Shan Herald Agency for News |
- SSPP/SSA denies landmine accusation by Burmese military
- SNLD to contest all seats in April by-elections
- Arbitrary executions in Rakhine State must be investigated
- Burma Army provokes fighting with Shan NCA signatory, shells civilian areas, displacing 2,000 in Mong Kung
- ENAC Briefing No. 19 on the threats of military offensives on the peace process in Burma
| SSPP/SSA denies landmine accusation by Burmese military Posted: 13 Oct 2016 02:16 AM PDT The Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA) says it sent a letter to the Burmese military's Eastern Central Command on Monday denying allegations that it planted the landmine that caused recent injuries to two civilians.  According to a report by the state-owned Myawady Daily news journal on October 9, the SSPP/SSA stands accused of planting landmines near Mawmae village, tract 4 of Monghsu Township. Two villagers, named as Loong Ku and his niece, stepped on one and were injured by the resulting blast. Reached for commented, Maj. Sao Ba Tun, secretary 3 of SSPP/SSA, said, "We never have an intention of attacking the people of Shan State. We never set out to injure civilians. "Whenever there is an explosion, whether in a city or in rural areas, the Tatmadaw [Burmese armed forces] always accuses ethnic armed groups." The SSPP/SSA officer acknowledged that his group had signed state-level and union-level ceasefire accords, but did not sign the nationwide ceasefire agreement with the government on October 15 last year. Nevertheless, he said, the SSPP/SSA was not responsible for this incident. He went on to say that the SSPP/SSA believes in the peace process and supports it. He noted that, apart from SSPP/SSA, Burmese military units and police are also active in Mongshu Township. On October 7, Loong Ku, age 60, and his niece, Nang Jing, 9, went into their local forest to collect wild mushrooms. They stepped on a landmine near Nang Gaohant temple and it exploded. The pair are now being treated at a local hospital in Kholam sub-township. On that same day, Burmese government troops launched an offensive against SSPP/SSA troops in Monghsu. No details were offered as to casualties on either side. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SNLD to contest all seats in April by-elections Posted: 13 Oct 2016 01:48 AM PDT The Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) has said that it will contest all vacant seats in Shan State in the by-election scheduled for April 2017.  The SNLD, known locally as the Tiger Head Party, won a total of 40 seats at the last general election in November 2015, and was the second biggest winner in Shan State, next to the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP). Fighting between Burmese government forces and the Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA) forced the cancellation of polling in some constituencies, including Kehsi and Monghsu townships in central Shan State, and Kengtung Township in eastern Shan State. Sai Nyunt Lwin, the general secretary of the SNLD, said, "We will contest the three townships that were left off the ballot at the last election. Monghsu and Kehsi each have two seats for the State parliament, plus one Lower House seat. And there is another seat to be contested for the State parliament in Kengtung Township." The by-election was announced on October 11 by Burma's Union Election Commission, which confirmed that a total of 18 vacant seats in Union and regional parliaments would be contested on April 1 next year. However, constituencies will not be polled in areas under the control of the United Wa State Army, such as Pangsang, Narpan, Pangwai and Mongmaw; as well as Mongla Township, which is the base of the Nationalities Democratic Alliance Army. "They [ethnic armed groups] control these areas by themselves," said SNLD's Sai Nyunt Lwin. By Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arbitrary executions in Rakhine State must be investigated Posted: 12 Oct 2016 11:46 PM PDT Burma Campaign UK calls on the NLD-led government in Burma to establish an independent investigation into who is behind the killings of police officers in Rakhine State on October 9th, and into the subsequent killings of Rohingya villagers in the following days. The families of policemen killed and Rohingya villagers killed have the right to see the perpetrators face justice. Burma Campaign UK has received reports of arbitrary executions of Rohingya villagers by Burmese Army soldiers, as have Fortify Rights and several media organisations. A prompt and credible investigation is needed not just in the interests of justice, but also to establish the truth in order to help limit attempts by nationalists to exploit the situation to provoke more violence. An investigation could also help limit further executions by demonstrating a small degree of accountability for soldiers via an investigation exposing their actions, even if prosecutions are not possible without the consent of the military. Burma Campaign UK is very concerned by the response of the international community to date. A statement on the situation by the European Union made no reference to reports of arbitrary executions. Silence on issues such as this simply reinforces the view of the military that it can act with impunity. The role of the European Union is not only to "stand with Myanmar" as they say in their statement, but also to stand with victims of human rights violations and against violations of international law. A statement by the UN Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General on Myanmar was even more alarming, going so far as to praise the response, stating he "recognizes the prompt action and sober response of the security forces", and also avoiding direct reference to reports of arbitrary executions. A statement by UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Myanmar"expressed to the authorities her condolences for the death of the border guard police personnel and is deeply saddened by all loss of life". Reports of arbitrary executions were only indirectly referred in the statement to as an "unfolding situation". None of the statements used the word Rohingya, a key demand of racist nationalists who are trying to deny the ethnic identity of the Rohingya as part of their efforts to drive all Rohingya people out of Burma. The new crisis in Rakhine State highlights how the new NLD-led government is hamstrung and unable to comprehensively deal with many problems in the country, if it wanted to, by the military 2008 Constitution. It does not have direct control over the military, police and other security services. The international community has been trying to present the situation in Burma as moving from being focussed on democracy promotion and human rights to one of consolidating transition, development, and technical assistance. The situation in Rakhine State and escalating conflict in eastern Burma expose how flawed this approach is. The military remain unaccountable, are blocking democratic reform, escalating conflict, and committing human rights violations including violations of international law. The British government should reassess its provision of training to the Burmese Army in light of these latest reports of arbitrary executions by soldiers. The training was established with no preconditions on respect for human rights, no clear objectives and no evaluation of outcomes. "A transparent and credible investigation is urgently needed into events in Rakhine State in the past few days," said Anna Roberts, Executive Director of Burma Campaign UK. "While it is not yet clear exactly who was responsible for killing the police officers, it does seem clear that unarmed villagers have been killed in response. The Rakhine Commission was a welcome step but is largely looking at long term solutions and won't even report until well into next year. The new crisis also highlights how action to address the crisis in Rakhine State needs to start now, including the lifting of all humanitarian aid restrictions." | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Posted: 12 Oct 2016 08:32 PM PDT SHRF condemns the Burma Army's provocation of fighting with the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA) in Mong Kung, central Shan State, despite the RCSS/SSA signing the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement. The fighting has involved shelling of civilian areas and displacement of about 2,000 villagers since the start of October 2016. On October 1, about 40 Burma Army troops from IB 292, based in Nawng Wo, Lawksawk township, arrived without warning in the village of Pang Poi, about 25 miles north of Mong Kung town, and released 24 people being kept in the RCSS's local detention centre for drug offenders. When RCSS troops based nearby came to intervene, fighting broke out from 4 to 7.30 pm. The next day, about 200 Burma Army troop reinforcements were sent in from the Na Boi army base in Laikha township, leading to further clashes with RCSS near Koong Sar village, about one mile northeast of Pang Poi. Two Burma Army helicopters also flew over the area. This caused over 700 villagers from Pang Poi (including 15 pregnant women), as well as about 200 villagers from the nearby villages of Nar Loi, Wan Mong, Hoi Jik and Koong Sar to flee to seek shelter in temples in Tong Lao, about 1 ½ miles east of Pang Poi. About 1,000 Tong Lao residents also went to sleep at the temples at night as they were afraid that fighting would spread to their village. On October 3, the IB 292 troops retreated from Pang Poi village, escorting the 24 detainees and two warders to the LIB 505 base in Namlan, about 20 miles north. The Burma Army troops then fired mortar shells at Pang Poi village, damaging housing and vehicles. The detainees, including six women, were made to walk between the Burma Army troops, apparently as human shields to prevent RCSS attacks. On October 4, about 180 more Burma Army troops were brought in from Mong Pai (on the Shan-Karenni State border) to Tong Lao, making many of the villagers too afraid to return home. On October 7, the detainees were all released. However, the two civilian warders of the detention centre -- Sai Kyaw Lu, age 18, and Sai Aung Myint, age 40 -- are still being detained at the LIB 505 base in Namlan. On October 9, the Pang Poi headman, the Tong Lao headman, an SNLD MP from Hsipaw, and the Namlan administrative chairman went to request the release of the two warders from Namlan IB 243 base. However the commander said he could not release the two men without the permission of the regional commander. The families of the two men are extremely worried about what will happen to them. SHRF calls for the immediate release of the two warders, who have committed no crime and who were serving their community in running the detention centre, and calls on the Burma Army to stop provoking fighting, withdraw its troops from this area and allow the displaced villagers to return home safely. Background of the Pang Poi drug detention centre The detention centre in Pang Poi was set up by RCSS at the request of the local community, who were concerned at the increasing availability of drugs and high rates of drug addiction in the Mong Kung and Namlan areas. Methamphetamine ("ya ba") pills are cheap and easily available, meaning that even children as young as 10 years old are taking them. The cost of a methamphetamine pill is only 150 kyat (about USD 0.12). Adult drug dealers and users have been detained at the centre for 5-6 months. The list of those who were detained at the Pang Poi centre on October 1 is below. On 9 June 2016, Tun Tun Win, the 21-year-old son of the Burma Army IB 292 commander, had been arrested at an RCSS gate for carrying about 20 methamphetamine pills and placed in the detention centre. However, he had broken out of the centre on September 22, 2016. This appears to have been a reason why the IB 292 commander authorized the raid on the detention centre on October 1, 2016.
List of IDPs in Tong Lao (October 11, 2106) The numbers of displaced villagers sheltering in Tong Lao on October 11, 2016, was as follows:
Download PDF file : 10-12-2016-tong-lao-update-on-attack-nca-signatory-eng | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ENAC Briefing No. 19 on the threats of military offensives on the peace process in Burma Posted: 12 Oct 2016 07:57 PM PDT The Burma Army, also known as Tatmadaw, has escalated its military offensives against the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) with air strikes, artillery, and ground forces. Residents in Kachin State and Yangon as well as the Kachin diaspora in Thailand and the United States have staged protests, calling on the Tatmadaw to end its offensives immediately. On 30 September, the United States Embassy in Yangon also expressed its deep concern and urged "relevant authorities to adhere strictly to their responsibility to protect civilians." This statement came one day before the Tatmadaw's shelling killed a two-year-old Kachin girl and seriously injured two other children in Puwang village, northern Shan State. On 7 October, the local European Union office in Burma issued a statement, cautioning that the continued fighting "undermines the trust that is essential for advancing Myanmar peace process," and called for "an immediate cessation of hostilities and a return to constructive dialogue." In a statement on 8 October, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), the political wing of the KIA, and a non-signatory to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), stated that the Tatmadaw "must be held responsible and be fully accountable for all the adverse consequences of its offensive war," accusing it of "undermining and interrupting the genuine peace process" and warning that the Tatmadaw's excessive use of force will intensify the civil war in Burma as the Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) are trying to seek political solutions by political means. On the same day, the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) also condemned the offensives and called on the Burma Army to stop using force and resolve political problems through negotiation. The UNFC, of which the KIO is a member, is an alliance of EAOs that have not signed the NCA. In its 9-point proposal to the government, the UNFC affirmed its commitment to signing the NCA once a prior agreement is reached with the government on the strengthening of the code of conduct and monitoring mechanism within the NCA and the Framework for Political Dialogue is reviewed to reflect more inclusiveness and better representation. Despite all these public calls for ceasing the fighting, the Burma Army shows no sign of deescalating hostilities in Kachin State. More air strikes against the KIA's Gideon Post and Lai Hpawng Post were reported near Laiza, the KIO Headquarters. The State Counselor and the government of Burma have been silent on the matters. In addition to its ongoing offensives against the KIA in Kachin and northern Shan States, the Tatmadaw has also clashed with the NCA signatory Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), and launched attacks against the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army in and around the control areas of Karen National Union, another NCA signatory. These activities by the Tatmadaw not only undermine the efforts of various parties toward sustainable peace in Burma but also pose grave dangers to the fragile peace process and could easily collapse the process. For the sake of peace, reconciliation and democracy in Burma, the Tatmadaw must halt all of its offensives, avoid clashes and start building trust for a political dialogue to take place. Ethnic Nationalities Affairs Center | www.burmaenac.org | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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