Democratic Voice of Burma

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• Forgotten Arakanese go thirsty
• Red Shan presumed still in KIA camps
• Floods, insects ravage Burma’s rice production
• Japan pledges $96m development aid for Burma’s ethnic states
• 2008 Constitution was undemocratic, says Suu Kyi

Forgotten Arakanese go thirsty Posted: 08 Jan 2014 03:53 AM PST Life in Arakan state's Maungdaw is hard on ethnic Arakanese refugees coming from Bangladesh. The people living here, resettled under a programme by the ministry of border affairs, have to face lack of both water and ways to make a living. Locals say they have to travel far through areas with sectarian tension to reach a lake where they can fetch water. "It is sun-drenched here and we have a shortage of water", said Tun Khine, a refugee living in Thayaykonbaung village. "We have to go fetch water somewhere far away and always keep someone on watch, as the situation here is not very good. We are certainly in hardship". In 2005, sixteen Arakanese families who crossed the border from Bangladesh were resettled in Maungdaw's Taungpyo Letwe sub-township, where the new village Thayaykonbaung was set up. But today most of the houses are deteriorating and the refugees are neglected. "The families reached out to us suggesting they wanted to move back into Maungdaw town", said Tun Tun Win, member of local civil society group General Social Assistance Association. "The Rakhine (Arakan) Races Development Association have so far raised about 169,000 kyat ($169US) and we are working to provide them two trucks for transportation. Our local member Tin Maung Kyaw is now collecting donations and we will try to help them". Related Stories International pressure on Burma, Thailand to deal with Rohingya issues 120 homes destroyed in Mae La refugee camp fire Burma needs a practical long-term policy for the Rohingya issue Though the township installed a water supply system including wells and water pumps at the same time as building the village, there hasn't been any fuel to run them. "The municipality did connect water pipelines to our houses, but we are yet to drink a drop of water since the completion of the water system", said Tin Maung who lives in Thayaykonbaung village. For the moment, we are relying on the lake". Today, some refugee villages in Maungdaw are provided water one day a week, while others are not provided any at all.

Red Shan presumed still in KIA camps Posted: 08 Jan 2014 03:35 AM PST A Shan rights group claims that the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) is still detaining 17 Red Shan villagers said to have been released on 20 December. According to the Shan Ethnic Affairs Organisation (SEAO), only four of the villagers have returned home, leaving the rest unaccounted for. The Taileng (Red Shan) National Development Party (TNDP) accused the KIA in mid-December of forcibly conscripting the villagers to join the rebel army, which KIA officials denied. After pressure from the TNDP and Burmese authorities, the KIA released 26 of an alleged 51 detainees, according to a Bhamo district administrator. At the time of their release, the SEAO identified only 21 of the 26 as being among the missing Red Shan. Weeks later, they claim that of those 21, only four returned to their homes – all children, two with disabilities. "Of the 21 residents abducted from Mansi township's Mangpa village, only four have been released – one of them was limp and another mentally disabled," said Sai Htein Linn, chairman of the SEAO. "The remaining 17 were sent to combat training at N'Bapa boot camp which belonged to the KIA north of Mansi town," he added. Related Stories DVB Person of the Year 2013: Gen. Gun Maw Kachin IDPs sentenced to 5 years under Explosives Act Shans denounce KIA at 'seminar' in Myitkyina Sai Htain Linn said that more ethnic Shan villagers – mostly from Waingmaw, Shwegu, Mansi and Momauk towns – were forcibly recruited and are currently serving in the KIA. Many, he said, have reached out to the SEAO for assistance after hearing about their role in the mid-December discharge. Dau Hka, coordinator of the KIA's liaison office in Kachin State capital Myitkyina, told DVB on Tuesday that all villagers whose release was requested are now free. "We have released all individuals from the list we received – I'm not completely clear who the individuals now in question are – we released all of them immediately," he said, "but please check with our headquarters for the details. I don't know much about it, because I sit in the Myitkyina office." Red Shan make up about 100,000 of the 1.2m population in Kachin state. The TNDP announced in late October that the party was conducting a region-wide survey to expose alleged human rights violations committed by the KIA against Red Shan people. On 20 December, thousands of Shans gathered in Myitkyina denouncing alleged human rights violations by the KIA.

Floods, insects ravage Burma’s rice production Posted: 08 Jan 2014 02:11 AM PST Rice production in Burma may decline by up to 40 percent from last year in some states due to flooding and insect attacks. Local sources say that rice harvests in Mon and Karen states of Myanmar are down 40 percent this year compared to those in 2012-13. Farmers along the Done-Tha-Mi river say wet season flooding this year along with heavy rains and insect plagues are liekly to cause severe rice shortages in the region. Rice yields in around 30 villages from the eastern region of Done-Tha-Mi River are likely to drop by around 43 percent this year compared to the previous year, according to farmers. Open market rice prices are high this year, but farmers say they cannot take advantage of the prices because of low production, most of which will be used to feed their families. Related Stories Magwe rice paddies destroyed by floodwaters China, India look to Burma's abundant rice fields Burmese govt signs international MoU to expand rice sector However, US Department of Agriculture projections for Burmese rice production remains unchanged. According to the USDA, Burma’s rice production in 2013-14 is expected to increase to around 11 million tons, up about 3 percent from around 10.6 million tons in 2012-13. Consumption in Burma is estimated at around 10.25 million tons in 2013-14, and exports are projected to reach around 750,000 tons. This article first appeared on Oryza website on 7 January 2014. Oryza is the global leader in data and industry news concerning rice and is an industry partner of DVB.

Japan pledges $96m development aid for Burma’s ethnic states Posted: 08 Jan 2014 12:13 AM PST Japan has pledged 10 billion yen (US$96 million) to develop infrastructure in the conflict-torn ethnic regions of Burma. At a press conference on Monday in Rangoon, Japanese Ambassador Mikio Numata said Tokyo plans for the development aid package to be used over the next five years to improve living standards in Burma’s war-torn ethnic areas. Nippon Foundation Chairman Yohei Sasakawa, who co-hosted the press conference, said, "I saw the [ethnic] refugees and they told me they do not have proper food or medicine or shelter. First of all, we will provide rice and beans and staple medicines.” Related Stories Business Weekly Japan signs investment protection deal with Burma Japan's PM to unveil 60bn yen plan for Burma at summit: Kyodo According to a report on Tuesday by Dow Jones, the assistance will initially focus on providing food and shelter to displaced persons, and later toward building roads, schools, hospitals and other infrastructure needed to create jobs in the northern and eastern ethnic states. The nearly $100 million is part of a $500 million development package pledged by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe last year when Tokyo also agreed to forgive some $3.7 billion in debt owed by Burma. According to some reports, the aid package is seen by observers as an attempt by Japan to counter China’s influence in Burma and the Southeast Asian region at large, as well as to maximise Japanese investment opportunities in the country.

2008 Constitution was undemocratic, says Suu Kyi Posted: 07 Jan 2014 10:26 PM PST During her visit to Chin State in western Burma, National League for Democracy (NLD) leader Aung San Suu Kyi spoke to supporters in Tedim on Tuesday about her party's vision for Constitutional reform. "It is not only now that we are talking about amending the constitution. The NLD officially stated before the charter's approval that the party would absolutely not accept it," said Suu Kyi.  "It [the 2008 Constitution] was drafted in an undemocratic manner, without input from representatives elected by the people, and its clauses do not facilitate the establishment of a democratic union." She also criticised the nationwide referendum in 2008, claiming that the vote was unfair and did not reflect the people's will. "The [government] claimed that the 2008 constitution had 92 percent approval by the public – let me ask you this: did 92 percent of the residents in Tedim really support it?" she said. "I can tell you that this is completely untrue." More than 3,000 residents of Tedim attended Suu Kyi's rally on Tuesday afternoon. Prior to her public appearance, Suu Kyi attended the opening of a primary school in Zonawnzan village where she encouraged teachers to impart critical thinking skills upon students, as opposed to what she termed the "parrot learning" that has previously characterised Burma's educational approach. Suu Kyi and her convoy will depart from Tedim on Wednesday, and will travel to Falam and Chin State capital Hakha. The opposition leader has visited Chin State only once before – in April 2003. Members of her entourage have stated that during the tour they aim to both inform constituents about the party's concerns over the 2008 Constitution – which bars Suu Kyi from the presidency she has publicly announced a desire to assume – while also gauging popular opinion about whether to amend or completely rewrite the controversial charter. Related Stories Thousands greet Suu Kyi in Kale, en route to Chin State Suu Kyi calls on govt, military to help amend constitution Women lead protest against 'discriminatory' articles in constitution

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