SPDC shows off its ethnic diversity
Posted on March 12, 2010
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Maj-Gen Lun Maung source: SHAN
Burma’s ruling military junta is trying to win support in Shan State in northern Burma by showcasing officers from ethnic minorities that hold senior ranks in the army reports the Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN).
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Thein Sein, visited Namkham and Muse on the Sino-Burmese border in Shan State to inspect progress on several construction projects.
Over ten officials from different departments accompanied him. Among them were Auditor General Maj-Gen Lun Maung, a Shan and another, who was not identified, who was said to be a Palaung.
Local residents were forced to attend a meeting organised by the Township Peace and Development Council, at which the two ethnic officers were presented by the Prime minister as two from ethnic groups who have achieved high ranks in the army.
There have been numerous reports of officers from ethnic minorities not being promoted above junior ranks, and also of non-Buddhists being forced to convert to Buddhism in order to ensure promotion.
However, SHAN quotes one participant at the meeting as saying the Prime Minister said, “There are malicious reports that say no person of ethnic origin gets a high rank in our Tamataw [Burma’s armed forces], that all of them are of lower ranks. It is not true.”
“Maj-Gen Lun Maung is a Shan and is holding a top position in the army. He is just one evidence. Therefore you should not listen to the rumours,” he said.
SHAN said Maj-Gen Lun Maung is a Shan but he grew up among the Burman community because his family moved to proper Burma when he was ten.
He told the villagers that every ethnic person could become not only a Major General like him but also General from now on.
Earlier, this week the SPDC released its election laws, which pave the way for elections to be held later this year.
The elections are to be held under the country’s new junta drafted constitution. Most Burma watchers agree that rather than opening up the country to democracy, the constitution and elections are designed to strengthen the military’s grip on power.
During the meeting, Thein Sein talked mainly about the upcoming elections and urged people to vote for the junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Association, which is being transformed into a political party. He told villagers, they should vote for the USDA, because it has helped developed the country.
Overseas Karen call for UN action as SPDC attacks continue
Posted on March 11, 2010
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Ethnic Karen from around the world are calling for international action to stop attacks by Burma’s ruling military junta on Karen civilians.
Karen communities from ten countries have issued an appeal for the United Nations Security Council to demand that Burma’s military regime immediately cease ongoing attack on civilians in eastern Burma.
Over 2,000 Karen civilians have been displaced since January, as the Burma Army appears to be targeting civilians as part of its latest offensive.
The Chinland Guardian reports that Karen communities from Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom and the United States have issued a statement linking the attacks to elections the junta plans to hold later this year.
They say, “The new wave of attacks is linked to the Burmese dictatorship’s fake elections due later this year.”
They also point out that not only will the new military-backed constitution and its resulting elections fail to protect the rights of the ethnic people.”
In the latest offensive, the advancing Burmese troops are being accused of deliberately targeting civilians by shelling on a school, shooting Karen civilians on sight, destroying homes and even beheading one Karen civilian, among many other allegations of human rights abuses.
In a statement last week, the Karen National Union warned, “What is happening in Karen State is not a civil war with two sides fighting each other. The reality is that the Burmese Army is attacking and deliberately targeting civilians, and this has been verified by the United Nations’ own reports. The KNU cannot end hostilities, as we are not engaged in active hostilities against the regime. Our soldiers in the Karen National Liberation Army are protecting civilians from attack and providing humanitarian assistance.”
Two migrant girls drown fleeing the police
Posted on March 10, 2010
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Burmese migrant workers caught by Thai police
Two Burmese sisters are dead after they drowned in a creek in the Thai resort town of Phuket. The girls were fleeing the police who had raided their living quarters.
The Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) reports that 20-year-old Nyo Nyo San and 12-year-old Myint Myint San both had migrant worker permits and had enrolled in the new nationality verification programme.
The verification program aims to certify migrant workers in Thailand and give them certain rights. But, the deaths highlight the problems facing migrant workers in the country.
The girls fled their quarters after two police cars arrived on Monday evening. Despite their permits, many migrant workers fear mistreatment by the Thai police. Myint Myint San was the first to go into the water, but she couldn’t swim and began to drown. Her sister drowned while attempting to save her.
Fellow workers say the police and other migrants watched from the riverbank. But, the migrants were too afraid of the police to help save the girls.
DVB quotes one local migrant as saying, “It doesn’t matter whether you carry the migrant worker card or not; some police will still arrest you and you have to pay them around 6000 baht ($US180) in order to be released.”
The mother of the two girls blamed the police for their deaths. “I will not forgive them,” she told DVB.
Last month, Human Rights Watch released a new report, ‘From the Tiger to the Crocodile’ detailing the abuse of migrant workers in Thailand.
20 villages submerged by dam
Posted on March 8, 2010
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Karen villagers in 20 villages have lost their homes and farms after they were submerged following the construction of a new dam.
And, the villagers have received no compensation reports the Democratic Voice of Burma, despite many people losing their sole source of income.
Construction of the 185-foot high dam began in 2000, with it expected to open next month. The dam covers a 44 square mile area and villagers had already been forced to vacate the area, but now their homes and thousands of acres of farmlands and fruit gardens have been flooded.
One local resident revealed the water level could rise three to five feet whenever the dam releases one foot of water. “It is causing a great deal of damage to local businesses,” he said.
The villagers have been forced to move to mountain areas, or to towns, where they have no way of making a living.
The dam will generate 75 megawatts of electricity and is part of an ambitious program of hydropower construction that is going on across Burma.
However, despite all the dams, many ordinary Burmese do not have a reliable supply of electricity and often face power cuts. Instead, much of the electricity being generated by the dams is being sold to Thailand and China
KIA recruiting new troops as tensions with junta rise
Posted on March 5, 2010
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KIA soldiers source: KNG
As the winds of war continue to blow through Burma’s northern Shan State, the Kachin Independence Organisation’s armed wing the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has started recruiting new soldiers.
The Kachin News Group (KNG) reports that according to local villagers, for the last week the KIA has been recruiting villagers in northeast Shan State.
KNG also reports cases of youth fleeing their villages to avoid recruitment.
Following its ceasefire agreement with the junta in 1994, the KIO stopped recruitment, so the latest move is a sign of how serious the standoff between the government and the rebels is.
Relations between the KIO and Burma’s ruling military junta have been strained since the KIO rejected a proposal by the military for the KIA to transform into a Border Guard Force (BGF) under the command of the Burmese military.
The two sides have recently held talks over the BGF proposal, but failed to reach agreement.
The KIO’s central committee has been meeting at its headquarters near the Sino-Burma border to discuss their next step.
The area is home to several armed ethnic groups that have rejected the BGF proposal. In an effort to bring the restless ethnic groups into line, the military has been building up its presence in the area. According to KNG they are also recruiting new soldiers, including child soldiers. And, last month, the junta recalled troops that had been deployed in Karen State.
PLA deploys troops along Burmese border
Posted on March 3, 2010
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China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has deployed thousands of troops along the Sino-Burma border as a deadline passed for armed ethnic groups in the area to transform into Border Guard Forces under the control of the military.
The Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN) reports that around 2,000 new PLA troops armed with anti aircraft guns have arrived in Menglian, opposite Panghsang in Burma, which is the capital of Wa territory.
According to SHAN there are reports of MiG29 fighters flown by Burma’s armed forces conducting aerial exercises 100 kilometres south of Panghsang.
The area includes territory controlled by the United Wa State Army, the Shan State Army and the National Democratic Alliance Army. All three groups have rejected the junta’s border guard force proposal.
However, recently the junta’s negotiators have been meeting with representatives of the ethnic groups to get them to change their minds ahead of a deadline set up the junta of February 28.
With elections planned for later year, the military says since there should be only one military in one country, all armed groups should either dissolve or become part of the Tatmadaw (Burmese Armed Forces).
Tensions in the region have been rising since August, when the Burmese Army clashed with Kokang rebels. Those clashes forced around 30,000 Kokang refugees to flee into China (see: Ethnic Kokang flee to China).
Since those clashes, military watchers in the area have been predicting all out war between the junta and the ethnic groups.
KNU calls for international cooperation in assisting Karen civilians
Posted on March 2, 2010
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KNU flag
With the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), Burma’s ruling military junta stepping up its attacks on civilians in Karen State and Karen refugees in Thailand facing an uncertain future, the Karen National Union (KNU) has called for international and local cooperation to assist civilians forced to flee their homes.
In a statement by the KNU’s Central Committee, they urged “the international community and the entire Karen people to continue their cooperation and participation to resolve the increasing difficulties and problems faced by the civilian populations, who have to flee and take refuge in the border areas, due to military offensives by the SPDC.”
The Central Committee met last week following the 14th KNU Congress. In a statement, they condemned the junta for targeting innocent civilians, accusing the junta of treating civilians as enemies for annihilation.
The Burmese Army is reported to be preparing to launch an offensive against the Karen national Liberation Army (KNLA)’s 3rd Brigade, inside Karen State.
Last year, a joint offensive by the Burmese Army and its allies in the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) captured the KNLA’s 7th Brigade headquarters.
Prior to the fall of 7th Brigade, the DKBA were forcibly recruiting villagers to work as porters, this lead to several thousand villagers fleeing across the border to Thailand (see: 7th Brigade Headquarters falls).
However, although the villagers have been able to remain in Thailand, the Thai authorities are eager for them to return home. And, last month, they were forced to abandon a plan to forcibly return the refugees to Burma after an international outcry, that included protests from members of the US Congress (see: Repatriation put on hold for now… sort of).
However, the refugees’ future still remains uncertain.
The Central Committee also repeated its objections to elections the junta plans to hold later this year. “The meeting decided not to recognize entirely and to vigorously oppose the 2010 general election which is merely an extension of the 2008 constitution that was unilaterally drafted and adopted through fraud and coercion by the SPDC,” said the statement.
They also pledged to continue their policy of eradicating production, trafficking and abuse of narcotic drugs.
Junta’s cronies buying up national properties
Posted on March 1, 2010
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Burmese businessmen friendly with the country’s ruling military junta have snapped up a large portion of what were once government owned properties in Burma including businesses and factories.
The junta has launched a massive privatisation program and according to a report by the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), in recent month’s the junta’s cronies in the business world have managed to buy 70 percent of property in Burma at auction.
The majority of the remaining 30 percent has been sold to foreign companies.
The sale included 115 national properties, including major shipping ports and airports.
However, DVB reports that companies without close contacts in the junta have been excluded from the sale. One businessman in Rangoon complained local companies not close to the government could only bid for small properties, which are unlikely to generate much revenue.
He said, “ [The junta] took the [promising properties] off the bidding list. Those are only opened for the big guys and foreign companies but it is impossible for an ordinary business owner to enter the bid.”
Many of the companies that are being allowed to bid are not only close to the junta, but have sold shares to the generals.
DVB quotes one economist as warning the current government was privatizing industry to show that Burma is heading towards a market economy. In reality, however, this will leave nothing for the country when a next [elected] civilian government comes to power.
The junta has promised to hold elections for a new civilian government before the end of the year. But, critics say the new junta drafted constitution is designed to enshrine military control of the country.
South Korea suspends permits for Burmese migrant workers
Posted on February 26, 2010
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South Korea has suspended permits for Burmese migrant workers after police discovered migrants were carrying out “illegal activity”.
The Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) reports the temporary suspension targets Shwe Inwa, an agency that sends Burmese workers abroad.
South Korean officials did not give further details for the suspension.
Since 2007, Seoul has let Burmese work in South Korea under the so-called Employment Permit System. The System requires Burmese workers to pass exams on Korean language and culture before being eligible for selection by Korean employers.
Although the permit costs around US$1,000, migrant workers can make up to US$900 per month, far higher than the estimated average wage of less than US$200 per year.
In 2008, over 33,000 people took the Korean language exams in Burma, but only 1,300 got chosen for jobs in South Korea.
There are believed to be over 2,000 people in Rangoon waiting to be sent to Korea.
DKBA reverses decision on border guard force
Posted on February 25, 2010
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The Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) has reversed its decision to accept a proposal by Burma’s ruling military junta to transform into a Border Guard Force under the command of the Burmese Army.
The Irrawaddy quotes sources in the Three Pagodas Pass area on the Thai/Burma border as saying Burmese businessman have been told by DKBA leaders of the decision.
The junta had planned for all armed ceasefire groups to join the force, which was to be created under the country’s new constitution, which the junta forced through in 2008.
The DKBA was one of the first ceasefire groups to agree to the plan, shortly after it was announced in April 2009.
However, since then several large high-profile ceasefire groups have rejected the plan.
Last week, the DKBA’s patron and spiritual leader, Ashin Sujana spoke out against the plan, saying it was not good for the Karen people (see: DKBA’s patron stalling Border Guard plans).
Now, the Irrawaddy quotes a DKBA officer as saying, “The majority of us don”t agreed to the Burmese government’s proposal.”
Last year in a joint offensive with Burmese Army troops, the DKBA captured the Karen National Liberation Army’s 7th Brigade headquarters, effectively giving it control of much of the border near Mae Sot.
The DKBA has also been trying to increase its numbers from a reported 6,000 to 9,000, in what is seen as preparation for joining the border guard force.
Karen women taking on greater responsibilities and facing greater dangers
Posted on February 25, 2010
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In rural areas of Karen State in eastern Burma, women are increasingly being elected as village chiefs in what is seen as shift in the traditionally male dominated society.
According to a new report by the Karen Womens Organization (KWO), men are becoming reluctant to take on the role for fear for their lives. Consequently, many villages are turning to women leaders, often in the hope that the Burmese Army will be more lenient on them because of their gender.
However, as the KWO report finds, women village chiefs are subjected to the same abuses as their male counterparts, with the added threat of rape and other forms of gender based violence.
It notes, “One third of the 95 women chiefs interviewed were physically beaten
or tortured, using methods employed on other villagers. Neither the
women’s status as chiefs nor their gender appears to have caused the
troops to exercise restraint in their brutality.”
Among the abuses experienced or witnessed by women chiefs are crucifixion, people being burnt alive, rape, including gang rape, many forms of torture, people being buried up to their heads and beaten to death, arbitrary executions, beheadings and slave labor.
The KWO is calling for the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry by the United Nations Security Council into crimes against humanity and war crimes
in Burma.
They are also calling on the international community and other interested stakeholders to provide direct support to community-based women’s organizations, to enable them to build on their existing skills, and carry out programs addressing the needs of communities affected by the ongoing conflict in Burma.
A copy of the KWO report, called Walking Amongst Sharp Knives can be downloaded here.
Burmese Army in Shan State told to prepare for combat
Posted on February 22, 2010
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Burmese troops in Kachin State source: KNG
Burmese Army units in Burma’s northern Shan and Kachin States have received orders to prepare for combat.
The Kachin News Group (KNG) reports the order was sent from the capital Naypyitaw to all army divisions and battalions in the two states.
KNG quotes sources close to the military as saying the orders were for all military divisions and battalions to be ready for combat, but do not name the enemy.
The two states are the home of the Kachin Independence Organization and United Wa State Army, two of the largest armed ethnic groups in Burma. Both are so-called ceasefire groups, having signed ceasefire agreements with the ruling military junta.
However, both have rejected the junta’s proposal to transform into a Border Guard Force (BGF) under the command of the military.
Tensions in Shan State have been rising since the armed groups rejected the BGF proposal, with both sides preparing for war.
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