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mwrn
Posted in: 01. M.W.R.N.Sitagu Sayadaw Courts Dalai Lama....
“But in my personal opinion, there is only a (small) chance he could visit the Shwedagon Pagoda. As you know, China is......
Thursday, 31 May 2012
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.
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Let’s hear it for the workersMyanmar 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.
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| 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
Posted in: 06. THAI
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
Posted in: 06. THAIAung San Suu Kyi's historical visit to Mahacahi, especially to MWRN
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| 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.
Posted in: 01. M.W.R.N.Suu Kyi gets taste of home away from home
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
Posted in: 06. THAIWednesday, 23 May 2012
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
Posted in: 05. MYANMARFriday, 18 May 2012
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.
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.
Posted in: 04. WORLDTuesday, 8 May 2012
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
Posted in: 04. WORLDCensor Bans Reports of VP’s Resignation
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| 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
Posted in: 05. MYANMARPhyo Wai Aung Receives Death Sentence
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| 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
Posted in: 05. MYANMAR
