The United Nations High Commission for Refugees says it is broadly satisfied with the agreement reached by the Australian and Malaysian governments on the resettlement of asylum seekers.

The Gillard Government will transfer 800 asylum seekers who arrive to Australia by boat, in exchange for settling 4,000 refugees who have had their claims processed in Malaysia.

Malaysia is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention, and the Opposition has accused the Government of hypocrisy after it refused to re-open the Nauru centre on the grounds the Pacific nation had not signed the convention.

But UNHCR regional representative, Richard Towle, says Malaysia has agreed to abide by key parts of the convention.

"We need to look at the details of how people will be treated and the various rights and entitlements and conditions for them when they go back there," he said.

"But most of the world's refugees are today living in countries that haven't signed the Refugee Convention so the fact that you haven't signed the convention doesn't mean that you're not treated properly.

"Having said that, it is important to identify the core protection safeguards that we would like to see in any return arrangement."

Despite his support of the plan, Mr Towle has reacted cautiously to the Government's suggestion that it will be relying heavily on the UN body to monitor the implementation of the agreement.

He says the UNHCR wants guarantees asylum seekers will not be returned the countries they flee from.

"The core [requirement] which I think everybody agrees on and that's what we call the principle of non-refoulement, that's non-expulsion of asylum seekers and refugees out of the country to face persecution," he said.

"We would want to see that and I think we are seeing that as a commitment from both governments."

But Mr Towle says the scheme has the potential to improve the way the region manages refugee flows.

"I think it's very important that this agreement is appropriately monitored and is seen to deliver not only outcomes for governments in terms of dealing with human smuggling and trafficking movements but also is seen to deliver improved protection for people in the region," he said

"I think in that sense it has the potential to... make a significant practical contribution to what we're trying to achieve in the region.

"And if it's a good experience other countries can look at it and say 'yes, that's a positive way of managing these issues. Perhaps we want to embark on similar or other initiatives under a regional cooperation framework'."

He says there are significant differences between the current deal and the Howard government's Pacific solution.

"This is an agreement, it's a bilateral agreement that has been negotiated within a broader regional cooperation framework with the involvement of UNHCR and the involvement of IOM (International Organisation for Migration) and we hope the involvement of other important actors as well, including non-governmental organisations," he said.

"So it is an agreement between countries that are actively involved with refugee issues and both commonly face a refugee displacement problem."

Mr Towle says the Howard government's push to house asylum seekers in countries without a refugee problem was about shifting responsibility.

"Australia was obviously looking at ways to divest itself of some of the responsibilities of dealing with refugees," he said.

"The countries that were negotiated, Nauru and PNG at that time, did not have a refugee issue of their own and largely became places were Australia was able to manage its own protection responsibilities under the convention.

"So it was not a regional burden-sharing arrangement at all. It was much more of a responsibility-shifting arrangement. And that's why we think they are not only philosophically but also in the way they were implemented they're quite different types of arrangements."

Earlier, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said the plan is a "panicked, desperate thought bubble" that has not been properly thought through.

And the Greens have described the proposal as "appalling", saying it would lead to vulnerable people being dumped in a country with a poor human rights record.

Burma Army officers killed in Shan ambush

7 Burma Army officers and 2 privates were killed while 8-15 others were injured by an ambush staged by the Shan State Army (SSA) ‘South’ of Gen Yawd Serk in Shan State South’s Mongkeung township, according to local sources.

SSA 'South' (Photo: S.H.A.N.)

The death included Faikhun (Pekhon) based Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 422 commander Lt-Col Than Htike Way, Sergeant Major Soe Myint, Sergeant Htun Aung, Sergeant Thein Hlaing, Coporal Htun Htun Lwin, Corporal Kyaw Soe Min, Corporal Htun Khaing and privates Ko Zaw and Myo Zaw Oo, according to SSA sources.

The attack took place on 9 May at 3:45, on the way between Tonglao and Hsataw, where the Burma Army troops were coming in a Tolaji (Chinese made farm tractor). The attack lasted about an hour.

The civilian Tolaji driver was also reportedly killed in the attack. The SSA said it suffered no casualties on its side.

“We received the information in advance, because the battalion is loathed by the local population for its excesses,” said an SSA officer.

According to the SSA, the reason there were many non-commissioned officers among the casualties was because they had just finished the non-commissioned officers training course and were sent to inspect the areas in order to familiarize themselves with the terrain.

Both the SSA ‘South’ and the SSA ‘North’ have been employing mobile tactics against the Burma Army which have caused many casualties on the Burma Army side.

Update News
12 May 2011

The acting commander of LID 422 who was killed was not Lt-Col Than Htike Way, but Maj Thein Oo, Thai-Burma border security source said. 10 were killed and 15 wounded during the action. 3 more died afterwards. (SHAN)

Mother's Day Origin
Moms are the best things that ever happened in the world. On the second Sunday of May every year, we celebrate Mother's Day as an opportunity to express our love, respect and gratitude to our mothers for all the things she has done for us. Over the years, people have tried to consolidate the origin, history, legends and stories of this very special day. The roots of Mother's Day go back to the ancient festivals dedicated to mother goddess. In the ancient Greek empire, Rhea, the wife of Cronus, and mother of Gods and Goddesses, was worshipped and honored at this time every year as a spring celebration. In Rome too, Cybele, a mother Goddess, was worshipped, as early as in 250 BC. It was known as Hilaria, and it lasted for three days, called the Ides of March, that is from March 15 to March 18.

In more recent times, during the 1600s, England observed Mothering Sunday, or the Mid-Lent-Sunday, on the fourth Sunday in Lent. It was quite identical to the modern-day celebrations. In England, where small chapels of ease served the ordinary needs of the country parishioners, the people went on Mid-Lent Sunday to the 'Mother Church' of the parish, laden with offerings. The historians hypothesize that the Mother Church was substituted for Mother Goddess by the early church, who adopted the ancient Roman ceremonies in honor of Cybele to venerate Mother Mary. And this is why it became customary to visit the church on the day of baptism or on Mother's Day.

The custom began for those working away from homes to return to their homes on Mothering Sunday with small gifts, or, mothering cakes for their mothers. Back home, they presented their mothers with a cake and little nosegays of violets and other wild flowers gathered in the hedgerows as they walked along the country lanes. Entire families attended church together and enjoyed a dinner, consisting of roast lamb, or veal, at which the mother was treated as the 'queen of the feast'. Everything was done to make her happy. The custom of Mothering Sunday became more widespread during the 19th century. Any youth engaged in such act of duty was said to go 'mothering'. The day was celebrated with a festive mood appropriate to that day. The prominent dish was called furmety, made from wheat grains boiled in sweet milk, sugared, and spiced.

In the northern part of England and Scotland, there had been a custom of having steeped peas fried in butter, with pepper and salt. Pancakes, so prepared, were passed by the name of carlings. It was so popular that Carling Sunday became a local name for the day. The mothering cake also went by the name of Simnel cake. This was a very rich fruit cake, the richer the better. For, the Lenten fast dictated that it must be kept until Easter. First boiled in water and then baked, it sometimes had an almond icing. At other times, the crust was made of flour and water, colored with saffron. The word Simnel comes from the Latin Simila, which means high-grade wheat flour. The customs of Mothering Sunday in England started declining with the changing patterns of the society following the Industrial Revolution.

In the United States, Anna M. Jarvis (1864-1948) is credited with bringing in the celebration of Mother's Day. Anna Jarvis intended to start Mother's Day as an occasion for honoring mothers. The idea itself was so great that it did not take long to spread all over. Leaving aside the first observance, the official recognition that followed for the observance came in galore. The governor of West Virginia issued the first Mother's Day proclamation in 1910. Oklahoma celebrated it in the same year. It stirred the same way in as far west as the state of Washington. And by 1911, there was not a state in the Union that did not have its own observances for Mother's Day. Soon it crossed the national boundary, as people in Mexico, Canada, South America, China, Japan, and Africa joined the spree to celebrate a day for mother's love.

The immense popularity of the day led to the foundation of Mother's Day International Association on December 12, 1912. Its purpose was to promote and encourage meaningful observances of the event across the world. It was in 1934 that Postmaster General James A. Farley announced a stamp to commemorate Mother's Day. The stamp featured the famous painting "Arrangement in Grey and Black". The painting was a portrait of the mother of James Abbott McNeill Whistler, an English artist. It was brought to the United States as part of an exhibit in the year 1934.

ZomiDaily :: Tuni denmahmah in BBC te genkhiatna ah Al-Qaeda aphuankhiapa leh amakaipipa Osama Bin Laden pen US galkapte'n Pakistan ah thaklumkhinzo cih President Obama tangkokhia cihi. Islamabad pualamah US Intelligence te'n Ground Operation abawlna panun Osma Bin Laden athakzo uh ahihi. President Obama in US Forces te khutsungah Bin Laden luangpen omhi cihi. Thau kikapna hangin US Forces te aliam abai omlo cihzong genkhia hi.

Osama Bin Laden pen ihzakzaksa mahbangin ngongtatna tampi abawlkhiapa hi a, adiakdiakin New York leh Washington ah September 11, 2001 in asuksiat nate hangin US kumpi-in abetbet khat ahihi. US gam ii amatnoppen khat "most wanted" zong ahihi. President Obama zong lungkim mahmah a, Bin Laden amatzawh uhpen US gam ii gualzawhna lianpikhat hi cihi.

Ahih hangin Al-Qaeda ngongtat pawlkhatte'n Bin Laden akithahna hangin American te tungah aphu alakkikding lauthawng ahih manin, leitung mungkhempeuh aom US Embassy teng khempeuhah kidopdingthu zasak uhhi. Washington DC aom White House pualam ah mipi-in "USA, USA" ci-in gualzawhnatawh awngziahziah uhhi. President Obama in a tangkona zong hihhttp://www.zomidaily.com/video/viewvideo/410/english/president-obama-on-death-of-osama-bin-laden.html pan ki enthei hi. Direct Copy from Zomi Daily

'Justice has been done,' Obama says; 9/11 mastermind is buried at sea following gunbattle

Obama: Al-Qaida head bin Laden dead

AP Photo

In this April 1998 file photo, Osama bin Laden is shown in Afghanistan. More photos »

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• Play Video Video:Obama: Pakistan aided US in bin Laden operation AP

AP – President Barack Obama reads his statement to photographers after making a televised statement on the …

By JULIE PACE and MATT APUZZO, Associated Press – 24 mins ago

WASHINGTON – Osama bin Laden, the glowering mastermind behind the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks that murdered thousands of Americans, was killed in an operation led by the United States, President Barack Obama said Sunday.

"Justice has been done," said the president in a dramatic late-night announcement at the White House.

A small team of Americans killed bin Laden in a firefight Sunday at a compound in Pakistan, the president said, and took custody of his remains. Americaj officials said they were being handled in accordance with Islamic tradition.

A jubilant crowd gathered outside the White House as word spread of bin Laden's death after a global manhunt that lasted nearly a decade.

Former President George W. Bush, who was in office on the day of the attacks, issued a written statement hailing bin Laden's death as a momentous achievement. "The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done," he said.

Obama said he ordered the operation after receiving undisclosed intelligence information. Senior administration officials said the terrorist mastermind was found inside a custom-built compound with two security gates. They said it appeared to hvae been constructed to harbor one high-value target and that for undisclosed reasons, officials became clear the hideout was bin Laden's.

Officials also said they believe the death puts al-Qaida on a path of decline that will be difficult to reverse, but there was no word on the whereabouts of bin Laden's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahri.

The stunning end to the world's most widely-watched manhunt came just months before the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Centers and Pentagon, orchestrated by bin Laden's al-Qaida organization, that killed more than 3,000 people.

Click image to see photos of bin Laden, reaction to death

AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta

The attacks a decade ago seemed to come out of nowhere, even though al-Qaida had previously damaged American targets overseas.

The terrorists hijacked planes, flew one of them into one of Manhattan's Twin Towers — and, moments later, into the other one. Both buildings collapsed, trapping thousands inside and claiming the lives of firefighters and others who had rushed to help them.

A third plane slammed into the Pentagon, defacing the symbol of America's military night. A fourth crashed in rural Pennsylvania after passengers overpowered the hijackers and forced the craft from the air — before it could hit its intended target in Washington.

The attacks set off a chain of events that led the United States into wars in Afghanistan, and then Iraq, and America's entire intelligence apparatus was overhauled to counter the threat of more terror attacks at home.

A senior administration official says Obama gave the final order for U.S. officials to go after bin Laden on Friday. The official added that a small team found their quarry hiding in a large home in an affluent suburb of Islamabad. The raid occurred in the early morning hours Sunday.

Administration officials offered some details of the operation.

Based on statements given by U.S. detainees, intelligence officials have known for years that bin Laden trusted one al-Qaida courier in particular and they believed he might be living with him in hiding. In November, intelligence officials found out where he was living, a huge fortified compound in an affluent suburb of Islamabad. It was surrounded by walls as high as 18 feet high, topped with barbed wire. There were two security gates and no phone or Internet running into the house.

Intelligence officials believed the $1 million home was custom-built to harbor a major terrorist. CIA experts analyzed whether it could be anyone else, but time and again, they decided it was almost certainly bin Laden.

Three adult males were also killed in Sunday's raid, including one of bin Laden's sons, whom officials did not name. One of bin Laden's sons, Hamza, is a senior member of al-Qaida.

Obama spoke with Bush and former President Bill Clinton Sunday night to inform them of the developments.

Obama struck a less than boastful tone in his brief announcement, although he said the death of bin Laden was "the most significant achievement to date in our nation's effort to defeat al-Qaida.

"His death does not mark the end of our effort. There's no doubt that al-Qaida will continue to pursue attacks against us. We must and we will remain vigilant," he added.

Moments after he spoke, American officials cautioned that the events could lead to heightened threats against the United States.

Officials said the U.S. would ensure that bin Laden's body was handled in accordance with Islamic tradition.