Myanmar/Burma: many political prisoners freed, US restores diplomatic relations

(excerpted from multiple sources)

Myanmar freed some of its most famous political inmates Friday, sparking jubilation outside prison gates while signaling its readiness to meet Western demands for lifting economic sanctions.

Prominent political activists, leaders of brutally repressed democratic uprisings, a former prime minister, ethnic minority leaders, journalists and relatives of the former dictator Ne Win were among those released. State media described the presidential pardon freeing 651 detainees as allowing them to take part in “nation-building.”

It was the latest in a flurry of accelerating changes in Myanmar sought by the West, including starting a dialogue with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Thursday’s signing of a cease-fire in a long-running campaign against Karen insurgents.

“The release of such a large number of political prisoners demonstrates the government’s will to solve political problems through political means,” said Win Tin, a senior member of Suu Kyi’s party who previously spent 19 years in prison but was released under a 2008 amnesty.

Among the high-profile inmates released were Min Ko Naing, a nearly legendary student leader from Myanmar’s failed 1988 pro-democracy uprising.

Cheers and applause erupted outside the Thayet Prison, 545 kilometers (345 miles) north of Yangon, where a huge crowd gathered to see the charismatic activist. Min Ko Naing, leader of the “88 Generation Students Group,” was serving a 65-year prison sentence. His most recent arrest came in August 2007 along with 14 other student leaders at a protest against fuel price increases that preceded the monk-led Saffron Revolution, which was violently suppressed. Activists arrested after the abortive 2007 Saffron Revolution – named for the color of the robes worn by the country’s Buddhist monks — were also freed. Among them were Shin Gambira, 32, a militant monk who helped lead the anti-government protests. Family members said he told them he was in good health. Also freed was ethnic leader Khun Tun Oo, the chairman of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, who was serving a 93-year sentence. He was arrested along with several other Shan leaders in February 2005 and charged with treason.

Traditional Shan music blasted from speakers outside Khun Tun Oo’s family home in Yangon, where a crowd danced as they awaited his return. The government recently signed a preliminary cease-fire agreement with Shan rebels, among several other pacts to end ethnic fighting. The Shan Herald Agency for News, an online news site close to the rebels, said five or six Shan political prisoners were freed on Friday.

Jailed former Prime Minister Khin Nyunt also was freed. He was ousted in 2004 after falling out of favor with the junta and convicted a year later of insubordination and corruption and sentenced to 44 years under house arrest.

“The democratic process is on the right track,” the 73-year-old Khin Nyunt told reporters in Yangon, saying he did not plan to return to politics.

The Obama administration formally restored U.S. diplomatic relations with Myanmar on Friday in recognition of the isolated regime’s recent steps toward reform, including the release of political prisoners and a cease-fire with a rebel group. Capping months of cautious steps toward normalization, U.S. officials said they had growing confidence that the Myanmar’s government is serious about political reforms and opening up to the outside world after years of repression.

President Obama hailed the pardon and release Friday of 651 prisoners in Myanmar, also known as Burma, calling it “a substantial step forward for political reform.”

The administration will send an ambassador to Myanmar for the first time since 1990, and is considering other steps toward normalization, said Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. The United States has invited Burma to send an ambassador to Washington.

India Marks a Milestone for Child Health

(Bill Gates, Huffington Post)

Four years ago, I visited India and saw again what polio does to children. I was in a slum in East Delhi, when I met a 9-month-old girl named Hashmin — paralyzed by polio — cradled in her mother’s arms. She will never be able to do many of the normal things kids do because she has polio. Watching her was the strongest of reminders of the imperative of ending this terrible scourge once and for all.

The following year, in 2009, India had more polio cases than any other country in the world. But much has changed since then, and this Friday will mark a full year since the last case of wild poliovirus was detected in India. This is a huge milestone in the history of global health.

With a huge and growing population, hard-to-reach migrant communities, and sanitation and health conditions that limit the effectiveness of polio vaccines, this remarkable achievement in India marks clear progress in the fight against polio.

India really stepped up to the challenge on polio. The government of India funded its own eradication program. Twice a year, 2 million volunteers prepare 800,000 vaccination booths around the country — at schools, hospitals, and community centers. They immunize more than 172 million children one by one. Working with partners like Rotary International, WHO, andUNICEF, they have built an impressive infrastructure for delivering health services to some of the most underprivileged children in the world.

India’s story is proof that major health problems can be solved in the toughest places in the world. … Eradicating polio is a top personal priority and of the greatest importance at the foundation. Last year, I visited India again to see how the country was able to make such phenomenal progress. I also visited Nigeria and Chad to understand the challenges that lie ahead. I’m optimistic that we can vanquish polio forever if other countries choose to learn from India’s success. Together, we can accomplish something amazing.