Friday, October 24, 2014

Democratic Voice of Burma

Democratic Voice of Burma

Missing journalist allegedly killed by Burmese army

Posted: 24 Oct 2014 07:51 AM PDT

Par Gyi, a Burmese journalist who went missing in Mon State one month ago while covering the armed conflict between government forces and the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) has been killed by the Burmese army, according to a report obtained by DVB that was allegedly written by the Burmese military.

The report documents the series of events surrounding the journalist's death and is dated 23 October, but it does not contain a letter-head or the name of the report's author. The report says the missing journalist, whose real name is Aung Naing, was actually a captain responsible for "coordinating information" for a unit of the Klohtoobaw Karen Organization (KKO), the political wing of the DKBA.

According to the report, Aung Naing's KKO unit had been cooperating with another KKO unit which had detained and stolen weapons from Burmese police officers in Mon State's Kyeikmayaw Town on 26 October. After the incident, the report says a combined force of police officers and soldiers from Burma's 204th Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) was organized to search for the KKO members.

The report then says the government posse eventually found Aung Naing on a boat while inspecting river jetties in Kyeikmayaw Town on 30 September. Aung Naing was allegedly all wet and muddy when he was found and subsequently detained by the Burmese army's 208th LIB, which reportedly "investigated" Aung Naing and discovered that he was working for the KKO.

DVB reported this week that Aung Naing's wife, Ma Thandar, held a press conference on 21 October calling on President Thein Sein, Aung San Suu Kyi and the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission to help bring her husband home. Ma Thandar began searching for her husband in late September as soon as he went missing though, and the military “report” says she eventually went to the 208th LIB base near Kyeikmayaw to find her husband.

Ma Thandar's case was then relayed to the Regional Military Command, according to the report, which then "inquired with units under its supervision" and discovered that Aung Naing had already been killed during an apparent escape attempt. The report states as follows:

"Aung Naing, under pretext of going to latrine, wrestled a soldier on guard and tried to make off with his firearm. He was shot and captured dead by the guard and his body was buried in a respectful manner [near] Shwewachaung Village."

Neither the Burmese government nor military has yet made any official statement about the incident, but Ma Thandar told DVB she will do everything in her power to confront the army and obtain justice for her husband.

"I can accept that people die, but this is different. There is no explanation for it at all. They perversely killed my husband, and the whole town of Kyeikmayaw saw him being detained," she said.

When we filed a missing person report with the police, a police officer at the station said he also saw Aung Naing being detained, and that the journalist didn't have a scratch on his body at the time."

During her press conference on 21 October, Ma Thandar said that Burmese army captain San Min Aung admitted to her that Aung Naing had been arrested, but the captain also said he didn't know where the journalist was being detained. Now Ma Thandar is convinced the Burmese army killed her husband while he was being detained, and she is planning do whatever it takes to find out exactly what happened and obtain justice.

"I will speak to my lawyer and stand up to the army as much as I can, both mentally and physically."

DKBA Maj. Saw Lonlon denied that Aung Naing was a captain in the KKO—he said the KKO has no military ranks in its structure since it's only the political wing of the DKBA armed group. The major also said the DKBA knew Aung Naing, but only because he had previously contacted them to obtain information for his news reports.

"We are often contacted by journalists and usually we show them around, but Aung Naing couldn't film much because there was fighting taking place," said Maj. Saw Lonlon

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In an e-mail to DVB, the Committee to Protect Journalists' Southeast Asia Representative, Shawn Crispin, said: “We are gravely concerned by reports that journalist Aung Kyaw Naing has been killed while being held in military custody in Burma. Government authorities must investigate these reports, reveal publicly the circumstances behind his death, and prosecute the perpetrators under the fullest extent of the law.”

The civic group 88 Generation Peace and Open Society (88GPOS) also released a statement on Friday strongly condemning the army for summarily executing a civilian, labelling it as a lawless act.

The 88GPOS's leader, Mya Aye, said the army is responsible for the murder of Aung Naing and the group will demand justice against the perpetrator.

"As soon as we heard news that Ko Par Gyi was missing, we reached out to government officials and stressed that he is entitled to legal rights, and that they can't just arbitrarily detain him and take him away to unknown places," said Mya Aye.

The 88GPOS leader then added, "We learned from Aung Naing's family that when they first went to look for him [in Kyeikmayaw], the army told them they would be allowed to see him and that he could be released if his family bails him out. But later they backtracked on their promise and began avoiding the family.

"According to the statement released today, the army conjured up a far-fetched story about him, claiming that he was shot dead for trying to rob a gun while escaping from detention. But we do not accept that. From a legal point of view, the army has committed a crime and we demand to see effective legal action against the perpetrator(s). We will stage public protests if necessary," said Mya Aye.

Before he began working as a freelance journalist, Aung Naing was a political activist and a member of Aung San Suu Kyi's personal security team during the 1988 uprising. He was also one of the first National League for Democracy (NLD) Youth members and acted as the group's Karen state coordinator.

Eventually, Aung Naing was forced into exile in Thailand, where he started working as a freelance reporter based in Mae Sot. Prior to his death, Aung Naing was working for at least three different publications, according to his wife Ma Thandar.

Pegu protesters demand hospital transfer for ill prisoner

Posted: 24 Oct 2014 06:39 AM PDT

Members of the All Burma Federation of Students Unions held a candlelight protest in Pegu earlier this week.

They demanded that land protestor Daw Nyo be transferred from prison to hospital.

The demonstration was met by both doctors and police.

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Bullet Points: 24 October 2014

Posted: 24 Oct 2014 06:24 AM PDT

On tonight's edition of Bullet Points:

  • Missing journalist allegedly killed in Burmese army custody
  • Koh Tao murder suspects describe alleged torture threats
  • Burmese migrants to be paid after Bangkok fraud arrests
  • Sagaing farmers demand land return

You can watch Bullet Points every weeknight on DVB TV after the 7 o'clock news.

BUSINESS WEEKLY 24 OCTOBER 2014

Posted: 24 Oct 2014 03:43 AM PDT

 

Ups and downs

The Burmese currency has weakened; it was selling on Friday at 1,000 kyat to the US dollar, while buying at 993. The price of gold is at 657,900 kyat per tical. Fuel prices remain constant: petrol 820 kyat; diesel 950 kyat; octane 950 kyat per litre. High-quality Pawsanhmwe rice is still 1,300-1,700 kyat per basket, while low-quality Manawthukha rice is set at 900 kyat per basket at most Rangoon Markets.

 

2015 elections to be held late Oct/ early Nov: UEC

The chairman of Burma's Union Election Commission, Tin Aye, said on Sunday that next year's general elections will be held at the end of October or beginning of November. In response, opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi told reporters on Monday that the government must ensure "not only free and fair, but timely elections" if Burma is to progress on the path to democracy.

 

Thai steel giant announces factory in Thilawa

Thai steel company Milcon Steel Plc (MILL) has announced a new steel factory at Thilawa Industrial Estate in Burma as a base for commercial grade production.MILL is reported to have bought a 2.3 hectare site for the factory along with Thai concrete manufacturer General Engineering Plc, according to the Bangkok Post. Earlier in June, MILL signed a joint venture agreement with Thiha group to set up construction operations in Burma.

 

50 billion invested in Burma by 780 firms

Burma's Directorate of Investment and Company Administration announced today that, as of 30 September, Burma has received around US$50 billion in total investment from over 780 enterprises registered in over 36 countries since the country opened up to foreign investment in 1989. Topping the list were entities registered in Singapore, 134 of which have invested in Burma since 1989.  Recently, the largest investment projects have been in the manufacturing and energy sectors.

 

JICA backs Rangoon-Mandalay railway upgrade

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is helping Burma's Ministry of Railway Transportation upgrade the Rangoon-Mandalay railway and make it suitable for trains which travel 100km/hour. Although the project is nearly 75 percent complete, local engineers will need to undergo training courses in land measurement and assessment in order to complete the track upgrade, according to Deputy Minister of Rail Transportation Myint Thein.

 

CNG-run power plants to be built in Dawei SEZ

Two compressed natural gas (CNG) fired power plants,will be built in the initial zone of the Dawei special economic zone (SEZ). This was confirmed by Minister Aye Miyint, who is the chairman of the Central Working Committee for the implementation of the Dawei SEZ, in The Global New Light of Myanmar.

 

Chinese firm to build platforms for Zawtika gas field

A Chinese Offshore Oil Engineering Company has been contracted to build US$367 million well-head platforms for the Zawtika gas field in Burma's Andaman Sea. The gas field is operated by Thai-state owned oil firm PTT Exploration and Production.

 

Hilton Naypyidaw opens

Luxury chain of hotels Hilton Worldwide opens first hotel at Naypyidaw in a joint venture with Burmese conglomerate Eden Group. Earlier in July Hilton announced its plan to launch five hotels within the next three years in Burma.

 

Everyone will benefit from Myeik power plant, says Burmese developer

The Managing Director of Ayar Hinthar, a Burmese company involved in the US$ 3.5 billion coal-fired Myeik power plant consortium, has said that within a year Burma will link up with Thailand’s electrical grid and distribute electricity in Burma at low prices.

 Read More 

 

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Koh Tao murders: ‘Thai police threatened to burn my son alive’

Posted: 24 Oct 2014 02:12 AM PDT

The father of one of the detained suspects in the Koh Tao murder case has told DVB that at their family reunion this afternoon, his son told him that he and his friend confessed to rape and murder only after Thai interrogators threatened to kill them, and that they did not commit the alleged crimes.

Htun Htun Htike, the father of Win Zaw Htun, said, "My son and his friend [Zaw Lin] told me that they were subjected to physical torture by the Thai police and their translator.

"The interrogators told them to confess to the crime, and threatened to cut off their limbs, put them in a bag, and dump them in a river if they did not.

"The police also threatened to tie the two boys to a tire, pour petrol on it, and set it alight," he told DVB's Aye Nai in an exclusive interview on Friday. "My son said they were terrified and confessed. But now that we [their parents and Burmese officials] are present, they can speak the truth – that they did not commit the murder.

"My son also told me that the police threatened to use tasers on them."

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Win Zaw Htun and Zaw Lin, both 21, from Kyaukphyu in Arakan State, had been living and working on the island of Koh Tao in the Gulf of Thailand when, on 15 September, the bodies of English tourists Hannah Witheridge and David Miller, were found on Sairee Beach.

Both had been bludgeoned to death while Miss Witheridge was also raped.

The case generated immense media interest around the world and the Thai police and government has been under diplomatic pressure to find the killers.

Both the Thai police chief in charge of the investigation and the Thai prime minister have claimed that the case was handled correctly and that the two Burmese migrants were not scapegoats.

ABSDF, 88 Gen discuss constitutional reform

Posted: 24 Oct 2014 12:58 AM PDT

The All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF) and the 88 Generation Peace and Open Society (88GPOS) held a two-day meeting in Rangoon to discuss political issues in Burma, including constitutional amendments, electoral voting systems and the ongoing peace process.

Ko Ko Gyi, a member of the 88GPOS, said, "The 88GPOS and ABSDF were both born out of the 1988 uprising—we landed in prison and the students wound up along the border in the jungle. So this meeting is a reunion of sorts for those involved in the 1988 uprising, and we believe that together we will continue to be a political force in Burma's reform process."

At the meeting, ABSDF was represented by Than Khe and Myo Win, while the 88GPOS was represented by Min Ko Naing and Ko Ko Gyi.

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The ABSDF was born out of the 1988 students' uprising in Burma and subsequent military coup. Up to 10,000 students, many from middle-class families in the main cities, travelled to border areas to join the armed resistance to military rule. Many have fought for years alongside hardened Karen and Kachin guerrillas in the malaria-infested jungles of eastern and northern Burma.

Civil society group 88GPOS was likewise formed by the students who led the 1988 uprising against the military regime. It recently assisted the opposition National League for Democracy in campaigning across the country for constitutional reform.

UNFC questions Burmese military commitment to peace

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 10:37 PM PDT

The United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) ethnic alliance has expressed its doubts over the Burmese military’s commitment to the peace process.

"We have urged the government to negotiate with ethnic armed groups by peaceful means, but we have not yet heard any positive response from their side," said Khu Oo Reh, the UNFC general-secretary, adding that the ongoing outbreak of hostilities could effectively halt the peace process.

Speaking to DVB on Thursday, the UNFC general-secretary said, "Moreover, we are hearing mixed statements from government leaders with regard to the peace process and the 2015 elections."

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The UNFC held its first plenary meeting from 20- 22 October at an undisclosed location near the Thai-Burmese border where it discussed political and military issues related to the ongoing peace process and ceasefire negotiations, as well as matters related to humanitarian relief and the rehabilitation of internally displaced persons.

The ethnic bloc released a statement at the conclusion of the summit expressing doubts that peace will prevail; it cited Burmese army offensives against ethnic positions in Kachin, Shan and Karen states as reasons for the mistrust.

Concluding last week's conference, the UNFC said it had agreed to continue with peace and ceasefire talks.

The umbrella group is made up of 12 ethnic militias and has sat with government delegations in recent months for several rounds of talks aimed at securing a nationwide ceasefire. One of its main partners, the Karen National Union, in September suspended its membership from the bloc.

Thailand, Burma press ahead with Dawei SEZ

Posted: 23 Oct 2014 08:41 PM PDT

Burma and Thailand are expected to announce next month the development of the initial phase of the delayed Dawei development project.

Arkhom Termpitayapaisith, the National Economic and Social Development Board secretary-general, said two Thai companies — Italian-Thai Development Plc (ITD) and Rojana Industrial Park Plc — have proposed developing the road network linking the Thai border with the Dawei project and industrial estate.

Mr Arkhom said Dawei SEZ Development Co, a joint venture between Burma and Thailand, had invited Japan to bid for development of Dawei’s initial phase, but only the two companies approached it.

He said Dawei SEZ Development was considering the companies’ proposals, with the deals expected to be signed after the ASEAN Summit on 12- 13 November in Naypyidaw, the capital of Burma, officially known as Myanmar.

The deals, once officially signed, should help create more confidence among foreign investors that the Dawei project will actually be built, he said.

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Mr Arkhom said two new committees to supervise the Dawei project would soon be set up, one of which will be a policy committee chaired by the deputy prime minister, while the other will be a working committee chaired by the permanent secretary of state and relating to ports, roads and industrial estates.

The previous government had set up a three-layered system — policy, high-ranking and coordinating committees — to supervise the project.

The meeting of the policy committee will be held soon to discuss the next step of development.

Thailand and Burma agreed early this month to revitalise the Dawei project by allowing Thai companies to play a bigger role in the much-delayed special economic zone scheme when Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha paid an official visit to Myanmar.

The Thai government is keen to press ahead with the long-delayed project and hopes the Japanese government will eventually become a joint developer in Dawei, Mr Arkhom said.

 

This article was originally published in the Bangkok Post on 24 October 2014.
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