US skeptical on Myanmar elections
Mon Jan 4, 9:40 pm ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) – The United States has voiced doubts on whether Myanmar's upcoming elections would be credible and urged the military regime to engage the opposition and ethnic minorities.
Myanmar's leader Senior General Than Shwe, in a message read out Monday for the nation's 62nd independence anniversary, urged people to make "correct choices" in the elections which the junta wants to hold sometime in 2010.
State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said the United States was taking a "measured appoach" to elections until it could assess the conditions, including whether the opposition and ethnic groups will participate.
"So far we have not seen any meaningful steps by the regime to indicate it is putting in place measures that would lead to credible elections," Kelly said.
"Much of the opposition's leadership remains in prison, there is no space for political dissent or debate and no freedom of press," Kelly said.
Kelly called for Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, to engage opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and ethnic leaders "in a comprehensive dialogue on democratic reform."
"This would be a first step towards inclusive elections," he said.
The election would be the first since 1990. Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won the last election by a landslide but was never permitted to take office.
Instead, Aung San Suu Kyi has spent most of the past two decades under house arrest despite appeals for her release and her winning of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize.
President Barack Obama's administration has switched gears on Myanmar, opening up a dialogue to improve relations with a state that has long been treated as a pariah by the United States.
Myanmar's opposition leaders say the elections will be a sham to legitimize military rule and some have voiced fear that the junta sees the dialogue with the United States as a way to bide time before the vote.
Senator Jim Webb, the leading US advocate of engagement of engagement with Myanmar, said he was "pleased" by Than Shwe's indication that elections would take place this year.
"I have expressed my view to the Burmese leadership that the United Nations or other international organizations could provide valuable election assistance, and thus enhance the integrity of the process," said Webb, who held a rare meeting with the reclusive Than Shwe in 2009.
"I stand ready to help in all appropriate ways as we work toward the day when the Burmese people can fully rejoin the world community," Webb said.
Mon Jan 4, 9:40 pm ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) – The United States has voiced doubts on whether Myanmar's upcoming elections would be credible and urged the military regime to engage the opposition and ethnic minorities.
Myanmar's leader Senior General Than Shwe, in a message read out Monday for the nation's 62nd independence anniversary, urged people to make "correct choices" in the elections which the junta wants to hold sometime in 2010.
State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said the United States was taking a "measured appoach" to elections until it could assess the conditions, including whether the opposition and ethnic groups will participate.
"So far we have not seen any meaningful steps by the regime to indicate it is putting in place measures that would lead to credible elections," Kelly said.
"Much of the opposition's leadership remains in prison, there is no space for political dissent or debate and no freedom of press," Kelly said.
Kelly called for Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, to engage opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and ethnic leaders "in a comprehensive dialogue on democratic reform."
"This would be a first step towards inclusive elections," he said.
The election would be the first since 1990. Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won the last election by a landslide but was never permitted to take office.
Instead, Aung San Suu Kyi has spent most of the past two decades under house arrest despite appeals for her release and her winning of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize.
President Barack Obama's administration has switched gears on Myanmar, opening up a dialogue to improve relations with a state that has long been treated as a pariah by the United States.
Myanmar's opposition leaders say the elections will be a sham to legitimize military rule and some have voiced fear that the junta sees the dialogue with the United States as a way to bide time before the vote.
Senator Jim Webb, the leading US advocate of engagement of engagement with Myanmar, said he was "pleased" by Than Shwe's indication that elections would take place this year.
"I have expressed my view to the Burmese leadership that the United Nations or other international organizations could provide valuable election assistance, and thus enhance the integrity of the process," said Webb, who held a rare meeting with the reclusive Than Shwe in 2009.
"I stand ready to help in all appropriate ways as we work toward the day when the Burmese people can fully rejoin the world community," Webb said.
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Assam Rifles pin hopes on Myanmar elections
STAFF WRITER 16:12 HRS IST
Shillong, Jan 5 (PTI) The upcoming general election in Myanmar, the first in two decades, has made the Assam Rifles optimistic that the new government there will mount pressure on Northeast insurgents hiding in that country.
"We share a deep understanding with the Myanmar army. I am sure whichever government comes to power, the understanding will continue," Assam Rifles Director-General Lt Gen K S Yadava told reporters here.
Assam Rifles, the oldest paramilitary force of India, is responsible for guarding the Indo-Myanmar border besides holding counter-insurgency operations in the Northeast.
Many Northeast insurgent groups still have their camps and training centres across the 1,631 km-long border that runs along the frontier states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram.
Smuggling of arms and ammunition across the border is also rampant.
STAFF WRITER 16:12 HRS IST
Shillong, Jan 5 (PTI) The upcoming general election in Myanmar, the first in two decades, has made the Assam Rifles optimistic that the new government there will mount pressure on Northeast insurgents hiding in that country.
"We share a deep understanding with the Myanmar army. I am sure whichever government comes to power, the understanding will continue," Assam Rifles Director-General Lt Gen K S Yadava told reporters here.
Assam Rifles, the oldest paramilitary force of India, is responsible for guarding the Indo-Myanmar border besides holding counter-insurgency operations in the Northeast.
Many Northeast insurgent groups still have their camps and training centres across the 1,631 km-long border that runs along the frontier states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram.
Smuggling of arms and ammunition across the border is also rampant.
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Myanmar encourages private companies to implement hydropower projects
www.chinaview.cn 2010-01-05 11:11:34
YANGON, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar is encouraging private companies to invest in hydropower projects to share the government's efforts in fulfilling the country's growing electric power demand.
Recently, the Myanmar authorities granted one more company to implement hydropower projects under a build, operate and transfer (BOT) system, according to the Ministry of Electric Power-1 Tuesday.
Under a memorandum of understanding reached last week between the ministry and the Htoo Trading Company, the private company will implement two hydropower projects of Upper Hsedawgyi and Thaka for the first time.
In November last year, two other local private companies - the Future Power Company and the Min Anawyahtar Company Group had also been granted to implement Sai Din and Upper Beluchaung hydropower projects under the same system.
Meanwhile, in May last year, Myanmar added a 600-megawatt (mw) hydropower station, the Shweli-1, in the northern part of Shan state. Located at Manthet Village, 27.2 kilometers southwest of Namkham, the Shweli-1 can produce 4.022 billion kilowatt-hour (kwh)yearly.
Another 600 million-USD power plant, Yeywa, which is bigger than Shweli-1 with a designed generating capacity of 790 mw and lying on the Myitnge River, 50 kilometers southeast of Mandalay, will produce 3.55 billion kilowatt-hours (kwh) annually on completion and its generating capacity represents 70 percent of about 5 billion kwh being generated by 15 power plants.
The authorities predict that electric power demand will be fulfilled in Myanmar when some ongoing hydropower projects are completed over the next five years to add a total of 3,478 megawatts (mw) more to the country's generating capacity.
Of the ongoing 16 hydropower plant projects, four will emerge this year, five in 2011, three in 2012 and four in 2015 when electricity is expected to be in surplus.
The four emerging hydropower plants during this year are known as 75-mw Shwegyin in Bago division, 790-mw Yeywa in Mandalay division, 10-mw An in Rakhine state and 74-mw Kyeeohn Kyeewa in Magway division.
The others to be followed suit mainly include 140-mw Upper Paunglaung in Mandalay division, 240-mw Tapein-1 in Kachin state, 120-mw Thaukyaykhat-2 in Bago division, 1,200-mw Htamanthi and 380-mw Manipu in Sagaing division.
Meanwhile, 27 planned hydropower plants to be implemented in the future are expected to add 30,661 mw more to the generating capacity.
At present, 856 mw of electricity is being produced and distributed in average and alternately to the public from the national power grid in order to keep balance between supply and demand against the demand of the whole country which stands over 1,555 mw, according to the ministry.
Of the 1,555 mw, Yangon consumes 666.78 mw, while Mandalay 141.64 mw and other states and divisions 746.83 mw.
The rapid development of Myanmar such as the establishment of new towns and industrial zones by the government, housing projects and use of electric-powered household goods by the people had increased the demand for power supply.
Hydropower plants, added over the past two decades, include Hsedawgyi, Biluchaung-1, Zawgyi-1,Zawgyi-2, Zaungtu, Thaphanseik, Paunglaung, Mone, Pathi, Yenwe, Khabaung and Kengtawng while thoseunder implementation mainly comprise Yeywa, upper Paunglaung, Nacho, Shwegyin, Htamanthi, Pyuchaung, Kunchaung and Thahtaychaung,lying respectively in Mandalay, Magway and Bago divisions and Rakhine state as well as Chindwin river valley.
Furthermore, feasibility studies are being conducted to implement such large projects as Thanlwin, Ayeyawaddy Myitsone andTarhsan.
Among the seven Maykha-Malikha valley projects of the confluence of the Ayeyawaddy River, the 4,100-mw Myitsone project and the 2,800-mw Chibwe project commenced in December 2009 and these projects are expected to be completed by 2016.
While the government is implementing new hydropower projects, the Ministry of Energy is building 24-inch wide 287-kilometer pipeline offshore and onshore from the Yadana natural gas platform to Yangon at a cost of 270 million U.S. dollars for supplying enough natural gas to gas-fired power plants.
The pipeline installation are expected to be completed this year to produce more electricity for Yangon.
www.chinaview.cn 2010-01-05 11:11:34
YANGON, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar is encouraging private companies to invest in hydropower projects to share the government's efforts in fulfilling the country's growing electric power demand.
Recently, the Myanmar authorities granted one more company to implement hydropower projects under a build, operate and transfer (BOT) system, according to the Ministry of Electric Power-1 Tuesday.
Under a memorandum of understanding reached last week between the ministry and the Htoo Trading Company, the private company will implement two hydropower projects of Upper Hsedawgyi and Thaka for the first time.
In November last year, two other local private companies - the Future Power Company and the Min Anawyahtar Company Group had also been granted to implement Sai Din and Upper Beluchaung hydropower projects under the same system.
Meanwhile, in May last year, Myanmar added a 600-megawatt (mw) hydropower station, the Shweli-1, in the northern part of Shan state. Located at Manthet Village, 27.2 kilometers southwest of Namkham, the Shweli-1 can produce 4.022 billion kilowatt-hour (kwh)yearly.
Another 600 million-USD power plant, Yeywa, which is bigger than Shweli-1 with a designed generating capacity of 790 mw and lying on the Myitnge River, 50 kilometers southeast of Mandalay, will produce 3.55 billion kilowatt-hours (kwh) annually on completion and its generating capacity represents 70 percent of about 5 billion kwh being generated by 15 power plants.
The authorities predict that electric power demand will be fulfilled in Myanmar when some ongoing hydropower projects are completed over the next five years to add a total of 3,478 megawatts (mw) more to the country's generating capacity.
Of the ongoing 16 hydropower plant projects, four will emerge this year, five in 2011, three in 2012 and four in 2015 when electricity is expected to be in surplus.
The four emerging hydropower plants during this year are known as 75-mw Shwegyin in Bago division, 790-mw Yeywa in Mandalay division, 10-mw An in Rakhine state and 74-mw Kyeeohn Kyeewa in Magway division.
The others to be followed suit mainly include 140-mw Upper Paunglaung in Mandalay division, 240-mw Tapein-1 in Kachin state, 120-mw Thaukyaykhat-2 in Bago division, 1,200-mw Htamanthi and 380-mw Manipu in Sagaing division.
Meanwhile, 27 planned hydropower plants to be implemented in the future are expected to add 30,661 mw more to the generating capacity.
At present, 856 mw of electricity is being produced and distributed in average and alternately to the public from the national power grid in order to keep balance between supply and demand against the demand of the whole country which stands over 1,555 mw, according to the ministry.
Of the 1,555 mw, Yangon consumes 666.78 mw, while Mandalay 141.64 mw and other states and divisions 746.83 mw.
The rapid development of Myanmar such as the establishment of new towns and industrial zones by the government, housing projects and use of electric-powered household goods by the people had increased the demand for power supply.
Hydropower plants, added over the past two decades, include Hsedawgyi, Biluchaung-1, Zawgyi-1,Zawgyi-2, Zaungtu, Thaphanseik, Paunglaung, Mone, Pathi, Yenwe, Khabaung and Kengtawng while thoseunder implementation mainly comprise Yeywa, upper Paunglaung, Nacho, Shwegyin, Htamanthi, Pyuchaung, Kunchaung and Thahtaychaung,lying respectively in Mandalay, Magway and Bago divisions and Rakhine state as well as Chindwin river valley.
Furthermore, feasibility studies are being conducted to implement such large projects as Thanlwin, Ayeyawaddy Myitsone andTarhsan.
Among the seven Maykha-Malikha valley projects of the confluence of the Ayeyawaddy River, the 4,100-mw Myitsone project and the 2,800-mw Chibwe project commenced in December 2009 and these projects are expected to be completed by 2016.
While the government is implementing new hydropower projects, the Ministry of Energy is building 24-inch wide 287-kilometer pipeline offshore and onshore from the Yadana natural gas platform to Yangon at a cost of 270 million U.S. dollars for supplying enough natural gas to gas-fired power plants.
The pipeline installation are expected to be completed this year to produce more electricity for Yangon.
***********************************************************
Asahi Shimbun - Burmese in Japan shoot film to fight for democracy
BY ERIKA TOH, THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
2010/1/5
With hopes of encouraging their compatriots in their struggle for democracy, a group of Burmese living in Japan is making a film denouncing the military junta that controls Myanmar (Burma).
They hope to distribute DVDs of the film in Myanmar prior to general elections slated for this year.
The production is led by Htay Thit, who was involved in filmmaking in Myanmar as an actor, set decorator and makeup artist.
The 52-year-old is director of "Kanashii Irawaji" (Sorrows of the Irrawaddy river), which portrays a sister and her brother who lose their parents in floods that lashed the Irrawaddy delta in May 2008.
When a cyclone pounded southern Myanmar and inundated the delta, the military government initially refused to accept offers of international humanitarian assistance.
The delay in aid operations is believed to have greatly added to the number of casualties.
The 90-minute film blames the government for the people's plight, depicting the suffering of the two children and the tragic fate awaiting the boy, who is forcibly taken by the military to serve as a soldier. Htay Thit wrote the script.
Back in the 1980s, Htay Thit developed a distrust of the military when he took part in the production of a movie commissioned by the junta.
While working on a scene in which a military officer was helping villagers, he heard an elderly local man mutter, "It's a lie."
After the pro-democracy movement was crushed by the army in 1988, Htay Thit was called on to join the production of a film depicting anti-government protesters as villains.
Unable to bear life under the junta, he fled to Japan in 1991. It was only in 2008 that he was granted a special permit to reside in Japan.
Following the 2007 crackdown on anti-government demonstrations led by monks and ordinary citizens, Htay Thit produced his first DVD in Japan. It combined short stories with footage of news reports.
The Irrawaddy film is his second. About 80 Japan-based Burmese answered his call for assistance and joined the production.
None of the "actors" had previous experience in movie production, but one of his assistants had been involved in film editing in Myanmar.
The group started shooting in May, mostly on weekends.
In the fall, they shot some scenes on the bank of the Edogawa river in Nagareyama, Chiba Prefecture, where trees grow thickly along the flow of the muddy water.
In one scene, a man dressed in a traditional Burmese longyi sarong asks an officer in a military uniform about relief supplies. The officer bluntly replies, "I've arranged it."
Htay Thit watched as the actors delivered their lines, while his assistants carried microphones and reflector boards around them.
The director said he chose the location after he traveled past the river and felt "the landscape was just like my motherland's."
The production has been strongly supported by the resident Burmese community in Japan.
Some 10,000 Burmese live in Japan. The number is far smaller than in Thailand, which has refugee camps, or in the United States, Australia and European nations that actively accept refugees.
But when a rally calling for democracy in their motherland is held in Tokyo, it can attract up to 1,000 people, compared with 100 to 300 in the United States and elsewhere.
Maung Maung, general secretary of the National Council of the Union of Burma (NCUB), said the Burmese democracy movement in Japan was "much stronger than (in) other countries." Based in Thailand, the NCUB is working for democracy in Myanmar.
Some observers say, however, that it is an ironic reflection of the fact that the number of refugees recognized in Japan is far smaller than in other countries.
In Japan, only several dozen people obtain official recognition as refugees each year.
The difficulty has prompted those desperately wanting refugee status to come out in the open and engage in pro-democracy activities to show they are seeking asylum for political reasons, which pushes the number of rally participants up, they say.
Members of Htay Thit's group believe the film has the power to encourage their fellow citizens.
"To change our country, those of us who are outside must take action," one actor said.
The film will be screened in Tokyo this year with Japanese subtitles. It will also be broadcast on the Internet by the Democratic Voice of Burma, a multimedia organization based in Oslo.
Despite the authorities' tight control, the group hopes to smuggle DVDs of the film into Myanmar so that ordinary Burmese have an opportunity to see it.
"There must be people in the military who regret the current situation," Htay Thit says. "I hope they will see it, too."
BY ERIKA TOH, THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
2010/1/5
With hopes of encouraging their compatriots in their struggle for democracy, a group of Burmese living in Japan is making a film denouncing the military junta that controls Myanmar (Burma).
They hope to distribute DVDs of the film in Myanmar prior to general elections slated for this year.
The production is led by Htay Thit, who was involved in filmmaking in Myanmar as an actor, set decorator and makeup artist.
The 52-year-old is director of "Kanashii Irawaji" (Sorrows of the Irrawaddy river), which portrays a sister and her brother who lose their parents in floods that lashed the Irrawaddy delta in May 2008.
When a cyclone pounded southern Myanmar and inundated the delta, the military government initially refused to accept offers of international humanitarian assistance.
The delay in aid operations is believed to have greatly added to the number of casualties.
The 90-minute film blames the government for the people's plight, depicting the suffering of the two children and the tragic fate awaiting the boy, who is forcibly taken by the military to serve as a soldier. Htay Thit wrote the script.
Back in the 1980s, Htay Thit developed a distrust of the military when he took part in the production of a movie commissioned by the junta.
While working on a scene in which a military officer was helping villagers, he heard an elderly local man mutter, "It's a lie."
After the pro-democracy movement was crushed by the army in 1988, Htay Thit was called on to join the production of a film depicting anti-government protesters as villains.
Unable to bear life under the junta, he fled to Japan in 1991. It was only in 2008 that he was granted a special permit to reside in Japan.
Following the 2007 crackdown on anti-government demonstrations led by monks and ordinary citizens, Htay Thit produced his first DVD in Japan. It combined short stories with footage of news reports.
The Irrawaddy film is his second. About 80 Japan-based Burmese answered his call for assistance and joined the production.
None of the "actors" had previous experience in movie production, but one of his assistants had been involved in film editing in Myanmar.
The group started shooting in May, mostly on weekends.
In the fall, they shot some scenes on the bank of the Edogawa river in Nagareyama, Chiba Prefecture, where trees grow thickly along the flow of the muddy water.
In one scene, a man dressed in a traditional Burmese longyi sarong asks an officer in a military uniform about relief supplies. The officer bluntly replies, "I've arranged it."
Htay Thit watched as the actors delivered their lines, while his assistants carried microphones and reflector boards around them.
The director said he chose the location after he traveled past the river and felt "the landscape was just like my motherland's."
The production has been strongly supported by the resident Burmese community in Japan.
Some 10,000 Burmese live in Japan. The number is far smaller than in Thailand, which has refugee camps, or in the United States, Australia and European nations that actively accept refugees.
But when a rally calling for democracy in their motherland is held in Tokyo, it can attract up to 1,000 people, compared with 100 to 300 in the United States and elsewhere.
Maung Maung, general secretary of the National Council of the Union of Burma (NCUB), said the Burmese democracy movement in Japan was "much stronger than (in) other countries." Based in Thailand, the NCUB is working for democracy in Myanmar.
Some observers say, however, that it is an ironic reflection of the fact that the number of refugees recognized in Japan is far smaller than in other countries.
In Japan, only several dozen people obtain official recognition as refugees each year.
The difficulty has prompted those desperately wanting refugee status to come out in the open and engage in pro-democracy activities to show they are seeking asylum for political reasons, which pushes the number of rally participants up, they say.
Members of Htay Thit's group believe the film has the power to encourage their fellow citizens.
"To change our country, those of us who are outside must take action," one actor said.
The film will be screened in Tokyo this year with Japanese subtitles. It will also be broadcast on the Internet by the Democratic Voice of Burma, a multimedia organization based in Oslo.
Despite the authorities' tight control, the group hopes to smuggle DVDs of the film into Myanmar so that ordinary Burmese have an opportunity to see it.
"There must be people in the military who regret the current situation," Htay Thit says. "I hope they will see it, too."
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VOA News - Burmese-American Makes Court Appearance
Burmese-born pro-democracy activist Kyaw Zaw Lwin was charged last week by a Burmese court with forgery and currency violations.
05 January 2010
U.S. Embassy officials say a detained Burmese-American has made another court appearance in Burma's main city, Rangoon.
A statement from the U.S. Embassy in Rangoon says Burmese-born pro-democracy activist Kyaw Zaw Lwin, also known as Nyi Nyi Aung, appeared in court Tuesday. The statement says a consular officer from the U.S. Embassy attended the hearing.
Lwin was arrested in September on his arrival in Burma. Last week a court charged him with forgery and currency violations.
U.S. Embassy officials have visited Lwin in jail, and attended his court appearances. The U.S. has called on Burma to follow international standards of due process in the case.
His next court appearance is scheduled for Friday.
Lwin settled in the United States after fleeing Burma in the late 1980s.
A letter signed by 53 U.S. lawmakers calling for Lwin's immediate release was sent to the Burmese government last month. The letter says the activist is being held for his pro-democracy activities, and that his detention raises doubts about efforts to improve relations between the U.S. and Burma's military-led government.
The human rights group Freedom Now says Lwin has been tortured since his arrest. Last month Lwin launched a hunger strike to protest his treatment.
Embassy officials say he has since ended his hunger strike and is now receiving regular medical attention.
Burmese-born pro-democracy activist Kyaw Zaw Lwin was charged last week by a Burmese court with forgery and currency violations.
05 January 2010
U.S. Embassy officials say a detained Burmese-American has made another court appearance in Burma's main city, Rangoon.
A statement from the U.S. Embassy in Rangoon says Burmese-born pro-democracy activist Kyaw Zaw Lwin, also known as Nyi Nyi Aung, appeared in court Tuesday. The statement says a consular officer from the U.S. Embassy attended the hearing.
Lwin was arrested in September on his arrival in Burma. Last week a court charged him with forgery and currency violations.
U.S. Embassy officials have visited Lwin in jail, and attended his court appearances. The U.S. has called on Burma to follow international standards of due process in the case.
His next court appearance is scheduled for Friday.
Lwin settled in the United States after fleeing Burma in the late 1980s.
A letter signed by 53 U.S. lawmakers calling for Lwin's immediate release was sent to the Burmese government last month. The letter says the activist is being held for his pro-democracy activities, and that his detention raises doubts about efforts to improve relations between the U.S. and Burma's military-led government.
The human rights group Freedom Now says Lwin has been tortured since his arrest. Last month Lwin launched a hunger strike to protest his treatment.
Embassy officials say he has since ended his hunger strike and is now receiving regular medical attention.
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The Sydney Morning Herald
Sanctions warning over radio sales
HAMISH MCDONALD
January 6, 2010
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT sanctions against Burma ban the export of sophisticated Australian radio sets reported to be in use by the Burmese army, officials said.
The company involved, Barrett Communications of Perth, said that none of its advanced 2050 mobile transceivers included a frequency-hopping option that would allow the Burmese to avoid eavesdropping by foreign agencies.
The company said transceivers could be exported with the frequency-hopping feature only with a Department of Defence licence.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it understood no radios supplied by Barrett to Burma had frequency-hopping or encryption options, which would be included in Australia's ban on export of military goods to the army-ruled nation.
But an Australian National University intelligence expert, Desmond Ball, stood by his claim that Barrett 2050 radios had recently been deployed at high-level Burmese Army commands and they had both encryption and frequency-hopping functions.
''I have been present when communications using Barrett 2050 transmitters have been received and can assure you they are being used in both encrypted and frequency-hopping modes,'' he said. It was possible the sets had been sold by an intermediary, or modified after sale.
Barrett has been supplying the simple version of its 2050 radio sets to Burma for civilian communication for some years, and is preparing to supply 50 more, which will have modems for data transmission.
Sanctions warning over radio sales
HAMISH MCDONALD
January 6, 2010
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT sanctions against Burma ban the export of sophisticated Australian radio sets reported to be in use by the Burmese army, officials said.
The company involved, Barrett Communications of Perth, said that none of its advanced 2050 mobile transceivers included a frequency-hopping option that would allow the Burmese to avoid eavesdropping by foreign agencies.
The company said transceivers could be exported with the frequency-hopping feature only with a Department of Defence licence.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it understood no radios supplied by Barrett to Burma had frequency-hopping or encryption options, which would be included in Australia's ban on export of military goods to the army-ruled nation.
But an Australian National University intelligence expert, Desmond Ball, stood by his claim that Barrett 2050 radios had recently been deployed at high-level Burmese Army commands and they had both encryption and frequency-hopping functions.
''I have been present when communications using Barrett 2050 transmitters have been received and can assure you they are being used in both encrypted and frequency-hopping modes,'' he said. It was possible the sets had been sold by an intermediary, or modified after sale.
Barrett has been supplying the simple version of its 2050 radio sets to Burma for civilian communication for some years, and is preparing to supply 50 more, which will have modems for data transmission.
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ReliefWeb- In Thailand, Bringing Justice to Burmese Refugees
Source: International Rescue Committee (IRC)
Date: 04 Jan 2010
For a long time, Saymeh* lived in terror. Every evening, her husband would come home to their thatched stilt house in a camp for Burmese refugees in western Thailand, drunk and angry. The beatings and rapes that ensued would sometimes last for hours.
"Eventually I divorced him, but he would come to my house and abuse me anyway," Saymeh says, looking out through her window at the jungle-clad hills surrounding the camp. "Many of my neighbors knew what was going on, but nobody helped me. Maybe they were too afraid."
The Ban Mai Nai Soi refugee camp is one of nine camps strung along the Thailand-Myanmar border that are home to an estimated 140,000 refugees. Most are members of ethnic minority groups who have fled ongoing conflict in Myanmar, also known as Burma. Over 15,000 members of the Karenni ethnic group live in Ban Mai Nai Soi, a maze of thousands of houses only a couple of kilometers from the border.
Unemployment, alcohol abuse and the stress of living in the camps for years on end with no prospect of ever returning home have contributed to the high levels of rape and domestic violence among the refugees here. While women and girls who are sexually and physically abused are cared for by refugee staff trained by the International Rescue Committee (IRC), punishment of the perpetrators is rare and usually left to camp leaders, themselves refugees, who are reluctant to address what is seen as a private family issue.
Things have changed however since the IRC began opening legal offices that for the first time enable refugees to address their grievances, including rape and domestic violence. The legal aid centers—the first ever to be to be established inside a refugee camp anywhere in the world—opened in 2007 in camps near the Thai towns of Mae Hong Son and Mae Sot. The walk-in centers are staffed by lawyers who help the camp's population take their cases to the refugee leadership or, in serious cases such as murder and rape, to the Thai courts. Through the program, the IRC has also helped the camp leadership to develop their own legal code, which sets out rules for resolving less serious crimes like theft or minor assault in the camp, as well as a system for referring serious crime to the Thai police.
Shane Scanlon, who coordinates the legal aid program for the IRC, says that the centers play a major role in informing camp residents about their legal rights and responsibilities as refugees, and are also increasingly addressing problems like domestic violence.
"In surveys of refugees we found that most did not know that the Thai law applied to them," Scanlon says. "Now this is slowly changing."
This was certainly true for Saymeh. After months of almost daily abuse, she finally sought help at an IRC- run women's shelter whose staff accompanied her to the legal center.
"I decided to see what they could do for me," she said. "I wanted justice; I wanted my ex-husband in jail."
The legal staff at the center took Saymeh's testimony and documented her many bruises and cuts. She was then taken to an IRC- supported medical clinic for treatment of her wounds. A few days later, the IRC's legal manager Wannipa Tuaton accompanied Saymeh to the police station in Mae Hong Son, the nearest town, where her complaint was registered.
"The next step was to help Saymeh and the public prosecutor prepare her case," Wannipa says. "Saymeh was very brave. Many times, women are reluctant to report these crimes because of embarrassment or fear of retaliation."
The case proved strong. After a trial that took seven months, Saymeh's ex-husband was sentenced to eight years in a Thai prison. The verdict set a powerful legal precedent that refugees in Thailand's camps not are above the law and can be tried and punished for rape and domestic violence.
"Winning a conviction in a case like this is unique in a refugee camp in Thailand," Scanlon says. "It will now be easier to file and win similar complaints."
So far, more than 1,000 refugees have been assisted by the centers in cases ranging from crimes, such as rape, murder and human trafficking, to making sure that food, housing, health care and education reach people in the camps.
To improve the chances of bringing charges in cases of domestic violence—where it is often the victim's word against that of the accused—the IRC legal and women's program has introduced a unique tool to help abused refugee women bolster their evidence: forensic photography. Fifteen women refugees working in IRC-supported medical clinics and domestic violence shelters, recently received training and cameras to document injuries sustained by women during rape or domestic abuse.
"Photographs, especially if taken soon after injuries have been sustained, can be extremely compelling evidence should a woman decide to pursue justice," says Barbara Coll, who manages the legal assistance centers in Mae Hong Son. "We have successfully used photographic evidence in a number of the cases in which we have represented clients."
For Saymeh, the conviction of her ex-husband means that she can raise her children in peace; that she doesn't have to fear the sound of her tormentor coming up the stairs to her home.
"The legal system stopped him," Saymeh says. "If it hadn't, he would have ultimately killed me. I live in peace now."
* Not her real name.
Source: International Rescue Committee (IRC)
Date: 04 Jan 2010
For a long time, Saymeh* lived in terror. Every evening, her husband would come home to their thatched stilt house in a camp for Burmese refugees in western Thailand, drunk and angry. The beatings and rapes that ensued would sometimes last for hours.
"Eventually I divorced him, but he would come to my house and abuse me anyway," Saymeh says, looking out through her window at the jungle-clad hills surrounding the camp. "Many of my neighbors knew what was going on, but nobody helped me. Maybe they were too afraid."
The Ban Mai Nai Soi refugee camp is one of nine camps strung along the Thailand-Myanmar border that are home to an estimated 140,000 refugees. Most are members of ethnic minority groups who have fled ongoing conflict in Myanmar, also known as Burma. Over 15,000 members of the Karenni ethnic group live in Ban Mai Nai Soi, a maze of thousands of houses only a couple of kilometers from the border.
Unemployment, alcohol abuse and the stress of living in the camps for years on end with no prospect of ever returning home have contributed to the high levels of rape and domestic violence among the refugees here. While women and girls who are sexually and physically abused are cared for by refugee staff trained by the International Rescue Committee (IRC), punishment of the perpetrators is rare and usually left to camp leaders, themselves refugees, who are reluctant to address what is seen as a private family issue.
Things have changed however since the IRC began opening legal offices that for the first time enable refugees to address their grievances, including rape and domestic violence. The legal aid centers—the first ever to be to be established inside a refugee camp anywhere in the world—opened in 2007 in camps near the Thai towns of Mae Hong Son and Mae Sot. The walk-in centers are staffed by lawyers who help the camp's population take their cases to the refugee leadership or, in serious cases such as murder and rape, to the Thai courts. Through the program, the IRC has also helped the camp leadership to develop their own legal code, which sets out rules for resolving less serious crimes like theft or minor assault in the camp, as well as a system for referring serious crime to the Thai police.
Shane Scanlon, who coordinates the legal aid program for the IRC, says that the centers play a major role in informing camp residents about their legal rights and responsibilities as refugees, and are also increasingly addressing problems like domestic violence.
"In surveys of refugees we found that most did not know that the Thai law applied to them," Scanlon says. "Now this is slowly changing."
This was certainly true for Saymeh. After months of almost daily abuse, she finally sought help at an IRC- run women's shelter whose staff accompanied her to the legal center.
"I decided to see what they could do for me," she said. "I wanted justice; I wanted my ex-husband in jail."
The legal staff at the center took Saymeh's testimony and documented her many bruises and cuts. She was then taken to an IRC- supported medical clinic for treatment of her wounds. A few days later, the IRC's legal manager Wannipa Tuaton accompanied Saymeh to the police station in Mae Hong Son, the nearest town, where her complaint was registered.
"The next step was to help Saymeh and the public prosecutor prepare her case," Wannipa says. "Saymeh was very brave. Many times, women are reluctant to report these crimes because of embarrassment or fear of retaliation."
The case proved strong. After a trial that took seven months, Saymeh's ex-husband was sentenced to eight years in a Thai prison. The verdict set a powerful legal precedent that refugees in Thailand's camps not are above the law and can be tried and punished for rape and domestic violence.
"Winning a conviction in a case like this is unique in a refugee camp in Thailand," Scanlon says. "It will now be easier to file and win similar complaints."
So far, more than 1,000 refugees have been assisted by the centers in cases ranging from crimes, such as rape, murder and human trafficking, to making sure that food, housing, health care and education reach people in the camps.
To improve the chances of bringing charges in cases of domestic violence—where it is often the victim's word against that of the accused—the IRC legal and women's program has introduced a unique tool to help abused refugee women bolster their evidence: forensic photography. Fifteen women refugees working in IRC-supported medical clinics and domestic violence shelters, recently received training and cameras to document injuries sustained by women during rape or domestic abuse.
"Photographs, especially if taken soon after injuries have been sustained, can be extremely compelling evidence should a woman decide to pursue justice," says Barbara Coll, who manages the legal assistance centers in Mae Hong Son. "We have successfully used photographic evidence in a number of the cases in which we have represented clients."
For Saymeh, the conviction of her ex-husband means that she can raise her children in peace; that she doesn't have to fear the sound of her tormentor coming up the stairs to her home.
"The legal system stopped him," Saymeh says. "If it hadn't, he would have ultimately killed me. I live in peace now."
* Not her real name.
***********************************************************
THE NATION - World's largest trading zone creates a new era for industries, consumers
By NOPHAKHUN LIMSAMARNPHUN
Published on January 5, 2010
Opportunities and threats abound for Thai consumers and industries alike under the Asean-China Free Trade Area (AC-FTA) agreement, which created the world's largest trading zone in terms of population when it came into effect last Friday.
Among various interest groups, Thai consumers are expected to be the main beneficiaries of the AC-FTA, whose combined population is 1.9 billion. But Thai farmers and some domestic industries will face new challenges, due to the abolition of import tariffs protecting their goods.
Over the past 17 years, Thailand and other member countries of Asean - with a combined population of about 550 million - started to gradually reduce their import duties as part of the Asean Free Trade Area, better known as Afta.
Then in 2004, China, the world's most populous nation, with 1.3 billion consumers, entered into an agreement with Asean to create the AC-FTA, with the target of reducing import duties on most goods to zero by January 1, 2010.
In the first stage, only the six original members of Asean - Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei - will enforce the zero-import-tariff mechanism. The remaining Asean members - Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Burma - will follow suit at a later stage.
For Thailand and the other original Asean members, a new era has begun. Consumers in all of them will benefit from lower prices of goods.
In principle, prices will be cheaper, due to the division of labour and specialisation among producers within the new trading zone, while there will be greater product diversity.
Kiat Sitthi-amorn, president of the Thailand Trade Representative Office, said: "Thai consumers will definitely gain from the AC-FTA, due to zero import tariffs. However, our domestic industries will face fiercer competition from imported products.
"Since 1993, industries like electronics and electrical appliances, or garments and textiles, or automobiles, have taken lots of adaptive measures [to survive this new era].
"The auto sector appears to have done the best [in terms of competitiveness], but some other import-competing industries will still be hit."
In the end, the survivors will be those with the greatest efficiency in terms of raw materials, manpower, research and development and logistics. For Thai farmers, it is time to speed up improvements in productivity and crop varieties. A case in point is garlic. A few years ago, cheaper Chinese garlic flooded the Thai market, resulting in a reduction in the acreage planted to Thai garlic.
Indigenous garlic fetches a record price, because there is less of it reaching the market, while the Chinese product has proved to be unpopular, because of its texture and taste.
While Thailand's agricultural sector remains competitive, climate and domestic subsidies in each of the Asean markets and the huge Chinese market will be the other major factors affecting farm output and prices.
Despite implementation of the AC-FTA, Thai farmers should generally fare even better this year than in 2009, due to lower farm outputs in neighbouring countries, especially rice. The Philippines and India are already planning to buy more Thai rice.
By NOPHAKHUN LIMSAMARNPHUN
Published on January 5, 2010
Opportunities and threats abound for Thai consumers and industries alike under the Asean-China Free Trade Area (AC-FTA) agreement, which created the world's largest trading zone in terms of population when it came into effect last Friday.
Among various interest groups, Thai consumers are expected to be the main beneficiaries of the AC-FTA, whose combined population is 1.9 billion. But Thai farmers and some domestic industries will face new challenges, due to the abolition of import tariffs protecting their goods.
Over the past 17 years, Thailand and other member countries of Asean - with a combined population of about 550 million - started to gradually reduce their import duties as part of the Asean Free Trade Area, better known as Afta.
Then in 2004, China, the world's most populous nation, with 1.3 billion consumers, entered into an agreement with Asean to create the AC-FTA, with the target of reducing import duties on most goods to zero by January 1, 2010.
In the first stage, only the six original members of Asean - Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei - will enforce the zero-import-tariff mechanism. The remaining Asean members - Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Burma - will follow suit at a later stage.
For Thailand and the other original Asean members, a new era has begun. Consumers in all of them will benefit from lower prices of goods.
In principle, prices will be cheaper, due to the division of labour and specialisation among producers within the new trading zone, while there will be greater product diversity.
Kiat Sitthi-amorn, president of the Thailand Trade Representative Office, said: "Thai consumers will definitely gain from the AC-FTA, due to zero import tariffs. However, our domestic industries will face fiercer competition from imported products.
"Since 1993, industries like electronics and electrical appliances, or garments and textiles, or automobiles, have taken lots of adaptive measures [to survive this new era].
"The auto sector appears to have done the best [in terms of competitiveness], but some other import-competing industries will still be hit."
In the end, the survivors will be those with the greatest efficiency in terms of raw materials, manpower, research and development and logistics. For Thai farmers, it is time to speed up improvements in productivity and crop varieties. A case in point is garlic. A few years ago, cheaper Chinese garlic flooded the Thai market, resulting in a reduction in the acreage planted to Thai garlic.
Indigenous garlic fetches a record price, because there is less of it reaching the market, while the Chinese product has proved to be unpopular, because of its texture and taste.
While Thailand's agricultural sector remains competitive, climate and domestic subsidies in each of the Asean markets and the huge Chinese market will be the other major factors affecting farm output and prices.
Despite implementation of the AC-FTA, Thai farmers should generally fare even better this year than in 2009, due to lower farm outputs in neighbouring countries, especially rice. The Philippines and India are already planning to buy more Thai rice.
***********************************************************
Another 20-year prison term for undercover reporter Hla Hla Win
Tuesday, 05 January 2010 18:21 Phanida
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – The Pakokku District court gave another 20-year prison term to an undercover female reporter, a judicial court source said.
Hla Hla Win, believed to be a video reporter for an exile based news agency currently being held in Pakokku prison, and her co-accused in the same case Myint Naing, were given additional 20 and 25 year prison sentences respectively on December 31st.
They were charged under the Electronic Act and for another political case which has yet to be made public.
Hla Hla Win and her host Myint Naing were arrested on September 11th last year on their way back from Pakokku Sasana Wapuula Yama Pali Tekkatho (Ah Nauk Tike) in Magwe Division, where Hla Hla Win interviewed local monks. The Pakokku Township court gave them a 7 year prison sentence each on October 6th under section 51 of Export Import Act for using an illegally imported motorcycle.
The lawyers in Pakokku are reluctant to represent the accused in political cases in fear of possible harassments and intimidation from police and local authorities. Furthermore unattractive lawyers’ fees for these cases are another disincentive, a Rangoon based legal consultant Aung Thein said.
Thai-based Burma Media Association (BMA) Vice-Chairman Zin Lin said that they strongly condemn the additional long prison terms given to the female reporter.
“She was arrested while she was trying to cover news and facts which should be known by the people. We strongly condemn the long prison sentences to a reporter which are framed under a false case. We object this act”, Zin Lin said.
According to BMA, a total of 14 reporters were arrested in 2009,after the 2007 September saffron revolution.
Tuesday, 05 January 2010 18:21 Phanida
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – The Pakokku District court gave another 20-year prison term to an undercover female reporter, a judicial court source said.
Hla Hla Win, believed to be a video reporter for an exile based news agency currently being held in Pakokku prison, and her co-accused in the same case Myint Naing, were given additional 20 and 25 year prison sentences respectively on December 31st.
They were charged under the Electronic Act and for another political case which has yet to be made public.
Hla Hla Win and her host Myint Naing were arrested on September 11th last year on their way back from Pakokku Sasana Wapuula Yama Pali Tekkatho (Ah Nauk Tike) in Magwe Division, where Hla Hla Win interviewed local monks. The Pakokku Township court gave them a 7 year prison sentence each on October 6th under section 51 of Export Import Act for using an illegally imported motorcycle.
The lawyers in Pakokku are reluctant to represent the accused in political cases in fear of possible harassments and intimidation from police and local authorities. Furthermore unattractive lawyers’ fees for these cases are another disincentive, a Rangoon based legal consultant Aung Thein said.
Thai-based Burma Media Association (BMA) Vice-Chairman Zin Lin said that they strongly condemn the additional long prison terms given to the female reporter.
“She was arrested while she was trying to cover news and facts which should be known by the people. We strongly condemn the long prison sentences to a reporter which are framed under a false case. We object this act”, Zin Lin said.
According to BMA, a total of 14 reporters were arrested in 2009,after the 2007 September saffron revolution.
***********************************************************
The Irrawaddy - No Indications of Restoration of Democracy: US
By LALIT K JHA / WASHINGTON
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
The US State Department said on Monday that it has not seen any move from Burma's military government to restore democracy in the country.
“So far, we have not seen any meaningful steps by the regime to indicate it is putting in place measures that would lead to credible elections,” the State Department spokesman, Ian Kelly, said in response to a question on the latest statement from the Burmese leader.
Sen-Gen Than Shwe promised that an election would be held this year in a message on the occasion of the 62nd anniversary of the country’s independence.
“Burmese authorities have said they will hold elections in 2010, but have not yet announced an election date or promulgated an election law,” Kelly said.
The Obama administration, Kelly said, will continue to take a measured approach to the 2010 elections until the US can assess the electoral conditions and determine whether opposition and ethnic groups will participate.
“Much of the opposition's leadership remains in prison, there is no space for political dissent or debate and no freedom of the press. We continue to urge the Burmese government to address these issues and to engage Aung San Suu Kyi and the democratic opposition, ethnic leaders and other stakeholders in a comprehensive dialogue on democratic reform,” Kelly said, adding that these would be first steps towards inclusive elections and a return to democracy.
Meanwhile, Sen. Jim Webb said: “As chairman of the Foreign Relations subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs, this year, I will support all appropriate efforts to ensure that the election process is credible and transparent.”
Webb, who visited Burma last year, said: “I have expressed my view to the Burmese leadership that the United Nations or other international organizations could provide valuable election assistance, and thus enhance the integrity of the process.”
Webb is the only US leader ever to have met with Than Shwe and one of only a few people to have met with both Than Shwe and Nobel Laureate Suu Kyi.
By LALIT K JHA / WASHINGTON
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
The US State Department said on Monday that it has not seen any move from Burma's military government to restore democracy in the country.
“So far, we have not seen any meaningful steps by the regime to indicate it is putting in place measures that would lead to credible elections,” the State Department spokesman, Ian Kelly, said in response to a question on the latest statement from the Burmese leader.
Sen-Gen Than Shwe promised that an election would be held this year in a message on the occasion of the 62nd anniversary of the country’s independence.
“Burmese authorities have said they will hold elections in 2010, but have not yet announced an election date or promulgated an election law,” Kelly said.
The Obama administration, Kelly said, will continue to take a measured approach to the 2010 elections until the US can assess the electoral conditions and determine whether opposition and ethnic groups will participate.
“Much of the opposition's leadership remains in prison, there is no space for political dissent or debate and no freedom of the press. We continue to urge the Burmese government to address these issues and to engage Aung San Suu Kyi and the democratic opposition, ethnic leaders and other stakeholders in a comprehensive dialogue on democratic reform,” Kelly said, adding that these would be first steps towards inclusive elections and a return to democracy.
Meanwhile, Sen. Jim Webb said: “As chairman of the Foreign Relations subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs, this year, I will support all appropriate efforts to ensure that the election process is credible and transparent.”
Webb, who visited Burma last year, said: “I have expressed my view to the Burmese leadership that the United Nations or other international organizations could provide valuable election assistance, and thus enhance the integrity of the process.”
Webb is the only US leader ever to have met with Than Shwe and one of only a few people to have met with both Than Shwe and Nobel Laureate Suu Kyi.
***********************************************************
The Irrawaddy - Tatmadaw 'Using Australian Radio Technology'
By WAI MOE - Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Burma's armed forces, the Tatmadaw, are using Australian radio technology despite a Canberra arms embargo, a Sydney-based newspaper reported on Tuesday.
At least 50 high frequency radio sets supplied by the Perth company Barrett Communications Pty Ltd are being used at the Tatmadaw headquarters in Naypyidaw, the Burmese capital, and by three regional military commands in central, eastern and north-eastern Burma, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
Barrett Communications confirmed to the newspaper that it has sold 50 radio sets to Burma, although it denied that they were being used by the Burmese military.
The company’s Web site says the 2050 HF radio set is designed for civilian use in the harshest conditions—in base, mobile and man-pack operations, offering voice security, including frequency hopping and secure calls, telephone interconnect systems as well as email and data communication systems. It's also quite advanced in countering interception and decoding.
The Sydney newspaper quoted Prof Desmond Ball, a Burma military expert at the Australian National University, as saying the Tatmadaw was using the radio sets.
“Radio stations that are monitoring Burmese HF communications began detecting extensive use of these through the course of 2009 by the military at the highest command level, from the capital, Naypyidaw, to at least three of the regional commands,” Ball told The Sydney Morning Herald.
The three regional commands are in areas of high tension because of the regime's plan to convert ethnic armed groups into border guards.
In August, the junta launched an offensive against the Kokang armed group in northeastern Burma, causing at least 37,000 refugees to flee to neighboring China.
Human rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have accused the Tatmadaw of multiple human rights violations, including rape, forced relocation, forced labor and the destruction of villages during military operations and state projects.
Australia has long enforced an embargo on the delivery of arms to Burma, and financial sanctions were added in 2007.
“Australia has a long-standing ban on defense exports to Burma,” says Canberra’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in its Web site.
According to Burma military experts, between 1948 and1988, the Tatmadaw took delivery of signal intelligence items from Japan, West Germany, Yugoslavia, the Soviet Union, the UK and the US. After the military coup in 1988, the Tatmadaw received radio equipment from China, Israel, South Africa and Singapore.
The Burma military is also reported to be receiving information technical assistance and training from India, Malaysia and Singapore.
Experts say the Tatmadaw has the capacity to intercept radio traffic of ethnic groups on the border, telecommunications in Rangoon and Mandalay as well as foreign signals intelligence.
The Tatmadaw’s signals intelligence falls within the junta's military modernization program.
“With the expansion of the Tatmadaw since 1990, the signal corps was also expanded,” Burmese military expert Maung Aung Myoe wrote in his publication “Building the Tatmadaw.”
“Now, at least, one signal battalion is under every regional command and LIDs [light infantry divisions] and MOCs [military operation commands] have signal companies,” he said.
By WAI MOE - Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Burma's armed forces, the Tatmadaw, are using Australian radio technology despite a Canberra arms embargo, a Sydney-based newspaper reported on Tuesday.
At least 50 high frequency radio sets supplied by the Perth company Barrett Communications Pty Ltd are being used at the Tatmadaw headquarters in Naypyidaw, the Burmese capital, and by three regional military commands in central, eastern and north-eastern Burma, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
Barrett Communications confirmed to the newspaper that it has sold 50 radio sets to Burma, although it denied that they were being used by the Burmese military.
The company’s Web site says the 2050 HF radio set is designed for civilian use in the harshest conditions—in base, mobile and man-pack operations, offering voice security, including frequency hopping and secure calls, telephone interconnect systems as well as email and data communication systems. It's also quite advanced in countering interception and decoding.
The Sydney newspaper quoted Prof Desmond Ball, a Burma military expert at the Australian National University, as saying the Tatmadaw was using the radio sets.
“Radio stations that are monitoring Burmese HF communications began detecting extensive use of these through the course of 2009 by the military at the highest command level, from the capital, Naypyidaw, to at least three of the regional commands,” Ball told The Sydney Morning Herald.
The three regional commands are in areas of high tension because of the regime's plan to convert ethnic armed groups into border guards.
In August, the junta launched an offensive against the Kokang armed group in northeastern Burma, causing at least 37,000 refugees to flee to neighboring China.
Human rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have accused the Tatmadaw of multiple human rights violations, including rape, forced relocation, forced labor and the destruction of villages during military operations and state projects.
Australia has long enforced an embargo on the delivery of arms to Burma, and financial sanctions were added in 2007.
“Australia has a long-standing ban on defense exports to Burma,” says Canberra’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in its Web site.
According to Burma military experts, between 1948 and1988, the Tatmadaw took delivery of signal intelligence items from Japan, West Germany, Yugoslavia, the Soviet Union, the UK and the US. After the military coup in 1988, the Tatmadaw received radio equipment from China, Israel, South Africa and Singapore.
The Burma military is also reported to be receiving information technical assistance and training from India, Malaysia and Singapore.
Experts say the Tatmadaw has the capacity to intercept radio traffic of ethnic groups on the border, telecommunications in Rangoon and Mandalay as well as foreign signals intelligence.
The Tatmadaw’s signals intelligence falls within the junta's military modernization program.
“With the expansion of the Tatmadaw since 1990, the signal corps was also expanded,” Burmese military expert Maung Aung Myoe wrote in his publication “Building the Tatmadaw.”
“Now, at least, one signal battalion is under every regional command and LIDs [light infantry divisions] and MOCs [military operation commands] have signal companies,” he said.
***********************************************************
UN chief praises ‘support’ from junta
Jan 5, 2010 (DVB)–The UN secretary general yesterday congratulated the head of Burma’s ruling junta on the country’s 62nd Independence Day anniversary and extolled the general’s “support” for UN goals.
The cajoling coincided with an announcement by Senior General Than Shwe, who has ruled Burma since 1992, that elections would take place this year, although he failed to confirm a date.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon said in a letter to the general, published in the state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper, that it was his “great pleasure” to extend his congratulations for the anniversary. Burma gained independence in 1948 after 124 years of British rule.
“It is heartening to know that the United Nations can rely on the guidance and support of Myanmar [Burma] in all its endeavours,” he said. “Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.”
Ban Ki-moon was twice denied a meeting with detained Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi during his visit to the pariah state in May, which came amidst a barrage of criticism about his “soft” approach to so-called ‘rogue’ states, such as Burma.
The letter also sought to emphasize cooperation in meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, which include the reduction of extreme poverty and reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS.
According to medical aid group, Medicins San Frontieres (MSF), Burma continues to be one of the world’s lowest spenders on healthcare, at 0.3 percent of GDP, while less 20 percent of people in urgent need of HIV/AIDS treatment receive it.
The country ranked 132 out of 177 countries in the 2007-2008 UNDP Human Development Index, with an annual per capita gross national income of only US$220. It is consistently placed low on many political, social and economic barometers.
The tone of Ban Ki-moon’s letter however corresponds to an international shift in approach to dealing with the Burmese junta, which has progressively been isolated through more than a decade of sanctions.
“Obviously diplomats couch their language in highly diplomatic terms, so he is looking to build bridges and I think it probably is the appropriate thing to be doing at this time,” said James East, regional communications advisor at World Vision, one of the signatories to the MDGs.
He added that encouragement of the junta was at present preferable to “pointing the finger”, which has to date been the policy of Burma’s strongest critics, such as the United States.
The UN said in December that it would support a review of Burma’s efforts to achieve the MDGs, whilst boosting assistance to its depleted agricultural sector, which was devastated by cyclone Nargis in May 2008.
Reporting by Francis Wade
Jan 5, 2010 (DVB)–The UN secretary general yesterday congratulated the head of Burma’s ruling junta on the country’s 62nd Independence Day anniversary and extolled the general’s “support” for UN goals.
The cajoling coincided with an announcement by Senior General Than Shwe, who has ruled Burma since 1992, that elections would take place this year, although he failed to confirm a date.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon said in a letter to the general, published in the state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper, that it was his “great pleasure” to extend his congratulations for the anniversary. Burma gained independence in 1948 after 124 years of British rule.
“It is heartening to know that the United Nations can rely on the guidance and support of Myanmar [Burma] in all its endeavours,” he said. “Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.”
Ban Ki-moon was twice denied a meeting with detained Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi during his visit to the pariah state in May, which came amidst a barrage of criticism about his “soft” approach to so-called ‘rogue’ states, such as Burma.
The letter also sought to emphasize cooperation in meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, which include the reduction of extreme poverty and reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS.
According to medical aid group, Medicins San Frontieres (MSF), Burma continues to be one of the world’s lowest spenders on healthcare, at 0.3 percent of GDP, while less 20 percent of people in urgent need of HIV/AIDS treatment receive it.
The country ranked 132 out of 177 countries in the 2007-2008 UNDP Human Development Index, with an annual per capita gross national income of only US$220. It is consistently placed low on many political, social and economic barometers.
The tone of Ban Ki-moon’s letter however corresponds to an international shift in approach to dealing with the Burmese junta, which has progressively been isolated through more than a decade of sanctions.
“Obviously diplomats couch their language in highly diplomatic terms, so he is looking to build bridges and I think it probably is the appropriate thing to be doing at this time,” said James East, regional communications advisor at World Vision, one of the signatories to the MDGs.
He added that encouragement of the junta was at present preferable to “pointing the finger”, which has to date been the policy of Burma’s strongest critics, such as the United States.
The UN said in December that it would support a review of Burma’s efforts to achieve the MDGs, whilst boosting assistance to its depleted agricultural sector, which was devastated by cyclone Nargis in May 2008.
Reporting by Francis Wade
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Burma must win ‘second independence’
Jan 5, 2010 (DVB)–Independence Day was marked by the opposition in Burma yesterday with calls for strength and unity in the “struggle to win the second independence” from military rule, an opposition politician said.
Around 1500 people, including foreign envoys and ethnic leaders, gathered at the headquarters of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party, the official opposition to the country’s ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), in Rangoon to mark the 62nd anniversary of independence from British rule.
“This day is not about looking back and just being sentimental about independence we gained 60 years ago, but is about making resolutions, collecting strength and finding unity,” said Win Tin, a senior NLD member who spent 19 years in prison for his political activities.
“I would like to pass on a message for youths and students that, in order to take part in the struggle, we all need to keep our ‘no fear’ spirit intact.”
Other ceremonies were held at NLD offices around the country, and while police surveillance was intensified, there were no reports of intimidation or harassment. Events were also held amongst exiled Burmese communities in Thailand and Malaysia.
A statement released by the NLD called for the release of the country’s 2,100 political prisoners, including detained NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi, and to allow the reopening of NLD offices outside of Rangoon.
It also demanded permission for ethnic political parties to register and be given the freedom to campaign in the run up to elections.
The head of Burma’s ruling junta, Than Shwe, in a separate ceremony at the capital Naypyidaw, confirmed that elections would take place this year, but failed to announce a date.
He also called for “correct choices” to be made during the polls, a comment which could be interpreted as a warning against voting for Suu Kyi.
The NLD is however yet to confirm whether it will participate in the elections, and has demanded a revision of the 2008 constitution, which looks set to cement the military’s grip on the country, which it has ruled in various forms since 1962.
Burma gained independence in 1948, following 124 years of British rule, and was presided over by a civilian government until a coup 14 years’ later led by the country’s first dictator, Ne Win.
Reporting by Naw Say Phaw
Jan 5, 2010 (DVB)–Independence Day was marked by the opposition in Burma yesterday with calls for strength and unity in the “struggle to win the second independence” from military rule, an opposition politician said.
Around 1500 people, including foreign envoys and ethnic leaders, gathered at the headquarters of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party, the official opposition to the country’s ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), in Rangoon to mark the 62nd anniversary of independence from British rule.
“This day is not about looking back and just being sentimental about independence we gained 60 years ago, but is about making resolutions, collecting strength and finding unity,” said Win Tin, a senior NLD member who spent 19 years in prison for his political activities.
“I would like to pass on a message for youths and students that, in order to take part in the struggle, we all need to keep our ‘no fear’ spirit intact.”
Other ceremonies were held at NLD offices around the country, and while police surveillance was intensified, there were no reports of intimidation or harassment. Events were also held amongst exiled Burmese communities in Thailand and Malaysia.
A statement released by the NLD called for the release of the country’s 2,100 political prisoners, including detained NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi, and to allow the reopening of NLD offices outside of Rangoon.
It also demanded permission for ethnic political parties to register and be given the freedom to campaign in the run up to elections.
The head of Burma’s ruling junta, Than Shwe, in a separate ceremony at the capital Naypyidaw, confirmed that elections would take place this year, but failed to announce a date.
He also called for “correct choices” to be made during the polls, a comment which could be interpreted as a warning against voting for Suu Kyi.
The NLD is however yet to confirm whether it will participate in the elections, and has demanded a revision of the 2008 constitution, which looks set to cement the military’s grip on the country, which it has ruled in various forms since 1962.
Burma gained independence in 1948, following 124 years of British rule, and was presided over by a civilian government until a coup 14 years’ later led by the country’s first dictator, Ne Win.
Reporting by Naw Say Phaw
