'Time alone cannot heal Burma wounds', Aung San Suu Kyi tells LSE

[postlink] https://burmacampaignjapanteam.blogspot.com/2012/06/alone-cannot-heal-burma-wounds-aung-san.html [/postlink]

Speaking at the London School of Economics, the Burmese pro-democracy campaigner argues progress in the country depends on an understanding of the rule of law, saying justice cannot be done unless it is seen to be done.

Aung San Suu Kyi started a week-long visit to Britain on Tuesday, her 67th birthday, telling hundreds of students and academics that time alone will not heal the wounds of her country.

Her first public event in the UK was a debate at the London School of Economics on how Burma can move to the rule of law, a reminder of the tough road ahead for the leader of the Southeast Asian country's reform movement.

Ms Suu Kyi told the audience that time alone "will not heal" Burma and "there has to be acknowledgment" of the wrongs of the past.

"The progress that we hope to make with regard to democratisation and reform," she said, "depends so much on an understanding of the importance of the rule of law."

Ms Suu Kyi, who is on her first overseas trip since 1988, received a standing ovation as she took the stage during the panel discussion.

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NKorea military warns of 'special actions' soon

[postlink] https://burmacampaignjapanteam.blogspot.com/2012/04/nkorea-military-warns-of-actions-soon.html [/postlink] Associated Press – 2 hrs 22 mins ago

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FILE - In this April 20, 2012 file …

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — North Korea's military vowed Monday to launch unspecified "special actions" soon meant to reduce South Korea's conservative government and media companies "to ashes" in less that four minutes, in an escalation of its recent threats.

North Korea regularly criticizes Seoul and just last week renewed its promise to wage a "sacred war," saying South Korean President Lee Myung-bak had insulted the North's April 15 celebrations of the birth centennial of national founder Kim Il Sung.

But Monday's military statement, which vowed actions of "unprecedented peculiar means," was unusual in promising something soon and describing a specific length of time.

The threat follows U.N. condemnation of North Korea's launch of a long-range rocket that exploded shortly after liftoff April 13. Washington, Seoul and others called the launch a cover for testing long-range missile technology. Pyongyang said the launch was meant to put a satellite into orbit.

The North's special actions "will reduce all the rat-like groups and the bases for provocations to ashes in three or four minutes, (or) in much shorter time, by unprecedented peculiar means and methods of our own style," according to the statement by the special operation action group of the Korean People's Army's Supreme Command.

Some South Korean analysts speculated the North's statement was meant to unnerve Seoul; others that the North could be planning terrorist attacks.
It seemed unlikely that North Korea would launch a large-scale military attack against Seoul, which is backed by nearly 30,000 U.S. troops stationed in the South, said Kim Young-soo, a professor at Sogang University in Seoul.
The North's latest threat, which was carried by its state media, comes amid rising tensions on the Korean peninsula, with both Koreas recently unveiling new missiles.
The animosity has prompted worries that North Korea may conduct a new nuclear test — something it did after rocket launches in 2006 and 2009. South Korean intelligence officials have said that recent satellite images show North Korea has been digging a new tunnel in what appears to be preparation for a third nuclear test.
South Korea's Unification Ministry said it was examining North Korea's intentions behind the statement; the Defense Ministry said no special military movement had been observed in the North. Officials spoke on condition of anonymity, citing office rules.
Relations between the Koreas have been abysmal since Lee took office in 2008 with a hard-line policy that ended unconditional aid shipments to the North.
In Beijing, North Korea's biggest ally, China's top foreign policy official met Sunday with a North Korean delegation and expressed confidence in the country's new young leader, Kim Jong Un.
___

Associated Press writers Youkyung Lee and Jiyoung Won contributed to this report from Seoul.

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No change to Myanmar parliament oath: Thein Sein

[postlink] https://burmacampaignjapanteam.blogspot.com/2012/04/no-change-to-myanmar-parliament-oath.html [/postlink] AFP | Apr 23, 2012, 10.06AM IST

TOKYO: Myanmar's president said on Monday he has no plans to change the loyalty oath that has provoked an announcement by democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi to boycott parliament, Kyodo reported.

Thein Sein told reporters in Tokyo he would like to "welcome" the Nobel Peace prize winner to parliament, but that it was up to her whether or not she took the seat she won earlier this month.

fromThe Times of India|

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The Philippines At Asean Summit

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A Global View

By DR. BETH DAY ROMULO

April 16, 2012, 6:40pm

MANILA, Philippines — The 20th Summit Meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) held this year in Cambodia, concluded on April 4th after two intensive days, in which leaders of the 10 ASEAN countries – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam – tackled problems of regional security, human rights and illegal drugs. Making his first trip abroad this year to Cambodia, President Aquino pushed for the creation of a legally binding Code of Conduct to address the conflicting claims in the South China Sea. While in Phnom Penh, he also took the occasion to oversee the negotiation of a Free Trade Agreement that would allow tariff-free raw materials to move from one country to another, and he urged North Korea to cancel its rocket launch, suggesting that North Korea could better spend its resources on food security.
The host of this year’s ASEAN summit meeting, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, urged fellow members to strengthen their cooperation in preparation for the proposed integration of the 10-nation regional bloc in 2015 and work toward the realization of one ASEAN community which would include a single investment system to facilitate the free flow of goods and services and labor. He also cautioned the other leaders to respect the rights of migrant workers, oversee the scrapping of trade barriers, and ensure that necessary infrastructure is being developed.
ASEAN will launch a $485-million infrastructure fund next month. Co-financed by ASEAN and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the fund is designed to provide financing for infrastructure projects in the region. The Philippines intends to present several project proposals.
Following the election in Myanmar, on April 1st in which democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi was elected to a seat in Parliament, the leaders of the ASEAN countries called on Western countries to lift their sanctions on Myanmar “immediately in light of significant positive developments.”
Myanmar’s most powerful ally, China, also welcomed the election victory. During the period when sanctions blocked any investment from the West, China took the opportunity to invest heavily in Myanmar’s inadequate infrastructure, building much-needed hydropower dams and oil and gas pipelines which facilitate the export of Myanmar’s oil and gas reserves, and help with South China’s growing energy needs.

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Burmese army's licence to rape is region's shame

[postlink] https://burmacampaignjapanteam.blogspot.com/2011/07/burmese-army-licence-to-rape-is-region.html [/postlink]

In 1989, following the collapse of the Communist Party of Burma (CPB), a number of armed ethnic armies entered into a series of ceasefire agreements with Rangoon. The fighting stopped, to a degree, but deep down nobody believed it would last. It was just a matter of time before the various groups resumed fighting.
For more than two decades, the so-called peace deals rested on shaky ground with little effort to resolve differences and allow them to integrate into Burmese society and administration. The ethnic armies held their turf, running special administrative areas with a high degree of autonomy. Some entered into the lucrative drug trade. Others went into logging and gems.
The ceasefire deals were the work of former security tsar General Khin Nyunt in the years following the bloody crackdown on huge nationwide pro-democracy demonstrations in 1988. But with the regime intelligence chief ousted and put under house arrest in October 2004, things haven't been the same. Hardliners in junta were determined to disband the ethnic armies and put them under the command of the country's notorious army, locally known as the Tatmadaw.
Other groups who refused to come into the "legal fold", such as the Karen National Union, continued their armed struggle. Gross human rights violations have been committed for many years as the Tatmadaw classed civilians in areas where rebel forces were active as allies of enemy fighters. Rangoon intentionally uprooted and attacked civilians in a bid to deny rebel groups any form of support. This tactic, part of the notorious 'Four Cuts' policy, displaced hundreds of thousands of villagers, many of whom made their way to refugee camps dotted along the Thai-Burma border. But the Tatmadaw didn't stop there. Rape was has long been employed as part of their ugly tactics to demoralise ethnic armies and the local population.
A hard-hitting report released in 2002 by the Shan Women's Action Network (SWAN) - 'A Licence to Rape' - outlined in great detail the use of such a despicable ploy. International organisations and foreign governments looked into the allegations and confirmed the practice really was occurring. That was nine years ago. The junta denied it - as they do with virtually every accusation - but things appear to have hardly changed over the past decade.
Today, with a number of former ceasefire groups facing the guns of the Burmese military, the use of rape has extended to women from these ethnic communities as well. At this moment, the northern part of Shan State is the centre of attention. The area is of "crucial strategic importance for Burma's military rulers, who are seeking to secure it for major Chinese investments, including hydropower dams and transnational gas and oil pipelines," according to a recent statement released by SWAN and the Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF).
"Foreign governments dealing with Burma should not be silent about these atrocities. 'Business as usual' means ongoing rape in our communities," SWAN's Hseng Moon said. The latest report about rapes in Shan State comes only weeks after the Kachin Women's Association Thailand denounced the rape of 18 women and girls during renewed fighting last month in Kachin State in the far north.
Rape brings stigma, shame, and reluctance on the part of victims to speak out about what happened to them. But an increasing number of women and girls from Burma - the ones that survived - have begun to tell of their experiences of rape and other forms of sexual violence in the country's war-torn areas. Burmese Army deserters confirm that rapes occur regularly and usually go unpunished. The UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women has published material that corroborates details in 'A Licence to Rape' and adds many new cases.
Nevertheless, years on, a UN investigation has yet to take place, because the military junta refuses to grant the UN access to the country. Incidents of rape continue to be reported, and the Burmese military must surely know what is happening. But the junta engages in Orwellian double-speak. It has rejected the reports, instead launching its own investigations, which are conducted in such a manner one can hardly have confidence in their credibility.
While the United Nations and a number of Western countries have spoken out against the use of rape in Burma's military campaigns, members of the Asean community have been conspicuously quiet.
In 2000, the UN Security Council recognised that gender-based violence thwarts security and adopted Resolution 1325, which calls on parties in conflict to respect the rights of women and children, and particularly to prevent gender-based violence. In 2004, Asean governments vowed to end the impunity states like Burma have enjoyed and signed the Declaration to Eliminate Violence Against Women in this region. But these resolutions won't mean much unless action is taken.
Burma refuses to live up to the standards of decency that Asean has set for itself. That says a lot about its government and its military. But what about Asean countries and the organisation itself? Surely more can be done. Sadly, there seems to be little political will to do anything about ongoing atrocities in Burma. Asean needs to act, because its credibility erodes every day that nothing is done.

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Myanmar junta chief praises 'successful' elections

[postlink] https://burmacampaignjapanteam.blogspot.com/2010/12/myanmar-junta-chief-praises-elections.html [/postlink]

YANGON, Myanmar – Myanmar's ruling strongman said Wednesday that the country's recent elections — condemned by the international community as rigged — were free and fair and a step toward handing power to the people.
Junta chief Senior Gen. Than Shwe made the assessment about the country's first elections in two decades in a speech marking National Day, which celebrates a 1920 student strike against British colonialism.
According to the state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper, Than Shwe said the successful completion of "free and fair elections" left just two steps to complete in the junta's self-styled 'roadmap to democracy:' convening Parliament and building a modern developed democratic nation with a Head of State elected by Parliament.
Government opponents and outside observers were critical of the Nov. 7 polls, saying they were held under unfair conditions and that the results were manipulated to allow the military-backed party to win.
The U.N. special envoy to Myanmar said Sunday that he told the military government that it must address concerns about the polls. Vijay Nambiar, speaking after a two-day visit, said concerns about the elections have to be addressed "as transparently as possible."
"This is important for laying the foundation of a credible transition" to democratic rule, he said.
Than Shwe in his speech said that plans were now under way "to hand over state power to the public."
Although final official results have yet to be announced, a tabulation based on reports in state media shows the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party garnered nearly 80 percent of the seats in the two-house Union Parliament.
The election results assure that the military, which has ruled Myanmar since 1962, will continue to wield decisive power.

The disbanded party of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi also marked National Day, with the 65-year old Nobel Peace laureate, recently released from 7 1/2 years of detention, calling for unity, courage and perseverance to achieve peace, security and prosperity. She called on the junta to release all political prisoners.

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Aung San Suu Kyi calls for national reconciliation on National Day of Burma

[postlink] https://burmacampaignjapanteam.blogspot.com/2010/12/aung-san-suu-kyi-calls-for-national.html [/postlink]

calendar, 1^st December on this year’s Western calendar. It is a day of abrupt change in political meaning, which celebrates a boycott by university students of the nation protesting the British colonial regime’s the 1920-Act of Rangoon University.

 People of Burma believe the 1920-boycott as the country’s foremost step towards independence. The 1920 Rangoon University Act gave access to higher education only for students from the wealthiest families. However, students from poor families had no chance to study University education. Thus, the University Student’s called for boycott in due course to review the act.

 Burma’s universities have produced many national figures; the most outstanding student leader was Aung San, father of Democracy Icon Aung San Suu Kyi. In the 1988 revolution, student leaders were also the initiators of the nation-wide uprising. National Day in Burma has become an important strong linkage between political and educational liberty.

 On Wednesday (1^st December, 2010), Burma’s key figure of democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi urged political leaders and their parties, social workers and their civil networks, citizens and civil-servants including military personnel to be courageous, unyielding and united in joining political activities as the country needs their contributions. In an interview with the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), Aung San Suu Kyi said the first step toward national reconciliation is to "change the people's mindsets."

Suu Kyi, General-Secretary of the NLD, also said that she is ready to work in partnership with anyone or any group that is trying to endorse national reconciliation, in a speech on 1^st December on the 90th anniversary of National Day at the headquarters of the National League for Democracy (NLD).

According to her, the NLD has been alive as a political party, not for the party's survival but to work for the people.

“I have worked to accomplish national reconciliation, and I will keep struggling to endorse national reconciliation,” she said.

“The current education system in Burma has many weak points,” Burma’s Nobel peace laureate said in her National Day talk. “If the citizens are weak in education, there will be many negative consequences. We have to reduce those weaknesses in the education system.”

On the same day, Burma’s Junta chief Senior General Than Shwe made the assessment regarding the country's first elections in two decades in a speech marking National Day, which honors the 1920 student boycott against British colonialism.

According to the junta’s mouthpiece newspaper New Light of Myanmar, Than Shwe said the triumphant achievement of "free-and-fair elections" left just two steps to complete in the junta's self-styled 'roadmap to democracy'; the remaining two steps are to hand over state power to the public through Parliament and to construct an advanced developed democratic nation with a Head of State elected by Parliament.

The junta’s challengers and political analysts have been criticizing the 7-November polls as launching under unfair setting and that the voting-stations were handled by the military and its followers giving favor to the junta-backed party.

For that reason, numerous nations condemned the voting as a charade due to unfair election laws that barred many opposition parties and candidates to take part in the polls.

In the meantime, the NLD is in the hunt for a judicial resolution to restore the party as a legal political party after losing its status in last May after it refused to reregister for the recent election. The party boycotted the voting to complain the biased law that forced to drop Aung San Suu Kyi as a member if the NLD wanted to contest in the polls.

The NLD on this occasion of the 90^th Anniversary National Day released an announcement urging the military regime to release all political prisoners without delay so as to commence a process of national reconciliation.  

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Interview with Sayargyi U Win Tin

[postlink] https://burmacampaignjapanteam.blogspot.com/2010/11/interview-with-sayargyi-u-win-tin.html [/postlink]

Burmese democratic group celebrate national day in Tokyo minami otsuka on this sunday evening , lead by BWU Burmese woman union Japan branch and his athority's Daw Cho Cho Aye .People who support Burma democracy way , some Japanese arround 150 person supported .
The special news for this ceremony is Journalist U Win Tin sent message for burma democratic activity in Japan , and his message show the way what Burmese activits must follow the meaning of Burma national day , the message was got by phone , Burma Campign Japan reporter Ye Min Oo has request message from U Win Tin , yesterday . The complete message was shown by video files on Burma Campaign Japan web site ,and also the ceremony  with performance video recorded news also available at http://www.burmacampaignjapan.net/   BCJP Television News .


Reported by Kyaw Hlaing Aye ( Director )
National Day is a public holiday in Myanmar.
As National Days go, they often celebrate independence of a region or country from harsh political or military rule. Often the history of the National Day involves a deposed leader, an expelled governing body, or the start of a revolution. In most cases, a new government is installed, a new constitution ratified, or genuine change is enacted. However, there are rare cases when the celebration comes full circle and turns into a call for new revolution. National Day in the Union of Myanmar typifies this very well.

http://www.youtube.com/user/bcjpnetwork#p/u/1/DEVOvx0vyQU

History of Myanmar National Day

Before there was Myanmar, there was Burma. Burma was conquered by the British in 1824, and it remained in full British control until around 1886 when a majority of the country fell under British India and was ruled as a province.
Growing anti-British sentiment by the Buddhist and student communities increasingly caused friction for British India. In 1919, Buddhist monks of the Eindawya Pagoda in Mandalay tried to physically evict Europeans that refused to respect local custom and remove their shoes before entering the pagoda. In a controversial move by the British, the leader of those monks was sentenced to life in prison for attempted murder.
On December 5, 1920, tempers flared when Rangoon University students protested against new government regulations made by the British. News of the protests spread throughout the land, and many more schools held protests of their own. This day is considered the source of National Day in Myanmar, a day that marks the real beginning of mass protests against British control. However, it wasn’t until January 4, 1948 that Burma gained its independence from Britain.

Myanmar National Day Traditions, Customs and Activities

It’s worth noting a few things about this particular holiday. First, Myanmar’s National Day is the only non-religious public holiday celebrated. Second, the actual date of this holiday changes every year. The actual date of celebration is determined by the Myanmar lunar calendar, and it falls on the tenth day after the full moon in the month of Tazaungmon. (Tazaungmon roughly falls between October and November.)
Finally, it should be noted that today Myanmar is politically in nearly identical chaos to that of early British colonial times. While
National Day typically celebrates the start of protests in 1920 against the British occupation, today National Day is frequently marked by protests against the current ruling military junta. Buddhist monks, students, and even the international community turn out to the protests with cries for revolution anew.

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Burmese democratic group celebrate national day in Tokyo

[postlink] https://burmacampaignjapanteam.blogspot.com/2010/11/burmese-democratic-group-celebrate.html [/postlink]

Burmese democratic group celebrate national day in Tokyo minami otsuka on this sunday evening , lead by BWU Burmese woman union Japan branch and his athority's Daw Cho Cho Aye .People who support Burma democracy way , some Japanese arround 150 person supported .
The special news for this ceremony is Journalist U Win Tin sent message for burma democratic activity in Japan , and his message show the way what Burmese activits must follow the meaning of Burma national day , the message was got by phone , Burma Campign Japan reporter Ye Min Oo has request message from U Win Tin , yesterday . The complete message was shown by video files on Burma Campaign Japan web site ,and also the ceremony  with performance video recorded news also available at http://www.burmacampaignjapan.net/   BCJP Television News .


Reported by Kyaw Hlaing Aye ( Director )
National Day is a public holiday in Myanmar.
As National Days go, they often celebrate independence of a region or country from harsh political or military rule. Often the history of the National Day involves a deposed leader, an expelled governing body, or the start of a revolution. In most cases, a new government is installed, a new constitution ratified, or genuine change is enacted. However, there are rare cases when the celebration comes full circle and turns into a call for new revolution. National Day in the Union of Myanmar typifies this very well.

History of Myanmar National Day

Before there was Myanmar, there was Burma. Burma was conquered by the British in 1824, and it remained in full British control until around 1886 when a majority of the country fell under British India and was ruled as a province.
Growing anti-British sentiment by the Buddhist and student communities increasingly caused friction for British India. In 1919, Buddhist monks of the Eindawya Pagoda in Mandalay tried to physically evict Europeans that refused to respect local custom and remove their shoes before entering the pagoda. In a controversial move by the British, the leader of those monks was sentenced to life in prison for attempted murder.
On December 5, 1920, tempers flared when Rangoon University students protested against new government regulations made by the British. News of the protests spread throughout the land, and many more schools held protests of their own. This day is considered the source of National Day in Myanmar, a day that marks the real beginning of mass protests against British control. However, it wasn’t until January 4, 1948 that Burma gained its independence from Britain.

Myanmar National Day Traditions, Customs and Activities

It’s worth noting a few things about this particular holiday. First, Myanmar’s National Day is the only non-religious public holiday celebrated. Second, the actual date of this holiday changes every year. The actual date of celebration is determined by the Myanmar lunar calendar, and it falls on the tenth day after the full moon in the month of Tazaungmon. (Tazaungmon roughly falls between October and November.)
Finally, it should be noted that today Myanmar is politically in nearly identical chaos to that of early British colonial times. While
National Day typically celebrates the start of protests in 1920 against the British occupation, today National Day is frequently marked by protests against the current ruling military junta. Buddhist monks, students, and even the international community turn out to the protests with cries for revolution anew.

Watch now »