BI Weekly No. 270

March 9th - March 15th, 2006

The BI Weekly archive is available on our website: www.burmaissues.org

Inside

Over 3,000 Karens flee to jungle after Burma Army offensives
Junta appoints the border areas minister as mayor of Pyinmana
24 members of SSA-S sentenced to death

Border

International

Letter for the release of Win Tin
U.S. Secretary of State Rice attacks Burmese Human Rights Report
India makes big deal with Burma
Ruili in China- an example for the friendship of two undemocratic regimes

* denotes BI commentary

On March 9, 2006, The Burma army continued its attacks against civilians in Northern and Western Karen State, Burma. Three Burma Army battalions attacked two villages from Saw Ka Der village tract of Mon Township, Western Karen State. Meanwhile, further south in Ler Doh Township, the Burma Army carried out a similar attack and forced 1,153 villagers into hiding.

Total people newly displaced in Northern and Western Karen State during this past week of 5-12 March: at least 2,993 people in hiding now, with the number being closer to an estimated 3,000 to 3,100 people newly displaced.

"Burma Army Launches New Attacks in Western and Northern Karen States", Free Burma Rangers Report, March 14 , 2006

Burma's ruling military junta has appointed the border areas minister as mayor of Pyinmana, soon to be declared the country's new capital city, the government announced.

Col. Thein Nyunt, 57, will continue as border areas minister when he becomes mayor of the city, 400 kilometers (250 miles) north of Rangoon, the current capital. Thein Nyunt, border areas minister since 1997, was appointed mayor on Feb. 27.

The central government is expected to be officially declared the new capital sometime after theove is completed, but it is not clear when.

The new administrative city had not been officially renamed, but the announcement called it "Naypyidaw," which means "royal capital."

"Myanmar border areas minister appointed mayor of new capital city", Associated Press , March 10, 2006

24 members of SSA-S sentenced to death

24 members of Shan State Army South (SSA-S) Brigade 241 including its commander Sa Khun Kyaw who surrendered to the Burmese army earlier this year were sentenced to death by a martial court inside Lashio Prison in northern Shan State near the Sino-Burmese border. They were accused of involving in drug-trafficking, murder and the use of child soldier.

The sentences were passed on 4 March and the prisoners had already been transferred to Mandalay Jail in central Burma.

"24 Shan fighters sentenced to death by Burmese court", Democratic Voice of Burma, March 10, 2006

.

After bird flu outbreak in Burma, Bangladesh bans import of livestock

Worried Bangladesh authorities banned entry of livestock (poultry birds and products) from the Burma-Bangladesh border yesterday after the outbreak of bird flu in Mandalay. Veterinarians found strains of H5N1 virus in dead poultry and supposed that the flu had killed at least 112 birds around the city.

The government prohibited imports of chicks from several countries, including Thailand, India and Malaysia, as part of its vigilance against bird flu to save Bangladesh's growing poultry industry.

“Bangladesh bans livestock from Burma-Bangladesh border”. Kaladan News, March 14, 2006

The UNHCR in Dhaka has reduced the monthly subsistence allowance, or SA, by 50 percent for urban Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, said a notice from the Bangladesh UNHCR office. Exceptions are made to those who are elderly, are single females, physically challenged or otherwise vulnerable. They will get the normal rate for an extended period from January to June 2006

In fact, the UNHCR has determined only five Arakanese refugees to be eligible for the SA.About 100 other Arakanese refugees are unable to get any assistance from the UNHCR, except for the normal education fees for children and health related costs.

Refugees criticize that the UNHCR Bangladesh has never considered the increasing cost of essential commodities or the decrease of the value of the Taka against the US Dollar while taking decisions regarding the subsistence allowance.

“UNHCR reduces refugee subsistence allowance”, Narinjara News, March 12, 2006

The scene of a Karen woman giving birth on a forest floor one dark night is one of several that brought viewers close to tears as they viewed a documentary film on recent relocations of ethnic Karenni and Karen people in Burma, the Bangkok Post reports.

The documentary was screened last week at a seminar on dam projects on the Salween river intended to inform people outside Burma about the plight of minority groups. The seminar was organised by major organisations and certain Senate panels.

The Thai and Burmese governments in May 2005 signed a memorandum of understanding to develop the projects.

The project affects over 30,000 Karenni people and several minority groups, among them a small Yintalai tribe with a population of about 1,000 and Thai people in Shan State. All are confronted with forced relocations, sexual violations and forced labour prompted by Burmese military troops.

Pianporn Deetes, of the Southeast Asia Rivers Network which campaigns for sustainable development of river basins in the region, said increasing government troop movements had taken place in the areas that appear to coincide with dam construction activities.

“Documentary film records plight of Karen people displaced by Salween river hydroelectric dam project”, Thai Press Report, March 13, 2006

Prisoners exchange between Bangladesh and Burma

A commander level flag meeting between Burma and Bangladesh was held in the border town of Teknaf on March 7, for exchanging prisoners between the two neighbours.

A seven-member team led by Lt Col Myint Shwe in charge of Nasaka area No. 7, represented the Burmese side while Deputy Commander Major Abul Kalam from BDR battalion 23 based in Teknaf led seven officials from Bangladesh.

During the meeting, six Bangladeshi prisoners, who were arrested from their fishing boat by Nasaka recently in Burmese territorial waters, were handed over to BDR officials by the Nasaka team. While the Bangladesh authorities handed over 75 Burmese prisoners before. All in all 496 Burmese prisoners, who have brought together in Cox's Bazaar jail by Bangladeshi jail authorities, will be handed over to Burmese authorities in the near future.

“Flag meeting for prisoner exchange”, Narinjara News, March 10, 2006

After withdrawal from Burma MSF start working in Bangladesh

Medecins San Frontieres (MSF) has started humanitarian works at the Dum Dum Meah undocumented Refugee camp with about 10,000 refugees in Bangladesh on March 3, 2006. It provides medicines and doing construction works for fresh water and sanitary system.

MSF group is going to close their Rangoon office in March 19, 2006 as they have been facing many difficulties so that they are not able to work freely in Burma, said a report of RFA.

“MSF Starts Humanitarian works at Undocumented Refugee Camp”, Kaladan News, March 15,2006

Letter for the release of Win Tin

Human Rights experts including Sergio Pinheiro, UN special envoy to Burma, call for the release of the imprisoned journalist Win Tin. A letter has been sent to the junta on Saturday the 11th March 2006 to express the demand to release all political prisoners but was concentrated on Win Tin as Burma’s longest imprisoned political prisoner.

Win Tin had his 76th birthday on March the 12th. Tate Naing, secretary of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners based in Thailand appreciated the letter saying that such international action can change and reach something but the immediate release of Tin is not possible.

Win Tin, former editor of the Hanthawaddy newspaper and vice chairman of Burma’s Writer’s Union, was first arrested in July 1984. He is one of over 1000 political prisoners in Burmese prisons.

‘Rights experts call for release of Win Tin’, Mizzima News, March 13, 2006

U.S. Secretary of State Rice attacks Burmese Human Rights Report

On the 14th March 2006, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice raised her voice against the junta after reading their record of human rights. She said democratic nations need to stand up against unfair regimes.

This happened after a meeting with Indonesian PM Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono who recently visited Burma and called the junta to hurry and follow their promises on the way to democracy. This kind of action is quite untypical for an ASEAN member. They normally follow a policy of constructive engagement.

Rice welcomed the activity of Indonesia, saying that true democracies can’t turn a blind eye on such systems and that it is time to join the international community and to respect human rights.

Since 1990 Burma has attained pariah status in the West after the junta released to hand over power to the NLD. The junta promised to move towards democracy but this is increasingly in doubt for most Western countries.

‘U.S. Secretary of State slams Myanmar's human rights record’, Associated Press, March 14, 2006

India makes big deal with Burma

The Indian Prime Minister has left Burma on the 11th March with a new deal on natural gas. India, like China, further decreases the effects of the Western countries’ sanctions that are set up by EU and U.S.

Also the ASEAN states have raised their voices. But what hinders their effectiveness is the advantage Burma’s junta has because of the geo-strategic position in between China and India and the richness in natural resources. Thailand already benefits from natural gas in the Andaman Sea.

China and India hope for an arrangement to pipe gas from the reserves of Arakan. In November 2005 China signed a deal for a Pipeline Project that is running from the Shwe field to its Yunan province. Indian President Abdul Kalam got now a similar agreement to explore transport options. India tried to get a pipeline running from Arakan through Bangladesh to Kolkata but didn’t succeed. Now the new deal allows studies into running a much longer pipeline through northeast India directly, or converting the gas to liquefied natural gas for shipping.

During his visit Kalam did not mentioned the human rights abuses or the political prisoners because of being scared to alienate the junta and losing ground to the big competitor China. India also increases other trade with Burma.

‘In Myanmar visit, Indian president jockeys with China for energy’, Agence France Presse, March 12, 2006

Ruili in China- an example for the friendship of two undemocratic regimes

China has a strong economic relation with Burma. The transmission tie is running trough the border town Ruili. Every day trucks and goods are passing through Ruili. In the area across the border, trees are cut down, roads are built, and gold and jade are mined by Chinese workers. Also a new gas pipeline from Burma to China is progressing.

The Chinese regime has a preference for regimes that are dismissed by all the other countries for their illegitimacy, or their anti- democratic behaviour. China is involved in Sudan, Iran, Zimbabwe and Burma, who are all international sanctioned.

China has stepped in with diplomatic protection, usually in exchange for market access for Chinese goods or a deal with oil or other natural resources.

In relation to Burma it resists international pressure for supporting a regime change in the SPDC ruled country which reflects a general strategy for policy in China.

In November, Petro China made a deal for 6.5 trillion cubic feet of gas transported from Burma's offshore fields to Kunming in China's Yunnan province. In December, China, which occupies one of five permanent seats on the UN Security Council, paid back and helped to derail a U.S. initiative to investigate and judge Burma for the violations against its citizens.

Ruili is an expression of this growing interrelation between both countries. For building roads the Burmese junta pays back in natural resources and goods. China also builds internal roads and railways to facilitate trade. 305 kilometres of highway in Burma have been built and another 107-kilometre rail link to Lashio, a final link of a pan-Asia network, will be soon constructed. The Burmese border area is highly dependent on China.

Bilateral trade between China and Burma hit US$1.2-billion last year. An expressway from the provincial capital, Kunming which will be finished next year, will improve the number. The pragmatic and economic standpoint China takes to Burma hinders any tumbling of the Burmese dictatorship.

‘China embraces Myanmar regime and $1.2B in trade: '25th province': Beijing resists global efforts to end military dictatorship’, Financial Post, March 11, 2006