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| Burma Army Kills Two Men and Submits Hundreds to Forced Labor as it Increases Activity in Toungoo District |
| Sunday, 27 March 2011 |
Saw Oo Nay Mya, age 44, was shot by Infantry Battalion (IB) 250 of Military Operations Command (MOC) 7 on 2 February 2011 in Toungoo District, Northern Karen State. The commander of this unit is Major Hla Tun. Saw Ler Maw, age 22, from Hkler Lah village in the same district was killed by MOC 9 on 22 February 2011.
Starting from the middle of January 2011 the SPDC has been increasing its activity in Toungoo district. Currently, the Burma Army has 3 Tactical Operations Commands (TOC) in the area. These troops have been moving food along the car road from Hkler Lah camp to Bu Hsa Hkee camp. During this process the Burma Army has been using prisoners from Toungoo and Insein Prisons as forced labor. The movement of food is possibly a sign of coming attacks.
Burma Army activity
The Burma Army currently has 3 TOCs under MOC 9 in Toungoo District. Light Infantry Battalions (LIB) 375 and 376 from TOC 1 have been transporting food from Hkler Lah to Bu Hsa Hkee using more than 100 trucks. Along the car road, MOC 7 is providing security for MOC 9. The military equipment of these troops includes M-81s, RPGs, machine guns and sniper rifles.
Human rights abuses along the car road
All the way from Hkler Lah to Bu Hsa Hkee, Burma Army troops ordered villagers to drive their own trucks on the road to check for landmines. After that, the Burma Army's own trucks would follow. Because this landmine-sweeping job was very dangerous, no one wanted to do it. The villagers drew lots to decide who would have to go. To transport food, the Burma Army used 70 prisoners from Toungoo Prison and 70 prisoners from Insein Prison in Rangoon. The Burma Army used these prisoners to carry heavy loads. Prisoners who could not carry the loads were beaten by the soldiers. One of the prisoners escaped and reached the area under control of the Karen National Liberation Army (local pro-democracy resistance), who gave him permission to find his way home.
In addition to this, 40 villagers from Hkler Lah were forced to transport food by SPDC MOC 9 by motorbike from Hkler Lah to Koh Day on 18 January 2011. The same day, 140 men and women from Klaw Mee Der area were forced to carry food along the road from Pa Leh Wah to Klaw Mee Der and act as human minesweepers by IB 102. On 11 Feb 2011, 5 men from Play Hsa Lo were forced to carry loads and act as minesweepers between Play Hsa Lo and Tha Pyin Nuint by IB 102. The unit's commander is Myint Thine Win.
Finally, during these operations the Burma Army has blocked the car road from Toungoo city to Hkler Lah camp. By doing this, the Burma Army has prevented villagers to go to the city to trade.
Burma Army strategy
The motive of BA for this increased activity in Toungoo District is still unknown. However, one possibility is that it is a sign of coming attacks in the area. The large shipments of food - needed for prolonged activity -- are a strong sign for this. Still, the food movements are on a small scale, making it difficult to come to a firm conclusion of the military's intentions.
Further abuses in other areas
In Papun District, the Burma Army is using forced labor to transport supplies from the Salween River.
(BNN/FBR) |
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| Burma Army Shells and Burns Village in Northern Karen State |
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On February 25, 2011, at 3:10am, Burma Army troops from Pla Ko Camp shot 7 mortar rounds at Teh Boh Plaw village, Luthaw Township, Muthraw District. From 7:30 to 9:30am, they fired more mortar rounds and also used an RPG and machine guns as they entered the village and rice field. They burned one rice field shelter belonging to Saw Pah Teh, age 30, who lost belongings worth 50,000 Baht (US$1,600), and also burned one straw hut belonging to Saw La Kay and his possessions. The troops, more than 200 in number, left the village at 1pm. The villagers ran away to nearby villages such as Htee Baw Kee and Teh Boh Hta. An FBR team is now helping these displaced people. |
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22:37 |
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| Myanmar: Relief aids supplied to earthquake victims |
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| YANGON, 26 March- Relief and Resettlement Department under the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement provided emergency items such as temporary relief tents, tarpaulins, blankets, Mamee instant noodle sachets, rice, dried fishes, fish cans, men's and women's wear, towels and utensils to the victims who have been in distress due to earthquake centering near Loimwe of Shan State (East). The relief items were supplied by military aircraft yesterday and today. Arrangements are being made to provide further relief items for the victims. |
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| Suu Kyi's party seeks talks with Myanmar's generals |
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YANGON (Reuters) - The party of Myanmar's pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, called on Sunday for talks with the country's military rulers to clear up "misunderstandings" before a new government takes office.
The National League for Democracy (NLD) reiterated its demand for talks with the military, known locally as the "Tatmadaw," to seek the release of more than 2,100 political prisoners and a bigger role for democratic forces in the country's future.
"It is urged that dialogue be held urgently to eliminate the misunderstandings between the democratic forces and the Tatmadaw," the NLD said in a statement.
"The authority should create fair political conditions by holding politically meaningful dialogue and releasing all political prisoners unconditionally."
The call is likely to fall on deaf ears as the authoritarian junta prepares to make way for a civilian government it has hand-picked to maintain its half-century grip on power.
The regime has used everything in its power, from deadly force to contentious court rulings, to sideline the NLD and its supporters since its landslide election win in 1990, which the military ignored.
Suu Kyi was released from a seven-year detention in November last year and wants to start a process of national reconciliation involving the army, pro-democracy groups and ethnic militias that have fought the military for decades.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner has been given unprecedented freedom since her release but her calls for dialogue have been ignored. |
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22:34 |
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| 74 die in Burma, toll may rise |
| Saturday, 26 March 2011 |
A powerful earthquake that toppled homes in northeastern Burma has killed at least 74 people, amid fears that the toll will mount as conditions in more remote areas become known.
The earthquake, which measured 6.8 on the Richter scale, struck on Thursday night.
It was centred just north of the town of Tachilek in the mountains along the Thai border, and it was felt as far away as Bangkok and the Vietnamese capital Hanoi.
Burma state radio announced yesterday that 74 people had been killed and 111 injured in the earthquake, but it was updating the total frequently. It said that 390 houses, 14 monasteries and nine government buildings were damaged.
The state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported that 15 houses collapsed in the town of Tarlay, where state radio said 11 were killed and 29 injured.
Another two people were killed in Tachilek, including a four-year-old boy. It said six people were injured.
In Chiang Rai, the quake has also damaged houses, hospitals, buildings and historical sites.
The top of the 88-metre high brick ancient pagoda, Wat Phra That Chedi Luang, the tallest pagoda in Chiang Rai, collapsed and a pagoda containing a Buddha relic at Wat Phra That Chom Kitti, both in Chiang Saen district, has subsided and is tilted at 30 degrees.
The symbolic umbrella at the top of the pagoda was also damaged.
Public Health Minister Jurin Laksanavisit said the earthquakes damaged six hospitals in Chiang Rai. The damage at the Chiang Rai Prachanukhroh Hospital was most serious.
A 55-year-old woman, Hong Khamping, was killed when a concrete wall of her home in Mae Sai district in Chiang Rai collapsed on her.
Sura Khunkhongkhaphan, the director of Mae Sai Hospital, said five Burmese patients from Tachilek had been admitted.
Pagaimas Viera, chairman of the Thai-Burmese Cultural and Economic Committee, said the earthquakes shook her duty-free shop and hotel building in Tachilek violently.
Many products on display, particularly liquor, had fallen down. At her hotel, the Mekong Delta Boutique, glass window panes broke.
Most guests staying in hotels in Mae Sai also checked out from their hotels right after the earthquakes that also caused an electricity blackout in the district, said Ms Pagaimas.
The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand insisted the quake did not damage Thai dams, including the Srinakarind dam in Kanchanaburi located near the Srisawat faultline.
(bangkokpost) |
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| 74 die in Burma, toll may rise |
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A powerful earthquake that toppled homes in northeastern Burma has killed at least 74 people, amid fears that the toll will mount as conditions in more remote areas become known.
The earthquake, which measured 6.8 on the Richter scale, struck on Thursday night.
It was centred just north of the town of Tachilek in the mountains along the Thai border, and it was felt as far away as Bangkok and the Vietnamese capital Hanoi.
Burma state radio announced yesterday that 74 people had been killed and 111 injured in the earthquake, but it was updating the total frequently. It said that 390 houses, 14 monasteries and nine government buildings were damaged.
The state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported that 15 houses collapsed in the town of Tarlay, where state radio said 11 were killed and 29 injured.
Another two people were killed in Tachilek, including a four-year-old boy. It said six people were injured.
In Chiang Rai, the quake has also damaged houses, hospitals, buildings and historical sites.
The top of the 88-metre high brick ancient pagoda, Wat Phra That Chedi Luang, the tallest pagoda in Chiang Rai, collapsed and a pagoda containing a Buddha relic at Wat Phra That Chom Kitti, both in Chiang Saen district, has subsided and is tilted at 30 degrees.
The symbolic umbrella at the top of the pagoda was also damaged.
Public Health Minister Jurin Laksanavisit said the earthquakes damaged six hospitals in Chiang Rai. The damage at the Chiang Rai Prachanukhroh Hospital was most serious.
A 55-year-old woman, Hong Khamping, was killed when a concrete wall of her home in Mae Sai district in Chiang Rai collapsed on her.
Sura Khunkhongkhaphan, the director of Mae Sai Hospital, said five Burmese patients from Tachilek had been admitted.
Pagaimas Viera, chairman of the Thai-Burmese Cultural and Economic Committee, said the earthquakes shook her duty-free shop and hotel building in Tachilek violently.
Many products on display, particularly liquor, had fallen down. At her hotel, the Mekong Delta Boutique, glass window panes broke.
Most guests staying in hotels in Mae Sai also checked out from their hotels right after the earthquakes that also caused an electricity blackout in the district, said Ms Pagaimas.
The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand insisted the quake did not damage Thai dams, including the Srinakarind dam in Kanchanaburi located near the Srisawat faultline.
(bangkokpost) |
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| Over 3,700 Burmese Fishermen Still Missing, Presumed Dead |
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Of the 7,000 fishermen that were swept into the Andaman Sea during a tropical storm on March 14-16, a total of 3,374 have now been rescued, according to a source close to the Myanmar Marine Fishing Association (MMFA).
The remaining 3,700 are still missing. Nearly two weeks since 400 fishing vessels were overturned or destroyed in 70mph winds, little hope remains of anyone else surviving.
“There are currently about 400 fishing vessels at sea trying to rescue survivors of the storm,” said the source. “So far, more than 3,700 fishermen have been rescued and brought to Rangoon.”
Burma's state media reported on March 22 that naval ships, large fishing vessels and local fishing boats had jointly rescued 3,374 fishermen. While 3,152 have already gone home, 222 fishermen remain under government care, the report said, adding that the rescued fishermen had been provided medicine, clothes and food.
The tropical storm occurred off the Irrawaddy delta coast close to areas such as Bogalay and Laputta which were severely hit by Cyclone Nargis in May 2008.
“We already listed 7,000 people as missing at sea along with their vessels,” said an official from the Botahtaung Thanlyin naval compound. “But that figure does not include those people living in littoral areas. So the number of dead may be higher.”
He and other navy officers confirmed that more than 200 bodies had already been recovered from the sea.
“The majority of boats that were overturned were carrying local fishermen,” said the MMFA source. “Fishing vessels from Rangoon are generally larger, stronger and better equipped to resist the storm.”
Naval sources have estimated that the majority of missing fishermen are from Irrawaddy Division and Mon State.
State press reported that the Total E & P Myanmar Co. was involved in the rescue process. The company compensated each storm survivor with 20,000 kyat (US $20), medicine, clothes and other personal supplies, and arranged transportation for them.
However, a Rangoon-based journalist told The Irrawaddy that he was refused permission to talk to the survivors. “We [several Rangoon reporters] tried to talk with the storm refugees, but were not allowed.
The authorities sent them home right away. They even sent guards to accompany them to make sure they went straight home.”
State-run Myanmar Alin reported on March 13 that 100 houses and 38 huts in Rangoon and 20 houses in Irrawaddy Division were destroyed by the torrential winds.
Burma's Department of Meteorology and Hydrology reported on March 14 that the region would experience heavy winds and rain with some thunder and lightning, but did not predict the tropical storm.
(Irrawaddy) |
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| 6.8-magnitdue Quake Strikes Shan State |
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RANGOON — A 6.8-magnitude earthquake has hit northeastern Burma—Shan State.
The quake struck near the Southeast Asian country's borders with Thailand and Laos, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) from the northern Thai city of Chiang Rai.
The northern Thai city sustained a little damage, according to Thai television.
There were no immediate reports of damage from the Burmese side, a remote area where communications, even in the best of times, are difficult.
The 6.8-magnitude quake was just six miles (10 kilometers) deep, according to the US Geological Survey.
At that strength and depth, it said 600,000 people could feel shaking anywhere from strong to violent. It added that since buildings in the area are considered vulnerable, moderate to very heavy damage could be expected.
Buildings swayed in Bangkok, about 480 miles (770 kilometers) south of the epicenter.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the quake was located too far inland to create a destructive wave.
(Irrawaddy) |
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