Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Democratic Voice of Burma

Democratic Voice of Burma

Mosque damaged in attack in western Burma

Posted: 19 Nov 2013 05:11 AM PST

A mosque was partially damaged in western Burma on Monday evening, after a mob of drunken Buddhists celebrating the full moon festival attacked the building, according to local sources.

Police say they managed to foil the attempt, which took place around 8pm in Arakan state's Kyaukphyu, but the building sustained damage.

"Yesterday evening, we heard about some people attempting to destroy the mosque and this morning, I went to look at it and saw that some damage had been done," Htun Naing of the Kyaukphyu Public Network told DVB on Tuesday.

"The mosque was already in bad shape before the incident – all its windows, and the walls of a hall on the side, were damaged."

He insisted that calm had now been returned to the area, which has been affected by a series of Muslim-Buddhist clashes since last year.

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Tensions flared again last week amid a controversial visit by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which local Buddhists have accused of interfering with domestic Burmese affairs by offering support to the stateless Rohingya minority.

"Buddhist Arakanese locals] were planning to stage a protest, when the OIC came to visit, to oppose its plan to open an office in the town and I guess the incident yesterday could be connected to this," said Htun Naing, adding that security around the mosque has been increased.

An official from the Kyaukphyu police station downplayed the incident and insisted that police acted quickly to prevent further violence.

"It wasn't that serious – we just had to disperse a mob heading for the mosque," said the official. "We still don't know who they were as it was the [Tasaungdai] festival yesterday evening but we are making a list of individuals who might know the [attackers]."

Arakan government spokesperson Win Myaing said that it was just a group of drunken men throwing stones at the mosque.

"It was just a group of men – maybe about 10 – who got drunk on the full moon night and threw rocks at a derelict mosque," said Win Myaing.

The incident took place just a few days after the OIC delegation left Arakan state, where they had visited both Muslim and Buddhist communities to offer humanitarian support. The visit provoked widespread protests, in which local monks brandished banners describing Islam as a "faith of animals".

The incident follows reports that two Arakanese men were arrested last week for plotting to blow up mosques across the country.

Some 140,000 people – mostly Rohingya Muslims – have been displaced and at least 200 people have lost their lives since communal violence first erupted last year.

Police remove guard posts to appease Latpadaung villagers

Posted: 19 Nov 2013 04:52 AM PST

Authorities in Sagaing division have acceded to a demand by residents in Mogyopyin village, near the Latpadaung copper mine project, to remove police guard posts from around their village.

Speaking at a meeting with Mogyopyin villagers on Monday, Col. Kyi Naing, Sagaing division's Minister for Border Affairs and Security, pledged to remove the guard posts which were set up by security forces on 12 November on the road leading from the village, allegedly to prevent the residents from joining a rally at nearby Ingyin Hill.

"We want to make things right and promise that no violent measures will be taken against the public," he told the assembled villagers. "If this [roadblock] is making travel difficult, we will sort it out."

The minister appeared to be referring to an incident on 14 November when seven villagers were shot with rubber bullets after a confrontation between protestors and police turned heated.

On Monday, Kyi Naing and regional police commander Nay Doon traveled to Mogyopyin to negotiate with villagers and Buddhist monks.

"We don't want to see any more guard posts [on the edge of town] by the end of this day," said a local woman. "We will not allow them to set up again in this area since we never accepted land grab compensation."

In response, Col. Kyi Naing, said, "We are just doing our job. We know this is damaging to the villagers, but please do not resort to violence. Just like I said the other day – we regard everyone here as our family."

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Meanwhile, Latpadaung activist Han Win Aung told DVB that fellow activist Naw Ohn Hla, upon her release from Mandalay prison on Friday, returned immediately to Sagaing division to join protestors at the Ingyin Hill rally camp.

"Naw Ohn Hla said she would continue working for the cause of the Latpadaung villagers. She went to Sete village and the rally camps on Ingyin Hill and Mogyopyin to show solidarity with the villagers," he said.

On Monday, Naw Ohn Hla also went to visit Mogyopyin villager Aye San in a Mandalay hospital. Aye San was injured in the altercation with police on 14 November.

On Tuesday, Myanmar Journalists Network (MJN) released a statement condemning the riot police in Monywa for harassing and forcing two reporters – Unity News journal's Kyaw Naing and Asia Alin journal's Myo Myint Zaw – to delete photographs from their cameras on Friday after the confrontation between police and villagers at Mogyopyin.

According to the statement, the police forcefully searched the reporters and intimidated them "as if they were criminals".

MJN said the police officers' treatment of the journalists was "against the law, and damaging to the freedoms of transparency and expression which are fundamental to a democratic system."

The statement also called on the Ministry of Home Affairs to conduct an inquiry into the alleged incident.

One of the two reporters in question, Kyaw Naing of Unity News, said, "We headed to Mogyopyin after being informed that there was a confrontation between police and villagers. About five minutes after we got there, more police arrived in trucks. They were immediately targeted by villagers with stones thrown from slingshots as soon as they got out. Then the police – without even firing any warning shots – began shooting into the crowd.

"In fact, many of villagers took aim at us with their slings, despite us telling them that we are journalists," he told DVB.

"After we had finished gathering information, we headed back along the Monywa-Pathein Highway Road where the riot police were deployed. They stopped our mopeds. An officer sitting in a truck shouted to the guards: 'Smash their cameras!'"

"Three more senior police officials arrived and I addressed one of them – he had three stars on his lapel: a lieutenant. He swore at me, making reference to my mother and sister. They treated us very rudely and demanded we give them our cameras or SD cards. When we refused, they demanded we delete all the photos."

Local villagers and their supporters have been protesting the Latpadaung copper mine since its inception around 10 years ago. Many have been displaced to make way for the project which was originally contracted to Canadian firm, Ivanhoe Mines.

Currently owned as a joint venture between military-backed Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings and China's Wanbao Company, the controversial project was temporarily suspended when activists and monks staged a mass sit-in protest last year. The protest was broken up brutally by riot police on 29 November; some 80 protestors were injured, many with horrific burns that several experts have attributed to white phosphorous bombs.

A subsequent investigation headed by opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi failed to pronounce anyone guilty for the violent crackdown, and to many villagers' dismay, recommended to the government that the project be resumed.

Burma cuts HIV rates, but minorities still at risk: UN

Posted: 19 Nov 2013 04:51 AM PST

Burma has made enormous strides in addressing its HIV epidemic, slashing infection rates by 72 percent in little over a decade, but vulnerable groups including sex workers and gay men remain at risk, the UN warned on Tuesday.

Marking the launch of a major regional conference on HIV/Aids in the Asia-Pacific, the UN praised regional efforts to tackle infection rates but called on governments to reform punitive laws against sex workers, drug users and sexual minorities.

"Punitive and discriminatory legal environments continue to hinder effective HIV responses in almost every country in the region – despite evidence as to the public health and human rights issues raised by such environments," said the report.

Although Burma successfully curbed HIV infections to 200,000 or approximately 0.33 percent of the population in 2012, rates continue to rise among certain vulnerable groups.

Nearly one third of intravenous drug users in the Kachin capital Myitkyina were estimated to be HIV positive, along with 21.3 percent of men who have sex with men. The report noted a decline in infections among female sex workers, although rates remain disproportionately high — reaching 15 percent in Bassein.

UNAIDS credited the work of community-based organisations, such as the sex worker-led Targeted Outreach Programme (TOP), for making "remarkable progress" in access to services for traditionally excluded communities.

According to the report, TOP runs nine drop-in centres across the country, reaching an estimated 50,000 sex workers every year. Over 90 percent of its staff are sex workers or men who have sex with men, which the UN says boosts access to individuals criminalised under Burmese law.

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"[Such programmes] illustrate how innovative community-led efforts have empowered sex workers to assert their human rights, take control over their work environments and improve their health and social conditions," said the report.

Homosexual acts are punishable by life imprisonment in Burma, while individuals found guilty of prostitution face up to three years in jail. Sex workers also report constant harassment and extortion from authorities, along with violence and abuse from clients – who conversely can legally purchase sex.

Earlier this year, the Burmese parliament rejected a motion to discuss the decriminalisation of sex work, with a senior minister insisting that jail time works as an effective deterrent. Meanwhile, drug addicts face compulsory detention if arrested and even risk the death penalty if prosecuted.

"If I feel frustrated, I come to this centre and rest or talk to friends or sing songs or watch movies. We can raise issues with our peers and get information on how to resolve problems," a sex worker, who regularly visits TOP's drop-in centres, explains in the report.

Addressing stigma and discrimination against HIV victims is high on the agenda of this week's conference, to which Burma has dispatched a 50-member delegation including senior government officials and health professionals.

"Because of stigma, many people do not come to receive life-saving treatment or prevention services. This is costing lives," Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi said in a message to the conference. "We need an Asia-Pacific community of compassion to end discrimination."

The UN also praised Burma's efforts to boost access to anti-retroviral treatment for HIV-infected persons, noting that nearly half of eligible patients currently receive therapy. However, nearly one in five reported being denied access to health services based on their status, while one in four said they felt suicidal and over 60 percent ashamed.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has offered US$315 million to Burma to improve the "strategic expansion of services" for those affected by HIV/Aids. But global health activists insist that legal reform must take precedence.

"Punitive laws fuel stigma and discrimination, undermining our efforts to bring an end to AIDS," said Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, President of Fiji. "This is why legal reform is crucial to the AIDS response.

More than 2,000 flee as hostilities reignite in Kachin state

Posted: 19 Nov 2013 02:54 AM PST

Up to 3,000 refugees from a displacement camp in Kachin state's Mansi township have been forced to flee once again as their camp was evacuated when clashes broke out nearby between Burmese government forces and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) on Sunday.

Mary Tawm, the co-founder of relief agency Wunpawng Ninghtoi, said intense fighting between the Burmese army and the KIA erupted on 17 November in Mansi, forcing residents in Namhlinpar village and thousands of refugees in a displacement camp nearby to flee into the jungle.

She said that around 200 people were still trapped in the village as of Monday and she estimated that some 3,000 may be hiding in the jungle. DVB could not verify those details.

"We heard the fighting in Nam Lim Pa was continuing as of 9pm on Sunday and that around 200 people remained in the village," she said, adding that of the 3,000 villagers who had fled, some may have taken shelter in Lagatyang and Bhamo townships.

Many of the villagers would be also anxious about leaving their crops unattended because harvest is approaching, said Mary Tawm.

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An alliance of local NGOs also released a statement on Monday, calling for access to the displaced villagers to provide humanitarian relief. The statement was co-signed by BRIDGE, Kachin Baptist Convention, Kachin Relief and Development Committee, Kachin Women's Association, Kachin Development Group, Karuna Myanmar Social Services, Metta Development Foundation, Shalom Foundation and Wunpawng Ninghtoi.

The NGOs also said that 700 schoolchildren who had been blockaded in a boarding school by Burmese soldiers had later been released.

"The Myanmar government army has set up camp around the Nam Lim Pa Boarding School, which is hosting 700 students and 34 teachers," the statement said. "These students and teachers were surrounded and blockaded inside the school compound, but an appeal by the Catholic Church has led to their release later in the evening."

Meanwhile, state-run media in Burma said the clashes occurred as government forces set out to clear illegal loggers from the area.

Khon Ja of the Kachin Peace Network said Sunday's clashes would cause damaging effects to the peace process.

"If the Tatmadaw [Burmese army] wanted to evict illegal loggers, they could have blocked access from Sagaing division as that is where all the loggers come from," she said. "I have to assume that the government army was engaging deliberately to disrupt the peace process."

Since a 17-year ceasefire was broken in June 2011 up to 100,000 Kachin villagers have been forced to abandon their villages and take refuge either with relatives in other townships, in IDP camps or in camps at the Chinese border, according to the NGOs which provide assistance.

Sunday's hostilities come just a week after peace talks between the KIA's political wing, the Kachin Independence Organisation, and a government delegation from Naypyidaw had concluded on a positive note with both sides pledging to work toward a ceasefire and the return of all Kachin IDPs to their homes.

Karen language proposal gets green light in Tenasserim

Posted: 19 Nov 2013 01:00 AM PST

Representatives of the Karen National Union (KNU) met last week with members of the Tenasserim division government in Tavoy where they agreed that plans to teach ethnic languages in Karen schools should move ahead.

The meeting took place in the regional capital, officially known as Dawei, on 8 November, and was attended by Chief minister Myat Ko, and a KNU delegation led by Myeik-Tavoy regional commander Bee Leh.

Discussions concerned governance of several parts of the Tenasserim region held by the 4th Brigade of the KNU's armed wing, the Karen National Liberation Army. KNU spokesman Saw Htoo Kapaw said that the itinerary included the return of confiscated or annexed lands to original owners, the opening of KNU liaison offices, and mutual cooperation towards regional development.

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"Chief Minister Myat Ko said that teaching Karen language in schools could be permitted, but he did not want anything excessive," said Saw Htoo Kapaw.

The two main Karen languages spoken in Tenasserim and Karen state are Sgaw and Pwo, which are linguistically related but quite distinct from Burmese.

The KNU regional spokesman said that other issues will be considered after this first round of discussions.

Among those issues is the return of land seized from 20 Karen villagers during a 1997 Burmese army offensive. Many of the displaced villagers fled to Htan Hin refugee camp at the Thai-Burmese border, while some have since been resettled in third countries.

There are an estimated 140,000 refugees currently sheltering in camps along the Thai-Burmese border, most of whom are ethnic Karen.

Shan parties consider merger proposal

Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:13 AM PST

The Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) has proposed a merger with its main rival in the eastern state, the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP).

The SNLD, headed by Khun Htun Oo, has long been considered the traditional nationalists' party of Shan state. Strongly linked with Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, the SNLD competed in the 1990 election when it won 23 seats. But while it boycotted the 2010 elections, a new party, formed by Shan businessman Sai Ai Pao, was formed – the SNDP, colloquially known as the White Tiger Party, which went on to claim 53 constituencies in that election.

In a letter dated 16 November, the SNLD invited the White Tiger Party to a meeting to discuss the proposed merger, citing public petitions over the past year as well as a call by the Shan State Joint Action Committee urging the two main Shan parties to form a coalition or an alliance in time for the 2015 general election.

Sai Nyunt Lwin, a spokesperson for the SNLD, said that although the two parties carry different policies, they should be able to resolve any differences through negotiations.

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"Our ambition is to structure a union based on eight administrative regions, as opposed to the SNDP which prefers a 14-region system. This is one area of disagreement among many," he said. "However, we will only achieve an outcome after negotiations."

The SNLD spokesman said the party has formed a negotiation team of five representatives to discuss the merger.

Sai Hsawng Hsi, an elected MP and deputy chairman of the SNDP, said he welcomed the SNLD's approach, and said that his party had discussed the possibility of an alliance at its annual congress earlier this year. He said that the White Tiger Party had formed a team, known as the Committee to Implement the United Party of Shan State, in which he was appointed leader.

"Inherently a merger shouldn't be too difficult but we can't tell at this stage how it would work in practice," said Sai Hswang Hsi. "According to Election Commission rules, both parties would have to be abolished in order to set up a new party which we would then have to register.

"What happens if we form a new party and it does not get approved ahead of the 2015 elections?"
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