FTUB Daily News for Feb-29-2012, English News - Evening

News Headlines with Brief (1) Teenager ‘tortured, forced into sex trade’ | Source: DVB 28-Feb-2012 A 17-year-old girl has filed a complaint with the International Labour Organisation in Rangoon in which she claims she was forced to become a sex worker by her aunt and uncle, who duped her parents into allowing them to care for the teenager. The girl, from the Irrawaddy division town of Kyaunggon, who has not been named, told DVB that the case was lodged with the ILO on Monday after she received assistance from the National League for Democracy party. Read More..... (2) Tension eases in DKBA arms dispute | Source: DVB 28-Feb-2012 Officials from the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) say they have resolved a dispute with a local government-aligned militia whom the group claims seized its weapons, triggering clashes and threatening a recently-signed ceasefire with Naypyidaw. Soldiers from a Border Guard Force (BGF) in the Myaingyingu region of Karen state stormed a DKBA base on 19 February, stealing around 30 weapons. The DKBA responded by ambushing BGF trucks that were transporting more weapons to the region. Read More..... (3) Exiled media weigh up return to Burma | Source: DVB 28-Feb-2012 As censorship eases in Burma and the press tastes long-suppressed freedom, exiled media groups are weighing up the risks of a return to cover the dramatic changes in their country from within. Not long ago, working for one of them could result in a lengthy prison sentence if caught inside the army-dominated nation, but the past year’s political openings have turned recent pipe dreams into real ambitions. Read More..... (4) Rangoon Activists Focus on Kachin Peace | Source: Irrawaddy 28-Feb-2012 Peace in war-torn Kachin State remains a hot issue amongst Rangoon campaigners—including activists, celebrities, politicians and businessmen in the heart of Burma—despite being located hundreds of miles away from the devastating conflict. Stickers and T-shirts with the slogan “Let the Flowers Bloom but Not Bullets” were distributed in the former capital last week by young activist members of leading campaign group Generation Wave. Read More..... (5) USDP Plans Dirty Tricks Campaign for Burma By-election | Source: Irrawaddy 28-Feb-2012 Campaigning for Burma’s by-elections gets into full swing later this week. Although the country’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi—who is contesting a Lower House seat representing her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), in Rangoon's Kawhmu constituency—has already made several forays into the countryside, the campaign is set to truly get underway on March 1. Read More..... (6) 11 'SIM Card' Campaigners Detained for Questioning in Rangoon | Source: Irrawaddy 28-Feb-2012 Eleven persons who were campaigning in the street for cheaper mobile phone/ SIM card distribution in Burma were stopped and questioned by local authorities in South Dagon Township of Rangoon on Tuesday morning. The 11 campaigners were taken to a local authorities office in South Dagon and were questioned by the township administrator, but were later released. Read More..... (7) Striking Factory Workers Form Union | Source: Irrawaddy 28-Feb-2012 Burma's longest-running strike in recent years has taken a new turn, as about half of the 1,800 workers who walked off the job at the Tai Yi footwear factory in Rangoon's Hlaing Tharyar Industrial Zone (3) on Feb. 6 announced on Tuesday that they plan to form a new union to press for their demands. The strike, which began with a dispute over unpaid wages for an unofficial holiday to mark the Chinese New Year, has evolved into the largest display of labor unrest in Burma since the country's government introduced new labor laws last year. Read More..... (8) Burmese Vice-President Visits Arakan Oil Pipeline | Source: Irrawaddy 28-Feb-2012 Burmese Vice-President Tin Aung Myint Oo visited Arakan State by helicopter on Monday to inspect construction work at the oil terminal being built on Maday Island. The island marks the starting point of an oil pipeline stretching through Burma into China's southwest. A similar pipeline for natural gas to China also begins at nearby Ramree Island. Read More..... (9) TV staff told not to get excited about Suu Kyi’s studio visit | Source: Mizzima 28-Feb-2012 Aung San Suu Kyi will receive a business-like reception when she goes to the Myanmar Radio and Television (MRTV) studios to record an NLD campaign speech in March. The TV staff, told Mizzima that Director General Thein Aung ordered people working in the offices and studios not to make a big deal out of her visit, in spite of the great anticipation, curiosity and eagerness of the workers to meet the national democratic icon. Read More..... (10) E.U. delegation to meet Suu Kyi | Source: Mizzima 28-Feb-2012 In another example of the West reaching out to Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi will receive her first European delegation of lawmakers on Wednesday in Rangoon. The European Parliament members said they welcomed recent positive developments in Burma, and they will invite Suu Kyi to address the European Parliament at a later date. Read More..... (11) Outside vote monitors to observe Burmese election | Source: Mizzima 28-Feb-2012 Burma has not requested United Nations monitors or assistance in the April 1 bi-elections, but the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) is planning to send election observers to monitor the process from the outside, U.N. special envoy Vijay Nambiar told reporters in New York on Monday. Read More..... (12) Burmese army officers deny arrest of missing Kachin woman | Source: Mizzima 28-Feb-2012 Two Burmese army officers have testified in the Burmese Supreme Court that soldiers in their units did not arrest and detain a Kachin woman who has been missing for more than four months. The proceedings were brought by Zawng Hkawng of Momauk Township, the husband of Sumlut Roi Ja, after he said his wife was arrested and taken away in October 2011 by troops from Light Infantry Unit No. 321. Read More..... (13) Shwe Mann reaffirms strong Sino-Burma ties | Source: Mizzima 28-Feb-2012 Burmese parliamentary leader Shwe Mann has reassured Chinese officials that Sino-Burmese relations will not be affected by overtures from Western countires, including the U.S. Lower House Speaker Shwe Mann told the Chinese National People’s Congress Chairman Wu Bangguo that any cooperation with the West that harmed China “would not be acceptable,” Xinhua news agency reported. Read More..... (14) Show goes on for Myanmar political satirists | Source: MY 28-Feb-2012 MANDALAY, February 29, 2012 (AFP) - After years of lampooning the junta, Myanmar's Moustache Brothers aren't ready to stop poking fun at the regime yet, despite dramatic changes that mean laughter is no longer such a risky business. With nothing more than their sharp wit, the sexagenarian members of one of the long-isolated country's most famous comedy troupes are perhaps among the bravest dissidents to have stood up to the generals. Read More..... (15) Reform in Myanmar is irreversible: Top Yangon official | Source: AsiaOne 28-Feb-2012 Burmese President Thein Sein's chief political adviser, Ko Ko Hlaing, says Burma's political reform is "irreversible" because of the president's strong will, the specific constitutional stipulation towards democracy, the Burmese people's taste of new-found freedom, and the need for the country to follow the international trend. In an exclusive interview with The Nation, the man known as Burma's "political insider" said he was certain that former military leader Senior General Than Shwe was not running the country from behind the scenes and would not make a comeback. Read More..... Teenager ‘tortured, forced into sex trade’ http://www.dvb.no/news/teenager-%E2%80%98tortured-forced-into-sex-trade%E2%80%99/20474 28-Feb-2012 A 17-year-old girl has filed a complaint with the International Labour Organisation in Rangoon in which she claims she was forced to become a sex worker by her aunt and uncle, who duped her parents into allowing them to care for the teenager. The girl, from the Irrawaddy division town of Kyaunggon, who has not been named, told DVB that the case was lodged with the ILO on Monday after she received assistance from the National League for Democracy party. “Basically she [aunt] was selling me for prostitution,” the girl said. “She took money from men and forced me go with them and I didn’t get a penny of it. I wasn’t even given time to rest – I was taken out [for prostitution work] every night.” She claims she was made to sleep with six to 10 clients each day on average. On two separate occasions she tried to escape. “I tried to run twice and they caught me and beat me up and threatened to stab me to death. They choked my neck and kicked me. In the end I ran and they have been harassing me since. I want action taken on them.” Thet Wai, ILO liaison officer at the NLD, said the girl was forced to endure this treatment for five months before escaping on 24 February. Included in the complaint are allegations that policemen from the local Kyaunggon stationed also paid the aunt for the girl’s services. The ILO’s mandate in Burma covers forced labour, although the majority of complaints it receives concern government recruitment of civilians to work on infrastructure projects or for portering in the army. The government last year gave the nod to form a National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) tasked with dealing with complaints from civilians, although with a make-up that includes former government officials, its impartiality has been questioned. Asked why the girl did not approach the NHRC prior to the ILO, Thet Wai said that the body is “not really reliable”, and that it was formed to give the government a “political advantage” in its dealings with western nations. “They don’t have the authority or the will to help.” Tension eases in DKBA arms dispute http://www.dvb.no/news/tension-eases-in-dkba-arms-dispute/20478 28-Feb-2012 Officials from the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) say they have resolved a dispute with a local government-aligned militia whom the group claims seized its weapons, triggering clashes and threatening a recently-signed ceasefire with Naypyidaw. Soldiers from a Border Guard Force (BGF) in the Myaingyingu region of Karen state stormed a DKBA base on 19 February, stealing around 30 weapons. The DKBA responded by ambushing BGF trucks that were transporting more weapons to the region. The DKBA’s spokesperson, Major San Aung, said it had immediately asked for the caché of weapons seized to be returned, but was initially refused. “We warned that the ceasefire will be no more if we don’t get them back,” he said. But officials from the government’s ceasefire negotiating team were dispatched for talks on 25 and 26 February. San Aung said agreements were reached to prevent future conflict between the two sides, as well as a slew of other issues, including permission for troops to carry arms in one another’s territory. The DKBA and the Burmese army became embroiled in a bitter year-long conflict in November 2010, after a faction of the DKBA – led by Colonel Na Kham Mwe – refused to transform into a Naypyidaw-controlled Border Guard Force and subsequently attacked government positions in Myawaddy. A similar refusal to join Naypyidaw’s Border Guard Forces led to resurgence in fighting in Kachin state in June last year. The DKBA agreed to a ceasefire on the conflict’s anniversary last year, but relations remain volatile. The DKBA was formed in the mid-1990s after a faction split off from the KNLA and sided with the government. The remaining DKBA troops who did not defect with Na Kham Mwe last year are now part of the local BGF. Exiled media weigh up return to Burma http://www.dvb.no/news/exiled-media-weigh-up-return-to-burma/20483 28-Feb-2012 As censorship eases in Burma and the press tastes long-suppressed freedom, exiled media groups are weighing up the risks of a return to cover the dramatic changes in their country from within. Not long ago, working for one of them could result in a lengthy prison sentence if caught inside the army-dominated nation, but the past year’s political openings have turned recent pipe dreams into real ambitions. Exiled reporting groups want permission to return to Burma, also known as Myanmar — but only when they are sure there will be no turning back on the new regime’s radical steps towards reforms. “It is our dream to publish a publication or online magazine inside Burma. I hope it will happen soon,” said Aung Zaw, the founder of the Irrawaddy news Web site based in neighboring Thailand. The journalist has just completed his first trip to Burma since he escaped after a popular uprising in 1988 was brutally crushed by the junta. This time, he came back charmed. “I think the authorities will consider my proposal if we want to publish inside Burma,” he said. Over the past year the government of former general Thein Sein, which took over from the junta in March, has overseen dramatic political reforms, including in the media. Censorship, already softened, will supposedly disappear. Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, released from house arrest in late 2010, has crept on to the front pages, while exiled media Web sites are no longer blocked. Even imprisoned journalists from the Democratic Voice of Burma, a broadcasting group based in Oslo, were all released in January in a mass amnesty for political prisoners. For the exiles, what remains is the strategic question of timing. According to Aung Zaw, senior journalists have suggested to the Irrawaddy to “remain here in Thailand until 2015” to ensure the reforms are well entrenched. “Laws that restrict press freedom are still there,” so “it is too risky” for them to go back now, said Maung Maung Myint, chairman of the Burma Media Association based in Oslo, whose members are mostly exiled journalists. In Burma’s capital of Naypyidaw, the Ministry of Information says that the way is clear. Ye Htut, the ministry’s director general, told AFP that there was “no restriction” on the media in exile. “We only ask for fair and balanced reporting,” he said. But the new press legislation under development is limited to print media. Even if the law enters into force, “pluralism and good practices will still be missing,” noted Benjamin Ismail, head of the Asia bureau at media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in Paris. In terms of press freedom, Burma is still ranked just 169th among 179 countries, according to an index by RSF published in January. Exiled media therefore have no choice but to take things step by step. The editor of Mizzima, a news agency based in India, told the Burma Times that, similar to the Irrawaddy, it was “ready to set up our office in Yangon.” As for the DVB, the first step is “legalizing DVB’s operation in the country” and preventing further arrests, according to its deputy director Khin Maung Win. The government is closely linked to the previous military rulers, who “treated DVB as the enemy,” he said. Although the group is still considered illegal, the new regime has behaved differently, for example by accepting interview requests from DVB reporters. Ultimately, the exiles’ return seems inevitable if decades of military rule really are consigned to the history books. “The exiled Burmese media will simply fade away when Burma has become a truly democratic society,” said the Burma Media Association’s Maung Maung Myint. Meanwhile, international donors who are increasingly tempted to favor projects inside the country must continue to support them, he argued. DVB, which has already experienced financial problems linked to an embezzlement scandal, has only found 10 percent of its $3.5 million budget for 2012. “DVB donors are excited with the changes in Burma and like to switch their support to inside Burma, rather than outside,” said Khin Maung Win. Whatever their future role, the contributions of these experienced English speakers will be crucial for a country where the main newspaper, The New Light of Burma, remains a dogmatic mouthpiece of the regime. “They have said that they wanted us to do some training and introduce quality standards of journalism,” said Aung Zaw. “If they are serious, I’m ready.” Rangoon Activists Focus on Kachin Peace http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=23114 28-Feb-2012 Peace in war-torn Kachin State remains a hot issue amongst Rangoon campaigners—including activists, celebrities, politicians and businessmen in the heart of Burma—despite being located hundreds of miles away from the devastating conflict. Stickers and T-shirts with the slogan “Let the Flowers Bloom but Not Bullets” were distributed in the former capital last week by young activist members of leading campaign group Generation Wave. A fundraising performance called “Save the War Victims” was also held in Sanchaung Township in Rangoon last Sunday with dozens of singers, celebrities and activists participating The event was organized by young people in support of war refugees who have fled their homes in Kachin State due to the fighting that first broke out between government troops and ethnic rebels last June. The current conflict ended a ceasefire which was agreed in 1994 and has so far displaced around 40,000 civilians including many women and children, according to relief groups. Artists from various backgrounds including cartoonists, poets, photographers and actors also participated in the charity campaign. Meanwhile, Burmese users of the Facebook social networking website were also raising awareness of the need for peace in Kachin State by posting messages reading “Stop the War” on their profiles. Leading companies including Htoo Trading Co. Ltd, May and Mark Gems, AIR KBZ and Sky Net also made donations to suffering Kachin civilians, according to a report in state-run newspaper The Mirror on Tuesday. Last week, leaders of the 88 Generation Students group, including recently freed Min Ko Naing and Ko Ko Gyi, also visited Kachin State and delivered speeches to local people that called for peace. Mai Li Awng, a relief worker in Mai Ja Yang who provides assistance to Kachin refugees, said that displaced people still do not dare return home as there has been no tangible ceasefire agreement between the government army and rebel Kachin Independence Army. “Some tried to return home but came back to the refugee camps. They said it is still unsafe to return and live in their villages,” said Mai Li Awng. She called on the government to end the conflict as civilians have become the main victims of the war over the course of many months. “If the government does not solve ethnic conflicts, there will be no sustainable peace,” she said. Concerns have been raised that there are not enough toilets for refugees in the camps and wells for drinking water have started drying up as the summer season approaches. After witnessing the situation in Kachin State first-hand, a Rangoon-based editor told The Irrawaddy that most of refugees are children and women. “They said they want to return home and want the war to stop as soon as possible,” she said. Burmese cartoonists in Rangoon have been sketching caricatures which are sold for only 3,000 kyat (US $ 3.8) in order to raise funds for Kachin refugees. Famous photographers also exhibited their pictures at a recent fundraising event with images of Kachin war refugee camps catching people's attention most of all. “These photos are really interesting as they reflect the lives of refugees in the camps,” said one audience member. “My eyes were full of tears as they suffer such hardships. I made up my mind to help those refugees as much as I can.” The Save the War Victims charity concert also featured performances by famous singers such as Naw Naw, G-Latt, Chit Thu Wai, Sai Aung Hti Kham, Aung La, Lin Nit, Cho Pyone and K-Jar Nu. There were also traditional ethnic dances, storytelling and singing. All donations from the event will be delivered into the hands of Kachin refugees. Further fundraising activities will take place in the future as long as the conflict continues, campaigners told The Irrawaddy. “We really appreciate this kind of awareness,” said Mai Li Awng. “And such events are needed more. We welcome this event and thank all those who are aware of our cause. “We should keep in mind that Burma’s ethnic cause is an issue for all people of our nation. And we are happy for those who support us.” USDP Plans Dirty Tricks Campaign for Burma By-election http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=23113 28-Feb-2012 Campaigning for Burma’s by-elections gets into full swing later this week. Although the country’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi—who is contesting a Lower House seat representing her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), in Rangoon's Kawhmu constituency—has already made several forays into the countryside, the campaign is set to truly get underway on March 1. But already there are strong signs that this will be far from a free and fair election. The ruling Union Solidarity and Development (USDP) will launch its major electoral broadside later this week—all part of its carefully crafted election strategy. The main USDP leaders—most of whom are not ministers in the current government, but are close to the old junta boss Than Shwe—plan to wage war against the NLD. Nothing is going to be left to chance, according to a confidential election strategy paper seen by this author. Bribery, vote-buying, intimidation and fraud are all part of the scheme to win the Parliamentary seats up for grabs at the April polls. The USDP’s detailed strategy for the forthcoming by-elections includes innocuous plans to provide their candidates with the best campaign material—vinyl posters, flyers and attractive billboards to increase the visibility of candidates, free promotional material including T-shirts and hats, and assistance provided for voters to travel to the polling stations. But more significantly the strategy also involve plans for the character assassination of NLD candidates, bribery and vote-fixing. The hardline leadership of the USDP will stop at nothing to the win the Parliamentary seats at stake in the by-elections, according to the USDP campaign strategy paper The USDP leaders understand that their future—though not necessarily that of the government—is intimately tied up with the current Parliamentary by-elections. They cannot afford to lose, and they have set their sights on winning all 48 seats that are being contested—by hook or by crook. A rebuff at these polls will signal the end of the party as it is currently organized, and the hardline leaders are likely to be cast aside. Aung Thaung, the former Minister for Industry-1, and close confidante of former Snr-Gen Than Shwe, is a renowned hardliner opposed to President Thein Sein’s reform agenda. And it is he who is in charge of the campaign—as he was in 2010, then at Than Shwe’s behest. These by-elections are a test of strength for the USDP and the NLD, he told party organizers in the strategy paper that was recently circulated to all party offices throughout the country. Do not take these elections for granted, it warned, “remember 1990 when voters blindly flocked to the NLD to spite the old Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP).” This cannot be allowed to be repeated—the country’s continued security, peace and development depends on it, according to Aung Thaung. Campaigning cannot be done only verbally, but must be combined with practical benefits—for the voters. The main issue is the “stomach,” the USDP strategy stresses. This involves building and repairing roads, providing schools and medical centres, and promising jobs. Incentives to vote for the USDP would be provided, according to the document. So called “election-winning committees” have been formed in all regions, states, divisions, townships, wards and village tracts. Special improvement committees have been formed to carry out development tasks—each with seed money of five million kyat [US $6,250) per township. Increased funds will be provided if necessary, the organizers of the campaign plans promised. And there is no shortage of coffers, according to Rangoon's Western diplomats who have been monitoring the preparations for the election. Hundreds of former government properties have been sold off in the past few months to raise the necessary financial resources to fight the by-elections. Already the campaign strategy is being carried out. All along the main road in Aung San Suu Kyi’s constituency there are big colorful billboards proclaiming to voters that the roads are being repaired by the USDP. In many places throughout the country USDP is taking credit for infrastructure projects, medical centres and schools, built by the government. The NLD says it is concerned with this obvious electoral manipulation. At a recent press conference in Rangoon, the party spokesman Nyan Win complained that the USDP candidates had promised voters upgraded infrastructure and electricity supply—but the NLD questioned the source of their funding to meet these promises. 11 'SIM Card' Campaigners Detained for Questioning in Rangoon http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=23112 28-Feb-2012 Eleven persons who were campaigning in the street for cheaper mobile phone/ SIM card distribution in Burma were stopped and questioned by local authorities in South Dagon Township of Rangoon on Tuesday morning. The 11 campaigners were taken to a local authorities office in South Dagon and were questioned by the township administrator, but were later released. “We were told that we need permission to distribute pamphlets, and we were asked to sign a declaration that we would not continue this public campaign in the future—but we didn’t sign,” said Htin Kyaw who achieved a degree of notoriety when he led activists protesting the hike of fuel prices in 2007. The eleven detained activists were distributing leaflets emblazoned with the slogan: “Allow cheap mobiles/ SIM cards for people!” around the main streets of South Dagon, North Dagon, North Okkalapa and Hlaing Thar Yar townships. They spoke to passers-by and urged the authorities to provide 5,000-kyat ($2) SIM cards. “Almost every person of every class in our neighboring countries owns a cheap mobile phone, so why can’t we?” said Htin Kyaw. “In our country, the price of a SIM card is so high that most people cannot afford one.” In January, a private Burmese company, Shwe Pyi Ta Khun, proposed itself as the second Mobile Network Operator in the country—after Myanma Post and Telecommunications (MPT)—and requested permission to retail mobile phone SIM cards for 5,000 kyat each. Government-run MPT later discarded the idea, while announcing that much more time was needed to build a network system, its stations and the labor of installing and updating equipment. It also claimed that Shwe Pyi Ta Khun's proposal did not meet existing regulations, though it offered no explanation as to which law or laws would be contravened. Rumors around business circles indicate that MPT intends to launch a GSM SIM card in March, though only in Rangoon and Naypyidaw, which would retail for 180,000 kyats ($225). However, MPT on Tuesday declined to confirm whether that was true. The most common communications systems used for cellphones in Burma are GSM, CDMA 45 MHz and CDMA 800 MHz. When first launched on the market, SIM cards were retailed for an astonishing 2,500,000 to 3,000,000 kyat (up to $3,300). Burma’s telecommunications department, in collaboration with Tay Za's Htoo Company, introduced a “one-time-use SIM” in December 2008, each of which sold for 20 to 50 FEC ($20 to $50). Striking Factory Workers Form Union http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=23109 28-Feb-2012 Burma's longest-running strike in recent years has taken a new turn, as about half of the 1,800 workers who walked off the job at the Tai Yi footwear factory in Rangoon's Hlaing Tharyar Industrial Zone (3) on Feb. 6 announced on Tuesday that they plan to form a new union to press for their demands. The strike, which began with a dispute over unpaid wages for an unofficial holiday to mark the Chinese New Year, has evolved into the largest display of labor unrest in Burma since the country's government introduced new labor laws last year. In a press statement released on Tuesday, the workers said that they will establish a new union in accordance with the Labor Organizations Law of Oct. 11, 2011, which legalized unions in Burma for the first time in decades. They said the union was necessary to help resolve the current crisis, which has dragged on for more than three weeks despite several rounds of negotiations and mediation from government officials. “We have been raising the workers' awareness of their rights and discussing the idea of forming a union for workers at this industrial zone since the start of the month,” said labor activist Ko Than, speaking to The Irrawaddy on Tuesday. The decision to form a union had already been made public at a press conference on Monday, when the workers said that they had begun collecting the signatures of workers who wanted to join. More than half of the 1,800 workers at the Tai Yi factory have decided to remain on strike despite a deal reached last week that persuaded many of the company's employees to return to work. Under that agreement, the company said it would raise hourly wages from 75 kyat to 100 kyat (US $0.09 to $0.12), while monthly bonuses would increase from 6,000 kyat to 7,000 kyat ($7.50 to $8.50). The company also promised to give workers the day off on Sundays and not force them to work long overtime hours. This, however, fell far short of the 17 key demands originally made by the workers, which included a doubling of hourly wages and a bonus increase to 8,000 kyat, as well as substantial improvements in working conditions. According to the striking workers, they have also submitted their case to the Trade Dispute Committee's arbitration court with the assistance of a group of lawyers, including Pho Phyu, a prominent activist lawyer who has been providing legal advice since the strike began. Meanwhile, Ko Than said that Tai Yi had hired about 300 new employees to replace some of the workers who remain on strike. Burmese Vice-President Visits Arakan Oil Pipeline www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=23108 28-Feb-2012 Burmese Vice-President Tin Aung Myint Oo visited Arakan State by helicopter on Monday to inspect construction work at the oil terminal being built on Maday Island. The island marks the starting point of an oil pipeline stretching through Burma into China's southwest. A similar pipeline for natural gas to China also begins at nearby Ramree Island. Tin Aung Myint Oo expressed support for the project and thanked the contracted company, South East Asia Pipeline Company Ltd (SEAP), for its charity work providing education and healthcare facilities along the construction route. The oil terminal on Maday Island is expected to be completed by May 2013. It will be able to accommodate 300,000-ton oil tankers and have an annual capacity of up to 22 million tons of crude oil. SEAP was founded in June 2009 as a joint venture between majority stakeholder China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and Burma's state-owned Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise. CNPC has been active in Burma since 2001. CNPC promised millions of dollars of aid to Burma—both directly and through SEAP—last year, and then repeated this pledge in January. CNPC aid in 2011 amounted to US $4.07 million, SEAP's general manager Zhang Jialin told the visiting dignitary. It led to the construction of 45 schools and 24 medical clinics in the severely deprived west Burmese state, he claimed. Zhang revealed that the company's shareholders agreed in March 2011 that the annual aid transfers will continue at a rate of one million dollars per year. Tin Aung Myint Oo said that he hoped the project could be completed on schedule. He repeated assurances made by Lower House of Parliament Speaker Shwe Mann during his visit to Beijing last week. Construction on the pipelines began in June 2010 and is expected to be completed by 2013. On Feb. 15, SEAP announced that it had completed the pipelines' crossing over the Irrawaddy River. The Chinese ambassador to Burma, Li Junhua, accompanied Tin Aung Myint Oo on his visit. Their last known meeting was on Jan. 25 when Li hosted the vice-president and his family for dinner on the occasion of Chinese New Year. A report by the non-governmental organization Arakan Oil Watch from June 2010 brought to light "human rights abuses" by the Chinese construction company which allegedly endangered the livelihoods of the then 2,443 villagers living on Maday Island. “They confiscated land from us and now I have no place to cultivate my plants,” the report quoted one local. “The police warned me to not create any problems with the Chinese workers,” it quoted another. The Irrawaddy reported earlier last year that Kyauk Phyu (locally known as Kyaukpru) residents, on Ramree Island where the gas pipeline is being built, estimated 2,000 Chinese nationals were working in the area. More than 400 Burmese laborers have been employed in construction work on Maday Island, according to report by Chinese news agency Xinhua on Tuesday. Last May, SEAP said it finalized construction of a 650,000 cubic-meter water reservoir on Maday Island. The oil pipeline will stretch 771 km to the Chinese border town of Ruili in Yunnan Province. TV staff told not to get excited about Suu Kyi’s studio visit http://mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/6669-tv-staff-told-not-to-get-excited-about-suu-kyis-studio-visit.html Wednesday, 29 February 2012 12:05 Kyaw Kha Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Aung San Suu Kyi will receive a business-like reception when she goes to the Myanmar Radio and Television (MRTV) studios to record an NLD campaign speech in March. The TV staff, told Mizzima that Director General Thein Aung ordered people working in the offices and studios not to make a big deal out of her visit, in spite of the great anticipation, curiosity and eagerness of the workers to meet the national democratic icon. The staff was assembled in a special meeting on Friday in Naypyitaw and the director general issued his instruction. “Aung San Suu Kyi will come to our office,” said a staff member. “Our DG told us not to welcome and greet her on that day, and we should remain at our jobs,” a MRTV staff member told Mizzima. The Union Election Commission (UEC) announced on February 17 that 17 political parties including the NLD could create a campaign speech, which would be broadcast on state radio and television. Suu Kyi’s election campaign speech will be telecast and broadcast by MRTV on March 14. She will arrive at MRTV studios in Naypyitaw two days in advance to record the speech. Most MRTV staff wanted to give her a big welcome. “We have never seen her before live,” said the staff member. “We have seen her only on the Internet and the pictures in the weekly journals. First we thought we would get a chance to welcome her when she comes, but we have to follow the DG’s instructions. “The camera crew is lucky: they can see her. They can see her up close, but we will not have an opportunity to see her even from a distance.” Suu Kyi has encountered numerous obstacles from state authorities during her campaign trips across the country. On February 14, NLD officials held a press conference to discuss various incidents, including the NLD’s failure to find a large venue in Mandalay to hold a mass rally on February 4 and 5, after various authorities rejected their requests for venues. The NLD had to postpone the planned Mandalay campaign tour and reschedule it for early March. It also applied to hold a mass rally in a sports area in Pyapon in Irrawaddy Region on February 17, but the Ministry of Sports refused permission. The rally was held on a sand dune on the outskirts of Pyapon, where an estimated 40,000 people heard Suu Kyi speak. The sports ministry also refused access to a football ground in Hlegu Township in Rangoon Region on February 15. After publicity, the UEC overruled the ministry decision and permission was granted to hold a rally on the sports field. High-level Burmese officials have repeatedly said that the April 1 election would be free and fair, but numerous incidents have shown that the NLD is fighting a battle just to get its message out to the public. E.U. delegation to meet Suu Kyi http://mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/6667-eu-delegation-to-meet-suu-kyi.html Tuesday, 28 February 2012 14:56 Mizzima News (Mizzima) – In another example of the West reaching out to Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi will receive her first European delegation of lawmakers on Wednesday in Rangoon. The European Parliament members said they welcomed recent positive developments in Burma, and they will invite Suu Kyi to address the European Parliament at a later date. The delegation, led by Werner Langen of Germany will visit the newly elected Burmese Parliament to establish formal inter-parliamentary relations, meet with President Thein Sein, various ministers, representatives of civil society and members of the opposition. The European Parliament is expected to vote on removing more E.U. sanctions against Burma sometime after the April 1 by-election, and also to consider implementing more humanitarian aid packages. E.U. Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs announced on February 13 the release of a US$ 200 million aid package to Burma, earmarked to benefit the health, education and infrastructure. Piebalgs said President Thein Sein had noted in their meeting that in spite of major reforms in Burma, the EU sanctions were still in place. Piebalgs said he told the president that if the April 1 by-elections were free and fair, “then everyone would expect the easing of sanctions to continue.” An end to E.U. sanctions would require the consensus of 27 EU countries, something that is “not such an easy thing to achieve,” Piebalgs said. Reports from Brussels said that on April 23, E.U. foreign ministers would explore the possibility of a substantial reduction of sanctions on Burma. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in early February on signed a partial waiver on restrictions that will allow the U.S. to support assessment missions and limited technical assistance by international financial institutions, such as the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the International Monetary Fund, in Burma. The assessments by international financial institutions will provide means to gain a greater understanding of Burma’s economic situation, particularly its severe poverty alleviation needs and capacity gaps. The waiver was important in light of Burma’s need to create a banking and foreign exchange system in line with international standards and to reform its economic structure. Currently, it is working with the IMF, which is assessing its economic structure. Burma’s relationship with the U.S. has evolved rapidly in the past several months to the point where the U.S. is now considering reinstating a modest aid program and not oppose moves by the International Monetary Fund and other key bodies to offer assistance to Burma as it attempts to emerge from two decades of isolation. Burma’s hope is that the U.S. and other countries will lift economic sanctions, which were put in place after the former military regime attacked and killed hundreds of peaceful demonstrators in 1988 and began a systematic imprisonment of pro-democracy activists. The Associated Press reported that during Clinton’s meeting with President Thein Sein he outlined his government's plans for reform in a 45-minute presentation in which he acknowledged that Burma lacked a recent tradition of democracy and openness. He asked for U.S. help in making the transition from military to full civilian rule. At the time, Clinton was quoted as saying: “We’re not at the point yet where we can consider lifting sanctions. But any steps that the government takes will be carefully considered and will be matched.” Outside vote monitors to observe Burmese election http://mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/6666-outside-vote-monitors-to-observe-burmese-election.html Tuesday, 28 February 2012 14:31 Mizzima News (Mizzima) – Burma has not requested United Nations monitors or assistance in the April 1 bi-elections, but the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) is planning to send election observers to monitor the process from the outside, U.N. special envoy Vijay Nambiar told reporters in New York on Monday. He said Burma’s by-elections would be closely watched from the outside to get an idea of the impartiality and fairness of the process. The U.N. would likely be involved in assisting in the 2015 national elections, he told reporters at a U.N headquarters press conference after returning from a five-day visit to Burma. Responding to a question, Nambiar said he had not met with any military generals, but had discussed ethnic peace issues with relevant groups and academics. He said he talked with the government minister who dealt with the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), and he had met with the Union Peace Committee, which seemed confident that peace issues with the KIO would be addressed. He said the Burma’s commitment in the signing of key cease-fire agreements and meetings with stakeholder groups were among the key factors in his urging greater humanitarian and technical support by the West. The dramatic positive changes in Burma ove the past year had demonstrated “an unprecedented level of initiative”, he said. However, Burma was only at the beginning of its transition, he added, noting that this was his fourth visit in the past year. While international support was needed, the onus rested on the Burmese government to ensure further positive developments to bring about real improvements to the lives of its people, he said. The first test of that commitment would be the coming by-elections in April for 48 seats in Parliament, which would test the government’s ability to enhance the democratic process. He said a similar commitment was needed to further social and economic development, as well as peace and reconciliation efforts. But chances for continued progress meant that “the international community must respond robustly to people’s needs by lifting current restrictions” on the country, he said. “The people of Myanmar will expect the international community to step up,” he said, adding that the United Nations was currently intensifying its efforts, including helping with the first national census taken since 1983, and the United Nations Development Programme had suggested holding a donors’ conference later this year to better coordinate aid and assistance. Burmese army officers deny arrest of missing Kachin woman http://mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/6664-burmese-army-officers-deny-arrest-of-missing-kachin-woman.html Tuesday, 28 February 2012 12:15 Phanida Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Two Burmese army officers have testified in the Burmese Supreme Court that soldiers in their units did not arrest and detain a Kachin woman who has been missing for more than four months. The proceedings were brought by Zawng Hkawng of Momauk Township, the husband of Sumlut Roi Ja, after he said his wife was arrested and taken away in October 2011 by troops from Light Infantry Unit No. 321. Captain Kyaw Kyaw Htay of Light Infantry Unit 321 and Major Zay Yar Aung of Infantry No. 37 appeared at the hearing as the representatives of the two battalions. “They testified that they knew about Roi Ja’s case only after it has been reported,” said Zawng Hkawng’s lawyer, Markhar. “They said no complaint was launched with them in the past. The Northern Command set up a tribunal to examine the charge. They said that in the Northern Command, there was no incident like Roi Ja’s case.” Lawyer Markhar told Mizzima, “We testified that…in fact, they really arrested her,” and asked the court to order her release or establish her whereabouts. Markhar said that on October 28, 2011, Sumlut Roi Ja was on her way to work on a farm with her husband and her father when government soldiers from Light Infantry Unit No. 321 arrested them, alleging that they worked in intelligence for the Kachin Independence Army. Sumlut Roi Ja’s husband and father escaped on the day of their arrest. In January 2011, a lawsuit was filed in the Supreme Court in Naypyitaw and the first hearing was conducted on February 9. In a related lawsuit involving the unlawful arrest of two Kachin men, Brang Seng and Zau Seng of Tarlawgyi village by Infantry Unit No. 37, was also heard by the Supreme Court. The government testified that the men were arrested because of security violations, Markhar said. The two men have been were charged under the Unlawful Associations Act, he said. Shwe Mann reaffirms strong Sino-Burma ties http://mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/6662-shwe-mann-reaffirms-strong-sino-burma-ties.html Tuesday, 28 February 2012 11:42 Myo Thant Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Burmese parliamentary leader Shwe Mann has reassured Chinese officials that Sino-Burmese relations will not be affected by overtures from Western countires, including the U.S. Lower House Speaker Shwe Mann told the Chinese National People’s Congress Chairman Wu Bangguo that any cooperation with the West that harmed China “would not be acceptable,” Xinhua news agency reported. Immediately following U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to Burma in November, a series of Burmese officials have visited China to reassure its most influential ally in terms of financial and political support. Wu Bangguo brought up Burma’s suspension of the Myitsone Dam project in northeastern Burma, saying that he hoped construction on the Chinese-funded hydropower dam could be resumed at a later date or a settlement could be negotiated. Burmese President Thein Sein suspended the dam project in September 2011 after widespread protests by Burmese environmental activists and other civic groups. Shwe Mann said Burma had learned lessons from the Myitsone Dam project, and he promised to continue other Sino-Burma joint projects such as the Kyaukphyu deep-sea port and petroleum and natural gas pipelines, and other infrastructure projects including railroads and highways. Also in the forefront of talks was China’s help in organizing parliamentary procedures, including exchange programs between parliamentary lawmakers from the two countries. Shwe Mann also requested technical cooperation in the areas of the economy, finance, science and technology. Shwe Mann was accompanied by Lower House committee chairmen including Thein Zaw, Hla Myint Oo, Thura Aung Ko, Maung Maung Swe, Kyi Min and local assembly speakers Sein Tin Win and San Tints. Show goes on for Myanmar political satirists http://www.mysinchew.com/node/70764 28-Feb-2012 MANDALAY, February 29, 2012 (AFP) - After years of lampooning the junta, Myanmar's Moustache Brothers aren't ready to stop poking fun at the regime yet, despite dramatic changes that mean laughter is no longer such a risky business. With nothing more than their sharp wit, the sexagenarian members of one of the long-isolated country's most famous comedy troupes are perhaps among the bravest dissidents to have stood up to the generals. And they pull no punches when it comes to the new army-backed government that took power last year after almost half a century of outright military rule ended in the country formerly known as Burma. "It's old wine in a different bottle," said Par Par Lay, 64, also known as "Brother Number One". Officially banned and blacklisted, the act counts pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi among its fans, but these days they perform in English to growing numbers of foreign tourists at their nightly show in their home city Mandalay. With the regime embarking on a series of dramatic reforms, the satirists hope one day to be able to take their act on the road, and enlighten the poor about the political situation. For now, however, Par Par Lay, his younger brother Lu Maw and their leathery faced cousin Lu Zaw are contented to be able to tell the world about their country through laughter. Lu Maw, a wiry 62-year-old whose broken English is peppered with mismatched idioms, elicited nervous laughter by admonishing the crowd at a recent show to be quiet because government agents were nearby. "We are blacklisted, jail birds, and illegals you know, so you are also here illegally," he told a young American woman in the front row before breaking into a grin. "But don't worry, the government loves tourists because they want your dollars." At another point in the show Par Par Lay asked the crowd if they wanted to see an authentic Burmese act. Within seconds, he was wearing a balaclava helmet over his moustachioed face and sporting a hand gun as he gingerly mimicked a thief breaking into a home. "That's how they are, like Jesse James, Ali Baba, like bandits," Lu Maw said on the microphone, alluding to the military to scattered laughter from the crowd. The trio used to lead one of Myanmar's most popular traditional comedy acts. But their colourful show took a political turn when they fell foul of the authorities in 1996 for making fun of the junta during a performance at Aung San Suu Kyi's house in Yangon to mark Independence Day. Par Par Lay and Lu Zaw were arrested and sentenced to seven years imprisonment, sparking worldwide appeals for their release. They were sent to a labour camp and freed in 2001. The experience might have crushed any ordinary comedian, but not Par Par Lay and his gang, who emerged from the bitter experience even more emboldened and daring in their attacks on the government. Par Par Lay was detained again in 2007 during a crackdown on the "Saffron Revolution" pro-democracy protests led by Buddhist monks, but released after about a month. The brothers are still officially banned from performing publicly, but they have found a way to continue their act by staging it for tourists in the family's cramped garage in Mandalay. The regime is not the only butt of their humour -- their jokes also target the West, and in particular the United States, which recently upgraded diplomatic relations with the Southeast Asian nation. Feigning seriousness, Lu Maw wondered aloud why US-led coalition forces had not sent unmanned drones to Myanmar, whose military he said had been involved in some of the world's most atrocious rights abuses. "Burma is the same as Libya, Egypt, Somalia or Syria. But they all have oil," Lu Maw said with a naughty wink. "Ah, but they (the West) don't know what we have -- we have opium and heroin too." After the one-hour show, the brothers personally thanked every visitor and sold them souvenirs. They said the money would go to helping those political prisoners still languishing in jail, despite a series of mass pardons that have seen hundreds of others walk free under the new reformist government. Par Par Lay said he was confident Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy party would do well in parliamentary by-elections set for April 1, but he called for a close watch on the ballots. "She will win, everybody knows that," he said. "But April 1, the day of election, is also April Fool's Day. We hope it's not going to be a joke." Reform in Myanmar is irreversible: Top Yangon official http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20120229-330821.html 28-Feb-2012 Burmese President Thein Sein's chief political adviser, Ko Ko Hlaing, says Burma's political reform is "irreversible" because of the president's strong will, the specific constitutional stipulation towards democracy, the Burmese people's taste of new-found freedom, and the need for the country to follow the international trend. In an exclusive interview with The Nation, the man known as Burma's "political insider" said he was certain that former military leader Senior General Than Shwe was not running the country from behind the scenes and would not make a comeback. "As a Buddhist, you can understand the mentality of an elderly Buddhist. You should understand also the mind of a soldier - which is always the desire to accomplish his mission. After the mission is accomplished, he can take a rest. He [Than Shwe] had taken the responsibilities of the state for a long time and there were many hardships, pressures and difficulties. But he did the best for his country. He built a lot of bridges, roads and dams. He also laid down the conditions of democratic reform - the seven-step road map. He is now enjoying his retirement with his grandchildren," Ko Ko Hlaing said. Asked whether Than Shwe may be dictating the government from behind the scenes, the presidential aide said: "As far as I know, he has totally resigned from politics. He doesn't want to be involved in this new set-up. He told some of his colleagues and some senior military officers that he had resigned from politics. He is not like Deng Xiao Ping of China or Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore [who retained considerable power after stepping down from the top political posts]." Responding to a question about whether the former military strongman is afraid to be taken to trial by a civilian government, Ko Ko Hlaing said: "This is a Buddhist country. Forgiveness is our principle. Also, Aung San Suu Kyi and the other opposition leaders, old and young, have talked about forgiving and forgetting the past and trying to do the best for the nation." National League for Democracy leader Suu Kyi has said she is not clear whether the Burmese military establishment is solidly behind the reform "and until I know that they support the reform fully, I cannot say that the process is irreversible". The presidential adviser said Suu Kyi had for a long time been under house arrest and, even when she was in the country, she had been kept in isolation for many years. "It's now only a few months since her release. So, this is the time she is trying to cope with the current situation. It's quite natural that she doesn't fully trust the Myanmar [Burma] military yet." "We have faced much turbulence and riots in the past. We don't want to return to the past. The Myanmar government and the people wholeheartedly want a smooth transition. It's a top-down process. We started with a bottom-up approach in 1988 but, during 2004-2011, it was a top-down process. Why? Because we would like to see a very smooth transition. At that time, there was no Arab Spring. But we have to admit that we have had a long history of insurrections and insurgencies. That's why the role of the military was quite significant in our politics," he said. Burma at the time was risking disintegration like Bosnia. "The military tried very hard to keep the country intact at the peak of the Cold War between the Eastern and Western blocs. We also had to protect our territorial integrity. It was a very hard time for the Myanmar army. This experience has always haunted the military leaders. "That's why the Myanmar military wants to have a role in the political arena, not to dominate the political stage but to take part as an element - as a balancing sector.