Sunday, 02 October, 2011
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Dam decision adds to cautious optimism in Myanmar
By Peter Janssen Oct 2, 2011, 4:44 GMT
Naypyitaw - At Friday's session of Myanmar's parliament, Lower House Speaker Shwe Mann dropped a bombshell.
Interrupting the planned agenda on women's rights, the former general announced that he had just received a letter from President Thein Sein announcing his decision to shelve a 3.6-billion-dollar hydroelectric plant planned in the Kachin State at the source of the Irrawaddy River, Myanmar's longest waterway.
The Myitsone project, to be built by a Chinese company, has been hotly opposed by the Kachin ethnic minority, local and international environmentalists, opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and a broad swathe of Myanmar society.
Thein Sein decided to halt the project 'to respect the will of the people.'
The dam would have created a reservoir the size of Singapore, displacing up to 20,000 Kachin people and causing unknown ecological havoc to the Irrawaddy that flows from upper Myanmar to the Irrawaddy delta, the country's rice basket.
Shelving such a project would be common practice in most democracies, but in Myanmar, where military dictatorships ruled for the past four decades, the decision came as a surprise.
On September 11, Minister for Electric Power Zaw Min told parliament the project had the full support of the government and would go ahead.
Some 90 per cent of the electricity from the 6,000-megawatt plant was to be exported to neighbouring China, one of Myanmar's few allies in the international community.
Halting the Myitsone project could upset Beijing at a time when Myanmar, also called Burma, continues to be the target of economic sanctions by Western democracies.
Those sanctions are not expected to be lifted soon, as much of the international community has adopted a cautious stance to the small signs of change underway in Myanmar, which held its first election in 20 years on November 7.
The election process, flawed at best, brought to power the pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party, which now controls Myanmar's three houses of parliament.
Another 25 per cent of parliament comprise legislators appointed by the military. There are only a handful of opposition members.
Despite the military dominance, the first parliament session that started in August and is likely to continue until mid-October, has included some surprises.
In late September, both the lower and upper houses passed a new labour l that allows the formation of trade and farmers unions and the right to demonstrate, albeit only at locations 500 metres away from public buildings.
Remarkably, the Labour Ministry consulted the International Labour Organization (ILO) on the draft legislation to assure it was up to their standards.
'The introduction of workers' representation is a momentous policy decision,' ILO Myanmar liaison officer Steve Marshall said.
He cautioned that he had yet to see the final draft of the law, which is awaiting the signature of President Thein Sein, and could still include amendments.
Like many international aid workers and diplomats based in Yangon, Marshall is exuding cautious optimism about recent developments under the new elected government.
'Three months ago I was saying I was cautiously optimistic with the emphasis on caution. Now I'm cautiously optimistic with the emphasis on optimistic,' he said.
At the heart of the optimism was Thein Sein's decision to meet with democracy icon Suu Kyi in the capital Naypyitaw on August 19.
The exact content of the private talks remains secret, but it was clear that Suu Kyi was encouraged by the unusual meeting and has taken a cautiously optimistic tone since.
'This is the kind of thing I could have never done, so we are making progress, but we need more,' she said in a recent videolink address to an international conference in New York.
It is widely understood that Thein Sein and Suu Kyi agreed that another important step the new government must take to show its sincerity about reform and reconciliation would be the release of an estimated 2,000 political prisoners.
Once that happens, it is even possible that the opposition National League for Democracy Party led by Suu Kyi might contest an upcoming by-election in December, after boycotting the November polls.
Even Suu Kyi would join the fray.
'She wants to contest,' NLD spokesman Nyan Win said. 'She could become the opposition leader in parliament, and Thein Sein wants her to be opposition leader.'
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Radio Australia News
China rebukes Burma over halt to dam project
Burma's president Thein Sein suspended the construction of the controversial hydroelectric dam, saying he realised it is not wanted by his people.
China has urged Burma to protect the rights of Chinese companies after the government halted construction of a $3.6 billion China-backed dam.
Burma's president Thein Sein ordered work on the Myitsone Dam on the Irrawaddy River to stop following public opposition to the project.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman urged "relevant countries to guarantee the lawful and legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies".
China is Burma's second-largest trading partner and biggest foreign investor, and the comments are a rare public display of discord between them.
The dam in the northern state of Kachin was backed by energy giant China Power Investment Corp and has attracted opposition from pro-democracy and environmentalists testing the limits of their freedom under the new nominally civilian regime.
Democracy campaigner, Aung San Suu Kyi, also voiced strong opposition and she has welcomed the concession.
"We understand the President has asked to suspend the dam because of public concerns, since every government should listen carefully to the people's voices and tackle the problems," she said.
Green groups have warned the dam project would inundate an area about the size of Singapore, submerging dozens of villages, displacing at least 10,000 people and irreversibly damaging one of the world's most biodiverse areas.
Friday's announcement marked an unexpected about turn by the Burma regime.
Local media had quoted the minister for electric power as saying last month that construction of the dam would go ahead despite public concerns. http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/stories/201110/3330221.htm?desktop
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October 01, 2011
China Calls For Talks Over Burma Dam
VOA News
Burma's President Thein Sein, left, and Chinese President Hu Jintao watch a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, May 27, 2011.
Photo: AP
Burma's President Thein Sein, left, and Chinese President Hu Jintao watch a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, May 27, 2011.
China has called for talks with Burma after the Burmese government suspended a controversial dam project.
In a statement posted on the agency's website Saturday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei called on Burma to hold consultations to handle any problems with the Myitsone dam project.
The statement notes that both countries agreed to undertake the project after rigorous studies and reviews.
China and Burma agreed in 2009 to build a $ 3.6 billion dam on the Irrawaddy River in northern Burma, slated for completion in 2019.
The joint project has sparked protests by environmentalists and local residents who say the dam would flood a huge area and have devastating consequences for the people and the environment.
Burma's new President Thein Sein, a former general, told the parliament to act according to the desire of the people.
The nominally civilian government was elected in November in Burma's first election in two decades. President Thein Sein was inaugurated in March.
Burma's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was released in November after some 15 years in detention, warned in early August of the devastating consequences the dam would have on the country's rice production and on the life of the local population. She appealed to the governments of Burma and China to take steps to avoid consequences of the construction which could endanger lives and homes. http://www.voanews.com/english/news/asia/China-Calls-For-Talks-Over-Burma-Dam-130917858.html
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BURMA: CHINESE DAM STOPPED, BEIJING IS FURIOUS
07:56 02 OTT 2011
(AGI) Beijing - Strong Chinese reaction to the shelving of the colossal Myitsone Dam project, stopped by the Myanmar regime that surprisingly caved in to the environmentalists' protest.
China, which wanted and financed the project in order to power the Yunnan region through a gigantic hydropower station, stated that the neighboring country should protect the rights of Chinese companies. . . http://www.agi.it/english-version/world/elenco-notizie/201110020756-cro-ren1007-burma_chinese_dam_stopped_beijing_is_furious
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BANGKOK POST
China raps Burma over dam project
Published: 2/10/2011 at 02:32 PM
Online news: Asia
Beijing has urged Burma to protect the rights of Chinese companies after the government halted construction of a $3.6 billion China-backed mega dam following public opposition to the project.
A man drives a boat at sunset along the Irrawaddy river on the outskirts of Bagan in Myanmar in 2009. Beijing has urged Myanmar to protect the rights of Chinese companies after the government halted construction of a $3.6 billion China-backed mega dam following public opposition to the project.
Burma President Thein Sein on Friday ordered work on the Myitsone Dam on the Irrawaddy River to stop -- a decision hailed by the United States as a sign the military-backed leadership was listening to its people.
But Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei on Saturday urged "relevant countries to guarantee the lawful and legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies".
"The Myitsone power station is a jointly invested project between China and Burma" and it has been "rigorously examined by both sides", Hong said in a statement.
Hong called for both sides to "properly handle" the matter through "friendly consultations".
China is Burma's second-largest trading partner and biggest foreign investor, and the comments are a rare public display of discord between them.
The dam in the northern state of Kachin was backed by energy giant China Power Investment Corp and has attracted opposition from pro-democracy and environmentalists testing the limits of their freedom under the new nominally civilian regime.
In March Burma's junta handed power to a new government whose ranks are filled with former generals.
Green groups have warned the dam project would inundate an area about the size of Singapore, submerging dozens of villages, displacing at least 10,000 people and irreversibly damaging one of the world's most biodiverse areas.
Friday's announcement marked an unexpected U-turn by the Burma regime. Local media had quoted the minister for electric power as saying last month that construction of the dam would go ahead despite public concerns.
For the people of Kachin, the Myitsone dam has come to symbolise the struggles they have faced for decades as a marginalised ethnic group in the repressed nation under almost half a century of military rule.
Activists have urged China Power Investment to remove workers and equipment from the site and to allow local villagers who were forced to relocate to go home.
The Burma Rivers Network, a network of groups representing dam-affected communities, has also called for six other mega dams planned on the Irrawaddy's tributaries to be scrapped.
In recent weeks fighting has erupted between ethnic rebels and government troops in the area.
In April a series of bomb blasts at the site of the Myitsone Dam destroyed cars and buildings and left one man wounded.
And in August state media accused ethnic fighters of shooting dead seven people, including civilian workers, at a different Chinese-run dam.
Energy-hungry China has been pouring money into the isolated state's sizeable natural resources.
Activists warned last month that huge energy projects to transport oil and gas across Burma to China were fuelling human rights abuses, including forced labour, violence, evictions and land confiscation. http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/259352/china-raps-burma-over-dam-project
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Saturday, October 01, 2011By Asia News
Myanmar: Peace and amnesty: dialogue between Aung San Suu Kyi and Burmese government
Third meeting between opposition leaders and Labour Minister Aung Kyi. Talks judged "satisfactory” and included protection of the Irrawaddy and national stability. Burmese political experts consider the recent political developments in Burmese politics "positive", freed of the influence of General ...
Yangon - A possible amnesty for (political) prisoners and a permanent cease-fire with armed ethnic groups. These just some of the issues discussed during a meeting yesterday between the Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Labour Minister Aung Kyi, at Sane Lae Kan Thar, a government building in Yangon. Lasting about 77 minutes, it is the third official meeting between the Nobel Laureate and the senior official, and come after a face to face meeting with the president Thein Sein in recent weeks. Analysts judge the political developments of recent weeks “positive", which could lead to a "real change" in Myanmar.
In an official statement released after the meeting, both sides expressed "satisfaction" with the outcome of the meeting which also discussed joint cooperation in protecting the Irrawaddy River, collaboration for the stability of the nation, and the reaffirmation the principle of superiority of law and order. The leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD) and the Minister have also brought forward a new round of talks in the near future. Aung San Suu Kyi, 66, also welcomed the decision of President Thein Sein, who ordered the suspension of work on the construction of the dam on the Irrawaddy River (see AsiaNews 29/09/2011 Burmese President stops construction of Myitsone dam). "It is very important - said NLD leader - that [the government] hears the voice of the people. This is the role that every government has to fulfil. The Government must work to resolve issues of concern among the people. "
Burmese policy experts, interviewed by AsiaNews, judge the meetings "positive", for "positive results and a real change for the whole country." In the last two decades in Myanmar, power has remained firmly in the hands of the military dictatorship. Now the new civilian government, appointed by the Parliament in recent months, despite being backed by the army and formed by many ex-officers, seems more oriented to concede some openings - albeit cautiously - to the opposition.
According to the source, an "institutional role in the short term" for Aung San Suu Kyi is unlikely, but "her entry into the country's political life is inevitable "and "desirable as soon as possible." People seem ready to "trust" the new government, which appears to have freed itself - according to unofficial rumours - from the influence of General Than Shwe, father and master of Myanmar for the past 20 years. "According to some - adds an official, on condition of anonymity - it seems that Than Shwe has problems of personal safety."
The process towards the full democratization of the country may still be far off, but "the journey in the right direction" has already begun.
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