Myanmar reforms held back by junta in-fighting
The halt to construction of the Myitsone dam and the announcement of greater media freedom points to signs of greater freedom. President Thein Sein open to change, opposed by the military leadership. Social divide across country grows and the poor crowd city suburbs. The work of the Catholic Church in war-affected areas.
Yangon (AsiaNews) - Greater press freedom and less censorship of the media, the participation of Aung San Suu Kyi in active politics in the country and the halt to construction of the Myitsone dam (northern Kachin State, on the border with China) because opposed by the Burmese people: they are the first signs of a change in Myanmar. However, as pointed out by opposition leaders in recent days, it is still premature to indicate what future developments there may be, for there is a conflict within the political leadership, a growing social divide and increase in poverty - especially in the suburbs - and many of the areas where ethnic minorities live continue to be the scene of conflict between the army and rebel militias.
In recent days the leaders of Burma's Department for the censorship of the media have called for greater press freedom. For weeks there have been signs that President Tein Sein and his executive - nominally civilian, but made up of former members of the military leadership - have initiated a process of reform and greater democracy. However the newspapers close to the dissidents, including the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), caution against false hopes of rapid change. In recent days, in fact, intelligence officials have drawn up a dossier containing information on the Burmese journalists and correspondents of foreign media. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), based in New York City, adds that the media landscape remains "heavily controlled".
Burmese policy experts, asking for anonymity for security reasons, confirmed to AsiaNews that in Myanmar "something is moving, the climate is changing," because one can see "holes in some areas." However, the changes "in the long run" remain to be seen, as well as the consequences of "an increasingly evident conflict within the current government and the leaders of the former military regime, including General Than Shwe." One fact remains: "People - sources tell – are beginning to appreciate the political class and the president Thein Sein." The decision to stop the construction of the dam on the Irrawaddy, in sharp contrast with the will and interests of China, is a strong change "suggesting a turning point in the country’s political-economic line." This change also affects newspapers and media, which speak about Aung San, the hero long obscured by the regime, and his daughter Aung San Suu Kyi, free to move after having spent 15 of the last 21 years under house arrest .
In a time of change, however, the social gap between rich and poor emerges even more clearly, "the reality of people living in the suburbs - said one resident of Yangon - is miserable. The amount of people who beg to survive while working is increasing, many people struggle to make ends meet. " Among the unsolved problems is the conflict between the Burmese army and rebel militias in the Kachin State, northern Myanmar. A wing of the movement wants an agreement with the central government, but part of the leadership wants to fight to the last, refusing any possibility of agreement.
Meanwhile, the Burmese Catholic Church strives to bring relief to the poor in large cities and northern communities, affected by the war. Many priests will venture inside the forest, to reach remote villages and bring goods and spiritual comfort to people, several parishes are taking in refugees and displaced persons. Local sources report that "the war will continue: the flame is lit and the conflict is too strong to be extinguished." (DS)
In recent days the leaders of Burma's Department for the censorship of the media have called for greater press freedom. For weeks there have been signs that President Tein Sein and his executive - nominally civilian, but made up of former members of the military leadership - have initiated a process of reform and greater democracy. However the newspapers close to the dissidents, including the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), caution against false hopes of rapid change. In recent days, in fact, intelligence officials have drawn up a dossier containing information on the Burmese journalists and correspondents of foreign media. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), based in New York City, adds that the media landscape remains "heavily controlled".
Burmese policy experts, asking for anonymity for security reasons, confirmed to AsiaNews that in Myanmar "something is moving, the climate is changing," because one can see "holes in some areas." However, the changes "in the long run" remain to be seen, as well as the consequences of "an increasingly evident conflict within the current government and the leaders of the former military regime, including General Than Shwe." One fact remains: "People - sources tell – are beginning to appreciate the political class and the president Thein Sein." The decision to stop the construction of the dam on the Irrawaddy, in sharp contrast with the will and interests of China, is a strong change "suggesting a turning point in the country’s political-economic line." This change also affects newspapers and media, which speak about Aung San, the hero long obscured by the regime, and his daughter Aung San Suu Kyi, free to move after having spent 15 of the last 21 years under house arrest .
In a time of change, however, the social gap between rich and poor emerges even more clearly, "the reality of people living in the suburbs - said one resident of Yangon - is miserable. The amount of people who beg to survive while working is increasing, many people struggle to make ends meet. " Among the unsolved problems is the conflict between the Burmese army and rebel militias in the Kachin State, northern Myanmar. A wing of the movement wants an agreement with the central government, but part of the leadership wants to fight to the last, refusing any possibility of agreement.
Meanwhile, the Burmese Catholic Church strives to bring relief to the poor in large cities and northern communities, affected by the war. Many priests will venture inside the forest, to reach remote villages and bring goods and spiritual comfort to people, several parishes are taking in refugees and displaced persons. Local sources report that "the war will continue: the flame is lit and the conflict is too strong to be extinguished." (DS)
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