BurmaNet News, January 26, 2010

[Editor]

January 26, 2010, Issue #3883


INSIDE BURMA
Irrawaddy: Two cases highlight Burma's unfair legal system
Irrawaddy: Burma media gagged on Haiti relief effort
DVB: Whistleblower moved to Bago prison
Khonumthung News: Army forces people to cultivate summer rice

ON THE BORDER
Kaladan Press: Arakanese Rohingya girl raped in Buthidaung
Narinjara: Bangladeshi pilgrims jailed in Burma

REGIONAL
AFP: Mekong tiger population at 'crisis point': WWF

INTERNATIONAL
Kachin News Group: Burmese people continue to leave country despite
looming elections

OPINION / OTHER
Irrawaddy: Expanding the rice market or cronies’ businesses? – Htet Aung



____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

January 26, Irrawaddy
Two cases highlight Burma's unfair legal system – Arkar Moe

Legal experts and human rights activists are concerned about two legal
cases in Burmese courts involving a Burmese-born American citizen, Kyaw
Zaw Lwin, and Burmese poet Saw Wai.

Poet Saw Wai was arrested in January of 2008, after his poem titled
“February 14” was published in the “Ah Chit (Love)” journal. The first
letters of words in all the lines spelled out “Power Crazy Snr-Gen.Than
Shwe'” which provoked the authorities to arrest him and sentence him to
two years in prison in May 2008 on a charge of “inducing a crime against
public tranquillity.”

Bo Kyi, the joint-secretary of the Assistance Association for Political
Prisoners in Burma, told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that the sentence
started on the day he was sentenced, and he was not given credit for time
in custody starting on the date of his arrest.

“He was held for four months unfairly. There are many cases in Burma like
it.”

Aung Thein, a prominent Rangoon lawyer, told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday,
“There is no clear rule about counting days under arrest in Burma.
Sometimes, Burma courts consider the custodial period as starting from the
commencement of the trial.”

“Actually, courts should count from the day of the arrest. The courts do
not count custodial period in some cases, especially if they involve
politics or human rights activists. ”

A well-known democracy activist, Kyaw Zaw Lwin (aka Nyi Nyi Aung), was
arrested on Sept. 3, 2009. A Burmese-born American citizen, he was
arrested in Rangoon when he was attempting to visit his mother, an
imprisoned democracy activist who has cancer. He was accused of using a
forged Burmese identity card and illegally importing currency into the
country.

The final argument in his trial will be heard in a special court in Insein
Prison on Friday.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Monday, Thein Oo, the chairman of the exiled
Burma's Lawyers Association (BLA), said, “I think they will sentence Ko
Nyi Nyi Aung severely, although the charges were baseless. The junta wants
to set an example for other activists.”

The state-run The New Light of Myanmar newspaper claimed that he had links
with dissident monks and members of the opposition National League for
Democracy. The newspaper article said he exchanged information, provided
financial assistance and instigated public arrest. None of those
allegations were included in the charges against him.

Thein Oo, chairman of the BLC, told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday, “There is no
doubt that the Burmese judicial system has deteriorated.”

Fellow lawyer Aung Thein, said, “In fact, legal rights have suffered. The
Burmese courts cannot control the prosecutors. The courts should obey and
respect legal procedures. There must be checks and balances between the
executive and judiciary.”

On Dec. 18, 53 US congressmen wrote a letter to Snr-Gen Than Shwe calling
for Kyaw Zaw Lwin's release. Sen. Jim Webb, who traveled to Burma earlier
this year to secure the release of US citizen John Yettaw, also urged the
regime to grant Kyaw Zaw Lwin all rights guaranteed under international
law.

Thein Oo said, “Dictators are only concerned about their own power and
interests. They will not take action until they are really challenged
strongly. The international community should step up the pressure to take
effective action to pressure the judiciary system.”

____________________________________

January 26, Irrawaddy
Burma media gagged on Haiti relief effort – Wai Moe

Burma's state-run media have been banned from reporting the US army's
involvement in the Haitian earthquake relief effort, according to
journalists in the country.

News coverage of the Jan. 12 disaster in Haiti has been muted in Burma in
comparison to most other countries, and all mention of the 16,000 US
troops and other Western forces deployed in the humanitarian effort has
been banned by the state censorship board, the Press Scrutiny and
Registration Division (PSRD), the sources in Rangoon and Mandalay said.

Instead, Burmese newspapers highlighted China’s relief work in the
Caribbean nation.

“The state-run newspapers did not report on the thousands of American
troops conducting a relief mission in Haiti,” a reporter with a private
journal in Rangoon told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday.

Burmese journalists said the PSRD routinely rejects any news reports
deemed “sensitive” to national interests or state policy. Burmese media
were recently prohibited from reporting news of salary increases for
government staff and the ongoing war of words between the Chinese
government and Internet provider Google.

Both Burma and Haiti are failed states and have suffered from massive
natural disasters recently. Southwestern parts of Burma were devastated on
May 2-3, 2008, by Cyclone Nargis, which took an estimated 140,000 lives
and affected more than two million people.

After Cyclone Nargis hit Burma, the military junta rejected international
relief offers and denied the world press access to the affected region.
Similar to the Haitian disaster, the US and other Western nations offered
Burma humanitarian aid and deployed naval vessels close to its coast.

However, the junta declined the offers due to what is widely perceived to
be a fear of foreign intervention in Burmese affairs. The Burmese
authorities finally allowed foreign civilian relief workers into the
devastated delta region more than a month after the cyclone hit.

Haiti held an international conference on the earthquake disaster in
Canada on Monday, less than two weeks after the catastrophe. In Burma's
case, it was nearly one month before the military government hosted an aid
conference.

Meanwhile, it is feared that several Burmese NGO workers may be among the
estimated 150,000 dead in Haiti after a Burmese national's death was
reported by a UN source.

The UN source, who requested anonymity when he spoke to The Irrawaddy on
Tuesday, said that a Burmese identified only with the first name “Aung”
was among the victims of the deadly earthquake. “There were believed to be
some Burmese staff with INGOs or UN agencies in Haiti before the
earthquake, and they could be among the dead or missing,” he said.

Several Burmese blogs said dozens of Burmese NGO workers were reportedly
in Haiti before the disaster. Freedom News Group blog cited a Burmese
physician, Myat Thu, as missing, quoting another Burmese national in
Port-au-Prince who survived the disaster.

____________________________________

January 26, Democratic Voice of Burma
Whistleblower moved to Bago prison – Khin Hnin Htet

The former Burmese army official sentenced to death this month for leaking
state secrets has been moved from Rangoon’s Insein prison, as his family
prepares to appeal his sentence.

Win Naing Kyaw, who was arrested last year and charged with leaking
information on top-level Burmese military visits to Russia and North
Korea, was handed the death sentence and multiple prison terms by the
Insein prison court on 7 January.

Another fellow whistleblower and former government official was also
sentenced to death for the leak, while a third man was given a 15-year
sentence. They are also accused of passing information to exiled Burmese
media detailing North Korean involvement in a military tunnel project in
Burma.

A source close to Insein prison said that Win Naing Kyaw was moved last
Saturday to Tharrawaddy prison in Bago division, 100 miles north of
Rangoon.

The transfer of prisoners is often done to restrict access for visiting
family members and lawyers, who are now in the process of launching an
appeal.

Meanwhile, a man in Rangoon, Ngwe Soe Linn, who was arrested in 2008 for
taking pictures of ballot stations during the national referendum
yesterday made his first court appearance. Court sources say that a final
verdict will be given on 27 January.

And in other news, three activists arrested after holding ceremonies in
which they prayed for the release of Burmese opposition leader Aung San
Suu Kyi and other political prisoners yesterday appeared in court.

Judges heard testimonies from several witnesses, according to a source
close to the family of one of the defendants, Naw Ohn Hla. They were
charged for disturbing public tranquility, and for handing a Buddhist
prayer book to a monastery abbot, which together carry up to two years in
prison.

Naw Ohn Hla, a member of the opposition National League for Democracy
(NLD) party, had earlier complained about living condition in her Insein
prison cell, which she was sharing with nine other inmates.

____________________________________

January 26, Khonumthung News
Army forces people to cultivate summer rice

The Burmese Army in Tamu district, Sagaing division, Burma has taken over
privately cultivated land and forced local people to cultivate summer rice
from December last year.

Though the army says it has borrowed the arable land, in actual terms it
has seized the plots.

“We are summoned to work in the fields and one person from each family has
to report for work. If we fail we pay Kyat 5000 as fine,” said a local in
Kanan village, Tamu township.

A report said that the military camps in western Sagaing division - LIB
89, LIB 228, LIB 87, LIB 361, LIB 362 and LIB 363 have “borrowed” some
lands in their respective areas forcibly and ordered people to cultivate
summer rice without any wages being paid.

“They borrowed all lands where summer crops can be cultivated without
consulting the owners. Although they said they would pay an amount, we
don’t believe them. Local people are cleaning the cultivatable area and
arranging for water supply for the crops,” said a local in Tamu town.

There are about 30 villages in Tamu Township and the estimated land area
available to cultivate summer crop is at least 20,000 acres.

“Though the military is calling it borrowing from civilians, it is only an
excuse. In reality they have confiscated the lands. This creates serious
problems for us in earning our livelihood as we cannot produce any crop
during summer,” said one of the land owners.

Similarly, the military in Kalemyo also told local people to cultivate
summer rice.

Since the military junta cannot support its soldiers with their families,
they confiscate private land to cultivate for their use.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

January 26, Kaladan Press
Arakanese Rohingya girl raped in Buthidaung

Buthidaung, Arakan State: An Arakanese Rohingya girl was raped by Nasaka
(Burma’s border security force) personnel on the first week of January
2010, according to sources from Buthidaug Township.

At about 3 am, a Nasaka personnel and the in charge of outpost of Oo Hla
Pe, Doctor Thein Win, went to the village and entered her house forcibly
and raped her, the source said.

The victim was identified as 18 year old Sakina (not real name) daughter
of Nur Begum ( Not real name) from Oo Hla Pe in Buthidaung Township. She
lives with her old mother. Her father died earlier, a trader from the
village said.

After rape, she was unconscious for three hours. Her mother could not
complain to the authorities for fear of torture by Nasaka personnel, the
trader said.

Later, a neighbouring daily worker Md. Alam (35), advised the victim’s
mother to complain to the authorities that it was the Nasaka outpost in
charge ,Doctor Thein Win who raped the girl, said an elder from said
village.

On being informed, the Nasaka officer went to village and caught Alam and
his wife and severally beat them up and tortured them in the Oo Hla Pe out
post. The wife and husband were kept in stocks for a day. Later, they were
released after being warned by Nasaka, the elder said.

However, no action has been taken against the Nasaka officer till the
reporting.
____________________________________

January 26, Narinjara
Bangladeshi pilgrims jailed in Burma

Twelve Bangladesh pilgrims were sentenced to six months in prison in Burma
last week for entering the country with fake Burmese ID cards, said a
Burmese monk from Sittwe.

"They were arrested by Burmese authorities in the towns of Taungup and
Sittwe when they were coming to Burma to see several sacred Buddhist
places in Burma using Burmese national ID cards. Now the authority has
sentenced them to six months in prison," he said.

Nine Bangladesh citizens were arrested with fake Burmese national ID cards
at a road checkpoint located in Taungup Township in Arakan as they were
traveling to Burma proper by bus.

Another three were arrested by immigration officials at the Sittwe airport
in possession of forged national ID cards as they were waiting to fly from
Sittwe to Rangoon.

According to the source, they were brought to Burma by some monks staying
in Bangladesh for a pilgrimage using forged national ID cards that were
issued by immigration officers who had been bribed.

"On their ID cards, nine of the Bangladesh citizens had listed that they
were from Dedaye and Labutta Township in Burma's delta division, but the
authorities who checked them doubted it when they asked questions because
they could not speak in Burmese. After that, the authorities arrested them
and sent them to prison," the monk added.

After their arrest, the authorities charged them in the Taungup Township
court under immigration law for entering Burma illegally with forged ID
cards.

"I saw nine Bangladesh citizens in Taungup police station's lockup after
their arrest. Among them, eight were elderly women and one is a man. All
the Bangladeshis are Buddhists from Bandarban District in Bangladesh,"
said an elder from Taungup.

The Bangladesh citizens were identified as Marama nationals from Rownsari
in Bandarban District. According to a family source, they traveled to
Burma last month through the Maungdaw border point to do a pilgrimage.

It was learned that this is the first time a group of Bangladeshi citizens
have been arrested by Burmese authorities for travelling illegally to
Burma for a pilgrimage

____________________________________
REGIONAL

January 26, Agence France Presse
Mekong tiger population at 'crisis point': WWF

Bangkok – Governments must act decisively to prevent the extinction of
tigers in Southeast Asia's Greater Mekong region, where numbers have
plunged more than 70 percent in 12 years, the WWF said Tuesday.

The wild tiger population across Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and
Vietnam has dropped from an estimated 1,200 in 1998 -- the last Year of
the Tiger -- to around 350 today, according to the conservation group.

The report was released ahead of a landmark three-day conference on tiger
conservation which opens Wednesday in the Thai resort town of Hua Hin,
with ministers from 13 Asian tiger range countries attending.

It said the regional decline was reflected in the global wild tiger
population, which is at an all-time low of 3,200, down from an estimated
20,000 in the 1980s and 100,000 a century ago.

"Today, wild tiger populations are at a crisis point," the WWF said, ahead
of the start of the Year of the Tiger on February 14, according to the
Chinese lunar calendar.

It cited growing demand for tiger body parts used in traditional Chinese
medicine as a major factor endangering the region's Indochinese tiger
population.

Infrastructure developments were also blamed by the report for fragmenting
tigers' habitats, such forests being cut up by roads and converted into
commercial crop plantations.

"Decisive action must be taken to ensure this iconic sub-species does not
reach the point of no return," said Nick Cox, coordinator of the WWF
Greater Mekong tiger programme.

"There is a potential for tiger populations in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia
to become locally extinct by the next Year of the Tiger, in 2022, if we
don't step up actions to protect them."

Although Indochinese tigers were once found in abundance across the
Greater Mekong region, the WWF says there are now no more than 30 tigers
per country in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

The remaining populations are mainly found in mountainous border areas
between Thailand and Myanmar. But the WWF is calling on the ministers in
Hua Hin to take action to double the numbers of wild tigers by 2022.

"This region has huge potential to increase tiger numbers, but only if
there are bold and coordinated efforts across the region and of an
unprecedented scale that can protect existing tigers, tiger prey and their
habitat," said Cox.

Worldwide political efforts to secure the tiger's future will culminate in
a Tiger Summit in September in Vladivostok, Russia, hosted by Prime
Minister Vladimir Putin.

"There is an unprecedented opportunity to galvanise political will and
action to turn the tide on wild tiger numbers," said Mike Baltzer, head of
WWF's global tiger initiative.
"But to do this, we must stop the trade in tiger parts, rampant poaching,
and secure the tiger's habitats."

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

January 26, Kachin News Group
Burmese people continue to leave country despite looming elections

The exodus of Burmese people searching for jobs and new lives in
neighboring countries continues, despite the ruling junta’s is plans to
hold elections this year, said the exile opposition party.

Zaw Myint, of the exiled Burmese opposition party, the National League for
Democracy (NLD) said in Malaysia, Burmese citizens are still flowing into
Malaysia.

“2010 is very important for the future of our country, so we really want
people to think about that before they apply and try to go abroad for
their livelihood. If possible we don’t want anyone from Burma to come here
because the situation is very difficult,” he said.

The Malaysian authorities announced December 15, 2009 their intention to
arrest illegal migrants in the country within three months, according to
Burmese migrants.

Authorities are arresting illegal migrants and Burmese citizens who came
with visa and passport, added Burmese workers in Kuala Lumpur.

“Those who came here with passport and visa, have to give those documents
to their job owner. They have only copy of that, so police arrest them
too,” added Zaw Myint.

He said there is an estimated 700,000 legal and illegal Burmese citizens
in Malaysia, up from around 500,000 in 2008. More people are arriving even
though the Burmese junta is planning to hold countrywide elections this
year.

“I would like to suggest everyone patient and stay in the country at least
one more year, if they want to go out, because it is very important time
now,” he said.

However, with the fear of oppression and persecution from the Burmese
military junta, a lot of people, especially from ethnic minorities are
continuing flee to neighboring countries such as India, Thailand and
Malaysia.

According to the November 2009 report of United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR), based in Kuala Lumpur, there are now 75,600
refugees, compared with 45,400 in 2008.  Of those, 69,700 asylum seekers
are from Burma.

The report said, 17,400 are Rohingyas from the Northern Arakan (or also
called Rakhine) State of Burma, 32,100 ethnic Chins from Burma’s western
China State, 4,100 were the Muslims and the rest are other ethnics from
Burma.

In India, 2,952 refugees have registered with the UNHCR office and
thousands of refugees are waiting for registration. Tens of thousands of
Chin refugees live in Mizoram State, northern India.

A staff member of the Kuala Lumpur-based, Kachin Refugee Committee (KRC),
said ethnic Kachin refugees from Burma’s northern Kachin State are living
in fear day and night, because their movements are closely watched by the
authorities.

“We have to be alert all the time, even when we are sleeping. I have seen
policemen at every corner of the road, everyday” he said.

There are more than 4,000 Kachin refugees from Northern Burma in Malaysia
on their official list. Over 2,000 have been recognized by the UNHCR.

But, there are more Kachins who have yet to register with the KRC.

Most Kachin refugees want to relocate to third countries as refugees,
including the United States, Norway, Romania, Sweden, Australia, New
Zealand and Denmark.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

January 26, Irrawaddy
Expanding the rice market or cronies’ businesses? – Htet Aung

Burma’s rice traders have known a simple equation for ages. Increasing
rice exports will increase government revenues, but this logic sometimes
doesn't work in Burma.

“Myanmar's [Burma] rice market was spoiled last year,” said an owner of a
Rangoon-based export and import trading company on condition of anonymity.
“It is due to the problems in rice quality and the delay of shipments
which are major complaints of the international buyers.
Burmese farmers plant rice near Naypyidaw. (Photo: AP)

“Another problem is that the junta opened rice exports last year in order
to boost the market and issued licenses to many non-rice export companies,
and that made the market messy.”

The junta set a target to export 1.5 million tons of rice in budget year
2009-10, a two-fold increase over the previous year.

Burma’s rice traders usually welcome openness in the rice export market.
If the authorities control licensing too much, the result is: “fewer
licenses, less revenue” for the state, said one trader.

However, traders only want the government to take responsibility for
controlling the quality of exported rice and for assisting in timely
shipments, which includes equal access to port services, the availability
of vessels and less bureaucratic procedures.

Normally, the peak season for rice export in Burma is December to March
but due to the negative impact of issuing licenses to non-rice companies
last year, no licenses have been issued to private companies so far this
year, according to a trading company official.

The trader said that the delay may be because the authorities are deciding
whether they will open the rice export market to all or only a few
companies, a sign that the government doesn’t have a consistent policy.

During the 2nd Development Partnership Roundtable and Forum held at
Naypyidaw in mid-December, a proposal was made to form a Rice Technical
Advisory Group (RTAG) including academics and professionals to try to
revitalize the country’s agro-economy, including the management of rice
exports.

After the forum, the junta merged the three existing rice associations
into the Myanmar Rice Industry Association (MRIA). According to news
reports, the new body includes 29 recently formed companies.

Chit Khaine, the founder of Eden Group of Companies, the chair of the new
body, is on the EU sanction list under the category titled “Persons Who
Benefit from Government Economic Policies and Other Persons Associated
with the Regime.”

Among the business opportunities he's received from the junta were US $8
million hotel projects in Bagan and Ngapali Beach in 2004, the two most
famous tourist sites in Burma. His Eden Group of Companies is well known
in the real estate market.

In late 2008, Eden Group won a profitable business concession together
with two Vietnamese companies, Petrovietnam Exploration Production
Corporation Ltd and Joint Venture Vietsovpetro of Vietnam, to explore for
oil and gas in the Gulf of Martaban off Mon State. He owns 15 percent of
the shares.

In 2010, Chit Khaine’s business empire expanded to the Nargis-affected
delta region, the rice bowl of the country, to lend cash-loans to farmers
in return for paddy.

The state-run New Light of Myanmar reported on Jan. 9 that Gold Delta Co.
Ltd, one of Chit Khaine’s companies, made loans of nearly 1.8 billion kyat
(about $1.8 million) to more than 4,200 farmers growing paddy in 35,866
acres in Danubyu Township.

A local journal, Weekly Eleven, recently reported that businessmen from
the car, jewelry and real estate sectors are now shifting their interest
to the rice export market, which they believe is a potentially profitable
sector.

Burma’s handful of business conglomerates are expanding into the
industrial and agriculture sectors, dominating most of the large projects.

Chit Khaine, once a leading real estate businessman, with the blessing of
the generals is now the leader of the MRIA, at the helm of the country's
major rice exporting association.

January 26, 2010, Issue #3883


INSIDE BURMA
Irrawaddy: Two cases highlight Burma's unfair legal system
Irrawaddy: Burma media gagged on Haiti relief effort
DVB: Whistleblower moved to Bago prison
Khonumthung News: Army forces people to cultivate summer rice

ON THE BORDER
Kaladan Press: Arakanese Rohingya girl raped in Buthidaung
Narinjara: Bangladeshi pilgrims jailed in Burma

REGIONAL
AFP: Mekong tiger population at 'crisis point': WWF

INTERNATIONAL
Kachin News Group: Burmese people continue to leave country despite
looming elections

OPINION / OTHER
Irrawaddy: Expanding the rice market or cronies’ businesses? – Htet Aung



____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

January 26, Irrawaddy
Two cases highlight Burma's unfair legal system – Arkar Moe

Legal experts and human rights activists are concerned about two legal
cases in Burmese courts involving a Burmese-born American citizen, Kyaw
Zaw Lwin, and Burmese poet Saw Wai.

Poet Saw Wai was arrested in January of 2008, after his poem titled
“February 14” was published in the “Ah Chit (Love)” journal. The first
letters of words in all the lines spelled out “Power Crazy Snr-Gen.Than
Shwe'” which provoked the authorities to arrest him and sentence him to
two years in prison in May 2008 on a charge of “inducing a crime against
public tranquillity.”

Bo Kyi, the joint-secretary of the Assistance Association for Political
Prisoners in Burma, told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that the sentence
started on the day he was sentenced, and he was not given credit for time
in custody starting on the date of his arrest.

“He was held for four months unfairly. There are many cases in Burma like
it.”

Aung Thein, a prominent Rangoon lawyer, told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday,
“There is no clear rule about counting days under arrest in Burma.
Sometimes, Burma courts consider the custodial period as starting from the
commencement of the trial.”

“Actually, courts should count from the day of the arrest. The courts do
not count custodial period in some cases, especially if they involve
politics or human rights activists. ”

A well-known democracy activist, Kyaw Zaw Lwin (aka Nyi Nyi Aung), was
arrested on Sept. 3, 2009. A Burmese-born American citizen, he was
arrested in Rangoon when he was attempting to visit his mother, an
imprisoned democracy activist who has cancer. He was accused of using a
forged Burmese identity card and illegally importing currency into the
country.

The final argument in his trial will be heard in a special court in Insein
Prison on Friday.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Monday, Thein Oo, the chairman of the exiled
Burma's Lawyers Association (BLA), said, “I think they will sentence Ko
Nyi Nyi Aung severely, although the charges were baseless. The junta wants
to set an example for other activists.”

The state-run The New Light of Myanmar newspaper claimed that he had links
with dissident monks and members of the opposition National League for
Democracy. The newspaper article said he exchanged information, provided
financial assistance and instigated public arrest. None of those
allegations were included in the charges against him.

Thein Oo, chairman of the BLC, told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday, “There is no
doubt that the Burmese judicial system has deteriorated.”

Fellow lawyer Aung Thein, said, “In fact, legal rights have suffered. The
Burmese courts cannot control the prosecutors. The courts should obey and
respect legal procedures. There must be checks and balances between the
executive and judiciary.”

On Dec. 18, 53 US congressmen wrote a letter to Snr-Gen Than Shwe calling
for Kyaw Zaw Lwin's release. Sen. Jim Webb, who traveled to Burma earlier
this year to secure the release of US citizen John Yettaw, also urged the
regime to grant Kyaw Zaw Lwin all rights guaranteed under international
law.

Thein Oo said, “Dictators are only concerned about their own power and
interests. They will not take action until they are really challenged
strongly. The international community should step up the pressure to take
effective action to pressure the judiciary system.”

____________________________________

January 26, Irrawaddy
Burma media gagged on Haiti relief effort – Wai Moe

Burma's state-run media have been banned from reporting the US army's
involvement in the Haitian earthquake relief effort, according to
journalists in the country.

News coverage of the Jan. 12 disaster in Haiti has been muted in Burma in
comparison to most other countries, and all mention of the 16,000 US
troops and other Western forces deployed in the humanitarian effort has
been banned by the state censorship board, the Press Scrutiny and
Registration Division (PSRD), the sources in Rangoon and Mandalay said.

Instead, Burmese newspapers highlighted China’s relief work in the
Caribbean nation.

“The state-run newspapers did not report on the thousands of American
troops conducting a relief mission in Haiti,” a reporter with a private
journal in Rangoon told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday.

Burmese journalists said the PSRD routinely rejects any news reports
deemed “sensitive” to national interests or state policy. Burmese media
were recently prohibited from reporting news of salary increases for
government staff and the ongoing war of words between the Chinese
government and Internet provider Google.

Both Burma and Haiti are failed states and have suffered from massive
natural disasters recently. Southwestern parts of Burma were devastated on
May 2-3, 2008, by Cyclone Nargis, which took an estimated 140,000 lives
and affected more than two million people.

After Cyclone Nargis hit Burma, the military junta rejected international
relief offers and denied the world press access to the affected region.
Similar to the Haitian disaster, the US and other Western nations offered
Burma humanitarian aid and deployed naval vessels close to its coast.

However, the junta declined the offers due to what is widely perceived to
be a fear of foreign intervention in Burmese affairs. The Burmese
authorities finally allowed foreign civilian relief workers into the
devastated delta region more than a month after the cyclone hit.

Haiti held an international conference on the earthquake disaster in
Canada on Monday, less than two weeks after the catastrophe. In Burma's
case, it was nearly one month before the military government hosted an aid
conference.

Meanwhile, it is feared that several Burmese NGO workers may be among the
estimated 150,000 dead in Haiti after a Burmese national's death was
reported by a UN source.

The UN source, who requested anonymity when he spoke to The Irrawaddy on
Tuesday, said that a Burmese identified only with the first name “Aung”
was among the victims of the deadly earthquake. “There were believed to be
some Burmese staff with INGOs or UN agencies in Haiti before the
earthquake, and they could be among the dead or missing,” he said.

Several Burmese blogs said dozens of Burmese NGO workers were reportedly
in Haiti before the disaster. Freedom News Group blog cited a Burmese
physician, Myat Thu, as missing, quoting another Burmese national in
Port-au-Prince who survived the disaster.

____________________________________

January 26, Democratic Voice of Burma
Whistleblower moved to Bago prison – Khin Hnin Htet

The former Burmese army official sentenced to death this month for leaking
state secrets has been moved from Rangoon’s Insein prison, as his family
prepares to appeal his sentence.

Win Naing Kyaw, who was arrested last year and charged with leaking
information on top-level Burmese military visits to Russia and North
Korea, was handed the death sentence and multiple prison terms by the
Insein prison court on 7 January.

Another fellow whistleblower and former government official was also
sentenced to death for the leak, while a third man was given a 15-year
sentence. They are also accused of passing information to exiled Burmese
media detailing North Korean involvement in a military tunnel project in
Burma.

A source close to Insein prison said that Win Naing Kyaw was moved last
Saturday to Tharrawaddy prison in Bago division, 100 miles north of
Rangoon.

The transfer of prisoners is often done to restrict access for visiting
family members and lawyers, who are now in the process of launching an
appeal.

Meanwhile, a man in Rangoon, Ngwe Soe Linn, who was arrested in 2008 for
taking pictures of ballot stations during the national referendum
yesterday made his first court appearance. Court sources say that a final
verdict will be given on 27 January.

And in other news, three activists arrested after holding ceremonies in
which they prayed for the release of Burmese opposition leader Aung San
Suu Kyi and other political prisoners yesterday appeared in court.

Judges heard testimonies from several witnesses, according to a source
close to the family of one of the defendants, Naw Ohn Hla. They were
charged for disturbing public tranquility, and for handing a Buddhist
prayer book to a monastery abbot, which together carry up to two years in
prison.

Naw Ohn Hla, a member of the opposition National League for Democracy
(NLD) party, had earlier complained about living condition in her Insein
prison cell, which she was sharing with nine other inmates.

____________________________________

January 26, Khonumthung News
Army forces people to cultivate summer rice

The Burmese Army in Tamu district, Sagaing division, Burma has taken over
privately cultivated land and forced local people to cultivate summer rice
from December last year.

Though the army says it has borrowed the arable land, in actual terms it
has seized the plots.

“We are summoned to work in the fields and one person from each family has
to report for work. If we fail we pay Kyat 5000 as fine,” said a local in
Kanan village, Tamu township.

A report said that the military camps in western Sagaing division - LIB
89, LIB 228, LIB 87, LIB 361, LIB 362 and LIB 363 have “borrowed” some
lands in their respective areas forcibly and ordered people to cultivate
summer rice without any wages being paid.

“They borrowed all lands where summer crops can be cultivated without
consulting the owners. Although they said they would pay an amount, we
don’t believe them. Local people are cleaning the cultivatable area and
arranging for water supply for the crops,” said a local in Tamu town.

There are about 30 villages in Tamu Township and the estimated land area
available to cultivate summer crop is at least 20,000 acres.

“Though the military is calling it borrowing from civilians, it is only an
excuse. In reality they have confiscated the lands. This creates serious
problems for us in earning our livelihood as we cannot produce any crop
during summer,” said one of the land owners.

Similarly, the military in Kalemyo also told local people to cultivate
summer rice.

Since the military junta cannot support its soldiers with their families,
they confiscate private land to cultivate for their use.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

January 26, Kaladan Press
Arakanese Rohingya girl raped in Buthidaung

Buthidaung, Arakan State: An Arakanese Rohingya girl was raped by Nasaka
(Burma’s border security force) personnel on the first week of January
2010, according to sources from Buthidaug Township.

At about 3 am, a Nasaka personnel and the in charge of outpost of Oo Hla
Pe, Doctor Thein Win, went to the village and entered her house forcibly
and raped her, the source said.

The victim was identified as 18 year old Sakina (not real name) daughter
of Nur Begum ( Not real name) from Oo Hla Pe in Buthidaung Township. She
lives with her old mother. Her father died earlier, a trader from the
village said.

After rape, she was unconscious for three hours. Her mother could not
complain to the authorities for fear of torture by Nasaka personnel, the
trader said.

Later, a neighbouring daily worker Md. Alam (35), advised the victim’s
mother to complain to the authorities that it was the Nasaka outpost in
charge ,Doctor Thein Win who raped the girl, said an elder from said
village.

On being informed, the Nasaka officer went to village and caught Alam and
his wife and severally beat them up and tortured them in the Oo Hla Pe out
post. The wife and husband were kept in stocks for a day. Later, they were
released after being warned by Nasaka, the elder said.

However, no action has been taken against the Nasaka officer till the
reporting.
____________________________________

January 26, Narinjara
Bangladeshi pilgrims jailed in Burma

Twelve Bangladesh pilgrims were sentenced to six months in prison in Burma
last week for entering the country with fake Burmese ID cards, said a
Burmese monk from Sittwe.

"They were arrested by Burmese authorities in the towns of Taungup and
Sittwe when they were coming to Burma to see several sacred Buddhist
places in Burma using Burmese national ID cards. Now the authority has
sentenced them to six months in prison," he said.

Nine Bangladesh citizens were arrested with fake Burmese national ID cards
at a road checkpoint located in Taungup Township in Arakan as they were
traveling to Burma proper by bus.

Another three were arrested by immigration officials at the Sittwe airport
in possession of forged national ID cards as they were waiting to fly from
Sittwe to Rangoon.

According to the source, they were brought to Burma by some monks staying
in Bangladesh for a pilgrimage using forged national ID cards that were
issued by immigration officers who had been bribed.

"On their ID cards, nine of the Bangladesh citizens had listed that they
were from Dedaye and Labutta Township in Burma's delta division, but the
authorities who checked them doubted it when they asked questions because
they could not speak in Burmese. After that, the authorities arrested them
and sent them to prison," the monk added.

After their arrest, the authorities charged them in the Taungup Township
court under immigration law for entering Burma illegally with forged ID
cards.

"I saw nine Bangladesh citizens in Taungup police station's lockup after
their arrest. Among them, eight were elderly women and one is a man. All
the Bangladeshis are Buddhists from Bandarban District in Bangladesh,"
said an elder from Taungup.

The Bangladesh citizens were identified as Marama nationals from Rownsari
in Bandarban District. According to a family source, they traveled to
Burma last month through the Maungdaw border point to do a pilgrimage.

It was learned that this is the first time a group of Bangladeshi citizens
have been arrested by Burmese authorities for travelling illegally to
Burma for a pilgrimage

____________________________________
REGIONAL

January 26, Agence France Presse
Mekong tiger population at 'crisis point': WWF

Bangkok – Governments must act decisively to prevent the extinction of
tigers in Southeast Asia's Greater Mekong region, where numbers have
plunged more than 70 percent in 12 years, the WWF said Tuesday.

The wild tiger population across Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and
Vietnam has dropped from an estimated 1,200 in 1998 -- the last Year of
the Tiger -- to around 350 today, according to the conservation group.

The report was released ahead of a landmark three-day conference on tiger
conservation which opens Wednesday in the Thai resort town of Hua Hin,
with ministers from 13 Asian tiger range countries attending.

It said the regional decline was reflected in the global wild tiger
population, which is at an all-time low of 3,200, down from an estimated
20,000 in the 1980s and 100,000 a century ago.

"Today, wild tiger populations are at a crisis point," the WWF said, ahead
of the start of the Year of the Tiger on February 14, according to the
Chinese lunar calendar.

It cited growing demand for tiger body parts used in traditional Chinese
medicine as a major factor endangering the region's Indochinese tiger
population.

Infrastructure developments were also blamed by the report for fragmenting
tigers' habitats, such forests being cut up by roads and converted into
commercial crop plantations.

"Decisive action must be taken to ensure this iconic sub-species does not
reach the point of no return," said Nick Cox, coordinator of the WWF
Greater Mekong tiger programme.

"There is a potential for tiger populations in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia
to become locally extinct by the next Year of the Tiger, in 2022, if we
don't step up actions to protect them."

Although Indochinese tigers were once found in abundance across the
Greater Mekong region, the WWF says there are now no more than 30 tigers
per country in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

The remaining populations are mainly found in mountainous border areas
between Thailand and Myanmar. But the WWF is calling on the ministers in
Hua Hin to take action to double the numbers of wild tigers by 2022.

"This region has huge potential to increase tiger numbers, but only if
there are bold and coordinated efforts across the region and of an
unprecedented scale that can protect existing tigers, tiger prey and their
habitat," said Cox.

Worldwide political efforts to secure the tiger's future will culminate in
a Tiger Summit in September in Vladivostok, Russia, hosted by Prime
Minister Vladimir Putin.

"There is an unprecedented opportunity to galvanise political will and
action to turn the tide on wild tiger numbers," said Mike Baltzer, head of
WWF's global tiger initiative.
"But to do this, we must stop the trade in tiger parts, rampant poaching,
and secure the tiger's habitats."

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

January 26, Kachin News Group
Burmese people continue to leave country despite looming elections

The exodus of Burmese people searching for jobs and new lives in
neighboring countries continues, despite the ruling junta’s is plans to
hold elections this year, said the exile opposition party.

Zaw Myint, of the exiled Burmese opposition party, the National League for
Democracy (NLD) said in Malaysia, Burmese citizens are still flowing into
Malaysia.

“2010 is very important for the future of our country, so we really want
people to think about that before they apply and try to go abroad for
their livelihood. If possible we don’t want anyone from Burma to come here
because the situation is very difficult,” he said.

The Malaysian authorities announced December 15, 2009 their intention to
arrest illegal migrants in the country within three months, according to
Burmese migrants.

Authorities are arresting illegal migrants and Burmese citizens who came
with visa and passport, added Burmese workers in Kuala Lumpur.

“Those who came here with passport and visa, have to give those documents
to their job owner. They have only copy of that, so police arrest them
too,” added Zaw Myint.

He said there is an estimated 700,000 legal and illegal Burmese citizens
in Malaysia, up from around 500,000 in 2008. More people are arriving even
though the Burmese junta is planning to hold countrywide elections this
year.

“I would like to suggest everyone patient and stay in the country at least
one more year, if they want to go out, because it is very important time
now,” he said.

However, with the fear of oppression and persecution from the Burmese
military junta, a lot of people, especially from ethnic minorities are
continuing flee to neighboring countries such as India, Thailand and
Malaysia.

According to the November 2009 report of United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR), based in Kuala Lumpur, there are now 75,600
refugees, compared with 45,400 in 2008.  Of those, 69,700 asylum seekers
are from Burma.

The report said, 17,400 are Rohingyas from the Northern Arakan (or also
called Rakhine) State of Burma, 32,100 ethnic Chins from Burma’s western
China State, 4,100 were the Muslims and the rest are other ethnics from
Burma.

In India, 2,952 refugees have registered with the UNHCR office and
thousands of refugees are waiting for registration. Tens of thousands of
Chin refugees live in Mizoram State, northern India.

A staff member of the Kuala Lumpur-based, Kachin Refugee Committee (KRC),
said ethnic Kachin refugees from Burma’s northern Kachin State are living
in fear day and night, because their movements are closely watched by the
authorities.

“We have to be alert all the time, even when we are sleeping. I have seen
policemen at every corner of the road, everyday” he said.

There are more than 4,000 Kachin refugees from Northern Burma in Malaysia
on their official list. Over 2,000 have been recognized by the UNHCR.

But, there are more Kachins who have yet to register with the KRC.

Most Kachin refugees want to relocate to third countries as refugees,
including the United States, Norway, Romania, Sweden, Australia, New
Zealand and Denmark.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

January 26, Irrawaddy
Expanding the rice market or cronies’ businesses? – Htet Aung

Burma’s rice traders have known a simple equation for ages. Increasing
rice exports will increase government revenues, but this logic sometimes
doesn't work in Burma.

“Myanmar's [Burma] rice market was spoiled last year,” said an owner of a
Rangoon-based export and import trading company on condition of anonymity.
“It is due to the problems in rice quality and the delay of shipments
which are major complaints of the international buyers.
Burmese farmers plant rice near Naypyidaw. (Photo: AP)

“Another problem is that the junta opened rice exports last year in order
to boost the market and issued licenses to many non-rice export companies,
and that made the market messy.”

The junta set a target to export 1.5 million tons of rice in budget year
2009-10, a two-fold increase over the previous year.

Burma’s rice traders usually welcome openness in the rice export market.
If the authorities control licensing too much, the result is: “fewer
licenses, less revenue” for the state, said one trader.

However, traders only want the government to take responsibility for
controlling the quality of exported rice and for assisting in timely
shipments, which includes equal access to port services, the availability
of vessels and less bureaucratic procedures.

Normally, the peak season for rice export in Burma is December to March
but due to the negative impact of issuing licenses to non-rice companies
last year, no licenses have been issued to private companies so far this
year, according to a trading company official.

The trader said that the delay may be because the authorities are deciding
whether they will open the rice export market to all or only a few
companies, a sign that the government doesn’t have a consistent policy.

During the 2nd Development Partnership Roundtable and Forum held at
Naypyidaw in mid-December, a proposal was made to form a Rice Technical
Advisory Group (RTAG) including academics and professionals to try to
revitalize the country’s agro-economy, including the management of rice
exports.

After the forum, the junta merged the three existing rice associations
into the Myanmar Rice Industry Association (MRIA). According to news
reports, the new body includes 29 recently formed companies.

Chit Khaine, the founder of Eden Group of Companies, the chair of the new
body, is on the EU sanction list under the category titled “Persons Who
Benefit from Government Economic Policies and Other Persons Associated
with the Regime.”

Among the business opportunities he's received from the junta were US $8
million hotel projects in Bagan and Ngapali Beach in 2004, the two most
famous tourist sites in Burma. His Eden Group of Companies is well known
in the real estate market.

In late 2008, Eden Group won a profitable business concession together
with two Vietnamese companies, Petrovietnam Exploration Production
Corporation Ltd and Joint Venture Vietsovpetro of Vietnam, to explore for
oil and gas in the Gulf of Martaban off Mon State. He owns 15 percent of
the shares.

In 2010, Chit Khaine’s business empire expanded to the Nargis-affected
delta region, the rice bowl of the country, to lend cash-loans to farmers
in return for paddy.

The state-run New Light of Myanmar reported on Jan. 9 that Gold Delta Co.
Ltd, one of Chit Khaine’s companies, made loans of nearly 1.8 billion kyat
(about $1.8 million) to more than 4,200 farmers growing paddy in 35,866
acres in Danubyu Township.

A local journal, Weekly Eleven, recently reported that businessmen from
the car, jewelry and real estate sectors are now shifting their interest
to the rice export market, which they believe is a potentially profitable
sector.

Burma’s handful of business conglomerates are expanding into the
industrial and agriculture sectors, dominating most of the large projects.

Chit Khaine, once a leading real estate businessman, with the blessing of
the generals is now the leader of the MRIA, at the helm of the country's
major rice exporting association.