BNI weekly news - September 1st, 2003
. Bangladesh Burma border trade on strike
. Burmese Opposition denounce junta’s proposed roadmap
. Burma Announces Democracy Roadmap
. Bangladesh PM greets Burma counterpart
. Primary Education System Deteriorated in Northern Arakan
. The Bangladesh army seized a large quantity of arms and ammunition
. 7 Rohingya robbers held in Bangladesh
. Rice Smuggling Boom from Bangladesh to Burma
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Bangladesh – Burma border trade on strike
1st September 03:
The importers, Clearing and Forwarding agents, and the Transport Owners and
Workers Federation involved in the border trade with Burma have jointly gone
into strike. The Government of Bangladesh will also lose daily revenue of
taka one million (equivalent to 17,500 US dollars) collected from the
Bangladesh – Burma border trade, according to a source in the federation.
One of the ten-point demands is removal of unnecessary harassment of the
trucks carrying legally imported merchandise from Burma by the Bangladesh
Rifles border security guards, the federation source said. It is alleged
that those who are engaged in the border trade have been subjected to a
number of coercions for extortions by the border guards. The strikers
submitted their 10-point demand two weeks earlier and the ultimatum ended on
31st August, yesterday. As the relevant authority did not take the matter
seriously and has not responded to the demands it became inevitable for
those associated with the border trade to go on strike till the demands are
addressed to.
The strikers arranged a rally in the southeastern Bangladeshi border town of
Teknaf in support of the strike on Sunday evening. The traders called for
the cooperation of the local people to make the strike a success.
Meanwhile, there is a rising concern among the local traders engaged in
border trade that the ruling party government is planning to take away the
border trade from the local merchants and set up a direct Dhaka to Rangoon
trade through a new border point under construction, about twenty-five
kilometres north of Teknaf.
In recent days the exchange rate between the Bangladeshi taka and Burmese
kyat has been fluctuating at an unpredictable rate. The exchange rate of
the US dollar now stands at kyat 1,000 at the border while it is 1,040 in
Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine State. Earlier the Burmese junta has
declared not to use the US dollar as the legal tender, opting for the euro.
While the dollar is still used unofficially in a number of transactions,
said a trader engaged in the border trade. #
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Burmese Opposition denounce junta’s proposed roadmap
31st August 2003:
Burma’s opposition political groups including the National Council of the
Union of Burma have condemned the recently proposed seven-step roadmap by
the ruling junta prime minister General Khin Nyunt by bypassing the results
of the 1990 general elections.
In a statement dated 31st August 03, the NCUB stated that Khin Nyunt’s
roadmap is nothing other than ensuring the Burmese army’s leading role in
the politics of Burma disregarding the democratic and national aspirations
of the peoples of Burma. Whoever should draw up the roadmap, in fact, any
such endeavour should compulsorily be done by consulting Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi led National League for Democracy, which was entrusted with the people’s
mandate in the 1990 general election.
The attempt to revive the national convention stalled since 1996 can never
benefit the people, it said. The NLD withdrew from the convention, as ‘it
(convention) can neither realize the national reconciliation nor the
multiparty democracy, nor even help author a constitution acceptable by the
majority of the people’. For this reason the attempt to revive the
national convention is an attempt to disregard the decisions made by the
United Nations on matters related to Burma, and also the national
reconciliation and dialogue as demanded by the internal and external forces.
NCUB concluded the statement by declaring its resolve to frustrate the
Burmese SPDC junta’s all attempts to its own roadmap, and continue NCUB’s
stand beside the peoples of Burma till an effective “political intervention”
through the UN is realized, and the legal people’s power reinstated.
In another joint statement the All Burma Federation of Student Unions
(Foreign Affairs Committee), All Burma Students’ Democratic Front,
Democratic Party for a New Society, and Network for Democracy and
Development demanded that Khin Nyunt’s roadmap is revival of the old
SLORC/SPDC junta organized national convention, never recognized by the
United Nations, aimed at lengthening military dictatorship, ignoring the
will of the people.
The Central Executive Committee of the Arakan League for Democracy in exile
in a statement published on the same day also denounced the proposed Burmese
junta leader’s roadmap, which the party demanded as an attempt to put an end
to the people’s aspirations of a democratic country and federal republic
where all the peoples would share equal rights besides rendering the results
of the 1990 general elections ineffectual.
Burmese opposition political parties became critical as soon as Burma ‘s new
self-appointed Prime Minister General Khin Nyunt announced a seven-point
roadmap towards democracy including “ free and fair” elections to be held
under a new constitution on Saturday. #
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Burma Announces Democracy Roadmap
31st August 2003:
Khin Nyunt, Burma’s newly installed Prime Minister heading the military
government, in a speech announced a seven-point roadmap towards democracy
yesterday that includes "free and fair" elections to be held under a new
constitution.
"Free and fair elections will be held based on a new constitution spelled
out by the national constitutional convention," he further said.
Khin Nyunt, who was appointed prime minister by Myanmar's leader Senior
General Than Shwe, gave no timeframe for the elections or for what he
described as the "seven-point roadmap for democracy."
But he said the first step of the plan, the re-convening of a constitutional
convention suspended in 1996 following a boycott by the opposition National
League for Democracy (NLD), should be done "as soon as possible."
The process leading to national elections to form a "government of elected
members" would start with the drafting and passage of a new constitution, he
said.
Burma has been ruled for the past four decades by the military, which in
1990 refused to recognize national elections that gave a landslide victory
to democracy campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi's NLD party.
In late 1995, after the Nobel peace laureate's first period under house
arrest, the NLD refused to join a new session of the national convention to
draft the constitution.
The junta shortly afterwards suspended the convention, which the NLD had
rejected as unrepresentative.
Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been held in detention since May, was mentioned
just twice in the 80-minute speech, once when Khin Nyunt denounced her party
for walking out on the convention.
Khin Nyunt, whom foreign governments and diplomats in Yangon consider the
most accessible and reform-minded figure in the regime, is seen as a
moderate among a coterie of hard-line military men.
He was charged with managing a United Nation-sponsored reconciliation
process with Aung San Suu Kyi, which broke down in May when she was arrested
after her supporters were attacked by a pro-junta mob during a political
tour.
In what was almost certainly a jibe at Washington, Khin Nyunt took the
opportunity to blast outside interference in Myanmar's political affairs.
"The dialogue between the NLD and the SPDC collapsed due to external
pressure and the NLD's subsequent refusal to collaborate with the military,"
he said in the speech addressed to the cabinet and media representatives
among other invited guests.
"If any superpower continues to bully us, there will be regional unrest.
External pressures will only distance us from democracy."
The speech, which may prove to be a landmark in the junta's self-proclaimed
path towards a "disciplined democracy," came just two days after new US
sanctions came into effect against Burma, including a ban on all imports
from the impoverished country.
Witnesses said Khin Nyunt, who also has a key role as Burma’s chief of
military intelligence, was dressed in full military uniform for his
80-minute address at
Parliament House.
Guests said he appeared confident as he delivered his comments to an
audience that also included members of the ruling State Peace and
Development Council (SPDC), military commanders and representatives from
local and foreign non-governmental organizations. #
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Bangladesh PM greets Burma counterpart
28th August 2003:
Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has felicitated her Burma counterpart
on his assumption to the office of the prime minister of the Union of
Myanmar, report UNB.
In a message to general Khin Nyunt, she said, “ I take this opportunity to
express my firm belief that during your tenure the existing bonds of
friendship and cooperation between Bangladesh and Burma will be further
consolidated and strengthened to the mutual benefit of our two people.”
Bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Burma have been promoted since
the BNP government came to power in Bangladesh.#
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Primary Education System Deteriorated in Northern Arakan
30th August 2003:
Primary education system is deteriorating day by day in northern Arakan,
Burma, according to a prominent Rohingya leader of Maungdaw Town.
The people living in northern Arakan are mostly farmers and extremely poor.
They are facing many difficulties in continuing their children’s education
in schools. They have to pay bribe to the Nasaka authorities and besides,
have to pay fees for their children to the schoolteachers. So, some parents
simply cannot afford expenses of their children and have stopped sending the
children to schools, he further said.
The poorly paid primary schoolteachers are also reluctant to go regularly to
schools. They get 5,000 to 7,000 Kyats per month, which renders it very
hard for them to maintain their families because of skyrocketing prices of
essential commodities. So, they collect extra money from their pupils at the
rate of Kyat-1, 200 each every month. Regarding this, the government keeps
mum and does not take any action or increase the teachers’ salaries, said an
ex- teacher to our source.
According to UNICEF report of 2001, only 7 percent of Burma’s state budget
was spent on education while 50 percent was utilized for the military.
The average number of students in every primary school is about 400 to 500,
while the number of teachers is from 8 to 12. All the students are
compelled to attend the coaching centres, which have been set up by the
teachers. Students have to pay monthly fees to the teachers. Those who do
not attend the coaching center, will not be listed in the final examination
result or added to the list of the failed students, said a farmer to our
correspondent.
Since 1992, Rohingyas have been totally barred from appointment as teachers.
Burma’s government is destroying the future of an entire generation, with
children being denied educational opportunities. Although education is free
by law, more than half the children in Burma have to pay for night classes
to keep up, adding to the financial burden on already poor parents, said a
Rohingya elite.
The number of schools, facilities and teachers is grossly inadequate. "All
too often schools use textbooks dating back to the 50s or 60s". Some 35
percent of primary teachers are unqualified, according to AP, Thailand.
Thousands of Burmese children’s access to a school will remain a dream
unless and until the military regime radically changes its policy. #
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The Bangladesh army seized a large quantity of arms and ammunition from
Arakanese Forces
30th August 2003:
The Bangladesh Army seized a large amount of arms and ammunition from
Arakanese forces. After a battle with the Arakanese rebel forces on Monday
(25/08/2003) night, the Bangladesh Army arrested one rebel and killed
another, according to local news agencies.
The rest escaped, but left some arms and ammunition. These include one M-79
rocket launcher, two M-56 grenade launchers, 39 anti-tank grenades, one M-16
assault rifle, a single-barrel gun, a pistol, ammunitions, two
walkie-talkies, medicine, a radio, combat dresses, a camera and food items.
According to the Bangladesh Army, the battle took place near Ruangchhari or
Rakhaing Wa village, 10 km away from Bandraban Hill District Town. The
operation involved 250 personnel, including police, but only eight commandos
were actually involved in the battle, which lasted for about 35 minutes.
The operation was conducted to root out the Arakanese group as it was
creating pressure upon the families in the area within the parameters of
Bangladesh to pay them TK 500 per family during the harvest season,
complained the residents, according to an agency quoted by a Bangladesh army
official.
Sources informed Narinjara news that these Arakanese forces are from the
armed wing of the Democratic Party of Arakan (DPA). The actual number of
killed in the encounter stood at three – two of them were DPA members while
the other one was a local collaborator, according to sources. DPA is said
to be fighting against the Burmese military junta for greater autonomy and
democracy in the Arakan state, Burma, while its members are mostly from the
now defunct Arakan Communist Party. #
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7 Rohingya robbers held in Bangladesh
29th August 2003:
Police arrested seven Rohingya robbers from remote Saypara village under
Alikadam Township of Bandarban district on Wednesday night, according to the
Daily Star today.
Police said the armed robbers looted TK 50,000 from three wood traders at
the village during daytime.
Being informed, police lunched a special drive in the area and nabbed the
Rohingya robbers.
The arrestees are Alam, Hamid, Nabi, Anwar, Hashem, Latif and Monir.
Police also arrested a tribal youth, Aung Tuai Marma, 24, in the army camp
area in Baghmara under the township the same night on charge of his
involvement in criminal activities.
It was learned that the Bangladesh army and police have been launching
operations against the Arakanese rebels near Burma border area since last
week and the border area is on high alert right now. #
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Rice Smuggling Boom from Bangladesh to Burma
29th August 2003:
The smuggling of rice has been thriving in the Burmese border town, Maung
Daw, according to the report from the border area. Rice from Bangladesh is
sold to Burma across the Naaf River, which forms the border between the two
countries, in the Westernmost state of Burma, Arakan.
The trend has been that rice from Burma is exported (illegally) to
Bangladesh. However, lately there has been a reverse in this trend with
Burma taking in rice through the villages along the Burmese side of the
river.
Each rice bag of 25 kilograms costs 540 Bangladeshi Taka but sells for 750
Taka at the Burmese Border, yielding about 200 Taka as profit. The price
(750 Taka) is equivalent to 12,000 Burmese Kyats.
This reverse smuggling trade is due to the official ban on the commodities
movement in Arakan. The state authority allows only a 25 kilograms bag per
traveller within the region as the measure to deter the smuggling trade. To
transport more rice, one would have to bribe the authority.
The current retail price of rice is 12,500 Kyats per bag for medium quality
rice, while lower quality rice costs 11,500 Kyats per bag. People in Maung
Daw Township have to import (smuggle) rice (the staple food) and other
commodities from Bangladesh. #
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Burma News International (BNI) is a network of six Independent Burma Media
organizations: The Mizzima News, The Narinjara News, the Kaladan Press
Network, the Khonumthung News Group, the Network Media Group and the
Independent Mon News Agency.#