BURMA RELATED NEWS - AUGUST 17, 2011

Myanmar papers lift slogans attacking foreign media
YANGON | Wed Aug 17, 2011 3:31am EDT

Aug 17 (Reuters) - Myanmar's state-run newspapers dropped back-page banners attacking Western media for the first time in four years on Wednesday, the latest indication its new government could be softening its stance towards opposition voices.

Three official newspapers dropped half-page slogans that were running daily, accusing the Voice of America (VOA) and the British Broadcasting Corp (BBC) of "sowing hatred among the people", and other Western media of "generating public outrage".

The slogans also told readers not to be swayed by "killer broadcasts designed to cause troubles". They had been a fixture in state newspapers since a bloody army crackdown on monk-led protests in August 2007.

The BBC, VOA and two other foreign news organisations provide local-language news bulletins on short-wave radio frequencies and satellite television that are primary news sources for many people in the former Burma.

Myanmar's government has long struggled to control overseas' news. Removing the slogans is seen as the latest gesture of openness since elections last year ended five decades of army rule and ushered in a civilian-led administration.

Some private media, which routinely exercise self-censorship, have run stories recently quoting lawmakers critical of government policies and the country's reclusive Information Ministry announced last week it had formed a "Spokespersons and Information Team" to assist journalists.

State newspapers have also been less critical of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, the figurehead of Myanmar's democracy movement who was freed last year when her period of house arrest expired.

However, Myanmar's television media remains strictly controlled by the government, foreign journalists are still mostly barred from legally reporting in the country and most foreign media websites remain blocked.

Most expect Western sanctions to remain in place until an estimated 2,100 political prisoners are released.
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Asian Correspondent - Burma allows a visa to the UN Envoy this time, why?
By Zin Linn Aug 17, 2011 10:14PM UTC

Tomas Ojea Quintana, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar (Burma), will be allowed to revisit to Burma next week for the first time in more than a year, officials said on Wednesday, AFP news said.

Mr. Quintana is to meet higher-ranking government officials, including the defense and foreign ministers, during his August 21-25 trip, according to a government official.

“He will also visit parliament and meet with parliament members,” he told AFP.

Mr. Quintana has not been issued a visa to visit Burma since March 2010, when he suggested forming of a commission of inquiry.

The UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution shortly after he presented a report in March that asked him: “to provide an assessment of any progress made by the government in relation to its stated intention to transition to a democracy to the General Assembly.”

In his statement, he said, “I am concerned that the Government is not finding a political solution to solve the ethnic conflicts. The authorities have now reached the final step of their 7-step road-map to democracy, but democracy requires much more. We also have to keep in mind that the electoral process excluded several significant ethnic and opposition
groups, so their voices are not being heard in these fora.”

Quintana last visited Burma (Myanmar) in February 2010 but was not allowed to see opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was under house arrest at the time. His consequential requests to revisit Burma have been neglected.

As a result, Mr. Quintana held a press conference on 23 May at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand (FCCT) following the conclusion of his one-week mission to Thailand.

During the press conference, he highlighted that a United Nations commission of inquiry should be set up to address Burma’s human rights violence, which has not ended under the new government.

Quintana also underscored the Burma military has continued to commit widespread human rights abuses in ethnic minority areas where armed conflicts are still taking place along the border with Thailand, which he visited last week.

“These abuses include land confiscation, forced labour, internal displacement, extrajudicial killings and sexual violence,” Quintana said.

In this coming trip, Quintana is likely to meet Burma’s Nobel laureate, who was freed from seven years of house arrest soon after the country’s controversial election in November last year.

It would be the first talks between the UN special rapporteur and the democracy icon of Burma.

Freedom of expression, information and association is controlled by more than half a dozen laws, the violation of which, may be, and in fact is, widely authorized by three to 20 years in prison.

There are approximately 2,000 political prisoners who have been detained and sentenced for having peacefully expressed their views verbally, through participation in peaceful demonstrations or in activities of political parties. Some of them are punished for having written about human rights or political issues in the country or for reading or possessing written materials judged illegal.

Releasing political prisoners and granting autonomy to ethnic groups would prove to the international community that new government is going along political change through the real democratic values.

If the President Thein Sein government wants to make real political change, it should not stubbornly used to say there are no political prisoners in its prisons.

Information Minister Kyaw Hsan confirmed at the 12-August press conference that Quintana would be allowed a visa after he was denied for a year. It seems Quintana’s idea of ‘commission of inquiry’ threatening toward the current president and his cabinet members who have responsibilities with the human rights abuses under previous junta.

Some analysts believe that the government allowed a visa to the UN special rapporteur on human rights because it has a burning desire of holding the ASEAN chair in 2014.
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ASIAONE - Taiwan's opposition visits Aung San Suu Kyi
AFP Wednesday, Aug 17, 2011

TAIPEI - Taiwan's main opposition party said Wednesday its top officials paid a rare visit to Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, who praised the role of women in the island's politics.

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which favours the island's independence from China, said a delegation of top female party officials met Suu Kyi in Yangon on Tuesday.

Suu Kyi sent blessings to the party's chairwoman and presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen, according to a DPP statement.

"Suu Kyi is very glad to see Taiwanese women's outstanding performance in politics and she sends her utmost encouragement and blessing to Tsai and other DPP female politicians," the statement said.

Tsai is challenging the incumbent Ma Ying-jeou to become Taiwan's first woman president in January 2012 elections.

Myanmar, like most countries, officially recognises China over Taiwan. Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, was released from seven straight years of detention in November just days after a controversial election.
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KETK 56 Tyler - Nacogdoches ISD to discuss preparations for Burmese students
Wednesday, August 17, 2011 - 10:47am

Nacogdoches, TX — At the Nacogdoches ISD board meeting Thursday, NISD Superintendent Fred Hayes will give an update on preparation for the expected influx of Burmese students.

"Based on his recent conversations with Pilgrim's Pride, (he's going to report) how many students he can expect, what our plans are going to be ... what the strategy's going to be now that the school year is right around the corner," said Matt Rocco, board president.

"The concept is ‘Do we reconfigure Mike Moses and McMichael Middle School and make one a sixth-grade campus and one a seventh-and-eighth-grade campus?'" Rocco said.

"That's been discussed for a long time. I think there's a perception in the public that it's already a done deal and it's not. It hasn't been approved."

Board trustees will consider adopting a revised vision and mission statement, which haven't been updated since 1997, to reflect the district's diverse population, Rocco said.

"Everything that we do we should be able to tie to our vision and mission," he said.

"All of our goals should be aligned."
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August 17, 2011 22:12 PM
Indonesians Lead In Biometric Registration

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 17 (Bernama) -- Indonesian immigrants lead in the 6P Biometric registration exercise with 896,643 persons or 46 per cent of the 1,935,048 persons registered comprising 12 nationalities to date.

Home Ministry deputy secretary-general (Registration and Immigration) Datuk Alwi Ibrahim said of the total number of Indonesian immigrants registered, 535,181 or 60 per cent were illegal immigrants.

Bangladesh came in second with 233,938 illegal immigrants and 119,960 legal workers followed by Nepal (25,307 illegal immigrants, 199,416 legal workers), Myanmar (101,483 illegal immigrants, 100,421 legal workers), India (37,780 illegal, 48,383 legal), he said in a statement here Wednesday.

The Philippines had (43,787 illegal, 4,175 legal), Vietnam (9,301 illegal, 37,707 legal), Pakistan (16,202 illegal, 10,662 legal), Cambodia (19,442 illegal, 5,232 legal), Thailand (5,279 illegal, 4,179 legal), China (1,634 illegal, 4,391 legal), Sri Lanka (3,505 illegal, 2,483 legal) and other nationalities (2,555 illegal, 1,171 legal ).

From the total, eight of the 12 nationalities recorded higher total illegal immigrants than legal ones.

"In terms of illegal against legal workers percentage by nationality, Filipinos had the highest at 91 per cent followed by Cambodians 78 per cent, Bangladeshis 66 per cent, Pakistanis 60 per cent, Sri Lankans 58 per cent, Thais 56 per cent, Myanmar 50 per cent and Indonesians 40 per cent," he said.

The other four nationalities had more legal than illegal workers.

He said Nepal led the list with 89 per cent legal workers against illegals followed by Vietnam 80 per cent, China 73 per cent and India 56 per cent.
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Asian Tribune - Sri Lankan Fishermen rescued in Myanmar
Wed, 2011-08-17 17:03 — editor

Yangon, 17 August, (Asiantribune.com): Today around 11.30 AM six Sri Lankan fisherman were rescued near the sea of the Rakkhine state near Ngapali beach by the Mynamr Navy.

According to Sri Lanka Mission in Myanmar rescued Sri Lankan fisherman are to be taken to the Tabyuchaik Base Camp by the Myanmar Navy. One member of the Sri Lankan group was reported as unwell and he will be taken to the Rakkhine State hospital.

According to press release by the Sri Lankan Embassy in Myanmar:

The 40-feet-long fishing boat, painted green and yellow bearing the Registration Number IMUL-A-0411 – KLT, had left for fishing from Beruwala with six fishermen on board.

It had developed engine trouble in mid-sea and consequently had started to drift since 18.07.2011, since it departed from Beruwala. Myanmar Navy, upon the request of the Embassy of Sri Lanka dispatched a fast rescue mission towards 60 miles from the Rakkhine state in the western Myanmar.

The Embassy of Sri Lanka will be taking necessary action with the Myanmar Navy to dispatch the rescued fishermen and the boat safely to Sri Lanka in coordination with the Department of Aquatic Resources of Sri Lanka.
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Proactive Investors UK - Eros International wins distribution deals in Japan, Romania and Myanmar
9:45 am by Sergei Balashov

Bollywood film company Eros International (LON:EROS) unveiled a batch of distribution deals around the globe this morning, including tie-ups with broadcasters and distributors in Myanmar, Japan and Romania.

The new contracts include a 100 film deal with Myanmar’s TV channel Family TV, which makes Eros the first company to launch Bollywood films in this market. These movies include Kambakkht Ishq, Zanjeer and Mother India among others.

Eros has also become the first Indian studio to launch a series of Bollywood films in the Romanian DVD market with a deal for a 30 movie package.

In addition to that, Eros has partnered with Atrium Productions KFT, a Local Distributor in Japan for the theatrical release its highest grosser ENDHIRAN. Eros also plans to launch this movie on TV and Home video platform in the near future.

“We are continuing to expand our presence across the globe and access these new and exciting markets. Our ability to dub and subtitle Eros content into foreign languages, allows us to directly appeal to both local audiences as well as the local Indian community,” said senior vice president for business development at Eros International Kumar Ahuja.

Last week, Eros told investors that it had been trading in line with market expectations.

In the quarter to end June, Eros' Indian subsidiary's total income jumped 21.8 percent to US$34 million compared to the same period last year, while earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) were up 47.4 percent at US$8.16 million. Earnings per share climbed 9.2 percent to 5.24 US cents.

Shares in Eros rose 2 pence (1 percent) to trade at 210 pence in early deals, giving it a market cap of £244 million.
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Sri Lanka Guardian - Enhanced ties between Sri Lanka and Myanmar
Uploaded by admin statement 2:56:00 PM

(August 17, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Myanmar’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs U Maung Myint, on a bilateral visit to Sri Lanka, called on Deputy Minister of External Affairs Neomal Perera at the Ministry of External Affairs on 15th of August. During the bilateral discussions both Sri Lanka and Myanmar pledged to further enhance and consolidate relations between the two countries based on cultural and religious affiliations which date back to many centuries.

The Myanmar Deputy Minister gave an updated account of the political process underway in the country, highlighting the recent election of the new Constitutional Government of the Union of the Republic of Myanmar. He reiterated their firm commitment to further strengthening democracy in the country.

Extending the personal best wishes of the President and the Foreign Minister of Myanmar to the President and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka, the visiting envoy congratulated Sri Lanka on the successful elimination of terrorism and steering the country towards economic and social development.

Deputy Minister Perera identified the need for connectivity as a priority area in further enhancing opportunities for collaboration between the two countries, particularly with the advent of peace and stability in the country.

Both sides acknowledged the need to convene the 3rd session of the Joint Commission in Myanmar at a mutually convenient time towards the latter part of 2011. The gem and jewellery sector, trade in services and Buddhist circuit tourism were focused upon as potential areas for a collaborative partnership.

While recalling the State visit of the President to Myanmar in 2009 for the 60th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations, Myanamar visiting envoy reiterated the need for high level visits in the future and proposed to have a mechanism in place for Foreign Ministry level consultations.

The Deputy Minister of Myanmar who arrived in Sri Lanka at the invitation of the Deputy Minister of External Affairs would be in the country from 15th – 18th August 2011. During his stay, he called on the Minister of External Affairs, Prof. G. L. Peiris. He also visited Anuradhapura and Kandy and held discussions with the Chief Minister of the North Central Province and expressed resolve to work towards strengthening religious ties between the two countries.
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Wednesday17/8/2011August, 2011, 02:20 AM Doha Time
Gulf Times - Domestic workers from new countries

Employment agencies and businessmen have welcomed an official decision to recruit domestic workers for Qatari households from a new set of countries including Kenya, Nepal, Tanzania, Djibouti and Myanmar, according to reports in the local Arabic press.

They indicated that this step “would maintain balance in the market and reduce the financial burden on the local employers”. There are also plans to recruit domestic workers from China.
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The Irrawaddy - Mae Sot Residents Receive Survival Training
Wednesday, August 17, 2011

The Thai army began providing “war survival training” on Wednesday to residents in Mae Sot, a major market town situated on the Burmese border opposite Myawaddy, following reports that significant battles between Burmese government troops and ethnic Karen rebels are expected in the area during the coming dry season.

About 500 people, including Thais, Burmese and those from nongovernmental organizations in Mae Sot, participated in the training program, according to sources in Mae Sot.

The army training was observed by local authorities of Thailand’s Tak Province who also confirmed that they believe there is a realistic possibility of major hostilities in the coming months.

Last year, about 20,000 Burmese refugees fled into Mae Sot due to clashes between Burmese forces and Karen rebels in Myawaddy. The aim of the war survival training is to protect civilians in advance of such hostilities, said the Thai authorities.

In Nov. 2010, the day after Burma’s general election, serious clashes broke out in Myawaddy between government troops and its formerly loyal militia, the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA). Fighting has continued in the border region since then.

Thai authorities said the training program for civilians was carried out jointly and in cooperation with the local Thai army, the police force, Thailand’s border guards and medics. The training also included first aid practice.

One trainee said, “It is very useful. We now know how to escape to safety if war breaks out, and how to provide first aid to victims.”

Meanwhile, the rebel DKBA and its allies, the Karen National Liberation Army, have said they too are preparing for guerrilla warfare against the Burmese army.

With the backing of its loyal militia, the Karen Border Guard Force, the government forces will launch attacks in Hlaing Bwe, Kawkareik, Myawaddy and Three Pagoda Pass in southern Karen State, according to Maj. Saw San Aung of DKBA Brigade 5.

He said that he believed this dry season will see renewed offensives by Burma’s government forces and that he expects major battles to be fought in Karen State. He said the DKBA held a meeting on Aug. 14 with plans discussed to increase guerrilla attacks against government bases in urban areas such as Kawkareik, Myawaddy and Hlaing Bwe.
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The Irrawaddy - Burma’s President Invites Exiles to Return Home
By BA KAUNG Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Burma’s President Thein Sein announced on Wednesday that his government will allow exiles to return home and will consider leniency with respect to offenses other than murder.

The announcement, which further promotes the new government’s message that it has embarked on a political and economic reform process, was delivered in a major speech to local businessmen in Napyidaw on Wednesday.

“The President welcomes exiles from different organizations who have left Burma since 1988 to come back home, and leniency will be considered for those who have committed offenses,” said Khin Shwe, one of the 400 businessmen who attended the gathering.

Khin Shwe also quoted the president as saying that the government will cooperate together with returning exiles to work for the betterment of the country.

The announcement, however, provided no clear security guarantee for the thousands of political exiles who have fled Burma’s decades-long political oppression and now live outside the country.

In addition, the status of war refugees and former political prisoners living in refugee camps in Thailand remains uncertain.

Aung Zaw, The Irrawaddy’s founder and editor who fled Burma as a political exile after the 1988 uprising, cautiously welcomed the announcement as a positive development, but said many exiles like him would remain doubtful of the government’s overtures until the political prisoners inside Burma are released and progress towards a peaceful resolution of the conflicts with ethnic armed groups is made.

“Exiles outside the country want to return home and contribute to their society, but it doesn't make sense that you keep thousands of people in jail while asking exiled Burmese to come home,” he said.

By contrast, Aung Naing Oo, a Burmese exile and one of the former leaders of the All Burma Students Democratic Front, an armed group founded by students who fled after the 1988 uprising, said that the new government, although formed by former military officials, have demonstrated a break from the past.

“It's good that the government has come up with such an important policy. Actual implementation may take a little longer. It's not an easy job with people trying to hold back possible reform initiatives,” Aung Naing Oo said.

“Exiles are encouraged to return because they will bring expertise, wealth, connections and other such things. If the policy is clearly directed at exiles then it is a form of reconciliation, although I am not sure every exile will go back immediately. For many people living overseas and members of the political opposition, there is still some distrust.

Nonetheless, it is a very important step in the reconciliation process,” he said.

The latest move is seen by observers as part of the government’s increasing efforts to show the outside world that the nominally civilian government which took office in March has the will to make political and economic reforms, unlike the previous military regime which handed over power.

In the same speech, Thein Sein vowed that he will make economic reforms and tackle the country’s currency exchange crisis, which has seen the rapid fall of the US dollar against Burma’s local currency, the kyat, and damaged its export industry.

The latest developments came after two-closed door meetings between Aung San Suu Kyi and the government minister, during which their discussions reportedly included the release of political prisoners, the armed conflicts in the ethnic areas and the status of the NLD, which was officially dissolved last year for failing to register under the election laws.

There are reports of the government inviting Suu Kyi to an economic anti-poverty forum which is to be held this week, although her political colleagues have not been able to confirm this.

In a related move, the state-run media has stopped its daily publishing of slogans against the Western media such as the BBC and VOA.

Some observers link the government’s tentative reformist steps to the fact that that in the coming months, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) will make a final decision on whether to award Burma its 2014 chair, and the government may be using announcements such as the one made on Wednesday and the meetings with Suu Kyi to persuade Asean to act in its favor.
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The Irrawaddy - More Hostilities Expected in Southern Karen State
By SAW YAN NAING Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Rebel fighters in southern Karen state, southern Burma, expect more hostilities in the near future and are preparing to intensify their guerrilla war against government troops, claim the leaders of local ethnic armed groups.

Sources close to rebel groups—such as the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) and Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA)—said that they understand the Burmese government will launch a major offensive in the coming winter season. In response, the rebels are preparing to jointly launch a guerrilla campaign.

The news comes soon after Zaw Min, the chief minister of Karen State, visited flood refugees in Hlaing Bwe Township.

Htee Moo, a businessman close the DKBA, told The Irrawaddy that local villagers believe Zaw Min came to observe the flooding situation, but also learn about the current armed conflicts launched by DKBA and KNLA troops in Hlaing Bwe and Kawkareik.

Rumors are also spreading that the government will launch a major military offensive against the Karen rebels in early October.

The current fighting involves several ethnic Karen rebel groups such as the DKBA, KNLA, Karen Border Guard Force (BGF) as well as the government army. Clashes have been taking place almost every day in Hlaing Bwe and Kawkareik Townships.

One DKBA soldier, who belongs to Battalion 902 led by Lt-Col Saw Kyaw Thet, said on Tuesday that the government does not engage in ceasefire talks despite being regularly attacked by DKBA and KNLA fighters. Instead, the Burmese Army is sending more soldiers to the conflict zones, he said.

“More government troops from Light Infantry Division 22 have been reinforcing [the Burmese Army] in our areas. We heard they brought two artillery launchers. They seem to increase their military activities against us too,” said the DKBA soldier in Kawkareik Township.

KNLA sources said that the group's military activities against the government have intensified, and they can now revisit their former military bases which were lost 16 years ago after the breakaway of the DKBA. The KNLA lost many bases when the DKBA joined the government in 1995, including Manerplaw which had been the KNLA headquarters since 1948.

With the cooperation of the DKBA, the KNLA now patrols and launches military attacks against government troops in areas and townships such as Kya Inn Seik Gyi, Kawkareik, Hlaing Bwe and Manerplaw in southern Karen State.

Saw Hla Ngwe, joint general secretary of the KNLA’s political wing, the Karen National Union (KNU), said that KNLA troops have become more active in its former headquarter of Manerplaw in recent times.

Meanwhile, Burma President Thein Sein recently told the Karen BGF's influential leader Chit Thu to prepare for three new camps for Burmese refugees in Tak Province, northern Thailand.

Chit Thu held meetings with Thai local authorities in Tak Province on Tuesday to discuss human and drug trafficking across the Thai-Burmese border.

Due to disagreements over the government implementation of the Border Guard Force, the DKBA breakaway faction split from Naypyidaw in November 2010, and has clashed with government troops since this time.
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Mizzima News - The Bogyoke’s conflicted hold over Burma
Wednesday, 17 August 2011 20:05 Joseph Ball

(Commentary) – Stuck in a taxi for seemingly hours in one of Rangoon’s increasingly frequent traffic jams, I was approached by a young, barefoot boy in a torn T-shirt. Through an open window, he stretched his arm, dangling key chains in front of my face and reciting the mantra, “Bogyoke, Bogyoke, Bogyoke.” The key chains depicted the young nationalist leader of modern Burma, Aung San, who was assassinated in 1947 only months before independence was achieved. His is a face, an idea and a myth that hovers over contemporary Burmese politics, providing at once both a unifying axis and an embattled legacy.

Throughout much of Burma the Bogyoke is regarded as a certain talisman. His daughter’s National League for Democracy party and splinter organizations are quick to unfurl the image of Aung San at any opportunity. On a long-distance bus in Mon State as well, the video screensaver provided passengers with the black-and-white, serious face of the general. His statue stands in towns across the country. “The people,” wrote Dr. Maung Maung in the 1960s of Aung San, “looking for a leader in the crucial phase of the country’s history, had found him.”

In several ethnic corners too, Aung San is revered as the signatory to the Panglong Agreement, that fading parchment in which so much faith was and is stored. Ominously, however, while multiple representatives of various ethnic communities signed the document, there was but a single signature attached to it in the name of the Burmese government.

Aung San’s overriding concern was independence for Burma. It was a drive whose final chapter was led at relative breakneck speed, with independence eventually arriving in early 1948, almost a full decade ahead of Malaysia. However, his dream was also of a unified leftist state. And within mere months after independence that dream was shattered.

Aung San himself seems to have some degree recognized the dangerous precipice upon which the country was traveling. “I shall lead until independence is achieved,” historian U Aung Than quotes the general. “If there is no leftist unity, there will be no point in carrying on. I shall quit office after independence, sit back and watch the scramble for power.”

Would Burmese history have proven any different if Aung San had lived? The cult of the Bogyoke certainly believes so. But, realistically, would the Karen National Defense Organisation not have marched on Rangoon, breaching Insein and coming within a whisker of overthrowing the government? Would the Communists not have proved a political and military force in opposition to the government for decades? And possibly of greatest concern, would the Tatmadaw have proved any less of an overt political actor, with its antecedents of political soldiers and armed political bodies such as the People’s Volunteer Organisation?

None of this is to detract from the significance and merit in the work of Burma’s assassinated independence hero. But, there is a need to appreciate the historical figure and the idylls for which he fought while acknowledging the perils inherent in independence for which answers were lacking at the time of independence and for which answers continue to be found wanting.

In her recent trip to Pegu, Aung San Suu Kyi––inaugurating the Aung San Jarmon Library––appealed for national unity. Her father also appealed for unity. But, what does unity look like? The answers do not lie in the past. As Burmese again search for a political leader in a time of crisis, those vying to pick up the pieces of Aung San’s legacy need to develop strategies to address the issues left unresolved at the moment of modern Burma’s troubled birth.

Yet, whoever emerges to bear the weight of the Bogyoke’s unfinished work, it is a weight impossible to bear alone. Accommodation between the Tatmadaw and Burma’s civilian opposition parties, each with their own strong, genuine ties to the legacy of Aung San, is imminent.

A thousand or more miles away, in a precisely managed, dark air-conditioned vault in Hanoi, helmeted soldiers with bayonets at the ready stand outlined against an illuminated, transparent case. After standing in line for hours, only precious seconds are allotted each visitor to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, where Uncle Ho lies in state, eponymous sandals at his feet.

July 19 in Burma is Martyrs’ Day, commemorating the death of Aung San and comrades. In Rangoon especially, it has become a day of increased tension and heightened security, with the government attempting to balance the state’s recognition of the martyrs while prohibiting the possibility that Aung San can serve as a focal point for any mass uprising––a drive toward Burma’s second independence, in the words of Aung San’s daughter.

This year, however, the 64th anniversary of the carnage that stunned the country, a slight but noticeable thaw was in the air. Following Aung San Suu Kyi’s acceptance of an invitation to attend a government ceremony at Martyrs’ Mausoleum, security personnel organized a tightly controlled procession for the public wishing to pay its respects.

Instead of a frigid vault in Hanoi with a see-through case, the visitor in Rangoon is greeted with the Burmese sun and a smallish casket behind an iron gate. But, there are similarities as well, the penetrating silence only interrupted by sharp military posturing and the periodic call to honour those fallen; guests given but a fleeting minute to pay their respects.

The last installment of the Vietnam War concluded in 1975. Ho died in 1969, unable to witness the goal he had dedicated himself to. Today, though, while buses of school children are escorted through the Mausoleum in Ba Dinh Square, feeding the ongoing legacy, Vietnam has in many respects moved on. The transformation of the country can even be felt in Burma, where the presence of Vietnamese businessmen and money is visibly on the rise.

Burma must also find a means to push forward, respectful of the contributions and legacy of its independence hero, but free of an anchor to associated divisiveness––the Bogyoke’s final resting place a valued link to the past while the state wrestles with a common future.
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\Views on Burmese president’s call for citizens abroad to come home
Wednesday, 17 August 2011 21:47 Mizzima News

(Interview) - In a speech delivered in Naypyitaw on Wednesday, President Thein Sein said that organizations and people in exile could come back home by contacting their state or regional governments. Mizzima reporter Ko Wild interviewed exile-based political activists on their opinions on the president’s call.

Dr. Naing Aung, general-secretary Forum for Democracy in Burma

I think they need to issue an official law, order or decree rather than an oral offer. So we can know clearly what this involves, a general amnesty or what? Our political forces here left home because there was no democracy or human rights in the country and there were no political freedoms because of repression.

If there these rights will exist, we will come back home and work in our homeland. We have no reason to stay here. If they cannot guarantee these rights to us, the situation will not be what we need. If President Thein Sein said this honestly for the sake of national reconciliation and peace, he needs to invite the people in exile with a clear official announcement and an order. And then he must guarantee the political freedoms that we have always called for. He needs to guarantee not to take any action on any offence [an amnesty].

Ngwe Lin, general-secretary Democratic Party for a New Society

Whether to go back home or not mainly depends on the existence of democracy and human rights and it depends on whether we can build a federal union that we have called for.

As far as I understand it, these things cannot be achieved under the rule of Thein Sein’s government or under the 2008 Constitution. Therefore, what he said has no significant meaning to us regardless of what he said.

If he really wants to build a genuine federal union, a new state with permanent peace, a new state with full democracy, then first he needs to release all the political prisoners, build a genuine peace across the country and convene an all-inclusive political dialogue. Without these things, such an invitation will have no meaning. It will just be a PR campaign.

If they issue a general amnesty order like in 1980, some of our idealist friends might go back home. But I think, under a situation of no concrete proposals about the future, no one will go back home. If one considers going back home under these circumstances, it would be foolish.

Nyo Ohn Myint, in-charge of the foreign affairs department of the National League for Democracy (Liberated Area)

I’d like to say President’s Thein Sein speech is constructive but I have to say that for all the people in exile including the politicians who left their homes because of their political beliefs that if the government does not recognize their political beliefs it will be difficult to say this is really an offer of national reconciliation.

I think they will release political prisoners in dribs and drabs. No one will go back home if their security is not guaranteed and there are no political guarantees. No one will go back home if they cannot do politics in Burma. I think it will be more appropriate to welcome these people with a political guarantee.

Tin Tin Nyo, secretary Women League of Burma

From the point of view of those who are devoting their lives to this democratic struggle, and judging what happened in exile throughout these years, it is not logical to hear him saying everyone can come back home. If they really want us to come back home, they must make proper arrangements between the two sides. Now what they offer is like surrendering to go back to the legal fold. I think this is a careless and irrational statement.

What I’d like to suggest to President Thein Sein is to halt all offensives along the border rather than just saying you can come back. It’s important for him to work to establish a genuine peaceful democracy at the earliest date through talking with Aung San Suu Kyi. And then he must work to find an economic solution for the people, a solution for economic crisis is a priority. And then I wish he would work for the refugees along the border to alleviate their plight, the lack of food and lack of shelter.

Myo Win, vice chairman All Burma Students Democratic Front

He didn’t talk about the most important thing: how to resolve the political issue. Just saying to come back home cannot resolve the crises and issues in Burma. If President Thein Sein wants to resolve all the issues in the country peacefully, the most important thing is, as we’ve always said, is to engage in a dialogue with all forces and stakeholders in these conflicts on an equal footing.

Without an equal political dialogue, just calling for people to come back home will not resolve the political issues. Similarly, just a cease-fire agreement cannot resolve the current armed conflicts. There must be a concrete process of what to do next after a cease-fire.

And if they really want to rebuild the country by all people contributing from both exile and internal movements, they must develop their political programmes first. And at the same time, they must release all political prisoners. They must have a working programme. They must show these concrete programmes first and then invite everyone to implement them. Only in this way, can this offer be useful and effective. I don’t think just calling for people to come back home can resolve these political issues.
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Burmese political parties invited to national level workshop
Wednesday, 17 August 2011 21:03 Te Te

New Delhi (Mizzima) – Thirty-seven Burmese political parties have been invited to attend a national level workshop on economic development to be held on Friday in Naypyitaw, according to party officials.

Three representatives of each of the parties that contested in the 2010 election have been invited to the three-day workshop. Two ministers and two or three businessmen from each of the 14 states or regions will also attend.

“We have not prepared to put forward any ideas. The Ministry of Economic Development will present research papers, I think,” said Dr. Aye Maung, the chairman of the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party (RNDP). “If they raise issues with us, we will point out the things we believe.”

Aye Maung said the workshop would be led by the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry and its sub-organizations such as the Myanmar Tourism Association and Myanmar Rice Industry Association

In related political matters, the RFA Burmese Service reported on a speech by Dr. Nay Zin Latt, a member of the Burmese president’s political advisory board, in which he said that Burma’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi would be invited to attend the national level workshop.

However, National League for Democracy official Win Htein said that Suu Kyi would not attend the workshop on economics on Friday.

“I had to answer questions about it over the phone the whole day. Nobody gave us an invitation letter. And she was not invited by mail. The information [that she was invited] is a false rumour,” said Win Htein.

President Thein Sein attended a “National Level Workshop on Rural Development and Poverty Alleviation” in Naypyitaw from May 20 to May 22.

At that workshop, presidential adviser economist Dr. U Myint, who told Mizzima that he had a friendly relationship with Suu Kyi, presented a paper titled “Reducing Poverty in Myanmar: the Way Forward.”
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DVB News - Kachin, Shan armies rubbish govt claims
Published: 17 August 2011

Two of Burma’s major armed ethnic groups have rejected accusations made recently by the government that they are targeting civilians during their battles with the Burmese army.

The front page of the state-run New Light of Myanmar carried a story on Saturday last week claiming that the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) “exploits … local people as refugees” and was lobbying the international community to provide assistance in its ongoing conflict.

Further down it accused the Shan State Army (SSA) of “repeatedly commit[ing] destructive acts such as firing into schools and houses … and killing innocent people”. Such acts, the paper continued, warranted attacks by Burmese troops on SSA bases. But in separate statements released this week both groups accuse the government, which made the remarks during a press conference late last week, of intentionally defaming them as part of its own propaganda campaign.

The SSA claimed it has “no policy of using terror on the innocent people”, and said the multiple conflicts in Burma’s volatile border regions stemmed from the “chauvinistic” nature of the government and its refusal to create a federal union in Burma, which underlies much of the grievances of Burma’s myriad ethnic minority groups.

The KIA had similar complaints, and claimed that rather than being used to discuss government policy, the press conference instead became a volley of accusations against armed opposition groups.

“We have found that the new government, while neglecting the civil war that has been on-going for so many years and ethnic issues, does not have a wish to solve issues regarding citizens’ right, citizens’ human rights and ethnic issues via political means,” it added.

Fighting between the Burmese army and KIA began on 9 June, and followed the latter’s refusal to transform into a government-controlled Border Guard Force. The outbreak marked the end of a ceasefire that had remained intact since 1994.

The SSA’s northern faction, which had also signed a ceasefire with the government, similarly refused the transformation, prompting the first outbreak of fighting between the two forces in March this year.

Both regions have since seen civilians flee en masse to the Chinese border or safer enclaves. The SSA has repeatedly denied accusations that it has attacked civilians, whilst accusing the Burmese military of deploying airstrikes in the mountainous Shan region. The government has not commented on the allegations.
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