Downer EDI abruptly abandons a Burma project after the press asks questions

by Ben Bland
Asian Sentinel

An Australian Company's Hot Potato

One of Australia's largest engineering companies is abruptly pulling out of Burma after an investigation by Asia Sentinel revealed that a subsidiary was working on the construction of a lavish new airport for the repressive junta in Naypyidaw, the generals' reclusive capital.

Downer EDI's Singaporean consultancy arm, CPG Corporation, was contracted to design the revamped airport at Naypyidaw, working alongside Asia World, the shady Burmese conglomerate whose management are targeted by sanctions in Australia, the US and Europe.

The revelation that it has been doing business in Burma is highly embarrassing for a company that has donated thousands of dollars to Australia's ruling Labor Party and has won billions of dollars in Australian government contracts. Prime Minister and Labor leader Kevin Rudd has been vociferous in his condemnation of the Burmese regime and last year his government ratcheted up sanctions against the generals and their cronies.

The Sydney-based Downer claimed that it had been unaware that its wholly-owned subsidiary was working on the Naypyidaw project until it was contacted by Asia Sentinel last week. The Australian parent company also said it had been unaware of CPG's involvement as a design consultant for the upgrading of the international airport in Rangoon in 2003.

"As soon as this matter was brought to the attention of the chief executive, enquiries were made immediately and a decision followed to withdraw from the contract in an appropriate manner," said Maryanne Graham, a spokeswoman for Downer.

The company admitted that its "zero harm" policy had "not been applied at a sub-divisional level" and said that it was launching a "rigorous" review of all its contracts and beefing up its governance procedures to ensure better oversight of future operations.

In 2005, the Burmese military government suddenly announced that it was moving its administrative capital from Rangoon to a new site near the town of Pyinmana in the heart of a malaria-infested jungle in central Burma. The government, which calls itself the State Peace and Development Council, claimed that Rangoon had become overcrowded but most observers believe the move to Naypyidaw was the result of superstition and a paranoid desire to build a city that was better protected from both internal and external ‘enemies'.

Human rights groups claim that much of Naypyidaw, where the generals hide away in luxuriant palaces, was constructed using forced labor, including children, and that many local residents had their land seized without adequate compensation. Such gross human rights abuses are common practice in large development projects in Burma, which usually directly benefit the regime and its cronies while doing little to alleviate the extreme poverty and hardship faced by many Burmese people.

Downer, which is a constituent of Australia's benchmark ASX 200 share index and has a market capitalization of around A$1.7bn (US$1.3bn), is actively involved in a variety of infrastructure, rail and mining projects in Australia, New Zealand and the wider Asia Pacific region.

A report in the New Light of Myanmar, the mouthpiece of the military junta, dated 25 April claimed that the expansion of Naypyidaw airport was intended to increase international travel to the city, even though most foreigners are banned from visiting except on official visits.

The insecure generals, who regularly talk up the threat of internal and external enemies, have been careful to ensure that most of the country's civilian airports can be easily adapted to military use at short notice. The New Light of Myanmar noted rather ominously that the new runway at Naypyidaw airport will be big enough to ensure that "10 aircrafts can land simultaneously" – an exercise not commonly undertaken by passenger airliners.

The newspaper added that while CPG had produced the designs for the airport, the construction work was being carried out by Asia World, the Burmese conglomerate owned and run by two of the junta's key henchmen Steven Law (Tun Myint Naing) and his father, Lo Hsing Han.

Last year, the US Treasury implemented economic sanctions against both men as well as Law's wife, Cecilia Ng, and the string of companies they control in Burma and Singapore.

In a statement released in February 2008, the Treasury noted that both men had a history of involvement in the illegal drugs trade. "Lo Hsing Han, known as the ‘Godfather of Heroin', has been one of the world's key heroin traffickers dating back to the early 1970s," the Treasury claimed. "Steven Law joined his father's drug empire in the 1990s and has since become one of the wealthiest individuals in Burma."

While Canberra does not have any financial sanctions against Burmese companies, both Law and his father are the subject of individual sanctions in Australia. That means that any transactions involving "the transfer of funds or payments to, by the order of, or on behalf of" Law and his father are prohibited without prior approval from the Reserve Bank of Australia.

Graham confirmed that CPG was "contracted by a Singapore-based entity to undertake a design assignment for the Naypyidaw Airport". She added that while CPG was not doing business directly with Asia World, Downer believed that "the Singapore-based entity may be a subsidiary of Asia World".

"We take zero harm very seriously and while not insinuating anything against our direct client in Singapore, we are taking action to withdraw from this assignment in an appropriate manner," Graham said. "We are also working to ensure that we meet all of our reporting obligations to the relevant authorities in light of this unintentional oversight."

CPG started life as the Singapore government's public works department before it was corporatized and eventually sold off by sovereign wealth fund Temasek to Downer for S$131m (US$90) in 2003. While many Australian companies refuse to do business in Burma, there are fewer qualms in Singapore, which is one of the biggest investors in its Southeast Asian neighbor.

But although CPG has been active in the country for some time, it was initially reluctant to talk about its Burmese operations, with a Singapore-based spokeswoman telling Asia Sentinel that "we cannot discuss any details of this project due to client confidentiality". However, alarm bells went off in Downer's Sydney headquarters when the company was contacted by Asia Sentinel and the chief executive, Geoff Knox, was forced to act quickly to prevent further reputational damage.

Questions still remain about how a large publicly-listed company such as Downer could have allowed a subsidiary to operate with such a free hand and how its audit and governance procedures failed to pick up on the fact that CPG had consistently been doing business in such a controversial location.

Downer has faced a series of mounting problems in recent years, including a string of profit warnings and contractual disputes. But a new management team was appointed last year and it has only recently completed a lengthy restructuring process.

Downer is likely to face some sort of financial penalty as it seeks to withdraw from the Naypyidaw airport contract but Graham said that the company's main focus was on its "strong value-based system". "Any financial ramifications aren't our greatest concern," she explained, adding that, as a publicly-listed company, Downer would update the market if there was any material impact to its financial position.

May 11th, 2009

READ MORE---> Downer EDI abruptly abandons a Burma project after the press asks questions...

Businessmen suffer due to severe restriction

Narinjara -Businessmen, mostly Arakanese, are suffering setbacks while trading with Bangladesh because of restrictions imposed by local government authorities on the western Burma border, said a businessman in Maungdaw.

“There are various restrictions imposed by local government authorities on businessmen on the western Burma border. We cannot run our business freely. Despite having permission from the authorities to trade with Bangladesh, we are facing many restrictions,” he said.

The border security force Nasaka has imposed varied restrictions on businessmen travelling to Bangladesh without ascribing any reason.

“The Nasaka authorities allow ferry boats to leave for Teknaf in Bangladesh from Maungdaw only at 4 pm every day. It does not allow any ferry to Bangladesh at other times of the day. We are allowed a 7-day visa to visit Bangladesh but we have to go by ferry boat to Bangladesh across the Naff River,” he said.

When traders arrive in Teknaf, it is nightfall and they lose the opportunity of doing business there, he added.

Local sources say if any businessman wants to go Bangladesh with the 7-day visa, they have to submit an application to Nasaka headquarters. After Nasaka issues the permission they (businessmen) have to visit the immigration office to collect their visas.

“The Nasaka officials issue the permission around 2 pm every day. It becomes very late. It is never issued before 2 pm. After receiving permission from Nasaka we have to go to the immigration office to submit our passport for visa. The immigration office issue visas at 4 pm every day. This delays going to Bangladesh by ferry boat,” the businessman added.

Even though many businessmen face this problem every day, they have to go Bangladesh every evening.

“When we return to our town of Maungdaw from Teknaf, it is midnight. All businessmen face the problem daily. But the authorities have not changed their time table to suit businessmen,” he said.

Senior government authorities in Naypyidaw always say when they visit Maungdaw that the government encourages local businessmen to trade with Bangladesh for development of the region but in actual terms the authorities are creating problems for the businessmen in border trade.

READ MORE---> Businessmen suffer due to severe restriction...

Tough commanders to handle ceasefire groups

S.H.A.N. -The ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) has transferred hard-nosed commanders to areas where recalcitrant ceasefire groups are in control, according to a recent report coming to the border.

The new line up of the chiefs of bureaux of special operations (BSO) who in effect are responsible for security of 2 states or divisions upwards are as follows:

Kachin, Shan, Kayah, Karen and Mon states currently have at least 13 ceasefire groups:

The new appointments had coincided with the new offer to the ceasefire groups to be re-organized as auxiliary forces of the Burma Army. A reorganized 326 strong auxiliary battalion will be still commanded by ceasefire commanders at least in name but supervised by Burma Army officers.

Most groups have voiced their opposition to the scheme. “Before this they only wanted us to surrender our arms,” a senior ceasefire commander SHAN met in Panghsang last month said. “Now they want us to surrender ourselves and our men also.”

READ MORE---> Tough commanders to handle ceasefire groups...

Lethal dengue fever hits Irrawaddy

(DVB)–A lethal strain of dengue fever has hit Burma’s southern Irrawaddy division, and left hospitals struggling to cope with the influx of patients, many of whom are under seven-years-old.

A resident of Irrawaddy’s Henzada town said that the local hospital was running out of beds in its children's ward.

“The hospital staff now have to use chairs as makeshift beds for all the child patients in the town and from nearby small townships,” said the resident.

“Recently, two children have died of the fever and the hospital is asking help from sympathisers to donate as many beds as they can.”

He added that local clinics were also being crowded with children who suffered from the fever.

Hemorrhagic dengue fever is passed through the bite of a mosquito, and is common in Burma around the onset of the monsoon season.

Another resident from Henzada’s Yongyi ward said that locals in his area were also suffering from chicken pox and an outbreak of dysentery.

Henzada township hospital and the Township Peace and Development Council were unavailable for comment.

Reporting by Naw Say Phaw

READ MORE---> Lethal dengue fever hits Irrawaddy...

Health crisis for Burma’s political prisoners

(DVB)–Systematic torture and denial of healthcare to political prisoners in Burma has caused a spiraling health crisis, while dissenters are being imprisoned with increasing frequency, said a report released yesterday.

Since last October, 350 activists have been sentenced, bringing the total number of political prisoners in Burma to over 2,100.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners - Burma (AAPP), who yesterday released ‘Burma’s prisons and labour camps: Silent killing fields’, say that political prisoners are receiving harsher sentences than ever before, with 127 now reportedly in poor health.

“The situation for Burma’s political prisoners is dire,” said Bo Kyi, joint secretary of AAPP.

“Leading activists have been transferred to the most remote prisons, where there are no prison doctors, and they are more likely to contract diseases like malaria and tuberculosis.”

The report points to several prominent political prisoners who are now reported to be in poor health.

Renowned comedian Zarganar, who is serving 35 years in the remote Myitkyina prison in northern Kachin state after speaking to foreign media following last year’s cyclone Nargis, was last month reportedly suffering swollen liver and jaundice.

A doctor who visited imprisoned opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi last week revealed that she was suffering from dehydration and low blood pressure, and was not eating.

Medical care inside prisons is often only obtained through bribes, and even then lacks adequacy. According to the report, at least 12 of the 44 prisons in Burma do not even have a doctor.

Visiting family members are often the sole source of medicine, but increasing transfers of political prisoners to remote jails, sometimes two days travel from families, compounds the already dire health situation.

“Prison transfers are also another form of psychological torture by the regime, aimed at both the prisoners and their families,” says the report.

Aung Myo Thein, who spent six and a half years in prison following the 1988 uprising, says that even after release, prisoners suffer from terminal health problems.

“I was held in a cell, along with four others, that measured three and a half meters by two and a half meters, and we were allowed outside for fifteen minutes each day,” he said.

“Due to the length of time spent in a small and enclosed space, many former prisoners continue to suffer eye problems.”

Furthermore, the various methods of torture, such as being forced to stand or walk with shackles attached to the legs and a horizontal bar forcing the knees apart, leaves prisoners with considerable mobility problems years after their release.

“Many political prisoners have already died in prison,” said Bo Kyi.

“This has to stop. The regime must end its cruel and inhumane practices, and release all political prisoners.”

AAPP is currently coordinating a global campaign for Burma’s political prisoners, which aims to collect 888,888 petition signatures before 24 May, the date the military junta claims that Aung San Suu Kyi should be released from house arrest.

SIGN PETITION HERE PLEASE

Reporting by Francis Wade

READ MORE---> Health crisis for Burma’s political prisoners...

Suu Kyi's doctor reportedly facing charges

(DVB)–The health of imprisoned Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is said to be improving following news of illness, although unconfirmed reports claim her doctor faces charges under the Emergency Act.

Last week, the leader of opposition party National League for Democracy (NLD) was reported to be suffering from dehydration and low blood pressure, and had not eaten for four to five days.

The spokesperson for the NLD said today that her health had improved, although more attention needed to be given to Suu Kyi’s medical condition.

“Her health is improving and there is nothing to worry much at the moment but Dr Pyone Mo Ei said the medical assistance needs to be continued,” said Nyan Win.

The NLD’s leader has been under house arrest for 13 of the last 19 years, and is in the sixth year of her current internment.

Last Wednesday news surfaced of the arrest of a US citizen, John William Yettaw, who allegedly swam across Rangoon’s Lake Inya and entered Suu Kyi’s compound, where he spent two nights.

The following day, Suu Kyi’s doctor, Tin Myo Win, was refused entry to her compound, where he is allowed to visit once a month, and was arrested.

His assistant, Dr Pyone Mo Ei, had been allowed to treat her up to yesterday, and had administered an intravenous drip.

Tin Myo Win is now reportedly in court facing unspecified charges under the Emergency Act, which carries a prison sentence of up to five years, although no-one can confirm the reasons for his arrest.

“We also heard about [the charges] but it’s not confirmed, and we have not had any updated information regarding Dr Tin Myo Win,” said Nyan Win.

Rumours have circulated wildly about the sequence of events surrounding Suu Kyi, with some Burmese observers suggesting there may be a link between the arrest of the doctor, and the break-in by the US citizen.

Little official information has been given about either incident, however.

Reporting by Aye Nai

READ MORE---> Suu Kyi's doctor reportedly facing charges...

Detained American Visited Suu Kyi Before?

By GRANT PECK / AP WRITER
The Irrawaddy News

BANGKOK — An American accused of swimming across a lake to sneak into the home of detained Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi may have made another secret visit to her last year.

Last week's incident—the first known case of someone creeping unnoticed into Suu Kyi's closely guarded compound—has raised fears that the Nobel Peace laureate may have been ensnared in activities that could put her in further legal trouble.

A new report in a Burmese-language Web site published two photos said to have been found in the digital camera of the visitor, identified by the US Embassy as John William Yettaw. One photo shows a heavyset, middle-aged man posing for a self-portrait in front of a mirror. The other shows feet wearing swimming flippers. The report says Yettaw is from Falcon, Missouri.

The Web site, tharkinwe.com, seems to be close to the country's military-ruled government and hostile to Suu Kyi's democracy movement.

Pro-democracy activists and diplomats in Rangoon have voiced suspicions that the incident may have been concocted by the government. There has been no government comment beyond the original report in the state-run press.

Suu Kyi has already spent more than 13 of the last 19 years—including the past six—in detention without trial for her nonviolent promotion of democracy, despite international pressure for her release.

Her house is a restricted zone, she has no telephone, and she cannot be contacted for comment.

Burma's state-run newspapers reported last week that Yettaw swam on the night of May 3 to the lakeside home of the 63-year-old Suu Kyi and left the same way on the night of May 5, before being arrested the next morning. The swimming distance between the house and where he was arrested is about 1 1/4 miles (2 kilometers).

The reports said the man was found with an empty 1.3-gallon (5-liter) plastic water jug—presumably used as a floatation device—as well as a US passport, a flashlight, pliers, a camera, two $100 bills and some local currency.

Aside from the number of his passport and the claim that the man arrived in Rangoon on May 2 and spent two full days inside Suu Kyi's compound, no other details were given. The authorities were said to be investigating his motives. (JEG's: of course that is all the junta can provide as they have no imagination to develop the plan)

The US Embassy has requested access to the detained man, which as of Monday had still not been granted, embassy spokesman Richard Mei said. He confirmed that Yettaw had made a previous visit to Burma, and said his family had been told of his arrest.

Mei said the embassy did not know about Yettaw's activities. (JEG's: he has been in Burma before but not to meet DASSK, but his hirer...)

Verifying the detained man's identity has been complicated because the spelling of his name has varied slightly in the Burma's official press. But the name given by the embassy is consistent with details in Monday's Web site account, some of which The Associated Press have confirmed using US public records.

Neighbors, along with a phone listing and court records, confirm that a 53-year-old man named John William Yettaw has a residence in the small rural community of Falcon, Missouri, and previously lived in California. Yettaw has a wife and seven children, most or all of whom live nearby.

Repeated calls to Yettaw's friends and family went unanswered, and messages left had not received a reply by Monday.

The account on the tharkinwe.com Web site included several details that do not seem to be otherwise publicly available, suggesting that they were leaked by security officials. No attribution was given for them.

The most surprising assertion was that Yettaw had confessed to swimming to Suu Kyi's house during his earlier visit to Burma on November 7-December 3, 2008 and staying there for a longer period, not specified in the report. It cited him saying that he had scouted his swimming route using the Google Earth web service.

The Web site's report also said that on arrival last week at Suu Kyi's house, Yettaw first met her two female assistants—a mother and daughter who are her sole allowed companions—and told them that he was tired and hungry after the swim and has diabetes. The two women, supporters of Suu Kyi's party, were said to have given him food.

One of many strict rules the junta imposes on citizens is that they must notify local officials about any overnight visitor who is not a family member. The law also states that foreigners are not allowed to spend the night at a local's home.

Some members of Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy, have been jailed for about two weeks for violating that law.

"I'm not really concerned she could be penalized for this break-in because she didn't invite him in," said Nyan Win, a spokesman for Suu Kyi's party, adding that it was worrisome how easily the man accessed her home. "My main concern is her security."

Suu Kyi is not allowed visitors, aside from her doctor. On infrequent occasions, she is allowed out under tight guard to meet with fellow party leaders and visiting UN representatives.

Another doctor, Dr. Pyone Moe Ei, was granted a medical visit to her home Monday afternoon after she was found last week to be suffering from dehydration and low blood pressure. Her main doctor, Tin Myo Win, was detained last week for questioning after the swimming incident.

Suu Kyi's condition was not disclosed.

Associated Press Writer Maria Fisher in Kansas City, Missouri, contributed to this report.

READ MORE---> Detained American Visited Suu Kyi Before?...

Local media awaits permission to print intruder's photograph

by Phanida

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – The local media in Burma is waiting for permission from the censor board to report the intrusion into Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's residence by a foreigner along with his photograph.

The local media reported on it by quoting the May 6 issue of 'New Light of Myanmar' (NLM) which said John William Yeattaw swam across the Inya Lake in Rangoon and intruded into the lakeside villa of DASSK on May 3. The local media reported the news only with the facts mentioned in the NLM along with the news photograph of the intruder. Now they are awaiting permission from the censor board to reproduce the news and news photographs.

"We submitted the news photograph also. But we cannot say yet what will be the outcome. Our news report is the one mentioned in the NLM and will be ok," an editor of a weekly journal who wished not to be named said.

NLM reported that the intruder stayed at the residence of detained Nobel Peace Laureate for two days. He left on May 5 and was arrested on May 6 while he was swimming across the Inya Lake in Rangoon.

The local media wants to report the news but some precautionary media made self-censorship has held them back.

"We deleted this news ourselves as part of a self-censorship. How can we report such sensitive news? If we reproduce this news knowingly, we will certainly face the ire of the censor board. They will censor more news of our publication and we cannot get any favour and privilege from them. It's better not to report such news if we know they will certainly censor it," a reporter from a weekly journal said.

The NLM reported that over 90 pieces of Kyat 1,000 denomination Burmese currency notes, some USD currency notes, a camera, a folded pliers and a torch light were found in the possession of the intruder after arrest.

But the news didn't mention anything about the health condition of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

Her family doctor Dr. Tin Myo Win was not allowed to visit her on May 7 for a regular medical checkup usually conducted on the first Thursday of every month. Moreover he was detained later.

On May 8, Dr. Pyone Moe Ei, the assistant of Dr. Tin Myo Win, was allowed to visit DASSK for a medical checkup. The doctor found DASSK was suffering from dehydration, hypertension with high blood pressure and loss of appetite. She was administered an intravenous drug, the doctor said.

The authorities denied the doctor's request to visit her again the next day.

Her party, the 'National League for Democracy', called on the junta to review the detention order on their party leader who is being held beyond the limit prescribed by the law. But it was rejected.

READ MORE---> Local media awaits permission to print intruder's photograph...

Burmese education department lowers the bar in hopes of projecting student success

Mon Son, IMNA

In an effort to improve the public image of the school systems, the Burmese government’s education department issued a mandate that teachers must facilitate the student’s graduation process regardless of their skill level.

In Moulemin Townships the Burmese government is attempting to control enrolment in the school system in order project increases in both student numbers and graduation rates. However most of the high school students can’t read or speak English and students are struggling to write Burmese properly, according to headmasters.

The instructions given to the school system required that students in grades 1 to 7 must pass every year, despite poor grades, and that students in their 8th and 9th year must achieve a certain percentage on their tests, according to a source from the Burmese government education department in Mon State.

“About two months before student test results came out, the education department called the head school in every township, and insisted that in grades 8 and 9, 70 to 80 percent of the student class must graduate,” said a Moulemin high school principle.

Many 10th year students, facing their final year in high school before exams that will place them in university, never complete their studies in their subjects, as they are now able to pass their exams at a reduced skill level. Many students in Burma, from grades 1 to 10, now seek tutoring in the subjects they would otherwise cover in school.

Additionally the Burmese government announced to teachers that all children who are of age must to attend school, in order to increase the student enrolment at each school.

“In my opinion most students have not received enough education since they were in elementary school under the system the government education system.” stated a 58 year old headmaster, “Although they go on to graduate from University, they don’t have the skills that would allow them to work in the government departments or at a private company. So instead, students leave Burma to find jobs in other countries. The government does not have enough jobs to give students who have graduated from university.”

Jobs in the government are gained after students who make the highest rank in their class attend elite government universities, where they receive specific training that will qualify them to enter the government work force. The high school scoring scale works on a 100 point system, where students achieve distinction if they score between 75-80, and receive distinction in ranks of I, II, or III. Students who do not rank at the top of their class do go on to university (also run by the government).

Some parents, are not particularly concerned about their children’s education because the changes make it easier for them to graduate. However the government demands have also undermined the ability of teachers to teach.

The mother of one student from Mudon township said, “ I am very happy because my children pass every year until 7 grade. But I am worried about grades 9 and 10. If their basic knowledge is not up to par, they will not pass their final high school test.” “Because of our students’ poor education, we have to make even more of an effort to ensure they understand all the subjects, especially in match and English classes.” An elementary class teacher in Mudon Township said, “For parents who understand the government changes, they worry for their children.

These parents encourage their child to succeed, and to study hard even if their friends are not. However students are very happy because they know that they will pass every year.” In Burma, students in grades 1 through 7 have monthly tests and at the completion of each exam will not study the subject again. In these grades students can pass their exams with a score of 40 (out of 100), however if students fall below this mark, they will graduate regardless, and move on to the next year. Students in grades 8, 9, and 10 do face the possibility of failing however only in grade 10 would failure result in the student having to repeat the year.

A former teacher working with the Mon National Education Committee (MNEC) speculated that students from MNEC possessed a higher degree of education than that of their Burmese counterparts, as students under the MNEC do not need attend outside tuition and they study with teachers closely in a an MNEC school set up in Nyi Sar camp. MNEC operates under the control of New Mon State Party (NMSP). While the Burmese government may continue work towards the image of a successful school system, the real results will be seen in the future generations who must find work. A computer student from Pa-an, Karen state, who dropped out of university after his first year said, “I attended computer class for one year and I could have just learnt computer science from the book since I never even got access to a computer. Some of my friends are also leaving school. “

READ MORE---> Burmese education department lowers the bar in hopes of projecting student success...

Natala villagers stab Rohingya youth in Maungdaw

Maungdaw, Arakan State (KPN): Natala (model) villagers from Taungbro left, a sub-town under Maungdaw Township, stabbed a Rohingya villager on May 10, at about 11:00 pm, when the Rohingya villagers stopped them from catching fish from their shrimp projects, a close relative of the victim said.

On that night, a group of Natala villagers, including women carrying lethal weapons went to nearby shrimp projects of Rohingya villagers, to catch fish. Seeing the Natala villagers, the Rohingya villagers, who were watching for thieves and robbers at their shrimp projects, barred them from catching fishes. However, the Natala villagers defied them and caught fishes from the projects. Hence, there was an altercation between the Natala villagers and Rohingya villagers, who were watching over their projects.

One of the Natala villagers stabbed a Rohingya villager called Salim (20), son of Abu Taher, who hailed from Ward No.1 of Taungbro left Sub-town. Witnessing the incident, the rest of the watchers raised a hue and cry. Hearing the noise, some of the Nasaka and Rohingya villagers rushed to the spot, but the Natala villagers ran away from the scene. However, one of the female Natala villagers accompanied by her child was arrested from the street and was brought to the Nasaka camp.

The victim is not in a critical condition and is being treated at a local clinic, said one of the victim’s family members.

The following morning, on May 11, a group of Nasaka went to the Natala village and arrested five Natala villagers after encircling the village and brought them to the Nasaka camp. They have been detained, a trader from the locality said.

Initially, the State Peace and Development Council’s (SPDC‘s) set up model villages in northern Arakan calling Rakhines from inside and outside of Arakan State. Later, the authorities brought poor Burmans from central Burma, mostly retired civil servants, former prisoners, and street people to establish Natala villages. There is a little difference between a Model village and a Natala village, which is most of the Natala villagers, are Burmans and get many facilities than those of model villagers. The people were not willing to come to Arakan, but they were forcibly brought there. They were even tied by the legs while they were brought to Arakan by ship from Rangoon, said a schoolteacher from the locality.

The Natala villagers frequently create problems for Rohingya villagers. They steal cattle, fowls, goats, vegetables from Rohingya villagers and even rob and kill Rohingya travellers. They are encouraged by the concerned authorities, who give them all the facility and protection to become gangsters in Northern Arakan. Natala villages have resulted in the confiscation of lands and extraction of forced labor from the Rohingya community.

Most of the Natala villagers in Maungdaw Township, do not like to stay in their remote Natala villages, so they go to Maungdaw-Aley Than Kyaw road, establishing tents by the road-side with the cooperation of the local Nasaka authorities. Afterwards, they establish small markets, bar shops, video rooms and even indulge in gambling, said an elderly man from Maungdaw town.

The State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) set up a police out-post or army battalions close to Natala villages to give them security. If the Natala villagers commit any crime against the Rohingya villagers, the police or Nasaka take no action against them. But, sometimes, the concerned authority takes slight action against the Natala villagers if necessary to please the Rohingya villagers. Natala villagers never hesitate to commit any crimes against the Rohingya community.

READ MORE---> Natala villagers stab Rohingya youth in Maungdaw...

Nasaka loots cattle, goats from villagers in Maungdaw

Maungdaw, Arakan State (KPN): Nasaka, Burma’s border security force snatched four heads of cattle and 130 goats from a village under the Maungdaw Township alleging that the villagers had not enlisted their new born calves and kids in the animal list.

On May 6, at about 11 pm, two groups of Nasaka personnel from Basara (Tha Win Chaung) outpost camp under the Inn Din village tract of Maungdaw Township went to Kwason village and forcibly took away 130 goats and four heads of cattle to their camp from the village. They alleged that the villagers had not enrolled their calves and kids.

In this village, to enlist new born calves and kids to the Nasaka’s cattle list, villagers have to pay 10,000 kyat per calf and 500 kyat per kid. So, some of the villagers are reluctant to enroll in the Nasaka camp by paying so much money. They also have to go through many kinds of harassment by the Nasaka when they go to the camp for enlistment.

The next day morning, the cattle owners went to the Nasaka camp to get back their animals. But, Nasaka did not return the cattle and goats to the owners.

Besides, on May 7, the Nasaka of the Basara camp ordered the villagers not to go out of the village because Nasaka would go to the village to check the cattle list. They also said if the villagers want to avoid the check, they could pay Kyat 300,000 to the Nasaka.

Learning this, the village elders collected 1,000 to 5,000 per family owning cattle and goats in keeping with their status. They paid the collected money to the Nasaka officer.

According to one villager, Moqul Ahmed (50), son of Asad Jaman and Md. Hussain ( 55) paid Kyat 5,000 per each while Gulbaher(35), a widow, and Hussain Ahmed (40), son of Basa Meah paid Kyat 1,000 each. They are all from Bassara village of Maungdaw Township.

“There is no country in the world except Burma where villagers have to pay money for their new born calves and kids,” a village elder said.

READ MORE---> Nasaka loots cattle, goats from villagers in Maungdaw...

Wa mull over how to say No

Shan Herald Agency for News - As well nigh all ceasefire groups anxiously waited to hear what the United Wa State Army (UWSA) has to say to the latest proposal made by Burma’s ruling generals before giving their own, the group in focus itself has been busy composing a suitable response, according to a highly-placed source close to the leadership.

The source said given the overwhelming opposition to the proposal that the ceasefire groups transform themselves into border defense forces by the generals with a total disregard for their calls for greater autonomy and democracy, the problem was not what to tell the generals but rather how to tell them.

“A meeting was held following the return of (Vice President) Xiao Minliang following his return from Tangyan (where he met Lt-Gen Ye Myint, Chief of Military Affairs Security to hear the Border Guard Force proposition),” he said. “Only 2% were undecided. The rest were of the opinion that the proposal was unacceptable.”

Vice President Xiao Minliang (Photo: UWSA's 20th anniversary publication)

According to him, considering the junta’s policy of self-reliance for its own units, which has caused enormous burden on the local populace, it was better for the UWSA to rely on itself to feed, clothe and equip its own troops. “We also foresee communication problems as few of us are familiar with the Burmese language,” he said. “Having Burmese officers to live among us and train us will not ease the problem.”

The Wa have been given until the end of June to respond to the “ultimatum.” “This is the second time in a year we are receiving an ultimatum,” he remembered.

Following what is known as the “Nargis” referendum on the junta-drafted constitution, the Wa were told to disarm themselves by August 2008. The latter had flatly refused to comply with.

Bao Youliang (Wa supreme leader’s younger brother and finance chief) had also pointed out to Ye Myint during the meeting in Tangyan that given the fact that the two top junta commanders were septuagenarians, it was unfair to demand that Wa officers over 50 retire.

The Wa’s closest ally Mongla is also undergoing several meetings at every level both to explain and sound out about Naypyitaw’s latest proposal. “We will also ask the people whether or not they would like to live under the Burma Army rule,” said a Mongla source.

So far, only about 5% of the leadership who have made huge financial investments in Burma have voted to go along with Naypyitaw’s demand, he told SHAN.

In the meanwhile, automobiles in the areas under the control of the National Democratic Alliance Army-Eastern Shan State (NDAA-ESS), Mongla’s official name, have been instructed to stand by. No reason has been given.

The Wa have also continued to block the entry of immigration officials who since 4 April have been stranded at Kho Hsoong, which marks the boundary between Panghsang and Mongla’s domains. “Naypyitaw said they would not return without accomplishing their mission (taking census in Wa areas) and the Wa are not letting them in,” explained a source from the nearby Mongyang.

Taking census and reorganization of ceasefire groups under the Tatmadaw supervision are part of the ruling junta’s preparations for the 2010 elections. Thus far, the election law has yet to be announced.

READ MORE---> Wa mull over how to say No...

Electricity brought with student protests in Moulmein flickers out

By Rai Maraoh, IMNA

The reliable electricity that came after student protests evaporated last week, as residents of Moulmein found themselves in the dark, while government offices and homes remained unaffected.

After a 2 week power outage prompted student protests on March 6 for uninterrupted electricity during their exams, Moulmein and it residents experienced a period of relatively dependable power. However that relative degree of normalcy ended last week, when electricity was again unavailable to Moulmein residents who did not have government connections.

“We have been with out electricity for over one week. People have no choice but to use generators for their houses. Before, we had regular electricity because the university students demonstrated against the power outages.” Said one Moulmein resident, “But now we are again without power. I can sometimes get electricity, but only a short time – maybe 10 minutes. We might as well say we have no power at all, because you cannot do anything with only 10 minutes of electricity.”

“When the electricity returns, I turn on my computer; I think, ‘I will have the power for long time.’, But then while the computer is still starting up, before I can even use it, the power is cut off again.” Explained a Moulmein university student. It remains to be seen weather the recent power outage will spark similar protests from students who were decisive in bring power back to parts of Moulmein.

The outages have caused numerous problems for residents who are reliant on electricity for work, such as computer shop owners or students, leaving no other alternative but to use a generator.

“I have to use a generator to be able to get any work done at my job, since without it, I would have no electricity for the whole day. I have no options since I must work.” said resident who runs his own computer shop. The electricity has gone primarily to government offices and homes, as well as residents with government connections, according to a resident.

The resent outages have not only affected Moulmein, but also residents of Mudon township, where there were also reports of wide spread electricity shortages. Never having fully benefited from the results of the student protests, Mudon residents have been without regular power for at least six months, according to a villager there.

This has been a problem for the region since late 2008, when Mudon and the surrounding villages were subject to continuous electricity shortages. At the time residents only had electricity 3 days a month for about 2 hours each day. Despite these extreme shortages in the region, the villagers have had to continue to pay 500 kyat per household for their electric meter bill said a Mudon resident.

READ MORE---> Electricity brought with student protests in Moulmein flickers out...

US journalists question motives for deportation

(DVB)–Two American journalists deported from Burma last week after delivering workshops on photography and feature writing say reasons for their arrest may lie in their meeting with a local Burmese business owner.

Following a series of workshops organised by the American Centre in Rangoon last Wednesday, Jerry Redfern and Karen Coates were arrested by immigration authorities and deported to Bangkok.

Reasons for their arrest were never given, although the ruling State Peace and Development Council is notoriously fearful of foreign media presence in Burma.

“We had been in Burma to teach and lecture about creative non-fiction feature writing and photography,” they said in a press release issued today.

“The programs were follow-ups to similar work we did in January, all of which had been approved and acknowledged by the Scrutiny Board and the Special Branch (police).”

Police had visited Redfern’s class on its first day, and they say all subsequent lessons proceeded without incident.

Rumours surrounding reasons for the arrests include fallout from John William Yettaw’s arrest the same day after he illegally entered imprisoned opposition leader Aung Sann Suu Kyi’s compound.

Others claim the two journalists were involved in politically sensitive work, which the government have a reputation for reacting harshly to.

“The only story we had in mind was a small piece on laphet thote, (pickled tea leaf salad) explaining the flavours, history and cultural significance of the dish,” the press release said.

“In Mandalay, a colleague introduced us to the owner of a longstanding laphet thote business… [who] invited us to visit a trade centre where people buy and sell beans and pulses, key ingredients for laphet thote.

“We accepted and planned to meet on Thursday morning, – but we never had that chance. This might be all, or part, of the reason we were deported.”

The two emphasised their efforts to avoid government scrutiny, or any “journalistic” appearance.

The Burmese junta are rarely issue foreign journalists with visas, and Burmese citizens found communicating with overseas media are often imprisoned.

Reporting by Francis Wade

READ MORE---> US journalists question motives for deportation...

‘False votes and intimidation’ ratified Burma’s constitution

(DVB)–Measures taken to ensure ratification of Burma’s 2008 constitution included voter intimidation and falsification of results, claims a report released to mark the one-year anniversary of the constitution.

Last May, the ruling State Peace and Development Council announced that 92 per cent of voters had endorsed the draft constitution, revised from the 1974 version.

Critics argue that the new constitution, which allocates 25 per cent of parliament seats to the military even before voters go to the polls, and bars opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from running for office, guarantees an entrenchment of military rule.

“The government claims perfect voter turnout in some of Burma’s most remote and sparsely populated areas,” said Borazi, director of the Institute for Political Analysis and Documentation (IPAD), a Rangoon-based independent research and training centre.

“We monitored many of these stations and know that turnout was marginal. Officials also cancelled thousands of ballots to skew the results.”

The report, entitled ‘No Real Choice: An Assessment of Burma's 2008 Referendum’, lists officials committing frauds such as handing out pre-filled voting ballots saying ‘yes’ and making people vote on behalf of absent family members or co-workers.

Research was carried out in Kachin State and northern Shan state, and included extensive interviews with voters and polling station officials, and accessing of voting statistics classified as top secret by the government.

Several voters had also claimed that officials threatened the voters in case they were planning to vote against the constitution.

Many of the polling station officials themselves admitted to being afraid of punishment if the voting results in their stations didn’t show full support for the constitution.

“The referendum was not intended to measure citizens’ consent to be governed under the constitution,” said Borazi. “It was an exercise to entrench military rule regardless of public sentiment.”

Reporting by Rosalie Smith

READ MORE---> ‘False votes and intimidation’ ratified Burma’s constitution...

Firearms stolen from military armoury used in robbery

(DVB)–An armed robbery on a gold shop in Mandalay division that left one dead and two injured was carried out using firearms stolen from a government armoury, according to Burmese military intelligence.

The robbery took place on 6 May on a shop in Mandalay’s Yamaethin town. According to the brother of the shop owner, who was shot in the shoulder, three masked men entered around 3.45pm.

“They waited until the street was clear before coming into the shop,” said Myo Thein.

“Then they fired three shots in the air and walked in but people in the shop thought they were just some kids playing around with firecrackers."

Myo Thein said that the men started shooting at the glass counter holding the jewellery.

“Our youngest sister, named Daw Cho Pyone, noticing that they were holding only one gun, jumped up and tried to wrestle the person holding it,” he said.

“He dropped the weapon but managed to grab it back and then shot her on her thigh.”

Cho Pyone, who suffered a broken thigh bone, remains in Mandalay hospital in Mandalay.

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

A Yesagyo resident last week voiced suspicion that the army were involved in the break-in.

“It is impossible to do it without the participation of at least family members of the army,” he said.

“Outsiders dare not come to this kind of territory. They are afraid, as you could be shot if you are too close to the army [camp].

“It is possible that they want to smuggle weapons for sale.”

Senior police and intelligence officials in Magwe are investigating the incident.

Reporting by Naw Say Phaw

READ MORE---> Firearms stolen from military armoury used in robbery...

'They Are Still Sending Them' - Part Two

(RFA) -In the second installment of an interview, a Burmese migrant describes abuses suffered by himself and other Burmese at the hands of a human trafficking gang.

Ko Wunna is a 28-year-old resident of Burma's former capital, Rangoon, who was trafficked to Malaysia by gangs importing illegal workers in a constantly revolving racket in which, former participants say, the Malaysian police are also complicit.

In the second part of an in-depth interview, Ko Wunna speaks to RFA Burmese service reporter Kyaw Min Htun about his experiences over three months working for a trafficking gang in the region in and around northern Malaysia's Kedah province, which borders Songkhla and Yala provinces in Thailand.

The Malaysian government has recently pledged to investigate claims made by many other Burmese such as Ko Wunna.

RFA: In the three months that you were with the human traffickers, how many times did the Malaysian immigration authorities bring the Burmese to the traffickers' camp, and how many Burmese did you actually see being brought in to the camp?

Ko Wunna: There were a lot of them. After they were released from immigration to be deported, they were brought over to the traffickers by the immigration authorities. There would be about 60 in each group, and they would bring about three groups in a month.

Some of them asked for money from their families. If they could not get money from their homes ... they were beaten and were given meals only once a day. They were allowed to phone their families only once a day to ask for money for their release. When they called, and if there was no possibility that they would get the money, the trafficker would grab the phone and hit them across the face, making sure the person at the other end of the phone could hear it. The trafficker would then ask the person at the other end whether they had heard.

RFA: Now that the border crossing into Thailand is closed, a lot of foreigners are detained and waiting in the Malaysian immigration detention centers. There must be many Burmese detained there. Ko Wunna, are the Malaysian immigration authorities still sending those who have been released to where you were working?

KW: Yes, they are still sending them.

RFA: How did you manage to get away from the traffickers?

KW: I had been working with them for more than three months. So I asked them whether I would have to go on in this manner. I told them that if I had been working somewhere else I would have worked enough to pay off my debt. So they said it was okay if I wanted to go but that, if I kept on working with them, I would be paid 50 ringgit a day, with all other expenses paid plus a clothing allowance as well. But I did not dare work for them. I was afraid of them. Beating people is not in my nature.

RFA: In the group where you worked, who was the leader and where did they come from?

KW: They are all Mons [Burmese ethnic group]. They are led by the Mons. But their big boss is Thai. When they had received enough cash, their big boss would come and collect it, say 40-50-60 thousand ringgit. A list had to be sent showing how many had been released, how many had paid, and how many were still left. They would call when there was enough money to be collected, and then the big boss would come. When he came, he would threaten those who had not paid. He would say that if they did not pay they would be sold to the Indonesian fishing boats.

RFA: Have you been in touch with your parents since you were released?

KW: No. When I was first arrested, I telephoned my home. I talked to my sister. I could not speak to my mother or my other siblings. They were all away from home working somewhere else. My sister asked what would happen if they could not give the money. I told her that I would be sold off to the fishing boats under a five-year plan where I would have to work on the boats without seeing land for five years. It would be hard labor.

If I could not do the work, or if I were sick or if I disobeyed them or argued with them, I would be shot and killed. Even if I was sick, they would not give me medical treatment but would shoot me because I would be a bother for them. So I really never had a choice. My sister told me that was not good and that she would appeal to the traffickers. I told her that would not be possible because the traffickers would vehemently reject any appeals and negotiations.

RFA: Now, as you were working in Malaysian territory, what do you think is the relationship between the Malaysian authorities and the human traffickers?

KW: They are in the Alor Setar area. They say that their boss is connected to the police stations in [Alor Setar, Changlum, and Jitra], and so they could do whatever they liked in the area. They said that when they were dealing with me, they could have killed me and that, after killing me, they would not have had to run or worry about being sent to jail. They said they would just have had to make a telephone call, and that my body would have been taken away and sent down the river and the spot would then be washed so that no trace was left.

They said they could just sit and not be bothered about it. I have seen their boss with a gun in his belt, especially when he is drunk and would reach for cigarettes from his pocket. Each day when the police patrol came, they would ask for money from the traffickers and would be given about 100-150 ringgit.

RFA: Ko Wunna, if you were able to tell your experiences, your feelings, and what you have seen to the United Nations, the international organizations, and international authorities, what would you like to say to them?

KW: In our country the economic situation is bad, and because we could not make a living there we had to go to other countries to find work. If our authorities were considerate, all they would have to do is tell other countries that Burma's economic situation is bad and [ask them] to allow Burmese to work in those countries. If they did that, the leaders of the organizations in other countries would not have allowed us to be treated badly, as they have been doing now. But now, instead of helping us, our government is saying that we were not living in our country and that we are thieves, and that they can do whatever they want with us. So they treat us badly.

So we can no longer work properly. When we were living in our country, the authorities oppressed us and made our lives miserable. When we left our country and came over here, they would not help us, so our lives are difficult here as well. On top of that, we get arrested, and when we are sent to the borders to be deported, the human traffickers take advantage of us and bully us. We came here to earn some money. Instead we have to ask for money from home for our release. Trying to get hold of 2,000 ringgit is not an easy thing in Burma.

Original reporting in Burmese by Kyaw Min Htun. Burmese service director: Nancy Shwe. Translated by Soe Thinn. Edited for the Web in English by Luisetta Mudie.

PART ONE:
I worked for Human Traffickers

7 May 2009

READ MORE---> 'They Are Still Sending Them' - Part Two...

Burmese junta rebuilds only damaged Buddhist pagoda

by KNG

The Burmese military junta is rebuilding only a Buddhist temple and a pagoda which were damaged by gusts of wind on May 2 at midnight in Burma's northern Kachin State, said local sources.

The authorities checked the wind-hit Aung May Thit and Aung May Hnit villages in Waingmaw Township on the Myitkyina-Bhamo highway. It gave priority to the rebuilding of damaged a Buddhist temple and a pagoda, said local eyewitnesses.

Civilian victims do not receive proper relief from the Burmese authorities. They stand on the road hoping against hope, added eyewitnesses.

According to villagers of Aung May Hnit, about 50 houses were damaged in the village alone by strong winds. The zinc roofs of the houses were blown away and several houses were flattened or collapsed.

In Aung May Thit, most houses' with zinc roof were affected. The roofs were blown off by the strong gusts of winds while roadside trees were uprooted, said eyewitnesses.

An eyewitness told KNG, “Many houses were damaged in the two villages. In Aung May Hnit, the Buddhist temple and the pagoda were damaged. Trees were uprooted on the road in Aung May Hnit. However, the Kachin Baptist Church in the village was not damaged. ”

Last month, people in Bhamo town stayed without electricity for many days because gusts of strong wind and heavy rain uprooted electric poles made of logs, said residents of Bhamo.

Unusually, from early this year, gusts of strong winds have often hit Waingmaw and Bhamo districts in Kachin State. It damaged many houses, said residents in the two districts.

The Burmese junta has been into introducing Buddhism and Burmanization in Kachin State by using its military might.

Saturday, 09 May 2009 16:26

READ MORE---> Burmese junta rebuilds only damaged Buddhist pagoda...

Soldiers take civilian motorbikes for personal use

HURFOM (Rehmonnya): Villagers are now forced to share their motorbikes with soldiers, for their daily personal use, with out any compensation.

Since January 2008 villagers from Kyauktalin, Kyaukadin and Alaesakhan, Kalein Aung Sub-township, Tenasserim Division have had to share their motorbikes with Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) No. 282 and 273 for traveling between villages and around the township. Bike owners were instructed to give their keys their village headmen in a daily rotating shift, so that a soldier could use the bikes as needed. While no specific reason was given for the order, villagers are expected to keep the bikes full of gas, and to cover all expenses and damage while soldiers use the bike.

Kyauktalin, Kyaukadin and Alaesakhan, Kalein Aung Sub-township are in Yebyu Township which is a black area for military soldiers, because a Mon rebel group, known as Chan Dein, operates out of the area.

According to a Kyauktalin villager, all motorbike owners in the village have to share their bikes with soldiers. If a soldier breaks the bike and does not fix it then the villager will have to pay for repairs to the bike on his own.

A villager from Alaesakhan said, “Once when a soldier took my bike and drove to Ye town about 22 miles away and crashed it. They did not fix it for me. I had to fix it on my own, and it cost me more than 50,000 Kyat”.

According to a villager form Kyauktalin the commander in the area allowed young soldiers who do not know how to ride the bike, to practice on the civilian’s bikes. While training they crashed the bike, and did not have fix it. Instead the responsibility fell to the bike owners.

Shared use is set up on a rotating system, so that a villager gives up one bike every day. Soldiers from LIB No. 282 and 273 use the bikes for going to teashops, liquor stores, and to the market. In Alaesakhan, Kyauktalin and Kyaukadin, there are around 20 civilian owned bikes in all.

According to a villager from Kyaukadin, soldiers who drink and drive will drive very fast and the fall over, in these instance the bike has been abandoned and then villagers have to come and pick it up.

“I wanted to sell my bike because I hate the soldiers after they used it. Every time it makes me angry because they destroy it while driving.” Said one villager “I bought it for 140,000 Kyat and paid 400,000 kyat for the license – that is a lot of money.”

READ MORE---> Soldiers take civilian motorbikes for personal use...

Nasaka deceives people in Maungdaw

Maungdaw, Arakan State (KPN): Nasaka, Burma’s border security force promises to get things done by taking money but actually they cheat the people in Maungdaw town, said a local villager on condition of anonymity.

On May 7, some businessmen from Kyauk Pun Dhu (Sitar Pawrika) of Maungdaw Township with 17 heads of cattle were arrested by Nasaka of Inn Din Nasaka camp while they were crossing the Burma-Bangladesh border. The businessmen had necessary documents from Nasaka authorities after paying it money.

But, they were arrested by another Nasaka group which said they had not given permission. So they would have to pay them. The Nasaka took away five heads of cattle. The businessmen had paid Kyat 120,000 per cattle, and the Nasaka took Kyat 1,440,000 from them, said a close relative of a businessman

Similarly, on April 27, a woman Fatema Khatun, daughter of Azar Meah from Wabek village of Maungdaw Township held a religious gathering by inviting some persons after taking verbal permission from the immigration officer of Nasaka. She paid money for this. Nasaka comprises the police, the Burmese Army, Sarapa, immigration and customs personnel.

However, when the function began, a section of Nasaka accompanied by Sarapa (Military Intelligence) personnel went to the function and asked Fatema Khatun, to show the permit to them. She failed because the permission was verbal. She was taken to the nearby Naska camp and extorted Kyat 500,000 for her release, said a relative.

A trader from the locality said, “Nasaka is using double standards towards the Rohingya community to extort money from them.”

READ MORE---> Nasaka deceives people in Maungdaw...

Australia supports Rohingya refugees

(KPN)- Australia will provide A$ 700,000 to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazaar. The fund will be used to construct improved shelters for 492 Roingya families, as part of UNHCR’s on-going shelter replacement project.

Announcing the new funding pattern, the Australian High Commissioner Dr Justin Lee said, “Australia’s funding of the UNHCR will provide better living conditions including more space, privacy and protection to around 3,000 refugees, until a durable solution can be found.”

Australia also granted earlier this month A$ 3.2 million in humanitarian aid to Rohingya people living in Burma’s northern Arakan (Rakhine) State. This takes Australia’s total contribution to A$ 8 million in this financial year to assist Rohingya in both Bangladesh and Burma.

“This reflects Australia’s commitment to a permanent solution to the Rohingya issue, “Dr Lee said.

The UN refugee agency warmly welcomed the Australian donation. UNHCR representative in Bangladesh, Pia Prytz Phiri said, “Australia’s commitment to the refugee programme in Bangladesh, especially by funding new shelters has already resulted in improvement in the health and protection of the refugees.

According to insiders, the Burmese military junta will provide 30 percent and the UNHCR will provide 70 percent for the development of health, education and communication of Rohingya people in Arakan State. But, the Burmese military regime will take the 30 percent of the funds from Rohingya businessmen.

The Deputy Home Minister Brig General Phone Swe had already taken some millions of kyat from Rohingya businessmen for the development of health, education and communication in northern Arakan, said a businessman from Maungdaw Town

READ MORE---> Australia supports Rohingya refugees...

Random arrest and extortion by Nasaka in Maungdaw

Maungdaw, Arakan State (KPN): Nasaka Burma’s border security force’s random arrest and extortion from the Rohingya people on false and baseless cases has put the community into severe problems in Maungaw Township, according to an elder from Maungdaw.

According to a school teacher from Maungdaw, Commander Major Kyi Hlaing of Nasaka area No.6, under the Maungdaw Township arrested some Rohingya people on the allegation of being involved in human trafficking and possesing Bangladeshi mobile phones. He is infamous for his notorious activities against the Rohingya community. The people were very unhappy when the Commander was appointed in the Nasaka area, because he resorted to brutal torture after arrest and extorted money. Some of the arrestees are as follows:

On April 25, Jaffar (22), son of Sultan, from Kyauk Pyin Seik (Naribill) of Maungdaw township was arrested by Naska personnel of Nasaka area No.6, on the allegation that he was involved in human trafficking and was released after paying kyat 500,000.

Maulana Islam (24), son of Sayed Akber, from Kyauk Pyin Seik (Naribil) east village was arrested by the Nasaka on the same accusation on April 25. He was also released after paying kyat 500,000.

Maulana Mohamed Amin (40), son of Nazir Ahmed, from Hla Poe Khuang (Sarfoddin Bill) was arrested by Nasaka on April 15, on the same accusation, and was released after paying kyat 2.5 million.

Hafez Zamil (35), son of Maulana Fazal Karim from Kyauk Pyin Seik (Naribill) village on April 10, and was released after paying kyat 250,000.

Similarly, the Nasaka Captain Bolay of Nasaka area No.7 of Maungdaw Township arrested six villagers on May 4, on the allegation that they were holding mobile phones, and came back from Malaysia and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, according to aide of Nasaka. They are as follows:

Hashim Ullah (30), son of Mokter Ahmed,
Nur Alam (18), son of Amir Hussain,
Boshir Ullah (19), son of Amir Hussain,
Jamil (18), son of Mokter Ahmed,
Noor Mohamed (50), son of Habibur Rahaman and
Nor Hussain( 50), son of Omra Meah

were arrested on May 4 by Nasaka on allegation that they have mobiles phones and came from KSA and Malaysia. They all are from Than Da (Sanda Para) village of Maungdaw Township. However, they were released after paying kyat 150,000 to 1,000,000 each in keeping with their financial status.

A village elder said, “Recently the Nasaka authorities have increased persecution against the Rohingya people and taking money from villagers on false allegations. This is the method using by Nasaka to cripple the Rohingya economically.”

READ MORE---> Random arrest and extortion by Nasaka in Maungdaw...

Arbitrary arrest of Kachin Baptist youth leader - Hkalen Zau Nan

Written by KNG

A Kachin Baptist youth leader, Hkalen Zau Nan has been detained in a prison cell in Waingmaw town in Burma's northern Kachin State even though he has not committed any crime, said local sources.

Zau Nan is a youth secretary of the Shatapru Baptist Church, one of largest churches in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State. He was arrested from his home in Shatapru on May 6 by policemen from Waingmaw, said Shatapru residents.

According to a local Baptist youth, Zau Nan was detained by Waingmaw police after the murder of a motorcycle-carry owner Maung Ming Maung or Win Bo, 28, who died of stab injuries on his back on the road towards Nawng Hkying village from Waingmaw town. He was suspected to have been stabbed by his passenger.

Sources close to Zau Nan said the police arrested Zau Nan from his home in Shatapru near Nawng Hkying divided by the Irrawaddy River because they found Zau Nan's high school student identity card four feet from Win Bo's body.

Zau Nan had lost his ID card over six years ago. Now Zau Nan is a graduate student studying his Bachelor of Art and Religious Studies (BARS) in the Myanmar Institute of Theology (MIT) in Insein Township in Rangoon, said Shatapru Baptist Church's sources.

Local Baptist youths believe that the arrest of Zau Nan was made intentionally on the orders of the Burmese military authorities as part of the spiritual warfare on Kachin youths, local Baptist youths told KNG today.

Zau Nan has no criminal record and he is kind, simple and a very religious young man, said his colleagues from the Church.

The Baptist youths in Shatapru Church are seething in anger and upset about the arrest of their innocent secretary Hkalen Zau Nan by the Waingmaw police, said a local Baptist youth.

The youths in Shatapru are watched by Burmese military intelligence because the quarter is dominated by Kachins. There have been conflicts often between them in the quarter, according to a local youth.

In prison cells in police stations and government jails in Myitkyina, there are mainly Kachin youths, said people who recently visited the prison cell in No. 1 Police Station and Zion Jail in town.

READ MORE---> Arbitrary arrest of Kachin Baptist youth leader - Hkalen Zau Nan...

Political Prisoners Suffering Ill Health: AAPP

By MIN LWIN
The Irrawaddy News

Many Burmese political prisoners who were recently sentenced to long terms of imprisonment in remote prisons around the country are suffering from physical and mental health problems, according to Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners-Burma (AAPP).

According to a report issued by the AAPP on Monday titled “Burma’s Prisons and Labour Camps: Silent Killing Fields,” at least 127 political prisoners are in poor health and 19 of them require urgent medical attention, including Aung San Suu Kyi, comedian Zarganar, female labor activist Su Su Nway and 88 Generation Students group leader Min Ko Naing.

The report blamed the military government for its “cruel and inhumane practices,” which include the use of systematic torture and the denial of healthcare to political prisoners, most of whom are pro-democracy activists.

“Not only are there more political prisoners than ever before, they are facing harsher sentences,” said Bo Kyi, the joint-secretary of the AAPP. “Leading activists have been transferred to the most remote prisons, where there are no prison doctors, and they are more likely to contract diseases like malaria and tuberculosis.”

The report said that more than 350 activists have been sentenced since October last year, and the majority of them have been transferred to remote jails away from their families. The prison transfers make it difficult for family members to visit and provide essential medicine.

“Many political prisoners have already died in prison,” said Bo Kyi. “This has to stop. The regime must end its cruel and inhumane practices, and release all political prisoners.”

Since November 2008, at least 228 political prisoners have been transferred to remote prisons far from their families. The long-term consequences for the health of political prisoners who have been transferred will be very serious, said the report.

There are 44 prisons in Burma and at least 50 labor camps. Some of them do not have a prison hospital and at least 12 of the prisons do not even have a prison doctor.

READ MORE---> Political Prisoners Suffering Ill Health: AAPP...

Burma’s rural economy on verge of collapse: economist

by Mungpi

New Delhi (Mizzima) - Unless Burma’s military rulers inject cash into the rural credit system, the country’s rural economy will likely collapse as farmers in rural areas face a “chronic shortage of credit”, an economist told Mizzima.

Sean Turnell, an Economics Professor at Macquarie University in Australia, said that because of a lack of a proper economic policy to uplift Burma’s rural economy, the rural credit system is “completely dried up” and in desperate need of cash assistance. [JEG's: there is an airport in nappytown wanting more attention at the moment...:-( ]

“I am getting report after report that there is a chronic shortage of credit in cash,” said Turnell, adding the rural economy is suffering despite the ruling junta having significant foreign reserves derived from the sale of natural gas.

Turnell said the estimate of the junta’s foreign reserves from the sale of natural gas during fiscal year of 2007-08 is about US $5 billion. However, these reserves are not spent on developing the rural economy, which is on the verge of collapsing with the credit system “completely drying up”.

Meanwhile, a report by the Financial Times, citing a new International Monetary Fund report on Burma, said natural gas exports have swollen the country’s foreign exchange reserves to a record high of US $3.6 billion – despite investment into social welfare remaining minimal.

The as of yet unpublished IMF report, which the Financial Times cited, said unless the Burmese government makes improvements in its business climate, the future of the country is “bleak”.

The IMF argued Burma's economy was hit hard by the global economic slowdown and the devastating cyclone of May 2008, which killed 140,000 people and caused the growth in gross domestic product to slow to about 4.5 percent last year, down from 5.5 percent a year earlier.

The country’s ruling military generals, however, do not include all of its gas revenue in the annual public account, instead reporting only a portion of the foreign revenues, which are calculated at the 30-year-old official exchange rate of six kyat to a dollar, according to the report. Currently, a US dollar on the black market fetches approximately 1,050 kyat.

Turnell, agreeing with the report’s calculation, said the Burmese junta’s practice of accounting for foreign exchange revenue at the old and obsolete exchange rate in effect captures less than one per cent of the total budget revenue from the sale of gas for fiscal year 2007-08, as opposed to the 57 percent it would account for if valued at the market rate.

He estimates that Burma’s generals will earn between US $3-3.5 billion from the sale of gas for fiscal year 2008-09.

But, at the same time, farmers are facing an acute shortage of investment funds, he said. Many farmers are forced to sell their products immediately after harvest and to buy the same food that they are selling for consumption.

Turnell, who has closely followed Burma’s economy for several years, said the global economic slowdown has indirectly impacted Burma’s agriculture sector, which largely depends on exports to neighboring countries.

With the declining price of rice, farmers, particularly in the Cyclone Nargis-hit Irrawaddy delta, will find it extremely difficult to plant paddy in the upcoming monsoon, as they are heavily indebted and will try to reduce cost, he maintained.

In the absence of a rural credit system being implemented by the government, farmers will again be dependent on local money lenders, who usually demand high interest rates, up to 20 percent, leaving farmers with an insurmountable debt obligation.

Turnell said that to come out of this crisis, in the short term the Burmese government could inject some of its gas revenue into a rural credit system through the Myanmar Agriculture Development Bank (MADB) or another existing institution.

Alternatively, he said the junta could simply remove restrictions that forbid commercial banks from lending to farmers.

“It’s so bizarre. I can never understand this particular law, which actually outlaws the commercial banks from lending to the farmers,” he added.

He also warned that unless the government comes in to help the farmers in the rural areas, “food shortages could be on the card in later the year.”

READ ALSO: Farmers forced to buy seed by the Military Junta Army
Farmers live under duress of Burmese Army

READ MORE---> Burma’s rural economy on verge of collapse: economist...

Seven year old girl raped in Maungdaw

by Nyein Chan

Dhaka (Mizzima) – A seven-year old girl belonging to Kyaukle village in Maungdaw Township in Burma's western Arakan state was raped on May 7, local residents said.

Local residents said that the minor girl from Kyaukle village, about six miles from north of Maungdaw, was raped at about 7 p.m. on the way back to her house after buying medicines for her ailing father.

"She went to a nearby drug store to buy medicines for her father. When she reached the dark corner of a school, she was gagged and dragged to the nearby forest by a soldier and raped," a local resident from Shwesar block of Maungdaw told Mizzima.

A relative of the victim, talking to Mizzima, said a search was conducted after the girl failed to return home on time. She was found in the nearby forest, about 300 yards from a school, at about 2 a.m. (local time).

"When she didn't come back home on time, the girl's family informed their relatives and then began searching. We started to search for her at about 10 p.m. She was found unconscious in the nearby forest," the local said.

The girl has been admitted to a hospital and is under treatment.

"She was admitted to the hospital only on Friday [a day after the incident] and was unconscious for about a day. Now she has regained consciousness and is out of danger," a staff from Maungdaw hospital said.

The girl, after gaining consciousness, said the perpetrator might have been a soldier from the nearby garrison engineer’s unit stationed at the school, a relative told Mizzima.

Maj. Kyi Aung from Maungdaw Township, Aungbala village based No. 6 Border Inspection and Command (Na Sa Ka) visited the scene of the crime and investigated. But the culprit has not yet been identified, a source close to border security forces also known as the Na Sa Ka said.

"He [the major] visited the school in Kyaukle village where the soldiers were stationed on May 10. But he has not been able to identify the culprit yet", he said.

The garrison engineer’s unit is from Sittwe based Garrison Engineer Battalion and they have been sent to erect border fencing.

Na Sa Ka’s regional commander told the girl's parents not to report the incident to senior officials and promised to pay some money for medical expenses and as compensation, the source close to Na Sa Ka said.

Bangladesh-based, Burmese news agency 'Narinjira' reported a similar case which said an army officer raped a girl from Thri Konbaung village in Maungdaw Township last month.

Reported: 11 May 2009

READ MORE---> Seven year old girl raped in Maungdaw...

Burma and Bangladesh to Meet on Pressing Issues

By Takaloo, Dhaka (Narinajara): Burma and Bangladesh have scheduled a foreign minister level meeting from 15 - 17 May in Burma's new capital Naypyidaw to discuss emergency bilateral issues, according to local media.

The Bangladeshi diplomatic team led by Foreign Minister Dipu Moni will leave for Naypyidaw on 14 May for the three-day meeting, which will focus on the dispute over the border fence, the maritime boundary, repatriation of Rohingya refugees, and restarting the highway project, reported Zai Zai Din, a Bengali newspaper.

Starting from the dispute over the maritime boundary that was averted by diplomatic resolutions last November, Burma and Bangladesh have been locked in tensions again and again concerning territorial issues.

According to border sources, Burma's recent border fence project that was undertaken without official consultation with Bangladesh has worsened relations between the two friendly neighbors.

A meeting between the border forces of the two countries was held recently to discus the construction of fence structures along the border, but ended without any understanding between the two parties.

According to recent reports, Burma's Nasaka warned Bangladesh about making a big deal out of the border issues, and Bangladesh's BDR representatives stated that they would not tolerate Burma's further construction in contravention of international border laws.

Burma shares a border of 320 kilometers with Bangladesh, and it is mostly demarcated by the Naff River.

In addition to the border tensions, the issue of Rohingya refugees poses a longstanding burden on bilateral ties between the two countries. Bangladesh is now on alert along the border for a feared influx of refugees due to Burma's border fence construction, while repatriation of current refugees has been stalled for more than three years by Burma's refusal to take them back.

Apart from finding solutions to territorial tensions, the high level Bangladesh diplomatic team will also propose restarting the cross-border highway that was agreed upon by the two nations in 2005.

A cross-border businessman said that increasing bilateral trade between the two nations was as critical as resolving the border tension.

READ MORE---> Burma and Bangladesh to Meet on Pressing Issues...

Billionaire Branson joins hunger strike

No tucker ... Richard Branson is on a three-day hunger strike to protest the situation in Darfur / Reuters

(News.com) -BILLIONAIRE Virgin boss Richard Branson is on a hunger strike.

He began the three-day fast after actress Mia Farrow, ailing after almost two weeks without food, asked him to take over her protest to show solidarity with people in Sudan's Darfur region.

More than a dozen aid agencies have been expelled from the region.

The British entrepreneur said he was "honoured" to take up the cause.

"This is the first time I've deprived my stomach to get political change," he told Entertainment Weekly.

"I'm a great believer in doing everything once in life. So it'll be interesting to see how one can cope. She said that if they haven't found anybody else to take over after three days they might extend it, so I'm hoping they get somebody else."

On the first evening, he admitted he was feeling the effects of no food.

"... I certainly could do with a decent meal already," he said. "I just had a couple games of chess with somebody who doesn't normally beat me, and he beat me both times.

"I've been walking around and expending lots of energy - all the things I shouldn't be doing. I'm trying not to be grumpy with friends. That's the key thing. And remembering what we're doing it for: There are people starving as a result of the government's decision to expel the aid agencies. And in four-day's time, I'll have a big meal whereas people in Darfur won't.

Branson said the hunger strike would continue to be handed from person to person.

"We cannot stand and watch as 1 million people suffer. We all need to stand up and demand that international aid is restored and that the people of Darfur are protected and given the chance to live in peace," he said.

A Farrow spokesman said her health had deteriorated in the past few days and her doctor requested that she end the liquids-only fast she began 12 days ago to protest at Khartoum's expulsion of more than a dozen aid agencies from Darfur.

Farrow's spokesman said last month that her doctor expected the slightly built actress could not fast for more than three weeks.

Farrow, who was appointed Goodwill Ambassador for the UN children's agency UNICEF in 2000, has been campaigning for years to raise funds for children in conflict zones such as Darfur, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Chad and Nigeria.

The International Criminal Court issued a warrant for the arrest of Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir in March, charging him with masterminding mass killings and deportations in Darfur in western Sudan.

Since then, Sudan has expelled 13 foreign and three domestic humanitarian aid agencies, accusing them of collaborating with the Hague-based ICC.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his latest report on the joint U.N.-African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur, known as UNAMID, that the expulsions had put "over one million people at life-threatening risk" in Darfur.

UN officials say that as many as 300,000 people have been killed and more than 2.7 million driven from their homes in Darfur in almost six years of ethnic and political violence.

Khartoum, however, says 10,000 people have died. Some 4.7 million people rely on humanitarian aid in Darfur.

- with Reuters

READ MORE---> Billionaire Branson joins hunger strike...

Security Council Silent on Burma’s Child Victims

By THALIF DEEN/ IPS WRITER
The Irrawaddy News

UNITED NATIONS — The UN Security Council, which has remained virtually paralyzed on Palestine because of strong Western support for Israel, is considered equally ineffective on Burma (Myanmar) because of Chinese and Russian backing for the military junta in that politically troubled Southeast Asian nation.

A 60-page study by the New York-based Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict released here says it is time for the Security Council to "move swiftly" to protect the tens of thousands of Burmese children who are "raped, abducted and recruited as soldiers by the country's military and non-state armed groups (NSAGs)."

Asked why the Security Council continues to remain silent on Burma, Julia Freedson, director of Watchlist, told IPS there are several possible reasons.

"Monitoring reports being sent to the Security Council, through official UN channels about violations against children, are dismal," she said.

This is in part because authorities in Burma, and other key countries such as Thailand, block access by the United Nations to important segments of the country, thereby preventing documentation, she added.

However, many reliable sources from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have produced trustworthy documentation of sexual violence, killing and maiming, forced displacement and other violations which the Security Council should give more weight to, Freedson added.

Last year, both China and Russia exercised a rare double veto against a Western-sponsored resolution critical of the military regime, officially dubbed the State Peace Development Council (SPDC).

The Chinese and Russian support has prevented any UN sanctions against the SPDC, which is battling ethnic minorities complaining of military aggression and human rights violations.

The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which Burma is a member, has opposed any political involvement in the armed conflict, which it considers an internal affair outside the purview of the Security Council.

Asked how confident she was that the Security Council will eventually take any action—in the context of the opposition from Russia and China—Freedson said: "The geopolitical factors are a concern."

However, she pointed out, the dynamic in the Council in 2009 is different than it was last year.

Following last week's open debate in the Security Council on Children and Armed Conflict, she said, "The sense is that there is now a deeper commitment to moving forward on the Council's obligations to hold perpetrators of violations against children accountable."

"We hope that Myanmar will not be an exception," Freedson added.

According to the Watchlist report, children as young as nine constantly face the threat of forced recruitment by security forces, non-state armed groups and civilians, even in public places such as bus or train stations and markets.

Armed forces have also occupied schools, recruited teachers and students for forced labor and planted landmines close to schools or on the paths to schools.

Asked how violations by the military junta compare with other countries, Freedson said violations in Burma are certainly on par with some of those countries that the international community considers the worst in the world like the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) or Afghanistan, where child mortality is comparable due to denial of humanitarian assistance and medical treatment by the Burmese authorities.

"On the issue of child soldiers, we don’t have precise figures because of lack of access for this type of monitoring, but trustworthy estimates have put the numbers in the tens of thousands," Freedson said.

If this is the case, she said, it could be among the highest, if not the highest number in the world.

At the same time, there are larger geopolitical factors inside the Security Council which have hampered action on Burma, Freedson said.

For example, the Security Council's special Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict deliberated for six months on their conclusions on Burma last year.

"It is our understanding that this was largely due to stalling tactics by China and others which do not want to see human rights issues in Myanmar discussed inside the Security Council," she said.

And when the Working Group finally issued their conclusions, they were disappointing and weak, she noted.

The Watchlist report includes several policy recommendations, including targeted measures on the Burmese government and relevant non-state armed groups, particularly if no real progress is achieved in ending the recruitment and use of children within a specified time frame. These sanctions should include travel bans, asset freezes or arms embargoes.

Meanwhile, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has been asked to provide information to the Security Council on all six grave violations called for under Resolution 1612, including sexual violence, attacks against schools, and denial of humanitarian assistance.

"Too much time has been wasted denying the extent of the crisis facing children in Myanmar's conflict zones," Freedson said. The United Nations must act now to protect these children and bring the perpetrators to justice, she added.

READ MORE---> Security Council Silent on Burma’s Child Victims...