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| NMSP member killed near SPDC’s Southeast Command Headquarters |
| Wednesday, 29 April 2009 |
For the first time since reaching the ceasefire agreement in 1995, a young and educated New Mon State Party member who was in charge of the Mon Relief and Development Committee, was shot and killed near the SPDC Southeast Command, says a party source quoting the SPDC police officer in charge of investigating the murder.
Nai Minn Naung, 40-years-old, known as a committed Mon soldier was killed with gunshot wound to his back by 9 mm pistol while driving on the high way in Mon State, near to the SPDC ‘s Southeast Command and the Government Technical College (GTC) on April 18th, said the party senior leader, Nai Shwe Thein.
Dr. Nai Minn Naung (BVS) had withdrawn funds from a bank in the capital of Mon State, Moulmein to buy rations for the New Mon State Party business affairs when he was shot by an unidentified gunmen, he was found with a roll of 18 million Kyat notes, the Burmese currency, Thein said quoting the police, “They are now investigating the case and cannot determine the motive.”
The carrying of firearms is reserved for the top leaders of NMSP, but are prohibited for the regular members due to security reasons in the urban area. However, other ethnic ceasefire groups’ members such as Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) allied with the SPDC are given the right to hold guns in Mon and Karen States, say the local people from Mon State.
Some senior leaders of the party such as the present Secretary General Nai Hongsar have never visited the area under the control of SPDC for fear of being assassinated even though the two parties reached a ceasefire. Tension between the NMSP and SPDC has reached the boiling point after the party refused to be involved in the upcoming election sponsored by SPDC who continue to show signs of holding onto power at all costs.
Nai Minn Naung (Nai Ai Rot) was elected as a District Committee member at the Party Congress in January 2009. He is survived by his spouse Mi Soe Mon, son Mehm Ong Pon and daughter Mi Mrok Pon.
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| Kyat 4 lakhs in bribe to leave Burmese Army |
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28 April 2009: If a soldier wants to leave the Burmese Army he needs to grease the palms of the military commander of his battalion with at least Kyat 4 lakhs, sources in the army said.
According to a soldier in the Burmese Army’s Light Infantry Battalion No. 266, who wanted to remain anonymous, the junta wanted to restrict those who are approaching the pension age of 60.
“Our monthly salary is Kyat 17,000 only! There are deductions for the regime’s funds from our pay.. How is it possible to fork out Kyat 4 lakhs to leave the army? We can never do that in our lifetime expect run away. Or else we will be in the army till death,” he added.
When we go on patrolling we take – chicken, pig, rice and others items from civilians. We are abused by higher officers and hated by the people. At the same time we empathize with them from the point of view of humanity. And we also have parents,” he said.
The present salary of a soldier is Kyat 17,000 a month while the second commander and warrant officer get Kyat 20,000 and higher officers get Kyat 70,000 to Kyat 12 lakhs with other special privileges.
Earlier soldiers got Kyat 2000 only per month till 2004 with other materials like soap, toothbrush and uniforms, which were renewed once in six months. But after an increase in salaries in 2005 they no longer get other materials. So they face difficulties and want to desert from the army.
Soldiers are in a pitiful state as they wear worn out boots and torn uniforms. Sometimes they ask us for cigarettes, tobacco and other food stuff, said a trader on the Indo-Burma border.
Soldiers are made to sign up to serve in the military for at least 5 years as per an agreement in1988. They can retire after 10 years of service. According to the agreement a soldier can leave the army after 5 years and he can re-enter after 6 months. An ordinary soldier to the higher ranks up to the age of 60 years, officers cannot get pension after 1988. This hinders the promotion of ordinary soldiers. Khonumthung News |
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| Soldiers and villagers clash in Maungdaw, four soldiers injured |
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Maungdaw: A clash between soldiers and Muslim villagers took place in Maungdaw Township on the western Burma border, on Friday, after soldiers were caught stealing shrimps from shrimp farms. In the resultant clash, at least four soldiers were injured and some villagers were arrested, a clerk from the village said.
“The clash took place at Thi Chaung village around 3.00 pm, when some soldiers were caught stealing shrimps from a farm. In the clash four soldiers were critically injured and some Muslim villagers were arrested by the local police force,” he said.
Soldiers from the Burmese engineer battalion have been facing shortage of ration, since they arrived in the border area of Maungdaw to construct the border fences. Due to the shortage of ration, soldiers stationed in the area of Thi Chaung village forcibly collected food, including chicken and vegetables from local villagers.
“Sometimes the soldiers have stolen shrimps from local people owning shrimp farms. People had requested the soldiers not to steal shrimps, when they had caught them red handed in the past. But, the soldiers did not listen and continued to steal shrimps from the farms. So, the local people attacked the soldiers yesterday while they were stealing,” he said.
In Thi Chaung village, there are many shrimp farms owned by the ruling military government, but most shrimp farms have been leased out by the local people from the government, after paying a large amount of tax to the government.
The clerk said," Since the soldiers steal shrimps from the farms daily, local businessmen did not make profit and it affected the business. So, they were intolerant and later attacked the soldiers."
During the skirmish, villagers and soldiers beat each other with sticks and bamboos, and many soldiers were injured.
After it was over, some villagers were arrested, but most villagers managed to avoid arrest by the authority.
“Today, army officials asked all those people, who were avoiding arrest to surrender. If they did not surrender, the soldiers would kill those people if they met them anywhere,” the clerk said.
According to a source close to the Army, the army officials from the Military Operation Planning Bureau based in Buthidaung came today to the area to investigate.
Over 800 soldiers and 700 police constables have arrived at the western border area in Maungdaw Township, since the beginning of March to construct border fences aimed at preventing human trafficking and cross border smuggling.
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| Sittwe Residents Suffer Water Shortage |
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Sittwe: Residents in Sittwe have been suffering from a shortage of water supplied by the municipality since the beginning of summer, said Daw Hla Tin, a leader in Rupa Wra Ward in Sittwe.
"We are now facing a critical condition with the shortage of water. We receive water for only two hours every four days, and it is distributed to all the households in Sittwe by the Municipal authority. It is a big problem for everyone in Sittwe because the supply of water is insufficient for all the people in our city," said Daw Hla. In Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State, there is a single reservoir pond named Kandawgyi that supplies water to the city. The reservoir was built by the British government in 1906 to supply water to the approximately 20,000 residents living in Sittwe at the time.
"As water is short in the pond, the officials reduced the number of times the water is supplied to the town. The pond is now unable to store water for all the people in our city because the population in Sittwe is now over 300,000. We people have to face such a water shortage problem every summer," Daw Hla added.
According to a local resident, many remote wards in Sittwe, including Kyi Pru Wra, Min Gan, Sat Rokya, Nazi Wra, and San Pya, have not received any water since summer started in Arakan.
A young girl from Min Gan said, "I heard water in Kandawgyi is short and the authority has saved water by decreasing the number of times water is supplied. Since then, people in our ward have not been receiving water. Now we use water from tube wells and well waters."
Women in some wards in Sittwe have to line up with water pots every day in the early morning near their local water wells to carry water to home for daily use.
A source from Sittwe said that due to the water shortage, some children from Kyi Pru Wra and Min Ga Wards are suffering from diarrhea but their families can not afford to take them to the hospital for treatment.
The Burmese military authority is aware of the water shortage that happens every summer in Sittwe, but has never tried to make upgrades to help meet the residents' water needs. Arakan State receives over 120 inches of rain every year during the rainy season, but due to poor infrastructure the state faces a water shortage every year during the dry season.
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| Rohingya men clash with army in Northern Arakan |
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Maungdaw, Arakan State: Members of the Rohingya community and a section of the authority clashed yesterday at noon, in which three soldiers were seriously injured, a local person said.
The location of the clash was in Balukhali village, Thaychange village tract, under the Burmese border security force, (Nasaka) section number 3, in the northern part of Maungdaw.
Yesterday, three soldiers of the fence controlling group managed and ordered the local people (Rohingya), around, who had been forced to work at the site of the fencing area of Balukhali, without wages day by day. They had been starved and were weak, said a person, who had fled from the site to Bangladesh.
At the site, the soldiers beat the Rohingya workers which angered the Rohingya workers, and then the clash occurred. Three solider were injured, he added. The soldiers were taken to the near Nasaka section number 4, where they will get medical treatment.
The news spread in the area and the local Rohingya villagers started escaping from their village, fearing arrest and torture, a local person from the village, who was hiding in another village said.
Most of the male villagers fled from their village and are hiding anywhere they can, said a school teacher from Bawli Bazaar.
Today, a section of the army arrived in the village of Balukhali from Buthidaung Tactical Operation Commander’s (TOC) office with Nasaka personnel from section 3 and 4 and searched the villagers, but they could not find any villagers, so they arrested those, who were found in the village. Mostly the women were arrested, he added.
Khala Meah, a shrimp pond owner from the border of Bangladesh, who was living opposite to the village, heard, “One child, a 5 year old boy, was killed by a solider, who kicking him while the army passed near his house. But, still not know where the dead body was.”
When asking to the people near villages about killing of boy, nobody confirmed and saying they were not able to go there as army personnel were looking villagers in the village.
It is likely, that there may be an influx of refugees from this area to Bangladesh, as the army is going to torture the women and children of the village, Meah added.
The authority arrested 12 Rohingya from Balukhali village and the commander ordered to arrest other who are in the list, Meah more added.
In the fencing area worksite of Balukhli, around 200 people worked as forced labourers.
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| Boat capsizes in Naff River, 39 feared dead |
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Shapuri Dip, Bangladesh: A boat laden with 40 Rohingya people, including women and children capsized in the Bay of Bengal on April 21 (on Tuesday night), while crossing the mouth of the Naff River before entering Bangladesh, according to our correspondent from Shapuri Dip.
The boat capsized after it got caught in strong winds and rough waves, a fisherman from Shapuri Dip of Bangladesh said. It sank near the mouth of the Naff River, when it was trying to enter Bangladesh after crossing the river at about 1:00 am at night.
Of the 40 people on board, including the Maji (controller), no one swam ashore, and they are still missing, while only one woman was rescued by a Bangladeshi fishing trawler. Most of them were women and children. The rescued woman was taken to Teknaf General Hospital for medical treatment.
They were escaping to Bangladesh from Maungdaw South, in Arakan State due to acute food crisis and ill-treatment by concerned Burmese authorities, said a trader from Maungdaw Township.
Everyday, one or two families cross the Burma-Bangladesh border, said a man from the border area.
As a result, the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) has tightened security on the Bangladesh- Burma border, following the accident in the Naff River.
According to the local people, the situation in northern Arakan is going from bad to worse day by day. If this situation prevails, there will be a small refugee exodus in the near future. The ruling military junta has created a situation conducive to expel the Rohingya community from their motherland, by crippling them economically, through arbitrary arrests and extortion and unbearable harassment by the police, the Nasaka, the Sarapa, the Army and Natala villagers.
A Rohingya man from Buthidaung said, “We are spending our days and nights in fear and distress, wondering whether the police or Nasaka or the army or the Sarapa is coming to our house, when the dogs bark at night.” ##
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| SPDC carries arms, ammunition into Maungdaw |
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Maungdaw, Arakan State: The State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) has carried more arms and ammunition to Taungbro Left of Maungdaw Township, on the western border of Burma on April 15, in three boats from Sittwe (Akyab), the capital of Arakan State, an aide of the Nasaka from Taungbro said.
This ammunition is kept under the ground of the camp in wells, which are made of cement and concrete. The Burmese military junta has been deploying military personnel on the Burma-Bangladesh border and also ferrying arms and ammunition along with heavy weapons, after the problem in the Bay of Bengal, regarding exploration of oil and gas between the two countries, the aide added.
The SPDC has attempted to erect a fence on the Burma-Bangladesh border, incurring huge expenditure, while facing a financial crisis, aimed at controlling drugs-smuggling. However, the local people believe that there were some secret objectives for erecting the fence on the Burma-Bangladesh border, a local businessman said.
It has also been learnt that the SPDC has deployed army units in Paletwa Township of Chin State and Buthidaung Township. Local people believe that Burma is likely to invade Bangladesh, in a short time by creating problems between the two countries. They also believe that Burma intends to teach Bangladesh a lesson, regarding the gas and oil exploration in the Bay of Bengal. It is a good time for Burma to invade Bangladesh, while Bangladesh is involved with the BDR mutiny, a government serviceman, who is now retired from service said.
Burma, will never give up the issue of oil and gas exploration in the Bay of Bengal, which Bangladesh claims is located in its territorial waters. Burma, on the other hand claims that the area is under the territorial waters of Burma, an aide close to the army said.
According to sources, recently, Burma purchased naval ships from China to counter the Bangladeshi naval ships. Some people are of the opinion that during the maritime problem, Burma withdrew its naval ships as Burma’s naval ships were smaller than those of Bangladesh.
Recently, Burma tested Bangladesh by abducting Bangladeshi fishermen, while they were fishing in Bangladeshi territorial waters. They also killed and wounded some Bangladeshi fishermen and some others were released after payment of money, one of the owners of a fishing trawler from Shapuri Dip said.
Burma was not satisfied with their withdrawal of naval ships from the Bay of Bengal, after giving in to pressure by Bangladesh through China and North Korea. Burma will take revenge for it as the maritime boundary issue is yet to be solved, said a Village Peace and Development Council Chairman from Maungdaw Town.
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| Rohingya men still in custody of army authority in Northern Maungdaw |
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Maungdaw, Arakan: More than 200 Rohingya people were arrested and are being kept in custody by army personnel in Balukhali, under the Burmese border security force (Nasaka) section number 3, suspecting them of being involved in the clash between Rohingya villagers and army personnel on April 22, an aide of the Nasaka said.
“These Rohingya villagers were not involved in the clash, they are innocent. The Rohingya, who were involved have fled from the village and are hiding somewhere they think is safe,” said the aide.
On April 21, five soldiers in civilian clothes, who were stationed for the fencing project, went to Balu Khali village of Maungdaw Township and took away vegetables and chilies from the farms and also took betel leaves from villagers’ betel farms. At that time, the villagers asked them not to take such a lot of vegetables and betel leaves, but no untoward incident occurred as the villagers were tolerant, a businessman from the locality said.
On April 22, at about 10:00 am, 10 soldiers without arms, but in uniform went to Balukhali Village of Maungdaw Township. After arriving there, without asking the villagers, they started throwing water through open slice gates of fishing projects, and catching the fishes for their own. Seeing this, the villagers rushed to the spot and asked them not to catch the fishes from the fishing projects. However, they did not comply with the request of the villagers, a village elder from the locality said.
As a result, there were clashes between the soldiers and villagers, which is near the fencing project site, where the fencing project labors joined the fight. These labors had been forced to work at the site without wages day by day. They had been starved and were weak and were angry with the soldiers for beating Rohingya villagers, so the villagers and labors severely beat up the army personnel. After the incident, the wounded soldiers went to their station at Kurkhali village, where their army officer is stationed. The wounded soldiers told him the incident in detail, but the army officer immediately did not go to the village for revenge, said a close aide of the Nasaka.
The soldiers were taken to the Nasaka section number 4, where they were given medical treatment, the aide added.
Hearing the news, some Nasaka came to the spot and asked the soldiers not to indulge in such action as villagers had lost a lot of money, to establish the shrimp projects, the aide added.
However, on April 23, at about 1:00 pm, many groups of soldiers with guns went to the village to take revenge. Hearing the news, the nearby villagers also marched to the spot to help the villagers, who were being victimized by the army. Seeing more villagers marching to the village, the army fired two rounds into the air to stop them.
After that more than 200 villagers were arrested by the army and brought to their camp. No one knows what the fate of the arrestees will be. A tense situation has been prevailing in the area since Sunday morning, said a schoolteacher from the locality.
According to information from a person, who was involved in the clash, after the clash, all the adults ran into the jungle to escape persecution. The army arrested 18 young women from the village, who were detained for some hours and kept in the water, but released later. The women were innocent but it is the habit of the brutal Burmese forces, to harass the innocent when they do not find any of the actual culprits.
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| Authority announces prize money for garnering information |
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Maungdaw, Arakan State: Authorities have announced to the people of Nasaka Section number 3, 4 and 5, prize money of Kyat 100,000 for any person, who could give information about the four people, who led the clash between the Rohingya villagers and the soldiers on April 22, a local village authority of Nasaka Section number 3 of Maungdaw said.
The authority told the local villagers of Nasaka section 3, 4 and 5, that any person with information on the whereabouts of those four people or with information on their exact location would get Kyat 100,000 each, he added.
The authority will release all the arrested people, if they arrested those four people, a close aide of the Nasaka said. But, there was no mention of the names of the four people.
On April 25, the Command Commander of Buthidaung Tactical Operation Command (TOC), the Nasaka Director of Nasaka Headquarters and the Military Operation Command (MOC)-15 Commander and other military officers and Nasaka Section commanders met in Taungbro and discussed regarding the clash, which occurred on April 22 at Balukhali, under Nasaka section 3 and left Taungbro on April 26. After the meeting, the announcement came that the authority would give prize money, to those who would help the authority to make arrests, giving the location about the four people, who had led the clash, the aide added.
The authority had arrested more than 200 Rohingya villagers on April 23, who were then tortured and interrogated day and night to get information about the four people, a local elder from Balu Khali said.
The soldiers, who were seriously injured, were sent to the Buthidaung Tactical Operation Command’s (TOC) emergency medical unit and sergeant Aung Than Htey was sent to Akyab for treatment, an official from TOC said.
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| Elephant kills Rohingya refugee on Burma-Bangla border |
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Teknaf, Bangladesh: An elephant killed a Rohingya refugee on the Burma-Bangladesh border, when he went to the forest to collect firewood close to the refugee camp on April 26 at 6 am, says our staff reporter.
The refugee, Rahamat Ullah son of Abbas, MRC number 45857, was from block H of the Nayapara Burmese Rohingya refugee camp.
On April 26, early morning, Rahamat with his two sons and five other refugees from Nayapara camp went near the mountain forest to collect firewood. On the way to the forest, the refugees came across a wild elephant. While the others ran away Rahamat was trampled by the elephant and killed, said Ahmed, a refugee who was with Rahamat.
“We shouted and created a ruckus to distract the elephant and make it follow us, but we failed and were not able to save Rahamat,” he added.
Some of us went to the camp to call people. After an hour we were able to bring back Rahamat’s body to the camp where the officer in-charge ordered burial in the graveyard of the refugee camp, said a community leader.
On the other hand three local people were killed by an elephant on the same day around the refugee camp where the local villagers stay, said Safique, a local villager from near the refugee camp.
Every year some refugees and local people are killed by wild tuskers. The elephants mostly come down from the mountains to low land during summer for food and water. Sometime the elephant stray on to the Teknaf-Cox’s Bazaar highway and buses and trucks are held up for a long time, said Kasem, a private taxi driver from Teknaf.
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| Military destroys plantations to upgrade coastal road |
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IMNA
Rubber plantation owners in Thanbyuzayat Township, Mon State have lost parts of their land and had other parts destroyed to make way for an ongoing road upgrading project along the coastal route between Kyaikami and Set Sae village undertaken by the military. None have so far received any compensation for loss or damage.
According to local sources, the military government project includes straightening of some road sections, which means driving construction through several acres of rubber plantation. Trees that obscure coast views have also been cleared.
One villager whose plantation was destroyed said, “The new road passes many rubber plantations. The authorities haven’t paid anything to the owners for their land or for the damage and we are too afraid to request compensation. Some plantations have been completely destroyed and some are half ruined. There are many of them but we don’t know how many acres exactly.
“ As well as this, when the soldiers came with bulldozers to clear the land, the plantation owners had to act as security for the military drivers.”
Villagers have also been forced to provide for the military workforce.
“ It’s not only that our plantations were destroyed – we also had to provide food for the soldiers. The headman collected money from us to pay for it,” said another plantation owner.
The road passes through the villages of Ka Yin Dawn and A Nan San according to a resident. The road is long 14 mile according to government newspaper, the New light of Myanmar, which was published on January 30th.
Local residents rely on their plantations to make a living and were already experiencing difficulties due to the recent low price of rubber. Now many face severe problems earning enough to support their families due to the destruction of their land. |
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| Kachin ceasefire group leaders to meet Burma's ruling junta |
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Leaders of the two ethnic Kachin ceasefire groups' in Burma's northern Kachin State arrived in the state's capital Myitkyina two days ago to meet the junta's Northern Command commander Brig-Gen Soe Win, said local sources. On the meeting’s agenda is the role the groups will play in next year’s general election.
The meeting will be between the Northern Command commander Brig-Gen Soe Win and leaders and brigade commanders of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), its armed-wing the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the New Democratic Army-Kachin (NDA-K). They have been specially invited to join the meeting, said KIO/A and NDA-K sources.
The official meeting will begin tomorrow but KIO/A leaders and Burmese military officials of the Northern Command headquarters based in Myitkyina began preliminary interaction last night, KIO sources said.
The discussions at the meeting will revolve around the roles of Kachin ceasefire groups during the country-wide elections next year. It will also feature discussions on forming political parties in the country, which will be authorized very soon by the junta, said KIO and NDA-K sources.
Early this month before the Buddhist Water Festival in the country, Maj-Gen Thar Aye, a new commander of No. 1 Bureau of Special Operation based in Mandalay met senior leaders of the KIO/A, NDA-K and Kachin Defense Army (KDA) based in Northeast Shan State, said sources among Kachin ceasefire groups.
The KIO/A sources added, the KIO/A's delegation will be led by Lt-Gen Gauri Zau Seng, Vice-president No. I.
All Kachin ceasefire groups support the junta's seven-step roadmap to so-called disciplined democracy in the country. They have also approved the referendum on the junta-centered new constitution of the country in May last year against the wishes of the Kachin people.
Under the leadership and support of the Kachin Nationals' Consultative Assembly (KNCA) and the two main Kachin ceasefire groups--- KIO/A and NDA-K, the Kachin State Progressive Party (KSPP) was formed to contest the 2010 elections by the Kachin State Interim Committee early this year.
The party is now biding its time to register as an official political party when the junta authorizes formation of political parties to contest the ensuing 2010 general elections, said Dr. Manam Tu Ja, the chairman of Kachin State Interim Committee.
However, the NDA-K and KIO/A will not surrender their weapons until the completion of the seven-step roadmap next year because their demand in the last Nyaung Napyin National Convention for autonomy of Kachin State was completely ignored by the junta, said KIO/A and NDA-K leaders.
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| Cyclone damage forcing women into prostitution |
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(DVB)–The crippling of local businesses in the Irrawaddy delta following cyclone Nargis last year has pushed increasing numbers of women into prostitution, said a resident in one of the delta’s worst-hit towns.
The cyclone last May is thought to have killed 140,000 people, and affected some 2.4 million people. Almost one million acres of farmland were ruined.
A resident in Bogalay town, where upwards of 10,000 people are thought to have died following the cyclone, said that prostitution is now widespread, with sex workers operating out of guesthouses throughout the town.
“There are a lot of guest houses in town that are providing the service and most of the sex workers there are young women from nearby villages who faced financial problems [after the cyclone],” he said, speaking under condition of anonymity.
Wards three, five and six were the areas with highest concentration of brothels, he said, while pointing out that a similar situation was occurring in neighbouring Pyarpon and Kadonkani towns.
Local youths have only a little knowledge on sexually transmitted infections or how to prevent them, he added.
Reporting by Ahunt Phone Myat |
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| Burma should turn to neighbours in the event of swine flu |
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(DVB)–Burma would be better positioned to manage swine flu in the event of an outbreak were it to turn to neighbouring countries for assistance, said a Thailand-based Burmese doctor.
Cases of swine flu have been confirmed in Mexico, the United States, and Britain, amongst other countries. 152 people are thought to have died from it already, although no deaths have been reported outside Mexico.
No trace of the disease, which international health authorities now acknowledge can pass from human to human, has so far been found in Southeast Asia.
Yet were it to hit Burma, health authorities there may not be able to cope alone, said the director of exiled National Health and Education Committee.
“It is rather difficult to handle and control effectively, because even in the more advanced countries like Mexico they are still trying to find out the real nature of swine flu,” said Dr Thiha Maung.
“I think they [Burmese government] don’t have adequate drug stocks and laboratories or any investigative materials.
“I think they would need help from neighboring countries like Thailand,” he said.
Similarly, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Representative in Burma admitted the situation could be hard for authorities to handle.
“The swine influenza is already a human-to-human disease,” said Shin Imai. “This is a very worrying point and if it happens here Burma will be very vulnerable.”
He added however that the government had put out a public notification on swine flu, and issued instructions on mitigating the risks of contraction.
“We can distribute Tamiflu medicine, which is the most effective treatment, so for the time being it can help containment if something happens,” he said.
Today the World Health Organisation said the disease could no longer be contained and countries should focus on mitigating its effects.
The organization also raised its alert level to four, two steps short of a full pandemic.
Reporting by Rosalie Smith and Francis Wade |
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| Cyclone Fears Still Stalk the Villages |
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One year after Cyclone Nargis devastated the Irrawaddy Delta, villagers in the region watch the skies daily for signs of another killer storm. Weather forecasts on the radio command a big following.
When the government's department of meteorology and hydrology warned earlier this month of the approach across the Bay of Bengal of another storm, Cyclone Bijli, panic broke out.
The abbot of one village, Yae Tain, in Kaw Hmu Township, tried to restore calm by telling local people by megaphone that they had nothing to fear. “People were packing up to leave for Rangoon,” said one villager. “Everybody was afraid.”
Daw Thuza, 62, has every reason to be nervous whenever bad weather threatens—she lost her son and daughter-in-law when Cyclone Nargis hit their village. Her fisherman son and his wife both drowned.
Their small son saved his grandmother by waking her as the storm struck. She calls him to her side whenever bad weather now looms, and together they pack emergency supplies in a bin-bag. Into the bag go supplies they received after Cyclone Nargis—including a UNICEF backpack and a plastic sheet marked "assisted by donors from Thein-Gyi market."
One seven-year-old, orphaned by the cyclone, was so traumatized that he hides in a box whenever bad weather now occurs.
When Cyclone Nargis struck, the boy’s grandfather told him to seek shelter in a box. The grandfather died but the little boy survived.
“Whenever he now hears a storm is expected, he gets into his box,” said the boy’s aunt. “He even sleeps there.”
In Taw Palae ward, where virtually every household suffered a cyclone death, one villager said: “My wife is so scared still she listens to the weather forecasts all the time.”
Taw Palae is a fishing community and one third of its residents are thought to have died in the cyclone.
In many villages, families have been advised to send older people and children to stay with relatives in Rangoon and other cities away from the Irrawaddy delta seaboard. One 28-year-old woman from Chaung Gyi village, in Labutta’s Pyin Salu sub-Township, said she had moved to Rangoon after hearing that six severe storms were expected in the coming monsoon.
One Cyclone Nargis survivor, Kyaw Ko Ko, who has been employed in post-cyclone reconstruction projects, said: “People can’t be blamed for being so nervous. They’ve gone through terrible experiences.”
Some non-governmental organizations and groups have been giving post-cyclone trauma care and counseling but the work load is overwhelming and the resources are limited.
“Our ability to help is very limited,” said a volunteer with the Nyein Foundation. "We help people as best we can, despite the difficulties.”
A physician working with a mobile clinic said many cyclone survivors were still in material need, living in temporary shelters with insufficient food and clothing.
“Much is still urgently needed,” he said. “Shelters, food and clothing. As long as we can't provide them, these people can’t live normal lives.”
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| Gov’t Neglect Plays a Role in Diarrhea Outbreak |
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The outbreak of diarrhea cases in poor neighborhoods of Rangoon has highlighted the woeful lack of health care standards, and the military government’s neglect of basic funding to the public health care system.
In terms of the annual budget, each Burmese citizen is allocated about US 70 cents for his or her health care by the military government, according to date gathered by international agencies.
In the wave of illnesses, now entering their third week, five residents in low-income Rangoon townships have died and at least 100 people have suffered diarrhea attacks, largely contracted from unsanitary drinking water or contaminated food. The worst hit areas are North Okkalapa, North and South Dagon Myothit and Thaketa townships.
Two high-ranking officials of the military regime visited the areas this week, state-run-newspapers reported. Brig-Gen Win Myint, the commander of the army’s Rangoon regional command, visited North Okkalapa Township on April 26 and No.2 Ward, one of the worst hit areas, on April 23. The visits followed media reports on the illnesses in the Burmese foreign media.
The deaths and the wave of illnesses have gone unreported in Burmese state-run and private media.
The newspaper report said Win Myint told local residents to use more sanitary waste facilities and to avoid unsafe drinking water.
On Monday, Brig-Gen Aung Thein Linn, the mayor of Rangoon, also visited North Okkalapa. He reportedly said that 40 emergency, fly-safe toilet facilities would be made available to the community in No 2 Ward.
Officials said further improvements in waste disposal would have to be made by local residents who must “stand on their own feet,” according to residents.
Many poor households in North Okkalapa along Nga Moe Yeik Creek, and other areas, commonly lack a sanitary toilet system and human waste contaminates the creek and many underground water sources, according to residents.
Private physicians said diarrhea problems around Rangoon result from substandard drinking water and the lack of sanitary waste disposal, plus contamination of food stuff by flies.
Tap water in Rangoon is usually not fit to drink and very limited. Most residents rely on water wells or ground water.
While there are many factories that manufacture drinking water in Rangoon and other cities in Burma, the price for a 1-liter bottle is 400 kyat ($ 40 cents); a 20-liter bottle ranges from 2,000– 4,000 kyat, prices beyond the means of poor residents who must use their money for food.
According to international agencies, Burma’s gross national income per capita was $220 in 2007, or about 65 cents a day.
“We cannot afford to buy drinking water, so we boil water from the well to escape the diseases in water,” explained a housewife in North Dagon Myothit.
Many residents in North Okkalapa, Dagon Myothit and Thaketha and other areas of Rangoon commonly use only a bamboo covered hole in the ground for waste disposal.
“They cannot afford a concrete toilet structure that is better for their health,” said a Rangoon businessman, who operates a waste facility construction company.
The price for a concrete toilet facility, which limits ground water contamination, is around 100,000 kyat ($100), about one half of a low-income person’s annual wage.
International health agencies have provided plastic toilet facilities for several decades, but health experts said their efforts have not solved the problem of ground water contamination.
Experts said a major factor contributing to the problem is the government’s paltry funding of the health care sector.
According to data from international agencies, 3 percent of the military government’s annual expenditure is allocated to health care, while education receives 10 percent.
Military expenditures account for about 50 percent of the annual budget.
Residents said authorities also ordered roadside food stalls in affected areas to close.
“Now people in our ward are suffering from even greater economic problems because of the order to close the food stalls,” said a resident in North Okkalapa.
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| NLD Hold First General Meeting in a Decade |
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Sixty-three senior officials of Burma’s opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) and 95 elected members of parliament from the party gathered today for their first general meeting in more than a decade.
“At least 150 NLD members attended the meeting,” said Soe Win, one of the attendees, adding that foreign diplomats and reporters were also present at an opening ceremony held this morning.
Win Tin, a prominent member of the party’s central executive committee (CEC) who was released last year after 19 years in prison, delivered the opening address, he added.
During the two-day gathering, the NLD will discuss the three key issues of party organization, constitutional review and the party’s stance on recent political developments, according to Ohn Kyaing, an NLD spokesperson.
Asked to elaborate, Ohn Kyaing declined to provide further details.
“We will release an official statement soon,” he said, adding simply that the party would “discuss all the issues that people are talking about.”
The most pressing issue facing the party is whether it will take part in a junta-sponsored election planned for next year. Under existing election rules, any party that fails to field at least three candidates in the election must be disbanded.
“It is a challenge for the NLD, because if the party is deregistered, what will it do?” said Nyo Ohn Myint of the exiled National league for Democracy—Liberated Area (NLD-LA).
However, NLD chairman Aung Shwe indicated today that the party wouldn’t allow the junta to force its hand.
Speaking at the opening of the party meeting, Aung Shwe said the NLD would wait until new election and party registration laws come out before making a decision on whether to participate in the election.
“We have to wait and see whether they will be based on democratic principles,” Aung Shwe said at the opening of the party meeting.
The NLD has so far expressed little interest in taking part in the election, which would be the first since 1990, when the party won 82 percent of the seats. Most of the party’s 392 elected officials have since been forced to resign or have gone into exile. At least 13 are still in prisons across the country.
The last time the party attempted to hold a general meeting, in 1998, dozens of elected members were detained and interrogated by the military authorities. The party last held a meeting in 1997.
According to reports, police were deployed near party headquarters on Monday while dozens of plainclothes policemen watched the building from across the street and a convoy of four to seven trucks carrying anti-riot police cruised the city.
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| Policy needed on child soldier issue: Rights Group |
| Monday, 27 April 2009 |
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – The one and only solution to stop the use of child soldiers is for the armed forces to adopt and implement a consensus policy, a Thai based rights group said.
Not only the Burmese Army, but also all ethnic armed forces should adopt such a policy by consensus, it said.
"The way to resolve this problem by leaders and members of all armed groups is to adopt a concerted and consensus policy barring the use of child soldiers," U Aung Myo Min, Director of 'Human Rights Education Institute (Burma)' (HREIB), told Mizzima.
Maj. Saw Hla Ngwe, Joint Secretary I of the 'Karen National Union' (KNU) said, "The probable way of resolving this problem rests with us. Our leaders, our rank and file must follow the policy which bars the use of child soldiers conscientiously. It has to be understood that it is not proper and not in accordance with our organization's policy. All must abide by this policy through a clear understanding."
In a UNSG report in December 2007, it clearly states that not only the Burmese Army but nine ethnic armed forces are using child soldiers.
The United Nations Secretary General (UNSG) has already submitted the report to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
The Karenni Nationality Progressive Army issued a statement which said it has a policy of not using child soldiers in its army and a ground inspection can be made. Similarly the 'Karen National Liberation Army' (KNLA) said that they can be inspected at any time.
"After being mentioned in the report, it is very difficult to nullify these facts. The UN usually watches the situation and studies these allegations," Aung Myo Min pointed out.
"In some cases, higher officials understand the situation and the policy but the lower ranks recruit child soldiers out of ignorance of the official policy," he further said.
According to the UNSC Resolution No. 1612, action can be taken against the government if it uses child soldiers and violates child rights in armed conflict.
"In the possible scenario, they will take action by imposing economic sanctions, arms embargo including small arms which are the most common cause of using child soldiers in armed conflict. We can guess at something like that but it depends on the decision of the UNSC members. So we cannot guess exactly to what extent action will be taken," Aung Myo Min elaborated.
The UNSG Mr. Ban Ki-Moon explicitly said that there are nine armed groups from both the Burmese Army and non-governmental ethnic armed forces which were using child soldiers in armed conflict.
Of the 54 international governmental armies and other non-state armed forces exposed by the UN, nine armed groups are from Burma. |
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| Satellite dishes bad for people: Junta mouth piece |
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New Delhi (Mizzima) – In what seems to be another warning, Burma’s state-run Newspaper on Friday carried an article that says Satellite channels that enables people to watch international news and entertainments are manipulated by big nations and should be banned in Burma.
A writer, who identifies himself as Ko Gyi on Friday wrote in the New Light of Myanmar, that powerful nations are exploiting the Satellite channels to instigate unrest, and harm the culture of the people by broadcasting entertainment, which have hidden agendas.
The Writer said, therefore, the government should prohibit the sales of satellite dishes and receivers, which are widely used in Burma.
A similar article appeared in the same daily newspaper two months ago which said, "Restrict the watching of uncensored satellite TV programmes telecast by the outside world'.
"We were surprised to see this article today. This is a warning to our satellite dish shops. But they have not done anything so far. We have to wait and see for another 10-15 days," Nyi Nyi Naing, a salesman at an the imported TATA Sky satellite dish shop in Rangoon, told Mizzima.
In an earlier article on February 17, the writer, suggest the government to impose restricting on watching of uncensored TV programmes telecast by the outside world through satellite dish and receivers.
But Friday’s article focused on the sales of Satellite dishes, that leaves a warning message to many satellite dish companies and shops.
The writer said, "Some people do not notice that attachment to satellite receivers is harmful to the morality of the viewers".
The article further said that in many countries, governments enforce restrictions in order to prohibit the people from using satellite receivers directly.
In some countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Pakistan and Iran, 'the public are not allowed to use satellite receivers legally', the writer said.
While satellite dishes and receivers are not popularly used in Indonesian capital city of Jakarta, the people are able to freely watch news programmes telecast by foreign news channels.
A Burmese citizen John Moe, who is living in Jakarta said, "We pay monthly fee of Indonesia Rupiah 150,000 and can watch foreign news channels such as BBC, CNN."
The article, while it is not an official government statement, is believed by Burmese media people as a sign of further tightening and systematic suppression of media freedom in Burma.
In Burma, in an environment of no freedom of expression and no free media, the Burmese people can freely watch foreign news channels through these unlicensed satellite dishes and receivers.
But since it is not affordable to pay the monthly official license fees, people are forced to install satellite receivers illegally, a local from Rangoon said.
"Yes, what the government said is right. Most of the people installed these satellite receivers and dishes without a license. But as for us, it's difficult to pay monthly fees of Kyat 15,000", he said.
Warning the sales centres of satellite receivers in restricting installing such devices is in fact intended to levy taxes from the wide use of these. But these sale centres said that it cannot stop their sales volume.
"Shops have long been selling satellite dishes. They cannot stop the illegal sales of these devices. VOA Burmese Service news channel can be tuned into in Burma by using TATA Sky," an official from Satellite Receivers Import Company said.
In the wake of monk-led protests in September 2007, Burmese media in exile were able to broadcast and telecast news, pictures and videos of the junta’s brutal crackdown.
In its drive to block free flow of news and information to the outside world, the junta began arresting bloggers and domestic reporters, and handed down long prison sentences. |
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| Environmentalists worried over impact of Mekong damning |
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Chiang Mai (Mizzima) - Environmentalists have warned that the damning of Mekong Rivers will have a significant trans boundary impact on countries which share this river, including Burma but accessing information on the issue in Burma is limited.
Montree Chantawong, a Thai environmentalist from the Bangkok-based environment organization, Towards Ecological Recovery and Regional Alliance (Terra) said in a conference on Friday that the damning of projects on the Mekong River in China has destroyed the natural resources of the river and caused decrease in fish and water plant that affect local livelihood, fluctuating water current and would also create conflicts between states and people along the river bank in six countries, according to a case study of Ban Koum Hydropower dam on Mekong mainstream, Lao and Thailand border.
Chantawong also said that the impact of the upstream in China and Burma might have similar impacts but the accessing information is more difficult.
“The damning will only benefit politicians, investors and financial institutions. The claims about electricity generation are fake,” he said.
The six countries that share Mekong River are China, Burma, Thailand, Lao, Cambodia and Vietnam.
However, early this month the Lahu National Development Organization (LNDO) released a report “Undercurrents – Monitoring Development Along Burma’s Mekong”, which confirmed that the impact of the Chinese damning project has not been documented clearly. “China continues to construct a series of giant dams on the mainstream Mekong while downstream communities anxiously question what will befall them. Unprecedented floods in August 2008 damaged thousands of acres of paddy farms.”
The Mekong river bank in Burmese territory is habitat to over 22,000 primarily indigenous people living in the mountainous region of this isolated stretch of the river. The main ethnic groups are Akha, Shan, Lahu, Sam Tao (Loi La), Chinese, and En. The Mekong River has a special significance for the Lahu people, who, like the Chinese, call it the Lancang.
Chantawong’s presentation is a part of Asia and Pacific Regional Health Impact Assessment Conference in Chiang Mai held from 22 – 24 April, 2009 which aimed at promoting Health Impact Assessment (HIA) mechanism as a core part of public development projects of all governments’ agencies.
The representatives from Asia Pacific regions have presented case studies from their countries about the impact on people’s health and livelihood from development projects, particularly the government’s mega projects or policies.
“All policies should take the health of people into consideration and be accountable to impacts that might occur on people’s health. Any policy and programme formulated must take health issues into account by conducting HIA,” according to a press statement from the conference where representatives from 20 countries attended.
The participant also announced the “Chiang Mai Declaration” which focus that every stakeholder of development projects need to realize the importance of people’s health. In addition, they urged ASEAN to treat the issue of HIA as regional mechanism. Given its function as an official coordinating body in an international community, “ASEAN is the appropriate forum to take the lead because the organizational structure of ASEAN has already set up the Secretariat body and the National Secretariat bodies,” the group noted.
In addition the statement also calls on international financial institutions, i.e., the Asian Development Bank, and the World Bank to agree to have HIA as criteria for financing projects. Therefore projects financed by Equator Principles adopted international financial institutions are ensured to carry out their implementation properly. It promises to promote the efficient HIA with principles of public participation and people’s empowerment. |
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| KNLA officer killed in battle |
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Mae Sot (Mizzima) – Colonel Saw Jay of the Karen National Liberation Army and two Burmese Army soldiers are the latest to be killed in what today became a two-week long battle for the KNLA base camp of Wah Lay Kee.
All three were killed on Saturday night.
Colonel Saw Jay triggered a trip wire in the dense jungle. Details of the deaths of the Burmese Army soldiers were not immediately available.
Hostilities in Wah Lay Kee have become protracted, with morale-sapping injuries and deaths resulting predominantly from booby traps or land mines, rather than outright firefights over territory.
At this stage the KNLA holds Wah Lay Kee and the Burmese Army is on high ground about five miles away -- within mortar range.
The land in between is guerilla territory, with small bands of scouts watching and waiting.
Yesterday marked an end to three days of relative calm, as the Burmese Army recouped at base camp from heavy losses and casualties.
The injured of the Burmese Army are reportedly being treated in Myawaddy Hospital.
Last night the State Peace and Development Council or junta troops and its allies the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army began to push forward again, as KNLA braced for another assault on its main base.
A senior commander at about noon on Sunday said grimly: “It’s continuing now and it is going to continue. We lost a man last night [referring to Colonel Saw Jay].”
Colonel Nerdah Mya on Sunday morning said while the KNLA held the camp, all around the base was booby-trapped and both sides were laying more mines and continue rigging tripwires.
“It’s really messy out here,” he said, referring to a landscape that has become extremely dangerous to navigate for combatants of either side. We will continue to fight, we still hold the camp,” he said.
The fight for Wah Lay Kee, home to the KNLA Sixth Brigade’s 201st battalion began in the evening on April 12.
No side has taken the upper hand and both have suffered significant losses, although the KNLA far fewer, as would be expected from a force defending a long-standing, well-equipped base camp. |
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| Suu Kyi’s lawyer to make direct appeal |
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(DVB)–The lawyer of the detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi will file an appeal for her release directly to Burma’s junta leader following the government’s failure to respond to previous appeals.
Three appeals have been filed by lawyer U Kyi Win since last October but no response has been given.
Suu Kyi, the leader of opposition party National League for Democracy, has been under house arrest for 13 of the last 19 years, since the NLD won a landslide victory in the 1990 elections.
“The government is not acting on the appeals,” said Kyi Win. “For that reason, we will be appealing to a higher authority or the chairman of the [State Peace and Development Council].
“We will state that the government has failed to act on our appeals and we will request him to take necessary action."
The lawyer decided to file the appeal to the highest authority after being given the power of attorney by Suu Kyi. The current order on her detention expires on 27 May this year.
“Of course, we could wait for that period to end without taking any action,” he said. “But, what will the consequence of that action be?”
“The government has completely ignored the appeals of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, which is a right granted under Section 19.
“If we do not appeal, that lawful right will come to nothing.”
Suu Kyi’s current spell under house arrest began in 2003 following the Depayin massacre, in which a government-backed mob opened fire on a convoy of people associated with the NLD, killing 70.
Reporting by Yee May Aung |
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| Burma suspends border fence construction |
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(DVB)–Burma has temporarily suspended construction of a controversial fence along the Burma-Bangladesh border following a meeting between border officials from the two countries.
The fence is aimed at stemming the flow of illegal migrants into Burma, but the proposals have caused considerable tension between the two governments.
Locals living on the Burmese side of the border have said the fence will impact on those reliant on Bangladeshi services, such as medicine and food.
Bangladesh has claimed the fence lies too close to the border, and has reacted to the increasing numbers of Burmese troops being stationed along its route.
However, a meeting between the Burmese border security force, Nasaka, and their counterparts in Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), resulted in the postponement of construction, although exact reasons as to why are unclear.
“At the meeting, the Burmese side said they were acting in accordance with the bilateral agreement concerning the common border signed in 1998,” said Khaing Pyi Thein, an Arakan national living on the Bangladesh side of the border.
Following a request by the BDR, however, Burma agreed to suspend its construction, said Khaing Pyi Thein. He added however that there had been no signs of a halt in military preparations by Burma.
“The Burmese side has deployed five infantry regiments, several armoured cars, and an artillery regiment along the Mayu Mountain Range,” he said.
“These units are on highest alert now.”
Similarly, on the Bangladesh side of the border, BDR units have assembled in the area and are watching the Burmese side closely.
Bangladesh and Burma came close to conflict last November after Burma began exploring for oil in disputed waters. Bangladesh sent its navy to the location before Burma withdrew its ships.
Reporting by Khin Maung Soe Min |
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| Workers sacked after speaking to foreign media |
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(DVB)–Ten garment factory workers in Bago division were sacked last week without reason after speaking to foreign media about mistreatment in the workplace.
The workers at Pho Shwe La garment factory in Bago’s Maha Myaing ward said they were informed by the factory’s manager last Friday that they had been made redundant.
No reason was given, but they claim the factory’s manager, Nweni Oak, was reacting to an interview with the BBC’s Burmese service the previous week about salary cuts of 20 per cent.
“On Friday, they paid us our month’s salary and told us we were being made redundant,” said one of the factory workers.
“They said they will pay us our compensation on 5 May.”
She said she would be satisfied if the compensation is paid, although another worker said that compensation would not suffice given her commitment to the work.
“I did my best at work without complaining about extra tasks they asked me to do and now they are sacking me for getting involved in the news,” she said.
“I think this is too personal.”
The group had asked for assistance from Bago-based Guiding Star legal advocacy group which is well known for providing help for farmers and workers regarding rights abuses.
Aye Myint, head of Guiding Star, said this was another incident that highlighted the lack of rights for manual workers in Burma.
“There are not many groups to help them when they are mistreated and abused by their managers,” he said.
“The government’s labour office is only a dummy to pretend that they are actually doing something to help.
“The lives of farmers and worker in Burma are going downhill,” he added.
Reporting by Aye Nai |
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| Water Woes Still Plague Nargis Survivors |
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“When the water is below us, we can make a living. But when it is above us, we die,” 76-year-old U Toe mused, looking back at the damage dealt by Cyclone Nargis nearly a year ago on May 2, 2008.
At the end of its fury, the cyclone, with sustained winds of close to 200 kilometers per hour, killed at least 137,000 people and destroyed the lives of thousands more. Many of these people depended on the natural resources of the fertile Irrawaddy delta, which was hardest hit by the disaster.
Those who survived the initial fury of the disaster soon faced—ironically enough—a lack of potable water. Wells and ponds, traditional sources of fresh water, had been inundated by the inflow of seawater. Water containers, which are typically large ceramic jars or clay pots, were smashed in the devastation. Long lines of survivors, carrying whatever containers they had in order to get water, became a familiar sight immediately after recovery efforts began.
In hindsight, the cyclone highlighted in the cruelest fashion the delicate balance between man and water in the delta. The fertile soil, availability of water and ample supply of labor once made this area the rice bowl of the world. The waters of the delta also supported rich fish and shrimp farms as well as natural salt farms.
But over the years, human habitation gradually changed the topography of the delta and weakened the environment’s ability to resist cyclone-induced strong waves and winds. This transformation accelerated over the past two decades, as mangrove forests were cleared for charcoal production and shrimp and fish farming. Dhani (nipa palm) trees were even more intensively felled to provide thatch for the roofs of traditional village homes.
Today, water problems continue to be among the biggest everyday concerns of local residents, although relief and assistance accelerated immediately after the cyclone.
In the months after the disaster, plastic jerry cans were imported for residents’ water needs, and traditional ceramic jars and clay pot water containers were brought in from other parts of Burma.
Ponds have been repeatedly cleaned since then, but survivors claim that seepage of saltwater into groundwater sources has increased and clearing is therefore of little avail. Digging of new wells may therefore not be an option. Substantial resources have also been expended on fencing off the remaining 40 percent of usable ponds and reservoirs—although there are now few cows or buffaloes left to trespass into them.
Water filters of different types have been distributed by international and local non-government groups and water rationing was enforced in villages at one point, but water problems in the delta will remain for years to come.
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| Use of child soldiers could constitute a 'war crime' |
| Sunday, 26 April 2009 |
(DVB)–The ongoing abuses by the Burmese government against civilians is reaching a point whereby the junta could qualify for war crimes charges, said a former senior legal adviser to the International Criminal Court.
Speaking at a conference in Oslo, Norway, entitled ‘Crimes against humanity in Eastern Burma’, Morten Bergsmo stated that the Burmese army’s use of child soldiers could constitute a war crime.
“The recruitment and use of children under fifteen years may be a war crime, and by that an international crime if it happens as part of an ongoing armed conflict,” he said.
“If that happens there may be the ground for investigating and prosecuting such abuses of children.”
Speaking to DVB yesterday, David Mathieson from Human Rights Watch said that the ruling State Peace and Development Council is failing to adequately cooperate with the international community regarding use of child soldiers, and criticized a recent United Nation’s report on the issue.
“[The report] puts a far more positive spin on the military government’s cooperation that we think they deserve,” he said.
“It’s still a very serious issue inside Burma and the kind of report that just came out doesn’t reflect the seriousness of the problem within the Burmese military and it’s not very good of them to not investigate the biggest perpetrator by far.”
Former Norwegian prime minister Kjell Magne Bondevik spoke at the conference on the need for the international community to cooperate on Burma.
“[Association of Southeast Asian Nations], China and India are more keen on maintaining a positive relation with the Burmese government to make business deals and buy gas from them, while Japan is providing help to the junta,” he said, adding that the European Union and the United States were on their own tracks.
“Everyone should look for a conclusion everybody can agree with and cooperate together.”
Reporting by Htet Aung Kyaw and Francis Wade |
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| Junta’s concern over foreign media grows |
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(DVB)–Strict media control enhances spiritual and intellectual nourishment, says an article in Burma’s leading state-run newspaper that speaks of the dangers of foreign media being broadcast into the country via satellite.
An article published today in the New Light of Myanmar newspaper called for the banning of satellite dishes to “protect the people against dangers and harms associated with news”.
“Satellite programmers are specially designed by major nations to wield influence over the international community in the sphere of the media,” wrote Ko Gyi Ngwe Zin Yaw.
The ruling State Peace and Development Council is notoriously fearful of foreign media being circulated inside Burma.
A number of journalists and internet bloggers have been given lengthy prison sentences for publishing material critical of the regime, or communicating with foreign media.
“The military government is always shutting the ears and eyes of people living in Burma,” said San Moe Way, secretary of the exiled Burma Media Association.
“That’s why they don’t want to see or hear foreign media, that’s why they fear the foreign media. "They are afraid of people watching the television or reading or hearing news from the radio.”
A wave of sentencing for journalists occurred following the September 2007 monk-led protests and last year’s cyclone Nargis.
Around 15 journalists are currently imprisoned, some, such as blogger Nay Phone Latt, with sentences of twelve years.
Burma has some of the world’s strictest laws regarding media censorship. The country was ranked 170 out of 173 in a press freedom index published by media watchdog Reporters without Borders in 2008.
Following cyclone Nargis, journalists were denied visas to access the country, although some managed to enter on tourist visas.
One month after the cyclone, the New Light of Myanmar led with a story on the “despicable” reporting of the cyclone by foreign media, under the title ‘The enemy who is more destructive than Nargis’.
San Moe Way believes the situation will get worse in the run-up to the scheduled elections next year.
“The 2010 elections will see more restrictions,” he said.
“They are tightening up on print media. The FM radio stations are being given licenses by government cronies to broadcast propaganda for the military and its own political parties during the elections.”
Reporting by Francis Wade |
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| Imprisoned student leader awarded human rights prize |
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(DVB)–The imprisoned leader of the student group that incited the 2007 monk-led protests in Burma has been awarded a prize by a South Korean foundation for promoting human rights and democracy.
Min Ko Naing, of 88 Generation Students, was sentenced to 65 years in prison in November 2008 for his role in organizing the 2007 demonstrations.
Shortly after, he was transferred to the remote Kengtung prison in Shan state.
The Gwangju Prize for Human Rights honours individuals and groups in Korea and abroad that have contributed to promoting and advancing human rights, democracy and peace in their work.
It is awarded by the May 18 Memorial Foundation, a South Korean group set up to commemorate the popular uprising on 18 May, 1980 in Korea.
Yan Naing Htun, of Burmese opposition National League for Democracy-Liberated Area, South Korea branch, said the award is highly respected in Korea.
“Min Ko Naing was chosen as a winner this year for his ongoing struggle against dictatorship by the Burmese junta since his early life as a university student despite prison term handed to him throughout this time,” he said.
“Even now, he’s continuing his fight in prison without bowing down to pressure.”
The prize was awarded to imprisoned opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi in 2004.
Min Ko Naing was sentenced last year along with 22 others who were involved in the 2007 uprising. The United States has strongly criticized the harsh punishments brought against activists arrested after the uprising.
Reporting by Aye Nai |
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| Karen Refugee Testifies to Junta Crimes |
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WASHINGTON—A Karen woman based in the United States on Thursday called on the US Congress and the Obama administration to push the UN Security Council to establish an international inquiry into crimes against humanity committed by Burma’s military junta against its own people.
Giving graphic details of the some of the human rights violations the junta has perpetrated, particularly against ethnic communities and in this case against her and her family, Karen refugee Myra Dahgaypaw told a Congressional committee that the Burmese regime must be held accountable for all the crimes it has committed.
A member of the Karen Women’s Organization and a board member of the Karen American Communities Foundation, Dahgaypaw testified before the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, which had convened a Congressional hearing on human rights abuses in Burma.
“I urge members of Congress and the new US administration to support and push for a UN Security Council Commission of Inquiry into the regime’s crimes against humanity and system of impunity,” she said.
Demanding that the military regime be held accountable for the crimes it commits against the people of Burma, Dahgaypaw urged the international community to continue to pressure the junta into ceasing all human rights abuses and violence against civilians.
She said the Burmese army often uproots an entire village in just a few minutes, and sends the villagers running with little more than the clothes on their backs.
Then the Burmese troops place landmines around the area to ensure villagers remain on the run and do not return to their homes, she said. Today, Eastern Burma is one of the world’s most heavily mined areas.
“After villagers are forced from their villages, they live minute by minute, like nomads. They eat what they find in the jungle, and often go to bed hungry. They are always on the move, children in tow. They live in constant fear of the military,” she said.
“According to my personal experience, my family and I had nothing. We didn’t have food to eat, places to sleep or enough clothes [to wear], a situation made more difficult when it was cold or raining. We were constantly running from regime troops and we hid in the caves, bushes and jungle. The places we called ‘homes’ were burnt down many times a year. I will never forget sleeping with half of my body in the rain and the other half under a plastic tarp,” an emotionally choked Dahgaypaw said.
As humanitarian organizations could not get past the military regime to reach such people, Dahgaypaw said there was not enough food or medicine.
“I suffered from malaria, flu and other diseases many times a year. Many of my cousins died from malaria and other diseases,” she said.
“There were many times we had no food to eat. Sometimes, we had only one can of rice to feed seven family members. The older people didn’t eat. Instead they gave the rice to my sister and I because we were the youngest. We survived by eating bamboo shoots from the jungle. Sometimes we had to go to bed without any food in our stomachs,” Dahgaypaw said.
She emphasized to the committee that her story was neither unique nor exclusive to her ethnic community alone.
“There are several other ethnic groups besides the Karen. Each one of them also faces oppression and displacement at the hands of the Burmese military regime that will force them to live as IDPs [internally displaced persons] or to flee to the borders and other countries,” she said.
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| Imprisoned Zarganar in Failing Health |
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One of Burma’s most prominent political prisoners, the satirist Zarganar, is in failing health, according to his family.
Zarganar’s sister-in-law, Ma Nyein, told The Irrawaddy on Friday that the popular activist was being denied adequate medical treatment in Myintkyinar Prison, where he is serving a 35-year term of imprisonment. Ma Nyein said he was suffering from jaundice and hypertension.
Zarganar, 48, was sentenced to the long prison term in remote Myintkyinar for his involvement in humanitarian assistance to survivors of Cyclone Nargis in 2008.
Zarganar is one of several political prisoners in ill health, according to Bo Kyi, co-secretary of the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. Bo Kyi said others included Hkun Htun OO, chairman of the Shan National League for Democracy, Su Su Nway, Hla Myo Naung and Aung Thu.
Bo Kyi said the UN and other international organizations needed to back up their calls for the release of political prisoners with action. “International organizations, including the UN, need to take effective measures,” he said.
“We are very concerned about the health of political prisoners because they do not have medical doctors and hospital care. They should be transferred to prisons located near their families and relatives. If a prisoner is denied medical treatment, that’s murder.”
Convicted political activists are commonly incarcerated in prisons far from their homes, a form of also punishing their families, who have heavy financial and personal hardships in visiting and keeping in touch with their loved ones.
According to human rights groups, the Burmese junta allows political prisoners to meet family members once every four weeks.
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| Diarrhea Deaths Confirmed in Rangoon |
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Sources in Rangoon have confirmed that at least five people have died in an outbreak of diarrhea that hit Burma’s largest city just before the start of the Burmese New Year’s festival in mid-April.
Bae U Ma, a 12-year-old girl from a poor family living in Ward 44 of North Dagon Myothit Township, died on April 20 after contracting the disease earlier in the month, according to a neighbor. Neighbors also confirmed the death of an elderly woman in Ward 7 of the same township. Doctors said three other people had died in Thaketa Township’s Ward 4, where the outbreak was said to be under control.
“I successfully treated more than a dozen diarrhea patients in the past three weeks,” said a physician at a private clinic in Thaketa Township. “But the cases were particularly severe, requiring at least three days of treatment.”
There were also reports that three other patients had died in North Okkalapa Township, although these could not be independently confirmed. Local residents of the township said that there were hundreds of cases of diarrhea in North Okkalapa alone.
Other townships, including South and North Dagon Myothit, Thaketa, Dawbon and Thanlyin, have also reported significant numbers of people suffering from the disease.
No official announcement of the outbreak has been issued, although the Ministry of Health has released repeated warnings in the Burmese-language press instructing people to take precautions against the disease.
Authorities have also ordered the closure of roadside food stalls in areas affected by the outbreak, according to local residents.
Meanwhile, an official from the United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Rangoon told The Irrawaddy on Friday that there has also been a dramatic rise in the number of cases of diarrhea in the Irrawaddy delta over the past week.
“UNICEF and other medical agencies have learned of an estimated 100 diarrhea cases in 20 villages in Bogalay Township this week,” the UNICEF official said, adding that the number of cases has since decreased.
The official also said that UNICEF was aware of the outbreak in Rangoon and was working with government agencies to address the problem.
“We have been cooperating with government health officials in responding to the situation. We are providing drugs and equipment,” said the UNICEF official, who added that she was not authorized to make any further comment.
Despite growing concerns, the authorities have moved to prevent any news related to the outbreak from reaching the public.
“We cannot answer any questions because our senior officers have told us not to speak to the media about this issue,” a government health official from North Okkalapa Township said during a telephone conversation.
A Rangoon-based journalist who has been following news of the outbreak said that if the government did not provide detailed information soon, the situation could get “worse and worse, and then get out of control.”
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| KNU soldier injured in land mine explosion |
| Friday, 24 April 2009 |
by Daniel Pedersen
Mae Sot (Mizzima) – A Karen National Liberation Army soldier was injured in a land mine explosion this afternoon as his unit made its way through dense jungle.
The pitched battle for the base camp entered the 10th day today. Wah Lay Kee camp, just across the Thai border, is home to the KNLA's 201st battallion of its sixth brigade region, to the south of the Thai border town of Mae Sot.
Today the Burmese Army and units from its allied militia, the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, held back, after suffering heavy casualties from land mines and jungle booby traps during the past week.
From the high ground they shelled areas of the jungle around Wah Lay Kee in their relentless pursuit to eliminate small bands of KNLA guerilla fighters who have so far held off a major assault that could sound the death knell for its last major base in the sixth brigade region.
Colonel Nerdah Mya, eldest son of the late General Bo Mya, said heavy weaponry was used throughout the day.
More than five 81mm shells fell near KNLA troops, but they suffered no casualties. Troops of Burma's ruling military junta, the State Peace and Development Council, also strafed areas with a .50 calibre machine gun.
Colonel Nerdah described the situation at the tenuous base camp as such: “They have high ground, we have high ground and in between we have guerilla fighters.
“There are a lot of booby traps and land mines. Wah Lay Kee is a real war zone.”
He said the SPDC was maintaining a base camp about five miles from Wah Lay Kee on high ground. Today it did not make deep forays into KNLA territory that have marked the past week.
“That's because of the casualties they've taken so far because of land mines,” he said.
Yesterday was relatively quiet around the camp, where there is no traditional front line, but rather a zone through which movement in any direction could be life threatening.
So far during this battle for the KNLA base camp seven soldiers from a combined SPDC/DKBA force have been killed and 33 wounded.
They took no casualties today.
One KNLA soldier has also been killed and, with today's incident, four injured since April 12.
The combined Burmese Army and DKBA force of about 250 men has used scores of mortars, both 60mm and 81mm.
On Tuesday afternoon at about 3 pm a commander at Wah Lay Kee said the latest bombardment had occurred about 25 minutes earlier and the situation “is not good, they are attacking us every day”.
The KNLA soldiers have long been expecting this push and have made preparations.
The whole area is teeming with booby traps and land mines and Karen National Union vice president David Thackrabaw confirmed a few days ago that the KNLA had been making its own Claymore directional mines, primarily a defensive weapon but deadly to a range of 250 metres.
KNLA troops were given fresh supplies this morning.
Crossing the border for either soldiers or refugees is at the moment almost impossible, the Thai Army having sealed the border with checkpoints surrounding nearby villages and regular patrols maintaining a close watch on vehicles. |
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| Diarrhea outbreak in Rangoon and Mandalay |
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by Phanida
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – A fresh outbreak of Diarrhea has reportedly killed four people in Rangoon’s Thaketa Township and led to 60 people being hospitalized in suburban North Okklapa this month, local residents said.
The disease which broke out on April 17 has not been checked by the Burmese regime’s health department with more and more people suffering from Diarrhea.
"It has been about six days now that people are suffering from Diarrhea. It seems to have been caused because of unhygienic water. Many people from our ward are suffering from the disease,” a local monk, who is providing assistance to patients, told Mizzima.
The monk said the number of patients to his knowledge has reached 61. The condition of several is severe requiring hospitalization.
“Most of the patients are young people," the monk added.
The local Peace and Development Council officials and members of the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) have arranged for a doctor and about 10 health workers to treat the patients at the local Buddhist prayer hall.
"We've just distributed the medicines and drinking water which were donated by our donor devotees. The doctors are treating the patients in rotation. The local authorities and health workers are distributing medicines and dehydration packages. We are sending those who are in a serious condition to hospital," the monk said.
A staff member of the township municipal body said that the health department is conducting a survey on the current outbreak of Diarrhea in the area.
"The outbreak is mainly in Ward No. 2 and the health department is currently conducting a survey and investigating the cause of the outbreak to determine whether it is due to water or other causes," he said.
Local authorities are also warning people in different localities over loudspeakers to be wary of Diarrhea and to use clean drinking water.
A similar outbreak has been reported in Burma’s second largest city of Mandalay, with local people saying the disease began spreading since last week before the start of the Thingyan (water festival).
"There is an outbreak of Diarrhea in the area, since before the Thingyan and it is still continuing. I think it's because of the hot weather and unhygienic drinking water and food,” a local resident of Mandalay told Mizzima.
“There are many diarrhea patients here both young and old. They are suffering from loose motion in quick succession. After about 10 times, the patients feel better if they get proper treatment. The situation is even worse in the outskirts. The immunization programme started two weeks ago," he said.
At least four people died after suffering from Diarrhea in early April in Rangoon’s Thaketa Township. The outbreak of Diarrhea has also been reported in other areas including Dawpon, Syriam and Pazuntaung Townships of Rangoon. |
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| Fire breaks out in Rangoon suburbs |
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New Delhi (Mizzima) - A fire broke out gutting a factory on Thursday in Rangoon’s suburban Township of South Dagon, fire department officials said.
The fire started at about 11:45 a.m. (local time) at the ‘May Yu’ Peas factory in the Industrial zone (1) of the township, a fire department official in South Dagon Township said.
“We have not received detailed information because the fire fighting team which we sent out to douse the fire has not returned yet,” the fire department official told Mizzima.
An eyewitness said, the fire raged for about 45 minutes before it was extinguished by fire fighters at about 12:30 p.m. (local time).
“The fire gutted the two-storey building of the factory cum godown and destroyed almost all the goods including peas and ginger that were stored,” the eyewitness said.
The local said the factory produced export quality peas, and several pea bags were destroyed in the fire.
The factory, according to the local, was a concrete building on about two acres of land.
“I heard that the fire started from an explosion in a generator. A fire fighter and the man who handled the generator were reportedly injured and taken to hospital,” the local added.
The police arrested the manager of the factory, he said.
However, the fire department, said they could not yet confirm the injuries as the fire fighters had not come back. |
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| Junta prohibits reporting on the arrest of murderer |
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New Delhi (Mizzima) - Local Weekly Journals in Rangoon said they have been prohibited from publishing follow-up news on a murder case that took place in Botahtaung Township of Rangoon in early April.
Despite Botahtaung police station and Rangoon division police confirming the arrest of an individual accused of killing a husband and wife, they have warned local journals not to publish additional information concerning the case, an editor of a Rangoon-based weekly told Mizzima.
“They have openly warned us not to report about follow-up news regarding the case. I have tried various means to persuade them otherwise, but they have even threatened to arrest me,” said the editor, referring to the strict censorship board, which maintains tight control over local publications.
In early April, Aye Aye Win, daughter of a retired military officer, and her husband, Khin Maung Lay, a sailor, were both found dead inside their residence in Botahtaung Township.
On Monday, a police officer in Botahtaung police station told Mizzima they had arrested a murder suspect on April 15 and were interrogating him. But the officer declined to provide further details, other than to state he is an important individual.
Editors and reporters of local weeklies in Rangoon believe the murderer could be related to military officials, which is why they have been restricted from reporting further on the case.
News of the murder was reported in early April by at least three journals – Weekly Eleven, 7 Day News and The Voice.
One local journal has, however, indicated they have submitted their paper to the censorship board inclusive of follow-up news on the arrest, though it remains to be seen whether or not authorities permit publication of the edition.
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| Ground control: militarization and the theft of Burma’s land |
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By Rosalie Smith
Apr 23, 2009 (DVB)–In the last two decades Burma has aggressively expanded its military, doubling army personnel to the point where now there is one troop for every 100 citizens.
Only North Korea now ranks higher than Burma for army size relative to country population. This has been helped along by the 29 per cent of total government spending being allocated to defence; all despite Burma having no external enemies.
To date, international media has almost myopically focused on detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the other 2,100 political prisoners held behind bars. Rightly so, the picture being broadcast is of a government bent on controlling its population through starvation of resources and freedom. But beyond this, the human cost sacrificed to support Burma’s military might has seldom been exposed.
The aggressive expansion of the military has required land on which to build more barracks, outposts and training sites. According to Holding our Ground, a report released earlier this week on land confiscation in Arakan state, Mon state and the Pa-O region of southern Shan state, Burma’s farmers have borne the brunt of this.
The report documents the increasing incidences of land confiscation. The problem is widespread, and farmers and villagers whose land and livelihood is being stolen often receive no compensation. Indeed, many are then forced to work on the government projects carried out on their old land.
It also documents how soldiers moving onto confiscated land in ethnic states are encouraged to either bring with them their families or marry local women, while schools close to militarised areas are banned from teaching ethnic languages. This is all part of a policy to dilute people’s ethnic identity.
Legally, there are no obstacles that prevent the government or army from confiscating land. Unlike the majority of functional democracies in the world, Burma doesn’t recognise private land ownership. A single farmer is powerless if an official decides that his land is needed for government purposes.
To compound the problem, there are substantial risks for people who complain about land confiscation.
“People often get arrested or fined as punishment if they inform organisations like [International Labour Organisation] that their land has been confiscated,” said Aung Marm Oo, chief author of Holding Our Ground.
“Sometimes the local community has to complain to the very authorities who confiscated their land.”
Stolen land is also providing lucrative business for the government. The Karen Human Rights Group recently found that large tracts of land have been confiscated and sold on to Max (Myanmar) Company who intend to use the area for rubber cultivation.
Villagers in western Karen state speak of their fear of being relocated. Many of them have been forced to work as porters for the army or on stretches of the Asian Highway being constructed in the area. Arbitrary arrests and extortion have also been reported.
Similarly, foreign companies’ interests in Burma’s natural resources have accelerated land confiscation. The Yadana and Yetagun natural gas pipelines in the early 1990’s are perhaps the most obvious example of this.
According to EarthRights International’s report, pipeline construction resulted in numerous villages within 20 miles either side of the pipeline being relocated. Western oil companies Total, Premier and Unocal were in partnership with the ruling State Peace and Development Council in construction of the pipeline.
And now the Burmese government is working with corporations from South Korea, India and China to build an overland pipeline running across northwest Burma to China.
“The energy resources are not being used for Burma but are sold to a foreign country,” said Ko Kin, spokesperson for the anti-pipeline campaign group, Shwe Gas Movement.
“Farmlands on the way will be confiscated and more troops will be stationed for the pipeline’s security,” he said, adding that plans for the pipeline have already caused forcible relocation of locals.
According to Aung Htoo, general secretary of exiled lawyers group, Burma Lawyer’s Council, land confiscation is common in the numerous ethnic states, although there is a lack of valid data. This is likely one of the reasons for the problem being neglected by the media.
Owner of all the lands
The impunity under which the Burmese government operates is staggering. Numerous laws have been established that blatantly prioritise military strength and financial capital over civilian rights.
Article 18 of the 1974 constitution states that ‘the State is the ultimate owner of all natural resources above and below the ground, above and beneath the waters and in the atmosphere, and also of all the lands.’
This law was revalidated in 2004 and adopted as one of the state’s fundamental principles. Thus, farmers are leaseholders with a right to cultivate their land, but the state remains the ultimate owner.
The only breath of hope would be the Land Acquisition Act, which states that if the government wants to occupy private land, it has to provide notice and some kind of compensation to the land owners, although this only comes into play when the land is fallow.
Regardless, many farmers don’t even know about the possibility of seeking justice for themselves, says Aung Marm Oo.
‘Holding Our Ground’ found that between 1998 and 2002, over 7,000 acres of land and hundreds of millions of kyats worth of crops and plantations in Mon state were confiscated. This has left a vast number of Mon unemployed and poverty stricken.
The International Labour Organisation is the only body to deal with land confiscation in Burma, although it only accepts cases where confiscation issues are the result of proven case of forced labour.
The risks for complaints are substantial, however. In January labour activist Zaw Htay was sentenced to ten years imprisonment after helping farmers in Magwe division file a report to the ILO on land seizures. His lawyer Pho Phyu, was subsequently sentenced in March to four years imprisonment after defending him at the trial.
Groups such as Burma Lawyer’s Council are investing resources in collecting valid data about land confiscation but, they say, the problem can only be tackled properly when the Burmese government takes the first step. Yet with one eye focused firmly on military dominance, and the other on staving off economic collapse, land confiscation is likely to continue.
“First, as long as the state does not recognise private ownership of land, there’s no hope for the people,” said Aung Htoo.
“What can the people do?” |
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| Human rights group slams UN report on child soldiers |
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(DVB)–A leading human rights watchdog has criticised a United Nations report for focusing too much attention on releases of child soldiers by the Burmese army whilst ignoring the fact that they continue to be recruited.
The report, released last month, concentrated attention on strategies used by the government to ensure the release of child soldiers from its army, and the continued recruitment of children to ethnic rebel armies.
According to Human Rights Watch, however, the report failed to highlight the continued use of child soldiers by the Burmese army.
“To be honest I think it’s disingenuous of that process to not even say anything about the recruitment into the SPDC army,” said David Mathieson, Burma researcher at HRW.
“They talk about non-state armed groups, and they should, but it has a far more positive spin on the military government’s cooperation than we think they deserve.”
In 2002, Human Rights Watch published a report that accused Burma of being the world’s highest recruiter of child soldiers.
Burma has fiercely expanded its military in the past two decades and now ranks behind only North Korea when it comes to army size relative to country population. The recruitment of child soldiers is often used as a means to maintain troop levels.
“In government controlled areas there’s a quota for each battalion that they have to meet recruitment drives,” said David Mathieson.
“To do that they’ve actually subcontracted it out to the lower ranks and junior officers and said that every battalion needs several new recruits a month and there’s inducements – they get bags of rice or money.”
The UN report, entitled ‘Children and armed conflict’, concentrated on ten countries that continue to use child soldiers either as government troops or in armed opposition groups.
“It’s still a very serious issue inside Burma and the kind of report that just came out doesn’t reflect the seriousness of the problem within the Burmese military and it’s not very good of them to not investigate the biggest perpetrator by far,” said David Mathieson.
“It’s kind of cynical how they’ve switched the debate and are now being praised for cooperating with the international community.”
Reporting by Francis Wade |
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