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Radio Australia - 9 February 2010
Despite Australian military sanctions on Rangoon, a navy ship from Burma will be working alongside the Australian navy in a regional navy exercise in the Indian Ocean. Ships from 13 navies across the Asia-Pacific region are currently taking part in the anti-piracy and counter-terrorism exercises, run from Port Blair on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Stephen Smith - 8 February 2010
Mr Smith presents to the Australian Parliament a broad review of Australian policy towards Myanmar and provides detail about their ongoing and increased aid programme.
Reuters (Yangon) - 8 February 2010
According to the report, the wharves involved are Botataung, Bo Aung Kyaw and Sule, which handle about 90 percent of Myanmar's imports and exports. Two private companies are already operating services in the port of Yangon. Asia World has a port in Ahlone in the west of the city, and Hong Kong-based Myanmar International Terminals Thilawa (MITT) runs Thilawa Port, a deepsea facility at the mouth of Yangon River, about 9 miles (14.5 km) from central Yangon.
People's Daily Online - 5 February 2010
Myanmar's move to privatization has been getting momentum with the Privatization Commission announcing auctioning of 110 more state enterprises this year under its privatization plan laid down 15 years ago. The sale includes factories, warehouses and cinemas owned by 11 ministries and government departments. These state enterprises to be sold are dispersed mainly in Yangon, Mandalay, Ayeyawaddy and Bago divisions and Rakhine state.
Note by Network Myanmar: Attempts at privatisation have been made for some years, but with little success. Foreign investors, in particular, have shown little or no interest. It is likely though that, with elections due later this year, the authorities are turning their minds seriously to structural reform on which the World Bank and the IMF seem disposed to provide technical support and assistance. Unification of the exchange rate should be upppermost in their minds.
Institute for Security and Development Policy Stockholm - January 2010
In this analysis, Agnes Frittin, Associate Fellow at ISDP, and Niklas Swanström, Director of ISDP, argue that: "EU sanctions against Myanmar have been a long line of failures, as most sanctions are. What we see today in Myanmar is not a weakened government and political change, but stronger governmental control of resources and people, and increased interaction with, and influence of primarily China, but also India, Thailand, Russia and other actors, with the marginalization of European inter-action and influence. This was not what the EU sought. An open-minded analysis needs to be made by the EU regarding the continuation of the its sanctions policy."
Note by Network Myanmar: The authors posit alternative policies in order to promote European interests and universal values. A perceptive and responsible analysis, proposing a pro-active approach to improving human rights in Myanmar.
Burmese Perspectives - 2 February 2010
An enquiry into the case of the guild of eight goldsmiths and silversmiths in Pakokku who are the subject of "restrictive measures" by the European Union, for no apparent reason.
Financial Times - 29 January 2010
James Adams, a senior World Bank official, has told the Financial Times that officials from the bank and the Asian Development Bank had recently travelled to Burma to look at “possible future analytical work that could have a positive development impact for the people”. But Mr Adams stressed that any co-operation with Burma would be limited. The plan would be for World Bank specialists to head to Burma to provide technical assistance on projects. While the scope of the co-operation is limited, however, the renewed engagement marks a significant step forward. The World Bank suspended loans in 1988.
Note by Network Myanmar: These renewed links between Myanmar and international financial institutions are welcome. The technical assistance which the World Bank would provide would relate to training projects, monetary, fiscal and price statistics, tax and customs administration, public finance and government financial management. For a description of Technical Assistance (TA) as understood by the IMF, see Page 4 of the Informational Annex to the 2007 Staff Report on Myanmar.
Foreign Policy - 28 January 2010
Drew Thompson urges a more sensitive US policy on Myanmar. "Sanctions have only served to isolate the United States. This is especially unfortunate at a time when the United States should be carefully watching, and even influencing, what might be the most important political year in Myanmar's recent history."
Institute for Science and International Security Washington D.C. - 28 January 2010
A trio of well balanced, perceptive, serious and technically persuasive articles about Myanmar's interest in nuclear technology. An important contribution, which might however have acknowledged that others like the International Institute of Strategic Studies and Andrew Selth had reached the same conclusions.
Points de Presse - 27 January 2010
"La France avait réagi avec fermeté à la nouvelle condamnation de Mme Aung San Suu Kyi le 11 août 2009 et l'Union européenne avait durci ses mesures de sanction. Elle continue à appeler à la libération immédiate de Mme Aung San Suu Kyi et de tous les prisonniers politiques birmans. Il s'agit d'une condition essentielle pour la crédibilité des élections prévues par les autorités cette année. Rappelons que Mme Aung San Suu Kyi a été privée de liberté pendant 14 des 20 dernières années et que le nombre de prisonniers politiques en Birmanie est estimé à environ 2000. La France souhaite que le gouvernement birman fasse des gestes concrets en faveur du processus de réconciliation nationale qui inclurait l'opposition et les minorités ethniques. Cela est particulièrement urgent dans la perspective des prochaines élections prévues par les autorités."
Informal translation: "France reacted firmly to the new conviction of Mme Aung San Suu Kyi on 11 August 2009 and the European Union strengthened its sanctions measures. France continues to call for the immediate release of Mme Aung San Suu Kyi and all Burmese political prisoners. This is an essential condition for the credibility of the elections planned by the authorities this year. It should be recalled that Mme Aung San Suu Kyi has been deprived of her liberty for 14 of the past 20 years and that the number of political prisoners is estimated at around 2,000. France desires that the Burmese Government should make concrete gestures on behalf of the process of reconciliation which would include the Opposition and the ethnic minorities. This is particularly urgent in view of the forthcoming elections planned by the authorities."
Note by Network Myanmar: The statement by the Spokesperson, Bernard Valero, does not make specific reference to the Home Minister's reported remarks on 21 January 2010, but has no doubt been made in response to those reported remarks. Suu Kyi herself is also reported to have expressed her concerns.
US State Department - 26 January 2010
Scroll down to the Questions about Burma. Philip Crowley said in response to a question about the Home Minister's reported remarks on 21 January 2010: "We have long demanded the release of Aung San Suu Kyi. We think that that should still be done and as quickly as possible. So I think the idea that her release will conveniently come after the election is unfortunate, but we will continue to press the Burmese Government for her release."
Sourabh Gupta (Senior Research Associate at Samuels International Associates)
Asia-Pacific Bulletin No. 46 - January 2010
On November 3, 2009, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell became the highest ranking American official to travel to Myanmar since the 1995 visit of then-U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Madeleine Albright. To reinforce this message of outreach, President Obama later engaged Prime Minister Thein Sein on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit meeting in Singapore. The initiative to pragmatically engage the ruling junta in Naypyidaw has been in most part received well. Sourabh Gupta discusses Burma's motivations for re-engagement with the United States.
Reuters (Yangon) - 25 January 2010
Home Minister Maj Gen Maung Oo reportedly told a meeting of local officials in the small junction town of Kyaukpadaung in Mandalay Division on 21 January 2010 that Suu Kyi would be released in November this year, and the NLD Vice-Chairman Tin Oo on 13 February 2010. The unconfirmed report has come from persons who attended the meeting which was no doubt held at Popa Mountain Resort as there is no other known venue in the locality.
Note by Network Myanmar: It is unlikely that the Minister would have made such a statement while the Supreme Court has yet to pass judgement on Suu Kyi's appeal against conviction. The news would be unwelcome to both the US and EU who are seeking to engage Myanmar in dialogue. There would seem to be no evident reason why the Minister should have given the news to local officials only, in a small junction town 565 kms north of Yangon close to Mount Popa and 205 kms north-west of the capital Nay Pyi Taw. A possibility is that the Minister simply confirmed the dates on which Suu Kyi and Tin Oo are technically due for release, according to the law and subject to the Supreme Court's judgement.
Myanmar Times/Monsters and Critics - 24 January 2010
The Myanmar Times has reported that some 227,400 tourists and visitors travelled to Myanmar in 2009, compared with 170,812 in 2008. 148,000 came from Asian countries, including 42,700 from Thailand and 23,634 from China. 14,400 came from the US and 47,161 from Europe, mainly France (10,255) and Germany (8,788).
Note by Network Myanmar: Asian tourism generally is on the rise, while European tourism is static because of the economic climate. Visa free travel between ASEAN countries now includes Myanmar, and a second phase of visa free travel by Myanmar citizens to Thailand is now in force. The number of Burmese visitors to Thailand rose from 49,161 in 2008 to 61,562 in 2009. Although it is EU Common Policy to discourage travel to Myanmar and investment in the tourist sector, this "recommendation" is nowadays generally disregarded in the majority of European countries, to the extent that statutory investment sanctions against named individuals and companies are not in force. Only in the UK does an unbridled activism continue to rail against travel to Myanmar, though responsible and enlightened travel by individuals is nowadays supported in the UK by most human rights associations.
The New Light of Myanmar - 23 and 24 January 2010
NLM correspondent Maung Hmat refutes in articles on consecutive days recent BBC reports about alleged "mutiny" in three regiments and "disturbances" in three defence establishments in Bago Division, adding that the designation of two of the three regiments is inaccurate as are the locations of the three defence establishments.
Testimony by Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell
This link includes both the transcript of Kurt Campbell's testimony to the Sub-Committee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee as well as his oral presentation and response to questions from Chairman Senator Jim Webb. The transcript and the oral exchanges include testimony on relations with Myanmar.
Reuters (Washington) - 19 January 2010
Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, who in November led a U.S. team to Yangon for the highest level talks in 14 years, has told reporters that Washington had seen a "mixed bag" of results from overtures to the military junta in Myanmar.
"Lest we forget"
A miscellany of comment carried in the Washington Post - 6 May 2008
"Rather than announce the launch of a massive relief effort that could take advantage of a rare diplomatic opening", comments Dan Froomkin, "the First Lady instead tossed insults at Burma's leaders, blamed them for the high death toll, and lashed out at their decision to move forward with a constitutional referendum scheduled for this Saturday........But why respond to a catastrophe with such hostility? The awkward timing, as it turns out, may have had something to do with an event entirely unrelated to the cyclone. 'I'm going to leave tomorrow for Crawford, for Jenna's wedding, and I wanted to be able to make a statement about Burma before I left,' the First Lady told reporters." Dan Eggen, Amy Kazmin, Richard Walden, Andrew Buncombe and Andrew Malcolm also comment on aspects of the lamentable response of President George Bush and Laura Bush to the Cyclone Nargis Disaster, including Bush's ominous remark that the US Navy in the region could be needed "to stabilize the situation."
DEC Haiti Earthquake Appeal - 15 January 2010
The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), formed in 1963 in the UK, is an umbrella organisation for 13 leading UK registered humanitarian organisations. The DEC was particularly effective at the time of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar in May 2008. No better way to help the victims of the Haiti Earthquake than through the DEC. Please give generously.
Haiti and Myanmar: Some poignant associations. An Article by Derek Tonkin
The Inquirer (Manila)/AFP (Tokyo) - 17 January 2010
Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada has urged Myanmar to release democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi and to hold a fair election, the Japanese foreign ministry said.Okada told Myanmar Foreign Minister Nyan Win more aid could be available if a free election were held, during a 20-minute discussion on the sidelines of a gathering of foreign ministers from Asia and Latin America in Tokyo. Okada reiterated Japan's hopes for the release of Suu Kyi and other political prisoners before the election, for which the schedule is yet to be set. Nyan Win said the elections will be open to all parties and people and expected Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy to take part.
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