The Irrawaddy Magazine

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Amnesty Calls For Investigation Into Torture Allegations on Koh Tao Posted: 08 Oct 2014 03:59 AM PDT A group of Thai and Burmese lawyers, Burmese officials and rights activists talk to Burmese migrant Maung Maung in Koh Samui on Wednesday. (Photo: Min Oo) CHIANG MAI, Thailand — Amnesty International has called for an independent investigation into allegations of torture and ill-treatment by Thai police during the investigation into the murder of two British tourists on Koh Tao last month. In a statement released on Tuesday, the London-based rights group called on Thai authorities to "ensure an independent and thorough investigation into mounting allegations of torture and other ill-treatment by the police, and respect the right to a fair trial" during the murder probe. The statement came after reports that Thai police abused and threatened two Burmese migrant workers, Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun, who are suspected of murdering Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, on the island in the early hours of Sept. 15. The two suspects are currently being detained on Koh Samui. Yesterday, The Irrawaddy reported that one of the migrants told Burmese lawyer Aung Myo Thant, who is part of a legal team sent by the Burmese Embassy in Bangkok to represent the accused, that he was beaten and threatened with electrocution after refusing to confess to the murders during a police interrogation. "The pressure to be seen to be solving an appalling crime that has garnered considerable attention should not result in the violation of rights, including to a fair trial," Richard Bennett, Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific Programme director, said. "All suspects should also be guaranteed their rights to a fair trial—which is of particular importance in a crime that could carry a death sentence." The British newspaper The Guardian also reported that photographic evidence, seen by the newspaper, of the alleged abuse of three other Burmese migrant workers who said they had been scalded with boiling water during a police interrogation, had been passed to the British ambassador to Thailand Mark Kent. At a press conference in Bangkok on Tuesday, Thai police strongly denied accusations of torture or ill-treatment. "I confirm that there was no abuse of any of the suspects," lead investigator Maj Gen Suwat Chaengyodsook was quoted as saying by the Bangkok Post. Meanwhile, the Burmese legal team sent to assist the accused and investigate other claims of abuses, said that Burmese migrants on Koh Tao were afraid to meet and talk openly with the group, while some had seemingly been prevented from doing so. "When we arrived [on Koh Tao], we couldn't call some migrants that we have regular contact with," said Aung Myo Thant. "Some said Thai police [had] seized their phones." The lawyer added: "It seemed that all of the migrants we met were afraid to speak openly because local Thai authorities accompanied us. It seemed that they acted in accordance with what they were ordered." The legal team were able to meet with another Burmese migrant, Maung Maung, who Thai police claimed they were holding as a witness. However, the Director of the Myanmar Association in Thailand, Kyaw Thaung, who is also a member of the legal team, told The Irrawaddy that Maung Maung didn’t witness the murder as he had left his two friends, the accused, at around 1 am on Sept. 15 to go to bed. "He said his friend [Win Zaw Htun] came back to his residence [on the morning of Sept. 15] and went to bed as usual," said Kyaw Thaung. "He said his friends are not violent characters and doesn't believe [that they are the killers]." The post Amnesty Calls For Investigation Into Torture Allegations on Koh Tao appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Prancing With Pachyderms in Burma’s Kyaukse Posted: 07 Oct 2014 04:59 PM PDT Children join a parade of elephants at the Elephant Dance Festival on Tuesday in Kyaukse, Mandalay Division. (Photo: Teza Hlaing / The Irrawaddy) KYAUKSE, Mandalay Division — As Burma celebrates the end of Buddhist Lent across the country this week in a variety of ways, a town located in the heart of Mandalay Division is marking the occasion with an elephant dance-off. The centuries-old Elephant Dance Festival can only be seen in Kyaukse, where the waxing moon of Thadingyut and its attendant prancing pachyderms draw thousands of spectators from across the country. Each year, about 100 of the life-sized elephants—made with a bamboo frame, papier-mâché, satin and decorative colorful sequins—take part in the spectacle. This year about 26 elephant dance teams will also participate in three competitions. The legend on which the tradition is based dates back to the reign of Burmese King Anawratha, who ruled the country in the 11th century. The king is said to have wanted to enshrine a relic tooth of the Buddha, and decided to let his royal elephants choose an auspicious place for it. Near the Thar Lyaung and Kha Yway mountains, at the base of which Kyaukse is located, the royal elephants stopped and a pagoda was built there to enshrine the relic. The festival to honor the king's royal elephants has been held at the location every year since. The Elephant Dance Festival takes place one day before the full moon day of Thadingyut. On the full moon day, residents of Kyaukse will gather and go up to the pagoda, which is built on the mountainside, to offer elephant-shaped rice cakes. But ahead of that, the elephant dancing was in full swing on Tuesday, the eve of Thadingyut. During the opening ceremony, elephant dancers showed off their skills by dancing wildly, gracefully and with acrobatic flair. Two men inside each of the elephant figures dance to the beat of drummers and traditional Burmese instruments, while other team members sing. The competition is divided into three categories: traditional costume style, elaborate decoration and youths' participation, all of which are judged based on the costumes' aesthetic quality and the dancers' ability. The winning teams this year will take home cash prizes of between 1.6 million kyats (US$1,600) to 2 million kyats. The post Prancing With Pachyderms in Burma's Kyaukse appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

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Democratic Voice of Burma

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• War and drugs: a deadly combination
• Mountain rescue latest: Thai helicopter pilot safe
• Bullet Points: 8 October 2014
• Myawaddy residents told to take down Karen flags
• Wa, Mongla rebels say Burmese army undermining peace process
• DVB Debate: ‘There is no incentive to pay tax’
• Pirates of the Irrawaddy

War and drugs: a deadly combination Posted: 08 Oct 2014 07:10 AM PDT The Kachin Women's Association Thailand (KWAT) has accused the Burmese government of exacerbating drug abuse in Kachin State and fueling ongoing conflict in the region. In a report released on Wednesday entitled "Silent Offensive", KWAT criticised the Burmese government's anti-insurgency policies, accusing it of allowing local government-allied Border Guard Forces (BGF) units  to grow and trade opium in exchange for fighting against the Kachin Independence Army (KIA). “The Burmese government routinely blames the ethnic ‘insurgents’ as the main culprits in the drug trade, but it is now members of its own military, including its Border Guard Forces and proxy militia who are the leading armed players in the drug business in Kachin areas," read the report. The conflict in Kachin State has increased drug production in the region, which in turn has led to increasing drug use among all age groups—especially youths—in Kachin communities, which invariably also increases the risks of contracting HIV/AIDS. Related Stories Murdered Karen soldier's body found in Myawaddy Mayhem in Myawaddy as Karen rebel dies in drunken shootout One dead in Shan drug-bust shootout The report also says the situation has exacerbated gender discrimination, as women are forced to bear the physical and monetary brunt of increasing drug abuse among men in Kachin communities. Yet KWAT says that drug consumption among Kachin women is also increasing—particularly the consumption of "ya-ba" amphetamine pills by female migrant workers along the Kachin-China border. KWAT also raised doubts about the survey methodology and projections reported by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) regarding drug production in the Kachin State. The Kachin women's group said its estimates and conclusions vary significantly from those of the UN. The UNODC estimated in 2013 that there has been a 10 percent reduction in opium cultivation in Kachin State since 2012. But KWAT notes that the UNODC survey did not include opium production in Chipwi Township, an area that is now under control of government-affiliated forces and has evolved into what the NGO calls a "high-risk" opium growing area. "This is worrying, as the UNODC opium surveys are accepted internationally as the most reliable assessment of drug trends in Burma and are influential in shaping the policies of international donors,"  read the KWAT report. Jessica Nikhum from KWAT told DVB that the UNODC's reported decrease in opium cultivation from 5,100 to 4,600 hectares in Kachin State "relied heavily upon satellite imagery to assess cultivation" and did not carry out "verification on the ground" in order to accurately assess the production figures. Nikhum further pointed out that other regions which KWAT identified in their ground survey as "high-risk" opium-growing regions, such as northern Shan State, weren’t even listed in the UN survey. These regions are also controlled by the Burmese army and allied militias. At the same time, regions such as the KIA's stronghold of Laiza were listed as "high risk" in the UN report, but Nikhum said that, "the KIA has already cleaned-up everything. There is no more opium there." The UNODC's regional representative for Southeast Asia, Jeremy Douglas, told DVB on Wednesday that that the UN used a combination methodology to assess the production of opium fields in Burma that also included a ground verification process. Douglas further added that, "We [UNODC] do have very good access by and large to most points of intense [opium] production and we also have extremely good [satellite] imagery to help us identity points which need verification and ground-truthing". This process, he said, "Allows us to draw pretty good conclusions on the [amount of] hectares under [opium] cultivation." On being asked about the non-inclusion of the Chipwe region as an opium production zone as pointed out by KWAT, Douglas told DVB that he would verify the matter and include any further findings in an upcoming UN survey. Opium production in Burma has been rising despite the government's stated ambition to eradicate cultivation by 2014.  Opium, once a cash crop for poor farmers in the region, has over the years evolved into a political tool that has fueled the black market narco-economy in the region, where historically these drugs have also been the primary source of funding for weapons. The UNODC in 2013 estimated that 92 percent of poppy cultivation in Burma is in northern Shan State and the remainder is in Kachin State.

Mountain rescue latest: Thai helicopter pilot safe Posted: 08 Oct 2014 06:59 AM PDT The Thai co-pilot of a helicopter that disappeared on Hkakabo Razi in Kachin State is now safe and receiving treatment, according to a spokesperson for the Htoo Foundation. "Today at 8am, our rescue team found [Thai co-pilot Capt. Chatchawal] in the jungle," said Phyo Ko Ko Thet. "The Burmese co-pilot is still missing. He will be waiting for us to rescue him." The Thai helicopter left Putao on 27 September with three crew members to drop off supplies to a rescue team searching for Burmese mountaineers who disappeared on 31 August shortly after reaching the summit of Kachin State's Mount Hkakabo Razi, the tallest mountain in Southeast Asia. The helicopter crew consisted of a Burmese guide, a co-pilot from Burma and a co-pilot from Thailand. The Htoo Foundation, which sponsored the expedition and was founded by Burmese billionaire Tay Za, reported on 7 October that Burmese guide Shwe Yin Taw Gyi managed to find a rescue camp after walking from a remote village called Lan Sar, which presumably is located near the site where the helicopter was either forced to make an emergency landing or crashed. Related Stories Wa, Mongla rebels say Burmese army undermining peace process Alive – helicopter crew survive crash on Hkakabo Razi Over 3,000 prisoners released – but how many political prisoners remain behind bars? Aside from serving as a mountain guide and Tay Zaw's personal assistant, Shwe Yin Taw Gyi is the nephew of Nyima Gyaltsen (aka “Aung Tse”), an ethnic Tibetan who became famous for being the first Burmese citizen to reach the summit of Hkakabo Razi. He reached the summit alongside his trekking partner Takashi Ozaki, a Japanese mountaineer who later died while attempting to scale Mount Everest. On 7 October, the Htoo Foundation website said that upon seeing his long-time friend foundation Tay Zaw was ecstatic, quoting the tycoon-turned philanthropist as saying: "My heart was overwhelmed with joy when I saw my personal assistant U Shwe Yin Taw Gyi … He told me that he walked ahead of the two pilots as both of them suffered injuries." Despite his reported injury, Thai co-pilot Captain Chatchawal also managed to endure the long trek from Lan Sar Village (also called Lanka Village) through mountainous terrain and emerged from the jungle on Wednesday morning, according to a statement released on the foundation's website the same day. The statement said that Burmese co-pilot Aung Myat Toe had suffered eye injuries and has been staying in a cave in the woods. The Htoo Foundation added that another rescue team is currently searching for the Burmese co-pilot and that arrangements have been made for an aircraft to be held on standby at Putao airport in case medical emergencies arise.

Bullet Points: 8 October 2014 Posted: 08 Oct 2014 05:26 AM PDT On today's edition of Bullet Points: Two found from missing helicopter.  Women’s rights group with drug report. Myawaddy residents warned against displaying the Karen flag families told not to hoist flag. Buddhists across Burma celebrate the end of lent. You can watch Bullet Points every weeknight on DVB TV after the 7 o'clock news.

Myawaddy residents told to take down Karen flags Posted: 08 Oct 2014 04:17 AM PDT Burmese government authorities in Myawaddy are prohibiting residents from hoisting the Karen national flag outside their homes, according to local sources. Over the past few days, government officials in the border town have reportedly been keeping a close eye on ethnic Karen residents in the wake of recent tensions between Karen armed groups and Burmese soldiers in the area. Locals told DVB that officials from both the Burmese army and local government offices have paid visits to Karen households warning them not to display Karen flags or emblems. "Army officers and local administrators came to tell my neighbours to take down the Karen flag at their house," one resident said. "They had no choice but to comply with the order." The Karen National Union's (KNU) liaison officer in Myawaddy, Maj. Saw Zorro, confirmed that such measures have been enforced, but said that the order apparently didn't apply to the offices of Karen armed groups such as the KNU. Related Stories Karen delegates hold closed-door talks with government Bus passengers injured in Hpa-an ambush Karen rebel killed as troops clash in Pegu "The Tatmadaw [Burmese army] are telling residents in the town to remove Karen flags and emphasising that there should be only one national flag for the country," he said. Speaking to DVB on Wednesday, a police officer in Myawaddy who declined to be named said that no orders prohibiting the display of Karen flags had been issued. Myawaddy—a major town on the Burmese side of the Thai-Burmese border—is a strategic base not only for the Burmese army, but also for the KNU, the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), and several other Karen militias. A number of fire-fights have broken out in recent weeks between various armed units in Myawaddy and other parts of Karen State. Tensions appear to be coming to a head as ceasefire talks have polarised armed ethnic groups and local commanders seek out strategic positions ahead of any potential peace agreement.

Wa, Mongla rebels say Burmese army undermining peace process Posted: 07 Oct 2014 11:52 PM PDT Two major ethnic armed groups in Shan state—the United Wa State Army (UWSA) and the Mongla- based National Democratic Alliance Army-Eastern Shan State (NDAA-ESS)—have urged the Burmese military to stop offensives against ethnic rebel groups, actions which they say are detrimental to the peace process. Aung Myint, spokesperson for the UWSA, said the two armed groups released a joint-statement on Sunday calling on the government to stop attacking ethnic militias, saying they are concerned the aggression can cause negative impacts on the ongoing ceasefire negotiations. "We have seen various developments in the peace negotiations, but at the same time military offensives are being carried out in southern Myanmar [Burma] as well as Shan State. These conflicts are a threat to the peace-building process," said Aung Myint. The UWSA spokesperson continued, "Failure to reach a ceasefire agreement and engage in political dialogue will cause further delays in the peace process. Our ultimate hope is to see an end to the civil conflict which has been raging in Burma for over 60 years." Related Stories Mountain rescue latest: Thai helicopter pilot safe Over 3,000 prisoners released – but how many political prisoners remain behind bars? Two policemen wounded in Taunggyi bomb blast Aung Myint said recent attacks on Shan State Army-North outposts in Shan state's Kehsi Mansam Township, involving over 1,000 Burmese government forces supported by heavy artillery and mortar fire, have caused panic among local populations and could undermine peace efforts. In their statement, the UWSA and NDAA-ESS denounced these moves by the Burmese army as detrimental to ethnic unity and internal peace. They also called for an immediately end to aggression, and demanded that government troops withdraw from the SSA-N outposts they captured on 2 October. The statement also urged both sides to find a peaceful way to end the conflict.

DVB Debate: ‘There is no incentive to pay tax’ Posted: 07 Oct 2014 10:39 PM PDT In DVB Debate's taxes and services episode, the studio asks if taxation will lead to democratisation. Bad financial habits of the former military regime have led to massive tax evasion in Burma. Bribery and corruption combined with a lack of enforcement and accountability has allowed more than half of eligible taxpayers to avoid paying their dues. Join the debate or watch the full debate programme in Burmese on our Youtube channel. Or comment on our website dvb.no.

Pirates of the Irrawaddy Posted: 07 Oct 2014 10:36 PM PDT Mandalay police have dispatched patrol boats to comb the Irrawaddy river for pirates. Locals say they have been terrorised both on their boats and in their homes.

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