Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's Noble Speech

Aung San Suu Kyi, Oslo, 16 June, 2012

Your Majesties, Your Royal Highness, Excellencies, Distinguished members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Dear Friends,

Long years ago, sometimes it seems many lives ago, I was at Oxford listening to the radio programme Desert Island Discs with my young son Alexander. It was a well-known programme (for all I know it still continues) on which famous people from all walks of life were invited to talk about the eight discs, the one book beside the bible and the complete works of Shakespeare, and the one luxury item they would wish to have with them were they to be marooned on a desert island. At the end of the programme, which we had both enjoyed, Alexander asked me if I thought I might ever be invited to speak on Desert Island Discs. “Why not?” I responded lightly. Since he knew that in general only celebrities took part in the programme he proceeded to ask, with genuine interest, for what reason I thought I might be invited. I considered this for a moment and then answered: “Perhaps because I’d have won the Nobel Prize for literature,” and we both laughed. The prospect seemed pleasant but hardly probable.

(I cannot now remember why I gave that answer, perhaps because I had recently read a book by a Nobel Laureate or perhaps because the Desert Island celebrity of that day had been a famous writer.)

In 1989, when my late husband Michael Aris came to see me during my first term of house arrest, he told me that a friend, John Finnis, had nominated me for the Nobel Peace Prize. This time also I laughed. For an instant Michael looked amazed, then he realized why I was amused. The Nobel Peace Prize? A pleasant prospect, but quite improbable! So how did I feel when I was actually awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace? The question has been put to me many times and this is surely the most appropriate occasion on which to examine what the Nobel Prize means to me and what peace means to me.

As I have said repeatedly in many an interview, I heard the news that I had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on the radio one evening. It did not altogether come as a surprise because I had been mentioned as one of the frontrunners for the prize in a number of broadcasts during the previous week. While drafting this lecture, I have tried very hard to remember what my immediate reaction to the announcement of the award had been. I think, I can no longer be sure, it was something like: “Oh, so they’ve decided to give it to me.” It did not seem quite real because in a sense I did not feel myself to be quite real at that time.

Often during my days of house arrest it felt as though I were no longer a part of the real world. There was the house which was my world, there was the world of others who also were not free but who were together in prison as a community, and there was the world of the free; each was a different planet pursuing its own separate course in an indifferent universe. What the Nobel Peace Prize did was to draw me once again into the world of other human beings outside the isolated area in which I lived, to restore a sense of reality to me. This did not happen instantly, of course, but as the days and months went by and news of reactions to the award came over the airwaves, I began to understand the significance of the Nobel Prize. It had made me real once again; it had drawn me back into the wider human community. And what was more important, the Nobel Prize had drawn the attention of the world to the struggle for democracy and human rights in Burma. We were not going to be forgotten.

To be forgotten. The French say that to part is to die a little. To be forgotten too is to die a little. It is to lose some of the links that anchor us to the rest of humanity. When I met Burmese migrant workers and refugees during my recent visit to Thailand, many cried out: “Don’t forget us!” They meant: “don’t forget our plight, don’t forget to do what you can to help us, don’t forget we also belong to your world.” When the Nobel Committee awarded the Peace Prize to me they were recognizing that the oppressed and the isolated in Burma were also a part of the world, they were recognizing the oneness of humanity. So for me receiving the Nobel Peace Prize means personally extending my concerns for democracy and human rights beyond national borders. The Nobel Peace Prize opened up a door in my heart.

The Burmese concept of peace can be explained as the happiness arising from the cessation of factors that militate against the harmonious and the wholesome. The word nyein-chan translates literally as the beneficial coolness that comes when a fire is extinguished. Fires of suffering and strife are raging around the world. In my own country, hostilities have not ceased in the far north; to the west, communal violence resulting in arson and murder were taking place just several days before I started out on the journey that has brought me here today. News of atrocities in other reaches of the earth abound. Reports of hunger, disease, displacement, joblessness, poverty, injustice, discrimination, prejudice, bigotry; these are our daily fare. Everywhere there are negative forces eating away at the foundations of peace. Everywhere can be found thoughtless dissipation of material and human resources that are necessary for the conservation of harmony and happiness in our world.

The First World War represented a terrifying waste of youth and potential, a cruel squandering of the positive forces of our planet. The poetry of that era has a special significance for me because I first read it at a time when I was the same age as many of those young men who had to face the prospect of withering before they had barely blossomed. A young American fighting with the French Foreign Legion wrote before he was killed in action in 1916 that he would meet his death: “at some disputed barricade;” “on some scarred slope of battered hill;” “at midnight in some flaming town.” Youth and love and life perishing forever in senseless attempts to capture nameless, unremembered places. And for what? Nearly a century on, we have yet to find a satisfactory answer.

Are we not still guilty, if to a less violent degree, of recklessness, of improvidence with regard to our future and our humanity? War is not the only arena where peace is done to death. Wherever suffering is ignored, there will be the seeds of conflict, for suffering degrades and embitters and enrages.

A positive aspect of living in isolation was that I had ample time in which to ruminate over the meaning of words and precepts that I had known and accepted all my life. As a Buddhist, I had heard about dukha, generally translated as suffering, since I was a small child. Almost on a daily basis elderly, and sometimes not so elderly, people around me would murmur “dukha, dukha” when they suffered from aches and pains or when they met with some small, annoying mishaps. However, it was only during my years of house arrest that I got around to investigating the nature of the six great dukha. These are: to be conceived, to age, to sicken, to die, to be parted from those one loves, to be forced to live in propinquity with those one does not love. I examined each of the six great sufferings, not in a religious context but in the context of our ordinary, everyday lives. If suffering were an unavoidable part of our existence, we should try to alleviate it as far as possible in practical, earthly ways. I mulled over the effectiveness of ante- and post-natal programmes and mother and childcare; of adequate facilities for the aging population; of comprehensive health services; of compassionate nursing and hospices. I was particularly intrigued by the last two kinds of suffering: to be parted from those one loves and to be forced to live in propinquity with those one does not love. What experiences might our Lord Buddha have undergone in his own life that he had included these two states among the great sufferings? I thought of prisoners and refugees, of migrant workers and victims of human trafficking, of that great mass of the uprooted of the earth who have been torn away from their homes, parted from families and friends, forced to live out their lives among strangers who are not always welcoming.

We are fortunate to be living in an age when social welfare and humanitarian assistance are recognized not only as desirable but necessary. I am fortunate to be living in an age when the fate of prisoners of conscience anywhere has become the concern of peoples everywhere, an age when democracy and human rights are widely, even if not universally, accepted as the birthright of all. How often during my years under house arrest have I drawn strength from my favourite passages in the preamble to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

……. disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspirations of the common people,

…… it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law . . .

If I am asked why I am fighting for human rights in Burma the above passages will provide the answer. If I am asked why I am fighting for democracy in Burma, it is because I believe that democratic institutions and practices are necessary for the guarantee of human rights.

Over the past year there have been signs that the endeavours of those who believe in democracy and human rights are beginning to bear fruit in Burma. There have been changes in a positive direction; steps towards democratization have been taken. If I advocate cautious optimism it is not because I do not have faith in the future but because I do not want to encourage blind faith. Without faith in the future, without the conviction that democratic values and fundamental human rights are not only necessary but possible for our society, our movement could not have been sustained throughout the destroying years. Some of our warriors fell at their post, some deserted us, but a dedicated core remained strong and committed. At times when I think of the years that have passed, I am amazed that so many remained staunch under the most trying circumstances. Their faith in our cause is not blind; it is based on a clear-eyed assessment of their own powers of endurance and a profound respect for the aspirations of our people.

It is because of recent changes in my country that I am with you today; and these changes have come about because of you and other lovers of freedom and justice who contributed towards a global awareness of our situation. Before continuing to speak of my country, may I speak out for our prisoners of conscience. There still remain such prisoners in Burma. It is to be feared that because the best known detainees have been released, the remainder, the unknown ones, will be forgotten. I am standing here because I was once a prisoner of conscience. As you look at me and listen to me, please remember the often repeated truth that one prisoner of conscience is one too many. Those who have not yet been freed, those who have not yet been given access to the benefits of justice in my country number much more than one. Please remember them and do whatever is possible to effect their earliest, unconditional release.

Burma is a country of many ethnic nationalities and faith in its future can be founded only on a true spirit of union. Since we achieved independence in 1948, there never has been a time when we could claim the whole country was at peace. We have not been able to develop the trust and understanding necessary to remove causes of conflict. Hopes were raised by ceasefires that were maintained from the early 1990s until 2010 when these broke down over the course of a few months. One unconsidered move can be enough to remove long-standing ceasefires. In recent months, negotiations between the government and ethnic nationality forces have been making progress. We hope that ceasefire agreements will lead to political settlements founded on the aspirations of the peoples, and the spirit of union.

My party, the National League for Democracy, and I stand ready and willing to play any role in the process of national reconciliation. The reform measures that were put into motion by President U Thein Sein’s government can be sustained only with the intelligent cooperation of all internal forces: the military, our ethnic nationalities, political parties, the media, civil society organizations, the business community and, most important of all, the general public. We can say that reform is effective only if the lives of the people are improved and in this regard, the international community has a vital role to play. Development and humanitarian aid, bi-lateral agreements and investments should be coordinated and calibrated to ensure that these will promote social, political and economic growth that is balanced and sustainable. The potential of our country is enormous. This should be nurtured and developed to create not just a more prosperous but also a more harmonious, democratic society where our people can live in peace, security and freedom.

The peace of our world is indivisible. As long as negative forces are getting the better of positive forces anywhere, we are all at risk. It may be questioned whether all negative forces could ever be removed. The simple answer is: “No!” It is in human nature to contain both the positive and the negative. However, it is also within human capability to work to reinforce the positive and to minimize or neutralize the negative. Absolute peace in our world is an unattainable goal. But it is one towards which we must continue to journey, our eyes fixed on it as a traveller in a desert fixes his eyes on the one guiding star that will lead him to salvation. Even if we do not achieve perfect peace on earth, because perfect peace is not of this earth, common endeavours to gain peace will unite individuals and nations in trust and friendship and help to make our human community safer and kinder.

I used the word ‘kinder’ after careful deliberation; I might say the careful deliberation of many years. Of the sweets of adversity, and let me say that these are not numerous, I have found the sweetest, the most precious of all, is the lesson I learnt on the value of kindness. Every kindness I received, small or big, convinced me that there could never be enough of it in our world. To be kind is to respond with sensitivity and human warmth to the hopes and needs of others. Even the briefest touch of kindness can lighten a heavy heart. Kindness can change the lives of people. Norway has shown exemplary kindness in providing a home for the displaced of the earth, offering sanctuary to those who have been cut loose from the moorings of security and freedom in their native lands.

There are refugees in all parts of the world. When I was at the Maela refugee camp in Thailand recently, I met dedicated people who were striving daily to make the lives of the inmates as free from hardship as possible. They spoke of their concern over ‘donor fatigue,’ which could also translate as ‘compassion fatigue.’ ‘Donor fatigue’ expresses itself precisely in the reduction of funding. ‘Compassion fatigue’ expresses itself less obviously in the reduction of concern. One is the consequence of the other. Can we afford to indulge in compassion fatigue? Is the cost of meeting the needs of refugees greater than the cost that would be consequent on turning an indifferent, if not a blind, eye on their suffering? I appeal to donors the world over to fulfill the needs of these people who are in search, often it must seem to them a vain search, of refuge.

At Maela, I had valuable discussions with Thai officials responsible for the administration of Tak province where this and several other camps are situated. They acquainted me with some of the more serious problems related to refugee camps: violation of forestry laws, illegal drug use, home brewed spirits, the problems of controlling malaria, tuberculosis, dengue fever and cholera. The concerns of the administration are as legitimate as the concerns of the refugees. Host countries also deserve consideration and practical help in coping with the difficulties related to their responsibilities.

Ultimately our aim should be to create a world free from the displaced, the homeless and the hopeless, a world of which each and every corner is a true sanctuary where the inhabitants will have the freedom and the capacity to live in peace. Every thought, every word, and every action that adds to the positive and the wholesome is a contribution to peace. Each and every one of us is capable of making such a contribution. Let us join hands to try to create a peaceful world where we can sleep in security and wake in happiness.

The Nobel Committee concluded its statement of 14 October 1991 with the words: “In awarding the Nobel Peace Prize ... to Aung San Suu Kyi, the Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes to honour this woman for her unflagging efforts and to show its support for the many people throughout the world who are striving to attain democracy, human rights and ethnic conciliation by peaceful means.” When I joined the democracy movement in Burma it never occurred to me that I might ever be the recipient of any prize or honour. The prize we were working for was a free, secure and just society where our people might be able to realize their full potential. The honour lay in our endeavour. History had given us the opportunity to give of our best for a cause in which we believed. When the Nobel Committee chose to honour me, the road I had chosen of my own free will became a less lonely path to follow. For this I thank the Committee, the people of Norway and peoples all over the world whose support has strengthened my faith in the common quest for peace. Thank you. 

Ref: Nge Naing

Read more »

Posted in: 10. AUDIO - VIDEO

Suu Kyi Says Burma Reforms Depend on Army

---

Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi speaks during the World Economic Forum on East Asia in Bangkok. (Photo: Reuters)

BANGKOK—Aung San Suu Kyi told world leaders and investors in Bangkok on Friday morning that continued reforms in Burma will “depend on how committed the military is to the process.”

“I recognize that the president is not the only man in government,” she said, reiterating her trust in President Thein Sein’s commitment to political change in Burma. Nonetheless, she cautioned that “I cannot say we have achieved all the basics of a democratic society.”

For the most part, Suu Kyi’s address to the World Economic Forum (WEF)—a gathering of international business executives, officials, NGOs and government officials—focused on economic issues. In an acknowledgement of the then military government’s controversial name-change from Burma to Myanmar in 1989, Suu Kyi told the WEF that she was in Bangkok to talk about the future of “a place some of us call Burma, some of us call Myanmar.”

The 66-year-old appealed to potential investors in the audience not to focus solely on profit-making in Burma. “We do not want investment to mean greater corruption and greater inequality,” she said, asking financiers not to “think too much about how investment will benefit you.”

Suu Kyi said that Burma needs practical education and job-creation as a first priority, given widespread poverty and unemployment. “Without empowerment of people there is no point talking about democracy,” she said. “We need the kind of education that enables our people to earn a basic living.”

Stressing the need to create a viable labor market in Burma and to offset mass youth unemployment, which she described as “a timebomb,” Suu Kyi said, “we need vocational training and non-formal education as a priority.”

The recently-elected parliamentarian and leader of the main opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) is in Thailand to meet Burmese migrant workers and refugees as well as to address the WEF. It is her first foreign trip in 24 years since she returned to Burma in 1988 to tend to her sick mother, then suddenly becoming leader of the country’s resistance to the junta. That crusade saw her win a 1990 election but spend 15 years in various forms of detention under Burma’s military rulers.

Despite transition to a nominally-civilian government in 2011, that military remains the most powerful force in a changing Burma. Asked by The Irrawaddy about her hopes for amending the country’s Constitution, which gives the army sway over civilian institutions in many areas, Suu Kyi said that change will be difficult to achieve and remains a long-term project.

“We need more than 75 percent of Parliament to vote for change,” she reminded. “Twenty-five percent of the Parliament is reserved for the army, so we need at least one soldier to vote for change, as well as the remaining 75 percent.”

The NLD leader said there needs to be “national commitment” from all sectors of Burma’s society. “This will help us achieve the national reconciliation that is so important,” she added.

Suu Kyi said that ethnic political parties were the strongest supporters of the NLD during the long years of her house arrest, and cited this as proof that “we can build trust together,” referring to relations between the majority Burmans, of which Suu Kyi is one, and the 130-plus ethnic minorities that make up around 30-40 percent of the country’s population.

Larger groups, such as the Shan, Karen, Mon and Kachin, have fought with the government army throughout the post-independence era and conflict is ongoing in Kachin State near the Sino-Burmese border.

Asked by The Irrawaddy about what legislation the NLD would push in Burma’s Parliament, after the party’s April 1 by-election landslide, Suu Kyi said that existing laws would first need overhauling, before the party would push new codes.

“We could end up with too many new laws too quickly,” she replied. “It might be difficult to digest a rush of new laws.”

“For example the licensing laws in various sectors could be changed,” she said, mentioning telecommunications, where existing regulations mean that most ordinary Burmese, who live on around US $1-2 per day, cannot afford a mobile phone.

The 1991 Nobel peace laureate has so far stolen the show at the WEF, with visiting diplomats and executives jostling to take her photo or be snapped alongside her. Suu Kyi addressed the WEF for 15 minutes, before fielding questions from forum head Klaus Schwab. She then held a 30-minute press conference in an upstairs room in Bangkok’s marble and chandelier-laden Shangri-La hotel, the conference venue.

Suu Kyi met with Burmese migrant workers in the Thai fishing port hub of Mahachai on Wednesday and Thursday, either side of a meeting with Thai Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung where she raised the rights of Burma’s 2-3 million migrant workers in Thailand.

Suu Kyi will fly to the Thailand-Burma border on Saturday to visit the largest of the nine refugee camps hosting 140,000 Burmese war-displaced civilians along the frontier, at Mae La, and will visit Ireland, Norway, Switzerland and the UK later in June.

Ref: Irrawaddy

Read more »

Posted in: 06. THAI

News Release on Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's Mahachai Trip 30 May 2012

News Release English_release

Read more »

Posted in: 01. M.W.R.N.

Suu Kyi wants better deal for migrants

Democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi yesterday voiced concerns over the costly process of nationality verification (NV) for Myanmar migrant workers.

Let’s hear it for the workers

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi meets Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung, far right, at Government House yesterday to discuss the status of Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand. PATTANAPONG HIRUNARD

She also brought up the plight of one million non-registered migrants with senior officials.

Mrs Suu Kyi, leader of the Myanmar's opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), raised the issues during her talks with Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung.

The two politicians also discussed collaboration in suppressing the drugs trade, officials said.

Mr Chalerm pledged the government will do its best to provide Myanmar migrant workers with the same level of welfare as it does for Thai workers.

After her discussion with Mr Chalerm, Mrs Suu Kyi travelled to Samut Sakhon again to visit the NV centre in the province, home to about 400,000 migrants.

Just as on her first trip to the province on Wednesday, the Nobel laureate was greeted by thousands of workers who queued up for hours before her arrival.

Suu Kyi: Concerns

She shook hands with some of them, drawing cheers from the crowd.

Among those who had gathered to greet Mrs Suu Kyi was a 35-year-old worker at an ice mill in Rangsit who is from Karen state inside Myanmar.

He said he paid 5,000 baht to get registered and obtain a purple passport, which enables him to live and work in Thailand legally, even though the cost of the passport is actually 550 baht.

He said all migrant workers had to pay several times the real cost of passport and registration to brokers.

The crowds sang the Myanmar national anthem and chanted ''Me Suu (Mother Suu)'' and ''Let Suu Kyi Live Together with the Myanmar People'' before Mrs Suu Kyi went on to the balcony of the centre to deliver a 20-minute speech to a euphoric audience.

She told the crowd about appeals by activist groups in Thailand who pleaded with her to help foster democracy inside Myanmar so that exiles and migrant workers could return to their homeland.

''Don't return home just yet, I will first try to resolve problems at home. Our home will not escape to anywhere, Myanmar is still here,'' Mrs Suu Kyi told the crowd.

''I don't know how long it will take, but I'll do my best to help you return.''

She told workers that she knew about how brokers took advantage of workers in helping them to get registered and find work in Thailand, and she pledged to take care of the issue so that workers would not have to continue to pay unnecessarily high prices.

''I hope you will be happy during your stay here and do not quarrel. Think as if you are in your home here, and we will be well. Don't create any disputes,'' she said in her final words.

Samut Sakhon governor Junlaphat Sangchan pledged to Mrs Suu Kyi that he would try to end the exploitation of workers by brokers and employers.

Watchara Waewdum, a member of the Committee on Foreign Labour Administration, said Mrs Suu Kyi was concerned that the registration and NV process was too complicated for uneducated migrant workers, who then become easy prey for brokers.

Mr Watchara said the committee will propose that the cabinet set up a working group to study social security payments for migrant workers.

MP Anussorn Kraiwatnussorn told Mrs Suu Kyi that he would propose the Labour Ministry follow the Samut Sakhon model by expanding the registration and NV process so that illegal workers could be legalised.

Meanwhile, Tak governor Suriya Prasartbundit said authorities are increasing security for Mrs Suu Kyi's visit to Mae La camp in Tha Song Yang district. She is expected to have lunch at the camp and meet migrant workers.

The governor said that while it is too early to discuss the repatriation of Karen refugees, he expects the process to be initiated as soon as security and stability within Myanmar is achieved.

Ref: BangkokPost

Read more »

Posted in: 06. THAI

Daw Suu's speech at WEF in Thailand

Read more »

Posted in: 10. AUDIO - VIDEO

Suu Kyi talks to Chalerm on workers' issues

Prodemocracy icon turned Myanmar parliamentarian Aung San Suu Kyi yesterday met with Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung at Government House to discuss problems faced by Myanmar workers, including abuse at the hands of Thai employers, along with other issues.

Raising with Chalerm complaints she had heard from Myanmar workers during her visits to various locations in Thailand on Wednesday, Suu Kyi said the abuses included lack of care from employers, seizure of their passports and nonpayment of severance pay and compensation for occupational hazards. Chalerm reportedly told her: "Disregard them, that was the past. The new government has clear policies on how to solve or minimise those problems."

During their conversation, Suu Kyi was heard saying jokingly to Chalerm: "Thai authorities are obliged to ensure Myanmar workers live happily in Thailand, or I will take all of them back home when the situation in Myanmar is better." 

Suu Kyi also expressed thanks to Thai authorities for having sheltered and taken care of war refugees, while Chalerm gave a promise that they would not be returned home unless their safety was guaranteed. He also said that when the Bt300 minimum daily wage took effect throughout Thailand in June, all registered Myanmar workers would be paid the same amount.

Chalerm told Suu Kyi that Myanmar workers were important to Thailand's economy because they did difficult and unpleasant jobs. Chalerm praised Suu Kyi's fight for democracy and wished her a victory in the general election in 2016.

In Tak, largescale preparations were made to welcome Suu Kyi during her visit tomorrow(June 2), especially to the famous Mae Tao clinic operated by Karen physician Dr Cynthia Maung. The clinic gives free or lowcost treatments to about 400 Myanmar workers.

Ref: The Nation

Read more »

Posted in: 06. THAI

Aung San Suu Kyi's historical visit to Mahacahi, especially to MWRN

Giving  her the first foreign speech to Myanmar migrant workers in Mahachai at MWRN office.

You’ve to learn to know your rights in line with the laws, and no need to be depressed or timid, history is changing from time to time

  I've said this time and again - I don't want to make promises. It's not good if you cannot keep your promises after you've made them, But I can make you one promise - I will try my very best

  – Aung San Suu Kyi

At MWRN

MWRN hits the history of Daw Suu's the first given speech place or organization in abroad.

Read more »

Posted in: 01. M.W.R.N.

Suu Kyi gets taste of home away from home

Photo : Nanthasit Nitmatha

Democracy leader vows to do her best for country as thousands of hopeful migrant workers greet her

Myanmar's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi said she felt at home when thousands of migrant workers gathered to greet their "Me Suu" (Mother Suu) with joy and the hope that she will take their country towards democracy and prosperity.

Her first overseas trip in 24 years kicked off yesterday in Samut Sakhon's Mahachai area, where she did not feel at all like a stranger because the town is the home and workplace for thousands of Myanmar migrant workers. In fact, many of them have lived in Mahachai for more than two decades now.

After hearing about her visit from local media, social networks and friends, Myanmar citizens gathered outside the office of the Migrant Worker's Rights Network (MWRN) hours before her arrival at 10am yesterday.

Many of the workers wore T-shirts with her image, or carried portraits of Suu Kyi and her father late General Aung San, as well as flowers and signs expressing their feelings and opinions.

"Want to be embraced by Mother Suu", one poster read. "Yes, I feel like she is our mother," affirmed 29-year-old Karen worker Chit Thu.

Nan Kyat Su Kyi, a restaurant worker who was standing nearby, said, "It is more than that. I feel like she is our queen. I think if she was given a chance to run the country, Myanmar would be a lot better than it is now."

Nan Kyat Su Kyi and her friends spent Bt400 on a taxi from Bangkok to Mahachai so they could catch a glimpse of Suu Kyi yesterday.

"We have come to see her, laud her and support her struggle for democracy and the future of our country," Ni Ni Moyo Aye, a young Karen woman, said.

Laup, a farm worker from the neighbouring Ratchaburi province, said he tried to follow Suu Kyi wherever she went in order to absorb her strong spirit. "If I have a chance to talk to her in person, I will say nothing but wish her good health, good spirit and happiness," the worker, who also goes by the name Wichai, said.

Suu Kyi spent an hour at the office of migrant workers' network in Mahachai, and told the gathering that she had learned much about their situation and living conditions in Thailand. "I can give you one promise - I will try my best for you," she said, to loud applause.

At the MWRN office, Suu Kyi met senior officials from the Samut Sakhon provincial authority, representatives of migrant workers as well as NGO staff members who raised several issues related to migrant workers in Thailand.

An NGO member said that Suu Kyi had promised that she would take the issue up with the International Labour Organisation in Geneva, where she will be attending a conference next month.

She told Myanmar workers that since they had to live and work under Thai laws and regulations, they should respect and obey the country's law and order.

"When you work in another country, be responsible and skilful, so people in the country can respect you," she said, adding that they would become a valuable resource for their country once they return home. History is always changing. You are working here now, but when our country is developed, the value of workers will be higher. We won't forget you," she said.

Suu Kyi is hoping to use her time in Thailand addressing issues related to Myanmar concerns. She brought up the subject of migrant workers during her meeting with former prime minister and opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday, and is planning to raise the issue again today when she meets Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung, who is in charge of migrant worker issues.

Ref: The Nation

Read more »

Posted in: 06. THAI

Political Reforms Tested as Protests Set to Continue

---

Residents of Rangoon hold a protest to demand full access to electricity. (Photo: The Irrawaddy)

Protesters in Rangoon and other cities around Burma have vowed to continue their demonstrations against power cuts on Wednesday, as calls for improved access to electricity turn increasingly into a test of the country’s recent democratic reforms.

“We want to use these protest to see how serious the government is about changing the country. They can arrest us if they like, but we’re not doing anything against the law,” said Han Win Aung, one of the organizers of the protests in Rangoon.

The protests, which started in Mandalay on Sunday, spread to Rangoon and several other cities yesterday. According to Han Win Aung, they will resume today at 6 pm with a planned procession that will begin near Sule Pagoda in downtown Rangoon and continue for about one hour.

“We want the government to know that we need 24-hour access to electricity. We don’t want the people to stay in the dark. That’s why we are doing this,” said the former political prisoner, adding that the protests were about basic needs, not political demands.

Burma has suffered from power shortages for decades, but the situation improved somewhat from early 2011 until April of this year, when routine brownouts returned. Since then, things have only gotten worse, with state-run media announcing on Monday that power would only be available in Rangoon for alternating six-hour intervals.

Particularly upsetting to many residents of Burma’s largest and most commercially important city is the fact that Naypyidaw, the new capital built by the former ruling junta, continues to have uninterrupted access to electricity.

“The government is discriminating against us, because Naypyidaw gets around-the-clock electricity, but we don’t,” said Han Win Aung.

Although the government has so far taken a soft line on the protests, even going so far as to make a rare plea for patience in the state-run media, protesters in Rangoon said they were ordered by the police to extinguish the candles that many carried as a symbol of their demands. The police also blocked their procession, forcing them to return to Sule Pagoda where they held prayers, they added.

There were also reports that about 40 leaders of the protests in Mandalay were briefly detained for questioning on Tuesday.

Naw Ohn Hla, another protest leader and a former political prisoner, told The Irrawaddy that such actions were not justified. “We have the right to do this because the country is a democracy now. We are simply expressing our desires in a peaceful manner,” she said.

Besides the resentment expressed by some protesters over Naypyidaw’s privileged status, many others lashed out at the government’s decision to sell most of Burma’s energy resources to neighboring countries.

“The government says the country produces a lot of gas, but almost all of it goes to China and Thailand,” said one Rangoon teacher who took part in Tuesday’s protest. “They don’t seem to care if we stay in the dark forever.”

Ref: Irrawaddy 

Read more »

Posted in: 05. MYANMAR

US eases economic sanctions and names ambassador to Myanmar to reward reforms

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama on Thursday declared a new chapter in U.S. relations with Myanmar, easing an investment ban and naming the first U.S. ambassador to the former pariah state in 22 years to reward it for democratic reforms.

Both Republican and Democrat senators welcomed the administration’s move, but human rights activists said it was premature to reward a government that remains dominated by its military and still holds hundreds of political prisoners.

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s election to parliament last month has prompted Western governments to roll back years of hard-hitting restrictions against the Asian nation also known as Burma, which is emerging from decades of authoritarian rule and diplomatic isolation.
After meeting Myanmar’s foreign minister, Wunna Maung Lwin, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said that the U.S. was suspending sanctions on export of American financial services and investment across all sectors of the Myanmar economy — including in the resource-rich country’s lucrative oil, gas and mining sectors. She described it as the most significant action Washington has taken so far to reward Myanmar for its reforms.
“Today we say to American businesses, Invest in Burma and do it responsibly,” she told a joint news conference after talks with the foreign minister at the State Department. She said U.S. companies would be expected to conduct due diligence to avoid any problems, including human rights abuses.
Despite the easing of restrictions, U.S. companies would still be barred from doing business with firms associated with the country’s powerful military. The White House also announced it was keeping its framework of hard-hitting sanctions in place for now, saying Myanmar’s democratic reforms are still “nascent.”
Clinton described that as an “insurance policy.”
“The United States remains concerned about Burma’s closed political system, its treatment of minorities and detention of political prisoners, and its relationship with North Korea,” Obama said in a statement.
Voicing similar reservations, but crediting Myanmar’s reforms, influential lawmakers supported the administration’s announcements, underscoring that policy toward Myanmar is one in which the two parties can see eye to eye.
Republican Sen. John McCain and Mitch McConnell said in a statement that the measures struck “an appropriate balance” between encouraging reform and maintaining leverage to press Myanmar to make more progress. Democratic Sen. John Kerry called it a “logical step forward.” Fellow Democratic Sen. Jim Webb urged the administration to go further and lift economic sanctions entirely. The U.S. retains sanctions on trade and against lending to Myanmar by institutions like the World Bank.
One dissenting voice was Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Republican chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, who said “serious questions remain about Burma’s journey toward democracy.”
The senators welcomed the nomination of Derek Mitchell, the current special envoy to Myanmar who will become the first U.S. ambassador to be based in the country since 1990. Clinton urged his quick confirmation by the Senate. The U.S. is currently represented by a lower-level diplomat.

Read more »

Posted in: 04. WORLD

US Lawmakers Welcome Passport Issuance for Burma’s Aung San Suu Kyi

U.S. lawmakers have welcomed the news that Burma has issued a passport to opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, allowing her to travel abroad for the first time in 24 years.

Senator John Kerry, a Democrat from Massachusetts, expressed hope Tuesday that Burma's democratic leader can visit the United States, as he recalled meeting her more than a decade ago.

“It would be very exciting. It would be wonderful. I visited her, gosh, 15 years ago in her home, in imprisonment. And nothing would be more exciting, and I think I even talked to her about it. I said, 'Look, one day we look forward to welcoming you as a leader of Burma, having you come to Washington and being received the way you ought to be, and receive gratitude for your incredible example'. So, I hope so.”

Senator John McCain, a Republican from Arizona, said he was looking forward to greeting her in Washington.

“Congress has already awarded her a gold medal, and we look forward to the presentation. We are very proud of her, and we hope that this progress will continue in Burma.”

Members of Congress also called for vigilance in making sure Burmese leaders understand that democratic progress is a key condition for the easing of U.S. sanctions on Burma.

An official with Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party said the passport, valid for the next three years, was received Tuesday in Rangoon. The document clears the way for the Nobel laureate's scheduled trip next month to Europe.

Aung San Suu Kyi, who spent much of the past two decades under military ordered house arrest, is expected to visit the Norwegian capital in June to finally receive her 1991 Nobel Peace Prize in person. She is also planning to visit Britain, where she lived for years with her husband, now deceased, and two sons, until returning to her homeland in 1988.

At that time, she was required to turn in her passport. She has not traveled outside the country since then, fearing the military junta that held on to power until 2011 would not permit her to return.

In 1988, the Southeast Asian nation became the scene of violence as pro-democracy protests erupted across the country. Her party won a landslide victory in the 1990 election, but the military junta in power since 1962 refused to relinquish power.

A new nominally civilian Burmese government took power last year. A series of initiatives by the new government, aimed at promoting democratic reforms, have persuaded the United States and the European Union to begin lifting some sanctions.

Ref: VOA

Read more »

Posted in: 04. WORLD

Censor Bans Reports of VP’s Resignation

---

Tin Aung Myint Oo, left, during a visit to Beijing in July 2010 (Photo: Xinhua)

Burma’s censorship board, the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division (PSRD), has warned weekly news journals that they face disciplinary action if they publish reports of the recent resignation of Vice-president Tin Aung Myint Oo.

“We submitted a story [on Tin Aung Myint Oo's resignation] to the PSRD over the weekend, but we were told that we couldn’t publish it,” said  Hline Thit Zin Wai, the editor of the Rangoon-based Venus News weekly.

Two editors from another journal, The Myanmar Post, said they were called in by the PSRD on Monday and made to sign a statement agreeing to follow the censorship board’s procedures after they ran a report that the vice-president had quit for health reasons.

“It’s not that we didn’t intend to get permission, but we didn’t have time because the story came in on Sunday and we had to go to print on Monday,” said Myanmar Post editor Khaing Lin Kyaw.

It has been widely reported outside of Burma that Tin Aung Myint Oo submitted a letter of resignation on May 3. The government has not publicly acknowledged these reports, but official sources told The Irrawaddy that they were accurate.

“Tin Aung Myint Oo has reportedly been diagnosed with throat cancer and is suffering from depression,” said a government source in Naypyidaw who confirmed that the vice-president has in fact resigned.

Concerning the ban on publishing news of Tin Aung Myint Oo’s health problems and resignation, Hline Thit Zin Wai said, “The journals report the illness because he is ill. Why should we be charged for that?

“This only raises more questions about the Minister of Information’s claims that there will be freedom of press.”

Meanwhile, residents of Mayangon Township in Rangoon, where Tin Aung Myint Oo lives, said that the area around his home has been under tight security since last week.

Tin Aung Myint Oo is considered to be one of the leading hardliners in Burma’s military-backed government. Like President Thein Sein, he was a leading member of the former junta who resigned from his military post to run for election in November 2010.

Ref: Irrawaddy 

Read more »

Posted in: 05. MYANMAR

Phyo Wai Aung Receives Death Sentence

Phyo Wai Aung has been sentenced to death for alleged involvement in the Rangoon water festival bombing. (Photo: AHRC)

Phyo Wai Aung, an engineer who was arrested for his alleged involvement in a spate of bombings at the Thingyan water festival in Rangoon in April 2010, was sentenced to death by a special closed court on Tuesday.

He was arrested on April 23, 2010, after being accused of involvement in the Buddhist New Year explosions that killed 10 people and injured over a hundred at the crowded X2O Pavilion in the former capital.

Various sentences handed down include the death penalty for murder, life sentences under the Criminal Act, three years detention with labor under the Immigration Act, 10 years with labor under the Demolitions Act, and three years with labor under the Unlawful Association Act.

“These are the highest sentences ever,” said Kyaw Hoe, his lawyer. “We are disappointed as the court sentenced him because of evidence submitted by the authorities which they received through torture. We will submit an appeal to Divisional Court”, Family members were not allowed to enter the court and had to wait outside instead, close relatives told The Irrawaddy.

“We hoped that we would not get this kind of sentence,” said his wife, Htay Htay. “We are so disappointed with the judicial system for these unlawful and illegal proceedings. However, we will submit appeals.”

According to his family, Phyo Wai Aung needs immediate medical attention as he is suffering from osteoarthritis on his back which prevents him from sitting or walking. He is also suspected of having liver sclerosis and his family worry that he may be moved to another prison without notice.

“The prison authorities allowed some doctors from outside to give a check-up few weeks ago,” said Htay Htay. “But the ultrasound machine in the prison hospital is not working properly so the doctors can’t diagnose the exact problem.

“He is only given painkillers and now has to move from the prison hospital to the psychiatric ward as he received a death sentence. We’ve submitted appeals to give him medical care with physicians or specialists but have not yet received a reply.”

Meanwhile, by pointing out human rights abuses in the case of Phyo Wai Aung, the Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission said in their May 6 report that the recent political transformation in Burma has not been accompanied by wider institutional reform.

The report said that Phyo Wai Aung has been tortured and illegally detained and was forced to confess about the bomb blast with these illegally obtained confessions submitted to the court.

Moreover, the closed trial at a special court inside Insein Prison used fabricated evidence and denied him the right to a defense, claims the AHRC.

Ref: Irrawaddy 

Read more »

Posted in: 05. MYANMAR

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in Burma visit

Mr Ban has said Burma is "re-opening to the world"

The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is making a landmark visit to Burma to meet Aung San Suu Kyi and press the government for more democratic reforms.

Mr Ban has said that Burma's transition has reached "a critical moment". 

The trip is the latest high-profile diplomatic visit to the once-isolated nation and his first since a reformist government took office a year ago.

On Saturday, the EU foreign policy chief announced the EU would open an embassy-level office in the country.

Before arriving in Burma, Mr Ban said the country was "re-opening to the world".

"The fresh start is still fragile," he said in New York before leaving for Burma.

Mr Ban left frustrated after his last visit, in July 2009, after he was invited by former junta strongman General Than Shwe. 

He was denied access to Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi - in detention at the time but released 15 months later - and left describing the trip as a "very difficult mission".

Poppy programme

This time, Mr Ban is due to hold face-to-face talks with Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday as well as making an address to the country's fledgling parliament, the first by a foreigner. 

Mr Ban is scheduled to fly to the remote capital Naypyitaw later on Sunday and hold talks with President Thein Sein on Monday.

He is also due to visit the northern Shan State, one of the world's biggest opium-growing regions, where the UN has started a poppy eradication programme.

Earlier this week, the EU suspended non-military sanctions against Burma for a year in recognition of "historic changes". 

The bloc's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton - who is also currently in the country - said the EU's new office in Rangoon would offer investment and expertise, and oversee the management of aid programmes, particularly in remote rural areas. 

EU diplomats have said that the new office in Rangoon will also have a political role.

The BBC's South East Asia correspondent, Rachel Harvey, in Rangoon, says that these visits reveal a rapidly escalating process of international engagement between Burma and the rest of the world.

There is, our correspondent explains, a growing determination among foreign governments to try to keep this country on the right track and to seek to reap the potential investment opportunities that might follow.

Ref: BBC

Read more »

Posted in: 05. MYANMAR

Oath Rewording to be Raised in Parliament

---

---

Burma's Parliament building in the capital Naypyidaw. (Photo: Irrawaddy)

A proposal for the rewording of the admission oath is likely to be discussed by a meeting of the Union Parliament this week, according to prominent MPs from both houses.

Phone Myint Aung, an independent MP of the Upper House, told The Irrawaddy on Monday that, “I’ve heard that the oath rewording will be proposed by MPs in the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw [Union Parliament] tomorrow morning.”

Burma’s main opposition NLD party wants the oath which all new parliamentarians must swear to reworded from “abide by and protect” to “abide by and respect” the Constitution.

Dr. Aye Maung, a respected Upper House MP from the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party, said that “the Union Solidarity and Development Party [USDP] has more responsibility to change the platform for the NLD [National League for Democracy] to be able take their seats in the Parliament.”

If the political situation turns back to the past, the ruling USDP is the one to take all the blame, he added.

Htay Oo, the general secretary of the military-backed USDP, told The Irrawaddy on Monday that he does not think it is necessary to change the oath. “Even though the word [protect] is there,” he explained, “there are no restrictions on the freedom to speak in Parliament.”

There are also criticisms that those MPs who seek to raise the oath-rewording proposal do not have enough influence in the legislature for such a move.

Thein Nyunt, a lawyer and independent MP in the Lower House, said the MP-elects should come and try to tackle the issue inside Parliament as “MPs need 20 percent of support to propose the change.”

Phone Myint Aung explained that according to the Constitution, “there must be 20 percent support from the MPs to propose the issue to the Parliament and then it needs the approval of 75 percent to be able to change session 125, which is linked to appendix four in the Constitution for swearing-in oath words.”

The wording in appendix four currently states the MPs must swear to “abide by and protect” the Constitution before taking their seats.

“We are trying to get the oath reworded to be able to take our seats in Parliament,” said Ohn Kyaing, an NLD MP-elect from Maha Aung Myae Constituency in Mandalay.

Aung San Suu Kyi, the NLD’s chairperson, told reporters on Sunday that “we are not boycotting” but just “waiting for the right time to go” to Parliament.

However, President Thein Sein told reporters in Japan on Monday that he would welcome Aung San Suu Kyi to Parliament, but that it is the Nobel Laureate’s decision whether or not to take her seat.

Sai Saung Si, an Upper House MP from the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party, echoes the views of Thein Nyunt. He says that it is important for the MP-elects to become full members of Parliament, and that only after they swear-in will they have power to amend the Constitution.

But he said that he “would not comment on the word choice as it is [the NLD's] right to decide.”

On the first day of Parliament since the April 1 by-elections, the two other MP-elects—from the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party and USDP—were sworn in, but the 43 NLD members abstained.

Meanwhile, the state-run media reported on Monday that 59 army representatives between the Upper and Lower Houses are to be replaced with higher ranking officers—colonels and brigadier-generals instead of majors—for the new session.

New parliamentary meetings will discuss the investment bill, import and export bill and social welfare bill which were all approved in the Lower House during the previous session.

Ref: Irrawaddy 

Read more »

Posted in: 05. MYANMAR

A KNPP peace delegation signs a ceasefire agreement in the Karenni capital Loikaw on March 7, 2012. (Photo: Kantarawaddy Times)

Burmese Railways Minister Aung Min, the chief government negotiator in talks with ethnic armed groups, has said that Naypyidaw wants to begin resettling internally displaced persons (IDPs) and war refugees before the start of the rainy season, which begins in June.

Aung Min mentioned the plan during informal talks on Saturday with the ethnic Karenni armed group, the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), in the northern Thai border town of Mae Hong Son, said KNPP Secretary 1 Khu Oo Reh.

“He [Aung Min] told us that the government has plans for the resettlement of IDPs and refugees and also wants migrant workers to return,” said Khu Oo Reh.

“They want to start resettling IDPs and refugees by the start of the upcoming rainy season,” he said. “But we think it is impossible and unrealistic, because we don’t know how sure our peace process is. We are just in the process of negotiations.”

There are about 150,000 mostly ethnic Karen refugees from Burma living in nine refugee camps along the Thai-Burmese border and an estimated 1.5 million IDPs inside the country, according to relief and humanitarian aid agencies.

It is believed that Thailand alone is host to as many as two million migrants workers from Burma, most of them unregistered.

Khu Oo Reh noted out that before any resettlement program can begin, a number of issues needed to be addressed, including the demining of conflict zones, deciding where the returnees would live and getting the support of international humanitarian groups.

Aung Min met the KNPP on Saturday, the same day he returned from a trip to Europe, where he briefed Norwegian government ministers on the progress of Naypyidaw’s efforts to reach peace deals with ethnic armed groups.

Despite reaching a series of ceasefire agreements with armed groups representing Burma’s Wa, Karen, Shan, Mon, Karenni and Chin minorities, the government has yet to end nearly a year of fighting with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the country’s second-largest ethnic militia.

Sources in Laiza, the headquarters of the KIA’s political wing, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), said that heavy fighting in the area on Sunday left two Burmese soldiers dead and two injured.

Despite such incidents, however, there is still unprecedented hope of an eventual end to ethnic conflict, though observers say it could take years before a lasting peace takes hold.

Saw Htun Htun, the chairman of the Mae La camp, the largest refugee camp on the Thai-Burmese border, said that refugee repatriation would remain impossible in the near future due to continuing security concerns, but added that it could happen within the next five years.

Ref: Irrawaddy 

Read more »

Posted in: 05. MYANMAR

Burmese ‘Slaves’ Rescued from Thai Fishing Boat

---

---

Burmese human trafficking victims after the raid on the Thai fishing boat on Friday. (Photo: Kyaw Thaung)

Twenty Burmese migrants were rescued when the fishing boat they were forced to work on was raided by the Thai authorities and human rights activists in Chonburi Province, south of Bangkok.

Kyaw Thaung, an spokesperson for the Burmese Association in Thailand (BAT) who was involved in the raid, said that the group was rescued at 3 am on Friday following a tip from one of the victims.

Some of those rescued had been forced to work as “slaves” on the fishing boat for over one year without being paid, he told The Irrawaddy on Monday.

Four people were arrested on the boat during the raid and another two Burmese men were detained later in Bangkok after the authorities followed up on information provided by the victims. Two ethnic Mon women from Burma were among the traffickers arrested on the boat, it has been claimed.

The victims apparently crossed over the Thai-Burmese border near Mae Sot with the assistance of brokers and were then handed to employment brokers in Thailand who arranged for them to join the fishing boat.

Among the 20 were three victims aged just 16 years old and another of around 40 years of age. Many were ethnic Burmese from Pegu Division, while others were ethnic Karen.

“They had to stay like animals, wearing dirty clothes and some people only had one set of clothes. They were locked up the whole time and watched by two guards,” said Kyaw Thaung.

Six of the victims have been detained in Nonthaburi Province with the rest staying at an anti-human trafficking office in Bangkok. Each may have to wait for around three to four months for the Thai courts to investigate and prosecute the perpetrators, and they will then be deported back to Burma.

Human trafficking is very prevalent in southern Thailand where there is a large fishing industry. Many Burmese migrants seek work in the area and end up being trafficked to fishing boats and forced to work for many months at sea for little or no pay.

According to a US report, the Thai government “reported 18 convictions in trafficking-related cases in 2010—an increase from eight known convictions during the previous year. As of May 2011, only five of the 18 convictions reported by the government could be confirmed as trafficking offenses.”

Ref: Irrawaddy

Read more »

Posted in: 02. MIGRANT

Govt seeks deal with Burma to import 200,000 workers

More than 200,000 Burmese workers could be hired to fill positions in Thailand under a direct state-to-state agreement if the measure is approved at a bilateral meeting next month in Burma, an adviser to the Thai Labour Ministry said Thursday.

If the plan, which was drawn up to address a labour shortage in the Kingdom, is approved, the workers would be flown directly from Burma to Bangkok, as large numbers of workers are available in Burma's cities and are ready to be employed immediately, Anusorn Kraiwatnusorn said.

Ref: The Nation

Myanmar migrants in Bangkok

Read more »

Posted in: 06. THAI

EU Set to Scrap Trade Sanctions: Diplomat

---

---

The EU has reportedly agreed to suspend trade sanctions against Burma. (Photo: Denniss/WikiMedia)

The European Union has reportedly reached an agreement to suspend trade sanctions against Burma with only the arms embargo still in place.

An unidentified diplomat was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying that the suspension would initially be in place for a single year in order to monitor the military-dominated nation’s commitment to reform.

The move must be approved by a meeting of EU foreign ministers on Monday, but the insider said that there is prior agreement within the group.

Western powers have already started easing sanctions on Burma―most notably the United States and Australia―after pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi’s main opposition National League for Democracy party won a landmark victory in the April 1 by-elections.

Since then many governments have signaled a new policy of re-engagement with Naypyidaw, with UK Prime Minister David Cameron also making positive noises during a landmark visit to Burma, also known as Myanmar, at the weekend.

Burma’s nominally civilian government, led by President Thein Sein, has undergone a remarkable period of reform involving the freeing of hundreds of political prisoners, peace talks with ethnic rebels and the relaxation of strict censorship laws.

However, concerns remain over the widely-condemned 2008 Constitution which guarantees 25 percent of legislative seats for the military, as well as continued fighting and related human rights abuses in Kachin State and residual powers held by senior armed forces personnel.

Ref: Irrawaddy

Read more »

Posted in: 04. WORLD

North Korea leader addresses nation for first time

North Korean soldiers march during a mass military parade in Pyongyang's Kim Il-sung Square. Photograph: David Guttenfelder/AP

 

North Korea's new leader addressed his nation and the world for the first time on on Sunday , vowing to prioritise his impoverished country's military, which promptly unveiled a new long-range missile.
The speech was the culmination of two weeks of celebrations marking the centenary of the birth of his grandfather, national founder Kim Il-sung – festivities that were marred by a failed launch on Friday of a rocket that generated international condemnation and cost North Korea a food aid-for-nuclear-freeze deal with Washington.
Kim Jong-un's speech took North Koreans gathered at Kim Il-sung Square and around televisions across the country by surprise. His father, late leader Kim Jong-il, addressed the public only once in his lifetime.
Appearing calm and measured as he read the 20-minute speech, Kim Jong-un covered a wide range of topics, from foreign policy to the economy. His speech, and a military parade that followed, capped the carefully choreographed festivities commemorating Kim Il-sung's birthday, which included a fireworks display.
It was the best look yet the outside world has had of the young Kim, who is believed to be in his late 20s.
Punctuating Kim's message that the North will continue to pour funds into its military, the parade culminated with the unveiling of a new long-range missile, though it is not clear how powerful or significant the addition to the North Korean arsenal is. Some analysts suggested it might have been a dummy designed to dupe outside observers.
Although the rocket launch on Friday was a huge, costly embarrassment for the new leadership, Kim's address was seen by analysts as an expression of confidence by the young leader and meant to show that he is firmly in control.
"Superiority in military technology is no longer monopolised by imperialists, and the era of enemies using atomic bombs to threaten and blackmail us is forever over," Kim said.
His message suggested no significant changes in national policy – the "Military First" strategy has long been at the centre of North Korea's decision-making process.
But there was strong symbolism in the images of the new leader addressing the country on state TV and then watching – and often laughing and gesturing in relaxed conversation with senior officials – as the cream of his nation's 1.2 million-strong military marched by.
Outside analysts have raised worries about how Kim, who has been seen but not publicly heard since taking over after his father's December death, would govern a country that has a nuclear weapons program and has previously threatened Seoul and Washington with war.
At the celebration of Kim Il-sung, he appeared to clear his first hurdle.
The speech was a good "first impression for his people and for the world," said Hajime Izumi, a North Korea expert at Japan's Shizuoka University. "He demonstrated that he can speak in public fairly well, and at this stage that in itself – more than what he actually said – is important. I think we might be seeing him speak in public more often, and show a different style than his father."
Kim said he will strengthen North Korea's defences by placing the country's "first, second and third" priorities on military might. But he said he is open to working with foreign countries that do not have hostile policies toward his nation, and said he would strive to reunify Korea.
He also stressed the importance of national unity, calling his country "Kim Il-sung's Korea" rather than North Korea.
"That suggests to me that they want to let the country, and the world, know that this is a 'new' country," said Han S. Park, a University of Georgia professor who works frequently with top US and North Korean officials, after watching the events in Pyongyang.

Fef: The Guardiam

Read more »

Posted in: 04. WORLD