UN urges war crimes probe in Myanmar
by Danny Kemp – Fri Mar 12, 5:11 am ET
BANGKOK (AFP) – A UN special envoy upped pressure on Myanmar's ruling junta Friday with a pre-election call for an investigation into whether the regime is guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Tomas Ojea Quintana made the recommendation in a report to be examined next Monday by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, noting "systematic violation of human rights" when he visited the country in February.
The report adds to growing international outrage at Myanmar's military regime after it issued new laws for elections due later this year that bar detained pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi from taking part.
"According to consistent reports, the possibility exists that some of these human rights violations may entail categories of crimes against humanity or war crimes under the terms of the statute of the International Criminal Court," said the report.
Quintana pointed out that the "mere existence of this possibility" requires the Myanmar government to investigate the allegations.
But the junta has failed to remedy abuses such as the recruitment of child soldiers, discrimination against the Muslim minority in northern Rakhine state and the deprivation of basic rights to food, shelter, health and education.
The UN should therefore consider setting up a panel to probe the allegations, Quintana said -- echoing a long-term demand of rights groups for Myanmar's ruling generals to face war crimes charges.
"Given this lack of accountability, UN institutions may consider the possibility to establish a commission of inquiry with a specific fact-finding mandate to address the question of international crimes," he said.
He said rights violations had continued unabated for years in Myanmar without any intervention from the junta.
He charged that the violations "are the result of a state policy that originates from decisions by authorities in the executive, military and judiciary at all levels."
The expert also renewed a call for Myanmar to release more than 2,100 political prisoners, as well Suu Kyi, ahead of this year's elections.
Suu Kyi called on Myanmar citizens on Thursday to respond to the "unjust" laws, under which her own National League for Democracy must expel her from the party ranks or face dissolution.
"She didn't think such a repressive law would come out," said her lawyer and NLD spokesman Nyan Win after he visited the opposition leader, who has been detained for 14 of the last 20 years.
The new laws also officially annul the result of Myanmar's last elections in 1990, which the NLD won by a landslide. The junta never allowed the party to take power.
Nordic foreign ministers late Thursday joined the United States, Britain and other nations in criticising the election laws.
Rights groups hailed Quintana's report.
"This is the first time in the nearly 20 years of UN involvement in my country that an UN official made a credible, meaningful and important recommendation to help transform the situation in Burma," said Aung Din, executive director of the US Campaign for Burma.
"I hope the UN Security Council and other UN institutions will act accordingly to set up a commission of inquiry, suggested by the Special Rapporteur without further delay. This is the time for action," he added.
But Renaud Egreteau, a Myanmar researcher at the University of Hong Kong, said that the UN report was a provocation and the international community needed to engage with the junta to have any hope of promoting reform.
The UN report "will not help the transition process. One is used to this kind of declaration from other organisations but this is new from the UN".
Myanmar's "severe human rights abuses" -- including deaths in custody, rape and torture -- were also highlighted in a separate report released Thursday by the US State Department.
That report said Buddhist monks were subjected to particularly "cruel treatment" due to the role the clergy played in 2007 pro-democracy protests crushed by the junta.
by Danny Kemp – Fri Mar 12, 5:11 am ET
BANGKOK (AFP) – A UN special envoy upped pressure on Myanmar's ruling junta Friday with a pre-election call for an investigation into whether the regime is guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Tomas Ojea Quintana made the recommendation in a report to be examined next Monday by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, noting "systematic violation of human rights" when he visited the country in February.
The report adds to growing international outrage at Myanmar's military regime after it issued new laws for elections due later this year that bar detained pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi from taking part.
"According to consistent reports, the possibility exists that some of these human rights violations may entail categories of crimes against humanity or war crimes under the terms of the statute of the International Criminal Court," said the report.
Quintana pointed out that the "mere existence of this possibility" requires the Myanmar government to investigate the allegations.
But the junta has failed to remedy abuses such as the recruitment of child soldiers, discrimination against the Muslim minority in northern Rakhine state and the deprivation of basic rights to food, shelter, health and education.
The UN should therefore consider setting up a panel to probe the allegations, Quintana said -- echoing a long-term demand of rights groups for Myanmar's ruling generals to face war crimes charges.
"Given this lack of accountability, UN institutions may consider the possibility to establish a commission of inquiry with a specific fact-finding mandate to address the question of international crimes," he said.
He said rights violations had continued unabated for years in Myanmar without any intervention from the junta.
He charged that the violations "are the result of a state policy that originates from decisions by authorities in the executive, military and judiciary at all levels."
The expert also renewed a call for Myanmar to release more than 2,100 political prisoners, as well Suu Kyi, ahead of this year's elections.
Suu Kyi called on Myanmar citizens on Thursday to respond to the "unjust" laws, under which her own National League for Democracy must expel her from the party ranks or face dissolution.
"She didn't think such a repressive law would come out," said her lawyer and NLD spokesman Nyan Win after he visited the opposition leader, who has been detained for 14 of the last 20 years.
The new laws also officially annul the result of Myanmar's last elections in 1990, which the NLD won by a landslide. The junta never allowed the party to take power.
Nordic foreign ministers late Thursday joined the United States, Britain and other nations in criticising the election laws.
Rights groups hailed Quintana's report.
"This is the first time in the nearly 20 years of UN involvement in my country that an UN official made a credible, meaningful and important recommendation to help transform the situation in Burma," said Aung Din, executive director of the US Campaign for Burma.
"I hope the UN Security Council and other UN institutions will act accordingly to set up a commission of inquiry, suggested by the Special Rapporteur without further delay. This is the time for action," he added.
But Renaud Egreteau, a Myanmar researcher at the University of Hong Kong, said that the UN report was a provocation and the international community needed to engage with the junta to have any hope of promoting reform.
The UN report "will not help the transition process. One is used to this kind of declaration from other organisations but this is new from the UN".
Myanmar's "severe human rights abuses" -- including deaths in custody, rape and torture -- were also highlighted in a separate report released Thursday by the US State Department.
That report said Buddhist monks were subjected to particularly "cruel treatment" due to the role the clergy played in 2007 pro-democracy protests crushed by the junta.
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Myanmar abuse may be crimes against humanity: UN expert
Thu Mar 11, 2:13 pm ET
GENEVA (AFP) – Human rights violations in Myanmar may amount to crimes against humanity and could warrant a UN inquiry, a UN expert said in a report to be examined next Monday at the Human Rights Council.
"According to consistent reports, the possibility exists that some of these human rights violations may entail categories of crimes against humanity or war crimes under the terms of the statute of the International Criminal Court," said Tomas Quintana in his report to the council.
Quintana, who visited the South-east Asian country in February, pointed out that the "mere existence of this possibility" requires the Myanmar government to investigate the allegations.
However, the ruling junta has failed to remedy abuses such as the recruitment of child soldiers, the discrimination against the Muslim minority in the northern Rakhine state and the deprivation of the population's basic rights to food, shelter, health and education.
"Given this lack of accountability, UN institutions may consider the possibility to establish a commission of inquiry with a specific fact finding mandate to address the question of international crimes," he said.
Quintana noted that "systematic violation of human rights" for years in the country continues without any intervention from the junta.
He charged that the violations "are the result of a state policy that originate from decisions by authorities in the executive, military and judiciary at all levels."
The expert, who completed his report before new election laws were unveiled this week by the junta, also renewed a call for the Myanmar government to release more than 2,100 political prisoners, as well as pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi ahead of this year's elections.
Rights groups such as the United States Campaign for Burma -- a coalition of Myanmar activists in exile and human rights campaigners -- hailed Quintana's report.
"This is the first time in the nearly 20 years of UN involvement in my country that an UN official made a credible, meaningful and important recommendation to help transform the situation in Burma," said Aung Din, who is executive director of the US Campaign for Burma.
"I hope the UN Security Council and other UN institutions will act accordingly to set up a commission of inquiry, suggested by the Special Rapporteur without further delay. This is the time for action," added Aung.
Myanmar's "severe human rights abuses" -- including deaths in custody, rape and torture -- were also highlighted in a separate report released Thursday by the US State Department.
The State Department's annual report said that Buddhist monks were subjected to particularly "cruel treatment," including beatings, due to the role the clergy played in 2007 pro-democracy protests crushed by the junta.
It also reported severe repression of ethnic minorities including the forced displacement of villagers to make way for development and migration by Burmese.
The report quoted a refugee group as documenting more than 4,000 cases of rape, forced labor and other abuses against the Karen minority in the past several years across 190 villages.
Child soldiers were also a major problem, with the military forcibly enlisting children as young as 14, the report said.
Thu Mar 11, 2:13 pm ET
GENEVA (AFP) – Human rights violations in Myanmar may amount to crimes against humanity and could warrant a UN inquiry, a UN expert said in a report to be examined next Monday at the Human Rights Council.
"According to consistent reports, the possibility exists that some of these human rights violations may entail categories of crimes against humanity or war crimes under the terms of the statute of the International Criminal Court," said Tomas Quintana in his report to the council.
Quintana, who visited the South-east Asian country in February, pointed out that the "mere existence of this possibility" requires the Myanmar government to investigate the allegations.
However, the ruling junta has failed to remedy abuses such as the recruitment of child soldiers, the discrimination against the Muslim minority in the northern Rakhine state and the deprivation of the population's basic rights to food, shelter, health and education.
"Given this lack of accountability, UN institutions may consider the possibility to establish a commission of inquiry with a specific fact finding mandate to address the question of international crimes," he said.
Quintana noted that "systematic violation of human rights" for years in the country continues without any intervention from the junta.
He charged that the violations "are the result of a state policy that originate from decisions by authorities in the executive, military and judiciary at all levels."
The expert, who completed his report before new election laws were unveiled this week by the junta, also renewed a call for the Myanmar government to release more than 2,100 political prisoners, as well as pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi ahead of this year's elections.
Rights groups such as the United States Campaign for Burma -- a coalition of Myanmar activists in exile and human rights campaigners -- hailed Quintana's report.
"This is the first time in the nearly 20 years of UN involvement in my country that an UN official made a credible, meaningful and important recommendation to help transform the situation in Burma," said Aung Din, who is executive director of the US Campaign for Burma.
"I hope the UN Security Council and other UN institutions will act accordingly to set up a commission of inquiry, suggested by the Special Rapporteur without further delay. This is the time for action," added Aung.
Myanmar's "severe human rights abuses" -- including deaths in custody, rape and torture -- were also highlighted in a separate report released Thursday by the US State Department.
The State Department's annual report said that Buddhist monks were subjected to particularly "cruel treatment," including beatings, due to the role the clergy played in 2007 pro-democracy protests crushed by the junta.
It also reported severe repression of ethnic minorities including the forced displacement of villagers to make way for development and migration by Burmese.
The report quoted a refugee group as documenting more than 4,000 cases of rape, forced labor and other abuses against the Karen minority in the past several years across 190 villages.
Child soldiers were also a major problem, with the military forcibly enlisting children as young as 14, the report said.
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US slams rights abuses in China, NKorea and Iran
By Lachlan Carmichael – 22 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AFP) — The United States on Thursday accused China and Iran of increasing human rights abuses as it raised the alarm about growing anti-Semitism worldwide and discrimination of Muslims in Europe.
In its annual report on human rights for 194 countries, the State Department also denounced North Korea's "deplorable" record, "egregious" abuses in Myanmar as well as "numerous and serious" violations in Cuba.
In China, the report said, the authorities continued the repression of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang, the western region where China's Han majority engaged last year in deadly clashes with local Uighurs.
The report also said "the detention and harassment of human rights activists increased, and public interest lawyers and law firms that took on cases deemed sensitive by the government faced harassment, disbarment and closure."
The report said China also imposed "tight government controls" on Tibetans, who faced restrictions on practicing their religion and severe repercussions if they tried to escape to Nepal.
It also continued its clampdown on the Falungong, a spiritual movement loosely based on Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian philosophies, according to the State Department.
The report said "the situation in the North Caucasus region of Russia worsened as the government fought insurgents, Islamist militants, and criminal forces."
It cited reports in which both sides "engaged in killings, torture, abuse, violence, politically motivated abductions, and other brutal or humiliating treatment."
The State Department report said North Korea's human rights record is "deplorable," with the regime engaging in summary executions, torture, forced abortions and infanticide.
While it has little access to the reclusive nation, the State Department said there were credible reports of severe abuses of anyone perceived as critical of Kim Jong-Il's regime or who tries to emigrate illegally.
The report said the junta in Myanmar continued its "egregious human rights violations and abuses during the year," including increased military attacks in ethnic minority regions, such as in the Karen and Shan states.
It also continued to imprison and abuse its political opponents.
The State Department charged that Iran's already "poor human rights record degenerated" in 2009, particularly with a deadly security crackdown after disputed presidential elections in June.
Aside from human rights, the United States is seriously concerned about Iran's and North Korea's nuclear ambitious.
Iran was also cited as a key example of governments that fuel anti-Semitism, often under a new guise of denouncing Zionism or Israeli policies. Egypt, a US ally, was also blamed.
"Traditional and new forms of anti-Semitism continued to arise," particularly after Israel launched its brief offensive against Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip in December 2008, the report said.
Meanwhile, the State Department expressed "growing concern" over the discrimination against Muslims in Europe, citing in particular a ban on the construction of minarets in Switzerland.
The State Department reported that US-backed governments in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq had mixed records last year.
It referred to reports in Iraq "that the government or its agents committed arbitrary or unlawful killings" despite improved security in the country.
It also cited widespread charges of fraud in the August election in Afghanistan, but spoke of greater media and public debate.
In neighboring Pakistan, the State Department added, "major problems" like extrajudicial killings, torture, and disappearances remain despite some "positive steps" taken by the authorities.
It said Sri Lanka violated human rights last year as it dealt a final blow to Tamil Tiger insurgents and clamped down on media freedom, but there were some signs of progress following the victory by government troops.
Turning from Asia to Latin America, the report said Cuba continues to deny its citizens' basic human rights, including the right to change their government, and has committed "numerous and serious abuses."
In close Cuba ally Venezuela, "politicization of the judiciary and official harassment and intimidation of the political opposition and the media intensified during the year," according to the report.
The State Department also signaled worrying trends like growing crackdowns on non-government organizations, persecution of vulnerable ethnic and other groups as well as restrictions on media.
By Lachlan Carmichael – 22 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AFP) — The United States on Thursday accused China and Iran of increasing human rights abuses as it raised the alarm about growing anti-Semitism worldwide and discrimination of Muslims in Europe.
In its annual report on human rights for 194 countries, the State Department also denounced North Korea's "deplorable" record, "egregious" abuses in Myanmar as well as "numerous and serious" violations in Cuba.
In China, the report said, the authorities continued the repression of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang, the western region where China's Han majority engaged last year in deadly clashes with local Uighurs.
The report also said "the detention and harassment of human rights activists increased, and public interest lawyers and law firms that took on cases deemed sensitive by the government faced harassment, disbarment and closure."
The report said China also imposed "tight government controls" on Tibetans, who faced restrictions on practicing their religion and severe repercussions if they tried to escape to Nepal.
It also continued its clampdown on the Falungong, a spiritual movement loosely based on Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian philosophies, according to the State Department.
The report said "the situation in the North Caucasus region of Russia worsened as the government fought insurgents, Islamist militants, and criminal forces."
It cited reports in which both sides "engaged in killings, torture, abuse, violence, politically motivated abductions, and other brutal or humiliating treatment."
The State Department report said North Korea's human rights record is "deplorable," with the regime engaging in summary executions, torture, forced abortions and infanticide.
While it has little access to the reclusive nation, the State Department said there were credible reports of severe abuses of anyone perceived as critical of Kim Jong-Il's regime or who tries to emigrate illegally.
The report said the junta in Myanmar continued its "egregious human rights violations and abuses during the year," including increased military attacks in ethnic minority regions, such as in the Karen and Shan states.
It also continued to imprison and abuse its political opponents.
The State Department charged that Iran's already "poor human rights record degenerated" in 2009, particularly with a deadly security crackdown after disputed presidential elections in June.
Aside from human rights, the United States is seriously concerned about Iran's and North Korea's nuclear ambitious.
Iran was also cited as a key example of governments that fuel anti-Semitism, often under a new guise of denouncing Zionism or Israeli policies. Egypt, a US ally, was also blamed.
"Traditional and new forms of anti-Semitism continued to arise," particularly after Israel launched its brief offensive against Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip in December 2008, the report said.
Meanwhile, the State Department expressed "growing concern" over the discrimination against Muslims in Europe, citing in particular a ban on the construction of minarets in Switzerland.
The State Department reported that US-backed governments in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq had mixed records last year.
It referred to reports in Iraq "that the government or its agents committed arbitrary or unlawful killings" despite improved security in the country.
It also cited widespread charges of fraud in the August election in Afghanistan, but spoke of greater media and public debate.
In neighboring Pakistan, the State Department added, "major problems" like extrajudicial killings, torture, and disappearances remain despite some "positive steps" taken by the authorities.
It said Sri Lanka violated human rights last year as it dealt a final blow to Tamil Tiger insurgents and clamped down on media freedom, but there were some signs of progress following the victory by government troops.
Turning from Asia to Latin America, the report said Cuba continues to deny its citizens' basic human rights, including the right to change their government, and has committed "numerous and serious abuses."
In close Cuba ally Venezuela, "politicization of the judiciary and official harassment and intimidation of the political opposition and the media intensified during the year," according to the report.
The State Department also signaled worrying trends like growing crackdowns on non-government organizations, persecution of vulnerable ethnic and other groups as well as restrictions on media.
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US suggests new engagement with Myanmar is failing
Fri Mar 12, 1:43 am ET
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – Washington's new policy of engagement with Myanmar's military government appears to be failing, a senior U.S. official indicated Friday, noting the junta's decision to bar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from upcoming elections.
This week the government unveiled election laws that prevent the detained Nobel Peace Prize laureate from running for office or even voting in the polls and greatly weaken her National League for Democracy. The date of the elections has not been announced.
The United States recently modified its strict policy of isolating the junta in the hope that increased engagement would encourage change. However, the Obama administration has said it will not lift sanctions on Myanmar unless its sees concrete progress toward democratic reform — notably freeing Suu Kyi and letting her party participate in elections.
"The U.S. approach was to try to encourage domestic dialogue between the key stakeholders, and the recent promulgation of the election criteria doesn't leave much room for such a dialogue," said U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell.
Campbell, speaking to reporters in Bangkok, said the U.S. would continue to talk with all parties inside Myanmar, including the government.
But he added: "We're very disappointed, and we are concerned. It's very regrettable. This is not what we had hoped for, and it is a setback." Campbell is on a 10-country Asian trip.
On Friday, the junta unveiled the last of its election laws, which Suu Kyi has described as unjust and repressive.
The fifth and last law, carried in state-owned newspapers, governs elections for 14 regional parliaments. Details of the five laws have trickled out over the course of the week.
"Aung San Suu Kyi said she never expected such repressive laws would come out but said she's not disappointed," her party spokesman Nyan Win told reporters after meeting the 64-year-old democracy leader at her home Thursday.
"She said such challenges call for resolute responses and calls on the people and democratic forces to take unanimous action against such unfair laws," he said.
The party has yet to decide whether it will participate in the elections. Political parties have 60 days from Monday to register.
It will be the first poll since 1990, when Suu Kyi's party won a landslide victory. The junta ignored the results of that vote and has kept Suu Kyi jailed or under detention for 14 of the past 20 years.
This year's elections are part of the junta's "roadmap to democracy," which critics deride as a sham designed to cement the military's power. A military-backed constitution was approved by a national referendum last May, but the opposition charges that the vote was unfair.
An election law announced Wednesday prohibits anyone convicted of a crime from being a member of a political party, making Suu Kyi ineligible to become a candidate in the elections — or even a member of the party she co-founded and heads.
In August, Suu Kyi was convicted of violating the terms of her house arrest by briefly sheltering an American who swam uninvited to her lakeside residence, and was sentenced to 18 more months of detention.
Election laws announced Thursday take away her right to vote, saying those convicted of crimes are barred from the polls. Thursday's two laws also formally invalidated the 1990 election results, saying the 1989 election law under which those polls were held was repealed by the new legislation.
"They have been slowly trying to decimate the party and now they are doing it with utmost force. But the NLD will never collapse," said the party's deputy chairman, Tin Oo.
U.S.-based Human Rights Watch says it believes 429 members of the league are currently imprisoned, including 12 who won parliamentary seats in the 1990 elections.
The United States and human rights groups have warned that the junta is running out of chances to make the elections appear credible. Clauses in the constitution already ensure that the military will retain a controlling say in government and bar Suu Kyi from holding office.
Fri Mar 12, 1:43 am ET
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – Washington's new policy of engagement with Myanmar's military government appears to be failing, a senior U.S. official indicated Friday, noting the junta's decision to bar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from upcoming elections.
This week the government unveiled election laws that prevent the detained Nobel Peace Prize laureate from running for office or even voting in the polls and greatly weaken her National League for Democracy. The date of the elections has not been announced.
The United States recently modified its strict policy of isolating the junta in the hope that increased engagement would encourage change. However, the Obama administration has said it will not lift sanctions on Myanmar unless its sees concrete progress toward democratic reform — notably freeing Suu Kyi and letting her party participate in elections.
"The U.S. approach was to try to encourage domestic dialogue between the key stakeholders, and the recent promulgation of the election criteria doesn't leave much room for such a dialogue," said U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell.
Campbell, speaking to reporters in Bangkok, said the U.S. would continue to talk with all parties inside Myanmar, including the government.
But he added: "We're very disappointed, and we are concerned. It's very regrettable. This is not what we had hoped for, and it is a setback." Campbell is on a 10-country Asian trip.
On Friday, the junta unveiled the last of its election laws, which Suu Kyi has described as unjust and repressive.
The fifth and last law, carried in state-owned newspapers, governs elections for 14 regional parliaments. Details of the five laws have trickled out over the course of the week.
"Aung San Suu Kyi said she never expected such repressive laws would come out but said she's not disappointed," her party spokesman Nyan Win told reporters after meeting the 64-year-old democracy leader at her home Thursday.
"She said such challenges call for resolute responses and calls on the people and democratic forces to take unanimous action against such unfair laws," he said.
The party has yet to decide whether it will participate in the elections. Political parties have 60 days from Monday to register.
It will be the first poll since 1990, when Suu Kyi's party won a landslide victory. The junta ignored the results of that vote and has kept Suu Kyi jailed or under detention for 14 of the past 20 years.
This year's elections are part of the junta's "roadmap to democracy," which critics deride as a sham designed to cement the military's power. A military-backed constitution was approved by a national referendum last May, but the opposition charges that the vote was unfair.
An election law announced Wednesday prohibits anyone convicted of a crime from being a member of a political party, making Suu Kyi ineligible to become a candidate in the elections — or even a member of the party she co-founded and heads.
In August, Suu Kyi was convicted of violating the terms of her house arrest by briefly sheltering an American who swam uninvited to her lakeside residence, and was sentenced to 18 more months of detention.
Election laws announced Thursday take away her right to vote, saying those convicted of crimes are barred from the polls. Thursday's two laws also formally invalidated the 1990 election results, saying the 1989 election law under which those polls were held was repealed by the new legislation.
"They have been slowly trying to decimate the party and now they are doing it with utmost force. But the NLD will never collapse," said the party's deputy chairman, Tin Oo.
U.S.-based Human Rights Watch says it believes 429 members of the league are currently imprisoned, including 12 who won parliamentary seats in the 1990 elections.
The United States and human rights groups have warned that the junta is running out of chances to make the elections appear credible. Clauses in the constitution already ensure that the military will retain a controlling say in government and bar Suu Kyi from holding office.
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Malaysia detains 93 Rohingya boat people who have been at sea for 30 days
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (CP) – 6 hours ago
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysian authorities have picked up 93 Muslims fleeing persecution in Myanmar who said they spent 30 days at sea in a crowded wooden boat, an official said Friday.
The Rohingya men, an ethnic group not recognized by Myanmar's military regime, had apparently been chased out of Thai waters before they were detained Wednesday off Malaysia's northern resort island of Langkawi, said Zainuddin Mohamad Suki, an officer with the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.
The Thais denied they chased the boat away.
A fishing boat had earlier reported to the agency that the men were asking for food and water from passing vessels after their open boat experienced engine failure, he said.
Initial investigations showed they had been at sea for 30 days after fleeing their homeland, he said.
"Some of the men said they were chased out of Thai waters earlier before they made their way to Langkawi. They said they were sailing aimlessly in the hope of finding a country that will accept them," Zainuddin told The Associated Press.
Vimon Kidchob, spokeswoman for the Thai Foreign Ministry, however, said troops gave the men food and water, suggesting the men left Thai waters of their own accord.
"The Rohingyas were not chased out of the Thai waters. Thai troops on the Andaman Coast found a group of non-Thai people in boats, so they gave the people food and water and let them continue their journey," she said.
Thailand has acknowledged in the past towing away boats of Rohingyas, hoping they will land in other countries.
The Muslim Rohingyas number about 800,000 in Myanmar where they are denied full citizenship and face widespread abuses including forced labour, land seizures and rape, rights groups say.
Hundreds of thousands have fled to Bangladesh, Malaysia and the Middle East, and rights groups have expressed concern they will be tortured or killed if forced to return to Myanmar.
Zainuddin said some of the men detained suffered minor injuries and have been given medical treatment.
All 93 have been handed over to the immigration department in northern Kedah state and are likely to be sent to a detention centre, he added.
Kedah immigration officers could not be immediately reached for comment.
Malaysia has the biggest number of Rohingya refugees in the region, more than 14,000, many of whom have stayed for years in the country, working illegally in plantations or factories, officials said.
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (CP) – 6 hours ago
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysian authorities have picked up 93 Muslims fleeing persecution in Myanmar who said they spent 30 days at sea in a crowded wooden boat, an official said Friday.
The Rohingya men, an ethnic group not recognized by Myanmar's military regime, had apparently been chased out of Thai waters before they were detained Wednesday off Malaysia's northern resort island of Langkawi, said Zainuddin Mohamad Suki, an officer with the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.
The Thais denied they chased the boat away.
A fishing boat had earlier reported to the agency that the men were asking for food and water from passing vessels after their open boat experienced engine failure, he said.
Initial investigations showed they had been at sea for 30 days after fleeing their homeland, he said.
"Some of the men said they were chased out of Thai waters earlier before they made their way to Langkawi. They said they were sailing aimlessly in the hope of finding a country that will accept them," Zainuddin told The Associated Press.
Vimon Kidchob, spokeswoman for the Thai Foreign Ministry, however, said troops gave the men food and water, suggesting the men left Thai waters of their own accord.
"The Rohingyas were not chased out of the Thai waters. Thai troops on the Andaman Coast found a group of non-Thai people in boats, so they gave the people food and water and let them continue their journey," she said.
Thailand has acknowledged in the past towing away boats of Rohingyas, hoping they will land in other countries.
The Muslim Rohingyas number about 800,000 in Myanmar where they are denied full citizenship and face widespread abuses including forced labour, land seizures and rape, rights groups say.
Hundreds of thousands have fled to Bangladesh, Malaysia and the Middle East, and rights groups have expressed concern they will be tortured or killed if forced to return to Myanmar.
Zainuddin said some of the men detained suffered minor injuries and have been given medical treatment.
All 93 have been handed over to the immigration department in northern Kedah state and are likely to be sent to a detention centre, he added.
Kedah immigration officers could not be immediately reached for comment.
Malaysia has the biggest number of Rohingya refugees in the region, more than 14,000, many of whom have stayed for years in the country, working illegally in plantations or factories, officials said.
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Myanmar refugees face grim future in Bangladesh
By JULHAS ALAM – 38 minutes ago
KUTUPALONG, Bangladesh (AP) — Dildar Begum has no country, no job, no food and she is fast running out of hope.
Her husband is imprisoned in a Bangladeshi jail while she lives in a slum with her five children, reduced to begging for rice from her impoverished neighbors. Her family is starving, she said.
"I can't live this way. It's better if my kids and I die suddenly," the 25-year-old woman said.
Begum is one of the hundreds of thousands of members of the Rohingya ethnic group who have fled to Bangladesh to escape persecution in neighboring Myanmar — only to find themselves languishing in filthy slums or open-air camps where food and water are scarce and medical care, nonexistent.
As Muslims, they were unwanted in Buddhist Myanmar. As foreigners, they are unwanted in Muslim Bangladesh.
In recent months, Bangladesh has cracked down on the group, arresting and repatriating many and stepping up security along the porous border to prevent more from arriving. At the same time, the government discouraged aid groups from giving most of those here food, fearing it would attract a huge new influx of refugees, said a government official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
International rights groups have decried their fate and Bangladesh's refusal to grant the vast majority of them refugee status, which would give them access to nearby camps where they could receive a full aid package of food, shelter and education provided by international agencies.
Without that aid, the Rohingya face widespread starvation, activists said.
"A grave humanitarian crisis is looming," Chris Lewa of the Rohingya advocacy group The Arakan Project said last month.
Bangladesh has also been accused of carrying out arbitrary arrests of the Rohingya and forcing many back into Myanmar.
In Kutupalong, 185 miles (296 kilometers) south of the capital, Dhaka, the undocumented Rohingya live in a squalid shantytown, where malnourished, barefoot children defecate outside.
With no right to work, many survive by bribing forestry officials to turn the other way as they illegally cut down trees for sale as firewood in the market, men in the village said.
"The forest is being destroyed by them," A.F.M. Fazle Rabbi, a government official in charge of the area, told The Associated Press. "I am sure over next few years, you will find no trees here."
The 800,000 strong Rohingya are believed descended from 7th century Arab settlers whose state along what is now the Bangladesh-Myanmar border was conquered by the Burmese in 1784.
The Myanmar junta refuses to recognize them as citizens, and the group faces extortion, land confiscation, forced evictions, and restricted access to medical care and food, according to Human Rights Watch.
Thousands have fled to Malaysia and Thailand, which depend on migrant labor, or braved the sea to go as far as the Middle East for work.
Last year, the Thai navy intercepted boats carrying 1,000 Rohingya, detained and beat them and then forced them back to sea in vessels with no engines and little food or water, according to reports from human rights groups.
On Friday, Malaysian authorities said they picked up 93 Rohingya who said they have been at sea for 30 days in a crowded wooden boat after apparently being chased out of Thai waters.
"They said they were sailing aimlessly in the hope of finding a country that will accept them," said Zainuddin Mohamad Suki, an officer with the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency. The passengers were likely to be sent to a detention center, he said.
Most of the refugees, however, have fled on foot and by boat over the border to the nearby Cox's Bazar area in Bangladesh, where 28,000 of them are registered as refugees and restricted to official camps in Kutupalong and Naya Para.
The Kutupalong refugee camp is well-equipped with medical facilities, a computer learning center, volleyball courts and generators.
However, at least 200,000 other Rohingya here have not been given refugee status by Bangladesh and live under constant threat of being arrested or sent back home. Some work as day laborers or rickshaw pullers at Cox's Bazar.
Authorities fear that if they grant full rights to everyone, it will encourage even more Rohingya to come to Bangladesh, which is already overwhelmed with its own impoverished and malnourished population.
"We are a poor country, we cannot afford this for long," said Gias Uddin Ahmed, the chief administrator of the district.
Begum and her family fled with about 2,500 others seven months ago amid unrelenting attacks by their Buddhist neighbors, who eventually took their land in Myanmar's northwestern Rakhine state. They left at night and bribed Bangladeshi border guards to let them enter and travel to the shantytown near the refugee camp in Kutupalong.
Her husband, 35-year-old Jamir Hossain, found work as a day laborer in the shantytowns that have sprung up near the Kutupalong camp, but police arrested him last month in a roundup of undocumented Rohingya.
With no money, Begum begs for rice from nearby villages to feed her four sons and her daughter.
"It's now afternoon, but I haven't been able to give any food to my kids," she said.
M. Sakhawat Hossain, the police chief in Cox's Bazar, said Bangladeshi villagers have accused the Rohingya of a wave of robberies across the coastal region and pressured the government to take action.
In the ensuing crackdown, 136 undocumented Rohingya were in custody on charges of illegally entering Bangladesh or engaging in criminal activities, he said.
"What we did is for maintaining law and order over reported crimes," he said. "Should not we do that?"
By JULHAS ALAM – 38 minutes ago
KUTUPALONG, Bangladesh (AP) — Dildar Begum has no country, no job, no food and she is fast running out of hope.
Her husband is imprisoned in a Bangladeshi jail while she lives in a slum with her five children, reduced to begging for rice from her impoverished neighbors. Her family is starving, she said.
"I can't live this way. It's better if my kids and I die suddenly," the 25-year-old woman said.
Begum is one of the hundreds of thousands of members of the Rohingya ethnic group who have fled to Bangladesh to escape persecution in neighboring Myanmar — only to find themselves languishing in filthy slums or open-air camps where food and water are scarce and medical care, nonexistent.
As Muslims, they were unwanted in Buddhist Myanmar. As foreigners, they are unwanted in Muslim Bangladesh.
In recent months, Bangladesh has cracked down on the group, arresting and repatriating many and stepping up security along the porous border to prevent more from arriving. At the same time, the government discouraged aid groups from giving most of those here food, fearing it would attract a huge new influx of refugees, said a government official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
International rights groups have decried their fate and Bangladesh's refusal to grant the vast majority of them refugee status, which would give them access to nearby camps where they could receive a full aid package of food, shelter and education provided by international agencies.
Without that aid, the Rohingya face widespread starvation, activists said.
"A grave humanitarian crisis is looming," Chris Lewa of the Rohingya advocacy group The Arakan Project said last month.
Bangladesh has also been accused of carrying out arbitrary arrests of the Rohingya and forcing many back into Myanmar.
In Kutupalong, 185 miles (296 kilometers) south of the capital, Dhaka, the undocumented Rohingya live in a squalid shantytown, where malnourished, barefoot children defecate outside.
With no right to work, many survive by bribing forestry officials to turn the other way as they illegally cut down trees for sale as firewood in the market, men in the village said.
"The forest is being destroyed by them," A.F.M. Fazle Rabbi, a government official in charge of the area, told The Associated Press. "I am sure over next few years, you will find no trees here."
The 800,000 strong Rohingya are believed descended from 7th century Arab settlers whose state along what is now the Bangladesh-Myanmar border was conquered by the Burmese in 1784.
The Myanmar junta refuses to recognize them as citizens, and the group faces extortion, land confiscation, forced evictions, and restricted access to medical care and food, according to Human Rights Watch.
Thousands have fled to Malaysia and Thailand, which depend on migrant labor, or braved the sea to go as far as the Middle East for work.
Last year, the Thai navy intercepted boats carrying 1,000 Rohingya, detained and beat them and then forced them back to sea in vessels with no engines and little food or water, according to reports from human rights groups.
On Friday, Malaysian authorities said they picked up 93 Rohingya who said they have been at sea for 30 days in a crowded wooden boat after apparently being chased out of Thai waters.
"They said they were sailing aimlessly in the hope of finding a country that will accept them," said Zainuddin Mohamad Suki, an officer with the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency. The passengers were likely to be sent to a detention center, he said.
Most of the refugees, however, have fled on foot and by boat over the border to the nearby Cox's Bazar area in Bangladesh, where 28,000 of them are registered as refugees and restricted to official camps in Kutupalong and Naya Para.
The Kutupalong refugee camp is well-equipped with medical facilities, a computer learning center, volleyball courts and generators.
However, at least 200,000 other Rohingya here have not been given refugee status by Bangladesh and live under constant threat of being arrested or sent back home. Some work as day laborers or rickshaw pullers at Cox's Bazar.
Authorities fear that if they grant full rights to everyone, it will encourage even more Rohingya to come to Bangladesh, which is already overwhelmed with its own impoverished and malnourished population.
"We are a poor country, we cannot afford this for long," said Gias Uddin Ahmed, the chief administrator of the district.
Begum and her family fled with about 2,500 others seven months ago amid unrelenting attacks by their Buddhist neighbors, who eventually took their land in Myanmar's northwestern Rakhine state. They left at night and bribed Bangladeshi border guards to let them enter and travel to the shantytown near the refugee camp in Kutupalong.
Her husband, 35-year-old Jamir Hossain, found work as a day laborer in the shantytowns that have sprung up near the Kutupalong camp, but police arrested him last month in a roundup of undocumented Rohingya.
With no money, Begum begs for rice from nearby villages to feed her four sons and her daughter.
"It's now afternoon, but I haven't been able to give any food to my kids," she said.
M. Sakhawat Hossain, the police chief in Cox's Bazar, said Bangladeshi villagers have accused the Rohingya of a wave of robberies across the coastal region and pressured the government to take action.
In the ensuing crackdown, 136 undocumented Rohingya were in custody on charges of illegally entering Bangladesh or engaging in criminal activities, he said.
"What we did is for maintaining law and order over reported crimes," he said. "Should not we do that?"
********************************************************
Glance: Countries in Internet censorship report
By The Associated Press (AP) – 19 hours ago
Source: Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders issued its annual report on countries least tolerant of Internet freedoms:
Enemies of the Internet: China, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
Countries Under Surveillance: Australia, Bahrain, Belarus, Eritrea, Malaysia, Russia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates.
By The Associated Press (AP) – 19 hours ago
Source: Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders issued its annual report on countries least tolerant of Internet freedoms:
Enemies of the Internet: China, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
Countries Under Surveillance: Australia, Bahrain, Belarus, Eritrea, Malaysia, Russia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates.
********************************************************
Myanmar election laws a double punishment
Published: March. 12, 2010 at 9:56 AM
YANGON, Myanmar, March 12 (UPI) -- New laws barring people with criminal convictions from running in Myanmar's upcoming elections amount to "a double punishment," the country's leading democracy advocate said.
Aung San Suu Kyi, who has spent around 14 of the past 20 years in some form of detention and remains under house arrest, slammed the junta's Political Parties Registration Law for disenfranchising prisoners and people with past criminal convictions.
Under the laws they are not allowed to belong to a political party and so excludes Suu Kyi, who is head of the National League for Democracy. That party won by a landslide in the last national elections in 1990 but the ruling military refused to recognize the results.
Suu Kyi, a 64-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate, had her latest house arrest extended last August for violating the terms of a previous detention by briefly sheltering an uninvited U.S. intruder in her home in May 2009. She was sentenced to three years in prison with hard labor but the ruling military head of state, Senior Gen. Than Shwe, commuted the sentence to 18 months house arrest.
The laws are a disappointment for political parties and many countries hoping that a more open dialogue with the junta would lead to democratic change.
Tin Oo, deputy chairman of the NLD, told media the laws were "politically motivated" to ensure that Suu Kyi is barred from running for election.
NLD spokesman Nyan Win, who is also Suu Kyi's lawyer, said he was "extremely surprised" by restrictions.
"The law is meant to safeguard the constitution. It will be a very big problem for us as they asked us to obey a constitution that we cannot accept," he said.
The United States is "very disappointed" over the laws. "This is not what we had hoped for and it is a setback," U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said this week in Bangkok during a 10-country tour of Asia.
Even though Myanmar's elections laws are now in place, Prime Minister Gen. Thein Sein hasn't a date for a vote despite international pressure.
This week the junta generals also appointed their 17-person national elections commission to oversee the process. Critics said the commission is a whitewash. It is headed by former Maj. Gen. Thein Soe, a deputy chief justice who previously served as the judge advocate-general, a military position, according to the expatriate news service Irrawaddy, which reports from Thailand.
The commission will decide which political parties may contest the polls, set the rules for polling and disqualify any party or contestant for breaking those rules.
There is also a back-up for the military, which has governed Myanmar on and off for 50 years and been in power for the past 22 years. According the 2008 constitution, a one-quarter of parliamentary seats are reserved for the generals.
Parties have 60 days to register, meaning elections aren't likely before late summer and will most probably be in October or November, Irrawaddy reported.
After announcing the election laws, Sein took his election message to the troubled Shan state, which borders China to the north, Laos to the east and Thailand to the south.
According to a report in the government newspaper New Light of Myanmar, he visited healthcare units and local towns proclaiming that the country is moving toward democracy.
Elections, he said, are part of the generals' "seven-step road map" to ensuring sovereignty and independence under the current national borders and people should vote responsibly.
The visit to Shan is significant because the military has been struggling with several armed ethnic groups in the largely rural state that is around one-quarter of Myanmar's land area.
Some cease-fire agreements have been signed with the militias but the state could be the scene of clashes during an election if the government wishes to physically ensure that campaigning and elections take place, especially in areas controlled by the militias.
Published: March. 12, 2010 at 9:56 AM
YANGON, Myanmar, March 12 (UPI) -- New laws barring people with criminal convictions from running in Myanmar's upcoming elections amount to "a double punishment," the country's leading democracy advocate said.
Aung San Suu Kyi, who has spent around 14 of the past 20 years in some form of detention and remains under house arrest, slammed the junta's Political Parties Registration Law for disenfranchising prisoners and people with past criminal convictions.
Under the laws they are not allowed to belong to a political party and so excludes Suu Kyi, who is head of the National League for Democracy. That party won by a landslide in the last national elections in 1990 but the ruling military refused to recognize the results.
Suu Kyi, a 64-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate, had her latest house arrest extended last August for violating the terms of a previous detention by briefly sheltering an uninvited U.S. intruder in her home in May 2009. She was sentenced to three years in prison with hard labor but the ruling military head of state, Senior Gen. Than Shwe, commuted the sentence to 18 months house arrest.
The laws are a disappointment for political parties and many countries hoping that a more open dialogue with the junta would lead to democratic change.
Tin Oo, deputy chairman of the NLD, told media the laws were "politically motivated" to ensure that Suu Kyi is barred from running for election.
NLD spokesman Nyan Win, who is also Suu Kyi's lawyer, said he was "extremely surprised" by restrictions.
"The law is meant to safeguard the constitution. It will be a very big problem for us as they asked us to obey a constitution that we cannot accept," he said.
The United States is "very disappointed" over the laws. "This is not what we had hoped for and it is a setback," U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said this week in Bangkok during a 10-country tour of Asia.
Even though Myanmar's elections laws are now in place, Prime Minister Gen. Thein Sein hasn't a date for a vote despite international pressure.
This week the junta generals also appointed their 17-person national elections commission to oversee the process. Critics said the commission is a whitewash. It is headed by former Maj. Gen. Thein Soe, a deputy chief justice who previously served as the judge advocate-general, a military position, according to the expatriate news service Irrawaddy, which reports from Thailand.
The commission will decide which political parties may contest the polls, set the rules for polling and disqualify any party or contestant for breaking those rules.
There is also a back-up for the military, which has governed Myanmar on and off for 50 years and been in power for the past 22 years. According the 2008 constitution, a one-quarter of parliamentary seats are reserved for the generals.
Parties have 60 days to register, meaning elections aren't likely before late summer and will most probably be in October or November, Irrawaddy reported.
After announcing the election laws, Sein took his election message to the troubled Shan state, which borders China to the north, Laos to the east and Thailand to the south.
According to a report in the government newspaper New Light of Myanmar, he visited healthcare units and local towns proclaiming that the country is moving toward democracy.
Elections, he said, are part of the generals' "seven-step road map" to ensuring sovereignty and independence under the current national borders and people should vote responsibly.
The visit to Shan is significant because the military has been struggling with several armed ethnic groups in the largely rural state that is around one-quarter of Myanmar's land area.
Some cease-fire agreements have been signed with the militias but the state could be the scene of clashes during an election if the government wishes to physically ensure that campaigning and elections take place, especially in areas controlled by the militias.
********************************************************
Clinton releases human rights report
Published: March. 11, 2010 at 3:51 PM
WASHINGTON, March 11 (UPI) -- The annual human rights report released Thursday by the U.S. State Department cited abuses around the world, including Iran, China, Afghanistan and Myanmar.
"The idea of human rights begins with a fundamental commitment to the dignity that is the birthright of every man, woman and child," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said when releasing the report. "Progress in advancing human rights begins with the facts."
She called the department's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices "essential tools" for individuals and organizations protecting, reporting on or crafting policies protecting human rights.
"The principle that each person possesses equal moral value is a simple, self-evident truth, but securing a world in which all can exercise the rights that are naturally theirs is an immense practical challenge," Clinton said. "This is why we are committed to holding everyone to the same standard, including ourselves."
She said this year the United States is participating in the universal periodic review process as part of its participation in the U.N. Human Rights Council.
The State Department said the Iranian government severely limited citizens' right to peacefully change their government through free and fair elections, Voice of America said.
It said the Chinese government's human rights record "remained poor and worsened in some areas." Besides noting human rights violations continued in Myanmar, the report said the abuses were "egregious."
The security situation in Afghanistan "deteriorated significantly" in 2009 because of increased insurgent attacks, with civilians bearing the brunt of the violence.
"Human rights may be timeless, but our efforts to protect them must be grounded in the here and now," Clinton said. "We find ourselves in a moment when an increasing number of governments are imposing new and crippling restrictions on the non-governmental organizations working to protect rights and enhance accountability. "
Published: March. 11, 2010 at 3:51 PM
WASHINGTON, March 11 (UPI) -- The annual human rights report released Thursday by the U.S. State Department cited abuses around the world, including Iran, China, Afghanistan and Myanmar.
"The idea of human rights begins with a fundamental commitment to the dignity that is the birthright of every man, woman and child," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said when releasing the report. "Progress in advancing human rights begins with the facts."
She called the department's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices "essential tools" for individuals and organizations protecting, reporting on or crafting policies protecting human rights.
"The principle that each person possesses equal moral value is a simple, self-evident truth, but securing a world in which all can exercise the rights that are naturally theirs is an immense practical challenge," Clinton said. "This is why we are committed to holding everyone to the same standard, including ourselves."
She said this year the United States is participating in the universal periodic review process as part of its participation in the U.N. Human Rights Council.
The State Department said the Iranian government severely limited citizens' right to peacefully change their government through free and fair elections, Voice of America said.
It said the Chinese government's human rights record "remained poor and worsened in some areas." Besides noting human rights violations continued in Myanmar, the report said the abuses were "egregious."
The security situation in Afghanistan "deteriorated significantly" in 2009 because of increased insurgent attacks, with civilians bearing the brunt of the violence.
"Human rights may be timeless, but our efforts to protect them must be grounded in the here and now," Clinton said. "We find ourselves in a moment when an increasing number of governments are imposing new and crippling restrictions on the non-governmental organizations working to protect rights and enhance accountability. "
********************************************************
US To Continue Dialogue With Myanmar Junta; Sanctions To Remain
3/12/2010 9:57 AM ET by RTT Staff Writer
(RTTNews) - The U.S. government has said it will continue to hold political dialogue with Myanmar's military regime despite "regrettable" new election laws, but vowed that sanctions would remain in place.
In July last year, the United States extended sanctions on Myanmar junta and renewed ban on all imports from that South East Asian country.
The ban includes import of jade and other gems from Myanmar for three years. It also confirms a ban on U.S. sales of Myanmar's gems.
Speaking on a visit to Thailand Friday, Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said the U.S. was "very disappointed and concerned" by the new laws.
He expressed dissatisfaction over the enactment of the new set of laws as it "doesn't leave much room for a dialogue" with Myanmar's rulers in a bid to promote democratic ideas.
Myanmar's military government published this week five long-awaited election laws it passed recently, setting the stage for polls it pledged to hold later this year.
It prevents detained Opposition pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi any political affiliation in a party and bans her from contesting elections.
The U.S. State Department denounced the new set of laws Thursday, saying that it had made a mockery of the democratic process.
Both the United States and the United Nations have accused the country of committing a "gross and systematic violation of human rights."
In a report to be presented to the U.N. on Monday, its special Rapporteur on Human Rights Tomas Ojea Quintana said "far too many" people in that country were denied access to basic food, shelter, health and education.
The report contained severe criticism of the Myanmarese authorities.
In its 2009 Annual Report on Human Rights released Thursday, the U.S. State Department cited "egregious" abuses in Myanmar.
It slammed the military junta for continuing to imprison and abuse the rights of its political opponents, besides scaling up military attacks in ethnic minority regions, such as Karen and Shan states.
3/12/2010 9:57 AM ET by RTT Staff Writer
(RTTNews) - The U.S. government has said it will continue to hold political dialogue with Myanmar's military regime despite "regrettable" new election laws, but vowed that sanctions would remain in place.
In July last year, the United States extended sanctions on Myanmar junta and renewed ban on all imports from that South East Asian country.
The ban includes import of jade and other gems from Myanmar for three years. It also confirms a ban on U.S. sales of Myanmar's gems.
Speaking on a visit to Thailand Friday, Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said the U.S. was "very disappointed and concerned" by the new laws.
He expressed dissatisfaction over the enactment of the new set of laws as it "doesn't leave much room for a dialogue" with Myanmar's rulers in a bid to promote democratic ideas.
Myanmar's military government published this week five long-awaited election laws it passed recently, setting the stage for polls it pledged to hold later this year.
It prevents detained Opposition pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi any political affiliation in a party and bans her from contesting elections.
The U.S. State Department denounced the new set of laws Thursday, saying that it had made a mockery of the democratic process.
Both the United States and the United Nations have accused the country of committing a "gross and systematic violation of human rights."
In a report to be presented to the U.N. on Monday, its special Rapporteur on Human Rights Tomas Ojea Quintana said "far too many" people in that country were denied access to basic food, shelter, health and education.
The report contained severe criticism of the Myanmarese authorities.
In its 2009 Annual Report on Human Rights released Thursday, the U.S. State Department cited "egregious" abuses in Myanmar.
It slammed the military junta for continuing to imprison and abuse the rights of its political opponents, besides scaling up military attacks in ethnic minority regions, such as Karen and Shan states.
********************************************************
ASIA NEWS MARCH 10, 2010
Myanmar Moves Troops to Borders
Government anticipates possible conflicts with region's minority groups
By A WALL STREET JOURNAL REPORTER
YANGON—Myanmar's military is moving large numbers of soldiers to border areas near China and Thailand in anticipation of possible conflicts with ethnic rebels in those areas before elections this year, according to diplomats, intelligence experts and residents who are tracking the activities.
Details about the buildup, including the total number of troops involved, are unclear. Myanmar is one of the world's most secretive countries, and its government rarely speaks publicly about activities it deems sensitive, especially military movements. Attempts to reach the Myanmar government were unsuccessful.
But analysts and dissidents say the deployments—which are believed to include tens of thousands of soldiers—are designed to ratchet up pressure on Myanmar's numerous armed ethnic groups before the regime holds elections later this year. Several of the groups—including the Wa, an ethnic minority with a private army that includes as many as 20,000 soldiers—have yet to indicate whether they will participate and continue to resist any move that would reduce their autonomy.
Myanmar's military is trying to "turn up the pressure" on rebels through the troop deployments, said Bertil Lintner, a Thailand-based military expert who has followed the issue. If tensions continue to build, he said, "I think there will be military action." The generals "could decide they have to solve" the border problem now because of the election, said one Yangon diplomat.
Some analysts believe Myanmar authorities will stop short of launching a full assault to avoid condemnation from neighbors at a time when the regime is trying to boost its international image by holding elections. Thai officials couldn't be reached Thursday. Previously, Chinese authorities have expressed concern about Myanmar border-area unrest.
The buildup comes at a time when the junta is trying to assert tighter control over how its election—the first since 1990—is conducted. On Thursday, it released the latest in a series of new rules for the vote, including provisions that officially invalidated the 1990 election, which was easily won by Myanmar's main opposition party but ignored by the regime.
The government also appointed a former high-ranking army officer to head the commission overseeing the vote, the Associated Press reported. Myanmar has yet to announce a date for the election.
Reining in the more than a dozen ethnic rebel groups within Myanmar's borders remains a priority for the regime. The junta has struggled for decades to subdue the groups, which control large areas along Myanmar's borders, and it has repeatedly cited that struggle as one of the main reasons to justify its harsh rule over the country, also known as Burma.
To ensure the rebels are pacified in time for the vote, regime officials have ordered ethnic groups to convert their soldiers into "border guards" under the leadership of the Myanmar army, sharply limiting their autonomy. In return, the groups would be allowed to organize political groups and participate in the vote. Several groups, including the Wa, have so far declined.
In August, the Myanmar military targeted a relatively weak ethnic group, the Kokang, in an offensive that drove some 30,000 or more refugees into China and left more than 30 people dead. Most of the refugees returned when it was clear the Kokang had been overwhelmed.
A spokeswoman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs last year expressed "deep concern" over the Kokang episode, a rare public rebuke from its northern neighbor.
A conflict with the Wa or other large ethnic groups would likely be worse, analysts say. The Wa are believed to be far better-armed and better-organized, thanks in part to revenue from drug trafficking, according to U.S. government and international antinarcotics officials. Intelligence experts say ethnic groups have been building up their arms stockpiles, meaning they could present a bigger challenge if the military doesn't act now.
According to Irrawaddy, a Myanmar-focused news organization based in Thailand, the government is moving as many as 70,000 troops into Shan state, a part of northeastern Myanmar occupied in part by Wa and other ethnic minorities. It cited unnamed sources close to military officials working in Myanmar border areas.
Residents in some of the areas have reported seeing large numbers of troops on the move, including in a city southeast of Mandalay in central Myanmar with military bases nearby and roads heading east into Wa areas. One resident, a former schoolteacher who lives near the main highway in the region, said trucks of soldiers began moving out at night in late February and continued to leave military installations each night for several days. After that, he said, a new round of convoys began carrying rations eastward.
He said he believed the trucks were heading to Kengtung, a town in far eastern Myanmar that's close to areas populated by the Wa. It was impossible to independently verify his account.
Residents in areas further north around Muse, a border crossing with China, report a similar buildup since late February.
"More security forces are visible along the Sino-Burmese trade route" from central Myanmar to Muse, said a businessman who imports computers from China. Other businessmen and brokers have said that getting imported items from China into Myanmar cities has become more difficult because of increased military checkpoints.
Myanmar Moves Troops to Borders
Government anticipates possible conflicts with region's minority groups
By A WALL STREET JOURNAL REPORTER
YANGON—Myanmar's military is moving large numbers of soldiers to border areas near China and Thailand in anticipation of possible conflicts with ethnic rebels in those areas before elections this year, according to diplomats, intelligence experts and residents who are tracking the activities.
Details about the buildup, including the total number of troops involved, are unclear. Myanmar is one of the world's most secretive countries, and its government rarely speaks publicly about activities it deems sensitive, especially military movements. Attempts to reach the Myanmar government were unsuccessful.
But analysts and dissidents say the deployments—which are believed to include tens of thousands of soldiers—are designed to ratchet up pressure on Myanmar's numerous armed ethnic groups before the regime holds elections later this year. Several of the groups—including the Wa, an ethnic minority with a private army that includes as many as 20,000 soldiers—have yet to indicate whether they will participate and continue to resist any move that would reduce their autonomy.
Myanmar's military is trying to "turn up the pressure" on rebels through the troop deployments, said Bertil Lintner, a Thailand-based military expert who has followed the issue. If tensions continue to build, he said, "I think there will be military action." The generals "could decide they have to solve" the border problem now because of the election, said one Yangon diplomat.
Some analysts believe Myanmar authorities will stop short of launching a full assault to avoid condemnation from neighbors at a time when the regime is trying to boost its international image by holding elections. Thai officials couldn't be reached Thursday. Previously, Chinese authorities have expressed concern about Myanmar border-area unrest.
The buildup comes at a time when the junta is trying to assert tighter control over how its election—the first since 1990—is conducted. On Thursday, it released the latest in a series of new rules for the vote, including provisions that officially invalidated the 1990 election, which was easily won by Myanmar's main opposition party but ignored by the regime.
The government also appointed a former high-ranking army officer to head the commission overseeing the vote, the Associated Press reported. Myanmar has yet to announce a date for the election.
Reining in the more than a dozen ethnic rebel groups within Myanmar's borders remains a priority for the regime. The junta has struggled for decades to subdue the groups, which control large areas along Myanmar's borders, and it has repeatedly cited that struggle as one of the main reasons to justify its harsh rule over the country, also known as Burma.
To ensure the rebels are pacified in time for the vote, regime officials have ordered ethnic groups to convert their soldiers into "border guards" under the leadership of the Myanmar army, sharply limiting their autonomy. In return, the groups would be allowed to organize political groups and participate in the vote. Several groups, including the Wa, have so far declined.
In August, the Myanmar military targeted a relatively weak ethnic group, the Kokang, in an offensive that drove some 30,000 or more refugees into China and left more than 30 people dead. Most of the refugees returned when it was clear the Kokang had been overwhelmed.
A spokeswoman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs last year expressed "deep concern" over the Kokang episode, a rare public rebuke from its northern neighbor.
A conflict with the Wa or other large ethnic groups would likely be worse, analysts say. The Wa are believed to be far better-armed and better-organized, thanks in part to revenue from drug trafficking, according to U.S. government and international antinarcotics officials. Intelligence experts say ethnic groups have been building up their arms stockpiles, meaning they could present a bigger challenge if the military doesn't act now.
According to Irrawaddy, a Myanmar-focused news organization based in Thailand, the government is moving as many as 70,000 troops into Shan state, a part of northeastern Myanmar occupied in part by Wa and other ethnic minorities. It cited unnamed sources close to military officials working in Myanmar border areas.
Residents in some of the areas have reported seeing large numbers of troops on the move, including in a city southeast of Mandalay in central Myanmar with military bases nearby and roads heading east into Wa areas. One resident, a former schoolteacher who lives near the main highway in the region, said trucks of soldiers began moving out at night in late February and continued to leave military installations each night for several days. After that, he said, a new round of convoys began carrying rations eastward.
He said he believed the trucks were heading to Kengtung, a town in far eastern Myanmar that's close to areas populated by the Wa. It was impossible to independently verify his account.
Residents in areas further north around Muse, a border crossing with China, report a similar buildup since late February.
"More security forces are visible along the Sino-Burmese trade route" from central Myanmar to Muse, said a businessman who imports computers from China. Other businessmen and brokers have said that getting imported items from China into Myanmar cities has become more difficult because of increased military checkpoints.
********************************************************
U.S. State Department - Secretary Kurt M. Campbell's Press Availability in Bangkok, Thailand
Kurt M. Campbell
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
Government House
Bangkok, Thailand
March 12, 2010
ASSISTANT SECRETARY CAMPBELL: Thank you very much for joining us this morning. I’m here with our ambassador from the United States to the Kingdom of Thailand. I’m here on a visit throughout Southeast Asia, in advance of President Obama’s visit to the region next week, conveying best wishes and listening carefully to the advice and the counsel of our good friends throughout the region. I’ve just had a chance to meet with the Prime Minister and his team. Later, I’ll be meeting with opposition members here in Thailand. The United States conveys just a very simple message. First of all, we are the strongest possible partners and friends of Thailand and we support this country completely. We know that this is a difficult period that the country is living through currently, and we are expressing a strong view that we want the next few days to be conducted in a peaceful way. We are urging restraint and we want very much for issues that are passionate, and important political matters, to be dealt with in an appropriate way through the electoral process and through other democratic institutions. We appreciate very much the opportunity to meet with senior leaders and to make the case for conducting the domestic affairs inside the country in that way. I’m happy to take a few questions and again I thank you all for coming today.
QUESTION: Sir, could we ask about your reaction to further news out of Myanmar yesterday that they were annulling the result of the 1990 election? What’s your reaction to that?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY CAMPBELL: We’re very disappointed and we are concerned. It’s very regrettable. I think you will have seen yesterday that there was a statement at the State Department about what we have seen. Obviously we will continue to consult closely with our allies and friends in the region in terms of next steps. But this is not what we hopped for and it is a setback.
QUESTION: President Obama obviously tried a new approach with Myanmar, much more of an engagement with them. To what extent does this knock that back? To what extent does this perhaps demand a rethink of that kind of approach?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY CAMPBELL: I do think it’s important to underscore that the review that was undertaken in the United States made clear that in the current situation that we needed to continue with sanctions and a very clear policy that supported our principals and our larger strategic interests. I think we will continue to want to have a dialogue with the leaders, the opposition and others inside the country. I think that is in the best interests of the region and the United States, but also allows us to pass on very consequential messages on issues of concern, both human rights issues associated with violence inside the country against ethnic groups and the like. It also allows us to talk directly to the government about issues of great concern, proliferation concerns and the like. Overall, the U.S. approach was to try to encourage domestic dialogue between the key stakeholders, and the recent promulgation of the election criteria doesn’t leave much room for such a dialogue. So as I said, we’re disappointed. Thank you all very much. I appreciate the chance.
Kurt M. Campbell
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
Government House
Bangkok, Thailand
March 12, 2010
ASSISTANT SECRETARY CAMPBELL: Thank you very much for joining us this morning. I’m here with our ambassador from the United States to the Kingdom of Thailand. I’m here on a visit throughout Southeast Asia, in advance of President Obama’s visit to the region next week, conveying best wishes and listening carefully to the advice and the counsel of our good friends throughout the region. I’ve just had a chance to meet with the Prime Minister and his team. Later, I’ll be meeting with opposition members here in Thailand. The United States conveys just a very simple message. First of all, we are the strongest possible partners and friends of Thailand and we support this country completely. We know that this is a difficult period that the country is living through currently, and we are expressing a strong view that we want the next few days to be conducted in a peaceful way. We are urging restraint and we want very much for issues that are passionate, and important political matters, to be dealt with in an appropriate way through the electoral process and through other democratic institutions. We appreciate very much the opportunity to meet with senior leaders and to make the case for conducting the domestic affairs inside the country in that way. I’m happy to take a few questions and again I thank you all for coming today.
QUESTION: Sir, could we ask about your reaction to further news out of Myanmar yesterday that they were annulling the result of the 1990 election? What’s your reaction to that?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY CAMPBELL: We’re very disappointed and we are concerned. It’s very regrettable. I think you will have seen yesterday that there was a statement at the State Department about what we have seen. Obviously we will continue to consult closely with our allies and friends in the region in terms of next steps. But this is not what we hopped for and it is a setback.
QUESTION: President Obama obviously tried a new approach with Myanmar, much more of an engagement with them. To what extent does this knock that back? To what extent does this perhaps demand a rethink of that kind of approach?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY CAMPBELL: I do think it’s important to underscore that the review that was undertaken in the United States made clear that in the current situation that we needed to continue with sanctions and a very clear policy that supported our principals and our larger strategic interests. I think we will continue to want to have a dialogue with the leaders, the opposition and others inside the country. I think that is in the best interests of the region and the United States, but also allows us to pass on very consequential messages on issues of concern, both human rights issues associated with violence inside the country against ethnic groups and the like. It also allows us to talk directly to the government about issues of great concern, proliferation concerns and the like. Overall, the U.S. approach was to try to encourage domestic dialogue between the key stakeholders, and the recent promulgation of the election criteria doesn’t leave much room for such a dialogue. So as I said, we’re disappointed. Thank you all very much. I appreciate the chance.
********************************************************
Berkeley Voice - Albany Journal - Myanmar exiles raise awareness in Berkeley
By Matt O'Brien, Contra Costa Times
Posted: 03/11/2010 04:04:20 PM PST
BERKELEY -- Toe Lwin was riding in the back of a pickup truck through Myanmar's rural countryside almost seven years ago when a mob of armed thugs surrounded the vehicle.
He jumped out, ran to the cab and guarded the door protecting the truck's most famous passenger: Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Peace laureate and leader of the democratic opposition challenging Myanmar's military regime.
For this, attackers bludgeoned Toe Lwin and left him unconscious in a nearby paddy field. He can still trace three long scars that cross the top of his head. Suu Kyi might have been assassinated, he said, had her driver not raced ahead that night and away from the danger.
The 38-year-old Lwin will be sharing this story and many others -- he was detained 15 times as a dissident political activist in Myanmar, once for almost two years -- in a weekend gathering of Burmese exiles in Berkeley.
Their meeting is timely. This week, the Myanmar government announced it will continue to ban Suu Kyi and thousands of jailed members of her party, the National League for Democracy, from participating in upcoming national elections. It did, however, allow the party to reopen political offices that had been closed since the 2003 attack on Suu Kyi.
Most Myanmar exiles, who still refer to the country by its old name, Burma, believe that Suu Kyi would be the nation's leader if the government allowed her to compete.
"If it was a free and fair election, she would win," said Nyunt Than, an Albany resident and president of the Burmese American Democratic Alliance. "People love her. But because the constitution is drawn up by the regime, all the opposition is crushed. People have basically given up."
Suu Kyi has been under house arrest for the better part of 20 years. She had been free for about a year and was traveling across the country on an outreach campaign when the crowd attacked her entourage in May 2003. Activists, though they cannot prove it, believe the ambush was premeditated and orchestrated by the government. The army arrested and jailed Suu Kyi, Toe Lwin and numerous other activists after the violence, charging them with inciting it.
"Whenever she is out, courage comes to the people and they rally around her," Lwin said through an interpreter Thursday. "That's why the regime doesn't want to let her out."
After years of organizing Myanmar's youth democracy movement, Lwin, fearing for his life, finally fled the country in 2007, shortly before the mass democracy protest by monks and students that has been dubbed the Saffron Revolution. He moved to San Francisco last year, joining a community of thousands of Myanmar exiles who live in the Bay Area.
A number of those exiles hope to raise awareness for their cause and money for the Myanmar people, both those inside Myanmar and the thousands of refugees at the Thai border, in an event to be held on Saturday.
"Burma used to be the richest country in the region with plenty of resources. Now the middle-class is wiped out," Than said. "They need any kind of help and support we can provide."
Along with Toe Lwin, the speakers include Sein Win, political leader of the exile movement. The event is from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists Hall, 1924 Cedar St., Berkeley.
By Matt O'Brien, Contra Costa Times
Posted: 03/11/2010 04:04:20 PM PST
BERKELEY -- Toe Lwin was riding in the back of a pickup truck through Myanmar's rural countryside almost seven years ago when a mob of armed thugs surrounded the vehicle.
He jumped out, ran to the cab and guarded the door protecting the truck's most famous passenger: Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Peace laureate and leader of the democratic opposition challenging Myanmar's military regime.
For this, attackers bludgeoned Toe Lwin and left him unconscious in a nearby paddy field. He can still trace three long scars that cross the top of his head. Suu Kyi might have been assassinated, he said, had her driver not raced ahead that night and away from the danger.
The 38-year-old Lwin will be sharing this story and many others -- he was detained 15 times as a dissident political activist in Myanmar, once for almost two years -- in a weekend gathering of Burmese exiles in Berkeley.
Their meeting is timely. This week, the Myanmar government announced it will continue to ban Suu Kyi and thousands of jailed members of her party, the National League for Democracy, from participating in upcoming national elections. It did, however, allow the party to reopen political offices that had been closed since the 2003 attack on Suu Kyi.
Most Myanmar exiles, who still refer to the country by its old name, Burma, believe that Suu Kyi would be the nation's leader if the government allowed her to compete.
"If it was a free and fair election, she would win," said Nyunt Than, an Albany resident and president of the Burmese American Democratic Alliance. "People love her. But because the constitution is drawn up by the regime, all the opposition is crushed. People have basically given up."
Suu Kyi has been under house arrest for the better part of 20 years. She had been free for about a year and was traveling across the country on an outreach campaign when the crowd attacked her entourage in May 2003. Activists, though they cannot prove it, believe the ambush was premeditated and orchestrated by the government. The army arrested and jailed Suu Kyi, Toe Lwin and numerous other activists after the violence, charging them with inciting it.
"Whenever she is out, courage comes to the people and they rally around her," Lwin said through an interpreter Thursday. "That's why the regime doesn't want to let her out."
After years of organizing Myanmar's youth democracy movement, Lwin, fearing for his life, finally fled the country in 2007, shortly before the mass democracy protest by monks and students that has been dubbed the Saffron Revolution. He moved to San Francisco last year, joining a community of thousands of Myanmar exiles who live in the Bay Area.
A number of those exiles hope to raise awareness for their cause and money for the Myanmar people, both those inside Myanmar and the thousands of refugees at the Thai border, in an event to be held on Saturday.
"Burma used to be the richest country in the region with plenty of resources. Now the middle-class is wiped out," Than said. "They need any kind of help and support we can provide."
Along with Toe Lwin, the speakers include Sein Win, political leader of the exile movement. The event is from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists Hall, 1924 Cedar St., Berkeley.
********************************************************
Indonesia hits out at Myanmar junta over new poll regulation
Lilian Budianto , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Fri, 03/12/2010 2:18 PM | World
Indonesia has called on Myanmar to allow Aung San Suu Kyi to join the upcoming election after the military junta issued a new regulation, barring the opposition leader from running in the first poll in two decades.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said "the new regulations were regrettable because the poll should be inclusive."
"The new regulation may undermine the poll because it will result in an election that fails inclusivity," he said.
The new political parties registration law excludes anyone convicted by a court of law from joining a political party and reportedly may push Suu Kyi out of her National League for Democracy.
Suu Kyi has spent 14 of the past 20 years in detention and will be released at the end of this November. The exact date of the election has not been announced.
Muhammad Najib, a lawmaker from the National Mandate Party (PAN), said the military junta should stop making up new excuses to ban the Nobel laureate from contesting the long-awaited elections as it would only isolate it more on the international political stage.
"The junta was under international scrutiny for its promise to enforce democracy as they reiterated in regional forums in ASEAN," said Najib.
"They should no longer create new laws or anything to bar Suu Kyi. It will not make the election look more eligible.
Evan A. Laksmana, Centre for Strategic and International Studies researcher, said the new move by Myanmar would be counterproductive.
"They should allow an inclusive system in the election because it will backfire, resulting in more sanctions and isolation."
He said Indonesia and other members of ASEAN had spent little effort to push Myanmar to enforce democratization because they were preoccupied with their own domestic problems.
"Indonesia, as the largest country in ASEAN, is busy engaging major powers, leaving Suu Kyi and Myanmar democratization on the backburner," he said.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported Myanmar's military government Thursday officially annulled the results of the country's 1990 general election, a poll it chose to ignore at the time when the main opposition party won by a landslide.
The 1990 polls were declared null and void because they did not comply with a new parliamentary election law enacted this week, the junta said in a statement published in Thursday's official newspapers.
"It must be deemed that the results of the multiparty democracy elections held under that annulled law have also been annulled automatically since they are not consistent with this new law," it said in the announcement in state media.
The National League for Democracy (NLD) party, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, won the 1990 election, taking 392 of the 485 seats in parliament, but it was not allowed to rule.
The military junta, meanwhile, announced that it had allowed the party to reopen regional branch offices, which have been closed since May 2003.
"We have heard 100 branch offices have been reopened across the country, effective Wednesday," Nyan Win, spokesman for the National League for Democracy told Reuters.
Lilian Budianto , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Fri, 03/12/2010 2:18 PM | World
Indonesia has called on Myanmar to allow Aung San Suu Kyi to join the upcoming election after the military junta issued a new regulation, barring the opposition leader from running in the first poll in two decades.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said "the new regulations were regrettable because the poll should be inclusive."
"The new regulation may undermine the poll because it will result in an election that fails inclusivity," he said.
The new political parties registration law excludes anyone convicted by a court of law from joining a political party and reportedly may push Suu Kyi out of her National League for Democracy.
Suu Kyi has spent 14 of the past 20 years in detention and will be released at the end of this November. The exact date of the election has not been announced.
Muhammad Najib, a lawmaker from the National Mandate Party (PAN), said the military junta should stop making up new excuses to ban the Nobel laureate from contesting the long-awaited elections as it would only isolate it more on the international political stage.
"The junta was under international scrutiny for its promise to enforce democracy as they reiterated in regional forums in ASEAN," said Najib.
"They should no longer create new laws or anything to bar Suu Kyi. It will not make the election look more eligible.
Evan A. Laksmana, Centre for Strategic and International Studies researcher, said the new move by Myanmar would be counterproductive.
"They should allow an inclusive system in the election because it will backfire, resulting in more sanctions and isolation."
He said Indonesia and other members of ASEAN had spent little effort to push Myanmar to enforce democratization because they were preoccupied with their own domestic problems.
"Indonesia, as the largest country in ASEAN, is busy engaging major powers, leaving Suu Kyi and Myanmar democratization on the backburner," he said.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported Myanmar's military government Thursday officially annulled the results of the country's 1990 general election, a poll it chose to ignore at the time when the main opposition party won by a landslide.
The 1990 polls were declared null and void because they did not comply with a new parliamentary election law enacted this week, the junta said in a statement published in Thursday's official newspapers.
"It must be deemed that the results of the multiparty democracy elections held under that annulled law have also been annulled automatically since they are not consistent with this new law," it said in the announcement in state media.
The National League for Democracy (NLD) party, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, won the 1990 election, taking 392 of the 485 seats in parliament, but it was not allowed to rule.
The military junta, meanwhile, announced that it had allowed the party to reopen regional branch offices, which have been closed since May 2003.
"We have heard 100 branch offices have been reopened across the country, effective Wednesday," Nyan Win, spokesman for the National League for Democracy told Reuters.
********************************************************
Radio Australia - Scandinavian pressure on Burma
Last Updated: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:10:00 +1100
Foreign ministers from the Scandinavian countries have urged the Burmese junta to release pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and begin dialogue towards national reconciliation.
In a joint statement, the ministers from Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden called for Ms Suu Kyi to be allowed to participate in planned elections
Under laws just enacted - and which have sparked international anger - Ms Suu Kyi faces exclusion from her own National League for Democracy and is prevented from standing in the elections, expected in October or November.
But Danish Foreign Minister Lene Espersen gave the election, Burma's first in 20 years, a cautious welcome.
The minister says the elections are not expected be free or fair by western standards - but represent the only chance Burmese have of achieving more freedom in the short term.
Last Updated: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:10:00 +1100
Foreign ministers from the Scandinavian countries have urged the Burmese junta to release pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and begin dialogue towards national reconciliation.
In a joint statement, the ministers from Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden called for Ms Suu Kyi to be allowed to participate in planned elections
Under laws just enacted - and which have sparked international anger - Ms Suu Kyi faces exclusion from her own National League for Democracy and is prevented from standing in the elections, expected in October or November.
But Danish Foreign Minister Lene Espersen gave the election, Burma's first in 20 years, a cautious welcome.
The minister says the elections are not expected be free or fair by western standards - but represent the only chance Burmese have of achieving more freedom in the short term.
********************************************************
16:01 Thu, 11 Mar 10
Inspire Magazine - Fresh evidence of crimes against humanity in Burma
A team returned from a fact-finding visit to the Thai-Burmese border last week with fresh evidence of gross human rights violations in eastern Burma that amount to “crimes against humanity”.
The delegation, which included Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW)’s East Asia Team Leader, Benedict Rogers, and the Director of BurmaInfo (Japan), Yuki Akimoto, interviewed new refugees in camps along the Thai-Burma border, and heard first-hand accounts of forced labour, torture and murder.
They also visited one of the two temporary camps in Tha Song Yang, where Karen refugees who fled attacks last year were recently under intense pressure from the Thai military to return to Burma, even though their areas are full of landmines and are occupied by the Burma Army and its militias.
CSW and BurmaInfo visited the camp 10 days after the Thai authorities attempted to forcibly deport refugees. Three families were sent back against their will before NGOs arrived and halted the process. The delegation interviewed two of these families, who are now in hiding in Thailand.
Benedict Rogers, said: “The testimonies we heard on this visit were harrowing and shocking. The military regime is continuing to perpetrate war crimes and crimes against humanity, even as it prepares to hold sham elections this year. The harassment of frightened, traumatised and extremely vulnerable refugees by the Thai military, forcing them or intimidating them to return to Karen State even though they would be walking into a death trap, adds further misery to an already tragic situation."
Since their return the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Burma, Tomás Ojea Quintana, has told the UN Human Rights Council that human rights violations perpetrated by Burma’s military regime may include crimes against humanity and war crimes, and that the UN should establish a commission of inquiry.
In a major breakthrough, the Special Rapporteur’s report to the UN Human Rights Council concludes that “there is a pattern of gross and systematic violation of human rights” which has been continuing “over a period of many years”. Mr Quintana says the violations “are the result of a state policy that involves authorities in the executive, military and judiciary at all levels”. In an unprecedented move, he argues that “the possibility exists that some of these human rights violations may entail categories of crimes against humanity or war crimes under the terms of the Statute of the International Criminal Court”.
The Special Rapporteur, who recently made his third visit to Burma, recommends that the UN should “consider the possibility to establish a commission of inquiry with a specific fact-finding mandate to address the question of international crimes”.
CSW has advocated the establishment of a UN commission of inquiry into crimes against humanity and war crimes for several years, alongside other international campaign groups.
Benedict Rogers said: “We warmly welcome the Special Rapporteur’s report, and are delighted that he has not only concluded that the violations perpetrated by the regime may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, but that he is now calling on the UN to establish a commission of inquiry to investigate these crimes. Such a step is much-needed and long overdue. It is vital that the international community act decisively to end the culture of impunity that prevails in Burma today.”
Inspire Magazine - Fresh evidence of crimes against humanity in Burma
A team returned from a fact-finding visit to the Thai-Burmese border last week with fresh evidence of gross human rights violations in eastern Burma that amount to “crimes against humanity”.
The delegation, which included Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW)’s East Asia Team Leader, Benedict Rogers, and the Director of BurmaInfo (Japan), Yuki Akimoto, interviewed new refugees in camps along the Thai-Burma border, and heard first-hand accounts of forced labour, torture and murder.
They also visited one of the two temporary camps in Tha Song Yang, where Karen refugees who fled attacks last year were recently under intense pressure from the Thai military to return to Burma, even though their areas are full of landmines and are occupied by the Burma Army and its militias.
CSW and BurmaInfo visited the camp 10 days after the Thai authorities attempted to forcibly deport refugees. Three families were sent back against their will before NGOs arrived and halted the process. The delegation interviewed two of these families, who are now in hiding in Thailand.
Benedict Rogers, said: “The testimonies we heard on this visit were harrowing and shocking. The military regime is continuing to perpetrate war crimes and crimes against humanity, even as it prepares to hold sham elections this year. The harassment of frightened, traumatised and extremely vulnerable refugees by the Thai military, forcing them or intimidating them to return to Karen State even though they would be walking into a death trap, adds further misery to an already tragic situation."
Since their return the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Burma, Tomás Ojea Quintana, has told the UN Human Rights Council that human rights violations perpetrated by Burma’s military regime may include crimes against humanity and war crimes, and that the UN should establish a commission of inquiry.
In a major breakthrough, the Special Rapporteur’s report to the UN Human Rights Council concludes that “there is a pattern of gross and systematic violation of human rights” which has been continuing “over a period of many years”. Mr Quintana says the violations “are the result of a state policy that involves authorities in the executive, military and judiciary at all levels”. In an unprecedented move, he argues that “the possibility exists that some of these human rights violations may entail categories of crimes against humanity or war crimes under the terms of the Statute of the International Criminal Court”.
The Special Rapporteur, who recently made his third visit to Burma, recommends that the UN should “consider the possibility to establish a commission of inquiry with a specific fact-finding mandate to address the question of international crimes”.
CSW has advocated the establishment of a UN commission of inquiry into crimes against humanity and war crimes for several years, alongside other international campaign groups.
Benedict Rogers said: “We warmly welcome the Special Rapporteur’s report, and are delighted that he has not only concluded that the violations perpetrated by the regime may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, but that he is now calling on the UN to establish a commission of inquiry to investigate these crimes. Such a step is much-needed and long overdue. It is vital that the international community act decisively to end the culture of impunity that prevails in Burma today.”
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Mar 13, 2010
Asia Times Online - When the Mekong runs dry
By Brian McCartan
VIENTIANE - Low water levels on the upper Mekong River have renewed criticism over hydropower dams China has erected on the waterway's upper reaches. Environmental groups and governments have pinned blame on China's inward-looking water management policies, although some experts say the real culprit is unusually severe drought conditions in southwestern China, northern Thailand and Laos.
Chinese authorities have said water levels in the country are at their lowest in 50 years, and they reject as groundless reports blaming their dams for the parched state of the river. The Mekong River Commission (MRC), an inter-governmental body that promotes and coordinates sustainable management and development of the Mekong River basin, said in a February 26 statement that levels in the upper Mekong are lower than in 1993, which came on the heels of the most serious regional drought on record in 1992.
Although Beijing says it takes into account the needs of downstream countries and has set up joint monitoring stations along the river, there is still considerable doubt about its sincerity in maintaining the river's normal flow. The MRC, for its part, has little direct leverage over Beijing, leaving member countries to approach China either through the United Nations or their individual diplomatic missions.
Underscoring the heightened tensions, a March 3 MRC meeting held in Laos' old royal capital of Luang Prabang agreed to send an official letter to Beijing's representative at the United Nations to seek its cooperation in finding a solution to the Mekong's low flow. It marked the first time that the MRC sent an official letter of complaint to China.
Thailand has been particularly vocal, calling for the four MRC members - that is, itself, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam - to apply bilateral diplomatic pressure on Beijing through their respective foreign ministries. During a weekly television address on March 7, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said "we'll ask China to help manage the water flow along the river better so countries in Southeast Asia would not be affected".
The low water levels, including certain stretches which have completely dried up, have all but stopped shipping on the Mekong. The river is a fast emerging major cargo route between the southern Chinese city of Jinghong and the northern Thai town of Chiang Saen, where a new river port is currently under construction. From there cargo is carried into Thailand and the rest of Southeast Asia.
The route is expected to be an important trade link in the implementation of the new China-ASEAN Free Trade Area. The agreement, which came into force in January, will pave the way for closer economic integration between Southeast Asia and China, an area with a combined population of 1.9 billion people and a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of around US$6 trillion.
By mid-February, over 20 Chinese cargo vessels were grounded in the section of the river that borders Myanmar and Laos. The vessels were later pulled to higher waters or into ports in Thailand. Four days later, China's Marine Affairs Bureau in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture had in response to the low water levels stopped issuing permits for vessels to travel south.
According to Chiang Saen's customs department, an estimated $4.6 million worth of cargo has been left stranded on the river. To bypass the dried-up Mekong, shippers have turned to the recently completed Route 3 roadway, which links Jinghong with northern Thailand through northwestern Laos. As many as 50 trailer trucks per day are now using the road when just a few months ago that number was around 50 per month.
The low water has also affected the availability of drinking water and irrigation for dry season crops. The MRC says the situation is particularly acute in the northern provinces of Laos and Thailand, areas that are already among the poorest in both countries. In Laos, irrigation systems and pumping stations for drinking water have been affected in Vientiane, Borikhamxay and Khammuan provinces. In Luang Prabang, there are reports of drinking water shortages, with only the tourist area in the city center receiving 24-hour service.
According to the MRC, water levels are expected to diminish further over the next month before rising again in late April or early May. Agrarians, environmental groups and affected citizens in Thailand have been quick to point the finger at China for the lack of water. The Save the Mekong Coalition and other environmental groups have said that China's dams on the upper Mekong are to blame for the unusually low water levels.
Four major dams have been built on the Mekong's upper reaches in China and another four are planned. Those completed include the Xiaowan dam, which began storing water in its reservoir in October. It is the second-largest hydroelectric dam in China after the Three Gorges Dam. Of the four planned dams, the Nuozhadu is expected to be completed in 2014 and will hold back even more water in order to generate 5,000 megawatts (MW) of power, the most of any of the eight dams.
Downstream tensions
It's not the first time that China's dams have generated downstream tensions. Environmentalists say that there have been unusual water flows on the Mekong ever since the first of the eight dams planned by China became operational in 1993. They often claim that Chinese dam construction has disrupted river traffic, has impacted adversely on fisheries and endangering some species, including the Mekong dolphin and the manatee, and has caused river blockages that hinder fish from swimming upriver to spawn.
Floods in 2008, which caused severe damage in Laos Thailand, were also blamed in part on China's dams - an accusation China likewise rejected. Some experts say that fluctuations in water levels are to be expected during dam construction and may cause lower water levels during the current dry season. In the longer-term, however, they say China's dams could actually be of benefit during drought conditions because of their capacity to release water downstream. China's dams will eventually be able to increase dry season water flow by as much as 30%-40%, if Beijing so chooses.
Hydroelectric dams along the river are designed to store water in the wet season and release it during the dry season to generate electricity. An MRC report on March 5 indicated that China's dam operations in early and mid-January may have actually delayed the onset of low water conditions downstream experienced since the later part of that month.
Beijing insists that the situation is a result of a severe drought conditions in southwest China and not its dam operations. Southwestern Yunnan has been the hardest hit province, but Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan and Chongqing have also been affected. The drought was brought on by a lack of rainfall and high temperatures, and is not expected to end until the rainy season begins in May.
Chinese authorities say that 7.5 million people and more than 4 million livestock are now suffering from inadequate water supplies in Yunnan and Guizhou provinces. Yunnan's governor, Qin Guangrong, told a drought relief meeting on February 23 that those numbers could climb to 7.92 million people in March, 9.51 million and April and 10.14 million by May. In February, Yunnan provincial authorities reported that 187 forest fires caused by the drought had been extinguished since November.
China's Ministry of Agriculture announced on Sunday that the drought had affected 4.09 million hectares of farmland by March 5. About 2.20 million of those hectares have been seriously affected. Although the area is not a major grain-growing region, it is China's second-largest producer of rubber and sugarcane. Government figures say the drought could reduce sugar production by 12% this year, leaving an amount insufficient to meet China's domestic demand. Preliminary government estimates indicate that the drought has caused $1.4 billion in losses.
The MRC and Thailand's National Disaster Warning Center have backed Beijing's meteorological explanation for the Mekong's low flows. They both have said that it is too early to conclusively link low water levels to China's dam construction and operations. In a recent statement, the MRC said the situation is the "result of drought conditions in northern Thailand and Lao PDR [People's Democratic Republic] and are part of a wider regional drought being experienced upstream in Yunnan province in China."
A MRC spokesman based at its secretariat in Vientiane told Asia Times Online that MRC figures indicate that monthly precipitation has been significantly below average since September 2009. Mekong tributaries, such as the Nam Ou and Nam Khan in Laos, are also experiencing low water levels; the lowest in 20 years for the Nam Ou and the lowest in 50 years for the Nam Khan, according to the MRC spokesman. Water levels in Vientiane during the rainy season were the fifth-lowest on record in the past 98 years
In Thailand, all 17 districts of northeastern Nong Khai province have been declared drought-hit areas. Water levels in major Thai dams are well below 50%, and the Royal Irrigation Department has warned that reserves in certain areas are at critical levels. Many farmers are worried that they may not have enough water for their dry season crops.
While northern Thailand and Laos are clearly suffering from drought conditions, some observers note that Beijing's frequent claims that only 14% of the Mekong's flow originates in China are somewhat misleading. That figure, they say, is a percentage of the total flow that, after snaking through Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, eventually empties into the South China Sea. The percentage of Mekong water that must pass through China before reaching northern Thailand and Laos is nearly 100%, they say.
China's unwillingness to release detailed information about its dams, which it considers a national security issue and thus not open to public disclosure, has long bred suspicion among downstream countries. China has thus not formally joined the MRC, but along with Myanmar has been a dialogue partner to the grouping since 1996.
In the absence of greater transparency from China, observers are left to wonder how much water is currently held behind China's Mekong dams after the long drought and low rainfall suffered across the region in 2009. Additionally, they contend that it is unlikely China would be willing to release additional water beyond what is necessary for electricity generation while the current drought continues.
In response to the criticism, China extended invitations this week for Mekong country representatives to visit its Jinghong dam later this month. Some viewed this as an encouraging step towards more transparency and multilateral cooperation, but detractors say that without a truly inclusive and empowered MRC, downstream countries will remain in the dark and vulnerable to China's secretive water management.
Brian McCartan is a Bangkok-based freelance journalist. He may be reached at brianpm@comcast.net.
Asia Times Online - When the Mekong runs dry
By Brian McCartan
VIENTIANE - Low water levels on the upper Mekong River have renewed criticism over hydropower dams China has erected on the waterway's upper reaches. Environmental groups and governments have pinned blame on China's inward-looking water management policies, although some experts say the real culprit is unusually severe drought conditions in southwestern China, northern Thailand and Laos.
Chinese authorities have said water levels in the country are at their lowest in 50 years, and they reject as groundless reports blaming their dams for the parched state of the river. The Mekong River Commission (MRC), an inter-governmental body that promotes and coordinates sustainable management and development of the Mekong River basin, said in a February 26 statement that levels in the upper Mekong are lower than in 1993, which came on the heels of the most serious regional drought on record in 1992.
Although Beijing says it takes into account the needs of downstream countries and has set up joint monitoring stations along the river, there is still considerable doubt about its sincerity in maintaining the river's normal flow. The MRC, for its part, has little direct leverage over Beijing, leaving member countries to approach China either through the United Nations or their individual diplomatic missions.
Underscoring the heightened tensions, a March 3 MRC meeting held in Laos' old royal capital of Luang Prabang agreed to send an official letter to Beijing's representative at the United Nations to seek its cooperation in finding a solution to the Mekong's low flow. It marked the first time that the MRC sent an official letter of complaint to China.
Thailand has been particularly vocal, calling for the four MRC members - that is, itself, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam - to apply bilateral diplomatic pressure on Beijing through their respective foreign ministries. During a weekly television address on March 7, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said "we'll ask China to help manage the water flow along the river better so countries in Southeast Asia would not be affected".
The low water levels, including certain stretches which have completely dried up, have all but stopped shipping on the Mekong. The river is a fast emerging major cargo route between the southern Chinese city of Jinghong and the northern Thai town of Chiang Saen, where a new river port is currently under construction. From there cargo is carried into Thailand and the rest of Southeast Asia.
The route is expected to be an important trade link in the implementation of the new China-ASEAN Free Trade Area. The agreement, which came into force in January, will pave the way for closer economic integration between Southeast Asia and China, an area with a combined population of 1.9 billion people and a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of around US$6 trillion.
By mid-February, over 20 Chinese cargo vessels were grounded in the section of the river that borders Myanmar and Laos. The vessels were later pulled to higher waters or into ports in Thailand. Four days later, China's Marine Affairs Bureau in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture had in response to the low water levels stopped issuing permits for vessels to travel south.
According to Chiang Saen's customs department, an estimated $4.6 million worth of cargo has been left stranded on the river. To bypass the dried-up Mekong, shippers have turned to the recently completed Route 3 roadway, which links Jinghong with northern Thailand through northwestern Laos. As many as 50 trailer trucks per day are now using the road when just a few months ago that number was around 50 per month.
The low water has also affected the availability of drinking water and irrigation for dry season crops. The MRC says the situation is particularly acute in the northern provinces of Laos and Thailand, areas that are already among the poorest in both countries. In Laos, irrigation systems and pumping stations for drinking water have been affected in Vientiane, Borikhamxay and Khammuan provinces. In Luang Prabang, there are reports of drinking water shortages, with only the tourist area in the city center receiving 24-hour service.
According to the MRC, water levels are expected to diminish further over the next month before rising again in late April or early May. Agrarians, environmental groups and affected citizens in Thailand have been quick to point the finger at China for the lack of water. The Save the Mekong Coalition and other environmental groups have said that China's dams on the upper Mekong are to blame for the unusually low water levels.
Four major dams have been built on the Mekong's upper reaches in China and another four are planned. Those completed include the Xiaowan dam, which began storing water in its reservoir in October. It is the second-largest hydroelectric dam in China after the Three Gorges Dam. Of the four planned dams, the Nuozhadu is expected to be completed in 2014 and will hold back even more water in order to generate 5,000 megawatts (MW) of power, the most of any of the eight dams.
Downstream tensions
It's not the first time that China's dams have generated downstream tensions. Environmentalists say that there have been unusual water flows on the Mekong ever since the first of the eight dams planned by China became operational in 1993. They often claim that Chinese dam construction has disrupted river traffic, has impacted adversely on fisheries and endangering some species, including the Mekong dolphin and the manatee, and has caused river blockages that hinder fish from swimming upriver to spawn.
Floods in 2008, which caused severe damage in Laos Thailand, were also blamed in part on China's dams - an accusation China likewise rejected. Some experts say that fluctuations in water levels are to be expected during dam construction and may cause lower water levels during the current dry season. In the longer-term, however, they say China's dams could actually be of benefit during drought conditions because of their capacity to release water downstream. China's dams will eventually be able to increase dry season water flow by as much as 30%-40%, if Beijing so chooses.
Hydroelectric dams along the river are designed to store water in the wet season and release it during the dry season to generate electricity. An MRC report on March 5 indicated that China's dam operations in early and mid-January may have actually delayed the onset of low water conditions downstream experienced since the later part of that month.
Beijing insists that the situation is a result of a severe drought conditions in southwest China and not its dam operations. Southwestern Yunnan has been the hardest hit province, but Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan and Chongqing have also been affected. The drought was brought on by a lack of rainfall and high temperatures, and is not expected to end until the rainy season begins in May.
Chinese authorities say that 7.5 million people and more than 4 million livestock are now suffering from inadequate water supplies in Yunnan and Guizhou provinces. Yunnan's governor, Qin Guangrong, told a drought relief meeting on February 23 that those numbers could climb to 7.92 million people in March, 9.51 million and April and 10.14 million by May. In February, Yunnan provincial authorities reported that 187 forest fires caused by the drought had been extinguished since November.
China's Ministry of Agriculture announced on Sunday that the drought had affected 4.09 million hectares of farmland by March 5. About 2.20 million of those hectares have been seriously affected. Although the area is not a major grain-growing region, it is China's second-largest producer of rubber and sugarcane. Government figures say the drought could reduce sugar production by 12% this year, leaving an amount insufficient to meet China's domestic demand. Preliminary government estimates indicate that the drought has caused $1.4 billion in losses.
The MRC and Thailand's National Disaster Warning Center have backed Beijing's meteorological explanation for the Mekong's low flows. They both have said that it is too early to conclusively link low water levels to China's dam construction and operations. In a recent statement, the MRC said the situation is the "result of drought conditions in northern Thailand and Lao PDR [People's Democratic Republic] and are part of a wider regional drought being experienced upstream in Yunnan province in China."
A MRC spokesman based at its secretariat in Vientiane told Asia Times Online that MRC figures indicate that monthly precipitation has been significantly below average since September 2009. Mekong tributaries, such as the Nam Ou and Nam Khan in Laos, are also experiencing low water levels; the lowest in 20 years for the Nam Ou and the lowest in 50 years for the Nam Khan, according to the MRC spokesman. Water levels in Vientiane during the rainy season were the fifth-lowest on record in the past 98 years
In Thailand, all 17 districts of northeastern Nong Khai province have been declared drought-hit areas. Water levels in major Thai dams are well below 50%, and the Royal Irrigation Department has warned that reserves in certain areas are at critical levels. Many farmers are worried that they may not have enough water for their dry season crops.
While northern Thailand and Laos are clearly suffering from drought conditions, some observers note that Beijing's frequent claims that only 14% of the Mekong's flow originates in China are somewhat misleading. That figure, they say, is a percentage of the total flow that, after snaking through Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, eventually empties into the South China Sea. The percentage of Mekong water that must pass through China before reaching northern Thailand and Laos is nearly 100%, they say.
China's unwillingness to release detailed information about its dams, which it considers a national security issue and thus not open to public disclosure, has long bred suspicion among downstream countries. China has thus not formally joined the MRC, but along with Myanmar has been a dialogue partner to the grouping since 1996.
In the absence of greater transparency from China, observers are left to wonder how much water is currently held behind China's Mekong dams after the long drought and low rainfall suffered across the region in 2009. Additionally, they contend that it is unlikely China would be willing to release additional water beyond what is necessary for electricity generation while the current drought continues.
In response to the criticism, China extended invitations this week for Mekong country representatives to visit its Jinghong dam later this month. Some viewed this as an encouraging step towards more transparency and multilateral cooperation, but detractors say that without a truly inclusive and empowered MRC, downstream countries will remain in the dark and vulnerable to China's secretive water management.
Brian McCartan is a Bangkok-based freelance journalist. He may be reached at brianpm@comcast.net.
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The Irrawaddy - About 300 NLD Branch Offices Reopened
By SAW YAN NAING - Friday, March 12, 2010
An estimated 300 National League for Democracy (NLD) branch offices across Burma have reopened, and Aung San Suu Kyi has issued marching orders to local office members, said party spokesperson Nyan Win.
Speaking with The Irrawaddy on Friday, Nyan Win said an estimated 300 NLD offices in various divisions and states have reopened so far.
Nyan Win,who met with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Thursday evening for two hours, said Suu Kyi discussed some specific issues, and suggested certain assignments and activities to be undertaken by members of the reopened offices.
He said Suu Kyi also said that she was surprised the regime released such a one-sided election law that excluded her from NLD membership and participating as a candidate or voting while she is under house arrest.
He said he will meet with the NLD central executive committee on Friday to brief members on the meeting.
He said he doesn't view the reopening of the NLD offices as positive or negative.
“Actually, there was no reason to ban these offices,” said Nyan Win. “We will have to see what the future holds.”
He said that he will visit reopened offices in Rangoon on Friday to advise members on how to reorganize their activities.
Most NLD offices across the country have been damaged by weather or neglect, and some can no longer be used because owners have sold the property, according to NLD sources.
All NLD branch offices have been closed since a regime-friendly gang of thugs attacked Suu Kyi's motorcade in Depayin in upper Burma in 2003, killing scores of NLD supporters.
By SAW YAN NAING - Friday, March 12, 2010
An estimated 300 National League for Democracy (NLD) branch offices across Burma have reopened, and Aung San Suu Kyi has issued marching orders to local office members, said party spokesperson Nyan Win.
Speaking with The Irrawaddy on Friday, Nyan Win said an estimated 300 NLD offices in various divisions and states have reopened so far.
Nyan Win,who met with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Thursday evening for two hours, said Suu Kyi discussed some specific issues, and suggested certain assignments and activities to be undertaken by members of the reopened offices.
He said Suu Kyi also said that she was surprised the regime released such a one-sided election law that excluded her from NLD membership and participating as a candidate or voting while she is under house arrest.
He said he will meet with the NLD central executive committee on Friday to brief members on the meeting.
He said he doesn't view the reopening of the NLD offices as positive or negative.
“Actually, there was no reason to ban these offices,” said Nyan Win. “We will have to see what the future holds.”
He said that he will visit reopened offices in Rangoon on Friday to advise members on how to reorganize their activities.
Most NLD offices across the country have been damaged by weather or neglect, and some can no longer be used because owners have sold the property, according to NLD sources.
All NLD branch offices have been closed since a regime-friendly gang of thugs attacked Suu Kyi's motorcade in Depayin in upper Burma in 2003, killing scores of NLD supporters.
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The Irrawaddy - Message From Suu Kyi
By BA KAUNG - Friday, March 12, 2010
Detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi instructed members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) to discuss the party's Shwegondaing declaration and why the 2008 Constitution is unnacceptable, said her lawyer, Nyan Win, after a two-hour meeting with Suu Kyi on Thursday.
“She wants the party members to discuss why the 2008 Constitution is unacceptable because she wants everyone to understand the laws, and she wants everyone to have a thorough understanding of the Shwegondaing declaration,” said Nyan Win, who is also a senior NLD party official.
The meeting took place two days after the Burmese military regime promulgated the election laws that bar Suu Kyi as leader of Burma's main opposition party from organizing and being a member of a political party if she is not released before the polls expected to be held in October.
According to Nyan Win, Suu Kyi said the election laws gave her the impression that they targeted an individual. “She said the laws both demeans the dignity of the laws and tarnish the prestige of the country,” he said.
“Daw Suu wants to urge everyone, whether NLD members, non-members or ethnic people, to take concerted action against these unjust laws,” Nyan Win said. “She also said all the people should speak up for their own rights with understanding of the laws.”
The Shwegoindaing Declaration, released by the National League for Democracy (NLD) in April 2009, calls for a review of the military-drafted Constitution, political dialogue and the unconditional release of all political prisoners, including its leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.
The regime has ignored the party's repeated call for the review of the Constitution and enacted the election laws which analysts said have put the party in a corner.
According to the election laws, the party not only needs to forgo its call for a review of the Constitution, which it would do at the risk of losing grace with the Burmese public, but also needs to expel Suu Kyi if she is not released before May 7, the deadline for the registration of all political parties.
Suu Kyi is serving an 18-month term of house arrrest. With her sentence due to expire in November, Suu Kyi cannot be a member of any political party if she is not released before May 7, according to the election law that bans prisoners from being members of political parties.
If the party fails to register, on the other hand, it will cease to exist as a legal party.
Asked how Suu Kyi viewed the prospect of her party's dissolution if it decides not to expel her, Nyan Win said, “she has not decided on this issue.”
Meanwhile, Suu Kyi has sent instructions to NLD leaders to pursue judicial action against these unjust election laws, according to Nyan Win, who declined to disclose the details.
“I cannot say what these instructions are now. Party leaders will make decisions based on her instructions,” Nyan Win said, adding that the party leaders' actions would be “nationwide.”
By BA KAUNG - Friday, March 12, 2010
Detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi instructed members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) to discuss the party's Shwegondaing declaration and why the 2008 Constitution is unnacceptable, said her lawyer, Nyan Win, after a two-hour meeting with Suu Kyi on Thursday.
“She wants the party members to discuss why the 2008 Constitution is unacceptable because she wants everyone to understand the laws, and she wants everyone to have a thorough understanding of the Shwegondaing declaration,” said Nyan Win, who is also a senior NLD party official.
The meeting took place two days after the Burmese military regime promulgated the election laws that bar Suu Kyi as leader of Burma's main opposition party from organizing and being a member of a political party if she is not released before the polls expected to be held in October.
According to Nyan Win, Suu Kyi said the election laws gave her the impression that they targeted an individual. “She said the laws both demeans the dignity of the laws and tarnish the prestige of the country,” he said.
“Daw Suu wants to urge everyone, whether NLD members, non-members or ethnic people, to take concerted action against these unjust laws,” Nyan Win said. “She also said all the people should speak up for their own rights with understanding of the laws.”
The Shwegoindaing Declaration, released by the National League for Democracy (NLD) in April 2009, calls for a review of the military-drafted Constitution, political dialogue and the unconditional release of all political prisoners, including its leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.
The regime has ignored the party's repeated call for the review of the Constitution and enacted the election laws which analysts said have put the party in a corner.
According to the election laws, the party not only needs to forgo its call for a review of the Constitution, which it would do at the risk of losing grace with the Burmese public, but also needs to expel Suu Kyi if she is not released before May 7, the deadline for the registration of all political parties.
Suu Kyi is serving an 18-month term of house arrrest. With her sentence due to expire in November, Suu Kyi cannot be a member of any political party if she is not released before May 7, according to the election law that bans prisoners from being members of political parties.
If the party fails to register, on the other hand, it will cease to exist as a legal party.
Asked how Suu Kyi viewed the prospect of her party's dissolution if it decides not to expel her, Nyan Win said, “she has not decided on this issue.”
Meanwhile, Suu Kyi has sent instructions to NLD leaders to pursue judicial action against these unjust election laws, according to Nyan Win, who declined to disclose the details.
“I cannot say what these instructions are now. Party leaders will make decisions based on her instructions,” Nyan Win said, adding that the party leaders' actions would be “nationwide.”
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The Irrawaddy - Junta Wants 'Yes or No' Answer from KIO
By SAW YAN NAING - Friday, March 12, 2010
Eight leaders of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) met with Maj-Gen Soe Win, the commander of the Northern Regional Command, in Myitkyina, the Kachin State capital, on Friday for a decision on the border guard force order, according to the sources close to the KIO.
The Burmese general is said to have wanted a “yes or no” answer on whether the KIO would transform its troops into a junta-led border guard force.
However, the KIO wants to continue negotiations, according to Ma La, a source who close to KIO.
KIO representatives were led by Lt-Gen Gauri Zau Seng, the KIO’s deputy chairman, said sources.
Sources said that if the KIO leaders fail to agree with the regime at the meeting, Burmese military action against the ethnic cease-fire group could be imminent. The Burmese army is moving its soldiers close to KIO-controlled areas including its headquarter in Laiza, according to sources in Myitkyina and Laiza.
According to government sources, more than 70,000 Burmese government troops have been sent to ethnic rebel areas in northeastern Burma.
Civilians who witnessed the troop reinforcement are said to be in fear of war in the near future, sources said.
The regime has set a March 15 deadline for ethnic cease-fire groups to become part of a union border guard force. If they fail to meet the deadline, the regime will launch military offenses against them, sources said.
According to analysts, the junta would want to end any armed conflict with ethnic cease-fire militias before the upcoming Burmese election—probably in October or November.
Meanwhile, Maj-Gen Thet Naing Win, the commander of the junta's Southeast Regional Command, has invited the ethnic Mon cease-fire group, the New Mon State Party (NMSP), to hold further talks on the border guard force issue this week.
The NMSP is currently holding a one-month meeting at its headquarter with its army leaders and others.
The Burmese junta ordered the NMSP to form a border guard force in June 2009. The ceasefire group rejected the proposal.
Tension also increased between the NMSP and the Burmese military in recent months. Two Burmese battalions were ordered into areas nearby NMSP-controlled territory due to the increasing tension, said sources.
The KIO's military wing, the Kachin Independence Army, claims to have more than 20,000 troops including well-trained militias. Another cease-fire group, the United Wa State Party, says it has 25,000 troops, while the NMSP is said to have an estimated 700 soldiers. All of the cease-fire groups have rejected the border guard force order.
By SAW YAN NAING - Friday, March 12, 2010
Eight leaders of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) met with Maj-Gen Soe Win, the commander of the Northern Regional Command, in Myitkyina, the Kachin State capital, on Friday for a decision on the border guard force order, according to the sources close to the KIO.
The Burmese general is said to have wanted a “yes or no” answer on whether the KIO would transform its troops into a junta-led border guard force.
However, the KIO wants to continue negotiations, according to Ma La, a source who close to KIO.
KIO representatives were led by Lt-Gen Gauri Zau Seng, the KIO’s deputy chairman, said sources.
Sources said that if the KIO leaders fail to agree with the regime at the meeting, Burmese military action against the ethnic cease-fire group could be imminent. The Burmese army is moving its soldiers close to KIO-controlled areas including its headquarter in Laiza, according to sources in Myitkyina and Laiza.
According to government sources, more than 70,000 Burmese government troops have been sent to ethnic rebel areas in northeastern Burma.
Civilians who witnessed the troop reinforcement are said to be in fear of war in the near future, sources said.
The regime has set a March 15 deadline for ethnic cease-fire groups to become part of a union border guard force. If they fail to meet the deadline, the regime will launch military offenses against them, sources said.
According to analysts, the junta would want to end any armed conflict with ethnic cease-fire militias before the upcoming Burmese election—probably in October or November.
Meanwhile, Maj-Gen Thet Naing Win, the commander of the junta's Southeast Regional Command, has invited the ethnic Mon cease-fire group, the New Mon State Party (NMSP), to hold further talks on the border guard force issue this week.
The NMSP is currently holding a one-month meeting at its headquarter with its army leaders and others.
The Burmese junta ordered the NMSP to form a border guard force in June 2009. The ceasefire group rejected the proposal.
Tension also increased between the NMSP and the Burmese military in recent months. Two Burmese battalions were ordered into areas nearby NMSP-controlled territory due to the increasing tension, said sources.
The KIO's military wing, the Kachin Independence Army, claims to have more than 20,000 troops including well-trained militias. Another cease-fire group, the United Wa State Party, says it has 25,000 troops, while the NMSP is said to have an estimated 700 soldiers. All of the cease-fire groups have rejected the border guard force order.
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Election Commission Members from Various Backgrounds
By THE IRRAWADDY - Friday, March 12, 2010
The 17 individuals chosen by the Burmese regime to form the Union Election Commission (UEC) are a mixture of former military officers, judges, lawyers, professors and ethnic nationals.
All 16 members and their chairman were required to meet the criteria laid down by the Union Election Commission Law: they must be retired and “distinguished and reputable elders” above the age of 50.
The majority of the chosen members are retired government officials who served under the ruling junta and took retirement in recent years.
The UEC chairman, Thein Soe, is a former major-general who served as a military judge advocate general and later as deputy chief justice of the Supreme Court. He was also a member of the commission that drafted the 2008 Constitution.
The other UEC members, officially identified on Thursday, are:
N Zaw Naw, a Kachin national and former district law officer in Myitkyina, capital of Kachin State. He also served on the Commission for Drafting the State Constitution.
Dr. Ba Maung, former director-general of the Historical Research Department.
Nyunt Tin, former secretary of the Myanmar Institute of Strategic and International Studies, which was established by the deposed prime minister Gen Khin Nyunt.
Aung Myint, a former member of the Civil Service Selection and Training Board.
Myint Naing, a former deputy attorney general.
Dr. Tin Aung Aye, a former Supreme Court judge who also served on the Commission for Drafting the State Constitution. He was earlier a professor and rector of Rangoon University.
Dr. Myint Kyi, formerly head of the department of international relations at Rangoon University. She also served as chairwoman of the Myanmar Women's Affairs Federation.
Dr. Maung Htoo, a retired professor and former rector of Myonwa University, Sagaing Division.
The remaining members are Khin Maung Nu, Saw Ba Hlaing, Maung Tha Hla, Dr. Sai Khan Hlaing, Khin Hla Myint, Tha Oo, Tha Htay and Win Kyi.
By THE IRRAWADDY - Friday, March 12, 2010
The 17 individuals chosen by the Burmese regime to form the Union Election Commission (UEC) are a mixture of former military officers, judges, lawyers, professors and ethnic nationals.
All 16 members and their chairman were required to meet the criteria laid down by the Union Election Commission Law: they must be retired and “distinguished and reputable elders” above the age of 50.
The majority of the chosen members are retired government officials who served under the ruling junta and took retirement in recent years.
The UEC chairman, Thein Soe, is a former major-general who served as a military judge advocate general and later as deputy chief justice of the Supreme Court. He was also a member of the commission that drafted the 2008 Constitution.
The other UEC members, officially identified on Thursday, are:
N Zaw Naw, a Kachin national and former district law officer in Myitkyina, capital of Kachin State. He also served on the Commission for Drafting the State Constitution.
Dr. Ba Maung, former director-general of the Historical Research Department.
Nyunt Tin, former secretary of the Myanmar Institute of Strategic and International Studies, which was established by the deposed prime minister Gen Khin Nyunt.
Aung Myint, a former member of the Civil Service Selection and Training Board.
Myint Naing, a former deputy attorney general.
Dr. Tin Aung Aye, a former Supreme Court judge who also served on the Commission for Drafting the State Constitution. He was earlier a professor and rector of Rangoon University.
Dr. Myint Kyi, formerly head of the department of international relations at Rangoon University. She also served as chairwoman of the Myanmar Women's Affairs Federation.
Dr. Maung Htoo, a retired professor and former rector of Myonwa University, Sagaing Division.
The remaining members are Khin Maung Nu, Saw Ba Hlaing, Maung Tha Hla, Dr. Sai Khan Hlaing, Khin Hla Myint, Tha Oo, Tha Htay and Win Kyi.
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Election analysis barred in Burmese publications
Friday, 12 March 2010 18:57 Phanida
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) - Weekly publications in Burma have been prohibited from publishing any comment or analysis on the electoral laws being announced daily from March 8 through the State-owned media, said some editors and journalists in Rangoon.
The infamous censorship board disallowed publications from printing interviews and analysis of United Democratic Party leader Thu Way, Shwe Ohn of the Union Democracy Alliance and politician Nay Myo Wai, who have announced their intention of contesting the elections.
An editor of a publication in Rangoon told Mizzima that interviews and analysis were censored by the board in the three highest selling weekly publications in the country.
"The board told them that now only electoral laws are being announced. The parties have not been registered with the Election Commission yet. So, they do not have the right to be published," an editor told Mizzima.
Another editor said "the comments of political party members are not to be published. But we are allowed to publish comments from those who are not from politics. Derogatory comments on the electoral laws are banned".
A journalist from 7 Day News said that they are still waiting for permission from the censorship board to publish an analysis on electoral laws.
Burma's censorship board, which is infamous and known as the 'Literary Kempetai', puts pressure and forces the media inside Burma to publish critical articles against pro-democracy activists. But it censors anything that is critical of the regime and its policies.
Friday, 12 March 2010 18:57 Phanida
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) - Weekly publications in Burma have been prohibited from publishing any comment or analysis on the electoral laws being announced daily from March 8 through the State-owned media, said some editors and journalists in Rangoon.
The infamous censorship board disallowed publications from printing interviews and analysis of United Democratic Party leader Thu Way, Shwe Ohn of the Union Democracy Alliance and politician Nay Myo Wai, who have announced their intention of contesting the elections.
An editor of a publication in Rangoon told Mizzima that interviews and analysis were censored by the board in the three highest selling weekly publications in the country.
"The board told them that now only electoral laws are being announced. The parties have not been registered with the Election Commission yet. So, they do not have the right to be published," an editor told Mizzima.
Another editor said "the comments of political party members are not to be published. But we are allowed to publish comments from those who are not from politics. Derogatory comments on the electoral laws are banned".
A journalist from 7 Day News said that they are still waiting for permission from the censorship board to publish an analysis on electoral laws.
Burma's censorship board, which is infamous and known as the 'Literary Kempetai', puts pressure and forces the media inside Burma to publish critical articles against pro-democracy activists. But it censors anything that is critical of the regime and its policies.
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DVB News - Burma fuelling China’s heroin crisis
By FRANCIS WADE
Published: 12 March 2010
China has seen a rapid rise in drug addiction this year, particularly in its southern Yunnan province where opium from Burma’s volatile Shan state is pouring across the border.
More than 60,000 people registered as heroin addicts in Yunnan province last year, a leap from 50,000 the year before, according to Bangyuan Wang from Health Unlimited, which provides treatment for drug users along the China-Burma border.
“[Heroin addiction] has been one of the big problems in Yunnan over the past 20 years, and the government is trying really hard to crack down on drug traffickers and drug users,” he said.
He added that most of the drug traffickers were being arrested as they transported drugs from Burma into China, while a recent Al Jazeera report found that around 80 percent of heroin addicts in the Chinese border town of Nabang were from Burma.
In Yunnan, the Chinese government has opened more than 50 methadone treatment clinics which are being accessed by “thousands of users”, Wang said.
Burma is the world’s second largest source of opium, after Afghanistan, and the findings will do little to support the Burmese government’s repeated guarantees that it is stamping out the country’s drug trade.
The majority of its opium market is allegedly controlled by the United Wa State Army in Shan state, which is made up of ethnic Chinese and which holds a tenuous ceasefire with the Burmese government. A UN report released in June last year found that Burma accounted for 28,500 hectares of opium poppy of a global total of 189,000.
The US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) says that China’s growing role as a transhipment centre “can be attributed to an increase in ethnic Chinese influence in the heroin trafficking trade”.
One of the key areas of concern is the spread of HIV in Yunnan, which already has China’s highest rates for the disease. Its first wave of HIV infections in 1989 was among injecting drug users along the Burma border, and the province is now thought to have around 80,000 diagnosed.
Wang said however that the alarm over the spread of HIV in Yunnan had forced the Chinese government into “a more open policy” regarding drug use, compared to heavily punitive measures that had previously been its approach.
Despite the burgeoning of the cross-border heroin trade, however, a serious problem remains within Burma.
A report in January by the Thailand-based Palaung Women’s Organisation (PWO) said that opium abuse was “devastating” Shan communities. The Palaung are an ethnic group from Burma’s northeastern Shan state, which accounts for 95 percent of the country’s opium output.
The report pointed the finger at the Burmese government’s acquiescence in the production of opium by drug lords “in exchange for policing against resistance activity and sharing drug profits”.
By FRANCIS WADE
Published: 12 March 2010
China has seen a rapid rise in drug addiction this year, particularly in its southern Yunnan province where opium from Burma’s volatile Shan state is pouring across the border.
More than 60,000 people registered as heroin addicts in Yunnan province last year, a leap from 50,000 the year before, according to Bangyuan Wang from Health Unlimited, which provides treatment for drug users along the China-Burma border.
“[Heroin addiction] has been one of the big problems in Yunnan over the past 20 years, and the government is trying really hard to crack down on drug traffickers and drug users,” he said.
He added that most of the drug traffickers were being arrested as they transported drugs from Burma into China, while a recent Al Jazeera report found that around 80 percent of heroin addicts in the Chinese border town of Nabang were from Burma.
In Yunnan, the Chinese government has opened more than 50 methadone treatment clinics which are being accessed by “thousands of users”, Wang said.
Burma is the world’s second largest source of opium, after Afghanistan, and the findings will do little to support the Burmese government’s repeated guarantees that it is stamping out the country’s drug trade.
The majority of its opium market is allegedly controlled by the United Wa State Army in Shan state, which is made up of ethnic Chinese and which holds a tenuous ceasefire with the Burmese government. A UN report released in June last year found that Burma accounted for 28,500 hectares of opium poppy of a global total of 189,000.
The US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) says that China’s growing role as a transhipment centre “can be attributed to an increase in ethnic Chinese influence in the heroin trafficking trade”.
One of the key areas of concern is the spread of HIV in Yunnan, which already has China’s highest rates for the disease. Its first wave of HIV infections in 1989 was among injecting drug users along the Burma border, and the province is now thought to have around 80,000 diagnosed.
Wang said however that the alarm over the spread of HIV in Yunnan had forced the Chinese government into “a more open policy” regarding drug use, compared to heavily punitive measures that had previously been its approach.
Despite the burgeoning of the cross-border heroin trade, however, a serious problem remains within Burma.
A report in January by the Thailand-based Palaung Women’s Organisation (PWO) said that opium abuse was “devastating” Shan communities. The Palaung are an ethnic group from Burma’s northeastern Shan state, which accounts for 95 percent of the country’s opium output.
The report pointed the finger at the Burmese government’s acquiescence in the production of opium by drug lords “in exchange for policing against resistance activity and sharing drug profits”.
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