Democratic Voice of Burma

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• Italian town awards honorary citizenship to Unity journalists
• Systematic sex crimes: Burma army still uses rape as tool of war
• Burma emerging as a major travel destination in Asia

Italian town awards honorary citizenship to Unity journalists Posted: 29 Jun 2014 02:47 AM PDT Sala Baganza, a small town in northern Italy with a population of five and a half thousand, has awarded honorary citizenship to the four journalists and CEO of Unity Weekly journal who are currently on trial in Burma for allegedly revealing state secrets. On the night of 12 June, the town council of Sala Baganza, situated near Parma, sat for an extraordinary meeting at which the 12 members voted unanimously to extend the honour of citizenship to the five Burmese for "exceptional and humanitarian reasons". "The city of Sala Baganza hereby confers honorary citizenship to reporters Thae Yar Zar Oo, Kyaw Thet Paing [aka Aung Thura], Lu Maw Naing, Si Thu, and [CEO] U Tin Soe San [aka Hsin Hsan], who through their professional activities ensure the right to freedom of opinion and expression in their country, Myanmar," the statement read. Speaking to DVB, the mayor of Sala Baganza, Cristina Merusi, said, "Freedom of information is the basis of democracy in a free country. To support this freedom that we have through journalism and those who practice it, we decided to honour the five journalists of Unity Weekly in Burma through an act which for us is very important – honorary citizenship of our town. "No more than 70 years ago, we in Italy were in similar conditions," she said. "Today we hope to be useful to Burma as it struggles to achieve democracy and human dignity." Robert San Aung, one of the lawyers for the defendants, told DVB on Friday that the five detained media workers had been informed of the award. “Their families were very proud when they heard the news," he said. Related Stories DVB journalist's appeal heard at Magwe court Special Intelligence Department probes finances of newspapers, journals Unity Weekly trial continues, media workers emphasising press freedom Charged under Article 3 of the Official Secrets Act, the five were accused of revealing state secrets after publishing a report in January about a government facility being constructed in Magwe's Pauk Township by the Burmese military, which they alleged to be a chemical weapons factory. The final day of their trial is on Monday, 30 June, when a verdict is expected. While noting that honorary citizenship is a symbolic award, Mayor Merusi said that the residents of her town would "be following the Unity journalists' fate by all possible means, because they are now our fellow citizens". She added that she wanted to invite the Unity journalists and CEO Tin Soe Tan to Sala Baganza to officially receive certificates of citizenship. Guiseppe Malpeli, the president of the Italy-Burma Friendship Association, applauded the award. "The Italy-Burma Friendship Association, of which I am President, follows the daily lives and history of the Burmese people. We are very close to the material conditions and freedom of the people and of Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi," he told DVB. "Because there may be free elections in 2015, it is necessary that there is absolute freedom of the press. We see the difficulties arising from the arrest of the Unity journalists and we want to help them, and to encourage true freedom of information in Burma." Malpeli confirmed that he was sending news of the honorary citizenship awards to senior Burmese government officials, including President Thein Sein, Minister for Home Affairs Lt-Gen Ko Ko and Attorney General Tun Shin. “The residents of Sala Baganza will be following the Unity journalists' fate by all possible means, because they are now our fellow citizens." Meanwhile, on 12 June, a resolution was passed in the Italian parliament in Rome supporting the Burmese opposition's campaign to enact constitutional reform, and in particular thowing its weight behind National League for Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's bid to run for president in the 2015 elections. "We strongly believe that there is a need to establish a state with federal democratic self-determination and equality," resolution 7-00389 states. "The 2008 Constitution does not guarantee a democratic federal state. We strongly believe that the 2008 Constitution should be amended or a new Constitution drawn up. "The will of the Italian people for an increase in trade and economic cooperation, social, cultural and political life with the people of Myanmar rests on a basis of common shared values ​​of democracy, and therefore it is necessary that our institutions and civil society strongly support the need for the Constitution to be revised to ensure that Myanmar’s general election of 2015 will be free and fair," it concluded. In October 2013, Italy's Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies approved a resolution committing the government to "intervene in every avenue" to promote the democratic process in Burma. Suu Kyi paid a four-day visit to Italy in October last year when she met senior government figures, including the Italian president, speaker of the house, prime minister and foreign minister.

Systematic sex crimes: Burma army still uses rape as tool of war Posted: 29 Jun 2014 01:17 AM PDT As Burma moves to resolve six decades of civil conflict, reports continue of sexual violence in ethnic territories. Women's support and advocacy groups continue to accuse the Burmese military of using rape as a tool of war; more than 70 cases — about half of them fatal — have been reported since 2011. In early June, the Burmese government took one step towards ending military rape, when they signed the United Nations' Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict. But not everyone believes that the measure was sincere. Critics say that the government has not advanced a plan to train the military in gender sensitivity, enforce laws about sex crimes, or provide support for survivors. Some have even called the move "a PR exercise". A delegation of women and one government official from Burma attended an international summit on sex crimes in conflict earlier this month, hosted by the British government. Upon her return to Rangoon, DVB spoke with Susanna Hla Hla Soe, director of the Karen Women's Empowerment Group, about the promises made and the root causes of sexual violence.   Q: Now that the Burmese government has signed the UN's Declaration on Sexual Violence in Conflict, what plans have they put forth to implement it? A: The government has endorsed the agreement. When we spoke with Burma's deputy minister of foreign affairs at the summit, he said that he will come back [to Burma] and meet with the government to talk about implementation. He said that success will require collaboration with civil society organisations; that is crucial. So we welcome this and we are happy. But what we don't want is for this to be like other agreements, such as CEDAW [Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women]. It was signed 17 years ago and nothing has happened. We don't want this to happen again, so we really encourage and support the government to take this up – to make sure they stop sexual violence in conflict.   Q: Could you explain why impunity is such a huge problem in Burma's ethnic territories? A: Sexual violence is used systematically, and the main problem is the law. There is zero law enforcement on these cases. They excuse it, every time. They say, 'We, the military have our own law, our own institutions. So don't worry, we can handle it by ourselves.' It's a kind of impunity. The military needs to be controlled; they should be under civilian control.   Q: What is the role of women in Burma's peace process? Is there enough representation? A: Enough? No. We rarely see women's participation in the peace process. There is some in Karen, Karenni and Mon [states], but in other cases, we don't see any women participating in the peace process.   Q: What message would you like to bring back to the women of Burma, following the summit in London? A: Only one person at the summit talked about the root cause of the problem. It is militarisation. Leymah Gbowee, the Nobel peace prize winner, was the only one to mention the root cause. The others, they didn't talk about it. People are using all these polite words. The top leaders talk, they comment, but we're not clear about the mechanisms, how they will bring justice to the victims. During the summit, we mostly heard from very big organisations, like INGOs and the UN. They're on the panels; they talk; they use the best words. But we shouldn't forget the capacity of local organisations. They live with the community, they know the real problems. Related Stories Women activists charged for protesting in Chin State Chin protestors call for end to sexual violence by Burma army Erotic novel removed from Burma's bookshelves

Burma emerging as a major travel destination in Asia Posted: 29 Jun 2014 12:13 AM PDT Burma has been rebounding from the impact of sanctions eased by European countries three years ago and is emerging as a favored travel destination in Asia. According to the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, the sector has become a major source of the country’s revenue, and Burma is expected to receive three million travellers in 2014. Before 2011, only fewer than 800,000 tourists visited the country per annum. Yet, as the country pushes forward with its comprehensive reforms and opening-up policy, the number of tourists has been rising sharply in recent years. In 2013, the gross turnover of the tourism industry reached US$926, up 130 percent compared to 2012. The country aspires to bring the number of visitors further to five million in 2015, according to the ministry. “Burma is a country with beautiful scenery, but it has only recently been noticed by the rest of the world. Many foreigners are curious and interested about this country, which has just started promoting its tourism sector. Burma is looking forward to a great future,” said Ohn Mying from the Rangon Bureau of the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism. Within three years of accelerated reforms, Burma has opened 22 international air routes, bringing the country closer to the rest of the world and also has promoted the development of its tourism industry. Related Stories DVB Debate: Is it too late to save Burma's crumbling heritage? BURMA BUSINESS WEEKLY Burma Business Weekly “All sectors are benefiting from tourism, including hotels, travel agencies, travel guides and the transportation department. Tourism is benefiting the whole nation,” said Ohn Mying. Meanwhile, Chinese visitors have accounted for a large proportion in the total number of foreign visitors to Burma. In many scenic spots and souvenir markets, signboards written in Chinese are seen everywhere. Burma is expected to be a major destination for Chinese travelers in the near future, as the cooperation in the tourism sector is leaping forward between the two countries, according to Ohn Mying.

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