BURMA RELATED NEWS – JANUARY 08-10, 2011
Jan 10th, 2011
Sun Jan 9, 11:37 pm ET
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – Military-ruled Myanmar has enacted a law that could draft men and women into the armed forces and mete out prison sentences of up to five years for draft dodgers, according to an official document seen Monday. The country currently has a volunteer army.
The law, dated Nov. 4, 2010, but yet to be made public, will come into force when proclaimed by the ruling military council, said an official gazette with limited circulation.
Myanmar’s 400,000-strong military ranks among the largest in the world. Its troops are engaged in continuing conflicts with several ethnic minority groups seeking autonomy from the central government.
Some analysts say conflicts could escalate as more ethnic groups refuse to adhere to a Constitution and government they say will deprive them of even more rights than they currently enjoy. The government is set to replace the junta, possibly toward the end of this month.
The law states every male between the age of 18 and 45 and females between 18 and 35 may be drafted to serve for two years, which could be increased to five years in times of national emergencies. Both sexes are required to register at 18.
Those who fail to report for military service could get three years in prison, a fine or both, and those who deliberately inflict injury upon oneself to avoid conscription could be imprisoned for up to five years, fined or both.
In times of national crisis the government can recruit all or some of those eligible for military service.
Civil servants, students, persons serving prison terms or those taking care of elderly parents will enjoy temporary postponement of military service but could be later called to serve.
Totally exempt are members of religious orders, married women or divorcees with children and disabled persons.
52 mins ago
YANGON, Myanmar (AP)– Myanmar’s new parliament will hold its first session in 22 years on Jan. 31, state radio said Monday, an event the country’s military rulers hail as one of the final steps in its self-styled “roadmap to democracy.”
The new legislature dominated by pro-military lawmakers was elected in polls last year decried as unfair by the opposition parties, including that of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who was recently freed from house arrest.
The country’s 1,154 lawmakers will meet in a massive new building in the remote capital of Naypyitaw, the brief announcement said. It will be the first parliamentary session since a 1988 meeting in the old capital of Rangoon, which the junta renamed Yangon a year later.
The ruling junta’s military-backed party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party, garnered nearly 80 percent of seats in the two-house Union Parliament in Nov. 7 polls, the country’s first in two decades. The country’s 14 regional parliaments will convene the same day in their respective areas, the announcement said.
“We have waited 20 years to be able to make our demands through the parliament,” said Thein Nyunt, a member of the opposition National Democratic Force. “Now that the parliament is going to be convened, I hope I will be able to work for the betterment of the people and the country from within the system.”
The opposition party, formed by a faction of Suu Kyi’s party after it was disbanded for boycotting the polls, holds a mere 12 seats total in the national parliment.
Government opponents and outside observers have called the elections unfair and undemocratic, saying the results were manipulated to allow the military-backed party to win.
The election results assure that the military, which has ruled Myanmar since 1962, will continue to wield decisive power.
Under the constitution, the parliament elects the country’s president and vice-president.
The constitution also allots 25 percent of parliamentary seats to military nominees, meaning that the pro-junta USDP party lawmakers combined with the nominees will account for 85 percent of seats in the lower house and 83 percent in the upper house. The dominance assures that the military through its allies can push through or block any legislation and constitutional amendments.
As was the case with the elections, there will be strict rules governing the decorum of lawmakers at parliament.
According to new laws announced in November, parliamentarians will be allowed freedom of expression unless their words endanger national security or the unity of the country. Any protest staged within parliament is punishable by up to two years in prison.
Anyone aside from lawmakers who enter the parliament while it is in session face a one-year prison term.
Holding the elections left just two steps to complete in the junta’s so-called “roadmap to democracy” — convening parliament and building a modern developed democratic nation with a Head of State elected by parliament.
The country’s last elections in 1990 were overwhelmingly won by the opposition party of Suu Kyi. The military refused to hand power and locked Suu Kyi away for most of the past 21 years, freeing her a week after the November elections. Her opposition party has been disbanded and has no presence in parliament.
By JOHN DUERDEN, Associated Press 8 hours, 54 minutes ago
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)—Four years ago, Southeast Asia hosted the Asian Cup. This time around, the 10 countries in the region are watching from the sidelines after none qualified for the continent’s biggest football tournament.
Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam played well enough while co-hosting the 2007 tournament to spur hopes they might be ready to challenge for the title this year.
But only five nations in the region made it through to the final round of qualification for the 2011 Asian Cup: Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia. And those countries had a dismal campaign, winning just two of the 20 matches they contested against teams from outside Southeast Asia.
“We have to think of the bigger picture,” said Peter Butler, a former midfielder with the English Premier League club West Ham United who has coached in the top divisions in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Myanmar, and is currently leading the BEC Tero Sasana team in Thailand.
“We need better coaching and better facilities,” he added. “Southeast Asia was left behind a long time ago when Japan and Korea showed everyone the way. It is hard to see the gap being closed as the top nations are reaping rewards for development schemes and infrastructure put in place years ago. Southeast Asia has a lot to do.”
Alfred Riedl, who led Vietnam to the quarterfinals of the 2007 Asian Cup and now coaches Indonesia’s national team, said developing young talent is the key.
“Many federations don’t place enough importance on youth development,” the Austrian said. “There is not enough patience to start a successful youth program because 10 years are needed for the rewards to be seen. Most of the decision-makers at the federations or governments are not in their position that long and only care about themselves.”
Some football experts had placed their hopes on leagues in Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia, which have boosted the salaries of players in recent years to try to improve the quality of play. But this has only increased the number of foreign players who are interested in coming to Southeast Asia, Riedl said.
“Most of the countries here have too many foreign players in their leagues and, as a national team coach, it is difficult to find local players for the key positions,” he said.
This would not be such a problem if the top Southeast Asian players were heading overseas themselves to gain experience playing at a higher level on a regular basis.
An increasing number of players from Japan and South Korea are traveling to Europe to play for teams like Manchester United in England and Borussia Dortmund in Germany.
But Southeast Asian stars rarely move to Europe. Those who have tried are usually back home quickly.
Vietnam star striker Le Cong Vinh played twice for the Portuguese club Leixoes in 2009 before returning home several months later. In 1999, Thai striker Kiatisuk Senamuang spent a season with the English lower-league team Huddersfield Town, but never managed to make a first-team appearance.
Few Southeast Asian footballers even play in the leagues closer to home in South Korea, Japan and Saudi Arabia.
This lack of international experience makes a difference in matches against the more experienced teams in East Asia and the Middle East, said former Cambodia coach Scott O’Donnel of Australia.
“Teams like Singapore and Thailand went close to qualifying for the Asian Cup but lacked the international experience playing against different styles of opposition,” O’Donnel said. “Southeast Asian teams tend to play mainly other teams from Southeast Asia.
“They need to experience playing against teams from East, West and Middle East on a regular basis to get used to the different styles as well as getting used to playing in front of hostile crowds and in different climatic conditions,” he said.
Thai national team assistant Steve Darby said the Southeast Asian squads can turn things around with the right investment in facilities and players.
“The playing talent exists in the region but the countries that do well all seem to have excellent professional leagues with good training and playing facilities,” he said. “That is the goal for Southeast Asia. It is sad for the region as it is such a hotbed of soccer.”
By ALEX KENNEDY, Associated Press – Mon Jan 10, 8:39 am ET
SINGAPORE (AP) – Singaporean officials must be more cautious in discussions with U.S. diplomats, the country’s foreign affairs minister said Monday, calling the release of classified documents by WikiLeaks disastrous for American diplomacy.
Singapore officials will be less open when speaking with U.S. diplomats for fear their conversations will be made public, Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo said in parliament.
“The WikiLeaks disclosures have been disastrous for U.S. diplomacy,” Yeo said. “We have to be more guarded in our communications with U.S. diplomats. If it happened once, it can happen again, so we’ve got to be more careful.”
Last month, WikiLeaks released a document showing Singapore statesman Lee Kuan Yew describing Myanmar’s junta leaders as “stupid,” and calling North Korea’s leaders “psychopathic types” in conversations with U.S. diplomats.
Another confidential cable quoted Singapore diplomats making unflattering remarks about Malaysia, India, Japan and Thailand during meetings with U.S. officials.
Yeo said he would not comment on specific leaks.
Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam warned news media and private citizens they could be prosecuted under Singapore law for receiving or publishing confidential government information.
“Everyone involved with the leak of information, whether in government or outside, should be dealt with firmly,” he said Monday in parliament. “Public interest in the free flow of information cannot justify the abuse of confidential information.”
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said she had discussed WikiLeaks and the fallout from the leaked cables with many world leaders over the past several months.
Most of the leaders she’s spoken with “understand this is something that was unforeseen and unfortunate,” Clinton said Monday on a television talk show in Abu Dhabi, where she began a three-nation tour of the Persian Gulf.
“So I don’t think it will have lasting consequences. But I will certainly say that it was unfortunate and something we regret,” she said.
WikiLeaks is an international, tech-savvy operation that has angered and embarrassed Washington with a series of huge leaks of classified information on its website.
The U.S. says the disclosures have damaged international diplomacy and put the safety of informants and foreign human rights activists at risk. WikiLeaks has dismissed the claims, but Washington has been trying to find a way to prosecute the group and its leader, 39-year-old Julian Assange, who is currently in England.
10 Jan 2011 MAE SOT, Thailand (AlertNet) – Thousands of refugees from eastern Myanmar who fled clashes between government troops and ethnic Karen fighters are hiding in Thailand for fear of being sent home by Thai authorities, making it difficult to provide effective humanitarian assistance, aid agencies say.
Between 5,000 to 7,000 people, mainly women, children and elderly are scattered around Mae Sot in Thailand’s northwestern Tak province, a bustling trading town and the main gateway for refugees and migrants from neighbouring Myanmar.
They are unable to go back due to fighting, the presence of the military and mines around their villages and loss of harvest, according to Mae Sot-based non-government organisations (NGOs).
Some are staying with friends and relatives, while others are in hiding along the porous border in makeshift shelter patched together with bamboo poles and tarpaulin sheets.
For many, this is not their first stay in Mae Sot, having been deported by the Thai authorities last year.
“What we’re seeing as people continue to come into Thailand is that they are making a rational decision to stay in hiding or stay with friends and relatives instead of seeking refuge in official sites”, said Shane Scanlon, deputy director of programmes at International Rescue Committee (IRC).
“This means people are dispersed in many smaller groups along several hundred kilometres of border in various locations, often seeking to avoid attracting attention to their presence,” he told AlertNet.
Scanlon added that this presents challenges in terms of monitoring security, providing assistance, and managing public health issues.
“We’re definitely concerned about their ability to get enough food and essential supplies, and access to essential health services.”
EXPULSIONS
The first of the latest influx of refugees came to Mae Sot last November, a day after Myanmar’s military government held its first elections in 20 years.
They were fleeing clashes between a faction of the generally pro-junta Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) and government forces which stem from a government bid to gain control over former rebel groups granted autonomy under ceasefire deals.
Up to 12,000 people – according to Thai officials – waded through streams carrying children and elderly women to Mae Sot on the first day of fighting but they were soon sent back by the Thai authorities who already have some 140,000 Myanmar refugees in nine official camps along the border.
However, some fled their homes again when fighting resumed shortly after their return only to be sent back again.
On Christmas Day, 166 people – the last group still at the official sites – were ordered to leave, prompting a rebuke from the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR as well as Amnesty International who said they should only be returned home voluntarily and safely.
UNHCR also said it had expressed its concern to the Thai government over the hasty manner in which some refugees were returned.
Thailand has in the last couple of years expelled Myanmar refugees and ethnic Hmong asylum-seekers sparking criticism from Western nations and aid agencies. While the Southeast Asian country has been a major country of asylum for four decades, it has not ratified the 1951 U.N. refugee convention.
HYGIENE, HEALTH FEARS
A Myanmar national whose community group is helping the displaced – reaching the refugees that the international agencies are unable to access – said their immediate needs were water, food and mosquito nets.
They also suffer health problems, the most common being respiratory troubles and malaria. “Hygiene is a difficult issue. Toilets are a problem particularly because (the people) are in temporary locations,” the aid worker added.
While those hiding along the embankment of the Moei River separating Myanmar from Thailand have access to water, aid workers are concerned living this way for a prolonged period of time could lead to infectious diseases.
Aid groups also said they expect to provide assistance to the refugees for at least three more months as fighting is still going on in some parts.
“The border remains very unstable and we expect this to continue till the foreseeable future, certainly through this dry season,” Sally Thompson, deputy executive director of the Thailand Burma Border Consortium (TBBC), an aid agency that works at Thai government-run official refugee camps, told AlertNet.
“I think we’re going to see this ongoing “coming across, being sent back, returning, being sent back,” over this next dry season because the issue of the Border Guard Force remains unresolved and… until that is actually resolved ,we can expect to see these ongoing skirmishes,” she said.
Posted : Mon, 10 Jan 2011 08:13:41 GMT Yangon – Myanmar’s newly elected chambers of parliament are to hold their first session on January 31 to begin the process of selecting a new president, state media said Monday.
Myanmar junta chief, Senior General Than Shwe, set 8:55 am (0225 GMT) January 31 as the official launch time and date for the country’s three houses of parliament – upper, lower and states/regions, Myanmar TV announced.
Military-ruled Myanmar staged its first general election in two decades on November 7, in which the pro-junta Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) won 77 per cent of the contested seats.
The constitution stipulates that parliament must convene within 90 days of the polls.
Parliament’s first task will be to set up an electoral college with representatives from the three chambers of parliament to nominate a new president.
The president does not need to be an elected member of parliament but must be familiar with military affairs, the constitution says.
Than Shwe, 77 years old and junta chief since 1992, is a likely candidate, according to political observers.
“I’m sure Than Shwe will be nominated president and Maung Aye and Shwe Mann will become vice president,” said Aung Din, director of the US Campaign for Burma. “This will be a Myanmar version of the Chinese Communist Party,” he said.
Generals Maung Aye and Shwe Mann are the 2nd and 3rd highest ranking military officers in the ruling junta. Besides being junta chief, Than Shwe is also commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
All three would have to resign their military posts to take political office.
The president will be responsible for choosing the next cabinet, primarily selected from the ranks of the USDP, which is packed with ex-military men and government ministers.
Even without the USDP’s electoral win, the next parliaments would not be free from military controls since the current constitution allows the army to appoint 25 per cent of all legislators, enough for them to veto any legislation.
Myanmar’s elections were strongly criticized by the international community for being unfair and for excluding Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy opposition party.
Suu Kyi, 65, was freed from a seven-year house detention term on November 13, six days after the polls.
The National League for Democracy won the 1990 general election by a landslide, but it was blocked from assuming power by the military. The party was officially disbanded in May for failing to register to contest the polls.
Myanmar has been under military dictatorships since 1962.
By VIVIENNE WALT – Sat Jan 8, 4:45 pm ET It was one of the most exhilarating moments of 2010: On Nov. 13, Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi emerged after seven years of house arrest in Rangoon and addressed thousands of adoring supporters. To many in the West, that sight seemed to signal that one of the world’s most intransigent military dictatorships was headed for a sea change.
Two months on, that giddy feeling is fading. Indeed, rather than heralding a move toward far-reaching political change, say campaign groups, Suu Kyi’s freedom appears to be complicating efforts to increase pressure on Burma’s ruling generals. The U.S. currently has a raft of sanctions against Burma, including a ban on financial dealings with ruling officials as well as bans on timber, gems and military trading. E.U. sanctions, which are renewed each April, involve similar trade restrictions as well as a visa ban for top officials and their families and a freeze of their financial assets.
Yet since Suu Kyi’s release, calls from Washington and Brussels to impose tighter sanctions have quieted. And one of those sanctions is a measure campaign groups say is crucial to forcing Burma’s military to clean up its human-rights record: targeting the non-Burmese banks that service the country’s government. That tactic is permitted, although on a discretionary basis, under U.S. sanctions, but Washington has opted not to impose it. “We’ve been pushing and pushing for this,” says Jennifer Quigley, advocacy director of the U.S. Campaign on Burma in Washington. “Now, as a result of Aung San Suu Kyi’s release, the U.S. is saying, ‘We are going to hold off and see what happens.’ This is a wait-and-see game.” Did Burma’s ruling generals make a canny calculation to free Suu Kyi in order to buy themselves time and political goodwill?
If so, they might have made a smart move. The campaign against Burma is not dead, of course. But neither does it carry any urgency these days, despite – or maybe because of – the excitement Suu Kyi’s reappearance has ignited. Suu Kyi herself has been tentative in supporting sanctions, telling Western journalists she is still assessing their impact on the masses of poor Burmese. Without the opposition leader’s support for the banking sanctions, says Quigley, campaign groups are reluctant to push hard for the measure. And, says Tom Malinowski, Human Rights Watch’s Washington director, Suu Kyi’s release has given Western governments an unrealistic sense that the Burmese generals are ready for change. “There are a number of countries who will use any excuse to avoid taking difficult steps,” he tells TIME. “If they can use Aung San Suu Kyi’s release as an excuse to give Burma more time, they will.”
Western governments appeared to prove that point when they offered almost no response to a report published Dec. 15 by one of the most vocal Burma campaign groups, EarthRights International. The report claims that Norway’s government is indirectly bolstering Burma’s military rulers by investing about $4.7 billion from its giant sovereign wealth fund in energy companies operating in Burma. Those companies include Total and Chevron, which has plowed billions into building and operating a natural-gas pipeline that stretches from the Andaman Sea across Burma to Thailand. The EarthRights International report was largely ignored, and Gro Nystuen, chair of Norway’s ethics council, which oversees where the funds are invested, says it failed to persuade Norwegian officials that they needed tougher action against Burma. “The threshold for excluding companies [from Norwegian investments] is relatively high,” Nystuen tells TIME. “A presence in a state which [allegedly] abuses human rights is not enough. It has to be a specific act by the company itself, and there must be a risk of future abuses.”
For campaign groups, the West’s cautious attitude toward Burma is frustrating. Some politicians “feel things must be getting better, but we’ve been here before,” says Mark Farmaner, director of the Burma Campaign U.K. in London. “The generals’ intention was exactly that: that people would think change is on the way,” he adds, calling existing E.U. sanctions “toothless.” In 2008, anticipating that Suu Kyi might be released, human-rights groups, including Farmaner’s, began to highlight wider abuses in Burma by pushing for the release of about 2,000 political prisoners and documenting the military attacks on ethnic villages.
Yet none of those alleged human-rights abuses has ignited Western passions as much as the plight of Suu Kyi, whose iconic fame earned her a Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 (and recently landed her. Now, with Suu Kyi free, most E.U. governments believe they ought to wait at least until a new leadership is installed in Rangoon within the next few weeks. Burma’s military leaders are required to form a new government by Feb. 5, three months after the election was held – an election that U.S. President Barack Obama called “neither free nor fair.”
Once a new government is in office, the E.U. could dispatch a high-level mission to meet Burma’s leaders and try to persuade them to begin political talks with Suu Kyi and other opposition leaders, a European diplomat in Brussels tells TIME. “There is a majority view in the E.U. that Aung San Suu Kyi’s release is a step in the right direction,” says the diplomat, who deals with Burma policies and spoke to TIME on the condition that he not be named. “It is something to be acknowledged with some sort of dialogue.”
But while the quiet diplomacy continues, the generals appear in no hurry to cede power – perhaps because they can look forward to billions of dollars in revenue for years to come. Aside from the gas pipeline that already cuts across Burma, a new offshore natural-gas field called the Shwe Project, which has billions in investments from Korean, Chinese and Indian companies, is expected to earn about $1 billion a year for the Burmese government over the next three decades. No Western sanctions – old or new – can put a stop to that.
English.news.cn 2011-01-08 11:08:14 YANGON, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) — The UNAIDS will extend supply of anti-retroviral (ARV) drug for Myanmar HIV victims up to 2015 under a joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, local media reported Saturday.
About 250,000 people were infected with HIV/AIDS in Myanmar, the Voice quoted the UN organization as saying.
A total of 20,000 HIV/AIDS patients or 27 percent of 74,000 in Myanmar have been treated with ARV drug, the report said.
Myanmar has achieved a unique distinction of bringing about a gradual declination of HIV prevalence in the country over the past decade.
The country’s HIV prevalence rate dropped from 0.94 percent in 2000 to 0.67 percent in 2007 and to 0.61 percent in 2009.
There are 11 local non-governmental organizations (NGO), 21 international NGOs and 7 United Nations agencies actively collaborating with Myanmar’s ministry of health in responding to HIV/AIDS.
Myanmar is also actively participating in the ASEAN work program in HIV/AIDS and Mekong regional HIV/AIDS projects as well as global and regional activities initiated by various UN agencies.
AIDS is one of the priority diseases of Myanmar’s national health plan and prevention and care activities for HIV/AIDS are being implemented as a national concern.
20:33, January 10, 2011
The ruling Myanmar State Peace and Development Council Monday enacted 17 new laws under the new state constitution which will come out in the form of books, the state radio and television reported Monday.
The promulgation of the laws came in a series with the announcement of the date of Jan. 31 for calling the first parliamentary sessions at three levels after the end of Nov 2010 general election.
These laws include those related to state seal, election of president and vice-presidents, union government, region or state government, self-administered region or zone government, Nay Pyi Taw Council, constitution-related tribunal, state flag, state anthem , union parliament, house of representatives, house of nationalities, region or state parliament, union judiciary, union attorney-general and union auditor-general, the report said.
The enactment of the 17 laws will provide reference for the holding of the coming first three-level parliamentary sessions in the new capital of Nay Pyi Taw.
The union parliament, made up of house of representatives, house of nationalities and region or state parliament, will elect the state’s president and vice presidents.
Each level of the parliaments will consist of elected parliament representatives through Nov. 7, 2010 general election and non-elected military representatives, nominated by the commander-in-chief which account for 25 percent of the total parliamentary seats.
21:28, January 10, 2011
Myanmar and South Korea have agreed to cooperate in development of geology education, a local journal reported Monday.
The East Asian country will provide more mechanical and technological assistance to Myanmar to help the country accelerate the improvement of geology education and its related sector, the Flower News said.
In addition to providing the assistance to Myanmar, S. Korea will also help develop the fields of technology, general education and agriculture.
Moreover, the two countries will also strive to boost their bilateral trade, it said.
Meanwhile, the S. Korean government’s International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has sent many volunteers to serve in Myanmar under a cooperation program of the two countries since it stationed in Myanmar in 1991.
Dealing with the general education sector, the South Korean government is also offering scholarships for Myanmar’s pre- university students to study Korean language in Korean university such as the National Institute for International Education in Seoul.
According to the latest official statistics, Myanmar-S. Korea bilateral trade amounted to 332 millions dollars in the first seven months of 2010, of which Myanmar exported to Korea 58 million dollars, while importing from the country 274 million dollars.
Meanwhile, South Korea’s investment in Myanmar has risen 10 times in the first four months of 2010-11, hitting 2.658 billion U.S. dollars as of September 2010 since 1988.
Monday, 10 January 2011
Military-ruled Burma has enacted a law that could conscript men and women into the armed forces and mete out prison sentences of up to five years for draft dodgers.
According to an official document, the law, dated November 4 2010, but yet to be made public, will come into force when proclaimed by the ruling military council, said an official gazette with limited circulation.
Burma, which currently has a volunteer army, boasts a 400,000-strong military which ranks among the largest in the world. Its troops are engaged in continuing conflicts with several ethnic minority groups seeking autonomy from the central government.
Some analysts say conflicts could escalate as more ethnic groups refuse to obey a constitution and government they say will deprive them of even more rights than they currently enjoy. The government is set to replace the junta, possibly towards the end of this month.
The law states every man between 18 and 45 and women aged 18 to 35 may be drafted to serve for two years, which could be increased to five in times of national emergencies. Both sexes are required to register at 18.
Those who fail to report for military service could get three years in prison, a fine or both, and those who deliberately inflict injury upon oneself to avoid conscription could be imprisoned for up to five years, fined or both.
In times of national crisis, the government can recruit all or some of those eligible for military service.
Civil servants, students, people serving prison terms or those taking care of elderly parents will have their military service temporary postponed but could be called later to serve.
Those totally exempt are members of religious orders, married women or divorcees with children and disabled people.
Written by Yan Pai
Monday, 10 January 2011
A building spree is on to give China access to Burma’s natural resources
The extent to which China is taking command of Burma’s infrastructure has been highlighted by the recent announcement that China Communications Construction, a Chinese company, is investing US $100 million in the construction of an airport near Naypyidaw, the new capital built by Burma’s ruling junta in 2004.
China has dramatically stepped up its investment in Burma in recent years and is increasingly turning to major infrastructure projects aimed at improving access to the country’s natural resources, including not just the airport but railways, roads and natural gas pipelines. Most of the projects appear to be devoted to transferring Burma’s plentiful natural resources, which include, among others, natural gas, timber, copper, coal, precious stones, marine products and petroleum, to China.
Certainly, the country’s infrastructure is in a woeful state. Of its 27,000 km of roadways, according to the CIA Factbook, only 3,200 km are paved, ranking it 101st in the world. Of its 76 airfields, only 39 have paved runways, China Communications Construction signed the contract to work on the airport project on Dec. 15, according to the conglomerate’s website. China’s Ex-Im Bank is to offer preferential loan to the Burmese government via Burma’s Department of Civil Aviation according to the construction company’s website.
Work on the airport project actually began in 2009, when Asia World, one of Burma’s largest conglomerates, won a $250 million contract to build the new airport on the site of a disused airport in Ela Township, according to Burmese business sources.
Weekly Eleven News, a Rangoon-based news journal, reported at the end of last year that the airport’s domestic and international terminals and runways are still under construction and are expected to be completed sometime in early 2011.
“This project will significantly increase the internationalization of the Myanmar [Burmese] capital of Naypyidaw and increase CCC’s influence in Myanmar,” the company said.
Among the more ambitious projects under discussion is a 1,920 kilometer rail link between Kunming, the capital of China’s Yunnan Province, and Burma’s main commercial city and former capital, Rangoon.
According to business sources, the railway line may be extended even further, to Tavoy in southern Burma’s Tenasserim Division, where Thai investors are planning a massive port development project.
Work on the railway line, which is part of a grand project to link China and its Southeast Asian neighbors, is reportedly set to begin construction this year.
There is also a plan to rebuild the Stilwell Road, constructed during the Second World War to enable the Allied Powers to assist China in its resistance to Japan’s occupying Imperial Army.
According to the British newspaper The Telegraph, the road, which stretches from the Kachin State capital of Myitkyina to Pangsau near the Indian border, will be rebuilt by the Yunnan Construction Engineering Company in a joint venture with Burma’s Yuzana Group under an agreement reached on Nov. 22 last year.
Last June, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao traveled to Burma to further promote already strong economic ties between the two countries. According to official statistics, China invested an estimated $8.2 billion in the Burmese economy in the first five months of last year, including $5 billion in the hydro-power sector.
One of the largest joint projects between China and Burma is a pipeline that will carry natural gas to Kunming from Burmese offshore fields in the Bay of Bengal. China also hopes to construct a railway line along this route, linking Kunming and the Arakan State deep-sea port of Kyaukpyu.
Despite rumors that Burma’s military leaders are wary of growing too dependent on Beijing for economic support, there are no signs that they are scaling back on plans to increase cooperation.
Following a state visit to China by junta leader Snr-Gen Than Shwe last September, the Chinese government agreed to provide a 30 billion yuan ($4.5 billion) interest-free loan to the regime.
Reprinted from The Irrawaddy, with which Asia Sentinel has a content-sharing agreement
Body Of Myanmar National Found Behind A Restaurant KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 9 (Bernama) — A Myanmar national was found dead with injuries on the head in a back lane of a restaurant at Jalan Kuchai Maju 8 here today.
Brickfields police chief ACP Wan Abdul Bari Wan Abdul Khalid believed the victim, identified as Aik Sang, 32, was robbed.
The body was found by the restaurant owner about 7.30pm.
“Police found a wallet, containing an identification card, RM5 and a handphone cover in the victim’s trouser pocket.
“Police have yet to ascertain the cause of his death, but we believe the victim has been robbed because only the phone cover was found,” he said when contacted by Bernama.
The body had been sent to the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre.
Sunday, January 09, 2011
Legarda meets with Aung San Suu Kyi, prods PH’s continuous support to restoration of democracy in Burma
MANILA, Jan. 9 (Senate/PIA) — Senator Loren Legarda today called for the Philippine government’s active role and continuous support to the restoration of democratic rule in Myanmar (Burma).
Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, made the statement after a recent meeting with Myanmar’s pro-democracy icon, Aung San Suu Kyi in Yangon (Rangoon), Myanmar (Burma).
According to the Senator, Aung San Suu Kyi believes that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will play a very essential role in restoring the democratic institutions in Myanmar (Burma), in the same way as African nations played a significant part in resolving political disputes in Ivory Coast.
“The release of Aung San Suu Kyi last November sent us a signal that the restoration of democratic rule in Myanmar (Burma) could be on the way. We hailed her release, a hard-fought freedom that translates to a victory for democracy. Now, as member of the ASEAN, we must continue to call on Myanmar (Burma) authorities to take concrete steps towards a fair political system that would allow the involvement of all its citizens in the country’s political affairs,” Legarda said.
Legarda added that Aung San Suu Kyi said she will only take part in Myanmar’s Elections under an “inclusive political process”, in which all citizens of Myanmar (Burma) can freely participate.
“We all need to do our part in helping nations, especially our neighbors in Asia, become practising democracies—the kind that works better for development. Aung San Suu Kyi has thanked President Aquino for calling her after she was released from house arrest, and she continues to be grateful to us for our consistency and vigilance in expressing our views and concerns relative to the restoration of democracy in Myanmar (Burma),” Legarda said.
“As a democratic nation, let us continue to encourage and support other nations whose citizens would also want to experience the kind of liberty that we already have—that freedom which allows all of us to use our knowledge, skills, and talent to take part in nation building,” she concluded.
By MARIO B CASAYURAN
January 10, 2011, 7:45pm
MANILA, Philippines – Aung San Suu Kyi believes that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) would play a vital role in restoring democratic institutions in her country, according to Sen. Loren Legarda.
After a meeting with the pro-democracy icon in Yangon, Myanmar, Legarda called on the Philippine government to continue playing an active role in moving for the restoration of democratic institutions in the country still ruled by a military junta.
The role of ASEAN on the political life of Myanmar should be patterned after that of African nations which played a significant part in resolving political disputes in Ivory Coast, Legarda said.
“The release of Aung San Suu Kyi last November sent us a signal that the restoration of democratic rule in Myanmar could be on the way. We hailed her release, a hard-fought freedom that translates to a victory for democracy. Now, as member of the ASEAN, we must continue to call on Myanmar authorities to take concrete steps towards a fair political system that would allow the involvement of all its citizens in the country’s political affairs,” Legarda said.
Legarda quoted Aung San Suu Kyi as saying that she would only take part in Myanmar’s elections under an “inclusive political process,” in which all citizens of Myanmar (Burma) could freely participate.
“We all need to do our part in helping nations, especially our neighbors in Asia, become practicing democracies — the kind that works better for development. Aung San Suu Kyi has thanked President Aquino for calling her after she was released from house arrest, and she continues to be grateful to us for our consistency and vigilance in expressing our views and concerns relative to the restoration of democracy in Myanmar,’’ Legarda said.
Thailand: Thailand’s Policy on Humanitarian Assistance for Persons Fleeing Fighting in Myanmar
Submitted by editor on January 10, 2011 – 12:31
Referring to Benjawin Zawacki’s article entitled “Thailand again sullies its human rights record,” published in the Bangkok Post on 7 January 2011, Mr. Thani Thongphakdi, Director-General of the Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, revealed that over the years, Thailand has hosted more than 100,000 displaced persons from Myanmar in temporary camps along the Thai-Myanmar border.
He said that since fighting began inside Myanmar on 7 November 2010, causing an intermittent influx of persons fleeing fighting into the Kingdom, the Thai authorities have been working together to provide humanitarian assistance to them. This has been done with strong support from the private sector, as well as local Thai communities.
The Thai government has also maintained close coordination with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and various non-governmental organizations to meet the basic needs of those trying to escape the fighting during their temporary displacement.
Contrary to allegations made, he said, people have been returning voluntarily once the situation on the Myanmar side of the border stabilized. Most desire to return to their own families and properties in their areas of origin.
On Thailand’s part, he said, the country has also ascertained that those returning have been doing so under safe and dignified conditions. The past weeks have shown that those not yet ready to return have been allowed to prolong their temporary stay. In addition, there has been coordination with authorities on the Myanmar side of the border to ensure that the conditions were conducive for their return. This was also the case with those who returned to Myanmar on 25 December 2010 from Phop Phra district in Tak province. Significantly, international organizations and NGOs were able to observe conditions under which the people were returning.
The Ministry of Foreign affairs stated that Thailand recognizes the porous nature of the border and the sporadic nature of the incidents on the Myanmar side. It has allowed persons fleeing fighting back into Thai territory whenever fighting resumes in any particular area. The Thai authorities concerned have prepared necessary shelter, food and water to meet humanitarian needs that may occur, as they have done for over 30,000 persons since November 2010.
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TAK, Jan 10 — Cross-border trade between Thailand’s Mae Sot and Myanmar’s Myawaddy has revived significantly following Myanmar’s relaxation of border control measures, the top Mae Sot official said Monday.
District Chief Kittisak Tomornsak said trade at the second largest cross-border trading port along the Moei River in Mae Sot began returning to normal after the lifting of the freeze in effect since the neighbouring country shut the border crossing at the bridge across the Moei River and some 20 cross-border trading ports along the river last August.
Myanmar closed its border, the Thai official said, to improve its cross-border trade measures and to set up a border protection force. The measures currently are nearly complete so the
Myanmar authorities have relaxed the border measures, helping revive trade along the border of the two countries.
Mr Kittisak said that if there are no further incidents or tensions, it is expected that Myanmar will reopen the Thailand-Myanmar Friendship Bridge in January.
Meanwhile, Pol Lt Col Rinnawat Puwattnatikan, commander of the 346th Border Patrol Police, urged local border patrol police to tighten security in order to maintain order and prevent the smuggling of illegal goods. (MCOT online news)
Monday, 10 Jan 2011
The Myanmar gas project led by Daewoo International is moving forward, as the POSCO affiliate plans to start developing gas resources at the country’s A1 and A3 offshore blocks, as early as May 2013.
A group of officers from the Ministry of Knowledge Economy visited Myanmar at the end of December to attend the Korea-Myanmar collaboration committee for natural resource exploration. During the visit, the two parties agreed to strengthen their ties to explore and commercialize the gas resources in the offshore blocks together.
The Myanmar gas project, which is backed by the two countries` governments, is one of Daewoo’s key business projects. The company owns 51% of the shares in the two blocks.
Besides Daewoo, India’s National Natural Gas Clearinghouse (17%), Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise (15%), Korea Gas Corporation (8.5%) and India’s Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (8.5%) are participating in the project as shareholders.
It is estimated that the two offshore blocks have between 4.5 and 7.8 billion square feet of natural gas. Once the production begins, the gas blocks are expected to produce 5,000 million square feet of natural gas everyday for 30 years.
The gas resources will be sold to CNUOC, an affiliate of the China National Petroleum Corporation, for which the two parties plan to connect gas pipes from Myanmar to inland China. The plan, up until now, has been managed successfully in terms of finance.
2011-01-09 22:30:00
Dhaka, Jan 9 (DPA) Bangladesh will fight to establish its claim to 400 nautical miles of territorial waters in the Bay of Bengal disputed by neighbouring India and Myanmar, officials said Sunday.
‘We will submit our claim to the UN over our maritime boundary in the Bay of Bengal sometime next month,’ Foreign Minister Dipu Moni told reporters after finalising Bangladesh’s document for its claim over the disputed waters.
Sandwiched between India and Myanmar in the upper reaches of the Bay, which is believed to have potential for hydrocarbon exploration, Bangladesh has already staked its claim with other international legal agencies.
New Delhi and Yangon already submitted their claims to the UN last year.
Bangladesh is arguing its claim based on its population, economic status and needs, while India and Myanmar are relying on arguments based on geometric calculations. Bangladeshi officials are resting their hopes on the fact that many other countries prefer its approach.
The maritime dispute has, at times, led to the nations’ navies conducting sometime provocative warship manoeuvres in the contested area. There have also been flare-ups between Myanmar and Bangladesh over access to the region for oil and gas exploration.
But all sides have now put their claims on hold pending UN action.
Updated on Saturday, January 08, 2011, 00:30
Yangon: At least eight people were injured when a landmine exploded on a road in eastern Myanmar on Friday, an official in the military-ruled country said.
Six passengers in a car and two on a motorcycle were hurt when the landmine went off on the road between Myawaddy and Kawkareik in Karen State near the Thai border, the official told a news agency on condition of anonymity.
“The injured were taken to the Myawaddy hospital,” the official said.
The blast comes as Myanmar prepares to convene the first session of a new parliament, expected some time this month, following a widely criticised November election in which an army-backed party claimed a huge victory.
A simmering civil war has wracked parts of the country since independence in 1948.
Many groups have previously signed ceasefire agreements with the junta, but tensions have increased after the regime’s attempts to bring ethnic armies under state control as “border guard forces” met with fierce resistance.
The Karen National Union (KNU) has been fighting the military junta for more than five decades.
Residents of Karen State said there had been frequent minor clashes between ethnic insurgents and the government forces around Myawaddy town since November.
At least three civilians were killed and 11 more people injured when heavy-weapons fire from ethnic rebels hit the border town the day after the November election, causing thousands to flee across the border into Thailand.
By KO HTWE Monday, January 10, 2011 Farmers whose lands were confiscated by the Yuzana Company in Hpakant Township in Kachin State are to file an appeal to the High Court in Naypyidaw contesting the State Court decision to award them minimal compensation.
Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Monday, Kyaw Soe Lin, one of the lawyers for the farmers, said that the Myitkyina State Court on Friday ordered Yuzana to pay each farmer the sum of no more than 80,000 kyat (US $80) per acre for land seized or confiscated.
“The farmers are demanding compensation for the nearly three years that they have been unable to work on their lands,” he said. “However, they were not awarded the compensation they deserve and will file an appeal.”
The verdict affected two groups, one representing 46 farmers and the other 17 farmers. A third group of 20 farmers’ lawsuit was rejected outright by the court in Myitkyina, the Kachin State capital.
Some 600 farmers were evicted from their lands between 2006 and 2008 without full compensation, and were displaced to areas far from their original homes. Several of the farmers banded together to hire legal teams which filed lawsuits in August claiming the land seizures were illegal.
Yuzana, which plans to use the land to grow tapioca and sugarcane, persuaded them to drop the case in return for payments of 80,000 kyat ($80) per acre to a maximum of 500 evicted farmers. However, of the farmers who accepted the pay-off, many are still waiting for the compensation. Most rejected the offer and filed lawsuits in 2010.
Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Monday, Pho Phyu, a lawyer who has previously represented Rangoon farmers in land seizure cases, said that the authorities were awarding lands “to wealthy persons” as part of a State policy to “industrialize agriculture.”
He added: “In fact, the authorities are helping the wealthy businessmen get richer and richer.”
There are no less than 343 land seizure cases in Rangoon Division alone where private companies have confiscated lands belonging to farmers with the help of local authorities, said Pho Phyu.
The 1963 Safeguarding Peasants’ Rights Law, Section (3), states that “a Civil Court shall not make a decree or order for: a warrant of attachment for or confiscation of agricultural land; neither for employed livestock and implements, harrows and implements, other animate and inanimate implements, nor the produce of agricultural land; prohibition of work upon or entry into agricultural land; prohibition of movement or sale in whole or part or use of employed livestock and implements, harrows and implements, other animate and inanimate implements, or the produce of agricultural land.”
However, “the farmers had to vacate their land and were scolded harshly by the Company manager,” said Pho Phyu.
Recently, about 200 farmers demonstrated peacefully in front of the office of the General Administrative Department of Eastern Rangoon District against the land confiscations and demanded the return of their land by 11 private companies.
The Yuzana Company is owned by Htay Myint who is on the US sanctions blacklist because of his close ties to the junta generals. He won his Tenasserim Division constituency for the regime-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party in November’s general election.
His Yuzana Company was granted 200,000 acres in the Hugawng Valley Tiger Reserve in 2006 to establish tapioca and sugar cane plantations, according to a report by the Kachin Development Networking Group.
By SAI ZOM HSENG Monday, January 10, 2011
Thai authorities have raised border security after some artillery shells fired by Burmese troops during two days of clashes with a splinter group of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) exploded near a village in Thailand’s Mae Sot District.
The incident will be investigated and if necessary the Thai government will issue a formal complaint to the Burmese regime through the the two countries’ border committee, according to the commander of the Royal Thai Army’s Mae Sot-based No. 4 Regional Command, speaking to reporters.
Around 100 heavy artillery shells were fired by Burmese troops during fighting that started at 7 o’clock this morning, with six of the shells exploding on the Thai side. Yesterday, 11 shells fired by government troops exploded near the village of Mae Koking in Mae Sot District.
A DKBA officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that two of their troops were injured by today’s artillery fire.
The regime troops started firing heavy artillery yesterday, mainly targeting DKBA troops near the villages of Waw Lay and Phaluu in Kawkareik Township, Karen State.
Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Monday, Nan Phaw Gay, the editor of the Karen Information Center in Mae Sot, said, “Government troops carried out heavy attacks yesterday. They fired heavy artillery the whole day. We can’t confirm how many have been injured or killed yet.”
Maj San Aung from DKBA Brigade 5 said that the regime’s troops were responding to the DKBA’s successful guerrilla tactics, which he said have been effective against Burmese forces in the area.
“The government wants to take the Waw Lay and Phaluu areas as soon as possible,” he added.
A local resident of Phaluu told The Irrawaddy that hundreds of people from the area have fled to Thailand since yesterday and are currently at the Mae Tao Clinic in Mae Sot.
DKBA Brigade 5, led by Col Saw Lah Pwe, is the first ethnic armed group to engage in hostilities with the regime over the issue of the junta’s border guard force (BGF) plan, which would put armed cease-fire groups under Burmese military command. Clashes between the DKBA and Burmese troops began on Nov. 7, 2010, the day the regime held its first election in 20 years.
According to recent unconfirmed reports, a meeting was held last Friday between Maj-Gen Thet Naing Win, the commander of the Burmese army’s Bureau of Special Operation 4 (BSO-4), and DKBA leaders to negotiate an end to the current situation.
A Burmese military source said that he couldn’t confirm or deny the rumor, but added that it was unlikely. “Commanding officers from the Southeastern Military Command said they don’t need to negotiate with the DKBA,” he said.
Meanwhile, a Burmese army artillery unit based in Mong Yawn Township in eastern Shan State started firing artillery near a camp of the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), another armed cease-fire group that has rejected the BGF scheme, on Friday.
The unit warned on Jan. 6 that it planned to start artillery firing training on Friday, but nobody expected the shells to land so close to the NDAA camp, said an NDAA officer, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“They [the local artillery unit] can do their training somewhere else. We didn’t know that they were planning to fire shells near our camp. They fired 15 times with 155-mm shells, but they all exploded outside of our camp and no one was injured,” the NDAA officer said.
The NDAA has between 1,000 and 1,200 troops and is based in Mongla in eastern Shan State, according to exiled military observers.
The military junta has been pressuring the ethnic cease-fire groups to join the BGF scheme since April 2009. Most, however, have refused, including the United Wa Stated Army, the strongest ethnic army, with an estimated 30,000 troops, and the Kachin Independence Army, with an estimated 10,000 troops.
By MYO MAUNG Saturday, January 8, 2011
A ship carrying Burmese rice was ordered to return to Burma in December after being refused docking permission in the Ivory Cost due to the unacceptable quality of the rice on board, according to a rice trader in Rangoon. Appriximately 25 percent of the exported rice was apparently broken.
This was not the first time that Burmese rice has been judged unacceptable, even to a continent as poverty-stricken as Africa.
Throughout 2010, Burmese rice exports were frequently held up at African ports, pronounced “unqualified,” and sent back to their port of origin. Sacks of rice from Burma were routinely dismissed as being wet, moldy, infested by weevils or containing too many grains that were broken to dust.
In November, some 6,000 tons of rice exported to a country in the Middle East were sent back, disqualified as “broken grains,” according to another rice trader in Rangoon.
Traders have said that due to an increase in the price of rice in Burma, many farmers or wholesalers mix the “good” rice with broken grains.
Burma was, until recently, selling rice at US $270-$280 per ton. The price, however, increased in the past months to $390 per ton.
The qualification of Burma’s rice exports are mostly checked by a branch of the Switzerland-based SGS, the world’s largest goods inspector.
Traders in Rangoon said that Burma’s rice exports increased dramatically in early 2009 due to greater demand from Africa and Bangladesh—mostly due to the cheap price of Burmese rice on the international market. Burma exported some 300,000 tons of rice between April and December of 2010.
In 2007-08, Burma’s rice exports amounted to a meager 358,500 tons—just 1.2 percent of total world exports that year, according to U Myint, a retired UN official and a director on the board of directors of Tun Foundation Bank.
Saturday, 08 January 2011 12:20 Phanida
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – The Kachin State Court in Myitkyina handed down its verdict in a land confiscation class action brought by a group of farmers yesterday, ordering the Yuzana Company to compensate plaintiffs for their losses.
The 63 plaintiffs, subsistence farmers from Phakant Township in Moenhyin District, Kachin State, had lodged the class action against the company in September 2010 for confiscation of family-owned lands in 2007.
The Yuzana Company has close ties to Burma’s ruling military leaders.
The verdict was reached this evening after a panel of judges considered witness testimony.
Under the decision the company must pay compensation to the amount of 80,000 kyat (US$80) per an acre of confiscated paddy field, 60,000 kyat (US$60) per acre of crops, and 30,000 kyat (US$30) per acre of garden. In addition, farmers must be compensated an additional 150,000 kyat (US$150) for loss of home, land rights activist, Bawk Jar told Mizzima.
“The compensation rate was set by the Kachin State Peace and Development Council”, he said.
However, Lamung Tang Gun, one of the plaintiffs in the case said the court’s verdict was not fair.
“We have been unemployed for three years because of the confiscation of our farmlands. We demanded 800,000 kyat (US$800) from the company as compensation, but the court awarded only 80,000 kyat (US$80)”, he said.
“We cannot accept the verdict”.
The company was accused of confiscating more than 1,038 acres (420 hectares) held by the farmers in Warazuap, Aungra, Sharuzuap, Bangkok and Namsan villages. The firm planned to grow cassava and sugar cane as cash crops.
A total of 148 farmers had originally been party to the lawsuit. However, prior to the court case, the company had offered a settlement worth only 80,000 kyat (about US$80) per an acre, resulting in a number of farmers withdrawing from the class action.
At the time, only 17 plaintiffs remained but were joined by an additional farmers experiencing severe deprivation of livelihood.
The lawsuit was initially brought against company owner Htay Myint, an MP-elect from the junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party. However, his name was removed as defendant, replaced by Pu Kyi, reported to be his brother, on October 12.
Bawk Jar stated: “The farmers want to get their lands back. They want fair compensation from the company”
“If the farmers launch a protest, Htay Myint will be responsible for the mess” he said.
The plaintiffs plan to file an appeal on the decision with the Naypyidaw-based Supreme Court.
Monday, 10 January 2011 21:48 Kyaw Kha
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) –During the past six months, the number of clothing factories in Burma has increased from about 120 factories to more than 200, according to Burma’s Clothing Manufacturers’ Association.
As a result of the global economic crisis, only about 120 clothing factories in Burma were operating in 2009, but since June 2010, the growing demand for clothing has caused many factories to reopen and also attracted investors to create more factories.
Before mid-2009, there were 171 clothing factories in Burma.
“Because of the worldwide economic recession in 2008, many clothing factories in Burma closed down. But, since June, most of them can operate again. Many new clothing factories have been set up”, Myint Soe told Mizzima.
Burma has received clothing export orders from International clothing giants in South Korea, Japan and Latin American countries.
Moreover, after heightened tension in the Korean peninsula, South Korea stopped the import of clothing from North Korea and has sought out more clothing from Burma.
Before 2003, Burma could export clothing to the United States, but it can not sell clothing to the US now because of its economic sanctions.
China, one of the leading exporters for clothing, has shifted some of its focus to the electronics and automotive industries, giving Burma a better chance in the clothing market, Myint Soe said.
Because the clothing industry is thriving, Burmese employees in the clothing factories number about 80,000. Many are now earning better salaries, according to officials and workers at the factories. Average salaries have increased from about 60,000 kyat (about US $60) to 80,000 kyat (about US $80). Most clothing workers in Burma come from rural areas.
A worker from the Ever November Industry Company Limited in the Hlaing Tharyar Industrial Zone said, “Our company has received bulk orders for clothing. Our incomes depend on our productivity. So, if my work is fairly productive, I can earn up to 80,000 kyat per a month”.
The chairman of Burma’s Clothing Manufacturers’ Association, Myint Soe, said Burma earns about US $50 million from the clothing industry annually.
Observers have noted that the Western economic sanctions against Burma have compounded the problem, leading the sanctions to become an even more controversial issue.
By KHIN HNIN HTET
Published: 10 January 2011
A young DVB reporter recently sentenced to eight years in prison has been placed in solitary confinement in Rangoon’s notorious Insein prison.
A source close to the prison said that it was Sithu Zeya’s lack of understanding about prison customs that meant he didn’t stand to attention when the institution’s director showed up.
The director, Win Naing, had visited his block after hearing reports that political prisoners, including Sithu Zeya, were assaulted by other inmates, and some left with serious injuries.
The 21-year-old was convicted in December last year by a Rangoon township court of illegal border crossing and holding ties to an unlawful organisation. He is facing a further charge under the Electronics Act, which can result in up to 20 years in prison.
He had been arrested after photographing the damage caused by the Rangoon bombings on 15 April, which left nine dead.
Sithu’s father, Maung Maung Zeya, also a DVB reporter, was arrested a day after his son and is still awaiting a verdict, but from a high-level court which could carry a more severe sentence.
Burma was last month ranked fourth in a list of global countries that imprison journalists. Nearly 20 DVB journalists are currently behind bars.
By PETER AUNG
Published: 10 January 2011 The families of three men tortured and jailed last year are taking an appeal over their sentences to Burma’s Supreme Court.
The three, from Mon state in eastern Burma, had been arrested in July 2010 along with two others under accusation that they held ties with the opposition Karen National Union, whose armed wing has been fighting the ruling junta for nearly six decades.
One of the men, San Shwe, died during the initial interrogation, while Law Kwat was later released after agreeing a fee with the army. The remaining three, Hla Phone, Maung Thein, Pow Lar – all of Bilin in Mon state, where the arrest was made – are serving three-year sentences.
A relative of one of the men said under condition of anonymity that during a recent visit to the prison he had been shown the injuries caused by torture, and that all three men had been assaulted during the interrogation.
“They said San Shwe was killed in the interrogation and his body dragged [out of the cell] like a dog.”
Previous appeals to lower-level courts over the sentencing had failed, and the three families were now preparing to petition Burma’s top court in the capital, Naypyidaw.
“We are not looking to put the blame on anyone or to get compensation,” the relative said. “As Buddhists, we just blame it on karma. We just want our loved one released from prison and the family of [San Shwe] be informed about his death so they can hold a funeral.”
Aye Myint, head of the Guiding Star legal advocacy group, criticised the arrests and treatment of the men.
“The civilians were arrested in downtown [Bilin] and we know that [the army] disposed of the body of the man killed in interrogation without letting the people know – we have photo evidence of that.
“Ko Law Kwat was tortured with a method where a plastic material is melted down with fire and poured on his body, including the genitals. It looked pretty bad from what I saw in the photos. We also have photo evidence of San Shwe’s body being buried.”