Democratic Voice of Burma |
- Govt, Kachins commit to peace-keeping commission
- Additional aid to Rohingya camps may imply ‘permanent status’: ECC member
- Corruption within Burma’s judicial system exposed
- Irrawaddy minister rebuffs Suu Kyi on constitutional reform
- Coal-fire plant fuels concern in Mon State
| Govt, Kachins commit to peace-keeping commission Posted: 14 May 2014 04:02 AM PDT Peace negotiations resumed between the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) and the government's Union Peace-making Work Committee (UPWC) in Kachin State capital Myitkyina on Tuesday. The conference concluded with the drafting of a five-point statement, declaring a bilateral commitment to establish a joint peace-keeping commission, and vowing that both sides will continue to openly address the issues of recent conflict and the role of responsible media. As requested by leadership of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the armed wing of the KIO, the meeting was attended by several observers including Mariann Hagen from the office of the UN Secretary-general's Special Advisor on Burma, China's Southeast Asia Special Envoy Wang Yingfan, and 39 representatives of Burma's ethnic and political groups. The state-level peace talks, separate from recent meetings geared towards a nationwide ceasefire, were requested by the KIA in response to intermittent conflict in Kachin and northern Shan states that has displaced thousands of civilians and left at least 22 soldiers dead since early April. Related StoriesMany of the refugees were already internally displaced persons (IDPs), forced to flee their homes in one of several bouts of fighting since a 17-year ceasefire between the two sides broke down in June 2011. Hundreds are said to be flocking back and forth between severely under-resourced temporary camps, while many others made a run for the border with China. State media reported on Thursday that the resettlement of displaced persons is a priority in the process of securing a lasting peace in Kachin State. The New Light of Myanmar cited Union minister and vice-chairman of the UPWC, Aung Min, emphasising the urgency of reopening villages and roads used by Kachin and Shan people who have been displaced. Relocation of IDPs has already begun, according to aid workers, despite outspoken concerns that the terrain remains too dangerous and the villages are still in disrepair. Tuesday's talks primarily aimed to prepare the two sides "to promptly settle issues if hostilities arise," said Kwe Htoo Win, secretary of the Karen National Union, "which we see as a positive sign for the nationwide ceasefire effort." Kwe Htoo Win was among the ethnic representatives selected to observe the negotiations. Following the meeting, the UN Special Advisor on Burma announced that the UN "welcomes the constructive dialogue… particularly the decision to establish a joint Conflict Resolution Committee". While the two sides are still unprepared to pen a state-level peace pact, observers mostly agreed that the talks are a step in the right direction, as Burma aims to achieve an historic nationwide peace deal later this year following decades of crippling civil war.  The KIA is the only major ethnic armed group yet to reach a state-level ceasefire with the central government, though several others are still involved in active combat with the Burmese military, including the Shan State Army-North, which occupies some territories in and adjacent to Kachin State. |
| Additional aid to Rohingya camps may imply ‘permanent status’: ECC member Posted: 14 May 2014 03:58 AM PDT The latest round of talks to restore humanitarian access in Arakan State – held on 8 May in Sittwe between Burma's Ministry of Health, the state-level Emergency Coordination Centre (ECC), UN agencies and implementing partner NGOs – came and went with no real progress, sources familiar with the negotiations have told DVB. Than Tun, a local Arakanese Buddhist community leader and member of the ECC, said that he was against further assistance to bolster the capacity of the existing hospital in the Dar Paing camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) near Sittwe, one of the largest around the city. "We see that the IDP camps are only here temporarily, and so their hospital should also be temporary and it doesn't need to be permanent," he said. "We are worried that giving the [IDPs] a permanent hospital will imply that they have a permanent status to stay here." Than Tun's assertion is deeply worrying, as it indicates that the ECC has become a platform for Arakanese nationalists to demonstrate their aversion to both international NGOs and the union government – a far cry from its original mandate as an apolitical forum for humanitarian coordination. The ECC currently has no power to reject offers of aid in its own right, as the activities of humanitarian organisations in Burma are defined through memoranda of understanding between themselves and union-level ministries. At the Arakan National Conference held in late April, Arakanese nationalist groups called on international NGOs to deliver aid in a "balanced" manner between Arakanese Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims, but also made demands of Naypyidaw that included equitable distribution of natural gas revenues. Unwilling to further inflame nationalist passions in the run-up to the 2015 elections, the union government appears to have buckled to their demands and undermined international relief efforts in the name of political expediency. The most prominent example of this dynamic at play was the expulsion of Médecins Sans Frontières-Holland (MSF) from Arakan in early March. The organisation was the primary healthcare provider for hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people, primarily Rohingya Muslims, across the state, and the Ministry of Health quickly pledged to fill the healthcare void left by their departure. But its response has so far been inadequate, with basic medicines and nutritional assistance in short supply, and with few healthcare professionals to deliver care. Subject to severe mobility restrictions and rendered stateless by decree, the residents of Dar Paing and other IDP camps have nowhere else to go. Thousands are in need of basic healthcare, food and sanitation. Numerous offers of assistance from UN agencies and NGOs have been rejected by both union- and state-level authorities, and assistance to displaced people in northern Arakan has been minimal to nonexistent. The incipient monsoon season, set to unleash its full wrath on Arakan soon, is another major point of concern. "The main priority now is to restart the humanitarian aid mechanism before the monsoon hits; as soon as possible," UN spokesman Aye Win told DVB. "We learned the health conditions in displacement camps – for both communities – are extremely dire in some areas, and we are working to resume aid work amid these issues." Despite the political machinations going on behind the scenes, Dr. Liviu Vedrasco, the Health Cluster coordinator for the World Health Organisation in Burma, told DVB that the Ministry of Health has been amenable to cooperation. "The situation is not ideal, but offers of assistance have been accepted. There are nearly 100 medical personnel that are forming joint teams and going to IDP camps, but maybe not as often as they used to in the past," he said. Related StoriesDenying life-saving aid as a "push factor" to force the Rohingya to flee may constitute a crime against humanity, observers have warned in recent months. In his final report to the UN Human Rights Council, published in March, the outgoing special rapporteur on Burma, Tómas Ojea Quintana accused the government of "failing to address the systematic discrimination and marginalisation of the Rohingya community", and at a conference in London last month, he claimed "there are elements of genocide in Rakhine [Arakan] with respect to Rohingya." |
| Corruption within Burma’s judicial system exposed Posted: 14 May 2014 03:35 AM PDT An investigation by DVB Multimedia Group (DVB) into alleged malpractices within the Burmese judicial system exposes how court procedures are manipulated using false evidence and documents. Many people in Burma have been vociferous in complaining about rampant corruption within the government and the bureaucracy. Transparency International ranks Burma in its annual index as 157th out of 177 countries in levels of corruption. Thura Aung Ko from the Lower Parliament's Complaints Committee declared that over 90 percent of the complaints his committee receives are related to cases of corrupt practices within the judiciary. Until now, there has not been a conclusive media investigation that has exposed these malpractices within the Burmese courts. DVB spent four months investigating a particular civil case regarding a plot of land in Hlegu Township, Rangoon Division, with a current market value of approximately US$1.5 million. The case, titled "Civil Case Number 416 and 417", was filed at Rangoon Divisional Court in April 2010. The case concerns the transfer of ownership of the plot to Lyaung Ngut Lin (alias San San Yi). The defendant, Win Tun, was appointed caretaker of the land by the original owner, Li Yawn Kyin – a Kokang Chinese who is believed to have died in 2008-09 during fighting between government forces and Kokang troops. San San Yi testified that she is the lawful wife of Li Yawn Kyin and so filed the case to claim ownership of the land. An ex parte court ruling was pronounced in favour of the plaintiff in October 2010 by Justice Lay Lay Mon, now a judge at Mandalay High Court. Related StoriesDVB's investigation unveiled that the judge's unilateral decision in favour of San San Yi was based purely on false evidence and forged documents provided by the plaintiff. The court failed to conduct even the most rudimentary examination to check the accuracy of plaintiff's evidence. But now it comes to light that San San Yi mistakenly filed the incorrect plot numbers for the land she was claiming. A new case has now been opened and San San Yi is claiming ownership for the correct plot numbers. DVB's evidence of forgery and falsification could now affect the legitimacy of her claim. The case continues. |
| Irrawaddy minister rebuffs Suu Kyi on constitutional reform Posted: 14 May 2014 02:30 AM PDT In response to widespread calls for constitutional reform, Irrawaddy Division's Chief Minister has announced that there is no need to amend the 2008 constitution. Thein Aung's comments coincided with a rally held by the National League for Democracy in Irrawaddy's Maubin Township. The rally was intended to gather public support for charter reform. Speaking to DVB on 10 May, Thein Aung said the decision to amend the constitution, "should be based on how much damage it can cause to the country, the public, the economy, and politics. It should only be considered if there are major issues, but there is nothing like that in the current constitution," he said. Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD are spearheading the charter reform campaign and calls to amend the constitution before the 2015 elections are widespread. At the Maubin rally, Suu Kyi stressed that the army carries the responsibility to amend the constitution– as they hold 25 percent of seats in parliament and therefore have the power to veto any bill put forward. Related Stories"Our people need to seriously consider why they don't want amendments. Study on the constitution evidently shows that it is not in conformity with democratic standards," said opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi while speaking to a crowd of NLD supporters in Maubin. At the rally, the NLD conducted a survey to determine the level of support for charter reform. Their survey found that 90 percent of those who attended the event wished to see constitutional change. The majority of people at the rally were already NLD supporters. |
| Coal-fire plant fuels concern in Mon State Posted: 14 May 2014 12:47 AM PDT Several civil society groups in Mon State have united in opposition to a proposed coal-fired power plant. The Mon Youth Forum (MYF) and Ye Town Social Assistance Group claim the 1,200-megawatt plant could cause extensive and irreversible environmental damage. Operated by Thailand-based Toyo-Thai Corporation (TTCPCL), the project is planned for a 500-acre plot near Ye Township's Endin village, and is expected to burn 12,000 tons of coal each day for 30 years. Representatives of TTCPCL and the Mon State ministry of electric power visited Endin on 25 April to give a presentation to villagers about the project, explaining that the plant requires an investment of US$2.5 billion and will run on a 30-year contract. Attendees were not satisfied with the presentation, according to Min Soe Thein, a member of MYF. "We are especially worried about environmental damage," said Min Soe Thein. "Most locals rely on agriculture and fishing. Our livelihoods will be threatened if the soil gets polluted or if fish start dying." He also said that land compensation schemes were completely inadequate; while some payments were offered for lands strictly within the project's parameters, nearby affected lands remain unaccounted for in the project planning. The MYF estimated that seven villages will feel effects of the development. Furthermore, said Min Soe Thein, the representatives informed the local population that the facility will employ several thousand people, far more workers than the local population could provide. This has led to fears that a rapid influx of migrant workers could threaten the culture and traditions of the area. |
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