News & Articles on Burma
Thursday, 14 July, 2011
----------------------------------------
Ethnic Leaders Present Ceasefire Proposal to EU
Burma's Foreign Ministry Hit by Another Defection
Shan Women condemn Burma Army of using rape as war weapon
Govt Puts Brakes on Naypyidaw Construction Projects
Drop in sales at latest Myanmar gems fair
Explore returns to south-east Asia for holidays in Burma
Burma army use aircrafts to bomb Shan positions
A second Burmese diplomat defects
Lao PM Myanmar visit further enhances bilateral friendship
Burma’s Dead Men Walking
Children become latest victims of conflict in Kachin State
--------------------------------------
Ethnic Leaders Present Ceasefire Proposal to EU
By SAW YAN NAING and LAWI WENG Thursday, July 14, 2011
Several ethnic leaders reported to EU officials about the ongoing conflicts in eastern Burma at a July 9 meeting in Bangkok at which they also called for the EU to broker political dialogue between Burma's government and its ethnic groups.
Leaders of an umbrella group of ethnic parties, the United Nationalities Federation Council (UNFC), told the European delegation that Burmese government forces had attacked the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in northern Burma last month in a bid to protect Naypyidaw's business interests with China, said Nai Hang Thar, the secretary of the UNFC.
Nai Hang Thar, who is also secretary of the New Mon State Party, said the UNFC representatives had told the EU that thousands of refugees have been created as a result of the armed conflict.
“The ethnic leaders requested the EU to help them find solutions to the problems in Burma through political dialogue,” he said.
The KIA’s political wing, the Kachin Independence Organization, which is a member of the UNFC, has proposed—via the UNFC—a ceasefire to the new government.
“The KIO wants the UNFC to lead peace talks,” said Nai Hang Thar.
According to a KIO draft of a proposed ceasefire agreement, the KIA will only agree to a six-month ceasefire if Naypyidaw commits to a political dialogue in which the UNFC plays a leading role.
The UNFC leadership also presented to the EU officials a proposal for the formation of a federal union in Burma, according to Zipporah Sein, the general secretary of the Karen National Union, also a leading member in the UNFC.
The UNFC was formed in February this year at a meeting in northern Thailand which was attended by a dozen ethnic groups.
The UNFC leaders said they also asked the EU delegation to put more pressure on Naypyidaw to stop military activity in ethnic areas.
“All the government troops will have to retreat to their former bases if there is ceasefire,” said Nai Hang Thar. “Also, the government must declare ceasefires with all the ethnic armed groups in the country, not only in Kachin State.”
Zipporah Sein said, “We always welcome dialogue. But the dialogue must involve all ethnic groups, not on a case by case basis. Our aim is to establish a federal state.”
Sources claim that the UNFC has provided military training and that its members supported their allies when government troops launched attacks on ethnic groups in Karen, Shan and Kachin states last year.
Nai Hang Thar said that political dialogue is the only option for the government and the ethnic armed groups to solve the armed conflicts. If the dialogue doesn’t work, the ethnic armed groups will continue their military struggle, he said.
“When we know for sure that we can’t find a peaceful solution, we will declare that the country has fallen into a civil war,” he said. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21693
-----------------------------------------
Burma's Foreign Ministry Hit by Another Defection
By WAI MOE Thursday, July 14, 2011
Another senior Burmese diplomat in Washington DC, Soe Aung, has defected to the United States. A source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said staff expected a significant reshuffle at the ministry very soon.
Soe Aung, the first secretary and the fourth-ranking official at the Burmese embassy in Washington, defected on Wednesday. A week earlier, Kyaw Win, who was Deputy Chief of Mission at the embassy, defected to the US citing “no change” under the new administration.
According to Voice of America’s Burmese Service in Washington, Soe Aung wrote to the US State Department on Wednesday requesting asylum, citing fears for the safety of his family and himself.
Soe Aung told the Washington-based radio station that he had been ordered on Tuesday to return to Burma for an investigation over Kyaw Win’s defection the week before. He said that two other Burmese embassy staffers were called back to Burma and are now under investigation
The embassy secretary’s defection was the second significant case since the military-backed new government, led by President ex Gen Thein Sein, took office on March 30.
Sources at the MoFA have complained bitterly about a department beset with problems. One staffer who spoke to The Irrawaddy on condition on anonymity said that many staff believed they had been unfairly treated by senior officials following the defection of Deputy Chief of Mission to Washington Kyaw Win.
The MoFA in Naypyidaw was last reshuffled in November 2009 when 65 staffers and diplomats lost their jobs or were demoted at foreign ministry departments and Burmese embassies abroad.
Like Burma’s other ministries, the foreign ministry has been dominated by ex military officers. MoFA sources said that although staffers are career diplomats at the ministry, almost all of ambassadors are ex military officers and family members of the ruling hierarchy.
A “civilian” staffer at the MoFA said there was an inside joke that the acronym really stands for the “Ministry of Family Affairs.”
Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin was not to be seen in his office this week, following news that his mother passed away on Saturday.
Burmese dissidents in exile welcomed the news of the senior Burmese diplomats' defections.
“Even its own officials have lost confidence in the government,” said Thuang Tun, a representative of the exiled National Coalition Government of Union of Burma. “We welcome the defectors.”
Asked about the case of Kyaw Win, a member of the Burmese community in Washington said the diplomat was on friendly terms with the former diplomatic community in the US capital, and that he tried to bridge understanding between the differing Burmese factions in the US capital.
According to a source, the MoFA previously sent a letter of warning to Kyaw Win concerning his close relationship with the Burmese community in Washington.
According to a MoFA source in Naypyidaw, “The chargé d'affairs [Soe Paing] in DC is a military man. But he doesn't understand English, so the no.2 [Kyaw Win] had to handle political matters.
He said that the heads at MoFA in Naypyidaw held an investigation and grilled the junior staff—all civilians—and that afterward “they were very depressed,” he said.
“We think Washington will be all army men and their siblings, from now on,” he said. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21698
---------------------------------------------
Shan Women condemn Burma Army of using rape as war weapon
By Zin Linn Jul 14, 2011 8:32PM UTC
A press release has been delivered today by the Shan Women’s Action Network (SWAN) and the Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF) condemning Burma Army of using rape as war weapon. The Burma Army is clearly authorizing rape as a terror policy in its offensive against the Shan State Army-North (SSA-N), according to information documented by SWAN and SHRF.
According to local sources, the operation launched by the Burmese government forces against the Shan State Army (SSA) and Shan State Progress Party (SSPP) is at a stalemate since April when they had their first fierce engagement. However small conflicts between the opposite forces take place everyday particularly in Mongshu, Mongyai, Hsipaw and Kehsi townships, Shan Herald Agency News (SHAN) said.
On July 5, 2011, a Burma Army patrol from Light Infantry Battalion 513 entered the village of “Wan Loi” in Kehsi township, and within hours had looted property throughout the village and raped four women and girls in separate incidents: Nang Mon, age 12, Nang Jarm, age 50, Nang Lord, age 30 and Nang Poeng, age 35 (not their real names), said SWAN and SHRF.
Twelve year-old schoolgirl Nang Mon was raped in her home in front of her mother, who was beaten when she tried to shield her daughter. Nearby villagers heard the girl’s screams but did not dare get involved. Fifty-year old widow Nang Jarm was also raped in her own house, according to the document.
Burmese soldiers even did not spare Nang Lord, who was 9 months pregnant. She was pulled roughly to the ground and raped. Another poor girl, Nang Poeng was caught outside the village, beaten, stripped naked and raped in a farm hut. She was found by other villagers running naked in the jungle, the press release said.
“Wan Loi” lies 15 miles from the SSA-N headquarters of Wan Hai, which has been under fierce assault by over 3,000 Burma Army troops since March 13, when the regime broke the 22-year ceasefire. The troops have been committing widespread atrocities against local villagers, including sexual violence, causing thousands to flee their homes.
“Foreign governments dealing with Burma should not be silent about these atrocities. ‘Business as usual’ means ongoing rape in our communities,” said Hseng Moon.
There has been no sign of dialogue between the Burma Army and the SSA but the government forces tried to persuade the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) for a negotiation. No further offer of ceasefire to the SSA has been made by the Burma Army since they met on April 11, 2011 in Mongkhurh, in the township of Hsipaw, Shan State North.
Northern Shan State is of crucial strategic importance for Burma’s military rulers, who are seeking to secure the area for major Chinese investments, including hydropower dams and trans-national gas and oil pipelines.
Meanwhile, Burmese army’s fighter aircrafts carried out bombing attack on Shan State Armys positions in Kehsi Mansan Township, southern Shan State, referring a spokesperson of the SSA, DVB said. Major Sai Lao Hseng said the attacks were carried out by two fighter aircrafts, presumably MIG jet fighters, at about 1.30 p.m. local time on 13 July.
The latest attacks occurred near the SSAs Wan Hai headquarters situated in mountainous region of southern Shan State, a strategic location for Shan troops who refused to be transformed into so-called border guard force, a plan imposed on them by the Burmese army.
“Burma Army troops are being given free rein to rape children, the pregnant and the elderly,” said SWAN coordinator Hseng Moon. “We strongly condemn these war crimes.”
This latest incident comes only weeks after the Kachin Women’s Association Thailand denounced the rape of 18 women and girls during renewed fighting last month in Kachin State. The breaking of ceasefire agreements with Kachin and Shan resistance groups has caused fighting to spread through 12 townships in northern Shan State. http://asiancorrespondent.com/60054/shan-women-condemn-burma-army-of-using-rape-as-war-weapon/
-----------------------------------------------
Govt Puts Brakes on Naypyidaw Construction Projects
By THE IRRAWADDY Thursday, July 14, 2011
NAYPYIDAW—All construction projects in Naypyidaw except for military projects and projects for ministers and vice-ministers have been temporarily suspended for three months because of government plans to reduce the budget, according to sources in the Burmese capital.
Construction has not stopped on the Naypyidaw International Airport and the houses of ministers and vice-ministers, the sources said.
An engineer from ACE Construction Company, which is owned by Union Minister Tint San, told The Irrawaddy that “the chairman of the Naypyidaw government council, Thein Nyunt, said that construction projects that are not so important will be put on hold, but major projects will go ahead as planned as the government moves to reduce spending.”
He added that it has not yet been confirmed whether the authorities have ordered a halt to the construction of two stadiums in Naypyidaw intended for use in the 2013 Southeast Asia Games. The stadium project is run by Max Myanmar Company, owned by Zaw Zaw, a close crony of Burma's senior military leaders.
An engineer from the stadium project also said that it was unclear if construction would go ahead as planned.
Among the projects that have been suspended are a national museum, a national library, a national archive and a Tatmadaw (armed forces) museum.
A construction project manager in Naypyidaw told The Irrawaddy on condition of anonymity that the suspension could last for more than three months. He added that uncertainty about the future of the projects was creating some confusion among companies as to whether they should continue hiring or not.
Some of the larger construction companies, such as ACE, TZTM and Shwe Taung, are expected to continue paying the salaries of their staffs, but smaller companies will have to lay off workers, he said.
In a speech on June 21, Burmese Vice President Sai Mauk Kham said that the Union government would complete important projects within the 2012 budget year but reduce expenses on unnecessary projects.
According to a bank official who requested anonymity, the Burma's former military junta spent 4 billion kyat (US $5 million) per day on construction projects.http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21694
-----------------------------------------------
Drop in sales at latest Myanmar gems fair
YANGON, July 14 | Thu Jul 14, 2011 4:50am EDT
(Reuters) - Proceeds from the sale of jade, gems and pearls at the latest emporium in Myanmar this month were far lower than expected at 1.1 billion euro ($1.57 billion), an official from the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry said on Thursday.
Myanmar produces more than 90 percent of the world's rubies and fine-quality jade. It holds sales three times a year. Proceeds from the previous one in March hit a record high of more than 2 billion euros.
More than 22,000 lots of jade, 282 lots of gems and 355 lots of pearls were put on sale by state-owned enterprises and about 750 private companies in the sale held in the capital, Naypyitaw, from July 1 to 13.
"We expected to earn record high proceeds from this emporium since it was far better and larger than the previous ones in terms of quality and quantity," the official said, adding that bids were lacking for higher-quality jade lots.
Over 9,000 traders, including about 5,000 from foreign countries including China, Taiwan and Thailand, took part.
Gemstones are a lucrative source of income for Myanmar's military-backed government despite Western sanctions imposed on the resource-rich country.
Despite the embargoes, many of the gems reach Western countries through other Asian countries, Hong Kong and Taiwan in particular.
According to official data from the Central Statistical Organisation, Myanmar produced over 46.81 million kilos of jade, 1.43 million carats of ruby and 1.42 million carats of sapphire among other precious stones in fiscal 2010/11 (April/March). ($1 = 0.702 Euros) (Reporting by Aung Hla Tun; Editing by Alan Raybould) http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/14/myanmar-gems-idUSL3E7IE0Y020110714?rpc=401&feedType=RSS&feedName=rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews&rpc=401
------------------------------------------
Breaking Travel News
Explore returns to south-east Asia for holidays in Burma
After a 16-year absence, Explore has announced the reintroduction of tours to Burma.
Returning to the country with gusto, 12 departure dates will be offered for a two week tour, over a six-month period from November.
A further three-week holiday and family trip will be featured in Explore’s new brochure, released in the autumn.
Featuring highly on a lot of people’s wish lists, there have been a number of false alarms about the reintroduction of tourism to the country over the last few years.
However, on each of these occasions Explore took its advice from Burma Campaign UK, who assured the company that the boycott was still in place.
Explore’s return to the country has been with the endorsement of Burma Campaign UK and the company continues to follow their guidelines closely.
As per the appeals of Burmese pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, the adventure travel specialist will not be using junta-owned hotels, flights or other services.
Everything will be done to minimise customer contact with the government as much as possible.
Ashley Toft, managing director of Explore, commented: “With the confirmed relaxation of the boycott, we look forward to offering interesting and competitively priced tours in this fascinating country.
“Rich in colonial history, it is almost as if Burma has been left in a time-warp.
“Largely untouched by tourism, it currently offers just 9,000 hotel beds.”
He continued: “In a recent interview for the BBC’s Reith Lectures, Aung San Suu Kyi encouraged (tourism) institutions to help the people of Burma, while conserving its environment.
“As one of the first UK operators to return to the country, we want to make sure that we act appropriately and responsibly for the benefit of the Burmese people and our customers.”
http://www.newsnow.co.uk/A/506779520?-10820
-----------------------------------------
Burma army use aircrafts to bomb Shan positions
By NANG MYA NADI
Published: 14 July 2011
Fighter aircrafts belonging to the Burmese army carried out bombing raids on Shan State Army’s positions in Kehsi Mansan township, southern Shan State, according to a spokesperson of the SSA.
Major Sai Lao Hseng said the attacks were carried out by two fighter aircrafts, presumably MIG jet fighters, at about 1.30 p.m. local time on 13 July.
“We captured their frontline post and they retreated to Wan Sai hills, and we trapped their soldiers,” said Lao Hseng.
“And two planes bombed SSA troops with ten bombs.”
The latest attacks occurred near the SSA’s Wan Hai headquarters situated in mountainous region of southern Shan State, a strategic location for Shan troops who refused to be transformed into so-called border guard force, a plan imposed on them by the Burmese army.
“They are trying to demolish Wan Hai step by step as we have troops along the route but we will defend it as much as we could,” said a Shan officer.
“If possible, we do not want to solve it by military means as our people are facing difficulties and scarcity of food due to the military operations (of the Burmese army).
There have been clashes since early this year between Burmese troops and Wan Hai based SSA soldiers.
http://www.dvb.no/news/burma-army-use-aircrafts-to-bomb-shan-positions/16569
-----------------------------------
The Washington Post
A second Burmese diplomat defects
By William Wan, Thursday, July 14, 8:00 AM
A Burmese diplomat has requested asylum in the United States, apparently in response to a crackdown by his government after the defection of a more senior diplomat earlier this month.
Soe Aung, the fourth-ranking official in the Burmese Embassy in Washington, wrote to the State Department on Wednesday requesting asylum, according to the pro-democracy group U.S. Campaign for Burma. Soe Aung confirmed his defection in a brief interview with the Burmese Service of the Voice of America.
The embassy’s second-ranking official, Kyaw Win, said his own defection July 4 prompted authorities in Burma, also known as Myanmar, to recall Soe Aung and other diplomats for questioning.
Soe Aung was ordered to report with his family to the embassy Wednesday afternoon to be escorted home by a former military official, according to Campaign for Burma Executive Director Aung Din, who has been in touch with Soe Aung and his supporters. Soe Aung could not be reached Wednesday.
In an interview, Kyaw Win said Soe Aung had spoken to him about his fear of returning to Burma. “I felt bad for him, that he was being summoned and being questioned for my earlier decision to defect,” he said.
Embassy officials did not immediately return calls for comment.
The two diplomats seeking asylum both served on the civilian side of the embassy. The Burmese government has been controlled by the military since 1962.
“We are not against the government or against the country,” Kyaw Win said. “But the work we do is increasingly difficult and dangerous. And the military side, they don’t want to listen.” http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/national-security/a-second-burmese-diplomat-defects/2011/07/13/gIQA7ggDDI_story.html
------------------------------------------
Lao PM Myanmar visit further enhances bilateral friendship, co-op
13:18, July 14, 2011
by Feng Yingqiu
Lao Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong's three-day visit to Myanmar, which wrapped up on Wednesday, further enhanced the traditional friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation between Myanmar and Laos.
A joint statement of Myanmar and Laos issued at the end of Thongsing's visit said both sides exchanged views on the possibility of constructing a friendship bridge across the Mekong River in order to facilitate and enhance road connectivity between the two countries.
Both sides agreed to further the bilateral cooperation between the Myanmar Home Ministry and Lao Ministry of Public Security on matters relating to suppression of transnational crimes, drug trafficking, arms smuggling and terrorist activities.
Both sides reaffirmed their policy to respect and safeguard each other's sovereignty and security by not allowing any armed insurgent groups from either side to keep their base in the territory of respective countries.
Both sides expressed their satisfaction over the success of the first meeting of the regional border committee held in Houaysay, Bokeo province of Laos in 2010 and agreed to convene a second meeting of the committee in Myanmar alternately.
To promote security in the Mekong River, both sides agreed to renew their commitment to enhancing cooperation on safeguarding the navigation in the Mekong River, assuring to prevent undesirable incidents from taking place in the future along the Mekong River through timely and effective exchange of information between the security forces of the two countries. http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90851/7440023.html
----------------------------------
Burma’s Dead Men Walking
July 13, 2011
By Sebastian Strangio
A new Human Rights Watch report details how hundreds of convicts were beaten, forced to carry supplies for the military – and clear landmines with sticks and forks.
Last year, Yezaw was arrested over an unpaid restaurant bill. One evening in May, he and a group of friends met for dinner in the central Burmese city of Mandalay and ran up a tab they couldn’t pay. After his girlfriend’s father – a lawyer – accused him of stealing her motorbike to cover the debt, the 20-year-old was charged, taken to court and sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Reeling from the apparent unfairness of the charge, Yezaw, now 21, said he hadn’t imagined what was to happen next. At the start of this year, he was transferred to eastern Karen State, close to the Thai border and, along with dozens of other prisoners, handed a dark blue uniform. For three months, he was forced to carry supplies for the Burmese military, enduring punishing jungle terrain, meagre rations and regular beatings for the smallest of infractions.
The skinny student from Mandalay was just one of hundreds of convicts who were rounded up for porter duty during the Burmese military’s offensives in Karen State following last November’s national election, when rebels seized the border town of Myawaddy and attacked army units.
Yezaw’s story is echoed in a new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG), entitled Dead Men Walking: Convict Porters on the Front Lines in Eastern Burma. The report estimates 700 prisoners from 12 prisons and labour camps across the country were transferred to Karen State to perform military labour during this year’s fighting. The report documents how civilian prison authorities, in collusion with the military, selected prisoners for porter duty ‘without any clearly stated criteria’ and forwarded them to conflict areas in a series of coordinated sweeps.
‘The men were a mix of serious and petty offenders, but their crimes or willingness to serve were not taken into consideration: only their ability to carry heavy loads of ammunition, food, and supplies for more than 17 Tatmadaw (Burmese army) battalions engaged in operations against ethnic Karen armed groups,’ it states.
The report, based on HRW and KHRG interviews with 58 convict porters who escaped to Thailand, claims that porters used during offensives between 2009 and 2011 endured ‘horrific abuses’ at the hands of the Tatmadaw, including summary executions, beatings, torture, and the practice known as ‘atrocity demining,’ where porters were sent ahead to detect landmines with inadequate equipment and next to no training. HRW and KHRG describe the practice as a ‘wilful deferment of military obligation onto a vulnerable civilian population’ – and a potential war crime.
Photo Credit: Free Burma Rangers http://the-diplomat.com/2011/07/13/burma%E2%80%99s-dead-men-walking/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+the-diplomat+%28The+Diplomat+RSS%29
-----------------------------------
Children become latest victims of conflict in Kachin State
By AYE NAI
Published: 13 July 2011
An outbreak of diarrhoea in makeshift refugee camps in northeast Burma set up by Kachin Independence Organisation is affecting hundreds of children taking shelter there and resulted in two recent deaths, according to the KIO.
La Nan, spokesperson of the KIO told DVB three children have died so far in the camps set up in KIO headquarter town of Laiza near China’s Yunnan Province.
“Two children; aged 2 and 5, died in one day with diarrhea – so there are three deaths including the death of another child who was suffering from pneumonia (earlier),” said La Nan.
He said there are about 300 child patients seeking medical assistance everyday at local hospital suffering from illnesses related to lack of clean drinking water and inadequate sanitation.
“Children are mainly suffering from illnesses such as dengue fever and diarrhoea and this may lead to long-term health problems,” he said.
Some 20,000 refugees, who fled armed clashes between Burmese troops and KIO’s armed-wing, Kachin Independence Army that started last month, are sharing accommodation in large halls which makes it easier for the diseases to spread.
La Nan added the refugees are not getting any kind of assistance from aid groups, apart from one Non-Government Organisation in China providing blankets and mosquito nets when the refugees started to arrive in Laiza last month.
Beijing is yet to give the refugees official recognition. A statement released by Kachin Women’s Association-Thailand (KWAT) in June said China has restricted the movement of aid workers along the shared border with Burma.
Reports have also circulated that officials in Yunnan Province warned local households, some of whom are of Kachin ethnicity, along the border not to shelter refugees.
http://www.dvb.no/news/children-become-latest-victims-of-conflict-in-kachin-state/16548
__._,_.___
Friday, July 15, 2011
News & Articles on Burma-Thursday, 14 July, 2011-UZL
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment