Day: January 30, 2010
Myanmar-Mae Hong Son in free trade talks
The Mae Hong Son Chamber of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce officials and officials from Myanmar held free trade agreement talks on January 25 and 26 in an effort to increase cross border trade and investment and to enable ASEAN agreements with Mae Hong Son. The Deputy Minister of Commerce, Alongkorn Polabutre, attended the first meeting in Mae Hong Son’s City Hall on the 25th and the Thai Chamber of Commerce attended the event on the 26th at the Golden Pai Resort in Mae Hong Son. The Director General of the Myanmar Trade Department, the Director of the Myanmar Chamber of Commerce and the Director of the Chamber of Commerce for Loikho, Mandalay and Tongyee as well as business associates participated in the meetings to increase cross border trade.
Major drug haul of key component in Chiang Rai
Peerapol Saelee of Chiang Rai was arrested with pseudoephedrine,
a key component in the manufacture of ya ice on January 13.
986,500 pseudoephedrine pills were confiscated by the Pha Muang Task Force and military rangers from the 3rd and 2nd Cavalry Regiments in Baan Khao Sai in Chiang Rai on January 13. Acting on a tip off that the drug, used to make ya ice, was being smuggled in bulk over the border, police stopped a pickup truck driven by Mae Sai resident Peerapol Saelee, 33, and found the pills hidden in a bag in the truck. The value of the drugs could be as high as 7 million baht. Mr. Peerapol was taken to the Mae Sai police station to be charged with drug smuggling.
980,000 yabaa pills found in Fang
The owner of an orange processing plant was arrested on January 20 after local police received a tip off that a large shipment of drugs from Fang was expected to be sent to Bangkok from the factory. A police raid on the factory yielded 980,000 yabaa tablets hidden in baskets ready for shipment. Surapin Suponsophon, 54, the owner of the plant located in Baan Huai Moung, was arrested by police for drug trafficking but denied all knowledge of the drugs.Surapin Suponsophon was arrested after 980,000 yabaa pills were found in her orange packing plant.
Chiang Mai Deputy Governor Pairote Saengphuwong announced that it was one of the biggest drug arrests in Chiang Mai and that cooperation between all departments had resulted in the arrest, with a hope to further track down the drug trafficking network. He added that the details of any concerned citizens offering information that leads to arrests will be held in complete confidence by the authorities.
Why we do not accept the 2010 election? What we need to do it?
By Htun Aung Gyaw
We do not accept the 2010 election sponsored by the Burmese regime because we have a strong reason to believe that it will not give freedom and liberty to our people including the soldiers who are working under the generals’ command. Everyone knows that 2008 Constitution is far away from democratic norms and principles. Instead of the Constitution below facts will proved that we have the reasonable doubt about the coming election.
1. Potential political leaders and many political prisoners are still in various prisons or detentions.
2. Current political parties have no right to call for party convention, organizational trips, and reopen their offices which have been forced to close down for years.
3. Newspapers and radio stations are totally control and run by the regime, there are no single independent newspapers, radio station or TV station existed in Burma.
4. There is no freedom of speech, assembly, travel, and publication.
5. Still formations of new political parties are pending. Continue reading “Why we do not accept the 2010 election? What we need to do it?”
Special Report: Thailand and human rights principles
TNT News
The New York-based Human Rights Watch in its 612-page World Report 2010, an annual review of human right practice around the world, accused the Thai government of violating several human rights principles and failing to fulfill its pledges to make human rights a priority. Defending the allegations, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva reaffirmed that the Thai government has always placed great importance on human rights issues.
Prime Minister Abhisit said the Thai government has dealt with the four key cases mentioned in the latest HRW report in a legitimate and cautious manner. Those cases involve the use of violence against street protesters in April 2009 in Bangkok and at Al-Furqan mosque in Narathiwat southern province, the enforcement of the lese majeste law and computer information law, and imposition of the emergency decree to handle political rallies.
Ms Vimon Kidchob, in her capacity as Director-General of the Department of Information and Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, observed that the human rights group emphasized mainly upon the human rights abuses, but failed to take into consideration all the factual information and positive accomplishments occurring in Thailand over the previous year. It was deemed as unjust to paint a biased picture, giving the wrong impression that Thailand is backsliding on human rights. Thailand, as ASEAN Chairman, has successfully pushed forward several initiatives to promote human rights principles at the regional level, such as the inauguration of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights and the convening of interface meetings between ASEAN leaders and civil society representatives. At the national level, the Thai government has also made great strides in the protection and promotion of the rights and welfare of the people. Continue reading “Special Report: Thailand and human rights principles”
Tibetan MPs urge junta to hold free and fair elections
REPORT BY SALAI HAN THAR SAN
FRIDAY, 29 JANUARY 2010 16:38
Mrs. Dolma Gyari, the Deputy Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament has urged the Burmese military junta to hold free and fair general elections in 2010.
She said this while talking to Burmese democracy activists on January 25 during their three-day tour of Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh in India, the seat of the Tibetan government in exile. The Burmese activists were visiting Dharamsala at the invitation of Tibetan students.
“Elections are crucial for a democratic State. So, we would like to urge the military junta to ensure free and fair polls. The regime ought to give its people a chance to elect leaders they like,” Dolma Gyari told Mizzima.
But given that the junta is a repressive regime, it might manipulate people’s votes by pressurizing them, Dolma Gyari added.
“The Tibetan people and Tibetan parliament believe in free and fair elections. The people have the right to vote for the party they want to without fear. They have the right to choose. And the regime known to be repressive should not force the people to cast their vote in fear,” she said.
MPs of the Tibetan Parliament were elected by the popular vote of the Tibetan people in exile. Dolma Gyari was elected the first woman Deputy Speaker in 2001 and re-elected in 2006. The tenure of the current Parliament is from 2006 to 2011. Continue reading “Tibetan MPs urge junta to hold free and fair elections”
democracy for burma 
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