Democratic Voice of Burma |
- Floods sweep Shan border town
- Hardliner announces ABSDF split
- Bullet Points: 9 September 2014
- India set to import 100,000 tonnes of rice from Burma
- Culture ministry to protect buildings, nature
- Burmese MPs react differently to cancellation of by-elections
| Posted: 08 Sep 2014 04:24 AM PDT As many as four thousand people in Tachilek, eastern Shan State, were forced to flee to higher ground as heavy rain pounded the town over the weekend.The water has since subsided, leaving the streets of the town caked with mud and strewn with debris. 800 houses were submerged in water, destroying personal property and business assets. A local monastery doubled as a refugee camp over the weekend, before people began returning to their homes on Monday. One local resident told DVB that her material possessions are now ruined. "We just picked up our important documents and fled," she explained. "So many of our possessions were swept away by the water. All the rest is completely sodden and destroyed. This is really awful for everyone here." On Monday, Tachilek police confirmed that no one is missing, quashing a rumour that a mother and her young child had been swept away. Locals say the flood-swept roads did not allow for people to take many belongings as they fled the town for higher ground. "The road out of town is nearly impassable, said one local man. "We weren't able to take anything with us as we escaped. We need help from the local authorities to clear the road and shore up the burst river. I'm demanding that on behalf of the local people." A local parliamentary representative for Burma's ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party, Tun Tun Win, said that people would have to wait to assess the full scale of the damage. "Heavy rain poured down all weekend. Five neighbourhoods were three to four feet deep in water. The good news is that it hasn't been life-threatening. However, we can't yet ascertain what has been lost or damaged. We'll know more once waters have completely receded." Tachilek sits on Burma's border with Thailand. Related StoriesThe adjacent town of Mae Sai was also affected by the floods, and the Friendship Bridge connecting the two countries was temporarily closed. Police, firefighters and Red Cross workers have been assisting the families as they pick up the pieces. They said it has been the worst flooding in the area for 15 years.
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| Hardliner announces ABSDF split Posted: 08 Sep 2014 04:13 AM PDT Khin Kyaw of the All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF) has announced that he has left the students' army and will lead a new group of some 300 members, which he called the Union National Resistance Army, or UNRA. Speaking on Sunday at a meeting in Bilin, Mon State, the prominent ABSDF militant said his faction would seek a separate ceasefire with the Burmese government while pledging to continue working with ethnic villagers on development issues. Khin Kyaw, along with his comrade in arms, Kyaw Kyaw, said they had recruited some 300 members, though not all from the ranks of ABSDF. That figure is thought to include family members. "Our policies are not much different from ABSDF," he told DVB on Monday. "We have all been together now for 26 years, during which time we had no problems over issues. But I now feel like the ABSDF is more focused on the current political situation rather than implementing its policies and strategy. "So we have founded a new group, the Union National Resistance Army, which will be dedicated to implementing [our original] political aims and to assist local people with what they really want." In response to the split, ABSDF Vice-chairman Myo Win defended the student groups' involvement in the current peace process and questioned the breakaway faction's motives. Related Stories"Under the current process, we are trying to resolve political problems through political means," he said. "We have no intention of moving back to Burma, nor do we wish to work on development projects. In this regard we differ from them [UNRA]. “If we look at their request to work as a separate organisation seeking its own ceasefire agreement, I think we can see it is based on personal interests, not in the interests of the country or the people,” he said. Myo Win played down the impact of the split. "This is not a serious issue," he told DVB. "I would like to make it clear that this is not a case of the ABSDF splitting in two – it is just one or two persons." 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 guerillas in the malaria-infested jungles of eastern and northern Burma. |
| Bullet Points: 9 September 2014 Posted: 08 Sep 2014 03:57 AM PDT On today's edition of Bullet Points:
You can watch Bullet Points every weeknight on DVB TV after the 7 o'clock news. |
| India set to import 100,000 tonnes of rice from Burma Posted: 08 Sep 2014 03:24 AM PDT India, the largest rice exporter in the world, is set to import around 100,000 tonnes of rice from Burma, which was once the largest exporter of the commodity. The move is a result of logistical bottlenecks that will hinder the transportation of rice to the northeastern states of India. The rice import is a preventive measure to avoid a supply crisis in the states of Manipur and Mizoram, where a railway construction project is underway. In the absence of feasible transport routes to connect Mizoram and Manipur with the rest of India during this phase, the Food Corporation of India will import rice from Burma, which is well connected by road to these northeastern Indian states, according to a report in the Indian daily, The Economic Times. Though what seems like a temporary arrangement, the move seems to further calibrate India's "Look East" policy, in which bilateral relations with Burma have always been prioritized to combat Chinese monopoly in the region. All efforts to increase India's bilateral trade with Burma are viewed as an essential and natural strategy to increase Indian influence within a country that it shares much with, including a colonial history and a 1,009-mile border. The decision to import rice from Burma, even despite surplus production at home, fosters a mutually inclusive economic understanding between the two countries, which are both competitors in South Asia for rice export. The rice import also provides an opportunity for India to explore and identify the potential capacity of the northeastern states, volatile with secessionist and insurgent groups, but also shares an extensively vast percentage of its borderlines with regional neighbours. According to a report published by Gateway House, an Indian think tank, the exchange of commodities between India and Burma via its northeastern terrain will aid India in tapping into the hitherto neglected role that northeast can play in further strengthening the trade possibilities between the two countries. At present, it is unclear whether the trade route will be via the Chittagong port or via land routes, although The Economic Times suggests the latter. Interestingly if the trade is to be via road, it will be carried out across the commonly disputed borderlines of Burma and India. The landscape of northeast India, which merges relatively seamlessly into Burmese territory, has been a belt of narcotic activity and arms trading, and is also infested with insurgent rebel groups on either side of the border. Former Indian military commander, Rahul Bhonsle, who spearheads Security-Risks.com/South Asia, explained to DVB about the need to buckle up security at either ends of the trade routes. "In the case of the land route being used, adequate checks [must be implemented] to ensure that the [rice] transportation is not used by the criminal and militant nexus operating across the borders to their advantage," said Bhonsle. The increasing importance of transport routes via India and Burma as a priority was emphasised at the fifth annual Indo-US strategic dialogue. The strategic importance of building transport trade routes via Burma serves a twofold purpose for India: increasing trade connectivity; and serving as a strategic entry portal into Southeast Asia. For Burma, the export deal with India comes at a time when the rice industry faces stiff competition from its neighbours; the Myanmar Rice Federation demanded tangible rice policies earlier this year to match the level of surplus production of other rice-exporting countries. The latest five-year national export strategy, unveiled by the Burmese government on 5 September, has accredited rice exports to be of "highest importance" in 2014-15, reported Oryza, a leading rice industry publication.. "The [Burmese] government is planning to explore newer markets for its rice exports," it said, part of a strategy to revive Burma's once famed rice export legacy. With this deal underway, India will be importing rice after almost three decades. |
| Culture ministry to protect buildings, nature Posted: 08 Sep 2014 02:53 AM PDT Burma's Ministry of Culture announced that they will enforce fines for the misuse of properties that are designated as culturally significant, according to a statement in state media on Monday. The announcement, published in Burmese-language daily The Mirror, said that almost all of Burma's states and regions have places recognised as either ancient, protected or heritage zones. The three types of protected zones cover a wide range of places in Burma, including several ancient cities. Takaung, Ava [Inwa], Myay Du, and Pinle [Mong Mao] are among 15 ancient cities that will be protected. Rangoon, the country's former capital and largest city, has the highest number of heritage buildings, accounting for 16 of 46 nationwide. Thirty-two primate zones have also been identified in Monywa and Pakkoku districts, where restrictions on development will be applied. Karenni and Chin states have no ancient, protected or heritage site zones, the ministry's announcement said. Mount Victoria, the highest peak in Chin State, however, has been nominated for UNESCO World Heritage Site status. Related StoriesFourteen sites in Burma are under consideration for heritage site status, though many others are considered as such by the Ministry of Culture and will enjoy some protections from the government. The ministry warned that anyone who uses designated zones for the construction of new buildings will be subject to financial penalties. Building restrictions apply to housing, factories, hotels, roadways, electrical and telephone infrastructure, and other construction projects. As part of broader efforts to preserve the nation's cultural heritage while allowing for development, the ministry said that although building in protected areas will be limited, plans are in place to support small businesses like restaurants and handicraft outlets.  The ancient cities of Pyu, which make up Burma's only inscribed UNESCO World Heritage Site, are slated for such development, the announcement said. |
| Burmese MPs react differently to cancellation of by-elections Posted: 08 Sep 2014 01:07 AM PDT Several political parties in Burma have reacted with frustration to the election commission's decision to cancel by-elections this year, while others — notably the National League for Democracy (NLD) — shrugged off the polls as unnecessary and "a burden". Arakan League for Democracy (ALD) Chairman Aye Thar Aung slammed the Union Election Commission (UEC), saying it was "sowing confusion" among political parties by axing the by-elections, which were slated for November or December. "First, they say they will hold by-elections, then they cancel them," he told DVB on Sunday. "It seems to me that they are testing the political parties. It sows confusion, because we have already started planning and choosing candidates to contest the seats." The ALD chairman's perspective was echoed by Ye Htun, a Shan Nationalities Democratic Party MP representing Thibaw Township, who said that although he accepted the decision to cancel the by-election, he believed the UEC had acted in an indecisive manner. "I always thought they shouldn't hold polls so close to the 2015 general election. We had a by-election in 2012, so we don't need another so soon," he said. "However, since they announced [in March] it would take place, they should stand by their decision. The Commission should not be so indecisive." Thirty-five seats remain vacant across both houses of parliament, as well as state and divisional assemblies. Most were vacated as MPs assumed alternate roles within the government; others because of deaths or resignations. Related StoriesSpeaking at Myanmar Peace Centre in Rangoon on Sunday, UEC Chairman Tin Aye announced that holding a by-election to contest just 35 seats was unnecessary for two reasons: first, with general elections slated for next year, it would be asking parties to finance and compete across the country in back-to-back elections, something many were unable to do. Second, he said, even if one party swept all or a majority of the seats in the by-election, it would not affect the overall make-up of parliament. The NLD won 43 of 46 seats at the previous by-elections in April 2012 – elections which saw party leader Aung San Suu Kyi elected to parliament for the first time. However, its reaction to the cancellation of polling this time round was rather muted. Nyan Win, an NLD central executive committee member who attended Sunday's meeting, said that his party accepted the UEC's decision. "When the UEC originally announced the timeframe for by-elections, it did not take these [campaign] issues into account," he told DVB. "Now the matter is pressing. Political parties believe the gap between elections is too close and the campaign rules are inconvenient. By cancelling, we feel there is less of a burden on us." Federal Union Party Vice-chairman Saw Than Myint said that everything the government does, including the cancellation of these by-elections, is based on the decision of the ruling party. "I would say frankly that it all depends on what the ruling [Union Solidarity and Development Party] wants. If by-elections are in its interest, it will pressure the commission to hold them," he said. "It's all political opportunism. These are the tricks of the ruling party. They control everything." DVB spoke to several non-political players about the UEC announcement. Maw Linn, the editor of Pyithu Khit Journal, said the reasons for cancelling the by-elections were as yet unclear. "I can’t say clearly why the UEC did this," he said. "First, they said no by-elections, then they scheduled them for the end of this year. Now they have cancelled them. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has said in parliament that by-elections should be held, and at that time, the UEC was working towards that goal. "Now they have cancelled the by-election. I think this shows they are not reflecting seriously enough on what is happening in the country. It seems they are trying to solve problems one by one. It's difficult to say what really lies behind the decision-making." Ko Mya Aye, a member of the 88 Peace and Open Society civil society group, offered a disheartened response. "I simply don't know what to say. First, they [UEC] announce they will do something, then they don't. I don’t know what they are doing," he said. "I think they don’t have a clear policy on how to navigate the country in a straight direction. It is very difficult to see what they are trying to do." In its statement on Sunday, the UEC said it had consulted with "concerned individuals and organisations" before making its decision to cancel the by-elections. |
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