[Kabar-indonesia] Bush Renews Myanmar Sanctions [+Dutch crash course for refugees]

[JoyoNews at aol.com]

also: Refugees from Myanmar get a crash course on Dutch culture, society; 
and Thailand eyes Myanmar natural gas reserves  

Agence France-Presse
August 2, 2006

Bush Renews Myanmar Sanctions

US President George W. Bush signed legislation renewing economic sanctions 
on Myanmar to signal his "serious concern" about the military regime there, 
the White House said.

"The United States watches in deep dismay as a country of Burmas beauty and 
potential deteriorates under the oppressive weight of the State Peace and 
Development Council (SPDC) military junta," said Bush spokesman Tony Snow.

Bush also "calls on the international community and the United Nations to 
join 
the United States in support of the people of Burma," Snow said, referring to 
Washington's efforts to get UN Security Council condemnation of the junta.

The legislation, anchored on the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003, 
extends by three years a US ban on imports from Myanmar.

Myanmar's democracy icon, Aung San Suu Kyi has been under house arrest for 
most of the last 17 years. Her National League for Democracy party won 1990 
elections but was never allowed to rule. Its offices have been shut down by the 
junta, which has also locked up many other party members.

The United States halted new investments to Myanmar in 1997 and imposed bans 
on financial transactions and imports in 2003. Visa restrictions on officials 
from the military junta and affiliated groups have also been implemented.

Bush's renewal of the sanctions is "a sign of his serious concern about the 
Burmese regimes continuing refusal to act on its professed commitment to 
democratization," Snow said in a statement.

"Instead, the country slides deeper into self-imposed isolation and misrule, 
the democratic opposition and ethnic minority groups continue to be shut out 
of the political process, and Aung San Suu Kyi remains under house arrest," he 
said. 

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Refugees from Myanmar get a crash course on Dutch culture, society

AMERSFOORT, Netherlands, July 31 (UNHCR) – When a group of 35 refugees 
from Myanmar flew to Amsterdam's Schipol Airport earlier this year, they had 
already been schooled in how to deal with the culture shock of living in a 
new 
and strange country.

But participation in special cultural orientation courses held at two Thai 
refugee settlements could not fill in all the gaps, and they have been building 
on the knowledge gained in their tropical classrooms with further courses at a 
reception centre in the central Netherlands town of Amersfoort.

The group of mainly ethnic Karen refugees, some of whom had been stuck in 
Thai camps for more than 10 years, were accepted for the Dutch resettlement 
programme on the recommendation of UNHCR. They arrived here in mid-June and will 
move from Amersfoort to their new homes elsewhere in Holland in the next few 
months.

As part of their preparation, they took part in the cultural orientation 
course organised by Holland's Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers at the 
Ban Don Yang camp in Thailand's Kanchanaburi province and at Tham Hin in 
Ratchaburi province. The course was aimed at helping them understand and deal with 
practical, social and cultural issues once they have been found homes in the 
Netherlands.

"The needs of groups differ greatly. Sometimes we have to start with the 
basics like explaining how a washing machine, or even a simple hot water tap, 
works. Of course, urbanised refugees have other questions," said Nicolien Rengers, 
coordinator of the courses attended by the refugees, including over a dozen 
children and teenagers.

"However, all of them have one thing in common: they want to know as much as 
possible about their new home country. During the four-day training in the 
camps we try to answer their questions and prepare them for the challenges that 
lie ahead," added Rengers, who also heads the centre at Amersfoort.

The refugees seemed delighted to be in the Netherlands and enthused about the 
country and their reception after the hardships and isolation of camp life. 
During the course in Ban Don Yang, which 31 of the refugees attended earlier 
this year, the most popular subject was language.

They all wanted to learn Dutch words that would immediately come in handy. 
The housewives wanted to know how to ask for typical ingredients used in Asian 
cooking, such as rice, chilli and oil. A teenager, on the other hand, asked the 
teacher: "How do you say, 'You are the prettiest'?"

The refugees watched videos of the Netherlands in a classroom adorned with 
posters depicting the flat landscape, windmills and other typically Dutch 
scenes. They were alarmed to hear that half of the country is below sea level, but 
were assured that the country's system of dykes and tidal barriers protect it 
from devastating flooding.

The refugees also wanted to know about practical things such as getting a job 
and opportunities for studying. They also learnt about ethical and social 
standards in the Netherlands – including topless sunbathing and same-sex 
marriages – which probably seemed loose to people coming from a more conservative 
society.

The group evaluations were very positive and the refugees said they felt a 
lot more confident about life in the Netherlands after attending the course. The 
refugees, showing a healthy competitive spirit, had only one suggestion – 
there should have been a prize for the person who learnt the most.

"They are extremely focused and willing to learn," said one of the course 
teachers, Chantal Berkers, who added that their attitude would help them merge 
into Dutch society more easily and successfully. The Netherlands is home to only 
a few hundred people originating from Myanmar.

Although the number of asylum applications in the Netherlands has declined 
sharply from its peak in the early 1990s, the Netherlands remains an active 
player in the development of a common European asylum system. The Netherlands 
seeks to resettle a quota of 500 "invited guests" each year and the 35 refugees 
from Myanmar were amongst 99 people from that country offered resettlement this 
year.

The Netherlands is one of just a few European countries which implement a 
refugee resettlement programme. UNHCR is urging more European countries to follow 
the Netherlands' example and join the global resettlement effort.

By Lizette van Bergen
In Amersfoort, Netherlands 

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AFP, August 1, 2006

Thailand eyes Myanmar natural gas reserves  

The COUNTRY’s largest energy firm PTT Plc Monday said it has joined 
the race against China and India in a bid for exclusive rights to 
military-run Myanmar’s northwestern natural gas reserves. 

“We have expressed interest to buy gas from Myanmar’s A-1 block,” 
Chitrapongse Kwangsukstith said, PTT senior executive vice president 
for exploration and production. 

Neighboring countries have been jostling to take advantage of Myanmar’s 
abundant natural resources, despite international condemnation. 

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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