Summary
of Radio News on Burma 2007
Summary
of Radio News on Burma
(3/5/2007)
Burmese
PM returns from Singapore
(BBC,VOA)
Burmese
PM General Soe Win has returned home Thursday after two months of
medical treatment at a hospital in Singapore.
Gen. Soe Win, who is reported to be suffering from leukaemia, was taken straight to a military hospital in Rangoon. His current condition is not known although Burmese authorities have said that he is in good health.
Junta leader Sr. Gen. Than Shwe and his deputy Vice Sr. Gen. Mg Aye were seen welcoming Gen. Soe Win. There were reports that Vice Sr. Gen. Mg Aye had to cancel a meeting of the Trade Council, which he is heading, to welcome back Gen. Soe Win.
It is not known whether Gen Soe Win will be able to resume official duties
NLD
members call for UN probe of ASSK's detention
(BBC,VOA)
Burma's main opposition NLD has
called for a UN inquiry into the detention of ASSK.
More
than 30 members of the NLD made the request in a letter addressed to
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and U.S. Ambassador to the UN Zalmay
Khalilzad.
The letter calls for ASSK's release and asks the UN to investigate the Depeyin attack four years ago when members of NLD were attacked by junta-backed mobs in central Burma.
Improvements
for Burmese refugees
(BBC,VOA)
UNHCR said there have been
improvements on general conditions of Burmese refugees in Thailand.
The U.N. Assistant High
Commissioner for Refugees asked Thailand government to allow the
140,000 refugees from Burma living in border camps to work in the
country.
A member of the Karen Refugees Committee agreed with UNHCR's remark on improving camp conditions. He also said many more refugees could resettle in third countries.
Mizzima
News named 'Free Media Pioneer 2007'
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
The International Press Institute
(IPI) has honoured the Burmese Mizzima News Agency with its 2007 Free
Media Pioneer award.
The press institute issued a statement saying Mizzima has continued to provide accurate and timely news and information on Burma despite attempts by Burma's military government to limit media activities.
Mizzima News was founded in 1998 by a group of Burmese journalists in exile with the aim to promote awareness about the ongoing situation in Burma and to promote democracy and freedom of expression in the country.
CSW
says aid worker executed in Burma
(VOA)
Christian Solidarity Worldwide says
Burmese army has executed a humanitarian worker who was providing
assistance in Burma's Karenni State.
The CSW says Saw Lee Reh Kyaw was captured by Burmese forces on April 8th, tortured and interrogated before being shot dead on April 10th.
The
aid worker was a member of the humanitarian group Free Burma Rangers.
Christian Solidarity
Worldwide says the tragic and brutal death of Saw Lee Reh Kyaw
illustrates the brutality of the Burmese regime.
Summary
of Radio News on Burma
(4/5/2007~6/5/2007)
Heavy
rains, floods kill 5 in Rangoon
(RFA,
BBC,VOA)
Burma's state-run
newspapers reported Sunday that floods caused by heavy rains have
killed five people in Rangoon.
A
tropical storm that began late Thursday has brought the heaviest
rainfall in 39 years in Rangoon, said meteorological department
officials. Floods have submerged hundreds of houses, knocked down
walls and toppled trees, the newspapers said.
The newspapers said four members of one family suffocated Saturday after inhaling fumes from a fire caused by a short circuit due to flooding in their home in western Rangoon. A woman also in the same township was electrocuted after stepping on a live power cable brought down by the storm.
Residents of Rangoon blamed the flooding on the city's poor drainage system.
China
to help Burma build hydroelectric power plants
(VOA)
Burma's state-run newspapers
reported that 7 hydroelectric power plants will be built by the China
Power Investment Corporation in northern Burma's Kachin state along
the Burma-China border.
The newspapers said the hydroelectric
plants are expected to generate more than 13,000 megawatts of
power.
It said the seven plants will generate more power than
Burma's biggest hydro power project, a joint venture between the
Burmese government and a Thai energy firm on the Salween River.
Thailand's Thai MDX Group has invested six billion dollars in the
joint project. There were no cost figures for the Chinese project.
India
begins restoring historic highway to Burma and China
(VOA)
India
is rebuilding the historic Stilwell highway that would connect
India's northeastern state of Assam with Kunming, the capital of
southwest China's Yunnan province. A major portion of the road, more
than 1,000 kilometers, lies in Burma.
ASSK
in good health: Doctors
(RFA,VOA)
Officials in Burma say ASSK is in
good health after her doctor and an eye specialist visited her for a
routine check-up.
The two doctors visited her on Thursday, and
said she was in good condition.
Meanwhile,
Malaysian Foreign Minister Sunday made a call for her release.
Singapore
PM urged US not to let Burma issue harms relations with the region
(RFA,VOA)
Speaking
in Washington Thursday, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
urged the U.S. not to let ASEAN's relationships with Burma harm U.S.
relations with the regional grouping. He said the United States has a
broader, strategic interest with the ASEAN and Washington should not
allow its complaints with Burma to affect efforts to actively engage
with ASEAN countries.
Summary
of Radio News on Burma
(2/5/2007)
Attacked
human rights activists charged in Burma
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
Human rights activists, who were
attacked by junta-backed mobs during a human rights awareness
campaign at a village in Burma delta division on 18th April, were
charged with inciting public unrest and causing defamation to the
State.
The
Hinthada Township court denied bail on activist Ko Myint Naing and
five other villagers.
Ko
Myint Naing counter-charges against the local authorities for
involvement in causing bodily harm to the human rights activists, but
the court did not hear the case.
Participants
of May Day event at American centre arrested
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
Burmese
authorities arrested 29 people after they joined the May Day event
Tuesday at the American Centre in Rangoon. One of the organisers of
the event was taken away while he was on his way to the American
Centre. 20 were released Wednesday after they were interrogated about
the activities at the Centre. 9 people are still remaining in
detention, said sources in Rangoon.
A
new military offensive in Karen State displaced 18 villages
(BBC)
A
new military offensive starting last week by the Burmese army against
KNU Brigade 5 has displaced about 4000 villagers from 18 villages in
Papun Township in Karen State.
Reports say that Burmese army troops attacked and burned villages in the area.
Fund
raising event in Sydney for Burmese refugees
(BBC,VOA)
A fund raising event organised by
the UNHCR office in Australia was held Wednesday in Sydney in
Australia. The event raised Australian dollars 200,000 and the funds
will be used for helping Burmese refugees along Burma borders with
Thailand, Bangladesh and India.
Summary
of Radio News on Burma
(30/4/2007~1/5/2007)
May
Day ceremonies held in Burma
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
May Day ceremonies were held in two
towns in Burma despite the ban on public gatherings. About 200 people
attended a gathering in Chauk Town in central Burma. Speakers at the
gathering urged participants to fight for labour rights in the
country. Similarly, a ceremony was held in a village in Kyauk
Gyi Township lower Burma's Pegu Division. About 300 villagers
attended the ceremony, where participants protested against forced
labour practice in the country.
An NLD spokesperson said workers in Burma lack labours rights and they are subjected to exploitation.
NLD
to launch a new campaign for the release of ASSK
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
NLD
members including human rights activist Ma Su Su Nway have launched a
one-month campaign beginning 1st May, praying and
demanding for the release of ASSK and all other political prisoners
in the country.
A group of campaigners wearing T-shirts with the portrait of ASSK were seen visiting Sule Pagoda in downtown Rangoon on Tuesday.
NLD
appeals for vice chairman release
(RFA,BBC)
The NLD has sent an appeal to the
cabinet to free party's deputy chairman U Tin Oo, who has been under
detention since May 30, 2003. U Tin Oo and party general
secretary ASSK were detained since their convoy was attacked by
junta-backed thugs near Depayin in upper Burma.
Lawyer U Nyan Win of the NLD said the law under which U Tin Oo has been detained provides for the chance to appeal. But he said the military junta has neglected previous appeals. U Nyan Win said the military junta has no respect for the laws in the country.
Burma,
Bangladesh agree for a first road link
(RFA,BBC)
Burma and Bangladesh signed
an agreement on a direct road link between the two countries in an
effort to boost tourism and trade.
The proposed road will stretch from Taungbro to Kyauktaw in Burma via Gundhum to Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh, and will be constructed in two phases at an estimated cost of 141.37 million US dollars.
The road would be further extended to link Bangladesh with China and Thailand.
Press
freedom declines around the world: Freedom House
(RFA,BBC)
Press freedom around
the world deteriorated last year due to coups, attempts to stifle
political opposition and regulate the use of the Internet, said a
report by the Freedom House.
The watch group said there were particularly troubling trends in Asia, which had two of the world's most restrictive governments, North Korea and Burma.
Villagers
attack Chinese Oil Company in Arakan State
(BBC)
Some 40 Arakanese local villagers
attacked an oil-drilling site run by Chinese company CNOOC in Kyauk
Pru Township in western Burma's Arakan State, on 28 April. According
to local reports, the villagers were unhappy with the confiscation of
their land by the Burmese authority without compensation. Local
police detained 5 villagers for the attack.
Summary
of Radio News on Burma
(26/4/2007)
Burma,
North Korea renew diplomatic ties
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
Burma and North Korea have restored
diplomatic ties during an official visit to Burma this week by North
Korea's deputy foreign minister, Kim Yong-il.
Burma's deputy foreign minister, Kyaw Thu, told reporters the agreement to restore diplomatic links was reached Thursday.
Ties between the two countries had severed 24 years ago when North Korea agents staged a bomb attack in Rangoon during a visit by the former South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan. The bombing killed more than 20 people, including four South Korean ministers.
China
welcomes the agreement saying it marked an improvement in relations
between Burma and North Korea.
A
spokesperson of South Korea government said Thursday that South Korea
respects Burma's decision to restore diplomatic ties with North
Korea.
Observers
say that Burma's military is willing to purchase weapons and possibly
nuclear technology from North Korea.
Burma's
military, which faces economic and political sanctions from the West
over its human rights abuses, has sought to widen diplomatic ties
elsewhere, including Iran.
Pinheiro
condemns attack on human rights activists in Burma
(BBC)
The UN special envoy on human rights
in Burma, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro expresses his concern on human rights
situation in Burma.
Pinheiro said the assault on the two human
rights activist had been brutal.
He
said the attack highlighted the level of violence in Burma and the
lack of intervention by police to protect the victims.
Injured
human rights activist summoned by court
(BBC)
Ko Myint Naing, a member of the
human rights activist group HRDP network, who was injured in the
attack last week in a village in Hinthada Township in Burma delta
division has been summoned to the township court to face trials on
charges of inciting public unrest.
Meanwhile, more than 40 organisations from the Asia and Pacific region have made an appeal calling on the United Nations for the protection of the human rights defenders in Burma.
New
highway between Burma and China border opens
(BBC)
A new highway road linking southwest
China Yunan Province and northern Burma Kachin State has been opened.
Construction works on the 50-mile road started last year, with over
US$ 33 millions financial assistance from China. The highway road
links Kachin State capital Myitkyina and Waing Maw border town on
China-Burma border. The road will also connect to the Lido highway
road in Myitkyina.
Summary
of Radio News on Burma
(25/4/2007)
North
Korean deputy foreign minister in Burma
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
North Korean deputy FM Kim Yong-il
arrived in Burma on Wednesday.
Mr.
Kim is scheduled to hold talks with Burmese deputy FM U Kyaw Thu to
finalise arrangements to restore links between the two countries,
diplomatic sources said.
U Htay Aung, a researcher with the Thailand-based Network for Democracy and Development, said both countries are drawn together due to sanctions imposed on them by the West.
UN
says report by Karen rights group inaccurate
(VOA)
The United Nations has criticised
the Karen Human Rights Group for inaccurate points in a recent report
about aid programs in Burma.
The
U.N. says many of the points made in the report are either incorrect
or outdated.
The report by
the Karen Human Rights Group Tuesday accuses international aid donors
of overlooking rights abuses in the country.
US,
UN condemn attack on Burmese rights activists
(VOA)
The United States and the United
Nations are condemning a recent attack on human rights activists in
Burma.
The activists were
trying to raise human rights awareness when they were attacked by
mobs on April 18th in a village in delta division.
The U.S. State Department Wednesday called the attack deeply disturbing. It said the attack is part of a pattern by the Burmese government to intimidate and silence those who peacefully express their opinion.
Two top U.N. human rights officials, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro and Hina Jilani, said in a statement that the attacks highlight the local police's inability to protect victims. They called on Burma's government to take all necessary steps to protect human rights defenders.
Report
on the plight of Burmese migrants in India
(BBC)
Exiled Human Rights Education
Institute of Burma and Women Rights groups compiled and released a
report named "Surviving on the Unwelcoming Hills", which
highlighted difficult situations Burmese migrants are facing in
north-eastern Mizoram state of India
The director of HREIB, Ko Aung Myo Min told the BBC Burmese that about 40,000 migrants from Burma are being discriminated by the locals as well as the employers in Mizoram.
Burma
ministry of home affairs to conduct security training courses
(BBC)
Sources
from Burma say local ward and village authorities are ordered to
recruit trainees among the local residents for the two-week security
courses to be conducted by special branch officers from the ministry
of home affairs. Each ward or village has to recruit 3 trainees out
of the residents and the first training course will begin on 2nd
May. The courses will be conducted nation-wide.
Lone
protestor arrested in Rangoon
(VOA)
Veteran protestor U Ohn Than, who
staged a lone protest Wednesday in front of the busy Thein Gyi Market
in down town Rangoon was arrested by security personnel. U Ohn Than
was protesting against economic hardships and demanded for democracy
in the country.
U Ohn Than was detained a couple of times in the past for staging protests in Rangoon, including one in front of the UNDP office.
Summary
of Radio News on Burma
(24/4/2007)
Commodity
prices increase 60% in Burma
(BBC)
Commodity prices in Burma have risen
sharply, a report in the local "Weekly Eleven" news journal
said.
The report, based on a
household expenditure survey carried out by the weekly journal, said
that prices of staple foods have risen by more than sixty per cent
over the past year.
The
US government has estimated that the rate of inflation in Burma in
2006 was over twenty per cent.
According
to the consumers in Burma, commodity prices have risen up sharply
within April.
Consumers'
price hike in the month of April is approximately thirty percent and
it is mainly due to the lack of production and supply of goods during
the long New Year holidays, said a retired Rector of the Rangoon
Institute of Economics.
Burmese
army quartermaster general in India
(BBC,VOA)
Burma armed forces' Quartermaster
General Lt. Gen. Tin Aung Myint Oo arrives in India on Monday. The
trip of Tin Aung Myint Oo, who is in charge of the supplies of
Burma's armed forces, is to negotiate arms purchases from India.
Reports say that Burma is trying to purchase assault rifles, pistols
and ammunitions from India.
Cambodian
Deputy PM in Burma
(BBC,VOA)
Burma's state-rum media reported
that Cambodia Deputy PM Hor Namhong is visiting Burma. The reports
said Hor Namhong had talks with Burmese FM Nyan Win on Monday in
Naypyidaw.
The Cambodian government has not called for Burma to reform, but a group of lawmakers formed a special caucus last year to call for Burma's military government to move faster towards democracy.
More
fighting in Karen State
(BBC)
More fighting between ethnic armed
rebels group KNU and combined forces of Burmese army and DKBA troops
have broken out in the areas of KNU Brigade 6 near Thai-Burma border.
Karen
group warned about rights abuses in Burma
(BBC,VOA)
A report issued Tuesday by exiled
Karen Human Rights Group says rights abuses are increasing as
foreign-aided infrastructure projects go forward in Karen State.
The report says the building of dams, roads, agricultural schemes, military plantations, education and health projects involves the displacement of people and the use of forced labour.
The KHRG accuses Burma's military of manipulating development programs to expand military control of villages in western Karen State.
The group says foreign donors need to be aware of what is involved in projects run by Burma's ruling military.
Human
rights group condemns attacks in Burma
(VOA)
The New York-based Human Rights
Watch has called on Burma's military government to investigate and
prosecute attacks against political and human rights activists.
In a statement released Tuesday, the group criticised the latest attacks on rights groups in Burma.
Summary
of Radio News on Burma
(23/4/2007)
EU
extends sanctions against Burma
(BBC,VOA)
The European Union has extended its
sanctions against Burma for another year, saying that Burma has made
no progress on improving human rights.
EU
foreign ministers announced the extension in a statement Monday in
Luxembourg.
The sanctions
include a ban on travel to Europe for top government officials and EU
companies or organisations are not allowed to invest in Burma.
EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg also called on the Burmese military authorities to end their military campaign against civilians and free ASSK from house arrest.
Malaysian
FM says ASEAN committed to democracy in Burma
(BBC,VOA)
Malaysia's foreign minister Syed
Hamid Albar says the ASEAN will not stop trying to bring democracy to
Burma.
Malaysia's state-run
Bernama news agency quotes Syed Hamid Albar Monday as saying it will
take time to convince Burma's military government to implement
democratic reforms.
Syed Hamid said Burma's government has expressed a commitment to democracy, but says it wants to fully prepare for the change to ensure political stability and national security.
He acknowledged that Malaysia's previous efforts to lobby Burma to free ASSK had been unsuccessful, but he said Malaysia is committed to Burma's political reform.
Human
Rights groups condemn attacks on Burmese activists
(BBC,VOA)
Human
rights groups have condemned the last week's attack on Burmese
activists in a village in Burma's delta division and called on the
Burmese military government to investigate.
The U.S. Campaign for Burma filed a complaint Monday with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights about the attack.
The 88-Generation Students Group said in a statement Monday that the attack proves there is no security guarantee for the citizens of Burma.
Burmese state media said residents of the village drove out what it called "destructive elements" who were trying to incite public unrest.
Two human rights activists were seriously injured in the attack.
Rangoon
protestors to be charged
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
China's Xinhua Newsagency said the 8
protestors detained Sunday in Rangoon will be charged for inciting
public unrest. A group of activists staged a rare protest in Rangoon
Sunday morning, demanding for better living condition in the country.
A report Monday in Burma state-run newspapers hinted the military government's intention to crack down on activists operating in the country.
The report said the move to restrict activists is aims at fulfilling the wishes of the majority of the public to live in peace.
The government's report said people unwilling to face instability in the country arrested the protestors Sunday but witnesses said it were plainclothes policemen and members of the pro-junta USDA who made the arrests.
The
government's news report said 88-generation students were also waging
timely campaign with the Sunday protestors.
Ko
Mya Aye, one of the 88-generation students group leaders denied the
accusation, but said they agree with the protestors against
socio-economic problems.
The government's report praised the actions taken by the USDA and other government-backed groups against the human rights activists and the protestors as "preventive measures for ensuring peace and tranquillity".
Summary
of Radio News on Burma
(21/4/2007~22/4/2007)
Demonstrators
arrested in Rangoon
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
Burmese police have detained eight
people at a rare demonstration in Rangoon demanding for improved
living conditions.
About 10
people had gathered in front of a busy market in northeastern Rangoon
Sunday morning, holding placards and chanting slogans for cheaper
commodity prices and better electricity supplies. The protest ended
peacefully within an hour but plainclothes policemen took away the
protestors.
Witnesses
say about 300 onlookers cheered and chanting slogans together with
the demonstrators.
Most of
the people detained Sunday had joined a similar rare protest in
Rangoon in February.
Amnesty
condemns attacks on Burmese human rights activists
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
Amnesty
international says it is concerned about reports of an attack on
Burmese human rights activists.
Burmese
exiled media reported that two activists, members of the Human Rights
Defenders and Promoters organisation, were beaten by dozens of people
as they left a village in Burma's delta division on Wednesday.
Amnesty
said Friday that the two activists had been conducting activities to
raise awareness about human rights.
Amnesty
called on Burmese authorities to investigate the attack and bring
those who carried it out to justice.
North
Korea, Burma to resume ties
(VOA)
Diplomats in Rangoon say a North
Korean official will soon be in Burma to sign an agreement resuming
official ties between the two nations.
The diplomats say North Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Yong Il will travel to Burma next week for the signing the agreement.
Burma
lifts ban on selling chicken in some bird flu affected areas
(BBC,VOA)
Burma
state-run newspapers reported Sunday that restriction has been lifted
on selling chicken in 5 townships in Rangoon that were affected by
bird flu outbreaks. The reports said restriction was lifted after
three weeks passed without any new cases of the bird flu virus.
Shop
owners protested against increased municipal tax
(RFA,BBC)
Shop owners of Central Myo Ma Market
in lower Burma Nyaung Lay Bin Township has raised their objection to
the increased municipal tax. Municipal taxes are raised three folds
the former rates across the country, prompting objections from shop
owners and businesses in some towns and cities.
Heavy
fighting looming in Karen State
(BBC)
Heavy fighting looms ahead in
the areas controlled by KNU's 7th Brigade in Karen State. Burmese
army troops and cease-fire DKBA troops are reportedly beefing up
troops in the area
Summary
of Radio News on Burma
(19/4/2007)
Burmese
army preparing for a major offensive against KNU
(BBC)
Reports from Thai-Burma border say
that Burmese army is preparing for a major military offensive against
the ethnic rebels group Karen National Union (KNU).
Recently, hundreds of local villagers from Karen State have been rounded up to work as military porters and sent to the Burmese army units along the Thai Burma border.
Eyewitnesses said a convoy of 20 trucks carrying ammunitions and food supplies was seen driving towards Burmese army bases near the border. Observers say that the Burmese army is preparing for a major attack on KNU's Regiment 202, commanded by Saw Ner Kaw, a son of the late KNU leader Bo Mya.
Commander of Burma's military southeast command Brigadier General Thet Naing Win visited the army units operating near the KNU areas Thursday morning. The Burmese army's tactical commander of the area also inspected troops on Wednesday.
Earlier this month, Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) and Burmese army troops overran five military camps belonged to the KNU.
The KNU military leaders are closely watching the development in the area and preparing for retaliation to a major offensive from the Burmese army.
Six
die during Burma's water festival
(VOA)
Local media in Rangoon reported that
six people died during the water festival. The reports said among the
fatalities, three victims drowned, one died in a road accident and
two others died during a fight among revellers.
Burmese authorities warned revellers to not wear indecent clothing and to not say anything that could harm national unity, during the water festival.
More than 300 persons died during a similar water festival in neighbouring Thailand.
Injured
human rights activists transferred to Rangoon hospital
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
The
two injured human rights activists have been moved from the township
they were attacked to the General Hospital in Rangoon.
Members of the HRDP activists group say the attack was prepared in advance and carried out by the junta-back USDA members, and local authorities were also involved in the attack. They said local police officers were seen watching nearby during the attack.
An executive of the junta-back USDA told the BBC Burmese that the activists were provoking the local people and it was the local people who attacked them.
North
Korean delegation to visit Burma
(BBC)
A North Korean delegation will visit
Burma next week. The North Korean delegation might discuss with
Burmese military leaders on resuming diplomatic tie, which have been
halted more than two decades ago.
Illegal
teak logs seized in Kachin State
(BBC)
The special branch police and
members of Military Affairs Security (MAS) have seized six truckloads
of illegal teak logs in northern Burma Kachin State. The teak logs,
formerly seized during a recent military operation in the area, were
allegedly stolen from the forests and transported to towns by the
army officials who are close to the northern military command, an
observer on China-Burma border said.
Summary
of Radio News on Burma
(18/4/2007)
New
Delhi reopens Mizzima News Agency
(RFA,VOA)
Indian authorities have reopened the
New Delhi headquarters of the Mizzima news agency run by exiled
Burmese journalists it had closed earlier in the week.
Municipal authorities of New Delhi reopened the office of the news agency Wednesday after meeting with agency representatives. Mizzima staff members had held a peaceful demonstration outside of the municipal office to protest the closing.
According to a report on Mizzima's web site, editors were told the raid was part of a crackdown against commercial activities in residential areas.
New
Delhi officials had conducted similar closures throughout the city.
Mizzima News Agency has
produced independent news and commentary on Burma since 1998. It
covers Burma's military government, human rights situation and
India's policy toward Burma.
Burma's
ailing prime minister to retire soon
(VOA)
The Irrawaddy magazine published by
Burmese journalists based in Thailand has reported that Burma's PM
General Soe Win may retire soon. He is reportedly suffering from
leukemia.
The prime minister is known for his role in the bloody crackdown on democracy protesters in Rangoon in 1988 and also believed of being the mastermind behind the Depeyin attack on the motorcade of ASSK in 2003.
An unnamed government source says the prime minister's most likely successor will be Lieutenant-General Thein Sein, who is secretary of the SPDC.
Human
rights activists attacked in Burma delta
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
A group of Rangoon based human
rights activists led by human rights lawyer U Myint Aye was attacked
Wednesday afternoon by thugs near a village in Hinthada Township in
Burma's delta region. The activists were returning from a village
after conducting a program on human rights education. A crowd,
reportedly members of junta-backed USDA, waited and attacked the
activists near the village entrance. Two human rights activists were
injured and are being treated at the township hospital. U Myint Aye
said they have filed a complaint with the local police station.
88-Generation
students group leader Min Ko Naing said the attack was deliberate and
aimed at silencing the opposition.
Fighting continue in Karen State
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
Fighting
between armed ethnic rebels group Karen National Union (KNU) and
cease-fire Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) have subsided near
Thai-Burma border areas but fighting between KNU troops and Burmese
army forces have intensified in inner areas of Karen State in
southeast Burma. Local villagers fleeing the fighting to Thai-Burma
border areas said that they daily saw wounded Burmese soldiers
transported to hospitals in Pa-An and Kawkareik towns in Karen State.
Thai authorities have tightened security at the refugee camps along the border amidst reports that DKBA troops will attack the refugee camps.
Asia-Pacific
economies expected to grow
(BBC)
The developing economies in the
Asia-Pacific region is expected to grow at 7.4 percent in 2007, says
UNESCAP in its annual review of economic and social development.
Rangoon-based economist U Khin Mg Nyo says Burma's economy is also expected to be stable at a double-digit growth rate due to an increase in trade and investment from neighbouring countries.
Summary
of Radio News on Burma
(17/4/2007)
Britain's
Finance Minister praises ASSK
(VOA)
Britain's Finance Minister, Gordon
Brown, has praised ASSK by calling her a true hero of our times.
In
an extract from his new book, "Courage: Eight Portraits,"
published in the Guardian newspaper Monday, Mr. Brown says ASSK's
struggle since her arrest in 1989 is the absolute expression of
selflessness.
Mr. Brown writes that ASSK represents the power of
the powerless -- a woman, a prisoner of conscience up against a state
with one of the worst human rights records in the world.
India
shuts down exiled Burmese news agency
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
Indian authorities in New Delhi have
shut down the headquarters of Mizzima News Agency, an independent
news agency run by exiled Burmese journalists.
Policemen and
municipal officials ordered the news agency closed after sealing off
its office where computers and other equipment are kept.
According
to a report on the news agency's website, editors were told the raid
was part of an overall crackdown against commercial activities in
residential areas.
Mizzima News Agency has produced independent
news and commentary on Burma since 1998. It also covers the human
rights situation in Burma, the military government and Indian policy
towards the country.
China shuts down border casinos
(BBC,VOA)
Chinese
officials say they are shutting down more than one-hundred casinos
along China's borders since 2005.
Chinese
officials said they were concerned that the gambling operations were
being used for money laundering activities.
Gambling
is illegal in China but many Chinese travel across the border to
Vietnam, Burma or Russia to gamble.
Beijing
University has estimated that more than one-hundred-billion dollars
was bet illegally or overseas last year.
Karen
people flee fighting and forced portering in Burma's Karen State
(BBC)
Hundreds
of ethnic Karen villagers have fled to Thai-Burma border and to
inland Burma to escape the fighting between armed Karen National
Union (KNU) rebels and cease-fire Democratic Karen Buddhist Army
(DKBA). KNU has accused the Burmese military of instigating and
orchestrating the fighting between the Karen armed groups, which
started since the first week of April.
Villagers said they were forced by DKBA troops and Burmese army to work as military porters in the major offensive against the KNU, which has claimed 4 KNU base camps in the recent week. DKBA denies the allegation, saying that villagers were only asked to participate in regional development works.
Chin
people from Burma arrested in southern Thailand
(BBC)
A group of ethnic Chin people from
Burma was arrested in southern Thailand. The Chin travellers, 14 men,
6 women and 2 children, were travelling without travel documents.
They told Thai police that they were travelling to Malaysia to find
jobs, because they were facing economic hardships back home.
Summary
of Radio News on Burma
(4/4/2007)
UN
human rights experts say Burma discriminating against Muslim
minorities
(BBC,VOA)
A group of UN human rights experts
urge Burma's government to stop discriminations against Muslim
minorities in the western part of the country.
The experts said in a statement issued Monday that the Rohingyas minorities are not able to exercise their civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.
They called on the government to repeal a 1982 law that denies citizenship to the Rohingyas. The UN experts say the law has led to various discriminatory practices including restricted access to medical care, food and housing.
As a consequence, they say, thousands of Rohingyas have fled to neighbouring countries, creating a complex humanitarian situation in the region.
The
statement was signed by six UN experts, including the special envoy
for human rights in Burma.
Meanwhile,
there are reports that Thai marine police on Tuesday detained two
boats carrying more than 150 Rohingya men from Burma off the western
coast of South Thailand. Recently, increasing number of Rohingya boat
people from Burma are arrested in Thailand and Malaysia. Thailand
says, since the end of 2006, they have spotted and arrested more than
1200 Rohingya boat people in southern Thai waters.
Burma
reopens border gate
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
Burmese authorities Wednesday
reopens the Myawaddy-Maesod border gate, which was shut down since
28th March. Burma closed down the border gate in
retaliation for Thailand's decision the previous week to close down
the checkpoint following the kidnapping of two Thai border patrol
policemen by the ethnic cease-fire Democratic Karen Buddhist Army
(DKBA).
Officials in Thailand say the closure of the checkpoint means losses of up to US$ 1.2 million in border trade each day.
Singapore
invites Burmese junta leader for an official visit
(VOA)
Singapore has invited Burma's
military junta leader Senior General Than Shwe for an official visit
to Singapore.
According to a
Singapore Foreign Ministry statement Wednesday, visiting Singapore's
Foreign Minister George Yeo extended the official invitation during a
meeting with Lt. Gen. Thein Sein, the secretary of the Burmese
military junta. George Yeo is on a three-day visit to Burma.
The statement said the two discussed bilateral ties and exchanged views on forging closer economic exchanges, particularly in the area of trade and investment.
The statement says Thein Sein proposed that Burma could become a long-term supplier to Singapore of construction materials. He also encouraged Singaporean companies to invest in Burma.
Burmese
activist freed after nearly a month in detention
(VOA)
Burmese activists say pro-democracy
activist Thwin Lin Aung was released Monday after nearly a month in
detention on suspicion of joining a US sponsored political training
programme in Washington. Thwin Lin Aung was arrested on March 5th as
he prepared to leave Rangoon airport.
Thwin
Lin Aung said he was questioned about the activities of the American
Center in Rangoon.
Thwin Lin
Aung is a former political prisoner who spent more than six years in
prison for his involvement in a protest in 1996.
Ethnic
Shan environmental group protests against Tasang Dam in Shan State
(BBC)
Shan
Sapawa Environmental Organisation urges the Thai company MDX, to pull
out from the construction of the Tasang Dam on Salween River in
eastern Burma Shan State.
A spokesman of the group told the BBC Burmese that around 60,000 villagers from areas adjoining the dam site and the projected flood zone are forced to be relocated in the past years.
The project will not only hurt the livelihood of the villagers but also damage the environment of the river, said the spokesman.
Thailand's MDX company has been preparing for the construction of the Tasang dam since 1989.
Residents
of Chauk to protest against tax hikes
(RFA,VOA)
Residents of Chauk Town in central
Burma are planning to send protest letters to the municipal
authorities concerning tax hikes in the town. Residents say municipal
authorities have significantly raised taxes and the town's people are
being affected.
Summary
of Radio News on Burma
(30/3/2007~1/4/2007)
NLD
accused of taking orders from US and UK
(BBC)
Burma's government-run New Light of
Myanmar Newspaper wrote Sunday that Burma's main opposition NLD is
depending too much on western powers and the party taking
instructions from the US and UK embassies in Rangoon. The newspaper
said that there were 29 contacts in March alone between NLD and the
two embassies and the party is receiving instructions through letters
and parcels sent by the embassies.
NLD spokesman U Myint Thein denied the government's accusations and said that NLD was only receiving information and publications from the embassies through regular letters and parcels. He said NLD is a legitimate political party and is having contacts with the western embassies according to international relations and protocol.
Ethnic
Shan democracy party calls for leaders' release
(RFA,BBC)
The ethnic Shan National
League for Democracy is making calls for the release of their leaders
including U Hkun Htun Oo, Sai Nyunt Lwin and other party leaders. A
special appeal for them to the high court was rejected earlier last
week.
U Hkun Htun Oo and party leaders were arrested more than two years ago and they were given long prison sentences for charges including treason. The SNLD won majority of votes after NLD in the 1990 election.
Burma
jails two officials over forced labour
(VOA)
The state-run New Light of Myanmar,
reported Saturday that two men were sentenced late last month over
forced labour practice. The men were jailed just days after Burma
signed an agreement with the ILO.
According to the agreement,
ordinary Burmese people can report incidents of forced labour to the
ILO office in Rangoon. The agreement allows the ILO liaison officer
in Rangoon to make a preliminary investigation into allegations and
guarantees that the government will not retaliate against those
making complaints.
In another case, the government news report
said five Forest Department personnel were dismissed from their jobs
for forcing villagers to cut down trees.
The report did not
mention any ILO involvement.
Mekong
youth forum on human trafficking
(BBC)
Young
people aged 13 to 19 from Cambodia, China, Laos, Burma, Vietnam and
Thailand took part in the Mekong Youth Forum held in Bangkok
The
forum discussed the risks of human trafficking affecting children and
young people in the South East Asia region.
Reports
say that children from Burma, as young as ten years old, are sold to
traffickers by their parents in some cases.
One
of the social welfare groups from Maesod, Social Action for Women
(SAW),
is helping those children fleeing from Burma due to
poverty, and some are rescued from human trafficking.
Ethnic
Kachin groups staged protests over rape case
(BBC)
Exiled ethnic Kachin groups held
protests in front of the Burmese embassies in Tokyo, London,
Washington and Denmark, demanding justice for the rape victims in
Putao in northern Burma Kachin State. Four Kachin schoolgirls aged
between 14 and 16 were gang raped by Burmese army soldiers in
February. The schoolgirls were later arrested and jailed after exiled
independent Burmese media reported the case.
Burma's
Navy Chief visits India
(BBC)
Burma's Navy Chief Vice Admiral Soe
Thein is visiting India. Soe Thein is leading a Burmese navy
delegation, which will discuss the two countries naval co-operation.
Summary
of Radio News on Burma
(29/3/2007)
Leaked
report revealed low morale in Burma's Army
(BBC)
"Burma army battalions are
poorly managed, lacking resources and are plagued by desertion",
according to a report in the latest issue of Jane's Defence Weekly
citing a leaked top secret document on the meeting minutes of the
Burmese military junta's quarterly meeting held in September 2006 at
Nay Pyi Daw.
The
report, it is said, details the problems face by the armed forces of
the country.
"Battalion
commanders are chastised for drinking excessively and for being
fixated on profit making and womanising," the report said.
The leaked document revealed that military regiments in the country are undermanned. There are 284 regiments with less than 200 soldiers and there are 220 regiments, which have between 200 and 300 soldiers. A fully structured military regiment has 750 soldiers.
There are 13,700 Burmese soldiers found to have HIV/AIDS virus and thousands of soldiers are affected with Hepatitis B virus.
Despite all the problems, the leaders of the country have ordered to recruit 7000 soldiers per month out of 7 million youth aged between 18 and 25 in the country. The report said Burmese military leaders are determined to expand the armed forces to reach 500,000 soldiers in the next few years.
Burmese army is also accused of conscripting child soldiers forcibly, to which authorities have denied.
Thai
officials voice concern about closure of Burmese border checkpoints
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
Officials
in Thailand are voicing their concern about the closure of a major
border checkpoint between the two countries.
Burma shut its Myawaddy-Maesod border crossing on Wednesday. Officials in Thailand say the closure of the checkpoint could mean losses of up to US$ 1.2 million in border trade each day.
Residents from Myawaddy border town in Burma and Maesod in Thailand said businesses are being greatly affected by the border closure.
The move of Burma appears to be in retaliation for Thailand's decision last week to close down one of its checkpoints following the kidnapping last week of two Thai border patrol policemen by the cease-fire Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA).
The DKBA has close links to Burma's military regime.
Woman
farmer released from prison
(RFA,VOA)
Daw Khin Win, a Burmese woman farmer
who was sentenced earlier this year to 1-year imprisonment for
allegedly lodging false complaints against local authorities, was
released Thursday after serving 3 months in prison.
Daw Khin Win said she will continue to lodge complaints against the malpractice of local authorities and will seek legal action against those whom responsible for her false imprisonment.
Summary
of Radio News on Burma
(28/3/2007)
ILO
defers Burma International Court challenge
(BBC,VOA)
The International Labour
Organisation will defer a plan to take Burma to the International
Court of Justice over forced labour, following a deal reached last
month between the ILO and the Burmese military junta that gives
victims means of redress.
The junta has promised victims freedom
to submit complaints directly to the ILO officer in Rangoon, without
retaliation from authorities.
The ILO said it would assess whether
the scheme was workable before it decided whether to proceed with the
legal challenge.
The Burmese junta has sentenced to six months imprisonment two ward authorities in Aung Lan Township in central Burma for forced labour practice, as a first case after the agreement with ILO.
Pinheiro
calls for release of journalist U Win Tin
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
The UN special envoy on human rights
in Burma Tuesday appealed to the Burmese military government to
release the well-known journalist and poet U Win Tin, who has been in
jail for nearly 18 years. Mr.Pinheiro also called for the release of
all other political prisoners.
Prof. Paulo Sergio Pinheiro said the processes of national reconciliation and democratic transition could be facilitated by the release of all political prisoners.
U Win Tin, earlier this month spent his 77th birthday in prison.
Activists
accuse Burma of mounting a state of Terror
(VOA)
Human Rights activists from Burma
are appealing to the UN Human Rights Council and the international
community to maintain pressure on the Burmese military rulers to end
repression on the country's ethnic Karen minority.
The Burmese activists accuse the Burmese military of waging a campaign of terror against people in Karen State in eastern Burma. The activists submit a study titled 'The State of Terror', prepared by the Karen Women's Organisation, which documented about 4,000 cases of human right abuse in nearly 200 villages.
90% of all documented human rights violations in the report are forced relocations and forced labouring or military portering. There are also abuses such as rape, beating, denial of food, water and shelter and denial of the right to legal redress. The author says increasing numbers of Karen are fleeing across the border into Thailand to escape the brutal treatment and many more people have become internally displaced.
U Win Naing, who represents the exiled government NCGUB, says a strong voice is needed from the United Nations to protect the people in Burma.
U Win Naing urges the UN Human Rights Council not to do away with the special rapporteurs that investigate human rights violations in countries around the world.
U Win Naing says his group supports international sanctions against the military government.
Bangladesh
mistreats Burmese refugees: HRW
(VOA)
The Human Rights Watch has released
a new report alleging that Muslim ethnic refugees from Burma are
being mistreated in Bangladesh.
The report says there are about 250,000 Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh, and that many of them are mistreated by Bangladeshi authorities who want them out of their country.
More than 250,000 Rohingya from western Burma were forced into Bangladesh by the Burmese military in 1992 during a brutal ethnic cleansing campaign.
Iran
invites Burmese FM to visit Tehran
(VOA)
Iran's Foreign Minister has invited
Burmese FM to visit Tehran and expressed his hope that the two sides
can boost co-operation.
Iranian state media said that during a meeting with Burma's deputy foreign minister U Kyaw Thu Wednesday, the Iran FM expressed Tehran's desire to strengthen economic co-operations between the two countries.
Iran state media said the Burmese official echoed the interest in strengthening ties, and also noted Burma's desire to open an embassy in Tehran.
Burma
closes border gates with Thailand
(BBC)
Large quantities of goods were left
stranded along the Burmese border after Burma closed its checkpoints
along the border with Thailand, in retaliation for Thailand's earlier
closure of two border checkpoints. Burma's closure of its Three
Pagodas and Myawaddy checkpoints obstructed trade along the border.
Thai
and Burmese traders were told by Burmese troops that the checkpoints
would be closed indefinitely.
The
move followed Thailand's closure over the weekend of the Three
Pagodas Pass checkpoint and the Singkhon border pass, in protest
against the abductions of two Thai border patrol policemen by
cease-fire ethnic DKBA.
Thailand
reopened the border passes after the officers were released on
Monday.
There are reports
that the Burmese military is unhappy that Thailand negotiated for the
release of its police officers directly with the DKBA, not through
the Burmese military authorities. Sources on the border said Burma is
demanding apology from Thailand for the direct dealing with the DKBA.
Three
Chinese anti-drugs police shot dead on Myanmar border
(BBC,VOA)
Three
Chinese police officers died and three were injured in a shootout
with suspected drug traffickers on the border with Burma, Chinese
state media said Wednesday.
The officers were mounting a surveillance operation when they were attacked Sunday in the border county of Yijiang in the south-western province of Yunnan.
The
three injured officers were in stable condition.
Yunnan
police were hunting for the suspected drug traffickers, who escaped
across the border after the gunfight.
Summary
of Radio News on Burma
(26/3/2007)
Burma
making progress toward democracy: Military junta
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
Burma's
information minister Brigadier General Kyaw Hsan says the country is
making progress toward democracy.
The
minister made the remarks in the new capital Naypyitaw Monday at the
first news conference opens to foreign journalists.
Kyaw Hsan said the remaining parts of the constitution will be adopted at the next national convention which is expected to be held in May or in the later part of this year.
The
constitutional convention was established as the first stage of a
7-steps roadmap.
It is
intended to help establish power-sharing agreements between a future
elected government and the ruling military.
Kyaw
Hsan rejected accusations that the military is responsible for human
rights abuses in the country. He also denied accusations that
authorities mistreated prisoners.
The information minister told journalists that the military junta had no plans to release ASSK from house arrest. He said it depends on ASSK to be released and ASSK should change her mindset against the military government.
He also hinted that the pro-junta USDA (Union Solidarity and Development Association) could participate in elections in the future if that was what the people wanted.
Kyaw Hsan confirmed during the news conference that the Prime Minister General Soe Win is receiving treatment in Singapore. He said the prime minister's condition was good.
Around 50 foreign journalists have been allowed to enter the country to cover celebrations marking Armed Forces' Day on Tuesday.
At the Monday news conference, Burma's police chief Police Brigadier General Khin Yi accused the International Committee of the Red Cross of blackmail, saying the organisation is favouring the country's political prisoners. Khin Yi said the ICRC only visited those prisoners who had harmed national stability and that it refused to be accompanied by Burmese officials.
He
suggested the ICRC decision to close two field offices in the country
as a result of the prison visit ban amounts to blackmail.
Earlier
this month, the Red Cross said its humanitarian work in Burma was at
near-paralysis because of obstruction by the military
government.
Burma trade
surplus reached 1.4 billion dollars in 2006
(RFA)
Burma gained a trade surplus of 1.4
billion dollars in 2006, on total exports worth 3.5 billion dollars,
a senior economic official told the press conference Monday.
Myint
Myint Soe, director-general of Burma's ministry of national planning
and economic development, said total exports amounted to over 3.5
billion dollars and imports over 2 billion as of the end of 2006. She
said the country gained a surplus of more than 1.4 billion in balance
of trade and 1.9 billion dollars in the current-account
balance.
Burma's main export item is natural gas, being exported
to neighbouring Thailand.
The economic official told journalists
that Burma's inflation rate was 10.7 per cent in 2006, up
considerably from 3.8 per cent in 2005.
She said total foreign
investments at the end of 2006 amounted to 14.2 billion dollars, with
409 foreign companies from 29 different countries operating in the
country.
Demonstration in front of NLD headquarters
(BBC)
Authorities
informed Burma's main opposition NLD that some people will stage
protest Tuesday against NLD at it headquarters where the party will
hold a ceremony to mark the 62nd anniversary of Revolution Day.
Karen
rebels release Thai border policemen
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
Authorities in Thailand said
two border policemen have been released four days after they were
kidnapped and taken to Burma by the cease-fire ethnic rebels group
Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA).
Demonstrations
in 15 countries against Shwe Gas project in Burma
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
Protests
against Korea's Daewoo International, for allegedly selling military
equipment to Burma in exchange for energy contracts, took place in 15
countries around the world Monday. Indian government was also
targeted for allegedly selling guns and tanks to the Burmese regime
to secure energy supplies.
Protests were held across the world
including in France, England, the Netherlands, Germany, Thailand,
South Korea, Japan and Malaysia.
In
Bangkok, activists staged protest at the Korean embassy demanding
that both Daewoo and India withdraw from deals worth up to 17 billion
dollars in taxes and fees to the ruling military regime.
Daewoo
International, along with three other Korean and Indian corporations,
are stakeholders in the Shwe Natural Gas Project, an offshore field
that may hold up 10 trillion cubic feet of gas.
Fourteen
Daewoo executives, including Daewoo President Lee Tae-yong, were
indicted in South Korea in December for illegally selling military
equipment to Burma.
Daewoo told the court earlier that it had no
criminal intention in selling the equipment to Burma, and had
ultimately acted in the interests of Korea. The case was adjourned
until April 12.
The protestors against the project said
construction of gas pipelines would also cause human rights abuses,
because the Burmese military habitually use forced labour, uproot
local communities and confiscate land.
UNHCR
welcomes the release of Burmese babies from Malaysia prisons
(VOA)
The
UNHCR says it has welcomed Malaysia's decision to release six Burmese
babies arrested with their relatives and held for weeks for not
having valid travel documents.
The agency said in a statement Monday the babies, all between the ages of four and six weeks, were released along with their mothers into UN custody last Thursday.
The UNHCR thanked authorities in Kuala Lumpur for releasing the babies and their parents from detention, calling it a humanitarian act. In total, 25 people were released.
Summary
of Radio News on Burma
(27/3/2007)
Burma
held Armed Forces Day
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
Burma held its annual Armed
Forces Day military parade in the country's new capital, Nay Pyi Daw
on Tuesday. The ruling military puts on a grandiose show of military
might and defiance at the parade. Foreign reporters were invited to
attend the annual event for the first time.
Burma's military junta leader Senior General Than Shwe made an address to the 15,000 soldiers on the parade ground. In the nationally televised address, Than Shwe accused "powerful countries" of trying to undermine national unity in the country. He also accused the powerful countries of trying to weaken the armed forces and the civil services. Than Shwe said one of the most important priorities for the country is maintaining sovereignty. He also said the country is making progress toward democracy.
Although Than Shwe reportedly is suffering from ill health, the 74 year old general stood about one and a half hour after he stood up out of the sunroof of his stretch Mercedes as he inspected troops under the hot morning sun.
Many
Burmese watchers believe that this will be his final Armed Forces Day
before he steps down.
According
to one analyst, Larry Jagan, the faces in the military may change but
the policies will not; the iron grip of the military will remain. He
said personnel changes in the military are not going to change the
fundamental nature of the Burmese military rule
NLD
held Resistance Day ceremony
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
Burma main opposition NLD held the
annual Resistance Day ceremony Tuesday at the party's headquarters in
Rangoon. About 500 opposition supporters, including veteran
politicians, 88-generation student leaders and foreign diplomats
attended the ceremony.
The NLD party issued a statement on the occasion, urging the military government to convene parliament with elected representatives, to release political prisoners and to solve economic hardships of the people.
The 88-generation students also issued a statement on the occasion, saying that it was not only the military that fought and expelled the invading fascists 62 years ago, but also that students and politicians were involved in the revolution. The 88-generation students urge the military to co-operate with the opposition forces to solve the country's problems.
ADB
report says Burma's economy still facing challenges
(VOA)
A report released on Tuesday
by Asian Development Bank (ADB) said Burma continues to face
significant economic challenges despite lucrative natural gas
exports.
The report said high prices for natural gas exports and a good harvest led to a modest pickup in economic activity. But macroeconomic stability remains elusive with monetized fiscal deficits feeding high inflation.
The report also stressed that inefficiencies in public expenditure management as well as capital spending associated with a shift of the new capital to Naypyidaw have attributed to poor economic performance. The ADB said Burma needs economic reforms.
ILO
Governing Gody to discuss Burma issue Wednesday
(BBC,VOA)
The ILO liaison officer in Burma, Mr
Richard Horsey, said the ILO Governing Body will discuss Burma's
forced labour issue on Wednesday at a meeting of the Governing Body.
KNPP
camp under attack
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
A strategic camp of the armed ethnic
rebels group Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) in eastern
Burma Karenni State was attacked by the Burmese army with heavy
artillery shelling on Monday and Tuesday evenings. KNPP spokesman
Ramond Khoo said Burmese troops fired altogether 6 heavy artillery
shells on the KNPP camp on Thai-Burma border and there was no
casualty. He said the shelling might have started after soldiers from
both sides were involved in cross-camp exchanges of verbal insults.
India's
Mizzoram State stops poultry imports from Burma
(RFA,VOA)
India's northeastern state of
Missoram has stopped poultry imports from Burma amidst reports of
bird flu outbreaks in Burma.
Burma Tuesday confirmed 5 cases of bird flu outbreaks in the capital Rangoon since the end of February.
Summary
of Radio News on Burma
(22/3/2007)
Lone
protester arrested in Rangoon
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
Police have detained an activist who
staged a solo protest in Rangoon Thursday calling for freedom of
religion.
Htin Kyaw was
arrested in front of a busy market in Rangoon, while shouting slogans
calling for religious freedom in the country.
Friends
of Htin Kyaw say he was unhappy that officials prevented him from
becoming a monk at a local monastery.
Htin
Kyaw has been arrested a few times since last month. He was first
arrested in late February after leading a demonstration in downtown
Rangoon calling for political freedom and better living conditions.
He was arrested two more times after holding a news conference that
focused on similar issues.
Thai
troops on alert along Burmese border
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
News reports from Thailand said Thai
troops at Burmese border are put on alert after an unknown armed
group from Burma stormed a Thai army post on Wednesday. One Thai
soldier was killed in the clash in northern Thailand Mae Hong Son
province.
A spokesman for the ethnic armed Karenni Nationals Progressive Party (KNPP), which operates in the area, said it was Burmese army troops that attacked the Thai army post. He said some Burmese army troops must have mistakenly attacked the Thai army post, since Burmese military columns are currently clearing Karenni rebels in the area.
A spokesman of the Thai military said the attack might have been a mistake of identity since there is no problem between the Burmese and Thai military forces.
Karenni
rebels holding peace talks with Burmese military
(BBC)
Ethnic Karanni armed rebels group
Karenni Nationals Progessive Pary (KNPP) is meeting with Burmese
military authorities for peace talks, sources from eastern Burma
Kayah State said.
UN
warned over future availability of water
(BBC)
The United Nations has marked
World Water Day Thursday with a warning that, on every continent,
supplies of water are coming under pressure.
By
2025, the UN says, two-thirds of people on the planet could be living
with water shortages.
A
researcher in Burma, Dr. Nyo Maung, told the BBC Burmese that future
availability of clean water in Burma depends on conservation of
forests and control of pollution in Burma's rivers
Summary
of Radio News on Burma
(21/3/2007)
Burmese
PM in Singapore hospital with serious health problem
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
Reports say Burmese Prime Minister
Soe Win is taking treatment in Singapore General Hospital for an
unspecified health problem.
An unnamed Burmese embassy official in Singapore Wednesday said General Soe Win arrived in Singapore several weeks ago and his health condition is somewhat serious.
Some news sources reported last week that General Soe Win may be suffering from leukaemia.
FAO
wants tougher bird flu controls in Burma
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
The UN's FAO reported a new outbreak
of bird flu in Burma on Wednesday and called for more stringent
measures to control the spread of the virus.
About 1,600 chickens
contracted the virus and died during the weekend at a farm in
Nyaunghnapin, about 25 miles north of Rangoon, said Tang Zang Ping,
the representative for the FAO.
Authorities slaughtered more than
20,000 birds as a precautionary measure, he said.
Mr. Tan said
there should be stricter controls on the movement of poultry and
poultry products.
Burmese authorities warned in a statement that
despite preparedness and designating restricted zones and controlled
zones, there can be more bird flu outbreaks in the country.
Karen
villagers return to KNLA-controlled area
(RFA,VOA)
Armed ethnic Karen National Union
(KNU) says about 30 villagers who went together with a splinter group
of Karen Nationals Liberation Army's Brigade 7 led by Brig. Gen. Htin
Maung, which recently entered into a peace deal with the Burmese
military, have returned to KNLA-controlled area on Thai Burma border.
The villagers say they were forced to work in road construction works
and they did not receive proper assistance that were initially
promised to them. The KNU says they will welcome those deserters who
would like to return to the KNU.
Authorities
arrested two activists for distributing UN human rights leaflets
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
Burmese
authorities on Tuesday arrested two activists in central Burma Pegu
Division for allegedly distributing the text of the UN's Universal
Declaration of Human Rights.
Local police Tuesday arrested Kyaw Kyaw Oo and Kyaw Swe, staff members of the Human Rights Defenders and Promoters in Prome, while distributing pamphlets of the UDHR. The two were interrogated and were released on Wednesday. They were warned that their actions violate press and publishing laws and they could face prison terms.
Summary
of Radio News on Burma
(20/3/2007)
Burmese
PM in Singapore hospital
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
Burma's Prime Minister General Soe
Win is in a Singapore hospital with an unspecified medical problem,
an embassy official said Tuesday.
Soe Win arrived some time ago and is in the Singapore General Hospital, said the official who asked not to be identified. The official declined to provide details of his condition. "He is here in a private capacity and it is true that he is here for medical reasons," the official said.
Soe Win is the suspected mastermind of the deadly Depeyin attack on ASSK's convoy four years ago in central Burma.
Burma
plans to hold election in later part of 2008: NMSP
(BBC)
An official of ethnic cease-fire New
Mon State Party (NMSP) said the Burmese military government is
planning to hold elections in the later part of 2008.
The
Mon official, who attended a meeting held early March between Burmese
military officials and ethnic cease-fire groups, said they were told
by Burmese officials that the military government is planning to hold
national referendum in the first six month of 2008 and elections in
the later part of 2008. Cease-fire groups are urged to enter the
election, said the Mon official.
Thousands
of chickens slaughtered in new bird flu outbreak near Rangoon
(BBC,VOA)
Authorities
have slaughtered thousands of chickens after discovering another
outbreak of bird flu in Rangoon over the weekend. The discovery of
bird flue on a chicken farm in Hmawbi, a northern suburb of Rangoon,
is the fifth such outbreak in the country this year.
The national consultant at the FAO in Rangoon said officials are taking effective precautionary measures and there is still no report of human case in Burma.
Summary
of Radio News on Burma
(19/3/2007)
ASSK
honoured in India
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
The Netaji Subhas Foundation in
India has honoured ASSK with an award for her struggle for democracy
in Burma.
The foundation recognised ASSK on Monday at a ceremony
in Kolkata. A representative of ASSK received the award and a cash
prize on behalf of her.
The foundation said in a statement that it
wants to send a strong message that the Indian people stand behind
democratic movements in Burma.
UN
Chief expresses concerns over lack of democratic progress in Burma
(VOA)
UN
Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said in an interview with the VOA that
he is concerned about the lack of progress in the democratisation
process in Burma.
Mr. Ban Ki-Moon said he is going to use the experience of UN special envoy for Burma, Mr. Gambari, to help the Burmese people to democratise their systems.
Three
Diseases Fund provides 20 million US dollars in Burma
(BBC)
The
"Three Diseases Fund" has provided assistance worth of US$
20 million for new projects to reduce human suffering in Burma.
The
fund started their operation in Burma in late 2006 after the
withdrawal of Global Fund from Burma.
Mr.
Andrew Jacob, a top official from the "Three D Fund", which
is organised by donor countries from European countries and
Australia, told the BBC that they are confident that their fund will
reach to people in need.
He said it is important to maintain transparency and accountability in the "Three D Fund" supporting. He also said whether their support can reach remote areas is still one of their main concerns.
Ethnic
Chin rebels group enters peace talk with Burmese military
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
Leaders
from Chin National Front (CNF), an ethnic armed rebels group based on
the border bewteen India and Burma, said they are happy with the
outcome of their recent talks with Burmese military officials.
Dr. Shwe Khar, a leader of the CNF said they have agreed with their Burmese counterparts to hold more talks in the near future.
The CNF has been fighting against the Burmese army for almost twenty years to gain autonomy in their areas.
Another
bird flu outbreak reported in Rangoon
(BBC,VOA)
An official with the FAO in Rangoon
said they have detected another bird flu outbreak in Hmawbi Township,
a northern suburb of Rangoon
Summary
of Radio News on Burma
(16/3/2007~18/3/2007)
EU
and ASEAN agree to boost ties; EU urges ASEAN to pressure Burma
(RFA,VOA)
The
EU and ASEAN Friday released a joint statement during a meeting in
Nuremberg. In the statement, foreign ministers from both regions
pledged to co-operate more on political and economic issues. The two
groups' effort to establish a free trade deal is hampered by the
situation in Burma.
EU officials urged ASEAN counterparts to pressure Burma to improve its human rights record, and to call for the release of ASSK.
In January, ASEAN agreed to work to establish a free trade zone with the EU by 2015.
ICRC
to close two offices in Burma
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
In a statement Friday, the ICRC says
it will close two of its offices in Burma because its work in the
country is at "near-paralysis." The organisation says its
staff members are unable to independently conduct prison visits and
trips to sensitive border areas.
The statement says the ICRC will close offices in Mawlamyine in southeast Burma and Kyaing Tong in eastern Burma, and will review whether to keep open its remaining three field offices.
FAO
says Burma needs help to fight bird flu
(VOA)
The FAO says that while Burma
responded quickly to outbreaks of bird flu last month, it needs more
help to continue its fight against the disease in the long term.
The FAO says that the source of an outbreak that spread to four townships around Rangoon in late February is still unknown.
To help prevent further outbreaks, the FAO says that more intensive surveillance was needed around Rangoon. It is also recommending that the country strengthen its lab capabilities, animal health services and public awareness campaigns.
The FAO is providing Burma with 1.4 million dollars in emergency assistance to help fight the disease.
UK
expresses concerns about effective use of 3D funds in Burma
(BBC)
The
Three Diseases Fund Board is holding a meeting in Burma to give new
aid for work to fight HIV, TB and malaria in Burma.
Out
of one hundred million dollars aid from Western countries, UK will
contribute twenty million pounds.
The
UK Minister for Development, Gareth Thomas told the BBC about the
concerns for the fund to reach the most in need and asked for an
effective monitoring system.
MkOne
withdraws clothing from Burma
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
MkOne, the high street value fashion
store in U.K, has withdrawn from its stores a range of clothes
imported from Burma.
MkOne claimed to have had no knowledge of where the clothes came from and conducted an investigation once The Observer newspaper made them aware that Burma is ruled by military dictatorship, where human rights abuses are rampant, labour unions are banned and forced labour practices exist.
MkOne's
chief executive, said suppliers should not source from Burma and the
company was not aware of the issues.
Customs
figures show that the UK imports tens of millions of pounds worth of
clothes from Burma.
Karen
villagers call for peace in war zones
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
Around seven hundred ethnic Karen
villagers Sunday staged a rare demonstration near Maesod on
Thai-Burma border.
The
villagers called for an end to the fighting between Karen National
Union and Democratic Karen Buddhist Army.
The
villagers also blamed the Burmese military government for instigating
the fighting between the two rival groups, which erupted in recent
weeks.
88-Students
call for a stop in harassing the dissidents
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
The 88-generation students group
issued a statement over the weekend, calling on the authorities to
stop harassing the dissident students. The students group said they
are facing mounting harassment from the authorities and some of their
members have been either detained, or harass by junta-backed thugs in
recent weeks. The students group said dissident students taking
courses at the US Information Service (USIS) in Rangoon are facing
questionings by the authorities. The group also said a dissident
student on his way abroad for further studies was arrested recently
at Rangoon airport and being detained since then.
Burma
arrests 328 suspected drug dealers
(VOA)
Burma's state-run "The New
Light of Myanmar" reports Friday that the 270 men and 58 women
were arrested in raids last month. Police also seized 73 kilograms of
opium, 15 kilograms of heroin and various other illicit drugs in more
than 100 raids in the country.
Daewoo
in court for exporting military equipment to Burma
(RFA,
BBC, VOA)
South Korea's
Daewoo International faces charges for exporting military equipment
to Burma. The Daewoo's representative told the court in the first
hearing last week in Seoul that the company has no criminal intention
in exporting the equipment to Burma. The representative said that the
company has exported the equipment to Burma in the interests of
Korea.
Russian
firms to explore oil, gas in Burma
(VOA)
Two
Russian oil companies will conduct oil and gas exploration and
production in an inland area of Burma.
Under
production sharing contracts with Burma's state-run Myanmar Oil and
Gas Enterprise, the Silver Wave Sputnik Petroleum Pte Ltd and the
Silver Wave Energy Pte Ltd of the Russian Federation will carry out
the undertakings at an inland block B2, said sources from MOGE.
Summary
of Radio News on Burma
(8/3/2007)
Veteran
politician U Win Naing & activist Htin Kyaw arrested
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
Burma's
special branch police Thursday took away veteran politician
Amyotharye U Win Naing and activist Htin Kyaw after the two held a
press conference.
Sources said the two men were taken into custody at about 2pm after they have finished the press conference at U Win Naing's house in Rangoon.
The special police reportedly told family members that some senior officials in Naypyidaw want to ask them some questions.
The press conference began around noon Thursday and was attended by reporters working for local and international media groups.
Sources said the two men talked to the media about the lack of political freedom and poor living conditions in the country.
Htin Kyaw, the leader of a recent demonstration in downtown Rangoon last month, was briefly detained and questioned by special branch on Tuesday.
Man
charged in Rangoon for posting signs on his fence wall mocking the
government
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
A man in Rangoon Thingangyun
Township was arrested and charged for writing and posting signs on
his fence complaining about high commodity prices and mocking the
ariticles in the state-run newspapers.
Special police arrested a 65-year-old former sailor U Thein Zan Wednesday after he wrote politically sensitive satirical phrases over official newspaper clippings he had stuck on his fence wall.
He
was brought before the township court Thursday and charged for
provoking public unrest.
The
court hearing was attended by leaders and members of the
88-generation students group. Opposition NLD legal support group is
defending U Thien Zan in the court.
Exiled
Burmese women marched in Chaingmai
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
Exiled Burmese women in northern
Thai City of Chaingmai marched on the International Women's day to
demand for more security for Burmese women.
The Women League of Burma, an umbrella group of exiled Burmese women organisations, calls on ASEAN to put more pressure on the Burmese military regime to stop violence against women in Burma.
KNU
base overran by Burmese and DKBA troops
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
A combined force of Burmese army
troops and troops from the cease-fire Karen splinter group Democratic
Karen Buddhist Army DKBA overran a base the ethnic rebels Karen
National Union, on Thai-Burma border after fierce fighting.
The KNU said the Burmese military has broken a gentleman agreement for cease-fire and attacked a base of KNU Brigade 6.
About 150 Karen villagers fled the fighting and are now taking shelter across the border in Thailand.
Summary
of Radio News on Burma
(7/3/2007)
Burmese
authorities detain protesters
(BBC,VOA)
Htin Kyaw, an activist who led a
demonstration in Rangoon last month says the government has detained
eight protesters who took part in the demonstration.
Htin Kyaw says he and seven others were taken into custody Tuesday night. He said he was released early Wednesday morning but the others remain in detention.
The activists were among about 25 people who rallied in Rangoon on 22nd February calling for lower consumer prices, and improved health care and education.
Burmese
authorities earlier had arrested and released nine other
demonstrators.
Htin Kyaw said
he was warned not to stage anymore demonstration.
Similarly,
U Thu Wai, the leader of Democracy Party in Burma, was recently
summoned by Special Branch police and warned not to plan to stage
demonstrations.
Meanwhile, Veteran Politician Amyothaye U Win Naing said he will hold a news conference Thursday to issue a statement entitled 'a situation threatening peace for the Burmese people'.
U Win Naing said he hopes the authorities will allow him to hold the news conference.
Burma
among world's worst human rights offenders: U.S. report
(VOA)
The
U.S. State Department has released its 2006 Human Rights report,
naming Burma among the world's worst human rights offenders.
The annual report said Burma's human rights record worsened last year because the country banned aid groups from visiting prisoners, detained opposition leaders and increased attacks on ethnic minorities. The report also said military officials in Burma were also said to have committed murder, rape and torture, abused prisoners and arbitrarily imprisoned citizens for political reasons.
Taxes
and licence fees increased in Burma
(BBC)
The authorities have increased taxes
and licence fees in Burma, said residents in Mandalay and Bago
divisions. Residents in Mandalay said licence fees for butcher
licences in their division have increased about 30% this year,
causing meat prices to increase significantly. Another resident in
Bago Division said transport licence fees including trishaw licence
fees were increased significantly this year.
BBC
TV documentary shows the plight of displaced Karen refugees in Burma
(BBC)
BBC
TV channel 4 broadcasts a documentary entitled 'Cooking in Danger
Zone', which recorded and shows the plight of displaced Karen
refugees in eastern Burma's Karen State. The documentary shows the
BBC TV crew venturing deep inside Burma with a group of Karen rebels,
near to the Burmese troops positions in the conflict zones.
Summary
of Radio News on Burma
(5/3/2007)
88-generation
students group ends the 'open heart' campaign
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
The
leaders of the 88-generation students group said Sunday that the
'open heart' letter campaign initiated by the group has ended
successfully. They said they have received over 12,000 letters during
the campaign, which started on 4th January. The students
group distributed 20,000 envelopes and asked the public to write
letters to Burmese military junta leader Senior General Than Shwe
about their grievances. The students said they will forward the
letters to the Senior General.
High
HIV risk for Burmese fishermen
(BBC)
Food
and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said in a report that nearly one
hundred thousand fishermen from Burma may have been infected with HIV
virus. FAO estimates that there are more than six hundred thousand
fishermen in Burma.
Dr Edward Allison, one of the authors of the report, told the BBC that fishing communities in some poor countries have the highest HIV rates, a little-known phenomenon caused mainly by fishermen's travels and a custom of trading sex for fish.
Burma's
Academy Award ceremony held in Naypyidaw
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
Burma's 2005 Academy Award
Ceremony was held for the first time in the new administrative
capital Naypyidaw after a few months of delay due to uncompleted
construction works on the venue. People from the country's movie
industry flocked to Naypyidaw to attend the ceremony Monday evening.
This year top awards went to the movies and casts of patriotic
movies, said the industry sources.
Political
prisoners health conditions deteriorating in Burmese prisons
(VOA)
Health
conditions of political prisoners Ko Nyi Nyi Oo and U Aung Kin are
deteriorating in Burmese prisons, family members and Asian Human
Rights Commission (AHRC) said Monday. U Aung Kin, who taught with his
students about Burma's independence hero General Aung San and ASSK,
was given a 3-years prison sentence in 2005 on charges of illegally
conducting a private tuition. U Aung Kin has been staging hunger
strike since 12th February because he was denied access to
medical treatments for his stomach disease.
Summary
of Radio News on Burma
(1/3/2007~4/3/2007)
Burma
confirms more bird flu outbreaks in Rangoon: Wild birds blamed for
the outbreaks
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
Burma's official newspapers
confirmed that the outbreaks of bird flu have spread to at least
three more townships in Rangoon.
The
latest outbreaks were discovered in Hlaing Thayar and Insein
township, western suburbs of Rangoon. Earlier this week authorities
confirmed a new outbreak of the H5N1 virus on poultry farms in
Rangoon's western suburbs.
Burmese officials said crows and
sparrows may have carried the H5N1 virus to a poultry farm in the
suburbs of Rangoon sparking the latest outbreaks.
Official
reports said a few dozens of dead wild birds were also found around
Rangoon but they were not infected with H5N1 virus.
Officials said
they have imposed restrictions on the infected areas and about three
hundred people who had direct contacts with infected fowls are
quarantined.
No human cases have been announced in the country.
Malaysian
police arrested Burmese boat people
(RFA,BBC,VOA)
Malaysian maritime police said they
have intercepted a fishing boat Sunday morning and detained 108
Burmese nationals who were trying to enter the country illegally.
Malaysian police said the 20-feet boat was designed to carry only 10
people.
Malaysian police said all the 108 Burmese were males between ages 12 and 52, who had been at sea for 15 days without valid travel documents.
Police
are investigating whether a syndicate is behind them to smuggle
people into Malaysia.
Meanwhile,
human rights activists said Chin refugees in Malaysia are facing a
series of crack down by the Malaysian authorities.
Burma's
poppy cultivation down, production of synthetic drugs sharply up: US
Report
(RFA,BBC,VOA)