EU’s next president meets Karen

Spain, gearing up for the 2010 EU presidency, has once again opened its doors for the embattled Karen National Union (KNU), according to Saw Hsar Gay, the group’s “deputy foreign minister.”

His meeting with Southeast Asian affairs officials Dr Garcia Galan and Dr Adrian Martin Couce took place on Thursday, 23 July.This was Saw Hsar Gay’s 7th visit to the Spanish ministry since 2001. His previous trips were accompanied by either David Tharckabaw, now Vice Chairman and Acting “Foreign Minister” of KNU, or Sai Wansai, General Secretary of the exile Shan Democratic Union.

“We have the challenge of potential developments in Burma,” Galan, who had been to Thailand and was aware of the human rights situation, told Hsar Gay. “We are very concerned with the human rights in Karen and other ethnic states and would like to be informed of significant changes as to be able to act on the situation that is becoming acute and warrants stronger intervention.”

The one and a half hour discussion revolved around the 2010 elections, the trial of Burma’s democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burma Army operations and abuses in Karen State, the Pyongyang-Naypyidaw axis and drugs, according to Hsar Gay.

“I told them that, from our point of view, nationwide ceasefire, release of all political prisoners including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, full fledged dialogue, rights of association of individuals and political organization, free meetings and unrestricted travel are among the basic conditions for any election to be acceptable,” he recounted.

The two sides agreed to meet again before the end of the year.

Saw Hsar Gay had already met the Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials in Lisbon on 16 July and had been invited to attend a diplomatic party on 21 July, which he accepted.

The KNU suffered the loss of its 7th Brigade base in June, when it was attacked in force by the joint Burma Army-Democratic Karen Buddhist Army forces. “We are not engaging in a positional warfare but mobile warfare,” Hsar Gay defended the military policy of the KNU. “Before this, the 7th’s former base and the 10st special battalion base fell but they did not keep us from effectively employing guerrilla tactics that have inflicted devastating losses among the enemy.”

During 1 – 10 July, 70 pro-junta DKBA and KPF surrendered to the KNU bringing along 67 automatic rifles, 1 M79 grenade launcher, 7 transceivers and 5 side arms, according to him. “That proves our tactics are producing results,” he said.

The KNU, formed in 1947, has been fighting for autonomy and democracy, since 1949. Together with the Shan State Army (SSA) “South” and the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), it is regarded as one of the strongest armed opposition movements fighting against Burma’s successive governments.

Shanland.org

A New Burma Strategy: Multilateral Engagement over Isolation

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The Arakan National Newspaper Vol3 No7 July 2009

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Dhaka: In its biggest pull-out, the Bangladesh Army is withdrawing a brigade of its troops and 35 temporary camps from Chittagong Hill tracts, an announcement by the Bangladesh government said yesterday.

The process is to begin immediately and will be concluded by September this year, said a press report.

An Inter Service Public Relations press release issued yesterday said that this would be the biggest army pullout from Chittagong Hill tracts.

The decision was taken by the government after reviewing the law and order situation of the hill tract area.

The present Bangladesh government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has taken a big step forward as part of its policy to implement the Chittagong Hill Tract Peace Accord.

A total of 200 security camps have been withdrawn from the Chittagong Hill Tracts in phases following the signing of the treaty 12 years ago.

However the leader of the Partabya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS) said that only 150 camps were withdrawn out of a total of 400.

The withdrawal of the Bangladesh Army from Chittagong hill area is part of the Chittagong Hill tract peace treaty between the Bangladesh government and Parbyata Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS), United People’s Party of the Chittagong Hill Tracts in English, the political organisation that controlled the Shanti Bahini militia in 2007.
Narinjara

Snr-Gen Than Shwe has said that the KIO’s demands cannot be met at this point of time because the country’s new constitution cannot be amended. If the junta has to give into KIO’s demands, the constitution needs to be rewritten, he reportedly said, the sources added.

Snr-Gen Than Shwe Rejects KIO’s Demands

Thursday, 30 July 2009 15:51
The Burmese military junta supremo Snr-Gen Than Shwe has responded curtly and rejected the latest demands of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), said sources close to Naypyitaw, the capital of the country.

The military ruler was responding to the KIO’s demands to the junta early this month regarding direct power sharing in the new Kachin State government after next year’s elections, where members of KIO have to be included in the administration, legislation and the judiciary.

Snr-Gen Than Shwe has said that the KIO’s demands cannot be met at this point of time because the country’s new constitution cannot be amended. If the junta has to give into KIO’s demands, the constitution needs to be rewritten, he reportedly said, the sources added.

Naypyitaw sources said, Snr-Gen Than Shwe also rejected the other KIO demand to transform its armed-wing the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) to a Kachin Regional Guard Force (KRGF), which will be formed with only ethnic Kachins and not be controlled by the junta. The regime had proposed transformation of the KIA to a battalion-level Border Guard Force (BGF).

Snr-Gen Than Shwe has made it clear that he cannot negotiate any military or political demand of the KIO except the co-operational agenda between the two, Naypyitaw sources added.

The Burmese government is using influential religious leaders and businessmen to convince ethnic ceasefire groups to transform themselves into border guards, as well as issuing direct threats to the groups.

Religious leaders to pressure Burma ethnic groups
July 30, 2009 (DVB)–The Burmese government is using influential religious leaders and businessmen to convince ethnic ceasefire groups to transform themselves into border guards, as well as issuing direct threats to the groups.

A resident of Kachin state’s capital Myitkyina, where the ceasefire group Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) are active, said that a senior army official met yesterday with influential state figures to discuss transformation of the KIO into border troops.
“The regional commander met with pastors and business owners at the church in Aung Nan ward this morning and told them to help them pressure the KIO,” said the resident.
The ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) has embarked on a campaign to transform ceasefire groups into border patrol guards, a move which would bring them into what the government call the “legal fold”.
Ceasefire groups have said however that agreeing to the proposals would weaken the groups and effectively make them subordinated wings of the Burmese army.

Six more brands of traditional medicine banned

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – With six more brands of traditional medicines declared unfit for use by the Ministry of Health, the number of banned traditional medicines have risen to 22 in Burma.

The state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper on Thursday declared six types of traditional medicines unfit for use since these have not been registered.

The medicines have reportedly been produced in Shan State’s capital Taunggyi, Southern Shan State’s Pintaya town, Innlay Lake, Rangoon’s North Dagon Myothit, and Rangoon’s South Okklapah Townships.

The newspaper quoted the Director of the Department of Traditional Medicine as saying that these brands have been declared unfit for use as “they have not registered” with the department.

Earlier in May, the Department of Traditional Medicine declared 16 brands unfit to be used as they failed to register with the department.

mizzima

MUST READ:Now where did I put that $2.37 billion I earned last year…? by rspas.anu.edu

Now where did I put that $2.37 billion I earned last year…?
July 29th, 2009 by Kyaw Kyaw, Guest Contributor · 2 Comments

Myanmar government figures for the latest financial year have been released and essentially it’s more of the same.

Gas sales to Thailand amounted to about US$2.38 billion, a slight drop on last year’s $2.53 billion, and continued to be by far the largest export earner. However, the volume exported dropped sharply from 516 billion cubic feet to 377 billion cubic feet, or about 1033 million cubic feet a day. That’s roughly one-third of Thailand’s total demand.

Total exports rose slightly, to about $6.8 billion, up from $6.4 billion, while imports rose about 33 percent, to $4.6 billion.

Most of Myanmar’s imports came from China (26.5 percent), Singapore (23 percent), Thailand (8.6 percent), Malaysia (7.9 percent) and Indonesia (4.6 percent).

The majority of exports went to Thailand (38.7 percent, mainly natural gas), Singapore (12.5 percent), India (11.9 percent, mainly beans and pulses), Hong Kong (9.8 percent) and China (9.1 percent).

In Myanmar, the financial year begins on April 1 and ends on March 31, so these are for the 2008-2009 financial year.

Note these are all provisional figures, from the government’s big red book (also known as Selected Monthly Economic Indicators, which is released by the Central Statistical Organization). You should be able to find these figures somewhere on the Ministry of Commerce website in Myanmar or English but I’m not exactly sure where. continue

http://rspas.anu.edu.au/rmap/newmandala/2009/07/29/now-where-did-i-put-that-2-37-billion-i-earned-last-year…/#more-6204

Toronto Calling: Burma VJ and Revised-Sat.8.August-in front of The Royal Theatre

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Opposition lawyer hounded by authorities-“Since my bar license has been revoked, there is nothing that I can do to survive.”

Opposition lawyer hounded by authorities
by Myint Maung
Thursday, 30 July 2009 18:05

New Delhi (Mizzima) – Nyi Nyi Htwe, a lawyer belonging to the opposition camp, recently released from jail and forced out of his profession, alleged he is finding it difficult to continue with his present calling of selling government lottery tickets because he is being hounded by authorities.

The 33 year-old lawyer from Pegu town has been selling government lottery tickets to eke out a livelihood, after his bar license was revoked. He alleged that authorities had warned lottery dealers not to franchise him nor hire out a push-cart to him for selling lottery tickets.

“Since my bar license has been revoked, there is nothing that I can do to survive. I have no other business, but my wife sells lottery tickets. Since we lack capital, we have to procure tickets from bigger agents on credit. We also cannot afford to hire a permanent push-cart. The authorities have been creating obstacles,” he told Mizzima.

His business associates have been warned against dealing with him. He is currently finding it extremely difficult to franchise government lottery tickets and hiring a push-cart, given the harassment by the authorities.

Nyi Nyi Htwe was sentenced to a six-month prison term on October 30, 2008 by the northern District Court in Rangoon’s notorious Insein prison on charges of ‘contempt of court’. He was, at the time, defending three National League for Democracy members including Yan Naing Tun, who were arrested and were facing trial for praying at the Pagoda for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners.