Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize triumph hailed by many
Burma’s Suu Kyi Meets With Western Diplomats
Registration of Illegal Migrant Children Proposed
60 percent of UN funds to Burma not monitored
RI hails Myanmar’s meeting with Suu Kyi
U.S. seeks dialogue with Myanmar but sanctions stay
Burma’s Suu Kyi discusses US sanctions
Myanmar’s Suu Kyi, diplomats discuss sanctions: US
Myanmar opposition leader holds rare talks with diplomats – Summary
Suu Kyi’s party hopeful she can meet Myanmar junta chief
US stance on Burma is confusing
Crackdown Underway on Illegal Businesses in Rangoon
Myanmar to reclaim agricultural field destroyed by flood in Nay Pyi Taw
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Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize triumph hailed by many

By GREGORY KATZ (AP) – 26 minutes ago

LONDON — The surprise choice of President Barack Obama for the Nobel Peace Prize drew praise from much of the world Friday even as many pointed out the youthful leader has not yet accomplished much on the world stage.

The new president was hailed for his willingness to reach out to the Islamic world, his commitment to curtailing the spread of nuclear weapons and his goal of bringing the Israelis and Palestinians into serious, fruitful negotiations.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, who won the prize 1984, said Obama’s award shows great things are expected from him in the coming years.

“In a way, it’s an award coming near the beginning of the first term of office of a relatively young president that anticipates an even greater contribution towards making our world a safer place for all,” he said. “It is an award that speaks to the promise of President Obama’s message of hope.”

He said the prize is a “wonderful recognition of Obama’s effort to reach out to the Arab world after years of hostility.

In the Kenyan city of Kisumu, the home province of Obama’s father, local radio shows interrupted broadcasting to have live phone-ins so callers could congratulate Obama on his win. Traders in the market huddled around hand-held radios and touts shouted the news from the windows of local minibuses — known as matatus.

“When I heard it on the radio I said Hallelujah!” said 65-year-old James Andaro. “It’s God’s blessing. This win is for Africa.”

Matatu driver Ajos Rambanya, 27, said: “I am very happy. Someone who is good is known by his deeds and Obama has proven that.”

Another former Nobel winner, Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, said Obama has already provided outstanding leadership in the effort to prevent nuclear proliferation.

“In less than a year in office, he has transformed the way we look at ourselves and the world we live in and rekindled hope for a world at peace with itself,” ElBaradei said. “He has shown an unshakable commitment to diplomacy, mutual respect and dialogue as the best means of resolving conflicts. He has reached out across divides and made clear that he sees the world as one human family, regardless of religion, race or ethnicity.”

Still, some said the award came too soon, in light of the lack of tangible progress toward the vital goals of bringing peace to the Middle East, persuading Iran to give up its nuclear ambitions and improving relations with North Korea.

“The award is premature,” said Eugene Rogan, director of the Middle East Center at Oxford University in England. “He hasn’t done anything yet. But he’s made clear from the start of his presidency his commitment to promote peace. No doubt the Nobel committee hopes the award will enhance his moral authority to advance the cause of peace while he’s still president.”

Massimo Teodori, one of Italy’s leading experts of U.S. history, said the Nobel decision is a clear rejection of the “unilateral, antagonistic politics” of Obama’s predecessor, George Bush.

“The prize is well deserved after the Bush years, which had antagonized the rest of the world,” Teodori said. “President Obama’s policy of extending his hand has reconciled the United States with the international community.”

Teodori mentioned Obama’s efforts to reach out to former adversaries and his landmark speech in Cairo addressed to the Muslim world.

“For now it’s still intentions rather then fully implemented policies, but they are deserving ones,” Teodori said.

Reaction was far more muted in some Islamic countries. In Pakistan’s central city of Multan, radical Islamic leader Hanif Jalandhri, said he was neither happy nor surprised by Obama’s award.

“But I do hope that Obama will make efforts to work for peace, and he will try to scrap the policies of Bush who put the world peace in danger,” said Jalandhri, secretary general of a group that oversees 12,500 seminaries. “This prize has tripled Obama’s responsibilities, and we can hope that he will try to prove through his actions that he deserved this honor.”

Others were stunned.

“I don’t think Obama has done anything for peace,” said shop owner Rana Naveed, 38, in Multan. “I am shocked.”

Associated Press Writers Abisalom Omolo in Kogelo, Kenya, Celean Jacobson in Johannesburg, Alessandra Rizzo in Rome and Khalid Tanveer in Multan, Pakistan contributed to this story.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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Burma’s Suu Kyi Meets With Western Diplomats
Friday, October 09, 2009

RANGOON, Burma : AP —  Burma’s junta leader has allowed detained Burma pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi to meet Western diplomats to discuss sanctions imposed against the military-ruled country, government officials said Friday.

The Nobel Prize winner, who remains under house arrest, was driven to a government guesthouse to meet with diplomats of the United States, Great Britain and Australia, according to the officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.

The meeting lasted about one hour. After it concluded, Suu Kyi was driven back to her lakeside residence, where she has spent 14 of the last 20 years under house arrest.

Suu Kyi sent a letter to junta leader Senior Gen. Than Shwe on Sept. 26, stating her willingness to cooperate with the military government to have the sanctions lifted and seeking permission to meet with Western diplomats in order to understand positions of governments that imposed the sanctions.

The 64-year-old democracy icon had previously welcomed sanctions as a way to pressure the junta to achieve political reconciliation with the pro-democracy movement. Suu Kyi’s opposition party has insisted on concessions from the government if they are to work together, particularly the freeing of political prisoners.

Suu Kyi requested meetings with diplomats from the U.S., EU and Australia and said she needed to meet her party to understand their position on sanctions.

After the letter, Burma Relations Minister Aung Kyi met with Suu Kyi twice within a week. The second meeting took place Wednesday.

Details of these talks have not been disclosed, but the spokesman for her National League for Democracy, Nyan Win, said Friday that he hoped the junta would also agree to her second request in the letter — a meeting with her opposition party’s members.

Last week, a court rejected Suu Kyi’s appeal against the extension of her widely condemned house arrest.

The court ruling against Suu Kyi upheld her August conviction for breaking the terms of her house arrest by briefly sheltering an uninvited American at her home earlier this year. She was sentenced to an additional 18 months of house arrest — which means she cannot participate in elections scheduled for next year, the first in Burma in two decades.
Suu Kyi’s legal team said they plan to appeal to the Supreme Court within 60 days. http://www.foxnews. com/story/ 0,2933,562880, 00.html
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Registration of Illegal Migrant Children Proposed
By LAWI WENG     Friday, October 9, 2009

The Thai Ministry of Labor will ask the Cabinet to approve the registration of illegal migrant children, which, if granted, would provide them with security, healthcare and education rights, according to migrant rights advocates.

The request is expected to be submitted next week. An estimated 500,000 Burmese illegal migrant children live in Thailand. The registration would mainly affect children from Burma, Laos and Cambodia.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Friday, Sompong Srakaew, the director of the Labour Promotion Network (LPN) based in Mahachai in southern Thailand, said, “The proposed registration results will be known next week. At the moment, they (the Ministry of Labor) need to talk more about it before they propose it to the cabinet.”

Illegal migrant children are usually deported with their parents, if they are taken into custody. The majority are denied access to education and health services while living in Thailand.

“These children are no different from Thai students. They are eager to study, and Thailand should give them an opportunity,” said Sompong Srakaew.

Adisorn Kerdmongkol, a team organizer with the Migrant Working Group (MWG) based in Bangkok, said he welcomed the decision to submit the proposal to the Cabinet.

“We’ve wanted to see this new policy for a long time,” he said. “This offers very good protection for migrant children because they will have the status to study in Thailand, and they will not be deported if arrested.”

The status of illegal migrant children was in the spotlight recently, when Mong Thongdee, the son of illegal Burmese migrants, represented Thailand in a paper plane contest in Japan last month. He was initially denied a passport to travel to Japan, but after Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva intervened, Mong was granted a passport, and he placed third in the competition, while capturing the attention of the public.

“There are many migrant children who are like Mong Thongdee. They are qualified to study, but they can’t study,” said Sompong Srakaew.

The Science and Technology Minister Kalaya Sophonpanich granted Mong a scholarship to study, but since he had no legal status, the scholarship could not be used.

An amendment to the Thai Nationality Act in 1992 specifically denies illegal migrant children access to Thai citizenship even though they are born in Thailand. If it is approved, registration process would essentially grant them the same basic rights as Thai children.
http://www.irrawadd y.org/article. php?art_id= 16967
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60 percent of UN funds to Burma not monitored

Oct 9, 2009 (DVB)–More than half of funds allocated to Burma in 2007 by a United Nations body went unmonitored, according to an internal audit report now being presented to a UN budgetary panel.

The amount of unmonitored funding stands at $US1 million, which was allocated by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to non-governmental organizations in Burma, according to the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS).

The figure is equivalent to 59 percent of the total funds allotted to the Burma country office, the report said.

It went on to say that staff believed they were only responsible for technical aspects of their work, “although their terms of references clearly indicated that they were responsible for both technical and financial monitoring”.

“In addition, the contracts with non-governmental organizations did not give the country office access to their financial records, risking misuse of the funds,” it said.

The spokesperson for the UN secretary general, Michele Montas, said on Wednesday that the report was now being presented to the UN Fifth Committee, which deals with administrative and budgetary issues.

Concerns over mismanagement of overseas aid going into Burma are compounded by a deep-rooted skepticism on behalf the Burmese government of any foreign involvement in the country, as well as widespread corruption.

In the wake of cyclone Nargis in May last year, the ruling junta initially blocked flows of aid into the country. One shipment of UN food that did make it in was seized by government officials.

The following month, a UN humanitarian coordinator, John Holmes, reported that the UN had lost at least $US10 million in aid channeled to Burma due to the government’s distorted exchange rate.

The OIOS said that recommendations to the UNODC “to report periodically on the use of funds by non-governmental organization” have been agreed and implemented.

Reporting by Francis Wade http://mail. google.com/ mail/?hl= en&zx=1f5pc2ez4udxq&shva=1#inbox
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RI hails Myanmar’s meeting with Suu Kyi

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Fri, 10/09/2009 4:34 PM  |  World

Indonesia hails the meeting between Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi and Junta minister that took place on Wednesday, saying the new twist would open more chances for dialogue between the two.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said Jakarta would like to see a reconciliation between the government and the opposition leader, whose house arrest was recently prolonged.

Suu Kyi has eased her stance toward the military regime by saying that the West should lift their sanctions on the rogue state that has imprisoned thousands of political activists and dissenters.

“We need more dialogues for the problems in Myanmar… And the willingness of both (Suu Kyi  and the military) to talk will bring more chances for better development in the future,” said Faizasyah.  http://www.thejakar tapost.com/ news/2009/ 10/09/ri- hails-myanmar039 s-meeting- with-suu- kyi.html
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U.S. seeks dialogue with Myanmar but sanctions stay
Mon Sep 28, 2009 10:37pm BST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States will embark on a new policy of engagement with Myanmar’s military government while keeping sanctions in place, hoping to twin economic pressure with political dialogue to spur democratic reforms.

The new U.S. policy [ID:nN2892144] , formally unveiled on Monday, marks a new stage in Washington’s relations with the isolated Southeast Asian country, which is preparing next year to hold its first election in two decades.

WHY WERE SANCTIONS IMPOSED?

The United States first imposed broad sanctions on Myanmar, formally known as Burma, in 1988 after the military junta cracked down on student-led protests.

Washington has gradually tightened sanctions on the generals who rule the country, in a largely unsuccessful attempt to force them into rapprochement with Nobel Peace laureate and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been in detention, or “protective custody” for 14 of the last 20 years.

President Barack Obama renewed the sanctions in May. The United States has banned all imports from Myanmar, restricted financial transactions, frozen the assets of certain financial institutions and extended visa restrictions on junta officials.

The European Union, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Japan have all imposed various sanctions on Myanmar’s government.

WHAT IS THE NEW U.S. POSITION?

Existing U.S. sanctions will remain in place pending evidence of concrete political progress in Myanmar.

“Lifting sanctions now would send the wrong signal,” Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell told reporters. He said Washington reserved the right to impose additional sanctions if the situation in Myanmar deteriorates.

But the two sides are now planning direct meetings. The first contacts are expected this week on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York. Campbell will take part for the U.S. side in talks designed to forge a new way ahead.

“We know the process may be long and difficult,” Campbell said. “It is important that the Burmese people gain greater exposure to broader ideas.”

WHY NOW?

Myanmar is one of the most economically and politically isolated countries on the planet. In Washington concerns have been growing about suspected contacts between Myanmar’s rulers and North Korea, which has defied international calls to abandon its nuclear program.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in July that the United States was concerned about the possible transfer of nuclear technology from North Korea to Myanmar.

Myanmar calmed some jitters when it moved to enforce a U.N. Security Council resolution against Pyongyang after it tested a nuclear device in May. Washington is hoping broader U.S. engagement with Myanmar may forestall closer ties between the two Asian outcasts.

U.S. officials hope to promote engagement before Myanmar’s planned elections next year, which the junta says will end almost five decades of military rule. Analysts say the elections could simply provide a new fig leaf for army control.

Campbell said Washington would reinforce the necessity of allowing opposition parties to participate fully. “We are skeptical that the elections will be either free or fair, but we will stress to the Burmese the conditions that we consider necessary for a credible electoral process,” he said.

WHAT DO THE BURMESE SAY?

Myanmar officials have said publicly that they remain committed to moving toward democracy, although not in a form imposed by the outside world.

“The transition to democracy is proceeding,” Myanmar Prime Minister Thein Sein told the 192-nation U.N. General Assembly on Monday. “Our focus is not on the narrow interest of individuals, organizations or parties but on the larger interest of the entire people of the nation.”

Aung San Suu Kyi’s political party said she supported the U.S. engagement, but only if opposition groups are involved in any dialogue.

Suu Kyi was sentenced to another 18 months under house arrest last month for allowing an American intruder to stay at her home for two nights.

Pro-democracy campaigners in the United States said Washington should implement further sanctions if Myanmar’s government does not stop “mass atrocities” against civilians.

“We also hope that U.S. engagement with the regime should not be an open-ended process, but with a reasonable timeframe and clear benchmarks,” Aung Din, the executive director of the U.S. Campaign for Burma, said in a statement.

(Editing by Chris Wilson)

© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved.http: //uk.reuters. com/article/ idUKTRE58R5H0200 90928?rpc= 401&=undefined&sp=true
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Aung San Suu Kyi on ‘remarkable form,’ says British envoy
Posted : Fri, 09 Oct 2009 08:53:10 GMT
By : dpa
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London – Myanmar’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi was on “remarkable form” and “very engaged” during a meeting with Western diplomats, British ambassador Andrew Heyn said Friday. “She was in remarkable form for someone who has been through what she has been through. She was very, very engaged in the subject, very interested in going into the detail of what she wanted to talk about, and she seemed, as ever, very eloquent and very, very engaged,” Heyn told the BBC in an interview.

The British ambassador represented the European Union (EU) at the meeting in which US acting Charge d’Affaires Thomas Vajda and Australian Deputy Head of Mission, Simon Christopher Starr, also took part.

Asked about the prospect of sanctions against the regime in Myanmar being lifted, Heyn said the British government believed that sanctions were sending a “strong political message to the Burmese authorities about our real determination to see genuine democratic reform.”

The fact that the regime was making a point of complaining about sanctions were proof that they were having an effect, said the British envoy.

“But what we have also made clear is that we will respond to substantive progress towards democracy in respect of human rights but we have to see concrete progress on the ground,” he said.

Copyright DPA
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Burma’s Suu Kyi discusses US sanctions
October 9, 2009 – 6:54PM

Detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has discussed sanctions against military-ruled Burma in a rare meeting with Western diplomats, the US embassy in Rangoon says.

The Nobel Laureate met with the heads of the US, UK and Australian embassies for one hour at a government guesthouse on Friday, following a letter she wrote to the junta chief, embassy spokesman Drake Weisert told AFP.

“The meeting follows Aung San Suu Kyi’s request in a letter to Senior General Than Shwe to meet representatives of the US and other countries to discuss their respective policies on sanctions,” he said.

“We can confirm that sanctions were discussed at the meeting. However, we do not want to pre-empt Aung San Suu Kyi’s discussions with the authorities by discussing the details of the meeting,” he added.

© 2009 AFP  http://news. smh.com.au/ breaking- news-world/ burmas-suu- kyi-discusses- us-sanctions- 20091009- gqml.html
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Myanmar’s Suu Kyi, diplomats discuss sanctions: US
AFP

YANGON (AFP) – Detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi discussed sanctions against military-ruled Myanmar in a rare meeting with Western diplomats Friday, the US embassy in Yangon said.

The Nobel Laureate met with the heads of the US, UK and Australian embassies for one hour at a government guesthouse, following a letter she wrote to the junta chief, embassy spokesman Drake Weisert told AFP.

“The meeting follows Aung San Suu Kyi’s request in a letter to Senior General Than Shwe to meet representatives of the US and other countries to discuss their respective policies on sanctions,” he said.

“We can confirm that sanctions were discussed at the meeting. However, we do not want to pre-empt Aung San Suu Kyi’s discussions with the authorities by discussing the details of the meeting,” he added.

In the past week the Nobel Laureate has had two meetings with Aung Kyi, the official liaison between herself and the junta — the first time they have met for talks since January 2008.

Suu Kyi’s correspondence with Than Shwe, which came as the US unveiled a major policy shift to re-engage the junta, marks an easing of her stance after years of advocating punitive measures against the junta

Last week Suu Kyi’s appeal against her extended house arrest was rejected, when judges upheld her conviction over an incident in which an American man swam uninvited to her house in May.

The guilty verdict for the frail 64-year-old, who has spent much of the past 20 years in detention, earned her an extra 18 months in detention and provoked international outrage.
http://news. yahoo.com/ s/afp/20091009/ wl_afp/myanmarpo liticssuukyisanc tions
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Myanmar opposition leader holds rare talks with diplomats – Summary
Posted : Fri, 09 Oct 2009 06:47:15 GMT
By : dpa

Yangon – Myanmar pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi on Friday held a rare meeting with foreign diplomats, presumably to discuss Western sanctions imposed on the pariah state, sources said. Suu Kyi was escorted from her home-cum-prison Friday morning to the state-owned Seinle Kantha Guesthouse where she met with US acting Charge d’Affaires Thomas Vajda, British Ambassador Andrew Heyn, who represented the European Union, and Australian Deputy Head of Mission Simon Christopher Starr, government sources said.

The surprise meeting followed two sessions of talks between Suu Kyi and junta liaison Relations Minister Aung Kyi earlier this month to discuss her proposal to help end sanctions against the regime that has kept her under house arrest for 14 years.

“While we welcome the opportunity to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi, we continue to urge Burmese authorities to release her and all other political prisoners from detention immediately and without condition,” said US embassy spokesman Drake A Weisert following the one-hour meeting.

Details on the talks were were not immediately available.

Government sources confirmed, however, that the meetings were about Suu Kyi’s September 25 letter to junta leader Senior General Than Shwe, offering to help persuade Western democracies to lift their economic sanctions.

Suu Kyi, 64, the leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD) opposition party, has spent 14 of the past 20 years under house arrest and is currently serving another 18-month sentence in her family compound.

In her letter, Suu Kyi asked permission to meet with Western diplomats and expressed willingness to cooperate with the junta regarding the sanctions issue if three points were discussed: which countries imposed economic sanctions, their impact and the reason why they were imposed.

International sanctions have been imposed on Myanmar since 1988, when the military brutally cracked down on pro-democracy demonstrations, leaving an estimated 3,000 people dead.

The US and the European Union have increased their sanctions as the junta first refused to acknowledge the NLD’s victory in the 1990 elections, and then arrested critics and suppressed all forms of dissent. Many of the sanctions target the top generals specifically.

Earlier this year, Than Shwe hinted that he would be willing to open a political dialogue with Suu Kyi if she agreed to cooperate on the sanctions issue.

Most Western nations have demanded that Than Shwe release Suu Kyi and some 2,000 other political prisoners as a first step towards democratization in the country, which has been under military rule since 1962. Suu Kyi and the NLD demand the same thing.

Washington recently announced a new policy of greater “engagement” with Myanmar. It is calling on the military to improve its human rights record, allow democratic reforms and release political prisoners ahead of a planned general election in 2010.

Copyright DPA  http://www.earthtim es.org/articles/ show/289371, myanmar-oppositi on-leader- holds-rare- talks-with- diplomats- -summary. html
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Asia Pacific News
Suu Kyi’s party hopeful she can meet Myanmar junta chief
Posted: 09 October 2009 1456 hrs

YANGON – Aung San Suu Kyi’s opposition party is hoping the pro-democracy leader will soon meet Myanmar’s junta chief after signs of a resumed dialogue between the two sides, a spokesman said Friday.

The detained Nobel Laureate was granted rare permission to meet Western diplomats in Yangon Friday and in the past week has twice held talks with a junta minister, following a letter she wrote to Senior General Than Shwe.

“We are hoping that the Senior General and Aung San Suu Kyi will meet soon,” said her lawyer and spokesman for her National League for Democracy (NLD) party Nyan Win. It would be the first meeting between the pair in several years.

After years of advocating punitive measures against the junta, Suu Kyi’s letter marked an easing of her stance, offering suggestions for getting Western sanctions lifted and requesting a meeting with diplomats to discuss this.

“The authorities allowing Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s request is good — she is getting what she needs,” said Nyan Win. Daw is a term of respect in Myanmar.

“I think they will be discussing mainly the lifting of sanctions. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi wanted to get the facts and figures on Western sanctions,” he added.

He said the meeting with diplomats meant she “could get chances to do politics, as she is a politician”.

On Saturday and Wednesday the Nobel Laureate had meetings with Myanmar labour minister Aung Kyi, the official liaison between herself and the junta — the first time they have met for talks since January 2008.

State media reported Sunday that they discussed her letter at the first meeting, but further details of the talks have not yet emerged.

The US recently unveiled a major policy shift to re-engage the junta, but has warned against lifting sanctions until there is progress towards democracy and repeatedly pressed for Suu Kyi’s release.

Lawyers for the frail 64-year-old, kept in detention by the ruling generals for much of the past 20 years, say she welcomes US re-engagement.

Her NLD won the last elections by a landslide in 1990, a result the junta refused to acknowledge, leading the US and the European Union to impose sanctions.

- AFP/ir  http://www.channeln ewsasia.com/ stories/afp_ asiapacific/ view/1010305/ 1/.html
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EDITORIAL
US stance on Burma is confusing
By The Nation
Published on October 9, 2009

Burma’s internal problems negatively affect Thailand; a common approach is urgently required

A recent seminar at Chulalongkorn University brought together academics, diplomats and government officials to discuss Thailand’s relations with Burma in light of some interesting developments. Ideas were presented, especially about the need for Thailand and Asean, as well as the United Nations, to review their policies following the United States’ decision to ease its stance towards one of the world’s most brutal regimes.

Of course, no one expected the seminar to come up with a conclusive set of recommendations after just a few hours of discussion among people with similar views and intentions, but who differ as to how their objectives should be reached.

Some argued that the crisis inside Burma is an internal problem and that we need to respect the Asean principle of non-interference. Others rightly pointed out that just about everything that takes place inside Burma – drug production, insurgency and refugees, human rights violations, migrant workers fleeing poverty and persecution (and the list goes on) – affects Thailand.

But the problem with Thailand is that administration after administration cannot seem to prioritise what is important in our relations with Burma. The current administration placed Burmese democratisation and human rights high on its agenda, while the governments of Thaksin Shinawatra and his proxies paid lip service to issues like narcotics and refused to hold the Burmese junta accountable for the activities of drug armies operating freely inside Burma and on the Thai border. Instead, those Thai governments chose to gun down nearly 3,000 Thai citizens in the name of a “drug war” while negotiating lucrative business deals with the junta.

No wonder the Burmese generals never take Thailand seriously.

Thais don’t seem to see that our demand for cheap gems and labour, not to mention lucrative logging and fishery concessions, paves the way for gross human rights violations. It was pointed out that the natural resources we want are located in areas where some of the worst atrocities are committed, be it forcible eviction of ethnic minorities or the use of rape as a war weapon. The Burmese army is the guilty party.

These atrocities inside Burma continue as the United States is changing its tune on the issue of isolating the regime, although in real terms no one knows what this means. We see pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi talking to government representatives. But can this be billed as a step in the right direction? Let’s not count our chickens before the eggs have hatched.

Yes, dialogue with the junta should be welcome. But it should not be an open-ended invitation to the generals. If it is to be a carrot-stick approach, Washington is going to have to spell out exactly what it expects of the junta – like a free and fair election and/or the release of all political prisoners – and state clearly what the generals will get in return.

A stable Burma is good for Thailand. But Thailand has for too long been at the receiving end of Burma’s internal problems: the suppression of the Burmese people, clashes with rebel groups, the lack of good governance and the influx of illegal workers and refugees.
http://www.nationmu ltimedia. com/2009/ 10/09/opinion/ opinion_30114072 .php
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Crackdown Underway on Illegal Businesses in Rangoon
By THE IRRAWADDY         Friday, October 9, 2009

Burmese authorities are cracking down on illegal businesses in Rangoon such as brothels, massage parlors and karaoke clubs, following the ouster of the former Rangoon Division police chief over alleged corruption and misuse of power.

Five owners and managers of illegal businesses have been arrested, as well as 34 women staff, since the crackdown started on Sept. 16, sources told The Irrawaddy.

Police conducted raids on massage parlors, brothels, karaoke clubs and beauty shops in Latha, Lanmadaw, Mayangone and Tamwe townships.

Many brothels, massage parlors and karaoke shops closed in fear of the crackdown.

The crackdown was monitored by chief of national police Brig-Gen Khin Yi and ordered by officials from Naypyidaw, sources said.

The move came shortly after the newly appointed Rangoon Division police chief, Pol Col Aung Naing Thu, assumed the office.

State-backed media in Burma have not reported any information about the former police chief’s ouster or the new police chief in Rangoon.

The new chief replaced former police chief, Pol Col Win Naing, who was dismissed in mid-September following reports of misuse of power and corruption.

Sources estimated that Win Naing received around 600,000 kyat (US $550) per massage parlor or karaoke club each month. His wife, Hmwe Hmwe, reportedly also ran illegal businesses, such as brothels and massage parlors, as well as solicited bribes from massage parlors and karaoke clubs in Rangoon, according to sources.

Win Naing was interrogated after owners of massage parlors and karaoke clubs complained to high officials that he reportedly increased the bribes to around US $925, sources said.
http://www.irrawadd y.org/article. php?art_id= 16964
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Myanmar to reclaim agricultural field destroyed by flood in Nay Pyi Taw
www.chinaview. cn 2009-10-09 19:41:58

YANGON, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) — The Myanmar authorities will reclaim over 469 hectares of crop cultivation field in the east of Nay PyiTaw destroyed by flood last month, sources with the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement said on Friday.

Flood and landslide due to waterfall from tributary stream on mountains was triggered by climate change, the sources said.

The three successive days’ flood from Sept. 14 to 16 had destroyed over 179 hectares of tea leave, coffee and betel plantations and over 226 hectares of paddy fields in the areas, the sources said, adding that the disaster devastated 580 households in several villages leaving 2,922 people homeless.

The loss and damage are estimated at about 720,000 U.S. dollars, the authorities said.

The authorities are providing aid to the victims and resettlement measures are also being carried out in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Myanmar Red Cross and Immigration Department, it added.
Editor: Anne Tang  http://news. xinhuanet. com/english/ 2009-10/09/ content_12201746 .htm