Thursday, 24 July 2008
Wednesday, 23 July 2008
HRW Urges Donors to Ensure Burma's Rulers Do Not Divert Cyclone Aid
Human Rights Watch is urging international donors to ensure that Burma's military rulers do not divert humanitarian aid intended for victims of Cyclone Nargis.
The U.S.-based rights group said Wednesday that aid efforts in Burma should be monitored by an independent body co-managed by donors and the United Nations. It says such a body would boost the transparency and accountability of the aid process.
The group says that since the cyclone struck in May, Burmese leaders have restricted travel by foreign aid workers and arrested some locals involved in relief efforts.
Human Rights Watch says international donors should pressure Burma to adhere to basic principles on the provision of aid.
World Health Organization official, Richard Garfield, who recently visited Burma has said that Burma's government is providing more help to cyclone victims than he previously thought.
Cyclone Nargis left almost 140,000 people dead or missing when it tore through Burma's Irrawaddy Delta region on May 3.
The United Nations and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations said Monday that Burma needs more than $1 billion in aid over the next three years to recover.
The U.S.-based rights group said Wednesday that aid efforts in Burma should be monitored by an independent body co-managed by donors and the United Nations. It says such a body would boost the transparency and accountability of the aid process.
The group says that since the cyclone struck in May, Burmese leaders have restricted travel by foreign aid workers and arrested some locals involved in relief efforts.
Human Rights Watch says international donors should pressure Burma to adhere to basic principles on the provision of aid.
World Health Organization official, Richard Garfield, who recently visited Burma has said that Burma's government is providing more help to cyclone victims than he previously thought.
Cyclone Nargis left almost 140,000 people dead or missing when it tore through Burma's Irrawaddy Delta region on May 3.
The United Nations and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations said Monday that Burma needs more than $1 billion in aid over the next three years to recover.
Thursday, 3 July 2008
Mandalay NLD member dies of heart attack
The National League for Democracy’s Mandalay division Organising Committee member U Aung Soe, 61, died of a heart attack on Tuesday morning.
U Aung Soe was a former political prisoner and used to provide security for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in her lakeside compound together with other NLD youth members.
U Myo Naing, another Organising Committee member told DVB that the death of U Aung Soe was not only a loss for the pro-democracy party but also for the democracy movement as a whole, and praised U Aung Soe’s loyalty to his party and bravery in carrying out his duties.
U Soe Naing had been constantly involved in politics since 1988. During the 1990 election in Burma, he led campaigns for his party in Mandalay.
In 1996, U Aung Soe was arrested and sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment for arranging a performance by the famous comedian Par Par Lay of the Moustache Brothers inside Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s compound. He was held in Myitkyinar prison in Kachin State from 1996 to 2001.
U Aung Soe was the driver for U Tin Oo, NLD’s vice chairperson, when Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s entourage was attacked by junta-backed militias in Depayin township, Sagaing Division, in May 2003. He was arrested again in the incident.
U Aung Soe was detained for nine months following his second arrest and continued working for the Mandalay Organising Committee after his release until he passed away.
U Aung Soe was a former political prisoner and used to provide security for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in her lakeside compound together with other NLD youth members.
U Myo Naing, another Organising Committee member told DVB that the death of U Aung Soe was not only a loss for the pro-democracy party but also for the democracy movement as a whole, and praised U Aung Soe’s loyalty to his party and bravery in carrying out his duties.
U Soe Naing had been constantly involved in politics since 1988. During the 1990 election in Burma, he led campaigns for his party in Mandalay.
In 1996, U Aung Soe was arrested and sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment for arranging a performance by the famous comedian Par Par Lay of the Moustache Brothers inside Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s compound. He was held in Myitkyinar prison in Kachin State from 1996 to 2001.
U Aung Soe was the driver for U Tin Oo, NLD’s vice chairperson, when Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s entourage was attacked by junta-backed militias in Depayin township, Sagaing Division, in May 2003. He was arrested again in the incident.
U Aung Soe was detained for nine months following his second arrest and continued working for the Mandalay Organising Committee after his release until he passed away.
Tuesday, 1 July 2008
Magazine editor fired over Depayin poem
Htay Aung, the poetry editor of the Rangoon-based Cherry monthly magazine, was fired for carrying a poem in the June issue which dissatisfied authorities.
Censors from the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division ordered Cherry to sack Htay Aung two weeks after the magazine was published.
“The censors were not pleased with one of the poems, so they wanted him out because he was responsible for Cherry’s poetry section,” an editor of the magazine told DVB.
Written by Kyi Maung Than, the poem that offended the authorities, ‘Depa Ringa’, is about the ancient town of Depayin in Sagaing Division where heroic warriors and figures in Burma’s history were born. It reveals that there were also traitors and the town experienced unforgettable incident in the past.
“The poem is about a town and what happened there, that’s all,” continued the editor.
“Well…as you know, readers can interpret the poem from whatever angle they want,” he said.
“The thing is that the problem came later, after it had been passed by the censors.”
Depayin was the scene of the 2003 attack on pro-democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and a convoy of her supporters by regime-backed militias.
DVB was told that the writer of the offending poem had not been pressured and the magazine could continue to publish. However, Cherry had to submit a request letter to the censors to form a new editorial board.
In January this year, authorities arrested poet Saw Wai for criticizing junta leader senior general Than Shwe as ‘power crazy’ in a hidden message in his poem entitled ‘February the Fourteenth’ that appeared in the magazine Love Journal.
Censors from the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division ordered Cherry to sack Htay Aung two weeks after the magazine was published.
“The censors were not pleased with one of the poems, so they wanted him out because he was responsible for Cherry’s poetry section,” an editor of the magazine told DVB.
Written by Kyi Maung Than, the poem that offended the authorities, ‘Depa Ringa’, is about the ancient town of Depayin in Sagaing Division where heroic warriors and figures in Burma’s history were born. It reveals that there were also traitors and the town experienced unforgettable incident in the past.
“The poem is about a town and what happened there, that’s all,” continued the editor.
“Well…as you know, readers can interpret the poem from whatever angle they want,” he said.
“The thing is that the problem came later, after it had been passed by the censors.”
Depayin was the scene of the 2003 attack on pro-democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and a convoy of her supporters by regime-backed militias.
DVB was told that the writer of the offending poem had not been pressured and the magazine could continue to publish. However, Cherry had to submit a request letter to the censors to form a new editorial board.
In January this year, authorities arrested poet Saw Wai for criticizing junta leader senior general Than Shwe as ‘power crazy’ in a hidden message in his poem entitled ‘February the Fourteenth’ that appeared in the magazine Love Journal.
Saturday, 28 June 2008
Kyauk Tan villagers forced to work for aid
Residents of Meepya village in Kyauk Tan township, Rangoon, have been forced to work on a reconstruction project in order to receive aid materials given by private donors.
The villagers were told they would not receive the supplies unless they contributed labour to rebuild a dam that was damaged in the cyclone.
About 500 households in Meepya village, which is located on an estuary, were damaged in the cyclone, leaving many people homeless.
The village received assistance from private donors, but village Peace and Development Council chairperson U Aye Kyaw Myint and other members of the council seized the items and forced villagers to work on the dam on 26 May in return for aid.
Villagers were angered by the demands, particularly as the PDC had already collected around 4.5 million kyat from local businesses and residents for the reconstruction of the dam but were not putting the funds to their designated use.
The villagers were told they would not receive the supplies unless they contributed labour to rebuild a dam that was damaged in the cyclone.
About 500 households in Meepya village, which is located on an estuary, were damaged in the cyclone, leaving many people homeless.
The village received assistance from private donors, but village Peace and Development Council chairperson U Aye Kyaw Myint and other members of the council seized the items and forced villagers to work on the dam on 26 May in return for aid.
Villagers were angered by the demands, particularly as the PDC had already collected around 4.5 million kyat from local businesses and residents for the reconstruction of the dam but were not putting the funds to their designated use.
Labourers forced to work on seized cyclone lands
Jun 24, 2008 (DVB)–Government authorities have forced unemployed people across Burma to work for low pay cultivating farmlands seized from cyclone victims in the Irrawaddy delta, according to locals.
A resident of Bogalay told DVB daily paid labourers from Mandalay had been brought to the township in military trucks in recent days by people wearing Union Solidarity and Development Association clothing to work on farmlands seized by the authorities after their owners were killed during the cyclone in May.
"Apparently the labourers were told they were to give assistance to farmers in devastated areas," said the Bogalay resident.
"The people are from Mandalay – the authorities demanded one person from each household in their neighbourhood."
He said government authorities had claimed ownership of farmlands left without owners after the cyclone but they have also been seizing land belonging to farmers who survived the cyclone.
"They were also seizing plots owned by farmers who are still alive, which are located in between the ownerless lands," he said.
He added that more labourers had been brought into the area from Rangoon's Hlaing Tharyar township with a promise of 10,000 kyat for a day's work, but they were only given 1000 kyat a day after starting work on the Bogalay farms.
"Between 400 and 500 labourers were seen this morning at the port area – they said they had to sign agreement letters with the authorities and they couldn’t leave until they finished all the work," he said.
"They want to go back to their homes now but they have no money to travel and they don't get proper meals either – some even had their ID cards taken away by the officials."
A resident of Hlaing Tharyar township said the local USDA had been persuading people in the township to go and work in the Irrawaddy delta.
"A female USDA member in ward 14 told people here the labourers would be paid 10,000 kyat a day for cleaning out shrimp breeding tanks in the Irrawaddy delta," the resident said.
"Of the first group of about 100 people who went to work there, 90 people have already come back here as they couldn't stand the rotting smell and the presence of the spirits of lost souls."
A resident of Bogalay told DVB daily paid labourers from Mandalay had been brought to the township in military trucks in recent days by people wearing Union Solidarity and Development Association clothing to work on farmlands seized by the authorities after their owners were killed during the cyclone in May.
"Apparently the labourers were told they were to give assistance to farmers in devastated areas," said the Bogalay resident.
"The people are from Mandalay – the authorities demanded one person from each household in their neighbourhood."
He said government authorities had claimed ownership of farmlands left without owners after the cyclone but they have also been seizing land belonging to farmers who survived the cyclone.
"They were also seizing plots owned by farmers who are still alive, which are located in between the ownerless lands," he said.
He added that more labourers had been brought into the area from Rangoon's Hlaing Tharyar township with a promise of 10,000 kyat for a day's work, but they were only given 1000 kyat a day after starting work on the Bogalay farms.
"Between 400 and 500 labourers were seen this morning at the port area – they said they had to sign agreement letters with the authorities and they couldn’t leave until they finished all the work," he said.
"They want to go back to their homes now but they have no money to travel and they don't get proper meals either – some even had their ID cards taken away by the officials."
A resident of Hlaing Tharyar township said the local USDA had been persuading people in the township to go and work in the Irrawaddy delta.
"A female USDA member in ward 14 told people here the labourers would be paid 10,000 kyat a day for cleaning out shrimp breeding tanks in the Irrawaddy delta," the resident said.
"Of the first group of about 100 people who went to work there, 90 people have already come back here as they couldn't stand the rotting smell and the presence of the spirits of lost souls."
Saturday, 21 June 2008
Statement of Senator Barack Obama on the 63rd Birthday of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Barack Obama today released the following statement on the 63rd birthday of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma:
"The 63rd birthday today of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma offers an opportunity to remind the world community of the continuing tragedy in her country and the responsibility we have to press for change there.
"This year marks the 20th anniversary of Burma's 1988 democracy movement and of Daw Suu's emergence as its inspirational leader. She has sacrificed family and ultimately her freedom to remain true to her people and the cause of liberty. And she has done so using the tools of nonviolent resistance in the great tradition of Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and Martin Luther King, earning the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize.
"Since her last birthday, the world has watched in horror as Burma's ruling junta first crushed the "Saffron Revolution," gunning down and rounding up Buddhist monks and other Burmese citizens peacefully demonstrating for political reform and social justice, and then, last month, resisted and impeded international provision of critical assistance to millions of Burma's people in the aftermath of cyclone Nargis. Tens of thousands died from the immediate impact of the cyclone itself, and at least 2.4 million people, 40 percent of them children, remain homeless and in desperate need of assistance.
"For decades, the junta has overseen the continued deterioration of living standards, basic human rights, and general well-being of the Burmese people. Two million refugees, thousands of political prisoners in Burma's jails, and the retreat of the junta's leaders themselves to an Orwellian capital cut off from its people are further testament to the alienation and devastation that Burma's current leaders have brought upon their nation.
"This situation offends the conscience of the American people, as it does for millions of others around the world. If the junta continues its failure to protect the dignity, health and well-being of the Burmese people, the international community must be prepared to work harder toward effective coordinated action, including but not limited to action through the United Nations Security Council.
"Aung San Suu Kyi will spend her birthday the way she has spent 13 of the past 19 birthdays, under house arrest. Nonetheless, she continues to serve as a consistent manifestation of hope even as hope has been on the retreat in Burma. As we honor Daw Suu today, we must do so the way she would want it done: by honoring the people of Burma, and keeping faith with them in their struggle for freedom, justice, and democracy."
"The 63rd birthday today of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma offers an opportunity to remind the world community of the continuing tragedy in her country and the responsibility we have to press for change there.
"This year marks the 20th anniversary of Burma's 1988 democracy movement and of Daw Suu's emergence as its inspirational leader. She has sacrificed family and ultimately her freedom to remain true to her people and the cause of liberty. And she has done so using the tools of nonviolent resistance in the great tradition of Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and Martin Luther King, earning the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize.
"Since her last birthday, the world has watched in horror as Burma's ruling junta first crushed the "Saffron Revolution," gunning down and rounding up Buddhist monks and other Burmese citizens peacefully demonstrating for political reform and social justice, and then, last month, resisted and impeded international provision of critical assistance to millions of Burma's people in the aftermath of cyclone Nargis. Tens of thousands died from the immediate impact of the cyclone itself, and at least 2.4 million people, 40 percent of them children, remain homeless and in desperate need of assistance.
"For decades, the junta has overseen the continued deterioration of living standards, basic human rights, and general well-being of the Burmese people. Two million refugees, thousands of political prisoners in Burma's jails, and the retreat of the junta's leaders themselves to an Orwellian capital cut off from its people are further testament to the alienation and devastation that Burma's current leaders have brought upon their nation.
"This situation offends the conscience of the American people, as it does for millions of others around the world. If the junta continues its failure to protect the dignity, health and well-being of the Burmese people, the international community must be prepared to work harder toward effective coordinated action, including but not limited to action through the United Nations Security Council.
"Aung San Suu Kyi will spend her birthday the way she has spent 13 of the past 19 birthdays, under house arrest. Nonetheless, she continues to serve as a consistent manifestation of hope even as hope has been on the retreat in Burma. As we honor Daw Suu today, we must do so the way she would want it done: by honoring the people of Burma, and keeping faith with them in their struggle for freedom, justice, and democracy."
Brown, Sarkozy Call for Immediate Release of Suu Kyi
Britain and France demanded Thursday that Burma's regime release pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, as she marked her 63rd birthday under house arrest.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy said that her release is essential.
Suu Kyi has spent more than 12 of the last 18 years under detention, since her party swept national elections in 1990. Military rulers refused to honor the results.
"You have sacrificed your freedom for the freedom of others. You have shown exceptional courage and dedication to your people. Your release from house arrest and your freedom to participate in Burma's political future remain essential," the leaders said in a joint letter to Suu Kyi.
Brown and Sarkozy met in Paris on Thursday, before a European Union summit in Brussels, Belgium.
In their letter, Brown and Sarkozy also deplored Burma's response to the May 2-3 Cyclone, Nargis, which Burma's ruling junta says killed more than 78,000 people and left another 56,000 people missing.
The men said it was regrettable that Burmese people "already deprived of basic human freedoms and economic opportunities, have fallen victim to such a major natural disaster."
Their letter rebuked the military regime in Burma for failing to take up sufficient offers of aid.
Sarkozy and Brown criticized the junta's decision to hold a referendum on a new constitution in the aftermath of the cyclone.
The constitution, which gives the military broad powers, was overwhelmingly approved in the national referendum held on May 10, about a week after the cyclone.
"We believe the recent referendum lacks credibility as a genuine reflection of the people's will and the new constitution cannot provide a sound basis for Burma's future political development," the European leaders said.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy said that her release is essential.
Suu Kyi has spent more than 12 of the last 18 years under detention, since her party swept national elections in 1990. Military rulers refused to honor the results.
"You have sacrificed your freedom for the freedom of others. You have shown exceptional courage and dedication to your people. Your release from house arrest and your freedom to participate in Burma's political future remain essential," the leaders said in a joint letter to Suu Kyi.
Brown and Sarkozy met in Paris on Thursday, before a European Union summit in Brussels, Belgium.
In their letter, Brown and Sarkozy also deplored Burma's response to the May 2-3 Cyclone, Nargis, which Burma's ruling junta says killed more than 78,000 people and left another 56,000 people missing.
The men said it was regrettable that Burmese people "already deprived of basic human freedoms and economic opportunities, have fallen victim to such a major natural disaster."
Their letter rebuked the military regime in Burma for failing to take up sufficient offers of aid.
Sarkozy and Brown criticized the junta's decision to hold a referendum on a new constitution in the aftermath of the cyclone.
The constitution, which gives the military broad powers, was overwhelmingly approved in the national referendum held on May 10, about a week after the cyclone.
"We believe the recent referendum lacks credibility as a genuine reflection of the people's will and the new constitution cannot provide a sound basis for Burma's future political development," the European leaders said.
Tuesday, 17 June 2008
Diesel fuel needed to restart farming
A senior United Nations official has said that Burma needs one million gallons of diesel fuel to restart rice production in the cyclone-affected Irrawaddy delta.
Noeleen Heyzer, executive secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, called on the international community to donate one million gallons of diesel fuel that the regime says is needed to operate mechanical tillers donated by other countries.
“The window of opportunity is very short, and the need is of the utmost urgency,” Heyzer said.
“The planting season in the Delta is June to July after which it will be too late, with disastrous consequences for food security in Myanmar and the region.”
U Min Swe, the 1990 elected people's parliament representative in Phyar Pon township, said local farmers are suffering shortages of diesel fuel and farming vehicles.
"So far I haven't heard anything about the solution from the government about fuel – but a number of tractors have arrived into the region," said Min Swe.
"But we are hearing complaints about the authorities asking from 200,000 to 500,000 kyat from the farmers for each tractor."
"They are only providing one tractor for every 10 farmers – this is not going to work."
A private donor who recently went to the Irrawaddy delta said farmers from Sein Yati, Htaw Pai, Thabyay Chaung and Taung Yar Chaung villages some distance from Bogalay were facing difficulties restarting production after losing all their equipment and cattle in the cyclone.
"Farmers in Seint Kyun, Kat Tha Yaung and Kat Tha Myin villages have also appealed for donations of farming equipment as well as crop seeds," the donor said.
"They were asking sympathetic people to donate rice grain, but that is now priced at 700,000 kyat for 100 tin which is a lot for donors to afford."
Noeleen Heyzer, executive secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, called on the international community to donate one million gallons of diesel fuel that the regime says is needed to operate mechanical tillers donated by other countries.
“The window of opportunity is very short, and the need is of the utmost urgency,” Heyzer said.
“The planting season in the Delta is June to July after which it will be too late, with disastrous consequences for food security in Myanmar and the region.”
U Min Swe, the 1990 elected people's parliament representative in Phyar Pon township, said local farmers are suffering shortages of diesel fuel and farming vehicles.
"So far I haven't heard anything about the solution from the government about fuel – but a number of tractors have arrived into the region," said Min Swe.
"But we are hearing complaints about the authorities asking from 200,000 to 500,000 kyat from the farmers for each tractor."
"They are only providing one tractor for every 10 farmers – this is not going to work."
A private donor who recently went to the Irrawaddy delta said farmers from Sein Yati, Htaw Pai, Thabyay Chaung and Taung Yar Chaung villages some distance from Bogalay were facing difficulties restarting production after losing all their equipment and cattle in the cyclone.
"Farmers in Seint Kyun, Kat Tha Yaung and Kat Tha Myin villages have also appealed for donations of farming equipment as well as crop seeds," the donor said.
"They were asking sympathetic people to donate rice grain, but that is now priced at 700,000 kyat for 100 tin which is a lot for donors to afford."
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