Burma Update
News and updates on Burma24 January 2006
Tsunami has eased Thais' attitude to Myanmese workers
scmp - Tuesday, January 24, 2006
ALAN MORISON on Phuket
Thailand may be becoming more aware of the plight of Myanmese workers in the wake of the tsunami's anniversary.
Thousands of Myanmese are employed in construction and fishing and on rubber and coconut plantations along Thailand's west coast. They mostly live in overcrowded shacks and shanty towns and are often subjected to curfews and harassment from local authorities.
The governor of the holiday island of Phuket, Udomsak Uswarangkura, said he had raised the Myanmese issue with Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to try improve their lot. The governor said there were 23,000 legal Myanmese workers on Phuket and at least 10,000 illegal ones, with thousands more in the provinces of Phang Nga and Ranong to the north.
Having built many of the resorts and hotels along the coast, the Myanmese workforce is now in the process of rebuilding them.
"Thailand needs their labour," the governor said. "The issue has to be well managed, with positive measures to correct the problem. The lives of the Myanmese are filled with uncertainty. We should give them certainty."
Almost all Myanmese are illegal immigrants but officials grant work permits to many, based on the needs of employers. Those who work illegally are rounded up periodically and trucked to the border with Myanmar.
The tsunami highlighted the plight of the Myanmese, who had to be coaxed to come forward to give details about dead family members and provide DNA to the international Thai Tsunami Victim Identification team.
Thirteen months after the tsunami, with most dead foreigners named and sent home, the bodies of Myanmese and poor Thais are being processed, with difficulty.
Delays and complications have been caused by the single names used by Myanmese, mispronunciations, lack of documents and the need for often-reluctant Thai employers to vouch for their identities.
Over the weekend, a 16-year-old Myanmese named King sat under a tree with friends, waiting his turn in the queue for body releases. His face had dabs of traditional face powder, and his baseball cap an image of an American eagle perched on a US flag.
His mother died of natural causes a month before the natural disaster killed his father.
Orphaned Khun King works on a construction site, following in the steps of his parents.
Not far away, relatives of another victim due for release look on as identification team members, in biological hazard suits, peel back a body bag to gaze on their long-dead loved one for the last time.
The vital factor that will enable King to pick up his father's body is the presence of his employers, K.B.Boonlert and his wife, Rang. They can establish to the satisfaction of the authorities that King is who he says he is - his father's son.
Unlike many employers, Ms Rang follows the law closely and registers all her Myanmese workers. Over the years, she has even developed a close bond with some of them as sons come to work alongside fathers and mothers.
"Treating people equally is not a problem," she said. "The Myanmese are good workers."
ALAN MORISON on Phuket
Thailand may be becoming more aware of the plight of Myanmese workers in the wake of the tsunami's anniversary.
Thousands of Myanmese are employed in construction and fishing and on rubber and coconut plantations along Thailand's west coast. They mostly live in overcrowded shacks and shanty towns and are often subjected to curfews and harassment from local authorities.
The governor of the holiday island of Phuket, Udomsak Uswarangkura, said he had raised the Myanmese issue with Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to try improve their lot. The governor said there were 23,000 legal Myanmese workers on Phuket and at least 10,000 illegal ones, with thousands more in the provinces of Phang Nga and Ranong to the north.
Having built many of the resorts and hotels along the coast, the Myanmese workforce is now in the process of rebuilding them.
"Thailand needs their labour," the governor said. "The issue has to be well managed, with positive measures to correct the problem. The lives of the Myanmese are filled with uncertainty. We should give them certainty."
Almost all Myanmese are illegal immigrants but officials grant work permits to many, based on the needs of employers. Those who work illegally are rounded up periodically and trucked to the border with Myanmar.
The tsunami highlighted the plight of the Myanmese, who had to be coaxed to come forward to give details about dead family members and provide DNA to the international Thai Tsunami Victim Identification team.
Thirteen months after the tsunami, with most dead foreigners named and sent home, the bodies of Myanmese and poor Thais are being processed, with difficulty.
Delays and complications have been caused by the single names used by Myanmese, mispronunciations, lack of documents and the need for often-reluctant Thai employers to vouch for their identities.
Over the weekend, a 16-year-old Myanmese named King sat under a tree with friends, waiting his turn in the queue for body releases. His face had dabs of traditional face powder, and his baseball cap an image of an American eagle perched on a US flag.
His mother died of natural causes a month before the natural disaster killed his father.
Orphaned Khun King works on a construction site, following in the steps of his parents.
Not far away, relatives of another victim due for release look on as identification team members, in biological hazard suits, peel back a body bag to gaze on their long-dead loved one for the last time.
The vital factor that will enable King to pick up his father's body is the presence of his employers, K.B.Boonlert and his wife, Rang. They can establish to the satisfaction of the authorities that King is who he says he is - his father's son.
Unlike many employers, Ms Rang follows the law closely and registers all her Myanmese workers. Over the years, she has even developed a close bond with some of them as sons come to work alongside fathers and mothers.
"Treating people equally is not a problem," she said. "The Myanmese are good workers."
22 January 2006
Junta faces revolt, Thai senator says
scmp - Saturday, January 21, 2006
JIM POLLARD in Bangkok
The junta's decision to shift the core of the Myanmese government to the new city of Pyinmana could open the door to democracy, a top Thai senator said this week.
"I think now the decision of the government to move the capital to Pyinmana, 400km north of Rangoon (Yangon), will definitely weaken the state's grip on the people," said Senator Kraisak Choonhavan.
"I think they have put themselves in a mine here. And I would encourage the Burmese (Myanmese) people to be ready for an uprising in a few months.
"If an uprising is popular, I don't think the officers will defend the SPDC (State and Development Council). I've heard officers are also quite discontented about what's going on.
"All countries are very worried - where are they going to put their embassies? There is an April deadline, I believe - it takes 12 hours to get up there [to Pyinmana from Yangon] - and they've got to pick their spot [where each embassy will be relocated to). There is something very seriously wrong in Burma [Myanmar] now," he said.
The senator, head of Thailand's upper house panel on foreign relations, suggested Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's business interests may have been allowed to influence relations with Yangon.
The problem was dealings with Yangon had now "gone way beyond constructive engagement", he said. The Thai government was "using taxpayers' money for roads in neighbouring countries built with forced labour".
Thailand's Export-Import Investment Bank had also financed billions of baht in "dubious deals", a large chunk of which would benefit a telecoms firm controlled by Mr Thaksin's family (which looked set yesterday to be taken over by the Singaporean state investment agency Temasek), he alleged.
"We find that unacceptable. These deals are not transparent and have not even passed by parliament," he said.
Under the previous Chuan Leekpai regime, Thais had been proud to host refugees from Myanmar and Cambodia, he said.
"But people in Thailand cannot accept befriending of a regime that has no human rights. It's a farce."
Hundreds of politically active Myanmese had been rounded up and packed off to the border refugee camps. There is now talk of extraditing them back to Myanmar.
"I am ashamed of my government's treatment of the refugees," he said.
Myanmar's military junta has accused an ethnic Shan militia waging a guerilla war for decades of forcibly recruiting child soldiers as young as 13.
Information Minister Brigadier-General Kyaw Hsan said 48 fighters of the Shan State Army (SSA) had surrendered or been captured this month.
Of several teenagers in the group, the youngest, a private called Soe Naing, was 13, he said.
JIM POLLARD in Bangkok
The junta's decision to shift the core of the Myanmese government to the new city of Pyinmana could open the door to democracy, a top Thai senator said this week.
"I think now the decision of the government to move the capital to Pyinmana, 400km north of Rangoon (Yangon), will definitely weaken the state's grip on the people," said Senator Kraisak Choonhavan.
"I think they have put themselves in a mine here. And I would encourage the Burmese (Myanmese) people to be ready for an uprising in a few months.
"If an uprising is popular, I don't think the officers will defend the SPDC (State and Development Council). I've heard officers are also quite discontented about what's going on.
"All countries are very worried - where are they going to put their embassies? There is an April deadline, I believe - it takes 12 hours to get up there [to Pyinmana from Yangon] - and they've got to pick their spot [where each embassy will be relocated to). There is something very seriously wrong in Burma [Myanmar] now," he said.
The senator, head of Thailand's upper house panel on foreign relations, suggested Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's business interests may have been allowed to influence relations with Yangon.
The problem was dealings with Yangon had now "gone way beyond constructive engagement", he said. The Thai government was "using taxpayers' money for roads in neighbouring countries built with forced labour".
Thailand's Export-Import Investment Bank had also financed billions of baht in "dubious deals", a large chunk of which would benefit a telecoms firm controlled by Mr Thaksin's family (which looked set yesterday to be taken over by the Singaporean state investment agency Temasek), he alleged.
"We find that unacceptable. These deals are not transparent and have not even passed by parliament," he said.
Under the previous Chuan Leekpai regime, Thais had been proud to host refugees from Myanmar and Cambodia, he said.
"But people in Thailand cannot accept befriending of a regime that has no human rights. It's a farce."
Hundreds of politically active Myanmese had been rounded up and packed off to the border refugee camps. There is now talk of extraditing them back to Myanmar.
"I am ashamed of my government's treatment of the refugees," he said.
Myanmar's military junta has accused an ethnic Shan militia waging a guerilla war for decades of forcibly recruiting child soldiers as young as 13.
Information Minister Brigadier-General Kyaw Hsan said 48 fighters of the Shan State Army (SSA) had surrendered or been captured this month.
Of several teenagers in the group, the youngest, a private called Soe Naing, was 13, he said.
10 January 2006
Burma retreating further into isolation as UN envoy quits
Sarah Stewart
MalaysiaKini - Jan 9, 06 8:52am
Burma's ruling generals have retreated further into isolation by forcing a frustrated United Nations envoy to quit and shunning neighbouring nations' attempts to push for reforms.
The departure of Razali Ismail, who has been denied entry to the country for almost two years, comes at a critical time for the secretive regime which is about to be the subject of a formal briefing at the UN Security Council.
Its one-time supporters in the region have taken a tough new stance, with the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) demanding steps towards democracy and the release of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
At a summit here last month they secured an agreement for Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar to visit Burma in January to check on the pace of promised reforms, only to be told last week that it had other priorities.
"I think it does not reflect well. It may be sending a wrong message to the international community, this is our concern and I have conveyed those concerns," Syed Hamid told AFP.
"I don't think it's good for Myanmar to be isolated. This is what Asean is trying to do, to encourage it to interact. But we need to know what is happenning," he said, using the junta's new name for the country.
Syed Hamid said he hoped the visit would go ahead in late February or early March and that he was insisting on seeing Aung San Suu Kyi, who is being held under house arrest at her Rangoon home.
The minister agreed that Razali, a former Malaysian diplomat, had "no choice" but to resign after being frozen out for so long, and that with his departure "the presure on Myanmar is going to be greater".
Burma to be pariah state
Razali was appointed as the special representative of UN chief Kofi Annan in 2000, in a last-ditch move as the world body prepared to officially declare Burma a pariah state.
His swift success in brokering landmark contacts between Aung San Suu Kyi and the ruling generals generated high hopes that Burma was about to emerge from four decades of military rule.
The Nobel peace laureate's release from house arrest in May 2002 only heightened those hopes, but they were dashed when she was taken into custody a year later after clashes between her supporters and a junta-backed mob.
The regime later announced it was holding a national convention to draft a constitution under a "roadmap to democracy" which has been greeted with widespread scepticism by the international community.
Aung San Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy which won 1990 elections in a landslide but was never allowed to govern, is boycotting the process because of her continued detention.
Abdul Razak Baginda from the Malaysian Strategic Research Centre said that by forcing Razali to resign and turning its back on the Asean initiative, Burma was "digging in" and cutting off links its few friends in the world.
"It was Asean that provided them with a window to the world and now the window is slowly shutting," he said. "Especially at the last Asean summit, it was very clear Asean as a whole is unhappy with Myanmar."
Generals stonewalling?
Calls for Burma to be excluded from the regional grouping will now grow louder after the generals showed their disdain by brushing the Syed Hamid visit aside, he said.
"Myanmar is a constant embarrassment to Asean ... and it should be bold enough to threaten the suspension of Myanmar's membership," he said.
"Even if it is not effective, Asean will be seen as an effective organisation. Today everyone is laughing at Asean, saying - someone is biting you and you're not biting back."
However, analysts in Rangoon said the Asean initiative was the best hope yet for pressing the military to introduce reforms, and that the generals could be preparing to produce a trump card.
"It could well be the driver needed to break the present political impasse," said one close observer of the military, on condition of anonymity.
He said the junta could be stonewalling as it prepares to come up with a compromise deal, or at least organise a meeting between the Asean mission and Aung San Suu Kyi, breaking her enforced silence of more than two years.
- AFP
MalaysiaKini - Jan 9, 06 8:52am
Burma's ruling generals have retreated further into isolation by forcing a frustrated United Nations envoy to quit and shunning neighbouring nations' attempts to push for reforms.
The departure of Razali Ismail, who has been denied entry to the country for almost two years, comes at a critical time for the secretive regime which is about to be the subject of a formal briefing at the UN Security Council.
Its one-time supporters in the region have taken a tough new stance, with the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) demanding steps towards democracy and the release of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
At a summit here last month they secured an agreement for Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar to visit Burma in January to check on the pace of promised reforms, only to be told last week that it had other priorities.
"I think it does not reflect well. It may be sending a wrong message to the international community, this is our concern and I have conveyed those concerns," Syed Hamid told AFP.
"I don't think it's good for Myanmar to be isolated. This is what Asean is trying to do, to encourage it to interact. But we need to know what is happenning," he said, using the junta's new name for the country.
Syed Hamid said he hoped the visit would go ahead in late February or early March and that he was insisting on seeing Aung San Suu Kyi, who is being held under house arrest at her Rangoon home.
The minister agreed that Razali, a former Malaysian diplomat, had "no choice" but to resign after being frozen out for so long, and that with his departure "the presure on Myanmar is going to be greater".
Burma to be pariah state
Razali was appointed as the special representative of UN chief Kofi Annan in 2000, in a last-ditch move as the world body prepared to officially declare Burma a pariah state.
His swift success in brokering landmark contacts between Aung San Suu Kyi and the ruling generals generated high hopes that Burma was about to emerge from four decades of military rule.
The Nobel peace laureate's release from house arrest in May 2002 only heightened those hopes, but they were dashed when she was taken into custody a year later after clashes between her supporters and a junta-backed mob.
The regime later announced it was holding a national convention to draft a constitution under a "roadmap to democracy" which has been greeted with widespread scepticism by the international community.
Aung San Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy which won 1990 elections in a landslide but was never allowed to govern, is boycotting the process because of her continued detention.
Abdul Razak Baginda from the Malaysian Strategic Research Centre said that by forcing Razali to resign and turning its back on the Asean initiative, Burma was "digging in" and cutting off links its few friends in the world.
"It was Asean that provided them with a window to the world and now the window is slowly shutting," he said. "Especially at the last Asean summit, it was very clear Asean as a whole is unhappy with Myanmar."
Generals stonewalling?
Calls for Burma to be excluded from the regional grouping will now grow louder after the generals showed their disdain by brushing the Syed Hamid visit aside, he said.
"Myanmar is a constant embarrassment to Asean ... and it should be bold enough to threaten the suspension of Myanmar's membership," he said.
"Even if it is not effective, Asean will be seen as an effective organisation. Today everyone is laughing at Asean, saying - someone is biting you and you're not biting back."
However, analysts in Rangoon said the Asean initiative was the best hope yet for pressing the military to introduce reforms, and that the generals could be preparing to produce a trump card.
"It could well be the driver needed to break the present political impasse," said one close observer of the military, on condition of anonymity.
He said the junta could be stonewalling as it prepares to come up with a compromise deal, or at least organise a meeting between the Asean mission and Aung San Suu Kyi, breaking her enforced silence of more than two years.
- AFP
08 January 2006
Some other time Syed, we're busy
MalaysiaKini - Jan 7, 06 4:32am
Burma's military government has put off an expected visit by Asean envoy and Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar saying it is too busy relocating its capital.
Under fire over its slow progress on democracy and human rights, Burma agreed at last month's Asean summit to receive Syed Hamid.
While no date has been set for the visit, Syed Hamid, who is tasked with assessing the progress of democratic reform, had been expected to visit this month.
But Burma's Foreign Minister Nyan Win said late yesterday that the government would not receive the envoy in January.
"I don't think it is January because we are too busy shifting the capital," he said.
Asked whether the Asean envoy would visit in February, Nyan Win said: "We have not fixed any date for the visit."
Evidence of democratic reform
In November, the junta announced it was moving the government to Pyinmanar, a logging town 320km north of Rangoon.
Speculation about the reason for the relocation ranges from the government's fear of a US invasion to astrological predictions and worries over possible urban unrest in Rangoon.
Syed Hamid said earlier he hoped to see evidence of democratic reform during the visit to Burma, which has been been ruled by the military since 1988.
The junta brutally crushed pro-democracy demonstrations and two years later rejected the result of national elections won by democratic icon Aung San Suu Kyi.
In November it extended Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest by another six months. The pro-democracy leader has already spent more than 10 of the last 16 years in detention.
- AFP
Burma's military government has put off an expected visit by Asean envoy and Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar saying it is too busy relocating its capital.
Under fire over its slow progress on democracy and human rights, Burma agreed at last month's Asean summit to receive Syed Hamid.
While no date has been set for the visit, Syed Hamid, who is tasked with assessing the progress of democratic reform, had been expected to visit this month.
But Burma's Foreign Minister Nyan Win said late yesterday that the government would not receive the envoy in January.
"I don't think it is January because we are too busy shifting the capital," he said.
Asked whether the Asean envoy would visit in February, Nyan Win said: "We have not fixed any date for the visit."
Evidence of democratic reform
In November, the junta announced it was moving the government to Pyinmanar, a logging town 320km north of Rangoon.
Speculation about the reason for the relocation ranges from the government's fear of a US invasion to astrological predictions and worries over possible urban unrest in Rangoon.
Syed Hamid said earlier he hoped to see evidence of democratic reform during the visit to Burma, which has been been ruled by the military since 1988.
The junta brutally crushed pro-democracy demonstrations and two years later rejected the result of national elections won by democratic icon Aung San Suu Kyi.
In November it extended Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest by another six months. The pro-democracy leader has already spent more than 10 of the last 16 years in detention.
- AFP
04 January 2006
Syed Hamid to press for democracy in Burma
MalaysiaKini - Jan 3, 06 9:18am
Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar has said he hoped he would see evidence of democratic reform during his upcoming visit to Burma, amid widespread criticism over the slow pace of change there.
"I hope my visit will fulfil the goal agreed upon during the conference, which was to see Myanmar gaining democracy," he was quoted as saying late Saturday by the state Bernama news agency, using the military junta's new name of the country.
At last month's summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in Kuala Lumpur, Syed Hamid was tasked with assessing the progress of democratic reform in Burma, which has been ruled by the military since 1962.
The move came after the 10-nation bloc came under intense pressure to tackle the country's ruling military junta over its foot-dragging on reforms.
Asean under fire
Syed Hamid said Asean would remain under fire for not tackling the situation, should the generals in Yangon fail to show any progress.
"If we leave Myanmar in this current situation, the pressure ... will not only be on Myanmar, but also Asean," said the minister.
"When Myanmar asked Asean to assist them towards democracy, of course Asean will help, to give confidence to this country's community and internationally that they are in fact moving towards democracy," he said.
No firm date has been set for the visit, but Syed Hamid said discussions were being held with his counterpart in Burma and that he hoped to make the trip this month.
Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar has said he hoped he would see evidence of democratic reform during his upcoming visit to Burma, amid widespread criticism over the slow pace of change there.
"I hope my visit will fulfil the goal agreed upon during the conference, which was to see Myanmar gaining democracy," he was quoted as saying late Saturday by the state Bernama news agency, using the military junta's new name of the country.
At last month's summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in Kuala Lumpur, Syed Hamid was tasked with assessing the progress of democratic reform in Burma, which has been ruled by the military since 1962.
The move came after the 10-nation bloc came under intense pressure to tackle the country's ruling military junta over its foot-dragging on reforms.
Asean under fire
Syed Hamid said Asean would remain under fire for not tackling the situation, should the generals in Yangon fail to show any progress.
"If we leave Myanmar in this current situation, the pressure ... will not only be on Myanmar, but also Asean," said the minister.
"When Myanmar asked Asean to assist them towards democracy, of course Asean will help, to give confidence to this country's community and internationally that they are in fact moving towards democracy," he said.
No firm date has been set for the visit, but Syed Hamid said discussions were being held with his counterpart in Burma and that he hoped to make the trip this month.
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