BI Weekly No. 289

July 20th - July 26th, 2006

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

Inside

Border

International

Dozens of privately-owned homes and large areas of agricultural land have been confiscated to make way for a new military camp near Myitkyina, capital of Kachin State .

The camp, near Pa-La-Na village, some 16 km (10 miles) north of Myitkyina, will accommodate the newly-formed Light Infantry Battalion-29. Local residents report that about 50 estates and some 500 acres of agricultural land had been seized by the military. No compensation was being paid for the lost property.

Pa-La-Na village was founded as a relocation site in the 1980s during the Ne Win era. It has more than 500 households, most of them Kachin and also including war veterans who served New Win.

“Army seizes farmland and homes for new base” Irrawaddy , July 20, 2006

Death sentence award to anyone opposing forced plantation: Chin State

The Burmese military authorities have warned people that it would award the death sentence to anyone who speaks about the drawbacks of Jathropa plantations in Chin state.

In the first week of July, the Tactical I commander of Chin state, Colonel Tin Hlah warned about awarding the death sentence to people critical of Jathropa plantations.

Jathropa has been forcibly planted by confiscation of land, five miles from Thantlang town since 2005. The people are forced to work in this plantation at least three times a week. Nobody dares to oppose forced labour, meanwhile, some people opined that it is because the State Peace and Development Council wants all the people to work in the plantations that they have warned of awarding the death sentence to those against it.

“Military to award death sentence to people opposing Jathropa plantation,” Khonumthung News, July 26, 2006.

Embattled China would like armed groups along its border lending their eyes and ears to it in its war against drugs coming from Burma , according to a senior law enforcement officer in Ruili, opposite Burma 's Muse.

“We would want them to be like the KNU (Karen National Union), KNPP (Karenni National Progressive Party) and the SSA-S (Shan State Army- South), on whom we can rely on when it comes to information on drugs,” said a Chinese police officer of Dai/Shan origin. “We really envy Thailand for being able to work with them to its advantage.”

Vital intelligence for some of the kingdom's major drug busts, he said, was furnished by the anti-junta groups. “But the ceasefire and (pro-junta) militia groups on our side of the border are good only for trade, but not much against drugs,” he sighed.

Several armed groups along the Sino-Burma border are notorious as drug producing and trafficking armies, especially Kokang , Wa , Kachin Democratic Army (KDA), Panghsay militia and the Manpang militia. 

“ China wants its border-based groups to emulate Thai border-based groups”, Shan Herald News for Agency, July 25, 2006.

Series of raids and arrests in Myawaddy border trade town

A series of raids and arrests in the Burmese-Thai border town of Myawaddy has reportedly disrupted business life there.

Gold shops, general stores and virtually all export-import businesses were shut down by security officials, who also reportedly arrested 21 local businesspeople, including the president of the Myawaddy chamber of commerce. They were reportedly charged with possessing illegal goods and tax evasion.

Among the rumors circulating in Myawaddy in the absence of an official account is a persistent report that the clampdown was ordered by the junta's number two, Vice Snr-Gen Maung Aye. It follows similar action against Burmese custom officials on the Burmese-Chinese border in early May.

“Raids reportedly shut down Myawaddy business”, Irrawaddy , July 25, 2006

Asean stepped up its public condemnation of the Burmese military regime at its annual foreign ministers' meeting in Kuala Lumpur on July 26, while admitting that the only path to reform may lie outside the bloc.

After two days of discussions, media reports from the Malaysian capital confirmed that Burmese Foreign Minister Nyan Win had shown at a closed briefing with his Asean partners that Burma had made no progress towards democracy.

A frustrated Asean late on July 25 issued its most strongly-worded collective statement yet on Burma —albeit not as explicit as had been predicted—in calling for “tangible progress” in the country. In an apparent reference to the protracted house arrest in Rangoon of democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, the statement said: “We [the ministers] reiterated our calls for the early release of those placed under detention and for effective dialogue with all parties concerned.”

Asean Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus spokesman Roshan Jason said this year's message was much closer to the line taken by those calling for change in Burma , both in and outside the country. The National League for Democracy, Suu Kyi's opposition party, was unavailable for comment.

More significant though were individual comments from Asean foreign ministers, most notably Thailand's Kantathi Suphamongkhon, who told Reuters: “If there had been tangible progress [from Burma] going on, then there might not be a need to have…a [UN Security Council] meeting,” he said, referring to whether the Burma issue should be addressed by the council. “I think that Asean would probably have no objection to that,” he added.

He guarantees that the views of the AIPMC have significant bearing in the decision making process of Asean with regard to the issue on Burma .

The issue is likely to continue at the Asean Regional Forum, which follows the Asean annual meeting on Thursday, as ministers meet with external partners to discuss mainly security. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who is due to attend the meeting despite her current involvement in urgent Middle East talks, has already said that Burma will be a major talking point at the ARF meeting, along with North Korea and the Middle East crisis in Lebanon.

“Asean increases the heat on Burma,” Irrawaddy, July 26, 2006

Burma FM allowed to attend ASEM summit in Finland

The EU said it will allow Burma 's foreign minister to fly to Finland for a summit of Asian and European leaders, despite an EU ban on giving visas to the military-ruled country's top officials.

The move contrasts sharply with the EU's failed efforts to block Burma from participating in the last Asia-Europe biennial summit in Vietnam in 2004 because of the Southeast Asian nation's poor human rights and democracy record.

Burma has proposed that its delegation for the September 10-11 Asia-Europe Summit, or ASEM, be led by Foreign Minister Nyan Win instead of the prime minister, Hanna Lehtmen, secretary-general of the summit secretariat said.

Leaders at this year's summit are expected to discuss issues such as inter-religious dialogue and adopt a declaration on combating climate change. However, the Burma issue might not dominate the agenda between Europe and Asia . It should be a problem for the whole international community.

“EU allows junta FM to attend Finland summit”, Associated Press, July 26, 2006.