Taungup: The Rakhine Nationalities Development Party, the leading Arakanese political party, has opened a branch office in Taunggok on 29 January.
Taunggok is one of the five townships in Arakan State where the RNDP did not field its candidates to compete in the 2010 elections.
“We have opened the township branch office for Taunggok on the 29th of January and formed an 18-member organizing committee led by U Myint Swe Maung for the township”, said U Khine Pray Soe, a leader from the party head office in Sittwe.
He said his party has received a warm welcome and wider support from the township and over 300 people attended the office opening ceremony.
The office is situated in Aditpadit Street, Gutar Ward in downtown Taunggok.
A youth from Taunggok said their town is one of the most politically active and patriotic towns in Arakan State, but the town people had to cast their votes to the Union Solidarity and Development Party and other parties due to the lack of local Arakanese parties competing in their area in 2010 elections.
“No Arakanese political party competed in our area either in the 1990 and 2010 elections. That is why our town people cast their votes to other parties. Now our Arakanese party- the RNDP has opened its office and if it competes in the coming elections, I believe all our town people will give their votes to the party”, said the youth.
U Khine Pray Soe said his party is also trying to open offices in the other four remaining townships in Arakan State—Ann, Thandwe, Gwa and Manaung.
“The top leaders of our party General Secretary U Hla Saw, Secretary U Thar Htun Hla and Vice-Chairman U Tin Win are now on organizing trips to Ann, Thandwe, Gwa and Manaung Townships in order to open branch offices there and we hope we will be able to open offices in those townships very soon as well”, he said.
The RNDP contested 44 seats in Arakan State and Rangoon Division in the 2010 election, of which it won 35 seats.
Taunggok is one of the five townships in Arakan State where the RNDP did not field its candidates to compete in the 2010 elections.
He said his party has received a warm welcome and wider support from the township and over 300 people attended the office opening ceremony.
The office is situated in Aditpadit Street, Gutar Ward in downtown Taunggok.
A youth from Taunggok said their town is one of the most politically active and patriotic towns in Arakan State, but the town people had to cast their votes to the Union Solidarity and Development Party and other parties due to the lack of local Arakanese parties competing in their area in 2010 elections.
“No Arakanese political party competed in our area either in the 1990 and 2010 elections. That is why our town people cast their votes to other parties. Now our Arakanese party- the RNDP has opened its office and if it competes in the coming elections, I believe all our town people will give their votes to the party”, said the youth.
U Khine Pray Soe said his party is also trying to open offices in the other four remaining townships in Arakan State—Ann, Thandwe, Gwa and Manaung.
“The top leaders of our party General Secretary U Hla Saw, Secretary U Thar Htun Hla and Vice-Chairman U Tin Win are now on organizing trips to Ann, Thandwe, Gwa and Manaung Townships in order to open branch offices there and we hope we will be able to open offices in those townships very soon as well”, he said.
The RNDP contested 44 seats in Arakan State and Rangoon Division in the 2010 election, of which it won 35 seats.
Minbya: The villagers from Palaypauk (Balipauk) Village in Minbya Township in Arakan State are in fear of arrest after being threatened by the army because they were unwilling to sacrifice their paddy harvests which are charged by the army as rent for their confiscated farmlands.
One of the villagers told Narinjara that the Military Operation Command or Sa-Ka-Kha (9) based in nearby Kyauktaw Township has threatened to arrest the villagers because they were hiding when the army personnel came to collect paddy from them.
“The army personnel from Sa-Ka-Kha (9) led by Major Ne Win and Corporal Ar Jone came to our village on the 31st of January to collect paddy from us. All the villagers were hiding when they came. After this they went to the village monastery and informed the monk of the monastery that they would arrest us if we do not pay the paddy to them”, said the villager.
Palaypauk Village is situated in the place where Minbya and Pauktaw Townships meet in north eastern Arakan State. According to the villagers, the Sa-Ka-Kha (9) has forcibly confiscated over 300 acres of paddy farmlands that were owned by the villagers, and have then been leasing the lands back to the owners with a rent of 25 baskets of paddy per acre.
“The army personnel even picked a quarrel with the monk as the monk requested they spare the villagers the rent this year. The monk told them the paddy harvest in the village was very poor this year, and the villagers are very poor, and then they asked the monk if he would pay, or who would pay 40,000 baskets of paddy that the government has ordered them to annually contribute to the state”, said the villager.
According to the source, there are only two villages in the Palaypauk Village Group namely Palaypauk and Dokekanlae, and the army have been annually collecting 15,000 baskets of paddy harvests—9,000 baskets from Palaypauk and 6,000 baskets from Dokekanlae—since it confiscated the farmlands from those villages.
“We villagers here are very poor farmers who are mainly living on the traditional paddy farming and we have been facing a lot of trouble in our livelihood since we have had to pay our harvests to the army. That is why we are unwilling to pay our harvests anymore, and we have recently written an appeal to the President U Thein Sein”, said the villager.
The villager said they are worrying about arrest by the army, as the army personnel have informed them that they would come again on 5 February threatening they would take action against those who fail to pay the paddy to them on that day.
“The army personnel from Sa-Ka-Kha (9) led by Major Ne Win and Corporal Ar Jone came to our village on the 31st of January to collect paddy from us. All the villagers were hiding when they came. After this they went to the village monastery and informed the monk of the monastery that they would arrest us if we do not pay the paddy to them”, said the villager.
Palaypauk Village is situated in the place where Minbya and Pauktaw Townships meet in north eastern Arakan State. According to the villagers, the Sa-Ka-Kha (9) has forcibly confiscated over 300 acres of paddy farmlands that were owned by the villagers, and have then been leasing the lands back to the owners with a rent of 25 baskets of paddy per acre.
“The army personnel even picked a quarrel with the monk as the monk requested they spare the villagers the rent this year. The monk told them the paddy harvest in the village was very poor this year, and the villagers are very poor, and then they asked the monk if he would pay, or who would pay 40,000 baskets of paddy that the government has ordered them to annually contribute to the state”, said the villager.
According to the source, there are only two villages in the Palaypauk Village Group namely Palaypauk and Dokekanlae, and the army have been annually collecting 15,000 baskets of paddy harvests—9,000 baskets from Palaypauk and 6,000 baskets from Dokekanlae—since it confiscated the farmlands from those villages.
“We villagers here are very poor farmers who are mainly living on the traditional paddy farming and we have been facing a lot of trouble in our livelihood since we have had to pay our harvests to the army. That is why we are unwilling to pay our harvests anymore, and we have recently written an appeal to the President U Thein Sein”, said the villager.
The villager said they are worrying about arrest by the army, as the army personnel have informed them that they would come again on 5 February threatening they would take action against those who fail to pay the paddy to them on that day.
Thandwe: Widespread use of poison is endangering the scarce lobster or giant prawn population on the coast of western Burma’s Arakan State, said a local environmentalist.
“The hunters of lobsters are now widely using poison to catch the scarce lobsters in Arakan coast and if they continue this practice, the lobsters in our coast will quickly become extinct”, said the environmentalist from Thandwe in south eastern Arakan State, on condition of anonymity.
He said the lobsters inhabit the undersea rock masses and the hunters dive into the sea where rock masses are and pipe the liquid poison into and around the rocks in order to catch the lobsters running out from their hiding places.
“They are using this technique to catch the lobsters very easily, but this technique hurts not only the lobsters but also fishes and other creatures that are living in and wandering around the rock masses”, he said.
According to the fishermen from Jatetaw Fishing Zone in Thandwe, where undersea coral reefs and rock masses are abundant, the lobster hunting causes a great disturbance to their fishing industries as well.
“The poison used for lobster hunting can stay in the water for a long time and no marine creature, including fishes can come close to the poisoned waters and this hurts our fishing industries in the area a great deal as well”, said one of the fishermen.
The lobsters in Arakan Coast are different in type and colour, and are the most expensive seafood exported to foreign countries via Rangoon. The standard lobsters are now priced at 80,000 Kyat per viss, while the sub-standard lobsters at 45,000 Kyat per viss in the markets in Arakan State.
The environmentalist said they have complained about the use of poison for lobster hunting to the Directorate of Fisheries. As the hunting continues it threatens the extinction of lobsters as well as other endangered species inhabiting the undersea rock masses on the coast of the region, but the department is still reluctant to take the necessary steps to stop the hunting.
He said the lobsters inhabit the undersea rock masses and the hunters dive into the sea where rock masses are and pipe the liquid poison into and around the rocks in order to catch the lobsters running out from their hiding places.
“They are using this technique to catch the lobsters very easily, but this technique hurts not only the lobsters but also fishes and other creatures that are living in and wandering around the rock masses”, he said.
According to the fishermen from Jatetaw Fishing Zone in Thandwe, where undersea coral reefs and rock masses are abundant, the lobster hunting causes a great disturbance to their fishing industries as well.
“The poison used for lobster hunting can stay in the water for a long time and no marine creature, including fishes can come close to the poisoned waters and this hurts our fishing industries in the area a great deal as well”, said one of the fishermen.
The lobsters in Arakan Coast are different in type and colour, and are the most expensive seafood exported to foreign countries via Rangoon. The standard lobsters are now priced at 80,000 Kyat per viss, while the sub-standard lobsters at 45,000 Kyat per viss in the markets in Arakan State.
The environmentalist said they have complained about the use of poison for lobster hunting to the Directorate of Fisheries. As the hunting continues it threatens the extinction of lobsters as well as other endangered species inhabiting the undersea rock masses on the coast of the region, but the department is still reluctant to take the necessary steps to stop the hunting.
Kyauk Pru: Burmese military oppression is still continuing in western Burma’s Arakan State like in the military era, though it has been nearly one year since U Thein Sein led the civilian government takeover of state power, according to local residents.
“We are still suffering from military torture and extortion. We do not know now to whom and where we have to complain of our suffering because no government authority is coming to protect us from those unruly oppressors despite our repeated complaints”, said a boat owner from Kyaukpru in Arakan State.
The boat owner said the sailors of the warships being deployed by the Danyawady Naval Headquarter at Ohngyein Port situated 10 miles east of Kyaukpru are inflicting human rights abuses, including torture and extortion on the local travelling boats.
“The naval forces at Ohngyein Port have ordered every passerby boat to report to them and they will ask for whatever they want from the boats. They even ask the boats to bring liquor, beer, cigarette, sugar and condensed milk for them from the town. If they do not get it they beat the boatmen and make them stand the whole day in the bright sun”, he said.
According to the source, the boats and travellers from the islands of Myotchaung and Masarai are suffering the most from extortion and torture by the naval forces of the Ohngyein port because the port is situated between the islands and the town. There are over 60 villages on the islands and the villagers of the islands depend solely on the local boats to travel from their islands to the town in the area.
A villager from Myotchaung Island also said, “No boat is allowed to pass by without reporting in Ohngyein. Recently they have even stopped the boat in which State Parliament MP U Kyaw Lwin was coming. They ask for money or goods from the boats and will seize or fine the boats that fail to report to them. Their unruly practices have troubled the boats and travellers here very much.”
It is also learnt from the local residents that besides the naval forces, the artillery battalion based at Saigree Village nearby the Naungtaw River is collecting forcible toll taxes from the local fishing and travelling boats patrolling in a speed boat in its nearby waters.
The residents said the armed forces in their area are continuing their practices upon the civilians like before, even though the government has claimed to have already changed to civilian rule in Burma.
The boat owner said the sailors of the warships being deployed by the Danyawady Naval Headquarter at Ohngyein Port situated 10 miles east of Kyaukpru are inflicting human rights abuses, including torture and extortion on the local travelling boats.
“The naval forces at Ohngyein Port have ordered every passerby boat to report to them and they will ask for whatever they want from the boats. They even ask the boats to bring liquor, beer, cigarette, sugar and condensed milk for them from the town. If they do not get it they beat the boatmen and make them stand the whole day in the bright sun”, he said.
According to the source, the boats and travellers from the islands of Myotchaung and Masarai are suffering the most from extortion and torture by the naval forces of the Ohngyein port because the port is situated between the islands and the town. There are over 60 villages on the islands and the villagers of the islands depend solely on the local boats to travel from their islands to the town in the area.
A villager from Myotchaung Island also said, “No boat is allowed to pass by without reporting in Ohngyein. Recently they have even stopped the boat in which State Parliament MP U Kyaw Lwin was coming. They ask for money or goods from the boats and will seize or fine the boats that fail to report to them. Their unruly practices have troubled the boats and travellers here very much.”
It is also learnt from the local residents that besides the naval forces, the artillery battalion based at Saigree Village nearby the Naungtaw River is collecting forcible toll taxes from the local fishing and travelling boats patrolling in a speed boat in its nearby waters.
The residents said the armed forces in their area are continuing their practices upon the civilians like before, even though the government has claimed to have already changed to civilian rule in Burma.
Dhaka: Bangladesh authorities seized a huge amount of yaba tablets smuggled from Burma in a border town in the most southern district of Bangladesh on Monday night.
“ We, members of the Border Guard Bangladesh seized 35,000 yaba tablets along with 3 persons who belonged to the yaba syndicate in the Ramu township of Cox’s Bazar Monday night,” said Commander Lt Col Khalequzzaman of the 17 BGB Battalion.
The price of the tablets is estimated to be Tk 10 millions.
The yaba tablets were seized when the Border Guard intercepted a bus on the way to Cox’s Bazar from the border town Telnaf, opposite the Burmese town Maungdaw.
‘On secret information, a BGB team stopped a Dhaka-bound microbus at Khunia Balong on the Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf highway and arrested the trio with the yaba tablets at around 11:30pm Monday,” Lt Col said.
The arrestees –Saiful Islam, 23, Jakir Hossain, 20, and Ishaq Molla, 20 – were going to the capital from Teknaf; BGB sources said adding that all of them hailed from Dhaka.
BGB handed them over to Ramu Police Station along with the tablets for the police to investigate further.
Bangladesh border authorities have seized increasing amounts of yaba tablets at border areas in recent years as many drugs syndicates from both Burma and Bangladesh illegally import yaba into Bangladesh from Burma because the price of Yaba is double in Bangladesh that of Burma.
The price of the tablets is estimated to be Tk 10 millions.
The yaba tablets were seized when the Border Guard intercepted a bus on the way to Cox’s Bazar from the border town Telnaf, opposite the Burmese town Maungdaw.
‘On secret information, a BGB team stopped a Dhaka-bound microbus at Khunia Balong on the Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf highway and arrested the trio with the yaba tablets at around 11:30pm Monday,” Lt Col said.
The arrestees –Saiful Islam, 23, Jakir Hossain, 20, and Ishaq Molla, 20 – were going to the capital from Teknaf; BGB sources said adding that all of them hailed from Dhaka.
BGB handed them over to Ramu Police Station along with the tablets for the police to investigate further.
Bangladesh border authorities have seized increasing amounts of yaba tablets at border areas in recent years as many drugs syndicates from both Burma and Bangladesh illegally import yaba into Bangladesh from Burma because the price of Yaba is double in Bangladesh that of Burma.
Rangoon: A three-day competition of Arakanese traditional Kyon, or wrestling, was held from 27 to 29 January at Thinphyu Boxing Ground in Rangoon's Mingalar Taung Nyaunt Township.
The competition was said to be organized jointly by the Ministry of Rakhine National Race Affairs in Rangoon Division and the Association of Rakhine Literature and Culture based in Rangoon, with the aim of saving the traditional sport from gradual decline and to attract younger Arakanese to the sport.
"Our Arakanese traditional Kyon that has been played for a thousand years is now beginning to disappear. In our youth, we thought a boy was not a boy if he did not know how to play Kyon. Every evening we played Kyon to keep our body fit and strong and we kept ourselves away from smoking and drinking as well because we were taking regular exercise with the sport. But nowadays we find our younger generations have very low interest in playing Kyon or other sports. We held this competition to preserve our long valued traditional Kyon from disappearing as well as to encourage our young generation's interest in doing sports," said U Zaw Aye Maung, Minister of Rakhine Affairs.
He said the competition was the third ever held in Rangoon with participation of 260 contestants, including other ethnic peoples such as Kachin, Kayah, Karen, Chin, Burman, and Mon, and was more grand and pleasurable compared to the ones held in 2003 and 2004.
The competition was separated into two levels - the level of gold gong and the level of silver gong. The first prize for the gold level is a gold medal and 15 lakh Kyat in cash, and the first prize for the silver level is a silver medal and 10 lakh Kyat in cash.
Ko Htay Min Soe, an Arakanese student in his final year of a B.Ed degree, won the first prize while Ko Win Kyi won the second prize, Ko Myint Soe won third, and Ko Zay Lin Aung of Myanmar Judo League won fourth prize in the gold level competition.
In the silver level competition, Ko Kyaw Swe won first prize, and Ko Nyi Nay Min won second prize. Both are from Kyauktaw and Kyaukpru Townships in Arakan State.
The prize of referee's choice was given to Ko Myint Soe from Kyauktaw Township as well.
"We are very pleased with the competition of Kyon held this year in Rangoon because not only Arakanese youth but also our brethren ethnic youths, including boxers and judoka, have contested in the competition. On all three days the stadium was also filled with so many Arakanese youth and other spectators and there are now people who are interested in opening Kyon clubs in Rangoon after observing the competition," said U Zaw Aye Maung.
Kyon, traditional Arakanese wrestling, was the most popular sport held by ancient kings in Arakan. The term "Kyon" derives from the combination of two Arakanese words, "Kyar" and "Yon", which mean "Tiger" and "Quick" in English. So, Kyon means "Quick Tiger", and wrestlers play to catch and bring each other to the ground to win like a quick tiger.
U Zaw Aye Maung said they are now systematically preparing the rules and methods of Kyon in consultation with the Myanmar Judo League in order to propose inclusion of their traditional sport in the SEA Games that will be held in 2013 in Burma.
"Our Arakanese traditional Kyon that has been played for a thousand years is now beginning to disappear. In our youth, we thought a boy was not a boy if he did not know how to play Kyon. Every evening we played Kyon to keep our body fit and strong and we kept ourselves away from smoking and drinking as well because we were taking regular exercise with the sport. But nowadays we find our younger generations have very low interest in playing Kyon or other sports. We held this competition to preserve our long valued traditional Kyon from disappearing as well as to encourage our young generation's interest in doing sports," said U Zaw Aye Maung, Minister of Rakhine Affairs.
He said the competition was the third ever held in Rangoon with participation of 260 contestants, including other ethnic peoples such as Kachin, Kayah, Karen, Chin, Burman, and Mon, and was more grand and pleasurable compared to the ones held in 2003 and 2004.
The competition was separated into two levels - the level of gold gong and the level of silver gong. The first prize for the gold level is a gold medal and 15 lakh Kyat in cash, and the first prize for the silver level is a silver medal and 10 lakh Kyat in cash.
In the silver level competition, Ko Kyaw Swe won first prize, and Ko Nyi Nay Min won second prize. Both are from Kyauktaw and Kyaukpru Townships in Arakan State.
The prize of referee's choice was given to Ko Myint Soe from Kyauktaw Township as well.
"We are very pleased with the competition of Kyon held this year in Rangoon because not only Arakanese youth but also our brethren ethnic youths, including boxers and judoka, have contested in the competition. On all three days the stadium was also filled with so many Arakanese youth and other spectators and there are now people who are interested in opening Kyon clubs in Rangoon after observing the competition," said U Zaw Aye Maung.
Kyon, traditional Arakanese wrestling, was the most popular sport held by ancient kings in Arakan. The term "Kyon" derives from the combination of two Arakanese words, "Kyar" and "Yon", which mean "Tiger" and "Quick" in English. So, Kyon means "Quick Tiger", and wrestlers play to catch and bring each other to the ground to win like a quick tiger.
U Zaw Aye Maung said they are now systematically preparing the rules and methods of Kyon in consultation with the Myanmar Judo League in order to propose inclusion of their traditional sport in the SEA Games that will be held in 2013 in Burma.
Kyauk Pru: Some 49 farmers from Kyaukpru Township in Arakan State have lodged a written complaint to the concerned authorities for not receiving the full amount of their respective compensation for their farmland that was lost to the gas pipeline in the area.
One of the farmers told Narinjara that it has been nearly four months since they were paid half of their compensation with the promise that the remaining half would be paid after 15 days, but they have not received it so far.
"The local authority team came to our villages on the 14th Waxing Moon Day of Thakinkyut (11 OCtober, 2011), and paid half of the compensation that we will get for our farmland lost to the pipeline with the promise that the remaining amount would be paid after 15 days. But so far we have not received the remaining compensation and that is why we have to write the matter to the concerned higher authorities," said the farmer.
The farmers are from the villages under Krattin Village Group in Kyaukpru Township and they reportedly addressed their letter to the township administrator and sent copies of the letter to the Regional Chief Minister, the Chairman of State Parliament, the State Administrator, and the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party.
While speaking to Narinjara over the telephone, the farmer read their complaint letter as follow:
1. We are farmers living in the villages of Thaphankhar, Thaprutaung, Pyatae, Krattin and Shwemaw under Krattin Village Group in Kyaukpru Township.
2. We have lost our life-earning farmlands as the pipeline from the Shwe Gas Project has crossed over them.
3. We were paid the half the amount of compensations for our lost farmlands by the responsible officials on 14th Waxing Moon Day of Thadinkyut (11 October 2011) with their verbal promise that the remaining amount would be paid after 15 days. But we have not yet received the remaining amount of that compensation to date.
4. We have not only become landless but also suffered from great losses as our farmlands were covered with ripe paddy harvests when they were confiscated and bulldozed for the pipeline corridor.
5. We therefore would like to request you to take necessary steps for paying the remaining compensations to us with your kind considerations for our difficulties and sufferings.
"The local authority team came to our villages on the 14th Waxing Moon Day of Thakinkyut (11 OCtober, 2011), and paid half of the compensation that we will get for our farmland lost to the pipeline with the promise that the remaining amount would be paid after 15 days. But so far we have not received the remaining compensation and that is why we have to write the matter to the concerned higher authorities," said the farmer.
The farmers are from the villages under Krattin Village Group in Kyaukpru Township and they reportedly addressed their letter to the township administrator and sent copies of the letter to the Regional Chief Minister, the Chairman of State Parliament, the State Administrator, and the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party.
While speaking to Narinjara over the telephone, the farmer read their complaint letter as follow:
1. We are farmers living in the villages of Thaphankhar, Thaprutaung, Pyatae, Krattin and Shwemaw under Krattin Village Group in Kyaukpru Township.
2. We have lost our life-earning farmlands as the pipeline from the Shwe Gas Project has crossed over them.
3. We were paid the half the amount of compensations for our lost farmlands by the responsible officials on 14th Waxing Moon Day of Thadinkyut (11 October 2011) with their verbal promise that the remaining amount would be paid after 15 days. But we have not yet received the remaining amount of that compensation to date.
4. We have not only become landless but also suffered from great losses as our farmlands were covered with ripe paddy harvests when they were confiscated and bulldozed for the pipeline corridor.
5. We therefore would like to request you to take necessary steps for paying the remaining compensations to us with your kind considerations for our difficulties and sufferings.
Dhaka: The Burmese regime has recently invited the Arakan Liberation Party, or ALP, to union-level peace negotiations, said a spokesperson from the party.
Khine Thukha, Secretary-2 and spokesperson for the ALP, said his party received the regime's invitation for peace talks on 23 January through their armed wing based on the Thai-Burma border.
"The Deputy Leader of the regime's Union Level Peace Making Group, U Thein Zaw, sent an invitation letter to our Vice-President U Khine Soe Naing Aung on the Thai-Burma border on 23 January to hold union-level peace negotiations with our party," said Khine Thukha.
He added that his party welcomes the regime's move for peace and is preparing to reply to the invitation very soon.
When asked what would be the outcome of negotiating with the regime, Khaing Thukha said, "It is now difficult for us to guess the outcomes before negotiating with them, but we would be able to tell what their intentions are and what we would continue to do after negotiating with them."
The Arakan Liberation Party and its armed wing, the Arakan Liberation Army, has been fighting guerrilla wars against the Burmese regime on the frontiers of the Indo-Burma and Thai-Burma borders for the freedom and ethnic rights of Arakanese people in Burma.
The party and its armed wing were founded by General Khine Moe Lunn in 1973 in the area of the Karen National Union on the Thai-Burma border, and its headquarters are now based on the Indian border near Arakan State.
"The Deputy Leader of the regime's Union Level Peace Making Group, U Thein Zaw, sent an invitation letter to our Vice-President U Khine Soe Naing Aung on the Thai-Burma border on 23 January to hold union-level peace negotiations with our party," said Khine Thukha.
He added that his party welcomes the regime's move for peace and is preparing to reply to the invitation very soon.
When asked what would be the outcome of negotiating with the regime, Khaing Thukha said, "It is now difficult for us to guess the outcomes before negotiating with them, but we would be able to tell what their intentions are and what we would continue to do after negotiating with them."
The party and its armed wing were founded by General Khine Moe Lunn in 1973 in the area of the Karen National Union on the Thai-Burma border, and its headquarters are now based on the Indian border near Arakan State.
Kyauk Pru: Some 49 farmers from Kyaukpru Township in Arakan State have lodged a written complaint to the concerned authorities for not receiving the full amount of their respective compensation for their farmland that was lost to the gas pipeline in the area.
One of the farmers told Narinjara that it has been nearly four months since they were paid half of their compensation with the promise that the remaining half would be paid after 15 days, but they have not received it so far.
"The local authority team came to our villages on the 14th Waxing Moon Day of Thakinkyut (11 OCtober, 2011), and paid half of the compensation that we will get for our farmland lost to the pipeline with the promise that the remaining amount would be paid after 15 days. But so far we have not received the remaining compensation and that is why we have to write the matter to the concerned higher authorities," said the farmer.
The farmers are from the villages under Krattin Village Group in Kyaukpru Township and they reportedly addressed their letter to the township administrator and sent copies of the letter to the Regional Chief Minister, the Chairman of State Parliament, the State Administrator, and the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party.
While speaking to Narinjara over the telephone, the farmer read their complaint letter as follow:
1. We are farmers living in the villages of Thaphankhar, Thaprutaung, Pyatae, Krattin and Shwemaw under Krattin Village Group in Kyaukpru Township.
2. We have lost our life-earning farmlands as the pipeline from the Shwe Gas Project has crossed over them.
3. We were paid the half the amount of compensations for our lost farmlands by the responsible officials on 14th Waxing Moon Day of Thadinkyut (11 October 2011) with their verbal promise that the remaining amount would be paid after 15 days. But we have not yet received the remaining amount of that compensation to date.
4. We have not only become landless but also suffered from great losses as our farmlands were covered with ripe paddy harvests when they were confiscated and bulldozed for the pipeline corridor.
5. We therefore would like to request you to take necessary steps for paying the remaining compensations to us with your kind considerations for our difficulties and sufferings.
"The local authority team came to our villages on the 14th Waxing Moon Day of Thakinkyut (11 OCtober, 2011), and paid half of the compensation that we will get for our farmland lost to the pipeline with the promise that the remaining amount would be paid after 15 days. But so far we have not received the remaining compensation and that is why we have to write the matter to the concerned higher authorities," said the farmer.
The farmers are from the villages under Krattin Village Group in Kyaukpru Township and they reportedly addressed their letter to the township administrator and sent copies of the letter to the Regional Chief Minister, the Chairman of State Parliament, the State Administrator, and the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party.
While speaking to Narinjara over the telephone, the farmer read their complaint letter as follow:
1. We are farmers living in the villages of Thaphankhar, Thaprutaung, Pyatae, Krattin and Shwemaw under Krattin Village Group in Kyaukpru Township.
2. We have lost our life-earning farmlands as the pipeline from the Shwe Gas Project has crossed over them.
3. We were paid the half the amount of compensations for our lost farmlands by the responsible officials on 14th Waxing Moon Day of Thadinkyut (11 October 2011) with their verbal promise that the remaining amount would be paid after 15 days. But we have not yet received the remaining amount of that compensation to date.
4. We have not only become landless but also suffered from great losses as our farmlands were covered with ripe paddy harvests when they were confiscated and bulldozed for the pipeline corridor.
5. We therefore would like to request you to take necessary steps for paying the remaining compensations to us with your kind considerations for our difficulties and sufferings.
Cox'sbazar: Bangladesh has plans to connect to the world's longest undersea cable through Burma to strengthen its backup for internet connectivity, Bangladesh officials were reported disclosing in local media.
A submarine cable arriving in the land of Bangladesh.The cable is known as SEA-ME-WE 3, for Southeast Asia-Middle East-Western Europe, and it is the longest cable in the world at 39,000 kilometers. The cable is Burma's only under sea connection in neighboring countries of Bangladesh.
Sunil Kanti Bose, the telecom secretary of Bangladesh, said Bangladesh has no direct scope to be connected with the SEA-ME-WE 3, but it is possible to connect to the cable through Burma.
Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Ltd. (BSCCL) is going to build about a 50-kilometer fiber optic link from Cox's Bazar, a town on the border of Bangladesh with Burma, up to the Burmese border. The town of Cox's Bazar is 50 kilometers from the Burmese border.
"It is to be connected with the SEA-ME-WE 3 [cable]," said Sunil Kanti Bose to the media.
He said the state-run BSCCL has started working with Burmese authorities to get the connectivity.
"Recently, a group of Burmese experts for the cable network came to Bangladesh to discuss the issue with us. We are now exploring the possibility of getting connectivity with Burma through microwave or terrestrial cable links," he said.
The BSCCL, which is the consortium member of Bangladesh's lone Bangladesh cable SEA-ME-WE 4, will have to spend $2.75 million to complete the project. The Bangladesh government has also recently approved BSCCL as a consortium member of another new undersea cable system, named SEA-ME-WE 5.
BSCCL managing director, Monwar Hossain, also said Bangladesh will build part of the cable on it's own side of the border, while other parts will be built by Burma.
It was learned that the project will be completed within 12 months.
A submarine cable arriving in the land of Bangladesh.Sunil Kanti Bose, the telecom secretary of Bangladesh, said Bangladesh has no direct scope to be connected with the SEA-ME-WE 3, but it is possible to connect to the cable through Burma.
Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Ltd. (BSCCL) is going to build about a 50-kilometer fiber optic link from Cox's Bazar, a town on the border of Bangladesh with Burma, up to the Burmese border. The town of Cox's Bazar is 50 kilometers from the Burmese border.
"It is to be connected with the SEA-ME-WE 3 [cable]," said Sunil Kanti Bose to the media.
He said the state-run BSCCL has started working with Burmese authorities to get the connectivity.
"Recently, a group of Burmese experts for the cable network came to Bangladesh to discuss the issue with us. We are now exploring the possibility of getting connectivity with Burma through microwave or terrestrial cable links," he said.
The BSCCL, which is the consortium member of Bangladesh's lone Bangladesh cable SEA-ME-WE 4, will have to spend $2.75 million to complete the project. The Bangladesh government has also recently approved BSCCL as a consortium member of another new undersea cable system, named SEA-ME-WE 5.
BSCCL managing director, Monwar Hossain, also said Bangladesh will build part of the cable on it's own side of the border, while other parts will be built by Burma.
It was learned that the project will be completed within 12 months.
Kyauk Pru: Two Indian workers were injured on Monday when they were working at a pipeline construction site in Kyauk Pru Township in Arakan, said a worker close to them.
The workers - Brindar Thurkar and Rijkpoor - are from the Indian company Punj Lloyd, which is constructing the gas pipeline from Burma to China. The incident took place near Min Htet Taung Village in Kyauk Pru Township when the pipes where being connected one by one.
Brindar Thurkar was rushed to Kyauk Pru general hospital in critical condition and has been treated for injuries to his hands.
U Aung Mong, a worker from the project said the man's hands had been broken in the accident while Mr. Rijkpoor received minor injuries to his fingers.
The Indian workers blamed the company Punj Lloyd for the incident because of the poor supply of tools the workers have been given to construct the pipeline, said U Aung Mong.
Brindar Thurkar was rushed to Kyauk Pru general hospital in critical condition and has been treated for injuries to his hands.
U Aung Mong, a worker from the project said the man's hands had been broken in the accident while Mr. Rijkpoor received minor injuries to his fingers.
The Indian workers blamed the company Punj Lloyd for the incident because of the poor supply of tools the workers have been given to construct the pipeline, said U Aung Mong.
Cox’sbazar: The Bangladesh government reportedly cancelled the official registration of the Rakhine Buddhist Welfare Association, the largest organization for the local minority Rakhine community in Bangladesh, on 24 January.
Leaders of the Rakhine Buddhist Welfare Association in a seminar.U Oo Maung Thein, the present chairman of the RBWA, confirmed the local news report that the organization was annulled from the official registry, but said he did not know yet the detailed reasons behind the government's move.
"So far as we know, the government's department called on U Rhee, who served as the chairman of the chairman of the organization in 2009, before they cancelled the official registry of the organization, but we do not know yet why he was summoned and the organization was cancelled. We are now looking into our organizational documents and records of the tenure from 2009 - 2010," said U Oo Maung Thein.
He said the organization has had no problems during his current tenure from 2011-2012 as the head of the organization.
According to a local newspaper, "The Daily Ajker Deshbidesh," the Social Welfare Department of Bangladesh has revoked the official registrations for 197 organizations, including the Rakhine Buddhist Welfare Association and 11 other Rakhine social groups from Cox's Bazar District on the grounds that they have failed to report or show the progress of their work programs being supported annually by the department.
"The RBWA is the most important organization for our minority Rakhine peoples here and we are trying our best to maintain our organization. We still solve the problems of our organization reviewing our activities and through discussion among our members and communities as soon as possible. We hope the government will officially recognize our organization again after reporting its gaps and progresses," said U Maung Thein.
The head office of the RBWA is based in Cox's Bazaar. It was established in 1988, and now has over 1,000 members and 21 branches throughout Bangladesh.
Leaders of the Rakhine Buddhist Welfare Association in a seminar."So far as we know, the government's department called on U Rhee, who served as the chairman of the chairman of the organization in 2009, before they cancelled the official registry of the organization, but we do not know yet why he was summoned and the organization was cancelled. We are now looking into our organizational documents and records of the tenure from 2009 - 2010," said U Oo Maung Thein.
He said the organization has had no problems during his current tenure from 2011-2012 as the head of the organization.
According to a local newspaper, "The Daily Ajker Deshbidesh," the Social Welfare Department of Bangladesh has revoked the official registrations for 197 organizations, including the Rakhine Buddhist Welfare Association and 11 other Rakhine social groups from Cox's Bazar District on the grounds that they have failed to report or show the progress of their work programs being supported annually by the department.
"The RBWA is the most important organization for our minority Rakhine peoples here and we are trying our best to maintain our organization. We still solve the problems of our organization reviewing our activities and through discussion among our members and communities as soon as possible. We hope the government will officially recognize our organization again after reporting its gaps and progresses," said U Maung Thein.
The head office of the RBWA is based in Cox's Bazaar. It was established in 1988, and now has over 1,000 members and 21 branches throughout Bangladesh.
Buthidaung: Five students in western Burma's Arakan State drowned when their ferry sank as they were traveling to school, said family members.
A government school in ArakanThe tragedy occurred in Nwa Ron Daung Village 30 miles south of Buthidaung in the early morning last Friday after the ferry boat broke down in the middle of the river.
"When the row boat capsized on the river there were 18 students. Among them five students, including four schoolgirls and one schoolboy were killed," a family member said.
Zaw Zaw Oo, Ma Pru Pru Khin, and Ma Than Than Nu from class 7, Ma Aye San from class 6, and Ma English from class 8 were drowned, while several other students were rescued by local villagers.
Nwa Ron Daung Village has over 300 households but does not have a government middle school. Because of this, the students in the village have to travel to attend a school in Zaydi Daung 7 miles to the south, and must cross a river in a ferry row boat to get there.
"Our village deserves a middle school because there are many students. We have proposed to government officials here to allow a middle school in our village but the government authority has neglected our proposal. If a middle school were in our village, my children would not face this tragedy," said a family member.
In Nwa Ron Daung Village there is only a primary school, and children have to travel elsewhere to attend school once they pass the primary level.
Many villages in Arakan State need middle schools, but the government is unable to open middle schools in every such village in the state due to budget shortfalls in the education sector.
A government school in Arakan"When the row boat capsized on the river there were 18 students. Among them five students, including four schoolgirls and one schoolboy were killed," a family member said.
Zaw Zaw Oo, Ma Pru Pru Khin, and Ma Than Than Nu from class 7, Ma Aye San from class 6, and Ma English from class 8 were drowned, while several other students were rescued by local villagers.
Nwa Ron Daung Village has over 300 households but does not have a government middle school. Because of this, the students in the village have to travel to attend a school in Zaydi Daung 7 miles to the south, and must cross a river in a ferry row boat to get there.
"Our village deserves a middle school because there are many students. We have proposed to government officials here to allow a middle school in our village but the government authority has neglected our proposal. If a middle school were in our village, my children would not face this tragedy," said a family member.
In Nwa Ron Daung Village there is only a primary school, and children have to travel elsewhere to attend school once they pass the primary level.
Many villages in Arakan State need middle schools, but the government is unable to open middle schools in every such village in the state due to budget shortfalls in the education sector.
Kyauk Pru: Authorities in Kyauk Pru in Arakan State have directed Indian workers to evacuate the downtown areas of Kyaukpru and move out from their rented homes to their work sites due to social problems among the residents of Kyauk Pru, the second largest city in Arakan and the main location of the Shwe Gas Project.
A foreign project in Kyauk Pru.A chairman from a ward administration council said that U Ran Lin Aung , Chairman of Kyauk Pru District, made the directive after local residents complained of Indian workers causing social problems in the town.
"I received last week a copy from the district chairman where the chairman directed me to disallow Indian workers to stay in the downtown area after 19 January, 2012, because there are many social problems in Kyauk Pru after the Indian workers came to stay in downtown areas," he said, declining to disclose his name in media.
There are many foreign workers on the Shwe Gas Project in Arakan State, including Chinese, Korean, and Indians, but most of the Indian workers are staying in rented housing in dowtown areas of Kyauk Pru.
The workers typically go to their projects in the early morning every day in vehicles and return to their homes in the evening.
The ward chairman said that more social problems started in Kyauk Pru when the Indian workers came to the town because unruly workers have engaged in unsocial activities by drinking alcohol and visiting local brothels after returning from their work sites.
U Thanda Maung, a social worker and member of the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party, said that clashes can occur at anytime between local residents and the Indian workers because some unruly workers have created social problems in the town after drinking.
"The dissatisfaction of our townspeople with Indian workers is increasing day after day due to their misbehavior. Some wards in Kyauk Pru are noisy and deafening every night because of Indian workers, because they go to the bar for drinking and go to sex workers' homes," he said, added that, "I really worry because a clash can take place anytime between residents and Indian workers if the Indian workers continue to stay in Kyauk Pru."
The number of sex worker homes in Kyauk Pru is also increasing in recent years since many foreigners have come to the area for the Shwe Gas Project, he said.
The authority in Kyauk Pru has arranged a place for the Indian workers to stay after local residents complained about them staying downtown, but the Indian workers have refused to move, stating that the area is unsuitable.
Ko Than Kyaw, a junior engineer from Kyauk Pru, said that one local engineer, U Aung Naing, built some temporary houses at a place near their project, some 21 miles from downtown Kyuak Pru, on a contract with the Indian company for the Indian workers, but the workers refused to move to the place, stating that there were no facilities for them in that location.
In the directive from the Kyauk Pru district chairman, the Indian workers were instructed to leave for areas located outside town by 19 January, 2012, but the workers are still living in downtown Kyauk Pru against the authorities' orders.
A foreign project in Kyauk Pru."I received last week a copy from the district chairman where the chairman directed me to disallow Indian workers to stay in the downtown area after 19 January, 2012, because there are many social problems in Kyauk Pru after the Indian workers came to stay in downtown areas," he said, declining to disclose his name in media.
There are many foreign workers on the Shwe Gas Project in Arakan State, including Chinese, Korean, and Indians, but most of the Indian workers are staying in rented housing in dowtown areas of Kyauk Pru.
The workers typically go to their projects in the early morning every day in vehicles and return to their homes in the evening.
The ward chairman said that more social problems started in Kyauk Pru when the Indian workers came to the town because unruly workers have engaged in unsocial activities by drinking alcohol and visiting local brothels after returning from their work sites.
U Thanda Maung, a social worker and member of the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party, said that clashes can occur at anytime between local residents and the Indian workers because some unruly workers have created social problems in the town after drinking.
"The dissatisfaction of our townspeople with Indian workers is increasing day after day due to their misbehavior. Some wards in Kyauk Pru are noisy and deafening every night because of Indian workers, because they go to the bar for drinking and go to sex workers' homes," he said, added that, "I really worry because a clash can take place anytime between residents and Indian workers if the Indian workers continue to stay in Kyauk Pru."
The number of sex worker homes in Kyauk Pru is also increasing in recent years since many foreigners have come to the area for the Shwe Gas Project, he said.
The authority in Kyauk Pru has arranged a place for the Indian workers to stay after local residents complained about them staying downtown, but the Indian workers have refused to move, stating that the area is unsuitable.
Ko Than Kyaw, a junior engineer from Kyauk Pru, said that one local engineer, U Aung Naing, built some temporary houses at a place near their project, some 21 miles from downtown Kyuak Pru, on a contract with the Indian company for the Indian workers, but the workers refused to move to the place, stating that there were no facilities for them in that location.
In the directive from the Kyauk Pru district chairman, the Indian workers were instructed to leave for areas located outside town by 19 January, 2012, but the workers are still living in downtown Kyauk Pru against the authorities' orders.
Ponna Kyunt: The authorities of the prison labor camp in Thaytaw Village in Ponna Kyunt Township in northeastern Arakan State have been hiring out prisoners as day laborers to the local private industries to raise "prison funds".
One farmland owner in the area told Narinjara that the officials of the prison camp hire out prisoners at a rate of 2,000 Kyat each per day to the local farm owners for agricultural work in the area.
"We have to hire the prisoners from the labor camp as day laborers for our cultivation because we have a shortage of laborers in our area. We have to pay 2,000 Kyat and provide two meals for a prisoner working on our farmland from 7 am to 4 pm each day. At present we are using them for reaping and carrying our paddy harvests," said the farmer.
He added that there are nearly 50 prisoners at the labor camp and camp authorities hire them out to farmers as well as to other industries in the area, and collect their wages themselves. "The camp has been hiring its prisoners not only to us but also to other private industries in our area, and also using them for its own firewood trading. Its officer, U Win Maung, usually collects the prisoners' wages from us, saying they have to use the prisoners to raise funds for the prison," he said.
According to the source, the prisoners at the labor camp are being sent from prisons in Sittwe and Buthidaung for three-month terms to serve their sentence of hard labor before completing their jail terms, but the labor camp authorities are exploiting the prisoners' hard labor to make money to line their own pockets on the pretense of raising funds for the prison.
"We have to hire the prisoners from the labor camp as day laborers for our cultivation because we have a shortage of laborers in our area. We have to pay 2,000 Kyat and provide two meals for a prisoner working on our farmland from 7 am to 4 pm each day. At present we are using them for reaping and carrying our paddy harvests," said the farmer.
He added that there are nearly 50 prisoners at the labor camp and camp authorities hire them out to farmers as well as to other industries in the area, and collect their wages themselves. "The camp has been hiring its prisoners not only to us but also to other private industries in our area, and also using them for its own firewood trading. Its officer, U Win Maung, usually collects the prisoners' wages from us, saying they have to use the prisoners to raise funds for the prison," he said.
According to the source, the prisoners at the labor camp are being sent from prisons in Sittwe and Buthidaung for three-month terms to serve their sentence of hard labor before completing their jail terms, but the labor camp authorities are exploiting the prisoners' hard labor to make money to line their own pockets on the pretense of raising funds for the prison.
Mrauk U: Local police in Mrauk-U in Arakan State have arrested and charged a young woman from a rural village in the area for dealing an illegal lottery in lieu of the main suspect in the crime, allegedly after police received bribes and released the accused.
Mrauk U Entrace gateThe young woman was identified as 22-year-old Ma Hla Hla from Htamarite Village in Mrauk-U Township, and she was reportedly arrested as a substitute for the accused, Daw Ma Hla Saw from Maheingan Village in the area.
"The police had targeted her mother because she has the same name as the main suspect, who was arrested and released after taking bribes, but they could not find her so they arrested her daughter instead. Now she is in custody at the police station in Mrauk-U," said a local social volunteer who is advocating for her release.
According to the source, the crime police team led by officer U Kyaw Soe arrested Daw Ma Hla Saw, who is a resident of Maheingin Village in downtown Mrauk-U and a central dealer of the illegal lottery "Che-Hti" in the area, and seized lottery tickets in the first week of January in the market of the town.
The police team was said to have already reported the arrest of Daw Ma Hla Saw to higher level police authorities in Arakan State. "After arresting Daw Ma Hla Saw in the market, the police team detained her at their station, but they released her after taking a bribe of one million kyat even though her case had already been reported to the state-level in-charge of police. That is why the police had to look for another Ma Hla Saw from the area so as to frame her in place of the accused. They found one in nearby Htamarite Village, but as they could not find her in her house, they arrested her daughter Ma Hla Hla instead of her and brought her to the police station," said the social volunteer.
He added that they police plain clothes arrested Ma Hla Hla from her house without raiding it or telling her anything about her arrest.
He said that her relatives and the administrator of her village have gone to the police station and demanded they release her as she is innocent, but the police station is continuing to hold her in place of Che-Hti dealer Daw Ma Hla Saw.
"The police are afraid that they will be dismissed or suspended if the authorities look into the case and find no accused in custody. That is why they are continuing to hold her in their station and charging her in the place of the main accused," he said.
He added that her relatives and village elders have complained of the matter to the office of the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party in Mrauk-U.
Mrauk U Entrace gate"The police had targeted her mother because she has the same name as the main suspect, who was arrested and released after taking bribes, but they could not find her so they arrested her daughter instead. Now she is in custody at the police station in Mrauk-U," said a local social volunteer who is advocating for her release.
According to the source, the crime police team led by officer U Kyaw Soe arrested Daw Ma Hla Saw, who is a resident of Maheingin Village in downtown Mrauk-U and a central dealer of the illegal lottery "Che-Hti" in the area, and seized lottery tickets in the first week of January in the market of the town.
The police team was said to have already reported the arrest of Daw Ma Hla Saw to higher level police authorities in Arakan State. "After arresting Daw Ma Hla Saw in the market, the police team detained her at their station, but they released her after taking a bribe of one million kyat even though her case had already been reported to the state-level in-charge of police. That is why the police had to look for another Ma Hla Saw from the area so as to frame her in place of the accused. They found one in nearby Htamarite Village, but as they could not find her in her house, they arrested her daughter Ma Hla Hla instead of her and brought her to the police station," said the social volunteer.
He added that they police plain clothes arrested Ma Hla Hla from her house without raiding it or telling her anything about her arrest.
He said that her relatives and the administrator of her village have gone to the police station and demanded they release her as she is innocent, but the police station is continuing to hold her in place of Che-Hti dealer Daw Ma Hla Saw.
"The police are afraid that they will be dismissed or suspended if the authorities look into the case and find no accused in custody. That is why they are continuing to hold her in their station and charging her in the place of the main accused," he said.
He added that her relatives and village elders have complained of the matter to the office of the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party in Mrauk-U.
Sittwe: A group of Arakanese have launched a campaign in two major towns in Arakan State in western Burma demanding the rights of Arakanese people from the Shwe Gas Project that is being implemented in the region.
The local group, known as the Rakkha Ahluntan, or "Ray of Arakan", was said to have launched the campaign with its members wearing t-shirts and pasting stickers that demand rights for the Arakanese people from the gas project on Monday and Tuesday in crowded areas in the ancient city of Mrauk-U and the current capital Sittwe.
"We have launched the campaign to demand what our people should get from the enormous gas project in our native region," said Mar Mar Kyaw Zwar, the leader of the group. The Ray of Arakan is a local rights group in Arakan State and launched a similar campaign late last year as well.
Mar Mar Kyaw Zwar said her group has sent the campaign's demands to President U Thein Sein as well as to U Hla Maung Tin, the Chief Minister of Arakan State. "As part of our campaign, we have also sent the letters of our demands for sharing the natural gas from the Shwe Gas Project for the benefit of local Arakanese people to President U Thein Sein and the Chief Minister U Hla Maung Tin by fax at 9 am today," she said.
A youth from the group in Mrauk-U said they pasted their campaign posters in all crowded places in the ancient city, including the market, religious places, police stations, and hotels, so as to draw the attention of the local public for their wider participation in their campaign for local rights in the gas project.
He added that local police have been closely watching them since they launched the campaign, but have not disturbed them in any way besides following them and removing posters that were pasted in some important public and official places around town.
The campaigners have widely distributed and posted the papers and posters for the campaign to the people in crowded areas, including Main Road, Munbar Gree Road, U Ottama Park, and Fire Brigade Junction in Sittwe.
The campaigners have demanded 24-hour electricity and kitchen gas from the Shwe Gas Project for local use in Arakan State.
Campaigns demanding local rights in the Shwe Gas Project have continually sprung up in Arakan State following official statements by Energy Minister U Than Htay in parliament last October that his regime has no plans to use Arakan's offshore Shwe Gas for Arakan State, as most of the gas from the project will be exported to China while the remaining portion is being allocated for use by factories in mainland Burma.
The local group, known as the Rakkha Ahluntan, or "Ray of Arakan", was said to have launched the campaign with its members wearing t-shirts and pasting stickers that demand rights for the Arakanese people from the gas project on Monday and Tuesday in crowded areas in the ancient city of Mrauk-U and the current capital Sittwe.
"We have launched the campaign to demand what our people should get from the enormous gas project in our native region," said Mar Mar Kyaw Zwar, the leader of the group. The Ray of Arakan is a local rights group in Arakan State and launched a similar campaign late last year as well.
Mar Mar Kyaw Zwar said her group has sent the campaign's demands to President U Thein Sein as well as to U Hla Maung Tin, the Chief Minister of Arakan State. "As part of our campaign, we have also sent the letters of our demands for sharing the natural gas from the Shwe Gas Project for the benefit of local Arakanese people to President U Thein Sein and the Chief Minister U Hla Maung Tin by fax at 9 am today," she said.
A youth from the group in Mrauk-U said they pasted their campaign posters in all crowded places in the ancient city, including the market, religious places, police stations, and hotels, so as to draw the attention of the local public for their wider participation in their campaign for local rights in the gas project.
He added that local police have been closely watching them since they launched the campaign, but have not disturbed them in any way besides following them and removing posters that were pasted in some important public and official places around town.
The campaigners have widely distributed and posted the papers and posters for the campaign to the people in crowded areas, including Main Road, Munbar Gree Road, U Ottama Park, and Fire Brigade Junction in Sittwe.
The campaigners have demanded 24-hour electricity and kitchen gas from the Shwe Gas Project for local use in Arakan State.
Campaigns demanding local rights in the Shwe Gas Project have continually sprung up in Arakan State following official statements by Energy Minister U Than Htay in parliament last October that his regime has no plans to use Arakan's offshore Shwe Gas for Arakan State, as most of the gas from the project will be exported to China while the remaining portion is being allocated for use by factories in mainland Burma.
Buthidaung: Local police have arrested a woman from Buthidaung in northern Arakan State on charges of trafficking young women from the town.
Buthedaung watch towerThe woman was identified as Daw Khin Myo Win, a resident of Buthidaung, and she was arrested in 8 January after being reported to the police by her victims, said local residents.
"She was the talk of the town for her trafficking racket for a long time, but was arrested just after some of the girls whom she had trafficked had come back to the town and reported her to the police," said one of the residents.
A source close to the local police also confirmed the woman's arrest.
"The district-level police forces for anti-human trafficking arrested her on 8 January. Some of her victims reported her to the police when they came back to their town after they had been sent by her to Thailand on promises of some specific jobs, but were sold for prostitution after arriving there," said the source.
The source added that the woman is now being detained in the prison in Buthidaung for further investigations and has been charged under human trafficking law sections 24 and 32, for luring and selling a human being for profit.
According to the sources, there are traffickers who lure and sell the young women into prostitution for their own profit, taking advantage of the situation in which most of the young people are leaving for job opportunities in other regions in Burma with better economies as well as Thailand and Malaysia, due to the economic crisis and scarcity of jobs in their area in Arakan State.
On 25 October, 2011, a woman who attempted to smuggle out 18 women, including 15-year-old girls, on Shwepyithit Bus was arrested en-route to the Thai border by police at the gate of Nyaungpinzay in Mrauk-U in Arakan State.
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Buthedaung watch tower"She was the talk of the town for her trafficking racket for a long time, but was arrested just after some of the girls whom she had trafficked had come back to the town and reported her to the police," said one of the residents.
A source close to the local police also confirmed the woman's arrest.
"The district-level police forces for anti-human trafficking arrested her on 8 January. Some of her victims reported her to the police when they came back to their town after they had been sent by her to Thailand on promises of some specific jobs, but were sold for prostitution after arriving there," said the source.
The source added that the woman is now being detained in the prison in Buthidaung for further investigations and has been charged under human trafficking law sections 24 and 32, for luring and selling a human being for profit.
According to the sources, there are traffickers who lure and sell the young women into prostitution for their own profit, taking advantage of the situation in which most of the young people are leaving for job opportunities in other regions in Burma with better economies as well as Thailand and Malaysia, due to the economic crisis and scarcity of jobs in their area in Arakan State.
On 25 October, 2011, a woman who attempted to smuggle out 18 women, including 15-year-old girls, on Shwepyithit Bus was arrested en-route to the Thai border by police at the gate of Nyaungpinzay in Mrauk-U in Arakan State.
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Narinjara
Rangoon: Six imprisoned Arakanese youth were freed on Friday as part of the latest presidential amnesty, said one of their relatives.
"Six of them were freed this morning, but I do not know all of their names except Ko Htun Lin Kyaw and Ko Kyaw Win," said a family member of Ko Htun Lin Kyaw.
They were part of a group of 11 students and youth who were arrested by authorities in September 2009 in Rangoon and Arakan State on charges of possessing firearms and explosives, having contact with illegal organizations, illegally crossing the border, and illegally using telecommunications. After being held nearly a year in Insein Prison without trial, they were produced in the prison court and finally sentenced to three to nine years in prison on 11 August 2010 on the charges.
Among them, Maung Naing Soe was the first to be freed from prison. Afterwards, Ko Khine Kyaw Moe and Ko Zaw Tun Nine were freed on 18 November, 2011, after completing their respective jail terms.
Two of the 11 are still remaining in prison after the amnesty on Friday when state media announced presidential pardons for 651 detainees so they could take part in "nation-building".
It was also learned that Ashin Pinnyasara, a well-known Arakanese monk imprisoned in Tharat Prison, was not included among the released, most of whom are prominent political prisoners.
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Narinjara
"Six of them were freed this morning, but I do not know all of their names except Ko Htun Lin Kyaw and Ko Kyaw Win," said a family member of Ko Htun Lin Kyaw.
They were part of a group of 11 students and youth who were arrested by authorities in September 2009 in Rangoon and Arakan State on charges of possessing firearms and explosives, having contact with illegal organizations, illegally crossing the border, and illegally using telecommunications. After being held nearly a year in Insein Prison without trial, they were produced in the prison court and finally sentenced to three to nine years in prison on 11 August 2010 on the charges.
Among them, Maung Naing Soe was the first to be freed from prison. Afterwards, Ko Khine Kyaw Moe and Ko Zaw Tun Nine were freed on 18 November, 2011, after completing their respective jail terms.
Two of the 11 are still remaining in prison after the amnesty on Friday when state media announced presidential pardons for 651 detainees so they could take part in "nation-building".
It was also learned that Ashin Pinnyasara, a well-known Arakanese monk imprisoned in Tharat Prison, was not included among the released, most of whom are prominent political prisoners.
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Narinjara
Dhaka: Burma's envoy to Bangladesh has ensured Bangladesh businessmen will be able to get a visa to travel to Burma within one day.
Burmese envoy U Min Lwin made the promise when he attended a discussion meeting with Bangladesh businessmen in Chittagong, a major port city in Bangladesh.
"A visa for any business trip to Burma would be issued within a day," said U Min Lwin, adding that "visas will not take longer to issue."
The meeting was held on 10 January, 2012, by Chittagong Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry at Chittagong, where U Min Lwin presented as a guest.
Envoy U Min Lwin also told attendees about other issues, including direct road links and shipping links.
Regarding direct shipping links, he said that the shipping links from Bangladesh to Burma would be introduced soon. "A joint shipping committee consisting of members from both countries has already formed," he said.
He also stressed the need for direct road links between Burma and Bangladesh to improve bilateral trade and business activities. Bangladesh has been keen to construct road links connecting to China in order to increase trade with China for a decade.
At the meeting, the president in charge of CMCCI, AM Mahbub Chowdhury, also delivered a speech, saying, "Bangladesh can enter the markets in Burma if it allows duty concession to exporters."
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Narinjara
Burmese envoy U Min Lwin made the promise when he attended a discussion meeting with Bangladesh businessmen in Chittagong, a major port city in Bangladesh.
"A visa for any business trip to Burma would be issued within a day," said U Min Lwin, adding that "visas will not take longer to issue."
The meeting was held on 10 January, 2012, by Chittagong Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry at Chittagong, where U Min Lwin presented as a guest.
Envoy U Min Lwin also told attendees about other issues, including direct road links and shipping links.
Regarding direct shipping links, he said that the shipping links from Bangladesh to Burma would be introduced soon. "A joint shipping committee consisting of members from both countries has already formed," he said.
He also stressed the need for direct road links between Burma and Bangladesh to improve bilateral trade and business activities. Bangladesh has been keen to construct road links connecting to China in order to increase trade with China for a decade.
At the meeting, the president in charge of CMCCI, AM Mahbub Chowdhury, also delivered a speech, saying, "Bangladesh can enter the markets in Burma if it allows duty concession to exporters."
........................
Narinjara