Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Democratic Voice of Burma

Democratic Voice of Burma

Forced evictions to continue in Dagon

Posted: 11 Feb 2014 04:53 AM PST

Up to 80,000 shantytown-dwellers in Rangoon's Dagon Port Township — one of the poorest neighbourhoods in the former capital — have been declared illegal squatters and face eviction.

Those living in four major wards within the township have been given until Wednesday, 12 February to leave their homes, authorities announced.

A notice issued by the township directive said residents who failed to leave their homes face legal action and a potential month-long prison sentence as per the Lower Burma Town and Village Lands Act of 1898.

If the villagers are forced to leave, it will be the largest displacement by forced eviction in Burma's history.

Last week 1,000 families were also displaced in Rangoon's Hlegu Township when bulldozers razed homes on what the government has declared an illegal settlement.

 

Related Stories

Latpadaung activist Thaw Zin detained

Posted: 11 Feb 2014 04:35 AM PST

Activist Thaw Zin was arrested on Tuesday morning in Salingyi Township, one of the many towns impacted by the Latpadaung copper mine project.

Thaw Zin was arrested by plain-clothed police, according to Pol. Superintendent My Nyunt Oo, who told DVB that plain-clothed officers are patrolling the area because "locals tend to get hostile when they see uniforms".

My Nyunt Oo confirmed that Thaw Zin's charge related to two separate past incidents involving confrontations between locals and staff of the Wanbao Company, which is the Chinese firm involved in a joint venture at the mine.

Related Stories

The activist had previously been detained on charges under Article 18 (the Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession Law), for organising protests without official permission. The charge was dropped under a presidential amnesty announced at the end of last year.

"We have two criminal charges outstanding against Thaw Zin, on top of the annulled Article-18 charge. He has been arrested this morning," said the police official, who could not confirm where he was being detained.

Local villagers in Salingyi have vowed to stage a protest in front of the township's police station to demand the activist be released.

"Activist Thaw Zin was arrested this morning when he went out of the village. We are now gathering people in front of the police station to demand his release," said Amar Cho, a resident from Tonywa village.

She said residents from around 10 villages in Salingyi were gathering for a protest on Tuesday afternoon.

Last week police briefly detained several people from nearby Wet Hmay village after they had blocked the path of Wanbao company staff laying barbwire fences across farmland.

Yawd Serk bows out urging peace, compromise

Posted: 11 Feb 2014 04:22 AM PST

The retirement of Lt Gen Yawd Serk adds some uncertainty to the path towards nationwide peace, as a draft multilateral peace agreement garners support among most of Burma's armed ethnic groups.

Yawd Serk is the founder of the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) and armed wing (SSA-S), one of only two armed ethnic organisations that have yet to sign onto the plan (the other being the United Wa State Army).

In 2011 Yawd Serk led the SSA-S to sign a unilateral ceasefire with the Burmese government. While ongoing skirmishes between the Burma Army and SSA troops have reiterated the need for a multilateral agreement inclusive of all armed groups, the RCSS/SSA-S have continued private discussions with Naypyidaw, citing the United Nationalities Federal Council's inclusion of rival Shan organisations as a stumbling block for participation.

Speaking to DVB at RCSS/SSA-S headquarters at Loi Tai Leng, Yawd Serk affirmed the positive steps his organisation has made in its relations with the government since President Thein Sein came to office in 2011.

"We believe that President Thein Sein is an honest person," said Yawd Serk. "We trust him, and we also want peace, so we are continuing to work on an agreement with him."

Yet according to Yawd Serk, striking a deal with the Burmese government is only half the challenge. A permanent agreement with the government, he said, may not guarantee an end to the fighting. While trust has been built between Thein Sein and ethnic leaders, a perceived discrepancy between Presidential edicts and military operations has made parties watchful.

"When the Burmese military was fighting the KIO," he said, "President Thein Sein himself issued an order for the fighting to stop, yet it continued.

"The ceasefire was signed between the RCSS and the government, but the clashes are between our troops and the Burmese military. So we think that there might be some problems between the Burmese government and military."

Related Stories

Such a split has made it difficult to negotiate and has the potential to sully the reputation Thein Sein has established for himself among ethnic leaders:

"Either there is a genuine split between the government and military, or such a perceived split is actually a strategic effort designed to confuse us," Yawd Serk continued.

However, such confusion has not dented the conciliatory approach that the Lt. Gen has brought to the bargaining table.

The RCSS has played an large role in Burma's reconciliation, notably by pushing for the government's recognition of the 1947 Panglong agreement that guaranteed autonomous internal administration for the Frontier Areas and the right to secede from the Union of Burma after a period of ten years.

The Panglong Agreement was shelved under Gen Ne Win's leadership but has remained an important goal of many armed groups.

When asked if the RCSS/SSA is still pushing for recognition of the Panglong Agreement, Yawd Serk said, "If we stood firmly on such a position, the government would not be able to accept our conditions. So, if we want peace, we must compromise. We are now asking for self-determination – that is, we would like to join a general union."

With that goal the RCSS/SSA is looking towards the 2015 general elections — but not without constitutional amendments — they say.

"We want it [the Constitution] to be in accordance with democratic principles," he said, "and we want it to express that all ethnic nationalities have equal rights".

The schism between politicians and army generals suggests that until such constitutional change is achieved, political dialogue between the RCSS and the Burmese government may well be coloured by the path that the SSA-S and the Burmese military have tread.

 

 

Quintana plans Arakan visit in midst of anti-UN protests

Posted: 11 Feb 2014 03:33 AM PST

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Burma, Tomás Ojea Quintana, will undertake his final official visit to the country from 14 to 19 February, a UN statement said on Tuesday.

The UN said that the envoy's trip will include a visit to Arakan State, where a series of protests have been staged recently by local Arakanese Buddhists demanding that the UN and other international agencies are expelled from the region due to what they say is "bias" in favour of Rohingya Muslims in the distribution of aid.

It was reported that some 500 Arakanese protestors had taken to the streets again on Monday demanding that the UN, along with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and other international relief agencies, withdraw their operations from the region.

According to local Arakanese media, protestors carried placards reading: "UN Get Out! AZG (MSF) Get Out! INGOs Get Out!" No injuries or damage were reported.

Also on Monday, at a public meeting of Arakanese youths and Buddhist monks in Arakan State capital Sittwe, speakers reportedly called for Burmese President Thein Sein to cancel a governmental MoU with MSF, and advocated that local landlords evict MSF and other INGOs from their offices in the town.

Related Stories

Similar demonstrations have also been staged recently in Buthidaung, which like Maungdaw has a majority Rohingya population. Arakanese protest leader Nyo Aye told DVB last week that they plan to hold more rallies in Maungdaw, as well as Mrauk-U, Kyauktaw and Minbya.

Speaking to DVB on Tuesday, Pierre Péron, the Public Information and Advocacy Officer for the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Burma, said, "In the past months, community resistance against international organisations working in Rakhine [Arakan] State has increased and this is reflected in the protests which we have seen over the past week.

"The rising anti-aid worker sentiment has created a difficult operating environment and in some areas it is affecting the ability of international actors to provide assistance to Rakhine and Muslim IDPs and vulnerable communities. In some cases, humanitarian assistance has had to be temporarily suspended. The situation is particularly difficult in Sittwe, Kyauktaw and Myebon, with incidents also occurring in Minbya, Mrauk-U and Maungdaw. Incidents include harassment and intimidation of aid workers, and blocking of access to camps by members of the community."

By way of asserting that international relief operations are essential for all nationalities of the region, Péron also noted that "Muslim IDPs are not the only ones who need help in Rakhine State – many ethnic Rakhine people are also extremely poor and suffer from the chronic under-development."

Tuesday's UN statement also said that Quintana will visit conflict-torn Kachin State, the controversial Latpadaung copper mine in Sagaing Division, and the Thilawa Deep Sea Port during his final mission, which ends his six-year mandate as Special Rapporteur to the country.

DVB Debate: Burma’s business innovators

Posted: 11 Feb 2014 02:57 AM PST

As the country's economy opens up following the lifting of sanctions and a new FDI law, foreign investment is pouring into Burma's untapped market and local entrepreneurs are hoping to benefit from emerging opportunities.

On the panel this week: Dr. Sai Sam Htun, Chairman of Beverage manufacturer Loi Hein; U Myat Oo, CEO of Baby Vita Medical Products; Vicky Bowman, Director of Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business; and economic expert, Aung Chain Bwa.

Panellists disagreed about the benefit of foreign companies entering the Burmese market.

"I welcome multinationals, but the reason my company will not cooperate with multinationals at this time is because if we do then our trademarks will all disappear" said Dr. Sai Sam Htun.

Cartoon: DVB Debate

Cartoon: DVB Debate

However, Aung Chain Bwa disagrees, insisting Burmese companies can survive foreign competition, "Burmese companies know the most about Burma," he said. "Let [foreign companies] come in as much as they want. Only in theory will we be defeated, but in practice there are lots of examples where we are not defeated".

U Myat Oo sees the benefit of foreign companies producing their products in Burma. He does not think that the country is ready for innovation in medicine as 90% of medical products are still imported from outside the country. 

"For pharmaceuticals, it would be good to have foreign companies producing medicine here so we can benefit from the technology," he said.

 Some foreign companies are bringing with them new equipment and new opportunities for local business innovators.

But Aung Chain Bwa points out that there are still obstacles.

"What is difficult for the young people is they have the innovation but they don’t have the capital" he said. "Finding the capital investment is very difficult."

Business developers are finding company survival depends more on their bank balance than their ideas.

"It is not easy to get a loan by showing a business proposal in this country" says Htoo Myint Naung, the CEO of Technomation, a computer software business.

Information Matrix CEO, Thaung Su Nyein agrees.

"I would like an environment where a business’ survival does not depend on how much money they have but how innovative they are," said the media and technology entrepreneur.

Panellists raised concerns about transparency in businesses and policy making. High standards set by international companies may cause problems in Burma where businesses often have to deal with bribery and corruption.

Related Stories

"The problem is there is only one law but there is no standard. So it is very difficult for foreign companies," said Vicky Bowman.

"If they want to meet foreign standards there is no clear law," she added.

The panellists said local business owners had lost faith in the policy makers and that more transparency was needed.

"We can trust each other only when we have mutual transparency," said U Myat Oo.

Burma is located in the heart of the world's fastest-growing region, close to a huge and expanding market. Panelists agree that despite the challenges, the liberalisation of Burma's economy will bring with it many opportunities.

You can join the debate and watch the full programme in Burmese at dvbdebate.com

Or share your views with us by commenting on our website at dvb.no

Magwe demands ‘Slapper’ Ohn Myint step down

Posted: 11 Feb 2014 01:04 AM PST

Nearly 1,000 residents of Aunglan, Magwe Division, protested on Monday to demand the resignation of Ohn Myint, Burma's Minister of Livestock Breeding, Fisheries and Rural Development.

The minister is currently the subject of a Parliamentary investigative proposal after making threats to "slap" and imprison citizens who inquired about the government's water access initiatives in Thityargauk, Magwe, during a 28 January visit.

A video of the minister's rant soon went viral, in which he tells villagers that, "if you oppose the government, you go to jail and only come out when we're out of office," and that he would "dare to slap anyone in the face". The comments sparked a protest on 3 February in Rangoon where demonstrators gathered on the steps of City Hall demanding that the minister slap them as promised.

Ohn Myint declared on DVB Burmese, however, that he did not employ offensive language to the villagers.

"I didn't utter a single curse word – I was only talking energetically just like now… You can ask people who were there if I ever said a curse word – I did not at all. I never cursed," he said, though the original video features comments ranging from, "I don't give a f–k about anyone" to "Let those bastards write whatever they want and I'll flip my longyi at them!”

Related Stories

Aye Myint, who organised Monday's demonstration, said the rally was carried out despite the denial of a public assembly permit by the town's local police.

Attendees chanted slogans calling for the minister's resignation and abolishment of Article 18 of the Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession Law, a controversial provision that requires government approval for any public gathering of five or more people, which has landed many activists in jail in recent years.

While the demonstration was held without a permit, at time of writing no arrests have been made in relation to the event.

An emergency proposal was submitted to the Parliament's lower house on 4 February, urging the government to take immediate action against the minister for his remarks to villagers in Thityargauk as well as a similar incident in Tenasserim Division on 25 October 2013.

Information Minister Aung Kyi has expressed commitment to investigate the incident to determine whether Ohn Myint's comments were made in "good faith or in bad".

Ohn Myint is a former military general and a member of the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party. The minister is no stranger to scandal; he has been accused of similar tactless behaviour in Tenasserim, and was implicated by Kachin activist Bauk Ja for his role in leveling what she called "bogus charges" against her last year.

Arakanese summit to address conflict resolutions

Posted: 10 Feb 2014 11:22 PM PST

Representatives from various Arakanese organisations have announced they will hold the 4th Arakan National Convention in the Arakan State town of Kyaukphyu from 27 April to 1 May as they strive to find answers to the ongoing conflict in the region.

Speaking at a press conference at the end of the meeting in Chiang Mai on Monday, Thar Ban, the chairman of the Arakan League for Democracy (ALD), said that the upcoming summit would focus on three objectives.

"We aim to finalise discussions from our previous talks regarding three objectives: to promote solidarity among the Arakanese people; to bring about ethnic equality and justice; and build a secure, peaceful and progressive Arakanese society," said Thar Ban.

Related Stories

The secretary of the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party (RNDP), Oo Hla Saw, said: "Our people are facing challenges like no other region in the country, and we won't be able to solve these issues through one party or an individual. That's why we have decided to hold a conference, together with resistance groups, democratic parties, intellectuals and historians. In that way, we can work out a strategy."

He said the ongoing communal violence between Arakanese Buddhists and the Muslim Rohingya community would not prevent the convention from going ahead, and neither would the recent incident where two Arakanese political leaders – RNDP's Aye Maung and ALD's Aye Thar Aung – were targeted in a failed assassination attempt in Malaysia last week.

Meanwhile, the question remains whether armed Arakanese groups that are yet to sign a ceasefire agreement with the government will be invited to the conference.

Speaking to DVB, Lt-Col Kyaw Han of the Arakan Army said, "The meeting aims to resolve issues on how Arakanese people can cooperate and live together. If we, the Arakan Army, and other armed organisations are not allowed to join in the discussions, then the conference will be meaningless."

A committee has been formed to organise the 4th Arakanese National Convention. It will comprise: ALD Chairman Thar Ban; RNDP President and Rangoon Division Arakanese Affairs Minister Zaw Aye Maung; Arakan Liberation Party Secretary Khine Thukha; and Arakan Army's Kyaw Han.

The committee is scheduled to meet in the near future with a Burmese government delegation headed by Minister Aung Min at the Myanmar Peace Centre in Rangoon to discuss details for the April convention.

Burma’s debt to Germany halved

Posted: 10 Feb 2014 10:12 PM PST

Burma's debt to Germany has been halved in a deal presided over by German President Joachim Gauk and his Burmese counterpart Thein Sein in Naypyidaw on Monday. It was agreed that the remaining debt will stand at 542 million euros (US$740 million) and will be repaid at a rate of 3 percent interest over the next 15 years.

Thein Sein thanked Germany for its continued support for Burma over 60 years of continuous bilateral relations. Gauk stated that Burma could continue to rely on Germany as long as their path to democracy was maintained.

The German President did raise concerns with Thein Sein over Burma's democratic transition — noting that the legal status of the stateless Rohingya was worrying.  The need for the Burmese government to build on ceasefire agreements towards a more lasting peace was also raised.

Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi described Gauk's visit as "encouraging", as the German President — known for his anti-totalitarian activity in the former East Germany — had "lived for many years under a dictatorship".

Gauk moved on Monday night to Rangoon, where he will address Rangoon University on Tuesday and officially open the Burma chapter of the German cultural association Goethe-Intistut.

Related Stories
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)