Democratic Voice of Burma

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• Government, rights groups at odds on third anniversary of Kachin conflict
• UNICEF blasted for ‘humiliating’ concession as it tries to mend fences in Arakan
• NLD will ‘never give false hope to the people’, says Suu Kyi
• DVB Debate: Ending slavery in Burma
• Woodworkers arrested on march to Mandalay
• Burma’s school buildings don’t meet safety standards, official says

Government, rights groups at odds on third anniversary of Kachin conflict Posted: 09 Jun 2014 07:18 AM PDT Events commemorating the third anniversary of renewed conflict in Kachin State were held across Burma on Monday, coinciding with statements from rights groups criticising the Burmese military for human rights violations. Baptist churches in the Kachin State capital Myitkyina staged a mass prayer for peace on Monday morning to commemorate the end of a 17-year ceasefire between the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) and the Burmese government. On Sunday, Kachin youths gathered in Rangoon's Mahabandoola Park to perform traditional songs and circulate pamphlets calling for an end to the hostilities. On 8 June, 2011, Burmese troops allegedly encroached on KIO-held territory, demarcated by a ceasefire signed in 1994. Since the breakdown of the agreement, battles have raged across Kachin and northern Shan states, despite the KIO's involvement in peace talks. And as the conflict continues, the humanitarian situation is deteriorating, according to Thailand-based watchdog Fortify Rights, which released a report on Monday documenting scores of human rights violations. While abuses by both sides have been documented, Fortify Rights believes that atrocities committed by the Burmese Army, particularly their use of torture, could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity under international law. "The most common practice that we've documented involves Myanmar [Burma] army units moving into a village, detaining or apprehending able-bodied men that they suspect as sympathisers or participants in KIA activities, and then subjecting them to torture," Matthew Smith, executive director of Fortify Rights said. "This is just the most common pattern we've documented. We've documented all manner of human rights violations in Kachin state." Fortify Rights is calling for the government to ratify the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment. This recommendation was also issued by Tomás Ojea Quintana, the former UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Burma, who visited internally displaced person camps in Kachin state during his final tour of the country in February. Presidential spokesman Ye Htut refuted all allegations of torture. "Torture is not the policy of the government nor the armed forces," Ye Htut assured DVB on Monday. "If someone commits such a crime, they can report the case either to us or the human rights commission. We take strong action against all those who commit such kind of crimes." The government has insisted that reports of abuses in Kachin State are dubious, though Fortify Rights said that the publication is based on 78 in-depth interviews. Related Stories Border demarcations leave Shan farmers on Chinese soil Perceiving the peace in Karen State Kachin court slaps jailed IDPs with additional sentences "I haven’t read all the Fortify Rights report in detail yet," Ye Htut told DVB on Monday. "But according to the last experience [we had] with the group, they are writing news stories with second-hand experience, not based on not fully verified information on the ground." First-hand accounts of the events in northern Burma are hard to get; access to the region has been heavily restricted to journalists, researchers and aid workers alike. Three years on, the area remains isolated and under-resourced. Fortify Rights estimated that as many as 5,000 civilians have been displaced in just the last three months. Total displacement since the breakdown of the ceasefire is estimated around 120,000.

UNICEF blasted for ‘humiliating’ concession as it tries to mend fences in Arakan Posted: 09 Jun 2014 04:37 AM PDT International agency UNICEF finds itself again on the receiving end of criticism from various sides following a Burmese media report that it had apologised for using the word "Rohingya" and promised Arakanese authorities that it would not use the term again. The humiliating kowtow comes just two weeks after exile media group The Irrawaddy lambasted the UN organisation for renting office space in Rangoon from a former military officer for the sum of US$87,000 per month. Officially known as the United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF has been active in Burma since 1950. According to its website, UNICEF helped to successfully initiate programs in Burma to protect children against smallpox, leprosy and yaws, before expanding its programs to include rural health services, basic education for children, and community water supply and sanitation systems. More recently, UNICEF has supported HIV/AIDS prevention, early childhood development, and child protection programs, it says. The agency also supports immunisation and malaria prevention programmes in high risk areas. One high-risk region in Burma is Arakan State in western Burma, the most impoverished region in the country next to remote Chin State. In recent years, conditions have deteriorated due to ongoing communal violence between the Muslim Rohingya community and Arakanese Buddhist nationalists, which has left more than 200 dead and 140,000 displaced from their homes. Despite the ever-increasing need for humanitarian aid in Arakan State, several international NGOs, including UNICEF and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), were accused earlier this year by local Buddhist politicians and civic groups of bias in their deliveries in favour of the Rohingyas, commonly referred to as "Bengalis" by local Buddhists due to their presumed roots in Bangladesh. Related Stories Arakan towns to join national grid Why the UN Sec-Gen must act now to address impunity in Burma Burma plays diplomatic card to diffuse Bangladesh dispute Tensions peaked in March when an otherwise innocuous incident involving an aid worker from NGO Malteser International set off a chain of violence which cumulated in attacks on the offices of several agencies, including UNICEF. Foreign staff were quickly evacuated from the Arakan capital, and negotiations to return the INGOs to the region to continue humanitarian work have been protracted and met with resistance from Arakanese Buddhist representatives. MSF and Malteser International were refused permission to return to Arakan, while UNICEF and other UN agencies saw their activities curbed. On 2 May, Bertrand Bainvel, UNICEF's top official in Burma, made an effort to clear up perceptions of biased aid delivery. "UNICEF [follows] the same principles as the United Nations, which are principles of neutrality, impartiality, and dignity. We are providing our support based on needs, not based on ethnicity [or] religion," he said. "Needs are not the same across all communities. Needs are different. If you've been part of a family who's been displaced, who's living in a camp, of course your environment is much more fragile, and you become much more vulnerable." Despite or perhaps because of its uncompromising approach to aid work, it appears that UNICEF has now been forced into offering apologies and promises to Sittwe authorities. During a 4 June power point presentation in the Arakan capital, a UNICEF staffer used the common term "Rohingya", sparking outrage from local administrators. According to a 6 June report in Eleven Media, Than Tun, a member of the Emergency Coordination Centre — a body that oversees delivery of aid in the state — described the use of the word "Rohingya" as a "breach of diplomacy" and as a "violation of Myanmar's sovereignty". The report even alleged that the terminology could reignite violence in the region. According to the report, UNICEF's Bainvel was later compelled to personally apologise for the verbal faux pas, and promise that his agency would not use the term again. The organisation's concession to state terminology was immediately condemned by commenters on social media with many international observers calling the move a "humiliation". UNICEF has not responded to DVB's calls for a response to date. The incident is compounded by a report on 22 May in The Irrawaddy which slammed the agency for leasing a property for $87,000 per month in Rangoon's Bahan Township from former Gen. Nyunt Tin, who served as minister of agriculture under the former ruling junta. UNICEF responded to the report with a statement on Thursday saying, "Standard due diligence on the owner and her family concluded that none of the international sanctions in place until recently had been levied against the landlady or her immediate family and no criminal charges were extant. "Although allegations against a member of her family who was once a member of the previous military regime surfaced, the official had since left public office and was not subject to any criminal charges or international sanctions," the statement said. "Consequently, the best interests of the children we exist to help would not be damaged through this commercial engagement."

NLD will ‘never give false hope to the people’, says Suu Kyi Posted: 08 Jun 2014 11:08 PM PDT Speaking at a central committee meeting of the National League for Democracy (NLD) in Rangoon on Saturday, chairperson Aung San Suu Kyi vowed that the party would "never give false hope" to the people of Burma. "The National League for Democracy has weaknesses," she said in her opening remarks. "But there are two kinds of weaknesses. One is because of the restrictions we face. The other is due to a lack of experience in democratic politics. Then, of course, we each have individual weaknesses. However, I dare to announce that we will never give false hope to the people of Burma." The enigmatic NLD leader was speaking at the third meeting of the party's central committee, hosted at the Doeyoyar restaurant in Rangoon on 7- 8 June. The main focus of the meeting was to elect a board which will oversee the NLD's selection of candidates for by-elections later this year and the general election next year. Related Stories Politician murdered in Taunggyi Burma to consider proportional representation NLD moves to Chin State for charter reform rallies Central executive committee member Win Myint said that delegates also discussed the current political situation in Burma; examined reports submitted by the central committee; reviewed the party's rules and regulations; and debated future plans. With regard to the current parliamentary debate on proportional representation, Win Myint said that the issue was broadly discussed at the committee meeting and that the party would not accept any such proposal. He added that Burma had no history of proportional representation, and that the topic was "not currently relevant" in the political arena. At a press conference after the meeting, NLD spokesperson Nyan Win addressed the issue of the party's relationship with ethnic parties and ethnic groups. "The main duty of the NLD is to compete," he said. "But we will do so by peaceful means. We compete in peaceful ways. We will compete with all the ethnic groups as well as other parties. But as we are all part of the Union of Myanmar [Burma], it is crucial for us to have relations with ethnic groups. Recently we met with KNU leaders. Other relations to date with ethnic parties are smooth."

DVB Debate: Ending slavery in Burma Posted: 08 Jun 2014 11:03 PM PDT Burma is known for its use of forced labour. Conscription of local villagers by the government and the army to work without pay is a long-established practice in the country. Under military rule, the Burmese army routinely forced civilians to work on state infrastructure projects, such as the building of roads, military bases or even towns. The army has also been criticised for recruiting villagers as porters – carrying military supplies from base to base – or for tasks such as camp work and preparing food for soldiers. But these issues continue today. In 2013, a Global Slavery Index by the Walk Free Foundation reported that there are 384,000 Burmese people living in slavery. "Forced labour and human trafficking happens in all 14 states and regions in Burma," said Chit Oo Maung, director at the Labor Rights Clinic. "According to media and research, we know that it occurs mostly in densely populated urban areas." Audience member Ye Win, from Asia World workers' union, explained to DVB Debate's panel that slavery in the workplace, especially in factories, is widespread. The long hours and meager pay constitute modern slavery, he said. Cartoon: DVB Debate "While working in a factory I learned that modern slavery is endured by factory workers every day," he said. Panellists discussed why forced labour continues to be such a pervasive issue in Burma. The chairman for Myanmar Trade Unions' Federation, Aung Lin, blamed the government's failure to crack down on abusers. "Our country is like this because the government has failed to perform its task and take action," he said. Chit Tin, senior programme officer for Forced Labour Affairs at the International Labour Organization (ILO), said it was up to the people to pressure the government to act. "The people have a major responsibility. The government has failed to perform the duty that we have given them, but to make the government perform its duty, we the people need to have mutual respect, and we must follow the rules in order to have rule of law. Until we do this, reform will never progress," he said. Aung Lin argued that this alone would not solve the problem. "In only building people's capacity, we will not affect the central control of the government," he said. "It is more important that the government itself should increase its performance alongside the people." Ongoing civil war, human rights abuses and poverty have led to mass migration in Burma – both internally and internationally. Migrants are particularly vulnerable to modern slavery and many fall into the hands of traffickers. “What some overseas employment agencies are doing is technically human trafficking,” said Ei Shwe Sin Nyunt from the Labour Rights Defenders and Promoters. But the secretary-general of the Myanmar Overseas Employment Agencies Federation, Kyaw Htin Kyaw, argued that human trafficking through employment agencies is a thing of the past. Related Stories Thais crack down on illegal Burmese migrants DVB Debate: Food for thought DVB Debate: Will the ASEAN chair boost Burma? "Previously, some brokers were committing human trafficking offences under the title of employment agencies. Other countries accepted it. But during that time, the recruitment was not controlled, and that is why these cases occurred," he said. Trafficking is a common way of recruiting women for the sex trade, and deceptive recruitment has led to women sold as brides, or commercial sexual exploitation. Panellists discussed the added risk for women who fall into the hands of traffickers. "In modern slavery, sex workers are the major victims," said Aung Lin. Daw Thiri from Sex Workers in Myanmar Network said that although there are hotlines women can call if they are in trouble, by the time they seek help it is often too late. "There are numbers that victims can contact. But by the time they have a chance to contact someone, they have already been trafficked and their lives have already been destroyed," she said. "After that, all they can do is find a way to survive." The studio generally agreed that more action needs to be taken to stop forced labour in all its forms. Panellists advocated that vulnerable people need to be made aware of the risks and their options.   You can join the debate or watch the full programme in Burmese at dvbdebate.com Or share your views with us by commenting on our website below.

Woodworkers arrested on march to Mandalay Posted: 08 Jun 2014 10:38 PM PDT Twelve people were arrested on Saturday for their involvement in a workers' rights demonstration in Mandalay. Among those arrested were ten protest leaders and two negotiators. Several hundred employees of the Chinese-owned Lucky Treasure woodcutting factory in Sinkkaing Township, accompanied by hundreds of supporters, were intercepted by about 500 police officers as they tried to march to Mandalay, according to the Federation of Trade Unions of Burma (FTUB). The demonstration was the latest of four strikes at the factory, beginning in June 2012. Aung Linn, chairman of the FTUB, said that workers at the factory have had ongoing disagreements with management over problematic contracts. "There were about four strikes," he said. "The first one lasted half a day on 17 June, 2012, when the workers were asking to have a holiday on Sundays. The second time, Khine Min, a labour union leader, was arrested for two weeks." Aung Lin explained that the situation escalated in March 2014 when the factory owners broke an agreement with employees. This time, he said, workers were unhappy with contract renewals proposed by management. The new contracts would require all employees to undergo a three-month probationary period at the start of the term, regardless of how long they have worked there. The new agreement also gives management the right to arbitrarily terminate employment, he said. Union leaders also said that as a result of the unrest, the Border Affairs Ministry deployed 28 administrators to pressure the workers to quit their jobs. "Authorities pressured the workers," said Thet Htun Aung of FTUB. "They arrested our leaders they threatened us, they approached workers' families and told them to accept compensation and leave their jobs or the military would dismantle their protest site”. Thet Htun Aung added that 14 workers accepted money from the authorities and abandoned their jobs. The detained activists each face three charges, including violation of Article 505(b) of Burma's penal code. The article has often been used to punish activists under the sweeping premise of intent to cause fear or alarm among civilians. Trade unions are still finding their footing in Burma. Enactment of the Labour Organisation Law in October 2011 gave citizens the right to form unions of more than 30 members for the first time in decades. The law repealed the draconian Trade Unions Act of 1962, which wholly outlawed unionisation. Related Stories Mandalay miners sentenced to jail Suu Kyi rallies Mandalay on Article 436 Arakan National Day celebrated in Rangoon

Burma’s school buildings don’t meet safety standards, official says Posted: 08 Jun 2014 10:06 PM PDT A third of school buildings in lower Burma are below safety standards, according to an education official. Speaking to Myanmar Thandawsint Journal, Thazin Thin, the director-general of No. 1 Department of Basic Education, said that 6,000 buildings out of the more than 20,000 schools in lower Burma were all below structural safety standards due to the lack of funds. The repair budget for all 6,000 school buildings is about 3 billion kyat, roughly US$3.09 million, she said. Win Pe, a retired education officer, confirmed that on a budget of about $500 per school, it is very difficult for the buildings to be up to standard. Related Stories World Bank to boost Burma's education system Burma Business Weekly Experts urge transparency in Burma’s businesses Questions of building integrity in Burma's schools were raised on the heels of an accident last week. A second-floor corridor of a high school collapsed in Thegong Township of Pegu [Bago] Division on the first day of classes, leaving 17 students injured. A resident of Padigon said that the school building was about 50 years old and in desperate need of repairs. Addressing the Financial Commission at a 2014-15 fiscal year budget meeting in January, President Thein Sein pledged that the education budget – allotted 5.43 percent last year – would be increased to 5.92 percent.

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