Posts Tagged ‘Generals’
World focus on Burma (26 September 2008)
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Win Htein remains in Katha prison
Democratic Voice of Burma, Norway –
Sep 26, 2008 (DVB)–Political prisoner Win Htein, who was released on Tuesday and re-arrested the following day, remains in Katha prison but has been given …
Under the Dragon celebrates the ‘gentle generosity’ of the natives …
The North Bay Nugget, Canada –
Rory Maclean’s Under the Dragon is the finest book you will ever read about Burma — that tragically abused and heartbreakingly beautiful southeast Asian …
Denmark continues to be the world’s least corrupt country
Copenhagen Capacity, Denmark –
For the second consecutive year, Somalia and Myanmar (former Burma) have bottom rankings. The countries are ranked on a scale from 0-10, 0 being the lowest. …
Checks and search operations in Rangoon after bomb blast
Mizzima.com, India –
New Delhi – The Burmese military junta authorities are searching and monitoring crowded places such as traffic lampposts, markets and bus stops in the wake …
Rights groups deplore pervading atmosphere of repression in Burma
Mizzima.com, India –
Specifically, the rights watchdog references the fact that dialogue with detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is presently non-existent, …
1st anniversary of Burma’s bloody Saffron Revolution
OpEdNews, PA –
As a result of the junta’s excessive use of violence, nearly 100 monks and many lay people were killed. Over 8000 people were arrested nationwide. …
NLD to Celebrate 20th Anniversary
The Irrawaddy News Magazine, Thailand –
Filipino protesters display photos of Burma’s last year protests led by Buddhist monks during a silent protest outside the Burmese Embassy at the financial …
Doing What Needs to be Done
The Irrawaddy News Magazine, Thailand –
Earlier this week, The Irrawaddy spoke with Win Tin, Burma’s longest-serving political prisoner, who was released on Tuesday after spending 19 years behind …
UNESCO: Director-General welcomes Myanmar’s release of U Win Tin …
ISRIA (subscription), DC –
The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, today expressed his “immense joy” over the release by the authorities of Myanmar of U Win Tin, …
EU: Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the EU following …
ISRIA (subscription), DC –
… the Burmese authorities, showing a real willingness to meet the expectations of the international community, in both political and human rights terms, …
Release Aung San Suu Kyi: Laura Bush
The Irrawaddy News Magazine, Thailand –
By LALIT K JHA / UNITED NATIONS The US first lady Laura Bush on Thursday again urged the Burmese military junta to release pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu …
Weekly Business Roundup (September 26, 2008)
The Irrawaddy News Magazine, Thailand –
It’s believed to be associated with shipping and aviation—key transport in junta-linked exports. The British human rights NGO Burma Campaign UK says its …
Gambari Should Be Tougher on Junta: PM in Exile
The Irrawaddy News Magazine, Thailand –
Gambari is often accused by critics of spending more time in the company of the junta than with pro-democracy leaders when he is in Burma. …
False dawn in Myanmar
Asia Times Online, Hong Kong –
There is no word yet if opposition icon Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), or other opposition parties, will be allowed to …
Burma on alert on anniversary of Saffron Revolution
Radio Australia, Australia –
CHO: He is a former army captain and senior assistant to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. He was released from Kosar prison in northern Burma but a few hours later he …
Laura Bush implores junta to respect international appeals
Mizzima.com, India –
… democratic opposition for several years, and an especially avid observer of the prolonged plight of Burma’s detained democracy icon, Aung San Suu Kyi. …
Burma: UK Considers Further Sanctions
UNPO, Netherlands –
Britain has admitted that it could seek further sanctions against the Burmese junta if it fails to improve its human rights record and deliver on promises …
World at a glance
InTheNews.co.uk, UK –
Britain has admitted that it could seek further sanctions against the Burmese junta if it fails to improve its human rights record and deliver on promises …
Philippine activists remember violent Myanmar protests
Earthtimes (press release), UK –
Egoy Bans, leader of the Free Burma Coalition-Philippines, said the repression in Myanmar continues and the military has been arresting pro-democracy …
No Happy Anniversary for Than Shwe
The Irrawaddy News Magazine, Thailand –
… political struggle, as he was considered to be close to detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and is known to command respect among Burmese people. …
Bitterness lingers on in Burma a year after `Saffron Revolution’
Toronto Star, Canada –
… of the new constitution would also bar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from holding any kind of political office in Burma, also known as Myanmar. …
The trouble with India
European Voice, Belgium –
It would irritate China, undermine India’s status at the UN and complicate regional diplomacy with Iran, Burma and central Asian autocracies. …
EDITORIAL: Let’s weigh dangers before we jump into biofuel production
ThisDay, United Republic of Tanzania –
Several years ago, faced with growing food shortages, the government of Myanmar (formerly Burma) ordered farmers throughout the country to start growing …
Fearless, and not forgotten
Guardian Unlimited, UK –
And exactly a year ago today those protests in Burma were met by brutal force from the ruling military junta. Hundreds were injured in the crackdown as the …
Myanmar junta flexes muscles a year after crackdown
Reuters UK, UK –
Security was especially tight near the house of detained opposition leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, and in front of City Hall, where a small …
Thida: Imprisonment a temporary death
The Brown Daily Herald, RI –
Thida, this year’s International Writers Project fellow, was imprisoned by the Burmese government in 1993 for actively supporting Aung San Suu Kyi, …
Monks travelling to Rangoon subjected to rigorous checks
Independent Mon News Agency, WA –
Monks from rural areas in Burma are undergoing stringent checking by the military junta authorities. The checks begin from the onset of their journey till …
On the first anniversary of the Saffron Revolution, despite U Win …
Southeast Asian Press Alliance, Thailand –
Despite attempts by the military regime to hinder the operations of the traditional media like television and radio, hundreds of Burmese civilians used the …
Tight security in Myanmar
Straits Times, Singapore –
‘Human rights were violated here,’ he said. The protests began sporadically in late August 2007 over a hike in fuel prices, and slowly escalated. …
Unrest in Malaysia, Thailand – The Washington Times
International Analyst Network, NY –
In Thailand, People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protestors have occupied government buildings since August 26, with a state of emergency declared in …
35 NLD members march to detained party leader’s residence
Mizzima.com, India –
At least 35 members of Burma’s Opposition party the National League for Democracy have begun marching towards detained party leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’, …
No progress in Burma, says group
BBC News, UK –
Repression in Burma has increased since the ruling military government crushed pro-democracy protests a year ago, says the US-based Human Rights Watch group …
Police on streets for anniversary of brutal crackdown
First Post, UK –
The date September 26 has entered Burma’s calendar of events commemorating the current regime’s 20-year iron rule – beginning with the September 1988 mass …
EU-India: Time to move from style to substance
New Europe, Belgium –
… its global responsibilities and should stand up more forcefully against violations of democracy and human rights in countries like Burma and Zimbabwe . …
Tight security prevents repeat of Myanmar protests: opposition
AFP –
The NLD, led by detained Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, won elections in 1990 but was never allowed to take power. Myanmar has been run by the military …
Suu Kyi’s party asked to retract statement
Peninsula On-line, Qatar –
yangon • Myanmar’s police chief held his first meeting with leaders of Aung San Suu Kyi’s pro-democracy party yesterday, asking them to retract their call …
Undercover: Peter Cave interviews a student leader (ABC)
ABC Online, Australia –
In addition, I needed an interview with an official of Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy. It was a tall order but within an hour it had all …
Rights group says Myanmar repression continues year after crackdown
AFP –
Rather than let Burma’s rulers continue to engage in fruitless dialogue, the international community should demand real action,” she said in a statement. …
Burma’s unfinished revolution
Boston Globe, United States –
… have called for “true democracy” in Burma, appealing for the release of their sister laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and expressing solidarity with all people …
Burma’s Bluff
Wall Street Journal –
Burma’s state media reported 9002 prisoners were released this week as part of the junta’s plan for a “peaceful modern discipline-flourishing democratic …
In Myanmar, cyclone continues to take a toll
Los Angeles Times, CA –
… said Shin Imai, who runs the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization’s operations in Myanmar, which also is known as Burma. …
Myanmar: Junta Threatens Action Against Opposition
Sin Chew Jit Poh, Malaysia –
YANGON, MYANMAR: Myanmar’s military government has threatened the party of detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi with legal action unless it …
Assam] Support Burma’s Monks From Your Home
AssamNet, India –
The petition asks Ban Ki-moon to make freeing Burma’s 2130 political prisoners a top priority. Yesterday the regime released 9000 prisoners; however, …
Burmese gloom one year after protests
BBC News, UK –
A year has passed since popular protests against Burma’s ruling junta filled the streets of Rangoon. A military crackdown finally brought the demonstrations …
Rampaging rats bring starvation to Burma
BBC News, UK –
Local human rights groups say of an estimated 500000 population, 100000 people are at crisis point. They blame a natural phenomenon, which occurs every 50 …
Generals still rule Myanmar with firm grip
International Herald Tribune, France –
The generals’ domination in Myanmar, formerly Burma, has been tested repeatedly over the past two decades — by the monks last September, by Daw Aung San Suu …
Tradition and technology
Times Online, UK –
While democracy activists and Buddhist monks marched in their hundreds of thousands against Burma’s military regime, it was the country’s internet …
In tiny acts of defiance, a revolution still fickers
Times Online, UK –
… general election in 1990, won by the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Aung San Suu Kyi, who has spent most of the intervening years under house arrest.
Junta’s election road map: political amnesty
Bangkok Post, Thailand –
… weekly Myanmar Times reported. Amnesty International estimates there are still more than 2100 political prisoners languishing in Burma’s jails. …
Burma: One Year After Violent Crackdown, Repression Continues
Human Rights Watch (press release) –
The UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Burma, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, made a report after his November 2007 visit, but acknowledged it …
Myanmar’s Release Of Long-Serving Detainee ‘Positive’ Step, Says …
Scoop.co.nz (press release), New Zealand –
The head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has hailed Myanmar’s release of U Win Tin, a writer and former …
Starving in Burma
BBC News, UK –
One of Burma’s smallest ethnic minorities, the Mara, say hundreds of their people have starved to death. Local human rights groups believe food shortages …
Myanmar’s Release Of Long-Serving Detainee ‘Positive’ Step, Says …
Scoop.co.nz (press release), New Zealand –
… vice-chair of Myanmar’s Writers’ Association and a founder of the National League for Democracy (NLD), whose leader Aung San Suu Kyi remains under house …
S Korean court says Myanmar refugees can stay
Daily Times, Pakistan –
SEOUL: South Korea’s Supreme Court ruled Thursday that eight men from Myanmar should be granted refugee status since they were likely to face political …
Six hurt as blast rocks Myanmar
The National, United Arab Emirates –
“What happened then has changed Myanmar for ever – the screams of the monks being beaten is indelibly marked in the hearts of all true Burmese,” he said, …
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In Picture: Junta’s crackdown during the Saffron Revolution in 2007
World focus on Burma (21 August 2008)
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ASIA: Rock Star’s Expulsion Says No to Child Sex Tourists
Inter Press Service, Italy – By Marwaan Macan-Markar
Likewise, Chinese and Thai tourists are going to the Shan state in Myanmar (Burma) to take advantage of child sex workers,’’ another study by the UN agency …
State media: 5.9-magnitude quake kills 1 in China
The Associated Press –
BEIJING (AP) — A 5.9-magnitude earthquake jolted southern China near the border with Myanmar Thursday, killing a woman — one day after another quake damaged …
One dead as two quakes hit NEWS.com.au, Australia –
5.9-magnitude quake hits China The Standard, Hong Kong –
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Thailand: Flooding in Chiang Rai business districts; Chaiyaphum …
Mathaba.Net, UK –
Greatly over the critical level of 2.50 metres following heavy rain in Thailand and Myanmar, overflowing its banks and flooding residential and business …
ACT Situation Report: Myanmar emergency response operation 21 Aug 2008
ReliefWeb (press release), Switzerland –
ACT members and partners continue co-ordination between each other and with other non-governmental organisations and UN agencies. …
Tanzanian refugees settle in Ireland
The Press Association –
Last year, Ireland accepted almost 100 refugees from Burma who were living in hillside camps on the border with Thailand. The Tanzania refugees, who are …
Burma Rights Group Says XL, Chubb to Withdraw; Chubb Charges …
Insurance Journal, CA –
The Burma Campaign UK, a human rights group, has issued a bulletin stating that XL and Chubb have separately announced their withdrawals from the Burmese ..
Appreciating the Spirit of India´s Independence Day
American Chronicle, CA –
The landlocked Northeast, which has been surrounded by Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet (china), Burma and Bangladesh, is the home for more than 30 active armed groups, …
Dead-end in Burma for UN envoy
Mizzima.com, India – by Larry Jagan
“The SG has also indicated his intention to return to Myanmar (Burma), when conditions are right, to continue his dialogue with the Myanmar leadership,” a …
Myanmar: “I only lost my home,” says cyclone survivor
ReliefWeb (press release), Switzerland –
YANGON, MYANMAR (BURMA), August 21, 2008 – Ma Yi* was one of the fortunate ones: all that she lost was her house, and everything in it. …
More US Regional Engagement Needed
The Irrawaddy News Magazine, Thailand –
In 2003, the US introduced the Freedom and Democracy Act in response to the ruthless attack on Aung San Suu Kyi and her supporters in the central Burmese …
Court charges monk on 10 counts
Mizzima.com, India –
He said ‘even if I did not put on my robe, I am still a monk, it is not necessary to handcuff me, you are violating human rights’, the monk’s sister quoted …
Burma democracy group names insurers on ‘dirty list’
Royal Gazette, Bermuda –
Ace Marine, it added, offered insurance for Burma through its London office. The Burma Campaign, whose aim is to bring democracy to a country currently …
Habeas corpus returns to Burma?
United Press International, Asia, Hong Kong –
(Awzar Thi is the pen name of a member of the Asian Human Rights Commission with over 15 years of experience as an advocate of human rights and the rule of …
International Text Messaging Approved in Burma
The Irrawaddy News Magazine, Thailand –
GSM phones were introduced by Myanmar Post and Telecom in 2002. Despite being more expensive, they’ve quickly become more popular than CDMA and cell phones …
Gambari May Leave Without Seeing Suu Kyi, Than Shwe
The Irrawaddy News Magazine, Thailand –
By SAW YAN NAING With one day of his current visit to Burma left, UN Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari has still not met either opposition leader Aung San Suu …
Migrants Flow out of Burma as Economic Woes Deepen
The Irrawaddy News Magazine, Thailand –
Some local observers suggested that the steady influx was due to the impact of Cyclone Nargis, which slammed into Burma’s largely agricultural Irrawaddy …
Gambari Fails to Meet with Suu Kyi
The Irrawaddy News Magazine, Thailand –
By SAW YAN NAING The United Nations special envoy to Burma failed to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi on Wednesday as scheduled, according to Rangoon sources. …
Solo Protestor and Wife Released
Narinjara News, Bangladesh –
During the protest, he demanded the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in a message written on a poster that was hanging around his neck. …
More US Regional Engagement Needed
The Irrawaddy News Magazine, Thailand –
In 2003, the US introduced the Freedom and Democracy Act in response to the ruthless attack on Aung San Suu Kyi and her supporters in the central Burmese …
U Myint Aye to be charged with misappropriating aid
Democratic Voice of Burma, Norway –
Aug 21, 2008 (DVB)–Human rights activist U Myint Aye is to be charged with misappropriating relief funds despite the lack of evidence against him, …
Monsoon floods strand 80000 in India’s northeast
ReliefWeb (press release), Switzerland –
South Asia’s monsoon season typically runs from June through September, bringing deadly flooding and landslides to India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar (Burma) …
SCR Studios Launches Asian Photo Gallery Web Site Version 2.0
PR Web (press release), WA –
Some upcoming trips that will be incorporated into his online stock include India, Nepal, Myanmar (Burma), Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sir Lanka, Malaysia, …
Tsunami warning system improvements stalled
Phuket Gazette, Thailand –
… provinces should a storm similar to Cyclone Nargis, which devastated Burma’s Irrawaddy Delta region, make landfall and cause a storm surge there. …
UN: UNITED NATIONS BRIEFING AND TV: WEDNESDAY, 20/08/2008 …
MaximsNews Network, NY –
On his third day in Myanmar, the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser, Ibrahim Gambari, met with the ministers of Planning and Health with whom he discussed …
Flooding in Chiang Rai business districts; Chaiyaphum prepares
Thai News Agency MCOT, Thailand –
… of 2.50 metres following heavy rain in Thailand and Myanmar, overflowing its banks and flooding residential and business areas in Mae Sai municipality. …
It’s about time for a fresh look at China
University of North Carolina The Daily Tar Heel, NC –
Unfortunately, that is not the case. Human rights are global rights. What’s good for the Chinese is good for all Zimbabweans, Burmese and Sudanese.
Myanmar: Opposition Leader Misses UN Meeting
New York Times, United States –
The ruling generals in Myanmar, formerly Burma, had thrown a tight security cordon around the state guest house where the envoy, Ibrahim Gambari, …
Myanmar Opposition Concerned About Aung San Suu Kyi’s Health
Bloomberg –
“The government didn’t give an explanation for why she didn’t show up and neither did Mr. Gambari,” Nyan Win said by phone from Myanmar. …
HUMAN NEED: Pakuranga’s Stuart Corlett with refugee child Tommuang, due to get plastic surgery thanks to Partners Relief and Development. Photo supplied.
Times Online – Auckland, New Zealand –
… Mr Corlett is back in New Zealand on a five-week journey to bring Burma (also known as Myanmar) back into the minds of New Zealanders. …
Global insurers targeted by human rights activists
Lloyd’s List, UK –
HUMAN rights activists are renewing pressure on the global insurance industry and its leading market place, Lloyd’s of London, to reassess its policy on …
Pacific Team Delivers GEOINT in Paradise
DirectionsMag.com, IL –
When Tropical Cyclone Nargis struck Burma on May 2-3, 2008, causing catastrophic damage and killing tens of thousands, these well-prepared virtual partners …
The Military and the Monetary,
Toward Freedom, VT –
Chinese military hardware is shipped regularly to Burma, including the 2005 supply of 400 military trucks to Myanmar’s army. Chinese military exports went …
ASEAN considers observer status for Burma civilian Govt
ABC Online, Australia –
Elected in 1990 but unable to form government he was driven from Burma by the military junta in 1994. “I’ve been out of Burma for nearly 15 years,” he said. …
Daily Times, Pakistan –
The former Burma’s ruling generals threw a tight security cordon round the state guest house where Ibrahim Gambari and the 63-year-old Nobel laureate have …
Thumbs up for Mandela, down for Geldof
OneWorld.net, UK –
A greater proportion of Londoners also voted for Burmese democracy campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi (9 per cent) than any other region. …
Intermountain Catholic, UT –
Aden Batar (back row, second from right) meets in the CCS courtyard with newly arrived refugees from Burma (Myanmar). Most Burmese refugees have spent at …
Johann Hari: John McCain and his secretive plot to ‘kill the UN’
Independent, UK –
For example, the UN is routinely blamed for not intervening in Burma, or Zimbabwe, or Georgia – but the UN has no army of its own; it is only as good as its …
Emergency Appeal update: Myanmar(Burma) Cyclone Nargis response
ReliefWeb (press release), Switzerland –
Nargis struck Myanmar (Burma) on May 2-3 and, according to figures supplied by the United Nations in July, killed more than 84530 persons; 53836 are still …
Samantha Power’s Special Pleading
The Plank on TNR.com, DC –
… Chinese fleeing the Mao regime, Asian nationals from Uganda, and the avalanche of human wreckage from Paraguay, Guatemala, Burma, Cambodia, …
PMO: No decision yet on Bnei Menashe
Jerusalem Post, Israel –
The Bnei Menashe, who live in the states of Mizoram and Manipur on the border with Myanmar (formerly Burma) claim to be descendants of a lost tribe of …
Myanmar: UN envoy meets with ministers on third day of visit
UN News Centre –
20 August 2008 – The top United Nations envoy to Myanmar met with the country’s planning and health ministers today to discuss ways to tackle the …
Inter Press Service, Italy –
Burma and Somalia, ranked 179th in the Index, are the countries viewed as the most corrupt. Zambia is ranked 68 in the latest index measuring the level of …
The Mislabeled “United Nations Human Rights Council”
Post Chronicle –
Well-known human rights abusers Burma, China, Cuba, Ethiopia, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, and Zimbabwe voted in favor of the new council and many …
Two international insurance companies to pull out of Burma
Mizzima.com, India –
“…we strongly condemn all insurers that remain involved in our military junta run country. They help keep the generals in power, and condemn Burma’s 50 ..
BROWN: Burmese generals surfing the Internet
Sunday, July 6, 2008
COMMENTARY:
Military trucks are park outside a government building in Yangon, November 8, 2005, waiting to carry away records and other …
With the push of a button, the generals in Burma can instantly access the Internet, thanks to a U.S.-built and U.S.-financed satellite. The generals and their cronies have been doing this for months as the Export-Import Bank of the United States (U.S. Ex-Im Bank) and the U.S. State Department which together made it possible, stand by silently.
In this instance, the U.S. government was apparently more than eager to see a U.S. company, Loral, build and deliver a sophisticated broadband satellite to a Thailand-based telecommunications company known as Thaicom, formerly Shin Satellite.
At first glance, there appears to be nothing wrong here, but scratch the surface and the Thaicom-Burma connection quickly appears. It was well-established and well-known to all parties concerned long before the satellite in question even reached the launch pad in 2005.
Keep in mind that the White House including first lady Laura Bush, and the U.S. Congress have been quite vocal in condemning the government of Burma, officially called Myanmar. In 2007, for example, President Bush extended for another year the national emergency first signed by President Clinton in 1997. Add to the list the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003, and the executive order signed by President Bush that same year.
So the message to Burma has been clear, while the gap that divides the United States and the government of Thailand when it comes to Burma grows larger. Unlike Thailand, engaging Burma has not been the preference of the American government, and U.S. companies are strictly forbidden from doing any business with the government of Burma, although these rules simply do not apply to businesses in Thailand.
More than six years ago, as the human-rights record of the junta in Burma was steadily deteriorating, American taxpayers quietly provided financial backing for construction of the broadband satellite for Thaicom via $190 million in loan guarantees provided U.S. Ex-Im Bank. The French government stepped up and provided loan guarantees for launch services.
America’s dislike for the junta did not prevent Thaicom’s ties to the government of Burma from strengthening. In 2004, for example, the Ex-Im Bank of Thailand rolled out a massive, multimillion-dollar loan to Burma that helped finance telecommunications equipment for the Burmese generals, including a substantial number of broadband satellite terminals to enable Thaicom’s services to be delivered throughout Burma.
The government of Burma and all the assorted businesses run by Burmese generals no doubt constitute the largest pool of satellite broadband customers for Thaicom in Burma, before and after the cyclone. The fact that former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra created and ran Thaicom’s parent company, Shin Corp., cannot go unmentioned. Shin Corp. is now owned by Temasek Holdings of Singapore, which holds a 41 percent stake in Thaicom and remains its largest shareholder.
Since the satellite itself was launched in 2005, Thaicom has steadily expanded its presence in Burma. And in early 2008, Myanmar Posts and Telecommunications and Thaicom signed a new pair of contracts. This was followed by news that the final remaining portion of the above-mentioned 2004 Ex-Im Bank of Thailand telecom loan is to be handed over to the generals in Burma this year as well.
The response of the U.S. State Department, and the U.S. Ex-Im Bank while all this has unfolded has been to say absolutely nothing. Apparently, when the government of Burma gains access to U.S.-funded satellite broadband technology, the official U.S. response is to simply look the other way and ignore everything that is happening.
So the generals in Burma and their buddies go on surfing the Internet, casually using a U.S.-built satellite in the process while knowing that what truly represents a dark stain on U.S. policymaking in Southeast Asia will no doubt be ignored altogether.
Peter J. Brown is a Maine-based free-lance writer who writes frequently about satellite industry trends and developments in Asia.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jul/06/burmese-generals-surfing-the-internet/
Burmese Generals Deserve to be Flogged: US Congressman
Burmese Generals Deserve to be Flogged: US Congressman
| By LALIT K JHA / WASHINGTON | Monday, June 16, 2008<!– , –> |
It is the Burmese generals, who have indulged in gross violations of human rights against its own citizens and prevented the establishment of democracy in the country, that need to be flogged and not Aung San Suu Kyi, an influential US Congressman has said.
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| A Burmese woman holds a candle next to a picture of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi during a rally to celebrate her 63rd birthday in Bucheon, west of Seoul, South Korea. (Photo: AP) |
“It is the SPDC generals, brutal dictators with their crimes against humanity and campaigns of ethnic cleansing, who deserve to be stripped of power and placed under arrest for many years to come,” Congressman Joe Pitts said on June 12.
Pitts, a Republican, who represents Pennsylvania’s Lancaster Chester and Berks counties, made the speech on the floor of the House of Representatives, after Burmese state-run media said Aung San Suu Kyi deserved to be beaten like an errant child for threatening national security.
“Madam Speaker, I rise today over the comments made by the brutal generals, military dictators in Burma, saying that Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Peace Prize winner and rightful leader elected by the people, deserves to be flogged. Come again?” Pitts said.
Pitts said these are the generals who stonewalled for weeks and refused to allow desperately needed humanitarian aid to get to the people after Cyclone Nargis.
These are the generals who order their military to attack ethnic groups throughout the country and in 1988 issued a blood assimilation order to their troops to marry or rape the ethnic women in order to “purify” the ethnics’ blood lines, he said.
Pitts alleged the generals forcibly conscript children to serve as soldiers in their army and plant land mines around the villages they attack so that returning villagers get maimed or killed.
The authoritarian rulers pillage or plunder the resources of Burma so they can have huge weddings with millions of dollars of jewels around the necks of their daughters, Pitts said.
Meanwhile on June 12, the US Senate approved renewal of import restrictions contained in the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003.
“Last month, the whole world got a close look at the SPDC’s contempt for human life when a devastating cyclone hit Burma,” said Senator Mitch McConnell from Kentucky.
“No one can say with certainty what the full toll of death and destruction is from the storm, but we do know the junta greatly compounded matters through inaction and its utter disregard for the Burmese people,” McConnell said before the Senate decided to renew the sanctions.
This bill is the same legislation the Senate has passed in prior years. If enacted, it would extend import sanctions for another year unless the regime takes a number of tangible steps toward democracy and reconciliation.
He said the SPDC severely restricted the entry of relief workers into Burma. Four US navy ships carrying much-needed supplies for Burmese people were turned away time and again by the regime, he alleged.
McConnell said: “Estimates put as many as 135,000 people dead or missing after the cyclone hit on May 3, and many of those deaths must lie at the feet of the SPDC for its outrageous acts of criminal neglect.”
The bill, however, would not hinder or block US efforts to provide humanitarian aid to Burma in the wake of the cyclone. This bill imposes sanctions on trade, not humanitarian aid, McConnell said.
“America is a friend to the people of Burma. That is why we stand against Burma’s tyrannical ruling regime,” he said. Besides McConnell, Senator Dianne Feinstein and Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, were its co-sponsors.
World focus on Burma (16 June 2008)
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International celebrations for Daw Suu’s birthday
Democratic Voice of Burma, Norway –
US senators, Burmese government in exile, National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma, Burmese activists, foreign correspondents and the Burmese …
Rumors of New Catastrophe Sweep Rangoon
The Irrawaddy News Magazine, Thailand –
… the regime’s mouthpiece, The New Light of Myanmar, accused unnamed Western countries of being responsible for the rumors then circulating within Burma. …
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The Irrawaddy News Magazine, Thailand – Yin Yin Wie, Tin Tin Cho and Myat Thu were detained by the special branch of Burma’s police in Sanchaung Township in Rangoon on Thursday, June 12. … |
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NOAA: Global Temperature Seventh Warmest for Spring, Eighth … WIBW, KS – Tropical Cyclone Nargis brought heavy rain, strong winds, and high storm surge waters to Burma (Myanmar) in early May, destroying thousands of homes and … |
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Weather Extremes Mark Spring 2008 Daily Green – The period saw Cyclone Nargis devastate Myanmar (Burma); nearly 78000 peopled died. Relief efforts there are still being stymied by the military junta that … |
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Too little is being done to help the people of Burma and their … BBC News, UK – Dr de Jong spent two weeks in Burma, also known as Myanmar, and he said the inhabitants were showing signs of mental trauma. … |
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With Anti-US Propaganda, Amnesty International Mocks Itself North Star Writers Group, MI – Had only the United States shut down its detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Burma’s cruel military Junta would have seen the error of its ways, … |
Catholic order hoping to rebuild in Myanmar
Chicago Sun-Times, United States –
BY MIKE THOMAS Religion Reporter mthomas@suntimes.com In early May, a monster cyclone ripped apart the southeast Asian country of Myanmar (formerly Burma), …
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UN plans Myanmar anti-dengue operation
The Associated Press –
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — The United Nations plans to launch a massive anti-dengue campaign this week in cyclone-hit areas of Myanmar where mosquitoes that …
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Creatures most likely to disappear Philadelphia Inquirer, PA – … and the Burmese roofed turtle, which used to be abundant in Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) before hunters targeted the creatures and their eggs. … |
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Asean Must Deliver on Human Rights Body The Irrawaddy News Magazine, Thailand – There is an expectation that Cambodia, Myanmar [Burma], Laos and Vietnam may appoint representatives who are less open to human rights. … . Burmese Generals Deserve to be Flogged: US CongressmanThe Irrawaddy News Magazine, Thailand –
“Madam Speaker, I rise today over the comments made by the brutal generals, military dictators in Burma, saying that Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Peace Prize … |
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Sports writer arrested after aiding Myanmar cyclone victims AFP – YANGON (AFP) — A popular sports writer who helped deliver aid to victims of the cyclone in Myanmar has been arrested, the second aid volunteer detained in … |
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Burma arrests 245 drug traffickers Sydney Morning Herald, Australia – “Action was taken against 245 persons – 201 men and 44 women in 158 cases,” the New Light of Myanmar reported ahead of the United Nations anti-drugs and … |
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Red Cross welcomes special cyclone support ReliefWeb (press release), Switzerland – … CEO Robert Tickner today warmly welcomed a special contribution by the Government of South Australia to aid victims of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar(Burma). … |
Cyclone Brought Something More to Myanmar
Zenit News Agency, Italy –
YANGON, Myanmar, JUNE 15, 2008 (Zenit.org).- May’s cyclone devastated Myanmar and aid restrictions from the ruling junta worsened the chaos. …
State of denial
South China Morning Post (subscription), Hong Kong –
While Myanmar’s junta leaders enjoy a lavish lifestyle, an internal military report suggests more than 1,000 soldiers are deserting every month.
A slow response to the devastation caused by Cyclone Nargis has laid bare the junta’s internal problems and angered the population.
The winds of Cyclone Nargis have exposed the rotting core of Myanmar’s vast military, the nation’s strongest institution. With much of the world focusing on the death and devastation wrought by last month’s cyclone with its 190km/h winds and tidal waves, the wider impact on the ruling powers is only gradually becoming apparent.
Well-placed Myanmese sources and foreign diplomats inside the country now describe a once-proud military facing a spiralling desertion rate, a slow and over-complex command structure and festering doubts about its claim to legitimacy – problems brought into sharp focus by the challenges posed by the storm, the world’s worst natural disaster since the Asian tsunami of 2004…….
Finally, Calbayog gets clinic with help from US NavyInquirer.net, Philippines –
The Mercy, with its high-tech medical equipment, has been ready to help cyclone-devastated Burma (Myanmar), but the paranoid ruling junta refused to allow … |
Xola Consulting to Share Adventure Tourism Perspective at …
PR-CANADA.net (press release), Montenegro –
… markets around the world including Central and South America, North Africa and Southeast Asia, including Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma), India and Nepal.
Save Burma 