Democratic Voice of Burma

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• Bullet Points: 11 September 2014
• Better infrastructure, institutions and human capital ‘key’ to growth: ADB
• Irrawaddy headmaster accused of selling off school property
• Drugs: One killed in Tachilek shoot-out
• KIO denies Rohingya army training, suggests foul play
• Ethnic peacemakers reach ‘non-negotiable’ position

Bullet Points: 11 September 2014 Posted: 11 Sep 2014 05:55 AM PDT On today's edition of Bullet Points: Veteran activist to serve over 12 years NCCT sets date for govt peace talks Sittwe curfew lifted Shift in Rangoon property after laundering crackdown You can watch Bullet Points every weeknight on DVB TV after the 7 o'clock news.

Better infrastructure, institutions and human capital ‘key’ to growth: ADB Posted: 11 Sep 2014 04:42 AM PDT The Asian Development Bank (ADB) launched a 217-page "country diagnostic study" of Burma's economy on Thursday, detailing the pitfalls and growth potential of the country's emerging economy. The study, based on research conducted last year, looks at a host of challenges facing economic development in Burma, including weak institutions, shoddy infrastructure and undeveloped human capital. The report details a number of scenarios – based on projected growth in various sectors and the impact of new policies – that offer a glimpse of how Burma's economy might look in 2030, contingent on the success of the ongoing reform process. "I think everybody understands here that the country has vast economic potential," said the ADB's Assistant Chief Economist, Cyn-Young Park. "Since the economy opened up, there have been many changes. Major economic reforms have taken place, aiming at accelerating economic growth, promoting the economic base, and reducing socioeconomic gaps." But the ADB warns that Burma's ability to "unlock its full potential" will be contingent on the government's capacity tackle these problems by investing heavily in human development, transportation, and power supply improvements. "There has to be a substantial and immediate increase in spending on human capital – not just on education, but on public health expenditures as well," Park said. Health and education spending has nearly doubled over the past two years, but Park claims this is still insufficient. "Compared to other countries in the region, spending and investment [in health and education] still remains laggard. They have to increase." Related Stories University Students Union opposes Education Bill Netherlands to help Burma manage water   Culture ministry to protect buildings, nature With its antiquated ports, skeletal power grid, and ancient road network, Burma's infrastructure development lags far behind all of its neighbours. Park claims that investment in infrastructure will bring both high returns for the economy in the short-term, as well as provide a necessary foundation for further development if high growth rates are to continue. The ADB is currently financing the upgrade of two crucial transportation corridors in Burma – a road linking the towns of Pyapon and Maubin in the Irrawaddy Delta, as well as the final stretch of the East-West Economic Corridor, an ambitious project intended to improve overland connectivity in mainland Southeast Asia by linking the South China Sea to the Bay of Bengal. "Infrastructure needs substantial investment in all areas, especially transport connectivity and electrification," said Park. "In order to meet the demand coming from high growth, the sum of the projections we have show that the country will need as much as US$80 billion dollars of cumulative [infrastructure investment]… by 2030." Despite Burma's vast economic potential, the current limitations on growth and the development of an investment climate conducive to attracting foreign interest are hurdles that only responsive governance and sound policies can help improve, the ADB says. Park claimed that the experiences of other countries in the region can serve as a model for Burma as it navigates the uncertain waters of reform. "If Myanmar can follow the track of fast-growing economies in the region, it could well maintain high growth rates of nine or ten percent for an extended period, if it is to reach a per capita income of $5,000 by 2030," she said.

Irrawaddy headmaster accused of selling off school property Posted: 11 Sep 2014 03:14 AM PDT The headmaster and the village headman sold off a school property in Irrawaddy Division, without providing any prior notification to the staff, trustees or villagers, claimed local residents of Sakhangyi village in Irrawaddy Division. The Taw Phyar Primary School, located in Sakhangyi village, was established in 1958 and is constructed upon 2.6 acres of land that was donated by U Sein, a local resident. Since then, Sien has also been paying the property tax for the school property. The land was allegedly sold four years ago without consent; the local residents learnt about the sale only when they applied to expand the school building and to construct a new building nearby. The local land statistics office informed them that the land had been sold off to a private entity. Related Stories University Students Union opposes Education Bill Mandalay students protest education bill Crossing language barriers Infuriated by the sale of the school land, villagers voiced their dissent. A villager told DVB that, "Even if they wanted to sell the land they should have consulted with the parents and the village authorities. Instead they sold the land and it is now owned by someone else." The village headman, Soe Win, who is also accused of being involved in the deal, had earlier also in 2001, tried to construct a school building on a plot of land used for animal breeding without the consent of local authorities, the villagers claimed. Despite filing a complaint with the town administrator, the issue remains unresolved. The school was notified regarding a merger with another school, which is one mile away from Sakhangyi. The education department has reportedly stopped sending teachers to the school since the fracas began. "The school has been here for generations and teachers came and taught here every year. However, the administrator has not allowed the teachers to come this year. The students are still waiting at the school for teachers to arrive since the term started," said a local resident. Locals said that they are dissatisfied and have notified the authorities. However, residents have since updated DVB, saying that the town administrator read them an order threatening to tear down the school. "He told us that if the local people do not agree to the proposed merger of the two schools and continue to obstruct the demolition, then legal action would be taken against them," claimed a villager.

Drugs: One killed in Tachilek shoot-out Posted: 11 Sep 2014 01:48 AM PDT A 10-minute shoot-out between Thai border security guards and a drug smuggling ring on Tuesday night left one of the gang dead on the outskirts of the Burmese border town of Tachilek, Thai media have reported. Clearing the area the following morning, Thai police said they found a dead man, aged about 30, with in his possession 4,400 amphetamine tablets, a gun and a hand grenade, Manager Online reported. On the same evening, at a checkpoint on the road between the eastern Shan State towns of Tachilek and Mong Sert, Burmese police busted a man on a motorcycle carrying 2,950 speed pills. Related Stories One dead in Shan drug-bust shootout Floods sweep Shan border town Another wrong turn in Mong La And again on Tuesday evening, but this time coming in the opposite direction from Mong Sert to Tachilek, the police special task force on drugs reportedly arrested three men on a motorbike carrying 110 amphetamine pills and a .38 mm pistol. On Thursday morning, the Burmese police force released a statement claiming that a total of 340,000 amphetamine pills were seized nationwide during the first week of September. "Between 1– 7 September, a joint force of Myanmar police and army personnel have seized opium, heroine and more than 340,000 tablets of amphetamines," the statement said, adding that 171 male suspects and 20 female suspects were arrested in 135 incidents.

KIO denies Rohingya army training, suggests foul play Posted: 11 Sep 2014 12:40 AM PDT The Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) has officially denounced claims that the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO) requested any type of military partnership within the northern rebel territories. KIO Vice-Chief of Staff Maj-Gen Gun Maw told DVB on Wednesday that the rumour was based on a misinterpretation of an unofficial "friendly talk", and that the prospect of either offering military training or space to the RSO has never been discussed by the KIO's central executive committee. "We have never given them [the RSO] arms or military training. We have never discussed this in our central committee meetings. There was no official request to us," the rebel leader said. Rumours began after a YouTube video went viral over the weekend, showing a conversation between RSO representatives and KIO Col. James Lum Daum. A member of the RSO appears at one point to be requesting that the KIO accommodate the RSO in the event of an armed struggle. "This was not an official meeting," said Gun Maw, "Col. James [Lum Daum] didn’t report it to our Central Committee. It was just a friendly talk." Related Stories Ethnic peacemakers reach 'non-negotiable' position Ethnic leaders discuss final ceasefire accord Ethnic bloc hopeful of KNU return James Lum Daum also dismissed suspicions of assistance. He explained that he had been invited to lunch with an American friend who is married to a Kachin woman living in Thailand, and that when he arrived there were about seven Muslim men present, whom he did not previously know. After their introductions, one of the men said he was a Rohingya leader and asked if the KIO could provide a space for their army, Col. James Lum Daum said, adding that he thought the man was joking. "It was not an official talk," he said, explaining that it was a casual conversation with a man he didn't know, which he entertained because he was in the company of a close friend. "I don’t want to give even one minute of my time to this kind of useless talk.” James Lum Daum suggested that someone may have intentionally circulated the video to cause confusion and mistrust among KIO leadership as tenuous progress towards a long-awaited peace deal rolls onward. "These are just tactics to give people headaches. I don’t want to be involved in such things. The government is fighting hard against the Kachin. This video could cause conflict or disputes among Kachin leaders. It's psychological warfare. We don't care about that kind of attack,” he said.

Ethnic peacemakers reach ‘non-negotiable’ position Posted: 10 Sep 2014 10:50 PM PDT Ethnic peace negotiators got down to brass tacks on Wednesday during their second day of meetings in Chiang Mai, Thailand, taking up specific issues of troop placement and post-ceasefire recruitment. Nai Hongsa, vice-chairman of the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT), said that the ethnic peacemaking bloc debated whether military operations should remain as they are during the transitional period between signing a ceasefire and implementing political dialogue. "We discussed how armed groups should proceed during the transitional period," he told DVB on Wednesday. "[We decided that] Things should stay as they are now, with troops in their current positions. We are also reviewing requests that there be no new recruitment after signing the ceasefire." The three-day meeting is focused primarily on the third draft of a nationwide ceasefire agreement, which is expected to be signed by the end of this year and would later be signed into law though parliamentary approval. Related Stories KIO denies Rohingya army training, suggests foul play Ethnic leaders discuss final ceasefire accord One dead in Shan drug-bust shootout The most recent and perhaps final draft was agreed upon during the most recent round of meetings between the NCCT and the government's negotiating team, the Union Peace-making Work Committee (UPWC), held in Rangoon in August. NCCT deputy leader and vice-chief of staff for the Kachin Independence Organisation, Maj-Gen Gun Maw, downplayed the meetings as "nothing special", explaining that the team is simply reviewing an agreement that has already undergone several rounds of debate. "We are discussing the draft agreement that came out of our meetings in Rangoon. We are reviewing the document and adding a few points to discuss with government. Nothing special. We aim to finish the draft,” he said. The NCCT and the UPWC have announced plans to meet in late September, but no date has yet been set.  An original August deadline for reaching a nationwide accord came and went, with some players in the peace process predicting that the agreement would be reached by mid-September, when  a fresh session of the Union Parliament is set to begin. The government's chief peace negotiator, Aung Min, now predicts that a nationwide ceasefire will be signed by the end of October. Nai Hongsa, however, said that the ethnic groups have now reached an agreement on most issues, and moving forward will depend on whether Naypyidaw can meet their needs during the next round of bilateral talks.   "I don’t know what the government's position is on all of these issues, but from our perspective, we have now reached a non-negotiable position,” he said.

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