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(1) UNHCR's Asia-Pacific
director arrives in
(2)
(3) Fuel Price Increase Raises Cost Of Travel
(4) HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS' AS A LIQUOR CARRIER
(5) Commander Rewarded For Role In
October 'Coup'
(6)
(7) UBI To Open Branches In
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UNHCR's Asia-Pacific director arrives in Dhaka
====================================
Narinjara News & Kaladan News
on 2 December, said an official
report.
She will examine the situation of two Rohingya
refugees and look for
solutions to a series of incidents
that occurred in the camps between
September and November.
She makes a nine-day trip to
Cox'bazar area, where two Burmese Muslim refugees camps are situated.
The UNHCR currently coordinates operations in the two
refugee camps will
be accompanied by other UNHCR Heads
from other countries giving refugee,
Kutupalong and Nayapara,home to19,944 Burmese Muslim refugees, according
to official estimates.
The problems in the camps began in September when UNHCR
staffs were
manhandled by a group of refugees
following a raid on the refugee camp
by law enforcement agents.
But, refugees said, “When a Bangladeshi woman from WFP tries
to take
photos of some Majees
(collaborator of camp officer) accompanied by
other refugees with a position of
receiving ration with empty sacks for
their documents. But, she has
to pay “soaps and firewood” as ration
that day. But, she does not give
anything in the sacks. So, we drive her
out of the camp.”
Another accident in the camp occurred
when 14 Rohingyas were killed and 33
were arrested by local Bangladeshi
police, according to November 20th
edition of"The
Daily Inquilab."
Since the accidents broke out, the tension between the
refugees and the
UNHCR has been high. No UNHCR staff is currently in the
refugee camp, a
source close to the camp said.
Lim is expected to solve the problem when she is there, said
a report.
According to a local official source, Lim will hold a
high-level meeting
with the Foreign, Disaster
Management and Relief, and Home Ministers of
what has happened and what we can
do".
However, there has been no definite plan as yet, added the
source.
In addition to the recent violence in the Kutupalong refugee camp, the
Malaysian governt’s giving 10,000 Rohingya refugees status and work
permit has added new twists to the
issue of their repatriation, sources
said.
In September, the Government of Bangladesh rejected a UNHCR
proposal
styled, "programme of
self-reliance for refugees and support the refugees
and host community" that came
in various words and forms over the last two
years.
At present, the situation of the two refugee camps ---Kutupalong and
Nayapara----is normal after the
government’s crackdown on 18th and 19th
of November 2004. But, the refugees
who had fled from the camp to avoid
arrest and harassment of police or
who were the participants in the
clashes are not yet allowed to
enter the refugee camp and their ration
books were also seized by the
authorities, said a refugee from the
Kutupalong camp who
is preferred not to mention his name for his
security reason.
According to unofficial estimates, there are about two
hundred thousand
Rohingyan refugees in the Cosx'bazar district.
Many of them are involved
in gun-running, militancy,
trafficking and other criminal activities.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
=======================================
Nava Thakuria
Guwahati ,
Mizzima News (www.mizzima.com)
Bad news for the concerned sections regarding the energy
security of
the three-nation natural gas
pipeline from
The Bangladesh Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has
advocated for
taking up the matter at the highest
level. The committee was of the view
that the decision regarding the gas
pipeline should be dealt by the
Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s office, which also looks after energy
issues of
The gas pipeline project will be shared between
Bangladeshi company, Mohona
Holdings is also a recognized stack holder.
The US dollar one billion project
is planned to export natural gas
from
through
Tripura is also on the card to be
fed into the pipeline.
The Indian government had tried their best to import gas
from
Indian proposal in
The energy experts as well as civil society in
vehemently opposing the idea of gas
export to
political complication too.
Now, the government of
At the same time, the project will be beneficial for
revenue generation. It is predicted
that the Mohona Holdings Ltd. of
The Burmese pro-democracy and ethnic Arakan
activists say that they
strongly oppose the Burmese
government selling the natural gas to
They argue that the money the junta gets from Arakan gas export will
strengthen the rule of military
government in
"The people in
Instead, they will be subjected to severe human rights
violations such
as forced labor and forced
relocation by the military authorities for
building gas pipeline", said
Kyaw Han, an Arakan ethnic leader who has
been campaigning against the gas
pipeline.
The previous Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government in
almost ready to support the gas
pipeline project. The proposal was first
submitted in 1996 to
known as pro-India prime minister,
could not materialize the support
from other political parties.
Later, Mohoma Holdings Ltd.
submitted the proposal once again to
after the government change in 2002
in
interest in the beginning, the
present Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led
government, later deferred the
decision.
"This In fact the issue is expected to top the agenda
at the tri-nation
energy ministers’ conference to be
held in January 2005 in
informed MK Roy, a
economic issues of
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Fuel Price Increase
Raises Cost Of Travel
==================================
Independent Mon News Agency
The price of fuel is slowly jumping up in
difficulty of getting fuel from
The price of a gallon of petrol, 2,100 kyat in the previous
month, is
2,400 kyat now. The price of a
gallon of diesel, 2,200 kyat in the
previous month, has now jumped to
2,500 kyat.
“Fuel prices slowly jumped up although the BOC (Burma Oil
Company)
under Myanmar Petroleum Products
Enterprise (MPPE) gives oil to people
who own vehicles which have
licenses,” said Nai Min Tun,
a Moulamein
(Mawlamyine)
fuel seller.
But the Burmese military government Minister of Energy (ME)
reduced
sales of oil 50% to owners of
vehicles registered with the government,
according to car owners with routes
in
“It makes oil prices jump because the oil company in
distribute the amount we
ordered," he said. "We are still enquiring,” he
added.
MRTV and The Myanmar Times Journal reported Sept. 27 that
the military
government minister of energy
planned to reduce the need for imported
oil, which has the world community
facing the crisis. Moreover, the
government planned to shift vehicle
engines from using oil to gas.
“We are afraid of traveling from Ye to Moulamein.
It costs more than
1,500 kyat per person. If we
compare it to last year it jumped a lot. We
only had to pay about 1,000 kyat
for that journey,” Myit Htay,
a
traveler, told us.
“We don’t want to collect high from travelers, but if we do
not collect
as much as this price, we cannot
have a route. We have no benefit,” said
a car owner, who did not want to
identify himself for his own security.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
AS A LIQUOR CARRIER
=========================================
Khonumthung News Group
The boarder Students of Chin State were forced to carry
Burmese made
foreign liquor by the SPDC soldiers.
On the 2nd November 2oo4, the final day of the first test
examination of
the
students Salai
Bi Ram and his friend were given Kyats 20000/- by
Corporal Tin Thun, of LIB - 274 under
the command of Sergeant Hlah Thun,
and were forced to buy
Salai Bi Ram and companion could
return to the Lailenpi Army camp on
November 6th only. Sergeant Tin Swe
received the liquor but the students
were not given any allowance for
traveling and food or a token of gratitude.
"Village Elders banned the selling and drinking of
alcohol in the
village especially to the youth and
students. However, if the soldiers
keep on engaging the youth and
students in such activities, it is a
great threat for the future life of
the young people" complained an
elder of the village.
But the soldiers of Lailenpi Army
camp had used the students and the
local people to buy alcohol at Chinletwa village,
Rizua, a sub-town of
The SPDC Soldiers stationed at the Indo-Burma border forced
the local
people to carry alcohol (foreign or
local liquor), which they sell in
the border areas. Some commanders
forced the Village Council President
to sell the same.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Commander Rewarded
For Role In October 'Coup'
========================================
S.H.A.N
Maj. Gen. Myint Hlaing, commander of the Lashio-based
Northeastern
Region Command, has been directed to report to the
to be awarded a loftier assignment,
reports Hawkeye from the northern
border:
"He left for
the military this morning.
His raid Sept. 12 on a border checkpoint controlled by
Military
Intelligence and the subsequent seizure of cash and goods
reportedly
worth 3 billion kyat ($3 million)
had led to the dismissal of Gen. Khin
Nyunt a month later.
Unconfirmed reports say he will be appointed as second
secretary to the
ruling State Peace and Development
Council, the number four position in
the official hierarchy, junior only
to generals Than Shwe and Maung Aye,
whom he was said to have served as
aide-de-camp, and Thein Sein.
Back in Lashio, Brig. Gen. Hla Myint, his deputy, has taken
over the
day-to-day affairs in northern
Tha Aye, currently commander of
the Monywa-based Northwestern Region
Command, has been tipped) is announced.
Another regional commander who was elevated to take up the
powerful Home
Ministry following Khin Nyunt's
removal is Maj. Gen. Maung Oo of the
Western Command, who, according to Narinjara,
had said on
"The day Aung San Suu Kyi assumes power is the
day civil war will break
out. Her granting self-autonomy to
the non-Burmans will be tantamount to
allowing two lions to share a
single cave. We shall therefore prevent
her even at the cost of our lives
from getting power."
+++++++++++++++++++++
================================================
Nava Thakuria
Mizzima News (www.mizzima.com)
Indian and Burmese traders have expressed
the need to expand the
current list of permitted goods for
trading to facilitate bilateral
trade through border points.
At a recently concluded seminar in
the border to regulate and
facilitate trading. Also, for safe and
comfortable trading, they also
suggested using letters of credit
facilities rather than cash-based
transactions.
Organized jointly by the Confederation of Indian Industries,
the Indian
Ministry of External Affairs and the Burmese government, the one-day
seminar Nov. 25 was targeted to
promote bilateral cooperation between
trade between the two countries at
the Moreh-Tamu sector.
“The seminar was participated in with enthusiasm by those
already into
cross-border trade, and
facilitated the meeting of
businessmen and entrepreneurs on either side
of the international border engaged
in the same area of trade. Spadework
was done for many potential
cross-border business partnerships,” said
Pradeep Phanjoubam,
a senior journalist from Manipur, a Northeastern
Pradeep was one of the 65
delegates, who included entrepreneurs,
academicians and media people from
seminar in the commercial capital
of
The traders from both countries urged ending the practice of
balancing
trade through a barter mechanism
where export of goods is balanced only
by import of other goods on a list
of tradable items of the same value.
Agricultural products, timber, farm equipment, surgical
instruments,
motor vehicles and parts, bamboo
fabricating equipment, etc., were other
areas that aroused much mutual
interests among entrepreneurs on both sides.
Also discussed were modalities for future workshops for
mutual skill
training and partnership building
in specific areas of commercial
interests, said Pradeep.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
UBI to Open Branches
In Burma
===========================
Surajit Khaund
Mizzima News (www.mizzima.com)
The United Bank of India (UBI), as directed by the Indian
government,
will soon open a foreign
representative office in
Mr. Prakash Singh, chairman and
managing director of the UBI, told this
correspondent that the foreign
branch would meet a long-standing demand
of
The UBI move came in the wake of the Burmese government
requesting
Indian banks to open branches in
traders have been demanding opening
branches in the Burmese capital for
smooth export and import
transactions.
Singh also said the UBI has already opened several bank
branches in
properly. “Our trade with
gradually with the opening of trade
points. This is a good sign for
Singh, who is monitoring ongoing schemes undertaken by the
UBI, revealed
it has been providing training to
Burma bank staff at the direction of
their country. “We are very closely
associated with the Burmese banks so
there will be no problem opening
branches in
The Indian Finance Ministry has asked Indian banks to open
branches in
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__________________________________________________________________
Burma News International is a network of nine exiled media
groups
such as Mizzima
News, Shan Herald Agency for News, Kao Wao News Group,
Khonumthung News Group, Narinjara News, Kaladan Press
Network,
Independent Mon News Agency, Karenni Information
Network Group and Network Media Group.
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Contact: Duty Editor
+66 9 54 94 296