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Search Centre (SEARC), Cityu and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), Germany Jointly organized by Southeast Asia Research Centre (SEARC), CityU and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), Germany 26 and 27 January 2012 9:00am – 5:00pm Connie Fan Multi-media Conference Room, City University of Hong Kong The conference will focus on the surprising socio-political and economic changes that have taken place in Myanmar in the wake of the 2010 elections and the prospect for further political liberalization in the context of the reforms that have already taken place. Speakers Overview Robert Taylor, Visiting Professional Fellow, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, On March 30, 2011, Myanmar’s long ruling military government, the State Peace and Singapore Development Council (SPDC), handed over power to a new civilian government that Ko Ko Hlaing, Presidential Adviser, Government of Myanmar came into being in the wake of the SPDC-sponsored elections held in November 2010. Because all administrative and legislative bodies both at the central and local U Thu Wai, Chairman, Democrat Party, Myanmar levels were controlled by members of the military-backed Union Solidarity and Thihan Myo-Nyun, Attorney and Legal Scholar, School of Law, Case Western Development Party (USDP), many political activists and Myanmar watchers did not Reserve University, Ohio, United States of America expect much change under the new government. However, on August 19, 2011, Tom Crammer, Researcher, Transnational Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands to the surprise of many, President Thein Sein met pro-democracy leader Aung Kyaw Yin Hlaing, Associate Director of SEARC and Assistant Professor of AIS, San Suu Kyi in his official residence. Two days earlier, the president invited exile CityU activists to return to the country. When Aung San Suu Kyi attended a government- sponsored conference on macro-economic reforms, she was welcomed as a “very David Taw, Foreign Relations Officer, Karen National Union, Chiang Mai, Thailand very important person” (VVIP). Several senior government officials were very U Wun Tha, Chief Editor, Myanmar Khit Journal, Yangon, Myanmar friendly towards her and many well-known cronies of senior government officials Hla Maung Shwe, Vice-President, Myanmar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who in the past stayed away from members of the opposition lined up for a photo Yangon, Myanmar opportunity with the lady. Myint Su, Freelance Consultant and Community Development Worker, Yangon, Aung San Suu Kyi publicly stated that she was very encouraged by the meeting Myanmar and that she had trust in the president’s determination to bring about political Zaw Zaw Han, Civil Society Activist and Founder and CEO of the Evergreen Group, change to the country, including on the issue of democracy. For the first time in Yangon, Myanmar its history, the main opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD) Winston Set Aung, Consultant and Presidential Adviser, Government of Myanmar issued a statement with positive comments about the government a few days after their leader met with President Thein Sein. While major EU countries welcomed Tin Htut Oo, Consultant, Yangon, Myanmar the meeting, the United Nations’ human rights rapporteur Mr Quintana noted in Wa Wa Tun, President, Myanmar Women Entrepreneur Association, Yangon, a statement issued at the end of his recent visit to Myanmar that there were “real Myanmar opportunities for positive and meaningful developments to improve the human Tin Maung Maung Than, Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Southeast Asian rights situation and bring about a genuine transition to democracy”. On the other Studies, Singapore hand, many exile activists still have reservations about the sincerity of the president. Kyee Myint, Retired Director General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Some have gone so far as to claim that what the president has done has been little Myanmar more than a publicity stunt and that there was no difference between the new Li Chenyang, Director, Southeast Asia Centre, Yunnan University, Kunming, China civilian government and the predecessor military regime. Nyunt Maung Shein, Retired Director-General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, When President Thein Sein suspended the controversial Myitsone dam project Government of Myanmar (jointly developed with Chinese construction companies) in response to the rejection of the project by civil society groups, the US and EU governments praised Mary Callahan, Associate Professor, University of Washington, United States of America the decision. Even some exile activists began to opine that the new Myanmar government should be given a chance to prove itself different from its predecessor. Andreas List, Ambassador, European Union Myanmar has long defied some major social science theories and the expectations Myint Soe, Retired Ambassador, Yangon, Myanmar of both social scientists and journalists. Although some political transition theories speculated that military governments would not last very long, the military rule in Discussants Myanmar has lasted several decades. At the same time, although several Myanmar watchers had argued that the political liberalization undertaken by the military U Ye Htut, Ministry of Information, Myanmar council that ruled the country between 1988 and 2011 would be meaningless, recent Thuya (Zarganar), Human Rights Activist, Myanmar changes have indicated that real political change might be in the making. Therefore, it is a high time to examine how the emergence of the new government has affected Maung Maung Thar Myint, Civil Society, Activist, Myanmar Myanmar politics, economy, civil society space and foreign relations and how the Zaw Aye Maung, Rakhine Nationalities Democracy Party, Myanmar recent political changes, especially the relations between the government and the U Chit khaing, President, Myanmar Rice Merchants Association, Myanmar opposition should be understood. This conference at the South East Asia Research Centre of the City University of Hong Kong will bring together 26 top scholars, Lian Sakhong, China Political Activist, Bangkok, Thailand political consultants, human rights activists, journalists as well as government and opposition representatives to discuss these important and timely issues. The Southeast Asia Research Centre organized a workshop on Problems with the National Reconciliation Process in Myanmar in 2009. The 2009 workshop examined Myanmar politics under military rule. The 2012 conference can be considered a sequel to the earlier workshop. For conference registration and enquiries, please direct email to [email protected]..
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