BURMA NEWS INTERNATIONAL

 

Date: January 9, 2005

 

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(1) Arakan State's tsunami death toll rises to 96

(2) WANTED REBEL POSTERS ON SALE

(3) Bangladesh government to decide on gas pipeline

(4) 12- Top level Nasaka Officer including the Nasaka Driector Arrested 

    (In Burmese)

(5) Burma soldiers' militia training in Indo - Burma border

     (In Burmese)

(6) Fifty three Journalists killed last year (In Burmese)

(7) Mon Music Year’s 2005 (In Burmese)

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*** (For Burmese Language stories please read in the Webpage.

www.bnionline.net)***



Arakan State's tsunami death toll rises to 96

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Narinjara News

Dhaka, January 9

 

The number killed in Burma's Arakan State by the tsunami waves has

risen to 96, stated a press release of the Arakan National Council, ANC,

on January 7.

 

According to the press release, 12 fishermen in Akyab, 80 people from

GwaTownship, and 4 from Rambree Township all perished in the recent

natural disaster.

 

30 people are still reported missing and 3 villages in Arakan State were

severely damaged, said the report.

 

The report stated that ANC collected it's information through telephone

interviews with residents in Arakan state.

 

ANC also believes that there are most likely more people dead in Arakan

State since it is fishing season in all of the state's coastal villages

and towns that are along the Bay of Bengal.

 

Burma's military government has so far only confirmed 58 deaths in

Burma.

 

ANC is a newly formed organization of Arakan groups and it has a number

of  branch offices in neighboring countries of Burma.

 

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WANTED REBEL POSTERS ON SALE

==============================

(Kaowao, Nai Ong Mon, January 8, 2005)

 

Posters, that announced Burma Army will pay up to 10 million Kyats for

information leading to the capture of Mon guerrilla leader, are on sale

in northern Ye Byu Township.

 

Nai Thaw, a Mon community leader from the area said the Burma Army

ordered every family to buy the posters of wanted Mon guerilla leaders,

each worth 700 Kyats (Burmese currency).

 

“The villagers must obey the order and every household must buy 3

posters of their (Burma Army) wanted men and post them in home or risk

being tortured,” said Nai Thaw.

 

The poster stated that anyone who can provide information leading to the

guerrilla leader Nai Bin’s whereabouts or who can bring him in will be

awarded with the money.  Second leader Nai Hloin and other leaders, Nai

Chan Dein and Nai Sook Gloing each have one million put on their heads.

 

Following this order, local villagers are caught in the middle because

the guerrilla group has also threatened them not to follow the Burma

Army’s instructions.  The threat from both sides has forced them to flee

the area gradually.

 

Some have fled to a Mon resettlement site as internally displaced person

(IDP) and some sneaked to Thailand, according to Mon Relief and

Development Committee, based in Sangkhalaburi, Thai Burma border.  A

village headman said some villagers have also moved to a religious site

in northern Ye township where (they believe) a famous Buddhist monk can

give them protection.

 

According to a source from the area, about 50 Mon guerillas who had

survived a heavy military offensive by Aung Moe Gyo Operation No. (3)

surrendered to the New Mon State Party.  There is a rumor that Nai

Hloin, the second leader of the group who was wounded wants to surrender

to the NMSP, but his younger brother, Nai Bin has threatened to kill him

if he does.

 

The Burma Army has launched an offensive to wipe out the Mon armed group

and the insurgents in turn use ambush tactics and guerrilla warfare.

 

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Bangladesh government to decide on gas pipeline

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Narinjara News

January 7, 2005

 

Bangladesh Minister for Energy and Minerals AKM Mosharrof Hossain will

attend an international gas pipeline conference Jan. 12-13 in Rangoon,to

decide on whether a gas pipeline will be built through Bangladesh.

 

According to a report, the meeting will be attended by the Indian

Petroleum Minister, Burmese officials and Hossain, after Bangladesh

accepted a formal invitation from Burma's military government.

 

Burma's military government has agreed to sell its gas to India, but the

government has not yet decided which route the gas pipeline will use to

export the gas to India, a local source said.

 

The aim of the talks is to convince the Bangladesh government of the

benefits of the pipeline.  The construction of the gas pipeline will

commence at the end of this year once the Bangladesh government agrees

to allow the pipeline to run through it's territory.

 

Bangladesh will make an annual US$125 million in revenue from gas the

pipeline transports.  US$100 million will come from a wheeling charge

and US$25 million as maintenance charges.

 

In addition, Bangladesh will get right-of way revenue from the pipeline

and an investment of US$150 million will also create employment

opportunities for Bangladeshi workers.

 

The afore-mentioned facts are likely to convince the Bangladesh

government to give its final approval for the gas pipeline to be

constructed through its territory, the source said.

 

The pipeline will cross the Bangladesh border through Brahmanbaria from

the Indian state of Tripura, and cross into west Bengal through the

Rajshahi border.

 

In Burma, the gas pipeline will extend along the Kaladan river, which

runs from Akyab, the Arakan state capital, to tTripura state of India.

The minister will fly to Rangoon Jan. 11 with two top businessmen,

including the chairman of Petrobangla, a prominent petroleum firm in

Bangladesh.

***End***

 

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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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