Monday, August 18, 2014

Democratic Voice of Burma

Democratic Voice of Burma

Bullet Points: 18 August 2014

Posted: 18 Aug 2014 04:44 AM PDT

On today’s edition of Bullet Points:

The fifth meeting between ethnic and government peace negotiators wraps up in Rangoon.

The UN office on drugs and crime in four-year pact with the Burmese government to fight corruption, drugs and organised crime.

Burmese migrants injured in Bangkok factory explosion.

Government loans to boost Mandalay SMEs.

You can watch Bullet Points every weeknight on DVB TV after the 7 o'clock news.

 

Burma inches closer to ceasefire after positive Rangoon talks

Posted: 18 Aug 2014 04:40 AM PDT

Burma's peace process appears to be inching closer towards the signing of a nationwide ceasefire agreement after both sides – the government's Union Peace Working Committee (UPWC) and the National Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT) – emerged with positive messages from three days of peace talks.

The Rangoon meeting from Friday to Sunday was the fifth official round of negotiations between the Burmese government and the ethnic alliance, which represents 16 armed ethnic groups, and follows on from an NCCT conference held in Laiza, headquarters of the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO), in July. Both sides of the now six-decade divide have reported that the weekend's meetings yielded breakthrough agreements.

Ethnic hopes of a federal union were buoyed when the government agreed to the idea in principle. However it remains unclear as to the government's vision of a federally partitioned Burma, or whether it will consider elements of the historic 1947 Panglong Agreement.

The NCCT's Kwe Htoo Win said the NCCT and the government are finding common ground. "Through negotiation, we managed to reach agreement on terms that we could not agree on previously," he said. "The one remaining stumbling block is the issue of forced recruitment, but we can say we agreed on the other issues."

The NCCT and the government have acceded to each other's needs on refugee resettlement, the positioning of armed troops, and the possibility of a joint peacekeeping force.

Ethnic armed groups have long refused to turn in their arms, whether a ceasefire has remained or not. Groups such as the KIO and the Shan State Army-North cite government backflips on peace deals signed under previous military regimes. Salai Lian H Sakhong, a Chin representative on the NCCT, said that the ethnic groups have now struck a tentative balance on the vexed issue, which has constantly hampered the opportunity for peace.

"We have reached an agreement in principle on points related to the positioning of troops," he said. "However, there are various technicalities in different areas."

We are looking to form working groups to formalise the agreements, he added.

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Monday marks exactly three years since the Thein Sein government extended an olive branch to the ethnic resistance, calling for a sustained peace effort based on multilateral negotiations. Monday also saw Burma's political parties join the discussion.

The ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party and Burma's main opposition party, the National League for Democracy, were present at the Myanmar Peace Centre, to be briefed on the discussions and arrangements made over the weekend.

While the peace process is undoubtedly moving forward, peace still hinge on the success of political dialogue, which is scheduled to begin after the signing of a nationwide ceasefire. The government, through the UPWC, has assured ethnic groups that the political dialogue they demand will be initiated within 90 days of a ceasefire being signed.

Sources close to the process claim that the document could be finalised after the next round of ceasefire deliberations, scheduled for September. That means political talks could begin as early as January 2015.

 

 

Press Council expects to work ‘side by side’ with Ye Htut

Posted: 18 Aug 2014 03:58 AM PDT

Newly appointed Information Minister Ye Htut met for the first time on Saturday with representatives of Burma's Interim Press Council (IPC) to discuss the regulations for the new media law.

DVB interviewed news editor and Press Council member Chit Win Maung to learn what transpired.

 

Q: Can you tell us what was agreed at Saturday's meeting?

A: The Information Minister came to our office for an informal meeting, primarily to discuss the regulatory provisions that will make up the Printing and Publishing Registration Law and the Media Law. We agreed to hold monthly meetings and improve cooperation between the two bodies.

Q: Regarding the discussion on regulatory provisions – did it include negotiations on the points that have been the subject of dispute between the two bodies?

A: The Printing and Publishing Registration Law has been approved but the regulations are yet to be announced, as everyone knows. The minister presented the provisions drafted by the Ministry of Information and we spoke with him about which points we would like to see amended. Likewise, ministry officials evaluated the provisions we drafted for the Media law.

Q: You mentioned holding monthly meetings between the ministry and the press council. What will be the purpose of these meetings?

A: The intention is to discuss and negotiate media-related issues and matters concerning either the press council or the ministry.

Q: Could we say that this meeting with Information Minister U Ye Htut – following disputes between the government and the media – was an attempt to rebuild relations between the two sides?

A: Yes, it could be regarded as such. The minister told us that his ministry, rather than playing the role of supervisor of the Press Council, would like to work side-by-side with us, and discuss all matters with us.

The new information minister, U Ye Htut, as everyone knows, is a very open speaker. With the previous minister [U Aung Kyi], we were not able to openly discuss certain issues – there was too much formality – but we feel we can talk openly with U Ye Htut about the issues we have and vice-versa.

Read statement by Ministry of Information here

UN finalises ‘landmark agreement’ to fight drugs in Burma

Posted: 18 Aug 2014 03:16 AM PDT

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) finalised a four-year memorandum of understanding with the Burmese government on Monday, allowing them to partner on an "integrated programme" aimed at strengthening the rule of law and tackling crime and drug issues.

Jeremy Douglas,  UNODC's representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, told DVB on Monday that while the agreement does not mark any significant change to the UNODC's work in Burma, it does consolidate their projects into a broader framework that has been approved by the government.

"It just basically pulls everything together into a common strategy, and then everything is approved for the next four years," Douglas said.

The new programme, which the UNODC has described as a "landmark agreement", will "consolidate" five projects focused on transnational crime, counter-corruption, criminal justice, health and alternative livelihoods, or crop substitution.

Of the programme's US$40 million price tag, about one third of the budget has been allocated to creating alternative livelihoods, Douglas said.

"That [programme] will be targeting the north of the country where there is opium production, and assisting farmers to shift to alternative crops, sustainable alternative crops," he added.

Burma has long been among the world's largest opium producers. The UNODC reported in late June that Burma currently produces about 18 percent of the word's opiates, and that the past decade has also seen a dramatic rise in demand for synthetic drugs, like ya-ba – a pill-form methamphetamine.

 

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Parties covet vacant seats in Kachin State

Posted: 18 Aug 2014 01:24 AM PDT

With by-elections due across Burma by year's end, several political parties have noted an interest in fielding candidates in the vacant constituencies of Kachin State, where previous elections were cancelled due to ongoing conflict.

Dr Tuja, a former Kachin Independence Organisation member who founded the Kachin State Democracy Party last year, said his party will field candidates in at least three, if not all four, constituencies where by-elections will be held in the state.

"We will compete for three, perhaps all four of the seats available in Kachin State," he said. "In our opinion, the size of the party doesn't matter. Several major parties lack public support, while many small parties are popular. The most important thing is to be on the side of the people."

He said the campaign period of 30 days, passed under a new regulation by the Union Election Commission (UEC), is too short.

"We have learnt that the UEC has cut the campaign periods for elections from 60 days to 30 days, but that they will try this at the by-elections and may extend the period if it turns out to be too short. From our perspective, a 30-day campaign period is not enough."

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According to official announcements, by-elections will be held in four constituencies in Kachin State: Waingmaw, Hpakant, Bhamo and Mogaung.

Khin Maung Swe, chairman of the National Democratic Force, said his party is looking to field candidates in all four constituencies.

"In the previous by-elections, we did not field candidates in Hpakant, Bhamo or Mogaung, but we plan to compete in each of these townships, plus in Waingmaw for the regional parliament," he said.

Burma's two largest parties, Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy and the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party, have also revealed plans to run in Kachin by-elections.

The ethnic alliances of the Nationalities Brotherhood Federation and its sister-party, the Federal Union Party, say they will also nominate candidates for each of the vacant seats in Kachin State.

The National Unity Party, formed mainly from the remnants of former dictator Ne Win's Burma Socialist Programme Party, will reportedly compete in 18 constituencies throughout Burma in the by-elections – six for the lower house; six for the upper house; and six for regional parliaments – in Rangoon, Mandalay, Sagaing, Magwe and Irrawaddy divisions, Kachin and Arakan states, but will not field candidates in Karen State.

UEC Chairman Tin Aye said in March this year that by-elections will be held around the end of November or beginning of December.

Burmese workers injured as explosion levels Bangkok factory

Posted: 17 Aug 2014 09:36 PM PDT

A total of 21 people were injured, five seriously, when a boiler at a cloth dyeing factory near Bangkok exploded early Sunday, Thai police said.

Pol Lt Chainaret Suporn, a duty officer at Samut Prakan police station, said the explosion happened about 4.50am. The factory, operated by Wongpasit Printing Co Ltd, is located on Tai Ban Road in Samut Prakan’s Muang district.

The injured were admitted to Samut Prakan Hospital. Most of them were workers from Burma.

The blast destroyed about 10 wooden houses behind the factory.

Four fire engines were deployed to put out the fire.

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Police suspect that the boiler exploded because there was not enough water in it. The cost of the damage is estimated to be over one million baht, police said.

Prajak Makaew, a 38-year-old factory worker, said he heard a loud explosion while working on a night shift inside the factory building.

“I ran to see what happened and I saw the large boiler fall to the floor. The roof was blown off and flames spread everywhere,” Mr Prajak said.

Wachara Narapakdikul, the operator of the dyeing factory, said she had rented the facility. She agreed to take responsibility for the injured people and all the damage.

 

This article was originally published in the Bangkok Post on 17 August 2014.
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