Democratic Voice of Burma

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• Bullet Points: 15 August 2014
• Kachin villagers get apology from Burma Army commander
• Burma’s fish stock in severe decline
• Sintgu farmers clash with police in plough protest
• We are in favour of changing Article 436, say committee members
• Pegu govt promises to help farmers with damaged rice fields

Bullet Points: 15 August 2014 Posted: 15 Aug 2014 05:33 AM PDT On today's edition of Bullet Points: Mandalay authorities out to diffuse tension in the village of Sitgu where violence broke out on Thursday. Ethnic armed groups met government negotiators for fresh round of peace talks. Overfishing and pollution causing a drop in fish populations. You can watch Bullet Points every weeknight on DVB TV after the 7 o'clock news.

Kachin villagers get apology from Burma Army commander Posted: 15 Aug 2014 04:45 AM PDT In a move that a local politician has said was the first of its kind in Kachin State, the Burmese Army apologised to villagers displaced by recent clashes in Hpakant Township between government troops and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA). Nearly 200 residents in Hpakant Township's Kabaw village were forced to flee their homes on 8 and 9 August amid clashes between the Burmese Army and the KIA, and have been taking shelter in Namya village about ten miles away. On Tuesday, village leader Gaw Lu Saung was beaten up by troops from the Burmese Army's 108 Light Infantry Battalion (LIB-108) when he was being questioned about KIA activities in the area under the supervision of the unit's commanding officers. Dashe La Hseng, a National League for Democracy party member in Hpakant Township, said that Lt-Col Win Ko Chein, commander of the Army's 66th Light Infantry Division – which oversees the military operations in the region – arrived on Wednesday to apologise to villagers about the fighting. Related Stories Human rights abuses still 'rampant' in Burma: Report Army says officers were punished for Namhkam tortures Villagers flee Namhkam after alleged army threats "The LID's commander apologised to the villagers for what his men did and assured them that it is now safe for them to go home," Dashe La Sheng said, adding that this was the first time villagers in the area – which often sees conflict – have ever received an apology from a Burmese Army commander. Win Ko Chien also assured the villagers that the two commanding officers of the LIB-108 who oversaw the beating have been punished, and he pledged to cover the medical expenses to treat Gaw Lu Saung's injuries, Dashe La Hseng said. This is the second recent case whereby Burmese Army officers used violence and torture against local villagers as an interrogation technique. Earlier this month in Shan State, a Burmese Army battalion violently interrogated a village chief and community leaders of Namhkam to try and uncover who was responsible for the deaths of two soldiers found dead not far from the village – a move that caused locals to flee Namhkam. After the commanding officers were ordered to halt the interrogation, the division commander assured locals that they were duly punished and transferred out of the region and apologised to the people who were tortured. This was met with scepticism from a community member who said the transfer was just a short-term solution that does not address the wider, more systemic problem of the Burmese Army retaliating against civilians.

Burma’s fish stock in severe decline Posted: 15 Aug 2014 03:44 AM PDT The Myanmar Fish Farmers Association (MFFA) has called for a national-level workshop to discuss the decline of fish stocks. Over the past few years, fish populations in Burmese waters have fallen dramatically due to over-fishing and pollution. The Myanmar Fisheries Federation (MFF) echoed the MFFA in saying that the decline is serious and said it wants to step up efforts to replenish fish stocks. "In 2012-13, around 150,000 tonnes of fish were caught. But from 2010 to 2014 the number gradually declined," said Han Tun, vice-chairman of MFF. Since 2010, Han Tun said fish stocks off Burmese waters had almost halved. Poor regulation of the industry over the past two decades has led to a rise in commercial and foreign fishing vessels, and subsequently a severe depletion in fish. Han Tun is calling fishery operators to the negotiating table to openly discuss how best to tackle the falling fish numbers. Since the late 1980s, commercial vessels have effectively been given a free rein to fish extensively off Burma's coast, as the former military government made millions of dollars selling fishing permits to foreign companies. "Some operators have a substantial yield, catching hundreds of thousands of fish every year. They employ around 500- 600 vessels nationwide – mostly in Mon State, Irrawaddy Division and Arakan State," said Han Tun. Related Stories Bullet Points: 15 August 2014 Bullet Points: 14 August 2014 Ethnic MPs join peace discussions The market sellers are also feeling the effects of the decline, saying sales have dropped by about 60 percent over the past four years. But in April, the government banned foreign fishing vessels from its waters in an attempt to ease over-fishing. Burmese companies had to reduce their operations by 35 percent in April and May to allow fish stocks to replenish. But Han Tun believes more needs to be done and wants to work together with operators to help renew fish stocks before irreparable damage is done.

Sintgu farmers clash with police in plough protest Posted: 15 Aug 2014 02:40 AM PDT Forty police officers were briefly held captive on Thursday night by residents of Mandalay Division's Sintgu Township who were angered that the authorities had raided their village, opened fire and injured residents in a bid to halt a plough protest. After some negotiations, the police officers were released unharmed, said Lt- Col Zaw Min Oo, deputy superintendent of the Mandalay Police Force. The standoff started earlier in the day when about 200 farmers began a protest on Thursday morning by ploughing on land that they wish to reclaim. More than 6,000 acres of farmland in Sintgu Township's Nyaungwun village was confiscated in 1991 by the Burmese Army. Htwe Htwe Hlaing, a resident, said that roughly 50 police attempted to arrest the protestors, and fired warning shots in the air. However, the situation quickly turned ugly when the authorities directed gunfire at the villagers. "We were just cultivating land which we are fighting to reclaim, and the police arrived in a truck firing shots in the air," said Htwe Htwe Hlaing. "Later, they started shooting in our direction, hitting one villager in the leg. So we attacked them back using slingshots." Two women in the village were injured during the confrontation, she said. One, named Than Kyin Nu, suffered from a leg injury and was sent to Mandalay Hospital. The villagers of Nyaungwun have been ploughing as protest for about two months; the initial group of protestors numbered at about 800. Thant Zin Htet, a farmers' rights activist in Nyaungwun village, criticised the police for using violent force against the villagers. "I see this as an act of brutality on the part of government authorities," Thant Zin Htet said. "The police came to attack the villagers because they were no longer in a large group." However, Lt-Col Zaw Min Oo told DVB a different version of the events, saying that they were first attacked with stones and slingshots by villagers – which prompted the police to fire warning shots into the air. Related Stories Kanbalu farmers demand release of 57 jailed ‘plough protestors’ Elderly Michaungkan protestor dies after 138-day vigil 20 Kanbalu plough protestors transferred to distant prisons "The villagers then tried to snatch a firearm from one of the police and it accidently went off in the scuffle, hitting a woman in the leg," he said, adding that the villagers surrounded the police and held the officers captive. "The situation was resolved after the district police commander and township government administrator went to negotiate with the villagers, with help from local monks," Lt-Col Zaw Min Oo said. He reiterated that the police did not use force when trying to stop the villagers. "We tried to explain to the villagers that what they were doing was against the law, and that they should follow legal procedures," he said. "But people only think about what they want without considering whether what they do is illegal or not." Lt-Col Zaw Min Oo said that the divisional police commander is currently monitoring the situation and will continue negotiating with villagers to alleviate the tensions in the area.

We are in favour of changing Article 436, say committee members Posted: 15 Aug 2014 02:37 AM PDT Burma's parliamentary Joint Committee to Review the Constitution (JCRC) has finalised its notes and recommendations on constitutional reform, according to three of the 31 committee members. Aye Maung, an upper house MP and appointed JCRC member, told DVB on Thursday that all members had examined the 15 chapters of the 2008 Constitution, with amendments suggested for more than 450 of the 457 articles. "We have suggested amendments to more than 450 articles in the Constitution," he said. "The suggestions are accompanied by notes from each member of the committee detailing their individual stance on every article." He confirmed that Article 436 – the focus of an intensive campaign by Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy and the 88 Generation Peace and Open Society Group – was among those clauses included by committee members with recommendations for change. Related Stories NLD presents petition to parliament calling to amend 436 Bullet Points: 12 August 2014 Thousands need water after storms in Mon State Article 436 stipulates that any constitutional amendment requires the approval of 75 percent of parliament. The two groups say that the clause is undemocratic because it provides the military – which is appointed 25 percent of parliamentary seats – veto power on any proposed amendments. Aye Maung said he could not yet disclose the details of the suggested changes, which are to be handed to the House Speaker in time for the next parliamentary session in September. "Although we are not at liberty as yet to disclose what the suggested amendments are – what we can tell you is that they were drafted with the aim of reflecting the will of the people," he said. Speaking on condition of anonymity, another committee member said, "The consideration with Article 436 is whether to reduce the minimal approval required in parliament from 75 percent to 66 percent." Another JCRC member, Nan Say Awr, said: "We view the threshold of 75 percent approval as implausible. It should be lowered." Speaking on the matter of another controversial clause, Article 59(f), which effectively bars Suu Kyi from running for the presidency because of foreign-born family members, another JCRC member told DVB that this article would be more difficult to annul or change.

Pegu govt promises to help farmers with damaged rice fields Posted: 14 Aug 2014 10:15 PM PDT The regional government of Pegu Division pledged to assist local farmers whose paddy fields were damaged in recent flooding. Maung Maung Than, divisional secretary, said that officials are now conducting an assessment on the level of damage that paddy fields have undergone this rainy season, classifying them in three categories – not damaged, damaged, and destroyed – in order to determine the level of assistance needed. "For paddy fields inundated from four to seven days, these are categorised as 'not damaged' and for the second category, 'damaged', we plan to provide 5,000 kyat[US$5] for each acre," Maung Maung Than said. "For the destroyed paddy fields, we are looking to provide seeds and 15,000 kyat assistance." Soe Tun, chairman of the Myanmar Farmers Association (MFA), said that providing only seeds for destroyed farmland won't be enough to help farmers get back on their feet. "They've also lost investments made in the farm such as paying for farm hands. It would be more helpful if the government could also provide them with fertiliser and more money from the country's natural disaster funds," Soe Tun said. He added that the MFA will negotiate with the Myanmar Agribusiness Public Corporation Limited to distribute seeds, fertiliser and loans to farmers. According to a report in the state-run Myanmar Ahlin newspaper, more than 135,000 acres of farmland were inundated in Pegu following heaving downpours in the first week of August, and about half of these farms are expected to be destroyed. Maung Maung Than said that if the regional government does not have enough resources to help the farmers, they will ask for assistance from the union government. Related Stories Bullet Points: 13 August 2014 Pegu farmlands flooded by dam overflow 20 Kanbalu plough protestors transferred to distant prisons

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