Kim Jong-il state funeral held in North Korea

The BBC's Chris Rogers said many details of the two-day funeral
had been kept secret

North Korea has begun two days of funeral services for late leader Kim Jong-il with a huge procession in the capital, Pyongyang.

Footage showed tens of thousands of soldiers with their heads bowed as a giant portrait of Mr Kim was carried slowly through the streets.

His successor and third son, Kim Jong-un, walked beside the hearse, images from state television showed.

Kim Jong-il died of a heart attack on 17 December, aged 69, state media said.

He has been lying in state for the past 10 days.
New line-up

No schedule was released ahead of the commemorations and no foreign delegations are attending.

But observers said the ceremonies echoed the displays of pomp and military might that marked the death of Mr Kim's father, Kim Il-sung, in 1994.

Kim Jong-un - who is thought to be in his late 20s and who has little political experience - was shown weeping beside the hearse as it drove through the snowy capital.

He was accompanied by his uncle, Chang Song-taek, who is expected to be a key player as the younger Kim consolidates power.

Ri Yong-ho, the army chief, also accompanied the hearse as it drove past ranks of troops.

The three-hour funeral procession was led by a limousine bearing a huge portrait of a smiling Kim Jong-il. The coffin was draped in a red flag and surrounded by white flowers.

As it passed by, crowds of mourners wailed and flailed their arms as soldiers struggled to keep them from spilling into the road.

One soldier interviewed by North Korean state television said: "The snow is endlessly falling like tears. How could the sky not cry when we've lost our general who was a great man from the sky? As we're separated from the general by death, people, mountains and sky are all shedding tears of blood. Dear Supreme Commander!"

The procession was broadcast live on state television. When it ended outside Pyongyang's Kumsusan Memorial Palace, state TV began broadcasting documentaries about Kim Jong-il's life.

Mr Kim's body had previously lain in state in a glass coffin at the palace.

Observers are keenly watching the line-up over the two-day funeral to see which officials are in prominent positions.
Jostling for influence?

Kim Jong-il - known in North Korea as the "Dear Leader" - was in the process of formalising Kim Jong-un as his successor when he died. However, the transition was not complete, leaving regional neighbours fearful of a power struggle in the nuclear-armed pariah state.
Continue reading the main story
Kim Jong-un, centre right, followed by his uncle, Chang Song-taek

The BBC's Lucy Williamson, in the South Korean capital Seoul, says senior military and party officials may well now be jostling for influence in the new regime.

North Korea's reluctance to open up the funeral ceremony to foreign delegations may signal that those hierarchies have not yet been fully agreed, she adds.

In the week since Mr Kim died, state media has called Kim Jong-un the "Great Successor" and referred to him as the leader of the military and the party.

Commemorations are expected to continue on Thursday, with a three-minute silence at noon local time (03:00 GMT), followed by trains and ships sounding horns. The national memorial service will then begin.

The inter-Korean Kaesong industrial park has been closed for two days for the mourning following a North Korean request, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reports.

Are you marking the funeral of Kim Jong-il? You can share your thoughts on his passing and your expectations for Kim Jong-un by filling in the form below.


Src  :  BBC

Refugees in Thai camps waiting for peace

(Mizzima) – The Nu Po refugee camp in Thailand has a feeling of permanence. Nestled in the Thai hills tight on the border with Karen State, the camp is a six-hour dirve south of Mae Sot in Umphang District in Tak Province.

The Mae La refugee camp is located about 90 kilometres from Mae Sot
on the Thai-Burmese border. Photo: AFP

But, set up in 1997, it is now threatened by changes in Bangkok and Naypyitaw.

Tawin Pleansri, the secretary-general of Thailand's National Security Council, said in April, “I cannot say when we will close down the camps but we intend to do it”. Only months later, the new President of Burma, Thein Sein, publicly invited exiles to return home.

But whether the refugees feel they can safely go home may ultimately lie in the hands of Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her work with Naypyitaw’s “Peace Committees,” which are engaged in working out a comprehensive peace deal with various ethnic armed groups.

Despite the call by Thein Sein for exiles to return, most refugees in Thai camps are sitting tight.

Underlining these realities, the first official trip to Burma by the new Thai Prime Minister included a focus on economic cooperation including the countries energy interests.

“Maybe I'm more realistic than optimistic,” said Zulu, who has a bright smile and warm, open demeanour. She gives no hint of the five years she spent as a political prisoner in Burma's notorious prison system.

Speaking at a NGO office in Mae Sot, she said: “For this question, it is too early to judge, but how we can measure the changes... there are three things; If they release all political prisoners, also internal peace between ethnic groups and Burmese army... and how they give the space to do politics. We must measure these areas.”

The sustained news of the changes coming out of Burma has generated much discussion in the media, diplomatic circles and within the camps.

“The people in the refugee camp don't have much work to do... so they have much time to listen to rumours, so they've heard a lot of rumours and are worried,” said Zulu, who spent a year in the Nu Po refugee camp.

Sitting down with two of the camps residents over a cup of coffee, I ask what they thought of the changes. Khin (names change at their request) smiled and pointed to his friend,Thet. “He thinks it's a trick, but I think there are little positive changes”. Both have been in the camp for four years after  fleeing their homes in Rangoon.

The camp is really more like a small city. Unable to work in the outside world, camp residents have created everything from beauty salons to bike shops and tea stalls. Churches, mosques and Buddhist temples dot the area. With little to do but wait, schools offer the chance to learn English or skills like hairdressing.

Khin's brother was a member of the National League for Democracy and fled Burma after spending eight years in prison. He fled to the Thai border and after extensive screening, he resettled in America.

Almost 70,000 refugees have already chosen to go to a third country, with another 9,000 leaving this year. A similar number are expected to leave next year, but that will account for nearly all the registered refugees. The last official registration took place in 2006.

A number of the people I spoke to pointed out that while the resettlement is good for individuals who leave, it has negative impacts for the wider camp, often taking skilled people like teachers and nurses away from the community.

The current international climate is also challenging. Rations in the camps, and the yearly allotment for building materials have both been cut.

A recent report, which noted the U.S. has accepted the lion’s  share of refugees, is a further point of concern. The report compiled by researchers at San Francisco State University and the Burma Refugee Family Network (BRFN) and released this week found that nearly 60 per cent of the Burmese refugees in Oakland are living in extreme poverty. The Karen and Karenni are most at risk due to added language barriers and lower rates of education but even taken as a whole, Burmese refugees “are at risk of becoming a permanent, poverty-stricken underclass.”

When another official screening will start no one knows, Khin said, “but it depends on (the) Thai government.” A number of people said they though the lack of official screening was an attempt to discourage more people fleeing to the camps.

In an interview with Karen news, the Secretary of Nu Po refugee camp, Saw Thoolei Doh Soe, said “The people who want to resettle are around 50 per cent, and another 40 per cent want to still remain as refugees. Not even 1 percent of people want to go back to Burma now.”

There are good reasons for this. Karen State is one of the most mined areas on earth. Forced labour is still endemic and woman across the state are at risk of rape and sexual assault from government soldiers. 

Since the 1980s camps along the Thai-Burma boarder have been home to refugees fleeing the world's longest running civil war. They have also been home to the political activists forced to flee waves of repression.

While the officially registered number of refugees in the camps is 90,000, the Thai-Burma Boarder Consortium (TBBC), which provides humanitarian aid inside the camps, last month fed 148,000 in the 10 camps that hug the boarder.

Inside Burma, TBBC estimates at least 112,000 have been forced to flee their homes in the past year. This is the highest yearly number since TBBC “and partners started documenting displacement in 2002”, and is an indication that if anything the situation in ethnic areas has got worse over the last year.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's trip to Burma marked the highest level of engagement between the U.S. and Burma in 50 years and comes only weeks after Burma was named Asean chair for 2014.

Some refugees think the international community may be moving too fast to reengage with Burma.

“I'm not surprised by them, but I'm surprised with the international community, and how come they don't know these peoples games,” said Naw Htoo Paw.

To illustrate her point she described trying to help negotiate for around 100 villagers who fled “from active fighting”, after the election, to stay in Thailand. “We tried to say the fighting has not stopped yet” but the authorities maintained it had.

After sending back the last boatload across the river “another mortar landed” and the boat wanted to return. But the authorities said “it’s only mortar shelling, we have to wait for more fighting… the population was mainly woman and small children... and this was only one boat so this is the Thai relations to refugees, they don't want more.”

She understands the dangers. At age 11, she witnessed a man from her village killed on suspicion of being an insurgent.

Such doubts will only be put to rest by a lasting peace in the ethnic areas and the unconditional release of all political prisoners. 

Without lasting peace in the ethnic regions, Thailand seems unlikely to find an acceptable way to close the camps. No matter how much it wants to or how much the refugees wish to return home, without a stable peace, the camps will remain in the unenviable position of being between a rock and a very hard, unforgiving place.

Src : Mizzima

Death Toll Rises After Grenade and Gun Attack in Belgium

LIÈGE, Belgium — Belgian police said on Wednesday they had discovered a woman’s body at a cannabis warehouse used by a man who lobbed three hand grenades and opened fire at a crowded central bus stop here Tuesday, killing four people, wounding more than 100 and creating panic before killing himself. The death brought the toll to at least five.

grenade and gun attack in the Belgium

No motive was immediately established, though the Interior Ministry said it was not related to terrorism, for which European cities have long been on alert. The man had a history of run-ins with the law.

Cedric Visart de Bocarme, a prosecutor, told a Belgian radio station on Wednesday that “a search last night revealed in a warehouse used by the attacker, notably to grow cannabis, the body of a woman killed by the attacker before he went to the central Place St.-Lambert” to launch the main assault.

Three victims died on the spot and at least one died later at a hospital, Belgian news reports said.

The attacker was identified as Norodine Amrani, 33, of Liège, who received a 58-month prison sentence for drug and gun offenses in 2008. He had been summoned to appear before the police on Tuesday, suggesting that his attack was some sort of desperate final lashing out. The reason for the questioning was not clear.

The attack took place just after noon at a crowded bus stop in Place St.-Lambert, a hub of the Old City that hosts an annual Christmas market and is the site of a main courthouse building. Liège is in eastern Belgium and is the country’s third-largest city, after Brussels and Antwerp.

“I saw a lot of blood splashed over parts of the square,” said Jean-Marie Deprez, 59. “It looked like thousands of people were trying to flee the square, and a lot of them were running toward the River Meuse to save themselves.”

The police discovered Mr. Amrani’s van nearby and destroyed it, Danièle Reynders, the city prosecutor, said in a televised news conference.

Ms. Reynders identified three of the people killed as “a 15-year-old — a young boy who died on the spot — a 17-year-old and a 75-year-old woman who died outside the court.” Belgian news media reported that a 20-year-old man later died in a hospital and that a 2-year-old girl was in critical condition, with some saying she had died.

“We’d never observed that he had any mental problems,” Ms. Reynders said of Mr. Amrani. “He has no history of terrorist acts.” An inquiry will determine if the attack was premeditated, she said.

The local news media described Mr. Amrani as a weapons expert, skilled at repairing firearms, who was sentenced for having 9,500 weapons parts and a dozen complete weapons, as well as for growing 2,800 marijuana plants.

On Tuesday, he left his home in Liège armed with hand grenades, a revolver and an assault rifle, then made the half-hour downhill walk alone to the central square, Ms. Reynders said. He still had a number of grenades with him when he died, she said.

Witnesses told the Belgian news media that the assailant had hurled explosives from a platform above a bakery. A police official told The Associated Press on Tuesday evening that at least 123 people were wounded.

“It was total panic, and people were running everywhere,” said Catherine Leburton, 55, a barmaid at Le Bus Taverne, which overlooks Place St.-Lambert. She said she had heard four explosions and a volley of gunfire.

The explosions sent glass far and wide from the bus stop, which serves 1,800 buses a day. Video showed people fleeing, including a large group of children. The police rapidly closed off the area and moved through surrounding streets on foot and searched by helicopter for possible accomplices.

But by midafternoon, Peter Mertens, an Interior Ministry official, confirmed that there had been only one attacker and that he had died at the scene. Mr. Mertens said the authorities had also ruled out the possibility that the attack was part of a diversion to help free prisoners at the Court of Justice nearby.

A witness in the square told RTL Television that he had seen a man throw grenades before firing haphazardly at the crowd with an assault rifle. When that weapon appeared to be out of bullets, “he took a revolver and he shot himself in the head,” the witness, who was not identified, told the broadcaster.

Television images showed scenes of panic in the center of the city as sirens blared and police officers ran through the lunchtime crowds. Blood could be seen on the cobblestones of Place St.-Lambert, lined with rows of stalls selling seasonal trinkets and snacks.

“It’s the beating heart of our city that was attacked today,” said Francis Bourdoux, 42, who lives near Place St.-Lambert.

Alan Cowell contributed reporting from London, Stephen Castle from Brussels, and J. David Goodman from New York.


Src  : New York times

Death toll from Afghan holy day bombs reaches 80

KABUL — Afghanistan said Sunday the death toll from bombings targeting the Shiite Muslim holy day of Ashura, which raised fears the nation could face an eruption of sectarian violence, has climbed to 80.
 

Death toll from Afghan

The coordinated attacks struck in Kabul and the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif on Tuesday as Shiites gathered to mark the holiest day in their calendar.

"The Ashura incident happened at a time that the people of Afghanistan were happy after a successful Bonn conference," Karzai said during a speech in the capital, referring to the international meeting in Germany on his country's future.

"Unfortunately the blast in Ashura martyred 80 people. The death toll has reached 80... It was either hitting our happiness or a wider policy is involved behind it."

The twin blasts have prompted fears that Afghanistan could see the sort of sectarian violence that has pitched Shiite against Sunni Muslims in Iraq and Pakistan.

The Afghan state is already fragile, with different ethnic groups including Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras and Uzbeks living together, sometimes uneasily, under one flag as a decade-long war rumbles on with no end in sight.

But US ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker told reporters Saturday he did not expect the attacks to spark a wave of sectarian violence in the country and Shiite leaders had called for calm.

Shiites make up roughly 20 percent of the population.

Karzai on Wednesday blamed Pakistani extremists for the unprecedented attack in Kabul, demanding justice from the government in Islamabad.

By pointing the finger at the Lashkar-i-Jhangvi militant group, Karzai threatened to ratchet up tensions with neighbouring Pakistan, which responded by calling for an end to the "blame game".

The group's purported claim of responsibility for the attack has not been confirmed independently.

Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan are tense, and frequently spiral into mutual accusations over the violence plaguing both their countries.

Meanwhile the Taliban issued a fresh statement Sunday renewing their condemnation of the "inexplicable bombings" which they described as a "pre-planned plot of the defeated enemy".

"Nobody should be allowed to reach their sinister goals by creating rifts and divisions amongst our united people on the basis of religion, race, language or region," the statement said.

Initial death tolls were put at 55 in Kabul and another four in Mazar-i-Sharif.


Src  : AFP

Bangladesh says refugees must return quickly

New Delhi (Mizzima) – Refugees living in the Nayapara and Kutupalong refugee camps and the huge number of undocumented Burmese nationals living in Bangladesh should be returned quickly, according to a joint statement by Burma and Bangladesh.

The Kutupalong Rohingya refugee camp in Teknaf, Cox’s bazar.
There are 30,000 un-registered Rohingya refugees living in the camp.
Photo: Bayazid Akter

The statement came following a two-day visit to Burma by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh, which ended on Wednesday.

President Thein Sein was quoted in the Burmese state-run newspaper Myanmar Ahlin as saying: “Burma wants to cooperate with Bangladesh in resolving the issue.”

According to figures compiled by UNHCR, there are about 29,300 Burmese refugees assisted by the UN group and more than 200,000 Burmese of questionable status in Bangladesh.

The joint statement did not use the word “Rohingya,” a term the Burmese government does not accept.

On Tuesday, the Bangladesh newspaper The Daily Star reported that Burma had agreed to take back Rohingya refugees who have been recently verified by Burmese authorities.

The Daily Star quoted the Bangladesh prime minister saying that the presence of the Burmese refugees creates social, financial and environmental challenges to Bangladesh

In other business, the joint statement said the two governments stressed the establishment of a direct banking arrangement under the Asian Clearing Union and a plan to launch direct air flights between Dhaka/Chittagong and Rangoon. The governments also discussed border trade, and Bangladesh said that it wanted to organize a trade fair in Rangoon early next year.

The Bangladesh prime minister asked Burma to import readymade garments, pharmaceutical products, knitwear, and jute goods and ceramics from Bangladesh.

During the visit, the two countries signed an “Agreement on the Establishment of a Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation,” and an agreement for the two countries’ chambers of commerce to cooperate more closely.

On Wednesday, a ceremony was held to lay a foundation to build a Bangladesh Embassy in the diplomatic zone in Naypyitaw.


Src  : Mizzima

China tells Kachin refugees: go home

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Chinese authorities on Friday told Kachin war refugees in La Ying in Yunnan Province to return to Burma.

Four Chinese officials came to a camp located opposite Momauk Township in Kachin State where more than 2,000 Kachin refugees stay and told them to return home, according to Dwe P Sar, a civilian official with the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) relief committee.

A temporary camp for Kachin refugees who have fled from the renewed
fighting by the government and Kachin Independence Army in Kachin State.
Photo: Human Rights Watch

“We replied that the villagers were just taking refuge at their relative’s home for security reasons, and they would decide by themselves whether they returned home or not,” said Dwe P Sar.

Refugees in camps in Laiza, Mai Ja Yang and Manwin on the Sino-Burmese border now number about 45,000, he said.

Friday marks six months since the fighting between the KIO and the government started. In the past six months, there were more than 800 battles between the KIO and government troops, according to the KIO.

“Up until now, we’ve supported the refugees as much as we can. Now, the number of refugees is increasing. If we don’t get international aid, we’ll start to worry,” Dwe P Sar said.

Most of the relief aid has come from religious organizations, the Kachin in Burma and in foreign countries and businessmen. The Burmese government has not allowed help from local NGOs and international organizations, according to local aid workers.

Many refugees are frustrated, said one aid worker. “They have run out of food because not enough organizations help. As time goes by, they feel upset. They don’t want to stay here. So, they hope for peace. They thought that the fighting would be for a short time, but now we need to make plans for the long run,” he told Mizzima.

In November, the KIO and the government held peace talks, but they have failed to reach agreement.

Src  : Mizzima

China: Explosion at Bank Kills 2

Explosion at Bank Kills 2

A explosion shook a branch of the China Construction Bank late Thursday afternoon in Wuhan, a provincial capital in south-central China, a municipal police official there said, and state media reported that at least two people were killed and more than 10 were injured.

Postings on the Twitter-like Weibo microblog, from people identifying themselves as being in Wuhan, said that someone put two or three bags of what looked like cement near the bank’s entrance, along with a “work in progress” sign. The bags turned out to be full of explosives and detonated when an armored car full of cash showed up.

The armored car was not punctured and kept going, the postings said.

The cause of the blast is under investigation, said a man answering the phone at the Wuhan municipal police press office, who declined to provide his name.

Explosives are sometimes used in commercial and domestic disputes as well as in crimes in China, partly as an alternative to guns, which are extremely hard to obtain. Natural gas leaks sometimes cause explosions as well, but these have more often been reported at restaurants than banks.

Src  :  The New York Times

Burma pledges to Clinton it will release political prisoners

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – The speaker of the Burmese Lower House Thura Shwe Mann said on Thursday that he made a pledge to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that all political prisoners across Burma will be released.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, right, and opposition leader
Aung San Suu Kyi have dinner at the U.S. Chief of Mission Residence
in Rangoon on Thursday. Photo: AFP

“She urged Burma to release political prisoners. In response, I said I pledged that we will do as much as we can in order that all citizens including political prisoners can be involved in building the nation and for the sake of national reconciliation,” Thura Shwe Mann said in the press conference in Naypyitaw after meeting with Clinton.

Earlier, Clinton met with Burmese President Thein Sein in Naypyitaw followed by a private lunch.

Burma’s relationship with the U.S. has evolved rapidly in the past several months to the point where the U.S. is now prepared to reinstate a modest aid program and not oppose moves by the International Monetary Fund and other key bodies to offer assistance to Burma as it attempts to emerge from two decades of isolation.

Burma’s big hope is that the U.S. will lift economic sanctions against the country, which were put in place after the former military regime attacked and killed hundreds of peaceful demonstrators in 1988 and began a systematic imprisonment of pro-democracy activists.

In the press conference, Thura Shwe Mann denied that Burma had tried to get North Korean nuclear technology.

“Some allegations said that some officials including me went there and signed an agreement regarding nuclear aid. That’s not true. All we did in North Korea is observe their defense systems against air attacks and their ammunition plants. We also observed their air force, navy and other affairs.”

The Lower House speaker also said Clinton told him that the U.S. will watch Burma’s efforts to move toward democracy, and pledged to reward it with aid to education, health and social programmes.

Clinton said in a press conference that the US is not ready to lift sanctions against Burma until it sees further concrete progress in reforms, including the release of political prisoners, a resolution to the bloody fighting in ethnic areas, a more open democratic system that guarantees political parties the right to open offices and travel to all areas of the country, and an end to Burma’s “illicit” dealings with North Korea involving missiles and nuclear technology.

She said that she welcomed the Burmese side’s pledge to release political prisoners soon and to abide by U.N. resolutions on missile and nuclear technology.

Thura Shwe Mann said Clinton urged the newly elected government to continue to make changes that improved the lives of the people and offered greater freedom. He said any improvement in relations with the U.S. would not alter Burma’s relationship with neighbouring countries including China and India.

Meanwhile, on Thursday 70 people including Burmese activists and others staged a demonstration at the U.S. consulate in Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, urging the Burmese government to bring peace to ethnic areas and to release all political prisoners.

Win Aung, a member of the demonstration, told Mizzima, “We want Clinton to urge the Burmese government to hold an all-inclusive political dialogue, to try to seek cease-fires and release all political prisoners.”

Since early June, there has been widespread fighting between Burmese government troops and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in Kachin State in northern Burma.

The Associated Press reported on Thursday said a senior U.S. official said President Thein Sein outlined his government's plans for reform in a 45-minute presentation in which he acknowledged that Burma lacked a recent tradition of democracy and openness. He asked for U.S. help in making the transition from military to full civilian rule, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Clinton replied that she was visiting because the U.S. was "encouraged by the steps” Burma had taken, the AP reported.

"We're not at the point yet where we can consider lifting sanctions that we have in place because of our ongoing concerns about policies that have to be reversed," Clinton was quoted as saying. "But any steps that the government takes will be carefully considered and will be matched."

Nyan Win, a spokesman for opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party, welcomed the U.S. package of rewards and said, "The incentives will help promote better relations and a better future for the country, and I hope the government will expand its reform process."

Burmese officials hope Clinton's visit, which started on Wednesday, opens a new chapter in U.S.-Burma relations. Burma’s overriding goal is a lifting of Western economic sanctions. The AP said that Clinton's historic journey is a culmination of behind-the-scenes overtures since a newly elected President Barack Obama told the world's despotic regimes in 2009 that the "US will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist."

Since then, Burma has released pro-democracy leader Suu Kyi from house arrest, installed an elected government, and opened a dialogue with Suu Kyi, offering Washington just enough of an opening to re-engage.

Three key sticking points block better relations: the remaining political prisoners in Burmese jails, a civil war it has waged against ethnic armed groups, and its illicit dealings with North Korea, which the U.S. believes could involve missile and nuclear technology.

For Burma, better U.S. relations offer a potential flow of badly needed aid and over time even a military relationship with access to U.S. technology and expertise.  Better relations also would allow Burma to play off its dependency on China, its prime benefactor in terms of aid and lucrative energy deals involving oil, gas and hydropower.  Burma benefits from its strategic position between India, China and Southeast Asia.

The AP quoted David Steinberg, the director of Asian Studies at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., saying: "They [Burma] do feel that they are in such a solid position that they can begin to do things that they could not do before."


Src  : Mizzima

Pakistan to boycott Afghan Bonn talks after Nato strike

Pakistan after NATO air strikes on border outposts killed 24 soldiers

Pakistan is to boycott talks on Afghanistan's future in protest at a Nato air strike which killed 24 of its soldiers at the weekend, officials say.

The decision not to attend next week's conference in the German city of Bonn came after a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

Pakistan says the air strike violated its sovereignty and the mandate of international forces in Afghanistan.

Nato and the US government have apologised, calling the deaths tragic.


Src  :   BBC

Burmese marine workers stranded in India return home

Rangoon (Mizzima) – A total of 142 Burmese marine workers who were adrift at sea and then stranded in India will return home in two batches this week.

Burmese fishermen who were adrift at sea after a storm and rescued
by the Sri Lanka Navy in March attend a press conference at the Myanmar
Fisheries Federation in Rangoon in June 2011. Only 130 out of an estimated
600 missing fishermen were rescued. Another batch of fishermen stranded
in India are returning to Burma this week. Photo: Mizzima

The marine workers were adrift on their tiger-shaped rafts after a sudden storm at sea near Phyapon Township in Irrawaddy Region in March. After rescue, they were stranded in India.

“Some workers died. Some are still missing. Some were stranded in India and some in Sri Lanka. The 14 marine workers who were stranded in Sri Lanka returned to Burma in June,” Win Kyaing, the general secretary of Myanmar Fisheries Federation [MFF], told Mizzima.

The second batch of 72 workers will arrive in Burma on Friday evening. The first batch returned on Thursday.

The marine workers are from Irrawaddy, Rangoon, Bago, Magway and Tanintharyi regions. They were detained in Port Blair on Andaman Island.

During their early detention, confrontations occurred between the workers and Indian police, but differences were resolved, according to the workers who returned on Thursday.

“I am 56 years old. Fishing has been our traditional business, but I never experienced anything like this. We were starved, and we encountered many problems. Now, I’m very happy because I will be able to meet with my family soon,” the state-run newspaper New Light of Myanmar quoted one worker as saying.

The MFF released a statement saying workers will take refuge at Sadu Monastery in Kyimyintaing Township in Rangoon and a press conference will be held on Monday.

In a similar incident, three marine workers from Phyapon Township who were stranded in India for more than 11 years ago arrived back in Burma in August.


Src   :  Mizzima

Now is ‘the beginning of the beginning’

(Editorial) – November 18, 2011, will go down as D-Day for not only the National League for Democracy (NLD) but for all the pro-democracy opposition forces and the people of Burma. For the past 23 years, the people have fought and died for a more democratic Burma.

NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi among her supporters outside the
NLD headquarters in Rangoon after the NLD voted to re-register
and to reemerge as a legal political force in Burma. Photo: Mizzima

The Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s NLD party took an historic step by deciding to register as a legal political party and to resume its role as the country’s most successful democratic party.

The vote by the 106 NLD central committee members was unanimous, although a small conservative minority still argues that it is too early to recognize real reform and trust the new government formed by President Thein Sein, a former general.

However, everyone agrees that Suu Kyi can play an important role in the process of moving democracy forward. 

Clearly, there are signs of a thaw. The main opposition party's re-registration will speed up the pace of change, and the release of more political prisoners including the 88-generation student leaders and ethnic group leaders. It is a predictable bargaining chip between the government and the opposition. Observers say a prisoner release could come before the December visit of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Moreover, this will go down as the year Burma gained its first-ever chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), a sign the government may be ready to assume a less combative role in regional affairs and join the march toward economic integration.

Earlier, political drama surrounded the NLD’s intra-party debate over taking part in the 2010 parliamentary election. Debates within and outside the party were fierce over its decision not to re-register, which led some top party leaders to break away from the NLD to form a new political party, the National Democratic Force, which won 16 parliamentary seats in the 2010 November election. For the NLD to take part in the election, it would have had to disown its members who were in prison for their political beliefs, because of an election law that banned convicts from being members of political parties or voting.

Nevertheless, the pace of positive change has continued, including Suu Kyi meeting President Thien Sein and having dinner with his family. That was followed by the release of more political prisoners, a slight loosening of media censorship, and a stop to the government policy requiring armed ethnic groups to join its Border Guard Force.

Serious, unresolved issues still confront Burma, such as the military campaign against Kachin ethnic armed groups and regular violations of human rights are still widespread. Hundreds of political prisoners still languish in Burma’s jails. The government must resolve these issues as soon as possible to achieve full national reconciliation.

The NLD will now field candidates in the by-election, which could be held in December. The next logical step is for opposition parties to come together to form an effective coalition that can put pressure in Parliament on the Union Solidarity and Development Party, which is a surrogate for the previous military regime.

The NLD decision was not a compromise or a U-turn by Suu Kyi and the NLD, but rather another chapter in its on-going political dream. Suu Kyi said recently this is the "beginning of the beginning."

The coming challenges include amending the undemocratic 2008 Constitution, stopping the bloodshed and human rights violations in ethnic areas and empowering the Burmese people to reignite the country’s economy. It is a dream worth fighting for in the political arena.


Src  :  Mizzima

Chin State Assembly asks for 25 million kyat from central government

New Delhi (Mizzima) – The Chin State Assembly on Tuesday approved a motion asking for 25 million kyat (about USD $31,645) from the central government to meet a budget shortfall. 

Chin State Chief Minister Hung Ngai. Photo: khonumthung.org

Kyaw Nyein, a Chin Progressive Party MP and Chin State Forestry and Mines minister, said, “Chin State needs about six billion kyat. But, the central authorities have said Chin State is the state that begs too much, so we cannot ask for all of it. We will do with as much as we have.”
 
The Chin State Assembly speaker will officially submit the proposal to the Union monetary fund.
 
Chin State MP Zozam, chairman of the Chin National Party, told Mizzima that MPs discussed the budget after  Chin State Chief Minister Hung Ngai and the head of the budget department submitted the plan. 

MPs had five days to prepare for questions and they did not have enough time, according to observers.

Pu Shein Tun, the CPP general-secretary, said, “It was not systematic, so the opposition parties did not have enough time to prepare.” 

MP Zozam said opposition members are taking part in a multi-party system, but only one party [the USDP] is taking the “leading role.”

Under parliamentary procedures, questions and motions must be submitted 10 days in advance to the parliamentary office. 

The second regular session of Chin State Assembly was held on Tuesday. A total of 12 questions were put to various ministers.

In the first regular assembly session, all Chin State MPs could do was approve the motions submitted by the Union Assembly; no questions were raised and no motions were put forward, observers said.
 
On October 22, a special assembly was convened and civil engineer Ngun San Aung was appointed as Transport and Construction Minister.
 
The Chin State Assembly comprises five MPs from the CPP, five MPs from the
CNP, one MP from the Ethnic National Development Party, seven MPs from the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and six military representatives, totaling 24 MPs.

Chin State ministries are Finance and Planning, Security and Border, Administrative and Industry, Mining and Forestry), Communication and Construction, Agriculture, Commerce, Social, Energy, Transport and Electricity. Of the nine Chin State ministers, one minister is from the CNN and one is from the CNP. The remaining seven ministers are military representatives and USDP members.




Src  : Mizzima

DKBA battalion signs a cease-fire with the Burmese government

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – One battalion of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) and the Burmese government agreed to a cease-fire on Thursday, the leader of the battalion said.

DKBA Major General Saw La Bwe,
aka Bo Moustache.

Major General Saw La Bwe, aka Bo Moustache, said the cease-fire would go into effect on Sunday.

According to the agreement, the headquarters of the battalion will be in the Soneseemyaing area in Myawaddy District, on the east side of Dawna Mountain in Karen State. The battalion’s troops in Karen State will remain in place.

The cease-fire agreement was achieved at the second meeting between the battalion and government representatives. The battalion has an estimated 1,000 soldiers, and it had refused to transform itself into a Border Guard Force (BGF), leading it to break away from its brother units in the DKBA.

Also representing the battalion were Deputy Chief of Staff Brigadier General Mo Shay, Colonel E Do, Colonel Sein Win and Colonel Maung Lay.

In the negotiations, the government did not urge the unit to transform itself into a BGF, said the DKBA.

Under the agreement, the DKBA will have the right to collect taxes in its control area.

Recently, the government has been involved in trying to achieve cease-fires with several ethnic armed groups. It has reached cease-fire agreements with the United Wa State Army (Wa Region 2), and the Mong La group (Special Region 4). The DKBA battalion is the third group to achieve a cease-fire in recent government talks.  

DKBA Brigadier General Mo Shay told Mizzima earlier that the first meeting with government representatives was held on October 26 in Mawlamyaing, Mon State, in which both sides agreed not to undertake activities outside their respective control areas. At that time, the DKBA requested permits to open DKBA offices in Hpaan (the capital of Karen State), Kyainseikkyi, Three Pagoda Pass, Kyaikdon, Kawkareik and Myawaddy townships in Karen State.

The DKBA battalion fought government troops starting on November 8, 2010, with assistance from the Karen National Union [KNU] and the All Burma Students' Democratic Front. Meanwhile, a small DKBA group led by Major Saw Bi, which earlier had transformed itself into a BGF, went underground again and has now established an alliance with the KNU.

The DKBA separated from the KNU in 1994. On August 18, 2010, many DKBA battalions agreed to transform into BGFs under the command of the Ministry of Defence.


Src  :  Mizzima

Tear gas used on Occupy protesters

Tear gas used on Occupy protesters

Occupy protests turns violent in Oakland

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• In Oakland, police say they sprayed tear gas after a crowd hit them with paint
• In Atlanta, demonstrators are arrested at Woodruff Park
• "It hurts to see America do this to people who want change," an Atlanta man says

(CNN) -- Authorities made a series of arrests at Occupy Wall Street protests in California and Georgia Tuesday with clashes in one city that involved tear gas being used on demonstrators.

Police said they sprayed protesters in Oakland, California, after the crowd hit them with paint and other objects.

The crowd of about 500 people defied calls to leave an area of downtown Oakland on Tuesday, according to police. Protesters had camped for weeks in several areas in the city, including near City Hall, police said.

"The city remains committed to respecting free speech as well as maintaining the city's responsibility to protect public health and safety," Oakland police said in a statement.

Police arrested demonstrators at Woodruff Park in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, overnight. The arrests came after Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said he sent ministers to the park "to see if we can find a way to resolve this amicably." A protester at the park said he was scared.

"It's very intimidating," said Malcolm McKenzie. "I believe what we're doing is right, but we're going to jail. It hurts to see America do this to people who want change."

It was unclear how many people were arrested in both cities. CNN affiliate KGO reported that at least 85 people were arrested during an early morning raid in one part of Oakland and there were other arrests throughout the day.

Oakland and Atlanta are two of many cities worldwide dealing with the Occupy Wall Street protests, the leaderless movement that started in New York in September.

Demonstrators have typically railed against what they describe as corporate greed, arrogance and power, as well as repeatedly stated their assertion that the nation's wealthiest 1% held inordinate sway over the remaining 99% of the population.

CNN's Nick Valencia, Jessica Jordan and Rich Phillips contributed to this report

Src  :  CNN

IMF to work with Burma in revising currency exchange policy

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – A team from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is prepared to cooperate with Burmese authorities as they revamp the country’s currency exchange policy.

A Burmese bank employee counts kyat bank notes in Rangoon.
A high demand for Burma's natural resources is driving up the
value of the country's currency, posing a headache for the
new government which has called in the IMF to help redesign
its currency exchange policy. Photo: AFP

The announcement came at the end of a two-week assessment visit by a team led by Ake Lonnberg, a senior financial sector expert in the IMF Monetary and Capital Markets Department.

The team consulted with government officials, banks and representatives from public and private companies in Naypyitaw and Rangoon from October 19 to November 1.

The goal of the redesign is to stabilize and unify the currency exchange rate system with international monetary standards and practices.

The state-run newspaper New Light of Myanmar reported on Tuesday that the team discussed an initial diagnostic assessment of the legal framework and actual market practices governing the exchange rate system of Burma and, especially, the existing exchange restrictions and multiple currency practices.

A statement issued by the team said: “IMF members accepting the obligations of Article 8 undertake to refrain from imposing exchange restrictions on the making of payments and transfers for current international transactions or from engaging in discriminatory currency arrangements or multiple currency practices without IMF approval.

“The team will continue its work from the IMF headquarters in cooperation with Burmese authorities as they formulate their policies towards accepting the obligations of Article 8. The team expects to visit Burma again for a follow-up mission in early 2012,” the statement said.

The Washington-based IMF comprises 187 countries. IMF may provide monetary help and advice to its members and helps in stabilizing their monetary and financial policies, creating more job opportunities and promoting economic development and poverty alleviation.

On Sunday, Burma’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Union Minister Aung Kyi met for the fourth time and discussed the importance of free trade and commerce and a free monetary circulation system for the economic development of the nation.

The IMF has postponed offering monetary support to Burma, which became an IMF member in 1952.

In September, Mizzima reported that Burmese economist Khin Maung Nyo said the government needed to establish clear laws and regulations regarding currency exchange or many people would continue to use the black market for exchanging foreign currencies.

“Nobody wants to buy and sell foreign currencies in the black market. But the black market will be dissolved only if suitable currency exchange laws are imposed,” Khin Maung Nyo said.

On August 30, Upper House MP Thein Win submitted a proposal in Parliament that urged the government to amend, draw and prescribe administration laws in the Ministry of Finance and Revenue.

Minister for Finance and Revenue Hla Tun said that laws have been amended and modified and a relevant bill has been submitted to Parliament.

Hla Tun told Parliament that the ministry had coordinated with the Attorney General’s Office to amend The Pension Act, The Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, the Central Bank of Myanmar Act and the Myanmar Financial Institution Act.

A weak foreign currency exchange is cited as a major reason foreign companies are slow to enter the Burmese economy.

A Wall Street Journal article in August attributed the government's inability to change its currency rate system as partly due to a lack of foreign reserves and a lack of support from the International Monetary Fund, which in turn is a result of pressure from the U.S.

The Network Myanmar group has estimated that official reserves are currently estimated at around US$ 5.5 billion. External debt is about US$ 8.6 billion, including arrears of US$ 3.9 billion.

The official exchange rate has been pegged at 8.5 kyat since 1977, currently equivalent about 5.5 per US$, while the parallel market rate, which is now generally used for external transactions, stands at around 760 kyat per US$.

Src  : Mizzima

Hillary Clinton’s Mother Dorothy Rodham Dies at Age 92

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s mother, Dorothy Rodham, died shortly after midnight Tuesday morning. She was 92.

Clinton canceled trips to London and Turkey Monday in order to stay by her sick mother’s side in Washington, D.C. and was with her when she passed away.

“She was – a warm, generous and strong woman,” the Clinton family said in a statement, “an intellectual; a woman who told a great joke and always got the joke; an extraordinary friend and, most of all, a loving wife, mother and grandmother.”

Despite her daughter’s public life, Rodham stayed largely out of the spotlight, granting only one televised interview, which aired on the Oprah Winfrey show in 2004.

Rodham, who has been living with her daughter outside of Washington since 2006, fell ill Monday night. She died at Georgetown University Hospital surrounded by family, according to the Clinton family’s statement.
 

Click image to see more of Dorothy Rodham

Src   :  ABC News

Two top U.S. officials visit Burma for meetings

New Delhi (Mizzima) – Derek Mitchell, the U.S. Special representative and policy coordinator for Burma, and Michael Posner, an assistant secretary of state, will arrive in Burma on Tuesday.

US special representative to Burma
Derek Mitchell. Photo: U.S. State Department

It is Mitchell’s third visit to Burma within two months, and the first visit for Posner, the assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour.

“We have an appointment at 11 a.m. at the [U.S] embassy,” National Democratic Force [NDF] leader Khin Maung Swe told Mizzima on Monday.

On the four-day visit, the U.S. officials will meet with Burmese government officials, political parties including the NDF, National Unity Party [NUP], Democratic Party (Myanmar) and social organizations.

During the meeting, the NDF said it would ask about the U.S. officials’ opinions regarding ways to seek peace inside Burma.

“We will talk about affairs regarding peace because peace is important. Without peace, business cannot be conducted,” NDF leader Khin Maung Swe told Mizzima.

Party officials would also ask about economic sanctions against Burma, he said.

Presently, the U.S. government balances its economic sanctions policy with a policy of engagement and dialogue with the new Burmese government.

The U.S. has urged the new government to release all political prisoners, to hold a tri-partite political dialogue toward national reconciliation and to allow international aid to reach civil war refugees.

NUP spokesman Han Shwe said: “If the U.S. representatives come to Burma frequently for discussions, they will come to understand our country’s conditions and then sanctions are likely to be lifted gradually.”

He said the NUP accepted that democratic change was underway in Burma, and it [NUP] would talk about democracy, human rights and workers’ affairs in the meeting with U.S. officials.

On the other hand, the Democratic Party (Myanmar) noted that although there have been democratic changes in Burma, the process has been slow and there are still human rights violations throughout the country. Thu Wai, the chairman of the Democratic Party (Myanmar), will also attend the meeting with U.S. officials.

Than Than Nu, the secretary of Democratic Party (Myanmar), said: “They are trying to bring about change. Bur, some processes can be delayed. Some things have been implemented partially. In the past, all political parties could form their own workers’ unions and farmers’ unions. Now, we can’t. So, democratic changes have not been well made.”

U.S. officials also plan to meet with National League for Democracy (NLD) leaders, but the date has not been set.

Ohn Kyaing, the NLD spokesman, told Mizzima the NLD will talk about establishing democracy, human rights and political prisoners.

Derek Mitchell’s last trip to Burma was on October 24.


Src  : Mizzima

kum 23 nungak khat pitek suak vat

Leitung ah mihau te'n ahauhna sumlepai tawh cidamna aleitheihloh mahbangin, mizawng te'nzong sum neihlohluat manin zatui zaha kibawl zolo a, thuakding kilawmlopi in natna lianpipi kithuak khathei hi. Hih anuai photo sung a tegel na enkak le uhcin kum 20 gual tanumei melhoih mahmah khatleh pitek guaisa khatdingtawh kibang hi. Ataktak in hih photo sung a mi tegel pen akibang hi a, thakhatthu in amel kikhelvat in pitek tawh akibang cimawk hi. Hih photo khatlekhat akizaih pen nitam ki halhetlo in akizaih cimawk a, bangzah in pautauh, linglawng, khasiat huaihiam?

Hihnu minpen Nguyen Thi Phuong hi a, Vietnam minam ahihi. Tuipi sungpanpiang nektheih pawlkhat ahi Seafood nekha ahih manin amel asa amoilai mahmah panin pitekmel aki khelvat ahihi. Hih vuntung natna lamdang apian kipatcil pen 2008 kumpan hi a, tualaitak in Nguyen Thi Phuong te nupa pen zawnglua mahmah ahih manin zatui zaha bangmah kilimbawl zolo uhhi.

A pasal minpen Thanh Tuyen hi a, Lettama (Carpenter) nasep asemkhat ahihi. Nidang in amel hoihmahmah azi pen pitekmel apuakvat hangin ka it ka ngaihna themzong kiamtuamkei cihi. Azi inzong apasal itna akiamloh tengmahzong tuciangdong ka nuntakna hi ci a, a nupa un ki-it mahmah uhhi.

Nguyen Thi Phuong te nupa pen 2006 kumin akiteng uh hi a, tualai in kum 21 khatbek phapan hi. Tuipi sungpiang ante tawh kilemlo, Seafood Allergy nei ahih manin 2008 kumin hih natna lamdang akipan ahihi. Aci asa thakgawp in, zan a ihmutkawm na ngawnin kikhuatkhuat maihi. Ahi zongin zawnglua mahmah uh a, Zato Hospital cihbangah kilak zolo uh ahih manin khuasung aom zatuisai te ah zatui nektheihding zongin tuapeuhtawh ki naamtak uhhi.

Khakhat sungkhawng tuabangin zatui anek khitciang in acithak nuamtuam zawdeuh a, ahi zongin avun tungah cibok pawlkhat om hi. Tuaciangin Traditional Medicine ihcih pupa ngeina zatui pawlkhat zangleuleu a, tuaciang in acithak leh acibok te damsiang hi. Ahi zongin lamdang takin aci guaigawp in, avun zong tongawp hi. Tuabang tengtawh Traditional Medicine zatui tuamtuam laihkawikawi uh a, ahi zongin bangmah ki lamdang vetlo hi.

Zatui zaha tuamtuam alaih kawikawi uhhangin bangmah ki theituamlo ahih manin 2009 kumciangin "ei kamsiatna himai inteh" ci'n bangmah kibawl nawnlo uhhi. Nguyen Thi Phuong pen khuasung avak ciangin maizum mahmah a, amai puamtawh tuamden hi.

A maitang bek hilo in, agilvum leh a awmvum tezong tongawp a, ta aneihngei nailohhang agilvum pen nau neinei khinsa pitekte cilesa tawh kibang mawk hi. Aci asa avum aki khelgawp hangin alungsim, asam, aha, amit leh numei ngeina khasim si nin te bangmah kikhelna omlo hi.

Kamphatna tawh October 02, 2011 ni-in Vietnam gam Ben Tre Province aom Nguyen Dinh Chieu Hospital panin hihnu natna pen amawkna in sittel sakding ci uhhi. Tuaban ah amau zato pan azawh keileh HCMC Dermatology Hospital ah puaksawn dinguh cihi.

Siavuan siamah te upmawhna ah Nguyen Thi Phuong in Traditional Medicine sawtvei zawnglua ahih manin, tuasung akihel "Corticoid" in aci asa susia hiding ummawh uhhi. Vietnam gamsung aom zatui zaha siavuan siamte hihvai tawh buaimahmah uh a, hihnu natna pen adamsiang zokei zongin 50-70% ciang adam zoding in lamen uhhi. Hih thuthang thulamdang pen UK DailyMail ah aki suaksak hi a, leitung muntuamtuam pan mitampi takin lamdangsa mahmahtek uhhi.     

ZomiDaily  (Openzosuan)

Thais hope flooded factories back up in 3 months

Residents use a boat as transport through a flooded street Bangkok's Bang Phlat district on October 30, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Adrees Latif

By Robert Birsel

BANGKOK | Mon Oct 31, 2011 4:01pm IST

  BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand hopes industrial estates swamped in its worst floods in half a century can be up and running within three months, the prime minister said on Monday, as the danger of central Bangkok being inundated appeared finally to have passed.

Nearly 400 people have been killed in months of floods that have disrupted the lives of more than 2 million, economic growth has been set back and global supply chains for Thai-made computer and auto parts thrown into disarray.

But inner Bangkok, protected by a network of dikes and sandbag walls, appeared to have escaped the deluge with peak tides on the Chao Phraya river due to pass on Monday, water levels falling upstream and clear weather setting in.

While the centre of the capital remained dry with business mostly as usual, neighbourhoods on the wrong side of the protective ring, especially to the north and west, and provinces to the north, have been swamped by deep, fetid flows.

Anger is rising in hard-hit communities. Tension boiled over into skirmishes with police in some areas as villagers tried to pull down flood barriers keeping water high in their communities but protecting the capital.
The disaster has been the first big test for the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, a political novice who took over this year after an election that many Thais hoped would heal deep divisions.

Saving Bangkok from a ruinous flood would be an important victory. The city's 12 million people account for 41 percent of Thailand's gross domestic product.

Another economically vital region is just north of Bangkok, in particular Pathum Thani and Ayutthaya provinces, which have been largely inundated for weeks.

Seven industrial estates that have sprung up over the last two decades on what used to be the central plain's rice fields have been overcome by the vast volumes of water.

Yingluck said it should take three months to rehabilitate the estates, where some foreign investors have built production hubs.

"We expect after the water recedes the industrial estates will recover within three months if we can release the water and recover the machinery quickly," Yingluck told reporters.

A resident of Pathum Thani province said the water had fallen for the first time and was down about 5 cm (2 inches) on Monday, but was still nearly 1.5 metres (5 feet) deep.

LONG-TERM PROTECTION

Thailand is the second-largest exporter of computer hard drives and global prices are rising because of a flood-related shortage of major components used in personal computers.

Thailand is also Southeast Asia's main auto-parts maker and Japan's Honda Motor Co said car production could be difficult in the second half of its business year ending in March. Its Ayutthaya plant has suspended work indefinitely.
Yingluck said she had assured Japanese investors of steps to prevent a repeat of disaster from the annual rainy season.

"They are still confident to invest in Thailand but we have to invest in a long-term flood-protection plan," she said.

Energy Minister Pichai Naripthaphan said the government expected a recovery plan would cost up to 900 billion baht ($30 billion), including 800 billion baht for an overhaul of the water-management system and 100 billion for the rehabilitation of industrial estates.
"Every crisis has an opportunity. We are studying how to rebuild the country's economy and competitiveness. We have studied models from several countries," Pichai told Reuters. "Solving the flood crisis is the main issue."

Yingluck said that huge sum had yet to be finalised.

The president of South Korea's Samsung Electronics said at the weekend he expected the floods to hit the computer memory chip market further by hurting PC production until the first quarter of next year.
Honda said the interruption at its Thai plant was expected to disrupt car production in Indonesia, Vietnam and Pakistan, where it uses Thai parts.

TOURISTS STAY AWAY

The Bank of Thailand has nearly halved its projection of economic growth this year to 2.6 percent from July's 4.1 percent estimate, and said the economy -- Southeast Asia's second largest -- would shrink by 1.9 percent in the December quarter from the previous three months due to the floods.

Foreign tourist arrivals in the fourth quarter were expected to drop as much as 20 percent, meaning losses of up to 30 billion baht, said Kongkrit Hirankij, president of the Federation of the Thai Tourism Industry.

The floods submerged four million acres (1.6 million ha), an area roughly the size of Kuwait, and destroyed 25 percent of the main rice crop in the world's largest rice exporter.

The deluge was caused in part by unusually heavy monsoon rain falling on a low-lying region, but the weather has been largely clear for a week as the cooler dry season begins.

But the danger is far from over with the run-off still moving and swamping neighbourhoods as fears of disease grow.

People living in Thonburi, on the west bank of the Chao Phraya, have been struggling in waist-deep water for days, as have those in suburbs and provinces to the north of Bangkok.

About 30 riot police were deployed in an area of Pathum Thani to maintain order after residents destroyed a barrier.

Yingluck assured victims in a Facebook message that they would be taken care of.

As well as a big risk of diarrhoea and mosquito-borne diseases, skin infections are a major problem and in some areas, crocodiles have escaped from flooded farms and snakes searching for dry land have slithered into homes.

(Additional reporting by Khettiya Jittapong, Bazuki Muhammad in BANGKOK and Chang-Ran Kim in TOKYO; Editing by Ron Popeski)


Src  :  reuters 

KNU, DKBA in separate peace talks: no progress

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Officials of both the Karen National Union (KNU) and the Democratic Karen Buddhist Association (DKBA) are in preliminary peace talks with Burmese government officials in Bangkok and in Mawlamyine in Mon State, respectively. However, little progress has been made.

Troops of the military wing of the Karen National Union.
                    Photo: Mizzima

According to KNU and DKBA officials, no agreements have been reached, but both sides agreed that they will not undertake activities outside their respective control areas.

A KNU officer told Mizzima that its team met with government representatives including Rail Transportation Minister Aung Min and retired Major General Chit Than in Bangkok.

The government delegation told the KNU to contact the Karen State government, following earlier instructions issued by President Thein Sein, calling for preliminary negotiations to be held with state officials. The KNU – adhering to its previously stated policy – replied that it wanted to discuss the peace issue with Union government officials through the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), an alliance of ethnic groups.

“Yes, we met. We have said we prefer to discuss the issue through the UNFC. But the government wants to meet with us just one by one,” said the KNU officer.

Minister Aung Min is often described as a flexible government official. Retired General Chin Than is a Karen affairs expert.

Observers said Aung Min attended a performance on Saturday of some members of the Thee Lay Thee traditional dance troupe, who recently returned from exile. They also said that during his visit to Bangkok, he was with various businessmen, and it may have been related to the Dawei (Tavoy) Development Project in Dawei, Tanintharyi Region, which is carried out by the Italian-Thai Company. In mid-September, the KNU objected to the construction of the Dawei-Kanchanaburi Express Road in the Dawei Development Project, saying it harmed the environment.

In late September, a delegation led by Colonel Aung Lwin, the Karen State minister for security and border affairs, met with KNU officials on the Thai-Burmese border to offer to hold peace talks, but the KNU again replied that it wanted peace discussions with the central government.

Although Union-level government officials have not meet with the KNU, Union officials have met with DKBA officials. The Union delegation was led by the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) Secretary No. 1 Aung Thaung and the chairman of the National Race Affairs and Internal Peace-making Committee, Thein Zaw.

Both sides agreed not to undertake activities outside their respective areas, said DKBA Brigadier General Mo Shay.

He said: “For instance, government troops are active around Thay Baw Boe. Unless they go beyond their territory, there will be no problem. We take the other side. Similarly, if we do not go beyond our areas, there won’t be any problems.”

During the meeting, DKBA officials requested permits to open DKBA offices in Hpaan, the capital of Karen State, Kyainseikkyi, Three Pagoda Pass, Kyaikdon, Kawkareik and Myawaddy townships in Karen State. The request would be forwarded to President Thein Sein.

The Karen State government minister for security and border affairs Colonel Aung Lwin, the government Commander of the Southeast Command, Major General Win Aung Hlaing, and Karen State Chief Minister Zaw Min were involved in the meeting held in Mawlamyine. On the DKBA side were Mo Shay, Major Sein Win of the Adjutant General’s Office, and Intelligence officer Captain Pida.

The DKBA separated from the KNU in 1994. DKBA battalions led by Colonel Saw Chit Thu were transformed into Union Border Guard Force [BGF] Battalions 1012, 1013 and 1014 under the Ministry of Home Affairs on August 18, 2010.

Breakaway DKBA battalions led by Brigadier General Saw La Bwe have fought against government troops since November 8, 2010, the day after general-elections, and are now involved in talks with the government for the first time.

The government did not ask the DKBA to transform into a Border Guard Force.

“If the government forces us to transform into the BGF, the situation will be worse than it is now,” Mo Shay said.

In September 2010, the remaining breakaway DKBA battalions reorganized and Mo Shay was promoted to chief of staff.

The DKBA said it would continue to meet with government representatives.

On October 23, between Thay Baw Boe and Taungni villages, an area controlled by KNU Brigade No. 6 near the Thai-Burmese border, DKBA troops planted mines to guard against government troops, according to Brigadier General Mo Shay.

Src  :  Mizzima