Burma Issues - BI Weekly No.338

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BI Weekly No.

March 4th - March 12th, 2008

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

Mon armed chief secretly disarmament talks with Junta

The army chief of the ethnic Mon ceasefire group, the New Mon State Party (NMSP), has recently engage d in disarmament talks with the Burmese military government.

A Mon source close to the NMSP said that General Aung Naing was supposedly visiting Rangoon for medical treatment. However, it is believed that Aung Naing was holding meetings with junta officials.

The source added that General Aung Naing is an influential leader in the NMSP, but does not agree with the political stand his party has taken against the junta’s planned referendum in May.

Nai ong Ma-nge, a spokesperson for the NMSP, told that the party had lost communication with General Aung Naing on February 4 and do not know where he is.

Mon political analysts are worried that the party could be weakened if such an important key player gave up arms and that it could impact the unity of the party and its army.

The NMSP signed a ceasefire agreement with the military government in 1995. In spite of this, there have been no political advancements in over a decade and the regime has continued a campaign of human rights abuses in Mon State.

“Is Mon leader negotiating disarmament?” The Irrawaddy, March 11, 2008

A political prisoner dies in Tharawaddy prison

Ko Win Tin, 35, a political prisoner and National League for Democracy member, died on March 6th while serving a 27-year prison term in Tharawaddy prison, Pegu division.

Ko Win Tin, also known as Anue, was sentenced to 27 years’ imprisonment in 1999 under article 5(j) of the emergency law, among other charges for planning to incite nationwide mass protests on September 9th, 1999.

U Myat Hla, a member of Pegu NLD and elected representative of the people's parliament, said he was informed about Win Tin's death by his wife.

Ko Win Tin had been in bad health prior to his death.

“Political prisoner dies in Bago prison” Democratic Voice of Burma, March 10th, 2008

Junta arrest NLD members for Rambo DVDs possession

Two National League for Democracy (NLD) members from Hlaing township in Rangoon were arrested on March 8th, for have in their possession DVDs of the film Rambo.

NLD spokesperson U Nyan Win said that the party did not yet know the full details of the arrests.

“Ko Thant Zin and Ko Tun Tun were arrested at their homes on Saturday evening and their families have been unable to contact them,” Nyan Win said.

The Rambo movie, which tells the story of John Rambo saving a group of missionaries taken hostage by the Burmese army and depicts images of the brutality of the Burmese junta against ethnic people, has been banned by the Burmese regime, but copies of the film are being sold illegally in the country.

“NLD members arrested over Rambo DVDs” Democratic Voice of Burma, March 10, 2008

Junta criticizes Gambari's performance as a mediator

Burmese's ruling junta flatly refused to amend its proposed constitution, which bars democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from elections, while accusing a UN envoy of "bias" against the regime.

The information minister, Brigadier General Kyaw Hsan, made the remarks during his meeting with visiting UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari, according to state television.

Gambari visited Burma on a mission to press the regime to include Aung San Suu Kyi in its plans to hold a constitutional referendum in May and multiparty elections in 2010.

The minister also made a scathing criticism of Gambari's performance as a mediator, accusing him of "bias" in favour of Aung San Suu Kyi for releasing a letter from her after his last visit.

“Myanmar junta refuses to amend charter barring Suu Kyi from polls” Agence-France Press, March 7, 2008

Rise in fuel prices hit businesses in Burma

Fuel prices in Burma are rising again, as authorities in the military-ruled country tries to reign in a black market that many rely on to meet their basic energy needs.

According to business sources in Rangoon, prices have gone up by more than 13 per cent in the past week, since the beginning of a crackdown on illegal fuel trading that started on February 27.

The sources said that many businesses, particularly factories which use heavy machinery, are struggling to keep up with the rising cost of fuel, which has gone from 4,400 kyat (US $4) to 5,000 kyat ($4.50) for a gallon of gasoline, and from 4,600 kyat ($4.20) to 5,200 kyat ($4.70) for a gallon of diesel.

The doubling of official diesel prices last year, which led to a dramatic rise in black market prices, was particularly hard on Burmese businesses and consumers.

A lack of energy infrastructure in Burma, particularly a notoriously unreliable supply of electricity, forces many to use diesel generators to meet their everyday energy needs.

“Black market crackdown driving up fuel prices” Irrawaddy, March 6, 2008

70 sign petition on forced labor in Arakan state

More than 70 residents in Arakan State, western Burma, were questioned by officers of the Military Affairs Security department and Labor Ministry after reporting human rights abuses and incidents of forced labor to the International Labor Organization (ILO), according to local sources.

More than 70 citizens of Taunggok Township had signed a petition, claiming local authorities had committed acts of forced labor and extortion.

According to the Taunggok residents, in January, local authorities forced residents in the township to work as security guards. The authorities forcibly extorted between 3,000 and 10,000 kyat (US $2.74 to $9.13) from each person who refused to follow the order.

After questioning by the Military Affairs Security personnel, the residents who had signed the petition were forced to sign a counter document claiming that they had been coerced into petitioning the ILO.

“Arakan residents petition ILO on forced labor issues”, Irrawaddy, March 6, 2008

Migrant workers being called back to Burma to vote

Burma’s military government is organizing a census of Burmese families in southern Shan State with a view to forcing migrant workers to return to their hometowns to vote in May, say family members of workers employed in Thailand.

Earlier this month local authorities and the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) drew up a plan to register all Burmese citizens for voting in the constitutional referendum in May, according to a source in southern Shan State.

Residents in southern Shan State said the authorities were demanding that family members contact migrant workers and tell them to come back and vote in the referendum.

“The USDA and the local authorities are forcing the families to call back their relatives,” said a resident from Ponpakyin, southern Shan State.

“If the worker can’t come and fails to vote in May, the authorities will take them off the census list,” said another source from Ponpakyin.

"The local authorities are collecting the names of people who need temporary identity cards, which they will then use as a supporting list for the referendum," said a resident in Mong Pan, southern Shan State.

“Junta forcing migrants home for Referendum”, The Irrawaddy, March 10th, 2008

Border closure stopping aid flow

The closure of a border crossing in the Thai province of Mae Hong Son has left more than 3,900 internally displaced persons in Burma without access to food or medicine, say sources in the area.

The border checkpoint at the village of Mae Sam Laep has been closed since Karen rebels attacked Burmese soldiers on the Salween River on February 24th.

Nearly four thousand ethnic Karen IDPs sheltering in the Ei Tu Hta camp, located about two hours by boat from the border crossing, are facing an uncertain future, as Thai authorities have given no indication when they will allow border trade to resume.

“We are not allowed to send anything,” Maw Law, a relief coordinator for the Karen Office of Relief and Development (KORD), said.

“If they [Thai authorities] keep the border shut all month, people in the camp will definitely face difficulties,” she added.

Although a partial shipment of rice has been sent to the Ei Tu Hta camp, other food supplies, such as oil and salt, have not been allowed to cross he border, according to Maw Law.

For more than two weeks, border trade in Mae Sam Laep has been almost at a standstill, following an attack on Burmese soldiers being transported across the Salween River in a boat owned by a local businessman.

“Food transports for Karen IDPs halted”, The Irrawaddy, March 5th, 2008

Bangladesh faces gas shortage

Burma has rejected a request to sell gas to Bangladesh but saying India and China are top priorities, a senior Dhaka official said Tuesday.

Burma would consider selling gas to Bangladesh only after new discoveries are made, said deputy energy minister m. Tamim said.

Bangladesh has daily demand for 1,800 million cubic feet of gas but the Country’s 23 gas fields can provide only 1,700 million cubic feet as lack of investment in new exploration since late 1990s has outstripped supply.

The energy shortage would become acute after 2009 if new gas finds are not made.

"Since 1999, there was hardly any investment in new gas discoveries as the Companies did not see any market for gas here," Tamim said.

In an effort to step up future supply, the country's military-backed Government has already invited bids from foreign oil companies to explore for gas and oil in the hydrocarbon-rich Bay of Bengal.

Burma rejects Bangladesh request for gas: Dhaka, Agence France Presse, March 11th, 2008

UN Envoy fall to persuade the regime to include Aung San Suu Kyi from the referendum

UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari arrived in Burma last Thursday hoping to persuade the regime to include Aung San Suu Kyi in the constitutional referendum for election in 2010.

The constitution would ban Aung San Suu Kyi from election because she was married to a foreigner, while a new law limits her party’s ability to campaign by criminalising public speeches and leaflets about the referendum.

The constitution would bar Aung San Suu Kyi from elections because she was married to a foreigner, while a new law limits her party's ability to campaign by criminalising public speeches and leaflets about the referendum.

The generals refused to amend the constitution and rejected an offer of UN technical assistance and foreign observers during the referendum.

"I honestly don't have any hope in the UN's intervention," he added. "The Burmese junta know they have the Chinese protecting them at the UN Security Council."

UN visit shows momentum slip on Burma, Agence France Presse, March 11th, 2008

Belgium was accused of Crimes against Humanity

Belgian authorities dropped Wednesday a legal case brought by refugees from Burma targeting the French oil group Total, which they accused of Crimes against humanity, their lawyer said.

Last October, Belgian authorities reopened the long-running case in which the refugees accused Total of having used forced labor provided by the military regime to build a gas pipeline.

Total has also faced legal action in France against its labor practices in Burma, where it has operated since 1992.

But last year the group was cleared of charges in France that it relied on forced labour to build the 1.2-billion-dollar (785-billion-euro) gas pipeline after an out-of-court settlement with the alleged victims.

However, the court ruled that the defendants should benefit from a 2005 decision in their favor, even though the relevant legislation had subsequently been toughened up.

Belgium drops Burma rights case against Total, Agence France Presse, March 11th, 2008