Baganland

Court rejects Suu Kyi house arrest appeal

Myanmar's Supreme Court on Friday rejected an appeal by Aung San Suu Kyi against her extended house arrest, an official said, keeping her in detention ahead of elections promised by the junta this year.

The 64-year-old opposition leader had her incarceration lengthened by 18 months in August after being convicted over a bizarre incident in which an American man swam to her lakeside home. A lower court rejected an initial appeal in October.

"The appeal was rejected," the Myanmar official said on condition of anonymity, adding that the appeals of Suu Kyi's two female assistants against similar periods of detention were also thrown out.

Foreign ambassadors including the British, French and Australian envoys went to the court in the former capital Yangon to hear the verdict, witnesses said.

Nobel Peace laureate Suu Kyi can now make a final appeal to Myanmar's chief justice - an option her lawyers said they would pursue.

Suu Kyi has already spent 14 of the last 20 years in jail or under house arrest since the country's last elections in 1990, which her National League for Democracy (NLD) won by a landslide.

Myanmar's ruling junta then prevented the party from taking power.

"If they reject it, there is a special appeal. We will go for it again," Suu Kyi's lawyer and NLD spokesman Nyan Win told AFP as he was on his way to court for the ruling.

Suu Kyi has previously dismissed comments by Home Affairs Minister Maung Oo, who reportedly said she would be released in November, as "unfair" ahead of any court decision.

Junta chief Than Shwe has promised to hold elections at some point this year under his "roadmap to democracy" but has refused so far to set a date and critics say the polls are aimed at simply entrenching the generals' power.

Suu Kyi is effectively barred from standing in the promised vote and a quarter of the parliamentary seats up for grabs are reserved for the military.

She has said it is too early for her party to decide whether to participate in the elections while freedom of expression remains elusive.

At least 2,100 other political prisoners remain behind bars in Myanmar, according to UN figures.

Friday's ruling comes a week after UN human rights envoy Tomas Ojea Quintana visited the country, saying as he departed that he "deeply regretted" being refused access to Suu Kyi during his five-day trip.

Myanmar's government has given out mixed signals ahead of the polls, in mid-February releasing deputy NLD leader Tin Oo after seven years, but days later jailing a US activist for three years.

The regime jailed a further five dissidents during the visit by the UN special rapporteur.

Suu Kyi herself has made efforts to defrost relations with the military leaders, writing twice to Than Shwe since September to offer help in getting Western economic sanctions lifted and asking to meet with him.

The government's official liaison officer met with Suu Kyi in January - the fourth meeting since last September as both sides tentatively renew dialogue.

Last November the authorities allowed her to make a rare appearance in front of the media after she held talks with US Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, the most senior Washington official to visit Myanmar for 14 years.

The administration of US President Barack Obama has been pursuing greater engagement with the Myanmar regime after deciding that sanctions alone were not working.

Myanmar has been ruled by the military since 1962.

[Source: AP]

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SINGAPORE: Foreign talent, and integrating permanent residents and new citizens into Singapore society are just some of the top issues the government

SINGAPORE: Foreign talent, and integrating permanent residents and new citizens into Singapore society are just some of the top issues the government feedback department, REACH, received in 2009.

And with the economy improving, there have been calls from certain industry sectors to relax the entry of foreign workers so that orders and demands can be met.

Singapore's population currently stands at nearly five million, including one million foreigners. The number has raised eyebrows, but the country's leaders said Singapore cannot do away with foreigners.

Halimah Yacab, Deputy Secretary-General, NTUC, said: "That kind of a policy will bring our economy to a standstill, particularly in those areas where it is difficult to get Singaporeans to work and in those areas where there continues to be a knowledge and skills gap in the workforce."

A root cause of the problem is that Singaporeans are not producing enough babies.

Associate Professor Paulin Straughan, sociologist, National University of Singapore, Nominated Member of Parliament, said: "If we do not augment the population with visitors from outside, we will experience a shrinking of population in Singapore.

"In a nation state which depends so much on manpower, that is a scary thought. So right now, we are in a happy position where Singapore continues to be an attractive destination for immigrations from all walks of life.

"We are very blessed to have people willing to come in to fill jobs at all levels. I think that we have to be cautious that this happy situation need not always continue.

"So rather than focus on the fears, the apprehensions of having too many foreign migrants on Singapore soil and the consequences of that, I would look at it (as) - this is good that we are in a happy position that when we open our doors, there is a line out there, because obviously we need workers and people to fill the gaps.

"So moving ahead, I would like to see that we ensure that we remain an attractive option so that when we need, we have the luxury of choice."

The influx has also raised many concerns on the ground.

Mdm Halimah added: "PM is right, we now have one million foreign workers in Singapore, added to that one out of every three or four persons walking on the streets is a foreigner and that's a huge presence.

"And we really need to re-assess the situation and see how much better we can leverage on the foreign workforce rather than only rely more and more on the unskilled and semi-skilled foreign workers because that has a co-relation on the kind of investments we want to bring in."

Dr Amy Khor, Mayor, South West District and Chairman, REACH, said: "The worry at the individual and ground level really is about locals seeing new immigrants coming, applying for the same jobs, same schools and housing and they fear crowding out and competition, although at the intellectual level, many understand there is a need to augment our population with new immigrants to grow the economy and to increase the number of jobs level.

"And we got to continue to assure them that - be it in terms of sharpening the differences between PRs and citizens, as well as appealing to them to have open hearts and open minds to understand that even for new citizens, they have actually taken a big step forward, given up their birth rights in their own country to set up home here.

"By and large, most of them are wanting to start afresh here, build up their home and future here and our locals must give them a chance and welcome them and together forge a new identity with them so that together, we can build a good future for Singapore as a united people. We need to continue to do that."

So in September 2009, the Prime Minister said the government will, over time, sharpen the differentiation between citizens, PRs and foreigners to reflect the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship.

The latest announcement from the Education Ministry is that it will put in place measures to differentiate between Singapore Citizens and PRs at the Primary One Registration Exercise from 2010 onwards. And school fees payable by Singapore citizens, PRs and international students will be further differentiated from 2011 onwards.

For those sinking their roots in Singapore, a key challenge is to integrate them with the locals. A S$10 million fund was set up for projects to promote social and community integration.

Dr Khor added: "For the Southwest CDC, we have actually applied for the community integration fund and this is a first-ever "Getting to know Singapore Integration quiz" that we are organising for all 16 constituencies in the district.

"What we require is for the team to be made up of both locals and new citizens so that they work together and get to bond with each other.

"In addition, they also get to know about Singapore, because the quiz is about all things Singapore - the people, the culture, the food - and we are also getting the community to participate so that more people will be involved in this bonding programme in terms of integration.

"We also have an international integration carnival and a community integration fun camp which we are organising."

Ministers and community leaders said allaying the fears of Singaporeans about foreign talent and bringing in new citizens is not something that can happen overnight. It is a long-term initiative and work-in-progress.

In the final analysis, they said what is important is to assure Singaporeans that the immigration policy is for the benefit of the people, with Singaporeans always coming first. - CNA/vm

Ref: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stori...026495/1/.html
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Burma’s push to control border sends China into a spin

[via Mizzima]

An uneasy calm has returned to the Chinese border with Burma after a series of diplomatic exchanges between the two countries.

A Burmese delegation led by Deputy Home Minister Brig-Gen Phone Swe met the Chinese Minister for Public Security Meng Jian at a high level meeting in China on Monday.

“Myanmar [Burma] has promised to restore peace and stability along the border as soon as possible,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Jiang Yu told reporters at a regular press conference in Beijing on Tuesday.

The two countries' diplomats have been on an over-drive in the past week after the Burmese Army launched a surprise offensive to crush the Kokang ethnic rebel group along the border with China.

More than 30,000 refugees crossed the border late last week, fleeing the fighting, according to the Chinese authorities in Yunnan where they took shelter.

The attack on the Kokang, or the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) as they call themselves shocked Beijing and rocked its normally very close relations with the junta.

Since the fighting started there has been a flurry of urgent diplomatic activity by Beijing, as the Chinese government tried to stabilise the situation before it could really get out of hand. Bilateral meetings were held in Beijing and in the Burmese capital Naypitdaw. Alarmed and surprised, Beijing also sent hundreds of extra troops and armed policemen to the area to quell any potential violence.

The Chinese central authorities were extremely upset by the effect of the Burmese military actions along the border, and were furious they were not informed before-hand, according to a senior Chinese government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

A senior diplomat flew last week to Naypyidaw to convey Beijing’s displeasure. Burma has now apologised for the instability caused across the Chinese border, according to Burmese Foreign Ministry officials.

The border is no longer a flash-point, a local Chinese official in Kunming, told Mizzima on condition of anonymity.

“Currently refugees are going back to Myanmar and we hope the situation on the China-Myanmar border can be restored quickly,” said Ms Jiang. “China and Myanmar are friendly neighbours and we hope to see Myanmar keep peace and stability,” she said.

But the whole affair has cast a long shadow over what has been believed by many to be a rock-hard relationship. It is now increasingly evident that a significant rift exits between the two countries that could have crucial implications for other countries in the region, and any approach the international community may take to encourage the Burmese military regime to introduce real political change.

This growing divergence between the two capitals could also still significantly affect the border region, as most of the ethnic groups – especially the Kachin, Kokang and the Wa – in this area have ceasefire agreements with the Burmese junta, but also have traditionally close ties with the Chinese authorities.

Economically and culturally the area is certainly closer to China than the Burmese regime. Thousands of Chinese businessmen and workers have migrated into northern Shan state over the last decade seeking employment and economic opportunities.

Many of these ethnic leaders go to Chinese hospital across the border for medical treatment and send their children to school in China. The Chinese language and even the Chinese currency the Renminbi are used throughout the Kokang and Wa areas in northern Shan state.

Anything, which forces Beijing to choose between their ethnic brothers inside Burma —the Kokang and the Wa -- and the central government, will cause Beijing immense problems. And in the end will bring into sharp focus the real nature of the Burma-China axis.

The Kokang are ethnically Chinese and speak a Mandarin dialect, but have lived for many decades inside Burma. They have their own armed militia, and had been fighting the Burmese Army for several decades demanding autonomy until they agreed to a truce with the Burmese military regime in 1989.

Tensions have been mounting in border areas for months, as the Burmese military junta pressured the ethnic rebel cease-fire groups – particularly the Kachin, Kokang and Wa – to surrender their arms before the planned elections next year. The junta wants to integrate them into a Border Guard Force but these key ethnic groups along the Chinese border have been resisting the move.

“More confrontation and military encounters are expected in the following days and thousands of villagers are fleeing to the China-Burma border to avoid the war, and subsequent human rights abuses,” said a statement from the Kokang group, sent to Mizzima earlier this week.

The 20-year-old ceasefire agreement between the Burmese junta and the Kokang seems to have effectively ended, according to Burmese dissidents based in the Chinese town of Ruili not far from where the Kokang refugees crossed the border.

While fighting near the Chinese border may have ceased for the moment at least, the situation south of the Kokang capital and border town Lougai remains very tense. The road to Lashio is effectively closed because of continuing military operations against the Kokang guerrillas, according to UN sources in the area.

Now the fear is the government troops may try to move against the Wa, who would certainly fight back. Unlike the small Kokang guerrilla army, the Wa has more than 15,000 armed soldiers at their disposal.

There is a very strong risk of a return to armed conflict along the Chinese-Burmese border, according to a Chinese government official who closely follows events in Burma. “The problem is that the Wa are very close to the Chinese government, and it would be very hard for them to desert them at this crucial point in time,” he added.

Beijing is now in a major quandary. This move by the Burmese only strengthens suggestions recently that there has been a growing disenchantment within the Burmese regime towards China.

In the last few months, the Burmese junta has become disillusioned with Beijing, largely because of their failure to enthusiastically back the Burmese authorities’ attempts to disarm the rebel groups, especially those that enjoy a special relationship with China.

The enthusiastic reception for the US senator Jim Webb last week – usually only reserved for Heads of State, and only the most important at that – was a clear sign of the winds of change in Naypitdaw. In another indication of the Burmese rift with Beijing, this week’s Myanmar Times, a local weekly ran a short story on Tibet’s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama visiting Taiwan, after it was approved by the censors, according to diplomats in Rangoon.

This is the first time the media in Burma has mentioned his name in more than 20 years – anything to do with the Tibetan leader makes Beijing bristle.

So China is currently wondering what to do. Their greatest fear is that Burma will suddenly ditch them and turn towards the West, especially the US.

“We could lose everything overnight,” one Chinese diplomat complained. Beijing has been anxiously watching the US’s renewed interest in Southeast Asia under the Obama administration and its attempts to re-invigorate its presence in the region. China sees this as a potential threat to its growing influence in the region – which it sees as its backyard.

The Chinese government understands that it cannot openly criticise Burma nor put too much pressure on the regime as this would be counter-productive.

“The Burmese leaders are very sensitive, so China cannot open its mouth for fear it will loose what ever influence it has with the military regime,” a Chinese government official told Mizzima recently.

So for the time being at least the Chinese are likely to take a softly-softly approach, but the crucial question remains can Beijing and Naypitdaw agree on how to handle the Wa. There may be a lot more brinkmanship between the two countries in the coming months, but the economic stakes are so high, both sides will want to find a peaceful solution to any future problems. But Burma may now feel it’s the mouse with a potentially big roar.

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Border intrigue, or was it?

A messy refugee situation just inside the south – western side of China’s border with Myanmar appears to have been averted. It was bad enough that Myanmar ethnic rebels of the Kokang Alliance were streaming across into Chinese sanctuary after being routed by Myanmar troops in border security operations. Much worse was that Chinese cross – border traders long domiciled in Myanmar, as well as Myanmar civilians, formed the bulk of a refugee flow that reached 40,000 in number, according to Chinese border officials and the United Nations refugee agency. Many rebel fighters as well as Chinese business people fearful that their assets would be looted have been returning in an orderly fashion. But thousands more are still in China in temporary shelter, where they are cared for while awaiting repatriation. The junta reportedly has apologized for causing the disturbance, after Beijing made low-key representations.

This was entirely a Myanmar affair. It was part of a longstanding campaign, despite ceasefire deals, to secure the border fringes controlled by Karen, Kachin, Wa and Kokang militias. It was part of a security sweep made ahead of next year’s scheduled parliamentary elections. The junta’s plan was to make an auxiliary border guard of rehabilitated rebels. But what turned the strike against the Kokang insurgents into a delicate issue was the unforeseen flight of refugees. The consequences would have been unimaginable if hot pursuit of rebels had crossed frontiers, or violence had spilled over into Chinese territory. The Chinese had apparently not been notified of the strike in advance, an unusual lapse in the conduct of relations between the two nations.

This did not look like Myanmar deliberately testing China’s goodwill by ordering a strike at a rebel location right next to its neighbor’s backyard. Some observers see a pattern in recent events. They have speculated that the reception the junta gave an American congressman, Mr. Jim Webb, was for Beijing’s consumption, meaning Myanmar was signaling it had “options” besides relying on China for support and cover. It is not fruitful trying to figure out the Yangon generals’ calculations. Making an American connection, whatever it may be, seems a stretch. It is easier to make out, in China’s mainly calm reaction over the border issue, the truth of where its strategic interest in Myanmar relations lies. This is the energy supply from all over that will traverse Myanmar territory via pipeline, bypassing the Malacca Strait, and the probability of having a military perch that looks out over the Indian Ocean. For these privileges, China conceivably would stomach worse than a flight of refugees.

[Source: Straits Times]

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Different Seasons.....

By minhtun

It is interpreted as a wheel of life in different perspective.
The following pictures are of the same place but taken in different seasons...

Lessons on Life

There was a man who had four sons He wanted his sons to learn not to judge
things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look
at a pear tree that was a great distance away.

The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in
summer, and the youngest son in the fall.

When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe
what they had seen.
The first son said, 'The tree was ugly, bent, and twisted'.
The second son said, 'No, it was covered with green buds and full of promise'.

The third son disagreed; he said, 'It was laden with blossoms that smelled so
sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing I've ever seen'.

The last son disagreed with all of them; he said, 'It was ripe and drooping
with fruit, full of life and fulfillment'.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they
had each seen but only one season in the tree's life.

He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season,
and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come
from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.

If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring,
the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall.

Moral lessons:

Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.

Don't judge life by one difficult season.
Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to come some time or later

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Kokang region situation returns to normalcy

By minhtun

The Myanmar government said on Sunday that the situation in Myanmar's Kokang region or Shan State Special Region-1 in the northeastern part of the country has "returned to normalcy".

The government announcement, broadcast by the state-run Myanmar Radio and Television, appreciated the special development scored with the cooperation of the Kokang ethnic army after the group returned to the legal fold in 1989.

A new "Kokang Region Provisional Leading Committee" under the central government has been formed in Laukkai to bring the administration back to normal function, the announcement said.

According to the announcement, some border inhabitants, who fled the fightings into neighboring country, have started to return to their homes.

An announcement of the committee released the death tolls of the clashes which showed 11 government soldiers and 15 policemen were killed, and 34 soldiers and 13 policemen injured, while eight Kokang ethnic army soldiers died.

A total of over 640 big and small arms were seized.

The announcement also said the government forces seized an arms factory on Aug. 8 which was found illegally producing and trading arms and ammunition.

Kokang borders China's Zhen Kung, Geng Ma, Meng Ding and Long Ling areas, having a population of about 150,000.

[Source: Xinhua]

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Highly Disturbing PSA: Don’t Text and Drive

By Aye Min

If you occasionally text your pals while driving, this short PSA will make sure you never, ever do so again. Warning: Video contains blood and is extremely difficult to watch.

[Via Gizmodo]

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Myanmar National League

The Myanmar National League (MNL) is the premier national professional football league of Myanmar, expected to begin its first season in January 2010. The league replaces the Myanmar Premier League, which consisted only of 14 Yangon-based football clubs, with eight professional clubs representing different regions across the nation.The league is divided into two divisions, Upper Myanmar Division and Lower Myanmar Division, with four teams each. Each football season is expected to last eight months and 28 matches for each club. The number of teams may expand to 12 in 2011.

On 16 May 2009, the league launched its inaugural two-month tournament, Myanmar National League Cup 2009 in preparation for the first full season in 2010. Despite its national ambitions, the league held the MNL Cup 2009 matches in the country's two main stadiums in Yangon due to lack of adequate facilities elsewhere. On 5 July 2009, Yadanabon FC defeated Yangon United FC in the MNL Cup final to become the first-ever MNL Champion.

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Kuroshio Sea

Well, it’s Monday evening folks, so right before going to bed, be sure to sit back and watch this absolutely gorgeous video of the Kuroshio Sea tank, which is located at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in Japan. This thing holds around 7,500-cubic meters (1,981,290 gallons) of water and features the world’s second largest acrylic glass panel, measuring 8.2 meters by 22.5 meters with a thickness of 60 centimeters. Oh, and be sure to dim the light and to maximize the video before hitting that play button!

Kuroshio Sea - 2nd largest aquarium tank in the world - (song is Please don't go by Barcelona) from Jon Rawlinson on Vimeo.

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What is the US Policy on Burma?

By Kanbawza Win - Asian Tribune -

Former President Bill Clinton coming home with two released journalist from Pyongyang indicate a sign of thaw with North Korea, on the other had but Burma not only refused to have any rapprochement but did not respect the wishes of the Burmese people and international community particularly the UN by sentencing Daw Aung San Suu Kyi again to one and half years to confinement. Nobody would fancy that Jim Webb would come back with John Yettaw and that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi would be released. But the first visit by the chairman of the Senate foreign Relations Committee seems to indicate that the Obama administration is attempting steer the regime towards a new era of engagement and reward the dictators. One wonders what is the long term policy of the US towards Burma?

The world knows the obstinacy or the cruelty of the thuggish power maniacs Burmese generals, who have subjugated the 50 million plus people and fully supportive at the UN by China, did not care the UN nor the civilized international community. One could recollect that the International Labour Organization said that it would seek to “prosecute members of the ruling Burmese Junta for crimes against humanity.“ And in 2007, anti-government protests by Burmese monks and people were brutally suppressed. As if all this isn’t bad enough, in May 2008, the ruling thugs prevented international assistance to survivors of Cyclone Nargis, greatly exacerbating a situation which resulted in 400,000 people dead and 1 million homeless.

Obviously the Burmese people were quite bewildered when the Secretary of State outlined the 3 Ds policy (Defence, Diplomacy and Development) and the crucial aspect of the 4th D (Democracy) was conspicuously left out. The US had made it clear that neither sanctions nor engagement has worked in Burma. Moreover at the Asian Regional Forum the Secretary of State seems to send the wrong signal for after chastising Burma for its nuclear connection with North Korea eulogise the Junta for enforcing the UN resolution 1874 designed to prevent the spread of nuclear arms. American non-proliferation experts have called on the international nuclear watchdog to seek clarification from the Burmese Regime over its nuclear program after a report that quoted defectors claiming there was a secret military nuclear program not subjected to IAEA inspection.

China and other Asian nations had recently helped persuade Rangoon to turn back a North Korean freighter, the Nam Kam 1, that was being shadowed by US warships on its way to Burma with a suspicious cargo while a month ago, Japanese police arrested a North Korean and two Japanese for allegedly trying to export illegally to Burma a magnetic measuring device that could be used to develop missiles.

The reclusive Burmese Junta knew that with the world full-blown economic crisis, international community will not pay much attention to Burma. The policies and measures adopted by the West, ASEAN and other major countries will inevitably benefit them since these players do not have unified positions and coordinated approaches. Each thinks its policy is better and result-oriented than others. Sad but true, that policy-makers on Burma have spent more time discussing their differences than trying to bridge perception gaps or consolidating tangible engagements that could immediately impact on the Burmese Generals. Even in some quarters of the international community have come round to accept that the Burmese generals will not change any time soon and it is better for them to show flexibility and understanding of the Burmese quagmire and help the Burmese people even though the regime will benefit from such generosity. In such a backdrop, General Than Shwe had made a well calculated risk of the domestic and global response with a sugar coat of leniency of 18-month sentence, long enough to keep Suu Kyi in custody in the next year election which will formalize the military’s grip on power

As long as there is no concerted approach and policy coordination, the regime is safe because, after all more than two decades China and India, the two most powerful Asian players, are still in two minds about their own roles regarding Burma. They have their own interests to protect in supporting the regime as can be clearly seen at the UN Security Council

People`s Republic of China regards the situation in Burma as an internal matter and this is also her position on the situation in Darfur and Sudan. Obviously the government of China does not want the international community speaking out on the country’s treatment of the Tibetans and the Uighurs, nor does it want interference in its dealing with Taiwan, It will continue to have the exclusive business with Burma and is ready to veto it if it comes up to the voting. “Respect for Burma’s sovereignty cannot be transformed into respect for Tibet’s sovereignty” is any one’s guess. Russia has other thoughts regarding Burma’s nuclear ambition.

Amid the shifting caprices of a regime that lacks any legitimacy, a lone object of trust among Burmese, repeatedly credited as the sole figure capable of bridging deep divides fomented since a 1962 coup, amplifying her status as a beacon of resistance is a reminder to the people of Burma and the international community of the military Junta’s penchant for Kafkaesque distortions of justice and its intransigence in the face of widespread international condemnation. Yet Jim Webb will be warmly shaking the hands of Than Shwe whose hands are soak with blood

The problem of Burma is a constitutional and not an ethnic problem like a horizontal one in the Balkans but a vertical one with the ethnic nationalities together with the pro democracy movement struggling against the Burmese army. The crux of the problem is the broken concordat of the 1947 (the Panglong Conference). Until and unless one can solve the very root of the problem, no lasting peace can be found in this a geo strategically important area of the Southeast peninsular.

The current Junta will not let go of its power or negotiate until and unless it is forced to. With the US concentrating on Afghanistan there is every possibility that it will soon become the highest producing narco country whose windfall will shore up the coffers of the Junta who is a nuclear aspirant and as such the problems should be nib in the bud before it become like North Korea. It is high time for the US to have a sustained concentrated Burma policy.

“Smart Targeted Sanctions” that aim at crippling the financial dealings of the Junta and its associates, particularly in S’pore while at the same time send the right message to the people of Burma e.g. blocking certain bank transactions and visa permits. Embargoes on trade and investment that are hurting the Burmese Generals and not the people should be reinforced. More humanitarian aid (including higher education) via the NGOs directly to the local and international NGOs working inside and the peripherals with a check and balance system is recommended.

Most importantly the rag tag ethnic armies (both ceasefire and un-ceasefire groups) have to be coax to have more cooperation and correlation among them and give a clandestine support them via Thailand and India. This will be a big stick policy and the very least will bring the Junta to the negotiating table in face of a civil war. Democracy will add a feather to the existing policy vis a vis China and counter the accusation that in global economic woes American business overrules the conscious will maintain the US prestige to continue as the world leader.

While explaining Burma’s motive behind its nuclear ambition it reveals that it was basically the inability of the Junta to compete with neighbouring Thailand on conventional weapons as the border clash of 2002 demonstrates compelled the Generals to acquire nuclear capability to ‘play power like North Korea. The Junta aspires to become nuclear for the dual purpose of international prestige and strategic deterrence. It has also become clear that under growing pressure to democratize, may seek a nuclear deterrent to any foreign moves to force regime change. It remains undoubtedly true that just like Pyongyang; Rangoon too would like to have a nuclear bomb so that they can challenge the Americans and the rest of the world. Will America stands up to its ideal.

- Asian Tribune -