Thursday, June 12, 2014

Democratic Voice of Burma

Democratic Voice of Burma

Burma braces for late-night football fever

Posted: 12 Jun 2014 05:19 AM PDT

After four long years of anticipation, Burmese sports fans are set for a month-long football festival as the World Cup kicks off in Brazil late on Thursday night or– let's face it – early Friday morning.

A total of 64 matches will be held from 12 June to 13 July, but with Brazil lying nine and a half hours behind Burmese time, almost all games are scheduled to be televised live in the middle of the night.

Nonetheless, many fans say they will stay up and watch the games – while employers worry about bleary-eyed workers and an increase in sick days during the competition.

The World Cup this year will only be available on the SkyNet channel, a satellite TV operator, which has secured a contract with FIFA, the world football governing body, to be sole broadcaster in Burma for the tournament.

Those without access to SkyNet are left frustrated, and many will be banking on Thai TV broadcasts or streaming matches from the Internet.

Sithu Aung Myint, a well-known columnist, says SkyNet is violating their agreement with FIFA.

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"I have been digging into this, and I'm discovering more and more dirt," he told DVB. "SkyNet did not tell the public how they acquired the broadcasting rights. Channels around the world who acquire rights from FIFA are obliged to broadcast 22 matches free. But because the SkyNet has no wish to do so, they did not even mention this to viewers – they just flagrantly sell cable boxes, and of course they are making a lot of profit."

DVB's Mandalay-based reporter Kyaw Zay said residents in the city will head to regular screening venues such as restaurants which show the English Premier League throughout the season.

"I am guessing that most fans in Mandalay will go to restaurants and venues with big screens," he said. "Most people like to watch the games, drink, gamble and cheer rather than stay at home."

Myo Hlaing Win, a former striker for the national team, said that Rangoon's teashops will always be the favourite gathering spots for football aficionados.

"You don't get the same feeling watching at home. I guess most people are planning to go to the teashops and restaurants that have SkyNet," he said. "There are venues with two or three big screens so that everyone can see."

Soccer fan Pho Thar from Naypyidaw echoed the impression that most night-owl soccer buffs will head for their regular restaurants and sports bars.

"Watching at home makes people sleepy – it's more exciting if a group of friends is watching together," he said.

But Thura Tin Oo, the patron and founder of the National League for Democracy, said he for one won't be watching many matches this year.

"I was planning to go to sleep early so I could get up early and catch the games, but the schedule is just too awkward," he told DVB. "I am 88 years of age, and I need to be careful. But as a football fan, I would really want to watch the games as the World Cup comes around only once every four years and it's the most intense football competition. I guess I might force myself to get up for some crucial matches."

Meanwhile in Thailand, where thousands of Burmese migrants work, getting out to bars and restaurants for the games might be a tricky proposition as the country is currently under martial law and a midnight curfew.

But, for a handful of more fortunate Burmese fans, there will be no need to set alarm clocks. At least 20 have bought full tour packages to fly to Brazil for the month and can watch the games live at the stadiums. Win Honey, operations manager at Gandawin Shwe Bagan tour company, said his firm arranged tickets, flights and accommodation for about 20 diehard fans. The cost? US$12,000 each.

Govt to provide housing to the homeless by end of 2015, minister says

Posted: 12 Jun 2014 03:44 AM PDT

The Burmese government is drafting plans to provide housing for the homeless in more than 50 towns and cities across the country by the end of 2015 in order to resolve the problem of squatters and homelessness, Deputy Minister of Construction Soe Tint said on Wednesday during a session in the parliament's lower house.

According to Pe Than, a member of parliament in the lower house, Soe Tint said that the new urban housing projects are being planned for 56 cities.

"The deputy minister said that the government is looking to resolve homeless issues by drawing up housing plans in 56 cities across the country, with an aim of implementing them before the end of 2015, " Pe Than said, adding that providing homes will not solve this urban problem, but that job opportunities would have to be created as well.

"For the time being, the government will deal with the situation by erecting low-cost housing projects in the cities."

Currently, the government is providing low-cost homes for poor families in Rangoon and Mandalay at around 20 million kyat per apartment, a little over US$20,000. However, this cost is still too high for many.

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As demand for land has surged in recent years following Burma's economic reform, rent and home prices have soar in cities, making it more difficult for the under-privileged to find housing. Real estate agents in Rangoon estimated that rent values rose by 25 percent in 2013, while sales prices have more than doubled in certain neighbourhoods. As a result, those priced out of their homes have set up shantytowns around Rangoon.

Hla Maung, an economist in Rangoon, said that many people move from rural areas to the city in order to find better jobs, and the government needs to plan for housing projects near these potential job opportunity sites.

"In their hopes to find better jobs, many from the rural population moved to the cities and set up homes on vacant spots," Hla Maung said. "If we really want to solve the squatter issue, we should also consider their livelihoods, and factors such as the distance from their homes to their workplaces."

Faith Conversion Law should be ‘scrapped’, say activists

Posted: 12 Jun 2014 02:32 AM PDT

Following the Burmese government's invitation for public opinion on a proposed Religious Conversion Law, 81 organisations from Burma and elsewhere have recommended that it be completely discarded.

In a joint statement published on Thursday, the alliance said the legislation violates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by granting authorities "sweeping powers" over choice of faith, and called for the Burmese government to "immediately scrap" the law on the grounds that it encroaches on rights and "appears to legitimize the views of those promoting hate-speech and inciting violence against Muslims and other minorities".

The proposed Religious Conversion Law is part of a package of bills tasked to a drafting committee in March, known collectively as the Race and Religious Protection bills. The bills were originally proposed to Burma's President Thein Sein in July 2013 by a coalition of nationalist monks affiliated with the government-appointed Maha Nayaka, or National Head Monks Committee.

The package comprises four laws that would impose new regulations on religious conversion, marriage, monogamy and childbearing. The Religious Conversion Law is the only part of the package that has yet been made public; state media published the draft in full on 27 May, soliciting public review and recommendations in the lead up to a parliamentary vote.

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"The only positive aspect of this entire process has been the publication of the draft law and request for comments," said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch (HRW), "but we should not get fixated on an issue of procedure when the content of the proposed law is so bad."

Upon viewing the draft, international observers immediately called foul. Sam Zarifi, Asia Regional Director of the International Commission of Jurists, told DVB that while it's not rare for a nation to create laws requiring citizens to provide the government with details about their religion, "the draft text itself, to the extent it limits religious proselytisation and conversion, runs afoul of international standards."

The seven-chapter conversion bill would establish township-level "registration" boards and grant them powers to examine and approve religious conversions. The draft also states that "every person has the freedom to convert". But opponents argue that the bill creates excessive obstacles to religious choice; those wishing to change their religion must submit an application providing personal details such as family members' names and faiths, and a reason for conversion. The registration board would then interview the applicant to determine the sincerity of their faith and assess whether the conversion is voluntary.

Those suspected of either coercing someone to convert or applying "with the intent of insulting or destroying a religion"could face up to a two-year prison term, which the rights groups argue "[raises] the prospect of arbitrary arrest and detention for those wishing to convert from Theravada Buddhism – the faith of the majority in Burma/Myanmar – to a minority religion, or no religion at all."

Thursday's statement, released by the Chin Human Rights Organisation (CHRO) and endorsed by 80 other rights groups, claims that the "broad wording of this provision may effectively outlaw proselytizing in the country."

 "The broad wording of this provision may effectively outlaw proselytizing in the country."

While the law has been criticised as a thinly-veiled attempt to prevent Islamicisation in the context of two years of deadly ethno-religious conflict, the Conversion Law has also raised alarm for Burma's other religious minorities, notably Christians, many of whom reside in parts of the country that are either still in direct conflict or slowly resolving conflict with the central government.

In Chin, Kachin and Karen states, all of which have large Christian populations, to impose new restrictions on freedom of faith could "seriously undermine the peace process," said Rachel Fleming, advocacy director for CHRO. "There is a risk that people will view it simply as a continuation of the long-standing ‘Burmanisation’ policy practised under the previous military regime."

In Chin State, said Fleming, the Conversion Law is particularly threatening because of a clause leaving the definition of "influence" widely open to interpretation. It could, in effect, subject Chin missionaries, who have historically withstood severe religious persecution by the Burmese military, to a year in prison for doing their jobs. Hence, Fleming argued, "this law could result in an increase in the number of prisoners of conscience in Burma’s jails."

Other bills in the package have received similar scorn; in early May, a group of 97 civil society groups urged the government to abandon the proposed Marriage Law — often referred to as the Interfaith Marriage Act — on the grounds that it violates women's freedom of choice. HRW went so far as to call it "unconstitutional". A group of about 15 civil society leaders also met with Aung San Suu Kyi, who chairs the Rule of Law Committee, on Wednesday to register similar complaints.

In a Wednesday press briefing, a US State Department spokesperson said that approving the Marriage Law would be "inconsistent with the government's efforts to promote tolerance and respect for human rights," adding that, "more broadly, we continue to have serious concerns about other pending legislation that could have a detrimental effect on religious freedom."

Mahasantisukha monks, supporters will be charged, say religious dept officials

Posted: 12 Jun 2014 02:01 AM PDT

Buddhist monks and staff from the Mahasantisukha Monastery will be charged in accordance with the law, said the Ministry of Religious Affairs at a press conference in its Rangoon office near Kaba-aye Pagoda on Wednesday.

Officials confirmed that 32 laypersons had been released from detention following the Tuesday night raid on the monastery, which is at the centre of a land dispute between local abbot, Penang Sayadwa, and the Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee, the highest office of Buddhist monks in Burma.

According to the deputy-director of the State Department of Religious Affairs, attempts by the abbot and his supporters to claim ownership of the land are a contravention of Buddhist principles.

"Privatisation of religious property is in violation of the Vinayas [Buddhist code of discipline]," he said. "The government has now respectfully donated and transferred the monastery to the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee."

The officials did not elaborate on what charges they expected to be brought against the abbot's followers.

The ministry official said a number of security forces were deployed during the raid because of a rumour that a large group of monks inside the monastery were armed with swords and sticks, ready to fend off the officials.

The head of the Rangoon Division's Religious Affairs Department said that the raid on the monastery had been conducted late at night to avoid any possible conflict.

"Penang Sayadaw U Pannavamsa has no right to privately own the property as the government has already handed it over to the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee," he said.

According to state media, Religious Affairs officials maintained that the government "supervised" the monastery construction – some 8.5 billion kyat (US$8.5 million) – which had been collected from government departments and donors, as well as a 2-billion kyat loan from the Yangon City Development Committee Bank.

Supporters of Penang Sayadaw, also known as U Pannavamsa, claim that the land was originally donated to the revered abbot in the 1990s, and that he has documents to prove it.

In an exclusive interview with DVB from Japan on Wednesday, Penang Sayadaw rejected the Sangha Committee's claims, and said he built the Buddhist monastery "from scratch".

"In 1995, the year I was awarded the title of Agga Maha Pandita, I was allocated an empty plot of land by the government on which I built this 10-storey monastery from scratch, with the assistance of some architects from Singapore," he said.

"The centre was opened on 17 December 1999, and a blessing ceremony was conducted the following day, attended by [then ruler] Snr-Gen Than Shwe, Vice-Snr-Gen Maung Aye and military intelligence chief Khin Nyunt."

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The abbot went on to say that the dispute over the property arose when he went abroad for a number of years due to a financial scandal involving the monastery's committee chairman.

"I reached out to the Sangha Maha Nayaka upon my return, expressing my gratitude to them for looking after the monastery while I was away," he said. "However, now that I was back, I asked them to allow me to return to the Mahasantisukha Monastery. They refused, claiming the property had been transferred to them in a blessing ceremony."

Penang Sayadaw said the matter dragged on for years, until eventually he enlisted the support of President Thein Sein last year to help him recover the holy site.

Prominent activist group 88 Generation Peace and Open Society (88GPOS) on Wednesday released a statement denouncing the raid at Mahasantisukha Buddhist Monastery by religious affairs officials.

"The incident, in a country where Buddhism is prevalent, was an ugly state of affairs, and we assume there was dishonest intent behind the forceful eviction as it was carried out while the abbot of the monastery was away on a foreign mission," the statement read. "We hereby denounce in the strongest terms the forceful eviction at the monastery by the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee and the Ministry of Religious Affairs instead of resolving the situation with compassion and wisdom."

88GPOS said it put the blame for the incident firmly on the shoulders of the Union government, the Rangoon divisional government and the Sangha Committee. The civic group warned that public protests could break out as a consequence of the eviction, and urged the government to find a peaceful solution to the situation.

Film actress Hla Hla Moe, a long-time supporter of Penang Sayadaw, voiced outrage at the raid on the monastery's monks and staff.

Speaking outside the Rangoon Ministry of Religious Affairs office on Wednesday, she said, "I cannot comprehend why the Religious Affairs Ministry and the Sangha Maha Nayaka have resorted to force instead of helping and protecting the monastic community.

"Watching them rounding up Buddhist monks as if they were fugitive thugs, it was all too much for my eyes!" she exclaimed.

Meanwhile on Thursday, concerns surfaced that one of the detained monks, Ven. U Uttara, was in fact a British passport holder, having lived in England while he was head of the Birmingham Buddhist Vihara.

Speaking to DVB on Thursday, a spokesperson for the British Embassy in Rangoon said, "We have received reports that a British subject has been arrested in Rangoon, and we are following up with the relevant authorities."

Thai police raid Burmese neighbourhood in Chiang Mai for illegal migrants

Posted: 12 Jun 2014 12:36 AM PDT

More than 100 Thai security police raided a Burmese migrant neighbourhood in Chiang Mai on Wednesday morning to detain undocumented migrant workers.

Located behind the Buddhist temple Wat Pa Pao in northern Chiang Mai, the predominantly Burmese neighbourhood has a dense population of migrant workers from Shan State. Police entered the neighbourhood at 6 am and went from door-to-door to look for undocumented migrant workers.

According to Sai Mong, an ethnic Shan man who owns a shop there, the security forces announced via loudspeakers before conducting the raid that residents should come out of their homes with their identification cards ready.

The search was completed at around 11 am, and the security forces detained a truck full of migrant workers. Sai Mong said the exact number of people detained was unclear.

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Since the coup last week, Thai government TV channels announced that an "environmental cleansing" operation will be carried out in order to build a "pleasant" society. Supervised by Chiang Mai provincial deputy governor Chana Faengpiboon, this operation involves both the military and police forces, as well as 500 civilians.

Located in northern Thailand, Chiang Mai has been home for many years to thousands of Burmese migrants, the majority of whom are ethnic Shan, or Tai Yai, from Burma’s eastern Shan State across the border. Shans speak a language similar to the northern Thais; therefore they have been able to integrate relatively seamlessly into the society. While many have lived in Thailand for generations, more recent migrants are frequently found working for lower-than-minimum wages in the construction and agriculture sectors around the city.

Rights groups call for transparency in Kaladan Project

Posted: 11 Jun 2014 08:34 PM PDT

An alliance of civil society organisations on Wednesday urged the Burmese and Indian governments to be more transparent in the planning and construction of the controversial Kaladan Project, a combined highway and waterway project that will traverse Arakan and Chin states into India.

Proposed by the Indian government in 2008, the project will connect a deep-sea port in Sittwe to Mizoram State in northeast India via inland waterways and highways through two of Burma's poorest states, Arakan and Chin states. The objective is to create a more straightforward route for trade from the Kolkata seaport in eastern India.

The Kaladan Movement, a coalition of ethnic rights groups, believes that the US$214 million project – which is financed by India — will affect approximately one million people living along the Kaladan River, but very little information has been made public.

According to a statement released on Wednesday by the Kaladan Movement, the alliance submitted a "questionnaire" to Essar Projects Ltd, a Mumbai-based company overseeing the construction, and both governments, calling on them to provide details concerning the project's timeline and how it would affect ethnic communities in the area.

"Thus far, the Kaladan Project has been implemented without an adequate community consultation process, and with no efforts made to achieve the free, prior, informed consent of affected communities," the statement said, adding that it is important for the indigenous people living in the affected areas to be involved in the decision-making process.

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Bawi Pi of the Chin Human Rights organization (CHRO) – a member of the Kaladan Movement – said in the statement that since the project broke ground four years ago, "no environmental impact assessments have ever been conducted for the project area in Burma, and no details regarding the route of the planned highway have been made public".

The statement also said that residents around the affected areas are most concerned about compensation for their land, as well as the environmental and social impacts of dredging in Arakan State – which has been known to exacerbate soil erosion and place villagers under threat if they are not prepared.

Sam Cartmell, project manager with CHRO, told DVB in an email that since the project is classified under "development assistance" from India, the implementation must follow international best practices.

He urged Essar and the two governments to publicly release detailed information, especially regarding the construction of the highway linking Paletwa in Chin State to the India-Burma border.

"[T]here are a number of concerns about the potential for land confiscation along the highway route," Cartmell said. "To date, local people have no information regarding the exact route of the highway, who will be building it or when construction will start."

Rohit Chawla, an Essar representative based in Rangoon, said the project was mildly delayed because of a series of riots in Sittwe between "the Rakhine [Arakan] people and the Bangladeshi people."

He also played down concerns of compensation, and referred these questions to the Burmese government.

"We are not concerned about the compensation given to the people affected by the project. It has been taken care of by the Myanmar [Burma] government personnel. This issue is taken up by them," Chawla told DVB. "We are only the contractor of the project."

He added the Essar Project has subcontracted construction out to "five to eight" local companies.

The deep-sea port in Sittwe is slated for completion by December 2014, said project director Anil Vishwakarma, while the construction of the highway from Paletwa to the India-Burma border should be completed by June 2015. He declined to provide further details.

 

Upper house votes for proportional representation

Posted: 11 Jun 2014 08:33 PM PDT

The upper house of Burma's Parliament has passed a proposal to recommend that the Union Election Commission (UEC) adopt a proportional representation (PR) voting system in future elections.

The proposal, which was the subject of debate in the upper house since Monday, was passed by standing vote – with 177 MPs in support, 85 against and three abstaining.

Khin Waing Kyi, upper house MP from the National Democratic Force party, who submitted the original proposal, said a commission will be formed to gauge different approaches in switch to a PR system from the currently employed first-past-the-post (FPTP) system.

"The upper house concluded – based on debate over the past three days –  to bring together members of the parliamentary Bill Commission with representatives of the Union Election Commission to study proportional representation and discuss approaches which could be adopted in this new system," said Khin Waing Kyi.

"The commission will then submit a report to parliament outlining its conclusions."

She noted that among the supporters of her proposal were military MPs.

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The Nationalities Brotherhood Federation (NBF), an alliance of 15 ethnic parties, on Tuesday publicly voiced their objection to a PR system, asserting that the system will allow major parties – those with sufficient resources to run campaigns nationwide –to seize seats from smaller, local ethnic parties. It said it would organise public protests to prevent such an electoral system being employed.

Aye Maung, upper house MP and deputy-chairman of the Arakan National Party, said that an attempt to switch to this new system may face public opposition.

"We believe that now is an inappropriate time to submit this proposal – it's not fair to win by outnumbering smaller groups," he said.

Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy has also rejected the adoption of a PR system. However, the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party, which has a majority in parliament, has thrown its support behind changing to PR.

The NDF originally submitted the PR proposal to the bicameral parliament last year via the UEC; however it was immediately rejected on the grounds that the approach was not in line with parliamentary procedures.

A similar proposal – to switch to the PR voting system – has also been submitted to the lower house and is scheduled to be discussed in parliament next week.

PR is designed to offer each party a proportional number of seats in parliament to the total number of votes its candidates receive. The alternative, an FPTP system, dictates that the winning candidate in each and every constituency wins that seat, and hence the parliament is ultimately made up of election winners, regardless of party affiliation.

The PR system was introduced in Europe in the mid-19th century to guarantee minority groups more representation than was possible under the FPTP or plurality system. Its supporters claim that it creates a more accurate reflection of public opinion; its opponents argue that by allowing more parties in a legislature, it may result in weaker, less stable governments.

The system is employed in many Western European countries, notably Germany, Spain, Netherlands, the Scandinavian nations and Russia. The USA, France and UK, however, use a FPTP system.
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