Introduction
There is a growing disparity between the words of Thein Sein, and the actions of his government.
However, the policy of Britain, the EU, USA and many other countries appears to be based on his
promises, not actual policy and action.
Promises and pledges by Thein Sein are frequently cited as one of the justifications for ending
international pressure normalising relations.
Thein Sein is normally very careful in what he says. Western educated advisors help him in
particular with scripts for delivering messages to the international community.
There also appears to be a pattern of tailoring certain messages in English for international
consumption, and other messages in Burmese for domestic consumption.
Given the strong emphasis on focussing on the positive things Thein Sein says, regardless of
whether he acts on them, and in order to provide some balance, here are some quotes from
Thein Sein, past and present, which are a little more revealing.

By Michael Harris

Unless the Foreign Secretary ups the pressure on Burma the apparatus of the military dictatorship will remain, writes Michael Harris

 If you want to know how much has changed in Burma since the much-vaulted transition, try and put on a punk gig in the capital, Rangoon. It’ll take two months and require the signatures of eight bureaucrats from varying levels of government. You may never get permission. But to punks in Burma, the idea they may even be able to play publicly at all is progress.

This is transition Burma, a country full of contradictions where the military no longer hold captive Aung San Suu Kyi and have released some of the thousands of her fellow political prisoners – yet the full apparatus of the military state still exists. The worry is, while the UK and US drop sanctions and William Hague took the time to congratulate President Thein Sein in London for the progress made, little is being done to keep this progress on track. With the army implicit in the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya Muslims and the country on the verge of widespread unrest, Burma is merely a few steps away from a full blown military dictatorship.

Thein Sein says no POCs by end of year, but 74-year-old lawyer is latest detainee

Amnesty International has called into question President Thein Sein’s recent commitment to clear Burma’s jails of prisoners of conscience by the end of the year. On the same day he made this promise to delegates at a conference in London earlier this week, police in the country’s Rakhine state arbitrarily detained a 74-year-old Rohingya human rights defender.

During a speech at the independent policy institute Chatham House on Monday, President Thein Sein said: “I guarantee to you that by the end of this year, there will be no prisoners of conscience in Burma.”  

Thein Sein added that all cases are being reviewed through a committee established by the Burmese government earlier this year, “to ensure that no one remains in prison due to his or her political beliefs.”

By John Roberts

Anti-Muslim violence in Burma (Myanmar) that first erupted in June last year against ethnic Rohingyas in the western Rakhine state and spread to other areas has displaced tens of thousands of people and created a poisonous communal atmosphere throughout much of the country.

The major clashes in Rakhine in June and November last year left 168 people dead, mostly Rohingya, and drove another 120,000 from their homes. Attacks on the Muslim population of Meiktila in central Burma in March resulted in another 40 dead. In May in Lashio, capital of the eastern Shan state, mosques, schools and dozens of homes were torched by Burmese Buddhist thugs, including monks in saffron robes.

An Asia Times Online article on July 1 outlined the pattern: “A recurring theme from locals is that ‘outsiders’ are bussed in by trucks and nearly all of them are armed with sticks, swords and machetes. An incident soon happens between a Muslim and a Buddhist that provides the spark and then the gangs swing into action, agitating and enlisting locals to join the ensuing riot. Muslim homes and shops are demolished and along with them previous inter-communal and religious harmony.”

Bangkok Post

Myanmar’s military will return no more than 6% of the land it confiscated during two decades of junta rule, media reports said on Wednesday.

Responding to growing criticism about land grabs by the army during 1988-2010, Defence Minister Lieutenant General Wai Lwin told parliament on Tuesday that the army was ready to return only 18,300 acres (7,412 hectares).

The minister acknowledged that the army had confiscated more than 297,000 acres throughout the country under the junta, The New Light of Myanmar reported.

Confiscations were legalised by the 1963 Land Acquisition Act, which nationalised land across the country for economic projects, industrial zones and army bases or to expand urban areas.

Britain will offer Burma military training and official assistance to tackle its internal conflicts during a groundbreaking official visit by President Thein Sein to meet David Cameron that was due to begin on Sunday night.

 Hugo Swire, the Foreign Office minister of state, told The Daily Telegraph that Britain was determined to take a leading role in helping Burma to develop a more democratic system and resolve ethnic tensions.

In particular the Foreign Office has sought to use its historic experience in the former colony to defuse tensions between the military-backed government and Rohingya Muslims.

 Clashes between the Rohingya and Buddhist radicals with close links to the government have left hundreds dead over the past year, while more than 140,000 people remain displaced across Rakhine state.

“We don’t underestimate how much needs to be done in Burma but it is critical we are engaged in helping the Burmese undertake changes,” Mr Swire said. “The right way to proceed is to have the Burmese here and to send our officials over there to help them through their difficulties.”

By Human Rights Watch Media Release

PHUKET: Britain’s Prime Minster David Cameron should urge visiting Burmese President Thein Sein to bring those responsible for atrocities against Burma’s Muslims to justice, release all political prisoners, and ensure that new legislation meets international human rights standards, Human Rights Watch said today.

Thein Sein is visiting the United Kingdom from July 14 to 16.

Despite important changes in Burma over the past two years, many serious human rights problems remain, Human Rights Watch said.

Pledges made by Thein Sein, including those to US President Barack Obama in November 2012, to improve human rights remain partially or completely unfulfilled, including granting full humanitarian access to ethnic conflict areas, releasing all remaining political prisoners, amending abusive laws, and allowing the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to establish offices in the country.

”Prime Minister Cameron should not miss an important opportunity to press Burma’s president on justice for crimes against humanity committed against the country’s Muslims, the release of remaining political prisoners, or an end to repressive laws,” said David Mepham, UK director at Human Rights Watch.