Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Democratic Voice of Burma

Democratic Voice of Burma

Pressure needed to improve human rights: HRW

Posted: 22 Jan 2014 04:50 AM PST

Burma has a long way to go towards a clean rights record in the coming year, according to the Human Rights Watch 2014 World Report released on Tuesday.

"There were improvements in some areas, such as the release of political prisoners, but that was accompanied by failures to prevent communal violence against Muslims or demand accountability for abuses against ethnic groups like the Kachin or the Rohingya," said Phil Robertson, deputy director of the Human Rights Watch (HRW) Asia division.

The overall assessment showed that while Burma has made some advances and many promises over the past year, 2013 showed some downward trends.

Four main issues dominate the rights conversation in Burma; targeted violence against Muslims, laws limiting basic freedoms, ethnic conflict and displacement.

The report emphasises that a plague of anti-Muslim violence has "spread" over the past year, while the Burmese government has made insufficient or ineffective efforts to investigate, punish offenders and prevent further outbreaks.

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"A government commission of inquiry report on the anti-Rohingya violence of June and October 2012 in Arakan State failed to investigate cases or assign responsibility for the violence," the report read.

In April of last year, HRW published independent research concluding that attacks against stateless Muslim Rohingyas "amounted to a campaign of 'ethnic cleansing' and crimes against humanity," though a government spokesperson rejected their findings as "biased" and "questionable".

The new publication, which details events that occurred between late 2012 and November 2013, came in the wake of new reports of deadly assault in Arakan State, where ethno-religious clashes have frequently erupted since June 2012.

Reports of last week's events have thus far been dismissed by the Burmese government, and several foreign embassies and organisations have issued calls for a full, impartial investigation.

Robertson told DVB on Wednesday that, "The Burma government and, in particular, the Tatmadaw, systematically restrict access to areas where it doesn't want outsiders to know that human rights abuses are being perpetrated, such as in Kachin and Arakan states."

The report claims that abuses continue against other minorities, particularly the Kachin, who have made progress towards peace with the Burmese armed forces but are still engaged in sporadic conflict.

Other rights groups have similarly disclosed recent violations in ethnic areas; last week the Women's League of Burma called on the government and the international community to end what they called "systematic sexual violence" against ethnic women, reporting that they had documented over 100 cases of sexual assault — 47 of which were gang rapes committed by soldiers — since just 2010.

Robertson warned that while the improvements have been commendable, key foreign actors should not hastily reward Burma, which has a deep and recent history of abuse.

"Unfortunately, too many governments and observers in the international community just want to see one side of this dynamic situation, which is praising progress being made on rights without recognizing that continued pressure is needed to deepen reforms, ensure accountability and revoke rights repressing laws," he said.

Independent global watchdog HRW each year publishes the findings of their original research on human rights practices. This year's report surveyed more than 90 countries.

Rabies cause for concern in Burma’s cities

Posted: 22 Jan 2014 03:40 AM PST

While no one knows exactly how many of Burma's estimated 4 million stray dogs carry rabies, UN news service IRIN reported on Monday that some sources claim alarming numbers as high as 75 percent.

According to IRIN, health workers in Burma say that the fatal disease is a serious threat for the country's urban dwellers.

Dr Nyunt Thein, retired professor from Rangoon University of Medicine, points out the importance of action.

"Ideally, it would be the best if there were no stray dogs at all", he said. "Lately authorities have been culling stray dogs, and from the Buddhist point of view, that's not a nice thing to do. But on the other hand, they are dangerous to the society and we need to weigh these two factors together."

He said it would be a good idea to do as some charity organisations are doing and round the dogs up in one place and give them vaccines, which would avoid inconvenience from both religious and social points of views.

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The World Health Organisation estimates that more than 25,000 people die from rabies every year in Southeast Asia. Burma has the second-highest rabies death count in the region with around 1,000 deaths from rabies every year, surpassed only by India.

IRIN attributed the high numbers to a stunning lack of awareness about health risks and a shortage of vaccination supplies for both humans and animals.

However, Dr Nyunt Thein says that it's more likely to be cured today than before.

"In the past, rabies vaccine was harvested from animals' brains after infecting them with the virus, which can harm the patient as much as it can help, leaving them with meningitis. But the vaccines nowadays are not like that; they are more progressive."

Today the vaccines can be injected on the arm and they only take five to seven shots to cure, which is much more convenient for the patients.

The IRIN report states that the spread of this fatal but preventable disease could be mitigated in Burma by support for awareness campaigns and clinics offering vaccination services.

MOI says reporters reprimanded, reporters say otherwise

Posted: 22 Jan 2014 02:51 AM PST

A curious conference took place on Monday between several Associated Press (AP) reporters and the state-run News and Periodicals Enterprise (NPE) in Rangoon.

Burma's Ministry of Information (MOI) announced on 20 January that three AP reporters – Robin McDowell, Gemnu Amarsinghe and Ma Esther – were told that the AP staff bureau in Rangoon will be considered "responsible" for any unrest resulting from their coverage of events in Arakan [Rakhine] State last week.

The AP, however, provided a different account of the meeting, which took place two days after state media accused the agency of false reporting.

NPE's daily newspaper New Light of Myanmar on Saturday ran an article entitled, "AP, Irrawaddy falsely reports violence occurred in Rakhine State," citing a policeman in Maungdaw, who denied that any violence occurred. The article concluded that, "It is found that the reports of killings caused by racial and religious conflicts by AP and The Irrawaddy news agencies seemed to instigate unrests."

In AP's defense, Paul Colford, Director of Media Relations for the agency, issued the following statement:

"I wish to clarify and underscore AP’s position with regard to our coverage of the recent violence in Northern Rakhine. We believe AP’s reporting on the situation has been careful and responsible. We stand by our coverage."

A statement on the Ministry's website said the three aforementioned reporters were summoned to the offices of the NPE, MOI's publishing company, where they were accused of reporting "erroneous" information and told that resultant disturbances would be seen as their responsibility.

"The information published in the news article: 'Myanmar Mob Kills more than a dozen Muslims', published on AP's website on 17 January differed from the real situation," read the statement.

"[Managing director Kyaw Soe] said the AP bureau will be responsible if incidents take place that can damage tranquility and the Rule of Law because of the agency's reporting."

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DVB contacted the Ministry on Tuesday for further details about the meeting. Hlaing Myint, director of News and Periodicals Enterprise, said, "I understand that the AP bureau may possibly have to answer to the Interim Press Council if impact from their reporting escalates – this is just a possibility from my understanding."

Hlaing Myint did not offer, when prompted, any details about what consequences might ensue or exactly how causality could be determined between the AP report and any subsequent unrest.

The AP says that no warning was issued, but that reporters did have a cordial discussion with the managing director of the News and Periodicals Office on many subjects, including the recent violence in northern Arakan State.

The contentious article, first published by AP under the headline "Group: Myanmar mob kills more than a dozen Muslims" by Robin McDowell on 17 January 2014, cited "a villager and a rights group," who claimed that, based on witness testimony, violence broke out in northern Arakan State early last Tuesday between the area's majority Muslim Rohingyas and Buddhist Arakanese.

The primary source for the report was Chris Lewa, director of the Arakan Project, who has maintained confidential sources among Rohingya populations in northern Arakan State for about ten years. Lewa reportedly said that while her sources offered some conflicting testimony, the incident was thought to have left several people dead with estimates ranging from 10 to 60 as of Friday.

Monday's statement by the MOI called the agency's professional ethics into question because the journalists "made contact to neither the Ministry of Home Affairs nor the Ministry of Information to verify the information." The statement said that the NPE urged AP and other agencies "to refrain from reporting groundless and erroneous news that can mislead readers, and instead to report news in accordance with journalism guidelines."

The incident that caused the media stand-off occurred in one of Burma's several restricted areas, for which journalists and other observers are required seldom-attainable entry permits.

This issue of access was addressed in Colford's response to the initial flare-up.

"To ensure an even clearer picture from northern Rakhine, we urge the government to allow access to the region," read his statement.

The AP opened a full news bureau in Burma in March 2013, the first international news agency to operate openly in Burma since the shift to a quasi-civilian government in 2011. Reforms over the past two years have relaxed many of the former restrictions of the once-closed country, which until August 2012 subjected all print media to a pre-publication censorship board.

Despite new freedoms in publishing and digital media, restrictions on media freedom persist. In June 2013, the Burmese government banned an issue of Time magazine featuring a cover story about Buddhist monk Wirathu, leading advocate of a nationalist sect called 969. The outspoken monk is believed to have delivered nationalist sermons in several parts of the country that have later been host to communal violence, including Maungdaw.

Presidential spokesman Ye Htut said at the time that the publication was prohibited, "to prevent further racial and religious conflicts."

IMF predicts growth, warns of inflation in Burma

Posted: 21 Jan 2014 08:08 PM PST

Burma is set to grow 7.5 percent during the current fiscal year, and about 7.7 percent in the next, the IMF said on Tuesday, as services and manufacturing expand in one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing economies.

The International Monetary Fund last predicted Burma would grow just under 7 percent this year. But the Fund warned about the outlook for inflation, which should exceed 6 percent in the fiscal year that ends in March.

Burma, a former pariah state in Southeast Asia, has launched a series of economic and political reforms under its quasi-civilian government, which came to power in 2011 after nearly half a century of military rule. The government has aimed to attract foreign investment, create jobs and boost infrastructure.

The IMF, which had a staff-monitored program for Burma last year, said officials had achieved all the goals they set, such as liberalizing the foreign exchange market and building up the central bank’s reserves.

It also said the government had met its fiscal deficit target of 5 percent of gross domestic product, though the current account deficit should widen.

“Risks to the outlook arise largely from limited macroeconomic management capacity and narrow cushions,” the IMF’s team leader for Burma, Matt Davies, said after a visit to the country.

“Inflation remains elevated and there are pressures from rapid money and credit growth, kyat depreciation and possible electricity price hikes. International reserves are still low and vulnerable to shocks.”

The IMF welcomed Burma’s decision to allow some foreign banks to operate in the country, but said they should be let in gradually as the government still has limited supervisory resources.

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