Review of 2005 in Burma and the Region
By The Irrawaddy
DECEMBER, 2005 - VOLUME 13 NO.12
(Page 2 of 5)
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We stood our ground and succeeded, but subsequent developments in Yangon [Rangoon] undermined our position,” the state-controlled Channel News Asia quotes Yeo as saying.
10—The European Union expresses its willingness to start a constructive but critical dialogue with the junta during the 15th Asean-EU ministerial meeting in Jakarta.
15—Bangkok assigns Kantathi Suphamongkhon as Thailand’s new foreign minister, with the outgoing Surakiart Sathirathai becoming deputy prime minister.
17—A small bomb goes off on a bus in eastern Rangoon, while a similar device is found and defused in the bus terminal. No casualties are reported.
18—The junta releases prominent student activist Ko Ko Gyi after nearly 14 years in jail. He joins more than 14,000 prisoners released since November 2004.
19—A small bomb explodes before dawn in a bathroom at the Panorama Hotel in Rangoon. There are no injuries.
25—The junta opens the country’s largest hydroelectric power plant, built with the help of Chinese technicians. The official opening ceremony of the 280-megawatt Paung Laung hydropower plant is attended by the junta’s second-ranking leader, Deputy Snr-Gen Maung Aye, and a senior official from China’s Yunnan province.
Late March—The junta’s second-ranking diplomat in Washington, Aung Lynn Htut, seeks political asylum in the United States. The government later declares his absconding “an act of betrayal to the state.”
30—One day after the cabinet approves compensation for families of 85 Muslims who died when Thai authorities cracked down on a protest in the southern district of Tak Bai last year, the Thai parliament opens a debate on continuing violence in the Muslim-dominated South. During the debate, which the government suggests is to focus on poverty as a root cause, the Democrat opposition accuses the government of taking a confrontational stance against the alleged separatists by deploying thousands of troops in the area.
April
6—The Manila-based Asian Development Bank predicts in its “Asian Development Outlook” report that an overall economic expansion of the region’s developing countries will grow 6.5 to 6.9 percent through 2007, despite the fact that it is struggling with high oil prices and the after-effects of December’s devastating tsunami.
11—Bangkok launches Thailand’s third “War on Drugs.” Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra declares in a campaign launch speech that “as long as I am still the prime minister, I will not allow narcotic drugs to return.”
17—A group of elderly Shan leaders in exile, including Sao Surkhanpha—the eldest son of Burma’s first president, Sao Shwe Thaike—who lives in Canada, declares Shan State independence. The group claims that the declaration is made “by the will and in the name of all peoples of the Shan States.”
23—Snr-Gen Than Shwe meets UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the 50th anniversary Non-Aligned Movement summit in Bandung, Indonesia. Than Shwe uses the Asia-Africa forum to invite Annan to visit Burma.
26—A bomb explodes on the ground floor of Mandalay’s landmark Zay Cho Market, killing four and injuring 15. The junta blames exiled groups for the attack.
May
2—The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists reports that a total of 121 of the 190 journalists killed over the last five years were murdered in retaliation against their work. The Philippines has been rated as the most murderous country for journalists since 2000, followed by Iraq, Colombia, Bangladesh and Russia.
7—Simultaneous bomb blasts at two supermarkets and a convention center in Rangoon exact an official toll of 11 killed and 162 injured, though many more deaths are estimated. The government again says exiled groups are responsible for the attack.
12—A small bomb explodes at a bridge near Latpan village in Burma’s Min Hla Township, Magwe Division. No injuries or damage are reported.
21—Two armed ethnic guerrilla groups, the Shan State Army (South) and Shan State National Army, form an alliance against the junta on the 47th anniversary of Shan Resistance Day at SSA’s headquarters at Doi Taileang on Burma’s eastern border. The SSNA, led by Col Sai Yi, has had a ceasefire agreement with the junta since 1995, but, after refusing recent calls to turn in its arms, abandoned its bases in northern Shan State when several members from the group were forced to surrender.
Late May—Six of Burma’s 12 military regional commanders are reassigned. Maj-Gen Khin Zaw is moved to the Central Command in Mandalay from Triangle Region Command, which is reassigned to Maj-Gen Min Aung Hlaing from the Western Command. Maj-Gen Khin Maung Myint takes over the Western Command, moving from the Eastern Command in Shan State, where Maj-Gen Ye Myint takes charge.
10—The European Union expresses its willingness to start a constructive but critical dialogue with the junta during the 15th Asean-EU ministerial meeting in Jakarta.
15—Bangkok assigns Kantathi Suphamongkhon as Thailand’s new foreign minister, with the outgoing Surakiart Sathirathai becoming deputy prime minister.
17—A small bomb goes off on a bus in eastern Rangoon, while a similar device is found and defused in the bus terminal. No casualties are reported.
18—The junta releases prominent student activist Ko Ko Gyi after nearly 14 years in jail. He joins more than 14,000 prisoners released since November 2004.
19—A small bomb explodes before dawn in a bathroom at the Panorama Hotel in Rangoon. There are no injuries.
25—The junta opens the country’s largest hydroelectric power plant, built with the help of Chinese technicians. The official opening ceremony of the 280-megawatt Paung Laung hydropower plant is attended by the junta’s second-ranking leader, Deputy Snr-Gen Maung Aye, and a senior official from China’s Yunnan province.
Late March—The junta’s second-ranking diplomat in Washington, Aung Lynn Htut, seeks political asylum in the United States. The government later declares his absconding “an act of betrayal to the state.”
30—One day after the cabinet approves compensation for families of 85 Muslims who died when Thai authorities cracked down on a protest in the southern district of Tak Bai last year, the Thai parliament opens a debate on continuing violence in the Muslim-dominated South. During the debate, which the government suggests is to focus on poverty as a root cause, the Democrat opposition accuses the government of taking a confrontational stance against the alleged separatists by deploying thousands of troops in the area.
April
6—The Manila-based Asian Development Bank predicts in its “Asian Development Outlook” report that an overall economic expansion of the region’s developing countries will grow 6.5 to 6.9 percent through 2007, despite the fact that it is struggling with high oil prices and the after-effects of December’s devastating tsunami.
11—Bangkok launches Thailand’s third “War on Drugs.” Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra declares in a campaign launch speech that “as long as I am still the prime minister, I will not allow narcotic drugs to return.”
17—A group of elderly Shan leaders in exile, including Sao Surkhanpha—the eldest son of Burma’s first president, Sao Shwe Thaike—who lives in Canada, declares Shan State independence. The group claims that the declaration is made “by the will and in the name of all peoples of the Shan States.”
23—Snr-Gen Than Shwe meets UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the 50th anniversary Non-Aligned Movement summit in Bandung, Indonesia. Than Shwe uses the Asia-Africa forum to invite Annan to visit Burma.
26—A bomb explodes on the ground floor of Mandalay’s landmark Zay Cho Market, killing four and injuring 15. The junta blames exiled groups for the attack.
May
2—The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists reports that a total of 121 of the 190 journalists killed over the last five years were murdered in retaliation against their work. The Philippines has been rated as the most murderous country for journalists since 2000, followed by Iraq, Colombia, Bangladesh and Russia.
7—Simultaneous bomb blasts at two supermarkets and a convention center in Rangoon exact an official toll of 11 killed and 162 injured, though many more deaths are estimated. The government again says exiled groups are responsible for the attack.
12—A small bomb explodes at a bridge near Latpan village in Burma’s Min Hla Township, Magwe Division. No injuries or damage are reported.
21—Two armed ethnic guerrilla groups, the Shan State Army (South) and Shan State National Army, form an alliance against the junta on the 47th anniversary of Shan Resistance Day at SSA’s headquarters at Doi Taileang on Burma’s eastern border. The SSNA, led by Col Sai Yi, has had a ceasefire agreement with the junta since 1995, but, after refusing recent calls to turn in its arms, abandoned its bases in northern Shan State when several members from the group were forced to surrender.
Late May—Six of Burma’s 12 military regional commanders are reassigned. Maj-Gen Khin Zaw is moved to the Central Command in Mandalay from Triangle Region Command, which is reassigned to Maj-Gen Min Aung Hlaing from the Western Command. Maj-Gen Khin Maung Myint takes over the Western Command, moving from the Eastern Command in Shan State, where Maj-Gen Ye Myint takes charge.
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