06/29/12
By Guest Blog


A house in the Arakan capital of Sittwe is engulfed by flames during the recent violence.

Editor’s Note: Below the author shares her experience, observations and opinion regarding the outbreak of violence in Burma’s Arakan State (also called Rakhine State). The recent fighting has cost the lives of dozens of people and forced tens of thousands to flee.

By Sandi Aung

Recent images of fighting in Burma’s Arakan State, the home of my ancestors, has deeply saddened me. I am struck by the loss of life, the violence and the livelihoods destroyed. But, I am also disturbed by how little the social and economic conditions have changed.

I still remember the faces of people, like the Rakhine and Rohingya, that surrounded me when I was 5 years old living in the state and, later, when I returned to visit as a college student. The conditions captured in the recent images—the boats, villages, buildings and streets — sadly, look the same as when I was there more than 20 years ago.

While growing up in Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State, I remember going to the neighborhood market with my grandmother and buying grocery items from both Rakhine and Rohingya merchants. The Rohingya were around me in my daily life, serving as hired hands for businesses, selling fish and vegetables at the market and selling snacks and traditional medicines. I would see Rohingya women walking down the streets wearing longyi (traditional woman’s wear in Burma) with scarves around their necks and faces representing their Muslim faith.

As a child, I was always told that Muslims, the Rohingya, were immigrants from Bangladesh. Isolated incidents of violence between individuals from both sides would happen from time to time — sometimes escalating into riots. Growing up, I was indifferent to the problem.

I had a chance to visit Bangladesh back in the early 2000s, and met some Rohingya women who were living outside of camps (I wasn’t able to visit the camps themselves) in utter poverty. They could barely speak Bengali or other tribal dialects used in Bangladesh. Their stories were shared through the hard-work of translation:

left with several children because husband never came back (not knowing what had happened to him), making a living by breaking big cement pieces at the construction sites, selling vegetables or selling any creatures that can be dug out from the mud, to feed themselves.

They said they wanted to go home, pointing toward Arakan state.

I thought to myself that, if they had indeed just crossed the border to live in Arakan state, shouldn’t they be feeling comfortable because they were back at home, safe and sound in a Muslim community? Why go back to the territory dominated by Buddhists who have discriminated against them for centuries?

Differences along ethnic and racial lines are common across the world, but it is wrong and unacceptable for people to use these differences as justification for killing, looting, and other forms of abuses. Even worse, is tolerating such behaviors for years.

So what spurred the recent outbreak of violence?

To me, it was a perfect storm in the making for years — the absence of the rule of law, the lack of civic education and severely limited economic opportunities. All of this has been coupled with the strain of living under a repressive regime for decades. While I appreciate the international community’s concerns, I don’t welcome finger-pointing or blaming one group over another. Yes, individuals from both sides who committed the crimes should be brought to justice. But, labeling the crisis as “Buddhists” vs. “Muslims” or “Rakhine” vs. “Rohingya” simply exacerbates the divide. The leaders of both sides, with access to international media, have called out loudly for their own causes. They are sitting in their comfortable homes while ordinary people were out on the streets fleeing from violence, possibly triggered by their words.

It’s time for everyone to take a step back. It’s too bad that we have left this wound unhealed for this long and what a shame for a country known to have fought so hard for democracy! But, here is a chance: let’s show the international community that we belong to a democratic world by treating everyone with respect regardless of their ethnicity, color, religion or legal status. Let’s keep the debate in the peaceful forums represented by all parties through a democratic process and by keeping an open mind.

Yes, it will be a difficult emotional process for all of us, but it’s the right thing to do and necessary for the country to move forward.

Sandi is a native of Burma and a graduate of University of Yangon and University of Notre Dame. She is an educator and currently lives in Conway, Arkansas.

The President of Myanmar U Thein Sein is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on July 15 on a three-day visit to forge cooperation in a wide range of areas of trade, border management and security aspects, a senior official in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said.

By Kanbawza Win

Meticulously planned by the hardliners of the quasi civilian government of Burma has successfully produced a sectarian violence between the Muslim and the Buddhist communities in Western Burma of Arakan State.

At the time of this writing the official figure shows more than 50 person were killed and thousands have been homeless, but the real figure will be as usual much higher. It is still very fragile

The Target

Their main aim is to:-

(1) Revitalise the importance of military and that in time of crisis only the military is reliable and capable to protect the people from violence and lawlessness and that NLD led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi cannot do anything in time of crisis like this and this point has driven home.

(2) The government is very worried about the support commanded by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi at home and in her trip to Thailand which discredited the military and now in her trip to Europe want to discredit her by forcing her into a position where she has to make a pro-Rohingya public statement that could damage her popularity among Burma's Buddhists, where anti-Muslim sentiment runs high or on the other hand, if she remains silent she will disappoint those who support her firm stand on human rights. i.e. she is damned if she does and damned if she doesn't and put her in a very difficult situation, which could seriously damage her reputation and erode much of her popularity. In this respect they miserably failed because she was wise and target the absence of law and order (the current administration claims to be the ancestors of State Law and Order Restoration Council ) and internationally her popularity increase instead of being diminished.

(3) The government wants to lure the pro-democracy movements, particularly the exiled Burmese media and the 8888 generation leaders which are very influential, appeal to the resourceful Burmese Diaspora community and the other ethnic nationalities who agree with them that Rohingya is not from Burma and does not belong to the recognized ethnic nationalities of Burma. In this aspect it is partially successful as most of them like Ko Ko Gyi falls into their trap.

(4) To divert the attention from its prolong military offensive against the Kachin where more than half of the military strength has to be used and over 300,000 Kachin have become refugees while the military losses were substantial running into thousands.

(5) The Generals have successfully implement the policy of , “Let the minority fights the minority” a sort of a divide and rule strategy, where the soldiers came out as a victor.

Implementation

This was meticulously plan including the evil genius Than Shwe, who paints the picture that he was on his dead bed but actually is very active and slyly stay out of sight. He is very allergic to the name of Aung San Suu Kyi and at the same time want to divert the country's attention from his gross human rights violations and ethnic cleansing policy now going on with might and main in Kachin State.

The best way is sectarian violence and earlier Burmese Chinese incident sprang up in Mandalay but he knew the potential of the China and its influence and quickly squashed it. Now he found the scapegoat in Kalar a Burmese degrading term for the darker complexion of Indian origin. The Burmese saying of not being able to conquer Kalar beat up the Rakhine was skillfully turned into being unable to tackle the Chinese turned on to Kalar by giving authority to Aung Thoung who have now taken up a new influential position of one of Secretaries of USDP, the ruling party. Aung Thoung planned the secondDepaeyin Incident by going back to his native village WetLaung village near Kyaukse, in middle Burma and recruited all the bad hats, cut throats and after lavishing them with money and much needed resources transport them to Taunggoke. In the meantime Na Sa Ka via immigration has recruited one bad Rohingya, name Shaun Shou (aka Htet Htet or Phyo Zayyar Kyaw) by giving him some cash and Burmese citizen card, he in turned organise Marme (aka Yaw Pi or Hla Win) and Lu lu (aka Myint Swe, or Wushee) to go after a girl Thida who is quite flirt and to have sex with her,. The end result was a rape case but they did not rob the girl of her belonging. The next day it was highlighted in the media including the state control media. (1) How can the media be made known in minutes from such a remote area where there is no electricity if it is not pre arrange?

Then the Muslim pilgrims returning home were killed by a lynch mob, but my research indicates that it was not the mob but the bad hats and cut throats transported from Wetloung village by Aung Thoung. So the question is (2) Only the security persons at the check gate knew who were the people inside the car, they give word to these bad hats which explicitly means they were conniving. (3) The killing of these Muslim passengers were done in the vicinity of the town and yet none of the security intervene, Why. The confidential report which I got is that some of the dark skin security personals were torching the Buddhist villagers posing themselves to be Rohingya while some light skin torch the Muslim villagers as if they were Arakanese Buddhist youths. In some cased police were seen acting alongside Arakanese in torching homes of Muslims, while several reports have emerged of police opening fire on crowds of Muslims.

The end result of this orchestrated events led to sectarian violence and got out of hand resulting hundred killed (official figure put it as 50 plus) and thousands of home burned. But many people with enough brains suspected this set up and finally the accomplice Shaun Shou was silence in the custody and declared that he committed suicide. (4) How can a person commit suicide when his is in the custody of the security authorities?

Epilogue

In a place where the atomization of society on the laissez-faire economic held together solely by an economic nexus and had no social or cultural ties it became problematic. The ruling generals have effectively exploited it for their own agendas. By killing each other, the people themselves become the ultimate losers. It is the military that ends up as the clear winner. The government's initial passivity in enforcing law and order in Arakan state has led the public to demand decisive military intervention.

The longer the conflict goes on, the more likely it is that the army will emerge as the indispensible defender and savior of "national security." The timing of the conflict clearly benefits the rulers to coincide with Daw Aung San Suu Ky’s European tour in 24 years and the government's proxies painted that that she's promoting herself and her personal popularity while her people suffer back at home. Obviously they would be quite happy to see her on a perpetual world tour and media circus to keep the world's attention away from their wars against the "ethnic" nationalities, their rapes, murders, looting and atrocities against the population. Now the rapacious "developers" of EU led by Myanmar Egress and US led by Cheveron are smacking their lips to join in the rape of the human and natural resources of the country.

The Rohingya problem has to be decided by the people of Arakan and the government where humanitarian concern must be considered. Recognizing them as citizens who have been living in the country for more than centuries will have no problem at all but the individual verification will be problematic considering the rampant corruption among the security personals as many recent arrivals from Chittagong holds National Registration Cards. This is because of the long rule of the corrupt military administration especially among the immigration and the National Registration and there is no rule of law.

However, to recognize them as one of the ethnic races is out of question because the Yandabo Treaty Chronicles (In the final phase of the treaty of Yandobo when Burma was annexed to the British Empire in the 1850s,) the British had pain stain kingly collected the general census of all the ethnic tribes residing in British Burma and there was no Rohingya except it describe Mujahid a seasonal Muslim migrant workers from India (at that time there was no Pakistan or Bangladesh). Besides when the Union of Burma was born in 1948s the northern part of Arakan where these Mujahid resides went to Ali Jina founder of Pakistan imploring him to take this northern enclave of Arakan into East Pakistan. It was rejected. This authentically proved that the ancestors or Rohingya did not have any allegiance to the Union of Burma. Another factor to be noted is that all the ethnic nationalities residing in Burma recognize the lingua franca but not the Rohingya whose language is the same as Chittagonians, nor do their leaders attempted to do so. The majority of the Arakanese Buddhist construe them that there will be another attempt to take this northern part of Arakan into Bangladesh and probably will be the only ethnic race that is not genuine to the Union of Burma.

However, it must be admitted that Rohingya have been mistreated for decades in Burma, with Rohingya children born out of wedlock denied travel permits, the privilege of attending school or even the ability to obtain marriage certificates. This discrimination is even apparent among Burma’s pro-democracy leaders, the so-called “forces for change” in the country and harbour a wrong notion that “if western nations really believed in human rights, they would take the Rohingya from us.” Indeed most comments either in English or in Burma seldom tackles the unfolding crisis, but instead exploit it as a means to vent their own bigotry.

What has happened recently is just more of a symptom of a long history of really horrible discriminatory treatment of the Rohingya. The military administration that have ruled the country repressively for half a century have handled this situation very badly for decades and have encouraged this mentality. It made little efforts to integrate them or resolve this problem in a sustainable way and is not an integral part of any reconciliation program involving ethnic groups but instead the Generals have exploited the Rohingya by giving them voting rights in Burma’s landmark 2010 elections promising citizenship, if they voted for the military regime’s representatives. However the promise was never implemented. Hence as long as the vestiges of the Burmese generals are in power they will never really attempt to solve this problem and will even try to prevent anyone from doing so lest the raison d’ etre to have the army will be none.

However, a very strong international reaction, including a strong statement from the United States that put the Rohingya of Burma as “country of particular concern” in its annual surveys on international religious freedom is something to be thought of by the upcoming leaders of Burma. Let us see how the Generals will react to the Amnesty International call for investigation or probably will fall to deaf ears like UN Commission of Inquiry (CoI) and prevent the genuine reconciliation.

- Asian Tribune –

By, JEROME TAYLOR

THURSDAY 21 JUNE 2012

Aung San Suu Kyi’s will wrap up her tour of Britain tomorrow with a celebratory gathering of Britain’s Burmese community featuring traditional music and dancing.

At first glance it is a fitting tribute for a woman who is often regarded as the one figure who can unite her country’s disparate opposition groups.

But the meeting will take place amid increasingly acrimonious internal fighting that is threatening the very future of Burma’s pro-democracy movement and vividly illustrates some of the difficulties facing Suu Kyi both at home and abroad.

The Independent has learned that a number of Burmese groups threatened to pull out of tomorrow's gathering amid accusations that Miss Suu Kyi is not doing enough to speak out against sectarian violence in her homeland.

Members of the Kachin and Rohingya communities – two groups that are currently victim to particularly acute violence inside Burma – are angered that the meeting is being billed as a celebration rather than an opportunity to press their grievances.

Kachin tribes in north-eastern Burma are currently in the midst of a brutal civil war against the military with reports of widespread human rights violations including kidnappings, extra-judicial killings and systematic rape by Burmese soldiers.

Members of Britain’s Kachin community have said they will refuse to wear traditional dress or dance at tomorrow’s meeting because “they have nothing to celebrate”.

“We are very happy that Aung San Suu Kyi has achieved her freedom of movement but she should speak up more to stop the human rights abuses and ask donors to increase humanitarian aid for the Kachin [refugees],” Hkun Htoi, a member of the Kachin National Organisation, told The Independent.

Recent sectarian rioting on Burma’s western border with Bangladesh, meanwhile, has broken out between the Rohingya, an oppressed Muslim minority who are refused citizenship despite residing in the area for centuries, and their Buddhist neighbours.

Many Burmese view the Rohingya as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and prejudice towards them has spilled out into recent bloodshed that has killed dozens and created thousands of refugees on the move.

The recent violence in western Burma, which was sparked when a Buddhist woman was raped last month by a gang of Muslim men and ten Rohingya were lynched in revenge, presents Miss Suu Kyi with an acute political problem.

Despite a fearless reputation for standing up to human rights abusers, the 67-year-old dissident has been noticeably silent on the subject of anti-Rohingya prejudice. That is because many of those who are most vocal in wanting to expel them from Burmese territory are part of the country’s pro-democracy movement. If Miss Suu Kyi speaks out in favour of the Rohingya’s claim to Burmese citizenship, she risks alienating some of her most erstwhile allies.

Those inside Burma have reported significant increase in recent years in anti-Muslim prejudice which has begun to spill out into Britain’s Burmese population. “Even on UK soil there is anti-Rohingya, anti-Muslim racism going on,” says Tun Khin, a prominent Rohingya refugee who, despite having a grandfather that used to be a parliamentary secretary, does not have Burmese citizenship. “There have even been protests in front of Downing Street against the Rohingya by Burmese groups saying we’re not citizens.”

Last Tuesday night Mr Khin’s door was smashed down in what he believes was an attack motivated by the recent sectarian violence in his homeland. He says many Rohingya are angered that Miss Suu Kyi has been quiescent on the violence unleashed against them and has refused to support their citizenship claim.

“Aung San Suu Kyi will be listened to by everyone so why doesn’t she speak up?” he said. “She could say stop fighting about ethnic issues, she could speak up and say these people have lived for a long time in Burma and they are citizens.”

Rohingya hopes that they might receive words of encouragement from Miss Suu Kyi were dashed earlier this week when she ducked a question while collecting an award from Amnesty International in Ireland on whether the Muslim tribe were Burmese citizens. Asked if the Rohingyas should be regarded as Burmese, she replied: “I do not know.”

Burmese Democratic Concern, which organised today’s meeting with Miss Suu Kyi, is one of the exile groups most vehemently opposed to Rohingyas. Its website contains numerous reports laying the blame for sectarian conflict squarely at the door of the Rohingyas – a view which is disputed by most human rights groups and the UN.

Myo Thein, the group’s founder, told The Independent: “There is no tension in Burmese community over Kachin community because we are behind our brothers and sisters there. We fully support them. But regarding the Rohingya issue we do have a problem. We don’t accept they are part of Burma or Burmese citizens. We see them as illegal immigrants, Bengalis from Bangladesh.”

Burma’s Muslim minority presents a political minefield for Aung San Suu Kyi as she evolves from being an imprisoned dissident to an opposition politician. The international community will expect her to continue speaking out against all forms of violence but the domestic situation has caused her to be cautious when it comes to the Rohingyas.

Mark Farmaner, from the Free Burma Campaign, says there is little chance anti-Muslim prejudice will go away any time soon. He recently returned from a one month visit to Burma.

“Anti-Muslim prejudice is endemic in Burmese society,” he said. “Derogatory comments about Muslims are so commonplace it is quite shocking.”

Photo: Contributor/IRIN
Zipporah Sein, general-secretary of the KNUCHIANG MAI, 27 April 2012 (IRIN) - Ethnic minority groups in Myanmar are calling on the international community to set stronger benchmarks or steps in the incremental removal of international sanctions, following this week's announcement by the European Union (EU) to suspend sanctions for a year, retaining only the embargo on arms sales.

“Now more than ever, it’s important that our voice is heard,” Zipporah Sein, general secretary of the Karen National Union (KNU) told IRIN on 27 April. “If sanctions are to be lifted, it’s important that specific benchmarks be put in place.” Many argue there can be no real progress towards democracy until the country formerly known as Burma makes peace with all its ethnic groups.

Viewed as key to the development of Myanmar, the suspension of EU sanctions announced on 23 April is seen as another major endorsement of Burmese President U Thein Sein’s recent political reforms, which include the release of hundreds of political prisoners, new laws allowing labour unions and strikes, a gradual easing of media restrictions, and ceasefire agreements with various ethnic rebel groups.

Ethnic divide

The Burmese government has had contentious relationships with its ethnic minority groups, which account for about a third of the country’s more than 54 million inhabitants, and many have fought for greater autonomy or secession for their regions since the country gained independence from Great Britain in 1948.

At the weekend, leaders of the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), an umbrella group comprised of 11 of Myanmar’s leading ethnic groups - including the Mon, Shan, Karenni, Chin, and Kachin people - released a statement announcing that they were prepared to meet with Myanmar's chief negotiator, U Aung Min Aung Min, to present their version of a durable roadmap to peace.

At the end of 2011, the government launched peace initiatives with several of Myanmar’s ethnic armies.

“The UNFC has the same position as Daw Aung San Suu Kyi [leader of the National League for Democracy, Burma’s main opposition party],” said KNU Vice President David Tharckabaw, during the meeting in northern Thailand near the Burmese border. “We support the rule of law, the amendment of the constitution, and building internal peace.”

Tharckabaw, along with other members of the UNFC, maintains that political dialogue, not resource development, must be the top priority after a nationwide cease-fire is reached.

Sanctions eased

The EU’s decision to ease sanctions follows an announcement by Washington a week earlier that the US will relax some financial restrictions on the country to support certain humanitarian and development projects.

"These [steps] were… in response to what we viewed as very positive parliamentary elections," US State Department spokesman Mark Toner told a news briefing on 17 April.

Less than a week later, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda announced that his government would resume loans to Myanmar, and cancel US$3.7 billion of debt owed by the impoverished nation after by-elections that saw Aung San Suu Kyi’s party win 43 of the 44 contested seats earlier in April.

Some $61 million to assist ethnic minorities, improve medical care and other rural development programmes, as well as disaster prevention efforts, were also pledged, the Japan Times reported. Canada suspended most of its sanctions on 24 April.

Benchmarks needed



Photo: Contributor/IRIN
Thousands of Kachin are displaced along the Chinese border
Nevertheless, there are also calls for caution, particularly in Myanmar’s ethnic minority areas. “The suspension of EU sanctions keeps the pressure on the Burmese government to continue reforms, while also making a strong positive gesture that genuine reforms will be rewarded,” said Anna Roberts, executive director of Burma Campaign UK. “For the threat of re-imposition of sanctions to be credible, the EU must set clear timelines and benchmarks.”

Speaking before the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs on 26 April, Joseph Yun, principle deputy assistant secretary, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs of the US State Department, noted: “In Rakhine State systematic discrimination and denial of human rights against ethnic Rohingya remains deplorable. Overall, the legacy of five decades of military rule - repressive laws, a pervasive security apparatus, a corrupt judiciary, and media censorship - is all too present.”

Fighting continues in Kachin State, in northern Myanmar, as thousands of displaced people in camps brace for the coming monsoon season.

“Right now, the IDP [internally displaced person] number is increasing” along the edge of the areas controlled by the Kachin Independent Organization (KIO), General Secretary La Ja reported.

“There are about 75,000 internally displaced people in Kachin State. Now that the rainy season is setting in, they will be needing shelter, food and medicine.”

Current UN planning figures put the number of displaced at between 50,000 and 55,000, while international access to areas controlled by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the military arm of the KIO, remains limited.

La Ja says the recent armed build-up of government troops, and the escalation in attacks, is out of step with the government's words of peace.

“We want the first step to be that the government… withdraws, [and] re-positions their… troops. Their troops are very close to the KIA troops - that can spark many problems and a never-ending conflict.”

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Myanmar opposition leader says dispute over wording of oath of office has been resolved, as UN chief addresses assembly.




The UN chief became the first foreign dignitary to address Myanmar's fledgling parliament on Monday [Reuters]


Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of Myanmar's opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), says that a dispute over the wording of the country's parliamentary oath of office has been resolved.

Suu Kyi's announcement came just minutes before Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, became the first foreign dignitary to address the parliament, in the capital Naypyidaw, on Monday. NLD legislators were not present in the assembly during Ban's speech.

Speaking in Yangon on Monday, she said that NLD politicians, who had refused to pledge to "safeguard" the constitution the party has vowed to amend, would be taking their oaths of office and sitting in parliament for the first time "as soon as possible".

Suu Kyi is expected to take the oath on Wednesday.

The party had earlier stated that it wanted the word "safeguard" replaced with "respect," a change made in other Myanmar laws.

The Nobel laureate said that the oath would now be taken, with the word "safeguard" left unamended, because it was "the desire of the people" to see the dispute resolved, AFP news agency reported.

"Our voters voted for us because they want to see us in parliament," she said.

Al Jazeera's Veronica Pedrosa, reporting from Bangkok, said that Suu Kyi, however, had made it clear that the NLD still strongly rejected the wording of the oath.

The party has long campaigned against the military-drafted constitution, which gives the military wide-ranging powers, including the ability to appoint key cabinet members, take control of the country through a state of emergency and occupy a quarter of the seats in parliament.

NLD members swept April 1 by-elections, winning 43 out of 44 available seats. Suu Kyi will be among those present in parliament.

UN chief meets president

Ban, the UN chief, told the parliament during his address that "more needs to be done" by the international community to ease sanctions against Myanmar.

"Today, I return to a new Myanmar, a Myanmar that is making history. The dramatic changes sweeping Myanmar have inspired the world," Ban said.

"I urge the international community to go even further in lifting, suspending, or easing trade restrictions and other sanctions," he added.

Earlier on Monday, Ban met Thein Sein, Myanmar's president, offering international aid to reform the long-isolated country.

Increased diplomatic engagement is one of many signs of renewed ties between Myanmar and the West


The UN chief, who is on his first visit to the country since the military loosened its grip on power and allowed civilian politicians back into the government, described Thein Sein, a former general, as a "key driver" of reforms.

"I would like to extend a warm welcome from the people of Myanmar," said Thein Sein as the pair met at the official presidential residence in Naypyidaw on Monday.

Ban said that he would urge Western countries to further ease sanctions on Myanmar.

"We need to support Myanmar so it doesn't slide back down the scale," Ban told reporters on Sunday, the first day of a three-day visit.

Ban is expected during his visit to urge further steps towards democracy and appeal for unfettered humanitarian access to tens of thousands of refugees who have fled ethnic conflict.

The UN leader will meet Suu Kyi in Yangon on Tuesday.

Al Jazeera's Pedrosa reported that while the top UN diplomat's visit was "full of symbolism" for the country's military rulers, "ordinary Myanmar citizens may not feel the same way".

"The foreign diplomats who are queuing up at the door of Myanmar have got a lot of work to do if they really want the tidal wave of aid that they're bringing into the country to really make a difference," she said.

Government reforms

Ban last visited the country in July 2009, when Senior General Than Shwe ruled the country as part of a government that brutally supressed dissent.

With former fourth-in-command Thein Sein now in charge, the government has eased media censorship, legalised trade unions, freed more than 600 political prisoners and begun an economic overhaul.

It has also struck ceasefire deals with ethnic rebel armies fighting for autonomy.

As a result of the reforms, the European Union, the US, Australia and Canada have eased some sanctions against the country in recent weeks, a move that Ban says would allow the UN to increase its role in Myanmar's development.

On Monday, he signed an agreement offering UN technical support for the country's first census since 1983.

Ban is due to travel to Shan state, one of the world's biggest opium-growing regions, to assess moves to eradicate poppy cultivation.

He is also set to meet Thura Shwe Mann, a former general who is currently the speaker of the lower house of parliament. Ban will also see government negotiators who are leading peace talks with rebels.

Catherine Ashton, the EU's foreign policy chief, is also in Myanmar for talks with Thein Sein, after the recent suspension of EU sanctions.

Ashton met Suu Kyi on Saturday and opened a new EU office in Yangon that will mostly oversee the management of aid programmes, but will also have a political role.

Guido Westerwelle, the German foreign minister, also pledged his country's support for reform in Myanmar. He met Suu Kyi on Sunday, after arriving in the country for the first trip by a German foreign minister in 25 years.

"We want to support sustainable reforms. We know that this is not guaranteed yet but this is our main message: Germany stands ready to support the people of your country. We want to support the people and a sustainable way for democracy, freedom and the rule of law," Westerwelle said in a news conference after meeting Suu Kyi.

source here

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon


YANGON: UN chief Ban Ki-moon met Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi Tuesday for talks about the country's political future after a surprise climbdown by the Nobel laureate in her boycott of parliament.

The talks at the opposition leader's lakeside mansion in Yangon, where she was locked up by the former junta for much of the past two decades, come a day after Ban became the first visiting foreigner to address Myanmar's legislature.

It is the first meeting between Suu Kyi and Ban, who left frustrated after a previous visit in 2009 when the generals who ruled the nation for decades refused to allow him to see the veteran activist while in detention.

In a landmark speech to parliament on Monday following talks with President Thein Sein, the UN chief paid tribute to Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) party for participating in recent by-elections.

"For many years you displayed resilience and fortitude that for generations have distinguished the Myanmar people," he said.

Ban also welcomed moves by the international community to reward sweeping changes in the country since the end of direct army rule last year, and called for the West to go further in easing or lifting sanctions.

His address was not witnessed by Suu Kyi and other newly-elected members of her party, after they last week delayed their debut in the legislature in a row over the swearing-in oath.

But in an uncharacteristic retreat, she announced on Monday that her party would take its seats in parliament -- dominated by the military and its political allies -- and pledge to "safeguard" the army-created constitution.

"We have decided to comply at this juncture, because we do not want a political problem or tension," she said, ending the first rift with the government since she won a parliamentary seat in historic April 1 by-elections.

Suu Kyi is now expected to take the oath on Wednesday, according to NLD sources.

"The reason we accept it, firstly is the desire of the people," she said.

"Our voters voted for us because they want to see us in parliament."

The democracy icon has said one of her priorities as a politician is to push for an amendment of the 2008 constitution, under which one quarter of the seats in parliament are reserved for unelected military officials.

Ban is the latest in a string of top foreign visitors to Myanmar amid a thaw in the army-dominated nation's relations with the West.

Addressing parliament, Ban hailed the "vision, leadership and courage" of Thein Sein, who has ushered in a slew of reforms in the last year including welcoming Suu Kyi's party into the mainstream and freeing political prisoners.

Last week, the European Union responded to what it said were "historic changes" by suspending for one year a wide range of trade, economic and individual sanctions, although it left intact an arms embargo.

Canada and Australia have also recently eased punitive measures and Japan waived US$3.7 billion of Myanmar's debt.

But the United States last week ruled out an immediate end to its main sanctions on Myanmar, saying it wanted to preserve leverage to push the regime on an end to ethnic violence, which has marred the regime's reform image.

- AFP/ck

By Zaw Win Than
Volume 32, No. 624


EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton talks to the press in Luxembourg on April 23.
Pic: AFP

BUSINESS leaders have welcomed the European Union’s decision to suspend sanctions but urged the reinstatement of trade preferences to assist the country’s job-creating export industries.

The EU’s Foreign Affairs Council announced the widely anticipated suspension at a meeting in Luxembourg on April 23, saying the move was intended to encourage the reform process. Only an arms embargo will remain in place.

The bloc’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton said in a statement that the Foreign Affairs Council “took a decision to open a new chapter in our relations”.

The council “welcomed the truly remarkable changes we have seen in the country in recent months, including the by-elections, the release of some of the political prisoners and efforts that are being made for national reconciliation”, she said.

While the council also supports reinstating the Generalised System of Preferences, which would reduce tariffs on Myanmar’s exports to the EU, as soon as possible, it could only do so following an assessment by the International Labour Organisation, she said.

U Aung Lwin, a vice president of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI), told The Myanmar Time last week that the sanctions suspension was a “very positive step” for encouraging economic development in Myanmar.

“As a primary move the EU suspended sanctions on Myanmar but after the assessment of the ILO they may [reintroduce] GSP for Myanmar. The suspension of sanctions is a very positive step for future economic development in Myanmar,” U Aung Lwin said.

He said European companies interested in investing in Myanmar would face stiff competition from their counterparts from Japan, China, Vietnam, South Korea and Thailand.

“We are very busy with business delegations from different countries. They are interested in almost every sector,” he said.

U Myint Soe, chairman of Myanmar Garment Manufacturers Association, said the suspension of EU sanctions would have a “huge impact on economic development” once the GSP suspension was lifted.

“After the GSP suspension is lifted we will have more business opportunities in Myanmar,” he said.

Economist Dr Maung Aung said the move would open up another export market to Myanmar businesses and encourage greater investment from European firms, even in sectors that have not been subject to EU sanctions.

“Before we exported our products mainly to regional countries but the suspension of the EU sanctions will open up Myanmar’s export products, such as forestry … and gems, to European countries. It means we now have new markets to export these products,” he said.

“The EU sanctions on Myanmar blocked the investment opportunities … the suspension of sanctions will also attract more investors from EU countries to Myanmar.”

Ms Ashton, who was due to visit Myanmar from April 28 to 30, said the EU wanted to see the government take further steps, including the release of remaining political prisoners and the removal of all restrictions placed on those already released.

The council also raised concerns about ongoing conflict with armed ethnic groups, access to Kachin State for humanitarian organisations and the status and welfare of the Rohingya group. “Of course reforms in that country need to continue – we need to see further progress, in particular the unconditional release of all political prisoners and efforts to end ethnic conflicts,” Ms Ashton said in the statement.

She said the EU had announced a significant increase in funding for Myanmar targeting economic and social development, democratic transformation and the strengthening of civil society and government capacity.

“We are ready to assist with these efforts as well as with economic and social development. We have 150 million euros (about US$200 million), half of which is new money. Over the course of the next few months we’ll see about 100 million euros ($133 million) available for health, for education, alleviation of poverty, support for civil society and so on,” she said.

“We will continue to support the democratic transition, including through electoral assistance and we are encouraging trade and investment in the country.”

British Prime Minister David Cameron said in a statement that it was “right for the world to respond” to positive changes in Myanmar.

“President Thein Sein has taken important steps towards reform in Burma,” he said, according to AFP. “But those changes are not yet irreversible, which is why it is right to suspend rather than lift sanctions for good.”

While sanctions could be reinstated in one year, Derek Tonkin, chairman of the non-profit Network Myanmar, said it was unlikely.

“To reinstate EU sanctions would require the unanimous consent of all 27 EU members,” he said in a statement. “Without the support of all EU members, sanctions would remain suspended.”

He also said the Foreign Affairs Council had “dodged” the GSP issue in its statement. “The withdrawal of GSP primarily affected export sectors like garments and seafood from private, non-crony enterprises where there is no forced labour and for that reason withdrawal should not have been imposed in the first place.”

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to arrive in Burma this weekend for a visit of several days, with discussions focused on how the United Nations can help Burma in it transition to a more democratic country.




Ban Ki-moon, the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations. Photo: U.N.“Myanmar is only at the beginning of its transition and many challenges lie ahead, many concerns have yet to be addressed yet I am convinced that we have an unprecedented opportunity to help the country advance towards a better future,” said Ban.

Ban, who said, “Burma is reopening to the world,” spoke after a meeting of his Group of Friends on Myanmar, which he called “very productive.” He last visited Burma in 2009.

Observers said high on the list of topics to be discussed would be the plight of ethnic refugees in border areas. The U.N.’s Rangoon office was recently allowed to distribute food and aid to refugees in Kachin State, where as many as 50,000 refugees may be displaced because of recent fighting.

Ban will arrive after visits to Delhi and Mumbai. It will be his third trip to the country since he began his tenure as secretary-general.

“We have seen encouraging political and economic reforms over the past year and a half – the recent elections were a landmark,” he said.

He said he planned to personally congratulate reformist President Thein Sein and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on their work to help the country with reconciliation, reform, and development.

“Working together they have come far, working together I am confident they will go further still and together we will explore many tangible and practical ways in which the U.N. can help,” he said.

Ban said helping countries in transition is an important part of his second term as the U.N. chief.

“In Myanmar we have an opportunity and a responsibility to do that," he said. "We must make the most of this moment.”

Ban welcomed suspension of sanctions leveled against Burma by the European Union and similar actions taken by other countries including the U.S. The European Union announced on Monday that it was suspending most sanctions against Burma for a year. The temporary suspension gives the 27-member bloc leverage to pressure the Burmese government to adopt more reforms.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Monday that Burma has made “great progress,” but he noted ongoing human rights issues, including political prisoners and fighting in Kachin state.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said she will travel to Burma later this week to meet with Burmese officials and also to open a European Union office.

Posted By Min Zin 

• To prove his point, Hkun Tun Oo reportedly drew attention to the following facts:
• Hundreds of political prisoners are still behind bars
• Agreement has yet to be reached with the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO). And there is still fighting against the Shan State Army (SSA) with which Naypyitaw has already signed a ceasefire agreement
• The government says it is planning to amend the 2008 constitution. But no one, thus far, has come forth with a proposed plan. This begs the question whether or not President Thein Sein is really in charge of the Army
• There are cases of the President overruling the Parliament after a resolution has been passed, which seem to indicate that there are people who are not ready to give up their power easily. Which means the regime can still refuse to relinquish its powers if the NLD wins again in 2015 like it did in 1990
• As for the ethnic peoples, none of the constitutions written so far: the 1947, 1974 and 2008 guarantees their rights. Especially if the present constitution is still in force, there will be no peace. And if there is no peace, there will be no progress and prosperity. The off shoot is all the foreign investments that come into the country will only serve the interests of the military and not the people

Source : Shan Herald Agency for News (S.H.A.N.)

British Prime Minister David Cameron's visit to Myanmar on Friday has repeatedly been described as a ''landmark'' event because he is the first leader of a Western state to make the trip in many years, and not surprisingly he made good use of the momentous occasion to make a major announcement. Along with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Mr Cameron called for the suspension of economic sanctions which have been imposed by the European Union countries and the United States, Canada, Australia as well as a few other countries. The move is no surprise and comes sharply on the heels of the April 1 by-election which gave parliamentary seats to Mrs Suu Kyi and 42 other members of her National League for Democracy in a landslide win for the party.

Burma Campaign UK today welcomed an announcement by British Prime Minister David Cameron that Britain will not support EU sanctions against Burma being lifted. He has proposed sanctions be suspended instead. Germany and other EU members had been pushing for all sanctions except the arms embargo to be lifted immediately.

With hundreds of political prisoners still in jail, military attacks against ethnic minorities still taking place, and no legal or constitutional changes that make Burma more democratic and reduce the power of the military, the complete lifting of EU sanctions would be premature.

In supporting the suspension of EU sanctions, Aung San Suu Kyi is making a bold and brave gesture to the government of Burma, showing she is willing to compromise and take positive steps. The ball is now in the court of the military-backed government. They now have to deliver real change.

Aung San Suu Kyi is reported to have stated: “This would strengthen the hand of the reformers - not just the suspension but the fact that there is always a possibility of sanctions coming back again if the reforms are not allowed to proceed smoothly.”

“The suspension of EU sanctions keeps the pressure on the Burmese government to continue reforms, while also making a strong positive gesture that genuine reforms will be rewarded,” said Anna Roberts, Executive Director of Burma Campaign UK. “For the threat of re-imposition of sanctions to be credible, the EU must set clear timelines and benchmarks. We know from experience that the Burmese government is expert at delaying tactics. We also know the EU can tend to be slow and indecisive, looking for reasons to delay action.”

After years of debate about sanctions, it is now clear that, combined with domestic pressure, sanctions have played an important role in encouraging reform in Burma. To completely abandon sanctions just as they are working would have been a serious mistake.

Burma Campaign UK also warned companies thinking of investing in Burma that they should not think of the country as a place where they can exploit cheap labour and grab natural resources at bargain-bucket prices, thanks to the lack of proper laws protecting workers and the environment. Many sectors attractive to investors, such as mining, timber, oil, gas and dams, have been directly linked to serious human rights abuses and environmental destruction. Any European companies investing in projects where such abuses take place will be subject to high profile boycott campaigns.

“Despite reforms, Burma is still a country with one of the worst human rights records in the world, and where the military has constitutional control over every level of government,” said Anna Roberts. “Burma is still a very long way from being a democracy.”

David Cameron has said economic sanctions against Burma should be suspended in recognition of the changes taking place in the country.

The prime minister spoke after a meeting with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Rangoon.

Ms Suu Kyi welcomed his call and said the suspension of sanctions would "strengthen the hand of the reformers".

Mr Cameron is the first Western leader to visit Burma since her success in a series of parliamentary by-elections.

He is also the first UK prime minister ever to visit the country.

Earlier, Mr Cameron met President Thein Sein and said the government had to demonstrate that moves to democracy were "irreversible".'Send a signal'

Burma was ruled for almost half a century by a military junta that stifled almost all dissent and wielded absolute power. The EU, US and other nations imposed sanctions.

The first general election in 20 years was held in 2010.


The installation of a military-backed, nominally civilian government in March 2011 and a series of reforms since - including the release of hundreds of political prisoners - has led to speculation that decades of international isolation could be coming to an end.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Ms Suu Kyi at the lakeside villa where she spent 15 years under house arrest, Mr Cameron said the arms embargo in place against Burma should remain in place, but it was right to suspend - not lift - the remaining sanctions.

They include an assets freeze imposed on nearly 500 people and restrictions on key industries such as mining and timber.

"[Burma] shouldn't be as poor as it is. It shouldn't have suffered under dictatorship for as long as it has, and things don't have to be that way," the prime minister said.

"I do think it is important to send a signal that we want to help see the changes that can bring the growth of freedom of human rights and democracy in your country."'Long way yet'

Mr Cameron said it was right to respond to signs of change "with care", adding: "All courses of action are full of risk, but I think this is the right step forward."

He also praised Ms Suu Kyi, calling her "an inspiration for people across the world".