ARAKAN INDOBHASA

2 French journalists safely out of Syria

2012-03-01T21:37:00.000-08:00

(CNN) -- Two French journalists who had been trapped for days in the besieged Homs neighborhood of Baba Amr have been moved to safety in Lebanon, officials said Thursday.

"I can confirm that it's official," French President Nicolas Sarkozy told BFM-TV about the whereabouts of Edith Bouvier and William Daniels. "They are in security."

In a statement, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said they were being looked after by the French Embassy, "and everything is being done to provide them with medical attention and to return them home as quickly as possible."

Bouvier was wounded in an attack last week on a makeshift media center in Baba Amr that killed French journalist Remi Ochlik and U.S. journalist Marie Colvin.

(CNN) -- Two French journalists who had been trapped for days in the besieged Homs neighborhood of Baba Amr have been moved to safety in Lebanon, officials said Thursday.

"I can confirm that it's official," French President Nicolas Sarkozy told BFM-TV about the whereabouts of Edith Bouvier and William Daniels. "They are in security."

In a statement, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said they were being looked after by the French Embassy, "and everything is being done to provide them with medical attention and to return them home as quickly as possible."

Bouvier was wounded in an attack last week on a makeshift media center in Baba Amr that killed French journalist Remi Ochlik and U.S. journalist Marie Colvin.

The army "entered Baba Amr today in full force" amid what one activist source called a "bloodbath" in the neighborhood, which has been shelled daily for more than three weeks, said Avaaz.

"There are bodies on the street," said Alice Jay, an Avaaz official. "Residents have never been more desperate. There is no food, no medicine and civilians are melting snow for drinking water."

The forces effectively ignored a U.N. Human Rights Council resolution on Thursday that condemned Syria's "widespread and systematic violations of human rights."

The government forces' advance came as the Free Syrian Army said Thursday it had decided to withdraw for the sake of the civilians remaining in the neighborhood, citing dismal humanitarian conditions and a lack of arms among resistance fighters.

It said around 4,000 civilians were refusing to leave the neighborhood.

"There is no food whatsoever, no medicines, no water and no electricity. There is no communication in the area, thus making matters much worse," it said. "The Assad army has destroyed most of the civilian homes up to now" using missiles, mortar shells and helicopters.

As the FSA, Avaaz and other groups urged international humanitarian aid for Homs, Syrian authorities permitted the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Syrian Red Crescent to take relief to Baba Amr.

ICRC spokeswoman Carla Haddad Mardini said that, beginning Friday, the government would permit humanitarian workers to deliver of food and medical supplies and to carry out evacuation operations.

Also, the U.N. Security Council called Thursday on Syrian authorities to grant Valerie Amos, the U.N. under secretary -general for humanitarian affairs and the emergency relief coordinator, "immediate and unhindered access" to Syria.

British Ambassador to the U.N. Mark Lyall Grant said Amos had not been granted authorization to visit Syria "in a timely manner, despite repeated requests and intense diplomatic contacts aimed at securing Syrian approval."

A spokesman for Syria's Foreign and Expatriates Ministry said it didn't reject her visit, but it said officials were "surprised about her having arrived in the region and asking to come to Syria on a date not suitable for us."

"The Syrian side is ready to continue consultation with Amos on a date that is appropriate for both sides," the spokesman said, SANA said.

The Local Coordination Committees of Syria, an opposition activist group, said at least 45 people died in Syria on Thursday -- 24 in Homs, seven in the Quneitra province town of Jabata, and others in the Damascus suburbs, the Hama suburbs, Daraa and Idlib.

CNN cannot independently confirm casualty reports by the opposition, activists or the Syrian government because access to the country by international journalists has been severely restricted.

Avaaz said 17 civilians were beheaded or partially beheaded in a farming area on the outskirts of Baba Amr.

Dima Moussa, spokeswoman for the Revolutionary Council of Homs, said conclusions about the conditions in Homs are "still, for the most part, speculative" because of communication problems.

"What we know is that Free Syrian Army soldiers who were in Baba Amr have withdrawn in an attempt to protect the civilians from further attacks and violence by the Assad forces, which had escalated their offense against the neighborhood," Moussa told CNN. "A ground attack was going to surely result in more civilian casualties, and therefore, the FSA soldiers withdrew to continue their work, where their number one concern is protecting the civilians.

"Nevertheless, the Assad forces carried out a raid-and-arrest campaign in the neighborhood, where they went in and started randomly raiding civilians' homes and arresting them, or whatever is left of them in the neighborhood," she said.

Syria's crackdown against protesters rallying to redress a range of political and social grievances erupted in mid-March of last year.

The United Nations estimates 7,500 deaths have resulted and the LCC said around 9,000 people have died. The Syrian government says more than 2,000 security personnel have been killed in the violence.

Thirty-seven of the nations in the Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, voted for the resolution, including the United States and several Arab countries. China, Russia and Cuba opposed it and India, the Philippines and Ecuador abstained.

"The international community sends yet another unequivocal call to the Syrian authorities to stop human rights violations against its population and to address urgent humanitarian needs," said the European Union's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton. "The situation in Syria must remain at the center of the world's attention and every possible lever must be pulled to stop the violence and the killing of civilians."

In London, British Foreign Secretary William Hague told Parliament he was withdrawing diplomats from Syria and suspending embassy operations for security reasons.

Red Cross due to enter Baba Amr area of Homs

2012-03-01T21:34:00.000-08:00

BBC

An activist in the Syrian city of Homs has said the Free Syrian Army has left the embattled district of Baba Amr

Syria Crisis

The Red Cross is due to enter the Baba Amr district of the Syrian city of Homs on Friday to deliver food and medical supplies after a month-long siege.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is to enter the area with the Syrian Red Crescent, and is also planning to evacuate the wounded.
The area has suffered heavy bombardment by government forces in recent weeks.
The rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) said on Thursday it was leaving the district in a "tactical withdrawal".
The FSA said 4,000 civilians had refused to leave their homes and it was withdrawing to save them from an all-out assault.
Of the 100,000 people who normally live in Baba Amr, only a few thousand remain.
'Extremely worrying' It has been snowing heavily in Homs, slowing the advance of government troops who began an offensive on Tuesday, but also worsening conditions for civilians.

Analysis

Jim Muir BBC News, Beirut

The announcement in Paris by the Syrian National Council (SNC) that it is setting up a new "military bureau" to coordinate and funnel arms and support to the Free Syrian Army (FSA) has exposed a glaring rift in opposition ranks.
SNC President Burhan Ghalioun, said that the commander of the FSA, Col Riyad al-Asaad, and Gen Mustafa al-Shaikh, who recently set up a "Supreme Military Council", were on board the project.
But Col Asaad told al-Jazeera that he had spoken to Mr Ghalioun the night before, that they had differed, and failed to reach agreement.
He said the FSA had its own military strategy, did not want political interference, and would not coordinate with the SNC and its new military bureau.
He had earlier criticised the SNC for failing to do anything practical to help people inside Syria. But with an Arab League resolution in January now providing political cover for countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar which want to arm the opposition, it's not clear why Col al-Asaad is rejecting the proffered largesse.
While it is very hard to assess the true strength of the FSA and the level of popular support it enjoys inside Syria, it is frequently named in slogans chanted at anti-regime demonstrations, and many activist videos posted on the internet have shown military defectors declaring their allegiance to the FSA.

Many of those still in Baba Amr are without power and running low on basic supplies.

"We fear there are many people who are seriously wounded [in Baba Amr]," ICRC spokeswoman Carla Haddad Mardini told the BBC on Thursday.
"We know the humanitarian situation on the ground is extremely worrying," she added.
Meanwhile, France says two French journalists who had been trapped in Homs are now safely out of the country.
Reporter Edith Bouvier, 31, and photojournalist William Daniels, 34, are now in Lebanon, French President Nicolas Sarkozy told a news conference on Thursday.
Ms Bouvier was badly injured in the bombardment of a makeshift media centre last week, in which two journalists were killed and another one wounded.
"I have just spoken to Edith Bouvier, who is naturally very tired, who has suffered a great deal, but who is happy to be free and will be treated soon," he said. "I want to thank all those who contributed to this happy outcome."
Unconfirmed reports say the bodies of two Western journalists killed in the same attack, Marie Colvin of Britain's Sunday Times and French photojournalist Remi Ochlik, have been found.
Video footage posted on the internet purported to show both bodies being buried by activists in Homs.
Split opposition? In a unanimous statement on Thursday, the UN Security Council expressed its "disappointment" that UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos had not been granted authorisation to visit Syria, and demanded immediate access for her.
Russia and China, who vetoed two previous Security Council resolutions on Syria, also backed the call.
The council's 15 member countries also said that they "deplore" the deteriorating situation, "in particular the growing number of affected civilians, the lack of safe access to adequate medical services, and food shortages, particularly in areas affected by fighting and violence such as Homs, Hama, Deraa, Idlib".
The members urged Syrian authorities to grant "immediate, full and unimpeded access" to aid agencies.

How Syrian activists have become citizen journalists

The UN estimates more than 7,500 people have died in an 11-month anti-government uprising in Syria.
The Local Co-ordination Committees, a network of activists, says 33 people died on Thursday, including 21 in Homs. Their figures cannot be verified independently.
The exile political opposition Syrian National Council (SNC) says it has formed a military bureau to co-ordinate the various armed anti-government groups.
Announcing the creation of the new bureau, SNC leader Burhan Ghalioun said the uprising had begun as a non-violent movement, but the council had to "shoulder its responsibilities in light of this new reality".
Mr Ghalioun said the bureau would function like a defence ministry and would be staffed by soldiers from the FSA as well as civilians.
However, the head of the FSA, Col Riyad al-Asaad, has said his organisation will not co-operate with the new bureau, our correspondent says.

Wa, Shan to join ethnic army grouping thumbnail Troops from the United Wa State Army ride through Namtuk in Shan state (Reuters) Two Shan state-based ethnic armies will be included in a “nationalities forces” setup being formulated by Burma’s armed opposition as negotiations with the government to broker a ceasefire continue. Following a four-day meeting on the Thai-Burma, the 11-member United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) said groups like the United Wa State Army (UWSA) and Shan State Army–South (SSA-S), which have so far snubbed invitations to join the umbrella group, would take part in joint “political dialogue” with the government once ceasefires have been agreed. Also included will be the Mong La army and the armed Arakan Liberation Party, according to the UNFC’s secretary–2, Colonel Khun Okkar. The exact nature of the dialogue is unclear, although it will likely be aimed at legitimising the presence of these groups and demarcating official territory. The UWSA, once the world’s biggest opium producer, has enjoyed cordial relations with the Burmese regime since signing a ceasefire in the early 1990s, although rejected requests to transform into a government-aligned border militia. Members of the UNFC, which include the Karen National Union (KNU) and New Mon State Party (NMSP), have been engaged in ceasefire talks with Naypyidaw, with varying outcomes. The Mon army agreed to a tentative truce, but negotiations between the KNU and government have been marred by ongoing fighting in Karen state. Moreover, the Kachin Independence Army, also part of the UNFC, appears to be reluctant to sign a ceasefire. Clashes continue to break out in the northern state. Upon its formation in 2010 the UNFC established as its cornerstone policy unity among the 11 members, although that has largely failed to bear fruit. Parties to the grouping have approached ceasefire talks with the government individually, casting doubt on the real purpose of the body. Khun Okkar said however that the groups will join together in what is being billed as the final stage of peace talks, that of dialogue with Naypyidaw over establishing the members as official political forces. The administration of President Thein Sein has been keen to reach out to ethnic armies as part of its vaunted reform programme, although with animosity among minority populations towards the government running deep, and little sign of reform within the Burmese army, the likelihood of any lasting ceasefire is questionable.

2012-03-01T21:33:00.000-08:00

DVB

President Thein Sein waves after addressing parliament on 1 March (Reuters)

Burma’s president said yesterday that his government wanted equal rights for ethnic minorities, the latest conciliatory gesture from the regime to armed rebel groups.
Former general Thein Sein said in a speech to parliament that the authorities needed to end the “misunderstanding” with ethnic minorities, which he said was due to a lack of dialogue.
“The expectation of ethnic groups is to get equal rights for all. Equal standards are also the wish of our government,” he said.

“Confidence is very important for national reconciliation in our country.” Civil war has gripped parts of Burma since independence in 1948 and an end to the conflicts as well as alleged human rights abuses involving the military is a key demand of the international community.

Thein Sein — a former junta premier who came to power almost a year ago after decades of outright military rule — has launched efforts to end ethnic conflict as part of a raft of reforms. The new army-backed government has reached tentative peace deals with several rebel groups including in eastern Karen and Shan states, but bloody fighting in northern Kachin has overshadowed reconciliation efforts.

A presidential order issued in mid-December for the military to cease attacks against Kachin guerrillas failed to stop heavy fighting in the region, according to the rebels.

Thein Sein acknowledged that the unrest had not yet ended but said he had instructed the military not to engage in combat except in self-defence.

“Fighting will not stop by pointing the finger of blame at each other,” he added.

“Ceasefires are needed on both sides first for political dialogue… We all have to work so our ethnic youths who held guns stand tall holding laptops.”

Burma’s regime held initial peace talks with representatives of the Kachin Independence Organisation in January in China, with the two sides agreeing to hold further negotiations in search of an end to the conflict.

Wa, Shan to join ethnic army grouping

2012-03-01T21:32:00.000-08:00

DVB

Troops from the United Wa State Army ride through Namtuk in Shan state (Reuters)

Two Shan state-based ethnic armies will be included in a “nationalities forces” setup being formulated by Burma’s armed opposition as negotiations with the government to broker a ceasefire continue.

Following a four-day meeting on the Thai-Burma, the 11-member United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) said groups like the United Wa State Army (UWSA) and Shan State Army–South (SSA-S), which have so far snubbed invitations to join the umbrella group, would take part in joint “political dialogue” with the government once ceasefires have been agreed.

Also included will be the Mong La army and the armed Arakan Liberation Party, according to the UNFC’s secretary–2, Colonel Khun Okkar.

The exact nature of the dialogue is unclear, although it will likely be aimed at legitimising the presence of these groups and demarcating official territory. The UWSA, once the world’s biggest opium producer, has enjoyed cordial relations with the Burmese regime since signing a ceasefire in the early 1990s, although rejected requests to transform into a government-aligned border militia.

Members of the UNFC, which include the Karen National Union (KNU) and New Mon State Party (NMSP), have been engaged in ceasefire talks with Naypyidaw, with varying outcomes. The Mon army agreed to a tentative truce, but negotiations between the KNU and government have been marred by ongoing fighting in Karen state.

Moreover, the Kachin Independence Army, also part of the UNFC, appears to be reluctant to sign a ceasefire. Clashes continue to break out in the northern state.

Upon its formation in 2010 the UNFC established as its cornerstone policy unity among the 11 members, although that has largely failed to bear fruit. Parties to the grouping have approached ceasefire talks with the government individually, casting doubt on the real purpose of the body.

Khun Okkar said however that the groups will join together in what is being billed as the final stage of peace talks, that of dialogue with Naypyidaw over establishing the members as official political forces.

The administration of President Thein Sein has been keen to reach out to ethnic armies as part of its vaunted reform programme, although with animosity among minority populations towards the government running deep, and little sign of reform within the Burmese army, the likelihood of any lasting ceasefire is questionable.

Global protests target Burma pipeline

2012-03-01T21:31:00.000-08:00

DVB

The Shwe pipeline seen cutting through countryside close to the town of Hsipaw in northern Shan state (Steph Ferry)

Activists across the globe today held coordinated protests against the Chinese-led Shwe Gas project in Burma, which they claim has led to widespread displacement, human rights abuses and environmental degradation.

Protesters in 20 countries rallied outside the embassies of China, Burma, India and South Korea, whose companies are major investors in the project, and handed over letters calling for the suspension of activities pending the resolution of social and environmental concerns.
The highly lucrative venture that begins off the Arakan coast in western Burma has led to the confiscation of thousands of acres of land across the breadth of Burma in order to create a “security corridor” adjacent to the pipeline. The livelihoods of local fishermen in Arakan state’s Kyaukphyu, where a port is being built, have also been destroyed as a direct consequence of the offshore infrastructure developments, say campaigners.

“Militarisation has been heightened along the pipeline corridor, causing internal displacement and sparking new resentment against the Shwe Gas Project and other natural resource exploitation projects like it,” the campaign group Shwe Gas Movement said in an open letter to President Thein Sein.

The project will be Burma’s largest ever gas development, with total revenues expected to reach $US29 billion over 30 years. But activists warn that none of the proceeds will reach local communities.

“Under the current unaccountable structure, gas monies from the project will only feed corruption and not benefit the people,” said Wong Aung from the Shwe Gas Movement.
The group is calling for sustainable natural resource development, which can simultaneously secure the country’s energy needs while respecting the rights of locals through a process of free, prior and informed consent.

“We believe that Burma’s natural resources have the potential to spur the national economy without harming local communities.”

The gas will be extracted from offshore blocs in the Bay of Bengal and exported directly to China, but locals are demanding a 24-hour supply of electricity from the new power source. Seventy-five percent of the Burmese population are still unable to access to the national electricity grid.

Compensation has been given by the government to farmers in northern Shan state whose land was confiscated for the pipeline, but locals in Namkham township have complained that less than half of the $15,900 allotted for each acre of land has so far been awarded.

In September last year, President Thein Sein suspended the development of the controversial Myitsone Dam project, in a move that has been welcomed by campaigners. More recently, the government withdrew plans for a coal-fired power plant in Tavoy after intense pushback from civil society groups.

Sustainable resource development continues to be one of the key challenges for Burma in its transition from a military state to a democratic union. Its vast gas and mineral wealth has the potential to lift the poor nation out of poverty, but remains largely controlled by the military.
Since Thein Sein came into office last year, reports of forced evictions and land grabbing for resource development projects have continued unabated. Critics even suggest these could increase in the wake of ceasefires being signed with ethnic minority rebels in resource rich areas like Karen state, which are being eyed by investors keen to exploit energy reserves.

An inside view of LulzSec's hacking rampage

2012-02-29T06:02:00.003-08:00

CNN

CloudFlare CEO Matthew Prince discusses cybersecurity and threats from hackers at the RSA conference.
SAN FRANCISCO (CNNMoney) -- On June 2, hacktivist collective "LulzSec" burst onto the cybersecurity scene with a splashy exploit: It published a trove of data stolen from 1 million user accounts on Sony's website.
LulzSec's website immediately crashed under a massive traffic attack from foes seeking to hack the hackers. Within the hour, LulzSec signed up for a website optimization service called CloudFlare -- and nine minutes later, its site was back online.
That's how CloudFlare, a Silicon Valley startup with a staff of 30, found itself in the middle one of the year's biggest cybersecurity battles.
"Everyone -- from three-letter government agencies to white-hat hackers to black-hat hackers -- spent the next 23 days trying to discover, 'Where exactly is Lulz hosted, and how can we knock them offline?," said CloudFlare CEO Matthew Prince. "We literally sat in the crossfire of that."
LulzSec burned bright and fast. It followed the Sony hack with a string of high-profile feats -- including crashing the CIA's website -- then abruptly announced its retirement and shut down.
Eight months later, Prince shared his war story during a packed session at RSA's annual security conference in San Francisco.
"When they took down the CIA's website, that was a difficult day for us," Prince said dryly. "We made a lot of friends with some government agencies."

New cybersecurity reality: Attackers are winning

CloudFlare provides an invisible but vital Web service: It speeds up the performance of websites and protects them from traffic surges and attacks. That's something typically handled by large vendors like Akamai (AKAM) and Level 3 (LVLT). Launched less than two years ago, CloudFlare shook up the industry by offering many of its services at no cost.
That's what drew LulzSec in. With a name and e-mail address, customers can sign up on ClouldFlare's website for free and start using it seconds later. LulzSec offered its enthusiastic endorsement, tweeting out: "We love CloudFlare, Mr. CEO of CloudFlare."
CloudFlare wasn't sure it loved LulzSec.
"This was a little bit of an existential crisis for us. We sat back and thought, 'Is this who we want to have on our network?'" Prince said.
The company decided to keep LulzSec for two reasons. One, it didn't want to go down the "slippery slope" of censoring which sites it serves. And second, it wanted to see what a lightning rod like LulzSec would do to its network.
Prince calls LulzSec's 23-day rampage the kind of stress-test money can't buy.
In terms of actual traffic and attacks, LulzSec turned out to be a fairly run-of-the-mill customer.
On its busiest day, the LulzSec site did around 6.3 million pageviews -- a minuscule fraction of the 30 billion pageviews a month CloudFlare now supports. LulzSec drew a constant stream of "denial of service" (DDoS) attacks, which aim to shut a site down by overwhelming its servers with traffic, but they too were fairly routine.
"On the peak day, they got about 21 GB of attack traffic," Prince recalled. "We had an attack this morning that got 30 GB of traffic per second."
DDoS attacks are typically viewed by security pros as more of a prank than a serious attack. They're low-tech, short-lived and don't involve any actual data breaches. The target site simply crashes until the traffic deluge dies down.
But they're becoming a tool of choice for cybercriminals. CloudFlare's network has seen a 700% increase in DDoS attacks over the past year.
As an example, Prince offered up the case of the "Valentine's Day Massacre." On Feb. 13, around 1,000 small-time florists got an e-mail instructing them to send $1,000 to an account in China or face a website blackout the next day. FTD.com worked with CloudFlare to keep the florists' sites online.
Prince said he envies that level of coordination.
"The real talent these hacking groups like Anonymous have is not hacking skill but the ability to get a lot of people to move in the same direction," he said.
In the end, Prince said that was one of his biggest takeaways from L'affair LulzSec.
"The LulzSec folks caused real harm," he said. "It's cute and it's fun and they were sort of media darlings, but if we are going to defeat organizations like this, we have to start adopting some of their tactics. We have to start working together more as a community."

The do's and don'ts of borrowing a computer

2012-02-29T06:02:00.000-08:00

CNN

Editor's note: Brenna Ehrlich and Andrea Bartz are the sarcastic brains behind humor blog and book "Stuff Hipsters Hate." Got a question about etiquette in the digital world? Contact them at netiquette@cnn.com.

(CNN) -- Supremely obvious observation: We love the Web. We love scrolling through tweets and blog posts and constantly updated news sites like rats in Skinner boxes. We love accessing the cloud, floating up into that sweet mass of data like Icarus and his wings of wax and feather.

The mere sound of our iPhone's chirp activates the brain regions involved in love and compassion, research shows. The bond we share with our computers or smartphones is, for many of us, the most lasting and fulfilling relationship we've managed to hold on to.

But when it comes to our gadgets, absence doesn't make the heart grow fonder. If you find yourself unhooked from your digital life support (say, because your phone is dead, your laptop is in the shop or you're wrapping up last week's challenge to put the phone down and look around this lovely world), you may need to ask those five little words: "Can I use your computer?"

Sitting down at the keyboard of another requires a delicate mix of courtesy and discretion. Beyond the insanely obvious (DON'T invade your friend's privacy by opening his files or checking his e-mails, DON'T watch porn or download malware or Google anything that will get the attention of the Department of Homeland Security, and so on), there are a few more subtle guidelines to keep in mind while bumming a friend's computer or tablet.

Read on to be a polite MacBook mooch. (Oh, and if you're the auntie letting your nieces and nephews use your MacBook when the littl'uns complain of boredom, this just may help you set some ground rules before you hand over the machinery.)

DON'T assume the owner wants to give you his/her password.

Three out of four people use the same password to access multiple sites, a study from Internet security company BitDefender shows. So by saying the security code aloud, you just might be demanding your friend's banking, e-mail and insurance sign-on.

Plus, the password might be something embarrassing (think "windbeneathmywings"). Say, "Oh, looks like it needs your password!" and casually get out of the way of the keyboard.

DO ask before altering the hard drive.

Obvious, but worth stating: Don't download any plug-ins, run any new programs, etc. on someone else's computer. If your bud doesn't have Adobe Reader, this isn't your night to access that fancy PDF.

Equally important: Unless you've cleared it, don't download e-mail attachments. They can easily get buried in labyrinthine folders, invasive for you to dig out before signing off but cluttering up your bud's files.

DON'T leave a trail of cookie crumbs.

It's annoying to use your computer after a friend's been on it and see that when you visit your Facebook, e-mail, Tumblr and Pinterest, you're already logged in as said user.

Don't be that borrower; instead, turn off cookies so that whatever you're doing isn't remembered for all time by the friend's browser (although, as NPR pointed out last week, the programs are far from foolproof should someone really want to see what you were doing online.).

Different browsers call this amnesiac mode different things: In Internet Explore, it's InPrivate Browsing; in Chrome, it's Incognito Mode; in Firefox, it's Private Browsing. Just remember to turn it off when you're done. If nothing else, it'll prevent your judgy friend from seeing that you had to Google "when to use lay and lie." And on a related note ...

DO withhold judgment.

We all search for embarrassing things, things that, thanks to the wonder of personal computers, our beloved gadgets remember for all time.

Whether a browser history reveals that your friend has been checking what SOPA means or just checking up on an ex, you must never use the information against her.

She's doing you a favor, after all. She's giving you another sweet hit of e- before you start to get the shakes.

How to prepare for Google's privacy changes

2012-02-29T05:59:00.000-08:00

(CNN) -- On Thursday, Google's much-discussed new privacy policy goes into effect.
To say that the change has stirred concern on the Web would be an understatement. Public officials and Web watchdogs in the United States and elsewhere have expressed fears that it will mean less privacy for users of the Web giant's multitude of products, from search to Gmail to YouTube to Google Maps to smartphones powered by the Android operating system.
Google points out that the products won't be collecting any more data about users than they were before. And, in fairness, the company has gone out of its way to prominently announce the product across all of its platforms for weeks.
The major change is that, instead of profiling users separately on each of its sites and products, Google will now pull all of that information together into one single profile, similar to what's found on Google's dashboard page.
The result encapsulates perhaps the most basic conundrum of the modern Web. More information means better service (and potentially, more targeted advertisements). But that service (in this case more accurate search results, more interesting ads and new features that work across multiple sites) requires you to give up some of your privacy in return.

Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz has called it "a somewhat brutal choice."
Google, not surprisingly, takes a different tack: The payoff for the company collecting your data is cool new services. For example, they could push cooking videos to you on YouTube if you'd been looking for recipes through Google search, privacy director Alma Whitten wrote in an editorial for the Sacramento Bee.
"We just want to use the information you already trust us with to make your experience better," she wrote. "If you don't think information sharing will improve your experience, you don't need to sign in to use services like Search, Maps and YouTube.
"If you are signed in, you can use our many privacy tools to do things like edit or turn off your search history, control the way Google tailors ads to your interests and browse the Web 'incognito' using Chrome."
Wednesday is the last day for people to tweak those Google settings before the new policy begins, although they can change them afterward as well.
Here are a few tips on how to keep your data a little more private on some of Google's most popular features.
Don't sign in
This is the easiest and most effective tip.
Many of Google's services -- most notably search, YouTube and Maps -- don't require you to sign in to use them. If you're not logged in, via Gmail or Google+, for example, Google doesn't know who you are and can't add data to your profile.
But to take a little more direct action ...
Removing your Google search history
Eva Galperin of the Electronic Frontier Foundation has compiled a step-by-step guide to deleting and disabling your Web History, which includes the searches you've done and sites you've visited.
It's pretty quick and easy:
-- Sign in to your Google account
-- Go to www.google.com/history
-- Click "Remove all Web History"
-- Click "OK"
As the EFF notes, deleting your history will not prevent Google from using the information internally. But it will limit the amount of time that it's fully accessible. After 18 months, the data will become anonymous again and won't be used as part of your profile.
Six tips to protect your search privacy (from the EFF)
Clearing your YouTube history
Similarly, users may want to remove their history on YouTube. That's also pretty quick and easy.
-- Sign in on Google's main page
-- Click on "YouTube" in the toolbar at the top of the page
-- On the right of the page, click your user name and select "Video Manager"
-- Click "History" on the left of the page and then "Clear Viewing History"
-- Refresh the page and then click "Pause Viewing History"
-- You can clear your searches on YouTube by going back and choosing "Clear Search History" and doing the same steps.
Gmail Chat
When you start a chat with someone, you can make the conversation "off the record." Off-the-record chats will not be stored in your chat history or the history of the person with whom you're talking. All chats with that person will remain off the record until you change the status. To go off the record:
-- Click the "Actions" link at the top right of the chat window
-- Scroll down to "Go off the record." Both you and your chat partner will see that the chat has been taken off the record.

Free HIV treatment on NHS for foreign nationals

2012-02-29T05:52:00.000-08:00

BBC

Ministers say treating people with HIV means they are unlikely to pass the infection on to others

Foreign nationals are to be offered free treatment for HIV on the NHS under plans backed by the government.

Campaigners say the move in England will reduce the risk of Britons being infected and cut the costs of more expensive later treatment.
Currently only British residents are eligible, which excludes migrants.
The Department of Health said it would bring England into line with Scotland and Wales, and there would be safeguards against "health tourism".
Extend treatment There are an estimated 25,000 people with undiagnosed HIV in Britain, many of whom were born abroad.
People from overseas cannot be treated for the condition unless they pay, which is not the case for other infectious diseases.
This group of people includes failed asylum seekers, students and tourists.
Conservative former cabinet minister Lord Fowler, who headed the government's Aids awareness campaign in the 1980s, has called for an amendment to the Health and Social Care Bill currently before the Lords.
This would extend free treatment to those who have been in Britain for six months.
The proposal will be introduced by the government in a Statutory Instrument rather than as part of the legislation.
'Good news' Public Health Minister Anne Milton said: "This measure will protect the public and brings HIV treatment in to line with all other infectious diseases. Treating people with HIV means they are very unlikely to pass the infection on to others."
Yusef Azad, director of policy at the National Aids Trust, said: "If someone is tested and treated early, it is much cheaper than them presenting themselves in hospital with a much more serious, complex condition that can cost tens of thousands of pounds to treat."
Professor Jane Anderson, chairwoman of the British HIV Association, said: "This is good news for people living in the UK who are HIV positive and also for public health in general."
Critics claim the decision could prompt so-called health tourism and put the NHS under further financial pressure.
But the government pledged tough guidance to ensure the measure is not abused.
The Department of Health said it would be difficult for somebody to come to the UK specifically for treatment as the process took months to administer and monitor.

T. rex bite was world's strongest

2012-02-29T05:51:00.000-08:00

BBC

By Victoria Gill Science reporter, BBC Nature

The researchers mapped the jaw muscles (red) and pressure sensors (blue) onto their digital T. rex skull

Tyrannosaurus rex had the most powerful bite of any creature that has ever walked the Earth, say scientists.

Previous estimates of the prehistoric predator's bite suggested it was much more modest - comparable to modern predators such as alligators.
This measurement, based on a laser scan of a T. rex skull, showed that its bite was equivalent to three tonnes - about the weight of an elephant.
The findings are published in the journal Biology Letters.
Dr Karl Bates from the biomechanics laboratory at the University of Liverpool led the research.
He and his colleague, Peter Falkingham from the University of Manchester, used the life-sized copy of a T. rex skeleton exhibited at Manchester Museum as a model for their study. "We digitised the skull with a laser scanner, so we had a 3-D model of the skull on our computer," Dr Bates explained.

Dr Karl Bates explains how he recreated the snapping jaws of T. rex

"Then we could map the muscles onto that skull."
The scientists then reproduced the full force of a bite by activating the muscles to contract fully - snapping the digital jaws shut.
"Those [simulated] muscles closed the jaw as they would in life and... we measured the force when the teeth hit each other," Dr Bates explained to BBC Nature.
"The maximum forces we found - up at the [back] teeth - were between 30,000 and 60,000 Newtons," he said.
"That's equivalent to a medium-sized elephant sitting on you."
Previous studies had estimated that T. rex's bite had a force of 8,000-13,000 Newtons.
Baby bite The researchers discovered how T. rex's bite force changed as it grew.

'Ultimate' dinosaur predators:

The massive skull of the Tyrannosaurus rex or "tyrant lizard king" measured 1.5m in length and was balanced by its long, heavy tail. These mighty carnivores may have eaten each other as well as other dinosaurs, research has suggested.
At 17m long and weighing up to 20 tonnes, Spinosaurus may have been the largest carnivore ever to walk the earth. It lived on a diet of fish, and hunted both in water and on land.
Predator X is the most powerful marine reptile ever discovered. At 15m long and weighing about 45 tonnes, it was twice as big as most Jurassic ocean predators.
The gigantic flying vertebrate Hatzegopteryx was a meat-eater that stood as tall as a giraffe and had a wingspan of at least 10m. This predator could walk and hunt on the ground as well as fly.

"Obviously, as its head got a lot bigger, there's an expected increase in bite force associated with that," Dr Bates explained.

But for T. rex, the power behind its bite increased disproportionately - much more than would be expected from a "straightforward linear increase", he said.
This suggests that the predator's diet changed as it matured, and that perhaps only adult T. rex could have punctured the tough hide of another dinosaur.
Dr Bill Sellers, who studies the physical capabilities of living and extinct animals at the University of Manchester, told BBC Nature: "I think everyone expected T. rex to have a strong bite force, but it's even stronger than we expected.
"And it gets stronger as it gets bigger, which is surprising."
He explained that studying dinosaurs shed light on the limits that living things were capable of.
"These animals are extremes - one of the biggest carnivores that ever lived," he said. "So it tells you a lot about the limitations of biology.
"We want to know how organisms work, but living organisms [today] are much smaller. And in terms of mechanics, size is really important."

The Raspberry Pi computer goes on general sale

2012-02-29T05:50:00.000-08:00

BBC

Dr Eben Upton of the Raspberry Pi Foundation shows Rory Cellan-Jones how the computer works

A credit-card sized computer designed to help teach children to code goes on general sale for the first time today.

The Raspberry Pi is a bare-bones, low-cost computer created by volunteers mostly drawn from academia and the UK tech industry.
Sold uncased without keyboard or monitor, the Pi has drawn interest from educators and enthusiasts.
Supporters hope the machines could help reverse a lack of programming skills in the UK.
"It has been six years in the making; the number of things that had to go right for this to happen is enormous. I couldn't be more pleased," said Eben Upton of the Raspberry Pi Foundation which is based in Cambridge.

“Start Quote

That's eight weeks pocket money for me”

Peter Boughton, 12, from Cambridgeshire

Raspberry Pi: Can it get kids to code?

Massive demand for the computer has caused the website of one supplier, Leeds-based Premier Farnell, to crash under the weight of heavy traffic.

School tools The device's launch comes as the Department for Education considers changes to the teaching of computing in schools, with the aim of placing greater emphasis on skills like programming.
In a speech outlining those changes, Michael Gove mentioned the Pi, suggesting devices like it could play an important role in the kind of computer class the government envisages.
"Initiatives like the Raspberry Pi scheme will give children the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of programming," he said.
"This is a great example of the cutting edge of education technology happening right here in the UK."
Initially the £22 ($35) model of the Pi will be offered for sale. A cheaper £16 ($25) version will go on sale later in the year.
The machine, which runs on open-source operating system Linux, can be hooked up to a typical computer monitor - with additional ports used to attach a keyboard, mouse and other peripherals.
It also features an ethernet port, meaning the device can make use of high-speed internet connectivity.
Supporters hope the thousands-strong community of people that has grown up around the Pi will help develop additional software and suggest uses for the device.
The Pi going on general sale is likely to add to the buzz around the machine, but there are already a number of similar stripped-down computers on the market.
These include devices such as the Beagleboard and the Omnima MiniEMBWiFi.
Bottle-necks banished The Raspberry Pi Foundation says it has already produced thousands of the machines, using a Chinese manufacturer.

“Start Quote

The real task, however, is not about getting the Raspberry Pi out to that impatient crowd of enthusiasts. What matters is the kind of reception the device gets when it arrives in schools”

Rory Cellan-Jones Technology correspondent

Read more from Rory

It had originally hoped to produce the devices in the UK - "we want to help bootstrap the UK electronics industry" the group wrote in a blog post - but that turned out not to be possible at the right price.

But while production remains overseas, deals with two distributors, Premier Farnell and RS Components, mean that production volumes will be able to grow much faster than previously thought.
Rather than the foundation having to fund production, distributors have agreed to handle orders and deal with manufacturers paying the foundation a royalty on sales.
Mr Upton says that will help the project grow much more quickly then previously thought.
"We didn't realise how successful this was going to be," he said.
"This means we can scale to volume. Now we can concentrate on teaching people to programme."

U.N.: Syria death toll 'well over' 7,500

2012-02-29T05:48:00.000-08:00

CNN

(CNN) -- As the total death toll in Syria climbed past 7,500, according to U.N. estimates, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could be tried for war crimes.

However, Clinton said Tuesday, pursuing charges against al-Assad might hinder efforts to persuade him to cede power.

The United Nations has credible reports that "the death toll now often exceeds 100 civilians a day, including women and children," Lynn Pascoe, a senior U.N. official, told the Security Council. "The total is certainly well over 7,500."

Tunisia, meanwhile, has offered al-Assad asylum if he steps down, its state news agency reported.

The number Pascoe cited is still below the 9,000-plus that opposition activists say have died in the nearly year-long attempt to put down opposition to al-Assad. At least 104 people, including three women and two children, were killed across Syria on Tuesday alone, said the Local Coordination Committees of Syria, a network of opposition activists.

The deaths include 50 in the opposition stronghold of Homs, which has been pummeled by government forces for more than three weeks. Of those, 26 died in "another massacre" in the city's Baba Amr neighborhood, the LCC said. Thirty-five others died in the suburbs of Hama, where hundreds were also injured in a fifth day of shelling.

Another opposition group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said five members of the Syrian army were killed in predawn clashes with defected soldiers in Daraa province.

The deaths followed a grim day Monday, when 144 people died nationwide, the LCC said.

CNN and other media outlets cannot independently verify opposition or government reports because Syria has severely limited access to the country by foreign journalists. But the vast majority of reports from the ground indicate that government forces are killing citizens in an attempt to wipe out civilians seeking al-Assad's ouster.

Al-Assad's regime has "subjected residents in several cities to indiscriminate bombardment by tank and rocket fire," Pascoe, the U.N.'s undersecretary general for political affairs, told the Security Council. In addition to the rising numbers of dead and wounded, about 25,000 people have registered as refugees in neighboring countries and 100,000 to 200,000 are displaced within Syria, he said.

Clinton, asked at a Senate Appropriations Committee whether al-Assad should be viewed as a war criminal, said, "I think that based on definitions of war criminal and crimes against humanity, there would be an argument to be made that he would fit into that category."

Asked about making that argument before the world community, Clinton said, "I think people have been putting forth the argument, but I also think from long experience that could complicate a resolution of a difficult, complex situation because it limits options to persuade leaders perhaps to step down from power."

Clinton's comments echoed remarks last week by Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki, who told an international "Friends of Syria" conference last week that "closing all exits" for al-Assad and his lieutenants would likely trigger more bloodshed. Tuesday, Marzouki spokesman Anden Mansar said the country has offered al-Assad political asylum in hopes of bringing about an end to the violence.

"If the Syrian president's departure to another country, including Tunisia, helps bring about a settlement to the political crisis in Syria, Tunisia will be ready to lend its assistance," added Mr. Mansar in a communique carried by the state news agency TAP.

Marzouki took office 11 months after the January 2011 revolt that toppled longtime Tunisian strongman Zine el Abidine Ben Ali and kicked off the regional upheaval now known as the "Arab Spring." Syrian opposition activists began demonstrating against al-Assad two months later, leading to the bloodshed that now wracks the country.

Earlier Tuesday, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem insisted that no regime cares more about its citizens than that of Syria.

"We are not happy to see brothers killing each other," he said. No one in Syria is dying from hunger or illness, he said, and the government is providing all necessary services despite an "economic international boycott."

The LCC said about 9,000 people have been killed since the government launched its crackdown on dissidents in March. The Syrian government says that more than 2,000 members of its security forces have been killed by "terrorists" during that same period.

International pressure on Damascus continued to mount Tuesday as the U.N. Human Rights Council met in Geneva, Switzerland, to hear more on an International Commission of Inquiry report saying Syrian government officials were responsible for "crimes against humanity" committed by security forces against opposition members.

U.N. Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay told the council her office has received "disturbing reports of a rapidly deteriorating human rights and humanitarian situation. Recent reports further indicate that Syrian military and security forces have launched massive campaigns of arrest, arbitrarily detaining thousands of protesters, as well as activists and others suspected of anti-government activities."

The cities of Hama and Homs have borne the brunt of the violence, she said. During government blockades, residents cannot obtain food, water or medical supplies and some cannot reach hospitals, she said. The hospitals themselves are overwhelmed, with citizens setting up makeshift clinics lacking medical supplies.

Some reports suggest more than 500 children have been killed since the unrest began in March, Pillay said. The Syrian government reported 2,493 civilians and 1,345 soldiers and police killed between March and January 18 of this year, she said, but "according to information available to my office, the actual numbers may far exceed these figures."

The Syrian government has been somewhat cooperative, allowing Arab League observers into the country as well as giving controlled access to aid groups, she said. The Arab League later suspended its monitoring mission amid ongoing violence.

"However, these steps pale into insignificance in the face of the continuing onslaught of violence and arrest against people by state actors," Pillay said. "In light of this and in the face of the unspeakable violations that take place every moment, I remain convinced that referring the situation of Syria to the International Criminal Court will be a step in the right direction."

Syria's parliament representative to the council, Fayssal Al-Hamwi, denounced the session and eventually walked out of the meeting, according to the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency.

Al-Hamwi said the "true goal" of the session is to cover up "violence and murder committed by armed terrorist groups against innocent civilians," SANA reported.

Unilateral economic sanctions against Syria, he said, "are the ugliest violations of human rights, because they target foremost civilian populations including children, women and the elderly."

"The delegation of the Syrian Arab Republic announces non-acknowledgement of the legitimacy of this session,'' he said, according to SANA.

On Monday, the European Union slapped new sanctions on the Syrian government. The EU will freeze the assets of several ministers in the al-Assad regime, and will freeze Syrian Central Bank assets in the EU.

The moves "will put further pressure on those who are responsible for the ruthless campaign of repression in Syria," Catherine Ashton, the EU foreign policy chief, said in a written statement. "The measures target the regime and its ability to conduct the appalling violence against civilians. As long as the repression continues, the EU will keep imposing sanctions."

The International Commission of Inquiry said in its report that U.N. bodies probing the crimes should identify perpetrators and hold them accountable. It said it had turned over a list of those believed to be responsible to Pillay's office.

Meanwhile, British photographer Paul Conroy, who was wounded in an attack that left two other journalists dead last week in the Baba Amr neighborhood of Homs, was safe in Lebanon Tuesday after being smuggled out of Syria, the international activist network Avaaz said.

London's Sunday Times confirmed Conroy was in Lebanon. But Avaaz said that of the roughly 50 people who tried to escape Homs with him, 23 were killed in an ambush.

Ricken Patel, the group's executive director, said journalists are "witnesses to a gigantic crime" who have to be protected. But the ambush the group faced on their way to Lebanon indicates that a key lifeline into the city has been cut off.

Apple iPad 3 expected on 7 March following press event

2012-02-29T05:47:00.002-08:00

BBC

Apple's press invitation appeared to show a person using an iPad - possibly the new device

Apple has announced an event on 7 March at which the company is expected to launch its latest iPad tablet.

Invitations sent to journalists read: "We have something you really have to see. And touch."
While not officially confirming the product's launch, the message was accompanied by an image showing what looked to be an iPad touchscreen.
The iPad range, which first launched in 2010, has sold more than 50 million units worldwide.
It is not yet known when the new device will be available for sale.
Last year, sales of the iPad 2 began in the US nine days after the launch announcement - which also took place in March.
Apple's first two versions of the iPad transformed the market for tablet computers and made it one of the fastest-growing sectors of the computer industry.
Patent woes However, recently Apple's dominant position in the tablet market has been challenged by a string of tablets powered by Google's Android operating system.
Later this year, industry experts expect a new category of tablet devices powered by Microsoft's forthcoming Windows 8 operating system.
Microsoft will announce details for the consumer versions of Windows 8 at an event in Barcelona on Wednesday evening.
The tablet market - just like the smartphone market - has been subject to intense patent wars, chiefly between Apple and its key challenger Samsung.
Apple is also embroiled in a dispute over the naming rights for the iPad with Asian electronics firm Proview.

Seti Live website to crowdsource alien life

2012-02-29T05:46:00.002-08:00

BBC

By Jane Wakefield Technology reporter, TED 2012, Los Angeles

The Seti Allen Telescope Array is based in Northern California

A website has been launched that aims to get the public involved in the search for extraterrestrial life.

Announced at the TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) conference in Los Angeles, the site will stream radio frequencies that are transmitted from the Seti (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Allen Telescope Array.
Participants will be asked to search for signs of unusual activity.
It is hoped the human brain can find things the automated system might miss.
The website is the latest stage in a quest "to empower Earthlings everywhere to become active participants in the ultimate search for cosmic company".
The project is being run by Dr Jillian Tarter, winner of the TED Prize in 2009 and director of the Seti Institute's Center for Seti Research.
She has devoted her career to hunting for signs of sentient beings elsewhere.
She hopes Seti Live will help build upon the community of scientists and technologists already involved in the search.
"There are frequencies that our automated signal detection systems now ignore, because there are too many signals there," she said.
"Most are created by Earth's communication and entertainment technologies, but buried within this noise there may be a signal from a distant technology.
"I'm hoping that an army of volunteers can help us deal with these crowded frequency bands that confuse our machines. By doing this in real time, we will have an opportunity to follow up immediately on what our volunteers discover."
Grand adventure The Seti Institute has struggled to keep afloat in recent years and relies on public donations. It has some high profile backers, including including former astronaut Bill Anders, sci-fi author Larry Niven, and Hollywood actress Jodie Foster.
Crowdsourcing data has proved to be a very useful tool for scientists in a range of disciplines.
Collaborating on the Seti project is Zooniverse, home to some of the internet's largest and most successful citizen science projects.
"Over the last few years, we have learned about the incredible desire of hundreds of thousands of people to take part in scientific research as they've used Zooniverse to classify galaxies, explore the Moon and even to discover planets," said Chris Lintott, Zooniverse's principal investigator.
"With Setilive.org, we're very excited to be inviting them on this grandest of adventures."

Opposition activists: Boy's death marks latest violence in Syria

2012-02-29T05:45:00.000-08:00

CNN

(CNN) -- A 13-year-old boy was killed by sniper fire Wednesday as government forces continue tormenting civilians across Syria, opposition activists said.

The boy was killed in the eastern city of Deir Ezzor, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition activist group.

And an undisclosed number of people were killed and injured by rockets falling on the western city of Rastan, the group said.

Meanwhile, in the Damascus suburb of Zabadani, Syrian forces stormed residential buildings searching for and detaining men ages 13 and above, said an opposition activist named Mostapha.

A United Nations official supported what Syrian dissidents have claimed for months -- that indiscriminate bombardment by government tanks and rocket fire have contributed to "well over 7,500 deaths."

The U.N. has credible reports that "the death toll now often exceeds 100 civilians a day, including women and children," Lynn Pascoe told the U.N. Security Council. Pascoe is the U.N.'s undersecretary general for political affairs.

The number Pascoe cited is still below the 9,000-plus that opposition activists say have died in the nearly year-long government attempt to wipe out its opposition. At least 104 people were killed across Syria on Tuesday alone, said the Local Coordination Committees of Syria (LCC), a network of opposition activists.

The deaths include 50 in the opposition stronghold of Homs, which has been pummeled by government forces for more than three weeks. Thirty-five others died in the suburbs of Hama, where hundreds were also injured in a fifth day of shelling.

The Baba Amr neighborhood in Homs faced further shelling Wednesday, and there were violent clashes between the regime's army and the opposition's Free Syrian Army, according to the LCC.

France said it was trying to evacuate its two nationals stranded in Homs, in coordination with Syrian authorities and the Red Crescent. "We expect the government of Damascus to meet all the conditions for a safe and rapid evacuation, including an immediate cease-fire on Baba Amr," French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero told CNN.

On state-run media, Syria routinely blames "armed terrorist groups" for the violence.

The state-run news agency SANA reported Wednesday that 12 "army and law enforcement martyrs" were buried.

"The martyrs' relatives hailed the role of the Syrian army in maintaining the security and stability of the homeland, expressing confidence of the ability of the Syrian people to overcome the crisis through their unity and rallying around their leadership, asserting that Syria will foil all the conspiracies hatched against it," the report said.

CNN and other media outlets cannot independently verify opposition or government reports because Syria has severely limited access to the country by foreign journalists. But the vast majority of reports from the ground indicate that government forces are killing citizens in an attempt to eliminate those seeking President Bashar al-Assad's ouster.

In addition to the mounting casualties, about 25,000 people have registered as refugees in neighboring countries and 100,000 to 200,000 are displaced within Syria, Pascoe said.

Al-Assad, in power since 2000, has refused to budge despite cries from the Syrian opposition and international leaders to do so.

But Tunisia -- which catapulted the Arab Spring as the first country in the region to oust a longtime ruler last year -- has offered asylum to Syria's president.

Tunisian president Moncef Marzouki said "closing all exits in front of the Syrian regime" would "worsen its brutality against the revolution of the brotherly Syrian people and, consequently, the likelihood of causing thousands more victims," the Tunisian state TAP news agency reported.

"If the Syrian president's departure to another country, including Tunisia, helps bring about a settlement to the political crisis in Syria, Tunisia will be ready to lend its assistance," Marzouki said, according to TAP.

Other world leaders indicate that getting al-Assad to step down might take some international restraint.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the Senate Appropriations Committee that al-Assad could be tried for war crimes.

"I think people have been putting forth the argument, but I also think from long experience that could complicate a resolution of a difficult, complex situation because it limits options to persuade leaders, perhaps, to step down from power," Clinton said Tuesday.

But the pressure on the Syrian regime mounted Tuesday, when the U.N. Human Rights Council met to discuss a report saying Syrian government officials were responsible for "crimes against humanity" against opposition members.

U.N. Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay said her office has received "disturbing reports of a rapidly deteriorating human rights and humanitarian situation. Recent reports further indicate that Syrian military and security forces have launched massive campaigns of arrest, arbitrarily detaining thousands of protesters, as well as activists and others suspected of anti-government activities."

The cities of Hama and Homs have borne the brunt of the violence, she said. During government blockades, residents can't access food, water or medical supplies.

Opposition activists and residents in Homs have said those wounded by the regime's onslaught can't go to hospitals because they have been either damaged by rocket attacks or taken over by government forces. Some have died from what would have been non-lethal injuries, they said.

Hamas political leaders leave Syria for Egypt and Qatar

2012-02-29T05:40:00.000-08:00

BBC

The Syrian government welcomed Hamas after it was banned in Jordan in 1999

The political leadership of the Palestinian Islamist group, Hamas, has moved from Syria to Egypt and Qatar.

Deputy political leader Moussa Abu Marzouk, now based in Cairo, said Hamas could not operate effectively due to the unrest in its long-time ally.

The political leader, Khaled Meshaal, and his aides have moved to Doha.

On Friday, the head of the Hamas government in Gaza, Ismail Haniya, declared his support for Syrian people against President Bashar al-Assad.

"I salute all people of the Arab Spring, or Islamic winter, and I salute the heroic people of Syria who are striving for freedom, democracy and reform," Ismail Haniya told worshippers at a mosque in Cairo.

The worshippers shouted back: "God is great" and "Syria! Syria!"
The remarks reflected the deepening split between Hamas and Mr Assad.
Iranians 'not happy'

“Start Quote

Our position on Syria is that we are not with the regime in its security solution, and we respect the will of the people”

Moussa Abu Marzouk Deputy political leader, Hamas

The political bureau of Hamas - which is designated a terrorist organisation by Israel, the US and EU - moved to Syria in 1999 after the Jordanian authorities accused the group of using the country as a base for illegal activities and briefly detained Mr Meshaal and a key aide.

The Syrian government welcomed the group, providing its leaders with a safe haven, and helping to supply it with weapons and money for the armed struggle against Israel, with which Syria is still technically at war.

Relations appeared to be good until anti-government protests erupted throughout Syria in March 2011, triggering a violent crackdown by security forces which activists say has left more than 7,000 people dead.

Hamas initially neither publicly endorsed the Syrian regime's handling of the uprising - reportedly much to Mr Assad's anger - nor repudiated it.

Analysts said the Sunni Islamist group was torn between risking the support of its main financial backers - Syria and its ally, Iran - and supporting Syria's majority Sunni community, which has borne the brunt of the crackdown by the Alawite-dominated security forces.

Mr Abu Marzouk told the Associated Press on Sunday that Hamas still had offices in Syria, but acknowledged that "practically, we are no longer in Syria because we could not practice our duties there".

Hamas has allowed protests against the Syrian government in the Gaza Strip

"Our position on Syria is that we are not with the regime in its security solution, and we respect the will of the people," he added.

He said Hamas wanted to keep its ties with Iran, but stood up to the government in Tehran in refusing to publicly support President Assad.

"The Iranians are not happy with our position on Syria, and when they are not happy, they don't deal with you in the same old way."

A member of the Hamas political bureau recently said Iran had been the main financial supporter of the Hamas government in Gaza, and that without Iranian money it would not be able to pay its 45,000 employees.

Mr Abu Marzouk also said that last year's agreement between Hamas and the rival Fatah movement to form a Palestinian government of national unity ahead of parliamentary elections still faced steep obstacles.

A series of recent meetings between Mr Meshaal and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas did not lead to any breakthrough.

Syria unrest: 'Humanitarian' vote pressed at UN

2012-02-29T05:38:00.000-08:00

BBC

Dozens have died in the past few days in Homs, opposition activists say

Syria Crisis

A new resolution is being drawn up at the United Nations to focus on humanitarian aid for Syria, in the hope both China and Russia, which have opposed previous votes, will back it.

Although diplomats said the move was in the early stage, China said it did back "creating conditions" for humanitarian aid to be sent.

A UN meeting on Tuesday was told more than 7,500 had died in Syrian unrest.

Syrian forces continued to pound the city of Homs on Wednesday.

Three journalists, Edith Bouvier, William Daniels and Javier Espinosa, are still believed to be trapped in Homs.

Sunday Times photographer Paul Conroy was smuggled out to Lebanon on Tuesday in an operation that left 13 Syrian opposition activists dead.

'Political dialogue'

The US and France are working on a new draft UN Security Council resolution seeking access for humanitarian aid workers and an end to violence.

On 4 February China and Russia blocked a UN resolution backing an Arab plan condemning the crackdown and calling on President Bashar al-Assad to step down.

Video has been released reportedly showing the aftermath of clashes in Sarmin, near Idlib city

One diplomat told Reuters there was a new text but it was not yet a formal draft. "It's been drafted by the Americans. It hasn't gone to the full council, just to a small circle of like-minded countries."

Another diplomat told AFP: "This resolution will concentrate on humanitarian access to the cities, but it will indicate that the government is the cause of the crisis."

The aim is to make it hard for Russia and China, who are opposed to what they say is forced regime change, to use their veto.

China's Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi indicated his country was in favour of creating the conditions for aid to be sent.

Speaking to the head of the Arab League, Nabil Elaraby, over the phone, Mr Yang said China was willing to work with the Arab nations for ''a peaceful and proper settlement of the Syria issue'', the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Mr Yang said that it was ''an urgent task'' for opposing sides in Syria to halt violence in order to begin ''an inclusive political dialogue''.

Trapped Journalists

EDITH BOUVIER

Thirty-one-year-old reporter for French daily Le Figaro and Radio France Internationale. Sustained a broken femur in the attack which killed US war correspondent Marie Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlik.

WILLIAM DANIELS

The 34-year-old Paris-based photographer specialises in documenting humanitarian crises. He is represented by the London-based Panos agency and is working with Ms Bouvier on an assignment for Le Figaro.

JAVIER ESPINOSA

Spanish daily El Mundo's Middle East correspondent. He began working for the paper in 1994, covering the Rwandan genocide. Has also reported from Mexico and Morocco for the paper. In 1999, he was kidnapped and held for 48 hours by rebels in Sierra Leone.

"The international community should create favourable conditions in this regard and provide humanitarian aid to Syria," Xinhua quoted him as saying.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week called Russia and China's veto "despicable" - comments the Chinese foreign ministry said were not acceptable.

Critics have said the effect of the Chinese and Russian vetoes was to provide diplomatic support for the Assad regime, which then escalated its offensives against Homs and other cities.

The BBC's Damian Grammaticas in Beijing says China has been stung by the international criticism. It now appears to be trying to repair the damage to its diplomatic relations with Arab nations who had urged it to support UN action.

In recent days China's state-controlled media has been attacking Western governments, saying that they were pursuing "hegemonistic ambitions" under the guise of "humanitarian concern".

But our correspondent says it is far from clear whether China will or will not veto any new Security Council resolution.

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said he "solemnly" appealed to Beijing and Moscow not to block it.

'Fierce confrontations'

Residents of Homs fear the army is planning an imminent ground assault there.

Faysal Khabbaz Hamoui said the debate was "fuelling the flames of terrorism"

One activist in the city, Mohammad al-Homsi, told Reuters news agency that the army was moving infantry towards the al-Bassel football stadium just north of the besieged district of Baba Amr, and that "fierce confrontations with automatic rifles and heavy machineguns are taking place there".

Another activist, Hadi Abdullah, told AFP news agency, power had been cut to most of the city.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says some 100 people were killed in the past two days in the continuing Syrian bombardment of Homs.

The fate of the remaining journalists remains unclear. They left with Mr Conroy but became separated.

Ms Bouvier and Mr Conroy were both hurt in an earlier attack that killed fellow journalists Marie Colvin and Remi Ochlik.

The UN's new estimate of the number of deaths in Syria came at a meeting of the UN Security Council.

"There are credible reports that the death toll now often exceeds 100 civilians a day, including many women and children," said Lynn Pascoe.

"The total killed so far is certainly well over 7,500 people."

The Syrian government says at least 1,345 members of the security forces have been killed combating what it calls "armed gangs and terrorists", and puts the number of civilians killed at 2,493.

An emergency meeting of the UN Human Rights Council was also held on Tuesday in Geneva, where commissioner Navi Pillay said atrocities against civilians were being committed.

Syria's representative to the UN, Faysal Khabbaz Hamoui, stormed out of the session, accusing countries of "inciting sectarianism and providing arms".

Syria unrest: Military 'advancing in Homs'

2012-02-29T05:36:00.000-08:00

BBC

The Syrian army is advancing on opposition positions in Homs, which has been under artillery bombardment for nearly a month, reports say.

Security officials in Damascus said the besieged district of Baba Amr would be "cleaned" within the next few hours.

Residents of Homs have long said they believe a ground assault is imminent, but the scale of the operation remains unclear.

It comes amid reports of a new draft UN resolution on the crisis.

The draft, which is still in its early stages, focuses on humanitarian aid for Syria, in the hope both China and Russia, which have opposed previous votes, will back it.

Although diplomats said the move was in the early stage, China said it supported "creating conditions" for humanitarian aid to be sent.

A UN meeting on Tuesday was told more than 7,500 had died in the 11 months of protest against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

'Fierce confrontations'

Fresh shelling was reported in Homs on Wednesday morning, a day after more than 100 people were killed, rights groups said. Power to many areas of the city is said to have been cut.

Trapped Journalists

Edith Bouvier
Thirty-one-year-old reporter for French daily Le Figaro and Radio France Internationale. Sustained a broken femur in the attack which killed US war correspondent Marie Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlik.

William Daniels

The 34-year-old Paris-based photographer specialises in documenting humanitarian crises. He is represented by the London-based Panos agency and is working with Ms Bouvier on an assignment for Le Figaro.

Javier Espinosa

Spanish daily El Mundo's Middle East correspondent. He began working for the paper in 1994, covering the Rwandan genocide. Has also reported from Mexico and Morocco for the paper. In 1999, he was kidnapped and held for 48 hours by rebels in Sierra Leone.

An unnamed security official told AFP news agency that Baba Amr was now "under control".

"The army has started combing the area building by building and house by house. Now the troops are searching every basement and tunnel for arms and terrorists," he said.

The Associated Press also quoted an official as saying the district would be "cleaned" within hours.

One activist in the city, Mohammad al-Homsi, told Reuters that infantry was moving towards the al-Bassel football stadium just north Baba Amr, and that "fierce confrontations with automatic rifles and heavy machine-guns are taking place there".

The BBC's Jim Muir, reporting from Beirut, says communications with Homs appear to have been cut.

Some activists had told the BBC on Tuesday night that government forces were only about 1km from the press centre which was shelled on 22 February and that they expected to be attacked within hours.

But our correspondent says it remains to be seen whether the latest manoeuvres are the big push into Homs that has been expected.

Two foreign journalists were killed in that blast and three other journalists caught up in it - Edith Bouvier, William Daniels and Javier Espinosa - are still believed to be trapped there.
Sunday Times photographer Paul Conroy was smuggled out to Lebanon on Tuesday in an operation that left 13 Syrian opposition activists dead.

Aid push

The new draft UN Security Council resolution, being drawn up by the US and France, seeks access for humanitarian aid workers and an end to violence.

The humanitarian situation in Homs is believed to be deteriorating

One diplomat told Reuters the draft had been circulated among "a small circle of like-minded countries".

Another diplomat told AFP: "This resolution will concentrate on humanitarian access to the cities, but it will indicate that the government is the cause of the crisis."
The aim is to make it hard for Russia and China, who are opposed to what they say is forced regime change, to use their veto.

On 4 February China and Russia blocked a UN resolution backing an Arab plan condemning the crackdown and calling on Mr Assad to step down.

China's Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi indicated his country was in favour of creating the conditions for aid to be sent.

Speaking to the head of the Arab League, Nabil Elaraby, over the phone, Mr Yang said China was willing to work with the Arab nations for ''a peaceful and proper settlement of the Syria issue'', the official Xinhua news agency reported.

"The international community should create favourable conditions in this regard and provide humanitarian aid to Syria," Xinhua quoted him as saying.

China's has accused the West of pursuing "hegemonistic ambitions" in Syria under the guise of "humanitarian concern", and correspondents say it remains far from clear whether Beijing will or will not veto any new Security Council resolution.

The Syrian government says at least 1,345 members of the security forces have been killed combating what it calls "armed gangs and terrorists", and puts the number of civilians killed at 2,493.

To Reduce the Poverty of Arakan...

2012-02-29T05:33:00.002-08:00

Narinjara

The management of successive Burmese governments in recent decades could easily be rated as poor. The country has been under a dictatorship and all of the nation's foreign revenues have been controlled and manipulated by the military's top brass families and their cronies. As a result the economy has just been going downhill. Burma is still one of the world's poorest countries. People are drowning in deep poverty with no food to eat, no clothes to put on, and no place to stay.

In order to get out of such abysmal circumstances, the current Thein Sein government recently declared an eight-step poverty reduction program. Government officials publicly stated that the government alone will not be able to implement such a program and called for the cooperation of the people. They invited the people to join hands in the endeavor. There is no doubt that the people of Burma, from all walks of life, will cordially welcome such an invitation. However, the program has its own flaws and at least a few actions need to be taken in order for the program to be successful. Here are some that need to be implemented if the government sincerely wants to reduce poverty in Arakan.

Arakan is blessed with natural resources for development. However, it is the second poorest state among the 14 states and divisions in Burma. In order to reduce poverty in Arakan, the authorities must work on it practically rather than paying lip service. The number of military brigades that are nothing but a burden to the Arakanese must be reduced. All the agricultural land that was unlawfully confiscated by the army must be returned to the rightful owners. All the contractual farming permits issued by the army for the confiscated land must be abolished. All of the collection of tolls at the army, navy, and police checkpoints must be stopped right away. All the government leases solely given to government cronies to freely exploit the sea and waterways of Arakan for their own economic benefit must be ended. Arakanese are the sole owners of their waters and they should have a right to make a living on them.

Along with open economic policies, the free market system must be allowed to flourish. Especially, rice trading must be allowed to take place across Arakan at the will of the business owners. Tolls and taxes levied on the Arakanese at places such as markets, bridges, piers, and bus stations are a big burden to the businesses and must be strictly prohibited. To stimulate the development of industry, 24/7 electricity must be provided to both rural and urban areas using the energy resources found in Arakan. Half of all the revenues gained from exporting Arakanese energy resources abroad must be used for the development of Arakan. The current government must abolish the centralized economic policies and open up business opportunities that will promote the free market system and benefit Arakan.

The eight-step poverty reduction program of the current Thein Sein government could be accepted in principle. However, to effectively address the problems Arakanese are facing today, the aforementioned actions must be taken. The poverty reduction program must be able to mitigate the serious challenges that people are dealing with every day. No matter how grand the policies may be, if they can not solve the fundamental problems that people are facing, any attempt to reduce poverty would just be a waste of time and resources.
...........

Indian company in charge of Shwe Gas Project troubles local contractors

2012-02-29T05:32:00.002-08:00

Narinjara

Kyauk Pru: India’s Punj Lloyd that is responsible for constructing pipelines in the Shwe Gas Project in Kyaukpru in southeastern Arakan State has been allegedly breaking its financial promises to local contractors over works ordered by them.

India workers at a construction site of Kyauk Pru.

One of the contractors told Narinjara that Punj Lloyd is still to make a large payment to them after ordering them to build a housing complex at a cost of 200 millions kyat and that its continuous delay has caused them great financial difficulties in their business.

“Punj Lloyd had ordered us to build a housing complex for its workers in Pyatae Village that is situated four-miles south of Kyaukpru at a cost of 200 million kyat. We have already built and handed over the complex to the company and its workers are living there now, but the company has paid only 40 million kyat and is still yet to pay the remaining 160 millions kyat, this has caused great financial difficulties for us in our businesses”, said the contractor.

He said they have requested many times for them to pay the outstanding money because of their financial difficulties, but the company has still declined to pay them with the reason that it has not received the money from its central office.

“The [company officials] gave us many reasons for their delay whenever we went and asked for the money to be paid. We do not know how to convince them of our difficulties and it is also difficult for us to take legal action against them because the Burmese authorities are protecting them in all matters”, he said.

A local truck owner also said the Indian company has been behaving in a similar fashion to the truck owners in the area as well. The company usually hires the local trucks for transporting their construction materials, but it never pay the transportation fares as per its promise after the job is done.

“There are so many truck owners who are owed respective debts from the Indian company in our area now. We never thought that such a big foreign company would behave to us like this and we completed our jobs based just on a verbal promise without making a contract. When we complained of the matter to our law enforcers, they also threatened us that we would be troubled if we sue the foreign company without concrete evidence”, said the truck owner.

According to the sources, the Indian company has perpetuated such violations on local businesses or peoples by taking advantage of the situation, in which the Burmese regime disregards the local rights or benefits in the Shwe Gas Project and it colludes with the foreign companies working on the project for their mutual benefit.

The local people have been suffering from various rights violations that include land confiscations and forced relocations since the project was started in their area.

Arakanese in Thailand Hold Ceremony to Reinvigorate their Patriotism

2012-02-29T05:31:00.002-08:00

Narinjara

Dhaka: Arakanese in Thailand held a joint public ceremony and lecture on Arakan history and presented an award to a patriotic musician on 19 February in a Buddhist monastery in southern Thailand with the aim of improving patriotic morale among the younger Arakanese generation.

The ceremony was titled, "The public lecture on Arakanese history by prominent historian Professor Aye Chan and the honoring of patriotic musician Win Ko Khine". It was opened with a religious sermon and traditional cultural events.

U Htay Win, editor of the Arakan National Newspaper and the leading organizer of the ceremony, told Narinjara that the ceremony was held with nationalistic people of Arakan in order to uplift morale and patriotism among the younger Arakanese generation.

"The ceremony and public lecture on Arakan history was held by our well-regarded historian Dr. Aye Chan, and we awarded the honorary prize of 'Brilliant Star' to our popular musician Ko Win Ko Khine who has been selflessly composing and singing our patriotic songs for more than 20 years so that our younger Arakanese generation may learn their native history and emulate those Arakanese personalities who have been bestowing their selfless service to the cause of Arakan," said U Htay Win.

He said the ceremony was very lively with over 2,000 young Arakanese migrant workers attending the ceremony in Thailand in the town of Maha Chai.

While speaking to Narinjara, Dr. Aye Chan said, "I feel very proud of our people in Thailand who made this kind of ceremony possible because it is very necessary for our people. Without the knowledge of our own history, our people would not know what to do with their future, so I would like to urge our Arakanese people at home and abroad as well to hold such ceremonies in order to keep our patriotism alive."

Ko Win Ko Khine said on receiving the award during the ceremony that he felt much more profoundly than words of gratitude and pleasure he expressed for the prize awarded by his compatriot Arakanese for his songs.

It was also learnt that the audiences in the ceremony were also greatly impressed with Dr. Aye Chan's lecture on Arakanese history and presented their respective gifts and respect to him before concluding the ceremony.

Activists to launch global campaign against Shwe Gas

2012-02-29T05:30:00.003-08:00

Narinjara

Dhaka: A global campaign against the Shwe Gas Project in western Burma’s Arakan State will be held on the 1st of March, said Ko Won Aung, the coordinator of the Shwe Gas Movement based in Thailand.

“We will carry out three main activities that make up our global campaign against the Shwe Gas Project. First we will demand the foreign governments and stake holders in the project to temporarily suspend the project withdrawing their respective investments from the project in consideration of social suffering, environmental damage and human rights violations impacted by the project in our region, and second a signed petition by over 100 organizations will be sent to President U Thein Sein, and third we will hold demonstrations in a number of countries that include stake holding countries in the project”, said Ko Won Aung.

He said they have to demand the suspension of the project because the locals rights and benefits are being neglected in the project.

“We have not found any conditions that guarantee the rights and benefits for our local Arakanese as well as the whole Burmese people in the project and the government is also not transparent about the project. That is why we have to continue to demand the suspension of the project until the gas for domestic use and the rights and benefits of local peoples are guaranteed in the project”, he said.

Ko Won Aung said the petition letter they will send to president U Thein Sein for the suspension of the project will be signed by the local Arakanese and international organizations that are working for social welfare, the environment and human rights.

He said they have written in the petition to the president that the natural gas from the project is very important for the energy sector in the country and should be sold to foreign countries after fulfilling domestic demand and that the government should temporarily suspend and continue the project after ensuring the rights and benefits of the local people and the necessities of gas in the country.

The offshore Shwe gas reserve in Arakan coast was found by the joint explorations of the Burmese regime’s oil and gas enterprise and the Daewoo International Corporation in 2004 and is now being developed to produce and export gas to China through the pipeline. The Burmese regime will earn an estimated $29 billion USD from gas exports from the reserve.

As the project is not transparent and has been troubling the local people with rights violations such as forcible land confiscations and relocations since it was started, the local peoples have risen to voice and demand their rights from the project including 24-hour electricity in their region to be supplied from the power generated by gas from the project as well.

The Burmese regime still reluctant however and neglecting to listen to and meet the demands of local people, and continuing the project in partnership with international governments and companies.

Honorary ceremony held for political prisoners in Sittwe

2012-02-29T05:30:00.000-08:00

Narinjara

Sittwe: An honorary reception ceremony for Rammarwady Ashin Pinnyasara and other political prisoners who were recently released from prison was held on 20 February in Sittwe, the capital town in Arakan State.

The ceremony was held in the head office of the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party and the spokesperson of the party U Khine Pray Soe said the ceremony was held to spotlight the fact amongst the Arakanese people that the prisoners of conscience are admirable people who sacrifice their lives for the interests of their people and country.

“The prisoners of conscience or political prisoners are the ones who are jailed for their selfless services to the well-being of their people and country, but most of the people in our society keep away from them generally fearing they are just prisoners. That is the reason why we hold this ceremony to receive and honour them, our aim being to spotlight the fact that they are good people and worthy of social recognition”, said U Khine Pray Soe.

He said the ceremony was organized jointly by his party and local young activists in Sittwe.

Ko Kaung San, a recently released political prisoner, said Rammarwady Ashin Pinnyasara returned to Sittwe on the day of the ceremony and the participants along with the political prisoners received him at the port of the Malikha express vessel and accompanied him to the ceremony at the RNDP office.

“We received the venerable monk at the port of the Malikha express vessel when he came back to Sittwe and we walked from the port to the RNDP office accompanying him. Many people were wearing headbands and standing on the side of the roads greeting him and shouting their good wishes for him”, said Ko Kaung San.

U Khine Pray Soe, the secretary of the RNDP in Sittwe, U Aung Won, one of the RNDP’s MP from Mraybon Township, U Aung Hla Thein, a well-known historian, and Daw Aye Nu Sein, the lawyer of the monk, were said to have lead the reception team for Ashin Pinnyasara.

Ashin Pinnyasara delivered a speech on his experiences in prison while U Khine Pray Soe and the well-known Arakanese writer Thu Mrat Maha Aung Mray also addressed the crowd with their respective speeches on the lives of political prisoners at the reception ceremony.

The personnel of the special police branch and the military intelligence closely watched the ceremony, but they did not cause any disturbance.

It is also learnt that Rammarwady Ashin Pinnyasara will stay temporarily in the Thatdhamma Guru Pathein Monastery in Sittwe as his monastery cum orphanage is still shut down, as it has been by the authorities since he was arrested in 2010.

Shopkeepers Face Burden of Fees after Market Fire in Thandwe

2012-02-29T05:29:00.002-08:00

Narinjara

Thandwe: Shopkeepers in the main market in Thandwe in southeastern Arakan State, which was recently damaged by fire, are facing additional burdens as the local municipal authority is collecting fees from them to build a temporary market, said one of the shopkeepers.

The fire that broke out on 11 February, 2012, in the Dawrawady Myoma Market in Thandwe left 740 stores in the market completely destroyed and caused losses upwards of a hundred million kyat.

"The municipal authorities are now collecting a fee that ranges from 150,000 to 170,000 Kyat from a shopkeeper to build a temporary market at the old football grounds in the town before reconstructing the market devastated by the fire. Now we the shopkeepers are feeling very upset because the authorities have troubled us with an additional burden while we are are already suffering from the fire," said the shopkeeper.

He said the government should provide some aid to the shopkeepers who are now suffering from great losses and troubles from the fire.

"In the condition while people are suffering from great losses and trouble, the government should bear expenses for building the temporary market, and later it can collect its expenses for the market from the shopkeepers gradually. Now it is quite clear that the government has no sympathy or good will towards the people and it is giving more trouble to the people who are already troubled," he said.

According to him, the local municipal authorities are now planning to rebuild the market destroyed by the fire by collecting advance payments from the shopkeepers for the stores in the market as well.

"The municipal officials told us that they would rebuild the market in a modern design and would sell the shops in the market in advance and that those who are unable to afford the price in advance would not get a shop in the market. Now all of the shopkeepers are dissatisfied with them upon hearing their plans because the shopkeepers are suffering from great losses and most of them will lose their livelihoods if those plans are carried out," said the shopkeeper.

He said the shopkeepers at present are continuing their trade by building makeshift shops around the market that was damaged by the fire. According to a report from the local fire service, 740 out of a total 909 stores in the market were destroyed in the fire, causing total losses of 650 million kyat.

Through the Eyes of Asia’s Tiger Cubs

2012-02-29T05:19:00.000-08:00

Hopeful tune: Asia’s ambitious youth look to the future with confidence

HONG KONG: Young Asians embrace globalization, and in the wake of the global economic crisis are emphatically not turning inwards.
The rising generation of Asians has an expansive view of a broader Asia. They support the pragmatic, incremental pro-market policies that have underpinned Asia’s spectacular growth over the past half-century and want to build on these to knit together the region. In short, they want to see more regional cooperation and integration. “Rather than thinking about our own personal domains, it’s time to think on a greater scale: the scale of countries, the scale of a continent,” says Pakistan’s Khawaja Ali Zubair.

Zubair and other essayists entered the “Asia’s Challenge 2020” contest – run by the Asia Business Council in partnership with Time magazine and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore – and were tasked with naming the biggest problem facing the region over the next decade and to propose solutions. Through the Eyes of Tiger Cubs: Views of Asia's Next Generation draws excerpts from more than 80 essays of the nearly 400 submitted to the contest. The essays tackle education, inequality, demographics, environment, governance, geopolitics and Asian identity. While Americans and Europeans fret about the rise of Asia, the young Asians featured in this book worry about a poor educational system, ineffective governance, bad jobs and environmental degradation.

The Tiger Cubs’ grandparents came of age at a time of war, revolution, and
chronic poverty.

Particularly notable is a tectonic generational shift. The Tiger Cubs’ grandparents came of age at a time of war, revolution, decolonization and chronic poverty. Their parents worked hard and didn’t ask questions. For the most part, they were simply happy to be able to work – they were the brains and the muscle for the so-called “Asian miracle,” the half-century of unprecedented economic growth that was built with their blood, sweat and toil.

With a handful of exceptions, most Asian countries have settled their existential threats and focused on economic and political development. For the first time, many nations in the region have had an opportunity to think about a larger project of collective identity, and many of their essays call for greater cooperation to resolve the economic, political, immigration and financial challenges that affect the region. Young Asians also want to build on the progress that has been made. “Asia should set as its shared objective the attainment of prosperity,” writes Marikit G. Manalang of the Philippines.

The Tiger Cubs grew up in an era of unusual peace and unprecedented prosperity. Theirs has been a time of reform, not only in China and India but around the region. They don’t remember Maoism or the Soviet Union. But they know the internet and satellite TV and live in a world of always-on information. All but the poorest villagers have an idea of a world of prosperity and freedom. They have an idea of the global standard, whether it’s the latest mobile phone or government policies. And they see no reason why their country can’t aim for that standard. “There is no doubt,” writes India’s Rohit Pathak, “that the coming decade will be Asia’s.” But the biggest single stumbling block is poor governance. “The biggest hurdle in the way of good governance is corruption,” Pathak adds, proposing a range of technological and political reforms ranging from transparency and accountability in government, a free media and, above all, harnessing the power of information technology through an expanded version of India’s embryonic Unique Identification Number system.

Tiger Cubs feel entitled, but it’s less a sense of entitlement than an expectation that life is getting better.

Exposed to a flood of media, it’s little wonder that Tiger Cubs’ expectations often run ahead of reality. They are the “in-a-hurry generation” – as they're sometimes called in India – and their demands for accountability, transparency and results are likely to keep challenging governments and companies. It’s easy to say that the Tiger Cubs feel entitled, but it’s less a sense of entitlement than an expectation that life is getting better – and will keep improving. That sense of rising expectations makes the Tiger Cubs primarily supporters of the status quo – essays submitted did not support radical institutional overhaul, let alone calls for revolutionary change.

Instead, most of the Cubs want to work through institutions. They believe in the power of governments, and of international bodies, to improve the world.

This belief in states and in regional and multilateral organizations underpins the thinking of many of those who wrote about Asian identity. The need for an Asian currency union was floated, although the writer recognized that this would take decades. Other contestants singled out Hong Kong and Singapore as places where regional organizations could flourish, given the high standards of governance present in both cities.

Economic development is the most important element pulling the region together. The contest used the World Bank’s definition of young professionals and was open to Asians born after 1978. They were young during the final years of the Cold War, and only the oldest would remember the Soviet Union. The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation was formed in 1989, and whatever its limitations, APEC heralded an attempt to build ties across the region. The World Trade Organization was established in 1995, and China joined the WTO in 2001. Bilateral trade agreements have mushroomed – in east Asia alone the number has gone from three in 2000 to almost 50 today. The China-ASEAN free trade agreement is the world’s largest in terms of the population it covers. These institutions implicitly underpin the notion of regional and international agreements as a positive force.

Decoupling from the West appeared as a theme, but not as a rancorous call. Instead there is recognition that as Asia becomes more developed it needs to look close to home for solutions and continued economic growth. The old East-West or North-South divides don’t seem to resonate for this generation. “The key is not to disengage [from the West], but to reduce reliance, diversify, and find Asia’s niche,” writes Loh Su Hsing.

Tiger Cubs recognize that as Asia becomes more developed it must look close to home for solutions.

Asia is extraordinarily diverse and home to the largest number of living languages in the world – more than 2300 are spoken as a first language. In India alone, there are 22 official languages and more than 400 others; Indonesia has more than 700. The ethnic diversity in the region is extraordinary: China has 55 recognized ethnic minority groups; India has more than 2,000.

Given this diversity, it’s not surprising that many fears remain. India makes its neighbors nervous. Terrorism and low-level conflicts, especially in South Asia, are an on-going issue. Tensions remain between Muslim communities and their neighbors. China makes writers throughout the region uneasy; there is real uncertainty about its intentions. Still, as Singapore’s Jesslyn Zeng writes, for all the fear about China, “the greatest nightmare will not come if China rises but if China does not rise.”

Young Asians anticipate a future increasingly home-grown, pragmatic, focused on economic and social development. It won’t be anti-West, but it won’t slavishly ape the West. They don’t have a chip on their shoulders about the era of colonial rule and its aftermath. Theirs is an increasingly proud Asia that will slowly build its own institutions.
.........
Yale Global

Assessing education with computers in Georgia

2012-02-29T05:16:00.000-08:00

World Bank

One of the fascinating benefits of working at a place like the World Bank is the exposure it offers to interesting people doing interesting things in interesting places that many other folks know little about. Small countries like Uruguay and Portugal, for example, are beginning to attract the attention of educational reform communities from around the world due to their ambitious plans for the use of educational technologies. Much is happening in other parts of the world as well, of course, especially in many countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The largest stand-alone World Bank education project to date that focused on educational technologies, for example, was the Russia E-Learning Support Project. Macedonia gained renown in many corners as the first 'wireless country', with all of that Balkan country's primary and secondary schools online since the middle of the last decade -- although other countries, like Estonia and the tiny Pacific island nation of Niue, also lay claim to versions of this title. (If you are looking for more information on the Macedonian experience, you can find it here and here [pdf]). Much less well known, however, is the related experience of the small country of Georgia, located at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, where small laptops are being distributed to primary school students and where school leaving exams are now conducted via online computer-adaptive testing.

Beginning with a pilot program that distributed 2500 netbooks to first graders and their teachers in fall 2010, the government has now distributed over 60,000 'bukis', a localized version of the Intel Classmate laptop which is produced by a Georgian computer firm. A national education portal with Georgian language content is also available, and digital textbooks and other educational content is also pre-loaded on the devices themselves. These materials (and other, like 'Art' and fifty other education games developed by the Ministry of Education) are meant to supplement traditional paper-based texts. (When people think of cooperation between Europe and South America around educational laptops, they often cite links between Portugal and Venezuela, smaller connections between Georgia and Suriname are less well known).

While the buki is aimed at students at the lower primary school level, the so-called buki generation, an even more ambitious program has been underway targeting students finishing their secondary education.

Last year Georgia had nationwide school leaving exams for the first time. While this is notable in and of itself in the Georgian context (corruption in university placement is a challenge for many countries in this part of the world, and school leaving exams of this sort are one attempt to help address this issue), what is more interesting for international audiences may be the fact that this was done entirely using computer adaptive testing.

The costs for a national paper-based examination system were seen to be prohibitive in Georgia, and so the decision was made to take advantage of the investments in school ICT infrastructure to do everything online.

Over 1500 schools and 44,000 students participated in this ambitious exercise, sitting for proctored, school-based examinations over eight days (one subject per day). Results were available immediately at the end of each exam, both for individuals and consolidated across the system (centrally, the team responsible for this process say they were able to monitor progress in real time). Sitting in school classrooms, student logged in en masse using their national identification number, and, for security purposes, the exam proctor in the room entered a related code to enable access to the online test itself.

An official from the Ministry of Education in Slovenia explained to me that this sort of centralized, 'Big Bang' approach (which he referred to as the 'Lithuanian model') can be attractive and cost-effective to countries like his and Georgia, given their small size. (The Uruguayans are also exploring how the ICT infrastructure in schools there can be utilized across the country to help teachers with formative assessments in informal, low stakes ways.) As with the buki, the technology at the heart of this had a decidedly Georgian flavor, and it was told to me that "everything used here was developed in Georgia, the software, the assessment engine, individual test items and the test item data bank: everything".)

While I am always skeptical of 100% reported success rates, officials say that the process went off without a hitch. Students -- almost all of whom had never taken an official computer-adaptive test before and who have been taking paper-based assessments their entire academic lives -- were able to practice on the system in prior weeks before logging in to take the actual test, which also helped officials test load across the system. (I would like to learn about how they were able to ensure adequate bandwidth across the system and that the testing servers were robust enough not to buckle under what must have been considerable strain.) Those who would like to learn more about this Georgian experience may be interested in an upcoming international event organized by the country's national examinations center. The Third Black Sea Conference on Assessment in Education: New Technologies in Educational Assessment will take place in the Georgian resort town of Batumi this spring, just a few weeks after the national exams take place in May. Come this June, officials in countries considering similar things might do well to have Georgia on their minds.

note: The image used at the top of this blog post ('the buki generation') comes from the buki portal and is used with the permission of the Ministry of Education in Georgia, which holds its rights.

Guide: Syria Crisis

2012-02-27T23:14:00.000-08:00

BBC

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Syria Crisis

The Syrian authorities have responded to anti-government protests with overwhelming military force since they erupted in March 2011. The protests pose the greatest challenge to four decades of Assad family rule in the country.

Here is an overview of the uprising, in which the UN says more than 5,000 civilians have been killed by security forces and 14,000 others detained. The government says 2,000 members of the security forces have died.

How did the protests start?

The unrest began in the southern city of Deraa in March when locals gathered to demand the release of about 15 school children who were arrested and reportedly tortured after writing on a wall the well-known slogan of the popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt: "The people want the downfall of the regime." The protesters also called for democracy and greater freedom, though not President Assad's resignation.

The view from next door

How Syria's neighbours are reacting

The peaceful show of dissent was, however, too much for the government and when people marched though the city after Friday prayers on 18 March, security forces opened fire, killing four people. The following day, they shot at mourners at the victims' funerals, killing another person.

Within days, the unrest in Deraa had spiralled out of the control of the local authorities. In late March, the army's fourth armoured division - commanded by the president's brother, Maher - was sent in to crush the emboldened protesters. Dozens of people were killed, as tanks shelled residential areas and troops stormed homes, rounding up those believed to have attended demonstrations.

But the crackdown failed to stop the unrest in Deraa, instead triggering anti-government protests in other towns and cities across the country, including Baniyas, Homs, Hama and the suburbs of Damascus. The army subsequently besieged them, blaming "armed gangs and terrorists" for the unrest. By mid-May, the death toll had reached 1,000.

What do the protesters want and what have they got?

Protesters began somewhat cautiously by calling for democracy and greater freedom in what is one of the most repressive countries in the Arab world. But once security forces opened fire on peaceful demonstrations, people demanded that Mr Assad resign.

The president has resolutely refused to step down, but in the few public statements he has made since March he has offered some concessions and promised reform. Activists say that - as long as people continue to be killed - his promises count for very little.

The demands
What protesters want	What Assad has offered

Fall of the regime	Mr Assad has made clear that he has no intention to step down
End to the 48-year-old emergency law	He revoked the emergency law on 21 April, but Syrian forces continued to open fire on demonstrations and detain people without arrest warrants
Immediate end to extrajudicial killings and torture	The president has rejected as "false" allegations made by the UN that Syrian security forces have committed crimes against humanity, including killings, torture, rape, imprisonment, and other forms of severe deprivation of liberty and disappearances
Release of political prisoners and detained protesters	Amnesties were offered to political prisoners in May, June and January. Officials say thousands were released, but as many as 37,000 are still in prison, according to human rights activists
Transition to a democratic, free and pluralistic society	In June, Mr Assad announced the start of a "national dialogue", which would review new election law, allowing political parties other than the Baath Party, and constitutional reform. The opposition and activists involved in the uprising rejected any dialogue

Is there an organised opposition?

The Syrian authorities have long restricted the activities of disparate opposition parties and activists, and they played a minor role at the start of the uprising. However, as the protests spread across the country and the government crackdown intensified, opposition groups publicly declared their support for the protesters' demands and in November several announced the formation of a united front, Syrian National Council (SNC). Led by the Paris-based dissident Burhan Ghalioun and including the Muslim Brotherhood, it aims to provide "the necessary support for the revolution to progress and realise the aspirations of our people for the overthrow of the regime, its symbols and its head".

The opposition has also found it difficult to work with the Free Syrian Army, a group of army defectors

The SNC, which is dominated by Syria's majority Sunni Muslim community, has struggled to win over Christians and members of President Assad's Alawite sect, who each make up about 10% of the population and have so far stayed loyal to the government. The council's primacy has also been challenged by the National Co-ordination Committee (NCC), an opposition bloc that still functions within Syria and is led by Hussein Abdul Azim and other longstanding dissidents, some of whom are wary of the Islamists within the SNC.

The opposition has also found it difficult to work with the Free Syrian Army (FSA), a group of army defectors which is seeking to topple Mr Assad by force. Based in Turkey, its fighters have launched increasingly deadly and audacious attacks on security forces in the north-western province of Idlib, around the central cities of Homs and Hama, and even on the outskirts of Damascus.

In January, residents of Zabadani, a mountain town 40km (25 miles) north-west of the capital, said it had been "liberated" by FSA fighters. Days later, defectors seized control of Douma, a suburb 10km (six miles) from Damascus, for a few hours. The FSA's leader, Riyad al-Asaad, claims to have 15,000 men under his command, though analysts believe there may be no more than 7,000. They are also still poorly armed, and many have only basic military training.

Is this a sectarian conflict?

Syria is a country of 21 million people with a large Sunni majority (74%) and significant minorities (10% each) of Christians and Alawites - the Shia sect to which Mr Assad belongs. For years, Mr Assad has promoted a secular identity for the Syrian state, hoping to unify diverse communities in a region where sectarian conflict is rife - as seen in neighbouring Lebanon and Iraq.

The regime can still mobilise support, especially from minority groups and the upper classes

However, he also concentrated power in the hands of his family and members of the Alawite community, who wield a disproportionate power in the Syrian government, military and business elite. Claims of corruption and nepotism have been rife among the excluded Sunni majority. And protests have generally been biggest in Sunni-dominated rural areas, towns and cities, as opposed to mixed areas.

Opposition figures have stressed that they seek a "multi-national, multi-ethnic and religiously tolerant society". But there are fears of chaos and instability - even talk of civil war - if Mr Assad should fall. Activists say these fears are overblown.

What is the international community doing?

Syria is a major player in the Middle East. Any chaos here could cause knock-on effects in countries such as Lebanon and Israel, where it can mobilise powerful proxy groups, such as the militant Hezbollah and Hamas movements. It also has close ties with Shia power Iran - an arch-foe of the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia - which could potentially draw those powers into a dangerous Middle Eastern conflict.

The Arab League observer mission in Syria failed to halt the crackdown on dissent

The Arab League initially remained silent on the issue of Syria - although it backed the Nato-led bombing campaign against Libya's Col Muammar Gaddafi in a bid to protect civilians there. The 22-member group called for an end to the violence, but cited hesitation over any action because of "strategic and political considerations".

But in November, member states led by Qatar and Saudi Arabia surprised observers by voting to suspend Syria in an effort to force President Assad to end the crackdown. The League later imposed economic sanctions when the Syrian government hesitated over allowing the deployment of an observer mission to verify its implementation of a peace initiative, which demanded the withdrawal of troops and tanks from the streets. Damascus eventually allowed in the observers in December, but they failed to halt the crackdown on dissent.

In late January, the Arab League laid out an ambitious plan of political reform, which called on President Assad to delegate power to a vice-president, to engage in proper dialogue with the opposition within two weeks, and form a government of national unity in two months. The League said this should eventually lead to multi-party elections overseen by international observers. A week later, following a dramatic increase in violence, the League suspended its observer mission.

The League sought the support of the UN Security Council for its Syrian reform plan, rejected by Damascus on the grounds that it would infringe on national sovereignty. But a UN resolution supporting the plan was vetoed by Russia, which has significant economic and military ties with Syria, and by China. It was their second veto on Security Council action. Moscow has expressed concern that this would pave the way for military intervention.
What is the economic fallout of the unrest in Syria?

At a glance: Syria

Population: 21 million
Population below poverty line: 12%
Corruption ranking: 127/178
Literacy: 84%
Median age: 21.5; Youths out of work: 24%
Major ethnic groups: Arabs (90%), Kurds (9%), Armenians, Circassians, Turkomans

In June, Mr Assad warned his people that "the most dangerous thing" facing Syria was "the weakness or collapse" of the Syrian economy. Even before the unrest, Syrians had endured decades of high unemployment, widespread poverty and rising food prices.

Now, business, farming and trade have been hard hit by economic sanctions imposed by the Arab League, the European Union, the United States and neighbouring Turkey. Tourism has all but collapsed, while oil sales - accounting for a major share of government revenue - have plummeted. Unemployment is estimated to have risen to more than 20%.

Economic analysts warn that time is against Mr Assad. They say protests will gain added momentum when the newly-unemployed join their ranks and government subsidies on vital commodities like diesel run out.

Syria votes on new constitution referendum amid unrest

2012-02-27T23:06:00.000-08:00

BBC

BBC's Jim Muir: "People have started voting... but there are also reports of shelling and shooting in many parts of the country"

Syria Crisis

The Syrian government has held a referendum on a new constitution as violence continues around the country, killing at least 30 people.

The new constitution calls for a multi-party parliamentary election within three months.
The opposition boycotted the vote, calling it a farce and demanding President Bashar al-Assad stand down.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said "there's every possibility" Syria could descend into civil war.

But she warned "outside intervention" could exacerbate the situation.

"I think that as you try to play out every possible scenario, there are a lot of bad ones that we are trying to assess," she told the BBC.

Attempts to evacuate injured people, including foreign journalists, from the flash-point city of Homs were further delayed on Sunday.

'Laughable'

The Syrian government pressed ahead with organising the referendum despite the unrest, setting up more than 13,000 polling stations for 14.6m voters.

At the scene

Lina Sinjab BBC News, Damascus

The streets are filled with billboards encouraging people to vote for the constitution but the polling stations I visited were nearly empty.

At one school, two people showed up to vote in the 20 minutes I was there, although Ahmad Baalbaki, who was supervising the process, said 300 people had cast their vote.
Muneira, a housewife, says she voted "yes". She hasn't read the constitution but she supports the president.

In a central square, a pro-Assad rally is taking place in support of the constitution.
Nearby, a group of young men and women were handing out booklets to encourage people to vote.

One of them, Husein Saqer, said:"People don't want to vote because they see no difference between this one and the other constitution, but we are here to tell them to vote".

State television showed people voting in Damascus and various other places, and it all looked fairly normal, the BBC's Jim Muir reports from neighbouring Lebanon.

Among the voters casting his ballot in the capital was President Assad himself.
He sees the new constitution as the key element in a reform process he says will make Syria a beacon of democracy in the region, our correspondent says.

Under it, a multi-party system would replace the old monopoly of power enjoyed by the ruling Baath Party.

A year ago, that would have seemed revolutionary, our correspondent says, but activist and opposition groups have dismissed it as a sham, pointing out that the regime ignored many elements of the old constitution, which guaranteed personal and political freedoms and banned torture.

In many other parts of the country, voting was far from normal, our correspondent adds, with explosions and shooting reported from the east, west, north and south - in areas where violence has been going on for months.

Among the voters casting his ballot in the capital was President Assad himself

At least nine civilians and four soldiers were killed in Homs, the UK-based activist group, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said.

Violent clashes were reported in the central city of Hama, the north-western province of Idlib and in Daraa province, south of Damascus.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu expressed doubt about the timing of the vote: "On one hand you say you are holding a referendum and on the other you are attacking with tank fire on civilian areas.

"You still think the people will go to a referendum the next day in the same city?" he said at a news conference in Istanbul.

The US has dismissed the referendum as "laughable".
'No progress'

“Start Quote

Today less shelling and fighting but no trace of voting in bab al amr [Baba Amr]”

Message from trapped journalist Javier Espinosa's Twitter account @javierespinosa2

The International Red Cross and Syrian Arab Red Crescent were unable to enter the Homs suburb of Baba Amr on Sunday to evacuate injured Syrians and foreign journalists, but hope to try again on Sunday.

"There are all kinds of negotiations, intensive negotiations, going on, and we hope to be able to do something as soon as possible, hopefully tomorrow," said Saleh Dabbakeh, an International Committee of the Red Cross spokesman.

Among those it is trying to help are two injured Western journalists, Edith Bouvier and Paul Conroy. It also wants to retrieve the bodies of another two journalists, Marie Colvin and Remi Ochlik, who were killed last week.

Also in the city are French photographer William Daniels and Spanish journalist Javier Espinosa.

A message posted from Espinosa's Twitter account, @javierespinosa2, on Sunday morning read: "Today less shelling and fighting but no trace of voting in bab al amr [Baba Amr]."

Hillary Clinton: "I think there is every possibility of a civil war"

Hundreds of armed rebels from the Free Syrian Army are holding out in Baba Amr.
Meanwhile, international pressure is mounting on Mr Assad to end his government's 11-month crackdown on opponents.

Kofi Annan, the former UN secretary general who has been appointed the UN and Arab League's envoy to Syria, called for all parties to co-operate in finding a peaceful solution to the crisis.

The UN estimated in January that 5,400 people had been killed in the conflict. Activists say the death toll now is more than 7,300.

The Syrian regime restricts access to foreign journalists and casualty figures cannot be verified.

Syrian referendum in media spotlight

2012-02-27T23:03:00.000-08:00

BBC

Bashar al-Assad cast his vote in the referendum, accompanied by his wife, Asma

The referendum on a new draft constitution in Syria, and the continuing violence in the Middle Eastern country has split opinion in both regional and global press.

Editorials in Syrian state media were characteristically defiant, whilst comment in support of and against the referendum appeared in Gulf and regional media.

Elsewhere, an article by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in a Moscow newspaper warned against military intervention in Syria, and was highly critical of US and Western policy in the region.

China's media, angry at US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's remarks calling China and Russia's veto of a UN resolution on Syria "despicable", weighed in against the US and the West.

Ziyad Ghusn in Syria's government-owned Tishrin

Whatever the outcome of the referendum on the draft constitution, the striking turnout of the Syrian people at polling stations yesterday represents a direct response to the attempts by some Arab and Western regimes to steal the will of the Syrian people and speak on their behalf.

Ali Qasim in Syria's government-owned Al-Thawrah

Syrians have written their message in a manner which reflects their will and this will reflect on their consciousness. The scenes at the ballot boxes are living testimony to their exercising democracy.

Editorial in Saudi Arabia's Al-Watan

The irony is that on the day of voting on the draft new constitution, 31 people were killed. The new constitution is a desperate attempt to calm the situation. However, calm will not be achieved as long as killings and destruction continue, and there will be no way for the revolutionaries, after all the sacrifices, to retreat from their clear objectives.

Editorial in Israel's liberal Ha'aretz

The fact that Israel is not one of the countries condemning the events and demanding Assad's removal is both puzzling and outrageous… The Israeli government represents a public that wants to hear it express a clear moral stance and even a willingness to provide humanitarian aid.

Zuhayr Majid in Oman's Al-Watan

Whether the yes or no is victorious... what is important is that Syria is being renewed, the spirit of freedom is embracing the current game and everything that will happen in the future. Syria will not go backwards but will move forwards into the new world, stable and developed.

Tariq al-Hamid in London-based Al-Sharq al-Awsat

What is happening in Syria is a real revolution that Assad wants to extinguish with fire and weapons. Therefore, there is no other way to deter him other than with weapons. We therefore say: Arm the revolutionaries and do not protract the suffering and humiliation of the Syrian people.

Farmarz Asghari in Iran's conservative Siyasat-e Ruz

This referendum has revealed yet another face of the coalition of Arab and Western countries who claim to support the people of Syria. It has become another global scandal for them in a manner that many people see this referendum as a slap by the Syrian people on the aforementioned coalition

GLOBAL MEDIA

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Moskovskiye Novosti

No-one should be allowed to employ the Libyan scenario in Syria. The international community must work to achieve an internal Syrian reconciliation... I would like to warn our Western colleagues against the temptation to resort to this simple, previously used tactic: if the UN Security Council approves a given action, fine; if not, we will establish a coalition of the states concerned and strike anyway.

Viktor Feshchenko in Russian state-owned Rossiyskaya Gazeta

Western countries want to dismiss Assad, but they do not know how to do it. It is clear that although the Syrian economy is suffering and people's life is becoming harder, this will not make the regime capitulate.

Zhong Sheng in China's state-owned People's Daily

Disturbingly, the US, which is intervening fully in Syria's civil strife, has not seriously considered how the Syrian people will end this disaster soon at minimum cost. While flaunting the US diplomatic and moral high ground in the name of "democracy" and "freedom", Washington keeps denigrating Russia and China.

Editorial in China's state-owned Global Times

The West has rejected any reform in Syria and made Bashar's stepping down a prerequisite for ending the crisis in Syria, which is wrong. What the West wants is by no means democracy in Syria, but to topple the Bashar regime in order to clear away Iran's influence on Syria. China should work with Russia to support the Syrian referendum.

Efforts continue to free British journalists held in Libya

2012-02-27T23:02:00.001-08:00

BBC

By Gabriel Gatehouse BBC News, Tripoli

Gareth Montgomery-Johnson's family have said they are concerned for his welfare

Libya Crisis

Efforts are continuing to obtain the release of two British journalists who are being held by a group of former rebel fighters in Libya.

Reporter Nicholas Davies and cameraman Gareth Montgomery-Johnson were detained by members of the Misrata Brigade on Tuesday and are being held in Tripoli.

It is not clear if Mr Montgomery-Johnson, a cameraman from Carmarthen, and his colleague will face charges.

Human Rights Watch says it has been denied access to the journalists.

The two men were working for the Iranian-owned, English language television station, Press TV, and were apparently filming in the capital when they were detained by militiamen on Tuesday, alongside two Libyan colleagues.

'Good health'

The British Embassy in Tripoli told the BBC it was providing consular assistance and the men appeared in good health.

However, after more than five days in detention, it is not clear when the men might be transferred into official custody or when any charges might be brought.

When contacted by telephone, the commander of the brigade, Faraj Sweihli, told the BBC he would not discuss the case.

Mr Sweihli is understood to have told others that the journalists' documents were not in order, and that they were uncooperative when they were detained.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) says its representatives have been denied access to the journalists, despite letters of permission from the government and the National Transitional Council.

The militia apparently stopped the men because they were driving late at night in Tripoli and taking photographs, which the militia found suspicious.

The two journalists were then accused of not having the proper immigration papers.
"If these journalists have immigration problems, then the appropriate Libyan authorities should deal with this, and not a self-appointed militia with no legal power to make arrests or hold detainees," said a spokesman for HRW.

The Libyan government has asked the militia to transfer the two journalists to the government's custody.

Mr Davies, 37, works under the name Nick Jones.
Two local residents were also seized in the incident.

Mr Montgomery-Johnson's sister Melanie Gribble told BBC Wales the family were concerned for his welfare.

She said her brother, 36, who is from Carmarthen, had just returned to Libya after a two-week break to relax after working in the country since July last year.

She said she was in regular contact with the Foreign Office and had been told her brother was suffering from an ear infection and had seen a doctor.

She added the men were "getting on well with their guards", but that "they are very tired".
The case highlights the tensions between the interim authorities and the various armed groups.

Most of these militias say they are loyal to the government.

In reality, the politicians are often powerless to control the bands of former revolutionary fighters who take their orders only from their own commanders.

The HRW spokesman appealed to the militia, saying: "They must turn over their detainees to the government. They are undermining the future of Libya as a country ruled by law.
"This is not just about Nick and Gareth. This is about the thousands of Libyans and foreigners who have been picked up by militias who are freelancing with the law."

Italian cruise ship adrift off Seychelles taken in tow

2012-02-27T23:00:00.000-08:00

BBC

An Indian Navy aircraft took this picture of the ship following its distress call

An Italian cruise ship left adrift in the Indian Ocean with more than 1,000 people on board following a power failure, has been taken in tow.

A French fishing vessel is taking the Costa Allegra to a nearby island where passengers will be disembarked before being transferred to the Seychelles.

A fire in the ship's generator room on Monday caused it to lose all power.

The ship is from the same fleet as the Costa Concordia, which capsized off the Italian coast in January, killing 32.

The BBC's Katy Watson on Seychelles says that the ship is being towed to the Desroches island, near Alphonse island, south-west of the Seychelles.

Once there the passengers will be disembarked to the one hotel on the island, and then await transfer to the main Seychelles island of Mahe.

Tugs sent from Mahe are due to meet up with the Costa Allegra at around 0900 GMT, our correspondent adds.

The vessel has no air-conditioning or cooking facilities and an emergency generator powering the radio "could fail at any minute", the Italian coast guard says.

Nationalities of passengers

135 Italians
127 French
97 Austrians
90 Swiss
38 Germans
31 Britons

List of nationalities in full

Earlier, Commander Cosimo Nicastro from the Italian coast guard confirmed that the French-registered ocean-going trawler had reached the ship.

The ship's owner, Costa Cruises, has stressed that the Allegra - which had been drifting about 32km (20 miles) from Alphonse Island, one of the atolls in the Seychelles - is steady and conditions are safe. No-one has been injured, officials said.

The company says it is liaising with passengers' families via their emergency contact numbers, and has reached two-thirds of them. Contact has been made with the relatives of all the crew.

Families in the UK can call the company's emergency line on 020 7940 3300.
'Ship stable'

Italian authorities have directed three merchant ships and another fishing vessel towards the stricken cruise ship.

Authorities in the Seychelles earlier said that a plane had flown overhead and reported that the ship did not appear to be in danger.

Costa Cruises said that the ship sent out a distress signal when the fire broke out, and all passengers and crew not involved in fighting the fire assembled at the muster stations.
Most electric lights on board the ship are off as the batteries are being used to keep essential machinery going.

A spokesman said the situation on board was calm and the ship was stable.

There are 636 passengers and 413 crew on board the Costa Allegra, which left Madagascar on Saturday.

It was due to arrive in the Seychelles on Tuesday.

Further destinations on its itinerary include Alexandria and Naples in the Mediterranean Sea.
Somali pirates are known to operate in the area where the Allegra was adrift, though they have never seized a cruise ship.

Nine members of the Italian navy's anti-pirate unit are on board the ship as a precaution.
A facility on Costa Cruises' website allowing people to track the Allegra's position says that "data transmission is temporarily suspended".

The company says the Allegra received its regularly scheduled maintenance in dry dock in October 2011.

The Costa Concordia ran aground off the Italian island of Giglio on 13 January.
The Concordia's captain, Francesco Schettino, has been accused of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship before all those aboard were evacuated. He denies any wrongdoing

Syria's slide towards civil war

2012-02-21T03:49:00.000-08:00

BBC

The Free Syrian Army is now waging an escalating guerrilla war

Syria Crisis

The BBC's Paul Wood has spent harrowing days under fire in the Baba Amr area of Homs and here reports on citizens subjected to a relentless artillery barrage by government troops.

Most of the people in the makeshift field hospital in Baba Amr did not want to be filmed.
They were too afraid of being arrested to show their faces. But not Abdel Nasr Zayed.
"I have lost 11 already and now I am willing to sacrifice everything for God," he told me, a large, bearded man, his voice booming down the hospital corridor.
Of the 11 members of his extended family who had been killed - by shells or sniper fire - five were children under 14.
It was a typical story. Often people would tell you they had lost not one but many of their relatives.

Paul Wood takes shelter during the fighting

Abu Suleiman's job at the hospital was to wrap bodies in their burial shrouds.
He had performed this service for his son, his son-in-law, his nephew, his neighbour and many of his friends.
Abu Sufyan, our host the last time we stayed in Baba Amr, had lost a brother, a nephew, an uncle and, most recently, his mother.
"Is this a civil war?" I was asked from London.
In Baba Amr, it certainly felt like one. But we were seeing a battle over one city. And Homs is not Syria. Not yet, perhaps.
Sectarian abductions In Homs, the Sunni areas, such as Baba Amr, largely support the uprising. They were being shelled by the Syrian army, from the Alawite and Christian areas, which largely support the regime.

BBC correspondent Paul Wood's reports from inside Homs

There are Sunnis in the security forces; Christians and Alawites have joined the revolution. It is not yet a purely sectarian conflict. But the pressures for it to become one are enormous.

Yousseff Hannah was a prisoner of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) - the rebel fighters who have defected from government forces.
He was on a mattress, his thigh bandaged, in the basement of a house near the town of Qusayr, about 25 miles (40km) from Homs.
"Law and order," he told me, groaning from his wound, in reply to my question about his job.
One of his captors angrily interrupted: "No. You are mukhabarat (secret police). Tell them you are mukhabarat."
The FSA had snatched him a few days before from his home. He had been recovering there from the leg wound, received in Homs.

“Start Quote

FSA fighters showed me a film taken from the mobile phone of a captured Shabiha. Prisoners lay face down on the ground, hands tied behind their backs. One-by-one, their heads were cut off ”

Aged 45, he was only a corporal, hardly a big fish. The rebels said they had taken him because his family had their own checkpoint in Qusayr that was harassing people.

They wanted it to stop. For too long, they said, people like him - protected by the regime - had felt they were untouchable, able to act with impunity.
Cpl Yousseff was a Christian. After he was taken, his relatives kidnapped six Sunnis, killing one in the process. In return, around 20 Christians were abducted.
"Some hotheads have been kidnapping Christians," one of the senior FSA commanders in the area told me. "We have got to calm this down."
After several days of stalemate, everyone was released, unharmed, including Corporal Yousseff. This was done as part of a deal for him and his family to leave Qusayr permanently.
Failed attack Discussing the past tense few days, one of the Christian residents told me that Qusayr still had Christians who supported the uprising.

FSA fighters were trained and disciplined during the attack - but eventually had to retreat

About a dozen attended the big Friday protest. In solidarity with them, the entire demonstration walked off when some at the front grabbed the microphone and started shouting Salafi (Islamist) slogans.
Everyone felt the town had come close to tipping over into serious sectarian bloodletting that week.
Is that the future for Syria? Much depends on the character of the FSA.
All of the fighters we met were Sunni. Perhaps that does not matter.
The commander near Qusayr told me they were fighting for all of Syria's religions and sects: Christian, Muslim, Alawite, Sunni, Druze, Shia.
"We are experiencing freedom for the first time," said Maj Ahmad Yaya.
But his next words left no doubt, either, that for many, this is a religious - and Islamic - struggle against the secular Baath regime.
"For the first time," he went on, "we are able to proclaim the word of God throughout this land."

Homes in Baba Amr have been badly damaged by shelling

The official doctrine of the FSA is that it is there only to protect the unarmed demonstrators. In practice, the FSA is waging an escalating guerrilla war.
We followed Maj Yaya's group of fighters as they attacked an army base near the town.
The attack was big, more than 60 men. In contrast to the fighters in Libya, they were trained, disciplined and followed a plan.
One man said his brother was still serving in the area.
"What if he was in the base? What if he was killed?" I asked.
"I feel very bitter about my brother but what happens is in God's hands now. May God help me," he replied.
Inevitably, they failed. After an hour of firing on the base they had to flee when the government troops started using heavy weapons, dropping mortar shells on the hill.
Shabiha executions Afterwards, one of the FSA fighters showed me a video he had filmed in December.
They had ambushed a convoy of armoured vehicles. Eight of the security forces were killed, 11 captured. The video showed the prisoners, in camouflage uniform, lined up facing a wall.

President Bashar al-Assad says his army is fighting armed gangs

Some were still bleeding after the battle. Their arms were raised.
One turned to the camera, looking petrified. The man who'd taken the pictures said that despite their army uniforms, their ID cards showed they were Shabiha (or ghosts) - the hated government paramilitary force.
"We killed them," he told me.
"You killed your prisoners?"
"Yes, of course. They were executed later. That is the policy for Shabiha."
These were Sunni Shabiha, he added; the only Alawite had escaped.
I checked with an officer. While soldiers were released, he said, members of the Shabiha were "executed" after a hearing before a panel of FSA military judges.
To explain, they showed me a film taken from the mobile phone of a captured Shabiha. Prisoners lay face down on the ground, hands tied behind their backs. One-by-one, their heads were cut off.
The man wielding the knife said, tauntingly, to the first: "This is for freedom."
As his victim's neck opened, he went on: "This is for our martyrs. And this is for collaborating with Israel."
Western dilemma In Homs, after we left, there were reports from human rights activists that the Shabiha, going house-to-house, had murdered three families, men, women and children.
To most FSA fighters, "executing" the Shabiha seems only just.
Such things will give Western governments pause as they decide whether, or, increasingly, how to help the FSA.
Washington and London say they will not arm the rebels but they are thinking about how to assist in other ways. That might include giving advice and sending supplies, perhaps including flak jackets.
If they help the rebels, will they fuel a civil war, or worse, a sectarian civil war? If they do not, how can the killings in Homs, and elsewhere, be stopped?
The longer this continues, the more bodies pile up, the greater the desire for revenge on both sides. Civil war is not inevitable. But Homs today could be Syria tomorrow.

Syria crisis: Homs comes under heavy bombardment

2012-02-21T03:47:00.000-08:00

BBC

Images appear to show bombing in Baba Amr district of Homs

Syria Crisis

Rebel-held areas of the central Syrian city of Homs are coming under intense bombardment from the Syrian army.

Anti-government activists report that 12 people have been killed so far on Tuesday and 100 injured. This cannot be independently confirmed.
Activists have been warning of additional government forces around Homs, ahead of a possible ground assault on the city.
Thousands have died in Syria in an 11-month uprising against the government.
The BBC's Jim Muir, who is monitoring events from neighbouring Lebanon, says the bombardment is the heaviest for some days, with several shells landing every minute.
Reports from the city say the field hospital has been hit, and video footage appears to show tanks moving through Homs.
Our correspondent says it is unclear if the bombardment is the precursor to a much-feared ground assault on the Baba Amr district of the city. Buildings have been flattened in today's shelling, he says.

“Start Quote

I'm trying to leave the area because of the gunfire and heavy shelling - this is a large scale military assault on defenceless civilians”

Omar Anti-government activist near Homs

The Syrian government says it is acting to clear out pockets of "armed terrorist gangs" - its term for the rebel fighters.

There are believed to be several hundred fighters from the rebel Free Syrian Army in Baba Amr, and correspondents say it is not clear whether they would put up resistance or melt away.
'Defenceless civilians' An activist in hiding near Baba Amr, Omar, told the BBC that it was no longer safe to stay there.
"I'm trying to leave the area because of the gunfire and heavy shelling, which has rocked the city," he said.
"This is a large-scale military assault on defenceless civilians."
The casualties include two children, one of whom is six years old, he said.
Russia has proposed that the United Nations should send a special envoy to Syria to help co-ordinate the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Russia and China have vetoed UN Security Council resolutions condemning the violence and backing an Arab League plan aimed at ending the conflict in Syria.
'Help arm fighters' US Senator John McCain has said that Washington and its allies should find a way to help arm the opposition fighters.
"It is time we gave them the wherewithal to fight back and stop the slaughter," he said on a visit to Cairo.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Monday that it was trying to negotiate a humanitarian ceasefire so that food and medical supplies could be brought into the areas of Syria worst affected by the violence.
Human rights groups believe more than 7,000 people have been killed since the uprising began.
The Syrian government says at least 2,000 members of the security forces have died fighting militants.
It is pressing on with its plans for a referendum on a proposed new constitution on Sunday, which it regards as the centrepiece of its reform programme.

Government of Norway Announces Major Scholarship Program for AIT

2012-02-19T18:14:00.000-08:00

The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the Norwegian Embassy in Bangkok, will offer scholarships to qualified Myanmar nationals to pursue their master's degree programs at AIT. Under this scholarship program with a total budget of 30 million NOK (approximately 160 million Baht), up to 40 master's students per year for 3 years will be recruited starting from August 2012.

Any Myanmar national who meets the AIT admissions requirements are eligible to apply for the scholarships to study at any relevant field of study available at AIT. Applicants from different sectors such as, but not limited to, the public sector, private sector, civil society organizations, ethnic communities, non-governmental organizations, and unit sites are welcome to apply. The attractive scholarship package will cover all tuition and registration fees, research grant, bursary and accommodation and other study associated costs for a pre-bridging program (up to 4 weeks in Myanmar), bridging program at AIT (up to 8 weeks), and the master's degree program. A return air ticket between Yangon, Myanmar and Bangkok, Thailand will also be provided.

In addition to the AIT admissions application forms, applicants need to submit a 3-page essay (in the Myanmar language) explaining the reason for applying to AIT and how they can contribute towards the future development of Myanmar in the short, medium and long term. In order to receive a qualified pool of candidates from the different sectors, AIT will coordinate a national level pre-screening step, pre-selection interview panel in Myanmar, followed by a final selection by the AIT schools.

AIT is currently closely coordinating with the Norwegian Embassy in Bangkok, as well as with collaborative partners in Myanmar to set up a local application center in Yangon, Myanmar. The detailed announcement of this scholarship program will be available within this week.

AIT is grateful to the Government of Norway for its strong and continued support to AIT and we look forward to closely collaborating in this important initiative.

http://pwl.ait.asia/index.php/archives/show/567See

Buddha Image from Burma Part III: Wood and Lacquer

2012-02-16T20:04:00.000-08:00

Arts of Asia May/June 1981 issue by Sylvia Fraser-Lu

TWO TRADITIONAL CRAFTS at which the Burmese excel are wood carving and lacquer work. It is natural that with this expertise, coupled with their devotion to the Theravada Buddhist creed which considered the making and donation of an image to be a particularly meritorious act, many Buddha images came to be made in these two materials. The use of wood for various purposes had been known in Burma at least since Pyu times (circa A.D. 200-900) and lacquer has been mentioned in the inscriptions of Pagan. Unfortunately, due to the ravages of time, insects and weather, not many early images in wood or lacquer, that can be dated with any certainty, have survived.

Colossal standing Buddha from Ananda Temple, Pagan, in northern
recess of central shrine. Hands are in dharmacakra mudra.
Height 32 ft. II th century.
Photo, courtesy of Archaeological Department, Rangoon

The few wooden images that we have from the Pagan period (1044-1287) show the Burmese to be consummate craftsmen of the art of wood carving. The most famous wooden statues are those in the Ananda Temple in the north and south recesses of the central shrine. They stand just over 32 feet high excluding the lotus throne. The face with its well-formed forehead and high cheek-bones, downcast eyes, aquiline nose, small mouth and pointed chin is in typical Pagan style. In keeping with the Pagan schema, the ears do not touch the shoulder and the usnisha (cranial protuberance) is topped by a flame finial. The clothing on the body has a wet appearance and the outer garment looks as if it is part of the arms. There are three folds across the stomach and a line dividing the garment between the legs. The knee caps are visible through the clothing. As in the bronze images, the pleating around the periphery of the robe is stiff and stylised. The hands are raised before the breast in the dharmacakra or preaching position.

Life-sized wooden statues also in the standing position have been recovered from various temples in Pagan. Carved from a single tree trunk, they all wear pointed leaf and bud kirita (crowns) enclosing high coiled chignons, and are adorned with elaborate ear plugs and flame-edged torques. The body is covered in an open robe down to the ankles. All the images in this series hold the right hand stiffly downwards in the varada mudra (boon granting gesture) while the left hand is turned inwards against the breast. It is not known whether these statues portray ordinary bodhisattvas or are crowned Buddha images. It has even been suggested that they could be portrait statues of deceased Pagan royalty.

Wooden crowned bodhisattva king image from Pagan.
Right hand is in varada mudra while left is placed across chest.
Height 4 ft 9 ins. Circa 12th-13th century

At least two wooden stelae have survived from the Pagan era, and are now housed in the new Pagan Archaeological Museum. One exquisite example in black teak wood depicts Lord Buddha's Descent from the Tavatimsa heaven. On a round double lotus he stands in the graceful tribhanga (three body-bends) pose with his left leg slightly bent. The left hand, unfortunately broken, touches the robe at the shoulder. A three-faced Brahma sheltering Lord Buddha with an umbrella, stands on Buddha's left, while the god Indra, resplendent in a high crown and ornaments, stands on his right holding an alms bowl. Sariputta, Lord Buddha's disciple, kneels reverently at his feet. The other stele depicts the Buddha flanked by Mogallana and Sariputta, his two chief disciples, who are standing on lotus flowers coming from the mouth of a kirtimukha (lion mask). Lord Buddha's throne is borne on the backs of three lion figures.

With the fall of Pagan in 1287, Burma was plunged into a century of chaos and disorder, and during the Ava period (1364-1752) could not free itself from warfare between the petty kingdoms which had sprung up with the destruction of Pagan. As a result very little in the way of wooden statuary has survived. The few images found naturally followed the tenets applied to bronze and stone sculpture for the period. Unfortunately most have been so extensively repaired that the original style is practically unrecognisable. In Burma it is not regarded as proper to have a damaged or incomplete object of worship, whether it is a pagoda or an image; indeed, it is regarded as a meritorious act to renovate a Buddha image. Even today there are some monks who devote a lot of their time to such tasks. The tendency has been to refurbish the images in the prevailing style without any thought of preserving the original in its entirety. As a consequence much art of the past has been lost.

Most wooden and lacquer images seen today date from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, having been made during the Konbaung period (1752-1885), the last dynasty of the Burmese kings. This was a proud era in Burmese history. Its kings through conquest had united all of Burma, Manipur in the east had been subdued and the rival Thai kingdom, centred on Ayudhya, had been razed to the ground in 1767, with the court and much booty being removed to Burma. This newly found strength, unity and self-confidence brought about a flowering of the arts. In this the Burmese were aided by captive Thai artisans who introduced many of the refinements of their culturally more advanced civilisation. The Burmese court, first alternating between the cities of Ava and Amarapura and finally settling in Mandalay, led the way by building sumptuous monasteries and pagodas and commissioning Buddha images of colossal size to fill them. Ministers and other eminent citizens followed suit, building edifices on a smaller scale and stocking them with numerous statues. The demand was not confined to temples, for people liked to perform their daily devotions before an image at home. Because of the availability of raw materials, wooden and lacquer images were made in large quantities. The demand was so great that not all images were made by professional craftsmen. Some people in remote villages were known to make their own.


These life-sized wooden statues were recovered from various Pagan temples. This one is 5 ft 5 ins high. Circa 12th-13th century	Carved black teak wood stele showing Lord Buddha's descent from Tavatimsa heaven. He is flanked on right by three-faced Brahma with umbrella while on left Indra, crowned and ornamented, holds alms bowl. Buddha's disciple Sariputta is kneeling at left. Height 27-3/4 ins. Circa 13th century, Pagan	Another bodhisattva king image from Pagan, of same date, with right hand typically in varada mudra. Height 4 ft 7 ins

Whether the craftsman was an amateur or professional, he followed the traditional schema for carving prescribed in the ancient Pali texts. One such book found in Burma laid down the following instructions for carving a Buddha image: "The chin of the image must be like that of the king lion, which is round and not pointed. The cheeks must be thick and round like the full moon; they should be extended from the chin to the ears. The neck must have three sections. The chest must be thick like a lion. In carving a Buddha image, it should have a well-filled appearance when one looks at it from every corner."

Wood carving of Lord Buddha standing between Sariputta and Mogallana, his two chiefdisciples. Note elaborate base with lotus flowers coming from lion mask. Circa 13th century, Pagan

Burmese images made in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries depict Buddha in only three positions. The most popular naturally is that of Lord Buddha seated cross-legged in the lotus position with the right hand in the earth touching mudra, followed by the standing pose where he is portrayed with the right hand raised palm outwards in abhaya (freedom from fear) attitude. The left hand is held downwards often touching the garment in the varada mudra. In later nineteenth century wood and lacquer images it is not uncommon for both hands to be placed in varada mudra, with the right hand often holding a fruit between the thumb and the index finger signifying food that Lord Buddha received from various devotees before and after his Enlightenment. The third position depicts Lord Buddha in the act of dying or passing into nirvana, the ultimate goal of devout Buddhists. He is shown lying on his right side with his cheek resting on his right hand which may be either propped on its elbow, or lie flat against the body.


In later images Buddha is usually shown in lotus position with right hand in earth touching mudra. Height of this lacquer image is 4 ft 6 ins and it is probably circa 19th century. (Religious Affairs Department Museum, Rangoon)	Another typical 19th century Buddha in the earth touching pmition. Borders of the robe are embossed with moulded lacquer decoration. There is a wooden finial above the usnisha. Height 4 ft	A newly gilded lacquer image of Lord Buddha in the lotus position, with his right hand in the earth touching mudra. Height 4- ft. 19th century. (Religious Affairs Department Museum, Rangoon)

Robe on this lacquer Buddha in earth touching position is shown by pleating across chest and spirals over knees. Height 33 ins, width at base 23 ins, height of throne 9 ins. 19th century	Lacquer Buddha image with right hand extended palm outwards. Robe is folded in pleats across chest, and throne is high and waisted. Height 3 ft, height of base 12 ins. 19th century	Gilt lacquer Buddha in typical earth touching mudra. Lappet of robe over left shoulder and fillet band above forehead have been inlaid with glass. Height 3 ft. 19th century

Burmese Buddha statues are generally meant to be viewed from the front rather than from the side or back, so all the sculptor's effort is concentrated on the front. The side view lacks depth, largely because the back of the statue rarely portrays the natural body contours of the spine or buttocks, and the back of most Buddhas is usually flat, the only decoration shown being the flap of the robe over the left shoulder. This lack of attention to the back view probably came about because many of the earliest images were in the form of stelae in high relief so that back modelling was unnecessary. Most Buddhas were commissioned to be placed on an altar, or back to back against a pillar where the rear view was never seen. Burmese Buddha statues are also meant to be viewed from below rather than at eye level. If one looks up at a statue, some of the fullness of face and the general heaviness of the figure is diminished by perspective. The carver generally tried to emphasize Lord Buddha's spiritual rather than his physical nature. He attempted to show him as a blandly attractive person unaffected by his asceticism, exuding a mood of inner calm and tranquillity.

Mandalay style wooden Buddha with right hand in earth touching
position. There is an inscription on base of throne.
Height 3ft. 19th century

Before discussing the different types of eighteenth and nineteenth century images found in wood and lacquer, it might be useful to explain in detail the process of making lacquer images, which is much less well known than the wood carving process. The making of lacquer images centred on a group of villages just outside Ye-U township in the Monywa district. The craftsmen were not professional, but were farmers who made images in their spare time.

The villagers first made a rough image from well-kneaded clay. Then a wooden or iron tool called a than-let was used to shape in the basic details. Before the clay image was completely dry, it was smeared with a mixture of water and straw ash. Over this core was laid a plaster of thit-se (lacquer) mixed with finely sifted teak sawdust. Delicate areas such as the eyes, nose and mouth were shaped in detail using the than-let. Once the plaster was hardened, the inner clay core was removed. The plaster had to be cut open to remove the clay from the less accessible areas such as the head and arms. The openings were resealed by a further application of the same plaster, and the image was then covered with another coat of filtered thit-se, this time mixed with the ashes of straw or bran. It was again smoothed with the than-let, then polished with a stone smeared with sesame, and left to dry. Once the lacquer was hardened, the image was washed and again polished with a stone before being varnished with the purest red-brown or black lacquer. It was then ready for the donors to gild.

These images were usually made during the cool season from November to February, which provided the best conditions for drying both the lacquer and the clay core. A man could make thirty to thirty-five images per season. Most were reported as being sold to the Shan States.

Black standing lacquer Buddha with traces of gilding. Hands are
in varada mudra, and each holds small round object. Note unusual treatment of folds and usnisha. Height 5 ft 4 ins. 19th century

In lacquer images the face tends to be triangular to squarish and at first glance somewhat resembles the sixteenth century Ava marble images. The forehead is small but wide and the broad sweeping brows sit well above a long straight nose which terminates in flaring nostrils. The eyes, widely separated from the eyebrows, resemble grains of rice paddy. The nostril lines are prominent and end in a small smiling bow-shaped mouth which looks slightly simpering at times. The large ears touch the shoulders and the boundaries of the ear hole and lobe are marked by embossing or a double line of incising. There is usually a small fillet band separating the hair line from the face. The head and usnisha are generally covered with either small blunt beaded curls which resemble the skin of the jack fruit, or by a cap of sharp spikes often referred to as "Shwebo thorns" or "durian spines" (a comparison with the appearance of a characteristic tropical fruit). There is a hole in the usnisha to accommodate a tall bulb-shaped "wooden finial which is added when the image is complete.

Most images are seated in the earth touching position with fingers all of the same length. The left hand in the lap is sometimes supported underneath by a small prop of lacquer. Clothing ranges from the barest outlines indicated either by incising or embossing, to quite an extensive series of shallow pleats and folds across the chest and raised spirals over the knees. Sometimes the lappet over the left shoulder is embossed with a raised lacquer design which may even be inlaid with glass. There is often a small flap over the right shoulder. Thrones vary greatly from plain rounded pedestals to splendid high waisted stands embossed with lotus petals and other floral decoration. Many are edged with small square or triangular protuberances. Lacquer images, because they are hollow and light, can be made in a wide range of sizes. The smallest images are about 18 inches high while the largest are over six feet. Some of the thrones of the larger images are equipped with rings to aid in handling.
Lacquer has also been widely used on wooden images for decorative purposes. Most wooden images have been given a coat of lacquer, partly to preserve them and also to provide a base for gilding with gold leaf Lacquer mixed with bone ash has provided much of the moulded decoration such as hair, jewelry, borders on clothing and floral motives seen on wooden images. It has also provided the base for the inlay of colored glass and mirror popular on later images.

The "Mandalay" style, which has developed since the end of the eighteenth century and was so prevalent in bronze and marble, is often followed in wooden sculpture and occasionally in lacquer. In wood a little more licence has been taken than was the case with stone and bronze sculpture.


Mandalay style standing wooden Buddha, the left hand holdling robe while right is across chest. Face and arms have been painted white. Height 5 ft. 2Oth century	Mandalay style standing Buddha on a lotus throne, with the left hand in a form or verada mudra. The right hand is in abhaya. Height 33 ins. 20th century	Another standing Buddha, Mandalay style, on lotus throne. Hands are in form of varada mudra and right hand holds fruit-like object. Height 5 ft. 20th century

Wooden Mandalay style Buddha, standing on lotus throne. Both hands are in varada mudra, and right holds small fruit-like object. The robe is rather like a cape. Height 30 ins. 19th-20th century

Craftsmen have obviously revelled in chiselling out the deep folds of the garments, particularly in standing and reclining images. Some carvers have not been averse to making some variations on the general clothing schema themselves, and the complex system of folds has been highlighted by borders of glass inlay. The fillet band separating the face from the hair on many images has also been set with inlaid decoration. The hair and fleshy usnisha, which has no finial, is usually covered in small lacquer curls wrought either in a circular or linear fashion. Sometimes the face is painted white rather than gilded. The hands on many images have been made separately and added later. The thrones are usually plain or in the form of a double lotus. Images in this style vary from 12 inches high seated statues to standing and reclining images of life-sized dimen-sions.There are a number of wooden images that are outstanding for their simplicity, indeed they resemble somewhat the bronzes of the post-Pagan period in style. The face is round and finely arched eyebrows frame small downcast eyes. The nose is long and pointed, and below it is a small smiling mouth. The The ears placed well back curve outwards as they touch the shoulders. The head is covered by a cap of beaded lacquer curls while the usnisha is topped by a small bulbous finial. All are portrayed in the earth touching mudra with fingers of equal length. Simple clothing lines are lightly etched in on the red or black lacquer coating which covers the whole image. Some Buddha images sit on high waisted thrones while others sit on a platform supported by three to five elephants. The images vary in size from about 20 inches for a Buddha on a plain pedestal to 40 inches high for one mounted on elephants.

Reclining wooden Buddha image in Mandalay style, portraying Lord Buddha passing into nirvana,
resting on right elbow. Exposed parts of body are painted white, and hair is shown by lines
of raised lacquer. Length 24 ins, height at head 17 ins. Late 19th or early 20th century

Thrones supported by elephants are very often found and bring to mind some of the incarnations in which Lord Buddha was an elephant. This form of decoration is also suggestive of the Buddha as a universal monarch who, as a symbol of kingship, was expected to have many elephants. Some elephants supporting crowned images are shown elaborately harnessed in all their regalia.


Standing Buddha from Southern Burma with right hand in abhaya mudra and left pendant. The robes are shown by vertical lines. Height 4 ft. 19th century. (Religious Affairs Department Museum, Rangoon)	Unusual Buddha from Thanwutti village, Khin-U township. Right hand is in vitarka (disputation) mudra, ldt in varada. Height 2 ft 6 ins. 18th century. (Religious Affairs Department Museum, Rangoon)

Occasionally one may be seen with trunk upraised. Other fanciful thrones may depict animals of the zodiac, monkeys, tigers, peacocks and manushias (double-bodied lions) depending on the whim of the donor. A wide variety of geometric and floral decorations, often inlaid with glass, can be seen on many thrones. Horizontal levels on waisted thrones are often emphasised by sawtooth and scalloped protuberances. Inscriptions in Pali or Burmese giving the name of the donor, his reasons for having the statue made and the date of completion, may occasionally be seen, usually at the base of the throne. Some representations of Lord Buddha show him seated in the folds of the Mucalinda Naga (the snake which sheltered him from a storm during his Enlightenment) framed by a large hood.


Black lacquered wooden Buddha seated in lotus position, with right hand in earth touching mudra, on backs of three elephants. Height 23 ins, height of elephant throne 8 ins. 18th-19th century	Thrones supported by elephants are often found: crowned Buddha image is seen here on throne of five elephants. Circa l8th century. (Religious Affairs Department Museum, Rangoon)	Wooden earth touching Buddha on throne of five elephants, from Mayn-aung township. Height 40 ins, height of throne 12-1/2 ins. 17th-18th century. (Religious Affairs Department Museum, Rangoon)


Crowned wooden image, with high crown and tall flanges surrounding a long spire, decorated with moulded lacquer. Height 25 ins. 19th century	Crowned images, of the type so popular in Ava bronzes, are also made in wood and lacquer. In this ornate example two manushias support the throne. Height 38 ins. 19th century

Gilt wooden crowned Buddha image depicted in the earth touching position. Height 25 ins. 18th-19th century	This crowned gilt lacquer Buddha image, in earth touching position, is seated on a fanciful throne flanked by tigers and with a peacock in front. Height 28 ins. 19th century

Gilt wooden Dakkhina Sakkha Buddha, type of image that became popular in 19th century. Note scalloped hairline, representing lotus leaves. Height 14 ins. 19th century

One special type of Buddha image made either in lacquer or wood, that grew in popularity during the nineteenth century, is a quaint rotund figure called Dakkhina Sakkha. It represents a Buddha statue supposedly made of the wood of the sacred Bo Tree in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. This figure seated in the earth touching position is very squat and heavy set, particularly when sculptured in wood. The pudding-shaped face with downcast eyes seems to merge into the shoulders as the neck is barely discernible. The hairline is scalloped to represent a lotus leaf covering. The head is crowned with a round usnisha and there is no flame finial, not even on the lacquer image. Occasionally nine auspicious circular marks may be seen; one on the forehead, and one on each shoulder, elbow, knee and side of the posterior. This type of image is often found in a Burmese home for it is thought to be effective in bringing wealth and warding off fire.

The Burmese love of flamboyant ornamentation is given full rein in crowned Buddha images in the jambhupati style where Lord Buddha is portrayed as a king. The crowned Buddha image with the high leaf-like kirita crown and tall trailing flanges surrounding a long spire, which was so popular in Ava bronzes, is also duplicated in wood and lacquer. A new crowned style that displays vestiges of Thai influence became popular in later images and continues today. In this style the image wears a tall three-, five- or seven-tiered cap, not unlike that of a Thai dancer, which often culminates in a spire. Smaller flanges spring from the headband of the cap and twine outwards over the ears. In addition to the usual complement of jewelry, some are dressed in Thai-Burmese royal costume with upturned epaulettes and leaf-like flanges springing from the elbows and knees. In some images the torso is covered with a net-like bodice. There may also be a lappet of clothing between the legs. The chest is covered with a salwe, the insignia of the Burmese kings. It consists of a series of crossed bands over each shoulder joined across the breast by medallions. Jambhupati images are usually gilded and sit upon elaborate thrones. Some also hold a kalasa pot in the left hand.

Earth touching Buddha seated on a naga throne.
The Mucalinda Naga was the snake that protected him from a
storm during his Enlightenment. Height 39 ins. 20th century

Art historians, while revelling in the glories of Pagan) have generally been rather critical of later Burmese images. There is a tendency to dismiss them as clumsy and monotonous. While this might be true of some images, happily there are others which rise above the general level. At this point it should be reiterated that the demand for images was constant and widespread. Not all could afford, or had the opportunity, to employ professional craftsmen, so many people in remote villages made their own images or had others make them on a part-time basis. As a result, while many are not perhaps in the realm of great art, they do have a delightful homespun quality about them. \What they lack in artistic refinement is compensated for by a primitive simplicity, not always in the pristine sense of cleanliness and soberness of outline, for the Burmese love flamboyant decoration, but rather in the gaiety of spirit leading to some idiosyncrasies which are purely Burmese. Where else in the Buddhist world would one find the donor's birthday animal peeking out mischievously from the side of a pedestal, or a throne with two carved monkeys playfully scratching themselves while an unperturbed Buddha gazes downward with hand extended as if to pat them?

The sheer number and variety of Buddha images that have been produced in Burma bear ample testimony to the deep abiding devotion that the Burmese feel towards the Theravada Buddhist faith.

Reclining gilt wooden image of Buddha, resting his head on his right hand, in the art
of dying or passing into nirvana. Length 24 ins, height 11 ins. 19th century
.......................
http://www.lasieexotique.com/mag_buddha_III/mag_buddha_III.html

Buddha Image from Burma Part I: Sculpture in Stone

2012-02-16T20:02:00.000-08:00

Arts of Asia January/February 1981 issue by Sylvia Fraser-Lu

BURMA, AS A COUNTRY, has a cultural tradition extending back at least fifteen centuries. The chief factor responsible for this tradition was the introduction of Buddhism from India over 2000 years ago. Buddhism has not only deeply permeated Burmese life, ideas, manners and aspirations, it has also provided the subjects and outlets of expression in Burmese art and architecture. Pagodas, temples and monasteries have been fruitful soil for the most lavish works of sculpture and carving. Over the ages, the Burmese have been indefatigable builders of religious edifices, and statues were needed to fill their halls and relic chambers. The making of a religious object was an act of faith, and also constituted a meritorious deed, hence statues were made in vast numbers.

Sandstone Buddha in preaching mudra, with richly dressed man
at his feet. From Kyauk-taw, Arakan, this group shows Gupta
influence and may date from as early as 400 A.D. 231 ins high,
15 ins wide. Photo, courtesy U San Tha Aung

Not only did the Burmese receive their religion from India, they became heirs to one of the most glorious art traditions of stone sculpture that the world has ever known. All the great styles of Indian Buddhist sculpture between the fifth and twelfth centuries A.D. are echoed in Burmese art. It was not until the late twelfth century that a local style became more prevalent.

The earliest evidence of civilization in Burma can be traced to the Pyu kingdom, founded along the middle reaches of the Irrawaddy River, which flourished between the fifth and ninth centuries A.D. Most of the earliest Pyu stone Buddha images discovered in Burma are made of sandstone and come from Srikshetra, a site five miles south of present-day Prome. All derive their style from the Gupta period (A.D. 320-510) of North India, an epoch of art noted for its monumental simplicity, the refined realism of the human figure and an expression of a mood of inner calm and tranquility. Single statues are comparatively rare in Pyu art for it was popular at that time for Buddhist believers to adore groups of the Exalted One, his attendants and devotees. The majority are in the form of large stone sculptures in relief, often beautiful in design and workmanship. Some bear lines of Pyu inscriptions on the lower portion. Unfortunately, because of their age and the vandalism perpetrated by treasure seekers, the ones uncovered are not in a very good state of preservation.

On most stone reliefs Lord Buddha, as the central figure, is usually shown seated either in the lotus position with upraised soles on thighs, or in virasana with the right leg over the left. The hands show a greater variety of mudras (gestures) compared with later images, ranging from dhyana mudra, with both hands resting palm upwards in the lap, to dharmacakra, the preaching position with the fingers of both hands touching across the chest, and abhaya, or freedom from fear, with the palm of the right hand held outwards. The earth touching position of bhumisparsa is also popular, but in many cases the right (or occasionally the left) arm is spread out well to the side over the thigh before it touches the ground, instead of plunging straight from the shoulder in front of the knee over the shin as it does in later images.

Pyu sandstone sculpture from East Zegu Pagoda,
Srikshetra, showing haloed Buddha in virasana
between two bodhisattvas. 2 ft 8 ins high, 1 ft 6-1/2 ins wide.
6th-7th century A.D.
Photo, courtesy of Archaeological Dept, Rangoon (A.D.R.)

The head is usually surrounded by a halo. Unfortunately, in many cases the face has been broken off, so it is not always possible to make out the features. Wear and tear on the surface of the sculpture has also made lines of clothing difficult to distinguish. The remainder of the slab is usually filled with disciples and bodhisattvas. It may sometimes be decorated with a very popular Indian motif, a makara (a crocodile type of mythical beast) supported by a standing lion on an elephant. This motif is a popular backdrop to Buddha figures in both Pyu and Pagan times.

In addition to general scenes of Lord Buddha and followers, famous episodes of his life were often depicted such as The Eight Great Scenes: the Birth from his mother's side at Lumbini; the Enlightenment under the Bodhi tree; the First Sermon at the deer park in Sarnath; the Taming of the wild Nalagiri Elephant that his enemies sent to kill him; the Twin Miracles in which Buddha causes flames and water to pour forth from his body and images of himself to appear across the sky; the Sojourn in the Parileyyaka forest where he accepts the gift of a honeycomb from a monkey; the Descent from the Tavatimsa heaven where he went to preach the Abhidhamma to his mother; and his death or Parinirvana. These are rendered strictly following Indian conventions and are instantly recognizable by believers. Some particularly fine examples of the preaching of the First Sermon have been recovered from Srikshetra. The scene can be identified by the placing of a wheel between two couchant deer below a Buddha in the preaching position.

Fine standing figure of Buddha, in Gupta style,
realistically carved in sandstone, is from Thaton
and can be dated to circa 9th century. Photo, A.D.R.

Other early stone images from Burma prior to the Pagan period (A.D. 1044-1287) have been known to come from Arakan on the western coast of Burma, which, until its conquest by the Burmese King Bodawpaya in 1785, had a long and distinct history of its own. Statues have been recovered from Dinnyawaddy (A.D. 146-788) and Vesali (A.D. 788-957), two of the earliest kingdoms of northern Arakan. Like Burma, Arakan received Buddhism from India and over the centuries developed a slightly differing art style of its own. The earliest known example of Buddhist sculpture uncovered in Burma is a sandstone image originally from Kyauk-taw, the site of the famous Mahamuni Pagoda. It is now in the Mrauk-U Museum. Stylistically it could be as old as A.D. 400. It depicts Lord Buddha seated with his right knee slightly raised on a square undecorated throne with his hands in the dharmacakra preaching position. A richly ornamented man sits at his feet. The head of the Buddha image is clearer than those of the Pyu remains and, like them, shows a strong Gupta influence in the long nose, the full lips, peppercorn curls and the elongated ears stopping just short of the shoulders.

In coastal Ramannadesa (Thaton), the home of the early Mons of Burma who spread over much of Thailand and Cambodia from the seventh to ninth century A.D., some fine standing stone slab images have been found pre-dating the Pagan period. Unfortunately many are damaged or have been repaired. The images are almost life-size and show some very skilled modeling. In addition to Gupta influence, traces of a South Indian style are discernible in some sculpture. The main figure is in high relief, almost in the round, while the background scenes are flat or sunk in lower relief. The themes depicted in stone, like those from Srikshetra, are taken from the Eight Great Scenes. At Tadagale, just outside Rangoon, an excavation in 1937 revealed traces of five weathered laterite Buddhas, each approximately two feet high, seated cross-legged in either the dhyana or bhumisparsa mudra on high thrones against a back slab. They are thought to date from some time between the fifth and eleventh centuries A.D.

Part of a stele from Pyu site of Halingyi, showing a group of people in attitude of devotion. Top half, probably a Buddha image, has broken off. 8th./9th century A.D. Photo, A.D.R.

Pagan, the most glorious period artistically in Burma's history, was also a high point of stone sculpture. A grey sandstone was quarried from the nearby hills and turned into four feet high stelae with the Buddha image carved in high relief against a back slab, sometimes plain but often decorated with architectural, animal and vegetal motifs. The statues, which show strong affinities with eighth to twelfth century Pala-Sena art of Bihar and Bengal, generally depict scenes from Lord Buddha's life with the Enlightenment scene taking precedence over all others.

Buddha is shown seated with smoothly chiseled feet locked in the lotus position. The right hand, with fingers of differing length, plunges from the shoulder and falls straight over the upper shin to touch the throne in front of the knee. The left hand lies relaxed, palm upwards in the lap.

Pyu relief depicting Preaching of the First Sermon
in the Deer Park at Sarnath. Buddha, on lotus throne
in dharmacakra mudra, is surrounded by devotees,
while in panel below are two deer with the wheel
between them. Circa 10th century. Photo, A.D.R

Dharmacakra and dhyana mudras, although still seen, are less popular than in Pyu images. The Pagan face is oval to triangular with a slightly pointed chin. Arched eyebrows nearly join at the bridge of a long aquiline nose. Half-closed eyes gaze modestly downwards. The mouth, set in a half smile, is small but well-defined, the lower lip being slightly thicker than the upper. In some cases the forehead is marked by an urna (one of the marks of Buddha hood). Elongated ear lobes do not quite touch the shoulders. The head is covered with rows of small spiral curls, sometimes coming to a slight peak in front and terminating in a small flame finial above the usnisha (a fleshy lump on the head) which is placed a little back from the centre of the skull. The neck, with three distinct lines, is mounted on a body which is plump at the shoulders but tapers to a narrow waist. The robe, in most cases, is lightly defined below the right nipple culminating in a flap over the left breast. A line is visible at the waist below the navel, and double wavy hemlines can be seen around the ankles. In some statues the only signs of clothing are lines around the neck and wrists. Supporting these sculptures is a double lotus throne with petals well-defined and deeply carved.

During the Pagan period, the Buddha may be a single image or it may be one in a series of stories depicting the many significant events of his life. When depicted in a scene, the Master is by far the largest figure. He may be seated, standing or reclining as the story demands. Other key figures are either portrayed around him, much smaller in size and in lower relief, or in a predella below the Buddha image. These statues were usually presented as a series of stations, being placed in niches in the hallways of main temples. The most famous are those of the Ananda Temple which has a series of eighty, giving a detailed pictorial account of Buddha's life from his Conception until his Enlightenment. Other temples such as the Kyaukku Ohnmin, the Nagayon, Minkaba Kubyaukgyi and the Minpyagu also have a less extensive, but alas, less well-preserved series of sculptures of Buddha's life.

Delicately carved dolomite tablet found near Upali Thein, Pagan, showing Eight Great Scenes of Buddha's life. Buddha figure in Enlightenment pose is surrounded by seven smaller scenes.
5 ins high, 3-1/2 ins wide. 11th century.
(Pagan Archaeological Museum). Photo, A.D.R.

Another legacy of Pala art can be seen in delicately carved dolomite tablets (Burmese: andagu) which portray the Eight Great Scenes of Buddha's life on a single slab. Some, in addition to the Eight Scenes, will also include the Seven Sites around the Bodhi tree for good measure. They vary in size from three to eight inches high. They are usually so finely carved that the interplay of light and shade is suggestive of filigree work. The Eight Scenes represented, beginning at the top in a clockwise direction, are: The Parinirvana; the Descent from the Tavatimsa; the Twin Miracles; the Sojourn in the Parileyyaka Forest; the Nativity; the First Sermon; and the Taming of the Nalagiri Elephant. Sometimes the order of the scenes may vary a little. These seven are arranged around a larger central Buddha figure, usually in monk's garb, but occasionally crowned. Seated in the earth touching position, the figure is flanked on either side by a bodhisattva enclosed within an arch of the hosts of the devil Mara: Buddha's throne is supported on either side by two graceful nagas (snake kings). Most andagu sculptures have been found in the Pagan district, while some have been found in Upper Burma and as far afield as Arakan.


Pagan sandstone Buddha, carved in high relief against a back slab, shown in preaching mudra seated on a lotus throne. 4 ft high, it dates from the 11th century. (Pagan Archaeological Museum)		Buddha image in dhyana mudra. Bowl he was holding is missing. Haloed head is backed by architectural motifs; predella shows eight devotees. Pagan, 11th century

Sandstone figure of Buddha, sitting crosslegged on a lotus throne in bhumisparsa (earth touching) mudra. Pagan, 11th century. One of several examples in the Pagan Archaeological Museum.		This sandstone relief carving from Pagan shows Buddha in the act of severing his hair for the Great Renunciation, when he left the palace. 11th century

Ananda Temple stele, closely following Indian conventions, shows Birth of Buddha from his
mother's side at Lumbini. Queen Maya is seen with one arm round her sister,
the other touching the Sal tree.
4ft high, 11th century. Photo A.D.R.

Steatite plaque from Arakan, depicting the Eight Great Scenes. It shows the Lord Buddha in the
earth touching mudra under the pipul tree, with the other scenes around on the outside.
Circa 11th century.

During the late Pagan period, with the wane of Buddhism in India resulting in less contact between the two countries, a more distinctly local style began to develop, which was to become the norm for subsequent images. In this style the head has become larger in relation to the body. The face is broader and rounder. The curls are less prominent and in some cases the hair is only indicated by a line framing the face. On the larger face, the eyes look slightly more than half-closed. The nose too is less aquiline, while the mouth has become bow-shaped. The head drops slightly forward on a short neck. The ears have become thicker and touch the heavier set torso. The feet in the lotus position have become slab-like and the fingers are of uniform length. Clothing continues to be light and is indicated by a plain flap across the left shoulder and lines at the wrists and feet. Many images are now fully in the round without the back slab. The earth touching position has become the most popular pose.


Buddha taming the Nalagiri Elephant (below his right hand), watched by two attendants. 12th-13th century. (Pagan Archaeological Museum)	Buddha with gift from monkey (seen on left and lower right) in Parileyyaka forest. Circa 13th century. (Pagan Archaeological Museum)	Sandstone statue in the round, of Buddha in the earth touching pose. Circa 14th century. (Pagan Archaeological Museum)

Stone Buddha image in late Pagan style, shown sitting cross-legged in dhyana mudra. Height 5 ft. Circa 13th century	Preaching of the First Sermon, with two deer on either side of wheel in predella below. Circa 13th century. (Pagan Archaeological Museum)	Sandstone figure of Buddha from the Shittaung Pagoda. It is 4 ft high and can be dated approximately to the 16th century

During the Ava period (1364-1752), a century or so after the upheavals which followed the fall of Pagan, this style further developed. The best examples are in marble, which became a most popular medium from the seventeenth century onwards, although images continued to be made in sandstone. In marble images the face is somewhat squarish in shape and a narrow painted band marks the division between the forehead and the hair. The usnisha is in the form of a low truncated cone sometimes surmounted by a lotus finial. The head may be plain or set with the remains of small raised lacquer curls. The eyebrows, set high on the forehead, have become quite sweeping and bow-like. The distance between the half-closed downcast eyes and eyebrows is greater than in the earlier images. The nose is quite long with clearly defined nostrils. The mouth, close to the nose, is thin-lipped and set in a half-moon smile. There is a large chin area. Since the face tends to be flattish with little attempt to show the facial structure underneath, features such as eyebrows, eye-lids and mouth have been emphasized by incising and painting. The neck is short and thin, while the ears curve inwards level with the chin and turn outwards to touch the shoulders. As with later Pagan images, the most popular pose shows Buddha seated in the lotus position with right hand in the earth touching mudra. The left hand is usually slightly raised above the lap, sup-ported by a small plug of stone which the sculptor left uncut beneath the wrist. Occasionally there is also a small prop between the thumb and the fingers of the same hand. A double row of incising is generally used to indicate hem-lines and turns of cloth. Images continued to be made in this style until well into the nineteenth century.


Remains of Buddha image, made of speckled sandstone, found near ruins of Dipayon Pagoda at Mrauk-U. Height 31 ft. 16th17th century	Marble Buddha image in earth touching pose, with remains of lacquer decoration. 3 ft high, 17th-18th century. (Pagan Archaeological Museum)	Jambhupati image, probably a Mon relic, unearthed at Wakhe-ma. 12 ins high, 81 ins wide, 18th-19th century

Approximately at the same time as the Ava period, Arakan was experiencing the last and most glorious epoch in its history as an independent state. Its capital Mrauk-U, founded in A.D. 1430, was embellished with some remarkable fortress-type temples built by King Minbin (1531-1553) and his successors. These temples were filled with some distinctive sandstone Buddha images.

The main images in the temples are about five feet high, excluding their pedestal thrones. The face is rather round with a tendency to squareness around the jaw. The forehead is more broad than high, the face being widest over the eyes. The eyebrows form semicircular arches over the lowered eyelids, protecting the eyes which stare straight ahead. The large triangular nose has a straight bridge and terminates in wide flaring nostrils. Nostril lines continue down to the well-defined mouth which is set in a benign smile above a well-rounded, slightly protruding chin. The ears are large, especially in the upper portion. They do not usually touch the shoulders supporting a thickly set neck. The head is generally covered with small curls topped by a large bun-like usnisha.


Sandstone image from near the Zinanaraung Pagoda, Mrauk-U. It can be dated to the 16th or 17th century.	Marble Buddha image from the Kyanthonpaya Pagoda in the Sagaing district, 25 ins high, probably 18th century	Nineteenth century marble Buddha image from Mandalay. 21 ins high, 13 ins. wide at base

The image sits with the right hand in the earth touching position, with fingers usually of the same length touching the shin. The left arm in the lap, as with the Ava images, is often supported by a small prop of stone. Unlike the Ava images, the legs are right over left in the virasana position. The feet are generally roughly hewn, the left one often scarcely sculptured at all. Clothing alternates between a tight-fitting upper garment which leaves the right shoulder and arm uncovered, to one which, apart from a line at the neck and the waist, is scarcely visible at all. Many images are mounted on high-stepped stone pedestals, finely carved with floral decoration, relieved by protruding flanges bearing lively human and animal figures.


Marble Buddha image from Shwemawdaw Pagoda, Pegu. Mandalay style, 20th century	Two modern (20th century) marble images from small shrines at the Shwedagon Pagoda, Rangoon. They are both in the Mandalay style which developed in late 18th or early 19th century
Buddha prostrate before Dipamkara, who tells him he is destined for Buddhahood. Marble, 19th century. Found in a pagoda at Sagaing
	Limestone reclining Buddha, under a naga. 22 ins long, 11 ins high. 20th century. (Religious Affairs Department Museum, Rangoon)

	A 19th century reclining Buddha, marble. 20 ins long, 10 ins high. (Religious Affairs Department Museum, Rangoon)

Towards the end of the eighteenth or early nineteenth century, a new style of Buddha image called the "Mandalay" style developed. In this style the oval face is separated from the hair by a wide fillet band which is sometimes lacquered and inlaid with glass. The head is marked by even rows of small, slightly raised, curls. A thick, round, fleshy usnisha sits at the crown of the head. There is no finial. The arch of the eyebrows is very natural and the eyes have a slightly Mongoloid slant. There is sometimes an urna between the eyebrows. The nose is quite prominent and the mouth, set in a "Mona Lisa" smile, is larger and the lips thicker than in the earlier images. The ears are narrower than in the Ava style, but they still curve outwards when viewed face on. Fingers and toes are occasionally not of equal length. The robes are rendered in thick loose folds suggestive of Chinese Buddhist drapery. There is a prominent decorated flap over the left shoulder and the ends of the robe often appear in a fish-tail pattern. In this style Lord Buddha appears in either a sitting, standing, or reclining pose. From the mid nineteenth century onwards, more novelty has crept into the style of marble images. Elaborately crowned images with five to seven tiered crowns and side flanges have become popular, as have Buddha statues resting in the folds of a snake.


Brand new marble Buddha image made in 1979 near Mandalay. It is decorated ready for Jambbupati style royal ornaments, and is destined for a monastery in the Shan States

Jambhupati image of marble and wood, from Yinmarpin township. It is 2 ft high and 14 ins wide at base. 20th century.	This standing Buddha image in Ava style is from Thaton area and is dated to 19th century. Height 40 ins. (Religious Affairs Department Museum, Rangoon)


Another marble Buddha image from the Kyanthonpaya Pagoda, 31 ft high, dated to the 19th century	The famous marble image commissioned by King Mindon and completed in 1865. 20 ft high, it is housed in Mandalay Kyauktawgyi

Marble continues to be a most popular medium today, while the art of sandstone sculpture seems to have disappeared. One can still see sculptors hard at work in the outer suburbs of Mandalay on the road to Amarapura, skillfully fashioning images for the faithful from marble which comes from the Sagyin area, twenty-two miles north of Mandalay. Some are occasionally inscribed by the donors, just as they were by their ancestors throughout the ages, with words such as:

"I, (name), have caused this image of the Blessed One to be made so that I might attain Deliverance. May the Gods, Devas and men, share my merit."


Marble image from the Botataung Pagoda, Rangoon. Mandalay style, 20th century	Marble Jambhupati image, 20th century. (Religious Affairs Department Museum, Rangoon)

Reclining image of Buddha in marble, 4 ft long and 11 ins high. From a small shrine at the Shwedagon Pagoda, it is of 20th century date		Standing Buddha, marble, from Kyanthon-paya Pagoda in Sagaing. 41 ft high, 20th century

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Buddha Image from Burma Part II: Broze and Related Metals

2012-02-16T19:52:00.000-08:00

Arts of Asia March/April 1981 issue by Sylvia Fraser-Lu

THE BURMESE received the technique of metal casting from India, just as they had received the tradition of stone sculpture. While in the first instance images may have been imported from that country, the Burmese soon proved themselves adept craftsmen of the cire perdue (lost wax) and repousse techniques. They also showed a particular genius for assimilating foreign influences in sculpture from the various schools of India, Ceylon, China, Thailand, and possibly Cambodia and Nepal. It was not very long before a bronze import became stamped with the mark of native adaptation.


Gold Pyu Buddha in virasana, the hands in dhyana mudra, from Khin Ba Mound, Srikshetra. Height 3-5/8 ins. 6th-7th century. Photo, courtesy of Archaeological Dept., Rangoon (A.D.R.)	Standing Pyu image with the left hand in abhaya mudra, the right hand missing. 6th-7th century. (A.D.R.)

It is natural that the bronze statues from the Pyu period (circa A.D. 200-900), the earliest known civilisation of Burma, should bear the imprint of Indian craftsmanship. Small figures of Lord Buddha between two and eight inches high, made of silver, gold, lead and bronze, and thought to date from the seventh and eighth centuries, have been uncovered from Srikshetra, the best known Pyu site just outside present-day Prome. Like their counterparts in stone they reflect a strong Gupta influence, especially in the facial features which in many cases are distinctly Indian.


Pyu bronze Buddha seated in virasana, with the right hand in earth touching position. 6th-7th century. (A.D.R.)	Cylindrical silver casket embossed with four Buddhas in bhumisparsa (earth touching position) and four standing disciples. Round rim is inscription in South Indian writing. Height 26 ins, diameter at base 16 ins. 6th-7th century. (A.D.R.)

The Pyu Buddha image has a round face with plump cheeks. The eyebrows are finely arched, while the nose is broad and well formed. The mouth in some cases may be small, but in others it tends to be thick and overhanging. The head is crowned with a cap of peppercorn curls topped by a very slight usnisha (cranial protuberance) and the ear lobes scarcely touch the shoulders. A short neck loses itself on a superman-like torso, which is broad shouldered and chesty, tapering to a fairly narrow waist. In most cases clothing has a semi-transparent look, revealing the body contours, although very occasionally one may see an image draped in deep Gandharan folds. Lines of clothing may be shown around the neck or by a diagonal line from the left shoulder passing under the right breast and arm. Other turns of clothing are indicated by a curved line extending from the left wrist, over the same thigh and around the ankles. Some images show auspicious circular marks on the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. The legs are usually in the virasana position with the right leg over the left, although the lotus position with soles turned upwards against the thighs, is by no means uncommon. The hands, with well formed fingers of differing length, display the full range of Buddha mudras (symbolic hand positions).

Bronze standing Buddha from Tadagale, Rangoon,
with right hand in abhaya mudra, left in varada,
shows Gupta influence. Circa 9th century. (A.D.R.)

Two of the most prevalent are the bhurnisparsa (witness) mudra where the right hand is seen in the earth touching position with the left hand resting on the lap, with or without a bowl, and the dhyana (meditation) position with both hands resting palm upwards in the lap. Varada (charity), the boon granting gesture with arm pendant and palm facing outwards; abhaya (protection), showing the hand upwards and the palm extended outwards; and vitarka, the gesture of argument where the tips of the thumb and index finger touch forming a circle, can all be seen on Pyu bronzes.

The heads of some images have a detach-able halo and a back plate finely repousséd with animal and vegetal motives. Other beautiful repoussé examples can be seen in silver relic caskets embossed with four seated Buddhas which have been excavated from mounds in the Prome district.

Apart from a few scattered remains from the Pegu-Moulmein area, there has been very little in the way of bronze statuary recovered to provide a chronological link between the Pyu and the Pagan period (A.D. 1044-1287) which is generally regarded as the most glorious epoch in Burmese art.

Heinrich Zimmer, the eminent scholar of Indian art, has described the Pagan Buddha image as "having a simplicity and composure, a sober cleanliness of contour that rejects exuberance of ornament and detail and a cool pure atmosphere nicely balanced between a dignified graceful emptiness and a sweet spiritual life." Pagan bronzes have been particularly singled out for praise by art historians. In this medium the Buddha image may be depicted in either a standing or a seated position.

The form of the Pagan standing image resembles that of the colossal Gupta image of Sultanganj now in the Birmingham City Museum and Art Gallery, England. In this style Lord Buddha stands serenely on a plain round, or lotus, pedestal. The hands are beautifully moulded; the right hand is raised from the elbow in abhaya, while the left holds a lapel. Clothing appears as sheer muslin and clings to the body to reveal a broad shouldered figure tapering to a narrow waist, rounding out at the thighs to give a slightly feminine aspect, which does not detract from the general manliness of the statue as a whole. Both shoulders are covered and the folding of the gown is confined to the periphery. A line below the navel marks the lower garment and the hem is shown by a double wavy line at ankle level. As with stone sculpture of the same period, the face is oval to triangular with a slightly pointed chin. The eyebrow arches are almost joined together in a V-shape and in many cases are set with an urna (a mark of Buddha-hood in the middle of the forehead). The eyes gaze down past a long aquiline nose and a small smiling mouth. The elongated ears do not touch the shoulders. The head, covered in rounded curls, is crested by a flame niche above the usnisha which is set well to the back of the head. Images range in height from the colossal 13 feet of a standing Buddha, at the Shwezigon in Pagan, to the miniature 5-1/2 inches of another from a relic chamber at Myinpagan.


Bronze standing Buddha from Shwezigon Pagoda, Pagan. Height 13 ft. 11th century. (A.D.R.)	Bronze standing image of Lord Buddha from the Ananda Kyaungdaik, Pagan. Height 3 ft 8 ins. 11th century

The Pagan seated Buddha became the ideal for subsequent casters of bronze statues to emulate. Beginning with the images sanctioned by King Anorahta (A.D. 1044-1077), Pagan's greatest monarch, the dominant schema for Burmese images is the Lord Buddha seated cross-legged on a lotus throne in the padmasana (lotus) position with soles turned upwards against the thighs, the left hand resting in the lap and the right hand, in bhumisparsa, extending over the knee to touch the ground in front of the shin. In the Burmese mind the earth touching pose represents the supreme moment of the Enlightenment, when Lord Buddha over-came the forces of evil and began his illustrious mission to mankind on earth. Professor Luce, the leading scholar of the Pagan period, has suggested that the nerve centre of a Burmese image in the bhumisparsa position lies in the pendant right arm. This position is so prevalent in Burma that it has become an art form in its own right.

As in Pyu times, a few seated Buddhas are backed by an elaborate reredos edged with wreaths of fire and flame, or crowned with a lion mask disgorging wreaths of foliation at the apex, ending in outward-facing hamsas (goose or swan emblems of Brahma) seated on makaras (a mythical crocodile-like creature) supported by ramp-ant lions. Worshippers (usually detach-able), in the form of a pair of small monks or bodhisattvas, are sometimes found on either side of the image.


Seated bronze image from Pagan. Right hand is in earth touching position, feet in lotus sana. (A.D.R.)	Bronze earth touching Buddha with elabo-rate reredos and lotus throne. Height 14-1/2 ins. Pagan, 11th-12th century. (A.D.R.)

Buddha image, of hollow gold plate, with detachable head and neck, found near the Ananda Kyaungdaik. Hcight 10 ins. Circa 12th century. (A.D.R.)	Crowned bronze Buddha image in bhumisparsa seated on recessed throne, from Hsameikshe, Thazi township, Meiktila district. Circa 12th-13th century. (A.D.R.)

Gold repousse plate image from Myinpagan. Lord Buddha is in bhumisparsa mudra, with two disciples; two devas
above offer lotuses.
Pagan, 11th-12th century. (A.D.R.)

Although bronze dominates the Pagan period, a number of smaller Buddha figures were also made of silver and gold. Several 10 inches high hollow gold plate images of the earth touching Buddha were found within the enclosure walls of the Ananda temple. The torso of these images is in Pagan style, while the facial features have a rather Mongolian cast. The hair is not delineated and resembles a slightly pointed cap. A few pleasing examples of repoussé have also been uncovered. One of the finest is a gold plate repoussé image from Myinpagan, which depicts an earth touching Buddha flanked by his chief disciples, Sariputta and Mogallana. Around the Buddha's halo are a pair of devas (gods) in the act of offering lotuses. In the Pagan Museum there is a thin bronze plate showing the parinirvana (the death of Buddha) scene. Buddha is shown reclining on a couch with two disciples seated at either end of the bed. Brahma, Sakra and two other celestial deities watch, while two distraught attendants gaze from the far side of the couch.

Bronze lotus with Buddha in centre circled by petals depicting
Eight Great Scenes on inner side. Two nagini figures
support the stand. Height 10 ins, Pagan, 12th century

Popular in Indian art and also found at Pagan, are bronze lotus which can be opened and closed by means of a spring. The centre contains either a small pagoda or a seated image of Buddha. On the inner side of the eight petals are modelled the Eight Great Scenes of Lord Buddha's life in the most intricate detail. The lotus is mounted on a stand ornamented with floral designs, supporting disciples and other human and animal figures. Some are engraved in a North Indian script which suggests that they could be Indian in origin.

The Pagan dynasty, brought to an untimely end by the Mongol invasion in 1287 A.D., was followed by a period of intense disorder. The country broke up into petty kingdoms which were constantly at war with each other - a state of affairs not conducive to the production of great works of art. It was the custom at the conclusion of hostilities for the victors to loot the pagodas of the vanquished and carry off their images. This has made it difficult to trace the date and provenance of many Burmese images.

During the latter part of the Ava period, from 1635 A.D. onwards, conditions in Burma became a little more stable. Images dating from this time have been recovered and continuing into the Konbaung period (1752-1885) follow the Pagan schema with some modifications. The face has become more triangular and the eyebrows less V-shaped. The nose remains sharp and pointed and the mouth is small and bow-like. The peppercorn curls remain, but the usnisha has become somewhat more fleshy and is now set a little further forward on the head. It is topped by a small bulbous finial, which tends to get longer in later images. The ears curve outwards where they touch the shoulders. The head droops slightly forward on a short neck. The body assumes a plumpish look compared with the Pagan image, yet in most cases it retains an elegance in proportions, unlike some of the stone figures which became heavy and clumsy in the post-Pagan period. The dress remains the simple garb of a monk. The statues are invariably in the earth touching position and the fingers are now of equal length, occasionally sup-ported by a prop of metal under the hand. Thrones tend to be tall and waisted and are usually in the form of either a double row of lotus petals or a stepped triangle. On some thrones there are rings for attaching smaller statues of disciples and other devotees or guardian animals such as lions.


Bronze earth touching Buddha with left hand missing. Height 20 ins. Probably 16th-17th century	Earth touching Buddha of bronze, with remains of lacquer adhering to it. Throne is broken. Height 10 ins. Probably circa 17th century

Bronze Buddha seated on throne with lions at base and rings for attaching monks and devotees. Height 24 ins. Probably 16th-17th century	Bronze gilded image in bhumisparsa mudra on high waisted lotus throne, with loops for attaching small figurines of devotees. Height 21 ins. Probably circa 18th century

During this period crowned images became popular. The idea of representing Lord Buddha in something more splendid than his characteristic monk's garb is thought to have come from a story where the Master dressed in royal attire to humble a proud overbearing king, Jambhupati, who was threatening one of his followers. The arrogant king was suitably overawed and subsequently converted. Buddha figures in kingly robes have come to be called jambhupati images. This type of Buddha figure is popular throughout Southeast Asia, and had its origins in Indian art belonging to the Pala period (circa A.D. 750-1150).

Crowned images found in the Irrawaddy valley during the Ava period are characterised by tall leaf-like crowns surrounding

a towering spire above the mukuta (chignon hair style. Open-work flanges spring from the band of the crown, twirl upward: towards the spire and twine along the side: of the shoulder and upper arm. The earring: are either in the form of a round plug wid petals trailing over the shoulders, or 0 catkins curving outwards over the chest Necklaces fall in cascades over the breast ending at the waist. Bracelets and armlet: arc often worn, as well as rings. In many images a monk's robe is lightly etched in under the jewellery. The right hand is in the earth touching position, while the left hand sometimes holds a small kalasa pot (water vessel, container of elixir of life). As with other Ava images, the throne is tall and waisted.

Some of the loveliest crowned images in Burma undoubtedly come from the kingdom of Arakan. These images have a special importance in the history of that state, for according to an unbroken tradition the kings of Arakan, at the climax of their coronation, took an oath to rule wisely and support Buddhism by holding aloft a specially cast image of Lord Buddha, beatuifully ornamented in full regalia. Such images came to be known as mahakyain phara images (royal oath Buddhas). Historical records report an elaborate ritual which accompanied the casting.


Bronze crowned image with traces of lacquer. Kirita crown surrounds a chignon. Height 15 ins. Probably 16th-17th century	Bronze image of Lord Buddha wearing royal dress, with monk's robe etched in under the necklaces. Crown, flanges and chignon are broken, and base of throne is missing. Height 12 ins. Probably 17th-18th century	Bronze Buddha image in bhumisparsa, on round lotus throne, in close imitation of Pagan style, with unusually fine proportions. Height 14 ins. Probably 18th century

Arakan crowned images have also been greatly influenced by the Pala art period of India and the best, moulded with great delicacy and precision, are thought to date from as early as the eighth to tenth centuries A.D. The images have a rounded triangular face and the finely arched eve brows are, ,set on a small forehead above heavily lidded downcast eyes. The nose is straight with flaring nostrils, while the mouth is fixed in a serene half smile. As in most Burmese images, the neck is short. The leaf-like kirita (crown) is of smaller proportions than the Irrawaddy crowned images. It encloses a knotted chignon surmounted by a lotus bud or a flame finial. The ears are decorated with circular earrings, surrounded by ribbons. The chest is covered with elaborate necklaces. Many wear a beautifully draped shawl over the shoulders, with the folds echoed in the circular draping of the robe over the legs locked in the lotus position. The soles of the feet are edged with anklets. Instead of the usual earth touching pose, many images are in the dhyana mudra with the hands resting open in the lap, one on top of the other, more often than not holding a small kalasa pot.


Bronze crowned image from monastery at Amarapura. Right hand is in unusual position, palin turned outwards instead of in earth touching mudra. Circa 17th-18th century	Bronze jambhupati Buddha image in bhumisparsa on high waisted throne. Flanges are not complete. Height 20 ins. Probably 18th century	Bronze jambhupati Buddha image, left hand holding a kalasa pot while right is extended, palm outwards. Height 28 ins. Probably 18th century

A number of less sophisticated crowned images have also been recovered from relic chambers in Arakan. They generally have large heads mounted with petal crowns. Earrings in some cases curve like handles from the ears to the shoulders. The usual complement of necklaces, anklets and arm-lets adorn the torso. In common with many images found in Arakan, the feet are placed right over left in the virasana position, while the hands in dhyana mudra hold a kalasa pot. Many thrones are waisted and are wrought in an openwork foliage pattern. Devotees and miniature pagodas may be attached to the sides. Occasionally a pair of guardian animals and a figure of Vasundhara, the Earth Goddess, may be seen moulded on to the base of the throne.


Bronze earth touching image from Pagan, with a solidity more typical of stone sculpture than of bronze. Height 30ins. Probably 16th-17th century	Crowned image in bhumi-sparsa, from a ruined stupa east of Thinkyitaw, Vesali, now in Mrauk-U museum. Monk's robes are etched in under the jewellery. Height 16-1/2 ins. Photo, courtesy of U San Tha Aung

Mahamuni Buddha, Mandalay. Bronze, with torso covered in gold leaf. Present crown and earrings were made in 1884. Height 12 ft 7 ins	Very fine crowned Buddha image from Vesali Arakan, with hands, in dhyana mudra, holding a kalasa pot. Height 12 ins. Photo, courtesy U San Tha Aung

One particular bronze image that has played a very important part in the history of Arakan is the Mahamuni Buddha, which according to tradition is supposed to represent an actual portrait of Lord Buddha made during the time of his visit to Arakan. (There is no historical evidence that Lord Buddha actually did pay a visit to Arakan, but Burmese history is rich in legend pertaining to Buddha being in Burma during his lifetime or in previous incarnations.) This image was set in a pagoda at Kyauktaw, some sixty miles from present day Akyab, which over the centuries became a religious centre of the kingdom. The fame of the bronze spread far and wide, and it worked on the envy of the kings of the independent kingdoms of Burma, such as Prome, Pagan, Pegu and the Shan States, many of whom made numerous attempts to overcome the Arakanese and take the image from them. In 1784 King Bodawpaya of Burma finally succeeded in carrying it off to Mandalay. With the removal of the image Arakan's history as an independent kingdom ended. Today the 12 feet 7 inches high figure sits resplendent in Mandalay, in the Mahamuni pagoda, framed by an archway of deeply carved and profusely gilded woodwork. It has been decorated in the latest jambhupati style with a pointed crown, epaulettes, and a royal insignia across the chest. As it has been lavishly gilded by the faithful it is now irregular in outline. Every night it is wrapped in special shawls by the pagoda trustees, so highly is it regarded.


Crowned Buddha image in dhyana mudra, with legs in the lotus sana. From Myohaung. Height 18 ins. (A.D.R.	Buddha image recently found in Arakan, of unknown provenance and date. Head-dress is like that on some Cambodian images, and has been seen on other images from Arakan. Height 20 ins

Crowned Buddha image from Sandoway, of less sophisticated type. Right hand holding something is in unusual position, feet in virasana. Guardian animals and Earth Goddess are attached to base. Possibly as early as 7th-8th century. Height 9 ins	Bronze Buddha in earth touching mudra, seated on stepped throne. From Myohaung. Circa 14th-15th century

Another part of the country, noted for a slightly different style of bronze image, is the area of the Shan States in eastern Burma. The main group of people populating these states is ethnically Thai, and as a result there is evidence of Thai influence in many statues. Shan images are generally more attenuated than Burmese Buddha images and are not usually large, being between six to twelve inches high.


Shan Buddha image seated in bhumisparsa. Usnisha is topped by a .tall gourd-like finial, with details of face, robes and throne shown by incising. 19th century. Height 5-1/2 ins	Shan Buddha image similar to the last, dating from the 19th century. Height 71 ins

Shan Buddha image in bhumisparsa, seated on terraced and waisted throne. Some of these images have an inscription at the back of the throne. Height 6-3/4 ins	Another Shan image dating from the 19th century is shown here. Height 10-1/2 ins

The face is oval and the eyebrows, placed high on the forehead, well above the eyes, are shown either as an etched line or a series of hatched strokes. The nose is either sharply pointed, or Hat with wide nostrils. The mouth is small and upturned in a half smile. The face is framed by a fillet band, with a high usnisha above placed fairly well forward on the head and surmounted by a tall gourd-like finial. The large ears swing outwards to touch the shoulders. The neck is longer than a Burmese Buddha's and three characteristic creases on the neck are visible. Like their Burmese counterparts, Shan Buddhas usually sit in the lotus position with the right hand touching the earth. The fingers are usually of the same length and the thumbs are prominent. The thumb of the left hand is sometimes supported by a plug of bronze in the palm of the hand.

The Shan Buddha sits on a waisted throne above three to five steps. The throne is triangular in shape except for a flat part at the back on which inscriptions might be made. The clothing is fairly light. The main garment sweeps diagonally from the left and covers the right nipple before disappearing under the right arm. The outer garment falls in three folds over the left side of the chest and down the back. The right shoulder is usually bare, although in some instances it is covered with a small shoulder cape, suggestive of Chinese influence. Incising plays an important part in the decoration of a Shan image, the facial details and clothing usually being shown by incising rather than moulding. The Shans, too, have expressed a fondness for the crowned image and pleasing examples have been found.


Bronze Buddha image in Mandalay style with thick folding robes, right hand in bhumisparsa mudra. Usnisha is round and fleshy. Height 18 ins.19th century	Brass Mandalay Buddha in a small family shrine at Shwedagon Pagoda. Height 3 ft. 20th century

Brass Buddha image from the Shwedagon Pagoda, Rangoon, in the Mandalay style. 20th century	Another brass Buddha image from the Shwedagon Pagoda. These very large images are bigger than life size. 20th century

Reclining Buddha image in Mandalay style. Exposed parts of the body are of pewter while robe is of bronze. Length 36 ins. 19th century

As in images in marble and wood, the predominant style in metal today is the so-called Mandalay style which evolved during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Its blandly attractive, slightly Mongoloid face framed by a wide fillet band, and its heavily folded robes, have been beautifully transposed into bronze and other metals. Most of the new images in pagodas throughout the country are in this style. The Shwedagon in Rangoon has become a virtual repository for images of this type. One can see many a devotee, in almost any shrine, prostrate before such an image, hands full of fragrant flowers, small paper flags and umbrellas, reverently reciting the Buddhist Three Fold Formula of Protection:

I take refuge in the Buddha.

I take refuge in the law.

I take refuge in the Brotherhood of Monks.

The Buddha image is not only an aid to meditation and concentration, it serves as a reminder of the Great Compassionate Teacher and the way to Salvation that he taught.


A pair of Mandalay style brass Buddhas in a prayer hall at Shwedagon Pagoda. Clothing has been gilded and inlaid with glass mosaic. Height 5 ft. 20th century

Mandalay style brass Buddha image from Shwedagon Pagoda, larger than life size. 20th century	Standing brass Buddha from Shwedagon Pagoda, with both hands in varada mudra. Height 3 ft. 20th century ............................. Credit: http://www.lasieexotique.com/mag_buddha_II/mag_buddha_II.html

Sea urchin spine structure inspires idea for concrete

2012-02-15T03:43:00.000-08:00

BBC
By Jason Palmer Science and technology reporter, BBC News

The spines do not break cleanly, suggesting they are not made solely of single crystals

The precise structure of sea urchins' strong spines has been unravelled - and the find may contribute to stronger concrete in the future.

The tough spines are known to be made of calcium carbonate, which has a number of naturally occurring forms, some more brittle than others.

X-ray studies now show they are built from "bricks" of the crystal calcite, with a non-crystalline "mortar".

The results are reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The spines serve as a defence against predators, hard and at the same time shock-absorbing. As a result of these properties, the spines are among the most-studied biomaterials.

The urchins' strong spines serve as a defence against predators

But efforts to understand exactly how they are put together have yielded confusing results.
"Some people were arguing that the spine is a single crystal, and others who were looking at the mechanical properties were arguing that it's more like a glassy material," said senior author on the research Helmut Coelfen, from the University of Konstanz in Germany.
He told BBC News: "It still hasn't been resolved."

If the tough spines were single crystals, they should break cleanly along planes, as does mica or slate - but instead they break roughly, as glass or ceramic might.

To investigate further, the team started with sea urchin samples gathered in Beijing, looking at them with increasingly powerful imaging techniques.

Basic recipe

Along the way they gathered up expertise and collaborators from seven other institutions, starting with a standard light microscope, moving on to electron microscopes and then on to X-ray crystallography at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble, France.

"We started using more high-power techniques to go further down in the structure, and the further we go down, the more different modes of architecture and different organisations we find," said first author of the work Jong Seto, also from Konstanz.

X-ray scattering tests showed patterns indicating 200 nanometre-sized "bricks"

The team discovered the bricks-and-mortar structure was made up of 92% calcite crystals (the bricks) bound together with 8% of calcium carbonate that has no crystal structure (the mortar).

This basic recipe builds up a range of structures that become apparent at different levels of magnification, making it what is known as a mesocrystal.

"With the help of these different techniques we were able to understand from the nanometre scale all the way to the millimetre scale how everything is arranged," Dr Seto told BBC News.
Mimicking nature's solutions to the material challenges that sea urchins face could be helpful also for us on land, Prof Coelfen said.

"The most obvious application... is building materials, to get fracture-rsesistant materials by just copying or trying to copy that building principle," he explained.

"We are already working with two major international companies trying to improve the properties of concrete by trying to order the little nanoparticles in concrete to make it tougher and more fracture-resistant."

Tiny lizards found in Madagascar

2012-02-15T03:41:00.000-08:00

By Ella Davies Reporter, BBC Nature

Miniature juveniles can stand on the head of a match

One of the world's tiniest lizards has been discovered by keen-eyed researchers in Madagascar.

The miniature chameleon, Brookesia micra, reaches a maximum length of just 29mm.
German scientists also found a further three new species in the north of the island.
The lizards were limited to very small ranges and scientists are concerned they could be at risk from habitat disturbance.

Mini species

The geckos Sphaerodactylus ariasae and S. parthenopion are considered to be the smallest lizards in the world with adults just 18mm long
Mouse lemurs are the planet's smallest primates
The pygmy parrot is so small it fits in a human hand
Not to be underestimated, the tiny dart frog is one of the planet's most poisonous animals

The discovery is reported in the journal PLoS ONE.

The research team, led by Dr Frank Glaw from the Zoologische Staatssammlung in Munich, have a specialist knowledge of Madagascar's dwarf chameleons having described other species in the past.

They conducted fieldwork at night during the wet season in order to find the easily overlooked animals.

"They mostly live in the leaf litter in the day... But at night they climb up and then you can spot them," said Dr Glaw, explaining that the animals moved up into branches to sleep.
The scientists carefully scanned the most likely habitats with torches and headlamps to find roosting sites.

They found the smallest species on a remote limestone islet and believe it may represent an extreme case of island dwarfism.

This phenomenon occurs when a species becomes smaller over evolutionary time in order to adapt to a restricted habitat such as an island.

According to Dr Glaw there could have been a "two-island effect" in the case of B. micra.
"It is possible that the big island of Madagascar has produced the general group of dwarf chameleons and the very small island has produced the tiny species," he told BBC Nature.

Varied but vulnerable

Because the chameleons looked similar in appearance, researchers conducted a genetic analysis to confirm that they were indeed four distinct species.

The genetic differences between the species were described as "remarkable" by team member Miguel Vences from the Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany.

"This indicates that they separated from each other millions of years ago - even earlier than many other chameleon species," he said.

Each of the new species was restricted to a very small territory, just a single square kilometre for the smallest.

Brookesia desperata: named for the "desperate" loss of habitat the species has suffered

"In Madagascar many species are restricted to small habitats and that makes it important to conserve them" said Dr Glaw.

Scientists believe the small ranges of the species make them especially sensitive to habitat disturbance.

B. tristis, named after the French word "triste" meaning sad, was found in an isolated patch of forest close to an expanding city.

The team chose thought-provoking names as an expression of their concern for the future of the island's micro-endemic species.

Tiny songbird northern wheatear traverses the world

2012-02-15T03:40:00.000-08:00

BBC
By Victoria Gill Science reporter, BBC Nature

The trackers weighed just 1.4 grams and attach via a soft, elastic harness

Miniature tracking devices have revealed the epic 30,000km (18,640 miles) migration of the diminutive northern wheatear.

The birds, which weigh just 25g (0.8oz), travel from sub-Saharan Africa to their Arctic breeding grounds.

"Scaled for body size," the scientists report, "this is the one of the longest round-trip migratory journeys of any bird in the world.

The team reports its findings in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters.

The team tagged the wheatears on their breeding grounds in Alaska (pictured) and Canada

"Think of something smaller than a robin, but a little larger than a finch raising young in the Arctic tundra and then a few months later foraging for food in Africa for the winter," said one of the lead researchers, Prof Ryan Norris from the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada.
The species is of particular interest to scientists, because it has one of the largest ranges of any songbird in the world; with breeding grounds in the eastern Canadian Arctic, across Greenland, Eurasia and into Alaska.

Prior to this work though, it was not clear where the birds spent the winter.

Heiko Schmaljohann, from the Institute of Avian Research in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, was a member of the team that carried out this study.

He and his colleagues visited the wheatears' breeding grounds in Alaska and Canada and fitted 46 birds with the satellite tracking devices.

"The [trackers] weigh 1.4g, including a harness that loops around the birds' legs," he told BBC Nature.

“Start Quote

We totally underestimated the flight capability of birds in terms of migration”

Heiko Schmaljohann Institute of Avian Research

Animal migration videos, news and facts

These data loggers recorded the bird's position twice a day for 90 days. Four trackers that the team managed to retrieve revealed that individual wheatears spent the winter in northern parts of sub-Saharan Africa.

The Alaskan birds travelled almost 15,000km (9,000 miles) each way - crossing Siberia and the Arabian Desert, and travelling, on average, 290km per day.

"This is the longest recorded migration for a songbird as far as we know," said Dr Schmaljohann.

Although the Canadian birds did not travel as far - approximately 3,500km - they had to cross the northern Atlantic Ocean.

"That's a very big barrier for a small songbird," Dr Schmaljohann explained.

Henry McGhie, a zoologist and head of collections at Manchester Museum described the birds' journey as "very impressive".

"We do see Greenland wheatears in the UK on migration, usually on the coast," he said.
"The amazing thing [about this study] is that it gives us a glimpse into the extraordinary lives of these tiny birds.

"When we see them, they're in the middle of a journey they do twice every year. When you think of the challenges they must face, you wonder how on earth they do it."

Dr Schmaljohann added: "[In the past] we totally underestimated the flight capability of birds in terms of migration.

"It seems that bird migration is limited by the size of the Earth. If the planet was larger, they would probably migrate even further."

Samsung mulls LCD unit spin-off amid falling demand

2012-02-15T03:38:00.001-08:00

BBC

Electronics manufacturers globally have seen sales and profits at their LCD businesses dip

South Korea's Samsung Electronics has said it is considering spinning-off its Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) unit in a bid to streamline its business.

The move comes as the unit saw its sales dip more than 10% last year amid slowing demand. Falling prices of LCD panels have also dented profits.

The firm said it was planning to focus on new technology such as the organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays.

Samsung is the world's largest TV and flat-screen maker.

"The LCD business is not good enough now and I think that Samsung is looking to focus on new business," Annabelle Hsu of IDC told the BBC.

Chinese competition

“Start Quote

New LCD production lines established by Chinese vendors are a major reason why the industry remains in an oversupply situation”

Annabelle Hsu IDC

Samsung is not the only electronics firm that has been struggling to keep its LCD unit profitable.

South Korean rival LG and Japan's Sony, the other two major players in the sector, have experienced similar problems.

Analysts said that while demand had been slow, the manufacturers had also hurt themselves by producing too many units.

"We believe that the LCD segment worldwide is in an over-supply situation," said IDC's Ms Hsu.

She explained that, since supply outstripped demand, the panel makers have had to cut costs in an attempt to attract customers and that has hurt profit margins.

At the same time, Chinese firms have also entered the industry, a move that analysts say has made global manufacturers worry that prices may fall even further given China's low-cost base.

"New LCD production lines established by Chinese vendors are a major reason why the industry remains in an over-supply situation," Ms Hsu added.
Displaying promise?

While growth in the LCD sector is slowing, the OLED segment is expected to boom in the coming years.

Analysts said while these displays were being mainly used in smartphones currently, they expect a much wider use across other products, including TVs, in the near future.

According to some estimates, Samsung's OLED revenues are expected to increase by almost 600% by 2014.

Samsung's subsidiary Samsung Mobile Display (SMD) enjoys a huge market share in the segment and there has been growing speculation that the firm may merge SMD with its LCD business.

Yahoo Japan dips on reports of asset swap talks failure

2012-02-15T03:37:00.000-08:00

BBC

Alibaba's founder Jack Ma has been trying to buy back its stake from Yahoo for some time

Shares of Yahoo Japan fell 5% on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on reports that talks regarding the swap of Yahoo's Asian assets had hit a stalemate.

Yahoo owns a 43% stake in China's Alibaba group, which it acquired in 2005 for $1bn (£636m), and a part of Yahoo Japan.

It had been negotiating a complex swap-deal that was expected to save it billions of dollars in taxes.

However, various reports indicated that no agreement had been reached.

"I think the deal is either dead or it's going to take a lot longer to complete, which means we don't have a near-term catalyst; hence the selloff," said Brett Harris, an analyst with Gabelli & Co.
'Another year of turmoil'

“Start Quote

The honeymoon is already over. Yahoo is probably looking at another year of turmoil”

Colin Gillis BGC Financial

The stalemate in talks has come as a huge surprise.

Analysts and industry experts had expected the deal to be formalised, not least because trading in Alibaba's shares at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange has been suspended since 9 February.

The reported failure of the talks is a big blow for the Yahoo, which has been seeking to restructure its operations in a bid to boost its flagging fortunes.

The swap-deal, worth almost $17bn according to some estimates, was not only expected to save taxes, but also provide Yahoo with billions of dollars in cash.

Analysts said unless an agreement is reached soon, Yahoo may see its problems escalate further.

"The honeymoon is already over,'' said Colin Gillis an analyst with BGC Financial. "Yahoo is probably looking at another year of turmoil.''

More trouble

To make matters more complicated, Daniel Loeb, of hedge fund ThirdPoint, which owns more than 5% of Yahoo, launched a campaign to install his own directors on the firm's board.

"Installing the hand-picked choices of the current board does nothing to allay investor fears that Yahoo is poised to repeat the errors of its past,'' Mr Loeb wrote in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Mr Loeb's move comes just days after Yahoo announced changes to the board after Chairman Roy Bostock and three board member's quit.

Their exit followed that of Jerry Yang, Yahoo's co-founder, who resigned from its board last month.

Yahoo said it had sought suggestions for new directors from several shareholders.

"We have received constructive suggestions from several of our major shareholders and, therefore, it is especially disappointing that Mr. Loeb has chosen a potentially disruptive path, just as the company is moving forward under new leadership to aggressively increase the value of Yahoo,'' the firm said in a statement.

Apple iPad China sales and shipments threat in name row

2012-02-15T03:35:00.000-08:00

BBC

China is a major manufacturing base for Apple products.

A Chinese company is to ask customs officials to block shipments of Apple's iPad both into and out of the country.

If the request succeeds, it could affect global sales as China is a key manufacturing base for the company.

The move follows a long-running dispute between Apple and electronics firm Proview over ownership of the iPad name.

Last year Proview won an initial judgement in a mainland Chinese court, which Apple has appealed against.

Proview said it is contacting officials across China with a view to blocking sales of the product.

Proview lawyer Xie Xianghui said: "We are now working on a request to China Customs to ban and seize all the import and export of the iPad products that have violated the trademark."

'Worldwide rights'

Local media reports said that several dozen iPads were taken from shelves in the city of Shijiazhuang just south of Beijing.

In a statement Apple said: "We bought Proview's worldwide rights to the iPad trademark in 10 different countries several years ago.

"Proview refuses to honour their agreement with Apple in China and a Hong Kong court has sided with Apple in this matter. Our case is still pending in mainland China."

While this dispute continues, it is widely anticipated that Apple will announce the launch of the next version of the iPad in March.

The speculation has not been confirmed by Apple. The company is notoriously close-lipped about future releases.

Eurozone crisis: Greece 'can't take any more cuts'

2012-02-15T03:33:00.000-08:00

BBC

Thousands protested in Athens on Sunday as Greek MPs approved an austerity package

Global Economy

The Greek people have been pushed to the limit by austerity measures demanded by the EU and IMF, public order minister Christos Papoutsis says.

He said Greeks had made "superhuman" efforts, and "can't take any more".

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos says all remaining issues with the austerity package will be solved in time for a conference call with eurozone chiefs later.

Greece has been told to make deep cuts in return for a huge bailout package.

Athens is negotiating the terms of a 130bn euro ($170bn, £109bn) deal with the EU and IMF.

The Greek parliament approved an austerity package on the weekend, despite violent protests sweeping the country.

But eurozone ministers demanded a further 325m euros of cuts and insisted that all major Greek parties promise to enact the cuts regardless of who wins a general election scheduled for April.

Mr Venizelos said there were "very few remaining issues" with the austerity package.
He said they would be "fully clarified" by 18:00 (16:00 GMT), when the country's leaders are due to discuss the issue with eurozone chiefs.

But he also warned that some eurozone countries were "playing with fire", hinting that some member states no longer wanted Greece in the bloc.

Greek conservative leader Antonis Samaras, whose New Democracy party is a member of the governing coalition and is expected to win April's vote, had hinted that he would try to renegotiate the bailout deal after the election.

Analysis

Mark Lowen BBC News, Athens

There is now huge mistrust between eurozone leaders and Greece. Despite Athens passing its austerity package in parliament last Sunday, Brussels has set two more conditions for Greece's international bailout: that an extra 325m euros of savings are found and that the Greek government sign a pledge to implement the cuts.

The EU has grown exasperated with a perceived lack of commitment by Greece and there is now immense pressure on Athens to quicken the pace of change. But there is real anger in Greece. Athens saw the worst rioting for years when the austerity package was passed by parliament.

Greece is now in a worrying situation. Its economy contracted by 7% in the last quarter.

Eurozone finance ministers will now meet on Monday instead - perhaps the bailout will come then, but this game of brinkmanship could be very dangerous indeed.

Earlier reports said Mr Samaras had refused to give a written assurance that the cuts would be enforced.

But unnamed officials were quoted on Wednesday as saying Mr Samaras had now signed a letter committing him to the austerity package, and it would be delivered by the end of the day.

After a cabinet meeting late on Tuesday, Mr Papoutsis, a member of the other major coalition party Pasok, said Greece had "made all the efforts that it needed to do".

"The people cannot take any more. The government is making superhuman efforts, and we have reached the limits of the social and economic system," he said.

"Greece has owned up to its own responsibilities, and the sacrifices of the Greek people are huge. I believe it is time for everyone to own up to their responsibilities."

Eurozone ministers were due to hold talks on the bailout on Wednesday, but eurogroup head Jean-Claude Juncker announced that the face-to-face talks would be replaced by a conference call.

He said Greece had not shown that it was committed to the austerity plan, and technical work was still needed "in a number of areas".

As well as 17 ministers from nations that use the euro, the president of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi and the Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs, Olli Rehn, had also been due to attend the meeting.

What went wrong in Greece?

: Greece's economic reforms, which led to it abandoning the drachma as its currency in favour of the euro in 2002, made it easier for the country to borrow money.

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The latest bailout was agreed in principle by EU leaders in October, conditional on Greece adopting further measures to cut its deficit and restructure its economy.

On Sunday, Greek MPs approved extra cutbacks, but coalition parties had to expel more than 40 deputies for failing to back the bill.

Thousands protested in Athens, where there were widespread clashes and buildings were set on fire. Violent protests were reported in cities across the country.

On Tuesday, an official report showed that the decline of the Greek economy accelerated in the final three months of 2011.

The estimate showed that, compared with a year earlier, Greek GDP contracted by 7% in the fourth quarter of 2011.

That is an acceleration from the 5% contraction in the third quarter.

The report also shows that the Greek economy shrank 6% last year, an increase on earlier estimates and the fifth year of recession.

Explosion damages pipeline in Syrian city of Homs

2012-02-15T03:31:00.000-08:00

BBC

Footage showed a huge plume of smoke after an explosion hit a crude oil pipeline that feeds Homs

Syria Crisis

An explosion has hit a fuel pipeline in the central Syrian city of Homs.

A large plume of smoke is rising from farmland on the edge of the Baba Amr district - the target of bombardment by government forces for more than a week.

State media said an "armed terrorist group" had sabotaged a diesel pipeline. But activists said security forces had shelled an oil pipeline.

Meanwhile, President Bashar al-Assad has ordered a referendum on a new constitution on 26 February.

The document was handed to him on Sunday by members of the drafting committee, who had been working on it since October.

The BBC's Jim Muir, in neighbouring Lebanon, says this is part of what Mr Assad calls the government's "reform process".

The most significant development is that the draft constitution drops Article 8, which grants the ruling Baath Party unique status as the "leader of state and society", our correspondent adds.

The government says this will bring Syria into line with all modern democracies and make it a model in the region.

Amendments to the constitution were a key demand by opposition groups at the beginning of the uprising in March, though most now say they will accept nothing less that Mr Assad's resignation.

'Warplanes'

A dense plume of black smoke was still rising into the sky several hours after the blast in Homs, live video footage broadcast online showed.

Activists said the pipeline carried crude oil from the Rumeila fields in the eastern Syriac Desert to the Homs refinery, one of two in the country.

They said it was hit by government artillery fire, either deliberately or by mistake. One group, the Local Co-ordination Committees, claimed that warplanes had flown over Baba Amr and blown up the pipeline.

But the state news agency, Sana, reported that an "armed terrorist group" had attacked a 30cm-wide (12in) diesel fuel pipeline near the city's Baba Amr and Sultaniya districts at 03:00 (01:00 GMT).

The pipeline was "affiliated to Homs Fuel Company and supplied Adra warehouses, which contribute to ensuring diesel fuel [is supplied] to Damascus and the southern region", the agency added.

The main oil pipeline has been targeted several times during the uprising against President Assad, which began in March.

Damascus raids

Earlier, activists said troops had begun shelling the nearby city of Hama.

Several people had been injured by rocket and mortar fire in the districts of Arbain, Amiriya, Faraiya, Elilat, Bashura and Bab Qibli, and all telecommunications had been cut, they added.

The Syrian government has launched offensives on several opposition-held towns and cities

During the night, activists said the Hamidiyya district came under a constant hail of machine-gunfire.

They said that for the first time, multiple rocket launchers were seen being taken through the city towards the embattled quarter, where fighters from the rebel Free Syrian Army, a group of army defectors, were believed to be entrenched.

The government has said little about the latest clashes, but state media reported that security forces had seized large quantities of weapons.

The have launched repeated efforts to impose complete control in Hama without success, our correspondent says.

Hama was the scene of a brutal crackdown in 1982 ordered by Hafez al-Assad, the president's late father, which left at least 10,000 dead.

Meanwhile, reports from Damascus say troops from the elite Republican Guard and army's Fourth Armoured Division - both under the command of President Assad's brother, Maher - have stormed the suburb of Barzeh, setting up roadblocks, searching houses and making arrests.

Residents told the Reuters news agency that the soldiers were looking for opposition activists and members of the Free Syrian Army.

Iran to unveil new uranium centrifuges, state TV says

2012-02-15T03:29:00.001-08:00

BBC

President Ahmadinejad has said that Iran would never halt its programme to enrich uranium

Iran nuclear crisis

Iran is to unveil a "new generation" of faster, more efficient uranium enrichment centrifuges, state television says.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is due to make an announcement on Iran's nuclear programme later.

Western countries fear that Iran is working towards making its own nuclear weapons.
Tehran denies this, saying its nuclear programme is only for energy production.

President Ahmadinejad said last week that his country would be announcing "great" nuclear achievements.

He said that Iran would never halt its programme to enrich uranium.

In January the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that Iran had started the production of uranium enriched up to 20% at its Qom plant.

Home-grown industry

Iran will also load its own domestically made nuclear fuel rods into the Tehran Research Reactor for the first time, senior national security official Ali Baqeri said.
A deal to provide fuel for the reactor from abroad collapsed two years ago - at which point Iran decided to make the fuel itself.

One central point links these developments, says the BBC's Iran correspondent James Reynolds: Iran is determined to show that it can master nuclear technology on its own, and that international sanctions against its nuclear programme will make no difference.

The US and the European Union have recently imposed new sanctions targeting Iranian oil sales as part of a drive to increase international pressure on Tehran over its nuclear programme.

Talks between Iran and six world powers - the US, UK, France, Germany, Russia and China - on the nuclear programme collapsed a year ago and show little sign of resuming.

Thailand blasts suspects were 'targeting individuals'

2012-02-15T03:28:00.000-08:00

BBC

The three explosions took place in Bangkok on Tuesday afternoon

Thai officials say they believe two suspects arrested in Bangkok after a series of blasts were planning to attack individuals.

Thailand's National Security Council chief said possible links to blasts targeting Israeli diplomats in India and Georgia were being investigated.

Israel's envoy to Thailand said the explosives found in Bangkok were similar to those used in the attacks.

The two suspects arrested on Tuesday are said to be Iranian.

One suspect was injured when one of the devices went off and another was arrested at Bangkok's international airport.

The third suspect, also believed to be Iranian, managed to board a flight for Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday night, immigration official Lt Gen Wiboon Bangthamai said.

'Still investigating'

"From the investigation, we found the type of explosives indicated that the prepared targets were individuals,'' NSC chief Wichean Potephosree told a news conference.

"Based on the equipment and materials we found, they were aimed at individuals and the destruction capacity was not intended for large crowds or big buildings.''

Of possible links to attacks on Israeli diplomats, he said: "We haven't found any links but we are still investigating.''

But Itzhak Shoham, Israeli ambassador to Thailand, was quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying that the explosives used in the Bangkok blasts were similar to those in India and Georgia.

"From that we can assume that there is the same network of terror," he said.
Police also said magnets were found at the rented house. The devices used in Delhi and Georgia were attached to vehicles using magnets.

Monday's attack in Delhi injured an Israeli diplomat

The two attacks took place on Monday. An Israeli diplomat was injured in the Delhi attack, after a motorcycle rider attached an explosive device to the back door of the car.

Around the same time a bomb beneath an Israeli diplomat's car in Tbilisi, Georgia, was found and defused.

Israel has blamed Iran for the attacks - Tehran has denied any role. A foreign ministry spokesman also denied any role in the Bangkok blasts, AFP reported.

Travel warnings

The three small blasts took place in the Ekamai area in central Bangkok on Tuesday afternoon.

Police told the BBC the first explosion happened at a house which the three suspects were believed to have rented for a month.

Two men managed to escape the explosion that severely damaged the house, but a third man who suffered minor injuries tried to hail a taxi. When the taxi refused to stop for him, he threw at least one bomb at it.

There was a third explosion when the same man then attempted to throw another bomb at police, but missed. The man lost his legs when the device blew up.

Four other people were injured in the incident. The US and UK have issued new travel advisories for Thailand in the wake of the blasts.

They come a month after Thailand arrested a Lebanese man with suspected links to Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based Shia Islamist movement backed by Syria and Iran. Police found large quantities of bomb-making materials after the man's detention.
It is not clear if his case is related to this incident.

'The Lady' is not for Myanmar audiences

2012-02-14T08:19:00.000-08:00

Bangkok Post

The long-awaited film The Lady, a biopic of Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD) who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, has now been shown in Thailand.

A scene from the Luc Besson film, ‘‘The Lady’’, starring Michelle Yeoh, above, as Aung San Suu Kyi.

It is also available on pirated DVD in Myanmar.

Luc Besson, the director, said he did not want to focus on her life as a politician and instead he chose to portray The Lady on a very personal level, focusing on how a woman as a politician deals with her family life.

I went to see The Lady with a big group of my Myanmar friends; some were actors who actually played roles in the film such as General Aung San, General Than Shwe and an NLD member. Others in the group were filmmakers from Myanmar who happened to be in Chiang Mai for the Lifescape Film Festival organised by Payap University.

After the first few minutes, I was surprised to hear my friends giggling. The Lady is supposed to be a serious movie about contemporary Myanmar history _ a history these very people were a part of, about events in which they had participated and which eventually drove them into exile. They were supposed to be crying, not laughing. What was going on here?

As the movie progressed, I came to understand why my friends thought The Lady was a joke.

Luc Besson may have intended to make The Lady personal. It is not wrong to focus on the tragic love and incredible life of one woman who has stood up against one of the most brutal regimes in the world. What was disappointing about the film was not the plot, the acting or the cinematography, but Mr Besson's cultural ignorance and misrepresentation of Myanmar's history.

Below are examples of what the Myanmar actors who played roles in the film, feel reflected the cultural ignorance of the director.

On Mrs Suu Kyi's personal life, The Lady gets perspectives about her personality wrong. She appears to be crying a lot, which was not quite the case in reality. On Aug 26, 1988 when she speaks in front of a large crowd at the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, she appears nervous and tells her husband that this is her first ever public speech. In fact, this was her second public speech and she was confident enough to do this without the presence of her husband, Michael Aris.

The most serious historical inaccuracy lay in the fact that Michael Aris was not even there during the mass demonstration in Yangon. Mrs Suu Kyi had come to Myanmar to nurse her sick mother; her family had not followed her. She was there alone during the protest.
While placing emphasis on the role of Michael Aris in her life, the film simultaneously makes her look less intelligent.

Other things which the Myanmar audience sees as a misrepresentation of Burmese culture include the lip-kissing scenes between Mrs Suu Kyi and her husband, which appear often in the movie.

Second is the scene where protesters of the Saffron Revolution walk to her house and stop there. Mrs Suu Kyi walks to the gate of her house and steps up above the gate to throw flowers to bless the monks, and the monks clap their hands. In reality, Mrs Suu Kyi opened the gate surrounded with security and paid her respects to the monks. My friends from Myanmar complained that, ''We Burmese never kiss publicly, and Burmese people never stand above monks.''

Luc Besson may have wanted to dramatise Mrs Suu Kyi's love and family life, but in so doing he has portrayed the Myanmar people as ''savage and primitive''. Gen Than Shwe is presented as a stupid tyrant who believes in fortune-tellers. It is true that Myanmar's generals seek the advice of fortune-tellers, but they are not stupid enough to believe in everything these seers tell them.

In the scene where they take NLD members to sweep for landmines, I too could not help but laugh to see the director portray Myanmar soldiers half-naked, with tattoos covering their faces. Some of my friends were riled by this. 'The army may be brutal, but they are not that savage. That scene makes them look as if they were from the Stone Age.''

Pho Zaw, a Burmese migrant who stars as Gen Aung San, said he discovered many inaccuracies. For example, the sign of the NLD party that was written in Burmese contained misspellings. He also thought the scene when he gets assassinated has been wrongly represented. He said he told the director that this was wrong, but the reaction from Luc Besson was: ''This is a feature film, not a documentary.''

To me, personally, one of the most disturbing aspects of the film is that Michael Aris seems to play a very important role in Mrs Suu Kyi's political life i.e. being with her during her first public speech, being present all the time during the student demonstrations, and lobbying for Mrs Suu Kyi's Nobel Peace Prize. The movie also presents him as a man unable to do anything when his wife is not around to cook and care for the family. It is true that this is not a documentary, but at least, could not the director have respected the fact that Mrs Suu Kyi is an intelligent woman? She has chosen her path. She would never ask the security in front of her house, ''Can you speak English?'' She is not a woman who cries all the time because her family has been torn apart. By making Michael Aris more important, Luc Besson has made Mrs Suu Kyi less intelligent. She is depicted as a simple housewife whose life is turned upside down.

In the end, however, no matter how much cultural ignorance the director displays, how much he misrepresents Burmese culture, or how he displays Myanmar soldiers as savages, I must thank Luc Besson for making this film.

Michelle Yeoh's performance is outstanding. And despite the flaws, I hope the film generates a sense of awareness for this corner of the world in which many problems are still waiting to be solved.

Nasa budget slashes Martian funds

2012-02-14T03:40:00.000-08:00

BBC

By Paul Rincon Science editor, BBC News website

The ExoMars project was formally initiated by European space ministers in 2005

President Barack Obama's 2013 budget request for Nasa would slash spending on Mars exploration and shift funds to human spaceflight and space technology.

As reported by BBC News last week, this means the US will pull the plug on its joint missions to Mars with Europe.

If approved by Congress, the budget request would reduce funds available for planetary science by about 21%.

But spending on human exploration and space technology would rise by 6% and 22% respectively.

"There's no doubt that tough decisions had to be made," Nasa's administrator Charles Bolden told a news conference in Washington DC.

But he added: "This is a stable budget that enables us to support a diverse portfolio."
Overall, Nasa would receive about $17.7bn for next year, with a flat budget envisaged over the next few years.

While the budget is flat, the agency needs to pay for its flagship James Webb Space Telescope mission, the budget for which is projected to rise from $476.8m in 2011 to $659m in 2014.

It also has major commitments going forward to fund the development of a huge new rocket and capsule system to take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon and asteroids.

Nasa chief Charles Bolden admitted that tough choices had to be made

The biggest loser in this re-prioritisation is planetary science in general and Mars exploration in particular which will receive $360.8m, a reduction of almost 40% from the FY 2012 estimate.

As a result, Mr Bolden said: "We will not be moving ahead with the 2016 and 2018 ExoMars opportunities that we had been exploring with the European Space Agency."

The Planetary Society, a California-based space advocacy group, said in a statement: "The US Administration is proposing a budget for fiscal year 2013 that would force Nasa to walk away from planned missions to Mars, delay for decades any flagship missions to the outer planets, and radically slow the pace of scientific discovery, including the search for life on other worlds."

Nasa is committed to developing a huge new rocket known as SLS

Space policy expert John Logsdon told Space.com: "Underpinning this is not committing to a long-term Mars programme ending in a multibillion-dollar sample-return mission." He added: "They don't want to head down that road."

Nasa says it will work with partners to develop an "integrated" Mars strategy - though detail was scarce on this point. The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover will land on the Red Planet this year and the Maven mission, to study the Martian atmosphere, will still go ahead in 2013.

Responding to criticisms of swingeing cuts to the Mars programme, Mr Bolden said: "For someone to say we're walking away from Mars with the biggest rover (MSL) not even there yet, I don't think that makes much sense."

However, the proposals are unlikely to be waived through in Congress and it is probable the final figures will be somewhat different.

The retirement of the space shuttle fleet means that, for the best part of this decade, US astronauts will be dependent on Russian Soyuz flights to transport them to the International Space Station. But the space agency said it was working to end this reliance on Russia as soon as possible.

Mr Bolden said the first flight of a crewed commercial vehicle would probably take place by 2017. The first manned mission using the Orion capsule, which is intended to carry people beyond low-Earth orbit, would likely occur no earlier than 2021, he said.

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