NOT YET IN PARLIAMENT

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi decided to skip swearing in to be in the first time in parliament because of the oath language has to be changed regarding on 2008 constitution.  She said " We are not boycotting, but we are just waiting for the right time to go.  Discussion is still going on."

VOA news on sanctions

EU suspsends Burma Sanctions
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/EU-Suspends-Sanctions-Against-Burma-148524525.html

Fake changes

The benchmarks set by UK and EU for lifting of sanctions should be reviewed before lifting the sanctions.  The unconditional release of all political prisoners has not happened. Hundreds of political prisoners remain behind the bars.  Attacks against ethnic minority civilians by the Burmese army have continued, resulting in serious human rights violations. And the by-elections were not free and fair, even though the National League for Democracy Daw Aung Suu Kyi win 43 seats out of 45.  If benchmarks are not met, there should be suspension on lifting sanctions to encourage the real reform. The changes that we want is still not happening yet though some changes were taking place.   Are they(the military-backed government) going to make the real reform after  they have got what they want from international community ?  It is very important that a few changes toward the reform must not be the fake changes to try to keep momentum going.

"Peace, development and justice are all connected to each other. We cannot talk about economic development without talking about peace.  How can we expect economic development  in a battlefield?"

Aung San Suu Kyi  Nobel Peace Prize 1991

Benchmarks

The benchmarks set by UK and EU for lifting of sanctions against Burma

-The unconditional release of all political prisoners

-Conflict in ethnic area

-Free and fair by-elections in April 2012

Happy Burmese New Year

                                                photo credit- U Saw Hlaing

ABC news on sanctions

Foreign Minister Bob Carr has announced Australia will lift sanctions against Burma's president and more than 200 other Burmese who are currently under travel and financial bans. "I can announce that we are lifting sanctions considerably," Senator Carr said.

Sanctions issue

Burma has been on economy sanctions by western countries because of human rights concerns . The European Union already lifted some restrictions against the regime after this year by-elections.  Easing of European and US sanctions is crucial for our country's reform. The opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi  called for a suspension of the measures against her country.  She said  "This would strengthen the hands of the reformers -- not just the suspension but the fact that there is always a possibility of sanctions coming back again if the reforms are not allowed to proceed smoothly".

She also said "We still have a long way to go but we believe that we can get there. I believe that Thein Sein is genuine about democratic reform".

Why she called for suspensions was more progress are needed to be done, including the release of remaining political prisoners and finding a political solution to ethnic conflicts.  Genuine reform can not be happened without those areas remain unchanged. 

After By-election

Reported by Linda Ong
http://vimeo.com/39912921

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi (Ah May Suu)

A sketch of my hero inspired by her photo.

By-election (III)

Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi won a seat in parliament after a historic by-election. This election process was a small step towards a positive step. President Thein Sein said: "It was conducted in a very successful manner." Voting took place under the watch of small team of delegates from the European Union and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), who were given only a few days to prepare inside Burma. They called themselves "visitors" rather than observers. The democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi and her party might end up with only a small number of seats, many expect her to exert outsized influence. Fair polls seen as crucial to ease Western economic sanctions. We will be looking forward a general election in 2015 which many Burmese want to be seen the most political reforms.