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.