Compiled by Solidarity
News Headlines
1. EU special envoy hails Beijing's fundamental role in Myanmar
2. Largest pharmaceutical factory established in north Myanmar
3. Burma/Myanmar: Commission maintains its humanitarian commitment with EUR 18 million in new relief funding
4. Doctor honored for her work with Myanmar refugees
5. 18 million euros aid to Myanmar
6. EU says China pressure on Myanmar key but limited
7. Myanmar junta chief tells troops to sacrifice their lives for country
8. Recent Strife Raises Myanmar Travel Questions
9. Ban convenes meet on Myanmar
EU special envoy hails Beijing's fundamental role in Myanmar
Published: Friday, 21 December, 2007, 01:32 AM Doha Time
BEIJING: The European Union's special envoy for Myanmar yesterday praised China's role in persuading Myanmar's ruling junta to engage with the international community, but said Chinese officials were sticking to their principle of non-interference.
"China and the EU share the same goals ... to create an atmosphere where stability, peace and democracy can be achieved (in Myanmar)," EU envoy Piero Fassino said after talks with Chinese officials.
China had played a "fundamental" role in promoting contact between Myanmar's junta and the international community and "trying to encourage an atmosphere that is more conducive to dialogue," Fassino told reporters.
But Chinese officials told Fassino that "the way ahead lies with the Burmese themselves," he said. "Of course I believe that it's our duty to encourage Burmese leaders to go along that direction, and in that regard the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and the main political leaders are very positive steps," he said.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang on Thursday reaffirmed China's support for mediation efforts in Myanmar by UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari and by the Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean). "China is willing to cooperate with all parties, including the EU," Qin said.
"Realizing peace and stability is in Myanmar's own interests and it is also China's concern. The international community should play its role on the basis of respecting the sovereignty of Myanmar." China opposes formal sanctions against Myanmar, but Fassino said he had told Chinese leaders that EU officials saw sanctions as "just a tool" to promote change. – DPA
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=191156&version=1&template_id=45&parent_id=25
Largest pharmaceutical factory established in north Myanmar
YANGON, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The largest and most up-to-date pharmaceutical factory was set up in Myanmar's northern city of Pyin Oo Lwin, starting to produce 162 kinds of medicines, the official newspaper New Light of Myanmar reported Friday.
Pyin Oo Lwin Pharmaceutical Factory, inaugurated on Thursday, will produce high-quality modern medicines such as tablet, capsule, intramuscular, intravenous, lotion and powder, the report said.
There has been some five other pharmaceutical factories in Myanmar, including two special ones, respectively located in Yangon, Sagaing and Inyaung, according to the report. These factories are supplying 40 percent of the domestic market.
Meanwhile, reports said German entrepreneurs plan to set up pharmaceutical factories in Myanmar to produce home-use capsules and tablets soon as part of foreign engagement in the development of the sector.
According to statistics of the Ministry of Commerce, Myanmar imported pharmaceutical products valued at 100 million U.S. dollars in 2006-07 which ended in March, an increase by 25 percent from 2005-06 when it was 80 million dollars.
These pharmaceuticals were mainly imported from Asian nations, including India, Bangladesh, China and Indonesia. Of the imports, only 10 percent came from European countries. (Xinhua)
http://enews.mcot.net/view.php?id=1910
Source: European Commission - Humanitarian Aid Office
Date: 20 Dec 2007
Burma/Myanmar: Commission maintains its humanitarian commitment with EUR 18 million in new relief funding
Reference: IP/07/1978 Date: 20/12/2007
IP/07/1978
Brussels, 20 December 2007 - The European Commission has allocated a further €18 million to address the basic humanitarian needs of vulnerable people in Burma/Myanmar during 2008. The focus will be on victims of the long-running crisis living in the country's frontier areas and refugees located in camps just across the border in Thailand.
Around 1.2 million people are expected to benefit directly from this support. The funds will be managed by the Commission's Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO), under the responsibility of Commissioner Louis Michel, and will be channelled through operational partners: European NGOs, United Nations agencies and the Red Cross.
"Recent events suggest that there is no immediate end in sight for the country's hard-pressed population", said Louis Michel. "More than ever, humanitarian aid, delivered by organisations like the International Red Cross (ICRC) and NGOs is needed to save lives, reduce suffering and protect vulnerable people."
The main beneficiaries of Commission-supported relief programmes in Burma/Myanmar will be more than a million highly vulnerable rural people living in remote frontier areas, who have no access to basic social services (Rakhine, Shan, Mon and Kayin states, Sagaing and Thanintaryi divisions). The other main target group is around 138,000 Burmese refugees living in camps in Thailand. These refugees, with no access to work outside the camps, are almost entirely dependent on external assistance.
For beneficiaries inside Burma/Myanmar, the funding will include:
- the rehabilitation or installation of basic water and sanitation systems, and actions to promote hygiene;
- continued support for the fight against malaria;
- mobile supplementary feeding centres serving around 10,000 children and more than 2,000 women who are either pregnant, breastfeeding or caring for young children. Special therapeutic feeding will also be provided for children and women suffering from acute malnutrition;
- efforts to ensure compliance with the international humanitarian rules that are designed to protect civilians and non-combatants in conflict situations.
For the refugees in Thailand, the funds will cover:
- food and cooking fuel for camp residents;
- measures to tackle serious disease such as respiratory infections and diarrhoea;
- supplementary feeding for children and mothers;
action to improve reproductive and child health.
The Commission has been funding relief programmes for victims of the crisis in Burma/Myanmar since 1994. Since 2000, humanitarian aid worth almost €100 million has been provided. In October 2005 an ECHO office was opened in Yangon to facilitate the delivery of European humanitarian aid in Burma/Myanmar.
More information: http://ec.europa.eu/echo/field/myanmar/index_en.htm
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/KHII-7A44WG?OpenDocument
Doctor honored for her work with Myanmar refugees
Publication Date：12/21/2007 Section：Front Page
By Edwin Hsiao
Cynthia Maung, a Karen physician from Myanmar and founder of Mae Tao Clinic in Mae Sot, Thailand, was honored at the 2007 Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award ceremony in Taipei Dec. 13, for recognition of her long-term commitment to refugees fleeing from troubled Myanmar.
At the ceremony, President Chen Shui-bian and Chairman of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy Wang Jin-pyng presented Maung with an award and a grant for US$100,000. Chen praised Maung for her determination in assisting her fellow countrymen. "On behalf of a democratic and free Taiwan, I would like to pay our highest regards to Maung," he said.
Addressing an audience of over 100 invited guests from around the world, Maung first expressed appreciation to the TFD, which initiated the award in 2006, for choosing her as the recipient of this year's honor, saying, "We [the people of Myanmar] strongly believe that the accomplishment of Taiwan's peaceful transition into a democracy is a landmark event in the worldwide spread of democracy."
The Myanmarese doctor then described the worsening humanitarian conditions in her country, including the destruction of villages, displacement of people, forced labor, conscription of children and systematic rape. "The military junta is the source of all the problems in Myanmar," Maung said.
Nevertheless, the people's hope for a peaceful and stable country has never left their hearts, she noted. "I call on the international community and our Taiwanese friends to support the long-term struggle for peace and [democratic] development in Myanmar," she concluded.
Taiwan's president mentioned that in light of the great trials faced by the people of Myanmar in their quest for democracy, Maung's award takes on a far deeper significance. "The military regime's cruelty and indifference look even more contemptible when placed next to her selfless love," he pointed out.
The purpose of the ADHRA is to support democratic development and promote human rights throughout the Asia-Pacific region. The TFD confers an award every year on an Asian institution or individual that demonstrates outstanding leadership in the advancement of democracy and human rights through peaceful means, the foundation stated.
The TFD announced Nov. 19 that the 48-year-old Maung had eventually been selected by a review board, which consisted of seven people from six countries, for her tenacious and long-term commitment to the thousands of refugees and migrant workers who seek refuge from oppression and violence by the military regime that governs the country, and for her dedication to training and educating those refugees to build a community based on respect for life and human rights.
Maung is a refugee from Myanmar herself, having fled from her homeland when the junta clamped down on protesters during the pro-democracy rallies of 1988. After walking through the jungle for many days, Maung and a group of other medical workers finally made it to a refugee camp in Thailand. The following year, she established a clinic near the small town of Mae Sot that now serves around 200 patients a day.
After the award ceremony, Maung attended a seminar organized by the TFD titled "Human Rights in Myanmar." Chaired by the TFD President Lin Wen-cheng, members of the panel included Maung, Michael Hsiao, executive director of the Center for Asia-Pacific Area Studies of Academia Sinica, and heads of local non-governmental organizations.
Speaking at the event, Maung stated that the number of displaced people on the Thailand-Myanmar border is estimated to be between 500,000 and 600,000, being mostly people forced to leave their towns and farms because of oppressive campaigns launched by the military junta, according to a Dec. 13 report by Taiwan's Central News Agency.
It is very difficult for refugees in Myanmar to gain access to such things as health care, education, clean water and decent accommodation, she added. In addition, the displaced people have to face the danger of drug addiction, which is a growing problem among disconsolate refugees. Taken together, the issues in Myanmar are simply too serious to be overlooked, Maung said.
Hsiao echoed the doctor's concern, describing the situation as "a living hell," in which many civilians have even been deprived of the right to stay in their hometowns. "As matter of fact, Taiwan might not be able to do much to improve the situation in Myanmar. But Taiwanese people can offer simple support by focusing more attention on the problem, as well as providing direct humanitarian aid to Myanmar," he said.
Write to Edwin Hsiao at edwinhsiao@mail.gio.gov.tw
http://taiwanjournal.nat.gov.tw/ct.asp?CtNode=122&xItem=25056
18 million euros aid to Myanmar
By IANS
Thursday December 20, 05:44 PM
Bangkok, Dec 20 (DPA) The European Commission (EC) Thursday allocated another 18 million euros ($26 million) of its assistance programme to the country.
The new aid allocation from the administrative arm of the European Union (EU) comes in the wake of a brutal crackdown on peaceful protests in Yangon last September that has prompted the US to slap new economic sanctions on Myanmar's military leaders.
The EU maintains that its aid programme does not assist the government but attempts to address the country's humanitarian crises.
'Recent events suggest that there is no immediate end in sight for the country's hard-pressed population,' said Louis Michel, who heads the Commission's Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO) in Myanmar.
'More than ever, humanitarian aid, delivered by organisations like the International Red Cross (ICRC) and NGOs is needed to save lives, reduce suffering and protect vulnerable people,' said Michel.
The main beneficiaries of Commission-supported relief programmes in Myanmar will be more than a million highly vulnerable rural people living in remote frontier areas, who have no access to basic social services in places such as the Sakhine, Shan, Mon and Kayin states, Sagaing and Thanintaryi divisions.
The other main target group is around 138,000 Myanmar refugees living in camps in Thailand.
The EU has been providing humanitarian aid to Myanmar since 1994. It has given more than 100 million euros to the country since 2000.
http://in.news.yahoo.com/071220/43/6oou6.html
EU says China pressure on Myanmar key but limited
Reuters - Friday, December 21
BEIJING - China's support has been vital to achieving initial steps towards national reconciliation in military-ruled Myanmar, an EU envoy said on Thursday, but added that Beijing would not directly pressure the junta to reform.
China, a major trading partner of Myanmar and one of its only allies, is seen as one of the few voices that could wield influence with the junta, which is under pressure to reform following massive anti-government protests this year.
But Piero Fassino, EU special envoy on Myanmar, also known as Burma, said Chinese officials had told him they would not directly push for the release of political prisoners or that of detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
"During my meetings with the Chinese authorities, they made clear that the way ahead regarding the Burmese crisis stands with the Burmese themselves," Fassino told a news conference.
"Of course I believe that it's our duty to encourage Burmese leaders to go along that direction, and in that regard the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and the main political leaders are very positive steps," he said. "But what the Chinese say is that it's up to them to take the final decision."
Earlier this year, pro-democracy protesters led by Buddhist monks staged the country's largest anti-government demonstrations in nearly 20 years.
The official death toll from the junta's resulting crackdown is 31, but some Western diplomats say the figure is much higher.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said Beijing supported dialogue and hoped to see a stable Myanmar, but repeated that it opposed efforts to force the regime's hand.
"The international community should respect the Myanmar government's sovereignty and opinions when looking at its problems," spokesman Qin Gang told a news conference.
Fassino said that despite its opposition to sanctions, China was playing a "very important role" in steps toward a resolution to the crisis. These include talks between the junta and United Nations special envoy Ibrahim Gambari, and Myanmar's naming of a go-between with Suu Kyi.
"We are aware that in order to achieve these first steps, the Chinese intervention has been essential," he said.
But China opposes sanctions as a means of pressuring the regime and is loath to compromise its investments in Myanmar's natural resources, which include natural gas and timber.
By contrast, the European Union has adopted sanctions against 1,027 firms in Myanmar and expanded visa bans and asset freezes on its rulers. Last week, EU leaders said they were ready to tighten sanctions if the government did not ease repression.
"I made clear that these are not our goal, they are a tool," said Fassino, who held talks with Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister He Yafei and the head of the Communist Party's International Department, Wang Jiarui.
Fassino said he had requested from Myanmar that he be allowed to visit in March and that Gambari hoped to return in January. He denied that, months after the demonstrations had been put down, the window of opportunity for change there had closed.
"Actually I do not believe the Burmese crisis is over," he said. "To the contrary, we have to engage on the Burmese issue when the situation is not overheated."
(Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard; editing by Roger Crabb)
http://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20071220/tap-uk-myanmar-eu-china-03b3b4c.html
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