BURMA RELATED NEWS

U.S. sees "open channel" with Myanmar on human rights

By Andrew Quinn | Reuters – 3 hrs ago

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has concluded its first set of human rights talks with Myanmar and is confident it now has an "open channel" to discuss political prisoners and other sensitive subjects as ties improve, the State Department said on Wednesday.

 

Michael Posner, the State Department's top human rights official, led the U.S. team at the talks in Naypyitaw, the capital of Myanmar, which is also known as Burma.

 

The talks come as the Obama administration dismantles longstanding sanctions to reward Myanmar's leaders for political and economic reforms.

 

"The results of the dialogue were assessed to be very positive and we look forward to continuing these discussions with Burmese authorities," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told a news briefing.

 

"We weren't sure whether the Burmese would be open to addressing all of those issues, and they were," Nuland said.

 

"We are confident that we have now an open channel with the government of Burma to discuss human rights and to continue to work on bringing them where they want to be in terms of human rights standards for their government."

 

The U.S. delegation also included Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Vikram Singh and other U.S. military officials, a signal that the Pentagon also is watching closely as Myanmar begins moving out of the shadow of China, long its chief regional ally.

 

RAPID CHANGES

 

The United States has seen ties warm rapidly with Myanmar since a quasi-civilian government took office there in March 2011, ending five decades of military rule.

 

The new government has launched rapid reforms, including an overhaul of the economy, an easing of censorship, the legalization of trade unions and protests, and the freeing of political prisoners.

 

The United States has responded with diplomatic and economic gestures, sending Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Myanmar last year and easing sanctions.

 

Myanmar released its latest group of political prisoners last month, just before Myanmar President Thein Sein and veteran pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi visited the United States on separate trips.

 

"We have all spoken out about the need to get to zero in terms of political prisoners and we're continuing to work with the government of Burma on that," Nuland said.

 

The United States has also expressed concern over ongoing fighting with ethnic minority groups and violence against ethnic Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar's western Rakhine state, as well as the government's continued military ties with North Korea.

 

Activists say the United States has pressed Myanmar consistently on human rights but warn that a surge in economic and other ties could may push the issue down the priority list.

 

"The simple fact is that U.S. policy toward Burma is no longer just about human rights," said John Sifton, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch.

 

"Now human rights is just another sector that is part of the dialogue and there are other folks at the table, from the military to the business community, who have their own wish lists. As a result it is that much harder to focus the pressure."

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In reforming Myanmar, a junta mouthpiece gets a makeover

By Andrew R.C. Marshall | Reuters – 4 hrs ago

 

NAYPYITAW (Reuters) - The New Light of Myanmar has an image problem. That's putting it mildly. Created in 1993 as the mouthpiece of a military junta, the newspaper once described democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi as "obsessed by lust and superstition," while praising the achievements of generals who kept Myanmar in poverty and fear. Its nickname was "The New Lies of Myanmar."

 

Now, with the junta gone and a reformist government in power, the mouthpiece is getting a makeover.

 

"Feel free to ask me any question! We are very transparent now!" cries Than Myint Tun, its affable, betel-nut-chewing editor-in-chief during a Reuters tour of the state-run newspaper, the first by the international media.

 

The New Light is the country's only English-language daily -- but not for long. Among its reforms since taking power last year, Myanmar's quasi-civilian government has effectively scrapped censorship, boosting an already vibrant weekly newspaper scene. It will allow the publication of privately owned dailies from early 2013.

 

With competition looming, the long-derided New Light is battling for relevance and readers.

 

Hate-filled propaganda has been replaced by lively editorials and entertainment news. Cartoons that once showed Suu Kyi as a toothless crone now comment on hot issues such as political transparency and the popularity of Western dress.

 

And a black-and-white newspaper notorious for leaving its readers with inky fingers is finally experimenting with color. All editions of the New Light and its Burmese-language sister titles, Myanma Alin and Kyemon, will appear in color by mid-December.

 

The overhaul is part of an ambitious plan to revamp Myanmar's lackluster state-run television and print media with a public service mandate.

 

"When the media is too commercialized it will fail to present the interests of vulnerable groups, such as ethnic minorities, women and youth," Ye Htut, Myanmar's deputy Minister of Information, told Reuters. "So that area should be covered by the state media."

 

"SKYFUL OF LIES"

 

Reforming an Orwellian propaganda organ won't be easy. The New Light has few resources, no journalistically trained staff, and an office located a 40-minute drive from the already isolated capital Naypyitaw.

 

Than Myint Tun, 50, graduated in English from Mandalay University, then spent 14 years in the army before leaving in 2000 to join the newspaper. "I'm ex-army," he says, before introducing other members of the 26-strong editorial team. "He was a veterinarian. He was an engineer." He flashes a ragged smile. "We are very strange men."

 

Today, the newspaper might feel like a student rag overseen by eccentrics -- in a field. But in the past, under the junta, it was dreary and vicious.

 

Most stories and photographs showed retired dictator Than Shwe or his fellow generals inspecting roads and bridges, receiving blessings from Buddhist monks or lecturing morose-looking civilians.

 

The newspaper called Suu Kyi a woman who "swings around a bamboo pole brushed with cess", routinely denounced the Western media ("VOA and BBC airing skyful of lies"), and exhorted readers to "crush all internal and external destructive elements as the common enemy."

 

It also put a favorable spin on the junta's well-documented human rights abuses.

 

In 2003, for instance, hundreds of government thugs attacked Suu Kyi's convoy at the northern town of Depayin. At least four of her bodyguards were killed, said Human Rights Watch, with credible reports of dozens more deaths. Amid global outrage, the junta put Suu Kyi under house arrest again and didn't release her until November 2010.

 

The newspaper claimed Suu Kyi's supporters had hurled stones at locals staging a peaceful protest and accused her of committing "acts counter to democracy."

 

Then, in 2007, dozens of people were killed after pro-democracy protests led by Buddhist monks were crushed by soldiers and police with live ammunition, savage beatings and mass arrests. The newspaper claimed security forces had used "the least force to disperse the mob" and blamed the unrest on "hot-blooded monks."

 

Reforming the state-run media will mean winning back a deeply suspicious public. "People see the state media as just a government mouthpiece," says deputy minister Ye Htut. "We have to change this perception. That's our major challenge."

 

He believes the newspaper also has a "unique role" to play in informing the world about Myanmar's transformation.

 

SEX, DRUGS AND CRIME

 

Some stories in the new-look New Light remain stultifyingly parochial ("Lost air-conditioner found in paddy field"). Others have dubious news value ("Religious Affairs Minister deals with religious matters").

 

Increasingly, however, the newspaper provides a daily snapshot of a once-isolated nation undergoing rapid change.

 

There are reports of deadly road accidents, a by-product of a recent surge in car imports, and frequent stories on drug busts as Myanmar struggles to contain a home-grown epidemic of methamphetamine use.

 

Crime was a taboo topic under the former junta, which liked to laud the peace and stability of its rule. Now, stories range from major timber rackets to minor roadside robberies.

 

The newspaper also translates the proceedings of Myanmar's surprisingly feisty parliament.

 

With no native English speakers on staff, spelling mistakes abound. A recent report misspelled the word "tical," an archaic unit of mass equivalent to about 16 grams or half an ounce. Thus a man was robbed of a necklace "weighing three tickles."

 

Its reporters rarely report. Instead, they sit and translate articles from Myanma Alin, Kyemon and the Myanmar News Agency, whose offices occupy the same compound.

 

"It's all about translating. Just translating," says Thet Ko Ko, 26, who joined the newspaper five years ago. "And when parliament is in session, we have to work seven days a week."

 

The New Light owes its far-flung location to strict zoning rules that banish factories - including printing presses - from the city center. Built from scratch under the former junta, Naypyitaw is already a five-hour drive north of the commercial capital Yangon.

 

While its youthful reporters grumble about the isolation, its middle-aged editors claim to enjoy country life.

 

"I like the peace and quiet," says Than Myint Tun. Even so, he camps out at the office because he finds his government-issue apartment nearby too lonely without his wife and three daughters, who live in Yangon.

 

There are plans to move the newsroom closer to Naypyitaw and re-open editorial offices in Yangon.

 

HOLD THE FRONT PAGE

 

Junta-era editorial policies still hold sway. State-run newspapers must report, in dutifully numbing detail, the movements of top officials. When Myanmar was a global pariah, its military leaders didn't travel much, their movements restricted by Western visa bans.

 

But Myanmar's reformist president Thein Sein is a globetrotter, and the newspaper must dedicate acres of newsprint to covering his recent trips to China, the United States and South Korea.

 

Recently, the president shared the headlines with Suu Kyi, whose September trip to the United States was proudly covered by Myanmar's state-run media, another radical department from the old days.

 

A total of 13,000 copies are printed daily and, with colour pages attracting new advertisers, the newspaper hopes one day to be financially self-sufficient. Than Myint Tun is clearly dreaming big.

 

"I have a question," he says. "What do you think of the paparazzi? Should their photos have a place in a newspaper?"

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Spitfire fighter planes to be dug up in Myanmar

By AYE AYE WIN | Associated Press – 13 hrs ago

 

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Myanmar has signed a deal with a British aviation enthusiast to allow the excavation of a World War II treasure: dozens of Spitfire fighter planes buried by the British almost 70 years ago.

 

Aviation enthusiast David J. Cundall discovered the locations of the aircraft after years of searching. The planes are believed to be in good condition, since they were reportedly packed in crates and hidden by British forces to keep them out of the hands of invading Japanese.

 

The British Embassy said Wednesday that the agreement was reached after discussions between President Thein Sein and British Prime Minister David Cameron during his visit to Myanmar earlier this year.

 

The excavation of the rare planes is slated to begin by the end of October.

 

The Myanma Ahlin daily reported that the excavation agreement was signed Tuesday by Director General of Civil Aviation Tin Naing Tun, Cundall on behalf of his British company DJC, and Htoo Htoo, managing director of Cundall's Myanmar partner, the Shwe Taung Paw company.

 

"It took 16 years for Mr. David Cundall to locate the planes buried in crates. We estimate that there are at least 60 Spitfires buried and they are in good condition," Htoo Htoo Zaw said.

 

"This will be the largest number of Spitfires in the world," he said. "We want to let people see those historic fighters, and the excavation of these fighter planes will further strengthen relations between Myanmar and Britain."

 

The British Embassy described the agreement as a chance to work with Myanmar's new reformist government "in uncovering, restoring, displaying these fighter planes."

 

"We hope that many of them will be gracing the skies of Britain and as discussed, some will be displayed here in Burma," said an embassy spokesman, using the old name for Myanmar.

 

Myanmar has since last the past year turned away from many of the repressive policies of the previous military government and patched up relations with Western nations that had previously shunned it.

 

Myanma Ahlin cited Transport Minister Nyan Tun Aung saying the agreement was a milestone strengthening the friendly relationship between Myanmar and Britain and amounts to the British government's recognition of the democratic reforms of President Thein Sein's new government.

 

Cundall has said his quest to find the planes involved 12 trips to Myanmar and the expenditure of more than 130,000 pounds ($210,000).

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Islamic bloc: Myanmar office plans in limbo

Associated Press – 12 hrs ago

 

JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — The head of the world's biggest Islamic political bloc says Myanmar seeks to delay the group's plans to open an office there amid tensions between Muslims and majority Buddhists, but there is no word on whether the move is fully blocked.

 

Plans by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to open an aid office in Yangon have brought a backlash. Sectarian tensions are high in Myanmar's western Rakhine state after clashes in June between Buddhists and Muslims left nearly 90 dead.

 

The secretary-general of the 57-nation OIC, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, says the group received an "indirect request" from Myanmar's Border Ministry to postpone opening an office. But he told reporters Wednesday that there has been no official order.

 

The issue will be further discussed at an IOC meeting next month in Djibouti.

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Marketwire - Centurion Advances Myanmar Gold Project Strategy

Press Release: Centurion Minerals Ltd. – 14 hours ago

 

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Oct. 17, 2012) - Centurion Minerals Ltd. (CTN.V) ("Centurion", "the Company") is pleased to report it has executed a binding letter agreement with a local Burmese group to jointly develop certain gold projects in Myanmar and has initiated the application process to secure several prospective gold mineral exploration concessions.

 

Pursuant to a recent meeting with the Myanmar Mining Minister, Centurion is encouraged that Myanmar is receptive to developing its full mineral potential with the aid of foreign investment. Alfred Lenarciak, Centurion Chairman comments, "We are very pleased with the assistance provided by the Minister and his department in the mineral concession application process and are confident Myanmar will continue with its rapid democratic transformation in providing a stable foreign mining investment platform."

 

Centurion has also advanced beyond preliminary agreement status with several operating Burmese gold mining companies and is presently engaged in due diligence on these projects.

 

Myanmar Gold Opportunities

 

Centurion has identified a number of gold mining and exploration projects and is negotiating definitive agreements with multiple potential mining partners in this mineral-rich country.

 

The gold prospects under Centurion's consideration lie within two of the major gold and associated mineral belts that span the N-S axis of Myanmar. Many gold occurrences at varying stages of exploration have been noted along the belts, but very few have been explored systematically using modern methodology. Most of the occurrences are of epithermal and intrusion-related style of mineralization but historical exploration by international and local companies has resulted in development of only a few of these into producing gold mines due to economic sanctions and a lack of investment capital. Centurion has been invited by several local mining companies to consider partnering with them to further develop their gold projects.

 

ABOUT CENTURION

 

Centurion Minerals Limited is a Canadian-based company focused on the exploration and development of gold and other precious metal projects in Southeast Asia.

 

On Behalf of the Board,

 

David G. Tafel, President and CEO

 

This news release may contain forward looking statements concerning future operations of Centurion Minerals Ltd. (the "Company"). All forward looking statements concerning the Company's future plans and operations, including management's assessment of the Company's project expectations or beliefs may be subject to certain assumptions, risks and uncertainties beyond the Company's control. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual performance and exploration and financial results may differ materially from any estimates or projections.

 

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

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10/17/2012 @ 5:44PM |284 views

Forbes Magazine - Socialism or Free Markets? Consider Myanmar and Thailand

This story appears in the November 5, 2012 issue of Forbes.

Lee Kuan Yew, Contributor

 

IN TERMS OF LAND area and population Myanmar and Thailand are close in size, and i n the 1960s both countries had similar rates of growth.

 

But in 1962 Myanmar’s General Ne Win led a coup d’état, establishing a nominally socialist military government that followed an economic policy of autarky. The country closed its doors to the world and expelled the Indians who had come with the British to help in the retail industry many decades before. Although Ne Win resigned in July 1988, the military junta remained firmly in control of the country.

 

During the same period Thailand experienced multiple army coups, but its leaders chose a different economic path. Thailand became a free-market economy, open to all investments from all countries, and it absorbed its Chinese immigrants, who had arrived during and after British rule. Today Thailand is one of Asia’s busiest manufacturing hubs.

 

Myanmar Holds Promise For General Electric As U.S. Eases Trade Sanctions Simon Montlake Simon Montlake Forbes Staff

 

Because of its closed-door socialism, Myanmar’s per capita GDP (in current international dollars) has lagged behind Thailand’s. In 1980 Myanmar’s was $172 and Thailand’s, $1,060. By 2012 the gap had widened, with Myanmar’s per capita GDP reaching $1,950 and Thailand’s, $8,516.

 

In May 1997 the U.S. imposed strong economic sanctions against Myanmar for human rights violations, banning all investment and trade activities. With the country’s diminished economic growth and its multiple other problems, citizens in need of medicines were forced to travel to the Thai border so they could trade gems or other valuables for medical supplies. At the same time the government was allowing China to extract whatever resources in gems and precious metals Myanmar held.

 

POSITIVE SIGNS

 

There are signs of change in Myanmar. One catalyst has been Aung San Suu Kyi, the third child of Aung San, the father of modern-day Myanmar. Born in June 1945, Suu Kyi spent many years abroad as a young adult. She returned home in 1988 to care for her ill mother and later became a leader of the pro-democracy movement, helping to found the National League for Democracy (NLD). Suu Kyi was first placed under house arrest in July 1989, but in the 1990 elections her NLD won 59% of the national vote and 81% of the seats. The military ignored the results. Suu Kyi was under house arrest for almost 15 of the 21 years following her initial arrest and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. She was last released in November 2010.

 

In April the NLD won 43 parliamentary seats in the by-elections, and Aung San Suu Kyi took a seat in the lower house of parliament. Her brave presence in Myanmar has been an important factor in forcing change and bringing about the new Myanmar.

 

Equally crucial has been the military government’s change of heart. Than Shwe, State Peace & Development Council chairman, resigned in March 2011. He was succeeded by another member of the military government, Thein Sein, who seems to be a genuine reformer. Under his leadership Myanmar has transitioned to a civilian government.

 

When President Thein Sein met U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in December 2011, she encouraged him to further open the country to foreign trade and investment. When they met again in September, Clinton announced that the U.S. would lift its import sanctions, which will allow Myanmar to gradually close the economic gap with Thailand.

 

Thailand itself transitioned from an absolute monarchy to a democratic constitutional monarchy. Regular and rambunctious elections are held, but the army continues to stage coups whenever it considers the government unreliable or going against the monarchy. Over the last 80 years there have been 11 successful coups and 7 failed ones. The most recent was the ouster of prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in September 2006. The military’s interference has resulted in a perpetual state of political uncertainty and has shaken investor confidence.

 

Both countries’ governments would do well to remember that it was the open-door policies of free trade and investment that made Thailand prosperous and the passive closed-door policies that held Myanmar back for 50 years.

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India, US to discuss East Asia, Myanmar

By Indo Asian News Service | IANS – 15 hrs ago

 

New Delhi, Oct 17 (IANS) US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns will meet Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai Friday to discuss the East Asia situation and the flux in Afghanistan.

 

Burns, on a five-nation Asia tour, comes here after visiting Japan, South Korea, China and Myanmar. He will also call on External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna.

 

The two sides will review their bilateral relations, including the progress in implementing the India-US civil nuclear deal, energy security and cooperation in developmental projects.

 

"He will discuss regional priorities and review progress across the breadth of the strategic partnership, including measures to strengthen our bilateral economic engagement, and deepen our security and defence cooperation," the US State Department said in Washington.

 

Issues relating to the 18-nation East Asia Summit, the democratic reforms in Myanmar and ways to stabilise Afghanistan are expected to figure in the discussions, said informed sources.

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PRWeb – New Scuba Diving Trips in Thailand and Burma for the Upcoming 2012-2013 Season

Tue, Oct 16, 2012

 

Thailand Dive & Sail, specialists in scuba diving trips to the Similan Islands, Richelieu Rock and Burma’s Mergui Archipelago, have added new schedules and destinations for the upcoming 2012-2013 diving season in Khao Lak, Thailand which starts on 1st November.

 

Khao Lak, Thailand (PRWEB) October 16, 2012

The new itineraries are aimed at scuba divers of all experience levels to suit a greater variety of travel plans. Divers can now choose from:

 

Burma liveaboard trips combining Manta Ray research, community aid projects and exploration

 

The best selection of Similan Island and Burma liveaboards for every budget

 

Day trips to Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and Richelieu Rock

 

Convenient half day Khao Lak wreck diving

 

Khao Sok overnight lake diving, cavern courses and exploration

 

Luxury Burma Liveaboard with Dr Andrea Marshall February 2013:

 

Dr Andrea Marshall will return to dive with Clive White and Ric Parker on a nine day trip to Burma's Mergui Archipelago conducting Manta Ray research in the run up to CITES CoP16 (March 2013, Bangkok, Thailand). The trip will include diving at the Burma Banks, Richelieu Rock and the Similan Islands. There are still limited spaces available.

 

Budget, Mid-range and Luxury Similan Liveaboards:

 

A Similan Island liveaboard is the ultimate way to enjoy scuba diving around the islands and to explore the better dive sites to the north: Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and Richelieu Rock. On a Similan liveaboard there are more opportunities to dive than on day trips. Diving is conducted in a safe and relaxing manner, allowing access to dive sites at the least crowded times, providing the opportunity to meet interesting like-minded people around dinners of delicious Thai food. Most notably on a Similan liveaboard, divers wake up close to the beautiful islands and dive sites.

 

Similan Islands and Richelieu Rock Day Trips:

 

Due to the changed conditions and increasing popularity of Similan diving, Thailand Dive & Sail will concentrate on providing the destination best suited for each individual diver, focussing on customer care and top quality service.

 

For inexperienced divers the Similan Islands still offer some of the best conditions in Thailand. Crystal clear visibility, stunning underwater topography and a large diversity of reef fish and coral life make a perfect environment for learning to dive. In recent years the Islands have lost some of their former shine. The South East Asia Coral bleaching in 2010 and unsustainable fishing practises have taken their toll on the area, once ranked in the top 10 dive destinations in the world.

 

Experienced divers prefer Richelieu Rock to any other dive site. This 2012 CNN Top 10 ranked site still offers the best diving in Thailand and for this reason Thailand Dive & Sail have expanded their weekly schedule to include Richelieu Rock every day except Mondays.

 

Diving from Khao Lak:

 

Khao Lak is the closest point of access to the Similan Islands and Richelieu Rock. Regarded as one of Thailand's most tranquil holiday destinations, Khao Lak's wide golden beaches and lush rainforest covered hills make the town an ideal gateway for day and liveaboard trips to the Similans or unique local diving activities.

 

Visitors looking for the most convenient Khao Lak diving choose the popular Boonsung Wreck trips. This relaxed Thai adventure starts from one of the area’s most beautiful beaches, White Sandy Beach, on a traditional Longtail boat. The Boonsung Wreck itinerary includes two dives, a delicious buffet Thai lunch, free Nitrox and beach time at the end of the day for a refreshing drink while logging dives.

 

Introducing New Khao Sok Lake Diving Activities for 2012:

 

Nature lovers wishing to combine diving with land excursions now have the opportunity with the launch of new trips to the Cheow Lan Lake. The lake was formed in the heart of Khao Sok National Park, a stunning location of limestone cliffs, abundant nature and calm still waters, by construction of a dam.

 

These new dive trips offer the complete Khao Sok experience: exploration of both the fascinating nature on land and the intriguing underwater side of the lake. Take a sunrise safari by Kayak across the lake as the wildlife wakes up, then in the afternoon dive amongst cliff edges, caves and forests that plunge into the depths of the lake.

 

Khao Sok Lake, home to a large and intricate cave system, provides an ideal location for cavern diving and courses for those wishing to get a taste of the dark side. Entry level courses are conducted within the light zone of the caves under close guidance of a professional cavern instructor and do not require any specialist equipment.

 

The start of the dive season 2012-2013 is here and it is set to be a varied and fascinating one, full of exhilarating dives, discovery and new adventures. Dive with a Smile ;)

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Huffington Post - Burma: Democratic Hopes Versus Authoritarian Fears

Posted: 10/17/2012 9:52 am

 

The world today is an ugly place. Buying dictators doesn't yield the geopolitical payoff it once did, but liberating countries doesn't generate the gratitude Americans expect. One nation moving in a positive direction is Burma, or Myanmar.

 

Nobel Peace Prize laureate and long-time opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi recently completed a two week visit to the U.S. Burma's President U Thein Sein, officially in charge of his nation's transformation, also came last month to address the United Nations.

 

Until a couple of years ago, Burma competed with North Korea for the title of worst governed nation on earth. Long-running ethnic conflicts in the east killed thousands and displaced millions. After winning a free election, Suu Kyi spent most of the last two decades under house arrest, while thousands of other democracy activists languished in prison. The government's botched response to the 2008 typhoon left hundreds of thousands suffering. All the while the ruling generals battled for power and enriched family and friends.

 

Two years ago the junta held a fixed election, highlighted by the refusal to allow Suu Kyi or her party, the National League for Democracy, to participate. It looked like nothing much had changed. But then the top generals retired and chose Thein Sein, a former colleague, as president. Suu Kyi has been freed, political prisoners have been released, by-elections have been held, press censorship has been eased, blacklists on foreign visitors have been ended, and ceasefires have been reached with autonomy-minded ethnic groups. The government/military-dominated legislature recently forced members of the nation's constitutional tribunal to resign, suggesting growing independence of even that body from the regime.

 

The Burmese people are hopeful but wary. A decade ago the junta liberalized, only to quickly reverse course. Democratization has proceeded far further this time, but journalist Aung Zaw argued that the changes are "still fragile." Earlier this year Human Rights Watch pointed to "abundant evidence of continuing systematic repression." Several hundred political prisoners remain in custody. A couple dozen released dissidents recently were denied passports.

 

Ethnic violence directed against the Muslim Rohingyas has ravaged Rakhine State in the northwest. Even the reformist Thein Sein responded by playing on Buddhist nationalism. Bitter fighting continues between the military and Kachin forces in the northeast; in fact, that conflict escalated at the end of August.

 

Most important, observed Tom Malinowski of Human Rights Watch: "It's not at all clear whether the military is going to cede the strong power it still has over most aspects of life in Burma." Is the military prepared to relinquish all of its privileges, especially in the face of demands for justice over past abuses? The next scheduled general election remains three years distant, after which the 67-year-old Thein Sein has indicated that he might retire.

 

Much depends on Thein Sein. "I believe he sincerely wants reform," observed Suu Kyi. However, the power lines in Naypyidaw remain obscure. Suu Kyi urged continuing caution in assessing Burma's progress, warning against "reckless optimism." Her cousin Sein Win, who headed the recently dissolved government-in-exile, noted: "There are many changes, but there need to be many more changes, and that is not happening now."

 

Still, the government continues to move forward to reform. Before Suu Kyi arrived the regime freed 514 prisoners, about 80 of them political. That was a critical step for the West: "I think the U.S. will want to make a show of supporting Myanmar's reforms, especially if it gets what it wants -- some more prisoners released," predicted Sean Turnell of Australia's Macquarie University. At the same time, Naypyidaw replaced a repressive junta-era press agency.

 

Also important is economic reform in what has been a kleptocratic, state-controlled system. The government recently announced that it plans to inaugurate an independent monetary policy next year. Moreover, the Thein Sein administration is pushing a new investment code, though proposed legislation has been held up in what was supposed to be a rubber-stamp parliament. Energy investment is exploding this year as the authorities auction off oil and gas exploration permits: "Myanmar is under-explored," explained D.K. Sarraf of ONGC Videsh Ltd., an Indian oil operation. In fact, the government's ambitions may be growing too fast. It has commissioned a feasibility study on launching an earth-observation satellite with Japanese aid money.

 

At the same time, Naypyidaw has begun to distance itself from China, its neighbor and long-time benefactor. A desire to achieve some geopolitical balance may have encouraged the military regime to reach out to the West. However, Beijing cannot be ignored: in fact, Thein Sein visited China before going to the U.S. last month.

 

Washington should continue lifting economic sanctions in order to encourage the reform process. For instance, Burmese imports are still banned. Derek Mitchell, America's ambassador to Burma, expressed Washington's commitment to work with the new government in easing U.S. rules "even if fully extracting ourselves from the Byzantine array of restrictions imposed over the years may take some time."

 

Past reforms should be rewarded and future changes should be encouraged, with the end of all sanctions the ultimate objective -- certainly when democratization appears to be irrevocable. In fact, while visiting America Suu Kyi called for lifting all restrictions now: "There are very many other ways in which the United States can help us to achieve our democratic ends."

 

The transformation of Burma remains a long, difficult process. Many pitfalls remain: "Our struggle is not over," warned Sein Win. However, Suu Kyi's trip to America illustrates how much Burma has changed. "We are not yet at the end of our struggle," she observed, "but we are getting there."

 

Two years ago few people, in or out of Burma, predicted genuine reform. Today almost everyone expects it. The ultimate objective must be to allow the Burmese people to take charge of their own destiny.

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Bangkok Post - LVT eyes Myanmar for cement venture

Published: 18/10/2012 at 07:49 AM

Newspaper section: Business

 

The MAI-listed LV Technology (LVT) will issue 396.69 million new shares to raise funds to invest in a cement business in Myanmar through a unit of the Max Myanmar Group of Companies.

 

LVT is an engineering consulting firm that mainly provides equipment and expertise to the cement market.

 

Hans-Jorgen Nielsen, LVT's founder and managing director, said setting up the new entity will give the company a 15% stake in Max Manufacturing Co.

 

"This investment is an important turning point that will put the company on a more solid footing and provide stable revenue in the long term," he said.

 

Mr Nielsen said the company will renovate two present cement factories located close to Myanmar's new capital of Nay Pyi Taw.

 

Max Manufacturing's daily cement production capacity will increase from 500 tonnes now to 2,600 tonnes by the end of next year and 4,200 tonnes in 2014.

 

The Myanmar investment is expected to generate annual revenue to the company of 100-150 million baht starting in 2014 or a 28% return.

 

A stable revenue stream from this project may allow the company to pay dividends to shareholders, said Mr Nielsen.

 

At present, Myanmar consumes 4.5 billion tonnes of cement per year including 2.5 billion tonnes imported.

 

"The cement business in Myanmar is expected to see rapid growth such as that seen in Thailand 30 year ago. Thailand's cement business has grown six-fold since that time, and Myanmar's is expected to grow by 10-12% per year, based on an assumption of 5% GDP growth."

 

The investment will be funded by the capital increase, selling part of the company's Indian investment and internal cash flow.

 

Of the 396.69 million new shares, 51 million will be earmarked for private placement and 345.69 million for a rights offering to existing shareholders in a ratio of three old shares for one new share at 1.25 baht apiece.

 

The capital increased is subject to shareholders' approval at an extraordinary shareholders' meeting scheduled for Nov 19.

 

Mr Nielsen said LVT will divest some of its stake in LVNT, its Indian subsidiary, by selling a 25% shareholding to Chinese investors for 180 million baht.

 

This extraordinary revenue item will be booked in the fourth quarter.

 

Chief executive Worayuth Termsricharoenporn said the extraordinary revenue will help the company return to profit, with retained losses of 200 million baht eliminated by 2014.

 

In the first half of this year, LVT posted a net loss of 93.4 million baht compared with a net loss of 17.1 million baht in the same period last year.

 

Shares of LVT closed yesterday on the MAI at 1.40 baht, up six satang, in trade worth 58.3 million baht.

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Thursday18/10/2012October, 2012

Gulf Times - Myanmar lawyers protest sale of heritage buildings

 

Lawyers protested yesterday in Yangon at the previous government’s sales of the colonial-era Supreme Court building and former police headquarters.

 

About 200 members of the Lawyers’ Network marched from the 101-year-old former Supreme Court building to the old Police Commissioner’s Office, waving signboards saying, “Don’t Contravene Our National Heritage Law.”

 

The lawyers have petitioned the government to reclaim the two buildings that were sold to private investors by the junta that ruled the country during 1988-2010.

 

“The previous government broke the Heritage Preservation Law,” said Aung Thein, a spokesman for the Lawyers’ Network.

 

“We want to stop the new government from passing these buildings over to private businessmen.”

 

Former junta chief, senior general Than Shwe, moved the capital from Yangon to Naypyitaw in 2006, and then proceeded to sell off many of the city’s colonial-era buildings to investors to help finance construction projects. The former Supreme Court building was reportedly sold to Thein Tun, a consumer products tycoon who reportedly wants to transform it into a museum.

 

The old Police Commisioner’s Office was sold to a Chinese investor who reportedly intends to turn it into a hotel.

 

Since coming to power in March 2011, President Thein Sein has thrown his political support behind efforts to preserve Yangon’s colonial-era architecture, built during British rule from 1824 to 1948.

 

“Yangon is probably the largest repository of colonial-era buildings, not only in South-East Asia but in Asia,” said Alfred Birnbaum, the author of Historial Walks in Yangon.

 

The Yangon Heritage Trust was established earlier this year by Thant Myint U, the grandson of former UN secretary general U Thant, to accelerate preservation efforts now threatened by rapid economic development as Myanmar opens up.

“There is a real sense of urgency on this issue,” Thant Myint U told a recent forum. “It’s not something that can wait one or two years.” DPA

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October 17, 2012 5:42 pm

The Financial Times - Unrest grows in Myanmar’s ruling party

By Gwen Robinson in Bangkok

 

Growing unrest in Myanmar’s once all-powerful ruling party has fuelled talk of an internal split between supporters of Thein Sein, the country’s president, and “old-style” conservatives who blame his reforms for a humiliating defeat in April by-elections and the rise of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

 

The trigger for any walk-out by disgruntled factions could be Mr Thein Sein’s re-election this week as chairman of the ruling United Solidarity and Development Party.

 

The president had stepped back from an active party role when he assumed power in March last year, and his re-election on Tuesday night surprised many even within his own party.

 

The post of party leader had been widely expected to go to the speaker of the lower house, Shwe Mann – seen as a potential contender for the 2015 presidential election.

 

But Yangon-based analysts saw Mr Thein Sein’s re-election – by an executive committee vote – as the latest in a series of moves to overhaul a political machine honed over decades of harsh military rule.

 

Long regarded as a proxy for the military and for representing the interests of powerful and wealthy elements, the United Solidarity and Development party once claimed a membership of more than 15m. It still holds most seats in the bicameral parliament, apart from the 25 per cent allotted to the military.

 

But dramatic changes under Mr Thein Sein have shaken the party to its core. Many party members are still reeling after losing all but one of the 45 seats it contested in the April elections, 43 of them to Ms Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy.

 

Funding sources have dried up as wealthy former “crony” businessmen put their money elsewhere, some donating to the NLD and other groups. And senior USDP members no longer have their pick of choice political positions, government contracts and business deals.

 

Discussions at the party’s three-day convention about election strategies reflected the slow-motion crisis besetting the once powerful party, say insiders.

 

On the sidelines, mutterings from within the ranks suggested that some want to break away and form another party, they note.

 

“Its first convention since the by-elections was always going to be difficult – even awkward,” said a Yangon-based diplomat. “But few expected this kind of outcome.”

 

In a move that mystified political analysts, Mr Thein Sein appointed Mr Shwe Mann “acting chairman”, to run the party’s day-to-day affairs. The speaker was also re-elected as one of the party’s three vice-chairmen.

 

According to analysts, the consequences of any party shake-out could complicate the reform process by putting more pressure on Mr Thein Sein. “While he has indicated he is moving to consolidate power in the USDP, any moves to set up new parties could fragment the vote, both within parliament and in elections,” said one Yangon-based analyst.

 

Some say any party break-up would be driven by personalities. Mr Shwe Mann, who like Mr Thein Sein is a former general, has a loyal following. Both men were protégés of the dictator Than Shwe.

 

After years serving a secretive military regime, they have been at pains to establish reformist credentials. On the surface they maintain cordial relations, although conflicts over policies and parliamentary legislation – including public differences over issues such as civil service pay – have given the impression of growing rivalry.

 

The reason Mr Thein Sein gave the acting chairman role to the speaker was to keep him “inside the tent”. For now, “they need each other”, said one diplomat.

 

The biggest threat, however, to the USDP is what many refer to as the “ASSK factor”. Ms Suu Kyi is barred from presidential candidacy due to constitutional restrictions on nationals with ties to foreigners. She was married to the late UK academic Michael Aris and had two children with him.

 

Even if her efforts to amend the constitution are unsuccessful by 2015, her NLD will be a powerful force, said a parliamentary aide. “What you might see is the incredible sight of some opportunists in the USDP – and elsewhere – trying to leap on that bandwagon; or Shwe Mann forming his own party – anything is possible.”

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The Financial Times - Guest post: Fulfilling Myanmar’s promise

October 18, 2012 4:08 am by beyondbrics

By Elizabeth Buse of Visa Inc

 

After years of international isolation, the government of Myanmar has a golden opportunity to create a fully-inclusive financial system. It should take it.

 

Market forces are already at work in the country. You can see that if you try to book a hotel room in Yangon. They are in short supply and some that were going for less than $70 a year ago have almost tripled to $200. The country has its first investment bank. Government-led market reforms, promoting liberalization and openness, are taking effect and the outside world is coming in, bringing with it investment, commercial opportunities and know-how. However, with few ATMs and fewer point-of-sale terminals where they can use their cards, corporate executives jetting in for investment meetings, or tourists eager to discover the rich culture of Mandalay, find they must still rummage in their billfolds for crisp, clean US dollars.

 

Many observers warn that this lack of financial infrastructure, after years of isolation and sanctions, will hamper progress. However, it is precisely the lack of infrastructure that may well be Myanmar’s biggest advantage, because the country is starting from a relatively clean slate. The government can target growth in sectors important to economic progress, like finance, with relatively flexible approaches that reduce friction in commerce, because it is not limited to working within the confines of legacy infrastructure.

 

Efforts to build infrastructure should not just focus on technological infrastructure. In industries like finance, technology is no doubt critical but an exclusive focus on IT without a supporting framework of rules and regulations for economic growth will be destined for failure. Equally, provision must be made for scalability and mass adoption and this element requires consumer trust. A technologically advanced bank that is well-regulated by authorities will not have a future if consumers don’t have confidence in it. The triumvirate of technology, rules and trust is critical to a well functioning and inclusive financial society.

 

As an example, let’s look at mobile. In Myanmar, fixed line telecommunications systems aren’t in place and amortizing the cost of incremental infrastructure, such as point-of-sale terminals and ATMs, is very difficult. The obvious answer is mobile payments, which have the potential to reach every citizen. But, according to the World Bank, of the 96 mobile payment schemes live in emerging markets around the world in 2011, just six had 200,000 active users or more. In other words, few were achieving anywhere near the scale needed to be a solution to financial exclusion.

 

A successful mobile payment ecosystem consists of a secure and reliable account management platform that enables consumer payments to be stored and managed. Further, rules need to be put in place to ensure that all constituents have clear ways to engage. In the card world, if someone uses your card fraudulently there is an expectation that you are protected. Would the same hold true in the mobile world, if you lose your phone?

 

To answer this and many other questions it is critical that rules exist with a clear delineation of rights and obligations. At a government level, regulations need to contemplate the treatment of new non-banks in the payments chain, such as telecommunications companies. If your mobile phone holds your money and you can buy and borrow from that account, at what point does it become more like a bank account? Policy makers need to grapple with these questions but the good news is that much can be learned from the successes (and failures) of other countries. Finally, even with mobile payments, the scheme has to engender trust. As consumers, we all have expectations that our cards will work at a supermarket or when we travel overseas. That expectation doesn’t change in the mobile world and an interoperable and secure system is critical.

 

With banking modernisation under way in Myanmar, some local banks are preparing for financial integration with the outside world. Additionally, the Central Bank of Myanmar has already indicated a willingness to have international payment schemes operate in the country. All of these are steps in the right direction and certainly more of such efforts should be encouraged. But policymakers should also swiftly put in place a transparent framework for supervision and regulation. Ultimately, free and open competitive markets will give consumers choices and with these choices comes trust.

 

There are not many advantages to being isolated for as many years as Myanmar has been. But a clean slate may well be one of them.

 

Elizabeth Buse is group president of Visa Inc for Asia Pacific, central Europe, the Middle East and Africa

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Electricity in Myanmar

The Economist - Area of darkness

Oct 18th 2012, 4:35 by T.J. | YANGON

 

THE gradual implosion of an autocracy can throw up tricky problems for economists. In the case of Myanmar, one of the puzzles is to work out just how poor people really are, in a country that was walled away for more than half a century.

 

Myanmar stopped publishing national-accounts data in 1998. And so the level and geographical distribution of the economic activity in a territory roughly the size of France is clouded in mystery.

 

When the country emerged into independence, along with many others in South and South-East Asia in the aftermath of the second world war, Burma, as it was called then, was seen at the time as having good development prospects (cf. pp 32-34), relative to its contemporaries. Today, however, the IMF estimates income per head in Myanmar at $824 (in 2011 dollars)—the lowest in South-East Asia.

 

The straight answer, of course, is that nobody has a clue.

 

Scholars at the University of Pennsylvania who maintain the World Penn Tables, which provide national-income-accounts data converted to international prices for 189 countries and territories, do not even bother including Myanmar.

 

Because no one actually measures economic activity in Myanmar, even estimates of the economy’s recent performance can neither be verified nor refuted. But that doesn’t prevent everyone from guessing. Government-appointed economists say annual GDP grew by an average 12.2% during the decade from 2000 to 2010. The IMF thinks the pace was less than half as brisk as the official estimate. Some private economists put GDP growth at 2-3%.

 

Comforting then, as the British novelist James Buchan has noted, that “economists, like royal children, are not punished for their errors”.

 

This is where a trio of Japanese researchers take to the stage. Messrs Kumagai, Keola and Kudo of the Institute of Developing Economies (IDE), a think-tank affiliated with Japan’s External Trade Organisation, have found a way to sidestep the bog that has mired economists who are still looking for official data to feed their models.

 

They use the strength and distribution of electrical lighting at night-time to estimate economic activity on the district level in Myanmar. Their groundbreaking paper draws on research aimed at revealing the global distribution of economic activity and map poverty using satellite data.

 

The satellite image of Myanmar after dark shows the country’s economy at night—an area of almost uninterrupted blackness, surrounded by seas of light in India’s (relatively poor) state of West Bengal, China’s (relatively poor) Yunnan province and the north-west of Thailand.

 

Among other things, the researchers’ satellite-enhanced number-crunching reveals that:

 

Three regions of Myanmar—Yangon, Mandalay and Naypyidaw—emit 40% of the country’s light at night-time. (Yangon alone accounts for 22% of it.)

    GDP per head in these three areas is more than twice as high as the national average.

    Almost all of the districts that border China have a GDP per head higher than the national average.

    Two out of the 12 districts that border Thailand have income levels that exceed the national average.

    The border districts with India and Bangladesh, by contrast, are pitch-black, and poorer than the national average.

 

We don’t know whether the economic advisers to the president, Thein Sein, read this kind of stuff. They certainly should. At a national address in June Thein Sein declared a new national goal: tripling GDP per head by 2016.

 

This is a laudable goal, but even if the economy were to grow by an unprecedented annual average of 8% it would still take 18 years (until 2030) for average incomes to triple. At a more realistic average growth of 6% it would take till 2036.

 

There was no mention in the president’s speech of the prospects for widespread electrification, which—given that three out of four people in Myanmar live in the dark—would have lent itself as a good starting point to discuss future development and, actually, democratisation.

 

According to research on democracy and the importance of artificial light, in the average autocracy 29% of the population lives in the dark. The one that Myanmar’s generals preside over keeps 75% of the people in the dark even today.

 

The electrification of Myanmar will take time: statistically, an increase of $1,000 in income per head is associated with a 1.1% reduction in the share of people who have to live in the dark.

 

To speed things up, the government either needs to find or train a new batch of builders and electricians, or to renegotiate its contracts with existing suppliers, in  China and Thailand. The first priority should be to build a power infrastructure that benefits voters first, and regional neighbours secondarily.

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