YANGON, Myanmar – Myanmar's ruling military has appointed one-fourth of the members of the new Parliament that will open this month under constitutional provisions that help perpetuate its control of the government.
The state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper published a list Friday of the military appointees to the upper and lower houses and regional parliaments.
In November's general elections, the first in 20 years, the main military-backed party won commanding majorities in all chambers. Opponents said the polls were unfair.
In addition, under the army-promoted 2008 constitution, one-fourth of the seats in both the 224-member upper house and the 440-member lower house are reserved for military appointees.
"They have to mend their ways, begging public pardon for the acts they have breached in their interests, at the expense of that of the nation and the people" said an opinion piece that ran in several state newspapers.
It is the latest in a string of anti-sanctions columns after a statement from Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) said punitive measures helped pressure the authorities and had not affected the economy significantly.
Seemingly threatening remarks warning that the opposition figurehead and her party "will meet their tragic ends" if they continued to support sanctions, led the US to raise fears over Suu Kyi's safety earlier in the week.
The media criticism is the first to have explicitly targeted the Nobel Peace Prize winner since she was released from seven years of house arrest last November, days after a controversial election.
Saturday's comments seemed to acknowledge that Myanmar, controlled by the military since 1962, has failed to progress in line with regional neighbours and laid much of the blame on Western sanctions.
"If the people of a country are in dire straits in consequence of economic sanctions, that is the worst human rights violation," the piece said.
The NLD has reacted cautiously to the week's commentary, saying it had not received any official response from the authorities to its statement on sanctions.
"Daw Suu didn't say anything about these articles. We have no comment," said party spokesman Nyan Win. Daw is a term of respect in Myanmar.
Suu Kyi's release reignited debate over the effectiveness of the financial and trade blocks, enforced notably by the United States and the European Union in response to the junta's human rights abuses.
Some observers see the sanctions issue as her only leverage with the authorities because Western nations are considered unlikely to scrap the measures without her support.
In its statement issued last week, the NLD stressed that any end to sanctions on Myanmar should be linked to an improvement in the junta's human rights record, notably the release of political prisoners.
The remarks came days after Washington said it was premature to ease sanctions on Myanmar and urged the regime to take more concrete steps.
A new parliament convened for the first time in January, but it is dominated by retired generals and critics accuse the country's political system of hiding the army's power behind a civilian facade.
Suu Kyi's party has no voice in the legislature as it was disbanded for opting to boycott the November vote because the rules seemed designed to bar its figurehead from participating.
WASHINGTON (AFP) – The US House of Representatives on Thursday condemned Myanmar's recent elections and said no government there can be legitimate without the participation of Democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi.
By voice vote, lawmakers approved a symbolic resolution that "denounces the one-sided, undemocratic, and illegitimate actions" of the country's ruling junta and accused them of consolidating their power with a "flawed election."
"No government in Burma can be considered democratic or legitimate without the participation of Aung San Suu Kyi, the National League for Democracy, and ethnic nationalities," the measure states.
The resolution also demands "the full restoration of democracy, freedom of assembly, freedom of movement, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and internationally recognized human rights for all Burmese citizens."
The November 7 vote has been widely panned by international observers, and US President Barack Obama said the "bankrupt regime" in the country, generally referred to in Washington as Burma, had stolen the election.
The resolution also called on the junta to "begin an immediate transition" to democratic rule and the "immediate and unconditional release" of all those deemed political prisoners, and pressed the Obama administration "to not support or recognize the military regime's elections as legitimate."
And it pressed the administration to fully implement a 2008 US law aimed at stifling Myanmar's trade in precious stones, a key source of foreign currency.
By voice vote, lawmakers approved a symbolic resolution that "denounces the one-sided, undemocratic, and illegitimate actions" of the country's ruling junta and accused them of consolidating their power with a "flawed election."
"No government in Burma can be considered democratic or legitimate without the participation of Aung San Suu Kyi, the National League for Democracy, and ethnic nationalities," the measure states.
The resolution also demands "the full restoration of democracy, freedom of assembly, freedom of movement, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and internationally recognized human rights for all Burmese citizens."
The November 7 vote has been widely panned by international observers, and US President Barack Obama said the "bankrupt regime" in the country, generally referred to in Washington as Burma, had stolen the election.
The resolution also called on the junta to "begin an immediate transition" to democratic rule and the "immediate and unconditional release" of all those deemed political prisoners, and pressed the Obama administration "to not support or recognize the military regime's elections as legitimate."
And it pressed the administration to fully implement a 2008 US law aimed at stifling Myanmar's trade in precious stones, a key source of foreign currency.
Four time bombs were found and defused this week at a hotel in downtown Yangon, Myanmar’s state-controlled press reported on Friday. Thanks to a “duty conscious citizen,” authorities found two suspicious-looking packages on Wednesday under a table in an Internet shop at a hotel, the Myanma Ahlin
The explosives were discovered as the country copes with the political aftermath of its first election in two decades and the freeing of democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi last week.
Though terrorism is rare, several bomb blasts have rocked Myanmar this year, including three in Yangon that killed nine people and wounded 170. The military government usually blames exiled opposition groups for such incidents.
The newspaper warned that terrorists and unscrupulous elements are carrying out destructive acts to harm the public, and authorities urged citizens to inform them of any suspicious activities.
Myanmar held a general election November 7 and results so far released showed the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development party gaining a majority of seats, including Prime Minister Thein Sein.
newspaper said. The bomb squad defused the four explosive devices and were looking for the “terrorists who planted the bombs,” it said.
The explosives were discovered as the country copes with the political aftermath of its first election in two decades and the freeing of democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi last week.
Though terrorism is rare, several bomb blasts have rocked Myanmar this year, including three in Yangon that killed nine people and wounded 170. The military government usually blames exiled opposition groups for such incidents.
The newspaper warned that terrorists and unscrupulous elements are carrying out destructive acts to harm the public, and authorities urged citizens to inform them of any suspicious activities.
Myanmar held a general election November 7 and results so far released showed the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development party gaining a majority of seats, including Prime Minister Thein Sein.
He is one of the Thai delegates at the Acmecs Summit. Acmecs or the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy is a cooperation framework covering Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand and Vietnam.
TAVOY DEEP-SEA PORT
Tanit said there was no mention of the name of the deep-sea port but it was acknowledged as the Tavoy deep-sea port project.
The South-South Economic Corridor would also complement the Bt200-billion railroad project with proposed financing by China from Nong Khai in the northeast of Thailand, through Bangkok and the south of Thailand to Padang Besar in Malaysia. It would be an extension of the railroad to be built in Laos to connect the south of China.
This would be a new gateway following the East-West Economic Corridor, linking Burma to Vietnam via Thailand and Laos, and the North-South Economic Corridor, connecting Kunming in the south of China to the south of Thailand.
Italian-Thai Development, Thailand's largest construction company, on November 2 signed the framework agreement with the Burmese Port Authority to develop the Tavoy Deep Sea Port, industrial estate and road link to Thailand. The total project value is US$8.6 billion, or about Bt260 billion.
The project will be located in Tavoy, about 160 kilometres west of Kanchanaburi or 300 kilometres west of Bangkok. The deep-sea port will be 10 times larger than Laem Chabang Port in Chon Buri, which can handle up to 7.5 million 20-feet containers a year.
The contractor aims for the project to become a logistics and trading hub for the region that links Southeast Asia and the South China Sea via the Andaman Sea, to the India Ocean.
A financial industry source said Bangkok Bank is now interested in providing loans to the Tavoy project. Some firms in Taiwan, Japan and China are also keen on participating in the development.
However, many industry watchers are sceptical about the project’s massive scale.
ITD’s stock yesterday rose by 4.6 per cent or 22 satang to close at Bt5 on turnover of Bt1.32 billion
