Cyclone dead wash ashore on distant Myanmar beach: official

YANGON (AFP) — About 300 bloated and decaying corpses, apparently victims of Cyclone Nargis, washed up on a beach in eastern Myanmar more than one month after the storm, a local official said Saturday.

The bodies had been found in the last week on the beach near Mawlamyine town, across the Gulf of Martaban, more than 100 miles (160 kilometres) east of the devastated Irrawaddy Delta, the official told AFP.

More than 133,000 people were killed or are missing after the cyclone struck six weeks ago. Many were washed out to sea as a tidal surge wiped out their villages.

"About 300 dead bodies have been cremated in the last week, after they floated into Kyaikkhami and Setse beaches. They were all decomposing. Most of them appeared to be women," said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"Some fishermen saw these dead bodies on the beaches and informed the authorities," he said. "We decided to cremate them for the sake of the environment," he said.

Residents told AFP by telephone that many people had moved away to avoid the grim scenes of bodies washing onto the beaches.

The descriptions recalled the devastation in the delta last month, when victims' bodies were left rotting on roadsides and floating in rice fields, where in many cases they laid for weeks.

Lack of facilities, low pay for teachers bug public basic education

Manila Times - One passes through an alley to enter the gateless Baesa National High School in Caloocan City. The school sits on irregularly shaped land. One building is four stories high on one side, with the concreted rooftop serving as a roofless gymnasium where the students hold their PE classes. They can’t make use of this rooftop when the sun is directly overhead or when it is raining.

On the other side is a building three stories high. The third floor is the school’s multipurpose room that has been divided into three classrooms, with the makeshift stage serving as classroom for one section. There are no laboratories, indicating that science experiments are held inside the classrooms themselves. There are only 20 classrooms to serve 46 sections, and the students are divided into shifts so they can use the classrooms alternately.

Only two toilets with a total of six cubicles serve 3,000 students, the faculty and visitors. One toilet on a lower level was actually transformed into the English Learning Resource Center where remedial classes are now held.

There is hardly any library to speak of. Because there is no longer space for faculty lounges, clinic and the home economics and practical arts laboratory, some classrooms were halved to make room for these amenities.

“This place used to be a garbage dump, being situated beside a cliff. In the 1960s, the Asistio government decided to set up a school here for the barangay, and the school built itself over the decades,” Teacher Benjo Basas described the school from where he himself graduated in the mid-1990s and where he now teaches. He chairs the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition, a group of teachers fighting for better pay and more logistical support to the education sector.

The Caloocan government is now trying to buy some property beside the school to expand and construct more buildings and facilities. It isn’t about to happen. The land is the subject of a legal dispute that has to be settled first before the local government can buy it.

Even with a perceptible lack of facilities vital to learning, Baesa National High School is comparatively more privileged, having several buildings. Many other schools in the Philippines hold classes literally under trees or makeshift huts constructed to keep students away from the sun and rain. Many have no libraries, laboratories, canteens, faculty and student lounges.

The lack of classrooms in public schools is a perennial problem. Since 2000, however, the Department of Education’s classroom building program has steadily increased the number of classrooms, the classroom lack substantially reduced in 2005. The Education department started earning gains in classroom construction starting in 2006.

In 2007, the Education department said it built 14,665 new classrooms and repaired 10,583, exceeding the annual target of 6,000 new classrooms. The department says it met 2007’s target of 1 classroom per 50 students.

As a result, the Education department’s classroom shortage using the assumption of 1 classroom for every 50 students on the double-shift basis, has been substantially addressed.

Some areas, however, continue to experience acute shortages, mainly due to the lack of space for new construction.

Because of this encouraging development, the Education department is now aiming to lower class sizes—from 1:50 on double-shift basis in 2006 to 2007, to 1:45 in 2008. If resources would still warrant, the department desires to bring it further down to 1:40 in 2009 and 1:35 in 2010, but still on double-shift basis.

This year, the Education department says it has an inventory of 421,034 classrooms, with about 10,472 more being constructed as of May. It expressed belief, with enough resources given to it, that it could cut the class size from 45 pupils per class in 2008, to 40 pupils in 2009, and 35 pupils in 2010.

The Education department claims that the rooms it has built fully conformed with contract specifications and within contract time, largely because school principals and field personnel have closely supervised the construction activities.

The department is also seeking an increase in the allocation of its Capital Outlay so it can also spend more in areas that are still suffering from shortages.

The double-shift basis is often not suitable in the rural areas where there are great distances between schools and the students’ and teachers’ communities and few transport facilities to ferry them. Under these circumstances, they are forced to walk several kilometers to and from school.

The great distances between schools and homes, on top of extreme poverty, has been identified as one compelling reason for students to drop out.

With critical targets and deadlines to meet, the Education department has been looking to the private sector for needed financial aid. Private sector support of basic education through the Adopt-a-School Program generated P200 million in 2002, P400 million in 2003 and P4.05 billion in 2007.

The record increase in private sector support in 2007 may be attributed to the re-launch of the program in 2006 by Secretary Jesli Lapus, who himself came from the banking sector.

Some observers are wary of these moves, though. “We should support private sector participation in educating our children, but this should not be taken to mean that the government will transfer to private school its responsibility of educating our children,” said Teacher Basas.

Militant teacher activist Antonio Tinio, of the Alliance for Concerned Teachers, was emphatic. “If the government wants to meet its Millennium Development Goals targets, it should now start to spend on education” as he decried, “It has actually spent more for debt servicing and corruption, rather than educating Filipino kids.”

Uplift of teachers will raise quality of schools

The Department of Education takes up one-third of the entire government bureaucracy. Of its 517,515 employees, 471,837 are teachers. In 2007, the Education department was given the budget for 16,334 new teacher positions, more than double the 7,237 items given in 2006. There are also about 37,000 teachers hired by local governments paid from their own funds.

Teachers are also among the most rebellious government employees. Two days before the start of classes on June 10, militant ones took to the streets for the nth time to demand better pay and more benefits.

The militant Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) gathered in front of the University of Sto. Tomas along España in Manila at 10 a.m., then attempted to march to Mendiola Bridge—the approach to Malacañang Palace—to hold a short program. Hundreds of teachers wore white t-shirts bearing the slogan “Upgrade teachers’ salaries now!”

ACT Chairman Antonio Tinio pointed out that the rally sought to highlight the urgency of raising teachers’ salaries in view of the surge in food, fuel and transport prices.

“Teachers earn P10,933 monthly. After the standard deductions they take home around P8,000. This means that they are now officially among the poor,” remarked Tinio.

“Right now, call-center agents earn very much more than public school teachers. Raising our salaries to the Salary Grade 20 level is necessary to preserve the dignity of the teaching profession and bring it closer to today’s cost of living,” said ACT Secretary-General Francisca Castro.

She added that the 10-percent salary increase to be received by all government employees starting in July wouldn’t provide the needed economic relief for teachers. She noted that the latest data from the National Wages and Productivity Commission show that the living wage for a family of six in NCR as of April 2008 now stands at P871 a day. “That’s P19,162 per month, or P8,229 more than the current salaries of teachers. A mere 10-percent increase will hardly make a dent on that deficit.”

As everyone can see, giving teachers good wages is one reason the government educational systems of Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong work.

Thaksin lawyers may sue banks

Bangkok Post - Lawyers for the Shinawatra family have threatened to take legal action against commercial banks which have frozen a total of 65 billion baht of the family's assets if they do not free the assets because the Assets Scrutiny Committee (ASC) will soon be closed down.

The ASC, however, promptly responded yesterday, saying the banks must continue to freeze the assets of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's family, even though the agency will cease to exist at the end of this month.

The ASC was responding to inquiries from Siam Commercial Bank and Siam City Bank, which are among the commercial banks which have kept the 65-billion-baht in assets frozen.

The banks contacted the ASC on Thursday after lawyers representing Mr Thaksin's younger sister Yingluck, his brother-in-law Bannapot Damapong and his children Panthongtae and Pinthongta told the banks to free the money in accordance with the National Counter Corruption Commission (NCCC) law, applied by the ASC.

The family claims the order to freeze the assets has expired, based on the NCCC law, which states that frozen assets must be freed if it fails to conclude the cases in court in one year. The time is up. Also, according to a statement from the lawyers sent to the banks, the ASC's tenure is due to end soon.

ASC member and spokesman Sak Korsaengruang said yesterday the assets freeze must continue in line with the 30th announcement of the Council for Democratic Reform (CDR) formed after the coup that toppled the Thaksin government in September 2006.

The announcement authorises the ASC to freeze wealth that was suspected to have been acquired illegally.

''Although the agency [ASC] will no longer exist after the end of this month, the CDR announcement authorises the NCCC to take over the corruption investigations of the ASC as well as the assets freeze,'' he said.

Mr Sak said the ASC saw no reason to cancel the order to freeze the assets.

In its investigation, the ASC found there were grounds to allegations of corruption, including cases of unusual wealth and improper wealth acquisitions that came while the Thaksin administration was in office.

Many cases have been processed in the judicial system and more are waiting to be forwarded by the Office of the Attorney-General to the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions to seek court orders to transfer the wealth to government coffers, Mr Sak said.

The ASC also yesterday filed a complaint with the Attorney-General's Office against former transport minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit for allegedly rigging bids in the procurement of electricity cables for Suvarnabhumi airport.

Other suspects named in the same complaint are former transport permanent secretary Srisook Chandrangsu and 19 others related to the project.

Deputy auditor-general Pisit Leelawachiropas, who heads the ASC subcommittee handling the power cable case, submitted the complaint along with two boxes of evidence, including samples of the cables at the centre of the complaint.

The ASC accused Mr Suriya of malfeasance under the Criminal Code's Article 157.

The committee also accused Mr Srisook, who is also a former chairman of the New Bangkok International Airport Co and Airports of Thailand Plc, and 19 others involved in the design, median price setting, production and supply of the power cables and pipelines, of violating Articles 152, 341 and 83 of the Criminal Code and Articles 5, 7, 10 and 11 of the law governing quotations with state agencies. The law deals with price collusion in bidding contests.

It has been reported that the specifications of the 1.8-billion-baht electricity cable project had been changed only a day before the bidding contest and that this subsequently left only one contender qualified to take on the project.

The prosecution will consider the complaint in 30 days.

Driving a hard bargain

Bangkok Post - A key representative of the inter-provincial private bus operators has threatened to lay siege to the Transport Ministry later this month if it fails to respond positively to their demands for a new fare hike.

Suchinda Cherdchai, president of the Association of Inter-provincial Bus Operators, met Transport Minister Santi Prompat yesterday to informally discuss the latest demand that calls for another increase of nine satang per kilometre.

The government has also been urged to suspend for six months the payment of the trip-based fee bus operators are required to make to the state-owned Transport Co, and to reduce the frequency of daily bus trips, which would help them cut operating costs.

Now bus operators must pay a trip fee for every bus operating in their fleet. The fee amounts to the ticket price of one seat on each bus.

Mrs Suchinda said yesterday that she told the minister the bus operators would officially file their new demand at 2pm on Tuesday. If the minister fails to help them, they will park their buses and seal off the entrance to the ministry on Ratchadamnoen avenue.

She said at present fuel costs alone averaged 3,500 baht a trip, but the collected bus fares amount to only 3,200 baht a trip.

"The big problem is the fuel cost. On top of that operators must also pay the trip-based fee to the Transport Co. On some trips, there are only six passengers. I would like to propose the temporary suspension of the fee. Operators cannot shoulder too many costs. They are dying," she said.

In another development, Chairat Sa-nguansue, the acting director-general of the Land Transport Department, said yesterday the new metered taxi fare rate should take effect by next week as officials have almost completed certifying the adjustments.

The new rate demands a minimum fare of 40 baht, instead of 35, for the first two kilometres and a higher progressive fare for longer journeys.

However, Mr Santi said yesterday that he still disagrees with the 40-baht minimum fare.

Authorities in Surat Thani province yesterday approved another fare rise, which will take effect in two months, for ferries going between Don Sak district, Koh Samui island and Koh Phangan island.

Surat Thani deputy governor Damri Boonjing said that for a trip to Koh Samui a passenger will be charged 150 baht, 20 baht more, under the new rates and a four-wheeler 420 baht, an increase of 60 baht.

For a trip to Koh Phangan, a passenger will have to pay 280 baht, 60 baht more, and a four-wheeler 800 baht, or 180 baht more.

The new fares will be charged from July 1.

The northeastern people's assembly said yesterday the group would rally in Bangkok on Tuesday if the government continues to ignore its demand and refuses to come up with relief measures to help its members cope with the higher cost of living, said Choochat Chornsawat, an assembly leader.

Mr Choochat said his group will wait for the government's response on their four-point demand for another five days.

Law minister says attempted court escape result of human error

SINGAPORE: The recent attempted escape by two accused persons – Jamaluddin Salam and Salman Abu Samah – from the Subordinate Courts should not have happened, said Law Minister and Second Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam.

It was the result of human error and non-adherence to established procedures.

In February, security lapses at the Whitley Road Detention Centre allowed alleged terrorist Mas Selamat Kastari to escape. Since then, security systems at all lock-ups have been audited.

In March and April, the lock-up system and the security system at the Subordinate Courts underwent a thorough review and some changes were made.

"My personal view and the view of people who have looked at it is that it's sound – the policies in place are sound and the system is sound," Mr Shanmugam said.

But he also made it clear that if people do not follow procedures, lapses will occur.

"There are no ifs, there are no buts. It was an error, it was a mistake. I don't think we can qualify that. There is no running away from that. It was wrong. It should not have happened. But having happened, you got to sit back and ask why," Mr Shanmugam said.

The authorities are not the only ones asking 'why'; Singaporeans also want to know why these lapses are occurring in the police force.

Recognising the legitimacy of such questions, Mr Shanmugam said two things will be done – first, re-look the current system to minimise the level of human errors, and second, have a strategic re-look at the flow of accused persons who are brought to court. As many as 50,000 of them pass through the Subordinate Courts system every year.

He said: "The Supreme Court has piloted a programme where many of the pre-trial conferences where the accused are involved with issues of bail... don't even have to be brought into court.

"If the pilot programme is successful, it's possible to look at that being extended and there are alternate methods which will focus on reducing the traffic of accused into the Subordinate Courts."

Mr Shanmugam said his Ministry will work with the Subordinate Courts on this.

"At the same time, thousands of people use the Subordinate Courts every day. We have to strike a balance between security and making sure that the place doesn't become so tight that civilians who are using it, can't use it anymore."

The minister added that other actions may also be taken when investigations into the attempted break-out are completed.


- CNA/so

Govt never borrowed from IMF or World Bank, says PM

KUALA TERENGGANU: The Government has never sought any kind of monetary assistance or even made attempts to borrow from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or World Bank to fund various mega projects in the country's development corridors.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said his Government would not even try to seek help from these world financial bodies to finance the projects carried out under these corridors.

"The allegations made by certain quarters are lies and it is an attempt to derail what the Government is doing. I am also aware that some had misinterpreted the corridor concept for their own political mileage," he said Saturday at the launch of the East Coast Economic Region (ECER) Development Council and ECER Incentive Packages at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu here.

Pahang Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob, Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman and Terengganu Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said also witnessed the launch.

Abdullah said all programmes initiated in the corridors were small and medium-scale people-centred programmes like education and agricultural programmes.

``Moreover, any large-scale infrastructure programmes are being reviewed by the Economic Planning Unit to ensure only people-centric projects are implemented to uplift the socio-economic level of the rural folk to be on par with those in Klang Valley," he said. Abdullah also announced an investment of RM18bil in ECER to date, especially from Middle East investors who are venturing into mostly agro-based industries. The Prime Minister also announced that Datuk Jebasingam Issace John would be the executive officer of the ECER Development.

Abdullah will preside over the council as chairman while other council members include Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and the Mentri Besars of Kelantan, Pahang, Terengganu and Johor.

The council also consists Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Mohamed Yakcop, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Tan Sri Amirsham A. Aziz, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan and industrial captains Tan Sri Mohd Hassan Merican, president of Petronas, and Tan Sri Datuk Lee Shin Cheng, executive chairman of IOI Corporation Berhad. During the event Abdullah also unveiled a package of incentives to promote development and attract more investments into the ECER.

Abdullah said the incentives included a 10-year tax exemption for companies in the tourism sector as well as stamp duty exemption and a 10-year tax exemption for companies investing in petrochemical projects starting from the year revenue is generated.

The Prime Minister said companies investing in the manufacturing sectors would get a five-year tax exemption from the year they start generating revenue.

For the agricultural sector, Abdullah said the Government would provide investors with a 10-year tax exemption starting from the year they generate revenue or 100% tax allowance on qualifying capital expenditure for five years, he said.

Apart from these exemptions from import duty and road tax on raw materials, components, machinery and other related equipment would also be given.

Abdullah added that more goodies and incentives for ECER would be announced later by the development council.

"I am confident that with all the efforts and initiatives being implemented, the ECER would soon become a competitive and progressive economic growth zone for the nation. "Therefore, the Government is inviting all parties to tap the opportunities available in the ECER," Abdullah said.

By R.S.N. MURALI

Rudd signs up for joint effort on climate change

Indonesia has secured pledges from Australia in various areas, including in relation to the forest carbon market and education, in a busy day of signing for visiting Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Rudd signed the joint Forest Carbon Partnership agreement at Merdeka Palace on Friday, and agreed to develop a roadmap for access to international carbon markets.

The partnership will allow Indonesia to use Australian technology to track carbon stored in its forests and help Indonesia reduce emissions caused by deforestation and forest degradation.

Under the agreement, the two countries will work together to build a roadmap that sets out incentives for developing countries to implement the Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) scheme.

"The Indonesia-Australia Forest Carbon Partnership is an example of our concrete cooperation to overcome the impacts of climate change," Yudhoyono told a joint press conference.

Yudhoyono and Rudd attended the UN climate change summit in Bali last December, during which Indonesia's REDD initiative was adopted as a possible mechanism to tackle global warming after the Kyoto Protocol commitment expires in 2012.

"This partnership is important for the future, considering the great contribution of rain forests to reducing the impacts of climate change. What we agreed today is a practical program between the two countries to make our efforts better," Rudd said.

This is Rudd's first visit to Indonesia since he was sworn in as the Australian prime minister.

Rudd broke with the policies of the Howard government and ratified the Kyoto Protocol on global warming in one of his first acts after taking power.

He said Australia and Indonesia would take the plan to a G-8 summit in the northern Japanese resort of Toyako next month, which is expected to have climate change as its focus.

Yudhoyono and Rudd also discussed expanding the two countries' security cooperation within the framework of the Lombok Treaty.

A communication glitch occurred during Yudhoyono's response to Canberra's decision to maintain a travel warning for Australian citizens visiting Indonesia.

Yudhoyono said he could understand the policy, but the interpreter mistakenly said the President demanded the warning be revoked. Yudhoyono then asked presidential spokesman Andi Mallarangeng to rectify the mistake.

Rudd also visited leaders of Indonesia's largest Muslim organizations Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah.

At the Muhammadiyah office, Rudd and Muhammadiyah chairman Din Syamsuddin signed a memorandum of understanding on broadening the partnership between the Australian government and the Muslim organization in the fields of education, health, culture and democracy.

Under the agreement Muhammadiyah and the Australian government will launch a student exchange program, Din said.

Australia will also provide funds for NU over three years to help improve education for students and teachers at Islamic boarding schools, particularly in disaster-hit areas.

Rudd's visit also marked the second phase of the ASEAN-Australia Development Cooperation Program, under which Australia has pledged to contribute A$57 million to support ASEAN's economic integration goals.

"Australia is committed to supporting ASEAN's efforts to establish an economic community by 2015 and economic integration is an important step in that process," Rudd said during his visit to the ASEAN secretariat on Friday to launch the cooperation program.

Cambodian Cabinet approves 2 hydroelectric dam projects to be built by Chinese companies

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: The Cambodian Cabinet has approved plans for Chinese companies to build two hydroelectric plants beginning the end of this year, a government official said Saturday.

Environmental groups say the dams threaten the country's ecosystem and the livelihoods of thousands.

Both dams will be located in Koh Kong province in southwestern Cambodia, said Seng Savorn, a spokesman of the Council of Ministers.

China National Heavy Machinery Corp. will take until at least 2014 to complete a US$540 million dam, which should be able to generate up to 246 megawatts of electricity, he said.

Another Chinese company, Michelle Corp., is to build a US$495.7 million dam intended to generate up to 338 megawatts of electricity, he said. The project is due to be completed in 2015.

Electricity generation in Cambodia remains largely undeveloped, with most power plants using fossil fuels. The impoverished Southeast Asian nation also buys electricity from neighboring Vietnam and Thailand.

Power costs in Cambodia are among the highest in the world, and only about 12 percent of its 14 million people have access to electricity, according to the World Bank.

Electricity prices are also a major source of complaint from investors in Cambodia.

In a bid to meet future electricity demand, the government has identified 14 potential hydroelectric dam sites across the country.

Environmentalists have voiced concerns about the impact those projects will have.

In a report earlier this year, U.S.-based International Rivers Network said "poorly conceived hydropower development could irreparably damage" Cambodia.

"Large hydropower projects can incur significant environmental and social costs that risk undermining sustainable development," said the report released in January.

Seng Savorn dismissed the concerns, saying the projects were studied thoroughly before they were approved by the Cabinet.

Sultan of Brunei Visit To France

Bandar Seri Begawan - His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam yesterday concluded a working visit to France aimed at strengthening long-standing relations between the two governments, state broadcaster Radio Television Brunei (RTB) reported last night.

Both leaders expressed confidence that the two countries have much to look forward to in the pursuit of shared ideals and objectives for the benefit of its people, RTB said in its report.

Prior to departing Hotel Plaza Athenee for the airport, a doa selamat was read by the State Mufti. The royal entourage consisted of Her Majesty Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha, Her Royal Highness Pengiran Isteri Azrinaz Mazhar and the monarch's sons and daughters.

Relations between the two countries have been progressing at a steady pace, RTB reported a day earlier, during a meeting between the monarch and French president Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris on Thursday.

Both leaders exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual concern, and expressed satisfaction with the positive progress in defence and investment cooperation, RTB said. The two countries also agreed to further strengthen ties in education and culture.

During the meeting, His Majesty commended the French Government for hosting the International Donors Conference for Afghanistan.

France has so far invested around $500 million in Brunei, with $400 million in the oil and gas sector and another $100 million in goods ranging from consumer products, electronics and other businesses.

Throughout the working visit, the monarch also took the opportunity to visit the headquarters of France's elite counter-terrorism and hostage rescue unit, the National Gendarmerie Intervention Group Unit, in Satory, Versailles. The monarch was given a tour of the facility and witnessed a live demonstration of a hostage rescue situation. -- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

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