Democratic Voice of Burma

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• Burma Business Weekly
• Bangladesh, Burma reach agreement on border crisis
• ‘We are ashamed of ourselves,’ says monk who helped raid Mahasantisukha
• FDA advises using only reputable beauty products
• Mandalay farmers begin ‘plough protest’ on 3,000 acres

Burma Business Weekly Posted: 13 Jun 2014 03:58 AM PDT   Ups and Downs The Burmese currency remained stable this week, with the buying rate finishing on Friday at 966 kyat – up 1 kyat compared to the week before – and the selling rate dropping slightly to 970 kyat. Meanwhile, the price of gold increased to 657,100 kyat per tical, compared to last week's rate of 649,800 kyat. Fuel prices remained the same, with petrol selling at 820 kyat per litre, diesel at 950 kyat per litre, and octane at 920 kyat per litre. The price of rice also did not fluctuate, with the high-quality Pawhsanmwe rice continueing to sell at 1,300 to 1,600 kyat per basket and low-quality Manawthukha rice going for 900 kyat per basket.   JICA dismisses accusations of negligence Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) rejected allegations that it betrayed its own guidelines on "environmental and social considerations" in the Thilawa Special Economic Zone, in which it has a 10 percent equity stake. These allegations are from residents of the Myaing Thar Yar resettlement village, home to 68 families displaced by construction of the project's 400-hectare first phase. Masahiko Tanaka, JICA's chief representative in Burma, claimed that issues of compensation and compliance with "international standards" are ultimately the government's responsibility. Read more here.   Price of LPG doubles due to Thai coup The price of liquid petroleum gas (LPG) – the substance used mainly for cooking – has more than doubled in Burma during the last month due to a shortage in Thailand amid a military coup. The owner of a gas shop in Rangoon said that the LPG price, which stood at about 2,600 kyat (US$2.68) per tank last month, has now risen to about 6,500 kyat this week. Many gas shops have also temporarily closed due to a lack of LPG supplies.   Commercial Tax Law grants new exemptions The newly adopted Commercial Tax Law offers exemptions on 18 types of goods and 26 commercial services, customs officials announced on Wednesday. Exempted goods include: fertiliser; farm equipment; household pharmaceuticals; stationary; condoms; textbooks; and equipment for defence and security organisations. Exempted services include funeral assistance and real estate services.   Japan pledges $40m to build Rangoon bridge The Japanese government has pledged assistance worth over US$40 million towards the construction of a new bridge in Rangoon's Thaketa Township to improve transportation to and from the Thilawa Special Economic Zone and to reduce traffic congestion in the city. The Thilawa industrial site, some 25km south of the city centre, is a joint Burmese-Japanese development, and has attracted several multinational firms such as Mitsubishi and Sumitomo, and the US's Ball Corporation.   Thiha Groups signs steel deal with Thailand's Millcon Thiha Group has signed a joint venture with Thailand's Millcon Steel Plc to tap the growing demand for steel and other construction materials in Burma, according to a Bangkok Post report. Millcon's president said his firm was "entering a new market to establish a foothold" and that it will have an advantage in being among the first foreign steel and construction firms in Burma. Despite both countries having similar populations, Burma reportedly uses 1.33 million tonnes of steel per year compared with 17.7 million tonnes consumed in Thailand.   Hilton to open 5 more hotels in Burma Hilton Worldwide Holdings plans to open five more hotels in Burma over the next three years, Reuters reported on Wednesday. The company's first development in Rangoon was originally slated to open this year, but will be delayed until late 2015 or early 2016, the report said. Despite the delays, Hilton has signed new agreements with Eden Group Company Limited to rebrand two existing properties as Hilton hotels and develop three more.   One percent of Burma's population insured About 700,000 people out of Burma's population of 60 million have life insurance, according to a report from Myanmar Business Today. Aye Min Thein, managing director of state-run insurer Myanma Insurance Enterprise, said this low insurance penetration – roughly 1 percent – is due to a lack of interest. "The public has very little interest and there is a knowledge gap, so the numbers are very low," he said. Sailors and migrant workers are the highest subscribers to life insurance, while people in the country seldom get insured.   US retailer Gap enters Burma’s market Clothing giant Gap Inc. has become the first American retailer to enter the Burmese market, the US embassy announced last Saturday at a signing ceremony attended by Ambassador Derek Mitchell and Chris Milligan, the mission director of USAID, which is partnering the project. Gap intends to operate two clothing factories in Rangoon, an embassy statement said. Read more here.

Bangladesh, Burma reach agreement on border crisis Posted: 13 Jun 2014 02:50 AM PDT After two weeks of rising tensions on the Bangladesh-Burma border, the two sides reached an agreement in Naypyidaw on Wednesday over the ongoing border crisis. In a nine-point statement, the two countries agreed to share information regarding border issues and establish a direct channel of communication between senior officials from both sides. They also vowed to work together to crack down on the illegal narcotics trade across their common frontier. "With regard to preventing and controlling the illegal drug trade, the border guard units of both countries, and relevant organisations tasked with ensuring the rule of law, are to take necessary steps such as exchanging information," said Burma’s Police Maj-Gen Zaw Win. The two sides will investigate the incidents surrounding the death of Bangladeshi Corp Nayek Mizanur Rashman, who was shot and killed on 28 May by Burmese border guard forces. Burma's Ministry of Foreign Affairs claims that two men in unmarked camouflage uniform encroached onto Burmese territory, and were assumed to be members of the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO) insurgency group. But Bangladesh maintains that the exchange of gunfire took place on Bangladeshi soil. Related Stories UNICEF emphasises Arakanese children over terminology China and Bangladesh pledge to build 'Maritime Silk Road’ Burma rejects Bangladeshi demands at border talks Tensions have been high between the two sides since the clash and a previous attempt to negotiate at a flag meeting in Arakan State's Maungdaw ended without resolution. Burma claims that the RSO are active in the area and said it would share information with Bangladesh to help stop its armed operations. "Regarding the activity of RSO insurgents based out of Bangladesh territory who are disrupting tranquillity along the border, Bangladesh officials have agreed for Burma to provide them with information regarding the group," said Zaw Win. The two sides agreed to set up a border liaison office to curb cross-border crime, and to educate people living in the border area about the demarcation. In a show of friendship, the two sides will also conduct goodwill visits.

‘We are ashamed of ourselves,’ says monk who helped raid Mahasantisukha Posted: 13 Jun 2014 02:30 AM PDT A Buddhist monk who assisted the Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee during its raid on the Mahasantisukha Monastery in Rangoon late on Tuesday, has come forward to say he was tricked into participating by the committee and was ashamed to have been involved. Some 60 disciplinary monks from monasteries across Rangoon were summoned by the Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee, popularly known as the "Mahana" – the highest office of Buddhist monks in the country – to take part in the raid at the monastery, which is the subject of an ongoing land ownership dispute between the Sangha committee and a revered abbot, Penang Sayadaw. Video and photographic footage of the senior monks wielding walkie-talkies and coordinating the raid with government officials were circulated in the media. During the late-night operation, which also involved riot police, five monks and 32 laypersons were arrested. The forceful action against monks drew much condemnation from Internet users across Burma. Film actress Hla Hla Moe, a long-time supporter of Penang Sayadaw, voiced outrage at the raid on the monastery's monks and staff. "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," she said on Wednesday. "Watching them rounding up Buddhist monks as if they were fugitive thugs, it was all too much for my eyes!" On Friday, a disciplinary monk from another Rangoon monastery told DVB on condition of anonymity that he and other monks had been lied to by the senior monk of the Rangoon Division's Mahana who told them the monastery was being occupied by "elements from across the border" who may be armed. Related Stories Govt to provide housing to the homeless by end of 2015, minister says Faith Conversion Law should be ‘scrapped’, say activists Mahasantisukha monks, supporters will be charged, say religious dept officials "The Mahana summoned monks from 12 townships in Rangoon to the divisional committee office around 8pm – there were about 300 monks in total including Mahana monks brought in on six express buses," he said. "We were read instructions from the national head monk which implied that Penang Sayadaw was inside the monastery. "We really were not really sure what was going on, but went along to the scene. The officials said the 'occupiers' might be armed with sharp weapons, but when we arrived at Mahasantisukha Monastery all we found was a handful of peaceful monks." He said that the five resident monks from Mahasantisukha were then taken to the National Mahana office in Kaba-aye Township and ordered to disrobe. He added that the secretary of the township's Mahana pleaded with the senior monks to reconsider this order but his words were ignored. "We are ashamed of ourselves," said the disciplinary monk, "but we handled the situation delicately so that no one was harmed."

FDA advises using only reputable beauty products Posted: 13 Jun 2014 01:05 AM PDT Burma's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advised consumers to use only reputable foreign-made cosmetics because not all beauty products in an unregulated market have been tested. A wide array of beauty products — some made in Burma and most imported from China and Thailand — are available to Burmese consumers. But FDA director-general Khin Chit told DVB that her agency is unable to test all the available products due to a lack of staff. She added that the FDA has no power to control the sale of untested cosmetic products that are brought into the market with official import licenses. Related Stories DVB Debate: Food for thought Dr. Thazin Yi Hlaing, deputy director of the FDA's Cosmetics and Drugs department, said that the administration recently started testing skin-whitening beauty products. She advised consumers to check labels on anything they buy and to choose only the products that meet international standards. "Before buying a product, consumers must check if they meet the labelling requirements and if there are ingredients in it that they are allergic to," said Dr Thazin Yi Hlaing, adding that cosmetic products do not require registration in order to be sold. "A company will let us know when they start selling a certain cosmetic product in the market and we will inform them if we find something unsuitable in their products so that they can take it back off the shelves," she said. In March this year, the FDA announced the names of nine Thai cosmetics brands that were found to be containing chemicals unsafe to use.

Mandalay farmers begin ‘plough protest’ on 3,000 acres Posted: 12 Jun 2014 11:24 PM PDT Some 800 farmers in Mandalay Division began ploughing more than 3,000 acres of farmland last week as a protest for its return since it was allegedly confiscated by the then ruling military government about 40 years ago. Villagers in Sintgu Township's Nyaungwan village said that more than 3,000 acres of their land was confiscated in the 1970s by the Burmese army under the control of former dictator Gen. Ne Win. After President Thein Sein's government came into power in 2011, the villagers reignited their campaign by sending letters to the authorities to try to negotiate the return of the farmland. They say their letters have been repeatedly ignored. On 6 June, the villagers began a "plough protest" – they started ploughing and cultivating the fallow farmland as a sign to the authorities that they are the original and rightful owners. Speaking to DVB on Wednesday, Nyaungwan resident Sein Htay said, "We began ploughing the land with 80 pairs of cattle.  We've been at it for six days now. "We also erected 'No Trespassing' signs in the area to indicate that we own this land." He said that the villagers were demanding the returned of all 3,062.43 acres of confiscated farmland. In neighbouring Sagaing Divison's Kantbalu, a similar situation is playing out as villagers in that area launched a "plough protest" campaign too, calling for the return of their land. This type of demonstration is happening with increasing frequency throughout Burma since President Thein Sein's government came into power, highlighting the prevalent practice of land grabs during the decades of military rule. Related Stories Demolition of riverside squats leaves families homeless Tavoy farmers charged with ‘disturbing’ authorities over disputed land Incensed farmers wage war on local fishery

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