Democratic Voice of Burma

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• Sympathisers flock to aid evicted squatters in Hlegu
• Burmese migrants freed from slavery in Bangkok restaurant
• Suspended animation – Sacked comic illustrators hit back
• Military secures Hpakant area after 37-ton jade slab found.
• Quintana slams Maungdaw investigation

Sympathisers flock to aid evicted squatters in Hlegu Posted: 20 Feb 2014 04:20 AM PST Sympathisers from across Burma have been flocking to the Aung Theikdi Buddhist monastery in Pegu Division since news spread that 144 families were sheltering there after their homes were bulldozed and demolished. Donors and well-wishers, including several high-profile activists such as former students leader Moe Thee Zun, have been offering relief supplies and aid to the families who have been sheltering at the monastery since 4 February when their homes were demolished in nearby Hlegu Township which falls under the jurisdiction of neighbouring Rangoon Division authorities who deemed them illegal squatters. According to a DVB reporter at the scene, the 144 were informally offered resettlement on Wednesday by the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (formerly Democratic Karen Buddhist Army) who are based in Sonesee Myaing in eastern Burma's Karen State where a new town is currently under construction. The villagers apparently refused the offer although the DKBA showed up on Wednesday with 10-wheel trucks ready to transport them to the new location. A spokesperson for the families said they refused the offer because they have children who must attend important exams at the end of this month. There were initially more than 400 families sheltering at the monastery, but local authorities ordered families without students sitting exams to move to a local Dharma Centre. Related Stories Deadline looms for Dagon squatters Settlers forcibly evicted in Hlegu township Rangoon squatters return to site of despair

Burmese migrants freed from slavery in Bangkok restaurant Posted: 20 Feb 2014 04:02 AM PST Thai police rescued three Burmese youths from a Bangkok seafood restaurant on Wednesday, where it is believed they had been enslaved. The two women and one man, aged between 18 and 20, from Moulmein, Mon State, had arranged to work in Thailand via a "job agent". Police were acting on a tip off from the Myanmar Association of Thailand. Tinzar Naing, one of the three migrants, said they have been forced to work at Feel Pratunam Seafood Restaurant at Pratunam Market for three months without pay. She said they had been locked in room when not working. "The employer would lock us up in the room after finishing a day's work and keep all the leftover food in a fridge. He wouldn't let us have breakfast until 5pm the next afternoon when he would show up again," said Tinzar Naing. Related Stories Thai police ‘rescue’ 531 Rohingyas from human smuggling camp Human Trafficking: better or worse in 2013? International pressure on Burma, Thailand to deal with Rohingya issues "We had to cook for the restaurant but we weren't even allowed to eat any of the food we prepared." Kyaw Thaung is director of the Myanmar Association in Thailand (MAT), which supports the rights of Burmese people working in the country. Kyaw Thaung said that he immediately contacted the Thai Department of Special Investigation's Anti-Human Trafficking Division on 15 February after receiving a telephone call from the trio. "The kids phoned me up on 15 February. I asked them for their details and immediately contacted the Anti-Human Trafficking Division but could not immediately rescue them as there were official procedures to go through such as verifying whether it qualified as a human trafficking case," he said. The MAT director said that Tinzar Naing contacted him again on the morning of 19 February, saying that the restaurant owner had threatened to have all three arrested as illegal migrants. He said Tinzar Naing then asked for immediate rescue. "I contacted the [Anti-Human Trafficking Division] again – they arrived soon after and we managed to rescue the kids from their workplace that afternoon," he said, adding that the restaurant owner has now been arrested. The trio said they are not concerned about what kind of punishment is handed out to the restaurant owner as long as they are paid their wages for the period they worked at the restaurant.

Suspended animation – Sacked comic illustrators hit back Posted: 20 Feb 2014 03:07 AM PST Six former employees of Myanma Haymarn Co Ltd have called for justice amid speculations that they were sacked for their involvement in a labour union. However Myanma Haymarn refutes the claim and says the six workers were dismissed on Tuesday for "financial reasons". The South Korean-owned company provides artwork and drawings for comic books published abroad. The six staff members are all executive members of the Comic Artists Union. One of the sacked employees, Aung Lwin, is also chairman and founder of the interim Federation of Labour Unions. Last year Myanma Haymarn encountered a series of union-led disputes with its employees, who demanded revised working hours and better pay. The six employees held a press conference on Wednesday in Rangoon, home to the company's headquarters, during which they called for justice. "The financial reason they provided was not solid enough for the dismissal – we founded the Comic Artists Union in 2012 and have been calling for greater labour rights with 12 demands to fix basic working hours and salary issues, 11 of which were met after a negotiation mediated by the Township Labour Administration, and the company has held a grudge against us ever since," said Aung Lwin. "Now they are purging all of us." Related Stories Gold miners push for Mining Law 97 Burmese workers in hiding after Borneo shipyard brawl Most Burmese migrants want to go home, says IOM Sacked artist Kyaw Zeya said he is looking for a mutually beneficial end to the dispute. "I wish for the issue to be mediated in a way that workers will not be subjected to excessive work, while ensuring fairness for the employers – a fair and just decision in accordance with the law," he said. Labour Unions have enjoyed greater freedom in Burma since the Labour Organisation Bill was passed in 2012, replacing the 1962 Trade Unions Act that effectively banned trade unions across Burma. Since 2012, strikes and labour protests have become much more common. However labour activists in Burma still walk a delicate path. The right to protest has not stopped police from breaking up protests and arresting activists. Myanma Haymarn employs around 80 comic artists and illustrators.

Military secures Hpakant area after 37-ton jade slab found. Posted: 20 Feb 2014 12:16 AM PST The Burmese army has bolstered security around the Hpakant jade mining district after a 37-ton slab of jade was discovered on 9 February. The army set up a perimeter with a 15-acre radius and began shutting down small unofficial excavation plots located within. The Kachin State Government Deputy-Director Kyaw Hsan told DVB that the 13-foot high rock was to be transported away from its discovery location, Weihka district. The Hpakant mines are famous for producing high-quality jade, yet ongoing conflict between Burmese government forces and the Kachin Independence Army in the region caused the official closure of the mine in 2012. Unofficial excavation has continued by locals and migrants from across the country, eager to source a living from the precious stone. Yet a "loose understanding" between unlicensed miners and authorities has not always prevented arrests. Shwe Thein, National League for Democracy (NLD) chairman for Seikhmu village-tract, said the army had detained Aung Naing Win, discoverer of the giant stone, "for his own safety". Shwe Thein went onto say that consecutive security checkpoints have been set up on the road to the discovery site. "The Weihka-based forward battalion of the army's 101st Light Infantry Division has set up layers of security along the way up to the rock, prohibiting anyone from getting near," said Shwe Thein. "Since the discovery of the rock, they began to enforce prohibition of small-time mining operations and it since has been bring a lot of hardship upon the local population who make a living from that." Aung Naing Win is reported to have said that he migrated to Hpakant from lower Burma in the hope of a better life. Related Stories Arakanese monk makes pilgrimage to Mrauk U for peace, development Burmese military seeks stronger ties with Indonesia UN envoy meets Kachin leaders, refugees

Quintana slams Maungdaw investigation Posted: 19 Feb 2014 08:40 PM PST The human rights situation in Burma has improved, UN envoy Tomás Ojea Quintana said at Yangon Airport on Wednesday, speaking at a press conference that concluded a six-day visit to the country and also marked the end of his six-year mandate as the UN's Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the country. However, the Argentine diplomat criticised the Burmese government's handling of the Rohingya crisis in Arakan State and said he has serious concerns over the impartiality of a government investigation into an alleged massacre of 48 Muslims in the village of Duchira Dan in Muangdaw Township between 9 and 13 January. Quintana noted that Burma had made strides in releasing prisoners of conscience, opening space for freedom of expression, the development of political freedom, and "important progress" in bringing an end to conflict with ethnic armed groups. But he called for a "change of mindset" within all levels of government to allow civil society, political parties and free media to flourish. The UN’s rights envoy then raised "serious concerns" over the impartiality of a government investigation into allegations by the UN that an Arakanese mob, possibly aided by local police, had conducted a witch-hunt in the Maungdaw village of Duchira Dan [also written Du Char Yar Tan] after a local policeman had gone missing on 13 January. Related Stories UN envoy meets Kachin leaders, refugees Protestors greet UN’s Quintana in Sittwe All 1,300 Rohingyas now deported to Burma, says Thai official “I have continued to receive allegations of serious human rights violations being committed during this police operation, which also involved Rakhine [Arakanese] mobs, including allegations of the brutal killing of men, women and children, sexual violence against women, and the looting and burning of properties,” he said. Quintana warned that the ongoing unrest in western Burma could "jeopardise the whole [political] transition process". He said that domestic investigations had to date "failed to satisfactorily address" the claims of a massacre and looting. Quintana is due to present the findings from his tour to Burma – which also included visits to Latpadaung copper mine and Kachin State – on February 28, but pointed out that he would urge the UN to commission another inquiry if the Burmese government's probe did not meet international standards. Quintana said he had met the regional chief of police in Arakan State, who conceded that more than 100 officers, armed with live ammunition, had taken part in a search at Duchira Dan for the missing policeman. However, the police chief maintained that no deaths or injuries were caused during the operation on 13 and 14 January, he said. Meanwhile, Burma's state-run media on Thursday reported that Dr Tha Hla Shwe, the chairman of the Investigation Commission, had held separate talks with Roka Kuto of UNHCR and other officials in Maungdaw on Wednesday, and that suspects were being interviewed.

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