Weekly Diary, No. 272 (20 – 26 October 2007)

Weekly Diary, No. 272 (20 – 26 October 2007)

• THE LADY MEETS JUNTA LIAISON!
• OPPOSITION LEADERS DISMISS DISINTEGRATION OF BURMA SHOULD JUNTA FALLS
• GAMBARI AND PINHEIRO TO BE BACK SOON!

 
Think Piece
The lowest ebb is the turning of the tide.

_{Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-82), American writer}

The World
22 October 2007
21-member Tamil Tiger suicide squad attacks key airbase north of Colombo in a joint ground and air assault, leaving 3 dead, including themselves. (Agencies)

International Relations
19 October 2007
Nyo Ohn Myint, foreign policy advisor to NLD, who is speaking at a seminar in Taipei, says Asean’s immediate task is to bring the ruling junta to the negotiating table. “We need benchmark, not sanctions or isolation”. (The Straits Times)
 
20 October 2007
_{George W. Bush}
President Bush orders the Treasury Department to freeze the US assets of additional members of the junta and tighten controls on US exports to Burma. (AP) Seven firms blacklisted by the US includes 3 companies with strong links to Singapore: Pavo Trading, Air Bagan Holdings and Htoo Wood Product. (AFP)
 
21 October 2007
Singapore’s ministry of foreign affairs officials meet Ibrahim Gambari to assure the country will do all it can to support national reconciliation and a political solution in Burma. (VOA)
 
22 October 2007
Russia welcomes decision by Burma’s junta to set up a constitution drafting commission on 18 October. (TASS)
 
22 October 2007
Three broad trends that have emerged from last month’s crackdown in Burma:

• A stronger coalition of countries calling for tougher action against the junta
• Acknowledgement of pivotal role played by China and other neighboring countries in a peaceful transition in the months and years to come
• A strong coalition of human rights and civil society organizations raising awareness about junta atrocities

The opportunity has come and must not be lost to make sure that the regime will not come back and fight another day. (The Nation)
 
22 October 2007
_{FM George Yeo}
FM George Yeo, responding in Parliament, says there have not been any defense sales to Burma in recent years. Other responses:

• Singapore did not set up a listening facility to monitor civil dissidents
• Economic links limited. Trade last year amounted to $ 1 billion or 0.1% of Singapore’s total trade
• Burma #50 among trading partners. Cumulative investments by Singapore firms was just $742 million at the end of 2005

(The Straits Times)
 
22 October 2007
_{Paulo Sergio Pinheiro}
UN says Burma has agreed to the first visit by UN human rights rapporteur Paulo Sergio Pinheiro in 4 years. It may take place before a regional summit in Singapore next month, according to spokeswoman Michele Montas. (AFP)
 
23 October 2007
Gambari is ‘very satisfied’ at the Indian response but no details divulged. He met PM and FM of India. (Mizzima)
 
23 October 2007
Women activists hiding in Burma report to the UN Security Council women dissidents are being hunted down, subject to mistreatment and sexual harassment. One pregnant woman was attacked by soldiers, bayoneted and burned alive, according to an activist. (Irrawaddy) US Security Council discusses gender-based violence with some nations singling out the role of the military in Burma. (Irrawaddy)
 
23 October 2007
International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) says it wants to keep up pressure on corporations that help prop up the Burmese regime, singling out French oil company Total. (AP)
 
23 October 2007
_{Ibrahim Gambari}
Burma agrees to a return visit by UN mediator Ibrahim Gambari in early November. (AFP)
 
23 October 2007
A week long fact finding mission to the Thai-Burma border, an endeavor by the International Federation of Human Rights (IFHR) and International Trade Unions Confederation (ITUC), reports unanimous support for increased pressure on the junta. Sanctions hurt the regime and the crony elite, not the people living from agriculture and informal economy, the mission was repeatedly told. (Mizzima)
 
24 October 2007
India, supported by China and Russia, issues statement opposing sanctions on Burma. (PTI)
 
24 October 2007
Bowing to pressure, several activists are being released ahead of the visit by UN rights rapporteur Pinheiro, who was formally invited on 19 October to make the trip before 17 November. (Mizzima)
 
24 October 2007
_{Dr Sein Win}
Dr Sein Win, head of Burma’s government in exile, receives a special medal for Aung San Suu Kyi by the Trinity College’s Historical Society in Dublin. (AFP)

24 October 2007
Amnesty International demands release of long-standing prisoners of conscience in Burma, including Aung San Suu Kyi, Win Tin and Khun Tun Oo. (PR Newswire)
 
24 October 2007
_{Hillary Clinton}
16 US women senators including Hillary Clinton have called on India to pressure Burma. (Mizzima)

25 October 2007
_{Jimmy Carter}
Former US President Jimmy Carter offers to act as a mediator to Burma in response to the junta’s recent crackdown on protesters. (Guardian Unlimited)

25 October 2007
_{Sonia Gandhi}
Sonia Gandhi visits China. Meanwhile Indian and Chinese foreign ministers Pranab Mukherjee and Yang Jiachi hold talks in Harbin. They exchange views on how to “appropriately solve the Burma issue.” (DPA)

26 October 2007
Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) that sent a delegation to Burma to meet the country’s Institute for Strategic and International Studies, only days after the violent crackdown, says the junta media had given the trip a blanket coverage despite its request to keep the meeting secret. Der Spiegel says FES had fallen into a “propaganda trap.” (Irrawaddy)
 
26 October 2007
Ethnic leaders dismiss talks of Burma’s collapse should junta fall.

• These viewpoints are in line with what the junta says. Conflict in Burma is a fight against the military rulers, not one among ethnicities. (Mahn Sha)
• If we get autonomy and equal rights, I don’t see any problems among us. (Dr Tuja)
• Many people feared Balkanization after the fall of Sukarno but the transition in Indonesia went more smoothly than expected. Why not in Burma? (Bertil Lintner)
• A better government will be formed after the fall of the military regime. (Lao Hseng, SSA)

(Irrawaddy)

Thai-Burma Relations
19 October 2007
_{Surayud Chulanont}
PM Surayud Chulanont’s second letter urging the Burmese junta to clear the way for UN special envoy to spend some time there working towards democracy and national reconciliation delivered. The first letter, sent early this month, urged the junta to restrain from using force against the protesters. (The Nation)
 
20 October 2007
Deputy Public Health Minister Vallop Thainuea says according to records from health examinations of 537,164 registered migrant workers in 62 provinces last year:

• 3,314   diagnosed with TB
• 1,757   with syphilis

(Bangkok Post)
 
23 October 2007

A Thai animation film, Life of the Buddha, will be screened across the kingdom on 5 December to celebrate His Majesty’s 80th birthday. (Bangkok Post)

25 October 2007
Thailand will launch a nationwide search of pro-democracy Burmese opposition groups’ offices in two weeks, according to informed sources, following complaints by the junta that last month’s protests were instigated by Thai-based organizations. (Mizzima)

Politics/ Inside Burma
20 October 2007
Junta issues unusual plea in state media for Aung San Suu Kyi to meet certain conditions set by it in an effort to hold talks with her. “There should be some form of compromise. If one side makes a concession, the other side should do so.” (AP)
 
20-22 October 2007
Junta media occupies itself with news of the staging of the drama Suvannasama, an old Buddhist epic with a win-win solution sown into the plot, watched by junta top generals. (Irrawaddy)
 
22 October 2007
Pulling the Plug: A Technical Review of the Internet Shutdown in Burma, put out by the Open Net Initiative (ONI), reports the SPDC as the second government to ever completely turn the internet off, the other occurrence coming in Nepal in 2005. (Mizzima)
 
23 October 2007
Win Min, researcher, says Than Shwe is simply reacting pressures coming not only from the international community but also from inside the military. (Mizzima)
 
24 October 2007
_{Thein Sein}
Junta announces new reshuffle of senior officials:

• Thein Sein                   Prime Minister
• Tin Aung Myint Oo    Secretary 1
• Aung Kyi                    Labor minister
• Thein Htay                  Deputy Defense minister

(Mizzima)
 
25 October 2007

Aung San Suu Kyi meets for one hour with newly appointed liaison minister Aung Kyi, reputed to be relatively accessible and reasonable compared to top junta leaders. (AP)
 
25 October 2007
Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) issues statement it will consult with the Kachin people to change its nomenclature “in accordance with its efforts to establish a federal union.” (Statement)

Protests aftermath
19 October 2007
Family members of U Gambira, a leader of the All Burma Monks Alliance, have been arrested. They include his mother, 1 sister and 2 brothers. His father and another sister are on the run. His hometown is Pauk in Magwe division. (DVB)
 
19 October 2007
As Burma’ junta clamps down on citizen journalists in the wake of the repression unleashed on monks and pro-democracy protesters, the media-in-exile are hard put to maintain the information flow. Where there was free flow of information during the crackdown last month, there is now just a trickle. People are too afraid to talk on the phone. (IPS)
 
21 October 2007
U Obhasa, one of the monks being hunted down by the junta, says the demonstrations may resume in Burma in late October. (Irrawaddy)
Something will surely happy by 30 days after the Buddhist lent which ends on 26 October, says a monk from Rangoon. (New York Sun)
 
23 October 2007
NLD spokesman Myint Thein, who had been arrested on 27 September for taking part in protests, is in deteriorating health inside Insein jail, according to family members. (Mizzima)
 
24 October 2007
Paulo Sergio Pinheiro says 30-40 monks and 50-70 civilians may have been killed in the crackdown. (Irrawaddy)
 
25 October 2007
Annual donations of rice to temples go ahead to Magwe division. Only one monk from each temple is invited to the ceremony. (DVB)
 
26 October 2007
NLD spokesman Nyan Win says at least 70 people detained by the military have been released. (AP)
 
26 October 2007

Rangoon residents says Shwedagon and Sule pagoda are tightly guarded. Worshippers coming to the shrines marking the end of Buddhist Lent are required to show their ID cards. In Pakokku, monks are still holding the alms boycott, according to a source. (Irrawaddy)
 
26 October 2007
Ashin Kovida, 24, one the leaders of recent protests, interviewed in Maesod. (New York Times)

Solidarity
21 October 2007
Over 20,000 Christians gather in Manipur to pray for Burma. The campaign is organized by Myanmar Christians Fellowships. (Asia News)
 
24 October 2007
Demonstrators target a dozen Chinese embassies worldwide. They include those in Bangkok, Sydney, London, Paris, Berlin, Dublin, Vienna, Washington, Toronto, New York, Brasilia and Capetown. (Irrawaddy)

Shans/ Shan State
18 October 2007
The Peace and Democracy Front, formed by Wa, Kokang and Mongla, calls for avoidance of bloodshed and an inclusive dialogue supported by the UN. The front prefers the emergence of an elected government but until such time “will preserve the leadership of the present military government.” It also welcomes UN as mediator. (Statement)
 
19 October 2007

More than 300 Shans hold ceremony wishing return of good health for HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej. (SHAN)

Economy/ Business
23 October 2007
Apart from Air Bagan, Myanmar Airways International (MAI) has also reduced it flights. Air Mandalay claims business is running as usual. (Irrawaddy)
 
23 October 2007
New Light of Myanmar (NLOM) says its mid-year gems emporium has been postponed from 7-19 November to 14-26 November. (Xinhua)
 
23 October 2007
Switzerland has returned seafood and fish products back to Burma, while South Africa has sent back clothing made in Myanmar. The two countries have not officially announced a boycott. (Irrawaddy)
 
24 October 2007
The Reserve Bank of Australia announces imposition of financial sanctions against 418 Burmese generals and their family members. (Mizzima)
 
24 October 2007
Money transfers between Burma and Singapore through the United Overseas Bank have been canceled indefinitely and non-bank money transfers via agents from Thailand to Burma have been suspended temporarily, say business sources, due to “uncertain situation in Burma.” (Irrawaddy)
 
25 October 2007
Air Bagan of tycoon Tayza announces it will suspend flights to Singapore as of 4 November, following information by its Singapore bank “they will no longer deal with us for the time being.” (Irrawaddy) Htet Tayza, 19, his son, who flies back and forth between Burma and Singapore once a week, says western democracies are overreacting to junta action against protests over “a little fuel price hike”. (Irrawaddy)

Human Rights
19 October 2007
_{Paul Risley}
One in ten Burmese is going to bed hungry and an estimated 5 million do not have enough food, says Paul Risley, a World Food Program (WFP) official. The WFP is able to provide food to about 500,000, a tenth of the needy. (The Independent)
 
25 October 2007
Half a million people in eastern Burma have been displaced by attacks and destruction by the Burma Army, says Human Rights Watch. (DPA)

Environment
22 October 2007

The dam on the Irrawaddy will not only hurt the 10,000 farmers in the area but also the whole Irrawaddy basin where more than 60% of Burma’s rice is annually produced, says Kachin Democratic Networking Group which launches its report Damming the Irrawaddy today. (SHAN)

Drugs
21 October 2007

_{Image: Bangkok Post}

Mayakee Yago, suspected drug ringleader in Thailand’s Deep South, arrested. The arrest follows major seizure in Chiangmai on 9 October. The 4.2 kg heroin was believed to have come from the Wa. (Agencies)

War
19 October 2007
_{Thura Shwe Mann}
General Thura Shwe Mann has effectively taken over day-to-day command of the armed forces and the country’s internal affairs, according to unconfirmed reports. (Irrawaddy)