Myanmar: Ban underlines need to release all remaining political prisoners
July 30, 2011
ARAKANLAND
29July 2011 – Releasing all remaining political prisoners is the single most important step that authorities in Myanmar can take, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, expressing hope that the Government of the Asian nation will soon take steps towards greater democracy.
Mr. Ban spoke by telephone earlier today with U Wunna Maung Lwin, Myanmar’s Foreign Minister, just days after he welcomed a meeting between a Government minister and Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and prominent opposition figure.
Ms. Suu Kyi, who spent almost 15 years under house arrest during the past two decades, was released in November last year.
In his conversation with the Foreign Minister, the Secretary-General “underlined that he had publicly welcomed the reform measures announced by the new Government,” according to information released by his spokesperson.
“He hoped that the Government would now move toward concrete action and take the country forward towards peace, democracy and prosperity.”
Mr. Ban also pressed for “early action” on releasing Myanmar’s remaining political prisoners, describing their release as the “single most important step the international community expected to take.”
The Secretary-General also voiced his concern to the Foreign Minister about the ongoing violence involving some armed groups and the impact of that on civilians, saying the Government must resolve the situation peacefully.
Source: UN News Service
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UN urges anti-drug measures for both Afghanistan and ‘consumer countries’
July 30, 2011
ARAKANLAND
29 July 2011 – The head of the United Nations anti-drugs agency has called for strengthening border controls around Afghanistan – still the world’s leading producer of opium and heroin – boosting security in that country, and lowering demand in so-called “consumer countries.”
Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), said in an introduction to a new study, Global Afghan Opium Trade – A Threat Assessment, that curtailing the Afghan illegal drug trade would “benefit the Afghan people, the wider region and the international community as a whole.”
“Trafficking in Afghan opiates is… very lucrative, generating some $61 billion in illicit funds in 2009 out of $68 billion for the global illicit opiate trade,” according to the report.
“Most of this money went into the pockets of traffickers all along the transnational heroin distribution routes, and some went to insurgents.” Afghan farmers earn relatively little from the trade, the report noted.
Spanning a decade, the report states that some 16.5 million people annually abuse opiates worldwide. Heroin takes the bulk of the market, with 12 million to 13 million people consuming 375 tons of heroin per year; of that, 150 tons are consumed in Europe.
“Strengthening border controls at the most vulnerable points, such as along Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan’s Baluchistan province, could help stem the largest flows of heroin, opium and precursor chemicals,” Mr. Fedotov said.
“Increasing the capacity to monitor and search shipping containers in airports, seaports and dry ports at key transit points and in destination countries could improve interdiction rates.”
He also suggested a need for building capacity and fostering intelligence sharing between ports and law enforcement authorities in key countries and regions, adding: “Addressing Afghan opium and insecurity will help the entire region, with ripple effects that spread much farther.”
“But addressing the supply side and trafficking is not enough,” he said. “We need a balanced approach that gives equal weight to counteracting demand for opiates. This is also part of the international community’s shared responsibility for the global drug problem: heroin-consuming countries need to do more to provide treatment, care and support for drug users to help them kick the habit, and also to prevent drug use.”
The study’s other findings include:
Opiate consumption in Afghanistan and neighbouring countries has risen sharply in the past decade – 35,000 out of the current 123,000 hectares under poppy cultivation in Afghanistan are needed to produce opiates for this region alone. But the problem extends far beyond, with Afghan heroin spreading to consumer markets in East Asia traditionally supplied by Myanmar. Increased heroin flows to Africa, which could re-emerge as a trafficking route to Europe, or lead to more drug consumption on that continent.
Seaports in Pakistan and Iran have been seizing greater amounts of both exported heroin and imported chemicals needed by Afghan drug manufacturers to produce heroin.
Source: UN News Service
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Ban calls on Myanmar to consider ‘early action’ on release of prisoners
July 25, 2011
ARAKANLAND
25 July 2011 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed a meeting between Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi and a Myanmar Government minister, and urged the Government to consider release of political prisoners, according to a statement issued by a spokesperson.
“The Secretary-General welcomes the meeting today in Yangon between Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and Minister for Social Welfare U Aung Kyi,” it said. “He notes that the parties have expressed satisfaction at their positive talks and their intention to cooperate further on matters beneficial to the people of Myanmar.”
“In line with the international community’s expectations and Myanmar’s national interest, the Secretary-General hopes such efforts will continue with a view to building mutual understanding through genuine dialogue. He also calls upon the Government of Myanmar to consider early action on the release of political prisoners in that country,” it said.
Vijay Nambiar, the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser for Myanmar, visited the country earlier in the year, spoke with Government officials, met with Ms. Suu Kyi and reported to the security council that although he welcomed some recent releases of political prisoners, he “reiterated the UN’s call for the urgent release of all political prisoners,” a UN spokesperson said at the time.
While the initial sentence reductions and resulting release of some political prisoners is a small step in the right direction, it has been short of expectation and is insufficient, he said.
Last month Ms. Suu Kyi called on the United Nations International Labour Organization (ILO) to expand its activities in Myanmar and help promote social justice there.
In a video message to the International Labour Conference of the ILO in Geneva she said: “In its attempt to eliminate forced labour and the recruitment of child soldiers, the ILO has inevitably been drawn into work related to rule of law, prisoners of conscience and freedom of association.”
Ms. Suu Kyi, an opposition leader put under house arrest for almost 15 years, was released on 13 November last year.
Source: UN News Service
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Norway: Security Council deplores deadly terrorist attacks
July 23, 2011
ARAKANLAND
23 July 2011 – Security Council members today strongly condemned the twin terrorist attacks in Norway that have killed more than 90 people, including many young people, and left numerous others injured.
At least 85 people died at Utoya after a lone gunman opened fire yesterday afternoon on participants in a youth camp connected to the ruling Labour Party, according to media reports.
That attack followed a large bomb blast in central Oslo, close to key Government buildings, which killed another seven people. Norwegian police have reportedly said that the attacks are linked.
In a statement to the press issued today, the Council deplored the attacks and voiced its deep sympathies for the victims and their families, and to both the people and Government of Norway.
“The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, and that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed,” the statement stressed.
Today's statement echoes the comments made yesterday by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and General Assembly President Joseph Deiss, who also condemned the attacks and expressed their condolences.
News Tracker: past stories on this issue
Top UN officials strongly condemn deadly attacks in Norway
Source: UN News Service
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NYC Arakanese Water Festival
July 22, 2011
UN court orders Cambodia and Thailand to remove troops from around temple site
July 18, 2011
ARAKANLAND
18 July 2011 – A United Nations court today ordered Cambodia and Thailand to withdraw their military personnel from around a disputed temple site near their joint border and to agree not to engage in any further fighting in the immediate area.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a series of provisional measures in the dispute between the South-East Asian neighbours over Preah Vihear, an 11th century Hindu temple complex located on the Cambodian side of the border. The site is inscribed on the UN World Heritage List.
Cambodia and Thailand have repeatedly clashed over the area in recent years and earlier this year there were fatal skirmishes that forced thousands of people to flee. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and other top UN officials have urged the two countries to engage in dialogue to resolve the dispute.
Cambodia had applied for provisional measures as part of its request to the ICJ for an interpretation clarifying the meaning or scope of a 1962 judgement that it made in the dispute.
Today the court’s 16-member panel found unanimously that the matter was urgent enough, and the potential risk of damage and renewed clashes sufficiently serious, that provisional measures were necessary. Thailand had requested that the case be removed from the ICJ’s general list, but the court rejected that.
By a vote of 11 to five, the judges then ruled that the two sides should immediately withdrew their military personnel from a provisional demilitarized zone around the temple which the tribunal has defined, and that they should refrain from having any military presence within the zone or directing any armed activity at the zone.
In a vote of 15 to one, the ICJ also stated that:
Thailand should not obstruct Cambodia’s free access to Preah Vihear, or prevent it from providing fresh supplies to its non-military personnel; Cambodia and Thailand should continue their cooperation within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (
ASEAN) in relation to the dispute, particularly by allowing the ASEAN observers to have access to the provisional demilitarized zone;
The two countries should refrain from any actions which could aggravate or extend the dispute or make it more difficult to resolve.
The ICJ, also known as the World Court, is the principal judicial organ of the UN and is based in The Hague in the Netherlands. One of its tasks is to settle legal disputes between countries.
News Tracker: past stories on this issue
UNESCO regrets Thai decision to denounce World Heritage Convention
Source; UN News Service
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UN welcomes South Sudan as 193rd Member State
July 14, 2011
ARAKANLAND
14 July 2011 – The General Assembly today admitted the Republic of South Sudan as the 193rd member of the United Nations, welcoming the newly independent country to the community of nations.
South Sudan’s independence from the rest of Sudan is the result of the January 2011 referendum held under the terms of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended the decades-long civil war between the North and the South.
“At this moment… in this place… the world gathers to say in one voice: Welcome, South Sudan. Welcome to the community of nations,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said after the Assembly adopted a resolution, by acclamation, to admit Africa’s newest country.
Mr. Ban, who was among the UN dignitaries who attended the independence ceremony in South Sudan’s capital, Juba, last Saturday, pledged the world body’s assistance as the country shapes its future. “The commitment of all Member States will be essential as South Sudan moves forward,” he stated.
“Together, let us say to the citizens of our newest Member State: You now sit with us. We stand with you.”
Assembly President Joseph Deiss said today marks a “historic” moment for Africa and for the world community.
“Today we are firmly entrenching South Sudan in the community of nations in the same way as other Member States with the same rights and responsibilities. The universality of the United Nations and the values that are enshrined in its Charter are thereby enhanced,” he stated.
“I am confident that South Sudan will contribute to promote the objectives of security, peace, prosperity, friendship and cooperation between peoples as they are promoted by the United Nations, and this for the good of the people of South Sudan, for the good of the region and for the entire African continent.”
Speaking on behalf of South Sudan, Vice President Riek Machar said he was “honoured and humbled” to stand before Member States to convey the gratitude of his Government and people to the Assembly for admitting the new nation to membership in the UN.
He paid tribute to all those who participated in the long struggle for South Sudan’s liberation. “That struggle cost our people millions of lives and untold suffering. Their sacrifices will not be forgotten.”
Mr. Machar also pledged that his country will work to foster peace in its region, while building a strong and viable nation at home.
“When we started our journey we could hardly imagine that the road would lead us to this point, however much we may have hoped for it. Now, we must move forward together to fulfil our people’s aspirations.”
As South Sudan’s flag was hoisted at UN Headquarters, Mr. Ban pledged that the world body will work with the country to realize all the hopes and dreams the flag represents. “Like your flag, let us rise. Let us rise, together, to the challenge.”
The latest country to join the world body had until now been Montenegro, which became the 192nd UN Member State on 28 June 2006, just weeks after it gained its independence from Serbia.
News Tracker: past stories on this issue
Security Council recommends South Sudan for UN membership
Source: UN News Service
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On World Population Day, Ban calls for ending poverty and inequality
July 12, 2011
ARAKANLAND
11 July 2011 – As the world population approaches seven billion, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today stressed that ending global poverty and inequality is the key to unleashing the great human potential for prosperity and peaceful coexistence, while protecting the planet and safeguarding the natural resources that sustain humanity.
“Later this year, a seven-billionth baby will be born into our world of complexity and contradiction,” Mr. Ban said in a message to mark World Population Day, observed annually on 11 July.
“We have enough food for everyone, yet nearly a billion go hungry. We have the means to eradicate many diseases, yet they continue to spread. We have the gift of a rich natural environment, yet it remains subject to daily assault and exploitation. All people of conscience dream of peace, yet too much of the world is in conflict and steeped in armaments,” said the Secretary-General.
Mr. Ban said the global focus should be on improving the welfare of the people by promoting the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the eight poverty reduction targets that the international community has agreed to strive to attain by 2015.
“When we act on our shared values, we contribute to our common future. Ending poverty and inequality unleashes vast human potential,” he said.
To mark the Day, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) launched the “7 Billion Actions” campaign to promote dialogue on the challenges, opportunities and actions that will be needed to ensure a better future for humanity.
“While poverty, inequality and increased stress on resources represent major challenges, the world is more interconnected than ever before, creating enormous possibilities,” said UNFPA Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin in his message to mark the Day.
“We now have unprecedented capacity to share information and ideas, and engage communities across the globe to solve common problems. Reducing inequities and improving living standards for people alive today – as well as for generations to follow – will require new ways of thinking and unparalleled global cooperation. The moment to act is now,” said Mr. Osotimehin.
He said that protecting reproductive health and rights is fundamental for sustainable development, and called for concerted efforts to meet the needs of some 215 million women in developing countries who have the desire to plan and space the birth of their children but lack access to modern contraception.
Mr. Osotimehin stressed that, acting together, the world has the capacity to prevent the deaths of 1,000 women who lose their lives every day to complications of pregnancy and childbirth.
“We have an opportunity and responsibility to invest in the world’s 1.8 billion adolescents and youth aged 10 to 24. They constitute more than a quarter of the world’s population and almost 90 per cent live in developing countries.
“Every young person deserves education, including sexuality education, and access to comprehensive health services. With the right policies, investments and social support, young people can enjoy healthier lives free of poverty and enhance prospects for peace and stability,” said Mr. Osotimehin.
According to UNFPA, the global population has doubled since 1968 and grown by almost 40 per cent since reaching 5 billion in 1987, when the first World Population Day was observed. Population growth is projected to continue at least until the middle of this century despite dramatic declines in the average number of children per woman.
The vast majority of the population growth ¬– 97 of every 100 people – is occurring in less developed countries, some of which already struggle to meet their citizens’ needs.
The gap between rich and poor is growing, as urbanization and migration continue, while climate change is an increasing concern with a rising number of people becoming vulnerable to food insecurity, water shortages and weather-related disasters, according to the UNFPA. On the other hand, many rich and middle-income countries are concerned about low fertility and ageing.
Source:UN News Service
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Waso-Robe Offering Ceremony
July 9, 2011
ARAKANLAND
We are delighted to most cordially invite all members of your spiritual family and friends to a special Waso-robe offering ceremony to be held by the Buddhist Missionary Society, New York. The ceremony will be conducted with the followings. It will be a good opportunity to be mutual rewarding at meritorious activities---to renew acquaintance and perform meritorious deeds.
Programs:
Date: August 7, 2011 ( Sunday)
Time: From 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Place: PS 222 (86-15)
FF Christopher A. Santora School
37th Ave, Between 86th and 87 Street
Jackson Heights, NY 11372
Subway: Take # 7 train and get off 90th Street.
Phones: (718) 898 8274/ (718) 899 6081
www.bmsnewyork.org
Donors:--- Ko William+ Ma Khaing Ma family, Ko Nyan Win Aung + Ma C. C. Cho Than & daughter Rachael Lawan Ag, Ko Mya Tun + Khin Khin Soe family, Ko Zaw Min Oo+ Ma Wai Wai and son Mg Min Myat Zaw, Ko Than Naing+ Ma Khin Lay Win family, Ingyin Phyu, Ko Thit Lwin + Ma Thandar.
Note: Traditional food will be served.
In the service of Dhamma
Buddhist Missionary Society
New York
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17th Annual Arakanese Water Festival Will be Held Mid of July in NYC
July 8, 2011
ARAKANLAND
Click here to link and watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1qkpJXm4xw
| Date: | Sunday, July 17, 2011 |
| Place: | PS9 Playground -- 100 West 84th Street, between Columbus Avenue and Amsterdam Avenue
Click here for map |
| Time: | 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. |
| Admission: | Free |
Thingyan Association is looking for dancers, singers, musicians [traditional] and sponsors for event.
The event will be streamed live via www.burmeseclassic.com
Spray, splash and soak your friends and family at the 17th Annual Rakhaing Thingyan Water Festival, a celebration of the Burmese New Year and culture, on Sunday, July 17, 2011, from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.
The festival is located on the Upper West Side – Public School 9, The Sarah Anderson School -- 100 West 84th Street, between Columbus Avenue and Amsterdam Avenue - - Admission is free.
Water Festival marks the start of the Burmese lunar calendar New Year, which occurs in mid-April—at the height of summer heat in Myanmar. Since April can still be cold in New York, the Water Festival is usually celebrated here in mid-July. The Burmese Water Festival is highlighted by an age-old tradition where children and adults joyously pour water on each other to be rid of last year's troubles. Wet or dry, come experience local Burmese cuisine, singing, dancing, music, arts and crafts, raffle drawings and children's games.
Known as a time for men to court women and flirt, the event will also include the Laung Hlay, a traditional Rakhaing racing boat, which is filled with water and guarded by women. Young men wishing to play must ask a woman permission to have a bowl of water from the boat. If she agrees, they will splash each other, and when his bowl is empty, he must ask again for more. Once the Laung Hlay is empty, another group is given a turn to splash. Many marriages have resulted from water play at the Laung Hlay.
The Burmese Water Festival is sponsored by ThinGyan Association, a non-political, not- for-profit Burmese-American social organization devoted to preserving and sharing the colorful, multi-ethnic heritage of Burma.
Source: www.thingyan.org
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Invitation to 6th Annual Meeting of WAO-USA
July 1, 2011
ARAKANLAND
As the motto of United We Stand, World Arakanese Organization (WAO) U.S.A. Branch's 6th Annual Conference will be held at the place of Embassy Suites Hotel in Iowa sponsored by Arakanese family (Iowa).
You are cordially invited to this annual conference and WAO-USA would like to see all Arakanese who live in United States of America. World Arakanese Organization is one of the social organizations of Arakan and it has formed since 2005 led by Ashun Nayaka, Dr. Aye Kyaw and Dr. Aye Chan at Sukhavati, New York City, U.S.A. after initiating of Arakanese group headed by U Ba Aye, Tokyo, Japan.
When :Sunday, August 14,2011
Where:Embassy Suites Hotel
101 E Locust Street
Des Moines IA 59309
For more information, please contact to following persons:
1) U U Sein Twan (650) 387-6894
2) Aye Lwon (336) 259-5053
3) Ko Zaw Myo Naing (720) 292-8634
4) Ko Kyaw Htoo Aung (617) 435-4153
Source: WAO-USA
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WAO Global Teleconference Held
July 1, 2011
ARAKANLAND
WAO-HQ- Central Executive Committee of World Arakanese Organization (WAO)'s Teleconference recently held by request of Dr. Aye Chan, President of WAO, on Saturday, June 25,2011.
There was attending fifteen major members, from Japan, Europe and United States of America, including U Tun Won, Patron of WAO in the meeting. U Tun Won spoke opening address and Dr. Aye Chan explained the objectives of Teleconference. U U Sein Tun, Vice President of WAO served as Master of Ceremony and he announced meeting agenda.
All attendees discussed all topics of agenda which happened WAO's inner circle activities and how to active refreshed action effectively and efficiently. The purpose of meeting resolution made all the important subjects of WAO such as fundraising and systematic formation globally.
Source: WAO-HQ
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