Burma breaks reform promise by opening new offensive in Kachin frontline

By Zin Linn Dec 16, 2012

Asian Correspondent 

 

Burma Army strategic warfare against the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) near the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO)’s HQ Liaza this time seems to be a decisive military operation.

A Kachin soldier mans a frontline position, facing off against Burma government troops about 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the KIO headquarters in Laiza, as of Feb. 13, 2012. (AP Photo)

There are fresh reports from Kachin battle-frontline across the Internet as well as social media and the on-line newspapers constantly.  Besides, people throughout the country including non-governmental organizations feel shock that this battle will cause another humanitarian disaster following 100,000 people fled their homes for safety shelter in remote forest during 18-month old war.

According to media reports, there are more than 30,000 IDPs in Burmese government controlled areas and over 60,000 IDPs are currently taking refuge in KIO controlled areas. Several hundreds of civilians continue escaping their native places because they are scared of bullets, bombs, forced labors, rape, torture and other forms of violence.

Is Reform Stalling In Burma? – Analysis

By Parameswaran Ponnudurai, RFA

Burma’s violent crackdown on protesters against a China-backed copper mine has raised doubts about President Thein Sein’s reform effort as his 21-month-old quasi-civilian administration grapples with a major public backlash over the bloody raid.

The pre-dawn raid last week by security forces aimed at clearing hundreds of peaceful protesters from the mining site in northern Burma has also left some wondering whether the ex-generals at the helm of the administration have actually shed their authoritarian past.

Scores of protesters were injured, including monks campaigning for villagers, who claimed that a joint venture of the Burmese and Chinese militaries had illegally evicted them from farmland to make way for the copper mine blamed for environmental destruction.

Myanmar: A nation rises

 By David Pilling and Gwen Robinson, Financial Times

The impact of the rapid shift to democracy is far-reaching but barriers remain 

A short walk from Yangon’s notorious Insein prison, where Myanmar’s military junta jailed and tortured political prisoners, lies the Eden Centre for Disabled Children. Its little courtyard and few surrounding buildings are among the only facilities in the country for young people with physical and learning difficulties.

On improvised slalom courses made from cushions and wooden benches, those with cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome and muscular dystrophy are taught to improve their motor skills. Teachers provide basic education for those with learning difficulties. They also counsel parents worried about what will happen when their children grow up, given Myanmar’s lack of social security and scant job prospects for disabled people.

“I am trying to learn more about advanced techniques,” says Lilian Gyi, director of the school, whose training in Germany 35 years ago makes her the country’s only expert in special education.
The Eden Centre is a small reminder of how deprived Myanmar’s people have been left by years of military rule and poor economic management. However, it also stands as a symbol of how the shift towards democracy that began 18 months ago could have a profound impact in unexpected areas of national life.
Since the junta led by Than Shwe ceded power to an elected government last March, the country has changed in remarkable and often unanticipated ways. Initially dismissed as a continuation of military government in disguise, the new administration led by President Thein Sein has unleashed a barrage of changes. Political prisoners have been released, press censorship abolished, free by-elections held and progressive laws passed. The president is regularly compared to F. W. de Klerk, the South African leader who helped to dismantle apartheid.

Myanmar And Daw Aung Suu Kyi: The Liberal Pragmatic – Analysis

By Rahul Bhonsle, EurasiaReview
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Chairperson of the National League of Democracy (NLD), the principal opposition party in Myanmar was on a visit to India from November 13-18, 2012. It was in many ways on less than a state visit but for the ceremonials of inspection of guards at arms and a banquet. The Noble Laureate demonstrated qualities of a pragmatic liberal balancing needs of real politic while supporting the path of individual and collective freedoms.

This was evident in snippets of her interaction with the Indian political leadership, at the Nehru Memorial Lecture on the occasion of the birth Anniversary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru that she delivered on November 14, 2012 and the couple of media interviews that she gave during her stay in Delhi. Her overall response to the transformation in her country including the limits, approach towards the military which had kept her in detention for years and India which from having staunchly supported her struggle for democracy and freedom at one time succumbed to the nuances of regional power play to counter China’s rising influence.