BNI Weekly News – September 15, 2003
. A taskforce to stop smuggling in the unguarded seas
. Extortion for Myanmar Veteran Organization
. Forced Labour is Still Continuing in Arakan
. Foreign labourers to be replaced by Thai workers
. Police and Immigration forces arrest 120 Men for extortion
. The Commander’s Decree for repairing drains
. Mosque knocked down, mosque rebuilt
. Free Burma Activists Coalition Re-aligns to Face New Challenges
. Army Beat Up a Cleric’s Wife and Daughter
. SPDC honors Depeyin village head
. Mae Sot Murder Case confessed
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A taskforce to stop smuggling in the unguarded seas
15th September 2003:
The smuggling in of fish, spices, textile goods and drugs worth millions of
taka from Burma has raised high concern in Bangladesh. The rampant
smuggling prevalent in the open unguarded waters of the Bay of Bengal has
challenged the border trade between the two neighbours, said a customs
official on condition of anonymity in the Bangladeshi border town of Teknaf.
The realization of revenue has also drastically come down in the last year
compared to the year before, he said.
In these circumstances the concerned officials have last week appealed to
the Ministry of Home Affairs, Bangladesh, for the formation of a
high-powered taskforce comprised of police, customs and coastguards to put a
check on the smuggling in the high seas.
According to sources, the import through the Land Customs station at Teknaf
include dried fish, mango, pickles, sandals, tamarind, betel nuts, ginger,
etc., while previously the items of import included spices including black
pepper, cumin seeds, clove, cardamom, etc. But for the last one month there
has been no import of spices, which is very much abnormal, indicating that
some kind of underhand dealings and smuggling is going on. At present items
like spices, fish, drugs, weapons and fishing nets are being smuggled in
directly from Sittwe to Chittagong and other parts of the country through
the open unguarded high seas, resulting in stalemate in the border trade.
A total of taka 20.5 million was realized last June as revenue from the
border trade, which is taka five million less than the revenue of the month
of May the previous year. Now only fish is imported from Burma – and if the
situation continues, there is every possibility that the border trade will
come to a halt. In the 2002 – 03 fiscal year, the government of Bangladesh
realized taka 380.98 million as duties from the Teknaf land port. The
amount was taka 80 million more than that of the fiscal 2001 – 02. The
collection of revenue that year totalled taka 307.42 million. The officials
demand that the joint drive and vigilance by the BDR border forces and
customs department has helped to impose check on the smuggling and stop
transport of imported goods through fake official papers.
But the increase in smuggling in the high seas has posed threat both to the
traders and the relevant officials, the sources said. In this regards the
deputy commissioner of the Customs Excise and VAT Circle of Cox’s Bazaar has
said that if the smuggling of fish, spices and other goods through the open
seas could be checked, the revenue collection from the border trade would go
up manifold. The legal traders are also facing financial loss, as the price
of smuggled goods is just a fraction of that of the imported ones. Many
traders have meanwhile stopped to do trade with Burma, as the imported goods
cannot see profitability, since the marker is found to be over flooded with
smuggled goods and the imported items cannot compete with them.
From a number of sources Narinjara has gathered that in the border a number
of strong smuggling syndicates operating on both sides of the border control
the trans-border smuggling in connivance with corrupt officials on both
sides of the Naaf River that serves as the common border between the two
countries, separating Maungdaw Township on Burmese side and Teknaf Township
on Bangladesh side. #
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Extortion for Myanmar Veteran Organization
14th September 2003:
Members of the Township Veteran Organization have forcefully been collecting
money from local villagers of Maungdaw Township for the Central Veteran
organization fund, a headman from Maungdaw Township in western Burma said.
The money collection drive began Saturday last and each of the family has
been forced to pay kyat 700 to the combined collection team led by U Soe
Lwin and U Than Myint from Township Veterans’ Organization.
Facing shortage of fund the central Veterans’ Organization in Rangoon, the
organization leaders have requested U Hla Pru, Chairman of Maungdaw
Township, and Major Thant Zin, in-charge of MI-18 headquarters of
Buthidaung, to collect some fund for the organization from the two border
towns of Buthidaung and Maungdaw in Burma’s western front, Rakhine State.
On the request of the central Veterans’ Organization leaders from Rangoon,
the chairman of Maungdaw issued orders to the Township Veteran Organization
and village chairmen to collect money from all the families of Maungdaw
Township, according to the source.
Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships situated in the western border of Burma
offer good opportunity to smugglers who deal in illegal money changing,
cross-border traffic of currency, gold, fertilizer, fuel oil, textile goods,
electronic items, etc. In recent months since the imposition of the US
sanctions the smuggling of US dollars into the western Burmese state has
considerably gone up, said a businessman in the town.
According to a retired teacher, the townspeople are heavily burdened with
forceful collection of money by local authority for several times a month
for such sectors including road preparing, religious ceremony, state
functions like welcoming guests of high authority from Rangoon. #
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Forced Labour is Still Continuing in Arakan
13th September 2003:
Forced labour is still continuing in Arakan State, in the western part of
Burma, according to our correspondent.
The villagers of Buthidaung Township, lying closely to Bangladesh, have been
used as forced labour at Nasaka camps (Border Security Force), military
camps, Military Intelligent Camps (MI). The conscripted have been reported
to be put to work in such everyday chores as cleaning up and fencing the
camps, building latrines, carrying water, collecting firewood from forests,
he further said.
Besides, they have also been forced to plough paddy fields and do
cultivation in lands adjoining the camps of the army, MI and Nasaka. Though
those plots of confiscated land were used as pasture for the villagers’
cattle the Burmese law enforcement agencies have been confiscating them from
the villagers for the last two years, another villager said to our source.
Earlier, the Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) No. 551, 552, 553, 556, and
Military Operation Command (MOC)-15 of Buthidaung Township had confiscated
huge areas of farmland from the villagers, which they have put to use for
supporting their families as the meagre salary they receive from the junta
is not enough for keeping the body and soul together, he further said.
Every day, one villager from a village tract has to report to Nasaka office
and be present from 5:00 am to 8:00 pm. His duty is just passing any news or
decree from Nasaka to village Chairmen and to the villagers. In general the
conscription of forced labour is now done at the rate of one person per
family per month. #
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Foreign labourers to be replaced by Thai workers
13th September 2003:
According to a letter from job recruiting department of Mae Hong Song
district to the employers, foreign laborers in Thailand particularly the
Burmese, Laotian and Cambodians are to be replaced by Thai workers.
The holders of the work-permit ID cards that will be expired on September 25
will not be able to extend their stay and Thai nationals will be recruited
and replaced in the vacant posts, according to a letter signed earlier this
month by an official from the Job Replacement Department.
The employers of foreign nationals were instructed to send the foreign
workers who were in the list to the nearest police stations or checkpoints
in the respective townships.
from now on Thai workforce will take over the jobs lying vacant from the
move in laundry, beauty parlor, hotel, restaurant, groceries, car servicing,
consumer goods factory, pet shop, computer accessories, offices of trade and
investment, shoe factory, soap factory, toothpaste factory, gems renovation
factories, electrical accessories, sports industries and knitting factories.
Recently Thailand introduced a Job Recruiting Department in several
townships and urged its jobless citizens to register in these offices.
According to the Thai Labor Ministry, foreign workers would be allowed only
in agricultural sectors, fisheries, rice mill, mineral explorations and
household jobs and their work permit will be extended only for next one
year.
The non-governmental organizations and respective departments estimated that
there are over one million migrant workers in Thailand and over 80 per cent
of these are Burmese.
Officer of district job recruitment department, Phisit Ninthoungkham signed
the warning letters to foreign workers in Mae Hong Son district.
The employers would face punishment according to the immigrant workers act
(1978) if foreign workers were found working at their workstations after
September 25, the letter mentioned. #
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Police and Immigration forces arrest 120 Men for extortion
11th September 2003:
On August 30,2003, a team of police and immigration forces arrested 120
Rohingyas from Koin Daung (Kwan Dine) village of Buthidaung Township in
Arakan State, in western Burma, and took money from them by extortion,
according to our correspondent.
On the said day, 7 policemen accompanied by 4 members of the Immigration
Department went to Koin Daung village of Buthidaung Township and arrested
120 Rohingya people - 75 persons of whom were accused for not paying money
for a football tournament, 36 persons for not planting seedlings along the
roadsides and other 9 persons were accused for illegally crossing the border
and going to Bangladesh, he further said.
All arrested persons were confined in the village primary school until they
paid the bribes as demanded. The persons who were accused for not paying
football tournament fees were released after giving Kyat-3, 000 each, and
those who were accused for not planting seedlings along the roadsides
Kyat-5, 000/- each, said one of the victims to our source.
The rest 9 persons ‘charged’ on illegal border crossing to Bangladesh, were
released after giving bribes as follows: Basar, 32, son of Jaffor West Koin
Daung village, had to pay Kyat-20, 000/- (twenty thousand), Patan Ali, 40,
son of Abdul Sohbi, West Koin Daung village, Kyat-16, 000/- (sixteen
thousand), Md. Sultan, 49, son of Md. Sidique, East Koin Daung, Kyat-10,
000/- (ten thousand), Abdul Kharim, 27, son of Sultan Ahamed, Kyat- 25,000/-
(twenty-five thousand), Abdul Goffor, 56, son of Abul Hashim, middle Koin
Daung, Kyat- 11,000/- (eleven thousand), Md Ali, 52, son of Md. Sultan,
middle Koin Daung, Kyat-9, 000/- (nine thousand), Shoffi Rhaman, 32, west
Koin Daung, Kyat-12,000/- (twelve thousand), Khalu Meah, 41, west Koin
Daung, Kyat-13, 000/- (thirteen thousand) and Abdul Khader, 47, west Koin
Daung, Kyat-20, 000/- (twenty thousand), he further added.
When asked one of the victims, who was accused of border crossing, said that
the charges were all false and fabricated since there have been a large
number of check posts constructed on roadsides only to check border
crossings.
The arrested were all released after giving a total amount of Kyat-561,000/-
in bribe to the concerned authorities on 1st September 2003. #
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The Commander’s Decree for repairing drains
10th September 2003:
Brigadier Maung Oo, the chairman of the Arakan State Peace and Development
Council, who is also the supreme commander of the western command of the
western Burmese state of Rakhine (Arakan), has issued a decree causing
hardship for the townspeople in Akyab (Sittwe), the capital of Arakan state,
according to our correspondent.
In the decree Maung Oo has urged the townspeople to repair the public drains
and pavements in front of their relevant houses with money from their own
pockets. Failure to abide by the decree will be dealt with severely by
imposing a fine of 10,000 Kyats and one-month detention. The townspeople
have in a hurry begun to repair the drains with their own initiatives since
August 21st.
According to a trader available at Teknaf on Bangladesh side, those who
could not afford to bear the costs of repair had to pawn or sell such
personal items as bicycles or family jewellery for the purpose. He added
that the present western Commander is the worst ever and mostly hated person
among the people in the state.
Though issued in April last the decree has not been realized because of
public non-compliance forcing the western commander to re-issue the decree.
Since the city municipal council has already been facing financial
difficulty due to lack of a workable budget to fix the roads damaged by
heavy rain, the city-residents and owners of business houses have been
forced to contribute to the municipal fund. “Then again under a difficult
economic situation resulting from the recent bank crisis and sanctions, the
state-owned financial institutions are finding it more and more difficult to
survive,” marked an economist, “compelling the junta high officials to issue
illegal decrees for conducting works in the public sectors.” #
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Mosque knocked down, mosque rebuilt
9th September 03:
Arakan State Peace and Development Council Chairman, Major General Maung Oo
is in deep trouble right now, after ordering the demolition of a mosque in
Akyab (Sittwe), the capital of Arakan (Rakhine) state in the western part of
Burma, according to a reliable source.
On 21 July, Major General Maung Oo gave an order to local police personnel
to demolish the alleged mosque, which was built in front of Akyab University
without permission from the Religious Ministry of Burma. The order came from
Maj. Gen. Maung Oo soon after the Muslim leaders rejected the Rakhine State
Court’s verdict to demolish the mosque.
During the demolition of the mosque, members of the dissatisfied Muslim
community got engaged in a skirmish with police. Incidentally several
people were injured including police personnel and Muslim women. In the
mayhem the mosque was completely razed down to ground by the police.
Just after the demolition of the mosque, the Muslim leader of that area
informed the incident to a powerful Muslim businessman, Shafi Ullah, who
lives in Singapore. The Muslim businessman runs a business partnership with
Re Naing Win, the son of Prime Minister Khin Nyunt, in Singapore and Burma.
Furthermore, the Muslim businessman is very close with Khin Nyunt, besides
owning a lot of investments inside Burma.
As soon as the message got to the Muslim businessman, he complained and
informed the matter to Khin Nyunt. Khin Nyunt expressed his displeasure
about the incident and later ordered the Chairman of Arakan state to rebuild
the mosque immediately under his own supervision.
At present, the mosque is being reconstructed under the painstaking
supervision of Major General Maung Oo. A local businessman said that Major
General’s image and dignity was soiled by the incident and people are
eagerly waiting for further development. #
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Free Burma Activists Coalition Re-aligns to Face New Challenges
9 September 2003:
The Free Burma Coalition (FBC), the world's largest activist coalition that
links exiled Burmese democracy campaigners and its supporters, has
re-aligned itself to face the challenges of post-sanctions Burma.
The FBC, in its statement today, announced the completion of its divestment
campaigns directed against foreign investors with ties to the military-ruled
Burma. FBC has also re-aligned itself to better respond to the needs of the
Burma freedom and democracy movement at large more strategically and
effectively.
"With the enactment of the second round of U.S. economic and diplomatic
sanctions, FBC boycott campaigns ended successfully. One of our original
missions was to weaken the regime economically and to deprive them of
much-needed foreign currency. The country, as well as our freedom struggle
is at a crossroads," said Dr. Zar Ni, the founder of the coalition and a
prominent Burmese political exile, referring to the Burmese Freedom and
Democracy Act of 2003 signed by US President George W. Bush this summer.
"The generals have, in effect, challenged the democratic world, with their
official roadmap for Burma. They have absolutely no intention of bringing
about genuine changes in the country. Our coalition is viewed by Burmese
dissidents as the group capable of taking international Free Burma campaigns
one notch higher than a citizen's boycott and lobby campaign. So we are
stepping up and expanding the scope of our work", he added.
The coalition's announcement is a direct response to the Burmese ruling
military junta’s unveiling of the so-called "roadmap" for democratic
transition from dictatorship, a blatant sham to ease widespread
international outcry and demand for the release of the country's democracy
leader and Nobel Peace prize recipient Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
Since its founding as a campus activist group at the University of Wisconsin
at Madison in the United States eight years ago, the Free Burma Coalition
has grown to become one of the world's first and largest Internet-based
networks and has spearheaded nearly 100 successful divestment campaigns,
including its illustrious, worldwide Pepsi boycott, which forced the
soft-drink giant to leave Burma in 1997. It also rallied American public's
support for the enactment of economic sanctions laws against the Burmese
regime.
The FBC statement shows that the coalition is currently re-inventing itself
as a more politically oriented network and exploring strategies and venues
to strengthen Burma's freedom struggle.
When asked what the new mission and strategies would be, "As an umbrella
group, we are indeed interested in strategies and political initiatives that
include the end-game solutions to our country's long-standing political
crisis," said Min Zaw Oo, the new Director of Outreach and Strategy at the
FBC's Washington Office. He stressed, "But that doesn't mean we will
deviate from our commitment to the non-violent means for genuine political
change for Burma."
At 15, Min participated in the Burmese democracy movement in 1987-88 when he
was attending high school in Rangoon. Like thousands of Burmese student
peers, Min joined the armed All Burma Students' Democratic Front in Burma's
rainforests, following the bloody crackdown of the peaceful nation-wide
demonstrations in 1988. Seven years ago, Min came to the United States as a
refugee student under the US State Department arrangement and completed his
American education in Government and Conflict Resolutions at the University
of Maryland and George Mason University. He is now working full time with
the coalition.
FBC's spokeswoman Naw May Oo said, "one of the new responsibilities for the
FBC is to tell the international community the Burma story in its entirety
and as truthfully and accurately as it should be."
"We have three pillars in our freedom struggle: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her
non-violent efforts inside Burma for genuine political change through a
dialogue; the ethnic nationalities' armed resistance out of their desperate
need for self-defense; and the Burmese Diaspora's lobby and other peaceful
political campaigns", she added.
The coalition's leaders stressed that it will continue to do outreach on
campuses and amongst grassroots communities throughout North America, Asia,
Latin America, Africa and Europe. However, they pointed out the real job of
freeing Burma has to be done by the Burmese themselves.
They said the coalition will be working more closely with leading Burma
opposition groups such as the Thai-Burmese border-based National Council of
the Union of Burma, the single largest coalition of multi-ethnic,
pro-democracy organizations carrying out different political initiatives
inside Burma to restore freedom, ethnic equality, democracy and human rights
in that country.
The Burmese military regime is widely condemned throughout the world for its
human rights violations. The long list of regime's rights violations include
forced labor, the use of chemicals such as pesticides to destroy whole-sale
populations of indigenous minorities, forced relocation of communities,
holding 1,500 political prisoners throughout Burma.
The current regime came to power in 1988 in a bloody nation-wide crackdown
on popular democracy uprisings. It held Multi party-elections in 1990 and
has ever since ignored the elections results according to which Aung San Suu
Kyi's National League for Democracy won 82% of the parliamentary seats. #
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Army Beat Up a Cleric’s Wife and Daughter
9th September 2003:
A member of the Burmese Army beat up a Muslim cleric’s wife and daughter
because they were wearing scarves on their heads while they were coming to
get photographed for the Burmese Army’s population census of the Rohingya
people on 2nd September 2003, according to our sources.
Since 1st September, soldiers have been taking family photographs of
Rohingya Muslims by taking Kyat-3, 000 per family in Buthidaung township of
Arakan State in western Burma. When the army went to a village to take
photographs, they chose a place, fenced it, and then set up some chairs and
tables. Then they called one family after another to take photographs, the
source further said.
The government is conducting population census and taking photographs in the
areas inhabited by Rohingya, in Buthidaung Township. Similarly, they took
census and photographs in June 2002, leaving out other communities, said a
schoolteacher.
The Burmese Army personnel while coming for the photo sessions ordered the
female members entering the fenced area to put off their scarves from their
heads. But, when the cleric’s wife and daughter were entering the compound
for taking photographs, they had scarves on their heads. On seeing this, a
soldier walked towards them with a stick and beat them up severely, the
schoolteacher further added.
The incident caused excitement among the villagers who strongly protested
against the army and they were seething with anger when the cleric Maulana
Fayazul Islam, Tabalique Amir (leader) of the whole Arakan State, intervened
timely and brought the situation under control. All SPDC authorities in
Arakan State respect him, according to a villager who was present in the
incident.
One villager referring not to mention his name told Kaladanpress that the
army personnel in the name of checking documents and taking photographs
harassed the Rohingya villagers and took money from the villagers.
Another villager from Taung Bazar of Buthidaung Township said to the
soldiers, “ We are very poor, facing difficulties to maintain our families,
and we have no jobs and have no freedom of movement. Regarding these, we
are unable to pay such a big amount.” Then the army said, “ It is not a
concern to me whether you have the money or not, and you can tell it to our
boss.”
To enlist a newborn baby and to report a death in the village, Kyat 500/- is
the usual charge for paying an army officer in charge, said a village
headman to our source. #
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SPDC honors Depeyin village head
9th September 2003:
The village head (officially called Village Peace and Development Council)
of Kyi-Ywar near Depeyin, was honored with a motor-cycle and a cellular
phone for his effective implementation of his duties at Depeyin incident,
said one local businesswomen who recently arrived Indo-Burma border.
The village head, U Thein Aung, after getting motorbike and cell phone,
warned the villagers not to listen to the foreign radio programs and they
would be punished by imprisonment if they did so.
Aung San Suu Kyi and her supporters were brutally ambushed by
government-sponsored thugs near Kyi-Ywar in northern Burma on 30 May this
year.
Although the village-head was honored by the regime, Rev. U Wimala who
resided in village monastery was sentenced for 9 years and 3 months
imprisonment on 14 August on charges of helping the opposition during the
Aung San Suu Kyi's trip. Other residents of Kyi-Ywa, U Kyee Nyo and other
two persons were also sentenced for 3 years and 3 months imprisonment each
for burning down a car owned by Union Solidarity and Development Association
(USDA). #
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Mae Sot Murder Case confessed
9th September 2003:
The mystery of the murder case of a Burmese girl who was working at Ki Foung
wool knitting factory in Mae Sot, Thailand, ended with a confession by a
factory guard on September 7, telecast a local Mae Sod TV.
A Thai national Ammon Suwanachoke, 40, who gave the victim a ride on his
motorcycle, confessed that he killed Ma Thandar Hlaing, 25, on August 31.
Because the victim had fallen in love with one Burmese though he loved her
he got agonized that led him to commit the murder, the convict admitted by
demonstrating how he acted on that day to local reporters.
The convict turned down the media reports that he raped the victim before
she was murdered.
The relatives of Thandar Hlaing had arrived at Mae Sot after the murder and
handed over legal procedure to Law Society of Thailand in order to proceed
on the trial in accordance with existing law in Thailand, said Ko Arkar,
in-charge of Aurora Workers Association.
The witnesses from factory revealed that on 31st August, the factory guard
took the victim on his motorbike after the working hour was over. And that
was the last time she was seen, the witness said, till her body was
discovered on Tuesday morning outside Mae Sot. Then, a case of homicide was
filed to Mae Sot police station.
Due to the discontent among the hundreds of co-workers on the murder of the
girl that could lead to a larger demonstration and breech of peace when the
body of missing Burmese girl was found on Tuesday a case was lodged against
the suspected guard.
The alleged that was put under police custody for a week, finally confessed
his crime and was convicted of the murder on Sunday.
The convict was previously sentenced to one-year imprisonment with
involvement in a drug-related case. #
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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.#