Saturday, 03 December 2011
Home News Politics UNFC to form Union Army at last
UNFC to form Union Army at last
Saturday, 03 December 2011 11:44 S.H.A.N.
The long awaited Federal Union Army (FUA) will be formed in mid-December, according to border security sources.
The decision was passed at the most recent meeting held on the Chiangmai-Shan State border, 27-30 November.
Maj Gen Bee Htoo, Commander-in-Chief of the Karenni Army, was nominated as the new commander to succeed Gen Mutu Saypoe, who had resigned due to his heavy workload at his Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the armed wing of the Karen National Union (KNU), said one of the sources yesterday. For unexplained reasons, the alliance was unable to implement the initial resolution to form the FUA taken in February, following its founding by 12 member groups.
"This time, it is for real," declared Hkun Okker, Chairman of the PaO National Liberation Organization (PNLO), who was elected as Assistant Secretary General #2 during the meeting.
The grouping was made up of 12 ethnic resistance groups, including Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), KNU, Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), New Mon State Party (NMSP), Shan State Progress Party (SSPP), Chin National Front (CNF), Arakan National Council (ANC), PNLO, Palaung State Liberation Front (PSLF) and Wa National Organization (WNO).
Another member group Kachin National Organization (KNO) led by Bawmwang Laraw has merged with the KIO, it was announced at the meeting.
Other resolutions passed at the meeting include:
Election of KNU's David Tharckabaw as Vice Chairman #2
To demand Naypyitaw for cessation of hostilities in Kachin and Shan states
The Shan State Army (SSA) 'South' that had signed a ceasefire pact with Naypyitaw yesterday is not a member of the UNFC. http://www.shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4247:unfc-to-form-union-army-at-last&catid=85:politics&Itemid=266
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Suu Kyi gives green light to US engagement
Published: 3/12/2011 at 03:04 AM
Online news: Asia
RANGOON : Aung San Suu Kyi voiced guarded hope Friday that democracy will come to Burma as the opposition leader warmly welcomed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the home that was her prison for years.
In scenes unthinkable before Burma's recent reforms, Suu Kyi took Clinton by the arm and escorted her through the garden of her crumbling lakeside villa in the commercial hub Rangoon where she was locked up until a year ago.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner said she supported Clinton's trip a day earlier to Burma's remote capital Naypyidaw and believed that the country had reached a "historic moment".
"I am very confident that if we work together... there will be no turning back from the road to democracy," Suu Kyi said next to a beaming Clinton on a back porch surrounded by potted plants.
More needed to be done by the new military-backed government, "but we hope to get there as soon as possible", Suu Kyi added.
Clinton, who is the first US secretary of state to visit Burma in more than 50 years, nodded in agreement and said she saw "openings" during her three-day trip that "give us some grounds for encouragement".
The wife of former president Bill Clinton has spent decades hobnobbing with the world's most powerful but was visibly excited to meet Suu Kyi, repeatedly embracing the democracy champion and kissing her on the cheeks.
Clinton and Suu Kyi, two of the world's most prominent women, also met away from aides for an expansive dinner Thursday night at the US diplomatic mission whose chef prepared foods especially chosen to please Suu Kyi.
Clinton's aides said she even brought from the United States a chewy toy for Suu Kyi's small but energetic dog. Suu Kyi nonetheless gave Clinton a friendly warning that her dog was sometimes aggressive towards strangers.
Clinton on Thursday hand-delivered a personal letter from President Barack Obama that thanked Suu Kyi for her "inspiration" to people around the world and said the United States would stand by her "now and always".
Despite the warm atmosphere at their meetings, Clinton and Suu Kyi both warned of serious worries in Burma. Activists say anywhere from hundreds to more than 1,500 political prisoners remain jailed and that rape and forced labour remain common in ethnic enclaves torn by decades of war.
"All hostilities must cease within this country as soon as possible," Suu Kyi said.
Suu Kyi repeatedly urged the rule of law, demanding that all political prisoners be released and "that no more are arrested in the future for their beliefs".
The Burmese military seized power in 1962 and ruled until March, when the ruling junta nominally handed power to civilians.
President Thein Sein, while a former general, has surprised both the United States and the opposition for speaking the language of reforms and initiating dialogue both with Suu Kyi and ethnic minorities.
Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy swept 1990 elections but the military junta never allowed her to take power. She enjoys wide support across the political spectrum in Washington and her blessing is seen as critical to any future US move to ease sweeping sanctions.
Suu Kyi did not mention sanctions but welcomed the small incentives that Clinton offered on Thursday after her talks with the government, including support for international financial institutions to assess Burmese needs.
The opposition leader has indicated that she hopes to run in by-elections early next year, in a major test for how far the government is willing to tolerate political change.
Wrapping up her visit, the top US diplomat announced US$1.2 million in new aid aimed at civil society to support microfinance, healthcare and help for the victims of landmines in the war-torn country.
Clinton said she told the country's leaders that the United States was assessing progress by the new leadership before it considers ending sanctions.
"We will match action for action, and if there is enough progress, obviously we will be considering lifting sanctions," Clinton said, but added: "We are still at the very early stages of this dialogue."
In a further sign of a softening of the US stance, Clinton stepped back from a previous call for a UN-backed war crimes probe.
"We are going to support the principle of accountability and the appropriate mechanism to ensure justice and accountability will be considered," she said.
"But I think it's important to try to give the new government and the opposition a chance to try to demonstrate they have their own approach toward achieving that." http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/269060/suu-kyi-gives-green-light-to-us-engagement
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Hillary Clinton challenges Myanmar to continue reforms
English.news.cn 2011-12-03 16:38:29 FeedbackPrintRSS
WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday that her country will reciprocate when Myanmar takes actions to further "the momentum for reform and democratization" in the Southeast Asian nation.
The top U.S. envoy told the CBS TV network before concluding her two-day visit to Myanmar that she had seen "some positive changes" and heard "some encouraging commitments," but there is still "so much to be done" in the country.
As the first U.S. secretary of state ever to set foot on Myanmar in more than 50 years, she had said prior to her trip that she would test whether there is a commitment to both economic and political reforms in the nation during her visit.
The new government in Myanmar, which took office on March 30, has been pushing for political and economic reforms in the country, including the release of political prisoners.
During her visit, Clinton told the country's leaders that a roadmap would be drawn to relax and lift economic sanctions, restrictions on tourism sector as well as export and import embargoes against Myanmar to mark a new phase of bilateral relationship.
She told CBS that one of the reasons for her travel to Myanmar was to send a "very clear signal" that the United States would welcome the reform process in the country, and want "the hard issues" like political prisoners, elections and the conflicts in ethnic areas to be tackled.
Clinton told CNN in another interview that there is a "great desire" on the part of Myanmar's leadership to have assistance in their economic reforms, and the U.S. "will encourage that."
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-12/03/c_131286253.htm
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US not concerned about Myanmar's ties with China
Updated: 2011-12-03 17:20(Xinhua)
WASHINGTON - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday that her country is not concerned about Myanmar's maintenance of good relations with China.
"We have no concerns about Burma (Myanmar) having good relations with China," the top US diplomat told the NBC TV network before concluding her two-day visit to the Southeast Asian nation.
"They share a long border. It's a big neighbor that you have to figure out how to get along with," she said of Myanmar-China ties. "That is not anything that we have an interest in or an objection to."
She said her trip to Myanmar "is not about anything other than the potential for American engagement to support the reformers inside of the country."
She reiterated that as a Pacific power, the United States is refocusing its attention on the Asia-Pacific region after preoccupying itself with Iraq and Afghanistan over the last 10 years.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2011-12/03/content_14208445.htm
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BANGKOK POST: EDITORIAL
Lift shadow over Burma
Published: 3/12/2011 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News
Burma's charm offensive reached new heights this week as the administration of President Thein Sein engaged US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in "historic" talks in Naypyidaw, braved a wintry diplomatic blast from Beijing and quietly accepted the decision by Aung San Suu Kyi to contest parliamentary by-elections under her National League for Democracy party's banner. But the surprises did not end there.
In Phnom Penh, where the International Campaign to Ban Landmines was holding a global summit involving the 158 states that have joined the 1997 anti-personnel mine ban convention, delegates were intrigued by the appearance of the deputy director-general of Burma's Foreign Ministry as an observer. True to form, he tried to defend his country's use of landmines at what was possibly the most unsympathetic forum on the planet, but there were hints that a future dialogue might be possible. Even that tiny olive branch is encouraging because it follows a pattern. Events in Burma over the past year have taken the form of a well-choreographed diplomatic dance designed to show a willingness to right numerous wrongs. And mine clearance is one area in need of urgent action. Burma stands condemned as the world's biggest user of these barbaric devices. The chances of it ratifying the 1997 Ottawa mine ban treaty are slim, but interim measures such as engaging in landmine education and mine clearance would be a start. Just opening its doors to international humanitarian assistance for landmine victims would be a breakthrough - especially now that Burma has replaced Cambodia as the country with the highest annual number of landmine victims in the region.
The obsession with mines makes little military sense. The Burmese army does not chart the position of the mines it lays, so its own soldiers are frequently blown up by them as they battle ethnic minority groups.
The rebel forces also lay mines, although Karen National Union vice-president David Thakabaw maintains that their landmines are not as long-lasting because they have a shorter battery life and that civilians are warned of their whereabouts.
But it is not that simple. Mines are deadly pressure-sensitive mechanical devices and cannot tell the difference between a civilian and a soldier or distinguish friend from foe. That is why so many innocent villagers are maimed or killed - as are the many elephants used by the logging industry along the Thai-Burmese border which is infested with landmines.
The international community is keeping a close watch on the new round of peace talks Burma's leaders began with several ethnic groups last month and is hoping for a cease-fire. No one believes that achieving a lasting peace will be an easy task. There is an absence of trust after years of army-inflicted human rights abuses that included forced labour, rape, torture, forced relocations, extra-judicial killings and the use of child soldiers. Demanding an end to such horrors was high on Mrs Clinton's agenda.
Also making reconciliation difficult is the absence of a sense of national identity necessary to bring these disparate groups together for the sake of the country. Pressure must also be stepped up to win the release of the 1,000 or so jailed political prisoners.
There remains the question of how entrenched the reform elements in the government are and whether hardliners could stage a comeback. If they did, and plunged Burma back into the dark ages once again, it would be a tragedy for Burma, for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and for the world. http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/269030/lift-shadow-over-burma
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The U.S. strikes the right note of wary optimism in Burma
By Editorial, Saturday, December 3, 8:30 AM
During her brief visit to Burma this week, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton did a great deal to cement the United States's standing as a friend to the country's democrats. She met, first and respectfully, with the country's leaders, who call their country Myanmar and who received her in the surreal capital they only recently constructed --- reportedly on an astrologer's advice --- far from any population centers. In those meetings, Ms. Clinton offered modest improvements in the long-frozen relationship between the two countries and promised more if the regime democratizes.
Ms. Clinton then held two long meetings with Aung San Suu Kyi, whom she had never met. She paid tribute to the Nobel Peace Prize laureate's "fearlessness in the face of intimidation and her serenity through decades of isolation." More to the point, she interacted with Aung San Suu Kyi as one political actor with another, the role the Burmese activist for two decades has sought for herself: not a saint but a politician who wants to play a significant role in the development of her nation.
Most important, Ms. Clinton, after her discussions with both President Thein Sein and Aung San Suu Kyi, laid out clear goals. "[W]e want to see all political prisoners released," she said. "We want to see a serious effort at peace and reconciliation, we want to see dates set for the election, and then we will be very open to matching those actions with our own." Similarly, Aung San Suu Kyi said that Burma needs laws allowing the media and political parties to operate freely --- and independent judges who will enforce those laws.
It's important to remember, as Ms. Clinton made clear, that beyond Rangoon and the capital city of Naypyidaw, terrible suffering continues. The army has continued to use rape as a weapon in its conflicts against ethnic minorities. Many former student leaders, Buddhist monks and other peaceful democracy advocates remain locked up, reportedly in dismal conditions.
And Burmese officials have committed to no deadlines for further progress. As the country's leading Catholic prelate, Archbishop Charles Bo of Rangoon, said Friday: "The government needs to release the remaining political prisoners to show that they are serious about democratic reform." And it needs to do so soon.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-us-strikes-the-right-note-of-wary-optimism-in-burma/2011/12/02/gIQAEVhWMO_story.html
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Clinton to Burma: Rewarding Democrats, Punishing Tyrants
Posted: 12/ 3/11 07:50 AM ET
"After years of darkness, we've seen flickers of progress," said President Barack Obama of Burma, officially known as Myanmar. The government has been under sanction by the U.S., but last week Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited the pariah state in an attempt to spur the reform process.
Burma long has been one of the most tragic of nations. The military first took control in 1962. Since then the regime has brutally suppressed all opposition, including the democracy movement led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. Even deadlier has been the more than six decades of war against ethnic groups seeking autonomy. Some, most recently the Shan, have reached ceasefires with the regime, but others, such as the Karen, fight on. Violent clashes continued in the week preceding Secretary Clinton's arrival.
The U.S. and Europe have used economic sanctions to punish the military junta, which in the mold of George Orwell's 1984 variously styled itself as the "State Law and Order Restoration Council" and "State Peace and Development Council." But China took advantage of Western policy to gain political influence and economic dominance in Burma, while even America's Asian friends largely ignored U.S. attempts to isolate the government in Naypyidaw.
The overall Burmese economy suffered from sanctions, but the regime's military leaders and business allies prospered, manipulating the rules to their advantage. Meanwhile the government lived up to its brutal reputation. Thousands of democracy activists languished in jail and Suu Kyi was held under perpetual house arrest. The tyrannical status quo remained impervious to allied pressure. There even was evidence that the regime might be pursuing nuclear weapons.
Now there are "flickers of progress," as the president suggested. The first was a very limited election last year, in which leading democracy activists, including Suu Kyi, whose party won the last poll in 1990, were barred from running. A new, nominally civilian government was born after the election with the retirement of the junta's top generals. However, the new system was still dominated by former military men. Little fundamental seemed to have changed.
Since then the government released about 300 political prisoners, while leaving nearly 1700 (which the regime claimed were just common criminals) in custody. Shortly after the election Suu Kyi also was freed. Since then she met with government ministers, including President Thein Sein, and restrictions on her party, the National League for Democracy, have been lifted. The NLD has registered to contest upcoming by-elections and she is likely to enter parliament. Restrictions over the media, internet, and labor unions recently were relaxed.
Naypyidaw also has initiated a slight break with its chief patron, Beijing. Even while allying with the People's Republic of China Burma pursued ties with India and Southeast Asian states. Moreover, top Burmese leaders reportedly are uncomfortable with the PRC's "plundering" of the nation's natural resources, while others talk about Burma becoming a "satellite state." Over the Beijing's sharp protests the regime halted work in September on an unpopular China-backed dam.
Still, Burma was looking for a balance, not a revolution in relations: three days before Secretary Clinton's arrival, the Burmese army commander visited Beijing to meet with Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, tapped to become president next year. They talked of enhancing their countries' "comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation."
Individually all of these are but small steps. Much remains unchanged, warns Human Rights Watch: "the main elements of Burma's repressive security apparatus, and the laws underpinning it, remain in place. In ethnic areas, the human rights situation remains dire." Moreover, the Burmese military has previously offered tantalizing reforms, only to reverse course, intensifying its brutal repression. An unnamed State Department official acknowledged "several failed efforts over decades" at engagement.
However, the combination of many modest reforms offers hope that something more is happening this time. Sean Turnell of Australia's Macquarie University said "Most of the change is rhetorical," but still called the steps "potentially transformational." Former student leader Myo Yan Naung Thein said "we don't have enough blood to shed" to overthrow the system, so the new strategy is "If you can't beat them, join them."
Suu Kyi, who so often has been the victim of regime twists and turns, expressed optimism in the potential for additional change. Even more effusive was Cho Cho Kyaw Nyein, a former political prisoner, who first "didn't believe a word of what they were saying" but argued "What has happened in these last few months is a miracle for us."
Sending Secretary Clinton to Naypyidaw was a well-calibrated response: opening Washington's door, affirming Burma's apparent reform course, and testing the new government's willingness to do more. The results of her visit look modest, but nevertheless positive. Secretary Clinton met Suu Kyi, who endorsed the U.S. effort. While it is far too early to expect a democratic Burma, it now is possible to at least imagine a Burma where the space for independent political activism is steadily expanding, an important step in the transition to genuinely representative government.
Far-reaching economic reform is required as well. Burma needs help, but the long-term answer will not come from government-to-government aid--on which Secretary Clinton announced a small loosening of U.S. restrictions. Official "assistance" is more likely to help the regime than the people. Only increased foreign investment and trade will generate the economic growth necessary to permanently improve the lives of the Burmese people.
But attracting the necessary funds will not be easy. Burma's crony-kleptocratic economy currently is organized to enrich the families and friends of those in power. Political connections are far more important than legal protections in promoting investments. Even if the country becomes more democratic, influential elites will resist market openings which reduce their control. Indeed, their desire to preserve profitable privileges likely will generate opposition to democracy itself.
The Obama administration also hopes to reinforce the Burmese government's apparent desire to balance the influence of its imperious neighbor China. Much concern has been expressed in the U.S. about Beijing's growing clout around the world. But the PRC is finding out--just as Washington discovered years ago--that friends can be expensive to buy and often don't stay bought.
Engaging Burma may encourage that state to continue on a more independent course. The regime isn't likely to dump its patron--China is too close geographically and too involved economically. And America's limited interests in Burma do not warrant attempting to turn the latter into another "great game" geopolitically. However, the U.S. could join India as an alternative source of funds and advice. Any distance between Naypyidaw and Beijing would be a positive. And the PRC's churlish reaction to the Clinton initiative suggests that Chinese officials are concerned.
Of course, the Clinton initiative may fail. The minimal changes we see now may be all that the Burmese people get. The whole effort may turn out to be an elaborate fraud, window-dressing to win Western aid, concocted by the military which continues to rule from the shadows. (Burma's ongoing reforms already have helped it win the promise of ASEAN's chairmanship in 2014.) Plenty of dissidents are skeptical, while Freedom House President David J. Kramer worries "that we are moving a little too quickly."
But the main argument for engaging Burma is not that doing so is certain to work, but that the alternative has failed. Isolating Burma has achieved little. For the most part Asian nations, even America's friends, ignored U.S. and European sanctions. For years nothing changed. The regime did not fall; Suu Kyi was not freed; democracy did not come; ethnic groups did not enjoy peace. The generals simply tightened their grip, killing or imprisoning anyone who resisted their rule.
Although the West's policy failure long has been obvious, no one wanted to "reward" the Burmese regime by dropping economic penalties. Sanctions had taken on symbolic as well as practical importance. Which left U.S. policy stuck in a political cul-de-sac. Sanctions were ineffective, doing little to advance human rights. But they could not be changed for appearance's sake.
Nascent reform in Burma now offers Washington an opportunity to shift course. During her visit Secretary Clinton announced relaxation of restrictions on World Bank and International Monetary Fund involvement in Burma, as well as talks with Naypyidaw on upgrading diplomatic relations, which were suspended 22 years ago. But lifting sanctions has to wait "because of our ongoing concerns about policies that have to be reversed," she explained. In fact, much remains to be done. Among the most important issues is ending the regime's brutal war on minority ethnic groups in the east.
Expectations of further change should be realistic. Moreover, even if the regime is genuinely committed to real reform, the road to a better life for the Burmese people will remain long and hard. Creating a liberal democracy and market economy out of a brutal, impoverished autocracy is the most difficult of tasks.
Nevertheless, for the first time in years there truly are "flickers of progress" in Burma. The administration is right to try to turn these flickers into something more. That means looking to the future: Washington needs to encourage any reforming voices in Naypyidaw. The desperately poor and oppressed Burmese people deserve a better life. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/doug-bandow/clinton-to-burma-rewardin_b_1126936.html
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Burma Agrees Truce with Major Rebel Group, Reports Say
December 03, 2011
Bangkok. Authorities in Burma have reached a preliminary cease-fire deal with a major armed ethnic militia, reports said Saturday, in the latest sign the regime is reaching out to its opponents.
The truce was signed Friday between the Shan State Army South and local authorities in the northeastern state, the editor of the Thailand-based Shan Herald Agency for News, Khuensai Jaiyen, told AFP, citing rebel contacts.
The was no immediate confirmation from the Burmese government or the Shan State Army, but the Irrawaddy news Web site, run by journalists in exile, said the agreement in the Shan State capital of Taunggyi also included government assurances of economic development and joint efforts against drugs.
It said the next step would be negotiations with the central government.
The country made a series of reformist moves in the past year -- freeing democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest, holding dialogue with the opposition and freeing some political prisoners.
Elections last year brought a nominally civilian government to power, but it retains close links with the army.
Civil war has wracked parts of the country since its independence in 1948, and an end to the conflicts, as well as alleged human rights abuses involving government troops, is a key demand of the international community.
Burma's leaders last month held peace talks near the Thai-Burma border with several ethnic groups fighting a long-running struggle for autonomy and rights, according to people involved.
Most insurgent groups have agreed cease-fires with the government, and the Shan State Army South has been one of the biggest rebel forces still fighting, with thousands of troops mostly stationed near the border with Thailand.
The mainly Buddhist Shan are the country's second-biggest ethnic group, accounting for about nine percent of the population, and Shan State covers a vast area of northeastern Burma.
In eastern Karen State, armed rebels have been waging Burma's longest-running insurgency, battling the government since 1949, while fighting has also raged since June in northern Kachin State near the Chinese border.
Burma state media reported on Thursday that peace talks had been held between the government and the Kachin Independence Organization, and the two sides had agreed to continue dialogue.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton welcomed what she said were efforts by the regime to resolve ethnic conflicts, after historic talks with the country's rulers in the capital Naypyidaw on Thursday.
"But as long as the terrible violence continues in some of the world's longest-running internal conflicts, it will be difficult to begin a new chapter," she said.
Agence France-Presse http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/burma-agrees-truce-with-major-rebel-group-reports-say/482473
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Burma reaches ceasefire with major rebel group
Posted December 03, 2011 23:21:46
Burma has reached a ceasefire deal with one of the war-torn country's major ethnic guerrilla groups, a mediator said on Saturday, in the latest sign the new army-backed regime is reaching out to its opponents.
The pact was signed on Friday by representatives of the Shan State Army South and the local government in the north-eastern state, Hla Maung Shwe, founder of the civil society group Myanmar Egress, who witnessed the agreement, said.
The was no immediate confirmation from the Burma government or the Shan State Army, but the Irrawaddy news website, run by journalists in exile, said the agreement in the Shan State capital of Taunggyi also included government assurances of economic development and joint efforts against drugs.
It said the next step would be negotiations with the central government.
The country has made a series of reformist moves in the past year - releasing democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest, holding dialogue with the opposition and freeing some political prisoners.
Elections last year brought a nominally civilian government to power, but it retains close links with the army.
Civil war has wracked parts of the country since its independence in 1948, and an end to the conflicts, as well as alleged human rights abuses involving government troops, is a key demand of the international community.
The Shan State Army South has been one of the biggest rebel forces still battling the government, with thousands of guerrilla fighters mostly stationed near the border with Thailand.
Burma's leaders last month held peace talks near the Thai-Burma border with several ethnic groups fighting a long-running struggle for autonomy and rights, according to people involved.
"They (the Shan State Army South) are the first group who signed the peace agreement among the five groups that we have met," Hla Maung Shwe said.
He said Burma's Railways Minister Aung Min was present as a witness while the Shan rebel delegation was headed by Brigadier General Sai Luu.
Mediators were also trying to reach peace agreements with the Karen National Union, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the Chin National Front and the Karenni National Progressive Party, he added.
In eastern Karen State, armed rebels have been waging Burma's longest-running insurgency, battling the government since 1949, while fighting has also raged since June in northern Kachin State near the Chinese border.
Burma state media reported on Thursday that peace talks had been held between the government and Kachin rebels, and the two sides had agreed to continue dialogue.
"The KIA is the most difficult to reach a peace agreement with," Hla Maung Shwe said.
US secretary of state Hillary Clinton welcomed what she said were efforts by the regime to resolve ethnic conflicts after historic talks with the country's rulers in the capital Naypyidaw on Thursday.
"But as long as the terrible violence continues in some of the world's longest-running internal conflicts, it will be difficult to begin a new chapter," she added.
The mainly Buddhist Shan are the country's second-biggest ethnic group, accounting for about 9 per cent of the population, and Shan State covers a vast area of north-eastern Myanmar. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-12-03/burma-ceasefire-with-major-rebel-group/3711274?section=world
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Burma agrees truce with rebels
Published: 3/12/2011 at 04:32 PM
Online news:
Authorities in Burma have reached a preliminary ceasefire deal with a major armed ethnic militia, reports said, in the latest sign the regime is reaching out to its opponents.
This file photo shows young soldiers from a breakaway faction of the ethnic Shan rebel group, Shan State Army (SSA), with their weapons, at a ceremony in Lecha township, Southern Shan State, some 600 km north of Yangon, in 2006. Authorities in Myanmar have reached a preliminary ceasefire deal with SSA, reports said, in the latest sign the regime is reaching out to its opponents.
The truce was signed Friday between the Shan State Army South and local authorities in the northeastern state, the editor of the Thailand-based Shan Herald Agency for News, Khuensai Jaiyen, told AFP, citing rebel contacts.
The was no immediate confirmation from the Burma government or the Shan State Army, but the Irrawaddy news website, run by journalists in exile, said the agreement in the Shan State capital of Taunggyi also included government assurances of economic development and joint efforts against drugs.
It said the next step would be negotiations with the central government.
The country formerly known as Burma has made a series of reformist moves in the past year -- freeing democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest, holding dialogue with the opposition and freeing some political prisoners.
Elections last year brought a nominally civilian government to power, but it retains close links with the army.
Civil war has wracked parts of the country since its independence in 1948, and an end to the conflicts, as well as alleged human rights abuses involving government troops, is a key demand of the international community.
Burma's leaders last month held peace talks near the Thai-Burma border with several ethnic groups fighting a long-running struggle for autonomy and rights, according to people involved.
Most insurgent groups have agreed ceasefires with the government, and the Shan State Army South has been one of the biggest rebel forces still fighting, with thousands of troops mostly stationed near the border with Thailand.
The mainly Buddhist Shan are the country's second-biggest ethnic group, accounting for about nine percent of the population, and Shan State covers a vast area of northeastern Burma.
In eastern Karen State, armed rebels have been waging Burma's longest-running insurgency, battling the government since 1949, while fighting has also raged since June in northern Kachin State near the Chinese border.
Burma state media reported on Thursday that peace talks had been held between the government and the Kachin Independence Organisation, and the two sides had agreed to continue dialogue.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton welcomed what she said were efforts by the regime to resolve ethnic conflicts, after historic talks with the country's rulers in the capital Naypyidaw on Thursday.
"But as long as the terrible violence continues in some of the world's longest-running internal conflicts, it will be difficult to begin a new chapter," she said. http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/269108/burma-agrees-truce-with-major-rebel-group-reports
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December 03, 2011 19:35 PM
Thai-Myanmar Checkpoint To Be Reopened Monday
BANGKOK, Dec 3 (Bernamaa) -- The Mae Sot-Myawaddy checkpoint on the Thai-Myanmar border will be reopened on Monday after more than a year of closure, according to China's Xinhua news agency citing the Bangkok Post on Saturday.
The check-point has been closed since July 18 last year.
Deputy governor of the border province of Tak Wuthi Sithisurat has confirmed of the reopening of the checkpoint by the governor of Myawaddy, Myanmar.
Myanmar had invited Thai authorities and leading members of the Tak Chamber of Commerce and Federation of Thai Industries to attend the opening ceremony of a border economic zone on Dec 5.
The ceremony would also be attended by high-level officials from Myanmar capital Nay Pyi Daw.
The Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge would be opened as usual.
The Bangkok Post said the reopening of the Mae Sot-Myawaddy checkpoint followed a contact between Thai Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul and his Myanmar counterpart.
-- BERNAMA http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=631660
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Burma approves peaceful-protest law
12/3/2011 - 9:34:31 AM
Burma
Burma's president has approved a new law allowing citizens to request permission to stage peaceful protests for the first time.
Demonstrations of any kind were previously banned in the traditionally repressive nation, where authorities have cracked down hard on anti-government protests.
The new law says anyone planning a protest must request approval five days beforehand from police, who can deny permission but must explain the reason why.
The move is the latest reform undertaken by the nominally civilian government since it took power from a military junta earlier this year.
State media reported today that President Thein Sein signed the legislation a day earlier, as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ended a three-day visit.
http://www.eecho.ie/news/world/burma-approves-peaceful-protest-law-530748.html
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Shan wants Clinton to help Burma become another federal democracy
Friday, 02 December 2011 11:10 S.H.A.N.
According to Sai Lake, spokesman and caretaker of the now defunct Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD), the party that turned up second place countrywide and first place statewide in the 1990 elections, one of the talking points at the meeting with visiting Secretary of State Hillary Clinton this morning will be the role the United State should play in helping Burma to become a federal democracy.
"We want the United State to help us in our struggle to achieve a federal democracy like the United States," he told SHAN. "Then the people of Burma and its neighbors will live happily ever after."
The SNLD representative Sai Saw Aung is also expected to speak about still unresolved issues such as the release of political prisoners including its leader Hkun Tun Oo, who is serving a 93 year term in Sittwe, ongoing war in the border areas and growing drug abuse among youth.
The meeting is to take place at Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's home and move later to an art gallery owned by former actor Kyaw Thu.
The initiative by Shans in 1960 for the amendment of the 1947 constitution from a unitary system to a more federal system came to an end two years later when the Burma Army staged a coup det'at and abrogated the constitution. The new constitution, drafted and approved by the ruling military junta in 2008, is also being criticized as "federal in form, unitary in substance."
"As long as Burma refuses to become federal," commented the late Shan leader, Chao Tzang Yawnghwe (1939-2004), himself an avowed federalist, "the struggles for secession will continue."
One of the six objectives of the Shan State Army (SSA) 'South', that has entered peace talks with Naypyitaw since 19 November, for instance, is total independence from Burma. http://www.shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4243:shan-wants-clinton-to-help-burma-become-another-federal-democracy&catid=85:politics&Itemid=266
Home News Politics UNFC to form Union Army at last
UNFC to form Union Army at last
Saturday, 03 December 2011 11:44 S.H.A.N.
The long awaited Federal Union Army (FUA) will be formed in mid-December, according to border security sources.
The decision was passed at the most recent meeting held on the Chiangmai-Shan State border, 27-30 November.
Maj Gen Bee Htoo, Commander-in-Chief of the Karenni Army, was nominated as the new commander to succeed Gen Mutu Saypoe, who had resigned due to his heavy workload at his Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the armed wing of the Karen National Union (KNU), said one of the sources yesterday. For unexplained reasons, the alliance was unable to implement the initial resolution to form the FUA taken in February, following its founding by 12 member groups.
"This time, it is for real," declared Hkun Okker, Chairman of the PaO National Liberation Organization (PNLO), who was elected as Assistant Secretary General #2 during the meeting.
The grouping was made up of 12 ethnic resistance groups, including Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), KNU, Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), New Mon State Party (NMSP), Shan State Progress Party (SSPP), Chin National Front (CNF), Arakan National Council (ANC), PNLO, Palaung State Liberation Front (PSLF) and Wa National Organization (WNO).
Another member group Kachin National Organization (KNO) led by Bawmwang Laraw has merged with the KIO, it was announced at the meeting.
Other resolutions passed at the meeting include:
Election of KNU's David Tharckabaw as Vice Chairman #2
To demand Naypyitaw for cessation of hostilities in Kachin and Shan states
The Shan State Army (SSA) 'South' that had signed a ceasefire pact with Naypyitaw yesterday is not a member of the UNFC. http://www.shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4247:unfc-to-form-union-army-at-last&catid=85:politics&Itemid=266
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Suu Kyi gives green light to US engagement
Published: 3/12/2011 at 03:04 AM
Online news: Asia
RANGOON : Aung San Suu Kyi voiced guarded hope Friday that democracy will come to Burma as the opposition leader warmly welcomed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the home that was her prison for years.
In scenes unthinkable before Burma's recent reforms, Suu Kyi took Clinton by the arm and escorted her through the garden of her crumbling lakeside villa in the commercial hub Rangoon where she was locked up until a year ago.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner said she supported Clinton's trip a day earlier to Burma's remote capital Naypyidaw and believed that the country had reached a "historic moment".
"I am very confident that if we work together... there will be no turning back from the road to democracy," Suu Kyi said next to a beaming Clinton on a back porch surrounded by potted plants.
More needed to be done by the new military-backed government, "but we hope to get there as soon as possible", Suu Kyi added.
Clinton, who is the first US secretary of state to visit Burma in more than 50 years, nodded in agreement and said she saw "openings" during her three-day trip that "give us some grounds for encouragement".
The wife of former president Bill Clinton has spent decades hobnobbing with the world's most powerful but was visibly excited to meet Suu Kyi, repeatedly embracing the democracy champion and kissing her on the cheeks.
Clinton and Suu Kyi, two of the world's most prominent women, also met away from aides for an expansive dinner Thursday night at the US diplomatic mission whose chef prepared foods especially chosen to please Suu Kyi.
Clinton's aides said she even brought from the United States a chewy toy for Suu Kyi's small but energetic dog. Suu Kyi nonetheless gave Clinton a friendly warning that her dog was sometimes aggressive towards strangers.
Clinton on Thursday hand-delivered a personal letter from President Barack Obama that thanked Suu Kyi for her "inspiration" to people around the world and said the United States would stand by her "now and always".
Despite the warm atmosphere at their meetings, Clinton and Suu Kyi both warned of serious worries in Burma. Activists say anywhere from hundreds to more than 1,500 political prisoners remain jailed and that rape and forced labour remain common in ethnic enclaves torn by decades of war.
"All hostilities must cease within this country as soon as possible," Suu Kyi said.
Suu Kyi repeatedly urged the rule of law, demanding that all political prisoners be released and "that no more are arrested in the future for their beliefs".
The Burmese military seized power in 1962 and ruled until March, when the ruling junta nominally handed power to civilians.
President Thein Sein, while a former general, has surprised both the United States and the opposition for speaking the language of reforms and initiating dialogue both with Suu Kyi and ethnic minorities.
Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy swept 1990 elections but the military junta never allowed her to take power. She enjoys wide support across the political spectrum in Washington and her blessing is seen as critical to any future US move to ease sweeping sanctions.
Suu Kyi did not mention sanctions but welcomed the small incentives that Clinton offered on Thursday after her talks with the government, including support for international financial institutions to assess Burmese needs.
The opposition leader has indicated that she hopes to run in by-elections early next year, in a major test for how far the government is willing to tolerate political change.
Wrapping up her visit, the top US diplomat announced US$1.2 million in new aid aimed at civil society to support microfinance, healthcare and help for the victims of landmines in the war-torn country.
Clinton said she told the country's leaders that the United States was assessing progress by the new leadership before it considers ending sanctions.
"We will match action for action, and if there is enough progress, obviously we will be considering lifting sanctions," Clinton said, but added: "We are still at the very early stages of this dialogue."
In a further sign of a softening of the US stance, Clinton stepped back from a previous call for a UN-backed war crimes probe.
"We are going to support the principle of accountability and the appropriate mechanism to ensure justice and accountability will be considered," she said.
"But I think it's important to try to give the new government and the opposition a chance to try to demonstrate they have their own approach toward achieving that." http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/269060/suu-kyi-gives-green-light-to-us-engagement
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Hillary Clinton challenges Myanmar to continue reforms
English.news.cn 2011-12-03 16:38:29 FeedbackPrintRSS
WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday that her country will reciprocate when Myanmar takes actions to further "the momentum for reform and democratization" in the Southeast Asian nation.
The top U.S. envoy told the CBS TV network before concluding her two-day visit to Myanmar that she had seen "some positive changes" and heard "some encouraging commitments," but there is still "so much to be done" in the country.
As the first U.S. secretary of state ever to set foot on Myanmar in more than 50 years, she had said prior to her trip that she would test whether there is a commitment to both economic and political reforms in the nation during her visit.
The new government in Myanmar, which took office on March 30, has been pushing for political and economic reforms in the country, including the release of political prisoners.
During her visit, Clinton told the country's leaders that a roadmap would be drawn to relax and lift economic sanctions, restrictions on tourism sector as well as export and import embargoes against Myanmar to mark a new phase of bilateral relationship.
She told CBS that one of the reasons for her travel to Myanmar was to send a "very clear signal" that the United States would welcome the reform process in the country, and want "the hard issues" like political prisoners, elections and the conflicts in ethnic areas to be tackled.
Clinton told CNN in another interview that there is a "great desire" on the part of Myanmar's leadership to have assistance in their economic reforms, and the U.S. "will encourage that."
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-12/03/c_131286253.htm
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US not concerned about Myanmar's ties with China
Updated: 2011-12-03 17:20(Xinhua)
WASHINGTON - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday that her country is not concerned about Myanmar's maintenance of good relations with China.
"We have no concerns about Burma (Myanmar) having good relations with China," the top US diplomat told the NBC TV network before concluding her two-day visit to the Southeast Asian nation.
"They share a long border. It's a big neighbor that you have to figure out how to get along with," she said of Myanmar-China ties. "That is not anything that we have an interest in or an objection to."
She said her trip to Myanmar "is not about anything other than the potential for American engagement to support the reformers inside of the country."
She reiterated that as a Pacific power, the United States is refocusing its attention on the Asia-Pacific region after preoccupying itself with Iraq and Afghanistan over the last 10 years.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2011-12/03/content_14208445.htm
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BANGKOK POST: EDITORIAL
Lift shadow over Burma
Published: 3/12/2011 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News
Burma's charm offensive reached new heights this week as the administration of President Thein Sein engaged US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in "historic" talks in Naypyidaw, braved a wintry diplomatic blast from Beijing and quietly accepted the decision by Aung San Suu Kyi to contest parliamentary by-elections under her National League for Democracy party's banner. But the surprises did not end there.
In Phnom Penh, where the International Campaign to Ban Landmines was holding a global summit involving the 158 states that have joined the 1997 anti-personnel mine ban convention, delegates were intrigued by the appearance of the deputy director-general of Burma's Foreign Ministry as an observer. True to form, he tried to defend his country's use of landmines at what was possibly the most unsympathetic forum on the planet, but there were hints that a future dialogue might be possible. Even that tiny olive branch is encouraging because it follows a pattern. Events in Burma over the past year have taken the form of a well-choreographed diplomatic dance designed to show a willingness to right numerous wrongs. And mine clearance is one area in need of urgent action. Burma stands condemned as the world's biggest user of these barbaric devices. The chances of it ratifying the 1997 Ottawa mine ban treaty are slim, but interim measures such as engaging in landmine education and mine clearance would be a start. Just opening its doors to international humanitarian assistance for landmine victims would be a breakthrough - especially now that Burma has replaced Cambodia as the country with the highest annual number of landmine victims in the region.
The obsession with mines makes little military sense. The Burmese army does not chart the position of the mines it lays, so its own soldiers are frequently blown up by them as they battle ethnic minority groups.
The rebel forces also lay mines, although Karen National Union vice-president David Thakabaw maintains that their landmines are not as long-lasting because they have a shorter battery life and that civilians are warned of their whereabouts.
But it is not that simple. Mines are deadly pressure-sensitive mechanical devices and cannot tell the difference between a civilian and a soldier or distinguish friend from foe. That is why so many innocent villagers are maimed or killed - as are the many elephants used by the logging industry along the Thai-Burmese border which is infested with landmines.
The international community is keeping a close watch on the new round of peace talks Burma's leaders began with several ethnic groups last month and is hoping for a cease-fire. No one believes that achieving a lasting peace will be an easy task. There is an absence of trust after years of army-inflicted human rights abuses that included forced labour, rape, torture, forced relocations, extra-judicial killings and the use of child soldiers. Demanding an end to such horrors was high on Mrs Clinton's agenda.
Also making reconciliation difficult is the absence of a sense of national identity necessary to bring these disparate groups together for the sake of the country. Pressure must also be stepped up to win the release of the 1,000 or so jailed political prisoners.
There remains the question of how entrenched the reform elements in the government are and whether hardliners could stage a comeback. If they did, and plunged Burma back into the dark ages once again, it would be a tragedy for Burma, for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and for the world. http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/269030/lift-shadow-over-burma
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The U.S. strikes the right note of wary optimism in Burma
By Editorial, Saturday, December 3, 8:30 AM
During her brief visit to Burma this week, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton did a great deal to cement the United States's standing as a friend to the country's democrats. She met, first and respectfully, with the country's leaders, who call their country Myanmar and who received her in the surreal capital they only recently constructed --- reportedly on an astrologer's advice --- far from any population centers. In those meetings, Ms. Clinton offered modest improvements in the long-frozen relationship between the two countries and promised more if the regime democratizes.
Ms. Clinton then held two long meetings with Aung San Suu Kyi, whom she had never met. She paid tribute to the Nobel Peace Prize laureate's "fearlessness in the face of intimidation and her serenity through decades of isolation." More to the point, she interacted with Aung San Suu Kyi as one political actor with another, the role the Burmese activist for two decades has sought for herself: not a saint but a politician who wants to play a significant role in the development of her nation.
Most important, Ms. Clinton, after her discussions with both President Thein Sein and Aung San Suu Kyi, laid out clear goals. "[W]e want to see all political prisoners released," she said. "We want to see a serious effort at peace and reconciliation, we want to see dates set for the election, and then we will be very open to matching those actions with our own." Similarly, Aung San Suu Kyi said that Burma needs laws allowing the media and political parties to operate freely --- and independent judges who will enforce those laws.
It's important to remember, as Ms. Clinton made clear, that beyond Rangoon and the capital city of Naypyidaw, terrible suffering continues. The army has continued to use rape as a weapon in its conflicts against ethnic minorities. Many former student leaders, Buddhist monks and other peaceful democracy advocates remain locked up, reportedly in dismal conditions.
And Burmese officials have committed to no deadlines for further progress. As the country's leading Catholic prelate, Archbishop Charles Bo of Rangoon, said Friday: "The government needs to release the remaining political prisoners to show that they are serious about democratic reform." And it needs to do so soon.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-us-strikes-the-right-note-of-wary-optimism-in-burma/2011/12/02/gIQAEVhWMO_story.html
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Clinton to Burma: Rewarding Democrats, Punishing Tyrants
Posted: 12/ 3/11 07:50 AM ET
"After years of darkness, we've seen flickers of progress," said President Barack Obama of Burma, officially known as Myanmar. The government has been under sanction by the U.S., but last week Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited the pariah state in an attempt to spur the reform process.
Burma long has been one of the most tragic of nations. The military first took control in 1962. Since then the regime has brutally suppressed all opposition, including the democracy movement led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. Even deadlier has been the more than six decades of war against ethnic groups seeking autonomy. Some, most recently the Shan, have reached ceasefires with the regime, but others, such as the Karen, fight on. Violent clashes continued in the week preceding Secretary Clinton's arrival.
The U.S. and Europe have used economic sanctions to punish the military junta, which in the mold of George Orwell's 1984 variously styled itself as the "State Law and Order Restoration Council" and "State Peace and Development Council." But China took advantage of Western policy to gain political influence and economic dominance in Burma, while even America's Asian friends largely ignored U.S. attempts to isolate the government in Naypyidaw.
The overall Burmese economy suffered from sanctions, but the regime's military leaders and business allies prospered, manipulating the rules to their advantage. Meanwhile the government lived up to its brutal reputation. Thousands of democracy activists languished in jail and Suu Kyi was held under perpetual house arrest. The tyrannical status quo remained impervious to allied pressure. There even was evidence that the regime might be pursuing nuclear weapons.
Now there are "flickers of progress," as the president suggested. The first was a very limited election last year, in which leading democracy activists, including Suu Kyi, whose party won the last poll in 1990, were barred from running. A new, nominally civilian government was born after the election with the retirement of the junta's top generals. However, the new system was still dominated by former military men. Little fundamental seemed to have changed.
Since then the government released about 300 political prisoners, while leaving nearly 1700 (which the regime claimed were just common criminals) in custody. Shortly after the election Suu Kyi also was freed. Since then she met with government ministers, including President Thein Sein, and restrictions on her party, the National League for Democracy, have been lifted. The NLD has registered to contest upcoming by-elections and she is likely to enter parliament. Restrictions over the media, internet, and labor unions recently were relaxed.
Naypyidaw also has initiated a slight break with its chief patron, Beijing. Even while allying with the People's Republic of China Burma pursued ties with India and Southeast Asian states. Moreover, top Burmese leaders reportedly are uncomfortable with the PRC's "plundering" of the nation's natural resources, while others talk about Burma becoming a "satellite state." Over the Beijing's sharp protests the regime halted work in September on an unpopular China-backed dam.
Still, Burma was looking for a balance, not a revolution in relations: three days before Secretary Clinton's arrival, the Burmese army commander visited Beijing to meet with Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, tapped to become president next year. They talked of enhancing their countries' "comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation."
Individually all of these are but small steps. Much remains unchanged, warns Human Rights Watch: "the main elements of Burma's repressive security apparatus, and the laws underpinning it, remain in place. In ethnic areas, the human rights situation remains dire." Moreover, the Burmese military has previously offered tantalizing reforms, only to reverse course, intensifying its brutal repression. An unnamed State Department official acknowledged "several failed efforts over decades" at engagement.
However, the combination of many modest reforms offers hope that something more is happening this time. Sean Turnell of Australia's Macquarie University said "Most of the change is rhetorical," but still called the steps "potentially transformational." Former student leader Myo Yan Naung Thein said "we don't have enough blood to shed" to overthrow the system, so the new strategy is "If you can't beat them, join them."
Suu Kyi, who so often has been the victim of regime twists and turns, expressed optimism in the potential for additional change. Even more effusive was Cho Cho Kyaw Nyein, a former political prisoner, who first "didn't believe a word of what they were saying" but argued "What has happened in these last few months is a miracle for us."
Sending Secretary Clinton to Naypyidaw was a well-calibrated response: opening Washington's door, affirming Burma's apparent reform course, and testing the new government's willingness to do more. The results of her visit look modest, but nevertheless positive. Secretary Clinton met Suu Kyi, who endorsed the U.S. effort. While it is far too early to expect a democratic Burma, it now is possible to at least imagine a Burma where the space for independent political activism is steadily expanding, an important step in the transition to genuinely representative government.
Far-reaching economic reform is required as well. Burma needs help, but the long-term answer will not come from government-to-government aid--on which Secretary Clinton announced a small loosening of U.S. restrictions. Official "assistance" is more likely to help the regime than the people. Only increased foreign investment and trade will generate the economic growth necessary to permanently improve the lives of the Burmese people.
But attracting the necessary funds will not be easy. Burma's crony-kleptocratic economy currently is organized to enrich the families and friends of those in power. Political connections are far more important than legal protections in promoting investments. Even if the country becomes more democratic, influential elites will resist market openings which reduce their control. Indeed, their desire to preserve profitable privileges likely will generate opposition to democracy itself.
The Obama administration also hopes to reinforce the Burmese government's apparent desire to balance the influence of its imperious neighbor China. Much concern has been expressed in the U.S. about Beijing's growing clout around the world. But the PRC is finding out--just as Washington discovered years ago--that friends can be expensive to buy and often don't stay bought.
Engaging Burma may encourage that state to continue on a more independent course. The regime isn't likely to dump its patron--China is too close geographically and too involved economically. And America's limited interests in Burma do not warrant attempting to turn the latter into another "great game" geopolitically. However, the U.S. could join India as an alternative source of funds and advice. Any distance between Naypyidaw and Beijing would be a positive. And the PRC's churlish reaction to the Clinton initiative suggests that Chinese officials are concerned.
Of course, the Clinton initiative may fail. The minimal changes we see now may be all that the Burmese people get. The whole effort may turn out to be an elaborate fraud, window-dressing to win Western aid, concocted by the military which continues to rule from the shadows. (Burma's ongoing reforms already have helped it win the promise of ASEAN's chairmanship in 2014.) Plenty of dissidents are skeptical, while Freedom House President David J. Kramer worries "that we are moving a little too quickly."
But the main argument for engaging Burma is not that doing so is certain to work, but that the alternative has failed. Isolating Burma has achieved little. For the most part Asian nations, even America's friends, ignored U.S. and European sanctions. For years nothing changed. The regime did not fall; Suu Kyi was not freed; democracy did not come; ethnic groups did not enjoy peace. The generals simply tightened their grip, killing or imprisoning anyone who resisted their rule.
Although the West's policy failure long has been obvious, no one wanted to "reward" the Burmese regime by dropping economic penalties. Sanctions had taken on symbolic as well as practical importance. Which left U.S. policy stuck in a political cul-de-sac. Sanctions were ineffective, doing little to advance human rights. But they could not be changed for appearance's sake.
Nascent reform in Burma now offers Washington an opportunity to shift course. During her visit Secretary Clinton announced relaxation of restrictions on World Bank and International Monetary Fund involvement in Burma, as well as talks with Naypyidaw on upgrading diplomatic relations, which were suspended 22 years ago. But lifting sanctions has to wait "because of our ongoing concerns about policies that have to be reversed," she explained. In fact, much remains to be done. Among the most important issues is ending the regime's brutal war on minority ethnic groups in the east.
Expectations of further change should be realistic. Moreover, even if the regime is genuinely committed to real reform, the road to a better life for the Burmese people will remain long and hard. Creating a liberal democracy and market economy out of a brutal, impoverished autocracy is the most difficult of tasks.
Nevertheless, for the first time in years there truly are "flickers of progress" in Burma. The administration is right to try to turn these flickers into something more. That means looking to the future: Washington needs to encourage any reforming voices in Naypyidaw. The desperately poor and oppressed Burmese people deserve a better life. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/doug-bandow/clinton-to-burma-rewardin_b_1126936.html
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Burma Agrees Truce with Major Rebel Group, Reports Say
December 03, 2011
Bangkok. Authorities in Burma have reached a preliminary cease-fire deal with a major armed ethnic militia, reports said Saturday, in the latest sign the regime is reaching out to its opponents.
The truce was signed Friday between the Shan State Army South and local authorities in the northeastern state, the editor of the Thailand-based Shan Herald Agency for News, Khuensai Jaiyen, told AFP, citing rebel contacts.
The was no immediate confirmation from the Burmese government or the Shan State Army, but the Irrawaddy news Web site, run by journalists in exile, said the agreement in the Shan State capital of Taunggyi also included government assurances of economic development and joint efforts against drugs.
It said the next step would be negotiations with the central government.
The country made a series of reformist moves in the past year -- freeing democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest, holding dialogue with the opposition and freeing some political prisoners.
Elections last year brought a nominally civilian government to power, but it retains close links with the army.
Civil war has wracked parts of the country since its independence in 1948, and an end to the conflicts, as well as alleged human rights abuses involving government troops, is a key demand of the international community.
Burma's leaders last month held peace talks near the Thai-Burma border with several ethnic groups fighting a long-running struggle for autonomy and rights, according to people involved.
Most insurgent groups have agreed cease-fires with the government, and the Shan State Army South has been one of the biggest rebel forces still fighting, with thousands of troops mostly stationed near the border with Thailand.
The mainly Buddhist Shan are the country's second-biggest ethnic group, accounting for about nine percent of the population, and Shan State covers a vast area of northeastern Burma.
In eastern Karen State, armed rebels have been waging Burma's longest-running insurgency, battling the government since 1949, while fighting has also raged since June in northern Kachin State near the Chinese border.
Burma state media reported on Thursday that peace talks had been held between the government and the Kachin Independence Organization, and the two sides had agreed to continue dialogue.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton welcomed what she said were efforts by the regime to resolve ethnic conflicts, after historic talks with the country's rulers in the capital Naypyidaw on Thursday.
"But as long as the terrible violence continues in some of the world's longest-running internal conflicts, it will be difficult to begin a new chapter," she said.
Agence France-Presse http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/burma-agrees-truce-with-major-rebel-group-reports-say/482473
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Burma reaches ceasefire with major rebel group
Posted December 03, 2011 23:21:46
Burma has reached a ceasefire deal with one of the war-torn country's major ethnic guerrilla groups, a mediator said on Saturday, in the latest sign the new army-backed regime is reaching out to its opponents.
The pact was signed on Friday by representatives of the Shan State Army South and the local government in the north-eastern state, Hla Maung Shwe, founder of the civil society group Myanmar Egress, who witnessed the agreement, said.
The was no immediate confirmation from the Burma government or the Shan State Army, but the Irrawaddy news website, run by journalists in exile, said the agreement in the Shan State capital of Taunggyi also included government assurances of economic development and joint efforts against drugs.
It said the next step would be negotiations with the central government.
The country has made a series of reformist moves in the past year - releasing democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest, holding dialogue with the opposition and freeing some political prisoners.
Elections last year brought a nominally civilian government to power, but it retains close links with the army.
Civil war has wracked parts of the country since its independence in 1948, and an end to the conflicts, as well as alleged human rights abuses involving government troops, is a key demand of the international community.
The Shan State Army South has been one of the biggest rebel forces still battling the government, with thousands of guerrilla fighters mostly stationed near the border with Thailand.
Burma's leaders last month held peace talks near the Thai-Burma border with several ethnic groups fighting a long-running struggle for autonomy and rights, according to people involved.
"They (the Shan State Army South) are the first group who signed the peace agreement among the five groups that we have met," Hla Maung Shwe said.
He said Burma's Railways Minister Aung Min was present as a witness while the Shan rebel delegation was headed by Brigadier General Sai Luu.
Mediators were also trying to reach peace agreements with the Karen National Union, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the Chin National Front and the Karenni National Progressive Party, he added.
In eastern Karen State, armed rebels have been waging Burma's longest-running insurgency, battling the government since 1949, while fighting has also raged since June in northern Kachin State near the Chinese border.
Burma state media reported on Thursday that peace talks had been held between the government and Kachin rebels, and the two sides had agreed to continue dialogue.
"The KIA is the most difficult to reach a peace agreement with," Hla Maung Shwe said.
US secretary of state Hillary Clinton welcomed what she said were efforts by the regime to resolve ethnic conflicts after historic talks with the country's rulers in the capital Naypyidaw on Thursday.
"But as long as the terrible violence continues in some of the world's longest-running internal conflicts, it will be difficult to begin a new chapter," she added.
The mainly Buddhist Shan are the country's second-biggest ethnic group, accounting for about 9 per cent of the population, and Shan State covers a vast area of north-eastern Myanmar. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-12-03/burma-ceasefire-with-major-rebel-group/3711274?section=world
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Burma agrees truce with rebels
Published: 3/12/2011 at 04:32 PM
Online news:
Authorities in Burma have reached a preliminary ceasefire deal with a major armed ethnic militia, reports said, in the latest sign the regime is reaching out to its opponents.
This file photo shows young soldiers from a breakaway faction of the ethnic Shan rebel group, Shan State Army (SSA), with their weapons, at a ceremony in Lecha township, Southern Shan State, some 600 km north of Yangon, in 2006. Authorities in Myanmar have reached a preliminary ceasefire deal with SSA, reports said, in the latest sign the regime is reaching out to its opponents.
The truce was signed Friday between the Shan State Army South and local authorities in the northeastern state, the editor of the Thailand-based Shan Herald Agency for News, Khuensai Jaiyen, told AFP, citing rebel contacts.
The was no immediate confirmation from the Burma government or the Shan State Army, but the Irrawaddy news website, run by journalists in exile, said the agreement in the Shan State capital of Taunggyi also included government assurances of economic development and joint efforts against drugs.
It said the next step would be negotiations with the central government.
The country formerly known as Burma has made a series of reformist moves in the past year -- freeing democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest, holding dialogue with the opposition and freeing some political prisoners.
Elections last year brought a nominally civilian government to power, but it retains close links with the army.
Civil war has wracked parts of the country since its independence in 1948, and an end to the conflicts, as well as alleged human rights abuses involving government troops, is a key demand of the international community.
Burma's leaders last month held peace talks near the Thai-Burma border with several ethnic groups fighting a long-running struggle for autonomy and rights, according to people involved.
Most insurgent groups have agreed ceasefires with the government, and the Shan State Army South has been one of the biggest rebel forces still fighting, with thousands of troops mostly stationed near the border with Thailand.
The mainly Buddhist Shan are the country's second-biggest ethnic group, accounting for about nine percent of the population, and Shan State covers a vast area of northeastern Burma.
In eastern Karen State, armed rebels have been waging Burma's longest-running insurgency, battling the government since 1949, while fighting has also raged since June in northern Kachin State near the Chinese border.
Burma state media reported on Thursday that peace talks had been held between the government and the Kachin Independence Organisation, and the two sides had agreed to continue dialogue.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton welcomed what she said were efforts by the regime to resolve ethnic conflicts, after historic talks with the country's rulers in the capital Naypyidaw on Thursday.
"But as long as the terrible violence continues in some of the world's longest-running internal conflicts, it will be difficult to begin a new chapter," she said. http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/269108/burma-agrees-truce-with-major-rebel-group-reports
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December 03, 2011 19:35 PM
Thai-Myanmar Checkpoint To Be Reopened Monday
BANGKOK, Dec 3 (Bernamaa) -- The Mae Sot-Myawaddy checkpoint on the Thai-Myanmar border will be reopened on Monday after more than a year of closure, according to China's Xinhua news agency citing the Bangkok Post on Saturday.
The check-point has been closed since July 18 last year.
Deputy governor of the border province of Tak Wuthi Sithisurat has confirmed of the reopening of the checkpoint by the governor of Myawaddy, Myanmar.
Myanmar had invited Thai authorities and leading members of the Tak Chamber of Commerce and Federation of Thai Industries to attend the opening ceremony of a border economic zone on Dec 5.
The ceremony would also be attended by high-level officials from Myanmar capital Nay Pyi Daw.
The Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge would be opened as usual.
The Bangkok Post said the reopening of the Mae Sot-Myawaddy checkpoint followed a contact between Thai Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul and his Myanmar counterpart.
-- BERNAMA http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=631660
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Burma approves peaceful-protest law
12/3/2011 - 9:34:31 AM
Burma
Burma's president has approved a new law allowing citizens to request permission to stage peaceful protests for the first time.
Demonstrations of any kind were previously banned in the traditionally repressive nation, where authorities have cracked down hard on anti-government protests.
The new law says anyone planning a protest must request approval five days beforehand from police, who can deny permission but must explain the reason why.
The move is the latest reform undertaken by the nominally civilian government since it took power from a military junta earlier this year.
State media reported today that President Thein Sein signed the legislation a day earlier, as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ended a three-day visit.
http://www.eecho.ie/news/world/burma-approves-peaceful-protest-law-530748.html
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Shan wants Clinton to help Burma become another federal democracy
Friday, 02 December 2011 11:10 S.H.A.N.
According to Sai Lake, spokesman and caretaker of the now defunct Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD), the party that turned up second place countrywide and first place statewide in the 1990 elections, one of the talking points at the meeting with visiting Secretary of State Hillary Clinton this morning will be the role the United State should play in helping Burma to become a federal democracy.
"We want the United State to help us in our struggle to achieve a federal democracy like the United States," he told SHAN. "Then the people of Burma and its neighbors will live happily ever after."
The SNLD representative Sai Saw Aung is also expected to speak about still unresolved issues such as the release of political prisoners including its leader Hkun Tun Oo, who is serving a 93 year term in Sittwe, ongoing war in the border areas and growing drug abuse among youth.
The meeting is to take place at Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's home and move later to an art gallery owned by former actor Kyaw Thu.
The initiative by Shans in 1960 for the amendment of the 1947 constitution from a unitary system to a more federal system came to an end two years later when the Burma Army staged a coup det'at and abrogated the constitution. The new constitution, drafted and approved by the ruling military junta in 2008, is also being criticized as "federal in form, unitary in substance."
"As long as Burma refuses to become federal," commented the late Shan leader, Chao Tzang Yawnghwe (1939-2004), himself an avowed federalist, "the struggles for secession will continue."
One of the six objectives of the Shan State Army (SSA) 'South', that has entered peace talks with Naypyitaw since 19 November, for instance, is total independence from Burma. http://www.shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4243:shan-wants-clinton-to-help-burma-become-another-federal-democracy&catid=85:politics&Itemid=266
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