source
CBS "60 MINUTES" documentary on the swine flu epidemics of 1976 in the U.S. It went on air only once and was never shown again.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Swine Flu Hoax
source
CBS "60 MINUTES" documentary on the swine flu epidemics of 1976 in the U.S. It went on air only once and was never shown again.
US citizen begins trial in Burma
(DVB)–The Burmese-born US citizen currently detained in a Rangoon prison has appeared in court on charges of fraud after allegedly using false identification to enter the country.
Lawyers for Kyaw Zaw Lwin, also known as Nyi Nyi Aung, said that the courtroom on Thursday heard accounts from two witnesses in the prosecution team, a police officer and an immigration official.
They claim that Kyaw Zaw Lwin intended to use a Burmese national’s identification card with his photo pasted onto it.
“He entered the country using his American passport, not by using the ID the officials had mentioned,” said lawyer Kyi Win. “They only found the ID in his possession after they searched him.”
Kyaw Zaw Lwin was arrested upon arrival at Rangoon airport on 3 September, and has since been held at Rangoon’s Insein prison.
Shortly after his arrest, state-run media in Burma appeared to link him to a series of bombings that hit Rangoon in mid-September, a fortnight after he was detained.
An article in the New Light of Myanmar newspaper said that he “had contact with” members of the All Burma Student Democratic Front (ABSDF) and Thailand-based Forum for Democracy in Burma (FDB), who in turn were allegedly close to “sabbateurs” involved in the bombing.
The leader of the ABSDF, Than Khe, told DVB however that the allegations were political smearing by the government.
Kyi Win also complained that his client had been held in handcuffs throughout the hearing, in violation of Burmese law.
“According to the police code of conduct, a defendant appearing before the court’s judge should be freed from handcuffs,” he said, adding that police cited security concerns as a reason to keep them on.
“This clearly violates Article 477 of the court manual and shows that no rule of law exists.” His next court hearing is scheduled for 30 October.
Su Su Kyi, the aunt of Kyaw Zaw Lwin, said that his family had received no response following requests to visit him in prison.
“A letter seeking permission to meet with Ko Nyi Nyi Aung has been sent to the authorities via the embassy but no response has been made yet. We will send another letter on Monday,” she said.
Su Su Kyi said that US embassy staff who visited Kyaw Zaw Lwin in prison in September said that he had shown signs of torture.
Reporting by Khin Hnin Htet
Lawyers for Kyaw Zaw Lwin, also known as Nyi Nyi Aung, said that the courtroom on Thursday heard accounts from two witnesses in the prosecution team, a police officer and an immigration official.
They claim that Kyaw Zaw Lwin intended to use a Burmese national’s identification card with his photo pasted onto it.
“He entered the country using his American passport, not by using the ID the officials had mentioned,” said lawyer Kyi Win. “They only found the ID in his possession after they searched him.”
Kyaw Zaw Lwin was arrested upon arrival at Rangoon airport on 3 September, and has since been held at Rangoon’s Insein prison.
Shortly after his arrest, state-run media in Burma appeared to link him to a series of bombings that hit Rangoon in mid-September, a fortnight after he was detained.
An article in the New Light of Myanmar newspaper said that he “had contact with” members of the All Burma Student Democratic Front (ABSDF) and Thailand-based Forum for Democracy in Burma (FDB), who in turn were allegedly close to “sabbateurs” involved in the bombing.
The leader of the ABSDF, Than Khe, told DVB however that the allegations were political smearing by the government.
Kyi Win also complained that his client had been held in handcuffs throughout the hearing, in violation of Burmese law.
“According to the police code of conduct, a defendant appearing before the court’s judge should be freed from handcuffs,” he said, adding that police cited security concerns as a reason to keep them on.
“This clearly violates Article 477 of the court manual and shows that no rule of law exists.” His next court hearing is scheduled for 30 October.
Su Su Kyi, the aunt of Kyaw Zaw Lwin, said that his family had received no response following requests to visit him in prison.
“A letter seeking permission to meet with Ko Nyi Nyi Aung has been sent to the authorities via the embassy but no response has been made yet. We will send another letter on Monday,” she said.
Su Su Kyi said that US embassy staff who visited Kyaw Zaw Lwin in prison in September said that he had shown signs of torture.
Reporting by Khin Hnin Htet
Ten explosions hit Kokang capital
(DVB)–More than 10 simultaneous blasts hit Burma’s northeastern Shan state last week, the site of heavy fighting earlier this year between government troops and an ethnic army.
The explosions happened in Laogai, the capital of the Kokang special region in Shan state, sources located near to Burma’s border with China said.
Five government army battalions had been deployed there following heavy fighting in August that pushed some 37,000 civilians across the border into China.
The number of casualties from the blasts is so far unknown. One device exploded on Saturday close to a gold shop owned by the current leader of the ethnic Kokang army, Bai Xuoquan.
Government troops launched an offensive against the Kokang group, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), in August this year, breaking a 20-year ceasefire agreement.
The MNDAA had been resisting pressure from Burma’s ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) to transform into a border guard force prior to the 2010 elections.
The fighting sparked tension between Burma and China, with Beijing warning the Burmese junta to ensure peace along its shared border. Chinese premier, Win Jiabao, said on Sunday that he felt confident that Burma “could properly handle” problems with stability in the region.
Meanwhile, one man was killed and two women were injured last week when a hand-grenade accidentally exploded in Burma’s border town of Myawaddy, according to the Karen Information Centre (KIC).
The owner of the grenade was a member of the pro-junta Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), who was visiting a friend’s house at the time. He is now in hiding, while the two women are being treated in hospital. The identity of the victim is unknown.
Reporting by AKT and Thurein Soe
The explosions happened in Laogai, the capital of the Kokang special region in Shan state, sources located near to Burma’s border with China said.
Five government army battalions had been deployed there following heavy fighting in August that pushed some 37,000 civilians across the border into China.
The number of casualties from the blasts is so far unknown. One device exploded on Saturday close to a gold shop owned by the current leader of the ethnic Kokang army, Bai Xuoquan.
Government troops launched an offensive against the Kokang group, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), in August this year, breaking a 20-year ceasefire agreement.
The MNDAA had been resisting pressure from Burma’s ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) to transform into a border guard force prior to the 2010 elections.
The fighting sparked tension between Burma and China, with Beijing warning the Burmese junta to ensure peace along its shared border. Chinese premier, Win Jiabao, said on Sunday that he felt confident that Burma “could properly handle” problems with stability in the region.
Meanwhile, one man was killed and two women were injured last week when a hand-grenade accidentally exploded in Burma’s border town of Myawaddy, according to the Karen Information Centre (KIC).
The owner of the grenade was a member of the pro-junta Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), who was visiting a friend’s house at the time. He is now in hiding, while the two women are being treated in hospital. The identity of the victim is unknown.
Reporting by AKT and Thurein Soe
EU're (sorry - couldn't resist) being watched
We've published a new briefing today, called "How the EU is watching you: the rise of Europe's surveillance state", looking at the growing impact the EU is having on civil liberties. Click here to read the press release.
There are lots of juicy proposals in the pipeline including: a target to train a third of all police officers across the EU in a “common culture” of policing; the mass collection and sharing of personal data including DNA records into an EU-wide database; controversial surveillance techniques including ‘cyber patrols’; the creation of a fledgling ‘EU Home Office’ with powers to decide on cooperation on police, border, immigration and criminal justice issues; an EU “master plan” on information exchange; the transfer of criminal proceedings among EU member states; a three-fold increase in the number of controversial EU arrest warrants; access to other member states’ national tax databases; and EU laws on citizens’ right to internet access.
The Lisbon Treaty's ratification, which is looking increasingly imminent, will see the amount and scope of EU justice and home affairs legislation increase further. National governments will lose their veto, while the European Court of Justice will be given the power to overrule national courts in this area for the first time.
It is however also important to understand the role the UK Government has played in the growth of the EU's policies in this field. It was the UK, for instance, that pushed the EU's Data Retention Directive, which requires telecoms companies to store information regarding every phone call we make, or text message and email we send.
I guess the EU and the Government could argue they are finally "listening to" their citizens, but this isn't quite what we had in mind.
Monday, October 26, 2009
half japanese - fire to burn
this is easily one of my top 10 half japanese songs. people love saying that there are only two types of half japanese songs (love and monster) but they have a few songs about how radical it is to be in a diy/rock and roll band as well and how the man doesn't seem to get it. those seem to be the songs that i get into the most. i read a recent interview w/ jad fair where he says that spoon was one of his favorite bands and it bummed me out that he would listen to a band that was so non-threatening. maybe i'm putting too high of expectations on my heroes?
EU Foreign Office takes shape
Today EUObserver reports on an ambassadors' document from the Swedish EU Presidency on plans underway to create the so-called EU External Action Service. We've managed to get hold of a copy of the report, which is likely to form the basis of discussions amongst EU foreign ministers today and among EU leaders at the end of the week, meeting in Brussels.
The form, structure and powers of the EU External Action Service (EEAS) pose one of many unanswered questions about the detail of the Lisbon Treaty which will only be finally decided once the Treaty is in force (very soon). As we warned in the past, the details about this new service are only now being discussed now that the Treaty has been agreed upon (albeit not yet ratified).
Previously, we've warned that this body could take on a life of its own and eventually become a single EU diplomatic service, bringing together national diplomats with the Commission's existing staff into a single surpnational service, and creating pressure to avoid 'duplication' of diplomatic postings.
But looking at the suggestions in this report, it seems plans for the EEAS are even more ambitious than we imagined. Proposing to turn the EEAS into an EU institution in its own right, with its own budget and "a leading role in strategic decision-making", the report shows that the plan is incorporate the EU's various military bodies and make this a real EU Foreign Ministry.
The European Parliament’s External Relations Committee once warned that if the diplomatic service was set up as an independent institution it would "take on an uncontrollable life of its own" and would result in an "independent super administration".
And as Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said in reference to the EEAS back in 2005:
“We will undoubtedly see European embassies in the world, not ones from eachcountry, with European diplomats and a European foreign service. We will see Europe with a single voice in security matters. We will have a single Europeanvoice within NATO. We want more European unity.”
In a nutshell, here is what will be discussed by EU leaders this week:
- The EEAS should become an EU institution in its own right, with its own section of the EU budget, alongside the European Commission, the EP and the Council.
- EU Foreign Minister (appointed by a qualified majority vote in the Council) will take charge of the institution and propose how much money he or she needs, authorise spending, appoint his own staff, and take charge of the European Commission's existing delegations across the world.
- EEAS would manage general foreign relations as well as EU security and defence projects, such as the police missions in Bosnia, Kosovo, Georgia and Afghanistan or any future peacekeeping operations in, for example, Africa.
- EEAS would have what EUobserver calls "internal cells" dealing with developing countries and enlargement candidates which will "play a leading role in the strategic decision-making" on Commission programmes such as the European Development Fund.
- Member states' own embassies will apparently continue to provide diplomatic and consular protection for EU citizens abroad - but how long for? The report says that "EU delegations should play a supporting role as regards diplomatic and consular protection of Union citizens in third countries."
- In terms of staffing, the diplomatic corps is to suck in people from the commission's foreign affairs department, relevant experts from the Council and diplomats from member states' foreign ministries. As predicted, one third of senior or "AD level" staff is to come from member states. People are to be hired keeping in mind the need to maintain "geographic balance" across the EU and "gender balance."
- Controversially, staff will be rotated into the EEAS and then back out into their old jobs, with diplomats from EU states temporarily becoming EU officials on equal pay and perks to colleagues from Brussels. And staff would be provided with "common training".
- Member states would be expected to "share information" with the EEAS
- Again, controversially, the paper envisages incorporating the various EU military bodies into the EEAS "In order to enable the High Representative to conduct the European Security and Defence Policy". These bodies are the Civilian-Military Planning Directorate, the Civilian Planning and Conduct Capability, and the EU Military Staff.
- It would also take charge of the Situation Centre, the EU member states' intelligence-sharing hub in Brussels (see here for a bit more on this)
And there will be no real parliamentary control of all of this. The report makes clear that the EU Foreign Minister will "regularly consult the European Parliament on the main aspects and the basic choices of the CFSP/CSDP", but that's about it. It will have "autonomy in terms of administrative budget and management of staff."
According to EUobserver, the new foreign minister will make his final proposal on the shape of the EEAS by April 2010, and the new institution should reach "full cruising speed" by 2012 and undergo a thorough review in 2014.
All of this is important - but of course none of these details were discussed properly in parliament when the Treaty was being ratified, since the text of the Treaty was left so ambiguous.
The form, structure and powers of the EU External Action Service (EEAS) pose one of many unanswered questions about the detail of the Lisbon Treaty which will only be finally decided once the Treaty is in force (very soon). As we warned in the past, the details about this new service are only now being discussed now that the Treaty has been agreed upon (albeit not yet ratified).
Previously, we've warned that this body could take on a life of its own and eventually become a single EU diplomatic service, bringing together national diplomats with the Commission's existing staff into a single surpnational service, and creating pressure to avoid 'duplication' of diplomatic postings.
But looking at the suggestions in this report, it seems plans for the EEAS are even more ambitious than we imagined. Proposing to turn the EEAS into an EU institution in its own right, with its own budget and "a leading role in strategic decision-making", the report shows that the plan is incorporate the EU's various military bodies and make this a real EU Foreign Ministry.
The European Parliament’s External Relations Committee once warned that if the diplomatic service was set up as an independent institution it would "take on an uncontrollable life of its own" and would result in an "independent super administration".
And as Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said in reference to the EEAS back in 2005:
“We will undoubtedly see European embassies in the world, not ones from eachcountry, with European diplomats and a European foreign service. We will see Europe with a single voice in security matters. We will have a single Europeanvoice within NATO. We want more European unity.”
In a nutshell, here is what will be discussed by EU leaders this week:
- The EEAS should become an EU institution in its own right, with its own section of the EU budget, alongside the European Commission, the EP and the Council.
- EU Foreign Minister (appointed by a qualified majority vote in the Council) will take charge of the institution and propose how much money he or she needs, authorise spending, appoint his own staff, and take charge of the European Commission's existing delegations across the world.
- EEAS would manage general foreign relations as well as EU security and defence projects, such as the police missions in Bosnia, Kosovo, Georgia and Afghanistan or any future peacekeeping operations in, for example, Africa.
- EEAS would have what EUobserver calls "internal cells" dealing with developing countries and enlargement candidates which will "play a leading role in the strategic decision-making" on Commission programmes such as the European Development Fund.
- Member states' own embassies will apparently continue to provide diplomatic and consular protection for EU citizens abroad - but how long for? The report says that "EU delegations should play a supporting role as regards diplomatic and consular protection of Union citizens in third countries."
- In terms of staffing, the diplomatic corps is to suck in people from the commission's foreign affairs department, relevant experts from the Council and diplomats from member states' foreign ministries. As predicted, one third of senior or "AD level" staff is to come from member states. People are to be hired keeping in mind the need to maintain "geographic balance" across the EU and "gender balance."
- Controversially, staff will be rotated into the EEAS and then back out into their old jobs, with diplomats from EU states temporarily becoming EU officials on equal pay and perks to colleagues from Brussels. And staff would be provided with "common training".
- Member states would be expected to "share information" with the EEAS
- Again, controversially, the paper envisages incorporating the various EU military bodies into the EEAS "In order to enable the High Representative to conduct the European Security and Defence Policy". These bodies are the Civilian-Military Planning Directorate, the Civilian Planning and Conduct Capability, and the EU Military Staff.
- It would also take charge of the Situation Centre, the EU member states' intelligence-sharing hub in Brussels (see here for a bit more on this)
And there will be no real parliamentary control of all of this. The report makes clear that the EU Foreign Minister will "regularly consult the European Parliament on the main aspects and the basic choices of the CFSP/CSDP", but that's about it. It will have "autonomy in terms of administrative budget and management of staff."
According to EUobserver, the new foreign minister will make his final proposal on the shape of the EEAS by April 2010, and the new institution should reach "full cruising speed" by 2012 and undergo a thorough review in 2014.
All of this is important - but of course none of these details were discussed properly in parliament when the Treaty was being ratified, since the text of the Treaty was left so ambiguous.
As the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee said:
"the Lisbon Treaty gives only a bare outline of the role of the new External Action Service, leaving most of the details of its functioning to be determined. This could well be a case of "the devil is in the detail". We conclude that the establishment of the European External Action Service will be a highly complex and challenging exercise."
Meanwhile, in an article in the Times today David Miliband disingenously claims that that all countries will retain their veto in foreign policy under the Lisbon Treaty. But this is simply not true. There are 12 areas of foreign policy where majority voting will be introduced for the first time, despite Peter Hain's assertion back when the original Constitution was being negotiated that "QMV is a no-go area in foreign policy." Jack Straw added that QMV in foreign policy was "simply unacceptable", and then later accepted it.
For a start, decisions relating to the creation of the controversial External Action Service will be taken by QMV on a proposal from the new EU Foreign Minister.
For the record - here are the other areas of foreign policy where majority voting will apply under Lisbon:
1. Proposals from the EU Foreign Minister
2. Setting up an inner core in defence
3. Terrorism and mutual defence
4. Urgent financial aid
5. Humanitarian aid
6. The election of the EU Foreign Minister
7. Civil protection
8. Terrorist financing controls
9. The new EU Foreign Policy Fund
10. Consular issues
11. The role and mandate of the European Defence Agency
Civilians warned not to leak tunnel information
(DVB)–Locals in a town in central Burma say they have been warned by government troops not to leak news about a tunnel being built by the military or their villages will be razed.
The 19-mile long tunnel is being built between the villages of Ywarmon and Phatthantaung in Magwe division, according to a local in the nearby town of Natmauk.
“Now even the village authorities are too scared to talk about it,” he said. “Security is really tight in the area and taking photos is also prohibited.”
Another local in Magwe division said that four years ago the army contacted his son, a graduate of the Government Technological College, and persuaded him to work in a weapons factory being built underground in Ngaphe town near to Magwe city.
The man said that an official from the army had offered his son 35,000 kyat ($US35) per month to work on the project. “The man said he would not be able to visit home after started working in the tunnel,” he said.
In June DVB released a series of reports compiled from leaked government documents that outlined the junta’s plans to develop a network of tunnels underneath Burma that would accommodate troop battalions and armoury in the event of an invasion.
Some 800 tunnels are thought to be under construction, with sections of the project dating back as far as 1996.
The project has been clouded in secrecy, but appears to be part of a longer-term strategy to bolster Burma’s defence capabilities.
The junta is using North Korean advisors for its tunnel system, after a senior government delegation visited Pyongyang in November 2008 and took a tour round military tunnels there.
The majority of tunneling and construction equipment for the project has been bought from North Korea in a series of deals over the last three years which total at least $US9 billion, according to two purchase orders received by DVB.
The Bangladesh-based Narinjara news agency last week quoted a military source as saying that a tunnel had been dug into a mountain in Burma’s western Arakan state to store fighter jets. The tunnel is thought to be connected to a nearby air base in Ann township.
Arakan state lies alongside Burma’s border with Bangladesh, which in recent weeks has become the site of a military build-up from both sides following a dispute over ownership of gas blocks in the Bay of Bengal.
Reporting by Aye Nai
The 19-mile long tunnel is being built between the villages of Ywarmon and Phatthantaung in Magwe division, according to a local in the nearby town of Natmauk.
“Now even the village authorities are too scared to talk about it,” he said. “Security is really tight in the area and taking photos is also prohibited.”
Another local in Magwe division said that four years ago the army contacted his son, a graduate of the Government Technological College, and persuaded him to work in a weapons factory being built underground in Ngaphe town near to Magwe city.
The man said that an official from the army had offered his son 35,000 kyat ($US35) per month to work on the project. “The man said he would not be able to visit home after started working in the tunnel,” he said.
In June DVB released a series of reports compiled from leaked government documents that outlined the junta’s plans to develop a network of tunnels underneath Burma that would accommodate troop battalions and armoury in the event of an invasion.
Some 800 tunnels are thought to be under construction, with sections of the project dating back as far as 1996.
The project has been clouded in secrecy, but appears to be part of a longer-term strategy to bolster Burma’s defence capabilities.
The junta is using North Korean advisors for its tunnel system, after a senior government delegation visited Pyongyang in November 2008 and took a tour round military tunnels there.
The majority of tunneling and construction equipment for the project has been bought from North Korea in a series of deals over the last three years which total at least $US9 billion, according to two purchase orders received by DVB.
The Bangladesh-based Narinjara news agency last week quoted a military source as saying that a tunnel had been dug into a mountain in Burma’s western Arakan state to store fighter jets. The tunnel is thought to be connected to a nearby air base in Ann township.
Arakan state lies alongside Burma’s border with Bangladesh, which in recent weeks has become the site of a military build-up from both sides following a dispute over ownership of gas blocks in the Bay of Bengal.
Reporting by Aye Nai
Eastern Burma facing ‘severe’ food crisis
(DVB)–Armed conflict has contributed to what could be the worst food security problem in Burma’s eastern Karen state in over a decade, a report by Karen rights group has warned.
Multiple factors, including recent conflict, abnormal rainfall and pest infestation, have hit Karen state in recent month and laid the groundwork for one of the lowest yielding seasons in recent memory.
The region was the scene of fierce fighting in June this year between government troops and the opposition Karen National Union (KNU) that forced some 4,000 refugees into Thailand.
A report by the Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG), ‘Starving them out’, pointed to increased activity by the Burmese army as a major factor in the food shortage.
Since 2006 the government has pursued a policy aimed at eradicating the food production abilities of the Karen people in an attempt to “significantly undermine food security,” the report states. It is hoped this tactic will undercut local civilian support for the KNU.
An official at the Committee for Internally Displaced Karen People (CIDKP), Saw Steve, echoed the report’s findings.
“The target is to destroy the food supply of the villagers, not only paddy crops but long term crops like mangosteen, jackfruit, beetle nut and other fruits and vegetables from cultivation,” he said.
The tactic marks a departure from past strategies used by the Burmese army, who until 2006 only carried out sporadic offensives against the KNU, usually commencing during the cold and hot seasons and halting in the wet season.
This break in fighting traditionally allowed local farmers the chance to harvest their crops, ensuring a stable food supply for the following months.
According to Saw Steve, government troops often launch mortars and other artillery into paddy fields, meaning farmers “dare not work in the paddy fields full time.” He added that during the harvest season farmers now only work up to 20 days a month.
Inability to tend to fields has meant that crops are now more susceptible to pest infestations and disease, and the overrunning of crops by other animals.
But the surge of military activity in the area is not the only contributing factor to this season’s drastically low yield.
Abnormal weather patterns have led to higher than average rainfall, meaning important ‘slash and burn’ farming practices cannot be carried out.
The KHRG predicts that as the Burmese army continues to “consolidate control” in Karen state, the negative effects on the food supply will be cumulative.
The report asserts that the lower quantities of available land, paired with larger populations of internally displaced people (IDPs), disease, continually interrupted agricultural cycles and unpredictable weather, have left some villages in the region “on the brink of starvation.”
Reporting by Matthew Cunningham
Multiple factors, including recent conflict, abnormal rainfall and pest infestation, have hit Karen state in recent month and laid the groundwork for one of the lowest yielding seasons in recent memory.
The region was the scene of fierce fighting in June this year between government troops and the opposition Karen National Union (KNU) that forced some 4,000 refugees into Thailand.
A report by the Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG), ‘Starving them out’, pointed to increased activity by the Burmese army as a major factor in the food shortage.
Since 2006 the government has pursued a policy aimed at eradicating the food production abilities of the Karen people in an attempt to “significantly undermine food security,” the report states. It is hoped this tactic will undercut local civilian support for the KNU.
An official at the Committee for Internally Displaced Karen People (CIDKP), Saw Steve, echoed the report’s findings.
“The target is to destroy the food supply of the villagers, not only paddy crops but long term crops like mangosteen, jackfruit, beetle nut and other fruits and vegetables from cultivation,” he said.
The tactic marks a departure from past strategies used by the Burmese army, who until 2006 only carried out sporadic offensives against the KNU, usually commencing during the cold and hot seasons and halting in the wet season.
This break in fighting traditionally allowed local farmers the chance to harvest their crops, ensuring a stable food supply for the following months.
According to Saw Steve, government troops often launch mortars and other artillery into paddy fields, meaning farmers “dare not work in the paddy fields full time.” He added that during the harvest season farmers now only work up to 20 days a month.
Inability to tend to fields has meant that crops are now more susceptible to pest infestations and disease, and the overrunning of crops by other animals.
But the surge of military activity in the area is not the only contributing factor to this season’s drastically low yield.
Abnormal weather patterns have led to higher than average rainfall, meaning important ‘slash and burn’ farming practices cannot be carried out.
The KHRG predicts that as the Burmese army continues to “consolidate control” in Karen state, the negative effects on the food supply will be cumulative.
The report asserts that the lower quantities of available land, paired with larger populations of internally displaced people (IDPs), disease, continually interrupted agricultural cycles and unpredictable weather, have left some villages in the region “on the brink of starvation.”
Reporting by Matthew Cunningham
Mobile phones allowed in Burma’s secretive capital
(DVB)–The use of mobile phones in Burma’s jungle capital of Naypyidaw has been permitted by government authorities for the first time since it opened in 2005.
Security reasons had previously prohibited use of mobile phones in the capital, which is populated mostly by government staff.
The Burmese regime in 2005 moved the capital 350 miles north of its former location in Rangoon, allegedly making it less susceptible to foreign invasion.
An official at the government’s Post and Telecommunications Department in Naypyidaw confirmed that use of CDMA (code division multiple access) mobile phones began on 19 October, while temporary mobile phone towers were being built in some areas.
The government reportedly also has plans to introduce other mobile networks in the area in the near future.
A private business owner in Naypyidaw said that the introduction of the phones has made communication in the region much easier.
The astronomical cost of mobile phones in Burma however will likely limit their usage, with prices ranging between $US800 and $US2500. The average annual wage in Burma is around $US200 per capita.
Security around Naypyidaw, which means ‘Great City of the Sun’ is tight, with the government headquarters hidden inside a hilly compound, and only open to military officials.
Much of the city is still under construction, which isn’t expected to be finished until at least 2012.
Reporting by Ahunt Phone Myat
Security reasons had previously prohibited use of mobile phones in the capital, which is populated mostly by government staff.
The Burmese regime in 2005 moved the capital 350 miles north of its former location in Rangoon, allegedly making it less susceptible to foreign invasion.
An official at the government’s Post and Telecommunications Department in Naypyidaw confirmed that use of CDMA (code division multiple access) mobile phones began on 19 October, while temporary mobile phone towers were being built in some areas.
The government reportedly also has plans to introduce other mobile networks in the area in the near future.
A private business owner in Naypyidaw said that the introduction of the phones has made communication in the region much easier.
The astronomical cost of mobile phones in Burma however will likely limit their usage, with prices ranging between $US800 and $US2500. The average annual wage in Burma is around $US200 per capita.
Security around Naypyidaw, which means ‘Great City of the Sun’ is tight, with the government headquarters hidden inside a hilly compound, and only open to military officials.
Much of the city is still under construction, which isn’t expected to be finished until at least 2012.
Reporting by Ahunt Phone Myat
Activists rejected from ASEAN summit
(DVB)–Five activists from various Southeast Asian countries chosen to represent civil society groups today at a regional summit in Thailand have been rejected, one of the delegates said.
The decision to block entry to civil society delegates was a “very worrying” sign in the run-up to the launch of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights, said Burmese activist Khin Ohmar, who was among the five.
The other four were from Cambodia, Laos, Philippines and Singapore. Activists from Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia were allowed entry, but under a strict gagging order.
According to Khin Ohmar, who is exiled in Thailand, those three have now left the summit in protest against the lack of civil society exposure there.
“The two remaining are a representative from Vietnam, who was not permitted by his government to leave, and another one from Brunei, who was appointed by the country’s government,” she said.
Speaking to DVB on Wednesday, Khin Ohmar had warned that the Burmese government wanted somebody from inside Burma “who is not able to have an independent voice to speak on the key problems that the Burmese people are facing.”
Instead of her, two police officials from the government’s narcotics taskforce had been appointed to represent Burmese civil society at the summit.
She added that 10 human rights commissioners, chosen from each member state, are to be present in the ASEAN charter.
“But only two countries, Thailand and Indonesia, allowed freedom and transparency for the civil society groups to choose the commissioners,” she said.
“For the rest of the countries, the commissioners were chosen by the governments. This is already a non-independent charter before it begins.”
The Thai prime minister, Abhisit Vejjavija, was due to meet with the banned delegates today but, according to Khin Ohmar, “interference” by the Thai foreign ministry thwarted the meeting.
Critics of the new ASEAN human rights charter have accused it of lacking punitive powers, and being able to only ‘promote’ human rights amongst its member states.
Reporting by Nay Htoo
The decision to block entry to civil society delegates was a “very worrying” sign in the run-up to the launch of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights, said Burmese activist Khin Ohmar, who was among the five.
The other four were from Cambodia, Laos, Philippines and Singapore. Activists from Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia were allowed entry, but under a strict gagging order.
According to Khin Ohmar, who is exiled in Thailand, those three have now left the summit in protest against the lack of civil society exposure there.
“The two remaining are a representative from Vietnam, who was not permitted by his government to leave, and another one from Brunei, who was appointed by the country’s government,” she said.
Speaking to DVB on Wednesday, Khin Ohmar had warned that the Burmese government wanted somebody from inside Burma “who is not able to have an independent voice to speak on the key problems that the Burmese people are facing.”
Instead of her, two police officials from the government’s narcotics taskforce had been appointed to represent Burmese civil society at the summit.
She added that 10 human rights commissioners, chosen from each member state, are to be present in the ASEAN charter.
“But only two countries, Thailand and Indonesia, allowed freedom and transparency for the civil society groups to choose the commissioners,” she said.
“For the rest of the countries, the commissioners were chosen by the governments. This is already a non-independent charter before it begins.”
The Thai prime minister, Abhisit Vejjavija, was due to meet with the banned delegates today but, according to Khin Ohmar, “interference” by the Thai foreign ministry thwarted the meeting.
Critics of the new ASEAN human rights charter have accused it of lacking punitive powers, and being able to only ‘promote’ human rights amongst its member states.
Reporting by Nay Htoo
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