KAOWAO NEWS NO. 83

 

An electronic newsletter for social justice and freedom in Burma

January 28-February 15, 2005


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READERS’ FRONT

MUL PUBLISHES LEADER’S BIO

UPCOMING MON NATIONAL DAY

MON CULTURE VCD IN THE MARKET

BURMA’S LONGEST BRIDGE OPENS

GIRLS RAPED AND BOYFRIEND MURDERED

Child soldiers on frontline

SPDC soldIer killed by KNU landmine

TSUNAMI AND FORGOTTEN VICTIMS

DETAINED SHAN LEADERS’ FATE STILL IN LIMBO

TOP GENERALS LOCKED IN POWER STRUGGLE

 

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READERS’ FRONT

Dear Readers,

 

We invite comments and suggestions on improvements to Kaowao newsletter. With your help, we hope that Kaowao News will continue to grow to serve better the needs of those seeking social justice in Burma. And we hope that it will become an important forum for discussion and debate and help readers to keep abreast of issues and news.  We reserve the right to edit and reject articles without prior notification. You can use a pseudonym but we encourage you to include your full name and address.

 

Regards,

Editor

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I am English, 88, living in Queensland, Australia, and went to work in Burma in 1937 (rpt 1937) employed as a forest assistant for an English company and was responsible for the extraction of teak logs.  I left the country in 1948 having spent 3 years in the service operating behind the Japanese lines.   When the Japanese invaded I was in command of an Animal Transport Company and had to take 50 mules to another army unit based at Tavoy.  I made this trip ON FOOT and so got to know the country well.  While in Moulmein I used to spend the weekends at Mudon where I had a small dug for use on the beautiful lake.

 

En route to Tavoy I swam across the river at Ye much to the concern of the villagers who said there was a crocodile which had taken a horse only the previous week; these days are 63 years ago. 

 

In 1958 I returned to Burma and with the cooperation of the Burma Forest Department spent two years carrying out what I called the Burma Wildlife Survey - and one part of the project was to look for any suitable areas that might make Game Reserves or even National Parks.   Once again I returned to southern Burma going as far as (then) Victoria Point, now Kawthaung, where I spent several days in hospital with mumps!  I watched the collection of birds' nests for Birds' nest soup on the off shore islands and spent time on the Maungmagan beach eating cashew nuts and then another inland trek to the Thai border  from Yapu village and in the Heinze basin area.  I saw many animals and recommended the place be declared a Reserve.  Those days are now 43 years past.

 

As many of my experiences in those days are now unique, I am working on a book of memoirs THEN and a final chapter on NOW.  By chance I found your web site and read your news letter 82 which I found very helpful with forced labour but I want to find out more about such subjects as - Destruction of forests and poaching of timber (going to Thailand?); ethnic groups-if they are being forced to learn Burmese are they forgetting their own language?  Do they ever wear their national dress or must they wear the longyi and Burmese style blouse? : .cost of living - is the ordinary office worker able to save any money from his/her pay after buying essential like cooking oil kerosene, transport expenses, clothes, rent  etc ?  Mining activities in the Tavoy area - still working with a profit? Bird nest collecting on Mali Don and other islands - all illegal work by Chinese?

 

This is rather a long introductory e mail but I am trying to get as much info; on the illegality of nearly everything that now takes place under the military junta.   I want the end chapter of the book to bring all these facts to the readers (I realize I have to get the book published first!) any photos are always useful.

 

Yours sincerely 

Oliver Milton

Queensland, Australia

 

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Book Review

 

MON UNITY LEAGUE PUBLISHES LEADER’S BIO

(Kao Wao, February 13, 2005)

 

Mon Unity League has published the biography book of Nai Tun Thein, the Mon national leader and President of Mon National Democratic Front (MNDF).

 

Nai Sunthorn Sripanngern of MUL says this book is for those who would like to learn about the life and activities of Nai Tun Thein, a person devoted to peace and it’s a story of a man who has struggled for freedom for his people, equality and self-determination.  He has dedicated his life to the freedom movement; the MUL would like to honor him for his work for the Mon people in Monland despite his age of 88 years.

 

The book is bilingual, 60 pages in Mon and 75 pages in Burmese. “We encourage all Mon nationals, especially the younger generation to learn about this man and in essence Mon political history since Burma gained its independence from Britain. Those who read it will have a solid understanding of what happened, to learn what happened in the past, and in the end its up to them (younger generation) to judge and work toward building the future.

 

Included in the book are speeches and interviews by Nai Tun Thein.  Recently, he asked the cease-fire groups in the government sponsored National Convention to unite firmly and demand greater rights for ethnic nationalities.  "They (the cease-fire groups) need to demand full representation in a Federal Union; all the ethnic nationalities must support this move.  The cease-fire groups should not wait and see what the government does; they should demand strongly what the ethnic people really want.”

 

Nai Tun Thein graduated from Rangoon University in 1945 and led the Mon national movement as a senior leader of the Mon Peoples Front for several years.  In his long commitment for democracy and human rights, he was arrested by the Revolutionary Council in 1963 and detained in Moulmein Prison for 6 years.  He co-founded MNDF with other leaders and was elected as an MP of Thanbyu Zayat Constituency in the 1990 General Election.  He was arrested again in 1990 and released in 1994.

 

Apart form his busy life; he enjoys reading, writing and explaining the history behind the ancient Mon stone inscription.

 

The book contains introduction by the Secretary General of the New Mon State Party, Nai Hongsar and General Secretary of Mon Unity League Nai Sunthorn Sripanngern. 

 

The MUL has paid for the cost of publishing and has no intention of selling it but welcome financial support by individuals or organizations to recover the expenses.  The MUL is planning to publish other valuable books, useful for the Mon students. 


For those interested in this book, please contact; [email protected] or [email protected]  Tel:            + 66 6 147 1474 or 66 2 428 6232 (Nai Sunthorn Sripanngern) + 66 1 561-0860 (Kun Yekha)


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He still takes the local bus to downtown crowded Rangoon. Although he sometimes says he is getting old, he never shows any sign of giving up the struggle until his goals of equality, democracy, peace and self-determination or his people have been reached. 

 

Introduction to Nai Tun Thein: a man dedicated to peace

(By Kun Yekha)


Nai Tun Thein is a Mon scholar and has been a respected leader in the Mon national political movement for over 5 decades. He has committed his life to Mon self-determination and has been actively involved in promoting democracy for Burma for more than a half century. Before Burma gained independence in 1948, he worked with Nai Shwe Kyin, the leader of the New Mon State Party; both became influential figures in their respective party.


Nai Tun Thein has been and continues to be an excellent role model for the younger generation and has worked continuously for political representation not only for the Mon but for all the nationalities in Burma. In a sense he epitomizes the movement by placing his work for Mon self-determination before personal interest. He expresses his goodwill to many and his kindness is immeasurable. By nature he is quiet and unassuming, but is an active and vocal participate in promoting democracy and participates at all levels in national and political organizations. He went through a rough time and spent (10) years in Burmese jungle outposts working with his friends and colleagues, but remained closely connected to ordinary Mon people.


Widely respected by all Mon for his honesty, keen sense of history, and open mind, he is known for his dedication to Mon education. He loves literature and has written several books and articles for the Mon and other nationalities. In his free time, he enjoys teaching classic Mon literature and describes in lively detail Mon stone inscriptions. Most of his (88) years has been spent overcoming suffering, unfairness and injustice. While he could retire anytime and live comfortably as he is loved by many, he chooses to persist in struggling for Mon rights and social justice.

 

He still takes the local bus to downtown crowded Rangoon. Although he sometimes says he is getting old, he never shows any sign of giving up the struggle until his goals of equality, democracy, peace and self-determination for his people have been reached. 

 

“I pack my clothes in a bag, In case if they arrest me, I am ready to be detained by the Military Intelligence (MI),” says Nai Tun Thein whenever he leaves his home.  His spirit has touched thousands and has gained the respect he deserves as a leader and a teacher. Seen from far away, the victory of national freedom is sometimes hazy and sometimes not seen at all, but we can count on him to keep walking ahead to achieve our dream.

 

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UPCOMING MON NATIONAL DAY

(Kao Wao, February 14, 2005)

 

Mon communities worldwide from the Nordic countries to New Zealand, from Malaysia to Canada are busy preparing for the upcoming Mon National Day in their respective countries.

 

In Thailand, the biggest Mon migrant community in Maharchai, a port city and home to several thousand Mon migrant workers who work in the fish processing factories, are starting to rehearse for the big event. The planners are organizing a number of cultural performances with dancers, singers, and other live entertainment. However, the size of audience will depend upon Thai security, which will keep the number of attendees under manageable control, says a leader of MND Committee, Nai Htaw Ong.

 

In Europe the event will be held in UK, Norway and the Netherlands.  According to the EU Mon leader, Nai Bee Htaw, the Mon Community in the Netherlands will celebrate the 58th Anniversary of Mon National Day on Sunday, February 27th, which will take place at the Nieuwgracht-32, 3512 LS, Utrecht from noon to 5 p.m. with traditional dance and food.  Those who want to attend, please contact Mr. Seik Htaw (Tel +31, 515543358) for more information on the program.

 

One of the biggest Mon national day celebrations is in North America organized by the Indiana based Monland Restoration Council, which will be held on Sunday, February 20, 2005 at South Side High School, Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA.  The committee member, Nai Lawee reported they put up several posters at the worksites and local stores attracting supporters and guests to join in the festivities and cultural event.  The Mon community of North Carolina and Ohio will also celebrate the events in their communities.

 

In Canada, the Mon Canadian Society in Calgary sent out invitation cards to friends and supporters around the city; the event is scheduled for February 26th, 2005 (Saturday) at Southview Community Association, 2020-33rd Street S.E in Calgary, Alberta.

                         

Mon National Day falls on the first waning day of Maigh, the ninth month in the Mon lunar calendar which honors the founding of the sovereign old Monland Hongsawatoi or Pegu.  The Mon has celebrated Mon National Day since 1947 and nowadays celebrations are held in many areas in Mon State and around the world.

 

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MON CULTURE VCD IN THE MARKET

(Kaowao, February 12, 2005)

 

The second series of “Heritage of Mon Culture” karaoke CDs is being distributed worldwide to the Mon community.

 

According to the producer of Mon CDs, the main concern for them is the illegal burning and downloading of the CD by many individuals who seek profit, which will prevent the production team from recouping their costs into making the CD which cost over 5 million Kyats to produce. 

 

Directed by Mehm Chan Mon (AMS) with six classical songs recorded by Mon Literature and Culture Association in Monland,   the second series was co-sponsored by various cultural organizations with a total investment of over 5 million Kyats (Burmese currency), 50 people had spent over three months into making it.

 

The CDs are on the way to the international Mon community; those who want to order can contact local Mon communities to encourage the Mon Culture Association in Mon State.

 

In North America, please contact MRC (USA) and Mon Canadian Society for original copies.  In Europe please contact Nai Bee Htaw Monzel (+ 45 32 888 333) and Nai Saimon Chittun of EU Mon Community (+ 358 50 468 2955) for further information.

 

The source from Mon State said the Mon Literature and Culture Association team is seeking assistance to prevent their VCDs from being illegally copied and the support from worldwide communities will be used for future literature and culture activities.

 

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BURMA’S LONGEST BRIDGE OPENS

(Kaowao, February 6, 2005)

 

An opening ceremony for the longest bridge in Burma was held yesterday morning in the capital of Mon State amid strict security measures.

 

Senior General Than Shwe, Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council, attended the opening ceremony to inaugurate the 3,223-meter-long Salween River Bridge in Moulmein

 

The residents told Kaowao that the SPDC issued an order that only Moulmein residents were allowed to sleep overnight in the capital, outsiders such as tourists and other people were restricted from entering for security reasons.

 

One resident said that the township authorities issued the order not to accept outsiders; no one was allowed to have guests overnight. The hotels were also ordered not to accept tourists for about one week since the last week of January.

 

“There are about 20 battalions under the Division 22 based in Pha-An, the capital of Karen State, who took charge of the security,” said Nai Ketu to Kaowao, a young Mon community leader from Mudon township.

 

“A battalion, as far as I know, such as LIB No. 209 took charge of the security last month.  The SPDC had planned to open the bridge at the end of December, but cancelled it after a bomb exploded in the capital of Karen state,” he added.  

 

The bridge, located between Mottama and Mawlamyine, about 160 kilometers southeast of Yangon, is built over Salween (Thanlwin) River.  The construction took nearly four and a half years to complete.

 

According to the Chairman of Mon National Democratic Front, Nai Tun Thein, in an article he published six years ago, the first longest bridge in Burmese history was built by a Mon General, Banyear Lagon Ein loyal to the Burmese King, Tabinshweti (1531-1551) as part of a military operation against Thailand over 400 years ago. The bridge was known as the boat-bridge or the boats-joining bridges used for transporting soldiers, elephants and horses while the Burmese King invaded Thailand passing through Mon State.  The article was written by Nai Tun Thein after he heard the news that the SPDC was planning to build their ‘longest bridge’.

 

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Human rights violation

 

GIRLS RAPED AND BOYFRIEND MURDERED

(Reported by Yin Sanaing, January 29, 2004)

 

Human right violations by the Burma Army continue in southern Monland with the tragedy of a young couple reported by eyewitnesses.

 

It was a day of joy and excitement for the Mon people because it was the full-moon day of Woh (October 28, 2004).  Traditionally, older people stay at the monasteries and Zob for meditation and religious precepts while the young people cook for them and visit each other during the special occasion of Buddhist Lent and the beginning of dry season.

 

While two girls, Ms. Mi Than Lay (17 years) and Ms. Mi Tu (19 years), were walking to the pagoda, troops from Infantry Battalion No. (61) pointed their guns and told them to walk ahead to the village’s cemetery instead. Nine soldiers were waiting at the cemetery and accused the girls of supporting Mon armed group led by Sok Gloin (long hair). The girls were threatened and gang raped by the soldiers.

 

When Mehm Kyu, (19 years) heard the soldiers were raping his girlfriend, he rushed to the cemetery to rescue her. When he approached the scene he was brutally shot dead by the soldiers in front of his girlfriend.

 

Even though villagers wanted to complain about the killing and rape, nobody in the village dared to report about the crime convicted by the Burma Army fearing torture or murder.

 

Ms. Mi Kun Chan who reported to Kaowao could not identify the name of soldiers who committed the crimes. She only knew they were the soldiers from Ye based Infantry Battalion No. (61).

 

In other case, Mi Hla Pwe, (35 years) was also gang raped by the soldiers from Light Infantry Battalion No. 343 in Tao-Tak village of southern Ye Township during Burma Army’s military offensive.

 

On November 9, while her husband was staying at the monastery, she was abducted by a soldier (named by villagers as Bo Maekhatoon) and taken to his camp about 8 p.m local time.  Bo Maekhatoon asked over and over whether she loved or wanted to get married to him. When she refused, he tied her hands and legs up with a rope and took off her dress. Mi Hla Pwe stood was held and raped for three days. When she was released she was sent to the clinic for medical treatment.

 

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Child soldiers on frontline

(Taramon, January 29, 2005)

 

Sangkhlaburi -- The State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) uses child soldier in frontline on the way to Karen state, an eyewitness told Kaowao recently.

 

“I saw five child soldiers among 25 soldiers on January 25 at Kyar-inn Seik-kyi Township while traveling to the border.  I think the boys were about 14 or 15 years old,” said U Ni Ni Maung.”  He saw them in a small military outpost near a Karen village along the motor road to Three Pagodas Pass- Thanbyu Zayat. He counted them while they were preparing to leave the base.  The outpost was burnt down by the KNU or Karen National Union troops 2 years ago because it was built too deep into their area.

 

Even though they were young, the child soldiers are carrying G-3 guns. “The boys looked like they could just carry their guns and not anything else,” he added.

 

The troops had recently transferred to the eastern border from Arakan State of western Burma.  Five trucks were used to carry food, ammunition, bags of supplies, and cooking material for the army.

 

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SPDC soldIer killed by KNU landmine

(Nai Aie Ta Mai: January 28, 2005)

 

Sangkhlaburi -- A Burma Army soldier was killed and two were wounded on January 24 when their truck run into a landmine along the Three Pagodas Pass-Thanbyu Zayat motor road, about 20 k south of the border town Three pagodas Pass.

 

The truck, carrying rations, drove on the land mine buried by KNU troop near a small village controlled by the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army about 3: 45 PM, a local man reported. The area is controlled by the DKBA and clashes have occasionally occurred between the SPDC and KNU.

 

It wasn’t clear how much the truck was damaged by the landmine and whether the truck is a military truck or owned by civilian being portered by the soldiers.

 

According to another source from the area, the KNU have asked some food supply from the local people for defensive purposes.

 

“The KNU soldiers ask for rice from local Mon villages when the SPDC launches its offensive in the area,” the source from the NMSP said. The local Mon civilians are not happy with the KNU for breaking their agreement not to ask support from the Mon villages. 

 

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TSUNAMI AND FORGOTTEN VICTIMS

(By Mr. Bee in Thailand)

 

I've been working in the South of Thailand helping the Tsunami victims--mostly giving food to Mon and Burmese. 

 

While on retreat, I got an e-mail from a Mon Burmese who is working in a hotel in Phangnga, a seaside area about 60 miles to the north of Phuket.  Phangnga, along with the neighboring fishing town of Baan Nam Khem, hardest hit by the Tsunami where thousands died.  (For a number of days after the Tsunami, I tried to call to Chan Mon to see if he survived, but the phone lines were all down.  The day I received his e-mail, I had despaired of his still being alive--since he hadn’t contacted me--and had prayed at mass for his soul. The internet had indicated that very little in the area was still intact.)

Chan Mon explained in his e-mail that he had survived, as had most of the guests in the hotel he manages, as they had managed to flee up the hill from the wave.  However, everything in his room was lost, including our e-mail address.  He finally found a Christmas e-mail from a Maryknoll volunteer teacher in New York and contacted him for my e-mail address.


The e-mail was disturbing to say the least it contradicted everything the Thai Government was saying about help being extended to everyone in need.  Chan Mon reported that thousand of Burmese had perished in the waves the actual number will never be known.  Those who survived were being harassed and deported by some of the police, even though they had legal documents to work in Thailand.  This had caused panic, and thousands of Burmese, Mon and Karen survivors, many of them sick, had fled into the hills and surrounding forest to hide.  They were without food or shelter.  He went on to say that he had gone in search of his Mon people and had managed to local nearly four hundred families of Burmese, Mon and Karen who were in hiding, and who badly needed food supplies.  He asked Maryknoll to help.


That same day the Thai newspapers began to break the news of the Burmese.  It was January 13th, and in an editorial commentary in the Bangkok Post, Sanitsuda Enachai, Assistant Editor wrote a column, “Do our prejudices know no bounds?”

 

To quote her: “As we Thais celebrate the massive outpouring of our own generosity for the tsunami victims particularly for the foreign tourists, the country has totally ignored the plight of poor migrant workers who, like us, lost family members and their source of income when the killer waves hit the Andaman coast.”


“Like us, their lives have been shattered.  But we do not recognize their deaths and their losses.  We do not give them relief aid.  Worse, we punish those who survived the disaster by deporting them to a precarious life back in Burma, which refuses to accept its own citizens.”

 

“What has become of us?”


“There were more than 120,000 registered manual labourers form Burma in the fisheries, construction, rubber and other industries in Ranong, Phangnga, Phuket, Krabi, Satun and Trang provinces.  The real number of migrant workers could be at least twice that figure.”


“Thousands of these people are believed to have perished when the tidal waves hit those provinces.  According to survivors accounts least 1,000 are missing in Phangnga alone.  (This is the area where Chan Mon is, and where we went to give relief.)”


“The survivors believe many of their loved ones are lying unattended at Wat Yanyao (temple which is being used as a morgue) among the unidentified. But they are too scared to go and check. And collect the bodies for fear of being arrested and deported.

 

”Right after the tsunami, an actor who served as a rescue volunteer told the media he suspect a group of looters he saw were migrant Burmese workers.  The mere suspicion awakened the deep prejudice against the Burmese.”


“To confirmed the suspicions, the police immediately arrested a group of migrant workers accused of looting. (Actually, according the Burmese and Mon, the migrants were searching to see if anything was left of their clothing or possessions. After all, they too had lost everything to the waves, and just as Thais went back to see if they could salvage anything they owned, so did the Burmese who lived and worked in the area.)  The media proclaimed the Burmese were out to hit us again in our time of tragedy.”


“Instead of sending the accused to court, as is their basic right, the migrants were immediately deported.  And then the authorities began rounding up all migrants workers with the excuse that the crackdown was necessary to prevent further crimes during the time of emergency.”

 

“Who cares if these people are registered workers legally entitled to the same assistance as all Thai workers?  Who cares if deporting them will aggravate their plight?  Who cares if they will face danger in Burma, which was also ravaged by the tsunami?”

 

“According to local NGOs, more than 1,000 migrant workers (actually, other sources say it eventually amounted of over 2,500 being deported) have been deported.  When Koh Song in Burma refused to accept them, the officials reportedly left them to their own devices on nearby islands.”


“To avoid deportation, many survivors have fled to the mountains where they are hungry, afraid and jobless.  Is that why some have turned to theft?


That same day, other stories began to break.  A World Vision Doctor and two nurses, who were helping badly traumatized Burmese victims of the Tsunami in the Phangnga area (where we went to work) find a way to go home, were detained and placed in a cage by local villagers, who objected that were the Burmese allowed to leave the area, they would be a shortage of cheap laborers.  Subsequently the police arrested the doctor and two nurses and charged them with working outside the area of with work permit they have visas and work permits to work in Thailand, but for another province.

 

BBC press write then wrote from Khao Lak (where we went to work) a report on “Thailand’s secret survivors” It was horrifying.   It spoke of one of the survivors, Nai Soe, and said he had been in hiding for the past two weeks with his wife, childe and 17 other Burmese migrant workers to avoid the regular sweeps by Thai immigration police along Kaho Lak beach.  With them are three orphans, age five, eleven and six whose parents have been missing since26 December.   They have received no medical aid, and their only food and clean water supplies are being provided by local volunteers.   Reports of how many are in hiding range from 3,000 to 30,000.


Here are some other quotes from articles.


“More that 120,000 Burmese workers are employed in the six southern provinces, working on fishing boats and rubber plantations. About 10,000 of them were directly affected by the disaster, said a social worker who monitors migrant workers in Thailand.


“An estimated 600 Burmese along working on fishing boasts in Ban Nam Khem vanished in the killer tsunami, Said Pranom Somwong of Action Network for Migrant.”


“Of the 3,700 still unidentified corpses, about 1,000 are believed to be Burmese, said Surapong Kongchantuk, from the Law Society.”  (Actually I hear figures closer to 2,000 dead Burmese, and up to 4,000 missing.)


“Immigration police had sent back 1,500 Burmese workers in the first two weeks following the tsunami, while about 500 Burmese were detained in Ranong pending deportation, Surapoing said.


“It is inhumane to send them back while they are suffering.  They should be given the basic necessities like other victims,” said Surapong, who is the Law Society’s vice chairman of the human rights sub-committee on ethnic migrants.” 


And from the Nation Newspaper:  “The Ministry of Labour should urgently intervene to help the thousands of migrant workers form Burma affected by the tsunami, the Asian Human Rights Commission has urged.”


The second distribution of food was to 409 families in 12 sites (over two days) and food was left to be given to another twenty or so families in the Baan Nam Khem area.


“The Hong Kong-based commission said in a statement on Thursday that the organization was “disturbed’ to hear that Thai authorities were forcibly deporting affected Burmese migrant workers in Phang Nga and Phuket under the pretext of “cutting down” on post-tsunami crime.”

 

“Both illegal workers and the legal workers who lost their legal documents due to the tsunami have been deliberately arrested and deported by Thai authorities without providing any compensation for their salary.  Due to these circumstances, the Burmese workers have gone into hiding in the hills without any provisions,” it said, adding the group in hiding could be about 3,000 strong.”


“The commission estimated that about 2,000 migrant workers have been deported in recent weeks while 2,300 died and 4,000 are missing in Thailand.”


“The AHRC also accused the Thai government of maintaining a double standard in relief efforts.  While Thai citizens and foreign tourists affected by the tsunami have received proper humanitarian aid, Burmese migrant workers are ‘totally isolated and have received no assistance “, it said.  (The Burmese are now being helped by a number of NGOs.)

 

“The commission added that it is “extremely concerned” about the situation and urged members of the public both inside Thailand and abroad to pressure the government to properly respond because non-government organizations are having a hard time accessing those in need.”

 

So those are some of the newspaper quotes.  I believe the government is now allowing help to the Burmese certainly we were not stopped from doing so.  It could be that the harassment was by local police without authorization or knowledge of the government.   I believe personally that Prime Minister Taksin would like to see all victims helped.

 

Having gotten the e-mail from Nai Sun, I made immediate contact. He said he was badly in need of help people were without food.  Mike Bassano and I went to Phuket and bought several thousand dollars worth of supplies.  We went up to Khao Lak, where Nai Sun and Nai Aung knew where many of the families were hiding.  He had a list of them.  We bought several thousand dollars of rice, oil and tinned fished, bagged it, and drove out into the hills and woods.  The night before Nai On had gone out to alert families that we would give out food at a set time in ten locations in the woods. We distributed rice, oil and tinned fish to 324 families in ten locations.  And we gave money for milk to women who were bottle-feeding babies. Some survivors were still sick from the Tsunami, and many, many had lost several members of their families.  We saw a little 3 year old boy with a horrible double hare lip much of the front of his face is missing.  He lost his sister and bother to the waves, but his mother and two other siblings survived.  We will try to get surgery for him.


Some survivors needed hospitalization, and we’ve sent them to hospital.  If they have no papers, they will be deported when they are well.

 
The other real hero is Nai Sun and Nai Aung they are the ones who, are great risk to themselves of being deported, and that risk remains, went out and scoured the hills to find their own people and get food and help to them.  It was hours upon hours of hard work, and facing tales of great loss and hardship, of fear and of trauma.  I can’t say enough in terms of my admiration for them.   We must be a little sensitive to protect their identities, as the relief is ongoing and they could be identified and deported.


We are just back from a second trip to Phang Nga in the South of Thailand to bring food relief to the Mon and Burmese--409 families at 12 sites, and we left over twenty bags of supplies to be given to more families in the Baan Nam Khen area.  We located 409 families in hiding at 12 sites after having contact with Nai Sun. 


Mr. Bee

Bangkok, Thailand

 

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Politics

 

DETAINED SHAN LEADERS’ FATE STILL IN LIMBO

(Reported by Hawkeye, S.H.A.N: February 11, 2005)


The fate of Shan party and ceasefire leaders taken into custody earlier this week is still obscure, according to sources from the border.


"It is still a mystery on whose order and why they were detained," said a member of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, the second largest party in Burma after Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy. "We are deeply concerned about their safety and well-being".


He was referring to the custody of Hkun Htoon Oo, the SNLD Chairman; Sai Nood, its General Secretary; Maj-Gen Hsoten, Chairman of the Shan State Peace Council (SSPC) and their colleagues between 7-9 February. Their detention took place while the country has been gearing up to resume the military-organized National Convention next Thursday, 17 February.


A ceasefire source in northern Shan State said two of the ceasefire officers, Maj Han Aung and Capt Oo Hseng, were released yesterday evening. However other sources expressed skepticism about it saying the two were still out of reach. "But we heard the Eastern Region Commander (Maj-Gen Khin Maung Myint) meeting Sao Hsoten yesterday before flying him off to Rangoon afterwards," said an SNLD source.


Meanwhile, Sai Nood's home that also serves as the Zalatni printing press in Rangoon's Mayangon township was ransacked by the police.


"They departed, apparently satisfied, after coming across copies of Hkun Htoon Oo's prepared speech in English and Burmese for the Union Day's dinner party," reported the source in eastern Shan State.


As for the Shan State Army "North", a ceasefire member of the SSPC, its earlier request to the National Convention Convening Commission to replace some of its delegates, including Col Gaifah, its former head of the delegation at the 17 May - 9 July session, has been turned down. "They said they wanted everyone who participated in the last round back at the Nyaunghnapin (where the Convention is to be held)", said the source.


Rangoon appears to be getting the jitters about activities and statements by the ethnic parties and armed groups, especially Shans, coming ahead of the Convention and wanted to avoid them, according to all the sources.

 

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Analysis /Inside Burma’s Junta

 

TOP GENERALS LOCKED IN POWER STRUGGLE

 

As much as the official organs try to cover it up, there appears a definite rift in Burma's leadership

 

(By Larry Jagan, Bangkok Post: February 14, 2005)

 

Burma's military leaders have been at pains in recent weeks to prove they are united and not in the midst of a power struggle.


Reports of murder and mayhem have fuelled rumours and speculation of coups and gun battles within the country's secretive military leadership. But over the last two weeks since the rumours erupted, the state-run media have been inundated with pictures of the top army commanders gathered together and apparently at ease with each other.


Burma's top general, Than Shwe, and Lieutenant-General Thein Sein, in charge of the National Convention drafting a new constitution, have dominated the press, although the number two general, Maung Aye, and the prime minister, Soe Win, have been far less visible.


``The situation in Rangoon is normal, if you ask me,'' the Burmese ambassador to Thailand, Myo Myint, told the Bangkok Post last week.


But the situation in Rangoon is far from normal. The intense power struggle which led to the purge of former prime minister Khin Nyunt four months ago is far from resolved. Now it is a struggle for power between the top two generals, General Than Shwe and General Maung Aye.


``It's a struggle for supremacy,'' according to one Asian diplomat based in Rangoon.


In recent months, Gen Than Shwe has been trying to sideline Gen Maung Aye. Several key Than Shwe supporters in the ruling military council, the State Peace and Development Council, or SPDC, have been reporting directly to the senior general and not passing papers and reports to Gen Maung Aye, the army commander-in-chief, according to diplomats in Rangoon. At the same time, Gen Maung Aye has been encroaching on the prime minister's turf and taken on many of his responsibilities, said a Burmese businessman.


At present, the real battle involves a series of planned major changes to the cabinet, the SPDC and the powerful regional commanders. ``Six ministers including the prime minister have already been told that they are to be replaced in the near future,'' according to a source in the Burmese government.


The expected changes are likely to mainly involve the economic ministries. Some of the existing ministers are currently under investigation for corruption, including the minister for post and telecommunications, Brigadier-General Thein Zaw. He is now under scrutiny because of a number of major contracts involving massive kickbacks. ``He has fallen foul of the top because he has broken the unwritten law prohibiting excessive corruption,'' according to one Burmese businessman.


One of the contracts under review is a proposed deal with the major Chinese mobile phone company, ZTE. Under this contract, the Chinese would provide a $150 million (5.78 billion baht) loan for the infrastructure to provide 300,000 phone lines. This is more than 10 times the real cost of the project, according to industry experts. In a ZTE contract for a million phone lines in another Southeast Asian country the cost was $30 million (1.16 billion baht).


``The delay in any official announcements about the changes probably means Than Shwe and Maung Aye cannot agree on who should get the key posts,'' said a senior Asian diplomat who has dealt with Burma for many years.


The struggle between the two also involves changes to the SPDC and the regional commanders. Many of the older generals are likely to be retired. Key Than Shwe supporters, the four chiefs of the Bureau of Special Operations _ Lieutenant-Generals Ye Myint, Aung Htwe, Khin Maung Than and Maung Bo _ are expected to be replaced, according to a former Asian military commander who knows the Burmese regime well.


``Maung Aye does not want to openly confront the senior general, but does want to reduce his power base,'' said a senior Southeast Asian diplomat who closely follows events in Rangoon. When the changes are agreed, many Asian diplomats believe the balance of power will have swung Gen Maung Aye's way, although not entirely.


Gen Maung Aye is also anxious to have his people take control of what he sees as the key regional commander posts: Rangoon and the southern, southwestern and southeastern commands. ``He will only feel safe if his supporters are in place in and around the capital,'' said a former Thai military intelligence officer.


But at the same time as the two top men struggle for control, a transfer of power is also taking place within the military, with the next generation of generals being given the reins. It is a slow and uncertain process that began with former prime minister Khin Nyunt's arrest and the dismantling of the former military intelligence branch.


Lieutenant-General Thura Shwe Mann, the chief of staff, has taken a pivotal role in the new emerging administrative and military structure. Previously he had been seen as something of a recluse. But in recent months, especially since General Khin Nyunt's fall from grace, Lt-Gen Thura Shwe Mann has taken an active role in political matters. When Gen Than Shwe went to India, Lt-Gen Thura Shwe Mann and the new prime minister, Lieutenant-General Soe Win, were left in control of the country.


It was Lt-Gen Thura Shwe Mann with Lt-Gen Soe Win who warned Burma's businessmen not to be involved in corruption. He also gave them two weeks to report any dealings they may have had with Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt. He was reportedly furious when no one owned up. Since then he has been meeting foreign diplomats in Rangoon, often in place of the new prime minister. ``He exudes extreme confidence,'' said an Asian diplomat who met him recently in Rangoon.



The key countries in the region which closely follow political developments in Burma _ China, India, Japan and Thailand _ are all convinced Lt-Gen Thura Shwe Mann is the man to watch. All these countries have been working hard since Gen Khin Nyunt's removal to establish a strong relationship with the army chief. ``He has clearly emerged as the new number three,'' said one diplomat in Rangoon.


The former Rangoon commander, Lieutenant-General Myint Swe, who has been appointed to form the new intelligence branch under the direct control of the army, has begun to emerge as fourth in the military hierarchy. He is known to be a Than Shwe supporter.


Everything now appears to be on hold until after the National Convention reconvenes this Thursday. Much may depend on how smoothly the proceedings run. The military leaders appear to be nervous. They have rounded up many of the ethnic leaders in the days before the Convention is to open.


Gen Than Shwe has now decided to draft the constitution as quickly as possible, according to sources in Rangoon. The plan is to put it to a referendum before the end of the year, and before the Asean leaders summit in Kuala Lumpur.


``Than Shwe knows that to avoid Asean pressure for political reform, Rangoon must offer some concession before the summit, otherwise Burma's presidency of the organization in 2006 is going to be even more contentious,'' said a senior European diplomat who has close ties to Rangoon.


The senior general may not yet have fully developed his strategy for Burma's political future, but if there is a referendum on the constitution later this year, Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the opposition National League for Democracy, may be released from house arrest shortly afterwards and elections held in 2006.


For that to happen, the power struggle within the military would have to finally be resolved and the transfer of power to the new military leaders completed.


In the meantime, the struggle for power and influence between the top two generals will only increase uncertainty and tension in Rangoon.

 

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/14Feb2005_news21.php

 

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