Osama Bin Laden Wanted 9/11 Follow-Up to Doom Economy, Terrorist Says

[postlink] https://burmacampaignjapanteam.blogspot.com/2012/04/osama-bin-laden-wanted-911-follow-up-to.html [/postlink]

Saajid Muhammad Badat shoe bomber is seen in this undated booking photo. (AP Photo)

A convicted terrorist said that shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, Osama bin Laden told him that the next attack would strike a fatal blow to the American economy.
In a video testimony played in a New York court Monday, Saajid Badat, who was convicted in London of a December 2001 plot to blow up a U.S.-bound flight with a bomb in his shoes, recounted his meeting with the al Qaeda leader just after the 9/11 attacks.
"So he said the American economy is like a chain," Badat said. "If you break one -- one link of the chain, the whole economy will be brought down. So after [the] Sept. 11 attacks, this operation will ruin the aviation industry and in turn the whole economy will come down."
By "this operation," Badat was apparently referring to his own mission -- the destruction of an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami just three months after 9/11. Badat backed out of the plot at the last minute, but another convicted terrorist, Richard Reid, attempted to go through with it on Dec. 22, 2001. The explosives hidden in his shoes, however, did not ignite and Reid was arrested.

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Terror Suspect Denies al Qaeda Ties Watch Video

Badat's testimony came as part of the trial of Adis Medunjanin, who stands accused of plotting to attack New York's subway system with suicide bombs in 2009. The admitted ringleader of that plot, Najibullah Zazi, broke down in tears on the stand last week while testifying against his comrade.
When asked then by the prosecutor if he still considered Medunjanin a good friend, Zazi began to cry, and said, "I love him." Zazi's tears became sobs when he was asked if he believed Medunjanin intended to carry out the suicide bombings. Zazi hung his head, and after a short pause, whispered, "yes."

Officials previously told ABC News that documents recovered in the Navy SEAL raid that killed Osama bin Laden nearly a year ago showed that the terror leader grew increasingly frustrated with his organization's inability to pull off other another attack on the scale of 9/11.
After it was revealed that bin Laden plotted to kill President Barack Obama and then-military commander David Petraeus, one national security official said bin Laden "clearly had bold ambitions to kill as many innocent people as possible. But al Qaeda's capabilities did not match Bin Laden's intent. Leading up to and since bin Laden's death we know that al Qaeda's capacity to pull off those types of complex attacks has been greatly diminished, and that Bin Laden himself spent much of his time brooding and providing guidance that often fell on deaf ears."
ABC News' Brittany Auger, Jake Tapper and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Myanmar reforms reveal 'strong golf culture'

[postlink] https://burmacampaignjapanteam.blogspot.com/2012/04/myanmar-reforms-reveal-golf-culture.html [/postlink] By Talek Harris | AFP News – 4 hours ago

Asian Tour executive chairman Kyi Hla Han at the World Golf American Express Championship in 2000. "People don't realise how popular golf is in Myanmar. They don't know that we already have such a strong golf culture," Han told AFP

After decades in the shadows, Myanmar's sudden opening-up to the outside is shining a new light on the country -- and revealing, amongst other things, one of Asia's most vibrant golf communities.

Behind Myanmar's "bamboo curtain", golf, a relic of British colonialism, has been an enduring pastime with scores of public courses -- often with green fees as low as $5 -- and a dozen driving ranges in Yangon alone.
According to Asian Tour executive chairman Kyi Hla Han, a highly successful Myanmar golfer who first represented his country at the 1980 World Cup, many visitors are taken aback when they see the extent of the country's facilities.
"People don't realise how popular golf is in Myanmar. They don't know that we already have such a strong golf culture," Han told AFP.
"There are lots of public courses. It's like Scotland, or Australia. You don't have to be a member, you can just turn up and play."
Han estimated there were up to 80 courses in Myanmar, formerly called Burma, which borders Thailand and has an estimated population of 54 million. Its golf-playing history of 100 years is among the longest in Asia.
Now the relaxation of military-ruled Myanmar in politics and border controls is expected to bring an influx of investment including plush new golf resorts, greater prize money and more opportunities for the country's players.
"It's great news now that the country is opening up for business and I think once the economy gets better and a lot of middle class people are able to afford playing, I'm sure they're going to pick up golf," said Han.
"Because there's a lot of facilities. Most of the courses are actually public courses so you can just pay and play. So it's just a matter of the economy getting better and people being able to afford to play.
"But we've always had a good history of golf being played there so it's not like Vietnam, or Cambodia, or even China -- we've been playing golf for the last 100 years. So the potential is great."
Golf was first played in Myanmar by the British military, who left behind several courses when the country gained independence in 1948. Since then, it has remained mainly the preserve of the military and business elite.
But Han said it was just a matter of time before Myanmar's economy improves, swelling the middle class and leading more people to seek out golf, as has happened in other growing Asian countries.
Zaw Moe, another of Myanmar's golf exports, said the country already had lots of talented young players who were working with coaches and benefiting from modern training methods and facilities.
It's a far cry from Moe's early days, when he hit balls into the jungle and picked up tips from caddies after starting to play at the age of 13.
"In my home town we have a nine-hole golf course and my father and mother played so I went with them. Somebody taught me the grip and I just picked it up," he said.
"My course didn't have a driving range. We just hit our own balls and asked the caddie to pick them up. We'd hit it into the jungle or on the fairway.
"We'd go and practise when the members weren't playing, so I would play in the early mornings or sometimes at night. When the members had finished, I could hit balls on the fairway."
Moe was forced to leave Myanmar in 1990 to seek out playing opportunities, and he moved to Malaysia, before spending 11 years on the Japanese tour. But he believes the next generation of Myanmar golfers will have it easier.
"It will take time. At the moment only the politics has changed. Everything will have to settle down and afterwards they (players) will come up. But it's looking very good for the future in Myanmar at the moment," he said.
Han said he now expected more prize money for the Asian Tour's $300,000 Myanmar Open, currently backed by domestic companies, as multinationals become involved. There are also about eight domestic events.
"We have our Myanmar Open and we hope to make that a bigger and better tournament next year. I think it will grow more," said Han.
"The businessmen there have been supporting it to help Myanmar and if multinationals come in... and I'm sure it's well supported by government officials. We see a good future for golf in Myanmar.
"Hopefully they can get one more (international) tournament in Myanmar. That would be nice for Myanmar and all the players over there."

Nay Bala Win Myint and Yan Naing Phyoe of Myanmar (right) hold the trophy for the Zaykabar Myanmar Open at the Royal Mingalardon Golf and Country Club in Yangon. After decades in the shadows, Myanmar's sudden opening-up to the outside is shining a new light on the country -- and revealing, amongst other things, one of Asia's most vibrant golf communities

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UN chief to visit Myanmar, praises democratic reform there

[postlink] https://burmacampaignjapanteam.blogspot.com/2012/04/un-chief-to-visit-myanmar-praises.html [/postlink] April 24, 2012 2:50 pm

New York - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said late Mondayhe would visit Myanmar at the invitation of the country's president,calling for him and the opposition to make more progress toward democratic reform.

Ban said he would leave New York this weekend, on his third visit to Myanmar, where he will meet with President Thein Sein and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and congratulate them personally for advancing democracy. He visited Myanmar in 2008 and 2009.



Ban said he welcomed the "positive international response" to Myanmar, including the United States’ and European Union’s decisions to suspend sanctions imposed previously on Myanmar to push for democratic reform.



"We need to see more such progress, more international support forMyanmar’s efforts to reform and bring about democratic change," Ban told reporters after meeting with the Group of Friends of Myanmar todiscuss his upcoming visit.



"On this visit, I look forward to personally congratulating President Thein Sein and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi," he said. "Working together, they have come far. Working together, I am confident that they will go further still." "And together, we will explore the many tangible and practic always in which the UN can help," he said. "The government of Myanmar and its people have embarked on a path of reconciliation,democratization and development to build a better future for all.They deserve our full support." //DPA

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Can Burma’s President take part in current row over the oath?

[postlink] https://burmacampaignjapanteam.blogspot.com/2012/04/can-burmas-president-take-part-in.html [/postlink]

By Zin Linn Apr 24, 2012 9:16PM UTC

People of Burma reach at another political crossroads at this time. It is an excited moment for many citizens who hope for emergence of Democracy. The case is that the National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Aung San Suu Kyi did not attend on 23 April re-opening of Burma’s parliamentary session   by reason of a row over the oath of office for representatives-elect.

Aung San Suu Kyi, Chairperson of the NLD, was along with 43 parliamentarians elected from her National League for Democracy (NLD) party in April by-elections. The NLD’s MPs want to take oath using the word “respect”, rather than the wording of “safeguard” the constitution, which they state is undemocratic.

On 4 November 2011, Burma’s President Thein Sein had signed an amendment law on political parties in an obvious effort to persuade National League for Democracy party led by democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi to reregister as a party recognizing the new political structure.

Burma’s state-run TV and newspaper publicized on 6 November, 2011 that President Thein Sein has signed a law that amends three key areas of the Political Party Registration Law. Both houses of the Burmese Parliament had earlier endorsed the amendments.

In the previous law the wording said that all political parties must “protect” the State’s Constitution. In the amendment law the word “safeguard” was changed to “respect and abide” the Constitution.

According to the new law, previous two clauses were also changed. One clause said that serving prisoners are restricted from being a member of a political party and another clause said that a political party needs to contest in three parliamentary seats at least in an election.

At that time, analysts believe that the aim of amending the law is to pave the way for the National League for Democracy reregistering as a legal party. According to those amendments on political parties, the NLD took part in the April 1 by-elections that was the first electoral contest of its public reputation within a two-decade time.

President Thein Sein government seems to take advantage of bringing Suu Kyi and her party back into the current parliamentary structure which would make the government healthier authenticity at home and overseas.

However, Aung San Suu Kyi and members of her NLD party skipped their first appearance in parliament amid a row over a fidelity oath on 23 April.  The National League for Democracy (NLD) has objected to the oath that requires parliamentarians swearing to safeguard the country’s constitution. Instead, it was set to respect the charter, which however gives surety of military domination in parliaments.

Suu Kyi has said one of her priorities as an elected parliamentarian is to advocate an amendment of the 2008 constitution, under which 25 per cent of the parliament seats are reserved for unelected military officials.

In frequent media interviews, Suu Kyi expressed her aspiration to work together with the new government to push for some changes to help the people of Burma. Well-informed sources close to the government said that the government wanted Suu Kyi and members of her party in parliament to give itself legitimacy.

Most Burma watchers believe that the participation of 43 NLD legislators, including Suu Kyi in the existing parliament, would definitely improve the military-dominated government’s image and legitimacy.

But, there are some concerns among the public because of ruling party’s general secretary Htay Oo’s comments that it’s unnecessary to change the wording “respect” instead of “safeguard”.

Suu Kyi and 42 other elected lawmakers from her party were absent as the latest assembly session got under way in the capital, Naypyitaw, on Monday. The party had said it would not join until the oath issue was resolved.

Opposition spokesman Nyan Win told ‘The Associated Press’ that he believed the dispute would be solved within 10 days, and other party officials have said there is support within President Thein Sein’s government to change the oath.

The party was “not disappointed” with its current inability to sit in the legislative body, Nyan Win said. “We are cooperating with the government, so the problem will be overcome.”

Meanwhile in Luxembourg on Monday, the EU announced the suspension of most sanctions except an arms embargo against Myanmar for one year while it assesses the country’s progress, AP News said.

 Hkun Tun Oo, a senior Shan ethnic politician who released from jail in January, told The Associated Press the EU’s temporary suspension was the right move “because if things do not improve within a year, sanctions can be renewed.”

Analysts believe that Thein Sein knows well about Suu Kyi’s clout on the Western democracies and realize her contribution as essential, since Burma has been preparing to take ASEAN Chair in 2014, and it has also been trying entire ending of Western sanctions that hindering the country’s economic development since 1988.

If President Thein Sein ardently desired to pursue the irreversible democratic path, it would be his duty to act as mediator between his ruling party and the NLD chaired by Suu Kyi. Even though current wording deadlock for oath look like a row, as mediator, President has responsibility to address it.

In fact, he himself has signed a law that amends three key areas of the Political Party Registration Law last year. In the revision law the word “safeguard” was changed to “respect and abide” the Constitution

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Burma exiles urge further US sanction

[postlink] https://burmacampaignjapanteam.blogspot.com/2012/04/burma-exiles-urge-further-us-sanction.html [/postlink]

Updated: 21:25, Tuesday April 24, 2012

The European Union's suspension of economic sanctions against Burma has riled exiled activists, who are urging the United States to press for further reforms before following suit.
The activists' opposition has exposed differences with democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose cause they have championed for more than two decades.
Suu Kyi endorsed the EU move during a visit by British Prime Minister David Cameron to Rangoon this month. They say changes have yet to affect the lives of most citizens and rampant rights abuses continue.
'The EU has suspended sanctions knowing that its own benchmarks on Burma have not been met: the unconditional release of all political prisoners and a cessation of attacks against ethnic minorities,' Soe Aung of the Forum for Democracy in Burma said by email from Thailand. He accused the bloc of rushing to reward 'murky reforms'.
'It's illogical and a little hypocritical,' Aung said.
While the influence of activists who escaped the country in the years following a 1988 crackdown on democracy protesters is waning as the country opens up, they remain players in the debate. Last week, a group were lobbying opinion-makers in Washington, including at the State Department and the World Bank.
They say foreign investment before rule of law is established in the impoverished country would do more harm than good and benefit only the military and its cronies who dominate the most lucrative sectors of the economy.
The Obama administration has taken the concerns seriously. While the US has led the charge in engaging Burma, it is moving more slowly than the EU in lifting sanctions. It is upgrading diplomatic ties and plans to allow US investment in some sectors, but only in areas it judges would benefit the broader population.
Congressional committees that oversee US policy toward Asia will take up the issue this week, hearing testimony by senior officials from the State Department, the US Agency for International Development and the Treasury Department.
Khin Ohmar, co-ordinator of Burma Partnership, a coalition of pro-democracy activists based in several Asian countries, said despite relaxation of restrictions on media and peaceful protests, the military still can act with impunity.
'People talk about President Thein Sein being reform-minded. That may be true. There's always been reform-minded people, even under the repressive system. But what we need in Burma is institutional changes, not changes based on personalities,' she said in Washington.
She said the litmus test of political reform would be 2015 national elections, when the military's control of parliament will be challenged. Even after winning 43 of the 45 seats contested in recent special elections, Suu Kyi's party still controls fewer than seven per cent of the seats, and refused to take them up when parliament convened on Monday due to a dispute over a single word in the oath of office, a sign of the formidable hurdles that remain in political reconciliation.
Western governments maintain it is important to act now to reward the Thein Sein government, to weaken the hand of conservatives in the military who oppose the democratic reforms.
The EU on Monday announced it was suspending most of its sanctions, except an arms embargo, for six months to a year while it assesses the country's progress.

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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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