News & Articles on Burma-Thursday 16 June, 2011

News & Articles on Burma
Thursday 16 June, 2011
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Ethnic MPs Call for Peace
KIA Captures Six Govt Soldiers, as KIO Asks Beijing to Mediate
Q+A - What is behind clashes in Myanmar's Kachin hills?
Refugees flee Myanmar towns as fighting rages
Kachin rebels in northern Myanmar claim fighting forces 10K to flee
China urges talks as refugees flee Myanmar fighting
China urges restraint, KIA seeks mediation
China's Hand in the Renewed Civil War in Burma
Schools in Three Pagodas Pass Closed in Fear of Attacks
Myanmar To Expand GSM Phone Coverage To Asian Countries
Thai police free 54 illegal Myanmar migrants
Big step forward for Burmese migrant domestic workers
Lower US Dollar Value Hits Rice Business and Farmers
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Ethnic MPs Call for Peace
By KHIN OO THAR Thursday, June 16, 2011

Several ethnic and opposition leaders in Burma have urged the new government to hold peace talks as soon as possible aimed at stopping the armed conflicts that are ongoing in Kachin State, Shan State and other ethnic areas.

Dr. Aye Maung, the chairman of the Rakhine National Development Party and an elected MP in the Nationalities Parliament, said Naypyidaw should form an emergency committee to intermediate in the armed conflicts.

He said that MPs must get involved in helping because they were elected by the people.

“The government should cooperate with the ethnic leaders,” he said.

Sai Hsaung Si, the vice-chairman of the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP), said, “Even though we are parliamentarians, we can do nothing without the cooperation of the government and the ethnic armed groups.”

“Civilians have become the real victims of the conflict. We don't want war. We want peace,” he said.

Independent MP Thein Nyunt urged the government to solve the six-decade-long armed conflicts by political means. President Thein Sein must prioritize the issue of the armed conflicts, he added.

Lawmakers in Naypyidaw, however, said that the issue of the conflicts had not been raised in parliament. Several noted specifically that no mention had been made in either the Upper or the Lower House about last week's escalation of hostilities between government forces and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).

A parliamentarian who requested anonymity said, “We are unable to raise the issue of ethnic strife in parliament as there are so few opposition parties represented. We are expected to attend parliamentary sessions just to listen.”

Tu Raw, the general secretary of the dissolved Kachin State Progressive Party (KSPP), said, “The new government should begin sincere peace negotiations. If things go on this, civil war will break out.”

The KSPP was founded and led by Manam Tuja, the former vice-chairman of the KIA's political wing, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), in March 2009. He officially launched the party in July the same year, but Burma's Election Commission did not approve its registration for the 2010 election because authorities believed the KSPP was tied to the KIO.

Tu Raw said that when the KIO signed a ceasefire agreement with the former military junta in 1994, the regime pledged that when a civilian government was elected it would hold political dialogue with the KIO. However, 17 years later, and no dialogue has been initiated, he said. Instead, the government continues to send its army on military offensives against the KIO.

Seventeen armed ethnic groups, including the KIO, have entered ceasefire agreements since 1989 with the Burmese government. Tensions rose, however, in April 2009 when the junta ordered the ceasefire groups to join border guard force units under Burmese army command.

Three major ceasefire groups—the United Wa State Army, the Shan State Army–North and the KIA—refused the BGF order.

Earlier this month, the five ethnic parties that contested the election issued a joint-statement calling on the Thein Sein government to resolve the armed conflicts through peace talks.

“Religious and social organizations, as well as civilians, are all calling for peace,” said Naing Ngwe Thein, the chairman of the All Mon Region Democracy Party. “If the government intends paying serous attention to its own citizens, it needs to practice peaceful means in settling disputes.”

Chapter 7 of the 2008 constitution, which was written under the former military junta, states that all the armed forces in the Union shall be under the command of the Defence Services. The armed forces also has sole authority over border affairs, according to the constitution.

Ethnic leaders from the opposition camp have reportedly said that although they agree with the fact that an army must exist in a country, they do not accept the 2008 constitution because it does not guarantee ethnic rights.

Despite their chorus of calls for dialogue, many of the ethnic and opposition MPs said the new government is not paying attention to the conflict in Kachin State where thousands of civilians have been forced to flee their homes this week. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21504
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KIA Captures Six Govt Soldiers, as KIO Asks Beijing to Mediate
By WAI MOE Thursday, June 16, 2011

Six government soldiers were captured by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) during armed conflict in Shan State on Thursday, while two days ago the armed group's political wing, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), sent a letter to Beijing requesting it to act as a “mediator” between the Burmese regime and ethnic groups, a Kachin commander said.

The KIA's vice chief-of-staff, Brig-Gen Sumlut Gun Maw, told The Irrawaddy on Thursday: “Kachin troops under KIA Brigade 4 in northern Shan State captured six [government] soldiers, including one officer, during today's skirmish.”

“Regarding the letter to Beijing, I want to say that we attempted to achieve peace with the government bilaterally. However, it achieved no solid result, even after a 16-year ceasefire, so this time we want [Beijing] to be involved in the peace process as a mediator. That's why we sent the letter two days ago,” he said.

The KIA official said that conflicts in Kachin State could create greater instability in northern Burma unless the regime in Naypyidaw commits itself to finding a peaceful resolution. He added that unity among ethnic armed groups along the Sino-Burmese border has strengthened since government troops attacked last week.

“Since June 9, fighting between the KIA and [government troops] has been ongoing. We have talked with other ethnic groups and have an agreement,” said Sumlut Gun Maw. “We don’t want the war to become bigger, but if we have no alternative, we will do what we have to to defend ourselves.”

“We will defend our land using guerrilla warfare tactics until the very end,” he added.

He said that since the government army’s “strategic attack” against Kachin troops near Ta Ping Hydropower sites in Momauk, Bhamo District, the KIA has discussed military cooperation with five other ethnic armed groups allied with them. However, he declined to provide further details about the alliance agreement during the ongoing conflict.

Commenting on the government army’s operation plan against the KIA on June 9, he said the area is in a strategic location militarily and geographically, since it is just 30 miles from the Chinese border.

“Their plan is to carry out a big offensive against the KIA under the pretext of providing 'dam security'. Their plan is to totally destroy our troops,” said Sumlut Gun Maw.

According to the Kachin commander, the conflict could escalate, as there are estimated to be at least six government army battalions around the conflict area near the hydropower site and more reinforcements from other light infantry divisions are reported to be on their way.

“We have good relations with the Chinese authorities and Chinese companies. Why do they need to call for further security?” asked Sumlut Gun Maw.

Asked if Kachin and Chinese officials have discussed the recent conflict, Sumlut Gun Maw said that there have been no official talks yet, although KIA leaders have reported the situation to their Chinese counterparts.

Concerning reports that the Burmese air force has sent combat planes to Myitkyina, the Kachin State capital, and rumors that the defense forces of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have been ordered to shoot down any aircraft that crosses into Chinese air space, Sumlut Gun Maw said: “Some local PLA commanders might say something like that, but I'm not sure about the commander in Beijing.”

Another likely concern of Beijing is the safety of Chinese nationals living in Kachin State. There are believed to be several hundred thousand Chinese businessmen, workers and technicians in the state, which has attracted growing numbers of investors from China in recent years.

“Regarding the security of Chinese citizens, if instability occurs, it could affect everyone. But I have ordered KIA troops to be concerned about the safety of Chinese citizens,” said Sumlut Gun Maw.

On Thursday, Chinese authorities made their first public statement on the Kachin conflict.

“We are paying attention to the situation in Myanmar [Burma] near the border area. We urge the two parties to exercise restraint and prevent the escalation of the situation, and resolve the relevant disputes through peaceful negotiations,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a news conference in Beijing.

Hong said China was giving humanitarian help to residents from Burma who had fled, but he gave no details on their number or condition.

So far, it appears that most civilians fleeing the conflict have remained inside Burma, although that could change, according to the KIO's joint-secretary, La Nan.

“Our statistics show that more than 10,000 refugees have come here to flee the fighting.
Some could cross into China,” he said, speaking to The Irrawaddy from the KIO's headquarters in Laiza on Thursday.

Residents of Myitkyina have also been uneasy, amid rumors that fighting could spread to the town.

“People here are worried that there could be fighting here,” said Soe, a student in her early 20s who lives in Myitkyina. “I hope the situation will be resolved peacefully.”

As of Thursday, Burmese state-run media have been silent on the conflict. Journalists for privately owned publications based in Rangoon have also not begun to report on the situation in Kachin State.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21505&page=1
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Q+A - What is behind clashes in Myanmar's Kachin hills?
ReutersBy Beijing Newsroom and Martin Petty in Bangkok | Reuters – 3 hours ago

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Myanmar troops have clashed with ethnic Kachin rebels near Chinese-built dams this week, threatening Chinese energy interests in the country.

Here are some questions and answers about the conflict and the implications for China.

WHO ARE THE KACHIN REBELS?

They are guerrillas of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), one of the larger ethnic minority forces in northern Myanmar. The Kachin are a hill people and many of them are Christian.

The KIA group was formed in the early 1960s and for years battled the military government for greater autonomy for the Kachin hills along the border with China, which are rich in jade and timber.

The group agreed to a cease-fire in 1994 but that fell through last year when the government tried to force all ethnic minority forces to merge with its military-run Border Guard Force.

The Kachin were among those who refused on the grounds that a merger with the government force would erode their autonomy. The Kachin force numbers at least 10,000 well-armed and experienced fighters.

Ethnic minority rebel armies like the KIA have fought Myanmar's military for decades. Low-level fighting has taken place in the past year; these latest clashes are the most intense.

The Kachin, like most of Myanmar's ethnic minority factions, are not fighting to break away from Myanmar but want a federal system with a high degree of autonomy for their regions.

WHAT HAS BEEN GOING ON RECENTLY?

Beginning last Thursday, Myanmar troops clashed with the KIA. The clashes are near at least two Chinese-built hydroelectric dams and there area fears that fighting could spread to other areas on the border.

At least four people have been killed and Kachin sources estimate 10,000 people have fled into the jungles towards the Myanmar-China border.

Some analysts say the conflict has arisen mainly out of business interests. The KIA was ignored when Myanmar and China agreed a lucrative energy deal, and now the group could be demanding financial incentives, such as protection money.

WHY DOES THIS CONFLICT MATTER TO CHINA?

China has interests in resource-rich Myanmar, particularly in energy. Bilateral trade rose by more than half last year to $4.4 billion (2.72 billion pounds), and China's investment in Myanmar reached $12.3 billion in 2010, according to Chinese figures, with a strong focus on natural resources and energy projects.

In October, Chinese state energy group CNPC started building a crude oil port in Myanmar, part of a pipeline project aimed at streamlining oil cargo paths.

In addition, Myanmar gives China access to the Indian Ocean, not only for imports of oil and gas and exports from landlocked southwestern Chinese provinces, but also potentially for military bases or listening posts.

WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN NEXT?

Myanmar's government is only 10 weeks old and has little appetite for war with the ethnic minority forces at this stage, although it is unlikely to tolerate them in the long term.

Still, it faces pressure to protect the dams and other pipeline construction sites to appease China. Since China has significant energy interests in the area, it may use its influence to try to stop the fighting.

(Compiled by Beijing Newsroom and Martin Petty in Bangkok; Editing by Alan Raybould and Robert Birsel)
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/q-behind-clashes-myanmars-kachin-hills-081524566.html
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Kachin rebels in northern Myanmar claim fighting forces 10K to flee to camps near China border

By Associated Press, Updated: Thursday, June 16, 7:46 PM

BANGKOK — As many as 10,000 people have reportedly become refugees from fighting in northern Myanmar between government troops and a militia of the Kachin ethnic minority.

The website of the Kachin News Group, associated with anti-government Kachin exiles, quoted one of the group’s leaders saying that more than 10,000 refugees had fled territory under government control to six temporary camps near the Chinese border. The report said China had closed the border to refugees, but Beijing has denied doing so.

The fighting began June 9 when government troops allegedly shelled a Kachin base in a bid to force the rebel fighters from a strategic region where China is constructing major hydropower plants. The total number of casualties so far remains unclear.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia-pacific/kachin-rebels-in-northern-myanmar-claim-fighting-forces-10k-to-flee-to-camps-near-china-border/2011/06/16/AGHnwDXH_story.html
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Refugees flee Myanmar towns as fighting rages
ReutersBy Martin Petty | Reuters – Thu, Jun 16, 2011

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Myanmar's army and ethnic Kachin rebels clashed for an eighth day on Thursday in mountains near the border with China and hundreds of people fled in anticipation of a heavy offensive by government troops, Kachin sources said.

Townships close to two Chinese-built hydroelectric dams held by Kachin separatists were emptying fast, with an estimated 2,000 people sheltering in a camp run by the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO), the rebels' political arm.

Some 7,000 more had set up tents and shelters in the jungle along the troubled frontier and others had crossed into China, said Lahpai Naw Din, head of the Thai-based Kachin News Group, citing sources on the ground.

"Many have fled their homes after reports of reinforcements being sent by the government. Everyone fears the clashes will escalate into heavy fighting and that they will be targeted by troops," he said, adding the number of casualties was not known.

The fighting, which began last Thursday, has killed at least four people according to the Washington-based U.S. Campaign for Burma.

A spokesman for the KIO's War Office in Kachin State confirmed there had been no let-up in the fighting.

The KIO battled the central government for decades but agreed to a ceasefire in 1994 under which their fighters were allowed to keep their arms.

But tension has been rising since last year, largely because the Kachin have been resisting government pressure to fold their men into a state-run border security force.

Information is difficult to obtain from the remote northern Myanmar states of Kachin and Shan and the country's military-backed government has made no mention of the conflict in any of the newspapers or television channels it controls.

DIVISIVE DAMS

Analysts say the 10-week old government, Myanmar's first civilian-led administration in five decades, is intent on seizing control of the rebellious states but is reluctant to engage in conflict with numerous factions at this point.

They say the government is probably under pressure from China, its biggest economic ally, to secure the two hydroelectric plants on the Taping River owned by Datang Corporation, a Chinese state company, which says 90 percent of the power generated will flow into China's power grid.

Chinese-built dams have been divisive projects, with ethnic minorities in Myanmar seeing the construction as expanding military presence into their territory. Some analysts say Kachin rebels may be trying to hold the dams hostage in return for a share of the revenue from the projects.

The unrest has raised fears the fighting could spread and intensify a wider, decades-old conflict between ethnic minority factions and Myanmar's army, which has repeatedly ordered rebels to disarm and join the state-run Border Guard Force.

Some small groups have complied, but the larger Shan State Army, Kachin Independence Army and the powerful United Wa State Army, among others, have resisted and vowed to protect the enclaves they have ruled for decades.

Myanmar's pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has sought to revive a plan devised by her late father, independence hero Aung San, to grant a degree of self-determination to ethnic minorities but her efforts have been rejected as interference by the country's uncompromising rulers.

Many Kachin are Christian and their fighters helped British and other allied troops fighting against Japanese forces in what was then known as Burma in World War Two.

(Editing by Alan Raybould and Robert Birsel) http://in.news.yahoo.com/refugees-flee-myanmar-towns-fighting-rages-072613042.html
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China urges talks as refugees flee Myanmar fighting
By Martin Petty – 2 hrs 19 mins ago

BANGKOK (Reuters) – Myanmar's army and ethnic Kachin rebels clashed for an eighth day on Thursday in mountains near the border with China and hundreds of people fled, Kachin sources said, while Beijing urged the warring sides to defuse the volatile outbreak.

The risk of fighting spreading in the heavily militarized border region is a particular worry for China, which is building oil and gas pipelines that will span its Southeast Asian neighbor to improve energy security.

Townships close to two Chinese-built hydroelectric dams held by Kachin separatists were emptying fast, with an estimated 2,000 people sheltering in a camp run by the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), the rebels' political arm.

Some 7,000 more had set up tents and shelters in the jungle along the troubled frontier and others had crossed into China, said Lahpai Naw Din, head of the Thai-based Kachin News Group, citing sources on the ground.

"Many have fled their homes after reports of reinforcements being sent by the government. Everyone fears the clashes will escalate into heavy fighting and that they will be targeted by troops," he said, adding the number of casualties was not known.

The fighting, which began last Thursday, has killed at least four people according to the Washington-based U.S. Campaign for Burma.

"We are paying attention to the situation in Myanmar near the border area. We urge the two parties to exercise restraint and prevent the escalation of the situation, and resolve the relevant disputes through peaceful negotiations," the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a regular news conference in Beijing.

Hong said China was giving humanitarian help to residents from Myanmar who had fled, but he gave no details on their number or condition.

A spokesman for the KIO's War Office in Kachin State confirmed there had been no let-up in the fighting.

The KIO battled the central government for decades but agreed to a ceasefire in 1994 under which their fighters were allowed to keep their arms.

But tension has been rising since last year, largely because the Kachin have been resisting government pressure to fold their men into a state-run border security force.

Information is difficult to obtain from the remote northern Myanmar states of Kachin and Shan and the country's military-backed government has made no mention of the conflict in any of the newspapers or television channels it controls.

DIVISIVE DAMS

Analysts say the 10-week old government, Myanmar's first civilian-led administration in five decades, is intent on seizing control of the rebellious states but is reluctant to engage in conflict with numerous factions at this point.

They say the government is probably under pressure from China, its biggest economic ally, to secure the two hydroelectric plants on the Taping River owned by Datang Corporation, a Chinese state company, which says 90 percent of the power generated will flow into China's power grid.

Chinese-built dams have been divisive projects, with ethnic minorities in Myanmar seeing the construction as expanding military presence into their territory. Some analysts say Kachin rebels may be trying to hold the dams hostage in return for a share of the revenue from the projects.

The unrest has raised fears the fighting could spread and intensify a wider, decades-old conflict between ethnic minority factions and Myanmar's army, which has repeatedly ordered rebels to disarm and join the state-run Border Guard Force.

Some small groups have complied, but the larger Shan State Army, Kachin Independence Army and the powerful United Wa State Army, among others, have resisted and vowed to protect the enclaves they have ruled for decades.

Myanmar's pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has sought to revive a plan devised by her late father, independence hero Aung San, to grant a degree of self-determination to ethnic minorities but her efforts have been rejected as interference by the country's uncompromising rulers.

Many Kachin are Christian and their fighters helped British and other allied troops fighting against Japanese forces in what was then known as Burma in World War Two.

(Additional reporting by Michael Martina in Beijing; Editing by Alan Raybould and Sanjeev Miglani)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110616/wl_nm/us_myanmar_china
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China urges restraint, KIA seeks mediation
By JOSEPH ALLCHIN
Published: 16 June 2011

China has called for “restraint” in its first official acknowledgement of the escalating conflict over the border with Burma, following requests from the Kachin Independence Army that Beijing plays an intermediary role between it and the Burmese government.

Hong Lei, China’s foreign affairs spokesperson, told a press conference in Beijing today that the government was “paying attention to the situation in Myanmar [Burma] near the border area. We urge the two parties to exercise restraint and prevent the escalation of the situation, and resolve the relevant disputes through peaceful negotiations.”

The spokesperson of the Kachin Independence Organisation, the political wing of the KIA, James Lundau, told DVB today that China was the only foreign power capable of negotiating between the two sides to bring about an end to the fighting.

China is also a stakeholder in the conflict: Lundau told DVB that 7,000 refugees had now fled to China, which will be monitoring the conflict in fear of its infrastructure projects in the region, including the controversial Myitsone Dam near the Kachin state capital of Myitkyina.

Fighting began on Thursday last week but quietened on Monday, with little indication of any major successes for either side. A spokesperson for the KIO in Laiza near the China border told AFP that, “Without the involvement of another country as a witness, as a facilitator… there is no solution.”

Casualty figures are hard to ascertain, not least because the Burmese government has made no public statement on the fighting. The conflict however seems part of a wider concerted effort to rein in key ethnic areas that, like Kachin state, have huge strategic and economic potential for Burma.

China has been a key ally to Naypyidaw but is ever wary of the instability that Burma’s ethnic politics seemingly creates. In August 2009 the Chinese chastised Naypyidaw for creating a similar influx of refugees, this time from the Kokang region in Shan state where fighting broke out.

The KIO’s 17-year ceasefire deal with the Burmese in 1994 allowed its to maintain arms in exchange for Burmese control of the crucial jade mines in areas such as Hpakant.

But the advent of the government’s Border Guard Force plan, which groups like the KIO refused to sign on account that it would effectively end their autonomy, has pushed the Burmese to aggressively attempt to bring the areas under their control.
http://www.dvb.no/news/china-urges-restraint-kia-seeks-mediation/16168
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NEWS ANALYSIS
China's Hand in the Renewed Civil War in Burma
By BA KAUNG Thursday, June 16, 2011

The current armed conflict in Burma's northern Kachin State has effectively ended nearly two decades of ceasefire between the country's second largest ethnic army, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), and the newly sworn-in Naypyidaw government, bringing a strategic region near the Chinese border to the verge of a civil war.

The gunfire that was exchanged between the KIA and the Burmese army over the past seven days has claimed only a few casualties on both sides. But, despite concerns that the fighting will spread to other areas, no other clashes have been reported in the region since midday on Monday.

The past week's conflict is extraordinarily significant because for the first time it has reignited a civil war in northern Burma which has been in hibernation mode since a fragile “gentlemen's� agreement was reached in 1994.

The clashes that broke out last Thursday presented a new challenge in the armed struggle of Kachin rebels who initially demanded independence in 1961 but later called for a federal union.

The new and daunting challenge for the KIA today is its neighbor China. Across Kachin State, Chinese state-owned mega-corporations such as China Power Investment and China Datang are constructing a number of large-scale hydropower dams. And the electricity from those dams will be exported to China.

KIA spokesperson La Na told The Irrawaddy on Thursday that the immediate cause of the latest fighting stemmed from the Burmese army's aggressive attempts to control areas surrounding the hydropower dams, which are located near the Chinese border—areas which have long been under the control of KIA forces, and just a few kilometers away from China's strategic oil pipeline from the Bay of Bengal to Yunnan Province which passes through central Burma.

La Na said that these massive investments were implemented without the consent of the local public or stakeholders such as the KIA, and these economic interests have already pushed Beijing into becoming an ally of the Burmese army.

“When we approached the Chinese company officials working at these dams, their response is that they already have agreements with Naypyidaw,� he said. “China wants to get resources from Burma. So it seems that their policy is to secure our country's resources by any means necessary and, in this case, with the connivance of the Burmese authorities.�

According to Burma Rivers Network, an independent environmental group, these dams have severe social, economic and environmental impacts. In addition, the majority of the power is to be exported to neighboring countries, necessitating the expansion of Burmese army control in the areas where these dams are being built.

The NGO said in a statement on Wednesday that the latest fighting near the Dapein and Shweli hydropower dams in northern Burma shows how the build-up of Burmese government troops in the region fuels the conflict and adds to the deep resentment against the widely unpopular dam projects.

Given China's huge investment in the region, it is interesting to question whether the Burmese armed forces tried to dispel the KIA battalions from the areas near these projects only after it received explicit approval from Beijing.

The ongoing armed clashes in Kachin State come just a few weeks after Burmese President Thein Sein visited Beijing and the two countries announced the establishment of a strategic relationship. During the visit, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabo appealed to Thein Sein “for the smooth implementation of infrastructure projects, including oil and gas pipelines, hydroelectric power and transportation,� according to state news agency Xinhua.

China kept mum on the latest crisis near its border—unlike during the Burmese government's surprise offensive in 2009 against the small Kokang ethnic militia group in northeastern Shan State. At that time, China reprimanded Naypyidaw for creating “border instability.�

On Thursday, only a week later after the fightings, China has called for restraint on both parties and de-escalation of the tension.

Despite repeated stress on the importance of border stability from both Chinese and Burmese governments, the KIA official said the words lacked sincerity, describing it as “stability forced on the ethnic people by military means.�

Asked if China had possibly given a green light to the Burmese army to clear the KIA-controlled areas, Jim Della-Giacoma, the Southeast Asian Director of International Crisis Group, said, “We don't think Beijing would have been caught off-guard by this [the latest clashes] as they were by the Kokang fighting of August 2009, but their larger interests remain.�

The ICG report last year said that the Kokang conflict and the rise in tensions along the border prompted Beijing to increasingly view Burma's ethnic groups as a liability rather than a means of strategic leverage. It also said that the ethnic groups' view China’s support for them as provisional and driven by its own economic and security interests.

According to Dr. Zarni, a Burmese research fellow at the London School of Economics, the Burmese generals' insensitivity to the survival needs of local communities has resulted in the rise in military tensions with respective armed organizations.

“The ruling military class in Naypyidaw has condemned the Burmese people to slavery, and has colonized the ethnic groups with their other hand,� he said. “Now this ruling class is fulfilling the wishes of the Chinese government, and what they want in return is China's political protection on the international stage.�

Della-Giacoma described the current break in hostilities in Kachin State as “the lull before the storm.�

“We are not yet at a point of full resumption of conflict in Kachin, but if the Myanmar government doesn't move quickly to create space for a de-escalation, that's where this is headed,� he said.

Despite the presumed incentive of economic interests and the China factor, the core major cause of this conflict, the KIA official said, is the Burmese army's attempt to subjugate the KIA under central command—a move the KIA has rejected, just as many other armed ethnic groups have done.

Added to the Kachins' resentment toward Naypyidaw is that three Kachin political parties that tried to run in the parliamentary elections last year were banned from doing so on the grounds that their leaders were linked with the Kachin Independence Organization, the KIA's political wing.

La Na said the KIA had lost trust in the Burmese government and will not accept any peace talks inside the country. He said that KIA wants a neighboring country to host a dialogue between it and the Burmese government, so that Naypyidaw can be held accountable.

“Our major goal is for a genuine federal union. We don't seek independence,� he said.

Regarding the Chinese hydropower projects in Kachin State being included in any peace talks, the official said that although the KIA clearly rejects the Myitsone Dam project, which is not near KIA military bases, it is not in opposition to other dam projects in Kachin State.

“We wanted to have a say in these projects and make sure that the revenue from these dams benefits Kachin people too,� he said, adding that the apparent immediate objective of the Burmese army attack is to completely control full and direct access to China.

He said he does not rule out a large-scale major offensive by the Burmese army in the coming days.

“It depends only on the Burmese government,� La Na said. “We have prepared a broad defensive military position, just in case.

“But we know that real victims of war will be the people of the region,� he added. “That's why we are not conducting military attacks in any other area except to destroy bridges to deter the Burmese army tanks coming in.�

Copyright © 2008 Irrawaddy Publishing Group | www.irrawaddy.org

http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21506
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Schools in Three Pagodas Pass Closed in Fear of Attacks
By LAWI WENG Thursday, June 16, 2011

The Burmese authorities in Three Pagodas Pass ordered all students attending public schools in town to go home in the afternoon after receiving information that armed men would once again attack the town.

“The Burmese authorities told school teachers at 1:30 pm that the situation is getting worse, so they should let all the students go home,” said Tun Oo, a resident in the town.

“Karen Buddhists monks are transporting students, which is helping the students’ families,” he said.

There are three primary schools, one high school and one middle school in Three Pagodas Pass. All the schools were only open for a half-day due to the unstable situation.

The Burmese army has recently deployed three battalions to Three Pagodas Pass: Light Infantry Battalions (LIB) No. 566 and 563 and Infantry Battalion (IB) No. 284, which are under the control of the Regional Southeast Command in Moulmein.

Resident sources said that LIB No.566 and IB No. 284 have deployed about 200 troops at Ott Taung Kam (the name of a pool in Burmese) in the Taung Wine quarter 4 of Three Pagodas Pass.

“They (the government troops) told all people who stay near Ott Taung Kam to move away,” said Nai Lyi Mon.

“There are about 1,500 people who live near Ott Taung Kam. Many of them have already moved to other quarters of the town. The people who have money have already moved to the Thai side of the border,” he said.

Many of the government troops who have deployed at Ott Taung Kam wore civilian clothes, according to sources.

“They are cowards, as they are wearing civilian dress. If they dare to fight, why do not they wear uniform,” said a resident.

When armed men attacked the town on June 5 and June 14, they used the route at Taung Wine from quarter 4, where the government troops have currently deployed.

“We have seen many strangers this morning in the town. We have not seen these faces before. Maybe they (the armed men) are already in the town,” he said.

The situation in Three Pagodas Pass has been unstable amid rising ethnic tensions between Karen armed groups and government forces in the area.

In hopes of achieving peace, the Burmese authorities let Buddhist monks chant in Three Pagodas Pass for a week after the attack on June 5, which killed one officer from Military Affairs Security (MAS) and a girl, and wounded four people.

Despite the monks’ chanting, there was another attack on June 14, during which the assailants burned a shop owned by Ma Nyo, who was allegedly an agent who purchased weapons used by government troops to attack the Karen armed groups at Three Pagodas Pass.

The Burmese authorities have defused three bombs this morning at the power transformer station in town, according to sources. The armed men also attached three bombs to power poles during the June 14 attack.

Meanwhile, the residents in Three Pagodas Pass have said that the armed men who attacked the town were not only from Karen armed groups—other ethnic armed groups were also involved in the attacks.

The Burmese authorities at Three Pagodas Pass have accused members the New Mon State Party (NMSP) of being involved in the attacks.

IB No. 284 shot three mortars into the area controlled by the NMSP during the attack on June 14, which members of the NMSP believe was intentional, but there were no causalities.

Nai Hang Thar, the secretary of the NMSP, said, “We should make them afraid of us. Before they sleep, let them consider that our troops are coming to attack them.”

But he denied his troops were involved in the attacks at Three Pagodas Pass. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21502
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June 16, 2011 13:07 PM
Myanmar To Expand GSM Phone Coverage To Asian Countries

YANGON, June 16 (Bernama) -- The Myanmar telecommunication authorities will expand GSM phone coverage to Asean members and other Asian countries, aimed at providing better phone line services to link the region, a local weekly reported in this week issue.

The project to link such Asian countries as China, India, South Korea and Japan in addition to ASEAN members is to be initially implemented this year, China's Xinhua news agency quoted the Popular News on Thursday.

The authorities has also planned to add 30 million more lines of GSM mobile phone phase by phase through a five-year plan in cooperation with private companies.

According to the official statistics, there are over 1.09 million auto-telephones and 2.1 million mobile phones in Myanmar totaling 3.19 million at present compared with 74,855 in 1988, adding that telephone density hit 5.4 percent in the entire nation with 30 percent in Yangon and 20 percent in Mandalay.

There remains lesser density in rural areas and efforts are being made for installation of cellular, CDMA-450, CDMA-800 and GSM phones for the increase of the telephone density, better facility and wider coverage of telephone in the rural areas.

Internet users reached 380,000 in Myanmar in March 2011, up 28, 610 compared with the same period of 2010.

-- BERNAMA http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsworld.php?id=594327
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Thai police free 54 illegal Myanmar migrants
Jun 16, 2011 | AFP

Authorities in Thailand have freed 54 illegal migrants from Myanmar who were held for ransom by traffickers, police said on Thursday.

Six suspects, including two Myanmar men and four Thai men, have been arrested on various charges including illegal detention and extortion after the migrants were rescued from three houses in central Suphan Buri province.

“They were kept in those houses for a few days,” Col. Vorapong Thongpaibul, division commander of the anti-human trafficking police, told AFP.

“This case become known after a relative of one of the extortion victims asked us for help,” he said.

The migrants, who were freed on Tuesday, would be prosecuted for illegal entry and deported, Vorapong said.

Meanwhile 76 illegal migrants from Myanmar travelling in pick-up trucks were arrested near the border in western Tak province, while about 100 more were detained near the capital Bangkok.

There are an estimated two million migrant workers in Thailand from Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.

The police said there had been an influx of migrants trying to slip into the country to take advantage of a window during which employer can register illegal workers with the authorities, enabling them to stay.
http://www.asianage.com/international/thai-police-free-54-illegal-myanmar-migrants-984
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Big step forward for Burmese migrant domestic workers
Thursday, 16 June 2011 19:21 Thea Forbes

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Burmese domestic workers living in Chiang Mai celebrated the International Labour Organization's (ILO) adoption of Convention 189 titled 'Decent Work for Domestic Workers' on Thursday, a press release from the MAP Foundation reported. The MAP Foundation is an NGO that advocates for Burmese workers in Thailand.

The ILO is a UN organization that works to improve workers' rights around the world.

The ILO is a UN organization that works to improve workers' rights around the world.
According to MAP, the ILO adopted the convention with 396 votes in favour, 16 against and 63 abstentions. The draft convention will set standards for working and living conditions for domestic workers and guarantee domestic workers the right to collective bargaining.

'If Thailand adjusts its laws to comply with this convention it will make a huge difference to the lives of domestic workers who currently face daily exploitation and abuse at work', said MAP.

Article 9 of convention 189 calls on members to ensure that domestic workers are entitled to keep possession of their travel and identity documents, which will have significant importance, as many migrant workers in Thailand are effectively held in limbo when their employers confiscate their paperwork.

In October 2010, Mizzima reported a case in which more than one thousand migrant Burmese workers went on strike in a fishing net factory in Khon Kaen because their employer had seized their legal documents and refused to pay their salaries, keeping them in virtual slavery.

There have been numerous cases of Burmese domestic workers experiencing ill treatment in Thailand.

Observers hope that the adoption of ILO convention 189 will propel the Thai government into adopting similar laws and policies in order to protect the rights of migrant domestic workers in Thailand.

MAP called the adoption of the convention an 'important, ground breaking piece of international legislation' and declared that it has 'the potential to bring an end to the exploitation and abuse that domestic workers have faced for so long’.

'The convention and recommendation alone will not put a halt to the abuses that continue to impact domestic workers and migrant domestic workers, but the standards it sets represent a significant step forward in acknowledging that domestic workers are workers, domestic work is work, and domestic work is not slavery’, the Migrant Forum in Asia said on Friday on its Web site. http://www.mizzima.com/news/regional/5433-big-step-forward-for-burmese-migrant-domestic-workers.html
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Lower US Dollar Value Hits Rice Business and Farmers
By YAN PAI Thursday, June 16, 2011

Sales of rice have declined in Burma as exporters, including the military-owned Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd (UMEHL), have stopped buying from domestic traders following a drop in the value of their overseas earnings, according to business sources.

With the US dollar recently reaching as low as 750 kyat, down from around 1,000 kyat last year, exporters have been reluctant to convert their earnings back into the Burmese currency.

Although licensed trading companies in Burma enjoy a preferential exchange rate, currently around 800 kyat to the dollar, this has done little to offset the overall decline of the dollar against the kyat, the currency used for purchasing rice and other domestic products.

Further complicating matters is the fact that foreign currency transactions are illegal in Burma, although trading companies sometimes informally use dollars, euros and Japanese yen when doing business with each other.

“Exporters are suffering great losses right now, so they're just holding on to their earnings and watching the situation. This means that domestic rice traders are also in a bind, as they usually rely on exporters to buy much of their rice,” a rice dealer from Rangoon's Bayintnaung rice market told The Irrawaddy.

To make up for the loss of sales to exporters, some rice traders are trying to sell off some of their stock domestically. However, with few buyers around with cash in hand, this hasn't been easy.

Sluggish sales have had the effect of driving down prices. According to dealers in Rangoon, a sack of export-quality rice now sells for 12,500 kyat (US $16), down from 13,500 kyat ($17).

Falling rice prices will add to the burden of already struggling farmers, who say that they may be unable to repay government agricultural loans and other debts if the dollar continues to fall, putting further pressure on overseas demand.

“Everything depends on the exchange rate, so it will be difficult in the long run it things continue the way they're going. At the end of the day, it will be farmers who have to shoulder the burden,” said a farmer from Thayawaddy District in northern Pegu Division.

He added that while the price of rice has gone down, the cost of producing it hasn't. Fertilizer and fuel remain expensive, and wages for farm laborers are rising all the time, he said, warning that unless these trends change, there could be a disruption in rice production.

Khin Maung Nyo, a Rangoon-based economist, also suggested that the rising value of the kyat could cause lasting damage to the Burmese economy. If the currency makes prices for Burma's goods too uncompetitive, exports will suffer, domestic producers will lose out and job opportunities will be affected, he said. http://irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21503

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