Librarian's Choice

Librarian's Choice

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Title: Journal Articles & Occasional Papers on Myanmar?s economy
Source/publisher: Ash Center, for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Harvard University
Description: 22 articles from 2006 (titles, authors, abstracts and links to full texts) - 13 on Vietnam, 7 on Burma/Myanmar: Yangon?s Development Challenges - Jos? A. G?mez-Ib??ez and Nguyễn Xu?n Th?nh, March 2012 ...The Exchange Rate in Myanmar: An Update to January 2012 - David Dapice, January 2012 ...Appraising the Post-Sanctions Prospects for Myanmar?s Economy: Choosing the Right Path - David O. Dapice, Michael J. Montesano, Anthony J. Saich, Thomas J. Vallely, January 2012...Myanmar Agriculture in 2011: Old Problems and New Challenges - David O. Dapice, Malcolm McPherson, Michael J. Montesano, Thomas J. Vallely, and Ben Wilkinson, November 2011...The Myanmar Exchange Rate: A Barrier to National Strength - David O. Dapice, Malcolm McPherson, Michael J. Montesano, Thomas J. Vallely, and Ben Wilkinson, June 2011...Revitalizing Agriculture in Myanmar: Breaking Down Barriers, Building a Framework for Growth - David O. Dapice, Mike Montesano, Thomas J. Vallely, and Ben Wilkinson, July 2010...Assessment of the Myanmar Agricultural Economy - Vietnam Program, March 2009...
Date of entry/update: 2012-07-08
Type: Websites/Multiple Documents
Language: English
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Title: Yangon?s Development Challenges
Source/publisher: Ash Center, for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Harvard University
Date of publication: 2012-03-00
Description: Overview: "Yangon is an attractive and relatively livable city that is on the brink of dramatic change. If the government of Myanmar continues its recent program of economic and political reform, the economy of the country is likely to take off, and much of the growth will be concentrated in Yangon, Myanmar?s largest city and commercial capital. This paper argues that Yangon is poorly prepared to cope with the pressures of growth because it has only begun to develop a comprehensive land use and development plan for the city that would guide the location of key activities including export-oriented industries and port terminals. In addition, the city lacks the financial resources to finance the infrastructure and other public services required to serve the existing population, let alone support a population that is larger and better off. Failure to address these challenges will not only make Yangon a less livable city but will also reduce the rate of economic growth for the entire country. Myanmar needs a dynamic and vibrant Yangon to thrive."..."...In sum, Yangon and Myanmar appear to be on the verge of explosive growth, making up for decades of stagnation or decline. Yangon is almost certain to become a key engine in the nation?s economic growth as Myanmar?s largest city, commercial capital, most important port and tourist destination, and most logical site for export-oriented manufacturing. But how well Yangon fulfills these roles depends on how well the city is managed. Yangon?s slow growth in the past had a hidden benefit in that it preserved many assets—greenery, parks and open spaces and historic buildings—that other Asian cities lost. As a result, Yangon has an opportunity to avoid becoming another sprawling, polluted and highly congested Asian megacity and grow instead into a greener and more livable metropolis. But it will do so only if it prepares a plan before development threatens to overwhelm it. And the plan will succeed only if it is based on thoughtful and realistic analyses of issues like the location of special economic zones and ports and the provision of affordable housing and quality infrastructure."
Creator/author: José A. Gómez-Ibáñez, Derek Bok, Nguyen Xuan Thanh
Date of entry/update: 2012-07-08
Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Labour Disputes Settlement Act (Pyidaungsu Hluttaw Law No. 5/2012)
Source/publisher: Pyidaungsu Hluttaw via Ministry of Labour
Date of publication: 2012-03-28
Description: Official translation...The law repeals the Trade Disputes Act of 1929
Date of entry/update: 2012-07-06
Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf pdf
Size: 66.47 KB 147.3 KB
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Title: Myanmar?s new political-economic contours
Source/publisher: "New Mandala"
Date of publication: 2012-07-02
Description: "...The realities that will define Myanmar?s political economy in the medium-term future seem to be coming into focus. For foreign firms and governments and international organizations that take Southeast Asia seriously, whose understanding of the region transcends the level that one associates with, say, the leadership of American chambers of commerce in Southeast Asian capitals or the pampered, parochial globalists-in-their-own-minds who staff the International Monetary Fund and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, this is good news. ... The high Cold War in Southeast Asia is long over. But the country is beginning to present what look like familiar, even generic, contours of post-Cold War Southeast Asian political economies. It is worth tracing some eight of these contours..."
Creator/author: Myaungmya Aung Myint Myat (plus comments)
Date of entry/update: 2012-07-04
Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: MIMU - RAKHINE emergency page
Source/publisher: Myanmar Information Management Unit (MIMU)
Description: Tools for humanitarian assistance..."For up-to-date relevant information including maps, contact list, initial assessment form and 3W data...3W maps/reports for 2012 can be found HERE. 268 organizations were contacted to provide inputs for this round of the 3W (Who is doing what, where) exercise. Amongst them, 87 agencies provided updates – (1) Embassy/Donor (3) Red Cross societies, (12) UN Agencies, (25) LNGOs and (46) INGOs. The 3W products reflect implementing agencies? projects in 329 townships, 4,089 village tract and 11,479 villages throughout the country...".....If this site does not have the latest situation reports, go to the Alternate URL - the OCHA myanmar page at http://reliefweb.int/country/mmr
Date of entry/update: 2012-07-04
Type: Websites/Multiple Documents
Language: English
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Title: Burning Homes, Sinking Lives - A situation report on violence against stateless Rohingya in Myanmar and their refoulement from Bangladesh
Source/publisher: The Equal Rights Trust
Date of publication: 2012-07-02
Description: "...this report documents the severity of the human rights abuses suffered by Rohingya within Myanmar – including mass violence, killings and attacks, the burning and destruction of property, arbitrary arrests, detention and disappearances, the deprivation of emergency healthcare and humanitarian aid. Such human rights abuses are being carried out with impunity by civilians and agents of the state alike. The organised and widespread nature of this state sponsored violence raises serious questions of crimes against humanity being committed by Myanmar. This report also documents the refoulement of Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh and related human rights violations, including the push-back of boats carrying Rohingya into dangerous waters and the failure to provide refuge, shelter and humanitarian aid to those fleeing persecution. Historically, the Rohingya have faced acute discrimination and human rights abuse in Myanmar, and Rohingya refugees fleeing persecution to Bangladesh have faced severe hardships including the lack of humanitarian aid, shelter and security. This present crisis is a tragic reminder of the vulnerabilities of stateless people when their countries of habitual residence and the international community fail to protect them. Urgent action is required to end the violence, protect the victims and bring those responsible to justice. Of equal importance is the need for a long-term process of reinstating Myanmar nationality to Rohingya who were arbitrarily deprived of a nationality in 1982, resolving ethnic conflicts and protecting the human rights and freedoms of Rohingya within Myanmar and in other countries. The Equal Rights Trust makes the following urgent and long-term recommendations to the governments of Myanmar and Bangladesh and to the UNHCR and international community..."
Date of entry/update: 2012-07-03
Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 1.43 MB
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Title: Isolated in Yunnan: Kachin Refugees from Burma in China?s Yunnan Province
Source/publisher: Human Rights Watch (HRW)
Date of publication: 2012-06-00
Description: "since June 2011, renewed fighting between the Burmese military and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in northern Burma has driven an estimated 75,000 ethnic Kachin from their homes. Many have fled abuses by the Burmese army, including attacks on Kachin villages, killings and rape, and the use of abusive forced labor. About 65,000 have stayed inside Burma, where they remain at risk. At least another 7,000-10,000 have sought refuge across the border in Yunnan Province in southwestern China....In the months immediately following the June 2011 outbreak of renewed hostilities between the Burmese army and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), some displaced Kachin were denied entry into China or forcibly returned to Burma, which put them at great risk and created a pervasive fear of forced return among the Kachin refugees who remain in Yunnan. Despite Chinese government claims to the contrary, refugees in Yunnan told Human Rights Watch they had received no humanitarian assistance from the government and major humanitarian agencies have had no access to the refugees since they began arriving in June 2011. The refugees are scattered across more than a dozen makeshift settlements lacking adequate shelter, food, potable water, sanitation, and basic health care. Most children have no access to schools. Needing to work to provide for their families, they are vulnerable to abuses by local employers, and have been subject to arbitrary drug testing and prolonged detention by the Chinese authorities..."
Date of entry/update: 2012-07-03
Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Myanmar: Displacement in Rakhine State. Situation Report No. 1 (15 June 2012)
Source/publisher: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA)
Date of publication: 2012-06-15
Description: HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES: "• Instability in Rakhine State that started since 28 May has resulted in displacement of over 36,000 people who are now located in 43 camps/locations, loss of lives and damages to houses and communal buildings. This is an initial estimate which will need to be revised as more information becomes available and assessment are carried out. • The violence prompted the Government to impose curfew in six locations and declare the state of emergency on 10 June across the State. • At the invitation of the Minister for Border Affairs, a UN delegation led by Special Advisor of the UN Secretary-General and the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Myanmar visited IDPs locations in Maungdaw. • The Government called for humanitarian partners to support the Government?s efforts to respond to the crisis. The UN and its humanitarian partners confirmed their readiness to provide humanitarian assistance all the affected people across Rakhine."
Date of entry/update: 2012-07-03
Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Constructing an intelligence state: the development of the colonial security services in Burma 1930–1942.
Source/publisher: University of Exeter (doctoral dissertation)
Date of publication: 2010-01-00
Description: Abstract: "My doctoral research focuses on the development and operation of the intelligence services in British colonial Burma during the years 1930 to 1942. This involves an examination of the causes of intelligence development, its progress throughout 1930-1942, its rationale and modus operandi, and the pressures it faced. This time period permits us to assess how intelligence development was a product of the colonial government?s response to the 1930 peasant uprising which came as such a shock to colonial security and how thereafter intelligence helped prevent popular hostility to the government from taking the form of an uprising. As a result, intelligence information was increasingly used to secure colonial power during the period of parliamentary reform in Burma in 1937. The thesis further examines the stresses that riots and strikes placed on colonial security in 1938, the so-called ?year of revolution? in Burma. The thesis then proceeds to consider how intelligence operated in the final years of colonial rule before the Japanese occupation of Burma in 1942. This study is significant not only because very little work on the colonial security services in Burma exists for the period under review, but also because it reveals that intelligence was crucial to colonial rule, underpinning the stability of the colonial state and informing its relationship with the indigenous population in what remained, in relative terms at least, a colonial backwater like Burma. The argument that intelligence was pivotal to colonial governmental stability in Burma because of its centrality to strategies of population control departs from conventional histories of Burma which have considered the colonial army to have been the predominant instrument of political control and the most significant factor in the relationship between the state and society in colonial Burma. Rather it will be argued here that the colonial state in Burma relied on a functioning intelligence bureau which collected information from local indigenous officials and informers and employed secret agents to work on its behalf. This information was collated into reports for the government which then became integral to policy formulation. The primary source base for this work includes British colonial material from government and private collections predominantly in the British library as well as government papers in the National Archives in Kew."
Creator/author: Edmund Bede Clipson
Date of entry/update: 2012-07-01
Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 2.01 MB
Local URL: PDF icon ClipsonE-red.pdf
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Title: UNREST IN BURMA?S ARAKAN STATE: A CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS (UPDATED)
Source/publisher: ALTSEAN-Burma
Date of publication: 2012-06-26
Description: • The rape and murder of a 27-year-old Buddhist Rakhine woman and the murder of 10 Muslim pilgrims trigger deadly sectarian clashes between Buddhists and Muslims in Arakan State starting on 8 June. • According to the regime, as of 21 June, 62 people had died and over 2,000 buildings, including seven mosques and nine Buddhist monasteries, had been destroyed as a result of the unrest. However, various organizations say that the death toll might be much higher as a result of escalating attacks and reprisals affecting Muslim Rohingya and Buddhist Rakhine. • Regime imposes a curfew and a ban on public gatherings of more than five people in six of 17 townships in Arakan State. President Thein Sein declares an indefinite state of emergency which allows the military to take over administrative control of Arakan State. • World Food Program estimates that 90,000 people have been displaced due to the unrest. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees warns of a risk of a severe humanitarian crisis due to ongoing violence and poor conditions in IDP camps. • Bangladeshi authorities push back more than 2,000 Rohingya fleeing violence in Arakan State. Bangladeshi FM Dipu Moni says Bangladesh is already ?overburdened? with Rohingya refugees and cannot take any more ?under any circumstances.? • Regime warns journalists that they could be charged under existing laws, including the Emergency Provisions Act, if they publish inflammatory reports on the ongoing violence in Arakan State. • Daw Aung San Suu Kyi expresses concern over the handling of the situation by local Rakhine authorities, in particular their failure to dampen anti-Muslim sentiment. Daw Suu also calls on Buddhists to ?have sympathy for minorities.? • International reactions: UN warns that discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities poses a threat to Burma?s democratic transition; US, UK are ?deeply concerned? over the ongoing violence; EU welcomes the regime?s ?measured response? to the crisis; OIC ?condemns systematic acts of violence and intimidation against the peaceful Rohingya population.? • The authorities? decades-long discriminatory policies and practices targeting Rohingya have reinforced the racial and religious animosity between the two communities in Arakan State. Rohingya have suffered restrictions on marriage, freedom of movement, and religious practice. In addition, the regime has routinely subjected Rohingya to forced labor, extortion, land confiscation, and other human rights abuses.
Date of entry/update: 2012-06-26
Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Karen Human Rights Group - reports in Karen language
Source/publisher: Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG) Regional & Thematic Reports
Description: Reports from 2006 to 2010
Date of entry/update: 2012-06-25
Type: Websites/Multiple Documents
Language: Karen
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Title: ADB: Don?t rush Dawei - Sufficient time needed to do it right
Source/publisher: "Bangkok Post"
Date of publication: 2012-06-22
Description: "The capital-intensive Dawei project in Myanmar needs time to ensure adequate preparation, while investment and assurance from relevant governments are also critical, says the Asian Development Bank. The ADB, which is part of the Greater Mekong Subregion secretariat, has concluded that the GMS?s Southern Economic Corridor should be extended to include Dawei on Myanmar?s eastern coast, said Arjun Goswami, the bank?s director of regional cooperation and operations coordination in Southeast Asia. But he said this type of large infrastructure project requires time for good preparation and careful planning. For example, the preparation stage for the Nam Theun 2 hydropower project in Laos lasted 10 years. "The project needs to complete all feasibility studies including environmental and social impact assessments as well as due diligence. You should not rush into it," Mr Goswami told Euromoney?s Greater Mekong Investment Forum..."
Creator/author: Nareerat Wiriyapong
Date of entry/update: 2012-06-23
Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Build Burma from the Ground Up
Source/publisher: "Foreign Policy"
Date of publication: 2012-06-22
Description: Relying only on the state to implement democratic reforms in Burma is a fool?s errand. But there?s a better way... "Burma has entered a new period of political evolution. It?s a process rife with opportunity, to be sure. But perhaps this is also a good time to consider the risks. Defining a political path as "democratization" does not necessarily ensure that it will be democratic. In today?s Burma there is a distinct possibility that political elites -- in league with outside experts or capitalists --- will push ahead with reforms while ignoring the interests or ideas of average people, leaving many sections of the population even worse off than under tyranny. Such an approach must be contested. The voices of average Burmese must be incorporated into the decisions that will govern their future...a remarkably robust and powerful set of citizens, self-organized into groups outside of the state, has performed the necessary heavy lifting that has enabled society?s survival under a capricious and abusive military government. Many observers may have missed this because these groups have always flown under the radar. Their genius under the regime was to deliver services, subvert abusive policies, and mobilize local resources, all the while steering clear of anything that could be construed as politically threatening. Simply put, they learned to beg -- and beg quietly -- for permission to do the job the state should have been doing..."
Creator/author: Elliott Prasse-Freeman
Date of entry/update: 2012-06-22
Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Changing the unchangeable: the role of dialogue in transition - Panel debate with Aung San Suu Kyi, Jonas Gahr and Bono (video)
Source/publisher: Oslo Forum (Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, Norwegian Foreign Ministry)
Date of publication: 2012-06-18
Description: "Aung San Suu Kyi and Bono joined Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre this week to discuss the role of dialogue in countries in transition during the tenth Oslo forum retreat of conflict mediators... Minister Støre opened the panel discussion. Drawing on the examples of peace actors from Nelson Mandela to Aung San Suu Kyi, Minister Støre underlined that ?dialogue is the strategy of the brave”. Aung San Suu Kyi and Bono highlighted the importance of dialogue and of maintaining a genuine desire to find ?common ground” to ensure that transitions moved in a positive direction. In reflecting on her own experiences, Ms San Suu Kyi emphasised that ?the best way to bring about change is through non-violent peaceful means, through establishing a tradition of dialogue and consensus”. ?The wounds that are opened up by violent conflict take a long time to heal,” she said, ?and while the peaceful way might take longer, in the end there are fewer wounds to be healed.” Bono also reflected on key turning points during Northern Ireland?s troubles and the importance of dialogue in that context. The opening plenary marked the beginning of two days of frank discussions ? from 18 to 19 June 2012 - around the theme of this year?s forum: ?Negotiating Through Transition?. The forum, the 10th in the series, brought together more than 100 peacemakers and mediators, who discussed a range of issues including: Afghanistan and the influence of its neighbours in shaping its future; the growing concerns around the situation in Sahel; challenges to the two-state solution in the Israel/Arab peace process; the Arab Spring ?second wave?, in particular the role of mediation in Syria and Yemen and the internal dynamics of negotiating transitions in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia; recent developments in the Philippines; and reform and peacemaking in Myanmar..."
Date of entry/update: 2012-06-20
Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Results of a search for SUU KYI JUNE 2012 on YouTube
Source/publisher: YouTube
Date of publication: 2012-06-20
Description: "About 771 results"
Date of entry/update: 2012-06-20
Type: Websites/Multiple Documents
Language: English (maybe some Burmese)
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Title: Forest Peoples Programme - Supporting forest people?s rights
Source/publisher: Forest People?s Programme
Description: Environmental governance...Climate and forests...Legal and human rights...Responsible finance
Date of entry/update: 2012-06-20
Type: Websites/Multiple Documents
Language: English
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Title: The Karen National Union Negotiations 1949-2012
Source/publisher: Burma Centre for Ethnic Studies (Working Paper No. 2)
Date of publication: 2012-06-00
Description: "Since the beginning of hostilities officially declared on the 31st January 1949, the Karen National Union has consistently attempted to find an accommodation with the successive governments of Burma. While initial discussions centred on the recognition of a free Karen state of ?Kawthoolei? and the need to retain arms. Later talks, primarily those that began in 2004, sought merely to protect the Karen populace from further abuses at the hands of the Burmese army, the tatmadaw, and preserve some form of role for the organisation. This paper examines the various peace processes that have taken place since the outbreak of conflict and provides insight regarding the many KNU peace talks that have been held since 1949."
Creator/author: Paul Keenan
Date of entry/update: 2012-06-20
Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 985.87 KB
Local URL: PDF icon BCES-WP-2-red.pdf
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Title: "The New Light of Myanmar" Wednesday 20 June 2012
Source/publisher: News and Periodicals Enterprise, Ministry of Information, Union of Myanmar
Date of publication: 2012-06-20
Description: DOMESTIC NEWS: Job opportunities, income can be increased and triple growth realized only if current volume of financial investments be doubled - All must trim down uneconomical and redundant enterprises and cut expenses, while shrinking State-own business sector and encouraging privatization - President invites successful economists, experts, businessmen doing well overseas to join hands with government for national development [NAY PYI TAW, 19 June—With regard to processes of reforms for development of the State, President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar U Thein Sein delivered an address in meeting with Union level organization members, Region/State Chief Ministers, Chairmen of Self-Administered Division/Zone, deputy ministers and departmental heads at the meeting hall of the President office, here, at 9 am today...]...Sagaing Region Chief Minister oversees regional development tasks in Monywa District...Citizenship scrutiny cards issued in Leshi, Khamti...Dy Construction Minister inspects road/bridge works in Bago Region...Tree growing ceremony held in Launglon...Duties assigned in Mohnyin District...Agricultural loans disbursed in Haka Tsp...Insa bridge put into service in Sagaing Township...Cash, food, clothes collected for displaced persons in Rakhine State...Palethwe paddy fields inspected in Sagaing, Mandalay...Map of Bagan (MOB-14) in circulation...Community animal health workers course concludes...Moe Pwint-3 plan implementing rural area...Dy Health Minister looks into healthcare services in Meiktila, PyinOoLwin...Dy Health Minister looks into healthcare services in Meiktila, PyinOoLwin...Motorcycles allowed to get registration in Yamethin...Sanitation for hygienic works undertaken...UMFCCI to hold educative talk...Citizenship cards issued in Hlegu Township...School uniforms provided to 300 students...Disbursement of agricultural loans rise to K 50,000 per acre...Expired medicines, foodstuff, personal goods incinerated in Mandalay...Essay prize winning students honoured...Cash assistance, uniforms provided to students, staff members...IMMIGRATION WORKS UNDERTAKEN; SCHOOL UNIFORMS PROVIDED; DUTIES ASSIGNED [photos]...Tree growing ceremony held in Langkho District...Country has been introducing market-oriented economic system while striving for national development - Fresh mind-set and procedures in reform process, necessary to fulfill basic needs of people and improve socio-economic status...MMCWA donates cash for local people in Rakhine State...MADB disburses loan to farmers in Taninthayi Region..... EXTERNAL RELATIONS: 2nd Meeting of Myanmar-Philippines Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation held in Manila...Myanmar new generation golfers win five medals...Asia Energy refilling station opened in Mandalay...22 containers of marine products exported..... "PERSPECTIVES": "Livestock breeding and fisheries"
Date of entry/update: 2012-06-20
Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 2.32 MB
Local URL: PDF icon NLM2012-06-20.pdf
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Title: Aung San Suu Kyi Nobel Peace Prize Speech (video)
Source/publisher: BBC via Youtube
Date of publication: 2012-06-16
Date of entry/update: 2012-06-17
Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Results of a Youtube search for "Aung San Suu Kyi Oslo" (video)
Source/publisher: Youtube.com
Date of publication: 2012-06-16
Description: Mainly her Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech of 16 June 2012.
Date of entry/update: 2012-06-17
Type: Websites/Multiple Documents
Language: English
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Title: Vacant, Fallow and Virgin Land Management Act - Pyidaungsu Hluttaw Law No. 10/2012 - English, Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
Source/publisher: Pyidaungsu Hluttaw
Date of publication: 2012-03-30
Description: Official Burmese and English versions; unofficial English version (Habitat)
Date of entry/update: 2012-06-17
Type: Individual Documents
Language: English, Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
Format : pdf pdf
Size: 141.76 KB 292.11 KB
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Title: Conclusions of the Special Sitting on Myanmar of the Committee on the Application of Standards (2 June 2012)
Source/publisher: International Labour Office
Date of publication: 2012-06-02
Description: The date given is that of the sitting
Date of entry/update: 2012-06-14
Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 92.69 KB
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Title: ILC 2012 (101st Session): Report of the subcommittee [of the Selection Committee] on the review of measures previously adopted by the Conference to secure compliance by Myanmar with the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry
Source/publisher: International Labour Office (PR 2-4)
Date of publication: 2012-06-13
Description: General discussion...Consideration of the draft resolution...Appendix: Resolution concerning the measures on the subject of Myanmar adopted under article 33 of the ILO Constitution.....The resolution lifts most of the measures imposed in 2000 apart from the most substantive of these, Article 1(b) [which reads: "to recommend to the Organization?s constituents as a whole – governments, employers and workers – that they: (i) review, in the light of the conclusions of the Commission of Inquiry, the relations that they may have with the member State concerned and take appropriate measures to ensure that the said Member cannot take advantage of such relations to perpetuate or extend the system of forced or compulsory labour referred to by the Commission of Inquiry, and to contribute as far as possible to the implementation of its recommendations; and (ii) report back in due course and at appropriate intervals to the Governing Body] [which is suspended for a year, to be reviewed in 2013.
Date of entry/update: 2012-06-14
Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: ILO lifts restrictions on Myanmar (Press information)
Source/publisher: International Labour Office
Date of publication: 2012-06-13
Description: The International Labour Organization has lifted its restrictions on the full participation of Myanmar in its activities and decided to review the progress on the elimination of forced labour in the country next year... Text and video introduction...links to key ILC texts
Date of entry/update: 2012-06-14
Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Changes in Myanmar: An employers? perspective (video interview with Daw Khine Khine Nwe)
Source/publisher: International Labour Office
Date of publication: 2012-06-11
Description: Daw Khine Khine Nwe, Myanmar Employers? delegate and Secretary, Basic Employers Organization of the Garment Factory, Shwe Pyi Thar Industrial Zone, gives her reaction to the changes in her country and explains how she wants the international community to respond.
Creator/author: Daw Khine Khine Nwe
Date of entry/update: 2012-06-14
Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Changes in Myanmar – the Minister?s perspective (video interview with U Aung Kyi, Minister of Labour)
Source/publisher: International Labour Office
Date of publication: 2012-06-11
Description: Myanmar?s Union Minister at the Ministry of Labour, U Aung Kyi, gives his thoughts on the way his country?s reform process has moved so far, how the relationship with the ILO has evolved, and what the next steps might be.
Creator/author: U Aung Kyi
Date of entry/update: 2012-06-14
Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Changes in Myanmar: A workers? perspective (video interview with U Thant Zin Oo)
Source/publisher: International Labour Office
Date of publication: 2012-06-11
Description: Among the recent changes in Myanmar has been new legislation allowing for the formation of workers? organizations. Among the first group of 15 to be registered was the Basic Labour Organization of the Aung Tile Factory, set up by Thant Zin Oo, Workers? Delegate from Myanmar. He explains why he decided to form this new workers? organization.
Creator/author: U Thant Zin Oo
Date of entry/update: 2012-06-14
Type: Individual Documents
Language: Burmese (English sub-titles)
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Title: The ILO?s role in Myanmar (video interview with Steven Marshall)
Source/publisher: International Labour Office
Date of publication: 2012-06-11
Description: Steven Marshall, the ILO`s Liaison Officer in Myanmar, discusses the history of the ILO`s involvement in Myanmar, some of the challenges of dealing with forced labour in the country, and the role played by the ILO?s unique tripartite structure in achieving progress
Creator/author: Steven Marshall, ILO Liaison officer in Myanmar
Date of entry/update: 2012-06-14
Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Video highlights of Aung San Suu Kyi?s statement at the International Labour Conference (video)
Source/publisher: International Labour Office
Date of publication: 2012-06-14
Description: Daw Suu?s arrival at the ILO, greeted by Juan Somavia, the ILO Director-General, the highlights of her address... "Myanmar needs democracy-friendly development growth, says Aung San Suu Kyi... Aung San Suu Kyi called for international aid and investment to promote economic progress in Myanmar and in particular focussed attention on the problem of youth unemployment. Highlighting the potential of her country both in terms of its natural and human resources, she noted, ?it is not so much joblessness as hopelessness that threatens our future. The Nobel laureate made her landmark address to a packed Assembly Hall at the 101st session of the International Labour Conference in Geneva, Switzerland."
Creator/author: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Juan Somavia
Date of entry/update: 2012-06-14
Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Aung San Suu Kyi?s visit to the ILO - 14 June 2012 - Index page (links to video, photos and text)
Source/publisher: International Labour Office
Date of publication: 2012-06-14
Description: Video and photos of Daw Suu?s arrival and reception by ILO officers at Geneva Airport...Video of the highlights of her address to the Conference...Link to the text of her address...4 Video interviews on ILO?s involvement with Myanmar...The ILO and Myanmar: Timeline of key developments from 1948...Links to documents of the 101st Session of the International Labour Conference.
Date of entry/update: 2012-06-14
Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: BURMA: Critical questions about communal violence
Source/publisher: Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
Date of publication: 2012-06-14
Description: "The Asian Human Rights Commission shares the worldwide concern about the communal violence in Arakan (Rakhine) State in Burma over the last fortnight, which has received widespread reportage in the international media, and joins in calls for its earliest cessation, and for the provision of relief to persons affected by the events that have unfolded there. It has today issued an open letter to the governments of Burma and Bangladesh, asking that they cooperate to enable the movement of persons to places of safety, rather than the closing of the two countries? shared border, and for full, protected access of international agencies to assess the situation and provide assistance (AHRC-OLT-013-2012). These steps are obviously necessary to deal with conditions in the short term. In the longer term, deeper understanding of what has provoked the violence, and what can be done to prevent repeat occurrences, is equally necessary. Unfortunately, to date, limited evidence exists of willingness on the part of many important domestic and international actors to reflect critically on the events and ask questions openly about what has happened and why. The seeming reluctance on the part not only of people in official positions but also in political parties, international agencies and the media to ask questions about the causes of the violence and the reasons for its continuance is accompanied by a lack of reflection on events of the recent past, some of which may help to inform us of what is going on in the present..."
Date of entry/update: 2012-06-14
Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: An Open Letter from the Asian Human Rights Commission to the President of Myanmar (Burma) and the Prime Minister of Bangladesh
Source/publisher: Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
Date of publication: 2012-06-14
Description: "...the AHRC strongly urges you to communicate with one another so as to open the border immediately to allow for the movement of people seeking shelter from the violence, and to make appropriate arrangements for the temporary settlement of persons fleeing the parts of Myanmar affected by violence. Furthermore, in order to enable the provision of adequate food and health services to the affected populations, both of your governments are requested to cooperate with one another so as to provide complete, unimpeded, secure access to international agencies at the earliest possible opportunity, in order that these agencies can assess the situation and make arrangements for the necessary provision of emergency relief supplies..."
Date of entry/update: 2012-06-14
Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 79.6 KB
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Title: International Land Coalition
Source/publisher: International Land Coalition
Description: Our Mission: A global alliance of civil society and intergovernmental organisations working together to promote secure and equitable access to and control over land for poor women and men through advocacy, dialogue, knowledge sharing and capacity building... Our Vision: Secure and equitable access to and control over land reduces poverty and contributes to identity, dignity and inclusion.
Date of entry/update: 2012-06-14
Type: Websites/Multiple Documents
Language: English
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Title: Land to the Tillers of Myanmar
Source/publisher: "New York Times"
Date of publication: 2012-06-13
Description: "...with increasing frequency, land is taken from farmers, often with little or no compensation. Large swathes of farmland have already been made available to foreign-based companies in a process that appears to be accelerating. Government data show that the amount of land transferred to private companies increased by as much as 900 percent from the mid-1990s to mid-2000s and now totals roughly 5 percent of Myanmar?s agricultural land... Myanmar law requires farmers to grow what the government or the local military commander wants them to grow, and subjects farmers to production quotas. Policies like these also displace farmers and lead to food insecurity, as farm productivity suffers. This can push farmers into debt by forcing them to take out loans from money lenders or sell their land in an effort to meet an unrealistic planting directive. And now two new land laws — the Farmland Bill and the Vacant, Fallow, and Virgin Land Management Bill, recently passed by the legislature and awaiting action by President Thein Sein — are poised to give the government even more power to seize land without consultation or compensation..."
Creator/author: Roy Prosterman, Darryl Vhugen
Date of entry/update: 2012-06-14
Type: Individual Documents
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Title: Landesa
Source/publisher: Landesa
Description: "Landesa works to secure land rights for the world?s poorest people—the 3.4 billion chiefly rural people who live on less than two dollars a day. Landesa partners with developing country governments to design and implement laws, policies, and programs concerning land that provide opportunity, further sustainable economic growth, and promote social justice..."
Date of entry/update: 2012-06-14
Type: Websites/Multiple Documents
Language: English
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Title: Joint Statement on current political situation and peace processes by community based organizations from Shan State, Burma June 12, 2012
Source/publisher: 16 Shan community-based groups
Date of publication: 2012-06-12
Description: "On June 4 and 5, 2012, about 80 people from various community-based organizations, including women?s, youth, environment, community development, media, health, education, literature and culture groups, migrant workers groups, as well as monks and farmers from Shan State held a forum to discuss the current political situation in Shan State, especially the ongoing peace negotiation process. Key concerns raised by participants about the current situation are as follows: 1. Communities remain in daily fear of the expanding Burma Army, which now numbers over 180 battalions in Shan State, a quarter of their total troop force. The twelfth Burma Army Regional Command has been set up in Shan State since the 2010 election. Despite recent ceasefire agreements, armed clashes continue, and the Burma Army continues to target civilians for abuse with impunity. 2. The 2010 elections, and introduction of ?democracy,? have not improved the lives of the people of Shan State, as the 2008 pro-military constitution puts the Burma Army outside the law, and elected representatives have no power to curb the army?s abuses, or to protect the rights of local communities..."
Date of entry/update: 2012-06-12
Type: Individual Documents
Language: English, Shan, Burmese, Thai
Format : pdf pdf pdf pdf
Size: 51.3 KB 61.02 KB 58.93 KB 87.32 KB
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Title: Resources on land grabbing
Source/publisher: Online Burma/Myanmar Library
Description: Link to an OBL sub-section
Date of entry/update: 2012-06-12
Type: Websites/Multiple Documents
Language: English
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Title: The ADB in Burma: Behind the Scenes
Source/publisher: NGO Forum on ADB
Date of publication: 2011-04-00
Description: CONCLUSION: Burma still lacks sound economic policy, and the state is unwilling to reconcile with ethnic armed groups. Foreign direct investment in Burma is concentrated in energy and extractive sectors and often results in militarization, displacement and human rights abuses in ethnic areas. The facilitation and mobilization of private investment is having and will continue to have a major impact on the environment and communities, particularly in ethnic areas where the majority of natural resources remain. Current foreign investment is not reducing poverty but reinforcing the current power structures, and the vast majority of citizens in Burma are excluded from the benefits of development. Until the people of Burma can meaningfully participate in development decisions, preconditions for responsible investment are in place, and adverse impacts can be mitigated, then the ADB should refrain from any form of new engagement with Burma. If they do engage (i.e., fund, facilitate, administer) in Burma, the ADB must follow the International Financial Corporation?s ?Sustainability Framework,? and adhere to their own environmental and social safeguard policies, including safeguards on Involuntary Resettlement, Environment and Indigenous People, as well as the ADB?s Accountability Mechanism and Public Communications Policy... RECOMMENDATIONS: Until the people of Burma can meaningfully participate in development decisions, preconditions for responsible investment are in place, and adverse impacts can be mitigated, then the ADB should refrain from any form of new engagement with Burma. If they do engage (i.e., fund, facilitate, administer) in Burma, the ADB must follow the International Financial Corporation?s ?Sustainability Framework,?, and adhere to apply their own environmental and social safeguard policies, when they do engage, including safeguards on Involuntary Resettlement, Environment and Indigenous People, as well as the ADB?s Accountability Mechanism and Public Communications Policy. If the ADB is involved in any future national development planning for Burma, they must make sure it is based on proper needs assessments and a participatory consultation process which ensures that it furthers the interest of the people.
Creator/author: S. Bourne
Date of entry/update: 2012-06-12
Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 1.27 MB
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Title: Burma in the Balance: The Role of Foreign Assistance in Supporting Burma?s Democratic Transition
Source/publisher: Project 2049 Institute
Date of publication: 2012-03-00
Description: "...Among the questions that this report seeks to address are: - What principles should donors adhere to in developing expanded assistance programs for Burma so that they support a genuine democratization process and structural human rights improvements? - How should donors think about issues of sequencing and prioritization in their assistance programs in order to most effectively support democratization and ensure the deepening and broadening of reforms? - What does ?country-directed assistance? mean in the intensely politically contested context of Burma? What is the role of the National League for Democracy and other important non-state actors, and how should donors interact with them? Are Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD merely one of many civil society stakeholders in a multi-stakeholder environment or do they have a privileged role, possibly on par with or even more legitimate than that of the government? - What kind of delivery mechanisms will most effectively promote transparency, accountability, strengthened local capacity, national reconciliation, and continued political reforms? How can these objectives be effectively maintained as assistance scales up in size and scope? - What is the appropriate role of multi-lateral institutions in the current Burmese context, particularly given the weak postures that some have demonstrated in the past? How can they balance their preference for working directly with government institutions with concerns about instrumentalization and genuine involvement of Burmese civil society? - How can responsible donors balance and, potentially, bridge their external Burma programs (i.e. in Thailand, India and Bangladesh) in a way that both supports political reforms in Burma and retains support for those who are currently unable to return to Burma to take part in these processes? Through the analysis and recommendations developed in this report, Project 2049 Institute hopes to provide the donor community some reference points as it develops responsible interventions in a unique and important context. Given the long-time policy advocacy by most key donor countries in support of democratization and national reconciliation in Burma, the current environment creates enormous potential for positive synergies between assistance and policy, as well as dangers that abrupt policy shifts that could undermine both. As this rapidly evolving situation continues to move forward, Project 2049 hopes that this report will serve as a new baseline for an ongoing dialogue about how the donor community can effectively support the simultaneous advance of sustainable political reform and economic development in Burma..."
Creator/author: Kelley Currie
Date of entry/update: 2012-06-12
Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 942.2 KB
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Title: Examination and Critique of the 2012 Farmland Law
Source/publisher: Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM)
Date of publication: 2012-05-00
Description: N. B. The title of this article, published in the April-May issue of "The Mon Forum", uses the term "Bill" which implies that the law has not been adopted. Elsewhere in the article, however, it is clear that the analysis is of the adopted Law... "The Farmland Law was enacted and approved by Burma Pyi Daung Su Hluttaw (Burma Union Parliament) on March 30th, 2012. According to the Farmland Law section 3 (a), ?farmland means paddy land, ya land, kiang land, shifting-cultivated land (taung ya), perennial plant land, dhani (coastal) land, orchards, and alluvial land.? Under section 3 (b), ?farmland means the land which is mainly for boosting agricultural production, and producing naturally growing or man-made products that can be cultivated with an irrigation system.? Analysis: Because farmland is defined as land primarily for the growth of agricultural production, it is an obstacle for the farmers to cultivate their land freely. It gives the right to cultivate agricultural crops solely for the purpose of agricultural production. [Download PDF Version of Farmland Bill in Burmese]..."
Date of entry/update: 2012-06-12
Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 145.61 KB
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