Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Burmese Media Ignores Regional Unrest

Burma’s state-owned media organizations are shying away from covering current political uprisings in neighboring countries such as Thailand and the Philippines. The weekly anti-government rallies that have been attracting tens of thousands of protesters in Bangkok, and Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s decision on Friday to dissolve parliament, have barely been mentioned in Burma’s newspapers, or on television and radio broadcasts. In addition, Burma’s media has also ignored the “people power” uprising in the Philippines, as well as the recent arrest of members of the country’s armed forces, who stand accused of plotting a coup to unseat President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Natural disasters in the region such as the Philippines mudslide in mid-February are being reported however, and there are constant updates on American casualties in the war in Iraq.

Rangoon Commodity Prices Rise

Rangoon residents are being hit by severe increases in commodity prices over the past two months. The price rises are blamed on spiraling oil prices.

For instance, a Rangoon housewife complains, a sack of low-quality rice has increased from 1,500 kyat (US $1.50) to 5,000 kyat, and the price of good quality rice has doubled from 10,000 kyat per sack to 20,000 kyat. Beef has risen from 1,000 kyat for one viss (1.6 kg) to 3,000 kyat over the same period.

Meanwhile, a gallon of petrol has soared from 160 kyat to 1,500 kyat in the same period.

Hilltribe Education Hits the North

Thailand’s Non-Formal Education Department is to launch new courses for the minority hilltribe populations in Mae Hong Son province, where an estimated 50,000 people are believed to be illiterate. NFE-Mae Hong Son officer Kriengkrai Eiamkrasin told The Irrawaddy today that the new courses, which should be up and running by the end of March, will target students who have difficulty accessing Thailand’s formal education system and will combine elements of traditional hilltribe culture with standard school subjects. He admitted, however, that the new courses face problems from the outset due to understaffing: “We have only 116 teachers for 116 centers, and the total numbers of students in this province is 7,600.”

Mae Hong Son, a province along the northern Thailand-Burma border, is home to people from many ethnic groups including Shan, Karen and Karenni from Burma. Illiteracy has proved a major problem when dealing with Thai authorities and has led to difficulties in accessing public services, especially healthcare. The courses will be open to students under the age of 60, including migrant workers and those without official residency papers, particularly those who live in remote areas and are unable to reach existing schools.

The literacy rate in Mae Hong Son is much lower than the Thai average, which according to National Statistic Office figures from 2000, stands at just over 90 percent. Sanan Supreena, the headman of Baan Sobpong, one of the Mae Hong Son villages due to benefit from the program said: “Only about 50 percent of people in this village are literate, and many of them do not yet have Thai citizenship.” Mae Hong Son is the first province to run the new courses.

Al-Qaeda Funds Suicide Bombings, Indonesia Police Says

Osama bin-Laden’s terror network helped fund all of the suicide bombings in Indonesia in the past four years, a senior police official said Tuesday, highlighting links between al-Qaeda and the regional militant group Jemaah Islamiyah. Money for the attacks, which have occurred annually in the world’s most populous Muslim country since 2002, was delivered by courier to leaders of Jemaah Islamiyah, said Col Petrus Reinhard Golose, of Indonesia’s counterterrorism task force.

Indonesia is the only Southeast Asian nation known to have been hit by suicide bombers. Jemaah Islamiyah is blamed for the 2002 nightclub attacks on the resort island of Bali that killed 202 people, attacks in the capital Jakarta in 2003 and 2004 that together killed 21, and triple suicide bombings on Bali last October that killed 20.

Indonesian authorities have claimed since 2003 that al-Qaeda helped finance the terror campaign in Indonesia. But they never before provided the level of detail given by Golose, who said that September 11, 2001 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammad personally arranged for a courier to deliver money for the bombings. It was not immediately clear from which country the funds originated, but he said the money passed through Thailand and Malaysia before reaching Indonesia. (AP)

Friday, February 24, 2006

Nobel Nominations Announced

A near-record 191 Nobel Peace Prize nominations have been made for 2006, including a Finnish peace mediator, Indonesia's president, two Irish rock stars and a former US Secretary of State. Announced nominations include former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for helping secure a peace deal in the Aceh conflict. Former US secretary of state Colin Powell was nominated for his effort to end Sudan’s civil war. Bob Geldof, the former leader of Irish pop group the Boomtown Rats, was nominated for organizing last year’s Live 8 benefit concerts, while another Irish singer, U2 frontman Bono, was proposed for his efforts to relieve poverty. US Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton and longtime Iran investigator Kenneth R Timmerman were nominated by a Swedish lawmaker.

The award is always presented on December 10, the anniversary of the death of its founder, Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel. The peace prize is awarded in Oslo, and the other Nobel Prizes are presented in the Swedish capital, Stockholm. (AP)

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Indonesian President will Visit Burma Next Week

Indonesia's president will discuss Burma’s democracy efforts with junta leader Snr-Gen Than Shwe during a visit to the military-ruled nation next week, a presidential spokesman said Thursday. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will arrive in Burma on March 1 for a two-day visit, said Dino Pati Djalal.

The trip will be the first by a regional leader since December, when the Association of Southeast Asian Nations publicly called on Burma to release political prisoners and speed up moves toward democracy. Yudhoyono intends to meet Than Shwe to "discuss Myanmar's [Burma’s] efforts on its road map to democracy," which is supposed to lead to free elections, said Djalal. The United States and European countries complain that Asean has done little to force democracy in Myanmar, whose junta keeps pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest and has jailed hundreds of dissidents.

An Indonesian lawmaker urged Yudhoyono to cancel the visit "as a concrete gesture of support for pro-democracy groups in Myanmar." "If Indonesia doesn't pressure the military regime (by canceling the trip) ... it is the same as giving support," said Yuddi Chrisnandi, a parliamentarian on the security commission. (AP)

Rangoon Bomber Seeks Haven

Kang Min-Chul, one of three North Korean agents responsible for the 1983 assassination attempt on then-South Korean President Chun Doo-Hwan in Rangoon, has expressed a hope to settle in South Korea, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap. Chung Hyung-Keun, a member of South Korea’s opposition Grand National Party and former intelligence agency worker, said recently that the surviving agent, who is currently serving a life sentence in Rangoon, wants to move to South Korea. The opposition lawmaker introduced a petition signed by 56 retired soldiers, civic activists and other ordinary citizens calling for the National Assembly to urge the Seoul government to make efforts to obtain Kang's release and bring him to South Korea.

On October 9, 1983, a powerful bomb demolished the Martyr’s Mausoleum in Rangoon, just before the visiting Chun Doo-Hwan was to pay homage. Chun escaped unhurt, but seventeen South Koreans, including four Cabinet members, were killed instantly. Four Burmese also died. One North Korean agent was shot dead by Burmese security forces while trying to escape, and the other was sentenced to death and hanged. But Kang Min-Chul was kept alive because he had cooperated with the Burmese investigation into the case. North Korea denied involvement but Burma publicly incriminated Pyongyang and cut diplomatic ties.

Indonesians Shoot Doves in Fight against Bird Flu

Indonesians were shooting wild doves and other birds from trees and rooftops in an eastern city Thursday, as they tried to slow the rapid spread of the deadly H5N1 virus in the sprawling archipelago. The bird flu virus has killed 19 people in Indonesia, all in the last nine months, and devastated poultry stocks. Many fear that the virus is being carried by wild birds that infect domestic poultry.

Government officials and local residents started shooting the doves with air rifles in Surabaya, the capital of East Java province, after dozens of chickens were found to have died of bird flu there earlier this week. "We have to prevent these birds from carrying the deadly virus," said Sgt Hadi Rohman, one of several security officers who watched as dozens of birds were shot. So far, 500 wild doves, chickens and other birds have been destroyed and hundreds more—all within one kilometer of the outbreak—were being targeted, Rohman said.

The country will take its anti-bird flu fight to the capital Friday, testing thousands of chickens for the virus and slaughtering all birds living within one kilometer of any outbreak. Officials will pay the equivalent of US $1 for each chicken they kill, the head of Jakarta's Animal Husbandry Department, Edi Sutiarto, said Tuesday. Chickens fetch between $1 and $2 on the market. (AP)

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Shanghai Police Arrest Burma Drug Suspect

Police in China's commercial hub of Shanghai have arrested a suspect in a Burma drug ring, amid stepped-up anti-narcotics cooperation between the two neighbors, newspapers reported Tuesday. Kyi Win, also identified as Yangah Huang, was captured at his wife's home in Shanghai's Pudong district as he was sleeping on January 5, newspapers reported Tuesday. It wasn't clear why reports of the arrest had been delayed. The suspect reportedly fled on December 27 after Burmese authorities launched a crackdown on a drug gang in which he was believed to be a key lieutenant, seizing suspects, drugs, and 1 million tablets of methamphetamine, the Shanghai Daily reported. Believing he had returned to China, Burmese police requested his arrest on December 30, prompting an investigation by local police, it said.

The suspect was found with 47 pieces of opium and 130 methamphetamine tablets, it said. It didn't say whether he was being held in Shanghai or had been extradited to Burma. The impoverished Southeast Asian nation is the source of much of the heroin and other drugs that are a growing scourge among all classes of Chinese. Burmese Prime Minister Gen Soe Win pledged on a visit to China earlier this month to boost anti-drug cooperation and work with Beijing to replace opium poppy cultivation with alternative crops. Beijing is a key source of economic and diplomatic support for Burma's isolated military leadership. (AP)

Burma to Lay Gas Pipeline to New Capital

Burma will lay a 170-km pipeline to its new administrative capital Pyinmana to supply natural gas to the city, the weekly Burmese journal Flower News reported, quoting the state-run Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise. The junta started moving its ministries to Pyinmana in November last year, and the relocation process is expected to finish by next month. But it has yet to complete local infrastructure projects. Foreign diplomats in Rangoon stated in December that new embassies in Pyinmana could start construction by the end of 2007. Rangoon business sources, however, claim that Rangoon will remain the country’s commercial hub.

Indonesian Lawmakers Call on President to Meet Suu Kyi

Indonesian lawmakers have called on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to cancel an upcoming visit to Burma unless he plans to pressure the military junta to release democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi. “The President must convince the public his visit will contribute to the development of democracy and human rights in Myanmar [Burma],” legislator Djoko Susilo,who heads the Indonesian Legislative Caucus for Democracy in Burma, told the Jakarta Post. “Indonesia must take a more active role in pushing for the establishment of democracy in Southeast Asia, particularly in Asean member countries,” Djoko said. The caucus will file a petition with the President later this week, stressing democracy talks with Burma. The Indonesian President will probably visit Burma in early March, but an official date has not been confirmed. The trip is expected to follow official visits to Brunei on February 27 to 28 and Cambodia on February 28 to March 1.

Malaysia Starts House-to-House Inspections for Bird Flu  

Malaysia began culling birds and launched house-to-house inspections Tuesday for sick people in an area where 40 chickens died from the H5N1 bird flu virus in the country’s first reported case of the disease in more than a year. Health Minister Chua Soi Lek told reporters that his ministry has launched active surveillance in Gombak district in central Malaysia where bird flu was detected last week in four hamlets.

The surveillance would cover a 300-meter (1,000-foot) radius from every chicken pen where the infected birds were found, Chua said, adding that the Veterinary Services Department had begun to cull fowls there. The affected villages—Pasir Wardieburn, Taman Danau Kota, Pekan Danau Kota and Kampung Belakang JPJ—are just outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s largest city.

Chua did not say why the government disclosed only late Monday the deaths of the chickens last week in Gombak. It was disclosed in a statement by the agriculture minister in response to a Singapore media report. Malaysia had declared itself free of bird flu in January 2005, more than six weeks after its last infection was detected in villages in the northeastern Kelantan state. The disease was discovered there in August 2004 in fighting cocks smuggled from neighboring Thailand. No humans were infected. The H5N1 virus has devastated poultry stocks and killed at least 92 people, mostly in Asia, since 2003, according to the World Health Organization. (AP)

Monday, February 20, 2006

Activists Meet to Press Rangoon

More than 80 participants from 47 organizations in 16 countries met to discuss plans to push Burma for reform at a three-day meeting at Thai-Burma border, which finished Sunday. “We are proud to announce the establishment of an Asia-Pacific Peoples’ Partnership on Burma, to pool our collective capacities to accelerate the momentum for change,” read the newly formed group’s statement. Exiled Burmese activist Khin Ohmar said that the APPPB would use civil movements to put pressure on China, India and governments of the 10-country regional bloc, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. “If people in the region have more awareness of what’s going on in Burma, they will surely urge their governments to do something about it,” she said.

The group urged regional leaders to support tabling the Burma issue at the UN Security Council, despite objections that reform in Burma is a purely domestic issue. Khin Ohmar argues that Burma’s crisis has stretched across the borders and is affecting other countries in the form of migrants, refugees and health problems. The group also expressed support for a proposal from the opposition National League for Democracy, which calls on the military regime to allow a “people’s parliament,” while it takes on the role of transitional government. The Chiang Mai forum was organized by the Forum for Democracy in Burma, Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (Forum-Asia) and the Alternative Asean Network on Burma.

Thai PM Rejects Resignation, May Dissolve Parliament

Thailand's beleaguered Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has threatened to dissolve parliament if a standoff with his opponents escalates further, but he rejected growing calls for his resignation, a government spokesman said Monday. The remarks came a day after Thaksin's influential political mentor, Chamlong Srimuang, called for him to quit and announced he will join a mass anti-Thaksin protest Sunday. Thaksin called an emergency Cabinet meeting Sunday night after Chamlong's announcement, and told his ministers "he will not resign, but if the situation deteriorates, he will dissolve the parliament," said government spokesman Suraphong Suebwonglee. A move to dissolve parliament would lead to new elections.

Chamlong, a former politician who years ago invited Thaksin into the political arena, continued his attack Monday saying Thaksin "no longer has the legitimacy to run the country." Asked about Chamlong's stance, Thaksin responded, "What will be will be." Thaksin said the government will submit a motion next month requesting a joint sitting of the upper and lower houses of parliament to discuss the "political crisis." Thaksin has come under heavy fire over his family's 73.3 billion baht (US $1.9 billion) sale of its controlling stake in telecom giant Shin Corp to a state-owned Singaporean investment company. Chamlong accused Thaksin of amending a law on foreign ownership of Thai telecom firms so his family could benefit from the completion of the Shin deal—the biggest acquisition in Thailand's corporate history. But Suraphong disagreed. "The law was amended to encourage foreign investment, not to favor the prime minister's family," he said. (AP)

Cambodia Appoints Group to Save Irrawaddy Dolphin

Cambodia has appointed a commission to help save the endangered Irrawaddy dolphin, fearing that a unique natural treasure could become extinct, a senior official said Monday. At least a dozen of the dolphins have died since the beginning of the year. According to the World Wildlife Fund, just an estimated 80 to 110 dolphins remain in Cambodia's Mekong River. Prime Minister Hun Sen signed a decree appointing a dolphin conservation committee last Friday, said commission member Thong Khon, the deputy minister of tourism. The commission's task will be to save the dolphins and use them for tourism promotion. Thong Khon noted that Cambodian dolphins die every year during fishing season from December to March, "but when they die in increasing numbers like this, we have to worry about them." He added: "They are a national heritage, like the Angkor temples," he said, referring to the famous centuries-old archaeological site in northwestern Cambodia. "The government is committed to protecting them using all means.'

Last week, Phai Somany, a senior officer of the Fisheries Department's Cambodian Mekong Dolphin Conservation Project, warned that Cambodia's population of Irrawaddy dolphins could vanish within a decade unless strict enforcement is undertaken to protect them. He said that since the beginning of this year 14 dolphins—mostly calves—have died in Cambodia's part of the Mekong River, which also runs through China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. Seng Teak, country director of the World Wildlife Fund, said Monday that only 12 have died and the higher count was a result of a misunderstanding. He said that the estimated 80 to 110 remaining dolphins, classified by the WWF as "critically endangered," are living in about 11 pools in the Mekong, upstream of Phnom Penh in Kratie and Stung Treng provinces. He welcomed the formation of the dolphin conservation committee, saying it will provide a stronger "legal tool" for conservation efforts. The Tourism Ministry's Thong Khon said one of the new committee's main tasks will be to define a "fishing-free zone" for the dolphins, some of who may have been killed by fishing nets. Pollution and disease were also possible causes of death, Seng Teak said, adding that samples from some dead dolphins have been sent for testing in the US and Canada, but results have not yet been received. (AP)

Friday, February 17, 2006

Burma Called Non-Cooperative in Combating Money Laundering

Burma has once again been named by the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering as an uncooperative in the global fight against money laundering during a three-day meeting in Cape Town, South Africa. FATF President Kader Asmal said that two countries—Nigeria and Burma—remain on the list of non-cooperative nations, whose ruling regimes have failed to support the international community’s efforts to fight money laundering. However, the task force was encouraged by the progress these countries were making, the South African newspaper Business Day reported recently. The FATF first named Burma to its list in June 2001.

Observers have noted that drug money is widely believed to be keeping Burma’s struggling economy afloat. In 2003, the US Treasury Department reported that the Myanmar Mayflower Bank and Asia Wealth Bank were linked to narcotics trafficking organizations in Southeast Asia. Burma’s ruling junta initiated an investigation of the two banks to uncover any possible drug links, but it is not known whether any formal charges have been filed in the case. Burma’s military government enacted the Control of Money Laundering Law in 2002.

Attended by more than 400 delegates from 44 countries, the three-day session in Cape Town, which ends Friday, included discussions about the ways to build effective infrastructures for fighting money-laundering and countering terrorist financing in emerging economies. The conclusions of the meeting will be made available on February 21 on the FATF web site.

200 dead, 1,500 Missing in Philippine Landslide

A massive landslide rumbled down a mountainside in the eastern Philippines on Friday, burying hundreds of houses and a school packed with elementary students.

Sen Richard Gordon, head of the Philippine Red Cross, said an entire village appeared to have been buried on Leyte island, killing perhaps 200 people and leaving 1,500 others missing. Southern Leyte province Governor Rosette Lerias told radio DZBB that 500 houses in Guinsahugon village in St Bernard town were feared buried after nonstop rains hit the area for two weeks. An elementary school was in session when the landslide struck around 9 am “It sounded like the mountain exploded, and the whole thing crumbled,” survivor Dario Libatan told Manila radio DZMM. “I could not see any house standing anymore.”

Provincial board member Eva Tomol said only three houses remained standing in the village, which had a population of about 2,500 and is 670 kilometers (420 miles) southeast of Manila. Six survivors were being treated at a hospital, she said. Anthony Golez, deputy administrator of the Office of Civil Defense, said Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz dispatched two rescue helicopters and two navy ships to the remote area, where about 200 rescue workers—including volunteers from nearby provinces—were trying to dig out survivors. (AP)

East Timor Briefs Indonesia on its Stance on Atrocities Report

The leaders of Indonesia and East Timor met Friday to discuss a report that details atrocities committed by Indonesia during its long occupation of the tiny nation. East Timorese President Xanana Gusmao briefed his Indonesian counterpart President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in a meeting attended by members of East Timor's truth and reconciliation commission. The report, presented to the United Nations last month, triggered anger in Indonesia. East Timor, which is keen to maintain good ties with its giant neighbor, has also sought to distance itself from its contents.

The report says at least 102,000 East Timorese were killed, abducted, starved or died of illnesses under Indonesia's occupation from 1975-1999. The report also describes sexual violence, and the use of napalm and torture by Indonesian forces. The 2,500-page document was prepared by East Timor's truth and reconciliation commission, which was set up with the assistance of the United Nations. East Timor has repeatedly shunned calls for an international court to be established to try Indonesian military officers. Indonesia invaded East Timor in 1975 and ruled the former Portuguese colony with an iron fist until 1999, when a UN-organized plebiscite resulted in an overwhelming vote for independence. A final orgy of violence by retreating Indonesian troops left more than 1,500 dead. No Indonesian official has been punished for crimes committed during the occupation.

Ex-Khmer Rouge Couple Receiving Medical Treatment in Thailand

Two former members of Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot's inner circle are undergoing medical treatment in a Thai hospital, their son said, raising concern among rights groups who want the leaders put on trial. Ieng Sary, 76, a former foreign minister, has been hospitalized with heart problems, and his 77-year-old wife, Khieu Thirith, who was minister of social affairs under the brutal regime, had an operation for a broken hip, said the couple's son, Ieng Vuth. “They are not well yet and are still receiving treatment” in Thailand, said Ieng Vuth, deputy governor of the former Khmer Rouge stronghold of Pailin. Advancing age and declining health of the few remaining Khmer Rouge leaders has caused concern that they may die before being tried for crimes committed during their 1975-79 rule over Cambodia. Their leader Pol Pot died in 1988.

Youk Chhang, director of an independent group documenting Khmer Rouge crimes, said the hospitalized couple could be candidates for the trials, adding that he is hopeful their illness will put pressure on the United Nations and the government to start the proceedings. “We are racing against time,” he said. Cambodia and the UN agreed in 2003 to jointly convene trials of the leaders blamed for the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people from starvation, disease, overwork and execution. Under the 2003 pact, Cambodia and the UN agreed to establish a special court for the Khmer Rouge leaders, but funding problems in Cambodia have delayed the trials. Many of the leaders still live and move freely in Cambodia. Earlier this month, the UN opened an administrative office for the trials but no date has been set for the trials to begin.

Thai Media Critic Rejects Company's Offer to Drop Lawsuit

A media critic who was sued for defamation by Thailand's biggest telecommunications conglomerate for hundreds of millions of baht on Friday turned down the company's offer to drop its legal actions. Supinya Klangnarong, from the advocacy group Campaign for Popular Media, is being prosecuted for suggesting that Shin Corp PCL had profited from its connections with the government. Shin Corp was at the time of her remarks owned by close relatives of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. They sold it last month to a Singaporean firm. The case has drawn international attention, with press freedom groups speaking up on Supinya's behalf and claiming the lawsuit has had a chilling effect on freedom of speech.

Supinya said that Shin Corp's lawyer had called her lawyer and offered to drop its legal action, citing the company's sale. She did not say if there were any conditions attached to the offer. Supinya told a news conference that her defense team decided it preferred to have the court decide the case on its merits. She has four co-defendants: Thai Post, the newspaper which published her remarks in 2003, and three of its staff. “If the company was sincere and respected press freedom, they should speak in court on the day the verdict is to be delivered and openly tell the public that they respect the right of press freedom,” Supinya said. "A ruling one way or the other by the court on the case will be good for press freedom," said a statement from her defense committee. Shin Corp filed cases in both the criminal and civil courts against Supinya and her co-defendants. In the civil case, Shin Corp is seeking 400 million baht (US $10.2 million) in damages from each defendant. The defendants each face a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a 100,000 baht ($2,545) fine if found guilty in the criminal case.

Wednesday, February 15, 2005

German Companies Explore Business Opportunities in Burma

Delegations representing more than 50 German companies were due to arrive in Rangoon this evening to explore business and trade opportunities in the country. Representatives of the German trading company Rieckermann Machinery Industrial Equipment arrived earlier in the week and met with Burma’s Information Minister Brig-Gen Kyaw Hsan yesterday, the state-run The New Light of Myanmar said. The Hamburg-based company is hoping to supply printing equipment for books and journals to Burma’s military government and the private sector, an employee of the German Asia-Pacific Business Association—the body organizing meetings for the visiting companies—told The Irrawaddy. Rieckermann already has offices throughout the region including in Thailand, Indonesia and Hong Kong, and is hoping to open a branch in Burma. The German Asia-Pacific Business Association typically arranges business and trade visits to Burma every one or two years. Germany’s foreign direct investment in Burma is, however, still relatively low compared to other countries in Europe, reaching only US $15 million by the end of 2004, according to Burma’s Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development.

Cambodian Opposition Leader to Regain Parliamentary Immunity

Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy will have his parliamentary immunity fully restored later this month, the president of Cambodia's National Assembly said Wednesday, the latest phase in his political comeback after a return from exile. The National Assembly is scheduled to meet February 28 to vote and restore the immunity of Sam Rainsy and two other opposition lawmakers, said Prince Norodom Ranariddh, who heads the lower house of parliament. Ranariddh and Sam Rainsy held talks Wednesday for the first time after the opposition leader's return from exile last week. "I warmly welcomed him," Ranariddh told reporters. "I told him I hope he will be able to continue his role as an opposition lawmaker like before." Sam Rainsy fled to France after lawmakers of Prime Minister Hun Sen's coalition voted to remove his immunity after the government had filed several defamation suits against the opposition leader. In December, a court sentenced him in absentia to 18 months in jail for accusing Hun Sen of being behind a deadly 1997 grenade attack on a peaceful anti-government demonstration and for alleging that Ranariddh took a bribe to join Hun Sen's government. He returned to Cambodia last Friday after having recanted his accusation against Hun Sen and being granted a royal pardon by the Cambodian king. He met for over three hours with Hun Sen on Sunday.

Sam Rainsy said his Wednesday session with Ranariddh was like a "great family meeting" that touched on many issues, including his latest proposal to allow new governments to be formed by a simple majority in parliament rather than the two-thirds voting formula now in place. His proposal has been endorsed by Hun Sen, who said Tuesday that the constitutional amendment would prevent future deadlocks in forming a new government after an election. After the last election, in which Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party won a majority 73 seats in the 123-seat assembly, the country was left without a properly functioning government for almost a year as the parties haggled over forming a coalition. (AP)

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

South Korean to Run for Top UN Job

South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon is running for the top UN post, his deputy said Tuesday, formally unveiling a candidacy that has been widely known for months. Ban, 61, has "nearly four decades of extensive experience and an untarnished reputation as a diplomat and administrator, much of it directly relating to issues of peace and security, development and human rights and democracy, the three pillars on which the United Nations stands," said Vice Foreign Minister Yu Myung-Hwan.

Many Asian countries believe the next secretary-general should come from their continent, as part of a traditional rotation among regions for the top UN job every 10 years. Other announced Asian candidates include Thai Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai and former UN disarmament chief Jayantha Dhanapala of Sri Lanka, who recently represented the government in peace talks with the Tamil Tigers. There is wide support for an Asian candidate among the 191 UN member states—including permanent Security Council members Russia and China—though Eastern Europe argues that it has never had a leader in the top UN post. (AP)

Thai Court to Review Thaksin Claims

Thailand's Constitutional Court agreed Tuesday to look into accusations that the country's prime minister violated a conflict of interest law when his family sold its controlling stake in Southeast Asian telecom giant Shin Corp. The petition by 28 senators accuses Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra of having violated the Constitution's conflict of interest law, which stipulates that the prime minister cannot hold shares in companies. The move is the first step in a formal process that could lead to a trial of Thaksin and his eventual ouster if he were found guilty.

"At this stage the court has accepted the petition for consideration," said Paitoon Warahaphaitun, spokesperson for the Constitutional Court. The judge will decide on Thursday if there is sufficient evidence for a trial, he said. The petition also accuses Thaksin of concealing assets in connection with his family's January 23 sale of their controlling stake in telecommunications conglomerate Shin Corp to Singapore's Temasek Holdings for 73.3 billion baht (US $1.88 billion).

Thaksin has faced growing demands that he resign since the January 23 Shin sale, with critics accusing him of insider trading and structuring the deal to avoid paying hefty taxes, among other irregularities. Tens of thousands of protesters rallied Saturday in Bangkok, accusing Thaksin of corruption and abuse of power. (AP)

February 10, 2006

Russia Supports Asia for Top UN Seat

Russia’s UN Ambassador Andrei Denisov has said a successor to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan should be an Asian, the Reuters news agency reported. Denisov disagreed with US Ambassador John Bolton’s proposal that the selection process be completed by midyear, saying it might sideline Annan, who completes 10 years in office on December 31.

Last month, Bolton suggested that Eastern Europeans should also be eligible for the post, since they had not held the job before. From Eastern Europe, the names mentioned most frequently are former Polish president Aleksander Kwasniewski and Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga. But Denisov said only that he had not heard “practical proposals.” Meanwhile, many Asians believe the next secretary-general should come from Asia because no one from that continent has held the post since U Thant of Burma, who served from 1961-71. The declared candidates from Asia are Thai Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai and Sri Lankan peace negotiator Jayantha Dhanapala.

According to the UN Charter, a secretary-general is to be appointed by the General Assembly at the recommendation of the 15-nation Security Council, which means Russia as well as the United States, Britain, France and China have veto power.

Madonna's Grammy Performance Censored in Malaysia

Madonna's performance was struck from Malaysia's television broadcast of the Grammy Awards because her skimpy outfit and steamy dance moves were too risque for audiences in this Muslim-majority nation. The Grammys aired Thursday night on Malaysia's 8TV station, 12 hours after the show took place in the US. But Malaysian fans were surprised when the show kicked off without the much-hyped opening act—Madonna and the cartoon-fronted rock group Gorillaz. “From our point of view, it wasn't suitable for our audiences,” said an official at the program content unit of 8TV, one of Malaysia's main private networks. The rest of the telecast wasn’t censored, but Madonna’s barelegged leotard attire and sexy gyrations were “too much of a risk for us to take if we tried to show it,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

In her Grammy performance of her recent hit, "Hung Up," Madonna, 47, writhed onstage with her background dancers, both male and female, to a throbbing disco beat. Television shows and movies screened in Malaysia must abide by a strict censorship code that forbids sex, graphic violence and provocative handling of topics such as race and religion. (AP)

Thursday, February 09, 2006

NLD Members Jailed on Drugs Charges

Two National League for Democracy members have been sentenced to seven years in prison, having been found guilty of possession of drugs, following a police raid on their home last November. A local court in Bhamo Township, Kachin State, yesterday found against Ko Ko Myint, the joint secretary of Shwe Gu Township NLD and senior NLD member Thein Zaw. Speaking from Bhamo, NLD spokesman Zaw Thin confirmed that both men were sent to Bhamo prison yesterday.

The search which led to the arrests was apparently prompted by police intelligence concerning documents from an NLD meeting. The official reason given to the two NLD members at the time, though, was that the police wanted to check the overnight guest list. The documents related to an NLD program to provide distance-learning instruction on human rights and HIV/AIDS awareness. When the NLD members did not produce the documents on request, the police searched the house and found a quantity of illegal narcotics. According to a Mandalay Division NLD defense lawyer, the two detainees had passed an official drug test and displayed no signs of drug use. Thein Zaw was previously jailed for two years in 1996 for protesting to local authorities about forced labor and Ko Ko Myint had also previously been jailed for two years in 1988, on charges of using unlicensed building materials.

Rights Groups Condemn Thai Media Crackdown

Paris-based media watchdog Reporters Sans Frontieres and the Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission have criticized a local Thai court that punished a Thai farmer for running a community radio station. A court in Ang Thong Province, central Thailand, handed 56-year-old Sathien Chanthorn a four month prison sentence and a fine of 40,000 Baht (US $1000) on Tuesday, after he was found guilty under a 1995 telecommunications law of broadcasting without a license and illegal possession of radio equipment.

“I followed the orders of the public relations department,” complained Sathien, who had been operating the Ang Thong Community Radio Learning Station. In a statement yesterday, RSF said: “This verdict violates the Thai constitution and poses a serious threat to the country’s thousands of community radio operators.” RSF also said that several FM and community transmitters were shut down by the government last year. AHRC described the case as having “serious implications for hundreds of community radio stations in Thailand,” operating on the basis of the 1997 constitution, which grants media freedom.

Cambodia Opens Offices for Khmer Rouge Trials

Cambodian and UN officials on Thursday unveiled their new administrative offices for the long-awaited trials of surviving Khmer Rouge leaders. Michelle Lee, a UN administrator, said staff began moving into the offices early this week. Cambodia and the United Nations agreed in 2003 to jointly convene trials of former Khmer Rouge leaders accused of responsibility for the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people from starvation, disease, overwork and execution during the group's 1975-79 rule. Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot died in 1998. The ultra-communist movement collapsed a year later, but none of its top leaders has been brought to justice. Many still live and move freely in Cambodia. Under the 2003 pact, Cambodia and the UN agreed to establish a special court for the Khmer Rouge leaders, but funding problems in Cambodia have delayed the trials. Many fear that remaining Khmer Rouge leaders may die before they can be tried. Cambodia has been asking donors to finance US $10.8 million of its $13.3 million share of the total estimated tribunal budget of $56.3 million. The United Nations has already secured its share of the budget, $43 million. The facilities, located in Cambodia's new military headquarters 10 miles west of the capital, Phnom Penh, include an auditorium for the trial proceedings and a four-story building to house administration staff for the trials, which could last three years. (AP)

Brunei Forces Prince to Reveal Bank Accounts

A Brunei government agency says it has successfully forced the Sultan's disgraced brother to disclose details of his bank accounts, in a bid to end a multibillion-dollar embezzlement scandal. The Brunei Investment Agency launched contempt of court proceedings last year against its own ex-chief, Prince Jefri Bolkiah, younger brother of ruler Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. Jefri, who was finance minister from 1986 to 1998, went on a massive spending spree with Brunei's money, channeled through the investment agency into his own Amedeo Development Corporation. When Amedeo crashed in the 1997 Asian financial crisis, its unpaid bills nearly bankrupted the oil-rich absolute monarchy. The agency filed legal actions after Jefri allegedly reneged on an out-of-court settlement ordering him to reveal his financial assets. But the agency said in a written statement Wednesday it has dropped the contempt proceedings after Jefri "produced a great deal of further information about his bank accounts and as to the financial support he was receiving from others to fund his lifestyle. The contempt proceedings had been successful in their purpose of compelling ... Prince Jefri to give disclosure," it said. Jefri, who has lived mostly in London after leaving Brunei in 2004, reached an out-of-court settlement with the government in 2000 following a lawsuit filed against him over US $16 billion that vanished from Brunei's coffers while Jefri headed the agency. (AP)

Wednesday, 08 February, 2006

New Round of Migrant Worker Registration Nears

Thai labor officials are preparing for a new round of migrant workers’ registration in March by setting up “one-stop service points” at ten locations in Bangkok and on the Thai/Burmese border in Mae Sot, Tak province. Immigration police, labor officers and public health officers will be on hand to receive license applications from employers and interview migrant workers from Burma, Laos and Cambodia. Applications will also be taken for public health insurance. An amendment to the existing migrant worker registration procedure, which first came into effect in 2004, means that employers will now have to pay a cash guarantee of up to 50,000 baht (US $1,250) for each employee.

Last year the total number of registered migrant workers in Thailand was close to one million, with most—more than 200,000—based in Bangkok, according to figures from Thailand’s Department of Provincial Administration. Next to Bangkok, most migrant workers—over 120,000—were registered in Tak province. After March 30, migrant workers discovered without the necessary documentation will be detained and face repatriation, a Mae Sot labor official confirmed to The Irrawaddy today.

China-Burma to Sign Economic Deals

China will sign economic and trade agreements with Burma when the prime minister, Gen Soe Win, visits Beijing next week, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday. China is a key diplomatic and economic partner for Burma’s isolated military leadership.

The United States and international aid groups have criticized Burma for lack of progress toward democracy and improved human rights and have called on its trading partners to stop doing business with the junta. Asked about human rights concerns, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said it was an “internal affair of Myanmar [Burma]. We think this should be resolved by Myanmar’s people and government through consultation. China and Myanmar are friendly countries that have a time-honored, traditional friendship.” (AP)

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Burmese in Europe Concern over EU Move

A group of Burmese exiles in Europe has voiced “deep concern” over the EU’s decision to reconsider its visa ban on high-ranking Burmese government and military officials. Dr Win Naing, spokesperson for the Germany-based Forum of Burmese in Europe, told The Irrawaddy that the EU’s possible about-turn “indicates a relaxing of the EU policy towards Burmese military leaders.”

The possible reversal of the strict visa ban follows other events which appear to point to a softening of the EU’s position on Burma, such as the opening of a Burmese embassy in Brussels, the opening of the European Community Humanitarian Office in Rangoon and the commission of a report by researcher Robert Taylor, who is seen by many as an apologist for the Burmese military regime.

EU foreign ministers addressed the visa ban at a General Affairs and External Relations Council meeting in Brussels, during a discussion to try and find a solution to the issue of Burmese ministers participating in the various ASEM [Asia Europe Meeting] meetings to be held in Europe in 2006. It is hoped ASEM might be a stage on which to engage the regime in human rights and democracy discussions. 

VOA to End Thai Broadcasts

The US government-funded global radio and television broadcaster, Voice of America, has decided to drop all Thai-language broadcasts, citing budget restraints and new goals, the DPA news agency reported. In addition to the Thai service, broadcasts in Croatian, Georgian, Turkish and Greek will be totally eliminated from VOA radio and television programming, according to the Broadcasting Board of Governors. VOA was founded in the throes of World War II, in 1942, and currently delivers more than 1,000 hours of news, information, educational, and cultural programming every week to an estimated worldwide audience of more than 100 million people in 44 languages.
 
In November, 2005, the British Broadcasting Corporation decided to stop its Thai-language service, based on the results of a survey showing that few Thais actually listened to it. Currently Thailand has upwards of 400 radio stations with more than 70 based in metropolitan areas. Most stations broadcast in Thai language only although some offer English language programming with native English-speaking presenters.

Rap Song Offends Muslims in Thailand

Muslims in Thailand have lodged complaints about a Thai rap song that includes a verse from the Koran, claiming it insults the Islamic holy book. Nithi Hasan, president of The Council of Muslim Organizations of Thailand said Tuesday that it agreed with complaints received in recent days that rapper Joey Boy should not have used the Koran in his song.  The song, called “Chouy” in Thai, or “Indifferent” in English, was released eight years ago. Although it was not immediately clear why it has suddenly become controversial, an article on a Thai-language website, www.muslimthai.com, said the song, “clearly insults the [Koran] ... the [Koran] strictly forbids the use of its verses in songs.”

Joey Boy, whose real name is Abhisit Opasiemlikit, told Tuesday's Bangkok Post newspaper he was shocked to learn of the anger his song had caused and said he had no idea the song had included a verse from the Koran. “Had I known, I would never have sung it. I am sorry,” he was quoted as saying, adding that he would apologize to the Muslim community in predominantly Buddhist Thailand and recall all existing albums. (AP)

Pardoned Cambodian Opposition Leader to Return From Exile

Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy said Tuesday he is ready to return home this week after spending one year in self-imposed exile in France. The leader of the Sam Rainsy Party—the only opposition group in the National Assembly—fled Cambodia in February 2005 to avoid arrest. A court in December 2005 found him guilty of defaming Prime Minister Hun Sen by accusing him of being behind a deadly grenade attack on an anti-government demonstration in 1997.

The opposition leader and the prime minister have been bitter political enemies for many years. But last week, Sam Rainsy withdrew his accusation against Hun Sen, who in turn asked King Norodom Sihamoni to grant the opposition leader a royal amnesty. The king issued the amnesty on Sunday.  In a speech Monday, Hun Sen said Sam Rainsy’s about-face showed he was wrong. He asked Sam Rainsy to return home as soon as possible to reclaim his parliamentary immunity, which had been withdrawn.

Explaining his surprise apology, Sam Rainsy, who is known for his stubbornness and sharp-tongued criticism of Hun Sen, often accusing the prime minister's government of corruption and human rights abuses, said that he made it “in order to break the stalemate and allow Cambodia to move forward.” (AP)

Monday, February 06, 2006

French Soldiers Linked to KNLA Deported

A Thai court has handed suspended four-month jail terms to two French former soldiers, after the pair was arrested for illegally crossing into Burmese territory. The 26-year-old men, Marc Delege and Patric Delalande, were detained by Thai border police on January 31 near the Thai/Burmese border town of Mae Sot. It is understood that the two had been involved with the training of soldiers in the Karen National Liberation Army, a group that along with its parent organization, the Karen National Union, has been waging a decades-long war against the Burmese government.

Delege and Delalande were found guilty of illegally crossing the border and using an illegal crossing point and an official from Mae Sot’s immigration police office said the men had been sent to Bangkok where they will await repatriation. The police have denied that the men had any involvement with helping or training members of the Karen National Union.  

Malaysian Editor Resigns over Prophet Cartoons

An editor of a small Malaysian newspaper has resigned for reprinting Danish newspaper caricatures of Prophet Muhammad, which have unleashed a storm of protests across the Islamic world. In a statement published by the newspaper on its front page yesterday, The Sunday Tribune newspaper in remote Sarawak state apologized and expressed "profound regret over the unauthorized publication" of one of the drawings by an editor on duty. It is the only newspaper in the mainly Muslim country to have reprinted any of the caricatures, which first appeared on September 30 in the Jyllands-Posten daily, one of Denmark's largest publications. The caricature in The Sunday Tribune had accompanied an article about the lack of impact of the controversy in Malaysia, and carried excerpts of a foreign news article. The statement said the newspaper publisher and the editorial committee feel that "the extract should not have been published at all."

Unlike other Islamic countries, the reaction to the publication of the caricatures by the Jyllands-Posten has been muted in Malaysia, where Islamic fundamentalists held a brief but noisy protest outside the Danish Embassy on Friday. Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi also condemned the drawings on Saturday, calling them "a deliberate act of provocation." (AP)

India’s president calls for ASEAN e-business framework

India’s President APJ Abdul Kalam on Monday urged Southeast Asia to tap the huge opportunities presented by the West’s increasing focus in the region by establishing an e-business network. “The future of business definitely will be Asia,” Kalam told a joint session of the Philippine congress, adding that the region has a tremendous, economically growing market and a large pool of human capital. With Western markets becoming saturated, Asia provides a huge opportunity for businesses to expand their market share, and regional businesses can get their due share, he added.

“One of the best ways to do this is to set up a good e-business infrastructure,” said Kalam, whose country is one of Asia’s information technology leaders. He said India, which has expertise in information and communication technology, space technology and a skilled work force, could be a partner if the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations decided to establish an e-business network. Kalam said that in addition to the cooperative agreements New Delhi has signed with Manila on defense, tourism and agriculture during his visit, his country also plans to develop and market innovations created by Filipino and Indian software specialists. India also will help set up small businesses in the Philippines for production and marketing of farm tools to boost agricultural production, sell medicines to the Philippines at affordable prices and help develop facilities for bio-diesel production and solar energy, he added. Kalam left for South Korea shortly after his speech, ending his four-day visit to the Philippines. (AP)

Cambodian Opposition Member Freed

A senior Cambodian opposition politician who spent a year behind bars on subversion charges walked free Monday from a military prison after receiving a royal amnesty from King Norodom Sihamoni. Cheam Channy, a former lawmaker of the Sam Rainsy Party, was convicted and sentenced last year to seven years in jail by a military court on charges of trying to form an illegal armed group to topple the government. "I feel extremely delighted," Cheam Channy, 45, shouted to supporters from inside a car as he was driven outside the prison gates. Some 100 supporters and family members gathered outside the military prison to greet the politician. Last week, King Sihamoni ordered Cheam Channy's seven-year term cut by four years. Then on Sunday, the king issued an additional royal decree granting the former lawmaker total amnesty following a request from Prime Minister Hun Sen. Cheam Channy's release came after opposition leader Sam Rainsy and Hun Sen agreed Friday to a truce in a long-running feud. Sam Rainsy, currently living in self-imposed exile in Paris, apologized to Hun Sen for an accusation that the prime minister was behind a deadly 1997 grenade attack on a peaceful anti-government demonstration. Last year, a court sentenced Sam Rainsy, in absentia, to 18 months in jail on charges of criminal defamation. Hun Sen accepted Sam Rainsy's apology Friday and requested a royal pardon from the king. The king, in a royal decree issued Sunday, granted a pardon to Sam Rainsy, paving the way for him to return home from exile and resume political activities. (AP)

Friday, February 03, 2006

Anniversary Marks 45 Years of Kachin Revolution

The armed ethnic Kachin Independence Organization today began four days of celebrations to mark 45 years of struggle against the Burmese government. More than a thousand people—including representatives from other armed groups such as the Kachin Defense Army and the New Democratic Army-Kachin—gathered at KIO headquarters in Laiza, eastern Kachin State, today for speeches and cultural performances. KIO central committee member Lt-Col Numdaw Nuk Gan told The Irrawaddy that the celebrations aimed to reinforce unity between all Kachin groups, and honor those who have died since the KIO first formed and revolted against the Burmese junta in 1961.

Kachin communities around the world will also be marking the anniversary, with celebrations planned in London, Thailand’s northern city of Chiang Mai and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. The KIO signed a ceasefire agreement with Rangoon in 1994, and is one of the 17 groups participating in the government’s constitution-drafting National Convention.

Burmese Third Most Restricted Travelers in the World

Burmese enjoy the third least degree of freedom of all the countries of the world when traveling internationally, according to research conducted by Zurich-based firm Henley and Partners AG. Yesterday’s report found that Burmese passport-holders can only travel to 15 countries worldwide without the need for a visa, the same as war-torn Iraq and Somalia. Only Iran (14) and Afghanistan (12) came lower in the survey. Travelers from Denmark, Finland and the US were deemed to be the most free, given that they can visit 130 countries without the need for a visa. The Swiss company suggested the rankings reflect the standing of respective countries on the global stage.

Thai Culture Minister Resigns

Thai Culture Minister Uraiwan Tienthong announced her resignation in a press conference at the Ministry this morning. “The reason for this action is to maintain political ethics,” she said, adding that she felt uncomfortable remaining in the position. Uraiwan denied that her resignation was related to her reported political conflicts with Wang Nam Yen group and the Thai Rak Thai party, and refused to any questions about the controversial sale of Shin Corp shares by Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s family to Singapore-based Temasek. Rumors have circulated about Uraiwan’s resignation because of tensions between her husband Sanoh Tienthong, chief advisor for the Thai Rak Thai party, and Thaksin. Uraiwan has served as culture minister since March 2005.

Thursday, February 02, 2006

Americans Urged to Avoid Anti-Government Rally in Bangkok

The US Embassy on Thursday advised its citizens to steer clear of a large protest against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra planned to take place in the Thai capital this weekend. Up to 100,000 people are expected at the protest Saturday and there are concerns that pro-government groups might attempt to mix with the crowd, which could lead to violence, the Embassy said in a statement, citing Thai Royal Police.

Sondhi Limthongkul, one of Thaksin’s fiercest critics, organized the protest. A media tycoon and one-time supporter of the prime minister, Sondhi has led a vigorous campaign against him, accusing Thaksin’s government of widespread corruption and abuse of power. Sondhi, who has held several large anti-Thaksin rallies in a Bangkok park, has called on supporters to gather Saturday at the statue of King Rama V, which is near Government House, the prime minister’s office compound.

“Bangkok demonstrations are usually peaceful in nature but all demonstrations are unpredictable,” the Embassy said in the statement that was e-mailed to American citizens living in Thailand. Security was expected to be tight, with about 5,000 police deployed for the rally and an additional 15,000 on standby, said Interior Minister Kongsak Wanthana. (AP)

Su Su Nway’s appeal rejected

Burma’s Supreme Court yesterday rejected an appeal by imprisoned human rights activist Su Su Nway. According to Burma’s opposition National League for Democracy, Su Su Nway’s lawyers submitted her appeal to the court yesterday. The court responded only hours later that the appeal had been summarily rejected. Su Su Nway, a 34year-old National League for Democracy youth leader, is serving an 18-month jail sentence imposed last October after her conviction on charges of criminal intimidation. Her arraignment followed a successful legal action against four village officials, who received eight-month jail terms for practicing forced labor. The charges against Su Su Nway stated that she threatened local officials and swore at then, charges she vigorously denies. Nyan Win, a lawyer from NLD, said: “According to the law, we have a chance for a special appeal. We will try this.”

Tsunami Survivors Let Down by Governments

Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, and the Maldives have been accused of violating human rights in the aftermath of the devastating December 2004 tsunami. A study, which was compiled by a group of international aid organizations and unveiled at the UN’s New York headquarters yesterday, claims the five countries’ governments frequently fail to protect tsunami survivors from discrimination, land conflict and violence. 50,000 people, in 95 towns and villages in the region were surveyed by ActionAid International, the People’s Movement for Human Rights Learning and the New Delhi-based Habitat International Coalition. It was “found that in many places, survivors had been driven from land, cut off from their livelihoods, and denied food, clean water and a secure home.”

In a statement from ActionAid, Miloon Kothari, UN Special Rapporteur for Adequate Housing and sponsor of the report, said: “Failure to immediately comply with human rights standards will deepen the human-induced tragedy already inflicted on the survivors of the tsunami.”Of particular concern was the appearance of so-called “buffer-zones,” areas where local people have been removed from coastal areas, ostensibly for their own safety. The report indicates that, in many cases, commercial enterprises have moved in to the areas, and the locals—many of whom are dependent on the sea for their living—been forgotten.

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Bush Touches on Burma in State of the Union Speech

US President George W Bush last night referred to Burma as an example of one of the increasingly few undemocratic nations of the world in his State of the Union address, saying the spread of democracy had been one of the main success stories since the Second World War. In an address littered with references to democracy, freedom, evil and terror, the president focused on America’s continuing push for democracy throughout the world as a means of fighting “tyranny.”

“At the start of 2006, more than half the people of our world live in democratic nations. And we do not forget the other half—in places like Syria, Burma, Zimbabwe, North Korea, and Iran—because the demands of justice, and the peace of this world, require their freedom as well,” Bush said. The president’s mention of Burma in a speech seen as the blueprint for US policy for the coming year is the latest in a series of comments Bush has made on the country, particularly since his meeting with Shan human rights campaigner Charm Tong at the White House in October last year.

Another Bomb Blast in Pegu Division

A small explosion occurred at a local police station in Pyu, in Burma’s Pegu Division, north of the capital Rangoon. There were no casualties, the official The New Light of Myanmar reported today. The report said that “a suspicious packet,” which was initially found at a shop in Pyu Development Market on Monday at 10:45 am, was secured by local police. But the packet exploded about an hour later while in the possession of police, leaving “a dent measuring 9 inches wide and 2 inches deep on the ground.”

An investigation discovered that the packet was placed at the shop by a 13-year-old boy—who admitted that an identified man paid him to do so—and authorities are pursuing the perpetrator, according to The New Light of Myanmar. Although no particular group has been named as responsible for the blast, authorities are blaming it on “terrorist insurgents” attempting to destabilize the country’s “peace and tranquility.” This latest incident marked the fourth explosion in the country since last month. Two incidents have previously occurred in Pegu Division—a small explosion on January 15 at a train station in Taungoo, and another two in Pegu, causing only minor damage. A January 8 blast at a weekend market in Tamu, Sagaing Division, near the Indian border, caused two injuries.

Cambodian Union Activist Returns from Exile

A Cambodian union leader who is one of several dissidents hit with defamation suits by the country's prime minister returned Wednesday from four months in exile, saying he was not afraid to face justice in the courts. Chea Mony, president of Cambodia's Free Trade Union of Workers, was received by about 100 supporters upon his arrival at Phnom Penh International Airport. Prime Minister Hun Sen has sought criminal prosecutions against Chea Mony and several others, including a journalist and two human rights activists. The prime minister has alleged they implied he ceded Cambodian land to Vietnam when he signed a border demarcation pact with Hanoi in October. Supporters carried Chea Mony in jubilation after he emerged from the airport's arrival lounge. "I'm happy to be back and not afraid to face the court," Chea Mony said, throwing his fists in the air.

Chea Mony succeeded his older brother Chea Vichea as a union leader after the latter was assassinated two years ago. Their labor union was often critical of Hun Sen's government. Chea Mony left Cambodia for a visit to Ireland in October and moved to France after Hun Sen sued him. Hun Sen has helped bail four of his critics out of prison but also warned them and others that they could still face prosecutions. On Tuesday, the prime minister—furious with his detractors at home and abroad—unleashed a verbal barrage, calling some of them "animals" for criticizing his lawsuits against critics. In 1978, Hun Sen was installed by Hanoi as Cambodia's top leader following a Vietnamese invasion of the country that toppled the Khmer Rouge. (AP)