Democratic Voice of Burma

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• Foreign aid workers ‘huddled’ in Sittwe police station
• Buddhist mob attacks aid offices in Sittwe
• Opponents slam Thein Sein’s anniversary speech
• 88 Generation demonstrators may face charges
• Michaungkan villagers restart sit-in protest

Foreign aid workers ‘huddled’ in Sittwe police station Posted: 27 Mar 2014 03:12 AM PDT Foreign aid workers in Arakan State capital Sittwe are currently "huddled" at a local police station after a mob began attacking homes and offices of several international NGOs in the town on Wednesday night and again on Thursday morning, Malteser International spokesperson Johannes Kaltenbach has confirmed to DVB. Another international source said that the offices of UNICEF and UNOCHA had been attacked and that rioters had entered the buildings. According to Rakhine Nationalities Development Party MP Pe Than, the mob violence flared after a foreign female NGO worker removed a Buddhist flag from the front of the office and placed it in her pocket, which was interpreted by some locals as disrespectful because of the flag's proximity to her lower body. The incident was quickly linked to a Malteser International employee. However, Kaltenbach said that the staffer in question did not disrespect the Buddhist flag. Related Stories Buddhist mob attacks aid offices in Sittwe Burma's badly needed census may have come too soon Japan announces more aid, loans to Burma "The disturbance started in relation to a protest against the census in which protestors were required to fly Buddhist flags," he told DVB on Thursday afternoon. "Our housekeeper flew one of these flags at our office which the programme coordinator removed later, at about 6 or 6:30pm in accordance with our policy of no religious or political insignia. She did not disrespect the flag in any way." He said that around two hours later, a mob of about 50 people arrived at the Malteser office and began shouting. That crowd subsequently grew and became increasingly more threatening. "All our windows were smashed with rocks, and equipment was destroyed," said Kaltenbach. "Solidarity International also evacuated their office, which got the same treatment." Kaltenbach said that the situation was very worrying and difficult to make sense of because of a lack of available information. "I would like to stress that this is a broader issue of antagonism towards INGOs, not an isolated response to the flag incident," he said. Meanwhile, DVB has been told by local MP Aung Myat Kyaw that a curfew has been imposed in Sittwe from 6pm to 6am starting on Thursday, and that a ban on assemblies of more than five persons has been imposed.

Buddhist mob attacks aid offices in Sittwe Posted: 27 Mar 2014 01:52 AM PDT Hundreds of Arakanese Buddhists gathered and attacked homes and offices occupied by Malteser International in Arakan State capital Sittwe on Wednesday night. Some property was damaged but no one was injured, according to a parliamentarian and local sources. The crowd split into three groups who threw stones at several houses that were rented out to NGOs, said Pe Than, an MP representing the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party. "Locals asked the owners not to hire property to the NGOs," he said. Locals said that they were angered when a foreign female staff member removed a Buddhist flag from the front of the office and placed it in her pocket, which was interpreted by some locals as disrespectful because of the flag's proximity to her lower body. According to locals, flags have been placed outside of many Sittwe homes in a show of solidarity with a campaign to omit the term "Rohingya" from the census set to begin on Sunday. Around 11pm, a mob had gathered and began launching stones at three buildings, local sources said. Security forces fired shots into the air to disperse the crowd. The mob returned on Thursday morning. As of Thursday morning, police had blocked the road that the houses were on, but could not prevent the angry crowd from launching more stones at the buildings. Malteser International is a non-governmental humanitarian aid group headquartered in Europe and the US. Related Stories Foreign aid workers 'huddled' in Sittwe police station Burma's badly needed census may have come too soon Interfaith marriage law violates Constitution: HRW

Opponents slam Thein Sein’s anniversary speech Posted: 27 Mar 2014 12:50 AM PDT Several politicians have lashed out at Burmese President Thein Sein following a speech on Wednesday to mark the third anniversary of his government in which he praised his administration's progress and expressed his "delight" at the country's "achievement of national consolidation to a satisfactory extent and a new political culture of partnership". Speaking to DVB, various observers said that the Thein Sein administration had done nothing to resolve economic difficulties for rural and working-class people, and pointed to a failed policy of land reform in which thousands of farmers now have lost their land and cannot cultivate crops. Saw Than Myint, a spokesman for the Nationalities Brotherhood Federation (NBF), complained that the Burmese government "claims to be stepping forward, but is in reality going nowhere". "We don't see any improvement," he said. Khin Maung Swe, leader of the National Democratic Front, echoed Saw Than Myint's sentiment, saying: "Reforms are taking place, but without any pace". Related Stories Thein Sein visits Kachin State on 'peace mission' VP urges civilians to speak out against corrupt officials Government snubs National Network for Education Reform In his speech to parliament on Wednesday, Thein Sein emphasised the role of the army, saying: "The armed forces will continue to play a role in our democratic transition. There is also a need for our armed forces to continue to be included in the political negotiations to help find a solution to our political issues. "We will be able to steadily reduce the role of the army as we mature democratically and as we see progress in our peace-building efforts." However, well-known writer Htet Myat said building a democratic state does not include a role for the army. "The fact that 25 percent of parliament comprises soldiers shows that the 2008 constitution must be amended," he said. "The Tatmadaw [armed forces] should not play a political role in a democratic country." Mya Aye of the 88 Generation Peace and Open Society said the role of the military should be diminished, but that it will take time, under the current circumstances, to abolish its political position. "I want to make clear that the duty of the Tatmadaw is to serve and defend the country," he said. "Therefore it must stand outside the realm of parliament."

88 Generation demonstrators may face charges Posted: 26 Mar 2014 09:30 PM PDT Four demonstrators are likely to face charges from Pakokku Township Police for staging an unauthorised protest demanding constitutional reform. Pyone Cho, Nilar Thein and Mee Mee, all members of Burma's 88 Generation Peace and Open Society (88GPOS), as well as local resident Than Naing, were detained for several hours on Wednesday after leading thousands of demonstrators to a meeting point where they then gave public speeches about Burma's 2008 Constitution. The organisers applied for an assembly permit on Tuesday, but authorities denied the request on the grounds that a large gathering might cause a traffic jam. An official with the local police force said that the obstruction could damage the stability of the town. Speaking to DVB on Wednesday, Pakokku Police Sub-Inspector Htay Win said investigations are under way to determine whether or not the protest organisers should be charged under Burma's controversial Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Processions Law. "We are still investigating, then we will likely take action," said Htay Win. Nyan Lin, communications liaison for 88GPOS, said that upon asking if they would face charges the group was informed that they were currently under investigation. "At this time," he said, "they [the authorities] are indecisive about whether to file a lawsuit or not. They will decide based on advice from legal experts." A similar demonstration held in Magwe on Tuesday also left organiser Kyaw Thein facing charges for violating Article 18 of the assembly law. The Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Processions Law, passed in 2011, requires permission from local authorities for any public gathering of five or more people. Related Stories Mae Sot migrants demand labour rights Amend the constitution ‘for the stability of the country’, says Suu Kyi Aung San Suu Kyi on the move to Mogok, Pyin Oo Lwin Rights experts claim the law is being selectively enforced and may be creating new prisoners of conscience in Burma, which could have serious impacts on the country's international relations. The legislation is currently undergoing parliamentary review after months of both domestic and international criticism. Burma's lower house of parliament recently approved legislation to amend the law, which would remove local authority to deny permission to protest. The amendments still await upper house approval. Thura Aung Ko, chairman of the Judicial and Legal Affairs Committee, said authorities could be punished under the revised law if they deny permits without legitimate cause.

Michaungkan villagers restart sit-in protest Posted: 26 Mar 2014 08:48 PM PDT More than 100 residents of Michaungkan in the eastern suburbs of Rangoon have restored their rally camp, this time at Maha Bandula Park in the city's downtown area. The land rights protestors restarted their sit-in at the park near Sule Pagoda on Sunday after previously suspending their action in December ahead of the Southeast Asian Games. The villagers are demonstrating against a 1990 land confiscation by the Burmese military. They agreed to suspend the sit-in for a period of three months following negotiations with the parliamentary Farmland Investigation Commission in December. Leading campaigner Sein Than said they had resurrected the rally site because government authorities had failed to keep their promise. "We don't know who we should trust," he said. "We welcome an investigation commission. If we are wrong, we will withdraw from the camp. If an investigation commission concludes that we are right and that we have suffered from a land seizure, then the tatmadaw [armed forces] should abandon the land." To date, he said, no one in a state of authority has come to the site to negotiate with the Michaungkan protestors. One of the demonstrators at the Maha Bandula Park sit-in, Kan Kyi, a resident of Michaungkan, said she will fight to get back the land which belonged to her grandparents. "I will fight for my land until the day I die," she told DVB. The protestors said they will demonstrate in front of Parliament if their requests are not fulfilled. The Michaungkan villagers claim they have all the legal documents to prove their original ownership of the land. The rally camp in December came under attack by a mob of men wearing black vests with military insignia – an attack that left several of the villagers injured.

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