Junta threat may spur refugee exodus, Karen council warns

Mizzima
Bern Smith
Mae Sot

A makeshift camp near the Thai-Burmese border in Tha Song Yang district last year. Karen refugees lived in this camp for months, through the worst of the wet season. Photo: Mizzima

An exodus of refugees in numbers never before seen along the Thai-Burma border could begin within days, the KNU/KNLA Peace Council has warned. In a plea to the “international community”, the Peace Council this week said 6,000 to 10,000 people could initially be evacuated, but if the Burma Army made a clean sweep of its capital, as many as 100,000 people could be affected. The KNU/KNLA Peace Council signed an agreement with Burma’s ruling military junta, the State Peace and Development Council, in 2006 when it broke away from the Karen National Union. Since then it has developed a capital on the western side of the Dawna mountain range, at Hto Kaw Ko, and its leaders have entered into business arrangements with the Burma Army >>> Junta threat may spur refugee exodus, Karen council warns

Reality bites as junta officials horde cash, assets

Missing middle class leaves vaccum for rising ‘criminal class’

Mizzima
By Bern Smith
Sydney

Sean Turnell

Senior Burmese government officials are “salting down” assets of all sorts and stashing cash in offshore banks in a sure sign the insiders are beginning to hedge their bets on the ruling military junta’s future, an economics analyst has said. Professor Sean Turnell, from Sydney’s Macquarie University, said the officials were looking to guarantee their families’ futures in Burma’s ruling class. Prof Turnell is a principal of Burma Economic Watch and has addressed the United States’ Senate Sub-committee on Foreign Relations about the effectiveness of US sanctions.
He is a firm believer in sanctions. Prof Turnell is also a former Reserve Bank of Australia senior analyst, and says little can be expected of ASEAN, India, nor China when it comes to pushing for reforms from the junta >>> Reality bites as junta officials horde cash, assets

Thailand seeks to dilute cost of developing Burma gas fields

Asian Energy

  Bangkok, Thailand

August 16, 2010

Thailand’s oil and gas developer PTTEP says it wants to sell minority stakes in five gas blocks in Burma for which it has exclusive exploration and production licenses. The Thai government-controlled company has 100 percent ownership of the development rights in the blocks, which include the rich M9 in the Gulf of Martaban >>> Thailand seeks to dilute cost of developing Burma gas fields

Australian radios aiding Burma army

The Age

Hamish McDonald

  Rangoon, Burma

August 16, 2010

Burma’s army has evaded Australian government sanctions to obtain radio sets from a Perth manufacturer that allow it to scramble its communications, gaining a new advantage in its wars against domestic rebels and dissidents.Prestigious British defence journal Jane’s Intelligence Review reports that Perth-based Barrett Communications has been selling its radio sets directly in response to tenders by Burma’s Ministry of Defence, contradicting suggestions by the company it was selling the radios to civilian agencies of the Burmese government >>> Australian radios aiding Burma army

Election date announcement pressures opposition parties

August 14th, 2010
Kong Janoi, IMNA

Several opposition political parties in Burma are chafing under yesterday’s announcement of the date of the country’s upcoming election, now set for November 7th of this year. Three parties interviewed yesterday told IMNA that they are financially unprepared to submit their candidate lists to Burma’s Election Commission, which according to yesterday’s announcement must now be sent in between August 16th and August 30. All candidate lists have to be submitted to the Commission along with a fee of 500,000 kyat [500 USD] per candidate, which parties now have less than a month to raise. U Thein Htay, the leader of Union Democratic Party (UDP), told IMNA that he feels that yesterday’s announcement, which has effectively limited the submission of candidate lists and money to within the next 15 days, has made the election process less democratic >>> Election date announcement pressures opposition parties

Thai-Burmese bridge open, at the right time and price

Mizzima

By Bern Smith

  Mae Sot, Thailand

August 15, 2010

With the closure of the Thai-Burmese Friendship Bridge near Mae Sot, truck inner tubes are currently the only way for Burmese migrant workers to cross the Moei River to Thailand. But the bridge does open, under cover of darkness and to those who pay enough. Photo: AFP

The Thai-Burma Friendship Bridge, spanning the Moei River between Mae Sot and Myawaddy, is open – at the right price and under the cover of darkness. Thai traders in Mae Sot have told Mizzima that trucks laden with goods can pass over the bridge if the right people are paid the right money. Shipments must be arranged via Democratic Karen Buddhist Army commander Chit Thu and Thai authorities must be paid, the traders said, on condition of anonymity. The bridge was closed by Burma in early July, allegedly because of moves by Thailand to construct a wall along its side of the river, beefing up security along the international border. The Tak Chamber of Commerce has since demanded the Thai government intervene and negotiate with the Burmese, claiming 20 days of closure had cost Thailand revenue of 20 billion baht >>> Thai-Burmese bridge open, at the right time and price

Karen National Union flag.

Karen flags ordered removed

Another blow for Burma’s ethnic diversity at the hands of the generals

Peacerunning, August 10, 2010

Adopting a tough stand, the Burmese military junta yesterday ordered the removal of the Karen national flag from the gates and military camps of ceasefire groups in Karen State. “The order to remove Karen flags was released at 9:30 am yesterday. All the flags were removed by 3 pm, a DKBA soldier told KIC. According to DKBA sources, the order came from Col. Khin Maung Htay of MOC 12, who is directly appointed by Nay Pyi Daw to solve border issues >>> Karen flags ordered removed

Drug economics in Burma’s new political order

The regime’s biggest threat for the past half-century, besides Aung San Suu Kyi, has been rebel armies from various ethnic groups. For decades the regime has worked to increase its presence in these rural areas by building paramilitary allies in hostile regions. The local militias suppress rebel activities in exchange for the freedom to produce and transport drugs with full military co-operation. As the military brokered more deals, its obsession with power quickly took precedence over its war on drugs. Now the regime is more powerful than ever, due to a survival strategy that is largely subsidised by Burma’s multi-billion-dollar drug trade. Perry Santanachote examines trade, the people who benefit from it and cover it up, the victims and those caught in between

MYANMAR, LWE SAN SONE RANGE: A Myanmar soldier, holding his machine gun, displays to foreign journalists opium poppies 15 January 2000 during the destruction of an opium field near the notorious Golden Triangle. Fifty thousands villagers will be uprooted from their homes in this lucrative opium area to be relocated in an unprecedented mass migration project designed to crippled heroin production. AFP PHOTO/Emmanuel Dunand

Drug economics in Burma’s new political order, part 1

Drug economics in Burma’s new political order, part 2

Drug economics in Burma’s new political order, part 3

Hunt on for maverick DKBA commander

KNU general-secretary says Saw La Bwe may come home, on one condition – no drugs

DVB

FRANCIS WADE

  Mae Sot, Thailand

August 3, 2010

An order has been sent by senior Burmese army officials to troops in Karen state to capture the commander of a government-allied militia faction, as tensions appear to be escalating. Officials have also introduced tight regulations on civilians in towns bordering territory belonging to the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army’s (DKBA) Brigade 5, whose commander, Saw La Bwe (also known as Na Kham Mwe), continues to refuse to transform into a Border Guard Force >>> Hunt on for maverick DKBA commander

Retaking power in Burma

DVB

Elliott Prasse-freeman

  Norway, Oslo

July 26, 2010

(This is a three-part series)

Senior General Than Shwe

Prevailing current opinion is that Burma’s elections this year will be a charade and the opposition is right to condemn them. Burma, commentators say, is a totalitarian state controlled by a military clique that has ruled the country for nearly half a century. But the myth of totalitarianism should be challenged, as should the assumption that there is no potential for meaningful social change to exist around the election process. Because while the conditions for politics in Burma are hardly ideal, a legitimate opportunity for reconnecting with average people – and opposing the military’s march toward pseudo-normalcy – exists in this year’s elections …

Retaking power in Burma (Pt. 1)

Retaking power in Burma (Pt. 2)

Retaking power in Burma (Pt. 3)

Brown’s vain hope for Burma

Former PM pegged hopes on UN chief

(From an article posted July 3, 2009)

Huffington Post

Gordon Brown

When UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon meets the military dictatorship in Burma today he will have the whole world with him. His mission, to persuade the junta to release all political prisoners and engage with democracy, is critical to the future of the Burmese people.

But it is also a crucial moment for the international community. In recent weeks, we have seen an extraordinary consensus around the world in support of all those forced to suffer under the Burmese regime. The UN, the EU, and ASEAN have all made clear the need for urgent change. More than 45 Heads of State have added their voices to the call. How we respond to the injustices in Burma will send a message about our resolution to tackle similar abuses across the globe. Political and humanitarian conditions in the country continue to deteriorate >>> Brown’s vain hope for Burma

Pre-Election Military Operations by SPDC

KNU

  Kwathoolei, Karen state

July 26, 2010

The SPDC military junta has started pre-election military operations, targeting the innocent Karen civilians in the Karen State and other KNU areas. On July 23 at 10:00 am, SPDC troops heavily shelled with mortars Tha-dah-Der village in Papun (Mudraw) District for more than 4 hours. Later, at about 2:30 pm, SPDC troops entered the village and burnt down 57 houses, one Christian church, one middle school building and other farm huts. The villagers had to flee for their lives and go into hiding, leaving most of their possessions.
There are 540 persons in hiding, including 178 students and villagers from a nearby village. They are now hiding in the jungle without proper shelter, facing many hardships as it is now the middle of the rainy season with daily heavy down pours. Particularly, the women and children are in high risk health situation in the jungle, with swarms of disease bearing insects and the scarcity of clean water
 >>> KNU report on human rights violations in Karen State

Burma nuclear weapon program claims supported by photos, Jane’s reports

Bloomberg

Peter S Green

  London, UK

July 21, 2010

Allegations by a Myanmar defector that the military-run country is pursuing a nuclear program are corroborated by newly available commercial satellite images, Jane’s Intelligence Review said in an article released recently. The photos of buildings and security fences near the country’s capital, Naypyidaw, confirm reports by Major Sai Thein Win of machine tool factories and other facilities alleged to be part of a nascent program to build nuclear weapons, the magazine reported from London >>> Jane’s report

Constructive engagement policy is making its presence felt

KNU

Kanbawza Win

  Kwathoolei, Karen state

July 22, 2010

It seems that the ASEAN’s illogical policy of Constructive Engagement towards Burma has make its presence felt. The brain child of Singapore’s Lee KwanYew and Malaysia’s Dr Mahathir Mohammad of letting the Burmese dictators run their course, while ASEAN continue to exploit the country’s natural and human resources have reached a dead end. No doubt the ASEAN’s Foreign Ministers racked their brains in Hanoi of how to handle the most troublesome member of the group as it goes nuclear and is about to threaten the region. In fact alarm bells have been going on in Southeast Asian capitals since early June when it was proven beyond doubt that the Burmese Junta intends to build nuclear weapons facilities’ >>> Constructive engagement policy is making its presence felt

KNU report on human rights violations in Karen State

KNU

July 22, 2010

The present report, prepared by the civil administration of Karen National Union (KNU), covers human rights violations perpetrated by the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) army and its proxy, the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), in Eastern Burma, in May-June 2010. In this report, Karen state means the present SPDC-defined Karen State, some parts of Pago (Pegu) Division, Mon State and Taninthayi (Tenasserim) Division >>> KNU report on human rights violations in Karen State

KNU President Saw Tamlabaw’s address on 63rd anniversary of founding of KNDO

KNU

KNU President Saw Tamlabaw

  Kwathoolei, Karen state

July 15, 2010

Today, July 16, 2010, is the 63rd Anniversary of the founding of Karen National Defense Organization (KNDO). On this special occasion, I would like to extend my greetings and best wishes to all leaders and personnel of the KNDO for health, happiness and high morale, and I would like all concerned to bear in mind the essential facts given below >>> KNU President Saw Tamlabaw’s address on 63rd Anniversary of founding of KNDO

Fit for a king

www.danielpedersen.org

Daniel Pedersen

  Naypyidaw, Burma

July 16, 2010

SPDC chief Than Shwe’s new palatial residence in the military capital Naypidaw.

These photographs were taken in and around SPDC chief Than Shwe’s new palatial residence in the military capital Naypidaw. As you can see by the newly-laid turf, the final trimmings have only just been added.
He could not, of course, risk building such a mansion in Rangoon, in fear of the outrage and protests it would inevitably provoke. But ordinary people won’t see the Naypidaw home, because they don’t live there, and aren’t welcome there. Rangoon remains the commercial capital of the country, while Naypidaw is the military and administrative boffins’ hideaway. Well, we got hold of the photos and here they are. Said Karen National Union Vice President David Thackrabaw: ‘See, negotiation is useless.’ >>> Fit for a king

Increased fighting stymies Thanphyuzayart to Three Pagoda Pass trade routes

www.scribd.com

Jaloon Htaw

  Three Pagoda Pass, Thailand

July 16, 2010

Traders in the township of Three Pagoda Pass (TPP) have shut down their trade routes after increased fighting between the Burma Army and insurgent Karen forces has made the road between TPP and Thanphyuzayart too dangerous to travel. According to traders, fighting between the Coastline Command Light Infantry Battalion No. 409 and the Karen National Union’s (KNU) Battalions No. 16 and No. 17 has caused significant disruption along the route between the townships of Three Pagoda Pass and Thanphyuzayart Town. This route is the only road between TPP and Thanphyuzayart. It is the main trade route for traders bringing Thai products form the border to Thanphyuzayart, and basic foodstuffs back to communities living along the border. >>> Increased fighting stymies Thanphyuzayart to Three Pagoda Pass trade routes

Report: Global illegal logging on downswing

Time

Krista Mahr

  Burma

July 16, 2010

In 2004-5, one log truck carrying about 15 tons of timber logged illegally in Burma crossed an official Chinese checkpoint an average of every seven minutes. Photo: Global Witness

F

rom the department of (mostly) good news, a major study released today by London-based NGO Chatham House offers one of those rare beasts in the jungle of environmental reports: improvement. The report finds that the collective efforts of government, civil society and the private sector in 12 countries have yielded big reductions in illegal logging in the last 10 years. According to “Illegal Logging and Related Trade: Indicators of the Global Response,” the total global production of illegal timber has dropped 22% since 2002. That reduction was particularly dramatic in three supply countries — Cameroon, the Brazilian Amazon and Indonesia — where illegal activity has dropped an impressive 50 to 75%, saving some 17 million hectares of forest and avoiding the release of at least 1.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide if those tropical forests been cut down. >>> Global illegal logging on downswing

A brittle democracy

So who are the republicans waiting in the wings?

Don Talenywun

  Bangkok, Thailand

May 25, 2010

The stickers label him "pramook (president)" of the "new Thai state".

Everyone denied responsibility for the red and white stickers plastered around Bangkok during the melee these past weeks. Spooked Bangkok residents first spotted the garish stickers well before the killing started in central Bangkok. The stickers carried the message: “New Thai State under President Thaksin Shinawatra”. Thaksin immediately denied he had anything to do with the stickers or the message they bore, and the red shirts said they didn’t know where they had come from. But the stickers were there, on walls, trumpeting the proposition of Thailand becoming a republic with Thaksin>>> A brittle democracy

Sanctioning Disaster

The Burma expert defends aid, diplomacy, and “understanding” Burma’s dictators in order to improve human rights, sway softliners, and save lives.

Morten Pedersen

Early last month, Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell met with Burma’s Aung San Suu Kyi and offered a battery of human rights demands to her wardens in the military government. The dictators have been gearing up for elections later this year. Yet, unfazed by Campbell’s demands, they yawned and pressed on with elections from which Suu Kyi, who won in 1990, and her opposition party, the National League for Democracy, are banned. International election monitors? Also banned. And don’t expect election-day scoops from a country where a foreign journalist was shot point-blank for covering monks’ protests in 2007. “I think they learned their lesson from 1990 when they actually allowed for a free and fair election and lost in a landslide,” said Jared Genser, Suu Kyi’s international counsel. Days after his visit, Campbell admitted “profound disappointment” that more had not come from the talks. Mark Farmaner of the Burma Campaign UK, noted judiciously: “ … Clearly after >>> Sanctioning Disaster

Burma’s Human Rights record up for review

aappb

  Mae Sot, Thailand

July 6, 2010

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners has submitted its report to the UN Human Rights Council for the Universal Periodic Review of Burma. The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a new mechanism of the Human Rights Council (HRC) aimed at improving the human rights record of all 192 UN Member States. Burma is up for its first review in the 10th session of HRC, in January 2011.
“For countries, like Burma, with a poor human rights record and a low ratification rate of international human rights treaties, the UPR provides a unique opportunity to put them in the hot seat and have their rights record publically scrutinized” says Bo Kyi, Joint Secretary of AAPP — < a href="http://www.aappb.org/">Burma’s Human Rights record up for review

 United States Campaign for Burma (USCB)

Pity the children

The misery of an unfortunate birthplace

Dan Pedersen

www.danielpedersen.org

  Mae Sot, Thailand

July 30, 2009

A child no-one seems able to immediately identify squats in the rain at Safe Haven Orphanage.

More than 200 people are living in pitiful conditions at the Safe Haven Orphanage on the Thai-Burma border. About three quarters of them are newly-arrived refugees forced across the border by a rapacious campaign of forced recruitment into the armed forces of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, allies of Burma’s ruling military junta. Most of them are children. They live under thin plastic sheeting suspended over festering mud puddles alive with mosquitoes and larvae. Until recently many of the children were suffering from malaria, but the Thai Public Health Ministry treated them. But that does not stop new infections. Water for the settlement is drawn from the Moei River, just below its confluence with the Salween River >>> Pity the children

Money is urgently needed to buy food and essential items for basic living.
This is an open appeal to anyone who can afford to help these people, victims of an ongoing campaign of genocide to force them from their home country.