BurmaNet News, September 22, 2005

[Editor]

September 22, 2005 Issue # 2808



INSIDE BURMA
Irrawaddy: NDA-K loyalists take Hpimaw
AFP: Myanmar's lottery dreams twice as pricey: report

HEALTH / AIDS
Narinjara News: Dengue endemic hits children in Arakan State

REGIONAL
Mizzima News: Peace call for Burma overwhelming
Thai Press Reports: MP who owned massage parlours now wants the whole
business eliminated

INTERNATIONAL
Irrawaddy: US to push again for UN Security Council debate on Burma
Reuters: U.S. vows to push for U.N. action on Myanmar
Irrawaddy: Burma at threshold of “A New Era,” says FM
DVB: Burmese activists continue hunger strike outside UN building

OPINION / OTHER
Irrawaddy: United, we fail

PRESS RELEASE
Arakan Rohingya National Organisation: Humanity gone amok in Arakan, Burma

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

September 22, Irrawaddy
NDA-K loyalists take Hpimaw - Khun Sam

Soldiers loyal to Zahkung Ting Ying, the recently deposed chairman of the
New Democratic Army-Kachin ethnic ceasefire group, yesterday captured the
Kachin town of Hpimaw on the China-Burma border, a regional source has
reported.

The source, who requested anonymity, confirmed that the chairman’s
supporters captured the NDA-K controlled town, north of the group’s
headquarter in Pang Wah, after fighting which resulted in an unconfirmed
number of deaths and injuries.

Pro-chairman troops are now understood to be marching towards Pang Wah
where the coup leaders and their troops are based. “The fight could be
tonight or tomorrow night,” the source told The Irrawaddy by phone today.

Many Pang Wah residents are leaving the town in anticipation of fighting
breaking out between the two sides, and are heading for the Kachin State
capital of Myitkyina and across the nearby China border. “There are not
many people in Pang Wah,” the source said. “Everyone is running away.”

Tension between the loyalists and NDA-K members who support the recent
coup has been building since September 14 when Zahkung Ting Ying was
removed from office on charges relating to an alleged stranglehold on
local businesses in Kachin State as well as his use of predominantly
Chinese soldiers for his personal security team.

NDA-K general secretary Layawk Zelum led the coup while the chairman was
visiting Rangoon. More than 80 people were arrested, including several of
the chairman’s family members and security guards.

Gunfights between the rival groups began five days after the coup. The
first battle occurred September 19 when a group of loyalists attacked a
motorcade full of troops who supported the coup traveling to Hpimaw from
Mankye. The attack reportedly left 10 dead and seven injured and was
followed by further attacks on September 20 and 21.

Meanwhile, concerned for their own security, several members of the Kachin
Independence Organization splinter group led by Col Lasang Awng Wa left
Pang Wah, where the group had taken refuge since it broke away from the
KIO after an alleged coup attempt at the KIO headquarters in Laiza, Kachin
State, early last year.

Local sources say some members have traveled to Hpimaw, where troops loyal
to Zahkung Ting Ying have taken control. One member of the splinter group
told The Irrawaddy by phone that “we had no choice, as they suspected us
to be allies of the chairman.”

____________________________________

September 22, Agence France Presse
Myanmar's lottery dreams twice as pricey: report

Yangon: The price of a shot at lotto riches will cost twice as much for
Myanmar's impoverished population as the military government doubles the
price of tickets, an official newspaper said Thursday.

Starting November 1, ticket prices will double to 100 kyat (eight US
cents), but the jackpot will also grow from 30 million kyat to 50 million
(25,000 to 41,000 dollars), the official Myanmar Ahlin newspaper said.

Some 32 million lottery tickets are sold each month but the government
hopes a sweeter prize will win over converts from more popular underground
lotteries.

Under the new system, only 21 million tickets will be printed each month,
increasing the odds of buying a winner, the Burmese-language newspaper
said.

"We hope the public will like the new system, because the winning prize is
much higher than before and the tickets are reduced," an official with the
state lottery who asked not to be named told AFP.

Ticket vendors operate a complex underground lottery in Myanmar that is
more popular than the state system.

In the illegal lottery, vendors sell official lotto tickets at more than
twice the real price. The extra money is pooled together, and winners
receive a jackpot twice as big as the official one.

Another popular underground system allows gamblers to bet every day on the
closing numbers on the stock exchange in neghbouring Thailand, which is
monitored on satellite television in tea shops around Yangon.

The cash-strapped government, which receives 40 percent of the lottery
revenues, hopes the new official system will prove more popular.

"Our government wants people to win much more prize money than before,"
the lottery official said.

____________________________________
HEALTH / AIDS

September 22, Narinjara News
Dengue endemic hits children in Arakan State

Akyab: There has been an alarming increase in the hospitalization of
children in Arakan state with Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF), according to
local and medical sources in the state. The pathetic part is that there is
not enough medicine to treat the children and what is available is being
sold at a premium by medical stores. A medical staff member from the Akyab
hospital said: “There are about 150 children currently at the hospital.
They have been diagnosed with DHF. Most of the children are from the
regional areas of Rathidaung and Ponenargyan.”

The hospital staff said that there is not enough medicine to treat the
children at the hospital. The private pharmaceutical outlets are also
increasing the prices of the medicines needed to more than double the
normal price, given the scarcity due to increased demand. An Arakanese
nurse who had worked in Arakan at a senior level said that the endemic
itself occurs due to the lack of education on DHF, lack of sanitation
measures, and proper strategic prevention. The government is responsible
for not putting these in place, she added. When there is someone being
diagnosed there is no medication available at the public hospitals since
there is no provision for it.

Besides the lack of medication available in the public hospital store, the
hospital facilities can be used only on a fee paying basis.  Fees for
beds, bed sheets, stove, and hospital security are to be paid by the
family whose kin is being hospitalized. Even the doctor’s fee, known in
Burma as the fees for the movement of the doctors’ feet, has to be paid.

The former senior nurse said in a telephone interview that dengue fever is
caused by mosquito bites, and generally it is the result of the unhygienic
environment that is usually associated with poverty. The children are the
worst sufferers, and they have to be hospitalized in time to save their
lives. Poor parents who can not afford to buy the medicine and pay for the
facilities and fees have no choice but to watch their children suffer and
die. But most of the time, they sell their means of livelihood, such as
cattle and rice fields to save the children.

“I don’t know how they continue to earn a living after that.  It is a sad
situation. I think the government should do something about it. I also
hope the international community would do something about it,” she added.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

September 21, Mizzima News
Peace call for Burma overwhelming - Han Pai & Nam Davies

Pro-democracy activists called for resolving Burma’s political crisis by
non-violent and peaceful means on International Day of Peace today.

"If we sincerely wish to build genuine and everlasting peace, we must
resolve all crisis and conflicts in a non-violent and peaceful manner,"
Khin Ohn Mar from Women's League of Burma (WLB) said at a function marking
the International Day of Peace in Thailand today.

The WLB comprising 12 women’s ethnic groups, called for a nationwide
ceasefire to all armed forces of the military regime and all ethnic forces
in commemoration of the "International Day of Peace."

Over 600 people from ethnic armed forces, pro-democracy forces, migrant
workers and representatives of civil societies attended today’s function
held on the Thai-Burma border at 10 a.m. They wore blue peace day T shirts
and ethnic traditional dress.

"We haven’t yet achieved peace in our country. The people are facing
hardships. Everybody knows what is going on in the ethic areas. There is
no war in some in areas, but there is no peace either in these areas,"
Pado Man Shar Laphan, the General Secretary of Karen National Union (KNU)
said.

"We cannot achieve peace just by holding a function. The people must have
the right to freedom of association and take part in this peace building
process freely. Only in this way, can we have genuine peace and safeguard
this peace", he added.

KNU has the longest history of fighting against the Burmese military
regime and still is struggling against the junta.

"We come here and get a chance to know about peace. We are in a state of
euphoria after attending this function," a participant of this function,
Ma Mabel Htoo said.

We want peace

The participants signed on the International Day of Peace poster, said
prayers in all religions and sang peace songs. The poet Ko Nyein Wei
recited a poem observing peace and lit candles commemorating peace day.
They also released colorful balloons attached with peace banners.

"If we can build peace through dialogue with all forces and parties on an
equal footing, it will be the best way for us and with the least
bloodshed", Ko Ngwe Lin from "Democratic Party for a New Society" (DPNS)
said.

The refugees in Thailand, India and Bangladesh, and migrant workers
totaling 40,000 people signed a petition and sent it to the United Nations
Security Council (UNSC) to raise the Burma issue to UNSC.

India

The New Delhi based pro-democracy forces staged a peaceful demonstration
in downtown Jantar Mantar by holding small blue flags with doves and sang
peace songs. They also said prayers from their respective faiths.

Jaya Jaitely, a women leader from India, joined the demonstration and said
that there was no peace in Burma because of the brutal military regime.
She also praised Daw Aung San Suu Kyi for her firm commitment to democracy
and non-violent struggle.

"They (regime) have no spiritual power and wisdom for peace. They have
only guns. They only know how to aim their guns at innocent and unarmed
people. They can only detain and restrict Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. No
countries want bombs and arms today. Everybody wants justice, development,
democracy and peace,
she added.

Manipur-India

A similar function was held in Moreh on the Indo-Burma border. It was
attended by 2nd-in-Command of 24th Assam Rifles as a representative of
Assam Rifles and the Kutki women organizations, Human Rights groups and
religious leaders also attended.

The Burmese authorities closed the border today after hearing the news of
the function in Moreh. Ma Noni, an organizer of the peace function and a
leader of Burmese Women Union (BWU), said that over 50 soldiers were
deployed at No. 2 Border Gate today.

____________________________________

September 22, Thai Press Reports
Thailand: MP who owned massage parlours now wants the whole business
eliminated

Deputy Chart Thai party leader Chuwit Kamolvisit on Tuesday called on
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to stamp out the prostitution-riddled
massage business within the next few years, the Bangkok Post reports.

Earlier widely known for having run several lucrative massage parlours in
the Ratchadaphisek road area and nearby, Mr Chuwit suggested Mr Thaksin
introduce legislation to criminalise the "modern-day" massage parlour
business, which, he said, not only involves the flesh trade but harbours
other illegal dealings.

"For the sake of our young generation, the premier should come up with a
bill to put an end to all massage businesses in the next three years.
Modern-day massage is not only prone to prostitution but encourages
gambling and other vices," said the maverick lawmaker.

About 20 business people currently own leading massage parlours in the
Ratchadaphisek road and New Phetchaburi road areas, Mr. Chuwit said.

Hundreds of Burmese and Karen women were lured into prostitution at
massage parlours in the Ratchadaphisek area. Though the Burmese and Karen
were known to carry fake IDs, the Immigration Police and other authorities
did not arrest suspected prostitutes, Mr. Chuwit said.

"The police might have arrested some of the Burmese and Karen only to
release them in exchange for pay-offs a few hours later. You'd feel as
though you were somewhere in Burma if you got to the sidewalks of Ratchada
and noticed those women did not speak Thai," he said.

The ex-massage parlour tycoon earlier charged that senior police officers
received bribes from massage parlour operators.

Mr. Chuwit added that he planned to introduce legislation to keep all
businesses involving vice from within a 500-meter radius of schools and
colleges nationwide.

Meanwhile, national police commissioner Pol Gen Kowit Wattana said the
police had never planned to issue a licence to the Alaina massage parlour
on Ratchadaphisek road whose owner should have known that it was illegal
to set it up in front of a secondary school.

Pol Gen Kowit's decision not to issue the licence was in line with the
suggestion of a review committee of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, led by
Pol Gen Amnuay Petsiri, which stated that the parlour's business was in
breach of the law.

_____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

September 22, Irrawaddy
US to push again for UN Security Council debate on Burma - Aung Lwin Oo

The US is to make a new attempt to put the Burma question on the agenda of
the UN Security Council at its session next month. Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State Eric G. John told a congressional committee that
Washington intended to push for Security Council discussion of Burma’s
suppression of human rights despite the blocking by Russia and China in
June of a similar initiative.

John told the House of Representatives Sub-committee on Asia and the
Pacific on Wednesday that Burma “remains exceptionally repressive and is
becoming even harsher in its treatment of its people.” The US remained
“deeply concerned about the safety and welfare of Aung San Suu Kyi and
other political prisoners,” he said.

John urged Asean and neighboring countries to do more for reform in Burma,
saying the engagement approach by China and Thailand was unproductive.
Thailand’s Foreign Minister, Kantathi Suphamongkon, however, defended
Bangkok’s engagement policy on Tuesday, saying in a Washington interview:
“if you close the door, the chances of things improving will decrease.”

The congressional sub-committee’s chairman, James A. Leach, endorsed
John’s view, saying Burma’s “political and humanitarian conditions remain
deplorable.”

John’s announcement of a new bid to raise the Burma question before the UN
Security Council followed a joint call on Tuesday by former Czech
president Vaclav Havel and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Archbishop Desmond
Tutu of South Africa for immediate action to be taken against the Burmese
regime by the world body.

In an address to the UN General Assembly last Friday, the junta’s Foreign
Minister Nyan Win reminded the world body of its principle of
non-interference. “While the United Nations must be reformed, its
sacrosanct principles of national sovereignty, territorial integrity,
equality, non-interference in internal affairs, settlement of disputes by
peaceful means, and non-use of force or threat of use of force should
remain inviolate,” he said.

Thaung Htun, the UN representative of the Burmese government in exile, the
National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma, said on Thursday that
in dealing with the Burmese junta, “it’s time that the UN should step up
to the next level,” since UN resolutions over the years had changed
nothing.

“We are seeking binding resolution from the UN, reinforced by the Security
Council,” said Washington-based exiled diplomat Thaung Htun. “We are not
calling for punitive actions such as sanctions and embargoes.”

_____________________________________

September 21, Reuters
U.S. vows to push for U.N. action on Myanmar - Paul Eckert

Washington: The United States is working with its allies to bring human
rights abuses in military-ruled Myanmar before the U.N. Security Council,
a senior U.S. diplomat told Congress Wednesday.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Eric John told the House Committee on
International Relations that Myanmar was "exceptionally repressive and is
becoming even harsher in its treatment of its people."

John said the United States had raised conditions in the isolated
Southeast Asian country, formerly known as Burma, in Security Council
deliberations in June - even though it was not on the council's formal
agenda - and sought ways to step up pressure on that government.

"We are also working with our partners to support efforts to place Burma
on next month's Security Council agenda," he said.

John called for the military junta that has run Myanmar since 1962 to
normalize its relations with the outside world through steps such as
"bringing its deplorable human rights practices into conformity with
international standards."

The U.S. warning came a day after Vaclav Havel, former president of the
Czech Republic, and Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, issued a
declaration calling for U.N. Security Council action on Myanmar.

Rejecting foreign criticism, Myanmar Foreign Minister Nyan Win told the
United Nations Wednesday that interference in his country's internal
affairs could derail what he called his government's plan for a transition
to democracy.

"In this regard, the understanding and support from the international
community would enable us to achieve our cherished goal more
expeditiously. Unwarranted pressures will however delay our progress," he
said in a speech.

On Sept. 12, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice singled out Myanmar for
human rights criticism during a meeting in New York with member countries
of the Association of South East Asian Nations.

For years, the United States has been urging Myanmar to ease restrictions
on political opposition, which includes the house arrest of Nobel laureate
and democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi.

Suu Kyi has spent nine of the last 16 years behind bars or under house
arrest for campaigning against the military junta. The leaders of the
country refused to hand over power after Suu Kyi's National League for
Democracy won a 1990 election.

(Additional reporting by Paul Taylor at the United Nations)

_____________________________________

September 22, Irrawaddy
Burma at threshold of “A New Era,” says FM - Clive Parker

Burma’s Foreign Minister Nyan Win yesterday told the UN General Assembly
in New York his country would achieve a “new era” of democracy more
quickly without outside pressure.

Rangoon’s representative again reiterated the core UN value of
non-interference in internal affairs in his speech, a point Burma has
emphasized regularly in reference to a possible threat from the US and the
UN Security Council, which has come under increasing pressure to act
against the junta.

Making his second address to the 60th General Assembly, Nyan Win told the
gathered ministers: “Myanmar [Burma] is poised at the threshold of a new
era. We are at a point in time during which all our attention must be
devoted to crossing the threshold and entering a new era.”

“In this regard the understanding and support from the international
community would enable us to achieve our cherished goal more
expeditiously. Unwarranted pressures will, however, delay our progress.”

Nyan Win deviated from the original transcript of his proposed speech,
leaving out the words: “The much yearned for democratic union is now
within sight.”

Reference was also made to the proposed Human Rights Council, a body the
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan hopes will replace the High Commission for
Human Rights—critics say the current human rights set-up at the UN is
ineffective given it only meets for six weeks a year.

Discussion over the council—the finer details of which are yet to be
decided by the General Assembly—has largely focused on whether it should
be all encompassing or, alternatively, whether members should be voted in
by a proposed two-thirds majority.

Nyan Win yesterday highlighted Rangoon’s stance on the issue, saying: “In
strengthening the Human Rights Mechanism, we must address the root causes,
namely, the use of selectivity, double standard and politicization.”

“Given the importance that we all place on human rights, developing
countries must play an active role in the negotiation process. We would
like to see the initiation of open, transparent and inclusive negotiations
at an early date,” he added.

Human Rights Watch, Oxfam and Amnesty International have indicated
previously that the Burmese government is in favor of an open membership
for the future Human Rights Council, which they say would allow Rangoon to
continue a “destructive” approach to human rights discussion within the
UN.

Describing Burma’s efforts to combat opium production—an area in which it
is second only to Afghanistan in terms of annual production—Nyan Win
attributed blame to what he called “a bitter colonial legacy.” Burma had
reduced production by 74 percent between 1996 and 2004, he said, in
reference to UN Office of Drugs and Crime statistics.

Burma’s foreign minister also used his address to the General Assembly to
highlight Rangoon’s opposition to terrorism, money laundering and human
trafficking along with the efforts the junta has made to eradicate them.
The US—one of the Burmese government’s biggest critics—says Burma needs to
do more to combat money laundering and trafficking in humans.

_____________________________________

September 21, Democratic Voice of Burma
Burmese activists continue hunger strike outside UN building

Burmese political activists and their supporters in US are continuing a
collective hunger strike in front of the United Nations buildings in New
York demanding the Security Council to take up the situation in Burma.

The strike started on 18 September, the 17th anniversary of the military
coup in Burma. One of the activist leaders Han Lin told DVB that the
participants call for the release of all Burmese political prisoners
including Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

“As today is the International Day of Peace, there is a need for a
peaceful transition in Burma,” Han Lin said. “We have been demanding it
for 17 years and the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) is still
not listening. Therefore we are staging a hunger strike thus in front of
the UN General Assembly.”

Before the hunger strike, the activists completed a 300-mile long march
from Washington DC to New York in an attempt to make the international
community concentrate on the situation in Burma.

_____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

September 22, The Irrawaddy
United, we fail

Burma’s generals are always proud to display one of their military mottos
in public: “Whoever tries to divide us we will always remain united.” But
are the generals united? Not quite.

In October 2004, the junta made a surprise move by sacking prime minister
and military intelligence chief Gen Khin Nyunt, considered the number
three man in the ruling junta. Now, almost one year has passed, and the
after-effects of the purge and the major reshuffle in its wake are still
felt in Rangoon. Signs of tension, coup rumors and even reports of
gunfights among top leaders because of mistrust among them still find
their way into the international media. Clearly, these are the result not
of “destructive elements” trying to destabilize the regime, but of
instability and paranoia among the generals themselves.

Many say that there will inevitably be a final battle, or dogfight, among
the leaders, particularly Snr-Gen Than Shwe and the junta’s number two,
Deputy Snr-Gen Maung Aye. But the fact is whoever wins in any power
struggle is unlikely to steer the country on a different, more benevolent
course.

Therefore, ironically, many observers both in and out of Burma still talk
about Khin Nyunt and his legacy. For sure, Khin Nyunt was one of the junta
leaders responsible for leading the country on its ruinous path, helping
to lock up hundreds of political activists and dissidents in Burma’s
gulags.

But foreign NGOs and UN agencies operating in Burma saw him and his circle
as among the most educated and brightest in the government. He and his
cohorts in his department and in the ministries under his control
undoubtedly cut through red tape to allow aid workers to move freely in
the country.

The fallen general was also viewed by senior officials in neighboring
countries and foreign visitors as more pragmatic and moderate than his
hard-line, sullen military colleagues. It was Khin Nyunt who openly
admitted there was a growing HIV/AIDS epidemic in the country—previously a
taboo subject—and helped a campaign to combat the disease.

UN special envoys also preferred to meet Khin Nyunt, who often surprised
them by giving backdoor approval to meet dissidents and to visit detained
Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s house. There is no doubt the chief spook
was one of the more sophisticated men in uniform.

Now that Khin Nyunt is reportedly under house arrest after being sentenced
to 44 years for corruption and insubordination, the generals have
tightened restrictions on the movement of UN officials and NGOs. Some are
thinking of pulling out of Burma. Ethnic minority ceasefire groups and
political parties—particularly Suu Kyi’s National League for
Democracy—also find themselves under more pressure.

There has been more friction on the international front, with Burma
threatening to quit the International Labor Organization, saying it is
putting the country under too much pressure over such issues as forced
labor.

In May, Rangoon was the surprise target of a deadly bombing attack, which
officially killed 23 people and injured 162. Indeed, everything seems to
be moving backwards.

The junta leaders, who claimed that no one was above the law when Khin
Nyunt was removed, now appear to be in an indecisive mood. Khin Nyunt may
be unlikely to make a comeback, but the generals do not seem to be any
more united since he was ousted.  Younger generals and other high ranking
officials are said by military sources to be disgruntled that the
country’s affairs are now decided by less than five generals.

In such a situation, it is tempting to speculate there may indeed be an
army faction plotting a coup, with a pragmatic, moderate soldier emerging
to lead a movement to return power to the people. We can only keep our
fingers crossed.

____________________________________
PRESS RELEASE

September 21, Arakan Rohingya National Organisation
Press Release: Humanity gone amok in Arakan, Burma

The military authorities in Arakan have taken an inhuman measure to starve
the Rohingya population in addition to ongoing systematic and planned
grave human rights violations against this minority community.


>From August 2005, the military administration has created artificial price

hike of the rice and other essentials causing the Rohingya villagers to
suffer or die from hunger. Particularly the authorities have blocked
carrying of rice into Rohingya majority area of northern Arakan from other
parts of the country.  Rohingyas are prohibited to carry or engage in
purchase and sale of rice. But the Buddhist and other communities of the
region are exempted from this scourge.

The SPDC armed forces have virtually controlled all the trade and business
in northern Arakan. They are the only rice dealers who sell it to the
Rohingyas in exorbitant prices. In the townships of Maungdaw, Buthidaung
and some parts of Rathedaung Township 1 kg of rice is now sold at Kyat 400
to 450 while the same is sold at Kyat 120 to 140 in Akyab (Sittwe), the
provincial capital of Arakan. Many Rohingya villagers have been reported
suffering starvation and malnutrition. There are cases of unreported
deaths. The situation is more serious with the children while the
condition of the pregnant women and sucking mothers are delicate.

On September 1, 2005, Rohima Khatoon, a 5 year old daughter of Deen
Mohamed of Myint Hlut village (Marulla Para) in  Maungdaw Township had
died of underfeeding. 8 family members of  Mohammad Salim, 40, S/o
Azimuddin  and 7 family members of Bailar, 45, all of them from the same
village of Myint Hlut were reported to have lost consciousness for two
days, due to starvation,  respectively on 5th and 10th September.

While the Rohingya villagers are in famine like situation, the armed
forces threaten them not to help one another. On August 26, 2005, the army
raided the house of one Khirimullah, son of Mohamed Kasim of Ann Din
village in Maungdaw Township and looted cash, gold and silver ornaments,
rice and paddy worth Kyat two millions for reason of helping 3kgs of rice
to a next-door poor woman whose family members were starving for about 2
days. Earlier there were instances that Nasaka (Border Security Forces)
had arrested many Rohingyas for carrying rice from one village to another
within the same locality. It was on September 1, 2005, one Kamal Mohamed,
28, son of Ali Akber was arrested by Nasaka while he was carrying 75 bags
of rice, in a sampan, from Buthidaung town to his village of Krinsama at a
distance of 5 miles.

It may be mentioned that since many years the Rohingyas have been
subjected to large-scale persecution day in, day out. The SPDC has
unjustly deprived them of their Burmese citizenship. The humiliating
restrictions imposed on their freedom of movement, even within the same
locality, has seriously affected all their national activities. Acquiring
of education, trade and business, farming, gardening and agricultural
activities are seriously restricted to them. On the other hand, criminal
atrocities, rape, murder, loot, forced labour, forced relocation,
confiscation of their properties, farmlands, destruction of settlements,
houses, mosques and religious schools, unprecedented taxation on houses
(roof tax), domestic animals, fowls or birds, fruits and vegetables are
daily phenomenon in Arakan. The rohingyas have to pay a tax for fishing in
the river and collecting firewood in the jungles. During recent weeks the
marriage of the Rohingya has been totally banned for 4 years. Besides, the
Rohingya villagers have to pay to the army for pasturing their cattle on
hills or any grasslands.

SPDC’s food embargo and other brutal actions against the Rohingya are
unparallel in the world. Intolerant persecution is the order of the day;
neither the life nor property or reputation of the Rohingya is safe. The
poor community is deprived of the means of livelihood on account of their
religion and ethnic origin. They are in sub-human condition. It is a
manmade tragedy with intention to force the remaining Rohingyas to leave
heir heaths and homes and/or make them to wander from place to place both
inside and outside the country, with ultimate aim of annihilating them
totally. It, therefore, amounts to genocide.

The general conditions in the whole of Burma are the worst today. Burma’s
heroine production, the spread of AIDS across the border, systematic abuse
of human rights, refugee problems warrant the United Nations Security
Council to take up an urgent initiative to bring political reforms in
Burma or to force the military regime to end tragedy that has befallen the
Burmese people.

We therefore:

(1)    Call upon the United Nations with World Food Programme (WFP) to
provide immediate help and succour to the starving people in Arakan,
Burma.

(2)    Urge upon the Bangladesh and all other neighbouring countries and
ASEAN to review their present policies on military-ruled Burma to bring
political reforms in accordance with the wishes and political aspirations
of the people of Burma.

(3)    Request the United States, European Union and the international
community to take an urgent initiative to raise the Burmese political
issue and humanitarian crisis to the United Nations Security Council for
adopting its binding resolution to end the human tragedy in Burma.

(4)   Demand to stop forthwith all human rights abuses and criminal
atrocities against the Rohingyas and other ethnic nationalities of the
country.

(5)   Demand to lift ban on the marriage of Rohingya and withdraw all
restrictions on the freedom of their movement and on the pursuit of their
childrens’ education, and to immediately restore all their fundamental
human rights and freedom, including their Burmese citizenship.

(6)   Demand to unconditionally release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all
political prisoners, including U Tin Oo and U Kyaw Min immediately.

Press and publication Department, Arakan Rohingya National Organisation
Arakan, Burma