Weekly News Package:
------------ ------------------ --------------------------
------------
Inside
Weak economy lowers house rents (Narinjara
News)
Forced labor continues in
On the Borders
Smuggled Fertilizer seized in Bangladesh Coastal area (Narinjara News)
Rohingyas’ concern over “ANC” (Kaladan Press Network)
Continued Extortion of Money in
Fighting brakes out between KNU and DKBA (Network Media
Group)
Forced relocation for
Group)
Other Interests
Multi-religious Prayer Meetings held for Peace in
Group)
----------- ------------------ ----------------------------
-----------
Inside
Weak economy lowers
house rents
Sittwe, March 13, Narinjara News:
Rents for apartments in
economy, according to a business
magazine from
The average monthly rental has been decreased by about
10,000 kyats.
In downtown
45,000 kyats are now going for 35,000, third floor
apartments fell
from 40,000 to 30,000 kyats and an
apartment on the fourth floor is
down from 38,000 to 28,000 kyats.
The economy has slowed down in all parts of
State. "Economic conditions
there are pretty bad. Almost everyone is
unemployed. No business is doing
well. The jellyfish industry has
crashed. Prawn traders have lost a
lot. The hotel industry is the
same. Some people try tourism, but
there are no tourists and therefore
no business. People are getting fed
up with the current situation,"
said a local businessman from Akyab, the capital of Arakan.
"Some people borrow money, using their homes as a
deposit, but when
they can’t repay, they have to give
their home to the bank. A lot of
people have lost their homes like
that."
*** *** ***
Forced labor
continues in
The State Peace and Development Council (SPDC)’s military
battalion
based in Bamo
District, Kachin state, this month called on locals
to
provide labor for the construction
of a hydro-electricity project.
On 8 March, U Tin Win, Chairman of
Development Council (TPDC), a town located in Bamo District, ordered
locals in four districts of Myo Thit town to provide one person per
household to help dig a pool for a
hydro-electricity project.
One
apart from not receiving any
payment for their labour, labourers
also
have to bring their own lunch packs.
Labourers absconding from the labour project are fined up to 1000 Kyat
(Burmese Currency).
According to one trader, finances to dig the pool have been
provided
to this military Unit (1) by the
Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 239.
However, no payment is being given to people forced to work
on the
project.
It is reported that this hydro-electricity project is to be
built with
the Chinese assistance.
Locals in this region are often summoned to provide the
military with
free labor.
*** *** ***
On the Border
Smuggled Fertilizer
seized in
Cox’s Bazar, March 15, Narinjara News:
Bangladeshi border forces intercepted a boat carrying 5,000
bags of
fertilizer that were being smuggled
into
The Bangladeshi Defense Rifles(
BDR) captured the boat at night near
the coast, close to the border town
of
to
The fertilizer haul is worth about 1.5 million taka (22.5
million
Burmese kyat).
An Okia police spokesperson said
that this was the fifth time that
fertilizer smugglers have
been apprehended in the
the last month.
There are six fertilizer-producing factories in
manage to meet domestic demand.
However, because of the lucrative
smuggling trade in
border regions, but in the whole of
*** *** ***
Rohingyas’ concern over “ANC”
An Arakan National Pre-Convention meetingwas held in
on
which claims to have the right to to represent the Arakan people
and
national interest, but the Rohinghyas of Arakan have
expressed their
concern over it.
The ANC is comprised of the Arakan
League for Democracy (ALD-Exile),
the Arakan
Liberation Party (ALP, the Rakhaing Sangha Union (RSU), the
Rakhaing Women’s Union (RWU), the
All Arakanese Students and Yuths
Congress (AASYC), the Arakan
Women’s Welfare Association (AWAA), the
people of Arakan
in exile and academics from all over the world, said
a press-release dated
Committee for Pre-convention of the Arakan
National Convention
(CCPCANC).
In a press release dated
Organisation (
of Arakan,
as no Rohingya or other non-Rakhaing
organizations,
academics or Members of Parliament
(MPs) were invited to participate
at the Arakan
National Preconvention….Any forum formed exclusively
with Rakhaings,
without the representation of the Rohingya people and
other ethnic groups, cannot
represent the whole of Arakan or all the
people of Arakan”.
To ensure freedom, democracy and justice in
under genuine federalism the
monocultural
society. It is a state with a population of diverse
ethnic, linguistic, cultural and
religious identities. Rakhaing
(Buddhist) and Rohingya (Muslim)
are the two major groups in Arakan,
but there are other tribal people
distributed among Cin, Kaman, Mro
and Khami
etc. in
both unity and diversity, plus a
respect for difference and a
willingness to share power in
Appreciating the unity achieved among the Rakhaing people, ARNO
expressed its willingness to
resolve all the issues and problems with
Rakhaing, other ethnic
nationalities and Burmese opposition groups in
the spirit of peaceful co-existence
and brotherhood. It demands that
an “Arakan
Conference” has the participation of Rakhaing, Rohingya and
all other communities of Arakan so as to prepare for a future Arakan
State under genuine federalism.
However, all groups of Rohingya
people, including refugees and those
in exile, are apprehensive about
losing their rights and freedom. “We
must get our due share in the
future political arrangement under the
Federal Union of Burma and it must be guaranteed by the
constitution”
said NLD (National League for
Democracy)
Jilani.
*** *** ***
Continued Extortion of Money in
Maungday, Mar-16, KALADAN NEWS:
Nasaka (Border security Forces)
extorted Kyat 700,000 from a Rohingya
villager in
said Ali Miah,
of the same village.
Sayed Hossain
(42) son of Khalilur Rahman,
from Odaung village of
Maungdaw south was arrested on
security forces from sector No. 8,
accusing him of trafficking in
humans.
According to Mohd.
Alam, a relative of the victim, the reason behind
the arrest is that Sayed Hossain is the wealthiest
person in the area.
The Nasaka and Village Peace and
Development Council (VPDC) members,
have tried to extort money from him
on several occasions. On 26th
February 2004, at about
Village Peace and Development Council (VPDC) members went to
his house
and demanded Kyat 5 million which
he could not provide, whereupon he
was taken to Nasaka
Sector No. 8 HQ where he was tortured on the
fabricated charge of being a
trafficker in humans.
However, after 2 days of suffering in the Nasaka camp, as there was no
other way out, he finally had to
bribe Nasaka with Kyat 700,000 for
his release through Karim Ullah, VPDC Chairman of the
village.
Such cases are common in northern Arakan,
especially in Rohingya
areas. “We always live in fear of
extortion, forced labor and many
kinds of restrictions. We have no
alternative except to leave home or
die”, said Amir
Hakim, an elderly man of the village.
*** *** ***
Fighting breaks out between KNU and DKBA
March 16(Network Media Group): Fighting between the Karen
rebel group
and a government-backed splinter
group of Karens broke out on 14th
March in the area of the Karen National Union's No 7 brigade
area,
resulting in several deaths on the
government-backed Karen side,
reports from Mae Sod said.
Mann Shar, a secretary of the KNU
said on March 16, “Some members of
DKBA were killed in recent fights and we seized some
ammunition from
them. Yesterday there was a battle
near No 7 Brigade area, during
which some DKBA were killed and we
got six guns from them, while there
were no casualties on our side.
This morning again, there was an
exchange of fire between the KNU
and DKBA and I’ve yet to get reports
from this fight.”
There have been frequent clashes between the KNU and DKBA
after the
anniversary of the KNU’s revolution day in January. Communication
between the lower levels of these
groups was established in No 7
Brigade area.
Mann Shar explained how the
situation between the DKBA and the KNU has
once again worsened. “Our members
from No 7 Brigade invited members of
the DKBA for a good-will dinner at
No 7 Brigade, and we also exchanged
gifts. But the situation did not
stay calm for long. After they (DKBA)
arrested and kidnapped ten of our
members, the situation became worse
and the battles continued.”
Though there was no involvement of government troops in the
battles,
the KNU is trying to find out
whether there is pressure on the DKBA
from the government.
Mann Shar insisted that the KNU is
not very happy about ongoing
battles with the DKBA and hoped
that the problems would be solved
among the second-line of command
from both sides.
The DKBA split from the KNU in late 1994 before the KNU’s stronghold
at Manarplaw
was occupied by government and DKBA troops in 1995.
Currently, the KNU is in the process of holding peace talks
with the
*** *** ***
Forced relocation for Asia highway construction in Tamu
March 19 (NMG): Burmese authorities have issued an order to
relocate
thousands of houses that are
blocking construction of the
in Tamu
township on the Indo-Burma border, a local resident said.
Local residents said they were ordered to relocate their
houses
because the upgrading of the
Indo-Burma road (BRTF) to become the
Highway connecting
their land.
“They (authorities) are measuring the width of the existing
BRTF road
to upgrade it to a 200 ft-wide
highway. We were told to destroy
everything by the end of this month
- whether it is a home or local
livestock farm - within a range of
100 ft from the middle of the road.
Local people have yet to find out where their homes will be
relocated
to, though the relocation order has
already been issued by the
authorities.
As the number of homes that are going to be relocated is
large, people
are disappointed in the
authorities. Some people are planning to
submit a petition signed by several
victims, though it is hardly
likely that it will arouse the
sympathy of the authorities.
“The appeal is just to express our disappointment. In the
letter,
people signed their names and
national identification number. Even
though we submit this appeal, they
(the authorities) will eventually
destroy our homes. The authorities
will not give up their plan despite
the people’s wishes,” one local
resident said.
The existing eighty-two mile long and 36 ft wide Tamu-Kalay road has
been in use since 1997 and is known
as the
and it was constructed with the
help of the Border Roads Task Force
(BRTF).
The
hundred and fifty miles and will
connect three countries starting from
Myawaddy in
The decision to construct this highway within 18 months was
taken
after a meeting of the foreign
ministers from
While the total estimated cost for the highway is USD 700
million, the
Indian government will provide USD 100 million,
USD 90 million and
Several houses in the villages on the highway, namely Net-Myin-Han,
Man-Maw, Htan-Ta-Pin, Pan-Thar, Nan-Mon-Tar,
Teddim-Yan, Bote-Kan,
Htan-Zin, Kanma-Gyi, Kanan, Kan-Pat, Nan-Katate,
Nan-Khauk-Khaukm Ye-Tote, Kyuntaw-Ye-Shin, Phayar-Ye-Shin, Sawbwar-Ye-
Shin, 55-Miles, Khone-Thar,
and Kyee-Kon
will also have to be relocated.
*** **** ***** ***** ***
Other Interests
Multi-religious
Prayer Meetings held for Peace in Burma
March 15 (Network Media Group):
Burmese exiles in
for peace in their homeland while
Thai authorities continued to crack
down on illegal workers.
Burmese Christians, Buddhists and Muslims residing in Chiang
Mai, Mae
Sod and Mae Hong Song prayed for peace and a solution to
difficulties
in politics, economics and social
problems during fifty years of
military rule in
The Buddhist organizer of ‘Prayer Day for
Mai explained that “In order to get freedom from military
rule, we
organized this prayer day, and I am
really delighted. I hope we don’t
need to do it again next year, and
that there will be genuine peace in
Though Burmese in Mae Sot have been put under pressure by
Thai
authorities, Burmese Muslims in Mae
Sot also organized a prayer
meeting, reading from the Koran.
Burmese Muslim organizer Ko Mg Mg Gyi said “
many religions. Because people from
all religions have been oppressed
by the military government, we have
asked people of all religions to
unite and pray for peace in
Likewise, Pa-O Christians and Buddhists in Mae Hong Song
jointly
organized a prayer meeting for
also prayed for peace in
'Christians Concerned for
prayer’ specifically to prevent
children in
soldiers, orphans and refugees, as
well as to stop child trafficking
and forced labor in
sessions for
*** *** ***
End---
Burma News International (BNI) is a network of seven Independent Burma
Media organizations: The Mizzima
News, The Narinjara News, the Kaladan
Press Network, the Khonumthung
News Group, the Network Media Group,
the Independent Mon News Agency and
the Karenni Information Network
Group.
Contact: Duty Editor
+66 1 530
2837