Monday, October 13, 2014

Democratic Voice of Burma

Democratic Voice of Burma

Over one thousand die in labour camps over last decade

Posted: 13 Oct 2014 06:14 AM PDT

Over one thousand inmates died in Burma's prison labour camps between May 2004 and August 2014, according to Burma's minister of home affairs. Speaking to a Lower House session of parliament on Monday, the minister, Brig-Gen Kyaw Kyaw Tun, listed the major causes of the 1,100 deaths as results of the weather, diet, lifestyle and accidents.

The notorious camps, known as Yebet, were first introduced to Burma in 1978. Kyaw Kyaw Tun figured the number of Yebet deaths between 1978 and 2004 at 4,187, telling parliament that the four-fold decrease in deaths in custody was thanks to a string of penal reforms enacted in 2004.

In 2004, the then ruling the State Peace and Development Council dissolved 36 labour camps and renamed remaining facilities "Agriculture and Livestock Breeding Career Training Centres" or  "Manufacturing Centres".

"Between 1978 and 2004 when the Yebet camps were abolished, there were 4,187 inmate deaths – that's an average of 161 deaths every year," said Brig-Gen Kyaw Kyaw Tun.

"Between 12 May 2004 and 31 March 2011, there were 999 inmate deaths in the Agriculture and Livestock Breeding Career Training Centres and Manufacturing Centres; averaging 142 deaths per year.  Between 1 April 2011 and 31 August 2014, 120 died in 46 centres," he said.

According to government figures there are currently over 10,000 inmates serving in 46 centres across the country, where convicted criminals serve the "hard labour" elements of their sentences.

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Five journalists from the now-defunct news journal Unity Weekly are among those to be recently sentenced to hard labour for their crimes. They were found guilty of exposing state secrets in July, after a January edition of Unity Weekly alleged the existence of a "secret chemical weapons factory" in Magwe division.

The five remain in Pakokku prison, having had their ten year sentences reduced seven after a successful appeal on 2 October.

Bullet Points: 13 October 2014

Posted: 13 Oct 2014 05:00 AM PDT

On today's edition of Bullet Points:

  • DKBA denies responsibility for deadly Karen State mortar attack.
  • Jailed ABFSU student Phyu Hnin Htwe in court, reports deteriorating health.
  • KFC sets 2015 for Burmese launch.
  • Burma’s young footballers begin AFC competition in style

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

KFC coming to Burma next year

Posted: 13 Oct 2014 04:22 AM PDT

American fast-food chain KFC, formerly known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, will be coming to Burma in the very near future. KFC and its parent company, Yum Brands, appear set to become the first Western fast food chain to operate inside Burma following the lifting of most international sanctions more than two years ago.

The franchisee in Burma will be Singapore-listed Yoma Strategic Holdings, controlled by Sino-Burmese businessman Serge Pun. "Chicken is a staple protein in Myanmar [Burma] and our people recognise the KFC brand and Colonel Sanders' secret Original Recipe of 11 herbs and spices," said Pun in a statement released by Yoma on Monday.

Yoma’s Head of Business Development, JR Ching, told DVB on Monday that the launch date for KFC’s first store in the country has yet to be finalised but restaurants will be opening at some point in Rangoon next year. "Yum has a very strong track record of growth and expansion in the emerging market and they’ve been very successful in launching the KFC brand around the world," said Ching.

According to Ching, the menu for KFC’s Burmese restaurants will serve KFC signature dishes including the Zinger Burger and Original Recipe Chicken. There may however be a few offerings that are unique to Burma. "We are currently working very closely with KFC and their new product development team to tailor a couple of products to suit local tastes to ensure that our products are locally relevant and appealing," said Ching.

Though their plans have yet to be completely finalised, Ching told DVB that local suppliers are being considered. "As an overarching principle we’ll always strive to source from local suppliers wherever possible. That being said, clearly the infrastructure and the supply chain of the country need to developed, need to be built. So we’re working with both KFC and local partners to make sure this is done, to ensure food safety and product quality," he said.

Yoma has been listed on the Singapore stock exchange since August 2006. Pun, who made his first fortune in Hong Kong’s property market in the 1980s, has been called by some Burma’s "Mr Clean", for the ostensibly transparent way he operates his extensive business interests in Burma which range from real estate to an airline.

But not everyone is entirely convinced. A May 2008 Times of London article discussing Pun’s partnering with the aid group Save the Children in the wake of Cyclone Nargis was titled "Britain’s aid millions channelled through tycoon with ties to junta".

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The article, written by Kenneth Denby, went on to describe Pun and his dealings with the then ruling military regime in rather unflattering terms. "By Burmese standards he is a reputable businessman, but aid workers acknowledge privately that he is not the kind of figure with whom they would associate in normal circumstances. Mr Pun maintains good relations with the Burmese dictatorship, has socialised with its leaders, and is a donor to state-run charities,” Denby wrote.

It remains to be seen how well Pun and KFC’s partnership in Burma will fare. While the chain’s parent owner, Yum Brands, who also owns Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, has had great success in Asia over the years, KFC has had a difficult time in the region as of late. According to the Washington Post, Yum’s third-quarter earnings report which was released last week, showed a 14 percent drop in the third quarter for the company’s China Division. The dive in sales came after a major scandal involving one of KFC’s meat suppliers in China, Shanghai Husi Food Co.

The food scare began in July after Chinese TV broadcast footage purportedly showing workers at Shanghai Husi Food Co using meat that had expired or fallen on the ground. Although KFC severed its ties with the firm, the result of the crisis in China brought a "significant, negative impact to same-store sales at both KFC and Pizza Hut in China over the past 10 days," Yum stated in a 30 July filing made with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Koh Tao murders: suspects claim chest pains from interrogation

Posted: 13 Oct 2014 03:16 AM PDT

Following claims in Thai media that both suspects in the Koh Tao murder case were suffering from chest pains as a result of beatings during interrogation, lawyer Aung Myo Thant, one of a Burmese embassy team that interviewed the two Burmese suspects, confirmed that both Burmese made similar claims to him during a recent interview.

Speaking to DVB on Sunday, the Burmese lawyer said, "Zaw Lin, the larger of the two youngsters, claimed he was kicked in the chest and punched. [The other suspect] Win Zaw Htun implied that he was struck around the head."

When asked who is alleged to have inflicted the beatings, Aung Myo Thant said, "The policeman who first interrogated them kicked Zaw Lin in the chest, but he says he was punched by the translator."

The lawyer said he could not determine exactly where and when the alleged incidents took place, but supposed it was on Koh Tao around 29 September.

Other media reports have suggested that the two suspects showed bruises on their bodies to the embassy team that they claim were inflicted during interrogation.

Speaking to Burma's President Thein Sein in Naypyidaw on Friday, Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha promised to ensure truth, justice and objectivity in the investigation of Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun.

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Zaw Htay, director of the Burmese President's Office, said, "The President told Prime Minister Prayuth that the Burmese government accepts that one has to respect Thai law when in Thailand, but he stressed that the Thai government must ensure truth, justice and objectivity in the investigation, to which the Thai premier agreed.

"The President said the case is drawing a lot of attention from the whole country: media, civil society organisations and within the government. He urged the Thai premier to ensure the rights of Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun, and noted the case could affect Thai-Burmese relations.

"The Thai Prime Minister responded that he understood the importance of the matter with regard to bilateral relations, and said his government seeks to gain the confidence of the people of Myanmar [Burma] and the international community by concluding the case in a correct manner."

According to Zaw Htay, Prayuth explained that the Thai government has been prioritising the issue of labour cards as IDs for Burmese migrants and vowed to ensure they enjoy the same level of protection as Thai nationals.

Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun, both 21 years of age from Kyaukphyu in Arakan State, are being detained pending charges relating to the rape and murder of Hannah Witheridge, 23, and the murder of David Miller, 24, both from England. The British couple were bludgeoned to death on 15 September on the Thai island resort of Koh Tao.

Koh Tao murders: Thai lawyers wait to be appointed

Posted: 13 Oct 2014 01:56 AM PDT

The Lawyers Council of Thailand is expected to decide today whether it will assign lawyers to assist in the case of the two Burmese men accused of murder on Koh Tao.

The Burmese embassy has also appointed a lawyer to interview the pair, though it is not known if he will help if the matter goes to trial.

Meanwhile, a human rights network is offering the services of prominent lawyer Nakhon Chomphuchat to lead the defence of the two suspects, if they choose to appoint him.

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Mr Nakhon said the Cross-Cultural Foundation (CrCF) has asked him if he would like to represent suspects Zaw Htun and Zaw Lin, who face lengthy prison terms if convicted for their alleged murder of British tourists Hannah Witheridge and David Miller.

Several human rights agencies, including CrCF and the Human Rights and Development Foundation, have expressed concern about the treatment of the Burmese migrant workers Win and Zaw. If appointed, Mr Nakhon said he would look into his clients’ condition, as well as claims the police investigation was improperly carried out. The rights group Amnesty International has suggested the pair were tortured into confessing.

The suspects have been questioned several times without lawyers, he said, adding police were still saying the suspects refused to have a lawyer. Mr Nakhon said he and his team would work with the lawyer’s council if they decide to get involved.

Police insist the investigation was fair, and denied reports the suspects were tortured into confessing.

This article was originally published in the Bangkok Post on 13 October 2014.

DKBA denies responsibility for deadly mortar attack

Posted: 13 Oct 2014 12:44 AM PDT

The Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) has denied responsibility for a mortar explosion that killed three civilians and injured 10 in eastern Burma on Saturday.

Saw Soe Myint, the DKBA's Myawaddy-based liaison officer, told DVB on Sunday that the attack had occurred at a rest-stop in the Dawna mountains on the Myawaddy to Kawkareik Highway in eastern Karen State.

"We inquired with our strategic commander, Maj-Gen Saw Kyaw Thet, and he reported that our troops were not responsible for the shelling," he said.

"Our military officers confirmed that our positions are too far to hit Alae Botae," he added. "And in any case, there are many other ethnic armed groups active in the area [who could have done it]."

He told DVB that his team were working to investigate the blast.

A series of renewed clashes between the DKBA and Burmese government forces broke out last month. Casualties on both sides have been reported.

Speaking to DVB, local sources confirmed that two persons were killed on the spot when a mortar shell landed on the road near a rest-stop in Alae Botae on Saturday morning. Another died later in hospital, while at least 10 persons, including three children, sustained injuries in the blast.

Burma's state-run newspapers and other media have reported that four persons were killed.

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"According to truck drivers [who witnessed the explosion], two street vendors and a traveller were killed in the blast in Alae Botae, which is located on top of the Dawna mountain range, at a popular rest-stop between the towns of Myawaddy and Kawkareik," said U Naing, the township secretary of the National League for Democracy (NLD) in Kawkareik.

"There are rumours flying about saying the DKBA is responsible for the attack, but no one actually knows who did it."

U Naing said clashes between the two sides have occurred in the area over the past fortnight, and that Burmese units had launched offensives against DKBA positions.

"We heard there was serious fighting yesterday in Ywarthitgone – about three miles from Kawkareik – and that one government soldier was killed and another injured," said U Naing on Sunday. "Apparently the Burmese troops have captured a DKBA outpost there."

Nan Khin Htwe Myint, chairperson of the NLD in Karen State, speculated that the government forces may be provoking fights with ethnic armed groups to derail the peace process."The government has indicated that the 2015 elections can be held only when there is peace in the country, and honestly I reckon they may be provoking hostilities with the armed groups in order to suspend the elections," he said. "They have used these cunning tactics several times.

"There are various armed groups that have been active in this region for a long time, and they all know how to avoid clashes with each other," he added. "Just when the local population were beginning to enjoy some peace and stability, the stress has been renewed that they have to flee their homes again."

The DKBA signed a union-level ceasefire agreement with the government in December 2011. It is led by Saw Lah Pwe (a.k.a. Na Kham Mwe), a former senior commander in the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army who in 2010 broke away from that group to form his own unit which is today estimated to have some 1,500 troops.
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