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(1) Chin National Front Appreciates Release of
Political Detainees
(2) No sweat, no UN Security Council agenda, says
academic
(3) No trader dares import Thai goods to
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Chin National Front Appreciates Release of Political
Detainees.
===============================================================
Khonumthung News Group
Aizawl 30 th November 2004.
The Chin National Front, (CNF) welcomes and appreciates
recent
political developments in
political detainees have been
released after CNF holding its fourth
central executive committee meeting
at its head office on Nov. 19-26.
In its statement, the Chin National Front said, "The
party welcomes
the release of the pro-democratic
political detainees and opined that
it will be a positive development
for strengthening the unity of the
country and a possible faster track
to restoration of democracy." The
statement was released on the final
day of the fourth central
executive meeting after its third
general conference.
The Chin National Front further appealed to the State Peace
And
Development Council (SPDC) regime to release the
house-arrested
National League for Democracy leaders Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, U Tin Oo
and all other political detainees.
The party believes it will further
reinforce the continuing process of
restoration of democracy in the
country.
"The previous amnesty of the fraudulently held
detainees includes pro-
democracy activists. The SPDC must
keep their promise and release more
pro-democracy activists in the near
future," stated Pu Thomas
Thangnou, chairman of the Chin National Front.
Burmese Radio broadcast that the present military junta
officially
announced Nov. 18 that the 3,937,
on Novmeber 25 pro-democracy
activists unlawfully detained by
the ex-prime minister Khin Nyunt-led
Military Intelligence Agency should be released. However,
less then
1,000 activists have been released so far. Ko Min Ko
Naing, the
student leader who led the 1988
democracy uprising, was released with
probably 30 other activists. On
November 25, the military junta also
announced releasing 5000 prisoners.
Any pro-democracy and political activists of
state-level leaders of
visit of NLD leader Daw Aung San Su
Kyi have not been released so far.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
No sweat, no UN Security Council agenda, says academic
=======================================================
The resolution by the US Senate Sept. 22 calling for the UN
Security
Council (UNSC) to intervene in
will be plain sailing from now on,
but more of the old-fashioned
blood, sweat and tears on the part
of the opposition, warns a
scholar in exile.
"First of all," writes
Min Zaw Oo, director of the US-based Outreach
and Strategy, Free Burma Coalition,
"the Senate's call is a resolution
(and) not a bill that is a
law."
Moreover, the Senate cannot ask the UNSC to launch a specific
action,
because the UN is not its
jurisdiction but that of the government
administration. Also the resolution
had not called on the Bush
administration to bring
Min Zaw Oo, who also serves as the
Thailand-based director of the
Institute for Community and Institutional Development, notes
that the
US under the
State Albright. "However, the plan to discuss
quickly retreated after unofficial
consultations with key council
members."
The
Nevertheless,
the Oslo-based Democratic Voice of
Burma, the Council did deliberate
on the Burma Army's sexual
violations in late October.
The world's highest organ, on its part, does not hold a first
class
track record of either making or
keeping peace in and among nations, a
job for which it was entrusted, he
says.
"The UN General Assembly issued annual resolutions
condemning (South
no action was taken."
"Even
largely ignored by the UNSC in the
beginning."
The UNSC's intervention can be
provided by the following one or more
reasons:
•
A country's threat to the regional security or world
peace.
•
Genocide and/or Crime against Humanity.
• Wills of
superpowers.
In
but "none of the neighboring
countries, especially
suffered from most spillover
effects of Burmese conflicts, view
UNSC."
As for sanctions, he says, "The real change depends on
how the regime
perceives the deprivation under
sanctions." For example, "De Klerk's
(South African) government had negotiated with the ANC
(African
National Congress of Nelson Mandela) with much better
economic
performance compared to the current
(The late Chao Tzang
Yawnghwe, 1939-2004, on the other hand, gives a
different slant to the question:
There is no economic sanction per se.
There is only a very soft investment sanction. The real
sanction comes
from the regime that does not want
any economic reforms and/or
economic liberalization for
investment to go into
makes about "economic
sanctions (don't work)" are self-serving noises
to get loans and assistance as in
the BSPP years.)
Last but not least, Min Zaw Oo
counsels that
campaign, which must from now on
focus onto legislative campaigns
rather than campus-based boycott
campaigns in the past, must strive to
surpass the structural constraints
of international politics.
Min Zaw Oo, a student dissident
since he was 14, is a master graduate
from the Institute for Conflict
Analysis and Resolution. His ICID, he
says, promotes progressive
education among grassroots and youth
leaders. He is currently preparing
to continue his advance study on
security and conflict management.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
No trader dares import Thai goods to
Thanpyuzayart route
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Independent Mon News Agency
No traders have dared to import Thai goods into
this year's routing season on the
road because locally based military
are seizing imported goods,
according to local traders at Three
Pagoda Pass.
The cars started their routing via the Three Pagoda Pass-Thaphyuzayart
road Nov. 24 when just a small
number of cars was routed in a day,
according to a routing car owner.
“We only carry people. We do not
dare carry goods,” a routing car owner with a car
license."
“The army tried to seize every imported good. That’s why
nobody dares
to carry (them) in their cars at
the moment,” said a general goods
trader based in Three Pagoda Pass.
Cars without licenses that were routed in previous years do
not dare
use the road. Although the
cease-fire groups and local traders
negotiated with the local base army
to allow the route, Nankwin
village-based Burmese Military
Operation Tactical Commander Col. Tin
Aye denied cars without licenses enttry
to
According to a routing car owner, cars with licenses can be
routed,
and the commander told him the army
does not care to seize cars from
cease-fire groups.
“If the cease-fire groups guarantee car owners protection
for their
cars against seizure, car owners
will use the route. But the cease-
fire groups can’t give guarantees
for that. At the moment, car owners
do not dare use the route because
everything is illegal,” a car owner
close to the cease-fire groups
said.
The army strongly restricted importing Thai goods such as
cars,
drinks, food, oil, makeup and some
other goods.
“If the army continues restricting and barring Thai goods,
the Thai-
expressing his opinion.
Trading was delayed on the border this year as 100 more
car-trading
businesspersons lost their jobs.
Most are businesspersons joined in
doing business with cease-fire
groups and some members of ceasefire
groups.
According to a routing car owner, three cars without
licenses were
routed Nov. 27, but the tactical
commander did not allow tthem to
cross at Nankwin
village, about 30 miles further from Three Pagoda
Pass.
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