UN envoy arrives Myanmar to evaluate reform
AP - Tuesday, February 16
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – A special United Nations envoy arrived Monday in Myanmar to evaluate progress on reform, with a prominent former political prisoner saying human rights in the military-ruled nation are at "the abyss."
Envoy Tomas Ojea Quintana's third visit follows the release from almost seven years of detention of the deputy leader of the pro-democracy party led by Aung San Suu Kyi.
Quintana is expected to meet several key government officials in the country's administrative capital of Naypyitaw and members of the opposition during his five-day trip. He also is to tour Yangon's notorious Insein prison and another prison in the northwestern state of Rakhine.
The envoy also has requested a meeting with Nobel Peace Prize winner Suu Kyi, who remains under house arrest. He was barred from seeing her on his previous visits.
Win Tin, one of the country's longest-serving former prisoners, called on Quintana to "be decisive and perform his duties in the strictest manner without falling prey to the lies of the government."
"Myanmar's human rights conditions are at the abyss. The government continues to violate human rights and they don't have the will to alleviate human rights conditions," said Win Tin, a senior member of Suu Kyi's party.
Quintana said in a statement last week that it would be important to meet with political party leaders ahead of this year's general elections, which he described as "a critical time" for Myanmar.
The U.N. envoy said last week he would press for the release of political prisoners, review progress on reform within the armed forces and check on the revision of laws to ensure compliance with international human rights standards.
The human rights envoy will present his findings at a meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Council in March.
Suu Kyi's party spokesman, Nyan Win, said the party welcomed the U.N. envoy's visit since gross human rights violations were continuing. "His visit won't be able to totally address the human rights issue but the visit can certainly contain human rights abuses," Nyan Win said Sunday.
A day earlier, the regime released the party's vice chairman, Tin Oo, from house arrest, but it still holds some 2,100 political prisoners.
On Monday, Tin Oo received a rousing welcome from party members, telling about 100 of them he hoped Suu Kyi would also be freed soon, noting that in 1995 he was released from an earlier stint in prison not long before Suu Kyi was set free.
"(Suu Kyi) and I have a history. She was released three months after I was freed," he said.
Tin Oo, a former defense minister and highly decorated battlefield commander, became a trusted ally of Suu Kyi's after joining Myanmar's democratic movement.
Tin Oo said "the more the U.N. human rights envoys visit Myanmar the better it will be for the country."
Win Tin said earlier visits made things more bearable for political prisoners.
AP - Tuesday, February 16
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – A special United Nations envoy arrived Monday in Myanmar to evaluate progress on reform, with a prominent former political prisoner saying human rights in the military-ruled nation are at "the abyss."
Envoy Tomas Ojea Quintana's third visit follows the release from almost seven years of detention of the deputy leader of the pro-democracy party led by Aung San Suu Kyi.
Quintana is expected to meet several key government officials in the country's administrative capital of Naypyitaw and members of the opposition during his five-day trip. He also is to tour Yangon's notorious Insein prison and another prison in the northwestern state of Rakhine.
The envoy also has requested a meeting with Nobel Peace Prize winner Suu Kyi, who remains under house arrest. He was barred from seeing her on his previous visits.
Win Tin, one of the country's longest-serving former prisoners, called on Quintana to "be decisive and perform his duties in the strictest manner without falling prey to the lies of the government."
"Myanmar's human rights conditions are at the abyss. The government continues to violate human rights and they don't have the will to alleviate human rights conditions," said Win Tin, a senior member of Suu Kyi's party.
Quintana said in a statement last week that it would be important to meet with political party leaders ahead of this year's general elections, which he described as "a critical time" for Myanmar.
The U.N. envoy said last week he would press for the release of political prisoners, review progress on reform within the armed forces and check on the revision of laws to ensure compliance with international human rights standards.
The human rights envoy will present his findings at a meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Council in March.
Suu Kyi's party spokesman, Nyan Win, said the party welcomed the U.N. envoy's visit since gross human rights violations were continuing. "His visit won't be able to totally address the human rights issue but the visit can certainly contain human rights abuses," Nyan Win said Sunday.
A day earlier, the regime released the party's vice chairman, Tin Oo, from house arrest, but it still holds some 2,100 political prisoners.
On Monday, Tin Oo received a rousing welcome from party members, telling about 100 of them he hoped Suu Kyi would also be freed soon, noting that in 1995 he was released from an earlier stint in prison not long before Suu Kyi was set free.
"(Suu Kyi) and I have a history. She was released three months after I was freed," he said.
Tin Oo, a former defense minister and highly decorated battlefield commander, became a trusted ally of Suu Kyi's after joining Myanmar's democratic movement.
Tin Oo said "the more the U.N. human rights envoys visit Myanmar the better it will be for the country."
Win Tin said earlier visits made things more bearable for political prisoners.
****************************************************************
UN envoy to probe human rights in Myanmar
Sun Feb 14, 2:27 am ET
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – A top United Nations envoy was due to arrive in military-ruled Myanmar on Monday following the release from detention of the still-defiant deputy leader of Aung San Suu Kyi's pro-democracy party.
Envoy Tomas Ojea Quintana requested a meeting with the Nobel Prize winner Suu Kyi, who remains under house arrest, and will evaluate progress on human rights in Myanmar, also known as Burma.
Criticized by the international community for its human rights abuses, the regime on Saturday released 82-year-old Tin Oo, who helped found the National League for Democracy with Suu Kyi, after nearly seven years of prison and house arrest.
"I am not happy with my freedom. I am very sorry about my colleagues who are still serving time in prisons," Tin Oo told reporters Sunday while praying for their early release at Yangon's Shwedagon Pagoda.
Human rights groups say the junta holds some 2,100 political prisoners.
Tin Oo, a one-time defense minister, said he would continue to work for democracy, serving as vice chairman of the league and coordinating political activities with Suu Kyi and the party's 20-member Central Executive Committee.
League spokesman Nyan Win said the party welcomed the U.N. envoy's visit since gross human rights violations were continuing. "His visit won't be able to totally address the human rights issue but the visit can certainly cover human rights abuses," Nyan Win said.
Quintana is expected to meet several key ministers and members of the opposition during his five-day visit. He is also to tour Yangon's notorious Insein prison and another prison in the northwestern state of Rakhine.
In a statement, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed Tin Oo's release and said he hoped it would promote "substantive dialogue" between the league and the government. He also urged the lifting of restrictions on Suu Kyi "without further delay" and the release of other political prisoners.
Tin Oo said he was "very hopeful" Suu Kyi would also soon be released, noting in 1995 he was released from an earlier stint in prison not long before Suu Kyi herself was set free.
Tin Oo said he would ask authorities to allow him to visit Suu Kyi, and thanked the United Nations, European Union and others for pressing for his release from detention, during which the junta tried to isolate him as much as possible. His telephone line was cut but he was allowed a radio.
"Thanks to the sweetness of the democratic media, I never lost touch with the world," he said.
Suu Kyi herself has been detained for 14 of the past 20 years. Her house arrest was extended in August by an additional 18 months, which would prevent her from taking part in the first national elections in 20 years. The government says the vote will be held in 2010.
Suu Kyi's party won the last elections in 1990 by a landslide, but the military, which has ruled Myanmar since 1962, refused to cede power. Suu Kyi's party has not yet decided whether to take part in the upcoming elections. Quintana said during the visit, his third to Myanmar, he would press for the release of political prisoners, review progress on reform within the armed forces and check on the revision of domestic laws to ensure compliance with international human rights standards.
Sun Feb 14, 2:27 am ET
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – A top United Nations envoy was due to arrive in military-ruled Myanmar on Monday following the release from detention of the still-defiant deputy leader of Aung San Suu Kyi's pro-democracy party.
Envoy Tomas Ojea Quintana requested a meeting with the Nobel Prize winner Suu Kyi, who remains under house arrest, and will evaluate progress on human rights in Myanmar, also known as Burma.
Criticized by the international community for its human rights abuses, the regime on Saturday released 82-year-old Tin Oo, who helped found the National League for Democracy with Suu Kyi, after nearly seven years of prison and house arrest.
"I am not happy with my freedom. I am very sorry about my colleagues who are still serving time in prisons," Tin Oo told reporters Sunday while praying for their early release at Yangon's Shwedagon Pagoda.
Human rights groups say the junta holds some 2,100 political prisoners.
Tin Oo, a one-time defense minister, said he would continue to work for democracy, serving as vice chairman of the league and coordinating political activities with Suu Kyi and the party's 20-member Central Executive Committee.
League spokesman Nyan Win said the party welcomed the U.N. envoy's visit since gross human rights violations were continuing. "His visit won't be able to totally address the human rights issue but the visit can certainly cover human rights abuses," Nyan Win said.
Quintana is expected to meet several key ministers and members of the opposition during his five-day visit. He is also to tour Yangon's notorious Insein prison and another prison in the northwestern state of Rakhine.
In a statement, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed Tin Oo's release and said he hoped it would promote "substantive dialogue" between the league and the government. He also urged the lifting of restrictions on Suu Kyi "without further delay" and the release of other political prisoners.
Tin Oo said he was "very hopeful" Suu Kyi would also soon be released, noting in 1995 he was released from an earlier stint in prison not long before Suu Kyi herself was set free.
Tin Oo said he would ask authorities to allow him to visit Suu Kyi, and thanked the United Nations, European Union and others for pressing for his release from detention, during which the junta tried to isolate him as much as possible. His telephone line was cut but he was allowed a radio.
"Thanks to the sweetness of the democratic media, I never lost touch with the world," he said.
Suu Kyi herself has been detained for 14 of the past 20 years. Her house arrest was extended in August by an additional 18 months, which would prevent her from taking part in the first national elections in 20 years. The government says the vote will be held in 2010.
Suu Kyi's party won the last elections in 1990 by a landslide, but the military, which has ruled Myanmar since 1962, refused to cede power. Suu Kyi's party has not yet decided whether to take part in the upcoming elections. Quintana said during the visit, his third to Myanmar, he would press for the release of political prisoners, review progress on reform within the armed forces and check on the revision of domestic laws to ensure compliance with international human rights standards.
****************************************************************
Myanmar frees top opposition figure after 7 years
AP - Sunday, February 15
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Myanmar's ruling junta released the deputy leader of the country's pro-democracy party from nearly seven years in detention, but offered no indication that he or still-detained party leader Aung San Suu Kyi would be allowed to take part in this year's elections.
The release Saturday of 82-year-old Tin Oo, who helped found the National League for Democracy with Suu Kyi, comes shortly before a U.N. envoy visits Myanmar, also known as Burma, to evaluate the regime's progress on human rights.
"The release of Tin Oo is very welcome, but we should not attach any political significance to the release," said Mark Farmaner, director of the rights group Burma Campaign UK. "Burmese democracy activists are regularly released when the generals want to score points with the international community, and are then arrested again later."
Speaking after police officers entered his house and announced his release, a defiant Tin Oo told reporters, "I will continue to work for democracy."
Tin Oo, whose latest term of detention expired Saturday, had spent nearly seven years in prison and under house arrest. The junta renewed his detention on an annual basis since his arrest in 2003.
Wearing the peach-colored traditional jacket of the league, Tin Oo said he was "very hopeful" Suu Kyi would also soon be released, noting in 1995 he was released from an earlier stint in prison not long before Suu Kyi herself was set free.
Tin Oo said he would ask authorities to allow him to visit Suu Kyi, and thanked the United Nations, European Union and others for pressing for his release.
In a statement, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed Tin Oo's release and said he hoped it would promote "substantive dialogue" between the National League for Democracy and the government. He also urged the lifting of restrictions on Suu Kyi "without further delay" and the release of other political prisoners.
The United Nations' special envoy to Myanmar, Tomas Ojea Quintana, is to arrive in Myanmar on Monday. Human rights groups say the junta still holds some 2,100 political prisoner, including Nobel Peace laureate Suu Kyi.
"The fact that there still are over 2,100 political prisoners in Burma and if the elections are to be credible, they need to be able to participate along with all representative groups in the elections," said British Ambassador Andrew Heynes shortly after Tin Oo's release.
Suu Kyi has been detained for 14 of the past 20 years. Her house arrest was extended in August by an additional 18 months, which would prevent her from taking part in the first national elections in 20 years. The government says the vote will be held in 2010.
Suu Kyi's party won the last elections in 1990 by a landslide, but the military, which has ruled Myanmar since 1962, refused to cede power and has constantly obstructed her party's operations over the past two decades.
Suu Kyi's party has not yet decided whether to take part in the upcoming elections. The party says the new constitution of 2008 is unfair and will perpetuate military rule — a claim backed by international rights groups. The constitution guarantees that 25 percent of parliamentary seats will go to the military. It also has a clause that would effectively bar Suu Kyi from holding office.
AP - Sunday, February 15
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Myanmar's ruling junta released the deputy leader of the country's pro-democracy party from nearly seven years in detention, but offered no indication that he or still-detained party leader Aung San Suu Kyi would be allowed to take part in this year's elections.
The release Saturday of 82-year-old Tin Oo, who helped found the National League for Democracy with Suu Kyi, comes shortly before a U.N. envoy visits Myanmar, also known as Burma, to evaluate the regime's progress on human rights.
"The release of Tin Oo is very welcome, but we should not attach any political significance to the release," said Mark Farmaner, director of the rights group Burma Campaign UK. "Burmese democracy activists are regularly released when the generals want to score points with the international community, and are then arrested again later."
Speaking after police officers entered his house and announced his release, a defiant Tin Oo told reporters, "I will continue to work for democracy."
Tin Oo, whose latest term of detention expired Saturday, had spent nearly seven years in prison and under house arrest. The junta renewed his detention on an annual basis since his arrest in 2003.
Wearing the peach-colored traditional jacket of the league, Tin Oo said he was "very hopeful" Suu Kyi would also soon be released, noting in 1995 he was released from an earlier stint in prison not long before Suu Kyi herself was set free.
Tin Oo said he would ask authorities to allow him to visit Suu Kyi, and thanked the United Nations, European Union and others for pressing for his release.
In a statement, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed Tin Oo's release and said he hoped it would promote "substantive dialogue" between the National League for Democracy and the government. He also urged the lifting of restrictions on Suu Kyi "without further delay" and the release of other political prisoners.
The United Nations' special envoy to Myanmar, Tomas Ojea Quintana, is to arrive in Myanmar on Monday. Human rights groups say the junta still holds some 2,100 political prisoner, including Nobel Peace laureate Suu Kyi.
"The fact that there still are over 2,100 political prisoners in Burma and if the elections are to be credible, they need to be able to participate along with all representative groups in the elections," said British Ambassador Andrew Heynes shortly after Tin Oo's release.
Suu Kyi has been detained for 14 of the past 20 years. Her house arrest was extended in August by an additional 18 months, which would prevent her from taking part in the first national elections in 20 years. The government says the vote will be held in 2010.
Suu Kyi's party won the last elections in 1990 by a landslide, but the military, which has ruled Myanmar since 1962, refused to cede power and has constantly obstructed her party's operations over the past two decades.
Suu Kyi's party has not yet decided whether to take part in the upcoming elections. The party says the new constitution of 2008 is unfair and will perpetuate military rule — a claim backed by international rights groups. The constitution guarantees that 25 percent of parliamentary seats will go to the military. It also has a clause that would effectively bar Suu Kyi from holding office.
****************************************************************
UN rights envoy holds talks on elections in Myanmar
AFP February 16, 2010, 3:37 am
YANGON (AFP) – A UN special envoy began a five-day visit to Myanmar on Monday to discuss human rights ahead of national polls, days after the military regime freed democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi's deputy.
Tomas Ojea Quintana met judges and opposition lawyers in the former capital Yangon but officials said there were no plans yet for him to meet either Suu Kyi or reclusive junta head Than Shwe.
Nobel Peace laureate Suu Kyi remains under house arrest in Yangon but the regime on Saturday freed Tin Oo, the elderly vice chairman of her National League for Democracy (NLD), who welcomed Quintana's visit.
"If the UN human rights envoy can come and meet and cooperate with us frequently, things can be resolved," Tin Oo told reporters Monday during his first visit to the party headquarters since his release.
Four lawyers for the NLD met with Quintana for an hour.
Party spokesman and lawyer Nyan Win said the four explained to Quintana the legal arguments against Suu Kyi's detention and outlined the plight of more than 2,100 other political prisoners around the country.
Suu Kyi's house arrest was extended last August by 18 months when she was convicted over an incident in which a US man swam to her house, effectively ruling her out of the polls and sparking global outrage.
"We believe that his visit will be beneficial. He should come here very often so there will be no more human rights abuses, or at least it can be contained," said Nyan Win.
Quintana later met two Myanmar judges, according to officials.
Tin Oo, 83, had been detained since 2003, following his arrest with Suu Kyi after a pro-regime mob attacked their motorcade in May that year. Seventy people were killed in the attack.
His release and Quintana's visit come ahead of elections promised by the junta at some point in 2010. They would be Myanmar's first elections in two decades, although no date has been set.
NLD leaders have yet to decide whether the party will take part in the elections.
Quintana was making his third trip to Myanmar since his appointment in 2008 and spoke with UN staff before visiting the legal representatives.
The Argentinean was scheduled to fly to the western state of Rakhine, near the Bangladeshi border, on Monday evening, but will now go on Tuesday morning, said officials.
On Thursday the envoy is due to return to Yangon to visit the notorious Insein prison, where dozens of political dissidents are held, and will later meet representatives of ethnic groups.
He will go to the remote capital Naypyidaw to meet senior government officials including the foreign minister, also called Nyan Win, on Friday before leaving the country.
Quintana has said that he wants to meet Suu Kyi, who has been detained for 14 of the last 20 years since the NLD won elections in 1990 and was prevented from taking power by the military.
In a statement issued last week ahead of his visit, Quintana said 2010 was "a critical time for the people of Myanmar".
"It would be important for me to meet with political party leaders in the context of this year's landmark elections," he said. "I hope that my request to the government to meet with... Aung San Suu Kyi will be granted this time."
Myanmar's junta exercises strict controls on all visiting UN officials, including Secretary General Ban Ki-moon who last year was refused access to Suu Kyi.
US officials have by contrast received a warm welcome in recent months since President Barack Obama's administration announced that it would pursue a dual track of engagement alongside sanctions.
AFP February 16, 2010, 3:37 am
YANGON (AFP) – A UN special envoy began a five-day visit to Myanmar on Monday to discuss human rights ahead of national polls, days after the military regime freed democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi's deputy.
Tomas Ojea Quintana met judges and opposition lawyers in the former capital Yangon but officials said there were no plans yet for him to meet either Suu Kyi or reclusive junta head Than Shwe.
Nobel Peace laureate Suu Kyi remains under house arrest in Yangon but the regime on Saturday freed Tin Oo, the elderly vice chairman of her National League for Democracy (NLD), who welcomed Quintana's visit.
"If the UN human rights envoy can come and meet and cooperate with us frequently, things can be resolved," Tin Oo told reporters Monday during his first visit to the party headquarters since his release.
Four lawyers for the NLD met with Quintana for an hour.
Party spokesman and lawyer Nyan Win said the four explained to Quintana the legal arguments against Suu Kyi's detention and outlined the plight of more than 2,100 other political prisoners around the country.
Suu Kyi's house arrest was extended last August by 18 months when she was convicted over an incident in which a US man swam to her house, effectively ruling her out of the polls and sparking global outrage.
"We believe that his visit will be beneficial. He should come here very often so there will be no more human rights abuses, or at least it can be contained," said Nyan Win.
Quintana later met two Myanmar judges, according to officials.
Tin Oo, 83, had been detained since 2003, following his arrest with Suu Kyi after a pro-regime mob attacked their motorcade in May that year. Seventy people were killed in the attack.
His release and Quintana's visit come ahead of elections promised by the junta at some point in 2010. They would be Myanmar's first elections in two decades, although no date has been set.
NLD leaders have yet to decide whether the party will take part in the elections.
Quintana was making his third trip to Myanmar since his appointment in 2008 and spoke with UN staff before visiting the legal representatives.
The Argentinean was scheduled to fly to the western state of Rakhine, near the Bangladeshi border, on Monday evening, but will now go on Tuesday morning, said officials.
On Thursday the envoy is due to return to Yangon to visit the notorious Insein prison, where dozens of political dissidents are held, and will later meet representatives of ethnic groups.
He will go to the remote capital Naypyidaw to meet senior government officials including the foreign minister, also called Nyan Win, on Friday before leaving the country.
Quintana has said that he wants to meet Suu Kyi, who has been detained for 14 of the last 20 years since the NLD won elections in 1990 and was prevented from taking power by the military.
In a statement issued last week ahead of his visit, Quintana said 2010 was "a critical time for the people of Myanmar".
"It would be important for me to meet with political party leaders in the context of this year's landmark elections," he said. "I hope that my request to the government to meet with... Aung San Suu Kyi will be granted this time."
Myanmar's junta exercises strict controls on all visiting UN officials, including Secretary General Ban Ki-moon who last year was refused access to Suu Kyi.
US officials have by contrast received a warm welcome in recent months since President Barack Obama's administration announced that it would pursue a dual track of engagement alongside sanctions.
****************************************************************
UN human rights envoy arrives in Myanmar: official
Sun Feb 14, 10:25 pm ET
YANGON (AFP) – A UN human rights envoy arrived in Myanmar Monday for a five-day visit ahead of the country's elections, an official said.
Tomas Ojea Quintana arrived by commercial flight at Yangon airport and was taken to his hotel before meeting with UN staff, the official said on condition of anonymity.
"He arrived at about 9:00 am," (0230 GMT) he said.
Quintana is to examine Myanmar's progress on human rights ahead of national polls expected this year.
His visit comes days after the junta freed a key aide to detained democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, her elderly party deputy Tin Oo.
The Myanmar official said Quintana would meet with diplomats on Monday following the talks with UN staff, and would then be permitted to meet lawyers from Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party.
NLD spokesman and one of Suu Kyi's lawyers, Nyan Win, said he and three other party lawyers had been summoned to meet the envoy.
"We four lawyers will meet with Mr Quintana this evening.... We do not know the reason. It's their proposal. I still do not know yet whether the envoy will meet with the NLD party," Nyan Win said.
Quintana will also meet with two judges on Monday, the official said, before flying to Sittwe in western Rakhine State, close to the country's border with Bangladesh.
He is expected to return to the country's economic hub Yangon on Thursday when the Argentine diplomat will visit the notorious Insein prison where dozens of political dissidents are held, and representatives of ethnic groups.
Some ethnic groups along Myanmar's eastern border continue to wage armed opposition to the government.
On Friday, the final day of his visit, Quintana will fly to the remote capital Naypyidaw to meet senior officials, although he is not expected to meet junta head Senior General Than Shwe.
Sun Feb 14, 10:25 pm ET
YANGON (AFP) – A UN human rights envoy arrived in Myanmar Monday for a five-day visit ahead of the country's elections, an official said.
Tomas Ojea Quintana arrived by commercial flight at Yangon airport and was taken to his hotel before meeting with UN staff, the official said on condition of anonymity.
"He arrived at about 9:00 am," (0230 GMT) he said.
Quintana is to examine Myanmar's progress on human rights ahead of national polls expected this year.
His visit comes days after the junta freed a key aide to detained democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, her elderly party deputy Tin Oo.
The Myanmar official said Quintana would meet with diplomats on Monday following the talks with UN staff, and would then be permitted to meet lawyers from Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party.
NLD spokesman and one of Suu Kyi's lawyers, Nyan Win, said he and three other party lawyers had been summoned to meet the envoy.
"We four lawyers will meet with Mr Quintana this evening.... We do not know the reason. It's their proposal. I still do not know yet whether the envoy will meet with the NLD party," Nyan Win said.
Quintana will also meet with two judges on Monday, the official said, before flying to Sittwe in western Rakhine State, close to the country's border with Bangladesh.
He is expected to return to the country's economic hub Yangon on Thursday when the Argentine diplomat will visit the notorious Insein prison where dozens of political dissidents are held, and representatives of ethnic groups.
Some ethnic groups along Myanmar's eastern border continue to wage armed opposition to the government.
On Friday, the final day of his visit, Quintana will fly to the remote capital Naypyidaw to meet senior officials, although he is not expected to meet junta head Senior General Than Shwe.
****************************************************************
Freed Suu Kyi deputy calls for Myanmar talks
by Hla Hla Htay – Sun Feb 14, 4:57 am ET
YANGON (AFP) – Aung San Suu Kyi's deputy urged Myanmar's ruling junta Sunday to engage the opposition in dialogue before elections this year, as he took his first steps outside as a free man in seven years.
Tin Oo, 83, vice chairman of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party, made the appeal as he prayed at Yangon's famed Shwe Dagon pagoda following his release from house arrest late Saturday.
"Because I am a Buddhist I came here to wish for peace for all Myanmar people," he told AFP as he toured the huge golden monument, accompanied by his wife and a dozen NLD officials who held umbrellas to protect him from the sun.
"My feeling now is that I wish to find a way through successful dialogue that the whole country can live unitedly and peacefully."
The veteran activist said however that his own release means nothing if Nobel Peace laureate Suu Kyi, 64, and around 2,100 other political prisoners are still detained when the elections take place.
Tin Oo had been held since 2003, when he and Suu Kyi were arrested after a pro-regime mob attacked their motorcade during a political tour, killing 70 people.
He was a former army general and defence minister who was forced into retirement in the 1970s after falling foul of the country's military rulers. He was in trouble again in the 1990s because of his involvement with the NLD.
"How can I be glad (that I am free) when there are so many who have been sentenced to life imprisonment? It is not enough to release me alone," Tin Oo said.
"All people will be happy if all things can be discussed and a solution can be reached."
He said Saturday that the government had warned him not to take actions which could "disturb the building of the state" but that he would continue his political activities and visit the offices of the NLD on Monday.
The NLD says it has not yet decided if it will take part in the elections which Myanmar's junta has promised to hold at some point in 2010, amid claims that they are a sham designed to tighten the generals' grip on power.
They will be the first polls since 1990, when Suu Kyi and Tin Oo led the NLD to a landslide victory that the junta refused to recognise. Suu Kyi has spent most of the following two decades in detention.
Tin Oo's release comes with the United Nations human rights envoy for Myanmar, Tomas Ojea Quintana, due to visit the military-ruled nation on Monday to examine its progress.
Quintana expects to meet the foreign minister during the trip but not reclusive junta leader Senior General Than Shwe. He also wants to see Suu Kyi but has not been told if the regime will allow him to.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon welcomed Tin Oo's release, saying he hoped it "will contribute to the advancement of substantive dialogue between the NLD and the government of Myanmar."
Britain and Japan hailed the release while urging the junta to allow all political groups to take part in the elections, while France said it was an "encouraging signal".
After years of international isolation and western sanctions, Myanmar has given out mixed signals in the run-up to the polls by freeing some activists but at the same time continuing a crackdown on dissent.
The generals have not yet set a date for the elections and faced global criticism in August last year for extending Suu Kyi's house arrest by 18 months, ruling her out of the polls.
A 2008 constitution effectively bars Suu Kyi from standing and reserves a quarter of parliamentary seats for the military.
But in recent months there have been signs of rapprochement between Suu Kyi and the junta, and reports that authorities could free her in November, although there has been no confirmation.
US President Barack Obama's administration has also promoted engagement with the regime because sanctions have failed to bear fruit.
by Hla Hla Htay – Sun Feb 14, 4:57 am ET
YANGON (AFP) – Aung San Suu Kyi's deputy urged Myanmar's ruling junta Sunday to engage the opposition in dialogue before elections this year, as he took his first steps outside as a free man in seven years.
Tin Oo, 83, vice chairman of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party, made the appeal as he prayed at Yangon's famed Shwe Dagon pagoda following his release from house arrest late Saturday.
"Because I am a Buddhist I came here to wish for peace for all Myanmar people," he told AFP as he toured the huge golden monument, accompanied by his wife and a dozen NLD officials who held umbrellas to protect him from the sun.
"My feeling now is that I wish to find a way through successful dialogue that the whole country can live unitedly and peacefully."
The veteran activist said however that his own release means nothing if Nobel Peace laureate Suu Kyi, 64, and around 2,100 other political prisoners are still detained when the elections take place.
Tin Oo had been held since 2003, when he and Suu Kyi were arrested after a pro-regime mob attacked their motorcade during a political tour, killing 70 people.
He was a former army general and defence minister who was forced into retirement in the 1970s after falling foul of the country's military rulers. He was in trouble again in the 1990s because of his involvement with the NLD.
"How can I be glad (that I am free) when there are so many who have been sentenced to life imprisonment? It is not enough to release me alone," Tin Oo said.
"All people will be happy if all things can be discussed and a solution can be reached."
He said Saturday that the government had warned him not to take actions which could "disturb the building of the state" but that he would continue his political activities and visit the offices of the NLD on Monday.
The NLD says it has not yet decided if it will take part in the elections which Myanmar's junta has promised to hold at some point in 2010, amid claims that they are a sham designed to tighten the generals' grip on power.
They will be the first polls since 1990, when Suu Kyi and Tin Oo led the NLD to a landslide victory that the junta refused to recognise. Suu Kyi has spent most of the following two decades in detention.
Tin Oo's release comes with the United Nations human rights envoy for Myanmar, Tomas Ojea Quintana, due to visit the military-ruled nation on Monday to examine its progress.
Quintana expects to meet the foreign minister during the trip but not reclusive junta leader Senior General Than Shwe. He also wants to see Suu Kyi but has not been told if the regime will allow him to.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon welcomed Tin Oo's release, saying he hoped it "will contribute to the advancement of substantive dialogue between the NLD and the government of Myanmar."
Britain and Japan hailed the release while urging the junta to allow all political groups to take part in the elections, while France said it was an "encouraging signal".
After years of international isolation and western sanctions, Myanmar has given out mixed signals in the run-up to the polls by freeing some activists but at the same time continuing a crackdown on dissent.
The generals have not yet set a date for the elections and faced global criticism in August last year for extending Suu Kyi's house arrest by 18 months, ruling her out of the polls.
A 2008 constitution effectively bars Suu Kyi from standing and reserves a quarter of parliamentary seats for the military.
But in recent months there have been signs of rapprochement between Suu Kyi and the junta, and reports that authorities could free her in November, although there has been no confirmation.
US President Barack Obama's administration has also promoted engagement with the regime because sanctions have failed to bear fruit.
****************************************************************
Govt hails release of Myanmar activist
Sat Feb 13, 1:09 pm ET
LONDON (AFP) – The government hailed the release of the deputy leader of Aung San Suu Kyi's Myanmar opposition party Saturday and urged the junta to allow all political groups to take part in elections this year.
"I welcome the release of U Tin Oo, who has been under house arrest without charge since 2003," said Foreign Office minister Ivan Lewis, after the 83-year-old Tin Oo's current period of detention at his Yangon home expired.
"It is essential that the regime now grant Aung San Suu Kyi's request to meet with the leadership of the National League for Democracy (NLD) so they can function as a political party."
Nobel Peace Prize winner Suu Kyi, 64, has been in detention for most of the last 20 years since the ruling junta refused to recognise the NLD's landslide victory in Myanmar's last elections, in 1990.
The junta has promised the polls in 2010 as part of a so-called roadmap to democracy, but no date has been set and critics say the plans are simply designed to entrench the generals' power.
Lewis said that despite Tin Oo's release, "we cannot forget that there remain over 2,100 political prisoners in Burma", as Myanmar is also known.
"Forthcoming elections will have no credibility without the freedom and participation of political leaders of all representative groups," he said.
"A political process which excludes them will do nothing to bring about a sustainable political settlement that could bring peace, stability and prosperity to Burma."
Sat Feb 13, 1:09 pm ET
LONDON (AFP) – The government hailed the release of the deputy leader of Aung San Suu Kyi's Myanmar opposition party Saturday and urged the junta to allow all political groups to take part in elections this year.
"I welcome the release of U Tin Oo, who has been under house arrest without charge since 2003," said Foreign Office minister Ivan Lewis, after the 83-year-old Tin Oo's current period of detention at his Yangon home expired.
"It is essential that the regime now grant Aung San Suu Kyi's request to meet with the leadership of the National League for Democracy (NLD) so they can function as a political party."
Nobel Peace Prize winner Suu Kyi, 64, has been in detention for most of the last 20 years since the ruling junta refused to recognise the NLD's landslide victory in Myanmar's last elections, in 1990.
The junta has promised the polls in 2010 as part of a so-called roadmap to democracy, but no date has been set and critics say the plans are simply designed to entrench the generals' power.
Lewis said that despite Tin Oo's release, "we cannot forget that there remain over 2,100 political prisoners in Burma", as Myanmar is also known.
"Forthcoming elections will have no credibility without the freedom and participation of political leaders of all representative groups," he said.
"A political process which excludes them will do nothing to bring about a sustainable political settlement that could bring peace, stability and prosperity to Burma."
****************************************************************
Monday, February 15, 2010
The Hindu - Govt may approve ONGC pipeline project stake
NEW DELHI: The Cabinet may this week consider giving state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp and GAIL India Ltd approval to take stake in an $2 billion pipeline that China is building from Myanmar to transport natural gas found off the Myanmar coast.
“The proposal may come up before the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on February 18,” an official said.
China is building the $2.01 billion pipeline to ship gas from offshore blocks A-1 and A-3, where ONGC Videsh (OVL) and GAIL India hold 30 per cent stake, to China.
OVL, the overseas investment arm of Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC), wants to take 8.35 per cent stake in the pipeline while GAIL wants 4.17 per cent. They will invest $251.2 million in the 870 km pipeline China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) is laying t o take the gas to mainland China.
The official said CNPC had offered 49.9 per cent stake to the consortium developing gas fields in blocks A-1 and A-3.
South Korea’s Daewoo Corp holds 51 per cent stake each in Block A-1 and A-3, while OVL has 17 per cent stake. GAIL and Korea Gas Corp have 8.5 per cent each while the rest 15 per cent is with Myanmar’s Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE).
The consortium is investing $3.61 billion in bringing to production gas fields in the two blocks. “The 49 per cent stake is being apportioned in the same ratio as individual stakes in Block A-1 and A-3,” he said. - PTI
The Hindu - Govt may approve ONGC pipeline project stake
NEW DELHI: The Cabinet may this week consider giving state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp and GAIL India Ltd approval to take stake in an $2 billion pipeline that China is building from Myanmar to transport natural gas found off the Myanmar coast.
“The proposal may come up before the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on February 18,” an official said.
China is building the $2.01 billion pipeline to ship gas from offshore blocks A-1 and A-3, where ONGC Videsh (OVL) and GAIL India hold 30 per cent stake, to China.
OVL, the overseas investment arm of Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC), wants to take 8.35 per cent stake in the pipeline while GAIL wants 4.17 per cent. They will invest $251.2 million in the 870 km pipeline China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) is laying t o take the gas to mainland China.
The official said CNPC had offered 49.9 per cent stake to the consortium developing gas fields in blocks A-1 and A-3.
South Korea’s Daewoo Corp holds 51 per cent stake each in Block A-1 and A-3, while OVL has 17 per cent stake. GAIL and Korea Gas Corp have 8.5 per cent each while the rest 15 per cent is with Myanmar’s Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE).
The consortium is investing $3.61 billion in bringing to production gas fields in the two blocks. “The 49 per cent stake is being apportioned in the same ratio as individual stakes in Block A-1 and A-3,” he said. - PTI
****************************************************************
The Jakarta Post - Thailand joins RI in promoting free, fair elections in Myanmar
Abdul Khalik , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Mon, 02/15/2010 11:35 AM | World
It is in the interests of the ASEAN community to help Myanmar hold fair, free and transparent elections this year, to return democracy and peace to the country, Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya says.
The visiting Thai foreign minister said in an interview here Sunday that as the two most democratic members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Thailand and Indonesia could help Myanmar achieve this goal.
“Without being seen as interfering in Myanmar’s domestic issues, as friends and members of the ASEAN family we would like to see national reconciliation and peace in Myanmar. Holding free and fair elections will allow the country to bring peace and reconciliation back,” he said.
Piromya said a stable and democratic Myanmar would be of benefit to Thailand (which shares borders with the reclusive country) as well as to ASEAN in general.
Kasit said Thailand would offer training for Myanmarese officials to make sure the elections ran according to democratic principles.
“We will even provide observers for the elections,” he said.
Myanmar’s military ruler said last Friday that the long-awaited elections planned for some time this year would take place “soon” but declined to say when exactly.
Myanmar’s military government announced in early 2008 that the country’s first election in two decades would take place in 2010. But the junta still needs to pass necessary election laws to pave the way for the vote and then set a date.
“A free and fair election will take place soon,” Senior Gen. Than Shwe said in his annual message to mark the national holiday Union Day last Friday.
Seemingly signaling their intentions, Myanmar’s ruling junta released the deputy leader of the country’s pro-democracy party from nearly 7 years in detention, but offered no indication if he or the still-detained party leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, would be allowed to take part in this year’s elections.
The release on Saturday of 82-year-old Tin Oo, who helped found the National League for Democracy with Suu Kyi, comes shortly before a UN envoy visits Myanmar (also known as Burma), to evaluate the regime’s progress on human rights.
Indonesia has voiced the need for Myanmar to include Suu Kyi and her party in the election, as well as to guarantee fair and transparent elections, vowing also that it was ready to send observers to Myanmar if asked by the junta.
However, Indonesia was also very careful to avoid being seen as meddling in Myanmar’s domestic affairs, with Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa saying in an interview with The Jakarta Post that Indonesia chose to include those not considered democratic in the ASEAN process.
Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy, has not yet decided whether to take part in the elections, saying the new 2008 constitution is unfair and will perpetuate military rule — a claim echoed by international rights groups.
Piromya said his two-day visit beginning Sunday was aimed at strengthening bilateral relations between Indonesia and Thailand as well as discussing with Marty ways to help solve regional and multilateral issues.
Abdul Khalik , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Mon, 02/15/2010 11:35 AM | World
It is in the interests of the ASEAN community to help Myanmar hold fair, free and transparent elections this year, to return democracy and peace to the country, Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya says.
The visiting Thai foreign minister said in an interview here Sunday that as the two most democratic members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Thailand and Indonesia could help Myanmar achieve this goal.
“Without being seen as interfering in Myanmar’s domestic issues, as friends and members of the ASEAN family we would like to see national reconciliation and peace in Myanmar. Holding free and fair elections will allow the country to bring peace and reconciliation back,” he said.
Piromya said a stable and democratic Myanmar would be of benefit to Thailand (which shares borders with the reclusive country) as well as to ASEAN in general.
Kasit said Thailand would offer training for Myanmarese officials to make sure the elections ran according to democratic principles.
“We will even provide observers for the elections,” he said.
Myanmar’s military ruler said last Friday that the long-awaited elections planned for some time this year would take place “soon” but declined to say when exactly.
Myanmar’s military government announced in early 2008 that the country’s first election in two decades would take place in 2010. But the junta still needs to pass necessary election laws to pave the way for the vote and then set a date.
“A free and fair election will take place soon,” Senior Gen. Than Shwe said in his annual message to mark the national holiday Union Day last Friday.
Seemingly signaling their intentions, Myanmar’s ruling junta released the deputy leader of the country’s pro-democracy party from nearly 7 years in detention, but offered no indication if he or the still-detained party leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, would be allowed to take part in this year’s elections.
The release on Saturday of 82-year-old Tin Oo, who helped found the National League for Democracy with Suu Kyi, comes shortly before a UN envoy visits Myanmar (also known as Burma), to evaluate the regime’s progress on human rights.
Indonesia has voiced the need for Myanmar to include Suu Kyi and her party in the election, as well as to guarantee fair and transparent elections, vowing also that it was ready to send observers to Myanmar if asked by the junta.
However, Indonesia was also very careful to avoid being seen as meddling in Myanmar’s domestic affairs, with Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa saying in an interview with The Jakarta Post that Indonesia chose to include those not considered democratic in the ASEAN process.
Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy, has not yet decided whether to take part in the elections, saying the new 2008 constitution is unfair and will perpetuate military rule — a claim echoed by international rights groups.
Piromya said his two-day visit beginning Sunday was aimed at strengthening bilateral relations between Indonesia and Thailand as well as discussing with Marty ways to help solve regional and multilateral issues.
****************************************************************
UN Human Rights Envoy Visits Myanmar as Opposition Leader Freed
By Paul Tighe
Feb. 15 (Bloomberg) -- The United Nations sent its human rights envoy to Myanmar for talks on elections scheduled for this year that would be the first in two decades as the military government released an opposition leader from house arrest.
Tomas Ojea Quintana, the special envoy for human rights in the country formerly known as Burma, begins a four-day visit today and says he wants to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the National League for Democracy, who remains in detention.
The junta two days ago freed Tin Oo, the 82-year-old vice chairman of the NLD, ago after seven years in detention. “It is not enough to release me alone,” Agence France-Presse cited him as saying in Yangon yesterday when he visited a Buddhist temple.
Myanmar’s military, which has ruled the country since 1962, plans to hold elections this year under a new constitution. The U.S. and UN are leading calls on the junta to make progress toward democracy and ensure the ballot is not used as a way for the military to maintain power.
This year is “a critical time for the people of Myanmar,” Quintana said last week. “These elections should be fair and transparent. Freedom of speech, movement and association should be guaranteed” and all prisoners of conscience should be released before the ballot, he said.
The U.S. says an estimated 2,100 political prisoners in Maynmar should be released before the election.
Suu Kyi
Suu Kyi, 64, who has spent 14 of the past 20 years in detention, had her house arrest order extended for 18 months in August after a court found her guilty of violating her detention terms, a decision that would ensure her being excluded from this year’s elections.
Myanmar’s Supreme Court is currently considering whether to overturn a lower court ruling in October that upheld the extension order.
The authorities allowed Suu Kyi to meet with three senior members of the NLD in December to discuss the elections, the party said at the time. The NLD hasn’t decided whether to take part in the ballot, AFP reported yesterday.
U.S. President Barack Obama is pursuing a policy of engaging with the military leaders while maintaining trade and financial sanctions that are aimed at pressing the junta to make democratic changes in the country of more than 48 million people.
Myanmar has turned to China as an economic partner in recent years with trade between the countries increasing in 2008 by 28 percent to $2.6 billion, 240 times more than the $10.8 million with the U.S. China National Petroleum Corp., the nation’s largest oil company, has started building a 771- kilometer (480 miles) pipeline from Myanmar to Southwest China. Cnooc Ltd., China’s largest offshore oil producer, is exploring for oil in Myanmar.
By Paul Tighe
Feb. 15 (Bloomberg) -- The United Nations sent its human rights envoy to Myanmar for talks on elections scheduled for this year that would be the first in two decades as the military government released an opposition leader from house arrest.
Tomas Ojea Quintana, the special envoy for human rights in the country formerly known as Burma, begins a four-day visit today and says he wants to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the National League for Democracy, who remains in detention.
The junta two days ago freed Tin Oo, the 82-year-old vice chairman of the NLD, ago after seven years in detention. “It is not enough to release me alone,” Agence France-Presse cited him as saying in Yangon yesterday when he visited a Buddhist temple.
Myanmar’s military, which has ruled the country since 1962, plans to hold elections this year under a new constitution. The U.S. and UN are leading calls on the junta to make progress toward democracy and ensure the ballot is not used as a way for the military to maintain power.
This year is “a critical time for the people of Myanmar,” Quintana said last week. “These elections should be fair and transparent. Freedom of speech, movement and association should be guaranteed” and all prisoners of conscience should be released before the ballot, he said.
The U.S. says an estimated 2,100 political prisoners in Maynmar should be released before the election.
Suu Kyi
Suu Kyi, 64, who has spent 14 of the past 20 years in detention, had her house arrest order extended for 18 months in August after a court found her guilty of violating her detention terms, a decision that would ensure her being excluded from this year’s elections.
Myanmar’s Supreme Court is currently considering whether to overturn a lower court ruling in October that upheld the extension order.
The authorities allowed Suu Kyi to meet with three senior members of the NLD in December to discuss the elections, the party said at the time. The NLD hasn’t decided whether to take part in the ballot, AFP reported yesterday.
U.S. President Barack Obama is pursuing a policy of engaging with the military leaders while maintaining trade and financial sanctions that are aimed at pressing the junta to make democratic changes in the country of more than 48 million people.
Myanmar has turned to China as an economic partner in recent years with trade between the countries increasing in 2008 by 28 percent to $2.6 billion, 240 times more than the $10.8 million with the U.S. China National Petroleum Corp., the nation’s largest oil company, has started building a 771- kilometer (480 miles) pipeline from Myanmar to Southwest China. Cnooc Ltd., China’s largest offshore oil producer, is exploring for oil in Myanmar.
****************************************************************
Strategy Page - Myanmar:Greed For Speed
February 14, 2010: One reason the dictatorship has lasted so long has been the battle with the ethnic minorities in the north. Even before the generals took over half a century ago, the country was split on how the north should be governed. The tribal minorities, that make up a third of the population, and occupy the northern two-thirds of the country, were never part of Burma before the country was formed in 1947. Britain, which had formerly administered the tribal territories separately, allowed the majority Burmese and the tribals to form a "Union of Burma", on the Burmese promise that the tribals would have autonomy. The Burmese reneged, and the fighting has been going on every since. The Burmese have more people, money, technology, weapons and unity, but not enough to crush tribal resistance. It's a forever war.
While the heroin trade was all but eliminated in the north by the 1990s, drug production was not destroyed. Many of the tribal drug gangs switched to methamphetamines. This stuff proved easier to produce (if you had the right chemicals, which turned out to be available from China), and more profitable. The tribes need the drug money to buy weapons, and bribe Burmese officials, in order to maintain some semblance of tribal independence. The generals keep ordering the troops and bureaucrats to crush tribal independence, but for decades, drug money has proved to be the most potent weapon the tribes could muster. Methamphetamines are big business. Last month alone, Thai police seized four million methamphetamine pills being smuggled in from Burma. The meth shows up in China, India, Bangladesh and more distant markets. The government is said to be allowing allied tribes to get back into the heroin business, to keep them away from meth, but there is no evidence of significant heroin moving out of northern Burma, nor any big increases in opium (the raw material for heroin) addiction up north (where drug addiction has long been a problem.)
The Burmese generals don’t have to worry about the UN, or foreign criticism in general. Two pipelines (one for oil, one for natural gas) guarantee that. The pipelines are being built by China, to transport Burmese gas and oil to China within two years. The profits will keep the generals in business, and the Chinese will do their part by vetoing any more UN moves against the generals. Foreign trade at work.
February 13, 2010: Malaysian police arrested 15 Burmese drug dealers, who were operating along the coast, pretending to be fishermen, and selling to small amounts of heroin, and other drugs, to Malaysians. The drug dealers from Myanmar were caught several hundred kilometers south of the Burmese border.
February 11, 2010: In Bangladesh, eight Burmese were arrested on their boat and charged with spying. The arrested had cameras with pictures of Bangladeshi warships and naval bases. Also found were incriminating documents. Myanmar and Bangladesh still have unresolved disputes over where their maritime borders.
February 9, 2010: Riot police were sent to two clothing factories outside Rangoon (Yangon, the largest city in the country). The government doesn't allow strikes, and is quick to crush any dissent, lest it get out of hand and lead to widespread demonstrations (as it does every few years.) Five years ago, the generals moved all major government functions to a new city, 300 kilometers north of Rangoon, to prevent an urban uprising from disrupting the military government.
February 7, 2010: Two infantry battalions continue to operate near the Thai border, forcing several thousand Karen tribals from their villages. These tactics have been used for decades, to disrupt the activities of armed Karens, who resist control by the military dictatorship down south. The Karens don't consider themselves Burmese, and have resisted Burmese control for centuries.
February 5, 2010: Thailand halted the forced repatriation of Karen refugees from Burma. It became obvious that Burmese soldiers would kill some of the returning refugees, which caused the Thais to halt their effort to return Karens who fled to Thailand last Summer.
February 2, 2010: Internet access in the country slowed to a crawl for several days, apparently because the only two providers of Internet access (one a government outfit, the other one owned by a government supporter) were rearranging their hardware. The government denied that there was any problems with Internet access.
January 26, 2010: Two bombs went off in the central Burma town of Kyaukkyi (170 kilometers northeast of Rangoon). There were no injuries, only property damage. No one took credit for the bombings, and the government later arrested eleven suspects, who were accused of planning attacks in Rangoon.
January 21, 2010: An air force F-7 (Chinese MiG-21 clone) jet fighter crashed on landing, killing the pilot. Last month, the air force ordered more MiG-29s from Russia, and apparently plans to retire its fifty or so F-7s. There are only about a dozen MiG-29s in service, and it will take several years to obtain the new aircraft, train the pilots for three dozen or so MiG-29s, to replace all the F-7s.
February 14, 2010: One reason the dictatorship has lasted so long has been the battle with the ethnic minorities in the north. Even before the generals took over half a century ago, the country was split on how the north should be governed. The tribal minorities, that make up a third of the population, and occupy the northern two-thirds of the country, were never part of Burma before the country was formed in 1947. Britain, which had formerly administered the tribal territories separately, allowed the majority Burmese and the tribals to form a "Union of Burma", on the Burmese promise that the tribals would have autonomy. The Burmese reneged, and the fighting has been going on every since. The Burmese have more people, money, technology, weapons and unity, but not enough to crush tribal resistance. It's a forever war.
While the heroin trade was all but eliminated in the north by the 1990s, drug production was not destroyed. Many of the tribal drug gangs switched to methamphetamines. This stuff proved easier to produce (if you had the right chemicals, which turned out to be available from China), and more profitable. The tribes need the drug money to buy weapons, and bribe Burmese officials, in order to maintain some semblance of tribal independence. The generals keep ordering the troops and bureaucrats to crush tribal independence, but for decades, drug money has proved to be the most potent weapon the tribes could muster. Methamphetamines are big business. Last month alone, Thai police seized four million methamphetamine pills being smuggled in from Burma. The meth shows up in China, India, Bangladesh and more distant markets. The government is said to be allowing allied tribes to get back into the heroin business, to keep them away from meth, but there is no evidence of significant heroin moving out of northern Burma, nor any big increases in opium (the raw material for heroin) addiction up north (where drug addiction has long been a problem.)
The Burmese generals don’t have to worry about the UN, or foreign criticism in general. Two pipelines (one for oil, one for natural gas) guarantee that. The pipelines are being built by China, to transport Burmese gas and oil to China within two years. The profits will keep the generals in business, and the Chinese will do their part by vetoing any more UN moves against the generals. Foreign trade at work.
February 13, 2010: Malaysian police arrested 15 Burmese drug dealers, who were operating along the coast, pretending to be fishermen, and selling to small amounts of heroin, and other drugs, to Malaysians. The drug dealers from Myanmar were caught several hundred kilometers south of the Burmese border.
February 11, 2010: In Bangladesh, eight Burmese were arrested on their boat and charged with spying. The arrested had cameras with pictures of Bangladeshi warships and naval bases. Also found were incriminating documents. Myanmar and Bangladesh still have unresolved disputes over where their maritime borders.
February 9, 2010: Riot police were sent to two clothing factories outside Rangoon (Yangon, the largest city in the country). The government doesn't allow strikes, and is quick to crush any dissent, lest it get out of hand and lead to widespread demonstrations (as it does every few years.) Five years ago, the generals moved all major government functions to a new city, 300 kilometers north of Rangoon, to prevent an urban uprising from disrupting the military government.
February 7, 2010: Two infantry battalions continue to operate near the Thai border, forcing several thousand Karen tribals from their villages. These tactics have been used for decades, to disrupt the activities of armed Karens, who resist control by the military dictatorship down south. The Karens don't consider themselves Burmese, and have resisted Burmese control for centuries.
February 5, 2010: Thailand halted the forced repatriation of Karen refugees from Burma. It became obvious that Burmese soldiers would kill some of the returning refugees, which caused the Thais to halt their effort to return Karens who fled to Thailand last Summer.
February 2, 2010: Internet access in the country slowed to a crawl for several days, apparently because the only two providers of Internet access (one a government outfit, the other one owned by a government supporter) were rearranging their hardware. The government denied that there was any problems with Internet access.
January 26, 2010: Two bombs went off in the central Burma town of Kyaukkyi (170 kilometers northeast of Rangoon). There were no injuries, only property damage. No one took credit for the bombings, and the government later arrested eleven suspects, who were accused of planning attacks in Rangoon.
January 21, 2010: An air force F-7 (Chinese MiG-21 clone) jet fighter crashed on landing, killing the pilot. Last month, the air force ordered more MiG-29s from Russia, and apparently plans to retire its fifty or so F-7s. There are only about a dozen MiG-29s in service, and it will take several years to obtain the new aircraft, train the pilots for three dozen or so MiG-29s, to replace all the F-7s.
****************************************************************
Khaleej Times - Bangladesh detains suspected Myanmar spies
(AFP) 13 February 2010,
DHAKA - Bangladesh coast guards have arrested eight citizens of Myanmar on suspicion of spying for the military-ruled country, police said Saturday.
The suspects were picked up from a boat docked at Shah Parir island near the Myanmar border late Thursday and photos of Bangladesh Navy warships and security installations were seized, local police chief Shakhawat Hossain said.
“All eight are Myanmar citizens and have been detained on suspected spying charges. Coast guards also found a sensitive letter in the boat,” he told AFP. He said the eight were being questioned by police, navy and coast guard officers.
Relations between the neighbours have soured since late 2008 after Bangladesh and Myanmar sent their warships to a disputed stretch of the Bay of Bengal believed to contain big reserves of oil and gas.
The sea territory between the two nations has not been demarcated and both claim the stretch of the Bay of Bengal as their own.
(AFP) 13 February 2010,
DHAKA - Bangladesh coast guards have arrested eight citizens of Myanmar on suspicion of spying for the military-ruled country, police said Saturday.
The suspects were picked up from a boat docked at Shah Parir island near the Myanmar border late Thursday and photos of Bangladesh Navy warships and security installations were seized, local police chief Shakhawat Hossain said.
“All eight are Myanmar citizens and have been detained on suspected spying charges. Coast guards also found a sensitive letter in the boat,” he told AFP. He said the eight were being questioned by police, navy and coast guard officers.
Relations between the neighbours have soured since late 2008 after Bangladesh and Myanmar sent their warships to a disputed stretch of the Bay of Bengal believed to contain big reserves of oil and gas.
The sea territory between the two nations has not been demarcated and both claim the stretch of the Bay of Bengal as their own.
****************************************************************
TMCnet - United Nations: Myanmar: Ban welcomes release of leading opposition politician
Feb 15, 2010 (M2 PRESSWIRE via COMTEX) -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the release today of a prominent opposition politician in Myanmar after six years of house arrest, saying he hopes the move will lead to a more credible and inclusive political process.
U Tin Oo, the Vice-Chairman of the National League for Democracy (NLD) was released today in Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar, after the expiration of his term of house arrest.
The release comes two days before the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Tomas Ojea Quintana, is due to arrive in the Asian nation for a five-day official visit.
"The Secretary-General hopes that this development will contribute to the advancement of substantive dialogue between the NLD and the Government of Myanmar as a necessary step towards a more credible and inclusive political process," according to a statement issued by a spokesperson for Mr. Ban.
"To that end, the Secretary-General reiterates his call on the Government of Myanmar to lift without further delay the restrictions on NLD General Secretary Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and to release all remaining political prisoners." Mr. Quintana said last week that he hopes to be able to meet Ms. Suu Kyi, who remains under house arrest, during his visit.
The first elections in Myanmar in more than two decades are slated to take place later this year as part of a Government-designed timetable towards greater democratization.
Feb 15, 2010 (M2 PRESSWIRE via COMTEX) -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the release today of a prominent opposition politician in Myanmar after six years of house arrest, saying he hopes the move will lead to a more credible and inclusive political process.
U Tin Oo, the Vice-Chairman of the National League for Democracy (NLD) was released today in Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar, after the expiration of his term of house arrest.
The release comes two days before the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Tomas Ojea Quintana, is due to arrive in the Asian nation for a five-day official visit.
"The Secretary-General hopes that this development will contribute to the advancement of substantive dialogue between the NLD and the Government of Myanmar as a necessary step towards a more credible and inclusive political process," according to a statement issued by a spokesperson for Mr. Ban.
"To that end, the Secretary-General reiterates his call on the Government of Myanmar to lift without further delay the restrictions on NLD General Secretary Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and to release all remaining political prisoners." Mr. Quintana said last week that he hopes to be able to meet Ms. Suu Kyi, who remains under house arrest, during his visit.
The first elections in Myanmar in more than two decades are slated to take place later this year as part of a Government-designed timetable towards greater democratization.
****************************************************************
Controversial dam Hatgyi will go ahead
By WATCHARAPONG THONGRUNG,CHULARAT SAENGPASSA,
THE NATION
Published on February 16, 2010
The Energy Ministry will proceed with the construction of the Hatgyi dam and hydropower plant in Burma, despite a local requirement to enhance the environmental impact assessment and information disclosure for greater transparency.
"There will be more studies. Although this may lead to a delay, the project is not scrapped," Energy Permanent Secretary Pornchai Rujiprapa said yesterday.
Most of the electricity from the 1.36 gigawatt plant will be supplied to Thailand.
Pornchai, as chairman of the subcommittee on power cooperation with neighbouring countries, said the Energy Ministry is ready to heed the advice of the committee led by PM's Office Minister Sathit Wongnongtoey. Sathit's committee said the environmental impact assessment be extended while information disclosure must be improved.
The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, as the representative of Thailand and the dam operator, will take care of the two issues.
The committee last month submitted the list of recommendations to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, in a bid to make the investment project more transparent. The committee was set up following the National Human Rights Commission's complaints that the project would directly impact dozens of Karen villages and the villages may have to be relocated from the dam's floodplain.
Thousands more will suffer abuses from the Burmese army's attempts to secure the site, which have resulted in several military offensives and a large build-up of troops in the area.
All of the dams planned on the Salween River will greatly disrupt the riverine ecosystem and destroy the livelihoods of those peoples living along the river.
Sathit said in a telephone interview that the hold-up of the project should not cause diplomatic displeasure with Burma. He also referred to the cool response from Egat towards the proposals.
"The committee's concern was the repercussions on Burma, not the impacts on Egat's investment," he said. Next week, the committee will convene to monitor Egat's reactions to the suggestions. It will also work on the structure of the information disclosure unit, as well as its scope of responsibility.
Montree Chantawong, coordinator of Towards Ecological Recovery and Regional Alliance (Terra), was pleased with the Sathit committee's resolutions, which should create a more transparent disclosure channel.
Egat has so far refrained from releasing the full EIA, claiming that it needed Burma's consent to submit the full report, he said. The civic groups received only a brief summary in English.
The civic groups actually want the government to terminate the investment outright, he said. While people in the Karen State would be saved, Egat does not need power from Burma. However, the construction will fuel fighting and suppression of the minority tribe.
He also urged the government to ask for parliamentary approval for the project's EIA, if it continues to support the project. Since the dam will lead to alterations in river flows, which could change Thai territory in Tak's Sob Moei district, the contract needs parliamentary approval under Article 190 of the Constitution, he said.
"The Human Rights Commission earlier even urged Egat to conduct a separate EIA on the Thai border, for a clearer impact," he said.
The Burma Rivers Network, comprising organisations representing various dam-affected communities in Burma, said on its website that "large development projects in Burma bring an expanded Burma army presence and the increased use of forced labour. Villagers living downstream from the dams will also face difficulties."
Energy Minister Wannarat Charnnukul insisted that Abhisit has not yet ordered a delay of Hatgyi Dam.
Pornchai stressed that Thailand has followed international human rights and environmental accords. The Energy Ministry has worked closely with the Foreign Ministry on the project. Once the negotiations are completed, the issue would be submitted to Parliament under the Constitution, he said.
Pornchai, as chairman of Egat, said Egat's board of directors recently approved the investment with Sinohydro from China.
A joint venture is being set up. Sinohydro will hold a bigger stake than Egat, as it is in charge of securing the loan, while the Burmese government will be a minority partner, he said.
The hydropower plant was expected to start commercial operations and export power to Thailand in 2015 or 2016. However, due to controversies, the project has been stalled and has not yet been included in the Power Development Plan.
On July 14, 1997, Thailand signed a framework agreement for 1.5GW from Burma by 2010. The first project was My-Kok Dam, with Italian-Thai Development and partners as the developer.
The lignite-fuelled dam, with 405MW capacity, is located in Shan State, 80 kilometres from Chiang Rai. It is scheduled to start feeding power to Thailand in January 2016. The power rate throughout the 25-year purchase contract averages Bt2.3 per unit, at the exchange rate of Bt34 to the US dollar.
By WATCHARAPONG THONGRUNG,CHULARAT SAENGPASSA,
THE NATION
Published on February 16, 2010
The Energy Ministry will proceed with the construction of the Hatgyi dam and hydropower plant in Burma, despite a local requirement to enhance the environmental impact assessment and information disclosure for greater transparency.
"There will be more studies. Although this may lead to a delay, the project is not scrapped," Energy Permanent Secretary Pornchai Rujiprapa said yesterday.
Most of the electricity from the 1.36 gigawatt plant will be supplied to Thailand.
Pornchai, as chairman of the subcommittee on power cooperation with neighbouring countries, said the Energy Ministry is ready to heed the advice of the committee led by PM's Office Minister Sathit Wongnongtoey. Sathit's committee said the environmental impact assessment be extended while information disclosure must be improved.
The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, as the representative of Thailand and the dam operator, will take care of the two issues.
The committee last month submitted the list of recommendations to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, in a bid to make the investment project more transparent. The committee was set up following the National Human Rights Commission's complaints that the project would directly impact dozens of Karen villages and the villages may have to be relocated from the dam's floodplain.
Thousands more will suffer abuses from the Burmese army's attempts to secure the site, which have resulted in several military offensives and a large build-up of troops in the area.
All of the dams planned on the Salween River will greatly disrupt the riverine ecosystem and destroy the livelihoods of those peoples living along the river.
Sathit said in a telephone interview that the hold-up of the project should not cause diplomatic displeasure with Burma. He also referred to the cool response from Egat towards the proposals.
"The committee's concern was the repercussions on Burma, not the impacts on Egat's investment," he said. Next week, the committee will convene to monitor Egat's reactions to the suggestions. It will also work on the structure of the information disclosure unit, as well as its scope of responsibility.
Montree Chantawong, coordinator of Towards Ecological Recovery and Regional Alliance (Terra), was pleased with the Sathit committee's resolutions, which should create a more transparent disclosure channel.
Egat has so far refrained from releasing the full EIA, claiming that it needed Burma's consent to submit the full report, he said. The civic groups received only a brief summary in English.
The civic groups actually want the government to terminate the investment outright, he said. While people in the Karen State would be saved, Egat does not need power from Burma. However, the construction will fuel fighting and suppression of the minority tribe.
He also urged the government to ask for parliamentary approval for the project's EIA, if it continues to support the project. Since the dam will lead to alterations in river flows, which could change Thai territory in Tak's Sob Moei district, the contract needs parliamentary approval under Article 190 of the Constitution, he said.
"The Human Rights Commission earlier even urged Egat to conduct a separate EIA on the Thai border, for a clearer impact," he said.
The Burma Rivers Network, comprising organisations representing various dam-affected communities in Burma, said on its website that "large development projects in Burma bring an expanded Burma army presence and the increased use of forced labour. Villagers living downstream from the dams will also face difficulties."
Energy Minister Wannarat Charnnukul insisted that Abhisit has not yet ordered a delay of Hatgyi Dam.
Pornchai stressed that Thailand has followed international human rights and environmental accords. The Energy Ministry has worked closely with the Foreign Ministry on the project. Once the negotiations are completed, the issue would be submitted to Parliament under the Constitution, he said.
Pornchai, as chairman of Egat, said Egat's board of directors recently approved the investment with Sinohydro from China.
A joint venture is being set up. Sinohydro will hold a bigger stake than Egat, as it is in charge of securing the loan, while the Burmese government will be a minority partner, he said.
The hydropower plant was expected to start commercial operations and export power to Thailand in 2015 or 2016. However, due to controversies, the project has been stalled and has not yet been included in the Power Development Plan.
On July 14, 1997, Thailand signed a framework agreement for 1.5GW from Burma by 2010. The first project was My-Kok Dam, with Italian-Thai Development and partners as the developer.
The lignite-fuelled dam, with 405MW capacity, is located in Shan State, 80 kilometres from Chiang Rai. It is scheduled to start feeding power to Thailand in January 2016. The power rate throughout the 25-year purchase contract averages Bt2.3 per unit, at the exchange rate of Bt34 to the US dollar.
****************************************************************
Burmese cremated
By The Nation
Published on February 14, 2010
Some 2,000 Burmese workers yesterday attended the cremation rite for eight Burmese who were reportedly massacred by rogue police on January 23.
The rite was held at the Wat Don Kaew Temple in Tak's Mae Sot district.
A leader of the workers called on the government to bring the wrongdoers to justice, as the killings were a severe human-rights violation.The eight workers, four of whom were female, were reportedly slain by policemen in the province's Phop Phra and Mae Sot districts while trying to sneak into the country.
Police said there had been no progress in the case, following the issue of arrest warrants for five suspects who had already fled to Burma and other provinces.
By The Nation
Published on February 14, 2010
Some 2,000 Burmese workers yesterday attended the cremation rite for eight Burmese who were reportedly massacred by rogue police on January 23.
The rite was held at the Wat Don Kaew Temple in Tak's Mae Sot district.
A leader of the workers called on the government to bring the wrongdoers to justice, as the killings were a severe human-rights violation.The eight workers, four of whom were female, were reportedly slain by policemen in the province's Phop Phra and Mae Sot districts while trying to sneak into the country.
Police said there had been no progress in the case, following the issue of arrest warrants for five suspects who had already fled to Burma and other provinces.
****************************************************************
Bangkok Post - ASEAN campaign could yield unwelcome results
Published: 15/02/2010 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Business
The effort to rebrand Asean as "Southeast Asia" for tourism promotion is being closely watched by Burmese tourism authorities, who say they will hold the Asean Tourism Association (Aseanta) responsible if the new marketing website is used for anti-Burma criticism.
The warning came from U Htay Aung, director-general of the Directorate of Hotels & Tourism at the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, at the Asean Tourism Forum (ATF) last month. He was responding to a question about how Burma would respond if the website, which is being developed with financial assistance from the US Agency for International Development, starts to attract bloggers who see it as another opportunity to step up pressure on the military regime in Rangoon.
Burma has been deeply suspicious of the agenda behind the campaign, especially as USAID's own mission statement clearly states that it "provides economic, development and humanitarian assistance around the world in support of the foreign policy goals of the United States".
In the various Asean meetings, the Burma delegation has sought guarantees from the consultants hired to execute the tourism component of the Asean Competitiveness Enhancement (ACE) project that Burma's tourism industry would be fairly represented on the website and without bias.
Mr Htay Aung admitted that the prospect of anti-Burma blogs had not come up in the preparatory discussions among Asean tourism leaders. But since Aseanta, the private-sector grouping of Asean travel industry associations, was the collaborating partner in the project, it would have to be responsible for controlling the content, he said.
Aseanta board members did not respond to e-mails seeking comment. One board member who hit the reply button to his colleagues, and mistakenly left all the cc fields intact, effectively suggested exactly that course of action.
Dr Surin Pitsuwan, the Asean Secretary General, was also asked by e-mail whether the Asean tourism organisations had discussed the issue of blog comments critical of their respective countries, and if so, how had they resolved to deal with it? He did not respond.
The lack of response to basic questions only heightens suspicion about whether the Asean tourism fraternity, especially Aseanta, has done its homework adequately and why it has such a low tolerance level for questions about the management and handling of the campaign.
One stakeholder responding adequately is USAID, which is putting up US$4 million for the project from 2008-13. USAID's Bangkok-based spokesman Hal Lipper outlined the various procedural and check-and-balance regulations that govern its relations with its project consultants (in this case Nathan Associates which shares an office with the Kenan Institute in Bangkok).
"In line with the requirements of the contract's scope of work, Nathan follows its established procurement procedures to obtain necessary services through subcontracts," he said. "USAID has no direct relationship with the subcontractors, only with the prime contractor."
The sub-contractor for the website http://www.southeastasia.org, the centrepiece of the campaign, it turns out, is the meta-search engine Wego.com, which will be bolted on to facilitate bookings.
At the media briefing during the ATF, Wego CEO Martin Symes highlighted the portal's financial strength by saying it was "backed by News Corp", the media and entertainment empire controlled by billionaire Rupert Murdoch.
When these links to the Murdoch empire were publicised by the travel publications TTR Weekly and Travel Impact Newswire, it drew a sharp response from Mr Symes who described Wego.com as an "Asean-based business employing 24 Asean residents and taxpayers".
However, Mr Symes declined to disclose Wego.com's shareholding structure, saying only that News Digital Media, a part of News Corp, owned a "significant minority" stake in the company.
"We were approached by ACE to provide travel search functionality for the southeastasia.org site in early 2009." he said. "We negotiated an agreement with them and Aseanta in good faith and on terms and conditions substantially similar to other distribution relationships. The details of the agreement and relationship have never been discussed with our shareholder News Digital Media Pty Ltd or anyone else at News Corp.
"The traffic and revenue Wego will receive from being on the website is small. To imply that somehow this deal will be the making of Wego is utter nonsense."
However, presentations made to Asean NTOs and Aseanta about the marketing plans for http://www.southeastasia.org showed plans for generating thousands of hits on the site. If they lead to bookings, it would yield a substantial revenue stream for Wego.com, which has to split the earnings with Aseanta.
The account for online marketing to build traffic on the website has been outsourced to Qais, a Singapore web design consultancy company, chaired by Keith Timimi, who stated on his website http://www.qaisconsulting.com that he was a "founding investor in Wego.com".
USAID says the value of this contract is less than US$100,000 but at the ATF press conference, it was said that $500,000 would be spent in total on marketing.
Imtiaz Muqbil is executive editor of Travel Impact Newswire, an e-mailed feature and analysis service focusing on the Asia-Pacific travel industry.
Published: 15/02/2010 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Business
The effort to rebrand Asean as "Southeast Asia" for tourism promotion is being closely watched by Burmese tourism authorities, who say they will hold the Asean Tourism Association (Aseanta) responsible if the new marketing website is used for anti-Burma criticism.
The warning came from U Htay Aung, director-general of the Directorate of Hotels & Tourism at the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, at the Asean Tourism Forum (ATF) last month. He was responding to a question about how Burma would respond if the website, which is being developed with financial assistance from the US Agency for International Development, starts to attract bloggers who see it as another opportunity to step up pressure on the military regime in Rangoon.
Burma has been deeply suspicious of the agenda behind the campaign, especially as USAID's own mission statement clearly states that it "provides economic, development and humanitarian assistance around the world in support of the foreign policy goals of the United States".
In the various Asean meetings, the Burma delegation has sought guarantees from the consultants hired to execute the tourism component of the Asean Competitiveness Enhancement (ACE) project that Burma's tourism industry would be fairly represented on the website and without bias.
Mr Htay Aung admitted that the prospect of anti-Burma blogs had not come up in the preparatory discussions among Asean tourism leaders. But since Aseanta, the private-sector grouping of Asean travel industry associations, was the collaborating partner in the project, it would have to be responsible for controlling the content, he said.
Aseanta board members did not respond to e-mails seeking comment. One board member who hit the reply button to his colleagues, and mistakenly left all the cc fields intact, effectively suggested exactly that course of action.
Dr Surin Pitsuwan, the Asean Secretary General, was also asked by e-mail whether the Asean tourism organisations had discussed the issue of blog comments critical of their respective countries, and if so, how had they resolved to deal with it? He did not respond.
The lack of response to basic questions only heightens suspicion about whether the Asean tourism fraternity, especially Aseanta, has done its homework adequately and why it has such a low tolerance level for questions about the management and handling of the campaign.
One stakeholder responding adequately is USAID, which is putting up US$4 million for the project from 2008-13. USAID's Bangkok-based spokesman Hal Lipper outlined the various procedural and check-and-balance regulations that govern its relations with its project consultants (in this case Nathan Associates which shares an office with the Kenan Institute in Bangkok).
"In line with the requirements of the contract's scope of work, Nathan follows its established procurement procedures to obtain necessary services through subcontracts," he said. "USAID has no direct relationship with the subcontractors, only with the prime contractor."
The sub-contractor for the website http://www.southeastasia.org, the centrepiece of the campaign, it turns out, is the meta-search engine Wego.com, which will be bolted on to facilitate bookings.
At the media briefing during the ATF, Wego CEO Martin Symes highlighted the portal's financial strength by saying it was "backed by News Corp", the media and entertainment empire controlled by billionaire Rupert Murdoch.
When these links to the Murdoch empire were publicised by the travel publications TTR Weekly and Travel Impact Newswire, it drew a sharp response from Mr Symes who described Wego.com as an "Asean-based business employing 24 Asean residents and taxpayers".
However, Mr Symes declined to disclose Wego.com's shareholding structure, saying only that News Digital Media, a part of News Corp, owned a "significant minority" stake in the company.
"We were approached by ACE to provide travel search functionality for the southeastasia.org site in early 2009." he said. "We negotiated an agreement with them and Aseanta in good faith and on terms and conditions substantially similar to other distribution relationships. The details of the agreement and relationship have never been discussed with our shareholder News Digital Media Pty Ltd or anyone else at News Corp.
"The traffic and revenue Wego will receive from being on the website is small. To imply that somehow this deal will be the making of Wego is utter nonsense."
However, presentations made to Asean NTOs and Aseanta about the marketing plans for http://www.southeastasia.org showed plans for generating thousands of hits on the site. If they lead to bookings, it would yield a substantial revenue stream for Wego.com, which has to split the earnings with Aseanta.
The account for online marketing to build traffic on the website has been outsourced to Qais, a Singapore web design consultancy company, chaired by Keith Timimi, who stated on his website http://www.qaisconsulting.com that he was a "founding investor in Wego.com".
USAID says the value of this contract is less than US$100,000 but at the ATF press conference, it was said that $500,000 would be spent in total on marketing.
Imtiaz Muqbil is executive editor of Travel Impact Newswire, an e-mailed feature and analysis service focusing on the Asia-Pacific travel industry.
****************************************************************
Bangkok Post - New council expected to spur Burma trade
Published: 15/02/2010 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Business
Thailand could expand bilateral trade with Burma by 20% over the next three year from the current value of US$2 billion, helped by the new Thailand-Burma Business Council, says the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI).
Tanit Sorat, vice-chairman of the FTI and the new council, said Thai businesspeople see Burma as a high-potential production base given its vast supply of natural resources and cheap labour.
A deep-sea port in Tavoy, where construction is expected to start at the end of this year, would also facilitate shipping Thai products made in Burma into other markets, he added.
"As investment in Thailand has been plagued by the unsettled Map Ta Phut environmental issues and rising wages, I think Thai companies should start looking at expanding their business to Burma to capitalise on abundant natural resources and lower labour costs," he said.
The FTI, the Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Thai Bankers Association last week jointly established the Thailand-Burma Business Council, which currently has 40 members including Krung Thai Bank, Bangkok Bank and TMB Bank.
Having banks on the council will facilitate financial transactions for Thai businesses in Burma, said Mr Tanit.
Santi Vilassakdanont, chairman of the FTI and the council, said the expansion of leading Thai businesses such as PTT and Charoen Pokphand (CP) would benefit from greater economic co-operation between the two countries.
A Burma-Thailand council will be established in Burma in April. Sectors such as logistics, food, consumer products and agricultural machinery should have brighter prospects in Burma under such co-operation, he said.
Meanwhile, US sanctions against Burma are likely to be eased or lifted after a general election in November, increasing economic potential, he added.
Aye Aye Mu, Burma's minister counsellor, said Thailand had played a key role in Burma's economic development, with Thai companies now ranked first among Burma's foreign investors.
"Our diplomatic relationship with the US has become more positive under the Obama government. If the election goes well, we expect the policies from the US will be changed," said Ms Mu.
Published: 15/02/2010 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Business
Thailand could expand bilateral trade with Burma by 20% over the next three year from the current value of US$2 billion, helped by the new Thailand-Burma Business Council, says the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI).
Tanit Sorat, vice-chairman of the FTI and the new council, said Thai businesspeople see Burma as a high-potential production base given its vast supply of natural resources and cheap labour.
A deep-sea port in Tavoy, where construction is expected to start at the end of this year, would also facilitate shipping Thai products made in Burma into other markets, he added.
"As investment in Thailand has been plagued by the unsettled Map Ta Phut environmental issues and rising wages, I think Thai companies should start looking at expanding their business to Burma to capitalise on abundant natural resources and lower labour costs," he said.
The FTI, the Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Thai Bankers Association last week jointly established the Thailand-Burma Business Council, which currently has 40 members including Krung Thai Bank, Bangkok Bank and TMB Bank.
Having banks on the council will facilitate financial transactions for Thai businesses in Burma, said Mr Tanit.
Santi Vilassakdanont, chairman of the FTI and the council, said the expansion of leading Thai businesses such as PTT and Charoen Pokphand (CP) would benefit from greater economic co-operation between the two countries.
A Burma-Thailand council will be established in Burma in April. Sectors such as logistics, food, consumer products and agricultural machinery should have brighter prospects in Burma under such co-operation, he said.
Meanwhile, US sanctions against Burma are likely to be eased or lifted after a general election in November, increasing economic potential, he added.
Aye Aye Mu, Burma's minister counsellor, said Thailand had played a key role in Burma's economic development, with Thai companies now ranked first among Burma's foreign investors.
"Our diplomatic relationship with the US has become more positive under the Obama government. If the election goes well, we expect the policies from the US will be changed," said Ms Mu.
****************************************************************
The Irrawaddy - UN Envoy Condemns Suu Kyi Detention
By ZARNI MANN - Monday, February 15, 2010
UN Human Rights Envoy to Burma Tomás Ojea Quintana on Monday condemned the ruling military government for detaining Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi under a 1975 law that is now obsolete. He made the comment during a one-hour meeting with Suu Kyi's lawyers on Monday afternoon, according to lawyer Nyan Win who is also an NLD spokesman.
"He told us that the law of 1975 was obsolete and that the use of it to keep Daw Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest is outwith international law,” Nyan Win said after emerging from the meeting with Quintana.
Quintana also requested that the military government meet with Suu Kyi on Feb. 18, Nyan Win told The Irrawaddy. The UN envoy was not allowed to meet with her during previous visits.
"This is a short visit, but I hope it will at least help to stop the human rights violations in Burma,” Nyan Win said. “I would like him to come [to Burma] frequently,” he added.
Nyan Win said the UN envoy held discussions with him and Suu Kyi's other lawyers, Kyi Win, Kin Win Kyi and Hla Myo Myint, about the justice system in Burma under military rule.
The NLD's deputy leader, Tin Oo, who was released from house arrest on Saturday, said on Monday that the UN envoy's visit should produce some tangible results.
Meanwhile, more than 2,100 political prisoners remain behind bars in Burma and observers say that human rights abuses are continuing, especially in ethnic areas.
On Monday, veteran activist Naw Ohn Hla and four other dissidents were sentenced to two years in prison, accused of “inciting activities to undermine public order.”
On Feb. 10, Burmese-American activist Nyi Nyi Aung was sentenced to three years with hard labor and sent to Prome Prison, northeast of the former capital, Rangoon. No notice of his transfer was given to his family and he was not allowed to meet with them before he was transferred, a family member said.
He was sentenced for illegally copying an identity card, violating an immigration law and failing to declare foreign currency to Burmese customs.
Another activist from central Burma, Myo Han, was sentenced in December to 51 years in prison and moved to Kengtung prison. Sources told The Irrawaddy that he was put in solitary confinement for one week on arrival at the prison for no apparent reason.
88 Generation Students' leader Min Ko Naing and eight other political prisoners are also being held in Kengtung prison. According to a source inside the prison, Min Ko Naing is currently under 24 hours surveillance with CCTV cameras.
Bo Kyi, the joint secretary of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners-Burma, said that the transfer of political prisoners, including Nyi Nyi Aung, to the other prisons just before Quintana's visit was “to prevent him [Quintana] meeting with political prisoners and not see the reality of their incarceration.”
The UN envoy's third visit started on Monday morning and he is due to stay in Burma until Feb. 19. He is expected to meet some key ministers in Naypyidaw, and is due to visit Rangoon's notorious Insein Prison and another prison in Arakan State.
By ZARNI MANN - Monday, February 15, 2010
UN Human Rights Envoy to Burma Tomás Ojea Quintana on Monday condemned the ruling military government for detaining Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi under a 1975 law that is now obsolete. He made the comment during a one-hour meeting with Suu Kyi's lawyers on Monday afternoon, according to lawyer Nyan Win who is also an NLD spokesman.
"He told us that the law of 1975 was obsolete and that the use of it to keep Daw Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest is outwith international law,” Nyan Win said after emerging from the meeting with Quintana.
Quintana also requested that the military government meet with Suu Kyi on Feb. 18, Nyan Win told The Irrawaddy. The UN envoy was not allowed to meet with her during previous visits.
"This is a short visit, but I hope it will at least help to stop the human rights violations in Burma,” Nyan Win said. “I would like him to come [to Burma] frequently,” he added.
Nyan Win said the UN envoy held discussions with him and Suu Kyi's other lawyers, Kyi Win, Kin Win Kyi and Hla Myo Myint, about the justice system in Burma under military rule.
The NLD's deputy leader, Tin Oo, who was released from house arrest on Saturday, said on Monday that the UN envoy's visit should produce some tangible results.
Meanwhile, more than 2,100 political prisoners remain behind bars in Burma and observers say that human rights abuses are continuing, especially in ethnic areas.
On Monday, veteran activist Naw Ohn Hla and four other dissidents were sentenced to two years in prison, accused of “inciting activities to undermine public order.”
On Feb. 10, Burmese-American activist Nyi Nyi Aung was sentenced to three years with hard labor and sent to Prome Prison, northeast of the former capital, Rangoon. No notice of his transfer was given to his family and he was not allowed to meet with them before he was transferred, a family member said.
He was sentenced for illegally copying an identity card, violating an immigration law and failing to declare foreign currency to Burmese customs.
Another activist from central Burma, Myo Han, was sentenced in December to 51 years in prison and moved to Kengtung prison. Sources told The Irrawaddy that he was put in solitary confinement for one week on arrival at the prison for no apparent reason.
88 Generation Students' leader Min Ko Naing and eight other political prisoners are also being held in Kengtung prison. According to a source inside the prison, Min Ko Naing is currently under 24 hours surveillance with CCTV cameras.
Bo Kyi, the joint secretary of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners-Burma, said that the transfer of political prisoners, including Nyi Nyi Aung, to the other prisons just before Quintana's visit was “to prevent him [Quintana] meeting with political prisoners and not see the reality of their incarceration.”
The UN envoy's third visit started on Monday morning and he is due to stay in Burma until Feb. 19. He is expected to meet some key ministers in Naypyidaw, and is due to visit Rangoon's notorious Insein Prison and another prison in Arakan State.
****************************************************************
The Irrawaddy - Tin Oo Back at Work
By SAW YAN NAING - Monday, February 15, 2010
Wearing a traditional terracotta-colored Burmese shirt and a black longyi, Vice Chairman of the National League for Democracy (NLD) Tin Oo arrived at the Burmese opposition party's headquarters in Rangoon at about 11 a.m. On Monday morning, two days after his release from seven years under house arrest.
Fixed on his chest was the emblem of a peacock, the symbol of the NLD, and a badge with a portrait of Aung San, Burma's independence hero.
About 100 party members had assembled outside the office to greet Tin Oo and he was met with warm smiles and a round of applause. Members also hung a wreath of flower around his neck, a mark of respect in Burmese culture.
Tin Oo addressed his supporters who were joined by local journalists outside the NLD headquarters.
“I will continue my duties as vice chairman of the party,” he said. “I want to urge all democracy supporters to work successfully together.”
Tin Oo said that the release of detained NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi would be a “good sign” and that junta chief Snr-Gen Than Shwe had promised she will be released under the terms of her house arrest “if she behaves well.”
Responding to a reporter's question, Tin Oo said that he welcomed the visit on Monday of the UN's Human Rights Envoy to Burma Tomás Ojea Quintana, but that tangible results must be made during his trip.
Tin Oo was greeted not only by women and young members, but also by members of the NLD's central executive committee, including some colleagues who are in poor health, such as Lun Tin, NLD sources in Rangoon said.
“Many supporters came and greeted him. Journalists also came to cover his speech. Today was like a festival,” said one NLD member.
In 1976, Tin Oo, a former commander of the Burmese armed forces, was forced to retire from his position as commander-in-chief after he was accused of withholding information concerning a failed coup d' état against then dictator Gen Ne Win.
He was tried on charges of committing high treason and sentenced to seven years with hard labor in 1977, but was released in a general amnesty in 1980. He was later detained again, from 1989 to 1995, after becoming one of the founding members of the NLD in 1988.
Ohn Kyaing, a leading member of the NLD, said, “Tin Oo is one of the members who will lead the party effectively before the release of Aung San Suu Kyi. All party members and democracy supporters are very happy. This is very encouraging.”
A youth member of the party, Yazar, said, “I am very happy. I feel that I have got new strength and energy. I want to actively serve in my work. Tin Oo constantly considers the role of youngsters in Burma.”
After addressing the rally, Tin Oo held a meeting with NLD leaders in the party office for several hours before returning to his home at about 3 p.m.
By SAW YAN NAING - Monday, February 15, 2010
Wearing a traditional terracotta-colored Burmese shirt and a black longyi, Vice Chairman of the National League for Democracy (NLD) Tin Oo arrived at the Burmese opposition party's headquarters in Rangoon at about 11 a.m. On Monday morning, two days after his release from seven years under house arrest.
Fixed on his chest was the emblem of a peacock, the symbol of the NLD, and a badge with a portrait of Aung San, Burma's independence hero.
About 100 party members had assembled outside the office to greet Tin Oo and he was met with warm smiles and a round of applause. Members also hung a wreath of flower around his neck, a mark of respect in Burmese culture.
Tin Oo addressed his supporters who were joined by local journalists outside the NLD headquarters.
“I will continue my duties as vice chairman of the party,” he said. “I want to urge all democracy supporters to work successfully together.”
Tin Oo said that the release of detained NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi would be a “good sign” and that junta chief Snr-Gen Than Shwe had promised she will be released under the terms of her house arrest “if she behaves well.”
Responding to a reporter's question, Tin Oo said that he welcomed the visit on Monday of the UN's Human Rights Envoy to Burma Tomás Ojea Quintana, but that tangible results must be made during his trip.
Tin Oo was greeted not only by women and young members, but also by members of the NLD's central executive committee, including some colleagues who are in poor health, such as Lun Tin, NLD sources in Rangoon said.
“Many supporters came and greeted him. Journalists also came to cover his speech. Today was like a festival,” said one NLD member.
In 1976, Tin Oo, a former commander of the Burmese armed forces, was forced to retire from his position as commander-in-chief after he was accused of withholding information concerning a failed coup d' état against then dictator Gen Ne Win.
He was tried on charges of committing high treason and sentenced to seven years with hard labor in 1977, but was released in a general amnesty in 1980. He was later detained again, from 1989 to 1995, after becoming one of the founding members of the NLD in 1988.
Ohn Kyaing, a leading member of the NLD, said, “Tin Oo is one of the members who will lead the party effectively before the release of Aung San Suu Kyi. All party members and democracy supporters are very happy. This is very encouraging.”
A youth member of the party, Yazar, said, “I am very happy. I feel that I have got new strength and energy. I want to actively serve in my work. Tin Oo constantly considers the role of youngsters in Burma.”
After addressing the rally, Tin Oo held a meeting with NLD leaders in the party office for several hours before returning to his home at about 3 p.m.
****************************************************************
The Irrawaddy - Burmese Officials Celebrate Kim Jong Il's Birthday
By LAWI WENG - Monday, February 15, 2010
High-ranking Burmese military officials joined a ceremony to mark the 68th birthday of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, according to Burma's state-run media.
Lt-Gen Tin Aye, ranked No 5 in the Tatmadaw (Burmese armed forces) hierarchy, attended a ceremony at the Chartrium Hotel in Rangoon on Sunday to mark the birthday of the North Korean leader.
The state-run The New Light of Myanmar on Monday ran a front-page story with a photograph of Lt-Gen Tin Aye and North Korean Ambassador H.E. Kim Sok Chol holding hands together at a welcome reception. Kim Jong Il's birthday will be on Tuesday.
Senior ministers including Nyan Win, the minister of foreign affairs; Maj-Gen Htay Oo, the minister of agriculture and irrigation and Maj Brig-Gen Aung Thein Lin, the chairman of the Yangon City Development Committee also attended the ceremony.
Analysts said the presence of Tin Aye signified a warmer relationship between the two countries.
A graduate of Defense Services Academy-9, 64-year-old Tin Aye has made official visits to various countries, including China, North Korea, Russia and Ukraine to procure arms and military equipment. He chairs the Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd (UMEHL), often regarded as the armed forces' business arm in handling trade.
Analysts say Burma's military leaders see a kindred spirit in Kim Jong Il as a politician who dares to confront the United States and the West.
A full-page birthday tribute to the North Korean leader was approved by Burma's censorship board, and the Burmese language Popular Journal published a full-page story this week.
The article is expected to be carried by other journals when they appear on Wednesday.
In the privately run journal, the author, Maung Wint Htun, described Kim as a “wise” and “patriotic” leader who has created nuclear and guided missile programs, and other industries. The article praised Kim for sacrificing his life for the future of North Korea.
Burma and North Korea have developed a military relationship since the two countries restored diplomatic ties in 2007. Analysts believe that clandestine military ties between the two countries may have been reestablished as early as 1999, when junta officials paid a low-profile visit to North Korea.
Gen Shwe Mann, the regime's No 3 man, made a secret visit to Pyongyang in November 2008, according to a secret report leaked by Burmese officials in 2009.
During the visit, Shwe Mann signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with North Korea for military cooperation between the two countries.
In the MOU, North Korea would build or supervise the construction of special Burmese military facilities, including tunnels and caves in which missiles, aircraft and even naval ships could be hidden. Burma would also receive expert training for its special forces, air defense training, plus a language training program between personnel in the two armed forces.
In July 2009, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed concern over military links between North Korea and Burma, after evidence emerged that the Burmese junta may be trying to acquire nuclear technology from Pyongyang.
“We know that there are also growing concerns about military co-operation between North Korea and Burma, which we take very seriously,” Clinton told journalists in Bangkok during a visit to Southeast Asia. “It would be destabilizing for the region. It would pose a direct threat to Burma's neighbors.”
Military analysts say the North Korean regime has provided Burma with weapons, military technology transfers and expertise in underground tunneling used for concealing secret military installations and since 2002, dozens of North Korean technicians have assisted the Burmese armed forces.
By LAWI WENG - Monday, February 15, 2010
High-ranking Burmese military officials joined a ceremony to mark the 68th birthday of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, according to Burma's state-run media.
Lt-Gen Tin Aye, ranked No 5 in the Tatmadaw (Burmese armed forces) hierarchy, attended a ceremony at the Chartrium Hotel in Rangoon on Sunday to mark the birthday of the North Korean leader.
The state-run The New Light of Myanmar on Monday ran a front-page story with a photograph of Lt-Gen Tin Aye and North Korean Ambassador H.E. Kim Sok Chol holding hands together at a welcome reception. Kim Jong Il's birthday will be on Tuesday.
Senior ministers including Nyan Win, the minister of foreign affairs; Maj-Gen Htay Oo, the minister of agriculture and irrigation and Maj Brig-Gen Aung Thein Lin, the chairman of the Yangon City Development Committee also attended the ceremony.
Analysts said the presence of Tin Aye signified a warmer relationship between the two countries.
A graduate of Defense Services Academy-9, 64-year-old Tin Aye has made official visits to various countries, including China, North Korea, Russia and Ukraine to procure arms and military equipment. He chairs the Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd (UMEHL), often regarded as the armed forces' business arm in handling trade.
Analysts say Burma's military leaders see a kindred spirit in Kim Jong Il as a politician who dares to confront the United States and the West.
A full-page birthday tribute to the North Korean leader was approved by Burma's censorship board, and the Burmese language Popular Journal published a full-page story this week.
The article is expected to be carried by other journals when they appear on Wednesday.
In the privately run journal, the author, Maung Wint Htun, described Kim as a “wise” and “patriotic” leader who has created nuclear and guided missile programs, and other industries. The article praised Kim for sacrificing his life for the future of North Korea.
Burma and North Korea have developed a military relationship since the two countries restored diplomatic ties in 2007. Analysts believe that clandestine military ties between the two countries may have been reestablished as early as 1999, when junta officials paid a low-profile visit to North Korea.
Gen Shwe Mann, the regime's No 3 man, made a secret visit to Pyongyang in November 2008, according to a secret report leaked by Burmese officials in 2009.
During the visit, Shwe Mann signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with North Korea for military cooperation between the two countries.
In the MOU, North Korea would build or supervise the construction of special Burmese military facilities, including tunnels and caves in which missiles, aircraft and even naval ships could be hidden. Burma would also receive expert training for its special forces, air defense training, plus a language training program between personnel in the two armed forces.
In July 2009, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed concern over military links between North Korea and Burma, after evidence emerged that the Burmese junta may be trying to acquire nuclear technology from Pyongyang.
“We know that there are also growing concerns about military co-operation between North Korea and Burma, which we take very seriously,” Clinton told journalists in Bangkok during a visit to Southeast Asia. “It would be destabilizing for the region. It would pose a direct threat to Burma's neighbors.”
Military analysts say the North Korean regime has provided Burma with weapons, military technology transfers and expertise in underground tunneling used for concealing secret military installations and since 2002, dozens of North Korean technicians have assisted the Burmese armed forces.
****************************************************************
Tin Oo expects Suu Kyi to be released
Sunday, 14 February 2010 00:28 Mizzima News
Interview with Dr. Win Naing
Mizzima Assistant Editor Ye Yint Aung interviews NLD Central Executive Committee member and spokesperson Dr. Win Naing, who was on the scene at the release of NLD Vice-Chairperson Tin Oo. According to Win Naing, Tin Oo revealed he also expects party Chairperson Aung San Suu Kyi to also soon be released.
Q: Please tell us the scene as Tin Oo was released?
A: Two cars entered at 8:30 p.m., one a saloon car and the other a van. They opened the gate and we saw them taking photographs. After doing what they had to do inside the house for about 10 to15 minutes they left the house. The gate was left open when they left the security personnel posted at his house were withdrawn. Then all of us, including reporters, rushed into the house. When we got into the house uncle (Win Tin) welcomed us. Then he (Tin Oo) answered questions asked by reporters.
One of the two main questions asked regarded his stand and position on the US’s new engagement policy towards Burma. He replied that this was good and long overdue.
Regarding the leadership of the NLD party, he will follow the leadership of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Uncle (Tin Oo) replied that he would accept and work on the policies and principles as laid down by the party.
Q: How did you feel when you first saw Tin Oo after his release?
A: He was extremely happy and so were we. We forgot everything about our hunger and the biting of mosquitoes and sand flies. All of us were happy. Uncle was also happy. He smiled and patiently answered questions asked by reporters. We sat around him too. After the media people left he talked with us, admonished us, and then we knelt down before him and offered our obeisance to him.
Q: Please tell us briefly about the scene inside the house?
A: There were about 25 reporters inside the house as soon as we entered. They asked him questions. The last people left inside his house were CEC members, family members and party youth members. The room is about 20 feet by 20 feet. There were about 40 to 45 people, including reporters, inside his house.
Q: How will Tin Oo serve the party?
A: Since he is the Vice-Chairman of the party, he will continue to perform his duty as party Vice-Chairman. He will discuss his role with the party Chairman. Then he will do what he has to do. He will also see and greet party leaders who are not in good health such as Lun Tin and U Lwin.
Q: How about Tin Oo’s eye condition?
A: He has to make more visits to the eye surgeon. He told us he visited eye specialist Than Aung and his vision is weak.
Q: How did he analyze the current situation of Burmese politics?
A: He didn’t talk to us about this. But he said that he would follow the policies and principles laid down by party.
Q: What else do you want to add?
A: He said that he was not too happy, as his detention was due to expire today and he must be released. But he wore a big smile. His wife also smiled. He said that he would try to meet with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi after his release. Previously, he noted, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has been released soon after his release.
Sunday, 14 February 2010 00:28 Mizzima News
Interview with Dr. Win Naing
Mizzima Assistant Editor Ye Yint Aung interviews NLD Central Executive Committee member and spokesperson Dr. Win Naing, who was on the scene at the release of NLD Vice-Chairperson Tin Oo. According to Win Naing, Tin Oo revealed he also expects party Chairperson Aung San Suu Kyi to also soon be released.
Q: Please tell us the scene as Tin Oo was released?
A: Two cars entered at 8:30 p.m., one a saloon car and the other a van. They opened the gate and we saw them taking photographs. After doing what they had to do inside the house for about 10 to15 minutes they left the house. The gate was left open when they left the security personnel posted at his house were withdrawn. Then all of us, including reporters, rushed into the house. When we got into the house uncle (Win Tin) welcomed us. Then he (Tin Oo) answered questions asked by reporters.
One of the two main questions asked regarded his stand and position on the US’s new engagement policy towards Burma. He replied that this was good and long overdue.
Regarding the leadership of the NLD party, he will follow the leadership of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Uncle (Tin Oo) replied that he would accept and work on the policies and principles as laid down by the party.
Q: How did you feel when you first saw Tin Oo after his release?
A: He was extremely happy and so were we. We forgot everything about our hunger and the biting of mosquitoes and sand flies. All of us were happy. Uncle was also happy. He smiled and patiently answered questions asked by reporters. We sat around him too. After the media people left he talked with us, admonished us, and then we knelt down before him and offered our obeisance to him.
Q: Please tell us briefly about the scene inside the house?
A: There were about 25 reporters inside the house as soon as we entered. They asked him questions. The last people left inside his house were CEC members, family members and party youth members. The room is about 20 feet by 20 feet. There were about 40 to 45 people, including reporters, inside his house.
Q: How will Tin Oo serve the party?
A: Since he is the Vice-Chairman of the party, he will continue to perform his duty as party Vice-Chairman. He will discuss his role with the party Chairman. Then he will do what he has to do. He will also see and greet party leaders who are not in good health such as Lun Tin and U Lwin.
Q: How about Tin Oo’s eye condition?
A: He has to make more visits to the eye surgeon. He told us he visited eye specialist Than Aung and his vision is weak.
Q: How did he analyze the current situation of Burmese politics?
A: He didn’t talk to us about this. But he said that he would follow the policies and principles laid down by party.
Q: What else do you want to add?
A: He said that he was not too happy, as his detention was due to expire today and he must be released. But he wore a big smile. His wife also smiled. He said that he would try to meet with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi after his release. Previously, he noted, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has been released soon after his release.
****************************************************************
Naw Ohn Hla, three others get two years in prison
Tuesday, 16 February 2010 00:42 Myint Maung
New Delhi (Mizzima) – The Burmese military junta continues to be harsh to democracy activists in the run up to the general elections with four women activists including Naw Ohn Hla, all supporters of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, sentenced to two years in prison each, today.
They were earlier charged under section 505(b) of the Penal Code by the Rangoon eastern district court in session inside the Insein prison precincts.
The court wrapped up the four-month long trial against the four women activists by handing out a two year term with hard labour. They were arrested on the way back home after offering alms in a monastery.
"All four of them were sentenced to two years each by the eastern district court judge Aung Thein and law officer (public prosecutor) Daw Tin Tin Win," defence lawyer Kyaw Hoe said.
Kyaw Hoe said he would file an appeal against the verdict handed down to Naw Ohn Hla (Hmaw Bi), Myint Myint San (Dallah Township), Cho Cho Lwin (Thingangyun) and Cho Cho Aye a.k.a. Ma Cho (South Dagon).
"I am dissatisfied with the judgment. There was lack of evidence, no eye witnesses and no documentary evidence in court. The main documentary evidence 'Kamwah' cannot be exhibited at the trial and there was lack of evidence in offering 'Kamwah' to the monk. And the monk could not be produced as witness either. So the judgment is contrary to the law," he said.
Naw Ohn Hla and three other women were arrested by the police on their way back home after offering alms in the Magwe Pryiyatti monastery in Dagon satellite town in Rangoon Division on October 3 last year. They were accused of offering 42 palm leaves of 'Kamwah' to abbot U Pamauk Kha in the monastery. The Rangoon Division Police filed a case against them.
The women used to hold prayer services every Tuesday on the Shwedagon pagoda platform, for the release of pro-democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
On the Thadingyut full moon day when the women were arrested, clandestine monk organizations observed ex-communication boycott against the military regime and urged other monks to severe ties with the military authorities. The monks observed the boycott in protest against arbitrary detention of fellow monks after an ultimatum to the regime.
Tuesday, 16 February 2010 00:42 Myint Maung
New Delhi (Mizzima) – The Burmese military junta continues to be harsh to democracy activists in the run up to the general elections with four women activists including Naw Ohn Hla, all supporters of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, sentenced to two years in prison each, today.
They were earlier charged under section 505(b) of the Penal Code by the Rangoon eastern district court in session inside the Insein prison precincts.
The court wrapped up the four-month long trial against the four women activists by handing out a two year term with hard labour. They were arrested on the way back home after offering alms in a monastery.
"All four of them were sentenced to two years each by the eastern district court judge Aung Thein and law officer (public prosecutor) Daw Tin Tin Win," defence lawyer Kyaw Hoe said.
Kyaw Hoe said he would file an appeal against the verdict handed down to Naw Ohn Hla (Hmaw Bi), Myint Myint San (Dallah Township), Cho Cho Lwin (Thingangyun) and Cho Cho Aye a.k.a. Ma Cho (South Dagon).
"I am dissatisfied with the judgment. There was lack of evidence, no eye witnesses and no documentary evidence in court. The main documentary evidence 'Kamwah' cannot be exhibited at the trial and there was lack of evidence in offering 'Kamwah' to the monk. And the monk could not be produced as witness either. So the judgment is contrary to the law," he said.
Naw Ohn Hla and three other women were arrested by the police on their way back home after offering alms in the Magwe Pryiyatti monastery in Dagon satellite town in Rangoon Division on October 3 last year. They were accused of offering 42 palm leaves of 'Kamwah' to abbot U Pamauk Kha in the monastery. The Rangoon Division Police filed a case against them.
The women used to hold prayer services every Tuesday on the Shwedagon pagoda platform, for the release of pro-democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
On the Thadingyut full moon day when the women were arrested, clandestine monk organizations observed ex-communication boycott against the military regime and urged other monks to severe ties with the military authorities. The monks observed the boycott in protest against arbitrary detention of fellow monks after an ultimatum to the regime.
****************************************************************
US pressure bodes ill for Burmese migrants
JJ Kim
Feb 15, 2010 (DVB)–Thousands of undocumented migrants in Malaysia, many of whom are recognised refugees from Burma, are likely to be arrested in coming weeks following heavy pressure from the US to eradicate human trafficking.
Malaysia’s immigration department is to clamp down on the employers of undocumented migrants in the constructing and manufacturing sectors, charging them under the Anti-Trafficking Persons Act (APTA). According to local worker rights groups, thousands of migrant workers will be detained in the process without charges while those deemed victims of human trafficking will be deported to Burma.
The shift in policy, announced in January, comes after increased pressure from the US on Malaysian authorities to bring a halt to the selling of foreign nationals for commercial exploits, such as labour and prostitution. Since the US senate publicised a report on the issue in April 2009, human trafficking has been curbed massively. However, raids and arrests continue and are expected to soar once the upcoming crackdown is underway.
According to community-based organisations working with Burmese migrants, detention facilities and prisons across the nation are already severely overcrowded since detainees are no longer being deported via traffickers. It is estimated that there are currently between 4,000 and 5,000 Burmese men, women and children in detention, compared with around 2,000 in April and less than 3,000 in August.
Pranom Somwong, who has more than 10 years’ experience working with Burmese migrants in Thailand and Malaysia, is now coordinator of Workers Hub For Change (WH4C) and Network for Action on Migrants in Malaysia (NAMM), based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital.
“Before, [immigration] would deport migrants to the Thai border, where they would often pay and be freed, but now, because of the huge allegations about trafficking, migrants from Burma are piling up in detention centres and have to be there for many months.” she said.
“But now, when migrants should come out of detention they have to spend 550 MYR [$US160] to go through the Burmese embassy and proceed back to Burma. If they don't have money they end up in detention for a longer term.”
Many of these detainees have now been held for over six months, a few for more than two years. They reportedly live in sub-standard conditions and are often subject to abusive treatment by guards. Figures from August 2009 show that five out of the nation’s 13 detention centres were over-populated, some holding twice their capacity.
Disease is widespread, and according to reports in the Malaysian media, deaths average as high as 18 per month. Local groups say that there are also high death rates among ex-detainees shortly after their release due to malnutrition and unhygienic living conditions.
Among those held are refugees who have been registered by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). They are indiscriminately arrested by Malaysian authorities although can often gain freedom more easily with the help of the UN agency.
In April 2009, Aung Soe Win, a registered refugee, was arrested along with his friend, Maung Twa,n during two consecutive raids on a restaurant where they worked. Whilst being held at Putrajaya immigration office for an extended period, Maung Twan became severely ill and died.
“The place we were held was very bad,” Aung Soe Win explained following his release. “The toilet was always overflowing and there was no water for it or windows…Every three days, 50 of us would be given an hour to shower under two shower heads.
“After about a month, Maung Twan started to get sick. His legs became swollen and he’s was bleeding and coughing and vomiting a lot. Whenever the officers would pass by our cell we would ask for medical attention. We asked so many times that I cannot remember how many, but they only gave him treatment after he started showing signs of serious illness. At this point it was almost too late to help him.
“After being sick for two months he got so sick that he could not walk. The immigration officers became angry with him and asked why he would not walk. We showed them his legs and how sick he was. Two months later, they took him to hospital. Two weeks after that he died, at age 18.
“I was released by UNHCR shortly after his death. The officers told me that if I did not take his body he would be given to the dogs. This made me very angry. We were no criminals, we were just refugees and we were treated so badly in our country. We are not treated like humans. If we were, my friend would be alive right now.”
Among the deaths of Burmese detainees in 2009 a number are thought to have been caused by Leptopirosis, a waterborne disease, typically caused by exposure to animal urine, most commonly rat.
Speaking under anonymity, ethnic group-based refugee committees in Malaysia have told of severe mistreatment in the detention facilities. “Among the greatest concerns is the treatment of women and children,” said one group’s spokesperson. “Pregnant women are often arrested and then kept in detention under the same conditions as everybody else, and often forced to give birth in their cells. Females are not given any sanitary pads or tampons and many of them believe the presence of blood will bring demons and bad spirits so they live in fear. It’s horrific, there’s blood everywhere and the roofs are very low and it gets hot.”
Sexual abuse committed by the warders is also documented regularly, on both men and women. “At Semenyih [refugee] camp, one young woman is taken once a week on rotation. They are gone for the night and often come back hurt and crying but never talk about their experiences…This also happens regularly to boys aged 14 to 16-years-old; they are attacked by both guards and older inmates.”
While using anti-trafficking legislation to dish out harsher sentences, Malaysian authorities’ primary goal appears to be an end to undocumented migration. Speaking to the Malaysian press in January this year, the department’s director-general, Datuk Abdul Rahman Othman, stated that linking the harbouring or hiring of illegals with APTA offences such as exploitation, debt bondage and slavery were the “drastic measures…needed to curb the number of overstayers in the country.” According to government there are currently around 1.8 million undocumented migrant workers nationwide.
The move is doubtlessly further influenced by pressure from the US. The senate report released in April 2009 condemned Malaysian officials for their involvement in the trade for profit. It stated that “in recent years” thousands of Burmese migrants have been passed “over to human peddlers in Thailand, representing a variety of business interests ranging from fishing boats to brothels.” It then recommended that the Malaysian authorities should investigate and prosecute cases of trafficking.
Despite previous denial of such allegations from home minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar, a full-blown investigation was shortly underway which led to nine arrests, including five immigration officials. Since then, there have been a number of further arrests linked to human trafficking, including the arrest of five Chinese nationals in Kuala Lumpur on 5 February.
While Malaysia has seen a decrease in trafficking, workers’ rights groups feel that a more holistic approach is needed as many more pressing issues affecting the lives of migrants are yet to be addressed.
According to Pranom Somwong, “a lot of information in [the US senate report] was correct and we need to respect the information from survivors in that report. But when you look at the impact of that report, you can see that the US policy is on law enforcement against trafficking and abolition of prostitution but they're not interested in other things…They are not addressing the issue of forced migration and refugees from Burma but pick and choose issues that suit them, mainly focusing on the corruption of the authorities.”
“[They haven’t suggested] any appropriate mechanism or system to allow victims to stay or receive legal aid to sue the traffickers and receive compensation. [Those that are deemed victims of trafficking] will spend three months in shelter and then sent back to Burma.”
This is of particular concern to the tens of thousands of refugees fleeing conflict and persecution in Burma. At the end of January 2010, there were a total of 79,300 UNHCR-registered refugees in Malaysia, almost all of which are Burmese. However, Malaysia is not a party to the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and thus its law enforcers indiscriminately arrest all undocumented regardless of their status.
“As far as the Malaysian government is concerned, refugees are undocumented migrants and therefore the crackdown will affect them in the same way, although those with UNHCR status will be released eventually.” Pranom Somwong added.
On 1 February the government announced plans to issue ID cards to all UNHCR-registered refugees, a decision that has been welcomed by the agency.
According to UNHCR Malaysia’s external relations officer, Yante Ismail, “Proper documentation for refugees is essential to their protection…We look forward to further discussions to put into place with them a documentation system for refugees."
No planned date for the move was announced but it is unlikely to go through in coming months and will have little or no effect on the arrests beginning next week. Law enforcers will firstly be focusing on the manufacturing and construction sectors but are expected to target the services sector too next month after Chinese New Year celebrations are over.
The effects of the crackdown are hard to predict. In 2005 and 2007, similar plans were announced that led to the arrest of tens of thousands of undocumented migrants. However, never has there been such attention given to employers, nor have anti-trafficking offences been such a key focus.
In Kuala Lumpur, refugee committees and worker rights groups alike are expecting the majority of those arrested to be migrants themselves, and have targeted employers to be limited to owners of small businesses. According to Pranom Somwong, “The anti-trafficking act is second on the agenda, aimed at appeasing the US war on human trafficking.”
JJ Kim
Feb 15, 2010 (DVB)–Thousands of undocumented migrants in Malaysia, many of whom are recognised refugees from Burma, are likely to be arrested in coming weeks following heavy pressure from the US to eradicate human trafficking.
Malaysia’s immigration department is to clamp down on the employers of undocumented migrants in the constructing and manufacturing sectors, charging them under the Anti-Trafficking Persons Act (APTA). According to local worker rights groups, thousands of migrant workers will be detained in the process without charges while those deemed victims of human trafficking will be deported to Burma.
The shift in policy, announced in January, comes after increased pressure from the US on Malaysian authorities to bring a halt to the selling of foreign nationals for commercial exploits, such as labour and prostitution. Since the US senate publicised a report on the issue in April 2009, human trafficking has been curbed massively. However, raids and arrests continue and are expected to soar once the upcoming crackdown is underway.
According to community-based organisations working with Burmese migrants, detention facilities and prisons across the nation are already severely overcrowded since detainees are no longer being deported via traffickers. It is estimated that there are currently between 4,000 and 5,000 Burmese men, women and children in detention, compared with around 2,000 in April and less than 3,000 in August.
Pranom Somwong, who has more than 10 years’ experience working with Burmese migrants in Thailand and Malaysia, is now coordinator of Workers Hub For Change (WH4C) and Network for Action on Migrants in Malaysia (NAMM), based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital.
“Before, [immigration] would deport migrants to the Thai border, where they would often pay and be freed, but now, because of the huge allegations about trafficking, migrants from Burma are piling up in detention centres and have to be there for many months.” she said.
“But now, when migrants should come out of detention they have to spend 550 MYR [$US160] to go through the Burmese embassy and proceed back to Burma. If they don't have money they end up in detention for a longer term.”
Many of these detainees have now been held for over six months, a few for more than two years. They reportedly live in sub-standard conditions and are often subject to abusive treatment by guards. Figures from August 2009 show that five out of the nation’s 13 detention centres were over-populated, some holding twice their capacity.
Disease is widespread, and according to reports in the Malaysian media, deaths average as high as 18 per month. Local groups say that there are also high death rates among ex-detainees shortly after their release due to malnutrition and unhygienic living conditions.
Among those held are refugees who have been registered by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). They are indiscriminately arrested by Malaysian authorities although can often gain freedom more easily with the help of the UN agency.
In April 2009, Aung Soe Win, a registered refugee, was arrested along with his friend, Maung Twa,n during two consecutive raids on a restaurant where they worked. Whilst being held at Putrajaya immigration office for an extended period, Maung Twan became severely ill and died.
“The place we were held was very bad,” Aung Soe Win explained following his release. “The toilet was always overflowing and there was no water for it or windows…Every three days, 50 of us would be given an hour to shower under two shower heads.
“After about a month, Maung Twan started to get sick. His legs became swollen and he’s was bleeding and coughing and vomiting a lot. Whenever the officers would pass by our cell we would ask for medical attention. We asked so many times that I cannot remember how many, but they only gave him treatment after he started showing signs of serious illness. At this point it was almost too late to help him.
“After being sick for two months he got so sick that he could not walk. The immigration officers became angry with him and asked why he would not walk. We showed them his legs and how sick he was. Two months later, they took him to hospital. Two weeks after that he died, at age 18.
“I was released by UNHCR shortly after his death. The officers told me that if I did not take his body he would be given to the dogs. This made me very angry. We were no criminals, we were just refugees and we were treated so badly in our country. We are not treated like humans. If we were, my friend would be alive right now.”
Among the deaths of Burmese detainees in 2009 a number are thought to have been caused by Leptopirosis, a waterborne disease, typically caused by exposure to animal urine, most commonly rat.
Speaking under anonymity, ethnic group-based refugee committees in Malaysia have told of severe mistreatment in the detention facilities. “Among the greatest concerns is the treatment of women and children,” said one group’s spokesperson. “Pregnant women are often arrested and then kept in detention under the same conditions as everybody else, and often forced to give birth in their cells. Females are not given any sanitary pads or tampons and many of them believe the presence of blood will bring demons and bad spirits so they live in fear. It’s horrific, there’s blood everywhere and the roofs are very low and it gets hot.”
Sexual abuse committed by the warders is also documented regularly, on both men and women. “At Semenyih [refugee] camp, one young woman is taken once a week on rotation. They are gone for the night and often come back hurt and crying but never talk about their experiences…This also happens regularly to boys aged 14 to 16-years-old; they are attacked by both guards and older inmates.”
While using anti-trafficking legislation to dish out harsher sentences, Malaysian authorities’ primary goal appears to be an end to undocumented migration. Speaking to the Malaysian press in January this year, the department’s director-general, Datuk Abdul Rahman Othman, stated that linking the harbouring or hiring of illegals with APTA offences such as exploitation, debt bondage and slavery were the “drastic measures…needed to curb the number of overstayers in the country.” According to government there are currently around 1.8 million undocumented migrant workers nationwide.
The move is doubtlessly further influenced by pressure from the US. The senate report released in April 2009 condemned Malaysian officials for their involvement in the trade for profit. It stated that “in recent years” thousands of Burmese migrants have been passed “over to human peddlers in Thailand, representing a variety of business interests ranging from fishing boats to brothels.” It then recommended that the Malaysian authorities should investigate and prosecute cases of trafficking.
Despite previous denial of such allegations from home minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar, a full-blown investigation was shortly underway which led to nine arrests, including five immigration officials. Since then, there have been a number of further arrests linked to human trafficking, including the arrest of five Chinese nationals in Kuala Lumpur on 5 February.
While Malaysia has seen a decrease in trafficking, workers’ rights groups feel that a more holistic approach is needed as many more pressing issues affecting the lives of migrants are yet to be addressed.
According to Pranom Somwong, “a lot of information in [the US senate report] was correct and we need to respect the information from survivors in that report. But when you look at the impact of that report, you can see that the US policy is on law enforcement against trafficking and abolition of prostitution but they're not interested in other things…They are not addressing the issue of forced migration and refugees from Burma but pick and choose issues that suit them, mainly focusing on the corruption of the authorities.”
“[They haven’t suggested] any appropriate mechanism or system to allow victims to stay or receive legal aid to sue the traffickers and receive compensation. [Those that are deemed victims of trafficking] will spend three months in shelter and then sent back to Burma.”
This is of particular concern to the tens of thousands of refugees fleeing conflict and persecution in Burma. At the end of January 2010, there were a total of 79,300 UNHCR-registered refugees in Malaysia, almost all of which are Burmese. However, Malaysia is not a party to the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and thus its law enforcers indiscriminately arrest all undocumented regardless of their status.
“As far as the Malaysian government is concerned, refugees are undocumented migrants and therefore the crackdown will affect them in the same way, although those with UNHCR status will be released eventually.” Pranom Somwong added.
On 1 February the government announced plans to issue ID cards to all UNHCR-registered refugees, a decision that has been welcomed by the agency.
According to UNHCR Malaysia’s external relations officer, Yante Ismail, “Proper documentation for refugees is essential to their protection…We look forward to further discussions to put into place with them a documentation system for refugees."
No planned date for the move was announced but it is unlikely to go through in coming months and will have little or no effect on the arrests beginning next week. Law enforcers will firstly be focusing on the manufacturing and construction sectors but are expected to target the services sector too next month after Chinese New Year celebrations are over.
The effects of the crackdown are hard to predict. In 2005 and 2007, similar plans were announced that led to the arrest of tens of thousands of undocumented migrants. However, never has there been such attention given to employers, nor have anti-trafficking offences been such a key focus.
In Kuala Lumpur, refugee committees and worker rights groups alike are expecting the majority of those arrested to be migrants themselves, and have targeted employers to be limited to owners of small businesses. According to Pranom Somwong, “The anti-trafficking act is second on the agenda, aimed at appeasing the US war on human trafficking.”
****************************************************************
Wa chief still refuses to meet Burma army
Feb 15, 2010 (DVB) – Wa leader Bao Yuxiang again refused to meet with Burma army’s security chief to discuss the latter’s plan of transforming Wa army into border guard force.
Bao was notified on 11 February by Lt-Gen Ye Myint to come to Burma army’s northeast command headquarters in Lashio on 14 February. But United Wa State Army replied that Bao is unable to come due to ‘poor health’ and the need to celebrate Chinese New Year, according to sources close to the Sino-Burmese border.
UWSA also reportedly told the Burmese general to come to its headquarters at Pang Sang near the Chinese border after 20 February if he wants to discuss the matter. The ruling military junta of Burma, the State Peace and Development Council also notified Bao on 6 February and 5 January to come to Lashio to discuss the matter but he declined on both occasions.
Military analysts said the repeated ‘invitation’ of the SPDC suggests that the junta might have more secret plans against Bao than discussing the issue of border guard force. The 30,000-strong United Wa State Army (UWSA), also Burma’s largest ceasefire group, signed ceasefire agreement with the Burmese generals in 1989.
Tension has been high between the UWSA and the Burmese army following pressure from the government on ceasefire groups to transform into border guard forces and come under the control of the Burmese army.
The majority of Burma’s 18 ceasefire groups have rejected the government’s demands, which appear to be an attempt to strengthen its support base prior to elections this year.
UWSA has also been training civilians from various townships in its region of northern Shan state since December last year in expectation of the Burmese army’s attacks.
It controls vast swathes of Shan territory, has a loyal following among ethnic Shan in the region. It also plays a leading role in Burma’s opium market, which is the second biggest in the world behind Afghanistan’s.
Reporting by DVB
Feb 15, 2010 (DVB) – Wa leader Bao Yuxiang again refused to meet with Burma army’s security chief to discuss the latter’s plan of transforming Wa army into border guard force.
Bao was notified on 11 February by Lt-Gen Ye Myint to come to Burma army’s northeast command headquarters in Lashio on 14 February. But United Wa State Army replied that Bao is unable to come due to ‘poor health’ and the need to celebrate Chinese New Year, according to sources close to the Sino-Burmese border.
UWSA also reportedly told the Burmese general to come to its headquarters at Pang Sang near the Chinese border after 20 February if he wants to discuss the matter. The ruling military junta of Burma, the State Peace and Development Council also notified Bao on 6 February and 5 January to come to Lashio to discuss the matter but he declined on both occasions.
Military analysts said the repeated ‘invitation’ of the SPDC suggests that the junta might have more secret plans against Bao than discussing the issue of border guard force. The 30,000-strong United Wa State Army (UWSA), also Burma’s largest ceasefire group, signed ceasefire agreement with the Burmese generals in 1989.
Tension has been high between the UWSA and the Burmese army following pressure from the government on ceasefire groups to transform into border guard forces and come under the control of the Burmese army.
The majority of Burma’s 18 ceasefire groups have rejected the government’s demands, which appear to be an attempt to strengthen its support base prior to elections this year.
UWSA has also been training civilians from various townships in its region of northern Shan state since December last year in expectation of the Burmese army’s attacks.
It controls vast swathes of Shan territory, has a loyal following among ethnic Shan in the region. It also plays a leading role in Burma’s opium market, which is the second biggest in the world behind Afghanistan’s.
Reporting by DVB
No comments:
Post a Comment