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Prominent Burmese activists, scholars, ethnic leaders and journalists living in Asia, Europe and North America will meet on Wednesday to discuss China, India and Asean. Their findings will be presented on Thursday to a broader audience comprised of representatives from the Government of Canada, the diplomatic community and civil society organizations, according to the Canadian Friends of Burma (CFOB), a facilitating group for the conference.Organizers said many Burmese who work on human rights, democracy, labor and women's issues in Asian countries who had been invited to attend were denied entry visas to Canada. A CFOB member told The Irrawaddy that Canadian immigration officials were concerned that some Burmese who visited Canada would overstay in the country and not return to Burma or the countries where they are currently living.

Burmese Reporter Wins International Journalism Award

The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) has named an Egyptian blogger, Wael Abbas, and a Burmese investigative reporter, May Thingyan Hein, the winners of the 2007 Knight International Journalism Award. May Thingyan Hein, a 33-year-old freelance journalist, was recognized for her coverage of controversial topics such as corruption, HIV/AIDS and poverty. “Wael Abbas and May Thingyan Hein are blazing the path in their countries with extremely bold coverage,” said ICFJ President Joyce Barnathan. “We want to honor them for exposing issues no one else will cover and encourage others to follow their example.”

The award, sponsored by the Knight International Journalism Fellowships Program, recognizes individuals who have raised the standards of media excellence in their country. They will be honored along with the Founders Award recipient, TV broadcaster Tom Brokaw, at the 10th annual ICFJ Awards Dinner at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, DC, on November 13.

Thai Government Announces Election Date

Thai Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said Monday that his government agrees that the next general election should be held on December 23. Surayud, appointed interim prime minister after a coup in September last year, spoke after meeting with members of the official Election Commission, who had suggested the date. Surayud told reporters that his government and all government agencies concerned were ready to support and cooperate with the Election Commission on implementing that date for the polls. The date will become officially set only after King Bhumibol Adulyadej issues a royal decree. (AP)

Pirates Release Indonesian Crew after Ransom Is Paid

Pirates who kidnapped two Indonesian sailors in the Malacca Strait earlier this month have released them after a ransom was paid, a global maritime watchdog said Monday.
Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur, said the value of the ransom has not been disclosed, and he declined to identify who paid it. Gun-toting pirates attacked a Malaysian barge on August 13 and abducted the vessel's Indonesian ship master and chief engineer. The pirates did not steal the barge, or any of the steel billets it was carrying from Malaysia's northern state of Penang to Belawan in Indonesia.

It was the third pirate attack in the Malacca Strait this year, but the first kidnapping in the busy waterway since July 2005. The strait is notorious for robberies and hijackings but the number of attacks has fallen since Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, which share the waterway, launched coordinated maritime and air patrols in recent years to curb piracy. (AP)

Tanzanian Rare Tortoises, Rescued from Smugglers, Stuck in Malaysia

Some 60 endangered tortoises smuggled via airmail to Malaysia two months ago cannot be returned yet to their native Tanzania because the two countries are still haggling over details of the handover, a wildlife official said Monday. Authorities on June 12 discovered 76 rare leopard tortoises strapped and cramped in two parcels labeled as clay pots and sent by air mail from Tanzania, said Loo Kean Seong, a senior official in Malaysia's Department of Wildlife and National Parks. The leopard tortoises are protected under CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Two of them died during shipment and another 13 perished at a rescue center in Malaysia while waiting to be sent back to the African country, Loo said. Their repatriation has been delayed by haggling by officials from Malaysia and Tanzania over logistics and costs, he said. He could not give a timeframe on when the tortoises would be repatriated.