Democratic Voice of Burma

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• Tuberculosis medication to ‘run out’ by October
• Thousands of Meikhtila displaced remain homeless
• Foreign investors call for land price regulation in Burma
• Suu Kyi: I cannot personally stop anti-Muslim violence in Burma

Tuberculosis medication to ‘run out’ by October Posted: 13 Sep 2013 04:06 AM PDT Vital tuberculosis (TB) medication is running worryingly low across Burma, with medical officials in Rangoon saying supplies will run out by October. Tin Mi Mi Khine, the tuberculosis officer for Rangoon, is worried about what will happen when stocks run out. "The supply we have now will dry up after distributing it to the patients in September. In October, there will be patients but no more drugs, how are we supposed to deal with this?" said Tin Mi Mi Khine. Stockpiles of the medication are running low in 20 countries worldwide, including Burma. And a drug-resistant strain of the disease, which is found in over 9,000 cases each year in Burma, is posing a serious threat to the fight against TB. Related Stories Burma and Japan to boost development ties Tuberculosis cases reaching alarming rates in Burma Burma's electricity woes harm medicines, risk lives Medical staff in Rangoon can only wait until the next shipment of TB medication arrives; in the meantime they are trying to prevent the disease spreading. "We have to explain to them that there might be more supplies in November and that the current medication is no longer working," said Tin Mi Mi Khine. "We will teach them methods to prevent the disease from infecting other people such as [wearing masks] for infection control and to avoid staying in a crowd if they can." A supply of drug-resistant TB medication, provided four times a year by the Global Fund, will arrive in November. According to the World Health Organization, out of the thousands of people diagnosed with drug resistant TB in Burma, only 1,000 have ever received treatment. "In the past, patients would die waiting for the medication. We would reach out to them and pass on the news that the drugs had arrived but then the next day, the patient would be dead," said Tin Mi Mi Khin. On Tuesday, Burma received four state of the art machines that detect drug-resistant TB. These machines greatly reduce the time it takes to diagnose the disease and have the potential to save thousands of lives. But unless patients get immediate treatment as soon as they are diagnosed, the drug-resistant strain of the disease will continue to spread.

Thousands of Meikhtila displaced remain homeless Posted: 13 Sep 2013 03:31 AM PDT Some 3,000 mostly Muslim residents from Mekhtila remain homeless nearly six months after their homes were burnt to the ground in a deadly bout of religious violence, as a dispute over resettlement plans continues to escalate. The government wants the residents, who are mostly farmers, to move into a series of apartment blocks away from their original homes. But the displaced Muslims say they will not be able to care for their livestock living in apartments and want their old land plots back. U Win, an influential figure in the town, blamed the residents for being too stubborn to accept the new housing. "Our country's leaders, with utmost good-will, are looking to move them into new apartment buildings from previously living in small huts, but as some of them don't like the idea and are refusing to sign a resettlement agreement, authorities are unable to go ahead with the plan," he told DVB. Some locals have even urged the government to forcibly relocate the residents if they are unwilling to move voluntarily. "They should be resettled immediately – whether with use of authority or through reasoning – I would like to see something decisive as now it has been over six months," said Khin Nan from the local charity, Htila Thukha Thamagi. "Whether the authorities want to go ahead with the [apartment block] plan or the other way around, they should just go ahead." He added that although the IDPs, who are currently sheltered in government offices, sport stadiums and make-shift camps, receive regular donations from locals, they live like "prisoners". Related Stories Muslim homes left smouldering after night of mob violence in Htan Gone Quintana talks to DVB Burma govt slams Quintana allegation as 'totally wrong' But critics say the new housing plan could enforce segregation between Muslims and Buddhists in Meikthila, and harm the reconciliation process. Some also worry that land belonging to local Muslims may be taken over by Buddhists. Local humanitarian groups sent a letter of objection to President Thein Sein in July asking that the IDPs just be allowed to rebuild their old homes. "Many of us are farmers who breed animals such as goats and horses. It's not convenient to be housed in an apartment. Where will we keep our animals?" a displaced Meikhtila resident told Mizzima in July. Over 10,000 people, mostly Muslims, were displaced in March after a brawl in a Muslim-owned gold shop culminated in Buddhist mobs ransacking the town, destroying mosques, homes and murdering dozens of Muslim civilians – including 20 children. Thousands of people, whose houses survived the March riots, have already returned home.

Foreign investors call for land price regulation in Burma Posted: 13 Sep 2013 01:17 AM PDT Investors met in Naypyidaw this week to discuss ways for Burma to harness its skyrocketing land prices, which analysts say are preventing foreign businesses from entering the market. Attendees at the Myanmar Investment Forum, held in Naypyidaw from 10 to 11 of September, called on the government to take the issue seriously or risk derailing Burma's fragile economic transition. Aung Naing Oo, director-general of the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration told DVB that soaring land prices in Rangoon and other commercial hubs are obstructing foreign companies from investing in the country. "The [investors] stressed that the land price hike are a hindrance to foreign investment and they discussed the potential causes of this – some think it's because of supply and demand and some think it's because of the regulations [imposed by the government]," said Aung Naing Oo. Property prices in Burma's main cities have more than tripled over the past few months, making some areas in Rangoon more expensive than New York City. The government has been criticised for failing to impose an effective property taxation regime. Last year Naypyidaw introduced a 37 percent tax on all property sales, but critics say it has not been collected systematically. Reports suggest that the government is planning to release a new land use strategy by the end of the year. Satt Aung, deputy-president of the government-run Central Bank of Myanmar said the issue with hike of land prices is common in a lot of countries and Burma should take lessons from its Asian neighbours. Related Stories Foreign investment has created 20,000 jobs in Burma since April Rangoon property boom leaves hundreds homeless Business Weekly "It is not only happening in Burma but in many other countries too – India is still facing the issue – and we should look at how [South] Korea tackled it. Singapore also regulates the land sector… [and] Vietnam has set the land prices according to the [sector]," said Satt Aung. "We should place limits on land prices at a reasonable amount." The investors in the forum also discussed other obstacles in Burma's nascent business environment – such as irregular electricity supplies. But Satt Aung added that Burma can learn from other countries here too. "For example, since initiating economic reforms in 1986 Vietnam is still tackling issues related to foreign investment," he said. "So [all] the challenges we are facing are same as with other countries." The Myanmar Economic Forum in Naypyidaw was attended by around 850 entrepreneurs and economic experts from 35 countries. "Most of the participants in the forum were investors and attendance rates were up from last year," said Aung Naing Oo. "Most of the discussions focused on [Burma's economic] reforms and we managed to provide them with statistics on the subject so I think this will assist a great deal with improving foreign investments in our country," said Aung Naing Oo. Burma, which is emerging from decades of military rule and economic isolation, has seen an influx of foreign direct investment over the past two years. But many business leaders are still wary about the country's weak regulatory framework, poor infrastructure and antiquated banking system.

Suu Kyi: I cannot personally stop anti-Muslim violence in Burma Posted: 12 Sep 2013 09:14 PM PDT Burma's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi said Thursday that she alone could not stop the anti-Muslim violence that has shaken her country and that the solution was to install the rule of law. “It’s not something that I could learn to do, but I think what this whole society has to strive to do,” the democracy icon told reporters in Warsaw during a tour of central Europe. “We need rule of law in order that our people may feel secure and only secure people can talk to one another and try to establish the kind of relationship that will assure harmony for the future of our nation.” Suu Kyi was answering a question from a reporter who asked if she personally could do anything to stop the sectarian violence. While she is venerated for her struggle for democracy, some international human rights activists have accused the Nobel Peace laureate of failing to clearly condemn anti-Muslim violence in Buddhist-majority Burma. Sectarian clashes in the western state of Arakan last year left about 200 people dead, mostly Rohingya Muslims who are denied citizenship. Suu Kyi, 68, was speaking after having lunch with Polish anti-communist firebrand Lech Walesa. The fellow Nobel Peace laureate was leader of the Solidarity trade union, which negotiated a bloodless end to communism in Poland in 1989. The following year he became Poland’s first democratically elected president since World War II. Walesa, 69, said he thought Burma would one day achieve democracy like Poland. “Before we achieved success, we lost a couple battles,” he said. “They are in a similar situation: they’re losing some battles. But on balance they will probably win the war.” Suu Kyi, who has said she will run for president in 2015, stressed the need to amend Burma's current constitution, which she said “is against all democratic values”. The document was crafted under the former military regime and blocks anyone, like Suu Kyi, whose spouses or children are foreign nationals from leading the country. Warsaw’s mayor announced she was making Suu Kyi an honorary citizen of the city, a distinction only offered to one other foreigner, the Dalai Lama. Earlier Thursday, Suu Kyi met with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Bronislaw Komorowski. Suu Kyi spent 15 years under house arrest under military rule in Burma, before she was freed after controversial elections in 2010. She is now an opposition lawmaker as part of sweeping reforms under a new quasi-civilian regime that took office in 2011. The democracy icon next heads to Hungary and the Czech Republic.

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