Democratic Voice of Burma

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• Chinese NGO aims to tackle poverty in Burma through microloans
• KNU wants genuine peace before dam construction resumes
• NLD appeal for school funds
• Women walk for empowerment in Rangoon
• Seven Red Shan allegedly abducted by KIA
• Rangoon hosts ASEAN Film Festival

Chinese NGO aims to tackle poverty in Burma through microloans Posted: 17 Mar 2014 03:57 AM PDT A Chinese NGO is set to implement micro-finance programs across Burma in a bid to tackle rural poverty. The China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA) has announced that it will base ten assistance programs in Mandalay, issuing small loans alongside education and health support. The news comes out of a Rangoon seminar last week, which addressed human development opportunities presented by the Sino-Burmese relationship. Au Feng, of the CFPA, told the seminar that the foundation would register under the Ministry of Home Affairs, however he did not present any budgetary details. Offices are planned for Rangoon, Naypyidaw, Mandalay and Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State. "The main focus would be in Mandalay to start poverty alleviation programs such as micro-credit, education, health programs and technical and education programs in the agricultural sector.” Au Feng said. The CFPA will partner the Myanmar Development Resource Institute for programs that will engage a range of government ministries. Au Feng told the group that for one particular project the CFPA would sign MoUs with the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, and Department of Poverty Alleviation. Such pacts between lenders and government departments continue to be necessary for the circumvention of Burmese banking laws, which prohibit uncollateralised lending, a crucial element of the micro-finance platform. Despite this remaining hurdle, micro-finance has emerged as a significant platform for poverty alleviation as development plans coincide with political and economic reforms in Burma. In 2011, Burma passed legislation allowing micro-finance institutions to operate in the country and began issuing licenses under MoUs. The UNDP had previously run programs in Burma, having stated that the "lack of access to credit to purchase agricultural inputs" was the primary hindrance to the development of people in rural Burma living in poverty. Private small-loan pioneers the Grameen Bank had also existed in Burma previously, however the scale at which programs were run pre-2011 was limited. Related Stories BUSINESS WEEKLY 14 March 2014 Push to ban harmful Chinese snacks from schools Stop Salween dams, say 34,000 people in Burma Shortly after the 2011 legislation was introduced, The International Finance Corporation made micro-finance the focus of their first investment into the former pariah state. The CFPA initiative comes as Chinese companies are routinely accused of maximising profit in Burma at the expense of local people. Chinese financed mega-projects, such as the Myitsone dam and Latpadaung copper mine have come under intense criticism from local and international activists, the former suspended in a popular political move by President Thein Sein in 2011. CFPA may now present a potential for improved impressions of China among Burmese people. The future establishment of a "China-Burma Civil Society Assistance Centre" was also raised at the seminar. Click here to watch a DVB Debate from January on breaking the cycle of poverty in Burma.

KNU wants genuine peace before dam construction resumes Posted: 17 Mar 2014 03:35 AM PDT In an interview with DVB, The Karen National Union (KNU) said they would not allow the Hatgyi dam on the Salween River in Karen state to resume until a peace agreement has been made. In 2013 the Burmese government gave the go ahead to China and Thailand to build six hydropower dams along the Salween River. The six dams run through ethnic territories and many are in conflict zones. The KNU, who oppose the dam, have said they want more transparency from the projects and will only consider them once genuine peace is achieved. "The Hatgyi dam is in an area under our control," said spokesperson of the KNU Brigade 5, Saw Kledoh. "Our position is not to allow the mega project until there is a guarantee after political talks." The Hatgyi dam was the first of the dams to start construction on the Salween River. However operations were suspended in 2007 after clashes with the KNU around the project site. Last October the Thai government pressured Burma to speed up construction but the KNU said they would not allow operations to resume before a ceasefire has been agreed. Related Stories Peace talks have been “extremely positive”: Hla Maung Shwe Mons count heads to justify National Race Representatives Tackle impunity, discrimination in Burma: Quintana And a ceasefire seems a long-way off yet. “Currently, there is still no clear decision on a ceasefire. There isn’t even any political dialogue yet. The guarantee is still far away," said Saw Kledoh. The projects have been met with protests and outrage from environmental and human rights groups. Environmental damage, forced displacement and human rights abuses go hand in hand with these big investment projects. The KNU said any investment project should benefit the local people and support the peace process. “Even if the government and Border Guard Force allow the project to go ahead, we will not allow it and the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army will not allow it," said Pado Saw Thawthi Bwe, Secretary 1 of the KNU. "Whenever we met with the government we said that if there is no political stability, there should not be development projects or border area development programmes.” Last Friday two hundred villagers gathered at the Salween delta to pray and demand the suspension of the six dams. They fear the Salween River would soon be destroyed if the projects went ahead. Burma Rivers Network, a 15-member alliance of activists, released a list of nearly 34,000 individuals and 131 civil society groups that called for total suspension of all hydro projects on the Salween. If dam construction goes ahead in these ethnic controlled regions, ethnic leaders said, it could disrupt the peace process.

NLD appeal for school funds Posted: 17 Mar 2014 02:31 AM PDT Funds are needed to sustain schools sponsored by the National League for Democracy (NLD), said a spokesperson for the opposition party's Education Network. The NLD Education Network has launched more than 150 primary schools across Burma – 89 in Rangoon and 65 elsewhere – providing free education to more than 15,000 students, said coordinator Kyaw Htwe. However, he said, they now need more funding because more schools have been founded and the number of children is increasing. "The schools were established by respected people and school committees for low-income families," Kyaw Htwe said. "But now more and more students are dependent on this programme for their education. Of course, financial needs have also increased." He said there is also an urgent need for more teachers. Related Stories Push to ban harmful Chinese snacks from schools Suu Kyi and Yeoh launch health and education foundation NLD to sue USDP rep for defamation In Burma, the government offers a free education system for all children of primary school age; however many are unable to attend because of family hardships, perhaps living in squalid shanty towns or farmers who expect their children to help in the fields. The NLD projects are often located in areas where no government school exists; they are also flexible on school times and do not impose a school uniform on the students. "Our schools are aimed at children who cannot attend government-run public schools," said network member Han Thar Myint. "It is very important for them." The NLD Education Network announced it will host a fundraising event on 4- 5 April at Rangoon MCC Hall. Party chairperson Aung San Suu Kyi is scheduled to inaugurate the fundraiser which will include a lucky draw where winners receive signed Suu Kyi t-shirts.

Women walk for empowerment in Rangoon Posted: 17 Mar 2014 12:06 AM PDT More than one thousand women took to the streets of Rangoon on Sunday to take part in the city's first walking marathon organised specifically for women. DVB reporter Lay Lay Mon took part; she said the event was held to promote the empowerment of women. She said that women of all different ages and backgrounds turned up before dawn on Sunday morning at White Bridge beside Inya Lake. The "walkathon" set off along Pyay Road, heading south towards central Rangoon, and ended at People’s Square, a distance of some five kilometers. see short video of the event in Burmese HERE Related Stories Rangoon hosts ASEAN Film Festival Mons count heads to justify National Race Representatives Serge Pun and partner to develop hotel at former railway HQ

Seven Red Shan allegedly abducted by KIA Posted: 16 Mar 2014 11:40 PM PDT Seven Red Shan [Taileng] villagers were said to have been abducted by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) on 11 March in Bhamo district, according to the Shan Ethnic Affairs Organisation (SEAO). Sai Tun, a Shan youth activist organising literature courses in Bhamo, said the KIA in Mansi Township abducted the villagers on Tuesday in what was assumed to be a recruitment drive. A teacher and a member of the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP) are among the missing villagers. "Around 7am on that day, Nang Sein Pwint and Nang Ae Htwe from Pansatt village were detained by the KIA on their way back from the market. Nan Sein Pwint is a Shan-language teacher in the village and Nang Ae Htwe is a SNDP member," said Sai Tun. He said five other villagers, two from Monghkong and three from Thanpalwe, were also abducted the same day. One of them, however, managed to convince the rebels to let him go after explaining that his brother had also been forcibly recruited. Related Stories Tackle impunity, discrimination in Burma: Quintana Stop Salween dams, say 34,000 people in Burma Shans plan their own census Sai San Wai, deputy-chairman of the SEAO, said his group reached out to the KIA's liaison officers in Myitkyina to free the villagers. He said two youths, previously nabbed by the KIA on 22 February in Shwemaw, near the Irrawaddy River confluence, were released after their parents complained at KIA liaison offices. KIA liaison officer Dau Hka denied the recent abductions, claiming forced recruitments were a thing of the past. "We used to do that but not anymore, not since 2003. These days we focus on public relations – we take the villagers for education trainings and then let them go home to go about their lives," said the KIA official. "The villagers, if they know details about these abductions, can contact our liaison office in Myitkyina to settle the problem." Last December, the KIA was accused of forcibly recruiting 51 villagers, including several women and two disabled children.  Most of the missing persons were ethnic Red Shan, though at least four were Kachin. Following several public denials that the abductions occurred, the KIA released 26 of the disputed recruits on 17 December, according to Bhamo district administrator Tayzar Aung. Of the 26 freed, only 21 were identified by the SEAO as among the documented missing villagers. Of those 21, SEAO claimed that only four returned home after their release, the rest presumed to be held in KIA boot camps. Red Shan make up about 100,000 of the 1.2 million population in Kachin state. The Taileng (Red Shan) Nationalities Development Party, or TNDP, announced in late October that the party was conducting a region-wide survey to expose alleged human rights violations committed by the KIA against Red Shan people. On 20 December, thousands of Shans gathered in Myitkyina denouncing alleged human rights violations by the KIA.

Rangoon hosts ASEAN Film Festival Posted: 16 Mar 2014 10:40 PM PDT Films from nine member countries of the Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will be screened at the ASEAN Film Festival, which begins on Monday in Rangoon. The event is organised by the Ministry of Information through their Myanmar Motion Picture Enterprise offshoot. Three Burmese films will feature at the festival – Kayan Beauty, Kyodan (The String) and Pan Kyar Wuthome (Pollens of a Flower). Lu Min, actor and chairperson of the Myanmar Film Association welcomed the festival, held in Burma for the first time. "We have attended ASEAN Film Festivals hosted in other countries and always had the ambition to hold an event like this in our country," said Lu Min. "We are delighted to host the event." He said the Ministry of Information, who will provide tickets to the public free of charge, had chosen the three Burmese films that will feature. Burma has held international film festivals before, including last year's "Human Rights Human Dignity" film festival, which confronted the crimes of the former military regime. Related Stories Women walk for empowerment in Rangoon Refugee kids get creative Mons count heads to justify National Race Representatives

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