Weekly Diary, No. 225 (18 - 24 November 2006)

Weekly Diary, No. 225 (18 - 24 November 2006)
 

• WASHINGTON LOOKS TO COSY RELATIONS WITH BURMA!
• BANGKOK-PYINMANA RELATIONS: CHANGE IN STYLE BUT NOT IN SUBSTANCE?
• PR ON GRAFT COMPLAINTS SHUNNED BY POPULACE!
• MORE PUBLIC AWARENESS ON HIV/AIDS VITAL!

Think Piece
Investment in Burma
There are echoes here of the way Chinese energy contracts with Sudan are freeing Khartoum to pursue its murderous campaign in Darfur, in spite of international condemnation.
The Independent (London), 18 November 2006

The World
17 November 2006
UN draft resolution sponsored by Belarus and Uzbekistan, both accused of serious rights abuses, to discourage condemnation of any country on human rights, approved by the UN General Assembly's human rights committee by 77-63 votes. It now goes to the full 192 member General Assembly for a final vote. (AP)
 
21 November 2006

Girija Prasad Koirala
Nepalese PM Girija Prasad Koirala and Maoist rebel leader Prachanda sign peace accord paving the way for the guerrillas to join the interim government. (Agencies)
 
21 November 2006
Manmohan Singh and Hu Jintao
Presidents Hu Jintao and Manmohan Singh agree to a 10-point plan to boost their friendship and reduce mistrust. (Reuters)
The rivalry between China and India in places like Burma and Sudan matters less than the fact that both are investing heavily there, frustrating western efforts to isolate the regimes in Rangoon and Khartoum. (The Guardian-London)
 
21 November 2006
UNAIDS says there are 11,000 new infections everyday bringing the number living with HIV virus to 39.5 million.
960.000 Asians were newly infected over the past year while about 630.000 died of related illness. The number of infected Asians are 8.6 million of whom 5.7 million are Indians. (AFP)

 
International Relations
16 November 2006
New Light of Myanmar says occupation of Iraq, "the most powerful country in the Middle East (during the time of Saddam Hussein)", proves sanctions and invasion are not the path to democracy. (AP)
 
17 November 2006
ICRC's deputy head for Burma Thierry Ribauh says it has been informed that field activities from now on would have to be carried out from Rangoon and prison visits would no longer be possible. Out of ICRC's 5 field offices, only Hpa-an, where it has an orthopedic project, continues to operate. (DVB)
 
18 November 2006

President Bush
Meeting with 7 Asean leaders on the sidelines of APEC in Hanoi, President Bush calls conditions in Burma "totally unacceptable," and urges them to get the junta "to move in a positive direction" toward greater freedom and participation in the government by the people. (Bangkok Post)
 
18 November 2006

Condoleeza Rice
The US looks to the day when cooperation is possible with Burma and with North Korea, Condoleeza Rice tells a forum on the APEC sidelines. The new partnership between the US and Vietnam shows how the past can be overcome, she says. (AFP)
 
19 November 2006

Syed Hamid Albar
Malaysian FM Syed Hamid Albar says Aung San Suu Kyi should be released. (AFP)
 

22 November 2006
UN General Assembly committee handling human rights rebukes Burma in a resolution passed by a vote of 70 to 28 with 63 abstentions. (Reuters)
 
25 November 2006
Women's League of Burma denounces SPDC for claiming at the UNSC 1325 open debate last month that the regime had a "zero tolerance policy with regard to violence against women and girls". "It is frankly outrageous that the regime, which has been systematically committing violence against women nationwide, is shamelessly posturing as a protector of women's rights", it says in a statement issued to mark the International Day for the Eradication of Violence Against Women. (Statement)

 
Thai-Burma Relations
22 November 2006
The first of 7 legal assistance centers designed to tackle crime in refugee camps opened by UNHCR at Banmai Naisoy in Maehongson. The overall goal, says Hasim Utakan, UNHCR regional representative, is to promote the rule of law and improve access to the Thai justice system. (DVB)
 
23 November 2006
PM Surayud Chulanont pays 'courtesy call' on Burma. According to FM Nitya Pibulsonggram, Thailand is free of the cozy, commercial relationship that developed under Thaksin Shinawatra. Deals struck under him will be reviewed to ensure they were clean and corruption free. Panitan Wattanayakorn, Chulalongkorn analyst meanwhile says Thailand cannot afford to see bilateral relations with Burma deteriorate. (Bangkok Post)
The country nevertheless is to pursue its co-investment in energy affairs by encouraging the PTT to make additional investment in petroleum exploration and finance at least "one more major dam" in Burma. (Bangkok Post.com) The projected dam is at Hatgyi, Karen State (1,200 MW). (Manager Online)
 
23 November 2006

PM Soe Win and PM Surayud Chulanont

PM Surayud received by his counterpart Soe Win. Meets Than Shwe and Maung Aye. Issues discussed:

• $ 100 million loan to Burma approved by Thaksin must be dealt directly with Exim Bank and not with the Thai government

• His government will honor all projects and cooperation commitments made by Thaksin, based on transparency, public interests and benefit

• Illegal laborers

• Energy cooperation

• Closer joint effort on drugs

• To heed comments made by Asean countries about slow progress to democracy in Burma (Bangkok Post)

 
Politics/ Inside Burma
15 November 2006
Maj-Gen Moe Hein, commandant of Rangoon's National Defense College, recently arrested. He is well-known for charging 3-5 million kyat ($ 2,400-4,000) for writing recommendation letters of officials seeking promotions. Other sources meanwhile say Maj-Gen Aung Kyi, deputy minister for Immigration and Population, and Brig-Gen Win Sein, deputy minister for labor, were also arrested for corruption. (Irrawaddy)
 
16 November 2006

Aung San Suu Kyi

Detained Aung San Suu Kyi receives ultrasound medical checkup. Initial reports seem to indicate she is in good health. (Irrawaddy)
 

21 November 2006
Invitations to lodge graft complaints against state officials notwithstanding, two men from Bogalay township. Irrawaddy division, have been sentenced to 2 years in prison after filing a corruption complaint against local authorities. Lawyer Aung Thein says Win Nyunt, a USDA member, and Aye Min, headmaster of a primary school, were arrested after complaining that village authorities had siphoned money from their yearly agriculture loans. The military's invitations have been widely ignored in Burma, where people fear retributions for reporting the irregularities. (DVB)
 
21 November 2006
Ludu Daw Ahmar, 91, who had lived under British colonialism for 33 years, says, "Never in my life have I seen people so destitute and full of sufferings as today." (DVB)

 
Shans/ Shan State
18-19 November 2006

Shans mark New Year 2101 in Shan State, China, Thailand and abroad. (S.H.A.N.)
 

22 November 2006

Col Yawdserk

Col Yawdserk, during the New Year celebrations in Doi Taileng base, reiterates his policy to cooperate with the Thai government against narcotics trade along the border. (Manager Online)

 
Economy/ Business
15 November 2006
Energy rich Burma purchased record fuel imports in August and September, 7 Day News reports:

• August            $ 174.98 million

• September       $ 357.22 million

The total exceed recent yearly figures:

• 2003-04           $ 200 million

• 2004-05           $ 250 million (Xinhua)

 
17 November 2006
On a recent trip to Vietnam, a delegation from Burma went to find out why the country had become so suddenly prosperous. The Vietnamese said one word: 'The Americans'. The Burmese could not believe that after fighting a war, Vietnam was friendly with the United States. (NYT)
 
17 November 2006
Burma had declined to sign the UN-backed Trans Asian Railway (TAR), dubbed the Iron Silk Road, at the Pusan Conference, 10-11 November. (Irrawaddy)
 
17 November 2006
Burma and Laos are expected to levy fees on container transport on the Mekong early next year:

• Those weighing less than 100 tons - $ 40

• Those weighing more than 100 tons - $ 50

The transport of goods on the Mekong is cheaper than the route to Thailand via Tachilek. (Irrawaddy)
 
22 November 2006
Border trade between India's Moreh and Burma has been at a standstill since teachers imposed a ban on the highway connecting the main cities of the two countries since 16 November. The teachers have been protesting against the Manipuri government's failure to regularize services of primary teachers. (Mizzima)
 
23 November 2006
Visiting Chinese deputy minister for commerce Chen Jian signs a deal with Burma to grant a low-interest $ 38 million and cancel $ 30 million in debt owed by Burma. (AP)

 
Human Rights
15 November 2006
Researcher Guy Horton says the killings in Burma is on the same scale with what Saddam Hussien did to Kurds in Iraq. "It is an attempted form of genocide," he claims. Between 1996-2005, an estimated 2,800 villagers have been destroyed at gunpoint. (Embassy Canada)
 
17 November 2006
There is severe shortages in this Garden of Eden. At Magwe University, medical students cannot work on human corpses because the government refuses to pay for formal dehyde. (NYT)
 
21-23 November 2006
Nearly 100 reporters, authors and editors from Burma's exile media groups hold Burma Media Conference IV in Chiangmai. A new 7 member Burma Journalists Protection Committee elected. (Irrawaddy/SHAN)

 
Environment
16 November 2006
The journey from Jinghong to Chiangsaen in a boat takes 9 hours, 3 hours faster than in 2001, as 10 major rapids have been removed. Only the Khon Pi Long rapid along the Thai-Laos border is retained due to fierce local opposition.
Many Burmese and Thai laborers in Chiang Saen are found carrying goods from Chinese boats to warehouses, "When fishermen can't fish and farmers can't grow vegetables, they become laborers," says Miti Yaprasit of Rak Chiang Saen Group. (Bangkok Post)
 
17 November 2006
Energy-rich Burma lives in the dark most of the time. (NYT)
 
24 November 2006
Dr Myat Htoo Razak, grandson of one of Burma's martyred heroes U Razak, urges the media to play a greater role in raising public awareness of the threat of HIV/AIDS. (Irrawaddy/SHAN)
 
24 November 2006
Two-day conference in Chiangmai of Thai scholars and National Human Rights Commission members urges Bangkok to abandon plans to build hydro-electric plans on the Salween and Mekong. (Irrawaddy)

 
Drugs
17 November 2006
The new bridge at Ze-en, 12 miles from Lashio on the way to Hsipaw, collapses following today's opening, killing at least 2 and injuring another 2. The bridge was built by Law Hsinghan's Asia World Company. (Network Media Group)

22 November 2006
Pyi Myanmar weekly reports that a parcel for delivery to Taipei at a courier office was found to contain 46 golf balls each with a small bag of 25gm of heroin. (Bangkok Post)

 
War
16 November 2006
Ethnic Youth Network Group, an alliance of non-Burman nationalities, denounces Pyinmana for using arms and ammunitions provided by India for joint operation against anti-Delhi insurgents in its own war against Karens. (Statement)
 
18 November 2006
Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi is in Burma on a 5-day goodwill visit. (Indiannews.com)
 
24 November 2006

Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi and Than Shwe

Visiting Indian air chief has offered to sell Indian-made light helicopters that can be used both as gunships and for ferrying quick-reaction teams against insurgent forces. The Burmese have shown keen interest, says a staff officer who accompanies Air Chief Marshal Tyagi. (Irrawaddy)