Burma Issues - BI Weekly No.333

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BI Weekly No.333

14-01-08-18-01-08

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

Burma junta blames foreigners for recent bomb blasts in Burma

Burma's ruling junta blamed a string of recent bombings on a foreign Organization and called on the public to report any sightings of Terrorists, three bombings in different parts of Burma since Friday have killed two people and wounded five. "Information has been received that a foreign organization has sent terrorist saboteurs with explosives across the border to perpetrate destructive acts inside the country. Articles carried in Burma's tightly controlled state-run media closely report the government line. The junta routinely blames acts of violence on foreigners, including last Year's street rallies led by Buddhist monks that the government suppressed with a violent crackdown.

The United States and European Union countries, all of which have widened sanctions against Burma, draw frequent criticism in state-run media. A blast in a public bathroom at a railway station in Rangoon, Burma's commercial capital, wounded a 73 – year- old woman. Another bombs exploded at a railway station in the junta's new administrative capital, Naypyitaw, Killing a 40-year-old ethnic Karen woman, and than Another bomb hit a circus in the northern rural township of Pyu, injuring four civilians and killing an ethnic Karen man, believed to be a separatist rebel who allegedly planted the explosive.

The government often blames political opponents and ethnic rebels for bombings but has never produced firm evidence.

"Myanmar junta blames foreigners for recent bomb blasts", Associated Press, January 14, 2008

Burmese authorities to sell teachers mobile phones as Bonus

Burmese authorities are in the process of offering 7,000 senior assistant Teachers in state high schools in Rangoon Division a chance to buy GSM mobile phones at below market value. They will give eachers a permit so that they can buy the hones for 1550,000 kyat (US $ 1,120). Now they are collecting a list of teachers from the headmasters of the schools.

Selling the teachers GSM mobile phones at a price below market value is seen as a Bonus or reward from the authorities and a way to encourage loyalty to the military government, Currently a GSM phone costs around @1,7000 (2.1 million Kyat) on the black market. If some teachers don't want to have the phone, they can sell the permit on the black market.

“The GSM phone is an award for the teachers because they did not encourage the students to join the monk-led protests in September.” Teacher salaries are low, and prohibited from offering private tutoring classes. There are nearly 6,000 high school teachers in Rangoon Division, serving in 2667 schools.

"Junta to sell teachers mobile phones as ‘Bonus’ - Min Lwin", Irrawaddy, January 14, 2008

Over 40,000 villagers internally displaced in eastern Burma's Karen state

At least 10 villagers in eastern Burma's Karen state have been killed and thousands rendered homeless due to increased Burmese Army occupation over the past two months, and presence in Karen state has gone up to over 90 battalions. In a new report, the Free Burma Rangers, a humanitarian assistance group working in eastern Burma, said in the past two months the Burmese Army's

presence in Karen state has gone up to over 90 battalions. With the number of soldiers ranging between 11,000 to 14,000 operating in three Karen districts, the number of internally displaced persons in the three districts have gone up to 25,000 and the Burmese Army battalions in Karen state since 2006, human right violations have escalated and landmines have filled the area, causing uncalled for destruction in the villages and killing local residents. Over the last two months the number of internally displaced people has increased to 10,000.At least 4,500 Burmese soldiers in Nyaunglebin district, 34, battalions in Papun district and 27 battalions in Taungoo districts.

According to statistics released by the KNU information department in December 2007, there have been at least 1,391 clashes between the KNU and a combined force of the Burmese Army and Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), a ceasefire Karen armed group.

According to the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), there are 1, 24,300 Burmese refugees, who are registered with the agency, living in Nine camps along the Thai-Burmese border.

"Over 40,000 villagers internally displaced in Karen state - Than Htike Oo & Nay Thwin", Mizzima News, January 16, 2008

Burmese pro-democracy political prisoners in poor health condition

At least four detained political prisoners in Burmese prisons are in poor health and need medical attention, according to their family members.

Hla Myo Naung has eye problems and is nearly blind in both eyes, After he was arrested, authorities performed an operation on one of his eyes, but it was not successful and an eye nerve was damaged.

Win Maw has now contracted pneumonia. Kyaw Soe suffers from fainting spells. Both men were victims of water torture, according to sources. Myint Oo, who also suffers from pneumonia, began receiving medical treatment in a Mandalay prison hospital three days ago, according to family members.

Tate Naing, the secretary of the exiled-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma), said that since August 2007, the military government has arrested more than 7,000 people, including pro-democracy

activists. Prisoners are not allowed to receive outside medical treatment. According to the AAPP, there are more than 1,850 political prisoners in Burmese prisons.

"Pro-democracy political prisoners in poor health condition - Shah Paung", Irrawaddy, January 16, 2008

Robberies Increase on Western Burmese Border area

The incidence of robbery has been increasing in the western Burmese border area since the beginning of 2008, due to increasing hunger among the people from increasing rice prices in the region.

The polices said about 30 million kyat worth of goods was robbed from two houses an armed robber group around midnight on the Tursday. On 5 January, there were two robberies that occurred in two villages of Zartjet Khali and Hlabowa in Maungdaw Township, with many goods stolen from the houses.

In Hlabowa Village, an eight-member group of armed men attacked a house owned by government teacher U Nurl Hug and stole property and 300,000 kyat from the teacher, reports the police officer.

The police have not arrested any suspects in the cases as the robbers fled across the border after committing the crimes in Maungdaw Township, It has also been learned that people in Maungdaw Townshop are worried about the recent increase in robberies in the township, and are concerned it will create unrest among the people if the rising crime continues in the future.

"Robberies Increase on Western Burmese Border", Narinjara News, January 16, 2008

Burma Authorities demand cheap rice from farmers

Local authorities in Arakan state and Bago division are demanding cheap Rice from farmers for military rations, despite the junta’s claims they would no longer buy rice direct from farmers. Township authorities are guying 2 tin (about 8 litres) of rice per acre of farmland from farmers in four village group in Ywa Ma Province.

The current price of the rice at local markets is between 4800 and 5000 kyat for each tin, but officials are only paying 2800 kyats, claiming that the rice is for military rations, and farmers complain they are losing hundreds of thousands of kyat from the sales.

Locals have assumed that the authorities’ demands are intended as Punishment for their political activism and enthusiastic support of the September 2007 protests. Where the current market price for rice paddy is 385,000 kyat for 100 tin (about 400 litres), local officials are only paying 300,000 kyats. The farmers are also expected to cover the cost of delivering and hulling the rice.

"Authorities demand cheap rice from farmers", Democratic Voice of Burma", Democratic Voice of Burma, January 17, 2008

Budget cuts at along the Thai-Burmese border

International humanitarian and aid organizations working along the Thai-Burmese border have been forced to discontinue projects and decrease their assistance to Burmese refugees due to insufficient funding and the current exchange rate.

Burmese refugees in Mae-Hong Song Province in northern Thailand, has had to reduce its commitment on two projects – an Income Generation Project and Psycho – Social Program for karenni refugees – due to funding cuts. IRC received notification that funding would be cut by $1,455,000 in September 2007 due to changes in the manner in which the US government appropriates its foreign assistance.

The Thailand Burma Border Consortium, which has been supporting the refugee camps along the Thai-Burmese Border with food, shelter and other essential items for more than two decades, is also short of funds. TBBC has been forced to make cutbacks in all areas of our programme, starting within the organization itself. As we continue to face this problem, we have no choice buy to make a reduction in your food.

TBBC has been providing more than 140,000 Burmese refugees along the Thai-Burmese border with a traditional staple diet of rice, salt and fish paste, as well as cooking fuel, building materials, clothing and bedding more than 20 years.

IRC activities along the Thai-Burmese border focus on primary health care, water and sanitation, migrant health, health-worker training, food distribution, legal assistance and advocacy, and gender-based violenceprevention and response projects.

"Budget cuts at Thai-Burmese border ¬ Violet Cho", Irrawaddy,January 15,2008"

Democracy movement needs more financial and capacity building assistance

The international community has united in condemning the Burmese military government but financial assistance to fund pro-democracy and civil society groups remains limited, activists say.

Since the early 1990s, funding agencies from western countries have provided annual grants and other funds for Burma's democracy movement, particularly the Washington-based National Endowment for Democracy (NED), the International Republican Institute, the Danish Burma Committee of Denmark and the Norway-based Norwegian Burma Committee (NBC). Most international donors underestimated the democracy movement and opposition groups in Burma and along the border.

NGOs that could influence donors at the international level thought Burma's democracy movement was going nowhere (before the monk-led uprising) and (NGOs and Burma experts) recommended that donors not increase grants to political campaign groups that could shape the political landscape to perhaps remove the regime. NGO workers can not think like government officials on Burma Issues.

The leader of the Democratic Party for a New Society (DPNS) said a few international funding agencies are interested in providing assistance to Burma's fragile democracy movement and also other capacity building assistance. The NED provided more than US$ 3 million to Burmese dissident groups, civil society groups and Burmese media groups in exile in its 2006 annual budget.

UN reports estimate the regime spends more than 40 percent of the national budget on the military. The armed forces budget has increased over the past decade. It is estimated the regime receives US $ 2 billion each year from gas revenue.

"Democracy movement needs more financial assistance, say activists - Wai Moe", January 16, Irrawaddy

DNA samples taken Burmese migrants from Mae Tao Clinic

A group of World Health Organisation officials and professors from Chiang Mai University collected DNA samples from 300 Burmese migrants yesterday at Dr Cynthia Maung’s Mae Tao clinic in Mae Sot, Thailand.

Group leader Dr Tor Pong, a professor from Chiang Mai University’s faculty Of medicine, said that blood samples would be used for DNA testing to identify and record people by nationality and ethnic group.

Mae Tao clinic official, said that the records could be used to help identify migrants in future. DNA samples have also been collected from Thai, Laotian and Cambodian workers.

"DNA samples taken from Burmese migrants ¬ Saw Kanyaw", Democratic Voice of Burma January 16, 2008

Burmese migrant workers robbed by Thai group at Surat Thani Province

Burmese migrant workers were robbed by a group at Surat Thani province, Tha Chana, Township, on Tuesday night. Eight people, including two young Mons looted the property of Mon migrant workers.

The police arrested two Mons but the rest of the robbers are still at Large. The two young Mons are of the ages 16 and 19. They robbed money and mobile phone. The robbery took place when the migrant workers were scraping the rubber plantation.

A Mon migrant woman said that they have been facing such burglaries often. The robbers damaged and burgled their property 15 times from 2007 and till now. She has been scraping rubber in the district for nine years. The robbers also fired at a house and damaged a television set. We are afraid of them and don't dare to sleep in our hut at night.

The robbers do not get much money because the migrants do not leave the money in their huts. A Mon youth working for four years said he had seen such things happening many times since he started work there. There are an estimated two million migrant workers living in Thailand, according to the Chiang Mai based Migrant Assistance Programme, about 90 percent of whom are from Burma.

"Burmese migrant workers robbed by Thai group - Malay Chan", IndependentMon News Agency, January 17, 2008

South African women's joins panty plan to oust Burma junta

A popular South African women's magazine has joined the global call for people to join the "panty protest" against Burma's regime by sending women's underwear to the junta's embassy in Pretoria.

The worldwide protest started late last year after Lanna Action for Burma, a pro-democracy group based in Thailand, urged supporters around the world to join its "Panty Power" campaign. Its website urged supporters to "post, deliver or fling" underwear to, or at their nearest embassy to insult the country's leadership. Activists seeking to pressure the regime are targeting the "superstitions" of its senior generals.

It is reported that the 73-year-old head of the military, Than Shwe, and members of the military junta believe that contact with women's panties -clean or dirty - will sap them of their strength. Embassies have received underwear from Thailand, Australia, Singapore and the UK.

"SA mag joins panty plan to oust Myanmar junta - Melanie Peters", Pretoria News, January 12, 2008

US official calls for clear message to Burma

A US official on Tuesday called for the world including China to send a United message to Burma's leaders that they are taking the country in "the wrong direction". Scot Marciel, deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asia, was in Tokyo to "exchange ideas" with Japan, which on Wednesday will hold talks with foreign ministers of Southeast Asian nations including Burma.

"What's really key is for the entire international community China but also the ASEAN, Japan, the United States, Europe, India, all to be sending the same message to the regime that we are not anti-Burma,"The message should be that "the way the country is going is in the wrong direction, it's having negative effects not only for the Burmese people but for the region.

We all want you to move in a positive direction", he told reporters. China has faced criticism for its political and economic ties with Burma since last year's deadly crackdown on pro-democracy protests.

In December, US President George W. Bush threatened to spearhead a global campaign to step up sanctions against Burma if it continued to ignore calls for a democratic transition.

The junta has allowed a UN special envoy and a UN rights investigator to visit since the crackdown and increased contact with detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

However, the government has made few tangible concessions and in December it expelled the top UN diplomat in the country after he made a scathing statement on its dire humanitarian state.

"US official calls for clear message to Myanmar", Associated Foreign Press, January 15, 2008

Japan pledges 1.79 million dollars in aid to sanctions-hit Burma

Japan yesterday pledged 1.79 million dollars in aid to Burma, months after it scaled back assistance following the junta's violent suppression of mass protests which left a Japanese journalist dead.The aid package,

announced by the Japanese embassy in Burma and the United Nations children's agency UNICEF, will be used to fund vaccinations, medicine and testing kits for potentially fatal diseases affecting children and women.

Japan, one of the largest donors to Burma, in October cancelled nearly five million dollars in aid in protest at the military's bloody crackdown on rallies, which a UN official has said left 31 people dead.

This figure includes Kenji Nagai, a video journalist for Tokyo-based APF News, who was shot dead on September 27 as he filmed the crackdown in Burma's commercial hub Yangoon.

Burma spends just 0.3 percent of GDP on health, the latest UN figures show, while economic sanctions by the United States and European Union leave the country as one of the developing world's lowest recipients of foreign aid.

"The latest pledge will support our collective effort to protect Burma's children against vaccine-preventable diseases, malaria, and other fatal diseases and save their mothers from pregnancy-related deaths," UNICEF's Burma representative Ramesh Shrestha said in a statement.

"UNICEF will ensure that this assistance will target those most in need."

"Japan pledges 1.79 million dollars in aid to sanctions-hit Myanmar", Macau Daily Times, January 15, 2008

2008 -Film on Burma's detained Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi

Italian film director Giuseppe Tornatore will soon capture the journey of Burmese pro-democracy icon, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, on celluloid in an effort to honour and highlight her struggle to restore democracy in her native land.

It will be an English film with an estimated budget of 30 million US dollars, Naofumi Okamoto, the film's Japanese producer said.

Okamoto happens to be among the very few foreigners, who have met the detained Burmese leader.She has been under house arrest for the last 12 years of the 18 years she has spent in Burma.

"The purpose of producing this film is to honour Noble Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, because she chooses to be a mother to a nation instead of being a mother to a family, it is a very difficult thing for women to do." The film's script will be completed in May and shooting is likely to begin by September or October this year. It would be the first movie depicting the life and times of the Noble Laureate.

The Japanese producer, who had a chance to meet Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in the early 1990s, said he has been working on the film for several years and had finally, thought of commencing shooting.

"I have been trying to make this film for the past ten years and we have already met three times [with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi] and also got the permission from her for creating this film," Okamoto said.

Despite leading her party to victory, Suu Kyi was never allowed to govern the country, which her father had envisaged as a free and prosperous nation.

Instead, the military rulers had her put under house arrest, detaining her for the past 12 of 18 years.

"2008 -Film on Burma 's detained Nobel Laureate to commence soon", Mizzima News, January 15, 2008

US steps up efforts for political reform in Burma

The US is stepping up efforts to get the international community to increase pressure on authorities in Burma to establish dialogue with the opposition and bring about political reform, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs Scot Marciel said in Tokyo.

Burma's economic and social slide cannot be halted without such dialogue, he insisted. The US envoy was speaking on the first leg of a tour that will take him also to Vietnam Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, where Burma will be high on the agenda.

Mr Marciel claimed there has been 'no real progress' towards political and other reforms there despite an international outcry after last September's brutal crackdown' on dissent.

The international community not forget what happened with the brutal crackdown and should continue to find ways to pressure the regime to begin a dialogue with the opposition that can lead to some kind of political transition. Japanese Foreign and other officials and urged Tokyo to find new ways to put pressure on Burma.

Several Asean leaders have written to Burma Prime Minister General Thein Sein, asking for progress and we welcome these steps. But we are not saying that everyone have done enough, including the US, because there is still a lot more work to do. The Burma is driving the country down and that this can only create more economic and other problems.

They would probably all like to see some movement towards a national reconciliation in Burma - a reaching out by the regime to the people to try to establish better policies and better treatment of people.

The economy is getting worse, the education system is being ruined and Burma is becoming an exporter to dangerous diseases, refugees and drugs.'

"US steps up efforts for political reform in Myanmar - Anthony Rowley", The business Times Singapore, January 16, 2008

Security Council meets to discuss lack of progress toward democratic reform in Burma

The Security Council on Thursday huddled behind closed doors with UN troubleshooter Ibrahim Gambari to discuss what several diplomats described as "the lack of progress" toward democratic reform in Burma.

US Ambassador to the UN Zalmay Khalilzad said that the 15-member body also wanted to discuss reports that Gambari, the UN's pointman in efforts to foster a dialogue betweeen Burma's ruling junta and the opposition, "has not been allowed this month to come back" to the country.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union is calling for India and China to apply pressure on the Burmese government to release 26 imprisoned Parliamentarians, they says it is delighted with the recent release of two Colombian hostages kidnapped by the FARC guerrilla group.

Carstairs says India, China and to some extent Thailand, who are major trading partners with Burma, are in a strong position to exert pressure on that country's military government to release imprisoned parliamentarians.

Philippines Senator Aquilino Pimentel says ASEAN countries also are in a position to help. He says there is a growing clamor among ASEAN members to pressure Burma to ease up on the repression suffered by their people.

The parliamentarian group notes it has no legal power to force the Burmese government to release the imprisoned members of parliament. It only has moral authority.That is why, they say, it is essential that countries such as India and China use their power to persuade Burma to change its course.

"Security Council meets to discuss lack of progress in Myanmar", Agence France Presse, January 17, 2008