Keeping out the undesirables

Airport passenger screening to step up ahead of the 2015 free labour market

* Published: 29/08/2011 at 12:00 AM
* Newspaper section: News

As Thailand prepares to open its doors to the free flow of Asean labour in 2015, immigration police are working on fortifying the "national gate" to keep out undesirables.

The free movement of labour, which starts in 2015, has been agreed by members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as part of a move to a single economic market. The Asean Economic Community (AEC) will create a regional economy with a market of up to 600 million consumers.

Visanu: Screening out the bad guys

Pol Maj Gen Visanu Prasarttong-osoth, deputy immigration chief, said the bureau will introduce a new fingerprint screening system to prepare for the changes.

"When people are able to enter the country more easily, we could end up being contaminated with more criminals," he said. New technology will help monitor the arrival of passengers at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

The Immigration Service has spent 76 million baht buying 16 Auto Channel machines, to be installed later this year, which should help better identify criminal suspects.

The Auto Channel uses biometrics technology to identify people by scanning their fingerprints.

Passengers insert passports into the machines, which also scan their fingerprints, Pol Maj Gen Visanu said.

"The process takes just 20 seconds," he said.

The system is also expected to address problems of overcrowded lines at immigration checkpoints and reduce the number of immigration officers processing passengers.

Immigration officers, meanwhile, can turn their attention to passengers they already suspect may be involved in criminal activities.

This will allow them to better target unwanted people, Pol Maj Gen Visanu said.

Thai passengers and foreign diplomats will be the first to be processed by the machines.

Another measure the bureau believes can help protect the national borders against dishonest entry into the country is the use of Advance Passenger Processing.

Under APP, airlines are required to send name lists of their passengers to the bureau so that it can examine them in advance.

This will allow officers to reject the entry of suspicious characters even before they board the planes.

Thai passengers will no longer have to fill out departure and arrival cards, because their information will have been checked by immigration officers ahead of their arrival.

Adoption of APP has been delayed for eight years because of privacy concerns which prevent airlines sharing passengers' information with the bureau.

Immigration Bureau chief Wibul Bangthamai has appointed Pol Maj Gen Visanu to unblock the legal difficulties.

The technology will be introduced next year.

Read More...

Summary only...

Nobel Laureate Urges Making Peace Part of the Development Agenda

Amartya Sen speaks at ESCAP in Bangkok

Bangkok (UN/ESCAP Information Services) – Peace must be part of the development agenda, according to Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, not only because it is valuable in itself, but also because of its critical role in promoting human development.

“Peace helps indirectly to enhance development through making governments more stable and functional, and through facilitating industrialization, the expansion of trade, and the sustained advancement of education and health services. While peace is certainly its own reward, it offers, in addition, other rewards as well.”Professor Sen spoke on “Peace, Violence and Development in Modern Societies” in a lecture delivered at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in Bangkok yesterday.

Professor Sen stressed that there are no single causes for violence in society and that the advancement of human development calls for a broader approach than solely the alleviation of poverty. Sen noted that the development agenda must include issues of human security – the “downside risks” -- as well.

“Economic, social and cultural issues need to be integrated. Removal of poverty alone may not be enough to reduce violence. You want to eliminate it anyway, but the elimination of violence, and the subsequent increase in human security, requires other approaches beyond economics.”

In his lecture, Professor Sen referred to his work as chair of the Commonwealth Commission on Respect and Understanding in 2006/2007 leading to the Report Civil Paths to Peace. UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP Dr. Noeleen Heyzer and Dr. Kamal Hossain, former Foreign Minister of Bangladesh and present at the Lecture, served as members of the Commission.

Professor Sen strongly challenged the academic approach of seeing global violence as a result of “the clash of civilizations” focused on identity politics which sees human beings as members of exactly one group defined by their native civilization or religion and leads to “hate at first sight.” He urged instead a broader understanding of the richness of human identities that can include religious, communal, regional, national and global identities that can be present in all persons.

“In Civil Paths to Peace, we outlined a number of ways in which our broader humanity and our plural identities can be used to encounter global threats to security and peace. The ways include enhancing the reach of the media, strengthening of democratic practice seen as “government by discussion,” and addressing deprivations and humiliations as well as grievances before they are exploited by instigators to cultivate divisive conflicts.”

In introducing Professor Sen, Dr. Noeleen Heyzer highlighted the critical importance of Professor Sen’s numerous contributions toward a better understanding of human development over the course of his career and also the importance of the theme of the lecture, noting that “rising conflicts and violence in different parts of the world and the Asia-Pacific region have not only posed a threat to development but have also led to immense human suffering.”

Professor Sen’s remarks were part of ESCAP’s Distinguished Persons Lecture series, and were followed by questions from the audience. Diplomats, students and UN staff members packed the large conference hall to capacity while others attended the lecture from Beijing; New Delhi; Bogor, Indonesia; Chiba, Japan; Incheon, Republic of Korea; and Suva, Fiji through teleconference.

Professor Sen, the 1998 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, is the Thomas W. Lamont University Professor and Professor of Economics and Philosophy at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

For further information, please contact:

Thawadi Pachariyangkun
UN ESCAP Information Services
Tel: 02- 288-1861
Mobile: 0816343876
Email: unisbkk.unescap@un.org

Read More...

Summary only...

PM calls Songkhla student to explain roadmap

PM'S PEACE PLAN
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva personally called a political science student at a university in Songkhla to explain his roadmap and the circumstances that forced him to set the November 14 elections. The call was in response to the student's text message.

Thanawat Waharak, 20, who is studying at Hat Yai University, said he sent an SMS to the PM's mobile number at 10.54pm on Tuesday to say he was disappointed by his decision to dissolve the House as demanded by the red shirts.
"My SMS said I was very disappointed in him, and that I was losing faith in him after he announced the date for House dissolution. I also said that agreeing to negotiate with the red shirts could possibly make him the next tyrant after [former PM] Thaksin [Shinawatra]. I also demanded that he explain why he didn't answer the situation better," Thanawat said.

At 11.08pm, the student received a phone call and the caller said, "Sawasdee khrub, I am Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva."

During the phone call, Abhisit said he understood why the public was so frustrated, but they must understand that he was under huge pressure. "He said that if any dispersal tactics were employed, they would surely cause the loss of lives. He said he did not want to see that happen anymore," Thanawat recounted.

He also quoted the PM as saying that fivepoint roadmap was offered as a way out for the red shirts, however if the movement's leaders refused to accept it, then it clearly showed that they were not sincere in resolving the political deadlock.

Abhisit also said he was under constant pressure, especially from Thaksin, who kept calling coalition parties' executives to abandon the government. Therefore, he said, he had to find the best way out of this situation.

Thanawat also quoted the PM as saying that the public should not worry about the government's handling of those facing lese majeste charges, because it was a sensitive issue that had affected public sentiment and that he was handling it himself.

"I have a back up plan for that issue," the student quoted the premier as saying.

Before hanging up, Abhisit said that the public should not worry and that he understood what they were feeling, Thanawat said.

Read More...

Summary only...

Australia Scholarship for learners

Dear colleagues

We are pleased to advise you that, as foreshadowed by the Australian
Minister for Foreign Affairs Stephen Smith in his statement to the
Australian Parliament on 8 February this year, applicants from Myanmar
can now apply for scholarships to study in Australia. We invite you to
share this information with your colleagues and key contacts. Attached
is an advertisement for these scholarships.

The Australian Leadership Awards (ALA) Scholarships is one of the
scholarship programs under the Australia Awards initiative which was
launched by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in November 2009. The
Scholarships are offered to high achievers from the region to undertake
postgraduate study in Australia, at Masters and Doctorate levels.In
Myanmar, priority will be given to study programs addressing the
following areas: health, water and sanitation, rural development and
food security, basic education, protection of vulnerable populations,
economic growth, gender, disability or environment.

Applications for ALA scholarships commencing in the 2011 academic
year close on June 30. More information on these scholarships can be
found at the following website: www.ausaid.gov.
au/scholar/ ala.cfm

Email queries about these scholarships should be sent to ala@ausaid.gov. au

Regards
Shaanti Sekhon
First Secretary (Humanitarian Assistance
Coordinator)
Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID)
Australian
Embassy
88 Strand Road Yangon, Myanmar
Phone:+95 (0) 1 251810 ext
204 I Fax: +95 (0) 1 246159 I Mobile: +95 (0) 95022347

Email: shaanti.sekhon@ dfat.gov. au
Web:
www.ausaid.gov. au

Read More...

Summary only...

Asia Times Online - Junta tries to score political points

Apr 9, 2010
Asia Times Online - Junta tries to score political points
By Larry Jagan

BANGKOK - As election fever grips Myanmar, the ruling junta is busy
preparing a series of steps, including an amnesty of political
prisoners, to try to make the vote more credible in the international
community.

This has become a priority after the opposition party National League
for Democracy (NLD), led by pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi,
decided to boycott the vote, whose date has yet to be announced.

The junta plans a mass amnesty of political prisoners, including high-
profile activists, according to a senior military source. "Everything
is set to take off after Thingyan [Buddhist new year in mid-April],"
said a senior Myanmar government official.

A military caretaker government will be announced in early May to run
the country until the poll and hand over power to the newly elected
civilian government, he said. Then, the pro-junta political party will
be formed after the new year. This will be followed by the release of
hundreds of political activists, he added.

But many in Myanmar's commercial center Yangon remain skeptical. "Why
should we care, nothing will change," said an elderly taxi driver, Min
Thu. "Burma [Myanmar] is unique," said 28-year-old teacher Maung Maung
Thein. "We'll have a president, but a president with no power," he
laughed.

There will only be 17 ministers in the caretaker military government,
said Myanmar military sources. Some incumbent ministers may stay in
place, but most will retire or enter politics.

The current prime minister, who is expected to retire, recently told
confidantes that he has to move out of his government residence in the
capital Naypyidaw, by the start of Thingyan festivities.

At least a dozen ministers, including Information Minister General
Kyaw Hsan, Interior Minister General Maung Oo and Agriculture Minister
General Htay Oo, are expected to resign to take up a political career.
The fifth top general and head of military intelligence, General Myint
Swe, is said to be destined to become prime minister in the interim
administration.

"Many major generals and colonels have been brought to the capital for
training in the past month," Burmese academic Win Min, based in the
northern Thai city of Chiang Mai, told Inter Press Service (IPS).
"Some will take over the ministries in the interim cabinet and others
will become politicians. "

Twenty-five percent of the seats in the new bicameral parliament are
reserved for serving soldiers, so some 200 officers will become
national parliamentarians. There are also 14 regional parliaments, all
with military men turned politicians.

More than 1,000 soldiers are enrolled in a school run by army chief
General Thura Shwe Man. "They are being taught parliamentary
procedures and civilian matters in readiness for their new role as
politicians, " said Win Min.

But most are unhappy to be seconded from the army, said a researcher
who has interviewed several retired officers. After five years - the
duration of the parliamentary term - these soldiers would expect to
return to the ranks, but fear they will have missed out on several
promotions as a result.

"I did not do my officer training to enter politics," said one colonel
confidentially. "I studied so I could become a general some day."

Several parties, including the Democrat Party and the National Union
Party, have submitted registration papers to the Electoral
Commission.

Though the main pro-junta party is yet to be formed, the pro-
government Union Solidarity and Development Organization is expected
to be the military's main vehicle in the election.

Its leader, the agriculture minister and confidante of senior general
Than Shwe, has repeatedly told visiting diplomats that he would become
a politician soon. He is tipped to become the new prime minister in
the "civilianized" government after the poll.

While the NLD's absence makes the election process neither credible
nor inclusive to many critics, it is what Than Shwe wanted all along.

In late March, the NLD - which won the 1990 poll but was never allowed
to form a government - decided against registering because doing so
under the election law would mean ditching Suu Kyi. The law bars
anyone serving a prison sentence - Suu Kyi is serving a sentence under
house arrest - from being a member of a political party.

She has spent more than 14 of the past 21 years in detention, and was
also prevented from contesting the 1990 vote because she was under
house arrest.

"The main aim of the junta's election laws is clearly to emasculate
the NLD and prevent their leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi from taking any
part in the forthcoming electoral process," said Justin Wintle, the
British biographer of the pro-democracy icon.

"The laws put the opposition in a very difficult position," said Scot
Marciel, the United States ambassador to the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations.

Than Shwe hopes to maintain the advantage by releasing political
prisoners in May. A list of names has been submitted to him, say
sources in the capital, Naypyidaw.

While some NLD activists are in the list, the vast majority are ethnic
rebels, those active in the 1988 democracy movement and former
military intelligence officers. The renowned comedian Zarganar is
almost certain to be among them. There will be key ethnic leaders too,
possibly even the Shan leader Khun Htun Oo.

Than Shwe hopes that some of them will run in the election so that it
looks more inclusive. But as a Burmese political analyst told IPS, the
Burmese are not that gullible. "The people will punish the
government," he said on condition of anonymity. "The payback will come
at the election."

Read More...

Summary only...

Leaders urge Burma to hold free, fair poll

* Published: 10/04/2010 at 12:00 AM
* Newspaper section: News

HANOI : Ten leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have urged Burma's ruling generals to ensure elections planned for this year will be free, fair and inclusive.

"We hope that the election in Myanmar [Burma] would be fair and democratic," said Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in his capacity as chairman of the 16th Asean Summit.

Mr Dung, speaking at the close of the summit yesterday, said Asean leaders wanted to see the Burmese people participate in the election.

Mr Dung said his Burmese counterpart Gen Thein Sein had assured Asean leaders that the election in Burma would take place this year.

The Burmese prime minister briefed Asean leaders on recent political developments and progress made in implementing the country's so-called "Road Map for Democracy", especially preparations for the election, said Mr Dung.

Asean leaders underscored the importance of ensuring the general election was free and fair, he said.

The Asean members agreed to contribute toward Burma's stability and development.

"We are ready to support Myanmar," he said.

Asean Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan said Gen Thein Sein would not explain in detail either the national reconciliation process or five new laws that have been drawn up to regulate the general election.

The Asean leaders told the Burmese premier that they wanted the country to engage with either the association or the United Nations to help prepare for the election, said Mr Surin.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty M Natalegawa said Indonesia was happy to share its own experiences of national development.

"We want to express our hope that everything in Burma can take place in a good way," he said, adding that Indonesia had always been keen to learn more about significant situations in other Asean countries.

"We want to find out if the election preparation will ensure that the election is carried out in a democratic, transparent and inclusive way," he said.

Asean leaders at the summit, especially those from the Mekong region, said they were satisfied with the outcome of the first Mekong summit held in Hua Hin district last week.

Mr Dung said people living in Mekong countries would benefit from the development of the river and related resources.

Indonesia put itself forward to host next year's Asean summit after swapping with Brunei.

Indonesia was initially supposed to chair the group and host the summit in 2013 but Mr Surin said the country had to prepare for other major international conferences that year so it wanted to relieve itself of the burden. All the Asean leaders supported the change.

by......
Writer: Anucha Charoenpo
Position: Reporter
www.bangkokpost.com

Read More...

Summary only...

Legal Right & Duty

Student - VZY
Teacher Name - UTO
Subject - Jurisprudence
Due Date - November 2nd, 2009

“Inter-relationship of four principles shown in each square is not inter-relationship between two squares”

“Inter-relationship of four principles shown in each square is not inter-relationship between two squares.” Explain on your understood.

Rights are of two kinds; legal right and moral right. Legal rights depend upon the readiness of the State to use its force on a citizen’s behalf and moral rights depend on the readiness of the public to express its opinion. Therefore, legal rights and moral rights are different and they may be opposed to one another. However, legal rights are rights which exist clearly under the rules of legal systems.

There are two kinds of duties; legal duty and moral duty. Legal duty is an act recognized by law and it is enforced through the administration of justice. Legal duty is an act the opposite of which is a legal wrong. For example, the schools have duty to protect students from violence in school. Moral duty is not an act recognized by law. Sometimes, duty may be both legal and moral, such as stealing. Some duty may be only moral, such as helping people. Other times, legal duty and moral duty are opposed to one another.

According to Sir John Salmond, every legal right has five essential elements:
(1) There must be a person who is the owner of the right. He/She is the subject of the legal right. Sometimes she/he described as the person of inherence. The owner of a right doesn’t need to be a determinate or fixed person.
(2) A legal right accrues against other persons who are under a corresponding duty to respect that right. Such person is called the person of incidence or subject of the duty.
(3) Another essential element of a legal right is its content or substance. It may be an act which the subject of incidence is bound to do or it may be forbearance on his part.
(4) Another essential element is the object of the right. This is the thing over which the right is exercised. This may also be called the subject-matter of the right.
(5) Another essential element of a legal right is the title to the right. Facts must show the right vested in the owner of the right. That may be by purchase, gift, inheritance, assignment, prescription, ect.

For instance, “A” buys a car from “B.” The buyer (A) will be the person of inherence and the seller (B) and other persons are generally the persons of incidence. The car will be the subject-matter of the right. The contents of the right would lie in the fact that the seller and every other person should not disturb the peaceful possession and enjoyment of the car by the buyer. The sale of the car will be the title to the right in the fact.

Additionally, legal right can be analyzed into four parts; real right, liberty, power and immunity. Each of these events has a distinctive reasonable form and each incident can be a right by itself. Legal duty also can be analyzed into four parts; duty, no right, subjection and disability.

A real right is a perfect right, which requires that people have a legal duty to realize and affirm another’s right to freedom because a real right is recognized by law. Real right is available only against the whole world. According to Salmond, a real right is a negative right. A negative right also can be called the right of a first possessor. For instance, “A” has the right to own his property. No one can take “A’s” property wrongfully because “A’s” right is a real right and it is recognized by law. Additionally, other people have a legal duty to respect “A’s” right. According to this case, “A” is the owner of a right and other people are called the subjects of the duty. Real rights define the relationship between the owner of right and the subject of the duty.

Liberty is freedom. An individual is free in any manner to act without boundaries to limit human actions. Liberty isn’t recognized by law. Therefore, everyone has the right to do many things which are not bound by law. For example, “A” will not be violating any duty if “A” picks up a coin on the side of the road where “A” finds them because A has no duty to not pick up a coin. If she or he has a legal duty to do something, he or she has no liberty. For example, students have a legal duty to follow the school’s rule. In this case, students have no liberty. Liberty has no subject of the duty because liberty is related to a particular individual only.

Power is the authority to perform an act and an ability to generate a change in a particular legal relationship by doing or not doing a certain act. A person who has a legal duty to respect another person’s power has subjection. Power is one of the legal rights and all power is given by law. Every one has a legal duty to respect the order or decide when persons have the power by law to do something. This legal duty to respect the order is subjection. For instance, judges have power to decide every case and no one can say that he/she doesn’t like this decision. Everyone is a subject of their power. Additionally, everyone has the power if he/she has the ability to manipulate her/his object. It also can be called a personal right. For example, “A” has the power to make a will if she/he is Christian. Every one has the power to make a contract between two persons.

Legal immunity is a type of legal protection which is offered to certain people in particular circumstances. Essentially, when someone has legal immunity, other persons cannot prosecute because other persons have a disability. For instance, judges have legal immunity by law so no one can prosecute the judges. The most well known example of legal immunity is probably prosecutorial immunity, which is sometimes offered to a witness in exchange for his or her testimony in a case. In return for testifying, the prosecution agrees not to pursue the witness for crimes which he or she discusses in the testimony. This type of legal immunity is often used in conspiracy cases where prosecutors are willing to let minor criminals go if it means that they can bring down ringleaders.

The four parts of legal rights are not inter-relationship. Real rights are part of the relationship between two people, but liberty is the freedom of one individual. Power is an ability to act, given by law, but immunity is a freedom from prosecution given only in special circumstances. In conclusion, according to four legal rights, a real right is the most important of all rights and other rights are accessory rights.

Read More...

Summary only...