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BURMA RELATED NEWS - AUGUST 24, 2011
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August 24, 2011
VOA News - UN Envoy Meets Burmese Political Prisoners, Aung San Suu Kyi
United Nations officials say special envoy Tomas Quintana spoke with political prisoners at Burma's notorious Insein Prison on Wednesday, ahead of what he described as a "very productive" meeting with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Aye Win, a U.N. spokesman based in Burma, says that Quintana was permitted to speak to all the political prisoners he asked for by name.
These included Aung Ghein, Dr. Tin Min Htut, Ms. Khin Nu Nu, Phyo Wai Aung, Wai Zaw Naing, Sithu Zeya and Nyi Nyi Tun. He said the human rights envoy also visited the hospital and a meditation center at the prison, which is believed to hold many of Burma's more than 2,000 political prisoners.
Later Wednesday Quintana met privately for about an hour with Aung San Suu Kyi before holding talks with senior officials of her National League for Democracy. NLD spokesman Ohn Kyaing told the Burmese service that Quintana described to them his talks this week with senior figures in the new Burmese government.
He said Quintana told the group he had done his best to impress on the Burmese leaders the importance of respecting human rights and the rule of law.
In a separate interview, NLD legal team member Nyan Win told says that he and Quintana two spoke about establishing an inquiry into human rights violations committed by the government. He says Quintana said the inquiry would not be undertaken to punish any particular individual but to make sure there is some rule of law in the country.
Quintana, who is charged with assessing the human rights situation in Burma, had not been permitted to meet Aung San Suu Kyi during previous visits, when she was under house arrest.
Quintana has been in Burma since Sunday and is expected to comment on his findings before leaving the country Thursday.
Earlier this week, Quintana met with several top officials in the capital, Naypyitaw, including Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin, Chief Justice Tun Tun Oo, and Defense Minister Gen. Hla Min. He also attended a regular session of the new parliament.
This is the first time in more than a year that Burmese officials have granted a visa to Quintana, who angered Burmese authorities last year by proposing that the United Nations establish a commission of inquiry to look into suspected crimes against humanity.
Quintana said before setting out on his current trip that he wanted to see how the human rights situation has changed since the installation of a new, nominally civilian-led government at the end of March.
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Myanmar's Suu Kyi calls UN envoy visit encouraging
(AP) – 4 hours ago
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Myanmar's pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi says she is encouraged after meeting with the U.N. human rights envoy to Myanmar.
Suu Kyi says Wednesday's 90-minute meeting in Yangon with Tomas Ojea Quintana and leaders of her disbanded National League for Democracy focused on Myanmar's more than 2,000 political prisoners and other human rights issues.
She says Quintana has a "genuine will to help improve human rights conditions in Myanmar."
Quintana says he has had "fruitful meetings" with government ministers and representatives of political parties. He will brief the media Thursday.
His five-day visit to Myanmar is his first since a nominally civilian government took power in March. He had repeatedly been refused a visa for over a year.
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Suu Kyi says Myanmar president wants 'real change'
By Soe Than Win | AFP News – 1 hour 54 minutes ago
Myanmar's democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi said Wednesday she believes the country's army-backed president wants "real positive change" amid warmer relations between the regime and its most famous critic.
Suu Kyi met President Thein Sein on Friday in her highest-level discussions since she was freed from seven years of house arrest soon after a November election that was marred by claims of cheating and the absence of her party.
"From my point of view, I think the president wants to achieve real positive change," she told reporters on Wednesday.
Suu Kyi was warned to keep out of politics in June, but has since engaged in increasing dialogue with the government, which is nominally civilian but remains dominated by former generals.
The Nobel laureate was speaking after a meeting with Tomas Ojea Quintana, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, and said the pair had covered a variety of subjects including the fate of political prisoners.
It was the first meeting between the envoy and the democracy champion, who was locked up during his last visit in February 2010.
"I am really satisfied. I am encouraged to have seen him as he is an expert in this issue," she said of Quintana.
Myanmar allowed the UN envoy into the country for the first time in more than a year amid signs that the government wants to improve its international image.
Quintana described his discussions with Suu Kyi as "very important, fruitful and productive", in brief comments after the meeting.
The UN envoy, who has been an outspoken critic of Myanmar's rulers in the past, is due to hold a press conference on Thursday at the end of a five-day visit that has included a trip to the new parliament in Naypyidaw and talks with senior regime figures.
Earlier on Wednesday, Quintana visited Yangon's notorious Insein prison, which is believed to hold some of Myanmar's around 2,000 political prisoners.
After his trip to the country last year, the envoy angered Myanmar's ruling generals by suggesting that human rights violations in the country may amount to crimes against humanity and could warrant a UN inquiry.
He has since been refused visas to visit several times.
The international community has called for a number of reforms in Myanmar including the release of political prisoners, improved human rights and dialogue with the opposition.
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Philippine team wins inaugural U.N. "women power" award
By Elaine Lies, editing by Miral Fahmy | Reuters – 5 hrs ago
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - A scheme training Filipino women to efficiently run neighborhood stores grabbed top prize at an global U.N.-sponsored contest aimed at empowering impoverished women in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
"Project Inspire" was launched in March to commemorate the centennial of International Women's Day.
Contestants, who were judged by economists and academics, had to come up with projects that would better the lives of women and girls in regions where females are often neglected.
The "Hapinoy Program" project, which aims to support 1,000 female owners of "sari-sari" convenience stores in Luzon, won the top prize of $25,000, which will go toward training store owners in business development, management and pricing goods.
A special grant of $10,000 was awarded to a team from Thailand for literacy training to women migrants from Myanmar who live in landfills at the border.
Another $10,000 also went to a team from India whose program aims to benefit abused women from Pingla in the country's east, where women traditionally earn a living by singing and painting.
The winners were selected from 10 finalists chosen from 450 youth-driven teams worldwide who had to pitch their ideas in a five-minute video or in a written proposal. Project Inspire is a joint initiative by U.N. Women in Singapore and MasterCard.
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AlertNet News Blog - No rights for stateless Rohingya fleeing Burma
Yesterday at 11:15 AM
By Melanie Teff, Refugees International
Washington, D.C. - There are around 12 million people worldwide who lack citizenship and basic rights in the country in which they live. This stateless status often keeps children from attending school and condemns families to poverty. And it can be particularly hard on women – a fact that I had reinforced to me on a recent trip to Malaysia.
In February, I and a colleague travelled to Malaysia and Bangladesh to assess the needs of the Rohingya population – a Muslim ethnic minority group from western Burma.
The Rohingya have no rights in Burma, and their lives are made impossible by such practices as forced labor, displacement and systematic physical assault and rape. They are not allowed to marry or travel to other villages unless they pay prohibitively high taxes.
The Burmese authorities stripped the Rohingya of their Burmese citizenship in 1982, arguing that they are Bangladeshi. But the Bangladeshi government also does not accept the Rohingya as their citizens. So the Rohingya community is stateless, with no government that accepts them.
While in Malaysia, I met with Gultaz, who was nine months pregnant and very scared. Her story illustrates the type of problems that many stateless women around the world face, forced to hide themselves away and unable to advance in their lives.
Gultaz, her family and neighbours were displaced from their village near the archaeological ruins in Mrauk-U in Arakan State. The military wanted to develop the site for tourism and forcibly relocated them with no compensation. The Burmese authorities used brutal force to require Gultaz’s husband to work for them for no pay. They beat him in the face, and he has had two eye operations to try to repair the damage he suffered. He fled without being able to inform Gultaz of where he was going, so she was left alone struggling to look after their young son and suffering persecution from the Burmese authorities.
Eventually, Gultaz learned that her husband had made his way to Malaysia. She could no longer ensure the survival of her son in Burma and she decided that she had no option but to travel illegally, with her 12 year-old son, to Bangladesh, where they took a boat to Thailand. Then they made their way to the border between Thailand and Malaysia. Gultaz and her son were arrested there for illegal entry into Thailand, and they were held in a Thai detention centre for more than three months. The conditions in the detention centre were appalling for her and her child. When they finally got out of the detention centre, they managed to cross the border into Malaysia and Gultaz and her son were reunited with her husband.
Gultaz was relieved to get to Malaysia, where the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is permitted to assist the Rohingya. But, despite allowing UNHCR to register refugees there, Malaysia has not signed the international convention on refugees, and it still arrests foreigners who enter the country illegally, even if they are refugees or stateless.
Three years after arriving in Malaysia, when Gultaz was five months pregnant with her second child, she and her husband were both arrested by immigration authorities and were held in detention. Gultaz said that it was terrible being pregnant in the Malaysian detention centre, with inadequate food and unclean water, and she had difficulty getting medical attention. After two months, UNHCR secured the release of Gultaz from the detention centre. Over the past two years Malaysia has reduced arrests of refugees registered with UNHCR, but Gultaz’s experiences make her too scared to leave her house.
Gultaz struggles to survive economically, as her husband is still ill. But her fear of going out prevents her from taking up possible opportunities. She was offered a loan under a micro-credit scheme, but she refused as she was worried she would not be able to repay it. She pointed out that since she does not have the right to work in Malaysia, she fears she could be arrested again while trying to sell any products she would make. And she does not want to default on a loan.
When I asked Gultaz what she hoped for the future, she told me that her life was over (although she is only 37). All she thinks of is her children’s future. Her older child never went to school. But she hopes that her 3-year-old daughter will be allowed to go to government schools so that she will have a future.
Melanie Teff is a senior advocate for women’s rights at Refugees International. Refugees International is a Washington, DC-based organization that advocates to end refugee crises and receives no government or UN funding.
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Wednesday, August 24, 2011OP-EDBottom Line
The Daily Star, Bangladesh - Foreign secretary's visit to Myanmar: Boosting cooperation
Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh Mijarul Quayes will be paying a visit to Myanmar to meet his counterpart on August 24 for two days to discuss bilateral and regional issues. The last meeting at the foreign secretary level took place in Dhaka on December 28, 2009. The trip is welcomed.
It is reported that the issues to be discussed, among others, may include:
* Multi-modal transport connectivity;
* Border security to prevent criminal activities and illegal immigration;
* Facilitation of trade;
* Repatriation of remaining Rohingya refugees;
* Cooperation in other areas including energy and agriculture.
Myanmar is the only other neighbour of Bangladesh besides India. Bangladesh shares 271 km of border with Myanmar -- both land and water. The two countries share the boundary Naaf River. Bangladesh is adjacent to two states of Myanmar -- Rakhaine and Chin.
Myanmar recognised Bangladesh on January 13, 1972 (the 7th country to do so) and Bangladesh remembers this friendly gesture.
Soon after independence, Bangladesh attached importance to its relations with Myanmar and in May 1972, the Bangladesh foreign minister visited Myanmar, and sent our seniormost diplomat.
Myanmar is so close but at the same time it is too far because of lack of interconnectivity. One has to travel by air from Bangladesh to Myanmar through a third country. This is unacceptable and needs to be sorted out as soon as possible for mutual benefit.
Bilateral relations are friendly but interactions between the two neighbours leave much to be desired. There are about 10 Agreements between the two countries, including those on areas of land boundary management, trade, transport, and prevention of narcotics smuggling. However, there is no direct road connectivity, no air link and no shipping connection between the two countries.
With the availability of weatherproof road, people-to-people contact is bound to increase and, consequently, commercial and trade opportunities will receive further boost between the two neighbouring countries. The road could also be used for establishing links with China and Thailand. Meanwhile, China has agreed in principle to Bangladesh's proposal of road connectivity through Myanmar to China's Yunnan province.
Since the present government came to power, there has been an attempt to inject momentum and dynamism into bilateral relations. On May 16, 2009, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr. Dipu Moni visited Myanmar and held official talks with her counterpart U Nyan Winz.
They reportedly discussed a host of issues, including repatriation of the remaining Myanmar refugees, relaxation of visa requirements for citizens of either country, facilitation of banking services, increased border trade, export of surplus power to Bangladesh, road link between the two countries up to China, direct air link, and sharing bandwidth with fiber-optic cable.
In January 2011, the Bangladesh foreign minister attended the 13th ministerial level meeting of BIMSTEC in Myanmar, and on the sidelines she discussed bilateral issues with her counterpart. She held discussions with a private company in Myanmar to purchase hydropower from adjoining Rakhaine state (Arakan).
The amount of bilateral trade is meager. It is reported that in 2008-09 Bangladesh's exports stood at $9.17 million and imports from Myanmar at $66.65 million. To increase trade, the joint trade commission of Bangladesh and Myanmar held its fifth meeting on July 21-22. It was agreed that the two countries would raise bilateral trade to $550 million from $160 million now.
Both countries agreed to increase the ceiling for transaction value to $50,000 per consignment from $30,000. Officials also discussed the potential for setting up wholesale border markets at Bangladesh's Teknaf and Myanmar's Maungdaw, a border town.
They also discussed how to complete border transactions through the Asian Clearing Union payment system as Bangladeshi importers now settle their payments for bulk shipments through bank drafts issued by foreign banks to a third country.
One of the bilateral issues that often cause tension is related to the issue of Rohingya refugees. It first cropped up in 1978. Within a year, it was resolved amicably. The result was all the refugees were repatriated to Myanmar with the assistance of the UNHCR. However, the flow of refugees came to Bangladesh in 1991 and 1997. About 21,000 refugees remain in Bangladesh and negotiations on the issue continue.
The migration of Rohingya people to Bangladesh is a complex matter. It should not be seen merely as a refugee problem with humanitarian dimension partly because Rohingya Liberation Front has been reportedly fighting for decades for a separate land in Rakhaine state.
Given the background, both countries need to identify the root cause of the issue and jointly develop effective border management to prevent the flow of Rohingyas to Bangladesh.
The political environment in Myanmar is different from that of the past. Myanmar had elections in November and a civilian government (dominated by former military officials), has been in power since March 30.
The opposition leader Suu Kyi has met twice in recent weeks with representatives of the government, who have delivered conciliatory overtures toward her. On August14, she made her first political trip to the countryside. On August 19, the government invited Suu Kyi for the first time to participate in an economic development workshop, and she met for the first time with President Thein Sein.
Given the political atmosphere, Bangladesh may now seize the opportunity to expand its relations, both in depth and in dimension, with the government of Myanmar, including the desirability of a visit of Bangladesh prime minister to Myanmar.
The geographical proximity makes both countries natural partners, and they should see cooperative efforts and interconnectivity as catalysts for economic growth and prosperity for the people of Bangladesh and Myanmar.
The writer is a former Bangladesh Ambassador to the UN, Geneva.
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Asian Correspondent - Burma’s President should keep his words to end civil war
By Zin Linn Aug 24, 2011 4:34PM UTC
The military-backed Burmese government announced its rejection of peace talks based on the principles of the 1947 Panglong Treaty to the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) on the weekend, referring KIO officials Kachin News Group said.
KIO officials in Laiza said the five-month old President Thein Sein government declared clearly that it will only agree to peace talks with the KIO in accordance with the 2008 constitution. However, the KIO countered the government’s stance on Monday that it cannot talk under the guidance of the 2008 constitution which KIO did not recognized, according to KIO officials in Laiza.
A truce which lasted over 16 years between the two sides broken on June 9th when government troops hit the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) at Sang Gang, in Bhamo District, arguing it was defending the Taping (Dapein) hydropower Dam.
During the lengthy armistice phase, there were no political talks; however, the KIO and other ethnic ceasefire groups were pressured to transform their armed wings into the Burma Army-controlled Border Guard Force (BGF) or militia groups, after the controversial 2008 constitution was put in place.
Meanwhile, on August 18, seven Burmese soldiers were killed during fighting with the KIA at Wawang Kumbang, in Manmaw (Bhamo) District, Kachin News Group said. According to KIA officials from the Laiza headquarters, Burmese soldiers died in action were from Infantry Battalion No. 47, based in Manmaw, said sources close to government troops.
Lar Nan, Joint-General Secretary-2 of the KIO, said it will not talk bilaterally any more with the government since such negotiation failed in the past. Talks between the KIO and the Burmese government were also abortive in 1963, 1972, and 1980 respectively; though, they all failed to get to the bottom of the political standoff between the two sides.
Currently, KIO declared that it will talk through the ethnic alliance, the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), keeping on the spirit of the Panglong Agreement.
On August 15, in response to charges during August-12 press conference by information minister Kyaw Hsan, the Restoration Council of Shan State / Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA) issued a statement urging all parties concerned to revitalize the 1947 Panglong Agreement signed by the Burmese leader Aung San and leaders of the (then known as) Frontier Areas, Shan Herald Agency for News said.
SSPP/SSA says in its statement, “Instead of regarding ethnic peoples as enemies and accusing them as subversive elements, it’s high time national reconciliation was being forget by the present authorities on the basis of equality, justice and the Panglong Agreement.”
The historic agreement basically guaranteed self-determination of the ethnic minorities and offered a large measure of autonomy, including independent legislature, judiciary and administrative powers. However, the dream of equality and a federal union is far from being realized some six decades after signing the Panglong Agreement.
According to some critics, the NLD led by Aung San Suu Kyi supports the Panglong Agreement and self-determination for every ethnic nationality while the President Thein Sein government strongly opposed it. Thus, various ethnic leaders emphasized that they don’t have confidence in the new 2008 constitution which abandoned the Paglong values.
On August 18, the government proposed joining in peace talks to ethnic armed groups. But, it was rejected by the KIO and the UNFC, because the government uses divide-and rule policy towards ethnic groups without considering the Panglong Agreement.
The United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) has been founded during a conference held from 12 to 16 February 2011 involved 15 ethnic groups. The UNFC has selected six Central Executive Committee members and 10 Central Committee members. Gen Mutu Saypo of the Karen National Union (KNU) becomes Chairman and Lt Gen Gauri Zau Seng of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) Vice Chairman-1, Maj Gen Abel Tweed of the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) Vice Chairman-2, and Nai Hongsa of the New Mon State Party (NMSP) General Secretary) respectively.
In a statement issued on last 17 February, the UNFC said part of its basic principles and aims are to work for a better recognition of the ethnic armed groups, for ethnic equality, rights and self-determination, and for a genuine democratic federal Union of Burma.
Successive governments rejected the political dialogue with ethnic armed groups, which demand self-determination and a genuine federal union, for over six decades. If the President Thein Sein government stubbornly refused to honor the Panglong accord, the ongoing civil-war in Burma may not stop in a short period.
However, President Thein Sein told members of parliament on 22 August, at the first Union Parliament second regular session, that his government will pay attention to oppositions’ suggestions. He said the government has already prepared to talks on peace with armed ethnic groups since the progress of the frontier areas is dependent on stability.
The whole nation is cautiously watching the current political disaster with the ethnic people whether the president will take responsibility of his latest parliament speech.
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The Nation - EDITORIAL: Put more pressure for change on the Burmese regime
Published on August 24, 2011
International investors are lining up to get into Burma, but the political situation there must improve before any legitimacy can be conferred
United Nations human rights envoy Tomas Ojea Quintana arrived in Burma this past Sunday for a five-day visit to assess the human rights situation in the country.
Quintana, who was previously denied a visa to Burma after visiting there in February last year, is expected to meet with pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as Home Minister Major General Ko Ko, Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin and other senior government officials. Quintana was unable to meet with Suu Kyi during his previous trip when she was still under house arrest.
Amid all of this, a photo of Suu Kyi meeting with Burma's PM Thein Sein was released to the public recently. A few weeks ago there was another meeting in Rangoon with Labour Minister U Aung Gyi. And then came the invitation for her to attend a poverty-reduction conference.
The impression is that the Thein Sein administration is heeding international appeals, including those of Asean, to promote dialogue with the opposition. Although these moves should be welcome, one must not lose sight of the fact that in reality Burma has actually done nothing yet, other than talk and pretend there is a thaw. This is an old ruse and the world has seen it before.
If Naypyidaw wants to show this is change, the generals need to actually do positive things. Just as important is the need for the international community, especially Thailand, to be even more patient and not rush to any conclusions. As for Thailand, under no circumstances should any refugees be returned to Burma until a whole range of issues are undertaken.
If and when refugees are returned, the UNHCR and refugee advocates must be involved in the process. This is to ensure that these people will not be harmed. But given the fact that ethnic villagers have suffered decades of vicious military attacks that have employed all sorts of means, including the use of rape, there is indeed a massive barrier of fear and mistrust that must be overcome.
Some of the moves Burma needs to undertake include the release of all political prisoners. People like Zarganar, the well-known comedian, should never have been put in jail - in the West he would have been honoured for helping his suffering colleagues (after Cyclone Nargis). Forgive him for speaking out. Let him go. Along with 2,000 others.
The generals need to get smart with Suu Kyi; utilise her as glue to keep the country together. The two-decades-old ceasefire has fallen apart and it's a matter of time before all-out fighting erupts along the Sino-Burma and the Thai-Burma borders.
Suu Kyi has much more political capital with the ethnic minorities than the generals. Thus, it is understandable why they will be willing to listen to her more than they would the Burmese leaders. With military action in the Shan and Karen states curtailed, there would be no mass influx of refugees.
The Burmese leaders will have to re-negotiate development projects that are causing strife all around the country. Projects such as the Myitsone dam and others - the Tasang and Hat Gyi - are bitterly opposed. They need to tell the Chinese and other foreign groups backing the projects that these deals will have to be re-negotiated so local people are pacified.
This will probably mean that some of these deals simply can't go ahead in their current form; a key facet will be to allocate a proportion of power generated from these projects (presumably downsized) for local people at a fair price. The payoff for foreign investors is the far greater likelihood that these projects will occur in the near future and not lag for years because they are the subject of opposition attacks.
They need to work to ensure that mighty rivers such as the Irrawaddy and Salween are saved for future generations. The government will need to pay proper compensation for land acquired for projects such as the Shwe pipelines; that will also minimise attacks. By ending land confiscation, the hatred for the military will likely decrease. This is only the beginning.
If political prisoners are released, there is the prospect of IMF loans for infrastructure and far greater foreign aid. The foreign business community is anxious to be part of the rebuilding of Burma. But we need to see peace and the rule of law applied.
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The Nation - Migrants tell of 'ruined lives'
By Wanapa Khaopa
Published on August 23, 2011
Many people from neighbouring countries, who believe that work in Thailand is the ticket to a better life, pay to be smuggled here, oblivious to the risks of human trafficking.
They often end up in conditions that are hellish.
Many migrants seeking paid work end up enslaved in brothels, factories, homes or fishing boats. In the case of women, this can take the form of sexual slavery.
Burmese man Ye, and Sanda, a Christian woman from Chin State in the same country, were among 12 trafficked migrants who shared their bitter stories recently with Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, the UN Special Rapporteur on trafficking. Ezeilo travelled throughout Thailand for 12 days this month to assess the situation here for a report to be submitted to the UN Human Rights Council next year.
After being trafficked into Thailand, Ye, who had been told he would be paid Bt4,200 a month, was forced to work on a fishing boat for free, after being told he would have to pay off debts incurred in bringing him here.
Ye told of migrants who, exhausted and unable to continue working, were simply pushed into the sea. He said he felt hopeless and hated the captain of the boat, who took advantage of him and the other workers.
Another migrant worker told Ye he had already paid off his debt but was forced to con?tinue working, and had been doing so for 10 years. Every time he tried to escape, the Thai police would catch him and return him to the boat, where his debt was topped up with a fee for his attempt to flee.
Ye worked for eight months on one boat. He was never paid for his work and forbidden to keep any cash of his own. Compared to Burma, whose government is often damned as repressive, he felt Thailand was even more like a prison. Once a worker boards a fishing boat, he said, there was often no escape.
Finally, however, Ye was able to escape. He said he could never forgive the captain. He wanted all Burmese thinking of coming to Thailand to hear his story, so they could be spared the same fate.
Sanda, the Christian Chin woman, was trafficked by a Mon couple to work at a construction site in Thailand, only to find herself working without pay in the fishing industry and sexually enslaved.
Sanda had to gut about 50 kg of fish per day for the Mon couple, but never received payment. They said her wages were taken to cover fees paid to "buy" her, and for her rent, which was Bt600 per month.
Every night when she returned to the room, Sanda said she fought the Mon man, who demanded sex. Essentially a sex slave, she fears she may have been infected with HIV.
Sanda was held for one month by the couple before another Mon man "bought" her from the couple and helped her escape. They later married. Sanda and her husband now work at different construction sites, earning Bt200 each per day. Life is a struggle as she has a lot of debt and has to support herself and her children.
Coming to Thailand ruined her life, Sanda said. Since arriving she has been looked down on as if she was not human, she said. Other migrants told her she could expect no legal protection in Thailand.
"There is no law here," Sanda said. She does not want any more Burmese people to come to the Kingdom and suffer as she has.
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Bangkok Post - Shops warn of low purity Burma gold
Published: 24/08/2011 at 03:20 PM
Online news: Asia
High gold prices have prompted many Burmese migrant workers in Thailand to sell gold they brought with them from their home country, hoping for a handsome profit, but the gold shops here say the Burmese gold is of low purity.
The warning came from Somchai Chongnittayakan, owner of a gold shop in the Andaman Sea province of Ranong where there is a large population of Burmese workers, both legal and illegal.
He said many Burmese had come to his shop wanting to sell their gold.
Mr Somchai said had rejected the Burmese gold after checks showed it was only 91% or 92% pure.
The two standards of gold sold and bought in Thailand were 100% and 96%, he said.
Mr Somchai warned the other shops to thoroughly check the quality before buying any Burmese gold from customers.
Fake gold was also becoming a big problem, he said. If a customer looked even slightly dubious the gold shop would be better advised not to buy it.
Three common tests to tell if the gold is genuine are - a close visual examination, rubbing it with a stone to examine the metal beneath the surface, and testing the gold with fire, which is the most accurate method of all, said Mr Somchai.
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8/24/2011 @ 3:30AM
Forbes - Asia's Best Performing Currency Weighs on Burma's Rulers
Switzerland isn’t the only country struggling to fend off upside currency speculators. Burma (Myanmar) has a similar headache, and none of the sophisticated tools available to the gnomes of Zurich. Burma’s currency, the kyat, is powering ahead of its peers in Asia, up 30% in the past year. A dollar now fetches less than 700 kyat, compared to 1,000 a year ago. President Thein Sein has said the currency’s strength was strangling exporters and hurting the economy. Yet this crisis might be exactly the spur that Burma’s new rulers need to enact economic reforms and turn around a country that lags light years behind its Southeast Asian neighbors.
You won’t find the kyat (pronounced ‘chat’) listed on your Bloomberg screen. If you go to a state bank in Burma, the official exchange rate is around six to the dollar. This is absurdly out of whack with the black-market rate. It’s just one of several exchange rates that the government uses in its accounting, a relic of Burma’s socialist economy and a serious obstacle to macroeconomic reforms. Thein Sein has tried to restructure this system, and the IMF is willing to assist, but as with so much in Burma there are powerful vested interests standing in the way. Export taxes on many commodities were recently slashed to 2%, which may provide some relief.
Why is the kyat so strong? One reason is the weak dollar – Burma’s commodity exports are priced in dollars. Another is the slew of privatizations and asset sales over the last year that had to be settled in kyat. Speculation in kyat by Chinese investors is another supposed cause. But much of what passes for economic analysis in Burma is guesswork. It hasn’t published a credible budget for years and its statistics are notoriously unreliable. Suffice to say that untangling the foreign-currency regime is far from the only challenge facing Burma’s new semi-civilian government, which was elected last November.
Democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi didn’t participate in that election. Foreign critics of Burma rightly decry her treatment and that of other dissidents, many of whom are in jail on spurious charges. However, there are signs – tentative, yes – that Suu Kyi may be coming in from the cold. Thein Sein, a retired general, met with her for the first time last week in Nyapyidaw, the generals’ purpose-built capital. This is a symbolic breakthrough, and doesn’t herald a democratic dawn. But every regime has to start somewhere, unless it wants to end in rubble. Burma needs all the help it can get to turn around the economy, beginning with measures to straighten out the kyat.
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The New Zealand Herald - Child soldier seeks help to reunite family
By Lincoln Tan
5:30 AM Wednesday Aug 24, 2011
A former Burmese child soldier who was used as a "human minesweeper" and is now living in New Zealand wants help from political leaders to reunite him with his parents.
Hein Min Aung, now 26, was invited to the United States this month to talk about his time with the Burmese Army with politicians in Washington - including Texas congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, sponsor of a congressional resolution condemning the use of child soldiers.
Mr Aung is enlisting the help of activist group Burma Campaign New Zealand to arrange a meeting with political leaders, where he wants to appeal for help to be with his family again.
"Although I finally feel I am at peace, I feel very guilty as the eldest son ... that I have not been able to help look after my parents and younger brother," he said.
"I hope that I will be able to see them again one day, and it would be wonderful if we can be together here in New Zealand."
Mr Aung was 14 when he was captured while walking to his home in Pyay, a town on the Irrawaddy River north of Rangoon, and thrown into a truck that took him to a military camp where there were several hundred other child soldiers.
He has not seen his parents or his brother since.
"It was past midnight, and they charged me with breaking curfew," Mr Aung said through a translator.
"They then took my fingerprints and made me sign a document declaring I was 18, and then forced me into training."
Training included learning the names of anti-government rebel forces, live firing and planting and destroying landmines. Mistakes brought beatings with a cane.
For two years he served mainly as a minesweeper, porter and a frontline soldier.
"Our battalion would enter a village, burn the houses and shoot everyone who tried to flee," he said.
"Although some kind generals would fire warning shots, most derived great pleasure at burning villages, stealing, torturing villagers and raping the women before killing them."
His other duties included carrying the wounded during battles and providing security for other child soldiers, some as young as 12.
"I still get nightmares about seeing my friend, who was 15 then, getting flung in the air when a landmine he was defusing exploded.
"Seeing the medics slicing away his flesh during emergency surgery, I knew then if I didn't escape, I wouldn't even survive to see my 15th birthday."
He saw the opportunity while on guard duty near the Thai border one morning, when he noticed his superiors had fallen asleep at their post.
"I just ran for about three hours without stopping, and stripped off my army uniform as I reached the Thai border," said Mr Aung.
"In Thailand, I got a ride in a farmer's truck and an offer from the farmer to work for him."
In 2001, three months after his escape, he met two other former child soldiers who took him to a United Nations office to apply for refugee status.
The Red Cross helped him to reconnect with his family for the first time in six years, but it has been only exchanges of letters and photographs because international phone calls to his home are blocked.
After being granted refugee status in 2005, Mr Aung moved to New Zealand, where he now works as a capsicum picker in West Auckland.
Burma Campaign spokesman Soe Thein says there are about 11 Burmese former child soldiers in Auckland.
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Dalnews - A bicycle adventure for Burma
"The Codger" concludes trip at his alma mater
Katelynn Northam - August 19, 2011
Sixty-three days – that’s how long it took Dalhousie law alumnus Rod Germaine to travel 6,049 km by bike to Halifax from his home in Vancouver.
That averages out to about 96 km a day – not an easy undertaking, let alone for a senior who nicknamed himself “The Codger” on his trip blog.
But Mr. Germaine is no ordinary individual, and he had more than just a little motivation for the trip. He was doing it to fundraise for his non-profit organization, Just Aid, which raises money in support of the Mao Tao Clinic and the Back Pack Health Worker Team (BPHWT) in Burma. The clinic sits on the border between Burma and Thailand and provides medical care to internally displaced people, while the BPHWT trains local Burmese people to act as paramedics in conflict and cease-fire zones.
In front of various former classmates and teachers on the front steps of the Weldon Law Building on Tuesday, Mr. Germaine celebrated his arrival in Halifax with a little champagne and words of thanks to his supporters over the course of the last two months.
'Haunted' by Burma
It wasn’t the first time Mr. Germaine, who runs an arbitration and mediation practice in Vancouver, had traveled far from home. The former lawyer has traversed the globe throughout his career, living in Asia for eight and a half years and working in places like Singapore and Hong Kong, which gave him the opportunity to travel extensively throughout the continent.
For the most part, he says, the experience was wonderful. But out of all the places he traveled, he could not forget about what he had witnessed in Burma.
“It haunted me,” says Mr. Germaine, who graduated from Dalhousie in 1971. “It is a stunning place physically, the people are amazing, but it is being operated by a small group of military personnel as their own personal fiefdom.”
Mr. Germaine is referring to a decades-long conflict that has raged since the country’s last democratically elected government was overthrown in a military coup in 1962. Burma has since had a series of authoritarian governments that have committed innumerable human rights abuses, producing millions of refugees and internally displaced people who lack proper food, shelter, and access to medicine.
Ten years ago, inspired in part by a fellow Dalhousie law alumnus who started his own charity in support of Africa, Mr. Germaine decided to put on a golf tournament in order to raise funds for Burmese medical aid. His organization has since grown to hold various fundraisers throughout the year, and has raised a total of $350,000 in support of the Mao Tao Clinic, and BPHWT.
A decision to 'shut up and do it'
The idea for the bike ride had always been in the back of his mind. In the eighties, Mr. Germaine biked from Vancouver to Mexico with a friend to attend the Olympics, and had been wanting to make a cross-country trek ever since.
He decided that this year, it was time to “just shut up and do it.” He left the Vancouver Seabus terminal on June 2, ending in Halifax on August 7, just in time to attend his law school class reunion. Soe Naing, a friend of Mr. Germaine’s and a refugee from Burma, also cycled with him from Vancouver to Toronto.
Mr. Germaine recounted with gratitude the generosity of everyone who followed his ride on his blog and made pledges, as well as the strangers he met along the way who gladly donated money, hotel rooms and meals upon hearing about his journey.
Tin Maung Htoo, executive director of Canadian Friends of Burma, flew into Halifax for the welcome reception. Himself a refugee from Burma, he has known Mr. Germaine for years and emphasizes the importance of individuals and communities bringing attention to the conflict in Burma. “It highlights the situation and encourages the government to stay involved.”
Wind at his back
But Mr. Germaine would be remiss if he didn’t admit to also enjoying the experience for the sake of the ride itself. “There were several occasions when the wind was at my back, the sun was shining, and it was just a wonderful bicycling experience,” he says.
And while he doesn’t have an exact number yet, he expects his ride will have raised as much as $35,000 dollars. Not bad for an ‘old codger’.
To read more about Rod Germaine’s trip, visit his blog at www.justride2011.com. You can also make a donation and read more about Burma, the Mao Tao Clinic, and Back Pack Health Worker Team on his website www.justaid.ca
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Arabian Supply Chain - Stranded sailors sent home after months at sea
by Jon Cuthbert on Aug 24, 2011
21 crew from the stranded oil tanker SAMHO JASPER have been repatriated after several months drifting in Dubai waters.
The crew, who were from Indonesia and Myanmar, had endured months without pay, surviving on a limited supply of water and power, after the firm they worked for (SAMHO) had filed for Bankruptcy.
DMCA and the Dubai government had to intervene on their behalf with healthcare and logistics support during their time in the Gulf.
The vessel, which has been renamed GOLDEN LAKE, is now out of Dubai waters.
DMCA successfully coordinated with the Port Police, the Harbour Master's office, Korean Consulate and the Korean owners and operators, to safely manage the offshore situation and ensure a swift resolution of the outstanding issues.
DMCA, with the support of the DM government, successfully negotiated with the concerned parties to ensure that the crew members were properly compensated for back pay before they were repatriated.
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Myanmar parliament to discuss submitted bills for adoption
English.news.cn 2011-08-24 12:25:48
NAY PYI TAW, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing second session of Myanmar's union parliament here will make discussions on bills submitted by parliament members for adoption in two houses starting Wednesday, parliament sources said.
So far, bills submitted to the parliament are those related to revoking revenue law, amending Myanmar stamp act, commercial tax law, income tax law and office tax law.
In addition, Myanmar macrofinance bill, parliament office bill and private school registration bill were also presented to respective parliamentary houses for discussions case by case among other bills through to next week.
The union parliament comprises Parliamentary House of Representatives (Lower House) and Parliamentary House of Nationalities (Upper House).
The union parliament session, which opened on Monday, is being attended by 600 parliament members.
The summon for the second regular session of the union parliament came six months after the first session was held on Jan. 31.
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The Irrawaddy - Malaysia UNHCR Accused of Betraying Refugees
By KO HTWE Wednesday, August 24, 2011
The Malaysia United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is accused of betraying refugees by conspiring with Putrajaya Immigration Office to take their fingerprints and send them back to their own countries, it has been claimed.
On Tuesday, several UNHCR-affiliated organizations in Malaysia instructed refugees to provide fingerprints at Putrajaya Immigration Office, claims Shwe Zin, a Burmese refugee living in Malaysia.
“I arrived at the immigration office in the morning and was made to queue up. Then when my turn came, I had my fingerprints and a photo taken. And then I was given a printed document written in Malay that said to go back to our own country,” said Shwe Zin.
Many registered refugees came to the immigration office to give their fingerprints but did not know the details of what was going on, she added.
Many refugees received a document entitled “Pulang Ke Negara Asal” which translates as “Returning Home,” “Leaving” or “Going back to native country.” However, others were registered and given an alternative document which allows them to stay in Malaysia.
“I think I made a mistake by giving my fingerprints. It is impossible for me to go back [to Burma],” said Shwe Zin, adding that UNHCR staff were present in the immigration office.
“The UNHCR is tricking us because they want to settle corruption dealings with refugee processes. I don't know why some refugee receive different documents,” said Kyaw Htoo Aung from Malaysia, who works for worker affairs.
An official from Putrajaya Immigration Office in Malaysia refused to give further details when contacted by The Irrawaddy, but just said that it was an “enforcement event.”
Malaysia is currently running the 6P Program to tackle illegal migrant numbers in a bid to settle social problems and crime related to illegal foreigners. Although the Malaysia UNHCR was officially against the scheme, after Aug. 23 the organization is legally obliged to assist with the 6P registration.
UNHCR refugee card holder Myat Ko Ko sent a letter to UNHCR officials asking why the organization was not upfront about its involvement in the fingerprint campaign, and questioning its commitment to protecting international human rights and refugees affairs.
“As a result of the UNHCR and Malaysia [government] fingerprint program addressed to all the ethnic Burmese refugees in Malaysia, all of them are in trouble and the UNHCR should surely have given an announcement about it,” he wrote.
The Irrawaddy repeatedly tried to contact the UNHCR office in Malaysia but there was no reply.
Yan Naing Tun, the editor of weekly Kuala Lumpur journal Thuriya, said the action is taking place because of UNHCR corruption when dealing with processing refugee claims.
The Malaysia UNHCR has been accused of discriminating between refugees and corruptly selling resettlement registrations for profit, according to refugees in Malaysia.
“While I met with the Malaysian authorities, my friend told me not to give a thumbprint on the document when the [UNHCR] called us. It is an act of cheating. They made the plan in secret but the problem is now widely known,” said Yan Naing Tun.
Australia and Malaysia’s recent agreement to swap 800 asylum seekers who came to Australia for 4,000 refugees living in Malaysia was widely criticized by human rights groups, as Malaysia is not a signatory of the 1951 UN Refugee Convention.
The Malaysian government has cooperated with the UNHCR on humanitarian grounds since 1975 even though Malaysia has not signed the UN Convention Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees. Burmese refugees have since been sent to third countries including the United States, Canada, Australia, France, New Zealand, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway.
According to the Malaysia UNHCR website, at the end of May 2011 there are some 94,400 refugees and asylum-seekers registered with their office. Of these, around 86,500, or 90 percent, are from Burma. That figure is split up into 35,600 Chins, 21,400 Rohingyas, 10,100 Burmese Muslims, 3,800 Mon and 3,400 Kachins or from other smaller ethnic minorities.
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The Irrawaddy - Than Shwe's Hand Seen in Choice of New Intelligence Chief
By SITHU Wednesday, August 24, 2011
NAYPYIDAW — A trusted disciple of Snr-Gen Than Shwe, the former dictator who is still believed to wield ultimate power over Burma's new government, has reportedly been appointed to lead the country's powerful military intelligence unit.
Maj-Gen Soe Shein, a personal assistant to Than Shwe, has recently taken the helm of the Military Affairs Security (MAS), as the unit is known, replacing its former chief, Maj-Gen Kyaw Swe, according to MAS sources in Naypyidaw.
“Before abolishing the former ruling military council, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), Snr-Gen Than Shwe promoted Soe Shein from colonel to brigadier-general. Very recently Soe Shein was promoted to major general to take over as the director of the MAS,” a source told The Irrawaddy.
Many observers believe that Than Shwe has retained his grip on Burma’s military, the country's most powerful institution, despite dissolving the SPDC and officially transferring his former position of commander-in-chief to Gen Min Aung Hlaing.
Defense Ministry sources told The Irrawaddy in April that reports from the War Office marked “Confidential” were still being sent to the 77-year-old former ruler of Burma, despite his official retirement as head of the military following last year's elections.
Soe Shein's promotion to the position of MAS chief reignites speculation about Than Shwe’s lingering grip on the Burmese military and the new administration led by former military general Thein Sein.
“Soe Shein is Snr-Gen Than Shwe's most trusted man. His appointment as chief of the MAS means that the old man will be watching everyone through constant updates on the current situation,” a MAS officer said.
The MAS was created following the dismantling of the former Military Intelligent Service (MIS), led by once powerful general and former prime minister, Khin Nyunt, who was purged in 2004 and later sentenced to 44 years imprisonment on charges of corruption and insubordination; he is now under house arrest.
The MIS was notorious for keeping a watchful eye not only on the country’s ordinary citizens, but also on army officers and political exiles living in the West.
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The Irrawaddy - Suu Kyi Makes Front Page in Burma
By KIHN OO THAR Wednesday, August 24, 2011
The front page of all Burma's major journals on Monday carried pictures of Aung San Suu Kyi's face-to-face meeting with President Thein Sein in Naypyidaw on Friday, despite a long-term ban on media from publishing images of the pro-democracy leader.
"Almost all today's journals have full-page images of the meeting,” said Ko Ko, the chairman of Yangon Media Group, on Monday.
He said that Weekly Eleven, Flower News and the Myanmar Post were among the print media running with front-page pictures of Suu Kyi.
"Before, it was impossible for us to see Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's picture,” he said. “Then, recently, the regulations were relaxed, and small pictures of her were allowed in the inside pages.”
Opposition leader Suu Kyi arrived on Friday for the first time in Naypyidaw, where she attended a government-initiated workshop on economic development. After meeting with Thein Sein, she had informal talks with several cabinet members.
Burma's journals were also allowed to display photographs of Aung San Suu Kyi's informal meetings with the government ministers.
For many years, Burma's journals and newspapers have been subject to rigorous inspection and censorship by the government's Press Scrutiny and Registration Division (PSRD), which is notorious for its draconian attitude toward media freedom and which frequently suspends offenders.
Veteran journalist Maung Wun Tha said, “The meeting between Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the president is an indisputable fact. Therefore, journals reported it because it was directly concerned with the president. Given some extent of freedom to report this event, we are now enjoying somewhat more freedom of expression than before."
But while Suu Kyi's visit to Naypyidaw made splash headlines in private journals, the county's state-run press only reported it in brief.
"There could be some underlying reasons why government newspapers reported it so briefly,” said Maung Wun Tha, who is an adviser to the political journal Pyithu Khit [People's Age]. “At present, we cannot say precisely to what extent we will continue to enjoy freedom from such censorship.”
Another editor in Rangoon, who asked not to be identified, said that freedom of the press can only be credible if the government allows the media to report other news about Suu Kyi, such as her meeting with the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights for Burma, Tomas Ojea Quintana, and other foreign diplomats.
News reports and articles on the journals' online versions are generally not subject to censorship.
“While print publications are subjected to censorship, Internet news is not affected,” said Ko Ko. “A better political climate will allow more freedom in the media arena to prevail.”
According to a housewife in Rangoon, the cost of Monday's state-run newspapers are higher.
“I paid 300 kyat [US $0.45] for a government newspaper on Monday,” she said. “It is usually just 100 kyat. [$0.15]”
Although she speculated that the reason for the increase was due to the pictures of Suu Kyi, other sources noted that demand for journals has been very high this month, and many subscribers did not receive their copy.
According to a young journalist in Rangoon, sales of journals and tabloids have increased because the media has been given a freer rein to report everyday events and social affairs.
“Dealing with the government departments for your news reports is basically the same as before—you always get messed around and redirected to someone else,” he said. “They never offer explanations or account for their decisions.”
On June 10, a policy change was effected when the PSRD announced that no prior censorship would be imposed on press articles that fall under any of five categories: sports, technology, health, art and children's literature.
There are currently 153 registered journals, including news and sports publications, and 176 magazines running in Burma.
State-run publications last week also relented on a long-running propaganda campaign against international and exiled media such as the BBC, VOA, RFA and DVB.
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In error, Burmese journal calls Suu Kyi ‘President’: receives warning
Wednesday, 24 August 2011 22:27 Mizzima News
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Because of a grammatical error in Burmese in a headline that said, “President Aung San Suu Kyi meets,” the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division (PSRD) has issued a warning to True News (aka) the Thitsar Journal, said a PSRD official. The error appeared on the publication’s cover.
“If the phrases are ordered wrong in Burmese, the meaning can be incorrect. That’s why we warned them. But, we did not punish the journal,” a PRSD official said on condition of anonymity. This was the first instance that a PSRD official replied to a question by Mizzima. The picture and information referred to a meeting between opposition leader Suu Kyi and President Thien Sein in Naypyitaw.
Myo Nyunt Maung, the chief editor of the journal, said the error was accidental. The journal had tried to create a short headline that was easy to read, he said.
“We just made the headline short and compact. We focused on the picture. We didn’t want the headline to be long and to take up too much space,” Myo Nyunt Maung told Mizzima.
The PSRD official said the True News Journal also received a warning regarding some differences between its manuscript submitted to the department and the information that appeared in print.
Earlier, True News Journal was temporarily suspended because of an article called “The Responsibility of Journals.” In 2008, the journal was suspended for two weeks because it published a picture highlighting a Burmese child who was working in Thailand.
There are censorship restrictions on publishing pictures of Suu Kyi and news stories about her, but the authorities have recently relaxed some restrictions. For instance, recently local journals published pictures of the meeting between Suu Kyi and President Thein Sein.
A PSRD official said that restrictions are changing because of the media-dominated age.
“We are going with the Constitution. We make changes regarding the freedom of the press. We have to remove some restrictions because of the current media trends,” he said.
President Thein Sein said in his opening speech to Parliament early this year that the government will respect the role of media, traditionally the fourth pillar of a country and he urged publications to present information that people need to know. He said that constructive suggestions offered by the media should be respected.
Meanwhile, Lower House Speaker Thura Shwe Mann said in his opening speech on the first day of the second regular parliamentary session on Monday that suggestions and criticisms about the government by the media would be welcomed as a step in establishing freedom of press in Burma.
For the first time, journalists were allowed to attend the regular parliamentary session on the opening day of the second regular session.
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Ethnic parties call for release of political prisoners, more human rights
Wednesday, 24 August 2011 19:39 Te Te
New Delhi (Mizzima) – Eight political parties that contested in the 1990 general election have sent a letter citing four demands to UN special rapporteur for human rights in Burma Tomas Ojea Quintana.
The letter, which calls for more for human rights in ethnic areas and the release of all political prisoners, was sent through Aung San Suu Kyi when she met Quintana on Wednesday.
The letter, dated August 20, said, “In the ethnic inhabited war zones, women, including teenaged girls, are being raped and government soldiers are burning villages, looting and forcible seizing villagers’ belongings.”
Government troops are also forcing villagers to work as porters at the frontlines, the letter said.
“The UN Commission for Human Right should investigate what’s happening in ethnic inhabited areas and take actions accordingly,” ZNC party Chairman Pu Cing Tsing Thang said.
He also called for the release of all political prisoners unconditionally and setting up a tripartite dialogue to investigate human right violations in Burma.
“If they [the government] have a sincere intention, they should release all political dissidents who were imprisoned for their political conscience first, while also inviting back those dissidents who are in exile. This is a good time to talk about everything that will benefit the people,” Pu Cing Tsing Thang said.
The letter also called for recognizing the National League for Democracy and ethnic political parties that won in the 1990 general election, which was never honoured by the former junta.
The eight ethnic political parties said they supported an inclusive genuine dialogue with UN assistance including Aung San Suu Kyi, all political parties and ethnic groups to discuss national reconciliation with the government.
The letter asked Quintana to present their demands to President Thein Sein and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
“There is not yet a single line regarding the political prisoners found in President Thein Sein’s address to the country and Parliament. So we have to hope for the release of these prisoners with our fingers crossed,” said Nyunt Nyunt Oo, the mother of 88-Generation student leader Panneik Tun.
A total of 1,995 political prisoners including ethnic leaders Khun Tun Oo and General Hse Hten are serving prison sentences and many 88-Generation student leaders are still behind bars.
Ethnic parties that sent the letter include the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, Mon National Democratic Front, Arakan League for Democracy, Kachin National Congress for Democracy, Zomi National Congress, Karen National Democracy Congress, United Nationalities League for Democracy and Democratic Organization for Kayan National Unity.
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Palaung civilian shot dead on the spot by government troops
Wednesday, 24 August 2011 12:40 Kyaw Kha
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Suspected of being a rebel, a Palaung villager was shot dead on the spot by government soldiers in Monton Township in northern Shan State, said a Palaung organization based on the Sino-Burmese border.
On August 16, Aik San Pi of Loisaung village in Monton Township was shot dead by troops from Infantry Unit No. 130 led by Colonel Kyaw Zeyar Tun, the Palaung Women’s Organization [PWO] reported.
The man, Aik San Pi, 27, was hiding because he was afraid of being forced to carry supplies for government troops, according to sources. When the soldiers discovered him they accused him of being a rebel and shot him, said Lwe Amm, a PWO spokesperson.
“After the [Burmese] army arrived in the village, many men fled because they were afraid of being forced to porter goods. They shot him three times. He died on the spot.”
The village head told the troops Aik San Pi was not a member of an armed group and the soldiers gave 5,000 kyat (about US$ 7) to the family for funeral expenses.
In the Monton Township, various armed groups are active including Burmese government battalions, Palaung militant groups, Shan State Army-North troops and soldiers of the Kachin Independence Organization. The KIO and SSA-N said that government troops forced local villagers to porter goods and weapons in fighting in June.
SSA-N spokesman Major Sai Hla said that some civilians suspected of being rebels were tortured and killed by government troops. He said government soldiers set fire to five houses near Wanphwi Dam on Tuesday morning, alleging that residents were SSA supporters.
KIO spokesman La Nang said that in some ethnic areas civilians are placed on a blacklist by the government because of the armed groups’ activities, but it was usual that residents were shot by government troops.
“Some ethnic people were shot because they were suspected and some were shot intentionally by the government troops. Those cases have happened. In every fight, many victims are civilians,” La Nang told Mizzima.
La Nang said government troops use Kachin and Shan villagers as human mine sweepers during fighting between KIO and government troops.
The BBC Burmese Service recently reported that in Pyapon Township in Irrawaddy Region, government Infantry Unit No. 93 ordered a motorboat carrying bananas to stop to demand money. When the motorboat failed to stop, the soldiers opened fire, killing one man.
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DVB News - Lawyers seek end to persecution
By AYE NAI
Published: 24 August 2011
A group of lawyers who had their licenses revoked under the previous military government for being politically active are preparing to hold a press conference tomorrow to explain a legal challenge they are planning to regain the licenses.
Over 20 lawyers since the last military government came to power in 1988, have had their licenses revoked by the government.
Amongst them are the National League for Democracy’s (NLD) deputy-chairman Tin Oo, Aung Thein and Khin Maung Shein of the group’s Legal Assistance Wing and other lawyers from different regions including Mandalay, Sagaing, Pegu and Irrawaddy Divisions,
Aung Thein, an NLD lawyer, (who along with Khin Maung Shein defended Min Ko Naing, Ashin Gambira and other high profile activists, were jailed for 4 months in 2008 and had their licenses revoked for contempt of court) said their Lawyers’ Network are also collecting names of other lawyers who have had their licenses revoked.
“These lawyers were given prison sentences on political grounds have also lost their licenses – so it’s like we got two separate punishments in just one case. We are preparing to write an official [complaint] letter about this,” said Aung Thein.
The press conference tomorrow coincides with UN Human Rights Rapporteur’s visit in Burma and the Lawyers’ Network are also to tell him about the situation.
Myat Hla, Central Court lawyer in Pegu [town] who was elected as People’s Parliament Representative in 1990 elections and later charged by authorities and had his license revoked: “This is our career profession – just like teachers. We are not rich people and having lost our lawyers licenses made a lot of difficulties for our survival.”
Meanwhile lawyer Htin Aung Htun, who represented farmers in Magwe Division’s Kanma township in their land dispute court case against the military owned Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings company has been disqualified by the Supreme Court in Naypyidaw.
Htin Aung Htun told DVB that; “In the order letter issued by the Supreme Court it claimed that, according to an investigation report, I am known for writing complaints for my clients when they lose their cases and that I had no intention of handling my cases as a credible lawyer and that I showed no dignity as a lawyer in the cases.”
He added that; “I don’t know who conducted the investigation, who wrote the report or who scrutinised it.”
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DVB News - Prome detainees barred from having visitors
By NAY THWIN
Published: 24 August 2011
Two youths in central Burma’s Pegu Division who were recently arrested by authorities, allegedly under the Unlawful Association Act, have been prevented from seeing their families or lawyers whilst in detention.
Zarni Htun, 24, a resident of Prome [Pyay] township and Wei Phyo of Okpho township were arrested in Innma town on 12 August and have been detained in Prome Prison ever since. A family member of Zarni Htun told DVB the two are facing charges under the Unlawful Association Act;
“On August 15, we found out they were being detained at Prome’s Police Station-1 and they were brought to a court hearing the next day,” said Zarni Htun’s family member.
“They were transferred to detention in the [Prome] prison on August 17 and we went there to visit them and give them some food and clothing – but the prison didn’t allow us to see them,” the family member continued.
“Today [August 23], [Wei Phyo’s family] went to the prison to get [the two’s] signatures to handover [legal] power to their lawyers but were turned down by the prison again – officials there said the prison’s chief was in a meeting and told us to come again the next day.”
The Universal Declaration of human rights specifically forbids arbitrary detention in its article 9, which given the vague grounds on which they are being held could be applicable; DVB could not confirm which law they were supposed to have broken.
Meanwhile article 20 of the same declaration also states that; “Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.”
Zarni Htun’s family member meanwhile stated that about 20 uniformed and plain-clothed officials came and searched his house on 12 August but didn’t find anything.
She said the two were due appear in a court hearing on August 31, trials are often in practice closed door.
“We heard they have been charged with the [Unlawful Association] act and a court hearing for them was appointed for August 31. We are so worried for them – we want to know if they are okay, if they are in good health and also want to give them some items [food/cloths].”
The UN human rights envoy, Tomas Ojea Quintana who is currently visiting the country earlier in the year noted that authorities began a practice of transferring prisoners to prevent visits from family in 2008 as a “further punishment,”… “This practice endangers prisoners of conscience, as they suffer additionally from these even harsher conditions of detention, and creates additional hardship for the families of the prisoners.”
Whilst Burma’s government is nominally democratic and with President Thein Sein telling parliament on Monday that; “we have specially focussed on securing fundamental rights of citizens,” groups such as the Asian Human Rights Commission and the Asian Legal Resource Center (ALRC) have begged to differ, especially on the issue of the law. The head of the Hong Kong based ALRC, Basil Fernando said in a statement in April that;
“If the members of Burma’s new parliament believe that they have political legitimacy, then all of them, from all parties, should take up this lead and put the rule of law at the very front of their agendas for legislative and administrative reform, not just in rhetoric but in substance.”
BURMA RELATED NEWS - AUGUST 24, 2011
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August 24, 2011
VOA News - UN Envoy Meets Burmese Political Prisoners, Aung San Suu Kyi
United Nations officials say special envoy Tomas Quintana spoke with political prisoners at Burma's notorious Insein Prison on Wednesday, ahead of what he described as a "very productive" meeting with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Aye Win, a U.N. spokesman based in Burma, says that Quintana was permitted to speak to all the political prisoners he asked for by name.
These included Aung Ghein, Dr. Tin Min Htut, Ms. Khin Nu Nu, Phyo Wai Aung, Wai Zaw Naing, Sithu Zeya and Nyi Nyi Tun. He said the human rights envoy also visited the hospital and a meditation center at the prison, which is believed to hold many of Burma's more than 2,000 political prisoners.
Later Wednesday Quintana met privately for about an hour with Aung San Suu Kyi before holding talks with senior officials of her National League for Democracy. NLD spokesman Ohn Kyaing told the Burmese service that Quintana described to them his talks this week with senior figures in the new Burmese government.
He said Quintana told the group he had done his best to impress on the Burmese leaders the importance of respecting human rights and the rule of law.
In a separate interview, NLD legal team member Nyan Win told says that he and Quintana two spoke about establishing an inquiry into human rights violations committed by the government. He says Quintana said the inquiry would not be undertaken to punish any particular individual but to make sure there is some rule of law in the country.
Quintana, who is charged with assessing the human rights situation in Burma, had not been permitted to meet Aung San Suu Kyi during previous visits, when she was under house arrest.
Quintana has been in Burma since Sunday and is expected to comment on his findings before leaving the country Thursday.
Earlier this week, Quintana met with several top officials in the capital, Naypyitaw, including Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin, Chief Justice Tun Tun Oo, and Defense Minister Gen. Hla Min. He also attended a regular session of the new parliament.
This is the first time in more than a year that Burmese officials have granted a visa to Quintana, who angered Burmese authorities last year by proposing that the United Nations establish a commission of inquiry to look into suspected crimes against humanity.
Quintana said before setting out on his current trip that he wanted to see how the human rights situation has changed since the installation of a new, nominally civilian-led government at the end of March.
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Myanmar's Suu Kyi calls UN envoy visit encouraging
(AP) – 4 hours ago
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Myanmar's pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi says she is encouraged after meeting with the U.N. human rights envoy to Myanmar.
Suu Kyi says Wednesday's 90-minute meeting in Yangon with Tomas Ojea Quintana and leaders of her disbanded National League for Democracy focused on Myanmar's more than 2,000 political prisoners and other human rights issues.
She says Quintana has a "genuine will to help improve human rights conditions in Myanmar."
Quintana says he has had "fruitful meetings" with government ministers and representatives of political parties. He will brief the media Thursday.
His five-day visit to Myanmar is his first since a nominally civilian government took power in March. He had repeatedly been refused a visa for over a year.
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Suu Kyi says Myanmar president wants 'real change'
By Soe Than Win | AFP News – 1 hour 54 minutes ago
Myanmar's democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi said Wednesday she believes the country's army-backed president wants "real positive change" amid warmer relations between the regime and its most famous critic.
Suu Kyi met President Thein Sein on Friday in her highest-level discussions since she was freed from seven years of house arrest soon after a November election that was marred by claims of cheating and the absence of her party.
"From my point of view, I think the president wants to achieve real positive change," she told reporters on Wednesday.
Suu Kyi was warned to keep out of politics in June, but has since engaged in increasing dialogue with the government, which is nominally civilian but remains dominated by former generals.
The Nobel laureate was speaking after a meeting with Tomas Ojea Quintana, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, and said the pair had covered a variety of subjects including the fate of political prisoners.
It was the first meeting between the envoy and the democracy champion, who was locked up during his last visit in February 2010.
"I am really satisfied. I am encouraged to have seen him as he is an expert in this issue," she said of Quintana.
Myanmar allowed the UN envoy into the country for the first time in more than a year amid signs that the government wants to improve its international image.
Quintana described his discussions with Suu Kyi as "very important, fruitful and productive", in brief comments after the meeting.
The UN envoy, who has been an outspoken critic of Myanmar's rulers in the past, is due to hold a press conference on Thursday at the end of a five-day visit that has included a trip to the new parliament in Naypyidaw and talks with senior regime figures.
Earlier on Wednesday, Quintana visited Yangon's notorious Insein prison, which is believed to hold some of Myanmar's around 2,000 political prisoners.
After his trip to the country last year, the envoy angered Myanmar's ruling generals by suggesting that human rights violations in the country may amount to crimes against humanity and could warrant a UN inquiry.
He has since been refused visas to visit several times.
The international community has called for a number of reforms in Myanmar including the release of political prisoners, improved human rights and dialogue with the opposition.
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Philippine team wins inaugural U.N. "women power" award
By Elaine Lies, editing by Miral Fahmy | Reuters – 5 hrs ago
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - A scheme training Filipino women to efficiently run neighborhood stores grabbed top prize at an global U.N.-sponsored contest aimed at empowering impoverished women in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
"Project Inspire" was launched in March to commemorate the centennial of International Women's Day.
Contestants, who were judged by economists and academics, had to come up with projects that would better the lives of women and girls in regions where females are often neglected.
The "Hapinoy Program" project, which aims to support 1,000 female owners of "sari-sari" convenience stores in Luzon, won the top prize of $25,000, which will go toward training store owners in business development, management and pricing goods.
A special grant of $10,000 was awarded to a team from Thailand for literacy training to women migrants from Myanmar who live in landfills at the border.
Another $10,000 also went to a team from India whose program aims to benefit abused women from Pingla in the country's east, where women traditionally earn a living by singing and painting.
The winners were selected from 10 finalists chosen from 450 youth-driven teams worldwide who had to pitch their ideas in a five-minute video or in a written proposal. Project Inspire is a joint initiative by U.N. Women in Singapore and MasterCard.
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AlertNet News Blog - No rights for stateless Rohingya fleeing Burma
Yesterday at 11:15 AM
By Melanie Teff, Refugees International
Washington, D.C. - There are around 12 million people worldwide who lack citizenship and basic rights in the country in which they live. This stateless status often keeps children from attending school and condemns families to poverty. And it can be particularly hard on women – a fact that I had reinforced to me on a recent trip to Malaysia.
In February, I and a colleague travelled to Malaysia and Bangladesh to assess the needs of the Rohingya population – a Muslim ethnic minority group from western Burma.
The Rohingya have no rights in Burma, and their lives are made impossible by such practices as forced labor, displacement and systematic physical assault and rape. They are not allowed to marry or travel to other villages unless they pay prohibitively high taxes.
The Burmese authorities stripped the Rohingya of their Burmese citizenship in 1982, arguing that they are Bangladeshi. But the Bangladeshi government also does not accept the Rohingya as their citizens. So the Rohingya community is stateless, with no government that accepts them.
While in Malaysia, I met with Gultaz, who was nine months pregnant and very scared. Her story illustrates the type of problems that many stateless women around the world face, forced to hide themselves away and unable to advance in their lives.
Gultaz, her family and neighbours were displaced from their village near the archaeological ruins in Mrauk-U in Arakan State. The military wanted to develop the site for tourism and forcibly relocated them with no compensation. The Burmese authorities used brutal force to require Gultaz’s husband to work for them for no pay. They beat him in the face, and he has had two eye operations to try to repair the damage he suffered. He fled without being able to inform Gultaz of where he was going, so she was left alone struggling to look after their young son and suffering persecution from the Burmese authorities.
Eventually, Gultaz learned that her husband had made his way to Malaysia. She could no longer ensure the survival of her son in Burma and she decided that she had no option but to travel illegally, with her 12 year-old son, to Bangladesh, where they took a boat to Thailand. Then they made their way to the border between Thailand and Malaysia. Gultaz and her son were arrested there for illegal entry into Thailand, and they were held in a Thai detention centre for more than three months. The conditions in the detention centre were appalling for her and her child. When they finally got out of the detention centre, they managed to cross the border into Malaysia and Gultaz and her son were reunited with her husband.
Gultaz was relieved to get to Malaysia, where the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is permitted to assist the Rohingya. But, despite allowing UNHCR to register refugees there, Malaysia has not signed the international convention on refugees, and it still arrests foreigners who enter the country illegally, even if they are refugees or stateless.
Three years after arriving in Malaysia, when Gultaz was five months pregnant with her second child, she and her husband were both arrested by immigration authorities and were held in detention. Gultaz said that it was terrible being pregnant in the Malaysian detention centre, with inadequate food and unclean water, and she had difficulty getting medical attention. After two months, UNHCR secured the release of Gultaz from the detention centre. Over the past two years Malaysia has reduced arrests of refugees registered with UNHCR, but Gultaz’s experiences make her too scared to leave her house.
Gultaz struggles to survive economically, as her husband is still ill. But her fear of going out prevents her from taking up possible opportunities. She was offered a loan under a micro-credit scheme, but she refused as she was worried she would not be able to repay it. She pointed out that since she does not have the right to work in Malaysia, she fears she could be arrested again while trying to sell any products she would make. And she does not want to default on a loan.
When I asked Gultaz what she hoped for the future, she told me that her life was over (although she is only 37). All she thinks of is her children’s future. Her older child never went to school. But she hopes that her 3-year-old daughter will be allowed to go to government schools so that she will have a future.
Melanie Teff is a senior advocate for women’s rights at Refugees International. Refugees International is a Washington, DC-based organization that advocates to end refugee crises and receives no government or UN funding.
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Wednesday, August 24, 2011OP-EDBottom Line
The Daily Star, Bangladesh - Foreign secretary's visit to Myanmar: Boosting cooperation
Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh Mijarul Quayes will be paying a visit to Myanmar to meet his counterpart on August 24 for two days to discuss bilateral and regional issues. The last meeting at the foreign secretary level took place in Dhaka on December 28, 2009. The trip is welcomed.
It is reported that the issues to be discussed, among others, may include:
* Multi-modal transport connectivity;
* Border security to prevent criminal activities and illegal immigration;
* Facilitation of trade;
* Repatriation of remaining Rohingya refugees;
* Cooperation in other areas including energy and agriculture.
Myanmar is the only other neighbour of Bangladesh besides India. Bangladesh shares 271 km of border with Myanmar -- both land and water. The two countries share the boundary Naaf River. Bangladesh is adjacent to two states of Myanmar -- Rakhaine and Chin.
Myanmar recognised Bangladesh on January 13, 1972 (the 7th country to do so) and Bangladesh remembers this friendly gesture.
Soon after independence, Bangladesh attached importance to its relations with Myanmar and in May 1972, the Bangladesh foreign minister visited Myanmar, and sent our seniormost diplomat.
Myanmar is so close but at the same time it is too far because of lack of interconnectivity. One has to travel by air from Bangladesh to Myanmar through a third country. This is unacceptable and needs to be sorted out as soon as possible for mutual benefit.
Bilateral relations are friendly but interactions between the two neighbours leave much to be desired. There are about 10 Agreements between the two countries, including those on areas of land boundary management, trade, transport, and prevention of narcotics smuggling. However, there is no direct road connectivity, no air link and no shipping connection between the two countries.
With the availability of weatherproof road, people-to-people contact is bound to increase and, consequently, commercial and trade opportunities will receive further boost between the two neighbouring countries. The road could also be used for establishing links with China and Thailand. Meanwhile, China has agreed in principle to Bangladesh's proposal of road connectivity through Myanmar to China's Yunnan province.
Since the present government came to power, there has been an attempt to inject momentum and dynamism into bilateral relations. On May 16, 2009, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr. Dipu Moni visited Myanmar and held official talks with her counterpart U Nyan Winz.
They reportedly discussed a host of issues, including repatriation of the remaining Myanmar refugees, relaxation of visa requirements for citizens of either country, facilitation of banking services, increased border trade, export of surplus power to Bangladesh, road link between the two countries up to China, direct air link, and sharing bandwidth with fiber-optic cable.
In January 2011, the Bangladesh foreign minister attended the 13th ministerial level meeting of BIMSTEC in Myanmar, and on the sidelines she discussed bilateral issues with her counterpart. She held discussions with a private company in Myanmar to purchase hydropower from adjoining Rakhaine state (Arakan).
The amount of bilateral trade is meager. It is reported that in 2008-09 Bangladesh's exports stood at $9.17 million and imports from Myanmar at $66.65 million. To increase trade, the joint trade commission of Bangladesh and Myanmar held its fifth meeting on July 21-22. It was agreed that the two countries would raise bilateral trade to $550 million from $160 million now.
Both countries agreed to increase the ceiling for transaction value to $50,000 per consignment from $30,000. Officials also discussed the potential for setting up wholesale border markets at Bangladesh's Teknaf and Myanmar's Maungdaw, a border town.
They also discussed how to complete border transactions through the Asian Clearing Union payment system as Bangladeshi importers now settle their payments for bulk shipments through bank drafts issued by foreign banks to a third country.
One of the bilateral issues that often cause tension is related to the issue of Rohingya refugees. It first cropped up in 1978. Within a year, it was resolved amicably. The result was all the refugees were repatriated to Myanmar with the assistance of the UNHCR. However, the flow of refugees came to Bangladesh in 1991 and 1997. About 21,000 refugees remain in Bangladesh and negotiations on the issue continue.
The migration of Rohingya people to Bangladesh is a complex matter. It should not be seen merely as a refugee problem with humanitarian dimension partly because Rohingya Liberation Front has been reportedly fighting for decades for a separate land in Rakhaine state.
Given the background, both countries need to identify the root cause of the issue and jointly develop effective border management to prevent the flow of Rohingyas to Bangladesh.
The political environment in Myanmar is different from that of the past. Myanmar had elections in November and a civilian government (dominated by former military officials), has been in power since March 30.
The opposition leader Suu Kyi has met twice in recent weeks with representatives of the government, who have delivered conciliatory overtures toward her. On August14, she made her first political trip to the countryside. On August 19, the government invited Suu Kyi for the first time to participate in an economic development workshop, and she met for the first time with President Thein Sein.
Given the political atmosphere, Bangladesh may now seize the opportunity to expand its relations, both in depth and in dimension, with the government of Myanmar, including the desirability of a visit of Bangladesh prime minister to Myanmar.
The geographical proximity makes both countries natural partners, and they should see cooperative efforts and interconnectivity as catalysts for economic growth and prosperity for the people of Bangladesh and Myanmar.
The writer is a former Bangladesh Ambassador to the UN, Geneva.
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Asian Correspondent - Burma’s President should keep his words to end civil war
By Zin Linn Aug 24, 2011 4:34PM UTC
The military-backed Burmese government announced its rejection of peace talks based on the principles of the 1947 Panglong Treaty to the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) on the weekend, referring KIO officials Kachin News Group said.
KIO officials in Laiza said the five-month old President Thein Sein government declared clearly that it will only agree to peace talks with the KIO in accordance with the 2008 constitution. However, the KIO countered the government’s stance on Monday that it cannot talk under the guidance of the 2008 constitution which KIO did not recognized, according to KIO officials in Laiza.
A truce which lasted over 16 years between the two sides broken on June 9th when government troops hit the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) at Sang Gang, in Bhamo District, arguing it was defending the Taping (Dapein) hydropower Dam.
During the lengthy armistice phase, there were no political talks; however, the KIO and other ethnic ceasefire groups were pressured to transform their armed wings into the Burma Army-controlled Border Guard Force (BGF) or militia groups, after the controversial 2008 constitution was put in place.
Meanwhile, on August 18, seven Burmese soldiers were killed during fighting with the KIA at Wawang Kumbang, in Manmaw (Bhamo) District, Kachin News Group said. According to KIA officials from the Laiza headquarters, Burmese soldiers died in action were from Infantry Battalion No. 47, based in Manmaw, said sources close to government troops.
Lar Nan, Joint-General Secretary-2 of the KIO, said it will not talk bilaterally any more with the government since such negotiation failed in the past. Talks between the KIO and the Burmese government were also abortive in 1963, 1972, and 1980 respectively; though, they all failed to get to the bottom of the political standoff between the two sides.
Currently, KIO declared that it will talk through the ethnic alliance, the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), keeping on the spirit of the Panglong Agreement.
On August 15, in response to charges during August-12 press conference by information minister Kyaw Hsan, the Restoration Council of Shan State / Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA) issued a statement urging all parties concerned to revitalize the 1947 Panglong Agreement signed by the Burmese leader Aung San and leaders of the (then known as) Frontier Areas, Shan Herald Agency for News said.
SSPP/SSA says in its statement, “Instead of regarding ethnic peoples as enemies and accusing them as subversive elements, it’s high time national reconciliation was being forget by the present authorities on the basis of equality, justice and the Panglong Agreement.”
The historic agreement basically guaranteed self-determination of the ethnic minorities and offered a large measure of autonomy, including independent legislature, judiciary and administrative powers. However, the dream of equality and a federal union is far from being realized some six decades after signing the Panglong Agreement.
According to some critics, the NLD led by Aung San Suu Kyi supports the Panglong Agreement and self-determination for every ethnic nationality while the President Thein Sein government strongly opposed it. Thus, various ethnic leaders emphasized that they don’t have confidence in the new 2008 constitution which abandoned the Paglong values.
On August 18, the government proposed joining in peace talks to ethnic armed groups. But, it was rejected by the KIO and the UNFC, because the government uses divide-and rule policy towards ethnic groups without considering the Panglong Agreement.
The United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) has been founded during a conference held from 12 to 16 February 2011 involved 15 ethnic groups. The UNFC has selected six Central Executive Committee members and 10 Central Committee members. Gen Mutu Saypo of the Karen National Union (KNU) becomes Chairman and Lt Gen Gauri Zau Seng of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) Vice Chairman-1, Maj Gen Abel Tweed of the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) Vice Chairman-2, and Nai Hongsa of the New Mon State Party (NMSP) General Secretary) respectively.
In a statement issued on last 17 February, the UNFC said part of its basic principles and aims are to work for a better recognition of the ethnic armed groups, for ethnic equality, rights and self-determination, and for a genuine democratic federal Union of Burma.
Successive governments rejected the political dialogue with ethnic armed groups, which demand self-determination and a genuine federal union, for over six decades. If the President Thein Sein government stubbornly refused to honor the Panglong accord, the ongoing civil-war in Burma may not stop in a short period.
However, President Thein Sein told members of parliament on 22 August, at the first Union Parliament second regular session, that his government will pay attention to oppositions’ suggestions. He said the government has already prepared to talks on peace with armed ethnic groups since the progress of the frontier areas is dependent on stability.
The whole nation is cautiously watching the current political disaster with the ethnic people whether the president will take responsibility of his latest parliament speech.
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The Nation - EDITORIAL: Put more pressure for change on the Burmese regime
Published on August 24, 2011
International investors are lining up to get into Burma, but the political situation there must improve before any legitimacy can be conferred
United Nations human rights envoy Tomas Ojea Quintana arrived in Burma this past Sunday for a five-day visit to assess the human rights situation in the country.
Quintana, who was previously denied a visa to Burma after visiting there in February last year, is expected to meet with pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as Home Minister Major General Ko Ko, Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin and other senior government officials. Quintana was unable to meet with Suu Kyi during his previous trip when she was still under house arrest.
Amid all of this, a photo of Suu Kyi meeting with Burma's PM Thein Sein was released to the public recently. A few weeks ago there was another meeting in Rangoon with Labour Minister U Aung Gyi. And then came the invitation for her to attend a poverty-reduction conference.
The impression is that the Thein Sein administration is heeding international appeals, including those of Asean, to promote dialogue with the opposition. Although these moves should be welcome, one must not lose sight of the fact that in reality Burma has actually done nothing yet, other than talk and pretend there is a thaw. This is an old ruse and the world has seen it before.
If Naypyidaw wants to show this is change, the generals need to actually do positive things. Just as important is the need for the international community, especially Thailand, to be even more patient and not rush to any conclusions. As for Thailand, under no circumstances should any refugees be returned to Burma until a whole range of issues are undertaken.
If and when refugees are returned, the UNHCR and refugee advocates must be involved in the process. This is to ensure that these people will not be harmed. But given the fact that ethnic villagers have suffered decades of vicious military attacks that have employed all sorts of means, including the use of rape, there is indeed a massive barrier of fear and mistrust that must be overcome.
Some of the moves Burma needs to undertake include the release of all political prisoners. People like Zarganar, the well-known comedian, should never have been put in jail - in the West he would have been honoured for helping his suffering colleagues (after Cyclone Nargis). Forgive him for speaking out. Let him go. Along with 2,000 others.
The generals need to get smart with Suu Kyi; utilise her as glue to keep the country together. The two-decades-old ceasefire has fallen apart and it's a matter of time before all-out fighting erupts along the Sino-Burma and the Thai-Burma borders.
Suu Kyi has much more political capital with the ethnic minorities than the generals. Thus, it is understandable why they will be willing to listen to her more than they would the Burmese leaders. With military action in the Shan and Karen states curtailed, there would be no mass influx of refugees.
The Burmese leaders will have to re-negotiate development projects that are causing strife all around the country. Projects such as the Myitsone dam and others - the Tasang and Hat Gyi - are bitterly opposed. They need to tell the Chinese and other foreign groups backing the projects that these deals will have to be re-negotiated so local people are pacified.
This will probably mean that some of these deals simply can't go ahead in their current form; a key facet will be to allocate a proportion of power generated from these projects (presumably downsized) for local people at a fair price. The payoff for foreign investors is the far greater likelihood that these projects will occur in the near future and not lag for years because they are the subject of opposition attacks.
They need to work to ensure that mighty rivers such as the Irrawaddy and Salween are saved for future generations. The government will need to pay proper compensation for land acquired for projects such as the Shwe pipelines; that will also minimise attacks. By ending land confiscation, the hatred for the military will likely decrease. This is only the beginning.
If political prisoners are released, there is the prospect of IMF loans for infrastructure and far greater foreign aid. The foreign business community is anxious to be part of the rebuilding of Burma. But we need to see peace and the rule of law applied.
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The Nation - Migrants tell of 'ruined lives'
By Wanapa Khaopa
Published on August 23, 2011
Many people from neighbouring countries, who believe that work in Thailand is the ticket to a better life, pay to be smuggled here, oblivious to the risks of human trafficking.
They often end up in conditions that are hellish.
Many migrants seeking paid work end up enslaved in brothels, factories, homes or fishing boats. In the case of women, this can take the form of sexual slavery.
Burmese man Ye, and Sanda, a Christian woman from Chin State in the same country, were among 12 trafficked migrants who shared their bitter stories recently with Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, the UN Special Rapporteur on trafficking. Ezeilo travelled throughout Thailand for 12 days this month to assess the situation here for a report to be submitted to the UN Human Rights Council next year.
After being trafficked into Thailand, Ye, who had been told he would be paid Bt4,200 a month, was forced to work on a fishing boat for free, after being told he would have to pay off debts incurred in bringing him here.
Ye told of migrants who, exhausted and unable to continue working, were simply pushed into the sea. He said he felt hopeless and hated the captain of the boat, who took advantage of him and the other workers.
Another migrant worker told Ye he had already paid off his debt but was forced to con?tinue working, and had been doing so for 10 years. Every time he tried to escape, the Thai police would catch him and return him to the boat, where his debt was topped up with a fee for his attempt to flee.
Ye worked for eight months on one boat. He was never paid for his work and forbidden to keep any cash of his own. Compared to Burma, whose government is often damned as repressive, he felt Thailand was even more like a prison. Once a worker boards a fishing boat, he said, there was often no escape.
Finally, however, Ye was able to escape. He said he could never forgive the captain. He wanted all Burmese thinking of coming to Thailand to hear his story, so they could be spared the same fate.
Sanda, the Christian Chin woman, was trafficked by a Mon couple to work at a construction site in Thailand, only to find herself working without pay in the fishing industry and sexually enslaved.
Sanda had to gut about 50 kg of fish per day for the Mon couple, but never received payment. They said her wages were taken to cover fees paid to "buy" her, and for her rent, which was Bt600 per month.
Every night when she returned to the room, Sanda said she fought the Mon man, who demanded sex. Essentially a sex slave, she fears she may have been infected with HIV.
Sanda was held for one month by the couple before another Mon man "bought" her from the couple and helped her escape. They later married. Sanda and her husband now work at different construction sites, earning Bt200 each per day. Life is a struggle as she has a lot of debt and has to support herself and her children.
Coming to Thailand ruined her life, Sanda said. Since arriving she has been looked down on as if she was not human, she said. Other migrants told her she could expect no legal protection in Thailand.
"There is no law here," Sanda said. She does not want any more Burmese people to come to the Kingdom and suffer as she has.
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Bangkok Post - Shops warn of low purity Burma gold
Published: 24/08/2011 at 03:20 PM
Online news: Asia
High gold prices have prompted many Burmese migrant workers in Thailand to sell gold they brought with them from their home country, hoping for a handsome profit, but the gold shops here say the Burmese gold is of low purity.
The warning came from Somchai Chongnittayakan, owner of a gold shop in the Andaman Sea province of Ranong where there is a large population of Burmese workers, both legal and illegal.
He said many Burmese had come to his shop wanting to sell their gold.
Mr Somchai said had rejected the Burmese gold after checks showed it was only 91% or 92% pure.
The two standards of gold sold and bought in Thailand were 100% and 96%, he said.
Mr Somchai warned the other shops to thoroughly check the quality before buying any Burmese gold from customers.
Fake gold was also becoming a big problem, he said. If a customer looked even slightly dubious the gold shop would be better advised not to buy it.
Three common tests to tell if the gold is genuine are - a close visual examination, rubbing it with a stone to examine the metal beneath the surface, and testing the gold with fire, which is the most accurate method of all, said Mr Somchai.
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8/24/2011 @ 3:30AM
Forbes - Asia's Best Performing Currency Weighs on Burma's Rulers
Switzerland isn’t the only country struggling to fend off upside currency speculators. Burma (Myanmar) has a similar headache, and none of the sophisticated tools available to the gnomes of Zurich. Burma’s currency, the kyat, is powering ahead of its peers in Asia, up 30% in the past year. A dollar now fetches less than 700 kyat, compared to 1,000 a year ago. President Thein Sein has said the currency’s strength was strangling exporters and hurting the economy. Yet this crisis might be exactly the spur that Burma’s new rulers need to enact economic reforms and turn around a country that lags light years behind its Southeast Asian neighbors.
You won’t find the kyat (pronounced ‘chat’) listed on your Bloomberg screen. If you go to a state bank in Burma, the official exchange rate is around six to the dollar. This is absurdly out of whack with the black-market rate. It’s just one of several exchange rates that the government uses in its accounting, a relic of Burma’s socialist economy and a serious obstacle to macroeconomic reforms. Thein Sein has tried to restructure this system, and the IMF is willing to assist, but as with so much in Burma there are powerful vested interests standing in the way. Export taxes on many commodities were recently slashed to 2%, which may provide some relief.
Why is the kyat so strong? One reason is the weak dollar – Burma’s commodity exports are priced in dollars. Another is the slew of privatizations and asset sales over the last year that had to be settled in kyat. Speculation in kyat by Chinese investors is another supposed cause. But much of what passes for economic analysis in Burma is guesswork. It hasn’t published a credible budget for years and its statistics are notoriously unreliable. Suffice to say that untangling the foreign-currency regime is far from the only challenge facing Burma’s new semi-civilian government, which was elected last November.
Democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi didn’t participate in that election. Foreign critics of Burma rightly decry her treatment and that of other dissidents, many of whom are in jail on spurious charges. However, there are signs – tentative, yes – that Suu Kyi may be coming in from the cold. Thein Sein, a retired general, met with her for the first time last week in Nyapyidaw, the generals’ purpose-built capital. This is a symbolic breakthrough, and doesn’t herald a democratic dawn. But every regime has to start somewhere, unless it wants to end in rubble. Burma needs all the help it can get to turn around the economy, beginning with measures to straighten out the kyat.
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The New Zealand Herald - Child soldier seeks help to reunite family
By Lincoln Tan
5:30 AM Wednesday Aug 24, 2011
A former Burmese child soldier who was used as a "human minesweeper" and is now living in New Zealand wants help from political leaders to reunite him with his parents.
Hein Min Aung, now 26, was invited to the United States this month to talk about his time with the Burmese Army with politicians in Washington - including Texas congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, sponsor of a congressional resolution condemning the use of child soldiers.
Mr Aung is enlisting the help of activist group Burma Campaign New Zealand to arrange a meeting with political leaders, where he wants to appeal for help to be with his family again.
"Although I finally feel I am at peace, I feel very guilty as the eldest son ... that I have not been able to help look after my parents and younger brother," he said.
"I hope that I will be able to see them again one day, and it would be wonderful if we can be together here in New Zealand."
Mr Aung was 14 when he was captured while walking to his home in Pyay, a town on the Irrawaddy River north of Rangoon, and thrown into a truck that took him to a military camp where there were several hundred other child soldiers.
He has not seen his parents or his brother since.
"It was past midnight, and they charged me with breaking curfew," Mr Aung said through a translator.
"They then took my fingerprints and made me sign a document declaring I was 18, and then forced me into training."
Training included learning the names of anti-government rebel forces, live firing and planting and destroying landmines. Mistakes brought beatings with a cane.
For two years he served mainly as a minesweeper, porter and a frontline soldier.
"Our battalion would enter a village, burn the houses and shoot everyone who tried to flee," he said.
"Although some kind generals would fire warning shots, most derived great pleasure at burning villages, stealing, torturing villagers and raping the women before killing them."
His other duties included carrying the wounded during battles and providing security for other child soldiers, some as young as 12.
"I still get nightmares about seeing my friend, who was 15 then, getting flung in the air when a landmine he was defusing exploded.
"Seeing the medics slicing away his flesh during emergency surgery, I knew then if I didn't escape, I wouldn't even survive to see my 15th birthday."
He saw the opportunity while on guard duty near the Thai border one morning, when he noticed his superiors had fallen asleep at their post.
"I just ran for about three hours without stopping, and stripped off my army uniform as I reached the Thai border," said Mr Aung.
"In Thailand, I got a ride in a farmer's truck and an offer from the farmer to work for him."
In 2001, three months after his escape, he met two other former child soldiers who took him to a United Nations office to apply for refugee status.
The Red Cross helped him to reconnect with his family for the first time in six years, but it has been only exchanges of letters and photographs because international phone calls to his home are blocked.
After being granted refugee status in 2005, Mr Aung moved to New Zealand, where he now works as a capsicum picker in West Auckland.
Burma Campaign spokesman Soe Thein says there are about 11 Burmese former child soldiers in Auckland.
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Dalnews - A bicycle adventure for Burma
"The Codger" concludes trip at his alma mater
Katelynn Northam - August 19, 2011
Sixty-three days – that’s how long it took Dalhousie law alumnus Rod Germaine to travel 6,049 km by bike to Halifax from his home in Vancouver.
That averages out to about 96 km a day – not an easy undertaking, let alone for a senior who nicknamed himself “The Codger” on his trip blog.
But Mr. Germaine is no ordinary individual, and he had more than just a little motivation for the trip. He was doing it to fundraise for his non-profit organization, Just Aid, which raises money in support of the Mao Tao Clinic and the Back Pack Health Worker Team (BPHWT) in Burma. The clinic sits on the border between Burma and Thailand and provides medical care to internally displaced people, while the BPHWT trains local Burmese people to act as paramedics in conflict and cease-fire zones.
In front of various former classmates and teachers on the front steps of the Weldon Law Building on Tuesday, Mr. Germaine celebrated his arrival in Halifax with a little champagne and words of thanks to his supporters over the course of the last two months.
'Haunted' by Burma
It wasn’t the first time Mr. Germaine, who runs an arbitration and mediation practice in Vancouver, had traveled far from home. The former lawyer has traversed the globe throughout his career, living in Asia for eight and a half years and working in places like Singapore and Hong Kong, which gave him the opportunity to travel extensively throughout the continent.
For the most part, he says, the experience was wonderful. But out of all the places he traveled, he could not forget about what he had witnessed in Burma.
“It haunted me,” says Mr. Germaine, who graduated from Dalhousie in 1971. “It is a stunning place physically, the people are amazing, but it is being operated by a small group of military personnel as their own personal fiefdom.”
Mr. Germaine is referring to a decades-long conflict that has raged since the country’s last democratically elected government was overthrown in a military coup in 1962. Burma has since had a series of authoritarian governments that have committed innumerable human rights abuses, producing millions of refugees and internally displaced people who lack proper food, shelter, and access to medicine.
Ten years ago, inspired in part by a fellow Dalhousie law alumnus who started his own charity in support of Africa, Mr. Germaine decided to put on a golf tournament in order to raise funds for Burmese medical aid. His organization has since grown to hold various fundraisers throughout the year, and has raised a total of $350,000 in support of the Mao Tao Clinic, and BPHWT.
A decision to 'shut up and do it'
The idea for the bike ride had always been in the back of his mind. In the eighties, Mr. Germaine biked from Vancouver to Mexico with a friend to attend the Olympics, and had been wanting to make a cross-country trek ever since.
He decided that this year, it was time to “just shut up and do it.” He left the Vancouver Seabus terminal on June 2, ending in Halifax on August 7, just in time to attend his law school class reunion. Soe Naing, a friend of Mr. Germaine’s and a refugee from Burma, also cycled with him from Vancouver to Toronto.
Mr. Germaine recounted with gratitude the generosity of everyone who followed his ride on his blog and made pledges, as well as the strangers he met along the way who gladly donated money, hotel rooms and meals upon hearing about his journey.
Tin Maung Htoo, executive director of Canadian Friends of Burma, flew into Halifax for the welcome reception. Himself a refugee from Burma, he has known Mr. Germaine for years and emphasizes the importance of individuals and communities bringing attention to the conflict in Burma. “It highlights the situation and encourages the government to stay involved.”
Wind at his back
But Mr. Germaine would be remiss if he didn’t admit to also enjoying the experience for the sake of the ride itself. “There were several occasions when the wind was at my back, the sun was shining, and it was just a wonderful bicycling experience,” he says.
And while he doesn’t have an exact number yet, he expects his ride will have raised as much as $35,000 dollars. Not bad for an ‘old codger’.
To read more about Rod Germaine’s trip, visit his blog at www.justride2011.com. You can also make a donation and read more about Burma, the Mao Tao Clinic, and Back Pack Health Worker Team on his website www.justaid.ca
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Arabian Supply Chain - Stranded sailors sent home after months at sea
by Jon Cuthbert on Aug 24, 2011
21 crew from the stranded oil tanker SAMHO JASPER have been repatriated after several months drifting in Dubai waters.
The crew, who were from Indonesia and Myanmar, had endured months without pay, surviving on a limited supply of water and power, after the firm they worked for (SAMHO) had filed for Bankruptcy.
DMCA and the Dubai government had to intervene on their behalf with healthcare and logistics support during their time in the Gulf.
The vessel, which has been renamed GOLDEN LAKE, is now out of Dubai waters.
DMCA successfully coordinated with the Port Police, the Harbour Master's office, Korean Consulate and the Korean owners and operators, to safely manage the offshore situation and ensure a swift resolution of the outstanding issues.
DMCA, with the support of the DM government, successfully negotiated with the concerned parties to ensure that the crew members were properly compensated for back pay before they were repatriated.
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Myanmar parliament to discuss submitted bills for adoption
English.news.cn 2011-08-24 12:25:48
NAY PYI TAW, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing second session of Myanmar's union parliament here will make discussions on bills submitted by parliament members for adoption in two houses starting Wednesday, parliament sources said.
So far, bills submitted to the parliament are those related to revoking revenue law, amending Myanmar stamp act, commercial tax law, income tax law and office tax law.
In addition, Myanmar macrofinance bill, parliament office bill and private school registration bill were also presented to respective parliamentary houses for discussions case by case among other bills through to next week.
The union parliament comprises Parliamentary House of Representatives (Lower House) and Parliamentary House of Nationalities (Upper House).
The union parliament session, which opened on Monday, is being attended by 600 parliament members.
The summon for the second regular session of the union parliament came six months after the first session was held on Jan. 31.
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The Irrawaddy - Malaysia UNHCR Accused of Betraying Refugees
By KO HTWE Wednesday, August 24, 2011
The Malaysia United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is accused of betraying refugees by conspiring with Putrajaya Immigration Office to take their fingerprints and send them back to their own countries, it has been claimed.
On Tuesday, several UNHCR-affiliated organizations in Malaysia instructed refugees to provide fingerprints at Putrajaya Immigration Office, claims Shwe Zin, a Burmese refugee living in Malaysia.
“I arrived at the immigration office in the morning and was made to queue up. Then when my turn came, I had my fingerprints and a photo taken. And then I was given a printed document written in Malay that said to go back to our own country,” said Shwe Zin.
Many registered refugees came to the immigration office to give their fingerprints but did not know the details of what was going on, she added.
Many refugees received a document entitled “Pulang Ke Negara Asal” which translates as “Returning Home,” “Leaving” or “Going back to native country.” However, others were registered and given an alternative document which allows them to stay in Malaysia.
“I think I made a mistake by giving my fingerprints. It is impossible for me to go back [to Burma],” said Shwe Zin, adding that UNHCR staff were present in the immigration office.
“The UNHCR is tricking us because they want to settle corruption dealings with refugee processes. I don't know why some refugee receive different documents,” said Kyaw Htoo Aung from Malaysia, who works for worker affairs.
An official from Putrajaya Immigration Office in Malaysia refused to give further details when contacted by The Irrawaddy, but just said that it was an “enforcement event.”
Malaysia is currently running the 6P Program to tackle illegal migrant numbers in a bid to settle social problems and crime related to illegal foreigners. Although the Malaysia UNHCR was officially against the scheme, after Aug. 23 the organization is legally obliged to assist with the 6P registration.
UNHCR refugee card holder Myat Ko Ko sent a letter to UNHCR officials asking why the organization was not upfront about its involvement in the fingerprint campaign, and questioning its commitment to protecting international human rights and refugees affairs.
“As a result of the UNHCR and Malaysia [government] fingerprint program addressed to all the ethnic Burmese refugees in Malaysia, all of them are in trouble and the UNHCR should surely have given an announcement about it,” he wrote.
The Irrawaddy repeatedly tried to contact the UNHCR office in Malaysia but there was no reply.
Yan Naing Tun, the editor of weekly Kuala Lumpur journal Thuriya, said the action is taking place because of UNHCR corruption when dealing with processing refugee claims.
The Malaysia UNHCR has been accused of discriminating between refugees and corruptly selling resettlement registrations for profit, according to refugees in Malaysia.
“While I met with the Malaysian authorities, my friend told me not to give a thumbprint on the document when the [UNHCR] called us. It is an act of cheating. They made the plan in secret but the problem is now widely known,” said Yan Naing Tun.
Australia and Malaysia’s recent agreement to swap 800 asylum seekers who came to Australia for 4,000 refugees living in Malaysia was widely criticized by human rights groups, as Malaysia is not a signatory of the 1951 UN Refugee Convention.
The Malaysian government has cooperated with the UNHCR on humanitarian grounds since 1975 even though Malaysia has not signed the UN Convention Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees. Burmese refugees have since been sent to third countries including the United States, Canada, Australia, France, New Zealand, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway.
According to the Malaysia UNHCR website, at the end of May 2011 there are some 94,400 refugees and asylum-seekers registered with their office. Of these, around 86,500, or 90 percent, are from Burma. That figure is split up into 35,600 Chins, 21,400 Rohingyas, 10,100 Burmese Muslims, 3,800 Mon and 3,400 Kachins or from other smaller ethnic minorities.
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The Irrawaddy - Than Shwe's Hand Seen in Choice of New Intelligence Chief
By SITHU Wednesday, August 24, 2011
NAYPYIDAW — A trusted disciple of Snr-Gen Than Shwe, the former dictator who is still believed to wield ultimate power over Burma's new government, has reportedly been appointed to lead the country's powerful military intelligence unit.
Maj-Gen Soe Shein, a personal assistant to Than Shwe, has recently taken the helm of the Military Affairs Security (MAS), as the unit is known, replacing its former chief, Maj-Gen Kyaw Swe, according to MAS sources in Naypyidaw.
“Before abolishing the former ruling military council, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), Snr-Gen Than Shwe promoted Soe Shein from colonel to brigadier-general. Very recently Soe Shein was promoted to major general to take over as the director of the MAS,” a source told The Irrawaddy.
Many observers believe that Than Shwe has retained his grip on Burma’s military, the country's most powerful institution, despite dissolving the SPDC and officially transferring his former position of commander-in-chief to Gen Min Aung Hlaing.
Defense Ministry sources told The Irrawaddy in April that reports from the War Office marked “Confidential” were still being sent to the 77-year-old former ruler of Burma, despite his official retirement as head of the military following last year's elections.
Soe Shein's promotion to the position of MAS chief reignites speculation about Than Shwe’s lingering grip on the Burmese military and the new administration led by former military general Thein Sein.
“Soe Shein is Snr-Gen Than Shwe's most trusted man. His appointment as chief of the MAS means that the old man will be watching everyone through constant updates on the current situation,” a MAS officer said.
The MAS was created following the dismantling of the former Military Intelligent Service (MIS), led by once powerful general and former prime minister, Khin Nyunt, who was purged in 2004 and later sentenced to 44 years imprisonment on charges of corruption and insubordination; he is now under house arrest.
The MIS was notorious for keeping a watchful eye not only on the country’s ordinary citizens, but also on army officers and political exiles living in the West.
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The Irrawaddy - Suu Kyi Makes Front Page in Burma
By KIHN OO THAR Wednesday, August 24, 2011
The front page of all Burma's major journals on Monday carried pictures of Aung San Suu Kyi's face-to-face meeting with President Thein Sein in Naypyidaw on Friday, despite a long-term ban on media from publishing images of the pro-democracy leader.
"Almost all today's journals have full-page images of the meeting,” said Ko Ko, the chairman of Yangon Media Group, on Monday.
He said that Weekly Eleven, Flower News and the Myanmar Post were among the print media running with front-page pictures of Suu Kyi.
"Before, it was impossible for us to see Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's picture,” he said. “Then, recently, the regulations were relaxed, and small pictures of her were allowed in the inside pages.”
Opposition leader Suu Kyi arrived on Friday for the first time in Naypyidaw, where she attended a government-initiated workshop on economic development. After meeting with Thein Sein, she had informal talks with several cabinet members.
Burma's journals were also allowed to display photographs of Aung San Suu Kyi's informal meetings with the government ministers.
For many years, Burma's journals and newspapers have been subject to rigorous inspection and censorship by the government's Press Scrutiny and Registration Division (PSRD), which is notorious for its draconian attitude toward media freedom and which frequently suspends offenders.
Veteran journalist Maung Wun Tha said, “The meeting between Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the president is an indisputable fact. Therefore, journals reported it because it was directly concerned with the president. Given some extent of freedom to report this event, we are now enjoying somewhat more freedom of expression than before."
But while Suu Kyi's visit to Naypyidaw made splash headlines in private journals, the county's state-run press only reported it in brief.
"There could be some underlying reasons why government newspapers reported it so briefly,” said Maung Wun Tha, who is an adviser to the political journal Pyithu Khit [People's Age]. “At present, we cannot say precisely to what extent we will continue to enjoy freedom from such censorship.”
Another editor in Rangoon, who asked not to be identified, said that freedom of the press can only be credible if the government allows the media to report other news about Suu Kyi, such as her meeting with the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights for Burma, Tomas Ojea Quintana, and other foreign diplomats.
News reports and articles on the journals' online versions are generally not subject to censorship.
“While print publications are subjected to censorship, Internet news is not affected,” said Ko Ko. “A better political climate will allow more freedom in the media arena to prevail.”
According to a housewife in Rangoon, the cost of Monday's state-run newspapers are higher.
“I paid 300 kyat [US $0.45] for a government newspaper on Monday,” she said. “It is usually just 100 kyat. [$0.15]”
Although she speculated that the reason for the increase was due to the pictures of Suu Kyi, other sources noted that demand for journals has been very high this month, and many subscribers did not receive their copy.
According to a young journalist in Rangoon, sales of journals and tabloids have increased because the media has been given a freer rein to report everyday events and social affairs.
“Dealing with the government departments for your news reports is basically the same as before—you always get messed around and redirected to someone else,” he said. “They never offer explanations or account for their decisions.”
On June 10, a policy change was effected when the PSRD announced that no prior censorship would be imposed on press articles that fall under any of five categories: sports, technology, health, art and children's literature.
There are currently 153 registered journals, including news and sports publications, and 176 magazines running in Burma.
State-run publications last week also relented on a long-running propaganda campaign against international and exiled media such as the BBC, VOA, RFA and DVB.
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In error, Burmese journal calls Suu Kyi ‘President’: receives warning
Wednesday, 24 August 2011 22:27 Mizzima News
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Because of a grammatical error in Burmese in a headline that said, “President Aung San Suu Kyi meets,” the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division (PSRD) has issued a warning to True News (aka) the Thitsar Journal, said a PSRD official. The error appeared on the publication’s cover.
“If the phrases are ordered wrong in Burmese, the meaning can be incorrect. That’s why we warned them. But, we did not punish the journal,” a PRSD official said on condition of anonymity. This was the first instance that a PSRD official replied to a question by Mizzima. The picture and information referred to a meeting between opposition leader Suu Kyi and President Thien Sein in Naypyitaw.
Myo Nyunt Maung, the chief editor of the journal, said the error was accidental. The journal had tried to create a short headline that was easy to read, he said.
“We just made the headline short and compact. We focused on the picture. We didn’t want the headline to be long and to take up too much space,” Myo Nyunt Maung told Mizzima.
The PSRD official said the True News Journal also received a warning regarding some differences between its manuscript submitted to the department and the information that appeared in print.
Earlier, True News Journal was temporarily suspended because of an article called “The Responsibility of Journals.” In 2008, the journal was suspended for two weeks because it published a picture highlighting a Burmese child who was working in Thailand.
There are censorship restrictions on publishing pictures of Suu Kyi and news stories about her, but the authorities have recently relaxed some restrictions. For instance, recently local journals published pictures of the meeting between Suu Kyi and President Thein Sein.
A PSRD official said that restrictions are changing because of the media-dominated age.
“We are going with the Constitution. We make changes regarding the freedom of the press. We have to remove some restrictions because of the current media trends,” he said.
President Thein Sein said in his opening speech to Parliament early this year that the government will respect the role of media, traditionally the fourth pillar of a country and he urged publications to present information that people need to know. He said that constructive suggestions offered by the media should be respected.
Meanwhile, Lower House Speaker Thura Shwe Mann said in his opening speech on the first day of the second regular parliamentary session on Monday that suggestions and criticisms about the government by the media would be welcomed as a step in establishing freedom of press in Burma.
For the first time, journalists were allowed to attend the regular parliamentary session on the opening day of the second regular session.
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Ethnic parties call for release of political prisoners, more human rights
Wednesday, 24 August 2011 19:39 Te Te
New Delhi (Mizzima) – Eight political parties that contested in the 1990 general election have sent a letter citing four demands to UN special rapporteur for human rights in Burma Tomas Ojea Quintana.
The letter, which calls for more for human rights in ethnic areas and the release of all political prisoners, was sent through Aung San Suu Kyi when she met Quintana on Wednesday.
The letter, dated August 20, said, “In the ethnic inhabited war zones, women, including teenaged girls, are being raped and government soldiers are burning villages, looting and forcible seizing villagers’ belongings.”
Government troops are also forcing villagers to work as porters at the frontlines, the letter said.
“The UN Commission for Human Right should investigate what’s happening in ethnic inhabited areas and take actions accordingly,” ZNC party Chairman Pu Cing Tsing Thang said.
He also called for the release of all political prisoners unconditionally and setting up a tripartite dialogue to investigate human right violations in Burma.
“If they [the government] have a sincere intention, they should release all political dissidents who were imprisoned for their political conscience first, while also inviting back those dissidents who are in exile. This is a good time to talk about everything that will benefit the people,” Pu Cing Tsing Thang said.
The letter also called for recognizing the National League for Democracy and ethnic political parties that won in the 1990 general election, which was never honoured by the former junta.
The eight ethnic political parties said they supported an inclusive genuine dialogue with UN assistance including Aung San Suu Kyi, all political parties and ethnic groups to discuss national reconciliation with the government.
The letter asked Quintana to present their demands to President Thein Sein and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
“There is not yet a single line regarding the political prisoners found in President Thein Sein’s address to the country and Parliament. So we have to hope for the release of these prisoners with our fingers crossed,” said Nyunt Nyunt Oo, the mother of 88-Generation student leader Panneik Tun.
A total of 1,995 political prisoners including ethnic leaders Khun Tun Oo and General Hse Hten are serving prison sentences and many 88-Generation student leaders are still behind bars.
Ethnic parties that sent the letter include the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, Mon National Democratic Front, Arakan League for Democracy, Kachin National Congress for Democracy, Zomi National Congress, Karen National Democracy Congress, United Nationalities League for Democracy and Democratic Organization for Kayan National Unity.
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Palaung civilian shot dead on the spot by government troops
Wednesday, 24 August 2011 12:40 Kyaw Kha
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Suspected of being a rebel, a Palaung villager was shot dead on the spot by government soldiers in Monton Township in northern Shan State, said a Palaung organization based on the Sino-Burmese border.
On August 16, Aik San Pi of Loisaung village in Monton Township was shot dead by troops from Infantry Unit No. 130 led by Colonel Kyaw Zeyar Tun, the Palaung Women’s Organization [PWO] reported.
The man, Aik San Pi, 27, was hiding because he was afraid of being forced to carry supplies for government troops, according to sources. When the soldiers discovered him they accused him of being a rebel and shot him, said Lwe Amm, a PWO spokesperson.
“After the [Burmese] army arrived in the village, many men fled because they were afraid of being forced to porter goods. They shot him three times. He died on the spot.”
The village head told the troops Aik San Pi was not a member of an armed group and the soldiers gave 5,000 kyat (about US$ 7) to the family for funeral expenses.
In the Monton Township, various armed groups are active including Burmese government battalions, Palaung militant groups, Shan State Army-North troops and soldiers of the Kachin Independence Organization. The KIO and SSA-N said that government troops forced local villagers to porter goods and weapons in fighting in June.
SSA-N spokesman Major Sai Hla said that some civilians suspected of being rebels were tortured and killed by government troops. He said government soldiers set fire to five houses near Wanphwi Dam on Tuesday morning, alleging that residents were SSA supporters.
KIO spokesman La Nang said that in some ethnic areas civilians are placed on a blacklist by the government because of the armed groups’ activities, but it was usual that residents were shot by government troops.
“Some ethnic people were shot because they were suspected and some were shot intentionally by the government troops. Those cases have happened. In every fight, many victims are civilians,” La Nang told Mizzima.
La Nang said government troops use Kachin and Shan villagers as human mine sweepers during fighting between KIO and government troops.
The BBC Burmese Service recently reported that in Pyapon Township in Irrawaddy Region, government Infantry Unit No. 93 ordered a motorboat carrying bananas to stop to demand money. When the motorboat failed to stop, the soldiers opened fire, killing one man.
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DVB News - Lawyers seek end to persecution
By AYE NAI
Published: 24 August 2011
A group of lawyers who had their licenses revoked under the previous military government for being politically active are preparing to hold a press conference tomorrow to explain a legal challenge they are planning to regain the licenses.
Over 20 lawyers since the last military government came to power in 1988, have had their licenses revoked by the government.
Amongst them are the National League for Democracy’s (NLD) deputy-chairman Tin Oo, Aung Thein and Khin Maung Shein of the group’s Legal Assistance Wing and other lawyers from different regions including Mandalay, Sagaing, Pegu and Irrawaddy Divisions,
Aung Thein, an NLD lawyer, (who along with Khin Maung Shein defended Min Ko Naing, Ashin Gambira and other high profile activists, were jailed for 4 months in 2008 and had their licenses revoked for contempt of court) said their Lawyers’ Network are also collecting names of other lawyers who have had their licenses revoked.
“These lawyers were given prison sentences on political grounds have also lost their licenses – so it’s like we got two separate punishments in just one case. We are preparing to write an official [complaint] letter about this,” said Aung Thein.
The press conference tomorrow coincides with UN Human Rights Rapporteur’s visit in Burma and the Lawyers’ Network are also to tell him about the situation.
Myat Hla, Central Court lawyer in Pegu [town] who was elected as People’s Parliament Representative in 1990 elections and later charged by authorities and had his license revoked: “This is our career profession – just like teachers. We are not rich people and having lost our lawyers licenses made a lot of difficulties for our survival.”
Meanwhile lawyer Htin Aung Htun, who represented farmers in Magwe Division’s Kanma township in their land dispute court case against the military owned Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings company has been disqualified by the Supreme Court in Naypyidaw.
Htin Aung Htun told DVB that; “In the order letter issued by the Supreme Court it claimed that, according to an investigation report, I am known for writing complaints for my clients when they lose their cases and that I had no intention of handling my cases as a credible lawyer and that I showed no dignity as a lawyer in the cases.”
He added that; “I don’t know who conducted the investigation, who wrote the report or who scrutinised it.”
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DVB News - Prome detainees barred from having visitors
By NAY THWIN
Published: 24 August 2011
Two youths in central Burma’s Pegu Division who were recently arrested by authorities, allegedly under the Unlawful Association Act, have been prevented from seeing their families or lawyers whilst in detention.
Zarni Htun, 24, a resident of Prome [Pyay] township and Wei Phyo of Okpho township were arrested in Innma town on 12 August and have been detained in Prome Prison ever since. A family member of Zarni Htun told DVB the two are facing charges under the Unlawful Association Act;
“On August 15, we found out they were being detained at Prome’s Police Station-1 and they were brought to a court hearing the next day,” said Zarni Htun’s family member.
“They were transferred to detention in the [Prome] prison on August 17 and we went there to visit them and give them some food and clothing – but the prison didn’t allow us to see them,” the family member continued.
“Today [August 23], [Wei Phyo’s family] went to the prison to get [the two’s] signatures to handover [legal] power to their lawyers but were turned down by the prison again – officials there said the prison’s chief was in a meeting and told us to come again the next day.”
The Universal Declaration of human rights specifically forbids arbitrary detention in its article 9, which given the vague grounds on which they are being held could be applicable; DVB could not confirm which law they were supposed to have broken.
Meanwhile article 20 of the same declaration also states that; “Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.”
Zarni Htun’s family member meanwhile stated that about 20 uniformed and plain-clothed officials came and searched his house on 12 August but didn’t find anything.
She said the two were due appear in a court hearing on August 31, trials are often in practice closed door.
“We heard they have been charged with the [Unlawful Association] act and a court hearing for them was appointed for August 31. We are so worried for them – we want to know if they are okay, if they are in good health and also want to give them some items [food/cloths].”
The UN human rights envoy, Tomas Ojea Quintana who is currently visiting the country earlier in the year noted that authorities began a practice of transferring prisoners to prevent visits from family in 2008 as a “further punishment,”… “This practice endangers prisoners of conscience, as they suffer additionally from these even harsher conditions of detention, and creates additional hardship for the families of the prisoners.”
Whilst Burma’s government is nominally democratic and with President Thein Sein telling parliament on Monday that; “we have specially focussed on securing fundamental rights of citizens,” groups such as the Asian Human Rights Commission and the Asian Legal Resource Center (ALRC) have begged to differ, especially on the issue of the law. The head of the Hong Kong based ALRC, Basil Fernando said in a statement in April that;
“If the members of Burma’s new parliament believe that they have political legitimacy, then all of them, from all parties, should take up this lead and put the rule of law at the very front of their agendas for legislative and administrative reform, not just in rhetoric but in substance.”
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