BI Weekly No. 273

March 30th - April 5th, 2006

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

Inside

Students restricted freedom of expression
Chin National Front ready for ceasefire talks with Junta
Arakanese soldiers flee from Burma Army's discrimination
French section of MSF finally leaves Burma

Border

International

Reporters Without Borders and the Burma Media Association voiced outrage at the arrests on 29 March of seven students from the University of Pegu , north of Rangoon , for writing and publishing a pro-democracy poem. Their arrests came five days after journalists U Thaung Sein and Ko Moe Htun were sentenced to three years in prison for photographing and filming in the new capital of Pyinmana.

The students were found in possession of copies of the poem when arrested and they might be subsequently transferred to the city's prison

The title of the poem they composed and circulated is “Daung Man,” which means the Strength of the Fighting Peacock, the symbol of the Burmese pro-democracy movement.

"Seven students arrested for publishing a poem", Reporters Without Borders/Burma Media Association, April 4, 2006

Leaders of the Chin National Front, an armed rebel group based on Burma 's western border, said the group was ready to start ceasefire talks with the Burmese military in an attempt to promote national reconciliation.

The CNF sent a letter to the military through Reverand Chan Tio, former general secretary of the Zomi Baptist Convention based in the Chin capital of Hakha in February offering to negotiate a truce. However, they had not received a response from the military yet.

Peace negotiations between the military and the CNF were launched in 1995 but later failed because of conditions set by the military.

"Chin group calls for talks with Burmese military", Mizzima News, April 3, 2006.

Arakanese soldiers flee from Burma Army's discrimination

Two ethnic Arakanese soldiers from the Burmese Army surrendered to a KNU base in Toung Oo Township and they arrived in the Thai-Burma border recently, according to BBC Burmese program.

The two soldiers Nyan Lynn from Mann Aung Township and U Kyaw Thein from Rathidaung Township in Arakan State were forced to join the military three years ago.

Two soldiers said they fled from their posts in Toung Oo Township under the Burmese Army Division 77. They surrendered to KNU because they could not bare the discrimination they suffered for their Arakanese ethnicity and the abuses the military commits on the civilians in the front line areas.

"Two Arakanese soldiers from the Burmese Army surrendered to KNU", Narinjara News, March 31, 2006.

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French section of MSF finally leaves Burma

After four years in Burma , the French section of Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) has closed its medical programs and left the country. The programs were situated in the Mon and Karen states, a region bordering Thailand , and caught in an armed conflict between the Burmese military government and rebel groups.

MSF has left because of unacceptable conditions imposed by the authorities on how to provide relief to people living in war-affected areas. The French section of MSF ended its presence in Burma on the 26th of March when the head of mission departed from the country.

However, the Dutch and Swiss sections of MSF continue to work in Burma , although they are also facing serious access problems in the regions where they work and are concerned about the future of their projects.

(For a complete selection of MSF news, please visit the MSF International website http://www.msf.org )

"Prevented from working, the French section of MSF leaves Myanmar ", Reuters, March 30, 2006 .

Burma has signed a US$ 6 billion agreement with a Thai' MDX Group to build a the 7,110-megawatt hydropower plant on the Salween river, according to New Light of Myanmar newspaper.

The Ta Sang hydropower plant, located in Shan State about 480 kilometers (300 miles) northeast of the capital Rangoon, is one of several dam projects planned for construction on the river. It is expected to be completed within 15 years.

The plan to dam the Salween has drawn strong protests from environmental and human rights groups who claim the dam construction will degrade one of the region's most biodiverse areas, and also, will likely involve forced labor, forced relocation and land confiscation in ethnic minority.

“ Myanmar , Thailand sign US$6 billion hydropower plant agreement”, Associated Press, April 4, 2006.

Japan Gov. extends grant assistance for Karen refugee and hill tribe people

The Government of Japan is extending Grant Assistance for the Grassroots Human Security Projects Scheme (GGP) to the Empowerment of Women and Youth on the Border of Thailand-Burma project. The contract was signed on March 7, 2006 with the Planned Parenthood Association of Thailand under the Patronage of Her Royal Highness the Princess Mother (PPAT).

Since population growths through early marriage and/or health damage caused by pregnancy and delivery have become issues in refugee camps and Karen tribe villages along the Thai-Burma border. The PPAT has been promoting the education and the awareness regarding family planning and reproductive health, and has set up birth control clinics in Karen refugee camps and mobile units in tribal villages along the border.

The total grant assistance amounts to US$ 59,270, or approximately 2.3 million baht. Through this project, it is expected that Karen women and young people will acquire reliable knowledge regarding health, pregnancy, and delivery, and that their quality of life will improve.

“Government of Japan provides assistance for Karen refugees and Karen hilltribe people”, Thai Press Reports, April 3, 2006 .

Ivanhoe closes its copper mine in Burma

Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. closed its copper mine in Burma at the end of March because it couldn't access offshore funds to pay the costs of the mine, which supplied metal to Marubeni Corp., Japan 's fifth-largest trading company.

Ivanhoe has not been able to use more than $40 million held in offshore accounts to operate the Monywa project, a 50-50 joint venture between the Canadian miner and the Burmese government, because of U.S. sanctions against the Southeast Asian nation, the company said in its annual report.

“Both the mine's insurance broker and the offshore banking institution terminated their relationship with the mine on account of these sanctions,'' Ivanhoe said in the March 31 report, published on its Web site.

Ivanhoe's plan to increase production capacity at the mine to 50,000 tons annually also was derailed because the Burmese government didn't grant permits to import trucks and other equipment.

Expansion of Monywa had been planned for the second quarter but won't proceed “until all relevant issues'' between the company and the Burmese government are resolved. Ivanhoe also has “a disagreement'' with the government on export sales tax, it said.

“Ivanhoe, unable to access funds, shuts copper mine”, Bloomberg, April 5, 2006

ASEAN and EU call for human rights mechanism

Southeast Asian experts and the European Union called for a regional mechanism to address human rights in the face of Burma 's continued detention of democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi.

The issue is topping the agenda at a three-day conference here of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) human-rights coordinators and EU officials.

Officials said a new framework should give ASEAN, which has stepped up its criticism of Burma despite a long-held policy of non-interference in members' internal affairs, a stronger collective voice in dealing with human rights.

“ASEAN seeks new rights mechanism”, Agence France Presse, April 4, 2006 .

Russia- Burma deepening ties

Russia has agreed to supply a wide range of arms including air defense systems and MiG-29 fighters to Burma in exchange of access to the rich oil and gas resources of the country.

During three-day visit to Russia, General Maung Aye, the number two in the ruling military junta of Burma, held wide ranging negotiations with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov and other senior officials.

“We are interested in deepening Russia 's role in the Asia-Pacific region and Russian-Burmese ties in this context have good and promising prospects,” Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov was quoted as saying by ITAR-TASS after talks with General Aye.

Meanwhile, Burma is interested in creation of national air defense system deploying Russian Tor-M1 and Buk-M1-2 systems and is negotiating the supplies of MiG-29 fighters.

“ Russia to supply wide range of arms to Myanmar ” Press Trust of India , April 4, 2006.