News & Articles on Burma
News & Articles on Burma
Friday, 30 September, 2010
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Myanmar to free Suu Kyi days after election: officials
Junta-backed USDP Campaigning through Nargis Projects
Ethnic Campaign Ads Censored
Relations sour between pro-junta parties
Tay Za's Son Takes Sanctions Case to Court of Justice
Exiled Burmese Coalition Calls for More Pressure
PM to visit Burma next month
Heroin Trade Tears Social Fabric of Ethnic Minorities
Student unions condemn 'unlawful' arrest of activists urging poll boycott
Regional efforts needed to push for democracy
Junta crony uses influence to cut voters' power bills
Lithuania joins chorus seeking UN inquiry on Burma abuses
Burmese regime way behind drug free target: Drug report
Druglords selected to represent junta party on 7 November polls
Myanmar junta balks at poll criticism
Than Shwe's biography to be launched at EU Parliament
More parties cancel election broadcasts
In Burma's Public Hospitals, You Get What You Pay For
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Myanmar to free Suu Kyi days after election: officials
AFP
YANGON (AFP) – Democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi will be released in November just days after Myanmar's first election in two decades, officials said Thursday.
The Nobel Peace laureate, who has been detained for most of the last twenty years since winning the country's last poll in 1990, will be freed when her current house arrest expires on November 13, the unnamed sources said.
"November will be an important and busy month for us because of the election and because of Aung San Suu Kyi's release," a Myanmar official told AFP, noting the release would come soon after the country's November 7 vote.
A second Myanmar official, who also declined to be named, confirmed the date, adding "she will be released on that day according to the law."
Neither Suu Kyi nor her National League for Democracy (NLD) party will participate in the upcoming vote, which opponents have dismissed as a sham aimed at hiding military power behind a civilian facade.
Uncertainty over whether the military regime will indeed release the 65-year-old, known reverently among Myanmar's people as "The Lady", will remain until the moment she appears in public.
The junta, humiliated by its crashing defeat in the last election, has prolonged Suu Kyi's confinement almost continuously ever since.
She has been detained since May 2003 and has only enjoyed fleeting periods of freedom since 1990.
Thailand-based analyst Aung Naing Oo said any release would come with conditions and she "won't be free to go out".
"It's a military dictatorship. No matter what the legal background of the issue -- if they don't want to release her, she won't be released," he said. "I'll believe it when I see it".
Suu Kyi's current spell of detention stems from her imprisonment in May last year -- just days before a previous period of house arrest came to an end -- due to a bizarre incident in which an American swam to her lakeside home.
She was initially given three years in jail and hard labour but was returned to her crumbling family home in August 2009 after her sentence was commuted to one and a half years' house arrest by junta leader Than Shwe.
Suu Kyi's lawyer Nyan Win said the period of detention started with her imprisonment on May 14 and authorities would have to release her in November because "there is no law to extend her house arrest".
"So far we have no plan in advance for her release date. We will do and follow whatever she asks for. We are waiting for that day," Nyan Win added.
Government mouthpiece New Light of Myanmar recently warned an unnamed party -- thought to be the NLD -- to drop protests against its dissolution, and threatened jail for anyone impeding the upcoming vote.
The party was disbanded after it opted to boycott the election in response to rules barring serving prisoners -- like Suu Kyi and other members -- from standing.
A UN ministerial group has said that the election will not be credible unless military rulers release Suu Kyi and other opposition detainees.
But on Tuesday Myanmar's foreign minister Nyan Win rejected international criticism, insisting that the junta is committed to a "free and fair" vote.
Myanmar has been ruled by the military since 1962 and the generals have stacked the cards in their favour for the poll.
A new constitution, which comes into force with the election, ring-fences a quarter of the legislature for the army, while junta-friendly parties are seen as having a major advantage in the contest for the remaining seats.
Opposition parties face formidable hurdles, including a fee of 500 dollars per candidate -- the equivalent of several months' wages for most people.
The National Democratic Force (NDF), a breakaway opposition party created by former NLD members, is among those planning to contest the vote, a decision that put it at odds with Suu Kyi, who favoured a boycott.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100930/ts_afp/myanmarvoteopposition
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Junta-backed USDP Campaigning through Nargis Projects
By WAI MOE Thursday, September 30, 2010
Junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) candidates are using Cyclone Nargis rehabilitation projects in the Irrawaddy delta and other state projects across the country to campaign for the election.
According to the state-run-newspaper, The New Light of Myanmar on Thursday, Burmese Prime Minister Thein Sein who is also the USDP chairman attended the opening ceremony of a hospital and a youth training school in the cyclone-hit area of Laputta Township alongside other USDP key leaders who retired from their military posts in April including Thein Nyunt, the minister of Progress of Border Areas and National Races and Development Affairs, and Maung Maung Swe, the minister of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement.
Ahead of the Nov.7 elections, the state-run-media are full of reports that USDP leaders who are also sitting ministers are traveling to state projects and attending openings of completed projects. Observers said the military junta allowed state media to highlight USDP activities but limited publicity to other political parties.
Although Thein Sein seemed to be focusing USDP campaign activities through the state projects in the Irrawaddy delta this week, his election campaign last week focused on the west bank of the Irrawaddy River in the Magway Region, the location of government arms factories as well as alleged work on military missiles and nuclear projects.
Thein Sein appeared in the state media where he was shown Sept. 20 opening the Minhla-Minbu section of the railway line from Kyangin in the Irrawaddy Region to Pakokku in the Magway Region.
The New Light of Myanmar also reported on Sept. 25 that Thein Sein opened a hospital in Zabuthiri Township in Naypyidaw. According to the Naypyidaw candidate list, Thein Sein is running for the People's Assembly (Lower House) seat in Zabuthiri Township.
Along with USDP top leaders and senior military officials, the state-run newspapers on Thursday highlighted one of richest tycoons in the country, Zaw Zaw, the head of the Max Group of Companies and the newly formed Ayeyawady Bank. Zaw Zaw appeared in a front page photo in The New Light of Myanmar along with USDP leaders and senior military officers including Maj-Gen Hla Min, the chief of the Bureau of Special Operations-3.
Zaw Zaw and other US-sanction list tycoons including Tay Za, Htay Myint, Khin Shwe and Dagon Win Aung were awarded construction projects in the Irrawaddy delta following Cyclone Nargis in May 2008.
Khin Shwe of the Zay Gabar Company is a USDP candidate for the Nationalities Assembly (Upper House) in Twantay Township in the Rangoon region, which was hard hit by Cyclone Nargis. He told The Monitor Journal recently that he had done campaign activities while also working on Nargis work projects.
"For me, I don't need to do election campaigning in the area. Following Nargis, I had worked there for a year doing reconstruction on pagodas and feeding people food. So people tell me, 'Please come here!' I don't need to do any extra campaigning like other candidates," Khin Shwe was quoted as saying in the journal.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=19596
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Ethnic Campaign Ads Censored
By LAWI WENG Thursday, September 30, 2010
Burma's Union Election Commission (EC) has censored campaign ads submitted by ethnic political parties that make reference to a federal union in Burma, several ethnic leaders have told The Irrawaddy.
The campaign ads—which can be no longer than 15 minutes air time in length—must be submitted to the EC for approval before they are broadcast on radio or TV.
Nai Ngwe Thein, the party chairman of the All Mon Regions Democracy Party (AMRDP), said, "Two phrases from our script were deleted—"genuine union" and "narrow-minded nationalism."
He said he believes the Burmese junta disapproves of federalism and is censoring any mention of it.
A representative of the Shan Nationals Democratic Party (SNDP) said that six sentences from the party's campaign script, which refered to the the 1947 Panglong Agreement, were deleted by the EC.
SNDP Secretary Sai Hla Kyaw said, "They deleted the words 'Panglong Agreement,' which was signed in 1947 by ethnic and Burman leaders, and proposed a multi-ethnic union with equal rights for ethnic minority groups.
"We want to tell our people about the Panglong Agreement," he added. "But the regime will not let us."
Each of the 37 political parties approved by the EC to contest the Nov. 7 election are allowed one 15-minute advertisement on state-run radio and television, but must submit the script for their campaign ad to the EC for approval seven days before broadcasting.
Political parties whose ads are rejected may revise them and resubmit them, but must submit them in person at the EC headquarters in Naypyidaw, which the ethnic leaders say is costly and time-consuming.
"It takes a lot of time to write a campaign ad," said Sai Hla Kyaw. "We take care not to write anything inflammatory or anything we suspect the EC will censor. If our ad is rejected and we have to submit it a second time, it means a long trip to Napyidaw. It is too far for us."
Thu Wai, the chairman of the Democratic Party (Myanmar), confirmed that his party's election campaign ad was rejected by the EC in the second week of September, and that the party had until Sept. 23 to submit a revised script to the EC in Naypyidaw, but was unable to comply.
Burma state-run television and radio started broadcasting party campaign ads on Sept. 26. Ads for two ethnic political parties, the AMRDP and the Taaung (Pa Laung) National Party, were broadcast on TV on Wednesday.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=19595
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Relations sour between pro-junta parties
By AYE NAI
Published: 30 September 2010
One of the two main pro-junta parties competing in Burma's elections has filed a lawsuit against a member of Prime Minister Thein Sein's party, alleging foul play in the build up to the polls.
The National Unity Party (NUP), which came third in the 1990 elections, claims that a member of the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), which is widely tipped to win the 7 November vote, snatched photographs of new NUP members intended for membership cards and destroyed them.
San Win is accused of being behind the incident on 19 September in Bago division's Tharawaddy township that has caused the biggest fissure between the two pro-junta parties since campaigning began several months ago.
"[Two NUP campaigners] accidently showed the photos to the USDP's youth campaigner, San Win, who took them away and handed them to the township's USDP secretary, Thein Zaw," according to NUP candidate San Thwin.
He claims that when asked to return the photos, Thein Zaw refused, saying: "We will not give you back. The USDP is going to win the election and you still lose even if you win anyway". He then allegedly threatened that NUP members "would be in trouble" once the USDP had won.
The confidence of the USDP is not altogether unfounded – the party is led by current Burmese PM Thein Sein, and includes top-level government officials, including the junta's former third-in-command, Shwe Mann. Like the NUP, it will field close to 1000 candidates in the polls, and compete in all 330 constituencies in Burma.
Prior to the incident, relations between the two parties appeared to be healthy, although the government-appointed Election Commission (EC) had refused two NUP candidates put forward for the vote.
But the NUP's spokesperson, Han Shwe, told DVB this week that the USDP was a competitor, not ally, in Burma's first elections in 20 years, and admitted that the USDP is "the strongest party in the whole of the country".
Meanwhile, San Min, a USDP campaigns secretary in Tharawaddy was recently given a warning by the EC after apparently attempting to secure votes in exchange for donating to a village monastery.
"Three USDP members went to the Abbot U Sandara of Maha Zedihla monastery in Letpangon village and pledged to donate 200,000 kyat [US$200]," said a Tharawaddy resident. He added that when the monk's assistants went to collect the money, San Min told them that "they were actually buying votes by donating the money".
http://www.dvb.no/elections/relations-sour-between-pro-junta-parties/12023
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Tay Za's Son Takes Sanctions Case to Court of Justice
By SIMON ROUGHNEEN Thursday, September 30, 2010
Pye Phyo Tay Za, the son of Tay Za, a businessman with close links to Burma's military government, is appealing a decision taken earlier this year which maintains European Union (EU) financial sanctions and travel ban against him.
The case is now before the Court of Justice in Luxembourg, which is the highest court in the EU in terms of EU law, and pits Pye Phyo against the Council of the European Union, the European Commission and the United Kingdom.
On May 19, Pye Phyo Tay Za lost a legal bid at the General Court to have EU sanctions overturned. He was ordered to pay the court costs for the Council of the EU. He is seeking that the entire May 19 decision be overturned, that the sanctions regulations be rendered null and void in his case, and that the Council foot the bill for this appeal and for the previous case.
Pye Phyo's legal team is challenging the May 19 decision on a number of grounds pertaining to what it terms "particular legal flaws in the General Court's judgment." His lawyers and solicitors are again focusing on "the link between the Appellant and the military regime of Burma/Myanmar."
The appeal was lodged on July 27, and details were published in the EU official journal on Sept. 25. It says that Pye Phyo "is not a ruler of Burma/Myanmar, nor a person associated with a ruler, and is not controlled, directly or indirectly, by a ruler. The fact that he is the son of someone whom the Council considers to have benefited from the regime is insufficient."
This echoes the case made at the General Court, in which Pye Phyo argued that he is neither a member of Burma's military government nor associated with it, and does not benefit from "the administration of that government."
However, in the original General Court case, it was claimed that "neither the applicant [Pye Phyo] nor his father received any benefits from the regime." However, it now appears that the Court of Justice appeal will not go so far as to question whether Tay Za is "someone whom the Council considers to have benefited from the regime."
In defending the General Court case to have sanctions against Pye Phyo retained, the Council said that the appeal could be a way for Tay Za to circumvent the sanctions against himself. The Council stated: "The applicant was aware of the reasons for which such restrictive measures specifically apply to him, since he states in paragraph 37 of the originating application that there may be a risk of his father circumventing the freeze on his own assets by transferring his funds to other family members."
Tay Za owns the Htoo Group of Companies, which has stakes in major economic sectors in the country such as logging, tourism, hotels, airlines, transport and construction. He also owns Air Bagan, which dominates domestic air travel inside Burma.
In early September, The Irrawaddy received information from junta officials that most of the telecommunication services of the Ministry of Communications, Posts and Telegraphs in Burma will be taken over by the Htoo Group. Tay Za is among a group of four businessmen who will be allowed to open new private banks in Burma ahead of the Nov. 7 general election. The quadrumvirate run conglomerates and are considered top beneficiaries of a wave of privatization in which about 300 state assets, including everything from real estate to ports, shipping companies and an airline were sold amid growing Chinese, Indian, Thai and Singaporean investment in the military-run country.
Tay Za has worked side-by-side with Aung Thet Mann, the son of ex-Gen Shwe Mann, who is the third-ranked figure in the ruling junta and a possible president of the country after the November elections.
The upcoming election is expected to be dominated by the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and the National Unity Party (NUP), two junta-linked parties who will contest most or all of the 1,096 constituencies across the country at regional, lower and upper house levels. A number of businessmen close to the military government will run as election candidates for the USDP.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=19591
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Exiled Burmese Coalition Calls for More Pressure
By LALIT K JHA Thursday, September 30, 2010
WAHSINGTON — The New York-based National Council of the Union of Burma (NCUB) on Wednesday urged the international community to continue to exert pressure on the Burmese military junta prior to the country's first general election in two decades.
"Since the elections will not and cannot be credible, it is important that the international community, under the United Nations leadership, continue to press for the release of political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and democratic reform in Burma," the NCUB said in a statement.
The NCUB, based in New York, is a coalition of various exiled groups working to increase democracy and human rights in Burma.
"International leadership and pressure are essential to promoting a peaceful transition to democracy in Burma and enhancing the important work of leaders for Burma's democracy and human rights," said the NCUB one day after a meeting of the 14-member Friends of Burma convened by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Following the Group of Friends meeting, Ban told reporters that participants discussed ways to intensify common efforts to help the Burmese government and people achieve a successful transition towards a credible civilian and democratic government.
Ban said that members reiterated the need for the election process to be more inclusive, participatory and transparent. Members also called for steps to be taken for the release of political detainees, including Aung San Suu Kyi.
Welcoming Ban's statement, the NCUB said just the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners will not create conditions for a free, fair and inclusive election.
"The constitutional provisions and electoral system put in place by the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) for the upcoming elections are so fundamentally flawed that it is not possible to conduct democratic elections under the current arrangement," it said.
"Through electoral laws, the SPDC has prohibited established leaders, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and Khun Tun Oo, from running in the elections;blocked opposition parties from fielding candidates; intimidated ethnic nationalities that have not bowed to the SPDC's demands; and created an atmosphere of fear and intimidation for individual citizens who would wish to vote for non-SPDC candidates. There is no way that the elections in Burma will be inclusive, credible, free, or fair," the NCUB said.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=19590
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PM to visit Burma next month
* Published: 30/09/2010 at 10:22 AM
* Online news: Breakingnews
NEW YORK -- Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva plans to pay a one-day visit to Burma next month to confirm cooperation between the two countries.
Mr Abhisit will hear the Burmese government's plans for after the election on Nov 7 and discuss the status of former opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, other jailed prisoners and the problems of some ethnics minorities groups.
He is scheduled to visit the neighbouring country on Oct 11.
Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said Thailand will assure Burma about the preparation of the border negotiation, connectivity, roads and bridges building as well as the progress of the roads building project at Kho Khareng which is funded by the Thai government.
"The Thai government also wants to learn more about the Burmese privatization which has just started with its state enterprises and the open market policy. We are interested to learn which sectors will be of interest to the Thai private sector and confirm our readiness to cooperate on the economic front,'' said the foreign minister.http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/198938/pm-to-visit-burma-next-month
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BURMA
Heroin Trade Tears Social Fabric of Ethnic Minorities
By Marwaan Macan-Markar
BANGKOK, Sep 29, 2010 (IPS) - Dustbins in a university toilet rarely elicit a second look, but those at one of the oldest universities in Burma's Kachin State do offer reason to pause. The bins, after all, collect a special form of garbage disposed of by students – hypodermic needles and syringes they have used to inject themselves with heroin.
The special bins were introduced to Myitkyina University as part of a humanitarian gesture by two non-government organisations – the French-based Medecins Du Monde (MDM) and Holland-based Artsen Zonder Grenzen (AZG) – with the aim of reducing injuries that students often get from stepping on used needles and syringes strewn around the campus.
It is normal to find "discarded bloody syringes, needles, and syringe packets (that) are littered in latrines, under stairwells and bushes, and even scattered on the football field", according to the Kachin News Group.
It is these details, which expose the alarming level of heroin addiction in the university of some 3,000 students, that Nawdin Lahpai of the Kachin News Group cites when painting a grim picture of "the future leaders of the Kachins being destroyed by drugs".
"The drug addiction was not as high as it is now in the university, which is located in the capital of the Kachin State," the editor of the news organisation, based in Thailand's northern city of Chiang Mai, told IPS. "It has changed since 2004. Now heroin is easily accessible everywhere."
Some estimate that over 50 percent of the male and female students seek a narcotic fix. "Students can be seen openly purchasing drugs in shops, cafes, billiard centres and houses near the university," with sales beginning as early as 8 a.m. in some places, states a brief study released Wednesday by Nawdin's media group.
The leaders of the Kachin, an ethnic minority that has, like other ethnic groups, been persecuted by the Burmese military, place the blame for this situation of drug abuse squarely on the country's junta.
They accuse the regime of promoting the narcotics trade to further torment the country's beleaguered minorities – and weaken their social fabric.
"The military government must bear responsibility for this spread of drugs into the communities," Col James Lum Dau, deputy chief of foreign affairs of the Kachin Independence Organisation, said in an interview. "But the students being addicted to drugs also need to discipline themselves."
Such concern about heroin use in Burma, also known as Myanmar, is shared in both the Kachin and the neighbouring Shan State, home to the ethnic Shan, near the Chinese border. Both provinces are where most of the opium – a thick paste extracted from poppy to make heroin – is grown in the country.
The Kachin and the Shan are among the 130 ethnic communities in Burma, majority of whose more than 55 million people are with the Burman ethnic group.
Currently, 46 of the Shan State's 55 townships are growing poppy, Khuensai Jaiyen of the Shan Drug Watch told a press conference here on Sep. 29 to launch the Chiang Mai- based organisation's 2010 report. "This is attributed to the Burma Army's reliance on taxation of opium, and its policy to allow numerous proxy militia to deal in drugs."
"Most of the poppy-growing areas are under control of the Burmese army and the Burmese army's local militia," he added. "The Burmese army needs the drug trade to feed its own troops."
The continuing presence of poppy fields in the rugged, mountainous corner of Burma over a decade after the regime announced it was determined to eradicate the drug trade by 2014 troubles the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
In a December 2009 report, the U.N. agency revealed that the area under poppy cultivation had increased 50 percent since 2006 to 31,700 hectares. "More than one million people are now involved in opium cultivation in Myanmar, most of them in Shan State, where 95 percent of Myanmar's poppy is grown."
In fact, "2009 saw the third successive annual increase in cultivation," said Gary Lewis, head of the UNODC's East Asia and Pacific office, in an interview. "Our assessment convinces us that we need to remain very concerned about the extent of opium cultivation in Myanmar."
This trend marks a reversal of the dramatic drop in Burma's opium production in the mid-1990s, when it enjoyed the notoriety of being the world's leading opium producer. The 1995-96 harvest season saw poppy cultivation peak at an estimated 163,000 hectares, producing 1,760 metric tonnes of opium, says the UNODC.
"At that time these figures were the highest in the world," said Lewis. "By 2001-2002 however, domestic cultivation had declined to 81,400 hectares and estimated opium production had decreased to 828 metric tonnes."
The Burmese regime's 1999 announcement that it would eradicate the drug trade in 15 years saw the country give way, in 2000, to Afghanistan as the world's largest heroin supplier.
But the junta's continued support of opium production convinces the likes of Khuensai that the regime's 'war on drugs' is a "charade". "This is evident from the junta's local militias emerging as the new drug lords in Burma."
The easy access to drugs in Kachin State exposes the junta's plans "to profit at the expense of the ethnic groups," adds Nawdin. "It is almost like a Cold War to destroy the young." (END) http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=53002
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Thursday, September 30, 2010
Student unions condemn 'unlawful' arrest of activists urging poll boycott
Mizzima News
New Delhi (Mizzima) – The All Burma Federation of Student Unions yesterday condemned the unlawful arrest of six student activists who urged the public to boycott the junta's election on November 7, according to statement from the umbrella group.
Six university students from North Okkalapa Township, aged between 19 and 24, distributed the leaflets calling for a boycott of the vote were arrested this month. The All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABSFU) said that the students' activity was lawful and in accordance with basic human rights.
Chapter 1, article 3 of the National Parliament Electoral Law stated that "an element of one's electoral right is the right to vote or the right to choose not to vote" and Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, signed by many countries including Burma, said: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression", the statement pointed out.
So in accord with the junta's existing laws and basic human rights, the people have right to opt out of voting and the federation condemned the junta's unlawful act of detaining the student activists for distributing the leaflets, it said.
The statement also demanded the students' immediate release.
List of detained student activists, all from North Okkalapa
1. Tha Htoo Aung, 20, final-year engineering student, J Ward. Father's Name: Khin Maung Oo.
2. Zin Min Htet, second-year distance education history student, K Ward. Father's Name: Ohn Khine.
3. Kyaw Thi Ha, aka Kyaw Kyaw, 24, geography student, K Ward. Father's Name: Nyi Nyi Lwin.
4. Zarni Lin, aka Lin Lin, 21, student from Hmawbi Technological University, K Ward. Father's Name: Khin Zaw.
5. Kyaw Thu Soe, aka Arnold, 19, first-year Dagon University distance education student of geography, K Ward. Father's Name: Aye Shwe.
6. Ye Lin Phyo, aka Ko Phyo, 21, first-year Dagon University distance education economics student, J Ward. Father's Name: Thaung Myint.
http://mizzimaenglish.blogspot.com/2010/09/student-unions-blame-junta-to-arrest.html
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Regional efforts needed to push for democracy
Mustaqim Adamrah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 09/30/2010 9:26 AM | Headlines
All eyes are now turned to Indonesia as one of the few countries in the region believed to be capable of taking the lead in helping bring about change in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.
Experts and Myanmarese activists agreed during a discussion here on Wednesday that Indonesia, which would chair ASEAN next year, should use its chairmanship to form an agenda on Myanmar, which was scheduled to conduct widely anticipated elections in November.
They also said that through ASEAN, Indonesia should ask for assistance from China and India to put more pressure on the military rulers in Myanmar.
China and India, which have interests in Myanmar's energy resources, choose to keep silent over the lack of democracy and the human rights abuses in the restive country, despite international expectations of their participation in concerted efforts to uphold democracy in Myanmar.
"I believe it's important for Indonesia to invite other ASEAN countries to form ASEAN's [strategy] to push for change and democracy in Burma," Centre for Strategic and International Studies executive director Rizal Sukma said during a dialogue organized by KBR68H radio's international news program Asia Calling.
Such an agenda, he said, was reasonable as Myanmar had been a thorny issue for ASEAN's internal performance and in ASEAN's relationship with the rest of the world.
Rizal said the time was ideal for Indonesia — whose "high profile is on the rise" as claimed by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono — to conduct public advocacy campaigns and invite all elements in Indonesia and other ASEAN countries to help the Burmese people.
He added that ASEAN's policy of non-interference was expected to be more flexible in this matter, citing an example in 2008 when Myanmar was hit by Cyclone Nargis.
He said the government allowed in global aid packages after being persuaded by Indonesia.
However, Rizal said, it would be hard to involve China and India in efforts to bring the country to democracy because they feared that a transitional period in Myanmar would be followed by instability, which would hurt their business interests.
Burma Partnership coordinator Khin Ohmar begin_of_the_skype_highlighting end_of_the_skype_highlighting said there were some problems in expecting China and India to join pro-democracy efforts.
"Over the years we see all these players play each other. Why does ASEAN have to do something about Burma, where is China? China has to do something about it. And [finally] no body wants to take the lead," she said.
"China is not going to start no matter what. China will probably come to us if it sees [the efforts] as a strategic partnership, like the [one] it has with Indonesia [who is] China's strategic partner politically and economically."
Indonesia and other countries, Ohmar said, would probably need to have a "very aggressive diplomatic engagement" in dealing with Myanmar's rulers.
"We can't just have an engagement to appease the regime. We have to really hit hard on that door," she said.
"Indonesia has to tell them, 'look, we're not going to recognize your election or the results of the election. If you do this, we will [take certain measures]'."
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/09/30/regional-efforts-needed-push-democracy.html
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Junta crony uses influence to cut voters' power bills
Salai Han Thar San
New Delhi (Mizzima) – Burmese junta crony businessman Htay Myint has reached a price-cutting deal with local electricity suppliers for his constituents in Myeik District, Tenasserim Division, as a part of his electoral campaign.
The Yuzana chairman and candidate for the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) in southern Burma negotiated an agreement with the firms to reduce electricity charges for the people of his hometown.
Htay Myint is one of Burma's richest businessmen. His Yuzana Company runs many interests in farming, construction and hotel and real estate across the country and he also owns Southern Myanmar Football Club, one of the professional teams in the Myanmar National League. He is subject to sanctions from countries including the United States, Canada and Britain, for his junta links.
He met local private power firm heads at Myeik District Peace and Development Council office on September 15 and told them to reduce electricity charges from 400 kyat [about 40 US cents] to 300 kyat per kilowatt hour for local residents. In return, he agreed to reduce the diesel price from 140,000 kyat to 120,000 kyat per barrel, a Myeik Electric Power Corporation official told Mizzima.
"Htay Myint … told them to reduce the electricity charges between December and next year March," the official said.
He will contest for a Myeik seat in the People's Assembly in the first nationwide elections to be held in Burma since 1990 on November 7.
Since 2008, local businessmen set up supply companies including Boethicho, Kya Maung, and Tavoy Community to distribute electricity 24 hours a day.
"We had to spend about 40,000-80,000 kyat [about US$80] for electricity in the past [but] now we'll be spending less on electricity. I've not decided which party to vote for," a businessman from Saitnge Ward told Mizzima.
The main parties contesting seats in the townships within Myeik District are the junta-backed USDP and the National Unity Party (NUP). The USDP candidates are also Tin Shein and Moe Myint for seats in the National Assembly and Khin Zaw, Dr. Kyaw San and Saw Ha Bee for the States and Regions Assembly.
The NUP's are Pyi Aye for the People's Assembly; Han Soe and Han Tint for the National Assembly; and Kan Htun and Maung Maung Naing for the States and Regions Assembly.
Exile media reports say Htay Myint has been or remains president of the Construction Owners' Association, the Fishing Vessel Owners' Association and the Myanmar Project Association.
According to Burma analyst Bertil Lintner, his junta contacts were strongest with former prime minister General Khin Nyunt, ousted in a purge in October 2004. "But the fact that Yuzana is still doing booming business in Burma indicates that he must have other high-level contacts as well," he wrote in the Asia Times online newspaper.
Htay Myint and Yuzana are both on the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctions list as they conduct business with the junta, and are therefore complicit in the ruling Burmese military government's large-scale repression of the democratic opposition in Burma, among many other abuses.
His company is also being sued by farmers in Kachin State, northern Burma over land seized in the Hukawng Valley "tiger reserve".
Meanwhile, another leading businessman, Dr. Khin Shwe [chairman of Zaykabar Construction, another group on many countries' sanctions lists] will stand in Rangoon Division's National Assembly constituency nine, which includes Kungyangon, Twantay and Kawhmu. The former president of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry will contest Sagaing Division National Assembly for Shwebo constituency.
The USDP is led by serving Prime Minister Thein Sein, a "former" top military officer, and comprises 1,134 candidates standing for 330 constituencies across Burma. http://mizzimaenglish.blogspot.com/2010_09_01_archive.html
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Lithuania joins chorus seeking UN inquiry on Burma abuses
Thea Forbes
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Lithuania has joined the growing list of countries supporting calls for a UN commission of inquiry into the Burmese junta's documented cases of human rights abuses, after France and Ireland in the past week.
The call came in a statement the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent to Mizzima.
"Lithuania is deeply concerned by the situation in Burma/Myanmar, especially by the situation of human rights and by the detention of political prisoners, pro-democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi among them … [The] Lithuanian Government supports the launching of the UN commission of inquiry into war crimes and crimes against humanity in Burma," it said, using the Burmese female honorific, daw, to refer to the Nobel Peace laureate, whom the junta continued to detain under house arrest.
"Having in mind the gross and systematic nature of human rights violations mentioned in Special Rapporteur Quintana's report last March, the situation must be properly investigated," it added.
It was referring to the UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Burma, Tomas Ojea Quintana, who in March submitted a report to the UN Human Rights Council stating that in Burma there existed a pattern of "gross and systematic" human rights abuses that suggested the abuses were a state policy that involved authorities at all levels of the executive, military and judiciary. The report also stated that the "possibility exists that some of these human rights violations may entail categories of crimes against humanity or war crimes under the terms of the [Rome] Statute of the International Criminal Court".
Lithuania said it supported the initiation of such an inquiry with a specific fact-finding mandate, stating that it would be one of the best ways to evaluate the nature and scope of the human rights violations committed in Burma.
London-based rights advocacy Burma Campaign UK welcomed the country's backing of such an inquiry. The organisation's international co-ordinator, Zoya Phan, commended Lithuania's decision. "I am grateful to the government of Lithuania for listening to the voice of the people of Burma, and standing by us in our struggle for justice and democracy."
Lithuania is the 7th country in the European Union to offer its support for the inquiry and Zoya Phan hoped this addition would signal the beginning of work towards official support from the European Union.
With the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's recent evasion of comment on the commission of inquiry proposal after the Group of Friends of Myanmar (Burma) meeting in New York on Monday, immediate substantial progress is however clearly some way off.
Mizzima also questioned Lithuania on its stance regarding the widely reproached general election due on November 7.
"We must also admit with regret that the elections planned on the 7th of November… do not meet the criteria of a free, fair and democratic electoral process and cannot be accepted as such," the ministry statement said.
It also condemned the military regime's decision to formally dissolve Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy.
http://mizzimaenglish.blogspot.com/2010_09_01_archive.html
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Burmese regime way behind drug free target: Drug report
Wednesday, 29 September 2010 22:51 Hseng Khio Fah
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With drug production on the rise in the country, there is no indication that Burma's ruling military regime will meet its drug-free deadline, according to Shan Drug Watch 2009-2010 report which was launched today.
"It is because the regime is more interested in taxing the opium than in destroying it. And its policy is also to allow its local militia to deal in drugs, including methamphetamines, in exchange for policing against resistance activity."
During the 2009-2010 poppy season, there were 46 out of 55 townships in Shan State growing opium. Most were grown more in northern Shan State particularly in areas under the control of the Burmese Army and its militias than in areas under the ceasefire groups, it said.
[Poppy field in Shan State]
Poppy field in Shan State
In 1999, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) embarked on a 15-year plan to eradicate the cultivation and production of all drugs in Burma by 2014. The total townships targeted were 51: 43 in Shan State, 4 in Kachin, 2 in Kayah or Karenni and 2 in Chin states.
But the Burmese regime could make only 32 out of 42 targeted townships "poppy free" in the first two phases of its drug elimination plan, between 1999 and 2009, the report said. "This shows how the regime is falling way behind its target to be opium-free by 2014."
Similrly, there is also no sign that the election will bring any change to the flow of drugs. In fact, the Burmese regime is still allowing its local militias to be increasingly involved in the drug trade as they are part of its regime's anti-insurgency apparatus, it said.
"The regime is now favouring the militia over the ceasefire groups. The pressure on the ceasefire groups is giving the militia the chance to take over their trafficking routes and set up new refineries, particularly along the Thai-Burma border."
Khuensai Jaiyen, Editor- in -Chief of SHAN and a Shan Drug Watch researcher said, "Most ceasefire groups, including the United Wa State Army, have faced increased military pressure and restrictions after refusing to come under the regime's control as Border Guard Forces. Then the favoured status of the militia has enabled them to overtake ethnic ceasefire groups as the main drug producers in Shan State."
According to Shan Drug Watch, numbers of junta-backed local militias are increasing. For instance, in northern Shan State alone there are about 400 different militia groups.
The Burmese Army has been recruiting and forming militia battalions across the country given Naypyitaw's policy to set up one militia battalion in each village tract since early 2008.
"The militias are being rewarded for their political allegiance to the regime. In exchange for supporting the government, they are allowed to act as local warlords, often dealing in drugs. They are now stepping into the vacuum left by the Wa and setting up new drug refineries along the Thai-Burma border," Khuensai said.
"The junta's militias now produce twice as many "yaba" or methamphetamine pills as the UWSA. But there is still a lot of misunderstanding among the international community about the role of the militias in Burma."
Most of the estimated 50 refineries along the Thai-Burma border are run by militia groups, who not only produce and trade in drugs, but also run protection rackets for drugs coming through their territory, according to the report.
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime's (UNODC) 2010 World Drug Report also said that Burma produced 330 tons of opiates in 2009, accounting for 17 per cent of global cultivation, while methamphetamine seizures skyrocketed from one million tablets in 2008 to 23 million in 2009. Opiates, especially heroin, are the most prevalent drug in the country.
The report said the regime however is still claiming that it will meet its target of a Drug Free Burma by 2014, and the generals are certainly hoping to receive increased international aid to support their War Against Drugs, after they become a "legitimate" government. http://shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3224:burmese-regime-way-behind-drug-free-target-drug-report&catid=89:drugs&Itemid=286
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Druglords selected to represent junta party on 7 November polls
Monday, 27 September 2010 16:40 Hseng Khio Fah
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A number of junta-backed local militia chiefs, who are notorious among local people as drug dealers in Shan State North's Kutkhai, Muse and Namkham townships, are reportedly handpicked by Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) to run for seats in the 7 November polls, according to election watchers from the Sino-Burma border.
"There are so far four men. All are heads of militia groups. Two are from Kutkhai, one from Muse and another one from Namkham," a source from Muse said.
The two from Kutkhai are identified as U Myint Lwin and U Ti Khun Myat.
U Myint Lwin, aka Wang Guoda, 60, Kokang Chinese chief of Tamoeng-ngen militia group, had attended the junta-organized National Convention (NC) as a national races delegate.
[Panhsay Kyaw Myint]
Panhsay Kyaw Myint
"All people from the town know him as a drug king," a source from Kutkhai said.
Likewise, U Ti Khun Myat, 57, is the leader of 600-strong Kutkhai militia. He had also attended the NC. "He was one of the shareholders of Myanmar Mayflower Bank which was infamous for washing black money into white money."
The two are said to be contesting for State legislature in Kutkhai.
The other two are U Kengmai from Muse and Panhsay Kyaw Myint from Namkham.
U Kengnmai, 50, chief of 200-strong Mongpaw militia unit is said to be contesting for State legislature in Muse, Constituency No.2.
"Most drug production in Muse and Kutkhai are run by U Myint Lwin and Kengmai's groups. Most of U Ti Khun Myat men will transport the products through U Kengmai's controlled region to China."
[U Myint Lwin photo: Myanmar Alin]
U Myint Lwin photo: Myanmar Alin
Another one Kyaw Myint aka Li Yongqiang, 51, well-known Panhsay militia chief from Namkham and is an executive member of Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) of Muse District will run for a seat for Lower house in Namkham township.
Kyaw Myint was also a representative at the NC, in the national races category. He is known more for his drug business. Yongyang Casino on the Mao-Shweli River near Muse is owned by him. "His group is helping the Burma Army to earn pocket money," a local villager in Namkham said.
Many ferry crossings on the Mao-Ruili river that serves as a boundary between China and Burma are guarded by Kyaw Htwe aka Li Yongping, younger brother of Kyaw Myint, who enjoys close relations with former regional commander Myint Hlaing. His men tax the wayfarers and also reportedly traffics in drugs.
Kyaw Myint's relative Sai Htun Maung, is also reported to have been selected to represent the Lisu nationality and contest at the 0.1% ethnic minorities in Shan State, sources from Namkham said.
There will be 5 ballot boxes in each polling station: 1 for upper house, 1 for lower house, 2 for state/region legislature and another one for minority candidates representing communities with at least 0.1% of the total population. The New Light of Myanmar reported that the ballot boxes will be classified in four colors: blue, green, purple and white. "Blue is for upper house, green for lower house, purple for the State/Region Legislature and white for ethnic minorities candidates," the White Tiger, the bilingual newsletter of Shan National Democratic Party (SNDP) quoted it as saying.
http://shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3220:druglords-selected-to-represent-junta-party-on-7-november-polls&catid=85:politics&Itemid=266
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Myanmar junta balks at poll criticism
Thursday, 30 September 2010 06:52
UNITED NATIONS: The Myanmar junta has shrugged off international criticism of an upcoming election after a UN ministerial group demanded the release of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Foreign Minister U Nyan Win told the United Nations that the military government was committed to a "free and fair" election, in a speech that criticised "interference in internal affairs and attempts to impose domination."
"The people will exercise their democratic right to elect the representatives of their own choice who can serve their interest better," the minister said.
He spoke a day after the UN group — which included ministers from China and India, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia as well as Britain and the United States — "clearly reiterated the need for the election process to more inclusive, participatory and transparent," UN chief Ban Ki-moon said.
Members called for steps to be taken for the release of political detainees including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
"This is essential for the election to be seen as credible and to contribute to Myanmar's stability and development," Ban told reporters.
No Myanmar government representative was at the Friends On Myanmar meeting. Ban said he met U Nyan Win on Sunday and "conveyed my strong wish and expectation that this election should be conducted in a fair, transparent and inclusive manner." He also pressed for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, who has spent most of the past two decades under house arrest.
Myanmar has banned her National League for Democracy and nine other opposition parties from taking part in the November 7 election, Myanmar's first in two decades. The opposition has said the vote will be a sham.
Aung San Suu Kyi's party won a landslide victory in the last election in 1990 but the junta never let her take office.
The junta has said, however, that Aung San Suu Kyi will be allowed to vote.
Ban said the runup to the election will be "critical" and that the ministerial group called on Myanmar to take "a more constructive and forward-looking approach" with the international community.
The United States and European Union have sanctions against Myanmar. But China has shielded Myanmar from UN sanctions while India hosted Myanmar junta leader Than Shwe on a state visit in July. "At this critical stage in Myanmar's transition, it is all the more important that the group, and especially Myanmar's neighbours, encourages Myanmar to engage meaningfully with my good offices," Ban said.
The UN chief has expressed mounting frustration with the Myanmar junta in recent months. The government has even refused a visit by his chief of staff, Vijay Nambiar. "I expressed my regret about that fact," Ban told reporters. The secretary general has also urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), which includes Myanmar, to take a tougher line on the junta over the elections. U Nyan Win told the UN General Assembly that more than 3,000 candidates from 37 parties would take part in the vote for 1,171 parliamentary seats.
http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/s.-asia/philippines/127678-myanmar-junta-balks-at-poll-criticism-.html
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Than Shwe's biography to be launched at EU Parliament
by Nirj Deva MEP
Thu, 2010-09-30 01:02 — editor
* News
London, 30 September, (Asiantribune.com):
Nirj Deva, Conservative MEP for South-East England, will host the launch of the first-ever biography of Burma's dictator Senior General Than Shwe, by CSW's East Asia specialist Benedict Rogers, at the European Parliament on 30 September.
Benedict Rogers will give evidence of the Burmese military regime's crimes against humanity at a hearing on Burma by the European Parliament Sub-Committee on Human Rights ahead of the book launch.
His book, Than Shwe: Unmasking Burma's Tyrant, tells the story of one of the world's most brutal dictators, and of the suffering of the people of Burma under his rule. Drawing on his own personal travels to Burma and its borders, and on interviews with Burmese defectors and international diplomats, Benedict Rogers explores the life of Than Shwe, his developing nuclear programme, links with North Korea, arms sales from China, the new capital, Naypyidaw, his skills in psychological warfare and his belief in astrology, and the war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated by Than Shwe's regime.
Than Shwe: Unmasking Burma's Tyrant is published by Silkworm Books and was first launched at the Foreign Correspondents Club in Bangkok on 1 July. The UK launch was hosted by the Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow at Speaker's House in the Houses of Parliament on 14 July. Former Czech President Vaclav Havel wrote the foreword.
Nirj Deva MEP, Vice-Chairman of the European Parliament's Development Committee and a member of the Sub-Committee on Human Rights, said, "I am delighted to sponsor this book launch as an important opportunity to draw to the attention of the European Parliament, once again, the plight of the people of Burma suffering so much under Than Shwe's brutal rule. Than Shwe is one of the worst dictators in the world, presiding over a regime that is perpetrating crimes against humanity."
He added, "This book documents Than Shwe's crimes vividly and powerfully, and is a valuable contribution to the case for a UN Commission of Inquiry to investigate Burma's war crimes and crimes against humanity. The time for action on Burma is long overdue, and I hope by hosting this event I will help motivate others in the EU and beyond to support the people of Burma in their struggle to end impunity and win their freedom."
Benedict Rogers said, "I wrote this book in order once again to turn the spotlight on Than Shwe's brutal regime in Burma and help the world understand the nature of this tyrant. I hope that in some way this will be a contribution towards galvanizing international opinion for the establishment of a UN commission of inquiry to investigate the regime's war crimes and crimes against humanity."
- Asian Tribune – http://www.asiantribune.com/news/2010/09/30/shwe%E2%80%99s-biography-be-launched-eu-parliament-nirj-deva-mep
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More parties cancel election broadcasts
By NANG KHAM KAEW
Published: 29 September 2010
A second party has cancelled a broadcasting session on state media after Burma's junta-appointed Election Commission rejected its campaign script.
The secretary of the Diversity and Peace Party (DPP), Nay Myo Wei, said that the rejection notification explained that the EC "only wanted the parties to talk about their political ideologies and work procedures, but not about other issues they wanted to highlight".
It mirrors a similar cancellation by the Union Democratic Party (UDP), one of the more vocal opposition parties whose campaign script was also rejected. It however is pursuing with canvassing, and will this week hold talks with the Democratic Party (DP), Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNLD) and the Arakanese National Development Party (ANDP) about possible collaboration.
Nay Myo Wei said that the DPP's manuscript included "political analysis highlighting discussions on around 13 issues, such as on why the party candidates should go for open voting, why abstentions are not allowed in the voting and on why [the law] requires us to disclose our financial income and the budget for public knowledge".
He added that the party would talk about media freedom – a likely rouse for the Burmese junta which resides over some of the strictest media laws in the world.
Conditions surrounding the build up to Burma's first elections in 20 years, slated for 7 November, have been shrouded in controversy amid apparent favouring by the EC of pro-junta parties, such as the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), led by Burmese Prime Minister Thein Sein.
The USDP is set to field close to 1000 candidates, while the UDP has complained it cannot meet the steep candidate fees, and will only field three. The DPP has seven ready to hit the road, and is currently campaigning in about 10 villages in Irrawaddy delta's Bogale township.
http://www.dvb.no/elections/more-parties-cancel-election-broadcasts/11997
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In Burma's Public Hospitals, You Get What You Pay For
By HSAT LINN Thursday, September 30, 2010
RANGOON — "Where's the patient's relative? Where is she?"
It's the voice of a female duty doctor who appears to be around 25 years old. There is a male patient, about 50 years old, lying in bed No. 12 in Ward No. 12 of the Rangoon General Hospital.
Ward No. 12 is for patients with diseases affecting the lungs, liver, kidney and stomach.
"When a patient's relatives can't afford medical expenses, they just leave their relative and sneak out of the hospital. How can we treat them without medicine?" said the angry young doctor before she turned and walked away.
A signboard near the entrance to Ward No. 12, read: "Share expenses for health" The ward is hopelessly overcrowded with patients, who line both sides of the hallway. The floor of the ward and many bed sheets are stained with spots—whether of blood or something else.
"A woman was here before, but I don't know where she went," said a relative of another patient next to bed No. 12.
Shortly after the doctor left, the patient in bed No. 12 pulled out the needle of an intravenous transfusion he was receiving in his arm and rolled over. Blood flowed out of his arm. Several people rushed to him while others ran to tell the doctor and nurses, who appeared shortly and with others' help they put him back onto his bed.
The patient never said a word, but showed his resistance by shaking his head and hands, as his relative returned to the ward.
"Where have you been? How come you left him alone?" said the angry doctor.
"I went to get money from my nephew because you said we needed to buy medicine," said the relative, holding up about 1,000 kyat [US $1.07].
Scenes such as this occur daily at Rangoon General Hospital and other public hospitals across Burma, according to Myo Min, a relative who had been looking after his father for 24 days at the hospital while he received treatment for kidney disease.
Burma is ranked among the countries that provide the least health care service to its citizen, who regularly complain about the treatment available in public hospitals but who have little recourse other than private clinics which are beyond their means.
Once a patient is taken into the emergence room, said Myo Mind, the doctors and nurses question them about their identity and family registration before any treatment is given. Many people don't bring such documents with them, he said, because many illnesses arrive unexpected and demand immediate attention.
"When I first took my father to hospital, I had to deal with such questions. Later I took others' advice to use a broker's service for admission and things went more smoothly," said Myo Min.
He said many patients pay 3,000 kyat ($3.2) to brokers who take care of all the procedures for hospital admission.
"No matter how serious the condition the patient is in, he or she will receive no attention unless his or her relative can provide the required medicines," said Myo Min.
"Once you see the doctors, you're asked to buy medicine at a drug store in the emergency ward. You have to provide everything such as needles, syringes, gauze and plaster. They don't have any medicine. They start giving treatment only when they have everything they need," he said.
Once they enter the hospital, patients are charged for all equipment such as a wheelchair or handcart as well, he said.
Myo Min recalled that when one patient was released from the emergency room, additional fees for using a handcart were charged in order to carry the patient to a hospital ward where he or she will be admitted and another 500 kyat ($0.53) would be charged for cleaning the bed that the patient used when he or she was in the emergency room. In fact, the same bed would be used for another patient without cleaning, he said.
Myo Min said there are two common problems in the hospital. The first is that a patient's relatives cannot afford medicine and the cost of other equipment. The other is that patients are abandoned by the relatives.
"Look at the woman over there," he said. "She is the only person to look after that patient. Around noon, she often goes away somewhere. Maybe she goes out to find money," said Myo Min.
"Sometimes, patients relatives just sit still no matter how many times doctors ask them to buy medicine because they don't have money. Some patients can live for two or three days, that's all," Myo Min said.
About 3 a.m. the following morning, the sound of crying was heard around bed No. 12.
"He didn't want to receive treatment anymore, because he didn't want to be a burden. I said his life is more important than money, but he didn't accept it," said the crying woman. The woman could not mourn the death of the man, her husband, because soon two men came with a stretcher to take the body to the mortuary. The men asked for money, and she gave them 1,000 kyat ($1.07).
A ward in Rangoon General Hospital where a patient's relatives are an important part of their treatment.
When the woman was ready to leave the hospital to inform other family members, a doctor asked her instead to go see the duty doctor.
"Once a patient dies in the hospital, anyone related to the deceased is asked to remain and the hospital informs the family via phone because many people try to leave the hospital quietly after their relatives die," said Myo Min. "Even under such tight restrictions, I saw three dead bodies that were abandoned by their relatives. People had no choice but to leave them. Some people also leave the patients alone in the hospital."
A young doctor who worked at the Rangoon General Hospital for five years, and who now works as a project manager at an NGO, said there were many cases in which relatives knew their loved ones would survive with medicine but they had to watch them die because they couldn't afford the cost.
According to a study by the Washington-based United States Institute of Peace, Burma's military regime allocates a little under $3 billion to the Ministry of Defense while spending less than 1 percent for public health care for a population of almost 60 million people from the overall national budget of around $6.6 billion.
The lack of funding is reflected in the lack of equipment and laboratory services that are available at Rangoon General Hospital and other public hospitals. For instance, there is usually a long queue of patients waiting to undergo radiotherapy. Depending on the number of patients, it may take a week to receive a gastroscopy.
"I was told by the hospital to wait for 10 days to receive a gastroscopy for my younger brother," said a relative of a patient who was transferred from the hospital to a private clinic. "I took him to the Aung Yadana private clinic where we were given good service but charged about a million kyat ($1,075)."
Most poor and middle class people know that they will receive inadequate service at public hospitals, but they have no other options because treatment at a private clinic is too costly. A deposit for a private clinic in Rangoon is about 200,000 kyat ($215); a room cost about 25,000 kyat ($27) a day.
In small clinics like Shwe Baho, Bahosi, Shinpagu and Aung Yadana at least 500,000 kyat ($538) is needed to be able to receive treatment. However, for the best clinics such as SSC, Asia Royal and Pan Hlaing, a deposit is about one million kyat ($1,075) and medical bills for in-patients range from $1,612 to $2,150 for a two to three-day stay.
According to Myo Min and others who look after their relatives at the Rangoon General Hospital, there are few senior doctors present in the hospital during day or night. Usually, only junior doctors and house surgeons work there to obtain a medical license.
"Although they have duties at the hospital, surgeons always spend time at their private clinics," he said.
He said there appears to be few experienced doctors and surgeons at the hospital to train junior doctors.
All patients and family members hope for sympathetic treatment from doctors and nurses, Myo Min said, but, "We don't hear any kind words—only yelling and scolding."
Copyright © 2008 Irrawaddy Publishing Group | www.irrawaddy.org
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=19592
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