National News

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• Regional anti-drug policies exacerbating problem: study
• Kachin farmers to sue Yuzana U Htay Myint
• Thousands greet Daw Suu for petition campaign launch in the capital
• Some parties likely to reject commission offer of land, cars
• Ministry closes book on its missing census data
• FDA expands staff on huge budget rise
• Ministry, FFI to overhaul community forestry scheme
• Ministry rules out plague after rat deaths in delta

Regional anti-drug policies exacerbating problem: study Posted: 01 Jun 2014 09:08 PM PDT The steep rise is opium cultivation across Southeast Asia and its associated problems over the past five years is being encouraged by draconian anti-drug policies instituted as part ASEAN's strategy to become "drug-free" by 2015, a non-government organisation says in a new report.

Kachin farmers to sue Yuzana U Htay Myint Posted: 01 Jun 2014 04:29 PM PDT Farmers from Kachin State whose lands were confiscated by company Yuzana say they will file charges against chair U Htay Myint if he does not take action to resolve the dispute.

Thousands greet Daw Suu for petition campaign launch in the capital Posted: 01 Jun 2014 04:12 PM PDT Daw Aung San Suu Kyi brought her calls for constitutional change to the nation's capital, launching a petition campaign in Nay Pyi Taw that will push for an amendment to section 436.

Some parties likely to reject commission offer of land, cars Posted: 01 Jun 2014 04:07 PM PDT An offer of support to political parties from the Union Election Commission has divided the opposition, with some parties, including the National League for Democracy, expressing scepticism about the commission's motives.

Ministry closes book on its missing census data Posted: 01 Jun 2014 03:58 PM PDT Ministry of Immigration and Population officials have confirmed that "extended" census data collection ended last week, with populations in Kachin and Rakhine states that were left out of the original count almost certain to miss out again.

FDA expands staff on huge budget rise Posted: 01 Jun 2014 03:52 PM PDT Body plans to triple staff numbers to 300 and open laboratories at 14 more border trade locations.

Ministry, FFI to overhaul community forestry scheme Posted: 01 Jun 2014 03:32 PM PDT Changes will focus on enabling community forest managers to generate income from legally harvested timber.

Ministry rules out plague after rat deaths in delta Posted: 01 Jun 2014 03:27 PM PDT The Health Ministry is reassuring Ayeyarwady Region residents that the deaths of thousands of rats was not due to plague.

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Democratic Voice of Burma

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Why the UN Sec-Gen must act now to address impunity in Burma Posted: 01 Jun 2014 03:02 AM PDT On 14 March, the secretary-general of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, called on the government of Burma "to fully investigate and respond to current and historical human rights violations and abuses, including crimes of sexual violence." The inclusiveness of this call is unprecedented. On 26 March, the UN Human Rights Council called for an investigation into human rights violations in Arakan State. At the end of April, the outgoing UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Myanmar, Tomás Ojea Quintana, asserted that "elements of genocide" are being inflicted on the Rohingya. He was right so to do: the Genocide Convention specifically includes the slow, indirect methods of destruction now being inflicted on Rohingya and, arguably, some Kachin civilians. On 15 May, the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect identified Burma as being at imminent risk of mass atrocities. The UN secretary-general’s call is, however, almost certain to be rejected by the Burmese government: it will probably prevaricate and then offer to set up its own investigation as cover to protect the impunity of real perpetrators. It knows it can play for time. Over time it will wear down the demands till a new batch of diplomats and NGOs eventually arrive on the scene. The call will then get forgotten, like many other UN exhortations. Related Stories Korean child psychologist to be next Special Rapporteur Aid workers negotiate terms in Arakan Arakan govt say they can meet food, medicine needs The demand will also be rejected by other Burmese players. Aung San Suu Kyi herself, immediately after her release, dismissed the need for retributive justice and effectively ended a decade-long struggle to address impunity at a stroke. Her spokesman, in relation to the Rohingya, has even gone so far as to warn the international community, "Not to interfere in the internal affairs of Myanmar." (Such years of "interference" were, of course, precisely what led to her release.) The former prime minister of Norway, the home of the Nobel Prize (and Telenor and Statoil,) also summarily dismissed the genocidal plight of the Rohingya as, "An internal Myanmar matter." Welcome to the Golden Land, where globalisation and "peace" meets crony capitalism against a back drop of low intensity genocide. Meanwhile, there is no meaningful transition to democracy. The 2010 election was rigged and the 2008 Constitution, which holds the country in a vice-like military grip, was inflicted on the people through intimidation and manipulation. There is little realistic possibility of the Constitution being meaningfully amended and little likelihood of a civilian, democratic government coming to power being able, or willing, to bring perpetrators to book. In fact, a democratically elected government may enshrine impunity further: so systemic is Burman racism that such a government coming to power may actually inflict further persecution with the complicity of the majority population. Little can be done through economic sanctions due to the extent of international collaboration. The latest congressionally inspired US sanctions have just been shrugged off by Naypyidaw. Sanctions cannot realistically be re-imposed and international organisations now collaborating with the military-controlled government will not support prosecution of the regime they have chosen to work with. In conclusion, the international community’s decades-long policy of appeasement, half-hearted sanctions and collaboration, choreographed post-2011 with naïve optimism, underscored in reality by geopolitics and greed, has been disastrous for the ethnic peoples of Burma. The Burman military officer class and its associated business cronies has got everything he wanted: consolidation behind a Janus-faced civilian government; reconfiguration as a "democracy"; impunity from prosecution; wealth; legitimacy. “Many NGOs collaborate in silence. Some journalists have been co-opted. Burman -centred, top-down academics and diplomats who avoid setting foot in the mire of internally displaced camps often downplay and misrepresent the systematic nature of the violations.” Reality, however, demands an honest and human response. Two hundred and sixty thousand additional Rohingya and Kachin people have been terrorised out of their homes since the "democratic transition" began. Some 800,000 Rohingya are now effectively banged up in a vast concentration camp. Hundreds of thousands have been burnt out, pillaged, plundered, murdered, raped, bombed and generally terrorised out of their homes during previous decades. Continuous since 1948, the total figure may run, as the former SLORC leader Saw Maung stated, into "millions". These violations, many inflicted in the service of a racial policy of "Burmanisation", amount to crimes against humanity and, arguably, attempted genocide. It is this reality that the UN secretary-general is directly and personally confronting when he demands a "full" and, we should note, "historical investigation". The issue is in his hands. He is the last best hope that something will be done. He alone can present his recommendation to the Security Council without prior approval from anyone. Success is likely. China and Russia would find it difficult to veto a proposal coming from the Secretary General. Carefully prepared, with all members of the Council properly briefed, supported by overwhelming evidence and effective lobbying in New York, the case for addressing the systematic, targeted destruction of Burma’s ethnic peoples will be overwhelming. Implementing the secretary-general’s call at the Security Council offers the only realistic way of preventing and punishing crimes against humanity. Internally, many NGOs collaborate in silence. Some journalists have been co-opted. Burman -centred, top-down academics and diplomats who avoid setting foot in the mire of internally displaced camps often downplay and misrepresent the systematic nature of the violations. The entire Burman political class, including so-called democrats, has collectively failed to show moral leadership. Even the call by the UN special envoy to end incitement of hatred has been mostly disregarded. As a result, most institutions, including the army, many Buddhists, the political class and much of the civilian population are either actively or passively complicit. The State of Myanmar is thus now probably institutionally responsible for crimes against humanity, violations of Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions, and, arguably, in the case of the Rohingya, incitement of, and attempt to commit, genocide. Effective internal jurisdiction by the Burmese government is not feasible or realistic. A Security Council Resolution, implementing the secretary-general’s call, is the only hope that crimes against humanity can be addressed, full-blown genocide prevented, and impunity challenged. Ban Ki-moon must act to implement his own call. Not in Burma, but at the Security Council.   Guy Horton has worked on Burma and its border areas since 1998. His 2005 report, "Dying Alive" and supporting video footage, received worldwide coverage and contributed to the submission of Burma to the UN Security Council in January 2007. As a result of the report, the UN Committee on the Prevention of Genocide carried out an investigation and placed Burma/Myanmar on the Genocide Watch list. Since 2005 Guy Horton has focussed on establishing a coalition of governments, funders, institutions and leading international lawyers with the aim of getting the violations investigated and analysed so that impunity can be addressed. He is currently a researcher at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He was short-listed for the post of UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Myanmar 2014. He can be contacted at: ghrtn7@gmail.com   The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author's alone, and do not reflect a DVB editorial stance. DVB welcomes contributors to offer counter-arguments to any article on its website.

Burma plays diplomatic card to diffuse Bangladesh dispute Posted: 01 Jun 2014 02:05 AM PDT A dispute between Burma and Bangladesh following a fatal armed clash at the countries' common land border is now being resolved through diplomatic channels, according to the director of the Burmese President's Office, Zaw Htay. "We are continuing discussions," he told DVB on Saturday. "This incident provides a challenge to both countries to ensure stability and peace in the border region. On Wednesday, Burmese border guards opened fire on two men in yellow camouflage uniforms allegedly on the Burmese side of the border between boundary markers 51 and 52. One man was reportedly shot and killed while the other escaped back to Bangladeshi territory. The Burmese claim that their border patrol opened fire on insurgents assumed to be members of the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO) who are known to be active in this area. Speaking to DVB on Friday, Pol-Col Min Aung, the deputy-director of the Burmese Defence and Security Department in Naypyidaw, pointed out that the suspects were not wearing Border Guard of Bangladesh (BGB) uniforms nor Bangladeshi insignia, and were therefore assumed to be insurgents. "None of the men we encountered had insignia," he said. "They were in yellow camouflage uniforms without armbands. If they had been BGB, they should have been wearing their insignia. They were shot at because they encroached on our territory without any identifiable insignia, leading our troops to assume they were insurgents." Bangladesh said its border guards were fired upon by their Burmese counterparts, and that one of their troops, Corp. Naik Md. Mizanur Rahman, remains missing. Related Stories Tensions flare at Burma-Bangladesh border Building barriers: Fencing off the Bangladesh border Census will try to count Arakan Muslims An agreement was made for the Burmese to hand over the body of the dead man for identification on Friday at a prearranged spot at a common border post, however gunfire broke out and the handover was not completed. Both sides blame each other for the altercation. Dhaka has since issued a letter of complaint after summoning Burmese Ambassador Myo Myint to its Foreign Affairs Ministry. In a statement on Saturday, Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had protested strongly to the Burmese ambassador over the "unprovoked eruption of gunfire" by Burmese border troops on Friday afternoon, and said it was calling for "immediate measures" to identify the dead body to ascertain whether it is Corp. Naik Md. Mizanur Rahman. However, in its own statement on Saturday, Burma's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that "these two diplomatic notes from the Bangladesh side are totally far from the real situation on the ground." It maintained that Burmese troops "opened fire on two suspected armed Bengalis … who were intruding into Myanmar territory about 80 feet from the border line. The Myanmar troops neither opened fire on any BGB members nor captured a BGB corporal. It was found out that the outfit worn by the person caught dead did not match the BGB uniform." "Bengali" is a commonly used term in Burma for members of the Rohingya community. Following the statement, Burmese President's Office Director Zaw Htay told DVB: "We have strong evidence that the RSOs are conducting maneuvers and creating problems." While maintaining that Burma would not tolerate any incursions into its sovereign territory, Zaw Htay said that the matter would be better resolved through diplomatic means. "It is better to resolve this dispute through border committees and government channels in a spirit of mutual understanding," he said. "But the point is that we cannot accept any insurgent group on our land. We work with India on this issue, and I hope we can also work with Bangladesh.” Zaw Htay maintained that Burma's security forces had made no mistake and that they had engaged with an armed group thought to be RSO. "Our ambassador in Bangladesh explained this to their government and provided evidence," he said. "The fighting took place on our territory. Our security forces shot at men in guerrilla uniforms who were not sporting any insignia or arm bands. The clash occurred along a route frequently used by the RSO."

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Democratic Voice of Burma

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• Poets, cartoonists join campaign to overturn Article 436
• Karens conclude ‘unity’ meeting at Lay Wah
• Tensions flare at Burma-Bangladesh border
• Trishaw drivers protest ‘unnecessary demands’ by Prome council
• Burmese athletes lose gold after failing dope tests

Poets, cartoonists join campaign to overturn Article 436 Posted: 31 May 2014 02:05 AM PDT A group of Burmese poets and cartoonists joined together in Rangoon on Friday to sign a petition to amend Article 436 of the Constitution, which stipulates that no provision of the 2008 charter can be altered without the prior approval of more than 75 percent of MPs in the Union Parliament. Many critics of Burma's Constitution – notable among them Aung San Suu Kyi of the main opposition party, National League for Democracy (NLD) – have prioritised the overturning of Article 436 as they say it gives the military full veto power over any other proposed changes, owing to the fact that they control 25 percent of the seats in both houses. On Friday, some of the country's best known poets signed the petition at The Last Leaf Gallery on Pansodan Street while cartoonists put pen to paper at the Capacity Development Center on 35th Street. Related Stories Peace without constitutional reform is like 'hopping on one leg', says Min Ko Naing Suu Kyi rebuked for 'challenge' to military Constitutional reform rally held in Irrawaddy division Renowned cartoonist Shwe Min Thar said, "Everything depends on the military. If they don’t change, we can’t do anything. But it is possible for them to change. The Constitution is written by human beings, so it is easily within our power to change it. All of us here want to amend it. If the government follows the will of the people, then they will change it. I think it all depends on them.” Another well-known cartoonist, Aw Pi Kyal, said, "I know that this petition will not compel the government to amend the Constitution, but we are offering our opinion to the president." Similarly, in Mandalay, about 100 members of a former political prisoners' network signed a petition to amend the Constitution on Friday. Poets and cartoonists in Mandalay had earlier in the week signed the petition at Mandalay's main NLD office. The petition was launched by the NLD and the 88 Generation Peace and Open Society civil society group this month as a 50-day campaign to collect signatures from people across the country, calling for the government to amend Article 436.

Karens conclude ‘unity’ meeting at Lay Wah Posted: 31 May 2014 01:13 AM PDT The 10th Karen Unity Seminar wraps up on Saturday after three days of talks in Hpa-an focused on bringing together the various competing ethnic Karen factions. Hosted by the Karen National Union (KNU) at its headquarters in Lawkheela, also known as Lay Wah, near the Thai-Burmese border, the meeting brought together some 500 to 600 Karens from Burma, Thailand and beyond. In his opening speech on Thursday, KNU Chairman Mutu Say Poe urged the representatives to value diversity. "We Karens have different languages, political beliefs, armed groups and geographical homelands," he said. "It is important to express one's own opinions but also consider others. By working on solutions together, we can bring unity to our people." Related Stories Peace without constitutional reform is like 'hopping on one leg', says Min Ko Naing KNU constructs housing in preparation for peace Suu Kyi asks KNU to focus on constitutional reform KNU District Chairman Saw Eh Wah told the audience that the Karen people had long lacked unity as a result of instability in the country, the decades-long civil war, and the policy of divide and rule by the Burmese government. "Here and now is the time for the Karen to establish unity," he continued. Ethnic Karen in Burma make up about 5 million of the country's estimated 60 million population. In addition to Karen State, many live in Rangoon, the Irrawaddy delta, and Pegu and Tenasserim divisions. Led by the KNU, the Karen led many of Burma's other ethnic groups into a civil war in 1949, fighting against the central government for autonomy; a war that has lasted until now. However, in modern times the KNU was fractured by dissenting parties; a Buddhist faction, the Democratic Buddhist Karen Army split from the KNU in 1994, contributing to military defeat and the downfall of the KNU's jungle headquarters in Manerplaw. Various other factions and sub-factions formed in recent years as commanders in each area looked to their own self-interests when business opportunities opened up.

Tensions flare at Burma-Bangladesh border Posted: 30 May 2014 11:07 PM PDT Troops clashed at the Burma-Bangladesh border on Friday as tensions boiled over while Burmese soldiers were returning the body of a Bangladeshi killed in a skirmish two days before, AFP has reported. Citing Devdash Bhattacharya, the Bangladeshi police chief in the district of Bandarban, the report said that gunfire broke out on Friday afternoon when the Burmese border police failed to return the dead soldier's body on time. "Bhattacharya alleged the Myanmar Border Police took away the Bangladeshi soldier's bullet-riddled body after they opened fire on his patrol team along the border on May 28," AFP reported. DVB learned earlier on Friday that the Burmese ambassador had already been summoned by the Foreign Affairs Department in Dhaka on Thursday to account for the clash; to demand a thorough investigation; and to demand that the man's body and equipment be returned. Related Stories Building barriers: Fencing off the Bangladesh border Burma to summon Bangladeshi ambassador over Rohingya article BIMSTEC leaders convene in Burma Burmese authorities this month have reported three separate clashes in the border zone – on 13, 17 and 28 May. They have asserted each time that the gunmen, alleged to have also killed up to four Burmese police in one incident, were members of the armed group Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO). Speaking to DVB on Friday ahead of the latest incident, Pol-Col Min Aung, the deputy-director of the Burmese Defence and Security Department in Naypyidaw, confirmed that a letter of complaint had been submitted by the Bangladeshi border guard command to its Burmese counterpart. "We [Burmese and Bangladeshi border police] actually discussed the clashes at an earlier meeting," he said. "Our officers raised the issue of the killing of four of our policemen, but the Bangladeshi delegation denied that the attackers were BGB [Border Guard Bangladesh]. "In that case, since only the BGB and RSO are active in this area, then if was not the BGB then it must have been the RSO." With regard to the skirmish on Wednesday in which a Bangladeshi soldier was killed, Min Aung said, "I don't know much detail about the incident. However, usually the border guard units – when on patrol – can be identified by their flags or insignia. None of the men we encountered had insignia. They were in yellow camouflage uniforms without armbands. If they had been BGB they should have been wearing their insignia. They were shot at because they encroached on our territory without any identifiable insignia leading our troops to assume they were insurgents."

Trishaw drivers protest ‘unnecessary demands’ by Prome council Posted: 30 May 2014 09:33 PM PDT Trishaw drivers pedalled the streets of Prome [Pyay], central Burma, on Thursday to protest a recent municipal council regulation requiring them to install side-rails on the passenger seats of their vehicles. Thirty trishaw drivers were accompanied by some 50 supporters in the demonstration, which kicked into gear at 8:30 in the morning under the statute of Gen Aung San in the town centre. The ride continued on to the municipal office where trishaw licenses are issued as drivers chanted their objections to the new regulation. "We are protesting today to demand a more streamlined procedure for gaining trishaw licenses," driver Win Hlaing told a crowd of bystanders. Related Stories Mizzima reporter arrested for protesting media suppression Kaladan project scheduled for mid-2014 completion China pledges, Burma dredges "As car owners, you all know how simple it is to extend your vehicle license at the Directorate of Road Administration – all you just need is to bring your license and the car to the license department. However it is not like that at the municipal council where they keep making unnecessary demands, just as they did under the Than Shwe military regime. This has to stop." As the trishaw drivers made their point, the crowd's demands turned to the desire for an investigation into a 2012 case of forced displacement. In that instance, according to Ponn Ya of civil society organisation Karuna Latmyar (Hands of Compassion), the municipal council rounded up homeless families in Prome, including 30 children, and dumped them outside of town. "The town's authorities rounded up the homeless children and their parents including a blind old man," Ponn Ya said. They were then taken on a garbage truck to a woodland called Nyaungchedauk, across the river from Prome. There they were left." The trishaw protest ended at around 11am. No arrests were reported.

Burmese athletes lose gold after failing dope tests Posted: 30 May 2014 08:02 PM PDT Two Burmese athletes, who won gold medals at the 27th SEA Games hosted in Burma last year, will have to return the medals after it was revealed they used performance-enhancing drugs in the competition. An official from the Myanmar National Sports Federation (MNSF) told DVB under condition of anonymity that Saw Malar New, a gold medal winner in the women's 20km walk, and body-building champion Min Zaw Oo, tested positive for doping. The pair will be forced to return their medals and will each receive a two-year ban from their respective sports, he said. Similarly, an athlete from Brunei also tested positive for doping, while one athlete each from Thailand and Malaysia were under investigation under suspicion of using prohibited drugs. The MNSF is tipped to hold a press conference in the second week of June about the findings. Burma, hosting the 27th SEA Games in December last year, won 86 golds, second only to Thailand which topped the medal tally with 107 gold medals. Vietnam came third with 73 golds. Related Stories Indonesia takes early lead at ASEAN Para Games Prepping for the Para Games SEA Games triumph for Burma

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The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• New European Residents in Ne Win’s Old Neighborhood of Villains
• Left Behind, Elderly Find an Advocate in Burma
• Burma to Grant Foreign Banks Licenses by End of September
• The Irrawaddy Business Roundup (May 31, 2014)

New European Residents in Ne Win’s Old Neighborhood of Villains Posted: 30 May 2014 07:30 PM PDT The sumptuous village on Ady Road 19B is being rented by the EU Ambassador Roland from the family of the late Burmese dictator Ne Win. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) The old Ady Road, where Burma's late dictator Gen Ne Win once lived, has witnessed ups and downs during the country's history. During his rule, the grand and leafy residences on Rangoon's famous Inya Lake were heavily guarded and soldiers wouldn't allow any visitors in the area. After Ne Win's fall from power and his death in 2002, the area lost much of its allure, but access remained largely restricted and even today parts are closed off with a stop sign and a police checkpoint. The former strongman's relatives and daughters continue to live there and own several properties on Ady Road, which has since been renamed May Kha Road. With the opening up of Burma the once quiet and secluded area has quickly become an upmarket villa neighborhood, as a growing number of international companies, UN agencies, Western governments and embassies rushing into the country are seeking suitable office space and residences. A shortage in quality housing and Burma's expected economic growth has set property and rent prices skyrocketing, and these days Ady Road residences are valued in millions of US dollars. Last year, at one of the residences in a block of properties owned by Ne Win's relatives (numbers 19 to 30) large-scale renovations began. Burmese workers at the site said they had been instructed to upgrade a house next to the late general's home to international standards. The new neighbor and renter of the Ne Win family was someone little known in Burma at the time, but important to the government in Naypyidaw: Roland Kobia, a Belgian, who was recently appointed as the European Union's ambassador to Burma. A lawyer by training, his last posting was in Azerbaijan. One of his missions, according to a press briefing, was to advance Burma-EU relations in the coming years and to establish a lasting relationship. The EU opened a permanent mission in Burma in April 2012, following the relaxation of restrictions against the country and the international community's rapid embrace of President Thein Sein's reformist government. Aung Zaw is founder and editor of the Irrawaddy magazine. He can be reached at aungzaw@irrawaddy.org. The house next to the EU Ambassador's home was where Ne Win received state visitors, held numerous parties and from where he ordered armed forces to clamp down on the 1988 streets protests. In the late 1950s, then-Burma Army Chief Ne Win and his wife Khin May Than decided to live on Ady Road, an area which had many rich and prominent local and foreign residents. The house he built was made with tiles, furniture and an in-house stereo system imported from Hong Kong since only international quality would do for his wife. After his 1962 coup, he ordered his feared spy unit to screen all residents and forced the eviction of those not considered loyal to the new regime. When he expelled all foreigners from Burma, Ady Road residents John Sydenham Furnivall (better known in Burma as J.S Furnivall) and G.H. Luce, both British historians, also left. Only Ne Win's most trusted ministers and aides were ultimately allowed to live there. After his fall from power in 1988, Ne Win continued to live on Ady Road where he and his favorite daughter Khin Sandar Win stayed under house arrest until his death in 2002. His three grandsons were put in prison. All were gradually freed, three of Ne Win's grandsons were released last year, and we can be sure that Burma's former first family still controls much wealth and property—the latter undoubtedly rising in value as a result of Burma's opening up. The extensive renovations and sumptuous residence of the EU Ambassador Kobia on Ady Road have not gone unnoticed and raised questions among those familiar with the extremely high rent rates in Rangoon. Some expats and Burmese working with the United Nations and international NGOs have remarked on the costs of renting the lakeside mansion, where monthly rent fees are believed to hover between US$80,000 and $100,000, or more A foreign journalist familiar with the EU and its growing relations with Burma's reformist government said, "The regulations at the EU headquarters set a cap on rental fees but these had to be rewritten in order to accommodate the cost of the new ambassador's residence [in Rangoon] because it was so high. This was the first time that the EU had done this." An expat who visited the residence said, "The EU ambassador’s house, is beautiful, but I don't think anyone did due diligence on that. I do not even think they can say it was 'under market price." The xenophobic strongman Ne Win, who expelled all foreigners after his 1962 coup, would surely be baffled to hear that his relatives are renting properties around his old home to foreign diplomats for a million dollar per year. In the wake of Brussels' embrace of President Thein Sein's government, the European Commission's expanding mission in Burma has also required new office space and the commission has moved into the sixth floor of the Hledan Centre in Rangoon. Here, the EU also struggled to avoid handing money to influential figures from Burma's dark past, as the center is owned by Asia World, a conglomerate founded with drug money by Lo Hsing Han, an ethnic Kokang Chinese warlord who once controlled one of Southeast Asia’s largest heroin trafficking operations. He passed away in Burma last year and his son Steven Law and Singaporean wife, Cecilia Ng now run Asia World. As one of Burma's largest conglomerates with interests in property, construction, transportation, retail, the company no doubt has very close links to former regime members and current government leaders. Controversy also surrounded the construction of the center as former landowners complained that they were never given the promised compensation for vacating the 1.5 acre site in 2003. The Myanmar Times reported last that Asia World has still not offered the former owners apartments in the center. Some foreign NGOs workers told me they were dismayed to learn that the new EC office was in Hledan Centre.  One told me, "It’s EU tax payer money meant for the Myanmar people and where is the transparency here?" The post New European Residents in Ne Win's Old Neighborhood of Villains appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Left Behind, Elderly Find an Advocate in Burma Posted: 30 May 2014 05:30 PM PDT Than Myint Aung, deputy chairman of Free Funeral Service Society at her office (Photo by Jpaing/The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Burmese philanthropist Than Myint Aung has carried hundreds of coffins since co-founding the Free Funeral Services Society (FFSS). But more recently, she has focused on assisting another group of people: those who are left behind after their loved ones pass away. In 2001, Than Myint Aung, now 60 years old, co-founded the FFSS along with ex-actor Kyaw Thu, the late writer Thu Kha and philanthropist Myint Myint Khin Pe. The Rangoon-based nonprofit organization offers free funerals for families who cannot afford to pay for services. As part of her job with the FFSS, Than Myint Aung would visit the homes of families after deaths were reported. In many cases, she found something that troubled her: elderly family members who had been dependent upon the deceased prior to his or her passing. Without a caretaker, she says, many were left to struggle on their own. "They were just waiting for their own day to die," she says, adding that some neighbors and relatives even asked her to "abandon" the elderly relatives along with the corpses. "There was an 80-year-old woman who had suffered from a stroke, and her 50-year-old son had been taking care of her. The son was the one who died, and she was left alone, with flies around her body as she wet herself," the philanthropist recalls. After seeing many similar cases, in 2010 she decided to found the Twilight Villa (See Zar Yeik), a home for the elderly in Rangoon. The home cares for about 70 people who are suffering and on the verge of death, with about 50 others still on the waiting list. "There are emergency cases, including a 95-year-old woman who was living in the shed of someone's home. We needed to bring her here," she says, adding that a second home for the elderly is currently being constructed. She says she received her philanthropic gene from her mother, who "was very helpful to others." From her father she inherited a love of reading, which she says prompted her to become a writer, and an award-winning one at that, after taking home Burma's National Literature Award in 2002. As a child she read books that motivated her to work for the benefit of her people. "Burmese creative literature makes the mind gentle and full of sympathy," she says. "For example, take this line from a novel by the writer Khin Hnin Yu: 'What distinguishes humans from animals is their selflessness and sacrifice for the public good.'" In addition to her work with the FFSS and the elderly, Than Myint Aung founded a private school in Rangoon that offers free education through high school, and she co-founded an orphanage for children with HIV, also in Rangoon. The orphanage, Thukha Yeik Myone, has cared for 116 children since its establishment in 2005, with an emphasis on providing regular health care. Last year, a second orphanage for children with HIV opened in Mandalay. "I try to alleviate social problems when I can, supporting projects that others have already started. If a service does not exist, I cooperate with friends and donors who are like-minded to help," she says. After a doctor offered his own home to her as a residence, she turned it into a foundation that teaches youths about capacity building and philanthropic work. "She is honest, optimistic and a role model in philanthropic work," Tun Lwin, a famous meteorologist and a board member of her youth philanthropy foundation, told The Irrawaddy. She also founded a blood donor group in Malaysia. "I want every youth to save lives with clean blood. I want to see every youth become a blood donor when they turn 18," she says. Than Myint Aung has received several literary and humanitarian awards. Most recently, she was awarded with US$10,000 from the Citizen of Burma Award Organization, based in the United States. She says she plans to invest the money into her charity work. The post Left Behind, Elderly Find an Advocate in Burma appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Burma to Grant Foreign Banks Licenses by End of September Posted: 30 May 2014 05:02 PM PDT The headquarters of Asia Green Development Bank, one of Burma's local banks, in downtown Rangoon. (Photo: Sai Zaw / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Burma will grant foreign banks limited operating licenses by the third quarter of this year, in a bid by the country's semi-civilian government to attract foreign investment into an economy just emerging from decades of military rule. An official document sent to more than 30 foreign banks with representative offices in Burma, and seen by Reuters, shows that as many as 10 foreign banks will be allowed to set up one branch each to provide restricted services, including granting loans to foreign corporates. Lending to local companies will require the foreign banks to cooperate with local institutions, the document shows. Foreign banks with representative offices in Burma include Standard Chartered, Thailand's Siam Commercial Bank, Singapore's Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp., the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, the Korea Exchange Bank, and Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Group. "Licensees are expected to contribute to the development of the domestic banking sector, notably but not exclusively by participating in the interbank market, by lending to domestic banks to support their financing activities of domestic corporates," the document added. A licensing panel will review applications by July 6 and award five to 10 licenses by the end of September, the document says. Consulting firm Roland Berger will oversee the process. Based on a recommendation from the World Bank, a minimum paid-in capital of US$75 million will be required by selected foreign banks, the document showed. Domestic Concerns Burma's banking sector was crippled by decades of mismanagement under military regimes and cut off from much of the global economy due to Western sanctions. The European Union, Australia and other countries have lifted sanctions in response to widespread political and economic reforms initiated by the reformist, semi-civilian government that took over from a military junta in March 2011. A senior government official, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the subject, said foreign banks would help spur economic development as well as modernize the domestic banking system. "It's definitely going to require foreign banks to give capacity building to local banks," the official said. The tender has triggered concerns among domestic banks and lawmakers, who say the domestic financial sector is too immature to deal with foreign competition. The government official said a "strong parliamentary committee" had already said it was opposed to allowing foreign banks to operate in Burma, but added that the process was unlikely to be derailed. "Local banks are not to be marginalized," he said. Last year, a group of parliamentarians tried unsuccessfully to intervene at the last moment to prevent telecommunication licenses from being awarded to Norway's Telenor and Qatar's Ooredoo. The post Burma to Grant Foreign Banks Licenses by End of September appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

The Irrawaddy Business Roundup (May 31, 2014) Posted: 30 May 2014 05:00 PM PDT Yoma Increases Investment Grip on Burma's Mobile Phone System Burmese-owned conglomerate Yoma Strategic Holdings has increased its interest in Burma's nascent mobile phone network. Yoma's subsidiary YSH Finance raised its stake in Digicel Asian Holdings from 8 percent to 25 percent, media reports said this week. The stake increase would make Digicel Asian Holdings an associated company of Yoma, said The Edge business news in Singapore. Yoma is registered in Singapore but controlled by Burmese businessman Serge Pun and has interests in real estate, agriculture, vehicles and tourism, as well as telecommunications. Digicel Asian Holdings was created as a joint venture by Pun and Irish businessman Denis O'Brien, chief of global telecommunications firm Digicel, after their bid for one of the two mobile phone network licenses in Burma failed. It has secured a contract with network developer Ooredoo to build and lease a network of mobile phone masts in Burma. Digicel has spent more than US$25 million "assembling its network of mast sites" in Burma, a recent Irish Times report said. Business, Govt Leaders Put Infrastructure Top of Forum Agenda Tackling Burma's infrastructure problems such as poor roads and railways and a general lack of electricity will be a main theme of a business leaders' conference to be held in July. The conference, chaired by President Thein Sein, will be the first under the auspices of the newly formed Myanmar Business Forum, which is to receive assistance from the International Finance Corporation, said local media reports. A venue and date for the forum have yet to be announced, but the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry suggested it would be at the end of July. Other development issues to be discussed by the forum will be agriculture, fishery, forestry, banking and finance, hotels and tourism, said Eleven Media. Tourism is major foreign revenue earner for Burma and is one of the fastest growing business sectors, but it is also hampered by poor infrastructure, said the travel trade magazine TTR Weekly. "Tourism experts say due to poor infrastructure and a shortage of suitable transport, ecotourism tours are more expensive than similar tours sold in neighboring countries," reported TTR Weekly. Oil Imports Grow as Burma's Refineries Fail to Cope Burma is importing record volumes of refined fuels such as diesel and petrol, and the actual amount might be much higher than official figures suggest because of smuggling, a report said. Demand in the financial year to March was 40,700 barrels per day (bpd), according to Ministry of Energy figures. That's a rise of 5 percent over the previous year, but Reuters quotes unnamed fuel traders saying last year's increase could have been up to 25 percent if smuggled imports via Thailand are included. Burma's three small refineries in theory have a combined capacity of about 56,000 bpd, but two of them are so decrepit they "barely function," said Reuters. The rising demand is coming not only from the country's growing numbers of car owners but factories dependent on diesel for electricity generators and to operate machinery. More than 50 percent of official imports are handled by Chinaoil, a subsidiary of China's state-owned PetroChina, and Hin Leong of Singapore, said Reuters. But the recurring problem of poor infrastructure hampers fuel distribution, said Reuters, and also limits volumes coming into Burma by sea. "Only smaller tankers carrying about 6,000-10,000 tonnes of oil can enter the shallow [Rangoon] River estuary to reach [Rangoon] and Thilawa ports designated to receive oil," said Reuters. Renewed Interest in Salween Dams May Result From Thailand's Coup Thailand's military coup is expected to trigger renewed efforts by Thai business interests to build hydroelectric dams on Burma's Salween River, an industry report said. The Bangkok energy ministry's permanent secretary has put forward a set of proposals to the military-run National Council for Peace and Order to re-start a clutch of energy projects which have been stalled by recent political turmoil and government paralysis, said Platts energy agency. The proposals include opening up to international bidding a new batch of onshore and offshore oil and gas blocks and electricity expansion projects, especially hydroelectric schemes in Laos and Burma. The state-owned Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand has backed controversial dams in Laos being built mainly to provide electricity to Thailand, and has shown interest in hydropower projects on Burma's Salween, which runs close to Burmese-Thai border. "The energy ministry had been working on an energy reform plan over the past months, although this has been delayed by the political instability," Platts said. The coup will also provide the stability to encourage Thai oil refineries to raise exports again, said Platts. Thailand has been a major source of fuel oils for Burma. UN Bid to Replace Poppies Stalled by Lack of Access in Shan State Despite a big surge in opium production in 2013, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said it still being refused access to some poppy growing areas of Shan State. The UNODC program to assist poppy farmers in southern areas of Shan State to develop other marketable crops and help improve market access with new roads is stalled because UN teams have not been given permission by the Naypyidaw government, the agency's country manager Jason Eligh told Mizzima. There was a 26 percent increase in the production of opium in Burma for making heroin in 2013, the UNODC said. UN development assistance provides alternatives to earn income. Poppy farmers in Shan State lack access to markets outside the drug trade, Eligh said. "Developing regional markets or creating access to existing markets by building roads can provide farmers with opportunities to sell different crops," Mizzima said, quoting the UN official. "I don’t know if there is a disagreement between the Tatmadaw and government. I don’t know if there's a disagreement between elements in Shan State," Eligh said of the stalled access. Firms From 11 Countries Show Interest in Investing in Thilawa Zone More 40 foreign companies have expressed interest in acquiring factories or warehouses in the Thilawa Special Economic Zone outside Rangoon, a government minister said. The companies come from 11 countries, the Deputy Minister for National Planning and Economic Development Sett Aung was quoted by Eleven Media saying. Permits to build factories will be made available soon, but it's not clear who will actually invest. The zone site is being developed by Japanese construction firms backed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency. Several Hong Kong-based garment and textile companies are reportedly among the most definite investors in factories. The post The Irrawaddy Business Roundup (May 31, 2014) appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

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Democratic Voice of Burma

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• Charges dropped against detained Shan politician
• BURMA BUSINESS WEEKLY 30 MAY  
• Burma govt plans to establish Ministry for Youth Affairs
• China, SE Asian govts pledge renewed support for anti-drug efforts

Charges dropped against detained Shan politician Posted: 30 May 2014 05:04 AM PDT Sai Jan, a regional chairman for the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD), has been freed from Kengtung prison after being held for almost a month. The politician was arrested in his home in Namt Lin Mai, Kengtung, eastern Shan State, on 5 May by the Burmese army on suspicion of having breached Article 17/1 of the Unlawful Associations Act through alleged links to the Shan State Army-South (SSA-S). That charge, formally pressed on 22 May, was dropped on Thursday. SNLD spokesman Sai Lek confirmed that Sai Jan would not have to face court on 2 June, as was previously slated. "Police earlier today have dropped the charge against Sai Jan – our party officials went to pick him up and are now taking him back home," Sai Lek said on Thursday. "We are all incredibly relieved that he was released." The SSA-S is the armed wing of the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), a political party considered an illegal organisation by the Burmese government, despite partnership in a 2013 ceasefire. Related Stories Detained Shan leader charged with unlawful association Raid on SSA-S ‘badly affected’ trust Ceasefire talks underway in Rangoon Pitched battles have raged in Shan State between the SSA-S and the Burmese army in recent months, in breach of that ceasefire. Such battles have contributed to reluctance on the part of the RCSS to join current ceasefire talks between the National Ceasefire Coordination Team — an alliance of 17 armed ethnic groups — and the government. However the paramount reason for reclusiveness on the part of the RCSS is the inclusion of rivals, the Shan State Army-North, among the 17 ceasefire parties, say observers. On 6 May, the day after Sai Jan's arrest, Burmese army troops "raided" the RCSS liason office in Kengtung.

BURMA BUSINESS WEEKLY 30 MAY   Posted: 30 May 2014 03:12 AM PDT   Ups and Downs The Burmese currency continued to fall slightly in value this week; the buying rate finished on Friday at 966 kyat to the US dollar (from 963 last week); while the selling rate rose from 966 to 970 kyat to the dollar. The price of gold has decreased notably: down from 662,700 kyat per tical to 649,800 kyat. Fuel prices remain unchanged: petrol is 820 kyat per litre; diesel 950 kyat; and octane 920 kyat a litre. Rice also remains constant: high-quality Pawhsanmwe rice is selling at 1,300-1,600 kyat per basket while low-quality Manawthukha retails at 900 kyat per basket in most Rangoon marketplaces.   Singaporean oil firm expands in Magwe Gold Petrol, majority owned by Singaporean conglomerate Interra, has expanded drilling projects in Chauk, Magwe Division. Interra announced to the Singaporean stock exchange on Friday that Gold Petrol has expanded drilling to a fourth oil reservoir in the area, having tapped the previous three in March 2013. Gold Petrol hold a 60 percent stake in the Improved Petroleum Recovery Project at Chauk field, with the other 40 percent owned by the state-owned Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise.   Foreign firms to be contracted for road construction The construction of Burma's roads and bridges can now be outsourced to foreign firms who may also wish to invest in Burma's infrastructure projects, an official from the Ministry of Construction said. Many of the country's highways are deemed sub-standard, he said, and with plans afoot to implement international pan-Asian and pan-ASEAN road networks, the ministry has decided to lift the restrictions. Current and proposed highway projects include routes to the borders of China, India and Thailand.   Japanese industrial firm moves into Burma The Burmese government has approved a large-scale investment project put forward by Japanese multinational corporation Komatsu Ltd. The firm, involved in mining as well as industrial and military manufacturing, intends to construct a power plant and an assembling factory in Pyigyitagon Township, Mandalay. The plan was put forward to the Myanmar Investment Commission, who also approved the company to distribute heavy machinery for industrial use. Komatsu equipment, previously imported from abroad, has been widely used in Burma's mining sector in the past.   Arakan's dismal economy due to unrest, VP says Burma's Vice-president Sai Mauk Kham, in a meeting with Arakanese locals in state capital Sittwe last week, said the steady decline of GDP in Arakan could be attributed to the destabilising outbreaks of communal violence in the region that began in mid-2012. Previously ranked as second least developed state in Burma above remote Chin State, last year Arakan plummeted to the bottom of the list.   Corn production on the rise in Burma DuPont, one of the world's largest chemical and agribusiness corporations, has set up shop in Rangoon, and predicted that corn could become a major crop for Burma. A representative told DVB that based on the company's experience in neighbouring Thailand, raised income will lead to higher demand for meat, which will lead to higher demand for corn feed.   Pulse price up as Burmese farmers turn to mung bean The price of a popular Burmese pulse, green gram, has raised dramatically amid falling production rates, Eleven Myanmar has reported. The green gram is a traditional commodity in terms of Burmese exports to India, where it currently fetches upwards of US$750 per tonne, up by around $100 from prices this time last year. The green gram, also known as mung bean, is a staple of many Chinese diets and has taken over as a preferred crop for Burmese farmers. The Burmese mung bean is currently fetching over $1000 per tonne on the international market.   What a load of rubbish! Firms compete to collect Rangoon's garbage Seven joint-venture companies have submitted tenders for contracts to operate garbage collecting services in Rangoon. Having paid a bidding fee of five million kyat (US$5,000), the companies have until the end of the year to study garbage collection and disposal procedures by the municipality before they make a presentation outlining their proposals for collecting the rubbish of the city's six million residents. The contract winner will be announced in December and operations begin on 1 April 2015.   Foreign banks ready for launch Overseas banks can now register with Burma's Central Bank to apply for various banking services and operations, according to a Bank official who said that a board had been formed to scrutinise foreign bank operations. Thirty-five foreign banks currently have representative offices in the country, a step that is required before licenses can be granted and branches opened. Bank of India, ANZ and various Thai, Japanese, Korean and Chinese banks are among them.   Kunlong dam gets green light from Burma Burma's Ministry of Electric Power has approved the 1,400-megawatt Kunlong hydropower project on the Salween River in northern Shan State, industry news site Hydroworld reported. The project is being developed by a joint venture between Burmese firm AsiaWorld Group and China's Hanergy Group Holdings, a private company. As much as 90 percent of the energy produced is believed to be bound for China. The project is one of six controversial hydropower plants proposed for the Salween, which is among the last and longest undammed rivers in the world.

Burma govt plans to establish Ministry for Youth Affairs Posted: 30 May 2014 02:47 AM PDT The Burmese government is planning to establish a Ministry for Youth Affairs, according to President's Office Minister Soe Thein. Speaking at a seminar in Rangoon on Thursday on the role of young people in Burma's political parties, he said, "Youths have roles in various sectors of the country's reforms – some are focused on the education sector or the health sector, as well as civil society. They also should offer a hand to work in the political arena as a step towards the country's development." The seminar was attended by youth members from various political parties. Sai Kyaw Thu Linn, a youth member of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, said that young people in Burma are more involved nowadays in political activities than they were in the past; however they don't get much opportunity to play a role in the political system itself. "I see that the youth of today, compared to the past, are now more keenly involved in the political world, but they still don't get many opportunities," said Sai Kyaw Thu Linn. "I think this is because members of the older generation lack confidence in youngsters and don't give them the chances to prove themselves." Related Stories DVB Debate: Does cultural exchange mean changing culture? A new approach for a new generation Crony culture stands in our way, say Burmese youths Min Hein, a central youth wing member of the Democratic Party-Myanmar, said: "In my opinion, there isn't much opportunity for young people to play a role in politics, and it may take a while, firstly because the country's reforms are still in their infancy, and secondly because of the poor state of the education system. "Too many restrictions are placed on students – in some schools, they are unable to form students' unions," he continued. "In other schools, officials just turn a blind eye, but they won't offer any encouragement to those who are politically active." Yin Yin Gyi, a young member of the Democratic Party for New Society, said that politics and activism are generally stigmatised by Burmese parents who lived through decades of military rule, and this may contribute to why many of Burma's youths lack the initiative to become involved in politics." Myo Zaw Linn of civil society group The Innovative, which organised the event at the Sky Star Hotel in the former capital, said the seminar was set to continue on Friday. Burma is not the first country in the region to entertain the notion of a Ministry for Youth Affairs or some such similar department – India, Nepal and Bangladesh each have a Ministry for Youth and Sports; Sri Lanka has a Ministry for Youth Affairs and Skills Development; and Singapore has a Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth.

China, SE Asian govts pledge renewed support for anti-drug efforts Posted: 29 May 2014 08:22 PM PDT Anti-drug officials from China and the five other states of the Greater Mekong Subregion – Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam – stated their intention to improve coordination to tackle growing production, usage and trafficking of opiates and synthetic drugs at a press conference in Beijing on Thursday. Liu Yuejin, a high-ranking official from China's National Narcotics Control Commission, pledged "significant Chinese support" for increased collaboration, claiming in a statement that "greater regional cooperation is important as our countries face enormous pressures from drug trafficking.” The announcement occurred at an annual meeting between regional anti-narcotics officials and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Four of the six states have been party to a memorandum of understanding promoting cooperation between them since 1993, with Vietnam and Cambodia joining the framework two years later. A separate, bilateral anti-narcotics cooperation arrangement between Burma and China has been in place since 1992. "The new commitment is intended to improve the long-standing cooperation agreement, but also it needed to be updated to reflect the times and regional dynamic – it was a bit ‎out of date – because like any agreement it got stale," Jeremy Douglas, UNODC's regional representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, told DVB. Related Stories China loan suspensions hurt Mandalay jade market DVB Debate: Will the ASEAN chair boost Burma? Drugs, land and mining issues plague Shan State "The six states have agreed to cooperative measures in law enforcement to improve information and intelligence exchange and investigations, prosecutions, and even some health and development measures for drug users and vulnerable communities," he said. Afghanistan overtook Burma as the world's largest opium producer in 1991, but the drug still plays a significant role in the country's economy. Much of Burma's opium, which is produced primarily in the rugged hills of Shan State, is exported to China. Last year, UNODC's annual Southeast Asia Opium survey noted a 13 percent increase in cultivation from the year before, with an estimated 57,000 acres of poppy fields countrywide. With global opium prices depressed in the early 2000s owing to a spike in Afghan output, many of Burma's drug syndicates switched to producing synthetic drugs for export, primarily methamphetamine. A UNODC report released this month, which looks at production, traffic and use of synthetic drugs worldwide, claims that "some methamphetamine originating in Myanmar is intended for the domestic market, but most is intended for trafficking to neighbouring countries." The report claims that methamphetamine seizures by law enforcement have "risen rapidly" throughout the region in recent years, noting that "a rapid rise in seizures [has] particularly been reported in mainland China, where detected methamphetamine has risen annually from six tons in 2008 to more than 16 tons in 2012, making up about 45 percent of total methamphetamine seizures for the region that year."

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