Democratic Voice of Burma |
- Burmese migrants given work permit lifeline in Malaysia
- Thein Sein inspects SEA Games stadiums
- Arakan CBOs demand halt to all natural resource extraction projects
- Shwe gas pipeline now fully operational
| Burmese migrants given work permit lifeline in Malaysia Posted: 21 Oct 2013 06:17 AM PDT Malaysian authorities have announced a plan to provide legal work permits for undocumented migrant workers in the country previously registered under what was known as the "6P programme". According to a Kuala Lumpur-based Burmese migrant group, Myanmar Migrant Rights Centre (MMRC), the Malaysian government is to initiate a three-month programme to issue work permits to migrants, many thousands of whom are Burmese workers, in a plan that the Home Affairs Ministry commenced on 21 October in Putrajaya on the southern outskirts of the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur. Burmese migrants under the 6P programme were permitted to seek work permits through "service companies", but many found themselves cheated and out of pocket. Yan Naing Htun of the MMRC said the current programme will not allow third parties such as the services companies, brokers or agents to handle the applications, but rather the migrants will be obliged to apply for the work permits themselves. "Labour unions in Malaysia have been questioning the fees that migrants paid to these agents," he said, adding that those migrants who already paid money to service companies or agents for work permits can now take their cases directly to the Home Affairs Ministry by providing all the necessary documents: receipts, reference letters from the immigration department, details of employers, etc. Related StoriesThan Soe Oo, a Burmese migrant in Malaysia, said he previously tried to acquire a work permit through a service company but his fee was stolen and he was not provided with documents. "My former employer said he could not wait any longer as it was taking me too long to get a work permit," he told DVB. "In the end, he hired someone else to replace me. I can only hope that he will hire me again and give me some advance pay so I can reapply for a work permit. "Otherwise, the only option for me is to go back to Burma," he said. |
| Thein Sein inspects SEA Games stadiums Posted: 21 Oct 2013 02:38 AM PDT With just 50 days left until the opening ceremony of the 27th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, Burma's President Thein Sein on Sunday inspected preparations at the games' main sports venue, the 30,000-capacity Wunna Theikdi Stadium in Naypyidaw. According to Burmese state media, the president said that "the focus of the Burmese state, athletes and citizens now must be to host the SEA Games in a successful way, and in that way create a better future for the country's youths." He also urged Burma's athletes to undertake their best efforts to win as many medals as possible. During his visit, the president viewed a scale model of the stadium, the construction of the football ground, and the stage for the opening ceremony. He was joined by Vice-President Nyan Tun, who is also Patron of the Leading Committee for Organizing the SEA Games; the chairman of the leading committee, Tint Hsan; and Committee Union Minister Tint Hsan. The main arenas for the games will be Wunna Theikdi and Zeyathiri stadiums in Naypyidaw. Another feature that has been built is the Sports Village, a miniature town with accommodation, training facilities, money exchangers, entertainment, media centers, and management offices. The new stadiums will both be equipped with a 110-meter LED screen plus six more screens for the opening and closing ceremonies, which will feature performances of traditional Burmese culture. One of the logistical difficulties Naypyidaw is facing as host is providing accommodation for the one million spectators, athletes, officials, media and tourists that are expected to descend upon the remote Burmese capital during the games which take place from 11 – 22 December. Over 10,000 athletes are scheduled to compete. According to the director of Hotels and Tourism ministry, Kaung Htut, the country is well prepared enough, with more than 4,000 rooms in Naypyidaw and ten clusters for the athletes that can house up to 640 people each. Several hotels have also been reserved in Mandalay and Ngwe Saung. "We have arranged accommodation for over 9,500 individuals at hotels and over 3,000 more in the Athletes' Village – for a total of 12,500 individuals", Kaung Htut told DVB reporter Win Aung. A total of 33 sports events will be run, fought, jousted and fought for in Naypyidaw, Rangoon, Mandalay and Ngwe Saung with 4,350 medals up for grabs. SEA Games Operations Committee Chairman Zaw Winn, who is also Burma's deputy minister of sports, told Channel News Asia that the Ministry of Home Affairs will make security arrangements for the SEA Games, and that security is currently being increased as the opening ceremony approaches. He said he is not worried about the security of the visitors. His comments come in the wake of a spate of bombings across the country which left three people dead and several injured. |
| Arakan CBOs demand halt to all natural resource extraction projects Posted: 21 Oct 2013 01:29 AM PDT An umbrella group of Arakanese civic organisations, NGOs and political parties issued a statement on Monday demanding a halt to all natural resource extraction projects in Arakan state until a genuine federal system is implemented in Burma. The statement follows a three-day workshop in Mrauk-U on 14-16 October hosted by the Natural Resources for the People (NRFP) group involving 55 representatives of diverse Arakanese organisations. At the end of the workshop, the representatives signed a declaration calling for the following main points:
"Rakhine [Arakan] state is currently one of the least developed states and has the second largest poverty rate in Myanmar [Burma], even though it is rich in natural resources such as oil and gas, and minerals," the statement said. "Currently, Shwe gas from Rakhine State is being exported to China, and mineral extraction projects, Special Economic Zone projects and hydropower projects are being implemented throughout Rakhine State. None of these projects have the consent of the Rakhine people." Related Stories
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| Shwe gas pipeline now fully operational Posted: 20 Oct 2013 08:43 PM PDT A pipeline pumping natural gas from Burma to energy-hungry China has gone fully operational, state-run Chinese media said on Monday. The project, stretching more than 2,500 kilometres (1,600 miles) from western Burma to southwest China, will help the world’s second-largest economy feed its growing energy needs. It comes as close political ties between the two nations have weakened, after Burma’s quasi-civilian regime took office in 2011 and brought in sweeping reforms that have led to the scrapping of most Western sanctions. The pipeline, first launched in July after three years of construction, “has gone into full operation on Sunday”, the Global Times reported. It runs from Kyaukphyu on the west coast of Burma and will deliver gas to Burma and China’s energy-deprived southwest, including Yunnan, Guizhou, Chongqing and Guangxi. Related StoriesBut critics say the project saw land confiscated from local residents and carries environmental risks. The pipeline also passes through the Chinese border town of Ruili, where fighting erupted earlier this year between Burma government forces and the rebel Kachin Independence Army. The added delivery of 12 billion cubic metres (420 billion cubic feet) a year will cut gas prices and reduce coal use, the Global Times said, while limits on industrial gas consumption will be raised. The pipeline will help China diversify its energy imports, it quoted Lin Boqiang, a professor with the China Centre for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, as saying. “Currently, China’s piped gas is mainly imported from areas around the Malacca Strait. Now, we have one more pipeline from the land instead of the seabed, which will decrease dangerous factors,” Lin said. |
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