Democratic Voice of Burma |
| Real estate prices skyrocket in Pegu Posted: 18 Sep 2013 06:10 AM PDT Land prices in the city of Pegu are soaring amid the construction of various development projects in the area, including the Hantharwaddy International Airport, industrial zones and suburban housing estates. According to local residents and real estate agents, the price of land in the choicest areas of Pegu, previously valued between 200,000 and 300,000 kyat (US$200-$300) per 80x100ft plot, has skyrocketed to over 100 million kyat (more than US$100,000) – a breathtaking 500 times the price of just two or three years ago. South Korean firm Incheon Airport Consortium beat tender bids from six international rivals to build a new major airport for the country, situated north of Rangoon in Pegu region, some nine times the size and capacity of Rangoon International Airport. Hantharwaddy Airport is scheduled to be completed by 2018. "The sudden demand for land in this area is undoubtedly down to the new airport and other major developments," said Win Htwe of Htike Aung Real Estate Service in Pegu. Local resident Kyaw Thu Min who lives near the site of the new airport, said that if the buyer demand continues, prices will be another 50 percent higher by the end of this year. He claimed that various businessmen in Rangoon had previously bought up much of the land and were now "flipping" it for a massive profit. He pointed to the airport route, the Myoshaung Road, Semyaung Road, and the Pegu-Mandalay Highway as specific areas where real estate prices have increased exponentially. Kaung Khant, a real estate agent in Rangoon, said that business consortiums in the former capital continue to seek land-purchase opportunities in Pegu. But he warned of "flippers" or investors who buy up large parcels of land just to resell them again quickly to new buyers, thereby pushing the prices up even more. |
| Posted: 18 Sep 2013 04:32 AM PDT Last month Burma's armed forces discharged 68 underage soldiers from its ranks. The latest release brings to total some 166 children freed from the military since the government signed a joint action plan with the UN in 2012. Many have since become adults and they face many difficulties integrating back into society once they return home. Aye Min was recruited into the army when he was 16. His uncle had advised him it would be a good career choice and assured him he could finish his exams once he enlisted and became a mechanic for the army. "Most of the new recruits were underage, mentally challenged or even physically disabled – you see all sorts in the army," said Aye Min. After serving in the military for a year he managed to run away and now volunteers at a charity school teaching English. Aye Min said the army claim they will support those who are wounded in battle or by land mines, but in reality this is not the case. "Most just end up in hospital where they live on hand-outs by private donors and sympathisers but the army doesn't do much for them," he said. U Ba still waits for his son, Set Thi Aung, to return from the military. He stood on a landmine while in the army at aged 16 and lost his foot. U Ba has had to rely on the Red Cross to help his son as the government and military haven't given him assistance. "His situation only got better after we reached out to the Red Cross. I wish the government would create some kind of job opportunity for him or that the ILO would help rehabilitate him," said U Ba. Thet Wei, from the Facilitators Network, an NGO close to ILO Myanmar, said they want to government to take responsibility. "Our recommendation is to rehabilitate the former child soldiers who left the army and provide them assistance in dealing with their mental and physical trauma," he said. No one knows exactly how many minors are still in the military and the numerous ethnic armies across Burma. But what is clear is they do not get the help they need from the government or the army to overcome the physical and mental trauma they suffer, nor is there a rehabilitation programme to help them get back into employment. |
| KIO, govt teams lay groundwork for further talks Posted: 17 Sep 2013 11:11 PM PDT Liaison teams representing the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) and the Burmese government's Peace-making Work Committee concluded a two-day meeting in Myitkyina on Tuesday with at least one mediator saying hopes are high that negotiations will recommence at a union-level in October. Speaking to DVB after the meeting, Hla Maung Shwe of the Myanmar Peace Centre said the two delegations focused mainly on the issues of a nationwide ceasefire; the formation of a committee to monitor the ceasefire process; the rehabilitation of internally displaced persons (IDPs); and fixing arrangements for next month's meeting. "It is likely there will be union-level talks involving senior leaders from both sides by the end of the first week of October," he said, adding that the liaison teams are also likely to hold a follow-up meeting at the end of this month. Hla Maung Shwe declined to comment on allegations made by the Burmese army that the KIO had brutally executed one of their captains, saying that it was a military matter but that the Internal Peace-making Work Committee has written to the KIO regarding the allegation. Related StoriesSpeaking to DVB on Friday, KIO General-Secretary Dr La Ja said that at the previous round of talks, the government delegation had agreed to take steps to ensure that government forces withdraw from positions close to the Kachin front lines and bases, but that such moves had not yet happened. "There have not been as many clashes as there were before," he said. "And almost none in the area around [KIO] headquarters. "However, we have been informed about fighting along the Machanbaw- Putao route and just yesterday in an area east of Mansi town in Bhamo and also in the KIA Brigade 4 territory. So although there aren't as many clashes as before, they still continue to break out. "It's not very good for the peace process if hostilities continue," he said. The clash in Mansi was confirmed by Kachin News Group last week. It quoted church-related aid groups as saying that dozens of Kachin villagers in southern Mansi (Manje) township had fled their homes as fighting between the two sides continued for a second day. |
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