Monday, May 27, 2013

Democratic Voice of Burma

Democratic Voice of Burma

Thousands greet Kachin delegation ahead of peace talks in Myitkyina

Posted: 27 May 2013 05:03 AM PDT

As the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO)'s delegation rolled into Myitkyina on Monday, thousands of supporters filled the streets to greet the rebel convoy in a massive show of support ahead of the next round of peace talks that are set to begin in the state capital on Tuesday.

The delegation, led by the KIO's Education Chief Sumlut Gam, entered the Kachin state capital around 1pm, as locals thronged the route to Majwe Hall, where talks will commence tomorrow between the KIO and a government delegation.

As the convoy passed, the crowd chanted the Kachin national anthem and played traditional instruments, while waving KIO flags in a sign of solid support for the rebels who have been fighting a bitter war against the government for two years.

"There's a huge crowd of people, stretching over a mile from the Bhala Minhtin Bridge crossing the Irrawaddy River towards the Majwe Hall – they were playing instruments and signing the Kachin national anthem while waving flags," said one local resident in Myitkyina.

According to the local at the scene, the massive greeting was spontaneous and had not been directed by any outside group.

"This wasn't actually planned ahead – the KIO weren't really keen for that either due to safety concerns. But we are all Kachin people of the same blood and would like to show that we fully trust and support the KIO's work."

Former KIO official Dr. Tuja said the location of the talks inside government territory was a testament to the increase in trust between the two sides after fighting intensified earlier this year when government troops launched a massive offensive against the rebel stronghold in Laiza.

According to the former KIO official, observers expect significant decisions to be discussed during this round of talks, which will also be attended by the UN's Special Burma Envoy Vijay Nambia and representatives from the United Nationalities Federal Council – an umbrella organisation made up of 11 of Burma's ethnic armed groups.

"This is the first ever meeting held in Myitkyina, the state's capital, since 1994 and [the talks] aim to discuss topics including how to prevent further fighting, the formation of a Battlefield Monitoring Committee and to facilitate a political dialogue," said Tuja.

"I hope something will come out of it."

The KIO has been locked in nearly two years of fighting with government troops after a 17-year ceasefire collapsed in 2011. During the siege of Laiza, the military relied on airstrikes, helicopter gunships and heavy artillery to dislodge the rebels in what was one of the largest offensives launched against ethnic rebels by the government.

Naypyidaw has continually pushed for the signing of a new ceasefire with the KIO, but the rebels continue to push for greater political autonomy for the country's ethnic minorities before inking a new deal.

Naypyidaw’s ‘magnetic’ hill

Posted: 27 May 2013 04:00 AM PDT

These cars on a road in Pobba Thiri township near Naypyidaw appear to be rolling uphill – are magnetic forces pulling the car, has gravity has gone wrong or is there some other explanation?

Rohingya two-child rule ‘discrimination’: Suu Kyi

Posted: 27 May 2013 03:08 AM PDT

Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi Monday criticised a ban on Rohingya having more than two children in strife-torn Arakan state as counter to human rights, in rare comments on the plight of the Muslim group.

The opposition leader, who has been accused by activists of failing to speak up for the marginalised Rohingya, said she opposed the controversial rule, imposed by the previous junta and reaffirmed recently by local authorities in the wake of deadly unrest.

“It is not good to have such discrimination. And it is not in line with human rights either,” the veteran democracy activist told reporters in Rangoon, adding she could not confirm whether the policy was being implemented.

Arakan authorities on Sunday told AFP that the rule had been reaffirmed in two Muslim-majority townships in the state.

Win Myaing, spokesperson for the Arakan government, said the order was designed to “enforce monogamy and not to have more than two children”.

He said the policy had previously been put on hold because of fears over “conflicts among communities” in the state.

Up to 140,000 people – mainly Rohingya Muslims – were displaced in two waves of sectarian unrest between Buddhists and Muslims in Arakan state last year.

Human Rights Watch has accused the authorities of being a party to ethnic cleansing over the violence, which killed some 200 people and saw mobs torch whole villages.

It described the population policy as “abhorrent, inhumane” and “completely contrary to human rights”.

An official commission’s report in April into the unrest suggested voluntary family planning to stem a high birthrate among the Rohingya that it said stoked tensions.

Local authorities have previously been accused of trying to restrict birthrates among the Rohingya by refusing to acknowledge any more than two children per married couple – thereby denying them legal rights and access to services.

Burma views its population of roughly 800,000 Rohingya as illegal Bengali immigrants and denies them citizenship. They are considered by the United Nations to be one of the world’s most persecuted minorities.

Meikhtila residents rebuff resettlement plan, want land back

Posted: 27 May 2013 01:03 AM PDT

Residents in central Burma's Meikhtila whose homes were burnt down during anti-Muslim riots last March are asking to be resettled on their former land plots after officials pushed a plan to move the group into new apartment blocks.

Following the riots, authorities in Meikhtila announced a plan to build several apartment buildings that would contain more than 3,000 flats in total in Chanayethar and Thiri Mingalar wards.

Khin Nan, a spokesperson from the Meikhtila-based civil society group Htilar Thuhka Thammagi Association, said the residents who are still living in displacement camps have told authorities they would prefer to return to their land plots instead of moving into new apartments.

"The [residents] have sent letters objecting to the new housing plan – most of them are livestock breeders and have odd jobs. They won't fit in with the new housing system," said Khin Nan.

According to the spokesperson, each plot of land's market value hovers around 70-80 million Kyat.

While the people who stand to lose their land have objected to the authorities initial proposal, others say the new development plan should be implemented to prepare for the future expansion of the city.

"They should look 20 years ahead – how much the population will grow – and now is the best time to draw an urban development plan to facilitate for the increase in population," said Htein Linn Khaing, a Meikhtila-based member of the 88 Generation Peace and Open Society.

More than 10,000 residents in Mandalay division's Meikhtila were displaced during the riots in March. Only about half of those who were forced to flee from their houses have been able to return home. According to residents who've been resettled, trust between the city's Buddhists and Muslim communities has crumbled.

Last week, seven Muslim men were sentenced to jail for the murder of a monk, whose death allegedly kicked off the wave of religious riots that spread across central Burma. The sentences come as rights groups claim the government failed to protect Muslim communities during the violence.

According to a detailed report published by Physicians for Human Rights last week, authorities turned a blind eye as 20 Muslim students were massacred by monk-led mobs during the Meikhtila riots.

Japan’s PM cancels Burma’s debt

Posted: 27 May 2013 12:59 AM PDT

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledges to provide Burma with USD$500 million in development aid and cancels the remainder of Burma’s debt, during his visit to the country to boost economic ties.

Japanese PM promises ‘all possible assistance’ to Burma

Posted: 26 May 2013 09:55 PM PDT

Japan on Sunday announced a development aid and loan package for Burma worth hundreds of millions of dollars as it boosts trade ties with the fast-changing nation seen as a key regional emerging market.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has pledged “all possible assistance” to kick-start Burma’s long-neglected economy, agreed the plans in talks with reformist President Thein Sein in the capital Naypyidaw, according to a joint statement released by Japan’s foreign ministry.

“…in laying a new foundation for taking the relationship between Japan and Myanmar (Burma) to a higher level and establishing a lasting, friendly and cooperative relationship, Japan and Myanmar will work together,” it said, before outlining areas of cooperation.

Abe’s visit, the first visit by a Japanese premier since 1977, heralds a further improvement in already warm relations between Japan and Burma, as political reforms and the removal of most Western sanctions spur investment in the former pariah state.

As part of the new deals, the Japanese premier pledged up to 51 billion yen ($498.5 million) in new loans to Burma.

This covers countrywide infrastructure development, including road, electricity and water supplies; power station maintenance; and development of the Thilawa special economic zone near Rangoon, a project agreed by both countries in December.

Japan also confirmed it would forgive 176.1 billion ($1.74bn) of Burma’s debts – the final portion of the 300 billion yen ($3.4 billion) that Tokyo pledged in April 2012 to cancel. The move was contingent on further reforms.

“In support of the development of Myanmar and having implemented its arrears clearance operation with Myanmar, the Government of Japan decided to provide new yen loans as well as grant assistance,” the statement said.

Japan also announced an aid package worth up to 2.4 billion yen ($23 million) for water management in Rangoon and a scholarship programme for young administrators overseeing the country’s social and economic development.

On Saturday Abe visited the Thilawa project – a 2,400 hectare (6,000 acre) site which will include a port and industrial park – as part of efforts to promote Japanese firms and his country’s infrastructure-building expertise.

A memorandum of understanding was also signed for the project between nine Burmese companies and three from Japan – including Mitsubishi – according to the state-backed newspaper The New Light of Myanmar.

Abe is accompanied by a 40-strong delegation of bosses from some of Japan’s top companies, including Mitsubishi, Mitsui and infrastructure firms Taisei and JGC.

“Japan’s investments in Burma are truly extraordinary, and I think have taken many by surprise,” said Burmese economics expert Sean Turnell before the announcement, using the country’s former name.

He said its investment push into Burma was both economic and geopolitical, with “rivalry with China” also driving policy.

Turnell said Japan had become the “dominant player” in Burma, with China facing flak from communities concerned over the environmental and social impact of several major infrastructure projects.

“China has been blind-sided, I think, and has a great hole of unpopularity to climb out of. The West is interested, but much of their money remains hovering nervously above the table as yet,” he said.

Unlike its Western allies, Japan maintained trade ties and dialogue with Burma during junta rule, which ended in 2011, saying a hard line could push it closer to Beijing.

Abe follows in the footsteps of other world leaders who have flocked to the country since it was welcomed back to the international community after Thein Sein’s nominally civilian government was installed two years ago.
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