|
|
|
|
|
|
BURMA RELATED NEWS - OCTOBER 28, 2005. UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - Military rulers are driving Myanmar into further isolation and the world community, particularly neighboring states, must help find a constructive way out of the impasse, a UN rights official said. Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the special human rights rapporteur for Myanmar, told a committee of the UN General Assembly that despite "grave concern about systematic human rights abuses" and the lack of progress toward democratic rule, "we must not give up." "I urge the international community to step up its assistance and not to retreat from supporting the people of Myanmar," said Pinheiro, a Brazilian who addressed the assembly for the last time, as his mandate expires next April. "It is our duty to direct our best efforts to find a constructive way out of the current impasse," he noted, stressing that Myanmar's neighbors had a key role to play. "The current leadership appears to be driving the country toward further international isolation," said Pinheiro, who has not been allowed to visit Myanmar since November 2003. "The friends and good neighbors of Myanmar should demonstrate that this is a serious mistake, which is causing significant damage internally and is blighting the reputation of the region and its prospects for prosperity and stability," he added. He called for a coordinated international drive to pressure Yangon's military junta. "The United Nations and the international community stand ready to work in partnership with the government, the political parties and civil society organizations, to effectively and expeditiously facilitate national reconciliation and the transition to democracy," he added. Earlier this month, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) lawmakers urged UN chief Kofi Annan and the Security Council to take up the issue of Myanmar. Last month, former Czech president Vaclav Havel and South African Archbishop and Nobel peace prize laureate Desmond Tutu also urged the Security Council to push the Yangon junta to reform. The United States, Britain and France have expressed interest but China, Russia and Myanmar's partners in ASEAN are cool to the idea. Pinheiro on Thursday reiterated that over 1,100 people remained behind bars for their political beliefs in Myanmar. Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party won 1990 elections but was never allowed to govern, has been under house arrest for much of the past 16 years -- the world's only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize recipient. Myanmar's ethnic minorities are being subjected to gross rights violations while "the machinery of law, order and justice, far from upholding the rights of citizens, has been employed as an implement of repression and to silence dissent," Pinheiro said. BEIJING (AFP) - Governments across Asia redoubled their efforts to combat bird flu as China insisted it had the virus under control, with state media saying a girl who showed flu-like symptoms died of pneumonia. In Bangkok, Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said bird flu would be on the agenda at a regional meeting of five Southeast Asian leaders next week, with a view to coordinating efforts to stop the spread of the virus. Malaysia slapped a ban on the import of pet birds after avian influenza was detected in a parrot in Britain, while Vietnam said it wanted to manufacture Roche's anti-viral drug Tamiflu to combat a possible flu outbreak. In Indonesia, where at least four people have died of the killer H5N1 strain of bird flu, officials warned the virus was spreading to residential areas, and said it would recruit 1,000 veterinary students to hunt for sick chickens. Global fears of a massive flu pandemic are mounting, now that the virus has spread to Europe and Russia. On Wednesday, Croatia confirmed that dead swans found last week were carrying H5N1. More than 60 people have died in Asia since 2003 of the deadly H5N1 strain, two-thirds of them in Vietnam. Last week, Thailand reported its 13th death from bird flu. Experts fear a pandemic that could kill millions across the globe if H5N1 acquires genetic material from a human influenza virus and becomes easily transmittable from human to human. China has reported three bird flu outbreaks in the past week, in the Inner Mongolia region and the provinces of Hunan and Anhui, but senior officials insist the spread of the virus is under control. Premier Wen Jiabao said in Moscow that the government "was taking effective measures" to prevent the spread of the deadly H5N1 strain, and that it could "definitely bring the bird flu under control", Xinhua news agency reported. Health Minister Gao Qiang and other senior officials have issued similar reassurances. But the South China Morning Post reported Thursday that a 12-year-old girl in the village of Wantang, Hunan province, had died of flu-like symptoms after eating a sick chicken that died, according to her father. Xinhua news agency, quoting local health authorities, reported late Thursday that the cause of death was "severe pneumonia with acute respiratory difficulty", and that tests for bird flu "have turned out negative". Local officials told AFP that initial test results showed the girl, He Yin, did not have bird flu. Conclusive results were expected by Friday. The World Health Organization said it had asked for information about her death, and officials from the WHO and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization both said they would not be surprised if the girl had died from bird flu. "It is premature to say bird flu is under control. Scientifically or operationally, you can't say it is under control. The opportunity is always there," FAO China representative Noureddin Mona told AFP Thailand's prime minister said it was impossible to prevent the spread of avian flu but said outbreaks could be quickly contained through joint action. "We will talk about cooperation to destroy the disease as soon as we can," Thaksin said of next week's meeting in Bangkok, bringing together leaders from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. In Vietnam, officials said the communist country was working with Roche to strike a deal to produce its own Tamiflu, amid a global surge in demand for the anti-viral drug, considered to be a first line of defense against bird flu. The Swiss pharmaceutical giant however said negotiations on local production had yet to begin. Taiwan said earlier this week it too wanted to work with Roche to produce Tamiflu, while the Swiss firm voiced willingness to work with the Chinese government to boost production. CANBERRA, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Australia updated bird flu warnings for expatriates and travellers in Asian countries on Friday, urging them to have their own supply of antiviral drugs and to prepare an evacuation plan in the event of an outbreak. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Australian travellers and residents overseas needed to take responsibility for their own safety and not rely on Australian embassies to supply medication and help. "Australian missions and offices overseas will not be in a position to provide influenza antiviral medicines to all Australians in affected areas," the department said in its avian influenza bulletin on its Web site www.smartraveller.gov.au. More than 60 people have died from bird flu in Asia since the H5N1 strain of the disease re-emerged in 2003. The H5N1 strain, which surfaced in Hong Kong in 1997, has recently spread to poultry in eastern Europe. Australia will host a conference of disaster management officials from the 21 members of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group in Brisbane next week to discuss regional coordination in the event of a bird flu pandemic. A foreign affairs spokeswoman said more than 160,000 Australians were visiting or living in Asian nations at any one time. Travel restrictions could make it difficult for people to return home if the H5N1 virus mutates into a form that can be passed from human to human. "If the virus mutates to a form where efficient human-to-human transmission occurs, it may spread quickly and local authorities could move quickly to impose restrictions on travel," the department said. "Australians who don't leave affected countries when first advised to do so may be prevented from leaving later. Borders may be closed, commercial air services may be curtailed or halted and quarantine requirements may further restrict options for leaving." The new travel warnings were for Malaysia, the Philippines, Laos, China, Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, East Timor, Japan, Thailand and Brunei. A previous travel warning earlier in the month covered Indonesia. RETIRED ANGLICAN ARCHBISHOP Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize winner and architect of South Africa's post-apartheid reconciliation, put the matter clearly: The United Nations has an "open-and-shut case" to intervene in Myanmar to restore democracy, deliver aid and win freedom for political prisoners. That doesn't necessarily mean anything will happen. Regime change by outsiders is nothing to be taken lightly, but the U.N. must be reminded that the military rulers who have repressed Myanmar for decades are thugs willing to murder their fellow citizens. Tutu and former Czech President Vaclav Havel preside over a global coalition of human-rights advocates trying to get the Security Council to act on Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. The U.S. is supportive, but China is reluctant. Beijing should take a closer look at a report commissioned by Tutu and Havel. Its list of the ruling junta's atrocities include allegations of forced labor, the destruction of thousands of villages, the rape of ethnic minority women and the torture and killing of political prisoners. The best known political prisoner is Aung San Suu Kyi, who this week marked her 10th year in detention over the last 16 years. A leader of pro-democracy forces, she won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. Suu Kyi's most recent glimpse of freedom occurred three years ago, when the generals relented and let her tour the country. As during previous suspensions of her house arrest, enthusiastic crowds mobbed her speeches. The government then organized an ambush of her motorcade, blamed her for the violence and put her under house arrest again. The military's atrocities extend far beyond one person. The report from Tutu and Havel says the government has forced as many as 70,000 children to become soldiers. Hundreds of thousands of refugees have fled to other countries. The repression threatens the stability of the region, says the report, a major reason for nearby countries to demand reform and for the U.N. to support them. Myanmar's rulers have gotten away with their reign of terror for too long; the Security Council needs to sanction and isolate the country if its leaders do not change. (Kyodo) _ Two U.N. officials Thursday criticized North Korea for abductions of Japanese nationals and Myanmar for falling short of the government's own pledge for democratic reform as they spoke before a panel of the world body. "I wish to express my deep concern over the issue of abductions," Vitit Muntarbhorn, the U.N. special rapporteur for human rights in North Korea said before the General Assembly's third committee that addresses human rights issues. The DPRK stands for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Muntarbhorn expressed his "wish to call upon the DPRK to respond effectively and expeditiously to Japan's claim that there are a number of Japanese nations abducted by the DPRK who are still alive in the DPRK and that they should be returned to Japan immediately and in safety." Muntarbhorn, a law professor at Thailand's Chulalongkorn University, who was appointed to the post in July of last year traveled to Japan from Feb. 24 to March 4 for research on the abduction issue after Japan disputed the North Korean claim that remains handed over to Japan late last year belonged to one of the abductees, Megumi Yokota. Muntarbhorn, who has not visited North Korea, based his findings on meetings held with representatives from governmental, nongovernmental and intergovernmental agencies, as well as information gained during travels to Japan and Mongolia. In addition to expressing his concern about the abductees' situation, he also spoke out about the rights of North Korean citizens for food, freedom of movement, humane treatment, as well as self determination. Meanwhile, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the U.N. special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, separately pointed to serious issues in that country. "Throughout my mandate as special rapporteur I have received many reports, documenting violations of the government's pledge to democratic reform and respect for human rights," he said, adding that although he visited the country on several occasions, he has not been able to set foot there since 2003. He also noted that Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi remains confined to her home where no visitors are allowed. He drew attention to the fact that more than 1,100 people, including many students, poets and journalists, are imprisoned for their beliefs. TEXCHEM Resources Bhd plans to invest in the aquaculture business in Myanmar early next year, group chairman and chief executive officer Datuk Seri Fumihiko Konishi said. The group, he said, planned to farm soft-shell crabs and sea bass as fresh seafood prices were rising due to the depletion in fresh seafood resources and rising diesel prices. “This affects the competitive edge of our food division, as we purchase large quantities of seafood from overseas. “If we farm our own crab and fish, we will be able to reduce our raw materials costs substantially,” he told a press conference yesterday. The proposed activity comes under the group’s food division business, which currently contributes about 17% to the group’s annual revenue. “We would like to see this division contribute 20% of revenue in the future,” he added. Texchem's markets are in Japan, US, Europe, Australia and Singapore. Konishi said the group, which was now studying how much was needed to kick off the business, had a 1,000-acre property where it was carrying research and development activities for the farming of soft-shell crabs and sea bass. Konishi said the Myanmar authorities were “very supportive'' of the group’s aquaculture investments in the country. In the first nine months ended Sept 30, the company posted pre-tax profit of RM16mil, which was 2.3 times the RM7mil recorded in the same period last year. He said the group's industrial trading and manufacturing segments performed well despite the difficult trading conditions affecting the petrochemical sector and sluggishness in the manufacturing sector. Its customer product segment also recorded operating profits during the period due to stronger margins. “Food services in the form of Sushi King restaurants and our Sea Master seafood trading operations performed very well, which helped offset the start-up costs of the group’s investment in its seafood processing plant in Myanmar. “Demand for the plant’s output is encouraging and we are confident of its long-term prospects,” he added. One step forward, two steps back. That sums up the Myanmar ruling military junta's approach to the peace process, which is expected to restore democracy in the country at some point in the future. The opposition National League for Democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, is an icon of democracy on the world stage. She has been under house arrest for the better part of the last 15 years. Her supporters have calculated that Ms. Suu Kyi has indeed been detained for a period of 10 years since 1989, when she was first arrested. The NLD swept the last general election, which the junta held in 1990 and then promptly annulled. There has been no real movement since then towards a return to democracy. Senior General Than Shwe and his military colleagues continue to rule Myanmar with an iron hand. They have shown scant regard for international public opinion, or even the "friendly counsel" of Southeast Asian neighbours. The international community, tired of imposing sanctions and pressing the generals to have a serious dialogue with Ms. Suu Kyi, has again turned to the Association of South East Asian Nations, of which Myanmar is a member, for turning the screws on the military junta. But this has not worked, as is evidenced by Yangon's decision to give up the Chair of ASEAN's standing committee rather than agree to initiate a dialogue to restore democracy. In the face of such intransigence, Ms. Suu Kyi, following in the footsteps of Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, has led one of the great non-violent political struggles of our time. A few of the generals, including Prime Minister Khin Nyunt, who favoured a dialogue were removed from power — and also "detained." For over a decade now, the junta has taken cover behind a seemingly interminable process of drafting a new Constitution. A National Convention was established to prepare a draft, but nothing has come out of it. Initially, the Generals wanted to adopt the `Indonesian model' to ensure a social and political role for the military. However, with the collapse of General Suharto in 1998, that model went out of the window. Rather than reconcile themselves to the inevitable and let the people elect a government of their choice, the military rulers are hanging on to power. It was high time the international community, led by ASEAN, stepped up the pressure on Yangon to meet specific targets. It appears there are inhibitions about pushing Myanmar again into a path of isolation and closer to China. Interventionism, which comes up against national sovereignty, deservedly has a bad name on the world stage. But the junta's continued detention of Ms. Suu Kyi, its refusal to take any concrete step towards allowing people to choose their rulers, and its gross human rights violations provide more than sufficient reason to focus international attention in an effective way on Myanmar. Siemens Power Generation (PG) has secured an order from the Russian company Uralkali JSC for the supply of four industrial gas turbine-generators. The company has also received an order from the French company Total for two gas turbine compressor trains for a project in Myanmar. The combined order value is over EUR33 million. In Russia, four SGT-400 (formerly called Cyclone) gas turbine-generators will be installed in cogeneration plants at two potassium mines in Berezniki, which is one of the main industrial centers of the Ural region. Each cogeneration plant will provide highly efficient and reliable production of power and steam. Natural gas will be used to power the gas turbines, which will incorporate a Dry Low Emissions (DLE) combustion system for emissions reduction. The turbine-generators are scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2006. These are the first machines of this type to be supplied to the Russian Federation. PG also has secured an order for the supply of two SGT-400 gas turbine-driven compressor trains to be installed on a new platform in the Yadana gas field in the Andaman Sea off the coast of Myanmar. The units, which will be operated by Total E&P Myanmar, will be used to supply gas to the domestic market and to three power plants in the Bangkok conurbartion in Thailand. They are scheduled for delivery to Myanmar in May 2006. Each SGT-400 gas turbines has an electrical power output of 12.9 megawatts under ISO conditions. If used this gas turbine type as mechanical drives, output increases to 13.4 megawatts. These turbines have the ability to burn medium calorific gas fuel containing up to 24 percent nitrogen. Thanks to their lower fuel consumption and low emissions, the Siemens PG machines are particularly environment-friendly and economical. The Power Generation Group (PG) of Siemens AG is one of the premier companies in the international power generation sector. In fiscal 2004 (which ended September 30), Siemens PG posted sales amounting to approximately EUR7.5 billion and received new orders totalling EUR9.2 billion. Group profit amounted to EUR961 million. On September 30, 2004, PG had a work force of approximately 30,900 worldwide. BANGKOK, Thailand -- America's war on terrorism is an excuse allowing the "bloodthirsty murderer" to invade Afghanistan and Iraq, kill innocent people, and strip survivors of their human rights, according to Burma's military regime. Burma's newest tirade against the United States comes amid a month-long campaign by the repressive, hermit nation which is desperately defending itself against Washington's attempt to bring Burma to the United Nations' Security Council for punishment. Virtually daily throughout October, Burma has also condemned former Czech president Vaclav Havel and South Africa's retired archbishop Desmond Tutu for demanding the Security Council investigate widespread reports of forced labor, torture, opium production, child soldiers and mass rape in Burma. Burma's economy has been shattered by U.S.-led international sanctions, widespread corruption among the military leadership, and a nonsensical use of "lucky numbers" to fix financial problems. As a result, inflation is reeling, its kyat currency is depreciating, and the unelected junta has displayed increasing nervousness over American, British and other foreign attempts to pressure the generals to release Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who has spent 10 of the past 16 years under house arrest. The generals insist Suu Kyi, 60, must remain in detention so she cannot destabilize the country with demands that her National League for Democracy party be allowed to govern. Her NLD party won a landslide election victory in 1990, which the regime refused to recognize by claiming that the military must oversee the writing of a new constitution before any politicians can take office. After 15 years, no constitution has been written, partly because Suu Kyi has boycotted the drafting procedure, amid complaints that the document would endorse the military's right to rule and grant them immunity from prosecution. Washington's current bid to put Burma in the UN Security Council's dock has caused jitters among the generals, as evidenced by the lengthy complaints in the government-controlled media. Burma, also known as Myanmar, is majority Buddhist, a close ally of China, and mainland Southeast Asia's biggest country. The regime's mouthpiece is its New Light of Myanmar newspaper, which publishes daily in English for domestic and international consumption. "Behind the word 'anti-terrorism' is convincing evidence of all forms of suffering and adversities [which] the peoples of Afghanistan and Iraq are experiencing," the paper said on Thursday (Oct. 27). "Without knowing the hideouts of the terrorists at all, the invaders are using force to launch attacks in these nations at will, killing a great number of innocent people. "'Human rights' and 'democracy' are two beautiful words the militarist bloc is widely applying to mislead the world's people about its invasion, and interference in the internal affairs of other nations, under the pretext of anti-terrorism." Ironically, Burma warned against "the loss of all human rights of innocent people in Iraq and Afghanistan," while claiming that the Burmese military was enforcing law and order so human rights and democracy could flourish at home. Al Qaeda-style, Islamist terrorist groups are not active within Burma. But the regime has blamed "terrorists" for exploding a handful of small bombs in recent months in the capital, Rangoon, and points to Burma's minority ethnic guerrillas who have been fighting for autonomy or independence since British colonial rule ended after World War II. Despite a lack of evidence, the generals have tried to link Suu Kyi indirectly to the bombings and occasional clashes between the military and the guerrillas, but she consistently claims her struggle for democracy is non-violent. Burma earlier criticized U.S.-based DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary, a legal services company, for helping Havel, and Nobel Peace laureate Tutu, publish their 70-page document titled, "Threat to the Peace: A Call for the UN Security Council to Act in Burma." "There is no basis whatsoever to its claims," the foreign ministry said in a 1,270-word statement published in the New Light of Myanmar on Sept. 3. "Myanmar has on several occasions officially denounced those allegations that it engages in rape, forced labor, child soldiers, refugees' outflow, forced relocation, etc.," the foreign ministry said. Burma, ruled by the military since 1962, is among the world's worst abusers of human rights, according to London-based Amnesty International, the U.S. State Department and other monitors. In January, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice named Burma as one of the "outposts of tyranny" which must be challenged, along with Cuba, Belarus and Zimbabwe. Oct 27, 2005 (DVB) - Spies and informers within and without Burma on the payroll of Burma’s military junta-sponsored Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) leader Aung Thaung and recently promoted Defence Services Intelligence (DSI) chief Lt-Gen Myint Swe, have been sending incorrect reports, causing headaches to their bosses at the Special Branch (SB). In particular, they have been sending wrong information on the activities of exiled Burmese pro-democracy activists based on the Thai-Burma border whenever there were bomb blasts in Burma. They told their bosses about the alleged perpetrators, their ports of entry to Burma, their modes of transport, their targets and the like without giving precise details. As a result, the SB police agents inside Burma have been arresting the wrong people with similar names and they are still unable arrest the culprits who really planted bombs, sources close to the SB told DVB. At the same time, USDA agents within Burma have been sending made-up reports on the activities of the main opposition party, National League for Democracy (NLD) members, in order to gain ‘good’ reputations. For example, the agents told their handlers that NLD members were holding secret meetings when they were only helping their relatives at social events. But the agents never reported news of robbery, murder, rape and other crimes which were really happening on the ground, the sources told DVB. OCt 27, 2005 (DVB) - National League for Democracy (NLD) youth members were arrested on 26 October at Tanlarlay Village, Twante Township in Rangoon Division by the local authority chairman Thaung Tun and police force, while the former were helping out their friends’ wedding feast. 17 youths including Zaw Zaw, Myo Min Soe, Nay Soe, Myo Min Win, Soe Min and Aung Zaw Oo, and the hostess Than Than Win and a ‘ten-house-chief’ were arrested for allegedly failing to register their presence to the authorities. The detained were helping to prepare for the wedding feast of local NLD youth members Ohn Tun and Cho Mar Win when they were arrested. They are being tried at the township court on 27 October and it is still not known whether they have been sentenced or not. Oct 27, 2005 (DVB) - A veteran Burmese politician advised all opposition groups within, without Burma including the National League for Democracy (NLD), to actively seek the ‘sympathy’ of neighbouring government of China as soon as possible. The veteran said that although Burma’s pro-democracy campaigns have gained ‘full’ supports of western countries, they still need to seek the sympathy of other powerful nations, especially that of neighbouring China. He insisted that Beijing, in particular, needs to be approached while the opposition groups are trying to urge the UN Security Council to discuss Burma’s situation. His suggestion was also supported by a diplomat based in Rangoon. The diplomat said that Beijing has not been giving full support to and lost faith in Burma’s military junta, State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) since the ouster of its pro-China Prime Minister Gen Khin Nyunt in October 2004. The diplomat cited recent visit of the junta’s new Prime Minister Gen Soe Win to China to attend a regional trade fair which was only attended by vice-ministers of other countries, as an example of the desperate effort of the junta to appease the Chinese leaders in order to maintain their continuing support. |
|
|
|
|
|
