Weekly News Package
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ON THE BORDER
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INTERNATIONAL
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ON THE BORDER
Repatriation fails
Cox’s Bazar, June 15 KALADAN NEWS: Two
months after the Burmese Prime Minister Khin Nyunt’s
visit to Bangladesh, only 30 Burmese Rohingya
refugees have been repatriated, though he assured the Bangladesh authorities
all the refugees would be repatriated soon according to the correct procedure,
said Mr. Giyas Uddin.
On
Then repatriation was resumed in May. On 3rd May 19 refugees and on
11th May 11 refugees from two families, a total of 30 refugees, were
repatriated. Only 139 refugees have been repatriated this year (till June15,
2004).
Ahmed Giyas Uddin, a
reporter of Dainik Cox’s Bazar
said, “ At present, there are officially about 19,723
refugees staying in Nayapara and Kutupalong
refugee camps. But local people said at least 20,500 refugees are living in two
refugee camps at Teknaf and Ukiya
in the Cox’s Bazar District.”
In 2003, 1030 children were born and 79 died in two refugee camps and so
the population increased by 951 over the existing figure. Thus, despite those
who were repatriated in six years (1998 to 2003), the total number in the camps
has increased because of new births.
In 1991-92 alone, discrimination, violence and the imposition of forced labor
practices by the Burmese authorities triggered an exodus of some 250,000 Rohingya across the border into
From 1993 to 1996, a total of 213,431 refugees were repatriated, but in 1997
the refugee repatriation was totally blocked for many reasons.
After being blocked for 16 months, repatriation was resumed in 1998. From 1998
to 2003, a total of 6,831 refugees were repatriated, according to the Cox’s Bazar Daily(a Bengali Newspaper).
*** *** ***
Rohingya Barred from Cyclone Relief in Arakan
Akyab( Sittwe): June 18
Kaladan News: Though Rohingyas
from Rangoon donated a large amount of money for victims of the tropical
cyclone in Arakan State, Rohingyas
have been barred from receiving relief, according to our sources.
A group of 35 wealthy Rohingyas from
On 7th June, the donations of cash and goods from home and abroad
were handed over to concerned officials, according to the New Light of Myammar.
On
On 9th June, the Myanmar Women’s Affairs Federation (MWAF) and the
Myanmar Maternal and Child Welfare Association (MMCWA), led by Dr. Daw Khin Win
Shwe, the wife of Prime Minister Khin Nyunt, also donated clothes, medicine,
books and stationery worth Kyat 2 million.
The Chinese Red Cross Society donated only US$ 20,000 for the victims of the
cyclone.
While distributing relief among the victims of the cyclone, local officials
didn’t distribute any relief to the Rohingya people,
who were also affected by the cyclone, simply saying that they were not
citizens of
Sensing discrimination in the distribution of relief, the Rohingya group who had come from
When the cyclone hit the Arakan coast on
Officials at the regional weather office and the local radio station did not
announce any warning or storm alert before the cyclone broke out. Nothing was
mentioned in the media until ten days later, when government media reported
serious casualties and extensive damage.
The Burmese military regime appealed for international assistance, asking for
large quantities of rice, tarpaulin sheets for temporary shelters, medicine,
tanks for collection of rainwater, blankets and clothes.
*** *** ***
‘Made In
Guwahati Mizzima News
These third country products are generally brought in from
Markets in Guwahati, Paltan
Bazar, Fancy Bazar and Ganeshguri, have been flooded with third country products
including toys, garments, shoes and electronic items which have been mainly
manufactured in
“In Guwahati, thousands of rupees worth of Chinese
products are sold daily in different markets,” said Anil Barman, who runs a
shop in the Ganeshguri market. According to Barman,
Indian products cannot compete with the price of Chinese goods and, as a
result, customers are increasingly attracted to these cheaper goods.
“If the unabated flow of Chinese products is not checked, then Indian
industries will be facing a tough time,” he cautioned. He urged the state
government to take the necessary action to prevent the free flow of Chinese
products into the region. Barman is not alone in his concerns, as several shop
owners face problems selling Indian products.
The Indian toy industry, a significant contributor to the annual Government
revenue, has suffered a big blow due to the free flow of Chinese toys. The Rs 3000 crore (about US$732
million) industry has decided to cut its production during the current year
because of poor market performance. According to available information, these
third country goods are smuggled from
Though there is a provision in the present Exim
Policy to impose anti-dumping duty tax on third country products, no
organization has yet lodged any complaint in this regard. In view of the free
flow of Chinese goods, the northeastern states have incurred a huge revenue
loss even though there is no proper record of Chinese goods at the border entry
points.
Commenting on the prevailing situation, the joint director of Foreign Trade,
Sri MK Mero, said that the Commerce Ministry had
already addressed the matter with the Finance Ministry to urge preventive
measures in this regard. He said that anti-dumping duty had already been
imposed on “Chinese pencil batteries” after receiving complaints from different
traders’ associations. “We are now monitoring the situation closely in northeast
Concerned at the free flow of third country products, the Manipur Government
has also raised the issue with the Commerce Ministry to request that they take
up this matter with the Burmese Government.
*** *** ***
Forgotten Burmese Refugees in Dhaka
Dhaka, June 20 Narinjara News: Even though
Burmese Refugees in Thailand are now resettling in other countries such as the
United States of America, 100 Arakanese refugees from
Buma living in Dhaka face a grim future since the
UNHCR cut their monthly financial assistance.
“Monthly assistance for my wife and daughter has been cut from this month on.
How can we survive? But I can understand why the UNHCR cut the monthly grant,”
said a Burmese refugee.
Burmese refugees will no longer get monthly assistance, but they will be able
to get a financial grant for a project to make a living. The amount of the
grant depends upon the proposed project. The largest has been 35,000 taka (US$
600), but normally a grant is around 15,000 taka.
The monthly assistance is 1300 taka (US$ 25) a month per dependent of a family,
but it only lasts for six months.
“Single women are also told to find projects. Even though men can’t find much
to do, it’s a lot worse for women. There is a cultural impingement upon a
single woman working in
Most families who took up lump sum grants for a small business are facing
losses. It is due to the fact that refugees cannot speak the local language, hence they face difficulties in communication. At
the same time, the money they can afford to invest is too little to compete
with local businesses.
While Burmese refugees in
“We are all from
In Bangladesh, there are thousands of Arakanese
refugees who have fled from their homeland since the 1988 coup d’etat by the junta, but only about 100 are recognized as
“refugees” by the UNHCR, and most of them are being neglected by the international
community
*** *** ***
Arakanese Refugees Observe World Refugee Day in
Over 60 Arakanese refugees attended the ceremony and Md Jahangir Hossain,
the social Counselor of the UNHCR, graced the meeting ceremony as chief guest,
it was learnt.
Venerable U Chandaw Batha
delivered the opening speech on the occasion. Among the attendants, some
refugees discussed their present situation.
In his speech, Jahangir Hossain
said he would attach more importance to the affair of Burmese refugees and
assured greater assistance in future, said the source.
U Mrat Tun, program manager
of the ceremony, said of the occasion, “ Today is the
day that draws attention to us. We, the Arakanese
refugees in
*** *** ***
Election Commission Rejects Reposting of Fallen NLD Signboards
Akyab, June 23 Narinjara
News: The election commission with jurisdiction over the provincial and
township offices in Akyab has not given immediate permission
to put up signs felled by the May 19th cyclone, reported our
correspondent.
According to a source close to the NLD political organization, "signboards
are still scattered carelessly, as the provincial election commission has not
allowed them to be put up, even after repeated requests to the commission by U
San Shwe Tun, Chairman of the Akyab
township branch of the NLD."
With the signboards still on the ground and the SPDC’s
military intelligence cracking down on members of the NLD in Akyab, no one has dared to shift them to a safer place,
said the source.
The signboards had been erected in front of the house owned by U Thin Lin of
Pan Khran Road, Mrok Thu Gree quarter in Akyab, before the
cyclone.
Those NLD signboards were erected by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and U Tin Oo last
year on their tour to Akyab, it was learnt.
*** *** ***
Rohingya Hacked to Death in Western Burma
Maungdaw, June 22 Kaladan
News: On 6th June 2004, unidentified men hacked to death a Rohingya man and threw him into a well near a government
primary school in Khari Para (village) at Mungdaw Township in Arakan State,
western Burma, according to our sources.
The next day, the dead body was found in the said well by some local women when
they went there to fetch water. Hearing the hue and cry of women, local people
rushed to the spot and they identified the dead body as Sidique
(a) Maung Tun, 34, son of Habi
Ullah, who hailed from Khari
Para of
On being informed, the police went to the spot and recovered the dead body from
the well, then sent it to the
Formerly, the victim of the attack had been living at Maung Ni Para of
He had no source of income to maintain his family other than as an informer for
the police, Nasaka and MI. Due to his false and
fabricated information, many people of the area faced
problems and had to bribe the concerned authorities. So, the villagers were
very angry with him, the relative further added.
He also had a contact among the concerned authorities to obtain travel passes
and permits for any matter. So he received a huge amount of money from people
and got a commission from the authorities. Therefore unidentified villagers
killed him and threw his body into a well to end the unending pressure from the
authorities, said a villager.
Instead of experiencing relief, many villagers now face more problems than
before and the authorities have a golden opportunity to extract money from the Rohingya villagers by putting false and fabricated cases
against them, he further said.
Now, the Rohingya villagers are living in fear of
arrest, as the police have started to make arbitrary arrests among the
villagers. The people responsible for the murder have still not been found.
*** *** ***
Daylight Robbery Followed by Search of China Town
June 23, 2004 Mizzima News: One person died and two others were wounded in
a daylight robbery of a jewellery shop in Lashio, Shan State, when over 5 viss
( 8- kilograms) of gold was stolen. Following the robbery, authorities
thoroughly searched Lashio's quarter No. 5 where most
of the town’s Chinese nationals reside.
The jewellery shop, located on the ground floor of Lashio's Myoma Bazaar, was looted
on June 11. Three Chinese nationals armed with weapons arrived at the shop at
approximately
According to an eyewitness, the three assailants fled to jungle areas in the
van they had hired for the job. In pursuit, police searched the jungle areas
where they found the van’s driver killed by bullets.
Following the incident, police made a thorough search of Lashio's
quarter No. 5 and later arrested one of the thieves near Tant
Yan.
The jewellery shop was known to be the largest in Lashio. The owner is known to have close links with the
authorities and to be involved in gold mining.
*** *** ***
Akyab police without salary for one year
Akyab, June 24 Narinjara
News: Akyab police have not received their salary for
over a year, according to a policeman of the Mro-Ma
police station.
One policeman said the authorities are unable to pay police salaries because
the money had already been spent on entertainment for high-ranking central
officials on their visit to Arakan state.
“Our salary was spent on entertainment when Prime Minister Khin Nyunt and Daw
Khin Win Shwe and their party came to visit Arakan.
That’s why our salary has been suspended. We have been without salary for nearly
one year. High officials are threatening us with jail if we disclose this
non-payment to anyone. No one has dared to speak out about the situation,” said
the same policeman.
“After repeated requests, they pay us a little money from the main fund, which
is not enough to totally cover the expenses for our families. The authorities
advise us to earn money by any means we can,” he said.
As a result, many policemen have turned to extracting money forcibly from the
people.
Requesting anonymity, the policeman told our reporter to send the news to the
RFA, BBC, VOA and to any other media agencies so the
world can hear of their real situation.
Our informant said that non-payment of salary was not just in the Akyab police department, but is happening to police forces
all over Arakan state.
*** *** ***
KIO Hands Back Burmese Spy with Warning to Military Intelligence
KIO intelligence personnel detained Te Zar Myo, 24, in the first week of June. Under
interrogation, Te Zar Myo apparently confessed to
being sent by the deputy officer of Loi Je police station to set off explosives in the busy market
areas of Mai Ja Yang, said a
KIO source.
In returning the SPDC spy back to the Military Intelligence, the KIO issued a
warning letter stating that “if there are any explosions in and around Mai Ja Yang area then the peace
agreement is likely to be broken.” The letter also warned that the MI should
avoid such activities in the future.
Photocopies of the KIO letter were sent to the South Division Military
Headquarters, Intelligence No (21) and military headquarters of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).
Mai Ja Yang, a
Sino-Burma border town, is under the control of the KIO's
3rd Battalion. Since the ceasefire agreement between the SPDC and
the KIO in 1994, the area has become a hub of casinos run by both the military
authorities and the KIO. The KIO has also opened a computer college. It is
recognized as the second fastest developing area in the region following Laiza, where KIO headquarters are situated.
*** *** ***
Endless illegal Car Trading
Independent Mon News Agency
Although there are heavy rains and most roads have
been destroyed by rain, traders continue illegally importing second-hand cars
from
“Every day more than 15 cars are imported into
“The Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) and a Karen group that has
surrendered, called the KPF (Karen Peace Force) has been responsible for
bringing these cars into the country,” added the source.
“There are more than a hundred cars left in
Most of the imported cars are for private and family use. They are
popular in automobile-short
“It is very dangerous. The roads are very bad and difficult, so that we have to
cross the rivers by raft,” said Mr. Nai Maung, a car
driver.
“Because of bad roads, the trader has to hire a skillful driver with a payment
of 150, 000.00 Kyat per trip - from the
Although the traders continue importing the cars, the Burmese military
government authorities in
“A rumor is also spreading among the people about the government seizing these
illegal cars,” he added.
“A rumor is going around that the government authorities are seizing these cars
and giving them to representatives attending the National Convention”, Nai Myaing said.
*** *** ***
Karen cease-fire group kidnaps six sex workers
Independent Mon News Agency
June 25, 2004
A Karen cease-fire group, the KPF (Karen Peace Force - in Burmese Kayin Nyein Chan Ye Ah Pwae) kidnapped six sex workers from a brothel, then
ordered the owner to close down his house situated in No.2 city quarter, Three
Pagodas Pass, a Thai-Burma border town in southern Burma.
On the night of June 23, the group, also based in Three Pagodas Pass Town took
these sex workers after an argument occurred in U Toung
Kyi’s pub and brothel, said Mr. U Aung Win who is
close to the pub owner.
“Although these women sex workers were released yesterday evening, U Toung Kyi is going to close his brothel after such a
fright.” Mr. Aung said.
“The sex workers were tortured and sexually abused and subjected to other
harassment,” Mr. Aung said.
This kidnapping case is just one of many of such cases committed by the KPF
armed group, according to the people. “But the government
authorities do not dare to take any action in that case,” Mr. Nai Chan said.
“This has happened many times, and the KPF armed group always frighten the
brothel owner and force the sex workers to have
sex with them without charge,” Mr. Chan added.
“Just two days ago this group made trouble at a brothel near my house.,”
Sex workers in
There are four main ethnic armed groups - the New Mon State Party, the Karen
National Union, the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, and the KPF - based in the
area. The KPF is an armed Karen group that split from the KNU and agreed
to a cease-fire with the Burmese military government.
*** **** **** ****
INTERNATIONAL
Indian delegation arrives in Burma
Guwahati, June 24, 2004 Mizzima
News: In a rare gesture of goodwill, a 25-member delegation from northeast
India left for Burma yesterday taking with them a message of peace and the
intent to strengthen relations between people living in the two countries.
The delegation, which started its journey yesterday from the Indian border town
of
According to the tour programme, the delegates will visit
This is the first time such a large team has visited
"We want to share information with the Burmese people first hand. So we
decided to travel by road instead of by air," said the team’s leader, Indra Singh, by telephone just before the group's
departure.
The 25-member delegation comprising of artists, traders, writers, Kuki, Naga and Manipuri people
will conclude their visit at the China-Burma border. Singh further said that
there are hundreds of Indians living in various places in
Asked why the tour was organized, he said that the visit would strengthen
relations between the people of
"(The governments of)
Kuki, Naga and Manipuri
delegation members are expected to present their respective cultural programmes in
"This is a new beginning with an eye to bringing us closer to the Burmese
people because we are very much attached to them, "
Singh said. Asked whether they would face any problem related to insurgency in
some areas, the team leader replied that they were not expecting any trouble
and the visit was purely a friendship tour.
The delegation visiting
**** *** ***
India-ASEAN Car Rally
to Pass Through Burma
Guwahati, June 26, 2004 Mizzima
News: The Ministry of Development of the
North Eastern Region (DONER), the Ministry for External Affairs, the Government
of India andthe Confederation of Indian Industries (CII)
are to sponsor a vibrant car rally that will start in India, travel across
Burma and finish in Thailand’s capital Bangkok later this year. This inaugural
India-ASEAN Motor Car Rally is expected to start in Guwahati,
capital of
The DONER hopes to use the rally to focus on developmental activities in the
northeastern Indian states bordering
CII source reveals that the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI)
will serve as the technical manager for the prestigious rally. Different
cultural and business exchange programs with ASEANcountriesfocusing
ontrade, theatre, film, performing arts and so on are
being considered in conjunction with the rally. Related events would be
organized in the capitals of the
*** *** ***
The Burmese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs U Kyaw Thu and Thai Commerce
Minister Watana Muangsook,
along with ambassadors from the other five countries, signed the Protocol yesterday.
The Thai Commerce Ministry hosted the protocol-signing ceremony, for the
India, Burma, Sri Lanka and Thailand, as well as new members of the
sub-regional grouping--- Buthan and Nepal--- signed
the Free Trade Area (FTA) agreement at a meeting in February 2004 in Phuket, but Bangladesh didn’t sign the deal at the time.
Free-trade negotiations among the BIMST-EC countries are expected to begin next
month and be wrapped up by December 2005, to ensure the FTA’s
projected implementation in July 2006.
*** 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]