Authorities demand data on opposition party

By DVB staff reporter

Opposition party members in Burma are being forced to divulge personal details about their families and jobs to intelligence officers, reportedly on instruction from senior government.

Lists of National League for Democracy (NLD) members in Mandalay division, Kachin state and Bago division have been drawn up, while birth dates of divisional members of Mandalay's Chanmyayttharzan township were collected recently, NLD organizing member Myo Naing said.

"They didn't come openly; local authorities came to ask our dates of birth," he said. "They said they did it under order of senior authorities. I saw the list of the names of four to five NLD members in our ward."

Another NLD member in Mandalay division, Tun Tun, said that it was not clear why surveillance was being stepped up.

"They are mainly collecting [data] in rural areas. In urban areas, they collect them in satellite towns," he said. "When I asked them they said they do it under instruction from the top."

In Kachin state's Mohnyin, NLD members are being photographed and told to answer questionnaires. They are also told to list their siblings, their addresses and jobs.

At the same time, NLD leaders in Mandalay sent a directive to colleagues not to reveal data of party members, Mandalay Northwest township MP-elect Tin Aung Aung said.

Khin Maung Swe, from the NLD's information wing, said that authorities have no right to collect data.

"It is not in accordance with the law for non-NLD party members to collect details of party members," he said. "If they did, we will investigate it and carry out appropriate action."

The Burmese government is preparing to hold elections next year, although the NLD is yet to announce whether it will participate.

Critics of the government say that the 2008 constitution will entrench military rule in the country, while detained NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi is barred from running for office.

Reference:

This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) by the staff reporter.

My opinion:

It is really ridiculous that NLD party members need to give the authorities their personal information like date of birth and family members. But, it can be said that the junta will also give trouble to NLD party members' families if the latter does something against the military so that those members dare not do anything against the junta anymore. That's pretty straightforward and obvious since the junta has been doing so.

Fresh blood for a new decade

By Joseph Allchin

Amidst calls for fresh blood in Burma's official opposition, a young generation exists underground who will carry the weight of Burma's future beyond the elections next year.

I sit in front of one rapper, one freshly released prisoner, and a dedicated campaigner and de facto leader of activist group, Generation Wave (GW). They are telling me about their slogan campaign playing on the important acronym in Burma: CNG. The term usually refers to Compressed Natural Gas, a popular commodity in the smog-choked cities of many of Burma's trading partners, and a lucrative export for the junta. But Min Yan Naing and Generation Wave have 'subvertised' this acronym to 'Change New Government'.

There is a cutting edge, youthful air about the group, fostered not least by the graffiti adorning the walls. The fresh faced bravado is tempered however, by the simple statement; "I just want to go back home".

Indeed it an element that is forgotten about when talking to rebels and brave activists: what do their parents think? "When we arrive in Rangoon or our place, we don't inform our parents, because if we inform them by phone they will say 'don't come back! Go back to Mae Sot!' At the time [on returning] I felt really bad; how can they not accept their son at home?"

These sentiments are echoed in a song on their latest album; "Mother do not stop me again/ Do not shed your tear for me/ Mother be proud and hold your head high". Their parents know that these family ties could enable their capture by the military, and judging by the treatment of other student activists and peaceful campaigners, could land them with a life sentence in jail. "So they just say go, go, go." And so, in a suburb of Mae Sot, in a secret hideout, they have a new base, from where they seek to inject new life into the Burmese democracy movement.

There are always questions about the most effective form of non-violent resistance; about what really can be done with large doses of dedication but little else. For GW, education and communication are the "weapon of choice". Min Yan Naing explains that Burma has already proven its appetite for change, for democracy, and for the winner of the last election, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's leadership. But for young people, many of whom were too young to participate in the last election, the issue of communication is key.

In the repressive environment of modern Burma, many have grievances but are too scared to share them, trapping individuals in their own misgivings, deceived into believing they are alone in their deviant feelings about the government, and therefore blanketing a common cause. For Min Yan Naing and GW, the youth need to know and articulate these feelings to express the democratic consensus.

Generation Wave therefore has a number of ongoing programmes and sporadic actions. These have included graffiti campaigns in large cities, plastering not only their familiar, red upturned thumb logo onto walls, but also other more ironic or humorous ones similar to the CNG campaign. They have also carried out banner-drops from major road bridges and, daringly, small protests, including a dozen people outside of Insein prison. They attempt to educate people inside Burma through direct action and politics.

And then there is the music, ever a challenge in an environment like Burma. Not only is distribution problematic because of the police and military, but many inside Burma do not have internet access to distribute the material, nor CD players. Furthermore, open internet distribution carries the risk of being spied on and harassed. Like many popular music artists, however, the group was forced to release their 'black album'.

A black cover replaces their logo and the CD is left in tea shops or other public places for people to find. Among the songs on their latest album is one reflecting on the difficulty of being away from home and in exile, joined by other more angry tracks.

There are some 30 members of Generation Wave in jail. Amongst this number is the famous rapper, GW founder, and perhaps one of Burma's most iconic young artists, Zayar Thaw. He was one of the first to bring the hip hop genre to Burma, a step that has proven inspired in many ways; combining a combative, angry style with indigenous poeticism. The depth and meaning of his politically-driven lyrics soon led to Zayar Thaw being arrested and imprisoned.

GW formed in 2007, originally a group of four high school friends. The ensuing September 2007 uprising shocked the world and galvanised the four. But today, in exile, Min Yan Naing sits and explains that "in 2007 I was working in shipping and I escaped. I left Burma on 12 March – they were arrested at midnight that night". One of those arrested was Zayar Thaw. Min Yan Naing and another founder, Moe Thwe, made it to the border with Thailand, from where they now run their underground movement with a host of other committed young people.

There is a faint element of anger and cynicism which sits interestingly next to GW's ethos of education. They are perhaps the first generation to come of age in a political desert, amidst the brutal crackdown of the 2007 uprising. Their era is one of consolidation of a brutal and unrelenting military rule, which has steadily grown to destroy ethnic opponents, and to exile anyone with a voice. Perhaps reflecting this more cynical age, not permeated by real hope, Min Yan Naing says that the group would just be happy to see the junta change, let alone removed.

With the older generation, he says, "some ideas are a little different". "They are always against…but inside, if the junta can be changed a little, not 100 percent but at least 50 percent of people would be very happy. They need any change."

He uses the example of sanctions; most of the older activist generation are staunchly in favour of sanctions or any measures 'against' the government; measures that Min Yan Naing claims are only helpful to those trading partners that have filled the vacuum.

Next year could prove decisive for this generation. GW are not prepared to share what they have in store or in planning, but it is a year that could make or break a generation, could assign even a modicum of hope through a tiny amount of accountability. Or it could be a year where another generation is consigned to a prison of life without hope. "Mother remember my word of promise in your chest/ I will return bringing peace".

Reference:

This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) by the author Joseph Allchin.

My opinion:

It would be really good if most Burmese youngsters are against the junta because the only ones who can have strong spirits and strong effort are young people who can change the military ruling system.

Russia to deliver 20 fighter jets to Burma

By DVB staff reporter

Russia has signed a contract to deliver 20 MiG-29 fighter planes to military-run Burma, the Russian daily Kommersant reported Wednesday.

The contract was signed a few weeks ago and came to nearly €400 million ($US570 million), according to a source close to Russian arms sales company Rosoboronexport, quoted by the paper.

The Southeast Asian country is under Western sanctions but human-rights campaigners complain that its ruling junta has received a steady supply of arms from neighbours China and India, as well as from Russia.

A source close to Rosoboronexport said the Russian offer beat one by China which offered Burma "ultra-modern" J-10 and FC-1 fighters "on very advantageous conditions".

The daily said Russia had already delivered 12 MiG-29s to Burma in 2001.

"It is the largest contract to deliver fighters of this type after the breaking of a similar transaction with Algeria in 2007," Kommersant said.

Algeria cancelled its order for 34 MiG-29s worth €987 million ($US140 billion) as their quality was lower than expected and returned several planes to Russia in 2008, the paper said.

The MiG-29 is a fourth-generation fighter jet with advanced technology, and is the main plane used by the Russian airforce.

Russia remains a key supply for Burma's military hardware, along with China, Ukraine, Israel, Serbia and Singapore.

Reference:

This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) by the staff reporter.

My opinion:

Supporting military hardware means supporting the junta which is totally disgusting.

Global warming causing low rice yields

By Staff Reporter

Rice production in Burma, once coined the 'rice bowl of Asia', is falling due to increasingly irregular weather patterns that result from global warming, a Burmese farmer has warned.

He added that the once abundant fish supply in Burma's southern coastal region was also diminishing as global sea temperatures rise.

"The rice yield is reduced and some paddy fields have been destroyed," said the farmer, from Bogalay in Irrawaddy division. "Rice plants grow but they don't yield crops because the rainy season is finishing early."

A resident of Sittwe, in Burma's western Arakan state, corroborated the reports of changing weather patterns: "It rains in the cold season, it rains in summer and it rains in rainy season," he said.

Around 60 percent of families in the Irrawaddy delta area rely on farming as a primary source of income. The delta is yet to recover from cyclone Nargis last May, which destroyed around 800,000 hectares of farmland.

Up until the 1960s, Burma led the international rice market but the industry collapsed after the establishment of military rule in 1962.

This diminished the output of rice from an estimated two million tonnes per year in the 1930's to 0.03 million tonnes in 2005, according to the Washington-based Progressive Policy Institute.

A Global Climate Risk Index released earlier this month by climate group Germanwatch ranked Burma as second worst-hit country in world by severe weather events between 1990 and 2008, due largely to cyclone Nargis.

Despite pledges by the military government to improve weather forecasts and warning systems in the country, a resident in Laputa, one of the towns worst affected by the cyclone, said that people still have to depend on nature to predict weather patterns.

"When crabs climb to high grounds, it's important [a forewarning of flooding]; when seagulls enter the inner river it will be stormy," he said. "We know about this kind of thing and pass the knowledge on."

Reference:

This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) by the Staff Reporter.

My opinion:

Sigh!!! Then, how will the Burma's residents survive with such conditions? Does the Burma's junta do nothing at all, ignoring its civilians while looking only for his own well-being?

State media blames KNU for bombings

By DVB staff reporter

Burma's ruling junta has laid the blame for Wednesday's fatal bombings in Karen state on its longtime foe, the Karen National Union, state media reported today.

The explosion near to Papun, close to the border with Thailand, killed seven people and left 11 injured, according to the junta mouthpiece New Light of Myanmar newspaper.

"It is exposed that the offender is from the KNU terrorists insurgent group that is active in the area between Papun and the border," the article said. "Insurgents plant and detonate bombs on roads and bridges and in busy places and festivities in towns and villages to create public panic."

The claim was flatly rejected by KNU spokesperson David Thackabaw. The armed wing of the KNU, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), has been fighting the Burmese government for more than 60 years.

"It is the work of the [government]; they have an extremely racist policy and they are going to destroy all the traditions and customs of the Karen people," David Thakabaw said. "They will destroy the traditions and customs and culture of all the ethnic people in Burma."

"We never use bombs against civilian targets," he added, acknowledging however that they are used in active warfare against the Burmese army.

Burmese political analyst Aung Naing Oo said that the KNU had been involved in bombings in the past, but that it was rarely clear who is responsible.

"It could be the military, it could be anti-military groups, and it could well be the KNU. I think they are often implicated given their proximity to the area of the bombings," he said.

"What's clear is that with the bombings, especially for opposition groups, no one gets anywhere in terms of politics; just the opposite," he added. "But the military uses the bombings, no matter who does it, to crack down on this and that.

The New Light of Myanmar said that authorities were urging people to "remain vigilant against terrorists in disguise". The bombings had occurred at a celebration for Karen New Year.

The newspaper last month the pointed the finger at the KNU for the killing of three men who were shot whilst on board a passenger ferry on the Salween river, which runs through Karen state.

At the time the KNU said they could not confirm any details surrounding the incident., but said that the Burmese army the allied Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), a KNU splinter group, were also active in that area.

While the majority of Burma's armed ethnic groups have agreed to somewhat tenuous truces with the government, the KNU has consistently refused. Its conflict with the Burmese government is one of the world's longest running.

Reference:

This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) by the staff reporter.

My opinion:

It can be that the junta explode bombs since the only one in the country who have military weapons is the junta's military. Don't blame your fault on others.

Swiss bank fined $536mln for Burma ties

By DVB staff reporter

A Swiss banking giant has been fined $US536 million after being found guilty of violating US sanctions through years of undetected transactions with so-called "rogue" regimes, such as Burma.

US prosecutors alleged that Credit Suisse, Switzerland's largest bank, had carried out thousands of secret transactions with Iran, Sudan, Libya, and Cuba, as well as Burma. These were done through US banks to avoid detection.

The bank's falsifying of the records of New York-based financial institutions allowed the five countries, all of which are subject to tough US economic blockades, "to access the US financial system in violation of US sanctions", Manhattan district attorney Robert M. Morgenthau said.

A statement released by US attorney general Eric Holder accused the bank of "massive financial misconduct" that was "astounding, in both its scope and complexity".

"For more than a decade, Credit Suisse did business with and for countries that the United States had specifically banned from our financial systems," he said. "But rather than adhere to the law and decline to serve these customers, Credit Suisse established a business model to allow these rogue players access to US dollars."

According to attorney reports, between 2002 and 2006 the bank processed over $US700 million in payments that violated sanctions, although it is unclear what proportion of these related to Burma.

In the case of Iran, Holder said that the company had developed a pamphlet for Iranian clients "explaining how to fill out payment messages so as not to trigger US filters". The majority of the transactions exposed in the court case involved Iran.

The bank told Reuters on Tuesday, prior to the verdict, that it was "conducting an internal review into certain US dollar payments involving countries, persons or entities that may be subject to US economic sanctions".

The US treasury department in a statement yesterday strongly condemned the apparent "awareness of the conduct within the bank".

Marc Dosch, press officer at Credit Suisse's Zurich headquarters, told DVB today that "there have been clear mistakes; that is why we got in to this situation".

"What has been done is very negative and we agree with the requirements set upon us and we have taken measures, to improve our systems and are capable of complying with sanctions."

US sanctions on Burma have been in place in various forms since 1997, and were extended in August following the guilty verdict handed to opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Despite recently announcing a policy of dialogue with the ruling junta, Washington has said that sanctions will remain in place until tangible signs of progress toward democratic reform are evident.

The US does however maintain a strong, but highly controversial, business presence in Burma through oil company Chevron (formerly Unocal), which operates the Yadana gas field.

The sanctions that were implemented on Burma in 1997 demanded a halt on new investment in the country, and did not force the withdrawal of companies that had existed there prior to 1997.

Advocacy group EarthRights International estimated in September that Chevron, along with French oil giant Total, which also operates the Yadana gas field, had contributed around $US5 billion to the Burmese junta, much of which had been siphoned into private Singaporean banks.

Reference:

This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) by the staff reporter.

'Enthusiastic' Suu Kyi calls for party reform

By DVB staff reporter

The detained leader of Burma's largest political party has called for it to be reorganised for the first time in the party's 21-year history, following rare talks with three senior party members.

The demand was heralded as "really necessary" by senior National League for Democracy (NLD) member, Win Tin, who has been a lynchpin for the pro-democracy movement in Burma since the party's formation in September 1988.

The winds of change that Aung San Suu Kyi has ushered in came after she earlier requested, via a letter to the ruling junta, a meeting with party elders. She also requested a cross-party meeting and talks with the junta's senior general, Than Shwe.

The talks were also hailed by the US, which has been urging for dialogue between the junta and opposition parties.

"We hope this is a step towards a meeting between Aung San Suu Kyi and the entire central executive committee of the National League for Democracy," US state department spokesperson, Ian Kelly said.

Win Tin said that it signifies both a fresh approach from the NLD, and a sign that "if the junta agrees to her meeting with the party elders, she may be able to meet with Than Shwe. It can result in dialogue".

The top echelons of the NLD are all in their senior years. At the meeting on Monday, at which Suu Kyi proposed the reform, were 92-year-old U Aung Shwe, 85-year-old U Lwin and U Lun Tin, who is 89.

"They are more than 80 years old. The NLD already has the idea of expanding and reforming by giving young people places so that future activities could be carried out," said NLD spokesperson Khin Maung Shwe.

U Win Tin continued that "the junta should do the same thing to bring innovation to Burmese politics. If the junta has the same spirit of renovation, of course we will have new ideas and new thinking to work for the country".

With the 2010 elections looming, and as yet little indication of the future of Burmese politics, Win Tin said that regardless of who takes power, "they must have some new ideas of how to tackle the problems of Burma and problems of Burmese society".

He conceded that many will be troubled by Suu Kyi's conciliatory tone, but the positivity displayed by the party on the eve of elections will encourage hope both in Burma and abroad that dialogue and change are possible.

"She is quite willing to work with the junta and some people are quite surprised; they don't like the idea of co-operation," he said.

What has changed recently in the minds of western governments has been the line that should be taken with the errant generals at the top of Burma's political pile, one of engagement instead of isolation.

Athough the fresh approach from the international community, coupled with developments within the NLD, have been met with enthusiasm, Khin Maung Shwe said however that "when welcoming this, we have to do it with great caution."

Whilst many of the senior NLD members will move aside to allow fresh blood into the party leadership, Win Tin was in no doubt about the ultimate leader of the party.

"She is a wonderful girl, really. She is always very enthusiastic; she is working all the time, even alone in her house she is working very hard, more than 10 to 15 hours a day. That letter is proof," he said.

"She is retiring the older generation, she is not just paying respects," he said, adding that "she has got the ideas and she is well enough in health".

Reference:

This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) by the staff reporter.

My opinion:

It is good to see that Suu Kyi is still healthy, enthusiastic and optimistic. She is indeed a genuine and admirable icon of pro-democracy leader.

Sex workers on the rise in Rangoon

By DVB staff reporter

More women and young men are resorting to prostitution in order to scrape a living in Burma's former capital of Rangoon, local residents and social workers have said.

Despite strict laws banning prostitution in Burma, owners of brothels and massage parlours are bribing police and local authorities to turn a blind eye, a Rangoon-based civil servant told DVB.

The increase is likely to cause alarm among health workers following a recent United Nations report that found that 18 percent of female sex workers in Burma carry the HIV virus. The report did not mention statistics for male sex workers.

"Before you saw only girls; it was rare to see boys," said a social worker at an organisation tackling HIV/AIDS in Burma. "Their networks are also numerous; the majority of them tend to be on flyovers and in public toilets."

According to a Rangoon resident, many of the young sex workers hail from nearby Irrawaddy, Mon, Karen and Bago divisions. Since cyclone Nargis hit the Irrawaddy delta in May 2008, leaving 2.4 million homeless, sex worker numbers in Rangoon have soared.

Many leave home and end up in the industry after telling their parents they are pursuing work as housemaids or factory workers in Rangoon, he said, although many are thought to be lured by false promises of high-earning jobs. Money is then remitted back to families.

"As the commodity price is rising and they have no regular income, they have to do whatever job they can find," said the social worker, adding that it is hard to survive on a factory worker's salary.

She said that crackdowns by police in Rangoon are causing the problem to become cyclical, especially when family members are forced to step in to the role to continue the flow of remittances.

"There have been arrests, but if they arrest one, two more emerge," she said. "If one girl is arrested and imprisoned, her younger sisters follow her path to feed both their family at home and their [imprisoned] sister."

According to the United Nations AIDS (UNAIDS) programme, HIV/AIDS is leveling off overall in Burma, but remains high in marginalized populations such as sex workers and injecting drug users. Across Asia, around 350,000 were newly infected with the virus last year.

The Burmese government has been heavily criticized for its low spending on healthcare; around $US43 per person per year, according to the World Health Organisation.

"The government gives no medication, no registration, and seems to claim that there are no prostitutes here," said the civil servant. "It will never do anything. The more die, the better it is; that's the attitude."

An estimated 25,000 Burmese sex workers are earning a living in neighbouring Thailand, where the industry feeds off high tourist numbers. It is estimated that 60 percent of Burmese sex workers in Thailand are under 18.

Reference:

This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) by the staff reporter.

My opinion:

I can understand that some people do such jobs as prostitution in order to take care of their families since they do not have money even for survival. It is the government's responsibility to take care of those who are in need for survival; yet, the junta is still enjoying the luxury from cheating the country's budget.

Suu Kyi holds rare party meeting

By DVB staff reporter

Burma’s junta allowed detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to meet with three elderly senior members of her party Wednesday in a rare concession by the military regime.

The democracy icon was taken to a state guesthouse in Yangon for the talks with 92-year-old party chairman Aung Shwe, secretary Lwin, 85, and executive committee member Lun Tin, 89, all of whom are in poor health.

"The authorities allowed us to meet Aung San Suu Kyi privately at the guesthouse. She paid her respects to us and gave presents and fruit baskets," said Lwin after the meeting, which lasted about 45 minutes.

"I had not met her since 2003," he told reporters. "Aung San Suu Kyi asked us to allow her to reorganise the central executive committee. We accepted her request," he added. Most of the party’s current 11-member committee are very old.

In a letter to Burma’s military strongman Than Shwe last month, Suu Kyi requested she be allowed to visit the three men.

"Daw Suu accepted the authorities’ suggestion to meet them all in one place for security reasons," her lawyer and NLD spokesman Nyan Win told reporters on Tuesday. Daw is a term of respect in Burma.

The visit followed a meeting between Suu Kyi and junta liaison officer Aung Kyi last Wednesday – their third since the beginning of October – where they discussed her letter to Than Shwe, Nyan Win said.

In the correspondence, she also asked to meet with the junta chief himself and said she wanted to cooperate with the government to get sanctions against Burma lifted for the benefit of the country.

"Daw Suu is also expecting the rest of her requests to be fulfilled. She’s optimistic about her letter," Nyan Win said.

Suu Kyi has been locked up for 14 of the past 20 years and was ordered in August to spend another 18 months in detention after being convicted over an incident in which an American man swam to her house.

The country’s supreme court has agreed to hear a final appeal against the 64-year-old’s house arrest next Monday, after a lower court rejected an initial appeal in October.

The extension of her detention after a trial at Rangoon’s notorious Insein Prison sparked international outrage as it effectively keeps her off the stage for elections promised by the regime some time in 2010.

If the polls go ahead they will be the first since 1990, when the junta refused to recognise the NLD’s landslide victory.

In another letter to Than Shwe in September, Suu Kyi offered suggestions for getting Western sanctions lifted and requested a meeting with senior Western diplomats in Rangoon, which she was also granted.

In recent months the United States, followed by the European Union, has shifted towards a policy of greater engagement with Burma – which has been under military rule since 1962 – with sanctions failing to bear fruit.

In November the regime allowed Suu Kyi to make a rare appearance in front of the media after she held talks with US Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, the most senior US official to visit Burma in 14 years.

Despite an apparent shift in relations between Suu Kyi and the junta, state media last week accused her of being "insincere" and "dishonest" in sending letters to Than Shwe and accused her of leaking them to foreign media.

The New Light of Myanmar newspaper said her change of tack after years of favouring sanctions was "highly questionable".

Reference:

This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) by the staff reporter.

Activists say Than Shwe’s future still uncertain

By DVB staff reporter

As Burma gears up for rare elections due next year, eyes are turning to the fate of the country’s ageing military strongman, Than Shwe, and a possible succession, exiled activists say.

Described by critics as reclusive, paranoid and deeply in thrall to astrology, the 76-year-old "Senior General" has ruled the country with an iron grip since 1992, but is now in the twilight of his career.

A new constitution approved in a widely criticized 2008 referendum says that the State Peace and Development Council – the junta that Than Shwe heads – must hand over power to a new national assembly after the elections.

Than Shwe may take over the new presidential position provided for by the constitution to maintain his hold on power, according to opposition activists living in exile in Thailand.

But after constantly striving to increase his power, he now faces underlying resentment from within the regime, the activists say.

When he eventually quits, "Than Shwe will make sure his future is safe," said Naing Aung, secretary general of the Forum for Democracy in Burma.

He added, however: "Than Shwe has only close circles with him. He is an isolated man."

Aung Naing Oo, a Burmese political analyst in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai, predicted it would be "interesting to see how he leaves politics because he cannot leave right away".

"If he retains a formal position, it means he is not leaving. If he doesn’t, then he will be protected for quite some time" by keeping his aides close to him, he said.

Than Shwe will be well aware of the fate of several previous leaders since the military took control of Burma in 1962.

Ex-dictator Ne Win, who ruled the country between 1962 and 1988, died under house arrest in 2002 and was not granted a state funeral, while several members of his family were sent to jail. The official press hardly mentioned his death.

Than Shwe himself presided over a purge of the military intelligence service that ended with the sentencing of ex-prime minister Khin Nyunt to 44 years’ house arrest in 1994.

"He may not want to retire, but under the constitution he may have to. He will put someone he really trusts like his son," said Win Min, an academic at Chiang Mai university and pro-democracy activist.

Win Min said that until Than Shwe played his hand, it would be impossible to predict successors in the largely opaque Burma military hierarchy.

"Unpredictability is his strategy. You don’t know what he is going to do. He is a control freak," he said.

In 2005 Than Shwe moved the capital almost overnight from Rangoon to the purpose-built city of Naypyidaw to satisfy his dreams of grandeur – and also to protect himself against supposed threats to his rule.

The elections, meanwhile, have been tailored to favor the junta.

The constitution reserves a quarter of all seats for the military, while opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been detained for most of the past two decades since her National League for Democracy won the last polls in 1990.

Yet critics say that Than Shwe will still have to deal with some new faces, even if they are just in the military.

"With a new constitution, whether you like it or not, you’ll have new leadership," Aung Naing Oo said. "I don’t think anyone can be as bad, as manipulative as Than Shwe. The new system will open up a little bit."

A complex power struggle is likely between Than Shwe’s circle and the new military officials who will be keen to use their electoral legitimacy, analysts said.

But Than Shwe’s fate will for the most part remain in his own hands.

"Than Shwe will be directing things from behind the curtain," said Khuensai Jaigen, exiled leader of the Shan Herald Agency for News, a news service for the Shan ethnic minority.

Changes "will not come right away. People will not be in a hurry to change things like Obama after Bush," he said ironically.

"At first, the successor will be careful. He’ll try to change things a bit until he’s sure he can be confident. Then there might be drastic changes."

Reference:

This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) by the staff reporter.

My opinion:

I wonder what will happen after Than Shwe dies because every one is cursing him though no one can kill him right now.

Two farmers handed 7-year sentence

By DVB staff reporter

Two farmers involved in a land dispute in Burma which was taken up by the International Labour Organisation were yesterday given seven-year prison sentences.

A relative of Nyan Myint and Thura Aung, father and son from Aunglan in central Burma's Magwe division, said the two were sentenced on charges of misappropriation and damages to public property.

Their case had been taken up by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Rangoon, which has a mandate to deal with land dispute cases in Burma.

The Burmese army in 2007 confiscated farmland belonging to the two farmers, but following intervention from the ILO, it was returned earlier this year.

In August, however, the two were accused of cutting down a eucalyptus tree on the land, and subsequently arrested. According to the relative, who spoke to DVB on condition of anonymity, the trees had however already been damaged.

He said that it was likely the sentencing stemmed from complaints the two filed to the ILO. The ILO has acknowledged that, despite having an agreement with the Burmese government that complainants will not be harassed, there is a risk of retribution.

In October, 12 farmers who filed complaints to the ILO regarding land confiscation were sentenced to up to five years with hard labour.

"The government leaders made an agreement with the ILO not to jail and subject people to forced labour," said the relative. "But now the lower level authorities are framing cases against them and sending them to prison."

An ILO report released last month said that "there is a serious 'disconnect' between the desire of the central government authorities to stop the use of forced labour and the behaviour of the local [civilian and military] authorities".

According to the relative, the family of Nyan Myint and Thura Aung will not appeal the sentencing.

"This is the ILO's job to deal with and we believe they will carry on with what they need to do , we are not filing the appeal," he said.

Reference:

This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) by the staff reporter.

Global MPs call for UN action on Burma

By the staff reporter

More than 440 Members of Parliament around the world today marked International Human Rights Day with a call for the UN to investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity in Burma.

"Such action is long overdue," said a letter signed by 442 MPs from 29 countries, which was sent today to UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon. It also urged a global arms embargo against the Burmese junta.

The letter cited statistics released by the Thailand Burma Border Consortium (TBBC) that allege the Burmese army has destroyed more than 3,500 ethnic minority villages in eastern Burma since 1996, and forced 75,000 people out of their homes in 2008 alone.

Both TBBC and a panel of leading international jurists, who released the Crimes in Burma report in May, have said the situation in eastern Burma is comparable to Darfur.

"There is an urgent need for the Security Council to address this horrific condition in Burma," said the letter, initiated by two Japanese MPs, Azuma Konno and Tadashi Inuzuka, both members of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ).

Historically Japan has oscillated between muted support for the Burmese junta and soft condemnation, an approach that Burma observers and human rights groups have repeatedly criticized.

The DPJ, sworn in earlier this year amid expectation that it would be sterner in its approach to the junta than the former Liberal Democratic Party, announced last month that it would be willing to provide more aid to Burma on condition that detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is released.

Signatories to the letter come from a diverse range of Asian, European, North and South American countries, including Brazil, United States, Cambodia and India.

Both the Cambodian and Indian governments have come under fire from activists who claim they are failing to adequately pressure the Burmese junta to end human rights abuses.

The letter said that despite differing policies towards investigating crimes against humanity and war crimes, "all the MPs are deeply concerned about the humanitarian conditions in Burma".

It urged the security council to "take action as it did for similar conditions in Rwanda and Darfur".

Last month a group of high-profile British MPs tabled a parliamentary motion calling for a similar UN investigation into Burma; the second time the UK parliament has been petitioned on the issue this year.

The UN, in particular the five-member security council, has also been criticized for inaction on Burma. Much of the criticism stems from conflicts of interest between China and the US; China, Burma's principal ally, has on several occasions vetoed UN resolutions calling for an end to state-sanctioned abuses in Burma.

Reference:

This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) by the staff reporter.

My opinion:

I guess the world still does not know about the junta. If you criticize or shout or discuss with the junta, nothing will be resulted because the junta does only whatever he wants to do. The junta never cares whatever you say but just pretend to listen.

Senior UN official pledges Burma support

By DVB staff reporter

The UN's assistant secretary-general yesterday expressed a "strong commitment" to helping Burma reach the Millennium Development Goals during talks with the Burmese junta.

Burma ranked 132 out of 177 countries in the 2007-2008 UN Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Index. It has an annual per capita gross national income of $US220.

Its agriculture sector is yet to recover from cyclone Nargis last year, which destroyed around 178,000 hectares of farmland, according to the Post-Nargis Recovery and Preparedness Plan.

A statement released by the UNDP following a meeting between assistant secretary-general Dr Ajay Chhibber, who is also the UNDP assistant administrator, and Burmese government officials, including agriculture and irrigation minister, Htay Oo, identified several areas for further cooperation.

"As a follow-up to previously conducted Agricultural sector reviews and house hold surveys, UNDP will support a thorough analysis of the Millennium Development Goals and an Agricultural sector comparative study," it said.

This will be done in cooperation with the Food and Agricultural Office (FAO) and "relevant international institutions and experts".

The delegation visited two villages in Burma's central Mandalay division where the UNDP has set up microfinance initiatives and an Integrated Community Development Project (ICDP). The ICDP, it says, has covered "about 251 villages and assisted a population of 168,681".

"I am pleased to see that these [microfinance] loans clearly target and benefit women from poor and low-income households and help change their lives," said Dr Chhibber. "They encourage entrepreneurship and market activity."

No trip however was made to the country's southern Irrawaddy delta, which took the brunt of the cyclone which killed 140,000 and left 2.4 million homeless.

The UN announced last month that 178,000 people in the delta still lacked proper shelter, and many were living under tarpaulin distributed in the wake of the cyclone.

Last week, a famer complained that government fiscal support for the agriculture sector, at monthly loans of $US8 per acre of farmland, was inadequate.

Aid groups have warned that it may take three years for the country's agricultural production to reach pre-cyclone levels. Nearly 60 percent of families in the delta region are dependent on farming as their primary source of income.

Reference:

This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) by the staff reporter.

Thieves steal $400,000 worth of gold

By DVB staff reporter

Police in central Burma are investigating a jewelry shop robbery in which thieves made off with a horde of gold bracelets and diamond rings, a source close to the shop owners said.

More than 400 million kyat ($US400,000) worth of jewelry went missing from the Shwe Myint Moh shop in Pyinmana, Mandalay division, sometime in the early hours of 2 December. The heist included around 300 gold bracelets and 36 diamond rings.

"There wasn't any trace left from the robbery," said the source. "The thieves only chose and took what they wanted. Locks at the shop's doors weren't broken either."

"The owners live upstairs of the shop building where a mini-store is also attached," he added. "There are about seven clerks working at the store."

An official on duty at Pyinama police station said that the local criminal investigation department and authorities are working to track down the culprits.

"The investigation is still in progress and we can't yet tell who did it," said the official. "As far as we know, the robbery took place around 5am [on 2 December]. There was no sign of a break-in but only that items had gone missing."

The gold shop owners were unavailable for comment.

It is the second major gold shop robbery to have occurred in Mandalay division this year. In May a shop was targeted in the middle of the afternoon by armed men who shot three people, killing one.

The Burmese government's Military Affairs Security in neighbouring Magwe division confirmed that the weapon and ammunition used in the robbery were stolen from an army stockpile on 4 April in Yesagyo township.

A Yesagyo resident had earlier voiced suspicion that the army was involved in the break-in.

In October government figures released by the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) showed that gold prices in Burma had more than doubled since 2005.

Burmese economist Khin Maung Nyo said that the reason for the rise in the price of gold is due to people's distrust of Burmese banks.

Burma has been plagued by financial instability since the military took over the country in 1962. Many Burmese citizens stock gold due to the unreliability of investing in national banks.

Reference:

This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) by the staff reporter.

My opinion:

I wonder how policemen in such poor and under developing country as Burma works in order to investigate the criminals.

Burmese junta ’spies’ could face execution

By DVB staff reporter

Three men who allegedly leaked information on Burma's secret tunnel project appeared in a Rangoon court yesterday on charges of espionage, which could be punishable by death.

The men, a former army major and two Burmese foreign ministry officials, are also accused of leaking the details of senior governmental visits to North Korea and Russia.

Intelligence documents detailing the two visits, as well as North Korean involvement in a project to develop underground military facilities across Burma, have been obtained by DVB.

According to the documents, Burma's ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) has been developing the tunnels since 1996.

As well as advanced communication systems and possible weapons factories, the tunnels are being built to accommodate battalions of troops in the event of an invasion.

One of the three men, ex-major Win Naing Kyaw, had worked as a personal assistant for late junta secretary-2, General Tin Oo, who died in a helicopter crash in 2001.

After retiring from the army, he joined a non-governmental organisation under the UN Development Programme in Burma, and went for training in Cambodia. He was arrested on his return at Rangoon International Airport on 29 July this year.

Win Naing Kyaw, along with Thura Kyaw, a senior clerk from the foreign ministry's European desk, is accused of leaking documents related to a 2006 visit by the SPDC's second-in command, Maung Aye, to Russia, where he discussed the procurement of a guided missile system with Moscow's deputy minister of defense, Yury Nikolayevich Baluyevsky.

The two are also accused of exposing details of a trip by SPDC number three, Shwe Mann, to North Korea in 2008, where he visited tunnel complexes dug deep into the side of mountains that can hold heavy armoury, including chemical weapons.

The information about the two visits was allegedly distributed via former SPDC official Aung Linn Htut, who is now living in exile after government authorities found the documents stored in his computer hard drive.

The third defendant, Pyan Sein, is accused of spreading information about Burma's tunnel project close to Naypyidaw via a woman known only as Ma Sint.

The men are facing a raft of charges, including the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, the Emergency Act, the Electronics Act and the Official Secrets Act. The final charge can be punishable by life imprisonment or execution.

More army officials have also been detained in connection with the case. One of them, special warrant officer Aung Kyaw Linn from the Myanmar Army (ground force), is currently detained in a military prison under a direct order from the military court.

The trial, which began on 3 November, is being held in a closed court inside Rangoon's Insein prison, where Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was tried earlier this year.

Reference:

This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) by the staff reporter.

My opinion:

Does the junta have any concrete evidences of these charges? What if these defendants do not really commit these charges? Even if they commit, we should thank them for giving out such information so that the world can know what the junta truly is doing to giving trouble to Burmese civilians and to the world as well.

11,000 Burmese granted UN refugee status

By DVB staff reporter

Refugee organisations have welcomed news that around 11,000 Burmese migrants in Malaysia have been granted refugee status by the UN, a move that significantly strengthens their security.

Although Malaysia does not officially recognize the UN High Commissioner for Refugees' status, a member of the Chin Refugee Committee (CRC), Palaung, said that being undocumented "is not easy".

"Any time you can be arrested or they [police] can ask for money, but now that they are holding UNHCR cards, the UNHCR can help them in case of detention or arrest," he said.

The Chin, the most populous Burmese ethnic group living in Malaysia, is the largest group to have been given status. Refugees from Mon and Kachin states were also included.

Despite Malaysia being a popular destination for Burmese refugees, with thousands attracted by promises of employment, the Malaysian authorities have come in for criticism of late for their treatment of refugees and migrants.

Earlier this year, scandals engulfed Malaysian officials and their Thai counterparts after it was found that refugees and migrants had been sold by immigration officials to traffickers along the border.

The United States, in its annual Trafficking in Persons report for 2009, however downgraded Malaysia to a 'Tier 3' country.

According to Palaung, the latest registration drive was conducted at mobile registration points located in areas far from the UNHCR office, making it easier for refugees who previous had problems accessing the location.

The status is also a help for refugees seeking work. According to CRC, employers are often more likely to offer work to foreigners if they have some form of documentation.

Aid groups have warned of a possible exodus of Burmese refugees fleeing the country in the run-up to elections next year. Thailand will likely shoulder the majority of those fleeing to camps along its border with Burma.

Reference:

This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) by the staff reporter.

Farming in delta remains underfunded

By DVB staff reporter

Urgent agricultural aid is still needed in Burma's cyclone-stricken Irrawaddy delta, with farmers complaining that government funding for the sector is far from adequate.

Damage inflicted on the environment by the cyclone last May is yet to recover, and locals in Bogalay and Laputta townships, two of the worst-hit by the cyclone, are feeling the effects of a drop in agricultural production.

One farmer said that the government's agricultural loan programme, which provides a loan of 8000 kyat ($US8) for one acre of farm, is inadequate.

"There are a lot of employees at the [government's] agricultural bank. If the government provides them travel expenses to come to the region and hand the loan to the farmers, then that will save a lot of time and money," he said.

"8000 kyat for one acre is nowhere near enough. The expenses for one acre of farmland costs 70,000 to 80,000 kyat ($US70 to $US80). If we can get loan of about 50,000 kyat ($US50) for one acre, then it should be okay," said the farmer.

According to the Post-Nargis Recovery and Preparedness Plan, around 783,000 hectares of farmland were destroyed by the cyclone. Nearly 60 percent of families in the delta region are dependent on farming as their primary source of income.

Meanwhile, cyclone refugees living in a model village, Polaungyi, in the Irrawaddy delta are reportedly struggling to subsist, and have asked to return to their original locations.

Around 50 percent of the village inhabitants are from other villages devastated by the cyclone, which killed around 140,000 people and left 2.4 million homeless.

Their situation is compounded by the halt in international aid reaching the area and tight restrictions set by the government which prohibits them from returning home.

The United Nations announced last month that there were still 178,000 people without proper shelter. Many are still living under tarpaulin roofs that were distributed shortly after the cyclone hit last May, with rescue efforts hampered by a government ban on foreign relief workers entering the affected areas.

Reference:

This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) by the staff reporter.

My opinion:

I'm really sorry for those in Nargis cyclone striken areas. They lost everything. Yet, the government doesn't help anything at all. Even if the junta doesn't want to help, it should allow international aids. It is really inhumane, disgusting, terrible, stupid of the junta.

HIV/AIDS rates in Burmese prisons high

By DVB staff reporter

Medical negligence and lack of contraception in Burmese prisons are leading to high rates of HIV infection among inmates, a political prisoner support group has warned.

At least 10 political prisoners in Burma have died of AIDS-related illnesses, many of whom were healthy before being sentenced, said Tate Naing, from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners-Burma (AAPP).

"U Hla Than, NLD's [1990] people's parliament representative was HIV positive when he died in prison in 1996, according to a doctor's report. Ko Sithu of Rangoon University Students' Union died of AIDS after a long stretch in prison , we also have doctor's confirmation on that," he said.

A recent UN report found that HIV/AIDS rates in Burma remain high, particularly among homosexual men, female sex workers and injecting drug users. Around 18 percent of female sex workers are thought to carry the disease.

The situation inside prisons is compounded by woefully inadequate healthcare. Rangoon's notorious Insein prison has only one hospital with around 100 beds to cater for up to 10,000 prisoners.

Prisoners with only rudimentary medical training often double up as practitioners in the absence of sufficient numbers of doctors and nurses. According to a report released by a former Insein inmate, there were only three doctors to treat the whole prison population.

Tate Naing said that the use of one syringe on multiple patients by prison doctors was causing illnesses to spread rapidly.

"When the ICRC [International Committee for the Red Cross] was allowed go for prison check-ups, the prison doctors did use the one-use syringes," he said. "But after the ICRC was barred from entering prisons in 2005, they barely used them again."

The friend of the late All Burma Student Democratic Front (ABSDF) member, Bo Ne Aung, said that he had died from AIDS in 2001 shortly after being released from prison.

"He was a healthy when he went into prison but when he came back out, he was suffering from a lot of different diseases," she said.

"Later, he was submitted to hospital and blood tests showed that he was HIV positive. He died two months after that. He told me he became infected from a syringe."

The problem of needle sharing was corroborated by senior National League for Democracy (NLD) party member, Win Tin, who spent 19 years in prison. He said that prison medical services normally use one syringe, handled by prison inmates, on multiple people.

"I was a frequent visitor to the prison hospital," he said. "When I was in the hospital, other prisoners next to my bed warned me not to take injections and I didn't understand why.

"Later I found out the reason when I saw an inmate show up with a needle who started injecting different types medicines into a couple of patients with only that syringe."

Reference:

This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) by the staff reporter.

My opinion:

I'm sorry for those imprisoned activists. It is really inhumane of the junta to have such low medical care in prisons.

‘Prayer’ activists face sedition charges

By DVB staff reporter

Four women, including an opposition party politician, have begun a trial in Rangoon in which they face charges of sedition after praying for the release of political prisoners in Burma.

The defendants have been held in Rangoon's notorious Insein prison since their arrest on 3 October. They were known for organizing weekly prayer ceremonies for detained activists, journalists and politicians, including opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Their lawyer Kyaw Ho said the four, who began their trial yesterday, were charged with section 505(b) of the penal code (disturbing public tranquility) for handing a Kammavaca [Buddhist prayer book] to a monastery abbot in Magwe division.

One of the women, Naw Ohn Hla, is a member of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party.

"We will question the prosecution witnesses to find out how strong their evidence is and will also find a witness of our own," said Kyaw Ho, who is currently preparing a defense statement.

The charge carries a maximum sentence of two years. It has been used to imprison a number of perceived dissenters, including journalist Eint Khaing Oo, who was recently honoured with the Kenji Nagai journalism award.

Kyaw Ho said that the abbot also involved in the incident was yet to testify in the hearing. The two prosecution witnesses are both senior police officials from the government's Special Intelligence Bureau, and a deputy police chief who seized evidence.

In June, two members of the prayer group were handed sentences of one and a half years each after holding a prayer ceremony at a pagoda near to Rangoon division's Twante township.

They were charged under Section 295(a) which addresses "desecration of religious buildings and property".

The prayer campaign has been running for more than five years, and has been subjected to frequent intimidation by police in Burma.

Burma currently holds nearly 2,200 political prisoners, 430 of which are NLD members, according to the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners-Burma (AAPP).

Reference:

This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) by the staff reporter.

My opinion:

This is a usual custom of the junta in Burma. He never allows people to know their thoughts and feelings freely which are against the military. If he is not afraid of anyone, he should not do this. Only because he is afraid of his own safety, does he do such thing.

Suu Kyi ranks 26th on ‘100 Top Global Thinkers’

By DVB staff reporter

Detained Burmese Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has ranked 26 on an annual table of '100 Top Global Thinkers', released yesterday by the US-based Foreign Policy magazine.

The magazine, the brainchild of influential American political scientist Samuel P Huntington, commended Suu Kyi's principles of nonviolence and "for being a living symbol of hope in a dark place".

"Taking inspiration from Mohandas Gandhi and Buddhist principles of nonviolence, Aung San Suu Kyi built a mass movement in opposition to the Burmese junta and has spent 14 of the last 20 years under house arrest since winning a general election in 1989," it said.

The news was poignantly welcomed by colleagues and compatriots inside Burma, where successive military governments have ruled since 1962.

"I can say that it is for Daw Suu's philosophy that we are able to stand and face the military rule with nonviolence for more than 20 years," said National League for Democracy (NLD) spokesperson Nyan Win. I'm happy to hear this news; I think she deserves it."

Suu Kyi, the daughter of Burmese independence leader, General Aung San, founded the NLD upon her return to Burma from Britain in 1988.

Her return coincided with a mass uprising in which some 3000 protestors were killed by Burmese troops. She was placed under house arrest shortly after.

Nan Khin Htway Myint, from the people's parliament, said that part of Suu Kyi's draw was her "ability to give unexpected answers to people's questions".

"In Moulmein [in Mon state], someone asked her how we should deal with the Thailand situation," she said. "I didn't hear any answer from her but I heard people start clapping.

"I looked at her and saw that she was making a gesture with her finger pointing to her head, indicating that we should use our brains. She is really witty; she deserves this."

She was joined on the list by US president Barrack Obama, who ranked second, and Zahra Rahnavard, wife of Iranian opposition leader Hossein Mousavi.

Ben Bernanke, chairman of the US federal reserve, came in at number one on a list in which five of the top ten were American.

The Nobel-prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz, who ranked at number 25, announced this week that he would be shortly visiting Burma to advise the junta on poverty reduction.

Suu Kyi herself was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, and is the world's only imprisoned Nobel laureate.

Reference:

This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) by the staff reporter.

My opinion:

I'm so glad for her. Yeah, she deserves this. Hope she could be released as soon as possible.