks Further Talks
By Bill Varner
Dec. 22 (Bloomberg) -- China signaled resistance to any U.S. and European push for tougher United Nations sanctions on Iran, saying talks aimed at preventing its development of nuclear weapons should be given a chance to succeed.
“We ask for more time to be given and efforts to be made to see if we can reach some sort of breakthrough,” La Yifan, China’s envoy for Security Council and political affairs at the UN, said in an interview yesterday. “The door to diplomatic efforts is not completely slammed yet. Efforts should focus on trying to find a solution to the current impasse.”
La’s stance reflects the difficulty the U.S., Britain, France and Germany will have in pursuing tougher UN sanctions on Iran next month. The Obama administration set a Dec. 31 deadline for progress on the diplomatic track, and France’s ambassador to the UN said earlier this month that there was no longer any reason to delay a push for sanctions.
The U.S. and its European partners suspect Iran’s uranium enrichment work is part of the development of a nuclear weapons capability.
China holds one of the five permanent seats on the 15- nation Security Council, along with the U.S., France, Britain and Russia. Those veto-wielding members and Germany, which have been trying to convince Iran to scale back its nuclear program, offered at an October meeting in Geneva to enrich uranium Iran needs for a reactor that makes medical isotopes.
The Iranian government has never given a formal reply to the proposal, which the U.S. has portrayed as a confidence- building measure. Iran insists its enrichment program is only intended for civilian energy projects.
‘Hardest Sell’
“Clearly, China will be the hardest sell,” Cliff Kupchan, a senior analyst at Eurasia Group, a New York political-risk consulting firm, said in a telephone interview. “Their position is, rhetorically at least, more problematic than the Russian position, so the Chinese are going to face a real test because sanctions are moving.”
China and Russia, while resisting most UN sanctions resolutions, have voted for three measures punishing Iran for ignoring demands that it stop enriching uranium. The resolutions have blocked financial transactions by Iran, imposed an embargo on arms sales and banned the travel of officials working on the nation’s nuclear and missile programs.
“The gap between Russia and China is opening,” Kupchan said. “My instinct is that Russia will be the deal maker.”
Iran Stance Cited
La cited Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki’s statement last week that his government might agree to exchange enriched uranium for nuclear fuel rods outside its territory. He was responding to the proposal for Iran to send 1,200 kilograms of its low-enriched uranium to Russia and then France for processing into reactor fuel, to ensure it isn’t boosted to weapons grade.
“We note the recent remarks by Iranian authorities of a kind of continued willingness to have an exchange,” La, 43, said. “With regard to the venue and also the modalities of such exchanges, those are the issues that a solution should be found through continued discussion.”
European nations have proposed sanctions against Iran that would further hit its nuclear program and its financial system, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said yesterday. The list doesn’t impact Iran’s domestic fuel industry because that would hurt the population and be “counter-productive,” Kouchner told reporters in Paris.
The U.S. House voted last week to support possible pressure on companies that sell gasoline to Iran. Iran depends on gasoline imports because of limited refining capacity at home.
Obama Administration
The U.S. administration favors a new push for sanctions, although it wants to give Iran until the end of the year to respond to offers to enrich uranium outside the country, according to Kouchner.
“The Russians are on board and the Chinese will follow,” Kouchner said, though he criticized Chinese companies for signing commercial and industrial contracts with Iran.
Asked about statements indicating that the West’s patience has run out, La called those remarks “unfortunate” and expressed hope that there will “not be a spiraling out of control” of the discussion.
On Nov. 27, the UN International Atomic Energy Agency censured Iran for concealing an enrichment plant, with the U.S., Russia, China, France and the U.K. all voting for the motion.
Sudan, Myanmar
La praised the Obama administration’s overall commitment to diplomacy on the Iranian issue, as well as conflicts with North Korea, Sudan and Myanmar.
“The Obama administration is taking the right approach” on North Korea, La said, adding that U.S. envoy Stephen Bosworth’s recent trip to North Korea was “highly useful.”
The U.S. is working with China, Russia, Japan and South Korea to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear arms. North Korea has committed to resuming those so-called six-party talks.
La said Obama’s efforts at engagement with Sudan, over the conflict in Darfur, and Myanmar’s military junta over its repression of political opponents and ethnic minorities, is producing results. Further Security Council involvement with either nation isn’t warranted at this time, he said.
“If you compare the situation in Darfur today with that of two years ago you can see a significant improvement,” he said. “Let’s give them a fair chance to find a solution.”
On Myanmar, the “signs are positive,” La said, that democratic elections may be held next year.
By Bill Varner
Dec. 22 (Bloomberg) -- China signaled resistance to any U.S. and European push for tougher United Nations sanctions on Iran, saying talks aimed at preventing its development of nuclear weapons should be given a chance to succeed.
“We ask for more time to be given and efforts to be made to see if we can reach some sort of breakthrough,” La Yifan, China’s envoy for Security Council and political affairs at the UN, said in an interview yesterday. “The door to diplomatic efforts is not completely slammed yet. Efforts should focus on trying to find a solution to the current impasse.”
La’s stance reflects the difficulty the U.S., Britain, France and Germany will have in pursuing tougher UN sanctions on Iran next month. The Obama administration set a Dec. 31 deadline for progress on the diplomatic track, and France’s ambassador to the UN said earlier this month that there was no longer any reason to delay a push for sanctions.
The U.S. and its European partners suspect Iran’s uranium enrichment work is part of the development of a nuclear weapons capability.
China holds one of the five permanent seats on the 15- nation Security Council, along with the U.S., France, Britain and Russia. Those veto-wielding members and Germany, which have been trying to convince Iran to scale back its nuclear program, offered at an October meeting in Geneva to enrich uranium Iran needs for a reactor that makes medical isotopes.
The Iranian government has never given a formal reply to the proposal, which the U.S. has portrayed as a confidence- building measure. Iran insists its enrichment program is only intended for civilian energy projects.
‘Hardest Sell’
“Clearly, China will be the hardest sell,” Cliff Kupchan, a senior analyst at Eurasia Group, a New York political-risk consulting firm, said in a telephone interview. “Their position is, rhetorically at least, more problematic than the Russian position, so the Chinese are going to face a real test because sanctions are moving.”
China and Russia, while resisting most UN sanctions resolutions, have voted for three measures punishing Iran for ignoring demands that it stop enriching uranium. The resolutions have blocked financial transactions by Iran, imposed an embargo on arms sales and banned the travel of officials working on the nation’s nuclear and missile programs.
“The gap between Russia and China is opening,” Kupchan said. “My instinct is that Russia will be the deal maker.”
Iran Stance Cited
La cited Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki’s statement last week that his government might agree to exchange enriched uranium for nuclear fuel rods outside its territory. He was responding to the proposal for Iran to send 1,200 kilograms of its low-enriched uranium to Russia and then France for processing into reactor fuel, to ensure it isn’t boosted to weapons grade.
“We note the recent remarks by Iranian authorities of a kind of continued willingness to have an exchange,” La, 43, said. “With regard to the venue and also the modalities of such exchanges, those are the issues that a solution should be found through continued discussion.”
European nations have proposed sanctions against Iran that would further hit its nuclear program and its financial system, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said yesterday. The list doesn’t impact Iran’s domestic fuel industry because that would hurt the population and be “counter-productive,” Kouchner told reporters in Paris.
The U.S. House voted last week to support possible pressure on companies that sell gasoline to Iran. Iran depends on gasoline imports because of limited refining capacity at home.
Obama Administration
The U.S. administration favors a new push for sanctions, although it wants to give Iran until the end of the year to respond to offers to enrich uranium outside the country, according to Kouchner.
“The Russians are on board and the Chinese will follow,” Kouchner said, though he criticized Chinese companies for signing commercial and industrial contracts with Iran.
Asked about statements indicating that the West’s patience has run out, La called those remarks “unfortunate” and expressed hope that there will “not be a spiraling out of control” of the discussion.
On Nov. 27, the UN International Atomic Energy Agency censured Iran for concealing an enrichment plant, with the U.S., Russia, China, France and the U.K. all voting for the motion.
Sudan, Myanmar
La praised the Obama administration’s overall commitment to diplomacy on the Iranian issue, as well as conflicts with North Korea, Sudan and Myanmar.
“The Obama administration is taking the right approach” on North Korea, La said, adding that U.S. envoy Stephen Bosworth’s recent trip to North Korea was “highly useful.”
The U.S. is working with China, Russia, Japan and South Korea to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear arms. North Korea has committed to resuming those so-called six-party talks.
La said Obama’s efforts at engagement with Sudan, over the conflict in Darfur, and Myanmar’s military junta over its repression of political opponents and ethnic minorities, is producing results. Further Security Council involvement with either nation isn’t warranted at this time, he said.
“If you compare the situation in Darfur today with that of two years ago you can see a significant improvement,” he said. “Let’s give them a fair chance to find a solution.”
On Myanmar, the “signs are positive,” La said, that democratic elections may be held next year.
*************************************************************
The Telegraph - India wary as China spreads Nepal reach
SUJAN DUTTA
New Delhi, Dec. 21: When Nepal army chief Chhatraman Singh Gurung was being feted with the honorary rank of general in the Indian Army here last week, his deputy was quietly signing a deal with a visiting Chinese military delegation in Kathmandu.
To analysts in Kathmandu, the two developments will inevitably evoke a familiar description of Nepal -- that of “a yam stuck between two boulders”. The boulders, of course, are India and China.
But in New Delhi, the military establishment is concerned that India’s army and government are risking losing a space they have traditionally held on to.
General Torun Jung Bahadur Singh, who was acting as army chief in Kathmandu in the absence of Gurung, signed a deal with Major General Jia Jialing, deputy director in the foreign relations cell of the Chinese Peoples’ Liberation Army. The Chinese pledged 20.8 million yuan (Rs 14.2 crore approximately) as aid for “non lethal” military equipment.
Nepal’s ammunition-starved army is looking for newer and surer sources of supply since India began turning off the tap of military aid in 2001 and then almost brought it to a halt in 2005.
To the defence establishment in New Delhi, the signs are unmistakable: China is stepping-in in Nepal just as it had in Sri Lanka and before that in Myanmar because India has been chary of continuing with military aid to neighbours beset by domestic troubles.
Sri Lanka has all but moved on after brutally crushing the three-decade LTTE insurgency with military might in May this year. Sri Lanka’s army was using Chinese weaponry and ammunition apart from the outdated Indian equipment it had in its arsenal.
In Myanmar, where India was shy of courting the military junta because of Delhi’s political support to the democracy movement of Aung San Suu Kyi and the fear of international criticism, it has stepped up visits and exchanges. Three years ago, India even supplied field guns and a maritime surveillance aircraft to Myanmar.
But by then the Chinese were everywhere, investing in Myanmar’s ports, highways and industries and helping prop up its army militarily.
For the military establishment in India, the waning of goodwill in Sri Lanka and Myanmar is a loss that it is now trying to make up. In Nepal, senior Indian Army officers say, there cannot be a waiting period.
Nepal is vastly different for India from the island nation or from Myanmar. With neither of those countries does India have an open border. The unique India-Nepal relationship grants reciprocal citizenship rights (minus voting rights) to the residents of each country. Nepalese Gorkhas serve in the Indian Army in large numbers.
The move to fete General Gurung and resume arms supplies to Nepal’s army, sources argue, should be seen in this context — and not merely from the point of view of touching off sensitivities among the Himalayan nation’s Maoists.
One officer said that when Prachanda headed the government before being forced to quit over the reinstatement of the former Nepal army chief, General Rukmangad Katawal, there were moves by Kathmandu to get closer to China.
Prachanda’s defence minister and former chief of the Nepal Maoists’ militia, Ram Bahadur Thapa (Badal), visited Beijing in September 2008. The Chinese army’s deputy chief, Lt Gen Ma Ziaotian, who also oversees India-China military relations and was in charge of their two joint drills, met Prachanda in December last year.
Now, Prachanda’s successor and Nepal’s current Prime Minister, Madhav Nepal, is scheduled to visit China on December 26.
The Chinese have expressed concern over the Tibetan protests in Nepal at a time Kathmandu is reported to have sought Indian military help to build an airstrip for its army’s air wing in Surkhet near Nepal’s border with Tibet. The Nepal Maoists have been quick to allege that India intends to use such an airstrip as a base for operations against China in the event of hostilities.
After being given his honorary rank and hosting General Deepak Kapoor at a lavish reception in the Nepalese embassy in Delhi last week, General Gurung is understood to have invited the Indian Army chief to Kathmandu.
Traditionally, a new Indian Army chief’s first visit has been to Nepal where he, too, is given the honorary rank. Kapoor’s predecessor, General J.J. Singh, now governor of Arunachal Pradesh, was twice advised against visiting Nepal for the ceremony. Kapoor has visited many countries and is now in the last leg of his tenure.
Whether Kapoor will accept the invitation and visit Kathmandu before he retires early next year will be a demonstration of the Indian government’s diplomatic intent in the face of the resurgent Maoists in Nepal.
The resumption of arms supplies — armoured personnel carriers, Insas rifles, ammunition and possibly even tanks — to Nepal’s army and a visit by Kapoor will demonstrate not only New Delhi’s resolve in encouraging an “apolitical and professional” military in Nepal but also its determination to maintain its strategic and political space in the Himalayan country that China is nibbling into.
SUJAN DUTTA
New Delhi, Dec. 21: When Nepal army chief Chhatraman Singh Gurung was being feted with the honorary rank of general in the Indian Army here last week, his deputy was quietly signing a deal with a visiting Chinese military delegation in Kathmandu.
To analysts in Kathmandu, the two developments will inevitably evoke a familiar description of Nepal -- that of “a yam stuck between two boulders”. The boulders, of course, are India and China.
But in New Delhi, the military establishment is concerned that India’s army and government are risking losing a space they have traditionally held on to.
General Torun Jung Bahadur Singh, who was acting as army chief in Kathmandu in the absence of Gurung, signed a deal with Major General Jia Jialing, deputy director in the foreign relations cell of the Chinese Peoples’ Liberation Army. The Chinese pledged 20.8 million yuan (Rs 14.2 crore approximately) as aid for “non lethal” military equipment.
Nepal’s ammunition-starved army is looking for newer and surer sources of supply since India began turning off the tap of military aid in 2001 and then almost brought it to a halt in 2005.
To the defence establishment in New Delhi, the signs are unmistakable: China is stepping-in in Nepal just as it had in Sri Lanka and before that in Myanmar because India has been chary of continuing with military aid to neighbours beset by domestic troubles.
Sri Lanka has all but moved on after brutally crushing the three-decade LTTE insurgency with military might in May this year. Sri Lanka’s army was using Chinese weaponry and ammunition apart from the outdated Indian equipment it had in its arsenal.
In Myanmar, where India was shy of courting the military junta because of Delhi’s political support to the democracy movement of Aung San Suu Kyi and the fear of international criticism, it has stepped up visits and exchanges. Three years ago, India even supplied field guns and a maritime surveillance aircraft to Myanmar.
But by then the Chinese were everywhere, investing in Myanmar’s ports, highways and industries and helping prop up its army militarily.
For the military establishment in India, the waning of goodwill in Sri Lanka and Myanmar is a loss that it is now trying to make up. In Nepal, senior Indian Army officers say, there cannot be a waiting period.
Nepal is vastly different for India from the island nation or from Myanmar. With neither of those countries does India have an open border. The unique India-Nepal relationship grants reciprocal citizenship rights (minus voting rights) to the residents of each country. Nepalese Gorkhas serve in the Indian Army in large numbers.
The move to fete General Gurung and resume arms supplies to Nepal’s army, sources argue, should be seen in this context — and not merely from the point of view of touching off sensitivities among the Himalayan nation’s Maoists.
One officer said that when Prachanda headed the government before being forced to quit over the reinstatement of the former Nepal army chief, General Rukmangad Katawal, there were moves by Kathmandu to get closer to China.
Prachanda’s defence minister and former chief of the Nepal Maoists’ militia, Ram Bahadur Thapa (Badal), visited Beijing in September 2008. The Chinese army’s deputy chief, Lt Gen Ma Ziaotian, who also oversees India-China military relations and was in charge of their two joint drills, met Prachanda in December last year.
Now, Prachanda’s successor and Nepal’s current Prime Minister, Madhav Nepal, is scheduled to visit China on December 26.
The Chinese have expressed concern over the Tibetan protests in Nepal at a time Kathmandu is reported to have sought Indian military help to build an airstrip for its army’s air wing in Surkhet near Nepal’s border with Tibet. The Nepal Maoists have been quick to allege that India intends to use such an airstrip as a base for operations against China in the event of hostilities.
After being given his honorary rank and hosting General Deepak Kapoor at a lavish reception in the Nepalese embassy in Delhi last week, General Gurung is understood to have invited the Indian Army chief to Kathmandu.
Traditionally, a new Indian Army chief’s first visit has been to Nepal where he, too, is given the honorary rank. Kapoor’s predecessor, General J.J. Singh, now governor of Arunachal Pradesh, was twice advised against visiting Nepal for the ceremony. Kapoor has visited many countries and is now in the last leg of his tenure.
Whether Kapoor will accept the invitation and visit Kathmandu before he retires early next year will be a demonstration of the Indian government’s diplomatic intent in the face of the resurgent Maoists in Nepal.
The resumption of arms supplies — armoured personnel carriers, Insas rifles, ammunition and possibly even tanks — to Nepal’s army and a visit by Kapoor will demonstrate not only New Delhi’s resolve in encouraging an “apolitical and professional” military in Nepal but also its determination to maintain its strategic and political space in the Himalayan country that China is nibbling into.
*************************************************************
UNICEF (press release)
Five years after tsunami, Myanmar battles repeat disasters
By Sandar Linn
NGAPUTAW TOWNSHIP, Myanmar, 21 December 2009 – In spite of the battle for life and livelihood since the tsunami hit in 2004, daily life continues in remote Phone Daw Pyae in Ngaputaw Township.
The impact left by the tsunami on Myanmar was less severe compared to some other neighbouring countries. Nevertheless, Ngaputaw Township – along with Rakhine State parts of the Irrawaddy Division and Tanintharyi Division– was hit hard.
Life in the communities was wrecked and major disruptions in livelihood occurred with lost boats and destroyed fishing nets.
Restoring livelihoods
UNICEF, along with local and international partners, supported a full range of activities to restore livelihood and transform young lives affected by the tsunami.
Communities received assistance in getting back on their feet with new homes for affected people, a new school and a new rural health centre. Essential drugs and insecticide treated bed nets were also supplied.
Unfortunately, some of the communities were battered by repeat and severe natural disasters that jeopardized these restoration efforts.
“When one disaster after another took away my loved ones and the basic essentials that we need to live on, such as a home, a small boat, a fishing net – life became infinitely harder,” said Hnin Hnin Ei, 30, a single parent and a former resident of Phone Daw Pyae village.
The surviving families of the village now live in Government-funded new housing, built much farther away from the coast and on higher ground.
Repeat disasters
Disaster response after the tsunami opened the door for humanitarian agencies to reach the remote fishing communities who are exposed to the frequent wrath of nature.
As tsunami interventions were phased out, massive emergency relief and recovery efforts had to be mounted to get through the devastations caused by Cyclone Nargis, the worst natural disaster that the country has faced in its recent history.
“Everybody in the community had to work extraordinarily hard and we were there to support after the disasters,” said UNICEF Field Officer for Ayeyarwaddy Division Daw Khin Khin Pyone. “However, the way to recovery has been slow and hampered – the chain of disasters broke the backbone of the community.”
By Sandar Linn
NGAPUTAW TOWNSHIP, Myanmar, 21 December 2009 – In spite of the battle for life and livelihood since the tsunami hit in 2004, daily life continues in remote Phone Daw Pyae in Ngaputaw Township.
The impact left by the tsunami on Myanmar was less severe compared to some other neighbouring countries. Nevertheless, Ngaputaw Township – along with Rakhine State parts of the Irrawaddy Division and Tanintharyi Division– was hit hard.
Life in the communities was wrecked and major disruptions in livelihood occurred with lost boats and destroyed fishing nets.
Restoring livelihoods
UNICEF, along with local and international partners, supported a full range of activities to restore livelihood and transform young lives affected by the tsunami.
Communities received assistance in getting back on their feet with new homes for affected people, a new school and a new rural health centre. Essential drugs and insecticide treated bed nets were also supplied.
Unfortunately, some of the communities were battered by repeat and severe natural disasters that jeopardized these restoration efforts.
“When one disaster after another took away my loved ones and the basic essentials that we need to live on, such as a home, a small boat, a fishing net – life became infinitely harder,” said Hnin Hnin Ei, 30, a single parent and a former resident of Phone Daw Pyae village.
The surviving families of the village now live in Government-funded new housing, built much farther away from the coast and on higher ground.
Repeat disasters
Disaster response after the tsunami opened the door for humanitarian agencies to reach the remote fishing communities who are exposed to the frequent wrath of nature.
As tsunami interventions were phased out, massive emergency relief and recovery efforts had to be mounted to get through the devastations caused by Cyclone Nargis, the worst natural disaster that the country has faced in its recent history.
“Everybody in the community had to work extraordinarily hard and we were there to support after the disasters,” said UNICEF Field Officer for Ayeyarwaddy Division Daw Khin Khin Pyone. “However, the way to recovery has been slow and hampered – the chain of disasters broke the backbone of the community.”
*************************************************************
EarthTimes - Chinese company wins ownership of Myanmar-China pipeline project
Posted : Tue, 22 Dec 2009 09:52:04 GMT
Yangon - China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) has secured exclusive ownership and management rights over a planned 771-kilometre, overland Myanmar-China crude oil pipeline, industry sources said Tuesday. The contract signing was witnessed by Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping and Maung Aye, vice chairman of Myanmar's ruling military junta, over the weekend in Naypyitaw, Myanmar's military capital, CNPC said in a statement posted on its website.
Under the terms of the agreement, CNPC is allowed to outsource the construction and operation of the project to CNPC-controlled Southeast Asia Crude Pipeline Co Ltd.
"The agreement also stipulates that Myanmar government shall ensure the company's ownership and exclusionary right to the pipeline and guarantee the safety of the pipeline," the company statement said.
The pipeline is to extend from Madeira on the western coast of Myanmar; run through Rakhine, Magway, Mandalay and Shan states; and enter China at Ruili in Yunnan province.
It is to have an annual delivery capacity of 12 million tons in its first stage.
The pipeline would allow China to shorten oil deliveries from the Middle East by cutting out the need for oil tankers to travel through the Malacca Straits.
Xi witnessed the signing of 16 agreements during his two-day visit to Myanmar Saturday and Sunday.
Four of the agreements were between the two governments and the remaining 12 were between private companies.
China is Myanmar's fourth-largest foreign investor with a total investment of 1.3 billion dollars. Bilateral trade between the two neighbours reached 2.6 billion dollars in 2008.
Posted : Tue, 22 Dec 2009 09:52:04 GMT
Yangon - China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) has secured exclusive ownership and management rights over a planned 771-kilometre, overland Myanmar-China crude oil pipeline, industry sources said Tuesday. The contract signing was witnessed by Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping and Maung Aye, vice chairman of Myanmar's ruling military junta, over the weekend in Naypyitaw, Myanmar's military capital, CNPC said in a statement posted on its website.
Under the terms of the agreement, CNPC is allowed to outsource the construction and operation of the project to CNPC-controlled Southeast Asia Crude Pipeline Co Ltd.
"The agreement also stipulates that Myanmar government shall ensure the company's ownership and exclusionary right to the pipeline and guarantee the safety of the pipeline," the company statement said.
The pipeline is to extend from Madeira on the western coast of Myanmar; run through Rakhine, Magway, Mandalay and Shan states; and enter China at Ruili in Yunnan province.
It is to have an annual delivery capacity of 12 million tons in its first stage.
The pipeline would allow China to shorten oil deliveries from the Middle East by cutting out the need for oil tankers to travel through the Malacca Straits.
Xi witnessed the signing of 16 agreements during his two-day visit to Myanmar Saturday and Sunday.
Four of the agreements were between the two governments and the remaining 12 were between private companies.
China is Myanmar's fourth-largest foreign investor with a total investment of 1.3 billion dollars. Bilateral trade between the two neighbours reached 2.6 billion dollars in 2008.
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VOA News - 2009 Mixed Year for Human Rights
Amid repression and violence, there were signs of hope
Adam Phillips | New York 22 December 2009
From Iran to Myanmar, from Darfur to Guanatanamo, 2009 has been a year of many challenges – and significant progress – for human rights around the world.
Human rights abuses continue in Darfur, Sudan
Tom Malinowski, a seasoned foreign policy expert – and the Washington advocacy director for Human Rights Watch, is deeply aware of the human capacity for cruelty and the brute exercise of power. He cites continued human rights abuse in the Darfur region of Sudan as an example. Ethnic cleansing by Arab "jinjaweed" militias and the Sudanese government has diminished from its peak earlier in the decade, but intense, if more sporadic, violence continued there in 2009.
"There have been cases of civilians being bombed from the air by the Sudanese air force, and violence associated with ongoing conflict between the government and rebel groups," Malinowski says.
Large numbers of Darfuris have been "ethnically cleansed" from their home villages and are living in crowded camps of internally displaced persons. "The people in those camps [continue to be] vulnerable when they try to leave to gather food [and] firewood."
There has been some progress in alleviating that crisis. In March, the International Criminal Court indicted Sudan's president Omar al-Bashir for alleged war crimes in Darfur, and increasing international pressure is being brought to bear on governments which directly or indirectly support regimes like his.
China is asked take a leading role
Malinowski notes that as China continues to emerge as a major world power, its leaders are being held accountable as never before. "China has long been under pressure for its miserable human rights record at home. But only in the last few years has it felt any pressure with respect to its relationships with other governments that violate human rights."
China has made some interventions with its allies with both Sudan and Myanmar, urging them to at least ease up on the violence and oppression. "Unfortunately," says Malinowski, "China hasn't used a lot of the leverage that it has with these countries in terms of arms sales, [and] economic deals."
2009 was a mixed year for democracy activists
It was a mixed year for democracy activists with continued repression in Cuba, Myanmar [formerly Burma] and North Korea. 2009 also saw the rise of a massive opposition movement in Iran which claimed to have won the national elections in June. Government authorities declared the incumbent president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to be the winner.
"Protests were put down very violently. There were show trials," notes Malinowski. "We've seen … the rise of a very oppressive, almost a police military state in Iran. And yet the opposition movement has continued to make its voice heard."
Guantanamo Bay
Many human rights groups criticized former U.S. President George W. Bush, whose second term in office ended in January, for sullying America's reputation as a human rights champion. One of the most controversial charges centered on the aggressive prisoner interrogations – what critics have called government-sanctioned torture – at the U.S. military's detention facilities in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
"The good news is that the Obama Administration categorically decided that that will not happen again," says Malinowski. "President Obama has banned the use of the cruel techniques that were used on al Qaeda prisoners under the Bush Administration [and] he has abolished the use of these secret detention facilities in which the torture took place. There has been a sharp break from the past."
Women in Afghanistan still face challenges
Human rights activists say that women's rights have improved in Afghanistan since late 2001, when the U.S. and its allies forced the repressive Taliban-led government from power. But Malinowski asserts that women in Afghanistan still face many challenges to their rights and freedoms. "In fact, for many girls and women in Afghanistan, the notion of going to school is something that still means a great deal of fear. There is still a tax on girls and women who step out of their homes, who try to get educated, who try to enter the workforce, who try to live normal lives."
Troubled world economy poses indirect threat to migrants' human rights
According to the Geneva-based International Organization for Migration, the continuing worldwide economic crisis in 2009 caused greater hardship in the developing world than it did in the developed world because many people were already living economically marginal lives.
For instance, many North Africans once migrated legally to Spain to do menial jobs. But unemployment in Europe was high this past year, and immigrants were far less welcome than before. Women and children have been especially vulnerable to sexual exploitation, and even slavery, at the hands of smugglers.
The human rights of male migrants within Africa were also at greater risk in 2009. Earlier this year, the IOM issued a report looking especially at how young men from East Africa, the Horn of Africa, were being smuggled to South Africa in search of employment. "Whilst we didn't find any obvious instances of trafficking for purposes of exploitation," says IOM spokesman Jean-Phillipe Chauzy, "we do know that those young migrants are being exploited at some point in their journey and being smuggled at high risk across international borders."
Reasons for both caution and hope in 2010
In spite of these continuing abuses, Tom Malinowski of Human Rights Watch believes respect for human rights is growing worldwide. "Over a period of the last few decades, human rights issues have become increasingly prominent in international relations." He asserts that "despite many continuing terrible events around the world," more people today enjoy human rights – the right to change their government, the right to speak their minds, and the right to worship freely – than 30 or 40 years ago.
Though hopeful that the human rights situation will improve in 2010, Tom Malinowski and other activists say they will continue to fight for a world where safety, economic security and freedom from fear for all people are assured.
Amid repression and violence, there were signs of hope
Adam Phillips | New York 22 December 2009
From Iran to Myanmar, from Darfur to Guanatanamo, 2009 has been a year of many challenges – and significant progress – for human rights around the world.
Human rights abuses continue in Darfur, Sudan
Tom Malinowski, a seasoned foreign policy expert – and the Washington advocacy director for Human Rights Watch, is deeply aware of the human capacity for cruelty and the brute exercise of power. He cites continued human rights abuse in the Darfur region of Sudan as an example. Ethnic cleansing by Arab "jinjaweed" militias and the Sudanese government has diminished from its peak earlier in the decade, but intense, if more sporadic, violence continued there in 2009.
"There have been cases of civilians being bombed from the air by the Sudanese air force, and violence associated with ongoing conflict between the government and rebel groups," Malinowski says.
Large numbers of Darfuris have been "ethnically cleansed" from their home villages and are living in crowded camps of internally displaced persons. "The people in those camps [continue to be] vulnerable when they try to leave to gather food [and] firewood."
There has been some progress in alleviating that crisis. In March, the International Criminal Court indicted Sudan's president Omar al-Bashir for alleged war crimes in Darfur, and increasing international pressure is being brought to bear on governments which directly or indirectly support regimes like his.
China is asked take a leading role
Malinowski notes that as China continues to emerge as a major world power, its leaders are being held accountable as never before. "China has long been under pressure for its miserable human rights record at home. But only in the last few years has it felt any pressure with respect to its relationships with other governments that violate human rights."
China has made some interventions with its allies with both Sudan and Myanmar, urging them to at least ease up on the violence and oppression. "Unfortunately," says Malinowski, "China hasn't used a lot of the leverage that it has with these countries in terms of arms sales, [and] economic deals."
2009 was a mixed year for democracy activists
It was a mixed year for democracy activists with continued repression in Cuba, Myanmar [formerly Burma] and North Korea. 2009 also saw the rise of a massive opposition movement in Iran which claimed to have won the national elections in June. Government authorities declared the incumbent president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to be the winner.
"Protests were put down very violently. There were show trials," notes Malinowski. "We've seen … the rise of a very oppressive, almost a police military state in Iran. And yet the opposition movement has continued to make its voice heard."
Guantanamo Bay
Many human rights groups criticized former U.S. President George W. Bush, whose second term in office ended in January, for sullying America's reputation as a human rights champion. One of the most controversial charges centered on the aggressive prisoner interrogations – what critics have called government-sanctioned torture – at the U.S. military's detention facilities in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
"The good news is that the Obama Administration categorically decided that that will not happen again," says Malinowski. "President Obama has banned the use of the cruel techniques that were used on al Qaeda prisoners under the Bush Administration [and] he has abolished the use of these secret detention facilities in which the torture took place. There has been a sharp break from the past."
Women in Afghanistan still face challenges
Human rights activists say that women's rights have improved in Afghanistan since late 2001, when the U.S. and its allies forced the repressive Taliban-led government from power. But Malinowski asserts that women in Afghanistan still face many challenges to their rights and freedoms. "In fact, for many girls and women in Afghanistan, the notion of going to school is something that still means a great deal of fear. There is still a tax on girls and women who step out of their homes, who try to get educated, who try to enter the workforce, who try to live normal lives."
Troubled world economy poses indirect threat to migrants' human rights
According to the Geneva-based International Organization for Migration, the continuing worldwide economic crisis in 2009 caused greater hardship in the developing world than it did in the developed world because many people were already living economically marginal lives.
For instance, many North Africans once migrated legally to Spain to do menial jobs. But unemployment in Europe was high this past year, and immigrants were far less welcome than before. Women and children have been especially vulnerable to sexual exploitation, and even slavery, at the hands of smugglers.
The human rights of male migrants within Africa were also at greater risk in 2009. Earlier this year, the IOM issued a report looking especially at how young men from East Africa, the Horn of Africa, were being smuggled to South Africa in search of employment. "Whilst we didn't find any obvious instances of trafficking for purposes of exploitation," says IOM spokesman Jean-Phillipe Chauzy, "we do know that those young migrants are being exploited at some point in their journey and being smuggled at high risk across international borders."
Reasons for both caution and hope in 2010
In spite of these continuing abuses, Tom Malinowski of Human Rights Watch believes respect for human rights is growing worldwide. "Over a period of the last few decades, human rights issues have become increasingly prominent in international relations." He asserts that "despite many continuing terrible events around the world," more people today enjoy human rights – the right to change their government, the right to speak their minds, and the right to worship freely – than 30 or 40 years ago.
Though hopeful that the human rights situation will improve in 2010, Tom Malinowski and other activists say they will continue to fight for a world where safety, economic security and freedom from fear for all people are assured.
*************************************************************
SURAKIART TESTIFIES
Thaksin told FM to help Burma get Bt1bn additional loan
By THE NATION
Published on December 23, 2009
Ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra ordered the Foreign Ministry to help Burma get an additional Bt1-billion loan from the Export-Import Bank of Thailand (Exim Bank) despite the ministry's strong objection, Bt300 million of which might have been used to buy equipment from his telecom empire, former foreign minister Surakiart Sathirathai testified yesterday.
Surakiart, who was foreign minister in the Thaksin government from 2001-04, told the Supreme Court that Thaksin personally intervened in the total Bt4-billion loan deal with Burma back in 2003-04.
Surakiart and graft-buster Klanarong Chantik yesterday testified before the court to wrap up the prosecution's case to seize Bt76 billion from Thaksin and his former wife, Pojaman.
In cross-examining Surakiart, the defence surprisingly asked if he had knowledge of Burma using Bt300 million of the loan to buy equipment from ShinSat.
It was unclear why the defence raised the issue when it could reflect poorly on Thaksin.
Surakiart replied that he was only aware of such a purchase during the investigation by the Assets Examination Committee.
The former premier has been accused of hiding his assets illegally and abusing his office by implementing at least five government measures to benefit his family's vast shareholdings in Shin Corp, which was eventually sold to Temasek Holdings of Singapore in 2006.
The court yesterday asked for more documentary evidence and witnesses for two more hearings, scheduled for January 12 and January 14.
In his testimony Surakiart said he recalled that Burma's foreign minister, in October 2003, had officially asked for a low-interest Exim Bank loan of Bt3 billion to buy machinery, building materials and other products from Thailand.
Later on, Surakiart said, Burma sought an additional US$24-million (Bt798 million) credit line to develop its telecom infrastructure.
"As the foreign minister, I raised my objection because the government could face criticism due to the fact that the Shinawatra family was a major shareholder of Thailand's telecom giant [Shin Corp].
"At the time, several countries had also imposed trade sanctions on Myanmar [Burma]. Initially, there was no reaction from PM Thaksin until Myanmar's officials asked Thai counterparts at a regional meeting in Phuket if it's possible to increase the loan from Bt3 billion to Bt5 billion."
"In writing, Myanmar said it would also want to buy asphalt and building materials from Thailand. Afterwards, PM Thaksin asked the Foreign Ministry about its position. I said I'm against it.
"Then, PM Thaksin suggested that we should meet half-way. Myanmar had asked for Bt5 billion so we should give them Bt4 billion. That's the deal," recalled Surakiart, who was also deputy premier in the final year of the Thaksin government.
Meanwhile, Klanarong, a former member of the Asset Examination Committee, told the court there were at least five policy measures executed during Thaksin's tenure which caused public damage of Bt70 billion.
First, state-owned TOT lost a big chunk of revenue when the Thaksin government issued an executive decree to convert the telecom concession fees into an excise tax.
Second, TOT lost an estimated Bt60 billion in revenue after a concession contract with Advanced Info Service (AIS), a unit of Shin Corp, was amended to reduce the concession fee from a progressive rate of 20-30 per cent of revenue to a flat rate of only 20 per cent.
Third, the telecom concession contract was amended to help AIS reduce its investment requirement by Bt10 billion, thus boosting its profits.
Fourth, the satellite concession contract was amended to help ShinSat, another unit of Shin Corp, make money from the iPSTAR satellite rather than investing in a back-up satellite.
Fifth, state-owned Exim Bank was ordered to provide the Bt4-billion loan to Burma to buy services from ShinSat.
Altogether, the government's measures helped boost the share price of Shin Corp and benefited its major shareholders, he said.
Thaksin insisted last night that he was unfairly charged of being "unusually wealthy" by the post-coup Assets Examination Committee and said he had some Bt60 billion in assets before entering politics many years ago.
In his weekly Internet-based radio broadcast, he said the value of Shin Corp shares held by his family rose and fell naturally, without his political influence.
Meanwhile Thaksin insisted last night that he was unfairly charged of being "unusually wealthy" by the postcoup Assets Examination Committee and said he had some Bt60 billion in assets before entering politics many years ago.
In his weekly Internetbased radio broadcast, he said the value of Shin Corp shares held by his family rose and fell naturally, without his political influence.
Thaksin told FM to help Burma get Bt1bn additional loan
By THE NATION
Published on December 23, 2009
Ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra ordered the Foreign Ministry to help Burma get an additional Bt1-billion loan from the Export-Import Bank of Thailand (Exim Bank) despite the ministry's strong objection, Bt300 million of which might have been used to buy equipment from his telecom empire, former foreign minister Surakiart Sathirathai testified yesterday.
Surakiart, who was foreign minister in the Thaksin government from 2001-04, told the Supreme Court that Thaksin personally intervened in the total Bt4-billion loan deal with Burma back in 2003-04.
Surakiart and graft-buster Klanarong Chantik yesterday testified before the court to wrap up the prosecution's case to seize Bt76 billion from Thaksin and his former wife, Pojaman.
In cross-examining Surakiart, the defence surprisingly asked if he had knowledge of Burma using Bt300 million of the loan to buy equipment from ShinSat.
It was unclear why the defence raised the issue when it could reflect poorly on Thaksin.
Surakiart replied that he was only aware of such a purchase during the investigation by the Assets Examination Committee.
The former premier has been accused of hiding his assets illegally and abusing his office by implementing at least five government measures to benefit his family's vast shareholdings in Shin Corp, which was eventually sold to Temasek Holdings of Singapore in 2006.
The court yesterday asked for more documentary evidence and witnesses for two more hearings, scheduled for January 12 and January 14.
In his testimony Surakiart said he recalled that Burma's foreign minister, in October 2003, had officially asked for a low-interest Exim Bank loan of Bt3 billion to buy machinery, building materials and other products from Thailand.
Later on, Surakiart said, Burma sought an additional US$24-million (Bt798 million) credit line to develop its telecom infrastructure.
"As the foreign minister, I raised my objection because the government could face criticism due to the fact that the Shinawatra family was a major shareholder of Thailand's telecom giant [Shin Corp].
"At the time, several countries had also imposed trade sanctions on Myanmar [Burma]. Initially, there was no reaction from PM Thaksin until Myanmar's officials asked Thai counterparts at a regional meeting in Phuket if it's possible to increase the loan from Bt3 billion to Bt5 billion."
"In writing, Myanmar said it would also want to buy asphalt and building materials from Thailand. Afterwards, PM Thaksin asked the Foreign Ministry about its position. I said I'm against it.
"Then, PM Thaksin suggested that we should meet half-way. Myanmar had asked for Bt5 billion so we should give them Bt4 billion. That's the deal," recalled Surakiart, who was also deputy premier in the final year of the Thaksin government.
Meanwhile, Klanarong, a former member of the Asset Examination Committee, told the court there were at least five policy measures executed during Thaksin's tenure which caused public damage of Bt70 billion.
First, state-owned TOT lost a big chunk of revenue when the Thaksin government issued an executive decree to convert the telecom concession fees into an excise tax.
Second, TOT lost an estimated Bt60 billion in revenue after a concession contract with Advanced Info Service (AIS), a unit of Shin Corp, was amended to reduce the concession fee from a progressive rate of 20-30 per cent of revenue to a flat rate of only 20 per cent.
Third, the telecom concession contract was amended to help AIS reduce its investment requirement by Bt10 billion, thus boosting its profits.
Fourth, the satellite concession contract was amended to help ShinSat, another unit of Shin Corp, make money from the iPSTAR satellite rather than investing in a back-up satellite.
Fifth, state-owned Exim Bank was ordered to provide the Bt4-billion loan to Burma to buy services from ShinSat.
Altogether, the government's measures helped boost the share price of Shin Corp and benefited its major shareholders, he said.
Thaksin insisted last night that he was unfairly charged of being "unusually wealthy" by the post-coup Assets Examination Committee and said he had some Bt60 billion in assets before entering politics many years ago.
In his weekly Internet-based radio broadcast, he said the value of Shin Corp shares held by his family rose and fell naturally, without his political influence.
Meanwhile Thaksin insisted last night that he was unfairly charged of being "unusually wealthy" by the postcoup Assets Examination Committee and said he had some Bt60 billion in assets before entering politics many years ago.
In his weekly Internetbased radio broadcast, he said the value of Shin Corp shares held by his family rose and fell naturally, without his political influence.
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Nobel Laureate points out flaws in Burmese economy
Tuesday, 22 December 2009 19:00 Mungpi
New Delhi (Mizzima) - The high cost of rural credit, low investment in education, and lack of participatory political process has dragged down Burma’s economy, Prof Joseph Stiglitz the Nobel Prize winning economist said.
Following his trip to Burma last week, Prof Joseph Stiglitz on Monday held a press conference in Singapore and told reporters that he had advised Burma to reform its rural credit system, invest more on education and open up political participation, in order to sustain its economy.
“Without an intensive effort to develop, Burma may fall further behind, ‘In economics you have to run to stay still. The world is changing and you have to change too’,” Prof Stiglitz said.
At the press briefing, a transcript of which was received by Mizzima, Prof Stiglitz said he had advised the Burmese generals to increase investments in education, as the gap between educated old people and the uneducated younger generation is getting bigger.
Burma has many well educated people in their fifties but there is a big gap emerging between these old people and the younger generation, Prof Stiglitz said.
“If you don’t renew your human capital it depreciates just like human capital,” Prof Stiglitz said. “Current investment levels in education are not enough to renew human capital at the level the country requires.”
The former World Bank Chief, during the press conference organized by the United Nations Economics and Social Commission for Asia-Pacific (UNESCAP) said, the cost of credit in rural areas of Burma is as high as 10 per cent a month, and that hinders farmers from realizing their full capacity.
“The cost of credit in rural areas is as high as 10 per cent a month. It is very clear from the evidence that this is a real problem with credit…irrigation increased agricultural potential but because farmers could not get credit to buy fertilizer and seeds, they could not realize their full potential,” Prof Stiglitz said.
According to Dr. Sean Turnell, Associate Professor at the Department of Economics of Macquarie University in Australia, Burma’s rural credit system has totally collapsed with no cash available.
Turnell, in an earlier interview to Mizzima, said the Burmese government needs to revive the rural credit system by pumping in cash earned from selling its natural resources including sales of oil and natural gas.
The Nobel Prize winning economist said he had also advised the Burmese generals to use the money earned from sale of natural resources for widespread development, urging “the government not to squander this opportunity.”
Prof Stiglitz told the Burmese government that “You can’t separate economic and political processes. If you want to achieve political and economic stability then you have to engage in participatory processes.”
“We hope that this is a moment of change. It would be a mistake to miss this opportunity,” he added.
Prof Stiglitz was visiting the military-ruled Southeast Asian nation on the invitation of the UN Under-Secretary-General and ESCAP’s Executive Secretary Noeleen Heyzer, who organised a series of seminars on development and poverty reduction.
During the trip, the Nobel Laureate was able to visit various places and meet local officials and get a sense of the country side and the villages.
Prior to his visit, some critics expressed concern that the economist’s expert advice might fall on deaf ears, as the Burmese military government, that has ruled the country for nearly half a century, is known to be less interested in developing the country but are only determined to hang on to power.
Despite the speculation, Prof Stiglitz said he was encouraged by the reaction of the Burmese Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation Maj-Gen Htay Oo and Deputy Minister of Economics, who were attentively listening and asking numerous questions.
“We were told later by some of the foreign diplomats that this event was a 'major breakthrough' and that they had never heard of this kind of discussion in public before, and that this may have been the first time the military had heard these sorts of things,” Prof Stiglitz said.
Tuesday, 22 December 2009 19:00 Mungpi
New Delhi (Mizzima) - The high cost of rural credit, low investment in education, and lack of participatory political process has dragged down Burma’s economy, Prof Joseph Stiglitz the Nobel Prize winning economist said.
Following his trip to Burma last week, Prof Joseph Stiglitz on Monday held a press conference in Singapore and told reporters that he had advised Burma to reform its rural credit system, invest more on education and open up political participation, in order to sustain its economy.
“Without an intensive effort to develop, Burma may fall further behind, ‘In economics you have to run to stay still. The world is changing and you have to change too’,” Prof Stiglitz said.
At the press briefing, a transcript of which was received by Mizzima, Prof Stiglitz said he had advised the Burmese generals to increase investments in education, as the gap between educated old people and the uneducated younger generation is getting bigger.
Burma has many well educated people in their fifties but there is a big gap emerging between these old people and the younger generation, Prof Stiglitz said.
“If you don’t renew your human capital it depreciates just like human capital,” Prof Stiglitz said. “Current investment levels in education are not enough to renew human capital at the level the country requires.”
The former World Bank Chief, during the press conference organized by the United Nations Economics and Social Commission for Asia-Pacific (UNESCAP) said, the cost of credit in rural areas of Burma is as high as 10 per cent a month, and that hinders farmers from realizing their full capacity.
“The cost of credit in rural areas is as high as 10 per cent a month. It is very clear from the evidence that this is a real problem with credit…irrigation increased agricultural potential but because farmers could not get credit to buy fertilizer and seeds, they could not realize their full potential,” Prof Stiglitz said.
According to Dr. Sean Turnell, Associate Professor at the Department of Economics of Macquarie University in Australia, Burma’s rural credit system has totally collapsed with no cash available.
Turnell, in an earlier interview to Mizzima, said the Burmese government needs to revive the rural credit system by pumping in cash earned from selling its natural resources including sales of oil and natural gas.
The Nobel Prize winning economist said he had also advised the Burmese generals to use the money earned from sale of natural resources for widespread development, urging “the government not to squander this opportunity.”
Prof Stiglitz told the Burmese government that “You can’t separate economic and political processes. If you want to achieve political and economic stability then you have to engage in participatory processes.”
“We hope that this is a moment of change. It would be a mistake to miss this opportunity,” he added.
Prof Stiglitz was visiting the military-ruled Southeast Asian nation on the invitation of the UN Under-Secretary-General and ESCAP’s Executive Secretary Noeleen Heyzer, who organised a series of seminars on development and poverty reduction.
During the trip, the Nobel Laureate was able to visit various places and meet local officials and get a sense of the country side and the villages.
Prior to his visit, some critics expressed concern that the economist’s expert advice might fall on deaf ears, as the Burmese military government, that has ruled the country for nearly half a century, is known to be less interested in developing the country but are only determined to hang on to power.
Despite the speculation, Prof Stiglitz said he was encouraged by the reaction of the Burmese Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation Maj-Gen Htay Oo and Deputy Minister of Economics, who were attentively listening and asking numerous questions.
“We were told later by some of the foreign diplomats that this event was a 'major breakthrough' and that they had never heard of this kind of discussion in public before, and that this may have been the first time the military had heard these sorts of things,” Prof Stiglitz said.
*************************************************************
Poll campaigners assaulted by USDA members
Tuesday, 22 December 2009 21:15 Myint Maung
New Delhi (Mizzima) – Five members of a political party were allegedly assaulted by Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) members on December 19, while campaigning for the 2010 general election.
About 20 USDA members led by Township USDA Secretary Myint Lwin and about 200 villagers beat them up while they were organizing an election talk show in Ahlat Chaung village, across Kyimyindine Township, leaders of the Union of Myanmar National Political League said.
“About 200 people led by Myint Lwin and Setkalay Village Tract Peace and Development Council Chairman Nyunt Tin accosted us. When I asked them who was leading the group and requested they be controlled, Myint Lwin said that he was the leader and asked us what we are doing there. Then they beat us up with sticks and pelted stones on us,” the party Vice-Chairman Ye Htun told Mizzima.
Daw Kyu Kyu (Ahlat Chaung) was injured in the head and Aye Aye Maw on her shoulder. They are being treated at the hospital. Three others sustained slight injuries, it is learnt.
Flags and party symbols of the organization, the flag of the State, flags with peacock on a tri-colour background, the flag of 88-Generation Students and Youths with the fighting peacock in a red background were all set on fire, Ye Htun alleged.
The talk show was being held with the permission of the Rangoon Command Commander Maj. Gen. Win Myint. They had held similar events during the campaign in Syriam, Kayan, Thone Gwa townships in Rangoon Division, he said.
It is learnt that the Kyimyindine police station is recording statements of 26 people after a complaint was lodged. Over 40 party members witnessed the incident.
The police officer on duty in nearby Set San police station under the Ahlat Chaung administrative area refused to answer Mizzima’s queries.
Despite announcing the 2010 election, the junta is yet to enact and promulgate the required laws and regulations for the election and registration of political parties.
The 88-Generation Students and Youths Organization (Union of Myanmar) has also often been holding similar campaign talk shows in Rangoon Division.
Though the Democratic Party and United Parties League have announced that they will contest the 2010 election, they are yet to campaign.
The United Parties League comprises of breakaway ‘National League for Democracy’ (NLD) party called ‘Wuntharnu NLD party’, National Politics NLD Youth (Meiktila), Patriotic National Politics Association (Taungdwingyi), Peace and Progress Organization, National Politics Rakhine State, Demo NLD (Sagaing Division), Advocators of National Politics, G-7, New Generation Students of Political Economy Study, individuals and some delegates of the National Convention.
The Democratic Party is led by veteran politician U Thu Wei and other leaders are daughters of some famous political leaders.
Tuesday, 22 December 2009 21:15 Myint Maung
New Delhi (Mizzima) – Five members of a political party were allegedly assaulted by Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) members on December 19, while campaigning for the 2010 general election.
About 20 USDA members led by Township USDA Secretary Myint Lwin and about 200 villagers beat them up while they were organizing an election talk show in Ahlat Chaung village, across Kyimyindine Township, leaders of the Union of Myanmar National Political League said.
“About 200 people led by Myint Lwin and Setkalay Village Tract Peace and Development Council Chairman Nyunt Tin accosted us. When I asked them who was leading the group and requested they be controlled, Myint Lwin said that he was the leader and asked us what we are doing there. Then they beat us up with sticks and pelted stones on us,” the party Vice-Chairman Ye Htun told Mizzima.
Daw Kyu Kyu (Ahlat Chaung) was injured in the head and Aye Aye Maw on her shoulder. They are being treated at the hospital. Three others sustained slight injuries, it is learnt.
Flags and party symbols of the organization, the flag of the State, flags with peacock on a tri-colour background, the flag of 88-Generation Students and Youths with the fighting peacock in a red background were all set on fire, Ye Htun alleged.
The talk show was being held with the permission of the Rangoon Command Commander Maj. Gen. Win Myint. They had held similar events during the campaign in Syriam, Kayan, Thone Gwa townships in Rangoon Division, he said.
It is learnt that the Kyimyindine police station is recording statements of 26 people after a complaint was lodged. Over 40 party members witnessed the incident.
The police officer on duty in nearby Set San police station under the Ahlat Chaung administrative area refused to answer Mizzima’s queries.
Despite announcing the 2010 election, the junta is yet to enact and promulgate the required laws and regulations for the election and registration of political parties.
The 88-Generation Students and Youths Organization (Union of Myanmar) has also often been holding similar campaign talk shows in Rangoon Division.
Though the Democratic Party and United Parties League have announced that they will contest the 2010 election, they are yet to campaign.
The United Parties League comprises of breakaway ‘National League for Democracy’ (NLD) party called ‘Wuntharnu NLD party’, National Politics NLD Youth (Meiktila), Patriotic National Politics Association (Taungdwingyi), Peace and Progress Organization, National Politics Rakhine State, Demo NLD (Sagaing Division), Advocators of National Politics, G-7, New Generation Students of Political Economy Study, individuals and some delegates of the National Convention.
The Democratic Party is led by veteran politician U Thu Wei and other leaders are daughters of some famous political leaders.
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The Irrawaddy - US Message to Burma: 'Engagement' Must Bring Results
By WAI MOE - Tuesday, December 22, 2009
The Burmese junta could face tougher US financial sanctions if Washington's new policy of direct engagement with the regime fails to produce results.
That's the message contained in recent remarks by legislators in Washington and US diplomats in Asia. It was also highlighted in a report by an Associated Press
correspondent, who said: “The Obama administration has already a powerful economic weapon if talks with Myanmar [Burma] fail to achieve democratic reform: pressuring banks to avoid doing business [with the Burmese regime.]”
The agency report said the US Congress had already approved powers enabling the Administration to act against banks doing business with Burma.
The Administration's new policy on Burma links sanctions with direct engagement. The Burmese regime has, in effect, been served notice that sanctions will continue as long as no progress is scored in the contacts now taking place between US and junta officials.
This “carrot and stick” policy is the subject of wide discussion among US diplomats in Southeast Asia. Some senior US diplomats in the region told The Irrawaddy recently that
if the junta generals believe engagement with Washington is giving them legitimacy they are totally wrong.
One diplomat said if the engagement policy produces no results within one year, further US actions are possible.
Some critics of the new policy point out that a similar approach followed by the US toward North Korea for more than 15 years had failed to prevent Pyongyang’s nuclear program.
The US diplomat said, however: “The Burma issue is quite different from North Korea. All in Washington know the US cannot engage with the junta without result.”
The US announced the conclusion of its Burma policy review on September 28. On the following day, Kurt Campbell, US assistant secretary of state for East Asian affairs, met with a Burmese delegation led by U Thaung, a former Burmese ambassador to Washington who is currently the minister of national planning.
In early November, Campbell paid a landmark visit to Burma, where he met Burmese Prime Minister Gen Thein Sein and pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as opposition and ethnic leaders.
While directly engaging with the junta, the US continues to monitor business contacts closely. On Dec. 16, the US Treasury Department announced it was fining the Swiss banking giant Credit Suisse AG US $536 million for working with countries on the US sanctions list, including Burma. The fine is the biggest in the history of the department’s office of foreign assets control.
“The great majority of the transactions involved Iran, although there were also transactions that appear to have violated US sanctions on Sudan, Libya, Burma, Cuba, and the former Liberian regime of Charles Taylor,” the US Treasury Department announced.
In September, the US-based watchdog Earthrights International accused two Singapore-based banks, the Overseas Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC) and DBS Group (previously known as the Development Bank of Singapore) as “offshore repositories” for the Burmese junta’s revenues from the Yadana gas project. The junta has earned at least $5 billion so far from the project.
Burma observers suspect that the Burmese generals and their cronies have lodged many millions of dollars in financial institutions in Singapore, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Dubai.
By WAI MOE - Tuesday, December 22, 2009
The Burmese junta could face tougher US financial sanctions if Washington's new policy of direct engagement with the regime fails to produce results.
That's the message contained in recent remarks by legislators in Washington and US diplomats in Asia. It was also highlighted in a report by an Associated Press
correspondent, who said: “The Obama administration has already a powerful economic weapon if talks with Myanmar [Burma] fail to achieve democratic reform: pressuring banks to avoid doing business [with the Burmese regime.]”
The agency report said the US Congress had already approved powers enabling the Administration to act against banks doing business with Burma.
The Administration's new policy on Burma links sanctions with direct engagement. The Burmese regime has, in effect, been served notice that sanctions will continue as long as no progress is scored in the contacts now taking place between US and junta officials.
This “carrot and stick” policy is the subject of wide discussion among US diplomats in Southeast Asia. Some senior US diplomats in the region told The Irrawaddy recently that
if the junta generals believe engagement with Washington is giving them legitimacy they are totally wrong.
One diplomat said if the engagement policy produces no results within one year, further US actions are possible.
Some critics of the new policy point out that a similar approach followed by the US toward North Korea for more than 15 years had failed to prevent Pyongyang’s nuclear program.
The US diplomat said, however: “The Burma issue is quite different from North Korea. All in Washington know the US cannot engage with the junta without result.”
The US announced the conclusion of its Burma policy review on September 28. On the following day, Kurt Campbell, US assistant secretary of state for East Asian affairs, met with a Burmese delegation led by U Thaung, a former Burmese ambassador to Washington who is currently the minister of national planning.
In early November, Campbell paid a landmark visit to Burma, where he met Burmese Prime Minister Gen Thein Sein and pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as opposition and ethnic leaders.
While directly engaging with the junta, the US continues to monitor business contacts closely. On Dec. 16, the US Treasury Department announced it was fining the Swiss banking giant Credit Suisse AG US $536 million for working with countries on the US sanctions list, including Burma. The fine is the biggest in the history of the department’s office of foreign assets control.
“The great majority of the transactions involved Iran, although there were also transactions that appear to have violated US sanctions on Sudan, Libya, Burma, Cuba, and the former Liberian regime of Charles Taylor,” the US Treasury Department announced.
In September, the US-based watchdog Earthrights International accused two Singapore-based banks, the Overseas Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC) and DBS Group (previously known as the Development Bank of Singapore) as “offshore repositories” for the Burmese junta’s revenues from the Yadana gas project. The junta has earned at least $5 billion so far from the project.
Burma observers suspect that the Burmese generals and their cronies have lodged many millions of dollars in financial institutions in Singapore, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Dubai.
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The Irrawaddy - Junta Tightens Media Censorship
By ARKAR MOE - Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Burmese journalists say the state's censorship board has cracked down hard following the publication of a story about a young girl's malpractice death in a Rangoon clinic.
The latest round of censorship follows a flurry of articles recently over a two week period about the death of a student, Khine Shunn Leh Yee, 15, who died as a result of a surgeon's malpractice in a Rangoon private clinic.
The stories are believed to have prompted the Myanmar [Burma] Medical Council, a governmental organization, to open an investigation which led to a five-year suspension of the doctor's license to practice. The girl's family received compensation from the clinic. The government also banned similar stories.
Journalists say the censorship board, called the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division, has imposed tighter restrictions in its never-ending effort to restrictfreedom of the press in the country's print and broadcast media.
An officer at the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday, “The censorship board will ban any news or articles about social issues which show or reflect weakness in the system controlled by the Burmese regime.”
An editor of a Rangoon-based journal told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that the stories led to more people coming forward to the media with their experiences about malpractice and other problems in private hospitals, as well as other social justice issues.
He said, “All journals tried to publish news about workers at the Wong Hong Hung textile factory in Hlaing Tharyar industrial zone 3 in Rangoon this week. But, the censorship board warned us not to publish this information. News about a house maid in Irrawaddy Division who was humiliated and hospitalized also was banned.”
The junta has a well-earned reputation as “an enemy of the press,” but Burmese journalists say they try to work around the restrictions when possible.
Ohn Kyaing, a former journalist and member of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday, "If there is censorship in the media and publishing, it has very bad affects throughout society. People need to have reliable information. The censorship board is a major obstacle to freedom of information and the press.”
An independent press is seen as an essential ingredient in democracy, say analysts.
Maung Wun Tha, a veteran writer and editor, told The Irrawaddy, “The government should understand the essential role that the media plays in social development. The media can reflect people's opinion and that is important to allow society to improve itself.”
“In open societies, factual information and reasonable perspectives, or viewpoints, are viewed as useful and something that can make civil society stronger,” he said.
The Committee to Protect Journalists(CPJ) in December 2009 released a series of reports on journalists imprisoned around the world. Burma, which has jailed nine journalists, was ranked in the top five nations for imprisoning journalists, along with Iran, China, Cuba and Eritrea.
Kyi Wai and Aung Thet Wine also contributed to this story.
By ARKAR MOE - Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Burmese journalists say the state's censorship board has cracked down hard following the publication of a story about a young girl's malpractice death in a Rangoon clinic.
The latest round of censorship follows a flurry of articles recently over a two week period about the death of a student, Khine Shunn Leh Yee, 15, who died as a result of a surgeon's malpractice in a Rangoon private clinic.
The stories are believed to have prompted the Myanmar [Burma] Medical Council, a governmental organization, to open an investigation which led to a five-year suspension of the doctor's license to practice. The girl's family received compensation from the clinic. The government also banned similar stories.
Journalists say the censorship board, called the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division, has imposed tighter restrictions in its never-ending effort to restrictfreedom of the press in the country's print and broadcast media.
An officer at the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday, “The censorship board will ban any news or articles about social issues which show or reflect weakness in the system controlled by the Burmese regime.”
An editor of a Rangoon-based journal told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that the stories led to more people coming forward to the media with their experiences about malpractice and other problems in private hospitals, as well as other social justice issues.
He said, “All journals tried to publish news about workers at the Wong Hong Hung textile factory in Hlaing Tharyar industrial zone 3 in Rangoon this week. But, the censorship board warned us not to publish this information. News about a house maid in Irrawaddy Division who was humiliated and hospitalized also was banned.”
The junta has a well-earned reputation as “an enemy of the press,” but Burmese journalists say they try to work around the restrictions when possible.
Ohn Kyaing, a former journalist and member of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday, "If there is censorship in the media and publishing, it has very bad affects throughout society. People need to have reliable information. The censorship board is a major obstacle to freedom of information and the press.”
An independent press is seen as an essential ingredient in democracy, say analysts.
Maung Wun Tha, a veteran writer and editor, told The Irrawaddy, “The government should understand the essential role that the media plays in social development. The media can reflect people's opinion and that is important to allow society to improve itself.”
“In open societies, factual information and reasonable perspectives, or viewpoints, are viewed as useful and something that can make civil society stronger,” he said.
The Committee to Protect Journalists(CPJ) in December 2009 released a series of reports on journalists imprisoned around the world. Burma, which has jailed nine journalists, was ranked in the top five nations for imprisoning journalists, along with Iran, China, Cuba and Eritrea.
Kyi Wai and Aung Thet Wine also contributed to this story.
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Opposition party kick starts reform
Dec 22, 2000 (DVB)–Reform of the youth wing of Burma’s main opposition party is underway following a warning from detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi that the party was being restricted by an ageing leadership.
The National League for Democracy (NLD) youth coordinator (2), Hla Oo, said that work had already begun on a Rangoon division NLD youth network. He added that the party’s women’s network was also being shaken up.
“Our objectives are to reinforce the party with youth working groups and install these across divisions and states,” he said. “Township-level groups are to implement the youth working groups in villages.”
Currently there are around 70 NLD youth networks across Burma. A rare meeting between Suu Kyi and three elderly party members exposed a potentially weak upper rung, which analysts then followed with a suggestion for new blood in the party.
At 64, Suu Kyi is the youngest of the 11-member central executive committee (CEC), while nine are in their 80s and 90s and most of them are said to be in bad health.
It will be the first time in the party’s 21-year history that any significant reorganization has taken place. Development of the party has been severely hindered by Suu Kyi’s spells under house arrest, which in total amount to 14 of the past 20 years.
“We aim to form youth working groups in townships in all 14 divisions in states across the country and to strengthen the youth network,” Hla Oo said. “We have called for a meeting on 1 January next year to discuss how to work on forming these working groups and what kind of responsibilities to set them.”
The head of the NLD’s information wing, Khin Maung Swe, added that an office is being set up in the party’s Rangoon headquarters for Suu Kyi, in spite of her continued house arrest.
“For a couple of years, we have been planning to build a room upstairs and the building owners have already approved it,” he said. “We think it would be good to have a room up there.”
The NLD, which Suu Kyi formed in 1988, the year she returned to Burma from Britain, is yet to announce whether it will participate in highly controversial elections next year.
Without a revision of the 2008 constitution, critics of the junta claim that the election will only serve to cement military rule in the country, which has been governed by a junta since 1962.
Reporting by Khin Hnin Htet
Dec 22, 2000 (DVB)–Reform of the youth wing of Burma’s main opposition party is underway following a warning from detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi that the party was being restricted by an ageing leadership.
The National League for Democracy (NLD) youth coordinator (2), Hla Oo, said that work had already begun on a Rangoon division NLD youth network. He added that the party’s women’s network was also being shaken up.
“Our objectives are to reinforce the party with youth working groups and install these across divisions and states,” he said. “Township-level groups are to implement the youth working groups in villages.”
Currently there are around 70 NLD youth networks across Burma. A rare meeting between Suu Kyi and three elderly party members exposed a potentially weak upper rung, which analysts then followed with a suggestion for new blood in the party.
At 64, Suu Kyi is the youngest of the 11-member central executive committee (CEC), while nine are in their 80s and 90s and most of them are said to be in bad health.
It will be the first time in the party’s 21-year history that any significant reorganization has taken place. Development of the party has been severely hindered by Suu Kyi’s spells under house arrest, which in total amount to 14 of the past 20 years.
“We aim to form youth working groups in townships in all 14 divisions in states across the country and to strengthen the youth network,” Hla Oo said. “We have called for a meeting on 1 January next year to discuss how to work on forming these working groups and what kind of responsibilities to set them.”
The head of the NLD’s information wing, Khin Maung Swe, added that an office is being set up in the party’s Rangoon headquarters for Suu Kyi, in spite of her continued house arrest.
“For a couple of years, we have been planning to build a room upstairs and the building owners have already approved it,” he said. “We think it would be good to have a room up there.”
The NLD, which Suu Kyi formed in 1988, the year she returned to Burma from Britain, is yet to announce whether it will participate in highly controversial elections next year.
Without a revision of the 2008 constitution, critics of the junta claim that the election will only serve to cement military rule in the country, which has been governed by a junta since 1962.
Reporting by Khin Hnin Htet
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