BI Weekly No. 293

August 17th - August 23rd, 2006

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

Inside

Border

Bangladesh and Burma to exchange prisoners
Fighting between Burma Army and SSA-S predicted
All refugees in Tham Hin camps moved to new places

International

While convicts have long been a source of uncompensated labour for the SPDC, the use and abuse of convicts have increased massively in recent months as Burma 's military regime intensifies its offensives against the villagers in the Northern Karen State and tries to distract and placate international pressure on its use of villagers for forced labour.

According to the KHRG report “Less Than Human”, several thousand convicts have been brought from prisons all over Burma to be used by the SPDC as porters to carry ammunition for the soldiers on the frontlines and to build roads into remote areas since November 2005.

Quoting the stories of escaped convict porters, the report details the corruption of the SPDC judicial and penal system and the brutal treatment of the porters by SPDC military units, who openly tell the porters they are to be used until they drop dead. Villagers have found trails of bodies of convict porters after the departure of SPDC armed columns, causing hundreds to attempt escape. Some die of exhaustion and beatings, others are shot in the head as soon as they can no longer carry loads. For those who do escape there are few options: trying to go home or escaping to Thailand can both result in their recapture and return to the Army.

For full report, please see http://www.khrg.org/

"Massive increase in the use and abuse of convict porters in the Northern Karen State of Burma since November 2005" Karen Human Rights Group, August 22, 2006

Bank's transformation to facilitate international trading

Burma is seeking to transform a public bank into an export-import bank to facilitate exporters and importers in the country in carrying out their international trading activities, a local weekly Voice reported.

The public bank, which is being sought for such transformation, is the Myanmar Citizen Bank, in which the Ministry of Commerce holds a stake of 55 percent, said the Voice, quoting a recent disclosure of the bank meeting at the ministry in the new capital of Naypyidaw.

The Myanmar Citizen Bank stands one of the 15 private banks in the country at present.

The ministry is also encouraging the exporters and importers in the country to join shares of the Myanmar Citizen Bank which is being strived to become an export financing institution for them, the report said.

There has been Myanmar Livestock Breeding and Fishery Development Bank, Myanmar Agricultural Development Bank and Myanmar Industrial Development Bank for respective entrepreneurs, but there are no exporters and importers bank yet for traders engaged in international trading business, according to traders.

"Myanmar to transform public bank into export-import bank", Xinhua General News Service, August 21, 2006

Bangladesh and Burma will exchange prisoners held in their respective countries this week, said a BDR official.

Colonel Abudul Kalam from BDR battalion 23 based in Teknaf, opposite the Burmese town of Maungdaw , told Bangladeshi reporters on August 20 that Bangaldesh will hand over about 60 Burmese prisoners to the Burmese authorities on August 24 or 25.

He said that the Burmese authorities had pledged that about 20 Bangladeshi prisoners will be handed over to Bangladesh on the same day.

According to a local Bangladesh source, in Cox's Bazaar jail there are 100 Burmese prisoners, many of whom have completed their sentences. They have been languishing in the jail for over five years due to the Burmese authority's refusal to accept them as their citizens.

"Bangladesh - Burma agree to exchange prisoners," Narinjara News, August 22, 2006

Fighting between Burma Army and SSA-S predicted

As the monsoon draws to a close, both Thai and Shan sources predict that hostilities are imminent between the Shan State Army (SSA) South and the Burma Army.

For months the Burma Army has been consulting Google - earth, the satellite map on the Internet, to pinpoint SSA bases and installations along the Thai border for precision bombings and shelling, said a veteran Thai source. “I'm pretty certain the junta's target is Loi Taileng (the SSA's main base opposite Maehongson province),” .

Another source, however, begged to differ. “We don't see any significant Burma Army preparations underway in areas surrounding Loi Taileng,” he said. “But around Loi Kawwan (opposite Chiangrai province) we are witnessing more bunkers and there is greater demand for construction materials from Maesai these days.”

One regular S.H.A.N. source in southern Shan State also reported seeing 20 six-wheel trucks on August 12 each carrying some 30-fully armed soldiers traveling across the Salween and heading for Kengtung, where the Burma Army's Triangle Region Command is headquartered. The news coincided with another report that Maj-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, the regional commander, was holding a council of war with area commanders in Tachilek the next day. “The target is Loikawwan”, he said. “And D-Day will be some time between the end of August and the end of September.”

“Watchers forecast looming border war”, Shan Herald Agency for News, August 18, 2006.

Meanwhile, about 2,000 refugees from the camp are in the process of resettling to the US and Australia . That process, which began last week, is expected to take six weeks.

Tham Hin has long been considered the worst of Thailand 's border refugee camps, due to poor housing conditions and lack of adequate sanitation. The relocation of residents to other camps is expected to be complete by the end of August

"Karen refugees in Ratchburi pushed closer to Burma border" Irrawaddy, August 23, 2006

Case against Yadana pipeline protestors dismissed: Thailand

The case against prominent Thai social activist Sulak Sivaraksa, accused with other protestors six years ago of disrupting the building of a gas pipeline crossing part of Burma, has been dismissed by Thailand's criminal court.

Sulak was charged with obstructing the pipeline when it was being built in 1998. It now transmits gas from the Yadana field in Burmese offshore waters to Thai power plants, via Mon and Karen areas. The pipeline was being built by state-controlled oil ands gas conglomerate PTT, formerly the Petroleum Authority of Thailand.

Sulak said the outcome was a victory for justice of sorts, but the issues of compensation for villagers in Burma whose land was taken and the misuse of the income from the gas by the Burmese regime remained unanswered.

“The pipeline project has not provided benefit for local people both Thai and Burma ,” he told The Irrawaddy. “It is a shameful project. The Thai government has to pay US$ 400 million per year to the Burmese government and they use this money to abuse and threaten ethnic people in their country.”

The case was dropped because the law under which Sulak was charged related to the former state-owned Petroleum Authority of Thailand which had since been partially privatized as PTT plc.

"Yadana pipeline protest case dismissed", Irrawaddy , August 18, 2006

US official's trip to examine refugee issues in three countries

US official in charge of refugee affairs will travel to Malaysia , Bangladesh , and Thailand to examine refugee related issues in the area, according to a report of the US State Department.

Ellen Sauerbrey, Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration Affairs, will be accompanied by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres on the Thai leg of the trip.

The objective of the trip to the three Asian nations, from August 21 to September 2, is to “examine refugee programmes and policy, including a number of high-profile refugee issues,” a State Department statement said, without giving further details.

"US official to visit Dhaka to examine refugee issues", Narinjara News ,August 22, 2006

Canada urged for a proactive foreign policy towards Burma

Burmese activists have published a report urging Canadian officials for a proactive foreign policy towards Burma .

According to U Than Aung, Coordinator of Burma Forum Canada , the 2nd Burma Forum Report was presented to the Foreign Affairs Canada officials in a meeting held on August 9 in Ottawa . Humanitarian conditions and a proactive Canadian foreign policy towards Burma were discussed between Burmese activists and Foreign Minister officials.

The BFC Report recommends the Canada channel direct aid to Burma through UN agencies and home-grown Burmese NGOs given the appalling situation in Burma . It urges Canada to increase humanitarian assistance along the Burma border and inside the country but through a mechanism which provides transparency, accountability. It also advised close monitoring of humanitarian assistance to reach to the intended recipients.

The activists recommend that the Canadian Government should work together with other countries to establish a mechanism for humanitarian operation in Burma .

"Burma report presented to Canadian government", Kaowao News, August 17, 2006.