Free classes give lower-paid workers a way up

Across the U.S., thousands of workers stuck in low-paying jobs are trying to get a leg up through free basic-skills classes that train them in everything from elementary math to basic literacy.

By Sarah Butrymowicz

The Hechinger Report

SARAH BUTRYMOWICZ / MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

Ana, 52, a cafeteria cashier, completes an ESL exercise on the board at Harvard University's Bridge to Learning and Literacy program, which offers courses to school employees.

BOSTON — Across the U.S., thousands of workers stuck in low-paying jobs are trying to get a leg up through free basic-skills classes that train them in everything from elementary math to basic literacy.
Mya Maw, a 52-year-old Burmese immigrant, longs for a stable office job in Boston, where she's raising twin teenage daughters and washing dishes at a hotel. To help reach her goal, she spends most mornings sitting through two hours of English or computer instruction, taking advantage of free basic-skills classes that are a small but significant part of a fractured U.S. adult-education system.
"I want to improve step by step," said Maw, who dropped out of courses in English as a second language (ESL) that were too expensive for her in favor of classes at Boston's Local 26 Hotel Training Center, a nonprofit funded primarily by the local hotel union.

No one tracks the number of such programs offered nationally — or how well they work — but hospitals, hotels and the food-service industry have provided them for years, often in company space and even on company time. They're an integral part of workplace training and adult education.
"The literacy skills, the basic-education skills of the front-line work force are an enormous issue for people in many, many industries," said Pamela Tate, president of the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning in Chicago. Tate wants to see more private companies fill the void with programs like the one Maw is in. "We need them more than ever."
Basic-skills programs that create opportunities for career advancement are unique, said Anthony Carnevale, the director of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. Most of the $135 billion spent annually on employee training goes to things such as improving managerial or technical skills. A fraction of that amount — about $6 billion — is spent on basic-skills courses.
However, in today's economy, Carnevale wonders whether there are any incentives for people to develop new programs, as high unemployment rates mean companies likely have no shortage of literate workers to pick from.
Good work ethic
Some companies say that when it comes to entry-level jobs, they can't ask for much more than a rudimentary grasp of English and a good work ethic, so they opt to train workers after they've been hired.
Many employees who take advantage of these programs hope to learn enough to move up the career ladder. For example, a number of workers at the hotel training center here take basic-skills classes in hopes of getting a coveted banquet-server position, which can pay up to $70,000 a year. Others want to continue on to higher education, and the training center's career coaches help them map paths to community college and beyond.
Employers say they also stand to benefit by creating a loyal work force and increasing the pool of qualified candidates so they have more opportunities to promote from within.
In 2004, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center had dozens of vacancies for positions such as medical-lab or surgical technician. Unable to fill the positions through traditional hiring, the medical center created a program to train current employees.
"We found that a lot of people weren't really ready to do college-level work," said Joanne Pokaski, Beth Israel's director of work-force development. "They needed to do a lot of remedial-level courses."
The center established another set of courses — in basic reading, English, math and science — to prepare them. After discovering this wasn't always enough, the center started offering GED preparation as well as English classes to nonnative speakers. In all, about 500 employees take the free classes every year.
This program would allow someone to start at the hospital as a janitor or cafeteria worker with only a basic understanding of English, enroll in ESL classes and end up with an associate degree working as a lab technician or nurse — although doing so can take a long time.
"Progress is slow," said Laurie Fitzpatrick, a program manager in Beth Israel's office of work-force development. In ESL classes alone, it takes about 128 hours of classroom time to move up a single level. With classes meeting twice a week for two hours, this translates into 32 weeks — and there are seven levels.
Certifications, raises
Anecdotal evidence reveals strong support for such programs, with both workers and employers relating success stories of promotions and raises.
Jobs for the Future, a Boston-based nonprofit that developed a nationwide program with 17 companies in the health-care industry to train front-line workers for careers, has found that about 60 percent of its participants earned some sort of certification or degree, and 47 percent received raises.
A 2009 study by the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research found that workplace literacy programs increased students' interest in attending college and that employers and employees alike "reported significant morale gains and frequent productivity gains." A 1995 study of workplace literacy programs done by Indiana University found that these programs improve reading at work, but only when the reading directly related to what was covered in class.
Indeed, while some places like Beth Israel offer classes that are very general, others emphasize building vocabulary and the skills that individuals need for a specific industry or job.
Those enrolled in such programs are typically eager to acquire new skills. And though balancing classes with a job and raising children isn't easy, many find a way to do so. Some, including Maw, even opt for longer days in exchange for more classes and, hopefully, speedier improvement.
"It's amazing," said Carla Fontaine, a career counselor at Harvard University's Bridge to Learning and Literacy program, which offers courses to the school's employees. "They do gymnastics to make it work."
Stories of success
Harvard has several success stories under its belt, including many workers who started out in low-paying jobs but are now working toward master's degrees. Although higher education isn't the endgame for everyone, Harvard tracks the economic impact of its program on all participants. After completing bridge-program classes and getting promoted, many employees have seen their hourly salaries jump from around $9 or $10 to more than $15. That can make a huge difference.
"Maybe they don't have to work two jobs now," Fontaine said. "They can take classes at night, or they can be home."
(This article was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, nonpartisan education-news outlet affiliated with Teachers College, Columbia University.)

Broken ceasefire leaves trust in tatters Hun Sen's sincerity is doubted by military

Bangkok Post

The government has voiced disappointment over the clashes at the Thai-Cambodian border which broke out only 10 hours after a ceasefire agreement was reached.

The fighting prompted a joint press conference between the army, the government and the Foreign Ministry.
"Thailand is very disappointed about the clashes that show Cambodia's insincerity despite the fact that the field troops of both sides had agreed to a ceasefire," said acting government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn.
"The government insists on its stance that the ceasefire must be strictly observed before further talks are pursued. The prime minister has made it clear he is happy to hold a dialogue. But if the situation doesn't improve, a dialogue will not be as useful as it is supposed to," he said. Both sides agreed to a truce as of 12pm on Thursday after talks between the 2nd Army's Lt Gen Thawatchai Samutsakhon and Lt Gen Chea Mon, chief of the Cambodian 4th Region Army, at a casino at the Chong Jom-O Samet checkpoint in Surin's Kap Choeng district.
However around 9.30pm the same day, fighting with rifles and hand-grenades erupted and lasted for an hour. A second round of fighting reportedly took place at 2am yesterday and ended at 6am.
One Thai soldier was killed and four injured, increasing the total deaths on the Thai side to eight, including one civilian, after continuous clashes erupted on April 22.
Cambodia has reported that at least eight of its troops have been killed.
Gunfire was confirmed near Ta Kwai temple last night.
"Cambodian troops attacked first by firing rifles and throwing grenades at us," army commander Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha said yesterday.
"We just responded to their attack with rifles but if it happens again we will have to retaliate further," he said, adding the talks on Thursday were not some sort of commitment.
Gen Prayuth revealed that Cambodian military commanders had made contact following the fighting and agreed to uncover why the agreed ceasefire had been broken.
The army chief said that Cambodia intends to use the border skirmishes to internationalise the border disputes.
He added that bilateral talks are the preferable way to resolve the border conflict, but noted that if a third party has to be involved there is nothing he can do about it.
"I'm not sure if [Cambodian prime minister] Hun Sen has sincerity, I don't know what he is thinking. We can't change him," said Gen Prayuth.
Army spokesman Col Sansern Kaewkamnerd said there could be a communication breakdown among Cambodian troops.
"If we look on the bright side, it might be a communication problem because the commander in charge of the area where the fighting erupts is not Lt Gen Chea Mon," he said.
However, he added that a group of 10 military officers was dispatched early yesterday to discuss how to avoid further clashes.
Col Sansern insisted that further steps to negotiations were out of the question as long as the border fighting continued.
Second Army Region spokesman Prawit Hookaew said yesterday the incident was not an actual breach of the ceasefire agreement because the talks had been informal.
"It can't guarantee there will be no more fighting. They wanted field commanders to make contact immediately when any clash erupted to contain the situation," he said.
Meanwhile, Cambodia has accused Thai troops of initiating the fighting.
The resumption of hostilities so soon after a peace deal demonstrated the "pointlessness of bilateral negotiations", said the Cambodian government, which has continuously campaigned for a third party to be involved.
"Less than 12 hours [after the agreement] the Thai military again attacked, and fighting continued until the next morning," it said.
A Thai government source at the border noted that the Thai military might have talked to the wrong people.
Lt Gen Chea Mon does not have "real" power over the troops in the combat areas, said the source.
The areas where the border skirmishes have taken place for the past week are under the jurisdiction of deputy army commander Gen Chim Janpua, according to the source.
Local villagers in Ban Nong Danna on Surin's Phanom Dong Rak district said yesterday they heard the sound of sporadic gunfire throughout Thursday night. However they said there was no artillery shelling.
Chong Jom checkpoint in Surin's Kap Choeng district remained closed yesterday and trading was limited.

Thailand Needs To Be Well-prepared For Nine Possible Disasters

April 30, 2011

BANGKOK, April 30 (Bernama) -- Thailand needs to be well-prepared for nine possible disasters, said the Engineering Institute of Thailand (EIT) and relevant authorities on Saturday.

The nine disasters are namely storm surges, drought, coastal erosion, land subsidence, swift changes of sea levels, earthquakes, forest fires, tsunamis and global warming, according to Thai News Agency.

EIT chief Suwat Chaopreecha said: "That earthquakes normally happen quite far away from Thailand; so there should not be any serious impact on the country, especially Bangkok".

Suwat cautioned, however, if an earthquake erupts from a western fault, named Sri Sawat, where Myanmar and Thailand's western Kanchanaburi Province are located, it may significantly affect Thailand, probably including Bangkok.

He urged owners of local buildings with at least 15 floors to regularly conduct structural examinations, as the Sri Sawat fault remains active.

Besides, the EIT agencies will soon discuss preventive measures with concerned agencies and keep local people updated.

Meanwhile, Deputy Bangkok Governor Pornthep Techapaiboon said that there should not be any concern over buildings in the Thai capital constructed after 2007 because they are required by regulations of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to be designed and built to withstand earthquakes.

Pornthep urged owners to conduct structural examinations on their old buildings constructed before 2007, saying that such an examination should bear only a five-digit cost while safety ensured by the check-up appears to be priceless.

-- BERNAMA 

ASEAN to discuss impact of turmoils in oil-producing countries

GMANews 

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Minimizing the impact of internal conflicts in some oil-producing countries will be one of the main items in the agenda of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Jakarta next week, ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan said Friday night.

However, there is no assurance the recent border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia – both ASEAN members – will be discussed.
In a chance interview, Mr. Pitsuwan said among the topics ASEAN leaders will tackle are the plans for economic integration, growth of the region, and the impact of the recent global uncertainties, and even the deadly quake and tsunami that hit Japan early in March.
“Global uncertainties in North Africa, in the Middle East and what happened in Japan certainly will have impact on ASEAN so we will have to make some adjustments," he told reporters after attending the “Best of ASEAN Performing Arts" featuring Cambodia.
He added “[ASEAN] leaders will be very interested in listening to reports and each others’ ideas about how to make sure the impact of recent global developments will be minimized."
Oil producers

The growing unrest in Libya, the third largest oil producer in Africa and eight in the world, the social turmoil in Egypt, Tunisia, Turkey, Bahrain, Yemen and Saudi Arabia in the past months caused prices of fuel to soar due to fear of supply interruption.
Many ASEAN member-countries get their oil supply from North Africa and the Middle East.
The Philippines, for instance, sourced 81 percent of its crude supply from the Middle East, particularly Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, last year. It also imported 12 percent from Asia and 7 percent from Russia.
For refined petroleum products, the Philippines bought mainly from Singapore. It imported liquefied petroleum gas mainly from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Japan, one of the partners of ASEAN, was recently hit with earthquake that triggered a tsunami and is under the threat of radiation after the Fukushima nuclear plant was severely damaged.
Border dispute

When asked if the Thailand-Cambodia border dispute be tackled, Mr. Pitsuwan said it is up to the leaders if they will discuss it.
“It’s really up to the leaders. I don’t know. The leaders will be very open about each other so there might be some issues that they want to raise," he said.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen earlier said he plans to raise the issue during the Summit.
At least eight people have been killed in the recent clashes between Cambodia and Thailand over decades-long border issue.
The two countries have been in a deadlock since July 2008, when Preah Vihear was granted UNESCO World Heritage status, which Thailand opposed on the grounds that the land around the temple had never been demarcated.
An international court awarded the temple to Cambodia 49 years ago, but both countries lay claim to a 4.6 sq km (1.8 sq mile) patch of land around it.
The ASEAN had asked the two countries to settle their differences peacefully.
Non-interference policy
The ASEAN has a policy of non-intervention regarding affairs of its member countries.
Founded in 1946, the ASEAN believes in respecting the sovereignty of each country.
Its Charter says that the purpose of the association is “to maintain and enhance peace, security and stability".
"ASEAN and its Member States shall … respect the independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity and national identity of all ASEAN member states [and] have shared commitment and collective responsibility in enhancing regional peace, security and prosperity," Article 2 of the Charter states.
It also states that ASEAN member states shall strengthen peace-oriented values in the region.
Aside from Cambodia and Thailand, the other member states of the ASEAN are Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Brunei and Myanmar.
Threat to credibility
Meanwhile, an expert believes that the border issue is a threat to the credibility and reputation of ASEAN that claims to be a peaceful region.
Rizal Sukma, executive director of Indonesia’s Center for Strategic and International Studies, is worried that if ASEAN will not be able to convince Thailand and Cambodia to settle the row peacefully, “the United Nations Security Council will be obliged to pick up the issue and treat it as a threat to the international security."
“The ASEAN face this problem of credibility especially that since 2003 we keep invoking the notion that ASEAN will become a community where the use of force is not only impossible but unimaginable," he said at a forum.
“As long as this particular problem will continue to occur we can just throw this idea of community into the thrash bin," he added.
Sukma, however, believed that it is better to wait until the election in Thailand in June is over.
“The possibility would be greater because it’s hard to talk about this sensitive issue within very important domestic and political event such as elections," he said.
Economic agenda
Mr. Pitsuwan, on the other hand, said the ASEAN leaders will also be discussing the issue of connectivity and the proposed railroad system.
"Connectivity is important for ASEAN. Ten countries are not physically connected," he said.
He acknowledged there are a lot of work to do on air, maritime, telecommunications and infrastructure linkages as these in general, "will be very, very important for ASEAN to be able to grow further."
“So far we have been really a part of the central growth, East Asia has been the center of growth and we are part of that and we are able to play a very important pioneering, spearheading central role in integration here in East Asia, we will have to maintain that," he said.
Moreover, Mr. Pitsuwan said the leaders will exchange views on how to welcome a lot of interest and goodwill from around the world.
He also said that US President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev “are coming."
“That will certainly change the dynamics of the region because of these two major powers and how are we going to maintain our leadership in the expanded group," he said. — LBG, GMA News

Refugee numbers limited according to country

By Harold Reutter
harold.reutter@theindependent.com

Published: Thursday, April 28, 2011

If the past is any guide, Grand Island may one day be home to Burmese refugees.

That's because Burma has sent more refugees to Nebraska than any other country during the past five years, said Karen Parde, refugee coordinator for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. Parde spoke at a Thursday Lunch and Learn hosted by the Multicultural Coalition of Grand Island.

She said Omaha and Lincoln are Nebraska's two official resettlement cities, but communities such as Grand Island, Lexington, South Sioux City and others are primary locations for secondary refugee migrants.

"Once refugees arrive in the United States, they have all the rights you and I do," said Parde, who noted that the only exception is the right to vote.

One of those rights is the freedom to move to any city in the United States and not remain in the original resettlement city chosen for them, Parde said. As a result, refugees often move to a secondary city to be close to family members. They often move because the secondary city offers a better prospect of finding a job and a better chance of finding less expensive housing.

Parde noted that all refugees are immigrants, but not all immigrants are refugees.

A refugee is a person who has a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or for having a particular political opinion. Such a person is typically living outside his or her country of birth but is unwilling to avail himself or herself of the protection of that country.

Oftentimes, refugees still do not feel safe in the country they have fled to, so they want to go to a third country, such as the United States, for protection, Parde said.

Many people who flee their country end up living in unsafe conditions, Parde said. She said female Somali refugees find conditions in Somalia so intolerable that they will leave their country even though they know their decision means they may be raped, not just once, but multiple times.

In the United States, a presidential determination is made each October on the number of refugees allowed into the country, Parde said. The number has typically been capped at 75,000, but because of the international turmoil, it has risen to 80,000 refugees the past couple of years.

A total of 80,000 refugees can enter the United States in fiscal year 2010-11, with 15,000 people from Africa; 19,000 from East Asia; 2,000 from Europe and Central Asia; 5,500 from Latin American and Caribbean countries; 35,500 from the Near East and South Asia; and 3,000 refugees as an unallocated reserve with no designated region.

Refugees must undergo a security check before they are allowed into the United States, Parde said. Recently, one more security layer was added. Because security checks have expiration dates, some clearances have lapsed because of the time involved in doing the additional security check. Those initial security clearances must then be redone.

As a result, Parde estimated that between 60,000 and 65,000 refugees will enter the United States this year, even though 80,000 is the approved number.

Nebraska typically agrees to take about 720 immigrants annually, but Parde said it has agreed to take up to 800 refugees in a year. She said the decision to raise the number has been a balancing act, especially when the state economy has slowed.

But Parde said she decided it was foolish to stand firm at 720 people if refugees who originally wanted to settle in Nebraska end up moving to the state within 30 days. She said that is an especially foolish stand to take when transition aid for a refugee will not follow him or her to a secondary site.

She said the primary temporary assistance is a Cash and Medical Assistance program that refugees can receive for up to eight months. However, the expectation is that refugees will find a job within 30 to 90 days.

Parde told The Independent that Nebraska refugees had easily been meeting that goal until the economy slowed. Most refugees continue to find jobs, but now it is often taking five, six or seven months.

Refugees find work despite language and other barriers they must overcome, she said. Nebraska has become a popular state for refugee resettlement because of its relatively low unemployment rate and low cost of living. She said Nebraska's numerous meatpacking plants provide entry-level employment for many refugees.

All refugees are expected to repay the cost of their airfare to the United States, aid that is provided as a three-year loan, with initial payments to begin within six months after a refugee's arrival. That's another reason why refugees work so hard to find jobs quickly. Parde also said many refugees simply want to be self-sufficient and not be a drain on their new country.

According to a chart that Parde provided, Nebraska has accepted 992 refugees from Burma in the past five years; 414 from Sudan; 284 from Thailand; 151 from Somalia; 113 from Vietnam; 93 from Burundi; 90 from Iraq; 89 from the former USSR; 58 from Cuba; and 54 from Bhutan.

She said some Burmese refugees have lived their entire lives in refugee camps. She has seen 19-year-old Burmese women married to 20-year-old Burmese men, with both the women and men knowing nothing other than refugee camp life until they arrived in the U.S. Other refugee groups have spent long periods -- or even most of their lives -- in refugee camps.

As a result, when they arrive in the United States, they have almost no knowledge of modern life, including knowing anything about electricity, refrigerating food or modern sanitation, Parde said.

Many Iraqi refugees, on the other hand, are highly educated and worked as doctors, lawyers or teachers prior to the U.S. invasion, she said. Many of these people cooperated with the U.S. following the invasion, and that has made it dangerous for them to remain in Iraq. Parde said Iraqis who had professional careers are often frustrated that the only immediate work available to them in Nebraska is a job in a meatpacking plant.

While Americans may think of all people from the same country as being the same, refugees see distinctions, Parde said. Somali refugees will divide themselves into what she described as "Somali Bantu" and "Somali Somali." She said the Bantus, an ethnic minority in Somalia, are considered to be of a lower social class by "Somali Somalis." Bantus have sometimes been mistreated by Somalis.

Karen or Karin from Burma is another ethnic minority that sees themselves as quite distinct from other tribes in Burma, Parde said.

Most refugees, though, want to be Americans, Parde said. They want to speak English and to adopt American customs. Children adapt more quickly than parents. They go to school, learn English and get acculturated. As a result, parents sometimes say that several months after their arrival in America, they feel as though they are living in a foreign culture in their own home.

One person asked how to get to know refugees, with one woman responding that volunteering with the Literacy Council is a good way and another woman noting people can get to know immigrants who established their own worship services in local churches.

China's Wen says to speed up transport links with SE Asia

By Olivia Rondonuwu | Reuters

JAKARTA, April 30 (Reuters) - China will speed up the development of transport connections with Southeast Asia, building roads, telecommunication and power links as it seeks to boost trade, Premier Wen Jiabao said on Saturday.
Wen, speaking in Jakarta during a two-day visit to Indonesia, said China would give financial support through credit aid and investment, to provide for better exchange of commodities, capital and people.
"In the next 10 years we will speed up the inauguration of land transport routes between China and ASEAN," said Wen in a speech in Jakarta, adding it will also provide funds for air and sea transport. "Today we witness the rise of Asia."
He said China would unconditionally help underdeveloped countries in the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), which groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
ASEAN has sought to highlight the potential for greater connections between its frontier markets and Asia's biggest economic power, with the group's foreign ministers heading on an unconventional road trip in January from Thailand to China.
Indonesia is seeking $100 billion of private investment to develop its own dilapidated infrastructure, seen as a hurdle to attracting foreign firms and to gaining a sovereign investment grade rating that would cut government borrowing costs and put it on a par with BRIC nations such as China and Brazil.
Wen's schedule in Jakarta looked ambitious for a capital hit by tropical downpours on Saturday that flooded roads and jammed traffic. Bad roads in the archipelago cause delays adding to costs and exacerbating inflation, while air and boat accidents are all too common.
Wen promised Indonesia $9 billion worth of loans for infrastructure on Friday, after meeting his Indonesian counterpart, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
ASEAN's plan to link new and existing rail, road and sea routes together with China and allow better travel within a free trade area of 1.9 billion people is ambitious.
But analysts say there is huge trade potential between ASEAN and China and better links could encourage Japan and South Korea to forge a closer relationship with ASEAN. Japan has already pledged more than $50 billion in infrastructure investment.
China, ASEAN's biggest trading partner, is seeking to double trade with Indonesia and get access to resources from a country that is a leading exporter of natural gas, palm oil and coal.
However, many Indonesian businesses are worried about a flood of cheap Chinese goods and a widening trade deficit with the Asian powerhouse. Yudhoyono asked for trade between the two countries to be balanced.
"China's development will not disturb any countries and will not be a threat to other countries," Wen said, according to a translation of his speech obtained by Reuters, adding China's foreign policy was free, independent and peaceful.
Southeast Asian countries have clashed with China over rival claims over potentially oil- and gas-rich islands in the South China Sea which is seen by China as its backyard, while many see the United States as a buffer against a dominant China.
Earlier in his two-day visit, which followed a trip to Malaysia, Wen sought to build trust and cultural links between two countries historically suspicious of each other, telling students at a Muslim university he had read the Koran. (Additional reporting by Aditya Suharmoko; Writing by Neil Chatterjee; Editing by Robert Birsel)

First World Parliament or a ‘first-rate Government’?

April 30, 2011

Singapore‘s Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew waves to supporters upon his arrival at an election nomination centre in Singapore. — Reuters pic

SINGAPORE, April 30 — The People’s Action Party’s big guns have weighed in on the Worker’s Party’s vision of a “First World Parliament” — with Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew saying that he does not consider Singapore’s Opposition a “First World Opposition”.  Speaking after a block visit in Tampines, Mr Lee said that, while he does not want to “degrade” them, he asked that Singaporeans look at their track record.
Mr Lee added: “Do you want a First World Government or a First World Opposition, and is this a First World Opposition? Can they produce a First World Government? If you want a Third World Opposition, or even a Second World Opposition to come and create a bit of excitement, well, that’s your choice.”
Other PAP leaders, including Minister for Law and Home Affairs K Shanmugam and retiring Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Lim Boon Heng, have demanded that the WP justify its slogan “Towards a First World Parliament” by naming a developed country with such a legislature.
Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong also weighed in on the issue yesterday. Speaking to reporters about his observations on the hustings so far, Mr Goh cited the WP’s slogan as “a bit more serious” compared to his other observations that the Opposition was “taking out a shotgun and just (firing) away, hoping that one of the bullets may hit an issue that resonates with the public” and that the Opposition was using a “populist” approach to engage voters — offering popular solutions such as reducing Goods and Services Tax and National Service obligations, among others.
Mr Goh, who was speaking on the sidelines of an event organised by Singapore Polytechnic, Mercy Relief and South East CDC, said he had checked the meaning of a “First World Parliament” on Google and he found that, apart from the references to WP’s election slogan, the others were about Malaysian opposition leader Lim Kit Siang, who had proposed the same idea for Malaysia.
Mr Goh said: “What is the definition of a First World Parliament? It is Workers’ Party’s definition, meaning a critical mass of Opposition in Parliament. But, (by) that definition, almost every Parliament in the world is a First World Parliament. That includes Zimbabwe, that includes Myanmar, but that excludes Singapore. I laugh at that.”
He added: “Just having an Opposition is a First World Parliament? I think that’s nonsense.”
Still, the Senior Minister, who is facing a challenge from the National Solidarity Party in his Marine Parade GRC stronghold, said the issue was worth debating.
“People want Opposition in Parliament, which is fair, which we also recognise,” he said.
Mr Goh added that Singaporeans should also consider a First World Parliament versus a “first-rate Government”.
A first-rate Government is one that produces results, has the vision to cope with challenges and can serve the interests of the people, said the Senior Minister.
Said Mr Goh: “If the Parliament consists of nothing but one party, then you can have a first-rate Government, but the Parliament is a bit weaker. We have, over the years, tried to evolve a system which allows the PAP to win elections overwhelmingly and yet you have voices which are against the PAP in Parliament.”
Speaking at a rally at the Yio Chu Kang Stadium last night, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong also touched on Singapore’s political system.
It has delivered results, produced effective governance and “enabled the country to make the right choices to face the future and which has fostered serious debate in Parliament”, he said.
Mr Lee added: “You don’t find people throwing things at each other in Parliament, or fighting or rioting, which you can see on television if you look at some other countries in the region. We have serious debate, and I think good debate, and the result is good policies and good Government.” Additional reporting by Tan Yo-Hinn. — Today

Burma woos aid groups, but wariness remains

Published: 30/04/2011 at 10:31 AM (Bangkok Post)
Online news: Asia

A tattered UN tarpaulin makes a shady awning for one of the huts dotting the emerald rice paddies of Burma's Irrawaddy Delta, a reminder of the devastation wrought by Cyclone Nargis three years ago.

Cyclone Nargis which smashed through the southern delta region in May 2008 left an estimated 138,000 people dead or missing. Myanmar's rulers refused foreign assistance for weeks while 2.4 million people struggled desperately for survival.

"We rebuilt everything ourselves -- the government did nothing," said Myo Tun, who came to the area with an international aid agency after the disaster struck and whose name AFP has changed to protect his identity.
Bodies were still floating in the area's network of waterways weeks after the cyclone hit, he said, as the ruling junta failed to act to help the region.
Now there are signs that the new, nominally civilian government, which took power earlier this year after controversial November elections that excluded democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, is striving to show a changed attitude.
President Thein Sein, a retired general who was prime minister during Nargis, has pledged to work more closely with humanitarian groups and responses to recent disasters suggest the approach has changed.
"They are more ready to give timely public information on details of these events, and to give access to international agencies," said Burma analyst Richard Horsey.
But privately, many remain cautious.
"I would not say that any organisation operates with 100 percent confidence in this country," said one senior international aid agency figure, asking not to be named.
Nargis smashed through the southern delta region on May 2, 2008 leaving an estimated 138,000 people dead or missing.
Burma's rulers refused foreign assistance for weeks while 2.4 million people struggled desperately for survival.
"Nargis was a real humanitarian watershed," said Chris Herink of World Vision, which took part in relief work after an earthquake hit eastern Burma in March.
Thousands are still sleeping in temporary shelters after the quake but, unlike when Nargis struck, those affected were helped quickly and by the army itself.
The United Nations said the earthquake, as well as Cyclone Giri, which affected an estimated 260,000 people in Burma's western Rakhine state last October, represented "increased cooperation" between agencies and government.
"It's an open question in terms of the new leadership and how they will regard humanitarian assistance and in particular international assistance," said Herink, who added that the signs at the moment were "positive".
Foreign aid has become crucial in filling the gaps left by a government that spent just 0.9 percent of its budget on health in 2007, according to the World Health Organisation -- substantially lower than any other country that year.
According to Save the Children, at least a third of all children in Burma are malnourished and one in 10 dies before the age of five.
In the past, overseas governments have scaled down aid in protest at rights abuses in Burma, or felt forced to pull out because of the junta's tight controls.
Sanctions have played a part, with major donors such as Europe restricting development assistance.
Overseas aid to Burma peaked in 2008 because of Nargis, but fell about 30 percent to $357 million -- or around $6 per person -- in 2009, according to figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Neighbouring Laos received 10 times more per person that year.
There are signs that foreign funding will rise, with increased donations from Britain and an expanded Australian aid programme, but local groups fear a lack of opportunity.
Horsey said that while the Burma government appeared more positive about international groups, it "still tends to be suspicious" of local organisations.
A representative from one Burma non-governmental group told AFP that overseas agencies "act as an umbrella for us, they are very important, but it is crucial that we build up local capacity".
His group provides services from education to agriculture, many of which he said should be provided by the state, "but they don't show any interest".
Maung Zarni, of the London School of Economics, said there were fears that government-friendly local groups would become more dominant.
"The military doesn't allow any entity to operate freely or show any receptivity towards any entity which doesn't serve the regime's interests and agendas," he said.
He added that the funding capacity of foreign agencies meant "they, not the locals, set the agendas in terms of what communities feel or think they need".
"Most international aid agencies have a certain amount of money to spend and then withdraw, but us civil society groups will stay even if there isn't any funding," said the head of another agency, who said he feared the role of local groups "will be very limited".
"I am quite worried for the future," he added.

Burma gives fresh ultimatum for UWSA and NDAA to withdraw troops

By Zin Linn Apr 30, 2011 12:17AM UTC

The United Wa State Army and its ally the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA) also called Mongla, were informed by the Burma Army yesterday, 28 April, to depart from their bases outside designated territories by tomorrow, 30 April, quoting informed sources from the Sino-Burma border, Shan Herald Agency for News (S.H.A.N.) said.
The messages were by phone calls by separate regional commands: The order to UWSA in Panghsang was from commanding officer of the Northeastern Region Command (Lashio), while the order to Mongla was from the commander of the Triangle Region Command (Kengtung). According to a source close to the Mongla leadership, the Burma Army would attack Wa and Mongla posts at anytime they wanted if the ethnic troops failed to withdraw their bases by the given time limit.
The United Wa State Army (UWSA) has reportedly ordered all of its frontline units on 24-hour alert along the Salween river, a shared border with its ally the Shan State Army (SSA) ‘North’. The UWSA have alerted all of its troops to be ready to defend Wa State, although they do not want war. They will not fire the first shot, said a senior Wa officer.

In this April 17, 2010 photo, recruits of the Kachin Independence Army, one of the country's largest armed ethnic groups, march to their barracks after battle drills at a training camp near Laiza in Burma. Pic: AP.

SSA ‘North’ has been combating Burmese armed forces currently since the junta issued the ultimatum to accept the Border Guard Force program. Shan State Army (SSA) ‘North’ has been fighting with the Burmese Army since 13 March. It was given an ultimatum to surrender by the end of March and to pull out from all their bases deploying in areas outside its main base. The latest skirmishes between the two apparently took place twice in Kehsi Township.
The Burmese Army has had at least 30 killed and 100 wounded, while the SSA has had four killed and eight wounded, according to SSA sources.
According to the latest information, Shan State Army (SSA)-North’s core base Namlao in Tangyan township, the gateway to its ally the United Wa State Army (UWSA), was seized by the Burma Army on 15 March after heavy fighting between the two sides for almost half a day, according to sources from the SSA.
The Burma Army allegedly accused them of breaching their 1989 agreement that they would not make recruitment or expand their territories. Currently, the UWSA leaders are still holding an emergency meeting to discuss the ultimatum.
In the meantime, the NDAA has already pulled out from two of its tactical bases in Wan Kho and Pong Hiet in Shan State East’s Mong-yawng township by the side of the west bank  of the Mekong. Wan Kho base was taken by the Burma Army on 27 April. And NDAA troops in Pong Hiet were reported to have pulled out yesterday, Shan Heral Agency for News said.
According to a Burma Army backed militia source, the Burma armed forces came with the strength of 100 soldiers and enclosed the group in the morning without firing a shot. After the NDAA troops left the area in the evening, Burmese soldiers from the Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 573 based in Mongphyak took over the post.
In March 2010, Chinese defense officials made an effort to repair the worsening relationship between the UWSA and the ruling military junta which demanded repeatedly the Wa accept its Border Guard Force plan. Despite the fact that details are lacking, sources say China is making another attempt to convince the Burmese junta of the futility of war against the UWSA.
Recently, two of the anti-Border Guard Force groups – United Wa State Army (UWSA) and National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA) – were reportedly advised by China not to join in with any groups opposing the military junta. If not they would be under attacks similar to the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and Shan State Army (SSA) North, according to a Sino-Burma border source.
Chinese officials suggested that unless (UWSA) and (NDAA) get involved with the new ethnic alliance, the military junta will leave the two alone, a source said.  The report has to be confirmed by Wa or Mongla authorities yet. Even if correct, it might be also a ploy by the junta. The junta doesn’t have the strength to make an offensive towards several ethnic groups at the same time, observers believe.
At present, the military junta has spread out more troops along the Salween River to break off a possible relationships between the UWSA and SSA ‘North’. The SSA is active in the west of the Salween while the UWSA is in the east.

Warrandyte activists to share their Burmese insights

30 Apr 11 @ 07:00am by Shaun Turton

Activists Jill Jameson and Denise Nichols. N44DT20

TWO activists are to share their insights into the Burmese people’s struggle with government oppression.
Jill Jameson and Denise Nichols, both of Warrandyte North, have gained a deep understanding of the country’s social and political ills over years of activism in Australia and the South-East Asian nation.
On their most recent trip, the pair helped Burmese teachers and organisations deal with problems such as land confiscation and the continuing effects of Cyclone Nargis, which hit in 2008.
Ms Jameson also met Burma’s revered pro-democracy figure Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who was recently released from house arrest imposed by the military government.
Friends of Warrandyte Burma Support Group will hold its community forum at St Stephen’s Anglican Church, Stiggant St, Warrandyte, from 7.30pm on Saturday.