http://www.gosur.com/en/point/4998630/
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Weak democracy hurts Myanmar business
The Letpadaung copper mine project, jointly
established by China and Myanmar, has become the target of growing
protests. The Myanmar government arrested some protesters on Tuesday,
but this has not stopped the action. The leader of Myanmar's National
League for Democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi, said that she will visit the
area. She also insists that Myanmar should stick to its agreement with
Chinese companies.
It will be a lose-lose situation for China and Myanmar if the project is halted. Only third parties, including some Western forces, will be glad to see this result.
Protesters first asked for more compensation, but now want to stop this project and are demanding that the Chinese company leave. There are definitely some Westerners and NGOs instigating these protesters. More importantly, however, Myanmar's political climate has changed and the government cannot control public opinion.
Similarly, some big projects have been halted due to public protests in Shifang, Qidong, and Ningbo in China. Companies cannot get their initial investment back. However, in Myanmar, people have much less ability to identify information than Chinese people.
Chinese companies' investments in Myanmar are facing huge challenges. They need support from the country. China is able to exert some influence. We must not give up on the project. Even if it is eventually stopped, Chinese companies should receive compensation according to the contract and international practice.
Regardless of the result, China need not lose confidence in its peripheral diplomacy due to the failure of its investments in Myanmar. What we see in the country is the inevitable impact of its democratization.
Some Chinese people are gloating over the plight that Chinese companies are facing in Myanmar and claim that it is retribution for China cooperating with a "dictatorship." This argument is a result of their ignorance of the real situation in Myanmar. Of course, Chinese companies should focus more on the people of the countries they invest in. It is the objective requirement of the wave of democratization that has swept over poor countries.
The Letpadaung copper mine crisis has drawn Chinese people's attention to Myanmar. Democracy has brought hope there, but it has also blocked a major construction project instead of liberating productive forces.
This kind of democracy can neither bring high growth for the Myanmar economy nor result in tangible benefits for the people. Western countries' lifting of sanctions cannot bring wealth. The prosperity of Myanmar ultimately depends on its people's efforts.
China's per capita GDP is about one-eighth of the US's. China is to the US what Myanmar is to China. China has great comprehensive national strength. However, per capita wealth is the most useful standard for people's actual lives.
Democracy promises to give everyone in the world equal rights, but this is only an illusion. Development is the last word, as Deng Xiaoping asserted more than 20 years ago. It is a value that applies to everyone in the world.
It will be a lose-lose situation for China and Myanmar if the project is halted. Only third parties, including some Western forces, will be glad to see this result.
Protesters first asked for more compensation, but now want to stop this project and are demanding that the Chinese company leave. There are definitely some Westerners and NGOs instigating these protesters. More importantly, however, Myanmar's political climate has changed and the government cannot control public opinion.
Similarly, some big projects have been halted due to public protests in Shifang, Qidong, and Ningbo in China. Companies cannot get their initial investment back. However, in Myanmar, people have much less ability to identify information than Chinese people.
Chinese companies' investments in Myanmar are facing huge challenges. They need support from the country. China is able to exert some influence. We must not give up on the project. Even if it is eventually stopped, Chinese companies should receive compensation according to the contract and international practice.
Regardless of the result, China need not lose confidence in its peripheral diplomacy due to the failure of its investments in Myanmar. What we see in the country is the inevitable impact of its democratization.
Some Chinese people are gloating over the plight that Chinese companies are facing in Myanmar and claim that it is retribution for China cooperating with a "dictatorship." This argument is a result of their ignorance of the real situation in Myanmar. Of course, Chinese companies should focus more on the people of the countries they invest in. It is the objective requirement of the wave of democratization that has swept over poor countries.
The Letpadaung copper mine crisis has drawn Chinese people's attention to Myanmar. Democracy has brought hope there, but it has also blocked a major construction project instead of liberating productive forces.
This kind of democracy can neither bring high growth for the Myanmar economy nor result in tangible benefits for the people. Western countries' lifting of sanctions cannot bring wealth. The prosperity of Myanmar ultimately depends on its people's efforts.
China's per capita GDP is about one-eighth of the US's. China is to the US what Myanmar is to China. China has great comprehensive national strength. However, per capita wealth is the most useful standard for people's actual lives.
Democracy promises to give everyone in the world equal rights, but this is only an illusion. Development is the last word, as Deng Xiaoping asserted more than 20 years ago. It is a value that applies to everyone in the world.
Posted in: Editorial
Global Time.
China’s Take on Anti-Copper Mine Protests in Burma!
 |
| Letpadoung Copper Mine Ground Breaking Ceremony. |
It will be
a lose-lose situation for China and Myanmar if the project is halted. Only
third parties, including some Western forces, will be glad to see this result.
Protesters first asked for more compensation, but now want to stop this project and are demanding that the Chinese company leave. There are definitely some Westerners and NGOs instigating these protesters. More importantly, however, Myanmar's political climate has changed and the government cannot control public opinion.
Protesters first asked for more compensation, but now want to stop this project and are demanding that the Chinese company leave. There are definitely some Westerners and NGOs instigating these protesters. More importantly, however, Myanmar's political climate has changed and the government cannot control public opinion.
(The whispers in Rangoon are that the American INGO “Save the Children” is very active in the Monywa Copper Mines area just recently.)
Chinese
companies' investments in Myanmar are facing huge challenges. They need support
from the country. China is able to exert some influence. We must not give up on
the project. Even if it is eventually stopped, Chinese companies should receive
compensation according to the contract and international practice.
Regardless
of the result, China need not lose confidence in its peripheral diplomacy due
to the failure of its investments in Myanmar. What we see in the country is the
inevitable impact of its democratization.
Some
Chinese people are gloating over the plight that Chinese companies are facing
in Myanmar and claim that it is retribution for China cooperating with a
"dictatorship." This argument is a result of their ignorance of the
real situation in Myanmar. Of course, Chinese companies should focus more on
the people of the countries they invest in. It is the objective requirement of
the wave of democratization that has swept over poor countries.
The Letpadaung
copper mine crisis has drawn Chinese people's attention to Myanmar. Democracy
has brought hope there, but it has also blocked a major construction project
instead of liberating productive forces.
This kind of democracy can neither bring high growth for the Myanmar economy nor result in tangible benefits for the people. Western countries' lifting of sanctions cannot bring wealth. The prosperity of Myanmar ultimately depends on its people's efforts.
China's per
capita GDP is about one-eighth of the US's. China is to the US what Myanmar is
to China. China has great comprehensive national strength. However, per capita
wealth is the most useful standard for people's actual lives.
Democracy
promises to give everyone in the world equal rights, but this is only an
illusion. Development is the last word, as Deng Xiaoping asserted more
than 20 years ago. It is a value that applies to everyone in the world.
------December 4 Updates (AP Photos of protests at Rangoon Chinese Embassy) -----
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
At least seven bodies found as rough weather hits QZ8501 search
SURABAYA, Indonesia: Seven bodies have been recovered
from the Java Sea as a multi-nation recovery effort resumes it fits and
starts because of rough weather on Wednesday (Dec 31) following the
discovery overnight of wreckage from AirAsia Flight QZ8501 that went
missing at the weekend.
Four bodies were recovered Wednesday morning, taking the figure to seven in two days, but rough weather has hampered the search in the sea and delayed the ability of air and water craft to bring the victims to Surabaya where relatives are waiting along with hospital staff and debris to a processing centre onshore at Pangkalan Bun in Kalimantan, according to Bambang Soelistyo, the head of Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency, and other personnel.
"We are experiencing bad weather now. Rains and winds prevented us from resuming the search operation this morning," air force rescue coordinator SB Supriyadi told AFP.
Personnel from Singapore's navy have arrived at the scene and were given a more defined search area to work with - about 600 nautical miles from Singapore, according to Channel NewsAsia's Lam Shushan.
In Surabaya, ambulances are on hand and Bhayankara Hospital says it is "100 per cent ready" to receive the bodies of the victims.
SEARCH FOR PLANE WRECKAGE
The flight from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore went missing Sunday and took nearly three days to discover debris from the passenger jet and a related aerial sighting of the suspected aircraft on the sea floor, which AirAsia confirmed as the downed aircraft.
Mr Soelistyo said earlier that an air force plane Tuesday spotted a "shadow" on the seabed believed to be the missing AirAsia jet. "God blessed us today," Mr Soelistyo told a Tuesday press conference.
The aircraft is believed to be in an area of the sea where depths range from 25m to 30m, though it the fuselage may be broken in parts and debris scattered over a wide area, marine salvage experts say.
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Indonesia's search-and-rescue agency has obtained a sonar image that it says may be the body of the missing AirAsia jet on the floor of the Java Sea - reportedly showing an airplane upside down on the ocean floor in 24m to 30m of water. The image was obtained Tuesday by an Indonesian Navy ship that is part of the search-and-recovery effort, the agency said in a release early Wednesday morning.
AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes travelled to Surabaya on Tuesday and pledged to "do whatever we can do" to help grieving relatives and friends, adding that his heart was "broken".
"The passengers were on my aircraft and I have to take responsibility for that," he said, adding that he was focusing on supporting the families. "It's an experience I never dreamt of happening and it's probably and it's probably an airline CEO's worst nightmare," Fernandes said.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo, also speaking in Surabaya on Tuesday where distraught relatives were being offered information and help by AirAsia and local authorities, offered his prayers.He said that recovery would resume in full force as soon as possible as the heavy seas hampered efforts. Widodo said he had flown over areas where wreckage and bodies have been recovered and thanked emergency personnel and volunteers for their work.
The plane lost radar contact on Sunday with Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia and the United States sending ships and planes along with other equipment to help in the search. China, India and South Korea as well as New Zealand also offered help.
CNA
Four bodies were recovered Wednesday morning, taking the figure to seven in two days, but rough weather has hampered the search in the sea and delayed the ability of air and water craft to bring the victims to Surabaya where relatives are waiting along with hospital staff and debris to a processing centre onshore at Pangkalan Bun in Kalimantan, according to Bambang Soelistyo, the head of Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency, and other personnel.
"We are experiencing bad weather now. Rains and winds prevented us from resuming the search operation this morning," air force rescue coordinator SB Supriyadi told AFP.
Personnel from Singapore's navy have arrived at the scene and were given a more defined search area to work with - about 600 nautical miles from Singapore, according to Channel NewsAsia's Lam Shushan.
In Surabaya, ambulances are on hand and Bhayankara Hospital says it is "100 per cent ready" to receive the bodies of the victims.
SEARCH FOR PLANE WRECKAGE
The flight from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore went missing Sunday and took nearly three days to discover debris from the passenger jet and a related aerial sighting of the suspected aircraft on the sea floor, which AirAsia confirmed as the downed aircraft.
Mr Soelistyo said earlier that an air force plane Tuesday spotted a "shadow" on the seabed believed to be the missing AirAsia jet. "God blessed us today," Mr Soelistyo told a Tuesday press conference.
The aircraft is believed to be in an area of the sea where depths range from 25m to 30m, though it the fuselage may be broken in parts and debris scattered over a wide area, marine salvage experts say.
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Indonesia's search-and-rescue agency has obtained a sonar image that it says may be the body of the missing AirAsia jet on the floor of the Java Sea - reportedly showing an airplane upside down on the ocean floor in 24m to 30m of water. The image was obtained Tuesday by an Indonesian Navy ship that is part of the search-and-recovery effort, the agency said in a release early Wednesday morning.
AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes travelled to Surabaya on Tuesday and pledged to "do whatever we can do" to help grieving relatives and friends, adding that his heart was "broken".
"The passengers were on my aircraft and I have to take responsibility for that," he said, adding that he was focusing on supporting the families. "It's an experience I never dreamt of happening and it's probably and it's probably an airline CEO's worst nightmare," Fernandes said.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo, also speaking in Surabaya on Tuesday where distraught relatives were being offered information and help by AirAsia and local authorities, offered his prayers.He said that recovery would resume in full force as soon as possible as the heavy seas hampered efforts. Widodo said he had flown over areas where wreckage and bodies have been recovered and thanked emergency personnel and volunteers for their work.
The plane lost radar contact on Sunday with Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia and the United States sending ships and planes along with other equipment to help in the search. China, India and South Korea as well as New Zealand also offered help.
CNA
Myanmar drug trafficker arrested in SW China
KUNMING - A suspected Myanmar drug trafficker was arrested by Chinese
police on Monday in southwest China's Yunnan Province, local
authorities announced.
Sixteen bars of heroin weighing 8.3 kg were found wrapped with tape in the backpack of a Myanmar woman at about 10 a.m. in the Cangyuan county, according to the border police.
The woman confessed that she was promised a return of 5,000 yuan (817 U.S. dollars) to bring the drugs to China. She illegally crossed the border and got on a car but was intercepted by the police.
Cangyuan borders on Myanmar and is very close to one of the major drug sources in the world, the Golden Triangle.
Drug trafficking is a felony in China. Those convicted of trafficking more than 50 grams of heroin can face capital punishment.
Sixteen bars of heroin weighing 8.3 kg were found wrapped with tape in the backpack of a Myanmar woman at about 10 a.m. in the Cangyuan county, according to the border police.
The woman confessed that she was promised a return of 5,000 yuan (817 U.S. dollars) to bring the drugs to China. She illegally crossed the border and got on a car but was intercepted by the police.
Cangyuan borders on Myanmar and is very close to one of the major drug sources in the world, the Golden Triangle.
Drug trafficking is a felony in China. Those convicted of trafficking more than 50 grams of heroin can face capital punishment.
Joint operations likely with Myanmar
The external affairs ministry is mounting pressure on Myanmar to
carry out joint military operations to bust the hideouts of Indian
insurgent groups operating from their uninhabited hilly terrain
adjoining the border with India.
Disclosing that top NDFB and Ulfa rebels are taking refuge in Myanmar, security sources said that nearly 150 NDFB cadres, 200 of Ulfa and more than 1,500 rebels of Manipur-based militant outfits are holed up in Myanmar.
Informing that NDFB was about to start training of 80 new recruits in the hills of Myanmar in December, security sources said that NDFB self-styled military commander I.K. Songbijit and general secretary and finance secretary of the outfit are also in Myanmar camp. Clarifying that India was insisting for a joint operation with Myanmar, security sources said that in the past, the Myanmar Army claimed to have carried out operations to flush out camps of Indian insurgents.
Disclosing that top NDFB and Ulfa rebels are taking refuge in Myanmar, security sources said that nearly 150 NDFB cadres, 200 of Ulfa and more than 1,500 rebels of Manipur-based militant outfits are holed up in Myanmar.
Informing that NDFB was about to start training of 80 new recruits in the hills of Myanmar in December, security sources said that NDFB self-styled military commander I.K. Songbijit and general secretary and finance secretary of the outfit are also in Myanmar camp. Clarifying that India was insisting for a joint operation with Myanmar, security sources said that in the past, the Myanmar Army claimed to have carried out operations to flush out camps of Indian insurgents.
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)