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As we Malaysians view pictures of the violent crackdown of pro-democracy demonstrations occuring in Burma, we are once again reminded about the brutality of the military junta which has denied democracy to its people and continues to detain at least 1,200 political prisoners for engaging in peaceful political activities and non-violent exercise of the right to freedom of expression and association. The last time Burma saw anything on this scale was during the popular uprising of August 1988 when demonstrations began among students and then gradually spread to monks and the public. These culminated in a national uprising on Aug 8, 1988, when hundreds of thousands of people marched to demand a change of government. The government sent troops to brutally suppress the protests. No official investigation has ever taken place, but the best estimates suggest that approximately 3,000 people were killed as the demonstrations were crushed in September 1988. As many as 10,000 people were killed nationwide between March and September of that year. We cannot allow the events of 1988 to occur again. We must demand that the Malaysian government speak up in support of democracy and condemn the military crackdown. It must call on other Asean members to put aside its principle of non-interference and urge the Burmese military government to address the peaceful political protests by Buddhist monks and civilians throughout Burma without violence. Asean must remember the harsh military action will only send hundreds of thousands of Burmese refugees fleeing to neighbouring countries including Thailand and Malaysia as it has done in the past. We must also call on China who has funded and armed the regime to play a crucial role in ending this crisis. China cannot wish to hosts next year’s Olympic Games as the defender of such a despicable regime and we must urge the country to use its influence with the regime to exercise restraint and move towards dialogue. Other countries who have economic and military ties with Burma such as India and Russia must be shown that there will increasing economic problems and political instability as long as the regime defies the will of the people. They should back the democracy movement if it wants a stable, peaceful and prosperous Burma I welcome the fact that the UN Security Council has called on the military junta to show restraint and is planning to send UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari to the region. However, more action needs to be taken by the UN. A resolution should be passed immediately, condemning the violations, setting out specific benchmarks with specific deadlines. The benchmarks must include the immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi, the release of political prisoners and the start of meaningful dialogue between the regime, the National League of Democracy and the ethnic nationalities. We have been provided a critical opportunity to bring about freedom and democracy in Burma after decades of military rule. This struggle is being led by the monks and the people of Burma. We owe it to such brave people to stand with them in their hour of need and to use every possible tool available to open up the window for change. |
Monthly Archives: October 2007
Time for Asean to kick Burma out
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Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) notes with grave concern that the violence in Burma continues unabated despite international condemnation. As neighbours, Malaysians can empathise with the despair of the Burmese people, and no one should bear seeing the sufferings of millions continue. This year, I had visited the Burmese refugee camps at the Thai-Burma border together with other Asean parliamentarians and personally witnessed the desperate conditions there. In this day and age, no one should have to live in such places, not especially in a prosperous region such as Asean. Every Burmese refugees and democratic activists whom I had met had appealed to our compassion and solidarity. They have placed enormous hope on us, their neighbour. to support their struggle to restore peace and democracy, to use our liberty to speak for them. We must not fail them today. PKR unites with the international community in urging the immediate cessation of violence. We also call on the United Nations to redouble its efforts to restore democracy and secure the release of Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. We welcome Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi’s condemnation of the Burmese junta in New York last week. We are satisfied that the Malaysian government has long last acknowledged PKR’s basic assertion that Asean’s policy of constructive engagement had failed to bring peace and freedom in Burma. We call upon the Malaysian Foreign Ministry to immediately support the United Nations in stepping up the pressure on the Burmese junta to stop the brutal violence and to immediate facilitate dialogue between the military junta and democrats, including Suu Kyi, under its auspices. Should there be no improvement on the part of the Burmese junta to end the vicious suppression of the Burmese people, we believe that Burma should not only be barred from attending the Asean summit in Singapore this November, but that the Malaysian government should lead the rest of the region by tabling a resolution to expel Burma from Asean immediately, and in addition to apply trade sanctions on the recalcitrant junta. Only such direct steps will prove our resolute firmness in indicating to the Burmese military junta, that state violence against people who long only for freedom, democracy and peace, is absolutely unacceptable in Southeast Asia. The writer is PKR president and deputy chair of Malaysian Parliamentary Caucus on Democracy in Myanmar. |
Malaysia, Burma – our common plight
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As the Bar Council-led delegation marched on Putrajaya another larger gathering of distraught citizens gathered in the streets in protest against their rulers. If there is one common thread in all demonstrations of this nature, it is that people will ultimately take action when they have had enough of bad governance. They are nowhere near the people power proportions of the Marcos era but they spell the beginning of the end of despotism. There may be few parallels between the situation in Malaysia and Burma but there is a common plight – the lack of democracy and repression, though in different degrees. Malaysia has some semblance of democracy but the Burmese junta is outrightly dictatorial. It is among the poorest countries in the world despite having huge natural mineral and gas resources. Who does not know of Burma’s coveted precious gemstones? But despite nature’s endowments, bad governance has stunted economic development. Sadly US-led economic and diplomatic sanctions against the junta have not worked and only caused widespread poverty and suffering. The Burmese army is notorious for its attacks on the tribes people and forcing them into slave labour. Raping, pillage and wholesale burning of villages are well-documented. Thousands upon thousands of Burmese refugees live along the Thai border and Bangladeshi territories and many have found refuge in Malaysia. But those who do find work pay a high price for the Malaysian permits and also fees to their own Burmese government. Still it is a far cry from the austere life back home. Perhaps those who advocate economic sanctions hope for a mass political implosion when people take to the streets in huge numbers. But that has to be precipitated by causes that are beyond the normal usual hardships such as we have seen in Burma. In this day and age, it is sad that civilised countries can still turn a blind eye to the atrocities happening in their neighbouring countries in the folly of a policy of non-intervention. So why do we respond to the cries of those hit by earthquakes in neighbouring countries but remain deaf to the cries of those hit by their generals’ soldiers? Such a policy is a betrayal of our human bonds and should be re-considered. In a world of double standards and selfish national interests there is an urgent need for a stronger sense of accountability to one another’s humanity. While India and China and its close neighbours will respond to the latest mass demonstrations differently, the US has increased its sanctions but only more ordinary Burmese will suffer. India needs the gas, but China does not want a repeat of a Tiananmen-type massacre so near the Olympics. India will remain silent and China will press for restraint. But the generals are hard-headed and events in the country appear doomed in bloodshed. Economic sanctions don’t work because the generals are high up on the pecking order and food chain and don’t care a hoot about travelling to the United States or Europe and will be the last to die of malnutrition. What is needed is for the countries in the free world, Asean, China and India, to put pressure on the generals to release Aung Sun Suu Kyi and other politicians. The former is the legitimate person to form government because her political party won the elections fair and square. But Mao Zedong was right in that power does ultimately come through the barrel of a gun as the Burmese generals have proven and will soon show the world again, short of a miracle or direct intervention, of those who have the influence. In the interest of peace and the welfare of the country, the generals have to come to their senses. This will require a miracle but stranger things have happened. The generals couldn’t care less what happens to their people because they are drunk with power and what it brings them. Theirs is a classic modern version of an ancient disease that we read in history books on cruel dictatorships. The tragedy in the avarice of rulers is that ultimately their people suffer and their descendants and even they themselves inherit a bad legacy. At home, I think none know or feel it more acutely than Anwar Ibrahim and Mahathir Mohamad, former prime minister and deputy prime minister of the country respectively, who were once powerful but are now the government’s strongest critics. Surely there must be a message in it for them and all of us, especially those now in power. Make the change or be the future victims of your own bad legacy. Malaysia’s may be a different story from Burma’s because its people have enjoyed relative freedom and prosperity. Its government is relatively more responsive and prepared to offer small concessions but still its record of repressive measures and use of unbridled force when necessary in protecting its own interests match those of the worst dictators. In the recent Batu Buruk incident, the police resorted to using firearms, and two persons were seriously wounded by gunshots, something almost rare in its history of handling peaceful political dissent. Adding insult to injury is the possibility that the government may have staged the violent protests, according to the opposition. Because it controls the media by licensing and naked intimidation, it has over the years woven a web of control over the major public institutions from the police to the judiciary and manages to carry out its schemes in ways that are hard to counter and expose. This is to a large part the fault of the rakyat who unlike the Burmese are not yet eating grass and are inordinately tolerant and passive against vulgar corruption and refuse to strongly openly condemn corrupt practices in high places. The media’s hands are tied except for intrepid independent blogs and online newspapers that expose all forms of corruption without fear or favour. This has left an unbalanced and unfair burden on the shoulders of the regular critics and the political opposition. The people’s bellies are still full and they have a high threshold for political nonsense including the usual conspiracies to cover up the truth. Meanwhile, the politicians prate and prattle and insult our intelligence. The level of corruption and allegations of those in power including senior police officers has reached critical proportions. The people’s petition, the Bar Council’s march, and the litany of letters of protests and public agitations all show a people dissatisfied with the status quo. The government has only itself to blame if it does not put matters right. Perhaps a fob may accept more cover-ups and whitewashing of allegations of corruption. And only those who don’t love their country can allow it to continue to slide down the slippery slope. I don’t see how the government can go into damage control without a genuine attempt at redressing the corruption within the system. It is indeed a sad moral crisis that now threatens to destroy the country’s integrity and moral conscience if a royal commission and remedies are not adopted to right the wrongs. It does not matter who is guilty but it matters that the government does right. |
UN urges restraint on Burma junta
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The UN Security Council has urged Burma’s ruling junta to show restraint amid a worsening political crisis.After an emergency session, it also called on Burma’s generals to allow a special UN envoy into the country. The US and European Union wanted the council to consider imposing sanctions – but that was rejected by China. Burmese authorities confirmed one death on Wednesday as police clashed with protesters in Rangoon. There were reports of at least two other deaths. US President George W Bush has already announced a tightening of US economic sanctions against Burma.
But China’s UN ambassador, Wang Guangya, said that sanctions against Burma’s military rulers would not be “helpful”. China and Russia have argued that the situation in Burma is a purely internal matter. Both vetoed a UN resolution critical of Burma’s rulers last January. Experts say the hope remains that China – a permanent member of the council and a key importer of Burmese energy resources – may use its powerful influence behind the scenes to persuade the regime to show restraint. The G8, the world’s eight most industrialised countries, warned Burma’s ruling generals that they would be held accountable for their actions but stopped short of calling for sanctions. Analysts fear a repeat of the violence in 1988, when troops opened fire on unarmed protesters, killing thousands. Clumsy show of force The confrontation in Burma has become a battle of wills between the country’s two most powerful institutions, the military and the monkhood, and the outcome is still unclear, the BBC’s South East Asia correspondent, Jonathan Head, says. A clampdown on the media by Burma’s military government – which has banned gatherings of five people or more in addition to imposing a curfew – has made following the exact course of the protests difficult.
It is known that on Wednesday thousands of monks and opposition activists moved away from Shwedagon pagoda, heading for Sule pagoda in the city centre. Others headed for the home of detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Reports suggested they were prevented from reaching it but other demonstrators did gather at Sule to jeer soldiers. Troops responded by firing tear gas and live rounds over the protesters’ heads – for the first time since protests began nine days ago. Monks marching to the home of Aung San Suu Kyi reportedly urged civilians not to join them and not to resort to violence. But elsewhere witnesses said civilians were shielding the marching monks by forming a human chain around them. The Burmese state radio station, Radio Myanmar, reported that one person had been killed and three others injured – the first official confirmation that the violence had caused casualties. Earlier, a hospital source in Rangoon told the BBC that the monks were beaten with rifle butts, and that taxi drivers had transported the injured to nearby medical facilities.
There were unconfirmed reports of at least three deaths on Wednesday, including a civilian, and two monks who were killed near the Shwedagon pagoda. State radio spoke only of one death. Our correspondent says that for all their brutality, the security forces were clumsy. They failed to prevent demonstrators from making their way through the city and their attacks on the monks only inflamed public anger – none of which was reflected on state television. Large demonstrations also took place in the cities of Mandalay and Sitwei, but the security forces there reportedly did little to prevent them. The protests were triggered by the government’s decision to double the price of fuel last month, hitting people hard in the impoverished nation. |
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The junta are using dirty tactics – they don’t fire guns but beat people with rifle butts 
Gruesome Murders on Streets of Burma
By Zafar Ahmad
President of (MERHROM)
Soldiers in downtown Rangoon are shooting directly into crowds killing many peacefull protestors. (photo, Ko Htike)
27 September: Soldiers this morning raided Buddhist Monasteries, beating up Monks, arresting them, searching the Monasteries, and leaving everything broken and upside down.
Eye-witnesses said they heard Monks creaming in pain and shouting for help and bleeding Monks forcibly taken away by soldiers. When devotees try to help the Monks, soldiers threatened them that they would be shot dead on the spot.
Blood stains in Monasteries.
Monasteries left upside down.
(photos, Niknayman)
27 September: Despite regime’s brutal crack down, thousands of people today marched on central Rangoon, near Sule Pagoda. Soldiers fired into the crowd, and when the crowd recede, soldiers tried to arrest as many protestors as they can chase after and catch. Then fire-engines came and wash away bloodstains on the road.
protestors in central Rangoon before being shot at by soldiers
riot plice patrolling streets
truck loads of soldiers
Some reports say that Monks from a Kyimyindaing Monastery are marching in the streets carrying the dead body of a fellow Monk.
There demonstrations and brutal crack downs going on in other cities, like Mandalay, Tavoy, etc.
Burmese crackdown: Blood on our hands
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Numerous Malaysian activists have condemned Malaysia’s continued diplomatic niceties towards Burma despite a violent crackdown against dissidents by the Burmese military junta. Activist groups are fuming over Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar announcement yesterday that Malaysia would not impose any form of sanctions on Burma.
On the contrary, many Western countries condemned the violence in Burma and have vowed to come down hard on the military government, primarily through economic sanctions. PKR information chief Tian Chua today condemned Syed Hamid’s statement and said that Malaysia was taking an unprincipled stand. “Syed Hamid is basically giving the junta the green light to continue their oppressive ways,” said Tian Chua in a press conference at the party headquarters today. The Petronas factor Activists also pointed out that the fact that Malaysia had numerous business interest in the country could explain the soft approach towards Burma on the violence. Malaysia’s biggest company operating in Burma is quite possibly state-owned oil and gas giant Petronas which has had major deals with the junta since 1997.
Petronas’ heavy investment there, said Tian Chua, would undermine Petronas’ standing in the international community and in Burma due to the company’s role in “backing up the junta”. “At the very least, Syed Hamid must say clearly that if there is any further violence, Malaysia would review its investment (particularly Petronas),” he added. Asean indifference? Meanwhile, two influential news organisations have condemned the overwhelming collective silence of Asean nations over the violence in Burma. Singapore-based Channel News Asia in a column today described Asean as Burma’s “only hope” while Indonesian daily Jakarta Post published a articled titled “Shame on Asean”. Social activist and political economist Charles Santiago pointed out that like Malaysia’s Petronas, almost all other Asean countries have a vested interest in Burma which explained their soft position on the matter. “The blood of innocent Burmese are on Asean hands,” he told malaysiakini.
“The whole point of getting Burma on board is to join the family of nations and (compel them) to subscribe to international standards,” he said. Meanwhile, the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Burma Caucus is urging Asean nations to push for immediate reforms at the ongoing United Nations General Assembly in New York. “Obviously Asean has to move in very quickly and has to at least put a collective voice for once and remind the regime not to do anything that will cause harm to the people,” said caucus head Zaid Ibrahim, reported Voice of America online edition. On the home front, Burmese and Malaysian activist are expected to hold a protest in front of the Burmese Embassy near Jalan Ampang tomorrow morning. |
According to the Star today, Syed Hamid said the crackdown in Burma was an “internal problem” and that Malaysia position was “not to interfere”.
“These investment enrich the junta and prolong their helm. Worse still, they use such money to buy weapons deployed against their own citizens,” said DAP Parliamentarian Teresa Kok when contacted.
According to Santiago, Asean had shown that it was unable to rein in on Burma on basic issues such as democracy and human rights since the country entry into the regional body in 1997.Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand
Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand
The Bulletin
Volume 550
Monday, September 24, 2007
September
Wed, September 26 – Building Cambodia: Inside the Golden Age of New Khmer Architecture (8:00 pm)
In a region where skylines are dominated by cookie-cutter modern buildings, the urban landscape of Cambodia offers a welcome change. Not only does it retain some of its French colonial buildings, it also offers a glimpse into a golden era of Khmer architecture in the early years of independence. It’s a style that reflects a bold vision of national development, long before the horrors of war devoured the nation’s optimism. Click here for details
Thurs, September 27 – Launch of the “Collateral Damage: The Impact of Anti-Trafficking Measures on Human Rights Around the World” presented by The Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW) (10:00 am)
Increasingly practitioners and human rights organisations have expressed concern about the impact of anti-trafficking strategies, noting that many initiatives have proven counter-productive for the very people they were intended to benefit. Against this background, GAATW commissioned the research and writing of a report appraising the human rights repercussions of government policies and anti-trafficking initiatives on the people living, working and migrating within and across national borders. Click here for details
Thurs, September 27 – Contemporary World Cinema: Common Wealth courtesy of the Spanish Embassy, with wine and tapas (8:00 pm)
Middle-aged real estate agent Julia Garcia is showing an apartment in Madrid. It’s a little run-down outside but inside, it’s fabulous. So much so that Julia decides that as long as she’s got the keys, she might as well invite her husband over for a few days, hoping the change of place will re-ignite her marriage. When the ceiling starts to crack and rain down cockroaches, though, Julia pokes around and finds, to her surprise and dismay, the rotting corpse of the previous tenant. The stiff is removed but, still poking around, she and her husband find a fortune in cash stashed under the floorboards. They decide to keep it but getting it out of the building will be tough, as the other inhabitants have taken a sudden interest in everything Julia does. They, it turns out, also know about the money and have a deal to split it up among themselves if anybody finds it. Director Álex de la Iglesia extracts a clever and engaging black comic fantasy that serves up both real laughs and thrills. The screening will be preceded at 7:00 pm by Spanish wine and a selection of authentic tapas, courtesy of the Embassy of Spain’s Commercial Section (www.winesfromspain.com) and Tapas Café Spanish Bar & Restaurant Click here for details
Fri, September 28 and every Friday - Jazz Night (8:00 pm)
FCCT is the place to be every Friday night for great music and conversation. What’s happening in Thailand and the world? Stop by the FCCT Clubhouse Restaurant and Bar on Friday nights to find out and hear some great jazz too.
October
Wed, October 3 – Panel Discussion on a New Book on Burma- Accessing Burma’s Ceasefire Accords (8:00 pm)
The Burmese military government and numerous ethnic minority armed groups have entered a series of ceasefires since 1989, a year after crushing country-wide democracy movement in 1988. This book written by two Burmese researchers, Zaw Oo (a Ph.D. candidate at American University) and Win Min (a lecturer at Payap University, Chiang Mai) discusses why the parties entered into ceasefire accords, what the nature of the accords is, what the consequences have been (in the context of peace-building, nation-building and democratization) and what the future scenarios are. Click here for details
Thurs, October 4 – Contemporary World Cinema: Gönül Yarasi (Lovelorn) directed by Yavuz Turgul, courtesy of the Embassy of Turkey (8:00 pm)
Idealist Nazim (Sener Sen) returns home to his family in Istanbul after a 15-year gap away teaching in a remote Turkish village in eastern Turkey. Becoming a taxi driver he meets a single mother who works in a sleazy club and becomes embroiled in her plight – a troublesome ex-husband who won’t leave her alone – and starts to fall in love with her. (Details coming soon.)
Fri, October 5 and every Friday - Jazz Night (8:00 pm)
FCCT is the place to be every Friday night for great music and conversation. What’s happening in Thailand and the world? Stop by the FCCT Clubhouse Restaurant and Bar on Friday nights to find out and hear some great jazz too.
Tues, October 9 – Documentary: Prayer of Peace: Relief & Resistance in Burma’s War Zones (8:00 pm)
On the front line of conflict deep inside Burma this documentary follows ethnic relief workers as they aid internally displaced people suffering under the Burma Army. Focusing on a female medic and a pastor/human rights cameraman, the film reveals a people that have maintained their dignity and hope for peace despite the odds. This documentary was filmed over three months on the frontline in Karen State on relief missions with the Free Burma Rangers. Click here for details
Wed, October 17 – Child Injury: An Avoidable Tragedy (8:00 pm)
Thousands of children across Asia are being wiped out every year by a largely unrecognized pandemic. It’s not on the priority list for governments; the deaths are largely occurring off the official record; and the people resign themselves to the loss believing it’s the work of evil spirits, retribution for past wrongs. Child deaths through injury, primarily drowning and road traffic accidents, are taking more lives each year than HIV, malaria, dengue fever and tuberculosis. So why aren’t prevention programs like survival swimming commonplace in Asia? And why are these deaths going largely unrecorded? Co-founder of The Alliance for Safe Children (TASC) and former American Ambassador to Vietnam, Douglas “Pete” Peterson and Prof Chitr Sitthi-amorn, Immediate Past Dean of the College of Public Health, Chulalongkorn University, discuss what their research has revealed and their vision for reducing the number of children who are needlessly dying each year. Click here for details
Tues, October 23 – Chulalongkorn Memorial Day, a public holiday. Clubhouse is closed.
FCCT Art/Photo Gallery
For the month of September: Nowhere People: Unwanted and Stateless in Asia (Monday – Friday, 10:00 am – 11:00 pm)
Nowhere People is an on-going project from photographer Greg Constantine that exposes the “human face” of statelessness and documents some of the most desperate stateless groups in Asia: the Bihari in Bangladesh, the Rohingya from Burma, stateless children in Malaysian Borneo and the lower caste Dailts or ‘untouchables’ in the Terai of southern Nepal. It explores how statelessness and the denial of citizenship perpetuates extreme poverty, forced migration, landlessness, illiteracy and women’s rights, as well as a number of human rights abuses. Moreover, Nowhere People calls attention to an issue that is shared by all stateless groups: they are all victims of a radical form of exclusion that has left them voiceless, invisible and paralyzed by poverty, discrimination and an absence of power and choice.
Click here for details
The King of Thailand in World Focus
This outstanding updated edition of the book (2007) is now available from the FCCT office at these prices:
FCCT member price – 1,200 baht each (for the first 3 books and 1.450 baht for additonal books)
Non-member price – 1,450 baht
Bulk sales (20 or more) 1,250 baht for members and non-members alike
Also available at all branches of Asiabooks, B2S, Bookazine and Kinokuniya bookstores for 1,450 baht.
The world’s longest-reigning monarch seen through the eyes of foreign journalists and photographers. A unique royal history spanning nearly eight decades of turmoil and triumph.
King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Rama IX: Great Strength of the Land, ninth king in the Chakri Dynasty, Father of the Nation, peacemaker, Thailand’s longest reigning monarch, the world’s longest reigning living monarch. Jazz composer, saxophonist, artist, inventor, patent holder, sailor, philanthropist, animal lover, expert in agriculture and irrigation.
Born in Boston and educated in Europe, this is an account of a teenager who ascended the throne in the shadow of tragedy to be confronted by turbulence at home and revolution in neighboring Indochina. For nearly half a century, King Bhumibol has remained inside Thailand, dedicating himself to the country’s poor, and wielding moral authority according to his personal philosophy: Give more, take less.
This book documents a remarkable life through foreign newspaper, magazine and wire service reports as compiled by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand (FCCT). The original version of The King of Thailand in World Focus was undertaken in 1987 to coincide with King Bhumibol’s 60th birthday. It has long been out of print, but remains one of the most insightful and readable works on Thailand’s widely revered monarch.
In June 2006, nationwide celebrations marked the 60th anniversary of King Bhumibol’s accession to the throne, and 5 December 2007 is his 80th birthday. At a much more modest level, the FCCT passed the 50-year mark in 2006. One of the activities undertaken to mark these anniversaries was updating the 1987 royal book.
This new edition of The King of Thailand in World Focus has been expanded, and completely redesigned and reformatted. It includes foreign coverage of the intervening years during which King Bhumibol became the world’s longest reigning living monarch. The period has not been plain sailing by any means. The dramatic royal intervention in May 1992 to end political chaos and bloodshed is still dramatically etched on the world’s collective imagination. The tense political standoff of 2006, when Thai politicians once again grappled with the fine print of constitutional democracy, ended in September with a bloodless military putsch.
Sixty per cent of the proceeds from the sale of this book will go to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s charities, the remainder to the FCCT’s educational funds.
Building Cambodia:
Inside the Golden Age of
New Khmer Architecture
Wednesday, September 26 at 8:00 pm
Cover charge for non-members: 300 Baht
In a region where skylines are dominated by cookie-cutter modern buildings, the urban landscape of Cambodia offers a welcome change. Not only does it retain some of its French colonial buildings, it also offers a glimpse into a golden era of Khmer architecture in the early years of independence. It’s a style that reflects a bold vision of national development, long before the horrors of war devoured the nation’s optimism. In the 1950s, King Norodom Sihanouk began to oversee a public construction boom that ranged from ambitious infrastructure projects to new towns. This development spurt, which included rural and urban projects, ended with his overthrow in 1970 by US-backed forces.
Of the thousands of buildings that mushroomed across the country, many stand out for their high standard and unique style – a remarkable blend of new building techniques and traditional Khmer design that marked a decisive break from French colonial architecture. The rise and fall of this stylized public work over 17 years has no parallel in modern architectural history. ‘Building Cambodia: New Khmer Architecture’, a book that was named last year among the top-10 new titles in Asia by TIME Asia, tells the story of this remarkable work. Based on six years of research in Cambodia, France and Australia, the authors recount this extraordinary period of national development. They also identify dozens of architects, engineers and town planners from the fifties and sixties who left a distinctly Cambodian architectural heritage.
Today, as Cambodia rebuilds after the traumas of war and genocide, these buildings are again in the spotlight. Unfortunately, their unique modern heritage is less appreciated than their value as real estate in prime locations. The country’s weak rule-of-law is allowing private speculators to obtain public assets almost without scrutiny. Having survived a communist war, can the New Khmer Architecture survive the capitalist peace?
Helen Grant Ross and Darryl Collins, the authors of “Building Cambodia”, have agreed to address the club and share their thoughts on this remarkable body of architecture work and its current standing.
Panel Discussion on a New Book on Burma
Accessing Burma’s Ceasefire Accords
Wednesday, October 3 at 8:00 pm
Cover charge for non-members: 300 Baht
The Burmese military government and numerous ethnic minority armed groups have entered a series of ceasefires since 1989, a year after crushing country-wide democracy movement in 1988.
This book written by two Burmese researchers, Zaw Oo (a Ph.D. candidate at American University) and Win Min (a lecturer at Payap University, Chiang Mai) discusses why the parties entered into ceasefire accords, what the nature of the accords is, what the consequences have been (in the context of peace-building, nation-building and democratization) and what the future scenarios are. Ceasefires ethnic groups were allowed to attend the constitution-drafting process which just finished last month. The authors will talk about the reasons, nature and impacts of ceasefires, as well as whether the convention’s results will lead to peace in the ethnic states in Burma or not. They will also talk about the possible outcomes of the recent demonstrations which are the most significant since 1988. These demonstrations have been led by monks and have taken place in many cities and towns, and they may lead to increased pressure for political change.
Publisher:
East-West Center Washington
1819 L Street, NW, Suite 200
Washington, D.C.20036
Tel: (202) 293 3995, Fax: (202) 293 1402
E-mail: publications@eastwestcenterwashington.org
Website: http://www.eastwestcenterwashington.org
On line at: http://www.eastwestcenterwashington.org/publications
Distributor:
Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS)
30 Heng Mui Keng Terrace
Pasir Panjang Road
Singapore 119614
Tel: (65) 6870 2447, Fax: (65) 6775 6259
Email: publish@iseas.edu.sg
Website: http://bookshop.iseas.edu.sg
Documentary Screening
Prayer of Peace:
Relief & Resistance in Burma’s War Zone
Tuesday, October 9 at 8:00 pm
Cover charge for non-members: 300 Baht
On the front line of conflict deep inside Burma this documentary follows ethnic relief workers as they aid internally displaced people suffering under the Burma Army. Focusing on a female medic and a pastor/human rights cameraman, the film reveals a people that have maintained their dignity and hope for peace despite the odds. This documentary was filmed over three months on the frontline in Karen State on relief missions with the Free Burma Rangers.
The Free Burma Rangers are a multi-ethnic humanitarian service movement. Free Burma Rrangers relief teams travel into Burma’s war zones to provide emergency medical care, shelter, food, clothing and human rights documentation. The teams also operate a communication and information network inside Burma that provides real time information from areas under attack. Together with other groups, the teams work to serve people in need.
“Since I was a child I have never known peace. We’ve always had to run from the Burma soldiers. When my family was sick there was no medicine. We would look for help but there was none. Because of this my parents died in the jungle. So I decided to be a nurse.” – Karen relief worker
Matt Blauer is a filmmaker focusing on human rights in SE Asia. His work has screened in remote villages, at film festivals, before U.S. Congress, the UN, and on news and television worldwide.
The filmmaker, a Free Burma Rangers relief team member and a Thai human rights advocate will be available to answer questions relating to the film and it’s subject. With focus on answering questions about the situation of internally displaced people and the Burma Army’s efforts of suppressing resistance.
Panel:
- Matt Blauer – Independent filmmaker
- Saw Doh Say - Free Burma Ranger relief team member
- Dr. Decha Tangseefa – Thammasat University
Please note that Silkworm Books which is distributing the DVD in Thailand will also attend the screening and DVDs will tentatively be available.
Child Injury:
An Avoidable Tragedy
Wednesday, October 17 at 8:00 pm
Cover charge for non-members: 300 Baht
Thousands of children across Asia are being wiped out every year by a largely unrecognized pandemic. It’s not on the priority list for governments; the deaths are largely occurring off the official record; and the people resign themselves to the loss believing it’s the work of evil spirits, retribution for past wrongs. Child deaths through injury, primarily drowning and road traffic accidents, are taking more lives each year than HIV, malaria, dengue fever and tuberculosis.
So why aren’t prevention programs like survival swimming commonplace in Asia? And why are these deaths going largely unrecorded? Co-founder of The Alliance for Safe Children (TASC) and former American Ambassador to Vietnam, Douglas “Pete” Peterson and Prof Chitr Sitthi-amorn, Immediate Past Dean of the College of Public Health, Chulalongkorn University, discuss what their research has revealed and their vision for reducing the number of children who are needlessly dying each year. They will also reflect on the findings of the most recent study, the Thai National Injury Survey, which specifically examined the situation in urban and rural Thailand.
Belinda Lawton
Media, Communications and Education Officer
The Alliance for Safe Children
Ph: (662) 655 4811
http://www.tasc-gcipf.org
La Comunidad
(Common Wealth)
a film written and directed by Álex de la Iglesia
Courtesy of the Spanish Embassy
Thursday, September 27 at 8:00 pm
Cover charge for non-members (movie only): 150 Baht
Screening preceded at 7:00 pm by Spanish wine
and a selection of authentic tapas,
courtesy of the Embassy of Spain’s
Commercial Section (www.winesfromspain.com)
and Tapas Café Spanish Bar & Restaurant
for members: 50 Baht; for non-members: 150 Baht
Middle-aged real estate agent Julia Garcia is showing an apartment in Madrid. It’s a little run-down outside but inside, it’s fabulous. So much so that Julia decides that as long as she’s got the keys, she might as well invite her husband over for a few days, hoping the change of place will re-ignite her marriage.
When the ceiling starts to crack and rain down cockroaches, though, Julia pokes around and finds, to her surprise and dismay, the rotting corpse of the previous tenant. The stiff is removed but, still poking around, she and her husband find a fortune in cash stashed under the floorboards. They decide to keep it but getting it out of the building will be tough, as the other inhabitants have taken a sudden interest in everything Julia does. They, it turns out, also know about the money and have a deal to split it up among themselves if anybody finds it.
From this setup, director Álex de la Iglesia (who made his name as a cult director with Day of the Beast and Dance with the Devil, two wildly successful farces) extracts a clever and engaging black comic fantasy that serves up both real laughs and thrills. Brilliant Spanish actress Carmen Saura (a favorite in world-famous Director Pedro Almodavar’s films) is rivetting in the lead.
The movie has collected a huge cache of awards including Spanish Cinema Writers Circle honors, the Special Jury Prize at the Cognac Festival du Film Policier, best picture at Fotogramas de Plata, and a nomination for the Golden Star at the Marrakech International Film Festival.
The screening will also provide an opportunity to sample lovely Spainish wines, courtesy of the Spanish Embassy’s Commercial Section (www.winesfromspain.com), with a light meal of authentic tapas, made and served fresh by Tapas Café Spanish Bar and Restaurant. Make an evening of it, as you eat, drink and enjoy another award-winning film in our continuing series on the best of contemporary world cinema.
GAATW Report Launch
Collateral Damage:
The Impact of Anti-Trafficking Measures
on Human Rights around the World
Thursday, September 27 at 10:00 am
Since the adoption of the UN Trafficking Protocol in 2000, governments have deployed an enormous amount of resources to anti-trafficking initiatives intended to prevent human trafficking, to prosecute traffickers and to protect victims of this crime.
Increasingly, however, practitioners and human rights organisations have expressed concern about the impact of anti-trafficking strategies, noting that many initiatives have proven counter-productive for the very people they were intended to benefit. Against this background, GAATW commissioned the research and writing of a report appraising the human rights repercussions of government policies and anti-trafficking initiatives on the people living, working and migrating within and across national borders.
The report considers the experiences of eight countries: Australia; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Brazil; India; Nigeria; Thailand; the United Kingdom; and the United States of America. In the main, it seeks to respond to two questions: Have anti-trafficking measures provided scope for a greater number of victims to exercise their human rights more fully in obtaining access to justice and protection from trafficking?; Or have prevention initiatives instead had a negative impact on such victims and/or others?
The report, entitled ‘Collateral Damage: The Impact of Anti-Trafficking Measures on Human Rights around the World’ , differs from others of its ilk in that it is the first to focus not only on trafficked persons but also on ‘victims of anti-trafficking measures’. T he report gives examples showing that actions designed to prevent trafficking in human beings have caused substantial ‘collateral damage’ both to the very people whose rights they aim to protect and other groups, such as migrant workers and sex workers. As a result, trafficked persons and migrant workers, women, children and men, have faced a raft of violations of their human rights, ranging from detention to restricted freedom to forced repatriation to high risk situations. In the light of these findings, the report makes a number of recommendations to governments for improving protection and effectively preventing trafficking.
The report is a thoughtful reminder that the rights and interests of affected people need to be at the very centre of any policy and practice intended to improve their human rights.
Keynote speakers at the launch will be:
- Mike Dottridge, Editor of the report and a member of GAATW’s Working-group on Research
- Jackie Pollock, researcher and author for the chapter on Thailand and Director of MAP Foundation
- Varunee Wongchaikham, Coordinator for the Direct Assistance Programme at SEPOM, a Thailand based NGO assisting trafficked women.
Also, present at the launch will be representatives of member organisations of GAATW from around the world, representatives of Bangkok based NGOs and UN agencies, as well as representatives of the Government of Thailand and the media.
For more information, please contact Michelle Taguinod, michelle@gaatw.org
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Job Opening
Reporter
BNA, a leading publisher of government news and information that affects business, seeks a reporter working in SE Asia to be our regional correspondent.
The ideal candidate will be someone based in Thailand or elsewhere in the region and has experience covering business and government news. The beat includes international trade, environment, tax, e-commerce, banking, economics, law and other issues covered by BNA. Stories will be focused on the SE Asia region including Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam as well as regional stories including APEC and ASEAN developments.
Applicants must be native English speakers with several years of experience writing on daily deadline for US-based publications. Language skills, particularly Thai and Vietnamese, are a plus.
This is a substantial, ongoing freelance assignment that historically has been the reporter’s primary string. BNA expects to receive three to five stories per week on average, with room for more from aggressive reporters.
To apply, send a resume or c.v. and up to five published hard news clips (no features, please) to correspondentjobs@bna.com.
Art/Photo Gallery
for the month of September
Nowhere People:
Unwanted and Stateless in Asia
An exhibition by Greg Constantine
This exhibition is sponsored by the UNHCR, the U.N. Refugee Agency.
Exhibition Hours: Monday-Friday 10:00am-11:00pm
for the month of September
It is estimated that some 13 million people worldwide are affected by ‘statelessness’. They are denied the fundamental right to citizenship, have no recognized nationality, are refused most social, civil and economic rights and have been forced to live in the margins of society. Statelessness removes people from the protection of laws and leaves them defenseless against harassment, exploitation and human rights abuses. Stateless people are the unwanted and the unwelcome and are some of the most vulnerable, disenfranchised and invisible people in the world, especially in Asia.
Nowhere People is an on-going project from photographer Greg Constantine that exposes the “human face” of statelessness and documents some of the most desperate stateless groups in Asia: the Bihari in Bangladesh, the Rohingya from Burma, stateless children in Malaysian Borneo and the lower caste Dailts or ‘untouchables’ in the Terai of southern Nepal. It explores how statelessness and the denial of citizenship perpetuates extreme poverty, forced migration, landlessness, illiteracy and women’s rights, as well as a number of human rights abuses. Moreover, Nowhere People calls attention to an issue that is shared by all stateless groups: they are all victims of a radical form of exclusion that has left them voiceless, invisible and paralyzed by poverty, discrimination and an absence of power and choice.
As democratic and multi-ethnic societies continue to reshape cultures around the world, citizenship and the basic rights afforded from citizenship have never been more vital to one’s participation and security in society. Yet, for ethnic minorities around the world, this fundamental right to citizenship has never been more fragile and at risk.
This exhibition is sponsored by UNHCR, the U.N. Refugee Agency. More information on the artist is at: http://www.gregconstantine.com
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Our Sincere Thanks
The FCCT gratefully acknowledges the generosity and support of our sponsors. Please support our sponsors when you can, as they support us!
Major Sponsors – Thanks for their generous contributions to the Club’s programs and activities
- Coca-Cola Company and Thai Pure Drinks, Ltd., authorized bottler for products including Coca-Cola, Fanta, and Sprite
- Maneeya Realty
- Pfizer (Thailand) Limited
- Riche Monde (Thailand), distributor of Johnnie Walker Scotch whisky
- Star Alliance for air tickets which make it possible to bring exceptional guest speakers to the FCCT and for our Wi-Fi Internet Service
- Unilever Thailand
Sponsors
- Nation Multimedia Group for daily delivery of The Nation
- Post Publishing Co., Ltd., for daily delivery of the Bangkok Post
- Heineken Thailand
The Bulletin is published weekly by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand, Penthouse, Maneeya Center, 518/5 Ploenchit Road, Patumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand. President: Amy Kazmin. First vice-president: Simon Montlake. Second vice-president: Nirmal Ghosh. Treasurer: Henry J Silverman. Clubhouse manager: Suchawadee Khaosam-ank. Office telephone: 02 652-0580-1; telefax: 02 652-0582. Clubhouse telephone: 02 254-8165. E-mail: fccthai@loxinfo.co.th. Web site: http://www.fccthai.com. Opinions expressed may be entirely those of an individual writer or organization, and do not necessarily represent the opinions or policies of the FCCT, nor does the FCCT, by virtue of publication in The Bulletin, assume any liability therefore. Copyright © 2007, Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand and others. All rights reserved.
About FCCT
For five decades, the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand has played a vanguard role as Southeast Asia’s most active press club. The club advocates press freedom as a cornerstone of civil society in emerging democracies and is a vital venue for an open exchange of information. Our speakers range from heads of state to local activists to international advocates, many of whom address issues that might not get a full hearing without the support of the FCCT.
Who Comes to See Us?
Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont and all Thailand Prime Ministers since the early 1980′s, Hans Blix, former United Nations Chief Weapons Inspector for Iraq, Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Laureate, Rupert Everett, actor and activist, The Rev. Jesse Jackson, former U.S. Presidential candidate, Xanana Gusmao, President of East Timor, Tom Ridge, former Director of the U.S. Homeland Security Department, His Holiness The Dalai Lama, Dr. Peter Piot, Executive Director UNAIDS, senior members of the Thai government, Ambassadors to Thailand from the U.S.A.., India, Europe, and Asia.
Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand
Penthouse, Maneeya Center Building
518/5 Ploenchit Road (connected to the BTS Skytrain Chitlom station)
Patumwan, Bangkok 10330
Tel.: 02-652-0580-1
Fax: 02-652-0582
E-mail: fccthai@loxinfo.co.th
Web Site: http://www.fccthai.com
Hours of Operation – All departments are open Monday-Friday and closed Saturday, Sunday, and Holidays
Clubhouse
(including Art/Photo Gallery)
10:00 am – 11:00 pm
Restaurant
12:00 noon – 2:30pm
6:00 pm – 9:00pm
Bar
12:00 noon – 11:00 pm
Office
9:30 am – 6:00 pm
ASEAN must expel Burma if no improvements
Press Statement
1 October 2007
ASEAN must expel Burma if no improvements
The People’s Justice Party (KeADILan) notes with grave concern that the violence in Burma continues unabated despite international condemnation. As neighbours, Malaysians can empathize with the despair of the Burmese people, and no one should bear seeing the sufferings of millions continue.
This year, I had visited the Burmese refugee camps at the Thai-Burma border, together with other ASEAN Parliamentarians and personally witnessed the desperate conditions there. In this day and age, no one should have to live in such places, not especially in a prosperous region such as ASEAN.
Every Burmese refugees and democratic activists whom I had met, had appealed to our compassion and solidarity. They have placed enormous hope on us, their neighbour. to support their struggle to restore peace and democracy, to use our liberty to speak for them.
We must not fail them today.
KeADILan unites with the international community in urging the immediate cessation of violence. We also call on the United Nations to redouble its efforts to restore democracy and secure the release of Nobel Peace Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
We welcome the Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi’s condemnation of the Burmese junta in New York last week. We are satisfied that the Malaysian Government has long-last acknowledged KeADILan’s basic assertion that ASEAN’s policy constructive engagement had failed to bring peace and freedom in Burma.
We call upon the Malaysian Foreign Ministry to immediately support the United Nations in stepping up the pressure on the Burmese junta to stop the brutal violence and to immediate facilitate dialogue between the military junta and democrats, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, under its auspices.
Should there be no improvement on the part of the Burmese junta to end the vicious suppression of the Burmese people, we believe that Burma should not only be barred from attending the ASEAN summit in Singapore this November, but that the Malaysian government should lead the rest of the region by tabling a resolution to expel Burma from ASEAN immediately, and in addition to apply trade sanctions on the recalcitrant junta.
Only such direct steps will prove our resolute firmness in indicating to the Burmese military junta, that state violence against people who long only for freedom, democracy and peace, is absolutely unacceptable in Southeast Asia.
Dr. Wan Azizah Wan Ismail
President, People’s Justice Party
Member of Parliament, Malaysia
Deputy Chair of Malaysian Parliamentary Caucus on Democracy in Myanmar
‘It’s unacceptable, we want royal commission’ (Malaysiakini)
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The panel will be led by former Chief Judge of Malaya Haidar Mohd Noor (photo), with National Service Council chairperson Lee Lam Thye and former Court of Appeal Judge Mahadev Shankar as the other members.
The Malaysian Bar welcomes the swift response of the government in this initial step of setting up a panel of inquiry. The remit of the panel to investigate the authenticity of a video clip is necessary as an essential first step.
There may be a deficiency that would undermine the objectivity of such a panel. If this matter is to be addressed by a panel, it should be established under the Commissions Of Enquiry Act 1950 which will give legal powers to a panel or commission to do all that is necessary.
We cannot expect a panel appointed by the cabinet to do a proper, free and independent investigation into the video implicating Tun Ahmad Fairuz. How can a video that implicates members of the cabinet be investigated by a panel appointed by and reporting to the cabinet?
The three-man independent panel into the authenticity of the Lingam tape is unsatisfactory and unacceptable as it falls far short of what should be done – a royal commission of inquiry into the Lingam tape and the alleged perversion of the course of justice and the compromising of judicial independence, integrity, impartiality and integrity.2,000 back Bar Council’s memo to PM (The Sun)
| 2,000 back Bar Council’s memo to PM (The Sun) |  |
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| PUTRAJAYA (Sept 26, 2007): About 2,000 lawyers and supporters converged today in a show of support as officials of the Bar Council handed over two memorandums to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, calling for the setting up of a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the controversial video clip, and a Judicial Appointment Commission.The memorandum was handed over to Abdullah’s political secretary from his Internal Security Ministry, Senator Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh by council president Ambiga Sreenivasan and three other members, including senior lawyer Datuk Shafie Abdullah, at about 12.30pm. They were in the office for about 40 minutes.
Earlier, the lawyers, non-governmental organisation members and well-wishers of all races turned up in this normally quiet administrative capital for a “Walk For Justice”, causing a stir. There was heavy police presence and roadblocks were set up at entrances to Putrajaya and about seven buses and cars with lawyers and civilians were denied entry. The handing over of the memorandums followed Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s unveiling of a video recording of a telephone conversation between a senior lawyer and a “Datuk”, that sounded like they were brokering the appointment of judges to important positions. In a press conference later, Ambiga said the council has asked for a meeting with Abdullah and this was conveyed to his political secretary, adding that there were several recommendations made to the government on improving the judiciary. Abdullah is in New York attending the United Nations General Assembly and will be back only on Oct 4. Yesterday, the government announced the establishment of a three-man Special Independent Investigation Panel to determine the authenticity of the video recording. The panel is headed by former Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Haidar Mohd Noor, former court of appeal judge Datuk Mahadev Shankar and Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye. Their report will be made public, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak had said. On the legal standing of the panel, Ambiga said there is no problem but it is not clear what sort of powers they will have. She said that under the Commissions Act, members have the power to call witnesses and administer the oath and compel evidence but with this panel, they may not have such powers. “But they may get the information in some other way … there is no problem with regards to their legal standing … it is perfectly legal,” she said. Ambiga thus said the sooner the panel completes its work the better.
She added the council is prepared to cooperate, adding that all three members of the panel are “of the highest integrity”. Earlier, about five bus loads of Bar members were not allowed to enter Putrajaya. They had to walk 5km from the highway to the Palace of Justice, the meeting point, where they were greeted loudly by others. Advised by Ambiga to behave with dignity, the crowd began their walk about 11.20am to Dataran Putra, a distance of 3.5km. There was no move by the police to stop the walk. As the crowd reached Dataran Putra, directly in front of the PM’s office, they were met by a phalanx of uniformed police officers and a FRU Light Strike Force Unit. Mother Nature also greeted their arrival with a torrential downpour. Another group of about 500 people were stopped at Parcel C, where the Public Services Department is. Speaking to reporters, Ambiga said though police initially stopped the buses bringing their members, they allowed them to walk in a peaceful manner. The previous time the Bar Council marched in solidarity was in 1978 for the Societies Act and in 1998 for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Others who joined in the march were officials from the DAP, PAS, PKR, MTUC and civil society organisations. |
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