KAOWAO NEWS No. 98
Newsletter for social justice and
freedom in Burma
Readers’ front
Flood of Burmese causes concern
Human traffickers coming under scrutiny
Corruption among new military intelligence continues
Mon National
Day Committee in
Bush welcomes young Burmese activist to White House
Kyats notes seized in
Explosion in the capital
Ceasefire groups defiant
We invite comments and suggestions on improvements to Kaowao newsletter. With your help, we hope that Kaowao News will continue to grow to serve better the needs
of those seeking social justice in
Regards,
Editor
kaowao@hotmail.com, www.kaowao.org
_________________________________________________
In the article An Ethnic
Perspective: Democracy Is Not Enough by Maxmilian
Wechsler, Dr Lian Hmung Sakhong is quoted as referring to Ne
Win's BSPP as the Burma Socialist Progress Party. The Party's actual name
was Burma Socialist Programme Party.
Regards,
Bush Gulati (
_________________________________________
Dear Kaowao
News Group,
Thank you for posting
the latest news “Explosion in the Capital”. I think the whole country is ready
to explode soon. Let's pray for our homeland.
Sincerely,
Dong Khup
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MIGRATION WITHIN
Flood of Burmese causes
concern
(Reported by Toay Htaw and Lavi, Kaowao:
The number of Burmese moving
into
“A number of Burmese
migrants have moved down from upper Burma over the past year into Ye Township,
there are as many as 30,000 recent Burmese migrants,” says a Mon Buddhist monk
commenting on the presence of migrants in the village as the result of the
SPDC’s policy.
New Mon State Party’s senior
members estimate the number of Burmese moving into
“There are about 60 Burmese migrants
in our village,” says Ms Mi Kun Say of Durae village, Ye Township in a
correspondence to Kaowao recently.
She hires Burmese migrants
to work on her farm because they are a cheap source of labour compared to Mon
workers.
“We don’t know about any
long term policy of the SPDC with the intention of assimilating and mixing
socially, but we know that cheaper Burmese laborers will work at the wages we
offer compared to the
There are about 30 and 40
Burmese migrants in a small village Palaing-hmuh,
Burmese migrants seem
unaware of any SPDC policy to transfer them to
“In our area (Taung Ngoo town), we earn 700
Kyats per day, but here (Mon State) we earn 1500 Kyats per day, including
having things to cook with,” said a young migrant, Mr
Win Tun who worked in Thanbyuzayat Township, central
Mon State.
“Our employer here gives us
everything, including food such as rice, vegetables and salt, we didn’t have
these in upper
“In Karoppi
village, there are over two hundred migrants, they are aggressive toward Mon
villagers,” said Nai Htaw aged 34, a community worker.
“The young people are not
patient with the new migrants, the local people say they interfere in village
affairs by joining with the local SPDC Battalion,” Htaw
said.
Villagers from Durae
village, Ye Township, say Burmese migrants join with local commanders and
Township authorities to interfere in Mon community affairs. “The Burmese (SPDC)
troops give them priority and appoint them to manage our labor work,” said a
young Mon community worker.
The major concern among the
local Mon population is that the Burmese troops and the Burmese migrants will
join forces to influence Mon community affairs. Villagers in Kaw Pawk (Koh
Pok in Mon) in Kaw-ka-reik townsip,
Some migrants have become a
target for Mon splinter armed groups, the source from southern Mon state said.
Recent tensions provoked a Mon guerilla armed group in southern
The source from the NMSP says that some migrants in
The SPDC township authority
arrested a village headman of Kun-done in the northern part of Ye Township last
year, suspected of being a Mon guerilla sympathizer after a Burmese migrant
informed on him to the authorities.
“The migrant was an informer and was protected by the
authorities and local troops,” said Nai Akah, Ye
Township, a young Mon political activist.
The source from southern
“Some children of the
families work in the labor field with their parents,” Miss Mi Smoh Chan, a Mon employer from the area said. “They are
aged between 12 and 13 years old.”
Most migrants, she added,
have no education, but some have finished primary school. There are no
university graduates. Some, over the age of 18, are short from a poor diet and
look about 13 years old.
The migrants seem unaware of
the SPDC’S population transfer. Most of the migrants, she added, are from a
poor educational background.
**********************************************************
Human Traffickers coming under scrutiny
(Kaowao:
Three
“The human smugglers in
Karen state have been asked by the police to hand over their address,” says Nai
Gore Lavi, a Mon businessman. “The traffickers in
Adding that, “human
smugglers usually just bribe their way out of arrest to keep their business in
trafficking moving along, so to speak, but it is not so easy to bribe now.”
The human smugglers do not
face arrest at the moment.
Other local sources in Mon
and
Some mobile phones, such as
cordless and satellites, are widely used in both two states illegally. The
owners are able to go about their business by bribing the police and local
authorities.
A major part of the illegal
business industry, which includes trafficking, smuggling, money exchange,
mobile and satellite phones, illegal football gambling, and underground lottery
are run by local businessmen under the protection of police and authorities who
get rich from kickbacks. The whole racket employs agents, brokers, and
transporters and their subcontractors, all of who have the ability to sneak
merchandise and people across the border.
Even though a prohibition on
local people to work in other countries is issued by the government, the
checkpoint officers, on the way to
The immigration police at
*****************************************
(Independent Mon News
Agency:
New Military Intelligent, Sa
Ya Pha (known as
Military Security Force in Burmese Army) involves taking bribes said
businessmen.
The members of Sa Ya Pha, Military Security
Force are taking bribes from the businessmen and they are simply following the
style set out by previous MI (Military Intelligence) headed by ousted Prime
Minister Lt. General Khin Nyunt in corruption, black-mailing, harassment and
involvement in illegal businesses.
The regime in
“They just arrived here.
They met our businessmen and demanded money. Each of our jewelry traders had to
pay 3000 Baht per month,” said a jewelry trader in
The payment is illegal and
it is not in the tax regulation, said the trader. This is also illegal
payment to the Sa Ya Pha
in order to operate the business without disturbance created by the members
of the new intelligence group.
Currently the new force is
inspecting each business in the township and cracking down on private money
transfer in
“If you can deal with them,
you can continue operating your business. If not, you will face more
difficulties,” said an owner of the money transfer service in
Additionally, Sa Ya Pha does not keep good
relationships with several ceasefire groups and informed village headmen or
township authorities to list the names of all members in ceasefire groups and
report their activities in villages or towns.
************************************************
Mon National Day Committee in
(Kaowao:
According to a meeting
minute of the Mon National Day Organizing Committee, it will reach out across
to all Mon communities around the world that will generate a great outpouring
of hope and motivation for the
Two meetings were held in
October to prepare for the upcoming 59th Mon National Day in
The gatherings formed a Main
Committee and Sub Committees for Information, Decoration, Cultural Performance,
Food and Beverage, Finance and Inspection. Among those elected to lead the
special event were, Nai Cham Toik
as Chairperson, Ms. Zajien Htaw
as Vice-Chairperson, Nai Ong Tamah
as Vice-Chairman, and Nai Simon as Secretary General.
The worldwide Mon
communities from around
Back home in
***********************************************
Bush welcomes `courageous
and compassionate' young Burmese activist to White House
Washington (AP) - President
George W. Bush welcomed a young activist against
White House spokesman Scott
McClellan said at his briefing that Bush's meeting with activist Charm Tong was
scheduled only a few hours earlier.
"The president is
pleased to welcome such a courageous and compassionate woman to the White
House," McClellan said, "and I know he's been looking forward to that
meeting since it was scheduled earlier this morning."
On Friday, the State
Department took a dig at the junta in
The report "highlights
the Burmese regime's unwillingness to cooperate with the international
community and details actions it took to intimidate the ILO, the statement
issued by department spokesman Sean McCormack said.
Tong, 23, was one of four
young activists honored by the athletic shoe maker Reebok this year with its
annual human rights award. The others were from
McClellan described Tong as
"a 23-year-old woman who has dedicated her life to helping those who
suffer under the military rule in
Tong is a Shan refugee who
campaigns for the rights of refugees. She helped found the Shan Women's Action
Network, aimed at stopping violence against women and children.
The network has documented
109 incidents of sexual violence committed by Burmese soldiers in Shan state
since 2002. The Shan are
Its Shan Nationalities
League for Democracy is one of three legal political parties that boycotted the
government's national convention called last year to draft a constitution. Its
chairman and general secretary were taken from their homes in
*****************************************************
MONEY
Kyat notes seized in Mon
State
(Kaowao:
Police in Mon state seized
kyat notes valued at one hundred million in Burmese currency last Saturday but
no one was arrested, a source from
The money was being
transferred from
Businessmen in
The notes were seized in Mottama town of
*******************************
Explosion in the capital
(Kaowao:
A bomb exploded in the
capital city of
According to a
The witness, who spoke to Kaowao over the phone, said a group of people recently set
fire to a petrol store in Hmawbi near
The government introduced a
new set-price of 1,500 kyat per gallon from 150 kyat, while the diesel price in
the black market is about 3,800 kyat per gallon.
A source in
A number of bomb explosions
have occurred in
********************************************
OPPOSITION
Ceasefire groups defiant
(Shah Paung,
Ethnic ceasefire groups in
On October 11, Burmese
officials told Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar
that their first priority was to “unite the country” and to do so would require
the surrender of all weapons by ethnic armed groups, in order to prevent the
disunity and instability that can be seen now in
But ethnic groups such as
the New Mon State Party, the Kachin Independence Organization and the Karen
Democratic Buddhist Army have refused to surrender their arms.
Nai Han Tha,
general-secretary of the NMSP, said the group will not disarm without some
assurance from the government that they will be safe from persecution by
government soldiers.
“We have agreed to stop
fighting, but not to surrender. We need a dialogue. Until now, they [Burmese
military government] have never talked with us,” said Nai Han Tha, adding that issues relating to Mon State have
generated only limited discussion at the National Convention, set to resume in
the next two months.
The NMSP brokered a
ceasefire agreement with the
The KIO and DKBA have also
stated that they will not surrender their arms to the military government.
“The Burmese military
government should know that we will not agree to everything they ask,” said
Major Chit Thu of DKBA battalion 999. The group broke away from the Karen
National Union in 1995 and negotiated a ceasefire agreement with
“This is what they [the
junta] want,” said an official from the KIO. “It is clear that we have agreed
to a ceasefire, not surrender, for the sake of peace in the country.”
He added that the junta is
planning to disrupt cooperation among armed ethnic groups, but that the KIO
should not be affected. The group—one of
************************************************
Analysis /
(By
Larry Jagan)
The top military ruler, General Than
Shwe, is also expected to stand down as the junta leaders pass power to the
next generation of generals. The country's top 12 generals are currently
meeting in
The planned changes are the most
dramatic since the army seized power 17 years ago. The top general is
reportedly planning to give up at least one of the three key posts he holds as
chairman of the SPDC, supreme commander of the army, and defence minister.
''We expect Than Shwe to relinquish
his position as defence minister in the forthcoming reshuffle,'' said a senior
Southeast Asian diplomat who has regular contact with the Burmese regime. Gen Than Shwe recently told the visiting Thai army's supreme
commander, General Chaisit Shinawatra, that he would
retire soon and that General Thura Shwe Mann would
take over as the country's leader in due course.
There are increasing doubts about
the senior general's health. Six months ago he had a very mild stroke, but has
recovered from that. Dr Kyaw Myint, the health
minister and Gen Than Shwe's
personal physician, visits him every day to monitor his medical condition,
according to family friends. A Singaporean doctor also recently visited
Time appears to be catching up with
the 75-year-old general, say diplomats who have recently met the Burmese
leader. Gen Than Shwe is known to suffer from
hypertension and is a diabetic. ''He's subject to frequent diabetic rages when
his sugar levels get out of control,'' a Burmese army doctor said. But many
Burmese analysts believe much of the old man's deteriorating health is largely
a psychological illness, the result of a depression caused by the increasing
public revelations of his wife and children's rabid corruption.
He was particularly shocked when,
during his trial for corruption, the former agriculture minister, Nyunt Tin,
disclosed that he had presented Gen Than Shwe's wife and their daughter with five diamonds, each
worth US$1.5 million. ''He was so shocked by these corruption revelations and
the extent of his daughter's business dealings that he took to his bed with
depression for days,'' a Burmese source said.
This may have prompted the senior
general to withdraw from the public eye and take a back seat for the time
being. Although he may even retire as the SPDC chairman, he is unlikely to give
up the post of supreme commander of the army. ''Even if Than Shwe officially
retires he will not give up his power. Instead he'll remain the grey eminence
behind the throne, along the lines of the Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping in the years
before his death,'' said Burmese analyst Win Min, based in Chiang Mai.
Gen Thura
Shwe Mann is tipped to replace Gen Maung Aye as the army's commander-in-chief,
paving the way for him to take the reigns of power sometime next year. And Gen
Maung Aye may well become the SPDC chairman.
There is no doubt that at present
Gen Than Shwe is taking a back seat. ''Than Shwe has
withdrawn from involvement in the day-to-day government of the country and
Maung Aye has effectively taken over the former prime
minister Khin Nyunt's role of running
In recent weeks, it has been Gen
Maung Aye who has dominated the front pages of the government-controlled
newspapers, with Gen Than Shwe increasingly less
prominent. ''Maung Aye's mug is everywhere in the Burmese media _ a clear sign
that he has strengthened his influence and control within the junta,''
according to a Rangoon-based Western diplomat.
But others believe this is only a
ploy by the senior general until he is ready to resume his central role and
become the country's first president under the new constitution that is
expected to be
adopted early next year. ''Than Shwe
is only giving Maung Aye enough rope to hang himself,'' said a Southeast Asian
diplomat.
''The National Convention will have
drawn up a new constitution by the end of the year and it will be put to a
referendum in early 2006,'' said a senior Chinese diplomat.
And new elections are likely before
the end of next year.
Gen Thura
Shwe Mann is scheduled to take over as head of the army and replace Gen Than Shwe as head of the junta, according to a senior
Chinese diplomat.
When that time comes, he will grant
a mass amnesty to all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi, Khin
Nyunt, and the former military intelligence officers who were sentenced to
hundreds of years in prison for corruption and economic crimes earlier this
year, according to Asian diplomats.
To prepare for these momentous
political changes,
''This is the new generation of
military leaders who are being readied to take over power,'' according to
senior Indian diplomats who deal with
This new generation of leaders is
likely to be just as preoccupied as their predecessors with holding on to
power. And they are certain to be unprepared to compromise with either the
pro-democracy parties or the ethnic minorities.
Source- Bangkok Post,
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