BurmaNet News, January 22, 2010

[Editor]

January 22, 2010, Issue #3881


INSIDE BURMA
AP: Myanmar verdict on American man expected next week
AP: Myanmar Air Force jet crashes near Yangon airport
DVB: Burma praised for anti-trafficking progress

ON THE BORDER
The Nation (Thailand): No taxes for workers: Burma

BUSINESS / TRADE
Irrawaddy: Junta puts more state-owned properties up for sale

REGIONAL
AFP: Burma junta worse than Cyclone Nargis: IPU official

INTERNATIONAL
Irrawaddy: We can't dance alone: US to Burma
Mizzima News: U.S. policy grants China greater influence in Burma

OPINION / OTHER
Foreign Policy: Did Ban Ki-moon really save half a million lives in Burma?
– Colum Lynch



____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

January 22, Associated Press
Myanmar verdict on American man expected next week

Yangon – A Myanmar court will hand down its verdict next week on an
American charged with forgery and currency infractions after being accused
of trying to foment rebellion against the country's military rulers.

Nyan Win, the lawyer for Myanmar-born Kyaw Zaw Lwin, said final arguments
in his case were made Friday at the court inside Yangon's notorious Insein
prison, and a verdict is expected Wednesday.

Kyaw Zaw Win was arrested on Sept. 3 and initially accused of trying to
stir up unrest which he has denied. Prosecutors later asked the court to
charge him with forgery and violating the foreign currency exchange act.

He was put on trial in October and faces up to 12 years in prison.

Kyaw Zaw Lwin's mother is serving a five-year prison term for political
activities and his sister was sentenced to 65 years in prison for her role
in 2007 pro-democracy protests, which government forces brutally
suppressed, activist groups and family members say.

Kyaw Zaw Lwin staged a 12-day hunger strike in December to protest
conditions of political prisoners in Myanmar, according to human rights
groups.

Myanmar has one of the most repressive governments in the world and has
been controlled by the military since 1962.

Rights groups and dissidents say the junta has jailed thousands of
political prisoners, including pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, the
64-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Suu Kyi whose political party won
1990 elections that the military refused to recognize has been detained
for 14 of the past 20 years, mostly under house arrest.

____________________________________

January 22, Associated Press
Myanmar Air Force jet crashes near Yangon airport

Yangon – A Myanmar Air Force fighter plane crashed on Friday morning while
attempting to land at Yangon airport, killing its pilot, an airport
official said.

An official at Yangon International Airport said the Chinese-made F-7 jet
crashed while on a training flight. The official spoke on condition of
anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

The cause of the crash was not immediately known. The Air Force base is
adjacent to the civilian airport and uses the same runways.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, a
Swedish think tank, Myanmar purchased at least 36 F-7 jets from China in
the 1990s.

____________________________________

January 22, Democratic Voice of Burma
Burma praised for anti-trafficking progress – Joseph Allchin and Naw Say Phaw

A senior UN official in Burma has congratulated the ruling junta on steps
it has taken to tackle human trafficking, during a meeting yesterday of
six Mekong states in Bagan.

It is the seventh year that the meeting, the Coordinated Mekong
Ministerial Initiative Against Trafficking (COMMIT), has taken place.

It is billed as a UN effort to get the governments of Thailand, Laos,
Cambodia, China, Vietnam and Burma to discuss the problem of human
trafficking, and included an ensemble of international NGOs, UN agencies
and regional observers.

“The purpose is to reaffirm the commitment to eradicating all forms of
human trafficking in the region, share and evaluate progress in 2009 and
lay the foundations for future strengthened cooperation in counter
trafficking,” a UN press statement said.

Despite a US report last year that found Burma’s human trafficking problem
to be “significant”, the UN’s resident coordinator in Burma, Bishow
Parajuli, said yesterday that the Southeast Asian state had made good
progress in the past six years.

“Myanmar [Burma] was the first country in the Mekong region to pass a
comprehensive anti-human trafficking law in line with international
standards,” he said.

“It was also one of the first countries to establish a specialist
anti-trafficking police unit, widely regarded as best practice, and has
passed a five-year National Plan of Action in areas like prevention, law
enforcement and protection.”

According to Ohnmar Ei Ei Chaw, liaison officer for the UN Inter-Agency
Project on Human Trafficking (UNIAP), the meeting also included
discussions on “collecting databases [of human trafficking statistics] and
conducting surveys and research to learn about trafficker networks and the
needs of trafficking victims”.

Parajuli followed that “it is imperative that we continue to address the
root causes” of human trafficking in Burma, such as unemployment, poverty
and abuse.

However, according to a Chin community leader and head of a Burmese
refugees centre in Kuala Lumpur, the problems of remaining in Burma can
outweigh the maltreatment of trafficked persons. “To you they are
traffickers; to us they are travel agents,” he said.

Meanwhile, the state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper today quoted
Burma’s home minister, Major Maung Oo, as telling the conference that
Burma “is no longer a safe haven” for traffickers.

Indeed according to many workers who have paid traffickers, it is no
longer a safe haven for workers either, following decades of economic
mismanagement and a political climate that denies labour rights and fuels
high levels of forced labour.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

January 22, The Nation (Thailand)
No taxes for workers: Burma

The Burmese government will not be collecting tax from immigrant workers
and their families once their nationality has been identified, the
Employment Department's deputy director-general said yesterday.

The identification of Burmese workers has been extended by another two
years and should be completed by 2012, Supat Gukun said.

The Burmese government confirmed that no tax would be collected from
immigrant workers, he said, adding that random checks on workers returning
after registering their nationality in Burma found that everyone had
returned to Thailand safely.

He also urged all immigrant workers, especially those from Laos, Cambodia
and Burma, to register their nationality because this way they can have a
year's work permit by February 28 and be entitled to the same welfare and
protection as their Thai counterparts.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

January 22, Irrawaddy
Junta puts more state-owned properties up for sale – Wai Moe and Ba Kaung

Burma’s government privatization commission has announced that it is
selling more than 100 state-owned buildings and factories as part of the
latest wave of privatizations in the military-ruled country.

An announcement in the state-run Myanmar Ahlin newspaper on Friday said
that the properties for sale include some buildings owned by the Supreme
Court and the Inspector General's Office in downtown Rangoon, as well as
five cinemas in various parts of the city.

The announcement added that only 14 of the properties would be sold
unconditionally. Other properties would be subject to various
restrictions, including a requirement that new owners use factories for
their original purpose.

“This condition will apply only for a certain period, such as 20 or 30
years,” said an official from the government privatization commission when
contacted by The Irrawaddy.

“The new owners will not, however, be required to continue to employ
workers of the state enterprise,” the official added. “They can if they
wish, but if not, the workers will remain state employees.”

Since 1989, the current regime has periodically sold off state-owned
properties as part of its so-called “open-door” economic policy, reversing
decades of nationalization under the socialist government of former
dictator Ne Win.

The junta’s 1989 economic reforms encouraged foreign investment and
joint-venture enterprises in a wide range of industries, from agriculture
to mining and health  care.

However, most observers say that the junta's reforms over the past two
decades have done little to liberalize the economy.

“Their [the junta’s] track record is not good. Many state enterprises in
the past have simply become private monopolies,” said Sean Turnell, an
economist at Australia’s Macquarie University whose research focuses on
Burma.

Turnell also expressed skepticism about the latest wave of privatizations.

“The great danger when states sell their assets is that they may sell them
at 'fire sale' prices to their cronies. This danger is very real in
Burma,” he said.

According to the “2010 Index of Economic Freedom,” a report prepared by
the Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal, Burma ranks 174th out
of 179 countries in the world in terms of economic freedom. Only North
Korea, Zimbabwe, Cuba and Eritrea are considered less free. In Asia, the
military-ruled country comes second to last.

The report identifies a number of factors contributing to Burma's low
ranking, including government interference in economic activities;
structural problems such as fiscal deficits; continuing losses by
state-owned enterprises; and underdeveloped legal and regulatory
frameworks and poor government service.

On property rights in Burma, the index said: “Private real property and
intellectual property are not protected. Private and foreign companies are
at a disadvantage in disputes with governmental and quasi-governmental
organizations.”

Analysts say the lack of competition in Burma is another reason the
country’s economic reforms have failed to take hold.

“If a government sells a government business that is a monopoly, and does
not allow new competitors, then all that happens is that a private
monopoly replaces a state one,” said Turnell. “In other words, the people
of Burma would still be exploited—by a regime crony perhaps, rather than
the state itself.”

In 2009, the Burmese junta increased its privatization of state
properties. According to official statistics, 260 state-owned buildings,
factories and land plots were privatized last year, including 137
properties that were put on auction in December alone.

One of the biggest purchasers of state-owned properties last year was Tay
Za, a well-known crony of the Burmese junta who has been targeted by
Western sanctions. Besides buying valuable properties in Rangoon and other
urban centers, in December he won a contract to run hydro-power projects.
Earlier this month, he bought a police compound in downtown Mandalay.

“The only way you can buy buildings and factories on auction is if you
have the right connections. If you are not connected to the ruling
generals, you don't stand a chance,” said a business reporter with a
private journal in Rangoon.

The recent spate of privatizations may also have something to do with the
junta's plans to hold an election, according to some observers.

“The generals may think this sort of tactic will sway voters in their
favor,” said a Burmese economist based in Thailand. “Perhaps they think it
will make people believe they are creating some economic space, however
limited, for small- and medium-sized businesses.”

Another reason for stepping up the pace of privatization may be a desire
to secure control of important resources before the 2008 Constitution
comes into effect following the election.

Under the Constitution, some state-owned properties, including mines and
hydro-power plants, will come under the partial control of state and
division governments. By transferring ownership of these properties to
private individuals, including junta members and their cronies, the
generals will avoid losing control of them to local authorities after the
election.

“They are doing this as a precaution, to protect themselves after the
election. No matter which group comes into power, it won't have the
capacity to do anything because key resources will remain in the hands of
the military officers and their cronies,” said a businessman in Rangoon
who spoke on condition of anonymity.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

January 22, Agence France Presse
Burma junta worse than Cyclone Nargis: IPU official

Rights violations by Burma's junta has caused more damage than Cyclone
Nargis, a Philippines senator and top member of the world's leading body
of parliamentarians said on Thursday.

"In the year 2008 Burma was hit by a terrible catastrophe, by typhoon
Nargis, and because there was so much devastation people thought that was
the worst thing that could happen to Burma," said Aquilino Pimentel,
president of the Inter Parliamentary Union's (IPU) human rights committee.

"But actually... not. It was rather the deprivation of the rights of the
people by a ruling junta," he added.

More than 138,000 people died when cyclone Nargis devastated Burma's
Irrawaddy Delta in May 2008. The cost of repairing the damage was
estimated at over four billion dollars.

Pimentel and the committee called for pro-democracy icon Aug San Suu Kyi
and 13 opposition parliamentarians elected in 1990 to be freed,
underlining they had been detained without trial while some were subjected
to "severe torture."

"Nothing much seems to be happening in terms of advancing the cause of
democracy in Burma," he told journalists.

The committee's resolution called on Burma's powerful neighbours India and
China, and the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean), to back
moves to urgently free the 13.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

January 22, Irrawaddy
We can't dance alone: US to Burma – Lalit K Jha

A top US official said engagement with Burma can't be a one-way process
and indicated the US is not getting an adequate response from the Burmese
military junta.

Showing signs of frustration, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia
and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell told senators at a Congressional
briefing on Thursday: “We are attempting to take that first step...but I
do want to underscore that one can't dance on the dance floor alone.”

In his testimony, Campbell said the US is in the first phase of a strategy
to begin direct discussions with Burmese officials.

“It's too early to give a report card on that effort, but we recognize
that this is a critical period, 2010, with the intention of the government
to hold elections at some point later this year,” he said. “There is also
a desire, when it comes to global or regional issues of democratization
and human rights, to raise these matters, not just in a bilateral setting
but to raise them in regional fora,” he said.

“So, for instance, Secretary Clinton raised issues of concern,
particularly in Burma but not just in Burma in a regional context, and to
our satisfaction we have seen a number of other countries like Indonesia
[and] the Philippines increasingly talk about values and shared interests
in a way that we think is very reinforcing. Of course, those general
tenets and beliefs are the foundation of our strong and deep partnerships
with countries like Japan and South Korea, Australia, the Philippines,
Thailand and others,” he said.

“The truth is, unlike some countries, at best Burma is ambivalent about
the United States,” Campbell said. “I think there are some very
substantial concerns about how its leadership views the people, the
quality of life of the people, issues associated with ethnic minorities,
the treatment of legitimate politically elected groups, and on top of that
attitudes towards the United States and concerns about proliferation.”

Campbell also said the administration’s formal review of US policy towards
Burma reaffirmed its fundamental goals: a democratic government that
respects the rights of its people and is at peace with its neighbors.

“A policy of pragmatic engagement with the Burmese authorities holds the
best hope for advancing our goals. Under this approach, US sanctions will
remain in place until Burmese authorities demonstrate that they are
prepared to make meaningful progress on US core concerns,” he said. “The
leaders of Burma’s democratic opposition have confirmed to us their
support for this approach. The policy review also confirmed that we need
additional tools to augment those that we have been using in pursuit of
our objectives.

“A central element of this approach is a direct, senior-level dialogue
with representatives of the Burmese leadership. I visited Burma Nov. 3 and
4 for meetings with Burmese officials, including Prime Minister Thein
Sein, leaders of the democracy movement, including Aung San Suu Kyi, and
representatives of the largest ethnic minorities. In my meetings, I
stressed the importance of all stakeholders engaging in a dialogue on
reform and emphasized that the release of political prisoners is essential
if the elections planned for 2010 are to have any credibility,” Campbell
said.

____________________________________

January 22, Mizzima News
U.S. policy grants China greater influence in Burma – Mungpi

The inconsistent foreign policy of the United States towards Asian
countries has gifted an opportunity to China to enhance its influence over
regional countries including military-ruled Burma, Senator Jim Webb said
on Thursday during a hearing of which he chaired.

Webb, in his remarks at the Senate’s Foreign Relations Subcommittee
Hearing on Washington’s engagement in Asia, said, “American sanctions and
other policy restrictions have not only increased Chinese political and
economic influence in Southeast Asia, they ironically serve as a double
reward for China because all the while American interaction in East Asia
has been declining.”

Webb said in recent years China has become the only country in the world
to which the United States is vulnerable, strategically and economically.

“And nowhere is this more obvious than in Burma, where Chinese influence
has grown steadily at a time when the United States has cut off virtually
all economic and diplomatic relations. Since then, Chinese arms sales and
other military aid has exceeded $3 billion,” added the Virginian Senator.

Webb, who in August 2009 travelled to Burma and met with high-ranking
junta officials, including Senior General Than Shwe, as well as detained
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, is a strong advocate of engagement
with the Burmese junta, in power since 1988.

Webb said in the absence of United States engagement with the junta, China
has taken over and greatly influenced the Burmese regime to the extent of
creating “an intrinsic suspicion of U.S. motives in the region.”

“And as only one example of China’s enormous investment reach,” he added,
in reference to a future pipeline to run through Burma, “within the next
decade or sooner, Beijing is on track to exclusively transfer to its
waiting refineries both incoming oil and locally tapped natural gas via a
2,380-kilometer pipeline, a $30 billion deal.”

The Senator said Washington should maintain consistency in its foreign
policy towards Asia, as “inconsistencies inherent in our policies toward
different governments tend to create confusion, cynicism, and allegations
of situational ethics.”

The hearing on Thursday also took the testimony of Assistant Secretary of
State Kurt Campbell, Dr. Robert Sutter of Georgetown University and Dr.
Robert Herman of Freedom House.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

January 12, Foreign Policy
Did Ban Ki-moon really save half a million lives in Burma? – Colum Lynch

Faced with criticism of his leadership style last summer, U.N.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon repeatedly defended his tenure by claiming
credit for opening the door to international aid workers in Burma
following Cyclone Nargis and saving more than 500,000 lives.

"I have been able to speak and save about half a million civilian
population from this typhoon," he told Charlie Rose last June, though he
later shared the credit with the international community (the quote is
25:39 seconds into the recording).

The claim, which has gone largely unchallenged, runs contrary to the
findings of the U.N.'s own emergency relief agency, the Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the most authoritative voice
on the U.N.'s response to disasters. The agency's little- noticed December
2008, report -- titled the "Inter Agency Real Time Evaluation of the
Response to Cyclone Nargis" -- concluded that "most of the live-saving
activities after cyclone Nargis were carried out by national actors prior
to the arrival of international agencies."

The report credits local Burmese civilians, including actors, musicians,
religious groups, businessmen, and, according to a source familiar with
the assessment, at least one organized crime figure, with rushing to the
scene of the some of the worst destruction in the days after the cyclone
struck the Irrawaddy Delta.

The U.N. mounted a "relatively good overall humanitarian response" to the
cyclone, the report concluded. It notes that the U.N. and its partners
avoided the pitfalls of the Tsunami relief effort, where massive numbers
of foreign aid organizations supplanted local relief groups, contributing
to an often chaotic process of delivering assistance.

As for Ban, he has generally received high marks from international
leaders for persuading Burma's military leader, senior general Than Shwe,
to allow greater levels of foreign assistance into the country. But the
report provides little evidence to support Ban's claim and credits the
Association of South East Asian Nations, which includes Burma, with
negotiating a vital supply bridge for food and medicines flowing in from
Thailand.