Thai government to investigate Rohingya abuse claims

By Larry Jagan
Mizzima News

Thailand's government has promised to investigate claims that the country's military authorities abused hundreds of Rohingya by pushing them back out to sea to die. At the same time, the UN has appealed to Thai authorities to be given access to survivors of the incidents believed to be in custody in southern Thailand.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva says Thailand will investigate allegations that the Thai navy cast members of the Muslim minority population from Burma adrift in the Andaman Sea in southwest Thailand last month. The country's Defense Minister will investigate the accusations and report back to the Prime Minister as soon as possible, according to Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban.

The premier also assured human rights activists who met him earlier this week that his government would not tolerate any violation of the rights of Burmese boat people.

"If any officials committed such inhumane acts against [the Rohingya refugees] they will be punished," he promised.

Thailand's Army chief, General Anupong Paochinda, later told journalists that the military was investigating the incident. However the army chief added that he was confident that no Thai officials used violence when dealing with migrant workers and refugees. "They all adhere to international standards and principles of human rights in dealing with illegal immigrants," he said.

However human rights activists based in Thailand fear that hundreds, if not thousands, of Rohingya are dead after being pushed back into the sea by Thai authorities. Up to 200 people are missing while more than 300 others are already known to have drowned after they were set adrift by Thai soldiers, some with their hands tied behind their backs in boats without engines, survivors and human rights activists told Mizzima.

The United Nation's refugee agency has already voiced its concern about these reports and urged the government to investigate the incidents. They are now calling for Thai authorities to give them access to some of the Burmese refugees, who are believed to be in Thai custody in southern Thailand somewhere near Ranong.

"We have asked the Thai government for access to two groups totaling 126 Rohingya boat people, who are in custody in southern Thailand, in order to assess their situation and determine whether any of them are in need of international protection," said a UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesperson, Ron Redman.

The Rohingya in custody are in two groups, around 80 who are believed to have survived the ordeal of being cast adrift after they reached Thailand and a further 46 boat people who were detained by Thai naval authorities off the west coast of Thailand last Friday. But the actual whereabouts of these people is shrouded in mystery. Local Thai naval authorities deny that they are holding any migrant workers in custody.

"We continue to stress that the Thai government should take all measures to make sure the lives of the Rohingya boat people are not put at risk," the UNHCR spokesperson added.

The UNHCR's latest request follows their initial response last week to media reports of the Thai authorities' inhumane treatment of Burmese migrant workers and refugee seekers. "We request the Thai government to take all measures necessary to ensure that the lives of Rohingya are not at risk and they are treated in accordance with humanitarian standards," regional spokeswoman Kitty McKinsey said in Bangkok on Friday.

Yet so far there has been no official response to any of UNHCR's requests. The UN body cannot even confirm how many Burmese Muslims are being detained or their whereabouts.

"But what is needed now is not a knee-jerk response – to what is the tip of the iceberg – but a clear policy position and procedures for processing would be migrants and refugees in keeping with accepted international standards," Sunai Pasuk, a Thai-Burma specialist with the US-based Human Rights Watch told Mizzima.

"It's a real test for the [Thai] Democrat-led government. Will it maintain its integrity and really fulfill its promises to protect human rights and international laws or will it compromise its values in the interest of maintaining good relations with the country's top military brass," asked Sunai.

The Rohingya live in northern Arakan state, in western Burma, bordering Bangladesh. For decades, many have fled social and religious persecution by Burmese military authorities there. Most human rights activists believe that the abuses committed by the junta in the Muslim dominated areas of western Burma are worse than anywhere else in the country.

"Burma's Rohingya minority is subject to systematic persecution – they are effectively denied citizenship, they have their land confiscated, and many are regularly forced to work on government projects," Ben Zawacki, Amnesty International's Burma researcher told Mizzima.

"The regime creates conditions and circumstances that make it clear to the Rohingyas that they are not wanted or welcome in the country; so it's no surprise that they try to flee the country by the thousands," he added.

Since Burma's independence from Britain, there have been several successive surges of Muslim refugees fleeing the country, amounting to millions. The first massive wave was in the late 1970s, when tens of thousands fled to Bangladesh – though nearly all of them were later repatriated. Since the early nineties though, tens of thousands of Burmese Muslims have fled the increased social and religious repression and sought asylum and work abroad; most of them escaping to Bangladesh in the first instance.

Now many Burmese migrants are trying to get further afield – particularly to Indonesia and Malaysia. Their first stop though is Thailand, and thousands have been taking their chances and making the perilous two-week long voyage by sea from Bangladesh to southern Thailand on the first leg of their journey. The period from November to February is when most of the trips are made as the seas are generally not so rough.

But in the past few months thousands of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Burma have been rounded-up by Thai soldiers and transferred to an island off the coast of southern Thailand, near Ranong, before being allegedly put into boats without engines and set adrift.

"Nearly a thousand Burmese immigrants who were held on Koh Sai Daeng [or Red Island] were left drifting in international waters by Thai military authorities in the past few weeks, in at least two separate incidents," a local Burmese resident in Ranong told Mizzima on condition of anonymity.

In the first incident, around the 18th of December, 412 Burmese refugees were placed on board a large barge, hands tied behind their backs, and towed out to sea with little food or water, according to survivors from the boat. They originally had some five separate boats, but were transferred to an open-deck boat. "At first we refused to get into the boat, but then the guards threw at least four of us overboard, with their hands tied behind their backs," according to a survivor who declined to be identified.

"We were tied up and put into a boat without an engine," Zaw Min, one of the few survivors from the boat told Mizzima. "We were then towed into the high seas by a motor boat and set adrift," he said.

"The food and water ran out within a few days," said another survivor. "We were starving for nearly two weeks and feared we would never see dry land again," he added.

The boat drifted for more than ten days in the Andaman Sea, before being rescued by the Indian coast guard. The survivors are now being held in jail on Little Andaman Island. They were all severely dehydrated, according to a local medical official.

"The Thai authorities obviously wanted us to die on the boat," said Zaw Min.

Only 107 Burmese migrants survived the ordeal, according to refugee workers in contact with the group. There were also four dead bodies on board when the boat was beached. In all, more than 300 Burmese perished, according to researchers with a regional NGO, the Arakan Project. Most of those who died did so when they jumped overboard and tried to swim to safety when they saw land and lights on the island. The area is renowned for its rough seas and shark infested waters.

Just before the New Year, Thai authorities towed 580 Rohingyas out to sea in four boats, according to Arakan Project researchers monitoring Rohingya movements. They had arrived in Thai waters in five different boats. One of these boats ended up back near the Thai coast and 81 Burmese Muslims were rescued by a Thai fishing trawler and handed over to Thai authorities on January 6th. Originally they were detained once again on Koh Sai Daeng, but were recently moved to an unknown location, according to local residents. They comprise one of the two groups to which the UNHCR wants access.

The second boat beached on Sabang Island just off the Indonesian province of Aceh, on the 7th of January. The 193 Burmese Muslims on board were rescued and are now being held in police custody. The third boat was rescued by Indian authorities on Tillanchang Island in the Andamans and around 150 refugees transferred to a hospital for treatment, according to Indian authorities.

The fourth boat is still missing and more than 200 Burmese refugees on board are now feared dead.

However, Thai authorities dismiss these incidents as fantasy. "We never push them back to the sea," said one official, Lieutenant Colonel Tara Soranarak, an inspector in the Ranong immigration office.

"We have our procedure to deport the migrants to their home country after processing them through the Thai legal system," he added.

While this may have been the case in the past, many human rights activists believe there has recently been a change of policy. Instead of being handed over to police and immigration officials, they are now apparently taken into custody by the military.

"This change of policy is certainly for security reasons," said Amnesty's Ben Zawacki. "While the Rohingyas are not alone in being repatriated or turned back, other Burmese ethnic minorities – like the Karen, Karenni, Mon and Shan – are dealt with more sympathetically."

Privately, Thai officials have expressed concern that the Rohingya, who are Muslims, may be headed to join the rebellion in southern Thailand, where insurgents are seeking greater autonomy.

All the Burmese Muslims who have been detained and cast adrift originally set off from Cox's Bazaar, on Bangladesh's eastern coastline, which is also close to the border with Burma. "All of them paid 10,000 baht to traffickers in Bangladesh for the journey to Thailand," Chris Lewa, who heads the Arakan Project, told Mizzima. It costs a further 18,000 to 23,000 baht for Thai traffickers to transport them from Thailand to Malaysia.

Last year more than 5,000 Burmese refugees fleeing in boats from Bangladesh and Burma were detained by Thai authorities. Many others have successfully managed the dangerous journey to Malaysia and Indonesia. But many more may have perished en route to Southeast Asia, without anyone ever knowing. Hundreds of boats leave Bangladesh at this time of year, leading to hundreds, if not thousands, of deaths, according to Lewa.

In the past two years thousands of Burmese Muslim migrants have been tempted to head to Southeast Asia after the safer route to Saudi Arabia was blocked when it became impossible to get Bangladeshi papers permitting a direct flight.

But this latest tragedy has helped highlight the continuing problem fleeing Burmese Muslims face – repression and persecution in their own country, an uncertain future in Bangladesh and being left to the small mercies of human traffickers. The Thai response may be draconian, but all countries in Southeast Asia are likely to take a harder line against illegal immigrants in the future in the face of the international economic down-turn and credit crunch.

"What is needed is a regional solution" said Ben Zawacki. "There are at least five countries affected by this latest stream of refugees and migrant workers, so its time for Thailand to talk to Bangladesh, Burma, India, Indonesia and Malaysia, for starters. ASEAN may also be able to play a role in resolving this issue."

Most experts involved with the issue agree. "It's a regional issue," said Lewa. "Thailand cannot solve it alone, but should collaborate with the counties concerned and international agencies to find a solution to this problem."

The UNHCR is also endorsing this approach. "Because the plight of the Rohingyas is a regional problem, UNHCR is urgently seeking to discuss with the Thai government ways that all concerned countries can address the root causes that impel the Rohingya to put their lives at risk on such perilous journeys," said spokesperson Ron Readman.

While the Thai Foreign Minister is planning to raise the issue with his counterparts in neighboring countries, according to Thai diplomatic sources, there are so far no plans to call a summit. "Because of the increasing urgency of this issue and the increasing size of the problem, we will coordinate closely with the countries concerned and will also consider raising this issue in such forums as BIMSTEC," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press statement emailed to Mizzima.

As an initial step, the Thai government plans to invite the ambassadors from the concerned states to discuss the matter after it has more details from the Defence Ministry's investigation, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tharit Charungvat told journalists on Tuesday.

Many countries, and even the UN, have in the past tried to help resolve this problem; but efforts have thus far proved unsuccessful largely due to the intransigence of Burma's military rulers. Prophetically, during the height of the last mass exodus of Burmese Muslim refugees from Arakan more than fifteen years ago, the then Bangladeshi Foreign Minister, Mustifizur Rahman, told Mizzima the Rohingya problem can never be solved while the Generals are still in power in Burma.

READ MORE---> Thai government to investigate Rohingya abuse claims...

Is China's influence on Burmese generals eroding?

By Mungpi

New Delhi (Mizzima) - Though it may seem to many, including the international community, that China, Burma's strongest ally, is the only country that can influence the rogue military rulers of Burma, an analyst said, China is also currently facing a tough situation as the Burmese generals are stupid and stubborn and do not do what they are asked to by their elder brother – China.

Mya Maung a long time Sino-Burmese analyst based along the two countries' border in Ruili, during an interview with Mizzima said China is currently in a tight spot as the Burmese regime is stubbornly refusing to follow its suggestions.

Surprisingly, he said, China's suggestions to Burmese military rulers include implementing an inclusive political dialogue with opposition groups, as well as to reconsider the constitution, which the junta had claimed was approved during a referendum in May.

"But the problem is China has its own national interests to think of at and they are not in a position to put too much pressures on the junta," Mya Maung said.

According to him, among many economic ventures that China seeks in Burma, connecting a gas pipeline from Burma's western Arakan state to Yunnan province and using the Sittwe port as a sea gateway, are crucial.

"China may seem to be endorsing the junta's roadmap, but it is more concerned that there is some kind of stability in the country," Mya Maung said.

He said the Chinese government sees that the United Nations' initiative is ideal for Burma's political solution as it has strongly opposed the Western nations' way of pressuring the junta with economic sanctions.

China believes in engagement but would like a strong and stable government that would be accountable, Mya Maung said.

Currently, the United States and European Union has imposed economic sanctions on Burma's military rulers.

Complimenting Mya Maung's analysis, a secret document leaked to Mizzima reveals that China's ambassador to Burma Mr. Juan Mu urged the Burmese Foreign Minister, during one of their meetings in early last year, to cooperate with the UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari and follow his suggestions on political reforms.

The meetings minutes between Burmese Foreign Minister Nyan Win and Ambassador Juan Mu, reveals that the Chinese ambassador had urged Nyan Win to allow Gambari to play a greater role by allowing him a tripartite meeting with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and liaison minister Aung Kyi, and to allow him multiple-entry Visa to Burma, and to open a liaison office in Rangoon.

Juan Mu also said, China is endorsing the United Nations initiative and would be ready to provide necessary support to the special envoy Ibrahim Gambari.

But Nyan Win, yet another puppet Foreign Minister of the Junta's paramount leader Senior General Than Shwe, refused the request saying a tripartite meeting between Gambari, Aung Kyi and Aung San Suu Kyi is impossible but assured meetings with junior junta officials.

Nyan Win, during the conversation with Juan Mu, also said Gambari cannot be given multiple entry Visa to Burma and the regime could not allow him to have a liaison office in Rangoon.

Juan Mu, representing the voice of China, however, told Nyan Win that China fully understood Burma's situation and would use its influence to convince the international community particularly the diplomatic community in Rangoon on the junta's planned roadmap.

Mya Maung said, though China wants to see a stable Burma, in recent days it has failed to influence the junta, led by Senior General Than Shwe, in many areas including its response to the deadly Cyclone Nargis.

"These are signs that China, though it may seem to be the only country with a lot of influence on Burma's military rulers, are having a tough time with the generals, as they are forced to consider their interest," Mya Maung concludes.

READ MORE---> Is China's influence on Burmese generals eroding?...

Leading Saffron Revolution monk on hunger strike

by Ko Wild

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Residents in Mandalay who have close contact with Mandalay's Obo prison say that Ashin Gambira, a leading monk during the Saffron Revolution, is on hunger strike.

He is reportedly staging a hunger strike in Mandalay's Obo prison while waiting to be transferred to Khamti prison in Sagaing Division, following a transfer order from higher authorities.

"Ashin Gambira, it is sure, has been on hunger strike since the 13th of this month. Now it's been seven days," a resident from Mandalay who has close contact with the prison told Mizzima.

However, for security reasons, the resident declined to reveal his source inside the prison.

Additionally, all political prisoners were previously allowed to fortnightly meet with family members. And family members of Ashin Gambira had met with him twice and were able to give him parcels. But on the 14th of this month, family members could neither meet with nor give parcels to the detained monk.

"They came last Wednesday to meet him but could not meet him or give him a parcel. The authorities didn't give any reason for their denial, just saying to come next Wednesday. That's all. His mother, worrying about her son, said, 'Something might happen to my son, all others except my son are allowed to meet their loved ones'," according to a resident from Mandalay.

However, despite the insistence of local residents who have close contacts with Obo prison, Mizzima has not yet been able to verify the news of the hunger strike with independent sources.

On the 19th of November last year, the Kemmendine Township court heard Ashin Gambira's case inside Insein prison and gave him a 12 year prison term for three offences, including 'insulting religion' and 'committing a crime against public tranquility'.

Then, two days later, the Kamayut and Ahlone Township courts handed down judgment on a total of 13 additional cases against him, eventually bringing his sentencing to a total of 68 years in detention.

Ashin Gambira (29) joined September 2007's Saffron Revolution as one of the leading monks while pursuing his 'Dhamasaria' religious studies.

After the Saffron Revolution he was on the run from arrest for over a month before finally being apprehended on the 4th of November 2007 in Singai Township, Mandalay Division.

In addition to Ashin Gambira, another political prisoner recently denied a meeting with family members is 88 generation student Ko Pyone Cho.

Ko Pyone Cho's father, U Win Maung, who has just returned from attempting to visit his son, said, "I arrived back here at about one a.m. last night. I could not meet my son. The authorities didn't give any clear reason. They just said it was by order of higher authority. When I asked if I could meet him at the end of this month, saying I would wait until that time, they replied that they could not make any guarantee. They said they must act in accordance with the order given by their higher authority. They also said they felt sorry, but could not do anything."

Ko Pyone Cho's wife was in the beginning of December allowed to meet with her detained husband. At that time, his health condition was good except for high blood pressure, and prison authorities gave him medicine as prescribed by the prison doctor, said U Win Maung.

He said "he got medicine. At that time, the weather was not yet so cold. Now, when I visited there, it's getting cold. Cold wind is blowing 24 hours a day. We gave warm clothes and blankets to prison authorities for my son when we visited him last time. We could give a parcel to him this time too through the prison authorities, but we could not meet him. The prison authorities apologized, but assured us they will give all the stuff left with them to my son," explained Ko Pyone Cho's father.

U Win Maung left Rangoon to meet his son on the 8th of this month.

He spent two days each in Mergui and Tavoy on the way to Kawthaung. Though on the way, he heard that authorities had barred political prisoners from meeting with family members, with a grim hoped that he might be allowed to meet his son, he proceeded to Kawthaung.

"I felt sorry and am still worrying about him. Though they said he is in good health, I cannot accept this good news without meeting my son myself. The weather is changing. I can only speak of the condition of his health, his progress and his morale when I can see him in person myself. I hope I will not experience this same situation again next time. I demanded they [prison authorities] let us meet with my son at the earliest possible time," U Win Maung said.

READ MORE---> Leading Saffron Revolution monk on hunger strike...

Burma 101 for Obama; Three quarters rights in military constitution is slavery

By May Ng
Mizzima News

When the American Declaration of Independence was famously penned by Thomas Jefferson in 1776 that, "all men are created equal," the black African slaves were not included as part of the men who were considered equal. Section 2 of Article I of the original Constitution of the United States defined slaves as "three-fifths" of a person for calculations of each state's official population. And the failure to resolve the issue of slavery became a bitter factor that contributed to American Civil War which almost ended the first young liberal democracy on earth.

One hundred years after the 1863 'Emancipation Proclamation' and the 1865 'Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution' prohibiting slavery officially;-- in 1964, strongest civil rights law in history, the Civil Right Act banning discrimination based on race, colour, national origin, religion, or sex was passed.

And now almost fifty years after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said that, "I have been to the mountaintop-- and I have seen the promised land,"--a descendant of an African from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas will become the most powerful leader in the world, as a president of the United States.

No longer three fifths of a person, this African American is bearer of the torch of future hopes for his people and the world at one of the most turbulent time in history.

Believing that challenges bring opportunities, Obama seems poised to face the world he inherited. But the plight of Burmese people did not rank very high in the priority list of the US president even during George Bush's administration. Even though Burma is not on top of Obama's stack of cards now, Burma is one of a few George Bush's legacies that Obama cannot abandon.

During the 2008 terrible Cyclone Nargis in Burma, the Burmese military leaders ignored international pleas to let in rescuers for over a month. Instead, the army generals abandoned the appearance of legitimacy, and triumphantly announced winning of the referendum on military's constitution.

According to their constitution only military leaders have one hundred percent right to become leaders of Burma. Everyone else will only have seventy five percent of the rights to become a political leader of Burma. This will effectively reduce every Burmese citizen except the military generals to become three quarter of a person in Burma.

It took Americans, 'the inventors of modern democracy', over 200 years and many deaths to come full circle and have the courage to elect a great leader by abandoning fear and racial prejudices.

Today, powerful neighbours of Burma like India, China, and Thailand, by citing hundred years old British colonialism in Burma, insist that as long as they are Burmese the cruel military dictators can do no wrong to their people in Burma. But the 2008 military constitution will enslave the Burmese people with laws that only allow ordinary Burmese citizen three quarter of rights.

Obama's presidency should not let hypocrisy cloud the reasoning that "when foreigners enslave you it is wrong but when your own people enslave you it is no one's business."

With this on their mind the people of Burma will be welcoming the new great American president.

(May Ng is a member of Justice for Human Rights in Burma. To view her poems about Burma, please visit: http://www.othervoicespoetry.org/vol33/ng/index.html)

READ MORE---> Burma 101 for Obama; Three quarters rights in military constitution is slavery...

No Election Participation, No Disarmament: Mon Party

By LAWI WENG
The Irrawaddy News

The New Mon State Party, an ethnic armed ceasefire group in southern Burma, decided at its congress not to participate in the 2010 Burmese election, said a member of the executive committee.

About 101 members of the party approved the decision after the party held a two-week congress which ended on Jan 17 at its central headquarters in Ye Township, Mon State. The party holds a congress meeting every three years.

Nai Shwe Thein, a member of the NMSP executive committee, said, “We didn’t get what we wanted at the constitutional convention. That’s why we will not join the election.”

Leaders also discussed the current ceasefire agreement it has with the military government, and the party decided it would not disarm, if asked by the military regime.

“If they [the Burmese military] ask us to disarm, we will do something,” said Nai Shwe Thein. “Our party policy is we will not give up arms, and we will not abandon our party.”

The party has maintained a ceasefire agreement with the Burmese military for more than 14 years.

Some Mon community leaders expressed concern they might be forced to disband their schools, and many Mon plantation owners and laborers are worried they will lose their rubber plantations if fighting should resume between the NMSP and the Burmese military.

Nai Aye Con, a member of the Mon National Education Department, said, “If there is a war, we can’t run the schools that are close to the Burmese military controlled areas.”

Rubber plantations produce daily income for many people, and some fear the recent NMSP decisions could threaten their livelihood.

The NMSP signed a ceasefire agreement with the military regime in 1995. Observers say there have been no political advancements in more than a decade, and the regime has continued a campaign of human rights abuses in Mon State.

In 2003, the party attended the national constitutional convention, but left after a proposal to federalize the constitution was rejected by the military-controlled convention. The party maintained observers at the convention.

In early March, the NMSP released a statement against the constitutional referendum, citing concerns that the constitution would strengthen the regime without resulting in any actual democratic changes in the country.

READ MORE---> No Election Participation, No Disarmament: Mon Party...

‘So far, so bad,’ But Nothing is Permanent

By KYAW ZWA MOE
The Irrawaddy News

Will 2009 bring a positive change to Burma? A golden question, but no one has the answer. When asked “How’s it going in Burma?” a fellow Burmese journalist who is visiting Thailand answered: “So far, so bad.”

The young journalist said the phrase is used a lot by his friends in Rangoon. At first, it seemed funny, but I felt a pang in my heart, reflecting the real situation. All events to date point to the truth of the phrase.

The roots of the aging, military government, its decrepit system, our aging dissident leadership and their tired policies are firmly stuck in place.

Where are the new people and ideas to give birth to an effective, new pro-democracy movement? After 47 years under one of the most oppressive dictatorial rulers in the world, Burma needs a miracle, something we can’t imagine right now.

The unexpected can happen and change events: The Saffron Revolution, Cyclone Nargis. Who knows? Something extraordinary could happen within the junta’s leadership.

Before1988, no seasoned politician or political observer could foresee the nationwide pro-democracy uprising which toppled late dictator Ne Win’s authoritarian socialist regime. In 1988, the poor economic situation and political oppression suddenly led to a political explosion.

The situation now is worse than then, as my fellow journalist said. Politically the country still waits for a more democratic system and ethnically, the country has never been united. Worse, economically it is more battered than ever.

Burma, in fact, could explode at anytime. Repressive policies applied over the nearly five decades of military rule have piled up an immense dysfunctional bureaucracy which hides the smoldering anger and hate of the Burmese people.

Nobody knows when the country might explode. Unpredictable things can happen in 2009, before the military regime, known as the State Peace and Development Council holds the scheduled national election in 2010. Burma’s political organizations as well as international community should be prepared for such an event.

But for now, everyone must continue to work individually with new strength, with new resolve for the New Year. During the New Year period, the Irrawaddy has asked prominent persons in and outside Burma for their New Year resolutions.

“Things here don’t seem to bring change,” lamented the prominent journalist-politician Win Tin. “For 2009, however, my resolution is to continue working very hard for democracy and the freedom of the country and to work together with pro-democracy forces.”

It’s encouraging, even amazing, to hear such strong determination from Win Tin, an executive member of the main opposition National League for Democracy who spent 19 years in prison after the 1988 nationwide pro-democracy uprising.

Burma’s famous rock star Zaw Win Htut, said, “In 2009, I have a plan to travel across the country to perform music concerts in at least 25 cities. My purpose is to make people happy and joyful.” The rocker’s resolution isn’t political, but it can bring happiness to desperate people.

A prominent HIV/AIDS activist in Rangoon, Phyu Phyu Thin, said she plans to expand her projects across the country. “I will keep up my work in order to quickly provide ARV medicine to those in need,” she said.

Her resolution will definitely make a difference in Burma where there are 240,000 HIV/AIDS patients and 76,000 patients without ARV treatment, according to Médicins Sans Frontieres–Holland (AZG), a leading INGO.

An activist who works with Burmese migrants in Thailand, Moe Swe, said, “I will keep trying to be a real representative of the workers. This year I am determined to expose exploitation in factories, political groups and nongovernmental organizations.”

Each of these resolutions is inspiring. They are just a few of the resolutions of people we interviewed. If everyone keeps trying to make their resolutions true, we will all be contributing to different sectors of Burmese society.

Burma’s main problem remains political: The fight between the oppressor and the oppressed. Peaceful, national reconciliation is the most appropriate way to go forward, and the military leaders are still the main roadblock.

In Burma, a radical change—including regime change—is probably not realistic. As I said, we need a miracle for that. This year, everyone should make realistic resolutions to accomplish achievable goals.

Everyone who is politically involved in Burma should have one fundamental resolution to work for: The release of more than 2,000 political prisoners, including detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. It is an essential first step toward national reconciliation and needed to break the current deadlock.

Many people and groups in the international community, including UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, must be determined to achieve that goal as part of their 2009 resolutions.

Ban said in his year-end press conference at UN headquarters in New York. “I am disappointed by the unwillingness of the government of Myanmar [Burma] to deliver on its promises for democratic dialogue and the release of political prisoners."

He postponed his trip to Burma, which was scheduled for December, saying he will return to Burma only when he is assured that his visit will yield tangible results, such as the release of all political prisoners, including Suu Kyi.

Burma has a way of always disappointing us. But in 2009, we can’t give in to disappointment. Ban must seek more creative, decisive actions on the part of the UN.

“So far, so bad” may be true for now, but if everyone pushes forward with strong resolve, Burma will achieve some great steps forward in 2009.

Buddha’s fundamental philosophy still prevails in the universe: Impermanence is the only permanence. The phrase “So far, so bad” will not be permanent.

READ MORE---> ‘So far, so bad,’ But Nothing is Permanent...

Mixed Reactions to Obama in Southeast Asia

The Irrawaddy News

Throughout Southeast Asia, observers are busy trying to guess what Barack Obama’s remarkable ascent to the US presidency will mean for the region’s relations with the world’s most powerful nation.

In Indonesia, where Obama spent four years as a boy, the mood is celebratory. Children from his former school will mark his swearing-in by singing in downtown Jakarta, while former classmates of the president-elect plan to gather to watch his inaugural address.

Obama’s mother, Ann Dunham, married Lol Soetoro in Indonesia, where she and her son lived from 1967-72.

The Jakarta Post reported that Obama’s half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, who was born and raised in Jakarta but now lives in Hawaii, would be attending the inauguration, as would other members of Obama’s Indonesian family.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono congratulated Obama when he won the election in November, and expressed his hope that the new president’s leadership would help steer the world through the current global economic crisis.

However, other countries in the region are less certain about Obama’s likely impact on the struggling economy, which is the main focus of relations between the US and Southeast Asia.

An editorial in the Bangkok Post, Thailand’s leading English-language daily, was downbeat about the prospects for change, citing critics who warned that “the deepening economic woes and domestic dynamics within [Thailand and the US] will keep the two allies apart and maintain the status quo on pending free trade negotiations.”

Indeed, many fear that the Obama administration will merely follow in the footsteps of its predecessors, who showed little interest in supporting the region’s aspirations. For nearly two decades, the US has been unhappy with the notion of the region coming together, particularly when it relied on the anti-West rhetoric of leaders like Malaysia’s former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad to cement unity among the disparate members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

“Asia, particularly Southeast Asia, will also be watching to see if Obama will pay closer attention to them than Bush did in all his eight years in the White House,” Hardev Kaur, an editor for Malaysia’s leading newspaper, the New Straits Times.

One of the more difficult issues facing US relations with the region will be Burma. Although it remains to be seen whether the Obama administration will be able to make a breakthrough on Burma, the US ambassador to the UN-designate, Susan Rice, said last week that she favored “multilateral sanctions” with the support of regional powers as a measure to put pressure on the Burmese junta to release political prisoners and restore democracy in the country.

READ MORE---> Mixed Reactions to Obama in Southeast Asia...

Opposition Leaders Expect Obama to Stick to Burma Policy

By SAW YAN NAING
The Irrawaddy News

Burmese opposition leaders expect US support for the pro-democracy movement to remain strong after President-elect Barack Obama takes office on Tuesday. Some said, however, the Burmese people themselves remained the most potent force for political change.

Nyan Win, spokesman for the National League for Democracy (NLD), told The Irrawaddy: “We believe that the US will keep up its support for human rights and the democracy movement in Burma.”

An ethnic Arakanese leader in Rangoon, Aye Tha Aung, chairman of the Arakan League for Democracy, said he didn’t expect greater support for political change in Burma. “The most important force for change in Burma are the Burmese people, opposition groups and ethnic leaders,” he said.

International pressure on the Burmese regime was still needed, however, he added.

Ludu Sein Win, a veteran Burmese journalist in Rangoon, said nothing more than condemnation of the regime could be expected from the Obama administration.

“I want to urge the Burmese people: Don’t rely on Obama and [UN Secretary-General] Ban Ki-moon,” Sein Win said. “We must rely on ourselves.”

Sanctions alone were not enough to bring about political change in Burma, Sein Win said. He thought that sanctions had only a small impact and were insufficient to bring down the regime.

Bo Kyi, joint secretary of the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma), said the Obama administration should maintain sanctions against the Burmese junta and its cronies.

Burma would not be a priority issue, however, in view of such immediate challenges as the conflict between Israel and Hamas and the US economic crisis.

Bo Kyi said Obama should try and persuade China and leaders of the Association of South East Asian Nations to work on a solution of the Burma question. “We also want him to try to find out common ground in cooperation with the UN Security Council’s five permanent members and 10 non-permanent members.”

Bo Kyi said he would also like to see the new US administration continue to pressure the Burmese junta to release all political prisoners, including democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, to enter into a tripartite dialogue with ethnic leaders and opposition and agree to a constitutional review.

READ MORE---> Opposition Leaders Expect Obama to Stick to Burma Policy...

A Message to President Obama

The Irrawaddy recently spoke with Aung Din, executive director of the US Campaign for Burma, about the implications of an Obama presidency for future US policy on Burma.

Question: What is your message to President Obama?

Answer: I want President Obama to uphold the existing economic sanctions on the Burmese military regime and lead a strong diplomatic effort to organize the international community to put collective pressure on the regime. Instead of divided responses, what we need importantly from the international community is to speak with one voice to the generals and I believe President Obama, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and US Permanent Representative to the UN Dr Susan Rice will be able to make this happen. As the first step, we want President Obama to appoint someone whom we can trust and rely on to be his Special Envoy on Burma, as authorized by the Tom Lantos Block Burma Jade Act of 2008, and get Senate confirmation as soon as possible.

Q: What can you realistically expect the incoming administration to do on Burma? Do you think the policy will be more or less the same as Bush’s? Or will there be more engagement inside Burma, or even dialogue with the regime?

A: President-elect Obama and Secretary of State-designate Clinton have been among the strong supporters of Burma’s democracy movement since their Senate years. I expect they will continue to place significant pressure on the regime for the release of all political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and for the realization of a meaningful and time-bound dialogue between the regime and democracy forces led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. I also expect that they will be able to organize the international community to stand together for the people of Burma and speak with one voice to the generals in Burma.

Q: What do you think of the efforts of George Bush and former first lady Laura Bush on Burma?

A: President Bush and the first lady have done their best for the people of Burma. They were both personally involved in Burma and have made Burma a higher US foreign policy priority. Even in the last days of his administration, President Bush and the first lady have put Burma in the international spotlight again and again and set a precedent for the next administration. We owe them a lot. I still believe that they will continue to be with us even they leave office.

Q: What do you think about Michael Green’s appointment as a special envoy on Burma?

A: I respect Dr Mike Green and I really want him to be the US Special Coordinator for Burma. I expect President Obama will continue to nominate him for the job when he takes office on January 20.

Q: We all know Burma won’t be a top priority, as there are many pressing issues ahead—Afghanistan, North Korea, Darfur, Iraq and of course Pakistan. Do you have any concerns that the new administration will not be able to adequately address the Burma issue?

A: It is true that Obama will be occupied with many pressing issues. We will continue to work with the Congress to remind him of the situation of the people of Burma. We still enjoy strong bipartisan support in both the Senate and the House. I believe the Congress will help us to put Burma on Obama’s foreign policy priority sooner or later.

Q: If Burma faces another major event like the Saffron Revolution, do you think the Burmese people will look to the US administration for support?

A: It is usual for any non-violent movement to expect international support in their peaceful struggle against brutal dictators. International support for the people of Burma and international pressure on the Burmese junta will continue to be a major factor to strengthen and empower democratic forces inside Burma. The United States will continue to play a leading role in the international community for both supporting Burmese democrats and pressuring the junta.

READ MORE---> A Message to President Obama...

Lawyer killed after opposing Russian colonel's release

Shot dead ... Stanislav Markelov.

A masked gunman on Monday killed a human rights lawyer who exposed one of the most notorious cases of abuses by Russia's army in Chechnya, together with a journalist who died later in hospital.

Law enforcement sources confirmed that Stanislav Markelov had been gunned down on a busy street in central Moscow, while a woman, Anastasiya Baburova, was hospitalised with a bullet wound to the head.

A spokeswoman for the opposition newspaper Novaya Gazeta confirmed the death of intern reporter Baburova in hospital on Monday evening.

Following the lawyer's death, the prosecutor's investigative department said: "The investigation is studying various theories on the killing, including a link to the deceased's professional activities."

Baburova, 25, had written a number of reports on Russia's growing problem of racism and ultra-nationalism for Novaya Gazeta, the paper of the campaigning journalist Anna Politkovskaya, who was assassinated in 2006.

Human rights campaigner Lyudmila Alexeyeva, who heads the Moscow Helsinki Group, said: "The murder in the centre of Moscow of a man, of a lawyer involved in cases of political importance, has as much significance as the assassination of Anna Politkovskaya."

Markelov and Baburova had just emerged from a press conference given by Markelov on the latest turn in the case of Elza Kungayeva, the 18-year-old Chechen whose 2000 strangling by Russian army colonel Yury Budanov became a cause celebre, highlighting systematic abuse by the Russian army in the war in Chechnya.

Budanov was released from jail on Friday after serving most of his 10-year sentence for the young Chechen woman's murder.

Markelov had vowed to challenge the granting of early release to Budanov, who was convicted in 2003 after pressure for a conviction by human rights activists, while ultra-nationalists had rallied to his side.

Budanov's release from jail had prompted street protests in Chechnya attended by both human rights activists and representatives of the region's Moscow-backed authorities.

Kungayeva's father, Visa Kungayev, told Echo of Moscow radio Markelov had recently received death threats.

The murdered lawyer had also provided legal help for Politkovskaya, whose work centred on the war-torn southern region of Chechnya, where Russia has fought two full-scale wars since the 1991 Soviet collapse, said Novaya Gazeta.

RIA-Novosti news agency quoted a police source as saying evidence had already been gathered from witnesses to the killing, who testified the gunman had lain in wait as Markelov gave the lunchtime press conference.

"The killer chose his moment, when there weren't many people in the way, quickened his step and shot the lawyer in the back of the head.

"The murder was committed in broad daylight in front of dozens of people," the police source said.

SMH-AFP

READ MORE---> Lawyer killed after opposing Russian colonel's release...

Burmese and Laos workers arrested in a Mall in Bangkok

(GRHE) -
Thai authorities raided Ban Kae Mall and arrested Burmese and Laos security guards.

The 49 workers, all from Burma and Laos, had been working at the shopping mall as security guards for many years. This is the first time that such a large number of people have been arrested at the mall. Most of the workers can speak and write Thai.

The police will send all the arrested people to court for illegally entering the country and for illegally working in Thailand. The police will also send an official letter to the company that hired the illegal workers.

As a result of the world economic crisis many foreign investment companies and factories closed down in 2008 and many Thai labors have made unemployed.

IT is normal for Thai police to arrest Burmese workers and ask them for money but now the world economic crisis has affected Burmese and other illegal migrant workers more, many more are being arrested.

According to a Burmese trader, the authorities sent a letter to all the factories and companies telling them to fire illegal workers from the beginning of 2009.

Meanwhile, for Burmese workers it is very difficult to go to the border to get a legal passport as a result of the Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) between the two governments of Thai and Myanmar.

Burmese workers are giving false names and ages to make it easier for them to get a job.

There are many reasons for the Burmese having difficulties in getting a passport on the border. Sometimes difficulties are related to Burmese politics and sometimes it is because the migrants were not registered for a national ID card in their hometown in Burma. They are also very afraid that the Thai police will arrest them at the border and they worry about accommodation and others expenses during the process of applying for a passport.

READ MORE---> Burmese and Laos workers arrested in a Mall in Bangkok...

Burmese Lawyer Detained - Poe Phyu

By THE IRRAWADDY

As the Burmese regime intensifies its crackdown on dissidents, Poe Phyu, a young Burmese lawyer, who has represented farmers and labor rights activists, was arrested and detained by authorities on Friday.

Thirty-year-old Poe Phyu was arrested by police officers in Aunglan Township in Magwe Division in central Burma soon after defending a group of Aunglan farmers whose lands had been confiscated by Burmese authorities, according to Bo Kyi, joint secretary of the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma).

Poe Phyu, who lives in Rangoon, was arrested while boarding a bus in Aunglan to return home, he said.

Meanwhile, the two labor rights activists Hla Soe and Zaw Htay he defended were also detained after they collectively sent a letter of complaint about their land confiscation to the International Labor Organization, he added.

In October 2008, four defense lawyers—Saw Kyaw Kyaw Min, Nyi Nyi Htwe, Aung Thein and Khin Maung Shein—were sentenced to prison terms of between four and six months for contempt of court after complaining of unfair treatment.

The lawyers had represented political activists, such as members of the 88 Generation Students group, and members of the opposition National League for Democracy.

Recently, one of the four, Saw Kyaw Kyaw Min, 29, who was sentenced in absentia, fled to Thailand.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy, Saw Kyaw Kyaw Min condemned the Burmese court for its lack of justice. There are no fair trials in Burma as defense lawyers are denied the right to defend their clients, he said.

The regime has been using the court to put pressure on activists and dissidents by pronouncing long terms of imprisonment, said Saw Kyaw Kyaw Min.

READ MORE---> Burmese Lawyer Detained - Poe Phyu...

Underground tunnels built at Naypyidaw

(DVB)–The Burmese military has ordered the construction of an underground network of tunnels between Naypyidaw and the town of Pin Laung in Shan state, according to a worker on the site.

According to the construction worker, who worked on the site for about three months, building contractors working for the military’s construction division 3 assembled teams of workers from different part of Burma to dig the tunnels.

"Rumour has it that the construction was for a secret weapons facility and security was very tight around the site," the worker said.

"They were digging a very large tunnel with four main entrances to it. Inside the tunnel there were a lot of different sectors with maze-like paths scattered all around and also some parking lots," he said.

"There were about five groups with about 50 construction workers in each. We often saw North Koreans there, about every five days."

Local residents speculated that the site was linked to a secret weapons project.

"Some people said it is a weapons facility they are building with assistance from North Korean scientists,” the worker said.

“There were about five military checkpoints to pass to get to the site from Naypyidaw,” he said.

“They have also deployed troops and anti-aircraft batteries on the hilltops surrounding the area."

The construction worker said people employed on the project had not been paid for two months and many had struggled with the difficult working conditions.

"They promised us 30,000 kyat a month for our labour but they haven't paid us since November last year and they also kept our ID cards so we can’t leave the site," the worker said.

"Despite that, some people left their ID cards and ran away from the camp as they could not cope with the heavy labour – there were also no proper safety measures or medical assistance apart from a small clinic," he said.

"They didn't provide us with any safety helmet or shoes. Sometime rocks would fall down from the cave roof," he went on.

"On one occasion, two workers died when some explosives went off in a deeper tunnel but they just sent more people into that area to continue the work."

Reporting by Naw Say Phaw

READ MORE---> Underground tunnels built at Naypyidaw...

Why Another Insane Government?

By Prof. Kanbawza Win
Asian Tribune

The New Year declaration of the National Council of Burma (NCUB) has convinced the international community that the saying of "Putting two Burmese together will produced three political parties."The majority of the international observers who has been scrutinizing the people of Burma in the peripherals and in Diaspora of how they would fare, once democracy is achieved, is now beyond doubt that the people of Burma get the government they deserve. The headquarters of this new government should be side by side with the Independence Shan Government, so that they can be back and call of each other to prove true to the Junta’s theory of Balkanization of Burma and that only the Burmese army can keep the country together. No doubt the Junta will be hilarious and will be clapping its hoofs.

There is no denying that the incumbent National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB) a pro democratic Burmese provisional government with its self destructive management is very busy doing nothing, staying in the niceties of the West and jetting around the world with the dole out of some donor, should make a graceful exist. But, the way that a new parallel provisional government is conceived is not only dubious but seems to be dictatorial and defeats the very purpose of Democracy which must be constructed on understanding and consensus. Perhaps, the secretary of NCUB admire the National Unity Party (NUP) that acquire 10 seats in the 1990 elections, who is also the brain child of another Maung Maung (except that he put the word Dr.) from inside Burma, following the demise of BSPP (Burmese Socialist Programme Party). That seems to be the logic of why he is waiting the approval of NUP (National Unity Parliament) to be convened in Dublin on the 19th instant. So if things come out as they plan we will soon see the struggle of the NUP (overseas) versus NUP (inside Burma) which will bewilder a casual observer.

There’s nothing intrinsically wrong to have a new vigorous and dynamic provincial government if they imitate PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) or ANC (African National Congress) to compete with the Junta but their actions seems to be more like a Hamas that is loggerhead with Al Fatah and take on Israel. The point is how do they approach the whole problem concerning the most important aspects of the ethnic nationalities when all the de facto leaders are all Burman/Myanmar? Do they confide with ENC (Ethnic National Council) of their plan and get their blessing and consensus or just send a formal invitation which tantamount to “Oh you little brother come and join me and be my squire for I am going to be St George taking on the fiery Dragon.” Or even do the NCUB discuss with their stake holders as Aung Tin has pointed out in his R2P article (in Burmese) before making a unilateral announcement on New Year Day? The actions of this so called action orientated, new government seems to be imbued with the spirit of that "I am the only pebble on the beach" and that the ethnic nationalities except the Karen are somewhat lesser than us, while the rest of the other pro democracy Myanmar/Burman are not worth discussing.

One will not follow leader until and unless they trust the leader and know what the resources are? The second aspect is that NCUB (National Council of the Union of Burma) which is just an alliance with no mandate must also be a follower. It is not our will, but the will of the people and let us walk together should be the approach.

Any way we would like to see a Wa representative (if we were to have a well equip army of more than 20,000 battled harden men) as even now the Junta’s representative Kyaw Pyoe, the Kengtung based regional commander is in dialogue with the representative of UWSA, Wei Xueying, the younger brother of the Wa regional commander Xuegangr. We would also like to see a Shan representative who is still battling the Junta’s forces with might and main, not to mention the Karenni representative or even a DKBA, KPNLF and the likes in the up coming government.

One should also recollect that only the Wa has the territory of their own while the rest of the ethnic groups are rag tag guerilla army since the fall of Manerplaw. Hence if the proper approach has been made to pave the way and give the chance to the ethnics that they are likewise brothers in oppression and should work hand in glove to throw the yoke of the Junta’s tyranny, we are quite positive that not only the international community but the whole of the Burmese in Diaspora would support.

It is evident that FTUB (Federation of Trade Unions–Burma) and the (NCUB) can give some heartburn to the military generals but none of these organizations is well organized or well funded to effectively change the existing system. We are solely afraid that the funds that will trickle down be used for the body guards and psychopaths.

It seems that the whole concept of this approach is the wrong spirit and mentality harbor by the NCUB who seems to construe themselves as Bo Teza (Bogyoke Aung San father of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi that liberated Burma) unwittingly ending up as Bo Shu Maung (General New Win, the architect of Burmese dictatorship). Claiming credit for the saffron revolution in order to be eligible for some funds not only upset the opposition but also those inside the country and the international community as he is trying to reap what he did not sow shows its true color, not to mention of taking the consensus even among its executive committee (Khun Marko Ban the 3rd president of NCUB) before the announcement.

The only common denominator among the democratic opposition is to knock out the Junta either by hook or by crook. Come full stop. They could not comprehend the lessons of Afghanistan once the Russian withdrew and there was infighting among the Afghans so much so that Taliban came to power and it took Uncle Sam a great effort to restore law and order. So also studying the personality and actions of those who are at the helm of this umbrella pro democracy struggle, one could draw a parallel and as it seems have taken a leaf from the Junta’s book of "I am the monarch of all I survey."

Once the Junta is gone (which we doubt) then it will be like U Nu days where the Myanmar/Burman are pitted against the non Myanmar and the ethnic nationalities will be marginalized again. If so no one will join them. We still have not seen their manifesto on the economic policy, domestic or foreign policies not counting the rehabilitation of agricultural policies, so crucial to the farmers hit by cyclone Nargis. What about the monetary system never mind about health and education and so forth has to be laid out? One recollect that when the first provincial government was formed it got the support of the outstanding Burmese academics and intelligentsia but as years goes on NCUB leave them in the cold and the majority of the Burmese got fed up later. We should not forget that in every revolution there are intelligentsia and intellect behind them who are core advisers.

Dictatorial or the semblance of the chauvinist approach should be shunned as copying the Junta or whatever. The hypothesis that Dr Sein Win and Dr. Thoung Htun will never give up their position even though Boutros Gali, Kofi Annan, Presidents Clinton or Bush have served their terms and exist, will be the same as Maung Maung will be the perpetual Secretary of FTUB and will cling on to NCUB. Every patriotic Burmese did not have to dig deep of how NCUB is functioning all these years, the way its committee members have to survive on the whims and fancies of a single person who have beaten the Thaksin Government in purchasing votes to be elected to the post of the General Secretary as according to the Thai Intelligence. But still it is worth trying after almost two decades as the NCGUB is almost as good as defunct only if we change some personality among its existing members and take the terrorist visage out in order to be more presentable to the people residing from inside Burma. Perhaps a graceful exist for a peaceful retirement is some Western country with JL (unlike Dr. Sein Win cannot smuggle his better half out of the country) will be a far better option for the new government.

Many people in the opposition works hard and are devoted to overthrowing the Junta but we also need leaders who work smart, have a clear vision with the right spirit, right mentality, ethics and sincerity, if democracy and federalism are to make a start in Burma. We specifically need a broad approach, with a new Premier of whether it is run by the former comrades just like as an old wine in a new bottle or an entirely new vigorous persons, for we don’t want, as according to the Burmese saying Hin Lay Oo Hte Ma Sin Ta Zet Ma Kya Sae Chin Bu meaning, to witness a drop of excreta falling into a good gracious curry or otherwise it will be another insane, government, which is Burmese call UB A Soe Ya for the acronym NUG should be Noble Unbeatable Government instead of Negligence Uncomprehending Government which is Not Up-to the mark Government.

- Asian Tribune -

READ MORE---> Why Another Insane Government?...

Child with brain outside skull needs financial assistance for surgery

"This family needs URGENTLY Sponsor for relocation as much as financial assistance for the baby"

By The The

New Delhi (Mizzima) – In a rare case, a child with his brain outside the skull, badly needs financial assistance as surgical expenses, his parents, a Burmese refugee couple from Malaysia said.

The baby boy, who was abnormally born has his brain in a small pouch like cyst in the back of his skull, and frequently suffers from convulsion and seizure. The seven-month- old baby has to be taken to clinic at least twice a month, his parents said.

"We are now on the way to the clinic. He has high fever and is now almost unconscious. He was seriously sick last month also. The doctor gave him lumbar suction treatment," his mother, an ethnic Chin, Man Sien Cin said.

She said, she wants a surgery on the baby as the doctor said the boy, without an operation, would at the most survive a year.

"But we have no money," she said.

The medical expenses provided by 'United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee' (UNHCR) cannot cover all the expenses and his father has to do odd jobs to meet expenses.

But his father cannot work at distant places as his baby, Hau Khan Khai, is frequently sick. He has to do menial jobs and odd jobs available at nearby places.

The boy was born in Klang hospital in Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur city in July and he is their first child.

"The doctor said that his brain is outside the skull and there are flesh and pus instead in the skull. If he is shaken when he is held, he cries loudly in severe pain," his mother said.

There is a soft cyst on the top of his skull and his right leg and right fingers are a little deformed.

Man Sien Cin said, just after giving birth to her son, she was given lactation suppressant by the doctor and she could not breastfeed her son. The son has been fed with baby cereal food besides milk powder since he was four months old.

The family of Man Sien Cin hailing from Sielthawzang village, Tonzang Township of Chin State, reached Malaysia in 2007 and was recognized as refugees by UNHCR in early 2007.

To contact :
Ms. Man Sien Cin
Cell : 006 + 016 + 9729 610

Published: January 16, 2009

READ MORE---> Child with brain outside skull needs financial assistance for surgery...

Burma deploys army on Bangladesh border

Kaladan Press

Maungdaw, Arakan State: The State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) of the Burmese military junta has been increasing army deployment on the Burma-Bangladesh border with heavy guns ahead of the bilateral meeting in January on the maritime boundary in the Bay of Bengal. It is also restricting the movement of the Rohingya community severely, said a close aide of the Nasaka.

The Burmese government is still tense over gas and oil exploration in Bay of Bengal after failing to resolve the issue between the two countries.

According to sources, the concerned authorities, especially Nasaka and army called some Rohingya elders including village Peace and Development Council ( VPDC) members and held a meeting in Nasaka area No.3 and 5 on December 26. In the meeting they declared the following points. They are as follows:

1. There is no permission to put up any fence surrounding the house.

2. There is no permission to keep women indoors and get out of the house and doing work with male and keeping the women indoor, the economic of the country down falls day by day.

3. All the documents of lands will be handed over to concerned authority.

4. Within ten days, Rohingya Muslims must build a road of a length of 3.5 kilometer from Taungbro sub-town under the Maungdaw Township.

5. Three sacks of rice bag (a bag =50 kg) from every household will be deposited to the concerned Nasaka camp within one month.

6. Besides, Rohingya villagers will pay toll when the concerned authority asks them to pay. If any one fails to abide by the above points, he/she must leave the country. These are orders of the SPDC.

In 1991-92, many Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh due to persecution by the ruling military junta. After an agreement between two countries, most of the refugees had been repatriated with the commitment of returning their lands. But, after arrival at Arakan State, the authorities did not return their land and the returnees were severely persecuted. As a result, most of the refugees returned to Bangladesh.

At present, the Burmese ruling junta have invited new Buddhist settlers from Burma proper and settled them in north Arakan after seizing lands from Rohingya villagers. For these reasons, Rohingya have become homeless and land less in their own country, said a trader.

READ MORE---> Burma deploys army on Bangladesh border...

Burma’s Crimes Against Humanity – A Test Case for the ‘Responsibility to Protect’

By Benedict Rogers
Kaladan Press

Burma is ruled by one of the world’s most brutal military regimes, guilty of every possible human rights violation. Known as the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) and led by Senior General Than Shwe, Burma’s junta is not only brutal, but illegitimate. Elections held in 1990 were overwhelmingly won by the National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. The NLD won 82 per cent of the parliamentary seats – yet the regime rejected the results, imprisoned the victors and intensified its grip on power. Most of those elected in 1990 are either in prison or exile, and Aung San Suu Kyi remains under house arrest.

The regime is also guilty of deliberate negligence. When Cyclone Nargis struck last year, the junta did little to help the victims, and initially refused international offers of aid. Under pressure from the UN and Asian neighbours, international aid was subsequently allowed in, but with significant restrictions on access for international aid workers. Much of the aid was reportedly stolen by the regime, for its own use or to sell in the markets. The SPDC had received 41 warnings from India of the impending cyclone, but did nothing to prepare its people. Over 140,000 people died, and 2.5 million were left homeless.

A similar, though far less known, humanitarian disaster is unfolding in Chin State, in western Burma. Every 50 years, the bamboo in that part of the country flowers and, in a bizarre but predictable natural phenomenon, the bamboo flowers attract vast plagues of rats. The rodents destroy not only the bamboo, which is the major resource for local people, but also paddy fields, rice barns and virtually all other food sources. At least 200 villages, with 100,000 people, are facing severe famine. Like the cyclone, the regime knew it was coming – and did nothing. And like the cyclone, the regime has actively sought to block efforts to help the victims.

In September 2007, the military violently suppressed peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations led by Buddhist monks, in what became known as the ‘Saffron Revolution’. Over 2,000 political prisoners are in jail, subjected to inhumane treatment and terrible torture. Some have recently been sentenced to 65 years or more.

It is a regime which spends almost half its budget on the military, and less than 50p per person per year on health and education. It is one of the poorest countries in the world, with price rises making life even harder for most of the people.

In addition to the humanitarian crisis, the economic collapse, the grinding poverty, the lack of investment in health and education and the brutal suppression of democracy, Burma’s military regime stands accused of perpetrating a campaign of ethnic cleansing against many of its ethnic minorities, amounting to crimes against humanity, war crimes and, arguably, attempted genocide. Rape is used as a weapon of war on a widespread and systematic scale, and has been well documented by women’s groups in the ethnic areas. Forced labour is equally widespread, and has been reported by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). In eastern Burma, the military is carrying out an offensive against the Karen, Karenni and Shan ethnic peoples in which civilians are shot at point-blank range, including women and children, and people are used as human minesweepers – forced to walk across fields of landmines, clearing them for the military but losing their limbs and sometimes their lives in the process. Since 1996, over 3,200 villages have been destroyed in eastern Burma alone, and a million people internally displaced. Hundreds of thousands have had to flee, as refugees to Thailand, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia and further afield.

In other parts of the country, religious persecution against Christians and Muslims is rife, and the regime – which suppresses Buddhists that challenge it – uses a perverted, distorted form of Buddhism for political purposes. Christians in Chin State, for example, have been forced to tear down crosses on hilltops, and build Buddhist pagodas in their place. Muslim Rohingyas in Arakan are denied citizenship, despite having lived there for generations, and face severe restrictions on movement, marriage and religion. And Burma has the highest number of forcibly conscripted child soldiers in the world. At least 70,000 children have been taken from the streets and forced to join the Burma Army.

The United Nations has a concept known as the “Responsibility to Protect”, first expressed in 2001 by the Canadian-backed International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty (ICISS) and later enshrined in Security Council resolutions. This principle only applies to the most severe human rights violations – genocide, crimes against humanity and what former Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans, one of the architects of the term, calls “mass atrocity crimes”. It mandates the international community to respond, using a range of policy options – but not to stand idly by. According to ICISS, the basic principles of the Responsibility to Protect can be summed up in this way: “Where a population is suffering serious harm, as a result of internal war, insurgency, repression or state failure, and the state in question is unwilling or unable to halt or avert it, the principle of non-intervention yields to the international responsibility to protect”.

The Responsibility to Protect is often misunderstood as meaning military intervention. But that is not at all what it is about. While it can include, in certain circumstances, military intervention on humanitarian grounds as a last-resort option, it encompasses a far wider range of policy instruments, relating to economic sanctions, diplomatic efforts, prosecution at the International Criminal Court (ICC) and increased humanitarian aid. In the case of Burma, some sanctions, some aid and some diplomatic initiatives are already in place, but they need to be intensified, prioritised and strengthened under the Responsibility to Protect framework. Much more humanitarian aid, for example, should be delivered through cross-border delivery mechanisms to those displaced in the jungles along Burma’s borders. A case of crimes against humanity should certainly be referred to the ICC. Through these means, the ‘R2P’ framework can be applied effectively – these measures are both practically and politically feasible.

The crisis in Burma surely meets the criteria defined by the ICISS. Not only is the regime “unwilling or unable” to halt the suffering in Burma – it is the perpetrator and the cause. The crimes inflicted on Burma’s people, particularly the ethnic peoples in eastern Burma, surely amount to crimes against humanity and mass atrocity crimes.

What can you do? You can start by joining a new online campaign, Change for Burma!, which you can find at www.changeforburma.org You will find further information, resources and ways of getting involved. The people of Burma have suffered far too much for far too long. We have a responsibility to protect them.

Benedict Rogers works for the human rights organisation Christian Solidarity Worldwide, and is the author of A Land Without Evil: Stopping the Genocide of Burma’s Karen People (Monarch, 2004). He is currently writing two new books about Burma, and serves as Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party Human Rights Group. He has made more than 25 visits to Burma and its borderlands.

READ MORE---> Burma’s Crimes Against Humanity – A Test Case for the ‘Responsibility to Protect’...

Burmese Schoolteacher and Family Repatriated

By SAW YAN NAING
The Irrawaddy News

A Burmese schoolteacher in Ranong in southern Thailand was arrested by Burmese police in Kawthaung after he and his family were repatriated by Thai officials on January 11, according to sources at the Thai-Burmese border.

Ko Gyi, who had been living in Ranong since 1995, was reportedly sent back to Burma with his wife, daughter and son-in-law, and is currently being detained in a police station in the Burmese border town of Kawthaung.

Sources said Ko Gyi had become a target for Burma’s military authorities because of his supposed links with Burmese opposition groups, as well as allegedly providing information to exiled Burmese news organizations.

Ko Gyi has previously been interviewed by BBC Burmese Service and The Irrawaddy.

Thai authorities also raided his home and school in Ranong and seized some computers and his car.

Ko Gyi founded a primary school in Ranong with the help of Jesuit Refugee Service, an international Catholic organization that provides assistance to refugees, forcibly displaced persons and Burmese migrant workers.

Ko Gyi and his wife worked at the school, which has provided free education to the children of Burmese migrant workers since 2003.

READ MORE---> Burmese Schoolteacher and Family Repatriated...

North Korean national dies in Meikhtila

(DVB)–A North Korean who was believed to be a weapon specialist working in a secret research facility in central Burma has died on the way to Meikhtila military hospital after suffering a serious headache.

According to a member of staff at the hospital, speaking on condition of anonymity, the unidentified North Korean was already dead when he arrived at the hospital on 9 January.

A Meikhtila resident said the man’s body was cremated at around 7am on 11 January with the assistance of a local charity called Yan Aung Myin funeral service.

An official from Yan Aung Myin funeral service said the funeral was attended by a group of North Koreans, assumed to be his family, and a few Burmese army officers in civilian clothing.

"We were informed of his death by Meikhtila military hospital who told us to arrange a funeral service for him," the official said.

"The funeral was held early in the morning and it was rumoured that the
authorities wanted to keep it a secret from the public as he was a foreigner who was involved with government work."

Sources close to the military in Meikhtila said the dead foreigner was working on a secret weapons project for the government.

Military analyst and researcher Htay Aung of the Thailand-based Burmese exile group Network for Democracy and Development said the group had received reports on secret facilities being built by the government around Meikhtila.

"We have obtained some information on the government building some secret facilities around Meikhtila, particularly on the one being built near Taung Thar township," said Htay Aung.

"No one from the outside world knows what they have been doing in that facility but foreigners have often been seen around the area," he said.

"I assume that if he was not just a regular tourist, then he must have been some sort of specialist working on a secret government project or in a research facility."

Htay Aung said residents of nearby Taungdwingyi and Myo Thit townships had often spotted foreigners, assumed to be North Koreans, in the area.

Last year there were reports on a Russian national who had gone missing in Shan state but that case was also given a low profile by the government.

Reporting by Ahunt Phone Myat

READ MORE---> North Korean national dies in Meikhtila...

Non-military Pilots to be Trained in Rangoon

By MIN LWIN
The Irrawaddy News

Military-ruled Burma is set to open a pilot ground training school at Hmawbi Air Force Base in Rangoon Division that—for the first time—will allow non-military applicants to obtain commercial pilots’ licenses, according to sources at the base.

The pilot ground training school is due to be opened at the end of January to young men and women between 20 and 30 years of age. The 30-week course will cost 1.5 million kyat (US $1,300).

The January 5 issue of Rangoon-based weekly journal The Voice quoted a senior official from the Department of Civil Aviation as saying that the course will help develop civilian pilots and will be taught at the Department of Civil Aviation in accordance with the regulations of the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Burma has two air force training schools—the Meiktila Flying Training Base and the Ground Training Air Force Base in Meiktila, Mandalay Division—exclusively for air force personnel.

The two training schools were also home to the Burmese air forces’ specialist training facilities, including administration, electronics training and flight training.

According to sources, Burma’s first two female pilots are currently being trained to fly in Malaysia.

Air Bagan, a domestic private airline owned by Tay Za, a crony of Burma’s junta chief Snr-Gen Than Shwe, reportedly sponsored the two female pilots, who are staff members of Air Bagan.

Only state-owned Myanmar Airways, and three private airlines—Air Mandalay, Yangon Airways and Air Bagan—operate domestic routes in the country.

READ MORE---> Non-military Pilots to be Trained in Rangoon...

Burmese migrant workers evicted from campsite

(DVB)–About 200 Burmese migrant workers have been forced to go into hiding in the jungle after Thai authorities raided their campsite in a bamboo forest near the town of Phop Phraya.

Phop Phraya is located south of the Thai border town of Mae Sot, which is across the border from Myawaddy in Burma.

Htike Thu Aung, a school teacher who lived on the campsite, said officials had threatened to deport anyone who remained in the camp.

"On the 14th of this month, a group of Thai officials from Phop Phraya came to the campsite and announced that the place would be demolished," Htike Thu Aung said.

"They said anyone still living there, whether they hold legal documents or not, will be arrested and sent back to Burma and their property will be seized," he said.

"There were elderly people and small babies among those kicked off the campsite."

Nay Win Aung, a six-year-old kindergarten student, said conditions were difficult in the jungle.

"We had to run very deep into the jungle and it is so cold at night without any blankets. There are a lot of mosquitoes here too,” he said.

“We are not eating properly as no one dares to go into town to buy groceries."

Moe Gyo, chairman of the Thailand-based Joint Action Committee for Burma Affairs, said the Thai authorities’ actions were against international human rights norms and Thai domestic law.

"We think this is ridiculous. These Burmese workers were only making a living working for farming businesses owned by Thai people,” Moe Gyo said.

“Now the Thai authorities are even destroying houses where workers with legal documents are living,” he said.

“This is unacceptable both on human rights grounds and under Thai law and regulations."

Reporting by Htet Yazar

READ MORE---> Burmese migrant workers evicted from campsite...

Burma Situation Affects Region: Thai PM

By WAI MOE
The Irrawaddy News

Thailand’s Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Wednesday that because the situation in Burma could affect other countries in the region, it is time for change.

Abhisit spoke to journalists at a dinner at the Foreign Correspondent Club of Thailand in Bangkok.

Thailand shares more than 1,800 km with military-ruled Burma. Non-government organizations that work with Burmese migrant workers estimate there are 4 million Burmese, legal and illegal, currently living in Thailand.

Abhisit said that the regional bloc, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), should be more proactive on Burma issues, although the situation is difficult.

The Thai government will use a “flexible engagement” policy in relation to Burma under the Democrat administration, he said. The “flexible engagement” policy was outlined by Surin Pitsuwan, the former Thai foreign minister and current secretary-general of Asean in 1999. He proposed the regional bloc use a “constructive engagement” policy.

“Flexible engagement” was about open and frank discussion on issues such as human rights, leading to cooperative solutions—a pooling of sovereignty rather than its dilution, so as to make Southeast Asia a secure and prosperous region, according to analysts.

Abhisit said the sanction policy of Western nations on Burma was counterproductive.

Commenting on Abhisit’s Burma policy, Kavi Chongkittavorn, an assistant group editor of Thailand’s The Nation, told The Irrawaddy on Thursday that whether using “constructive engagement” or “flexible engagement,” Asean has to continue pressure on Burma.

He said the current Democrat administration can do a lot on Burma policy, and Abhisit’s approach will be different from the previous government of Thai Primer Thaksin Shinawatra.

“This government will be more transparent in its Burma policy,” he said.

Analysts say the Thaksin administration Burma policy was based on business interests and the government provided a 4 billion baht loan to Burma’s telecommunication sector—some of which was used to buy satellite services from a company owned by Thaksin.

Meanwhile, in a separate event, Abhisit told members of the diplomatic corps at Government House on Wednesday that Thailand will continue to play a constructive role in the sub-regional, regional and international community.

“We also continue to honor our international obligations and commitments at all levels and across all sectors,” he said. “Strengthening relations with neighboring countries remains at the heart of our foreign policy.”

Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya held a meeting with Burmese Deputy Foreign Minister Kyaw Thu in Bangkok on Monday to discuss bilateral relations.

After the meeting, Abhisit told reporters the goals of Western countries and the countries of this region are on common ground on Burma issues.

“But our methods may differ because of two main reasons: cultural differences and the distance of the countries,” he said, indicating that neighboring countries have a more delicate situation when there are policy differences.

READ MORE---> Burma Situation Affects Region: Thai PM...

Monk seizes farmland in Bago for pagoda

(DVB)–Local farmers from Tawwi in Bago division's Nyaunlaypin township have complained that a monk named Dhamma Pala has seized their land to build a pagoda.

A lawyer representing the farmers said the monk had claimed the Bago divisional army commander had ordered him to build the pagoda.

"The monk set up a fence one acre into some land owned by a farmer called U Tin Myaing,” the lawyer said.

“When the farmer refused to give up his land, the monk said he could take all the land if he wanted as he had to build a pagoda there for the Bago divisional army commander,” he said.

“In the end, Tin Myint had to give up the land as he was scared after hearing the name of the military authorities."

Dhamma Pala arrived in Tawwi about a year ago and has been living in the ruins of an old pagoda located on the farmland.

The farmers’ lawyer said the seizure of farmland was against regulations set out by the Burmese Head Monks’ Association.

"According to chapter 10, article 200 of the Burmese Head Monks’ Association code, the land on which a pagoda is to be built, must not be taxed and must be marked as Sasana property. But the land he is seizing now is farmland," the lawyer said.

"Also, land which is marked out for government projects such as agriculture cannot be used to build pagodas. U Tin Myint's land is reserved for growing crops for the government's agricultural plans," he said.

"Also the monk needs to get permission first from local government administrations and the Head Monks’ Association to build the pagoda but now he's doing all these things without permission from anyone, just claiming that he is acting on the orders of senior government authorities."

A local resident said Dhamma Pala had lost the respect of the local community because of his previous activities.

"If we respected the monk, then we would give away all the land we have for his project,” he said.

“But this particular one we are talking about has no respect from the locals. He is a monk who predicts illegal two-digit and three-digit lottery numbers."

Dhamma Pala has previously faced criticism from local monks, who said he set up a booth on the Rangoon-Mandalay highway and collected donations from passing vehicles.

When the village Head Monks’ Association reported the matter to the township Peace and Development Council, his booth was shut down, but Dhamma Pala reportedly bribed a member of the township Head Monks’ Association who had the village members sacked.

Local monks had also previously complained about Dhamma Pala's pagoda project to the divisional Head Monks’ Association, which issued an order to stop the project.

But this order was then revoked by the national Head Monks’ Association after he managed to bribe a member of the association and construction was allowed to continue.

Reporting by Naw Say Phaw

READ MORE---> Monk seizes farmland in Bago for pagoda...

Next battle against Karen rebels soon

By Daniel Pedersen

Maesot (Mizzima) - Soldiers of the Karen National Liberation Army's Special Battalion 103 are reinforcing troops of the KNLA's Sixth Brigade's 201st Battalion just south of Thailand's border town of Mae Sot.

The Special Battalion 103 in the past week has lost its base camp and for the past seven days has been moving constantly, deflecting their enemies - Burmese Army soldiers - with terrestrial mines and directional Claymore mines.

The vicious battle for the region surrounding Thailand's Phop Phra district has see-sawed back and forth across Thailand's northern border with Burma since June 30 last year.

Last week government troops overran - then destroyed - 103's base camp, a significant settlement equipped with solar power, fish holding tanks, a huge granary and a medical clinic that serviced 800 people living in two nearby villages.

The KNLA has lost and won back the base repeatedly since last year. Now there is nothing to win back.

The Karen National Union is the one of some significant groups yet to sign a ceasefire deal with the junta and the KNLA is its armed wing.

Colonel Nerdah Mya, a commander said his base camp was lost and his men were redeploying further north to defend 201st's Wah Lay Kee base camp.

That camp has stood since 1998 and was briefly overrun in early July last year, but won back after three days of heavy fighting.

In the last week's fighting SPDC troops suffered significant casualties from landmines and the corridors of Thailand's Mae Sot General Hospital were for a few days crammed with injured Burmese soldiers perched on stainless steel trolleys.

The battle is on over a region opposite Thailand's Umphang region, a tourist spot for its spectacular mountain scenery.

On Thursday, SPDC troops were positioning themselves around Wah Lay Kee camp for an all-out offensive and followed lobbing a few shells at the military encampment, but missed.

They have managed to occupy some high ground around the camp and are lugging 81mm mortars with them.

The KNLA has a Browning 0.5 inch machine gun, a formidable weapon usually mounted on top of armoured vehicles.

The KNLA desperately wants to hold the camp not only because it represents its last significant regional outpost, equipped with training halls and a medical clinic, but also because a military cemetery is maintained there.

The rebel claims that SPDC wants "full economic control", to wrest control of the region for its significant deposits of gold, tin, zinc and wolfram (from which antimony is refined).

Taiwanese and Thai mining companies are waiting in the wings, ready to strike a deal with whichever side can guarantee security for their capital investment.

For the KNLA, whose footprint in the region has always been somewhat precarious, this latest outbreak of fighting represents the most sustained series of attacks around Phop Phra for years.

Aid workers report that even Thai farmers have given up trying to harvest the hundreds of hectares of corn standing in field on both sides of the border and are heading for Karen refugee camps. At least there they will probably get a meal.

The Thai Army has reinforced troops on the border in the region and is keeping a close eye on comings and goings.

This weekend will be a critical time for the KNLA's future in the area.

Heavy fighting now looks inescapable barring a withdrawal, and that would mean the assured destruction of Wah Lay Kee.

On Monday before dawn a British photographer was escorted along jungle trails hidden underneath a blanket to safety in Thailand.

On Wednesday a foreign volunteer was asked to cut short a training programme and depart before hostilities broke out.

The trolleys look set to be wheeled into the corridors of Mae Sot General Hospital again this weekend.

READ MORE---> Next battle against Karen rebels soon...

Cold wave grips parts of Burma

By Ko Wine

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – The weather is getting cold these days and in some States and Divisions, it is colder than previous years, local people said.

In Myitkyina in Kachin State, the northern tip of Burma, Loi Lem in Shan State, eastern Burma, some cities in southeastern parts, Mogoke and Pyinmana in central Burma are significantly colder, it is learnt.

"It is extremely cold this year. Even those who like cold weather cannot bear it," a resident from Myitkyina said.

"It's much colder than previous years, especially these days. The more the sunrises the colder it gets. We cannot take off the warm clothes all day. But so far, we do not yet heard of any deaths related to the cold wave," he added.

In Mogoke, Mandalay Division, local residents said that it's getting cold day by day and it is colder than previous years.

Similarly in Shan State, Loi Lem, the temperature dipped to sub-zero level on some days and is getting colder, a resident from Mogoke who has regular contact with residents from Loi Lem said.

In Pyinmana-Naypyitaw in Mandalay Division, the weather is extremely cold until noon and local residents forced to put on thick woolen blankets as ordinary blankets cannot keep them warm, a government employee from Naypyitaw told Mizzima.

It is learnt that Tachileik, Mae Sai, Myawaadi, Mae Sot on the Thai-Burma border are also having similar weather conditions.

READ MORE---> Cold wave grips parts of Burma...

Indian Vice President to visit Burma to strengthen bilateral relations

By Salai Pi Pi

New Delhi (Mizzima) - India's Vice President Hamid Ansari is set to visit neighbouring military-ruled Burma, in a bid to further strengthen bilateral cooperation between both countries, according to reports.

Ansari's trip will focus on consolidating India's energy interests in Burma and cooperation in infrastructure development, an official source was quoted as saying by the Indo-Asian News Service.

"Ansari will go on a goodwill visit to Myanmar [Burma] early next month. Preparations are under way," the report said.

Ansari's visit to Burma, which is a first for Indian leaders in 2009, is seen as a part of India's growing efforts to strengthen bilateral relationship with the gas-rich Southeast Asian nation.

Dr. Tint Swe, a minister of the Burmese government in exile – the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma – said Ansari's visit is part of India's efforts to appease the Burmese military government in order to gain wider foothold in the country.

However, he said, "It has been about 15 years now, but India's Look East Policy has still not been a success," adding that it was time for India to reconsider its policy on Burma.

India, which is Burma's 4th largest trading partner after Thailand, China and Singapore, is competing with China, Thailand, South Korea and Japan to tap natural gas from offshore gas reserves on Burma's western coast.

However, in December 2008, Daewoo International Corporation along with it's four other partners - Myanmar Oil & Gas Enterprise (MOGE), ONGC, GAIL and Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS) signed a deal with the China National Petroleum Corporation, to supply Burma's offshore gas to China for 30 years from 2012.

India's ONGC and GAIL both held 20 % and 10 % respectively in Burma's offshore A1 and A3 gas fields, and has been appeasing the junta so that it awards the right to import gas.

The Shwe gas fields on Burma's western coast are estimated to hold a reserve of 4.53 tcf (trillion cubic feet) of gas.

India, which lost out to China in its race to buy gas from Burma, however, is also looking for other energy cooperation options, with Burma including the building of hydro-electric projects.

The two countries recently signed a pact on the development of Tamanthi and Shwezay hydropower projects on the Chindwin River, in Burma's northwestern Sagaing division.

But Dr. Tint Swe, who is based in New Delhi and monitors Indo-Burmese relationship said, "The two countries' bilateral relations does not help the Burmese peoples' aspiration for democratic change."

"But it helps the junta in strengthening their rule," he added.

Indo-Burmese bilateral trade reached a record of 995 million US dollars in the fiscal year 2007-08, while Burma's exports to India accounted for 810 million US dollars and its imports from India touched 185 million US dollars, according to Burma's official statistics.

READ MORE---> Indian Vice President to visit Burma to strengthen bilateral relations...

Activists Welcome New Thai Government's Policy Stance on Burma

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva at Foreign Press Club in Bangkok, 14 Jan 2009

By Ron Corben

Bangkok (VOA)- Burmese pro-democracy activists have welcomed the stated policy approach by the new Thai government and its call for political change in Burma ahead of Burma's general elections, scheduled for 2010. The Thai Government is also looking to other South East Asian nations to be more active in calling for reform in the military ruled country.

The new Thai Government's policy stance on Burma was set out in a key address by the prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, this week and his warnings about the political situation in Burma have wider ramifications for the whole region.

Mr Abhisit, in an address to foreign correspondents this week, said the government would look to encourage reform in Burma, also known as Myanmar, through a process of "flexible engagement".

The flexible engagement policy, adopted by the then-foreign minister Surin Pitsuwan, now secretary-general of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), called for more open dialogue on issues such as human rights.

"ASEAN to be strong it has to have the credibility and respect from the international community," he said. "So what's happening in Myanmar clearly affects the rest of the region - and I would just point out that it's time for change. As far as we are concerned we need to get ASEAN to become more proactive - it's not easy but I've seen changes and I've seen progress. "

Under the former Thai governments led by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, from 2001 until 2006, priority was given to Thailand's economic and business ties with Burma. Under a policy of "constructive engagement" Thailand and ASEAN had adopted a more low key diplomatic approach in its dealing with Burma.

Naing Aung, a former Burmese student leader and a civic group, the Network for Democracy and Development, welcomed the current Thai government's new move to place greater emphasis on human rights issues and political reform.

"Thailand's new government will be standing on the human rights and then more on the democratic principal," he said. "But in terms of making pressure if they are going through ASEAN it will still be difficult because ASEAN as a whole, they still have a policy of non-interference."

Debbie Stothardt, spokeswoman for the Alternative ASEAN network on Burma, said the Thai government policy also needed to be backed by calls for the release of political prisoners. Stothardt said Thailand, as the current chair of ASEAN, had a role to play to promote political reform. An ASEAN leaders summit is due to take place in late February in Thailand.

"What we need to see really from the other ASEAN governments - including the new Thai government - is sufficient political will to deal with this problem once and for all," she said. "ASEAN needs to realize that this regime has no respect for polite diplomacy - this regime will only respect ASEAN when ASEAN shows that it is determined."

Burma's military government has said its road map to democracy and general elections in 2010 needs the political steps the government is taking. But many analysts expect the military to still retain considerable influence in the new parliament, backed by a constitution seen as favoring the military.

Burma's military has been in power since 1962, with the current government ruling the country since 1988. It ignored the last election result in 1990, won in a landslide by the party spearheaded by pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who remains under house arrest.

READ MORE---> Activists Welcome New Thai Government's Policy Stance on Burma...

Pro-government groups preparing for election in Mon State; opposition left in the dark

By Hong Gakao, Mi Kyae Goe, and Blai Mon

(Monnews) -Pro-regime groups in Mon State are being ordered to prepare for the upcoming 2010 election, though groups that do not support the government continue to be left in the dark about election details.

Burma’s military government has yet to announce its rules governing the formation of political parties or the election itself, and a formal date has yet to be officially announced. January 4th, Burma’s Independence Day, came and went without an announcement, though experienced Burma watchers had expected the day to figure a declaration of the rules.

The deferred announcement is likely part of a strategy to ensure victory for the regime and its supporters, said a veteran Mon politician involved in the 1990 election, which was later annulled. The regime is preparing itself for the election, he said, and will announce the election rules only at the last moment. Opposition parties will be left scrambling with only a few months to organize themselves.

The National League for Democracy (NLD), Burma’s largest opposition party, has yet to officially decide whether it will participate. According to Nyan Win, quoted by Mizzima in December, the NLD is holding its decision until after the election law is announced.

Though the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) may be deferring announcement of the election law, it is not deferring its election preparations in Mon State. In Mudon Township, near to Mon State’s capital city of Moulmein, authorities have ordered regime-back civilian groups like the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA), Myanmar Women’s Affairs Association and the fire brigade to step up their recruitment efforts.

The recruitment order in Mudon was issued on January 2nd in a meeting between Township Peace and Development Council (TPDC) authorities and the heads of all Village Peace and Development Councils (VPDC) in the township. According to a source that attended the meeting, each village was ordered to increase the size of government-backed civilian groups by the hundreds and report the increase to local army battalions. Mudon Township’s larger villages, Kamawet, Hneepadaw and Kwan Hlar, were each ordered to add at least 1,000 new members, said the source. Mudon is home to 44 villages, and one of Mon State’s most populous townships.

A source in Rangoon confirmed a similar recruitment effort, and said that government-backed groups in her township had been instructed to find 200 new members each month. The source, who is a member of one of the groups in question, also said that in nearby South Okkalapa Township the USDA had set up a free clinic and tutoring sessions for students in the 10th standard. The services are overt recruitment efforts, as only USDA members can oblige themselves of the services.

The source did not comment on the motivation for the projects, but similar projects have been reported around Burma as both a recruitment effort and pre-election drives for positive publicity.

USDA officials appear cognizant of the infamous reputation enjoyed by their organization, which played a highly visible role in the brutal crackdown on monks and civilians during peaceful demonstrations in September 2007; on January 13th, Southeast Command Commander Major General Thet Naing Win explained as much in a meeting with top USDA officials.

The meeting, convened at the USDA office in Moulmein, featured top USDA representatives from Mon State’s 10 townships as well as representatives to the National Convention that drafted Burma’s new constitution and referendum committee members who oversaw the constitution’s approval.

According to a source present at the meeting, the general explained that the USDA would participate in the election in three ways, depending on local sentiments towards the organization. Contrary to reports by Mizzima and the Irrawaddy, the general said that the USDA might field a candidate as a political party. Consistent with reports by Mizzima and the Irrawaddy, he said that in places where the USDA is unpopular it would form new political parties or, depending on organizational strength, support another party as directed by higher USDA officials.

According to the IMNA source, the general said that a report by the Special Police had recently explained that the USDA should not involve its name in the election because of its negative reputation.

READ MORE---> Pro-government groups preparing for election in Mon State; opposition left in the dark...