Calls from the French foreign ministry to release Burma’s Aung San Suu Kyi have been welcomed by campaigners in France who say that Western engagement with the regime is long overdue.
A statement released by the foreign ministry yesterday stated that “we hope that this call to the Burmese prime minister to release all political prisoners including Aung San Suu Kyi will be heard”.
Following United States’ president Barrack Obama’s call for the release of the imprisoned Nobel laureate last week, the French Foreign Ministry backed US assertions that the upcoming 2010 elections would not be credible unless the junta released the 2,100 political prisoners currently incarcerated in Burma.
“We are particularly glad that France is taking the release of all political prisoners, not only Aung San Suu Kyi, into the perspective of next year’s elections because the release of all political prisoners is essential to these elections,” said Isabelle Dubuis, from Info Birmanie.
She added that the current Western position of critical engagement with Burma is one that “we have always called for”.
The foreign ministry statement went on to state that “it is now up to [the Burmese government] to undertake concrete measures in favour of dialogue and national reconciliation.”
Dubuis also called for western diplomats to “closely co-ordinate and unify their efforts to secure concrete progress”.
France’s position towards Burma came under close scrutiny earlier this year after the French foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, labeled European Union sanctions on the country “useless”.
French policy makers have also been accused of ambivalence and double standards as the French oil multinational Total declined to halt its controversial business dealings in the Burmese fossil fuel sector.
It is an investment that Dubuis said had “terrible impacts on the people of Burma. We have a lot of concerns about the situation”.
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
50 percent rise in Burma forced labour
Complaints of forced labour in Burma have risen by nearly 50 percent in the past five months, with more than half of these stemming from the recruitment of youths into the army.
The statistics, published in a report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), show that mounting pressure on the Burmese government to eliminate forced labour is yet to find its mark.
The ILO criticized in June a clause in the Burmese constitution, ratified in 2008, that appeared to justify use of forced labour as a punishment for crimes, or in “duties assigned by the Union in accord with the law in the interest of the public”.
The total number of complaints received by the ILO as of 28 October stands at 223, while the figure for May 2009 was 152. Since the first complaint of under-age recruitment into the army was received in February 2007, the number has risen to 102.
Following ILO intervention, “59 children have been discharged from the military, 30 cases are still under Government investigation or are the subject of ongoing communication, and nine await ILO initial assessment prior to submission,” the report said.
Forced labour in Burma comes in varying forms, from hard labour used in the renovation of roads and infrastructure to use of civilians as porters or ‘minesweepers’ by the Burmese army.
The report however warns against the assumption that an increase complaints automatically corresponds to wider use of forced labour in Burma.
“[The increase] appears to result from heightened awareness generally of citizens’ rights under the law, the maturing and expansion of the facilitators’ network, and an increased readiness to present complaints,” it said.
Despite the establishment of the Supplementary Understanding, an agreement between the ILO and Burmese government that complainants will not be harassed, the organisation has acknowledged that retaliation does take place.
At least 11 “serious cases of apparent harassment and judicial retaliation” against complainants and facilitators has taken place since May, all which relate to complaints of forced labour by farmers in Burma’s central Magwe divison. The harassment includes “lengthy and intense interrogations and judicial action,” the report says.
“It would thus appear that there is a serious ‘disconnect’ between the desire of the central government authorities to stop the use of forced labour and the behaviour of the local [civilian and military] authorities.
The Burmese government has however permitted the ILO to carry out awareness-raising activities that include both civil and military authorities, while an interview with the ILO’s Burma liaison officer, Steve Marshall, was published in a biweekly journal in Burma.
The statistics, published in a report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), show that mounting pressure on the Burmese government to eliminate forced labour is yet to find its mark.
The ILO criticized in June a clause in the Burmese constitution, ratified in 2008, that appeared to justify use of forced labour as a punishment for crimes, or in “duties assigned by the Union in accord with the law in the interest of the public”.
The total number of complaints received by the ILO as of 28 October stands at 223, while the figure for May 2009 was 152. Since the first complaint of under-age recruitment into the army was received in February 2007, the number has risen to 102.
Following ILO intervention, “59 children have been discharged from the military, 30 cases are still under Government investigation or are the subject of ongoing communication, and nine await ILO initial assessment prior to submission,” the report said.
Forced labour in Burma comes in varying forms, from hard labour used in the renovation of roads and infrastructure to use of civilians as porters or ‘minesweepers’ by the Burmese army.
The report however warns against the assumption that an increase complaints automatically corresponds to wider use of forced labour in Burma.
“[The increase] appears to result from heightened awareness generally of citizens’ rights under the law, the maturing and expansion of the facilitators’ network, and an increased readiness to present complaints,” it said.
Despite the establishment of the Supplementary Understanding, an agreement between the ILO and Burmese government that complainants will not be harassed, the organisation has acknowledged that retaliation does take place.
At least 11 “serious cases of apparent harassment and judicial retaliation” against complainants and facilitators has taken place since May, all which relate to complaints of forced labour by farmers in Burma’s central Magwe divison. The harassment includes “lengthy and intense interrogations and judicial action,” the report says.
“It would thus appear that there is a serious ‘disconnect’ between the desire of the central government authorities to stop the use of forced labour and the behaviour of the local [civilian and military] authorities.
The Burmese government has however permitted the ILO to carry out awareness-raising activities that include both civil and military authorities, while an interview with the ILO’s Burma liaison officer, Steve Marshall, was published in a biweekly journal in Burma.
Newspaper typo leads to journalist arrest
A glaring typo in one of Burma’s leading newspapers has landed a journalist in detention and temporarily delayed the printing run of the publication.
The Mandalay-based Yadanabon, one of only four newspapers in military-ruled Burma, appeared on Saturday to promote the notion that anti-government violence can spur change in the country.
The literal translation of a government mantra that regularly appears in state-run media in Burma proffers that “Democracy cannot be achieved from riots”. In the 13 November issue of the Yadanabon, however, “cannot” is exchanged for “can”.
According to a Mandalay-based journalist, a staff worker at the newspaper was detained and questioned by police the following day, causing publication of the newspaper to temporarily stop.
Locals in Mandalay say the Yadanabon, which shares a name with Burma’s first ever newspaper, published in the 19th century, is owned by a military official.
Burmese newspapers, such as the English-language New Light of Myanmar, are littered with Orwellian mantras that instruct citizens to “oppose foreign nations interfering in internal affairs of the State” or “Crush all internal and external destructive elements as the common enemy”.
Apart from a handful of privately-owned magazines that nonetheless come under strict censorship by the ruling junta, all newspapers are state owned and often act as the government mouthpiece.
Front-page articles seldom deviate away from coverage of ribbon-cutting ceremonies or diplomatic visits to the handful of countries still allied with Burma, while any material or opinion critical of the government is strictly prohibited.
Furthermore, all published material in Burma must first be approved by the Press Registration and Scrutiny Division (PRSD), which often takes days to pass material through the censor board.
The Mandalay-based Yadanabon, one of only four newspapers in military-ruled Burma, appeared on Saturday to promote the notion that anti-government violence can spur change in the country.
The literal translation of a government mantra that regularly appears in state-run media in Burma proffers that “Democracy cannot be achieved from riots”. In the 13 November issue of the Yadanabon, however, “cannot” is exchanged for “can”.
According to a Mandalay-based journalist, a staff worker at the newspaper was detained and questioned by police the following day, causing publication of the newspaper to temporarily stop.
Locals in Mandalay say the Yadanabon, which shares a name with Burma’s first ever newspaper, published in the 19th century, is owned by a military official.
Burmese newspapers, such as the English-language New Light of Myanmar, are littered with Orwellian mantras that instruct citizens to “oppose foreign nations interfering in internal affairs of the State” or “Crush all internal and external destructive elements as the common enemy”.
Apart from a handful of privately-owned magazines that nonetheless come under strict censorship by the ruling junta, all newspapers are state owned and often act as the government mouthpiece.
Front-page articles seldom deviate away from coverage of ribbon-cutting ceremonies or diplomatic visits to the handful of countries still allied with Burma, while any material or opinion critical of the government is strictly prohibited.
Furthermore, all published material in Burma must first be approved by the Press Registration and Scrutiny Division (PRSD), which often takes days to pass material through the censor board.
CRIED OF A PRISONER!
THE SUN RISE AND SET BUT I AM UNAWARE
A DAY IS LIKE A YEAR
AND MY NIGHT SHINES NOT MOON AND STARS LIKE YOURS
TOTURED IS MY FOOD AND ABUSE IS MY SLEEP
WHEN EVER I HEAR THE STEPS OF GUARDS
I FEEL RESTLESS AND HOPE TO HEAR GOOD NEWS
BUT I WISH NOT TO HEAR ANY BAD WORDS.
I WAS INFORMED THAT MY BABY IS BORN
I KEEP WONDERING HOW YOU LOOK LIKE AND PRETTY.
I HEARED NOT YOUR CRY FROM YOUR CRADDLE
WHICH I AM DESPARATE FOR
BECAUSE MY EARS ARE STUFFED WITH PAINS.
I FEEL THAT YOU WERE MISSING ME
BUT I AM ALONE HOW MANY THINGS SHOULD I MISS.
MY BLOOD KISS MY SKIN FROM HEAD TO TOE
EVEN MY TEARED GARMENT NEED NOT TO SEW.
I COMPLETE MY BLOODY BATH WITH TEARS.
OUR BLOOD IS NOT ONLY TO RUN IN OUR BODIES
IT LEAVES THE TRACES WHERE EVER WE PASS
IN EVERY STREETS YOU CAN SMELLS IT.
BETWEEN US THERE ARE HUGE WALLS AND SHARP WIRES
BUT I FEEL THAT YOU ARE NEAR
YOUR WARMTH IS STILL HERE
JUST TELL ME HOW TO EXPLAIN MY RESTLESS HEART
ALL THE TIME MY PAIN LEAPING FROM THE FATHOMS OF MY HEART.
OH MY PRETTIEST LOVER, MY WOUND NEED YOUR ARMS
AS I AM CRAVE FOR.
OH MY DEAR FORGET ME NOT IF MY SOUL ASUNDER ME
OF COURSE DEATH ABSORB MY SOUL BUT MY GOAL IS IMMORTAL
I WILL ALWAYS LIVE IN OUR SLOGEN OF FREEDOM.
BY
KYAW WIN (BMA)
A DAY IS LIKE A YEAR
AND MY NIGHT SHINES NOT MOON AND STARS LIKE YOURS
TOTURED IS MY FOOD AND ABUSE IS MY SLEEP
WHEN EVER I HEAR THE STEPS OF GUARDS
I FEEL RESTLESS AND HOPE TO HEAR GOOD NEWS
BUT I WISH NOT TO HEAR ANY BAD WORDS.
I WAS INFORMED THAT MY BABY IS BORN
I KEEP WONDERING HOW YOU LOOK LIKE AND PRETTY.
I HEARED NOT YOUR CRY FROM YOUR CRADDLE
WHICH I AM DESPARATE FOR
BECAUSE MY EARS ARE STUFFED WITH PAINS.
I FEEL THAT YOU WERE MISSING ME
BUT I AM ALONE HOW MANY THINGS SHOULD I MISS.
MY BLOOD KISS MY SKIN FROM HEAD TO TOE
EVEN MY TEARED GARMENT NEED NOT TO SEW.
I COMPLETE MY BLOODY BATH WITH TEARS.
OUR BLOOD IS NOT ONLY TO RUN IN OUR BODIES
IT LEAVES THE TRACES WHERE EVER WE PASS
IN EVERY STREETS YOU CAN SMELLS IT.
BETWEEN US THERE ARE HUGE WALLS AND SHARP WIRES
BUT I FEEL THAT YOU ARE NEAR
YOUR WARMTH IS STILL HERE
JUST TELL ME HOW TO EXPLAIN MY RESTLESS HEART
ALL THE TIME MY PAIN LEAPING FROM THE FATHOMS OF MY HEART.
OH MY PRETTIEST LOVER, MY WOUND NEED YOUR ARMS
AS I AM CRAVE FOR.
OH MY DEAR FORGET ME NOT IF MY SOUL ASUNDER ME
OF COURSE DEATH ABSORB MY SOUL BUT MY GOAL IS IMMORTAL
I WILL ALWAYS LIVE IN OUR SLOGEN OF FREEDOM.
BY
KYAW WIN (BMA)
Friday, 6 November 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)