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Trouble Brewing; Before, During and After Cyclone Nargis

The Lead-up

Cyclone Nargis ripped through Burma on May 2nd and 3rd , with the Irrawaddy Delta and Rangoon divisions the worst affected areas. This was the first large-scale natural disaster to hit the Burmese people and numerous people were killed; to date it is estimated 78,000 people died and 56,000 are still missing, while over 2.4 million people languish homeless and hungry. These survivors are in desperate need of aid, with poor living conditions leaving their health in jeopardy. Read more

THE PLIGHTS OF BURMA’S DISABLED POPULATION

WCRP:

I. A Background on Disability

As of March 2008 the world’s population was estimated to have reached over 6.65 billion1 with between 282 and 608 million of these people classified as disabled, according to World Bank estimates2. Alarmingly people with disabilities make up 15 – 20% of the poor in developing countries (The World Bank)3. There are an estimated 150 million children with disabilities in the world, most of whom live with the reality of exclusion as a result of their surroundings. According to USAID up to 300 million women and girls alone are living with a mental and / or physical disability4, a statistic further confirmed by the World Health Organization (WHO), which claims women with disabilities comprise 10% of all women worldwide. Read more

Referendum 2008; Burma’s Road to a False Democracy

SPDC announce 92.4% approval for the constitution

Introduction

Under 46-years of military rule the people of Burma have had to live with near-constant intimidation and oppression leading to adversity politically, economically and socially. These people live in fear of the government’s intelligence and cannot speak freely. Ethnic minorities are ignored or marginalized by forced relocations and guerilla fighting. People are imprisoned for daring to challenge or question a highly suspicious and edgy government. Read more

Burma’s Constitutions: Downgrading from Democracy to Dictatorship

THE MON FORUM

A. The 1947 and 1974 Constitutions and Demands for Democracy

Burma has had two national constitutions since independence, known as the 1947 and 1974 Constitutions. Now, a third is scheduled to be voted on in a national referendum, scheduled for May 10th.

The first constitution was drawn up in 1947 in order to obtain freedom from Britain. But before it was drafted, the British colonial government allowed nationwide elections to be held and representatives were chosen for a “Constitution Drafting Assembly.” The elected representatives were chosen by the people and included many non-Burman leaders, who gave favor both to democratic rights and the rights of Burma’s many ethnic minorities. The resulting document guaranteed the rights of non-Burman ethnic nationalities and provided for a multi-party democratic political system. Read more

Another Cut: the SPDC Campaign to Erase Mon Culture

I. Introduction:

Burma is home to over a hundred ethnic groups and subgroups. While the military government has, quite deliberately, refrained from conducting a thorough or accurate survey of the country’s ethnic make up, it identifies eight “major national ethnic races,” of which there are over one hundred recognized subgroups. Of these groups and subgroups, official census date estimates that nearly seventy percent of the population is ethnic Burman, though this number is thought to be exaggerated in an attempt to bolster the legitimacy of the Burman dominated State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) regime.

Burman dominance was not, however, always the rule; for over a thousand years Mon kings ruled territory that encompassed much of the Southeast Asian mainland. Most of the population in Northern and Central Thailand was Mon until only six or seven hundred years ago, and the Mon remained heavily in the majority throughout central and southern Burma until the 1700s, when they finally lost their kingdom to the Burman king Alaungphaya in 1757. Read more

A two crops policy that barely yields one: the failed Win-pha-non Dam project

Introduction

Heavy-handed, but poorly designed and managed, government policy has kept Burma’s economy in steady decline for decades. This report details one such failed policy, an irrigation project designed to enable farmers to grow crops in the dry season. Unfortunately, the project has not only failed to achieve its goal but has actually reduced the amount of arable land in the area. The failure of the project has, in turn, highlighted the existence, and consequences, of corruption within the military regime. Instead of reporting the failure of the project, local officials file reports of a successful project, making reform and future success impossible.

Background

Fifty years ago, Burma was one of the richest countries in South East Asia. After independence in 1948, and a coup in 1962, Burma quickly lost that status. Following the coup Ne Win, the country’s new leader, ordered farmers to plant rice crops during two seasons instead of one. The policy was an attempt to regain the country’s position as the world’s largest rice exporter, and in 1973 it was implemented and backed with heavy penalties. Read more

Analysis of SPDC Human Rights Violations in 2007

I. Summary of this report

In 2007, the military junta in Burma was responsible for a huge number of human rights violations throughout the country. The regime, officially called the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), used a variety of forces, including army, riot police and groups of government sponsored civilian thugs like the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) and Swan Ar Shin, to carry out crack downs on protestors and rebel groups, as well as their suspected sympathizers. These crack downs occurred all year long, but reached a high point during large protests that took place across the country in August and September. While the SPDC claims that as few as ten demonstrators died during in the fall crack down, many sources, including media, human rights organizations and citizens report that at least two hundred people were killed. Read more

Land Confiscation and Continuous Consequences to Civilians in Northern Ye Area

I. Background of Land Confiscation

Since 2000, after the current ruling military regime, State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) and its armed force, Burmese Army or tatmadaw (literally) expanded its military deployment in southern part of Mon State, they have continuously confiscated land and properties from Mon people without any compensation.

During 1999 to 2002, the SPDC and Burmese Army deployed about 10 Light Infantry Battalions in Ye Township alone, both in southern and northern area of Ye and another 10 Artillery Battalions in Thanbyuzayat and Ye Township areas (look in the map on page no.10). 10 battalions deployed in Ye Township are put under the command of Military Operation Command (MOC) No. 19 and the battalions are: Light Infantry Battalion No. 583, No. 584, No. 585, No. 586, No. 587, No. 588, No. 589, No. 590, No. 591 and the MOC. 19 battalion itself. Artillery Regiments are AR. No. 311 to AR. No. 318. Read more

Movement Restriction and Abuses behind the Pro-government Rallies in Mon State

I. Crackdown on the Peaceful Protests

In Burma, in the second half of September an uprising demanding the reduction of commodity prices, as the government had dramatically increased the price of fuel. The demonstrations spread throughout the whole of Burma. Many people from all levels of society within the former capital Rangoon, the second capital city, Mandalay and many other big cities like Pegu and Moulmein (the capital of Mon State) in Burma participated in peaceful protests demanding a reduction in commodity prices. The protests were led by students and then by the Buddhist monks.

The SPDC responded violently to these peaceful demonstrations with armed forces, and made no attempt to solve the problems of commodity prices or work with the civilians. Due to their strength, combined with the strength of the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA), there were between 200 and 300 protestors killed estimated by oppositions and diplomats in Rangoon. According to the Assistance for All Political Prisoners in Burma (AAPPB) secretary, Ko Tate Naing, there have been approximately 3000-4000 people arrested to date. But nobody exactly knows how many demonstrators including were killed during protests and how many of them are detained. AAPPB can estimate the closest approximate number. Read more

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