Review of 2005 in Burma and the Region
(Page 3 of 5)
E-MAIL
PRINT
June
1—Rangoon appoints two new ambassadors. Win Myint becomes the new ambassador to Singapore, while Myint Aung is named ambassador to Malaysia.
6—US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld reportedly offers Thailand an undisclosed number of F-16 fighter jets, subject to an unspecified “special condition,” during a private talk with Thai Defense Minister Gen Thammarak Isarangura na Ayutthaya in Bangkok.
8—The junta postpones a ceremony for ‘Drug-Free’ Wa State scheduled for June 24. All invitations to diplomats, UN representatives and journalists are cancelled.
9—Rangoon transfers the ambassador to Brazil, Hla Myint, to Japan, while the ambassador to Japan, Saw Hla Min, is shifted to France. Another move sees the ambassador to Brunei, Thet Win, moved to Australia and Brig-Gen Myo Lwin assigned to South Korea.
13—Rangoon prepares for a special trial of former prime minister and spy chief Gen Khin Nyunt on charges of corruption and abuse of power.
25—Russia and China object to discussing Burma at the UN Security Council, although the issue, which is raised by the US ambassador to the UN Gerald Scott, was supported by several other members.
28—The Philippines’ president, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, is urged to step down after allegations of misconduct during her election campaign. She comes under intense pressure after admitting discussing last year’s vote count with an election official. She subsequently apologizes for “a lapse in judgment.”
Late June—Tin Win is appointed ambassador to Germany, while Than Tun becomes the regime’s representative in Rome.
July
5—An estimated 34,500 Buddhist teachers working in the Muslim-majority Thai provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat abandon the troubled area. Education Minister Adisai Bodharamik says “[they] are fearful and demoralized because at least 24 teachers have been killed during recent months.”
6—An estimated 400 prisoners, mostly political, are freed from several Burmese prisons. Although initial reports indicate that the renowned journalist, 75-year-old Win Tin, is among the released, he remains behind bars.
12—The trial of former Burmese prime minister, Gen Khin Nyunt, begins at Rangoon’s Insein prison. His two sons, Lt-Col Zaw Naing Oo and Dr Ye Naing Win, are also put on trial in Rangoon, facing 34 and 12 charges respectively.
15—A Chinese joint-venture consortium made up of the China International Trust, Investment Corporation Technology Company, Sinohydro Corporation and Burma’s Department of Hydroelectric Power, sign two contracts in Rangoon concerning the implementation of the Yeywa hydropower project, the largest in Burma.
19—Thailand’s cabinet empowers Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra with a special decree to counter insurgency in three Muslim-dominated provinces in southern Thailand—Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani. The new decree includes authorization for the detention of suspects without charge and blanket censorship of local media.
21—A special court in Rangoon’s Insein prison sentences former prime minister Gen Khin Nyunt to a 44-year suspended prison term on eight separate charges, including bribery and corruption.
24—A powerful earthquake hits India’s Nicobar Islands and parts of Indonesia, triggering panic in some areas and a tsunami warning in Thailand. No casualties are reported.
26—The junta defers chairmanship of the Asean regional bloc during its six-day summit in the Lao capital, Vientiane.
27—Rangoon appoints Ye Win as its new Burmese ambassador to Thailand, while Htein Win is named the new Burmese ambassador to Brazil.
August
2—Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra announces a major cabinet reshuffle as corruption scandals plague his Thai Rak Thai government. Nearly half of the country’s 35 cabinet ministers lose their jobs, though most are given new cabinet posts.
4—Executive director of the World Food Programme, Jim Morris, meets with Burma’s Prime Minister Gen Soe Win, furthering speculation the visit may presage a trip by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Instead, the two discuss the junta’s curtailing of UN and aid organizations’ activities in Burma.
8—Privately-owned Myanmar Universal Bank is taken over by the state-run Myanma Economic Bank, with no explanation offered by the government.
« previous 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 next page »
COMMENTS (0)