Evidence points to Myanmar nuclear program
Published: June 7, 2010 at 12:33 PM
BANGKOK, June 7 (UPI) -- Myanmar's military dictatorship is working on nuclear weapons, a report by a Norway human rights and democracy group claims.
The evidence from Myanmar, formerly called Burma, is analyzed in a 30-page report by a former director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Robert Kelley, and published on the Web site of the non-profit Democratic Voice of Burma.
Myanmar is likely mining uranium and exploring nuclear technology that is "useful only for weapons," Kelley said in his report that focuses largely on evidence from one man, former Myanmar Maj. Sai Thein Win.
Kelley, an American nuclear scientist, has worked for five years with DVB putting together the report based on documents and hundreds of photographs from Win, a defense engineer who studied nuclear and chemical technology at the Moscow Institute of Engineering Physics and the Mendeleev Institute of Chemical Technology.
Win later worked in Myanmar factories where he was part of a team making prototype components for missiles, DVB said on its Web site.
"Sai contacted DVB after learning of its investigation into Burma's military programs and supplied various documents and color photographs of the equipment built inside the factories," DVB said.
"The investigation has also uncovered evidence of North Korean involvement in the development of Burmese missiles, as well as Russia's training of Burmese nuclear technicians."
The report said that Win is a "remarkable individual" who "came out to Thailand to tell the world what he has seen and what he was asked to do." Win "can describe the special demonstrations he attended and can name the people and places associated with the Burmese nuclear program."
DVB said that Win is supplying nuclear information in the same fashion as did Mordechai Vanunu, an Israeli technician at the Dimona nuclear site in the Negev desert. Vanunu took photographs of activities in Israel that allegedly related to nuclear fuel and weapons development. The photos were published in the Sunday Times newspaper in London in 1986.
Vanunu was abducted, tried in an Israeli court and sentenced to 18 years in prison for divulging state secrets.
Two companies in Singapore with German connections sold machine tools to the Myanmar government's Department of Technical and Vocational Education.
"DTVE is probably a front for military purchasing for weapons of mass destruction; that is to say nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and the means to deliver them, largely missiles," the report said.
Win provided high-quality photos of German technicians installing the equipment and the Germans were suspicious that the machinery was for educational use because there were no schools or colleges in the area.
Kelley said the quality of the machine parts and the mechanical drawings were "poor" and "nothing we have seen suggests Burma will be successful with materials and components."
Kelley also said that if Myanmar was discovered to have a nuclear development program it should face international sanctions.
Myanmar having nuclear weapons would pose a proliferation risk in the region that lies between the nuclear powers of India and China. Many of their Southeast Asia neighbors have proclaimed the region a nuclear weapons-free zone.
Last summer an article in the Australian newspaper The Sydney Morning Herald reported that North Korea was helping Myanmar build a nuclear reactor and plutonium extraction plant as part of a program to build an atomic bomb by 2014.
Evidence from Myanmar defectors said the plant was inside a mountain at Naung Laing in northern Myanmar and close to a research reactor Russia agreed to help build at another site, the Herald said.
Last August U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton voiced concern over Myanmar's suspected nuclear ambitions at a regional security meeting in Thailand.
Indian authorities had recently detained a North Korean ship and searched it for radioactive material. The MV Mu San dropped anchor off the Andaman Islands without permission and was believed destined for Myanmar.
Most of the Andaman Islands, between India and Myanmar, are part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Union Territory of India while a small number of the archipelago islands belong to Myanmar.
The search of the ship was done under U.N. sanctions adopted in June 2009 after North Korea's atomic test the month before.
Published: June 7, 2010 at 12:33 PM
BANGKOK, June 7 (UPI) -- Myanmar's military dictatorship is working on nuclear weapons, a report by a Norway human rights and democracy group claims.
The evidence from Myanmar, formerly called Burma, is analyzed in a 30-page report by a former director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Robert Kelley, and published on the Web site of the non-profit Democratic Voice of Burma.
Myanmar is likely mining uranium and exploring nuclear technology that is "useful only for weapons," Kelley said in his report that focuses largely on evidence from one man, former Myanmar Maj. Sai Thein Win.
Kelley, an American nuclear scientist, has worked for five years with DVB putting together the report based on documents and hundreds of photographs from Win, a defense engineer who studied nuclear and chemical technology at the Moscow Institute of Engineering Physics and the Mendeleev Institute of Chemical Technology.
Win later worked in Myanmar factories where he was part of a team making prototype components for missiles, DVB said on its Web site.
"Sai contacted DVB after learning of its investigation into Burma's military programs and supplied various documents and color photographs of the equipment built inside the factories," DVB said.
"The investigation has also uncovered evidence of North Korean involvement in the development of Burmese missiles, as well as Russia's training of Burmese nuclear technicians."
The report said that Win is a "remarkable individual" who "came out to Thailand to tell the world what he has seen and what he was asked to do." Win "can describe the special demonstrations he attended and can name the people and places associated with the Burmese nuclear program."
DVB said that Win is supplying nuclear information in the same fashion as did Mordechai Vanunu, an Israeli technician at the Dimona nuclear site in the Negev desert. Vanunu took photographs of activities in Israel that allegedly related to nuclear fuel and weapons development. The photos were published in the Sunday Times newspaper in London in 1986.
Vanunu was abducted, tried in an Israeli court and sentenced to 18 years in prison for divulging state secrets.
Two companies in Singapore with German connections sold machine tools to the Myanmar government's Department of Technical and Vocational Education.
"DTVE is probably a front for military purchasing for weapons of mass destruction; that is to say nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and the means to deliver them, largely missiles," the report said.
Win provided high-quality photos of German technicians installing the equipment and the Germans were suspicious that the machinery was for educational use because there were no schools or colleges in the area.
Kelley said the quality of the machine parts and the mechanical drawings were "poor" and "nothing we have seen suggests Burma will be successful with materials and components."
Kelley also said that if Myanmar was discovered to have a nuclear development program it should face international sanctions.
Myanmar having nuclear weapons would pose a proliferation risk in the region that lies between the nuclear powers of India and China. Many of their Southeast Asia neighbors have proclaimed the region a nuclear weapons-free zone.
Last summer an article in the Australian newspaper The Sydney Morning Herald reported that North Korea was helping Myanmar build a nuclear reactor and plutonium extraction plant as part of a program to build an atomic bomb by 2014.
Evidence from Myanmar defectors said the plant was inside a mountain at Naung Laing in northern Myanmar and close to a research reactor Russia agreed to help build at another site, the Herald said.
Last August U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton voiced concern over Myanmar's suspected nuclear ambitions at a regional security meeting in Thailand.
Indian authorities had recently detained a North Korean ship and searched it for radioactive material. The MV Mu San dropped anchor off the Andaman Islands without permission and was believed destined for Myanmar.
Most of the Andaman Islands, between India and Myanmar, are part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Union Territory of India while a small number of the archipelago islands belong to Myanmar.
The search of the ship was done under U.N. sanctions adopted in June 2009 after North Korea's atomic test the month before.
*****************************************************
Gore: Saving climate will save, not lose, money
By TERESA CEROJANO, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 54 mins ago
MANILA, Philippines (AP) – Poorer countries that have borne the brunt of climate change's effects will save, not lose, money by putting in place ways to rescue the environment, Al Gore said Tuesday.
The former U.S. vice president spoke to a forum in Manila in one of his first public engagements since he and wife, Tipper, announced they had separated after 40 years of marriage. He refused to answer audience questions about it, and reporters did not have an opportunity for interviews.
In the lecture focused on Asia, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate blamed global warming for droughts and frequent and more destructive typhoons, including those that have left millions homeless in India, Myanmar, the Philippines and Vietnam.
"When there are lots of them, much more frequently and they are bigger on average how can we connect those dots?" he asked. "How long will it take us as a civilization to connect those dots in a way that causes us to demand that our political leaders and political systems react?"
Gore said proposals to store carbon dioxide in the ground are expensive, and the best way is to trap them is in plants. He added that China is a leader in this area, planting more trees than any other country.
"A lot of the most effective ways of saving the environment actually save money," he said during the open forum. "They don't cost money, they save money."
Making vehicle engines more efficient, for example, can save money and gasoline — 90 percent of which is wasted in vehicles that have inefficient engines, he said.
Businesses that have gone green have found that they can save a lot of money, he added.
While not discussing his marriage, Gore did mention his family, saying that his son's near-fatal accident in 1989 caused him to realize that people have taken the earth for granted. "I found in that raw place in my heart an ability to feel for the first time that we could lose this and it's worth fighting for," he added.
The audience included outgoing Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo — whom Gore met on the sideline of the forum — as well as business and political leaders.
By TERESA CEROJANO, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 54 mins ago
MANILA, Philippines (AP) – Poorer countries that have borne the brunt of climate change's effects will save, not lose, money by putting in place ways to rescue the environment, Al Gore said Tuesday.
The former U.S. vice president spoke to a forum in Manila in one of his first public engagements since he and wife, Tipper, announced they had separated after 40 years of marriage. He refused to answer audience questions about it, and reporters did not have an opportunity for interviews.
In the lecture focused on Asia, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate blamed global warming for droughts and frequent and more destructive typhoons, including those that have left millions homeless in India, Myanmar, the Philippines and Vietnam.
"When there are lots of them, much more frequently and they are bigger on average how can we connect those dots?" he asked. "How long will it take us as a civilization to connect those dots in a way that causes us to demand that our political leaders and political systems react?"
Gore said proposals to store carbon dioxide in the ground are expensive, and the best way is to trap them is in plants. He added that China is a leader in this area, planting more trees than any other country.
"A lot of the most effective ways of saving the environment actually save money," he said during the open forum. "They don't cost money, they save money."
Making vehicle engines more efficient, for example, can save money and gasoline — 90 percent of which is wasted in vehicles that have inefficient engines, he said.
Businesses that have gone green have found that they can save a lot of money, he added.
While not discussing his marriage, Gore did mention his family, saying that his son's near-fatal accident in 1989 caused him to realize that people have taken the earth for granted. "I found in that raw place in my heart an ability to feel for the first time that we could lose this and it's worth fighting for," he added.
The audience included outgoing Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo — whom Gore met on the sideline of the forum — as well as business and political leaders.
*****************************************************
MYANMAR-THAILAND: Maung Win, "We are cheap labour, we have no rights"
UMPIEM CAMP, 8 June 2010 (IRIN) - Umpiem is one of about a dozen refugee camps along the Thailand-Myanmar border for displaced persons who have fled poverty as well as ethnic, religious and political persecution. The camp is home to about 27,000 people, according to the Karen Refugee Committee. Under Thai law, displaced persons are prohibited from leaving the camps, but authorities often allow refugees to leave for day labour. Maung Win*, 36, an ethnic Arakan, told IRIN about his recent arrest outside camp.
"I leave the camp most days to find work nearby. I leave early in the morning, walk 5km to the area where we wait by the side of the road to be picked up for day labour at 4am, and I return to the camp at 5pm.
"I get 80 baht [US$2.50] a day. A Thai worker is paid more than twice this amount. We are cheap labour, and we have no rights. This is the only way I can earn a bit of money. Without work, it's hard to survive just on the rations we are given.
"More and more people from the camp started going out for work, so there was a smaller chance of getting chosen for the day. A couple of hundred people leave the camp each day now. There was no more work nearby, so I had to start going farther away.
"Once a week, I would to go to Umphang to work on a farm. The last time I tried to go to Umphang, I was arrested [at a roadside check point] and sent to jail for being outside the camp.
"In jail, the guards had me carry bricks for them, and my wife had to send money for the police to provide me with food. We sold some of our possessions.
"I fled Myanmar in 1990. After our local Arakan leader was executed in jail, we demonstrated and then it was dangerous for some of us to stay around.
"From 1990 to 1994, I lived in Mae La camp with my uncle. After that I worked in a factory in Mae Sot. During that time the police would harass me but I managed to avoid getting arrested. I met my wife in Mae Sot in 2005.
"Now it's impossible for me to work in a factory because of the new [nationality verification] programme that says we must register with the Burmese government in order to get permission to work here. Of course, that's not possible. So now I can only try to work near the camp, if there is any work available."
* Not his real name
UMPIEM CAMP, 8 June 2010 (IRIN) - Umpiem is one of about a dozen refugee camps along the Thailand-Myanmar border for displaced persons who have fled poverty as well as ethnic, religious and political persecution. The camp is home to about 27,000 people, according to the Karen Refugee Committee. Under Thai law, displaced persons are prohibited from leaving the camps, but authorities often allow refugees to leave for day labour. Maung Win*, 36, an ethnic Arakan, told IRIN about his recent arrest outside camp.
"I leave the camp most days to find work nearby. I leave early in the morning, walk 5km to the area where we wait by the side of the road to be picked up for day labour at 4am, and I return to the camp at 5pm.
"I get 80 baht [US$2.50] a day. A Thai worker is paid more than twice this amount. We are cheap labour, and we have no rights. This is the only way I can earn a bit of money. Without work, it's hard to survive just on the rations we are given.
"More and more people from the camp started going out for work, so there was a smaller chance of getting chosen for the day. A couple of hundred people leave the camp each day now. There was no more work nearby, so I had to start going farther away.
"Once a week, I would to go to Umphang to work on a farm. The last time I tried to go to Umphang, I was arrested [at a roadside check point] and sent to jail for being outside the camp.
"In jail, the guards had me carry bricks for them, and my wife had to send money for the police to provide me with food. We sold some of our possessions.
"I fled Myanmar in 1990. After our local Arakan leader was executed in jail, we demonstrated and then it was dangerous for some of us to stay around.
"From 1990 to 1994, I lived in Mae La camp with my uncle. After that I worked in a factory in Mae Sot. During that time the police would harass me but I managed to avoid getting arrested. I met my wife in Mae Sot in 2005.
"Now it's impossible for me to work in a factory because of the new [nationality verification] programme that says we must register with the Burmese government in order to get permission to work here. Of course, that's not possible. So now I can only try to work near the camp, if there is any work available."
* Not his real name
*****************************************************
VOA News - China Defends Internet Censorship Practices
Peter Simpson | Beijing 08 June 2010
The Chinese government has defended its policy of censoring the Internet and cautions other nations to respect how it polices the world's largest online population. Some in the international community fear China's high-technology methods for controlling information are gaining popularity with oppressive governments around the world.
There were no surprises in the Chinese government's new white paper, as it reiterated its determination to heavily censor Internet access in the world's most populous nation.
It calls for other countries to respect its Internet laws, which it says are a matter of national sovereignty.
China's communist leaders seem more than ever determined to control content for the country's estimated 400 million Internet users.
The white paper issued Tuesday says censorship is "an indispensable requirement for protecting state security and the public interest."
The country spends hundreds of millions of dollars to control the Internet. Its restrictive measures, known by some critics as the Great Firewall, are continually reviewed and upgraded.
The controls bring strong criticism from many countries, including the United States, and the United Nations.
U.S. Embassy spokeswoman in Beijing Susan Stevenson says Washington opposes China's Internet policy.
"As President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton have stressed on many occasions, the U.S. government is strongly committed to Internet and press freedoms and we are opposed to censorship," Stevenson said.
Lucie Morillon, with the media freedom pressure group Reporters Without Borders, says concern is growing that other governments, such as Iran and Burma, are copying China's policies.
"China has been playing a leading role in defining Internet control with a lot of technical means and resources behind it, plus a lot of intimidation against net citizens," Morillon said. "And this is a model that is being exported to different countries, which are following the Chinese model."
Morillon says more pressure on Beijing is needed from the United Nations and the international community to allow greater Internet freedom.
She says the World Trade Organization should also push Beijing to allow greater Internet freedom by applying economic pressure to do so.
European Union officials have said Beijing's censorship constitutes a trade barrier.
But there is hope for Web users in China wanting to access what they choose.
More and more are staying one click ahead of the censors by using proxy servers and learning to become anonymous on-line so they can express their views.
Morillon says in one way, the more the Beijing government seeks to silence its expanding Internet community, the more its members are beginning to be heard.
The Chinese government says in its white paper it aims to make the Internet available to 45 percent of its population during the next five years, up from about 29 percent now.
Peter Simpson | Beijing 08 June 2010
The Chinese government has defended its policy of censoring the Internet and cautions other nations to respect how it polices the world's largest online population. Some in the international community fear China's high-technology methods for controlling information are gaining popularity with oppressive governments around the world.
There were no surprises in the Chinese government's new white paper, as it reiterated its determination to heavily censor Internet access in the world's most populous nation.
It calls for other countries to respect its Internet laws, which it says are a matter of national sovereignty.
China's communist leaders seem more than ever determined to control content for the country's estimated 400 million Internet users.
The white paper issued Tuesday says censorship is "an indispensable requirement for protecting state security and the public interest."
The country spends hundreds of millions of dollars to control the Internet. Its restrictive measures, known by some critics as the Great Firewall, are continually reviewed and upgraded.
The controls bring strong criticism from many countries, including the United States, and the United Nations.
U.S. Embassy spokeswoman in Beijing Susan Stevenson says Washington opposes China's Internet policy.
"As President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton have stressed on many occasions, the U.S. government is strongly committed to Internet and press freedoms and we are opposed to censorship," Stevenson said.
Lucie Morillon, with the media freedom pressure group Reporters Without Borders, says concern is growing that other governments, such as Iran and Burma, are copying China's policies.
"China has been playing a leading role in defining Internet control with a lot of technical means and resources behind it, plus a lot of intimidation against net citizens," Morillon said. "And this is a model that is being exported to different countries, which are following the Chinese model."
Morillon says more pressure on Beijing is needed from the United Nations and the international community to allow greater Internet freedom.
She says the World Trade Organization should also push Beijing to allow greater Internet freedom by applying economic pressure to do so.
European Union officials have said Beijing's censorship constitutes a trade barrier.
But there is hope for Web users in China wanting to access what they choose.
More and more are staying one click ahead of the censors by using proxy servers and learning to become anonymous on-line so they can express their views.
Morillon says in one way, the more the Beijing government seeks to silence its expanding Internet community, the more its members are beginning to be heard.
The Chinese government says in its white paper it aims to make the Internet available to 45 percent of its population during the next five years, up from about 29 percent now.
*****************************************************
The Malaysian Mirror - OPINION: What if Myanmar goes nuclear?
Nehginpao Kipgen
Tuesday, 08 June 2010 15:31
THE Myanmar military regime’s desire to become a nuclear power is an alarming development for the Burmese people, especially ethnic minorities, as well as nations which like to see a nuclear free world.
The documentary, broadcasted by the Al Jazeera news network on June 4, is an indication of how the Myanmar military junta has planned to acquire nuclear weapons, with the help of North Korea.
Both Burma and North Korea, along with other totalitarian regimes or dictatorships such as Belarus, Cuba, Iran, and Zimbabwe, were identified as “outposts of tyranny” in 2005 by Condoleezza Rice, the then U.S. secretary of state.
The Al Jazeera report featured extensive documentation, including photos and blueprints of tunnels and suspected nuclear facilities. The materials which were provided by a military defector, a former army major, add credibility to the suspicion that Myanmar is pursuing a nuclear programme.
The revelation of such covert activities, by its own military rank at this juncture, is something the Myanmar military generals would not like to have happened. Not only has the junta denied such allegations, but also supported establishing a Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapons Free Zone (SEANWFZ).
The joint statement of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United States of America in November 2009 “welcomed the efforts of the president of the United States in promoting international peace and security including the vision of a nuclear weapons free world.”
International response
The ASEAN-US leadership also “agreed to work towards preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and work together to build a world without nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.”
What could have prompted Myanmar to build nuclear facilities is an interesting subject. North Korea has managed to defy the U.N. sanctions, and has now considered itself as a nuclear power. Pyongyang flexes its military muscles against the threat of any attacks by Seoul and Washington.
The lack of a strong coordinated international response, despite U.N. sanctions, has emboldened North Korea. Amidst international condemnations, North Korea still enjoys the support of China, its closest communist ally which is also a U.N. Security Council member.
Such ineffectiveness on the part of the international community to prevent nuclear proliferation has encouraged the Myanmar military junta. The military generals believe that their nuclear ambition will not be blocked by China and Russia – the two veto-wielding powers of the U.N. Security Council.
If Myanmar becomes a nuclear nation, it will make the military leaders more arrogant and intransigent. Having no foreign enemy, the junta will not hesitate to use its power to suppress the county’s ethnic armed movements, which are fighting for autonomy in their respective territories.
The hope of establishing a federal Union of Burma will become slimmer, if not infeasible. The voice of the international community on human rights abuses and exploitation of other democratic rights will also have lesser impact on the military regime.
Moreover, a nuclear Myanmar will likely make Southeast Asia insecure, unstable, and possibly might pave the way for a nuclear arms race in the region.
In the larger interest of the international community and the Burmese people, it is important that the International Atomic Energy Agency investigates the report and act responsibly to maintain peace and stability.
ASEAN should abjure its traditional policy of non-interference, especially when an action of its own member state can disturb the peaceful existence of the entire populace in the region.
A threat to humanity
It is expected that the United States government, in its capacity, will work with the international community to prevent Myanmar from acquiring nuclear weapons. However, North Korea is an example where the U.S. has a limited role to play when it comes to international crisis.
Unless it is for a peaceful purpose, nuclear powers such as China, India and Russia need to work together with other world powers to prevent Myanmar from acquiring destructive weapons. Proliferation of nuclear bombs, especially in the hands of totalitarian regimes or military dictatorships, should be considered a threat to humanity.
It is important that the Obama administration appoints a special envoy for Myanmar, which was authorized by the U.S. Congress during George W. Bush’s presidency in 2008. The White House should consider the model of the North Korean six-party talk, involving the United States, European Union, ASEAN, China, India, and Myanmar.
Myanmar pursuing nuclear weapons is a violation of ASEAN’s collective commitment for establishing SEANWFZ and a nuclear weapons free world. It is also a violation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1874 (2009) for North Korea to export nuclear materials.
A nuclear Myanmar is a grave danger to its own ethnic minorities who have suffered racially and psychologically, in the hands of the military junta, for decades.
* Nehginpao Kipgen is a researcher on the rise of political conflicts in modern Burma (1947-2004) and general secretary of the U.S.-based Kuki International Forum (www.kukiforum.com). He has written numerous analytical articles on the politics of Burma and Asia that have been widely published in five continents (Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, and North America).
* The views expressed herein are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysian Mirror and/or its associates.
Tuesday, 08 June 2010 15:31
THE Myanmar military regime’s desire to become a nuclear power is an alarming development for the Burmese people, especially ethnic minorities, as well as nations which like to see a nuclear free world.
The documentary, broadcasted by the Al Jazeera news network on June 4, is an indication of how the Myanmar military junta has planned to acquire nuclear weapons, with the help of North Korea.
Both Burma and North Korea, along with other totalitarian regimes or dictatorships such as Belarus, Cuba, Iran, and Zimbabwe, were identified as “outposts of tyranny” in 2005 by Condoleezza Rice, the then U.S. secretary of state.
The Al Jazeera report featured extensive documentation, including photos and blueprints of tunnels and suspected nuclear facilities. The materials which were provided by a military defector, a former army major, add credibility to the suspicion that Myanmar is pursuing a nuclear programme.
The revelation of such covert activities, by its own military rank at this juncture, is something the Myanmar military generals would not like to have happened. Not only has the junta denied such allegations, but also supported establishing a Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapons Free Zone (SEANWFZ).
The joint statement of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United States of America in November 2009 “welcomed the efforts of the president of the United States in promoting international peace and security including the vision of a nuclear weapons free world.”
International response
The ASEAN-US leadership also “agreed to work towards preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and work together to build a world without nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.”
What could have prompted Myanmar to build nuclear facilities is an interesting subject. North Korea has managed to defy the U.N. sanctions, and has now considered itself as a nuclear power. Pyongyang flexes its military muscles against the threat of any attacks by Seoul and Washington.
The lack of a strong coordinated international response, despite U.N. sanctions, has emboldened North Korea. Amidst international condemnations, North Korea still enjoys the support of China, its closest communist ally which is also a U.N. Security Council member.
Such ineffectiveness on the part of the international community to prevent nuclear proliferation has encouraged the Myanmar military junta. The military generals believe that their nuclear ambition will not be blocked by China and Russia – the two veto-wielding powers of the U.N. Security Council.
If Myanmar becomes a nuclear nation, it will make the military leaders more arrogant and intransigent. Having no foreign enemy, the junta will not hesitate to use its power to suppress the county’s ethnic armed movements, which are fighting for autonomy in their respective territories.
The hope of establishing a federal Union of Burma will become slimmer, if not infeasible. The voice of the international community on human rights abuses and exploitation of other democratic rights will also have lesser impact on the military regime.
Moreover, a nuclear Myanmar will likely make Southeast Asia insecure, unstable, and possibly might pave the way for a nuclear arms race in the region.
In the larger interest of the international community and the Burmese people, it is important that the International Atomic Energy Agency investigates the report and act responsibly to maintain peace and stability.
ASEAN should abjure its traditional policy of non-interference, especially when an action of its own member state can disturb the peaceful existence of the entire populace in the region.
A threat to humanity
It is expected that the United States government, in its capacity, will work with the international community to prevent Myanmar from acquiring nuclear weapons. However, North Korea is an example where the U.S. has a limited role to play when it comes to international crisis.
Unless it is for a peaceful purpose, nuclear powers such as China, India and Russia need to work together with other world powers to prevent Myanmar from acquiring destructive weapons. Proliferation of nuclear bombs, especially in the hands of totalitarian regimes or military dictatorships, should be considered a threat to humanity.
It is important that the Obama administration appoints a special envoy for Myanmar, which was authorized by the U.S. Congress during George W. Bush’s presidency in 2008. The White House should consider the model of the North Korean six-party talk, involving the United States, European Union, ASEAN, China, India, and Myanmar.
Myanmar pursuing nuclear weapons is a violation of ASEAN’s collective commitment for establishing SEANWFZ and a nuclear weapons free world. It is also a violation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1874 (2009) for North Korea to export nuclear materials.
A nuclear Myanmar is a grave danger to its own ethnic minorities who have suffered racially and psychologically, in the hands of the military junta, for decades.
* Nehginpao Kipgen is a researcher on the rise of political conflicts in modern Burma (1947-2004) and general secretary of the U.S.-based Kuki International Forum (www.kukiforum.com). He has written numerous analytical articles on the politics of Burma and Asia that have been widely published in five continents (Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, and North America).
* The views expressed herein are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysian Mirror and/or its associates.
*****************************************************
Myanmar leader meets Chinese PLA delegation
English.news.cn 2010-06-08 22:06:22
YANGON, June 8 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar leader General Thura Shwe Mann met with a visiting the Chinese military delegation led by General Fan Changlong, commander of the Jinan military region of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) in Nay Pyi Taw on Tuesday.
General Shwe Mann is a member of the State Peace and Development Council and Chief of General Staff of the Army, Navy and Air Force.
The two military leaders exchanged views on matters of common concern, saying that for 60 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Myanmar, bilateral cooperation in various sectors including military exchange continued to develop and the friendly ties between the two peoples and the two armed forces continued to enhance.
The two sides also expressed wishes to continue efforts in the development of the cooperative ties between the two countries and the two armed forces.
The Chinese PLA delegation arrived here on Saturday on a five- day visit to Myanmar. It has visited Yangon, Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw and toured Myanmar's military and technical institutes in Pyin Oo Lwin.
During its visit in Yangon, the PLA delegation watched performance in celebration of the 60th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Myanmar.
English.news.cn 2010-06-08 22:06:22
YANGON, June 8 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar leader General Thura Shwe Mann met with a visiting the Chinese military delegation led by General Fan Changlong, commander of the Jinan military region of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) in Nay Pyi Taw on Tuesday.
General Shwe Mann is a member of the State Peace and Development Council and Chief of General Staff of the Army, Navy and Air Force.
The two military leaders exchanged views on matters of common concern, saying that for 60 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Myanmar, bilateral cooperation in various sectors including military exchange continued to develop and the friendly ties between the two peoples and the two armed forces continued to enhance.
The two sides also expressed wishes to continue efforts in the development of the cooperative ties between the two countries and the two armed forces.
The Chinese PLA delegation arrived here on Saturday on a five- day visit to Myanmar. It has visited Yangon, Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw and toured Myanmar's military and technical institutes in Pyin Oo Lwin.
During its visit in Yangon, the PLA delegation watched performance in celebration of the 60th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Myanmar.
*****************************************************
Chinese FM meets Myanmar FM, vows to strengthen ties
English.news.cn 2010-06-08 20:03:53
BEIJING, June 8 (Xinhua) -- China will work with Myanmar to expand and deepen bilateral cooperation in various areas and lift bilateral ties to a new high, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said here Tuesday.
Yang made the remarks while meeting with his Myanmar counterpart, U Nyan Win. He spoke positively of the good-neighborly relationship between the two nations and hailed the growth of bilateral relations since the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries 60 years ago.
He said China hopes to work with Myanmar to inherit and carry forward the traditional friendship between the two countries and earnestly implement the important consensuses reached by both leaders and bilateral cooperative agreements.
U Nyan Win said bilateral ties have developed smoothly on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence over the past 60 years.
Myanmar appreciates China's help in economic construction and is ready to make joint efforts with China to deepen bilateral pragmatic cooperation to bring greater benefit to the two peoples, he said.
U Nyan Win also briefed Yang on the preparatory work for Myanmar's general elections.
English.news.cn 2010-06-08 20:03:53
BEIJING, June 8 (Xinhua) -- China will work with Myanmar to expand and deepen bilateral cooperation in various areas and lift bilateral ties to a new high, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said here Tuesday.
Yang made the remarks while meeting with his Myanmar counterpart, U Nyan Win. He spoke positively of the good-neighborly relationship between the two nations and hailed the growth of bilateral relations since the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries 60 years ago.
He said China hopes to work with Myanmar to inherit and carry forward the traditional friendship between the two countries and earnestly implement the important consensuses reached by both leaders and bilateral cooperative agreements.
U Nyan Win said bilateral ties have developed smoothly on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence over the past 60 years.
Myanmar appreciates China's help in economic construction and is ready to make joint efforts with China to deepen bilateral pragmatic cooperation to bring greater benefit to the two peoples, he said.
U Nyan Win also briefed Yang on the preparatory work for Myanmar's general elections.
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People's Daily Online - Myanmar to cooperate in global earthquake model foundation program
21:41, June 08, 2010
Myanmar will cooperate with the international community in carrying out the global earthquake model (GEM) foundation program, a local weekly journal said on Tuesday.
The project of collecting facts worldwide related with earthquake to produce map was set to finish in 2013, the Pyi Myanmar said.
Representatives of Myanmar, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines attended the related workshop held in Singapore which was also joined by Germany, Italy and Switzerland.
After the project was finished, every nation can locate the place hit by earthquake, it added.
Meanwhile, the Myanmar Earthquake Committee (MEC) and Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS) are cooperating in earthquake monitoring by collecting data from southern sections of the Sagaing fault, which is a major source of earthquakes in southern Myanmar, an earlier report said.
Under an agreement reached between the two parties in Yangon in April last year, the EOS was to be responsible for providing equipment and technical expertise, while the MEC for collecting data.
In November last year, Japanese paleoseismologist Dr. Hiroyuki Tsutsumi and a team of MEC researchers dug a trench in Kyauktaga, Bago division.
21:41, June 08, 2010
Myanmar will cooperate with the international community in carrying out the global earthquake model (GEM) foundation program, a local weekly journal said on Tuesday.
The project of collecting facts worldwide related with earthquake to produce map was set to finish in 2013, the Pyi Myanmar said.
Representatives of Myanmar, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines attended the related workshop held in Singapore which was also joined by Germany, Italy and Switzerland.
After the project was finished, every nation can locate the place hit by earthquake, it added.
Meanwhile, the Myanmar Earthquake Committee (MEC) and Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS) are cooperating in earthquake monitoring by collecting data from southern sections of the Sagaing fault, which is a major source of earthquakes in southern Myanmar, an earlier report said.
Under an agreement reached between the two parties in Yangon in April last year, the EOS was to be responsible for providing equipment and technical expertise, while the MEC for collecting data.
In November last year, Japanese paleoseismologist Dr. Hiroyuki Tsutsumi and a team of MEC researchers dug a trench in Kyauktaga, Bago division.
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Manila Standard Today - Pinoy officials to help Myanmar
by Peter Atencio
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
MYANMAR, which has won the bid to host the 2013 Southeast Asian Games, will tap technical officials from the Philippines to oversee the swimming competition.
Myanmar Swimming Federation vice president Cho Maung already initiated talks with Philippine Aquatics Sports Association president Mark Joseph during a meeting with heads of delegations in Caliraya, Laguna at the close of the 34th SEA Age Group Swimming competitions in Los Banos, Laguna.
“I did not ask him about this officially. But, we already agreed on that,” said Cho, a former national swimmer himself.
Cho is here to observe how Filipino officials manage the weeklong meet held at the Trace Aquatic Sports Complex, and liked what he saw.
The PASA recommended tournament referee Richard Luna, who officiated twice in the World Swimming Cup and thrice in the Asian Indoor Games.
Luna also regularly runs the swimming competitions of the annual Palarong Pambansa.
“Myanmar has indicated its intention to have Filipino officials help out in the SEA Games,” Joseph said.
Myanmar won the hosting rights of the 2013 SEA Games two weeks ago during a meeting of the SEA Game Federation Council.
“Our government is planning for that (hosting). We will have a lot of things to do, and it will be done,” said Cho.
So far, the Olympic Council of Malaysia has expressed its willingness to help Myanmar financially after Myanmar made an appeal for assistance.
OCM honorary secretary Datuk Sieh Kok Chi said Myanmar is currently developing a new township in the country and is finalizing plans to build sporting facilities there.
by Peter Atencio
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
MYANMAR, which has won the bid to host the 2013 Southeast Asian Games, will tap technical officials from the Philippines to oversee the swimming competition.
Myanmar Swimming Federation vice president Cho Maung already initiated talks with Philippine Aquatics Sports Association president Mark Joseph during a meeting with heads of delegations in Caliraya, Laguna at the close of the 34th SEA Age Group Swimming competitions in Los Banos, Laguna.
“I did not ask him about this officially. But, we already agreed on that,” said Cho, a former national swimmer himself.
Cho is here to observe how Filipino officials manage the weeklong meet held at the Trace Aquatic Sports Complex, and liked what he saw.
The PASA recommended tournament referee Richard Luna, who officiated twice in the World Swimming Cup and thrice in the Asian Indoor Games.
Luna also regularly runs the swimming competitions of the annual Palarong Pambansa.
“Myanmar has indicated its intention to have Filipino officials help out in the SEA Games,” Joseph said.
Myanmar won the hosting rights of the 2013 SEA Games two weeks ago during a meeting of the SEA Game Federation Council.
“Our government is planning for that (hosting). We will have a lot of things to do, and it will be done,” said Cho.
So far, the Olympic Council of Malaysia has expressed its willingness to help Myanmar financially after Myanmar made an appeal for assistance.
OCM honorary secretary Datuk Sieh Kok Chi said Myanmar is currently developing a new township in the country and is finalizing plans to build sporting facilities there.
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ReliefWeb - Assistance Still Needed for the Delta in Myanmar
Source: Danish Demining Group
Date: 08 Jun 2010
Another season of Monsoon rain and tropical storms is going to hit areas still recovering from the cyclone Nargis. Danish Refugee Council (DRC) will distribute ceramic filters for safe drinking water, construct ponds and wells to help the population cope.
800.000 houses were destroyed or damaged when the cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar/Burma in 2008. Thousands of people in the southern delta are still displaced living in temporary shelters and therefore exposed as another Monsoon season of tropical storms and heavy rain sets in.
"One of our most pressing tasks is assisting people in accessing safe drinking water. Due to the delay of the monsoon rains, low or dried reserves contained contaminated water with a high salt-content. Now that the rainy period has started water is all over the place, but it is highly polluted. It is a no-win situation for the people in the area and therefore assistance to accessing safe drinking water is vital.' says DRC Head of Asia Desk," Aracely Jimenez Andersen.
The humanitarian challenges in the southern deltas demands acute as well as long-term strategies.
"The southern delta areas were hit hard in 2008 – assistance has been provided but it takes a lot of resources to get the population in the Delta region back on track. Our short term strategy is to distribute water filters and construct wells or ponds to secure safe drinking water. In a longer perspective our strategy will include construction of permanent houses to replace temporary shelters, schools to make sure children have access to education and livelihood projects to assist families in building a future for themselves," says Aracely Jimenez Andersen.
DRC have established a humanitarian program in Myanmar/Burma based on funding from own funds and several Danish Companies in order to contribute to the recovery of the Delta.
Source: Danish Demining Group
Date: 08 Jun 2010
Another season of Monsoon rain and tropical storms is going to hit areas still recovering from the cyclone Nargis. Danish Refugee Council (DRC) will distribute ceramic filters for safe drinking water, construct ponds and wells to help the population cope.
800.000 houses were destroyed or damaged when the cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar/Burma in 2008. Thousands of people in the southern delta are still displaced living in temporary shelters and therefore exposed as another Monsoon season of tropical storms and heavy rain sets in.
"One of our most pressing tasks is assisting people in accessing safe drinking water. Due to the delay of the monsoon rains, low or dried reserves contained contaminated water with a high salt-content. Now that the rainy period has started water is all over the place, but it is highly polluted. It is a no-win situation for the people in the area and therefore assistance to accessing safe drinking water is vital.' says DRC Head of Asia Desk," Aracely Jimenez Andersen.
The humanitarian challenges in the southern deltas demands acute as well as long-term strategies.
"The southern delta areas were hit hard in 2008 – assistance has been provided but it takes a lot of resources to get the population in the Delta region back on track. Our short term strategy is to distribute water filters and construct wells or ponds to secure safe drinking water. In a longer perspective our strategy will include construction of permanent houses to replace temporary shelters, schools to make sure children have access to education and livelihood projects to assist families in building a future for themselves," says Aracely Jimenez Andersen.
DRC have established a humanitarian program in Myanmar/Burma based on funding from own funds and several Danish Companies in order to contribute to the recovery of the Delta.
*****************************************************
Global Security Newswire - IAEA Reviewing Myanmar Nuclear Claim
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
The International Atomic Energy Agency is reviewing assertions made in a new report by a dissident Burmese group that Myanmar is establishing a nuclear weapons program, agency head Yukiya Amano said yesterday (see GSN, June 4).
"We have seen the related articles in the media and we are now assessing the information," Amano told journalists in Vienna at the start of this week's meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors. "And, if necessary, we will seek clarification from Myanmar."
Myanmar is a state party to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and an IAEA member.
Reports of Myanmar's nuclear ambitions and possible collaboration with North Korea were publicized in 2009, though last week's report contains the most detailed assertions to date. The report was based on documents and images smuggled out of the country by a former Burmese military officer. The Democratic Voice of Burma determined that Myanmar had sought out nuclear technology and know-how but had far to go in potentially developing a weapon.
Myanmar has yet to deny or affirm suspicions about its nuclear activities (Reuters I, June 7).
The U.S. State Department on Friday urged the military junta that rules Myanmar to obey the U.N. Security Council resolution prohibiting the purchase of North Korean weaponry, the Yonhap News Agency reported.
"We continue to encourage Burma to meet its international obligations, including those in the area of nonproliferation," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said. "We share international concerns for Burma's intentions and its relationship with North Korea. And we expect Burma ... to live up to their international obligations. We continue to watch transactions between North Korea and Burma" (Hwang Doo-hyong, Yonhap News Agency, June 4).
The IAEA Board of Governors is also likely this week to hold discussions on Israel's widely suspected nuclear arsenal, al-Jazeera reported (see GSN, May 11).
The board last discussed Israel's atomic activities in 1991. Jerusalem follows a decades-long policy of neither confirming nor denying that it possesses nuclear arms.
Iran's envoy to the U.N. nuclear watchdog, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, praised the anticipated discussion: "U.S., Canada and [the] European Union preferred not to discuss Israel's nuclear capability, but they joined the consensus because they had no other choice."
In recent weeks, Amano has requested that IAEA members consider how to persuade Jerusalem to sign onto the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and to permit IAEA monitoring of the nation's nuclear sites. Yesterday, he said 17 of 151 members had submitted responses to his request.
Amano also ignored Tehran's request that his agency give the same attention to Israel's nuclear program as it does to Iran's effort (see related GSN story, today; al-Jazeera, June 7).
He is scheduled to issue a report on Israel in September, Reuters reported.
"The reports on Iran and Israel are not of the same nature," Amano said.
Israeli diplomat Ehud Azoulay said Jerusalem would probably issue a statement on the matter later in the week. "This discussion is continuing over time, it is not new for us," he said (Sylvia Westall, Reuters II, June 7).
Amano also gave the Board of Governors an update on the agency's probe into suspected Syrian nuclear activities which he said had not seen much progress as Damascus has barred IAEA inspectors from accessing the site of the former Dair Alzour facility -- destroyed by Israel in a 2007 bombing raid -- and other requested sites, according to an IAEA release (see GSN, June 1).
"As a consequence, the agency has not been able to make progress towards resolving the outstanding issues related to those sites. It would also be helpful if Israel shared with the agency any relevant information which it may possess in this regard," Amano told the board in released remarks.
The agency director general said IAEA monitors had been allowed in recent months to physically inspect Syria's Miniature Neutron Source Reactor and that Damascus had supplied details on its earlier undisclosed conversion of uranium and irradiation efforts at the source reactor, along with clarifications on why traces of anthropogenic natural uranium were found in the country.
"Syria subsequently submitted inventory change reports concerning the newly declared nuclear material. The information provided by Syria is still being assessed," Amano said, adding, "I urge Syria to cooperate with the agency on all issues in a timely manner and to bring into force an Additional Protocol to its Safeguards Agreement to enable the agency to verify the correctness and completeness of Syria's declarations" (International Atomic Energy Agency release, June 7).
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
The International Atomic Energy Agency is reviewing assertions made in a new report by a dissident Burmese group that Myanmar is establishing a nuclear weapons program, agency head Yukiya Amano said yesterday (see GSN, June 4).
"We have seen the related articles in the media and we are now assessing the information," Amano told journalists in Vienna at the start of this week's meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors. "And, if necessary, we will seek clarification from Myanmar."
Myanmar is a state party to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and an IAEA member.
Reports of Myanmar's nuclear ambitions and possible collaboration with North Korea were publicized in 2009, though last week's report contains the most detailed assertions to date. The report was based on documents and images smuggled out of the country by a former Burmese military officer. The Democratic Voice of Burma determined that Myanmar had sought out nuclear technology and know-how but had far to go in potentially developing a weapon.
Myanmar has yet to deny or affirm suspicions about its nuclear activities (Reuters I, June 7).
The U.S. State Department on Friday urged the military junta that rules Myanmar to obey the U.N. Security Council resolution prohibiting the purchase of North Korean weaponry, the Yonhap News Agency reported.
"We continue to encourage Burma to meet its international obligations, including those in the area of nonproliferation," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said. "We share international concerns for Burma's intentions and its relationship with North Korea. And we expect Burma ... to live up to their international obligations. We continue to watch transactions between North Korea and Burma" (Hwang Doo-hyong, Yonhap News Agency, June 4).
The IAEA Board of Governors is also likely this week to hold discussions on Israel's widely suspected nuclear arsenal, al-Jazeera reported (see GSN, May 11).
The board last discussed Israel's atomic activities in 1991. Jerusalem follows a decades-long policy of neither confirming nor denying that it possesses nuclear arms.
Iran's envoy to the U.N. nuclear watchdog, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, praised the anticipated discussion: "U.S., Canada and [the] European Union preferred not to discuss Israel's nuclear capability, but they joined the consensus because they had no other choice."
In recent weeks, Amano has requested that IAEA members consider how to persuade Jerusalem to sign onto the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and to permit IAEA monitoring of the nation's nuclear sites. Yesterday, he said 17 of 151 members had submitted responses to his request.
Amano also ignored Tehran's request that his agency give the same attention to Israel's nuclear program as it does to Iran's effort (see related GSN story, today; al-Jazeera, June 7).
He is scheduled to issue a report on Israel in September, Reuters reported.
"The reports on Iran and Israel are not of the same nature," Amano said.
Israeli diplomat Ehud Azoulay said Jerusalem would probably issue a statement on the matter later in the week. "This discussion is continuing over time, it is not new for us," he said (Sylvia Westall, Reuters II, June 7).
Amano also gave the Board of Governors an update on the agency's probe into suspected Syrian nuclear activities which he said had not seen much progress as Damascus has barred IAEA inspectors from accessing the site of the former Dair Alzour facility -- destroyed by Israel in a 2007 bombing raid -- and other requested sites, according to an IAEA release (see GSN, June 1).
"As a consequence, the agency has not been able to make progress towards resolving the outstanding issues related to those sites. It would also be helpful if Israel shared with the agency any relevant information which it may possess in this regard," Amano told the board in released remarks.
The agency director general said IAEA monitors had been allowed in recent months to physically inspect Syria's Miniature Neutron Source Reactor and that Damascus had supplied details on its earlier undisclosed conversion of uranium and irradiation efforts at the source reactor, along with clarifications on why traces of anthropogenic natural uranium were found in the country.
"Syria subsequently submitted inventory change reports concerning the newly declared nuclear material. The information provided by Syria is still being assessed," Amano said, adding, "I urge Syria to cooperate with the agency on all issues in a timely manner and to bring into force an Additional Protocol to its Safeguards Agreement to enable the agency to verify the correctness and completeness of Syria's declarations" (International Atomic Energy Agency release, June 7).
*****************************************************
The Nation - Opinion: Burmese election will not be free and fair
Published on June 8, 2010
Re: "The international community's naive beliefs on Burma", Editorial, May 30.
Your editorial misrepresents the position of the International Crisis Group. Our report, "The Myanmar Elections", published on May 27 clearly states that the "elections will not be inclusive" and that the messages in an earlier report continue to be valid.
On August 20 last year in "Burma: Towards the Elections", we wrote in the first paragraph that "while the elections will not be free and fair ... the constitution and elections together will change the political landscape in a way the government may not be able to control".
These reports contain much detail and significant nuance. They aim to contribute to a better understanding of what is taking place in Burma, particularly as it is very likely the vote will go ahead later this year without any of the concerns of the international community being addressed.
The problematic nature of the process should not lead your readers to underestimate its significance, and we urge those following the election to read both reports that are available on our website (www.crisisgroup.org).
Jim Della-Giacoma
International Crisis Group
Jakarta
Published on June 8, 2010
Re: "The international community's naive beliefs on Burma", Editorial, May 30.
Your editorial misrepresents the position of the International Crisis Group. Our report, "The Myanmar Elections", published on May 27 clearly states that the "elections will not be inclusive" and that the messages in an earlier report continue to be valid.
On August 20 last year in "Burma: Towards the Elections", we wrote in the first paragraph that "while the elections will not be free and fair ... the constitution and elections together will change the political landscape in a way the government may not be able to control".
These reports contain much detail and significant nuance. They aim to contribute to a better understanding of what is taking place in Burma, particularly as it is very likely the vote will go ahead later this year without any of the concerns of the international community being addressed.
The problematic nature of the process should not lead your readers to underestimate its significance, and we urge those following the election to read both reports that are available on our website (www.crisisgroup.org).
Jim Della-Giacoma
International Crisis Group
Jakarta
*****************************************************
The Irrawaddy - Police Question Missile Expert Defector's Family
By SAW YAN NAING - Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Burmese authorities have questioned members of the family of the defector Maj Sai Thein Win following his televised disclosures of Burma's nuclear program, and they are now reportedly under close observation.
Sai Thein Win's disclosures formed the basis of a documentary produced by the Norway-based Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) and broadcast last week by the television station Al Jazeera. The young officer trained as a missile engineer in Russia before his defection.
Sai Thein Win's sister, who lives in Rangoon, was questioned a few days ago by Burmese authorities, according to sources in Burma.
“The special police branch came and asked for Sai Thein Win's biography,” said a close friend. “They also wanted to know his contacts. They seem to be under official observation now.”
Sources said relatives of Sai Thein Win in Kyaukme Township in Shan State were also questioned by police and were now under observation. They had been told to inform the authorities if they wanted to leave home and to provide guarantors, the sources said.
Sai Thein Win was born in Kyaukme. He trained to be an engineer and was sent to Russia to study missile technology.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, he said at least 10,000 Burmese officials had been send to Russia to study nuclear technology. He also confirmed reports that a network of tunnels was being built in Burma by the regime.
Sai Thein Win said, “They want to have a bomb. They want to have rocket and nuclear warheads.”
The Burmese junta's No 3, Gen Thura Shwe Mann, visited North Korea in November 2008. Photographs showed him touring secret tunnel complexes built into the sides of mountains thought to store protectively jet aircraft, missiles, tanks and nuclear and chemical weapons.
Reports on Shwe Mann's visit said he also signed a memorandum of understanding, officially formalizing military cooperation between Burma and North Korea, with his North Korean counterpart, Gen Kim Kyok-sik.
Two Burmese citizens accused of leaking information on Shwe Mann's visit—former Maj Win Naing Kyaw and an associate, Thura Kyaw—were sentenced to death, while another Win Naing Kaw aide, Pyan Sein, was given a 15-year prison sentence. Two other accused were also imprisoned.
By SAW YAN NAING - Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Burmese authorities have questioned members of the family of the defector Maj Sai Thein Win following his televised disclosures of Burma's nuclear program, and they are now reportedly under close observation.
Sai Thein Win's disclosures formed the basis of a documentary produced by the Norway-based Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) and broadcast last week by the television station Al Jazeera. The young officer trained as a missile engineer in Russia before his defection.
Sai Thein Win's sister, who lives in Rangoon, was questioned a few days ago by Burmese authorities, according to sources in Burma.
“The special police branch came and asked for Sai Thein Win's biography,” said a close friend. “They also wanted to know his contacts. They seem to be under official observation now.”
Sources said relatives of Sai Thein Win in Kyaukme Township in Shan State were also questioned by police and were now under observation. They had been told to inform the authorities if they wanted to leave home and to provide guarantors, the sources said.
Sai Thein Win was born in Kyaukme. He trained to be an engineer and was sent to Russia to study missile technology.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, he said at least 10,000 Burmese officials had been send to Russia to study nuclear technology. He also confirmed reports that a network of tunnels was being built in Burma by the regime.
Sai Thein Win said, “They want to have a bomb. They want to have rocket and nuclear warheads.”
The Burmese junta's No 3, Gen Thura Shwe Mann, visited North Korea in November 2008. Photographs showed him touring secret tunnel complexes built into the sides of mountains thought to store protectively jet aircraft, missiles, tanks and nuclear and chemical weapons.
Reports on Shwe Mann's visit said he also signed a memorandum of understanding, officially formalizing military cooperation between Burma and North Korea, with his North Korean counterpart, Gen Kim Kyok-sik.
Two Burmese citizens accused of leaking information on Shwe Mann's visit—former Maj Win Naing Kyaw and an associate, Thura Kyaw—were sentenced to death, while another Win Naing Kaw aide, Pyan Sein, was given a 15-year prison sentence. Two other accused were also imprisoned.
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The Irrawaddy - Brit Photographer Wins PX3 for Burma Work
By DAVID PAQUETTE - Tuesday, June 8, 2010
A British documentary photographer, James Mackay, has been awarded both 1st and 2nd prizes for two separate pieces of work about Burma in the “Political Photojournalism Category” at this year's Prix de la Photographie Paris (PX3) Awards 2010.
It marks the second time in a week that Burma has been recognized with two prestigious arts prizes following the Amnesty International Media Awards where the Saffron Revolution documentary “Burma VJ” won a prize, and a “Special Award to All of Burma’s Independent Journalists” was presented.
The PX3 is one of the biggest and most important photography competitions in Europe. The jury selected 2010’s winners from thousands of photography
entries from more than 85 countries.
The 1st Place prize went to Mackay's “Suffer Little Children: The Victims of Burma’s Man-Made Disaster,” a photo story documenting the lives of children at the Mae Tao clinic on the Thai-Burmese border. Shot with exclusive access to the paediatric ward, the photos document the lives of some of the thousands of children that have been forced to flee Burma to receive medical care and treatment at the Mae Tao clinic in Mae Sot.
The 2nd Place prize was a major photo essay project by Mackay that publicized the plight of Burma's more than 2,100 political prisoners. Titled “Even Though I’m Free I Am Not” , it portrays former Burmese political prisoners showing solidarity for current prisoners by writing their [the cuurent prisoners'] names on their palms. Mackay traveled to Southeast Asia, Australia, Japan, Europe, USA, Canada and Burma to meet and photograph the former prisoners of conscience.
Mackay's work on Burma was previously recognized with two awards in 2009, and is now part of a major campaign that will be exhibited at Amnesty International UK in London between June 15 – 24, as well as at the Edinburgh Festival in August.
More of James Mackay's photography, including some of his images from Mae Tao clinic, can be viewed at: www.enigmaimages.net
By DAVID PAQUETTE - Tuesday, June 8, 2010
A British documentary photographer, James Mackay, has been awarded both 1st and 2nd prizes for two separate pieces of work about Burma in the “Political Photojournalism Category” at this year's Prix de la Photographie Paris (PX3) Awards 2010.
It marks the second time in a week that Burma has been recognized with two prestigious arts prizes following the Amnesty International Media Awards where the Saffron Revolution documentary “Burma VJ” won a prize, and a “Special Award to All of Burma’s Independent Journalists” was presented.
The PX3 is one of the biggest and most important photography competitions in Europe. The jury selected 2010’s winners from thousands of photography
entries from more than 85 countries.
The 1st Place prize went to Mackay's “Suffer Little Children: The Victims of Burma’s Man-Made Disaster,” a photo story documenting the lives of children at the Mae Tao clinic on the Thai-Burmese border. Shot with exclusive access to the paediatric ward, the photos document the lives of some of the thousands of children that have been forced to flee Burma to receive medical care and treatment at the Mae Tao clinic in Mae Sot.
The 2nd Place prize was a major photo essay project by Mackay that publicized the plight of Burma's more than 2,100 political prisoners. Titled “Even Though I’m Free I Am Not” , it portrays former Burmese political prisoners showing solidarity for current prisoners by writing their [the cuurent prisoners'] names on their palms. Mackay traveled to Southeast Asia, Australia, Japan, Europe, USA, Canada and Burma to meet and photograph the former prisoners of conscience.
Mackay's work on Burma was previously recognized with two awards in 2009, and is now part of a major campaign that will be exhibited at Amnesty International UK in London between June 15 – 24, as well as at the Edinburgh Festival in August.
More of James Mackay's photography, including some of his images from Mae Tao clinic, can be viewed at: www.enigmaimages.net
*****************************************************
DVB News - Paltry payout for mass land grab
By AYE NAI
Published: 8 June 2010
Less than one percent of the estimated cost of farmland confiscated by the Burmese army in 2006 has been repaid to the farmers as compensation, a report submitted yesterday to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Rangoon claims.
Some 4,000 acres of farmland in Burma’s central Magwe division were confiscated to grow physic nuts, which can be used in the production of biodiesel. One acre is valued at around 500,000 kyat ($US500).
But a report by the former chair of a Rangoon township’s National League for Democracy (NLD) wing, Thet Wei, found that farmers had been paid only 12 kyat [$US0.012] compensation per acre. The report was submitted to the ILO to coincide with its Geneva conference today.
The findings were based on facts compiled during a field study earlier this month when Thu Wei met with the affected farmers from Natmauk township’s Ywarmon village tract, which includes Myatyekan, Kyaungywarlay and Taungzauk villages, all in Magwe division.
One farmer, Than Soe, who accompanied Thet Wei on his field study said: “On arrival at Myatyekan village, we heard the local authorities summoning [farmers] to a meeting with the army at the village’s monastery regarding the matter of the 12 kyat compensation. One acre of the land has a current value of around 500,000 kyat.”
Police then reportedly summoned Thet Wei and Than Soe to the police station without a warrant. Thet Wei said the harassment showed that local authorities were not abiding by an agreement made between the ILO and the government that authorities will not harass people who complain to the ILO.
He added that the summoning was also “a hindrance and obstruction to our work to bring an end to force labour and child soldier recruitments”.
The report also touched on the issue of five farmers in Aunglan township in Magwe division whose land remains under a confiscation order first enacted by a local army-owned sugar factory in 2007.
After being found guilty of ‘trespassing’ on the land in 2008, the farmers were imprisoned and released a year later, with the Burmese government and the ILO ostensibly coming to agreement that would grant the land back to the farmers.
But the factory continues to claim ownership, and the ILO is likely to raise the issue at the conference.
By AYE NAI
Published: 8 June 2010
Less than one percent of the estimated cost of farmland confiscated by the Burmese army in 2006 has been repaid to the farmers as compensation, a report submitted yesterday to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Rangoon claims.
Some 4,000 acres of farmland in Burma’s central Magwe division were confiscated to grow physic nuts, which can be used in the production of biodiesel. One acre is valued at around 500,000 kyat ($US500).
But a report by the former chair of a Rangoon township’s National League for Democracy (NLD) wing, Thet Wei, found that farmers had been paid only 12 kyat [$US0.012] compensation per acre. The report was submitted to the ILO to coincide with its Geneva conference today.
The findings were based on facts compiled during a field study earlier this month when Thu Wei met with the affected farmers from Natmauk township’s Ywarmon village tract, which includes Myatyekan, Kyaungywarlay and Taungzauk villages, all in Magwe division.
One farmer, Than Soe, who accompanied Thet Wei on his field study said: “On arrival at Myatyekan village, we heard the local authorities summoning [farmers] to a meeting with the army at the village’s monastery regarding the matter of the 12 kyat compensation. One acre of the land has a current value of around 500,000 kyat.”
Police then reportedly summoned Thet Wei and Than Soe to the police station without a warrant. Thet Wei said the harassment showed that local authorities were not abiding by an agreement made between the ILO and the government that authorities will not harass people who complain to the ILO.
He added that the summoning was also “a hindrance and obstruction to our work to bring an end to force labour and child soldier recruitments”.
The report also touched on the issue of five farmers in Aunglan township in Magwe division whose land remains under a confiscation order first enacted by a local army-owned sugar factory in 2007.
After being found guilty of ‘trespassing’ on the land in 2008, the farmers were imprisoned and released a year later, with the Burmese government and the ILO ostensibly coming to agreement that would grant the land back to the farmers.
But the factory continues to claim ownership, and the ILO is likely to raise the issue at the conference.
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