Myanmar sees 'dramatic' surge in drug seizures: UN
1 hr 11 mins ago
BANGKOK (AFP) – Drug seizures and cultivation have surged in Myanmar, a UN expert said Thursday, particularly in areas where ethnic rebels are coming under increased pressure from the junta ahead of rare elections.
Last year 23 million methamphetamine tablets were seized in the military-ruled country, up from one million in 2008, said Gary Lewis, a representative for the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
He said the numbers were likely to reflect a surge in production, rather than improved crime prevention.
"We believe that if you see an increase in seizure figures that is generally indicative over the medium to long term of an increased flow of drugs," Lewis told reporters in Bangkok.
The country has also experienced a "steep and dramatic" increase in opium cultivation, with 31,700 hectares (78,300 acres) of land set aside for illicit poppy growing last year, up by almost half since 2006.
This is still only a small fraction of the levels seen in the late 1990s, when Myanmar, as part of the so-called Golden Triangle with Laos and Thailand, produced nearly half of the world's opiates.
"We are at risk of having the situation unravel," Lewis said.
Drug production is thought to be fuelled by insurgent groups as well as by the chronic poverty and food shortages facing many communities.
Lewis said both poppy cultivation and the huge hauls of methamphetamine were concentrated in Myanmar's Shan State and represent "a nexus of money, weapons and drugs".
Some minority groups are believed to be cashing in on drugs amid an increasing sense of vulnerability in the run-up to Myanmar's first elections in two decades.
Armed minorities in Shan and Karen states continue to fight the government along the country's eastern border, claiming they are victims of neglect and mistreatment.
Myanmar's military regime has stepped up its decades-long campaign against minority groups as it strives to bring them to heel ahead of the polls, planned for sometime this year.
Myanmar accounts for 17 percent of the world's illicit poppy cultivation, but it is dwarfed by Afghanistan, which accounts for two thirds.
Despite greater growing areas, actual opium production in Myanmar was only slightly higher last year than in 2006 as yields were weak, the UN said.
Lewis said while global poppy cultivation has "dramatically declined" over the last 20 years, there has been a spike in production of amphetamine-type drugs which can be made in small, hidden laboratories.
Across Myanmar, Thailand and China, total seizures of methamphetamine -- also known as "ice" -- have trebled from 30 million tablets in 2008 to 90 million last year.
1 hr 11 mins ago
BANGKOK (AFP) – Drug seizures and cultivation have surged in Myanmar, a UN expert said Thursday, particularly in areas where ethnic rebels are coming under increased pressure from the junta ahead of rare elections.
Last year 23 million methamphetamine tablets were seized in the military-ruled country, up from one million in 2008, said Gary Lewis, a representative for the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
He said the numbers were likely to reflect a surge in production, rather than improved crime prevention.
"We believe that if you see an increase in seizure figures that is generally indicative over the medium to long term of an increased flow of drugs," Lewis told reporters in Bangkok.
The country has also experienced a "steep and dramatic" increase in opium cultivation, with 31,700 hectares (78,300 acres) of land set aside for illicit poppy growing last year, up by almost half since 2006.
This is still only a small fraction of the levels seen in the late 1990s, when Myanmar, as part of the so-called Golden Triangle with Laos and Thailand, produced nearly half of the world's opiates.
"We are at risk of having the situation unravel," Lewis said.
Drug production is thought to be fuelled by insurgent groups as well as by the chronic poverty and food shortages facing many communities.
Lewis said both poppy cultivation and the huge hauls of methamphetamine were concentrated in Myanmar's Shan State and represent "a nexus of money, weapons and drugs".
Some minority groups are believed to be cashing in on drugs amid an increasing sense of vulnerability in the run-up to Myanmar's first elections in two decades.
Armed minorities in Shan and Karen states continue to fight the government along the country's eastern border, claiming they are victims of neglect and mistreatment.
Myanmar's military regime has stepped up its decades-long campaign against minority groups as it strives to bring them to heel ahead of the polls, planned for sometime this year.
Myanmar accounts for 17 percent of the world's illicit poppy cultivation, but it is dwarfed by Afghanistan, which accounts for two thirds.
Despite greater growing areas, actual opium production in Myanmar was only slightly higher last year than in 2006 as yields were weak, the UN said.
Lewis said while global poppy cultivation has "dramatically declined" over the last 20 years, there has been a spike in production of amphetamine-type drugs which can be made in small, hidden laboratories.
Across Myanmar, Thailand and China, total seizures of methamphetamine -- also known as "ice" -- have trebled from 30 million tablets in 2008 to 90 million last year.
*****************************************************
UN: Global drug use shifting to synthetic drugs
By MATTHEW LEE – Wednesday, June 23
WASHINGTON (AP) - The United Nations said Wednesday that global drug use is shifting as demand for cocaine and heroin flattens in developed countries but rises in the developing world.
In an annual report released in Washington, the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime found increases in opium and coca production in Myanmar and Peru, but not nearly enough to offset declines in the world's largest producers, Afghanistan and Colombia.
Although production in Afghanistan, the source of 89 percent of the world's opium, remains high, poppy production may drop by as much as a quarter this year due to a fungus blight that has hit the biggest growing areas, the report said. Reducing opium production is key to the Obama administration's Afghan counterinsurgency strategy.
Meanwhile, coca production in the Andes, which went down by 28 percent over the past decade, continued to drop due mainly to eradication efforts in Colombia. Peru's coca crop grew for a fourth straight year, the report noted, nearly doubling over the past 10 years.
As cocaine and heroin use declined, the report found that abuse of stimulants and prescription drugs has gone up worldwide, and that their use exceeds opiates and cocaine combined.
"People are saying goodbye to heroin and they are nearly not so much enchanted by cocaine but they are starting to use prescription drugs by volumes which make them addictive," Antonio Maria Costa, chief of the U.N. drug office, told reporters in presenting the report.
Of more concern, Costa said, was that demand for cocaine and heroin has grown in east Asia and Africa as it stabilizes in the West. That growth is happening in countries that have few resources or infrastructure to deal with it.
"As a result," he said, "there is now the risk of a public health disaster in developing countries that would enslave masses of humanity to the misery of drug dependence."
By MATTHEW LEE – Wednesday, June 23
WASHINGTON (AP) - The United Nations said Wednesday that global drug use is shifting as demand for cocaine and heroin flattens in developed countries but rises in the developing world.
In an annual report released in Washington, the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime found increases in opium and coca production in Myanmar and Peru, but not nearly enough to offset declines in the world's largest producers, Afghanistan and Colombia.
Although production in Afghanistan, the source of 89 percent of the world's opium, remains high, poppy production may drop by as much as a quarter this year due to a fungus blight that has hit the biggest growing areas, the report said. Reducing opium production is key to the Obama administration's Afghan counterinsurgency strategy.
Meanwhile, coca production in the Andes, which went down by 28 percent over the past decade, continued to drop due mainly to eradication efforts in Colombia. Peru's coca crop grew for a fourth straight year, the report noted, nearly doubling over the past 10 years.
As cocaine and heroin use declined, the report found that abuse of stimulants and prescription drugs has gone up worldwide, and that their use exceeds opiates and cocaine combined.
"People are saying goodbye to heroin and they are nearly not so much enchanted by cocaine but they are starting to use prescription drugs by volumes which make them addictive," Antonio Maria Costa, chief of the U.N. drug office, told reporters in presenting the report.
Of more concern, Costa said, was that demand for cocaine and heroin has grown in east Asia and Africa as it stabilizes in the West. That growth is happening in countries that have few resources or infrastructure to deal with it.
"As a result," he said, "there is now the risk of a public health disaster in developing countries that would enslave masses of humanity to the misery of drug dependence."
*****************************************************
ASIA: UN urges improved treatments for drug addicts
BANGKOK, 24 June 2010 (IRIN) - The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is urging Asian governments - which have been criticized for using “fear-based tactics” and prison-like compulsory centres to fight drug abuse - to improve and expand treatment for its addicts.
UNODC regional representative Gary Lewis said drug therapy must be made available to people who are in desperate need of it.
“Treatment is not available in our region to the degree that is required and in the quality that is required,” Lewis said on 24 June in Bangkok at the regional launch of the UNODC World Drug Report.
The regional trend of compulsory treatment centres for drug users - evident in countries like Cambodia, China, Vietnam and Malaysia - puts drug users at risk because of poor treatment and lack of HIV-prevention services, according to a World Health Organization report.
Lewis said approaches which violate the rights of the individual are ineffective.
“What does not work are fear- and scare-based tactics for prevention and [treatments] that are involving compulsory approaches,” he said.
What does work, he added, are prescription medications to treat addiction and long-term approaches based on drug dependence as a treatable disease with possibilities of chronic relapses.
Worldwide in 2008, there were 16-38 million problem drug users - including dependent and injecting drug users. Only about one fifth of them received treatment, according to the UNODC report.
Throughout Asia, almost two-thirds of users treated for drug problems used opiates, while about a fifth abused amphetamine-type stimulants (synthetic drugs), according to UNODC.
Myanmar, which produced 330 tons of opiates in 2009, has seen methamphetamine seizures skyrocket to 23 million tablets in 2009, from one million in 2008, the report said. Seizures of methamphetamines in China similarly rose from six to 40 million tablets, half of which were seized in Yunnan Province, which borders Myanmar.
BANGKOK, 24 June 2010 (IRIN) - The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is urging Asian governments - which have been criticized for using “fear-based tactics” and prison-like compulsory centres to fight drug abuse - to improve and expand treatment for its addicts.
UNODC regional representative Gary Lewis said drug therapy must be made available to people who are in desperate need of it.
“Treatment is not available in our region to the degree that is required and in the quality that is required,” Lewis said on 24 June in Bangkok at the regional launch of the UNODC World Drug Report.
The regional trend of compulsory treatment centres for drug users - evident in countries like Cambodia, China, Vietnam and Malaysia - puts drug users at risk because of poor treatment and lack of HIV-prevention services, according to a World Health Organization report.
Lewis said approaches which violate the rights of the individual are ineffective.
“What does not work are fear- and scare-based tactics for prevention and [treatments] that are involving compulsory approaches,” he said.
What does work, he added, are prescription medications to treat addiction and long-term approaches based on drug dependence as a treatable disease with possibilities of chronic relapses.
Worldwide in 2008, there were 16-38 million problem drug users - including dependent and injecting drug users. Only about one fifth of them received treatment, according to the UNODC report.
Throughout Asia, almost two-thirds of users treated for drug problems used opiates, while about a fifth abused amphetamine-type stimulants (synthetic drugs), according to UNODC.
Myanmar, which produced 330 tons of opiates in 2009, has seen methamphetamine seizures skyrocket to 23 million tablets in 2009, from one million in 2008, the report said. Seizures of methamphetamines in China similarly rose from six to 40 million tablets, half of which were seized in Yunnan Province, which borders Myanmar.
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VOA News - Report Warns of Increase in Amphetamine Production in Burma
Ron Corben | Bagnkok 24 June 2010
A massive increase in production of amphetamine type stimulants (ATS) in northern Burma has given rise to fears of a surge in addiction across the Southeast Asia region. As Ron Corben reports, the warning came in the release of the United Nation's Office on Drugs and Crime latest World drug report.
The warning came in the latest global drug report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) that focuses on heroin, cocaine, and amphetamine-type stimulants.
China, the Philippines, Thailand, and Burma are the key sources for ATS drugs, especially methamphetamines, the report says.
East and Southeast Asia, especially China, is a key region for the vast majority of drug confiscation. Across Asia, UNODC estimates between 4 million and 38 million ATS users.
In 2009, Burma reported a dramatic increase in ATS drug seizures from just one million pills to 23 million. In Thailand, the seizure rate rose to 26 million from 22 million in 2008, while in China, the rate surged to 40 million from just 6 million.
Gary Lewis, regional representative for the UNODC for East Asia and the Pacific, says the increase is alarming and highlights conflicts in Burma's northern Shan region.
"These seizures reflect a dramatic increase in production in the Shan State," said Lewis. "What we are worried about is the nexus of drugs, of weapons, of money that is moving around that region at a time when elections are pending and the political situation is quite fragile."
The threat of conflict in Burma between the military government, which is holding elections later this year, and ethnic Shan is a key factor for a massive rise in production of the amphetamine type stimulants raising fears that it will trigger a growing addiction across Asia.
Burma's Shan state and its special regions near the eastern border with China and Thailand are the main production sources for methamphetamine drugs and a main source of income for the ethnic Shan.
Chinese authorities have already reported large amounts of ATS stimulants entering its southern Yunnan province through its border with Burma.
Lewis says the Burmese government and ethnic groups such as the Wah have been successful in reducing opium production over recent years.
But he says continued international support is needed to ensure regions remain free of opium.
"Just because an area is poppy free does not mean we should up stake and move off," added Lewis. "For it to remain poppy free we need to ensure that we continue to provide options to farmers that have given up poppy and are taking a very, very tough hit as a result of that."
Burma also remains the main source for opiates in South East Asia of 330 metric tons although total output has fallen sharply in the past 10 years. Burma's output is dwarfed by the 6,900 tons produced in Afghanistan.
Ron Corben | Bagnkok 24 June 2010
A massive increase in production of amphetamine type stimulants (ATS) in northern Burma has given rise to fears of a surge in addiction across the Southeast Asia region. As Ron Corben reports, the warning came in the release of the United Nation's Office on Drugs and Crime latest World drug report.
The warning came in the latest global drug report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) that focuses on heroin, cocaine, and amphetamine-type stimulants.
China, the Philippines, Thailand, and Burma are the key sources for ATS drugs, especially methamphetamines, the report says.
East and Southeast Asia, especially China, is a key region for the vast majority of drug confiscation. Across Asia, UNODC estimates between 4 million and 38 million ATS users.
In 2009, Burma reported a dramatic increase in ATS drug seizures from just one million pills to 23 million. In Thailand, the seizure rate rose to 26 million from 22 million in 2008, while in China, the rate surged to 40 million from just 6 million.
Gary Lewis, regional representative for the UNODC for East Asia and the Pacific, says the increase is alarming and highlights conflicts in Burma's northern Shan region.
"These seizures reflect a dramatic increase in production in the Shan State," said Lewis. "What we are worried about is the nexus of drugs, of weapons, of money that is moving around that region at a time when elections are pending and the political situation is quite fragile."
The threat of conflict in Burma between the military government, which is holding elections later this year, and ethnic Shan is a key factor for a massive rise in production of the amphetamine type stimulants raising fears that it will trigger a growing addiction across Asia.
Burma's Shan state and its special regions near the eastern border with China and Thailand are the main production sources for methamphetamine drugs and a main source of income for the ethnic Shan.
Chinese authorities have already reported large amounts of ATS stimulants entering its southern Yunnan province through its border with Burma.
Lewis says the Burmese government and ethnic groups such as the Wah have been successful in reducing opium production over recent years.
But he says continued international support is needed to ensure regions remain free of opium.
"Just because an area is poppy free does not mean we should up stake and move off," added Lewis. "For it to remain poppy free we need to ensure that we continue to provide options to farmers that have given up poppy and are taking a very, very tough hit as a result of that."
Burma also remains the main source for opiates in South East Asia of 330 metric tons although total output has fallen sharply in the past 10 years. Burma's output is dwarfed by the 6,900 tons produced in Afghanistan.
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Jun 24, 2010
The Straits Times - Big surge in drug production
BANGKOK - DRUG production has surged in Myanmar, a UN expert said on Thursday, particularly in areas where rebel ethnic groups are coming under increased pressure from the junta ahead of rare elections.
Seizures of methamphetamine in the military-ruled country have risen from one million tablets in 2008 to 23 million last year, said Gary Lewis, a representative for the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The country has also experienced a 'steep and dramatic' increase in opium cultivation, with 31,700 hectares (78,300 acres) of land set aside for illicit poppy growing last year, up by almost half since 2006. This is still only a small fraction of the levels seen in the late 1990s, when Myanmar, as part of the so-called Golden Triangle with Laos and Thailand, produced nearly half of the world's opiates.
'We are in a situation where we are at risk of having the situation unravel,' Mr Lewis told reporters in Bangkok. Drug production is thought to be fuelled by insurgent groups as well as by the chronic poverty and food shortages facing many communities. Mr Lewis said both poppy cultivation and the huge hauls of methamphetamine were concentrated in Myanmar's Shan State and represent 'a nexus of money, weapons and drugs.'
Some minority groups are believed to be cashing in on drugs amid an increasing sense of vulnerability in the run-up to Myanmar's first elections in two decades. Armed minorities in Shan and Karen states continue to fight the government along the country's eastern border, alleging they are victims of neglect and mistreatment.
Myanmar's military regime has stepped up its decades-long campaign against minority groups as it strives to bring them to heel ahead of the polls, planned for sometime this year. Critics have declared the election a sham due to laws that have effectively barred opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from participating.
The Straits Times - Big surge in drug production
BANGKOK - DRUG production has surged in Myanmar, a UN expert said on Thursday, particularly in areas where rebel ethnic groups are coming under increased pressure from the junta ahead of rare elections.
Seizures of methamphetamine in the military-ruled country have risen from one million tablets in 2008 to 23 million last year, said Gary Lewis, a representative for the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The country has also experienced a 'steep and dramatic' increase in opium cultivation, with 31,700 hectares (78,300 acres) of land set aside for illicit poppy growing last year, up by almost half since 2006. This is still only a small fraction of the levels seen in the late 1990s, when Myanmar, as part of the so-called Golden Triangle with Laos and Thailand, produced nearly half of the world's opiates.
'We are in a situation where we are at risk of having the situation unravel,' Mr Lewis told reporters in Bangkok. Drug production is thought to be fuelled by insurgent groups as well as by the chronic poverty and food shortages facing many communities. Mr Lewis said both poppy cultivation and the huge hauls of methamphetamine were concentrated in Myanmar's Shan State and represent 'a nexus of money, weapons and drugs.'
Some minority groups are believed to be cashing in on drugs amid an increasing sense of vulnerability in the run-up to Myanmar's first elections in two decades. Armed minorities in Shan and Karen states continue to fight the government along the country's eastern border, alleging they are victims of neglect and mistreatment.
Myanmar's military regime has stepped up its decades-long campaign against minority groups as it strives to bring them to heel ahead of the polls, planned for sometime this year. Critics have declared the election a sham due to laws that have effectively barred opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from participating.
*****************************************************
Asian Tribune - Burma’s undemocratic polls will bring shame on ASEAN
Thu, 2010-06-24 04:10 — editor
By - Zin Linn
The Burmese politicians, who were eager to run in the incoming elections hoping a political space, were in for a big shock when they saw the 'Election Commission’s Directive No.2/2010 dated 21 June, 2010' in the state’s daily papers. The analysts view the junta’s poll process as ‘Entanglements’ for there will be more and more complicated regulations before the unknown election date.
Political parties in Burma that want to assemble and give speeches at a designated place must apply to the Election Commission (EC) for permission at least seven days prior to the event, according to state-run media. The new 'EC Directive No.2/2010 dated 21 June, 2010' was published on 23 June, requiring political parties to provide the specific place, date, starting and finishing time, and the name and address of speakers. The EC will issue a permit or reject the request at least 48 hours before the requested date.
Political parties seeking new members ahead of Myanmar's historic elections were warned in the directive they are not allowed chanting slogans in procession or giving talks and distributing publications tarnishing the image of the ruling junta. The directive also says not to disturb any public places such as government offices, organizations, factories, workplaces, workshops, markets, sport grounds, religious places, schools and people’s hospitals.
The restrictions are part of the 14-article directive published by the EC that governs how parties recruit new members. All parties contesting elections planned for later this year are required to have at least 1,000 members within 90 days of being granted registration.
The EC head, Thein Soe, pronounced last month that international monitors would not be allowed to observe the elections. After the 2008 constitutional referendum, the junta announced the bill was allegedly supported by more than 90 per cent of the population, despite complaints of widespread vote rigging and bullying of voters. Candidates from some registered parties have also complained that special privileges are being offered to the Union Solidarity and Development Party headed by Burma’s Prime Minister Thein Sein, while other civilian parties are being hindered in their campaign processes.
The junta has not declared an election date. So far, out of 42 new political parties 33 have been approved by the Election Commission and five existing parties have re-registered to contest in the coming elections. International criticism has not succeeded to free detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party overwhelmingly won the last election in 1990, but was never permitted to run the office.
Under current election laws made by the military regime, Aung San Suu Kyi and 2,200 political prisoners are totally disqualified from taking part in the elections.
Her National League for Democracy party has criticized the laws unfair and undemocratic and will stay away from the vote. The NLD was disbanded after refusing to register for the elections by a deadline on 6 May, 2010.
Burma has fallen under military boots since 1962. The regime has earned the distrustful reputation of being one of the world's worst human rights violators.
It brutally suppressed pro-democracy movements in 1988, May 30, 2003, Depayin conspiracy and Saffron Revolution in Sept 2007. There were many more sporadic crackdowns. The junta has arrested around 2,200 political dissidents including Burma’s Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been confined to her residence for 15 of the last 21 years.
The regime held a unilateral referendum at gun point on May 10 and 24. The 2008 Constitution, the junta said, was approved by more than 90 per cent of eligible voters during a referendum in May 2008; just a few days after Cyclone Nargis devastated the country. The outcome of the referendum was widely dismissed as a sham, but the regime has ignored calls from the international community and main opposition party, the National League for Democracy, to review the Constitution which will cause trouble upon the Burmese people.
The new elections planned in 2010 will legalize military rule. It is convinced that the procedure will not be free and fair. Just like the referendum held at gun-point.
The socio-economic atmosphere is worsening. The junta will not be able to manage the socio-economic situation, which is failing fast. It will soon come face-to-face with a "desolate" future if it continues to refuse the national reconciliation process being urged by the opposition the National League for Democracy (NLD), the United Nationalities Alliance (UNA) and the exile dissident groups.
NLD and UNA point out that the ratification of the constitution staged by the Junta is unacceptable. Both declare that the ratification was carried out against the will of the people and without observing internationally known norms for referendums. The junta also does not show respect the successive resolutions adopted by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) calling for return of democratic system in Burma through a tripartite dialogue between the Junta led by Senior General Than Shwe, democratic forces led by Aung San Suu Kyi and representatives of ethnic nationalities. From turn of events it is clear that the junta has no plan to heed the UN call and to release political prisoners, which is a pre-condition to facilitate the tripartite dialogue.
Looking at the fact on the ground, there is more belligerences in these days, more military attacks in the ethnic minority areas, more arrests, more political prisoners, and more restrictions toward media, more control on Internet users and civil societies. So, situation needs to be very cautious and to put more pressure on the regime until the said benchmarks are carried out.
Today's question for regional groupings – such as ASEAN and EU - and International Community is to think over whether Burma is planning to become a tyrannical or a democratic state? According to a Burmese saying, a tiger is a tiger and it never lives on grass. Then, if someone says a dictator would build a democratic country, it may be an object of ridicule for the Burmese populace.
There are still arguments for ASEAN to abandon its long standing policy of non-interference in another country's internal affairs if the affairs of a country spilled over and affected regional security. ASEAN's policy-makers have to debate on the Burma Question in the forthcoming ASEAN meetings. ASEAN should have a specific evaluation of its policy towards Burma under the military dictatorship for the sake of the association's reliability in favor of the whole region.
The UN should also urge Asean leaders to make concerted efforts on democratization in Burma. Burma is likely to come under the international limelight for its continued detention of democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi and 2,200 political prisoners ahead of its so-called elections for disciplined democracy.
Timely on 22 June, the United States criticized that elections planned in military-run Myanmar this year will 'lack international legitimacy'. 'US believes elections planned for this year in Burma will not be free or fair and will lack international legitimacy,' the State Department said on the micro-blogging site Twitter, using Myanmar's former name of Burma.
Majority of Burmese people may definitely agree with the United States’ attitude on the junta’s upcoming elections. However they may be disappointed with ASEAN’s passive voice and pro-junta vision towards the sham opinion polls run by the unprincipled member of the grouping.
Zin Linn is an exile freelance journalist from Burma.
Thu, 2010-06-24 04:10 — editor
By - Zin Linn
The Burmese politicians, who were eager to run in the incoming elections hoping a political space, were in for a big shock when they saw the 'Election Commission’s Directive No.2/2010 dated 21 June, 2010' in the state’s daily papers. The analysts view the junta’s poll process as ‘Entanglements’ for there will be more and more complicated regulations before the unknown election date.
Political parties in Burma that want to assemble and give speeches at a designated place must apply to the Election Commission (EC) for permission at least seven days prior to the event, according to state-run media. The new 'EC Directive No.2/2010 dated 21 June, 2010' was published on 23 June, requiring political parties to provide the specific place, date, starting and finishing time, and the name and address of speakers. The EC will issue a permit or reject the request at least 48 hours before the requested date.
Political parties seeking new members ahead of Myanmar's historic elections were warned in the directive they are not allowed chanting slogans in procession or giving talks and distributing publications tarnishing the image of the ruling junta. The directive also says not to disturb any public places such as government offices, organizations, factories, workplaces, workshops, markets, sport grounds, religious places, schools and people’s hospitals.
The restrictions are part of the 14-article directive published by the EC that governs how parties recruit new members. All parties contesting elections planned for later this year are required to have at least 1,000 members within 90 days of being granted registration.
The EC head, Thein Soe, pronounced last month that international monitors would not be allowed to observe the elections. After the 2008 constitutional referendum, the junta announced the bill was allegedly supported by more than 90 per cent of the population, despite complaints of widespread vote rigging and bullying of voters. Candidates from some registered parties have also complained that special privileges are being offered to the Union Solidarity and Development Party headed by Burma’s Prime Minister Thein Sein, while other civilian parties are being hindered in their campaign processes.
The junta has not declared an election date. So far, out of 42 new political parties 33 have been approved by the Election Commission and five existing parties have re-registered to contest in the coming elections. International criticism has not succeeded to free detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party overwhelmingly won the last election in 1990, but was never permitted to run the office.
Under current election laws made by the military regime, Aung San Suu Kyi and 2,200 political prisoners are totally disqualified from taking part in the elections.
Her National League for Democracy party has criticized the laws unfair and undemocratic and will stay away from the vote. The NLD was disbanded after refusing to register for the elections by a deadline on 6 May, 2010.
Burma has fallen under military boots since 1962. The regime has earned the distrustful reputation of being one of the world's worst human rights violators.
It brutally suppressed pro-democracy movements in 1988, May 30, 2003, Depayin conspiracy and Saffron Revolution in Sept 2007. There were many more sporadic crackdowns. The junta has arrested around 2,200 political dissidents including Burma’s Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been confined to her residence for 15 of the last 21 years.
The regime held a unilateral referendum at gun point on May 10 and 24. The 2008 Constitution, the junta said, was approved by more than 90 per cent of eligible voters during a referendum in May 2008; just a few days after Cyclone Nargis devastated the country. The outcome of the referendum was widely dismissed as a sham, but the regime has ignored calls from the international community and main opposition party, the National League for Democracy, to review the Constitution which will cause trouble upon the Burmese people.
The new elections planned in 2010 will legalize military rule. It is convinced that the procedure will not be free and fair. Just like the referendum held at gun-point.
The socio-economic atmosphere is worsening. The junta will not be able to manage the socio-economic situation, which is failing fast. It will soon come face-to-face with a "desolate" future if it continues to refuse the national reconciliation process being urged by the opposition the National League for Democracy (NLD), the United Nationalities Alliance (UNA) and the exile dissident groups.
NLD and UNA point out that the ratification of the constitution staged by the Junta is unacceptable. Both declare that the ratification was carried out against the will of the people and without observing internationally known norms for referendums. The junta also does not show respect the successive resolutions adopted by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) calling for return of democratic system in Burma through a tripartite dialogue between the Junta led by Senior General Than Shwe, democratic forces led by Aung San Suu Kyi and representatives of ethnic nationalities. From turn of events it is clear that the junta has no plan to heed the UN call and to release political prisoners, which is a pre-condition to facilitate the tripartite dialogue.
Looking at the fact on the ground, there is more belligerences in these days, more military attacks in the ethnic minority areas, more arrests, more political prisoners, and more restrictions toward media, more control on Internet users and civil societies. So, situation needs to be very cautious and to put more pressure on the regime until the said benchmarks are carried out.
Today's question for regional groupings – such as ASEAN and EU - and International Community is to think over whether Burma is planning to become a tyrannical or a democratic state? According to a Burmese saying, a tiger is a tiger and it never lives on grass. Then, if someone says a dictator would build a democratic country, it may be an object of ridicule for the Burmese populace.
There are still arguments for ASEAN to abandon its long standing policy of non-interference in another country's internal affairs if the affairs of a country spilled over and affected regional security. ASEAN's policy-makers have to debate on the Burma Question in the forthcoming ASEAN meetings. ASEAN should have a specific evaluation of its policy towards Burma under the military dictatorship for the sake of the association's reliability in favor of the whole region.
The UN should also urge Asean leaders to make concerted efforts on democratization in Burma. Burma is likely to come under the international limelight for its continued detention of democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi and 2,200 political prisoners ahead of its so-called elections for disciplined democracy.
Timely on 22 June, the United States criticized that elections planned in military-run Myanmar this year will 'lack international legitimacy'. 'US believes elections planned for this year in Burma will not be free or fair and will lack international legitimacy,' the State Department said on the micro-blogging site Twitter, using Myanmar's former name of Burma.
Majority of Burmese people may definitely agree with the United States’ attitude on the junta’s upcoming elections. However they may be disappointed with ASEAN’s passive voice and pro-junta vision towards the sham opinion polls run by the unprincipled member of the grouping.
Zin Linn is an exile freelance journalist from Burma.
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06/24/2010 13:17
MYANMAR
AsiaNews.it - - Myanmar’s election (farce) continues; "silent" party rallies
Electoral Commission decrees as much in a 14-point directive. songs, slogans, banners and marches illegal, in order not to "tarnish" the country's image. Iron fist against the "political use of religion" to block other street riots. Buddhist Monk sentenced to seven years in prison.
Yangon (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Election Commission has declared Burmese songs, marches, flags and slogans in rallies illegal, so as not to "tarnish" the country's image. The parties that participate in the vote, therefore, may hold public meetings, but only with permission, with one week in advance notice and only if they abide by the strict rules imposed on campaigning, including "silent rallies”. Meanwhile, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) denounces the arrest of a Buddhist Monk for anti-government activities.
The gagged rallies are part of a 14-point directive released by the Commission, which regulates the registration of parties and the arrangements for conducting the vote. The government has not yet officially named the day when the elections are to be held. To participate, parties must submit at least 1,000 members enrolled on the lists within the next 90 days. So far 33 new formations have obtained government authorization, in addition to the five existing parties. Among these the main camp of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) will be missing after refusing to expel Aung San Suu Kyi a condition imposed by the military to allow participation in the elections.
The guidelines governing the vote also aim to prevent "disorder" in public places, including: government offices, organizations, factories, markets, sport centres, colleges, hospitals and religious institutions. Towards the latter, the junta has reserved "special" attention. As well as a ban on the use and carrying of firearms the military also prohibits "exploitation of religion for political purposes". Mindful of the 2007 revolt led by Buddhist monks that ended in a bloodbath, the government wants to prevent street demonstrations that could jeopardize the control of the country.
Meanwhile the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) denounces imprisonment for anti-government activities of Monk U Gawthita. The authorities accuse him of "illegally" travelling to Thailand, to seek support among the dissident movements abroad. The court sentenced him to seven years, even in the absence of evidence. The Monk, who was not involved in the uprisings of 2007, defended himself stating that seeking aid for victims of the Cyclone Nargis.
MYANMAR
AsiaNews.it - - Myanmar’s election (farce) continues; "silent" party rallies
Electoral Commission decrees as much in a 14-point directive. songs, slogans, banners and marches illegal, in order not to "tarnish" the country's image. Iron fist against the "political use of religion" to block other street riots. Buddhist Monk sentenced to seven years in prison.
Yangon (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Election Commission has declared Burmese songs, marches, flags and slogans in rallies illegal, so as not to "tarnish" the country's image. The parties that participate in the vote, therefore, may hold public meetings, but only with permission, with one week in advance notice and only if they abide by the strict rules imposed on campaigning, including "silent rallies”. Meanwhile, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) denounces the arrest of a Buddhist Monk for anti-government activities.
The gagged rallies are part of a 14-point directive released by the Commission, which regulates the registration of parties and the arrangements for conducting the vote. The government has not yet officially named the day when the elections are to be held. To participate, parties must submit at least 1,000 members enrolled on the lists within the next 90 days. So far 33 new formations have obtained government authorization, in addition to the five existing parties. Among these the main camp of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) will be missing after refusing to expel Aung San Suu Kyi a condition imposed by the military to allow participation in the elections.
The guidelines governing the vote also aim to prevent "disorder" in public places, including: government offices, organizations, factories, markets, sport centres, colleges, hospitals and religious institutions. Towards the latter, the junta has reserved "special" attention. As well as a ban on the use and carrying of firearms the military also prohibits "exploitation of religion for political purposes". Mindful of the 2007 revolt led by Buddhist monks that ended in a bloodbath, the government wants to prevent street demonstrations that could jeopardize the control of the country.
Meanwhile the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) denounces imprisonment for anti-government activities of Monk U Gawthita. The authorities accuse him of "illegally" travelling to Thailand, to seek support among the dissident movements abroad. The court sentenced him to seven years, even in the absence of evidence. The Monk, who was not involved in the uprisings of 2007, defended himself stating that seeking aid for victims of the Cyclone Nargis.
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BusinessWeek - China’s Norinco Signs Contract for Myanmar Copper Mine Project
June 23, 2010, 2:39 PM EDT
By Edmond Lococo
June 23 (Bloomberg) -- China North Industries Corp., a Beijing-based engineering and defense company, signed a copper mining contract in Myanmar that it said will strengthen China’s strategic reserves of the metal.
The Chinese company, also known as Norinco, made the agreement during a visit to Myanmar by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Norinco Chairman Zhang Guoqing, the company said in a statement dated June 10 posted on its website. Financial terms of the mining contract weren’t disclosed.
China, the world’s largest metals consumer, this week indicated it will abandon the two-year-old dollar peg of its currency, the yuan. A rising Chinese currency may boost China’s purchasing power and increase imports.
Norinco also signed cooperation agreements in Myanmar, the country formerly known as Burma, related to chemical production- line renovations and port, wharf, rail and hydropower projects, according to the statement. Norinco’s mine contract was reported earlier by the Wall Street Journal.
June 23, 2010, 2:39 PM EDT
By Edmond Lococo
June 23 (Bloomberg) -- China North Industries Corp., a Beijing-based engineering and defense company, signed a copper mining contract in Myanmar that it said will strengthen China’s strategic reserves of the metal.
The Chinese company, also known as Norinco, made the agreement during a visit to Myanmar by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Norinco Chairman Zhang Guoqing, the company said in a statement dated June 10 posted on its website. Financial terms of the mining contract weren’t disclosed.
China, the world’s largest metals consumer, this week indicated it will abandon the two-year-old dollar peg of its currency, the yuan. A rising Chinese currency may boost China’s purchasing power and increase imports.
Norinco also signed cooperation agreements in Myanmar, the country formerly known as Burma, related to chemical production- line renovations and port, wharf, rail and hydropower projects, according to the statement. Norinco’s mine contract was reported earlier by the Wall Street Journal.
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UN News Centre - UN aid agencies continue relief efforts in flood-affected Myanmar
23 June 2010 – United Nations aid agencies are widening their relief efforts in western Myanmar, where more than 60 people have been killed and thousands of other villagers forced out of their homes by floods brought on by monsoonal rains.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported today that more than 27,000 families have been affected by the floods, which struck Myanmar’s Rakhine state and neighbouring Bangladesh last week.
The agency is working with the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and Government health staff to deploy mobile medical teams to flood-affected towns and villages.
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) plans to distribute 1,079 tons of food to affected households, in addition to the 400 tons already handed out in Maungdaw and Buthidaung, the hardest-hit areas. The food sent so far is mostly rice, but beans, pulses, oil and salt are also being included.
The UN Development Programme (UNDP) reported that it is starting income-generation activities in at least 100 villages so that residents can buy food and other essential items, such as blankets and mosquito nets.
The death toll from the floods has climbed to 63 in Myanmar, according to State media figures. Nearly 700 homes are reported to have destroyed and more than 3,500 others partially damaged. At least 58 Bangladeshis have also died from the rising waters or mudslides.
23 June 2010 – United Nations aid agencies are widening their relief efforts in western Myanmar, where more than 60 people have been killed and thousands of other villagers forced out of their homes by floods brought on by monsoonal rains.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported today that more than 27,000 families have been affected by the floods, which struck Myanmar’s Rakhine state and neighbouring Bangladesh last week.
The agency is working with the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and Government health staff to deploy mobile medical teams to flood-affected towns and villages.
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) plans to distribute 1,079 tons of food to affected households, in addition to the 400 tons already handed out in Maungdaw and Buthidaung, the hardest-hit areas. The food sent so far is mostly rice, but beans, pulses, oil and salt are also being included.
The UN Development Programme (UNDP) reported that it is starting income-generation activities in at least 100 villages so that residents can buy food and other essential items, such as blankets and mosquito nets.
The death toll from the floods has climbed to 63 in Myanmar, according to State media figures. Nearly 700 homes are reported to have destroyed and more than 3,500 others partially damaged. At least 58 Bangladeshis have also died from the rising waters or mudslides.
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Pakistan, India and the anti-nuclear rules
The Economist - Opinion: Clouds of hypocrisy
An offer to supply Pakistan with nuclear reactors shows China at its worst
Jun 24th 2010
WHEN it comes to nuclear danger, North Korea and Iran grab everyone’s attention. One flounced out of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and tested two bombs; the other, though it denies it, seems headed for just such a breakout. Syria and Myanmar make the worry-list for getting secret nuclear help from North Korea. Even Israel, which keeps mum about its bombs, is now being named and (Egypt hopes) shamed. Pressing Israel to join nuclear talks was Egypt’s price for not ruining a big NPT review last month.
Picking on Israel makes the silence—and hypocrisy—that surrounds nuclear-armed India and Pakistan all the stranger. Like Israel, neither joined the NPT so their bomb-building did not break its rules. Yet their rivalry is fuelling the fastest, most dangerous build-up of bomb-usable plutonium and uranium anywhere. And a proposed sale by China of two civilian nuclear reactors to proliferation-prone, unstable Pakistan points to a further distinction. Although much of the world has co-operated over North Korea and Iran, everyone is competing over India and Pakistan to make things worse (see article).
China’s reactor deal with Pakistan has incensed India and alarmed others. It would also break the rules of a little-known cartel, the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), of which both China, Pakistan’s pal, and America, India’s friend, are members. The NSG has guidelines, intended to rule out nuclear trade with countries like India, Pakistan and Israel that do not allow international safeguards on all their nuclear industry. Until now there has been little pressure on China to play by the group’s rules and halt the Pakistan deal, though it obviously should. But if China refuses, India has itself to blame too.
India was jubilant in 2008 when America strong-armed an exemption from this no-trade rule past the NSG. India was fast running out of domestic uranium to keep building bombs as well as lighting homes. Now uniquely exempted from the NSG trade ban, India has various deals pending with Russia, France, Britain, South Korea and other NSG members that involve supplying reactor fuel too. So India is now freer to use more of its own uranium for bombs.
Barack Obama did not like the India deal struck by his predecessor, George Bush. Helping India’s nuclear ambitions clashes particularly badly with Mr Obama’s promise to seek “the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons”. In weighing those fine promises against America’s relations with India, however, Mr Obama has chosen not to offend India by helping Pakistan too. So Pakistan turned to China.
Find courage and conviction
This newspaper argued against the America-India nuclear deal, not least because it would intensify nuclear rivalry in an already fissile region. A second wrong—shrugging the China-Pakistan one through, on the basis of some sort of big-power tit-for-tat—will only double the damage.
Before China joined the NPT and the NSG its proliferation record was execrable. It helped Pakistan make uranium and plutonium. It handed over the design of one of its own nuclear warheads, which Pakistan later passed on to Libya and possibly Iran. China hates talk of its irresponsible past. It will resent being told it is breaking NSG rules. But the other 45 countries in the group should find the courage of their anti-proliferation convictions and call China to account. Like others in this sorry saga, China richly deserves embarrassment.
The Economist - Opinion: Clouds of hypocrisy
An offer to supply Pakistan with nuclear reactors shows China at its worst
Jun 24th 2010
WHEN it comes to nuclear danger, North Korea and Iran grab everyone’s attention. One flounced out of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and tested two bombs; the other, though it denies it, seems headed for just such a breakout. Syria and Myanmar make the worry-list for getting secret nuclear help from North Korea. Even Israel, which keeps mum about its bombs, is now being named and (Egypt hopes) shamed. Pressing Israel to join nuclear talks was Egypt’s price for not ruining a big NPT review last month.
Picking on Israel makes the silence—and hypocrisy—that surrounds nuclear-armed India and Pakistan all the stranger. Like Israel, neither joined the NPT so their bomb-building did not break its rules. Yet their rivalry is fuelling the fastest, most dangerous build-up of bomb-usable plutonium and uranium anywhere. And a proposed sale by China of two civilian nuclear reactors to proliferation-prone, unstable Pakistan points to a further distinction. Although much of the world has co-operated over North Korea and Iran, everyone is competing over India and Pakistan to make things worse (see article).
China’s reactor deal with Pakistan has incensed India and alarmed others. It would also break the rules of a little-known cartel, the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), of which both China, Pakistan’s pal, and America, India’s friend, are members. The NSG has guidelines, intended to rule out nuclear trade with countries like India, Pakistan and Israel that do not allow international safeguards on all their nuclear industry. Until now there has been little pressure on China to play by the group’s rules and halt the Pakistan deal, though it obviously should. But if China refuses, India has itself to blame too.
India was jubilant in 2008 when America strong-armed an exemption from this no-trade rule past the NSG. India was fast running out of domestic uranium to keep building bombs as well as lighting homes. Now uniquely exempted from the NSG trade ban, India has various deals pending with Russia, France, Britain, South Korea and other NSG members that involve supplying reactor fuel too. So India is now freer to use more of its own uranium for bombs.
Barack Obama did not like the India deal struck by his predecessor, George Bush. Helping India’s nuclear ambitions clashes particularly badly with Mr Obama’s promise to seek “the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons”. In weighing those fine promises against America’s relations with India, however, Mr Obama has chosen not to offend India by helping Pakistan too. So Pakistan turned to China.
Find courage and conviction
This newspaper argued against the America-India nuclear deal, not least because it would intensify nuclear rivalry in an already fissile region. A second wrong—shrugging the China-Pakistan one through, on the basis of some sort of big-power tit-for-tat—will only double the damage.
Before China joined the NPT and the NSG its proliferation record was execrable. It helped Pakistan make uranium and plutonium. It handed over the design of one of its own nuclear warheads, which Pakistan later passed on to Libya and possibly Iran. China hates talk of its irresponsible past. It will resent being told it is breaking NSG rules. But the other 45 countries in the group should find the courage of their anti-proliferation convictions and call China to account. Like others in this sorry saga, China richly deserves embarrassment.
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Letters to the Editor of the International Herald Tribune
The New York Times - Keep the Pressure on Burma
Published: June 23, 2010
Regarding Aung Lynn Htut’s article “The Burma-North Korea axis” (Views, June 19): The Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) shoulders a lot of the responsibility for Burma’s intransigence, political manipulation and blatant violation of human rights. Burma’s acceptance into the Asean circle inadvertently legitimized the junta, while Asean’s adherence to the policy of noninterference has also had considerable ramifications.
Continuation of the Obama administration’s strategy of “pragmatic engagement” will only fuel the ambitions of Burma’s ruling generals; any ease in regional or international diplomatic pressure will only embolden them.
Kwan Jin Yao, Singapore
The New York Times - Keep the Pressure on Burma
Published: June 23, 2010
Regarding Aung Lynn Htut’s article “The Burma-North Korea axis” (Views, June 19): The Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) shoulders a lot of the responsibility for Burma’s intransigence, political manipulation and blatant violation of human rights. Burma’s acceptance into the Asean circle inadvertently legitimized the junta, while Asean’s adherence to the policy of noninterference has also had considerable ramifications.
Continuation of the Obama administration’s strategy of “pragmatic engagement” will only fuel the ambitions of Burma’s ruling generals; any ease in regional or international diplomatic pressure will only embolden them.
Kwan Jin Yao, Singapore
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The Irrawaddy - More North Korean Rockets Reported in Burma
By MIN LWIN and WAI MOE - Thursday, June 24, 2010
North Korean-made truck-mounted multiple launch rocket systems have been reportedly set up at Burmese army bases in northern, eastern and central Burma, according to military sources.
The North Korean rockets were recently delivered to missile operation commands in Mohnyin in Kachin State, Naungcho and Kengtung in Shan State and Kyaukpadaung in Mandalay Division, sources said. Missile operation commands were reportedly formed in 2009.
It is not clear when the multiple launch rocket systems were shipped from North Korea. However, military sources said delivery of rocket launchers mounted on trucks occurred several times in recent years.
Sources said they witnessed at least 14 units of 240-mm truck-mounted multiple launch rocket systems arrive at Thilawa Port near Rangoon on the North Korean vessel, Kang Nam I, in early 2008. Previous reports said Burma had purchased 30 units of 240-mm truck-mounted multiple launch rocket systems from North Korean.
According to GlobalSecurity.org, North Korea produces two different 240mm rocket launchers, the 12-round M-1985 and the 22-round M-1991. The M-1985 rocket pack is easily identified by two rows of six rocket tubes mounted on a cab behind an engine chassis. The M-1991 is mounted on a cab over an engine chassis. Both launch packs can be adapted to a suitable cross-country truck.
The Kang Nam I was believed enroute to Burma again in June 2009. However, it reversed course and returned home after a US Navy destroyer followed it amid growing concern that it was carrying illegal arms shipments.
However, more arms shipments from North Korea appear to have been delivered to Burma in 2009-2010. The latest report about a North Korean vessel's arrival was in April. The ship, the Chong Gen, docked at Thilawar port.
Last week, the junta acknowledged that the Chong Gen was at the port, but it denied involvement in any arms trading with Pyongyang, saying Burma follows UN Security Council resolution 1874 which bans arms trading with North Korea. The junta said the North Korean vessel came to Burma with shipments of cement and exported rice.
According to reports by Burma military experts Maung Aung Myoe and Andrew Selth, purchasing multiple-launch rocket systems is a part of the junta’s military modernization plan. While the junta has acquired 107-mm type 63 and 122-mm type 90 multiple-launch rocket from China, North Korea has provided it with 240-mm truck-mounted launch rocket.
Some experts have said North Korea is also involved in a secret relationship with Burma for the sale of short and medium-range ballistic missiles and the development of underground facilities. Other experts and Burmese defectors claim that North Korea is also providing Burma with technology designed to create a nuclear program.
Burma severed its relationship with North Korea in 1983 following North Korean agents’ assassination of members of a South Korean delegation led by President Chun Doo Hwan. The two countries restored relations in early 1990s and officially re-establish diplomatic ties in April 2007.
By MIN LWIN and WAI MOE - Thursday, June 24, 2010
North Korean-made truck-mounted multiple launch rocket systems have been reportedly set up at Burmese army bases in northern, eastern and central Burma, according to military sources.
The North Korean rockets were recently delivered to missile operation commands in Mohnyin in Kachin State, Naungcho and Kengtung in Shan State and Kyaukpadaung in Mandalay Division, sources said. Missile operation commands were reportedly formed in 2009.
It is not clear when the multiple launch rocket systems were shipped from North Korea. However, military sources said delivery of rocket launchers mounted on trucks occurred several times in recent years.
Sources said they witnessed at least 14 units of 240-mm truck-mounted multiple launch rocket systems arrive at Thilawa Port near Rangoon on the North Korean vessel, Kang Nam I, in early 2008. Previous reports said Burma had purchased 30 units of 240-mm truck-mounted multiple launch rocket systems from North Korean.
According to GlobalSecurity.org, North Korea produces two different 240mm rocket launchers, the 12-round M-1985 and the 22-round M-1991. The M-1985 rocket pack is easily identified by two rows of six rocket tubes mounted on a cab behind an engine chassis. The M-1991 is mounted on a cab over an engine chassis. Both launch packs can be adapted to a suitable cross-country truck.
The Kang Nam I was believed enroute to Burma again in June 2009. However, it reversed course and returned home after a US Navy destroyer followed it amid growing concern that it was carrying illegal arms shipments.
However, more arms shipments from North Korea appear to have been delivered to Burma in 2009-2010. The latest report about a North Korean vessel's arrival was in April. The ship, the Chong Gen, docked at Thilawar port.
Last week, the junta acknowledged that the Chong Gen was at the port, but it denied involvement in any arms trading with Pyongyang, saying Burma follows UN Security Council resolution 1874 which bans arms trading with North Korea. The junta said the North Korean vessel came to Burma with shipments of cement and exported rice.
According to reports by Burma military experts Maung Aung Myoe and Andrew Selth, purchasing multiple-launch rocket systems is a part of the junta’s military modernization plan. While the junta has acquired 107-mm type 63 and 122-mm type 90 multiple-launch rocket from China, North Korea has provided it with 240-mm truck-mounted launch rocket.
Some experts have said North Korea is also involved in a secret relationship with Burma for the sale of short and medium-range ballistic missiles and the development of underground facilities. Other experts and Burmese defectors claim that North Korea is also providing Burma with technology designed to create a nuclear program.
Burma severed its relationship with North Korea in 1983 following North Korean agents’ assassination of members of a South Korean delegation led by President Chun Doo Hwan. The two countries restored relations in early 1990s and officially re-establish diplomatic ties in April 2007.
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The Irrawaddy - Junta Checkpoint Opens near KIO Brigade Headquarters
By SAW YAN NAING - Thursday, June 24, 2010
A new junta checkpoint has opened at Hakha village near the Phakant mining area in Kachin State to strengthen security ahead of the upcoming general election, sources in the area said.
Members of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), a Kachin cease-fire group, have been repeatedly checked since the gate opened on June 8, said KIA sources.
The decision to open the checkpoint was reportedly made in Naypyidaw.
The checkpoint opened on June 8 in Hakha village about 10 miles from the headquarters of KIO Brigade 6.
“They [Burmese army] ask travelers to show ID cards,” said Awng Wa, a Kachin observer on the Sino-Burma border. They said they are checking for bombs, explosive material and terrorists.”
Brigade 6 soldiers use the road regularly to travel around Kachin state. One source said that the KIO is unhappy with the location of the checkpoint so close to their headquarters area.
“It may create problems because the KIO has a cease-fire with the regime, but it's still being restricted,” Awng Wa said.
The KIO has been under heavy pressure to transform its troops into a border guard force under the command of the government. It is one of several ethnic cease-fire groups that has refused to comply with the order. It has about 4,000 armed troops.
Both the Burmese army and KIA soldiers levy taxes in Hakha village near Phakant—a location famous for its jade mining.
By SAW YAN NAING - Thursday, June 24, 2010
A new junta checkpoint has opened at Hakha village near the Phakant mining area in Kachin State to strengthen security ahead of the upcoming general election, sources in the area said.
Members of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), a Kachin cease-fire group, have been repeatedly checked since the gate opened on June 8, said KIA sources.
The decision to open the checkpoint was reportedly made in Naypyidaw.
The checkpoint opened on June 8 in Hakha village about 10 miles from the headquarters of KIO Brigade 6.
“They [Burmese army] ask travelers to show ID cards,” said Awng Wa, a Kachin observer on the Sino-Burma border. They said they are checking for bombs, explosive material and terrorists.”
Brigade 6 soldiers use the road regularly to travel around Kachin state. One source said that the KIO is unhappy with the location of the checkpoint so close to their headquarters area.
“It may create problems because the KIO has a cease-fire with the regime, but it's still being restricted,” Awng Wa said.
The KIO has been under heavy pressure to transform its troops into a border guard force under the command of the government. It is one of several ethnic cease-fire groups that has refused to comply with the order. It has about 4,000 armed troops.
Both the Burmese army and KIA soldiers levy taxes in Hakha village near Phakant—a location famous for its jade mining.
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The Irrawaddy - Burma Rejects Labor Union Application
By KYAW THEIN KHA - Thursday, June 24, 2010
The Burmese government on Wednesday rejected an application to form a “Burma National Labor Union,” telling seven labor organizers that they could be prosecuted if they formed a union, a group leader said on Thursday.
Poe Phyu, a lawyer, and six others were summoned by the Rangoon Division Police Department and the Minister of Labour to a meeting on Wednesday.
“We met with the delegations led by four directors from the Ministry of Labor and police officials of the Rangoon Division Police Department,” Poe Phyu told The Irrawaddy on Thursday. “They said we're not allowed to organize a labor union. They said we could be prosecuted if we continue our activities to organize.”
Poe Phyu said that during the meeting, the officials said that anyone who issued statements or documents about a labor union could be prosecuted under the law.
“The officials asked us to apply to form a labor union after the new people's assembly [parliament] is formed. But there are a lot of problem now such as land confiscation, force labor and industrial unrest. Who will solve these problems?” said Poe Phyu.
On June 2, Poe Phyu and others sent a letter to junta leader Sn-Gen Than Shwe to request a government-recognized labor union. The group has about 80 members, including labor and farmer rights activists.
Poe Phyu said he will continue to try to organize a labor union according to the 1926 Trade Union Act which he said has not been dissolved.
Labor unions, farmer unions and student unions were banned under dictator Gen Ne Win, who seized state power in 1962.
From mid-February to early May this year, industrial demonstrations took place in at least 20 garment factories on the outskirts of Rangoon, according to the Myanmar [Burma] Garment Manufacturers Association in Rangoon. So far, the government has not addressed the problems between workers and the firms.
Observers said that the government is concerned that labor unrest could escalate into a political movement that could affect the stability of the government.
Burmese workers face problems such as exploitation by firm owners, no compensation for on-the-job injuries and low wages.
The International Labour Organization executive director, Kari Tapiola, who held talks with Burmese regime officials in January told The Irrawaddy that one of Burma's most fundamental issues was the complete absence of a legally functioning workers' organization.
By KYAW THEIN KHA - Thursday, June 24, 2010
The Burmese government on Wednesday rejected an application to form a “Burma National Labor Union,” telling seven labor organizers that they could be prosecuted if they formed a union, a group leader said on Thursday.
Poe Phyu, a lawyer, and six others were summoned by the Rangoon Division Police Department and the Minister of Labour to a meeting on Wednesday.
“We met with the delegations led by four directors from the Ministry of Labor and police officials of the Rangoon Division Police Department,” Poe Phyu told The Irrawaddy on Thursday. “They said we're not allowed to organize a labor union. They said we could be prosecuted if we continue our activities to organize.”
Poe Phyu said that during the meeting, the officials said that anyone who issued statements or documents about a labor union could be prosecuted under the law.
“The officials asked us to apply to form a labor union after the new people's assembly [parliament] is formed. But there are a lot of problem now such as land confiscation, force labor and industrial unrest. Who will solve these problems?” said Poe Phyu.
On June 2, Poe Phyu and others sent a letter to junta leader Sn-Gen Than Shwe to request a government-recognized labor union. The group has about 80 members, including labor and farmer rights activists.
Poe Phyu said he will continue to try to organize a labor union according to the 1926 Trade Union Act which he said has not been dissolved.
Labor unions, farmer unions and student unions were banned under dictator Gen Ne Win, who seized state power in 1962.
From mid-February to early May this year, industrial demonstrations took place in at least 20 garment factories on the outskirts of Rangoon, according to the Myanmar [Burma] Garment Manufacturers Association in Rangoon. So far, the government has not addressed the problems between workers and the firms.
Observers said that the government is concerned that labor unrest could escalate into a political movement that could affect the stability of the government.
Burmese workers face problems such as exploitation by firm owners, no compensation for on-the-job injuries and low wages.
The International Labour Organization executive director, Kari Tapiola, who held talks with Burmese regime officials in January told The Irrawaddy that one of Burma's most fundamental issues was the complete absence of a legally functioning workers' organization.
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Aide to US Senator John Kerry meets NLD leaders
Thursday, 24 June 2010 12:15 Phanida
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – US Senator John Kerry’s assistant Robin Lerner met senior members of the National League for Democracy on Tuesday to discuss the party’s stance on upcoming national elections, NLD spokesman Nyan Win told Mizzima.
Lerner, a counsel to the Senate foreign relations committee who arrived in Burma on June 19, met NLD vice-chairman Tin Oo and central executive committee members Nyan Win, Nyunt Wai, Than Tun, Hla Pe, Han Tha Myint, May Win Myint and Win Myint. According to Nyan Win, the one-hour meeting took place at the Rangoon residence of chargé d’affaires Larry Dinger, the most senior US diplomat in Burma.
Tin Oo explained the party’s current situation, future plans and outlined the party’s decision not to re-register with the junta’s Union Election Commission in time for the junta’s March 29 party-registration deadline.
“In keeping with the junta’s one-sided electoral laws, if the party wanted to contest the election, it needed to expel our members who are in prison,” Nyan Win told Mizzima. “This would include the party’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Our vice-chairman Tin Oo explained to Ms Lerner that we can’t expel the members who are in prison, a point she understood.”
According to Nyan Win, Lerner asked the NLD how it expected to survive after the forthcoming election and Win Tin, the elderly but spry former political prisoner responded that as things were still up in the air the group could not provide an answer.
He told Mizzima that the NLD leadership also told Lerner that other opposition political parties, which have officially registered with the junta’s Union Election Commission, were being prevented from campaigning freely and therefore an election held this year would be far from fair.
The leaders also told Lerner unequivocally that they could not accept the junta’s extremely undemocratic line that declared members of the military were able to “participate in the national political leadership role of the State”. This contentious clause appears in the first chapter of the constitution ratified in a disputed May 2008 referendum widely viewed as rigged. The constitutional vote was also conducted days after Cyclone Nargis hit, as millions of Burmese struggled to cope with its devastating impact.
John Kerry, chairman of the US Senate’s foreign relations committee, was chosen as the Democratic presidential candidate in 2004 but lost to George W. Bush. Like his fellow Democrat Senator Jim Webb, Kerry is a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War.
Last August, former Kerry chief of staff turned pro-engagement lobbyist Frances Zwenig told The Washington Post that a few months earlier in May, the Burmese regime’s ambassador to the US offered Kerry, who had last visited Burma in 1999, a chance to return. This trip never occurred and Webb went instead in August.
Zwenig is a controversial figure in Washington, scorned by many Burma pro-democracy activists because she used political contacts established when she worked for Kerry to work as a pro-engagement advocate during the 1990’s. Zwenig successfully sought large amounts of corporate money to pay for an October 1997 high-level pro-business fact-finding trip that included three former senior government officials including two former ambassadors and neoconservative Richard Armitage, former assistant secretary of defence during the 1980’s. He was to become deputy secretary of state under Colin Powell and Bush, and gained notoriety in 2003 for leaking information to columnist Robert Novak, “outing” Valerie Plame as a CIA agent.
According to the Post in July 1997, Zwenig’s pro-engagement organisation received US$50,000 from Unocal to educate Washington on Burma engagement issues. Unocal, a partner in the Yadana Natural Gas Pipeline, was revealed in a lawsuit launched by Burmese villagers against the firm to have paid the Burmese military to help with the Yadana project. Earth Rights International, the legal NGO representing the villagers documented that battalions of Burmese soldiers hired by Unocal and its partners violently forced the relocation of thousands and used unpaid forced labour to assist in the pipeline’s construction. Unocal was later bought by Chevron who took over the firm’s infamous Burma operations.
As part of President Barack Obama’s stated goal of fostering productive dialogue with the Burmese regime, both US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Dr. Kurt Campbell, and chairman of the US foreign relations subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Senator Jim Webb, have travelled to Burma since Obama took office.
Campbell, who met Suu Kyi most recently last month, said that the forthcoming election would be unfair and that the international community should reject the results. He also revealed early this year that secret deals between the Burmese junta and North Korea had violated UN Resolution 1874, which bans North Korean overseas military shipments.
Webb, who met junta leader Senior General Than Shwe last August, has criticised US sanctions on Burma, claiming in his book A Time to Fight: Reclaiming a Fair and Just America that more US engagement with the Burmese regime could have prevented the September 2007 bloody crackdown against protesting monks and citizens. When Webb abruptly cancelled his trip to Burma early this month he cited allegations that the regime was co-operating with North Korea to develop a nuclear programme. He still maintains that Burma’s national election, which he predicts will happen in October, is the best way forward for Burma and therefore the international community should support the polls.
Shortly after Webb met Than Shwe, officials from the US State Department were allowed to escort jailed American tourist John Yettaw back to the US. Yettaw, whose family described him as mentally unwell, twice took it upon himself to twice swim across Inya Lake to visit the world’s most famous political prisoner. Following his second amphibious landing at the Nobel Peace Prize winner’s family home, Suu Kyi was arrested and jailed for “violating” the terms of her house arrest. Had Yettaw not intervened, Suu Kyi’s sentence of house arrest would have expired in two weeks. After an international outcry, the widowed opposition leader was released from prison and taken home to serve her sentence of 18 months under house arrest.
Thursday, 24 June 2010 12:15 Phanida
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – US Senator John Kerry’s assistant Robin Lerner met senior members of the National League for Democracy on Tuesday to discuss the party’s stance on upcoming national elections, NLD spokesman Nyan Win told Mizzima.
Lerner, a counsel to the Senate foreign relations committee who arrived in Burma on June 19, met NLD vice-chairman Tin Oo and central executive committee members Nyan Win, Nyunt Wai, Than Tun, Hla Pe, Han Tha Myint, May Win Myint and Win Myint. According to Nyan Win, the one-hour meeting took place at the Rangoon residence of chargé d’affaires Larry Dinger, the most senior US diplomat in Burma.
Tin Oo explained the party’s current situation, future plans and outlined the party’s decision not to re-register with the junta’s Union Election Commission in time for the junta’s March 29 party-registration deadline.
“In keeping with the junta’s one-sided electoral laws, if the party wanted to contest the election, it needed to expel our members who are in prison,” Nyan Win told Mizzima. “This would include the party’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Our vice-chairman Tin Oo explained to Ms Lerner that we can’t expel the members who are in prison, a point she understood.”
According to Nyan Win, Lerner asked the NLD how it expected to survive after the forthcoming election and Win Tin, the elderly but spry former political prisoner responded that as things were still up in the air the group could not provide an answer.
He told Mizzima that the NLD leadership also told Lerner that other opposition political parties, which have officially registered with the junta’s Union Election Commission, were being prevented from campaigning freely and therefore an election held this year would be far from fair.
The leaders also told Lerner unequivocally that they could not accept the junta’s extremely undemocratic line that declared members of the military were able to “participate in the national political leadership role of the State”. This contentious clause appears in the first chapter of the constitution ratified in a disputed May 2008 referendum widely viewed as rigged. The constitutional vote was also conducted days after Cyclone Nargis hit, as millions of Burmese struggled to cope with its devastating impact.
John Kerry, chairman of the US Senate’s foreign relations committee, was chosen as the Democratic presidential candidate in 2004 but lost to George W. Bush. Like his fellow Democrat Senator Jim Webb, Kerry is a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War.
Last August, former Kerry chief of staff turned pro-engagement lobbyist Frances Zwenig told The Washington Post that a few months earlier in May, the Burmese regime’s ambassador to the US offered Kerry, who had last visited Burma in 1999, a chance to return. This trip never occurred and Webb went instead in August.
Zwenig is a controversial figure in Washington, scorned by many Burma pro-democracy activists because she used political contacts established when she worked for Kerry to work as a pro-engagement advocate during the 1990’s. Zwenig successfully sought large amounts of corporate money to pay for an October 1997 high-level pro-business fact-finding trip that included three former senior government officials including two former ambassadors and neoconservative Richard Armitage, former assistant secretary of defence during the 1980’s. He was to become deputy secretary of state under Colin Powell and Bush, and gained notoriety in 2003 for leaking information to columnist Robert Novak, “outing” Valerie Plame as a CIA agent.
According to the Post in July 1997, Zwenig’s pro-engagement organisation received US$50,000 from Unocal to educate Washington on Burma engagement issues. Unocal, a partner in the Yadana Natural Gas Pipeline, was revealed in a lawsuit launched by Burmese villagers against the firm to have paid the Burmese military to help with the Yadana project. Earth Rights International, the legal NGO representing the villagers documented that battalions of Burmese soldiers hired by Unocal and its partners violently forced the relocation of thousands and used unpaid forced labour to assist in the pipeline’s construction. Unocal was later bought by Chevron who took over the firm’s infamous Burma operations.
As part of President Barack Obama’s stated goal of fostering productive dialogue with the Burmese regime, both US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Dr. Kurt Campbell, and chairman of the US foreign relations subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Senator Jim Webb, have travelled to Burma since Obama took office.
Campbell, who met Suu Kyi most recently last month, said that the forthcoming election would be unfair and that the international community should reject the results. He also revealed early this year that secret deals between the Burmese junta and North Korea had violated UN Resolution 1874, which bans North Korean overseas military shipments.
Webb, who met junta leader Senior General Than Shwe last August, has criticised US sanctions on Burma, claiming in his book A Time to Fight: Reclaiming a Fair and Just America that more US engagement with the Burmese regime could have prevented the September 2007 bloody crackdown against protesting monks and citizens. When Webb abruptly cancelled his trip to Burma early this month he cited allegations that the regime was co-operating with North Korea to develop a nuclear programme. He still maintains that Burma’s national election, which he predicts will happen in October, is the best way forward for Burma and therefore the international community should support the polls.
Shortly after Webb met Than Shwe, officials from the US State Department were allowed to escort jailed American tourist John Yettaw back to the US. Yettaw, whose family described him as mentally unwell, twice took it upon himself to twice swim across Inya Lake to visit the world’s most famous political prisoner. Following his second amphibious landing at the Nobel Peace Prize winner’s family home, Suu Kyi was arrested and jailed for “violating” the terms of her house arrest. Had Yettaw not intervened, Suu Kyi’s sentence of house arrest would have expired in two weeks. After an international outcry, the widowed opposition leader was released from prison and taken home to serve her sentence of 18 months under house arrest.
*****************************************************
DVB News - PM’s party enticing Muslims
By AYE NAI
Published: 24 June 2010
Burma’s minority Muslim population will be issued with identification cards and allowed to freely travel the country if they make the right vote in elections, the party headed by Burma’s prime minster has reportedly said.
The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) has been campaigning in the country’s western Arakan state and appears to be targeting Muslims for votes. One man in Sandwoy town said that local authorities were urging them to join the party.
“It is likely that [the USDP] has no chance in recruiting Buddhist residents after the [September 2007] monk-led protests so they are now targeting Muslims, promising them ID cards and travel permission,” he told DVB.
Muslims are widely persecuted by the Buddhist ruling junta in Burma; the ethnic Rohingya minority in particular is denied any sort of legal status and thousands have now fled to Bangladesh. The government claims that four percent of Burmese are practising Muslims, but the US state department claims the figure could be as high as 30 percent.
He said that Muslims tired of the restrictions placed on them by the government “very much agreed to join the party”. A USDP leader and former government transport minister, Thein Swe, arrived in Sandwoy earlier this month and “summoned Muslim leaders [to talk about] the ID cards and the travel permission”.
“He assured these things will be OK because [Burmese junta chief] Than Shwe has also given his approval. He said a minister-level discussion was underway and told [Muslims] to wait one or two months and the travel issues will be OK.”
But a number of Buddhists in the town have reportedly spoken of their disappointment at the number of Muslims joining the party, which is widely tipped to win the elections later this year. The Sandwoy man said that the issue could trigger tension between the two religious groups.
“Burma has a majority Buddhist populaton but even [Buddhists] are being oppressed so it will be impossible for Muslims to get more privileges than [Buddhists],” he said.
Earlier this week the USDP was asked by an election candidate to ensure it had severed ties with the ruling junta prior to the polls. Phyo Min Thein, head of the Union Democratic Party (UDP), said the lines between the USDP and the government were blurred.
Other hopefuls for Burma’s first elections in two decades have complained that preferential treatment given to the USDP has hindered the chances of other parties running for office. The USDP’s social wing, the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA), allegedly began canvassing voters some weeks ago, while reports of coercion of civilians by the USDA have already surfaced.
By AYE NAI
Published: 24 June 2010
Burma’s minority Muslim population will be issued with identification cards and allowed to freely travel the country if they make the right vote in elections, the party headed by Burma’s prime minster has reportedly said.
The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) has been campaigning in the country’s western Arakan state and appears to be targeting Muslims for votes. One man in Sandwoy town said that local authorities were urging them to join the party.
“It is likely that [the USDP] has no chance in recruiting Buddhist residents after the [September 2007] monk-led protests so they are now targeting Muslims, promising them ID cards and travel permission,” he told DVB.
Muslims are widely persecuted by the Buddhist ruling junta in Burma; the ethnic Rohingya minority in particular is denied any sort of legal status and thousands have now fled to Bangladesh. The government claims that four percent of Burmese are practising Muslims, but the US state department claims the figure could be as high as 30 percent.
He said that Muslims tired of the restrictions placed on them by the government “very much agreed to join the party”. A USDP leader and former government transport minister, Thein Swe, arrived in Sandwoy earlier this month and “summoned Muslim leaders [to talk about] the ID cards and the travel permission”.
“He assured these things will be OK because [Burmese junta chief] Than Shwe has also given his approval. He said a minister-level discussion was underway and told [Muslims] to wait one or two months and the travel issues will be OK.”
But a number of Buddhists in the town have reportedly spoken of their disappointment at the number of Muslims joining the party, which is widely tipped to win the elections later this year. The Sandwoy man said that the issue could trigger tension between the two religious groups.
“Burma has a majority Buddhist populaton but even [Buddhists] are being oppressed so it will be impossible for Muslims to get more privileges than [Buddhists],” he said.
Earlier this week the USDP was asked by an election candidate to ensure it had severed ties with the ruling junta prior to the polls. Phyo Min Thein, head of the Union Democratic Party (UDP), said the lines between the USDP and the government were blurred.
Other hopefuls for Burma’s first elections in two decades have complained that preferential treatment given to the USDP has hindered the chances of other parties running for office. The USDP’s social wing, the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA), allegedly began canvassing voters some weeks ago, while reports of coercion of civilians by the USDA have already surfaced.
*****************************************************
DVB News - N Korea missiles at Burma base
Published: 24 June 2010
Work has been completed on a new radar and missile base in northern Burma as army trucks reportedly travel the length of the country to deliver stockpiles of weaponry.
An army source close to the Northern Regional Military Command told DVB that missile launchers, including North Korean-made 122mm Multiple Launch Rocket Systems vehicles, have been moved into place at the Moe Hnyin base in Kachin state.
The base is operated by Rocket Battalion 603, and lies around 80 miles southwest of the Kachin state capital, Myitkyina, and equidistant between the Chinese and Indian border. Munitions, including trucks mounted with radar systems known as Fire Control Vehicles, were reportedly delivered from Rangoon over the course several month’s prior to the opening of the base in May.
Another radar base known as Duwun (Pole Star) has been opened on a hill close to Moe Hnyin. Two Russian technicians arrived at the base in early May via Myitkyina for a final installation and inspection of the equipment, the source said.
It is the fourth such base to be opened in Burma this year; two others are operational in Shan state’s Nawnghkio and Kengtung districts, while one was recently opened close to Mandalay division’s Kyaukpadaung town.
The reports will likely stoke suspicions about the contents of a cargo delivered by a North Korean ship, the Chong Gen, in April this year. Two months later, DVB released the findings of an investigation that had unearthered evidence of high-level military cooperation between the two pariahs, but this is the first time that North Korean weaponry has been sighted in Burma.
“When it [the Chong Gen] docked at Thilawa port [near Rangoon], electricity around the whole area was cut. It was dark and there was tight security when they offloaded the material,” said Burma and North Korean expert, Bertil Lintner.
“What I heard was that there was definitely a radar system in the cargo – whether there were missiles too I don’t know, but it’s quite possible.” Leaked photographs taken of a visit to North Korea by the Burmese junta’s third-in-command, Shwe Mann, showed that he had visited a missile factory and air defence radar base.
Lintner said also that two weeks ago reports emerged that a group of North Koreans crossed into Burma from China “disguised as Chinese tourists travelling in a tour bus. There were about 30 or 40 of them and they went straight to a kind of missile development centre west of Mandalay”.
The location of the Moe Hnyin is also odd, Lintner said, because it’s “not near any border. It’s in the middle of the northern tip of Burma so maybe they don’t want to offend the Indians or the Chinese”.
Despite the junta’s myopic focus on its military, Burma faces no external threat, adding weight to claims that the army’s expansion has been done with the country’s various armed opposition groups in mind. The alleged development of a nuclear programme, however, appears to confuse this focus.
“Although the military is pointing to ‘external threats’, they also intend to threaten the ethnic minority groups with the weapons,” said Aung Kyaw Zaw, a military analyst on the China-Burma border. “The Burmese army wants people to be scared just upon catching sight of the missiles.”
Published: 24 June 2010
Work has been completed on a new radar and missile base in northern Burma as army trucks reportedly travel the length of the country to deliver stockpiles of weaponry.
An army source close to the Northern Regional Military Command told DVB that missile launchers, including North Korean-made 122mm Multiple Launch Rocket Systems vehicles, have been moved into place at the Moe Hnyin base in Kachin state.
The base is operated by Rocket Battalion 603, and lies around 80 miles southwest of the Kachin state capital, Myitkyina, and equidistant between the Chinese and Indian border. Munitions, including trucks mounted with radar systems known as Fire Control Vehicles, were reportedly delivered from Rangoon over the course several month’s prior to the opening of the base in May.
Another radar base known as Duwun (Pole Star) has been opened on a hill close to Moe Hnyin. Two Russian technicians arrived at the base in early May via Myitkyina for a final installation and inspection of the equipment, the source said.
It is the fourth such base to be opened in Burma this year; two others are operational in Shan state’s Nawnghkio and Kengtung districts, while one was recently opened close to Mandalay division’s Kyaukpadaung town.
The reports will likely stoke suspicions about the contents of a cargo delivered by a North Korean ship, the Chong Gen, in April this year. Two months later, DVB released the findings of an investigation that had unearthered evidence of high-level military cooperation between the two pariahs, but this is the first time that North Korean weaponry has been sighted in Burma.
“When it [the Chong Gen] docked at Thilawa port [near Rangoon], electricity around the whole area was cut. It was dark and there was tight security when they offloaded the material,” said Burma and North Korean expert, Bertil Lintner.
“What I heard was that there was definitely a radar system in the cargo – whether there were missiles too I don’t know, but it’s quite possible.” Leaked photographs taken of a visit to North Korea by the Burmese junta’s third-in-command, Shwe Mann, showed that he had visited a missile factory and air defence radar base.
Lintner said also that two weeks ago reports emerged that a group of North Koreans crossed into Burma from China “disguised as Chinese tourists travelling in a tour bus. There were about 30 or 40 of them and they went straight to a kind of missile development centre west of Mandalay”.
The location of the Moe Hnyin is also odd, Lintner said, because it’s “not near any border. It’s in the middle of the northern tip of Burma so maybe they don’t want to offend the Indians or the Chinese”.
Despite the junta’s myopic focus on its military, Burma faces no external threat, adding weight to claims that the army’s expansion has been done with the country’s various armed opposition groups in mind. The alleged development of a nuclear programme, however, appears to confuse this focus.
“Although the military is pointing to ‘external threats’, they also intend to threaten the ethnic minority groups with the weapons,” said Aung Kyaw Zaw, a military analyst on the China-Burma border. “The Burmese army wants people to be scared just upon catching sight of the missiles.”
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