Librarian's Choice
အဓိကအကြောင်းအရာ
Description/subject:
"The Farmland Law and the VFV Law were approved by Parliament on March 30th, 2012. There have
been a few improvements compared to previous laws such as recognition of
non-rotational taungya as
a legitimate land-use and recognition that farmers are using VFV lands without formal recognition by
the Government. However overall the Laws lack clarity and provide
weak protection of the rights of
smallholder farmers in upland areas and do not explicitly state the equal rights
of women to register
and inherit land or be granted land-use rights for VFV land. The Laws
remain designed primarily to
foster promotion of large-scale agricultural investment and fail to provide adequate safeguards for the
majority of farmers who are smallholders. In particular tenure security for farmland remains weak due
to the Government retaining power to rescind farm
land use rights leaving smallholders vulnerable to
dispossession of their land-use rights. In addition there remains some unnecessary de-facto
government control over the
crop choices of farmers.
In particular it is recommended
that recognition of land-use rights under customary law and the
creation of mechanisms for communal registration of land-use rights,
be included in the Farmland and
VFV Laws. There needs to be a comprehensive process of re-classifying land in the country to reflect
land-use changes resulting from conversion of forests and VFV land into agricultural land, loss of
agricultural land due to development projects, urban expansion and population growth. This will serve
to reduce land conflict in the countryside and provide genuine tenure security for smallholders.
Furthermore the specific and independent rights of
women must be explicitly stated in the Laws.
Added to this the fundamental principle of free,
prior and informed consent should be enshrined,
especially in regard to
removal of land-use rights
in the national interest.
It is also necessary that the Government works in partnership with civil society and farmers
associations to revise the Farmland and VFV Laws..."
Robert B. Oberndorf, J. D.
Source/publisher:
Forest Trends, Food Security Working Group?s Land Core Group
Date of publication:
2012-10-31
Date of entry/update:
2013-07-01
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Laws, decrees, bills and regulations relating to land, property and planning (commentary), Law and policy on land in Burma/Myanmar
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
236.37 KB
more
Description/subject:
"...Transitions are never smooth, and it is likely that the situation on the ground in Myanmar will get
messier before it gets better, especially as we start to see winners and losers in the process. Economic
development will be uneven, investment will not be broad based, disputes over land rights will not
do all that it can to be a reliable partner to Myanmar as the country works to ensure that current
positive trends continue to 2015 and beyond..."
PRISCILLA CLAPP, Suzanne DiMaggio
Source/publisher:
Asia Society
Date of publication:
2013-06-24
Date of entry/update:
2013-07-01
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
USA-Burma relations
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
321.3 KB
more
Description/subject:
"...This report is structured as follows. First, the New Energy
Architecture methodology is outlined. In Step 1, the performance
of the country?s current energy architecture is assessed. Step
2 describes the setting of the objectives of the New Energy
Architecture. Step 3 outlines insights to support the development
of a New Energy Architecture, and highlights potential risks in
achieving this. Step 4 then discusses the need for leadership and
multistakeholder partnerships to support the implementation of a
New Energy Architecture in Myanmar..."
Source/publisher:
World Economic Forum, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Accenture
Date of publication:
2013-05-31
Date of entry/update:
2013-07-01
Type:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
4.21 MB
Local URL:
ADB-new-energy-architecture-mya-en-red.pdf
ADB-new-energy-architecture-mya-en-red.pdf more
Description/subject:
"The new wave of political reforms have set Myanmar on a road to
unprecedented economic expansion, but,
without
targeted policy
efforts and
regulation to
even the playing field, the benefits of new
investment will filter down to only a few,
leaving
small
-
scale farmers
?
the backbone of the Myanmar economy
?
unable
to benefit from
this growth...KEY RECOMMENDATIONS: If Myanmar is to meet its ambitions on equitable growth, political leaders must put new policies and regulation to generate equitable growth at the heart of their democratic reform agenda. Along with democratic reforms, and action to end human-rights abuses, these policies must: * Address power inequalities in the markets; * Put small-scale farmers at the center of new agricultural investments; * Close loopholes in law and practice that leave the poorest open to land-rights abuses..."
Source/publisher:
OXFAM
Date of publication:
2013-06-04
Date of entry/update:
2013-07-01
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Development in Myanmar - various texts, Rural development in Burma/Myanmar, Law and policy on land in Burma/Myanmar, Agricultural policy
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
265.75 KB
Local URL:
OXFAM-equitable-growth-myanmar-en-red.pdf
OXFAM-equitable-growth-myanmar-en-red.pdf more
Description/subject:
"...The proposed ideas of U Wirathu and his ?969? movement to boycott Muslim businesses and restricting
marriage of Buddhist women to men of Muslim faith are unconstitutional and ill-conceived.
It is a well-known fact that there is a widespread anxiety and anger in Buddhist communities. This
anxiety and anger drives the growing support for U Wirathu and his 969 movement. The threat
perception in regard to Islam and its impact on Myanmar?s society cannot be simply dismissed as
primordial hatred or psychologized as self-victimization as if it were a matter of a collective
psychological development disorder. To avoid a further escalation and overcome this crisis, it is
important to acknowledge the existence of anger and anxieties in Buddhist communities and to
understand the underlying economic, social, and cultural problems. Only when the root problems are
understood, can they be factored into sustainable, peaceful, and political solutions..."
Dr. Tun Kyaw Nyein & Dr. Susanne Prager Nyein
Source/publisher:
"Mizzima"
Date of publication:
2013-06-28
Date of entry/update:
2013-06-29
Type:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
204.32 KB
Local URL:
Prager&Tun-2013.pdf
Prager&Tun-2013.pdf more
Description/subject:
Public Service Media Bill -
(2013, Union Parliament Bill) -
1375 Year, Month Day
(2013 Year, Month Day) -
Preamble
"The Union Parliament enacts this law in order to promote political, economic and social interests of
the people as well as to transform the State-owned media into independent Public Service Media..."
Source/publisher:
Hluttaws
Date of publication:
2013-05-31
Date of entry/update:
2013-06-26
Type:
Individual Documents
Language:
Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
Format :
pdf
Size:
113.62 KB
Local URL:
2013-Public-service-media-bill-bu.pdf
2013-Public-service-media-bill-bu.pdf more
Source/publisher:
Article 19
Date of publication:
2013-06-26
Date of entry/update:
2013-06-26
Type:
Individual Documents
Language:
Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
Local URL:
more
Description/subject:
Public Service Media Bill
(2013, Union Parliament Bill) -
1375 Year, Month Day
(2013 Year, Month Day) -
Preamble:
"The Union Parliament enacts this law in order to promote political, economic and social interests of
the people as well as to transform the State-owned media into independent Public Service Media...".....See the Article 19 analysis of this bill in Laws, decrees, bills and regulations relating to opinion and expression (commentary)
Source/publisher:
Hluttaws via Article 19
Date of publication:
2013-05-31
Date of entry/update:
2013-06-26
Type:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
147.08 KB
Local URL:
2013-Public-service-media-bill-en.pdf
2013-Public-service-media-bill-en.pdf more
Description/subject:
"Establishing a genuine public service media is desperately needed in Myanmar to provide an
independent, impartial and balanced source of information, and to encourage pluralism.
Unfortunately, the proposed bill on public service media would if adopted continue state
control of the media and the disenfranchisement of ethnic minorities. ARTICLE 19 urges
parliament to make significant changes before adopting it..."
Source/publisher:
Article 19
Date of publication:
2013-06-26
Date of entry/update:
2013-06-26
Type:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
101.78 KB
more
Description/subject:
Chapters: Title and Definition...
Objectives...
Dawei Special Economic Zone...
Formation of the Management Committee of the Dawei Special Economic Zone and Functions and Duties thereof...
Special Privileges of Investor...
Specific Duties of Developer or Investor...
Land Use...
Banks and Finance Management and Insurance Business...
Management and Inspection of
Commodities by Customs
Department...Quarantine Inspection and Confinement so as not to spread Contagious Disease...
Matters relating to Labour...
Miscellaneous.
Source/publisher:
State Peace and Development Council (SPDC)
Date of publication:
2011-01-27
Date of entry/update:
2013-06-24
Type:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
1.03 MB
more
Description/subject:
" ZComunications is a massive site with many components. You can access various parts from here, via the links below, that include brief descriptions. In general, however, you will want to bookmark some part of the site, probably either ZNet or ZMag, and enter that part directly rather than via this introductory splash page. From any part, you can get to the rest.!..."
Source/publisher:
Z Communications
Date of entry/update:
2013-06-20
Type:
Websites/Multiple Documents
Category:
International Relations
Language:
English
Local URL:
more
Description/subject:
See the current material but also the Archive...The list of "What We?re Reading" (lower right-hand) has useful links to global issues.
Source/publisher:
TomDispatch
Date of entry/update:
2013-06-20
Type:
Websites/Multiple Documents
Category:
International Relations
Language:
English
Local URL:
more
Description/subject:
Comprehensive Union Peace & Ceasefire Agreement,
Burma/Myanmar, 8 April 2013 [made public, 20 June 2013)...
CONCEPT DRAFT 1:
Based on the:
-
Ceasefire Agreements between the Government and Ethnic Armed Groups (Nov. 2011-Dec. 2012)
-
Preliminary Framework Agreement (Dec. 2012),
-
Statement of Ethnic Nationalities 2012 Conference,
-
Consultations with EAG?s leadership (Jan – April 2013),
-
Statement from Civil Society Forum for Peace 2012.
Source/publisher:
Shan Herald Agency for News (S.H.A.N.)
Date of publication:
2013-06-20
Date of entry/update:
2013-06-20
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Peace processes, ceasefires and ceasefire talks (websites, documents, reports and studies)
Language:
English, Burmese/ မြန်မာဘာသာ
Format :
html pdf
Size:
37.96 KB 113.14 KB
more
Description/subject:
"After being shrouded in secrecy for months, it was disclosed at a recent meeting in Chiangmai that the long-awaited draft framework for the planned nationwide political dialogue had been presented to the Myanmar Peace Center (MPC) that serves as a technical advisory body for the government last month...
Included in the draft entitled ?Comprehensive National Peace and Ceasefire Agreement? are:
A 15-point common principles (including Panglong Agreement, non-secession and inclusivity)
* A 14-point nationwide ceasefire accord (including establishment of Military Code of Conduct, Joint Ceasefire Committee and liaison offices)
* A 6-point framework agreement for political dialogue (including setting up of a joint National Dialogue Steering Committee and holding of National Dialogue Conference)
* A 9-point transitional arrangement (including time frame, empowerment of vulnerable groups and land reform issues)...
* Scope of participation (900 participants from government, political parties and ethnic armed movements)
* A 9-point dialogue issues (including constitutional reforms, security reforms, land issues, drug eradication, IDP/refugee issues, language and cultural nights and media issues)
*Military Code of Conduct (as drafted by the Karen National Union).....[Link to the text of the agreement at the foot of the article]
Source/publisher:
Shan Herald Agency for News (S.H.A.N.)
Date of publication:
2013-06-20
Date of entry/update:
2013-06-20
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Peace processes, ceasefires and ceasefire talks (websites, documents, reports and studies)
Language:
English
Local URL:
more
Description/subject:
A useful portal...Project Overview...Research Reports...Policy Presentations...MDRI Background and Papers ...Data [not much there]...Links [useful set of links to individual articles and papers, web portals with onward links to information on Myanmar (Burma)and networks]
Source/publisher:
Michigan State University
Date of entry/update:
2013-06-20
Type:
Websites/Multiple Documents
Language:
English
Local URL:
more
Description/subject:
"The Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) released a report on drug problems in the Mon community, drawing on testimony from 140 individuals. The report aims to give a preliminary account of drug use and trading in Mon populations, exploring issues that range from the causes of rising youth drug use to the New Mon State Party?s (NMSP) recent anti-drugs campaign. HURFOM?s aim is to encourage a new focus on the issue, breaking a long-held silence to call for collaborative action from all relevant authorities...The report highlights that drugs are prevalent in Mon communities, and in particular are being abused by Mon youth. A man from Ye township is recorded as saying, ?It is easy to buy drugs. We can buy them at the betel nut shop for around 3,000 to 5,000 kyat per tablet. It is easy to get drugs if you have friends in Koemine or Hnin Sone villages, or in Ye Township.?
The report also explains how corruption amongst various authorities has both enabled the rise of drugs in the Mon community and prevented effective action on the issue. According to one 32-year-old community volunteer from Kamarwat village, Mudon Township, ?Most people want the drug problem to be dealt with. But who, or which organization, can make it stop when the military and authorities themselves are involved? Most of the people selling drugs are related to military forces, authorities and ceasefire groups.?..."
Source/publisher:
Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM)
Date of publication:
2013-06-19
Date of entry/update:
2013-06-18
Type:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
2.92 MB
Local URL:
Hurfom-Bitterpills-en.pdf
Hurfom-Bitterpills-en.pdf more
Description/subject:
"The media landscape in Burma is more open than ever, as President Thein Sein releases imprisoned journalists and abolishes the former censorship regime. But many threats and obstacles to truly unfettered reporting remain, including restrictive laws held over from the previous military regime. The wider government?s commitment to a more open reporting environment is in doubt. A CPJ special report by Shawn W. Crispin..."
Shawn W. Crispin
Source/publisher:
Committee to Protect Journalists
Date of publication:
2013-06-13
Date of entry/update:
2013-06-17
Type:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
3.7 MB
Local URL:
CPJ-burma2013-en.pdf
CPJ-burma2013-en.pdf more
Description/subject:
Bridging the HLP Gap -
The Need to Effectively Address Housing, Land and Property Rights
During Peace Negotiations and in the Context of Refugee/IDP Return:
Preliminary Recommendations to the Government of Myanmar,
Ethnic Actors and the International Community.....Executive Summary:
"Of the many challenging issues that will require resolution within the peace processes currently underway
between the government of Myanmar and various ethnic groups in the country, few will be as complex, sensitive
and yet vital than the issues comprising housing, land and property (HLP) rights. Viewed in terms of the rights of
the sizable internally displaced person (IDP) and refugee populations who will be affected by the eventual peace
agreements, and within the broader political reform process, HLP rights will need to form a key part of all of the
ongoing moves to secure a sustainable peace, and be a key ingredient within all activities dedicated to ending
displacement in Myanmar today.
The Government Myanmar (including the military) and its various ethnic negotiating partners – just as with all
countries that have undergone deep political transition in recent decades, including those emerging from lengthy
conflicts – need to fully appreciate and comprehend the nature and scale of the HLP issues that have emerged
in past decades, how these have affected and continue to affect the rights and perspectives of justice of those
concerned, and the measures that will be required to remedy HLP concerns in a fair and equitable manner that
strengthens the foundations for permanent peace. Resolving forced displacement and the arbitrary acquisition
and occupation of land, addressing the HLP and other human rights of returning refugees and IDPs in areas of
return, ensuring livelihood and other economic opportunities and a range of other measures will be required if
return is be sustainable and imbued with a sense of justice.
There is an acute awareness among all of those involved in the ongoing peace processes of the centrality of
HLP issues within the context of sustainable peace, however, all too little progress has thus far been made to
address these issues in any detail, nor have practical plans commenced to resolve ongoing displacement of either
refugees or IDPs. Indeed, the negotiating positions of both sides on key HLP issues differ sharply and will need
to be bridged; many difficult decisions remain to be made..."
Scott Leckie
Source/publisher:
Displacement Solutions
Date of publication:
2013-06-02
Date of entry/update:
2013-06-17
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Law and policy on land in Burma/Myanmar, Proposed return of Burmese asylum-seekers from Thailand to Burma, Dialogue/reform/transition in Burma/Myanmar - analyses and statements, Laws, decrees, bills and regulations relating to land, property and planning (commentary)
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
1.6 MB
Local URL:
DS-Bridging_The_HLP_Gap-en.pdf
DS-Bridging_The_HLP_Gap-en.pdf more
Description/subject:
"The Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project (hereafter ?Kaladan Project”) will see
the construction of a combined inland waterway and highway transportation system
connecting Mizoram State in Northeast India with a Bay of Bengal deepsea port at Sitetway,
Arakan State in Western Burma. The Indian government is entirely financing the
Kaladan Project, and these funds are officially classified as development aid to Burma.
Once completed, the infrastructure will belong to the Burma government, but the project
is unquestionably designed to achieve India?s economic and geostrategic interests. The
Kaladan Project - conceived in 2003, formalized in 2008 and slated for completion in 2015 - is
a cornerstone of India?s ?Look East Policy” aimed at expanding Indian economic and
political influence in Southeast and East Asia. The Kaladan Project is being developed in
Arakan and Chin States - Burma?s least-developed and most poverty-prone states - where
improved infrastructure is badly needed. Yet it remains an open question whether the
Kaladan Project will be implemented in a way that ensures the people living along the
project route are the main beneficiaries of this large-scale infrastructure development.
This report from the Kaladan Movement provides an update on the progress of the Kaladan
Project; assesses the potential Project-related benefi ts and negative impacts for people
living in the project area; provides an overview of the current on-the-ground impacts,
focusing on the hopes and concerns of the local people; and makes a series of
recommendations to the Burma and India governments......."Part 1: Introduction to the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project;
1.1 Specifications of the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project;
1.2 Context of the Kaladan Project: India-Burma relations;
1.3 Economies of Mizoram, Arakan, and Chin States;
1.4 The natural environment in the Kaladan Project area...
Part 2: Potential Impacts of the Kaladan Project:
2.1 Potential beneficial impacts of the Kaladan Project;
2.2 Potential negative impacts of the Kaladan project...
Part 3: Current Impacts of the Kaladan Project:
3.1 Lack of consultation;
3.2 Lack of information provided to the community and
lack of government transparency;
3.3 Lack of comprehensive and public Environmental,
Health and Social Impact Assessments;
3.4 Labour discrimination;
3.5 Land confi scation and forced eviction;
3.6 Destruction of local cultural heritage;
3.7 Riverine ecological destruction from aggregate mining
and dredging.....
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/102872850/KM_Report_Eng.pdf
Source/publisher:
Kaladan Movement
Date of publication:
2013-06-11
Date of entry/update:
2013-06-12
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
India-Burma relations
Language:
English (main text); Burmese (press release)
Format :
pdf pdf
Size:
188.59 KB 125.39 KB
more
Description/subject:
"On 30 May 2013, the Kachin Independence
Organisation (KIO) signed a tentative
peace agreement with the Myanmar government – the last of the eleven major ethnic armed groups to do so since 2011. This
represents a major opportunity to secure
lasting peace in Kachin State, and in the co
untry as a whole. Yet, there will be significant challenges in doing so. Key issues still need to be discussed and agreed, including
the repositioning of troops from both sides to reduce the chance of clashes, a monitoring mechanism, and a meaningful political dialogue. Major steps need to be taken
to develop an equitable peace economy, and the exploitation of Kachin?s significant
natural resources, if not appropriately re
gulated, could compound inequalities and
trigger renewed conflict. Much remains to be done to avoid a repeat of the failures of
the previous ceasefire process..."
Source/publisher:
International Crisis Group (ICG) Asia Briefing N?140
Date of publication:
2013-06-12
Date of entry/update:
2013-06-12
Type:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
299.42 KB
more
Description/subject:
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: "The Burmese government?s renewed war against the Kachin has exponentially increased the risk
of human trafficking along the China-Burma border. New documentation by KWAT indicates that large-scale
displacement, lack of refugee protection and shortages of humanitarian aid have become significant new push
factors fuelling the trafficking problem.
Burma Army offensives against the Kachin Independence Army since June 2011 and widespread human rights
abuses have driven over 100,000 villagers from their homes, mainly in eastern Kachin State. The majority of
these refugees have fled to crowded IDP camps along the China border, which receive virtually no international
aid. Desperate to earn an income, but with little or no legal option to pursue migrant work in China, many cross
the border illegally. Their lack of legal status renders them extremely vulnerable to exploitation by traffickers,
who use well-trodden routes to transport and sell people into bonded labor or forced marriage as far as eastern
provinces of China.
Although ongoing attacks and massive social upheaval since the start of the conflict have hampered systematic
data collection, KWAT has documented 24 trafficking cases from Kachin border areas since June 2011, mostly
involving young women and girls displaced by the war, who have been tricked, drugged, raped, and sold to
Chinese men or families as brides or bonded laborers. The sale of women and children is a lucrative source
of income for traffickers, who can make as much as 40,000 Yuan (approximately $6,500 USD) per person.
While some manage to escape, and may be assisted by Chinese authorities in returning home, others disappear
without a trace.
Kachin authorities and community-based groups have played a key role in providing help with trafficking
cases, and assisting women to be reunited with their families. No trafficked women or their families sought
help from Burmese authorities. The Burmese government lists an anti-trafficking border liaison office at Loije
on the Kachin-China border, but it is unknown to the community and thought to be non-functional.
Far from seeking to provide protection to the internally displaced persons (IDPs) and mitigate trafficking risks,
the Burmese government has continued to fuel the war, block humanitarian aid to IDPs in Kachin controlled
areas, and even attack and destroy IDP camps, driving refugees into China. It has also closed some of the
immigration offices on the Kachin-China border which could provide border passes for refugees to legally seek
work in China.
It is thus ironic that in 2012, Burma was recognized in the U.S. State Department?s Annual Trafficking in
Persons Report as increasing its efforts in combating human trafficking, resulting in a rise from its bottomlevel
ranking for the first time in the history of the report, and a corresponding increase in financial support to
Burma?s quasi-civilian government.
It is urgently needed to address the structural problems that have led to mass migration and trafficking in the
past and also spurred the recent conflict. The Burmese military?s gross mismanagement of resource revenues
from Kachin State over the past few decades, and ongoing land confiscation, forced relocation, and human
rights abuses, have pushed countless Kachin civilians across the Chinese border in search of peace and the
fulfillment of basic needs. These problems led to the breakdown of the 17-year ceasefire between the Kachin
Independence Army (KIA) and the military-dominated government in 2011. Refusing to engage in dialogue
to address Kachin demands for equality and equitable development, the government launched attacks to seize
total control over the wealth of resources in Kachin State.
Resolving the current conflict via genuine political dialogue would not only be a step towards peace, but
also a concrete move towards curbing human trafficking from Kachin areas. Launching a range of reforms
dealing with the political and economic factors driving people beyond Burma?s borders is critical to addressing
trafficking. Therefore, KWAT recommends the following:..."
Source/publisher:
Kachin Women?s Association Thailand (KWAT)
Date of publication:
2013-06-05
Date of entry/update:
2013-06-05
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Trafficking: Burma-specific material, Articles, reports and sites relating to women of Burma, Discrimination/violence against women: reports of violations in Kachin State, Kachin (economic, social, cultural, political), Armed conflict in Kachin State - displacement and the humanitarian situation
Language:
English
Format :
pdf pdf
Size:
1.05 MB 40.33 KB
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Description/subject:
The Republic of the Union of Myanmar
Ministry of Labour...
The Labour Organization Rules -
Notification No. 1/2012...
The 8th Waxing Day of Tabaung 1373 M.E.,
(29 February 2012).....
The Ministry of Labour, in exercising the powers conferred under section 57 of the Labour
Organization Law, hereby issues the following rules with the approval of the Union Government
Source/publisher:
Myanmar Ministry of Labour
Date of publication:
2012-02-29
Date of entry/update:
2013-06-03
Type:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
108.7 KB
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Description/subject:
Abstract:
"This thesis investigates the themes and society of displaced Karen identity on the border
between Burma and Thailand. The impact of the authoritarian military rule in Burma
cannot be underestimated. The government exercises tremendous power to shape the
social and economic environment. They determine whether a civil-society is prosperous
and functions in an appropriate manner. Governments are also responsible for societal
support and protection of all its populace. The population of Burma is essentially isolated
from the global society through regime censorship and restrictions. The inter-linking spiral
of humanitarian emergencies and continued to escalate, these include refugee, internally
displaced people, the spread of preventable diseases and the illicit narcotic production.
Recently, the Western governments had solidified their position towards the military junta
resulting in a stalemate of diplomatic interaction, with ultimately the people of Burma
being the victims of such actions. Current realities in the global sphere present the
powerful Western Nations an opportunity for a change in perspective. US policy
recommendations include a greater dialogue with the junta and the outcome of the election
is seen as crucial to fostering better relation. It is imperative that long-essential reforms are
undertaken if Burma if is to achieve lasting peace.
The international community must develop coherent and focused policies towards Burma
and make conflict resolution a priority. Humanitarian aid and displaced refugee support
will play a vital role, and in the 21st Century regional dimensions must be addressed. The
challenges of nation-state building must be made in conjunction with political,
humanitarian, and economic issues."
Source/publisher:
University of Manchester (thesis submitted in 2010)
Date of publication:
2009-11-30
Date of entry/update:
2013-06-03
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Karen National Union (KNU), Karen history, Armed conflict in Karen State - general articles and reports
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
373.65 KB
more
Description/subject:
"Key Conclusions:
Three interconnected and difficult issues need attention for the country to move forward—citizenship for the Rohingya; building capacity in the police to prevent violence against Muslims; and re-envisioning the country as one that is multi-ethnic, multilingual, and multi-religious.
The transition from authoritarian rule to democracy could take decades. Key waypoints are the 2015 elections, implementing constitutional reforms, and the achievement of true civilian leadership.
The US should engage on a broad range of issues and stop using sanctions as a diplomatic tool. An enduring partnership would involve sustained support for the transition across the spectrum of political interests, and transitional development assistance would expand to include programs for education, health, and the media..."
Jim Della-Giacoma
Source/publisher:
International Crisis Group (ICG)
Date of publication:
2013-05-21
Date of entry/update:
2013-06-02
Type:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
Local URL:
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Description/subject:
"A quiet, modulated dance is being played out in Myanmar. It is not a waltz, with its rhythmical, proper movements, and only on the surface are events in Myanmar equally decorous. If China and the United States are the dancers, then Myanmar is the master of ceremonies. Underlying this proper facade rivalries are apparent. When and how the music will stop is unclear.
The US explicitly has ??pivoted?? toward Asia, and more specifically Southeast Asia. It has in a sense returned after years of inattention. This policy has several elements: some enhanced naval capacity in the region, a couple of thousand marines in
China counter-pivots on Myanmar
By David I Steinberg
WASHINGTON - A quiet, modulated dance is being played out in Myanmar. It is not a waltz, with its rhythmical, proper movements, and only on the surface are events in Myanmar equally decorous. If China and the United States are the dancers, then Myanmar is the master of ceremonies. Underlying this proper facade rivalries are apparent. When and how the music will stop is unclear.
The US explicitly has ??pivoted?? toward Asia, and more specifically Southeast Asia. It has in a sense returned after years of inattention. This policy has several elements: some enhanced naval capacity in the region, a couple of thousand marines in
Australia, increased positive involvement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and allies in the Philippines and Thailand as well as near-ally Singapore, and concerns over Chinese claims of sovereignty of the South China Sea.
But in this equation, China regards with suspicion the US?s changed, positive policy toward Myanmar, also known as Burma. Chinese concerns are evident. This, they claim, is the second US containment policy of China. The first was during the Cold War, but this second is in some sense more urgent. China during the Cold War was struck by the internally destructive forces of the Cultural Revolution. It tried to project Maoist thought through its embassies overseas, but this was internal political rhetoric, not external reality..."
David I Steinberg
Source/publisher:
"Asia Times Online"
Date of publication:
2013-03-18
Date of entry/update:
2013-05-31
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
China-Burma-US relations
Language:
English
Local URL:
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Description/subject:
CONCLUSION:
"As the Obama administration is keen to support Thein Sein?s dual project of political reconciliation and
economic reforms, with China?s rise clearly in mind, the geopolitical competition over Myanmar between
Washington and Beijing is set to intensify. The present US role in Myanmar?s political and economic reforms
will in all likelihood lead in the future to a greatly expanded presence in the country. By comparison, China?s
often much exaggerated political hold over Naypyidaw has taken a knock with US-Myanmar rapprochement.
Its significant economic presence in Myanmar will continue, however. Significantly, far from pulling back, the
Chinese leadership also seems eager to continue to boost the bilateral relationship with Naypyidaw, which
will probably prompt more rounds of competition for greater influence between Beijing and Washington
concerning Myanmar.
By normalising relations with Washington, Naypyidaw will have gone some way to restoring the balance
historically favoured in Myanmar?s external relations. To progress with its domestic reform agenda, the Thein
Sein government seems committed both to warmer relations with Washington as well as pursuing the
comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership it agreed with China. However, evidence suggests that the
Thein Sein government knows it will need to carefully manage the attention and interest from both Beijing
and Washington.
Finally, one should not assume that developments in Myanmar over the next three years will necessarily
amount to an entirely smooth political transition. So far the NLD has been the major beneficiary in party
political terms from the present process of reconciliation long urged by Washington. With the political future
of representatives and officials of the previous regime possibly in doubt, there is at least the question over
how much internal pressure the President will yet face and be able to resist regarding a possible recalibration
of the current political course and concessions in the name of national reconciliation. In turn, the resulting
decisions of this process are likely to affect Nypyidaw?s relationship with Washington and Beijing."
Jürgen Haacke
Source/publisher:
London School of Economics (LSE)
Date of publication:
2012-10-31
Date of entry/update:
2013-05-31
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
China-Burma-US relations
Language:
English
Local URL:
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Description/subject:
"Southeast Asian states risk becoming pawns in a geopolitical clash between two extra-regional superpowers. This report analyses how the states in the region are responding to the challenge posed by the strategic interests of the US and China in their geography and economy.
If the Southeast Asian states are to take advantage of the opportunities presented by China?s rise and the United States? pivot, they must stand together in the geopolitical contest currently taking place in the region. However, this is not an easy task: regional states are caught in what game theory would view as a classic ?prisoners? dilemma? that will require a deep degree of trust to escape.".....
Executive Summary,
Nicholas Kitchen, Editor, IDEAS Reports...
The Clash:
Indispensable Nation? The United States in Southeast Asia
Michael Cox...
China and Southeast Asia,
Odd Arne Westad ...
Southeast Asia between China and the United States,
Munir Majid...
The Theatre of Competition:
Indochina (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos) .
Ang Cheng Guan...
Indonesia,
Rizal Sukma...
Malaysia,
Johan Saravanamuttu...
Myanmar,
J?rgen Haacke...
The Philippines,
Emmanuel Yujuico...
Singapore,
Robyn Klingler Vidra...
Thailand,
Thitinan Pongsudhirak...
Conclusion: The Regional Dynamic Forging a Regional Response,
Munir Majid.
Source/publisher:
London School of Economics (LSE)
Date of publication:
2012-10-31
Date of entry/update:
2013-05-31
Type:
Websites/Multiple Documents
Language:
English
Local URL:
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Description/subject:
"...A new reality is emerging amid all the hype about Myanmar?s democratization process and moves to liberalize its political landscape. Myanmar?s drift away from a tight relationship with China towards closer links with the West is signaling the emergence of a new focal point of confrontation in Asia, one where the interests of Washington and Beijing are beginning to collide.
Rather than being on a path to democracy, Myanmar may find itself instead in the middle of a dangerous and potentially volatile superpower rivalry. That means the traditionally powerful military may not be in the mood to give up its dominant role in politics and society any time soon.
According to sources in Washington, US President Barack Obama?s administration has made Myanmar one of its top foreign policy priorities. Trade and other exchanges are being encouraged, and, on April 25, acting US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Joseph Yun told Congress the administration is even "looking at ways to support nascent military engagement" with Myanmar as a way of encouraging "further political reforms"..."
Bertil Lintner
Source/publisher:
"Asia Times Online"
Date of publication:
2013-05-02
Date of entry/update:
2013-05-30
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
China-Burma-US relations
Language:
English
Local URL:
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Description/subject:
"...America bids to remove Myanmar from China?s sphere of influence and intervenes in the Spratly Islands dispute.
Whilst not totally out of the blue, the visit to Myanmar by Hillary Clinton, the United States Secretary of State, in November 2011, came as a surprise to many Chinese leaders. Notwithstanding the quasi-democratic election of Myanmar?s new president, Thein
Sein, supported by the military junta, the country had in fact failed to make much headway on humanitarian issues.
The dissident Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi was still under house arrest and a true democratic system, which for 20 years had been the official reason for American hostility towards Myanmar, had not yet been implemented. So why did the United States rush to support a junta which for decades it had heavily berated?
In 1972, with Richard Nixon?s Beijing visit, the Chinese had had first-hand experience of such political gyrations. In that period, the Americans had rehabilitated China in order to isolate Vietnam and at the same time strike a formidable blow against the Soviet Union, which would find itself with one more declared adversary on its southern border, and, what is more, an adversary supported by the United States.
Just as in the 1970s when the United States used China to isolate the USSR, now they were going to play the Myanmar card in order to complete the encirclement of China. This was the logical conclusion that the Chinese leaders came to in light of their past political experience.
In reality, this paradigm change was not totally unexpected. At the beginning of his presidency, in 2009, in his dealings with the Chinese, Barack Obama had gone out on a limb, quietly downplaying human rights issues and even offering to sell them sensitive technology..."
Francesco Sisci
Source/publisher:
"Asia Times Online"
Date of publication:
2012-09-12
Date of entry/update:
2013-05-30
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
China-Burma-US relations
Language:
English
Local URL:
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Description/subject:
This is the last in a series of supplements to the fourth edition of The Electrical Industry of Burma/Myanmar which
was published in April 2012. Since that time, eleven supplements have been issued. This issue covers articles
published in March and April 2013 along with a couple of items of special interest published at the beginning of May.
The compendium itself includes approximately 350 cross-linked articles which cover many aspects of the industry
including the development of the hydro and thermal power resources of the country, the increasing intervention of
foreign and national companies in this economic sector, the production of electrical and electronic goods,
government plans and regulation of the industry, the development of the national power grid and alternative and
sources of electricity, among others The fourth edition of the compendium can be accessed using the following
URL: http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs2/ELEC-Burma-4th-edition.pdf.
Previous supplements for April 2012 through to February 2013, as well as the Compendium itself are available in the
Infrastructure section under ?Economy? in the Main Library archive of the Online Burma Library. Check for
Electrical Power: Production and Use.
Source/publisher:
Courier Research Associates
Date of publication:
2013-05-28
Date of entry/update:
2013-05-28
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
General articles and reports
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
169.23 KB
Local URL:
Elec-Sup-2013-03-04-red.pdf
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Description/subject:
Lots of stuff
Source/publisher:
United Nations
Date of entry/update:
2013-05-28
Type:
Websites/Multiple Documents
Category:
UN System - general information
Language:
English
Local URL:
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Description/subject:
Written statement
submitted to the 23rd session of the UN Human Rights Council by the Asian Legal Resource
Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organization in general
consultative status:
"1. Following the communal violence that wracked the
western parts of Myanmar near
the border of Bangladesh in 2012, the country?s pre
sident established a commission of
inquiry comprising of retired public servants, reli
gious figures, politicians, academics and
members of civil society. The commission handed dow
n its findings on 22 April 2013.
Despite high expectations, the 119-page report is g
ravely flawed. Although it contains a
few useful recommendations and observations, to whi
ch the Special Rapporteur on human
rights in Myanmar alluded in a press release of 1 M
ay 2013, the commission?s positive
contributions are outweighed by a range of omission
s and misrepresentations and by an us-
versus-them mentality that pervades the document..."
Source/publisher:
Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) via Human Rights Council (A /HRC/23/NGO/41)
Date of publication:
2013-05-17
Date of entry/update:
2013-05-28
Type:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
78.7 KB
Local URL:
HRC2013-23-NGO-10-red.pdf
HRC2013-23-NGO-10-red.pdf more
Description/subject:
"This report looks at the impact of ongoing reforms on the human rights situation in Myanmar, assessing positive developments, shortcomings, areas that remain unaddressed and gaps in implementation"
Tomás Ojea Quintana
Source/publisher:
United Nations Human Rights Council - 22nd Session (A /HRC/22/58)
Date of publication:
2013-04-17
Date of entry/update:
2013-05-27
Type:
Individual Documents
Language:
Chinese
Format :
pdf
Size:
925.45 KB
Local URL:
HRC22-SRM-rep-cn-red.pdf
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Description/subject:
"Anti-Muslim violence
swept through central
Burma in spring 2013,
reportedly sparked by
an argument at a gold
shop and the killing of a
Buddhist monk in the town of Meiktila
in Burma?s Mandalay Division, on
March 20, 2013.
During the next three
days, attacks spread to neighboring
townships, as armed groups of men
from the majority Buddhist population
reportedly set fire to more than 1,500
homes,
destroyed more than
a dozen
mosques and three madrassas, and
killed more than 100 people
among
the minority Muslim population.
Investigators with Physicians for Human
Rights (PHR) dispatched to the region
immediately following these events
interviewed survivors of a massacre of
students and teachers in Meiktila on
the morning of March 21. PHR investigators returned to the region in late
April to conduct additional in-depth
interviews and corroborate testimony
from survivors, eyewitnesses, and fami-
ly members of those killed. For their security, the names and identifying details
of many of these informants have been
changed or withheld.
This report includes the most detailed
narrative to date of the attack on
Muslim students, teachers, and neighborhood residents in the Mingalar
Zayyone quarter of Meiktila, as compiled from interviews with 33 key informants, including 14 eyewitnesses. The
accounts include testimony that local
police stood by and watched while
hundreds of people went on a rampage
of violence and destruction, including
the killing of unarmed Muslims, and
that some Buddhist monks incited and
even participated in the attacks.
The anti-Muslim violence in Meiktila
provoked an international outcry, and
local prosecutors initiated proceedings.
Three Muslims were quickly convicted
of theft and assault in April in connection with the dispute at the gold shop,
and six Muslim men were arrested in
May on charges related to the killing
of a Buddhist monk in Meiktila. As of
mid-May, however, no one else had reportedly been charged or convicted for
assault, murder, or arson in a massacre
that left dozens of people dead, thousands displaced, and many of Meiktila?s
Muslim homes, mosques, schools, and
businesses destroyed.
At a time when the United States and
European Union have been lifting sanctions against Burma and strengthening
economic ties, PHR hopes this report
will refocus attention on a horrific
example of religious violence that has
become far too common in Burma in
the past several years, as PHR has documented. Unless more of that country?s
political and religious leaders firmly denounce such attacks and take concrete
steps to hold perpetrators accountable
and promote reconciliation, Burma?s
recent slow progress toward greater
freedom, openness, and peace could
be derailed"
Richard Sollom, Holly Atkinson
Source/publisher:
Physicians for Human Rights
Date of publication:
2013-05-20
Date of entry/update:
2013-05-27
Type:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
909.97 KB
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Description/subject:
Useful collection of texts in English and Burmese of laws and rules relating to investment in Burma/Myanmar, plus discussion (English):-
Burmese Texts of Foreign Investment Legislation:
Burmese text of the Foreign Investment Law of 3 November 2012...
Burmese text of FIL Notification 1/2013 of 31 January 2013 - Permitted Activities...
Burmese text of FIL Notification 11/2013 of 31 January 2013 - FIL Rules .....
Official and Unofficial English Translations of these Texts:
Official English translation of the Foreign Investment Law of 3 November 2012...
Independent English translation of the Foreign Investment Law of 3 November 2012...
English translation of FIL Notification 1/2013 of 31 January 2013 - Permitted Activities...
English translation of FIL Notification 11/2013 of 31 January 2013 - FIL Rules.....
Investment and Tax Guides to Business and Investment:
Analysis in English of FIL Notification 11/2013 of 31 January 2013 - FIL Rules...
Myanmar: Foreign Investment Rules in practice - Clifford Chance March 2013...
Myanmar Investment Guide - Herbert Smith Freehills, February 2013...
Tax Pocket Guide to Investment in Myanmar - DFDL 2013 Edition...
Myanmar Business Guide - PricewaterhouseCoopers August 2012.....
Two Historical References:
Text of Special Economic Zone Law of 27 January 2011 (under revision)...
Text of Foreign Investment Law of 30 November 1988...
Burma responsible investment reporting requirements
State Department Media Note - 23 May 2013...
Source/publisher:
GRUM, Network Myanmar
Date of entry/update:
2013-05-26
Type:
Websites/Multiple Documents
Language:
English, Burmese/ မြန်မာဘာသာ
Local URL:
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Description/subject:
"In January 2013, the Burmese government announced plans to liberalize the country?s
telecommunications sector and invited bids for two nationwide telecommunications
licenses. Successful bidders will be allowed to provide a range of services, including mobile
and Internet services. The Burmese government has promised to significantly reduce the
cost of mobile phones and has set an ambitious goal of 50 percent mobile penetration by
2016, a remarkable increase from current penetration estimated at 5-10 percent.
Human Rights Watch has long believed that Internet and mobile technologies have an
enormous potential to advance human rights. Developing Burma?s information and
communications technology (ICT) and telecommunications sectors could enhance
economic growth and civic participation in a country that has been closed for decades.
Email, social media, and cell phones have become essential tools for journalists, human
rights defenders, and civil society groups worldwide because these technologies support
instant communication, access to information, and effective organization on the ground.
However, these benefits may be jeopardized unless governments and corporations
safeguard the ability of people to use new technologies freely and without fear of reprisal.
Improved telecommunications networks can become powerful tools for censorship and
illegal surveillance, absent protections for human rights and other critical measures.
Yet Burma?s democratic reforms remain incomplete and the government and its security
forces continue to commit serious human rights violations. Companies entering Burma face a significant risk of contributing to abuses, particularly in sectors, such as
telecommunications and the Internet, that have been linked with past abuses and where
rights-based reforms to date have been inadequate. Opening up these sectors to
international investment raises the risk that the government may seek to involve
technology companies in illegal surveillance, censorship, and other abuses.
In this report, Human Rights Watch has outlined several steps necessary to promote
adequate human rights protections for Internet and mobile phone users in Burma, and the
actions needed to foster responsible investment in Burma?s telecommunications and
Internet sectors. Telecommunications and ICT companies should not move forward in
Burma until such measures are in place, in view of the human rights risks. The analysis
and recommendations contained in this report are based on research conducted from
February to April 2013. The report?s analysis focuses on laws most relevant to Burma?s
telecommunications and ICT sectors, and does not provide a comprehensive treatment of
Burma?s laws, legal system or constitution...To respect the rights of the people of Burma, international telecommunications and ICT
companies should take meaningful steps at the outset to assess the human rights impact
and address any harm that may result from their operations. They should conduct what is
often referred to as ?human rights due diligence? and adopt robust safeguards to prevent
and address abuses, including with respect to the rights to freedom of expression, access
to information, and privacy..."
Source/publisher:
Human Rights Watch
Date of publication:
2013-05-19
Date of entry/update:
2013-05-23
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Media - control of media in Burma, Business and Human Rights (Burma/Myanmar-related), Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
294.78 KB
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Source/publisher:
Pyidaungsu Hluttaw
Date of publication:
2011-12-02
Date of entry/update:
2013-05-18
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Laws, decrees, bills and regulations relating to association and assembly (texts), Pyidaungsu Hluttaw: Laws and bylaws/rules/regulations proposed (bills) and/or adopted in 2011, Burma/Myanmar laws which have been used in political cases and are in need of amendment (texts), Burma/Myanmar laws, decrees and regulations (Pyidaungsu Hluttaw), 2011
Language:
English (unofficial translation?)
Format :
pdf
Size:
68.78 KB
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Description/subject:
"...1. These By-Laws shall be cited as the Regulations relating to the Right to Peaceful Assembly
and Peaceful Procession
2. The Terms mentioned in these By-Laws must follow the same definitions as in the Right to
Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession Act and the terms mentioned below must be
defined as follows:
(a) The term Act refers to the Right to Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession Act..."
Source/publisher:
Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, Ministry of Home Affairs (Order No. 364/2012)
Date of publication:
2012-07-05
Date of entry/update:
2013-05-18
Type:
Individual Documents
Language:
English (unofficial translation)
Format :
pdf
Size:
84 KB
Local URL:
2012-Peaceful-procession_regulations-en.pdf
2012-Peaceful-procession_regulations-en.pdf more
Description/subject:
Adopted 31 August 2012. ...This English version is called a draft, but it is quite possible that this is in fact the version as adopted.
Source/publisher:
Ministry of Labour (English). "The Mirror" ("Kyemon") Sunday 2 September 2012 (Burmese)
Date of publication:
2012-08-31
Date of entry/update:
2013-05-17
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Pyidaungsu Hluttaw: Laws and bylaws/rules/regulations proposed (bills) and/or adopted in 2012, Laws, decrees, bills and regulations relating to poverty reduction and social wellbeing (texts), Burma/Myanmar laws, decrees and regulations (Pyidaungsu Hluttaw), 2012
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
165.64 KB
Local URL:
2012-Social_Security_Bill-ocr-en.pdf
2012-Social_Security_Bill-ocr-en.pdf more
Description/subject:
More than 100 full-text studies from 1971 on legal issues related, directly or indirectly, to the environment. Most in English; some also in French and Spanish.
Source/publisher:
Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)
Date of entry/update:
2013-05-17
Type:
Websites/Multiple Documents
Language:
English, French, Spanish
Local URL:
more