Burma Issues - BI Weekly No.329

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BI Weekly No. 329

December 8th - December 14th, 2007

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

Forced labour continues on highway project in Chin State

Government officials in Hakha township, Chin state, have been collecting money from local residents to fund a highway project and forcing those who cannot pay to work on the highway.

A local resident said that the project had been making slow progress and costs were rising.

“The cost of the highway project has now reached 50 million kyat already, and only about 3 miles of highway have been completed so far,” he said.

Residents have been ordered to pay between 5,000 and 10,000 kyat, depending on their means, but those who are unable to pay are forced to contribute their labour.

The authorities do not provide any food, transportation, accommodation or health insurance for the workers, who must carry their food and camping materials with them when they walk to the site.

"Forced labour continues on highway project", Democratic Voice of Burma, December 11,2007

More footage from Burma's protests

New pictures reveal the scale of Burma's brutal crackdown against anti-government protestors as the UN deliver its damning report.

The crackle of gunfire, protestors cowering in terror that was the scene in Burma as the military junta clamped down on the democracy protests.

"The security forces used in my opinion excessive force against civilians, including unnecessary and disproportionate lethal force," Mr Pinheiro, the UN Human Rights Envoy to Burma, said.

For Burma's representative it was uncomfortable reading, with Mr Pinheiro challenging the regime its reprisals and the scale of its crackdown:

And it's not just the monasteries. We met with one man who recently fled Rangoon after his house was raided. He smuggled out previously unseen images of the crackdown - evidence which tallies closely with Mr Pinheiro's own findings about the excessive use of force.

They show heavily armed, psyched up soldiers arrive to confront the unarmed protestors. The men are from the Rangoon military command. Suddenly they advance and were seen shooting into the crowd.

'Reliable sources, believe, however, that many more monks were detained or disappeared' Paulo Pinheiro, UN Human Rights Envoy to Burma

The soldiers go street to street, hunting down protestors - some coming ominously close to his camera And he witnessed how hired thugs were brought in to help rough up protestors - echoing the UN envoy's report, which says these men contributed 'to the excessive use of force' against peaceful protestors.

"New footage from Burma's protests - Inigo Gilmore", Channel 4 News, December 12, 2007

More than three Insein prisoners stage a hunger strike over conditions

Burma's junta has charged social activist Ko Htin Kyaw, arrested in August for staging a two-man protest against declining living conditions, with "public mischief", his lawyer said on Thursday.

The 40-year-old, who has been on a two-week prison hunger strike to demand the release of detained monks and other civilian protesters, would have his first hearing next week and could be jailed for two years, advocate Aung Thein told Reuters.

His and other protests in August mushroomed a month later into a mass uprising that was crushed by soldiers with the loss of at least 31 lives, the United Nations estimates.

Having arrested nearly 3,000 people after the protests, the generals say they have now released all but 80 -- a figure human rights groups and U.N. human rights envoy Paulo Sergio Pinheiro says is far too low.

Very few charges have been laid against any of those detained, although one monk in the northwest coastal city of Sittwe was sentenced in October to 7-years in jail for inciting a public protest.

"Three more Insein prisoners stage a hunger strike over conditions – Saw Yan Naing", Irrawaddy 13, 2007

Karen villagers forced to prepare roads for Tatmadaw offensive in northern Karen state

Burmese troops are forcing villagers in northern Karen state to repair and clear roads that will be used to transport arms and supplies for the dry season offensive against Karen National Union forces, according to the Karen Human Rights Group.

“The Burmese military regime is systematically using the rural people as a tool for their military operation against the Karen National Union. Because of the forced labor most of the villagers are trying to live in hiding places in the jungle rather than living under the control of the military Government.”

A KNU official said the deployment had necessitated the construction of more roads.

In the past year, Burmese troops have attacked KNU brigades 1, 2, 3 and 5 in northern Karen State and Pegu Division, killing more than 300 people and displacing more than 30,000, many of whom are still in hiding in the jungle.

The KNU and the Burmese military government reached a ceasefire known as the “Gentlemen’s Agreement” in December 2003 at a meeting between a Karen delegation led by the late KNU leader, Gen Bo Mya, and deposed Burmese Prime Minster Gen Khin Nyunt.

Following Khin Nyunt’s downfall in October 2004 and the defection to the Burmese army of the former head of KNU Brigade 7, Maj-Gen Htain Maung, in early 2007, the KNU ended all communications with the junta.

"Karen villagers forced to prepare roads for Tatmadaw offensive", Irrawaddy, December 13, 2007

State Militias given riot control training in Rangoon

The Burmese military junta has been giving riot control training to state-backed organizations, according to sources in Rangoon.

Members of the Ward Peace and Development Council, the Union Solitary and Development Association (USDA) and Swan Arr Shin were instructed to attend the training. Firemen, municipal employees and members of the newly formed state-backed youth organization were also told to take part.

“We were instructed in how to systematically crack down on crowds,” a member of Swan Arr Shin told The Irrawaddy. “We were shown how to beat crowds in the event of mass protests. We were trained by military instructors.”

Trainees were not paid to attend instruction sessions, which were held daily from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m. Over a period of two months. Training will resume in 2008, an instructor said.

“If we did not attend, we were registered as absent, and that could threaten our job security,” said a municipal employee.

"State Militias given riot control training", The Irrawaddy, December 14, 2007

In the service of the Burmese Military

Karen State, which maintains a significant Christian community, the season heralds a much grimmer prospect, the increased demands of forced labor in the service of the Burmese military.

The Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG) states that a return to the cyclical dry season requisition of forced labor on the part of the junta is proof positive of the military's definition of the status-quo; a condition the junta reports the country to have successfully and positively returned to after the spike of unrest in September.

"The unwavering continuation of forced lab our in rural areas serves as a clear statement to the international community of what the junta considers as a situation of normalcy all over the country," concludes the report.

Typical instances of forced labor in Karen state include the clearing of roads, repairs to military buildings, sentry duty and the transport of goods.

"When they send their rations we serve as security for them such as by helping them check the road. Both night and day the villagers must serve as sentries," Saw P, of Bu Tho township, told KHRG.

KHRG's work also serves to remind the international community that, while most media attention is drawn to Rangoon, rural Burma continues to suffer under the junta's vice-like grip.

Karen are estimated to comprise 7 percent of Burma's population, with one-third of Karen believed to reside in Karen State. Approximately three-quarters of all Burmese live in rural communities.

"The season of forced labor", Mizzima News, December 14, 2007

A Buddhist Monks flee to Bangladesh to evade arrest

A Buddhist monk from Rangoon's Zathilaryama monastery, who took part in the September protests, fled from the manhunt launched by the Burmese military junta and arrived in Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh.

Ashin Panyathami, a young monk from the Zathilaryama monastery in Rangoon, fled to Bangladesh along with more than 20 fellow monks, following the junta's relentless search to arrest and detain monks and protesters.

"As the authorities launched widespread search operations, more than 20 monks, had to hide near the Moe Yeik River for three days. After that we returned to our monastery but there the soldiers called more than 20 of us for interrogation," Ashin Panyathami, who arrived Cox Bazaar on December 5th.

"They took our photographs and asked us whether we had joined the protests. They told us not to join up again and threatened that we would be arrested if we did," added the young monk.

The young monk said, he finally left Burma for Bangladesh as authorities were conducting raids in several monasteries in Arakan searching for him. The monk said, he had to hide himself for five days and nights along Kin Chyaung River, and finally crossed the border to Bangladesh.

"Monks flee to Bangladesh to evade arrest", Mizzima News, December 11, 2007

32 Burmese citizens arrested for illegally entering Bangladesh

Bangladesh police arrested 32 Burmese citizens, mostly from the Burmese border township of Maungdaw, on Sunday from the hotel they were staying in Cox's Bazar Bangladesh.

A police officer said "we arrested them while they were gathering at the hotel preparing to leave for Malaysia aboard a machine boat."

"We also arrested a Bangladeshi human trafficker along with the Burmese citizens, who hailed from Maungdaw Township in Arakan State, Burma," the officer added.

The Bangladeshi human trafficker had taken 30,000 taka from each person for illegal passage to Malaysia across the Andaman Sea.

"The Burmese citizens will be charged with illegally entering Bangladesh territory without permission, and the Bangladeshi will be charged under human trafficking laws for his involvement in this trafficking," the officer explained.

A social worker from the border are said an estimated 6,000 Burmese Muslims have already left for Malaysia and Thailand from Bangladesh on board machine boats this year, to look for jobs.

In the western Burmese state of Arakan, people are facing an economic crisis, with the rate of unemployment increasing by the day. Because of this, many young people under age 40 are leaving for neighboring countries to seek work, he added.

"32 Burmese arrested for illegally entering Bangladesh", Narinjara News, December 12, 2007

Burmese Refugee voice in Tham Hin camp

Kohatu had recently arrived with his seven children at the Tham Him refugee camp in Thailand, about three hours outside of Bangkok, after fleeing persecution in Burma. In Tham Hin, over 8,400 people are crammed onto land little more than one quarter of a mile wide and one mile long.

Processing for newly entering refugees has been all but been halted by the Thai government, and so neither Kohatu nor his children are officially registered in the camp. They are not eligible for resettlement to a 3rd Country or official protection, though now that they are inside the camp, they have access to food and other services provided by non-governmental organisation.

Residents of Tham Hin are not permitted to leave the camp to work, nor are there enough skills training or income generation projects inside the camp. A number of individuals do sneak out of the camp to work in the nearby sugar cane fields or rubber plantation, but they are often subject to extortion by the local Thai police. Some women have even been raped, but little effort has been made to find their assailants.

Looking at the faces of Kohatu and his seven children, and at the faces of so many in these camps, it is clear that a more vigorous search for answers for those seeking resettlement or the right to remain in Thailand is imperative.

"Refugee voices: Burmese in Tham Hin camp", Relief Web, December 13, 2007

International community’s patience with Burma ‘running out’

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged Burma’s authorities to step up their efforts towards democratization and the full respect of human rights, noting that the international community’s patience with the troubled South-East Asian nation is wearing thin.

Calling the appointment of a liaison minister who is in contact with Aung San Suu Kyi “a good beginning,” he called for further efforts so that the detained pro-democracy leader and Nobel laureate can engage in an in-depth dialogue with the country’s senior leadership.

The people of Burma have suffered from isolation for a very long time, the Secretary-General stated, adding that it is high time for them to enjoy genuine democracy and freedom. “This is what the international community expects.”

Mr. Ban pledged to continue his good offices role through his Special Adviser Ibrahim Gambari, who is scheduled to return to Burma at the end of this year or early next year. He also highlighted the special role and responsibility of the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) in further promoting democracy in Burma.

The Secretary-General also addressed the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), and visited, with his wife, the Royal Chitralada projects, a bio-fuel initiative which he described as one of the many examples of the King of Thailand’s commitment and dedication to human development and the environment.

"International community’s patience with Myanmar ‘running out’ - Ban Ki-moon", UN News Center, December 10, 2007

The UN Security Council Working Group Recommends Child Protection Proposals for Burma

The UN Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict will soon recommend measures to protect children affected by armed conflicts in Burma and Burundi.

The set of recommendations by the working group, expected to be submitted soon to the Security Council, follows a detailed discussion on the situation of children in Burma and Burundi last week.

France is the chairman of the Security Council Working Group on Child and Armed Conflicts.

The UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy, expressed concern over the use of child soldiers in Burma and Burundi, despite repeated appeals made by the international community including the United Nations.

Raising the issue of access for UN monitors in Burma, Coomaraswamy said “The government should provide the UN country team with free access to conflict areas and to recruitment centers so that monitoring and reporting can be performed effectively and all the information can be verified.”

Highlighting the question of the lack of humanitarian access, she said: “Children are the first to be affected by a humanitarian crisis. There is a real urgency for a humanitarian needs assessment in the conflict areas.”

“The government has adopted directives that explicitly prohibit the recruitment of children under 18 and set up a high-level Committee for the Prevention of Military Recruitment of Underage Children," she said.

The Burma representative also presented the views of his country during the discussion on the issue.

"UN Working Group Recommends Child Protection Proposals for Burma", The Irrawaddy, December 10, 2007

Bush warns Burma of world sanctions

The United States will spearhead a global campaign to step up sanctions against Burma's military regime if it continues to ignore calls for a democratic transition, President George Bush said.

Bush repeated his call for the regime to release all political prisoners, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who is under house arrest.

"Mr. Pinheiro's report demonstrates why the world cannot go back to business as usual with General Than Shwe and his junta," Bush said.

"I call on all members of the international community to condemn the atrocities detailed in Mr. Pinheiro's report in the strongest possible terms," the US president said.

Bush announced new sanctions against Burma's military recently, including an asset freeze on key junta figures and blacklisting of seven companies and five individuals allegedly linked to those companies and the regime.

The United States has long maintained a trade and investment ban on Burma. Other measures included a freeze on the assets of Burma's political and military leaders in US financial institutions and preventing them or their immediate families from using US finance businesses via third countries.

"Bush warns Myanmar of world sanctions", Agence France Presse, December 12, 2007

Burma opposition activists and ethnic leaders

A delegation of Burmese opposition activists and ethnic leaders has warned India it would have to “pay the price” for its support for the Burmese regime when democracy returns to Burma.

“What India is doing now is nothing but economic opportunism. This is not expected from a nation which is the largest democratic country of the world,” said Bo Hla Tint, a minister in the Burmese government in exile.

“India has been a very big obstacle. We do not know why,” said Maung Maung, general secretary of the National Council of the Union of Burma and founder of the Trade Unions of Burma movement.

While appreciating the recent decision of the Indian government to halt temporarily the shipment of small arms to Burma, Bo Hla Tint said the approach of the Indian government towards the pro-democracy movement had been strange and very often surprising.

Bo Hla Tint said he and the head of the exile government, Sein Win, were denied visas to visit India. “They [the Indian authorities] said I am on the black list. See, this is the way they think, the democratic movement is ‘blacklist.’ So that is the attitude of the Indian government.”

"Burmese Activists accuse India of opportunism", The Irrawaddy, December 12, 2007