News Briefs (October 2007)
| By The Irrawaddy | Wednesday, October 3, 2007 |
(Page 7 of 8)
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Thursday, October 04, 2007
Artists of Asian Heritage Condemn Crackdown in Burma
Some of the world's best-known novelists, poets and artists of Asian heritage called on the Burmese junta to stop its repressive campaign against pro-democracy advocates and release political prisoners. Thirty artists signed an "open letter to Burma," as the country was previously called, that condemned the bloody crackdown on popular street protests last week. The government said 10 people were killed, but dissident groups put the death toll at up to 200 and say 6,000 people were detained, including thousands of Buddhist monks who led the protests. Among those who signed the letter, which was dated Wednesday, were novelists Maxine Hong Kingston (author of "The Woman Warrior"), Michael ondaatje ("The English Patient"), Amitav Ghosh ("The Glass Palace") and Le Ly Hayslip ("When Heaven and Earth Changed Places"). Other signatories included famed artist-architect Maya Lin, designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. (AP)
Cambodians Still Stuck in Grim Poverty
The vast majority of Cambodians continue to live in poverty and lack choices for their future despite their country's rapid economic growth, according to a government report released Thursday. Widening inequalities in incomes, child malnourishment, children dropping out of school at an early age, high maternal mortality rates and rising land conflicts are among the hardships of the rural poor, according to the Cambodia Human Development Report 2007 released on Thursday. At the same time, the Cambodian economy has been one of the fastest growing in Asia, expanding at 11.4 percent in each of the past three years. Other grim pictures include the fact that each year some 30,000 Cambodian children die from preventable causes such as malaria, dengue fever and diarrhea, it said.
It warned that the problems could spell "major setbacks" for Cambodian economic growth, which has so far been concentrated in urban areas. Some 35 percent of Cambodia's 14 million people live below the national poverty line of just 1,826 riel (US $0.45) a day. Cambodia's recent economic growth has been fueled largely by the garment industry. Last year's exports were worth US $2.6 billion, accounting for nearly 80 percent of total exports. (AP)
Typhoon Slams Central Vietnam Coast
Three people were killed and 58 injured after Typhoon Lekima slammed into central Vietnam, destroying and damaging more than 70,000 homes, officials said Thursday.
Packing winds of 130 kilometers (80 miles) per hour, the typhoon also left one person missing after it made landfall late Wednesday in Ha Tinh and Quang Binh provinces, knocking down trees and power poles, said Le Duc Thanh of the Department of Floods and Storms Control. The typhoon was downgraded to a tropical storm after reaching neighboring Laos early Thursday, the national weather forecast center said. Named after a Vietnamese fruit, Lekima appeared early to be heading toward southern China, where officials evacuated 100,000 people and called 20,000 fishing boats back to harbor. It shifted course early Wednesday and began heading to Vietnam, which is prone to floods and storms that kill hundreds of people each year. (AP)
Thai Government Reaffirms Election to Be Held on December 23
The Thai government reaffirmed Thursday that the country will hold a general election on December 23. Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont and the Election Commission chief, Apichart Sukhakanon, held a news conference to dispel rumors that the election might be delayed as long as a year. "The Election Commission has concluded that the election will be held on December 23, that is certain," Apichart said. "The government will support a free and fair election on the date set by the EC. My government is giving priority to preventing vote-buying," Surayud said. Vote-buying has become rampant in Thai elections over the past four years. Once Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej endorses the election decree—to be sent to him on October 16—politicians can begin their election campaigns, Apichart said.
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Burma's Junta Releases Reporter at Japanese Newspaper
Burma's military authorities released a journalist working for a Japanese newspaper on Wednesday after six days in detention, a paper official said. Min Zaw, a Burmese national working for the Tokyo Shimbun, was taken from his home early Friday by plainclothes security personnel who said he would be held temporarily for questioning.
Min Zaw was released late Wednesday, according to Tokyo Shimbun official Hisao Ichikawa. He said other details were not immediately available.The reporter had been covering the ongoing pro-democracy demonstrations against the military regime, according to the paper.
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