TeakDoor.com - The Thailand Forum - View Single Post - Burmese Weekly : Vol 35 , WE Sun 27th Jul '08

Mid · 22-07-2008, 11:35 AM

Myanmar's Suu Kyi won't be released in 6 months, detention to last until late 2009
VIJAY JOSHI, Associated Press Writer
July 21, 2008 8:08 PM

SINGAPORE (AP) - Myanmar's foreign minister has said pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi can be kept in detention legally until late 2009 and not until December this year as reported earlier, Singapore officials said Tuesday.

Myanmar Foreign Minister Nyan Win was misunderstood by his nine counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations during a dinner conversation on Sunday, said a Foreign Ministry official.
Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo subsequently passed on Nyan Win's remarks to the media, which reported widely that a new glimmer of hope had been raised for Suu Kyi's early freedom.

Yeo had quoted Nyan Win as saying that a political detainee can be held for a maximum of six years, and that the limit was approaching in about ''half a year's time.''

But the Straits Times newspaper on Tuesday quoted Yeo as saying that the six-year period will only be reached in the six months after May 2009, when her latest one-year detention period expires.

The Times quoted Yeo as saying the ministers had ''misunderstood'' Nyan Win.

snip

newspress.com

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Nobel laureate meets Burmese women
AMITHA AMRANAND
Tuesday July 22, 2008

CHIANG MAI : Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jody Williams met a group of women from Burma as well as from various ethnic groups in this northern province yesterday to gather information about their plight. ''We're here to bring messages of the women of Burma, of the marginalised, to the world. We're here to listen. We're here to learn the common concerns that women of the world seem to share,'' said Ms Williams, an American teacher and aid worker who received the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize.

The Nobel laureate was accompanied by actor-activist Mia Farrow, together with Dr Sima Samar of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission and Chinese labour activist Qing Zhang.

The Nobel Women's Initiative delegation focused on the plight of Burmese women in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis during their information-gathering trip to Thailand.

They had a closed-door meeting with marginalised Burmese, ethnic and Thai women in Chiang Mai and also visited the Thailand-Burma border.

snip

bangkokpost.com

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Farmers Dispute Official ‘Back to Normal’ Claims
By AUNG THET WINE
Monday, July 21, 2008

LAPUTTA, Burma — Despite official assurances that rice production in the cyclone-devastated Irrawaddy delta has fully resumed, farmers throughout the region are complaining of continuing difficulties in working their fields.

The difficulties range from inadequate supplies of seed, livestock, machinery and fuel to corruption within local administrations.
Even when government-provided supplies are available, local administration officials are reportedly demanding money for the aid.

Burmese farmers plant rice in some areas of the Irrawaddy Delta. But farmers throughout the region are complaining of continuing difficulties in working their fields.
(Photo: AP)

“You have to bribe the village head if you want to use the tillers [to work the paddy fields],” said one farmer in Ka Nyin Gone village, in Laputta Township. “If you want to receive a tin (about 15 kg) of government-provided paddy seeds you have to pay about 1,000 to 1,500 kyat (90 US Cents-$1.30) to the village authorities. Diesel costs 1,000 kyat per gallon.”

The charges are delaying a start to the monsoon season rice production, according to Laputta sources. Some farmers will be unable to work their fields this year, they say.

snip

irrawaddy.org

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94

Myanmar opposes investigative powers for human rights body
JIM GOMEZ, Associated Press Writer
July 22, 2008

SINGAPORE (AP) - Myanmar's junta has indicated it will oppose any effort to give a Southeast Asian human rights body the power to monitor or investigate rights violations in the region, diplomats said Tuesday.

snip

newspress.com

See Also : http://teakdoor.com/thailand-and-asi...tml#post699201 (ASEAN unlikely to reach agreement on Human rights issue)

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Pace of Myanmar's recovery surprises head of US aid team
By Audrey McAvoy
Associated Press108

DR. CARL LUM / ALOHA MEDICAL MISSION VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS

Dr. Myo Nwe, Aloha Medical Mission physician and an emergency room doctor at Kuakini Medical Center, examines a child on a boat in Kyeingchangi, Myanmar. The doctor was part of a mission this month to aid cyclone victims.

The leader of the only U.S. medical team to enter Myanmar since a cyclone struck two months ago said yesterday he saw a surprising number of replanted rice paddies and more reconstruction than he expected.

Dr. Carl Lum spoke a day after returning from a two-week trip to the Irrawaddy delta with 25 doctors and nurses of the Honolulu-based Aloha Medical Mission.

"I was surprised to see how much recovery they had so far. People were rebuilding their damaged homes ... putting up new roofs," Lum said. "The rice paddies were really green as far as you can see."

Even so, Lum said it was clear many homes, schools and shops needed to be rebuilt. In the town of Kyeingchangi, where only 700 survived out of a population of 4,000, residents used blue tarp to graft makeshift roofs and walls onto their wooden homes.

Traveling on an old ferry converted into a floating clinic, Lum saw towns that were only partially destroyed, but others were almost completely ruined. He said the cyclone victims need building materials and equipment to purify water supplies.

Earlier yesterday a report by the United Nations, the Myanmar government and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations said Myanmar would need $1 billion in international aid over the next three years.

snip

starbulletin.com

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Suspected Myanmar gang leader killed in police shootout in Malaysia
Jul 22, 2008

Kuala Lumpur - Malaysian police killed a suspected leader of a gang of Myanmar nationals in a shootout after a high-speed chase in Kuala Lumpur, a news report said Tuesday.

When cornered by the police, the suspect attempted to escape on foot by firing several shots at police before being shot himself, federal police criminal investigation chief Ku Chin Wah told the official Bernama news agency.

sniip

monstersandcritics.com

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ASEAN Turns Blind Eye to Burma Rights
By HANNAH BEECH/BANGKOK
Tuesday, Jul. 22, 2008

ASEAN ministers join hands during the opening ceremony of the 41st ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Singapore on July 21
Charles Pertwee / Landov

A new charter for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was signed on July 21 with much flourish and a promise to "strengthen democracy, enhance good governance and the rule of law, and to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms." An admirable undertaking, except that the person formally ratifying the charter was Nyan Win, the Foreign Minister of Burma, a country with one of the world's most appalling human-rights records. Indeed, Burma's signing of the document during this year's ASEAN ministerial meeting in Singapore threatens to render meaningless the lofty humanitarian goals set by the organization's 10 member nations.

snip

time.com

See Also : http://teakdoor.com/issues/32273-ase...tml#post699421 (ASEAN : isn't too picky about its friends.)

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UN Official Observes Burmese Relief Efforts
By SAW YAN NAING
Tuesday, July 22, 2008

The United Nations’ chief humanitarian relief official, John Holmes, started a three-day visit to Burma on Tuesday to observe post-cyclone humanitarian assistance in the Irrawaddy delta.

The spokesperson to the UN secretary-general, Michelle Montas, told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York that John Holmes was expected to visit the Irrawaddy delta to assess the progress of relief operations in the region.

Storm victims stand outside their shacks at Ohnpinsu village in the Irrawaddy delta after they rebuilt with tarpaulin and leftover pieces from the river.
(Photo: AFP)

snip

irrawaddy.org

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22-07-2008, 11:35 AM	#4 (permalink)
Mid Nautical Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 7,934	Myanmar's Suu Kyi won't be released in 6 months, detention to last until late 2009 VIJAY JOSHI, Associated Press Writer July 21, 2008 8:08 PM SINGAPORE (AP) - Myanmar's foreign minister has said pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi can be kept in detention legally until late 2009 and not until December this year as reported earlier, Singapore officials said Tuesday. Myanmar Foreign Minister Nyan Win was misunderstood by his nine counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations during a dinner conversation on Sunday, said a Foreign Ministry official. Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo subsequently passed on Nyan Win's remarks to the media, which reported widely that a new glimmer of hope had been raised for Suu Kyi's early freedom. Yeo had quoted Nyan Win as saying that a political detainee can be held for a maximum of six years, and that the limit was approaching in about ''half a year's time.'' But the Straits Times newspaper on Tuesday quoted Yeo as saying that the six-year period will only be reached in the six months after May 2009, when her latest one-year detention period expires. The Times quoted Yeo as saying the ministers had ''misunderstood'' Nyan Win. snip newspress.com .................................................. .. Nobel laureate meets Burmese women AMITHA AMRANAND Tuesday July 22, 2008 CHIANG MAI : Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jody Williams met a group of women from Burma as well as from various ethnic groups in this northern province yesterday to gather information about their plight. ''We're here to bring messages of the women of Burma, of the marginalised, to the world. We're here to listen. We're here to learn the common concerns that women of the world seem to share,'' said Ms Williams, an American teacher and aid worker who received the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel laureate was accompanied by actor-activist Mia Farrow, together with Dr Sima Samar of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission and Chinese labour activist Qing Zhang. The Nobel Women's Initiative delegation focused on the plight of Burmese women in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis during their information-gathering trip to Thailand. They had a closed-door meeting with marginalised Burmese, ethnic and Thai women in Chiang Mai and also visited the Thailand-Burma border. snip bangkokpost.com ................................................. Farmers Dispute Official ‘Back to Normal’ Claims By AUNG THET WINE Monday, July 21, 2008 LAPUTTA, Burma — Despite official assurances that rice production in the cyclone-devastated Irrawaddy delta has fully resumed, farmers throughout the region are complaining of continuing difficulties in working their fields. The difficulties range from inadequate supplies of seed, livestock, machinery and fuel to corruption within local administrations. Even when government-provided supplies are available, local administration officials are reportedly demanding money for the aid. Burmese farmers plant rice in some areas of the Irrawaddy Delta. But farmers throughout the region are complaining of continuing difficulties in working their fields. (Photo: AP) “You have to bribe the village head if you want to use the tillers [to work the paddy fields],” said one farmer in Ka Nyin Gone village, in Laputta Township. “If you want to receive a tin (about 15 kg) of government-provided paddy seeds you have to pay about 1,000 to 1,500 kyat (90 US Cents-$1.30) to the village authorities. Diesel costs 1,000 kyat per gallon.” The charges are delaying a start to the monsoon season rice production, according to Laputta sources. Some farmers will be unable to work their fields this year, they say. snip irrawaddy.org ............................................ 94 Myanmar opposes investigative powers for human rights body JIM GOMEZ, Associated Press Writer July 22, 2008 SINGAPORE (AP) - Myanmar's junta has indicated it will oppose any effort to give a Southeast Asian human rights body the power to monitor or investigate rights violations in the region, diplomats said Tuesday. snip newspress.com See Also : http://teakdoor.com/thailand-and-asi...tml#post699201 (ASEAN unlikely to reach agreement on Human rights issue) ......................................... Pace of Myanmar's recovery surprises head of US aid team By Audrey McAvoy Associated Press108 DR. CARL LUM / ALOHA MEDICAL MISSION VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS Dr. Myo Nwe, Aloha Medical Mission physician and an emergency room doctor at Kuakini Medical Center, examines a child on a boat in Kyeingchangi, Myanmar. The doctor was part of a mission this month to aid cyclone victims. The leader of the only U.S. medical team to enter Myanmar since a cyclone struck two months ago said yesterday he saw a surprising number of replanted rice paddies and more reconstruction than he expected. Dr. Carl Lum spoke a day after returning from a two-week trip to the Irrawaddy delta with 25 doctors and nurses of the Honolulu-based Aloha Medical Mission. "I was surprised to see how much recovery they had so far. People were rebuilding their damaged homes ... putting up new roofs," Lum said. "The rice paddies were really green as far as you can see." Even so, Lum said it was clear many homes, schools and shops needed to be rebuilt. In the town of Kyeingchangi, where only 700 survived out of a population of 4,000, residents used blue tarp to graft makeshift roofs and walls onto their wooden homes. Traveling on an old ferry converted into a floating clinic, Lum saw towns that were only partially destroyed, but others were almost completely ruined. He said the cyclone victims need building materials and equipment to purify water supplies. Earlier yesterday a report by the United Nations, the Myanmar government and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations said Myanmar would need $1 billion in international aid over the next three years. snip starbulletin.com ........................................... Suspected Myanmar gang leader killed in police shootout in Malaysia Jul 22, 2008 Kuala Lumpur - Malaysian police killed a suspected leader of a gang of Myanmar nationals in a shootout after a high-speed chase in Kuala Lumpur, a news report said Tuesday. When cornered by the police, the suspect attempted to escape on foot by firing several shots at police before being shot himself, federal police criminal investigation chief Ku Chin Wah told the official Bernama news agency. sniip monstersandcritics.com ................................................. ASEAN Turns Blind Eye to Burma Rights By HANNAH BEECH/BANGKOK Tuesday, Jul. 22, 2008 ASEAN ministers join hands during the opening ceremony of the 41st ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Singapore on July 21 Charles Pertwee / Landov A new charter for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was signed on July 21 with much flourish and a promise to "strengthen democracy, enhance good governance and the rule of law, and to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms." An admirable undertaking, except that the person formally ratifying the charter was Nyan Win, the Foreign Minister of Burma, a country with one of the world's most appalling human-rights records. Indeed, Burma's signing of the document during this year's ASEAN ministerial meeting in Singapore threatens to render meaningless the lofty humanitarian goals set by the organization's 10 member nations. snip time.com See Also : http://teakdoor.com/issues/32273-ase...tml#post699421 (ASEAN : isn't too picky about its friends.) .............................................. UN Official Observes Burmese Relief Efforts By SAW YAN NAING Tuesday, July 22, 2008 The United Nations’ chief humanitarian relief official, John Holmes, started a three-day visit to Burma on Tuesday to observe post-cyclone humanitarian assistance in the Irrawaddy delta. The spokesperson to the UN secretary-general, Michelle Montas, told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York that John Holmes was expected to visit the Irrawaddy delta to assess the progress of relief operations in the region. Storm victims stand outside their shacks at Ohnpinsu village in the Irrawaddy delta after they rebuilt with tarpaulin and leftover pieces from the river. (Photo: AFP) snip irrawaddy.org ........................................... __________________ "Keeping quiet while monks and other peaceful protesters are murdered and jailed is not evidence of constructive engagement." - Arvind Ganesan, Human Rights Watch. "I think...I think it's in my basement. Let me go upstairs and check" - M.C. Escher Last edited by Mid : 22-07-2008 at 09:30 PM.