Democratic Voice of Burma |
- 19 feared dead after fishing boat capsizes off Burma’s coast
- Bullet Points: 6 August 2014
- Fatal shooting sparks fear of conflict in Kutkai
- Five opposition party members charged for protest against PR system
- Debating the right to gather
| 19 feared dead after fishing boat capsizes off Burma’s coast Posted: 06 Aug 2014 05:10 AM PDT Nineteen fishermen are feared dead after their boat capsized near the coast of western Burma on Saturday. Six other crewmembers have been rescued, according to local police. Than Hlaing, superintendent of the Kyaukphyu police, said that a private fishing vessel, Anawar Minn No 9, capsized on Saturday while carrying a crew of 25 through the Arakan waters around Ramree Island. Six crewmembers were rescued by boats near the shore after they swam for more than 14 hours. The remaining 19 are feared lost at sea. "According to the survivors, the boat capsized around 1pm in the afternoon on 2 August – at the moment, there are six survivors in Kyaukphyu," Than Hlaing told DVB by phone on Tuesday. "As for the rest, the Fisheries Administration and other concerned government departments have launched a search-and-rescue operation." "The survivors said they were drifting at sea before being found and picked up by other boats," he added. He said that of the survivors, one is from Arakan State's Minbya and two from Haigyi Island, one from Irrawaddy Division's Kyonpyaw and two are from Kyimyindaing in Rangoon. Police plan to press negligence charges against the boat's skipper, Myint Aung, who is still among the missing. "We assume, based on witnesses’ accounts, that the incident was not caused by a storm but by the skipper's incompetence," said Than Hlaing. Information provided by police and by the boat operators, however, is incongruent regarding the number of crewmembers and the cause of the incident. Than Aung, a mechanic among the survivors, said there were only 21 people on board at the time of the incident, which he said was caused by heavy weather. "Just as we were pulling in the net, the boat started tipping to one side and it was knocked over by a wave," said Than Aung. "The weather was strong that day; there was heavy rain and wind, and we were completely out of contact with other vessels." He said the boat sank around ten miles offshore. "We swam for our lives, and I was picked up by a boat. I swam for 14 hours," he recalled. The six survivors are now being treated for exhaustion. Anawar Minn fishing vessels, six in total, are owned and operated by Rangoon-based Shwe Aw Gyi Company Limited. Tin Aung Htwe, a representative of Anawar Minn, said that five other vessels have halted their fishing work to join the search for the missing crew of vessel No 9.
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| Posted: 06 Aug 2014 04:12 AM PDT On today’s edition of Bullet Points: Displaced Rohingya Muslims in Myabon, Arakan state are being interviewed for Burmese citizenship. Ethnic armed groups want Japan and Norway to observe the eventual signing of the Nationwide Ceasefire. Burma’s largest Nat, or spirit festival is being celebrated in Taungbyone village near Mandalay this week. You can watch Bullet Points every weeknight after the 7 o'clock news. Correction: DVB would like to correct an inaccuracy in the video. Our reporter says that 2,000 people are to be interviewed for citizenship. The correct number is 1094. |
| Fatal shooting sparks fear of conflict in Kutkai Posted: 06 Aug 2014 03:43 AM PDT The family of a teenager who was shot in Kutkai Township, Shan State, in July is demanding an investigation into his death. Sixteen-year-old Martee, who is also known as Brang Nan, was sitting in his family's farm hut, while recovering from an illness, when he was shot in the stomach. Two friends who were with the boy got away unscathed, but Martee's wounds were fatal. The victim's father, Naw Bauk, believes the Burmese Army shot his son and wants someone to be held accountable. "On 28 of July, I left my son at the farm hut with two of his friends, and Tatmadaw [Burmese Army] soldiers shot at them. I want an investigation into my son's death," he said. The shooting has sparked fear among local residents in Lwengwin village and many are too afraid to work on their farms. "Now people are too afraid to go work with army columns active in the area. People are afraid to go pick mushrooms in the forest," said one farmer. Residents say the Burmese Army has been active in the area for the past few months and have clashed with Palaung rebels, the Ta-ang (Palaung) National Liberation Army (TNLA). In June, Burmese troops fired artillery into a village in Kutkai, burning one house to the ground. Hundreds of villagers fled and are now living in displacement camps in the area. The residents in Lwengwin village fear Martee's death is a sign that the conflict is moving closer to them.
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| Five opposition party members charged for protest against PR system Posted: 06 Aug 2014 03:10 AM PDT Five members of two opposition parties were charged by local police in Pegu Division for leading an unauthorised demonstration against enacting a proportional representation (PR) voting system for the country's elections, which was one of the central issues of the latest parliamentary session. Earlier this week, four members of the National League for Democracy party — Kyaw San, Myo Thu Htut, U Kyaw and Maung Maung Toe – and Wunna, a member of the Democratic Party for New Society, organised a demonstration in Pegu Division's town of Prome [Pyay] on Monday to protest against enacting a PR system. Kyaw San said that he and the other organisers had requested on Friday for permission to hold their demonstration, but were rejected. "They turned down our request, citing a regulation that permission should be sought no less than five days prior to the planned protest, and that it will not be appropriate to stage a demonstration against the PR system since there has been no debate or approval of it in Pegu Division yet," Kyaw San said, adding that they went ahead with it anyway. "We were informed by the Prome police station's deputy superintendent, Myo Myint, on 5 August that there has been an order to see legal action against us and we now face charges under Section 18 of the Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Processions Act," he said. If found guilty, the group faces up to six months in prison or a fine of 30,000 kyat, roughly US$30. Supreme Court lawyer Robert San Aung, who was appointed to represent the five, said that the Prome police station is going against the newly amended law. "The Union Parliament has already made it clear that authorities should not turn down permission for the protest and I believe that the Prome government official's decision to reject my client's permission is against the law," Robert San Aung said. "This is completely inappropriate. The Union Parliament itself has amended the law and it puzzles me why the government officials on the ground are not adhering to it."
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| Posted: 06 Aug 2014 01:55 AM PDT In December 2011, President Thein Sein formally approved legislation that allows citizens of Burma to engage in peaceful protests. But the controversial Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession Act comes with certain conditions. Section 18 states that demonstrators are required to obtain permission for protests or risk imprisonment. Activists and authorities on DVB Debate discussed whether the law is being used to protect the right to demonstrate, or to silence activism. "This law grants people permission to protest. That’s why the law is needed," said Pol-Maj Myint Htwe, Police Superintendent from Rangoon Regional Police Force. But Win Cho, an activist who has been charged multiple times under the Peaceful Assembly law said authorities are using it selectively. "Why are the police not using the law to punish all protestors equally? They don’t clarify clearly who took part and only charge those they think are leaders. That’s why we were taken to court again in July this year," he said. Burma's 2008 Constitution states that citizens have the right to assemble peacefully and the Peaceful Assembly Act was drawn up in order to legalise that right.  Cartoon: DVB Debate Panellists debated whether this new law provides a loophole for the persecution of activists. "If we don't have laws, then we will be living like we were under military rule. I don’t think this law is biased. We have to follow the laws if the laws exist," said Phone Myint Aung, an MP for parliament's upper house. But lawyer Robert San Aung questioned why the law was being used to curb peaceful demonstrations. "A group of journalists taped their mouths and sat down. Which section of this law is directly linked with their actions? Please show me," he said, referring to a case in July when 50 journalists held a silent protest over media freedom. There has been a strong history of protesting in Burma but in the past, the restrictive former military government cracked down fiercely on protestors. The studio discussed whether the police are still working with a military mentality. "The police don’t understand the concept of human rights, and their superiors are from the military," said Robert San Aung. "The police are human beings too and they do understand human rights," said Pol-Maj Myint Htwe. "The Ministry of Home Affairs was formed by the president under the Constitution; the police force and some other departments are controlled by this ministry." Audience and Panellists pointed out inconsistencies in the implementation of the Peaceful Assembly law in different parts of the country and argued that it seems as if the police are the ones deciding how and when to enforce it. Related Stories"Under this law it seems we get permission to protest in some places and not in others. This decision is being made by just one person, the police chief in charge of each township," said U Marky, a lawyer for the 88 Generation Peace and Open Society (88GPOS). Burma's judiciary is notoriously corrupt and the studio questioned whether citizens could expect a fair trial from the courts after their arrest. "This has nothing to do with the president or the parliament or me. If the judge thinks someone is innocent of a crime he'll let them go," said Phone Myint. The audience disagreed. "I would like to ask if our judicial system is fair enough to follow the MPs suggestion to cooperate with the police when you are arrested. I ask this question because, in the courts, decisions are made by only one judge," said Htin Lin Oo, a columnist who writes under the pen name Wisdom Villa. Many in the studio think Burma's Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession Act is a way for the government to retain control over its citizens during this reform period. While others on the panel believe that having a protest law is necessary for peaceful demonstrations.
You can join the debate or watch the full programme in Burmese on our Youtube channel. Or comment on our website at dvb.no.
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