Democratic Voice of Burma |
- Charter reform should come after ceasefire agreement: Thein Sein
- Children’s art depicts pain of communal violence
- DVB Debate: Food for thought
- Shan State villagers barred from farming land by military
- Golden Triangle opium revival spreads to India
| Charter reform should come after ceasefire agreement: Thein Sein Posted: 02 Jun 2014 04:23 AM PDT Constitutional reform should be initiated once the government has signed a a nationwide ceasefire agreement with all 17 ethnic armed groups currently involved in the peace process, Burma's President Thein Sein said on Saturday during his monthly radio address. The National League for Democracy (NLD) has long called for amendments to Article 436 of the 2008 Constitution, which they believe is undemocratic. The clause requires more than 75 percent of parliament to vote for any constitutional amendments. Since the military presently holds 25 percent of parliamentary seats, it automatically has veto power over the Constitution. Thein Sein said any amendment should wait on a resolution between the government and the 17 ethnic armed groups that are in the midst of drafting a ceasefire agreement, a process that has taken years and has been marred by clashes in various states. "There are individuals who do not want true democracy in this country and they keep giving excuses.""We must all accept the basic rule that a living, breathing Constitution is always evolving and the changes must be made under the right conditions and at the appropriate time that is compatible with society's political economic and social needs," Thein Sein said, according to an English-language translation on the President's Office website. Omitted from the published translation, Thein Sein also said all amendments would depend on a resolution between the negotiating parties of the ethnic Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT) alliance and the government-appointed Union Peace-making Work Committee (UPWC). "I believe that any amendment should be based upon agreements made in the political dialogue, which will take place between the government and the ethnic parties as part of the peace process," he said, adding that the amendments must be inclusive of all ethnicities. "It is necessary that the amendments include basic fundamentals ensuring a political generosity so that no citizen or ethnic nationalities are prevented from assuming political leadership of Burma, while also keeping in mind that national interest and sovereignty should be safeguarded," Thein Sein said. NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was married to a British national and has two children, is effectively barred from running for the presidency by Article 59(f) of the Constitution. To overturn this, the opposition party is travelling nationwide to campaign for constitutional amendments, starting with Article 436. Addressing supporters from the towns of Pyinmana, Tatgon and Lewe in the capital of Naypyidaw, Suu Kyi said Thein Sein's remarks indicate that he does not have a genuine desire to see democratic reform in Burma. "There are individuals who do not want true democracy in this country and they keep giving excuses," she said to a crowd of supporters her party estimated reached "tens of thousands". "One of the excuses he gave is that bringing about internal peace is important and should be prioritized, but that constitutional reforms can be shelved," Suu Kyi continued. "I would like you all to clearly understand that he said this because he has no wish to change the Constitution. This is something that can be done promptly if there is genuine will." Jimmy, spokesman for civil society group 88 Generation Peace and Open Society (88GPOS) – which was borne out of the 1988 student-led uprising against the government – said the president's suggestion was not practical as the peacemaking process could take years. The 88GPOS agreed earlier this year that it would cooperate with the NLD on campaigning for constitutional reform. "The president's suggestion – to only amend the Constitution after the peace process – is not practical," Jimmy said. "We should amend what we can at each stage and make necessary amendments down the line based on the ongoing peace process." Related StoriesThe peace process will likely take a very long time, said Salai Lian Hmung Sakhong, a member of the NCCT from the Chin National Front. Not only will it include a ceasefire agreement – which has not yet been achieved – the NCCT will also have to facilitate political dialogue and a Union Congress, after which they will be able to start proposing amendments to the existing Constitution, he said. "We will encourage them [the NLD] to continue their work – we will not tell them to wait for us," Salai Lian Hmung Sakhong said. "As our country has endured over 60 years of civil war, and so many challenges and political struggles, just finding one solution won't be sufficient to deal with all of them. Sai Lek, spokesman for the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy – which is also part of the ethnic bloc’s negotiating team – said political dialogue is key to moving any reform forward. "Because we lack political dialogue, we weren't able to start discussions about the constitutional clauses we want to amend," Sai Lek said. "While I don't oppose the idea of trying to make charter reforms in the parliament, I also hope that we will have a Constitution based on the political accord that we have been negotiating. "But at the same time, I believe there should be a specific time frame," Sai Lek said. Burma's next national election is due to take place in November 2015. |
| Children’s art depicts pain of communal violence Posted: 02 Jun 2014 03:43 AM PDT An art exhibition was held in Rangoon on Sunday featuring more than 300 drawings by children displaced by communal riots in Arakan State and the central Burmese city of Meikhtila over the last two years.
"I started working on this about a week after the riots broke out in Meikhtila where a lot of misinformation was circulating," he said. "I was even harassed by some [Buddhist] locals on the pretext that I was visiting shelters where Muslims had been placed.  PHOTO: DVB "The biggest issue there was religion," he told DVB. "Many people didn't like us going to the camps. They didn't want us offering assistance to the IDPs [internally displaced persons]." Sai Han Htike said he had previously donated over 50 million kyat (US$50,000) in food and other supplies for children in the camps, and was planning to donate all the profits from the exhibition to displaced children in Arakan State. |
| Posted: 02 Jun 2014 12:49 AM PDT Food is central to Burmese culture and traditional cuisine boasts a rich variety of dishes from all around the country. But as Burmese society changes, the daily diet is also altering; a dramatic dietary shift from natural items to imported and processed foods, combined with poor health and safety standards, has caused concern among food and hygiene experts. Panellists on DVB Debate discussed how a lack of regulation in the food industry has affected the standard of food in Burma today. "From what I've seen, the law is the key," said chef and food trainer, Zwe Nanda. "It depends on how the law is applied and whether it is followed. Even in England, if they didn't know the law and know their obligations, the situation would be the same. There, the law is applied and investigation groups check to see that the law is followed. There are also groups independent from the government carrying out investigations and they can just go and check at any time without advance warning." A lawyer for Myanmar Consumers Protection Association, Htoo Htoo Aung said there are laws in place but they are not implemented properly. "There are specific laws to take action here. But, even though there are laws, it seems like these laws are not being used," she said.
"If you ask me if I trust the products approved by the FDA, I can bravely say that they are not trustworthy at all. To clarify, I will never trust any FDA-approved products so long as they are connected to the [former] military government," he said. Sabai Kyi Maung, Assistant Director of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs said they do face difficulties. "As a ministry, we are trying our best to protect consumers. But right now we are still facing some challenges," she said. Street vendors in Burma have long provided conveniently placed and affordable food for city dwellers, but often the food is prepared using poor quality ingredients and unhygienic methods. Panellists discussed whether there is enough awareness of food quality and hygiene, disagreeing about who is responsible. "When the street vendors sell unclean food they don't have the intention to harm the health of the consumers. They just have a limited understanding of what is safe. So, should we just prosecute these people? I don't mean we won't charge them, I just mean we need time to keep raising awareness," said Sabai Kyi Maung. Chairman of the Myanmar Consumers Union, Yan Lin, said food products need to be clearly labelled with nutritional information. "People are not in the habit of looking at the labels on what they eat. Actually, the labels should be in Burmese," he said. But Sabai Kyi Maung claimed businesses are unhappy about the added costs and administration involved in having to supply more information about what is in food. "On the one hand we have to protect the consumers and on the other we must ensure we do not harm local businesses and the country's economy. Finding this balance is the major responsibility of consumer protection. As we are trying to find this balance, we cannot rush decisions like this. If we move too fast, one side will benefit but it will cause harm to the other side,” she said. Chairman of the Myanmar Consumers Protection Association, Ba Oak Khine disagreed and argued consumer protection should be a priority. "We see this as a national responsibility. We will not stay quiet," he said. "I don't agree that helping one side will harm the other side. If an item is worth 100 kyat (US$0.10), it can be sold for 150 kyat for profit. But the quality of the product still needs to be safe." The studio raised concerns about the quantity of unknown and harmful chemicals people ingest without knowing. "Dangerous chemicals from fertilised vegetables and foods are entering our bodies without us realising. And I want to expose the dangerous things and unknown diseases our bodies are suffering from," said Khin Sandar from the Myanmar Consumers Protection Association. The studio generally agreed that a combination of more education and effective legislation is needed to improve food standards.
You can join the debate or watch the full programme in Burmese at DVBDebate.com. Or comment of our website at www.dvb.no. |
| Shan State villagers barred from farming land by military Posted: 02 Jun 2014 12:33 AM PDT The Burmese military on Thursday rejected a request from local farmers in southern Shan State to continue farming on more than 200 acres of land in Pekon Township. The Burmese military's 422nd Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) announced last week that farmers of Moe Byae village are barred from working on the land and if they continue to do so, they will face legal action. Aung Myo Khant, one of the villagers, said the farmers had already grown crops on this land, and they appealed to the battalion's commander on Thursday to finish out the season. Related Stories"He said he could not decide by himself," Aung Myo Khant said, adding that the commander suggested a possible solution. "He told us that if we collect signatures from farmers confirming that the land is owned by the military and promising not to try and get it back, they [the military] might let us work on the land." The farmers say they are reluctant to do this as the land in question originally belonged to them and was seized by the military. The 422nd LIB allegedly confiscated more than 1,500 acres of land in southern Shan State since 1992, though they returned more than 700 acres in 2003. The 126 farmers of Moe Byae village have been campaigning for the return of roughly 200 acres since June 2003 by sending letters to various state and national agencies, including the Shan State chief minister, the army's commander-in-chief, the President's Office and the Farmland Investigation Commission. They have also staged two protests on this issue. In previous years, the farmers were able to farm the land if they paid a "tax" to the military. A representative of the Land Usage Administration Office of Pekon Township confirmed that the authorities have received the villagers' letters, but a decision would depend on the military. "According to the process, the answer must come from the military should they choose to abandon the land or not," the official said. "If they give it back, we will hand it over to the respective farmers." There are three cases of land disputes covering more than 1,000 acres, according to Land Usage Administration Office in Pekon Township. So far, only two acres have been returned to farmers. |
| Golden Triangle opium revival spreads to India Posted: 01 Jun 2014 10:43 PM PDT Poppy cultivation has rapidly expanded in the Burmese and Laos parts of the Golden Triangle, to feed new demands for heroin, chiefly in China, according to a report released Monday. “After a decade of decline, Southeast Asia is now once again a major opium growing region,” it claims. The report said opium production has spread into northern India for the first time, and that chances of a “drug free Asean” by next year are slim at best. The Transnational Institute (TNI), a Dutch-based NGO active in the region, said in a new 115-page report that new markets in China and India have created fresh demand for heroin. But it noted that cross-the-board attempts to ban opium cultivation have “driven hundreds of thousands of families deeper into poverty”. One conclusion of this “relapse in the Golden Triangle” is that attempts by China to replicate Thailand’s crop substitution programmes have failed. Until regional governments and the international community properly addresses poverty, conflict and rising demand for heroin in China, opium bans and eradication will continue to fail,” said Tom Kramer, lead author of the report. Related StoriesHe echoed his report, saying that crop substitution in the region has so far failed to support farmers forced or attracted back to opium farming. “Alternative livelihood options need to be firmly in place before communities can be expected to abandon illicit cultivation,” he said. If the findings of the TNI report are confirmed in coming months, it will mark a major setback for efforts to end the decades-old opium growing and heroin manufacture in areas next to Thailand. TNI recommended Monday a complete reform of the anti-narcotics policies by all regional governments, up to and including the UN. Policies must be “more humane, with a focus on health, development and human rights rather than on repression and law enforcement,” the report said. TNI has long been a leader in calling for such reform, with a strong emphasis on elimination of the death penalty for any type of drug trafficking. According to the group, the Thai part of the Golden Triangle is not involved in the recent resurgence in poppy production. Tiny plots used to grow opium poppies in Thailand itself have stayed at around 200 to 300 hectares (1,250 to 1,875 rai), mostly for local consumption and medical use, “opium cultivation … overall has more than doubled from an estimated 24,000 hectares in 2006 to some 58,000 hectares in 2013,” according to the TNI figures. In Thailand especially, anti-drug measures in recent years have focused mainly on the methamphetamine trade, in an effort to interdict more of the estimated one billion "ya baa" tablets that flow from Burmese pill factories into Thailand. Almost unnoticed, the opium and heroin revival in the rest of the Golden Triangle, has spread east to India. That was so unexpected that the chief agency involved, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime does not even measure opium production in India. TNI said that growing regions have shifted in Burma and Laos because local warlords, under central government pressure, banned growing poppies in traditional areas. The main poppy growing areas in Burma, says the report released Monday, are in the southern Shan State, close to the Thai border. Laos' production is centered in Phongsali and Houaphan provinces, which border China and Vietnam respectively.
This article was originally published in the Bangkok Post on 2 June 2014. |
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