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

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Posted in: 05. MYANMAR

Oath Rewording to be Raised in Parliament

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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 

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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 

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Posted in: 05. MYANMAR

Burmese ‘Slaves’ Rescued from Thai Fishing Boat

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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

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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

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Posted in: 06. THAI

EU Set to Scrap Trade Sanctions: Diplomat

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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

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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

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Posted in: 04. WORLD

26 Burmese ‘Shipwrecked’ on Timor Leste

From a stock photo in 2011, a group of 91 Burmese Rohingya “boat people” were arrested and detained in Phuket, Thailand. (PHOTO: Phuketwan.com)

DILI, Timor Leste—An investigation is underway into the case of 26 Burmese asylum seekers who were on a boat that ran out of fuel en route to Australia, landing near East Timor.

The boat, with 26 Burmese asylum seekers and an Indonesian captain, left Indonesia on March 21 but ran out of fuel on March 27 near Wetali, on the south coast of East Timor, according to the East Timorese Prosecutor-General’s dispatch document on the case.

The document states the 26 asylum seekers, ranging from 14 to 46 years old, left Indonesia “without identity documents or passport” with the intention of looking for work in Australia.

The Indonesian captain reportedly swam to shore but the 26 asylum seekers, who could not swim, stayed on the boat until an East Timorese fisherman helped them get to dry land.

“This Timorese fisherman took them to report to the Uhakae village head Mr. Augusto da Costa Soares, then took them immediately to the Viqueque police station,” the document said.

The East Timorese procurator-general said that immigration police officials could “promote or execute the expulsion of the 27 citizens that have entered and stay illegally in the national territory of Timor Leste.”

Timor Leste’s Department of Immigration Chief Investigator Alfredo Abel said that since the incident the asylum seekers had been staying in hotels or apartments in Dili, organized by the Immigration Department.

“Now there is an investigation going on to find a solution for the 26 people,” Abel said.

The International Migration Organization is assisting the East Timorese government to provide humanitarian assistance to the asylum seekers.

Abel said a decision was pending on whether to expel the asylum seekers.

A spokeswoman for the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship said the 26 asylum seekers had lodged no applications with the department.

So far in 2012, 18 asylum-seeker boats have entered Australian waters, while last years total was 69, the spokeswoman said.

Ref: Irrawaddy

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Posted in: 04. WORLD

In his own words: the rise and fall of Khin Nyunt

In a rare interview since the lifting of his house arrest, the ex-spy boss and former prime minister talks about the events leading to his downfall, peace deals with ethnic groups, his 'brotherly' admiration for Aung San Suu Kyi and the awakening of his faith

The quiet narrow street leading to our destination is lined with big houses and mansions once inhabited by some of Myanmar's former ruling military elite. Most of them, including the now officially retired Senior General Than Shwe, have moved to new homes in the capital city of Nay Pyi Taw, many with new civilian jobs. However, one formerly very high-ranking member of the old military regime, former prime minister General Khin Nyunt, is still living in Yangon. No new house has been built for him in Nay Pyi Taw; in fact until recently he was under house arrest at his home in Yangon.

HOW TIMES HAVE CHANGED: Former Myanmar prime minister and military intelligence chief Khin Nyunt arrives to cast his vote at a polling station in Yangon on April 1.

Once dubbed the "prince of evil" by the Western media, Gen Khin Nyunt was freed in January by the new government led by President Thein Sein, himself a former general and a junior to Gen Khin Nyunt in the old regime. The charges levelled against him in October 2004 by the now-defunct State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) led by Sen Gen Than Shwe, were "disobedience" and "corruption".

Looking back on his years in power and subsequent downfall, Gen Khin Nyunt says he has no regrets.

"I have a clear conscience as far as my service to the country. I happened to be at a particular turn in my country's history. That was not my choice. I have been a sitting duck for all kinds of politically motivated attacks from all quarters, domestic and abroad. I understand this is not unique to me. This has been the case in many other countries too. I have never abused the power entrusted in me or built personal wealth," he said.

"I never play golf," he said suddenly. "My mentor U Tint Swe told me not to. You lose your precious time for work and it will also cost you risky social talks. I returned all the golf sets sent to me as gifts.

"I would say, in doing my job in the past, some of my colleagues might have misconceptions about me. However, I let all bygones be bygones. I will not waste time digging up or straightening out the past. I devote most of my time to religion now. Last week, I donated 1,000 pairs of robes to the Sangha to honour the 75th birthday of the Venerable Thitagu Sayadaw, one of the spiritual authorities of my faith," said Gen Khin Nyunt.

The general has, he says, abandoned any aspirations to once again ascend the political heights. He has no desire to return to public life or politics, at least in the near future.

"Right now, I am devoting my time to running a small charity organisation in my hometown. I have been, and I always will be, just an ordinary citizen of the country, but of course with all the rights and responsibilities of an ordinary citizen in a democracy. I am satisfied with that."

He and his family spent seven years in custody, but the original term of imprisonment far exceeded his life span. Two of his key followers, Colonel San Pwint and Brigadier Tin Ngwe, remain in jail. Another, Colonel Kyaw Win, died in prison.

At the time of Gen Khin Nyunt's fall from grace rumours circulated among the public that Gen Than Shwe had removed him to pre-empt a coup. Three truckloads of gold ingots were said to have been found in his home compound and carted away by state authorities. However, the secret trial against him was brief, and the public was kept in the dark about what took place.

Gen Khin Nyunt is considered by some to be among the least corrupt and most moderate of the ruling elite of his time, but the once powerful general gained notoriety in the Western media for being the intelligence chief of a military junta which fiercely oppressed its political opponents, including Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi of the National League for Democracy (NLD). Gen Khin Nyunt is said to have been atrocious in his dealings with anti-junta politicians.

SHOT CALLERS: Former dictator Ne Win, above, and retired Senior General Than Shwe.

Gen Khin Nyunt is also known as the driver behind the "seven-step road map to democracy", which had a role in Myanmar's current political reforms. The idea of a path to reconciliation between the Myanmar junta and the Western-backed NLD was first put forward in late 2003 or early 2004 by the Thai government led by Thaksin Shinawatra. It was known as the "Bangkok Process". Gen Khin Nyunt visited Bangkok and appropriated the outline, and soon after Myanmar resumed its long stalled national convention to draft a constitution.

Less than a year later Gen Khin Nyunt was put on trial, blacklisted because of corruption within military intelligence organisations he headed and possibly also his overtures to ethnic groups and the pro-democracy camp and/or jealousy or disapproval from the power elite over lucrative business deals to which he was connected. At the time of Gen Khin Nyunt's arrest, his son Ye Naing Win was an executive for Myanmar's only internet service provider, Bagan Cybertech, which had just signed a multi-million dollar deal with Shin Satellite Plc, controlled by the family of former prime minister Thaksin, to lease transponder capacity. Bagan Cybertech was subsequently taken over by the military.

THE CLIMB TO THE TOP

Gen Khin Nyunt has kept a low profile since his release from house arrest three months ago, and has turned down requests for interviews by the Burmese language programmes of Western media. As our car approached his house, our guide cautioned us not to take any photos without first seeking permission. As the gate swung open, a man led us to a waiting area next to the newly-painted mansion in the middle of a large compound.

Then another man led us into the inner sitting room inside the house. Within a few seconds, a smiling Gen Khin Nyunt emerged from another room.

With seven years of house arrest showing on his face, the 71-year-old former intelligence chief started the conversation with a story about his childhood. Born in a small agricultural town near the sea, about 50km southeast of Yangon, he has five elder sisters. His father was a country lawyer. He recalled his experience living under Japanese occupation as a boy. That experience motivated him to join the army as a cadet officer in 1959.

He talked fondly about his military mentor, Colonel Tint Swe. His rise to prominence began when he was only a captain. It was in the late 1970s, when Myanmar's socialist dictator, General Ne Win, who seized power in a 1962 coup, was looking for a personal aide. He asked Tint Swe to find a trustworthy security officer for his household. Tint Swe sent Gen Khin Nyunt, but not before giving him a list of ''dos and don'ts''. Gen Khin Nyunt worked hard, and earned the trust of Gen Ne Win in six months.

After the downfall of Gen Ne Win in 1988, Gen Khin Nyunt became the frontman of a new regime led by General Saw Maung which harshly suppressed the student-led uprising of 1988 and locked out the NLD after its landslide 1990 election victory. It was Gen Khin Nyunt who drafted Order 1/90 for the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), declaring that the wining party had to wait for office until a new constitution was drawn up and approved by a referendum. The order made him the main target of attacks by the global media.

When Gen Saw Maung was quietly removed in 1992, apparently for his promise to return the military to the barracks after a general election, Gen Than Shwe, from the Engineering Corps, succeeded him. Gen Khin Nyunt also survived this transition of power and the junta later re-fashioned its mission _ from ''law and order restoration'' to ''peace and development'', with a name change from SLORC to SPDC.

The SPDC's stated aims _ infrastructure expansion and a switch to a market economy _ were almost missions impossible for the unpopular regime, especially as it was under Western-imposed economic sanctions. Nevertheless, the SPDC hung on to power, and Gen Khin Nyunt remained at centre stage until his downfall in late 2004.

ETHNIC PEACEMAKER

Asked what was his greatest achievement while in power, Gen Khin Nyunt replied without hesitation: ''Of course, my peace deals. Our indigenous brethren are basically simple and honest though they may have certain prejudices in their minds. But once they trust you, you can win everything.''

In addition to his mostly undisclosed dealings as head of military intelligence, Gen Khin Nyunt could be described as a ''workaholic'' among those who were trying to end the longstanding ethnic conflicts that began with Myanmar's independence from Britain in 1948. As ''secretary number one'', his other official position in the junta, he made numerous initiatives offering concessions to various armed minority groups.

The Kokang led by Phone Kyar Shin was the first of the 17 armed ethnic groups that made a ceasefire agreement with him. This group of Chinese descent were not happy with members of the Myanmar Communist Party roaming in their region, and were also weary of the long civil war. They did not believe their eyes, said Gen Khin Nyunt, when accompanied by a handful of officials he risked his life by walking into their territory in response to their invitation for him to make initial contacts for peace negotiations.

''It was like walking into a killing zone,'' he said. ''There were hundreds of Kokang soldiers armed with rifles on high ridges on both sides of the hills.'' He later told them he had entrusted his life into their hands. The dramatic gesture contributed to a breakthrough, and a series of ceasefire deals, including with the Wa and Kachin, followed suit.

Gen Khin Nyunt was also close to winning a comprehensive peace agreement with the Karen National Union under the late General Bo Mya. During their direct talks in Yangon in 2002, Gen Khin Nyunt hosted a birthday party for the KNU leader at a five-star hotel. By that time, Gen Bo Mya had already made up his mind and pledged to sign a peace agreement to end the civil war. However, Gen Bo Mya's failing health delayed it, and KNU hard-liners subsequently foiled the peace plan, said Gen Khin Nyunt.

Asked why he had succeeded in dealing with minority groups, Gen Khin Nyunt said: ''I started out with what I could offer, not with my demands, and with absolute sincerity on my part. You must win their trust.''

Regarding the current impasse in the renewed peace efforts with the Kachin, he said: ''They have their tribal and religious leaders. Dealing with the KIO [Karen Independence Organisation] or the KIA alone is not enough.'' He did not elaborate, but said he still remembers the cordial talks he had with KIO leaders like Tuja Manam and Colonel James Lum Dau.

Tuja Manam was one of the key participants in the process of writing Myanmar's constitution, both in the national convention and later in the drafting commission from 1994 to 2008. After the new constitution was adopted, he resigned from the KIO in order to enter the new political landscape, of which he was an architect. But his attempt to stand in the 2010 general election was rejected by the SPDC, which suspected his old KIO past. He tried again in last Sunday's by-elections, but the government cancelled all three constituencies in Kachin State, including his, for security reasons.

Col James Lum Dau, the KIO foreign affairs chief in Bangkok, also has been vocal in defending constructive engagement with the Myanmar military government.

Overall, Gen Khin Nyunt signed as many as 17 ceasefire deals and gave assistance to economic development schemes in ethnic territories. These initiatives, combined with the misconduct of hundreds of his followers who amassed personal wealth using him as their shield, could have been the recipe for his downfall.

CHANGING TIMES

Myanmar is a different country in 2012. With Mrs Suu Kyi's decision to cooperate with the government led by President Thein Sein and contest last Sunday's by-elections, a series of speedy liberalisation steps have taken place to the surprise of the world. Somehow a new kind of politics seems to be taking off in Myanmar. There are criticisms of the constitution and its stipulation that 25% of the membership of the National Assembly must be made up of active military personnel, but the daily motions, debates and votes in the elected assembly in Nay Pyi Taw are freely mirrored in the domestic media without prior approval of the state censor board, as was needed before. More than 200 weekly journals are thriving with a news-hungry readership.

Open mass meetings and events commemorating the struggle against the old regime are now tolerated. The number of tourists visiting Myanmar has increased almost overnight. Western media are optimistic, yet cautious, about the rapid political changes. Benedict Rogers of Christian Solidarity Worldwide captured this mood in an article published in the Christian Science Monitor, titled, ''Go on Thein Sein, surprise us.''

Foreign ministers and diplomats from Western democracies have rushed to Myanmar to appraise the thaw. Washington has sent special envoy Derek Mitchell six times in seven months to Yangon to meet Mrs Suu Kyi. Foreign observers were also allowed to monitor last Sunday's by-elections, although there were complaints of inadequate access.

Twice in our conversation, Gen Khin Nyunt emphasised his code of ethics as a military officer. He said he was loyal to three things: the country, the institution (ie, the military), and his superiors. In 2002, the spoiled grandsons of Gen Ne Win planned a putsch against Gen Than Shwe, whom they despised. As intelligence chief, Gen Khin Nyunt had to arrest these young men he had once babysat. Those close to him said he was almost moved to tears, but he was determined to do his job.

Regarding speculation that he may have been behind an attempt on the life of Mrs Suu Kyi on May 30, 2003, when her convoy was attacked by pro-junta men on the outskirts of Depayin Township in Sagaing Division, Gen Khin Nyunt said it was him who actually saved her from the angry mob. ''I sent my men to snatch her from the mob that night and they brought her to safety at a nearby army cantonment,'' he said.

The incident, known as the Depayin massacre, left at least 50 people dead, according to the opposition.

Many observers have indicated where Gen Khin Nyunt's vulnerability lay at the time of his downfall. He did not have solid backing from any of the powerful regional military commanders who practically ruled the country as warlords during the long junta era. He had been a desk officer rather than a fighting commander in the field. While ordinary people feared him because he was the actual CEO of the state's terror machine, army generals on the front lines disdained him. They gained enemies in the long war against ethnic groups, while Gen Khin Nyunt gained more friends through peace deals.

FAITH IN REFORMS

Gen Khin Nyunt sees the reforms now under way in Myanmar as an extension of the efforts he helped initiate during his time in office.

''President U Thein Sein is one of my old colleagues. I respect him as well as his new role in transforming our country into democracy. He is continuing what we have collectively endeavoured throughout the years. I wish him success in his work and I will regard his achievements as my own.

Gen Khin Nyunt says despite his reputation while in office he also respects democracy icon Mrs Suu Kyi.

''I once said that I regarded Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as my own [younger] sister. This remains the same, my brotherly admiration and respect for her resoluteness. I have a track record of trying my best to work together with civilian politicians of all shapes and ages. Unfortunately, certain situations needed more time to mature during my time. So I sincerely wish her success in collaborating with the new government and bringing our country to democracy.''

 Ref: BangkokPost

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Posted in: 05. MYANMAR

Myanmar in peace talks with KNU

Myanmar held its highest level peace talks so far with rebels from war-torn Karen state following a tentative ceasefire agreement inked earlier this year.

General Mutu Saipo (R) of the Karen National Union (KNU) shakes hands with Myanmar government official Colonel Tin Win during a break in peace talks at a hotel in Yangon, on April 6. Myanmar held its highest level peace talks so far with rebels from war-torn Karen state following a tentative ceasefire agreement inked earlier this year.

Delegates from the political and armed wings of the Karen National Union (KNU) met government officials as part of discussions marking the latest efforts aimed at ending one of the world's longest-running civil conflicts.

Immigration Minister Khin Yi told reporters on Thursday night that preliminary negotiations in Hpa-an, capital of Karen in the east of Myanmar, had covered codes of conduct for troops on both sides.

"We want peace. They also want it. So it will be a success," he said.

Myanmar considers the KNU, whose leadership is based in Thailand, to be an illegal organisation. Its armed wing has been waging Myanmar's oldest insurgency, battling the government since 1949.

Myanmar's government signed a ceasefire deal with the group in January as part of reformist moves that have also led to the holding of a by-election on Sunday that was swept by opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her party.

The KNU delegation plans to meet the democracy icon on Sunday in what will be Suu Kyi's first important discussions as an elected politician.

KNU spokeswoman May Oo Mutraw said the group was keen to assess the "attitude and commitment" of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party to reconciliation efforts.

"Her belief, sacrifices and leading role are very important for Myanmar," she said of the Nobel laureate, who is largely well-regarded in minority areas, but is also seen as a member of the ethnic Burman elite.

Civil war has gripped parts of the country since its independence in 1948, and an end to the conflicts, as well as alleged human rights abuses involving government troops, is a key demand of the international community.

Vast numbers of villagers in Karen state, scene of Myanmar's oldest insurgency, have been forced to flee and tens of thousands of these refugees live in camps across the border in Thailand.

Ref: BangkokPost

While the government has inked ceasefires with a number of rebel groups, ongoing fighting in northern Kachin state, which has displaced tens of thousands of people, has cast a shadow over the peace efforts.

Authorities postponed the by-elections in three constituencies in the state, citing security concerns, and rights groups have claimed serious abuses continue in the area.

May Oo Mutraw said the KNU had lobbied the government to work harder on ending the Kachin conflict.

"It's easy to start war but difficult to build peace, especially lasting peace," she said.

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Posted in: 05. MYANMAR

US to ease investment restrictions on Myanmar

WASHINGTON: The United States said Wednesday it will ease restrictions on investment to Myanmar and quickly appoint an ambassador as it seeks to boost reformers who allowed landmark elections in the long-closed nation.

In its latest gestures under a three-year diplomatic drive on Myanmar, the United States said it would step up aid and allow select officials to visit but stopped short of easing the bulk of two decades worth of biting sanctions.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hailed the "leadership and courage" of President Thein Sein after the opposition swept Sunday's by-elections, giving Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi her first seat in parliament.

"The United States will stand with the reformers and the democrats both inside the government and in the larger civil society as they work together for that more hopeful future that is the right of every single person," Clinton told reporters.

Clinton announced "the beginning of the process" of a "targeted easing of our ban on the export of US financial services and investment" to the country formerly known as Burma.

She said the step on investment was "part of a broader effort to help accelerate economic modernization and political reform."

But she warned: "Sanctions and prohibitions will stay in place on individuals and institutions that remain on the wrong side of these historic reform efforts."

Clinton, who previously announced that the United States would restore full diplomatic relations with Myanmar for the first time in two decades, said the administration would complete formalities "in the coming days" and then formally nominate an ambassador to the Senate for confirmation.

The US Agency for International Development will set up a mission inside the country and the United States will support a similar normalization of work by the UN Development Program, Clinton said.

Clinton -- who paid a landmark visit to Myanmar in December -- said that the United States would allow private organizations to pursue a greater range of work inside Myanmar, including democracy promotion, health and education.

Washington will also let select officials and lawmakers from Myanmar to visit the United States, relaxing restrictions, Clinton said.

But the United States retains some tough sanctions on Myanmar including a ban on its exports such as jade, a key money-maker.

Clinton said the United States was still pressing for greater progress on key concerns including a release of all political prisoners and the end to any conditions on those recently released from jails in a major amnesty.

She also called for reconciliation with minority groups and the "verifiable termination" of any military cooperation between Myanmar and North Korea, an international pariah which plans to test a long-range missile this month.

The European Union has also been seeking to reward Myanmar and is leaning toward a "substantial" removal of sanctions, a senior EU diplomat told AFP on Tuesday in Brussels.

President Barack Obama's administration opened talks with Myanmar after taking office in 2009, concluding that years of Western efforts to isolate the then military leadership had failed.

Three years later, Myanmar is arguably a top showcase for Obama's foreign policy as he seeks reelection, with the rival Republican Party sharply criticizing his earlier outreach to other US foes such as Iran and Syria.

Thein Sein, a nominal civilian, took office last year to widespread skepticism from the United States and opposition. But he has surprised even many of his critics through his reforms including opening talks with Suu Kyi, who had spent most of the past two decades under house arrest.

Some US-based analysts attribute Myanmar's shift to a hesitation by the leadership at depending too much on China, which has an outsized economic and political influence in its strategically placed neighbor.

Ref: BankokPost

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Posted in: 04. WORLD

Burma opposition claims election win

Burma's opposition claimed a historic victory Sunday for pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in her bid for a seat in parliament, sparking scenes of jubilation among crowds of supporters.

Hundreds of people clapped and cheered as a giant screen outside her National League for Democracy (NLD) party headquarters in Yangon announced the Nobel Peace Prize winner had won a parliamentary seat for the first time.

Some people wept with joy at the news, which if confirmed would mark a stunning turnaround for the former political prisoner, who was locked up by the former junta for most of the past 22 years.

``We have been waiting for this day for a long time. I'm so happy,'' said NLD supporter Kalyar, who goes by one name.

Suu Kyi won an estimated 99 percent of the votes in Kawhmu constituency, according to NLD official Soe Win, based on the party's own tally. There was no independent confirmation and official results were expected within a week.

The party also claimed it was on course to win all 44 seats it contested in the by-elections, in which a total of 45 seats were at stake _ not enough to threaten the army-backed ruling party's huge majority.

Observers believe Burma's new reform-minded quasi-civilian government wanted Suu Kyi to win a place in parliament to burnish its reform credentials and smooth the way for an easing of Western sanctions.

Many of her supporters had earlier waited for hours in searing heat to catch a glimpse of the 66-year-old Suu Kyi, who was running for political office for the first time.

Her main rival in the rural Kawhmu constituency, two hours' drive from Yangon, was a former military doctor with the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party.

Voters, some in traditional ethnic Karen dress, queued patiently to cast their votes. In stark contrast to life under the junta, many openly expressed their support and affection for ``The Lady''.

``There's only been one person for us for 20 years,'' said Tin Zaw Win.

``We believe in her and want to vote for her. Almost my whole village will vote for Aunt Suu,'' he added.

Some people complained that their names were missing from the voter lists, although it was unclear how many were affected.

``I want to vote for Mother Suu but they haven't given me my ballot paper so I'm here to demand it,'' Zin Min Soe told AFP at a polling station.

``They can't just lose my vote,'' he said.

The polls were also marred somewhat by allegations of ballot-paper irregularities, notably that wax had been put over the check box for the NLD that could be rubbed off later to cancel the vote.

It was not immediately clear how widespread irregularities were.

``This is happening around the country,'' NLD spokesman Nyan Win told AFP. ``I have sent a complaint letter to the union election commission.''

In the run-up to the eagerly awaited vote, the party decried alleged intimidation of candidates and other irregularities.

Suu Kyi said on Friday that the poll could not be considered ``a genuinely free and fair election'' but stopped short of announcing a boycott.

A 2010 general election, won by the military's political proxies, was plagued by complaints of cheating and the exclusion of Suu Kyi, who was released from seven straight years of house arrest shortly afterwards.

The seats being contested Sunday were made vacant by MPs who joined the government.

The NLD swept to a landslide election victory in 1990, but the generals who ruled the country formerly known as Burma for decades until last year never recognised the result.

A gruelling schedule of rallies and speeches took its toll on the opposition leader, who cancelled campaigning in the week before the vote after she fell ill.

Suu Kyi appeared to have recovered her strength by election day, smiling broadly when she emerged just after dawn from the village house where she was staying in Kawhmu.

After almost half a century of military rule, the junta in March last year handed power to a new government led by President Thein Sein, one of a clutch of former generals who shed their uniforms to contest the 2010 election.

Since then, the regime has surprised even its critics with a string of reforms such as releasing hundreds of political prisoners.

But remaining political detainees, fighting between government troops and ethnic rebels, and alleged human rights abuses remain major concerns for Western nations which have imposed sanctions on the regime.

Unlike in 2010, the government allowed foreign observers and journalists to witness Sunday's polls. More than six million people were eligible to vote.

Ref: BangkokPost

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Posted in: 05. MYANMAR

Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi wins in Myanmar by-election

REPORTING FROM YANGON, MYANMAR AND NEW DELHI, INDIA -- The people of Myanmar got their first taste of democracy in two decades Sunday when they elected popular opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to a seat in parliament, according to her party, ushering in a new political era in the long-isolated Southeast Asian nation.

Hundreds of people cheered and shouted when a large screen outside the offices of her National League for Democracy party announced a large win estimated unofficially at 82% for the pro-democracy icon. The party also claimed it had won at least 10 other seats in the 45-seat contest. During the campaigning, supporters waited hours in the searing heat to catch a glimpse of her.
Despite Suu Kyi’s larger-than-life presence in Myanmar, also known as Burma, the victory assuming it’s confirmed represents the first time she’s held office, having remained under house arrest during previous marred general elections in 2010 and 1990.

While voting was peaceful Sunday, there were allegations of vote-tampering and harassment. The pro-military government hopes these are minor enough to convince Western nations it’s time to drop crippling economic sanctions. For most Burmese, however, the heady feeling of having an electoral voice overcame other concerns.

"I voted for Daw Suu!" said Ma Thu, a 33-year old Yangon resident, using the politician’s honorific title while pointing at the fighting peacock electoral symbol representing Suu Kyi’s party. "I'm so pleased that I can vote for her, and I feel proud that I can say that."
In fact, Ma Thu doesn’t actually live in Suu Kyi’s constituency and her vote supported HIV/AIDS activist Phyu Phyu Thin, also with Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party.  Such ebullient support for Suu Kyi, 66, has both heartened her long-banned party and made it realize the importance of broadening beyond its standard bearer, the delicate Nobel Prize winner.
"I didn't vote for Daw Suu?” Ma Thu continued. “What do you mean? Voting for Phyu Phyu Thin is the same as voting for Aung San Suu Kyi, isn't it?"

Analysts and activists welcomed the news of Suu Kyi’s victory but cautioned that this was only a first step. Aung Myo Thein, an official with the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a Thailand-based group fighting for the release of detainees, said having her in parliament would be great, although it remained to be seen how effective she’d be opposing entrenched government policies.

Those who see this election as a watershed -– particularly Western investors -- rather than a largely symbolic milestone, are in for a rude awakening, added Shawn Kelley, an independent analyst and former Burma fellow at Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University. “Investors who think they’re going to go in without knowing anyone and get rich are nuts,” he said.  “This is a positive sign, they’ve opened the door, which makes it more difficult to close, but there are still a lot of obstacles.”

The finer points of free and fair elections seemed lost on many of the 6.5 million eligible voters Sunday electing candidates for 43 national and two regional assembly seats. The last relatively fair election in 1990 saw Suu Kyi’s party sweep to victory nationally, shocking the generals who then banned the National League for Democracy, jailed many of its members and nullified the results.

Suu Kyi and her opposition colleagues will have little effective voice in the 664-seat parliament dominated by the military and proxy representatives. But her election still has enormous symbolic importance, political analysts said, on the road toward national reconciliation. "She can change the atmosphere of the parliament, make it more transparent, and engage in actual open debate,” said Maung Wuntha, a political analyst in Yangon. “This is why just one person can change the parliament."
Ref: LAT

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Posted in: 05. MYANMAR

NLD Supporters Celebrate Election Victory

Hundreds of supporters are dancing and singing outside the headquarters of the National League for Democracy (NLD) in Rangoon’s Bahan Township as news filters down from across the country that the opposition party has swept to a landslide victory in Sunday’s by-elections.

By 8 pm, NLD sources had claimed that the party had won all 12 seats where all the votes had been counted.

Cheers greet every loudspeaker announcement as the party confidently relays figures from its observers at polling stations, and predicts victory in the vast majority of the 45 constituencies that were contested.

Although the counting of ballots continues throughout the country, the NLD supporters have assumed a resounding victory against the ruling USDP, and the celebrations look set to continue into the night. Music almost drowns out the announcement of results, and traffic has come to a standstill as crowds throng the streets.
Ref: Irrawaddy

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Posted in: 05. MYANMAR