Facts on Foods That Speed Up Metabolism

Revving Your Engine
Metabolism is a process that breaks down carbohydrates, fats and proteins in the food you eat to make the energy your body needs to build and maintain itself. Proper nutrition keeps your body functioning well, but the right foods can also speed up your metabolism. The amount of calories you eat, your genes and the amount of calories that you burn while eating and exercising determine your metabolism. The body breaks down carbohydrates, then fats and finally proteins. The food that you eat makes up 5 to 10 percent of your metabolic rate.

Stocking Your Cupboard
Foods that speed up your metabolism are vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, fish, healthy fats and whole grains. Look for these vegetables when shopping: spinach, broccoli, carrots, asparagus, cabbage, beet roots, assorted beans and dark, leafy vegetables. Any type of fresh fruit is good for you, but try eating blueberries, melons, apples, citrus fruits and tomatoes. Skinless poultry and eggs are excellent sources of protein. The omega 3 fatty acids in fish boost your metabolism by burning up to 400 calories a day. The enzymes in your body that burn fat increase while those that store fat decrease. If you are not a fish eater, take omega 3 capsules that contain a minimum of 300 milligrams total of EPA and DHA. Eat healthy fats like nuts and peanut butter. Whole grains found in brown rice, cereal, barley and oats speed up your metabolism as well. Consume foods with B vitamins, magnesium and fiber to increase your metabolism.

Too Much of a Good Thing
Portion control is still important. Just because these foods are good for you doesn't mean that you can go overboard. Eat several small meals and healthy snacks throughout the day. A good habit to start is reading the Nutrition Facts Labels on food containers. These labels tell what a single serving size is and the nutrients found in that serving.

Losing While You Eat
Know the caloric content of the foods that you eat. Nutrition Facts Labels tell the number of calories in a serving also. There are negative calorie foods that burn more calories during digestion than the foods contain themselves. For most people, a healthy number of calories per day is between 2,200 and 2,800 depending on their sex and size.

Balance It Out
Eating the right foods to speed up your metabolism and supplement your diet by incorporating other good habits. Drink plenty of water during the day. Six to eight glasses is a good goal. Exercise at least three times a week. Use free weights to help stimulate your metabolism by building muscle tone.


About this Author

Lynn Harris is a freelance writer who has worked in health insurance and benefits for two and a half years. She writes on topics such as health issues concerning expectant mothers and young children, in addition to fitness and exercise. Lynn keeps herself fit by incorporating healthy eating, various forms of cardio and strength training into her daily life.

Kids' lower IQ scores linked to prenatal pollution

Researchers for the first time have linked air pollution exposure before birth with lower IQ scores in childhood, bolstering evidence that smog may harm the developing brain.
The results are in a study of 249 children of New York City women who wore backpack air monitors for 48 hours during the last few months of pregnancy. They lived in mostly low-income neighborhoods in northern Manhattan and the South Bronx. They had varying levels of exposure to typical kinds of urban air pollution, mostly from car, bus and truck exhaust.

At age 5, before starting school, the children were given IQ tests. Those exposed to the most pollution before birth scored on average four to five points lower than children with less exposure.

That's a big enough difference that it could affect children's performance in school, said Frederica Perera, the study's lead author and director of the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health.

Dr. Michael Msall, a University of Chicago pediatrician not involved in the research, said the study doesn't mean that children living in congested cities "aren't going to learn to read and write and spell."

But it does suggest that you don't have to live right next door to a belching factory to face pollution health risks, and that there may be more dangers from typical urban air pollution than previously thought, he said.

"We are learning more and more about low-dose exposure and how things we take for granted may not be a free ride," he said.

While future research is needed to confirm the new results, the findings suggest exposure to air pollution before birth could have the same harmful effects on the developing brain as exposure to lead, said Patrick Breysse, an environmental health specialist at Johns Hopkins' school of public health.

And along with other environmental harms and disadvantages low-income children are exposed to, it could help explain why they often do worse academically than children from wealthier families, Breysse said.

"It's a profound observation," he said. "This paper is going to open a lot of eyes."

The study in the August edition of Pediatrics was released Monday.

In earlier research, involving some of the same children and others, Perera linked prenatal exposure to air pollution with genetic abnormalities at birth that could increase risks for cancer; smaller newborn head size and reduced birth weight. Her research team also has linked it with developmental delays at age 3 and with children's asthma.

The researchers studied pollutants that can cross the placenta and are known scientifically as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Main sources include vehicle exhaust and factory emissions. Tobacco smoke is another source, but mothers in the study were nonsmokers.

A total of 140 study children, 56 percent, were in the high exposure group. That means their mothers likely lived close to heavily congested streets, bus depots and other typical sources of city air pollution; the researchers are still examining data to confirm that, Perera said. The mothers were black or Dominican-American; the results likely apply to other groups, researchers said.

The researchers took into account other factors that could influence IQ, including secondhand smoke exposure, the home learning environment and air pollution exposure after birth, and still found a strong influence from prenatal exposure, Perera said.

Dr. Robert Geller, an Emory University pediatrician and toxicologist, said the study can't completely rule out that pollution exposure during early childhood might have contributed. He also noted fewer mothers in the high exposure group had graduated from high school. While that might also have contributed to the high-dose children's lower IQ scores, the study still provides compelling evidence implicating prenatal pollution exposure that should prompt additional studies, Geller said.

The researchers said they plan to continuing monitoring and testing the children to learn whether school performance is affected and if there are any additional long-term effects.

Pediatrics

Unraveling how children become bilingual so easily

The best time to learn a foreign language: Between birth and age 7. Missed that window?

New research is showing just how children's brains can become bilingual so easily, findings that scientists hope eventually could help the rest of us learn a new language a bit easier.

"We think the magic that kids apply to this learning situation, some of the principles, can be imported into learning programs for adults," says Dr. Patricia Kuhl of the University of Washington, who is part of an international team now trying to turn those lessons into more teachable technology.

Each language uses a unique set of sounds. Scientists now know babies are born with the ability to distinguish all of them, but that ability starts weakening even before they start talking, by the first birthday.

Kuhl offers an example: Japanese doesn't distinguish between the "L" and "R" sounds of English — "rake" and "lake" would sound the same. Her team proved that a 7-month-old in Tokyo and a 7-month-old in Seattle respond equally well to those different sounds. But by 11 months, the Japanese infant had lost a lot of that ability.

Time out — how do you test a baby? By tracking eye gaze. Make a fun toy appear on one side or the other whenever there's a particular sound. The baby quickly learns to look on that side whenever he or she hears a brand-new but similar sound. Noninvasive brain scans document how the brain is processing and imprinting language.

Mastering your dominant language gets in the way of learning a second, less familiar one, Kuhl's research suggests. The brain tunes out sounds that don't fit.

"You're building a brain architecture that's a perfect fit for Japanese or English or French," whatever is native, Kuhl explains — or, if you're a lucky baby, a brain with two sets of neural circuits dedicated to two languages.

It's remarkable that babies being raised bilingual — by simply speaking to them in two languages — can learn both in the time it takes most babies to learn one. On average, monolingual and bilingual babies start talking around age 1 and can say about 50 words by 18 months.

Italian researchers wondered why there wasn't a delay, and reported this month in the journal Science that being bilingual seems to make the brain more flexible.

The researchers tested 44 12-month-olds to see how they recognized three-syllable patterns — nonsense words, just to test sound learning. Sure enough, gaze-tracking showed the bilingual babies learned two kinds of patterns at the same time — like lo-ba-lo or lo-lo-ba — while the one-language babies learned only one, concluded Agnes Melinda Kovacs of Italy's International School for Advanced Studies.

While new language learning is easiest by age 7, the ability markedly declines after puberty.

"We're seeing the brain as more plastic and ready to create new circuits before than after puberty," Kuhl says. As an adult, "it's a totally different process. You won't learn it in the same way. You won't become (as good as) a native speaker."

Yet a soon-to-be-released survey from the Center for Applied Linguistics, a nonprofit organization that researches language issues, shows U.S. elementary schools cut back on foreign language instruction over the last decade. About a quarter of public elementary schools were teaching foreign languages in 1997, but just 15 percent last year, say preliminary results posted on the center's Web site.

What might help people who missed their childhood window? Baby brains need personal interaction to soak in a new language — TV or CDs alone don't work. So researchers are improving the technology that adults tend to use for language learning, to make it more social and possibly tap brain circuitry that tots would use.

Recall that Japanese "L" and "R" difficulty? Kuhl and scientists at Tokyo Denki University and the University of Minnesota helped develop a computer language program that pictures people speaking in "motherese," the slow exaggeration of sounds that parents use with babies.

Japanese college students who'd had little exposure to spoken English underwent 12 sessions listening to exaggerated "Ls" and "Rs" while watching the computerized instructor's face pronounce English words. Brain scans — a hair dryer-looking device called MEG, for magnetoencephalography — that measure millisecond-by-millisecond activity showed the students could better distinguish between those alien English sounds. And they pronounced them better, too, the team reported in the journal NeuroImage.

"It's our very first, preliminary crude attempt but the gains were phenomenal," says Kuhl.

But she'd rather see parents follow biology and expose youngsters early. If you speak a second language, speak it at home. Or find a play group or caregiver where your child can hear another language regularly.

"You'll be surprised," Kuhl says. "They do seem to pick it up like sponges."

By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard, Ap Medical Writer – Tue Jul 21, 3:08 am ET

Solar eclipse spreads cloak of darkness over Asia

Local residents watch solar eclipse on the peak of Malu Mountain in Liuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region July 22, 2009. A total solar eclipse began its flight on Wednesday across a narrow path of Asia, where it was expected to darken the skies for millions of people for more than six minutes in some places.


A combination picture shows the sequence of a total solar eclipse as observed in Chongqing municipality July 22, 2009. The longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century began its flight on Wednesday across a narrow path of Asia, where it was expected to darken the skies for millions of people for more than six minutes in some places.


People congregate on the banks of the River Ganges at the start of the solar eclipse in Varanasi, India, Wednesday, July 22, 2009. The longest solar eclipse of the 21st century pitched a swath of Asia from India to China into near darkness Wednesday as millions gathered to watch the phenomenon.


The sun emerges behind the moon just after totality during a total solar eclipse in North Iwojima island, Japan July 22, 2009. A total solar eclipse began its flight on Wednesday across a narrow swathe of Asia, where hundreds of millions of people watched the skies darken despite thick summer clouds.


皆既日食が終わり、再び太陽の光が輝く瞬間に現れた「ダイヤモンドリング」＝鹿児島県喜界島で２００９年７月２２日午前１０時５９分















The longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century cast its shadow over western India Wednesday and headed for China on a path that was plunging hundreds of millions of people into temporary darkness.

Ancient superstition and modern commerce came together in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity which could end up being the most watched eclipse in history, due to its path over Earth's most densely inhabited areas.

After forming over the sea west of India, the lunar shadow or "umbra" made landfall in India's Gujarat state shortly before 6:30 am (0100 GMT) and quickly swallowed the city of Surat, the country's diamond polishing centre.

By eclipse standards, this is "a monster," NASA eclipse expert Fred Espenak and University of Manitoba meteorologist Jay Anderson wrote in the US magazine Sky & Telescope.

After an eight-minute journey across central India, it was to squeeze between northern Bangladesh and the eastern tip of Nepal and then slice through some of China's biggest cities, including Chengdu, Chongqing and Wuhan, before arriving at Shanghai, a city of 20 million souls.

The umbra then flits across the islands of southern Japan and veers into the western Pacific, where at one point the duration of totality - when the solar disc is wholly covered -- will be six minutes, 39 seconds.

If the clouds hold back, it could be the most-watched eclipse in history, and we will have to wait until 2132 before the totality duration is beaten.

The total transit will obscure the sun by 50 percent or more for an estimated two billion people, from the salt flat farmers of Gujarat to herdsmen in the foothills of the Tibetan Himalayas.

Superstition has always haunted the moment when Earth, Moon and Sun are perfectly aligned. The daytime extinction of the Sun, the source of all life, is associated with war, famine, flood and the death or birth of rulers.

Desperate for an explanation, the ancient Chinese blamed a Sun-eating dragon. In Hindu mythology, the two demons Rahu and Ketu are said to "swallow" the sun during eclipses, snuffing out its light and causing food to become inedible and water undrinkable.

Ahead of Wednesday's eclipse, some Indian astrologers had issued predictions laden with gloom and foreboding, while superstition dictated that pregnant women should stay indoors to prevent their babies developing birth defects.

A gynaecologist at a Delhi hospital said many expectant mothers scheduled for July 22 caesarian deliveries insisted on changing the date.

For others it was an auspicious date, with more than one million Hindu pilgrims gathering at the holy site of Kurukshetra in northern India, where bathing in the waters during a solar eclipse is believed to further the attainment of spiritual freedom.

Those who could afford it grabbed seats on planes chartered by specialist travel agencies that promised extended views of the eclipse as they chased the shadow eastwards.

Travel firm Cox and Kings charged 79,000 rupees (1,600 dollars) for a "sun-side" seat on a Boeing 737-700 aircraft before dawn from New Delhi for a three-hour flight.

Thick cloud and heavy rain were likely to ruin the party for millions of people hoping to watch the solar blackout in Shanghai and other parts of eastern China, meteorologists said.

But the Hyatt hotel on Shanghai's waterfront Bund said its eclipse breakfast event remained fully booked out despite the weather concerns.

"People are just looking for a reason to get together," hotel spokeswoman Meg Zhang said. "You can tell your boss: 'It's only once in 300 years'."

The next total solar eclipse will be on July 11 2010, but will occur almost entirely over the South Pacific, where Easter Island - home of the legendary moai giant statues - will be one of the few landfalls. (by AFP)

Solar Eclipse Preview: 2001 - 2020

Google Chrome OS

Google Chrome OSは無料　ASUSやAcerがサポート
Googleは7月8日、Netbook向けOS「Google Chrome OS」の価格や対応ベンダーに関する疑問に答えた。

　GoogleはChrome Blogに掲載したFAQで、Chrome OSの価格についての質問に、同OSは「オープンソースプロジェクトで、無料で提供される」と回答している。

　またFAQによると、同OSをサポートするパートナーは、Acer、ASUS、Adobe、Freescale、Hewlett-Packard（HP）、Lenovo、QUALCOMM、Texas Instruments（TI）など。Acer、ASUS、HP、Lenovoは現在Netbookを販売しており、FreescaleはNetbookの参照設計を提供している。QUALCOMMはモバイル端末向けチップセットを投入予定で、TIも携帯機器向けのプロセッサを手掛けている。Adobeとの提携はFlashに関連したものではないかと思われる。

　Chrome OSを搭載したNetbookは2010年後半に登場する予定だ。
7月9日13時58分配信 ITmediaニュース

グーグルがパソコンＯＳ開発、当初はネットブックに搭載へ
［サンバレー（米アイダホ州）　７日　ロイター］　インターネット検索大手の米グーグルは７日、パソコン用の基本ソフト（ＯＳ）を開発し、当初はネットブック・パソコンに搭載すると発表した。
　パソコン用ＯＳで圧倒的なシェアを握るマイクロソフト と直接競合することになる。
　新ＯＳ「グーグル・クローム・オペレーティング・システム」を搭載するネットブックは２０１０年下期に発売される予定で、グーグルは現在、複数のパソコンメーカーと共同で作業を行っているという。

Google Chrome OS
Google Chrome OS-FAQ
Google Chrome Operating System

PRESS CONFERENCE ON MYANMAR BY UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS

Just back from a three-day visit to assess the situation in Myanmar’s cyclone-devastated Ayeyarwady delta region, the top United Nations humanitarian official said today that, while relief and early-recovery operations were progressing and victims being reached, more aid and smoother procedures for granting access were needed to sustain the effort.
“On the whole, I was encouraged by what I saw, what I heard and by the discussions I had with the Government,” said John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, at a Headquarters press conference, emphasizing, however: “At the same time, there is no room for any kind of complacency. There is still a lot to do to make this operation a lasting success [and] to reach all people with what they need for a sustained period.”
There had been a lot of progress in the last two months, he said, citing major efforts to rebuild homes, repair schools and get health clinics back up and running. Farming and other agricultural activities were also picking up, in the hope of planting rice before the end of the season, just a few weeks away. “A degree of normality” was beginning to return in some areas outside the delta region, with many schools functioning and increased traffic on major waterways.
More important, however, was that, since his last visit, there had been important movement on the “big issue” of humanitarian access to the needy delta population, he said, adding that he had met “significant numbers” of international relief workers from United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations and the Red Cross and Red Crescent Society, among others. No humanitarian agencies were being denied entry as they had been in the past, even though permission to enter could take a few days to be approved.
“So we’re in a much better position than we were just a couple of months ago,” he said, underscoring, however, that part of the reason for his visit was to talk with the Government and senior ministers involved in the relief operation about ensuring that the kind of access United Nations and other humanitarian agencies now enjoyed and the cooperative approach with the Government be continued in the future and even extended into other areas, so as to address other pressing humanitarian issues in Myanmar.
Among the remaining challenges was the drop in the number of World Food Programme (WFP) helicopters in the country from as many as 10 in recent weeks down to five, he said. It was to be hoped that at least some of those five could be kept flying for at least three or four months to ensure that the most remote areas could be reached by aid workers delivering goods and supplies. The tripartite mechanism –- the United Nations, the Government of Myanmar and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) –- had been able to solve several important problems and tackle issues in a constructive manner.
That cooperative effort had also led to the compilation of a comprehensive “post-Nargis joint assessment report”, he said, stressing that, overall, while the United Nations cold not say with certainty that it had reach 100 per cent of the affected population, it was clear that, with the use of helicopters and improved access, every part of the affected area had been visited. Virtually everyone had been reached “with something”, whether food or tarpaulin for shelter, but now everyone must be reached with what they needed.
“So the main challenge for the next few months is to ensure a more systematic pipeline of aid, both food and non-food items,” he said, stressing especially the need to reach those in the most remote areas who were difficult to reach because of poor infrastructure. Systematic aid delivery would be needed for at least six to nine months. That had been the basis for the most recent revised appeal for some $482 million by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Some $200 million had been received so far, and hopefully donors would respond generously. The revised appeal period runs through April 2009.
On the question of conversion rates -– from dollars to the Foreign Exchange Certificates (FECs) issued by the Government to foreign organizations buying goods and services in the country to the local kyat currency –- Mr. Holmes said the market value of an FEC had diverged from that of the dollar so that, while one FEC had nominally been worth $1, it was now worth some 20 per cent less in local currency. The gap between the currencies had previously been very small, but in 2008 it had widened to some 25 per cent. It currently stood at more than 20 per cent.
“Clearly this is a significant problem in terms of the loss generated in terms of the dollar and that’s why we’ve raised it with the Government now,” he said, adding that the Government had promised to work with the United Nations to find a practical solution. “We are pressing them very hard to do that.” As for the impact on relief efforts, the exchange margin only affected monies spent locally, not imported goods or international staff salaries. OCHA had calculated that the exchange rate affected perhaps only about one third of total aid expenditure. With some $200 million dedicated to the relief operation, some 20 per cent was being lost in the exchange -– probably less than $10 million so far.
“So the losses are significant, but not absolutely gigantic […] still, it’s a significant problem that needs to be addressed,” he said, noting that FECs had existed before Cyclone Nargis, so the issue of their devaluation could not necessarily be tied to that disastrous event.
Responding to several questions about who benefited from the fluctuating exchange rates, he said aid agencies dealt with currency traders, not the Government. Still, the United Nations was trying to investigate the reasons behind the devaluation of the FEC.
One correspondent asked why, with such a large portion of the overall amount being affected by the FEC fluctuations, the issue had not been raised by OCHA during the launch of the revised appeal. Another sought to know what amount of “runoff” OCHA was willing to accept.
Mr. Holmes responded: “Obviously we would like to have a situation where there was no exchange loss. The ideal situation would be if we could pay with our dollars and get the market rate back in kyat […] and that is what we’re asking for.” Whether that could be achieved was another question, especially since any organization working in a country had to operate according to the rules of the host Government. Those rules had been in place for a long time, but the problem was growing because the spread had widened so much. “Perhaps we were a bit slow to recognize -- because the spread suddenly widened in June -– how big a problem this was going to become for us. We have recognized it and are taking it up with the Government.”
Clearly, OCHA’s position was that the current situation was not acceptable “when we’re losing 20 per cent, even if it’s only on some of our expenditures”, he continued. OCHA was aware that donors were concerned about the matter, so everyone was interested in finding a practical solution. “This is a complicated issue, which we’ve had some time getting our heads around.” When OCHA had presented the revised appeal, officials had not been aware of the extent of the loss. “If we had known it at that time, maybe it would have been better to include it in the appeal.”

PRESS CONFERENCE BY SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN MYANMAR

Optimistic that he will return to Myanmar before year’s end on his second mission to examine the state of human rights in the troubled South-East Asian nation, the independent United Nations expert on the issue said today that the restoration of democracy will take time in a nation ruled for so many years by a military regime.
“To get a civil Government will take time. They are not prepared for that. They are prepared for war,” said Tomás Ojea Quintana, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, at a Headquarters press conference, as he responded to reporters’ questions. Yet the process to democracy can be helped by tackling the country’s human rights challenges right now, and he urged the international community to speak in one voice as they nudged Myanmar towards a democratic Government and the elections scheduled for 2010.
Appointed to his position in May 2008, Mr. Quintana completed his first mission to the isolated and poor nation in August. He released his report on the situation of human rights in the Myanmar earlier this month and this morning briefed the General Assembly’s Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian, Cultural) on the situation (see Press Release GA/SHC/3926). Mr. Quintana replaced Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, whose mandate ended in April. The special procedure’s mandate on human rights in Myanmar began in 1992.
He said that the country’s new Constitution had been finalized in February and adopted through a referendum in May in the midst of the damage wrought by Cyclone Nargis. The next step in the road map for national reconciliation and democratic transition was the 2010 election.
Though encouraged by the September release of seven prisoners of conscience, Mr. Quintana noted that 2,000 other political prisoners remained in institutions around the country. Those people, who had been imprisoned for expressing themselves, should be participating in the process that would lead to the 2010 elections.
Mr. Quintana, an Argentine lawyer, told correspondents he had proposed four core human rights elements for completion by the Government before the elections. Those included the revision of domestic laws to ensure their compliance with human rights; the progressive release of all prisoners of conscience; reform of the military; and the independence of the judiciary. He said he was asking the Government to begin reviewing the laws that limited those human rights which the Government now uses to limit people’s expression.
He described his first visit, which had lasted four days, as a difficult one. “The Government didn’t know me […] it was difficult to go into the prison,” he said. But the visit had been very important and included three hours of private meeting with detainees. “The prisoners were very open with me. It gave me a lot of sense of what was going on in the country,” he said. The visit had also given him and the various players in the country an opportunity to get to know each other.
He hoped his next visit would be longer and provide access to different regions of the country. He said he was not feeling any pressure from the Government, but was trying to gain an improvement in human rights.
He said the global attention paid to humanitarian concerns after Cyclone Nargis tore through the country in May did not set back efforts to push for human rights. The Secretary-General’s visit to Myanmar in May had produced positive results for the country’s humanitarian situation and helped open up the country. He added that economic, social and political rights were involved in humanitarian situations. He hoped Government officials would see the democratic process as a positive one for the country and would not want to face continued isolation.

Press Conference to Launch Report on Children and armed Conflict in Myanmar

A year after Cyclone Nargis devastated much of Myanmar and intensified the suffering of children throughout the country, human rights groups urged the Security Council to move swiftly to protect the tens of thousands of children recruited as soldiers by local armed groups.
At a Headquarters press conference today, Julia Freedson, Director of Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict, noted that, less than a week after the Secretary-General had called on the Security Council to take firm action against countries that recruited children as soldiers, the recruitment of some as young as nine years old by national and non-State armies in Myanmar may be the world’s largest occurrence of that activity.
She said that, as Watchlist released its 60-page report “No More Denial: Children Affected by Armed Conflict in Myanmar (Burma)” this week to coincide with the first anniversary of Cyclone Nargis and focus attention on the plight of children in Myanmar, the group also “charges the Security Council with remaining largely silent, despite the evidence from United Nations sources and others”. The launch of the report also coincided with an upcoming report of the Secretary-General, to be delivered to the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict.
Ms. Freedson said the report by Watchlist -- a New York City-based global network of non-governmental organizations -- was the most comprehensive on the situation facing children in Myanmar. It documented the killing and maiming of children, child soldiering, rape, abduction, forced displacement, attacks on schools, denial of humanitarian access and other violations. Armed forces occupied schools and planted landmines on pathways. One in five children died before the age of five due to denial of humanitarian and medical assistance. The report also charged the United Nations with remaining largely silent on the issue, despite evidence from its own, as well as local sources.
At a July 2005 meeting, the Security Council adopted resolution 1612, strongly condemning the recruitment and use of child soldiers and asking the Secretary-General to create a monitoring and reporting mechanism on the issue. In 2007, the Secretary-General had issued a report on children and armed conflict in Myanmar (document S/2007/666), and in July 2008, the Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict had issued its conclusions on that topic (document S/AC.51/2008/8).
Ms. Freedson said the Watchlist report provided a number of recommendations, including one calling for the leveraging and channelling of aid delivered to Myanmar in the wake of Cyclone Nargis to conflict-ridden areas.
Accompanying Ms. Freedson were Esther Lay, Programme Director at Karen Human Rights Group, an independent human rights group focusing on Myanmar; and Jo Becker, Advocacy Director for the Children’s Rights Division of Human Rights Watch in New York.
Ms. Lay said that “for decades the Burmese Army has tried to put villagers under control”, forcing many people to flee into the mountains and forests to evade the soldiers. “All villagers are deemed enemies of the State. Even babies are shot and killed. Children as young as seven are raped. Children are separated from their families.”
A native of Myanmar forced to flee her own village, she said she had subsequently set up a school for displaced children in the jungle, where she had lived for 20 years. The abuse must no longer be denied or ignored. The last report of the Secretary-General report, in 2007, omitted mention of many violations, despite documentation by human rights groups. The Council should ask the Secretary-General to provide information on the gravity of the situation, and United Nations country teams should work with non-governmental organizations with years of experience in reporting human rights violations in the area.
Ms. Becker urged the Council to pressure national and non-State armies to stop child recruitment, advocating that personnel found guilty of violations be subject to the full penalty prescribed by national law. The Government had consistently denied the use of child soldiers, but military commanders were given ambitious recruitment quotas to make up for large rates of desertion. Cash, bags of rice and cooking oil were used as bonuses to induce military recruiters, the police and even local people to turn children in. “Picking a child up off the street and taking them to a recruiting office is an easy way to make money.”
Criticizing the Working Group’s conclusions for failing to acknowledge the gravity of the situation or call for sanctions, she expressed hope that the Council would do more to hold the national army accountable, including by setting a concrete deadline by which the national army must comply with Myanmar’s own national standards. If not, sanctions should be applied, including the freezing of assets, an arms embargo and others. “Too much time is being wasted denying the problem.”
In response to a question, Ms. Freedson said cyclone assistance had not reached the ethnic areas of conflict.
Asked what policies were in place to secure the children’s freedom, Ms. Becker said the parents of missing children would approach the International Labour Organization (ILO), which had been successful in negotiating 38 releases. Some parents would go to a recruitment station for confirmation that their child had been recruited and then report to ILO. There was no good tracking system to follow a child after release.
Responding to another question, on Government efforts to work with the United Nations, she said the Government was trying to create the illusion that progress had been made, while more work remained to be done.

Myanmar's human rights record matter of 'grave concern,' says Ban

4 July 2009 – Myanmar's future must be rooted in respect for human rights, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, voicing his deep disappointment that the South-East Asian nation's Government refused his request to meet with Nobel laureate and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Myanmar was one of the first United Nations Member States to adopt the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but “unfortunately, that commitment has not been matched in deed,” Mr. Ban said in Yangon, at the end of his two-day visit to the country. “Myanmar's human rights record remains a matter of grave concern.”
He called on authorities to release all political prisoners – including Ms. Suu Kyi – without delay.
The Secretary-General said that Senior General Than Shwe's refusal to allow him to meet with Ms. Suu Kyi, whose trial is pending, shows that the Government “has lost a unique opportunity to show its commitment to a new era of political openness.”
He added that “allowing a visit to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi would have been an important symbol of the Government's willingness to embark on the kind of meaningful engagement that will be essential if the elections in 2010 are to be seen as credible.”
Myanmar's authorities have laid out stability, national reconciliation and democracy as their goals, and next year's polls, the first in two decades, must be “inclusive, participatory and transparent,” Mr. Ban stressed in his address today to diplomats, UN agencies, and international and non-governmental organizations.
“Sovereignty, territorial integrity and national unity are legitimate concerns for any government,” he said.
“Opening and broadening the political space is the best way to ensure that each group and each individual becomes part of the greater collective project,” added Mr. Ban, who met with leaders of Myanmar's registered political parties, including Ms. Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD), and with former armed groups observing a ceasefire during his time in the country.
The Secretary-General's last visit to Myanmar was in the wake of last May's devastating Cyclone Nargis, which killed almost 130,000 people. During this visit, he visited the Kyon Da Village in the Irrawaddy delta to see the results of recovery and reconstruction work first-hand.
In his speech today, he lauded the “unprecedented” cooperation between Myanmar, the UN and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) through the Tripartite Core Group which he said showed that humanitarian imperatives and the principle of sovereignty do not conflict.
“Humanitarian assistance – in Myanmar as elsewhere – should never be held hostage to political considerations,” he emphasized. “We can and must work together to ensure access to humanitarian and development assistance to all those in Myanmar who need it.”
Mr. Ban, who met with Senior General Than Shwe yesterday and today, as well as Prime Minister Thein Sein, also urged Myanmar to lift millions of its citizens out of poverty by unleashing its economic potential.
“The people of Myanmar need jobs, they need food security and they need access to healthcare,” he said, calling on the country to “take advantage of the opportunities that the international community is prepared to offer.”
Myanmar, the Secretary-General said, can only benefit from engagement and has stated many times that cooperation with the UN is the cornerstone of its foreign policy.
“We ask it to match deeds with words,” he said. “The more Myanmar works in partnership with the United Nations to respond to its people's needs and aspirations, the more it affirms its sovereignty.”
Speaking to reporters in Bangkok, Thailand, after leaving Yangon, Mr. Ban stressed that the authorities' refusal to allow him to visit Aung San Suu Kyi “should not be seen as the only benchmark for success or failure of my visit.”
During his time in the country, he was able to “very frankly and directly” convey the international community's concerns, as well as its readiness to help Myanmar's people achieve their “legitimate aspirations,” to Senior General Than Shwe and his Government, he said.
While in the Thai capital, the Secretary-General said he met with Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, and also told reporters that his Special Adviser, Ibrahim Gambari, will shortly convene the so-called Group of Friends on Myanmar, a gathering of countries supporting greater dialogue in the Asian country.
From Thailand, Mr. Ban is scheduled to travel to Switzerland, Ireland and Italy.

Secretary-General to visit Myanmar later this week

29 June 2009 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will visit Myanmar from 3 to 4 July, at the invitation of the Government, to highlight key issues such as the need to release all political prisoners, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, it was announced today.
Mr. Ban, who last visited the country in the wake of the devastating Cyclone Nargis last May, “looks forward to returning to Myanmar to address directly with the senior leadership a broad range of issues, including longstanding concerns to the United Nations and to the international community,” his spokesperson, Michele Montas, said.
The Secretary-General, she added, believes that the issues of political prisoners, the resumption of dialogue between the Government and opposition to achieve national reconciliation, and setting the stage for credible elections “cannot be left unaddressed at this juncture of the country’s political process.”
Further, he considers building on the joint humanitarian effort following his visit to Myanmar last May in the aftermath of Nargis, which killed nearly 150,000 people, to be also essential.
“The Secretary-General believes that the sooner these issues are addressed, the earlier Myanmar will be able to move towards peace, democracy and prosperity,” Ms. Montas said. “He looks forward to meeting all key stakeholders to discuss what further assistance the United Nations can offer to that end.”
Mr. Ban is currently on his way to Japan, where, upon his arrival tomorrow night, he is scheduled to meet with Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone. While in the country, he will also meet with Prime Minister Taro Aso and Japanese business leaders.
Next week, he will embark on a trip to Europe, which will take him to Switzerland, Ireland and Italy.
On 6 July in Geneva, the Secretary-General will open the substantive session of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and address the Second Global Review of Aid for Trade, organized by the World Trade Organization (WTO).
While in the Swiss city, he will also open ECOSOC’s Innovation Fair and meet with donors at the World Health Organization (WHO) on the influenza A(H1N1) virus.
Mr. Ban will then travel to Ireland for his first official visit from 6 to 8 July, and he plans to discuss the country’s cooperation with the UN, especially regarding peacekeeping operations, with President Mary McAleese, Taoiseach Brian Cowen, Foreign Minister Micheál Martin and Defence Minister Willie O’Dea.
At the Dublin Castle in the Irish capital, he will give a speech on peacekeeping at an event facilitated by the Institute for International and European Affairs.
The Secretary-General will wrap up his European trip in L’Aquila, Italy, where he will press leaders attending the summit of the Group of Eight (G8) industrialized nations for greater cuts in greenhouse gas emissions; increased funding for the African development targets set at the G8 gathering in Gleneagles, United Kingdom, in 2005; and bolstered support for developing countries seeking to weather the economic crisis.

Myanmar's human rights record matter of 'grave concern,' says Ban

4 July 2009 – Myanmar's future must be rooted in respect for human rights, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, voicing his deep disappointment that the South-East Asian nation's Government refused his request to meet with Nobel laureate and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Myanmar was one of the first United Nations Member States to adopt the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but “unfortunately, that commitment has not been matched in deed,” Mr. Ban said in Yangon, at the end of his two-day visit to the country. “Myanmar's human rights record remains a matter of grave concern.”
He called on authorities to release all political prisoners – including Ms. Suu Kyi – without delay.
The Secretary-General said that Senior General Than Shwe's refusal to allow him to meet with Ms. Suu Kyi, whose trial is pending, shows that the Government “has lost a unique opportunity to show its commitment to a new era of political openness.”
He added that “allowing a visit to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi would have been an important symbol of the Government's willingness to embark on the kind of meaningful engagement that will be essential if the elections in 2010 are to be seen as credible.”
Myanmar's authorities have laid out stability, national reconciliation and democracy as their goals, and next year's polls, the first in two decades, must be “inclusive, participatory and transparent,” Mr. Ban stressed in his address today to diplomats, UN agencies, and international and non-governmental organizations.
“Sovereignty, territorial integrity and national unity are legitimate concerns for any government,” he said.
“Opening and broadening the political space is the best way to ensure that each group and each individual becomes part of the greater collective project,” added Mr. Ban, who met with leaders of Myanmar's registered political parties, including Ms. Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD), and with former armed groups observing a ceasefire during his time in the country.
The Secretary-General's last visit to Myanmar was in the wake of last May's devastating Cyclone Nargis, which killed almost 130,000 people. During this visit, he visited the Kyon Da Village in the Irrawaddy delta to see the results of recovery and reconstruction work first-hand.
In his speech today, he lauded the “unprecedented” cooperation between Myanmar, the UN and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) through the Tripartite Core Group which he said showed that humanitarian imperatives and the principle of sovereignty do not conflict.
“Humanitarian assistance – in Myanmar as elsewhere – should never be held hostage to political considerations,” he emphasized. “We can and must work together to ensure access to humanitarian and development assistance to all those in Myanmar who need it.”
Mr. Ban, who met with Senior General Than Shwe yesterday and today, as well as Prime Minister Thein Sein, also urged Myanmar to lift millions of its citizens out of poverty by unleashing its economic potential.
“The people of Myanmar need jobs, they need food security and they need access to healthcare,” he said, calling on the country to “take advantage of the opportunities that the international community is prepared to offer.”
Myanmar, the Secretary-General said, can only benefit from engagement and has stated many times that cooperation with the UN is the cornerstone of its foreign policy.
“We ask it to match deeds with words,” he said. “The more Myanmar works in partnership with the United Nations to respond to its people's needs and aspirations, the more it affirms its sovereignty.”
Speaking to reporters in Bangkok, Thailand, after leaving Yangon, Mr. Ban stressed that the authorities' refusal to allow him to visit Aung San Suu Kyi “should not be seen as the only benchmark for success or failure of my visit.”
During his time in the country, he was able to “very frankly and directly” convey the international community's concerns, as well as its readiness to help Myanmar's people achieve their “legitimate aspirations,” to Senior General Than Shwe and his Government, he said.
While in the Thai capital, the Secretary-General said he met with Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, and also told reporters that his Special Adviser, Ibrahim Gambari, will shortly convene the so-called Group of Friends on Myanmar, a gathering of countries supporting greater dialogue in the Asian country.
From Thailand, Mr. Ban is scheduled to travel to Switzerland, Ireland and Italy.

Myanmar should release all political prisoners, Ban says ahead of visit

30 June 2009 – Myanmar should release all political prisoners, including the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today ahead of a planned visit to the Asian country for talks with the leadership on key issues.
Mr. Ban, who is scheduled to visit Myanmar for two days starting on Friday, told journalists in Japan – where he has begun a five-country international tour – that he realized there were concerns about the timing of the visit given that the trial of Ms. Suu Kyi is pending.
“It may be the case that the trial may happen during my visit in Myanmar. I am very much conscious of that. At the same time, to find the most appropriate timing has been a challenge for me, too,” he said.
The Secretary-General said he would use the visit to try to “raise in the strongest possible terms” the concerns of the international community about the situation inside Myanmar.
Mr. Ban reiterated that the authorities should release all political prisoners, including Ms. Suu Kyi, immediately resume dialogue between the Government and opposition leaders, and create both a political atmosphere and a legal framework conducive to the holding of credible elections next year.
“This is the commitment and concerns and aspiration of the international community. I am going to convey this strongly to Senior General Than Shwe and other leaders,” he said, adding that he also hopes to have dialogue with grassroots groups during his visit.
He last visited Myanmar in May 2008 in the wake of the catastrophic impact of Cyclone Nargis, which killed almost 150,000 people, and he said today that he hopes to build on the joint humanitarian efforts that emerged following that disaster.
While in Japan, Mr. Ban has held talks with the country’s Foreign Minister, Hirofumi Nakasone, with the two men discussing Myanmar, UN-Japanese cooperation and the implementation of the Security Council resolution on the recent nuclear test conducted by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
“I urge the North Korean authorities to refrain from taking any further measures which may deteriorate the already very serious situation,” the Secretary-General said to reporters. “These measures taken by the DPRK authorities run counter to the ongoing international community’s efforts to realize nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.”
Tomorrow Mr. Ban is slated to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, other political leaders, business figures, UN goodwill ambassadors, students and children.
After visiting Japan and Myanmar on this trip, the UN chief is scheduled to travel to Switzerland, Ireland and Italy.

Ban discusses Myanmar during talks with Singapore’s leaders

2 July 2009 – The situation in Myanmar and the global economic crisis topped the agenda today when Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon held talks with Singapore’s leaders on the latest stop of his international trip.
Mr. Ban met with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and later had a working dinner with Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong after arriving earlier today in the small South-East Asian country.
Mr. Lee reiterated Singapore’s supports for the good offices of the United Nations Secretary-General and for the work of Mr. Ban’s Special Adviser Ibrahim Gambari on Myanmar, which Mr. Ban is slated to visit tomorrow.
While in Singapore the Secretary-General also discussed the challenges facing the international community, particularly the global economic crisis, as well as UN-Singaporean relations.
Mr. Ban had arrived in Singapore from Japan, where he stressed to top officials the need for the country’s leadership in “sealing the deal” on an ambitious climate change pact in Copenhagen, Denmark, this December.
Tomorrow morning, he is scheduled to travel to Myanmar for a two-day visit, arriving in Yangon and travelling on to the capital, Nay Pyi Taw, where he will hold talks with Senior General Than Shwe.
Ahead of that trip, the Secretary-General has listed his four main areas of concern: the release of all political prisoners, including Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi; the resumption of Government-opposition dialogue as part of the national reconciliation process; the need to create conditions necessary for credible elections; and the importance of building on the joint humanitarian effort that emerged in the wake of last year’s devastating Cyclone Nargis.
From Myanmar, he will travel to Switzerland, Ireland and Italy, before returning to New York.

UN SG's QUOTE OF THE DAY

QUOTE OF THE DAY

It is now up to the leaders of Myanmar to set in place the elements necessary for the election to be credible and legitimate. And I'm going to follow up to see how the authorities will act on the issues that I have raised in our discussions.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon,

Geneva, 6 July 2009

ACTIVITIES OF SECRETARY-GENERAL IN MYANMAR, 3-4 JULY

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Yangon from Singapore in the morning of Friday 3 July, for a two-day visit to Myanmar.

From Yangon, he travelled by air to Nay Pyi Taw, the administrative capital of Myanmar, for the first of two meetings with Senior General Than Shwe, senior members of the State Peace and Development Council and with other Government officials.

The Secretary-General described the aim of his Good Offices mission as one in which “members of the international community had wanted me to tell Myanmar’s leaders that countries stand ready to help the people of Myanmar achieve their legitimate aspirations”.

He said the two meetings had enabled him to convey the concerns of the international community very frankly and directly to the Senior General and his Government. The Secretary-General said he had conveyed to the Senior General that the international community wants to help Myanmar to achieve democracy, national reconciliation, durable peace and sustainable development, and that he had emphasized that neither peace nor development can thrive without democracy and respect for human rights.

Specifically, he said he had told General Than Shwe that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners should be released without delay and allowed to participate in the political process. He also said he wanted to see swift resumption of dialogue with the National League for Democracy at the highest levels. And he said he set out detailed criteria for an environment conducive for free and fair elections in 2010.

In addition, he said he also discussed practical issues related to humanitarian assistance, especially the swift issuance of visas. “These are all areas where I expect to see progress in the very near future”, he said.

He said he was deeply disappointed that Senior General Than Shwe refused his request to visit Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Such a visit, he said, would have been an important symbol of the Government's willingness to embark on the kind of meaningful engagement that will be essential if the elections in 2010 are to be seen as credible.

While in Nay Pyi Taw, the Secretary-General also met with leaders of Myanmar’s registered political parties and with those armed groups that have chosen to observe a ceasefire. He encouraged them respectively to honour their commitments to the democratic process and peace.

On Friday evening, he had a working dinner with the Prime Minister of Myanmar, Thein Sein.

On Saturday morning, the Secretary-General held a second meeting with the Senior General before departing for Kyon Da Village in the Irrawaddy Delta to see the results of recovery and reconstruction work following the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis. The Secretary-General had visited the same village just over a year ago. He noted the improvement in the living conditions and the shelters of the villagers he had witnessed in the aftermath of the natural disaster that had wreaked havoc in the region.

Back in Yangon on Saturday afternoon, the Secretary-General held a Town Hall meeting with the United Nations staff working in Myanmar. In a public address, the Secretary-General then spoke to an audience of diplomats, local and international non-governmental organizations, and United Nations agencies, and delivered a wide-ranging speech setting out messages for Myanmar -- on national reconciliation, human rights and democracy, humanitarian assistance and on economic progress.

“The question today is this: how much longer can Myanmar afford to wait for national reconciliation, democratic transition and full respect for human rights?” he asked. “The cost of delay will be counted in wasted lives, lost opportunities and prolonged isolation from the international community.”

He flew to Bangkok from Yangon in the evening of Saturday 4 July. (SG/T/2686 )


Secretary-General, quoting predecessor u thant, says myanmar government has missed
‘unique opportunity’ to match country’s early commitment to human rights

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks to diplomatic missions, United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations in Yangon, Myanmar on 4 July:

This is my second visit to Myanmar in just over a year. Both visits have been at critical times for the country's future.

My first visit was in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis. This devastating natural disaster, which took so many lives and created so much hardship, touched hearts across the globe. In Myanmar's moment of need, the world responded generously.

I want to personally thank everyone here today for your remarkable contributions to the relief and recovery effort. You have saved lives, rejuvenated communities and made it possible for many thousands of people to reclaim their livelihoods. You have helped Myanmar to overcome adversity. It is important that this work continues.

I felt the tragedy of Cyclone Nargis deeply -- as a fellow Asian and as Secretary-General. I am Asia's second Secretary-General. The first was Myanmar's U Thant. I revere his memory. I also recall his wise words.

U Thant said: “The worth of the individual human being is the most unique and precious of all our assets and must be the beginning and end of all our efforts. Governments, systems, ideologies and institutions come and go, but humanity remains.”

This is why I have returned. As Secretary-General, I attach the highest importance to helping the people of this country to achieve their legitimate aspirations. The United Nations works for people –- their rights, their well-being, their dignity. It is not an option. It is our responsibility.

I have come to show the unequivocal shared commitment of the United Nations to the people of Myanmar. I am here today to say: Myanmar -– you are not alone. We want to work with you for a united, peaceful, prosperous, democratic and modern Myanmar. We want to help you rise from poverty.

We want to work with you so your country can take its place as a respected and responsible member of the international community. We want to help you achieve national reconciliation, durable peace and sustainable development. But, let me emphasize: neither peace nor development can thrive without democracy and respect for human rights. Myanmar is no exception.

The challenges are many. But they are not insurmountable. We know from experience that securing Myanmar's peaceful, democratic and prosperous future is a complex process. None of Myanmar's challenges can be solved on their own. Peace, development and human rights are closely interrelated. Failure to address them with equal attention will risk undermining the prospects for democracy, durable peace and prosperity.

However, we also know that where there is a genuine will for dialogue and reconciliation, all obstacles can be overcome. The question today is this: how much longer can Myanmar afford to wait for national reconciliation, democratic transition and full respect for human rights? The cost of delay will be counted in wasted lives, lost opportunities and prolonged isolation from the international community. Let me be clear: all the people of Myanmar must work in the national interest.

I said this yesterday when I met with representatives of Myanmar's registered political parties and with those armed groups that have chosen to observe a ceasefire. I encouraged them respectively to honour their commitments to the democratic process and peace.

Nonetheless, the primary responsibility lies with the Government to move the country towards its stated goals of national reconciliation and democracy. Failure to do so will prevent the people of Myanmar from realizing their full potential. Failure to do so will deny the people of Myanmar their right to live in dignity and to pursue better standards of life in larger freedom.

These principles lie at the core of the United Nations Charter, whose opening words are “We the peoples”. The founding Constitution of independent Myanmar echoes these noble words. We must work together to ensure that Myanmar's future embodies these principles too.

With this in mind, I bring three messages. First, respect for human dignity is the precondition for peace and development everywhere. Myanmar was one of the first United Nations Member States to adopt the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It subscribed early on to the consensus that respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms is indispensable to political, economic and social progress.

Unfortunately, that commitment has not been matched in deed. Myanmar's human rights record remains a matter of grave concern. The Government has articulated its goals as stability, national reconciliation and democracy. The upcoming election –- the first in 20 years –- must be inclusive, participatory and transparent if it is to be credible and legitimate. Myanmar's way forward must be rooted in respect for human rights. This is why I say that all political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, should be released without delay.

When I met Senior General Than Shwe yesterday and today, I asked and pressed as hard as I could to visit Ms. Suu Kyi. I am deeply disappointed that he refused. I believe the Government of Myanmar has missed a unique opportunity to show its commitment to a new era of political openness. It was a setback to the international community's efforts to reach out hands to Myanmar's needs. Allowing a visit to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi would have been an important symbol of the Government's willingness to embark on the kind of meaningful engagement that will be essential if the elections in 2010 are to be seen as credible.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi must be allowed to participate in the political process without further delay. Indeed, all the citizens of Myanmar must be given the opportunity to contribute fully to the future of this country. National reconciliation cannot be complete without the free and active participation of all who seek to contribute. The country must embark on a process of genuine dialogue that includes all concerned parties, all ethnic groups and all minorities. People must be free to debate and to engage in political dialogue, and they must have free access to the information that will help them participate meaningfully in the democratic process.

Any transition is difficult. Myanmar has already undergone transitions from sovereign kingdom, to occupied colony, and now independent State. This history carries a twin legacy of armed conflict and political deadlock, including recent painful events: the repression of demonstrators in 1988, the cancellation of the 1990 election results, and the clampdown on peaceful dissent that continues to this day.

At the same time, there have been some positive efforts that should be recognized. Although still fragile, the ceasefire agreements between the Government and armed groups have reduced the level of conflict. The United Nations has wide-ranging experience in making such gains irreversible.

Sovereignty, territorial integrity and national unity are legitimate concerns for any government. We contend that opening and broadening the political space is the best way to ensure that each group and each individual becomes part of the greater collective project. The military, all political parties, ethnic minority groups, civil society, and indeed every son and daughter of Myanmar has a role to play in this country's transition. Only mutual compromise, respect and understanding can lay the foundations for durable peace, national reconciliation and democracy.

My second message is on addressing the humanitarian needs of Myanmar's people. I am glad I have been able to return to see the progress made in the Irrawaddy Delta. The loss of some 130,000 people was tragic, but the rebuilding I saw today was impressive. The tragedy showed the resilience of the people of Myanmar. It also demonstrated that people throughout the world care deeply about Myanmar and its people.

Above all, the response to Cyclone Nargis proved the value of engagement over isolation. The unprecedented cooperation between Myanmar, the United Nations and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) through the Tripartite Core Group, with the support of the donor community, has demonstrated that humanitarian imperatives and the principles of sovereignty do not conflict. Humanitarian assistance -- in Myanmar as elsewhere -- should never be held hostage to political considerations. We can and must work together to ensure access to humanitarian and development assistance to all those in Myanmar who need it.

This brings me to my third message. It is time for Myanmar to unleash its economic potential. Myanmar sits in the middle of Asia's economic miracle. Harnessing Myanmar to the rapid advances taking place around it is the surest way to raise living standards. I welcome the Government's policy of opening up to outside trade and investment, and its efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, control HIV, combat human trafficking and curtail opium production.

But the reality is that millions continue to live in poverty. Standards of living in Myanmar remain among the lowest in Asia. The people of Myanmar need jobs, they need food security and they need access to health care. We must work to ensure that the people of Myanmar can benefit from and contribute to the regional and global economy. We must recognize that the region and the world have much to gain from a stable, prosperous and democratic Myanmar. We must work together for that goal.

The Government of Myanmar must seize the moment. It must take advantage of the opportunities that the international community is prepared to offer to the people of Myanmar.

I came here as a friend. My duty is to uphold the ideals and principles of the United Nations Charter. My role is to encourage all of you -– the Government, political parties, ethnic groups, civil society – -to move forward together as one people and one nation. Nothing is insurmountable or impossible when the people's interest is placed above divisions.

The region and the world are changing fast. Myanmar only stands to gain from engagement -- and from embarking on its own change. The Government of Myanmar has repeatedly stated that cooperation with the United Nations is the cornerstone of the country's foreign policy. We ask it to match deeds with words. The more Myanmar works in partnership with the United Nations to respond to its people's needs and aspirations, the more it affirms its sovereignty.

Similarly it is incumbent on the international community as whole to work together to help Myanmar meet our shared goals: a united, peaceful, prosperous and democratic future, with full respect for the human rights of all the country's people. (SG/SM/12351 )

Bangkok, Thailand, 4 July 2009 - Press encounter following departure from Myanmar

SG: Good evening. Thank you for coming to meet me at this late hour of the day.
As you know, I have just come from a two-day visit to Myanmar. I met twice the Senior General Than Shwe, and I had discussions with other government officials.
I also met with leaders of Myanmar's registered political parties and with those former armed groups that have chosen to observe a cease-fire.
This morning I also had time to visit Kyon Da Village in the Irrawaddy Delta to see the results of recovery and reconstruction work.
Let me first address my meetings with Senior General Than Shwe.
As you know by now, I asked to meet with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
I am deeply disappointed that Senior General Than Shwe refused my request. Allowing a visit to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi would have been an important symbol of the government's willingness to embark on the kind of meaningful engagement that will be essential if the elections in 2010 are to be seen as credible.
I believe the Government of Myanmar failed to take a unique opportunity to show its commitment to a new era of political openness.
Nonetheless, my visit has enabled me to convey the concerns of the international community very frankly and directly to Senior General Than Shwe and his Government.
My meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi, however, should not be seen as the only benchmark for success or failure of my visit. Because I believe that there are many more fundamental issues which we addressed, during the visit, which [will] help move Myanmar forward.
The members of the international community wanted me to tell Myanmar's leaders that the international community stands ready to help the people of Myanmar achieve their legitimate aspirations.
This is why I went to Myanmar, and this is what we did.
I told Senior General Than Shwe that the international community wants to help Myanmar to achieve democracy, national reconciliation, durable peace and sustainable development.
And I emphasized that neither peace nor development can thrive without democracy and respect for human rights.
I outlined my proposals for progress.
I told Senior General Than Shwe that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners should be released without delay and allowed to participate freely in the political process.
I said I wanted to see resumption of substantive and time-bound dialogue between the Government and Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy at the higher level of engagement.
I set out detailed criteria for a conducive environment for free and fair elections in 2010. Only then will the elections be seen as credible and legitimate.
I have urged them to publish as soon as possible the electoral law and establish an electoral commission and set a date or month for the election in 2010. I discussed the establishment of a broad-based national economic forum to address Myanmar's development needs.
I also discussed the practical issues related to humanitarian assistance, especially the swift issuance of visas.
I discussed, as well, the expansion of humanitarian assistance beyond the Delta area.
These are all areas where I expect the Myanmar Government to demonstrate progress in the very near future.
Finally, before I left for the airport, I spoke to an audience of Myanmar senior Government officials, diplomats, local and international non-governmental organizations and United Nations agencies. It was a huge gathering. I delivered a wide-ranging speech setting out my messages for Myanmar – on national reconciliation, human rights and democracy, on humanitarian assistance and on economic progress.
Today, before I came here, I had a meeting with the Prime Minister of Thailand and I briefed him on my visit to Myanmar, and I'm going to continue to engage with the members of the Group of Friends on Myanmar. My Special Adviser Mr. [Ibrahim] Gambari, upon his return to New York, is going to convene the Group of Friends on Myanmar and brief the members there that we will continue to follow up with the Myanmar authorities on the progress of the issues which I have discussed with the Myanmar authorities.
I again thank you for your attention and will welcome a few questions. Thank you very much.
Q: Is it fair to say that you are coming away with nothing from this trip? It seems like you are going back to New York with absolutely no concessions from the Myanmar Government on any of the points you raised.
SG: As I said, I have laid out and conveyed the concerns exactly and correctly of the international community to the Myanmar authorities, my own views as Secretary General of the United Nations, what the international community, what the United Nations expects them to do as part of the democratization process, as they have committed to [in the] road map. This is what I have told them as strongly as possible, as hard as I could press. Now we have to follow up and closely monitor in close coordination with the Member States how they will implement the discussions which I had.
Q: At this time even though you showed your strong concern to the Government, your requests have all been rejected. What is your next step? What more can you do?
SG: If you use the word “reject,” I think it is only [referring to] my request to meet with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. For all the proposals, I believe that they will seriously consider, they have not rejected any of what I proposed and therefore it would be extremely important for the international community, particularly myself and my Special Adviser, in carrying out the good offices role mandated by the General Assembly, to follow up on all the issues which I have discussed.
Q: So you met with the NLD Executive Committee. I heard you met 20 minutes in your private room can you give us any idea what you discussed with the NLD and if you can expect them to participate in the election for some odd reason?
SG: That is a part of my meeting of a group of representatives of 10 registered political parties of Myanmar. After that meeting, I had an opportunity of meeting separately those representatives of the NLD. I listened to their concerns and I explained to them what I had discussed with Senior General Than Shwe. My message to them was that all political parties may have a difference of opinion and positions. But the democratic process requires that it would be necessary for each and every one of the political parties to play their own role in a constructive way to this reconciliatory process.
And I also urged the Government leaders to protect a politically and socially conducive atmosphere, where all of these political party members could freely, actively engage in their political activities. This requires the cooperation and commitment from both sides, the Government and the political party leaders. This was my message to all the political leaders including NLD.

UN SG-Press

Prospect of more Burma sanctions

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown raised the prospect Saturday of further sanctions against Burma following UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's fruitless visit to the military regime.
"We await the secretary-general's report,'' Brown said in a statement from his office. "I hope that there is still the possibility of a change of approach from Burma.
"But if not, my sad conclusion is that the Burmese regime has put increased isolation, including the possibility of further sanctions, on the international agenda.''
Brown's comments came after Burma's refusal to let Ban meet pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi during a two-day visit. Ban described the move "a setback for the international community.''
Human rights groups had warned the visit would be seen as a failure unless he managed to win her release.
Brown said Ban was "right to go to Burma. He gave powerful voice to the UN's core mission _ our collective commitment to humanitarian relief, democratic governance and human rights.''
"But it is a measure of the obstinacy of the Burmese regime that they have once again failed to respect those principles and failed to properly respond to the international figurehead who best embodies them.''
Brown had on Friday described Ban's visit as "a crucial moment for the international community.''
In an entry for the Huffington Post blog, the British prime minister had urged Burma to mark Ban's arrival by halting Aung San Suu Kyi's trial _ on charges of breaching the terms of her house arrest _ and setting her free.
The 64-year-old was transferred from her lakeside home to Yangon's notorious Insein prison in May to face trial after an American man swam uninvited to the property. She faces up to five years in jail if convicted.
Aung San Suu Kyi has been under house arrest or in detention for 13 of the last 19 years since the junta refused to recognise her National League for Democracy's landslide victory in Burma's last elections, in 1990.
By: AFP
Published: 5/07/2009 at 12:01 AM

UN chief outlines Burma vision in rare speech

UN chief Ban Ki-moon gave a rare public speech on Saturday outlining his vision for a democratic Burma, just hours after the ruling junta refused to let him meet opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Ban told an audience of diplomats, UN agencies and non-governmental organisations that the military regime must free the pro-democracy icon and introduce other reforms for the good of the country's people.
"I am here today to say: Myanmar, you are not alone. We want to work with you for a united, peaceful, prosperous, democratic and modern Myanmar," Ban said at the Drug Elimination Museum in the commercial hub Rangoon. He used the ruling military regime's name for Burma throughout his visit.
"We want to help you rise from poverty ... work with you so that your country can take its place as a respected and responsible member of the international community," the secretary general said.
"But let me emphasise: neither peace nor development can thrive without democracy and respect for human rights. Myanmar is no exception."
Junta chief Than Shwe earlier Saturday refused to let Ban visit Aung San Suu Kyi, who is in prison facing trial over an incident in which an American man swam uninvited to her lakeside house in May.
Ban earlier described Than Shwe's snub as "deeply disappointing".
"I tried as hard as I could," he claimed, to press a request to the junta that all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi, "should be released without delay".
"The primary responsibility rests with the government to move the country toward its stated goals of national reconciliation and democracy," Ban said.
Burma was one of the first UN members to adopt its Declaration of Human Rights, he said, but added: "Unfortunately that commitment has not been matched in deed. [Burma's] human rights record remains a matter of grave concern."
Ban also urged the junta to ensure that elections promised in 2010 should be free and fair. Critics say they will be a sham that will allow the ruling generals to entrench their power.
"The upcoming election, the first in 20 years, must be inclusive, participatory and transparent if it is to be credible," he said.
The military regime refused to recognise the landslide victory of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy in Burma's last elections in 1990.
from : Bangkok Post
By: AFP
Published: 4/07/2009 at 09:58 AM

The UN Secretary-General's Statement at Myanmar

Yangon, Myanmar, 4 July 2009 - Remarks on Myanmar to Diplomatic Missions, UN Agencies and Non-Governmental Organizations

Excellencies,
Distinguished guests and colleagues
Ladies and Gentlemen,
This is my second visit to Myanmar in just over a year. Both visits have been at critical times for the country's future.
My first visit was in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis. This devastating natural disaster, which took so many lives and created so much hardship, touched hearts across the globe. In Myanmar's moment of need, the world responded generously.
I want to personally thank everyone here today for your remarkable contributions to the relief and recovery effort.
You have saved lives, rejuvenated communities and made it possible for many thousands of people to reclaim their livelihoods. You have helped Myanmar to overcome adversity. It is important that this work continues.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I felt the tragedy of Cyclone Nargis deeply -- as a fellow Asian and as Secretary-General.
I am Asia's second Secretary-General. The first was Myanmar''s U Thant. I revere his memory. I also recall his wise words.
U Thant said: “The worth of the individual human being is the most unique and precious of all our assets and must be the beginning and end of all our efforts. Governments, systems, ideologies and institutions come and go, but humanity remains.”
This is why I have returned.
As Secretary-General, I attach the highest importance to helping the people of this country to achieve their legitimate aspirations.
The United Nations works for people – their rights, their well-being, their dignity. It is not an option. It is our responsibility.
I have come to show the unequivocal shared commitment of the United Nations to the people of Myanmar.
I am here today to say: Myanmar – you are not alone.
We want to work with you for a united, peaceful, prosperous, democratic and modern Myanmar.
We want to help you rise from poverty.
We want to work with you so your country can take its place as a respected and responsible member of the international community.
We want to help you achieve national reconciliation, durable peace and sustainable development.
But, let me emphasize: neither peace nor development can thrive without democracy and respect for human rights.
Myanmar is no exception.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The challenges are many. But they are not insurmountable.
We know from experience that securing Myanmar's peaceful, democratic and prosperous future is a complex process.
None of Myanmar's challenges can be solved on their own. Peace, development and human rights are closely inter-related.
Failure to address them with equal attention will risk undermining the prospects for democracy, durable peace and prosperity.
However, we also know that where there is a genuine will for dialogue and reconciliation, all obstacles can be overcome.
The question today is this: how much longer can Myanmar afford to wait for national reconciliation, democratic transition and full respect for human rights?
The cost of delay will be counted in wasted lives, lost opportunities and prolonged isolation from the international community.
Let me be clear: all the people of Myanmar must work in the national interest.
I said this yesterday when I met with representatives of Myanmar's registered political parties and with those armed groups that have chosen to observe a cease-fire. I encouraged them respectively to honour their commitments to the democratic process and peace.
Nonetheless, the primary responsibility lies with the Government to move the country towards its stated goals of national reconciliation and democracy.
Failure to do so will prevent the people of Myanmar from realizing their full potential.
Failure to do so will deny the people of Myanmar their right to live in dignity and to pursue better standards of life in larger freedom.
These principles lie at the core of the United Nations Charter, whose opening words are “We the peoples”.
The founding Constitution of independent Myanmar echoes these noble words. We must work together to ensure that Myanmar's future embodies these principles too.
With this in mind, I bring three messages.
First, respect for human dignity is the precondition for peace and development everywhere.
Myanmar was one of the first United Nations Member States to adopt the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
It subscribed early on to the consensus that respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms is indispensable to political, economic and social progress.
Unfortunately, that commitment has not been matched in deed. Myanmar's human rights record remains a matter of grave concern.
The Government has articulated its goals as stability, national reconciliation and democracy.
The upcoming election –the first in twenty years – must be inclusive, participatory and transparent if it is to be credible.
Myanmar's way forward must be rooted in respect for human rights
This is why I say that all political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, should be released without delay.
When I met General Than Shwe yesterday and today, I asked to visit Ms. Suu Kyi. I am deeply disappointed that he refused.
I believe the government of Myanmar has lost a unique opportunity to show its commitment to a new era of political openness.
Allowing a visit to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi would have been an important symbol of the government's willingness to embark on the kind of meaningful engagement that will be essential if the elections in 2010 are to be seen as credible.
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi must be allowed to participate in the political process without further delay.
Indeed, all the citizens of Myanmar must be given the opportunity to contribute fully to the future of this country.
National reconciliation cannot be complete without the free and active participation of all who seek to contribute.
The country must embark on a process of genuine dialogue that includes all concerned parties, all ethnic groups and all minorities.
People must be free to debate and to engage in political dialogue, and they must have free access to the information that will help them participate meaningfully in the democratic process.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Any transition is difficult. Myanmar has already undergone transitions from sovereign kingdom, to occupied colony, and now independent State.
This history carries a twin legacy of armed conflict and political deadlock, including recent painful events: the repression of demonstrators in 1988, the cancellation of the 1990 election results, and the clampdown on peaceful dissent that continues to this day.
At the same time, there have been some positive efforts that should be recognized.
Although still fragile, the cease-fire agreements between the Government and armed groups have reduced the level of conflict. The United Nations has wide-ranging experience in making such gains irreversible.
Sovereignty, territorial integrity and national unity are legitimate concerns for any government.
We contend that opening and broadening the political space is the best way to ensure that each group and each individual becomes part of the greater collective project.
The military, all political parties, ethnic minority groups, civil society, and indeed every son and daughter of Myanmar has a role to play in this country's transition.
Only mutual compromise, respect and understanding can lay the foundations for durable peace, national reconciliation and democracy.
My second message is on addressing the humanitarian needs of Myanmar's people.
I am glad I have been able to return to see the progress made in the Irrawaddy Delta. The loss of some 130,000 people was tragic, but the rebuilding I saw today was impressive.
The tragedy showed the resilience of the people of Myanmar. It also demonstrated that people throughout the world care deeply about Myanmar and its people.
Above all, the response to Cyclone Nargis proved the value of engagement over isolation.
The unprecedented cooperation between Myanmar, the United Nations and ASEAN through the Tripartite Core Group, with the support of the donor community, has demonstrated that humanitarian imperatives and the principles of sovereignty do not conflict.
Humanitarian assistance -- in Myanmar as elsewhere -- should never be held hostage to political considerations. We can and must work together to ensure access to humanitarian and development assistance to all those in Myanmar who need it.
This brings me to my third message. It is time for Myanmar to unleash its economic potential.
Myanmar sits in the middle of Asia's economic miracle. Harnessing Myanmar to the rapid advances taking place around it is the surest way to raise living standards.
I welcome the Government's policy of opening up to outside trade and investment, and its efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, control HIV, combat human trafficking and curtail opium production.
But the reality is that millions continue to live in poverty. Standards of living in Myanmar remain among the lowest in Asia.
The people of Myanmar need jobs, they need food security and they need access to health care.
We must work to ensure that the people of Myanmar can benefit from and contribute to the regional and global economy.
We must recognize that the region and the world have much to gain from a stable, prosperous and democratic Myanmar. We must work together for that goal.
The Government of Myanmar must seize the moment.
It must take advantage of the opportunities that the international community is prepared to offer to the people of Myanmar.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I came here as a friend.
My duty is to uphold the ideals and principles of the United Nations Charter.
My role is to encourage all of you – the Government, political parties, ethnic groups, civil society – to move forward together as one people and one nation.
Nothing is insurmountable or impossible when the people's interest is placed above divisions.
The region and the world are changing fast. Myanmar only stands to gain from engagement -- and from embarking on its own change.
The Government of Myanmar has repeatedly stated that cooperation with the United Nations is the cornerstone of the country's foreign policy.
We ask it to match deeds with words.
The more Myanmar works in partnership with the United Nations to respond to its people's needs and aspirations, the more it affirms its sovereignty.
Similarly it is incumbent on the international community as whole to work together to help Myanmar meet our shared goals: a united, peaceful, prosperous and democratic future, with full respect for the human rights of all the country's people.
Kyae zoo tin bar tae.

ACTIVITIES OF SECRETARY-GENERAL IN THAILAND AND MYANMAR, 20-25 May 2008