Democratic Voice of Burma

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• Sittwe riot damages Arakanese image: RNDP leader
• Energy price hike sparks outrage
• Snr-Gen defends nation’s charter at Armed Forces Day
• Intl community ‘deeply concerned’ over Sittwe riots
• Burmese govt pledges to investigate Sittwe riot
• Thai shrimp processor to lay off 1,200 Burmese workers

Sittwe riot damages Arakanese image: RNDP leader Posted: 28 Mar 2014 05:34 AM PDT The sight of mobs attacking homes and offices of international NGOs in Sittwe is damaging to the image of the Arakanese community, a leading local politician told DVB on Friday. Hla Saw, secretary of the Rakhine National Development Party (RNDP), said that "many of the international organisations involved in the region are working for the benefit of the entire community". He said that the incidents on Wednesday and Thursday, when a Buddhist mob ransacked and threw stones at INGO offices and residences, was "a loss for the Rakhine [Buddhist Arakanese] people as the impact from these actions will be negative." Related Stories Intl community 'deeply concerned' over Sittwe riots Burmese govt pledges to investigate Sittwe riot Foreign aid workers 'huddled' in Sittwe police station "The Bengalis [Rohingya Muslims] have been trying to damage our reputation in many ways," the RNDP secretary complained. "Now we will be seen in a negative light by the international community. It is totally unacceptable." By Friday, the situation in Sittwe had returned to normal,  he added. According to President's Office spokesman Ye Htut, writing on social media, Gen Hla Htay Win of the Ministry of Defence had arrived in Sittwe to lead the security effort. Despite numerous calls by DVB to various State and Union government bodies and to local police chiefs, no official was willing to confirm whether arrests had been made nor what action had been taken by the authorities to appease the situation. Kyaw Khin, the secretary of the All Myanmar Muslim Association, said both the Union and State governments were responsible for security as focus turned to the possibility of attacks on the Rohingya minority who are sheltered in the enclave of Aung Mingalar district in Sittwe. "The refugees in Sittwe cannot go outside their camp," he said. "We are calling on the authorities to guarantee their security."

Energy price hike sparks outrage Posted: 28 Mar 2014 04:25 AM PDT Four people have been arrested in Mandalay during a protest against a government-backed electricity price hike. Protestors scuffled with police on Wednesday evening, and those arrested were taken away in police trucks. Parliament has approved a government proposal to raise electricity prices on 1 April. Fifty people took to the streets of Rangoon in a candlelight protest against the government's energy hike. Two people in Rangoon have been charged under Article 18 of the Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession Law, which states protestors must get prior permission from authorities. The two were later released on bail. Related Stories 88 Generation demonstrators may face charges Offshore oil and gas exploration block winners announced: Ministry of Energy Mae Sot migrants demand labour rights One of those charged, Win Cho, said MPs are not listening to their constituents. "Do MPs represent the wishes of the people regarding the electricity price law?" he said. "Do MPs who claim to speak for the people and who sit in parliament explain to their constituents the reasons of the energy price hike?" The current rate for supplying electricity to households across Burma stands at 25 kyat (US$0.02) per unit. Under the new plan, households using up to 100 kilowatts per month the price will be 35 kyat per unit. For those using more than 100 units they will have to pay 40 kyat and for over 200 units households will be charged 50 kyat. However, protestors said the energy hike will put extra strain on the people, many of whom are already struggling financially. "Without planning to improve the life of ordinary people, we can't accept the burden of an energy price hike," said one protestor. Last year protestors successfully stalled a similar proposal to raise electricity prices.

Snr-Gen defends nation’s charter at Armed Forces Day Posted: 28 Mar 2014 04:08 AM PDT One year after his promotion to the highest rank in Burma's military, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing addressed the nation at a celebration marking Armed Forces Day, 27 March. The Snr-Gen emphasised that the military has played a significant and necessary role in the country’s history. “Tatmadaw [Burmese armed forces] had to take care of our country in the dangerous conditions in 1962 and 1988,” he said. ”The soldiers could help with state food security and this would be a good support for the safety of the economy, and if there is a need to improve national productivity.” Whereas his inaugural speech last year focused on the military's commitment to reform, the commander on Thursday affirmed the importance of the military in the reform process and defended Burma's 2008 Constitution. According to state media, the Senior-General specifically endorsed clauses regarding amending the document, which have been a priority target for supporters of constitutional reform. Chapter 12 of the charter requires 75 percent parliamentary approval for amendments. Other contentious elements of the army-drafted Constitution are a clause reserving 25 percent of parliamentary seats for uniformed military representatives and an additional requirement of majority referendum for certain specified amendments. Among the changes that require referendum is Article 59(f), which precludes a presidential bid by any Burmese citizen married to or parent of persons holding foreign citizenship, a clause which notably applies to opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Suu Kyi attended the celebrations in the nation's capital Naypyidaw on Thursday for the second time in history. The event, which marks Burma's resistance to Japanese occupation in 1945, was originally observed as "Resistance Day", later to be renamed after Ne Win took power in the military coup of 1962. Related Stories Amend the constitution ‘for the stability of the country’, says Suu Kyi Shan land requisitioned for military golf course HRW slams UN invitation for Burmese peacekeepers

Intl community ‘deeply concerned’ over Sittwe riots Posted: 27 Mar 2014 10:29 PM PDT The European Union and the United States expressed "deep concern" on Thursday evening after mobs of Arakanese Buddhists attacked homes and offices of humanitarian aid workers in the capital of Burma's western Arakan State. Seventy-one aid workers, who provide essential health and other services, have been evacuated; some were flown to Rangoon while others remain under police protection in Sittwe. "We are very concerned by the wave of hostilities targeting international organisations which provide essential assistance to local communities and the most vulnerable in the Rakhine [Arakan] State of Myanmar," read a joint statement by Kristalina Georgieva, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, and Andris Piebalgs, EU Commissioner for Development. "We call upon the people of Sittwe, and the Rakhine State, to co-operate fully with the competent authorities in order to restore the safety of relief workers and the security of international assistance operations." Similarly, the US Embassy in Rangoon issued a press statement denouncing the "lack of adequate security forces and rule of law on the ground in Sittwe, and Rakhine State more broadly, to prevent the outbreak and spread of violence and to protect aid workers, their offices, and other vulnerable populations in the area." On Wednesday night, mobs of Arakanese Buddhists gathered around the offices of Malteser International, a Germany-based NGO that provides humanitarian aid, after hearing that a foreign staff member removed a Buddhist flag from the balcony of the building. The crowd began throwing stones at the building, which broke windows and caused other damage to the property. "All windows were smashed with rocks," Malteser's country coordinator, Johannes Kaltenbach, told DVB on Thursday, a day after the initial incident. Related Stories Sittwe riot damages Arakanese image: RNDP leader Burmese govt pledges to investigate Sittwe riot Foreign aid workers 'huddled' in Sittwe police station Kaltenbach said that as the violence escalated, staff fled the premises and sought police protection, while the mob moved on to other humanitarian aid offices, which received "the same treatment". The crowd was eventually dispersed by security forces, who fired warning shots into the air. Local media has reported that an 11-year old girl was fatally injured by a stray bullet, though this has not been independently confirmed. Rioting continued the following morning, and by late afternoon all aid workers in the town had fled their homes and offices, our sources said. UN aid agencies such as UNICEF and UNOCHA, as well as the World Food Programme, were also targeted in what rights defenders say is a larger movement against all international aid in the state, which over the past two years has suffered several rounds of communal violence between Buddhists and Muslims, the latter bearing most of the damages. Several demonstrations against aid workers in the region illustrate the widespread distrust of foreign aid workers, which many Arakanese believe are favouring Muslims. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) was recently evicted from the state after a series of targeted protests. President's spokesperson Ye Htut told DVB at the time that MSF's activities were "fuelling tensions and are detrimental to the rule of law" in the area. "Arakanese Buddhist animus towards Muslims has reached fever-point," said David Mathieson, senior Burma researcher for Human Rights Watch's Asia division, "and seeing as the violence of 2012 cleansed central Sittwe of Muslims the mobs are taking it out on international aid workers erroneously cast as only assisting Rohingya." International voices have thus far been unanimous in denouncing the Burmese authorities for weak protection of humanitarian aid workers and vulnerable populations in Arakan State. "The international community has to stand together and condemn these attacks against humanitarian agencies, as they should have done when MSF's operations were suspended, and demand the national government take all measures to ensure the safety and integrity of humanitarian operations or abrogate its responsibilities as a rational government," said Mathieson.

Burmese govt pledges to investigate Sittwe riot Posted: 27 Mar 2014 09:13 PM PDT Burma's Ministry of Home Affairs said that it will conduct an investigation into the violence which broke out in Sittwe late on Wednesday night and again on Thursday, resulting in the ransacking and destruction of houses and offices rented by international aid organisations and the subsequent evacuation of 71 aid workers, including 32 foreigners, to a local police station. According to state-run The New Light of Myanmar on Friday, the violence was sparked when local residents observed a foreign staffer at Malteser International, a Germany-based NGO which operates health care and disaster relief services in the area, removing a Buddhist flag which had been placed outside the organisation's office. "In the first incident on March 26 at around 8:30pm, around 50 locals surrounded a facility rented by the humanitarian organisation Malteser International, hurling stones at the house," the report said, adding that the crowd dispersed around 11:30pm after local authorities and Buddhist monks intervened. The state-run newspaper said that the Malteser aid worker accused of disrespecting the religious flag, programme coordinator Yvonne Dunton, and her husband fled the premises and were later escorted to a police guest house after a crowd grew and demanded she be handed over. However, Malteser International spokesperson Johannes Kaltenbach rejected accusations that the staffer in question disrespected the Buddhist flag. Related Stories Sittwe riot damages Arakanese image: RNDP leader Intl community 'deeply concerned' over Sittwe riots Foreign aid workers 'huddled' in Sittwe police station "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 anyway." The New Light reported that, subsequently, around 300 people gathered and destroyed the offices and residences of international aid organisations, including Malteser International and Médecins Sans Frontières. Another international staffer who asked to remain anonymous confirmed to DVB that the offices of UNICEF and UNOCHA were also attacked. State media said that on Thursday morning a crowd formed around the offices of the Red Cross. Security forces dispersed the crowd by firing warning shots. "The office of UNHCR was attacked the same day in Sittwe by a mob which hurled stones, with the [UN]OCHA office and a garage used by the WFP [World Food Programme] also targeted. Security forces fired 15 warning shots," state-run media said. However, it has since been reported by BBC Burmese that an 11-year-old girl, standing on a balcony, was hit by a bullet in the melee. Local media has reported that she later died in hospital.

Thai shrimp processor to lay off 1,200 Burmese workers Posted: 27 Mar 2014 07:40 PM PDT Nearly 1,200 migrant workers from Burma will be laid off in April by Charoen Pokphand Foods Plc (CPF), a seafood processing company based in Samut Sakhon, Thailand. CFP has promised to pay 50 million baht (US$1.67 million) severance for termination of the subcontracted labour. The company will soon suspend operations due to a material shortage caused by the epidemic shrimp disease known as early mortality syndrome (EMS). In early 2014, hundreds of Burmese workers had been laid off with no compensation. Workers complained to Thailand-based Migrant Worker Rights Network (MWRN) who advocated on their behalf. Aung Kyaw, MWRN chairman, told DVB on Thursday that the amount of the compensation being offered by CFP is the highest in history. The severance agreement was reached after negotiations between the Thai government, employers, workers and the MWRN. Related Stories Mae Sot migrants demand labour rights Think deeply, gain knowledge and work for positive change: King Zero Burmese migrants face arrest due to dissolution of Thai parliament "We cannot give protection to workers who were previously laid off. But those about to lose their jobs can contact us," said Aung Kyaw. Thailand's export-driven shrimp industry – which earns approximately US$1.5 billion annually — employs about 650,000 people, mostly migrants from Burma who have little or no legal protection. San Win Aung, a spokesman for the workers, said that employees would be paid from 9,000 baht to 100,000 baht compensation depending on their time and level of service. He said most were willing to accept the pay-off and had signed agreements to that effect on Tuesday.

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