Democratic Voice of Burma

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• BUSINESS WEEKLY
• Burma agrees to let in UN nuclear weapons inspectors
• Suu Kyi wishes Burmese to be ‘rich in hope’
• President Thein Sein meets 88 Generation leaders
• China pledges, Burma dredges
• One killed, 7 injured in Kawthaung prison riot
• Muslim hospital offers relief in Rangoon

BUSINESS WEEKLY Posted: 16 Sep 2013 05:55 AM PDT   Ups and downs The Burmese currency is up three kyat against the US dollar from the week before, selling at 976 kyat to the greenback on Friday 13 September, while buying at 969 kyat. Gold is selling at 693,200 kyat per tical this week, resettling from a high of 726,000 kyat on 30 August when fears over the Syrian crisis pushed gold prices up. Petrol remains at 814 kyat to the litre; diesel and octane stay at 920 per litre.   'Made in Burma' Nissan trucks on the way Japanese automaker Nissan plans to begin producing small cars and trucks in Burma with its Malaysian partner as early as this year, the Nikkei business daily reported on 16 September. Nissan Motor and Malaysia’s Tan Chong Motor Holdings Bhd will jointly produce several thousand small passenger cars and pickup trucks a year in the country, the report said without citing sources. A Tan Chong affiliate will likely construct an assembly plant that will finish cars using parts shipped from Nissan factories in Southeast Asia and elsewhere, Nikkei said.   Burma tastes its first byte of Apple The first authorised dealer of Apple products will open on 28 September at the Junction Mall shopping centre in Rangoon. Burmese mobile phone dealer mDrive won the patent to distribute Apple Inc's Mac computers, software and other IT products; however mDrive CEO Myat Htoo says that the Apple iPad will not be available for the next two or three months.   Burma is China's new tin man China is turning to Burma to plug a gap in the supply of raw tin following new trading regulations in Indonesia which dictate that producers can now only sell ingots of the highest purity, a move aimed at boosting the value of exports. While Indonesia is the world's leading producer of tin, China is the world’s top metals consumer, and it has more than doubled its imports of tin ore and concentrates from Burma this year, shoring up an alternative source of the metal used mainly for solder in its vast electronics industry. Indonesia sold more than 15,000 tonnes of tin to China last year, but sales have slumped heavily since the new restrictions were imposed. On the other hand, tin ore transported from Burma by land across the border for processing in Yunnan has more than tripled in quantity. China also imports significant amounts of tin ore from Malaysia, Japan and Bolivia.   MoneyGram seals deal with three Burmese banks US-based money transfer firm MoneyGram (MGI) has added three Burmese banks to its global network, according to the Banking Business Review. MGI will offer services in collaboration with Asia Green Development Bank, Myanmar Citizens Bank, and Tun Foundation Bank, the report said. MGI's regional senior vice-president Grant Lines said services will be offered in 10 of Burma's 14 states and regions, allowing millions of people the opportunity to send and receive money. Burmese will also be able to transfer funds to friends and family in around 80 nations and likewise receive money from abroad via MGI.   Govt invites tender bids for Kyaukphyu economic zone The Burmese government announced on 8 September that it will invite tender bids for a special economic zone (SEZ) development in Kyaukphyu, western Arakan state. According to an official announcement in The New Light of Myanmar, the chairman of the Bid Evaluation and Awarding Committee (BEAC) has invited both domestic and international firms to submit a "comprehensive strategy" to develop the SEZ. It said that Kyaukphyu—which is the starting point for the Shwe Gas pipeline to China—is "endowed with a deep-sea port, [and] is included as a key project to be developed in Myanmar [Burma], with a vision to become a logistics hub in the region." Tender bids are to be submitted to the BEAC no later than 25 September.   Central Bank considers interest rate cut The Central Bank of Myanmar is considering lowering Burmese interest rates to bring them in line with international borrowing and lending standards. Currently, it sets lending rates at 13 percent per annum while Burmese banks offer a fixed 8 percent for savings, significantly higher than Burma's neighbours where rates are generally around 2.5 percent for loans and 3 percent on savings. The Central Bank's deputy-president said the bank will be working with the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank on the subject of reducing interest rates.   Legal beagles set their sights on Burma Singapore law firm Selvam & Partners has opened an office in Rangoon in a joint venture with US lawyers Duane Morris LLP. Under the name Duane Morris & Selvam LLP, the company announced last week that it plans to focus on corporate, project finance, technology, media and telecoms, and regulatory work, according to a report by industry magazine Legalweek. The firm said it would advise clients on regulatory practices in Burma, including the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and UK Bribery Act. It also announced that it had signed a lease on an office space in Naypyidaw, the report said.   Burma looks to reap the rice harvest The Burmese government and the International Rice Research Institute signed a new memorandum of understanding last week to help implement the "Myanmar Rice Sector Development Strategy and Programme" which aims to boost rice production and improve other aspects of the rice sector in Burma, according to industry analyst Oryza. Burma's Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation said it wants to introduce rice varieties that can tolerate salinity, floods, drought and low temperatures. He said there is also a need to increase the use of quality seeds, expand the use of modern agricultural techniques, reduce post-harvest losses, establish access to local and international markets, and increase the capabilities of its rice scientists.   FDI has created 20,000 jobs this year, says DICA director Around 20,000 jobs have been created in Burma during the current fiscal year thanks to the increase in foreign direct investment (FDI), according to government data. In the first five months of the 2013-14 fiscal year (April to August inclusive), FDI topped US$1.8 billion, mostly focused in the garment manufacturing sector. Aung Naing Oo, the director-general of the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration, said, "Every single garment factory that opens creates an additional 1,000 jobs. This fiscal year, we have so far approved 20 garment factories, so can estimate that around 20,000 new jobs have been created."

Burma agrees to let in UN nuclear weapons inspectors Posted: 16 Sep 2013 05:19 AM PDT Burma has reportedly agreed to give UN weapons inspectors wider access to facilities that could be used to develop nuclear technology, according to the world's leading nuclear watchdog. According to Reuters and AFP, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Monday that Burma is set to sign the UN's Additional Protocol on nuclear disarmament, which would give inspectors broad discretion to visit suspected nuclear facilities, at its annual general conference this week. The announcement comes ten months after President Thein Sein pledged to abide by the UN's arms embargo on North Korea, and to allow the IAEA full access to Burmese weapons sites. This move has been viewed by most western nations, including the United States, as a critical step in Burma's democratic reform process. In July, the US Treasury blacklisted a senior Burmese general, Thein Htay, for allegedly "purchasing military goods" from North Korea, backing reports that the two countries continue to enjoy a military relationship – possibly fuelled by nuclear ambitions. In 2010, a joint documentary produced by DVB and Al Jazeera uncovered evidence of a nascent nuclear weapons programme in Burma, based on documents and photographs leaked by a former military engineer. The same year, a UN report revealed that North Korea may have supplied the regime with banned nuclear technologies. Related Stories US to boost military ties with Burma, but warns of N Korea connection US extends Burma gem ban Activists call on govt to free whistleblowers during next amnesty Although Burma has repeatedly denied the allegations, the IAEA has requested access to the country since 2011. The move is likely to be welcomed by the US which has repeatedly urged Burma to sever military ties with North Korea. But analysts have insisted that signing the Additional Protocol is only a first step, and that it could take years before the document is ratified and enforced under domestic law. Others say that Burma's military relationship with North Korea is geared towards developing more conventional weapons, including a SCUD-type ballistic missile, and nuclear technologies are of much lesser concern. Burma has been party to the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) since 1992, but has not ratified similar treaties for biological or chemical weapons. Many western countries still impose arms embargoes on the former pariah state, which continues to be implicated in mass abuses against its ethnic minority populations.

Suu Kyi wishes Burmese to be ‘rich in hope’ Posted: 16 Sep 2013 03:46 AM PDT Speaking at the opening ceremony of Forum 2000 in Prague on Sunday evening, Burma's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi compared her country's state of transition to that of her host's some 30 years before. "It's not going to be easy and we have just started out," she told the conference. "I have repeatedly spoken out against over-optimism, because that could make us complacent." In a glowing tribute to former Czech and Czechoslovakian President Václav Havel, Suu Kyi praised her late fellow Nobel laureate as a "true friend of Burma" and someone who "knew the value of freedom." Related Stories Suu Kyi: I cannot personally stop anti-Muslim violence in Burma Suu Kyi braves the rain in Warsaw Thein Sein hosts Suu Kyi for talks She continued: "We have to forge ahead with our eyes open, recognising the difficulties that lie in our path, and facing the truth as President Václav Havel would have wished us to do." Warning against "blind optimism" in Burma's process of democratic reform, Suu Kyi noted that the country was rich in natural resources but that its people were poor. "We want them to be rich in hope," she said. The Burmese pro-democracy icon, who was the keynote speaker at the conference, was greeted with a standing ovation as she took the stage and when she completed her speech. The Forum 2000 Foundation states its purpose as pursuing "the legacy of Václav Havel by supporting the values of democracy and respect for human rights, assisting the development of civil society, and encouraging religious, cultural and ethnic tolerance."

President Thein Sein meets 88 Generation leaders Posted: 16 Sep 2013 02:50 AM PDT Burmese President Thein Sein met with leaders of Burma's pro-democracy 88 Generation Students group for the first time on Sunday in a bid to promote political reform in the former pariah nation, according to state media. Members of the 88 Generation Students group were invited to Naypyidaw to discuss the ongoing challenges in the country's democratic transition, including political prisoners, land grabs and civil conflicts. The state-run New Light of Myanmar described the meeting as a "cordial" effort to develop a new "political culture" and "all-inclusive political process" in Burma, which is emerging from decades of military rule. The 88 Generation delegation was led by pro-democracy activists Min Ko Naing and Ko Ko Gyi who both spent lengthy stints in prison under the former military regime. The group played a prominent role in Burma's 1988 student-led pro-democracy uprising, which culminated in a bloody military crackdown that left thousands dead. They have previously met with other senior politicians, including the government's leading peace negotiator, Aung Min, and the speaker of both the lower house and bicameral parliament, Shwe Mann. But this is the first time they have met with Thein Sein. Related Stories Jailed anti-mine activist Naw Ohn Hla transferred New prisoners, same cages Thein Sein hosts Suu Kyi for talks In a July interview with DVB, a group spokesperson said they were planning to press the president about Burma's tumultuous history and discuss ways to rebuild the country. "We'll also urge him to stop the fighting in Kachin state and raise the issue of land confiscations," said Mya Aye. The 88 Generation Students group was formed in 2005 and played a major role in organising protests during the 2007 "Saffron Revolution", which saw thousands of monks and civilians spilling onto the streets of Rangoon calling for democracy. Several of the group's leaders, including Min Ko Naing who had already spent 15 years in prison for his political activism, were later re-arrested and jailed for their role in the uprising, which was brutally crushed by the military regime.

China pledges, Burma dredges Posted: 16 Sep 2013 02:23 AM PDT A Chinese firm, CATIC Bejing Co., Ltd, delivered 19 dredgers and supporting vessels to Burma on Saturday at a commissioning ceremony held at Nanthida Jetty in Rangoon. The dredgers were imported from China with assistance of a preferential loan provided by the Chinese government. “As there are many rivers in Burma, and transportation on rivers is quite frequent, there is a dire need for these dredgers,” said Li Jin, deputy general manager of the CATIC Beijing Co Ltd. “The channels need to be dredged at regular intervals or sludge will block them. The dredgers will improve transportation on our rivers.” Burma's Minister of Transport Nyan Htun Aung welcomed the delivery and said the vessels would help improve the condition of the country's waterways. "Because of these new dredgers and supporting vessels from China, our dredging capacity will be increased to reduce the sedimentation problem, allowing for better navigation and helping prevent floods," he said. Related Stories Foreign investors call for land price regulation in Burma Foreign investment has created 20,000 jobs in Burma since April Business Weekly He went on to say that the government was planning on reforming the water sector in order to better manage Burma's water resources. “I also believe that these new dredgers will contribute to our country’s economic development by facilitating the successful realisation of sustainable integrated water resources management," said Nyan Htun Aung. Many believe this delivery is a sign that China intends to be very much involved in Burma's transport sector. Chinese Ambassador to Burma, Yang Houlan, said at the ceremony that the Chinese government attached importance to Sino-Burmese cooperation in the area of transport. Ambassador Yang said China was willing to provide aid including technical assistance to promote Burma's economic and social development. In return, he said, Chinese enterprises would benefit from construction and port development projects.

One killed, 7 injured in Kawthaung prison riot Posted: 15 Sep 2013 10:40 PM PDT One inmate was killed and seven others injured in a prison riot which escalated into an attempted jailbreak in Kawthaung in southern Burma on Friday night, according to state media. The riot was reportedly sparked after a quarrel between prisoners turned violent and inmates took advantage of the turmoil to break through the roof of the prison, which is located close to the Thai border. The rioting prisoners then allegedly set fires and threw missiles at prison officers who responded with warning shots and stun guns. At 9:30 pm, one hour after the riot broke out, police and firefighters arrived at the scene, a report in the New Light of Myanmar said. Related Stories Immigration officials relax restrictions for tourists travelling overland Political prisoners walk free UN envoy meets with displaced residents, prisoner in Arakan state "They, together with members of jail security, controlled the situation, gathered the inmates outside the cells and put out the fire," the report said, adding that no prisoner escaped in the incident. The report offered no indication on how one prisoner was killed and the others injured.

Muslim hospital offers relief in Rangoon Posted: 15 Sep 2013 08:49 PM PDT From political activists freed after years in Burma’s jails to stricken and impoverished families, all are welcome at Rangoon’s Muslim Free Hospital—a symbol of unity in a country riven by religious unrest. There is barely a space left unoccupied in the bustling medical centre. From the soot-smeared front steps, through dusty stairwells and into sweltering wards, people wait for treatments that would be beyond their reach elsewhere in Burma’s desperately underfunded health system. The throngs of people—the hospital sees up to 500 outpatients a day—are a testament to the diversity of the Buddhist-majority country’s main city, with flashes of colour from Burma skirt-like longyis and Muslim headscarves. “I am a surgeon so my responsibility is to cure suffering patients,” Tin Myo Win said before setting out on a tour of the wards. “The policy of this hospital is not to discriminate. It does not matter whether people are rich or poor, or what religion they are,” he said. The doctor, a well-known former political prisoner who has for years been the personal physician for opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, said he had treated “many monks” during 21 years at the hospital. The facility is a rare beacon of communal harmony in a country reeling from recent religious violence that has exposed deepening national fractures as it emerges from the shadows of military rule. Around 250 people have been killed and more than 140,000 left homeless in several outbreaks of violence since June 2012, mainly minority Muslims who have been the target of riots and a nationalistic campaign led by some radical monks. While the spread of religious unrest has stoked tension in the country, people visiting the hospital in a multicultural quarter of downtown Yangon said differences should be put aside. “I don’t think about it. I have done business with Muslims many times in the past. I have a good friendship with them,” said Tin Tin Khaing, a Buddhist, whose 57-year-old father travelled from the Irrawaddy Delta region to have a hernia operation. Related Stories Home deliveries in rural Burma Tuberculosis cases reaching alarming rates in Burma The monk who heals bones The hospital started life as the result of a campaign by young local Muslims as a small dispensary in 1937, when Burma was called Burma and run as an outpost of British India under colonial rule. It now has departments specialising in surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, eyes, and psychiatry. Treatments are free to those deemed too poor to contribute, while a small fee is charged to those able to pay. All services are desperately needed in a country where the previous junta neglected the health system as it focused on military spending. Some international aid agencies provide limited assistance in certain areas, and there are a scattering of clinics run by the Buddhist clergy and Aung San Suu Kyi’s opposition party. But huge swathes of the impoverished population are effectively cut off from even the most basic medical help. Chronically-underfunded government hospitals operate on a cost sharing basis, with patients charged for everything from the medicines needed to the equipment used. According to World Health Organization data, total spending on healthcare in Burma was $27.9 per person in 2011. The government accounted for just $2.9 of that—the lowest contribution in the world. But this was actually an improvement from 2005, when the state spent just 50 US cents per capita. Tin Myo Win, the only Buddhist department head at the hospital, said the Muslim practice of donating 10 percent of their income to charitable causes was an important source of income for the hospital, as well as paid-for treatments and international donations. He said the hospital had long stood as a local symbol of tolerance and a refuge for those with nowhere else to go. Under decades of junta rule, which ended two years ago, Burma authorities swept up hundreds of activists into the country’s notorious jails, particularly those involved in mass anti-government protests in 1988 and 2007. Political prisoners were often subjected to dire conditions, held far away from their families, treated with brutality and given no access to proper healthcare. Many left jail in an extremely poor physical and mental state but were unable to afford treatment in state hospitals, which were also seen as hostile to the released campaigners, said Tin Myo Win. The doctor spent three years in prison after taking part in a failed 1988 student-led uprising that also saw the rise of Suu Kyi’s opposition. He has spent the two decades since his release working at the Muslim Hospital, which welcomed the detained activists. “They don’t just come here because of financial problems. It is also maybe because they believe in me. We understand each other very well. Only those who stayed in jail know how we suffered inside for food and health. The situation inside was terrible,” he said. Political reforms that have swept the country since a new quasi-civilian government took power in 2011 mean that former detainees are no longer shunned by state hospitals. But old loyalties remain firm. “The doctor is like my family member. We trust him, so we went to the hospital after we were released,” said Kyaw Soe Naing, a five-time political prisoner who is now a close aide to Suu Kyi. The 44-year-old said he hoped the Muslim Hospital would continue to grow and that more medical centres could follow its example. “Whatever religion people believe in, they must receive treatment when they are sick. I want many such hospitals,” he said.

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