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Thursday, November 08, 2007



   

Union of Myanmar, (formerly Burma) or Pyeidaungzu Myanmar Niangangandaw, is located in East Asia, with a coastline along the Bay of Bengal.  It is flanked by India and Bangladesh to its west, China to its north, Laos and Thailand to its east.

Yangon (formerly Rangoon), is the capital city and the country is ruled by the Military.  Buddhists constitute 85% of the population, and remaining include Animists, Muslims & Christians.

In June 1990, in the first free elections in 30 years, the National League for Democracy won by a big majority but the army was reluctant to hand over power.  Aung San Suu Kyi, the leading opposition leader and winner of Nobel Peace Prize, is kept under detention from 1989.  India has been supporting the democratic movement in Myanmar.

 

In 1987, UN bestowed the least developed country status on Burma, which was once the richest nation in SE Asia.  Myanmar joined the regional group BISTEC in July '97, which was then renamed BIMSTEC (Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand Economic Cooperation).  Known as the 'rice bowl of the Far East', Myanmar also grows sugarcane, peanuts and beans.  It is the world's second largest illicit producer of opium poppy (next to Afghanistan).

 

From India's point of view, what can be the worst case scenario in Pakistan? It is the replacement of President Pervez Musharraf by a coalition of the Jamaat-e-Islami (Jamaat) and its allies, the Taliban-Al Qaeda combine and the fundamentalist . . . (Draft A Plan Of Action, Pioneer, Hiranmay Karlekar, Nov 08, 2007)

Despite pressure being mounted by the US administration and feelers sent by the UPA government, the BJP on Wednesday has not budged from its stand on opposing the nuclear deal in Parliament. (Bjp Refuses To Budge On Nuke Deal, New Indian Express, Correspondent or Reporter, Nov 08, 2007)

Call it the new realism or maturity in Indian diplomacy. Days after Pervez Musharraf imposed emergency in Pakistan, the Indian assessment is centred on the fact that New Delhi will concentrate its energies on persuading the general to go after . . . . (India Ok With Gen If He Can Check Jihadis, Times of India, Correspondent or Reporter, Nov 08, 2007)

Credible minimum deterrent and not energy, according to the BJP, should be the central concern while considering the Indo-US nuclear deal. (N-Power Must Be A Credible Deterrent: Bjp , The Economic Times, Correspondent or Reporter, Nov 08, 2007)

When India blasted its way out of nuclear ambiguity on May 11-13, 1998, and caused a major setback to the US non-proliferation policies, the US reaction was immediate and severe. (Strategic Aspect Of N-Deal, Tribune, Editorial, The Tribune, Nov 07, 2007)

The Indian government, relieved that for the first time it is not being perceived or blamed as a part of the problem during an internal crisis in Pakistan, is hoping for the process of ‘democratisation’ to begin as it closely monitors the evolving . . . . (India Seeks Peace, Stability In Pakistan, Hindustan Times, Correspondent or Reporter, Nov 07, 2007)

The US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice dissuaded General Musharraf from imposing an Emergency a few weeks ago. (Constrained Hegemon, Tribune, K. Subrahmanyam, Nov 07, 2007)

When the securities scam ran riot during his stewardship of the finance ministry, Dr Manmohan Singh diagnosed the malaise as “systemic failure”. (Edits, Statesman, Editorial, Statesman, Nov 07, 2007)

The military may control the streets and monasteries, but they will never be able to control the hearts or determination of the people. (Fight Against Junta: The Uprising Is Not Over, Deccan Herald, Editorial, The Deccan Herald, Nov 07, 2007)

In August, the Burmese people began to write a new chapter in their determination to find peace and freedom. (The Burmese People’S Struggle Goes On, Tribune, A N Sudarsan Rao , Nov 06, 2007)

I have often regretted my cautious approach towards the Indian stock market. (Oil’S Not Well, Indian Express, Vikram S Mehta, Nov 06, 2007)

Just as thousands of saffron-clad Buddhist monks hit the streets of Rangoon to protest against the military junta, India's oil minister was in the Burmese capital negotiating greater involvement for Indian gas companies. (India's Foreign Policy Pragmatism , British Broadcasting Corporation, Correspondent or Reporter, Nov 06, 2007)

There are four main aspects to the China-Tibet-India problem over the last century, some of which are only now becoming apparent. (China’S India Aggression, Statesman, Correspondent or Reporter, Nov 05, 2007)

MANY years ago, when on assignment with the International Control Commission in Vietnam, one of the first sights that one witnessed in down town Saigon was that of a Buddhist monk protesting the State’s religious discrimination practiced . . . . . . (When Buddhists Are A Minority, Tribune, Maj Gen (retd) Himmat Singh Gill, Nov 05, 2007)

A retired middle-level officer in the country's intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing, has published a book quite critical of the R&AW's functioning. (Intelligence And Accountability, Pioneer, Joginder Singh, Nov 05, 2007)

Confusion about what the coming days could bring can be gauged from Benazir Bhutto’s travel schedule. The News (November 1) reported that at a “hastily-arranged press conference in Karachi on Wednesday, she said she had postponed plans to visit . . . . (Back To The Beginning?, Indian Express, Mini Kapoor, Nov 03, 2007)

The head of a large monastic university was able to persuade thousands of demonstrating monks to withdraw peacefully. (Communicating It To The Junta , Deccan Herald, Editorial, The Deccan Herald, Nov 03, 2007)

The light that emanates fromSuu Kyi shines all over Myanmar and the freedom loving people of the world. (Aung San Suu Kyi And India , Deccan Herald, Khushwant Singh, Nov 03, 2007)

George Orwell describes somewhere the bustling arrival at a dak bungalow in Burma of a Burmese official of modest rank. (Ring For The Butler, Telegraph, Sunanda K. Datta-Ray, Nov 03, 2007)

Given runaway international crude oil prices, India's top energy firms are gearing up massive expansion and exploration plans both at home and abroad. (India's Oil Majors In Global , Singapore Times, Correspondent or Reporter, Nov 03, 2007)

 

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