|
Home > What's New
| Title: | | Database of companies linked with Burma
|
| Date of publication: | | 28 October 2002 |
| Description/subject: | | "On 28 October [2002], on behalf of the Global Unions Group, the ICFTU is releasing a new database of over 325 foreign companies with business links to Burma - links that help to sustain the brutal and repressive dictatorship in that country. While some prominent companies have withdrawn since the initial release of the database one year ago, Global Unions have added a further 92 companies which continue to do business with Burma or have been pursuing business links with the junta...." "The following database has been compiled by the
ICFTU, based on publicly available information.
It is a database of companies which appear, from the
information available, to have some form of
relationship with Burma.
A company was added to the list as soon as one link
was found between it and Burma or its regime during
the period following 15 November 2000, the date of
the ILO decision. In some cases, this link will be trade
with, investment in or other business activities in
Burma, for others it may be direct contact between the
company and officials of the regime. It may also be
that the company promotes or advertises tourism in
the country...
This list is not exhaustive. We are ready to correct any
factual errors which it may contain. As we receive
information on further companies which are active in
Burma we will approach them in the same way and,
depending on their reaction, add them to the list." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Global Unions |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://www.global-unions.org/spip.php?rubrique57 |
| Date of entry/update: | | 02 September 2010 |
| | ML > Economy
>
Investment in Burma/Myanmar
>
Lists, Directories of Foreign Companies in Burma
Activism and Advocacy (groups from Burma, solidarity groups, campaigns, publications)
>
International Lobbying
|
|
| Title: | | "The Irrawaddy" Business
|
| Date of publication: | | June 1997 |
| Description/subject: | | Joint-Venture for sugar mill • Foreign cash ATMs • San Francisco bans Burmese business • Japan insurer sets foot in Burma • Divestment Movement: South Africa stle • Thailand eyes Burmese ports • Burma to join BIST-EC [to make BIMST-EC] |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | "The Irrawaddy", Vol. 5. No. 3 |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 02 September 2010 |
| | ML > Economy
>
Investment in Burma/Myanmar
>
Debate on Investment in Burma
|
|
| Title: | | China in Burma:- The increasing investment of Chinese multinational corporations in Burma’s hydropower, oil &gas, and mining sectors
|
| Date of publication: | | September 2007 |
| Description/subject: | | "Introductory research conducted by the Burma Project over the past three months has found
more than 26 Chinese multinational corporations (MNCs) involved in more than 62
hydropower, oil & gas, and mining projects in Burma. The projects vary from small dams
completed in the past decade to planned dual oil and gas pipelines across Burma to Yunnan
province announced this year. Detailed information about many of these investments is not
made available to affected communities or the general public, and we hope that the
information here will stimulate additional discussion, research, and investigation into the
conduct of Chinese MNCs in Burma..." |
| Language: | | English, Chinese, Burmese |
| Source/publisher: | | EarthRights International |
| Format/size: | | pdf (English,3.21 MB; Chinese,1.8 MB; Burmese,1.84 MB) |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://www.earthrights.org/publication/china-burma-increasing-investment-chinese-multinational-corp... |
| Date of entry/update: | | 02 September 2010 |
| | ML > Economy
>
Investment in Burma/Myanmar
>
Chinese investment
Economy
>
Infrastructure
>
Energy
>
Electrical Power: Production and Use
>
Hydro-electricity
>
Dams and rivers - articles, reports, resources
|
|
| Title: | | Multinational Enterprises in Situations of Violent Conflict and Widespread Human Rights Abuses
|
| Date of publication: | | May 2002 |
| Description/subject: | | "In response to enquiries about foreign investment in Myanmar, the Committee for International
Investment and Multinational Enterprises (CIME) asked the Secretariat to prepare a paper, under the
responsibility of the latter, that would provide background information to interested parties. This paper
was not only to shed light on business activity in Myanmar, but also to consider the broader challenges of
conducting business responsibly in countries characterised by civil strife and extensive human rights
violations. The present paper responds to this request and focuses on issues that are of particular relevance
to extractive industries. This sector?s share of global investment is quite small, but its significance for
particular host societies is large and the underlying issues for corporate responsibility affect the welfare of
millions of people. While not ignoring the problems that have arisen in connection with multinational
enterprise activity in troubled host countries, this paper also seeks to promote and highlight the positive
roles that some companies have played in the search for solutions to these countries? very complex
problems..." |
| Author/creator: | | Kathryn Gordon |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) |
| Format/size: | | PDF (186 KB) 35 pages |
| Date of entry/update: | | 02 September 2010 |
| | ML > Economy
>
Investment in Burma/Myanmar
>
Debate on Investment in Burma
|
|
| Title: | | Corporate Engagement Project, Yadana Project Myanmar/Burma, May 2003 (2nd visit)
|
| Date of publication: | | July 2003 |
| Description/subject: | | "The Corporate Engagement Project (CEP) is a collaborative effort, involving multinational
corporations that operate in areas of socio-political tensions or conflict. Its purpose is to help
corporate managers better understand the impacts of corporate activities on the contexts in which
they work. Based on site visits, CEP aims to identify and analyze the challenges for corporations
that recur across companies and across contexts. Based on the patterns that emerge, CEP
develops management tools and practical options for management practices that respond to local
challenges and address stakeholder issues.
In this context, Doug Fraser, Independent Consultant, and Luc Zandvliet, Project Director of
CEP, visited Myanmar from April 22 – May 3, 2003 to visit the Yadana pipeline project,
operated by Total, as a follow up to our first visit conducted in October 2002.
This visit was the second CEP visit to the Yadana Project in what is planned as a series of three
visits. To avoid duplication, this report should be read in combination with the first report
(available at http://www.cdainc.com/cep/cep-casestudylist.htm). Our purpose, as in all CEP field
visits, was to examine the interaction between corporate operations and surrounding
communities, as well as the impact of corporate operations on the wider context of conflict.
The CEP team intends to visit Thailand to explore allegations from several international NGOs
that people originating from the pipeline area were displaced into Thailand. If people had to
leave Myanmar/Burma recently for reasons related to the pipeline or the presence of oil
companies, this would be important for CEP to know. The trip will serve the following purposes:
! To learn additional information related to the impact of the pipeline on local civilians.
We want to address the possibility that we only hear positive stories about the pipeline
from people currently residing in the corridor, while people that were possibly forced to
leave the corridor might tell of a different reality.
! To verify why CDA’s observations in the pipeline area differ from the observations in
some of the reports produced by international NGOs about the impact of the pipeline on
the local contexts.
! To explore rumors in the business community in Thailand and Myanmar/Burma (and
among NGOs themselves) that some NGOs make a “business” of producing allegations
against companies, based on testimonies from Myanmar/Burmese refugees. This is of
concern to CEP because if CEP is unable to confirm allegations that “NGOs fabricate
“evidence,” it supports the credibility of the NGOs that make allegations or advocate on
behalf of Myanmar/Burmese refugees. On the other side, if the fabrication of evidence is
confirmed, this would support sentiments in the business community that allegations
should not be taken seriously. This undermines the ability of individuals with genuine
grievances against companies to be heard.
CONCLUSION:
The second visit to the Yadana pipeline confirmed the positive impact that the presence of the oil
companies currently has on the population within the pipeline corridor. It is also evident that
these positive impacts in the pipeline corridor will not convince outside critics about Total’s
positive contribution to the country at large. The company will continue to be criticized and
remain vulnerable to outside pressure from some stakeholders until it is better able to address
concerns on the larger socio-political context in the country. The single most important
observation revealed in this report is the need for the co-investors to develop a vision of the role
they want to play in Myanmar/Burma and the strategy they will use to achieve this.
With a clear vision and strategy, efforts to achieve this outcome can be focused, and new
working partnerships can be built and nurtured. Within these, creative solutions to the challenges
of working in Myanmar can be formulated." |
| Author/creator: | | Luc Zandvliet and Doug Fraser |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Collaborative for Development Action |
| Format/size: | | pdf (285 KB) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 02 September 2010 |
| | ML > Economy
>
Investment in Burma/Myanmar
>
Debate on Investment in Burma
|
|
| Title: | | BURMA: COMPANIES, NGOs AND THE NEW DIPLOMACY
|
| Date of publication: | | October 2001 |
| Description/subject: | | "Burma, also known as Myanmar, is an important
case study in wider international debates on the
politics of sanctions versus constructive engagement,
and the role of companies and NGOs in controversial states.
Since 1962 Burma has been ruled by a succession of
military and quasi-military regimes. All the main political
actors, including the armed forces, agree that it should
eventually return to some form of democratic rule. The
questions are: when and by what route? And how, if at all,
can the international community assist?
One of the most important features of the Burma
debate is the role played by non-state actors – particularly
NGOs, but also companies. A loose coalition of advocacy
groups has put pressure on Western governments to
impose sanctions on Burma, and on companies to
withdraw from the country. Petroleum companies, in
particular, have been accused of collaborating with an
illegitimate regime. But such campaigns raise further
questions: what role should advocacy groups play in
foreign policy-making? And what are the real responsibilities
of international companies in controversial states?..." |
| Author/creator: | | John Bray |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Royal Institute for International Affairs (Briefing Papers, New Series No. 24) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (68 K) |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://www.eldis.org/assets/Docs/11176.html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 02 September 2010 |
| | ML > International Assistance to Burma
>
Humanitarian assistance
>
The debate on humanitarian assistance to Burma
Economy
>
Investment in Burma/Myanmar
>
Debate on Investment in Burma
|
|
| Title: | | The Dirty List (of foreign companies doing business in Burma)
|
| Description/subject: | | "Burma is a country ruled by one of the longest running and most brutal military dictatorships in the world; a dictatorship charged by the United Nations with a “crime against humanity” for its systematic abuses of human rights, and condemned internationally for refusing to transfer power to the legally elected Government of the country – the party led by Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
In response to calls from Burma’s democracy movement, the Burma Campaign UK and other campaign groups around the world have been pressuring companies to sever business ties with Burma...
Relevant Links:
#
The Dirty List with company contact details;
#
The Dirty List without contact details;
#
The Dirty List Briefing;
#
The Clean List;
#
British Clothing Retailers and Burma..."
Various lists (with and without contact details) and suggestions for action. |
| Source/publisher: | | The Burma Campaign UK |
| Format/size: | | html, pdf |
| Date of entry/update: | | 02 September 2010 |
| | ML > Economy
>
Investment in Burma/Myanmar
>
Lists, Directories of Foreign Companies in Burma
|
|
| Title: | | BURMA: The absence of normative and institutional frameworks to protect human rights in Myanmar
|
| Date of publication: | | 24 August 2010 |
| Description/subject: | | HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
Fifteenth session, Agenda Item 4, General Debate
A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status....."...After a decade or more of intense work on Myanmar in international human rights gatherings, and after the compilation and submission of vast quantities of information about the factual situation in the country at considerable effort and often great risk on the part of large numbers of human rights defenders in the country and abroad, it is not only disingenuous but insulting for the Council to continue to do no more than make the same carefully worded calls that are disconnected from reality and lacking in either intellectual or moral fibre. The absence of either normative or institutional frameworks for the protections of human rights in Myanmar precludes business as usual. It must be said plainly and clearly that the Council has failed utterly to address the situation of human rights in Myanmar; that the Council has been amply informed about the real situation in the country and cannot pretend that the normative and institutional frameworks for the protection of human rights exist when they do not. The question remains as to what, given these facts, the Council can do about it." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC-CWS-15-04-2010) |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 02 September 2010 |
| | ML > United Nations System
>
UN Human Rights entities working on Burma (Myanmar)
>
Human Rights Council
>
Statements and reports on Myanmar at regular sessions of the Human Rights Council
>
Statements on Myanmar to regular sessions of the Human Rights Council by NGOs
|
|
| Title: | | Amnesty International: Myanmar: Submission to the UN Universal Periodic Review Tenth session of the UPR Working Group of the Human Rights Council January 2011
|
| Date of publication: | | 05 July 2010 |
| Description/subject: | | Executive summary:
"In this submission, Amnesty International provides information under sections B, C and D as stipulated in the
General Guidelines for the Preparation of Information under the Universal Periodic Review:1
· Under section B, Amnesty International raises concerns about the 2008 Constitution, the 2010 Electoral
Laws and the criminalisation of peaceful dissent by security laws.
· Section C highlights Amnesty International’s concerns about human rights violations in the context of:
political imprisonment, conditions in detention, the anti-government protests of August and September
2007, the May 2008 constitutional referendum, the mass sentencing of peaceful political activists in late
2008, the repression of ethnic minority political activists, the 2010 elections, Cyclone Nargis, crimes
against humanity, armed conflict and displacement.
· In section D, Amnesty International makes a number of recommendations for action by the government to
address the areas of concern." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Amnesty International (ASA 16/008/2010) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (145K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 02 September 2010 |
| | ML > United Nations System
>
UN Human Rights entities working on Burma (Myanmar)
>
Human Rights Council
>
Universal Periodic Review
>
Burma/Myanmar and the UPR
>
Submissions by stakeholders to the UPR (Burma/Myanmar Review)
|
|
| Title: | | Karen Human Rights Group: Submission for the UN Universal Periodic Review: Human rights concerns in KHRG research areas
|
| Date of publication: | | 06 July 2010 |
| Description/subject: | | Executive summary"
"In this submission, the Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG) provides information under sections
A, C and D as stipulated in the General Guidelines for the Preparation of Information under the Universal
Periodic Review:
A. Methodology. This section details the methodology used by KHRG to gather information for
this submission.
C. Promotion and protection of human rights. This section details KHRG concerns related to
practices by the Government of Myanmar (GOM) in areas researched by KHRG: Forced labour;
Taxation, capricious demands and looting; Targeting of civilians in conflict; Forced relocation and land
confiscation; movement and trade restrictions; Arbitrary arrest, detention, torture, summary execution and
unexplained violence; Landmines, remnants of war and forced demining; Forced recruitment of adults
and children into the armed forces; Denial of access to humanitarian services; and Cumulative impacts on
livelihoods and displacement.
D. Constraints, best practices and recommendations. This section details constraints faced by
human rights monitors and defenders. It also details best practices for improving human rights as
developed by local communities, and provides recommendations for actions by the government to address
areas of concern highlighted in Section C." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG #2010-03) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (257K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 02 September 2010 |
| | ML > United Nations System
>
UN Human Rights entities working on Burma (Myanmar)
>
Human Rights Council
>
Universal Periodic Review
>
Burma/Myanmar and the UPR
>
Submissions by stakeholders to the UPR (Burma/Myanmar Review)
|
|
| Title: | | Asian Legal Resource Centre: Submission by the Asian Legal Resource Centre to the Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review concerning human rights and rule of law in Myanmar
|
| Date of publication: | | 20 June 2010 |
| Description/subject: | | SUMMARY:
"This submission, pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 5/1, which
provides for civil society to participate in the Universal Periodic Review process of
United Nations Member States’ human rights obligations and commitments,
concentrates on the features of legal, judicial and policing frameworks that enable the
un-rule of law in Myanmar. The country lacks a normative framework to protect
human rights under article 5 and articles 8 through 13 of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights. It lacks an independent and impartial judiciary. Its police force is
militarized. Gross human rights abuse is systemic. Avenues for redress as envisaged
in international standards are absent. Two major obstacles to implementation of
human rights are the State’s perception that the rule of law is a function of the
executive and therefore that the role of the judiciary is to enforce policy rather than
law; and, the accompanying systemic corruption in all parts of the State apparatus,
especially in the judiciary and police. The Council should consider how it can work
better within the United Nations system to apprise itself of the un-rule of law in
Myanmar, and coordinate its activities with other parts of the system with a view
towards substantive political change in the country, which must pre-empt any
substantive change in the normative and institutional frameworks through which to
implement human rights".....
Key Words: Rule of law, judiciary, police, arbitrary arrest, arbitrary detention,
torture, deaths in custody, trial, redress, corruption |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC-UPR-10-001-2010) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (77K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 02 September 2010 |
| | ML > United Nations System
>
UN Human Rights entities working on Burma (Myanmar)
>
Human Rights Council
>
Universal Periodic Review
>
Burma/Myanmar and the UPR
>
Submissions by stakeholders to the UPR (Burma/Myanmar Review)
|
|
| Title: | | EarthRights International: Universal Periodic Review – Myanmar (Burma) Submission to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights – July 2010
|
| Date of publication: | | July 2010 |
| Description/subject: | | "This submission focuses on the human rights abuses that have occurred over the past four years in relation to oil and natural gas development projects in Myanmar, which is under the rule of a military regime known as the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). Since the early 1990s, the areas around such development projects have been heavily militarized in order to protect the projects and the interests of the companies who finance them. As MAF soldiers flood the area, the local villagers are subjected to severe human rights abuses, including incidences of extrajudicial killings, forced labor, violations of freedom of movement, and land confiscations. As ERI and others have documented, this pattern of abuse has continued over the last four years. Although not the primary focus of this submission, similar abuses have occurred in relation to other development projects in Myanmar as well, such as mines and dams." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | EarthRights International |
| Format/size: | | pdf (51K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 02 September 2010 |
| | ML > United Nations System
>
UN Human Rights entities working on Burma (Myanmar)
>
Human Rights Council
>
Universal Periodic Review
>
Burma/Myanmar and the UPR
>
Submissions by stakeholders to the UPR (Burma/Myanmar Review)
|
|
| Title: | | FIDH/ALTSEAN-Burma: UPR Submission Myanmar - 10th session - February 2011
|
| Date of publication: | | 09 July 2010 |
| Description/subject: | | "The Alternative Asean Network on Burma (ALTSEAN-Burma) and the
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) submission focuses on the
Myanmar military regime’s use of forced labor, the forced recruitment of child
soldiers, the forced displacement of civilian populations, and rape and sexual violence
committed by members of the Tatmadaw (Armed Forces). These widespread and
systematic abuses amounting to crimes against humanity and war crimes, as defined
by Article 7 and 8 of the Rome Statute, have been documented by numerous UN
mechanisms and Rapporteurs.
2. In May 2008, Myanmar' s ruling junta, the State Peace and Development Council
(SPDC) adopted the country’s new Constitution. The drafting and approval of this
document was the culmination of a highly controlled and undemocratic process that
stretched over 15 years. The Constitution will come into force when the newly elected
members of Parliament will convene following the planned 2010 general elections,
the first in 20 years.
3. With the current Constitution, the SPDC ensured its own protection for prior
crimes. The Article 445 of the Constitution provides that no legal action can be taken
against SPDC members who officially carried out their duties “according to their
responsibilities.” The Charter effectively provides the SPDC with blanket immunity
for the gross violations of human rights, including crimes against humanity and war
crimes that it has committed over the past decades.
4. In March 2009, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in
Myanmar Professor Tomás Ojea Quintana stated that the ongoing human rights
abuses in the country were “the result of a state policy.” Due to the junta’s lack of
accountability for those abuses, the Special Rapporteur made the unprecedented
recommendation that the UN consider establishing a Commission of Inquiry into war
crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the SPDC, a requests that
ALTSEAN-Burma and FIDH fully support..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | ALTSEAN-Burma, FIDH |
| Format/size: | | pdf (155K) |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs09/ALTSEAN-UPR_Submission_on_Burma.pdf |
| Date of entry/update: | | 02 September 2010 |
| | ML > United Nations System
>
UN Human Rights entities working on Burma (Myanmar)
>
Human Rights Council
>
Universal Periodic Review
>
Burma/Myanmar and the UPR
>
Submissions by stakeholders to the UPR (Burma/Myanmar Review)
|
|
| Title: | | Burma Forum on Universal Periodic Review (BF-UPR): Joint Submission
|
| Date of publication: | | 05 July 2010 |
| Description/subject: | | Executive Summary:
"Burma’s human rights record is characterized by a pervasive culture of impunity, enabling the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) to violate a host of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. After nearly 50 years of successive military rule, there is a lack of adherence to human rights principles and a lack of rule of law and judicial independence, which has led to the creation of policies and measures by State authorities that are at complete odds with international human rights standards. There are no statutory or constitutional bodies to promote and protect human rights. Formal and informal human rights education is strictly repressed. Independent civil society organizations (CSOs) who promote human rights and document rights abuses inside the country are harassed by the State, and individuals subject to arrest. As a result, hundreds of CSOs are operating in exile, implementing training programs, publishing reports, and lobbying the international community and media, while working alongside those who are inside Burma..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Burma Forum on Universal Periodic Review (BF-UPR) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (117K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 02 September 2010 |
| | ML > United Nations System
>
UN Human Rights entities working on Burma (Myanmar)
>
Human Rights Council
>
Universal Periodic Review
>
Burma/Myanmar and the UPR
>
Submissions by stakeholders to the UPR (Burma/Myanmar Review)
|
|
| Title: | | International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ): MYANMAR Submission to the Universal Periodic Review of the UN Human Rights Council
|
| Date of publication: | | 02 July 2010 |
| Description/subject: | | "...Serious human rights violations have occurred throughout Myanmar during the
current regime’s rule, but are most severe in rural ethnic areas. They are directly related
to the military’s attacks on the people it sees as supporting armed opposition. Because
Burmese authorities handle cases of sexual violence—including rape—in an ad hoc way,
official numbers are unavailable. Burmese women’s organizations have documented 875
cases of rape from 1988 to 2006; they believe this is a mere fraction of the total number
because of the difficulty in accessing communities under SPDC control and the fear and
stigma that keeps women and girls from reporting rape. The scale of reported violations
and the associated tolerance and impunity for them indicates the SPDC’s acceptance of
sexual violence as a legitimate part of the strategy to intimidate people in areas of armed
conflict or potential resistance and to punish communities for appearing to support the
government’s opposition. These policies directly breach articles 2 and 5 of CEDAW.
6. Forced labor and child soldiering are also associated with areas of continuing armed
conflict. The military has grown from 180,000 soldiers in 1988 to an estimated 300,000
in 2007. This expansion has forced commanders to rely on local communities to supply
labor for building infrastructure and for portering. The pressure to fill recruitment quotas
has led to a situation in which the Myanmar regime’s armed forces constitute the only
army in Asia to continue recruiting child soldiers, numbering in the thousands, if not tens
of thousands. The number of cases of forced labor is likely to be at least that high. These
practices are in contravention of Myanmar’s obligations under the Forced Labor
Convention and under Article 38 of CRC. In addition, customary international law has
criminalized the recruitment and use of child soldiers at least since 1996. |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (62K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 02 September 2010 |
| | ML > United Nations System
>
UN Human Rights entities working on Burma (Myanmar)
>
Human Rights Council
>
Universal Periodic Review
>
Burma/Myanmar and the UPR
>
Submissions by stakeholders to the UPR (Burma/Myanmar Review)
|
|
| Title: | | Human Rights Watch: Universal Periodic Review Submission: Myanmar (Burma)
|
| Date of publication: | | 01 July 2010 |
| Description/subject: | | Summary:
"For more than two decades, Burma's military government, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), has demonstrated scant respect for the fundamental human rights of the Burmese people. Widespread and systematic violations of international human rights and humanitarian law continue throughout the country, especially in ethnic minority areas along Burma's borders. The 2008 Constitution and an election scheduled for this year will likely do little to alter the military's continued political dominance, albeit in ostensibly civilian guise, and a repressive state apparatus that will not change significantly.
The culture of impunity in Burma for government officials and military personnel for serious abuses is supported by a judicial system that is neither impartial nor independent. There has been little if any accountability for serious crimes committed by government security forces, including routine use of forced labor, sexual violence against women and girls, recruitment and use of child soldiers, extrajudicial killings of civilians in conflict areas and other violations of international humanitarian law. Some non-state armed groups have also been implicated in serious abuses, including forced labor and the use of child soldiers.
There are systematic restrictions on basic freedoms in Burma, including on the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association. For example, despite Burma having ratified International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention No. 87 on freedom of association, the SPDC continues to refuse to register independent trade unions in the country.
The government of Burma currently incarcerates more than 2,100 political prisoners including political activists, journalists, trade unionists and labor rights advocates, artists and vocal opponents of the SPDC. Many of these prisoners have received harsh sentences - including up to 65 years in prison - on trumped up criminal charges that seek to curtail peaceful political dissent and free expression. Conditions in Burmese prisons do not meet international standards: prisoners are not given adequate health care, face routine ill-treatment and at times torture, and may be transferred to remote facilities in the hinterlands that make visits by family members and UN officials difficult. The government has not granted the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) access to Burmese prisons in accordance with the ICRC's standard procedures since 2006." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Human Rights Watch |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 02 September 2010 |
| | ML > United Nations System
>
UN Human Rights entities working on Burma (Myanmar)
>
Human Rights Council
>
Universal Periodic Review
>
Burma/Myanmar and the UPR
>
Submissions by stakeholders to the UPR (Burma/Myanmar Review)
|
|
| Title: | | UPR: Contribution of Reporters Without Borders (a non-governmental organisation with special consultative status) about press freedom in Myanmar/Burma
|
| Date of publication: | | 14 June 2010 |
| Description/subject: | | Introduction: Overview of press freedom situation:
"The army, which has been in power since 1962, uses repression and propaganda to
gag the pro-democracy movement and civil society, of which journalists are often in
the vanguard. A paradise for censors, Burma is one of the very few countries where
all publications are subjected to prior censorship. After China, it is the Asia’s largest
prison for journalists and bloggers. At least 12 journalists and two netizens are
currently imprisoned in Burma, some of them serving jail terms of more than 20
years.
The head of the military junta, General Than Shwe, is in charge of the special police
force responsible for the repression. Its targets have included the owners of video
cameras who were suspected of filming the crackdown on the protests by monks in
2007 and then sending their footage abroad. And those who shot video footage
exposing governmental negligence after Cyclone Nargis in 2008. As shown in the
documentary film Burma VJ, working as a clandestine reporter for Democratic Voice
of Burma or other Burmese exile media continues to be very dangerous.
The exile media play a vital role in informing the Burmese people because Burma’s
two television and radio channels and the daily newspapers are under the military
junta’s direct control. Mizzima and Irrawaddy, two of the most popular online exile
media, were again the target of cyber-attacks in 2009.
The privately-owned press is subject to military censorship. An average of one third
of a privately-owned magazine’s content is removed by the censors. The military
censorship bureau, called the Press Scrutiny Board, said in a 2008 message to
Burmese media that the “the publication of any photo, sketch, painting, article, novel
or poem without being sent [in advance to the censor] will be punished”. Failure to
comply can lead to sanctions ranging from seizure of the publication to imprisonment
for the editors..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Reporters Without Borders |
| Format/size: | | pdf (26K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 02 September 2010 |
| | ML > United Nations System
>
UN Human Rights entities working on Burma (Myanmar)
>
Human Rights Council
>
Universal Periodic Review
>
Burma/Myanmar and the UPR
>
Submissions by stakeholders to the UPR (Burma/Myanmar Review)
|
|
| Title: | | "The New Light of Myanmar" 3 September 2010
|
| Date of publication: | | 03 September 2010 |
| Description/subject: | | ELECTION: Electoral process course opened in
Mongyai Township.....
OTHER DOMESTIC NEWS: Agreement signed for scholarship
programme on development of
human resources...A&I Minister meets
Australian, Japanese
Ambassadors...MYANMAR GAZETTE...Mosquito repellent donated
to Yangon Children’s
Hospital...Chance for GIS
enthusiasts...Tube-wells sunk to
irrigate farmland in
Meiktila, Thazi...Dy Health Minister makes inspection tour of
hospitals in Bago Region (West)...MCF to organize ICT exhibition, seminar...Fourth Nay Pyi Taw Inter-ministry
Football Tournament goes on...Talks on RCC Dam Construction & Civil Engineering Techno-Power on 4 Sept...MPA issues High Tide
Warning...Kyeintali TV
Retransmission Station in
Rakhine State launches
MRTV programmes.....
"PERSPECTIVES": "Government, people and
Tatmadaw join hands to
overcome difficulties".....
ARTICLES: "Pathein-Monywa Asphalt Road under construction to help
develop west bank regions of Ayeyawady and Chindwin rivers" Article: Kayan Soe Myint; Photos: Moe Myint Hlaing..."Not to be swayed by killer broadcasts" Ko Ke ["...Now elections, the fifth step of the
seven-step Road Map, are drawing near.
The axe-handle groups and the West are
found accelerating their destructive acts as
they cannot stand for the process of shaping
the nation into a democratic one. Therefore,
the people are to remain constantly vigilant
against such conspiracies in order to
maintain the momentum of restoring
stability and peace and we cannot miss the
democracy goal that is now within the
touching distance. The people have
understood well that the broadcasts of the
foreign radio stations are all groundless and
tricky. So, the people should not place any
trust in their stories. Without doubt, they
keep on airing such baseless news stories.
Hence, the people of us have to be aware of
their broadcasts..."]...
"Padaung, most developed, beautiful
township in Pyay District" Article: Ko Tin Hlaing (Meiktila);
Photos: Ko Thant Zin (Meiktila) |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | News and Periodical Enterprise, Ministry of Information, Union of Myanmar |
| Format/size: | | pdf (3.7MB) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 02 September 2010 |
| | RR > Print and broadcast media produced by the SLORC/SPDC
>
Full, original versions of "The New Light of Myanmar", "Kyemon" and "Myanmar Alin"
>
"The New Light of Myanmar" 2010
|
|
| Title: | | Logging Burma's Frontier Forests
|
| Date of publication: | | 1998 |
| Description/subject: | | Lots of maps...Burma holds half of the remaining forest in mainland Southeast Asia. Having lost virtually all of their original forest cover, Burma's neighbors -- China, India, and Thailand -- rely increasingly on Burma as a source of timber. Most of the regional timber trade is illegal. (See The Regional Timber Trade in Southeast Asia.)
The rate of deforestation in Burma has more than doubled since the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), the military regime that rules the country, came to power in 1988. (See Timber Production in Burma and The State Law and Order Restoration Council.)
Increased deforestation is primarily due to a rapid growth in logging in Burma's border areas. Timber exports have helped pay for the regime's arms purchases and a doubling in the size of the army. (See Deforestation Rates in Burma.)
Seventeen of the 20 ethnic minority armies, many of which have been in insurrection since independence in 1948, have negotiated cease-fires with the regime, but not peace agreements. The current situation of "no peace, no war" has encouraged unbridled logging in some of the border areas. (See The Chinese-Burmese Border.)
Wasteful and destructive logging by the regime, some of the ethnic minorities, and foreign companies along the borders with China and Thailand has resulted in extensive deforestation that has caused massive soil erosion, sedimentation of rivers, increased flooding, and acute dry season water shortages in some areas. (See The Thai-Burmese Border.)
Satellite data show that forest clearing in Kachin State more than tripled between 1978-1989 and 1989-1996, and that logging is responsible for almost half the deforestation. Kachin State holds one of the region's last large tracts of relatively undisturbed forest. The rapid fragmentation of this forest, and the biodiversity conservation and watershed protection it provides, is of national and international concern. (See Kachin State: A Frontier Forest.)
Opinion is divided on whether the international community should engage the regime to support forest conservation in Burma. Only limited opportunities exist for the international community to provide effective support to local communities or to the Forest Department, or to engage the regime through Burma's signatory status to international agreements. (See The Role of the International Community and Community Forestry.)
Under current political circumstances, there is no scope for direct engagement by the international community. It is therefore recommended that an independent satellite-based forest monitoring system be established to report on the state of Burma�s forests, that environmental issues be included in the international dialogue about how to influence the regime, and that the international community take advantage of international agreements to request information from the regime about forest management and timber production..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | World Resources International |
| Format/size: | | pdf (7.3 MB) |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://archive.wri.org/publication_detail.cfm?pubid=2928 |
| Date of entry/update: | | 01 September 2010 |
| | ML > Environment
>
Environmental sustainability
>
Environmental sustainability in Burma
>
Deforestation
Economy
>
Agriculture, forestry and fisheries
>
Forestry
|
|
| Title: | | Forest Management in Myanmar
|
| Date of publication: | | 1996 |
| Description/subject: | | Development of Forest Management: Management, Reservation, RegenerationWorking Plans, System of Management, Importance of Inventories in Forest Management, Plantations, Past Productions, Future Yield. Effect of Forest Management: Discussions, Conclusion, References. Discussion: Teak yield reduction in Myanmar is due to over exploitation especially in the accessible areas. This can be recovered by providing rest period and proper silvicultural operation. It is to be noted that plantation yields can be very high quantitatively and economically. More emphasis should be given to the plantations with higher investment.There are two area the author noted the problem of deforestation is very serious. The first one is in the Central Dry Zone of Myanmar. Due to high population and very low rainfall the area is very serious effected and sustainable agriculture is facing with problems of land degradation and desertification. For this it was found that Government is supporting for rehabilitation and reforestation.Second area need attention is the mangrove of Ayeyarwady Delta. In that area the deforestation is so high and entire mangrove forests were wiped out within two decades (Myint 1995a). UNDP/FAO assistance is operating in the area through community development derivatives (Myint 1995b). 49KB |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://www.icimod.org/ |
| Date of entry/update: | | 01 September 2010 |
| | ML > Economy
>
Agriculture, forestry and fisheries
>
Forestry
Environment
>
Environmental sustainability
>
Environmental sustainability in Burma
>
Deforestation
Environment
>
Environmental sustainability
>
Environmental sustainability in Burma
>
Mangrove forests
|
|
| Title: | | FAO: Myanmar forestry page
|
| Description/subject: | | Fairly comprehensive overview. Maps, statistics. Economics of Burmese forestry and forest products. "Myanmar is a heavily forested country. The most extensive forest types are mixed deciduous forests, and hill and temperate evergreen forests, with smaller areas classified as tropical evergreen forests; dry forests; deciduous dipterocarp forests; and swamp, beach and tidal forests. The mixed deciduous forests are economically the most important in Myanmar, as they produce teak (Tectona grandis) and other
hardwoods. Teak plantations have been planted in Myanmar since 1856, though a large-scale planting programme was not implemented until 1980. Myanmar now has more than a half-million hectares of plantations, of which more than 40 percent are teak. Presently, Myanmar has a relatively small proportion of forests in formal protected areas. A short-run goal is to raise this proportion to 5 percent of forest
area with the Myanmar Forest Policy envisaging a long-run goal of 10 percent." (from Summary) |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | FAO |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 01 September 2010 |
| | ML > Economy
>
Agriculture, forestry and fisheries
>
Forestry
|
|
| Title: | | Control of Land and Life in Burma.
|
| Date of publication: | | April 2001 |
| Description/subject: | | Abstract: The most significant land problems in Burma remain those associated with landlessness, rural poverty, inequality of access to resources, and a military regime that denies citizen rights and is determined to rule by force and not by law. A framework to ensure the sustainable development of land is needed to address social, legal, economic and technical dimensions of land management. This framework can only be created and implemented within and by a truly democratic nation. Keywords: Agriculture and state -- Burma; Land use, Rural -- Burma; Land use, Rural -- Government policy -- Burma; Agricultural policy -- Burma; Land administration -- Burma. |
| Author/creator: | | Nancy Hudson-Rodd, Myo Nyunt |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Land Tenure Center, University of Wisconsin - Madison |
| Format/size: | | PDF (431K) |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://minds.wisconsin.edu/handle/1793/22009 |
| Date of entry/update: | | 01 September 2010 |
| | ML > Geography
>
Human geography
>
Land use
Economy
>
Agriculture, forestry and fisheries
>
Agriculture
>
Land use
|
|
| Title: | | Catfish Tales
|
| Description/subject: | | "CATFISH TALES is a newsletter sent every other week. It includes information about Japanese ODA policy and social and environmental problems related to development projects in the Mekong Region (Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Yunnan Province of China). It also contains news from the Japanese language media summarized in English and information on multilateral development banks in which Japan has influence. As the largest bilateral donor for all countries in the Mekong Region, the Japanese government's role in development in the region is significant. For people who are interested in information about Japan's policies from a critical perspective, this newsletter will be useful..."
Archives of "Catfish Tales" from May 2002 and subscription information on site....
Note:"Mekong Watch is no longer issuing Cathfish Tales." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Mekong Watch |
| Subscribe: | | via site |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://www.mekongwatch.org/_archive/catfish/index.html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 01 September 2010 |
| | ML > Economy
>
Bilateral Development Assistance
>
Development assistance: Japan
|
|
| Title: | | Myanmar Aquaculture and Inland Fisheries
|
| Date of publication: | | 2003 |
| Description/subject: | | ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...
BACKGROUND TO THE MISSION:
International mission team members;
Myanmar fisheries sector...
MYANMAR - MISSION REPORT ON INLAND AQUACULTURE AND FISHERIES:
Myanmar - aquaculture and inland fisheries:
Inland fisheries and aquaculture resources;
The role of inland fisheries and aquaculture in people's livelihoods in Myanmar;
Participation in capture fisheries;
Gender aspects;
Securing food;
Fish consumption;
Identifying the poor;
Understanding peoples livelihoods...
Leasable fisheries;
Auction process, duration of lease and renewal;
Fishery management;
Thaung Tha Man - Mandalay;
Mandalay town;
South Mandalay;
Inle Lake;
Open fisheries and rice field resources:
Enhancement of freshwater leasable fisheries/culture-based fisheries;
Reservoirs;
Freshwater aquaculture:
Land use for aquaculture;
Rice-fish culture;
Pond aquaculture;
Freshwater species cultured in Myanmar;
Stocking and harvesting;
Government hatcheries;
Private hatcheries;
Feeds and feeding...
Marketing:
Inle Lake fishery and marketing;
Institutions and their roles;
The role of the Department of Fisheries (DoF);
The role of Myanmar Fisheries Federation (MFF)...
Inland fisheries and aquaculture: conclusions and recommendations;
Information and statistics and appropriate valuation of fisheries resources;
Aquaculture and aquatic resources in rural development;
Institutions, communications and networking;
Research...
MYANMAR - MISSION REPORT ON COASTAL AQUACULTURE:
Myanmar - coastal aquaculture;
Coastal aquaculture in Myanmar;
Coastal habitats and resources;
Brief history and status of coastal aquaculture...
Sub-sector analysis:
Shrimp farming;
Crab farming;
Marine and brackishwater fish culture (groupers and seabass);
Other species;
Role of coastal aquaculture in people's livelihoods in Myanmar...
Gender:
Role of small-holder aquaculture?
Income diversification...
Resources management and environmental issues:
Coastal mangrove forests;
Coral reef resource systems;
Other environmental management issues for aquaculture...
Government policies, plans and institutions:
Institutions;
Land use planning and coastal management;
Business investment in coastal aquaculture;
Market trends and implications...
Coastal aquaculture: conclusions and recommendations:
Coastal communities;
Environmental issues and resource sustainability;
Aquaculture technology;
Institutional support and capacity building;
Aquatic animal disease control and health management;
Business investment in coastal aquaculture;
Market trends and implications;
Coastal fisheries resources;
Entry points for support in coastal aquaculture...
ANNEX 1: MISSION ITINERARY;
ANNEX 2: A SHORT HISTORY OF THE MYANMAR LEASABLE FISHERIES;
ANNEX 3: LIST OF PERSONS MET;
ANNEX 4: READING AND REFERENCES. |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | FAO |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Alternate URLs: | | ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/004/ad497e |
| Date of entry/update: | | 01 September 2010 |
| | ML > Economy
>
Agriculture, forestry and fisheries
>
Fisheries
|
|
| Title: | | The Shrimp Export Boom and Small-Scale Fishermen in Myanmar
|
| Date of publication: | | March 2008 |
| Description/subject: | | ABSTRACT:
"This paper examines the impact of the recent shrimp export boom in Myanmar on the economic state of small-scale fishermen. Results indicate that there has been an active increase in shrimp fishing stimulated by expanding export demand. With this, the income of shrimp fishermen has increased dramatically in the past 10 years. However, future prospects appear gloomy due to the possibility of over exploitation of shrimp resources...
Keywords: Fishery, Resources, Export
JEL classification: N5, Q2 |
| Author/creator: | | Ikuko Okamoto |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Institute of Developing Economies (IDE Discussion Paper 135) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (248 KB) |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://www.ide.go.jp/English/Publish/Download/Dp/pdf/135.pdf |
| Date of entry/update: | | 01 September 2010 |
| | ML > Economy
>
Agriculture, forestry and fisheries
>
Fisheries
|
|
| Title: | | Assessment of the Myanmar Agricultural Economy
|
| Date of publication: | | January 2009 |
| Description/subject: | | Overview: "During two weeks in January 2009 a team from the Asia Programs unit of the Harvard Kennedy
School’s Ash Institute, International Development Enterprises (IDE), and the Ministry of
Agriculture and Irrigation of the Union of Myanmar conducted a humanitarian assessment of
food production and the agricultural economy in Myanmar. We focused on paddy production,
because rice is the country’s staple crop. Based on fieldwork in cyclone-affected areas of the
Ayeyarwady River Delta and in Upper Myanmar, we conclude that paddy output is likely to drop
in 2009, potentially creating a food shortage by the third quarter. Our estimates are based on
imperfect data, and this scenario may not materialize, but the avoidance of a food shortage this
year would represent a temporary reprieve, not a recovery. Myanmar’s rural sector is stretched to
the breaking point and the natural resilience that has sustained it is leaching away. This paper
recommends a set of interventions to avert this looming crisis: 1) an increase in credit for farmers
and other participants in the rice economy including traders and millers, 2) steps to increase the
farm gate price of paddy in order to create an incentive for farmers to produce more paddy, and 3)
a program to finance small-scale village infrastructure projects to increase demand for wage labor
for the rural poor who are most at risk.
This paper proceeds as follows. Section I describes the study’s rationale and methodology.
Section II presents the research team’s key findings. Section III offers an analytical framework
for considering how and why food markets fail. The next two sections consider the implications
of our finding, examining income loss, crop production, and land concerns. Section VI
recommends a three-pronged policy response. Section VII concludes by considering the
distinction between humanitarian responses and development strategy. Appendix I discusses
Myanmar’s likely actual GDP growth rate. Appendix II summarizes the policy options available
to the government in the face of continued deterioration of conditions in rural areas." |
| Author/creator: | | David Dapice, Tom Vallely, Ben Wilkinson |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | International Development Enterprises |
| Format/size: | | pdf (177.13 KB) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 01 September 2010 |
| | ML > Economy
>
Agriculture, forestry and fisheries
>
Agriculture
>
Rice
Food Security
>
Food Security in Burma/Myanmar
>
Food Security in Burma - general reports and statistics
|
|
| Title: | | BURMA BULLETIN ISSUE 44 -- AUGUST 2010
|
| Date of publication: | | August 2010 |
| Description/subject: | | KEY STORY;
Election timeline;
Threats and harassment;
Additional restrictions;
More censorship;
Discontent grows;
Protests;
Pre-election military reshuffle...
INSIDE BURMA:
NLD boycott campaign;
Junta stops aid visas;
DKBA splits over BGF...
HUMAN RIGHTS:
Arrest and prison sentences;
Religious freedom;
Detention conditions;
Freedom of information...
DISPLACEMENT:
Rohingya woes in Bangladesh...
INTERNATIONAL:
US endorses CoI on Burma;
Int’l concerns over elections...
ECONOMY:
Thailand hedges on gas;
US fines Barclays bank;
China investment;
SPDC suspends visa-on-arrival;
SPDC threatens workers...
OTHER BURMA NEWS...
REPORTS |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | ALTSEAN-Burma |
| Format/size: | | pdf (145K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 01 September 2010 |
| | ML > Activism and Advocacy (groups from Burma, solidarity groups, campaigns, publications)
>
Online publications by Burma solidarity groups
>
ALTSEAN-Burma archive
|
|
| Title: | | Burma’s 2010 Electoral Framework: Fundamentally Undemocratic
|
| Date of publication: | | August 2010 |
| Description/subject: | | A Legal and Human Rights Analysis..."Burma’s military regime, known as the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), intends to hold
national elections sometime this year, the first since 1990. The polls will be the fifth step in the socalled
“Seven Step Roadmap to Democracy” (the Roadmap) announced by the SPDC in 2003. The first
four steps related to the development of a new constitution, adopted in 2008, which perpetuates military
control of the government. It was drafted with virtually no public participation and approved in a
referendum orchestrated by the regime. The fifth step offers no prospect of establishing a government
based on the will of the Burmese people...The SPDC has presented the Roadmap process and the 2010 elections as important steps to lift Burma
out of its desperate economic and social circumstances. But, contrary to the regime’s expressed
intention, the process thus far has merely reflected a concerted effort by the military to retain power
rather than establish a government based on the will of the people. The constitution and the new election
laws, issued on March 8, 2010, do not comply with even the most basic international standards.
The true nature of the electoral process has to be viewed in the larger context of the procedure that led to
the development of Burma’s constitution and the history of oppression by the military regime. The
constitution drafting excluded participation by independent civil society leaders and opposition political
figures, and the referendum by which it was approved was deeply flawed. Criticism of the draft
constitution was prohibited, massive state resources were used to promote its passage, and there were no
checks to ensure that the vote count reflected the votes cast...
5
The new election laws were developed by the military government and effectively prohibit longstanding
opponents of the regime – political prisoners and any persons wishing to associate with political
prisoners – from competing in the polls. The new National Election Commission lacks independence;
the SPDC directly appointed its members with no public input.1
One of the new laws, on political party registration, has resulted in the silencing of many of the most
prominent opposition voices. It required political parties to register or reregister in order to remain in
existence and compete in the elections. But they could do so only if none of their members were
currently imprisoned based on a court conviction. This requirement presented parties with a choice of
either expelling prominent imprisoned leaders or declining to reregister. Under those circumstances,
leading opposition groups, including the NLD, chose not to reregister and were required to shut down
and disband as of May 7.
There have been allegations that the state is giving support to a political party with strong military ties –
the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP). It grew out of the Union Solidarity and
Development Association (USDA), a regime-created organization that has received substantial
government support since 1993.2 The USDA also has been associated with political violence and
intimidation. The USDP registration application listed 27 ex-military officers among its members along
with the sitting prime minister and other government ministers. The election laws prohibit civil servants
from being members of political parties, but the election administrators declared that ministers were not
civil servants..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | National Democratic Institute |
| Format/size: | | pdf (155K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 01 September 2010 |
| | ML > 7-Step Roadmap (including the 2010 Elections)
>
7-Step Roadmap (Step 5): Holding of free and fair elections for Pyithu Hluttaws (Legislative bodies) according to the new constitution (news and commentary)
|
|
| Title: | | Upholding the Responsibility to Protect in Burma/Myanmar
|
| Date of publication: | | 16 August 2010 |
| Description/subject: | | Introduction: "The situation in Burma/Myanmar remains grave. With elections scheduled for 7 November 2010 international attention on the country has increased. Such attention, and any policy action taken, must focus not only on the goal of democratic transition, and concerns about the regimes nuclear collaboration with North Korea, but also on the plight of Burma’s ethnic minorities who continue to suffer atrocities at the hands of the government. These atrocities may rise to the level of crimes against humanity, war crimes and ethnic cleansing – crimes states committed themselves to protect populations from at the 2005 World Summit, as described in the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect policy brief dated 4 March 2010, “Applying the Responsibility to Protect to Burma/Myanmar.”
International actors have a responsibility to protect Burma’s ethnic minorities from atrocities – atrocities that are often overshadowed by the attention focused on the pro-democracy movement. This brief assesses the current risk of atrocities and identifies measures that can be used to aid in preventing and halting these atrocities. The brief argues that pressure must be placed on the Burmese government to cease the commission of crimes and avoid the resort to violence against groups with which it currently has ceasefires..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect |
| Format/size: | | pdf (85K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 01 September 2010 |
| | ML > Human Rights
>
Various Rights
>
International Justice
>
Responsibility to Protect (R2P) and Burma/Myanmar
|
|
| Title: | | Applying the Responsibility to Protect to Burma/Myanmar
|
| Date of publication: | | March 2010 |
| Description/subject: | | Introduction:
"The Burmese junta, its armed forces known as the “Tatmadaw,” and other armed groups under government control are committing gross human rights violations against ethnic and religious minorities. Extrajudicial killings, torture, and forced labor are prevalent; rape and sexual abuse by the Tatmadaw are rampant; and from August 2008 through July 2009 alone, 75,000 civilians in the east, where armed conflict is ongoing, were forcibly displaced. The Tatmadaw shows a complete disregard for the principle of distinction, intentionally targeting civilians with impunity.
Reports indicate that these violations, perpetrated primarily by state actors on a widespread and systematic basis, rise to the level of crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing and war crimes ‐ three of the four crimes states committed themselves to protect populations from in endorsing the responsibility to protect (R2P) at the 2005 World Summit.
All Burmese citizens are subject to government oppression. However, the above crimes appear to be targeted primarily at five ethnic groups: the Karen, Shan and Karenni in eastern Burma, and the Rohingya and Chin in western Burma. While international actors have focused on the repression of the pro‐democracy movement by the military government, crimes perpetrated against ethnic minorities for years have received little international attention and show no signs of subsiding.
This brief seeks to clarify how R2P applies to Burma and draw attention to the plight of minorities by assessing the following: whether acts perpetrated against them could constitute R2P crimes; the risk of future atrocities; and the resulting responsibility of the international community..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect |
| Format/size: | | pdf (195K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 01 September 2010 |
| | ML > Human Rights
>
Various Rights
>
International Justice
>
Responsibility to Protect (R2P) and Burma/Myanmar
|
|
| Title: | | Cyclone Nargis: Whose Responsibility to Protect?
|
| Date of publication: | | 12 June 2008 |
| Description/subject: | | "The June 12 panel--“Cyclone Nargis: Whose Responsibility to Protect?”--produced sharp
disagreement not only about whether the Burmese regime’s dilatory response to the
cyclone constituted a potential “R2P situation,” but also more broadly about the role of
this new doctrine in the aftermath of natural disasters. While none of the panelists or
audience members found much to praise in the junta’s humanitarian response, some
sought to understand the “paranoia” that the country’s leaders bore to the outside world.
They concluded that outsiders eager to help victims of the cyclone would have to either
work around the barriers erected by the fearful and suspicious generals, or look for those
in the regime more open to engagement with outsiders. The regime, one participant
noted, was far less monolithic than it appeared from the outside.
Others felt that the regime’s state of mind mattered far less than the effect of its behavior
on its own beleaguered citizens. One participant catalogued the lethal diseases, including
HIV and malaria, which had proliferated in Burma owing to a moribund public health
system—at a time when the sale of natural resources was enriching members of the
regime. The unnecessary death of perhaps 100,000 citizens made the regime criminal
even before the cyclone struck, which meant that Burma had arguably been an R2P
situation for years. This participant and others nevertheless did not view the regime’s
neglect of its citizens in the aftermath of the cyclone as meriting the application of the
2
responsibility to protect. Another participant, however, said that the very real possibility
of mass death from neglect meant that the Security Council should have taken up the
issue and noted that the council had even rebuffed a proposed briefing by UN
humanitarian coordinator John Holmes..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect |
| Format/size: | | pdf (22K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 01 September 2010 |
| | ML > Cyclone Nargis and its aftermath
>
Cyclone Nargis: Individual documents
Human Rights
>
Various Rights
>
International Justice
>
Responsibility to Protect (R2P) and Burma/Myanmar
|
|
| Title: | | Burma Army tracks across Shan State
|
| Date of publication: | | August 2010 |
| Description/subject: | | "Since 2009, the Burmese military regime (the
State Peace and Development Council – SPDC),
has been constructing a new 361-km long
railway between Mong Nai in southern Shan
State and Kengtung in eastern Shan State.
The regime is claiming that the railway will promote the
development of Shan State, facilitate passenger travel
and ‘contribute to swift fl ow of commodities.” However,
the speed and ruthlessness with which the railway is
being carved through this isolated border area reveal a
much more sinister agenda.
Scores of bulldozers and trucks are at work at each end
of the railway, where thousands of acres of farmlands
have already been confi scated. Attempts by farmers to
complain have been met with threats of prison.
Preparing for war
The real purpose of the railway is strategic. It cuts
between the northern and southern territories of the
United Wa State Army (UWSA), the largest ceasefi re
group, which has refused to come under the regime’s
control as a Border Guard Force. In the event of an
offensive against the UWSA, or the resistance forces
of the Shan State Army-South, the railway will enable
rapid deployment of heavy weapons and other military
supplies to this remote mountainous area.
Apart from munitions, the main commodities that the
railway will carry are natural resources plundered
without consent from local communities. The railway
runs directly through Mong Kok, where the regime and
Thai investors are planning to excavate millions of tons
of lignite for export to Thailand..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Shan Women's Action Network (SWAN); Shan Human Rights Foundation |
| Format/size: | | pdf (920K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 01 September 2010 |
| | ML > Civil War
>
The Civil War in Burma
>
Civil war in Burma, theoretical, strategic and general
|
|
| Title: | | "The New Light of Myanmar" 1 September 2010
|
| Date of publication: | | 01 September 2010 |
| Description/subject: | | DOMESTIC NEWS: Senior General Than Shwe sends
felicitations to Libyan Leader...As Ayeyawady Delta an open plain, cyclone
shelters built in coastal areas as top priority
to save lives with least damages and injuries
in case of natural disasters -
Those who built cyclone shelters under arrangements of
Natural Disaster Preparedness Central Committee honoured...Health Minister receives
Japanese Ambassador...FM felicitates Libyan
counterpart...Supreme Court (Yangon) honours outstanding staff...EMP imports Boneal
embrocation from China...Floods hit townships in
Shan and Mon States...MPF Chief receives Vietnamese guests...Four human traffickers arrested in Lashio...Report on human rights in Myanmar
to be submitted in Oct...Torrential rain causes floods in Bago,
DaikU, Minbu (Saku)...Bago River rises to 924 cm.....
"PERSPECTIVES": "Roads, bridges cement
friendship among national
brethren".....
ARTICLE: "PyinOoLwin-Mogok
Road Project"
Byline: Ko Thitsar ; Photos: Kyaw Myint Than (Lanmadaw) |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | News and Periodical Enterprise, Ministry of Information, Union of Myanmar |
| Format/size: | | pdf (6.2MB) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 01 September 2010 |
| | RR > Print and broadcast media produced by the SLORC/SPDC
>
Full, original versions of "The New Light of Myanmar", "Kyemon" and "Myanmar Alin"
>
"The New Light of Myanmar" 2010
|
|
| Title: | | Monthly Recovery Update June/July 2010
|
| Date of publication: | | 30 July 2010 |
| Description/subject: | | Third Recovery Forum Bids
Farewell to TCG...The Third Recovery Forum hosted in Nay Pyi
Taw on June 18th marked a significant shift in
the recovery coordination mechanism set to
complete as the TCG mandate ends July 31st. |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Tripartite Core Group - Recovery Coordination Center (RCC) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (314K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 01 September 2010 |
| | ML > Cyclone Nargis and its aftermath
>
Cyclone Nargis: Individual documents
|
|
| Title: | | "The New Light of Myanmar" 2 September 2010
|
| Date of publication: | | 02 September 2010 |
| Description/subject: | | ELECTION: UEC, Region/State/District Election commissions meet...Electoral Work Course opens
in Kayan Township...Political parties
submit lists of party
members to UEC [Phalon-Sawaw Democratic Party].....
OTHER DOMESTIC NEWS: Senior General Than Shwe
felicitates President of SRV...Vice-Senior General Maung Aye sends message
of felicitations to Vice-President of SRV...Prime Minister U Thein Sein felicitates
Vietnamese counterpart...Road constructions in
Rakhine State come
into high gear...FM sends message of
felicitations to Vietnam...F&R Minister meets state/region in-charges...Corrigendum...Yangon Command Commander awards outstanding
students and higher passed rate schools in matriculation exam...Public Works
courses conclude...Myanmar, Japan to promote tourism industry...Book “Questions and Answers on Dhamma” on market...Sports Ministry wins over Industry-1 Ministry 4-1...Myanmar selected cycling
team leaves for Thailand...No. 11 LID Commander’s Shield football tournament kicks off...Water transport services in Buthidaung inspected...MBE issues announcement for matriculation
examination 2011...Bago River may fall
below danger level.....
"PERSPECTIVES": "National unity key to
overcoming difficulties".....
ARTICLE: "Gwaygyo Dam laden with fruitful results"
Byline:
Pe Tun Zaw
(Yesagyo);
Photos:
Pe Tun Lu |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | News and Periodical Enterprise, Ministry of Information, Union of Myanmar |
| Format/size: | | pdf (5MB) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 01 September 2010 |
| | RR > Print and broadcast media produced by the SLORC/SPDC
>
Full, original versions of "The New Light of Myanmar", "Kyemon" and "Myanmar Alin"
>
"The New Light of Myanmar" 2010
|
|
| Title: | | Boom or Bust?
|
| Date of publication: | | August 2010 |
| Description/subject: | | The Burmese junta is moving ahead with the Myawaddy special economic zone, which may or may not benefit the DKBA...
"The Burmese military regime has long talked about, but never implemented, a special economic zone (SEZ) near the Burma-Thailand border. But the junta’s cabinet recently approved the official creation of the SEZ, along with a plan to increase investment in the project.
This could result in a business boom for Col. Chit Thu and his Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) cronies who control the area surrounding the SEZ and have already established their own commercial empire on the border. But if the project is too successful, it could turn into a bust for Chit Thu, because the junta might want to keep control in the hands of its own generals..." |
| Author/creator: | | Alex Ellgee |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | "The Irrawaddy" Vol. 18, No. 8 |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 31 August 2010 |
| | ML > Civil War
>
The Civil War in Burma
>
Ceasefire Groups
Economy
>
Burma's economic relations with various countries
>
Burma's economic relations with Thailand
|
|
| Title: | | Mr. Beard Breaks Away
|
| Date of publication: | | August 2010 |
| Description/subject: | | Col. Saw Lah Pwe has led a major defection of DKBA troops, and now the remaining DKBA leaders must make a choice between their business interests and their fellow Karen...
"Col. Saw Lah Pwe, the commander of Brigade 5 of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), led a late-July defection of as many as 1,500 troops from five DKBA battalions that will potentially join forces with the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA)..." |
| Author/creator: | | Saw Yan Naing |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | "The Irrawaddy" Vol. 18, No. 8 |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 31 August 2010 |
| | ML > Civil War
>
The Civil War in Burma
>
Ceasefire Groups
|
|
| Title: | | Free Trade, Disputed Waters
|
| Date of publication: | | August 2010 |
| Description/subject: | | China and Asean have put in place a free trade agreement and a US $10 billion investment fund, but disputes over the Mekong River and the South China Sea remain...
"The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) has often been sidelined by bilateral dealings between China and Asean member-states. But on Jan. 1, the organization scored a major victory when the free trade agreement (FTA) between China and Asean came into effect.
The FTA was a logical follow-up to the facts on the ground: trade between the two sides more than quadrupled between 2001 and 2009, from US $41.6 billion to $213 billion. With the FTA in place, trade between China and Asean is expected to surpass that between the US and Asean by the end of 2012..." |
| Author/creator: | | Simon Roughneen |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | "The Irrawaddy" Vol. 18, No. 8 |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 31 August 2010 |
| | ML > Regional Co-operation
>
China-ASEAN Free Trade Area
|
|
|
The World-Wide Web Virtual Library
