Not much needs to be said about the absurdity of a recent article from the government’s newspaper, The New Light of Myanmar. Naypyidaw’s decision to hand over ‘humanitarian assistance’ for internally displaced citizens in northern Sri Lanka is ludicrous to the many Burma watchers focusing on refugees and IDPs. The Myanmar government will not recognize its own exiled refugee population and the causes of their flight. Nor will it recognize the significant amount of internal displacement within Myanmar’s borders. In addition, the government has recently been showing its aversion to the push by the UN Country team and INGOs to mainstream protection for IDPs – even those who were displaced by Nargis and not by violent conflict. Finally, the last time I checked, humanitarian assistance is not typically handed over in the form of cash to an Ambassador serving outside of the recipient country!
NAY PYI TAW, 11 June – A ceremony to hand over donation of the Government of the Union of Myanmar to the Government of Sri Lankan [sic] as a humanitarian assistance for the internally displaced people of the northern part of Sri Lanka was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Yangon at 3.30 pm today.The ceremony was attended by Minister for Foreign Affairs U Nyan Win, the deputy director-general and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Mr Newton Gunaratna and officials from the Embassy of Sri Lanka.On behalf of the Government of the Union of Myanmar, Foreign Minister U Nyan Win handed over a cash donation of US $ 50,000 to Mr Newton Gunaratna, Ambassador of Sri Lanka. Afterards Ambassador Gunaratna spoke words of thanks.
2 responses so far ↓
1 tom // Jun 15, 2009 at 2:10 pm
Sorry Dylan, didn’t you realise that IDPs in Myanmar are caused by Thailand, because they don’t practice a policy of non-interference like China? Actually, the whole “KNU issue”, as well as IDPs, would be resolved if Thailand stopped supporting the KNU – according to the New Light of Myanmar on June 11. I can’t find the article on the net – it should be on Burma Library somewhere – but this is the summary of the report printed in today’s Myanmar Times:
State media slams Thai interference
MYANMAR’S state media has accused Thailand of damaging relations between the two countries by harbouring Karen National Union (KNU) insurgents along the conflict-ravaged Thai-Myanmar border.
In an article published on June 11 in The New Light of Myanmar, a government editorialist writing under the name Kyaw Ye Min said the “KNU issue … will come to an end” if Thailand follows China’s lead and practices a policy of non-interference in Myanmar.
The editorial said the KNU’s refusal to make peace was because “remnant KNU members are aided and abetted … [at] KNU stations under the name of refugee camps” in Thailand.
“There remain only a handful of KNU remnants and they are taking shelter at the so-called refugee camps in [Thailand],” he wrote. “Then, they frequently leave their camps, secretly enter Myanmar and wage guerrilla attacks.”
“Such unnecessary issue takes place in none of the borders Myanmar shares with other neighbouring countries. The root cause of issues on [internally displaced persons] and refugees in the Thai-Myanmar border is that [Thailand] accept and let the problems keep on taking place.”
The statement came about a week after fighting between Tatmadaw-controlled forces and KNU guerrillas close to Ler Per Her camp in eastern Kayin State forced thousands of IDPs to flee across the border and into Thailand.
The New Light of Myanmar said Myanmar’s current relationship with Thailand was under “unprecedented” strain and Thailand is no longer “a good neighbouring country”.
“Though the relations between Thailand and Myanmar were good during the time of the former [Thai] prime minister, at present the relations between the two countries are under strain which had been unprecedented in the history,” Kyaw Ye Min wrote.
2 jud // Jun 15, 2009 at 9:40 pm
Karen leader explains reaction by Thai authorities
KNU vice president David Thackrabaw comments on recent border crackdown
“I don’t know the exact details [of the Thai-Burma deal], but I think there may be [price] adjustment depending on the global conditions.
“But whatever, the junta is gaining large amounts of foreign exchange from gas exports.”
Q: You said before Taskforce Four, that’s a purely Thai unit?
A: Yes, it’s purely Thai, a detachment of the Third Army stationed at Mae Sot.
Q: And the Third Army, their territory stretches quite a way doesn’t it?
A: Yes, it goes all the way up to Mae Hong Son and in the south it goes as far as Kanchanaburi, it takes in much of the border line.
http://www.danielpedersen.org/articles-about-burma/knu-vice-president-david-thrackrabaw-comments-on-recent-border-crackdown/
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