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Asean ministers put pressure on Burma

MANILA South-East Asian foreign ministers have pressed Burma to release Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize winner, and show “tangible progress” in democratic reforms.

The members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) agreed at their annual meeting to set up a regional human rights commission, overcoming fierce resistance from Burma’s junta. Asean has said repeatedly that it hopes to encourage reform in Burma and promote human rights through engagement. (AP)

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ASEAN Head Says New Charter Will Put Pressure on Burma
By VOA News 24 July 2007

Ong Keng Yong

The head of ASEAN says a draft version of the group's first charter of standards - set to be released next week - will "pressure" military-ruled Burma to improve its human rights record.

Speaking with reporters in Singapore on Monday, Secretary-General Ong Keng Yong said the charter will stress "responsibility and obligation" of membership in the Association for South East Asian Nations.

Burma has long been a problem for the 10-nation group because of its poor human rights record and its detention of activists, including Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

A draft of the new charter will be presented to ASEAN members next week when they meet in the Philippines.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.

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Burmese regime

in brutal drive to
shore up power

Rangoon, Jul. 19,

2007

(CWNews.com) - Myanmar's army went on a violent spree of intimidation before the July 18 opening of a national convention, reports Christian Solidarity Worldwide.

The military regime

of Myanmar--

formerly know

n as Burma-- has

orchestrated the

national convention

to shore up its

power. The

delegates have been

chosen by the

incumbent military

government, with

opposition leaders

and all religious or

ethnic minorities

excluded from the

process.

Questioning or

criticizing the

convention, and

communicating with

international media

about the process,

are crimes that

could carry a 20-

year jail sentence.

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Atomic watchdog unaware of Burma nuclear plans

Last Updated 18/07/2007, 23:44:24

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, says he is unaware of any firm plans by Burma to build its own nuclear research reactor.Russia announced in May that it had agreed to help build a research centre in Burma, which would include a small light-water nuclear reactor.But Mr ElBaradei says so far no "concrete plans" have been submitted by the Burmese authorities to build a reactor or develop a nuclear programme. The head of the UN nuclear regulatory agency was speaking to journalists during a visit to Malaysia.

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Journalists to attend NC sans tape recorders, cell phones

Nem Davies Mizzima News

July 17, 2007 - In keeping with the paranoia of the Burmese military junta, foreign correspondents based in Rangoon invited by the convening committee to attend the National Convention, have been told not to carry tape recorders and mobile phones.

The invitation letter from the National Convention Convening Committee yesterday to all foreign correspondents and local journalists made it clear that only one representative journalist should attend the opening ceremony of the much-criticized constitution drafting process.

Foreign journalists who had applied for visas to go to Burma to cover the convention are yet to get it.

"The invitation letter told us not to take cell phones, cassette recorders, purses and bags. However, some had taken the items despite the same instructions being given last time," said a Rangoon based foreign correspondent to Mizzima.

"Usually we are allowed to stay there for only 10 to 15 minutes just after the opening ceremony. That's it," she added.

With a majority of hand picked delegates, the military junta has been drafting the constitution since 1993.

The opposition National League for Democracy which posted a landslide victory in the 1990 general elections has branded the convention as a sham.

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Human Rights Group Calls For Renewed Effort To Stop Torture

By VOA News 25 June 2007

The Asian Human Rights Commission is urging officials at the United Nations and elsewhere to take stronger action to stop the use of torture by police in a number of Asian nations, including Burma.

The rights group made a special appeal to the UN's High Commissioner for Human Rights to step up efforts for police reform.

A note to journalists from the Asian Human Rights Commission says torture remains the "primary mode of criminal investigation" in some nations.

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Gandhi Letter Pulled From UK Auction

Gandhi's Letter Withdrawn From London Auction, Will Be Acquired By Government Of India
LONDON, Jul. 2, 2007

(AP) One of the last letters written by Indian independence leader Mohandas Gandhi has been pulled from a London auction so it can be acquired by the government of India, Christie's auction house said Monday.

Christie's had earlier insisted that the six-page document, which was to go on auction as part of a larger collection Tuesday, would be sold despite India's protests.

But the collection's executors reconsidered, agreeing to withdraw the letter and hand it to the Indian government, Christie's said in a statement. The auction house did not give further details on the arrangement.

Gandhi wrote the letter, which had been expected to sell for up to $24,000, 19 days before his assassination in New Delhi by a Hindu extremist in January 1948. Addressed to an Indian magazine, it pleaded for tolerance toward India's Muslim population.

Amin Jaffer, the International Director of Asian Art at Christie's, said Christie's was happy with the arrangement. "We are pleased to have facilitated the negotiations which have resulted in an important historical record returning to India," Jaffer said in a statement.

The letter was part of a collection amassed over three decades by the late Albin Schram, who kept the documents in a filing cabinet in his home in Lausanne, Switzerland, according to Christie's.

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Myanmar Still On Asean's Mind, Says Syed Hamid

By D.Arul Rajoo

BANGKOK,

June 30 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said Asean had not forgotten the issue of Myanmar and hoped the coming final session of its 15-year-old National Convention would lead to an election.

He said although there was not much discussions and comments by Asean leaders on Myanmar in the newspapers recently, it did not mean the regional grouping had forgotten the issue or are not encouraging their friends in Myanmar to change.

"They are still a member of Asean. Doesn't mean that if we don't read in newspapers (matters about Myanmar), we have forgotten them. We don't talk everyday (about Myanmar), that is the nature of government," he said in an interview after the 10th Malaysia-Thai Joint Commission Meeting here today.

Syed Hamid said no matter what Asean or others wanted Myanmar to do, the country cannot be forced into it as Myanmar also wanted to make sure its sovereignity was not jeorpardised or affected.

"There is a lot of pride in protecting sovereignity. And we also have the principle of non-interference in Asean," he said.

On the same note, Syed Hamid said it was good that Myanmar still engaged with the international community, especially with Ibrahim Gambari, a special adviser to the United Nations secretary-general, who visited Myanmar twice last year.

"Myanmar prefers to deal with the United Nations, that is good...but Myanmar is not a security issue. We tried to do something, but I don't think so Asean has it, they are more comfortable with the UN," he added.

During his visits, Gambari was allowed by Myanmar's military junta rare meetings with National League for Democracy (NLD) leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is under house arrest.

On the National Convention scheduled to start on July 18, Syed Hamid said Malaysia hoped that Myanmar would be able to complete the constitution drafting process, get it approved and hold an election.

"Then they will be seen as fullfilling their move towards democracy. National reconciliation must be seen to be happening," Syed Hamid said.

The National Convention process was initiated by the military in 1992 after the 1990 general election won by the NLD but the party was not allowed to take power.

The constitution drafting process stalled in 1995 and restarted in 2004, with the last session held at the end of last year.-- BERNAMA

__________________________________
A Letter From Han Yawnghew

Dear Friends,

Unfortunately those in power such as the SPDC "generals" use religion & ethnicity to divide and rule - to manipulate a fearful population to distrust each other - and to bolster their hold on power that comes out of the barrel of a gun like gangsters do.

I understand that during the time of the Constituent Assembly in 1947 after the signing of the Panglong Agreement that February & before the Union of Burma came into being in January 1948 - my father Sao Shwe Thaike was asked if the Rohingyas of Arakan are indigenous Peoples? My father, who is a Shan as am I, replied - "if the Rohingyas are not indigenous, nor am I".

There is no logical and rational reason why we should allow ourselves to be manipulated by a group of power hungry & greedy army men to perpetuate their hold on political power - that is a sourse of their disparite wealth - which they seized illegally. Such unscrupulous men will use religious worship, creed, colour, ethnicity or any differences such as education, social class, dress, speech, accents & so on between us Peoples to divide and rule.

If we allow ourselves to be so manipulated we have only ourselves to blame.

Sincerely,
Tiger Yawnghwe.

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Burma fails corruption index
Last Updated 11/07/2007, 14:25:50

A World Bank report has cited some progress in the global fight against corruption, but warns that overall problems with stability and poor governance remain entrenched in many regions. The 1996-2006 Worldwide Governance Indicators report showed a number of African countries had demonstrated progress. The United Stateswas notable for its decline in five of six areas over the 10-year span, including control of corruption and government effectiveness, and showing its sharpest decline in political stability. Finland led the pack when it came to the fight against corruption over Iceland and Denmark, while Burma, North Korea and Somalia came in last.

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Source: United Nations Secretary-General
Date: 18 Jul 2007
Print E-mail Save
As Myanmar's National Convention resumes, Secretary-General urges inclusive participatory, transparent political process

SG/SM/11095

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The Secretary-General takes note of the resumption today of Myanmar's National Convention for its final session, as announced by the Government of Myanmar, and is closely following developments. The Secretary-General wishes to encourage the Government of Myanmar to seize this opportunity to ensure that this and subsequent steps in Myanmar's political road map are as inclusive, participatory and transparent as possible, with a view to allowing all the relevant parties to Myanmar's national reconciliation process to fully contribute to defining their country's future.

For information media • not an official record

_________________________________

"I have visited many refugee camps across the world, most recently in Darfur, Sudan. But the situation here (Damdamia) is worst than that," said Jaap Broersma, the MSF Head of Mission.

Sharif, a Rohingya refugee said, quote;

"Life here in the camp is no better. Hunger and disease stalk us day in and day out. Our children are growing up like dogs on the street," Sharif said last week."

"They will kill us or put us into jail for life, if we go back," said Sharif at the Kutupalong camp, 450 km from Dhaka.

Saturday, July 28, 2007

ASEAN Charter to pressure junta

Mizzima News (www.mizzima. com)

July 24, 2007 - Ahead of its unveiling at this weekend's ASEAN Ministerial meeting in Manila, ASEAN's top diplomat has promised that the organization' s Charter will increase pressure on Burma to undertake political reform.

Singaporean Ong Keng Yong, Secretary General of ASEAN, on Monday told reporters in Singapore that the much awaited ASEAN Charter will "stress responsibility and obligation of membership." This, it is hoped, will prod Naypyidaw's generals to political reform.

By codifying the rules by which member states are to conduct themselves, the Charter is seen as strengthening regulations and better defining the necessary and acceptable behaviour of countries in the ten nation bloc.

However, though political reform in Burma is a hoped for side effect, the stated priority of the Charter continues to be regional economic integration.

While the Charter will remain mute on the question of formal punishments for member states that fail to meet criteria stipulated in the Charter, Ong did state that there will be compliance measures embedded in the text. The compliance measures are aimed to have a similar effect as would the imposition of sanctions.

Further questions regarding the role of ASEAN concerning Burma will arise when Thai politician Surin Pitsuwan is expected to take over the organization' s top post at the end of the year. Pitsuwan has long been an advocate of a policy of engagement with the junta while championing the cause of democracy.

ASEAN consists of Singapore, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

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