Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Burma’s richest business tycoon and close ally of despotic ruler Senior General Than Shwe, went to China early this month to broker a deal enabling the regime to buy 50 multi-role jet bombers for its air force, trusted sources said.
Tay Za was also spotted at the Kunming regional trade fare on June 7, in China’s southern province of Yunnan. The purpose of his visit was to help the Burmese regime acquire the K-8 Karakorum, a two-seat intermediate jet trainer and light attack aircraft developed in a joint venture between China and Pakistan.
Estimates for the price of the aircraft vary widely. Last October, Bolivia announced that it would spend US$57.8 million to buy six of the planes. According to Jane’s Defence Weekly the deal also included “two spare engines, a KTS2000BW test vehicle, an Interactive Multimedia Instructor system, initial spare [parts], training and maintenance equipment”.
Since then, Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez had announced on June 7 that his government would spend US$82 million on 18 of the planes. The air force of the country on the northern coast of South America already has at least 200 aircraft.
The Burmese Air Force had bought 12 K-8 Karakorum. Sources close to the air force told Mizzima that Burma’s rulers want more ground attack fighters than strategic fighters such as the Russian-made MiG-29 or its Chinese-built version, the F-5. Such ground attack fighters could be used to intimidate ethnic groups under ceasefire which have refused to bring their troops under the supervision of the junta’s Border Guard Force.
Aircraft part of a mystery deal announced by Hongdu Aviation in September?
Last year Jane’s Defence Industry (also part of the Jane’s Intelligence group) reported that K-8’s Chinese manufacturer Hongdu Aviation had released a cryptic statement in September saying it had just secured a contract with an “unnamed Asian country” to export 60 K-8 planes. According to Jane’s, the statement disclosed that a deal had been struck between Hongdu, the mystery Asian nation and China’s National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation on September 6 at Hongdu’s offices in Nanchang, Jiangxi province.
Jane’s speculated that the unnamed Asian partner could be Iran or Indonesia, both seeking to upgrade their air forces. While it is possible that the unnamed partner was in fact the Burmese regime, Mizzima was unable to determine if this was the case.
According to Jane’s the statement Hongdu issued in September disclosed that the deal would transpire in three stages. The first stage would involve the export of 12 aircraft. The second stage would involve the customer acquiring K-8 related technologies, equipment and tools. The third would involve the customer producing the final 48 aircraft under licence locally.
Mizzima has learned that Tay Za was looking to buy an ATR-72 twin-turboprop short-haul regional airliner from Chinese Southern Airlines for his own airline, Air Bagan. He had bought two A-310 Airbuses from China but was unable to use the aircraft because they were grounded in Rangoon for safety reasons.
China is one of the few places where Tay Za can now conduct business transactions with relative ease since he was put on the American, European, Canadian, Australian and Swiss financial sanctions blacklists for Burma. The US government, which commonly refers to Tay Za as “an arms dealer and financial henchman”, was the first Western nation to target the portly tycoon on their black list, citing his close financial ties to Than Shwe and the reclusive dictator’s children. Despite the sanctions against him Tay Za is estimated to have amassed a fortune of more than US$10 billon dollars.
News From Mizzima
Showing posts with label News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label News. Show all posts
Monday, 21 June 2010
Karen-junta troop clashes become online hit
New Delhi (Mizzima) – Footage of clashes between Karen rebels and the Burmese Army posted on You Tube has become a hit with the Burmese online community.
The video was recorded during running battles between government troops from the 60th Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) and the Karen National Liberation Army’s (KNLA) 3rd Brigade, which took place in last year in Kyaukgyi Township in Pegu Division. It has been posted on You Tube since June 12 and has had 5,200 hits.
A person titled “Maungwto” who is living in Japan posted the video after receiving it from Saw Myo Khaing Shin, a top Karen representative in the country.
“This is my first ever posting of a KNLA battle on You Tube. Previously I posted a battle scene between SPDC and Shan State Army troops in March 2009,” Maungwto told Mizzima.
In the latest posting, seven junta troops and a KNLA soldier were killed, while two were seriously injured, Saw Myo Khaing Yan Shin said.
While You Tube was banned in Burma and internet speeds were still at dial-up-level quality, some people have still managed to download the footage using proxy servers, an internet-savvy youth in Rangoon said.
“I could watch this video clip sent by my friend with e-mail and feel sorry to see … what’s happening in our country,” he said.
IT professionals in Burma said that seeing such video clips on the Net was only possible thanks to new media, which was they said a new development for the country.
Despite tight controls on news media and the internet by the military regime, people are increasingly able to access banned information through new media such as social networking sites including Weblogs, Facebook and mail groups.
“We could receive some news, photos and information almost instantly through blogs, e-mail and Facebook,” a young IT professional from Burma told Mizzima.
Thai-Burmese border town Mae Sot based blogger Dr. Lun Swe examined the impact that Web 2.0 and other new media was having on the Burmese opposition community and those living in exile.
“The role of new media is a playing crucial role in our pro-democracy movement,” he said. “The quickest way to post Burma-related news on the internet is on blogs at home and abroad.”
Use of the new media has increased since the 2007 “saffron revolution”, when monks led nationwide demonstrations, as the Web was one of the only sources of unregulated news and information.
As the military regime tightly controls the flow of information over the internet, people in Burma use proxy servers to bypass censorship and news blackouts.
“These blogs are the earliest source of information and the government is facing difficulty in controlling them, but the quality and reliability of this type of news may be substandard,” Dr. Lun Swe said, without elaborating.
News From Mizzima
The video was recorded during running battles between government troops from the 60th Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) and the Karen National Liberation Army’s (KNLA) 3rd Brigade, which took place in last year in Kyaukgyi Township in Pegu Division. It has been posted on You Tube since June 12 and has had 5,200 hits.
A person titled “Maungwto” who is living in Japan posted the video after receiving it from Saw Myo Khaing Shin, a top Karen representative in the country.
“This is my first ever posting of a KNLA battle on You Tube. Previously I posted a battle scene between SPDC and Shan State Army troops in March 2009,” Maungwto told Mizzima.
In the latest posting, seven junta troops and a KNLA soldier were killed, while two were seriously injured, Saw Myo Khaing Yan Shin said.
While You Tube was banned in Burma and internet speeds were still at dial-up-level quality, some people have still managed to download the footage using proxy servers, an internet-savvy youth in Rangoon said.
“I could watch this video clip sent by my friend with e-mail and feel sorry to see … what’s happening in our country,” he said.
IT professionals in Burma said that seeing such video clips on the Net was only possible thanks to new media, which was they said a new development for the country.
Despite tight controls on news media and the internet by the military regime, people are increasingly able to access banned information through new media such as social networking sites including Weblogs, Facebook and mail groups.
“We could receive some news, photos and information almost instantly through blogs, e-mail and Facebook,” a young IT professional from Burma told Mizzima.
Thai-Burmese border town Mae Sot based blogger Dr. Lun Swe examined the impact that Web 2.0 and other new media was having on the Burmese opposition community and those living in exile.
“The role of new media is a playing crucial role in our pro-democracy movement,” he said. “The quickest way to post Burma-related news on the internet is on blogs at home and abroad.”
Use of the new media has increased since the 2007 “saffron revolution”, when monks led nationwide demonstrations, as the Web was one of the only sources of unregulated news and information.
As the military regime tightly controls the flow of information over the internet, people in Burma use proxy servers to bypass censorship and news blackouts.
“These blogs are the earliest source of information and the government is facing difficulty in controlling them, but the quality and reliability of this type of news may be substandard,” Dr. Lun Swe said, without elaborating.
News From Mizzima
World unites to honour Suu Kyi
Eminent international leaders including Kofi Annan, Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama have joined thousands of activists and democracy figureheads the world over to honour Aung San Suu Kyi’s birthday today.
The Nobel laureate and Burmese opposition leader will celebrate her 65th birthday inside the dilapidated lakeside mansion, where she has been held a prisoner of the Burmese regime for nearly 15 years.
US president Barack Obama said: “I wish to convey my best wishes to Aung San Suu Kyi, the world’s only imprisoned Nobel Peace Laureate, on the occasion of her 65th birthday on June 19. Her determination, courage, and personal sacrifice in working for human rights and democratic change in Burma inspire all of us who stand for freedom and justice.”
The Elders, a group of prominent global figures founded by Mandela, yesterday left an empty chair for Suu Kyi as a gesture of her honourary membership of the group. Elder member Desmond Tutu lamented the “deep fractures in society” caused by nearly half a century of military rule in Burma, and urged reconciliation to “achieve the peace and prosperity [the Burmese people] deserve.”
Jimmy Carter, former US president and 2002 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, said that Suu Kyi remains “a global symbol of moral courage in the face of repression”.
“As she spends yet another year in captivity, we urge the world, and especially Burma/Myanmar’s partners in ASEAN, to recognise that it is an oppressive and misguided regime that excludes her and thousands of other political activists from playing a part in their country’s future.”
ASEAN refers to the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations bloc, whose policy of non-interference in the domestic affairs of member states, including Burma, has been heavily criticised.
But perhaps the most striking message was delivered by one of Suu Kyi’s closest confidantes in a letter smuggled out of Burma and given to the Independent. The letter, penned by fellow Burmese pro-democracy icon, Win Tin, began: “I want to repeat and echo her own words”.
It went on to make a passionate plea to the outside world to “use your liberty to promote ours”, a quote first ushered by Suu Kyi in 1997. Win Tin added that Burma, one of the world’s poorest nations, was “starving” for freedom.
A collection of previously unseen photographs of Suu Kyi was published by the Guardian newspaper yesterday to mark her birthday. Gifted to the newspaper by Suu Kyi’s family, it gives a rare glimpse into the life of ‘The Lady’ before her return to Burma in 1988 and subsequent years under house arrest.
Activists from Australia to the Philippines to Britain today and yesterday rallied in tribute to Suu Kyi, urging the Burmese junta to release the 65 year old. But her current spell under house arrest is not due to expire until early 2011, months after Burma’s elections likely further cement the status quo in the country and leave Suu Kyi’s fate in the hands of the military generals.
News From DVB
The Nobel laureate and Burmese opposition leader will celebrate her 65th birthday inside the dilapidated lakeside mansion, where she has been held a prisoner of the Burmese regime for nearly 15 years.
US president Barack Obama said: “I wish to convey my best wishes to Aung San Suu Kyi, the world’s only imprisoned Nobel Peace Laureate, on the occasion of her 65th birthday on June 19. Her determination, courage, and personal sacrifice in working for human rights and democratic change in Burma inspire all of us who stand for freedom and justice.”
The Elders, a group of prominent global figures founded by Mandela, yesterday left an empty chair for Suu Kyi as a gesture of her honourary membership of the group. Elder member Desmond Tutu lamented the “deep fractures in society” caused by nearly half a century of military rule in Burma, and urged reconciliation to “achieve the peace and prosperity [the Burmese people] deserve.”
Jimmy Carter, former US president and 2002 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, said that Suu Kyi remains “a global symbol of moral courage in the face of repression”.
“As she spends yet another year in captivity, we urge the world, and especially Burma/Myanmar’s partners in ASEAN, to recognise that it is an oppressive and misguided regime that excludes her and thousands of other political activists from playing a part in their country’s future.”
ASEAN refers to the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations bloc, whose policy of non-interference in the domestic affairs of member states, including Burma, has been heavily criticised.
But perhaps the most striking message was delivered by one of Suu Kyi’s closest confidantes in a letter smuggled out of Burma and given to the Independent. The letter, penned by fellow Burmese pro-democracy icon, Win Tin, began: “I want to repeat and echo her own words”.
It went on to make a passionate plea to the outside world to “use your liberty to promote ours”, a quote first ushered by Suu Kyi in 1997. Win Tin added that Burma, one of the world’s poorest nations, was “starving” for freedom.
A collection of previously unseen photographs of Suu Kyi was published by the Guardian newspaper yesterday to mark her birthday. Gifted to the newspaper by Suu Kyi’s family, it gives a rare glimpse into the life of ‘The Lady’ before her return to Burma in 1988 and subsequent years under house arrest.
Activists from Australia to the Philippines to Britain today and yesterday rallied in tribute to Suu Kyi, urging the Burmese junta to release the 65 year old. But her current spell under house arrest is not due to expire until early 2011, months after Burma’s elections likely further cement the status quo in the country and leave Suu Kyi’s fate in the hands of the military generals.
News From DVB
Friday, 18 June 2010
Myanmar floods, landslides kill 100 in Myanmar, Bangladesh
Myanmar floods and landslides triggered by incessant monsoon rains in Myanmar and Bangladesh have killed more than 100 people.
Myanmar floods and landslides triggered by incessant monsoon rains in Myanmar and Bangladesh have killed more than 100 people. In this photo taken Wednesday, June 16, a resident wades through floodwaters in Maungdaw, Rakhine State in the western part of Myanmar.
AP
YANGON, Myanmar
Floods and landslides triggered by incessant monsoon rains in Myanmar and Bangladesh have killed more than 100 people, officials and reports said Thursday.
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At least 46 people died Tuesday in Myanmar's northern Rakhine state, according to the state-run Myanma Ahlin newspaper. Rescue workers are pulling residents out of the worst-affected areas and trying to open a key road damaged in the torrents. Bridges in the region have also been washed out.
State television reported Wednesday that 28 of the people were killed when houses built on mountains collapsed in landslides in Buthidaung, 360 miles (575 kilometers) northwest of Yangon, and 18 others died in Maundaw, south of Buthidaung.
Meanwhile, across the border, Bangladesh recovered three more bodies overnight in the southeastern Cox's Bazar district, raising the death toll from powerful landslides to 56, said local magistrate Mohammad Jasim Uddin. Rains in the area have now stopped, he said.
Flooding is common in both countries during the monsoon season that typically starts in late May. Cyclone Nargis struck both countries in May 2008, devastating large swaths of Myanmar where it left more than 140,000 people dead or missing.
Burma among 13 worst for human trafficking: US report
New Delhi (Mizzima) – Burma is among the 13 countries that fail to meet US minimum standards in fighting the crime of human trafficking, according to the US State Department in its 10th annual trafficking in persons report.
The report released on Monday reviewed global efforts to stop the trade in people and sexual slavery and listed 13 countries, including Iran, North Korea, Burma and Cuba, which were likely to be punished with US sanctions, it said.
According to the report, despite fears for what happens to Burmese trafficked out of the country, internal trafficking remained the State Department’s most serious concern, and the key factor in keeping Burma in Tier 3.
“The military engages in the unlawful conscription of child soldiers, and continues to be the main perpetrator of forced labour inside Burma,” the report said in its section on Burma. “The direct government and military use of forced or compulsory labour remains a widespread and serious problem, particularly targeting members of ethnic minority groups.
“Military and civilian officials systematically used men, women and children for forced labour for the development of infrastructure and state-run agricultural and commercial ventures, as well as forced portering for the military,” the report said.
Duean Wonsa a project manager with the Anti-Trafficking Co-ordination Unit Northern Thailand (Trafcord) also blamed the junta for Burma’s lack of progress.
“There are overlapping reasons behind the high intensity of human trafficking in Burma, [but] it is mainly the failure of the Burmese dictatorship to provide protection to its nationalities, and the suppression of ethnic minorities [that is at fault],” she said.
She added that other reasons behind high human-trafficking rates in Burma – such as poverty, lack of education and general life skills, lack of information on safe migration and the increase of violence against women and children – “combine to make Burma a prime target for international criminal traffickers”.
A large proportion of those trafficked to neighbouring countries by couriers promising better work were from Burmese ethnic minorities.
NGO project manager, Duean, corroborated the point. “Families are tricked by traffickers, saying that their daughters or sons will have a respectable job in Thailand for example,” she said. “The families are offered money to make them believe, later they were brought and sold, and are forced to work in the sex trade.”
“Burmese workers rank the highest in numbers of human-trafficking victims in Thailand, and more than half of the population we serve originates from Burma,” Duean said. “The remainder are from Thailand, Laos and China, in that order.”
The US also rated the Burmese junta low in its sub-section on prosecution, revealing that the junta’s reporting to observers rarely matched reality, was unjust and that often those who reported cases of forced labour were themselves prosecuted.
“There was only one reported criminal prosecution of a member of the Burma Army for his role in child soldier cases. [Meanwhile], the government continued to incarcerate six individuals who reported forced labour cases involving the regime to the ILO or were otherwise active in working with the ILO on forced labour issues,” the report said, referring to the UN’s International Labour Organisation.
The report also said it was common practice for police to hamper investigations into people with official connections. It further cited a lack of transparency, included under-reporting of abuses and denial of access to public records or court proceedings by independent observers.
“Police can be expected to self-limit investigations when well-connected individuals are involved in forced labour cases,” it said. “Although the government reported four officials prosecuted for involvement in human trafficking in 2009, the government did not release any details of the cases.”
The ILO last year saw an increase in complaints of forced labour, according to the report, and indicated a lack of follow-up in such cases.
“Ninety-three cases were submitted to the Burmese government for action, an increase from 64 cases in 2008; 54 cases remain open and are awaiting a response from the government,” it said. “Despite a report of a child labour case involving as many as 100 children on an agricultural plantation near Rangoon, the regime did not report any efforts to investigate the allegation.”
The report, further quoting ILO figures, said many victims of forced labour were themselves prosecuted if they had complained about officials.
“Seventeen complainants and their associates in a series of forced labour cases involving 328 farmers in Magway Division were prosecuted and jailed by local authorities for their role in reporting forced labour perpetrated by local government officials,” it said. “Burmese courts later released 13 of the individuals, but four of the complainants remain in prison.”
It added that the national military government failed to act against such abuses.
“The central government did not intervene with local authorities to stop the politically motivated harassment, including lengthy interrogations, of the forced labour complainants,” it said. “Such unaccountable harassment and punishment discouraged additional forced labour complaints.”
On the other hand the Obama administration praised Malaysia and Taiwan for improving efforts to stop sexual and forced-labour exploitation of women and children. The countries rank in Tier 1, up from Tier-2.
The US ambassador for human trafficking issues, Luis CdeBaca, said Taiwan had for example improved in its efforts by allowing victims of trafficking to work while their cases were being investigated.
Malaysia earned its spot, according to the report, with statistics released by Malaysia’s Home Ministry that showed at least 56 victims of trafficking from Burma, including some underage children, had been rescued from slavery by Malaysian authorities since February 2008. The government had granted 292 protection orders to protect victims from February 2008 until March this year.
The report released on Monday reviewed global efforts to stop the trade in people and sexual slavery and listed 13 countries, including Iran, North Korea, Burma and Cuba, which were likely to be punished with US sanctions, it said.
Classification of nations, Trafficking in Persons Report 2010 report |
| Tier 1 Full compliance with the minimum standards of the TVPA Tier 2 Significant efforts to comply with the TVPA Tier 2 Watch List (do not fully comply with the TVPA but are making significant efforts to comply AND: a) the absolute number of victims of severe forms of trafficking is very significant or is significantly increasing; b) there is a failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat severe forms of trafficking from the previous year, including increased investigations, prosecution and convictions of trafficking crimes, increased assistance to victims and decreasing evidence of complicity in severe forms of trafficking by government officials; or, c) the determination that a country is making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with minimum standards was based on commitments by the country to take additional steps over the next year. Tier 3 (No efforts to comply with the TVPA) |
| Source: US State Department |
“The military engages in the unlawful conscription of child soldiers, and continues to be the main perpetrator of forced labour inside Burma,” the report said in its section on Burma. “The direct government and military use of forced or compulsory labour remains a widespread and serious problem, particularly targeting members of ethnic minority groups.
“Military and civilian officials systematically used men, women and children for forced labour for the development of infrastructure and state-run agricultural and commercial ventures, as well as forced portering for the military,” the report said.
Duean Wonsa a project manager with the Anti-Trafficking Co-ordination Unit Northern Thailand (Trafcord) also blamed the junta for Burma’s lack of progress.
“There are overlapping reasons behind the high intensity of human trafficking in Burma, [but] it is mainly the failure of the Burmese dictatorship to provide protection to its nationalities, and the suppression of ethnic minorities [that is at fault],” she said.
She added that other reasons behind high human-trafficking rates in Burma – such as poverty, lack of education and general life skills, lack of information on safe migration and the increase of violence against women and children – “combine to make Burma a prime target for international criminal traffickers”.
A large proportion of those trafficked to neighbouring countries by couriers promising better work were from Burmese ethnic minorities.
NGO project manager, Duean, corroborated the point. “Families are tricked by traffickers, saying that their daughters or sons will have a respectable job in Thailand for example,” she said. “The families are offered money to make them believe, later they were brought and sold, and are forced to work in the sex trade.”
“Burmese workers rank the highest in numbers of human-trafficking victims in Thailand, and more than half of the population we serve originates from Burma,” Duean said. “The remainder are from Thailand, Laos and China, in that order.”
The US also rated the Burmese junta low in its sub-section on prosecution, revealing that the junta’s reporting to observers rarely matched reality, was unjust and that often those who reported cases of forced labour were themselves prosecuted.
“There was only one reported criminal prosecution of a member of the Burma Army for his role in child soldier cases. [Meanwhile], the government continued to incarcerate six individuals who reported forced labour cases involving the regime to the ILO or were otherwise active in working with the ILO on forced labour issues,” the report said, referring to the UN’s International Labour Organisation.
The report also said it was common practice for police to hamper investigations into people with official connections. It further cited a lack of transparency, included under-reporting of abuses and denial of access to public records or court proceedings by independent observers.
“Police can be expected to self-limit investigations when well-connected individuals are involved in forced labour cases,” it said. “Although the government reported four officials prosecuted for involvement in human trafficking in 2009, the government did not release any details of the cases.”
| Global human trafficking in figures |
| Adults and children in forced labour, bonded labour and forced prostitution around the world: 12.3 million Successful trafficking prosecutions last year: 4,166 Successful prosecutions related to forced labour: 335 Victims identified: 49,105 Ratio of convicted offenders to victims identified, as a percentage: 8.5 Ratio of victims identified to estimated victims, as a percentage: 0.4 Countries that have yet to convict a trafficker under laws in compliance with the Palermo Protocols: 62 Nations without laws, policies or regulations to stop victim deportation: 104 Prevalence of trafficking victims in the world: 1.8 per 1,000 inhabitants Prevalence in Asia and the Pacific region: 3 per 1,000 inhabitants |
| Source: US State Department |
“Ninety-three cases were submitted to the Burmese government for action, an increase from 64 cases in 2008; 54 cases remain open and are awaiting a response from the government,” it said. “Despite a report of a child labour case involving as many as 100 children on an agricultural plantation near Rangoon, the regime did not report any efforts to investigate the allegation.”
The report, further quoting ILO figures, said many victims of forced labour were themselves prosecuted if they had complained about officials.
“Seventeen complainants and their associates in a series of forced labour cases involving 328 farmers in Magway Division were prosecuted and jailed by local authorities for their role in reporting forced labour perpetrated by local government officials,” it said. “Burmese courts later released 13 of the individuals, but four of the complainants remain in prison.”
It added that the national military government failed to act against such abuses.
“The central government did not intervene with local authorities to stop the politically motivated harassment, including lengthy interrogations, of the forced labour complainants,” it said. “Such unaccountable harassment and punishment discouraged additional forced labour complaints.”
On the other hand the Obama administration praised Malaysia and Taiwan for improving efforts to stop sexual and forced-labour exploitation of women and children. The countries rank in Tier 1, up from Tier-2.
The US ambassador for human trafficking issues, Luis CdeBaca, said Taiwan had for example improved in its efforts by allowing victims of trafficking to work while their cases were being investigated.
Malaysia earned its spot, according to the report, with statistics released by Malaysia’s Home Ministry that showed at least 56 victims of trafficking from Burma, including some underage children, had been rescued from slavery by Malaysian authorities since February 2008. The government had granted 292 protection orders to protect victims from February 2008 until March this year.
The World Prepares to Mark Suu Kyi Birthday
Events to mark detained Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's 65th birthday will take place both inside and outside Burma on Saturday. While foreign diplomats in Bangkok read out messages of support for Suu Kyi's freedom to Burma's opposition in exile, her supporters in Rangoon have said they will plant tens of thousands of trees in honor of their leader.
“We will plant 20,000 trees in 386 townships for our leader's birthday,” said Phyu Phyu Thin, a female leader with Suu Kyi's disbanded National League For Democracy (NLD).
Other party members said they will mark their leader's birthday by making donations to Buddhist monks and providing financial support to the children of political prisoners.
On Thursday in Bangkok, a coalition of 10 Burmese opposition groups held a ceremony to mark Suu Kyi's birthday at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT). The event included diplomats from Canada, the United States, the Czech Republic and Thailand.
Canadian Ambassador to Thailand Ron Hoffmann said that Canada will continue to support Suu Kyi and Burma's democratic struggle, adding that his country has imposed the toughest economic sanctions against the Burmese regime.
Kraisak Choonhavan, a leading member of the Thai parliament, expressed his hope that—although his country is essentially supporting the Burmese regime by importing natural gas— Thailand might be in a position to pressure the regime at some time in the future. He added that he wished to be the first person to shake hands with Suu Kyi if she is released and is able to visit Thailand.
The FCCT event also marked the end of an international campaign denouncing the Burmese general election that received more than 40,000 signatures from 35 countries in two weeks.
On Saturday, supporters of the US Campaign for Burma will hold a solidarity rally in Washington, as will members of Burma Campaign for UK, who say they are calling for the release of Suu Kyi and more than 2,000 other political prisoners in Burma.
“We will form a line of 18 people, wearing T-shirts spelling out the messages: 'Aung San Suu Kyi' and 'Now set her free.' We will hand out flyers with information about Suu Kyi and human rights in Burma,” said a statement from the London-based group.
This week, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention condemned Suu Kyi's detention in a statement, saying, “[the] continuation of the deprivation of liberty of Ms Aung San Suu Kyi is arbitrary [and] in contravention of articles 9,10, 19 and 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”
Suu Kyi has spent nearly 15 of the last 21 years in detention. She is currently serving an 18-month extension of house arrest for briefly sheltering an American citizen last year who swam uninvited to her lakeside home in Rangoon.
The NLD was officially dissolved on May 7 after rejecting the regime's election laws which would have required it to oust its leader, Suu Kyi, from the party.
The regime is widely expected to hold a general election before Suu Kyi's sentence expires in November.
News from Irrawaddy
“We will plant 20,000 trees in 386 townships for our leader's birthday,” said Phyu Phyu Thin, a female leader with Suu Kyi's disbanded National League For Democracy (NLD).
Other party members said they will mark their leader's birthday by making donations to Buddhist monks and providing financial support to the children of political prisoners.
On Thursday in Bangkok, a coalition of 10 Burmese opposition groups held a ceremony to mark Suu Kyi's birthday at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT). The event included diplomats from Canada, the United States, the Czech Republic and Thailand.
Canadian Ambassador to Thailand Ron Hoffmann said that Canada will continue to support Suu Kyi and Burma's democratic struggle, adding that his country has imposed the toughest economic sanctions against the Burmese regime.
Kraisak Choonhavan, a leading member of the Thai parliament, expressed his hope that—although his country is essentially supporting the Burmese regime by importing natural gas— Thailand might be in a position to pressure the regime at some time in the future. He added that he wished to be the first person to shake hands with Suu Kyi if she is released and is able to visit Thailand.
The FCCT event also marked the end of an international campaign denouncing the Burmese general election that received more than 40,000 signatures from 35 countries in two weeks.
On Saturday, supporters of the US Campaign for Burma will hold a solidarity rally in Washington, as will members of Burma Campaign for UK, who say they are calling for the release of Suu Kyi and more than 2,000 other political prisoners in Burma.
“We will form a line of 18 people, wearing T-shirts spelling out the messages: 'Aung San Suu Kyi' and 'Now set her free.' We will hand out flyers with information about Suu Kyi and human rights in Burma,” said a statement from the London-based group.
This week, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention condemned Suu Kyi's detention in a statement, saying, “[the] continuation of the deprivation of liberty of Ms Aung San Suu Kyi is arbitrary [and] in contravention of articles 9,10, 19 and 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”
Suu Kyi has spent nearly 15 of the last 21 years in detention. She is currently serving an 18-month extension of house arrest for briefly sheltering an American citizen last year who swam uninvited to her lakeside home in Rangoon.
The NLD was officially dissolved on May 7 after rejecting the regime's election laws which would have required it to oust its leader, Suu Kyi, from the party.
The regime is widely expected to hold a general election before Suu Kyi's sentence expires in November.
News from Irrawaddy
Thursday, 17 June 2010
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US Report Cites 13 Countries for Human Trafficking Voice of America - Human Rights and Law 23:17 Mon, 14 Jun 10
End row over sea border, Dhaka tells New Delhi Gulf Times - SriLanka/Bangladesh 22:03 Mon, 14 Jun 10Malaysia: Refugees arrested, abused and denied right to work - Amnesty ReliefWeb 20:59 Mon, 14 Jun 10US puts nations on notice for human trafficking Boston Herald - Business & Markets 19:52 Mon, 14 Jun 10US Warns Nations Failing to Fight Human Trafficking Voice of America - Human Rights and Law 18:18 Mon, 14 Jun 10US warns nations of possible sanctions for failing to fight human trafficking Orlando Sentinel, Florida 16:02 Mon, 14 Jun 10Burma: Exiles stage defiant protest at London embassy to mark Aung San Suu Kyi's birthday Amnesty International UK (Press Release) 14:20 Mon, 14 Jun 10
Pak, China energy pipelines to contribute long-term economic interst of both sides: Masood Khan Associated Press of Pakistan - International News 13:51 Mon, 14 Jun 10
AirAsia Announces New Direct Daily Flights From KL To Yangon Bernama - Malaysian National News Agency 07:32 Mon, 14 Jun 10
SpiceJet surges over 6 pc ahead of open offer by Maran Hindustan Times - Business 07:29 Mon, 14 Jun 10
Myanmar continues to take preventive measures against dengue fever Xinhua Online - Health 04:29 Mon, 14 Jun 10
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