New opposition registers for elections

By Htet Aung Kyaw

A political party formed from the ashes of the famed National League for Democracy (NLD) has submitted its application to run in elections in Burma this year.

The formation of the National Democratic Force (NDF) has angered members of the now-disbanded NLD, headed by imprisoned Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who claim that the group has betrayed the principles behind the party’s boycott of the elections.

NDF spokesperson Sein Hla Oo told DVB that the party leader Thein Nyunt, accompanied by two party representatives, had travelled to the capital Naypyidaw to submit their registration with the Election Commission.

“[The application] is the first step and the next is to collect personal data of each of our members, but this is the Burmese intelligence department’s job,” he said. “They will check on each [member] and will say whether they accept [the registration] or not. We hope to learn [this week] whether or not we will be approved.”

Nyan Win, lawyer for Suu Kyi, said last week that the 64-year-old had expressed her disappointment at the new party, which includes former members of the NLD’s Central Executive Committee, including prominent spokesperson Khin Maung Swe.

But Sein Hla Oo said that the new party was formed for “the citizens who carry hopes and expectations” and for voters who had questioned who to back in the elections.

It is “also for our forces from the [NLD] who want to continue with the cause, and the progressive political comrades outside [the NLD]. We organised a wide range of people to make this group a strong opponent in the elections”, he said.

When asked about the feud between the group and the NLD, he said the new party has a policy not to criticise one other.

The sentiment was echoed by the NLD’s deputy chair, Tin Oo, who said that although he was disappointed that the NDF members didn’t follow the decision made by the majority of the NLD, he wouldn’t criticise the party because they share the same goal, despite taking different paths.

Reference:
This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) by the author Htet Aung Kyaw.

My opinion:
It seems like they become dogs fed by the ruling junta, being unloyal to NLD's principles and decisions.

Suu Kyi ‘would snub US senator’

By Nay Htoo

Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi would likely refuse to meet with US senator Jim Webb on looming visit to Burma, long-time party colleague Win Tin has said.

Webb is due to visit Burma this week as part of a regional delegation that will also take him to South Korea and Thailand. His last trip to Burma, in August 2009, secured the release of US citizen John Yettaw, who was imprisoned for swimming to Suu Kyi’s Rangoon compound.

But, said Win Tin, the visit “would not be welcomeâ€� by members of the NLD: “I do not believe that NLD general secretary Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will want to meet him also,” he added.

Webb was criticised by members of Burma’s pro-democracy movement for his inability to pressure the junta to free Suu Kyi whilst successfully bringing Yettaw back to the US.

Some also see his anti-sanctions stance as too soft on the ruling generals. Win Tin questioned whether his trip was related to murmurings in the US senate about ramping up sanctions.

“So are you going to talk about ending those sanctions again? Are you also going to give advice to the military government on ways to end the sanctions? If you do, we are not going to stand for it,� Win Tin said.

Phyo Min Thein, chairman of the Union Democratic Alliance, a party which has registered to contest the elections this year, said he will be issuing a three-point proposal to Webb similar to one presented to US assistant secretary of state, Kurt Campbell, who visited Burma earlier this month.

“If the government wants to ensure fairness, independent international experts should be brought in to monitor…the elections,� he said. “I will ask Mr Jim Webb to persuade the Burmese government to do that.�

He added that he would press Webb to urge the junta to form a transition government comprising military and civilian officials before the elections, which many regard as a sham aimed at cementing military rule in Burma.

Webb’s visit coincides with the scheduled visit to Burma by the Chinese premier, Wen Jiabao who is due to meet junta chief Than Shwe to discuss strengthening trade and cooperation. China’s foreign ministry said that bilateral trade between the two countries last year reached more than $US2.9 billion.

Reference:

This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) by the author Nay Htoo.

My opinion:

Let's see what will happen during or after the visit!

Suu Kyi supporters mark ’stolen’ polls

By Agence France-Press

Supporters of Burma’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi gathered on Thursday to mark the 20th anniversary of their dissolved party’s unrecognised victory in the country’s last elections.

About 100 of her supporters met at the Rangoon house of Tin Oo, vice chairman of the now-defunct National League for Democracy (NLD), which won the polls on 27 May 1990, by a landslide.

But the ruling generals in Burma, which has been military-run since 1962, never allowed Suu Kyi and her party to take power and she has spent most of the past two decades locked up in jail or under house arrest.

The first elections since then are due later this year but the NLD was forcibly dissolved after refusing to meet a 6 May deadline to re-register as a political party – a move that would have forced it to expel its leader.

“The NLD has struggled through very rough situations in the past two decades,” 83-year-old Tin Oo said during a tea party for the gathering.

“We said we would continue with social service work, but this is also a kind of politics,” he said.

The group marked the anniversary by pledging educational assistance for family members of Burma’s political prisoners and by planting trees inside Tin Oo’s compound.

“We used to hold the anniversary at the headquarters every year, but we have to hold it here because of the situation. Of course we want to hold it at our headquarters,” pro-democracy activist Phyu Phyu Thin told AFP.

“The NLD is still standing. We will keep trying until we are allowed to work officially,” she said.

“We are working with our spirit. We will continue working for the future with this political spirit,” added Mya Mya Yee, another NLD supporter.

Under election legislation unveiled in March, anyone serving a prison term is banned from being a member of a political party and parties that fail to obey the rule will be abolished.

A faction within the NLD has said it would form a new political party, to be called the National Democratic Force, to run in the election.

The move came amid signs of a split between older, hardline former NLD members and younger, more moderate figures who opposed the boycott decision.

Reference:

This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) by the author Agence France-Press.

My opinion:

Then nearer 2010 election, the more interesting things will come up.

60 arrested over Kachin dam bombs

by AKT

A major police operation in Burma’s northernmost Kachin state netted around 60 people last night suspected to have been involved in the bombing of the Myitsone dam in April.

A resident of Myitkyina, capital of Kachin state, told DVB that the operation involved police, ward officials and anti-narcotics agents, as well as the tactical operations commander of the Burmese army’s Northern Command.

At least three bombs exploded at the controversial Myitsone dam site, killing three and injuring 20. The explosions occurred in the compounds of the Asia World Co. Ltd, which is building the dam and all three victims were company employees. The compound is located 18 miles north of Myitkyina.

Posters were placed around Myitkyina displaying sketches of the suspects and announcing rewards for their capture.

“Last night alone, about 60 people were taken into custody from [Kya Zu] ward. They usually surround an area about midnight before the arrests take place,� said the resident.

“Some of the detainees were freed later. The arrests are not the same for different wards; some names on their lists remain in prison. Their main objective is to suppress the people.�

He added that authorities were “taking advantage of the bombings� to arrest people who had protested the construction of the dam which is likely to displace up to 10,000 people and has been strongly opposed by Kachin locals.

The project is being funded in part by the Chinese state-owned China Power Investment Corporation and China Southern Power Grid Corporation (CSG).

Reference:

This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) by AKT.

My opinion:

Whom we should trust: Burmese authorities or bombers or Kachin locals? It is noteworthy to pay attention here that China is usually involved in most Burmese news in that it cooperates with Burma for its well-being despite its saying that it is for Burma's welfare.

US senator Webb to visit Burma

by Agence France-Press

An influential US senator announced Tuesday he would head late this week to South Korea, Thailand and Burma and accused China of failing to show “responsible leadership” amid regional unrest.

“It is time for the United States, together with our allies and partners, to call on China to act in a responsible way that improves the stability and prosperity of the region,” said Democratic Senator Jim Webb. Webb, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Asian and Affairs, said he would meet with local and US officials and business leaders during his 29 May to 6 June trip.

The Democrat, a vigorous advocate for US engagement with the region, said North Korea’s torpedo attack on a South Korean warship, violent unrest in Thailand, and the situation in Burma “have underscored the need for the United States to step up its commitment to the region.”

“China’s influence has grown rapidly and broadly throughout Asia. Regrettably, China’s behavior has not reflected the kind of responsible leadership expected from a regional or global leader,” he said.

The Virginia lawmaker expressed his concern that US diplomatic efforts in Asia are underfunded, imperiling Washington’s ability to defend its interests in the region.

“East Asia is seeing a great deal of turmoil, at the same time that China is vigorously expanding its presence. If we are serious about crafting proactive, smart foreign policy, we must begin by providing our diplomats with the necessary tools and resources,” he said in a statement.

Reference:

This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) by Agence France-Press.

My opinion:

What is said above is truly happening in Asia and the negative influence of China on Asian countries.

Chinese prem to meet Burma generals

By Agence France-Press

Chinese prime minister Wen Jiabao will meet with leaders of Burma’s junta to discuss energy cooperation and aid to the Southeast Asian nation during a visit next week, a top diplomat said Wednesday.

During the 2 June to 3 visit, Wen will hold talks with reclusive junta chief Than Shwe, prime minister Thein Sein and other top officials, vice foreign minister Zhang Zhijun told reporters.

“The two countries will sign a number of cooperation documents covering economy, trade, finance, energy, science and technology,” Zhang said, without offering specifics.

Last year, bilateral trade between the neighbours reached $US2.91 billion, up 10.7 percent year-on-year, as progress was made in joint projects involving energy, transportation and power supply, Zhang said.

China is the isolated state’s sole major ally on the diplomatic stage and one of its key trading partners.

Energy-hungry China is an eager buyer of Burma’s sizeable natural gas reserves and has in the past tried to shield its ruling junta from international sanctions imposed over its poor human rights record.

“We will offer help to Myanmar [Burma], to help it grow its economy and improve

the well-being of its people,” Zhang said.

“We will offer assistance as our ability permits to the national development of Burma, particularly in those areas that will benefit the general public, such as transport and education.”

Wen’s visit to Burma will be the final stop of a four-nation tour that will take him to South Korea, Japan and Mongolia starting Friday.

In April, Wen postponed a trip to Burma, Brunei and Indonesia due to a huge earthquake in northwestern China that killed more than 2,000 people.

Reference:

This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) by Agence France-Press.

My opinion:

What will happen after this visit, in other words, what will be the results of this visit even though there have been many visits of delegates from other countries to Burma with the purpose of improving Burma's economy, politics, education, etc. and well-being of its residents?

UN slams ‘persistent’ child soldier use

by Joseph Allchin

In a report released on Friday the UN named and shamed armed groups worldwide who used children in 2009 as “spies, soldiers, and human shields,” and highlighted Burma’s ongoing violation of international law on use of child soldiers.

A statement accompanying the report, which was written by Radhika Coomaraswamy, the UN special representative for children in armed conflict, listed three groups in Burma as guilty parties: the Burmese national army, the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) and the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA).

The statement did not however name the other Karen armed group, the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) in their statement, whom DVB can confirm, through video evidence, uses child soldiers.

In the full report they concede that “information received indicated that the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) had scaled up its recruitment efforts and many children reportedly have been recruited in 2009. The reports also indicated that DKBA was actively recruiting in order to meet the quota of 6,800 soldiers to form border guards”.

The report admits however that: “The United Nations country team in Myanmar [Burma] remains unable to establish contact and undertake formal dialogue with non-State armed groups” because “the Government has not granted access to those groups”.

But it also noted that the Karen National Union (KNU), the political wing of the KNLA, whom the UN accused in their statement of using child soldiers, had called on the junta to allow the UN access to their areas.

Similarly, the KNPP had “invited the United Nations on several occasions to monitor its military bases and areas of operations, [and] has offered open and independent access for compliance verification.”

Moreover, “in accordance with the Karenni state constitution, article 29 (5), all under age children shall be free from conscription into the Karenni Army”, the report said.

This would appear to differentiate the two groups from the junta, which not only uses child soldiers, but according to DVB interviews forcibly recruits children for the armed forces, a practice that is seemingly not conducted by the KNLA. Former Karen child soldiers told DVB that they volunteered due to personal circumstances of war rather than forcibly being kidnapped to join the army.

Other areas of the report tell of more sinister policies: “Reliable information received in March 2009 through the country task force indicated that every household in Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (Kokang Army) areas with more than one child has to provide at least one child to the group.”

The annex further lists the United Wa State Army (UWSA) and the Shan Sate Army South (SSA-S) as armies who also “recruit and use children.”

Conversely no parties or groups in Burma are listed as ‘killing or maiming children’, or committing rape or sexual violence against children, despite the fact that most of the groups listed are either fighting each other or the junta.

The use of rape meanwhile as a weapon of war has been widely documented in Burma, with UN experts reporting that women and girls are subject to the practice. Despite the report claiming to involve “broad consultations within the United Nations”, it fails to categorise the Burmese army as a group “that commits rape and other forms of sexual violence against children”.

This may be indicative of the fact that they were only able to communicate with the very same people that previous UN visitors had accused of allowing such practices to take place.

Reference:

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

My opinion:

It is really disgusting that child soldiers are recruited in army. The government brainwashes the child soldiers and since the childhood is the best time to shape children, the government can order them anything he wants. Moreover, there are rumors that when there is any protest and the government wants to use violence, the government does not feed these soldiers. Thus, these soldiers become extremely angry since they are hungry and think that they are not fed because of those people who protest. So, when the government orders them to use violence, they are so cruel.

Fire engulfs landmark Rangoon market
By Naw Noreen



"One of Burma’s largest wholesale markets, located in downtown Rangoon, has been destroyed by fire.

An eye-witness at the Mingalar market in Rangoon’s Mingalar Taung Nyunt township told DVB this afternoon that the fire began on the fourth floor of the multi-storey market building at around 8.20am today. At 4pm Burmese time (10.30am GMT) it was still on fire.

“There are about four to five people on the roof above the fifth floor waving cloths. I don’t know whether they were trapped there or just staying there,” he said.

“Firemen are only dousing water from the outside because they couldn’t really go in…so this is not likely to stop until everything is burned down,” he added. “Apparently the fire is not spreading to other floors as there are firemen [on those floors.]”

Nearby residents have reportedly evacuated their buildings following fears that the fire would spread. The fourth floor is home to a number of cosmetics and drug stores, out of a total of around 4,000 shops and stalls in the market. Burmese from across the country flock there to trade and buy goods.

No casualties have yet been reported. A security official told AFP that one fireman man was injured while putting out the fire.

The cause of the fire is unknown, although there are rumours of an electricity fault on the market."

Reference:

This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma)which is a non-profit Burmese media organization basically in order to provide accurate and unbiased news to the people of Burma. It is about the fire outbreak in Mingalar Bazaar by the author, NAW NOREEN.

My opinion:

In my opinion, this is really serious and big event ever, happening in Yangon (Rangoon), in fire outbreak during hot summer. Actually, if firemen had at least enough equipments or facilities, they could went upstairs and could put out the fire while saving people trapped inside the building which was on fire.

And, I know what firemen are doing when they are supposed to put out the fire because I was there when there was a fire engulf near my home. They come without any water. Only after they get money from house owner whose house is on fire, they go back to get water, come back and put out the fire as if they were playing water instead of saving people who are in the building on fire and trying to put out the fire as soon as possible.

That is how Burmese fire departments work and it is all because of the government's unqualified system.

USDP begins election campaign

By Naw Noreen

The newly-formed political party led by Burmese prime minister Thein Sein has begun campaigning across Burma in lieu of elections this year.

A resident in Kaw Thaung town, in Burma’s southern Tenasserim division, said that local Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) members were going from door to door urging people to join the party.

“They were six women and one man going from door to door, looking at the residents’ ID cards and filling out [USDP] application forms for them,” said the resident. “The first paragraph on the application form said ‘Due to my belief and acceptance of the Union Solidarity and Development Party’s policy, I hereby apply for the [group's] membership…’”

“After filling in the forms, they asked the residents to sign them. They did this without explaining anything and some people, afraid [of the government officials] and unaware [of the intention], gave their signatures.”

He said that mirrored campaigning done by the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) during the referendum for the basic constitutions in 2008. He added that local authorities called a meeting yesterday and today to discuss the building of ballot stations.

A local resident in Rangoon’s Thongwa town said the USDP was persuading farmers to support them. USDP campaigners reportedly said the party’s ‘social’ wing, Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA), had been the only group to provide farmers with funding.

He added that campaigners had told them “to vote as much as they can for such a sustainable party for the people”.

The head of Burma’s Election Commission, Thein Soe, recently rebuffed claims that Thein Sein was breaching election laws by heading the party because he had quit his military post.

The USDP is widely tipped to win the controversial elections in what critics say is a ploy to cement military rule in the country under the guise of a civilian government.

Reference:

This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) by the author Naw Noreen.

My opinion:

This is how the Burma's junta use coercion.

Burma flag ‘erases ethnic armies’

By Francis Wade

The new Burmese flag to be hoisted following elections this year is evidence of the ruling regime’s attempt to wipe out ethnic armies, Burma observers say.

An image of the new flag obtained by DVB shows a complete revamp of both colour, design and symbols: in place of a largely red flag with a blue square in the corner hosting a paddy ear, cog wheel and 14 stars comes a flag dominated by one single star in the middle, with three yellow, green and red stripes behind.

Analysts believe that the removal of the 14 stars, which signify the 14 divisions and states in Burma, or indeed their assimilation into one larger star, is further proof that citizens of a post-election Burma will live under the dominant control of the military government.

“It’s a sign of the original agenda [the junta] had after the British left; the Burmanisation of the country,” said Saw Taw Wa from the Karen National Union (KNU) Peace Council. He added that it was a “step-by-step process” which has already taken root in the formation of ethnic Border Guard Forces aimed at “causing division within the ethnic states”.

The Burmese government has been attempting, sometimes aggressively, to transform the country’s 18 ceasefire groups into border militias, which will bring them under direct control of the ruling generals. Saw Taw Wa said that the junta has been supporting pro-government ethnic groups, such as the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), with money and arms “to eliminate ethnic armies”.

Many have however resisted and decades-old ceasefires are now on tenterhooks, leading to fears in Burma’s ethnic border regions that fighting will erupt.

Khin Ohmar, chairperson of the Network for Democracy and Development (NDD), said that the new flag was a sign that the junta was “solidifying their power into one star – the unity of the union; that every ethnic group is together as one”.

Further evidence is found in Article 338 of the 2008 constitution which will come into force following the elections this year. It states that “all the armed forces in the Union shall be under the command of the Defense Services”. Khin Ohmar said that it proves the junta is “consolidating…everything by force and by assimilation”.

“When I look at this attempted assimilation – all ethnic groups have to follow the traditional Burmese dances, for example – it’s unbelievable; really disgusting to me. That is a very clear sign that the one big star really is their power.”

The official name of Burma is also due to change, from the current Union of Myanmar to the Union Republic of Myanmar.

“With the name, they are being very clear that Burma is no longer a federal state, but will be a republic – they are totally denying indigenous rights,” said Saw Taw Wa.

Ethnic conflict in Burma has gradually eaten away at the roots of society, with millions now displaced and areas of the country littered with landmines. The 60-year long conflict between the Karen National Union and the ruling junta is thought to be one of the world’s longest running.

Reference:

This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) by the author Francis Wade.

My opinion:

What do you think of the new flag with only one big star? Do you agree with the author?

Heatwave kills 230 in Mandalay

By Aye Nai

A near unprecedented heatwave in Burma that has pushed temperatures as high as 47C over the past fortnight continues to claim lives across the country.

Health authorities in Burma’s second city of Mandalay told 7-Day News journal on Wednesday that more than 230 people had so far died of heat-related illnesses. It added that the majority were drinkers, and shops in the city have been banned from selling alcohol.

Staff at the Brhma Soh funeral service in Magwe division’s town of Min Bu told DVB that more than 13 people died from the heat on 17 May alone, although “the death rate was low over the next days, around three or four [deaths]“.

A local in Magwe town said that the situation was similar there, with many elderly people falling victim to the heatwave.

“People couldn’t take the heat – about 12 people died in one day recently from heat stroke. Now the authorities are warning people not to bathe between 10am and 5pm,” he said.

A doctor in the town of Yesagyo, also in Magwe division, said that around eight people died on 13 May, although rates have since declined, while in Magwe’s Chauk town, a resident quoted local government authorities who said that around 30 people had so far died.

Burma’s health ministry has issued warnings to people to follow preventative measures, such as avoiding taking showers straight away after coming in from the heat and avoiding alcohol.

China-based Xinhua news agency said that temperatures in central Burma from late April to mid-May were at a 40-year high, while in Rangoon and Bago division, current temperatures are five to eight degrees Celsius above average.

Reference:

This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) by the author Aye Nai.

My opinion:

I feel sad and sorry to hear this. May all of them have better after-lives.

Obama extends Burma sanctions

By Agent France-Press

President Barack Obama on Friday formally extended sanctions against Burma, keeping US pressure on a military regime aiming to hold its first elections in more than two decades later this year.

Obama extended the emergency sanctions, first employed in May 1997, “because the actions and policies of the government of Burma continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States,” he said in a message to Congress.

The move, merely a formality, bars American firms from investing in and bans Burmese exports to the United States. The sanctions also target individuals in and linked to the Burmese junta.

The extension comes just days after the National League for Democracy (NLD) headed by pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi was forcibly dissolved after refusing to meet a 6 May deadline to re-register as a political party – a move that would have forced it to expel its own leader.

The dissolution was prompted by widely criticized laws governing the elections, which are scheduled for some time later this year.

Under election legislation unveiled in March, anyone serving a prison term is banned from being a member of a political party and parties that fail to obey the rule will be abolished.

The junta has kept Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest for nearly 20 years. The Nobel peace laureate led her party to victory in 1990 but the junta never allowed the election to stand.

The 64-year-old Nobel peace laureate was allowed to meet this week with a top US diplomat visiting the country.

Aung San Suu Kyi met for some 90 minutes Monday with assistant secretary of state Kurt Campbell at a government guest house.

Campbell said after his talks with Suu Kyi and government officials that the United States was “profoundly disappointed” in the junta’s preparations for upcoming elections and wanted “immediate steps” to address fears that they would lack legitimacy.

Reference:

This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) by the author Agence France-Press.

My opinion:

Whatever whoever says, the junta does not care. That's Burma's ruling junta.

Water crisis hits Rangoon
By Yee May Aung

Dwindling water supplies to Rangoon are being exacerbated by frequent electricity cuts in the city, with some residents now unable to pump water to their apartments.

Burma has in recent weeks been hit by a major water crisis resulting from a combination of abnormally hot weather and increasing damming of rivers. The shortage has affected major towns in Sagaing, Bago and Irrawaddy divisions, and now Rangoon is suffering.

“There is a big shortage of water in our area,” said one resident from Pazundaung township in central Rangoon. He added that residents were being “forced to manage [water] like oil” because the lack of water in nearby Gyo Phyu reservoir had depleted supplies.

Rangoon has also been hit by regular electricity cuts since the annual water festival in April. One resident in Kyauk Myaung township said that with the reopening of factories after the festival, power cuts were becoming more frequent.

“[The electricity] is out most of the time. It came back after midnight yesterday and went off again around 3am, and hasn’t come back on since,” he said. “It’s getting cut often and randomly.”

“When the electricity came back on this morning, everybody started pumping water [up to their flats using electric pumps] at the same time,” said the Pazundaung resident. The shortage in the township meant however that “our building didn’t get any water”.

People are increasingly resorting to buying bottled drinking water at around 600 kyat ($US0.60) per five litres. The average annual income in Burma is $US220. “People are very frustrated, and now not only because of the economy – we can’t even have enough water during the hot weather,” said the resident.

Rangoon’s municipal, electricity, water and sanitation departments were unavailable for comment.

Water levels on the Irrawaddy river and its largest tributary, the Chindwin river, which flows through Sagaing division in northern Burma, are low, and sand banks are appearing with increasing frequency.

The Mekong river, which supports millions of people from China to Cambodia, is at its lowest level in nearly half a century, largely as a resulting of heavy damming by the Chinese.

A number of unofficial relief workers in Bago division who have been helping with water donations have also complained of government harassment, with checkpoints being set up in affected areas.

“The government officials at the [Waw township] checkpoint…were asking every single one of them who the donation is by and what they are doing,” said a local.

“They write down all the details collected – such as in which village a donation was made and how many households received the donation – and are also taking photos of people.”

Reference:

This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) by the author Yee May Aung.

My opinion:

Does Burmese government do nothing at all for this case? While the government sells the gas for power supply, natural resources of Burma, to other countries like China, what is he doing for Burmese civilians who are in disasters of electricity shortage and water shortage during such extremely hot weather? Also, authorities countries like China are really selfish, knowing about themselves and their countries, despite being considerate of other countries' residents. These governments are just disgusting.

Water shortages sweeping in Burma

by Min Lwin

Lakes and freshwater wells in central Burma are drying up, fuelled by hot weather and abnormal river flows resulting from hydropower projects.

A local in Sagaing division’s capital, Monywa, said that wells were drying up in every ward of the city. “The well in our ward dried up and now everyone is out of water,” he said.

Water levels on the Irrawaddy river and its largest tributary, the Chindwin river, which flows through Sagaing division, are low, and sand banks are appearing with increasing frequency.

The Mekong river, which supports millions of people from China to Cambodia, is at its lowest level in nearly half a century, largely as a resulting of heavy damming by the Chinese.

Residents of Pyin Oo Lwin, in central Burma’s Mandalay division, said that villages located south of Myit Nge river were also suffering water shortages because a hydropower dam recently built upstream had blocked the channel.

In Monywa, locals are being forced to travel three miles to collect water from the Chindwin river; until recently the water had been pumped to the village, but ongoing electricity cuts have made this impossible.

Despite Burma’s aggressive expansion of its hydropower sector, much of the electricity is sold to neighbouring Thailand and China, despite the country being plagued by electricity shortages.

Around 60 villages in Bago division are also reportedly facing severe water shortages, which has been fuelling stomach illnesses as people revert to drinking untreated water.

A civilian who has been coordinating water relief efforts in Bago said that bottling factories had been donating water while “we haven’t seen any work from local government administrations yet”.

In Irrawaddy division’s Laputta township, residents said that even government troops were being affected by the shortage, while lakes “aren’t even holding enough water for animals such as buffalos to drink”.

In nearby Ngaputaw, villagers are being forced to stand in queues into the night to collect water from wells “where they spend a lot of time skimming shallow water from bottom of the wells”, a local said.

Reference:

This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) by the author Min Lwin.

My opinion:

How the Burmese government, including those countries whose governments are cooperating with Burmese junta for their own benefits, are cruel in ignoring what the Burmese civilians need and are really selfish and disgusting.

Rangoon photographer ‘was tortured’

By Yee May Aung

A man arrested along with his father for photographing the aftermath of the deadly Rangoon bombings on 15 April has been tortured and denied food, his mother said.

Rangoon-based Sithu Zeya, and his 55-year-old graphic designer father, Maung Maung Zeya, were arrested by government officials shortly after three grenades exploded during the ‘Thingyan’ water festival celebrations last month, and are being held in separate Rangoon police stations.

The wife of Maung Maung Zeya told DVB that she was yesterday allowed to visit their son for the first time since he was arrested.

“[Sithu Zeya] was arrested for taking some photos and video footage of the scene,” Yee Yee Tint said.  “He was denied food for the first two days of the five-day interrogation. He also said was beaten twice during the interrogation and his ear has been ringing since.”

He has been charged under the Unlawful Associations Act and is due to appear at Mingalar Taung Nyunt township court in Rangoon on 18 May. His family were told that Sithu Zeya’s laptop and other belongings seized when he was arrested would be returned, although this is yet to happen.

His father is being held in Bahan township police station in Rangoon and will appear in court on 17 May. Yee Yee Tint said that he faces three different charges, while the family has asked for assistance from legal expert Aung Thein.

“I don’t fully understand their situation but the Burma police chief [Khin Yi] during his press conference [on 6 May] said that they were arrested for taking video footage of the incident,” she said. “I am quite sad that [the authorities] let the bombers remain at large but detained people for just taking video footage.”

Nine people died in the incident, which was the worst attack in Rangoon since 2005. It preceded a number of other bombings around Burma, focused mainly on controversial hydropower projects.

Police have arrested one suspect for the Rangoon attack who belongs to the exiled opposition group the Vigorous Burmese Student Warriors, who rose to prominence in 1999 after raiding the Burmese embassy in Bangkok and holding 89 people hostage.

Reference:

This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) by the author Yee May Aung.

My opinion:

This is what Burma's junta usually does. Instead of investigating scientifically and carefully, the junta is just sweeping and blaming and punishing those who might not be related to the issue. So, most Burmese people are afraid to become the victims, though they do not do anything wrong, since they are just concerned about their families and relatives.

Suu Kyi makes last bid for freedom

By Francis Wade

Lawyers for Aung San Suu Kyi yesterday filed a special appeal on her house arrest at Burma’s High Court in a last ditch attempt at securing her release.

The Nobel laureate, who will turn 65 next month, has been forced to take her appeal to the Special Appellate Bench in the remote jungle capital of Naypyidaw. In February the High Court rejected a second appeal against her 18-month sentence, which was handed down in August last year.

Since that rejection, however, the political landscape in Burma has changed: her opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) party has been legally dissolved and Suu Kyi stands no chance of playing an official role in the elections; critics of the junta saw her sentencing as a ploy to keep her locked up during the polls.

Apart from an NLD splinter group known as the National Democratic Force, the junta faces little opposition in the country’s first elections in 20 years and appears set to hold onto power, likely under the guise of a civilian government.

With that secured, Suu Kyi’s fate becomes murkier: now that she and her party present less of an obvious threat, the junta may look to appease its international critics and release her.

But, according to the Thailand-based Burmese political analyst, Win Min, she can still be a mobilising figure regardless of whether or not she holds political status.

“I don’t think they’ll release her. They are worried that she can still disrupt the elections by pushing for people to boycott them,” he said.

Suu Kyi, the daughter of Burma’s independence hero, General Aung San, has been kept under house arrest for 14 of the past 20 years. She was first imprisoned following the 1990 elections, which her party won in a landslide victory.

The NLD last week marked its final hours as a political party; senior party members have said that the group will concentrate on social work and shaping the ‘body politic’ of Burma.

Four senior NLD members, including spokesperson Khin Maung Swe, have split off to form the National Democratic Force (NDF). Khin Maung Swe told DVB last week that the group would register for the elections and become one of around 30 parties to challenge the incumbent.

Win Min said that the decision to contest the elections was a “strategic position” aimed at “filling the gap” left by the NLD.

“They’re not going against the NLD; it just gives them a choice whether or not run in the elections; they might still boycott,” he said. “The [junta] is holding the elections anyway and they think they already have some legitimacy because ethnic groups and third force parties are running.”

He added that the NDF might give “some legitimacy”, but that they also provided people with an opposition party to vote for.

Reference:

This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) by the author Francis Wade.

My opinion:

Let's see what will happen.

Privatised petrol stations to open

By Joseph Allchin

Some 250 petrol stations in Burma earmarked for privatisation in January as part of a grand economic reshuffle by the government are to open next weekend.

The stations are scattered throughout the country, with around 50 in Rangoon division, 40 in Mandalay division, 37 in Bago division, 27 in Irrawaddy division and 25 in Shan state.

“It is a two-sided story: one side is that the government has monopolised the sector for a long time, since the military coup in 1962, so it is the government losing its monopoly,” said Burmese economic analyst, Aung Thu Nyein. “But at the same time the assets were only transferred to the cronies.”

“I think there are less than ten companies who got licenses to run gas stations; some were transferred to agri-businesses and construction companies,” he added.

The likely owners of the stations are suspected to be the Htoo Group, Asia World and the Eden Group, all of whom have close ties to the ruling junta.

Burma is heavily reliant upon imported fuel as a result of a lack of refining capabilities in the country.

The current privatisation initiative is part of a move towards free trade of petroleum products, which has been overseen by the newly formed Fuel Oil Importers and Distributors Association (FOIDA).

There is hope that private enterprise will be able to run the energy sector more efficiently than the government monopoly. However given Burma’s reliance upon imported refined petroleum products, the private sector may be unable to control retail prices or not have the incentive to do so.

Burma imports around 18,500 barrels of refined petroleum per day, worth some $US586.6 million per year.

The implications are that gas prices could become more volatile in the long term as the government is less able to control supply and demand and distribution of fuel and therefore shield the economy from major fluctuations in international prices. “The economy is reliant upon international prices and could be liable to crises of supply internationally,” said Aung Thu Nyein.

Another potential concern is the relationship that these newly privatised assets, originally nationalised in 1962 and 1963, have with the military government.

Prior to 1962, the assets belonged to individuals who received no compensation upon their nationalisation and were offered no chance to retrieve them on privatisation. To maintain ownership, given a potentially more open legal system of property rights, the new owners will rely on the military for protection from civilian court claims.

As a result or not the military may also demand fuel from the private sector, Aung Thu Nyein suspects, with such impositions threatening a rise in prices.

Reference:

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

My opinion:

Let's see what will happen!

NLD member ‘attacked by junta thugs’

By Maung Too

A National League for Democracy member in Burma’s central Mon state is in hospital after being attacked by a local militia-type organisation, allegedly on the orders of two Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) members.

Chit Tin, an member of the opposition party’s Yay town wing, sustained injuries to the head after being attacked on 3 April whilst watching football on television in a teashop in Yay. Chit Tin alleges that the attacker was a member of government-proxy Swan Arr Shin group.

“I was watching a football match at the teashop and someone hit me with a stool from behind,” said Chit Tin. “The attackers name is Htay Aung; he’s a Swan Arr Shin member. I immediately went to the local authorities and filed a charge but they told me to go to the police instead so I went. The attacker went gone into hiding after the charge was made.”

He added that the order was handed down by Ngwe Aung and Myat Moe, two local members of the USDA, a government backed social organisation.

“I’m a township-level NLD executive and those men are also township-level USDA members,” he said. “They went to the police station later and paid the police 1.2 million kyat [$US1,200] to close my case. I knew that they were USDA and they knew I was NLD; we live in the same village.”

Chit Tin remains in Rangoon hospital, one month after the attack took place. Both the Yay police station and local USDA office were unavailable for comments.

Attacks such as these on NLD members are nothing news; last year police refused to arrest a mob of people apparently led by a government official who beat two party members. while in January 2009 several family members of an assaulted NLD member were imprisoned after a supposed retaliation against the assailants, although no eye-witnesses could verify the incident.

The NLD, which was formed in the aftermath of the 1988 uprising and went on to become Burma’s principal opposition party, today marks its official termination as a political party following its refusal to run in elections this year.

Senior NLD members have said that the party will transform into a social organisation and work directly with Burmese people; decades of harassment and intimidation by the ruling junta in Burma have prevented it from gaining any leverage in Burmese politics.

As the elections near, a myriad of other parties, many belonging to the ‘third force’ in Burmese politics – allied to neither the opposition nor the government – have formed and register for the polls.

One of these groups, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), is headed by the Burmese prime minister, Thein Sein, although as yet there is no concrete link between the USDP and USDA.

Reference:

This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) by the author Maung Too.

My opinion:

This is really terrible, but it's the ruling junta's true identity.

Thailand detains 100 Mon migrants

By Maung Too

Around 100 ethnic Mon migrants from eastern Burma were detained in Thailand’s Sangkhlaburi district on Monday after illegally entering the country.

A Mon resident at the Thai-Burma border said that the migrants crossed the border into Thailand from Phayathonsu (or Three Pagodas Pass) in Karen state, close to Mon state, to look for work.

“They attempted to go past Sangkhlaburi by travelling on foot through the jungle and were caught by Thai police and the army,” said the resident.

The arrested were 40 men and 63 women, all residents of Mon state’s Mudon, Moulmein, Thanphyuzayat and Kyeikmayaw townships. The resident said that the migration of people from Mon state into Thailand to escape harsh living conditions in Burma has now become a “tradition”.

“It’s hard in Burma and jobs are not as good as in Thailand. Normally [migrants] go back to visit their villages around the time of Thingyan [annual water festival in April] and then return to Thailand afterwards,” he said.

“Leaving to find jobs in Thailand has become a tradition here. Thailand has better living standards and facilities.” He added that there are hundreds of thousands of Mon migrant workers in Thailand.

Figures on the total number of Burmese migrant workers in Thailand are not clear, but estimates range from two to three million. Despite widespread flouting of labour rights, average wages for migrant workers in Thailand are normally higher than the $US220 average annual salary in Burma.

The majority of these work in low-income industries such as fishing and construction, while their lack of legal status makes it hard for them to access education and healthcare. The Burmese government announced in November last year that Burmese nationals living abroad would be required remit half their salaries through a state-owned bank, which would likely be taxed.

A recent agreement between the Burmese and Thai governments to register migrant workers in Thailand came under fire largely because it required migrants to return to Burma to be registered by authorities there. Migrant rights groups warned that those who returned could face intimidation by government officials.

Last week hundreds of Mon refugees fled to the Halockhani camp on the Thai-Burma border after a Mon ceasefire group rejected proposals by the Burmese government to transform into a border guard force. The furore surrounding the border guard issue holds the potential to destabilise many of Burma’s already volatile border regions.

Reference:

This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) by the author Maung Too.

My opinion:

It is hard to say if this is good or bad because in the view of these illegal immigrants, fleeing to Thailand might give them better jobs with more salary and higher living standards.

Burma introduces visa on arrival

By Aye Nai

The Burmese government has begun issuing visas on arrival for all nationalities at Rangoon and Mandalay international airports, immigration officials say.

The initiative began on 1 May, according to an official in Rangoon. Staff at the Myanmar Hotel and Tourism Enterprise’s information desk at Rangoon’s international airport said however that those who are blacklisted by the Burmese government will still be denied the visa.

“There is a restriction,” he said. “[Visa applicants] should not be on the blacklist; this will be check upon arrival at the airports. There will also be some questioning. A return ticket, sufficient amount of money and an address of the place staying also need to be declared. These are the basic requirements,” said the official.

There are different types of visas on arrival: the tourist visa for $US30 which grants 28 days to stay and cannot be extended; the business visa for $US40 for 70 days stay in the country, which can be extended; the visa for “social reasons” at $US40 for 28 days which allows extension, and the transit visa on arrival, which costs $US18 for 24 hours stay.

The Myanmar Tourism Entrepreneurs Association, which first called for use of the visa-on-arrival in 2008, has speculated there will be more tourists in Burma with the new system, which mimics that of other countries.

Burma’s tourism industry has seen a decline since the September 2007 monk-led uprising, as well as cyclone Nargis in 2008 May. The industry was also hit by the blockade of Bangkok airport in December 2008 and the global economic recession.

The Burmese government has in the past issued visas on arrival but this is the first time that it is open to all nationalities. Previously it had been available only to countries where there was no Burmese embassy so was only attainable via a proxy company.

The widely publicised boycott of tourism in Burma has impacted on the amount of foreigners who visit the country, which ranks lower than the majority of other Southeast Asian countries. Some 250,000 tourists visit Burma annually, compared to around 14 million in Thailand.

According to Tourism Concern, Burma earns around $US100 million annually from tourism; critics argue that the vast majority of the money goes to the ruling junta, which is known to use forced labour in the construction of hotels and resorts.

Reference:

This is from DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma) by the author Aye Nai.

My opinion:

There come more and more restrictions on every field related to Burma. This is just because of the ruling junta's stupidity in order to conceal it.