Democratic Voice of Burma |
- DVB Bulletin: 20 November 2014
- Respect children’s rights, say CSOs
- State govt approves Arakanese settlements in Buthidaung, Maungdaw
- 23 Kachin cadets killed, 13 injured in artillery attack
| DVB Bulletin: 20 November 2014 Posted: 20 Nov 2014 03:53 AM PST On tonight's DVB Bulletin:
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| Respect children’s rights, say CSOs Posted: 20 Nov 2014 12:12 AM PST To mark International Children's Day on 20 November, more than 200 civil society organisations (CSOs) based in Burma sent an open letter to President Thein Sein calling on his government to implement and respect its commitments to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The letter, directly addressed to the president, was signed by 230 CSOs including groups focused on human rights, peace, HIV/AIDS, and women's and children's rights. "The government has a responsibility to ensure the lives of children, but if we look at the current situation, Burma still has a high rate of infant mortality and malnutrition among children, even compared to other ASEAN members, let alone globally," said Aung Myo Min, director of Equality Myanmar. Related Stories"Recruitment of children as soldiers and child trafficking still persist, as well as child labour cases," he said. "In ethnic areas, internally displaced children lack protection – we sent the letter to the president to highlight these issues and ask him to carry out the necessary means of implementation." The CSOs also called on the government to specify an age limit for children in the workplace. Burma signed the CRC on 15 July 1991. |
| State govt approves Arakanese settlements in Buthidaung, Maungdaw Posted: 19 Nov 2014 09:27 PM PST The Arakan State regional parliament on Wednesday approved a proposal to construct new villages in Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships for Arakanese residents. The plan comes despite the fact that those townships are traditionally Rohingya Muslim strongholds and the simmering tensions in the region. In the regional parliamentary session on 19 November, Pauktaw Township MP Thet Tun Aung of the Rakhine National Party (RNP) presented a formal proposal to build new "ethnic villages" in the two townships on the basis that "there is not much native population living in these areas". A parliamentary discussion followed: the motion was supported by four other MPs and state Security Affairs Minister Tin Lin, according to RNP lawmaker Aung Myat Kyaw. Related Stories"The regional Security Minister U Tin Lin supported the proposal and pledged to conduct field assessments to work out the necessary arrangements for implementation. The regional parliament then approved the proposal," said Aung Myat Kyaw. The parliamentary discussion did not specify how many new villages will be built. The population in Buthidaung and Maungdaw is around 90 percent Rohingya with the remaining 10 percent comprising various ethnic populations, including Arakanese or Rakhine Buddhists. The previous ruling military junta tried to initiate similar schemes for new settlements in Buthidaung and Maungdaw in 1995, but these did not come to fruition. When asked by DVB if they were confident the plan could be successfully implemented this time round, Aung Myat Kyaw said the state government "will have to persuade the Arakanese people to settle in the new villages by creating job opportunities and providing healthcare, security and education." He added: "It will depend mostly on the government, but it can be successful if they can lay out a master plan for implementation."
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| 23 Kachin cadets killed, 13 injured in artillery attack Posted: 19 Nov 2014 07:50 PM PST Twenty-three cadets from the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) were killed and 13 injured when an officers' training camp near Laiza was hit directly by an artillery shell on Wednesday. La Nan, spokesperson for the KIA, said the training camp in Wei Kyaing Bum was hit by a 105mm shell fired from Burmese government forces' positions on nearby Hkaya Bum Hill at around noon on 19 November. Twenty were killed immediately in the attack. Those injured in the shelling were rushed to Laiza hospital where another three later died. "This was an intentional assault – there was a clash at around 8:30 to 9am the night before in an area some six miles from the camp. The Burmese army had been firing artillery from their positions in Kandaung village," said La Nan, speaking to DVB. "At 12:36 pm, they shelled the training camp where the cadets were conducting drills. The shells came from Hkaya Bum and were precisely targeted at the camp." The Burmese base at Hkaya Bum was once held by the KIA. It was captured by government forces in 2012, allegedly with air support from fighter jets. Related StoriesLa Nan said another round of fighting broke out around 4am on Wednesday morning between the KIA's 26th Battalion and the Burmese 6th Infantry Battalion in an area called Hupin. At around 8am, the KIA spokesman said, some KIA positions north of Laiza were assaulted by the Burmese 384th Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) concurrently with an attack by the 390th LIB on the KIA's Kandaungyan base. He said it was too early to comment whether the attacks will hamper the ongoing ceasefire talks, and that the KIA has reported the incident to the UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser to Burma Vijay Nambiar and other key players in the ceasefire process. |
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