An Open Letter from Overseas Pro-Democracy Activists
November 30, 2010
ARAKANLAND
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PARTIES AND THE MEMBERS WHO
CONTESTED THE 2010 “SHAM ELECTIONS BY PRO-DEMOCRACY
ACTIVISTS OVERSEAS
The State Peace and Development Council’s attempt to legitimize its rule via “sham
elections” has finished. These “sham elections” however failed to address both internal
and international criticism.
The international call for the participation of all parties was ignored. At the same time,
over 2,200 political prisoners remained behind bars throughout the election. The election
commission not only barred the opposition from their fundamental right to assembly and
to organize but it also openly committed vote-cheating, stealing votes and taking sides in
favor of the junta’s favored party. In addition, the elections were not fair as a high
majority of voters were forced to cast their votes under coercion through advance ballots.
Military personnel and civil servants, together with their families, and poor people were
forced to cast advance votes for the junta’s favored party. According to the international
observers the actual voter turnout was less than 40% instead of the regime’s claim of over
60%.
Furthermore, the referendum passed in 2008 in respect of the military dominated
constitution, was in itself a sham as the constitution was drafted by a fake national
convention and the referendum was passed through the use of the same unfair advance
ballots and vote-cheating they have employed in the 2010 “sham elections”. The 2008
referendum was also passed in the midst of the devastation of Cyclone Nergis.
Therefore, the results of these “sham elections” do not represent the people of
Burma. For that reason, we hereby call for the international community and
governments not to recognize the upcoming parliament and its government.
Despite the unjust electoral laws and intimidation, some candidates and parties still
participated in the election in good faith. However, the harsh reality is that they lost to the
tricks and blatant lies by the election commission.
The handful of the democratic and ethnic party candidates who managed to be elected
despite the “sham election” will face intimidation and domination from the members of
the illegal junta sponsored party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party, in the fake
parliament. Furthermore, many of the so-called elected members of the Union Solidarity
and Development Party had been originally declared losers and were only declared
“winners” once further fraudulent advance votes were counted in their favour,
Consequently, we would like to urge the elected democratic and ethnic party
members not to attend the parliament that was shaped by these “sham elections”.
Also, this is the time for the parties and individual candidates who participated in these
“sham elections” to demonstrate their gratitude to their voters by rejecting the results of
these elections and by boycotting the fake national assembly and the upcoming
parliament. We honestly believe that the representatives of all national and state levels
have the responsibility to stand up for the people by boycotting the fake parliament. In
addition, we urge all the opposition parties and activists, both inside Burma and
overseas, that this is the time to fight against the deceptions of the military junta.
Sincerely,
Dated 26 November 2010
1.U Khin Maung Kyi (Former Diplomat)
2. U Htun Aung Kyaw (USA)
3. U Aung Than Oo (Germany)
4. U Than Swe (Japan)
5. U Moe Thee Zon (Thailand)
6. U Kyaw Than (India)
7. Sayardaw U Pyinnyar Zawta (India)
8. Sayardaw U Pyinnyar Thiri (India)
9. Sayerdaw U Zawanna (Thailand)
10. U Maung Maung (UK)
11. U Soe Nyunt (USA)
12.U Aung Thu (Germany)
13.U Aye Myint(Germany)
14.U Aung Ko (Beyond Rangoon, France)
15.Dr Thank Htike (Poland)
16.U George Settkyar Hein(Australia)
17.U Muthar (USA)
18.U Min Naing (Buffallo-USA)
19.U Aung Myint Tun (Fort Wyme- USA)
20.U Zaw Min Khaing (Japan)
21.Timothy Zaw Zaw (Canada)
22.U Soe Lwin (Sidney-Australia)
23.U Kyaw Kyaw ( NLD-Malaysia)
24.U Than Win (Ra-Ka-Tha-USA)
25.U Ko Ko Aung (Japan)
26.U Maung Lwin ( Korea)
Contacts:
U Khin Maung Kyi :+44-208-5801728
U Htun Aung Gyaw:+16073396054
U Aung Than Oo:+49-1735347534
Dr Than Htike:+48-22503799132
U Moe Thee Zon : +66-844591186
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Visiting UN envoy urges Myanmar authorities to build on recent developments
November 29, 2010
ARAKANLAND
28 November 2010 – A United Nations envoy on Sunday encouraged Myanmar authorities to build on recent developments towards democracy and national reconciliation, and to address concerns about the recent elections.
Vijay Nambiar, the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Myanmar, said he listened to as many parties as possible about their hopes, expectations and concerns at this “critical juncture” for the country's future direction.
“In this process, strong concerns were expressed by many parties about the process and outcome of the recent elections, which I have urged the Government and the Union Election Commission to address as transparently as possible. This is important for laying the foundation of a credible transition,” he told reporters in Yangon at the end of a two-day visit.
The 7 November election, the first to be held in the country in 20 years, was part of a Government-designed timetable towards greater democratization. However, the polls drew strong concern, including from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon who said the vote was held in conditions that were “insufficiently inclusive, participatory and transparent.”
During his visit, Mr. Nambiar, who is also Chief of Staff for the Secretary-General, met with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was recently released after being under house arrest for much of the past two decades, and members of her party, the National League for Democracy.
He also met with representatives of some of the major political parties who participated in the 7 November polls and members of civil society groups.
“The United Nations has respected the position of all parties regarding the elections. It now encourages them to work constructively for the national interest. In order to succeed, any political transition should be broad-based and inclusive, and involve not only those who participated and won seats in the election, but also those who did not or could not,” said Mr. Nambiar.
In this connection, he called for the release of the estimated 2,200 political prisoners still detained in the country.
Mr. Nambiar, whose visit was carried out at the invitation of the Government and in continuation of the good offices dialogue between the UN and Myanmar, reaffirmed the world body's long-term commitment to continue to work with the Government and people of Myanmar in their efforts to address the political, humanitarian and developmental challenges facing their country.
Source: UN News Service
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Arakanese Cyclone Giri Victims Need Your Kind Help
November 28, 2010
ARAKANLAND
ဂီရိေလမုန္တိုင္း တိုက္ခတ္ခဲ့ေသာေၾကာင့္ ေပါက္ေတာၿမိဳ ့နယ္မွာ လူေနအိမ္အေဆာက္အဦးမ်ား.. ဘုရားေက်ာင္းကန္မ်ား... စာသင္ေက်ာင္းမ်ားႏွင့္ လယ္ယာေျမမ်ားစြာ ပ်က္စီးဆံုးရံႈးသြားခဲ့သည္။
ရန္ကုန္ၿမိဳ ့ရွိ ေပါက္ေတာၿမိဳ ့နယ္ သာေရး နာေရးအသင္းမွ အလွဴရွင္မ်ားရဲ ့လွဴဒါန္းေသာ အလွဴေငြႏွင့္
အလွဴပစၥည္းမ်ား ရယူလက္ခံၿပီး... ေလေဘးသင့္ရာ ေနရာေဒသမ်ားသို ့ ကိုယ္တိုင္သြားေရာက္ကာ
အလွဴရွင္မ်ားရဲ ့ဆႏၵႏွင့္အညီ အကူအညီရထိုက္ေသာ ဒုကၡသည္မ်ားလက္၀ယ္သို ့ မွန္မွန္ကန္ကန္ေရာက္
ရွိေစရန္ စနစ္တက် စီစဥ္လုပ္ေဆာင္ေပးလွ်က္ရွိပါသည္။
ယေန ့အေျခအေနမွာ... အလွဴခံရရွိေသာ အလွဴပစၥည္းမ်ားႏွင့္ ဒုကၡေရာက္ေနၾကေသာ ဒုကၡသည္အေရ
အတြက္ မညီမွ်သည့္အတြက္ အေရးေပၚအကူအညီမ်ား လိုအပ္ေနသည့္အတြက္ ျပည္ပေနရာမ်ားမွာ
ေရာက္ရွိေနထိုင္ေနၾကေသာ ရခိုင္အမ်ိဳးသား အမ်ိဳးသမီးမ်ားႏွင့္ ျမန္မာျပည္ဖြား ျမန္မာတိုင္းရင္းသားမ်ား
တတ္နိဳင္သေလာက္ စုေပါင္းပါ၀င္ ကူညီလွဴဒါန္းေပးၾကပါရန္ အထူးဘဲေမတၱာရပ္ခံပါသည္
Source: http://pouktaw.blogspot.com/
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World heritage sites in Cyprus and Italy granted special protection status by UN
November 27, 2010
ARAKANLAND
Choirokoitia in Cyprus
26 November 2010 – A United Nations committee tasked with safeguarding the world’s valued cultural heritage that might be threatened in times of armed conflict has granted enhanced protection status to three sites in Cyprus and another one in Italy, it was announced today. The sites – Choirokoitia, Paphos and the Painted Churches of the Troodos region in Cyprus, as well as the Castel del Monte in Italy – were declared as being in need of enhanced protection by the Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) during a meeting in Paris this week.
“We do not ever want a repeat of the destruction of cultural sites such as the Mostar Bridge in Bosnia and Herzegovina, or attacks like those against the old city of Dubrovnik in Croatia during the Balkans conflict,” said Committee Chairman Nout van Woudenberg.
“Enhanced protection status reinforces the legal measures in place to prevent such terrible losses to the world’s cultural heritage,” he added after the status was granted, the first such decision by the Committee.
The “enhanced protection” status is one of the features of the 1999 Second Protocol to the Hague Convention of 1954 for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.
The granting of such protection by the Committee to sites in countries that are party to the Second Protocol can be made under three conditions – that the site be of the greatest importance to humanity; that it be protected by adequate domestic legal and administrative measures recognizing its exceptional cultural and historic value and ensuring the highest level of protection; and that it not be used for military purposes or to shield military sites.
The protection means that States cannot fall back on the argument of “imperative military necessity” for using or targeting cultural sites in times of conflict. It also obligates States to make intentional attacks against identified sites a criminal offence or to penalize use of such sites or their immediate surroundings in support of military action.
News Tracker: past stories on this issue
Cultural traditions in China and Croatia put on UN heritage protection list
Source: UN News Service
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WAO: GoTomeeting Invation- New Meeting
November 27, 2010
ARAKANLAND
Dear Rakhine Thu and Rakhinethar,
World Arakanese Organization (WAO) has made plan to hold a WAO's CEC Meeting on December 5, 2010. We, members of WAO-CEC, would like to invite cordially all of you to attend WAO Global teleconference as show below schedule. We are Arakanese, you are Arakanese who love Arakanese Society, and we must work together for the good of our community, you would be eligible to attend this WAO Global teleconference.
http://worldarakan.org/
(WAO Access Code Limitation Permit will be from 6:00 AM to 9:30 AM US-Pacific Time. Please join ontime.)
Teleconference Agenda:
1) To discuss WAO's Global CEC Reforming
2) To discuss Arakanese Historical Sites Question
3) To discuss on Arakanese Cyclone Giri Victims
4) To General discussion
Teleconference Phone Number: 1215 383 1001
Access Code: 118-866-094 (or)
You can also join to attend Web conferencing, online meeting at;
https://www3gotomeeting.com/join/118866094
Use your PC through microphone and speakers (VoIP)-a headset is recommended
Date: December 5, 2010
Time: 9:00 AM (US East)
8:00 AM (US Central)
7:00 AM (US Mountain)
6:00 AM (US West)
3:00 PM (Netherlands and Norway)
8:00 PM (Bangladesh)
11:00 PM (Japan)
10:00 PM (Singapore)
10:00 PM (Malaysia)
9:00 PM (Thailand)
1:00 AM (Sydney, Australia)
Place: Tele-Conference by Phone
Information Department
World Arakanese Organization (WAO)
Source: WAO-HQ
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Cyclone GIRI-Rakhine State-Republic of the Union of Myanmar
November 25, 2010
ARAKANLAND
Source: Action Contre la Faim (ACF)
Date: 25 Nov 2010
Full_Report (pdf* format - 91 Kbytes)
Results of first rapid assessments conducted in affected villages of Myebon and Minbya Townships
Prepared by: Nicolas Guillaud, Food security and livelihoods coordinator _ ACF Myanmar, fsco@mm.missions-acf.org
Period covered by the assessments: October 26, 2010-November 4,2010
Methodology: Cyclone GIRI struck Rakhine State on the night of October 22 to 23, 2010. Starting October 24, ACF mobilized its staff (nationals and expatriates) present in Sitway office to conduct rapid assessments in areas affected by the cyclone. Staff were quickly supported by additional employees from Maungdaw and Yangon offices.
Proper data collection could start only on October 26 time to organize for transportation and brief staff on the information to be collected.
A simple format of household questionnaire, focus group guidelines (i.e. basic information to be collected during the discussion) was drafted and translated into English. Despite an internal willingness to use the IASC1 template designed for initial rapid assessments. Reasons are:
- the document is long; 13 pages of data that result in consequent time spent while there is need to cover different locations in a minimum of time, with minimum means available (staff and transportation),
- the "technical nature" of the document that would require very briefed and trained staff on the template as well as a subsequent database to process the collected data,
- the challenging communication means between field and Sitway as well as Sitway Yangon which could not enable a quick feed back from field staff,
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Grand Canyon Tour for Arakanese Cyclone GIRI Victims
November 25, 2010
ARAKANLAND
PHOENIX,AZ- For the purpose of assistance to Arakanese Cyclone GIRI victims, Arakanese American successfully held a meeting at the Arakanese Community office in Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America on November 21, 2010.
There was attending three families and Arakanese individual as meeting attendees have made decision a plan to visit to Grand Canyon on December 26, 2010. This plan for tour is raising money for Arakanese natural disasters who are still suffering mentally and physically after hitting by Cyclone GIRI , which made landfall in Arakan on 22,23 October.
Kyauk Pru, Mrebone and Mumbra townships where had been worst struck by cyclone Giri landfall on Arakan by wind per hour 160 mile and tidal surge, which was as high as 12 feet.
According to the information from Arakan, there are over one hundred thousand of Arakanese people are homeless and over three hundred people estimated death. Cyclone GIRI, which destroyed at least 20,380 homes, as the accompanying torrential rainfall caused floods that inundated some 17,500 acres of crops and washed away nearly 50,000 acres of fish and shrimp breeding ponds, according to the UN Official reports."We, the people of Arakanese American has urged to the people who sympathize to assist our Arakanese natural disasters. Please come to join us to achieve our Grand Canyon Tour." This community will be donated to Rakhine Thahaya Athum Via WAO. Tour Destination: Grand Canyon
Tour Vehicle : All Aboard America
Donation : $ 52 Per Ticket
Depart Time and Date: At 7 am, Sunday, December 26, 2010
Pick Up Place : Dunlap Cortez Park, 35th Ave, Phoenix, AZ
Do you have any question and more information in detail, Please contact to following Persons;
U Kyaw Tun (602-349-6170), Ko Tun Moung (602-561-5575), Khaing Taw Rai (602-725-5850, Ko Mrant Mum Thu (602-386-968), Ko Saw Tin Moung (602-488-4479), Ko Moe Kyaw (602-299-2265), Ko Goe Shye (623-707-9270), Ko Soe Soe Won (602-575-6846), Ko Aung Lun (602-299-8974), Ma Soe Moe Tha (602-368-8259)
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WAO-USA-5 Annual Meeting Achieved
November 21, 2010
ARAKANLAND
Photo: WAO-USA
WAO-USA -5thAnnual Conference of WAO-USA, held at the place of Radisson Hotel on November 13, 2010 in Utica, New York State accordance with resolution of WAO-USA's 9th Teleconference held on October 10, 2010. It had discussed about Arakanese social affairs in different parts of the world. The conference held timely from 2 pm to 5pm. It was sponsored by Arakanese Community based in Utica.
There was attending nearly 40 Arakanese from United States and Canada in the annual meeting.
During the conference, U Tun Won, patron members of World Arakanese Organization, undertook as conference speaker delivered opening speech to guide national interest with his precious experience on his lifetime activities briefly.
U U Sein Tun, President of WAO-USA, divulged an annual report of WAO-USA and U Thine Tun Zan, in charge of finance, also gave an account of annual financial report. Moung Zaw Zaw Tun who serves joint secretary of WAO-USA explained with PowerPoint Presentation about the WAO's chronological back ground and what did WAO pledge its accomplishment. Dr. Mum Ray Hla presented a report on Cyclonic Strom Giri by PowerPoint Presentation.
There was making greeting an introduction of EC members of WAO-USA and Conference attendees. Arakanese community in Utica would like to co-operate with WAO-USA for purpose of Arakanese National Interest and Arakanese Social Welfare.
There was so helpful to WAO-USA's 5th Annual Meeting by Arakanese family from Utica and they provided an accommodation and Arakanese National Foods to conference attendees.
Source: WAO-USA
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Australian help for Burma following Cyclone Giri
November 19, 2010
ARAKANLAND
MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS
KEVIN RUDD
Australia is providing emergency assistance to the people of Burma in response to the damage caused by Cyclone Giri, which struck the Rakhine State on 22 October.
The cyclone killed 45 people, with estimates of at least 260,000 Burmese severely affected. There has been widespread damage to houses, crops, schools, roads and bridges.
Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said that Australia will provide $3 million in assistance to help affected communities and families recover from this disaster and provide essential food, shelter, clean water and sanitation.
An immediate $200,000 was provided last month through the Australian Red Cross, and the further $2.8 million announced today will be delivered through the United Nations World Food Programme and Australian non-government organisations, CARE Australia, Save the Children Fund, Oxfam Australia, Burnet Institute and the Australian Red Cross.
'Australia's funding will help those left homeless and in need of food and emergency supplies,' said Mr Rudd.
Source: ReliefWeb
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UN committed to democratic transition in Myanmar, Ban tells Aung San Suu Kyi
November 19, 2010
ARAKANLAND
Aung San Suu Kyi
18 November 2010 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today stressed that the United Nations will continue to support efforts towards a democratic transition in Myanmar, as he spoke with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi following her long-awaited release.
Ms. Suu Kyi, the head of the National League for Democracy (NLD) and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was released on 13 November after having been under house arrest for much of the past two decades.
“The Secretary-General told Daw Aung San Suu Kyi that he was encouraged by the spirit of reconciliation emanating from her statements and appeals for dialogue and compromise following her release,” his spokesperson said in a statement issued after the telephone call.
Mr. Ban reiterated his own commitment and that of the UN to continue to uphold the cause of human rights and support all efforts by the Government, Ms. Suu Kyi and all other stakeholders to build a “united, peaceful, democratic and modern future” for their country.
They both stressed the need for the Myanmar authorities to release all remaining political prisoners so that all of the country’s citizens are free to contribute to advancing the prospects of national reconciliation and democratic transition in Myanmar, the statement noted.
For her part, Ms. Suu Kyi voiced her appreciation for the UN’s role in Myanmar, and expressed her support for an early visit by the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser for Myanmar to Yangon and her desire to engage with him for pushing ahead in addressing the challenges facing the people of Myanmar.
Source: UN News Service
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Ten of thousands of cyclone survivors in Myanmar remain homeless – UN
November 19, 2010
ARAKANLAND
Cyclone Giri which struck Myanmar in October 2010 destroyed thousands of houses, many made of bamboo and palms
16 November 2010 – More than 100,000 people remain homeless in Myanmar following the cyclone that struck the country last month, and many more residents of the affected area lost crops and livelihoods, the United Nations humanitarian office reported today, adding that relief efforts are being hampered by logistical constraints.
Cyclone Giri, which made landfall in Myanmar on 22 October, destroyed at least 20,380 homes, as the accompanying torrential rainfall caused floods that inundated some 17,500 acres of crops and washed away nearly 50,000 acres of fish and shrimp breeding ponds, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). At least 45 people lost their lives.
Assistance is being delivered by all humanitarian partners, including the Government and local authorities, UN agencies and non-governmental organisations. The first round of food distribution is expected to be completed by 20 November, with more than 1.3 tonnes of food distributed to nearly 200,000 of those affected.
In Myebon, the western township most affected by the cyclone, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has facilitated the transportation of donated medical supplies to rural health facilities.
Emergency shelter kits are required to assist those who remain homeless, but distribution has been challenging due to difficult topography, the remoteness of the affected area and poor or damaged infrastructure, OCHA said.
Source: UN News Service
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UK govt warns against ‘forgetting’ Giri
November 16, 2010
ARAKANLAND
B
y DVB
Published: 16 November 2010
Britain has pledged aid to more than 100,000 people in western Burma still lacking adequate food and water following cyclone Giri last month.
It comes as the Japanese foreign ministry today announced it had offered $US500,000 for the delivery of food aid through the World Food Programme (WFP) to victims of the 22 October cyclone, which left nearly 90,000 people homeless in Arakan state.
A statement from the UK's Department for International Development (DFID) said that more than 260,000 people had been severely affected "and are in urgent need of emergency aid".
In addition, local medical facilities were washed away, "causing the local health care system to collapse", the statement said.
"This disaster was in danger of being forgotten, ignored and unseen by the international community," said the Secretary of State for International Development, Andrew Mitchell.
The past two weeks in Burma have been dominated by the 7 November elections and the release one week later of opposition icon Aung San Suu Kyi, but the situation in several townships in Arakan state remains critical.
"Thousands of families have lost their homes, crops have been flooded, houses destroyed and villages wiped out. Many families are completely dependant on aid for their survival.
He added that unless urgent assistance is given, "the situation will continue to deteriorate, as a lack of food and disease spreads amongst the survivors". According to aid agencies cited in the statement, more than 200,000 people will need emergency food aid for at least the next three months.
The UN Development Programme (UNDP) said last week that 16,187 hectares of rice paddy - or 40 to 50 percent of the harvestable area - were destroyed by Giri. In contrast, May 2008's cyclone Nargis - Burma's worst recorded natural disaster - destroyed around 1.75 million hectares of farmland, or 30 percent of the wet season rice area for the entire country.
Author: DVB Category: Health, News
Source: DVB
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UN officials welcome release of Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi
November 13, 2010
ARAKANLAND
Aung San Suu Kyi
13 November 2010 - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the United Nations human rights chief welcomed the freeing on Saturday of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and urged the authorities in Myanmar to release all remaining political prisoners.
Ms. Suu Kyi, the head of the National League for Democracy (NLD) and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, had been under house arrest for much of the past two decades. Her release comes one week after the South-east Asian nation held its first elections in 20 years.
"Her dignity and courage in the face of injustice have been an inspiration to many people around the world, including the Secretary-General, who has long advocated her freedom," Mr. Ban's spokesperson said in a statement.
"The Secretary-General expects that no further restrictions will be placed on her, and he urges the Myanmar authorities to build on today's action by releasing all remaining political prisoners."
The statement also noted that it was "deeply regrettable" that Ms. Suu Kyi was effectively excluded from participating in the recent elections.
"Democracy and national reconciliation require that all citizens of Myanmar are free to participate as they wish in the political life of their country."
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay called Ms. Suu Kyi's release a "positive signal" that the Myanmar authorities are willing to move forward with the serious challenge of democratic transition.
"Clearly, Aung San Suu Kyi can make a major contribution to this process," Ms. Pillay stated, adding that she remained "extremely disappointed" that the pro-democracy leader was not released before the elections.
The High Commissioner urged the authorities to now release the other 2,200 political prisoners as "a clear sign that the new Government intends to respect human rights and forge a new future for the country."
News Tracker: past stories on this issue
Independent UN rights experts urge Myanmar to release all political prisoners
Source: UN News Service
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Independent UN rights experts urge Myanmar to release all political prisoners
November 12, 2010
Aung San Suu Kyi
12 November 2010 - Four United Nations human rights experts today urged the Government of Myanmar to immediately and unconditionally release pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as the over 2,200 political prisoners detained in the country.
They called for the release as a "step towards national reconciliation" in the South-east Asian nation, which just held its first elections in 20 years last weekend.
Authorities will reportedly make a decision on Saturday regarding the release of Ms. Suu Kyi, the head of the National League for Democracy (NLD), who has been under house arrest for much of the past two decades.
Under the terms of her detention under Myanmar's own legal proceedings, Ms. Suu Kyi's sentence ends on 13 November, noted the experts, who urged the Government to ensure the end of all restrictions on her movement and activities.
The experts, including the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Tomás Ojea Quintana, also voiced concern about reports that around 15,000 people had fled from Myanmar into Thailand to escape fighting between Government and ethnic minority forces in the wake of Sunday's election.
"The elections were billed as one of the final elements of the so-called seven-step roadmap to democracy," the UN experts said.
"However, the renewed clashes and resulting humanitarian crisis as civilians fled to a neighbouring State highlight the many unresolved challenges that Myanmar faces. True democratic transition will require genuine dialogue with all stakeholders including Aung San Suu Kyi, and the various ethnic minorities that were excluded from the electoral process.
"These prominent voices are necessary if Myanmar's democratic transition is to have a chance of succeeding," said the group, which also included the Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, El-Hadji Malick Sow, the Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Frank La Rue, and the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, Margaret Sekaggya.
In a related development, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported today that most of the 15,000 Myanmar refugees that fled to Thailand earlier this week have returned across the border.
“While many have returned to Myanmar others have dispersed and remain on the Thai side of the border,” UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards told reporters in Geneva. “Others still have crossed back into Thailand again because of resumed fighting in some locations.
The agency is currently working with non-governmental organizations and the local authorities to reach these isolated groups and assess their needs.
At the same time, following reports of renewed fighting overnight and the potential for further clashes in some villages in Myanmar, UNHCR is advocating with the Thai Government that refugees be given further time before being encouraged to return home.
Source: UN News Service
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Where The Money Will Go, USDP?
November 12, 2010
ARAKANLAND
Myanmar: Storm victims in Rakhine State provided with rice and cash assistance
Date: 09 Nov 2010
NAY PYI TAW, 9 Nov-Wellwishers donated cash and kind to storm victims in Rakhine State through Ministry of Transport at a ceremony held at the meeting hall of Myanma Port Authority on Pansodan Street in Yangon yesterday.
Daewoo International Corporation on behalf of the members of Shwe Project working joint-venture with Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise of the Ministry of Energy provided FEC 50,000 and bags of rice worth US$ 50,000 under socio-economic development programme and China National Petroleum Corporation-South East Asia Pipeline (CNPC-SEAP) which is implementing Myanmar-China crude oil and natural gas pipeline project US$ 50,000 for storm victims in Rakhine State.
Member of Natural Disaster Preparedness Central Committee Minister for Transport U Thein Swe accepted the donations and presented certificates of honour to wellwishers.
Source: Government of Myanmar
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/JDUN-8B38XS?OpenDocument
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UN agency assisting over 15,000 refugees fleeing fighting in Myanmar
November 10, 2010
ARAKANLAND
Volunteers hand out meals to refugees at a camp set up on the Thai border with Myanma
9 November 2010 – The United Nations refugee agency is assisting more than 15,000 refugees who fled into northern Thailand on Monday after fighting broke out between ethnic Karen rebels and government troops in Myanmar.
At the request of Thai authorities, we are coordinating the efforts of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and others to provide shelter, food and water to refugees in the town of Mae Sot,” Andrej Mahecic, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told reporters in Geneva today.
Refugees started pouring across the border early in the morning on foot and on inner tubes across the Moei River,” said Mr. Mahecic. “Some told our staff they felt their lives were at risk after their houses were attacked, while others said they fled the sound of fighting.”
The clashes in the Myawaddy area of eastern Myanmar reportedly began in the wake of Sunday’s elections, the first to be held in the South-east Asian in 20 years.
Many of the refugees collected their children from school and fled to Thailand with only the clothes on their back, some even barefoot, said Mr. Mahecic.
UNHCR is working with the Thai Government and NGOs to coordinate services to the refugees. It has provided 90 tents which Thai authorities and the refugees themselves erected yesterday. Today the agency is providing plastic sheeting for more shelter.
Various NGOs helped to build latrines and install tanks for drinking water, while Thai border guards provided medical help. The Thailand Burma Border Consortium, which normally provides food and shelter to some 152,000 registered and unregistered refugees in the nine camps in Thailand along the Myanmar border, provided food.
The new refugees gathered at two locations on the Thai side, but were later moved to one site near Mae Sot airport. There were indications it might be too small to hold the swelling numbers, noted Mr. Mahecic.
Meanwhile, UNHCR staff and Thai authorities are working together at a school in Kanchanaburi province, west of Bangkok, to assess the needs of some 3,000 refugees who crossed the border there late yesterday and early today.
News Tracker: past stories on this issue
Thailand: UN working to assist 2,000 recently-arrived Myanmar refugees
Source: UN News Service
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UN chief calls for credible transition to democracy after Myanmar polls
November 10, 2010
ARAKANLAND
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on a visit to Yangon, Myanmar on 3 July 2009
8 November 2010 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged authorities in Myanmar to ensure a credible transition towards democracy following the “insufficiently inclusive” vote held on Sunday in the South-east Asian nation.
The election, the first to be held in the country in 20 years, is part of a Government-designed timetable towards greater democratization.
A statement issued by Mr. Ban’s spokesperson said the voting was held in conditions that were “insufficiently inclusive, participatory and transparent.”
The Secretary-General believes the Myanmar authorities now have a responsibility to turn the conclusion of the election into a “new beginning” for the country and its people, it added.
“Consistent with their commitments, the authorities must demonstrate that the ballot is part of a credible transition towards democratic government, national reconciliation and respect for human rights.”
Mr. Ban urged the Myanmar authorities to release all remaining political prisoners and lift restrictions on detained pro-democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi without further delay so that they can freely participate in the political life of their country.
He also urged the authorities to ensure that the process of forming new institutions of government is as broad-based and inclusive as possible.
“The international community will look to the Myanmar authorities to provide greater assurances that the current process marks a genuine departure from the status quo,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, the Secretary-General voiced concern about reports of outbreaks of fighting in some areas and urged all sides to “refrain from any action that could raise tensions further or create instability at this sensitive time.”
News Tracker: past stories on this issue
Upcoming polls must be inclusive, Ban tells Myanmar's leader
Source; UN News Service
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WAO-HQ: A SUCCESSFUL GLOBAL TELECONFERENCE HELD
November 8, 2010
ARAKANLAND
WAO-HQ- A successful teleconference of World Arakanese Organization had held on November 7, 2010 accordance with prearrangement and schedule. There was attending members of WAO-CEC and Arakanese Society leaders different Countries from around the World such as Japan, Australia, Europe and United States of America.
The seventeen conference attendees participated in this Global meeting and Arakanese two senior leaders U Kyaw Zan Hla, U Tun Won and Dr. Aye Chan, Vice President of WAO delivered opening speech and U Hla Kyi, General Secretary of WAO took as Master of ceremony.
The teleconference mainly discussed two agendas focusing on Cyclone Giri Victims and reforming of WAO. Leaders of WAO and Arakanese Society leaders reported the Cyclone Giri update information including their activities of donation fundraising and how to make effectively their freewill offering to Cyclone Giri natural disasters. All attendees discussed with constructive criticism and made decision absolutely during the meeting.
The Global teleconference unanimously elected three senior patrons of WAO which are installing Dr. Aye Kyaw, U Kyaw Zan Hla and U Tun Won and has formed Election Committee for WAO-CEC's election led by U Hla Kyi with his members Ko Kyaw Htoo Aung and Ko Zaw Zaw Tun. Upcoming election will be held on December 5, 2010.
Source: WAO-HQ
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WAO-USA's MAGINIFICENT JOB TO GIRI VICTIMS
November 8, 2010
ARAKANLAND
WAO-USA- As part of the fundraising plan of WAO, World Arakanese Organization( Northern California Branch) successfully held its food festival for Giri Cyclone victims at the place of LakeElizabeth Park - Picnic Lot B, Paseo Padre Pkwy, Fremont, CA-94538 November 07, 2010. This event hour was from 11:00 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. according to U U Sein Tun, President of WAO-USA.
There were ten groups of food sellers participated as benefactors in this Food Festival and over three hundred people were attending for showing their freewill offering provided for Arakanese natural disasters who are still suffering mentally and physically after hitting by Cyclone GIRI.
Report sources said that there are estimated, at least 71,000 people remain homeless, with approximately 200,000 people affected in four townships alone - Minbra, Pauktaw, Mrebone and Kyaukpru.
According to recent assessments of UN, approximately 17,500 acres of agricultural lands have been destroyed. In addition to the massive destruction of houses caused by the cyclone, hundreds of schools were damaged and substantial flooding has also contaminated numerous water sources.
This Food Festival sold out both Arakanese traditional foods and Burmese national favorite foods made contribution as generous support to suffering people of Arakan by Cyclone GIRI. WAO Northen California Branch has received total $ 6701.56 from this event and WAO- USA also has received alms $ 900 from Burma America Buddhist Association (BABA) headed by U Dhamma Thami, Mingala Rama Buddhist Monastery in Maryland.
According to WAO-USA source said that it has already received donation amount is $12571.56 and it will be handed over to Arakanese Cyclone GIRI victims who are needed to assist urgently.
Source: WAO-USA
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Myanmar: humanitarian assistance needed to respond to Cyclone Giri
November 7, 2010
ARAKANLAND
A resident points at her damaged house in town of Kenna So Kyaung near Bogalay town
2 November 2010 – United Nations relief agencies and humanitarian partners in Myanmar are appealing for increased support from donors to provide urgent assistance to more than 200,000 people affected by Cyclone Giri, which struck Myanmar’s Rakhine State late last month.
According to Government estimates, at least 71,000 people remain homeless, with approximately 200,000 people affected in four townships alone – Minbya, Pauktaw, Myebon and Kyaukpyu.
“Our priority right now is to reach all people in need with relief assistance in close coordination with the Government, regional authorities and the humanitarian organizations on the ground, and at the same time start prepare for the substantial input needed over time to rebuild communities,” said UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Myanmar, Bishow Parajuli.
A UN delegation, including representatives from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP), visited Rakhine State, meeting with Government officials and others and briefly visiting some of the affected areas.
“The main challenge will remain raising funds. We strongly appeal for more support from the international donor community, which will enable us to respond effectively to the severe damage caused by the cyclone,” Mr. Parajuli stressed.
According to recent assessments, approximately 17,500 acres of agricultural lands have been destroyed. In addition to the massive destruction of houses caused by the cyclone, hundreds of schools were damaged and substantial flooding has also contaminated numerous water sources.
UN agencies are working with the Government as well as national and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to distribute relief items and provide emergency medical care in the most affected townships.
As of 2 November, the World Food Programme (WFP) has dispatched 640 metric tonnes of rice to feed 78,000 people for one month. An additional 600 tonnes are now en route to the affected areas.
Our priority right now is to reach all people in need with relief assistance in close coordination with the Government, regional authorities and the humanitarian organizations on the ground, and at the same time start prepare for the substantial input needed over time to rebuild communities,” said UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Myanmar, Bishow Parajuli.
A UN delegation, including representatives from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP), visited Rakhine State, meeting with Government officials and others and briefly visiting some of the affected areas.
“The main challenge will remain raising funds. We strongly appeal for more support from the international donor community, which will enable us to respond effectively to the severe damage caused by the cyclone,” Mr. Parajuli stressed.
According to recent assessments, approximately 17,500 acres of agricultural lands have been destroyed. In addition to the massive destruction of houses caused by the cyclone, hundreds of schools were damaged and substantial flooding has also contaminated numerous water sources.
UN agencies are working with the Government as well as national and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to distribute relief items and provide emergency medical care in the most affected townships.
As of 2 November, the World Food Programme (WFP) has dispatched 640 metric tonnes of rice to feed 78,000 people for one month. An additional 600 tonnes are now en route to the affected areas.
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) are also operational in the region, delivering supplies to those in need.
“While the impact of Cyclone Giri is very severe, fortunately the geographical area of impact is quite limited and can be accessed without too much difficulty. Given that the authorities have welcomed assistance and given that a number of organizations are already operational in the area, it is quite possible to respond to the needs of the affected population effectively and swiftly,” said Mr. Parajuli.
Source: UN News Service
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