WEEKLY NEWS
PACKAGE
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ON THE BORDER
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INTERNATIONAL
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OTHER INTEREST
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EDITORIAL AND STATEMENT
India's Foreign Policy
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ON THE BORDER
Border forces Seize Table Salt en Route to Bangladesh
Teknaf, May 16:
The cargo boat was captured on the
On May 8, traders were invited to tender by the Customs and BDR of Teknaf jointly, for the selling of table salt and they sold
it at only Taka 1, 02, 000/-. The local traders sold it on at a low price to
their customers. So salt flooded the market at Teknaf,
said a local trader.
Every day, between 1000 and 2000 tons of chemical fertilizer including Urea are
smuggled into
Though administrators on both sides of the border are trying to maintain legal
import and export procedures, local merchants go for illegal trade, said a
customs officer from Teknaf.
Smuggling across the Bangladesh-Burma border at Ukhiya,
Nhila and Shafuri Dip in
Cox’s Bazar District continues unabated. Fuel oil,
fertilizer, medicine and daily commodities are being smuggled out of
Some products from third countries are also being smuggled through
However, the Bangladeshi government is trying to stop the smuggling of salt
from
Since the Bangladeshi government’s production of salt has not been able to
cover the domestic demand, the sea-smuggling trade of salt from
Recernt unexpected rains have affected the production
of salt because of the low salinity in the seawater and the increased volume of
fresh water in fields, where the seawater has already been stored to produce
salt. Last year, a salt producer could get 25 to 26 grams of salt per liter of
seawater, but, this year they can get only 8 to 10 gm per liter, said a
researcher.
The nine crewmen who were arrested have now been released.
*** ***
Akyab, May 20 Narinjara News: An
SPDC-sponsored archeological dig has unearthed both the outer and inner walls
of Dainyawaddy, an ancient city in Arakan state, west
According to the Arakanese chronicle, the ancient
city existed between 3,325 BC and 326 AD. The archeologists only dug 3 feet
into the ground to reveal about 200 yards of the east-west double wall of the
ancient city.
According to a monk who has visited the site, the east-west city wall could be
about 3 miles long, but the dig has not finished yet.
Though the Burmese Archeological Department is doing the dig as part of a
program, it is not a systematic archeological survey. Local residents have been
asked to do the digging, and this could lead to ancient artifacts being
destroyed.
A similar program of archeological excavation in Arakan
was conducted on the site of
*** *** ***
Government Attempts to Close down
According to the MNS teachers’ chairperson Nai Kyin, “the government authorities are trying to frighten us
into closing down the school. They are forcing us to change the
“It is the Burmese government policy. On March 11, Gen-Maung Bo and Southeast
Command Commander Thu Ra Myit Aung also ordered the
local authorities to close down the school when they came to Ye township,” Nai Kyin added.
“It depends on the NMSP. But we won’t close our
“We refuse to close our school. We will not permit a government teacher to
teach in the
According to NMSP teachers in Southern Ye township,
Burmese military captain Htay Aung called a meeting
of the MNS central executive committee members to close the school on May 16.
In December 2003, Burmese Col Myo Win from Southeast Command also warned the
In March 2004, Burmese military officers launched an offensive on the Mon
splinter armed group. They forced some Mon monks and teachers teaching at the
In Ye township, 67 Mon National Schools are run by the NMSP education
department with local Mon Community Support. More than 7000 Mon students are in
Southern Ye Township and 6000 are in the
In this township, the government school and
Because the cost of studying is cheap, and there are no tuition fees for
students in the MNS school, their numbers are
increasing, while some students from the government school have moved to the
MNS schoool, according to the NMSP Education officer.
*** *** ***
Moreh no longer safe for trading
Moreh was officially declared a trading point between
"How can we pay such a huge amount to the militants? And if you do not
comply with their demands, there is no knowing what they might do," Lai
Kumar, a 40-year old trader from Imphal, said. Kumar
has been involved in the import-export trade for the last five years. He said
that traders are not only harassed by the militants, but that they are also
facing severe problems from the security forces. "The security forces have
been creating problems for businessmen in the name of searching for insurgents.
Many traders have already opted out from the export and import trade," he
added.
Moreh has been a lifeline for over 200 traders from
Another Imphal trader, Tumba,
told Mizzima News that most cross-border traders have
had bitter experiences with security forces personnel and insurgent groups, who
often undertake subversive activities across the porous Indo-Burma border.
When asked about the prevailing sentiments amongst traders, the vice president
of the Indo-Myanmar Traders Union, Nipachandra Singh,
said that no trader wants pay the insurgent groups as they are already having a
tough time running their business through the Moreh
border point. "Traders are completely harassed by both the militants and
the security forces, leading to a serious problem in the area. Moreover, since
the opening of the Zokhatwar trading point in Mizoram, the importance of Moreh
appears to have decreased," he added.
Though Moreh was the first trading point between
Despite the adverse situation for traders, people living along the border want Moreh to remain a major trading point as it helps them to
make a living.
*** *** ***
BDR Arrest two Burmese Nationals on Bangladesh-Burma border
Cox’s Bazar, May 21 Kaladan
News: The Bangladeshi Rifles (BDR) have arrested two Burmese nationals carrying
guns on the Bangladesh-Burma border, according to our correspondent.
On
According to a local villager from the border area, “On that
day, at about
The arrested Burmese nationals are Maung Saw Hla, 26,
son of Lin Zaw, Chin Maung, 20, son of Tun Aung and the escapee was Lay Lang, son of U Saw Sein. They are all Arakanese
Buddhists from Maungdaw Township of Arakan State, according to
Bangladeshi intelligence.
The two who were arrested were sent to Naikhongchari
police station of Bandarban District and a case was
filed against them.
*** *** ***
Flag Meeting Between BDR and Nasaka
Chittagong, May 21 KALADAN NEWS: A flag
meeting between the Bangladeshi Rifles (BDR) and Burmese border security forces
(Nasaka) was held in the Chakdhala
border area at the Naikongchari Police Station of
Bangladesh on May 20.
During the two-hour meeting, they discussed cross border issues and other
topics, particularly the flight of Rohingyas from
Company Commander Masud of Naikhongchari
BDR camp led the Bangladeshi side while Maj. Kyaw Pyo
headed the Burmese side, he added.
After a long discussion, both sides agreed to try to stop the flight of Rohingyas from their home in
When asked, a new arrival said, “We have no jobs to support our families and we
are also subjected to arbitrary taxation and land confiscation. So we have no
alternative except leaving home.”
Since the attack on the Burmese Embassy on
*** *** ***
Burma Abusing Muslim Minority, Amnesty Claims
Chitagong, May 22 Kaladan
News: The Muslim ethnic minority (Rohingyas)
continue to suffer from multiple restrictions and human rights violations, said
Amnesty International on Wednesday, May 19, 2004.
These people, generally known as the Rohingyas, who
live in northern Arakan (Rakhine)
State, western
Amnesty called on the junta to ease its discrimination against the group,
including harsh citizenship laws, which excludes many Rohingyas
from being naturalized even though their ancestors have reportedly lived in the
country for generations.
Amnesty International is concerned that the local Burmese authorities’ policies
concerning the Rohingya population in the northern
The vast majority of Rohingyas are effectively denied
Burmese citizenship, rendering them stateless, Amnesty said.
Rohingyas are often unable to seek employment outside
their village or trade goods and produce unless they have official permission
and a pass, which they must pay for and often cannot afford. As an estimated
half of the Rohingyas are poor day laborers, these
restrictions on their movements also greatly affect
their ability to find work in other villages or towns.
As the junta doesn’t recognize the Rohingyas as an
ethnic group, they have not been invited to the national convention currently
underway in
*** *** ***
Bangladeshi vessel sinks off Burmese Coast
Dhaka, May 24 Narinjara News: A Bangladeshi
vessel capsized off the Burmese coast near the Andaman Islands after being hit
by a cyclone on Friday night.
The vessel was carrying more than 8000 tons of sugar worth $ 4.5 million (Taka
260 million) from
Sources said a company called the Meghna group from
The vessel belongs to Bangladesh United Shipping Agency and all the crewmen are
Bangladeshi citizens. There has been no news yet about the fate of the
crew.
A rescue team from
*** *** ***
Bangladeshi salt
production deprived by black market
Dhaka, May 27 Narinjara
News: Bangladeshi salt production has declined because of the importation of
cheaper salt from Burma.
Bangladesh will not reach its target of 950,000 tons of salt this year, and is
even expected to produce less than 800,000 tons.This
figure only amounts to 44.7% of the 1,790,000 tons of salt that were produced
during the 1998-99 salt production season, according to statistics provided by the
Bangladeshi Department of Statistics.
This decline in production is due to the smuggling of salt into
The Bangladeshi authorities have stepped up law enforcement in the border
region, especially on the ocean. On the 8 May, the police seized three boats
smuggling 81,000 tons of salt.
Burmese salt-smugglers bribe local members of the military government and such
dealings have been going on for more than a decade. A boatload of salt in Akyab attracts a bribe of US$ 250 in order to obtain the
clearance to be smuggled into
*** **** ****
BDR Arrest Eight Rohingyas
Naikongchari, May 27 Kaladan News: The Bangladeshi Rifles (BDR) arrested eight
newly-arrived Rohingyas on the Bangladesh-Burma
border, accusing them of being illegal refugees, according to our
correspondent.
On the night of
He said the Rohingyas had crossed the
Burma-Bangladesh border near pillar No.33 of Ghondom
under Taung Bru Union.
Those arrested were Mohammed Sayed Allam, 34, Mohammed Shiffique,
16, Shamshul Allam, 23, Anwar, 24, Fayazul Hoque, 27, Mohammed Issuque, 37, Azizul Hoque, 25, and Farid, 19. Farid claimed that he
was not a new arrival, but from the official refugee camp at Kutupalong.
The BDR handed over all those captured to the Naikongchari
Police Station, from where police sent them to Bandraban
prison under a charge of 3(3) passport act of the Bangladeshi penal code.
A villager from Taung Bru
in
A villager living inside Arakan said, “There is no
source of income here and our expenses get higher day by day. We also have to
pay frequent taxes to Nasaka(Burmese Border Security Force), who have also seized our
farmland. All these things compel people to flee their homeland.”
Recently, reporters from the Bangladeshi border area commented in their local
newspapers that the Rohingyas of Arakan
State have been persecuted by the SPDC across
Many Burmese nationals are currently wasting their lives in Bangladeshi prisons
after being sentenced to long terms in prison.
*** *** ***
Bangladesh border force Destroys 100 Huts of Unofficial Rohingya
Refugees at Teknaf
Teknaf, May 27 Kaladan
News: Recently, the Bangladeshi Rifles (BDR) destroyed about 100 huts belonging
to unofficial Rohingya refugees at Teknaf, who have been living among the Bengali villages,
according to our source.
On
Refugees have been arriving in
One refugee said, “Now we have no shelter or source of income as our fishing
nets were seized by the BDR. Also our huts were partly destroyed by the cyclone
on
Many times, Nasak (
Despite these efforts, about 20,000 Rohingya refugees
are living in two refugee camps in
*** *** ***
Cyclone Claims 78 Lives in Arakan
Sittwe, May 28 Narinjara News: The death toll has risen to 78 after the
cyclone on 19 May that hit Myebon Township of Arakan state, reports our correspondent.
Yesterday the dead bodies of two women were recovered from the sea, while local
people are still searching for other dead bodies.
Almost all houses in Kanthoukri
Among the dead, 24 were women, and the others were children and men. However,
the extent of the loss could not be confirmed, as the concerned authorities are
still conducting rescue operations.
The Minister for Relief and Rehabilitation, Lieutenant Colonel Sein Thwa visited the
cyclone-affected area and distributed Kyat 11 lakhs
and rice to 1077 distressed people, adds our correspondent.
According to local sources, about three hundred houses of Ngamanray
Kyuant (
In 1968, the same island was submerged under water due to a tidal surge caused
by a cyclone, and thousands of islanders were killed, says the source.
The reason behind the loss of hundreds and thousands of lives to natural
disasters in
*** *** ***
Brokers Push Up Motorbike License Fees in Mon State
Independent Mon News Agency
May 25, 2004
Because of high payments to brokers, the cost for applying to get a (Mon State)
Ma La Ma motorbike license is higher than before, local traders say.
“Now we have to pay 30, 000 Kyat more to get a Ma La Ma (literally
“Before we used to pay 120, 000 Kyat to get a license.
But now the military officers are using brokers in their circle of corruption
and we have to pay up to 150, 000 Kyat (~ 180
“The brokers also make it difficulty for us to apply for the license” U Toung, another motorbike trader, said. “Now we need to find
brokers who are close to the (SPDC) license officers and we need to pay the
brokers their service charge,” U Toung added.
The brokers are linked to the officers, so the people need to pay their service
charge. If the people do not apply though a broker, they cannot apply for the
license. “Everybody needs to apply though a
broker even though they hate it.” U Toung said.
In
As with motorbikes, it is rumoured that the
government will issue licenses for illegal cars soon,
said Nai Oo, an illegal importer.
On the other hand, the military government is also arresting illegal car
traders and seizing cars that are imported from
*** *** ***
INTERNATIONAL
Razali Ismail:
"I am also confident that the new Indian government helmed by the Congress
Party will use its influence in efforts to free Suu Kyi," the Malaysian
newspaper, the New Straits Times, quoted Mr.Razali
Ismail as saying.
Razali Ismail, who has been mediating between the Burmese military government
and the opposition for more than three years, said to reporters that he would
visit
The National League for Democracy, the opposition party which won Burma's 1990
general election, decided to boycot the Convention
after the junta refused to release Aung San Suu Kyi and allow its offices to
reopen.
The National Convention originally started in 1993, but was suspended
three-years later after NLD delegates walked out saying the government was
manipulating the proceedings. Nevertheless, the junta's handpicked 1,000-odd
delegates representing various sectors of society have gathered at the Convention's
venue outside
*** *** ***
Burmese Generals Should Be Expelled Says ACHR
New Delhi, May 20, 2004 Mizzima News: As the
roadmap initiated by the Burmese military generals has failed at the outset,
member states of the Association of South East Asian Nation (ASEAN), China and
India, as countries that engage in constructive engagement with Burma, need to
change their policy, a human rights group urges in a publication issued on 19
May.
The Delhi-based Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) also stated in its article
that the exclusion of the National League for Democracy (NLD) and many ethnic
nationality groups in the ongoing National Convention clearly indicates the
failure of the junta's seven-point roadmap to democracy and the unwillingness
of the military junta to engage in any substantive reconciliation process.
Last Friday, the NLD declined to join the re-commencement of the National
Convention after its demand for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi was denied by
the junta. Following the NLD, several ethnic nationality groups also refused to
attend the junta's convention.
After the
The ACHR article describes how the Burmese generals took its ASEAN co-members
for a ride through its "one step forward and two steps backward
policy" leading to national reconciliation by claiming its commitment to
democracy at the October 2003
The ACHR further states that because of economic and
political support for
The ACHR also suggested that it is time to consider the expulsion of
The ACHR is a human rights foundation, advocating and monitoring human rights
violations in the Asian region.
*** *** ***
Burmese living at risk of Arsenicosis and Fluorosis
May 22, 2004 Mizzima News: Environmental
activists are apprehensive that hundreds of thousand of people in Burma are
drinking water contaminated by arsenic and fluoride from government and private
deep tube wells. Residents of many South Asian countries, including
A recent study showed that many wells in
The study, carried out by World Water Forum of Journalists (WWFJ), has
identified many inefficient test kits in those countries, causing serious
concern for environmental activists.
"Government sponsored and also privately owned deep tube wells are commonly
used in
Both fluoride and arsenic are slow-acting poisons, which can either cripple or
cause a long painful death. The World Health Organization advocates a maximum fluoride
level in drinking water of 1 milligram per liter and 10 micrograms per liter
for arsenic. If
these limits are exceeded, the affects start showing in people's and animal's
health conditions.
The Bangladeshi Department of Public Health Engineering has reported
occurrences of water-related arsenic poisoning in their country since 1993.
Similar reports about ground water contamination were traced in
high levels of fluoride and arsenic. Drinking water quality was monitored
particularly in Magway, Sittway,
Kawmu, Kyaungkone and Henthada towns in
Subsequently, the WHO, UNICEF and World Bank undertook massive
awareness-raising projects in those countries. Test kits were made available to
identify the degree of contamination in drinking water. "But it has now
been found that most of the test kits used in
*** *** ***
Traders appeal to new Prime Minister to boost India-Burma trade
May 26, 2004 Mizzima News: Several trade bodies
in northeast India are eagerly awaiting a comprehensive business policy from
the new government, particularly for boosting trade with Burma and other
Southeast Asian countries.
In a four-page letter sent on 23 May to the new Prime Minister Mr. Manmohan Singh, the president of the Federation of Industry
and Commerce of Northeastern India (FINER), Mr. Subhash
Agarwal, appealed to the government to make
cross-border trade issues in northeast India a priority.
The FINER president also said that with the globalisation
of trade and opening of trade routes with Myanmar, the volume of trade between
the two countries has shown good expansion and the new government should
explore this potential.
"The border trade between and
FINER, which is one of the major trade bodies in the region, recently sent a
delegation to
The Indo-Myanmar Traders Union also appealed to the Prime Minister to complete
unfinished work in the region, commenced by the previous Indian government. In
a letter to the Prime Minister, the general secretary of the trade body, YK Kapoor, said that the construction of several roads along
the Indo-Burma border is yet to be completed and as a result, traders are
facing a lot of difficulties.
"We urge you to complete the construction work as early as possible,"
he added. The Chairman of the North East Federation of International Trade
(NEFIT), RC Agarwal, also appealed to the new
government to open more trade routes with
The new Indian Prime Minister is a Member of Parliament for
*** *** ***
OTHER INTEREST
Kachin people in Chiang Mai open new Church
May 23, 2004 (NMG) People of the Kachin ethnic
group living in Chiang Mai have opened their first Church at a cost of more
than 2 million baht. Altogether nearly two hundred Kachin
people in Chiang Mai and foreigners attended the dedication ceremony.
The new church was built with a donation of two million baht from an exiled Kachin businessman, Bawmwang La
Raw, as well as small individual donations by Kachin
Christians in Chiang Mai, said Kachin youth leader Brang Taung.
Previously, Kachin Christians had to hire other
churches in Chiang Mai for regular prayer sessions. Two years ago, they bought
some land with a small room to use as Church.
“With the arrangement of our leaders we bought this land last two years ago
with a small room to use as a church, and now we have got this new church,” Brang Taung said.
Wunpawng Kachin Christian
Church is situated in Sansai district, which is
fifteen minutes drive away from Chiang Mai. At the dedication ceremony, Rev.
Dr. Shae and Hukaung Region
Kachin leader Bawmwang Duwa Sinwa Li opened the church
after cutting the ribbon at
The prayer section of the dedication ceremony for the church was led by the chairpeople of the church, Saranum
Linda and Salang Jawa Zau.
One of the church leaders, U Khong Hong, revealed
that Kachin Christians are planning to hold a grand
opening ceremony in December.
Kachins from Chiang Mai and
After the inauguration ceremony, all the invitees were served with traditional Kachin food.
*** *** ***
EDITORIAL AND STATEMENTS
India's Foreign Policy
The Common Minimum Programme -CMP- was released by the United
Progressive Alliance - the present Coalition Government in India - on May 27,
2004 in New Delhi. The present Coalition Government is led by Congress Party
and combined of regional parties. The government is being supported -from
outside the government- by the LEFT parties, which emerged as the third largest
political bloc after recent elections.
The UPA Government says that it is committed to the implementation of the
Common Minimum Programme but the CMP is, by no means, a comprehensive agenda.
It is a starting point that highlights the main priorities, policies and programmes. It also says that the Common Minimum Programme
is the foundation for another CMP- collective maximum performance.
The 24-page Common Minimum Programme itself outlines six basic principles for
governance, touching on 24 subjects including agriculture, water resources,
women and children, economic reforms, regional development, and foreign policy.
The following is on foreign policy.
Foreign Policy
The UPA Government will pursue an independent foreign policy,
keeping in mind its past traditions. This policy will seek to promote
multi-polarity in world relations and oppose all attempts at unilateralism.
The UPA Government will give the highest priority to building closer political,
economic and other ties with its neighbours in
The UPA will support peace talks in
Trade and investment with
Even as it pursues closer engagements and relations with the
In keeping with the stance adopted by the late Shri Murasoli Maran at
*** end****
Burma News International is a network of
seven exiled media groups such as Mizzima News, Khonumthung News Group, Narinjara
News, Kaladan Press Network, Independent Mon News
Agency, Karenni Information Network Group and Network Media Group.
For more information, contact duty editor of BNI at:
Phone: +66 1 530 2837
E-mail: [email protected]