Democratic Voice of Burma

---

• ASEAN Para Games 2014 opens in Naypyidaw
• Thai protests hurting Burmese tourism
• Burma ready to sit in ASEAN chair
• US$1.2 billion proposed for Burma’s Defence budget

ASEAN Para Games 2014 opens in Naypyidaw Posted: 15 Jan 2014 03:56 AM PST The opening ceremony for the 7th ASEAN Para Games – hosted in Burma for the first time ever – was held at Wunna Theikdi Stadium in Naypyidaw on Tuesday evening. The regional sporting event, for athletes with disabilities, is being held to promote friendship, equality and unity among the participating ASEAN countries: Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. According to state media, 20,000 people attended the ceremony, which featured traditional Burmese music, dancing, a torchlight performance and fireworks. A total of 1482 athletes with disabilities will fight for 339 gold medals, in competitions such as archery, athletics, boccia, blind chess, football, goal ball, power lifting, swimming, table tennis, sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball. The games will go on until 20 January. Related Stories Burma ready to sit in ASEAN chair Can Burma move to the next level? Prepping for the Para Games

Thai protests hurting Burmese tourism Posted: 15 Jan 2014 03:06 AM PST Anti-government protests in Bangkok have drastically reduced the number of people travelling between Burma and neighbouring Thailand, according to airline and tour service operators. Aye Mra Tha, an official at Burma's state-run Myanmar Airways International (MAI), said the number of passengers on flights to Bangkok has plummeted this high season. The airline's two daily flights to the Thai capital – typically busy during winter tourism promotions – have lost around 40 percent of their passengers. "Usually this time of year is a popular tourist season," she said, "when people go to Bangkok for shopping and such." According to Aye Mra Tha, MAI's two daily Bangkok-bound flights usually carry about 100 passengers each, but they are currently averaging only 60. She added that the decline has not necessitated any flight cancellations just yet. Hla Myo, an agent at Columbus Travel and Tour in Rangoon, said that air ticket sales to Thailand have been slow after the travel agency posted a warning on its website about the impending "Bangkok Shutdown". "Business has been slow," he said. Aye Kyaw, executive director of Rubyland Tourism Service Ltd, says that travel disruptions are not only affecting Burmese winter shoppers; the number of tourists travelling to Burma has also diminished because most incoming flights to Rangoon are routed through Bangkok. Related Stories Can Burma move to the next level? Shot Burmese migrant recovering in Bangkok hospital Jatropha fuel plan stalled on road to nowhere He said that the protests "surely have an impact" on Burma's tourism, adding that some major airlines have had to reduce the number of flights headed to Thailand. "Singapore Airlines has cut about nine flights per week," he said. Aye Kyaw expects that other airlines will follow suit out of concerns that protestors will shut down the international airport, "just like they did the last time." Following two months of anti-government protests, tens of thousands have gathered at various rally sites in Bangkok this week, demanding the resignation of Prime Minster Yingluck Shinawatra, the sister of ousted PM Thaksin Shinawatra, who now lives in exile but is widely believed to be pulling strings from behind the scenes. Earlier this week a group of student protestors threatened to blockade the headquarters of Aerothai, which oversees all air traffic control communications in Thailand. The group declared that they would shut down air traffic control operations if Prime Minister Yingluck did not resign by Wednesday, 15 January. The government responded with a potential 15-year sentence for those who deliberately obstruct air traffic operations, and at time of writing the threat has not been carried out.

Burma ready to sit in ASEAN chair Posted: 15 Jan 2014 01:59 AM PST Burma begins its first international political role in decades this week as host of Southeast Asia’s regional bloc, with experts warning against “over-inflated” expectations as the group grapples with territorial disputes and ambitious economic integration plans. The country will host foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for an informal meeting on Friday in the ancient capital Bagan – the first major gathering of the group under Burma’s debut year-long stewardship. The long-isolated country has won international praise and the removal of most Western sanctions for wide-ranging reforms since the end of junta rule nearly three years ago, raising the promise of an investment boom. The former pariah state has freed political prisoners, welcomed opposition parties into parliament and launched economic reforms. Related Stories ASEAN Para Games 2014 opens in Naypyidaw Can Burma move to the next level? Norway-backed Burma peace initiative 'probably' to end Fresh from hosting the World Economic Forum on East Asia and Southeast Asian Games in the sprawling remote capital Naypyidaw last year, the country is confident that it can meet the diplomatic and logistical challenge of hosting the regional bloc, despite its creaking infrastructure. “Burma is ready for the ASEAN chairmanship,” said Than Htut, a senior official at the national planning ministry. "ASEAN is a rising star in the world’s politics and economy. We hope that our chairmanship will support that,” he said, adding that businesses had donated a fleet of BMW cars and limousines to ferry delegates to meetings. Sean Turnell, associate professor at Australia’s Macquarie University, said that while Burma has previously been seen as a drain on the bloc, it now “promises to make a positive contribution”. “The biggest danger to Burma in being ASEAN chair might be over-inflated expectations,” he told AFP, adding that the country’s successful management of the Southeast Asian Games could raise unrealistic hopes of its ability to tackle strategically substantive challenges. “The international community didn’t expect much from [previous chairs] Laos, Cambodia etc, so these countries quite easily exceeded expectations. This might not be the case for Burma,” he said. In 2006, Burma was forced to renounce the ASEAN rotating presidency in the face of criticism of its rights record and the then-ruling junta’s failure to shift to democracy. Burma’s eagerness to take the chair this year – jumping in ahead of Laos – is a signal the government wants to “step up the process of opening up to the region and outside world”, said Southeast Asia expert Carl Thayer. He said Burma would largely follow a pre-set agenda and would not be “out of its depth” at the helm. President Thein Sein said in October the theme of Burma’s chairmanship would be “moving forward in unity in a peaceful and prosperous community”. The regional grouping has a number of complex issues on the table, including territorial spats between Beijing and several ASEAN members – particularly the Philippines and Vietnam – over the South China Sea, as well as ambitious economic integration plans. ASEAN, a region of 600 million people, wants to establish a common market and manufacturing base to better compete with China and India, but there are growing doubts about whether it will meet a 2015 target. Burma has generated a flurry of economic interest since reforms began in 2011, with investors eyeing its pivotal strategic location, vast natural resources and a long-isolated population of some 60 million potential consumers. “Down the track, Burma will greatly benefit from integration,” said Turnell, adding that investors remain cautious despite a number of reforms. Relations with neighbouring China, a longtime ally, are likely to put Burma in a delicate position when tackling the South China Sea. Cambodia, an ally of Beijing, caused consternation in 2012 when it was ASEAN head by refusing to take China to task over its increasingly assertive claims to the potentially energy-rich waters. “Burmese diplomats privately say they will reflect the ASEAN consensus on the South China Sea while expecting strong pressure from China on this issue,” Thayer told AFP, adding that crunch decisions were likely to fall outside the chairmanship. Burma will also host the East Asia Summit in 2014, which brings ASEAN members together with the United States, China and Russia. The chairmanship should be an “opportunity for the government to improve its human rights situation and show it is serious about making the transition from military to genuinely civilian rule,” said Human Rights Watch researcher David Mathieson, adding it still had “some hard convincing to do”. Optimism over recent political prisoner releases has been tempered by the continuing arrest of activists and ongoing religious tension in the nation, where the military still holds a crucial position in parliament.

US$1.2 billion proposed for Burma’s Defence budget Posted: 15 Jan 2014 12:57 AM PST Burma's Ministry of Defence on Tuesday proposed a 1.2 trillion kyat (US$1.2 billion) budget for the coming year, the highest amount requested by any government ministry. The ninth session of parliament, which began on Monday, heard budget proposals from several government bodies including the Union Supreme Court and 18 ministries. "The Defence Ministry submitted a proposal for a 1.2 trillion kyat budget – the highest amount proposed for this year's national planning," said Min Thu, lower house representative of the National League for Democracy (NLD). "Deputy-defence minister Lt-Gen Wai Lwin explained to parliament that the defence budget … can be regarded as an investment," he said. The 1.2 trillion kyat budget constitutes 12.26 percent of national spending for the 2014-5 fiscal year, a marked decrease from previous years despite being the loftiest proposal. Burma's Ministry of Defence has consistently been granted an extravagant budget; for fiscal year 2013-4, more than 20 percent of national spending was allocated to the military. The decision was decried by several MPs claiming that military expenditures lack transparency and accountability, and expressing concern that Burma's notorious armed forces were still misusing funds in ethnic areas. In addition to the disproportionate sum regularly granted to the ministry, Burma's military also benefits from a Special Funds Law, which allows the army chief to channel unlimited finance to the military without parliamentary consent. Last week President Thein Sein pledged to increase spending for education and healthcare during the coming fiscal year. The proposed changes would increase the education budget from 5.43 to 5.92 percent, and the health budget from 3.15 to 3.38 percent. Related Stories 'Not finished yet'- political prisoner committee to continue Parliament begins review of 30 bills Burmese military appoints two women MPs

You are subscribed to email updates from DVB Multimedia Group | DVB Multimedia Group To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610