Democratic Voice of Burma

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• Burmese Internet provider promises free Wi-Fi hotspots
• UN warns of ‘profound crisis’ in Arakan state
• Lower house approves amendments to Electronics Act
• Thailand and Burma to ease visa requirements for citizens
• Namhkam festival cancelled in wake of bombings
• UN to help Burma improve aviation technology

Burmese Internet provider promises free Wi-Fi hotspots Posted: 23 Oct 2013 06:54 AM PDT Private Internet service provider RedLink says it has plans to provide a number of Wi-Fi "hotspots" in public areas of Rangoon as soon as the law allows private Internet companies to act independently of state-run Yadarnaporn Teleport. RedLink currently operates in a joint venture with Yadarnaporn. Myo Myint Nyunt, RedLink's assistant general manager, says that if and when the law is passed the firm will build more transmission towers to enable Internet users in other cities to use their service. Related Stories Telenor and Ooredoo win Burma telecoms licences Burma prepares for telecom boom Burma still ‘enemy of the internet' He also said that they will offer "hotspots" with free wireless Internet service in public parks and shopping centres in the former capital, as well as Rangoon University, the University of Foreign Languages, the University of Medicine, the railway station and the airport. In June 2013, the first ever forum on Internet freedom was held in Rangoon. Discussions were generally optimistic about the future of Internet freedom in Burma, although concerns were expressed about maintaining a balance between freedom and national stability. Myo Myint Nyunt said the company will also provide free Wi-Fi access at venues hosting the SEA Games in December.

UN warns of ‘profound crisis’ in Arakan state Posted: 23 Oct 2013 05:38 AM PDT The Burmese government is responsible for fuelling a "profound crisis" in Arakan state, where several bouts of Muslim-Buddhist clashes have claimed hundreds of lives since last year, according to a damning UN report released on Wednesday. The 23-page document, drafted by the UN's Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Burma, Tomas Quintana, accuses the government of failing to address local grievances behind the violence, while encouraging a culture of impunity among Buddhist perpetrators. "There is little evidence that the government has taken steps to tackle the underlying causes of the communal violence or has put in place the policies that are necessary to forge a peaceful, harmonious and prosperous future for the state," warned the report. Quintana expressed concern that no public officials have been questioned or arrested, despite "consistent and credible" reports of state complicity in human rights abuses against Muslims. He described the ongoing impunity as "particularly troubling" in light of the social marginalisation of Rohingya Muslims, who are denied citizenship and heavily persecuted in Burma. The report further backs claims that the government has unfairly targeted Muslim suspects with punitive or criminal sanctions, including the use of torture in Buthidaung prison near the Bangladeshi border. "[Rohingya inmates] were subjected to three months of systematic torture and ill-treatment by prison guards and up to 20 prison inmates, who appear to have been brought into the prison for the specific purpose of administering beatings to Muslim prisoners," said the report. According to government data, 1,189 people including 260 Buddhists and 882 Rohingya Muslims have been detained for their role in the unrest. The rapporteur expressed concerns that many Muslims have been arrested as part of village "sweeps" and subsequently denied access to legal representation or fair trials. Quintana insisted that the regime, led by President Thein Sein, has flouted its obligations to fully investigate all claims of extrajudicial killings, rapes and arbitrary detentions. He called on the international community to "consider further steps" until Burma meets its human rights obligations. The rapporteur also highlighted the plight of several detained Rohingyas he considered political prisoners, including community leaders Tun Aung and Kyaw Hla Aung, who have both been arbitrarily detained for several months. He described the cases as a "serious blot on country's record of reform" and urged Thein Sein to ensure their swift release. He recommended that the mandate of the state-backed committee established to identify and release all remaining political prisoners in Burma be expanded to include suggestions to prevent future arrests.  Religious violence first gripped Burma in June last year, when Buddhist Arakanese clashed with Muslim Rohingyas, who are considered illegal Bengali immigrants by the government. Nearly 140,000 Rohingyas have since been confined to squalid camps without adequate food, sanitation, healthcare or education. Although Quintana welcomed some recommendations made by the state-backed Arakan investigation commission, which published a report into the violence in April, he criticised its failure to address the issue of impunity and systematic abuses against the Rohingya minority. Related Stories Arakan CBOs demand halt to all natural resource extraction projects Rohingya refugees – a woman’s perspective Burma minister slams govt response to Sandoway violence Quintana also condemned the rise of the so-called "969" movement, an extremist religious group which calls on Buddhists to shun Muslims and has been blamed for the spread of religious violence across the county. The latest riots, which rocked the Arakan town Sandoway [Thandwe] in early October, have been connected to a nationalist organisation with direct links to the movement's spiritual leader and prominent monk Wirathu. He urged the government to send a "strong, consistent and unambiguous" message through the media to counter any discriminatory propaganda vilifying Muslims and the Rohingya community, which is deeply unpopular in Burma. The rapporteur also reiterated a call for the government to revise the 1982 citizenship law, which strips the Rohingya of their legal status. The report was compiled on the basis of a 10-day visit to the Southeast Asian country in August and will be presented to the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday. The UN is expected to pass another resolution on Burma in November, after pressure from the US government and human rights groups who want it to include strict benchmarks for measurable improvement.

Lower house approves amendments to Electronics Act Posted: 23 Oct 2013 05:33 AM PDT The lower house of parliament on Tuesday approved a bill to amend Burma's infamous Electronic Transactions Law, a widely unpopular piece of legislation which was routinely used by the previous ruling military junta to jail political activists. Thein Nyunt, the lower house representative for Rangoon's Thingangyun township who submitted the bill, said that the amendments to the draconian law mostly focused on clauses concerned with sentencing offenders – the provisions stated in articles 33 to 38. "Article 33 of the original Electronic Transactions Law allows for sentences of between seven and 15 years for using electronic communication to acquire or distribute information on state secrets, or carry out an act that is deemed detrimental to the state's security, rule of law, regional tranquility, ethnic unity, economy or national culture," said Thein Nyunt, who is the founder and chairman of the New National Democracy Party. Related Stories Parliament approves farmers' bill Activists slam Association Law that would 'criminalise' dissent Burma's lower house to discuss amending electronics law "My bill has adjusted those prison terms to three years minimum and seven years maximum," he said. "We have also added provisions allowing for a fine." Thein Nyunt added that the Electronics Act should not be used to prevent people expressing, writing or distributing their beliefs and opinions, and that it is in essence a law aimed at protecting national security interests. He said the Electronic Transactions Law will be abolished when the Commercial Electronic Transactions Law is adopted in the near future. The bill will now move to the upper house for approval, and if it passes it will finally need the president's signature to become law. WANT TO READ MORE? Prominent people in Burma jailed under the Electronics Act

Thailand and Burma to ease visa requirements for citizens Posted: 23 Oct 2013 05:15 AM PDT The Thai cabinet has approved a bilateral agreement eliminating visas for Thai and Burmese citizens making short-term visits by air. The cabinet on Tuesday endorsed the Thai Foreign Ministry’s proposal to approve an agreement lifting visa requirements for air travellers staying up to 14 days. The agreement will come to effect only after both countries sign the agreement, Thailand’s Government House said in a statement released after the cabinet meeting. The ministry could represent Thailand in the signing with Burma, but a date has not been set. The visa-free plan will cover only travellers from the two countries using 23 designated Thai airports, government spokesman Teerat Ratanasevi said. They are: Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Hat Yai, Phuket, Nan, Phitsanulok, Mae Sot, Khon Kaen, Nakhon Ratchasima, Udon Thani, Ubon Ratchathani, Krabi, Trang, Narathiwat, Ranong, Surat Thani, Hua Hin, Samui, Sukhothai and U-tapao. It does not include travellers passing through land border checkpoints, the spokesman added. The government did not explain the reasons for the decision, which reflects closer bilateral ties. The visa-free arrangement could be cancelled by either Thailand or Burma, but they must give 60 days advance notice through their respective foreign ministries. It could also be cancelled for health or security reasons, with 15 days notice, the statement added. Burma is a popular destination for Thai tourists, who currently have to apply for a visa to enter the neighbouring country. The visa allows them to stay up to 28 days. This article was first published in the Bangkok Post on 22 October 2013. Related Stories Western shrimp imports ‘fuel’ trafficking of Burmese migrants 87 Rohingyas escape from Thai detention centre Thai police use water cannon on Rohingya asylum seekers

Namhkam festival cancelled in wake of bombings Posted: 23 Oct 2013 01:39 AM PDT An annual Buddhist festival has been cancelled in Namhkam following a series of bomb blasts and incidents across Burma including an explosion in the northern Shan state town which left one man dead and another injured. The festival, which is celebrated from the 7th to 9th days of the waning moon of Thadingyut [Burmese calendar month], was scheduled to take place this week. Known locally as "Pwe Saosam", it is an annual occasion for Buddhist residents in Namhkam and more than 100 nearby villages to gather at local monasteries to make merit and pray. U Sai, a member of the festival organising committee, said the event will not be held this year due to concerns for public safety following the bombings. "We cancelled plans to host the festival this year due to security concerns following the bomb blasts in the town," said U Sai. "The decision was made by the town's officials and elders at a meeting on 18 October." Related Stories Bombings were an attempt to deter foreign investment, says Burma's police chief Security beefed up in Rangoon following bombings One killed in Shan state bombing On 16 – 17 October, three bombs exploded in separate incidents in Namhkam. One municipal staff worker was killed and another person injured. Another bomb exploded on 21 October on the side of the road outside of the town, though no one was injured. U Sai said that a 1.3 million kyat (US$1,400) donation was collected and presented to the family of the deceased bomb victim, 600,000 kyat of which was donated by the municipal office and the rest from sympathisers. Meanwhile, Namhkam is reported to be quiet with almost no people in the streets after 7pm. Some residents are being assigned to night shift security duties in their neighbourhoods alongside local authorities, fire brigades and the police force.

UN to help Burma improve aviation technology Posted: 23 Oct 2013 12:45 AM PDT The UN's aviation agency has agreed to help modernise Burma's airline industry by providing technical assistance to the government, state media reported on Tuesday. The deal was reached at a meeting between President Thein Sein met and the Secretary-General of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Raymond Benjamin, in Naypyidaw on Monday. Discussions focused on Burma's need for economic assistance and modern technology, along with airline security, infrastructure and equipment. Burma's aviation industry has boomed since the inauguration of the new government in 2011, with foreign companies lining up to invest in the country's largely untapped markets. In August, Japan’s All Nippon Airways announced plans to buy a US$25 million stake in Burma's Asian Wings Airways, becoming the first foreign carrier to invest in a domestic airline. Burma has also encouraged Thailand's Nok Air to expand its airline routes across the country to include all its main cities. It follows a government decision to build a new, modern airport that will be able to handle 12 million passengers in Hantharwaddy, northeast of Rangoon. Related Stories Thai airline encouraged to spread its wings in Burma Japanese airline buys 49 percent share in Asian Wings Arakanese call for a share of natural resources profits But a string of accidents has raised concerns about safety and security in the overloaded industry, which still relies heavily on aircraft models that are no longer manufactured. The country has an appalling safety record and experts say it will not improve anytime soon. In December 2012, an Air Bagan flight carrying dozens of passengers, including foreign tourists, crash landed in eastern Shan state, claiming two lives and injuring eleven others. Analysts are concerned that Burma, which is emerging from decades of military rule and crippling economic sanctions, is moving to quickly. "They've opened up, in my personal opinion, far before they're ready for it," Shukor Yusof, a Singapore-based aviation expert told Reuters. "The infrastructure is not there to cope with demand. There's going to be a point where it's going to get choked up." Burma has been a member of ICAO since it gained independence in 1948. The UN body works to improve the safety, efficiency and regularity of the international civil aviation industry.

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