Friday, August 16, 2013

Democratic Voice of Burma

Democratic Voice of Burma

Ethnic state govts prepare for regional development

Posted: 16 Aug 2013 03:17 AM PDT

The regional governments of the various ethnic states in Burma are considering plans for local development after President Thein Sein last week pledged wider mandates to regional and state administrations.

USDP MP Sein Oo, the National Race Affairs Minister in Karenni state, singled out better transportation as an imperative step in his region's development.

"Transportation is one of the crucial issues for regional development – once we have better transport infrastructure, we should be able to follow up with improvements to the education, health, social and economic sectors," he said.

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Arakan state Minister for Electric Power and Industry Aung Than Tin said his state assembly recently sent a proposal to Naypyitaw requesting the implementation of a gas turbine power generator project to tackle electricity demands.

"We have to prioritise development for rural areas – especially improving farmers' livelihoods," he said. "We must attend to land dispute cases, grant farmers loans, and provide them with agricultural technology."

In Mon State, the state's Minister of Planning and Economics, Dr Min Nwe Soe, said he welcomed the president's pledge and expressed hope that it would be followed up.

"It's the righteous thing to do," he said. "Previously, there were directives from the President's Office but they never materialised on the ground. But now we are hopeful this will actually happen. It should allow the public to raise issues and the regional government to draw up more effective development plans."

SNDP representative Sai Aik Pao who is the current Minister of Mining and Forestry in Shan state said that the Shan assembly has sent a proposal to the Burmese president to allocate 50 percent of all taxes from the extractive industry to the coffers of each state or regional government.

And in Chin state, his counterpart Kyaw Nyein echoed the call, saying that poverty in his region could be alleviated if the state government is allowed to manage extractive industries in its own area.

"If the regional governments were handling the extractive sector, we could invite businesspeople to participate in our region's development and help create job opportunities for the local people," he said.

[Read President Thein Sein's speech on 9 August here - http://www.mrtv3.net.mm/newpaper/108newsn.pdf]

Thai firm strikes gas in Burma

Posted: 16 Aug 2013 02:24 AM PDT

Thai state-owned firm PTT Exploration & Production (PTTEP) has successfully drilled gas in three of its four wells in Burma's offshore M3 Block, industry sites announced on Friday.

The wells Aung Sinkha-3, Aung Sinkha-4, Aung Sinkha-5 and Aung Sinkha-6 were drilled between February and August, according to the website of Natural Gas Asia.

Wells 3, 5 and 6 were confirmed by PTTEP as flowing while the fourth Aung Sinkha well was reported to have hit gas but was unable to test further because of technical complications.

Oil and gas magazine Upstream quoted the Thai firm on Friday saying that the Aung Sinkha-3 well flowed at a rate of 34.5 million cubic feet per day with associated condensate of 195 barrels per day.

"The Aung Sinkha-5 well flowed at 9 MMcfd, while the Aung Sinkha-6 well flowed at 14 MMcfd plus associated condensate of 1820 bpd," it said.

"A fourth well called Aung Sinkha-4 hit gas but was unable to be tested because the equipment necessary for acidising limestone reservoirs could not be prepared, said PTTEP."

Upstream quoted PTTEP as saying that it plans to drill more appraisal wells in 2014 on the Aung Sinkha field.

PTTEP owns an 80 percent operating interest in Block M3 with Mitsui Oil Exploration holding the remaining 20 percent.

Women’s group slams ‘violent’ arrest of Latpadaung activists

Posted: 16 Aug 2013 12:52 AM PDT

The Women's League of Burma (WLB) has condemned the Monywa police department, saying it used excessive force during the arrest of 10 female activists who were calling for the suspension of the controversial Latpadaung Copper Mine at a protest in the Sagaing division capital earlier this week.

On Tuesday, around 50 female activists led by former political prisoner Naw Ohn Hla staged an unauthorised protest near the controversial Chinese-backed mine that is responsible for the confiscation of about 7,800 acres of farmland and the forceful relocation of farmers from 66 villages.

Naw Ohn Hla is regarded as a veteran protest leader in the country and is known for leading weekly 'prayer demonstrations' at Shwedagon Pagoda starting in 2004 and was later arrested for participating in the 2007 Saffron Revolution.

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During the police crackdown on Tuesday's demonstration, 10 activists, including Naw Ohn Hla, were forcefully detained and dragged by female officers into the back of authorities' trucks. The demonstrators were kept in custody for the afternoon before nine were released on bail later on Tuesday evening.

"The activists were arrested in such a violent manner that is inappropriate for women. It is unreasonable to arrest innocent people in this way," said WLB general secretary Tin Tin Nyo. "This violent and degrading treatment of peaceful women activists is a disgrace. It lays bare the hypocrisy of the government's democratic reform process."

While the other nine demonstrators were freed, protest leader Naw Ohn Hla was denied bail and sent to a detention centre in Monywa where she faces charges for staging an unauthorised protest under Article 18 of the Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession Law, and for sedition under Article 505(b) of the Penal Code.

In accordance with the procession law, demonstrators must file for permission five days in advance of an event and applications can be rejected at the authorities' discretion.

However, Tin Tin Nyo contends that the activists had tried to seek permission to stage the protest but their requests were denied by the Monywa authorities.

The WLB also called for release of several other female activists, including former NLD chair from Mandalay division's Meikhtila town Myint Myint Aye who was arrested in June this year for assisting local farmers in a land dispute in Pegu division, and Bauk Ja from the National Democratic Force party who was detained recently for helping land grab victims in the Hukawng Valley in northern Burma's Kachin state.

"These women were arrested for standing by and protecting people who were being oppressed, tormented, and targeted with land grabs – their commitment and courage in these cases signify the women's devotion of truth and justice," Tin Tin Nyo said.

The WLB is an umbrella group made up of multi-ethnic female exile organisations and is based in Thailand.

Can President Thein Sein be trusted?

Posted: 15 Aug 2013 11:03 PM PDT

That is the crux of the matter for many ethnic leaders. They are used to old-world politics where one's word was one's bond. They want to stop fighting and negotiate but they do not feel that they can trust Thein Sein.

They wonder why his chief negotiator does not keep his word. They wonder if Aung Min really cannot control the Tatmadaw or if this all a hoax to wipe them out later. Why the government does not seem to be able to control the Tatmadaw is a serious question. However, the ethnic nationalities still need to engage with the Thein Sein government.

Why should they engage? The Union of Myanmar did not come about through the sole efforts of Bama nationalists like Bogyoke Aung San. It was built by a collective of leaders from many nationalities. At Panglong, they agreed to join their territories together and form the Union of Burma. The ethnic nationalities are co-owners of the nation with the Bama, and they have equal rights and responsibilities with the Bama to re-shape the nation. The task of nation building cannot be left to the Bama alone. They had a 50-year monopoly and made a mess of it.

At independence, the most educated people in the country were Rakhine and Karen. The early years were turbulent; but it may surprise many to learn that the problem was not started by the ethnic nationalities. The first and most serious threat to the nation was the uprising by the Communist Party of Burma, and U Nu's other Bama political rivals.

The Burma Army even mutinied and U Nu's government survived only because the Chin, Kachin and Karen Rifles remained staunchly loyal. In those days, the President was Shan, the Prime Minister was Bama, the Commander-in-Chief and the Air Force Chief were Karen. It was a grand experiment to create an inclusive and just multi-ethnic nation.

When General Ne Win seized power in 1962, he re-wrote history. He began a process of Burmanization purging non-Bamas from public life. He suppressed all political dissent making it impossible to redress wrongs except through armed struggle. Those who did not espouse arms could live like second-class citizens, hide out in the jungle, become refugees or seek a new life abroad.

The first ray of light came in 1990 after Ne Win fell and elections were held. Ethnic parties contested the elections. The results were never recognized but their election victory gave the ethnic nationalities a new political voice. For the next 20 years, they were able to articulate ethnic concerns and aspirations. The world also came to understand that the ethnic armed groups are not drug dealers and rebels but part of a political movement to protect their rights, their culture and their identity.

The next opportunity came with the 2010 elections. The ethnic parties made even greater inroads. They won enough seats to keep their voices alive and to begin to exert influence in their home states and at the national level. The two elections can be seen as reversing the trend that Ne Win started.

President Thein Sein's call for peace talks is also providing a way for those who had taken up arms to return to the political arena.

Do not misunderstand me. In the 1960s, there was no choice but to take up arms. Without the armed struggle, many ethnic identities would have been lost. My brother and mother were part of that armed struggle. But they would agree with me today that it is time to move from armed struggle back to political struggle. Why? Ne Win was astute enough to realise that he could not gain power and dominate as long as the political system was democratic and the ethnic nationalities sought a political solution. He had to subvert both the system and send the ethnic nationalities into the jungle to gain the upper hand.

I have no doubt that the ethnic nationalities can continue fighting for the next 50 years if necessary. However, it will not benefit the country as a whole and it will specifically not benefit the ethnic nationalities. Look back at the past 50 years: who are now the poorest and least educated people? Not the Bama. Who are making all the decisions about the future of the country? Not the ethnic nationalities.

"The task of nation building cannot be left to the Bama alone"

The longer the fighting continues, the more marginalised the ethnic peoples will become. Until in the end, one may only find them on special cultural reservations – much like the aboriginal peoples of North America.

Sixty-five years ago a new nation emerged from a devastating war and decades of colonial rule. It had great potential to become one of the leading nations of the world. But that potential was never realised. Instead, the nation was plunged into the chaos of civil war. What happened?

One key factor was the communist concept that real change can only be brought about by a revolution. They believed that to compromise was to give up one's ideals. The Communist Party of Burma (CPB) refused to accept the independence granted by the British as authentic.

The CPB and others embarked upon an armed revolution, paving the way for further upheavals which gave birth to the military dictatorship that plagued the country for the next 50 years. Another factor was the intense personal rivalry amongst the Bama leaders. Instead of a national vision, they had illusions of personal grandeur.

We face a similar situation today after decades of an oppressive dictatorship. But many are still saying that the change is not real because it did not come from a revolution. They say that a leopard cannot change its spots and a dictatorship cannot become a democracy. Freedom has to be won through a revolution. To compromise is to compromise one's ideals. Personal rivalries amongst the Bama leadership are also intense.

Can we learn from our mistakes? Now, as then, conditions are not ideal. Will we wait for ideal conditions or will we make the best of the situation and try to make them better?

Harn Yawnghwe is the Executive Director of the Euro-Burma Office. He was Executive Director of the Democratic Voice of Burma from 1996 to 2002. After 48 years in exile, Harn was allowed to return to Myanmar in October 2011 to help facilitate the peace talks between the government and the ethnic armed groups. He does not hold any position in the government nor amongst the armed groups.

-The opinions and views expressed in this piece are the author's and do not necessarily reflect DVB's editorial policy.

Six Buddhists charged with murder over Muslim bus killings: officials

Posted: 15 Aug 2013 09:50 PM PDT

Six Buddhist men will face trial this month over the lynching of 10 Muslim bus passengers as sectarian unrest convulsed western Burma last year, officials said Thursday.

More than 200 people died in violence between Buddhists and Muslim Rohingya in Arakan state in the days after the 3 June 2012 bus attack, which saw the passengers dragged from the vehicle and killed by a mob.

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The apparent trigger for the attack was the rape and murder of a Buddhist woman a few days earlier in Thandwe district, allegedly by Muslims.

The incidents sparked deadly clashes between the two communities, leaving scores dead and displacing up to 140,000 people – the majority of them Rohingya – as villages were razed.

“The men have been charged with murder because of their involvement in killing people on a bus,” a police official told AFP, declining to be named.

“The court hearing will start on 26 August,” he said, adding the men were all Buddhists and had been arrested after an investigation.

The group was arrested last month and appeared in a local court on Tuesday to hear the charges, an administrative official told AFP, also requesting anonymity.

More religious riots flared in March this year in central Burma, leaving dozens dead and reigniting fears Buddhist-Muslim conflict could overshadow democratic reforms led by the government of President Thein Sein.

Rights groups have accused authorities of failing to act as rioting hit mainly Muslim communities in Arakan state and again this year at Meikhtila in central Burma where 44 people died by official count.

Burma has sentenced more than 20 Buddhists to between two and 10 years in prison for their roles in the Meikhtila riots, while more than a dozen Muslims have been convicted in relation to the violence.

Attacks against Muslims, who make up an estimated four percent of the population, have exposed deep fractures in the Buddhist-majority nation and cast a shadow over its emergence from army rule.

The unrest has also shed light on the treatment of the nation’s estimated 800,000 Rohingya, who are viewed as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and are denied citizenship.

They are considered by the United Nations to be one of the world’s most persecuted minorities.

The UN this week called for dialogue between the two communities to end mistrust and avoid further violence, as its human rights envoy for Burma Tomas Ojea Quintana visited Arakan state.
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