25 August 2014 (NNT) – Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has officially entered an agreement with the United Nations to step up the clampdown on human-trafficking.
DSI chief Pol. Gen. Chatchaval Sooksomchit, on Monday, joined Mr. Jeremy Douglas, representative from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in the signing of an agreement to step up the cooperation to prevent and crack down on human-trafficking.
The DSI has been entrusted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice to sign the agreement which will lead to the organising of a workshop and the appointment of counsellors to an anti-human trafficking centre as well as the procurement of essential equipment for it.
Such a move is said to require two years to complete, with the U.S. government offering 15 million baht to go with Thailand’s allocation of 6 million baht to carry out the task.
Mr. Douglas said that the agreement is a good opportunity for both sides to step up the anti-human trafficking movement in ASEAN region before the cooperation moves on to take care of other problems in the future.
Five Japanese companies have concluded an agreement with Myanmar’s aviation authorities to improve the Southeast Asian nation’s airport infrastructure, it was announced on Sept. 20.
The five are Sumitomo Corp., NEC Corp., NEC Networks & System Integration Corp., Toshiba Corp. and Morita Corp.
Called the “Project for Improvement of Nationwide Airport Safety and Security,” the aim is to satisfy the International Civil Aviation Organization’s safety standards and modernize the equipment at major airports, such as in Yangon, Mandalay, Nyaung U, Heho, Thandwe and Dawei.
Sumitomo will coordinate the procurement and installment of needed equipment such as Doppler VHF omnidirectional radio range beacons, flight procedure design systems and communication control units to improve air traffic safety, as well as firefighting equipment, X-ray screening machines and explosive detection devices.
Aviation demand in Myanmar is increasing each year in both the number of passengers and the volume of cargo as it achieves greater economic development.
Myanmar’s government and the United Wa State Party (UWSP) have reached a five-point agreement, including an open and prompt action to discuss military affairs when the need arises.
The agreement was made after the talks between the Union Peacemaking Work Committee and UWSP held at the Golden Triangle Command in Kengtung, Shan State on Friday.
Committee Vice-Chairman Thein Zaw said the discussion took place in a both brotherly and friendly manner.
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“We discussed how we would approaches towards building lasting peace. We could resolve some difficulties. Problems can occur sometimes at a lower level. We held talks in a brotherly and friendly manner in order to prevent the problems from becoming worse,” Thein Zaw told the Daily Eleven.
All the problems with the southern Wa region also could be solved, he added.
agreement of uwsa 12 july
“All things went well. There was misunderstanding until both sides met personally. When we met, the problems were not that serious,” Thein Zaw said.
Lieutenant General Aung Than Htut from the Defence Services Commander-in-Chief’s Office told the Daily Eleven that military tension was caused partly because the government army surrounded the Wa outposts in the southern Wa region after they had failed to retreat as commended.
“All the problems have been solved. We have lived and continue to live in unity. We are like brothers. There is no doubt, no hatred between us. Problems erupted because of misunderstanding at a lower level, said Lt-Gen Aung Than Htut.
Wa leaders [through their interpreter] say today’s discussion produced good results, but declined to comment further.
“The southern issue is now OK. Further negotiation will come as the next step. We will continue our talks,” said Aung Myint, the spokesman for UWSP.
Kaukkawt Ann, the foreign affairs officer-in-charge and a politburo member for UWSP has led the Wa delegation which included 19 high-ranking members.
New tensions arose between both sides [government and Wa troops] last May when a rubber plantation owned by UWSP in Tachileik District in southern region of the Shan State was occupied by the government troops.
Tension has mounted since then as government demanded that Wa troops retreated from a various pockets in the region and back to their main bases in the south Wa region.
“It’s very good to have the agreement reached before a shot is fired,” said Win Tun, a union minister who attended the meeting.
The signed agreement paved the way to reach to a comprehensive cease-fire deal between Kachin Independence Army and Burmese Army. General Sumlut Gum Maw, KIA’s deputy chief of staff, said after the meeting that the agreement is not a complete cease-fire agreement, but it is the one that will lead towards a cease-fire agreement.
The statement also said that two parties agree in principle to establish Joint Monitoring Committees, to continue to discuss on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) resettlement, to establish a technical team based in Myitkyina, and to continue to allow the participation of observers.
The agreement was witnessed and signed by UN General Secretary’s special advisor Vijay Nambiar, Deputy Chief of Mission from Chinese Embasssy Lu Zhi, and representatives of armed ethnic groups KNPP, KNU, CNF, NMSP, RCSS/SSA, SSPP/SSA, UWSA and NDAA.
democracy for burma 
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