Burma News International


Weekly News, August 23 2004




ON THE BORDER



ON THE BORDER

Assam Chief Minister Blames Burma, Bangladesh
Nava Thakuria

Mizzima News, August 16, 2004; Guwahati.: Shocked and baffled at the killing of over 20 people, mostly school children, while participating in the National Independence Day celebration in upper Assam, the state chief minister has charged Burma and Bangladesh with giving shelter to the insurgents of North East India.

The insurgents of North East India are using the soil of both the neighboring countries, Burma and Bangladesh, for sheltering and training guerrillas. Most of the time, they attack our region and flee to those camps, said Tarun Gogoi, the Chief Minister of Assam Province in trouble-torn North East India.

At least 22 people were killed and over 30 people wounded in the bomb blast and grenade attacks by separatist groups in Dhemaji of Assam, while people were participating in India's Independence Day celebration on August 15th. The morning attacks are believed to have been initiated by United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) militants.

A number of militant groups in North East India, including the ULFA, had called for a boycott of the Independence Day celebrations.

"It was a most cowardly thing to do," said the Chief Minister Mr.Gogoi, and now the Congress leader has accused Burma and Bangladesh of giving shelter to underground groups on their soil. He put the blame on the ULFA and claimed that the militant group has training and operational camps in both neighboring countries.

After the Bhutan operation against the ULFA and Bodo militants last December, the militants have shifted their camps and cadres to Burma and Bangladesh, said Mr.Gogoi to Mizzima News on Monday.

However, the Bangladeshi government has not shown readiness to admit the allegation that Northeastern militants were using their land for illegal activities in India, and  the Burmese authorities have also preferred to keep tightlipped on the issue.
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Foreign Goods Prohibited from Entering Bangladesh

Cox’s Bazar, August16 Kaladan News: Customs expect that taxes will decrease in Burma-Bangladesh border trade during the current fiscal year (July 01, 2004 to June 30, 2005) because of a ban on all foreign goods except Burmese entering Bangladesh, according to Abul Kalam Azad from Teknaf.

At the beginning of August 2004, the Bangladeshi government asked the customs of Teknaf areas not to allow foreign goods to enter Teknaf points, except for Burmese goods.

The Teknaf custom officials are doubtful that they will earn half of the revenue target estimated for the current fiscal year because of the ban on foreign goods.

Teknaf customs have targeted Tk. Taka 51.9 million per month and Tk.620.8 million annually for the fiscal year 2004-2005. The Bangladeshi government earned Taka 600 million from BurmaBangladesh border trade within last 14 months. In the 2003 to 2004 fiscal year, in 12 months, the Teknaf customs earned Tk.58 million. In the first month of the 2004- 2005 fiscal year, from July1 to July 31, customs earned Tk.50.633 million from border trade, the custom official added.

According to the chief customs officer at Teknaf, they could earn Tk 100 million per month from border trade if there was no problem, which would also benefit the neighboring country, Burma. 

A trader at Teknaf said, “Now we can only get tax from Burmese-produced goods in Teknaf border areas. We are barred from taxing other countries’ goods, such as those from Thailand, China and Japan. Their goods are not allowed to enter Teknaf border areas from Burma; they are only allowed to enter Bangladesh through Chittagong, the port city”.

Since 1995, the Bangladesh government has been trying to destroy the Burma- Bangladesh border smuggling and to establish legal Burma-Bangladesh border trade. After the establishment of Burma-Bangladesh border trade, traders and businessmen  faced some difficulties, which slowly have been resolved. This was done to exclude the smugglers of Teknaf and Chittagong areas, said a businessman.

The people of the Teknaf border areas are facing many difficulties in prohibiting the entry of goods from other countries, which restricts their source of income, said Abdul Latif from Teknaf.

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7 Rohingya Refugees Arrested at Cox’s Bazaar

Cox’s Bazaar, August 19 Kaladan News: Seven Rohingya refugees were sent to jail after they were arrested in connection with terrorist activities and creating obstacles to the refugee repatriation process while appearing before the magistrate’s court, said an eyewitness from Cox’s Bazar.

The seven refugees were previously arrested in 2002 at Kutupalong refugee camp for alleged involvement in terrorist activities and creating obstacles to the refugee repatriation process. After some months in jail, they got bail from the court with the cooperation of the Chief of Camp and were staying peacefully in their previous refugee camps.

But they had to attend the Cox’s Bazar Court on the date of their cases, said a refugee from the camp, who declined to mention his name.

On the fateful day on August 09, 2004, they went to the Cox’s Bazar Court to appear before the magistrate’s office for the hearing of their cases. All 7 refugees were arrested again in the Cox’s Bazar court by police who canceled their bail at the request of the Rohingya Refugee Relief Commissioner (RRRC), Mr. Seddikur Rahman, and were kept in Cox’s Bazar jail. They were again alleged to be involved in terrorist activities and creating problems in the refugee repatriation process, said a relative of the arrestees.

The arrestees are Dr, Nazir, 30, Mr. Ibrahim, 40, Abdul Shukur, 33, Zakir Ahmed, 35, Mohamed Salim, 30, and his two brothers. They are registered refugees from Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar District.

According to a refugee from Kutupalong camp, this is just taking revenge on the refugees who participated in the hunger strike on June 6, 2004, to show the refugees exemplary punishment and threaten anyone who participates in creating problems in future repatriation. The above-mentioned cases against the 7 refugees are totally fabricated and false allegations.

Previously, the UNHCR and other concerned authorities gave the refugees assurance that they would not be arrested on fabricated and false charges against them, after they were involved in a hunger strike last June. Where are they now? said, another refugee from Kutupalong camp.

 A local UNHCR field assistant from Cox’s Bazar, who declined to mention his name, said other Rohingya refugees had been jailed by the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) on false and fabricated charges. Of them, some were sentenced to long terms in jail, while the GoB and local UNHCR field officers were violating human rights.

At present, the GoB is drawing up plans and programs with the cooperation of local UNHCR field assistants to resume the Rohingya repatriation process. This puts the Rohingya refugees in an awful situation because it would compel the refugees to go back to Burma.

“We came to Bangladesh to avoid the persecution of the Burmese military regime and want to go back to our homeland when the political situation is favorable to us. There are many kinds of harassments and oppression against the Rohingyas, such as seizing farmland from us and constructing model villages for Buddhist settlers, while the forced labor of Rohingya villagers still continues. In these circumstances, why is  Bangladesh trying to send us forcibly to Burma?” asked a refugee from Kutupalong camp.

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Look to Burma: Ministry hints to OIL
Nava Thakuria,
 

August 19, 2004 MIZZIMA NEWS: The Indian Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has asked the state-owned Oil India Ltd (OIL) to look ‘eastward’, with a hint at Burma to increase crude oil and gas production in the coming days.

“The petroleum ministry is keen to see OIL looking eastward towards hydrocarbon-rich Myanmar (Burma), which is virtually in its backyard,” said a ministry source. Recently, the OIL chairman and managing director R. K. Dutta, had recently made a presentation in front of petroleum ministry officials in New Delhi, which did not impress the officials.

They felt that OIL did not have a proper vision for growth, as it was primarily confining its operations to NE India only. A few other companies like the Gas Authority of India Limited (Gail) and the Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (NGC)-Videsh have already ventured into Burma.

“Having over 50 years of experience in oil exploration and enjoying the Burma Shell heritage, OIL can make really a difference. But despite the experience and knowledge about the resources of the neighboring country, OIL has not performed up to its mark,” ministry officials commented.

However, OIL officials have disclosed that the company is set to record its highest-ever crude oil production in the current financial year. “OIL has set a production target of 3.40 million metric tons with its expanded network of production. Presently producing at a 3.22 MTPA rate, OIL can achieve the target with several new discoveries, as well as optimum use of resources,” said Prasanta Barkakoty, Manger, PR of the company based in NE India.

Recently upgraded to a ‘Schedule A’ category PSU, the company had also decided to drill two horizontal wells for the first time in the history of OIL this year, mainly to enhance production from Hapjan and Makum fields in Assam.

“Further drilling activities are being initiated for the exploration of the newly discovered structure in North Chandmari area, after the successful competition and production from the existing well. Six new additional wells have been earmarked for drilling in these fields in the immediate future, of which two will be completed this year to enhance the potential build up,” added Mr. Barkakoty.
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Friendly Football Match to be Held on the Thai-Burma border

Mizzima News Chiang Mai August 20, 2004: The Burmese and Thais will play a friendly football match in Chaing Daung district next weekend prior to a township-level meeting to reopen a border checkpoint.

The Football teams will consist ofvillagers and soldiersfrom thetwo countries.  The match will take place on the 29th of August at the Naung Oat Village High School football playground, on the opposite side of Pungpakyem town of Shan State in Burma.

“We will go and watch because our villagers will take part in the competition, said a 22 year-old Kachin girl working at the Night Bazaar in Chiang Mai.”There will be five or six matches andsome border guard soldierswill play with the villagers", she added.

Naung Oat village, in northern Thailand about 120 kilometers from Chaing Mai, is a place where Chinese, Shan, Kachin and Indian races that migrated from Burma live.

Border committees of the two countries will also meet at Naung Oat on August 30th to pave the way for Burma’s reopening of the Naung Oat checkpoint, which has been closed for the past year. Rangoon never announced the reason for the closure.
Frequent seizures of methamphetamines and heroin from Burma have been reported on this road that connects Mong Tong in Burma to Chiang Mai in Thailand.
The Thais willingly reopened the gate, but Burma did not, said a border source close to the Thai Township Border Committee. The drug traffickers have still been passing through the porous border, even though the checkpoint was closed, he added.
Recently, Burmese soldiers in plain clothes have enjoyed one-day tours to the village.
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