NEPAL: One year after comprehensive Peace Accord- Nothing to cheer about
========================
Former President Carter visited Nepal and met all the important people last week. Prachanda after his meeting with Carter declared that his party’s relations with
USA have become stronger since Carter’s earlier visit in June. He also indicated that his party has established informal communication with the US Government “in
one or other ways”Prachanda told Carter that the peace process was more important than the constitutional polls and that the polls cannot be held without addressing
some of the sensitive issues such as effective management of cantonments, relief assistance to martyrs’ families and settling cases of disappearances.
This gives a clue to Maoists thinking that even if the twin demands of republic and PR system are met, the Maoists will not go to polls unless all other outstanding
issues like the PLA integration, relief to the martyrs’ families etc. are resolved to their satisfaction. These issues cannot be resolved before the next projected date of
elections sometime between April and June 2008. The point that is not understood is the aversion of the Maoists in facing the electorate. Their popularity continues to
decline further each day.
The civic bodies who were in the forefront during the Jana Andolan II have become silent again though one would have expected them to talk openly about the failure
of the Maoists to keep up their commitments. The YCL continues to be on a rampage. Seized properties have not been returned. Extortions in the name of taxation
continue. The professional groups who were also in the forefront during the agitation are now out in the streets protesting against the growing lawlessness of the
Maoists. On 26 November, 2007, the Nepal Bar Association, Nepal Medical Association, Federation of Nepalese Journalists, Nepal University Teachers’
Association, Association of Private and Boarding Schools and other human rights organisations staged a ‘sit in’ protest before the Secretariat building demanding the
resignation of the Home Minister for having failed to restore law and order.
=============
By Dr. S. Chandrasekharan
On November 21, 2006, Prime Minister G. P. Koirala and Prachanda, chairperson of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) signed a comprehensive Peace
Accord with a commitment to transform the cease fire reached between the two sides into a long term Peace.
One year after the accord, the only positive aspect is that the Maoists have not reverted to people’s war though of late they have been threatening to renew the war
for ten years (Dy. Commander Pun) or even 40 years! (Prachanda)
While all the stakeholders maintain that the peace process is still continuing, the failure of both sides to have the constitutional assembly elections held in time gives rise
to serious doubts on the sustainability of the process itself and the country is seen to be lurching from one crisis to another.
Many well-meaning visitors and analysts believe that once the two demands of the Maoists declaring the country a republic before the CA polls and adopting the fully
proportional representation system are accepted , the way will open for the Maoists to participate in the polls that could be conducted soon after the winter in 2008.
But they are likely to be disappointed. There will certainly be fresh demands before the elections and the only uncertain aspect will be the number of demands as it
may not be twenty point again!
The point that is not understood is the aversion of the Maoists in facing the electorate. Their popularity continues to decline further each day. The civic bodies who
were in the forefront during the Jana Andolan II have become silent again though one would have expected them to talk openly about the failure of the Maoists to
keep up their commitments. The YCL continues to be on a rampage. Seized properties have not been returned. Extortions in the name of taxation continue.
The professional groups who were also in the forefront during the agitation are now out in the streets protesting against the growing lawlessness of the Maoists. On 26
November, 2007, the Nepal Bar Association, Nepal Medical Association, Federation of Nepalese Journalists, Nepal University Teachers’ Association, Association
of Private and Boarding Schools and other human rights organisations staged a ‘sit in’ protest before the Secretariat building demanding the resignation of the Home
Minister for having failed to restore law and order.
The INSEC, a non governmental organisation has said that in the last one year 234 people were killed with 772 abducted and the contribution of the Maoists was 21
persons killed, 495 abducted, 380 beaten up and extortion on 122 others. Besides the killing of the journalist Virendra Shah in Bara, it has now come to light that the
Maoists were responsible for the disappearance of Journalist Prakash Thakur who was missing since the last four months. Former President Carter visited Nepal and
met all the important people last week. Prachanda after his meeting with Carter declared that his party’s relations with USA have become stronger since Carter’s
earlier visit in June. He also indicated that his party has established informal communication with the US Government “in one or other ways”
Prachanda told Carter that the peace process was more important than the constitutional polls and that the polls cannot be held without addressing some of the
sensitive issues such as effective management of cantonments, relief assistance to martyrs’ families and settling cases of disappearances. This gives a clue to Maoists
thinking that even if the twin demands of republic and PR system are met, the Maoists will not go to polls unless all other outstanding issues like the PLA integration,
relief to the martyr’s families etc. are resolved to their satisfaction. These issues cannot be resolved before the next projected date of elections sometime between
April and June 2008.
Carter also suggested a broad framework for resolving the outstanding issues. These wereInterim Parliament to declare with an “overwhelming vote” that a republic is created to be confirmed by a simple majority of the Constitutional members.
Allotting 70 percent by proportional representation system and 30 percent by first past the post system
Eight seats to be allotted to each of the major parties and one each to other smaller parties.
Time bound round table discussion on any final agreement that should include representatives from marginalised groups.
On point 1, the seven party alliance had already informally offered a commitment to the republic and confirmation after the CA polls with a simple majority. The
Maoists rejected it then. The suggestion given now is no different as the majority in the parliament have already voted for a republic.On point 2, it will be
advantageous to all the minority groups except the two major parties. Here again it is likely that the Nepali Congress will get isolated more and more.
Point 3 is not very clear from the media reports whether it relates to the cabinet, interim government or about seats in the Assembly.
Point 4 is what the Maoists have been asking for. Except for point 1 which is really not a serious issue right now, Carter’s road map is more favourable to the
Maoists but as I said before, the Maoists will come with more demands to prevent the elections from taking place. One major demand I would expect from the seven
party alliance is the disbandment of the YCL.
The UML having joined with the Maoists in passing the two resolutions on the PR system and the republic, has come with a variation on the PR system. This is what
is called MMPR system ( Mixed Member Proportional system) It works out as follows. Out of 440 seats, half the number of seats are obtained by first past the post
system and the other half by proportional representation system with each party giving a list of members. Suppose Party A gets 20 percent in first past the post- this
would amount to 44 seats. In the proportional representation the party gets 40 percent- so the total number of seats for the party will be 40 percent of the 440 that is
176 including the 44 seats already elected in the first past the post.
The MMPR is not very different from the total proportional system but is a little more realistic and would take into account the marginalised groups who could have a
substantial presence. This could be acceptable to the Maoists- but will they allow the CA elections to be gone through? It is doubtful.
Tuesday, 4 December 2007
Bangaladesh's frozen food indutry loses US$36mn in cyclone
Bangladesh's frozen food industry loses $36 mn in cyclone
By IANS Friday November 23, 01:01 PM Dhaka, Nov 23 (Xinhua) Bangladesh's frozen food industry, the second largest foreign exchange earner, may suffer an estimated loss of about $35.7 million due to
Cyclone Sidr, The Daily Star reported Friday.
'As per our assessment, we will incur a loss of 2.5 billion takas,' Kazi Belayet Hossain, president of Bangladesh Frozen Food Exporters' Association (BFFEA) was
quoted by the newspaper as saying.
Shrimp farms in the three southern districts -- Bagerhat, Satkhira and Khulna -- that were severely ravaged by Sidr are likely to suffer 70 percent damage. The loss is
estimated to be worth about $25 million.
Maqsudur Rahman, vice-president of BFFEA, said almost all the shrimp enclosures, hatcheries and processing plants in Bagerhat, Satkhira and Khulna, where 70
percent of the shrimp is produced, have been damaged by the tidal surge that accompanied Sidr.
Shrimp farmers usually work with loans and are committed to sell their product to exporters. But as the cyclone washed away most of the shrimp enclosures and
hatcheries, there is nothing to sell.
'We need interest-free bank loans so that we can provide more loans to the farmers,' Belayet said, adding that the government should also offer direct support to the
farmers immediately.
The country's second largest cash cow, frozen food industry, earned $515 million from exports during the last fiscal year (July 2006-June 2007).
Cyclone Sidr, one of the fiercest in recent years, slammed the country's southern and southwestern coastal areas on the night of Nov 15, leaving thousands killed and
millions affected.
By IANS Friday November 23, 01:01 PM Dhaka, Nov 23 (Xinhua) Bangladesh's frozen food industry, the second largest foreign exchange earner, may suffer an estimated loss of about $35.7 million due to
Cyclone Sidr, The Daily Star reported Friday.
'As per our assessment, we will incur a loss of 2.5 billion takas,' Kazi Belayet Hossain, president of Bangladesh Frozen Food Exporters' Association (BFFEA) was
quoted by the newspaper as saying.
Shrimp farms in the three southern districts -- Bagerhat, Satkhira and Khulna -- that were severely ravaged by Sidr are likely to suffer 70 percent damage. The loss is
estimated to be worth about $25 million.
Maqsudur Rahman, vice-president of BFFEA, said almost all the shrimp enclosures, hatcheries and processing plants in Bagerhat, Satkhira and Khulna, where 70
percent of the shrimp is produced, have been damaged by the tidal surge that accompanied Sidr.
Shrimp farmers usually work with loans and are committed to sell their product to exporters. But as the cyclone washed away most of the shrimp enclosures and
hatcheries, there is nothing to sell.
'We need interest-free bank loans so that we can provide more loans to the farmers,' Belayet said, adding that the government should also offer direct support to the
farmers immediately.
The country's second largest cash cow, frozen food industry, earned $515 million from exports during the last fiscal year (July 2006-June 2007).
Cyclone Sidr, one of the fiercest in recent years, slammed the country's southern and southwestern coastal areas on the night of Nov 15, leaving thousands killed and
millions affected.
Tuesday, 13 November 2007
U.S. to Send Special Envoy to Confront Musharraf
November 13, 2007
U.S. to Send Special Envoy to Confront Musharraf
By HELENE COOPERWASHINGTON, Nov. 12
The Bush administration is dispatching a high-level envoy to Pakistan to tell the Pakistani president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, face to face that the United States will not be satisfied with his plan to hold elections unless he first lifts emergency law, administration officials said Monday.
While welcoming the news that General Musharraf would hold elections in January rather than delay them, they questioned whether elections could be legitimate if held when the country remains effectively under martial law, with opposition parties in lockdown and unable to campaign or assemble freely.
“The president thinks we need to lift the emergency rule in order to have free and fair elections,” said Dana Perino, the White House spokeswoman. A senior administration official said that it remained an open question whether free elections could be held that reflected the true wishes of the Pakistani people if General Musharraf continued to jail or otherwise detain the opposition.
The comments reflected increased frustration within the administration over General Musharraf’s power grab, as well as mounting uneasiness about how much longer Pakistan can continue in the present chaos before descending into further instability. The plan to send an envoy to Pakistan was described by administration officials who declined to elaborate further about the mission.
Publicly, Bush administration officials say that they continue to support General Musharraf, who is still viewed by the Pentagon as America’s best option for tackling operatives of Al Qaeda in Pakistan’s frontier provinces. “Nobody is ready to cut him off at the knees yet,” one official said.
But the official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the issue, said that many people within the administration were worried that General Musharraf’s missteps would soon so erode his base at home that he could be forced to give up power.
To prepare for that possibility, the Bush administration has been taking care in recent days to try to distinguish between its support for Pakistan and its support for the general.
When Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, for example, told the ABC News program “This Week” that “we’ve been in close contact, as you might imagine, through our embassy, through our ambassador there, with all parties in Pakistan,” she was signaling that the United States was hedging its bets in Pakistan by reaching out to civilian institutions and nongovernmental organizations, administration officials said. “This is not a personal matter about President Musharraf,” Ms. Rice said. “This is about the Pakistani people. And the United States has been dedicated to helping the Pakistani people come to a more democratic path.”
Further complicating the issue for the Bush administration so far has been the continuing political tug of war between General Musharraf and the opposition leader Benazir Bhutto: Ms. Bhutto keeps announcing rallies to oppose the general’s emergency rule, and he keeps putting her under house arrest for what he says is her own safety.
The Pakistani authorities issued a seven-day detention order against Ms. Bhutto on Monday in a bid to stop her from leading another planned protest march this week from the eastern city of Lahore to the capital, Islamabad.
General Musharraf’s deputies said they had received intelligence suggesting that Ms. Bhutto could be a target for militants. While American officials say they, too, have been worried about Ms. Bhutto’s safety, one official said the detention order fits neatly with the general’s emergency powers decree.
“He wasn’t exactly running to put her under house arrest when she first arrived,” the official said, alluding to the suicide attack on Ms. Bhutto’s convoy after her arrival in Karachi last month.
Steven Lee Myers contributed reporting.
U.S. to Send Special Envoy to Confront Musharraf
By HELENE COOPERWASHINGTON, Nov. 12
The Bush administration is dispatching a high-level envoy to Pakistan to tell the Pakistani president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, face to face that the United States will not be satisfied with his plan to hold elections unless he first lifts emergency law, administration officials said Monday.
While welcoming the news that General Musharraf would hold elections in January rather than delay them, they questioned whether elections could be legitimate if held when the country remains effectively under martial law, with opposition parties in lockdown and unable to campaign or assemble freely.
“The president thinks we need to lift the emergency rule in order to have free and fair elections,” said Dana Perino, the White House spokeswoman. A senior administration official said that it remained an open question whether free elections could be held that reflected the true wishes of the Pakistani people if General Musharraf continued to jail or otherwise detain the opposition.
The comments reflected increased frustration within the administration over General Musharraf’s power grab, as well as mounting uneasiness about how much longer Pakistan can continue in the present chaos before descending into further instability. The plan to send an envoy to Pakistan was described by administration officials who declined to elaborate further about the mission.
Publicly, Bush administration officials say that they continue to support General Musharraf, who is still viewed by the Pentagon as America’s best option for tackling operatives of Al Qaeda in Pakistan’s frontier provinces. “Nobody is ready to cut him off at the knees yet,” one official said.
But the official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the issue, said that many people within the administration were worried that General Musharraf’s missteps would soon so erode his base at home that he could be forced to give up power.
To prepare for that possibility, the Bush administration has been taking care in recent days to try to distinguish between its support for Pakistan and its support for the general.
When Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, for example, told the ABC News program “This Week” that “we’ve been in close contact, as you might imagine, through our embassy, through our ambassador there, with all parties in Pakistan,” she was signaling that the United States was hedging its bets in Pakistan by reaching out to civilian institutions and nongovernmental organizations, administration officials said. “This is not a personal matter about President Musharraf,” Ms. Rice said. “This is about the Pakistani people. And the United States has been dedicated to helping the Pakistani people come to a more democratic path.”
Further complicating the issue for the Bush administration so far has been the continuing political tug of war between General Musharraf and the opposition leader Benazir Bhutto: Ms. Bhutto keeps announcing rallies to oppose the general’s emergency rule, and he keeps putting her under house arrest for what he says is her own safety.
The Pakistani authorities issued a seven-day detention order against Ms. Bhutto on Monday in a bid to stop her from leading another planned protest march this week from the eastern city of Lahore to the capital, Islamabad.
General Musharraf’s deputies said they had received intelligence suggesting that Ms. Bhutto could be a target for militants. While American officials say they, too, have been worried about Ms. Bhutto’s safety, one official said the detention order fits neatly with the general’s emergency powers decree.
“He wasn’t exactly running to put her under house arrest when she first arrived,” the official said, alluding to the suicide attack on Ms. Bhutto’s convoy after her arrival in Karachi last month.
Steven Lee Myers contributed reporting.
Friday, 26 October 2007
US TELL PAKISTAN ENSURE BHUTTO'S SECURITY
US legislators tell Musharraf to ensure Bhutto's security
US, Three veteran US senators on Wednesday urged Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf to ensure the safety of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto after the deadly attack on her homecoming parade.
In an unusual letter to the key US anti-terror ally, Senators Joseph Biden, Joseph Lieberman and Patrick Leahy warned that the suicide bombings, which killed 139 people, reflected risks faced by all candidates in January's elections.
"We extend our condolences to you, to the victims' families, and to all of the people of Pakistan," the senators wrote in the letter.
"We believe this devastating attack serves as a stark reminder of the need for effective security mechanisms for the protection of all candidates and their supporters (particularly, although not exclusively, Ms. Bhutto and members of her party)..."
The senators called on Musharraf to provide the level of security to Bhutto offered to any former Pakistani prime minister. Meanwhile The top officer leading the probe into devastating suicide attacks targeting Benazir Bhutto has withdrawn from the case following the former premier's objections, an official said Wednesday.
Twin suicide blasts ripped through Bhutto's homecoming parade in Karachi last week, killing 139 people and ruining her planned triumphant return to Pakistan after eight years in self-imposed exile.
"The officer (Mughal) has asked to be sent on leave and a new officer will be appointed to head the investigation," Sindh home secretary Ghulam Muhammad Mohtarram told AFP, saying Bhutto's concerns were the reason for Mughal's request..
Washington, Thursday, AFP
US, Three veteran US senators on Wednesday urged Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf to ensure the safety of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto after the deadly attack on her homecoming parade.
In an unusual letter to the key US anti-terror ally, Senators Joseph Biden, Joseph Lieberman and Patrick Leahy warned that the suicide bombings, which killed 139 people, reflected risks faced by all candidates in January's elections.
"We extend our condolences to you, to the victims' families, and to all of the people of Pakistan," the senators wrote in the letter.
"We believe this devastating attack serves as a stark reminder of the need for effective security mechanisms for the protection of all candidates and their supporters (particularly, although not exclusively, Ms. Bhutto and members of her party)..."
The senators called on Musharraf to provide the level of security to Bhutto offered to any former Pakistani prime minister. Meanwhile The top officer leading the probe into devastating suicide attacks targeting Benazir Bhutto has withdrawn from the case following the former premier's objections, an official said Wednesday.
Twin suicide blasts ripped through Bhutto's homecoming parade in Karachi last week, killing 139 people and ruining her planned triumphant return to Pakistan after eight years in self-imposed exile.
"The officer (Mughal) has asked to be sent on leave and a new officer will be appointed to head the investigation," Sindh home secretary Ghulam Muhammad Mohtarram told AFP, saying Bhutto's concerns were the reason for Mughal's request..
Washington, Thursday, AFP
Friday, 28 September 2007
Myanmar monk's three demands
Myanmar monks' three demand
Based at a monastery in the northern city of Mandalay, Uppekha said he and other monks at the monastery wanted to join the protests, but that their monastery had been surrounded by soldiers.
Speaking by telephone from inside the monastery, he told Al Jazeera of the measures the monks were calling for:
"There are three steps that we want.
1) "The first step is to reduce all commodity prices, fuel prices, rice and cooking oil prices immediately.
2) "The second step – release all political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and all detainees arrested during ongoing demonstrations over the fuel price hike.
3) "The third step – enter a dialogue with pro-democracy forces for national reconciliation immediately, to resolve the crisis and difficulties facing and suffered by the people.
Uppekha said he had expected more help from the UN and emphasised that all the protests had been peaceful.
Monks have formed the vanguard of opposition to Myanmar's military government
[Reuters]
Uppekha is Buddhist monk and member of the All Burma Buddhist Monks Alliance, one of the groups that has led the wave of anti-government protests in
Myanmar.
Based at a monastery in the northern city of Mandalay, Uppekha said he and other monks at the monastery wanted to join the protests, but that their monastery had
been surrounded by soldiers.
Speaking by telephone from inside the monastery, he told Al Jazeera of the measures the monks were calling for:
"There are three steps that we want.
"The first step is to reduce all commodity prices, fuel prices, rice and cooking oil prices immediately.
"The second step – release all political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and all detainees arrested during ongoing demonstrations over the fuel price hike.
"The third step – enter a dialogue with pro-democracy forces for national reconciliation immediately, to resolve the crisis and difficulties facing and suffered by the
people.
Uppekha said he had expected more help from the UN and emphasised that all the protests had been peaceful.
He said: "We have a chance to create our own rights. We have a chance to create our own freedom.
"We are peaceful demonstrators but the government is taking this violent crackdown. We are suffering violence from a military junta.
"We dont understand why the UN aren't helping us. They are just talking, talking, blowing in the wind."
Based at a monastery in the northern city of Mandalay, Uppekha said he and other monks at the monastery wanted to join the protests, but that their monastery had been surrounded by soldiers.
Speaking by telephone from inside the monastery, he told Al Jazeera of the measures the monks were calling for:
"There are three steps that we want.
1) "The first step is to reduce all commodity prices, fuel prices, rice and cooking oil prices immediately.
2) "The second step – release all political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and all detainees arrested during ongoing demonstrations over the fuel price hike.
3) "The third step – enter a dialogue with pro-democracy forces for national reconciliation immediately, to resolve the crisis and difficulties facing and suffered by the people.
WHAT THE WEST CALLED REVOLUTION WHY??
Uppekha said he had expected more help from the UN and emphasised that all the protests had been peaceful.
Monks have formed the vanguard of opposition to Myanmar's military government
[Reuters]
Uppekha is Buddhist monk and member of the All Burma Buddhist Monks Alliance, one of the groups that has led the wave of anti-government protests in
Myanmar.
Based at a monastery in the northern city of Mandalay, Uppekha said he and other monks at the monastery wanted to join the protests, but that their monastery had
been surrounded by soldiers.
Speaking by telephone from inside the monastery, he told Al Jazeera of the measures the monks were calling for:
"There are three steps that we want.
"The first step is to reduce all commodity prices, fuel prices, rice and cooking oil prices immediately.
"The second step – release all political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and all detainees arrested during ongoing demonstrations over the fuel price hike.
"The third step – enter a dialogue with pro-democracy forces for national reconciliation immediately, to resolve the crisis and difficulties facing and suffered by the
people.
Uppekha said he had expected more help from the UN and emphasised that all the protests had been peaceful.
He said: "We have a chance to create our own rights. We have a chance to create our own freedom.
"We are peaceful demonstrators but the government is taking this violent crackdown. We are suffering violence from a military junta.
"We dont understand why the UN aren't helping us. They are just talking, talking, blowing in the wind."
Restraint urged to ease Myanmar tension
By Qin Jize (China Daily/Xinhua)Updated: 2007-09-28 07:21
Beijing Thursday urged all parties in Myanmar to show restraint and "properly handle" the current situation.
"As a neighbor, China is paying great attention to the situation in Myanmar," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a regular press briefing.
She called on parties concerned to prevent the situation from becoming more complicated and spreading; and not to allow it to affect peace and stability in Myanmar and the surrounding region.
Jiang made the remarks amid reports of several deaths in clashes between soldiers and thousands of protestors led by Buddhist monks in Myanmar's biggest city of Yangon.
Soldiers fired automatic weapons at a crowd of demonstrators on Thursday after they ignored orders to disband.
Several people, including a Japanese video journalist, have been found dead following the protests, Japanese embassy officials in Yangon said Thursday, citing Myanmar officials.
Myanmar's official newspaper Thursday blamed "saboteurs inside and outside the nation" for causing the protests in Yangon, and said the demonstrations were much smaller than the foreign media were reporting.
The New Light of Myanmar newspaper said in an editorial: "Certain Western media and anti-government media are broadcasting leading news stories and distorted news stories to stir up the mass protests."
The protests, which began on August 19, were initially sparked by high fuel prices but have since swelled.
China hopes Myanmar will commit itself to improving people's livelihood and safeguarding the rapprochement among different ethnic groups so that peace and stability are restored as soon as possible, Jiang said.
She refuted reports that China had not exerted its full influence on the issue.
"We have noticed the false reports by some media," said Jiang. "They are totally slanderous and reflect ulterior motives."
China hopes international media reports are objective and "do not add fuel to the fire", she said.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said earlier on Wednesday that he would send Ibrahim Gambari as his special envoy to Myanmar.
"China supports the UN secretary-general and his special envoy's mediation activities in the Myanmar issue," the spokeswoman said.
By Qin Jize (China Daily/Xinhua)Updated: 2007-09-28 07:21
Beijing Thursday urged all parties in Myanmar to show restraint and "properly handle" the current situation.
"As a neighbor, China is paying great attention to the situation in Myanmar," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a regular press briefing.
She called on parties concerned to prevent the situation from becoming more complicated and spreading; and not to allow it to affect peace and stability in Myanmar and the surrounding region.
Jiang made the remarks amid reports of several deaths in clashes between soldiers and thousands of protestors led by Buddhist monks in Myanmar's biggest city of Yangon.
Soldiers fired automatic weapons at a crowd of demonstrators on Thursday after they ignored orders to disband.
Several people, including a Japanese video journalist, have been found dead following the protests, Japanese embassy officials in Yangon said Thursday, citing Myanmar officials.
Myanmar's official newspaper Thursday blamed "saboteurs inside and outside the nation" for causing the protests in Yangon, and said the demonstrations were much smaller than the foreign media were reporting.
The New Light of Myanmar newspaper said in an editorial: "Certain Western media and anti-government media are broadcasting leading news stories and distorted news stories to stir up the mass protests."
The protests, which began on August 19, were initially sparked by high fuel prices but have since swelled.
China hopes Myanmar will commit itself to improving people's livelihood and safeguarding the rapprochement among different ethnic groups so that peace and stability are restored as soon as possible, Jiang said.
She refuted reports that China had not exerted its full influence on the issue.
"We have noticed the false reports by some media," said Jiang. "They are totally slanderous and reflect ulterior motives."
China hopes international media reports are objective and "do not add fuel to the fire", she said.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said earlier on Wednesday that he would send Ibrahim Gambari as his special envoy to Myanmar.
"China supports the UN secretary-general and his special envoy's mediation activities in the Myanmar issue," the spokeswoman said.
Tuesday, 18 September 2007
Nepal Revisionist EXPOSED!
Photo: AP Turmoil in Nepal: Supporters of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) take out a rally in Kathmandu on Tuesday after the party quit the coalition government. The Maoists warned of widespread protests if the government failed to abolish the monarchy and declare Nepal a republic.Maoists quit Nepal government
Ameet Dhakal
This follows the Prime Minister’s refusal to bow to their demand to declare the country a republic
KATHMANDU: The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) has quit the five-month-old coalition government, dealing a huge blow to the nascent peace process.
The Maoists decided to quit the government after Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala refused to bow to their demand to declare Nepal a republic through the interim-legislature.
Four Maoist Ministers submitted their resignation on Tuesday afternoon after the hectic negotiations among the top leaders of the eight-party alliance in the morning failed to reach an agreement. Though the Maoists have walked away from the government, they have not dumped the peace process. They have said they would not pick up arms again. “We will focus on peaceful agitation to fulfil our demands,” Krishna Bahadur Mahara, Maoist politburo member, told reporters after submitting his resignation.
Addressing a mass meeting organised by his party at the open-air theatre in the capital after the failed negotiation, the Maoist second-in-command, Babu Ram Bhattrai, said: “The Constituent Assembly election cannot be held so long as the monarchy exists. Now our party will bring a republic through street agitation.”
He added that the election programme announced by the Election Commission was not acceptable to his party any more.
“The election code of conduct announced by the Election Commission is not acceptable to us,” he explained. But he would not say if his party would take part in the CA poll slated for November 22.
Interestingly, CPN (Maoist) chairman Prachanda, who was also supposed to address the mass meeting, did not show up at the eleventh hour, citing health reasons.
Observers speculate that Prachanda chose to remain absent in the meeting to keep room open for negotiations with the coalition partners.
The general secretary of Communist Party of Nepal (UML) said that the top leaders of the eight-party alliance, including the Maoists, have agreed to sit for dialogue on Wednesday morning. “The Maoists have left the government, but they haven’t walked out of the peace process. We are still hopeful of an agreement,” he said.
The Minister for Peace and Reconstruction, Ram Chandra Poudel, also expressed confidence that the latest political development would not derail the peace process. “We are still hopeful that the Maoists would come back to the negotiating table and we will reach consensus.” He also said the government was ready to fulfil 20 of the 22 demands submitted by the Maoists.
Maoists came to the political mainstream after the success of the April uprising in 2006 and joined the coalition government on April 1, 2007. A decade-long insurgency led to the death of over 13,000 Nepalis.
Ameet Dhakal
This follows the Prime Minister’s refusal to bow to their demand to declare the country a republic
KATHMANDU: The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) has quit the five-month-old coalition government, dealing a huge blow to the nascent peace process.
The Maoists decided to quit the government after Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala refused to bow to their demand to declare Nepal a republic through the interim-legislature.
Four Maoist Ministers submitted their resignation on Tuesday afternoon after the hectic negotiations among the top leaders of the eight-party alliance in the morning failed to reach an agreement. Though the Maoists have walked away from the government, they have not dumped the peace process. They have said they would not pick up arms again. “We will focus on peaceful agitation to fulfil our demands,” Krishna Bahadur Mahara, Maoist politburo member, told reporters after submitting his resignation.
Addressing a mass meeting organised by his party at the open-air theatre in the capital after the failed negotiation, the Maoist second-in-command, Babu Ram Bhattrai, said: “The Constituent Assembly election cannot be held so long as the monarchy exists. Now our party will bring a republic through street agitation.”
He added that the election programme announced by the Election Commission was not acceptable to his party any more.
“The election code of conduct announced by the Election Commission is not acceptable to us,” he explained. But he would not say if his party would take part in the CA poll slated for November 22.
Interestingly, CPN (Maoist) chairman Prachanda, who was also supposed to address the mass meeting, did not show up at the eleventh hour, citing health reasons.
Observers speculate that Prachanda chose to remain absent in the meeting to keep room open for negotiations with the coalition partners.
The general secretary of Communist Party of Nepal (UML) said that the top leaders of the eight-party alliance, including the Maoists, have agreed to sit for dialogue on Wednesday morning. “The Maoists have left the government, but they haven’t walked out of the peace process. We are still hopeful of an agreement,” he said.
The Minister for Peace and Reconstruction, Ram Chandra Poudel, also expressed confidence that the latest political development would not derail the peace process. “We are still hopeful that the Maoists would come back to the negotiating table and we will reach consensus.” He also said the government was ready to fulfil 20 of the 22 demands submitted by the Maoists.
Maoists came to the political mainstream after the success of the April uprising in 2006 and joined the coalition government on April 1, 2007. A decade-long insurgency led to the death of over 13,000 Nepalis.
Wednesday, 16 May 2007
Indonesia looks to a nuclear future
By Tom McCawley
JAKARTA - Indonesia is moving ahead with controversial plans to build its first nuclear power plant, which if completed on schedule in 2017 would put the country in Southeast Asia's nuclear-energy vanguard.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono last year announced that the government planned to start building the 4,000-megawatt plant by 2010. Construction tenders for the US$1.6 billion facility may be held as early as this year, and the government says it has a
total of $8 billion earmarked for four nuclear plants aimed at generating 6 gigawatts of power by 2025.
Energy Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said in a speech last month that Indonesia would have to turn to nuclear power as fossil fuels dwindled, adding that in the future, "nuclear power will play a more important role in our energy mix". According to Energy Ministry projections, total demand in the country is projected to reach 450.3 terawatt-hours by 2026 (a terawatt is a trillion watts, or 1,000 gigawatts).
Under its current energy blueprint, the government is aiming to contribute some 17% of power demand by 2017 from renewable sources, including nuclear and geothermal energy. "The role of nuclear plants is to stabilize and secure the supply of electricity," Yusgiantoro said, "and protect the environment from harmful pollutants as a result of the massive use of fossil fuels."
Indonesia's nuclear watchdog, Badan Tenaga Nuklir Nasional (BATAN), is adamant that constructing the first nuclear plant should go ahead on the foothills of Mount Muria, a dormant volcano on the north coast of Java. BATAN says the plant will be equipped eventually to generate some 2% of national power needs, expected to reach 175 terawatt-hours per year by 2017.
Government officials have consistently brushed away complaints about the region's unstable tectonics and the project's high costs, contending that the country can ill-afford to forgo atomic energy. Environmentalists warn that on top of frequent earthquakes and occasional tsunamis, Indonesia has more environmentally sound sources of alternative power to chose from, including geothermals and natural gas.
Other states in Southeast Asia may not be far behind Indonesia, with the entire region facing a forecast growth in power demand of up to 16% per annum over the next 20 years. Malaysia foresees two nuclear plants by 2020, and Vietnam has plans for its first nuclear power plant by 2017. Thailand began feasibility studies for nuclear power in March, with the apparent aim of having a plant operational by 2020.
Across Asia, energy-hungry countries, including Japan and China, are ramping up their quests for energy security, prompted by record-high oil prices in 2005-06 and rising competition for natural resources. Oil prices of above $60 a barrel were for Indonesia a sharp reminder of the dangers of over-reliance on fossil-fuel imports for national energy needs.
A string of power shortages across Indonesia have already stoked fears that over the longer term the country's ample supplies of coal and natural gas won't be adequate to ensure a steady supply of power for its more than 220 million people. Since 2005, Indonesia's most populous island of Java has been flirting with a power-generation crisis, with the state utility PLN dangerously running into reserve supplies on several occasions.
Safety debateDramatic disasters such as the 1986 Chernobyl explosion in the old Soviet Union have shrouded nuclear power with controversy. Plumes of radioactive clouds drifted over Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, resulting in the relocation of more than 336,000 people and radioactive poisoning to this day. The 1979 Three Mile Island nuclear accident near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (in which no one died), inspired a movement against nuclear power in the United States.
Indonesia's most vocal environmental group, WALHI (Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia, or the Indonesian Forum for Environment), says even a small leak or nuclear accident at the proposed site of Java's Mount Muria would potentially affect tens of millions of people. (Java, home to 65% of Indonesia's population, is one of the most densely populated islands in the world.)
WALHI's main complaint is that Indonesia sits on the seismically unstable "Pacific Ring of Fire". Meanwhile, geologists note that 83% of Indonesia's total land area is prone to disasters, including earthquakes, landslides and floods. WALHI also says the proposed nuclear plant's operations could result in radioactive waste being pumped into nearby waterways.
Environmental scientists at the Australian National University in Canberra have devised models forecasting possible regional fallout across Singapore, Malaysia and northern Australia in the event of a nuclear meltdown in Indonesia, though they assert they weren't trying to assess the probability of such a disaster.
Sukarman Aminjoyo, head of BATAN, bristles at academic suggestions that nuclear power wouldn't be safe in Indonesia. He points to several other countries with nuclear power programs on the Pacific Ring of Fire, including Japan, China and the US. One of its research facilities, he notes, withstood a 5.9-scale earthquake last year in Yogyakarta, Central Java - where it even served as a temporary shelter for refugees from the quake.
Both Parliament and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have already approved Indonesia's first designs for a nuclear power plant. "We will assist Indonesia so that all safety considerations will be properly addressed," said IAEA chief and Nobel laureate Mohamed ElBaradei on a visit to Jakarta in December.
The IAEA has so far granted Indonesia a total of $1.34 million in technical assistance to develop eight programs in 2007 and 2008 connected to the safe harnessing of nuclear power. ElBaradei said huge progress in nuclear safety had been made over the past 20 years. "Chernobyl," he said during his Indonesia visit, "was the result of the less-than-optimal reactor design, combined with mismanagement."
However, cost factors have been the main driver behind Indonesia's nuclear-power plans, which were first shelved in 1997 amid the Asian financial crisis. A nuclear power plant can produce 1 kilowatt-hour of power for about 4.3 US cents, less than fuel-oil-generated power at 4.5 cents.
BATAN says several safety systems will be in place to keep Indonesia's plants safe. The International Nuclear Safety Advisory Group claims that pressurized water reactors (PWRs) are currently used by 443 of the nuclear power plants worldwide and have multiple security systems designed to prevent disasters. The group claims that a PWR has a leakage risk of only one in 10,000; in contrast, Chernobyl had a one-in-1,000 possibility of leakage.
For Indonesia's government, however, the safety debate over nuclear power is over. The 550-seat, multi-party Parliament passed the nuclear law last year, including reviewing the current energy blueprint. In the end, however, red tape and unforeseen setup costs could still delay the region's first atomic-energy plant. Potential investors in Indonesia's other large-scale infrastructure projects have complained that only three out of 91 projects tendered two years ago have actually gone ahead.
But in the long term, the pressures on Indonesia, and more broadly Southeast Asia, to find new secure energy sources to power industrialization will only get stronger. "It is inevitable," said one official at Indonesia's nuclear-power agency. "China, India and Russia all have nuclear power plants. Why not Indonesia?"
Tom McCawley is a Jakarta-based journalist.
By Tom McCawley
JAKARTA - Indonesia is moving ahead with controversial plans to build its first nuclear power plant, which if completed on schedule in 2017 would put the country in Southeast Asia's nuclear-energy vanguard.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono last year announced that the government planned to start building the 4,000-megawatt plant by 2010. Construction tenders for the US$1.6 billion facility may be held as early as this year, and the government says it has a
total of $8 billion earmarked for four nuclear plants aimed at generating 6 gigawatts of power by 2025.
Energy Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said in a speech last month that Indonesia would have to turn to nuclear power as fossil fuels dwindled, adding that in the future, "nuclear power will play a more important role in our energy mix". According to Energy Ministry projections, total demand in the country is projected to reach 450.3 terawatt-hours by 2026 (a terawatt is a trillion watts, or 1,000 gigawatts).
Under its current energy blueprint, the government is aiming to contribute some 17% of power demand by 2017 from renewable sources, including nuclear and geothermal energy. "The role of nuclear plants is to stabilize and secure the supply of electricity," Yusgiantoro said, "and protect the environment from harmful pollutants as a result of the massive use of fossil fuels."
Indonesia's nuclear watchdog, Badan Tenaga Nuklir Nasional (BATAN), is adamant that constructing the first nuclear plant should go ahead on the foothills of Mount Muria, a dormant volcano on the north coast of Java. BATAN says the plant will be equipped eventually to generate some 2% of national power needs, expected to reach 175 terawatt-hours per year by 2017.
Government officials have consistently brushed away complaints about the region's unstable tectonics and the project's high costs, contending that the country can ill-afford to forgo atomic energy. Environmentalists warn that on top of frequent earthquakes and occasional tsunamis, Indonesia has more environmentally sound sources of alternative power to chose from, including geothermals and natural gas.
Other states in Southeast Asia may not be far behind Indonesia, with the entire region facing a forecast growth in power demand of up to 16% per annum over the next 20 years. Malaysia foresees two nuclear plants by 2020, and Vietnam has plans for its first nuclear power plant by 2017. Thailand began feasibility studies for nuclear power in March, with the apparent aim of having a plant operational by 2020.
Across Asia, energy-hungry countries, including Japan and China, are ramping up their quests for energy security, prompted by record-high oil prices in 2005-06 and rising competition for natural resources. Oil prices of above $60 a barrel were for Indonesia a sharp reminder of the dangers of over-reliance on fossil-fuel imports for national energy needs.
A string of power shortages across Indonesia have already stoked fears that over the longer term the country's ample supplies of coal and natural gas won't be adequate to ensure a steady supply of power for its more than 220 million people. Since 2005, Indonesia's most populous island of Java has been flirting with a power-generation crisis, with the state utility PLN dangerously running into reserve supplies on several occasions.
Safety debateDramatic disasters such as the 1986 Chernobyl explosion in the old Soviet Union have shrouded nuclear power with controversy. Plumes of radioactive clouds drifted over Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, resulting in the relocation of more than 336,000 people and radioactive poisoning to this day. The 1979 Three Mile Island nuclear accident near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (in which no one died), inspired a movement against nuclear power in the United States.
Indonesia's most vocal environmental group, WALHI (Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia, or the Indonesian Forum for Environment), says even a small leak or nuclear accident at the proposed site of Java's Mount Muria would potentially affect tens of millions of people. (Java, home to 65% of Indonesia's population, is one of the most densely populated islands in the world.)
WALHI's main complaint is that Indonesia sits on the seismically unstable "Pacific Ring of Fire". Meanwhile, geologists note that 83% of Indonesia's total land area is prone to disasters, including earthquakes, landslides and floods. WALHI also says the proposed nuclear plant's operations could result in radioactive waste being pumped into nearby waterways.
Environmental scientists at the Australian National University in Canberra have devised models forecasting possible regional fallout across Singapore, Malaysia and northern Australia in the event of a nuclear meltdown in Indonesia, though they assert they weren't trying to assess the probability of such a disaster.
Sukarman Aminjoyo, head of BATAN, bristles at academic suggestions that nuclear power wouldn't be safe in Indonesia. He points to several other countries with nuclear power programs on the Pacific Ring of Fire, including Japan, China and the US. One of its research facilities, he notes, withstood a 5.9-scale earthquake last year in Yogyakarta, Central Java - where it even served as a temporary shelter for refugees from the quake.
Both Parliament and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have already approved Indonesia's first designs for a nuclear power plant. "We will assist Indonesia so that all safety considerations will be properly addressed," said IAEA chief and Nobel laureate Mohamed ElBaradei on a visit to Jakarta in December.
The IAEA has so far granted Indonesia a total of $1.34 million in technical assistance to develop eight programs in 2007 and 2008 connected to the safe harnessing of nuclear power. ElBaradei said huge progress in nuclear safety had been made over the past 20 years. "Chernobyl," he said during his Indonesia visit, "was the result of the less-than-optimal reactor design, combined with mismanagement."
However, cost factors have been the main driver behind Indonesia's nuclear-power plans, which were first shelved in 1997 amid the Asian financial crisis. A nuclear power plant can produce 1 kilowatt-hour of power for about 4.3 US cents, less than fuel-oil-generated power at 4.5 cents.
BATAN says several safety systems will be in place to keep Indonesia's plants safe. The International Nuclear Safety Advisory Group claims that pressurized water reactors (PWRs) are currently used by 443 of the nuclear power plants worldwide and have multiple security systems designed to prevent disasters. The group claims that a PWR has a leakage risk of only one in 10,000; in contrast, Chernobyl had a one-in-1,000 possibility of leakage.
For Indonesia's government, however, the safety debate over nuclear power is over. The 550-seat, multi-party Parliament passed the nuclear law last year, including reviewing the current energy blueprint. In the end, however, red tape and unforeseen setup costs could still delay the region's first atomic-energy plant. Potential investors in Indonesia's other large-scale infrastructure projects have complained that only three out of 91 projects tendered two years ago have actually gone ahead.
But in the long term, the pressures on Indonesia, and more broadly Southeast Asia, to find new secure energy sources to power industrialization will only get stronger. "It is inevitable," said one official at Indonesia's nuclear-power agency. "China, India and Russia all have nuclear power plants. Why not Indonesia?"
Tom McCawley is a Jakarta-based journalist.
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