Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s non-profit organisation the Jolie-Pitt Foundation has donated $1 million to charity work in Burma and Zimbabwe.
24 September 2008 Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have donated $1 million to charity.The couple’s non-profit organisation the Jolie-Pitt Foundation has given the generous sum to the Human Rights Watch’s work in Burma and Zimbabwe.Kenneth Roth, Human Rights Watch’s executive director, welcomed the donation, saying: "Burma and Zimbabwe are two of the most repressive countries in the world and we need to increase international pressure on them to change."Brad and Angelina's investment in our work at this critical moment will allow intensified efforts by our researchers to expose the repression that these governments try to keep hidden and by our advocates to generate the global pressure needed to improve people's lives."Brad, 44, and 33-year-old Angelina’s contribution will go towards funding research and advocacy in the two countries.The Human Rights Watch is an independent organisation dedicated to exposing human rights violations and protecting people at risk of discrimination throughout the world.Earlier this month, the generous duo - who have six children together - handed over $2 million to fund a children’s home in Ethiopia. Their adopted three-year-old daughter Zahara was born in the African country.The couple also run a health centre in Cambodia, where their seven-year-old son Maddox was born.In June, the Jolie-Pitt Foundation donated $1 million to children affected by the Iraq war.
Wednesday, 24 September 2008
Brad Pitt’s Burma donation
Tuesday, 23 September 2008
Leaked Document Reveals Burma’s US Policy
Burma’s military leaders know they cannot stand alone in the world, but will react according to each situation with a view to balancing their relations with the world’s superpowers, said Home Affairs Minister Maj-Gen Maung Oo at a meeting of his ministers in July.
According to a confidential document acquired recently by The Irrawaddy detailing the minutes of a July 6 meeting, Home Ministry officials were briefed on relations with the United States, China and Indonesia, as well as the junta’s policy toward the 2010 elections, the National League for Democracy (NLD) and how the junta would react to future demonstrations.
According to the leaked minutes of the meeting, Maj-Gen Maung Oo told Home Ministry officials that in reaction to the global influence of the US and the West, Burma would continue to pursue “strong relations” with China, but that didn't mean that the junta was pro-Beijing. “In the modern world, we cannot stand alone,” Maung Oo reportedly said.
The leaked document also revealed that the regime plans to deploy riot police in the event of future protests or civil unrest.
“The international community criticized us for using the armed forces to crack down on [last September’s] demonstrators,” the home minister is quoted as saying. “Therefore we need to reorganize our riot police.”
He also warned officials to be prepared for the coming elections in 2010.
On foreign policy, Maung Oo criticized the US for “using humanitarian issues and democracy as a policy to overthrow governments that it disliked.”
Maung Oo slammed the US for using the UN and the “Responsibility to Protect” paradigm as part of an agenda to accuse the Burmese government of “Crimes against Humanity.” He also said the UN and associate international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) were “puppets” of the US and the CIA.
According to the minutes of the meeting, Maung Oo forewarned his subordinates of the possibility of a third UN Security Council resolution on Burma and subsequent economic sanctions and an embargo.
“In the event of a third presidential statement,” Maung Oo said. “There could be a resolution that the 192 members of the UN will have to follow—led by the US.”
According to the 14-page document, Maung Oo went on to accuse the US, the UN and INGOs of pushing Burma to the top of their agendas. On the Cyclone Nargis disaster, the home minister accused US relief items of providing aid to the victims “just for show” and said the US only delivered drinking water, instant noodles and medicine.
The minister is reported to have accused international aid agencies of spending humanitarian aid money on themselves and not on the cyclone victims.
“We told them to send construction materials instead of instant food,” Maung Oo continued. “But nobody did.”
He also expressed the regime's skepticism and resentment that aid was not delivered through government channels, so the authorities could not see what was being delivered.
Regarding the US naval ships’ inability to deliver aid to cyclone survivors in the Irrawaddy delta, Maung Oo is reported as saying that the Burmese junta denied the request because the regime believed the US military would find an excuse not to leave until after the 2010 elections.
He also pointed out that although the Burmese government calculated that about US $11.7 billion was needed in relief after Cyclone Nargis, the Tripartite Core Group—comprising the UN, Asean and the Burmese regime—only approved about $0.9 billion in aid, which was 12 times the difference of the junta’s calculations.
The ministry’s minutes of the July 6 meeting also make reference to the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD). Maung Oo reportedly said the regime was “not scared” of the opposition winning the election, but said that they would have to be careful because the party was backed by the US, British and French embassies.
According to the leaked document, the home minister also referred to the diplomatic standoff between Burma and Indonesia. He reportedly confirmed that there were currently no relations between the two countries at an ambassadorial level and that the first step was for the Indonesian parliament to endorse Burma's ambassador to Jakarta.
According to a confidential document acquired recently by The Irrawaddy detailing the minutes of a July 6 meeting, Home Ministry officials were briefed on relations with the United States, China and Indonesia, as well as the junta’s policy toward the 2010 elections, the National League for Democracy (NLD) and how the junta would react to future demonstrations.
According to the leaked minutes of the meeting, Maj-Gen Maung Oo told Home Ministry officials that in reaction to the global influence of the US and the West, Burma would continue to pursue “strong relations” with China, but that didn't mean that the junta was pro-Beijing. “In the modern world, we cannot stand alone,” Maung Oo reportedly said.
The leaked document also revealed that the regime plans to deploy riot police in the event of future protests or civil unrest.
“The international community criticized us for using the armed forces to crack down on [last September’s] demonstrators,” the home minister is quoted as saying. “Therefore we need to reorganize our riot police.”
He also warned officials to be prepared for the coming elections in 2010.
On foreign policy, Maung Oo criticized the US for “using humanitarian issues and democracy as a policy to overthrow governments that it disliked.”
Maung Oo slammed the US for using the UN and the “Responsibility to Protect” paradigm as part of an agenda to accuse the Burmese government of “Crimes against Humanity.” He also said the UN and associate international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) were “puppets” of the US and the CIA.
According to the minutes of the meeting, Maung Oo forewarned his subordinates of the possibility of a third UN Security Council resolution on Burma and subsequent economic sanctions and an embargo.
“In the event of a third presidential statement,” Maung Oo said. “There could be a resolution that the 192 members of the UN will have to follow—led by the US.”
According to the 14-page document, Maung Oo went on to accuse the US, the UN and INGOs of pushing Burma to the top of their agendas. On the Cyclone Nargis disaster, the home minister accused US relief items of providing aid to the victims “just for show” and said the US only delivered drinking water, instant noodles and medicine.
The minister is reported to have accused international aid agencies of spending humanitarian aid money on themselves and not on the cyclone victims.
“We told them to send construction materials instead of instant food,” Maung Oo continued. “But nobody did.”
He also expressed the regime's skepticism and resentment that aid was not delivered through government channels, so the authorities could not see what was being delivered.
Regarding the US naval ships’ inability to deliver aid to cyclone survivors in the Irrawaddy delta, Maung Oo is reported as saying that the Burmese junta denied the request because the regime believed the US military would find an excuse not to leave until after the 2010 elections.
He also pointed out that although the Burmese government calculated that about US $11.7 billion was needed in relief after Cyclone Nargis, the Tripartite Core Group—comprising the UN, Asean and the Burmese regime—only approved about $0.9 billion in aid, which was 12 times the difference of the junta’s calculations.
The ministry’s minutes of the July 6 meeting also make reference to the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD). Maung Oo reportedly said the regime was “not scared” of the opposition winning the election, but said that they would have to be careful because the party was backed by the US, British and French embassies.
According to the leaked document, the home minister also referred to the diplomatic standoff between Burma and Indonesia. He reportedly confirmed that there were currently no relations between the two countries at an ambassadorial level and that the first step was for the Indonesian parliament to endorse Burma's ambassador to Jakarta.
Burma Still at Bottom of List of World’s Dirtiest Countries
Military-ruled Burma is still one of the most corrupt countries in the world, ranking just ahead of Somalia and tied with Iraq for the second-lowest spot, according to the Global Corruption Report 2008, released by Transparency International (TI) today.
A map showing levels of corruption around the world (Source: Transparency International)Denmark, New Zealand and Sweden shared the highest ranking as the world’s cleanest countries, getting the top score of 9.3 on TI’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), which ranks countries on a scale from 1 to 10. They were followed by Singapore, which scored 9.2.
At the opposite end of the scale was Somalia, which has dropped from a CPI score of 1.4 last year to 1.0 this year. Somalia’s slide meant that it was now regarded as more corrupt that Burma, which it tied for last place in 2007.
Although Burma now shares second-worst status with Iraq, it has also become more corrupt since last year, according to the report. Burma’s score has fallen from 1.4 to 1.3, placing it just behind Haiti at 1.4 and Afghanistan at 1.5.
In a press release, TI highlights the fatal link between poverty, failed institutions and graft.
“In the poorest countries, corruption levels can mean the difference between life and death, when money for hospitals or clean water is in play,” Huguette Labelle, the chair of TI’s board of directors, was quoted as saying in the press release.
“The continuing high levels of corruption and poverty plaguing many of the world’s societies amount to an ongoing humanitarian disaster and cannot be tolerated,” Labelle added.
In a press release dated November 1, 2007, TI singled out Burma for its severe violations of human rights, as well as its widespread corruption.
“The United Nations Security Council as well as Burma’s neighbors must increase pressure on the Burmese government to end massive human rights abuses and crack down on endemic corruption,” the release said.
Burma Releases Longest-Serving Political Prisoner
Burma's military leaders have released journalist Win Tin, the country's longest-serving political prisoner, after he spent 19 years in prison.Shortly after his release Tuesday from Insein Prison in the main city of Rangoon, the ailing 78-year-old told a group of reporters and others that he would continue his fight until the emergence of democracy in Burma.Win Tin was arrested in 1989 and sentenced to 20 years in jail for allegedly writing anti-government propaganda. His release comes as Burma also announced today the release of nine thousand and two prisoners for good behavior.Official media say the prisoners are being released so they can be turned into citizens able to participate in building a new nation. The reports added that they were freed so they could take part in what it described as the "fair election" to be held in 2010.It was not clear how many of Burma's estimated two thousand political prisoners are included in the amnesty.The elections are part of Burma's long announced road map to democracy, which will give voters the first chance to cast ballots since 1990.Western nations have dismissed the road map as a sham designed to keep the military in power.Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition National League for Democracy won a landslide victory in 1990 elections, but the military refused to acknowledge the victory.The Nobel Peace Prize laureate has been under house arrest for 13 of the last 19 years.
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