BurmaNet News, March 8, 2007

[Editor]

March 8, 2007 Issue # 3157


INSIDE BURMA
Irrawaddy: Two more activists held in Rangoon
Irrawaddy: Account of reporter's beating censored in Rangoon
DVB: Widespread forced labour cases reported in Burma
Mizzima: Burmese elder arrested for satires on SPDC newspapers

ON THE BORDER
Mizzima: KNU camp attacked by Burma Army and DKBA troops

HEALTH / AIDS
ANC Newswire: Radio dramas help in HIV/AIDS fight

BUSINESS / TRADE
AFP: Myanmar opens major jade auction

REGIONAL
Irrawaddy: Burmese refugee demonstration targets UNHCR in Malaysia
DVB: Bangladesh to boot Burmese refugees from camp

INTERNATIONAL
Irrawaddy: International Women’s Day marked worldwide

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

March 8, Irrawaddy
Two more activists held in Rangoon

Following a press briefing in Rangoon on Thursday, two activists were
taken into custody, family source says.

Police arrested Rangoon-based politician Amyotheryei Win Naing, 70, and
Htin Kyaw, 44, after alleging that they conducted an unauthorized public
briefing on economic and social crises in the country. The location of
their detention remains unclear.

A police official said that arresting officers were acting on instructions
from Naypyidaw, Burma’s administrative capital, according to family
sources.

During the press briefing, which lasted more than two hours, Amyotheryei
Win Naing and Htin Kyaw explained that a protest held in late February
wasn’t motivated by politics but by social and economic crisis in the
country. Htin Kyaw played a leading role in the protest.

Htin Kyaw had previously been arrested on two other occasions, in late
February and early March, in connection with the protest in downtown
Rangoon. He had been released on Wednesday.

Today’s arrests bring the total number of people detained this week to
nine. On Wednesday, seven other activists who had participated in the
February protest were also detained.

Meanwhile, a 65-year-old man in Rangoon’s Thingangyun Township who had
been arrested yesterday was tried on charges of inciting unrest among the
public in the township’s court. In late February Thein Zan wrote and
posted signs on his fence complaining about high commodity prices.

Aung Thein, the lawyer representing Thein Zein, said he had been charged
under section 505(b) of Burma’s criminal code, which prohibits inciting
public unrest, and his case will be heard on March 14.

____________________________________

March 8, Irrawaddy
Account of reporter's beating censored in Rangoon - Yeni

A report about the beating of a Burmese journalist while he was covering a
story was banned by the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division, a branch
of Burma’s Ministry of Information, commonly known as "the censorship
board."

Journalists in Rangoon said that Moe Kyaw, a reporter for The Voice, a
weekly news journal, was dragged into a car on February 22 and beaten by
six men, including the owner of a timber and wood shop, in Kyeemyindine
Township. The reporter had earlier taken photographs of the business and
was gathering information for a story.

The reporter suffered severe head injuries, journalists said, and local
authorities took no action against the assailants, even after the reporter
filed a police complaint.

A number of Rangoon journalists tried to write stories about the incident,
calling it a “serious threat” to the media. “But officials at PSRD forbid
the report and queried the editors about who wrote the report and what was
the motivation,” an editor who asked not to be identified told The
Irrawaddy.

In Rangoon, private-owned print media have increased in recent years with
weekly journals available on a wide range of topics.

International media advocates say journalists in Burma lack protection and
recognition of basic rights and risk injury or imprisonment when reporting
investigative stories or stories critical of the military regime.

Last month, Burmese police briefly detained three journalists—Myat Thura
of the Kyodo news agency, Sint Sint Aung of Nippon TV and May Thagyan Hein
of Myanmar Dhana, an economic magazine—while they covered a demonstration
in a downtown area of Rangoon.

The Voice is published by Myanmar Partners Think Tank Group, which was
founded in 1995 to publish Living Color, a business magazine. The Voice
declined to comment on the incident involving its reporter.

____________________________________

March 8, Democratic Voice of Burma
Widespread forced labour cases reported in Burma

In the past two days more than four reports of forced labour have emerged
from Burma’s Arakan State and Irrawaddy, Magwe and Pegu divisions.

Residents from the areas said they had been forced by local authorities to
work without pay and under harsh conditions. Pegu Division villagers told
DVB yesterday they were being forced by officials to guard the
Rangoon-Pyinmana railway.

“If we can not go, we have to pay the authorities . . . If we can’t pay,
we have to work,” a source in Pegu’s Nyaunglebin township said.

Residents in Arakan State’s Thandwe town complained yesterday of being
forced to act as lookouts for fires in an attempt by the authorities to
curb increases in the incidences of blazes in residential homes.

Four people from every ten families in the area are reportedly being
forced to be on the lookout for fires throughout the night. Household that
are unable to comply are being charged 1500 kyat a day.

Residents in several areas of Magwe yesterday complained of being forced
to plant castor oil crops and being used as porters by Forestry Department
officials. Irrawaddy Division residents also reported being forced to
plant castor crops.

A man from Myothit in Magwe Division said the government had failed to
adequately publicise a new agreement with the International Labour
Organization that allows victims of forced labour to lodge legal
complaints.

“Although the government says that forced labour is no longer practiced in
Burma, they have been very weak in informing the public. It is early days
yet and grassroots people have not heard about it. It is also difficult
for them to report them," the man said.

After years of negotiations, the ILO and the Burmese government signed the
new agreement late last month.

____________________________________

March 8, Mizzima News
Burmese elder arrested for satires on SPDC newspapers - Nem Davies

An amateur satirist, Thein Zan was arrested by Burmese military
authorities from Thingangyun Township, Rangoon Division on Wednesday. He
was detained for writing satires, under the title "Is that so Maung Karlu"
and for being critical of the false propaganda by state run newspapers and
posting them on his fence.

The satires and news reports which were posted early in the morning on
February 23 were peeled away by township authorities around 11 a.m. He was
arrested yesterday afternoon by the Special Branch of the Burmese police,
a close family member told Mizzima today.

On March 5, at around 7 p.m. township police authorities picked him up and
took him to their office for interrogation on the posted satires.

Thein Zan (65) told authorities that he was not a politician and that he
became angry when he heard of the sky rocketing prices of essential
commodities that morning, after his daughter-in-law came back from the
market. She had paid Kyat 230 (US 18 cents) for three eggs and Kyat 300
(US 23 cents) for four onions. He also blamed writers of articles who were
disseminating misinformation and false propaganda on electricity and
commodity prices in local state run newspapers.

"Over 100 local residents came and read the posted newspaper pieces and
satires written by him since early in the morning before the authorities
removed them all," Thein Zan's family member said.

Thein Zan also told the authorities that, "He posted them to persuade the
article writers to write about the actual situation in the interest of the
public," the family member added.

He has been charged under Article 505 and the trial has been set for March
14 at the Thingangyun Township Court instead of today.

Thein Zan is a retired seaman and earns his living repairing radios and
audio tape recorders.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

March 8, Mizzima News
KNU camp attacked by Burma Army and DKBA troops

A camp of the Karen National Union near the Thai-Burma border was attacked
by troops of the Burmese Army and Democratic Karen Buddhist Army early
today morning.

The combined force of the military junta and the cease-fire pro-junta DKBA
launched its offensive on the Maekalawkhi camp, 30 kilometres from
Myawaddy close to the border.

''The fighting broke out around 5:30 a.m. and continued for about an
hour,'' said Pado Man Shar, spokesperson of KNU, the ethnic rebel group
fighting the military junta for self-determination.

''There were about 50 or 60 soldiers from their side. But I don't have
details,'' he said.

Man Shar was hesitant about ruling out further attacks. Causalities and
injuries have not been determined yet.

The KNU has been fighting against the Central government for more than
five decades and has failed to reach a cease-fire agreement although both
sides have tried repeatedly.

____________________________________
HEALTH / AIDS

March 8, ACN Newswire
Radio dramas help in HIV/AIDS fight

Manila: In small ethnic communities scattered around the uplands of the
Mekong region, groups of women come together during afternoons to listen
to a rare form of entertainment - radio dramas that teach them about
HIV/AIDS, trafficking and drug use.

These minority women, mostly from the upland ethnic groups of the
Thai-Myanmar-Laos-China border regions, are vulnerable to exploitation in
the region's sex industry. With limited education, and knowledge about how
to protect themselves, they are also at a higher risk of acquiring
HIV/AIDS.

Formerly, their isolation protected them from the spread of the deadly
HIV/AIDS virus. But with newly constructed roads and the opening of
borders, the situation is changing. The flow of people from one country to
another for trade and employment has increased, as has trafficking of
drugs and people, and the spread of HIV infection.

Increased injecting drug use has also aggravated the spread of HIV/AIDS in
the region. For instance, in Yunnan Province, about 21% of female
injecting drug users also engage in commercial sex work, thereby further
increasing their vulnerability and risk to acquire HIV.

The radio dramas they listen to were produced by an innovative technical
assistance project that embarked on an information and communications
technology-based education campaign to combat HIV/AIDS. The dramas are
written in local languages and target ethnic minorities.

"Radio dramas have been found to be an effective vehicle for reaching
young people, who are frequently unresponsive to public service
announcements or didactic programs," says Anupma Jain, an ADB Social
Sector Specialist.

A new regional technical assistance project, funded by the Poverty
Reduction Cooperation Fund, will further help prevent the spread of
HIV/AIDS, human trafficking and non-traditional drug use by expanding the
scope of the earlier project.

Carried out in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Bangkok, the new project is
producing radio dramas in more ethnic languages and covering new ethnic
groups living in the cross-border areas of Cambodia, Yunnan Province of
the People's Republic of China, Lao People's Democratic Republic, and
Thailand.

The new project includes four additional ethnic minority languages - Akha
in Thailand; Tai Neua and Tai Lue in Yunnan Province; and Khmu in Lao PDR
- and is piloting the production of radio dramas in the Kreung language
spoken in Ratanakiri Province, Cambodia, where established broadcasting
infrastructure is limited.

"A vast number of ethnic minority groups live in the region and speak
different languages and dialects. Their collective stories make up the
essence of these radio dramas, which help educate others in their
communities about the risks of HIV/AIDS," says Ms. Jain.

The dramas are written in the local languages by native speakers, as
opposed to being written in English or the national language and
translated to the local language. They are based on intensive research on
life stories, issues and concerns.

"This way, the audience can really identify with the stories," she adds.

Once the radio programs are developed, they are translated into English
and the national language to check for the accuracy of the information
being delivered. The programs are accompanied by local music and sounds to
enhance authenticity and emphasize cultural richness of ethnic groups.

Once ready, these programs will be broadcast on local stations or through
other communication systems such as loudspeakers or community-based
radios. Tapes and compact disks of the program will also be produced and
distributed for use by communities and health workers.

About ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK:

ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in the Asia and
Pacific region through pro-poor sustainable economic growth, social
development, and good governance. Established in 1966, it is owned by 64
members - 46 from the region.

In 2005, it approved loans and grants for projects totaling $6.95 billion,
and technical assistance amounting to $198.8 million.

_____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

March 8, Agence France Presse
Myanmar opens major jade auction

Myanmar on Thursday opened a major jade auction in a bid to earn
much-needed foreign currency for the cash-strapped junta, an official
said.

The government hopes to sell 6,000 lots of jade, gems and pearls,
including the most expensive jade lot worth 1.68 million euros (2.21
million dollars), during the 13-day auction, said the official of
state-run Myanmar Gems Enterprise.

"We believe we can earn more than our previous big auction as we displayed
more jade, gems and pearl lots," he said. In October, an auction earned
the military regime nearly 125 million dollars.

Jade auctions used to be held twice a year to curb the flow of precious
stones into Myanmar's enormous black market, which economists believe is
at least half the size of the formal economy.

But the junta held four last year and has already conducted two this year
as jade and gems have become an increasingly important source of income
for the impoverished country, which has been ruled by the military since
1962.

Myanmar, one of the world's poorest nations, is subject to US and European
economic sanctions because of human rights abuses and the house arrest of
61-year-old democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

But the impact of the sanctions has been weakened by the eagerness of
neighbouring China, India and Thailand to tap Myanmar's vast natural
wealth to fuel their own growing economies.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

March 8, Irrawaddy
Burmese refugee demonstration targets UNHCR in Malaysia - Khun Sam

Scores of Burmese activists gathered outside a UN refugee office in Kuala
Lumpur on Thursday, calling for fair treatment for refugees and
asylum-seekers.

During a peaceful demonstration, the activists accused the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees of discrimination, human rights abuses, bribery
and extortion at the Malaysian office of the UNHCR.

“Today we staged a demonstration because though we previously met and
discussed our issues with the UNHCR officials, nothing has changed and no
progress has been made,” Thuya Aung, a Burmese activist, told The
Irrawaddy from Kuala Lumpur.

Thura Aung said the group submitted a statement which included their
complaints to the UNHCR office through a UN staff member.

“The support of the UNHCR is also concentrated towards a group of ethnic
people (Chin) with VIP (Very Important Person) provisions. The rest of the
ethnic and religious groups are completely doomed,” the group’s statement
said.

The UNHCR office denied the charges and said the agency does not deal
exclusively with any particular ethnic community.

“Many of them express frustration with their situation,” Volker Turk, a
UNHCR representative in Kuala Lumpur, told The Irrawaddy. “We are doing
our utmost to protect and assist genuine refugees.”

“If groups have particular issues to discuss with us, we have always had
and will continue to have an open door policy and will look at all
petitions with the necessary seriousness,” he said.

The UN refugee agency on Thursday urged the Malaysian government not to
treat refugees as criminals, following recent crackdowns on refugees,
asylum-seekers and migrants.

According to UNHCR statistics, there are 43,000 registered refugees and
asylum seekers in Malaysia. An estimated 27,000 refugees come from Burma,
including 15,000 people who are either ethnic Chins or Muslims and 12,000
ethnic Rohingya.

____________________________________

March 8, Democratic Voice of Burma
Bangladesh to boot Burmese refugees from camp

About 6000 Burmese refugees living in makeshift camps in Bangladesh’s
Cox’s Bazaar district have been ordered by the government to move, the
United Nations office of the High Commissioner for Refugees said
yesterday.

According to UNHCR, the unofficial refugee camps along the Naff River in
Teknaf are set to be demolished as part of an attempt by Bangladesh’s
interim government to crackdown on illegal housing.

Pia Prytz Phiri, UNHCR’s representative in Bangladesh yesterday condemned
the government for ordering the refugees to move without any advanced
warning.

“We understand why the government doesn't want them living there, but to
move them without having prepared any solution in advance is not very
humane,” Pia Prytz Phiri said in a statement.

“These people are of concern to us and we want to help them . . . it is
hard to imagine human beings living in much more deplorable conditions
than those in Teknaf,” she said.

UNHCR said it had called for the Bangladesh government’s cooperation in
searches for new homes for the refugees, many of which are Rohingyas from
Burma’s Arakan State. The organisation said it had consistently been
prevented by the authorities from helping the refugees.

Since the camps were formed in 2004, residents have faced constant
pressure from the government to move.

“We are under instructions to evacuate from this place,” Noor Aysha,
25-year-old refugee was quoted by UNHCR as saying.

“They are already doing evacuations [from another section of the camp] and
of course we are worried. We don't know where to go,” she said.

_____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

March 8, Irrawaddy
International Women’s Day marked worldwide - Sai Silp

International Women’s Day on Thursday was marked with calls to end
violence against women and girls and to increase women’s equal
participation at decision-making levels.

The United Nations Development Fund for Woman and the United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights released statements calling for stronger
legal penalties against violence affecting women and girls, breaking
through cultural barriers to find nonviolent ways to resolve conflict in
personal and public life.

A World Health Organization study found that 23 to 49 percent of women
suffered violence at the hands of their intimate partners in most of the
71 countries surveyed.

UNICEF has reported that 130 million girls and women alive today have
undergone female genital mutilation. According to the United Nations
Population Fund, 5,000 women die every year in “honor” killings
perpetrated by family members. And it is estimated that less than 5
percent of rape prosecutions lead to convictions globally, partly because
the majority of cases place emphasis on the conduct of the woman and
rather than the perpetrator.

The United Nation Security Council has stressed the importance of women’s
equal participation and full involvement in efforts to maintain and
promote peace, security and conflict prevention and resolution.

“The Council urged Member States to ensure increased women’s
representation at all decision-making levels in national, regional and
international institutions and mechanisms for the prevention, management
and resolution of conflict, and urged the Secretary-General to continue to
appoint more women as his special representatives and envoys,” said a
statement released on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Cross
called for special attention for women who are displaced from their home
environment because of wars and conflicts around the world.

“In the struggle for survival, these women often face increased risk to
their safety and their health," the ICRC said. "They are also more exposed
to the threat of sexual violence and other forms of aggression. Women
forced to abandon their familiar environment deserve special attention and
support from the ICRC, other aid organizations and their governments.”

In Burma, where human rights threats are ongoing, the Women’s League of
Burma urged Asean countries and Burma’s immediate neighbors to publicly
condemn the state-sanctioned sexual violence against women and girls
throughout Burma and stop providing support to a military regime that
brings shame to the region.

The statement follows a recent case of four girls in northern Kachin
State, aged 14 to16, who were gang-raped by three army officers and four
soldiers from a local military base. The army gave hush money to the girls
and their parents and ordered them not to report the incident to
authorities. After news of the incident was reported by independent
Burmese media, the girls were arrested and jailed.

In Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand, women and human rights organizations
marched down Thapae Road in the heart of the city and gathered for
speeches and celebrations.