News Headlines with Brief (1) Bangladeshi PM in push for Burma gas | Source: DVB 28-Nov-2011 Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is due to travel toBurmaearly next month amid speculation that her country’s desire for gas imports from its neighbour to the east will dominate talks. Bangladeshi cabinet ministers were in Naypyidaw last week for preparatory discussions prior to the 5-7 December visit by Hasina, her first toBurmasince coming to office in 2008. Read More..... (2) China and Burma reaffirm strained ties | Source: DVB 28-Nov-2011 China’s leader-in-waiting Xi Jinping met Burma’s military chief on Monday and pledged stronger ties, days before US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton starts a historic trip to the closed state. Clinton will become the most senior US official to visit Burma in more than 50 years on Wednesday when she arrives on a trip seen as a bid to advance US priorities in a country that has long enjoyed close ties to China. Read More..... (3) Musicians band together for Suu Kyi’s party | Source: DVB 28-Nov-2011 Musicians gathered at the Rangoon lakeside home of Aung San Suu Kyi last week to pitch ideas for an album that her party will launch next month to galvanise support for them in the upcoming by-elections. The nearly 50 artists met on Friday last week, the same day the National League for Democracy (NLD) submitted its application to register as a political party. Kyi Toe, a member of the party’s information wing, told DVB that the brainstorming session would be the first of several before the album is released in December. Read More..... (4) Clinton seeks ally on China’s doorstep | Source: DVB 28-Nov-2011 US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton heads this week on a historic visit to Burma that aims not only to pry open the closed nation but to shake up the battle for global influence right on China’s doorstep. Clinton on Wednesday will become the top US official to visit the nation in more than 50 years as she tests the waters after dramatic — but tentative — reforms by the military-backed government. Read More..... (5) Burma Riven by Graft, Ethnic Conflicts | Source: Irrawaddy 28-Nov-2011 When U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton visits Burma this week, she'll see a country that has made some progress toward democracy, but has even farther to go to fix the corrupt economy and ethnic conflicts that stem from decades of military rule. After holding elections last November, Burma has begun to release political prisoners and work with opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. That has earned political rewards, such as Clinton's visit starting late Wednesday, the first by the top U.S. diplomat in 56 years. Read More..... (6) Foreign-based dissident organizations reorganizing their missions | Source: Mizzima 28-Nov-2011 In response to the National League for Democracy’s (NLD) decision to re-register as a political party, many dissident organizations in foreign countries are reassessing their strategies and redefining their missions. Among the organizations are the NLD – Liberated Area; the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB); Members of Parliament Union – Burma (MPU) and the National Council of the Union of Burma. Read More..... (7) NLD prepares to accept 1 million party members | Source: Mizzima 28-Nov-2011 Feeling its newfound strength in deciding to register and reorganize as a political party, the National League for Democracy [NLD] is preparing to accept 1 million party members. The NLD will begin distribution of application forms in a few days, said May Win Myint, one of the new founding members who signed the NLD re-registration application permit. Even former NLD members – including party leader Aung San Suu Kyi – will have to fill out and submit a new membership application form, May Win Myint told Mizzima. Read More..... (8) Burma: Arab Spring or Prague Spring? | Source: Shan 28-Nov-2011 Last October, the military-turned-civilian government bent its visa rules on blacklisted individuals and Harn Yawnghwe, head of the Brussels-based Euro Burma Office (EBO) that has been assisting activist groups struggling for democracy and ethnic rights was allowed to return to his home country after spending 48 years in exile. The trip coincided with a report by Financial Times on 25 November that had quoted him saying: “They have decided to change. It’s not what we called for, but there are changes. Even if they are pretending to change, we should push them so the change becomes irreversible. If we keep saying that ‘you haven’t change the way we want’ and put obstacles in the way, then the changes will never come.” Read More..... Bangladeshi PM in push for Burma gas http://www.dvb.no/news/bangladeshi-pm-in-push-for-gas-imports/18944 28-Nov-2011 Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is due to travel toBurmaearly next month amid speculation that her country’s desire for gas imports from its neighbour to the east will dominate talks. Bangladeshi cabinet ministers were in Naypyidaw last week for preparatory discussions prior to the 5-7 December visit by Hasina, her first toBurmasince coming to office in 2008. Relations between the two countries have at times been frosty, with their shared border a matter contention. An arbitration over disputed maritime boundaries in the Bay of Bengal is also currently being considered by the International Tribunal for the Laws of the Sea (ITLOS) in Berlin, with a decision due in the middle of next year. Both issues are likely to arise next week. “Every subject of possible cooperation in all fields and removal of all disputes would be discussed between the two,” Hasina’s secretary, Abul Kalam Azad, told the Dhaka-based Financial Express, referring to her scheduled meeting with senior officials in Naypyidaw. The maritime complaint first submitted by Dhaka in 2009, and which is only just being heard, centred on a submersible drilling rig owned by US-Swiss firm TransOcean Inc, which the Bangladeshi’s claim illegally entered their waters with a Burmese navy escort in 2008. The incident led to a naval build-up by both countries, and according to leaked US diplomatic cables, prompted Bangladesh to ask for US help as the Burmese strengthened their military presence on the shared border. Bangladeshi military sources claim Dhaka has consequently attempted to match Burmese mobile artillery capabilities with the purchase of the Serbian Nora B-52 155 mm self-propelled howitzer, which with an approximate range of 45 kilometres could reach Burmese forces that have amassed around 30 kilometres from the border. Since Hasina’s Awami League victory in 2008, which brought to an end military rule in Bangladesh, she has been busy repairing bilateral relations with its neighbours, including Naypyidaw and New Delhi. Dhaka’s chief concern is securing energy resources for the country, which according to the Financial Express is short by around 200 MW. This was the driving force for the maritime boundary dispute, but it also now sees Dhaka looking for fresh imports as questions over the reserves in Bangladesh’s scarce oil and gas blocks have surfaced. Talks have allegedly been underway since May over the potential for Bangladesh to buy Burmese gas at market rates. Bangladesh may, as a result, build a power plant near to the border, which lies close to gas fields in Burma’s western Arakan state. This was mooted following a meeting between Bangladeshi commerce minister Faruk Kahn and U That Hta, Burma’s energy minister, on Friday last week in Naypyidaw. In addition, Dhaka has pushed for an increase in border trade. The Bangladeshis however are insistent that the Burmese repatriate the estimated 300,000 Rohingya refugees who inhabit Cox’s Bazaar, whom have sought asylum in the overpopulated country as a result of religious and racial persecution in their native northern Arakan state. The discrimination against Burma’s Muslim minority was affirmed by parliament in late August when the immigration minister said that “indigenous” Muslim voters would still need to obtain permits to travel because they had “shared common religion, culture, appearance and language” with Bangladeshi’s. The Burmese military build-up on the border has included the ongoing construction of a 350 kilometre electrified border fence and other alleged military infrastructure near the town of Ann. However there have been tentative signs that a normalisation of border relations could move forward with a new rail link between the two countries, for which construction began in early April China and Burma reaffirm strained ties http://www.dvb.no/news/china-and-burma-reaffirm-strained-ties/18948 28-Nov-2011 China’s leader-in-waiting Xi Jinping met Burma’s military chief on Monday and pledged stronger ties, days before US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton starts a historic trip to the closed state. Clinton will become the most senior US official to visit Burma in more than 50 years on Wednesday when she arrives on a trip seen as a bid to advance US priorities in a country that has long enjoyed close ties to China. Xi proposed that the nations’ militaries “enhance exchange and deepen cooperation” when he met the commander-in-chief of Burma’s armed forces, Min Aung Hlaing, in Beijing, the official Xinhua news agency said. “The friendship, forged by leaders of the older generations, has endured changes in the international arena,” Xinhua quoted Vice President Xi as saying. “China will work with Myanmar [Burma] to further bolster the comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation,” added Xi, who is widely expected to take over from President Hu Jintao in 2013. Burma and China have long been close allies, although the relationship is complicated, with some in the Southeast Asian nation resentful over Beijing’s overwhelming economic influence and historic border conflicts. Burma — which since last year has held elections and freed democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest — recently defied China by shutting down work on an unpopular dam that would supply power across the border. Experts say Clinton’s trip to Burma aims not only to test the waters after dramatic but tentative reforms in the country, but also to shake up the battle for global influence on China’s doorstep. It follows a tour of Pacific nations by US President Barack Obama aimed at reinforcing US influence in the region amid growing concerns about the rise of China. During his trip, Obama announced the stationing of US troops in Australia — a move Beijing said may not be “quite appropriate” — and also pushed ahead a trans-Pacific free trade agreement that for now excludes China. But US influence in Burma is likely to be limited. Washington bans virtually all trade with the country and any decision to end sanctions would need approval from Congress. Musicians band together for Suu Kyi’s party http://www.dvb.no/news/musicians-band-together-for-suu-kyi%E2%80%99s-party/18939 28-Nov-2011 Musicians gathered at the Rangoon lakeside home of Aung San Suu Kyi last week to pitch ideas for an album that her party will launch next month to galvanise support for them in the upcoming by-elections. The nearly 50 artists met on Friday last week, the same day the National League for Democracy (NLD) submitted its application to register as a political party. Kyi Toe, a member of the party’s information wing, told DVB that the brainstorming session would be the first of several before the album is released in December. Among those present were famed hip hop artists Yatha and Zayar Thaw – the latter is recognised as one of the early pioneers of the genre in Burma, and his veiled anti-government lyrics earned him a popular following, but also a three-year spell in prison. He was released in May this year. Burma’s election body, the Union Election Commission, accepted the NLD’s application and will now deliberate over whether to approve the party to campaign for the interim vote. With the Thein Sein administration looking to appease international critics and portray Burma as a country in transition, however, the opposition party’s registration is expected to be accepted. That would enable Suu Kyi, whose ban on running in the 2010 elections prompted the party’s boycott and subsequent dissolution, to contest one of 48 seats vacant in the military-dominated parliament. The NLD’s application included the names of 21 people billed as the “founders” of the reborn party, 11 of whom are women. One of them, Nan Khin Htway Myint from Karen state, said however that this did not automatically mean they had a role in policy making. The party will keep its traditional structure and hierarchy, from the Central Executive Committee comprised of the likes of veteran members Win Tin and Nyan Win, down to township-level coordinators. Nan Khin Htway Myint said however that new members would be accepted after the by-elections. Parliamentary speaker Shwe Mann said last week that the by-elections, which had originally been mooted for November, wouldn’t be held until early next year. According to Burmese law, the government needs to give three months’ noticed before the vote is held. Clinton seeks ally on China’s doorstep http://www.dvb.no/news/clinton-seeks-ally-on-chinas-doorstep/18932 28-Nov-2011 US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton heads this week on a historic visit to Burma that aims not only to pry open the closed nation but to shake up the battle for global influence right on China’s doorstep. Clinton on Wednesday will become the top US official to visit the nation in more than 50 years as she tests the waters after dramatic — but tentative — reforms by the military-backed government. Clinton is expected to meet both President Thein Sein and democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi. She has said she will press for greater progress on human rights and democracy, without offering any let-up in biting US sanctions. The United States has been careful not to raise expectations for a breakthrough. But Clinton’s visit carries unmistakable symbolism as it seeks to advance US priorities in one of the countries most closely aligned with China. Burma’s “strategic importance to the United States is closely connected to concerns about rising Chinese influence,” said John Ciorciari, an expert on Southeast Asia at the University of Michigan. “To Beijing, Burma offers the possibility of natural resources and warm-water ports on the Indian Ocean that could be crucial in expanding China’s naval reach,” he said. “Successful US engagement would lessen the likelihood of a strong Sino-Myanmar [Burma] alignment in years ahead.” Beijing has provided the main diplomatic cover for Burma’s leaders but the relationship is complicated, with some in the Southeast Asian nation resentful over China’s overwhelming economic influence and historic border conflicts. Burma recently defied China by shutting down work on an unpopular dam that would supply power across the border. Burma’s leaders, known for deep distrust of the outside world, have reached out in recent years to India, Southeast Asia nations and, now, the United States. For the United States, progress on Burma could help resolve a main stumbling block inside the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, giving new influence to the fast-growing — and mostly US-friendly — 10-nation bloc. A stronger ASEAN would allow “China to grow and be secure but not use its new economic might to force neighbors’ hands on issues related to sovereignty,” said Ernie Bower of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. US President Barack Obama’s administration, while saying it wants a cooperative relationship with a rising China, has recently gone on the offensive amid suspicions over Beijing’s intentions. Obama recently announced the stationing of US troops in Australia — a clear sign of US priorities at a time of tight budgets — and has pushed ahead a trans-Pacific free trade agreement that for now excludes China. Burma’s military seized power in 1962 but since last year has held elections, nominally handed power to civilians and freed Suu Kyi from house arrest. The new government has opened a dialogue with the opposition and ethnic minorities. While the United States and the opposition were at first cynical about the moves, Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy recently said it will re-enter mainstream politics. The party won 1990 elections but was never allowed to take power. Even the most upbeat US policymakers acknowledge that Washington’s influence is limited in a country so fearful of outside invasion that it suddenly moved its capital to the remote outpost of Naypyidaw in 2005. The United States bans virtually all trade with Burma and any decision to end sanctions would need approval from Congress, with which exile groups have worked closely for years to pressure the generals. Walter Lohman of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think-tank that is often critical of the administration, welcomed Obama’s phone consultations with Suu Kyi before the decision on Clinton’s visit. “The fact that the president called and got her blessing and that they’re tying their policy to her makes it a very difficult decision to criticize,” Lohman said. But Lohman doubted how much further Burma would reform, suspecting that the leadership’s main interest was to ensure it will be the chair of ASEAN in 2014. “My guess is that the regime is calculating exactly how far it can go to get all of these things it is looking for without going too far to accommodate the political opposition,” Lohman said. Burma Riven by Graft, Ethnic Conflicts http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=22546 28-Nov-2011 When U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton visits Burma this week, she'll see a country that has made some progress toward democracy, but has even farther to go to fix the corrupt economy and ethnic conflicts that stem from decades of military rule. After holding elections last November, Burma has begun to release political prisoners and work with opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. That has earned political rewards, such as Clinton's visit starting late Wednesday, the first by the top U.S. diplomat in 56 years. But the new government, still dominated by the military, has scarcely begun to fix the mistakes made since the military took power in 1962, and fighting between the army and ethnic minorities who want more autonomy has intensified since the elections. While Burma's nascent political reforms hold promise, economic changes will be just as important to arrest the decline of what was once one of Southeast Asia's most prosperous countries but is now rated on a key U.N. index as the region's least developed. The military began opening the economy in the 1990s, after the 26-year socialist rule of the late dictator Ne Win, but the investment it has attracted has mostly been for its own benefit — including to build a remote and opulent new capital city where the government relocated to in 2005. Ne Win's eccentricities extended to issuing currency notes divisible by the supposedly auspicious number nine, and Burma retains a Byzantine exchange rate system. The official rate of the kyat currency is about 12,000 percent over market value. That has helped a kleptocracy to flourish. By using the official rate — which is largely ignored in day-to-day transactions — for accounting exports of natural gas and other resources, the government is believed to have underreported billions of dollars in revenues. In the past two years the government has accelerated its privatization of state enterprises and assets, but liberalization has not translated into a level playing field. Buyers of key holdings have been military-run corporations and government cronies. Transparency International, a Germany-based private group that campaigns against corruption, ranked Burma 176 out of 178 countries in its 2010 global index on graft — equal with Afghanistan and one place above last-place, lawless Somalia. In his inaugural speech in March, President Thein Sein promised tax and financial reforms to promote small and medium-size enterprises and to narrow the gap between rich and poor. There has been little substantive change so far, but a team of International Monetary Fund advisers visited in November to discuss plans to unify the exchange rate regime and lift restrictions on current international payments and transfers. A follow-up mission is expected early next year. Sean Turnell, an expert on Burma's economy at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, said adopting the market exchange rate as the sole rate would have profound implications for the country by making the foreign exchange earnings of state-owned enterprises transparent. "It is not just a technical issue, but could be seen as a fundamental reform of the country's political economy," he said. Implementing such reforms would be a complex business and would likely require support from international financial institutions, currently blocked by Western sanctions. But solving Burma's economic problems could pale next to the challenge of its ethnic conflicts. Minorities scattered around Burma's western, northern and eastern frontiers make up nearly one third of the 55 million people. Various splinter groups representing an array of ethnicities — the Karen, Shan, Kachin, Mon, Chin, Arakanese, Wa, Karenni, Paluang, Pa-O and Lahu — have all taken up arms at some point. Some of the rebellions have endured even longer than military rule. Some of the groups have reached cease-fires with the military, but none have won political power. Last year's elections offered a glimmer of hope. Burma now has local assemblies, and ethnic parties are represented in them and to a small degree in the federal parliament. But a ham-fisted attempt to get ethnic armies to become government-led border guards led to the collapse this year of long-standing cease-fires with two key groups, the Shan State Army-North and the Kachin Independence Army. The fighting has displaced tens of thousands of people. Clashes continue in Kachin State in the country's far north. That has compounded a humanitarian blight that has sent 140,000 minority refugees into neighboring Thailand since the 1980s and uprooted many more. Foreign-based dissident organizations reorganizing their missions http://www.mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/6226-foreign-based-dissident-organizations-reorganizing-their-missions.html Monday, 28 November 2011 13:14 Ko Wild Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – In response to the National League for Democracy’s (NLD) decision to re-register as a political party, many dissident organizations in foreign countries are reassessing their strategies and redefining their missions. Among the organizations are the NLD – Liberated Area; the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB); Members of Parliament Union – Burma (MPU) and the National Council of the Union of Burma. The NCGUB includes five former MPs from the1990 general election and is led by Dr. Sein Win, the prime minister of the Burmese government in exile, who is Aung San Suu Kyi’s cousin. After a meeting last week, the NCGUB decided that the word “Government” in its name is no longer appropriate. Dr. Tint Swe, the information minister of the Burmese government in exile, told Mizzima, “If Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD legally enter parliamentary politics, ‘NCGUB’, the name of our organization, will not be appropriate anymore.” However, he said he still had reservations about the current government because a military government ruled Burma for so many years. The group would continue to fight for human rights, peace in ethnic areas and work for the freedom of political prisoners, he said. The NCGUB was formed in December 1990. Tint Swe said the Norwegian government supports the group and it will continue to support its involvement in Burmese politics. The MUP, formed 15 years ago, will continue in its current form, said Tint Swe who also serves as an MPU member. The MPU comprises 32 MPs elected in the never-honoured 1990 general election. One significant change, he said, is that “the demand to convene the parliament in accord with the results of 1990 general election does not exist anymore. But, the electoral results and the support of Burmese citizens will be milestones in our history.” The MPU MPs represented the National Democracy Party, from Chin, Shan, Arakan, Mon, Lahu, Zomi parties, and independent MPs. An official of the NLD-LA Foreign Affairs sub-committee said a central executive meeting last week decided to drop the name “NLD-LA” because it is tied to the 1990 general election. “The NLD-LA may be transformed into NLD groups based in foreign countries. Eight branches of NLD-LA now exists in the U.S., Japan, Australia, Canada, Malaysia, South Korea, Norway and England. The NLD-LA would work for reconciliation between the government and opposition groups, including ethnic armed groups, he said. “We helped to hold the dialogue between the Minister Aung Min and ethnic groups. NLD-LA will be involved in seeking national reconciliation and working for the development of the country,” he said. Both the NLD-LA and MPU, along with Democratic Alliance of Burma and the National Democratic Front, are member groups of the NCUB. Aung Moe Zaw, the NCUB joint secretary No.1 and chairman of the Democratic Party for New Society, said that whether the member groups will continue as members of the NCUB has yet to be decided. “The NCUB needs to review its activities and structure, I think. Meetings between chairmen and secretaries of member groups need to be conducted as soon as possible. Most of our activities are related to the results of 1990 general election so we need to review whether our activities are in line with the current situation,” Aung Moe Zaw said. The NCUB was formed in September 1992 and it incudes 26 pro-democracy organizations. NLD prepares to accept 1 million party members http://www.mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/6227-nld-prepares-to-accept-1-million-party-members.html Monday, 28 November 2011 13:23 Myo Thant Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Feeling its newfound strength in deciding to register and reorganize as a political party, the National League for Democracy [NLD] is preparing to accept 1 million party members. The NLD will begin distribution of application forms in a few days, said May Win Myint, one of the new founding members who signed the NLD re-registration application permit. Even former NLD members – including party leader Aung San Suu Kyi – will have to fill out and submit a new membership application form, May Win Myint told Mizzima. Khin Moe Moe, another of the party’s new founders, said, “The membership form asks for an applicant’s age, education, race, religion and address.” Poet Nyein Thit, who volunteers for NLD social projects, said that ideally new members will want to become actively involved in NLD projects at all levels. “We don’t set specific qualifications: anyone who wants to become involved in pro-democracy issues – that quality will is enough to become a member,” Nyein Thit told Mizzima. Senior NLD members and new members will be treated equally. If new members have the right qualities, they can be NLD candidates and contest in the coming by-elections, said Nyan Win, the NLD spokesman. “Qualified activists, ethnic people and women will be given priority and the education of the candidate-to-be will also be considered in choosing candidates,” Nyan Win said. The NLD is preparing to form canvassing committees in states and regions, officials said. On Friday, Suu Kyi met with more than 50 musicians and singers at her lakeside home in Rangoon. The meeting was held to discuss songs and music for use in NLD canvassing in the coming by-election. A composer, Ye Lwin, told Mizzima that he planned to offer his help. “I’m not an NLD member,” he said. “But, I’ll help Amay Suu [Suu Kyi]. We believe in her. So, I’ll do what she told me to do.” The NLD party advocates a nonviolent movement towards multi-party democracy in Burma, which was under oppressive military rule from 1962 until March 2011, when a new military-dominated Parliament was formed after elections The party supports human rights – including broad-based freedom of speech – the rule of law, an end to fighting in ethnic areas and national reconciliation. The NLD party flag features a peacock, a prominent symbol in Burma. A dancing peacock was widely used in the flags of Burmese monarchies. The NLD peacock is now associated with a decades-long struggle against the military dictatorship in which hundreds of its members served terms in prison for their political activities. The party’s emblem, a traditional bamboo hat, will be replaced by a new emblem yet to announced. Burma: Arab Spring or Prague Spring? http://www.shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4231:burma-arab-spring-or-prague-spring&catid=85:politics&Itemid=266 Monday, 28 November 2011 16:55 S.H.A.N. Last October, the military-turned-civilian government bent its visa rules on blacklisted individuals and Harn Yawnghwe, head of the Brussels-based Euro Burma Office (EBO) that has been assisting activist groups struggling for democracy and ethnic rights was allowed to return to his home country after spending 48 years in exile. The trip coincided with a report by Financial Times on 25 November that had quoted him saying: “They have decided to change. It’s not what we called for, but there are changes. Even if they are pretending to change, we should push them so the change becomes irreversible. If we keep saying that ‘you haven’t change the way we want’ and put obstacles in the way, then the changes will never come.” What Harn said was interesting, as it parallels with what Sun Tzu (also spelled Sun Zi), the Chinese military maestro who flourished 2,500 years ago: Success in warfare is gained by carefully accommodating ourselves to the enemy’s purpose. The translator Lionel Guiles explains further: Ts’ao Kung says, “Feign stupidity” – by an appearance of yielding and falling in with the enemy’s wishes. Chang Yu’s note makes the meaning clear: The object is to make him remiss and contemptuous before we deliver our attack. Sun Tzu’s words could not have been more relevant. Since he took office at the end of March, ex-general Thein Sein who had been handpicked by the ageing but still all powerful Senior General Than Shwe to lead the new, “democratically-elected” government, had brought hopes (as well as suspicions) to his countrymen, both at home and abroad, and to the rest of the world. While believers say Thein Sein “is his own man,” non-believers disagree, saying, “How can he be? He’s not elected by the people like Obama was. He was on the contrary obviously appointed to play the old game with a new set of rules.” But believer or non-believer, one cannot help admit that Thein Sein has been saying and doing what we have been longing to hear and see – only just short of the required extent. For instance, his envoys have been busy negotiating peace talks with all the armed opposition groups since September, following the official “Invitation for Peace Talks” announced on 18 August, group by group or “groupwise” as the announcement says. Already most of the major armed movements have entered negotiations with: 3 of which signing peace agreements (United Wa State Army, National Democratic Alliance Army and Democratic Karen Buddhist Army) 2 more agreeing in principle to sign them (Shan State Army “South” and Chin National Front) 3 more agreeing to hold further talks (Karen National Union, Karenni National Progressive Party and Kachin National Organization) It is also holding talks with the Shan State Army “North” through the go-betweening of its former boss Gen Hso Ten, who was sentenced to 106 year imprisonment by Naypyitaw but released after serving 6 years. The only major group that has so far stayed out of the negotiations after the 6 October preliminary round in Ye is the New Mon State Party (NMSP), that is insisting that Naypyitaw talk to the non-Burman armed groups “collectivewise” and not “group-wise”. In addition, like the peace talks in 1989 held by its predecessor, the Thein Sein government is offering 3 things: But whereas the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) had promised ceasefire, development and “talk politics with the next government” which took almost 22 years to emerge, Thein Sein’s negotiators are assuring their opponents of ceasefire, development and “an inclusive conference in the style of Panglong, maybe even better than Panglong”. To the non-Burmans, especially Chin, Kachin and Shan, co-signatories together with Aung San Suu Kyi’s father Aung San of the 1947 Panglong Agreement, the words of U Aung Min, the President’s special representative on 19 November, were nothing less than honey. At least both the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) and the Shan State Army (SSA) ‘South’ have declared that with the promises of Panglong – “Full autonomy in internal administration” and “rights and privileges which are fundamental in democratic countries” – fulfilled, there will be no need for them to continue their armed struggles. Indeed, if the SSA “South” had any reservations about agreeing to sign a ceasefire pact, the promise of another Panglong was the clincher. As a result, it is expected to attend a formal signing ceremony before the end of the year. However, despite the promising signs, many questions remain unanswered: Why are Burma Army bases, established along the border of Wa-Mongla territory after tensions in 2009, still there and being reinforced although the two sides have signed the ceasefire agreements? Why since Naypyitaw desires peace and is ready to hold peace talks with every armed movement, has it not declared a nationwide ceasefire instead? Why is it adamant on talking to them “groupwise” when doing it collectivewise makes more sense? Of course, according to President Thein Sein, the non-Burman ethnic groups have different aims and desires, which is only partly true, true for individual ethnic group issues, but when it comes to common issues, they have always stood together. Just take a cursory look back at the Panglong Conference (1947) and Taunggyi Seminar (1961), out of which emerged the following 5 point call: Burma Proper must be a constituent state like Chin, Kachin, Shan and others Equal power to the two Houses of Parliament Equal representation for each state in the Upper House Reservation of the following subjects for the Union government and the remaining subjects for the states: Foreign affairs, Defense, Finance, Coinage and paper currency, Posts and Telegraphs, Railways, Airways and Waterways, Union Judiciary and Sea Customs Duty Fair distribution of the revenue collected by the Union Government among the states The President and his advisors should therefore not be bent on talking to them groupwise if they are ready to speak to him collectivewise, just because of differences in minor individual preferences. All these and others beg the question why he isn’t going all the way, when his advisors insist he “is his own man.” Is it because he is afraid of Than Shwe returning to power, as hinted by some, or is he just following the Senior General’s dictate: more words but less deeds? Not that I’m suggetting that we have to wait until the conditions are ideal, because they will never be, if history has taught us anything. I’m only humbly counseling caution to leaders both at home and abroad, both national and foreign, not to put all the eggs in the same basket, when we are dealing with such a situation, at least when many things are still in the dark. Personally, I would prefer Thein Sein becoming another Aung San, the leader that consolidates what his predecessors have won by negotiations, to becoming Mikhail Gorbachev who lost everything they had achieved. Because, after all is said and done, what the people of Burma need is an Arab Spring and not a Prague Spring.
FTUB Daily News for Nov-28-2011, English News - Morning
News Headlines with Brief (1) No reason to rush Myanmar to the Asean chair | Source: The Star 26-Nov-2011 MYANMAR’S formal request to chair Asean in 2014 has sparked debate in the media.The Myanmar government says it is now ready to take the opportunity to lead the organisation, after passing up the opportunity to do so in 2006. At that time, Myanmar said it needed to focus on managing domestic affairs, although it was widely believed that the decision was a result of pressure from fellow Asean members and the international community. Read More..... (2) Burma ex-junta chief 'really retired' | Source: Bangkok Post 26-Nov-2011 A top Burma official on Friday insisted feared strongman Than Shwe has no government role, in the first public confirmation that the former junta head had released the reins of power. The senior general is really retired," Thura Shwe Mann, lower house speaker, told reporters after the final session of parliament in Naypyidaw. After a two-decade reign marked by suppression, isolation and deep paranoia about democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi, Than Shwe officially stepped down from his role as head of Burma's "Tatmadaw" armed forces after the military junta was disbanded in March. Read More..... No reason to rush Myanmar to the Asean chair http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/11/27/focus/9986030&sec=focus 26-Nov-2011 MYANMAR’S formal request to chair Asean in 2014 has sparked debate in the media. The Myanmar government says it is now ready to take the opportunity to lead the organisation, after passing up the opportunity to do so in 2006. At that time, Myanmar said it needed to focus on managing domestic affairs, although it was widely believed that the decision was a result of pressure from fellow Asean members and the international community. Many scholars and government officials support Myanmar’s willingness to take the opportunity to chair Asean in 2014, believing that giving it this opportunity will serve as an incentive to continue political reforms there. Article 31, paragraph 1 of the Asean Charter reaffirms the traditional principle of alphabetical order in deciding the rotation for Asean chairmanship, stating that “The chairmanship of Asean shall rotate annually based on the alphabetical order of the English names of member states.” Therefore, according to this rule, Myanmar should not become Asean chair until 2016. Myanmar clearly has its own reasons for requesting an earlier turn. One thing that might come to mind is the fact that 2014 is only a year before the implementation of the Asean Community in 2015, and Myanmar may want to take the opportunity to improve its political standing in the international arena. Leading the organisation in the vital stage of realising this long-desired vision would undoubtedly be a prestigious position for any member. Some promising developments have in fact taken place in Myanmar since the November 2010 elections. The new administration under President Thein Sein was reported to have released around 200 political prisoners last month, an indication of its seriousness in implementing political reform. It is however difficult to make a good and objective assessment of Myanmar’s readiness to lead the organisation in 2014, particularly because it has only been a year since the country began the political transition process. It would have been wise, therefore, not to rush into the chairmanship. It would have been better, both for Asean and for Myanmar, to give the Myanmar government and people time to focus on domestic political developments and to develop its capacity to lead a people-centered Asean. — The Nation / Asia News Network. Burma ex-junta chief 'really retired' http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/267928/burma-ex-junta-chief-than-shwe-really-retired 26-Nov-2011 A top Burma official on Friday insisted feared strongman Than Shwe has no government role, in the first public confirmation that the former junta head had released the reins of power. "The senior general is really retired," Thura Shwe Mann, lower house speaker, told reporters after the final session of parliament in Naypyidaw. After a two-decade reign marked by suppression, isolation and deep paranoia about democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi, Than Shwe officially stepped down from his role as head of Burma's "Tatmadaw" armed forces after the military junta was disbanded in March. The senior general, whose face had been emblazoned across the front pages of state newspapers on an almost daily basis, has been virtually invisible since then. A fleeting reference in Burma newspapers on Thursday -- reporting his donation of money and gemstones to a relic reputed to be a tooth of the Buddha -- was the first time his name had been printed in months. Than Shwe himself was not said to have gone to visit the relic -- which is touring Burma on loan from China -- and no photographs of him appeared in the press. His low profile had not convinced many experts that he had fully relinquished his grip on the impoverished nation, despite controversial November 2010 polls which brought a nominally civilian government to power. Thura Shwe Mann said the ailing 78-year-old is "absolutely" not involved with the army-backed United Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), which won an overwhelming majority in the election. "To be more clear, the senior general is absolutely not concerned with the party, nor the government, nor our parliament, nor legislative organisations," he said, at the first public news briefing the top official has ever given. Analysts have said Than Shwe would retain some influence over the government after the elections. The military strongman knew the risk of retiring only too well, having put his predecessor, the late dictator Ne Win, under house arrest in 2002 after his family members were convicted of plotting to overthrow the regime. Burma, which for decades has been isolated on the world stage, has shown signs of reform in recent months, despite a parliament that remains dominated by the military and former junta generals. The new administration has surprised many observers with a series of reformist moves. In a diplomatic coup last week, Burma won approval from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to chair the 10-nation bloc in 2014. On Friday, Suu Kyi's opposition took its first step towards a return to mainstream Burma politics by re-registering as a political party, days before a historic visit by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
FTUB Daily News for Nov-16-2011, English News - Evening
News Headlines with Brief (1) MNDF to strengthen itself by adding former rebel leaders | Source: Mizzima 16-Nov-2011 The Mon National Democratic Front (MNDF), a political party that was dissolved by the former junta, says that it will strengthen itself by adding eight former leaders of the armed rebel New Mon State Party (NMSP) to its ranks. “They have offered to join us under our party’s flag. We’ve invited them to attend our coming meeting,” said MNDF General-Secretary Dr. Min Soe Lin. In October, former NMSP central committee members held meetings in Mon State and decided to join up with the MNDF to take part in political activities, according to sources close to them. Read More..... (2) Protesting Burmese monks deliver final talk | Source: Mizzima 16-Nov-2011 At the request of 10 Buddhist abbots including the chairman of the Mandalay Region Sangha committee, five Burmese monks who are staging a protest delivered their final talk to supporters on Wednesday. “Originally, they planned to deliver talks for three days. The location they are protesting in is a teaching-monastery, so talks can disturb the student monks. At the request of the abbots, they will deliver talks for one day (Wednesday),” said a supporter, one of an estimated 1,200 people who attended the talks. Most of the audience was made up of monks, sources said. Read More..... (3) Activist arrested for filming protest | Source: DVB 16-Nov-2011 Police have detained an activist on charges of breaching Burma’s notorious Video Act after he allegedly filmed a protest by landless farmers in Irrawaddy division two months ago. Myint Naing’s house in the division’s capital of Bassein was surrounded by some 30 officers in an early morning raid on Monday. The Human Rights Watchdog Network’s leader is being held at a local police station. Read More..... (4) NDF picks 20 candidates for by-election | Source: DVB 16-Nov-2011 Burma’s opposition National Democratic Force says it will field 20 candidates in the upcoming by-elections, the ambiguous date of which still remains a source of frustration from would-be contenders. Its leader, Khin Maung Swe, said that he and colleagues were negotiating with the various members of the 10-party alliance the NDF is part of to finalise a strategy for the by-elections, with 48 parliamentary seats up for grabs. Read More..... (5) Amnesty Still Uncertain as Prisoners Transferred | Source: Irrawaddy 16-Nov-2011 Burma’s prominent dissident Min Ko Naing and other political prisoners are being transferred to different jails as prospects for a further amnesty remain in doubt, claim sources in Rangoon. And it seems unlikely that those transferred will be included in any forthcoming release with the move considered a reaction to humanitarian calls to relocate remaining incarcerated dissidents to be closer to their relatives on the outside. Read More..... (6) US Calls for More Change in Burma | Source: Irrawaddy 16-Nov-2011 Hours before US President Barack Obama landed in Australia, a top White House official said there have been positive changes in Burma recently and that the US wants those changes to continue. “We have seen some positive movement [in Burma], but of course we’d like to see a continued change in the behavior of the government with respect to human rights,” Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes told reporters travelling with Obama on his way to Canberra. Read More..... (7) Than Shwe's Grandson Visits France: Sources | Source: Irrawaddy 16-Nov-2011 The grandson of Burma's former military dictator, Snr-Gen Than Shwe, reportedly traveled to Europe late last month after being granted a visa by the French Embassy in Rangoon, according to sources in the former Burmese capital. Nay Shwe Thway Aung, 21, left for Europe on Oct 26 despite a visa ban that prohibits senior Burmese military leaders and their families from traveling in the European Union, the sources said. He was allegedly issued a Schengen visa, which allows unrestricted travel within 25 European countries, including 22 in the EU. Read More..... (8) 1,000 Kachins Flee to IDP Camps | Source: Irrawaddy 16-Nov-2011 More than 1,000 villagers in southern Kachin State have taken shelter in makeshift camps in the jungle after fleeing their homes to avoid being caught in the crossfire of an intensifying conflict between the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and Burmese government forces. Relief workers say the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in question have fled in the last few days and are from five villages around Mansi Township, some 25 km southeast of Bhamo in southernmost Kachin State, close to the Shan State and Chinese borders. Read More..... (9) Shan party hopes to regain seat lost last year | Source: Shan 16-Nov-2011 The Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP), the third largest winning in the 2010 November elections, is planning to re-contest in the coming by-elections at the vacant seat for the Upper House in Northern Shan State’s Lashio district, which it had lost to its rival junta army-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) due to advance votes, according to party vice Chairman Sai Hsawng Hsi. Read More..... MNDF to strengthen itself by adding former rebel leaders http://www.mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/6190-mndf-to-strengthen-itself-by-adding-former-rebel-leaders.html Wednesday, 16 November 2011 11:54 Kun Chan Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – The Mon National Democratic Front (MNDF), a political party that was dissolved by the former junta, says that it will strengthen itself by adding eight former leaders of the armed rebel New Mon State Party (NMSP) to its ranks. “They have offered to join us under our party’s flag. We’ve invited them to attend our coming meeting,” said MNDF General-Secretary Dr. Min Soe Lin. In October, former NMSP central committee members held meetings in Mon State and decided to join up with the MNDF to take part in political activities, according to sources close to them. The MNDF has not identified the eight Mon leaders, but sources said that they may include former NMSP joint secretary Nai Chan Twe, Nai Lawi Mon, Nai Htaw Ein, Nai Nyan Tun, Nai Kaw Hta and former central executive committee member Nai Tin Aung, who retired from the NMSP in 2000. On November 20, the MNDF will hold a meeting in Mawlamyaing, the capital of Mon State. Min Soe Lin said that more than 50 people including former NMSP leaders, scholars and nationalists have been invited. In the meeting, new members will be accepted and they will discuss whether the MNDF will register as a political party or not, he said. “Mainly, we will discuss ways to strengthen our party. Now, our leaders in Rangoon are talking with ethnic political parties and the NLD [National League for Democracy]. We will review their decision and decide if our party will register or not,” Min Soe Lin said. The NLD, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, will hold a central committee meeting on Friday to decide whether the NLD will register as a political party or not before the coming by-elections. Under the Constitution, a political party needs to contest in at least three constituencies to remain a legal political party. Presently, the MNDF and some political parties including the NLD are cooperating with the Committee Representing People's Parliament and the United Nationalities Alliance. The MNDF was formed on October 11, 1988. Nineteen MNDF candidates contested in the 1990 general elections and five won seats. The former junta refused to recognize the 1990 elections result. In 1991, a number of MNDF leaders were arrested and the former junta dissolved the party on March 19, 1992. Protesting Burmese monks deliver final talk http://www.mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/6191-protesting-burmese-monks-deliver-final-talk.html Wednesday, 16 November 2011 16:16 Ko Wild Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – At the request of 10 Buddhist abbots including the chairman of the Mandalay Region Sangha committee, five Burmese monks who are staging a protest delivered their final talk to supporters on Wednesday. A protesting monk addresses a crowd from a religious building in Mandalay in central Burma after they locked themselves inside and called for the release of all political prisoners on Tuesday, November 15, 2011. Photo: AFP “Originally, they planned to deliver talks for three days. The location they are protesting in is a teaching-monastery, so talks can disturb the student monks. At the request of the abbots, they will deliver talks for one day (Wednesday),” said a supporter, one of an estimated 1,200 people who attended the talks. Most of the audience was made up of monks, sources said. The monks who are staging the protest had lunch at the Masoeyein Monastery in Mandalay and then, along with about 20 government intelligence officials in civilian clothes, they listened to a 15-minute sermon by abbots in the dining room of the monastery. The protesting monks have called for the release of all political prisoners and an end to fighting between the government and ethnic armed groups. “Generally, they have accepted the requests of the abbots after their negotiations,” said a resident who attended the abbots’ sermon. The protesting monks told their audience that they sent an appeal to President Thein Sein, with a copy to the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee at Gaba Aye Hill, calling for a stop to the civil war and the immediate release of all political prisoners, including monks. “They asked whether the audience agreed with them or not? People shouted three times that they agreed,” said an audience member. Monk Ashin Sopaka, a leader of the protest, told the audience that he hoped that political prisoners would be released soon. At the end of the talk, the five protesting monks and audience members recited religious slogans that monks had recited during the 2007 “Saffron Revolution,” such as “May human beings stop torturing each other” and “May our love spread across the world,” to mark the end of the talks. This week, opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi said that the National League for Democracy believes there are 591 political prisoners held in Burma’s jails, according to the latest NLD research. “According to some figures,” she said, “there are about 2,000 political prisoners. Based on those figures received from outside the country, we made inquires and found that some of those [on the lists] had been released a long time ago. But, we have not conducted comprehensive inquires. Meanwhile, we specify that the number is 591, because we are sure that all of them are in prison.” Activist arrested for filming protest http://www.dvb.no/news/activist-arrested-for-filming-protest/18746 16-Nov-2011 Police have detained an activist on charges of breaching Burma’s notorious Video Act after he allegedly filmed a protest by landless farmers in Irrawaddy division two months ago. Myint Naing’s house in the division’s capital of Bassein was surrounded by some 30 officers in an early morning raid on Monday. The Human Rights Watchdog Network’s leader is being held at a local police station. His lawyer, Phyo Phyu, said that Myint Naing was brought to the courtroom on the day of his arrest and denied bail. “About 30 policemen including their commander surrounded [Myint Naing]’s house and charged him … under the Video Act for distributing and exhibiting a video that is not legally approved,” the lawyer said. Up to 200 farmers had marched to the office of Irrawaddy division’s chief minister, Thein Aung, demanding that land confiscated from them by the army be returned. That protest pre-empted a similar demonstration in Rangoonon 27 October that ended with eight people being arrested. One of those was Pho Phyu, who is now on bail. Despite some signs that restrictions on freedom of speech in Burma are easing, the government’s intolerance towards public displays of disquiet remains. In September police detained a man for holding a solo protest against the Chinese-backed Myitosne dam and blocked another rally against the project, which was later suspended by the authorities in a rare response to public opinion. Pho Phyu is accused by police of leading the Rangoon farmers’ protest, which also demanded the return of confiscated land. He claims that he was drugged during the 12 hours of interrogation he was subjected to. The protestors are among some 1,000 farmers in three townships in Rangoon division whom since 1989 have seen more than 60,000 acres of arable land taken by the Burmese military, which often coverts them for cash crops or uses the land for infrastructural projects. Despite the presence of the International Labour Organisation, which has a mandate to investigate instances of land confiscation in Burma, laws governing the ownership of land are malleable. More than 60 percent of Burma’s population is dependent on agriculture as its primary source of income. NDF picks 20 candidates for by-election http://www.dvb.no/news/ndf-picks-20-candidates-for-by-election/18763 16-Nov-2011 Burma’s opposition National Democratic Force says it will field 20 candidates in the upcoming by-elections, the ambiguous date of which still remains a source of frustration from would-be contenders. Its leader, Khin Maung Swe, said that he and colleagues were negotiating with the various members of the 10-party alliance the NDF is part of to finalise a strategy for the by-elections, with 48 parliamentary seats up for grabs. The NDF, which split from the National League for Democracy in order to contest the election, came in fifth place in the polls last year, winning 16 seats. The lack of clarity surrounding the date of the interim vote has angered a number of parties. When asked by DVB when the poll was scheduled for, the spokesperson for Burma’s Union Election Commission, Thaung Hlaing, replied: “You just be patient and wait.” He said he could not comment without permission from his seniors in the UEC, but only that that announcement would be made “when the time comes”. Of the seats available, 40 are in the People’s Parliament, six in the National Parliament and two in the Regions/States Parliament. Despite months of campaigning last year, few parties were able to match the might of the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), led by President Thein Sein and formed only months prior to the November poll. The USDP ended up claiming more than 80 percent of the vote, and its members dominate parliament, implicitly aided by the nearly 350 military officials who were automatically awarded seats prior to the polls. The NLD, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, says it will make a decision on 18 November as to whether it will register again as a political party, following amendments to electoral laws that had initially barred it from running in the polls. Suu Kyi is believed to be in favour of competing, although other influential party members, such as Win Tin, are more cautious about the extent of impact that Burma’s most popular, albeit it historically sidelined, political force could have in a USDP-dominated arena. Amnesty Still Uncertain as Prisoners Transferred http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=22467 16-Nov-2011 Burma’s prominent dissident Min Ko Naing and other political prisoners are being transferred to different jails as prospects for a further amnesty remain in doubt, claim sources in Rangoon. And it seems unlikely that those transferred will be included in any forthcoming release with the move considered a reaction to humanitarian calls to relocate remaining incarcerated dissidents to be closer to their relatives on the outside. Alongside Min Ko Naing, leader of the 88 Generation Students group, other well known political prisoners reportedly being transferred include Hkun Htun Oo of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, leading monk Ashin Gambira, prominent female activist Nilar Thein of the 88 group, Pandeik Tun also of the 88 group, Nyi Pu who won a seat in the 1990 elections and labor activist Thuyein Aung. “As far as I know from family members and prison officials, Min Ko Naing will be transferred from Kengtung to Rangoon by air,” said Thein Than Tun, a member of the 88 Generation Students group who is monitoring the situation from Rangoon. “U Hkun Htun Oo will be transferred from Putao Prison in Kachin State [in northern Burma] to Thaungoo Prison in Pegu Region through Myitkyina and Mandalay,” he added. “Ashin Gambira and U Nyi Pu will be transferred from Kalay Prison.” Saw Thet Tun, a former political prisoner who was released last month from Tharyawaddy Prison in Pegu Region, told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that he heard Nilar Thein had arrived in Tharyawaddy Prison that afternoon. Meanwhile, a diplomatic source in Rangoon who is in touch with government officials said he heard almost all inmates of the 88 Generation Students group who are serving 65-year sentences would be transferred from remote prisons. “All those serving 65 years except Ko Mya Aye in Thaunggyi Prison will be moved to different prisons. We will have to see if it is to Insein Prison [in Rangoon],” he said. US Calls for More Change in Burma http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=22466 16-Nov-2011 Hours before US President Barack Obama landed in Australia, a top White House official said there have been positive changes in Burma recently and that the US wants those changes to continue. “We have seen some positive movement [in Burma], but of course we’d like to see a continued change in the behavior of the government with respect to human rights,” Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes told reporters travelling with Obama on his way to Canberra. Meanwhile, the US State Department welcomed recent news reports from Burma according to which the opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, will be contesting upcoming by-elections in the country. “We’ve seen some positive developments, or signs, from the government in Burma. We’ve had some good discussions with the government,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters at his daily news conference. “We have said that we want to see concrete and positive steps, including the release of all political prisoners. We would also like to see an opening-up of their political system there,” Toner said. The US spokesman said that until these concrete steps are taken, the US administration will not change its policy of economic sanctions against the Burmese government. “We believe that our discussions thus far have been positive. They’ve been constructive, but we’re looking for more concrete action,” Toner said. Meanwhile, speaking in Bali, Asean Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan said that “things are moving in the right direction, with some fundamental changes taking place,” in reference to Burma's attempt to meet conditions to chair the bloc in 2014, a decision that the Asean leaders are expected to make at the Bali summit this week. Than Shwe's Grandson Visits France: Sources http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=22468 16-Nov-2011 The grandson of Burma's former military dictator, Snr-Gen Than Shwe, reportedly traveled to Europe late last month after being granted a visa by the French Embassy in Rangoon, according to sources in the former Burmese capital. Nay Shwe Thway Aung, 21, left for Europe on Oct 26 despite a visa ban that prohibits senior Burmese military leaders and their families from traveling in the European Union, the sources said. He was allegedly issued a Schengen visa, which allows unrestricted travel within 25 European countries, including 22 in the EU. A French embassy official in Rangoon declined to comment on the report, on the grounds that visa applications are considered confidential. However, the official added that no visas have been issued to anyone on the sanctions blacklist. Since formally transferring power to a nominally civilian government in March, Than Shwe and his family have kept a low profile. However, Nay Shwe Thway Aung, also known as Poe La Pyae, has often been the subject of rumors in the past. According to a leaked US diplomatic cable, in January 2009, he urged his grandfather to make a US $1 billion bid to buy the Manchester United football club. The plan was dropped, however, because at the time Than Shwe's regime was still facing severe criticism from the United Nations over its “unacceptably slow” response to Cyclone Nargis the previous year. In December 2010, Burmese exiled media reported that Nay Shwe Thway Aung had ordered his assistants to physically assault Win Htwe Hlaing, a business rival and the son of former Maj-Gen Win Hlaing. A similar incident was reported the previous year, when he allegedly ordered his associates to destroy a coffee shop in Rangoon owned by former army captain Tay Zar Saw Oo, the son of the regime's Secretary 1 Gen Thiha Thura Tin Aung Myint Oo, who is currently serving as vice president. 1,000 Kachins Flee to IDP Camps http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=22465 16-Nov-2011 More than 1,000 villagers in southern Kachin State have taken shelter in makeshift camps in the jungle after fleeing their homes to avoid being caught in the crossfire of an intensifying conflict between the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and Burmese government forces. Relief workers say the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in question have fled in the last few days and are from five villages around Mansi Township, some 25 km southeast of Bhamo in southernmost Kachin State, close to the Shan State and Chinese borders. The relief groups accuse the Burmese government of denying the UN and intentional organizations access to the IDP camps to deliver humanitarian assistance. Kaw Ja, a member of a Kachin youth group which is assisting refugees and IDPs at the Sino-Burmese border, said that the number of IDPs had reached 1,187 by Tuesday, and that they had been separated into six camps near the border behind KIA front lines. “In this camp alone, there are 400 refugees,” he said. “They are currently sheltering in temporary makeshift tents and sharing whatever food they have brought with them.” “We are not able to adequately supply the IDPs, and in the long run they will face food shortages. They presently have no support,” he said. A recently arrived IDP named Churchman said he and 180 fellow villagers from Mansi Township had fled in a hurry, and that many had run away without carrying any supplies. He said some had sheltered with relatives in other villages, but that he and his family had joined hundreds of other villagers in seeking refuge at a camp in Nawng Tau, near the Chinese border. “Our living conditions are alright,” said Churchman. “However, we are worried about food supplies.” Villagers fleeing from conflict in Kachin State are not recognized as refugees by the Chinese government and cannot therefore cross the border freely, said KIA spokesman La Nan. Mai Ja, a local relief worker, told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that the offensive is intensifying and more troops are being deployed into the region. The exodus of people from their villages across Kachin State began on June 9 due to the resumption of hostilities between the two sides. There now estimated to be some 30,000 IDPs sheltering at nine camps in and around the main town of Laiza and seven camps in Maija Yang on the Shan-Kachin border. The villagers say they fear being captured, abused or even killed by Burmese soldiers; accounts are rife of human rights abuses by troops in the area. Mai Ja said that Tuesday marks the 19th day that a 28-year-old Kachin woman from Moemot Township has been held in captivity by government troops from Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 321. “The troops seized the girl, her husband, their infant and her father-in-law while they were returning home from their fields with maize,” she said. “The others were later released, but not the woman.” According to a report by the Kachin Women's Association Thailand, on Oct. 8, soldiers from LIB 74, 276 and 601 arrested eight males aged between 17 and 65 years from Namlim Pa village in Bhanmaw District. The eight were forced to work as porters, carrying army supplies and weapons. Villagers often have to carry sacks of rice, food and heavy weapons, frequently have their hands tied, and may be forced to walk all day on very little water and food, the report said. A UK MP, Andrew Mitchell, the country's secretary of state for international development, visits Burma this week. Burma Campaign UK has called on him to do more to ensure British aid reaches internal refugees who have fled increased attacks by the Burmese army over the past year. Burma Campaign UK said that almost 150,000 people in Burma have been forced to flee their homes in the past year because of internal conflicts, and that the Burmese government is severely restricting access to these internal refugees by the UN and other aid agencies, resulting in a shortage of food, shelter, clothing and medicine. Shan party hopes to regain seat lost last year http://www.shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4208:shan-party-hopes-to-regain-seat-lost-last-year&catid=85:politics&Itemid=266 Wednesday, 16 November 2011 17:34 Hseng Khio Fah The Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP), the third largest winning in the 2010 November elections, is planning to re-contest in the coming by-elections at the vacant seat for the Upper House in Northern Shan State’s Lashio district, which it had lost to its rival junta army-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) due to advance votes, according to party vice Chairman Sai Hsawng Hsi. The party hopes it will regain it back as it has made itself well prepared due to lessons learned from last year. The person whom the party will nominate is well educated and is also considered as one of the most favored by Shan people as well, said Sai Hsawng Hsi, while refusing to identifying the person. It was Sai Kham Leng, a respected former educator, who contested last year. But he lost the seat to his rival USDP candidate Dr. Sai Mawk Kham, at present Vice President #2. According to party members, it was, in fact, their candidate who won the seat on the election day with thousands of votes more. However, on the next day, the USDP’s candidate was announced the winner, after all the advance votes were counted. Sai Kham Leng was said to have received 28,861including 271 advance votes and Dr. Sai Mawk Kham 43,641 including10, 140 advance votes. “So we are planning it well as we have learned our lessons. At that time we did not have many people to help and not much time because it was countrywide. But this time we all are going to help at the contest. And the person who will take part in the contest is also the one who the people can accept,” Sai Hsawng Hsi said. The party however has yet to make an official decision as the date to hold the by-elections is not announced yet. There are 48 seats available in parliament, 40 seats in Lower House, 6 in Upper House and 2 in division/state houses, according to Eleven Media Group’s report. The other vacant seat in Shan State, is at Kalaw Township for the Shan State Assembly. The party however will contest only for the Upper House seat in Lashio, Shan State North, said Sai Hsawng Hsi. During the November 2010 polls, the SNDP contested for 114 seats in the whole Shan State, North, East and South, 35 seats in Kachin State and 6 seats in Sagaing Division and 1 in Mandalay Division. It won the second largest seats in Shan State, 31 to the regime proxy party’s 54 and was given 2 portfolios: Industry-mining and Construction.
FTUB Daily News for Nov-16-2011, English News - Morning
News Headlines with Brief (1) Karen, Mon armies make stab at peace | Source: DVB 15-Nov-2011 The opposition Karen National Union is due to meet with high-level government officials this week following the formation of a committee aimed at negotiating an end to one of the world’s most protracted conflicts. Also engaged in talks with Naypyidaw is the New Mon State Party (NMSP), which hosted government representatives yesterday at its headquarters in the eastern Burmese state. Read More..... (2) Burma gets resounding ASEAN support | Source: DVB 15-Nov-2011 Burma moved one step closer to being handed the ASEAN chair for 2014 following months of speculation over whether minist- ers would give their official endorsement to the region’s most controversial government. The Bangkok Post reported this aftern- oon that ASEAN foreign ministers had thrown their support behind Burma’s bid following a summit in Bali. Naypyidaw looks set to host the 2014 summit, which had initially been mooted for Laos before President Thein Sein put in a bid earlier this year. Read More..... (3) Monks in daring Mandalay protest | Source: DVB 15-Nov-2011 Five monks staged a rare protest in army-dominated Burma on Tuesday, witnesses said, drawing a crowd of about 500 people with calls for peace and the immediate release of political prisoners. The monks locked themselves in a building on a religious compound in the central town of Mandalay and were using loudspeakers to spell out their demands a day after an expected amnesty for political prisoners failed to materialise. Read More..... (4) New Military Chief Snubs China with Vietnam Visit | Source: Irrawaddy 15-Nov-2011 As Burma wakes up to the news it will assume the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) chair in 2014, Gen Min Aung Hlaing arrived in Vietnam on Monday for his first trip as commander-in-chief of defense—conspicuously not choosing to visit China like his predecessors. And observers believe that Burma's new position at the centre of Asean could signal a departure from its previous close relationship with Beijing in the wake of the Myitsone Dam project suspension. Read More..... (5) 7-Day News Journal apologizes to readers for hoax story about gecko | Source: Mizzima 15-Nov-2011 The 7-Day News Journal said that the information and photos about the purchase of a US $2 million gecko published in the journal was a fake story sent in by a gecko trader. The article with a headline “A 3 and ½ foot long gecko sold for 1.7 billion kyat” was published on the front cover of one the bestselling journals in Burma, on November 9. The journal apologized on its Facebook page on Tuesday and said the information was not true. Read More..... (6) Shell could return to Burma’s oil and gas sector as PTT partner | Source: Mizzima 15-Nov-2011 After an 18-year absence, Shell may return to Burma’s booming oil and gas sector, according to a report published last week in the Bangkok-based Nation newspaper. The anglo-Dutch multinational oil giant may partner with Thailand’s state-owned PTT Exploration and Production (PTTEP). PTTEP is seeking to develop Burma’s M11 deep-water offshore block that PTTEP currently wholly owns. In August, PTTEP’s president and chief executive Anon Sirisaengtaksin told the Bangkok Post that PTTEP wanted a partner to assist in the development of M11 because of its challenging location. Referring to M11 Anon told the Post, “The block is located a kilometres under the sea, so we really need partners.” Read More..... (7) Police arrest owner of Myitkyina orphanage | Source: Mizzima 15-Nov-2011 The owner of a Burmese orphanage in Myitkyina in Kachin State in which 10 people died and 27 were injured in a bomb explosion on Sunday has been detained by police. Dayaung Tangoon, 48, was arrested in Katha Township in Sagaing Region and transferred to Myitkyina on Tuesday morning. When the bomb explosion took place, Dayaung Tangoon was traveling with Christian pastors, according to reports. Read More..... (8) Tourism chairman Khin Shwe calls Burmese media pessimistic | Source: Mizzima 15-Nov-2011 The Myanmar Tourism Board (MTB) chairman Khin Shwe says the Burmese media, which opposed his idea to transform the historic Ministers’ Office building where Burmese martyrs were assassinated into a hotel, displays a pessimistic attitude. The Ministers’ Office building is located in Kyauktada Township in Rangoon. Read More..... (9) Press release by the Shan Herald Agency for News | Source: Shan 15-Nov-2011 The latest Shan Drug Watch report, released today, reveals that opium cultivation and drug production have surged across Shan State in areas of government control since Burma’s 2010 election. Survey results show opium was grown during the 2010-2011 season in 45 out of 50 Shan townships controlled by government troops, while remaining ceasefire areas along the China-Shan border were opium free. Read More..... (10) Police rescue 70 Burmese sex workers | Source: Bangkok Post 15-Nov-2011 Nearly 70 Burmese women, half of them under the age of 18, have been rescued from a massage parlour in Chanthaburi's Muang district. Pol Lt Col Komvich Pathanarat, head of the Department of Special Investigation's (DSI) Anti-Human Trafficking Centre, said the women are now being cared for by Social Development and Human Security Ministry officials in Chanthaburi. Read More..... Karen, Mon armies make stab at peace http://www.dvb.no/news/karen-mon-armies-make-stab-at-peace/18728 15-Nov-2011 The opposition Karen National Union is due to meet with high-level government officials this week following the formation of a committee aimed at negotiating an end to one of the world’s most protracted conflicts. Also engaged in talks with Naypyidaw is the New Mon State Party (NMSP), which hosted government representatives yesterday at its headquarters in the eastern Burmese state. Both rebel groups have been fighting the Burmese army but a concerted push for a cessation appears underway. A member of the Karen National Union (KNU) said the group’s leadership had formed a Peacemaking Committee last week with KNU deputy chairman David Takabaw as the committee chairman. It will meet with a high-level government delegation, including Railway Minister Aung Min, within a few days. The two sides held preliminary talks on 9 October in the Thai border town of Mae Sot. A number of ethnic armies who have been approached by the government in recent months had until recently stated that negotiations would only take place as part of the umbrella group of rebel forces known as United Nationalities Federal Council. That alliance however appears to be dissipating: the KNU has already struck out on its own, and the NMSP says it is ready to follow suit. “It seems like the policy is changing,” said Nai Kaung Yut, a former colonel with the NMSP who is on its peace-brokering committee. He said also that Karen officials had chosen to negotiate directly with Naypyidaw instead of the usual route through Karen state government officials. The flurry of talks follows hot on the heels of a ceasefire between the government and the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) on 6 November. The two sides had been embroiled in a bitter conflict since DKBA troops attacked government positions in Myawaddy on 7 November last year, the day of Burma’s first elections in 20 years. Troops had defected from the pro-government faction of the DKBA in August last year after leader Na Kham Mwe refused to transform into a Naypyidaw-controlled Border Guard Force. Similar refusals among other ethnic armies inBurma, including the NMSP, have sparked widespread fighting this year. Burma gets resounding ASEAN support http://www.dvb.no/news/burma-gets-asean-chair-for-2014/18731 15-Nov-2011 Burma moved one step closer to being handed the ASEAN chair for 2014 following months of speculation over whether ministers would give their official endorsement to the region’s most controversial government. The Bangkok Post reported this afternoon that ASEAN foreign ministers had thrown their support behind Burma’s bid following a summit in Bali. Naypyidaw looks set to host the 2014 summit, which had initially been mooted for Laos before President Thein Sein put in a bid earlier this year. Speculation has been mounting in recent months over whether the bid would meet with success, but Burma was given a boost last week when Indonesia’s foreign minister Marty Natalegawa said he had received “an overwhelming sense” from his regional counterparts that Burma should get the revolving chairmanship. Yesterday members of the ASEAN Inter-parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC) urged leaders not to endorse the bid, and instead push for more changes in the country, which has been ruled by a nominally civilian government since March this year. It also criticised the Indonesian government for not putting enough pressure on Naypyidaw, the Jakarta Post reported. Lily Chadidjah Wahid and Dadus Sumarwanto expressed dissatisfaction with current ASEAN chair Indonesia for its lackluster support of significant change in Myanmar. “The government looks less committed to encouraging major reform,” AIPMC member Lily Chadidjah Wahid said. “Thein should release all political prisoners without reservation and pursue comprehensive reconciliation with all minorities.” Monks in daring Mandalay protest http://www.dvb.no/news/monks-in-daring-mandalay-protest/18736 15-Nov-2011 Five monks staged a rare protest in army-dominated Burma on Tuesday, witnesses said, drawing a crowd of about 500 people with calls for peace and the immediate release of political prisoners. The monks locked themselves in a building on a religious compound in the central town of Mandalay and were using loudspeakers to spell out their demands a day after an expected amnesty for political prisoners failed to materialise. The protesting monks unfurled banners in English and Burmese reading: “We want freedom”, “Free all political prisoners” and “Stop civil war now” — a reference to the decades-long conflict between the army and ethnic minorities. A Burmese government official confirmed the protest was taking place, telling AFP that the five monks were from Rangoon, not Mandalay. “Local monks are trying to negotiate with them to solve the problem,” he said. No police had arrived at the scene yet, a witness said, adding that a large group of people, including many monks, was sitting on the ground outside the compound and “listening peacefully” to the protest. The five demonstrators claimed they had enough food and water to stay inside the building for three days. Demonstrations by monks are extremely rare in the repressive state, and mass protests led by clergy in 2007 were brutally quashed, with the deaths of at least 31 people and the arrests of many monks. The release of all of the country’s prisoners of conscience, whose exact numbers remain unclear, is one of the major demands of Western nations which have imposed sanctions on Burma. Authorities had been expected to release some political detainees on Monday before President Thein Sein attends a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) regional bloc later this week in Indonesia. But officials said the move was put off at short notice by the powerful National Defence and Security Council. New Military Chief Snubs China with Vietnam Visit http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=22458 15-Nov-2011 As Burma wakes up to the news it will assume the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) chair in 2014, Gen Min Aung Hlaing arrived in Vietnam on Monday for his first trip as commander-in-chief of defense—conspicuously not choosing to visit China like his predecessors. And observers believe that Burma's new position at the centre of Asean could signal a departure from its previous close relationship with Beijing in the wake of the Myitsone Dam project suspension. Although there has been no detailed announcement about the trip from Naypyidaw, military observers have said that the visit was intended to cement military bilateral corporation between the two countries at the invitation of Vietnam’s National Defense Minister Gen Phung Quang Thanh. Burma’s former Commander-in-Chief Tin Oo, currently one of the leaders of the National League for Democracy (NLD), said that there have not been many instances of military corporation with Vietnam. He added that the two nations merely conducted research together and Burmese commanders made a case study of the separation of North and South Vietnam. Tin Oo said, “There’s a small difficulty with China since the president declared the suspension of the Myitsone Dam. Although it is just a military delegation, they want to gain some political respect from China by showing military corporation with Vietnam.” Burma’s newly elected President Thein Sein suspended the Chinese-funded Myitsone Dam project on Sept. 30 in the face of fierce protests from local people and environmental groups. Tin Oo also speculates that “the United States is trying to engage with both the Burmese government and opposition groups like our NLD. Therefore, the delegation might also ask for suggestions regarding how to deal with the United States.” Aung Lynn Htut, a former major in Burmese intelligence who defected in 2005 while serving as deputy chief of the Burmese embassy in Washington D.C., said that although Burma and Vietnam are not military allies, there’s a historical relationship between the respective armed forces regarding defense strategy during the American-Vietnam war. Aung Lynn Htut said, “it is a significant visit because in the past the trip would be made by ministers. It seems that the Burmese Army wants a military alliance in the Southeast Asian region in order to get an alternative against China being the main source of military hardware to Burma.” Aung Kyaw Zaw, a Sino-Burmese military observer, said that the goal of the trip is more likely to be influencing Burma's relationship with China. “China might be worried when they see that a Burmese commander-in-chief went to Vietnam which has been in conflict with [Beijing] over the maritime dispute [regarding oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea]. Burma also wants to show China that they can deal with any country,” said Aung Kyaw Zaw. “They might also ask to buy some military installations from Vietnam in the future.” 7-Day News Journal apologizes to readers for hoax story about gecko http://www.mizzima.com/news/breaking-and-news-brief/6189-7-day-news-journal-apologizes-to-readers-for-hoax-story-about-gecko.html Tuesday, 15 November 2011 21:15 Te Te New Delhi (Mizzima) – The 7-Day News Journal said that the information and photos about the purchase of a US $2 million gecko published in the journal was a fake story sent in by a gecko trader. The article with a headline “A 3 and ½ foot long gecko sold for 1.7 billion kyat” was published on the front cover of one the bestselling journals in Burma, on November 9. The journal apologized on its Facebook page on Tuesday and said the information was not true. The invented story said that a gecko trader offered to buy the gecko at a price of 1 billion kyat but the seller did not sell at that price. When he returned with a higher offer, the story said the gecko had been sold to another trader for 1.7 billion kyat at Kyaukse village in Sagaing Region. The gecko trader used a picture from a Thai website. The journal said on its Facebook page that the gecko trader had sent information to the journal earlier, and he was a reliable news source, so it used the information. The journal said that it failed to cross-check the story, but it did not invent the information. When the journal published the story, there were many debates among readers and the story was popular on websites and Facebook pages. Shell could return to Burma’s oil and gas sector as PTT partner http://www.mizzima.com/business/6186-shell-could-return-to-burmas-oil-and-gas-sector-as-ptt-partner.html Tuesday, 15 November 2011 14:15 Thomas Maung Shwe (Mizzima) – After an 18-year absence, Shell may return to Burma’s booming oil and gas sector, according to a report published last week in the Bangkok-based Nation newspaper. The anglo-Dutch multinational oil giant may partner with Thailand’s state-owned PTT Exploration and Production (PTTEP). PTTEP is seeking to develop Burma’s M11 deep-water offshore block that PTTEP currently wholly owns. In August, PTTEP’s president and chief executive Anon Sirisaengtaksin told the Bangkok Post that PTTEP wanted a partner to assist in the development of M11 because of its challenging location. Referring to M11 Anon told the Post, “The block is located a kilometres under the sea, so we really need partners.” The M11 block is 7,278 square kilometres in size and located South of the Irrawaddy delta in the Gulf of Martaban. If M11 proves to be a viable source of oil or gas, PTTEP and its future partners are expected to use the planned Zawtika pipeline, a project currently under construction, which will send Burmese gas to Thailand from the already proven M-9 block located just north of M11. Shell is considered a leader in deep water offshore drilling and earlier this year became involved with PTTEP and two other international firms in developing a deepwater concession off the coast of New Zealand. In October 1989, Shell became the second foreign firm to enter Burma in the post-Ne Win era when it signed an exploration agreement with the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Committee (SLORC). Less than four year later in March 1993, Shell and its wholly owned Burmese subsidiary Myanmar Shell B.V suspended operations in Burma citing “disappointing exploration results" at its Apyauk onshore concession located in the Pegu Yoma region. Police arrest owner of Myitkyina orphanage http://www.mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/6187-police-arrest-owner-of-myitkyina-orphanage.html Tuesday, 15 November 2011 19:33 Phanida Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – The owner of a Burmese orphanage in Myitkyina in Kachin State in which 10 people died and 27 were injured in a bomb explosion on Sunday has been detained by police. Dayaung Tangoon, 48, was arrested in Katha Township in Sagaing Region and transferred to Myitkyina on Tuesday morning. When the bomb explosion took place, Dayaung Tangoon was traveling with Christian pastors, according to reports. "His is locked up in legs," said a friend. "They suspect that he was conducting a bombing campaign.” The explosion at his house in Thida ward in Myitkyina in northern Burma killed two of his sons, one grandchild, four orphans and three refugees, who had fled a neighbouring town to escape the fighting between government troops and the rebel Kachin Independence Organization (KIO). A funeral service for the victims was held on Tuesday. Body parts were blown out of the house due to the powerful explosion, according to local residents, who said earlier that two men riding a motorcycle threw a parcel into the orphanage compound before the blast occurred. No one has been arrested or claimed responsibility for the explosion. Dayaung Tangoon was a mentor of the Myanmar Martial Arts Group. His wife, who was among the 27 injured, is being treated in a Myitkyina hospital. Sources said the injured were not allowed to meet visitors. A member of the Kachin Culture Organization and a teacher in a marching music band, Dayang Tangoon has received support from a well-known businessman, Yupzau Hkawng, the owner of the Jade Land Company, sources said. An article in the government-backed Myanmar Ahlin daily newspaper contained an unsubstantiated accusation linking other previous bombings in the town to Dayang Tangoon and speculated that a bomb went off inside his house-compound. The article also mentioned destructive acts by the KIO from June 2010 to November 2011. Tourism chairman Khin Shwe calls Burmese media pessimistic http://www.mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/6188-tourism-chairman-khin-shwe-calls-burmese-media-pessimistic.html Tuesday, 15 November 2011 20:37 Myo Thein (Mizzima) – The Myanmar Tourism Board (MTB) chairman Khin Shwe says the Burmese media, which opposed his idea to transform the historic Ministers’ Office building where Burmese martyrs were assassinated into a hotel, displays a pessimistic attitude. The Ministers’ Office building is located in Kyauktada Township in Rangoon. Khin Shwe made his remarks at a press conference about Burmese tourism held in the Yuzana Garden Hotel in Rangoon on Tuesday. Khin Shwe, who owns of the Zaygabar Company, said local media covers news in a pessimistic way like the foreign media. “Spiteful reports depress me very much,” he said. “They [the media] cannot see the good part. It seems that they cannot recognize that the path the country is taking is good.” A member of the Upper House of Parliament and the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), he also made a verbal attack on people who said they would try to protect the building from being transformed into a hotel. “I heard that some people said that they would sacrifice their lives to protect the building. They don’t need to sacrifice their lives. If those people cadged 100,000 kyat (about US $126) per person to protect the building, nobody would give it. They only want to sacrifice their lives,” Khin Shwe said. “The local journals do not have enough experience,” he said. However, he praised an article, “Which ruler will be used to measure?” about expressing different views. He passed out the article that was published in the “Monitor Journal.” The article said, “The Ministers’ Office is just an inheritance from the English and National Hero General Aung San used the building as an office just for a few months, so instead of the Burmese people maintaining it as an inheritance, English people who colonized Burma should maintain it, and if the state maintains it, it will cost a lot of money.” Khin Shwe said that he could afford to visit foreign countries such as Singapore and the U.S. and spend a lot of money. Although he could live as a millionaire in a foreign country, he said he was living and working in Burma. Press release by the Shan Herald Agency for News 15-Nov-2011 The latest Shan Drug Watch report, released today, reveals that opium cultivation and drug production have surged across Shan State in areas of government control since Burma’s 2010 election. Survey results show opium was grown during the 2010-2011 season in 45 out of 50 Shan townships controlled by government troops, while remaining ceasefire areas along the China-Shan border were opium free. The report exposes how the regime’s policies of military expansion and nurturing of “People’s Militia” forces in Shan State are fuelling the drug trade, as these forces are given the green light to deal in drugs in exchange for suppressing resistance groups. “There has been a massive increase in poppy cultivation, as well as heroin and methamphetamine production, in the regime’s militia-controlled areas,” said Khuensai Jaiyen, principal author of the Shan Drug Watch report. The report profiles seven druglords, all militia leaders, now serving as MPs for Burma’s ruling party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party in Shan State. They had promised voters they could grow poppies freely if they were elected. “If Burma’s generals are serious about making Burma drug-free by 2014, they must stop their war-mongering and negotiate a political settlement to the civil war,” said Khuensai Jaiyen, referring to Burma’s drug-free target date, set a year before that of ASEAN. Favourable weather and intensive cultivation made last season’s opium harvest the best in years, according to farmers. In some areas, two to three crops of opium were grown during the year, and in central Shan State farmers have even started harvesting sap from the stems as well as the pods. Despite the increased availability of opium and heroin, methamphetamine or “yaba” has become the most popular drug among youth in Shan State, where the cost of a pill is as low as 1,500 kyat (US$1.7) compared to 100 baht (US$3.3) per pill across the border in Thailand. Police rescue 70 Burmese sex workers http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/266254/police-rescue-70-burmese-sex-workers 15-Nov-2011 Nearly 70 Burmese women, half of them under the age of 18, have been rescued from a massage parlour in Chanthaburi's Muang district. Pol Lt Col Komvich Pathanarat, head of the Department of Special Investigation's (DSI) Anti-Human Trafficking Centre, said the women are now being cared for by Social Development and Human Security Ministry officials in Chanthaburi. He said all the women will be sent back to their homes in Burma once investigations are completed, which will take about 2-3 months. Some of the women entered the country illegally to work as prostitutes, while the others were promised legitimate work only to be forced into prostitution, Pol Lt Col Komvich said. "We found about half of them are still under age, probably not more than 18 years old. "We are now investigating how many were forced into prostitution and are gathering further evidence in order to go after those who lured them into the sex trade," he said. The DSI rescue was the result of an appeal by the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women late last month asking the department to help find a 16-year-old Burmese girl, called Khon. The girl's aunt had contacted the alliance to help find her missing niece in Thailand. Pol Lt Col Komvich said the breakthrough in the search for Khon came when the alliance contacted the DSI again, informing them that she had telephoned her aunt for help, and telling her she had been lured into working in a massage parlour in Chanthaburi by a human trafficking gang. The girl told her aunt she had been forced to work as a prostitute in the massage parlour for two months and had never received any money, he said. Pol Lt Col Komvich then posed as a customer to find the girl and check whether she was really working there. The DSI then raided the place after obtaining a search wa
FTUB Daily News for Nov-15-2011, English News - Morning
News Headlines with Brief (1) Burma delays prisoner amnesty | Source: DVB 14-Nov-2011 A release of political prisoners in military-dominated Burma which was expected on Monday has been delayed after a meeting of top officials, sources said. “So far we haven’t had any order or instruction from superiors,” an official who asked not to be named told AFP, adding that the decision to delay the process was made “at the last minute” by the crucial National Defence and Security Council. Read More..... (2) Officer killed, three others injured in bomb blast at police station in Shan State | Source: Mizzima 14-Nov-2011 The state-run newspaper New Light of Myanmar reported on Monday that a bomb exploded on Thursday outside a police station in Namhkam Township in Shan State, killing one police officer and injuring three people. At about 8.45 pm, a passenger on a motorcycle threw a one-feet-square paper package outside the Namhkam police station on Myawaddy Road and drove away, according to the newspaper. Acting on a tip, Police Sub-inspector Zaw Htoo Khoung Hsan and others went to inspect the packet and a bomb exploded. Read More..... (3) Fire devastates the largest market in Minbya in Arakan State | Source: Mizzima 14-Nov-2011 A fire at the Myoma Market, the largest market in Minbya in Arakan State, on Saturday damaged about 700 shops, according to the Minbya Township police station. The fire started in a shop that stored palm oil in the market on Strand Road in Alelpine Ward in Minbya and spread through the vast market complex. Estimates said 567 market shops and more than 100 temporary shops were destroyed in the fire. Read More..... (4) Burma bomb blast kills 10: government official | Source: Bangkok Post 15-Nov-2011 A bomb blast in the capital of Burma's northern Kachin state has killed 10 people, including two women, a government official in the military-dominated country said on Monday.Another 23 people, including some 15 children, were injured in the explosion on Sunday evening in the town of Myitkyina, the official, who did not wish to be named, told AFP.The blast occurred in a two-storey house and caused a fire that spread to two neighbouring homes, he said. Read More..... Burma delays prisoner amnesty http://www.dvb.no/news/burma-delays-prisoner-amnesty/18723 14-Nov-2011 A release of political prisoners in military-dominated Burma which was expected on Monday has been delayed after a meeting of top officials, sources said. “So far we haven’t had any order or instruction from superiors,” an official who asked not to be named told AFP, adding that the decision to delay the process was made “at the last minute” by the crucial National Defence and Security Council. Burmese President Thein Sein is due to attend an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit on the Indonesian island of Bali later this week, and the official said an amnesty had been expected before his departure. “I think they delayed the process as they only wanted to release the political prisoners slowly with the pardon of the president,” the official said. Burma carried out a mass prisoner amnesty last month but this did not include most key dissidents, disappointing observers and the opposition. The release of all of the country’s political detainees — who include democracy campaigners, journalists and lawyers — is one of the major demands of Western nations which have imposed sanctions on Burma. The reasons for the delay were not clear, but the authorities are now expected to decide on a case-by-case basis which prisoners to release. Officer killed, three others injured in bomb blast at police station in Shan State http://www.mizzima.com/news/breaking-and-news-brief/6181-officer-killed-three-others-injured-in-bomb-blast-at-police-station-in-shan-state.html Monday, 14 November 2011 19:19 Mizzima News Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – The state-run newspaper New Light of Myanmar reported on Monday that a bomb exploded on Thursday outside a police station in Namhkam Township in Shan State, killing one police officer and injuring three people. At about 8.45 pm, a passenger on a motorcycle threw a one-feet-square paper package outside the Namhkam police station on Myawaddy Road and drove away, according to the newspaper. Acting on a tip, Police Sub-inspector Zaw Htoo Khoung Hsan and others went to inspect the packet and a bomb exploded. Police Sub-inspector Zaw Htoo Khoung Hsan was killed, and police Lance Corporal Kyaw Swa Moe and two women were injured. The injured were taken to Muse District Hospital, according to the newspaper. Meanwhile, on Sunday evening two people riding a motorcycle threw a parcel that contained a grenade into an orphanage in Myitkyina in Kachin State, leaving 10 people dead and 27 injured. No group has claimed responsibility for the bomb attacks. Fire devastates the largest market in Minbya in Arakan State http://www.mizzima.com/news/breaking-and-news-brief/6182-fire-devastates-the-largest-market-in-minbya-in-arakan-state.html Monday, 14 November 2011 19:22 Te Te New Delhi (Mizzima) – A fire at the Myoma Market, the largest market in Minbya in Arakan State, on Saturday damaged about 700 shops, according to the Minbya Township police station. The fire started in a shop that stored palm oil in the market on Strand Road in Alelpine Ward in Minbya and spread through the vast market complex. Estimates said 567 market shops and more than 100 temporary shops were destroyed in the fire. “They thought that the a spent fire in a charcoal stove could not cause a fire and did not pay attention. Palm oil was seeping into the stove. When people noticed it, they could not put out the fire,” a police official said. Government authorities said the total value of the damage is about 850 million kyat (about USD $1 million), but shop owners said the value of the damage was about two billion kyat. “The fire left the market in ashes. All the property in my shop was burned. Nothing can be used anymore,” a textile shop owner said. The shops included household appliance shops, food shops, clothing shops, construction material shops and medicine shops. A fire engine from Minbya and two fire engines from Mrauk-U fought the fire, which was extinguished about 10:15 p.m. Residents said the fire caused extensive damage because firemen could not respond quickly. “The fire engines are not in good condition. One fire engine could not start its engine. Fire engines that came from other towns could not get here in time because of poor roads so all we could do was watch the fire,” said a resident. On Sunday, the Arakan State chief minister inspected the market. The municipality will attempt to build a temporary market in a space near the market, according to the township police station. Burma bomb blast kills 10: government official http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/266243/burma-bomb-blast-kills-10-government-official 14-Nov-2011 A bomb blast in the capital of Burma's northern Kachin state has killed 10 people, including two women, a government official in the military-dominated country said on Monday. A Myanmar newspapers vendor waits for customers in downtown Yangon in March 2011. A bomb blast in the capital of Myanmar's northern Kachin state has killed 10 people, including two women, a government official in the military-dominated country said on Monday. Another 23 people, including some 15 children, were injured in the explosion on Sunday evening in the town of Myitkyina, the official, who did not wish to be named, told AFP. The blast occurred in a two-storey house and caused a fire that spread to two neighbouring homes, he said. The explosion appeared to have been unintentional, occurring when a man in the building was "showing others how to plant a bomb", the source said. He added that there were several orphans living in the dwellings, some as young as three. Two other bombs exploded in the same town on Saturday but caused no casualties, according to the state-run New Light of Burma newspaper. Burma has been hit by several bomb blasts in recent years, most of them minor, which the authorities have blamed on armed exile groups or ethnic minority fighters. Several ethnic rebel groups, seeking more autonomy and rights, have waged war against the state since independence in 1948, leading to six decades of civil conflict in some regions, although most groups have signed fragile ceasefires. In the areas where fighting continues, rights groups have accused the army of waging a brutal counter-insurgency involving the rape, torture and murder of villagers and the recruitment of child soldiers. A nominally civilian government replaced Burma's long-ruling military junta in March. Observers say the ethnic minority conflict is the main threat facing the regime, posing an even bigger challenge for the long term future of the country than democratic reforms. Fighting between the army and ethnic militias has intensified in recent months in northern and eastern parts of the country. In August, state media accused ethnic fighters in Kachin state of killing seven people who visited a Chinese-run dam at the centre of an ongoing conflict between the army and rebels. In June, bomb blasts rattled three Burma cities, including the capital Naypyidaw, injuring two people. In April last year, in the worst attack in five years in Burma's main city Rangoon, a series of blasts left 10 people dead and about 170 wounded as thousands of people gathered for festivities to mark the Buddhist New Year.
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