ASEAN-Burma relations
Individual Documents
Description:
"The establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in December 2015 was a notable milestone in the economic integration of Southeast Asia. However, despite the AEC’s ambitious vision, the on-the-ground reality of Southeast Asian regionalism continues to raise some concerns. One such concern is the vast income gap among the ASEAN member states, which might become an obstacle to developing a true sense of regional solidarity and unity. Per capita income in the region’s richest country, Singapore, is over six times higher than in the poorest, Myanmar. ASEAN member states regard the vast income gap as a ‘matter of urgency’. To enable equitable development, the AEC requires that older ASEAN member assist newer members (known as the CLMV countries: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam) in their efforts to enhance their economic capacity. Since 2000, when ASEAN leaders adopted the Initiative for ASEAN integration, the older six member have been supporting CLMV countries in five key areas: food and agriculture, international trade, small and medium-sized enterprises, education, and health and wellbeing.
According to a recent study, the CLMV countries are divided by a two-layer economic structure: Cambodia and Vietnam have been successful in bringing down the income gap with their older and richer ASEAN peers while Laos and Myanmar have lagged behind..."
Source/publisher:
"East Asia Forum" (Australia)
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-23
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations, Japan-Burma relations, Burma's economic relations with ASEAN, Burma's economic relations with Japan
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41.51 KB
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Description:
"For the Mekong countries, including Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam, 2018 was a big year both domestically and regionally. Key developments from last year will inevitably continue to shape the politics of the region in 2019. In terms of domestic affairs, the most worrying trend is the consolidation of autocratic power in almost all countries. In Vietnam, the sudden death of president Tran Dai Quang in September 2018 created a huge power vacuum, which was filled by Vietnamese Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong. By merging the two most powerful positions in Vietnamese politics, he has become the strongest Vietnamese leader since the death of Ho Chi Minh in 1969, edging the communist state towards the Chinese model of centralised rule.
Cambodia, in theory a multi-party democracy, has practically become a one-party regime after a sham election that saw Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party win all parliamentary seats in July 2018. He is now one of the world’s longest-serving heads of government, having held the premiership for 33 years since 1985.
Things are no better in Thailand. Four years after seizing power, the military junta has made — and broken — five promises to hold a general election to establish a civilian government. Even if the sixth promise is fulfilled in February 2019, it will be difficult to see swift change, as the junta will exploit all means available to dominate the electoral process..."
Source/publisher:
"East Asia Forum" (Australia)
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-23
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations, China-Burma relations, Politics and Government - global and regional - general studies, strategies, theory
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pdf
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44.31 KB (4 pages)
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Description:
"Despite fading foreign direct investment in China amid the Sino-US trade war, Bangkok Bank (BBL) says its international banking business is thriving from a shift towards Asean.
The bank's international banking business, covering nine of the 10 Asean nations, shows positive signs, mainly due to higher investment in Asean from regional business operators and foreigners, said a source familiar with the issue.
Large Thai and regional investors have shifted investment away from China and towards Asean, driven by trade tensions, and the fast-growing economies of the bloc are providing greater business opportunities, the source said.
The mainland's intense competition in all areas, including funding, market, technology and people, is compelling Thai business operators to shun China and shift to regional markets..."
Source/publisher:
"Bangkok Post" (Thailand)
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-22
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations, China-Burma relations, Burma's economic relations with ASEAN, Burma/Myanmar's relationship with the Global Economy
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Summary:
"ASEAN members have issued a variety of incentives to attract investors affected by the US-China trade war.
These incentives come in the form of tax breaks as well as initiatives to improve the...
Description:
"ASEAN members have issued a variety of incentives to attract investors affected by the US-China trade war.
These incentives come in the form of tax breaks as well as initiatives to improve the investment climate.
Investors should seek the help of registered advisors to better understand which incentives are beneficial for their business.
Governments across ASEAN have been unveiling an array of incentive packages to entice businesses affected by the US-China trade war.
Countries such as Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia have introduced tax breaks and initiatives to improve the ease of doing business whereas Vietnam, Singapore, and Cambodia have accelerated business reforms, such as executing free trade agreements (FTAs), and double taxation agreements (DTAs). We consolidate and briefly discusses the development of each country’s incentives over the past year. The developments showcase how ASEAN members are distinguishing themselves from the fellow competition and what opportunities are available for investors looking elsewhere in Asia..."
Source/publisher:
"ASEAN Briefing"
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-22
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations, China-Burma-US relations, Burma/Myanmar's relationship with the Global Economy, Burma's economic relations with China
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Description:
"The ASEAN-Hong Kong, China Free Trade Agreement (AHKFTA) came into effect on June 11 for Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand. The remaining ASEAN member states will complete the ratification process later this year. The deal was first signed and agreed in November 2017 to increase economic cooperation, reduce taxes, and increase investment between regional markets and Hong Kong.
Analysts have noted that with ongoing trade tensions, Hong Kong businesses are keen to expand investment opportunities in Southeast Asia, and particularly in Vietnam. At the end of 2018, Hong Kong businesses had invested more than 1,300 projects in Vietnam on key sectors such as textiles and garments, real estate and investments. Many expect these numbers to improve following the AHKFTA. Vietnam and Hong Kong trade
Vietnam is Hong Kong’s third largest trade partner and biggest export market in ASEAN. In the first five months of this year, Hong Kong accounted for 30.4 percent of total FDI investment in Vietnam, equaling US $5.08 billion.
Hong Kong’s importance as an entrepôt for trade between mainland China and Vietnam will continue to grow at a much faster pace with the FTA coming into force. Re-exports of goods of ASEAN origin through Hong Kong to China have been growing at an annual average rate of 6.4 percent since 2012..."
Source/publisher:
"Vietnam Briefing" (Vietnam)
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-21
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Burma/Myanmar's relationship with the Global Economy, Burma's economic relations with ASEAN, ASEAN-Burma relations, Burma/Myanmar's Foreign relations, general
Language:
Local URL:
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Description:
"US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has urged all South China Sea claimant countries, including the Philippines, to take a “very public posture” and assert their sovereign rights against China’s aggressive moves in the disputed waters.
Esper also said the United States was open to revisiting and strengthening its Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) with the Philippines “based on changes in the environment and world situation.”
Ambiguities
At a press conference with Esper on Tuesday, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said he initially introduced the idea of revisiting the MDT which was signed by the two countries in 1951.
Lorenzana cited the ambiguities in the treaty, including a provision that indicates that an attack on “Metropolitan Philippines” would automatically trigger a military response from the United States.
Esper meanwhile reiterated the US commitment to the MDT which covers the entire Pacific region, including the South China Sea..."
Source/publisher:
"Eleven Media Group" (Myanmar)
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-20
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations, China-Burma-US relations, Burma's economic relations with ASEAN, Burma/Myanmar's relationship with the Global Economy
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Sub-title:
Blackwater founder Eric Prince’s Frontier Service Group continues to expand in Asia
Description:
"The Frontier Service Group (FSG), founded by former US military contractor Eric Prince, is moving into Myanmar to provide security services for Chinese and other foreign investors, the Myanmar Times reported on March 19.
FSG, a Hong Kong-registered company, has established a joint-venture security company in Myanmar called FSG (Myanmar) Security Services Co Ltd and is advertising for 30 security personnel in Myanmar.
According to the Myanmar Times, the company profile lists Daw Sandar Win (Myanmar), Zhang Huagang (China), Tan Qing (China) and U Si Thu (Myanmar) as directors.
Prince is also the founder of the defunct military contract company Blackwater, which, the Myanmar Times says, “was condemned internationally after its employees allegedly opened fire on a Baghdad street in 2007, killing at least 14 civilians.”
The Myanmar Times quoted Doi Ra, a local Kachin NGO worker, as saying that “we need to know the details of FSG’s operations in Myanmar … the current information is almost non-existent.”
Doi Ra said civil society organizations were concerned that the company would be used to provide security for large-scale infrastructure projects such as the controversial Myitsone hydro-electric dam project in northern Myanmar..."
Source/publisher:
"Asia Times" (Hong Kong)
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-19
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Burma/Myanmar's relationship with the Global Economy, Burma's economic relations with ASEAN, Burma's economic relations with China, ASEAN-Burma relations, China-Burma relations
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Description:
"The 35th Asean Summit has come and gone, and the United States has again lost ground in its struggle with China for the hearts and minds of Southeast Asia.
Over the last few years, the decline in US soft power in the region has accelerated, after its withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and President Donald Trump’s “America First” policy, which neglects the region’s strategic interests while economically punishing and alienating potential supporters.
US soft power has been declining for years, absolutely and relative to China’s influence. In the run-up to the 2017 Asean summit, both the US and China lobbied heavily for their preferences. China wanted no reference to its claims and activities in the South China Sea and the 2016 arbitration ruling against it. It also refused to support any reference to the need for a “legally binding” code of conduct between China and Asean..."
Source/publisher:
"South China Morning Post" (Hong Kong)
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-19
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Burma's economic relations with ASEAN, Burma/Myanmar's relationship with the Global Economy, ASEAN-Burma relations, Burma/Myanmar's Foreign relations, general
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Description:
"As ASEAN leaders descend on Bangkok for the ASEAN Summit, regional leaders such as Shinzo Abe, Moon Jae-in and Scott Morrison are expected to join them for the East Asia Summit (EAS). First held in 2005, the EAS is a meeting of 18 leaders for strategic dialogue and cooperation on key political, security and economic challenges. It brings together the major regional players — China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, New Zealand and newest members Russia and the United States — to meet with the 10 ASEAN leaders annually on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit. While the G20 and APEC summits receive significant coverage, the EAS barely rates a mention in most media outlets. It is hard to point to a set of concrete initiatives and impact it has delivered. Despite its low profile, the EAS has the potential to be a valuable forum.
It is leaders-led. As Nick Bisley points out, the EAS’ leader-level format accurately ‘reflects the reality that, in statecraft, there are some things that only leaders can do’. While there is now also an EAS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, an Economic Ministers’ Meeting and other ministerial meetings, its main value is the leaders’ meeting.
It is inclusive. Hosted by the current ASEAN chair, it provides a voice to a diverse range of countries in the region, not just to those that have set the agenda in the past. The 18 EAS participating countries collectively represent 54 per cent of the world’s population and 58 per cent of global GDP.
It has a broad remit. Unlike some other regional forums, the EAS aims to cover political, security and economic challenges facing the region. It has covered many different topics. Last year, EAS leaders discussed the South China Sea, the Korean Peninsula, the situation in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, counterterrorism, regional economic integration, maritime cooperation and connectivity. This year, it is expected that US–China tensions, the South China Sea and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade deal will be high on the agenda. Last year, RCEP participating states expressed their eagerness to sign off on the deal at this year’s summit, though it may still not be finalised in time..."
Source/publisher:
"East Asia Forum" (Australia)
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-19
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Burma/Myanmar's relationship with the Global Economy, Burma's economic relations with ASEAN, ASEAN-Burma relations, Burma/Myanmar's Foreign relations, general
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
37.92 KB (4 pages)
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Description:
"Myanmar has urged ASEAN to intensify cooperation in rural development and poverty eradication efforts, according to the News Straits Times.
Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, U Aung Thu, said that total poverty eradication is necessary for the sustainable development of a nation; and urged all ASEAN members to work together in lifting their people out of poverty.
He attributed the current success of the 10-member group in reducing poverty to exchanging experiences and finding new approaches in efforts to fight the problem.
U Tun Lwin, deputy permanent secretary of the ministry, said that the Myanmar government is implementing people-centred projects using a World Bank loan, among others..."
Source/publisher:
"Mizzima" (Myanmar)
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-17
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
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Description:
"Countries in the Lancang-Mekong Basin, including China, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, recently announced they would launch a joint operation against precursor chemicals in November.
The Lancang-Mekong Integrated Law Enforcement and Security Cooperation Center said officials from the six countries made the announcement in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, which borders Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam.
Zheng Baigang, secretary-general of the center, said the joint action aimed at tackling the root causes of drug-related crimes and eradicating such crimes through measures to control the production and transportation of precursor chemicals in the region.
Liang Yun, head of the narcotics control bureau of the Ministry of Public Security, said the Golden Triangle region has become a regional and even global synthetic drug manufacturing center, which harms social stability and economic development in the Lancang-Mekong Basin..."
Source/publisher:
"Xinhua" (China)
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-16
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Burma/Myanmar's Foreign relations, general, ASEAN-Burma relations, The impact of climate change on the global environment
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Description:
"We reiterated our intention to work towards the completion of the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway Project and its extension to Cambodia, Lao PDR and Viet Nam, said a source from the statement of the 16th ASEAN-India Summit in Bangkok, Thailand.
The Trilateral Highway project includes three new major bridges, repair and strengthening of four existing major bridges, two new minor bridges, reconstruction of six existing minor bridges, repair and strengthening of nine existing minor bridges, reconstruction of 226 existing culverts, 20 bus bays and passenger shelters besides one rest area, according to the statement.
We emphasized the need to enhance ASEAN-India collaborative efforts in countering terrorism, radicalization, violent extremism, and transnational crimes, and the need to strengthen cooperation on cyber security through supporting the implementation of the ASEAN Cyber security Cooperation Strategy and the ARF Work Plan on Security of and in the Use of Information and Communication Technologies.
We underscored the importance of further strengthening trade and investment between ASEAN and India in order to achieve the trade target of 200 billion USD by 2022.We reaffirmed that the full and effective utilisation of the ASEAN-India Free Trade Area (AIFTA) will not only contribute to the realisation of our 2022 trade target but also to the promotion of sustainable and inclusive economic growth. We noted the decision of our Economic Ministers in September 2019 to initiate the review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) to make it more user-friendly, simple, and trade facilitative for businesses, and constitute a Joint Committee for this purpose. ASEAN Leaders welcomed the conclusion of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations and the commitment to sign the RCEP Agreement in 2020..."
Source/publisher:
"Eleven Media Group" (Myanmar)
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-15
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations, India-Burma relations, Burma's economic relations with India, Burma's economic relations with ASEAN
Language:
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Description:
" Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi has underscored that the country will not shirk its responsibility to take care of the rights and security of people, according to the Foreign Ministry Monday.
The counselor made the response to the remarks by United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres regarding Rakhine issue.
At the opening session of the 10th ASEAN-UN Summit in Bangkok on Sunday, Guterres expressed concern over the situation in Rakhine state and the plight of the refugees in Cox's Bazaar, saying Myanmar is responsible to ensure a conducive environment for safe, voluntary and dignified return of refugees.
The counselor pointed out that the Rakhine issue is a most complex one and that the UN and its agencies, which have been present in the region for 10 times longer than the present government has been in office, must have some idea of the extent of the complexities.
The Myanmar government was fully committed to take back the verified returnees based on the bilateral agreement signed with Bangladesh and the trilateral agreement signed with UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and UN Development Program (UNDP), she said.
She expressed appreciation to ASEAN and the ASEAN Secretariat for their constructive contribution to Myanmar's efforts in creating the most suitable environment to which the displaced people can return in peace and security and voluntarily..."
Source/publisher:
"Xinhua" (China)
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-13
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations, Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
Local URL:
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Sub-title:
Foreign direct investment (FDI) into Myanmar still lags other countries in ASEAN, according to a report issued by the ASEAN Secretariat last week.
Description:
"The report ASEAN Investment Report 2019: FDI in Services showed that FDI into Myanmar declined despite record-high inflows into other countries in the grouping.
FDI in Myanmar in 2018 slumped 11 percent to US$3.6 billion, primarily because of a 48 percent decline in investments in extractive industries.
Although the country benefits from over 59 percent of investments from ASEAN countries, Myanmar is the only one among the CLMV countries - Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam - that saw a decrease in intra-ASEAN investment.
Myanmar continues to be favoured by companies based in Singapore, though many of them are subsidiaries of Chinese or Hong Kong entities.
In 2018, more than 48 per cent of all intra-ASEAN investments went to Indonesia, making it the largest recipient of intraregional investment.
Globally, the ongoing US-China trade war has seen combined FDI to the CLMV countries rising by 4 pc to $23 billion last year, accounting for 15pc of FDI in ASEAN, though Myanmar, along with Laos, still lagged behind.
“Chinese and other Asian multinational enterprises are shifting production to the CLMV countries for cost reasons and in some cases because of the effect of the United States-China trade tensions,” the report stated..."
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Times"
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-12
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
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Description:
"As Thailand prepares to wind down its year-long chairmanship of Asean, it's time to reflect on the state of the 10-country alliance and relations with its dialogue partners. Based on what happened at the 35th Asean Summit from Nov 2-4 in Bangkok, the outlook is mixed.
Thailand's dream of proclaiming a major diplomatic success by bringing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) to life was dashed when India opted out at the last minute. There had been high hopes that the huge regional trade pact would finally be signed -- four years after the original deadline of 2015 -- but the celebrations will have to wait until 2020, when Vietnam takes the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Despite the RCEP setback, the Asean summit and related meetings showcased the achievement of Thailand and the advancement of Asean in the international arena, said Piti Srisangnam, director of the Asean Studies Center at Chulalongkorn University..."
Source/publisher:
"Bangkok Post" (Thailand)
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-11
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
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Sub-title:
U Aung Thu, minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to intensify cooperation in rural development and poverty reduction.
Description:
"“As total poverty eradication is essential for the sustainable development of a nation, I urge all ASEAN members to cooperate in lifting its citizens out of poverty,” he told ministers during a meeting in Nay Pyi Taw.
He attributed the current success of the 10-member group in reducing poverty to exchanging experiences and finding new approaches in efforts to fight the problem.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. U Tun Lwin, deputy permanent secretary of the ministry, said the government is implementing people-centred projects with a World Bank loan, among others.
“After studying the success in some ASEAN nations, such projects were initiated in Myanmar,” he said.
He said the country had seen average economic growth of 6.5 percent in the past few years, and poverty had fallen by 24.8pc. He attributed the growth and poverty reduction to government programmes boosted by support from development partners as well as local and foreign donors..."
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-11
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
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Description:
"At the 33d summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Singapore last year, the issue of Myanmar’s Rakhine/Rohingya crisis was high on the agenda. The chairman’s closing statement expressed the group’s readiness to support Myanmar in repatriating refugees by conducting a needs-assessment overview in Rakhine State. The Muslim Rohingya had fled ethnic persecution there, committed by the Burmese-led army.
The association, or Asean, recognized the need to find comprehensive and durable solutions to the crisis and to create conducive conditions for refugees to return and rebuild their lives. Myanmar, also still known as Burma, was encouraged to carry out the recommendations of the Rakhine advisory commission led by the late Kofi Annan.
A year later, as the 35th Asean biannual summit ended in Thailand last week, only two paragraphs in the 17-page chairman’s statement — a summary of the conference’s consensus — were devoted to the Rohingya crisis. While much in those paragraphs repeated the language of the year before, the 2019 concluding statement showed that Asean was heeding the urgent need to garner more consistent political attention to the Rakhine problem..."
Source/publisher:
"PassBlue" (New York)
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-11
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), ASEAN-Burma relations, Discrimination against the Rohingya, Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
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Description:
"WE, the Heads of State/Government of Brunei Darussalam, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Republic of Indonesia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, the Republic of the Philippines, the Republic of Singapore, the Kingdom of Thailand and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, Member States of ASEAN, on the occasion of the 35 th ASEAN Summit;
RECALLING previous ASEAN Joint Statements on Climate Change and ASEAN Leaders’ Statements on Climate Change to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the ASEAN Joint Statement to the United Nations Climate Action Summit 2019;
NOTING that ASEAN Member States (AMS) have reaffirmed our commitment to the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement, in particular the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR-RC), in the light of different national circumstances, by:
Implementing measures to address climate change under the ASEAN SocioCultural Community (ASCC) Blueprint 2025, in alignment with the broader outcomes of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and national development priorities;
Promoting sustainable management of forests, including through the implementation of COP decisions on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries (REDD-Plus) under the guidance of the Warsaw Framework, as well as enhancing biodiversity conservation, protection, and restoration of various terrestrial, coastal and marine ecosystems;
Achieving 21.9% reduction in energy intensity compared to 2005 levels, exceeding the 2020 target set by the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) 2016 – 2025;
Launching the ASEAN Regional Strategy on Sustainable Land Transport, the ASEAN Fuel Economy Roadmap for the Transport Sector 2018 - 2025: with Focus on Light-Duty Vehicles, and the Guidelines for Sustainable Land Transport Indicators on Energy Efficiency and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in ASEAN;...."
Source/publisher:
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Jakarta) via Reliefweb (USA)
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-10
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations, Climate Change policy - global ( statements, studies, conferences etc.), Climate Change - Migration Global
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
91.06 KB (4 pages)
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Description:
"The Southeast Asian bloc has agreed to boost efforts, including legal frameworks and law enforcement, to protect children from all forms of online exploitation and abuse. (L-R) Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, Myanmar’s State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, Philippines’ President Rodrigo Duterte, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha, Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen, Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo and Laos Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith (Photo by TANG CHHIN Sothy / AFP)(Photo by TANG CHHIN Sothy / AFP)
Ten leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) signed the declaration to keep children safe amid the digital age following their plenary summit in Thailand.
“The rapid advances in and proliferation of Internet and evolving communications technologies have led to the emergence of unforeseen and unintended consequences that put children’s safety at risk and will likely continue to do so,” the leaders said in the declaration.
They have expressed concern with the global threats that make more children vulnerable to online sexual abuse material and other forms of online exploitation..."
Source/publisher:
"Manila Bulletin" (Philippines)
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-10
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations, Children, Children's Rights - studies
Language:
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Summary:
" ASEAN and UNICEF launched in Bangkok today a joint publication entitled “Children in ASEAN: 30 Years of the Convention on the Rights of the Child” that features achievements and actions for...
Description:
" ASEAN and UNICEF launched in Bangkok today a joint publication entitled “Children in ASEAN: 30 Years of the Convention on the Rights of the Child” that features achievements and actions for children’s rights in the region. The report was released during the ASEAN CRC30 commemorative event co-hosted by Thailand’s Ministry of Social Development and Human Security (MSDHS) and UNICEF.
At the event, ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Ministers and senior officials, civil society organizations, development partners and children representatives themselves discussed progress in implementing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) as well as emerging challenges and new opportunities to realise child rights.
The report looks at what the next 30 years might look like for children in ASEAN. It highlights 10 actionable recommendations which include reinforcing regional systems and cross-border collaboration; ensuring no child is left behind; strengthening laws and policies; increasing public finance and social investment; as well as strengthening data collection, analysis and use.
Other suggestions are to ensure equal access to quality services; leverage innovation and technology; promote social and behaviour change; accelerate child-sensitive climate actions; and achieve gender equality..."
Source/publisher:
UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) (New York)
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-10
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), Children's Rights - studies, ASEAN-Burma relations, Children
Language:
Local URL:
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Sub-title:
ASEAN has a responsibility to help facilitate a repatriation process that prioritises the well-being of the Rohingya.
Description:
"After fighters attacked security targets in Myanmar's northern Rakhine state on August 25, 2017, the Myanmar military responded by killing and maiming thousands of Rohingya civilians, raping hundreds of women and girls, and burning entire villages to the ground. Almost two years after the military-led "clearance operation" that forced more than 745,000 Rohingya men, women and children to flee and seek refuge in Bangladesh, this humanitarian crisis seems more intractable than ever.
Systematic state discrimination against the Rohingya, making them stateless and without rights, and recurring state-sanctioned violence has spurred various influxes of refugees into Bangladesh in the 1970s and 1990s.
Together with more than 300,000 Rohingya who had already taken shelter during these previous waves of violence, Bangladesh now hosts over one million Rohingya refugees - most of whom reside in Cox's Bazar, now the world's largest refugee camp. It is a testament to Bangladesh's historic generosity that it did not turn away any recent arrivals despite already hosting large numbers of refugees..."
Source/publisher:
"Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-08
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations, Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Genocide, Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, The rights of non-citizens
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Description:
"Since August 2017, widespread persecution and violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state has forced hundreds of thousands of primarily Muslim minority residents, often identified as ‘Rohingyas’, to flee their homes and seek refuge in Bangladesh. According to UN figures, an estimated 200,000 people from Myanmar were already taking shelter in Bangladesh after earlier displacements. Many have also travelled to Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, often with the help of human traffickers. In Myanmar, civilian and military leaders deny targeting Muslims in Rakhine and insinuate that the international community is exaggerating the severity of the violence — a view echoed by nationalist hardliners.
The number of people in Bangladeshi camps has increased to more than 720,000, prompting ASEAN to deliberate a credible response. During the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in January 2019, discussion focussed on safe and voluntary repatriation of refugees currently living in displacement camps in Bangladesh. They finalised plans for the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre) to conduct a needs assessment in Rakhine. This will allow them to better understand areas of cooperation that ASEAN could support in the repatriation process to build the confidence and trust of refugees to return home.
ASEAN seeks to establish a safe and sustainable environment that refugees will voluntarily return to.
But the recent escalation of violence between the Myanmar national armed forces and the outlawed Arakan Army, an insurgent group in Rakhine, forced ASEAN to postpone the AHA Centre needs assessment. ASEAN released a statement at the 33rd ASEAN Summit held in Singapore to express their deep concern at the growing humanitarian crisis in Myanmar..."
Source/publisher:
"East Asia Forum" (Australia)
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-07
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations, Discrimination against the Rohingya, Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
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pdf
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54.09 KB (3 pages)
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Description:
"Tens of thousands of Japanese companies operate in ASEAN and their number is increasing year by year.Japan is establishing chambers of commerce in many areas and many companies are participating in their activities. These chambers of commerce are members of the Federation of Japanese Chambers of Commerce and Industry in ASEAN (FJCCIA), a group consisting of 10 Japanese chambers of commerce in nine ASEAN countries, excluding Brunei. Their objective is to improve the business environment for Japanese companies in the ASEAN region.
Since 2008, FJCCIA has held a dialogue with the Secretary-General of ASEAN every year. This gives Japanese companies in ASEAN and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) the opportunity to make proposals for improving the business environment to ASEAN. There has been success, for example, in improving the operation of certificates of origin, which are necessary to give preferential treatment to mutual goods in the ASEAN region’s trade.
Why is that important? Bilateral or multilateral free trade agreements (FTAs) can be signed to reduce tariffs and eliminate non-tariff barriers to increase free trade and investment. In the case of trade under FTAs, the importer submits a Preferential Certificate of Origin to customs when importing. The format of the certificate of origin is different according to each FTA and the importer must follow each agreement.
Normally, the most favoured nation (MFN) tariff rate is applied — a lower rate than the General Tariff Rate, Temporary Tariff Rate or Tariff Rate of the World Trade Organization. But among FTA countries, goods can be imported at an even lower preferential tariff than the MFN tax rate..."
Source/publisher:
"East Asia Forum" (Australia)
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-07
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations, Burma's economic relations with Japan, Burma's economic relations with ASEAN, Burma/Myanmar's relationship with the Global Economy
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pdf
Size:
37.97 KB (3 pages)
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Description:
"Southeast Asia is an important strategic partner in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The region serves as a key link in the BRI’s Maritime Silk Road, which aims to connect China’s coast to South Asia, the Middle East and Europe through the South China Sea and Indian Ocean. But criticisms of the BRI highlight some of the risks of participation. Southeast Asian countries should address these risks by persuading China to adopt multilateral rules that broaden participation in the BRI, including by leveraging ASEAN’s potential role. According to a 2018 study by Oxford Economics and the CIMB ASEAN Research Institute, BRI projects in ASEAN countries amount to more than US$739 billion. Indonesia is home to the highest BRI investment total amounting to US$171 billion, followed by Vietnam (US$152 billion), Cambodia (US$104 billion), Malaysia (US$98.5 billion), Singapore (US$70.1 billion), Laos (US$48 billion), Brunei (US$36 billion), Myanmar (US$27.2 billion), Thailand (US$24 billion) and the Philippines (US$9.4 billion).
In April 2019, China hosted the second Belt and Road Forum which was attended by 37 heads of state, government and international organisations. During the Forum, President Xi Jinping said the BRI will adopt multilateral rules and international best practices in implementing the projects.
Xi’s apparent willingness to multilateralise the BRI is necessary to prevent projects in Southeast Asia from being exposed to operational risks, policy risks and project cancellations and to address criticisms of its lack of transparency and inclusivity..."
Source/publisher:
"East Asia Forum" (Australia)
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-07
Copyright holder:
https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2019/07/13/making-the-belt-and-road-work-for-southeast-asia/
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
“One Belt, One Road” initiative, Burma's economic relations with China, Burma's economic relations with ASEAN, Burma/Myanmar's relationship with the Global Economy, ASEAN-Burma relations
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"A 2019 ASEAN Business Award has gone to Myanmar’s Genius Coffee, also known as Aung Nay Lin Htun, said the firm’s founder U Ngwe Tun.
Aung Nay Lin Htun Co. Ltd, which processes Myanmar’s specialty coffee, including the specialty grade Genius Shan Highlands Coffee and Blue Pond Specialty Coffee, for the second year running won the ASEAN Business Award (ABA) for the Sustainable Social Enterprise on Saturday in the Thai capital, Bangkok.
U Ngwe Tun told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that the award allowed the Genius Shan Highlands Coffee brand to be “further recognized” beyond Myanmar.
The ABA was initiated by the ASEAN-BAC (Business Advisory Council) in 2007 to annually recognize outstanding social enterprises that are innovative and have made significant, sustained contributions to help the disadvantaged.
Categories include small- and medium-sized enterprises excellence, corporate social responsibility, employment, growth and innovation, family businesses, young entrepreneurs, sustainability, green enterprise and female entrepreneur..."
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy" (Thailand)
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-06
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Individual Documents
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Description:
"State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi responded to the remarks made by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres regarding the Rakhine issue. She underscored that Myanmar will not shirk its responsibility to take care of the rights and security of all those whom it must protect.
In the opening session of the 10th ASEAN-UN Summit in Bangkok on 3 November 2019, the UN Secretary General expressed concern over the situation in Rakhine State and the plight of the refugees in Cox’s Bazaar. He also stressed that it was Myanmar’s responsibility to ensure a conducive environment for safe, voluntary and dignified return of refugees.
In response to the remarks of the Secretary General, the State Counsellor underscored that the issue of Rakhine is a most complex one and that the UN and its agencies which have been present in the region for ten times longer than the present Government has been in office, must have some idea of the extent of the complexities. She stressed that the Government will not shirk its responsibility to take care of the security and rights of all those who it must protect. She added that the Government of Myanmar was fully committed to take back the verified returnees based on the bilateral agreement signed with Bangladesh and the trilateral agreement signed with UNHCR and UNDP. She expressed appreciation to ASEAN, the ASEAN Secretariat and the AHA Centre for their constructive contribution to our efforts in creating the most suitable environment to which the displaced people can return in peace and security and voluntarily. She reaffirmed Myanmar’s intension to continue its work with the help of our friends who approach the problems in Rakhine in a practical and balanced way.....ထိုင်းနိုင်ငံ၊ ဗန်ကောက်မြို့၌ ၃-၁၁-၂၀၁၉ ရက်တွင် ကျင်းပသည့် (၁၀) ကြိမ်မြောက် အာဆီယံ-ကုလသမဂ္ဂ ထိပ်သီးအစည်းအဝေး၌ ကုလသမဂ္ဂ အတွင်းရေးမှူးချုပ် Antonio Guterres က ရခိုင်ပြည်နယ် အရေးကိစ္စအပေါ် စိုးရိမ်ပူပန်ကြောင်း၊ ပြဿနာအရင်းအမြစ်ကို ဖြေရှင်းရေးနှင့် နေရပ်စွန့်ခွာသူများ မိမိဆန္ဒအလျောက် ဘေးကင်းလုံခြုံစွာ ဂုဏ်သိက္ခာရှိရှိ ပြန်လာနိုင်ရေးမှာ မြန်မာအစိုးရ၏ တာဝန်ဖြစ်ကြောင်း၊ မြန်မာနှင့် အာဆီယံတို့အကြား ပူးပေါင်းဆောင်ရွက်မှုကို ကြိုဆိုကြောင်းနှင့် ဆက်လက် ပူးပေါင်းဆောင်ရွက်သွားရန် တိုက်တွန်းကြောင်း ထည့်သွင်းပြောကြားခဲ့သည်။
အဆိုပါကိစ္စနှင့်ပတ်သက်၍ နိုင်ငံတော်၏ အတိုင်ပင်ခံပုဂ္ဂိုလ်က ရခိုင်ပြည်နယ် အရေးကိစ္စမှာ အလွန်သိမ်မွေ့ ရှုပ်ထွေးသည့် ကိစ္စတစ်ခုဖြစ်ကြောင်း၊ မိမိတို့ လက်ရှိအစိုးရသက်တမ်းထက် ဆယ်ဆမက ကာလရှည်လျားစွာ ယင်းဒေသ၌ ရောက်ရှိနေကြသည့် ကုလသမဂ္ဂ အဖွဲ့အစည်းများအနေဖြင့် ပြဿနာ၏ သိမ်မွေ့ရှုပ်ထွေးမှု အတိုင်းအတာကို အနည်းအကျဉ်းမျှ သိထားရန် လိုအပ်ကြောင်း၊ မိမိတို့ ကာကွယ်စောင့်ရှောက် ပေးရမည့်သူများအားလုံး၏ လုံခြုံရေးနှင့် အခွင့်အရေးများအား ကာကွယ်ပေးရန် တာဝန်ကို မိမိတို့ အစိုးရအနေဖြင့် ရှောင်လွှဲမည် မဟုတ်ကြောင်း၊ ဘင်္ဂလားဒေ့ရှ်နိုင်ငံနှင့် လက်မှတ်ရေးထိုးထားသည့် နှစ်နိုင်ငံ သဘောတူညီချက်၊ UNHCR ၊ UNDP တို့နှင့် လက်မှတ်ရေးထိုးထားသည့် သုံးပွင့်ဆိုင် သဘောတူညီချက်တို့နှင့်အညီ စိစစ်အတည်ပြုပြီးဖြစ်သည့် နေရပ်စွန့်ခွာသူများကို ပြန်လည်လက်ခံရန် အပြည့်အဝ ကတိပြုထားပြီးဖြစ်ကြောင်း၊ နေရပ်စွန့်ခွာသူများ မိမိဆန္ဒအလျောက် အေးချမ်းလုံခြုံစွာဖြင့် ပြန်လာနိုင်မည့် အသင့်လျော်ဆုံး ပတ်ဝန်းကျင် ဖြစ်စေရေးအတွက် မိမိတို့၏ ကြိုးပမ်းဆောင်ရွက်နေမှုကို ကူညီပံ့ပိုးပေးကြသည့် အာဆီယံ၊ အာဆီယံအတွင်းရေးမှူးချုပ်ရုံးနှင့် AHA Centre တို့အပေါ် ကျေးဇူးတင်ရှိကြောင်း၊ ပြဿနာအပေါ် လက်တွေ့ကျပြီး ဘက်လိုက်မှုမရှိဘဲ မျှတသည့် ချဉ်းကပ်မှုဖြင့် အကူအညီပေးနေကြသော မိတ်ဆွေများ၏ အကူအညီဖြင့် ဆက်လက် ကြိုးပမ်းဆောင်ရွက်သွားမည်ဖြစ်ကြောင်း ပြန်လည်တုံ့ပြန်ပြောကြားခဲ့ကြောင်း သိရှိရပါသည်။..."
Source/publisher:
Government of Myanmar via Reliefweb (USA)
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-05
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
Format :
pdf (Burmese version)
Size:
103.93 KB (1 page)
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"The 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) were ready to sign in 2020 a mega trade deal, which if executed, would create the world's largest trading bloc, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha announced on Monday.
The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which has been primarily driven by China and would bring together almost a third of the global GDP, includes Australia, South Korea, Japan, India, New Zealand and the 10 ASEAN members Myanmar Brunei, Cambodia, Philippines, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, reports Efe news.
In his opening remarks at a meeting between the regional bloc and China, South Korea and Japan within the framework of the ongoing ASEAN summit here, Prayuth announced that ASEAN members have concluded their negotiations and were ready to sign the treaty next year.
The RCEP negotiations were formally initiated at the 2012 ASEAN summit in Cambodia.
It covers a population of 3.4 billion people, 47 per cent of the world's population, and involves a GDP worth $22.6 trillion (32.2 per cent of the world's GDP)..."
Source/publisher:
"Yahoo News"
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-04
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations, Burma/Myanmar's Foreign relations, general, Burma's economic relations with ASEAN
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"Behind the scenes of this year's Asean and East Asian summits, currently taking place in Bangkok, the region's key nations -- China, India and Japan -- are engaged in a quiet battle for greater influence in Myanmar. While on the sidelines, the countries of Asean, especially Thailand, as the current chair of the regional organisation, are offering qualified support for its problematic ally, largely behind the scenes.
The fact that the State Counsellor, Aung San Suu Kyi, is here is a measure of how important she and the Myanmar government regard their relations with the region and its top powers. In the face of growing Western criticism, Myanmar is anxious to secure greater support from its Asian "friends".
Sources close to "the Lady", as she is affectionately known in the country, say she feels bitterly betrayed by the United Kingdom and United States. Last year she told a close confidante that Myanmar only had two friends it could really trust -- China and Japan, and to a lesser degree India. Asean's support, though less significant than the big three "neighbours", was taken for granted, according to diplomatic sources..."
Source/publisher:
"Bangkok Post" (Thailand)
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-04
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Burma/Myanmar's relationship with the Global Economy, Burma's economic relations with ASEAN, China-Burma-India relations, Burma/Myanmar's Foreign relations, general, ASEAN-Burma relations
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"India and Myanmar on Sunday reaffirmed that a stable and peaceful border was an important anchor for the continued expansion of the partnership between the two countries.
This was the agreement between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar during a meeting on the margins of the ASEAN-India Summit on November 3 in Bangkok, Thailand, a PMO release via PIB stated.
PM Modi emphasized the value India attaches to Myanmar's cooperation in ensuring that armed groups from the North East do not find space to operate across the India-Myanmar border.
He also underlined the priority India attaches to Myanmar as a partner at the crossroads of India's Look East Policy and the Neighbourhood First policies. Towards this end, he highlighted India's continuing commitment to improve physical connectivity to and through Myanmar to Southeast Asia, including through building road, port and other infrastructure. India would also continue to strongly support the expansion of capacity for Myanmar's police, military and civil servants, as well as its students and citizens..."
Source/publisher:
"The Morung Express" (India)
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-04
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
India-Burma relations, ASEAN-Burma relations
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"India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi laughs next to Singaporeand's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the ASEAN-India Summit on the sideline of the 35th ASEAN Summit in Bangkok, Thailand November 3, 2019. REUTERS Photo
Bangkok, November 3 (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday presented a brief blue-print for further expansion of India's multi-sectoral engagement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), one of the most influential groupings for trade and investment globally.
In his opening address at the India-ASEAN summit, the prime minister said enhancing surface, air and maritime connectivity between India and 10 nations of the bloc will significantly boost regional trade and economic growth.
Modi said there was opportunity for boosting cooperation in the maritime security sphere and blue economy as well as in areas of agriculture, engineering, digital technology and scientific research.
The prime minister also welcomed convergence of views between India and ASEAN for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region..."
Source/publisher:
"The Morung Express" (India)
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-04
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations, India-Burma relations, Burma/Myanmar's relationship with the Global Economy
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Sub-title:
Guterres addresses ASEAN summit, where leaders try to salvage progress towards what could be world's biggest trade bloc.
Description:
"United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has expressed "deep" concern over the plight of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees, urging Myanmar to assume responsibility by dealing with the "root causes" of their flight and work towards their safe repatriation.
A brutal army campaign in August 2017 forced more than 740,000 members of the mostly-Muslim minority to flee Myanmar's Rakhine state, most seeking refuge in overcrowded camps across the border in Bangladesh. During its crackdown, which was launched in response to attacks by an armed group, the military carried out mass killings and gang rapes with "genocidal intent", according to United Nations-mandated investigators..."
Source/publisher:
"Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-04
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, ASEAN-Burma relations
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Sub-title:
Sixteen-nation Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership will cover half the planet’s people
Description:
"The world’s largest trade deal is unlikely to be signed this year, with a draft statement from south-east Asian leaders suggesting it will be delayed until 2020, despite China’s desire to bring it into operation as soon as possible as a counterweight to its debilitating tariff war with the US.
The 16-country Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership – known as the RCEP – would be the world’s largest when operational, spanning India to New Zealand, including 30% of global GDP and half of the world’s people.
But resistance from India – concerned about a flood of cheap mass-produced Chinese goods hurting small businesses in its economy – appears set to cruel hopes of finalising the pact at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Bangkok, where members of the 10-nation bloc have been joined by the leaders of powerful observer nations India and China for the East Asia Summit.
On a bilateral level, the Chinese premier, Li Keqiang, has met the Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, on the sidelines of the Bangkok meeting, offering to help get the China-Australia relationship “on the right track”.
“We are ready to work with the Australian side to keep our relationship on the right track, deepen our mutual trust, and jointly maintain regional and global peace,” Li told Morrison..."
Source/publisher:
"The Guardian" (UK)
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-04
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations, India-Burma relations, Burma/Myanmar's Foreign relations, general, Burma/Myanmar's relationship with the Global Economy
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Description:
"This year marks a milestone for Thailand as Chairman of ASEAN 2019. The ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN BAC) has been mandated by ASEAN Leaders to organize the ASEAN BAC meetings and related events, parallel activities, and many key seminars and conferences. More importantly, ASEAN BAC will be organizing the upcoming ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ABIS) 2019 in conjunction with the 35th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Thailand.
The ABIS 2019, ASEAN’s premier annual business and investment event, will be held on 2-3 November 2019 at IMPACT Exhibition Center (Hall 6), Muang Thong Thani. This event is jointly organized by the ASEAN BAC, in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, Ministry of Commerce of Thailand, and the Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry, and Banking (JSCCIB) which comprises the Board of Trade of Thailand, the Federation of Thai Industries, and the Thai Banker’s Association. The event is expected to attract over 1,000 participants worldwide..."
Source/publisher:
"Bangkok Post" (Thailand)
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-03
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Language:
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Sub-title:
US delegation downgrade signals revised role, Modi defends India's hard line on RCEP
Description:
"Southeast Asian countries must stick together in the face of a trade war started by US President Donald Trump, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Saturday at the start of a regional summit held in the shadow of US-China tensions.
But as Asean leaders met in Bangkok on Saturday, there was no sign they had yet finalised a planned trade deal backed by China that could create the world’s biggest free trade area.
“Asean is quite a big market for the whole world. We don’t want to go into a trade war,” Dr Mahathir told a business summit on the sidelines of the main meeting. “But sometimes when they’re unnice to us, we have to be unnice to them.”
He described campaigns against exports of palm oil from Malaysia and Indonesia over concerns regarding labour and the environment as “sabotage”.
“If you cut back some imports of palm oil from Malaysia, we can cut back our imports from them,” he said..."
Source/publisher:
"Bangkok Post" (Thailand)
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-03
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations, Burma/Myanmar's Foreign relations, general, Burma/Myanmar's relationship with the Global Economy
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Description:
"Bangladesh wants a strong and effective role of the Asean in the Rohingya repatriation as the regional bloc begins its four-day summit in Bangkok today.
Dhaka says the problem, created by Myanmar, is now turning into a regional crisis, with the Rohingyas spreading across the member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). The crisis will aggravate in future if it is not resolved.
“As a member of Asean, Myanmar’s role is more important now than ever before,” Col (retd) Faruk Khan, chair of the parliamentary standing committee on the foreign ministry, told The Daily Star yesterday.
He led a parliamentary delegation to Thailand, the current chair of Asean, and Singapore, with the specific objective of convincing those countries to come forward with a stronger role in making sure that Myanmar creates conducive conditions in Rakhine for the return of the Rohingyas.
The delegation highlighted the negative consequences of the Rohingyas’ prolonged stay in Bangladesh and some other Asean countries, and requested them to strongly raise the Rohingya issue at the summit with due importance..."
Source/publisher:
"The Daily Star" (Bangladesh)
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-03
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, ASEAN-Burma relations
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Description:
"A Rohingya rights group today urged Asean leaders to review their relationship with Myanmar over its treatment of the minority group as country leaders meet in Bangkok for the 35th Asean Summit.
Myanmar Ethnic Rohingya Human Rights Organisation Malaysia (Merhrom) also asked if it was ethical for countries to do business with a “genocidal state”, adding that a stable regional environment is necessary for sustainability.
Merhrom president Zafar Abdul Ghani said the 35th Asean Summit, themed “Advancing Partnership for Sustainability”, was contradictory to the reality in the region.
“How do we expect to advance partnership for sustainability when Rohingya genocide is ongoing in Asean and affecting Asean member states and the rest of the world?
“Nothing has changed despite thousands of reports published, thousands of testimonies from the genocide survivors recorded and thousands of visits to the largest refugee camp in the world,” he said. “The most persecuted ethnic group in the world remains.”
In a statement, he said the region had become desensitised to the atrocities committed against the Rohingya, adding that a “state of denial” would continue to exist until the genocide is stopped..."
Source/publisher:
"Free Malaysia Today" (Malaysia)
Date of entry/update:
2019-11-01
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Genocide, Discrimination against the Rohingya, ASEAN-Burma relations
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Description:
"'We are hungry for sustainable solutions. Four times we have been refugees. We need to stop being refugees", said a Rohingya man at Kutupalong camp in Bangladesh.
Southeast Asia's leaders are expected to discuss the issue of Rohingya refugees and ways of enhancing Asean's role in facilitating the voluntary repatriation process at their regional summit in Bangkok later this week.
As this year's Asean chair, Thailand has a critical leadership role to play in supporting durable solutions for Rohingya displaced in Myanmar as well as for those living in exile as refugees in Bangladesh and across the region. This must include prioritising refugee participation in decision-making. Days before the second anniversary of the Rohingya refugee crisis in August, the governments of Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed to start repatriation. This announcement was a surprise to many, including Rohingya refugees. So far, no refugees have volunteered to go back. The refugees have sent a message and Asean must pay heed: Without meaningful progress in realising equal rights, citizenship and justice for Rohingya, one of the world's largest refugee crises will continue..."
Source/publisher:
"Bangkok Post" (Thailand)
Date of entry/update:
2019-10-31
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations, Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
Local URL:
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Description:
"Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi will pay an official visit to Thailand soon where she will attend the 35th summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and related meetings, according to an official announcement published in state media of the Global New Light of Myanmar Tuesday.
At the invitation of Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Suu Kyi will make the trip to Bangkok.
The 35th ASEAN Summit, the second of its kind hosted by Thailand in 2019, will last from Oct. 31 to Nov. 4 and the summit will discuss issues related to the ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC), the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community, according to the Thai Foreign Ministry.
Suu Kyi is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with other ASEAN leaders during the summit..."
Source/publisher:
"Xinhua" (China)
Date of entry/update:
2019-10-29
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations, About Aung San Suu Kyi
Language:
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Description:
"When Min Hlaing Oo first set foot in Hebian village, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture of Southwest China's Yunnan Province, the thing that impressed him most was its tidiness.
After staying in the village for several days, Oo, who is also a village head in Myanmar, was totally enchanted by the way it was organized. "I wish my village could be the same as this village," he told the Global Times.
Oo is one of the dozens of grass-roots officials from ASEAN countries who visited Hebian village this May to learn about China's experiences in poverty alleviation, as well as share their countries' knowledge in combating poverty at the village level.
"What China has done in its poverty reduction work cannot be completely copied by other ASEAN countries, but it's useful for them as a reference, as most ASEAN countries are still agricultural societies. Besides, China's rapid urbanization and industrialization also serve as a useful lesson for these ASEAN countries," Li Xiaoyun, a professor at the China Agricultural University, told the Global Times.
Since 2012, China has made tremendous achievements in reducing poverty in its rural areas. In the past six years, the country has lifted 82.39 million rural poor out of poverty, with their numbers going from 98.99 million in 2012 down to 16.6 million in 2018, Xinhua reported..."
Source/publisher:
"Global Times" (China)
Date of entry/update:
2019-10-27
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
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Description:
"Ever since Myanmar undertook a series of political, economic and administrative reforms in 2011, the country’s economy has steadily improved. According to data from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Myanmar is enjoying some of the highest growth rates in the region. The ADB predicts that the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) will grow by eight percent, higher than any other country in Southeast Asia.
Similar to other Southeast Asian nations at the moment, Myanmar is also pushing for an upgrade on its infrastructure. One of the main infrastructure projects underway is the upgrading of the Yangon Circular Railway. Myanmar is also developing three Special Economic Zones to increase foreign direct investment into the country.
More recently, however, The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned that Myanmar’s economy “appears to be losing momentum”.
Nevertheless, with major plans for the future, Myanmar’s energy demands are expected to grow concurrently with its development. According to the Ministry of Electricity and Energy, energy demand is expected to increase at 15 percent annually, double that of the forecasted economic growth. Meanwhile, the Japanese International Co-operation Agency (JICA) – Myanmar’s largest source of official development assistance (ODA) – is expecting demand for electricity to multiply fivefold to 15 gigawatts (GW) by 2030..."
Source/publisher:
"The ASEAN Post" (Malaysia)
Date of entry/update:
2019-10-25
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
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Description:
"When the 34th ASEAN Summit concluded last month in Bangkok, Thailand, it came as no surprise that the bloc was met with heavy criticism for suggesting Rohingya refugees will repatriate back to Myanmar within two years.
More than 700,000 Rohingya were forced to flee northern Rakhine state in western Myanmar during a 2017 military-led crackdown the United Nations (UN) has said included mass killings and gang-rapes executed with “genocidal intent”. Almost 400 Rohingya villages were burned to the ground during the violence.
A final statement from the weekend summit said ASEAN leaders supported Myanmar’s efforts to “facilitate the voluntary return of displaced persons in a safe, secure and dignified manner”. The statement did not even include the term Rohingya.
The criticism ASEAN faced in relation to the way it has been handling the Rohingya issue is nothing new. Human rights observers have often claimed that the 10-member bloc has done little to ensure the safety of the Rohingya, asserting that diplomacy between member countries, as well as its adherence to a non-interference policy, has consistently trumped human rights concerns..."
Source/publisher:
"The ASEAN Post" (Malaysia)
Date of entry/update:
2019-10-25
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations, Discrimination against the Rohingya, Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, The rights of non-citizens, Laws, decrees, bills and regulations relating to nationality, citizenship and immigration (commentary)
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Sub-title:
The 2014 ASEAN Civil Society Conference (ACSC) in Yangon, Myanmar, saw a record attendance and provided a surprisingly open space for civil society. But the opposing trends of democratic developments and authoritarian backlash in the member states have al
Description:
"In a time where civil liberties and human rights seem to be on the decline in the region (e.g. Brunei’s introduction of sharia law, the shooting of demonstrating textile workers in Cambodia, Thailand’s coup d’état), ASEAN civil society is presenting itself as organized as rarely before. But government crackdowns are on the rise, and nation states are denying civil society representatives space at the regional level.
Civil society has the potential to address the democratic deficit of regional organizations by establishing alternative regionalism from below.
Civil society can give voice to transnationally marginalized groups, such as migrant workers, whose interests are represented neither by their states of origin or residence nor at the regional level.
All justified doubts about the sincerity and sustainability of its transition process notwithstanding, Myanmar has currently opened up spaces for civil society advocacy. National organizations can benefit from interactions with the regional level.
ASEAN’s ambitious plan to establish a “people-centered” community is undermined by the reluctance of several member states to engage in dialogue with civil society..."
Source/publisher:
"GIGA Institute of Asian Studies" (Germany)
Date of entry/update:
2019-10-18
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
327.4 KB
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Description:
"Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng on Friday met with leaders attending the 16th China-ASEAN Expo and the China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit, to be held from Sept. 21 to 24 in Nanning, the capital city of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
The foreign leaders are Myanmar's Vice President U Myint Swe, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong, Lao Deputy Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce Jurin Laksanawisit, and Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, special envoy of Indonesian president and Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs.
When meeting with U Myint Swe, Han, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that the next year marks the 70 anniversary of the establishment of China-Myanmar diplomatic ties, and the two countries should take the opportunity to maintain the good momentum of high-level exchanges, deepen the Belt and Road cooperation, and promote bilateral relations to a new level..."
Source/publisher:
"Xinhua" (China)
Date of entry/update:
2019-10-16
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations, China-Burma relations
Language:
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Sub-title:
The Htamanthi Wildlife Sanctuary in Sagaing Region has been declared as the newest ASEAN Heritage Park.
Description:
"The environment ministers of the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) classified the 215,072-hectare sanctuary in northern Myanmar as a heritage park during the 15th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on the Environment (AMME) in Siem Reap last week.
Aside from the Htamanthi Wildlife Sanctuary, there were already seven other ASEAN Heritage Parks in the country - the Alaungdaw Kathapa National Park, Indawgyi Lake Wildlife Sanctuary, Inle Lake Wildlife Sanctuary, Khakaborazi National Park, Lampi Kyun Wildlife Reserve, Meinmahla Kyun Wildlife Sanctuary and Nat Ma Taung National Park.
A Forest Department official said the designation of the Htamanthi Wildlife Sanctuary as a ASEAN Heritage Park will boost “international attention on the park and improve opportunities to secure funding and support for conservation”.
Five protected areas in Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam have joined the network of ASEAN Heritage Parks (AHPs), areas of high conservation value that best represent the region’s rich natural resources and cultural identity..."
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
Date of entry/update:
2019-10-16
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Cultural Heritage, ASEAN-Burma relations
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Description:
"Myanmar on Monday hailed the designation of its wildlife sanctuary in northwestern Sagaing region as an ASEAN Heritage Park (AHP).
Official media's hailing followed the selection of Htamanthi Wildlife Sanctuary as AHP at the 15th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Environment held in Cambodia last week.
Established in 1974 on the eastern bank of Chindwin River, the Htamanthi Wildlife Sanctuary is a reserve for wildlife animals which include rare wildlife species and endangered species, and covers an area of nearly 2,151 square kilometers.
Of the two wildlife sanctuaries -- Taninthayi Wildlife Sancuary in Taninthayi Region and the Htamanthi Wildlife Sancuary in Sagaing region applying for AHP status, the later one was selected in line with the AHP's standards..."
Source/publisher:
"Xinhua" (China)
Date of entry/update:
2019-10-15
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations, Cultural Heritage
Language:
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Sub-title:
Myanmar will reap the benefits of a regional trade pact being hammered out by the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), according to its secretary-general, Lim Jock Hoi.
Description:
"Lim said that once the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is concluded between ASEAN, Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand, the region will experience more growth and development.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Lim said that ASEAN is confident that the regional pact will be completed despite Malaysia’s recent decision to backtrack on its commitment to the deal, and the intensifying trade spat between Japan and South Korea.
“I am optimistic that RCEP negotiations will continue as planned,” he told reporters during a forum in Bangkok.
If concluded successfully, the RCEP could be one of the largest trade blocs in the world, accounting for 45 percent of the world’s population, 40pc of global trade, and about one third of the world’s GDP.
Lim said Myanmar need not immediately join the RCEP, but can take its time in preparing its economy before agreeing to the pact..."
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
Date of entry/update:
2019-10-08
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
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Description:
"Environment ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are due to meet in Cambodia next week to discuss transboundary haze pollution and other environment-related issues, a Cambodian spokesman said on Saturday.
They will gather at the 15th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on the Environment (15th AMME) and related meetings, scheduled for Oct. 7-10 in northwest Siem Reap province, said Environment Ministry Secretary of State and Spokesman Neth Pheaktra.
"During the meeting, the ASEAN environment ministers will discuss a wide range of issues of regional cooperation on the environment including climate change, environmentally sustainable city, biodiversity conservation, coastal and marine environment, environmental education, water resource management, chemical and hazardous waste management, transboundary haze pollution control and eco-schools," he told Xinhua.
The spokesman said the biennial meeting is expected to adopt three key documents - the draft ASEAN Joint Statement on Climate Change, the draft ASEAN Strategic Plan on the Environment, and the request to designate five national parks in Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam as ASEAN Heritage Parks..."
Source/publisher:
"Xinhua" (China)
Date of entry/update:
2019-10-07
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
The impact of climate change on the global environment, Biodiversity - global and regional, Climate Change - Migration Global, ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
Local URL:
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Sub-title:
The 16th China-ASEAN Expo and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit that took place in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, last month signifies advances in China’s Belt and Road Intiative, observers say.
Description:
"The theme for this year’s event, which has been held since 2013, was “Building the Belt and Road, Realising Our Vision for a Community with a Shared Future”.
“China wants to join hands with ASEAN for cooperation, construction, mutual benefits, building, trade facilitation and people-to-people understanding. We want to cooperate in infrastructure upgrading too. We are trying to have closer China-ASEAN relationships,” said Chinese Vice Premier and a member of the standing committee of the political Bureau of the Communist of China (CPC) Central Committee Han Zheng in his opening speech at the event.
China will start construction work for Belt and Road Initiative in 2021. The project, a global development strategy adopted by the Chinese government involving infrastructure development and investments in 152 countries and international organisations in Asia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas, was proposed by China’s President Xi Jinping in 2013, and has so far garnered the supports of 152 countries. The main goal for the project is for China to promote trade and economic cooperation between the countries of the world by forming an economic corridor stretching from east to west.
During held Belt One Road Forum in Beijing in April, leaders from more than 30 countries signed BRI cooperation agreements. Representatives from more than 150 countries and 90 international organisations also signed more than 280 agreements valued at more than US$64 billion in connection with the initiative..."
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
Date of entry/update:
2019-10-04
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
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Summary:
"On 22 August 2019, Myanmar’s authorities launched a third repatriation attempt to facilitate the return of displaced Rohingya Muslims. The government dispatched buses to Cox’s Bazaar tasked with...
Sub-title:
ASEAN’s commitment to decision-making by consensus and non-interference in the internal affairs of member states severely restricts its ability to play an effective and pro-active role in the Rohingya crisis.
Description:
"On 22 August 2019, Myanmar’s authorities launched a third repatriation attempt to facilitate the return of displaced Rohingya Muslims. The government dispatched buses to Cox’s Bazaar tasked with bringing back some 3,000 Rohingya refugees to their place of abode in Rakhine State. Not a single refugee boarded the transportation provided.
Unlike the first two repatriation attempts, this third attempt was of heightened significance. A team from ASEAN was at the Myanmar reception centres to witness the repatriation exercise. For Myanmar, the presence of ASEAN officials was an opportunity to validate its preparations for the repatriation exercise and to affirm that Myanmar was serious in facilitating the return of the displaced Rohingya. In this sense, the presence of ASEAN officials had good public relations value for Myanmar.
Reactions to the failed repatriation attempt have been varied. The Myanmar authorities expressed surprise at the refugees’ refusal to return to Rakhine. They blamed the presence of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) for this failure, asserting that the group was active in Cox’s Bazaar, deterring Rohingya from returning home. The Myanmar government accused the Bangladeshi authorities of not doing enough to counter its activities and facilitating the return of the Rohingya Muslims..."
Source/publisher:
"ASEAN Today"
Date of entry/update:
2019-10-02
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
Local URL:
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Summary:
"The world has 11 years left, as reported by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to beef up its efforts to reduce global temperatures before it crosses the threshold leading to...
Description:
"The world has 11 years left, as reported by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to beef up its efforts to reduce global temperatures before it crosses the threshold leading to climate catastrophe. While ASEAN countries have expressed their joint commitment through national pledges to take action and fight climate change, they are also focusing on developing their nations as well. GlobalData’s lead economist for Construction Industry, Danny Richards, said that construction output among ASEAN member states will grow six percent annually over the next five years.
However, the building sector accounts for 39 percent of global carbon emissions, where 28 percent is from building operations (heating, cooling, lighting, etc.) and 11 percent is attributed to embodied-carbon emission which refers to carbon that is released during the construction process and material manufacturing. Cement and steel emit eight percent and nine percent, respectively of the total amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the world.
Director of the World Green Building Council (World GBC), James Drinkwater, says that once a building of high-embodied-carbon emission is constructed, those emissions add to the total amount of carbon in the air. The construction sector can reduce carbon emission by using materials with low or no embodied carbon..."
Source/publisher:
"The ASEAN Post"
Date of entry/update:
2019-09-18
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Climate Change - Burma/Myanmar: general, Climate Change - Migration Burma/Myanmar, The impact of climate change on the environment of Burma/Myanmar, The impact of natural disasters on the environment and people of Burma/Myanmar, ASEAN-Burma relations
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Description:
"Two years on, Asia is no closer to ending its worst refugee crisis in decades. Over 900,000 Rohingya are in Bangladesh alone, including 759,000 who fled a campaign of violence by the Myanmar military in Rakhine State that began in August 2017.
Hundreds of thousands had already left in earlier episodes of violence to Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia, as well as in India and further afield. This is an Asian crisis, but Southeast Asia should show stronger leadership.
Southeast Asia’s leaders will come together on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly this month and during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in November. ASEAN has been one of the few actors able to engage the Myanmar government since 2017. The region’s leaders must show compassion for the Rohingya and push Myanmar to take steps to end the violence, discrimination, and persecution that forced out the Rohingya. Otherwise this tragedy will continue.
As a medical humanitarian organisation providing health care to Rohingya in Malaysia, Myanmar and Bangladesh, MSF witnesses the daily struggles they face. In Bangladesh and Malaysia, the Rohingya do not have refugee status and need some form of temporary legal stay. In Myanmar, they are denied citizenship and treated as foreigners. Statelessness is the root of their vulnerability.
In Malaysia, MSF treats Rohingya patients badly injured in work accidents who are deterred from seeking medical care at public hospitals due to fear of being reported to immigration. Yet recent research demonstrates that including refugees in the legal workforce could add millions to gross domestic product and tax revenue, as well as create jobs for Malaysian citizens..."
Source/publisher:
"Reliefweb" via Médecins Sans Frontières
Date of entry/update:
2019-09-14
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
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Description:
"Heads and diplomats of embassies of ASEAN countries and the representatives from the UNDP and the UNHCR met the displaced persons who had re-entered Myanmar, the Ministry of Information reported on September 11.
The delegation comprising the heads and diplomats of embassies of nine ASEAN countries and neighbouring countries China, India and Bangladesh and the representatives of the UNDP and the UNHCR led by Deputy Minister Khin Maung Tin of the Ministry of State Counsellor Office left for Rakhine State by flight on September 10.
Next, the delegation members met 11 Hindus who recently re-entered Myanmar at the guesthouse of Sittwe State on September 10. The heads and diplomats of embassies of nine ASEAN countries and neighbouring countries China, India and Bangladesh and the representatives of the UNDP and the UNHCR asked 11 Hindus questions. Replying to the questions raised by delegation members, 11 Hindus said that their family members were lost during the attack of ARSA terrorists in August in 2017; they said they were fetched to Bangladesh; they said Myanmar government brought them back for the information of Indian government and a religious leader of Hinduism in Rakhine State; they said they were threatened by the ARSA to murder; they said they were safe in living after returning Myanmar; they said they would like to settle and have livelihoods in Maungdaw; and they said they were holding NVCs, according to the report of the Ministry of Information..."
Source/publisher:
"Eleven Media Group"
Date of entry/update:
2019-09-13
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
Local URL:
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Summary:
"A leaked ASEAN report seen by AFP and others has drawn sharp criticism from Rohingya groups, civil society, and former state officials and diplomats across ASEAN.
The report allegedly claims that...
Sub-title:
A leaked ASEAN report ignores risks to Rohingya and violence in Rakhine, showing that plans for repatriation will need to be driven by refugees themselves.
Description:
"A leaked ASEAN report seen by AFP and others has drawn sharp criticism from Rohingya groups, civil society, and former state officials and diplomats across ASEAN.
The report allegedly claims that 500,000 of the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh will make a “smooth” return to Myanmar over the next two years.
The region’s leaders will meet in Bangkok for the ASEAN summit on June 22-23 and the new report is on the agenda. ASEAN made a commitment to support Myanmar with its Rohingya repatriation efforts.
To fulfil this promise, ASEAN must change the mandate of the team behind the report—the Asean Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre)—so that they specifically address violent conflict in Rakhine and the marginalisation of both the Rohingya and the ethnic Rakhine. Any viable repatriation plan must be driven by input from Rohingya in both Bangladesh and Rakhine State and must respect their right to self-determination..."
Source/publisher:
"ASEAN Today"
Date of entry/update:
2019-09-08
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, ASEAN-Burma relations
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Local URL:
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Description:
" Myanmar's navy will join maritime drills with the US in Southeast Asia next week, a spokesman said Wednesday (Aug 28), in a rare show of military cooperation despite Washington slapping sanctions on top army brass over the Rohingya crisis.
The inclusion in the drills does not violate US travel bans against Myanmar's commander-in-chief and three senior figures for overseeing a bloody campaign that drove 740,000 Rohingya Muslims into Bangladesh two years ago.
But there are growing calls to further isolate the military, expand sanctions and prosecute senior leadership for genocide against the stateless minority.
The drills come at a time of stepped-up US engagement in the region and tensions between China and several Southeast Asian nations over rival claims in the South China Sea.
"We were invited as part of ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) for the exercise," said Zaw Min Tun, a spokesman for the commander-in-chief's office in Myanmar..."
Source/publisher:
"CNA"
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-28
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations, USA-Burma relations
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Description:
"Asean has a lot of work to do for the sake of its own relevancy as Myanmar and Bangladesh make another attempt to repatriate thousands of Muslim Rohingyas to strife-torn Rakhine state. The authority in Myanmar’s capital Nay Pyi Taw had announced last week that Myanmar would accept 3,450 refugees from the list of 22,000 provided by Bangladesh earlier this month, as the first batch of people to resettle in Myanmar.
It is not known publicly how the list was made and on what ground their names were submitted to the Myanmar authority. The repatriation of nearly one million refugees, who fled from difficulties and conflict at home since 1990s to shelters in Bangladesh, will be an uphill task, due to scarred memories of all involved.
Of the 911,000 people sheltered in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar, nearly 740,000 left Rakhine state following brutal violence in August 2017. This saw Myanmar’s military (Tatmadaw) reacting in a heavy-handed manner to the series of attacks by militants working under the banner of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA).
The so-called clearance operation caused atrocities including arson, torture, gang rape, murder and massacre, acts that the United Nations considered ethnic cleansing. The UN even suggested that genocide charges be raised against those responsible from the Tatmadaw..."
Source/publisher:
"The Daily Star"
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-25
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, ASEAN-Burma relations
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Description:
"ASEAN member states must impose targeted financial sanctions against all Myanmar Army-owned companies and anyone contributing or benefiting economically from them, ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) said today.
“It is shameful that companies in Southeast Asia are providing economic benefit to an army that stands accused of genocide and crimes against humanity. ASEAN has been unable to take any meaningful measures to respond to the Tatmadaw’s international crimes, but this is one step that member states and private business can and must take,” said Charles Santiago, Member of Parliament in Malaysia and APHR Board Chair.
“These companies run the risk of contributing to the human rights abuses perpetrated by the military in Rakhine, Kachin and Shan states. It is simple; no businesses in the region should enter into any commercial relationship with the Myanmar Army, or any enterprise owned or controlled by them.”
On Monday, the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission (IFFM) on Myanmar issued a report on “The economic interests of the Myanmar military,” highlighting the foreign companies with commercial ties to the Myanmar Army. According to the report, 15 foreign companies have joint ventures and at least 44 have other forms of commercial ties with Myanmar Army businesses. Several of them are domiciled in Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia. In addition, a firm based in the Philippines sold military equipment to the Myanmar Army well-after the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya people..."
Source/publisher:
"ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights"
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-19
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations, Various rights: reports of violations against several ethnic groups
Language:
Local URL:
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Description:
"Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi made her first diplomatic visit to Cambodia this week, underscoring the similarities between two countries that find themselves increasingly isolated from the international community.
According to the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Suu Kyi arrived in Cambodia on April 29, flying from Beijing where she and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen attended the second Belt and Road Forum.
While the statement claimed the visit would strengthen cooperation within Asean – the Association of Southeast Asian Nations – Myanmar and Cambodia have been stumbling blocks to the bloc’s effectiveness, with both seen as being more loyal to China..."
Source/publisher:
"South China Morning Post"
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-18
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
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Description:
"Malaysia’s foreign ministry said Tuesday that Myanmar’s government must pursue justice for alleged human rights abuses against the Muslim Rohingya minority so that hundreds of thousands who fled a brutal military crackdown can return safely to the country.
The call came ahead of a meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers in Bangkok this week. It also followed a weekend meeting between a Myanmar government delegation and representatives of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh to discuss creating conditions for their safe repatriation.
More than 700,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh after a counterinsurgency campaign by Myanmar’s military in the western state of Rakhine in response to attacks in 2017 by a Rohingya insurgent group. The campaign led to accusations that security forces committed mass rapes and killings and burned thousands of homes..."
Source/publisher:
"The Washington Post" via Associated Press
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-18
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Genocide, ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
Local URL:
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Sub-title:
The number of landmine casualties is increasing yearly in Myanmar, said U Win Naing Tun, director general of the Department of Rehabilitation.
Description:
"“According to the records of the [ASEAN Regional Mine Action Center, or ARMAC] member countries, social media, and concerned organisations in rural areas, the number of mine casualties has increased yearly. Also, we’ve seen that the rate of disability is increasing,” he said in the opening speech at a meeting on mine-risk education held in Nay Pyi Taw on Tuesday.
Landmine explosions killed 27 people and injured 85 in 2015, killed 48 and injured 228 in 2018, and killed 33 and injured 98 as of the end of July. That is why we need more mine-risk education, U Win Naing Tun said.
“Mine awareness courses, rehabilitation of those who were injured by mines and their social and financial development are our main duty,” he said.
For fiscal 2017-18, the ministry earmarked K200,000 for each mine-affected person, and 525 people have received the subsidy. The states and regions of Kachin, Shan, Kayin, Kayah, Mon, Tanintharyi, Bago, and Rakhine are listed as having mines. Only the first phase of mine clearing, called a non-technical survey, has been done in Kayin and Kayah.
Myanmar started clearing mines in 2012. In 2016, the National Mine Risk Education Working Group was established to support mine-affected people and education. In 2017, a mine-education app was released..."
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Times"
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-14
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Reports and maps covering anti-personnel landmines and Burma/Myanmar, ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
Local URL:
more
Description:
"ASEAN and Myanmar have held their second high-level meeting on the repatriation of Rohingyas from Bangladesh. Correspondent Leong Wai Kit shared more on how ASEAN will support the repatriation of Rohingya refugees..."
Source/publisher:
CNA
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-07
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
Bangladesh has sought comprehensive engagement of the international community, particularly Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), in creating a conducive environment in northern Rakhine state and help repatriation and reintegration of the Rohing
Description:
"“If the Rohingya crisis remains unresolved for long, it may seriously undermine the security and stability of the entire region,” Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said at the 26th ASEAN Regional Forum in Bangkok today.
Thailand, chair of ASEAN, is hosting the event where foreign ministers from 26 countries and representative from European Union, USA, UK, Japan, China and India are participating.
Foreign Minister Momen stated that Bangladesh is not in a position to bear the burden of the 1.1 million, including 750,000, who fled atrocities from Myanmar since August 2017, for indefinite period.
“It should be a global responsibility to resolve this issue,” he said.
At the forum, foreign ministers from Japan, USA, Canada, Australia, South Korea, New Zealand and Malaysia also urged Myanmar to create conducive environment for early repatriation of Rohingya in safety and dignity, while seeking ASEAN’s enhanced engagement in this process.
USA, Canada and Malaysia particularly emphasised on ensuring justice and accountability in relation to atrocities committed against Rohingyas, according to a statement of the foreign ministry.
At this regional high-level Forum, Abdul Momen also embarked on key regional issues, including denuclearisation of Korean Peninsula, degradation of marine environment, human trafficking, illicit drugs trafficking and cybercrimes.
He stressed on the need for sustained peaceful atmosphere in the Korean Peninsula for the continued stability in the Asia-pacific region..."
Source/publisher:
The Daily Star
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-04
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
Activists back Mahathir for calling end to genocide and restoring full rights to Rohingya
Description:
"Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s comments on the Rohingya genocide has angered Myanmar, as it continued to deny crimes against the Muslim community in Rakhine state.
In an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency last week, Mahathir had said that the Rohingya faced “massacre or genocide” and “they should either be treated as nationals, or they should be given their territory to form their own state.”
Taking exception, Myanmar’s Foreign Ministry, in a statement on Wednesday, expressed “dismay and objected” to the Malaysian leader’s comments.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Myint Thu who met Malaysian Ambassador to Myanmar Zahairi Baharim on Wednesday at the headquarters of Myanmar Foreign Ministry in Naypyitaw, rejected the allegations of genocide.
“Such allegations are not supportive to the ongoing efforts of Myanmar government and ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] in finding a sustainable solution for peace, development and social harmony in Rakhine State,” he told the Malaysian envoy.
He also said that Malaysian leader’s statement was not constructive and described it as a breach of the principles enshrined in the ASEAN Charter. “It was also against the ASEAN’s cardinal principles of non-interference in the internal affairs and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of ASEAN member states,” said the ministry statement.
Rohingya experts, however, blamed Myanmar for "buying time" and diverting the focus of international community, by repeatedly denying crimes, it has committed against the Rohingya Muslim community in the Rakhine state.
Some 750,000 Rohingya fled state persecution since August 2017 and took shelter in neighboring Bangladesh as thousands were killed, raped and hundreds of Rohingya villages were completely burnt..."
Source/publisher:
ASIA - PACIFIC
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-04
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, ASEAN-Burma relations, Genocide
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
India recognizes humanitarian burden shouldered by Bangladesh’s society and economy, says ASEAN forum report
Description:
"India has urged the world community to help Bangladesh deal with the huge Rohingya influx from Myanmar, saying it poses a threat to regional security.
India recognizes the humanitarian burden on Bangladesh’s society and economy, said the Security Outlook 2019 of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum held on Friday, according to BSS, Bangladesh’s state-run news agency.
India praised Bangladesh’s generosity towards displaced people in the report, the agency reported on Saturday
“India is deeply conscious of the humanitarian and security implications of the displacement of nearly one million people (Rohingya) in Bangladesh from contagious areas of Rakhine state in Myanmar,” said the outlook report.
“India recognizes the economic burden this crisis places upon Bangladesh’s society and economy,” it added.
The report said bordering northeastern India, Myanmar’s stability and prosperity is crucial for regional security. India has provided aid to Myanmar to facilitate the return of Rohingya to Myanmar’s Rakhine state, the place of their origin. Thailand, as the ASEAN chair, hosted this year’s forum with the participation of foreign ministers from 26 countries and representatives from the European Union, U.S., U.K., Japan, China, and India.
Addressing the event, A K Abdul Momen, Bangladesh’s foreign minister, sought support and cooperation from the world community to carry out the Rohingya repatriation to Myanmar in a safe manner..."
Source/publisher:
ASIA - PACIFIC
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-04
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
Regional bloc accused of whitewashing Myanmar's crimes against Rohingya.
Description:
"The efforts by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to encourage a "dialogue" between the refugees and the Myanmar government has sparked fierce criticism from Rohingya activists who accuse the bloc of whitewashing the Myanmar military's crimes and legitimising its deeply flawed repatriation plans.
A team from the humanitarian arm of the 10-member trade bloc joined a Myanmar government delegation on a visit to the camps last week in a bid to launch fresh repatriation talks with Rohingya leaders and activists.
Almost 730,000 Rohingya crossed the border into Bangladesh and arrived in Cox's Bazar in August 2017 after fleeing military-led massacres in Myanmar's western Rakhine state.
However, relations between members of the Rohingya and those who are supposed to help them have often been fraught.
The United Nations's refugee agency, UNHCR, has sown mistrust by signing secret repatriation deals with Myanmar and pushing an identity card scheme that many Rohingya opposed, leading to alleged intimidation and violence when security forces tried to get them to sign up.
Rohingya refugees reject Myanmar delegation's offer to return (2:34)
Bangladesh authorities, praised for their generosity in hosting the Rohingya, imposed severe restrictions on the refugees, preventing them from moving freely, getting an education, earning a living and denying them official refugee status.
At a meeting during the visit by the team, a Rohingya youth activist asked the ASEAN visitors what they were doing to help some 128,000 Rohingya in Rakhine state who are trapped in disease-ridden detention camps..."
Source/publisher:
Al Jazeera
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-03
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
Malaysia FM Saifuddin Bin Abdullah says perpetrators of violence against Myanmar's minority must "be brought to justice," in talks with members of Association of Southeast Asian Nations gathered in Thailand conference.
Description:
"Malaysia on Saturday said the perpetrators of violence against Myanmar's Rohingya minority must "be brought to justice," in sharp comments delivered at a normally tame regional summit of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
In talks on Saturday with Southeast Asian counterparts, Malaysia's Foreign Minister Saifuddin Bin Abdullah called for the "perpetrators of the Rohingya issue to be brought to justice," his ministry said in Tweet.
He also said repatriation of the minority from the fetid, overcrowded refugee camps of Bangladesh "must include the citizenship of the Rohingya." Myanmar does not recognise the Rohingya as citizens, instead officially labelling them "Bengalis," short-hand for illegal immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh.
A military crackdown in 2017 drove more than 740,000 Rohingya Muslims into Bangladesh, carrying accounts of rape, mass killings and the razing of villages.
UN investigators have called for Myanmar's top generals to be tried for genocide.
But Myanmar's army and de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi have defended the action as necessary to flush out Rohingya rebels from Rakhine state..."
Source/publisher:
TRT World
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-29
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Laws, decrees, bills and regulations relating to nationality, citizenship and immigration (commentary), ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
Local URL:
more
Description:
""From 28-30 May 2019, government officials from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam gathered in Bangkok to discuss the status and progress of wetland policies in the region. The discussion was part of a regional dialogue organised by the Indo-Burma Ramsar Regional Initiative (IBRRI), for which IUCN acts as the secretariat, and the Ramsar Regional Center East Asia (RRC-EA).
“This event provided countries in the lower Mekong Region the opportunity to share experiences on current national and regional policy frameworks, and to understand how to mainstream ecosystem services provided by wetlands, into various sectoral policies, including ones related to climate change. During the development of the IBRRI strategic plan, all five countries suggested that regional policy dialogues were key to establishing effective wetland policies, ” said Mr. Raphaël Glémet, Senior Programme Officer on Water and Wetlands at IUCN Asia.
The regional dialogue in Bangkok was organised following a series of ten climate change vulnerability assessments, implemented by IUCN and partner organisations under the Mekong WET project, to highlight climate change impacts on wetlands in the region. The assessments engaged community members, local NGOs, wetlands managers and governments to analyse species, ecosystem, and community vulnerabilities under future climate change projections. Assessment results highlighted that there are limited effective wetland policies in the region, thus threatening the long-term stability of these fragile ecosystems..."
Source/publisher:
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-21
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Language:
Local URL:
more
Description:
"I have just completed my mission to Myanmar’s neighbours Thailand and Malaysia. I thank the Governments of both countries for facilitating my visit.
Myanmar continues to deny my access; however as I am mandated by the Human Rights Council, I continue to collect information regarding the human rights situation in Myanmar, including from people on the ground. My meetings with different interlocutors in both Thailand and Malaysia have provided me with ample information for my update to the Human Rights Council in September and my report to the General Assembly in October, some of which I will share with you today.
Following my visit, it is extremely clear to me that the human rights situation of Myanmar has created and is continuing to create, serious regional issues for South and South East Asia. These issues include for example, the existence of nearly 1.5 million refugees from Myanmar in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand; trafficking and smuggling of people from Myanmar through the region; and the drug trade within and outside the region. It is incumbent on Myanmar’s neighbours to acknowledge these most serious issues, that Myanmar has produced them and that they continue to have significant impacts on countries in the region.
It is of great concern to me that Myanmar appears to be increasing pressure and engaging the Governments of neighbouring countries in its efforts to violate rights and avoid scrutiny. This includes obstructing me in carrying out my mandate. While I was in Thailand, I had to abort part of my visit due to interference. This is very serious and not to be taken lightly.
Additionally, while I was in Thailand, I was extremely disturbed to hear about Singapore’s deportation of six Myanmar nationals whom they claim to have been supporting the Arakan Army (AA). The six were arrested upon their return to Myanmar, and I am told that they are now detained incommunicado. I am extremely concerned about their situation, in view of recent cases of deaths of Rakhine men while in custody on suspicion of association with the Arakan Army in Rakhine State. I am also worried about the fate of their families and other Rakhine people living in Singapore. I urge Singapore to uphold its customary international law obligation not to return people to where they would be in danger of being subjected to torture.
The conflict between the Tatmadaw and the AA is raging on, and the reports I have received indicate that human rights violations and abuses against the civilian population are worsening. The Government ordered mobile internet shutdown in nine townships in northern Rakhine and southern Chin has been in place for nearly a month now – this is unprecedented and it is also unacceptable. As you know, it is now monsoon season in Myanmar and there have been terrible floods in three townships in Rakhine State. There is no access to mobile internet in any of those townships, meaning that people were not adequately prepared for or warned of the floods that occurred. This has resulted in displacement and houses being destroyed. Humanitarian actors and natural disaster responders, including Government actors, were impeded by the lack of internet access, rendering the Government’s disaster preparedness planning ineffective. The question is, did the Myanmar Government impose the internet ban to inflict more harm on the people living in Rakhine?
The internet blackout has also prevented individuals wanting to engage with me from being able to make contact. It is challenging to get information on what is happening on the ground under these circumstances, but I have been told that three villages in Rakhine have been burned down by the Tatmadaw in the last two weeks. We have seen this before. We saw it happen to minorities in Shan and Kayin States in the 1990s and 2000s. We saw it happen to the Rohingya in 2016 and 2017. And we are seeing it happen to other minorities in Rakhine State now..."
Source/publisher:
reliefweb via UN Human Rights Council
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-19
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Armed conflict in Rakhine (Arakan) State, Human rights issues, UN human rights bodies and mechanisms, ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
Local URL:
more
Description:
"Human rights violations in Myanmar are creating increasingly serious issues for South and South East Asia, a UN expert said today, urging stronger action by regional countries to address potential peace and security concerns.
Special Rapporteur Yanghee Lee cited the nearly 1.5 million refugees from Myanmar in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, trafficking and smuggling of people from Myanmar and the drug trade within and outside the region as examples of deepening concerns.
Lee, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, continues to be denied access to the country and concluded her 11-day mission to Thailand and Malaysia today.
“It is incumbent on Myanmar’s neighbours to acknowledge these most serious issues and that they have been created by Myanmar. The continuing gross violations of human rights in Myanmar jeopardise the lives of people around that country and relentlessly impact Myanmar’s neighbours in such a way that could threaten South and South East Asian peace and security.”
The Special Rapporteur urged regional states to take a stronger position. “When states in this region engage with Myanmar, human rights should firmly be on the agenda. I therefore most strongly urge ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) to prioritise human rights in Myanmar, and to hold the Government of Myanmar to its obligations to respect, protect and fulfil human rights.”
During her visit, Lee received reports that the conflict between the Tatmadaw and the rebel Arakan Army (AA) rages on, and that human rights violations and abuses against the civilian population are worsening. The total number displaced by the conflict since January could now be as high as 55,000 across Chin and Rakhine States. “The situation is urgent and deserves more attention from the international community,” said the expert.
The Government’s almost month-long mobile internet shutdown in nine townships in northern Rakhine and southern Chin was unprecedented and unacceptable, Lee said. “It is now monsoon season in Myanmar and there have been terrible floods in three townships in Rakhine State. There is no access to mobile internet in any of those townships, meaning that people were not adequately prepared for or warned of the floods that occurred. This has resulted in displacement and houses being destroyed.”
Lee also spoke to people from Myanmar who have grave concerns about the way that hate speech and misinformation campaigns are being waged on social media. It appears that these campaigns are getting more sophisticated, coordinated and strategic, using coded language to get around content restrictions to continue to spread hateful messages. She said social media companies are taking inadequate and inconsistent action; anything done should be in a transparent manner and in close consultation with civil society and technology organisations in Myanmar.
She was distressed that on her mission she received reports of women and girls, some as young as nine, being trafficked from northern Myanmar to neighbouring countries for sex work. Years of conflict in northern Shan and Kachin States has left families financially desperate, making women and girls vulnerable to human trafficking.
The Special Rapporteur said it is incumbent on the international community to bring about criminal justice in Myanmar.
She also said that victims need to receive reparations for the harm caused to them and they have a right to know the truth about what happened to them, their family members and their communities. Solid guarantees that violations that have occurred in the past, and continue to occur now, will not happen again in the future are also essential.
“The first step for this to happen is for the Government and the military to reverse its stance of denial, and to recognise what the people of Myanmar have suffered at their hands. The countries in this region, and ASEAN, have a large role to play in persuading Myanmar to bring about this fundamental shift.”
ENDS
Ms. Yanghee Lee (Republic of Korea) was appointed by the UN Human Rights Council in 2014 as the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar. She is independent from any government or organization and serves in her individual capacity. Ms. Lee served as member and chairperson of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (2003-2011). She is currently a professor at Sungkyunwan University, Seoul, and serves on the Advisory Committee of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea. Ms. Lee is the founding President of International Child Rights Center.
The Special Rapporteurs and Independent Experts are part of the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity..."
Source/publisher:
reliefweb via UN Human Rights Council
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-19
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Human Rights Reporting (global, regional and Myanmar), Human rights issues, UN human rights bodies and mechanisms, Armed conflict in Rakhine (Arakan) State, ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
This new strategy for transport development in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) consists of a strategic framework covering 2018–2030 and a set of performance indicators initially covering 2018–2022.
Description:
"Cooperation in the transport sector has
been at the core of the Greater Mekong
Subregion (GMS) Economic Cooperation
Program (hereinafter GMS Program) since
its inception in 1992. The main thrust of the GMS
Program was eliminating the barriers to cooperation.
The significant lack of connectivity was a critical
constraint on economic relations among the GMS
countries.
The initial effort to pursue a coordinated approach to
establishing links and developing the transport sector
in the GMS was made in 1994 through the Subregional
Transport Sector Study for the Greater Mekong
Subregion (hereinafter GMS Transport Sector Study),
which examined the (i) most important links that
need to be established, (ii) most suitable modes for
such links, (iii) criteria for prioritizing system elements,
and (iv) possible phasing of development.1
The GMS
Transport Sector Study identified a set of subregional
transport projects covering road, rail, water, and air
transport.
It guided GMS transport cooperation during 1994–
2005, with the list of projects being updated and
refined over time. The priority projects in the GMS
Transport Sector Study became the backbone of the
GMS East–West Economic Corridor (EWEC), the
North–South Economic Corridor (NSEC), and the
Southern Economic Corridor (SEC) when the GMS
countries adopted the economic corridor concept
in 1998. They also constituted the first set of GMS
transport projects—e.g., the Phnom Penh–Ho Chi
Minh City Highway, the East–West Corridor Project,
and the Northern Economic Corridor (Boten–
Houayxay) Project—that were implemented under the
GMS Program. As these projects neared completion,
the need to address policy and regulatory issues
involving the movement of people and goods across
borders became urgent. The GMS Cross-Border
Transport Facilitation Agreement (CBTA) was thus
initiated in 1999 to complement hardware with
software of connectivity in the GMS..."
Source/publisher:
Asia Development Bank (ADB)
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-09
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Asian Development Bank (ADB) and its watchers (Burma/Myanmar), Burma's economic relations with ASEAN, ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
4.17 MB
more
Summary:
"The six GMS member countries are Cambodia, the
Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), Myanmar,
the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Thailand, and
Viet Nam. In the PRC, the GMS includes the...
Sub-title:
This publication tells the success story of the Greater Mekong Subregion in vivid images, data, and narratives.
Description:
"The six GMS member countries are Cambodia, the
Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), Myanmar,
the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Thailand, and
Viet Nam. In the PRC, the GMS includes the Guangxi
Zhuang Autonomous Region and Yunnan Province.
With its 340 million people, vast array of landscapes,
multitude of ethnic groups, and differing development
histories and trajectories, the GMS is a diverse
and dynamic region. However, the six countries
also share many opportunities and challenges that
transcend national boundaries. Economic integration,
environmental sustainability, and adaptation to climate
change are but a few examples.
Recognizing that their combined efforts would have a
greater development impact, the six countries launched
the GMS Economic Cooperation Program in 1992.
The Asian Development Bank was chosen to serve as
the program’s secretariat. During its first decade, the
GMS Program initiated activities slowly but steadily,
focusing on a relatively small selection of energy and
road infrastructure projects.
The damaging Asian financial crisis of 1997 spurred
the countries to strengthen their cooperation.
In 2002, for example, a 10-year GMS Strategic
Framework was endorsed by the national leaders at
their first GMS summit. The countries committed
themselves to a joint vision of an integrated, prosperous,
and equitable subregion. This was to be achieved by
enhancing connectivity, improving competitiveness,
and building a strong sense of community (the “3 Cs”).
During its second decade, the GMS Program made
important progress in building roads and other “hard”
infrastructure. Successful projects were also initiated
in sectors such as agriculture, environment, trade
facilitation, human resource development, and tourism.
By 2012, GMS cooperation was well established
across nine priority sectors, and the member countries
embarked on a new and more ambitious 10-year strategy.
The focus shifted firmly toward creating “economic
corridors,” with a range of investments designed to
leverage the transport infrastructure that had been
built during the prior 2 decades. This new strategy also
emphasized an increase in multisector investments,
as well as policy and institutional reforms. A regional
investment framework was then developed to identify
country priorities and guide investments.
Five years into this new strategy, and now a quarter
century old, the maturing GMS Program continues
to deliver significant results. More than $20 billion in
investments have been directly channeled through
the program since 1992. These have helped the GMS
countries to diversify, strengthen, and integrate their
economies. They have also significantly contributed..."
Source/publisher:
Asia Development Bank (ADB)
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-09
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
7.25 MB
more
Sub-title:
This study looks into the role of special economic zones in strengthening competitiveness of economic corridors in the Greater Mekong Subregion.
Description:
"A special economic zone (SEZ) conjures up many images, from a bonded warehouse
district in a port to the fishing village of Shenzhen in the People’s Republic of China (PRC)
that became a metropolis of 14 million people. The International Labour Organization’s
database grew from 176 SEZs in 47 countries in 1986 to 3,500 SEZs in 130 countries 20 years later.
Surveying the phenomenon, Farole and Akinci (2011, 3) provide a broad definition of SEZs as:
demarcated geographic areas contained within a country’s national boundaries where
the rules of business are different from those that prevail in the national territory. These
differential rules principally deal with investment conditions, international trade and
customs, taxation, and the regulatory environment; whereby the zone is given a business
environment that is intended to be more liberal from a policy perspective and more
effective from an administrative perspective than that of the national territory.
SEZs have generated a large literature, much of which is inconclusive because there are many
varieties of economic zones that have been called “special.”
However, the wealth of accumulated case studies does offer some patterns. The initial emphasis
on export promotion zones that operated as enclaves with little potential for dynamic growth has
been largely displaced by a model in which the SEZ has physical, strategic, and financial links to
the local economy. This development can be related to the growth of global value chains (GVCs),
especially in East Asia, over the last 30–40 years. Multiuse development has often replaced the
earlier narrow focus on manufacturing, with information and communication services playing a
key role. The success of SEZs appears to be related to the infrastructure they provide (transport,
reliable power supply, etc.) and streamlining of regulations, rather than to the tax and other
financial incentives used to promote early SEZs. Finally, increasing numbers of SEZs are private,
although some state-financed SEZs continue to be successful..."
Source/publisher:
Asia Development Bank (ADB)
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-09
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Asian Development Bank (ADB) and its watchers (Burma/Myanmar), Burma's economic relations with ASEAN, ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
5.5 MB
more
Title: Strategic Environmental Assessments for Power Sector Planning in the Greater Mekong Subregion
Sub-title:
This publication shows how strategic environmental assessments can help the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) countries create sustainable national power development plans.
Description:
"Over the past decade, strategic environmental assessment
(SEA) has emerged as an increasingly important planning tool
in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS). SEAs help policy
makers better understand and integrate the environmental,
social, and economic dimensions of strategies, plans, and
programs. They are particularly important for power sector
planning because the social and environmental impacts
of such plans can be very significant and are often a major
concern for governments and communities. Experience
in the GMS, as well as further afield, shows that more
sustainable and successful planning choices are made when
these impacts are properly considered.
The further uptake of SEAs in power sector planning in the
subregion is needed to help seize opportunities that are
emerging in the evolving energy landscape. Technological
and economic transformations are making renewable energy
an increasingly attractive and viable energy option for the
GMS countries as elsewhere in the world. This trend aligns
well with the national development policy priorities of all
six countries as they increasingly emphasize green growth,
climate change mitigation, and sustainable development.
Using an SEA to support the preparation of power
development plans can guide decisions on which energy
generation options are optimal. It can ensure that these
decisions are based on an understanding of the full economic
costs and benefits to a country, rather than just shorter-term
financial ones, as has traditionally been the case. An SEA
enables planners to identify the potential negative impacts
of different generation options. These impacts can lead to
significant increases in costs and delays if not identified
before the planning stage of projects.
The integration of an SEA in power development
planning enables energy sector investments to be quicker,
more transparent, and more closely aligned to national
development priorities. An SEA can also guide decisions on
the most economical locations to invest in and help to ensure
minimal impacts on communities and the environment.
Since 2006, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has
been providing technical assistance through the GMS Core
Environment Program (CEP) to help mainstream the use of
SEAs in the GMS countries, including for power development
planning. This publication outlines the key characteristics
of SEA, discusses global trends in energy technologies and
markets, and looks at how Viet Nam, with support from
the CEP, has integrated SEAs into its power development
planning process. It also identifies priority steps for further
mainstreaming SEAs in power sector planning in the
GMS countries..."
Source/publisher:
Asia Development Bank (ADB)
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-09
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Language:
Format :
pdf
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1.27 MB
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Description:
"Myanmar State Counselor Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi met with Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Mr. Takehiko Nakao today on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Leaders’ Summit. They discussed ADB’s continued engagement with Myanmar.
Myanmar’s macroeconomic performance has been quite strong and stable in recent years, with real GDP growth at 6.5% in 2018. Mr. Nakao said: “Myanmar demonstrates strong potential for achieving sustained growth in the future, with prospects for boosting investments, as well as productivity in the agriculture and manufacturing sectors.”
Mr. Nakao said he appreciated the structural reforms being implemented by the government, such as the adoption of the new Companies Law and easing business registration—both supported by ADB—as well as the reforms in the banking and insurance sectors. These steps will send positive signals to domestic and foreign investors.
ADB has been supporting Myanmar since its reengagement in 2012, operating in the energy, transport, water supply and sanitation, agriculture, and education sectors. ADB’s sovereign lending in 2018 was $614 million. In addition, ADB is supporting private sector development through its nonsovereign lending in areas such as energy and communications.
Ms. Suu Kyi expressed appreciation for ADB’s support. She noted that improved infrastructure not only improves access and connects regions, but also helps achieve reconciliation between different groups of people. She further noted that achieving peace and stability requires a long-term focus on sustainable development. “ADB stands ready to support Myanmar as it takes steps toward conflict resolution and reconciliation, including in Rakhine State,” Mr. Nakao said.
Ms. Suu Kyi and Mr. Nakao also discussed boosting productivity in the agriculture sector to support rural development and poverty reduction; enhancing resilience to climate change; and promoting connectivity and cooperation between South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia, taking advantage of Myanmar’s unique geographic position.
ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. In 2018, it made commitments of new loans and grants amounting to $21.6 billion. Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members—49 from the region..."
Source/publisher:
Asia Development Bank (ADB)
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-07
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
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Description:
SUMMARY: "When US President Barack Obama first articulated his administration?s goal of a diplomatic rebalance to Asia, he outlined three areas in which the US government would focus its attentions: increased strategic and military ties, better economic integration, and greater attention to promoting democracy and human rights.
Obama outlined the last prong of the rebalance in a speech in Australia on November 17, 2011:
-Every nation will chart its own course. Yet it is also true that certain rights are universal; amongthem, freedom of speech, freedom ofthe press, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, and the freedom of citizens to choose their own leaders.
-These are not American rights ... or Western rights. These are human rights. They stir in every soul, as we?ve seen in the democracies that have succeeded here in Asia. Other models have been tried and they have failed - fascism and communism, rule by one man or rule by committee. And they failed for the same simple reason: they ignore the ultimate source of power and legitimacy - the will ofthe people.
On February 15-16, 2016, President Obama will host 10 government leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) fora summit at the Sunnylands estate in California.
For decades, the United States government has viewed ASEAN as an important economic, security, and political partner, and has forged closer ties with ASEAN countries as they have undergone major economic and political changes. In recent years, some countries, such as the Philippines and Indonesia, have made steady though uneven progress toward becoming democratic states with increasing respect for basic human rights. Most recently, in November 2015 the military junta in Burma allowed the opposition to contest elections and accepted the landslide victory of Aung San Suu Kyi?s National League for Democracy— though it still maintains broad constitutional powers and de facto control over security forces and large parts ofthe economy.
Many ASEAN countries, however, continue to be plagued by deep-seated political and economic problems. As the chapters below outline, most of ASEAN?s 10 members have extraordinarily poor human rights records. Beyond the lack of basic freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly in many countries, problems across ASEAN include restrictions on civil society, failures on women?s rights, the political use of courts, high-level corruption, lack of protection of refugees and asylum seekers, human trafficking, and abuses against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.
For President Obama, the February 2016 US-ASEAN summit represents another chapter in the continuing efforts to rebalance attention to the Asia region. For many of ASEAN?s leaders—in particular those who have not come to power through free and fair elections— the summit represents an unearned diplomatic reward: a robust US reaffirmation of their sought-for legitimacy as leaders ofthe 615 million people who live in ASEAN.
One particularly egregious example is the invitation to the summit for Thai Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-ocha, who took power in a 2014 military coup, dismantled democratic institutions, and has led a relentless crackdown on critics and dissidents. Prayut has consistently delayed the date for a return to democratic rule, making it clear that he expects the army to manage the country?s affairs even after a vote for a new parliament is held.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung of Vietnam and President Choummaly Sayasone of Laos preside over one-party authoritarian states that deny basic freedoms and use censorship, detention, and torture to maintain their party?s hold on power. The communist party of each country has been in power since 1975 and have shown no interest in moving towards pluralism or genuine elections.
The sultan of Brunei, Hassal Bolkiah, is one ofthe world?s few remaining hereditary government leaders and has imposed a near complete ban on freedoms of expression, association, and assembly. He plans to increase the imposition of Islamic law punishments, including whipping and stoning, foradultery, sex between unmarried persons, and homosexual activity.
The prime minister of Malaysia, Najib Razak, retained power in 2014 after a deeply flawed electoral process in which his party, which has been in power since 1967, lost the popular vote. Implicated in a major corruption scandal, he has engaged in a broad crackdown on Malaysia?s political opposition, civil society organizations, and media..."
Source/publisher:
Human Rights Watch
Date of publication:
2016-02-16
Date of entry/update:
2016-03-09
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Human Rights Watch Reports on Burma/Myanmar, ASEAN-Burma relations, USA-Burma relations, USA-Asia relations
Language:
English
Format :
pdf pdf
Size:
5.6 MB 14.8 MB
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Description:
"This week the 25th ASEAN Summit descends on Myanmar?s capital, Naypyitaw. Chairing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this year, Myanmar has already host a plethora of regional meetings. This week is particularly significant—it is Myanmar?s grand finale until the chair rotates back to Myanmar in the next ten years or so. From 11 to 13 November 2014, heads of state from ASEAN?s ten-member states and ASEAN?s dialogue partners will take their seats around the tables at the Myanmar International Convention Centre-I..."
Olivia Cable
Source/publisher:
"New Mandala"
Date of publication:
2014-11-11
Date of entry/update:
2014-12-13
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
English
Local URL:
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Description:
"Most photo coverage of the 25th ASEAN Summit in Naypyitaw this week concentrates on men. It?s likely the only female faces to appear in the Summit?s headlines will be Indonesia?s newly appointed Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, South Korea?s President Park Guen-hye, and US National Security Adviser Susan Rice,
Over the last two days, New Mandala shifted its camera lens to capture but a handful of the female faces at the Summit..."
Olivia Cable
Source/publisher:
"New Mandala"
Date of publication:
2014-11-14
Date of entry/update:
2014-12-13
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
English
Local URL:
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Description:
"This year?s ASEAN Summit isn?t just for convention junkies. Naypyitaw, not yet officially a decade old, has expanded this week with states-people and their respective entourages flying in from the APEC Summit in Beijing. Watching Naypyitaw prepare for the Summit earlier in the week could prove to be more exciting than the waiting we?re now doing for consensus around the ASEAN table.
This week, the Myanmar Police Force are in full swing. Blowing whistles, whirling sirens and flashing blinkers, they?re securing Naypyitaw and its peripheries every hour of the day. While the police force has previously been overshadowed by the armed forces in Myanmar?s turbulent history, the police has evolved as a key instrument of control by the current civilian-military hybrid government. In their blue combat helmets, ankle-high black polished boots, waist belts fastened with state-of-the-art wooden sling-shots and distinctive insignia on their uniforms, the police look the part and are working to prevent criminal activity and terrorist attacks.
Stationed throughout Naypyitaw—they are blocking traffic from entering the twelve-lane highway that runs past Myanmar?s National Assembly until Saturday. At intersections, hotels, makeshift gates and even the entrance of the Gem Museum, in all their glory, the police dominate Naypyitaw?s streetscapes this week..."
Olivia Cable
Source/publisher:
"New Mandala"
Date of publication:
2014-11-13
Date of entry/update:
2014-12-13
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
English
Local URL:
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Description:
As this year?s ASEAN Chair, Myanmar will face pressure from the pro- and anti-China camps...As Myanmar gears up to host this weekend?s ASEAN Regional Forum, it may find that its role is both a blessing and a curse. While Myanmar welcomes its chance in the spotlight as ASEAN Chair, that role is increasingly difficult to play. Maritime disputes in the South China Sea threaten to turn each ASEAN meeting into a tug of war between anti- and pro-China forces...Myanmar?s role as ASEAN Chair is a huge diplomatic headache. The ASEAN Chair wields enormous influence over ASEAN meetings, and there?s a lot of pressure for the host nation to fall in line with either the anti-China or pro-China camps. In 2010, for example, Vietnam made the South China Sea disputes a major issue in regional summits (much to China?s dismay). By contrast, in 2012, Cambodia scuttled talks rather than allow the maritime disputes to dominate the agenda. This pressure is multiplied for Myanmar. On the one hand, the country is making concerted efforts to improve its relations with other ASEAN members, and with the West, which adds pressure not to sideline the South China Sea disputes. On the other hand, China remains incredibly important to Myanmar, especially economically—China remains Myanmar?s largest trading partner and largest source of foreign direct investment. An anti-China ASEAN summit could have huge economic and political ramifications for Myanmar..."
Shannon Tiezzi
Source/publisher:
"The Diplomat"
Date of publication:
2014-08-07
Date of entry/update:
2014-08-22
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
English
Local URL:
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Description:
"...China is active in Latin America, Africa, and in the Gulf. Within hours, everything that is discussed in ASEAN meetings is known in Beijing, given China?s close ties with Laos, Cambodia, and Burma, he stated..."...."...Beijing is worried about its dependence on the Strait of Malacca and is moving to ease the dependence by means like a pipeline through Burma..."
Source/publisher:
US Embassy, Singapore, via Wikileaks
Date of publication:
2009-06-04
Date of entry/update:
2010-12-28
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations, China-Burma relations
Language:
English
Local URL:
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Description:
Aung San Suu Kyi?s release from house arrest offers Asean a chance to re-engage with Burma on the issue of democratic reform
Kavi Choingkittavorn
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy" Vol. 18, No. 12
Date of publication:
2010-12-26
Date of entry/update:
2010-12-26
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
English
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Description:
CONCLUSION:
"ASEAN governments appreciate that Myanmar?s elections are going to
be flawed in more ways than one and—given the constitutional framework—
will also leave the military controlling the reins of political power.
However, they are not likely to question Myanmar?s international legitimacy
on the back of the country?s first elections in 20 years. Indeed, the
expectation is that the elections will be an important step toward a different
political order, which will be able to positively impact on domestic stability
and reform. Some may thus hope that over time, giving life to the new
constitution will serve to break at least some internal cycles of conflict.
Equally, ASEAN countries are bound to maintain that Myanmar?s overall
track record in conducting its bilateral affairs and in working toward
ASEAN?s stated objectives in the context of the formation of the ASEAN
Community also does not project the question of international legitimacy.
Whether (and how) the allegations surrounding Myanmar?s interest in a
secret nuclear program might do remains to be seen."
Jürgen Haacke
Source/publisher:
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington, D.C.
Date of publication:
2010-10-31
Date of entry/update:
2010-11-20
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
175.54 KB
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Description:
"...three particular
questions are addressed here:
1 How strong is ASEAN?s record when it comes to influencing the SPDC in
relation to matters of national reconciliation and political transition?
2 What factors explain ASEAN?s role vis-à-vis Myanmar?
3 What prospect, if any, is there that ASEAN will play a significant part in
trying to influence the regime to make political concessions before the 2010
elections to ensure their credibility?
The article argues that, as a grouping, ASEAN has as yet not moved beyond collective
criticism to induce Naypyidaw to respond positively to the main demands of
its international detractors. ASEAN?s norms, different political identities, geopolitical
interests and the SPDC?s prickliness have all limited ASEAN?s consensus
on Myanmar. Naypyidaw?s relations with Washington, rather than ASEAN?s
?enhanced interactions? with the military government, and—especially—the
domestic political dynamics in Myanmar, are likely to be the crucial determinants
of further developments in the context of the 2010 elections..."
Jürgen Haacke
Source/publisher:
"International Affairs" 86: 1, 2010
Date of publication:
2009-12-31
Date of entry/update:
2010-10-28
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
7-Step Roadmap (Step 5): Holding of free and fair elections for Pyithu Hluttaws (Legislative bodies) according to the new constitution (news and commentary), ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
English
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Description:
The Burma Asean chair issue is only first on lawmakers? list...
"In the middle of 2004, both ruling Barisan Nasional Government MPs and those from the opposition benches of the Dewan Rakyat (People?s Assembly) established the Pro-Democracy Myanmar [Burma] Caucus of the Malaysian parliament. It was something of an historical event as it was one of the rare occasions when there was a consensus among Malaysian parliamentarians from a broad political spectrum that the region was about to encounter a major diplomatic crisis which would potentially have grave implications for the region?s political and economic future.
Thus, as the MP entrusted with the task of finding a realistic and practical way out of the embarrassing prospect of Myanmar taking its turn as chairman of Asean in 2006, I drew up a plan, together with my fellow members of the caucus, to treat this as an Asean-wide concern. It was decided that the best way to assess the commitment of other Asean MPs was to gather them together on a friendly basis to hear their views regarding the impending dangers that the region would inevitably face in its relations with partners who had been traditionally engaged with Asean in bilateral and multilateral dialogues.Invitations were sent to other Asean parliamentarians. Positive responses were received from five of them: Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. The outcome was the formation in Kuala Lumpur in November 2004 of the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus, of which I am privileged to be the chairman..."
Zaid Ibrahim
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy" Vol. 13, No. 4
Date of publication:
2005-03-31
Date of entry/update:
2010-09-27
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations, International parliamentary action on Burma/Myanmar, Malaysia-Burma relations
Language:
English
Local URL:
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Description:
I Historical context; II Origins of constructive engagement; III Burma and ASEAN: A troubled marriage; IV ASEAN and Aung San Suu Kyi; V ASEAN and the NCGUB; VI Bilateral relations; VII Assessment of constructive engagement; VIII Opportunities and challenges for opening political space in ASEAN and Burma; IX Conclusions.
"...
This paper will attempt to assess ASEAN–Burmese relations and
the prospects for ASEAN to take a more active critical role in Burma?s politics by asking the
following questions: What is constructive engagement? What have been the driving objectives behind
it? What are the prospects of ASEAN altering its modus operandi of non-interference? What indicators
might signal a change in ASEAN?s approach to Burma? To begin to answer these questions, we must
first have some understanding of ASEAN?s approach to Burma in the context of its evolution as an
organization..."
Aung Zaw
Source/publisher:
International IDEA
Date of publication:
2001-12-14
Date of entry/update:
2010-09-27
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
239.29 KB
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Description:
"The regional grouping must overcome its ideological differences if it wants to have a real impact on Burma?s upcoming election...The Asean members calling for a free and fair election in Burma must ... persuade the rest of the grouping to join them in pressing their demands. If they fail to do this, only the junta will benefit. A sham election will be a blow not only to the hopes of the people of Burma, but also to Asean?s relevance as a regional body..."
Aung Zaw
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy" Vol. 18, No. 3
Date of publication:
2010-02-28
Date of entry/update:
2010-03-17
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
English
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Description:
"In a concerted effort to overcome opposition from Asean member countries, the Foreign Ministry has redefined the concept of ?flexible engagement? which will be officially presented as a non-paper when the Asean foreign ministers meet in Manila.
Several Asean members have expressed reservations after Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan urged in his proposal last month that they should be more open with each other and have frank discussions on domestic issues which have implications on other members and the group?s destiny. In effect, he called for a review of the Asean way of doing things.
Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos and Burma believe that member countries should not tamper with the principle of non-interference. In other words, they view the Thai initiative as a non-starter. The Philippines, which is host to the meeting, is the only country which has given strong endorsement to Surin?s proposal, and said it will be one of the major subjects on the agenda to be discussed. The other Asean countries are lying low adopting a wait-and-see attitude..."
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy" Vol. 6, No. 4
Date of publication:
1998-07-31
Date of entry/update:
2009-09-16
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
English
Local URL:
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Description:
"Asean leaders forge a tougher policy aimed at speaking the truth to Burma?s military government, but the generals fire back in words and armed clashes against ethnic Karen along the border...Needless to say, Burma has remained a major source of concern as regime leaders recently detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi inside the notorious Insein Prison, ignoring the outcry of regional leaders and the international community.
If Burmese leaders are finding it difficult to find excuses to confine the Lady of the Lake, Asean leaders also are facing a dilemma: how to nurture the rogue regime into democratic reconciliation..."
Aung Zaw
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy" Vol. 17, No. 4
Date of publication:
2009-06-30
Date of entry/update:
2009-08-11
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
The trial of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi et al - commentary and backround from governments, NGOs, media et al, ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
English
Local URL:
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Description:
"ASEAN leaders? promotion of the newly enacted ASEAN Charter as an instrument of change rang hollow at the 14th ASEAN summit because of the organization?s failure to effectively deal with the problems created by the Burmese military regime. The failure was glaring.
In the weeks before the ASEAN summit, ASEAN Sec-Gen Surin Pitsuwan delivered promising statements and speeches that indicated significant change for the organization. Surin?s speeches were peppered with the terms ?people-centered” and ?people-caring” to describe the ?reinvented” ASEAN ? an ASEAN with a new guiding charter. Surin said that the Charter made ?all issues relevant”, and ?all issues were on the table” and ?nothing could be hidden”. Of all the provisions in the charter, the most widely heralded was the call for the establishment of the ASEAN Human Rights Body (AHRB). The ASEAN Secretariat?s public relations hype over the summit would have been much easier had it not been for the Rohingya boat people.
The plight of the Rohingya fleeing Burma because of religious persecution represented the first test of the ASEAN Charter?s promise to make human rights and the rule of law common currency throughout the region. The test fell flat. Surin was undermined by the Terms of Reference for the ASEAN Human Rights Body and by the inability of ASEAN to unite to confront and resolve the Rohingya problem. .ASEAN leaders have not caught up with the rights and entitlements implemented in the Charter.
ASEAN?s failure to address the Rohingya issue and other pressing regional problems caused by the SPDC seriously undermines authority and effectiveness of the ASEAN Charter, and ASEAN itself. ASEAN leaders must realize that the current situation threatens the credibility and the integrity of the organization..."
Source/publisher:
ALTSEAN-Burma
Date of publication:
2009-04-10
Date of entry/update:
2009-04-11
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ALTSEAN-Burma archive, ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
147.94 KB
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Description:
Eine Analyse des 11. ASEAN-Gipfels 2005, der Sonderrolle Burmas, das Prinzip der Nicht-Einmischung und das "konstruktive Engagement"; ASEAN-summit No. 11 in 2005, role of Burma/Myanmar; non-engagement; constructive engagement
Howard Loewen
Source/publisher:
GIGA Hamburg
Date of publication:
2006-01-31
Date of entry/update:
2008-05-06
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
German, Deutsch
Local URL:
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Description:
Malaysia?s former deputy PM takes Asean to task for coddling Burma, and advocates greater strides towards democracy there and throughout the region
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy" Vol. 14, No. 5
Date of publication:
2006-04-30
Date of entry/update:
2006-12-28
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
English
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Description:
On the surface, it seems Asean has adopted a tougher policy towards fellow member Burma. But the grouping?s history, and the West?s new pressure for change in Rangoon, suggest otherwise...
"Much has been made of Asean?s apparent new tough attitude towards its troublesome member, Burma. At the December Asean summit in Kuala Lumpur, the grouping called for movement along the Burmese regime?s professed path to democracy; a release of political prisoners, including icon Aung San Suu Kyi; and made plans for a delegation to visit Rangoon in January, to see what the generals are up to.
The regime has since postponed the visit on grounds it is too busy. Even when it does happen, don?t hold your breath. The stubborn generals might simply smile nicely for photo-ops with Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar and his entourage, followed by a bit of lip-service about political reforms, a promise to release Suu Kyi sometime and so forth. That way the Asean group doesn?t lose too much face. And the generals can then go back to business as usual, as they have done so many times in the past..."
Bruce Kent
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy" Vol. 14, No. 1
Date of publication:
2005-12-31
Date of entry/update:
2006-05-01
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
English
Local URL:
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Description:
Did Burma?s Asean move hide an ulterior motive?...
"Burma is full of ironies. One surfaced at the recent Asean annual meeting in Laos, where a sigh of relief could be heard at the announcement that Burma would renounce its chairmanship of the bloc in 2006. The irony is that when Burma was welcomed into Asean in 1997, member governments thought they would be able to tame the generals and persuade them to accept social and political reforms. A bonus was offered by the possibility of plucking Burma out of China?s sphere of influence.
This year, however, Asean foreign ministers wanted Burma to forgo the controversial Asean chairmanship. When it did, they were pleased. But didn?t Asean want Burma on board in order to foster movements there towards democracy? Why was it still not suitable for chairmanship?..."
Aung Zaw
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy" Vol. 13, No. 8
Date of publication:
2005-07-31
Date of entry/update:
2006-04-30
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
English
Local URL:
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Description:
Foreign Secretary Romulo Says Philippines Position ?Very Clear”...
"...Political disquiet within Southeast Asia about Burma?s assumption of the chairmanship of Asean at the end of 2006 is particularly strong in the Philippines. But where does the Manila government stand on the issue? The Irrawaddy interviewed Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto G. Romulo on this issue, and others now occupying his government
Question: Singapore?s foreign minister George Yeo and the President of the Philippine Senate, Franklin Drilon, are among those opposed to Burma taking over the chairmanship of Asean at the end of 2006. What is the policy position of the Philippines on the issue?
Answer: The Philippines? position has been very clear, repeated by President Arroyo in various Asean forums...Hanoi, Vientiane, Jakarta [and during] the visit of Burma?s Prime Minister Soe Win [to the Philippines] last month. We believe the roadmap to democracy should be followed. We urge that in that roadmap to democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi be released and that the NLD [take part in] the all-inclusive party convention. We have urged them to consider the request of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan for his special envoy Ismael Razali to be received and invited in Myanmar. So these are points that we have been stressing..."
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy" Vol. 13, No. 4
Date of publication:
2005-03-31
Date of entry/update:
2006-04-27
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations, Philippines-Burma relations
Language:
English
Local URL:
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Description:
Burma activist group leader speaks out on Asean dilemma...
"As the 2006 date for Burma?s assumption of the Asean chairmanship draws ever closer, the organization?s policy towards Rangoon comes under increasingly close scrutiny from the Alternative Asean Network on Burma. Formed in 1996, ALTSEAN is a network of Southeast Asia activists, NGOs, academics and politicians who are working for democracy and respect for human rights in Burma. The Irrawaddy recently talked to Altsean?s co-ordinator, Debbie Stothard, about her movement?s approach to the thorny question of Burma?s suitability for chairing Asean..."
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy" Vol. 13, No. 4
Date of publication:
2005-04-26
Date of entry/update:
2006-04-27
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations, ALTSEAN-Burma archive
Language:
English
Local URL:
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Description:
- Asean countries start to worry about partner Burma...
"As the countdown to Burma assuming the rotating chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or Asean, in 2006 continues, even some of Rangoon?s neighbors are becoming nervous. Military-controlled Burma as a member of Asean is one thing, but if it becomes chairman the regional grouping stands to suffer even more damage to its image, and possible harm to its trading relations with western countries.
Soon after being invited to join Asean in 1997, mainly as part of a move to include all 10 Southeast Asian countries in the grouping, Burma has proved a liability for some of its partners. With its longstanding military regime presiding over a distinctly undemocratic political system and allegedly allowing, if not taking part in, human rights abuses, it was an easy target for criticism from the United States and EU, backed by sanctions.
With the regime showing no sign of easing its grip on power, other Asean countries have been thrust into a position of being more apologists for Burma than regional friends. As Singapore?s Foreign Minister George Yeo reportedly told parliament on March 4: ?Our hope is that the Asean spirit of consultation and consensus will enable us to find a solution for next year.?..."
Aung Lwin Oo
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy" Vol. 13, No. 3
Date of publication:
2005-02-28
Date of entry/update:
2005-08-29
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Individual Documents
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ASEAN-Burma relations
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"Veteran Thai diplomat Asda Jayanama was recently interviewed by The Irrawaddy. Asda, now retired, was Thai ambassador to the UN from 1996-2001. In the interview, Asda—known for his outspokenness—pulls no punches as he reviews the ?failed” approach by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or Asean, to Burma, called ?constructive engagement.” He further warns of a potential deepening Asean rift over Burma?s looming rotating chairmanship of the grouping..."
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy" Vol. 13, No. 3
Date of publication:
2005-02-28
Date of entry/update:
2005-08-28
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Individual Documents
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ASEAN-Burma relations
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English
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"M.R. Sukhumbhand Paribatra is the chairman of the Asia Dialogue Society, a group of Asian former government officials and scholars that promotes regional cooperation. He has served as a Democrat Party Member of the Thai Parliament since 1996 and was the deputy minister of foreign affairs between 1997 and 2001. In 1999, when gunmen seized the Burmese Embassy in Bangkok, he negotiated the release of their hostages and accompanied the attackers by helicopter to the Thai-Burma border. He talked to The Irrawaddy about Burma?s membership in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the consequences for Asian diplomacy.
Question: Burma?s inclusion in Asean continues to mar the grouping?s international image but, aside from the recent fallout with the EU over the Asia-Europe Meeting [ASEM] what damage has really been done?..."
An Interview with M.R. Sukhumbhand Paribatra
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy" Vol. 12, No. 7
Date of publication:
2004-06-30
Date of entry/update:
2004-10-10
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ASEAN-Burma relations
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"...
The primary objective of the report is to offer ideas that can assist the main actors on the political stage of Myanmar - the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) government, the National League for Democracy (NLD) and other political parties, and the ethnic nationalities - to break the current political deadlock and to find a solution that will be creative, pragmatic, and mutually acceptable and one that will reinforce the sovereignty and integrity of the Union of Myanmar.
The report is in 3 parts. The first part explains the nexus between Myanmar, ASEAN/Japan/China/India and the west. The second part clarifies the critical issues that constrain cooperation among the internal forces within Myanmar. The last part presents recommendations for breaking the Myanmar deadlock.
In writing the report, the ADS members were mindful of the prevailing realities, including the following: the dominant position of the SPDC government in preserving national sovereignty and developing the country; the pressures from the political parties and the ethnic nationalities for a legitimate participatory role; the increasing pressure on Myanmar from the international community; and the limited opportunity for Myanmar?s friends and neighbors to play a more positive role in bringing about stability to the country and region.
The ADS is of the view that the ultimate ?solution? to end the deadlock, one which can initiate a genuine process of national reconciliation, must come from the aforementioned 3 stake holding groups and the Myanmar people themselves. The report therefore has outlined some broad principles that can be a useful platform from which dialogue can be initiated between and among the SPDC, the political parties, and the ethnic groups.
The report makes several recommendations but the most important concerns the principle that can help break the deadlock The ADS has looked very carefully at the ?road map? to democracy announced by the SPDC. To enhance the navigability of this road map to democracy, the ADS has recommended the setting up of a Council for National Reconciliation and Concord (CNRC). This Council should include members from all 3 groups and several eminent persons who can be nominated by a collective decision of the 3 groups (Article 75). The role of this CNRC is to be advisory: for instance, it can advise on the composition and role of the National Convention and other committees and agencies (Article 76-79).
The CNRC can be an inclusive process and will give those currently outside the fold of government a genuine opportunity to participate in the process of reconciliation as stakeholders through dialogue and debate.
The report has been careful to stress that the details of the modalities, if this framework is considered attractive, are to be worked out among the various groups in a spirit of give and take. The spirit of compromise itself will be enhanced if other self-confidence measures from all sides are also undertaken.
The role of the international community is also critical. The report calls upon ASEAN to be more fully engaged with Myanmar in the spirit of ?flexible engagement?, that is, as neighbors, they should be more proactively involved in finding a solution to the Myanmar question.
The ADS also believes that to prevent instability in an important corner of Asia, it is in the long-term interests of China, Japan and India to fully cooperate, especially with ASEAN and with one another, to promote policies that can contribute to the stability of Myanmar and Southeast Asia, and of Asia as a whole.
Finally, in offering this report to the leaders and people of the Union of Myanmar, the ADS is guided not by any sense of ?activism? but by their collective experience and their belief that Myanmar can and should contribute to the strengthening of ASEAN solidarity and stability."
15 December 2003
Source/publisher:
Asian Dialogue Society (ADS)
Date of publication:
2003-12-15
Date of entry/update:
2004-03-21
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations, The 7-Step Roadmap
Language:
English
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"In June, Thai Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan proposed the ?flexible engagement? policy saying that Asean members need to discuss existing problems more openly and frankly. Although the proposal did not receive a warm welcome at the Asean Summit in Manila, Burma?s democrats, including ordinary Burmese who listened to foreign broadcasts, quietly showed a keen interest and welcomed it.
The reason: few Burmese except the ruling junta known as the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) support Asean?s controversial and unpopular ?constructive engagement? policy.
Burma joined the regional club last year despite strong noisy protests in the West, and from human rights activists in the region and the opposition inside and outside of the country.
Since the brutal crackdown in 1988 and on-going human rights violations and repression in Burma, the military government had been shunned by democratic governments. The only club the sullen generals could join was Asean. To boost its image and to borrow legitimacy, the junta leaders realised Asean was the best choice..."
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy", Vol. 6, No. 4
Date of publication:
1998-07-31
Date of entry/update:
2003-06-03
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations
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English
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Editorial
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy", Vol. 5. No. 1
Date of publication:
1996-12-31
Date of entry/update:
2003-06-03
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
English
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