Burma Issues - BI Weekly No.336

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BI Weekly No.336

Feb 11- Feb 15- 2008

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

Union Solitary and Development Association (USDA) to organize referendum, election

The Union Solitary and Development Association (USDA) will organize the Burmese referendum on the constitution in May and the 2010 general election, including the selection of some candidates across the country, say USDA sources. The USDA will also recruit respected local people to serve on the referendum and election commissions said a source who requested anonymity. The USDA will play a role in the selection of what appears to be state-backed candidates in the general election, "some people will be selected to serve as commissioners," said one USDA member. "Some will be selected to be candidates in the 2010 election." "The association is now looking for well-educated, respected, wealthy people to be candidates in the election," he said.

The NUP secretary general told DPA news agency that he believed the 2010 elections would be free and fair, and could lead to an amnesty and the release of Aung San Suu Kyi. Sources said most USDA members were surprised when the junta announced on Saturday that general dates had been set for the referendum on the junta-backed constitution and general election. “The military junta will use the USDA as a political tool during the referendum and the election,” said Htay Aung. “In November 2005, U Htay Oo, the secretary-general of the USDA, publicly said that if it is necessary, the association will be turned into a political party.” "The military regime is confident it can win the referendum and election," said Htay Aung. "The regime thinks votes by USDA members alone can keep the generals in power." Htay Oo also attended a USDA meeting on youth affairs in Naypyidaw on February 10.

USDA members held 633 seats, or 58 percent, at the National Convention which was convened in 1993 to prepare guidelines for the new constitution. The guidelines were finally approved in 2007.Opposition group observers say that most USDA members are civil servants who were recruited by harassment and intimidation. It also includes teachers, students, business people and political activists. Many Burmese view the USDA as principally an instrument of the regime that carries out violent acts against opposition activists and civilians. The group has paramilitary members who perform surveillance and search for dissidents in hiding. USDA members played a key role in the bloody crackdowns during the 2007 uprising and in a deadly attack on Aung San Suu Kyi’s motorcade in 2003, in which about 100 people were killed.

"USDA to organize referendum, election ¬ Wai Moe", Irrawaddy, February 11, 2008

NO Children’s Day to celebrate in Burma

Today is Children's Day in Burma, commemorating the birthday of Gen Aung San, the founder of the Burmese armed forces and hero of Burmese independence. However, the current military leaders in Burma would rather erase his name from the history books and forbid his birthday being celebrated altogether.

In 2007, Burma’s child mortality rate was the fourth highest in the world, eclipsed in Asia only by Afghanistan, according to a UNICEF report in January. According to Dr Osamu Kunii, a nutrition expert in Burma, between 100,000 to 150,000 children under five years of age die every year in Burma. That’s between 270 and 400 daily—and many are dying from preventable diseases. Poverty, the economic crisis and instability in Burma drives more and more children in search of jobs. Some work from tea shops, bars and factories, until late. They earning just 7,000 kyat ($ US 5.72) per month.

A resident in Rangoon told The Irrawaddy recently that the amount of street children in the former capital is now increasing. “Many children aged between 4 and 13 are begging on the streets. Some young children are carrying babies and begging. Some street children look for plastic in the rubbish bins and dumps and some go fishing every day for their daily survival,” she said. According to reports, sometimes street children who can’t produce ID are recruited into the Burmese army.

"Children’s Day nothing to celebrate in Burma ¬ Min Lwin", Irrawaddy, February 13, 2008

Burmese ethnic political groups call for boycott of regime's road map

Burmese ethnic political groups call for boycott of regime's road map Burmese ethnic political groups yesterday urged people in Burma to protest against the Burmese junta's road map to democracy that is basically prolonging military rule. The United Nationalities League for Democracy (Liberated Areas) in a statement on the 61st anniversary of the Union Day on February 12 urged people in Burma to boycott the SPDC's road map and to strive for the setting up of a federal system in Burma.

The Union Day of Burma commemorates the date of the Panglong agreement signed by General Aung San, government of Burma Proper which included Karen, Arakan and Mon territories, and the representatives of the ethnic nationalities from Shan state, Kachin hill and Chin hill in Panglong town in Shan state, Burma. The Burmese military regime led by Ne Win, who grabbed state power in 1962, sidetracked from the panglong agreement that guaranteed equality and a federal democratic system for all nationalities in Burma and redrafted its own programmed constitution in 1974 that led Burma into civil war and denied freedom to the people, according to UNLD/LA.

Burma gained independence from British colonial rule on January 4, 1948 after the assassination of General Aung San and other leaders on July 17, 1947. The Burmese junta announced on February 9 that it will hold a constitutional referendum in May to legitimize the constitution drafted after the 14-year long national convention and it is to be followed by multi-party elections in 2010.

The UN Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki Moon on February 11 in a statement called on the Burmese junta to make the constitution making process inclusive, participatory and transparent in order to ensure the document represents the views of all people of Burma. The Secretary General also stressed that the junta should start a "substantive and time-bound" dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the NLD and other parties relevant to the national reconciliation process. The NLD won a landslide victory in 1990 general elections after a military coup in 1988 but the regime refused to honor the election results.

"Burmese ethnic groups call for boycott of regime's road map", Khonumthung News, February 13, 2008

A Kachin women mother of three children was raped and killed by Burmese soldier

A Kachin mother of three children was raped and killed over a month ago in Hukawng Valley in Kachin State of Northern Burma by Burma Army soldiers, said local sources. Ms. Hpaumyang Kai (32), a widow and a mother of three children was raped and killed on December 30, 2007 in her village called Nawngmi on Ledo Road, said residents of Nawngmi.

According to residents, Ms. Hpaumyang Kai was raped and killed by a soldier under Sergeant Tun Tun from a Public Relation battalion based in Myitkyina Township, capital of Kachin State. Hpaumyang Kai's body was discovered in a place in the outskirts of the village during a search operation conducted by Shahtuzup based Burma Army's, Infantry Battalion (IB) No. (298) eight days after she was murdered, the residents told KNG.

The soldier who committed the crime was detained and interrogated by Infantry Battalion No. (298), said relatives of Hpaumyang Kai who informed of the crime to the military base. No action has been taken against the soldier yet and he has been freed by the military authorities. On February 6, ko Win Aung, a gold merchant was robbed and killed on the road heading towards Shahtuzup gold mine by the three soldiers in IB No.

"A mother of three raped and killed by Burmese soldier", Kachin News Group, February 13, 2008

The Burmese regime tightens passports for NGO staff

The Burmese regime appears to be tightening access to passports for Burmese staff members of international nongovernmental organizations, according to Rangoon sources. Burmese staff members with UN organizations and international NGOs who have applied for a passport renewal at the passport office, with is under the Ministry of Home Affairs, report longer than usual delays and other problems.

A Burmese passport is only valid for six months after the date of issue, according to information on the passport office Web site. If it is not used within six months, it must be renewed for another six months. If the bearer cannot depart within the second six-month period, they must apply for a new passport from the very beginning.

The passport office has told some Burmese staff of international NGOs that their passports could be seized if they return home from a foreign trip. The passport office is also refusing to issue passports to some Burmese staffers, according to sources who asked for anonymity. A Burmese staff member with a UN organization said many of his colleagues have been waiting for a passport renewal for months. One source said a passport renewal usually took about ten days. But now some staff at NGO have waited for more than two months. Since late 2007, the junta has also tightened visa regulations on Western diplomats, their family members and NGO employees working in Burma. Foreign NGO workers traveling to project sites in the country must have a special permit from authorities, according to a junta decree regulating NGOs. In 2005, the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria cancelled its program in Burma, saying the travel regulations prevented it from accomplishing its mission.

"Junta tightens passports for NGO staff ¬ Wai Moe", Irrawaddy, February 12, 2008

Burmese government warns INGOs

The relationship between the Burmese government and international health NGOs (INGOs) is like a doctor and “a patient with a tumor,” a government health official told INGOs during a meeting in Naypyidaw. According to a document obtained by The Irrawaddy recently, the meeting on January 11, chaired by Dr San Shwe Win, the deputy director general of the public heath department, involved the ministry of health and INGOs. He said that INGOs have to follow four basic principles ''non-political, non-religion, nonprofit and nongovernmental.'' Ministry officials and 14 INGO representatives based in Burma attended the meeting. Three INGO health groups, including Medecins San Frontieres-Switzerland, were absent.

During the meeting, the government distributed copies of the national planning ministry guidelines on INGOs, which was issued in February 2006. Members of coordination committees are to be drawn from junta-backed social organizations such as the Union Solidarity and Development Association, the Burma National Working Committee for Women Affairs and, at the township level, the Auxiliary Fire Brigades and Veterans Association. Ministry officials said NGO staffers can only travel to a field mission with a “travel authorization” from the Ministry of Defense—Army. Applications involve various steps and take time. No permission, no travel, said the guidelines document.

INGOs also have to provide specific plans, purposes and the location of activities. Activities such as observation or monitoring will not to be accepted, said ministry officials. The document said INGO projects in Burma will be reduced from five years to one year, and INGOs must renew their projects 3 to 6 months in advance because agreements between INGOs and Burmese officials must be approved by the ministry of national planning, ministry of revenue and attorney general of Burma.

All INGOs foreign staff who apply for a visa must indicate the period of time they will stay in the country and a reason. Ministry officials cautioned INGOs about conducting surveys and research and advised them to keep such work to a minimum, calling it a “very sensitive issue.”

"Burmese junta warns INGOs ¬ Wai Moe", Irrawaddy, February 14, 2008

Karen rebel leader Mahn Sha assassinate

Mahn Sha, the general secretary of the Karen National Union (KNU) was shot dead on Thursday afternoon at his home in Mae Sot, Thailand, according to KNU sources. 4:30 p.m. in his home near the center of Mae Sot.The only eye witness, a Karen girl, said, “Two men climbed the stairs of his home and said ‘good evening’ (in Karen language) to Mahn Sha. Then they shot him twice in the left side of his chest.

Majoring in history at Rangoon University in 1962, Mahn Sha joined the Karen movement in the jungle at the Thai-Burmese border as soon as he finished his studies. He was seen as one of the leading lights in the KNU and was being groomed to take over the troubled KNU leadership. He was 64.

The KNU has been plagued with recent conflicts. Last year, Maj Gen Htain Maung, former leader of the KNU’s 7th Brigade, signed a ceasefire agreement with the Burmese military regime. This was seen as yet another blow to KNU leaders who lost their fortified headquarters at Manerplaw to the Burmese army in 1995.

There have recently been several attacks and assassination attempts between mainstream KNU members and the breakaway 7th Brigade, now known as KNU/KNLA Peace Council. Mahn Sha was involved in ceasefire talks with the Burmese military regime in the past. He was highly respected among both ethnic and Burman allies. The Burmese regime saw him as a strong leader in the KNU who repeatedly called for genuine political dialogue. He is survived by two daughters and a son.

"Karen rebel leader assassinated - Saw Yan Naing", Irrawaddy, February 14, 2008

Ethnic Shans communities calling for the release of ailing political leader

Ethnic Shan communities across the globe join hands Sunday evening to reiterate their demand for the release of Hkun Htun Oo, the elected leader of the Burma's Shan Nationalities League for Democracy amid a growing concern over his health. Thailand-based Shan Women's Action Network and Shan Youth Power said Shans in ten countries help prayer ceremonies and candlelight vigils Sunday to call urgently for his release, together with all other political prisoners in military-run Burma.

Currently serving a 93-year sentence in Putao prison in northern Kachin State, his health has seriously deteriorated in the past few months. He has long been suffering from diabetes and now has serious prostate problems, according to the statement from the Shan action groups. "One is in urgent need of surgery and another suffering mental illness. Already one of the detainees, 56-year-old U Myint Than, who had been in perfect health before his imprisonment, died in prison in Arakan State in May 2006 under suspicious circumstances," the statement said.

"A genuine federal union should be built on principles of justice and equality. Yet the regime, by imprisoning elected ethnic leaders and proceeding with its own coercive constitution-drafting process, has shown its complete contempt for these principles" said Sai Awn Tai, spokesperson of Shan Youth Power in Thailand, which is co-organizing the vigils.

The organizers are urging governments around the world to pressure Burma's military regime to immediately release Hkun Htun Oo, other Shan State leaders, and all political prisoners in Burma, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and to immediately implement a nationwide ceasefire and begin dialogue with the opposition National League for Democracy and representatives of the ethnic nationalities.

"Shans calling for the release of ailing political leader", Bangkok Post, February 14, 2008

Thai Police arrest 31 Burmese illegal migrants

Thirty-one Burmese illegal migrants—including three children and 18 women—were arrested by Thai police on Feb 12 after smugglers transported them to Ranong Province in Thailand. Human traffickers continue to carry their lucrative human cargo, mostly at night from kawthaung Township in southern Burma.

The migrants said they had planned to look for work in Mahachai, Surat Thani and Phang Nga in Thailand. Each person paid 700 baht to smugglers for the transportation fee, said Maung Tu. The group will be sent back to Burma. A US State Department report, "Trafficking in Persons," Released on June 13, 2007, said the Burmese military government has not done enough to stop the flow of human trafficking, particularly of women and children.

About 500 Burmese migrants, many illegal, cross the border every day from Kawthaung to Thailand's Ranong Province.The report said an increasing number of ethnic Burmese girls and women are leaving Burma to find work. Children also have been trafficked to neighboring countries for sexual exploitation and forced labor as indentured street beggars, according to the report. In 2006, about 740,000 Burmese migrant workers registered with the Department of Employment in Thailand. An estimated 1 million Burmese migrants work in Thailand, many illegally.

"Police arrest 31 Burmese illegal migrants - Saw Yan Naing", Irrawaddy, February 14, 2008

Referendum a 'sham': Human Rights Watch

New York based Human Rights Watch, on Monday, gave notice that any referendum or election in Burma "should be conducted in an atmosphere of freedom and respect for basic rights, and not as a hollow exercise in the military's sham political reform process." The rights to public debate, a neutral election committee and freedom of the press are just three rights fundamental to the holding of a free and fair election that the junta must guarantee, according to the international rights group.

Following a more than 14-year drafting process of the proposed constitution, which has not seen the participation of the National League for Democracy in over a decade and which Human Rights Watch argues attempts to entrench military rule, the organization is not optimistic on the prospect of change in the regime's behavior. "In light of its massive crackdown on protests last year, there are no signs that the government believes in openness or debate.

Beijing, New Delhi and Bangkok are singled out as pivotal actors, often accused of being too soft on the junta, that need to join with other international voices and increase pressure on Burma's generals to amend their ways. The United Nations Special Envoy to Burma, Ibrahim Gambari, is scheduled to visit next week with Chinese authorities in Beijing at the onset of yet another regional tour.

"Referendum a 'sham': HRW", Mizzima News, February 13, 2008

Bulgaria imposes restrictions against Burma's military

Bulgaria's government headed by PM Stanishev (first on the right) set off to contribute to the crushing of Burma's military junta by imposing wide-ranging sanctions on the Asian country's regime. And the government decided to impose restrictive measure against Burma at its session on Wednesday by approving a respective decree of the EU Council.

The USA has also imposed similar sanctions against the Asian state. The measures have been adopted in the wake of the suppression of peaceful civic protests by the Burmese ruling military junta and the continuing human rights abuses. Bulgarian cabinet's decision contains an update of the names of persons from the Burma junta who are not allowed to enter Bulgaria and whose assets and funds would also be kept out of the country.

The ban for investments in Burmese state-owned enterprises owned or controlled by the regime or by people related to it is expanded. Further restrictions are introduced with respect to the revenue sources for the Burmese regime. These include the export of machinery and equipment for the timber and timber-processing industry, the mining of metals and minerals, and of precious and semi-precious stones. The import of products from these activities is also prohibited.

"Bulgaria imposes restrictions against Myanmar", Sofia News Agency, February 13

Britain calls for pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's immediate release

Britain has called for the immediate release of Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung Saan Suu Kyi and the United Nations special envoy Ibrahim Gambari's return to the military-ruled country.

First she must be released immediately and allowed to participate along with other political leaders and ethnic groups in drafting the constitution and in the subsequent referendum campaign," Foreign Secretary David Miliband said in speech at Oxford. Second, the UN Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari should be allowed to return immediately to Burma to help facilitate the process.

Miliband's remark came days after Burma's military regime called for a referendum in May on a new constitution and elections in 2010. Delivering the Aung San Suu Kyi lecture titled 'The Democratic Imperative' on Monday. Miliband quoted Indian Nobel laureate Amartya Sen and Indo-American journalist Fareed Zakaria to insist on the need for democracy to flourish in different parts of the globe.

"(Amartya) Sen has brilliantly shown, from the Buddhist councils in India to the society of the Ochollo in Southern Ethiopia, that people from all cultures came together to deliberate over their communal affairs centuries before the emergence of the Italian city-republics," he said. In Pakistan, Miliband said the path to democracy began with free and fair elections, but it needed deeper roots.

"Britain calls for Suu Kyi's immediate release", Press Trust of India, February 13, 2008

UN Secretary-General convenes Burma meeting

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on Wednesday convened a meeting of his “Group of Friends” on Burma to discuss the situation arising out of the Burmese military government’s unilateral decision to hold a referendum on its draft constitution followed by general elections.

The group comprises 14 members, including Burma’s neighbors India, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam. The permanent members of the Security Council—China, the US, Britain, Russia and France—were also involved, as was Slovenia, in its capacity as European Union president, as well as Australia, Norway and Japan, the largest donor country to Burma. A presidential statement, the UN Security Council urged the Burmese junta to initiate dialogue toward the restoration of democracy in the country with National League of Democracy and the ethnic groups and called for release of all political prisoners and an all-inclusive and transparent process toward a new democratic constitution and the protection of human rights.

The US, Britain and France are believed to have argued the case for stronger UN intervention and a binding Security Council resolution in this regard. China, India and Thailand are understood to have taken the stance that the Burmese junta's announcement must be democracy in the country. Addressing the representatives of the 14 countries is important that UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari visits the country as soon as possible. Ban informed the "Group of Friends" that the special envoy is scheduled to visit Beijing from February 18 to 19, followed by trips to Jakarta and Singapore.

"UN Chief convenes Burma meeting - Lalit K Jha", Irrawaddy, February 14, 2008