Democratic Voice of Burma

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• 120 homes destroyed in Mae La refugee camp fire
• 150 constitutional clauses should be amended, says NLD
• Sound bomb found in Taungoo
• UN calls on Thai navy to drop defamation charges on Phuketwan
• Thailand prepares for natural gas disruptions from Yetagun

120 homes destroyed in Mae La refugee camp fire Posted: 27 Dec 2013 04:04 AM PST About 120 homes were destroyed and two people were injured on Friday in a blaze that devastated the Mae La refugee camp, about 60km north of Mae Sot on the Thai side of the border with Burma. Naw Day Day Poe, secretary of the refugee camp, said the fire broke out in the camp's Zone C-3 around 2pm and left 120 wooden houses destroyed while 40 others were dissembled by the camp's residents to prevent the fire from spreading. "We heard the fire started at a boarding school in the Zone-3 and left some 120 homes destroyed – another 30 or 40 houses were brought down by the camp's residents to prevent the blaze from spreading," said the camp secretary. "Two people – one adult and one child – were injured in the incident." Related Stories Fire breaks out at Rohingya refugee camp Seven dead in pre-dawn fire at Rangoon beauty spa A first New Year's festival at the Shan camp The fire was suppressed around 3pm after six fire engines were sent in from Mae Sot. The adult victim sustained severe burns and is being treated at Mae La hospital. Naw Day Day Poe said those who lost their homes to the blaze are now taking shelter with relatives and friends but are urgently in need of warm clothing and blankets. In April 2012, a religious school in the camp's Zone-1 was destroyed by fire. Similarly in February 2012, a fire broke out at Umpium refugee camp in Tak Province's Phop Phra town, leaving over 3,000 homes destroyed and tens of thousands of refugees without shelter. The Mae La refugee camp is home to about 50,000 refugees from Burma, most of whom are ethnic Karen.

150 constitutional clauses should be amended, says NLD Posted: 27 Dec 2013 03:29 AM PST National League for Democracy (NLD) Central Executive Committee member Win Myint said on Friday that the party has prepared about 150 points or clauses that it will present as suggested amendments to the 2008 constitution. He said the party's Central Executive Committee (CEC) will meet on Saturday to discuss the constitutional amendments which they will then send to the parliamentary Joint-Committee for Reviewing the Constitution. He said the party would recommend changing articles that are undemocratic, deprive citizens of their rights, are not in conformity with union principles, or provide unequal rights. The joint-committee previously set a deadline of 15 November to submit recommendations but extended the date until 31 December. The NLD has carried out a nationwide campaign in recent months aimed at convincing party members and voters to support its agenda of either amending or rewriting the constitution. The NLD has claimed that their opinion polls show that 99 percent of 20,000 Rangoon voters interviewed said they favoured amending the constitution. Among the major criticisms of Burma's 2008 constitution is a provision that guarantees 25 percent of parliamentary seats to the military, and a severely prohibitive amendment process that requires 75 percent parliamentary approval for all changes. Related Stories Suu Kyi told to put her feet up Constitution review meeting set for 7 January Suu Kyi says constitutional reform will unify military and people Burma's current constitution also contains a clause that would prevent NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi from seeking the presidency in the upcoming 2015 elections by virtue of having been married to a foreigner and having two sons who have foreign citizenship. Meanwhile, Suu Kyi's personal physician says she has recovered sufficiently from her bunion operation and will be ready to resume her itinerary starting with a 6 January trip to Chin state. Dr Tin Myo Win told DVB he had inspected the stitches on Suu Kyi's foot from an operation to remove bunions and that she is now able to walk. In another statement, NLD MP for Meikhtila township and former army officer Win Htein said that following a CEC meeting on Thursday, he has been assigned to head Suu Kyi's security detail. "Our duties are to stay close and provide security to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, same as what we have been doing, and to coordinate with local residents in towns she is visiting," he told DVB. "Moreover, as she is a member of parliament, we will also be coordinating with local police and the Special Branch on matters relating to her security."

Sound bomb found in Taungoo Posted: 27 Dec 2013 12:09 AM PST A sound bomb found planted on the side of the road was disabled in the eastern Pegu division town of Taungoo on Christmas Day. Found inside a cardboard box, the device was taped to a cigarette lighter. It was discovered on the roadside in front of the local hospital at around midday. The device was exploded through a controlled detonation by the army's EOD using the 'water bottle' technique around 2:30pm – it caused a loud noise and a white cloud of smoke. According to an army expert, the device was a homemade sound bomb, a dud explosive designed to generate a loud noise to panic civilians. Related Stories Govt minister says Taungoo bomber did not confess under torture Bomb blast kills three in Shan state Myint Myint Aye completes third day of hunger strike

UN calls on Thai navy to drop defamation charges on Phuketwan Posted: 26 Dec 2013 10:05 PM PST The United Nations has urged Thailand to drop defamation charges against two Australian and Thai journalists for a report alleging military involvement in people smuggling, warning of a “chilling effect” on press freedom. The case relates to an article published by the independent news website Phuketwan in July, quoting an investigation by the Reuters news agency, which said some members of the military were involved in trafficking Muslim Rohingya asylum seekers from Burma. If convicted of the charges, which were filed by the Royal Thai Navy, Australian editor Alan Morison and his Thai colleague Chutima Sidasathian could face up to two years’ imprisonment for defamation and five years for breaching the Computer Crimes Act, the UN said. “Criminal prosecution for defamation has a chilling effect on freedom of the press, and international standards are clear that imprisonment is never an appropriate penalty for defamation,” the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a statement released in Geneva on Thursday. “We urge the government of Thailand to drop the charges against Mr Morison and Ms Sidasathian and to ensure the freedom of the press in the country.” Related Stories Burma needs a practical long-term policy for the Rohingya issue Thai navy to sue journalists over Rohingya trafficking allegations Burmese govt attacks Sun Rays journal The Rohingya, considered by the United Nations to be one of the most persecuted minorities in the world, have long made the perilous journey from Burma by boat. But that exodus accelerated after Buddhist-Muslim clashes in 2012 in western Arakan state, with thousands of Rohingya — including women and children — since fleeing the former junta-ruled country. Rights groups have raised concerns about alleged cases of boats being pushed back out to sea after entering Thai waters. They have also criticised the detention of hundreds of Rohingya in overcrowded facilities while Thailand waits for a “third country” to offer to take them. Phuketwan, a small but well-respected English-language news website based on the island of Phuket, has said the lawsuit will not stop its acclaimed coverage of the plight of the Rohingya. Reuters has not received any criminal complaint about the original article quoted by Phuketwan, a spokeswoman said last week.

Thailand prepares for natural gas disruptions from Yetagun Posted: 26 Dec 2013 08:15 PM PST The Thai Energy Ministry has set up a "war room" in preparation for the temporary suspension of the natural gas supply delivery from Burma’s Yetagun Field, beginning on 31 December to 14 January, according to a Thai News Service report on Friday. Mr. Pongsak Raktapongpisan, the Energy Minister, stated that the suspension period has been rescheduled; it was initially supposed to begin on December 25th and last till January 8th. He reassured the public that the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) would be able to produce enough power for public consumption during the period. According to him, power consumption rate during the long holidays will be significantly lower than usual, as most of the factories will be closed during this time of year. Power consumption during the period is expected to be only around 20,000 megawatts. Related Stories Most Burmese migrants want to go home, says IOM Yingluck backs out of SEA Games opening ceremony Thai PM pledges help on Rohingya trafficking investigation Currently, the EGAT has the capacity to generate 32,000 megawatts of electricity, he added. The war room will make sure that there will be enough supply of electricity for factories located in the power-hungry areas such as Bangkok and nearby provinces, from 8- 10 January, the period when most factories normally resume their operations, Mr. Pongsak said. Although the EGAT produces 32,000 megawatts of electricity, it might have problems supplying manufacturing plants during that period, given Bangkok and nearby provinces consume up to 9,000 megawatts.

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