Democratic Voice of Burma

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• Stop Salween Dams, say 34,000 people in Burma
• Disarm and disband proposal worries ethnic armies
• Search for missing MH370 extends to Burma
• HRW slams UN invitation for Burmese peacekeepers
• Karen monks, pastors voice support for peace process

Stop Salween Dams, say 34,000 people in Burma Posted: 14 Mar 2014 04:39 AM PDT Two hundred villagers gathered in worship on Friday at the Salween delta, which for now is the end of a robust waterway that many fear will soon be desiccated. At least 20 hydropower projects have been planned upstream, and locals say that waste from nearby mines is already damaging the river's delicate ecology. To mark the International Day of Action for Rivers, 14 March, several coordinated demonstrations sprung up along the channel, with locals from all over Burma uniting to demand complete suspension of all of the six dams planned within Burma for the Salween, which is one of the last and longest free-flowing rivers in the world. "Once the running Salween is turned into a series of reservoirs, biodiversity will be inevitably destroyed," said Pianporn Deetes, Salween project director at International Rivers, a worldwide community and environmental protection network. While a critical mass marched to the delta in Moulmein to perform water-worship ceremonies, many others gathered in Karen State to protest against the controversial Hat Gyi dam, which is expected to flood two wildlife sanctuaries. Further north, the Karenni Civil Society Network (KCSN) sounded the same call, declaring that the exploitation of resources in the small ethnic state bordering Thailand was "equivalent to a new economic offensive against the Karenni people," an unfortunate turn after a ceasefire was reached with the Burmese government in March 2012. Burma Rivers Network, a 15-member alliance of activists, on Friday released a list of nearly 34,000 individuals and 131 civil society groups that unanimously called for total suspension of all hydro projects on the Salween. Related Stories Shans plan their own census Building code to shore up rickety construction sector SSA-S says it seeks separate ceasefire deal Corporate and governmental stakeholders have not yet responded to the barrage of synchronised dissent, though China's ambassador to Burma has promised a prompt reply. Companies involved have to date been less than cooperative with both media and activists. Last month the Shan Human Rights Foundation accused Chinese firm Hanergy Holdings and Burmese contractor Asia World Group of numerous ongoing abuses on and around the site of the Kunlong dam in northern Shan State. To date neither has so much as acknowledged the complaints, and have simply disregarded DVB's several inquiries, even when channeled through the Chinese Embassy in Rangoon. Detrimental outcomes of Burma's mega-hydro projects are many – they are complex and, sadly, they are so oft-repeated that reciting them can be done almost thoughtlessly: environmental destruction; sweeping displacement; and military abuse, particularly against ethnic minorities. Activists argue that, for the people of Burma, there isn't actually any justification for the projects, and no one — among the Burmese, Chinese and Thai governments, or the companies involved — has offered much evidence to the contrary. As large-scale development projects go, hydropower megaprojects seem almost universally abhorred. Just this week an Oxford study, baldly titled "Should we build more large dams?", examines the cost and return of such developments, and concludes that the answer is "no". Pianporn, when asked whether large-scale hydropower projects would offer any benefits at all for Burma's population, nearly 70 percent of which does not have full electrical access, said: "Not likely. Most of the electricity will be exported, while the real, invisible cost of the dams will be on villagers in Burma." Since 2008, two Salween dams have been indefinitely suspended because of public opposition and concerns about human rights. International Rivers confirmed that the Wei Gyi and Da-gwin dams, located on the Thai-Burmese border, have been halted by the sites' operator, Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT).

Disarm and disband proposal worries ethnic armies Posted: 14 Mar 2014 04:29 AM PDT Representatives from the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) said at a meeting in Rangoon that there was still "a way to go" with negotiations between ethnic armed groups and the government over a nationwide ceasefire agreement. The secretary of the UNFC, Nai Hongsa, told DVB he had concerns over a government proposal that suggested the ethnic armies would have to disarm and disband after signing a ceasefire. "The government indicated a plan to disband us after signing the ceasefire agreement," Nai Hongsa said. "But from our side, we have our security concerns and also we have a wish to establish a genuine union army. So we still have quite a lot to negotiate to reach a deal on this." Related Stories Karen monks, pastors voice support for peace process Peace efforts bearing fruit, says Khin Maung Swe SSA-S says it seeks separate ceasefire deal Nai Hongsa made the comments at a meeting between the UNFC and the United Nationalities Alliance (UNA) – a coalition made up of ethnic political parties – in Rangoon. In Laiza, Kachin state in November 2013, ethnic groups called for the creation of a federal army, saying it would be essential if a federal union were established. During the talks in Rangoon, Nai Hongsa said there had been improvements in cooperation between the government and the UNFC. He said the government was providing logistical assistance so the ethnic armies could attend ceasefire talks. "The government has been helpful with our meetings and very encouraging to all armed groups. We see this as a very positive improvement," he said. The UNFC's negotiation team, the Nationwide ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT) met on 8-9 March with representatives from the government's Internal Peace Making Working Committee where they reached an agreement to form a joint-committee to finalise the drafting of a nationwide ceasefire agreement. Disarmament and the prospect of federal armies is a major issue in the peace process but there is still a lot to negotiate before any deal can be reached.

Search for missing MH370 extends to Burma Posted: 14 Mar 2014 03:40 AM PDT The search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has been extended to include Burmese airspace, according to several media reports on Friday, although Burma's Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) is yet to make an official statement. On Thursday, Burmese news group The Irrawaddy quoted DCA director-general Tin Naing Tun saying that his office had granted permission for Malaysian authorities to search Burmese airspace for seven days, beginning Wednesday, for the Boeing 777 plane that went missing last Saturday while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 227 passengers and 12 crew members on board. Tin Naing Tun is reported to have said that a Burmese rescue committee had been formed to offer assistance but would not participate in the search without a request from Malaysia. Rangoon-based Myanmar Times cited the deputy director-general of the DCA, Win Swe Tun, saying that permission had been granted to search Burmese waters around Kawthaung in Tenasserim Division, officially known as Tanintharyi Region. Then on Friday, a Reuters report suggested that sabotage and hijacking had still not been ruled out. "Military radar-tracking evidence suggests a Malaysia Airlines jetliner missing for nearly a week was deliberately flown across the Malay peninsula towards the Andaman Islands, sources familiar with the investigation told Reuters on Friday," the report said. Related Stories Defamation case on hold: Thais urged to probe Rohingya smuggling Thai police ‘rescue’ 531 Rohingyas from human smuggling camp UN calls on Thai navy to drop defamation charges on Phuketwan Reuters cited two sources who claimed that an unidentified aircraft that investigators believe was Flight MH370 was following a route between navigational waypoints – indicating it was being flown by someone with aviation training – when it was last plotted on military radar off Malaysia’s northwest coast. The last plot on the military radar’s tracking reportedly suggested the plane was flying toward India’s Andaman Islands, which if true could have taken the aircraft into Burmese airspace. Waypoints are geographic locations – worked out by calculating longitude and latitude – that help pilots navigate along established air corridors. "A third source familiar with the investigation said inquiries were focusing increasingly on the theory that someone who knew how to fly a plane deliberately diverted the flight, with 239 people on board, hundreds of miles off its intended course from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing," the Reuters report said. Burma's DCA had not responded to requests for comment at the time of press.

HRW slams UN invitation for Burmese peacekeepers Posted: 14 Mar 2014 02:49 AM PDT Human Rights Watch (HRW) has written to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon, heavily criticising the UN invitation to involve the Burmese army in future international peacekeeping missions. In a late January meeting, Burma's Commander-in-Chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing accepted an invitation by the Secretary-General's special advisor on Myanmar [Burma], Vijay Nambiar, who cited Burma's progress in internal peace and military transparency. However in a Friday statement, HRW asserted that "sending [Burmese] troops to UN peacekeeping missions could lead to abuses and undermine peacekeeping standards". The Burmese army, known colloquially in the county as the Tatmadaw, has a long and dark history of human rights abuse. That tradition is reflected in the upholding of arms embargos as economic sanctions on the one-time pariah state fall. HRW acknowledged on Friday that Burma has undergone some political reform, but argues change has not extended to the military. Related Stories UN urged to maintain human rights pressure on Burma Government, ethnic groups one step closer to ceasefire Defamation case on hold: Thais urged to probe Rohingya smuggling "The Burmese military is among the most abusive armed forces in the world," HRW's statement read. "To this day, the military continues to commit serious abuses in areas of the country where armed conflict continues." HRW cited "widespread killings, torture, sexual violence, use of child soldiers, and forced labor" as the ongoing war crimes of a military that has never been held to account. The practice of recruiting child soldiers was cited in the HRW statement as a major sticking point to the evolution of the Burmese army into a positive international co-operator. A total of 272 soldiers recruited as minors have been released since a 2012 UN Joint Action Plan was agreed to eliminate all minors from the military. However the release of underage soldiers at varying intervals has prompted criticism as to the military's commitment to reform. "The UN has continued to document child recruitment," the HRW statement read. "Inviting Burma to contribute troops to UN peacekeeping operations while it has children in its ranks undermines both the UN's reputation and global efforts to end this shameful practice." The invitation for Burmese troops to participate in international peacekeeping efforts comes as members of the international community reach out to Min Aung Hlaing's military. In a January interview with DVB the UK's ambassador to Burma, Andrew Patrick, said that "Like it or not, the army is a central part of Burmese society," and it was "better to engage" with the army than to isolate them." The British military conducted classroom training with a small group of Burmese army officers in January; however, the British Embassy maintained that the training focused on the elements of a civilian-controlled army, leaving out any combat instruction. HRW believes that the Burmese army does not yet warrant the level of international trust and acceptance which involvement in a peacekeeping mission would represent. Phil Robertson, deputy director of HRW's Asia division, told DVB on Friday that "UN peacekeeping missions are not the appropriate place to train rights abusing soldiers how to behave. "The Tatmadaw have a long record of abusing and killing civilians, recruiting child soldiers, compelling forced labour, and looting and seizing whatever comes across their path – which is usually the sort of thing that UN peacekeepers are trying to prevent in their deployments. "A far better course of action would be for the Tatmadaw to go beyond 'on paper' promises, demonstrate real political commitment to end their rights violating practices, and hold accountable officers and soldiers in their ranks responsible for abuses."

Karen monks, pastors voice support for peace process Posted: 13 Mar 2014 08:15 PM PDT Ethnic Karen religious leaders, both Buddhist and Christian, met in Hpa-an earlier this week to discuss their involvement in the current peace-building process between Karen armed groups and the Burmese government. More than 90 Buddhist monks and Christian pastors from various parts of Burma – including Rangoon, Irrawaddy, Tenasserim and Mandalay divisions, and Mon and Karen states – sat for talks at the Thumaydharama Monastery in the Karen State capital on 11- 12 March, said Buddhist monk Sandhawara. "The Burmese government and the Karen Nation Union have managed to reach a ceasefire agreement in the peace-building process," he said. "But we would like to find ways to assist, and to give the process a push forward with the aim of establishing a genuine peace. "We believe that only the involvement of religious leaders will ensure a swift but genuine peace process," he added. The 90 religious leaders concluded their summit by releasing an eight-point statement expressing support for the peace-building process and urging honesty and fairness in negotiations. Other points called for a programme to educate the local populations about the peace process; and to resettle villagers and refugees displaced by the decades-long conflict. Related Stories Disarm and disband proposal worries ethnic armies Peace efforts bearing fruit, says Khin Maung Swe Development needed to ensure peace: KPC

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