• HAPPY SWEET SIXTEEN, MALALA!
• UK SELLS ARMS TO THEIN SEIN!
• BURMA CAN GROW OLD BEFORE BECOMING RICHER!
• NPT, WA AGREE NOT TO FIGHT!
• NPT REFUSES TO WITHDRAW RESTRICTIVE LAWS!
• FAREWELL, LO HSING HAN!

Cartoon
Tips for leaders: You should have known better!


Think Piece

Hurdles for AEC

• 95-98% of all business in the Asean market are small and medium enterprises, most of which have little interest and opportunity to expand across national borders
• Many of the bigger enterprises are outward-oriented and tend to concentrate on getting across to US, EU and China markets
• Ratio for the poorest and richest in Europe is 1:8 while it is 1:61 in Asean.

Asia Focus, Bangkok Post, 15 July 2013

The flaring up of the issue of Burmese nationalism outside Myanmar, especially in countries like Indonesia, Malaysia and now India, is certainly going to affect the peace and stability of the region. The ongoing sectarian violence in Myanmar therefore is no longer an internal affair of Myanmar alone.

Somu Trivedia, University of Delhi, Bangkok Post, 15 July 2013

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The World
7 July 2013

Bomb blasts in Bodh Gaya, India, wound 2 monks. Two more bombs found and defused. There have been tensions following clashes in Burma. (Bangkok Post)

12 July 2013

Malala Yousafzai, girl shot by Taliban 9 months ago for her campaign for girls’ education, marks 16th birthday at the UN. (AFP)

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International Relations
14-18 July 2013
President Thein Sein flies out to UK and France. (Bangkok Post)

15 July 2013

President Thein Sein, on a visit to UK, says he has disbanded a security force accused of violations against Muslims and promises to free all remaining political prisoners by brokering a nationwide ceasefire. (Reuters) There is no proposal to amend the 1982 citizenship law, he says. (Today’s Zaman)

16 July 2013
Daily Telegraph reports that Britain will appoint a defense attaché to oversee the establishment of contacts between Burmese and UK armed forces. (BBC)

17 July 2013

Visiting President Thein Sein meets his French host President Hollande for an hour. (AP)

18 July 2013
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says while Cambodia and Laos will probably see their proportion of workers continue to rise, Burma’s population will start ageing in the next two decades. “If the momentum for development created by the country’s opening and internal peace process is not seized, Myanmar could get old before it gets rich.” (Bloomberg)

18 July 2013
UK Government has approved $5 million arms export licenses to Burma, even though it is considered a country of “serious human rights” concern and continues to be the subject of EU arms embargo. (DVB)

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Thai-Burma Relations
8 July 2013

Mae Tao clinic founder Dr Cynthia Maung says the main clinic would not suffer from the land sale that is under dispute. Sulak Sivaraksa, founder of Metta Thammarak Foundation (MTF), says its chairman Phra Kittisophano, had approved the unauthorized sale. (Irrawaddy)

8 July 2013
Federation of Overseas Employment Agency has received requests to send 5,000 migrant workers per month to Thailand, up from 3,000 in previous months. (Eleven Media)

10 July 2013
Leaked audio clip posted last week of an alleged conversation between Gen Yutthasak Sasriprapa and Thaksin Shinawatra contains discussion about the possibility of using their links with Burma’s supreme commander Min Aung Hlaing to confluence over Myanmar leaders. (Bangkok Post)

12 July 2013
25 schools, teaching as many as 5,000 students in Tak province, left without financial assistance for the 2013-14 academic year, according Migrant Workers Education Committee. There are 74 migrant schools in Tak. (DVB)

15 July 2013
Bangkok Hospital Group says it handled 22,200 patients from Burma in 2012. (Irrawaddy)

16 July 2013
Survey conducted by Karen Refugee Committee at Tham Hin Camp among 6,195 refugees say:

• 46% want to resettle in a third country
• 27% want to remain in Thailand
• 27% want to go back to Burma if peace is guaranteed

(KIC)

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Politics/ Inside Burma
12 July 2013

Vice President Sai Mawk Kham, in his opening speech at a ceremony commemorating World Population Day, calls for end to teen pregnancy. The adolescent birth rate is 16.9 per thousand among those aged 15-19, according to a 2007 survey. (Mizzima)

12 July 2013
Dr Pe Thet Khin, Minister of Health, reports on child malnutrition to People’s Assembly. UNICEF announced in May that due to malnutrition, 2.5 million children were undersized and 200,000 have died. (Mizzima)

14 July 2013
President Thein Sein announces the notorious Nasaka force that guards the border with Bangladesh was disbanded on 12 July. It was established in 1992. (DVB)

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Ethnic Affairs
5 July 2013
President Thein Sein issues announcement of filling of vacancies in Union level Peacemaking Central Committee (UPCC), (Eleven)

8 July 2013
Nationalities Brotherhood Federation (NBF), an alliance of 15 parties, will be submitting constitutional amendments to the parliament, says MP Zo Zam, a day after its meeting in Naypyitaw. It is attended by Chin expert Ngun Zung Lian. (RFA)

9 July 2013
Karen National Union (KNU)’s Saw Moses from its 7th Brigade announced earlier that its Moe Ko San company has started an export-import business along with tourism in a bid to channel revenue to provide its members and their families. Export-import business was approved on 4 May and tour services on 8 June by Naypyitaw. (DVB)

13-14 July 2013
Nationalities Brotherhood Federation (NBF) holds workshop on political dialogue in Naypyitaw. There are 2 participants from outside: Dr Johannes Siebert and Harn Yawnghwe. (Eleven News Media)

14 July 2013
88 Generation Students representative Mya Aye meets United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) in Chiangmai. We are all walking on the same path, he says. (Mizzima)

15-17 July 2013
Karen National Union (KNU) and Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) discuss ongoing peace process. (SHAN)

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Shans/ Shan State
8 July 2013
Yoma Bank manager in Muse says it has not received any extortion letter from the Shan State Army (SSA) South. The New Light of Myanmar and Myawady newspapers reported earlier that a motorcyclist had presented a letter of extortion to the bank on 4 July. (Myanmar Times)

11 July 2013
Shan leader Lt-Gen Yawdserk attends 22nd anniversary ceremony marking the passing away of his former boss, Gen Gawn Zerng (1926-1991) (SHAN)

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Economy/ Business
8 July 2013
The Union Assembly agrees with President Thein Sein’s proposal to join with the World Bank’s Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) that will provide opportunities for foreign investment and support for economic development. (Mizzima)

12 July 2013
Myanmar Economic Bank (MEB) sitting under finance ministry, has not turned a profit in 22 years since 1990, says Thurein Zaw, Vice Chairman, Public Accounts Joint Committee. (Eleven Media)

12 July 2013
President Thein Sein signs a new law to make the country’s central bank an independent body. (AFP)

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Human Rights
8 July 2013

Ashok Nigam, UN resident coordinator in Burma, says Burma has released 42 children and young people from its armed forces. (Al Jazeera)

9 July 2013
Burma News International (BNI), an alliance of 11 news agencies, issues protest against Printing and Distribution Bill approved by the People’s Assembly on 4 July. “It is giving freedom to the information to restrict registration of news agencies and greatly endangers freedom of the press,” says BNI chair Nan Paw Gay. (Statement)

9 July 2013
National Police Chief and Deputy Home Minister Kyaw Kyaw Htun tells parliament there is no need to amend the 1950 Emergency Provisions Act (Article 5j) and the 1975 State Protection Law (Article 10a and 10b). He adds that they are not in contravention with the 2008 constitution.

• Article 5j carries a prison sentence of up to 7 years for anyone who prevents civil servants and army officers from carrying out their duties
• Article 10a and 10b give authorities power to detain anybody who has committed or is about to commit an act that may be considered an “infringement of the sovereignty and security of the Union” or as “threat to the peace of the people,” allowing authorities to detain suspects without trial for long periods of time.

(Irrawaddy)

10 July 2013
The controversial publishing bill passed by the lower house last week “falls far, far below international standards and if it were adopted would, in effect, retain a system of full government control over the media,” says Dr Agnes Callamard, Executive Director of ARTICCE19. (DVB)

11 July 2013
Way Phyoe, Generation Wave secretary, arrested by Prome police for a Free Political Prisoners poster campaign which he organized in July 2011. (Mizzima)

16 July 2013

Defense minister Wai Lwin tells parliament the army is ready to return 18,800 acres (6%) of the land it confiscated during the 1988-2010 period. (Bangkok Post)

17 July 2013
6 people suspected for their role in the massacre of 10 Muslim pilgrims in Arakan last year nabbed in Taungup. (DVB)

18 July 2013
Wirathu, monk who has risen to prominence by spreading anti-Muslim rhetoric, says nearly 2.5 million have signed a petition in support of proposed law restricting intermarriage in Burma between Buddhists and Muslims. It would be sent to Parliament, according to him. (Irrawaddy)

18 July 2013

Bauk Ja, Kachin activist, arrested for negligent homicide in Myitkyina. It is over a person who died reportedly from her treatment a year ago, according to her lawyer. (Irrawaddy)

20 July 2013
President lifts emergency order in Meikhtila, 4 months after secular violence. (AP)

20 July 2013
Mosque in Lashio, closed since 28 May during the start of sectarian riots to be reopened, according to Dr Tin Aung, a Muslim leader. (SHAN)

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Drugs
17 July 2013
K 140 million ($ 140,000) worth drugs and 18 suspected users arrested in Taunggyi. The house is owned by a Wa officer Maj Toom Kham, according to police officer Aung Soe Kyaing. (The Voice)

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War
12 July 2013
The UWSA and the Union Peacemaking Work Committee vice Chairman U Thein Zaw sign a 5 point agreement that requires each to withdraw to its pre- 18 June positions. (SHAN)

16 July 2013
Brief firefight in Mon State kills 8 New Mon State Party soldiers. It violates 18 year old ceasefire agreement, says a Mon commander. (Mizzima)

20 July 2013
Shan State Army (SSA) North dismisses statement by President Thein Sein blaming ethnic groups extorting money from local villagers as the cause for the ongoing clashes despite ceasefire. He was was being interviewed by BBC in London on 18 July. (Eleven News Media)

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Obituary
6 July 2013

Lo Hsing Han, dubbed Godfather of Heroin, passes away in Rangoon. He is 77, 79 according to some. (Agencies)

17 July 2013

Lo Hsing Han’s funeral attended by Upper House lawmaker Haw Hsiao Chan. “He was my teacher,” he says. Lo and his son Steven Law have been on US sanctions list since February 2008 (Irrawaddy)

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