The Associated Press Published: July 24, 2008
SINGAPORE: The United States blasted the Myanmar junta's oft-repeated promise to democratize as a "kind of mockery" Thursday, while Asia-Pacific countries urged the generals to take bolder steps to meet international demands.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice delivered a stinging rebuke to Myanmar, also known as Burma, before attending a security conference hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. ဆက္ဖတ္ရန္ အၿပည္႔အစံု ကို Click ႏွိပ္ပါ။
Myanmar is a member of the 10-nation ASEAN, whose foreign ministers meet every year with counterparts from 17 Asia-Pacific countries for the ASEAN Regional Forum.
In comments to reporters before the meeting, Rice noted the ASEAN charter aspires to the rule of law, human rights and the development of more pluralistic political systems.
"Burma is out of step, badly out of step," she said.
The foreign ministers attending the forum were to express their exasperation over the junta's unfulfilled promise to reform under a "roadmap to democracy" and free Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
Myanmar should "take bolder steps toward a peaceful transition to democracy in the near future," the ministers said in statement, a final draft of which was obtained by The Associated Press.
The statement also urged the ruling generals to ensure general elections in 2010 are free and fair.
Rice renewed criticism of Myanmar for initially refusing international help in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis in May, when several countries including the United States were "sitting literally offshore" with ships loaded with aid.
"When you have a situation (with) the junta refusing to let people in need be helped, you wonder how can the international community stand by and allow that to happen," she said.
She praised ASEAN for persuading Myanmar to accept help eventually.
ASEAN should find a way to move the country toward political reforms that would "make something of what is right now a kind of mockery, which is this roadmap to democracy which is going nowhere," she said.
ASEAN, which has been taken to task for not doing enough to pressure Myanmar's junta, held back its criticism after Nargis struck, fearing it would complicate efforts to convince the ruling generals to allow the entry of outside aid.
ASEAN consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
The junta in Myanmar came to power in 1988 after crushing a pro-democracy movement. It called elections in 1990 but refused to honor the results when Suu Kyi's party won overwhelmingly.
Friday, July 25, 2008
US calls Myanmar's promise of democracy a 'mockery'; Asia-Pacific nations flay junta
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Pitt, Clooney and Damon Push for Cyclone Aid
They're known for their love of pranks and practical jokes, but good friends Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Matt Damon have come together for something far more serious.The Ocean's 11 stars – all past or present winners of PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive title – helped launch an advertising campaign aimed at getting more aid into Myanmar, whose ruling regime has made access to the country difficult for aid agencies and relief workers in the wake of last month's cyclone Nargis. ဆက္ဖတ္ရန္ အၿပည္႔အစံု ကို Click ႏွိပ္ပါ။
The ad campaign is sponsored by the activist group Not On Our Watch, headed up by Pitt, Clooney, Damon and other Hollywood heavy-hitters. On Wednesday, the group bought a full page in the Indonesian English-language newspaper, the Jakarta Post, reports the Agence France-Presse.
"Burma's neighbors have the power to help victims who remain desperately in need," reads the ad, which was signed by the likes of former Philippine president Corazon Aquino, East Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel peace laureate Shirin Ebadi and former Czech president Vaclav Havel.
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Sunday, June 15, 2008
Rights urged for Myanmar migrants
Pressure is mounting on Thailand to give greater protection to illegal migrant workers from Myanmar.
Human rights groups say they make up around 75 per cent of foreign workers in Thailand, and that number is expected to rise in the wake of Cyclone Nargis.
Illegal immigrants from Myanmar account for three-quarters of Thailand's foreign workers [Al Jazeera]
The Thai government has just introduced a new anti-trafficking law that recognises labour exploitation for the first time.
But campaigners fear that the new regulations may not be enough, and that more needs to be done to help give migrant workers basic rights.
The workers do a range of jobs in Thailand, including manning many of the fishing trawlers that work out of Bangkok harbour.
Verbal contract
Like many others from Myanmar the fishermen have no employment rights, no protection and no contract.
All of them work under a loose, verbal agreement under which their employers will pay them up to 6,000 baht ($170) at the end of the working month.
"The owners of the fishing boats shout at us and intimidate us when we are unloading the fish and it makes it difficult to work," Myo Chit, a Myanmarese fisherman told Al Jazeera.
According to Labour Rights Organisations, the fishermen are forced to work more than 12 hours per day, seven days per week.
Often they do not get paid, but despite that they are propping up Thailand's fishing industry, which is worth one billion dollars a year.
However the workers say they are prepared to put up with the low pay because they fear returning home to Myanmar to live under the oppressive military regime there.
No protection
Thit lost her arm in an accident but has littlehope of getting compensation [Al Jazeera]
For many though, life in Thailand is little better; many arrive via sophisticated human trafficking cartels without any documentation.
The Thai government considers them illegal immigrants but some employers are more than willing to exploit them.
"They will be sealed in the factory compound and not allowed to get out," said Junya Lek Yimprasert of the Thai Labour Campaign, "and for the young girls, they can be forced or tricked into the sexual opportunities of their employers."
Migrant workers also have no recourse to law if they are injured at work or lose their jobs.
Thit escaped Myanmar hoping for a better life in Myanmar, but in March she was involved in an accident at the recycling depot where she worked, and lost part of her arm.
"I can't work with one hand," Thit told Al Jazeera, "my husband says I must go back to Myanmar but the boss won't give me compensation so I can't afford to go back."
The Thai Labour Rights Protection Network is fighting to get her compensation, but because she is an illegal immigrant, her employer is not obliged to pay anything.
Anti-trafficking law
For its part the Thai government says it is making efforts to give workers from Myanmar some basic rights.
It has introduced a new anti-trafficking law which recognizes the mistreatment of migrant workers.
"We have asked the Labour ministry to survey and to register undocumented workers," said Noppadon Pattama, Thailand's foreign minister.
"We have to provide legal protection for Myanmar illegal workers in Thailand in the same way that we protect our Thai workers."
But the rights organization fears that the police, often subject to corruption, will not enforce the new laws.
And while people continue to flee Myanmar after Cyclone Nargis, many Thai employers have a ready and willing workforce to exploit.
Burmese in Maesod granted ten years stay permit
14 Jun 08
Burmese in Maesod
Thai government granted illegal Burmese in Maesod to apply for ten years stay permit starting from 14 June till 31 July.
There are more than 150,000 Burmese workers in Maesod and this scheme will solve the problems of labour shortage in the area.
Thai government hold talks with the Burmese authorities to solve illegal immigrants problems but still unsuccessful so they issue the stay permit for the Burmese as a short term solution.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Burma Cyclone aid
Burmese military government should give unfettered access to U.S. and other humanitarian aid, Laura Bush, the wife of U.S. President George W. Bush, said Thursday.
The United Nations said Thursday it has received less than half the money it needs for cyclone relief in Burma, with some nations delaying their donations because of concerns about restrictions imposed by the military government on foreign aid workers.
Cyclone assessment team to have full access
Surin Pitsuwan said the post-Nargis assessment team will be doing full assessment and will have full access to the cyclone affected Rangoon, Irrawaddy divisions and other affected regions.
However, its advance teams, ferried by UN World Food Programme helicopter, would compile a first-hand "progress report" for an ASEAN Roundtable meeting in Rangoon on June 24.
Nargis cyclone that hit Burma in the beginning of May has brought devastation in lower Burma with more than a hundred thousand people either dead or missing.
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