FTUB Daily News for Dec-23-2011, English News - Evening

News Headlines with Brief (1) Election Commission Promises Suu Kyi Free and Fair Election | Source: Irrawaddy 23-Dec-2011 The chairman of Burma's Union Election Commission (EC), Tin Aye, has promised pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi that he will ensure the forthcoming by-elections are free and fair, and that the government was committed to cooperating with the opposition for the welfare of the country. Read More..... (2) Burma moots early 2012 prisoner amnesty | Source: DVB 23-Dec-2011 Two batches of prisoners will be released in January and February, according to leaders of the Karen National Union (KNU) who spoke with a Burmese government minister this week. The two releases would take place on 4 January and 12 February, railway minister Aung Min was quoted by the KNU’s David Htaw as saying. The two met earlier this week to thrash out plans for ceasefire negotiations between the KNU and Burmese army, who have been at war for more than six decades. Read More..... (3) India to dispatch army chief to Burma | Source: DVB 23-Dec-2011 Ongoing anxiety in the Indian government over security along its porous shared border with Burma has prompted New Delhi to line up a visit by army chief General VK Singh to Naypyidaw next month. The five-day trip beginning 5 January is the first time Singh will visit Burma, and points to continued concerns at Burma’s apparent reluctance to tackle Indian separatist groups believed to shelter in camps inside the Burmese border. Read More..... (4) Reward Offered for Remaining Bomber | Source: Irrawaddy 23-Dec-2011 Burmese authorities are offering 500,000 kyat [US $670] to anyone who can provide the whereabouts of the remaining bomber behind a blast that killed a woman in Rangoon on Wednesday. Three people suspected of involvement in the bombing have already been arrested while one suspect remains at large, according to a police source in Rangoon who spoke to The Irrawaddy on Friday. Read More..... (5) NLD Registers | Source: Irrawaddy 23-Dec-2011 Burma’s pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi formally registered her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), on Friday morning at Naypyidaw's Union Election Commission where she was met by Chairman ex-Lt-Gen Tin Aye. On her second visit to the capital since her release from house arrest in November, Suu Kyi was accompanied by NLD colleagues including former general Tin Oo, spokesman Nyan Win and Win Myint. Read More..... (6) Hope rises for political prisoners release | Source: Mizzima 23-Dec-2011 The news of a probable release of Burmese prisoners including political prisoners on either January 4 or February 12 has given people hope for a brighter new year. The families of political prisoners are anticipating their release after Rail Minister Aung Min told ethnic armed groups and Lower House Speaker Thura Shwe Mahn told visiting U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of a possible release. Read More..... (7) UNFC: Federal Army formed, better late than never | Source: Shan 23-Dec-2011 Burma’s latest ethnic alliance formed in February has successfully established the long awaited Federal Union Army after 10 months, according to United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) Assistant Secretary General Hkun Okker. The founding meeting, 16-17 December, was held at an undisclosed location along the Thai-Burmese border. Read More..... (8) Wa, Mongla: No graduates from 20 year junta run schools | Source: Shan 23-Dec-2011 From 1989, when the ceasefire agreement was concluded, to 2009, when Wa and Mongla rejected Naypyitaw’s Border Guard Force (BGF programme, the military government had set up schools in their territories to teach their children, but to date, there has not been a single graduate from these schools, claim Wa and Mongla officials. Read More..... Election Commission Promises Suu Kyi Free and Fair Election http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=22714 23-Dec-2011 The chairman of Burma's Union Election Commission (EC), Tin Aye, has promised pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi that he will ensure the forthcoming by-elections are free and fair, and that the government was committed to cooperating with the opposition for the welfare of the country. According to Nyan Win, the main spokesman for Suu Kyi's National League for democracy (NLD), the former lieutenant-general made the pledges when the pair spoke on Friday at his office in Naypyidaw following the NLD's registration at the election office. “U Tin Aye told Daw Aung San Suu Kyi that he will do his best to ensure the legitimacy of the upcoming elections, and he proposed that both the government and the opposition work together for the betterment of the country,” Nyan Win told The Irrawaddy on Friday afternoon. “He also proposed that both sides cooperate to improve the economy,” he said. “Daw Aung San Suu Kyi thanked U Tin Aye for his pledge to cooperate and to ensure free and fair elections,” Nyan Win said, adding that they also discussed a few technical details with regard to the by-elections during their two-hour meeting. Tin Aye did not disclose when the by-elections would be held, the NLD spokesman said. However, the EC chairman estimated that the bureaucratic process for giving the green light to the NLD application could take three or four weeks. “During the meeting, U Tin Aye appeared reassuring and friendly, and he offered his opinions frankly and openly,” Nyan Win said when asked about his impression of the man who used to be No.6 in the military junta hierarchy. According to reports from Naypyidaw, Suu Kyi also met Upper House Speaker Khin Aung Myint and then Lower House Speaker Shwe Mann, formerly No. 3 in the military hierarchy, at their offices in the capital on Friday afternoon. Correspondents from local journals said Suu Kyi discussed matters of democracy and parliamentary issues with both house speakers. “As a democratic system is based on justice, liberty and equality, we are serious on the issue of all-inclusiveness,” Khin Aung Myint was quoted by Weekly Eleven News as saying. Neither Suu Kyi nor any other NLD representative is scheduled to meet President Thein Sein on this visit as he has a prior engagement outside the capital. Tin Aye is not only the EC chairman, but is also the former chairman of the military’s Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd, and a close aide to former junta supremo Than Shwe. Military sources describe him as Than Shwe’s “revenue keeper.” He previously attended the same Intake 9 of the Defense Services Academy along with Thein Sein. NLD party leaders Tin Oo and Suu Kyi formally registered the party on Friday morning at Naypyidaw's Union Election Commission office. On Suu Kyi's second visit to the capital since her release from house arrest in November, she was accompanied by NLD colleagues, including former general Tin Oo, spokesman Nyan Win and Win Myint. Suu Kyi's first trip to Naypyidaw was in August when she was invited to attend a government economic workshop. She met and held her first talks with Thein Sein at the presidential palace where they reportedly discussed the political situation in Burma and national reconciliation. After meetings with Thein Sein and other ministers in Naypyidaw on August 19-20, Suu Kyi said she was “satisfied” with the outcome. Following those positive first steps between the government and the country's main opposition leader, Parliament amended the Political Party Registration Law, effectively allowing the NLD to register again as a legal party and opening the way for it to contest by-elections next year. On Monday, the NLD leadership elected Suu Kyi as the deputy leader of the NLD, and her close aide, Tin Oo, as the leader for formal registration purposes. The NLD said it intends to contest 48 constituencies in the coming by-elections, and that Suu Kyi herself will be a candidate. Even if the NLD secures all 48 seats in the polls, it will be still be in a minority until the next general election in 2015. Meanwhile, the military-backed ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) will continue to dominate the majority of both houses. Burma moots early 2012 prisoner amnesty http://www.dvb.no/news/burma-moots-early-2012-prisoner-amnesty/19362 23-Dec-2011 Two batches of prisoners will be released in January and February, according to leaders of the Karen National Union (KNU) who spoke with a Burmese government minister this week. The two releases would take place on 4 January and 12 February, railway minister Aung Min was quoted by the KNU’s David Htaw as saying. The two met earlier this week to thrash out plans for ceasefire negotiations between the KNU and Burmese army, who have been at war for more than six decades. According to David Htaw, the minister reportedly said that “political prisoners” would be among those released. The government has consistently refused to admit that it holds detainees on political charges, instead referring to the country’s estimated political prisoners as “common criminals”. “By [12 February], almost all political prisoners will be released, he told us,” said David Htaw. The number of political prisoners behind bars has become a matter of contention since the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) in October released a list of around 600 jailed activists, journalists, lawyers and so on. The Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners – Burma (AAPP) however puts the figure at 1,546. The Burmese comedian Zarganar, who was released in the October amnesty, also drew up a list of around 600 political prisoners during a visit to jails shortly after his release. No detail has been given on the reasons for the discrepancy, although it may stem from the fact that a number of political prisoners have been charged in relation to violent acts. Nay Zin Latt, a senior advisor to Burmese President Thein Sein, said the conflicting figures “could arise from differences in ideology”. Tate Naing, joint secretary of AAPP, said he thought the political prisoners would be released in the second amnesty in February. “As there has never been a declaration of what constitute a political prisoner, we are watching what kind of people will be released and how many will be released.” India to dispatch army chief to Burma http://www.dvb.no/news/india-to-dispatch-army-chief-to-burma/19349 23-Dec-2011 Ongoing anxiety in the Indian government over security along its porous shared border with Burma has prompted New Delhi to line up a visit by army chief General VK Singh to Naypyidaw next month. The five-day trip beginning 5 January is the first time Singh will visit Burma, and points to continued concerns at Burma’s apparent reluctance to tackle Indian separatist groups believed to shelter in camps inside the Burmese border. New Delhi has taken steps over the past year to bolster its defence in the troubled northeastern states, including the development of infrastructure such as roads and helipads that will allow quicker deployment of paramilitary groups like the Assam Rifles to battle separatists. But despite a number of joint military agreements being signed by both governments aimed at closer cooperation in the region, Naypyidaw for its part has made little progress in clearing groups like the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) from its territory. Analyst Bertil Lintner says that India’s frustration with Burma stems from the differing priorities of both governments. “[The separatist groups] are not a major concern in Burma – they have other [military] priorities that are more important, such as tackling the Karen, Shan and Kachin rebel groups”. Deploying army units to the Indian border is also a tricky task. “These regions are remote and isolated, and for Burma’s army to move around is a major operation logistically – there’s no infrastructure,” Lintner said. The ULFA, which is fighting for an independent Assam, has long been alleged to have bases in Burma’s northern Kachin state. India’s Maoist rebels are also believed to have trained over the border. While the Burmese drag their feet over the issue, Lintner says there is “no possibility” that Burma would allow small-scale Indian army operations on its soil in the near future. “They don’t want any foreign troops across their border – they’re too sensitive about that.” According to the Hindustan Times, Burma recently rejected offers of weaponry from India, which is one of only eight countries believed to supply arms to Naypyidaw. Instead, the paper reported, Burma requested only maintenance of existing purchases. Weapons’ supplies from India are thought to comprise mostly artillery, and destined mainly for Burmese army camps in its northwest. The visit by Singh may also be an attempt to draw Burma’s military away from China, which supplies most of its arms. India has made no secret of its attempt to entice its neighbour away from the clutches of Beijing, and may be looking to exploit an apparent unease within the Burmese government over its dependence on China, as signalled by the cancellation of the Myitsone dam in October. Burma has however sought to play India and China off against one another, likely in a bid to maintain a degree of independence from the region’s main powerhouses. Burma’s powerful parliamentary speaker Shwe Mann was in India last week, ostensibly to study the development of India’s own political arena since independence but the visit offered a clear indication of Burma’s attempt to wriggle out of Beijing’s orbit. India’s once frosty relations with the Burmese regime have warmed since the early 1990s when it sought to develop stronger business relations with its neighbour, which acts as its only geographical gateway to Southeast Asian economies and a coveted source of natural energy. Reward Offered for Remaining Bomber http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=22709 23-Dec-2011 Burmese authorities are offering 500,000 kyat [US $670] to anyone who can provide the whereabouts of the remaining bomber behind a blast that killed a woman in Rangoon on Wednesday. Three people suspected of involvement in the bombing have already been arrested while one suspect remains at large, according to a police source in Rangoon who spoke to The Irrawaddy on Friday. The blast killed a woman civilian and seriously injured another on Wednesday morning in an incident that authorities are blaming on an unspecified Thailand-based dissident group. “According to our investigation, we learned that the suspects entered the country after attending explosion training at the Thai-Burmese border,” said the police source. “We believe that the bomber is still in Rangoon. We have distributed his photograph to all respective police stations,” he said, adding that the remaining suspect is a 23-year-old man. Local authorities have beefed up security around major locations such as railway and bus stations, and checkpoints at the outskirts of towns. The arrested suspects are to be tried on several charges, including murder and threatening the stability of the state, said the source. The homemade bomb exploded in a public toilet at the old campus of Rangoon University at 11 am on Wednesday, killing 30-year-old Mya San Yi and seriously injuring 24-year-old Khin Myat Nwe who is now being treated at Rangoon General Hospital. Local authorities said that they will hold a press conference after they arrest the remaining suspect. NLD Registers http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=22708 23-Dec-2011 Burma’s pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi formally registered her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), on Friday morning at Naypyidaw's Union Election Commission where she was met by Chairman ex-Lt-Gen Tin Aye. On her second visit to the capital since her release from house arrest in November, Suu Kyi was accompanied by NLD colleagues including former general Tin Oo, spokesman Nyan Win and Win Myint. The group was received at the office of Tin Aye, recognized as No.6 in the hierarchy during the reign of the former military junta. While in Naypyidaw, Suu Kyi is expected to meet several high-ranking officials from the new government, including ex-Gen Shwe Mann who is currently the speaker for the Lower House of Parliament. However, neither Suu Kyi nor other NLD representatives are scheduled to meet President Thein Sein on this visit as he has a prior engagement outside the capital. Suu Kyi is booked to stay at the Royal Naypyitaw Hotel. Suu Kyi's first trip to Naypyidaw was in August when she was invited to attend a government economic workshop. She met and held her first talks with Thein Sein at the presidential palace where they reportedly discussed the political situation in Burma and national reconciliation. After meetings with Thein Sein and other ministers in Naypyidaw on August 19-20, Suu Kyi said she was “satisfied.” Following those positive first steps between the government and the country's main opposition leader, Parliament amended the Political Party Registration Law, effectively allowing the NLD to register again as a legal party and opening the way for it to contest by-elections next year. On Monday, the NLD leadership elected Suu Kyi as the deputy leader of the NLD, and her close aide, Tin Oo, as the leader for formal registration purposes. Hope rises for political prisoners release http://www.mizzima.com/news/prisoner-watch/6312-hope-rises-for-political-prisoners-release.html Friday, 23 December 2011 14:11 Myo Thant Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – The news of a probable release of Burmese prisoners including political prisoners on either January 4 or February 12 has given people hope for a brighter new year. The families of political prisoners are anticipating their release after Rail Minister Aung Min told ethnic armed groups and Lower House Speaker Thura Shwe Mahn told visiting U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of a possible release. The families of the political prisoners “are expecting the release of their loved ones,” said Aung Zaw Tun of the Families of Political Prisoners Network. At informal peace talks with New Mon State Party (NMSP) on Thursday, team leader and Rail Minister Aung Min told them to expect a release on Independence Day (January 4) and Union Day (February 12), NMSP General-Secretary Nai Han Thar told reporters. Also, at peace talk with the Karen National Union (KNU) on Wednesday, Aung Min said prisoners including political prisoners would be released early next year. “They [the government] also want to release these prisoners so they will be released on January 4 and political prisoners will be among them. Also more prisoners will be released on February 12 and more political prisoners will be released among them too,” said KNU central executive committee member Pado David Taw, who attended the meeting. On Wednesday, Aung San Suu Kyi also told a meeting of 88-generation student leadeers that political prisoners would be released, said 88-generation student leader Tun Myint Aung, who attended the meeting. At a press conference held after the visit of the U.S. secretary of state in November, Shwe Mahn said, “We promised her to fulfill her request of allowing the participation of all nationals in state building and for the unity of all ethnic nationalities in state affairs,” which referred to political prisoners. Aung Tun, the younger brother of 88-generation student leader Ko Ko Gyi, who is serving a 65-year prison term in Mong Hsat Prison, said he hopes for the release of his elder brother, but he’s cautious. in18 “We have heard similar news many times before. We have waited for many years. This is not new to us. We will be happy if they are released. We hope for this, but according to the teaching of Lord Buddha, his divine retribution has not yet finished for the sin in his past life.” President Thein Sein has granted amnesty to 6,356 prisoners this year, but only 220 political prisoners were among them, the exile-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) (AAPP-B) said in a press release. 88-generation leader Phyo Min Thein said all political prisoners should be released now, and if no release occurs, the families of political prisoners will suffer even more. “The families of these prisoners must be cautious about believing the rumours. If the rumours do not come true, the families will suffer even greater despair,” he told Mizzima. There are currently about 600 political prisoners in prisons across Burma, according to Nai Nai, a member of the National League for Democracy Social Aid group that works with political prisoners. According to a AAPP-B list compiled on December 14, there are 1,546 political prisoners. UNFC: Federal Army formed, better late than never http://www.shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4299:unfc-federal-army-formed-better-late-than-never&catid=85:politics&Itemid=266 Friday, 23 December 2011 11:21 S.H.A.N. Burma’s latest ethnic alliance formed in February has successfully established the long awaited Federal Union Army after 10 months, according to United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) Assistant Secretary General Hkun Okker. The founding meeting, 16-17 December, was held at an undisclosed location along the Thai-Burmese border. Maj Gen Bee Htoo of Karenni Army was appointed as its Commander-in-Chief, Brig Gen Gun Maw of Kachin Independence Army (KIA) as Deputy #1 and a yet-to-be-named Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) commander as Deputy #2. “The ball has begun rolling so things are getting better,” he said. “So we can’t really say we’re too late.” This statement was in response to comments that it should have been formed when all eyes and ears were still focusing on the UNFC early in the year. Critics have pointed out that the alliance had done every little to either deter or stage a collective defensive against the Burma Army’s offensives against its members, the Shan State Army (SSA) ‘North’ (13 March) and the KIA (9 June). According to its Circular #1 / 2011, the Federal Union Army’s aims and objectives are: To defend the Union To achieve peace To restore democratic rights and fundamental rights of the people To struggle for Equality and Right of self Determination To oppose human rights violations and war crimes committed by some elements of the Burma Army To serve as a rally point for Burma Army members who wish to stand by the people To become a part of the armed forces of the future federal union The circular also designates the following armed groups as its allies: Arakan Liberation Army (ALA), All Burma Student Democratic Front (ABSDF), United Wa State Army (UWSA), National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA) and the Shan State Army (SSA) ‘South’. Apart from the first two, the rest are groups that have signed ceasefire agreements with Burma’s new government. The UNFC has demanded that President Thein Sein, who had offered peace talks on 18 August, to deal with it directly instead of group by group. However Naypyitaw’s negotiators say it will hold direct talks only at the third stage of the peace process. The three-stage peace process as outlined by U Aung Min, Naypyitaw’s chief negotiator at the 19 November talks, are: Ceasefire, Development and Conference to be held in the style of 1947 Panglong. Wa, Mongla: No graduates from 20 year junta run schools http://www.shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4301:wa-mongla-no-graduates-from-20-year-junta-run-schools&catid=93:general&Itemid=291 Friday, 23 December 2011 12:21 S.H.A.N. From 1989, when the ceasefire agreement was concluded, to 2009, when Wa and Mongla rejected Naypyitaw’s Border Guard Force (BGF programme, the military government had set up schools in their territories to teach their children, but to date, there has not been a single graduate from these schools, claim Wa and Mongla officials. Since the teachers had complained that they were working at the border with law pay where the cost of living was high, both Wa and Mongla authorities had offered supplementary allowances, from 80-300 Yuan ($ 13-50) per month. Even so, there were many drop outs, they said, due to the following reasons: Teachers did not take their duties to heart. Teaching was only perfunctory They were always applying for transfer to towns outside the ceasefire areas When replacement teachers arrived, they started their lessons all over again A Mongla official added there were fewer students before the teachers’ departure in 2010 following tensions between Wa-Mongla and Naypyitaw than during the two years when they were on their own: Before 2009 After 2009 Mongla 100+ 400+ Mongma 50+ 250+ “We were teaching Shan,” he explained, “and we saw to it that the teachers really earn their pay. But then we signed a new agreement and the Burmese teachers have returned.” He commented that had the government been serious about building up human resources, both the Wa and Mongla could already have several university graduates including PhDs. “Now we only have graduates from Chinese language schools and Buddhist temples,” said the official, who was formerly a Buddhist monk. “We hope our experiences serve as a warning for all our brother organizations,” concluded the Wa official. Wa and Mongla signed new ceasefire agreements on 6 and 7 September respectively. They also signed a Union level agreement pledging not to secede from the Union on 1 and 9 October respectively. During the Union level negotiation, each had presented a 14 point proposal. So far they have yet to receive a reply on them.