Weekly Diary, No. 164 (10 - 16 September 2005)

WORLD SUMMIT IN NEW YORK: HOPE OR GOAT?

Think Piece

We, the young, must be committed to democracy. We cannot be hypocritical about it, or define it to suit our peculiar agenda.

Chao Tzang Yawnghwe (1939-2004)
16 September 2001

We Americans represent less than 5% of the population of the world, but devour more than ผ of the fossil energy produced each year.

Jeremy Rifkin, author of The Hydrogen
Economy (2002), The Chosun (Korea),
7 September 2005

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The World

9 September

courtesy: washingtonpost.com

The upcoming World Summit, 14-16 September, is in danger of being a fiasco due to a small number of "spoiler countries" including the United States, India, Egypt, Algeria, Pakistan, Venezuela, Cuba, Iran, Syria, Russia, Turkmenistan, Belarus, Burma and Vietnam.
(IPS)

11 September

Jurichiro Koizumi wins 296 seats in the 480 house of parliament.
(AFP)

12 September

China and India will, for the first time since the 1962 war, reopen the Nathu La pass trading point between Sikkim and Tibet on 2 October.
(AFP)

International Relations

6 September

Immigrant applicants from North Korea and Burma have been elevated to priority level 3.
(Chosun Ilbun/VOB)

7 September

courtesy: Khitpyaing Journal

Donors will donate only when they wish to, when they believe it's worthy and necessary, says Ko Ko Gyi, former student leader. "We cannot respond with words like they shouldn't have done it, it doesn't matter if they don't donate". The interview comes a day after ex-student activists urged both the military and the opposition to work together to prevent occasions like the recent pullout of Global Fund from Burma.
(VOA)

7 September

Long March by 10 Burmese elders from Washington D.C. ends in front of the UN building in New York.
(VOB)

9 September

Deutsche Welle, German public television broadcaster, signs agreement offering state-owned MRTV retransmission rights for free on its programs.
(Irrawaddy)

10 September

US Campaign for Burma is joining hands with local relief organizations to help Katrina survivors. "Many Burmese people feel a special debt to the US and the American people … We hope that in our own small way we can help to repay the enormous debt we owe to the people and leaders of the United States," reads the USB press release.
(Mizzima)

12 September

Burma is placed among the bottom 6 nations in the 2005 annual report on Economic Freedom of the World. Hong Kong retains the highest rating followed by Singapore.
(Text)

12 September

Condoleeza Rice, at a meeting with Asean Foreign ministers in New York, singles out Burma by expressing concern to counterpart Nyan Win over Rangoon's slow progress over political and human rights reform. "Burma's out of step with the rest of the world," she is quoted as saying.
(Irrawaddy)

13 September

Aung Naing Oo, Burmese analyst, says opposition groups and rights groups need to tell the American government what needs to be done to encourage the junta and the opposition to cooperate and work for change, apart from urging it to impose sanctions.
(BBC)

14 September

Agreement over a Human Rights Council fails to materialize prior to the opening of World Summit, disappointing major rights groups like Amnesty, Human Rights Watch and Oxfam.
(Irrawaddy)

Thai-Burma Relations

10-16 September

Chiangmai Employment Office discloses that only 42,000 alien workers had applied for work permits on 31 August, less than the previous year's figure, 48,000.
(Chiangmai Mail)

12 September

The government's green light for alien workers to move from one place to another is keeping some of them out of the system and creating room for health hazards, a 45 member House labor committee concludes. It finds the government's approval for alien workers to change their locations discourage employers from registering them "because the expense of the application will be wasted if their workers flee".

In Tak, 122,896 workers were originally registered but only 42,935 of them have obtained work permits. Nationwide 1.1 million alien workers were registered, but only 700,000 applied for permits. Many also carry lung disease, syphilis and elephantitis.
(Bangkok Post)

13 September

Thailand gives more aid to the world's poorest nations than most rich countries do, if measured as a percentage of its income, a UN report says. Thailand gave $167 million in 2003, mostly on infrastructure projects in Burma, Laos and Cambodia. At least 93% of its assistance goes to least developed countries compared to OECD  Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development 33%. Thailand spends 0.12% of its income on aid to the poorest countries compared to 0.04% for Japan and US. But Thailand also imports more from the poorest countries, including electricity form Laos and gas form Burma.
(AFP)

13 September

Thailand has extremely low tariff barriers on imports form least developed countries, allowing them to sell easily into its booming market.
(Financial Times)

13 September

courtesy: bangkokpost.com

GMM Grammy boss Paiboon Damrongchaitham, who is believed to be close to Prime Minister Thaksin, announces it has acquired a 32.23% stake in Matichon as well as a 23.6% stake in Bangkok Post.
(Bangkok Post) PHOTO BP 14/9/05

14 September

Thailand has joined Eye in the Sky or Eis, a 4-nation pact to protect the 805-km Straits of Malacca, it was revealed at a meeting of defense ministers in Jakarta last week. The others are Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.
(Bangkok Post)

Politics

8 August

An adhoc committee has been formed in 8 August by the Wa National Organization, whose leader Ta Mahasang is under detention by Thai authorities on drug charges. The provisional 5-men committee is headed by Col Ta Moeng. A Wa youth group has also been formed yesterday which elected Ai Lone, Nyi Lu and Ta Panya as Chairman, Vice Chairman and General Secretary respectively.
(NDF)

24 August

Bo Ye Htut, one of the 2 remaining survivors of the legendary 30-comrades, goes to hospital. The other is Bo Kyaw Zaw who is taking asylum in China.
(DVB)

9 September

The New Mon State Party has not received its 4 million kyat ($4,000) per month subsidy for 2 months, says spokesman Kwe Hong Mon.

The SPDC has also tightened restrictions on the party's business interest, particularly the logging industry.
(Irrawaddy)

12 September

Hla Ohn May, wife of activist Min Tun Way, who died in Moulmein prison on 30 May, 2 days after he was arrested on unknown charges and sentenced to 7 year imprisonment, was told by prison authorities his remains has been buried. She is seeking legal help from NLD lawyers, following local authorities' refusal to take action. Min Tun Way's case is the third known case this year when Burmese officials "disappeared" the remains of their prisoners. The other two cases are those of Aung Hlaing Win and Saw Stanford of Einme township.
(DVB)

13 September

The New Mon State Party, Democratic Karen Buddhist Army and Karen People's Force (Hawngtharaw peace group) have been asked by the SPDC to report their strengths to the Army since last week.
(FIG)

14 September

Sakhong Ting Ring of New Democratic Army-Kachin, a ceasefire group, is toppled by Secretary Layawk Zelum. The reason behind the overthrow is still unknown.
(Mizzima/BBC)

Shans

8 September

Sao Oo Kya, who was arrested on 3 August, is on trial in the Kyaukme district court. He is facing 3 charges: Violating restrictions of movement, defamation  Section 124 (Ka) and Violating Library and Museum law. Authorities are preparing a new charge: meeting tourists illegally. He is allowed to hire a defense counsel.
(DVB)

10 September

The SSA 3rd Brigade starts moving to Hsengkeow, 30 miles south of its base Oom Mu. Oom Mu is 8 miles west of Hsipaw and Hsengkeow, 20 miles south of Hsipaw. (Mizzima)
Further pressure however will only force the group to take up arms against the junta, warns a high ranking officer.
(DVB)

11 September

Activists in Chiangmai hold birthday party for imprisoned leader Hkun Htun Oo, who turns 62 today.
(DVB/ S.H.A.N.)

Economics/Business

5 September

A fight breaks out among jobless 300 gem diggers in Monghsu's Loi Hsawng Htao, during a scramble to get choice items among the junk pile. The mines have been closed since mid-July following landslides caused by heavy rainfall.
(Mizzima)

7 September

Business circles in Rangoon and Mandalay have been finding it difficult to adjust themselves to the new tax hike that was imposed without prior notice.
(VOB)

9 September

The new bridge between Ruili and Zegao, opposite Muse, opened. It was constructed in 2002.
(NMG)

12 September

According to junta statistics, foreign investment in Burma rose 34% to $128.09 million in 2004 from $95.32 million in 2003. South Korea, China and Thailand invested $112.25 million in oil and gas contracts, China alone more than $66 million.

Natural gas sales slipped 9% to $578 million in the same period, down from $636 million in 2003. Gas constitutes 23% of Burma's export revenue in 2004, with Thailand being the primary market.
(AP)

Human Rights

7 September

A police officer Kyaw Htay assaulted by youths in Lashio and his pistol taken by the attackers.
(Mizzima)

8 September

Secretary-1 Thein Sein says admission rate for children over 5 years old has increased 6.58% from 91% in 1999-2000 academic year. Literacy rate has also increased to 94.1% from 83% in 1996. In contrast, education expert Dr Thein Lwin says the number of illiterate children is on the rise. Parents are facing difficulty in making a living, so they cannot send their children to school. Compulsary donation rates for schools are also too high, says a former university lecturer. UNESCO's last year report said there is a 45% drop out in the primary schools.
(New Era Journal)

8 September

Ex-Karen National Union members taking refuge in Thailand's Kanchanaburi are being lured to surrender. Each is being offered 100,000 kyat ($100). About 16ex KNU men have already surrendered, according to a villager.
(DVB)

9 September

The Full Gospel Assembly, a rapidly growing church in downtown Rangoon, has been ordered to cease all activities including weekly worship services. Many local residents are said to have converted from Buddhism to Christianity.
(Irrawaddy)

12 September

Internet Service Provider to be established by Canada's Teleglobe and Burma's Ahaed will become another ISP in the country, following the one set up by Bagan Cybertech in 2001. The number of internet users has stood over 70,000. Two years ago, it was only 30,000.
(Xinhua)

14 September

The future of Myanmar Times, published by the 49% foreign-owned Myanmar Consolidated Media, has been uncertain after several key investors have been forced to sell their shares by the Ministry of Information. Yamin Htin Aung, wife of Sonny Swe, son of ousted MI officer Thein Swe, both of whom are in jail, has been told by the authorities to sell her shares to Dr Tin Tun Oo, who is known to have close ties to the Ministry of Information.
(Mizzima)

14 September

Floods that begun on 5 September have killed at least 5 in Magwe, devastating homes and drowning cattle.
(Mizzima)

Drugs

29 August 

After 5 years and billions of US aid in the drug war, cocaine production still thrive in Columbia. The program has helped slash coca farming in Putumayao department by more than 90%, where half of all coco were cultivated 5 years ago. But the crackdown had the effect of dispersing growers: the number of departments where the plant is cultivated has risen from a dozen five years ago to 20 today. "This is a source of frustration," says William Wood, US Ambassador to Columbia. "There is much that we don’t know about drug trafficking.
(Newsweek)

10 September

Burma Army seizes up to a ton of heroin and methamphetamine in Mongpiang. The Wa feel being double-crossed.
(S.H.A.N.)

12 September

China and Burma are the world's top makers of amphetamine-type stimulants, says Akira Fujino, head of Bangkok-based UNODC. Of the estimated 400 tons they make each year, three quarters is methamphetamine and one quarter ecstasy pills. They are also produced in the Philippines and Fiji. "All you need is to get the starting materials and then any urban laboratory can be established anywhere in the world, small or otherwise big factories."
(Reuters)