By Aung Hla Tun | Reuters – 15 hrs ago

YANGON (Reuters) – Myanmar’s military has used jets to attacks rebel fighters in northern Kachin state, the government said on Thursday, its first admission of an intensification of a conflict that has raised doubts about its reformist credentials.

Rebel sources have reported aerial bombings, shelling and even the use of chemical weapons since December 28 after the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) ignored an ultimatum to stop blocking an army supply route in the hilly, resource-rich state where more than 50,000 people have been displaced.

Official newspapers said that air support was used on December 30 to thwart KIA fighters who had occupied a hill and were attacking logistics units of the Tatmadaw, as Myanmar’s military is known.

“The Tatmadaw troops cleared Point-771 hill and its surrounding areas where the KIA troops were attacking the Tatmadaw logistic troops,” the New Light of Myanmar, a government mouthpiece, said. “The air cover was used in the attack.”

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced concern on Wednesday over reports of helicopters and fighter jets being used in the state bordering China. The KIA said the attacks were intended to clear the path for an assault on its headquarters in Laisa.

Ban called on Myanmar’s government to “desist from any action that could endanger the lives of civilians” and reiterated demands for humanitarian aid groups to be granted access, U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said in a statement.

President Thein Sein’s quasi-civilian administration insists it wants a ceasefire and political dialogue. It says troops have acted only in self-defense and on Thursday denied having plans to seize the KIA’s stronghold.

DOMINANT MILITARY

The escalation of fighting has raised doubts about the sincerity of the reformist ex-generals running the government and the extent of their power in a country the size of Britain and France plagued by decades of internal conflict.

Some analysts and diplomats say central government is either not fully committed to peace with the KIA or unable to assert control over the military, which still dominates politics and the economy despite formally ceding power in March 2011.

Colonel James Lum Dau, a Thai-based spokesman for the KIA’s political wing, said Kachin officials on the ground had reported up to 300 people killed in air strikes.

“We are in a defensive position. Right now more people are suffering not only bombings, but shelling and spraying of chemical weapons with helicopter gunships and jets,” he said. “Only god knows what to do. We are praying.”

It is difficult for journalists to independently verify accounts from the two sides.

Fighting erupted in Kachin in June 2010, ending a 17-year truce, and has continued even as government negotiators have agreed ceasefires elsewhere with ethnic Shan, Chin, Mon and Karen militias after decades of fighting in border areas.

Mistrust runs deep between the military and the KIA, which was once backed by China, and multiple rounds of talks aimed at reaching a ceasefire have gone nowhere. Analysts say a history of bad blood and a battle for control of resources, including highly lucrative jade, could be stoking the unrest.

Zaw Htay, a senior official in Thein Sein’s office, told Reuters no air strikes had taken place but K-8 trainer jets had provided cover fire to protect ground troops from rebel attacks. The military, he said, had no intention of seizing the KIA’s headquarters.

“The president has said this and at the same time he has invited KIA leaders to come and talk with him in Naypyitaw, but they still haven’t responded,” Zaw Htay said.

By Antoni Slodkowski | Reuters – 16 hrs ago

NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (Reuters) – Japan’s new government confirmed its support for the emerging democracy in Myanmar on Thursday when Finance Minister Taro Aso visited the country to reaffirm Japan’s intention to cancel debt and help develop a big industrial zone.

Myanmar has implemented rapid economic and political reforms since President Thein Sein’s quasi-civilian government took over from a long-ruling military junta in March 2011 and Japan has moved quickly to cement business ties.

Aso, also deputy prime minister, had already arranged the visit, prior to his ministerial appointment after an election last month, in his capacity as a senior member of the Japan-Myanmar Association, a lobby group set up to advance Japanese business interests in the Southeast Asian country.

“Following the change of government in Japan, just like the previous government, we want to maintain a good relationship with Myanmar,” Aso told reporters after meeting the president at his palace in the new capital, Naypyitaw.

Senior members of the association with established ties to the former junta have been central to securing a debt waiver and fresh loans for the Thilawa industrial zone.

Thein Sein told Aso his government was delighted a “long-standing and sincere friend of Myanmar” has taken key posts in the cabinet.

Aso reaffirmed Japan’s intention to waive part of the 500 billion yen ($5.74 billion) Myanmar owes it in debt.

About 300 billion yen would be waived in two stages in 2013 while a consortium of private Japanese banks led by Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group was working on a bridging loan for the remaining 200 billion, sources familiar with the matter said.

On top of these pledges, Japan’s government-linked Bank for International Cooperation will provide a $900 million bridge loan to clear Myanmar’s debt arrears with the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank in January, allowing them to restart lending.

Myanmar owes nearly $400 million to the Washington-based World Bank and almost $500 million to the Manila-based ADB.

STRATEGIC INVESTMENT

Japan is Myanmar’s largest creditor and the arrears of 300 billion yen had to be cleared before a fresh 50 billion yen loan could be given to develop the planned 2,400-hectare (5,930-acre) Thilawa special economic zone, renovate the country’s ailing power plants and develop its regions.

With a land mass as large as Britain and France combined, Myanmar lies in a strategic location, sharing borders with 40 percent of the world’s population in India, China, Bangladesh and Thailand.

Thilawa has grown into a flagship project for both Japan and Myanmar and could become a magnet for Japanese manufacturers that have started rethinking investment plans in China after a flare-up in a territorial dispute between Tokyo and Beijing.

A chunk of the 50 billion yen loan, which Japan hopes to implement by the end of March, is likely to mark the first tranche of its lending for infrastructure in Thilawa, which is to be developed by Japanese construction companies.

Over several years Tokyo’s lending may add up to $12.6 billion, according to officials familiar with the project.

Mitsubishi Corp., Marubeni Corp. and Sumitomo Corp. form the Japanese side of the joint venture developing the industrial park. The plan is to build the first 400 hectares of the park by 2015 and start luring Japanese and global manufacturers.

Aso will visit Thilawa on Friday.

This is the first overseas trip by a member of the Japanese government that took office last month. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to visit Washington around the end of January. ($1 = 87.1700 yen)

YANGON (AFP) – Myanmar faced growing international pressure on Thursday to halt air attacks on ethnic minority rebels in Kachin state, where an escalating conflict has overshadowed wider political reforms.

Fighting between the military and the armed wing of the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) in the far north of the country also known as Burma has worsened in recent days as the army battled to regain one of its bases.

“We’re obviously deeply troubled by the increased violence,” US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in Washington late Wednesday, noting that Myanmar had admitted using aerial weapons in Kachin.

“We are continuing to urge the government of Burma and the Kachin Independence Organisation to cease this conflict, to get to a real dialogue to address grievances as the government of Burma has been able to do in virtually all of the other conflict areas,” Nuland added.

The military’s Burmese-language Myawaddy news website has reported that a key base was seized from the rebels on December 30 “with the help of air strikes in the region”.

Government peace negotiator Hla Maung Shwe, who is also an adviser to President Thein Sein, said military helicopters and “training jets” were believed to have been used in the operation.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon added his voice to the calls for the Myanmar army to stop the air raids against Kachin rebels.

The UN chief “has taken serious note of the most recent reports indicating air strikes against targets in Kachin state”, according to his spokesman Martin Nesirky.

“While details of these reports are still emerging and being closely followed, the secretary general calls upon the Myanmar authorities to desist from any action that could endanger the lives of civilians living in the area or further intensify the conflict in the region,” Nesirky added.

Tens of thousands of people have been displaced in the state of Kachin since June 2011, when a 17-year ceasefire between the government and the Kachin Independence Army broke down.

The UN recently appealed to Myanmar to stop blocking aid to the displaced people in rebel-held territory in the state.

Civil war has gripped parts of Myanmar since independence from Britain in 1948.

The new quasi-civilian government has reached tentative ceasefires with most of the other major ethnic rebel groups, but several rounds of talks with the Kachin have shown little tangible progress.

The KIO accuses the government of pushing dialogue only on the basis of a ceasefire and troop withdrawals, neglecting to address longstanding demands for greater political rights.

The Kachin clashes, along with communal unrest in the western state of Rakhine, have overshadowed dramatic political changes since Myanmar’s widely praised emergence from decades of army rule in early 2011.

The fighting has persisted despite former general Thein Sein’s order a year ago for the military to halt offensives against ethnic minority rebels, raising questions about his government’s control of the armed forces.

The fighting in Kachin had become “more serious” since last week, according to KIO deputy chief of foreign affairs Colonel James Lum Dau, who said it was concentrated in an area about seven miles (11 kilometres) from the rebel headquarters at Laiza on the Chinese border.

“Before they (attacked) with helicopters, now they are using jets with rockets and bombs,” he said.

AFP was not able to independently verify the claim.

Government spokesman Zaw Htay, who declined to give details of the latest fighting, said the Kachin rebels had not responded to an invitation for further dialogue.

NAYPYITAW, Myanmar, Jan. 3 (UPI) — Japan will write off almost $6 billion in Myanmar’s debt and provide a new loan of about $600 million, Finance Minister Taro Aso said Thursday.

Aso made the announcement after a meeting with Myanmar President Thein Sein in Naypyitaw, Kyodo News Service reported. He said the write down will erase 500 billion yen ($5.73 billion) with the new loan coming to 10 percent of that sum.

“Japan wants to maintain sound relations with Myanmar even if there was a change of its government,” Aso said at a news conference after the 80-minute meeting. “Myanmar has been heavily in debt and unable to attract investment. Japan will remove those obstacles and support the country.”

The trip to Myanmar was Aso’s first since becoming foreign minister last week, Asia News said.

The military regime that ruled Myanmar for two decades, changing its name from Burma and building a new capital city, began liberalization in 2011. Japan was Myanmar’s largest creditor and Aso said the old debt was discouraging new investment in the country.

“Myanmar has been unable to make new investments because it is bound to the old debts. The debt waiver is meant to remove this obstacle to Myanmar’s economic growth,” Aso said.

By Dan Murphy | Christian Science Monitor – 9 hrs ago

Myanmar’s military has stepped up attacks on ethnic Kachin rebels in recent days with airstrikes. This move calls into question efforts by the United States and other international powers to richly and quickly reward the nominally civilian regime there for a series of gestures toward political reform.

US State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland told reporters yesterday that the Obama administration is “deeply troubled” by increased violence and urged dialogue between Myanmar’s government and the Kachin Independence Organization, the political wing of the Kachin Independence Army, which has been in an on again, off again, war against the central state for decades.

Simon Roughneen wrote for the Monitor yesterday that “the Myanmar Army offensive – which includes helicopter gunships and aerial bombardment – comes after weeks of heavy fighting at outposts about 10 miles outside the KIA headquarters on the Myanmar-China frontier.” He then quoted Joseph Nbwi Naw, a Kachin Catholic priest in the KIA headquarters town of Laiza as saying “the situation is very tense. The bombers are bombing just about four or five miles from the town here.”

Myanmar (also known as Burma) is as ethnically complex a country as they come, and while most in the West have focused on the democracy struggle of Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy, there is no guarantee that any new order that emerges from a political promise, with promised free elections scheduled for 2015, will create stability or justice for its minorities. Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, an ethnic Burman like most of the junta that kept Myanmar under military rule from 1962 until 2011, has been mostly silent on violence targeting the ethnic Muslim Rohingyas recently and does not appear to have spoken out on the situation involving the Kachin.

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In September, the Irrawady, a Thailand-based news organization that focuses on Myanmar, reported that Aung San Suu Kyi argued against taking a strong stand, as it could make the situation worse. “There are people who criticized me when I remained [silent] on this case,” she told a Burmese group on a visit to New York. “They can do so as they are not satisfied with me. But, for me, I do not want to add fire to any side of the conflict.” The Irrawady wrote: “Some critics have condemned [Aung San Suu Kyi] for staying silent on Kachin as well as the sectarian violence between Arakanese Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in western Burma.”

In early November, I wrote about doubts over the wisdom of America’s breakneck pace of normalization with Myanmar, with President Obama becoming the first US leader to ever visit the country that month.

Has there ever been faster restoration of US relations with a country it had once worked so hard to isolate, in the absence of either a US invasion or a revolution? I can’t think of one. The once-maligned leaders are being brought in from the cold. The US even indicated in October that Burmese officers would be invited to the annual Cobra Gold military exercise between the US and Thailand as official observers.

The Obama administration’s motivations are clear: Demonstrate the benefits of the generals’ political opening and turn toward democracy. But with the breathless rush to friendship comes a country where ethnic tensions still dominate, and ethnic violence, specifically against ethnic Rohingya Muslims, that the generals have been either unwilling or unable to stop.

… If all goes well, the Obama administration’s overture toward Myanmar will go down as a major foreign policy achievement, and more importantly signal a brighter future for Myanmar’s 48 million people. But there are challenges and pitfalls ahead, and with each concession the US and other major powers make before 2015, a potential carrot to offer for positive change is spent.

Hopefully, Obama will not have gone to Myanmar too soon.

The recent war with the Kachin is evidence of how hard it has been to build on the fruits of “dialogue” between Myanmar and armed ethnic-minorities. A 17-year cease-fire between the Kachin rebels, in northeastern Myanmar along the Chinese border, broke in June of 2011, and the results have been catastrophic. Human Rights Watch estimated that 75,000 Kachin were displaced from their homes in the fighting, recording the razing of homes, stealing of property, torture of Kachin civilians, use of civilians as slave labor, and the rape of Kachin women, all by Myanmar soldiers.

Such events have been frequent for Myanmar’s ethnic minorities since shortly after independence from Britain in 1948. In February 1947, nationalist hero Aung San, the father of Aung San Suu Kyi, and other nationalist leaders signed the Panglong agreement with ethnic minorities, who today make up about 40 percent of the national population. The agreement envisioned Myanmar as a federal state, with regional autonomy for ethnic minority states like Kachin, where the residents are mostly Christian and speak a language distinct from the ethnic-majority Burmans, who are mostly Buddhist.

But autonomy was never delivered, and when Aung San and six members of his cabinet were assassinated in July 1947, the stage was set for decades of conflict not just with the Kachin but other ethnic minorities like the Shan and the Wa, many living in the rugged mountains in eastern and northern Burma.

For now, the elections of 2015 are a long way away, and whether those elections will lead to a more just approach to ethnic minorities remains an open question. That Aung San Suu Kyi has suffered personally and for decades for her principled stand on democracy for Myanmar is no guarantee that she or anyone else who may come to power there will handle the country’s ethnic tensions any better than their predecessors have for the past 60 years.

Holding some diplomatic and sanctions pressure in the back pocket may prove a wiser course than declaring a democracy victory in early 2013.

Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) — Myanmar has alarmed Washington and the United Nations after it admitted carrying out airstrikes against rebel fighters in the northern state of Kachin.

The conflict between the Myanmar military, which repressively ruled the southeast Asian nation for decades, and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has escalated in the past two years, displacing large numbers of civilians, according to human rights groups.

Watch: Economic potential in Myanmar

Recent steps toward greater democracy and civil liberties in Myanmar under the government of President Thein Sein, a former military official, have prompted the United States and other countries to lift most of the sanctions that had been squeezing the country’s economy.

In November, President Barack Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Myanmar — also known as Burma — in a symbolic endorsement of the fledgling reforms.

But the U.S. government expressed concern Wednesday after authorities in Myanmar said they had used air attacks in clashes with KIA fighters this week.

Read more: Obama lauds Aung San Suu Kyi, gives a nod to Myanmar

“We’re obviously deeply troubled by the increased violence,” U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a news conference. “We are continuing to urge the government of Burma and the Kachin Independence Organization to cease this conflict, to get to a real dialogue to address grievances as the government of Burma has been able to do in virtually all of the other conflict areas.”

The Kachin Independence Organization is the political wing of the KIA.

The Myanmar military has been using “air cover” in Kachin since December 27 in order to transport supplies to a base near Laiza, the capital of the state and headquarters of the KIA, said Zaw Htay, a spokesman for the president’s office.

The military carried out “air attacks” on Sunday and Monday, he said, adding that the president had instructed the troops not to invade Laiza.

Attempts to reach a KIA spokesman for comment were unsuccessful Thursday.

Read more: From Burma to Myanmar: Land of rising expectations

Ryan Roco, an American freelance photojournalist currently in Kachin, told CNN from Laiza that he had witnessed repeated heavy shelling and airstrikes by the Myanmar military.

He has seen air attacks daily since December 28 around Laiza, he said.

“They have targeted multiple positions but as of now, all have been primarily KIA military positions, some of which can be seen in plain sight from Laiza, bringing many residents to the streets and rooftops to watch in horror,” Roco recounted via e-mail.

“The shelling however is far less precise and far more widespread as hundreds of mortar rounds from 105mm and 120mm mortars are being fired from significant distance.”

Shelling in Lajayang, near Laiza, on 27 December left one man dead and three people seriously injured, said Roco. He met the victims, who he said were civilians hit as they worked on a watermelon farm, in the hospital where they had been taken for treatment.

The heavy artillery shelling “poses extreme risk for civilians in the area already made vulnerable by war,” he said.

The photojournalist questioned the Myanmar government’s account of its actions, saying what he had witnessed appeared to be “a clear offensive effort to take strategic KIA defensive positions surrounding Laiza.”

Roco traveled with the Free Burma Rangers, a non-governmental organization, which released images earlier this week that showed attacks by the Myanmar military in Kachin, but said he was not affiliated with the humanitarian group.

Read more: Myanmar facing unfolding crisis

In the past year, the Myanmar government has made progress in peace talks with other minority groups, securing a cease-fire with Karen rebels.

However, clashes this year between Buddhists and Muslims in the western state of Rakhine have set off a humanitarian crisis there and underscored the difficult task of managing the country’s complex ethnic mix amid new political freedoms.

The conflict in Kachin remains a serious challenge for the government, as acknowledged by the opposition leader and democracy campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi.

“A cease-fire is not enough,” she said last year. “We have to have a political settlement if there is to be a lasting peace.”

Following reports of the recent airstrikes, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Myanmar authorities to “desist from any action that could endanger the lives of civilians living in the area or further intensify the conflict in the region,” a spokesman said Wednesday.

Ban also urged “all concerned parties to work toward political reconciliation,” the spokesman said.

Myanmar is seeking to modify the Dawei deep-sea port and special economic zone contract to have a holding company to be set up soon handle the investment instead of Italian-Thai Development Plc (ITD).

“Myanmar is worried about the long delay of the project and wants to change the concession to a new holding company or special-purpose vehicle to be set up soon,” said Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, secretary-general of the National Economic and Social Development Board.

He said the new company will likely be formed by Thai state-owned enterprises, Japan’s investment organisation, the Myanmar government and ITD.

The joint-venture company is instrumental in creating confidence in the project, but the two countries differ on the format of the new entity.

Thailand prefers a special-purpose vehicle or one key holding company to handle investment in all parts of the project, from the port, industrial estates and power plants to water and other facilities.

Myanmar, however, wants separate companies to invest in the various aspects of the project.

Thailand has also proposed that Myanmar improve investment-related laws.

Under Myanmar’s existing laws, investment promotion privileges for the project are not very attractive, making it difficult for the holding company to hold roadshows and raise funds from foreign investors, he said.

Thailand may also need to update the project’s investment cost, as it was estimated two years ago by ITD.

In the meantime, the Industry Ministry is prioritising industries to be invested under the project.

The next meeting of the Myanmar-Thailand joint high-level committee for the Comprehensive Development in Dawei special economic zone and its related project areas will be held in Thailand next month and in Myanmar in March.

ITD, Thailand’s biggest construction company by market value, was granted a 75-year concession to develop a special economic zone and deep-sea port in Dawei, eastern Myanmar.

The project requires an US$8.5-billion infrastructure investment in the first phase including roads and the port. Taking into account heavy industry programmes such as oil refineries and integrated steel mills, the cost goes up to $50 billion.

Covering 200,000 rai, the Dawei project is one of the three special economic zones being developed in Myanmar along with the Thilawa and Kyaukpyu projects.

Somchet Thinaphong, the managing director of Dawei Development Co (DDC), an ITD subsidiary, said his company is not aware of Myanmar’s intention to change the concessionaire but welcomes partners.

“The more investment partners the better for a huge project such as Dawei,” he told the Bangkok Post, brushing aside speculation the Myanmar government is dissatisfied with ITD’s delays in mobilising funds for the project.

“Having the Japanese government as a partner will give Dawei the capital injection it needs and also make it more appealing to international investors,” said Mr Somchet.

Kiwamu Honda, DDC’s senior adviser to the chairman of the board, confirmed the Thai government is asking Thai state enterprises and foreign investors including Tokyo to invest in the project.

However, he noted details of the Dawei concession have not been changed, and the partner remains ITD.

“We are going to find new partners to set up a special-purpose vehicle to invest in each infrastructure project such as the deep-sea port,” said Mr Honda.

He too dismissed as a “misunderstanding” reports the Myanmar government is not happy with the delays.

At the same time, Myanmar has agreed with ITD’s request to review the Dawei Special Economic Zone law to make the project more attractive compared with other areas of Myanmar.

The Dawei law was endorsed last year before Myanmar’s new foreign investment law took effect, making Dawei not attractive enough for investors, said Mr Honda.

By Andy Sharp - Jan 3, 2013 3:51 AM PT

Japan’s Finance Minister Taro Aso met with Myanmar’s president and senior officials today in a sign the nation plans to tap a market of 64 million people that has been dominated by China.

The visit is the first overseas trip by a member of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cabinet that took office last month. It coincides with the U.S. and the United Nations expressing concern over government strikes against ethnic rebels in Myanmar’s north.

Enlarge image Aso Leads Japanese Push Into Myanmar Market Dominated by China

“It sends a message that Myanmar was chosen as the first overseas country to be visited by officials of the new government,” Aso told reporters outside the parliament building in Naypyidaw, the nation’s capital. “We’ll help build an environment in which economic growth can flourish in Myanmar,” he said, adding that help depends on democratic reforms.

Japan’s push into the nation bordering India and China may produce trade opportunities for its stagnating economy while helping Myanmar President Thein Sein meet a pledge to attract labor-intensive industries to create jobs. Competing Chinese and Japanese efforts risk further straining relations between Asia’s two biggest economies, already at odds over islands in the East China Sea.

“China considers Myanmar as its turf, and China is very sensitive of the U.S. and Japan making headway,” said Takuji Okubo, Tokyo-based chief economist at Japan Macro Advisors. “Myanmar could be another source of conflict.”

Waiving Debt

Japan plans to provide Myanmar with a 50-billion yen ($574 million) loan by the end of March and to continue with previously announced plans to waive debt that it is owed, according to three Japanese government officials, who asked not to be identified in line with procedures for such briefings.

Aso, who is also deputy prime minister, will visit tomorrow an economic zone south of Yangon, the former capital, that companies including Marubeni Corp. and Sumitomo Corp. (8053) may help to develop.

The U.S. is “deeply troubled” that the military is using aerial weapons in the region of Kachin, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said yesterday. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said that the government should “desist from any action that could endanger the lives of civilians” or intensify the conflict.

Democratic reforms since Thein Sein took power in 2011 prompted Western nations to ease sanctions and galvanized lawmakers to focus on economic growth after about five decades of military rule left Myanmar disconnected from the global financial system.

Foreign Investment

Direct foreign investment into the nation will have risen 40 percent to a record $3.99 billion last year, according to a forecast from the International Monetary Fund. Rich resources span gas, gems and possibly oil, the World Bank says.

The Asian Development Bank forecasts that Myanmar’s gross domestic product may expand 6.3 percent this year after an estimated 6 percent gain in 2012. The country has high potential for rapid growth and development given its natural resources, abundant labor force and strategic location between China and India, the ADB said in an August report.

“Myanmar could become one of the next rising stars in Asia if it can successfully leverage its rich endowments,” the development bank said.

Relations between Japan and China have been strained by a dispute over sovereignty of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea. China accounted for about half of the foreign investment Myanmar has attracted since 2008, according to the Central Statistical Organization, a government agency in Naypyidaw.

People’s Will

In 2011, Thein Sein halted work on the $3.6 billion Myitsone hydropower dam across the Irrawaddy River that was being built with China Power Investment Corp., saying the project was against the “will of the people.” China Power called the decision “bewildering” and said it would hold talks with the government to resume the project.

China National Petroleum Corp., China’s biggest energy producer, is building pipelines in Myanmar, and China Nonferrous Metals Co. is developing a nickel mine in the country.

“Myanmar has been a kind of protectorate of China, but Myanmar is currently seeking alternative sources of investment, given the excessive presence of China,” said Okubo, who formerly worked at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Societe Generale SA.

Aso had planned to visit the Southeast Asian nation before his ministerial appointment, as a member of the Japan-Myanmar Association, a group established to boost Japanese business opportunities. In November, Barack Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to go there.

Bank Ventures

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. said Dec. 28 it would ally with Myanmar’s Co-Operative Bank Ltd. to tap growing demand for financial services. Japan’s biggest lender joins Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. in forming tie-ups with local banks.

China today reported an increase in a services-industry gauge, adding to signs that the world’s second-biggest economy is rebounding after seven-quarter slowdown.

The non-manufacturing purchasing managers’ index was at 56.1 in December after a 55.6 reading the previous month, the National Bureau of Statistics and China Federation of Logistics & Purchasing said in Beijing today. A reading above 50 indicates expansion.

The U.S. will report mortgage applications and initial jobless claims today and the Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index is set to give the latest reading on sentiment in the world’s biggest economy.

New Delhi, Jan 3 (ANI): The 18th national level meeting between Myanmar and India was recently held here.

The Indian delegation was led by A.K Mangotra, Secretary, Border Management, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. The Myanmar delegation was led by Brig. General Kyaw Zan Myint, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Home Affairs, and Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.

Recalling the shared culture and traditionally close relationship between India and Myanmar, Mangotra expressed India’s commitment to strengthen the cooperation between the two countries to eliminate the nexus between the drug trade, arms smuggling and extremism/terrorism.

Mangotra sought Myanmar’s cooperation for co-ordinated patrolling along the Indo -Myanmar border and dismantling IIGs camps in Myanmar for peace and economic prosperity in the region.

Brig. General Myint reiterated the assurance that Myanmar would never allow insurgents and negative elements to use its own territory for activities inimical to its neighbour India

Both sides discussed and agreed to cooperate closely on issues like insurgent Groups along the border, arms Smuggling and drug trafficking, border management issues, Myanmar Fishermen in Aand N jails, illegal smuggling of wild life parts, inspection and verification of pillars.

Both sides also expressed satisfaction over opening of a third Border Liaison Office (BLO) between Changlang, India and Pangsau, Myanmar.

Both the leaders emphasized on nurturing BLOs to promote cooperation between law enforcement agencies of both the countries for peace and tranquility along the border. It was decided to open a fourth BLO in Nagaland sector between Ukhrul, Manipur, India and Somra, Myanmar.

Patrick Winn January 2, 2013 11:19

BANGKOK, Thailand — They can’t live like this forever.

Many of the 160,000 refugees evading conflict in eastern Myanmar inhabit a purgatory of thatch-roofed shanties across the river border in Thailand. Life in the United Nations-monitored camps is dreary and monotonous. There is just enough to eat and little to do but while away the years until their long-awaited homecoming.

But while they yearn to return, many in the camps now fear they will be forced back too soon. As Myanmar’s government attempts to remake its tarnished image anew, authorities are shaping plans to bring back the families that fled state-sanctioned abuses: the forced labor, land grabs and village raids that lent the nation formerly titled Burma its infamy.

Many refugee groups contend that their homeland in eastern Myanmar — namely a hilly expanse called Karen State — is little changed from before. Myanmar’s army still dominates the terrain. Land mines, planted by the army as well as ethnic guerrilla resistance forces, have yet to be cleared. And many returnees who fled in the 1990s could find that their villages have been transformed into plantations run by government allies.

“There has been no discussion about land mines. There has been no agreement on the removal of military bases,” said Neddu, a refugee representing the Karenni National Women’s Organization. “This is still the situation on the ground. Before repatriation begins, the refugees want to see that the situation in Burma has improved.”

To some degree, along the Thai-Myanmar border at least, it has. All-out combat between the region’s varied guerrilla factions, of which the well-armed Karen National Liberation Army is the largest, is currently paused by ceasefires.

The cease-fires have prompted Myanmar’s government to start drawing up repatriation plans. A government map tentatively siting 13 camps for returnees has leaked through the United Nations and has been publicized by Burma Partnership, a Thailand-based network promoting human rights in Myanmar.

“The government explained that these townships are places that will be developed to assist communities of return,” said Iain Hall, a senior coordinator with the United Nations Refugee Agency. Whether the camps might serve as temporary shelters for returnees — or more permanent camps used to corral and monitor refugees — is unclear.

The United Nations Refugee Agency (also known as the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees or UNHCR) has contested rumors that its officials are somehow colluding with Myanmar’s government to steer refugees towards these sites.

“It’s a hot burning question that we’ve faced a lot of flak about,” Hall said. “The UNHCR is not ready to promote return. The conditions are not yet ready for return.”

For Myanmar’s government, this is a high stakes game. Shuttling refugees into camps monitored by the same army that has long terrified eastern Myanmar’s inhabitants would only cement its reputation for abuse. But withdrawing troops would relinquish its grip on territory marked for state-backed factories and industrial farms.

“Many still hope to reclaim their confiscated lands,” said Aue Mon, a refugee with the Human Rights Foundation of Monland, which represents the Mon ethnic group. “Many of them were rubber plantation owners 20 years ago, 15 years ago, and they had to leave their homes. They have big hopes of reclaiming these lands.”

Myanmar’s government has posited repatriation as a chance for returnees to prosper. Aung Min, a Myanmar government minister overseeing these arrangements, recently told the Irrawaddy news outlet that returnees would be offered food, shelter and job opportunities at planned industrial zones. “For those who want to work as farmers,” he said, “we will provide equipment.”

But any government misstep in this process is apt to receive heavy scrutiny. For ethnic minorities native to war-torn jungles, these groups are remarkably connected and media savvy.

The camps, supported by a range of international aid groups, have produced an educated, English-speaking class steeped in revolutionary theory, international law and international advocacy. Most take the position that repatriation must take place on their terms. Their set of demands typically includes returnees’ right to settle where they choose, land-mine clearance and total military withdrawal.

Many also want an apology from a government that is not accustomed to admitting wrongdoing. “Those who’ve seen abuses — forced, labor, sexual violence, killing and extortion — these people have big hopes of receiving acknowledgement from their perpetrators,” Aue Mon said.

For now, the cease-fire agreements are flailing over refugees’ and armed factions’ principal stipulation: a dismantling of Myanmar army bases overseeing the region and the removal of government battalions.

“Even after the ceasefire agreements, the soldiers go out everywhere, even after dark,” Neddu said. “This causes fear. They still force the villagers to cut woods, repair buildings and build facilities.”

Full military withdrawal is, for now, a long shot. For decades, Myanmar’s army has acted as security for government-blessed projects — ranging from plantations to dams to mines — that wish to set up shop in ethnic minority zones with or without local consent. These business interests are unlikely to carry on without government protection from local guerrilla factions, which either demand payoffs or threaten to block outsiders with force.

While refugees, armed factions and Myanmar’s government struggle to find compromise, the Thai government is eyeing the clock.

In September, Thailand’s National Security Council stated that the repatriation of refugees back into Myanmar will begin in 2013. As camps are shut down, construction is set to begin in state-sponsored industrial zones planned for still-unruly swaths of eastern Myanmar.

“They say, ‘Please come and invest. Our country is ready, our people are yearning for investments,’” said Soe Aung, a deputy secretary with the Forum for Democracy in Burma, an activist coalition skeptical of the government.

“What we need to see in our country are reforms … which guarantee the rights and well being of people,” Soe Aung said. “Not the cronies.”

Burma’s pro-democracy campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi recognised Britain’s support for her release after 15 years under house arrest on a recent visit in which she addressed parliament and a private gathering hosted by the British Council. Public Servant’s Zahid Mahmood was one of 100 guests

A successful and growing Burma can be achieved through three clear notions, “education, democracy and youth”, Aung San Suu Kyi told her audience in the Gladstone Library at One Whitehall Place.

Creating a democratic culture was about “educational, cultural and political” systems working together to make a difference, and to that end she called on individuals and international organisations to support Burma in its time of need. History was in the making.

Elections in April gave Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy party a mandate and a parliamentary platform on which to build, but she has warned against a “reckless optimism”. The army still nominates 25 per cent of Burma’s parliamentary seats. As she took her place as an elected politician for the first time in July she could reflect on the journey and sacrifices made – and the extent of the task ahead for Burma after almost 50 years of isolation.

Softly spoken and humble in all manners, her sheer determination and relentless energy for democratic freedom is beyond inspiring, and as she calmly spoke of Burma’s future, her mood was contagious.

The question posed on the British Council’s invitation was straightforward: how best can civil society nurture a democratic culture? To summarise Suu Kyi’s thoughts – education is the key to the foundations of society and hence a democratic culture.

Commitment to improving education standards was a constant theme on her four-day visit to Britain and she delved back into her childhood for a Burmese story by way of illustration. The story goes, a man had learnt from a pelican how to catch objects in his mouth and became famous with his tricks, catching swords and daggers, but he steadfastly refused to let anyone in on how he had acquired his amazing skills. The man died, with a dagger in his throat – the stunt had gone wrong.

The tale’s moral was simple – “life is a lesson” and “everything is learnt”. Suu Kyi believed that we should learn to use what we already had and share our skills with others, to extend the benefits. There were dire consequences in failing to look outward. Democracy, it was clear to her, was part of the process of learning.

“It is in education in particular that I hope the British can play a major role,” said the Nobel Peace laureate. “We need short-term results, so that our people may see that democratisation has a tangible, positive impact on their lives.”

“Education was about meeting the challenges of life,” and it was crucial for us as individuals to continue to ask questions. British Council chief executive Martin Davidson said that an increase in educational funding in Burma would be crucial both for the development of Burma and also for the wider East Asia region. He pledged support for teacher training within private and state funded schools. Support for a strong civil society would lead to a good democratic future for the country.

It was “good to preserve one’s culture” in the right context, she said, and while the people of Burma had to make their own future, at the same time they also needed outside help and influence. The British Council’s support was highly valued.

Young people were vital to the change process, a powerful lobbying tool – just consider what had been achieved in Egypt. When asked whether the youth of Burma were politically active, she laughed and said: “Yes, they are very active…well, since January anyway”. Their activism had followed her release.

She recalled seeing a two-year-old at one of her rallies. The child had remained quiet and engaged during the whole event. Why was that? she wondered, before offering her own answer: “Because the atmosphere was filled with change.”

As a British Council Global Changemaker, I was among five young people to have the privilege of meeting Suu Kyi, to briefly share my personal experiences and views on the role of youth development in bringing about social change within a cultural setting.

As she approached our table, I greeted her and introduced myself. “Aha, a Global Changemaker,” she said. “What are you going to change?” “The world,” I said.

It is both a simplistic statement and a towering task, but as I left our Whitehall gathering, her famous phrase “Every thought, every word and every action that adds to the positive and the wholesome, is a contribution to peace” made it sound more achievable.

TOKYO, Jan 3 (KUNA) — Japanese Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Taro Aso told Myanmar President Thein Sein on Thursday that Tokyo will provide a fresh JPY 50 billion (USD 574 million) in low-interest loans by March after writing off Myanmar’s overdue debt totaling some JPY 500 billion (5.7 billion) by the end of January, Japan’s Kyodo News Agency reported from Naypyitaw. During their talks in the Southeast Asian nation’s capital, Aso also gave assurances that Japan will give its full support to Myanmar’s efforts to put it back on the road to genuine democracy, Kyodo quoted Japanese officials as saying.

“Japan wants to maintain sound relations with Myanmar even if there was a change of its government,” Aso said at a news conference in Naypyitaw. “Myanmar has been heavily in debt and unable to attract investment. Japan will remove those obstacles and support the country.” It is the first time that Japan has specified the timing of resuming its yen loans to Myanmar. Tokyo had said it will write off Myanmar’s overdue JPY 500 billion (5.7 billion) debt in January and provide a fresh JPY 50 billion (USD 574 million) under concessionary terms to Myanmar early this year. The lending, if implemented, will be Japan’s first to Myanmar in 26 years. It is expected to include JPY 20 billion (USD 230 million) for improving the infrastructure of an industrial park and JPY 19 billion (USD 218 million) for upgrading an existing thermal power plant, according to the report.

Aso became the first Cabinet member to travel abroad since the inauguration of the government of new Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe last week. During the meeting, Thein Sein welcomed Aso’s role in the new Japanese Cabinet and expressed hope for Japan’s continued support for Myanmar. He also thanked Japan for deciding to resume financial assistance, saying Tokyo’s aid policy toward Myanmar affected those of European nations and the US.

1,000 Myanmar websites defaced by Blink Hacker Group Enlarge picture – 1,000 Myanmar websites defaced by Blink Hacker Group

A collective calling itself the Blink Hacker Group has breached and defaced a number of 1,000 websites apparently belonging to organizations from Myanmar (Burma).

There doesn’t appear to be any specific reason for which the sites have been defaced. The only message that the hackers left on the defaced websites is “Happy New Year to all Myanmar web developers.”

The defacement page has been removed from the affected websites, but some of them are blocked by antivirus solutions because they apparently try to push a Trojan.

It’s uncertain if the Blink Hacker Group has set them up to serve malware or if other malicious entity has taken the opportunity to distribute Trojans. In any case, visitors of these sites might have infected their computers if their security solutions weren’t up and running.

BANGKOK: Thailand has deported dozens of Rohingya boat people back to Myanmar, an official said yesterday, despite a UN appeal to accept members of the Muslim minority fleeing sectarian bloodshed.

The 73 Rohingya, including 15 women, were sent back across the border on Wednesday after landing on the southern island of Phuket, said Ditthaporn Sasasmit, a spokesman for the kingdom’s Internal Security Operation Command.

“The waves were high and it might have been dangerous to go further, so Thailand allowed them to come into the country and detained them as illegal immigrants,” he said.

“Phuket immigration police sent them back overland via Ranong, where there is a border checkpoint.”

The UN refugee agency has called on Myanmar’s neighbours to open their borders to people fleeing a wave of communal violence in the western Myanmar state of Rakhine.

Clashes between Buddhists and Muslims have left at least 180 people dead in Rakhine since June, and displaced more than 110,000 others, mostly Rohingya.

Myanmar views the roughly 800,000 Rohingya in Rakhine as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and denies them citizenship.

Although the tensions have eased since a new outbreak of killings in October, concerns have grown about the fate of asylum-seekers setting sail in overcrowded boats.

In a statement, New York-based Human Rights Watch urged Thailand to “scrap its inhumane policy of summarily deporting Rohingya, who have been brutally persecuted in Burma (Myanmar), and honour their right to seek asylum”.

The group said some deported Rohingya were falling into the hands of people smugglers waiting for them at the Thai-Myanmar border to demand large sums of money to transport them to Malaysia.

“Those unable to pay the smuggling fees are forced into labour to pay off the fees, condemning them to situations amounting to human trafficking,” it said.

Rohingya have for years trickled abroad to neighbouring Bangladesh and, increasingly, to Muslim-majority Malaysia. They sometimes land in Thailand, which has been criticised in the past for pushing Rohingya back out to sea.

About 500 Myanmar boat people swam to shore in Malaysia at the weekend after a 15-day sea journey, according to police there. Another died after being hit by a boat propeller when he jumped into the sea.

By ZARNI MANN / THE IRRAWADDY| January 3, 2013 |

RANGOON—Leaders of a prominent armed group have called on Burma’s nominally civilian government to unconditionally release all remaining political prisoners, including their comrades.

“To build trust with opposition groups and to go forward with the peace and reconciliation process, it’s important to release political prisoners,” Than Kae, a spokesman for the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF) told reporters in Rangoon on Thursday.

Than Kae said that after submitting a list of political prisoners to government officials during earlier peace negotiations, 10 prisoners were released.

“However, 24 of us remain in the prisons, with over 80 years of prison sentences,” he said. “And there are many people from different opposition groups and armed groups who aren’t even named as political prisoners [but are in jail].”

Nine ABSDF representatives are on a two-week visit to Burma which will also include a stop in the capital, Naypyidaw.

In Rangoon, Burma’s biggest city, the delegation met with Tin Oo, a patron of opposition leader of Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party, along with ethnic Shan, Arakan and Mon leaders from the United Nationalities Alliance.

The delegation also met with activists from the 88 Generation Students group.

“We will work together for development and reform in the country,” Than Kae said.

ABSDF was formed in November 1988, shortly after a series of national pro-democracy demonstrations, when student activists fled to border areas to fight against the military regime.

The group continued to oppose the country’s former military dictators for two decades, and its members today are based on both sides of the borders with Thailand, India and China.

The ABSDF delegation in Rangoon said their trip to Burma was the result of a meeting in November with the government’s chief peace negotiator, Minister Aung Min of the President’s Office, in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

The group said their participation in the peace talks showed they were willing to have political conversations rather than resorting to armed conflict.

“While there’s a civil war in Kachin State, we are here talking for peace,” said Than Kae, referring to the conflict between ethnic minority rebels and the government army in Burma’s northernmost state. Some ABSDF members have allied with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) there.

“The country is in a very difficult situation,” Than Kae added. “We just want to have a nationwide ceasefire and peace, but for that we cannot work alone. The most responsible party is the government itself.”

President Thein Sein’s nominally civilian government has signed ceasefire agreements with more than 10 ethnic rebel groups and continues to hold peace talks with them.

However, clashes continue with some armed groups, especially in Kachin State, where fighting has escalated since a 17-year ceasefire broke down in June 2011.

By NANG SAI NOM / THE IRRAWADDY| January 3, 2013 |

RANGOON—Authorities in Burma’s commercial capital Rangoon have begun cutting power supply to the city’s industrial zones for seven hours per day, a zone manager said. The outages are set to worsen and affect residents during the coming dry season, when Rangoon’s chronic electricity shortages become particularly pressing.

Myat Thin Aung, chairman of Hlaing Thar Yar Industrial Zone, said on Wednesday that his zone had been informed that daily power cuts would commence on Jan 1.

Yangon Electricity Supply Board (YESB) publicly announced the outages this week, he said, adding that the industries were warned that “electricity will be cut for seven hours from 4 pm to 11 pm.”

YESB Chairman Aung Khaing had announced “that power cuts to industries were being implemented in order to be able to provide power to the public in the dry season,” according to Myat Thin Aung.

Rangoon business would suffer under the cuts, the zone manager said, but he added that as factories were given due notice they could prepare their diesel generators ahead of the outages. Cold-storage industries, bakery businesses and plastics factories would be most affected by the planned outages, he said

Up until now power supply in Rangoon had been good, according to Myat Thin Aung. “We have been provided with 24 hours of electricity this rainy season. It is better than before. In the past, you would never know whether the power would be supplied or cut,” he said.

The manager warned nonetheless, that providing continuous power would be instrumental in attracting foreign business investment in Burma’s industrial zones.

With the dry season nearing, the concerns over power outages are now also growing among Rangoon’s citizens.

A Kyauk Myaung Township resident, who preferred not to be named, said, “I hope the 24-hour power distribution will continue as in recent months.” But in the dry season, we used to be provided with limited power supply in the past,” she added. “We cannot do anything if the power is cut in Rangoon.”

Last month, YESB warned that shortages were again likely during the coming hot season, when water levels in hydropower stations drop due to droughts and power output of the stations fall sharply.

During the last hot season, in the months of April, May and June, frequent power shortages led to large-scale protests in Rangoon and Mandalay.

About 70 percent of Burma’s current energy supply comes from hydropower and 30 percent comes from coal, but production is far below the needs of the country.

Only a quarter of all Burmese have access to mains grid power and Rangoon alone needs an estimated US $237 million for infrastructure refurbishment and expansion work for the 2013-2016 period, according to the Asian Development Bank.

By LALIT K JHA / THE IRRAWADDY| January 3, 2013 |

Burma’s human rights record is likely to figure prominently as US lawmakers consider whether to lift sanctions on the country, according to a new congressional report prepared ahead of the 113th Congress, which begins on Thursday.

“The continued detention of political prisoners in Burma—as well as the state of human rights in general—are likely to figure prominently in congressional consideration of US policy towards Burma,” said the report, by the Congressional Research Service (CRS).

An independent and bipartisan wing of the US Congress, the CRS prepares periodic reports on issues of interest to US lawmakers so that they can make informed decisions. Prepared by eminent experts in various fields, CRS reports are not made public.

“In the coming months, Congress may decide to examine the status of the implementation of existing US sanctions on Burma. It may also assess the political prisoner issue, either in isolation or as part of a broader consideration of human rights in Burma,” said the CRS report authored by Michael F Martin, a specialist in Asian affairs.

“Congress may take up legislation to amend or alter US sanctions on Burma, depending on the evolving conditions in the country. In addition, the Obama administration may ask Congress for additional funding for humanitarian programs in Burma to address the serious humanitarian needs of Burma’s internally displaced people (IDPs), refugees, and other vulnerable population,” said the report, a copy of which was obtained by The Irrawaddy.

Noting that the existing US sanctions on Burma are based on several laws specifically focused on the country, as well as other laws that sanction nations that fail to comply with US standards of conduct related to specific issues, the CRS said the changing political situation in Burma may warrant congressional consideration of whether alteration or removal of sanctions should be considered under current law.

“Similarly, the president has the authority—which he has used several times—to waive or suspend some of the existing sanctions on Burma if he determines that the necessary conditions have been met. If the president were to once again exercise this executive authority, Congress may choose to review the president’s determination,” it said.

Congress may also choose to monitor and evaluate the Obama administration’s efforts to address the political prisoner and human rights situation in Burma, the CRS report added.

Stating that US officials have consistently called for the release of all political prisoners in Burma, the CRS said the State Department is in talks with the Burmese government, as well as with National League for Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other opposition parties, on this issue.

“The discussions with the Burmese government are being led by Ambassador [Derek] Mitchell and Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Michael Posner. The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor has compiled and continues to update a list of all known political prisoners in Burma based on non-government organization (NGO) and government sources, which forms the basis of the State Department’s ongoing engagement with the government of Burma on political prisoners,” the CRS report said.

Burma’s detention of political prisoners was a major reason for the United States to impose sanctions on the country, the report said. The Customs and Trade Act of 1990, which required the president to impose “such economic sanctions upon Burma as the president determines appropriate,” was passed after Burma’s ruling military junta refused to honor the results of May 1990 parliamentary elections and detained Suu Kyi and many other opposition leaders.

Similarly, the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003 (BFDA) was passed after the regime cracked down on opposition parties, and once again detained Suu Kyi and other opposition leaders. The Tom Lantos Block Burmese JADE (Junta’s Anti-Democratic Efforts) Act of 2008 was passed after the violent suppression of Buddhist monk-led protests in 2007 and the subsequent arrest and imprisonment of many of the protest leaders.

The CRS informed lawmakers that while Burmese President Thein Sein has been granting pardons and amnesties for some political prisoners in Burma, the government reportedly continues to arrest and detain new political prisoners for alleged illegal activities.

Thursday, 03 January 2013 12:50 Hin Tha Ni

The United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) issued a statement on January 1 calling for the Burmese government to order a halt to the Burmese army’s military offensive against the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).

Likewise, an alliance of 11 Kachin NGOs and groups issued a similar joint statement on December 31 calling for an end to airstrikes on KIA positions and to instead pursue political dialogue with the Kachin army.

The UNFC statement said, “[Successive Burmese governments] have tried to solve their problems with the ethnic minorities by military means alone for many years. These problems cannot be solved as such; consequently the country has fallen ‘behind the times’ and the people are suffering as a result. However, the government fails to learn lessons from its mistakes of the past and continues with its military strategy—a very silly action.”

The UNFC alliance, which is formed of Karen, Kachin, Karenni, Mon and other ethnic armies, warned the central government that if it continues with its military offensive, then it will bear the consequences.

Moon Nay Li, a spokesperson for the Kachin Women’s Association Thailand (KWAT), said that the eleven Kachin groups which signed the joint statement believe that the conflict in Kachin State can be solved peacefully through political dialogue.

“The situation is very insecure for the refugees,” she told Mizzima. “The Burmese forces have carried out a major military offensive while peace talks are ongoing. This creates obstacles for the peacemaking process in Burma.”

According to Moon Nay Li, there are about 25,000 war refugees in the Laja Yang area and about 20,000 refugees in Laiza.

She said that at least 500 new refugees recently arrived in Kutkai in northern Shan State where they were in desperate need of foods, blankets, warm clothes, medicines and other supplies.

The winter period can see sub-zero temperatures in the mountainous regions where many of the refugees are sheltering in makeshift tents. The KWAT spokeswoman said that children and the elderly were especially susceptible to disease at this time of year.

Peace negotiations were held between a government delegation led by Minister Aung Min and KIO representatives on October 20 when both sides agreed to resolve issues through political dialogue. The commitment was reconfirmed at a similar meeting on November 9.

The education sector in Burma is badly in need of funds; the country’s telecommunications infrastructure is one of the poorest in the world. But the two markets are being married in Burma through a new project initiated by Swedish mobile phone giant Ericsson.

The Connect To Learn education initiative, which uses mobile broadband technology to connect classrooms, aims to allow both teachers and students access to up-to-date information to assist with their education.

“Myanmar is one of the countries least touched by the mobile revolution and the possibilities for development are amazing,” said Ericsson’s Vice President of Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility, Elaine Weidman-Grunewald, speaking to Mizzima’s sister publication, M-ZINE+, in Rangoon recently.

“We’re actively looking at the business opportunities and hope that a year from now we will have a Connect To Learn project running in a school and we can start to look at how we can impact on education,” she said.

Headmaster Myo Nyunt said his Rangoon school wants to be part of Burma’s ICT revolution. “Everyone in the world wants to have access to information,” he said. “We want Internet.”

Connect To Learn is a partnership between the Earth Institute at Colombia University, an NGO called Millennium Promise and Ericsson. On the ground, Ericsson works in collaboration with local operators and NGOs to implement the initiative, which is now active in 11 countries, including Ghana, Uganda and Kenya.

“We go where we find the interest because we work in partnership with our customers—the mobile operators,” Weidman-Grunewald told M-ZINE+.

“We can provide the access and certain technical capabilities, but we want to work with the operators to give discounted or in some cases free bandwidth for a couple of years until we get this initiative to take off,” she said.

Burma’s telecommunications sector is currently controlled by a single operator: the government-owned Myanmar Post and Telecommunications, which enjoys a monopoly on mobile and fixed-line services.

But as part of the government’s “road map” to telecommunications sector reforms, it’s tipped that four licenses will soon be created and foreign operators will have the opportunity to finally enter what is potentially one of the country’s most lucrative industries.

Thursday, 03 January 2013 11:42 Khin Myo Thwe

The saltwater tiger prawn industry in Burma needs to upgrade from traditional breeding methods to a more scientific approach, says several leading breeders and businesspeople.

“Between five and seven tons of prawns are produced per acre in Thailand using scientific breeding methods,” said Tun Aye, from the Shwe Yamon Manufacturing Company, which exports prawns to Japan. “Burmese firms need to set up laboratories and the farms need to set up paddlewheels which operate 24 hours a day.

“The industry immediately requires some 40 to 50 prawn breeding farms,” he said. “There are nearly 200 tiger prawn farms in Thailand.”

The demand for tiger prawns has risen markedly among the middle classes of neighboring countries, especially China and India, in recent years.

“We are still using the old traditional breeding methods,” said prawn breeder Myint Thein from Laputta in the Irrawaddy Delta. “When the sea level comes up, we block the pond to breed. In places like Rakhine State and the Delta, it is difficult to upgrade the ponds to accommodate modern methods. But we must consider it, because production is decreasing instead of increasing.”

The export price for saltwater tiger prawns from Burma is currently US $10 to $15 per kilo.

Four Burmese gold mine workers, who were arrested while leading a march to Naypidaw in November, were sentenced to six months imprisonment at a Pegu court on Thursday for protesting without permission and instigating public unrest.

The four men were protesting the government’s decision to close the small Moehti Moemi gold mine in central Burma to make way for a major conglomerate, the Myanmar National Prosperity Public Company Limited (NPPCL), which rendered them jobless.

The men, identified as Ye Yint Htun, Naing Win, Nay Aung Htet and Saw Naung, were arrested by police on 23 November 2012 in a small town near Naypidaw, along with forty other miners.

They were then charged for protesting without permission under article-18 of Burma’s controversial 2011 law on peaceful assembly and procession, and article 505(b) of the country’s draconian penal code for sedition.

“They were fined 10,000 (USD$12) Kyat and given six months imprisonment each under the [sedition charge],” said Ei Mon Kyaw, wife of one of the protestors.

But according to Ei Mon Kyaw, the workers were first coerced into abandoning their dispute with the mining company.

She said that representatives for the four men had met with the NPPCL and Burma’s Mining Ministry on Wednesday, where they were asked to sign an agreement to abandon the dispute in exchange for their freedom. The next day they were jailed.

“The company representatives said they would do the best they can to get the four released. So we were very hopeful that they would be freed soon, but then it turned out today that they have been given six months each,” she said.

Employees from the Moehti Moemi gold mine had staged a series of peaceful protests throughout the summer after the Ministry of Mining ordered the closure of their workplace. Several earlier rounds of negotiations with the NPPCL and the government had failed to reach a resolution.

Today’s sentence is the latest in a string of government attacks on peaceful protestors.

In November, the Burmese government attracted widespread criticism for its brutal crackdown on peaceful protestors near the Chinese-backed Latpaudang copper mine in Monywa, which resulted in over 80 monks being severely burnt. A number of activists in Monywa and Rangoon were later arrested for protesting the assault.

The four men are planning to appeal today’s sentence.

A group of leaders from the Karen National Union (KNU) left for Naypidaw on Thursday for a two-day meeting with President Thein Sein, where they say they will press the government on the escalating Kachin conflict.

The KNU delegation, led by its new chairman, General Mutu Say Poe, was personally invited by President Thein Sein, who is keen to meet the organisation’s newly appointed leadership. Although it is not a formal peace meeting, the organisation has pledged to raise deep-rooted ethnic disputes, including the ongoing crisis in Northern Burma.

“We will raise an issue regarding military offensives – especially the one in Kachin State being stepped up – and we will also discuss how to facilitate a meaningful peace process and political dialogue,” said joint-secretary-2 Mahn Mahn, who is travelling with the delegation.

He is accompanied by the organisation’s new secretary-general Saw Kwe Htoo Win and central executive committee members Mahn Nyein Maung and Saw Hla Htun. DVB understands that vice-chairwoman Zipporah Sein is unwell and therefore did not travel with them.

At its recent congress, the KNU elected a number of new leaders, including Mutu Say Poe, who analysts have described as a pragmatist interested in closer collaboration with Naypidaw. Mutu Say Poe’s appointment came less than three months after he was infamously ousted from the party for opening an unauthorised liaison office in Hpa-an with the government.

Sources in the KNU say that the organisation is still split over how to approach peace negotiations with the government and his appointment has raised fresh concern among the grassroots.

“Some worry that the new leadership might move too quickly,” K’nyaw Paw from the Karen Women’s Organisation told DVB. “It worries people on the ground because even though the Burmese government is talking about peace, they haven’t really committed themselves. Many people at the community level don’t really trust that the government is committed to lasting peace.”

Many are concerned that the government wants to exploit disagreements within the party leadership by forging closer relationships with Mutu Say Poe and his allies. The KNU reportedly agreed on a step-by-step peace plan at last year’s congress, but it will still need to be executed by its new leadership.

“We worry that the Burmese government is always trying to persuade the leaders to move quickly,” adds K’nyaw Paw. “Like now, President Thein Sein is already inviting the leaders to meet with him, so we worry that they are not sincere.”

“On the one hand they are intensely attacking the Kachin people, but on the other hand they want to show that their peace process is working by having a good relationship with the Karen people.”

The KNU is one of the oldest ethnic armed groups in Burma and has fought the government for self-determination for over 60 years. In January last year, the group signed a historic ceasefire agreement with Naypidaw, but the region continues to be deeply volatile, with reports of intermittent clashes and ongoing human rights violations.