Burma II:
Poverty driving Burmese workers east
By Philippa Fogarty
BBC News, Bangkok
Zaw Aung left Burma because he could not afford to feed his family.The 31-year-old worked as a farm labourer near the new capital, Naypyidaw.
But his wages did not cover basic necessities for his wife and three young children, and he could not find a better job.
So two years ago he paid a broker just over $400 (£200) for passage to Thailand. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7033663.stm>
Burma activist 'dies in custody'
A Burmese pro-democracy activist arrested during anti-government protests last month has died in custody, a rights group has said.Win Shwe was arrested on 26 September near Mandalay, as the government began its bloody crackdown on the protesters.
The National League for Democracy (NLD) member died during questioning, the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) said.His death raises fresh concerns for the hundreds of people still in custody.
The 42-year-old activist died "as a result of torture during interrogation", the AAPP said. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7038921.stm>
UN Security Council rebukes Burma
The UN Security Council has adopted a statement deploring Burma's military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.The agreement came after China lifted its objections to a statement first drafted by the US, UK and France.
It represents the first time the 15-nation body has taken any formal action over Burma.
The move indicates a shift of position by China, which had previously used its veto to stop the council from criticising Burma's military junta.
The statement "strongly deplores the use of violence against peaceful demonstrators" in Burma and calls on the junta and all other parties "to work together toward a de-escalation of the situation and a peaceful solution".It also calls for the early release of "all political prisoners and remaining detainees", urging the junta to prepare for a "genuine dialogue" with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The non-binding statement - which, unlike a resolution, requires the consent of all 15 council members to be adopted - was issued by Ghana's UN Ambassador Leslie Christian, the council's president. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7040371.stm>
Burma: Your questions answered
Monks and ordinary people demonstrating in Rangoon (Photo by Pierre Darbellay)
Kate McGeown has recently returned from a trip to Burma in the aftermath of a crackdown against anti-government protests.Here she answers some of the questions sent in by BBC News website users. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7041203.stm>
Key activists arrested in Burma
Htay Kywe in Rangoon - 27/5/07
Htay Kywe has been in hiding since the crackdown
Burma's military rulers have arrested three of the last remaining leaders of the recent pro-democracy protests which were violently suppressed.
Among those detained was Htay Kywe, who led some of the first marches and was a prominent activist in a 1988 uprising.
The arrests came as thousands attended a pro-government rally in Rangoon, many of them apparently under duress.
UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari, who met junta leaders earlier this month, is preparing for another visit to Burma.
The arrests are going on, despite assurances given by the authorities to the UNFollowing the latest arrests, few, if any, leaders of the 1988 generation of former student activists are thought to remain at large.
Daniel Alberman, Amnesty International
Other leaders detained overnight included Thin Thin Aye, also known as Mie Mie, and Aung Htoo, according to human rights group Amnesty International. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7042885.stm>
UN envoy condemns Burma arrests
UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari has described as "extremely disturbing" new arrests in Burma, calling on the ruling junta to stop detaining democracy activists.UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari arrives in Bangkok on Sunday 14 October 2007
Mr Gambari aims to enlist support from Burma's neighbours
Several prominent Burmese student leaders were arrested over the weekend.Mr Gambari said the detentions ran "counter to the spirit of mutual engagement" between the UN and Burma.
He was speaking in Thailand as EU foreign ministers were preparing to meet in Luxembourg to discuss tougher sanctions against the junta.
At their monthly meeting, the EU foreign ministers are expected to ban imports of gemstones, timber and metals from Burma, as well as voicing their support for Mr Gambari's mission. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7044412.stm>
Leading Burmese dissidents freed
Kyaw Thu (L) and Zagana (third from left) during anti-government protests
Kyaw Thu (L) and Zagana (third from left) were involved in protests
Three prominent Burmese dissidents detained following last month's protests have been released, the BBC has learned.The three include a prominent comedian, Zagana, who played a high-profile role in the pro-democracy demonstrations.
Actor Kyaw Thu, and his wife were also released late on Wednesday, according to family members.
Earlier, Burma's military leaders said they would continue searching for protesters involved in the uprising.
Meanwhile, the UN envoy to Burma, Ibrahim Gambari, said he had been invited back to the country in mid-November. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7050018.stm>
Burma junta in constitution move
By Chris Hogg
BBC News, Bangkok
Burma's military rulers are setting up a committee to draft a new constitution, state media has reported.The decision, which is part of what the generals call their "roadmap" to democracy, comes after 14 years of talks in a constitutional convention.
The discussions were boycotted by the opposition, who are also unrepresented on the new committee.Critics say the roadmap to democracy is just a ruse to allow the generals to hold on to power.<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7051412.stm>
Burma allows human rights visit
Paolo Sergio Pinheiro (archive image)
Mr Pinheiro has not visited Burma since November 2003
The military government in Burma has agreed to allow the UN's expert on human rights to visit after refusing permission for four years.Paolo Sergio Pinheiro, who visits countries to check on their human rights performance, made repeated requests to visit during that time.
Burmese Foreign Minister Nyan Win wrote to the UN suggesting that Mr Pinheiro could arrive before mid-November.
The UN's special envoy to Burma is also hoping to be allowed to return soon.
Ibrahim Gambari is currently in India awaiting a visa.
On an initial visit just after the military's crackdown on mass protests in September, he met both the military and jailed opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7057425.stm>
Suu Kyi rallies planned worldwide
Aung San Suu Kyi, photographed receiving the UN's Ibrahim Gambari on 2 October
Ms Suu Kyi remains under house arrest in Rangoon
Demonstrations are planned in 12 cities worldwide against Burma's continuing detention of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners.Wednesday marks 12 years in detention for the Nobel Peace Prize winner, and the protests are being staged outside Chinese embassies.
Campaigners say China holds the key to Aung San Suu Kyi's release.A UN envoy is in China seeking to raise pressure on Burma's junta after last month's bloody crackdown on dissent.
Burma says 10 people died during its suppression of the protests, but diplomats believe the true figures are much higher. Hundreds of people are thought to be in detention. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7059318.stm>
Burmese people 'waiting in the dark'
Montage of photos from the protests in September
It has been a month since rare anti-government protests in Burma were suppressed by the military government there.The BBC news website asked people in Burma, who had been previously e-mailing daily updates about the unrest, to describe how life has changed and what has been happening since the dissent was silenced. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7058610.stm>
Soldiers back on Rangoon streets
File image of a Burmese soldier outside Shwedagon pagoda in Rangoon
Soldiers are again guarding key points in Rangoon
Burmese troops have returned to the streets of Rangoon, a month on from one of the bloodiest days of a military crackdown on anti-government protests.Armed soldiers surrounded the Shwedagon and Sule pagodas, both focal points for the demonstrations in September.
The troop presence, coinciding with the end of Buddhist Lent, is thought to be aimed at preventing new protests.
It also comes a day after detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi met a military officer for talks.
Ms Suu Kyi, who is under house arrest in Rangoon, spent over an hour with government liaison officer Aung Kyi.
He was appointed earlier this month after UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari urged Burma's top generals to engage in dialogue with opposition groups.
Mr Gambari is currently in Japan - part of a trip to visit Burma's neighbours and key trading allies in a bid to build an international consensus over the situation. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7063168.stm>
Unlikely resistance in Burma's Mandalay
Irene Cristalis
Mandalay, Burma
Lu Maw waves a small black sign with white letters in front of the audience, in his cluttered front room that doubles as a theatre in Burma's second city of Mandalay.Moustache Brothers ( pictured in 2006)
Par Par Lay (far right) has been missing since 25 September
"Par Par Lay, 25 September, taken away, in the nick, jailbird! His wife has been searching for him everywhere, we don't know where he is!"Satisfied he has been able to make it clear that his elder brother, known as Par Par Lay, has been arrested, he continues his usual show.
The manic 58-year-old Lu Maw is one of the Moustache Brothers, a family of artists who follow a Burmese tradition known as A-Nyeint - a vaudeville mixture of slapstick, classical dance, sketches and stand-up comedy performed by travelling troupes.
The family is one of the few in Burma who dare to try to talk openly about what happened to their loved ones after the crackdown on anti-government protesters in September.
Moreover, they think that high-profile media attention will help them get their brother released sooner.While the music tape plays and his wife dances, Lu Maw picks up a sign, pulls his long moustache and hastily talks on about Par Par Lay's disappearance.
"We have to bring him clothes and medicines. Tell the human rights organisations. We have to know if he is still alive or that he died," he says. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7060424.stm>
Resistance in the Burmese jungle
By Andrew Harding
BBC News, Loi Tai Leng, eastern Burma
"All those battling the regime must co-operate," said Colonel Yawd Serk, of the Shan State Army (SSA).Man with machine gunThe leader of a Burmese ethnic army has urged all opponents of the ruling junta to unite in the aftermath of last month's uprising.
Thousands of people are hiding out in Burma's dense jungles
"If we cannot unite, and if the international community does not come to our help, then nothing will change in Burma for a decade."
Colonel Serk, speaking at his fortified hilltop camp in the jungles close to the Thai border, did not sound optimistic.
He said he doubted the military government was serious about dialogue, and accused the United Nations of merely "talking, but doing nothing practical.
"As long as China, Russia and India continue to arm the regime then civilians will suffer." <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7063813.stm>
Monks return to streets of Burma
More than 100 monks have marched in central Burma, the first time they have returned to the streets since last month's bloody crackdown on protests.The monks chanted and prayed as they marched through Pakokku, the site of an incident last month that triggered pro-democracy protests nationwide.
The government said 10 people died during the crackdown, but diplomats believe the toll was much higher.
Thousands more - many of them monks - were thought to have been detained.Separately, the Human Rights Watch organisation has accused the Burmese army of forcibly recruiting children to cover gaps left by a lack of adult recruits. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7070551.stm>
Burma to expel UN's top diplomat
Burma is expelling the top UN diplomat in the country, UN officials have said.The military regime told UN Burma country chief, Charles Petrie, his mandate was not being renewed.
The news comes a day before UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari is to return to Burma for a second visit since the army suppressed anti-government protests.
The US said the expulsion of Mr Petrie, who has criticised the violent suppression of the protests, was an insult and an outrage. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7075294.stm>
Suu Kyi to meet party colleagues
Aung San Suu Kyi and Ibrahim Gambari
Ms Suu Kyi met Mr Gambari just before he left Rangoon
Burma's detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi will be able to meet allies from her own party for the first time in three years, officials say.Ms Suu Kyi will meet executives of her National League for Democracy along with a government minister on Friday.
The announcement came hours after UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari concluded a visit which took place in the wake of a series of anti-government protests.
Ms Suu Kyi's party won polls in 1990 but was never allowed to take power.<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7085292.stm>
Burma 'rejects UN mediation plan'
UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari in Thailand on 14 October 2007
Mr Gambari has not yet met Than Shwe during this visit
Burma's ruling generals have rejected a UN plan for three-way talks involving detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, according to state media.Minister Kyaw Hsan told UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari that Burma would not accept interference in its sovereignty.
Mr Gambari arrived in Burma on Saturday for his second visit since protests in September were brutally suppressed.
BBC UN correspondent Laura Trevelyan says diplomats privately admit omens for Mr Gambari's mission are not good.
Publicly, UN officials are saying they cannot confirm the junta's decision to reject the talks proposal, according to our correspondent.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has expressed concern at the lack of progress being made with the junta.
On a previous visit, Mr Gambari held talks separately with junta head General Than Shwe and Ms Suu Kyi.
Although he is expected to meet Ms Suu Kyi again before concluding his visit on Thursday, Mr Ban said there had been no further meeting with General Than. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7082422.stm>
The Burmese junta's diplomatic dance
By Andrew Harding
BBC Asia correspondent
Burma's leader, Senior General Than Shwe, in March 2007
The UN's envoy did not even get to meet Burma's most senior leader
Burma's senior generals must know the dance moves by heart.Four steps back, then two steps forward. Call it the junta jive.
They have been sticking to the same negotiating routine for almost two decades now - shrugging aside each attempt by the international community to coax them into trying something a little more progressive.
So where does this week's visit to Burma by the UN's envoy, Ibrahim Gambari, fit into this ponderous dance floor diplomacy?
It is tempting - and usually safe - to assume the worst about Burma's inflexible rulers. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7086709.stm>
UN envoy to probe Burma crackdown
Monks protest in Rangoon, 25 September
The September crackdown sparked international outcry
UN human-right investigator Paulo Sergio Pinheiro has arrived in Burma - the first time he has been allowed him to visit the country for four years.
Mr Pinheiro hopes to meet political prisoners and find out exactly how many people died when protests against the government were crushed in September.
The military says 10 people died. Others put the figure at more than 100.The UN investigator has said he will leave immediately if the authorities fail to co-operate.
Mr Pinheiro, the UN's independent human rights investigator for Burma, has not been allowed to go there since November 2003.
His visit comes days after UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari spent six days in Burma, meeting a number of ministers as well as detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The UN said afterwards that a path to "substantive dialogue" was now under way. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7089247.stm>
UN calls for Burma reconciliation
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has urged Burma's leaders and opposition to redouble their efforts to achieve national reconciliation.UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (file image)
Mr Ban urged substantive dialogue between leaders and the opposition
Mr Ban said a return to the status quo that existed before the current crisis was "not sustainable".
A UN envoy, Ibrahim Gambari, has just returned to the US from talks with Burma's generals and is due to brief the Security Council soon.
UN human rights rapporteur Paulo Sergio Pinheiro is also currently in Burma.
He is investigating how many people were killed in the military's brutal crackdown on September's anti-government demonstrations, led by monks. <>
Burma monks not ready to forgive
Burma's ruling generals have targeted Buddhist monks as they seek to silence dissent following September's protests. On a recent trip to the city of Mandalay, reporter Reena Sethi was given rare access to a monastery.
A small door in the wood-carved panelled wall creaks open to reveal a startled monk, his maroon robe hanging loose around his waist. The door closes again.A nun collection alms
Giving alms to monks and nuns is a vital part of Burmese life
A minute later, the monk reappears fully dressed and gestures us to squat on the smooth teak floor of the ancient temple. He seats himself on a stool.
For any casual visitor it looked as if he was teaching - but he had other things on his mind."As monks, we see everything. When we beg for our food we see how the rich live and the poor... we see how everything is getting worse and worse," he says. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7094731.stm>
UN envoy visits Burma prisoners
Paulo Pinheiro (file image)
Mr Pinheiro was refused access to some political detainees
A UN human rights envoy has visited prominent political activists held at Burma's notorious Insein jail before departing the military-ruled nation.
Paulo Sergio Pinheiro said the detainees included Labour activist Su Su Nway, who was arrested on Tuesday.
His request to meet detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was refused.Mr Pinheiro is investigating allegations of widespread abuse during the ruling junta's crackdown following September's anti-government protests.
His five-day mission was to determine the numbers detained or killed.Speaking at a news conference at Rangoon's airport, Mr Pinheiro said he also held talks with journalist Win Tin, who has been held since 1989 and is now in his late 70s.
He said he was also permitted to meet members of the 88 Generation Students group, who have been active in non-violent anti-government protests in recent years.
But the UN envoy said he had failed to meet Ms Suu Kyi or leading activist Min Ko Naing, who has been in custody since mid-August. He did not given any details of the conversations.
The visit followed talks with the foreign and information ministers in the capital, Naypyidaw, where Mr Pinheiro reiterated a request for broader access.
"While thanking the authorities for the wide range of meetings with government officials, the special rapporteur renewed to the authorities his request to be given access to other non-government interlocutors," a UN statement said. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7095793.stm>
Junta 'accepts higher Burma toll'
Paulo Pinheiro (file image)
Mr Pinheiro visited Rangoon's notorious Insein prison
Burma's ruling junta has admitted 15 people died during its crackdown on protests - five more than previously stated, the UN's rights envoy says.Speaking after a five-day visit to the country, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro called for the international community to unite to help end the crisis there.
The envoy said he would publish a full report in two weeks on September's protests and the subsequent repression. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7098330.stm>
Asean rules out suspending Burma
The Association of South East Asian Nations has rejected a US Senate call to suspend Burma from the organisation over the crushing of recent protests.Anti-military activists protest outside the Burmese embassy in Bangkok on 18 November
Protesters have been keeping up pressure on Burma abroad
Speaking in Singapore on the eve of Asean's annual summit, Secretary General Ong Keng Yong said he did not advocate a confrontational approach.
"The rest of the world think they know what is good for all of us," he added. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7100411.stm>
Satellites track 'removed' Burma villages
By Lauren Howey
BBC News, UN in New York
Burma's landscape changes. Photos: AAASA satellite photographs a cluster of homes in the Burmese jungle. Seven months later, the village is gone.
But the image remains, a document of the demolition of homes and the displacement of people by the military regime.
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) presented these images at the UN this week during a panel discussion on human rights abuses in Burma.
These high-resolution pictures can be used to track patterns of destruction and relocation, new construction and military expansion.Thanks to this "geospatial technology", non-governmental organisations have partnered with scientific groups to chart rights abuses in inaccessible countries.
Satellite images have previously been used to track forced relocations in Zimbabwe and Darfur. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7099713.stm>
Asean grapples with Burma question
By Jonathan Head
BBC News, Singapore
This year the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) is marking its 40th anniversary, and the 10-country regional group has much to look back on with pride.Among its members are countries which have transformed themselves from impoverished agrarian societies into some of the world's most dynamic economies.
Asean leaders group photo - 20/11/2007
The Asean summit is being overshadowed by a rift over Burma
The citizens of Singapore, which is hosting this week's summit of the group's leaders, enjoy one of the highest living standards anywhere.
Potential conflicts within the region have been successfully defused. One of the association's greatest achievements was helping end the long civil war in Cambodia, paving the way for the communist countries of Indochina to join Asean.
But all of this is being overshadowed now by the fateful decision 10 years ago to admit Burma as a member.
The brutal suppression by Burma's military rulers of anti-government protests in September has outraged world opinion.
But it has also cast an unfavourable light on Asean's hallowed principle of non-interference in its members' internal affairs. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7102936.stm>
Burma toll at least 31, UN says
|
The crackdown on the protests sparked an international outcry
|
Burma's military authorities killed at least 31 people during the suppression of pro-democracy protests earlier this year, a UN human rights envoy has said.Paulo Sergio Pinheiro said he gave Burma a list of 16 named individuals who were killed, in addition to 15 others confirmed as dead by the state.
Mr Pinheiro said the figures provided by the state after the unrest might "greatly underestimate the reality".
Earlier, Human Rights Watch released a detailed report on the crackdown.
The New York-based group said at least 20 people died when troops opened fire on protesters, but concluded that the total must be much higher.
Based on interviews with more than 100 witnesses, the HRW report described beatings, mass arbitrary arrests and torture of detainees.Several reports of killings indicate that the figure provided by the authorities may greatly underestimate the reality
Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, UN envoy
It also said many more people were detained than the Burmese government had admitted.
Mr Pinheiro, who visited Burma last month, said more than 600 people were still being detained by the authorities and that a further 74 were listed as missing. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7133239.stm>
Burma's Suu Kyi in junta meeting
|
Ms Suu Kyi's allies say talks with the junta have made little progress
|
Detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has had another meeting with an official from Burma's ruling junta.Witnesses said Ms Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest for 12 of the past 18 years, spent about one hour in talks at a military building in Rangoon.
It is thought she met Aung Kyi, the labour minister appointed as a liaison last year amid global outrage at the military regime's repression.
If confirmed, it would be the fourth time the pair have held talks.
Ms Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), said last month that meetings with the junta had so far yielded little.
The country's generals came under sustained international pressure late last year after brutally suppressing peaceful demonstrations.
The EU and US both introduced a raft of new sanctions and UN diplomats engaged in frantic diplomacy in a bid to rein in the generals.
But most Asian leaders have been reluctant to criticise the regime, and there have been few signs of genuine reform in Burma. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7182574.stm>
Western powers make Burma appeal
|
The foreign ministers said Burma had not met UN demands
|
'Horrified'The foreign ministers of the US, France and UK have appealed to global leaders to press the government of Burma to respect the basic rights of its people.The rare joint statement - at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland - urged the world not to forget Burma.
The three foreign ministers said the regime had met none of the list of demands made by the UN Security Council in October.
The demands included the release of all political prisoners.
The Burmese junta bloodily suppressed pro-democracy protests in September.
David Miliband, Condoleezza Rice and Bernard Kouchner said in their statement that "the urgent need for progress towards a transition to democracy and improved human rights in Burma" was a priority for this year's meeting.
"It is now more than four months since the world was horrified by the violent repression of peaceful demonstrations in Burma," they said.
"We must convince the Burmese regime to meet the demands of the international community and respect the basic rights of Burma's people."
The Security Council called on the junta, among other things, to free all political prisoners - including opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been kept under house arrest for 12 out of the past 18 years. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7208120.stm>
Suu Kyi 'not satisfied' by talks
|
Ms Suu Kyi said she did not want to raise false hopes
|
Burma's detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is "not satisfied" by recent discussions with the country's military leaders, said her party.Ms Suu Kyi's comments followed her fifth meeting with the official appointed to liaise with her and the National League for Democracy (NLD).
She also met NLD party members for the second time since last year's protests.
Ms Suu Kyi's party said she was concerned that the meetings might raise false hopes of political reform.
Labour Minister Aung Kyi was appointed to negotiate with Ms Suu Kyi amid the global outrage which followed the deadly crackdown on political protestors in September 2007.
But NLD spokesman Nyan Win told reporters: "Aung San Suu Kyi is not satisfied with her meetings with the relations minister, mainly because there is no timeframe."
The junta has said it is drawing up a roadmap to democracy, but the plan has been widely dismissed as a sham by observers. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7216848.stm>
Burma 'acting on child soldiers
|
Rights groups say brokers are paid for providing child recruits
|
Burma's leaders have taken action against 43 officials for recruiting child soldiers, a top general has said.Maj-Gen Thura Myint Aung told a committee that 792 children had been returned to their parents between 2002 and 2007, a state daily reported.
Rights groups have repeatedly accused Burmese troops of forcing children to fight in conflicts with ethnic groups.
On Tuesday, the UN chief urged action against 12 armies or groups accused of using child soldiers - including Burma.
Sanctions including travel bans and financial penalties should be imposed on those groups, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a report to the Security Council. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7216848.stm>
Burmese junta sets voting dates
|
|
Burma will hold a constitutional referendum in May and general elections in 2010, the country's military junta has announced on state media.
The regime had set out what it called a roadmap for democracy but had not previously given any firm timetable.
The opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) called the announcement "vague, incomplete and strange".
Burma, under military rule since 1962, saw rare nationwide protests against the junta in August and September.
The military responded with a deadly crackdown in which at least 31 people were killed, according to the UN.
I was surprised that they announced an election date without knowing the referendum resultsSaturday's statement from the military leadership, broadcast on radio and television, announced: "Multi-party democratic elections will be held in 2010, according to the new constitution.
Nyan Win, Opposition spokesman here
"It is suitable to change the military administration to a democratic, civil administrative system, as good fundamentals have been established.
"The country's basic infrastructure has been built, although there is still more to do in striving for the welfare of the nation."
NLD spokesman Nyan Win expressed surprise that the election had been planned before the results of the constitutional referendum were known.
"According to my understanding, the election date should be set up after the referendum results. I was surprised that they announced an election date without knowing the referendum results," he told the BBC.
The proposed constitutional changes have not been made public, but some suspect that they would in effect bar NLD leader Aung Sang Suu Kyi from office and perhaps ensure that a military leader was chosen. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7236648.stm>
Burmese rebel leader is shot dead
|
Pado Mahn Shar (l) was a veteran of the conflict
|
The secretary general of Burma's largest rebel group, the Karen National Union, has been killed.Pado Mahn Shar, who was in his sixties, was shot at his home in the Thai border town of Mae Sot, his family said.
He was reportedly shot by two men in a pick-up truck, while sitting on the veranda of his home. He died instantly.
The KNU and its military wing, the Karen National Liberation Army, have spent nearly 60 years fighting the Burmese government.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7244684.stm>
UN envoy to discuss Burma plans
BBC News, Bangkok
Mr Gambari has visited Burma twice since the protestsThe UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari is due to arrive in Burma for his third visit since September's suppressed mass anti-government protests.He arrives a month after the junta's surprise announcement of plans to hold a referendum on a new constitution in May and democratic elections by 2010.
The proposals have been condemned as a sham by opposition groups.
Mr Gambari is expected to press the government to make the constitutional drafting process more inclusive.
The generals will no doubt present their new plans to Mr Gambari as evidence they are moving towards a restoration of democratic rule. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7280473.stm>
Burma rejects UN referendum plan
|
The Burmese statement came after Ibrahim Gambari's talks
|
Burma's military government has rejected a UN proposal to send independent observers to May's referendum on a new constitution.State television said monitors would impinge on Burma's sovereignty.
The proposal was made by visiting UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari in a meeting with officials responsible for the vote.
Mr Gambari also met opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi who is under house arrest but was allowed to leave for the talks in a state guest house.
The May referendum is part of a road map for the restoration of democracy.
It was announced by Burma's military rulers following an international outcry over the violent suppression of pro-democracy protests by Buddhist monks last year. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7284850.stm>
UN envoy nixed by junta chief, meets with Suu Kyi
03/10/2008 | 05:54 PMYANGON, Myanmar - The UN's special envoy to Myanmar met detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday before wrapping up his latest trip to the military-ruled country, a visit marred by the junta chief's refusal to meet him.
Ibrahim Gambari met Suu Kyi for almost an hour at a government state guest house near her lakeside home in Yangon, Myanmar's largest city. Gambari also met Saturday with Suu Kyi, who has been detained for 12 of the past 18 years. Details of both meetings have not been made public.
Before the session with Suu Kyi, Gambari also met for a second time with the regime's information minister, Kyaw Hsan.He was due to leave later Monday, officials said on customary condition of anonymity.
Gambari arrived in Myanmar last Thursday on his third mission to broker political reconciliation efforts and urge democratic reforms since the junta's crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in September sparked a global outcry.
The United Nations said one of Gambari's main goals for this visit was to speak directly with junta chairman Senior Gen. Than Shwe. But the junta denied the envoy's requests for a meeting, according to several diplomats who met Gambari on Monday. Than Shwe also refused to meet Gambari during his last visit in November.
The UN envoy has met with several government officials, representatives of minority ethnic groups and executive members of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party.
Gambari hit several roadblocks in talks with the government officials.State-controlled media reported Friday that the junta rejected Gambari's suggestion to allow international observers to monitor an upcoming May referendum on a new constitution. The junta also rejected the idea that Suu Kyi's opposition party should be allowed a role in drafting the constitution.
Information Minister Kyaw Hsan said it would be "impossible" to rewrite the draft charter ahead of the planned referendum.The junta announced last month that it would hold a constitutional referendum, followed by a general election in 2010 — the first specific dates for steps in its previously announced "roadmap to democracy."
Critics say the constitution is a sham designed to cement military rule and prevent Suu Kyi from running for office.The draft constitution's text has not been made public. But guidelines on which it is based were drawn up by a military-guided convention and include clauses that would bar Suu Kyi from public office and perpetuate the army's leading role in politics.
Gambari also asked the junta to consider releasing political prisoners — estimated by the UN and human rights groups to total more than 1,100 — but Kyaw Hsan said Myanmar has no political prisoners and that Suu Kyi was detained because she tried to disrupt the country's stability, state-run radio and television reported.
Suu Kyi's party won the last general election in 1990 but was never allowed to take power. Myanmar has been under military rule since 1962. - AP <http://www.gmanews.tv/story/84147/UN-envoy-nixed-by-junta-chief-meets-with-Suu-Kyi>