Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Democratic Voice of Burma

Democratic Voice of Burma

KNU constructs housing in preparation for peace

Posted: 20 May 2014 03:26 AM PDT

The Karen National Union (KNU) has begun building houses to accommodate troops set to return to Burma after the signing of a nationwide ceasefire, which is expected to be achieved late this year.

Around 100 low cost-houses are being prepared by the KNU, as one of Burma's largest ethnic armed groups prepares for peace.

Maj Saw Mozatt of the KNU's 7th Brigade said that construction began in April on new homes in the KNU-held territories of Maw Pho Ke and Mae Tharee villages, and is now 70 percent complete.

"We are building 100 homes – 50 each in Maw Pho Ke and Mae Tharee villages – for our returning members if the ceasefire is reached – these are not intended for the refugees but we would also like to provide homes for them if possible," said Saw Mozatt.

"We are planning to build more homes in the next dry season."

According to the KNU, funding for the projects has come from the Ministry of Border Affairs, which has provided five million kyat (USD$5,000) for the construction of each home. The KNU has pledged that living spaces will be provided for free to returning families and job opportunities will be also created.

"We received funding for the project via the Ministry of Border Affairs – five million kyat for each house, Saw Mozatt said, we have been told that a Japanese organisation has provided some of the funds."

It is unclear whether Saw Mozatt was directly referring to the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), who in October 2013 released a report outlining resettlement projects for Karen refugees returning to Burma from camps across the Thai border. The controversial plan was slammed by local advocates for a plan that would recruit returning refugees as cheap labour for the construction and operation of several proposed Special Economic Zones.

JICA proposed that the Burmese government take advantage of a recent minimum wage increase in Thailand to attract labour-intensive jobs across the border. JICA estimates that 200,000 jobs could be created in the Burmese towns of Myawaddy and Hpa-an, to be filled by resettling refugees returning home across the border from refugee camps and the area surrounding the Thai town of Mae Sot.

In spite of the optimism shown by the KNU in planning for the retirement of their soldiers, the European Burma Network (EBN) released a statement on Tuesday raising concerns as to robustness of the peace accords.

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"Reforms in Burma, including the peace process, have not progressed to a degree where it is safe for refugees to return, the EBN statement reads. "Even where ceasefires have been signed, full codes of conduct for the ceasefires have not been agreed. The Burmese Army is increasing, rather than decreasing, its presence in ethnic states.

"Human rights violations by the Burmese Army and associated forces, although reduced in some areas, are still taking place. Political dialogue which could lead to a lasting peace has still not begun, and there is little prospect of genuine dialogue starting in the foreseeable future," read the statement.

A national treasure

Posted: 20 May 2014 03:12 AM PDT

Archaeologists in central Burma's Pegu region have discovered what they believe to be the ruins of an ancient religious site.

Ten stupas and a square structure that is thought to be an ancient ordination hall were uncovered between Paegon and Ingyincin villages in Shwetaung Township on 8 May.

The religious ruins are presumed to be 1,000 years old, which would date the site back to the Pyu era of Burma, from 2nd century BC to mid 11th century AD.

During the Pyu era, Tibeto-Burman speaking Pyu, migrated south from present-day Yunnan, and built walled city-states throughout Upper Burma. Twelve such sites have been excavated to date. The Pyu are considered to be the earliest recorded inhabitants of Burma.

Thirty statues of arhats, a Buddhist term for someone who has attained nirvana, were found inside the ordination hall.

"We assume there were 20 arhats on the each side of the wall, making 80 in total on all sides," said the farmer who uncovered the site, as he pointed out the ruins that made up gates and entrances.

There is speculation from local archaeologists that the site found in Shwetaung Township could be contextually liked to two other ancient ordination halls found in the region.

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One was discovered near the neighbouring town of Prome and the other is believed to be located outside Myola town.

According to local legend, each site each represents the sunset and sunrise, with the current discovery alluding to the midday sun.

"Surprisingly, the 80 arhats from the site in Prome are almost identical to the ones recently found here, but that's just my perspective," said regional parliamentary representative, Tun Tun Oo.

But archaeologists in Prome say it is too early to draw conclusions about the age and identity of the structure.

Once the Department of Archaeology conducts full study of the site, they will be able to determine just how old the religious structures are.

Chinese ‘hostages’ released in Latpadaung

Posted: 20 May 2014 01:59 AM PDT

Two Chinese employees of Myanmar Wanbao Mining Copper Ltd who were apprehended and detained by local villagers in Seté on Sunday have been released, the Chinese firm has announced.

"We are very happy to declare that our two Chinese colleagues kidnapped by the activists have been released, and they came back to the camp at 7:15pm local time [on Monday night]. They are in good shape. We would like to take this opportunity thank all the media for your attention to this incident and also all the villagers and village elders who contacted us and offered their help to release our colleagues," the company said in a statement.

"We also thank local government officials for their efforts in the release of the two young people in a peaceful manner."

Seté villager and anti-mine activist Win Win Htay said the two Wanbao staffers were released around 6pm on Monday. He said the Chinese employees, thought to be surveyors, were "'held for just a short time – not abducted", adding that the two men were returned unharmed.

"We have handed over the two Chinese following a meeting at the Wanbao office with Mining Minister Hla Tun, District Administrator Zaw Myo Nyunt, and a police colonel named Nay Tun from Monywa," said Win Win Htay.

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"We had administrator Zaw Myo Nyunt and the police colonel stand witness to the fact that we did not cause any bodily harm to the two Chinese – in contrast to the company's claim that we beat them up – and we asked the two men to clarify to the media that we did not beat them up and that we treated them well," he said.

He concluded by noting that the officials at Monday's meeting did not make any guarantee or promise not to seek legal action upon those concerned with the incident.

Originally, three staff members of Myanmar Wanbao – two Chinese nationals and their Burmese driver – were seized when they appeared to be taking measurements of land plots around Seté. This reportedly infuriated locals whose lands had been confiscated by the company and its Burmese partners, the military-backed Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings.

The Burmese driver was later released but the two Chinese surveyors were detained while negotiations continued.

Myanmar Wanbao on Monday issued a statement saying the men had been beaten and that death threats had been made. The activists, or villagers, originally demanded the complete shutdown of the Latpadaung copper mine in exchange for their release, the firm said.

Karenni villagers asked to pay the price to connect to the grid

Posted: 19 May 2014 07:45 PM PDT

Residents of nearly 50 villages in Karenni State, which are outside the reach of the national grid, have the option of linking themselves to the country's electrical network – but with a preliminary price-tag set at 10 million kyat (more than US$10,000) per village.

The regional government of eastern Burma's Karenni State has announced that it will arrange the construction of transmission lines to the 47 villages in question, but said that the residents must collectively fund the expense of building the power lines and linking their outlying towns to the main grid via transformers.

Karenni State Minister of Electric Power Saw Huhu said, "We plan to bring electricity to 47 villages under this self-sponsorship scheme. Each village will have to contribute an initial payment of 10 million kyat, but that amount will not cover the full cost."

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He said that the villages in question will be responsible for the total bill which could exceed the 10 million kyat they have already contributed.

"One or two villages are yet to pay the bill and the deadline is past," he said. "But we are putting them on the list and will start work [to install electricity] for their village once the payments are made."

Htay Myint Oo, chief engineer at the Electricity Department in the Karenni town of Demoso – which is less than 40km from one of the longest rivers in Asia, the Salween – said the construction of the national grid is 90 percent complete.

Several residents in the outlying villages in Karenni, officially known as Kayah, have spoken out against the scheme.

"Each village has to pay 10 million kyat regardless of its size and the number of households," said a Demoso villager named Shamya. "There are already power poles erected in our village but no electricity."

According to recent data from the Mekong Energy and Ecology Network, 75 percent of the total area in Burma is not connected to the national power grid.
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