Democratic Voice of Burma

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• Su Su Nway charged in Mandalay for protesting without permission
• Tragedy in Mrauk-U as two family members killed in landslide
• Peaceful Assembly Bill passed, now awaits president’s signature
• DVB Debate: Will foreign aid help or hinder Burma?
• Arbitrary arrests of Burmese migrants continue in Chiang Mai

Su Su Nway charged in Mandalay for protesting without permission Posted: 19 Jun 2014 04:53 AM PDT Police authorities in Mandalay Division's Pyin Oo Lwin have pressed charges against labour activist Su Su Nway for organising a massive protest over land grabs without first seeking official permission. On Monday, more than 1,500 farmers from villages around Pyin Oo Lwin marched to local government offices, calling for the return of 300,000 acres of farmland allegedly confiscated from them by the government and private companies. Organised by the Farmers Union Organising Committee, the police initially informed Su Su Nway, a coordinator for the union, that she was violating Article 18 of the Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession Law, which requires a rally organiser to seek permission from the authorities before holding a demonstration. Markey, one of the leaders of civil society group 88 Generation Peace and Open Society – an organisation borne out of the 1988 student-led uprising against the then ruling military junta – told DVB on Wednesday that the police informed Su Su Nway the day after the protest that she had been charged. "Signed by the superintendent of the Pyin Oo Lwin police, the letter informed Su Su Nway that she had been charged under Article 18 and summoned to the police station," Markey said. "Su Su Nway responded to the police that she will not be complying with these instructions and that they may feel free to come and officially detain her at any time," he said. As of Wednesday afternoon, she had not been arrested. Originally from Rangoon Division, 43-year-old Su Su Nway has campaigned for labour rights for many years. A member of the National League for Democracy and a former political prisoner, she became the first person to successfully sue local government officials in 2005 under Burma’s 1999 Forced Labour Law. Sentenced to 12 and a half years for protesting and activism in 2007 and 2008, she suffered ill-health in prison, exacerbated by long periods in solitary confinement. She was released on a presidential amnesty in October 2011, but immediately returned to the fray as a relentless campaigner for farmers who have had their lands seized. Related Stories Peaceful Assembly Bill passed, now awaits president's signature Farmers hold massive march in Mandalay over land grab Mandalay villagers stage plough protest for cotton fields In a separate incident in Mandalay's Madaya Township, a group of local farmers also faced charges for violating Article 18 of the Penal Code by organising a "plough protest", an increasingly popular method of demonstrating by farmers who claim to have lost lands in seizures, mostly by the army during the time of military rule. Rights groups have slammed the government's policy of using Article 18 to arrest, detain and intimidate protestors who have staged demonstrations across the country over systemic government abuses such as land grabs. Thein Than Oo, a coordinator for the Upper Burma Lawyers Network – which focuses on assisting individuals prosecuted under Article 18 – said the law contradicts Burma's Constitution. "We believe that Article 18 of the Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession Law is contradictory to the Constitution's Article 354, which guarantees freedom of expression," Thein Than Oo said. "The single purpose it serves is to oppress activists." Burma's Union Parliament on Wednesday passed a bill proposing amendments to Article 18. Protestors will still require written permission, but local authorities and police will not be allowed to reject a request to stage a rally without providing "valid reasons". Penalties for violating this article have also been halved, according to the bill, which currently awaits an endorsement from the president before it can be adopted into law.

Tragedy in Mrauk-U as two family members killed in landslide Posted: 19 Jun 2014 03:47 AM PDT Two people, including a four-year-old child, were killed after part of a hillside in Arakan State's Mrauk-U collapsed on Wednesday afternoon. Local resident Maung Sein was quarrying at the foot of the hill in Myothit ward with his family when the rocks above them collapsed, burying his wife and two children in the rubble. Their 12-year-old daughter was pulled out alive by local villagers and firefighters who arrived on the scene. After two hours of digging and searching, the bodies of the wife and four-year-old child were recovered.   Related Stories Level of suffering in Arakan ‘never seen before’: UN Citizenship verification programme pilots in Arakan displacement camps Bangladesh, Burma reach agreement on border crisis

Peaceful Assembly Bill passed, now awaits president’s signature Posted: 19 Jun 2014 02:18 AM PDT Burma's Union Parliament on Wednesday passed without a vote a bill proposing amendments to the Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession Law that would cut punishments for offenders and oblige authorities to accept all applications for public rallies unless they can cite "valid reasons". Saw Hla Tun, secretary of the lower house's Bill Committee, said the bicameral parliament decided to skip debate on the bill as it had previously been discussed and approved by both the upper and lower houses. It now passes to the president for approval before being signed into law. "As both the upper and lower houses have previously approved this bill, the Union Parliament decided to skip debate and formally pass the proposal on Wednesday," he said. According to the Burmese Constitution, the president must sign the bill within two weeks after receiving it or may send it back to parliament with recommendations. If the president does not attend to the bill within this period, it will be automatically adopted into law. Related Stories Su Su Nway charged in Mandalay for protesting without permission Farmers hold massive march in Mandalay over land grab Student expulsion threat linked to 436 campaign, say activists The "Bill Amending the Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession Law" was first submitted to the lower house in November by the Public Complaints and Appeal Committee citing a public outcry against Article 18 of the Penal Code, which states that persons or groups who stage a public rally must seek official permission from local police, and that anyone who does not faces a jail term of up to six months. The law was criticised by activists for, among other things, contradicting the constitutional Article 354, which guarantees citizens the freedom of expression. Saw Hla Tun said the proposed amendments would half the maximum sentence for defying the law. Protest organisers would still be obliged to seek permission from local police and government authorities to stage rallies – however local officials would be prevented from denying permission unless they could provide "valid reasons" for the refusal. This latter part of the proposal clarifies earlier media reports, including Twitter and Facebook reports by DVB on Wednesday, which said that organisers would hereafter only be required to "inform" authorities, but need not seek their permission. In fact, protestors will still require written permission from the relevant authorities before proceeding with their rally. "According to the amendments, protest organisers are still obligated to seek the permission but on condition that government authorities and the police cannot reject them without providing a valid reason," said Saw Hla Tun.

DVB Debate: Will foreign aid help or hinder Burma? Posted: 19 Jun 2014 01:07 AM PDT Following political reforms in Burma and the lifting of economic sanctions, Western nations have begun to relax curbs on foreign aid. But critics have raised concerns that it may be "too much, too soon" as aid and development money pours into Burma without the infrastructure to support it. Panellists on DVB Debate discussed the potential pitfalls that can arise from a reliance on foreign aid. "Not all development really helps the country; sometimes it can create a disaster," said Aye Lwin, programme specialist from the United Nations Development Programme or UNDP. Audience member Shihab Uddin Aharmad from Action Aid warned that too much dependency on foreign aid will harm the country. "Foreign aid is good, but not always," he said. "It can create a lot of problems inside the country. It can create dependency within the economy and different social sectors for a long time," he said. YinYin New from the National Economic and Social Advisory Council said it was important that Burma look after itself as it seeks to develop. "No country in the world has developed with the help of the foreign aid. We need to be self-sufficient," she said. But Htoo Chit from Thabyay Education Foundation said Burma should not rule out working with foreigners to help develop the country. "If foreigners are willing to help Burma develop, then we should all work together," he said. Foreign aid organisations and UN agencies have been under particular scrutiny recently following a series of articles in the media about spending. An exposé released by Irrawaddy media last month revealed that UNICEF is renting their new offices in Rangoon from a former senior military figure for US$87,000 a month. "Recently, we reported about the UNICEF and WHO [World Health Organization] cases. Why do they need to stay in such grand places if they are here to help people for humanitarian purposes?" asked Irrawaddy editor Kyaw Zwa Moe. But Thaung Htun, from INGO Institute for Peace and Social Justice, said rental prices in Burma were high and many aid organisations are struggling to find suitable office spaces. Related Stories Level of suffering in Arakan ‘never seen before’: UN Burma Business Weekly Rights groups call for transparency in Kaladan Project "The high cost of real estate is presenting a big challenge for the UN agencies and INGOs. It is hard to find a suitable office and the prices are very high," he said. Panellists then discussed the problem of inefficient spending in the aid sector. "There is waste and ineffectiveness. The majority of the budget goes to payments for consultants," said Thaung Htun. "Sometimes money is wasted, not deliberately or because of corruption, but because of miscalculations on a project," added Yin Yin New. A lack of transparency and access to areas where assistance is needed is seriously hindering aid groups from carrying out their work. "All of us, private sector firms, civil society groups and government agencies are walking in the dark because of incomplete information," said Gavin McGillivray from the UK's Department for International Development (DFID). The studio thought that cutting red tape and bureaucracy would help aid agencies work more effectively, but agreed that more efforts were needed by the agencies to ensure there is less wastage of funds and that the aid gets to the people who need it most. You can join the debate or watch the full programme in Burmese at dvbdebate.com Or leave your comments on our website below.

Arbitrary arrests of Burmese migrants continue in Chiang Mai Posted: 18 Jun 2014 10:39 PM PDT Arbitrary arrests of Burmese migrant workers continue happening in Chiang Mai, with many saying that the Thai police would only release them after a "protection fee" was paid. Chiang Mai, located in northern Thailand, has been home for many years to thousands of Burmese migrants. Since the military coup earlier this month, Thai security police have been conducting random raids around the city and detaining people without identification cards. Despite these reports, the new ruling junta has denied that any "crackdown" against undocumented migrants is taking place. On Monday, eight Burmese migrants in Chiang Mai's night bazaar were nabbed by plainclothes policemen. Making up a large percentage of the workforce at the popular Chiang Mai market, Burmese migrants are often subjected to arrest by the police due to irregularities in their documents or work permits. Thein Dan, who was among those detained, said he was freed shortly after he was taken to the Central Police Station because he has been paying a daily protection fee to a man with alleged police connections who came to secure his release. "We were taken to the police station in the old city where the man who I have been paying the 'protection fee' came to get me out," Thein Dan said, adding that three more were bailed out by their employer on Tuesday. In a separate case on Monday, more than 40 Burmese migrants were rounded up in a police raid at the Pratunam Wholesale Market in Bangkok. Ko Naing, one of the workers detained, said that he and a few others were released after paying the police 2,500 baht each (US$77). He also said that the hotline numbers provided by the Burmese embassy for these types of situations were unhelpful. Related Stories Thai officials meet on repatriation of refugees Burmese migrants lie low amid fears of Thai junta crackdown Thai police raid Burmese neighbourhood in Chiang Mai for illegal migrants "After getting arrested, I phoned the Burmese embassy and they asked me to come over to them," Ko Naing said. "But how am I supposed to do that if I am under arrest?" In an attempt to "clarify" three raids conducted last week in the border town of Mae Sot, Thai military, police and government officials on Tuesday called a meeting with local migrant rights organisations. They said that the raids were not an effort to crack down on migrant workers, but were, in fact, to target human trafficking and drug smuggling. More than 1,000 Burmese migrants have been arrested since 10 June. The arrests, as well as the rumours of a violent crackdown on migrants, have also caused a mass exodus of more than 170,000 Cambodian migrant workers as of Tuesday. Rights groups said that workers in southern Thailand's Phuket, Ranong and Phang Nga provinces have all been advised by their employers to go into hiding in the woods or rubber plantations to avoid arrests.

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