Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Democratic Voice of Burma

Democratic Voice of Burma

Population shortfall forces rethink

Posted: 03 Sep 2014 05:37 AM PDT

Thousands of enumerators fanned out across Burma in April to conduct the country's first census since 1983. The census workers identified 51.4 million people living in the country, more than six million short of the figure estimated by the country's Election Commission in 2010.

Speaking to the press in Rangoon on Tuesday night, the UNFPA put the miscalculation down to an exaggerated birth-rate. The government has long assumed that more than three babies were being born per 1,000 people each year. The birth rate has now been revised down to just two per every 1,000, according to the UNFPA's Fredrick Okwayo.

According to Khin Yi, Minister of Immigration and Population, the government's once official statistic of 60.98 million was based on approximate reproduction rates taken from a basis point provided by the last census.

Justine Drennan suggested in Foreign Policy that the numbers had drastically fluctuated under decades of repressive military rule, with people having either fled the country or migrated to neighbouring countries to escape the deepening poverty in Burma.

Despite knowing this, Drennan claimed that "It was easier for the Burmese government to consistently proclaim the population at an exaggerated 60 million, rather than accept the shameful rationale of repression having shrunk the populace."

The Burmese government, aid groups and the UN have long relied on population data for the roll-out of development projects, making accurate information desperately necessary, says the UNFPA.

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However, controversy dogged the count even before enumerators marked their first ballot. The government back-flipped on the right of the Rohingya Muslims to self-identify, after riots broke out in the Arakan capital of Sittwe. The idea of listing "Rohingya" as an ethnicity in the census led to violent protests by Arakan Buddhists.

Ongoing fighting between the government forces and ethnic armed groups in Kachin and northern Shan states also blocked the count.

These ongoing internal conflicts further contributed to more than one million people going under the radar, mostly Rohingyas and Kachins.

Bullet Points: 3 September 2014

Posted: 03 Sep 2014 05:19 AM PDT

On today's edition of Bullet Points:

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

Fighting breaks out between Pa-O and Shan armies

Posted: 03 Sep 2014 03:39 AM PDT

An armed clash erupted on Wednesday morning in southern Shan State between troops of the Shan State Army-South (SSA-S) and the Pa-O National Liberation Army (PNLA).

According to Khun Myint Tun, the chairman of the PNLA's political wing, the Pa-O National Liberation Organization, the fighting broke out at dawn around the village of NongTon Ki in Mauk Mae Township.

"Fighting broke out at around 6am and has continued all morning," he told DVB at 10:30am.

The PNLO chairman declined to give out details of how and why the battle broke out, but suggested it could be linked to a residential development project that is currently going ahead in the area.

The fighting occurred at the Nong Ton Ki village in Kadugyi area, where the Pa-O National Liberation Front has been based following a ceasefire agreement with the Union Government.

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"We are constructing a new residential zone called Khanpake in the Kadugyi area," he said. "This is intended as a place for our soldiers and their families to live, and is being implemented in cooperation with the central government."

He noted that on 21 August, the SSA-S had arrested three soldiers from the PNLO, though he did not directly attribute that incident to this morning's violence.

The Pa-O leader said that he has called for the United Nationalities Federal Council to send a delegation to resolve the matter.

On 23 August, SSA-S chief Lt-Gen.Yawd Serk reportedly sent a letter to the PNLO command, requesting it to withdraw Pa-O troops from the area. The letter had apparently alluded to an announcement that Naypyidaw had recognised the disputed area as a Pa-O autonomous region.

Both, the PNLO and the SSA-S, have signed ceasefire agreements with the Burmese government; however while the Pa-O have attended nationwide ceasefire talks in recent months, the Shan army has not fully committed to the current peace process.

Russia looks East

Posted: 03 Sep 2014 01:25 AM PDT

Russia has proposed a significant increase in bilateral trade with Burma, expecting to reach US$500 million and establish itself as a prominent trade partner.

An agreement was signed between Russian Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyukayev and his Burmese counterpart in Naypyidaw on 29 August.

The increase in trade, which the minister predicts will rise from US$114 million to US$500 million a year by 2017, is expected to boost development across sectors such as energy, industrial development, information technology and aviation, among others.

At $500 million, the agreement seems to be of crucial importance to Burma, considering that it is almost equivalent to one percent of the country's total GDP. The funds are aimed at inter-governmental economic cooperation, according to state-run The New Light of Myanmar.

Burma's Minister of National Planning and Economic Development Dr. Kan Zaw explained the significance of the agreement with Moscow, telling RIA Novosti how development in Burma will be accelerated hereafter. "[A] long history of friendship and cooperation with Russia has aided Burma in development across sectors in the past," he said.

Colin Sollit, a Johns Hopkins University scholar of Russian affairs, told DVB that, "This trade commission is both an advertisement for Russian trade and a ‘toe in the water’ for Russian banks."

With the increasing severity of proposed trade sanctions against Russia by US and European Union, the possibility of Russia strengthening diplomatic relations with Asian countries seems to be a feasible option.

"With the new sanctions against Russia and Russian banking in particular, Russian financiers have lost a lucrative and low-risk venue in the EU for Russian-underwritten debt and Russian-funded equity. Burma can be seen as lucrative, but it is yet to be determined if it is low-risk," said Sollit.

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Russia, the world's second largest arms exporter, has also undertaken to boost arms trade with Burma, following the loss of its conventional markets and the war in the Middle East. Earlier in March, a visit by Russian Defense Minister Sergie Shoigu served as a precedent to boost defense ties with Burma. Of the 60 Russian companies that attended the first trade commission on 29 August, present also was state-owned United Aircraft Corporation, which sells MIG 29s to the Burmese air force through its subsidiary Mikoyan.

Russia has long fostered good diplomatic relations with Burma, being the only other UNSC member along with China to veto interference in the country's internal affairs in 2007.

The bilateral agreement may come as no surprise to observers considering the long-standing political and economic influence that Russia has enjoyed in Burma during the course of decades-long Western sanctions.

Another precedent of the bilateral agreement would be the investment in Burma by Russian oil company Bashneft. Earlier in August, Bashneft signed a production sharing contract with Myanmar Oil and Gas Co and Sun Apex holdings. With an investment reported to be around US$38.3 million, Bashneft will own 90 percent of the operation, according to RIA Novosti.

Sean Turnell, professor of economics at Australia's Macquarie University, explained potential motivations behind the boost. Turnell told DVB that "Russian firms might have a comparative advantage in investing in Myanmar’s energy sector, not least since they are well-experienced in operating in both physical extremes and institutional and policy uncertainty."

With a history of resource exploitation, it remains to be seen whether Burma is competing in a race to the bottom by increasing foreign investments in the energy sector.

Though Russia may seem to be a late entrant into the Burmese energy sector, it could also be perceived as a calibrated move, considering the vast Chinese investment in the country.

Rajeev Sharma, a strategic analyst and journalist, told DVB that, "Russia would not like to be seen as rocking China’s boat. Russia has much at stake with China, economically and strategically, which it would not like to fritter away for Myanmar."

Moscow's bid to invest in Burma also emerged at an hour when foreign investment seems to have gained momentum at an accelerated pace.

The Burmese economy, once stagnant under socialist policies and dominated by state-owned industries, has recently opened up as a new frontier for foreign investment.

The country has since become a playground for major players. Western superpowers such as the United States and the European Union, who hitherto adhered to the economic sanctions imposed upon Burma, are now rushing in and expanding trade boundaries. Moscow's attempt seems a natural attempt to reinforce its sphere of influence.

Sharma suggested that, "Increasing bilateral trade to $500 million per year by 2017 from the current $114 million is a political signal from Russia that it wants to step into this once iron-curtain country in an incremental manner… Moscow would like to emerge as an effective player in Myanmar when the country is opening up to foreign powers. Russia would like to be present wherever the US is".

 

 

 

UNFC opens 2 top positions for KNU

Posted: 03 Sep 2014 12:34 AM PDT

The United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) will reserve two leading positions within the ethnic alliance for representatives of the Karen Nation Union (KNU) despite the Karen group walking out of the UNFC conference in Chiang Mai on Sunday.

Speaking to DVB and other reporters at the end of the summit on Tuesday, Kachin Independence Organisation Vice-president Lt-Gen N'Ban La said that 42 council members had been elected, in addition to 12 central executive committee members, each on two-year terms from 2014 to 2016.

N'Ban La said that he had been elected to continue as UNFC chairman, a position he has held since the ethnic bloc was established in 2011. He said that former UNFC General-Secretary Nai Hongsa of the New Mon State Party would assume one of the two vice-chairperson's positions, while the other seat will be reserved for a KNU representative.

He said that Khu Oo Reh, the vice-chairman of the Karenni National Progressive Party, will now assume the role of general-secretary. Two joint general-secretaries were also appointed at the seven-day summit, he said. The two new appointees will be Col. Khun Okker of the Pa-O National Liberation Organization and Salai Thla Hei of the Chin National Front.

N'Ban La said that in addition to the 12 central executive committee members, another six representatives would form the UNFC central committee. Five had already been named, he said, and a sixth position was reserved for the KNU.

The Chiang Mai summit had originally been scheduled for four days, but was extended to seven, concluding after 9pm on Tuesday night.

Delegates were stunned on Sunday when several KNU representatives, led by Commander-in-chief Mutu Say Poe, walked out of the conference, complaining about the lack of independence for each party within the ethnic bloc.

The KNU later that day sent a letter to the conference "temporarily suspending" its membership within the alliance.

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Then on Monday, KNU Vice-chairperson Naw Zipporah Sein – who had also attended the summit, but who did not join the KNU faction that walked out – wrote to the UNFC apologising for the group's behaviour and promising that the KNU will resolve the issues among themselves.

In a letter headed: "The difference in views between KNU delegates on the UNFC constitution", Zipporah Sein wrote: "We, the Karen National Union, will discuss and negotiate among ourselves over the disagreement between KNU delegates … On behalf of the Karen National Union, I would like to apologise to the UNFC for delaying the conference."

UNFC Chairman N'Ban La maintained on Tuesday that the KNU dispute would not break the unity among UNFC members.

"Unity has not been broken," he said. "We discuss everything in frank terms."

He said the door was still open for the KNU to resume its place within the ethnic bloc.

"We will continue to work with all KNU delegates," he said. "They have not resigned [from the UNFC]. They didn’t leave for good. They will discuss matters within their own central committee. I don’t know when they will come back to negotiations, but they will come back."

The KNU faction headed by Mutu Say Poe has indicated that it cannot accept the UNFC making decisions for member organisations. It said they want the bloc to operate as a forum but not as a unified committee.

On Sunday, KNU General-secretary Padoh Saw Kwe Htoo Win said, "This [UNFC] organisation is costing us our autonomy. It is a top-down structure where we are expected to hand over our fate to the leadership. We cannot accept that. We must continue to represent the Karen people, and the UNFC is not always considering their best interests."

However, in the KNU's central executive committee statement on Monday, his faction appeared willing to compromise. Chairman Mutu Say Poe was quoted as saying, "The KNU does not intend to sign a separate nationwide ceasefire accord with the Myanmar government."

Asked about the apparent split within the Karen leadership, N'Ban La said, "Different organisations have different views. Within the UNFC there is no discrimination. If the UNFC was dictatorial, other groups would also leave.”

The newly appointed general-secretary of the alliance agreed. "No one organisation is controlling the UNFC," said Khu Oo Reh. "In some cases, they may see one organisation as dominant, but no one controls policy. Other groups feel similarly; no one group controls the bloc."

Khine Soe Naing Aung, the vice-chairman of the Arakan Liberation Party, echoed the sentiment and said the KNU's temporary withdrawal from talks will not affect the peace process.

"It certainly hurt us when the KNU delegation walked out of the conference," he said. "But there are many ways to rebuild unity. The absence of the KNU will not affect the peace process because negotiations are conducted via the NCCT [Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team]. The KNU is still a part of the NCCT. The UNFC and the NCCT assume different duties. Therefore, this [KNU] move will not hurt the peace process."

During the seven-day ethnic conference, delegates pledged to work together to help establish a federal union in Burma.

British activist’s defamation trial begins in Bangkok

Posted: 02 Sep 2014 10:03 PM PDT

A potentially precedent-setting trial began on Tuesday in Bangkok, as British activist Andy Hall faced the first of four libel charges against him for his research about a Thai company's alleged abuse of migrant labourers.

Hall is being sued by Natural Fruit, a pineapple processing company based in Thonburi, Bangkok province. The trial, which will continue until 10 September, involves statements he made during an Al Jazeera video report that went live in June 2013. Hall faces a total of at least seven years in prison for related charges.

The comments made to Al Jazeera, over which he faces a one-year prison sentence, implicate the company in unlawfully low wages and employment of underage workers. Natural Fruit employs hundreds of mostly Burmese migrants, who make up a significant portion of Thailand's low-skill workforce and are widely regarded as vulnerable to labour abuse.

Natural Fruit's vice-president Kachin Komneyawanich, the plaintiff in the case, claims that the allegations were completely fabricated, and that the company's revenues have dropped by a large margin since the content was published.

Hall's is a unique and convoluted case, which has been lambasted by rights defenders and industry figures alike, claiming that he is being targeted to demonstrate that some issues and industries are off limits. The total of four charges – which include criminal defamation, violation of Thailand's controversial Computer Crimes Act (CCA) and a civil defamation suit seeking damages of US$10 million – all trace back to research conducted for a European accountability watchdog, Finnwatch.

"What I did was in the public interest and what I did was for the benefit of migrant workers"

Finnwatch contracted Hall, who at the time was associate researcher at Bangkok's Mahidol University, to investigate three Thai food processing companies that supply European markets: Thai Union Manufacturing, Unicord and Natural Fruit. The group published the findings in 2013, which were based largely on site visits and interviews with employees.

The damning report, titled Cheap Has a High Price, cited worker testimony claiming abuses including child labour, confiscation of passports, low wages and severely unsafe conditions. The allegations were taken seriously by some European retailers and ultimately resulted in several supplier contract renegotiations.

Natural Fruit, however, dismissed the findings entirely. The company initially chose to pursue legal action under the CCA, enacted in 2007, which broadly criminalises all "forged computer data or false computer data". While the law is generally thought to have been drafted to prevent physical or proprietary damage to computer systems, research by an independent Thai legal organisation, iLaw, shows that fraud and defamation cases are its most common application.

Hall had since moved to Rangoon, Burma's former capital, where he worked as a labour rights consultant for an EU-backed initiative. In mid-2013, as his case began to garner attention abroad, he was contacted for an interview about his work in Thailand.

Former Al Jazeera correspondent Wayne Hay met with Hall in Rangoon, and he spoke candidly about his work with Finnwatch and the impending charges. Mostly, though, he spoke about what workers told him during the interviews.

"All of the workers said to me that working there was like hell," Hall said in the clip, which is still viewable on YouTube and was played back several times to the court on Tuesday. This line drew particular ire from Natural Fruit, whose counsel seemed fixated on the connotations of the word "hell". The defense maintains that the statement was based on employee testimony and that Hall had no intent to harm the company.

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"I think it's very difficult to prove that I had a malicious intent toward this company," said Hall, speaking before the hearing. "What I did was in the public interest and what I did was for the benefit of migrant workers."

Shortly after it aired, and after Hall had already been charged by Natural Fruit for his Finnwatch research, the company announced that they would charge him again. Hall was arraigned and detained on 18 June this year, and was released on bail paid by the Thai Frozen Foods Association and Thai Tuna Industry Association, the country's two biggest food industry organisations.

There has to date been no indication that either Wayne Hay or Al Jazeera will face charges, harking back to another defamation case in Thailand against employees of an online newspaper, Phuketwan, who are being sued by the Royal Thai Navy for quoting content published by Reuters. In that case, the defendants will face CCA charges in March 2015, and could also be jailed for up to seven years. London-based Reuters has not been charged, and has since received a Pulitzer Prize for the content in question.

In both of these cases, the defendants have long track records of reporting on abuses committed against migrants and refugees in Thailand, leading many to believe that they are being punished for their investigations into sensitive issues like human trafficking and exploitative labour.

"I think I'm being targeted, I think I'm being harassed," Hall said on Tuesday as he entered the courtroom. In the lead-up to the case, multiple campaigns were launched in his defense, collectively representing hundreds of thousands of individuals asking the Thai government and relevant industry lobbies to push for an acquittal. So many supporters appeared at Tuesday's hearing that it had to be moved to a larger room to accommodate the crowd, which included diplomats from Australia, Finland and the UK, representatives of Finnwatch and the International Labour Organization, and a throng of more than 20 migrant workers.

A verdict is expected on 10 September, and his next trial will commence on the 15th, which is expected to take much longer. Thai authorities have confiscated his passport, and he is currently in Thailand on a criminal visa, which binds him to stay in-country throughout the proceedings. Hall said that he is "very confident" that he'll see justice, and will remain determined to fight all of the charges, which could ultimately take years.

"For someone like me, who has given ten years of my life to these issues, I can't stop. It's my life, it's what I do, I'm not going to turn my back, I'm not going to walk away," he said.

 

 
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