New Law Kills the People

Independent Mon News Agency

November 6, 2004

The military government new law against the illegal transferring money, things and giving information for these kinds of things are likely the law kills the people inside Burma; Southern Thailand based Federation of Trade Unions – Burma (FTUB) General Secretary said.

The new law sections an act No. 35 (Kha) declared on Nov.3 with the sign of Senior General Than Shwe and the law is for barring illegal transferring money, things and giving information to these kinds of work. In the law, the government will sentence three years to people whom working in transferring money.

“How do migrant worker in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore transfer money to their family and having contact to their families. If they cannot transfer the money, the people inside Burma will be starved and die all. Most of them are relying on money from their family members who are working in neighbor countries because they have very a little income for survival,” U Zar Ni Thwe said.

“If the government can their economy business that make enough income for the people is okay to amend the law. However, the military government cannot reform it and they cannot work widely in exchange. The really exchange rate in Burma is one $ equal to more than 900 Kyat. But the military government exchange rate is 6 Kyat equal one US $” U Zar Ni Thwe added.

“However people cannot accept what the government exchange rate is. They cannot pay 8 Baht to get one Kyat what the government wanted. The really exchange has one Baht equal to 22 Kyat. This why people transferred money in illegal way,” U Zar Ni Thwe explained.

After the government set up the new law, local military government are trying to seized the satellite phone that using for transferring money.

Many of local businessmen who are working in transferring money are stopping from their work and hiding their satellite phone and code-less phone.

“I have stopped transferring money, in Hpa-an, Moulmein and Ye. I told my workers to take the phone back,” Nai Myit, (not real-name) a businessman based in Three Pagoda Pass said.

Many local businessmen transferring money in Southern Burma have been stopped to stop their work and some Businessmen phones were seized.

“Three satellite phone in Kwan-hlar village Mudon Township that people in the area relied for contact to the family in neighbor were seized by the local authorities,” Min Thit Swe reported.

“We faced the problem now. I cannot contact to my home. All the phone in my village closed,” a migrant worker, Win Naing to IMNA.

Because economic crisis and civil war many Burmese people went to neighbor countries to work for supporting their family inside Burma.

Every day hundred of people from Burma flee to neighbor to seek work. According to Thailand Migrant news on July 2004, more than 906,000 Burmese migrant worker in Thailand.

For further information, please contact to Independent Mon News Agency
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