First priority is to create jobs: Suu Kyi

Tuesday, 14 February 2012 13:20 Kyaw Kha

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Campaigning in Kawhmu Township in a caravan that trailed more than 200 cars and thousands of motorcycles, National League for Democracy (NLD) chairman Aung San Suu Kyi said her first priority is to create jobs for all people, young and old.

Her motorcade, nearly two miles long, took six hours to arrive at Warthinkha village on Saturday, about 40 miles from Rangoon, because of the enthusiastic crowds that lined the roadside.

In her speech at Warthinkha village, she asked people to support NLD candidates. 

“The most important problem in Kawhmu Township is that people don’t have jobs,” she said. “Most degree graduates in Kawhmu Township don’t have jobs. We understand that our first responsibility is to create enough jobs for people.”

Suu Kyi said that she would need everyone’s support on a “difficult and long political journey.”

The crowds lining the streets included people from Dala, Twante, Kunchangon, and Dedaye townships. People played musical instruments to welcome her and groups presented traditional Karen dances. Suu Kyi said that she chose the poor district of Kawhmu because its population includes many Karen.

Estimates said up to 20,000 people gathered in Warthinkha village to listen to Suu Kyi’s speech. She also visited Maselseik, Nghat Aw San and other nearby villages.

On March 31, the day before the coming April 1 by-election, Suu Kyi will cast her vote in the village.

In the Kawhmu Township constituency, Suu Kyi’s main competitor is ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party [USDP] candidate Dr. Soe Min, who works in the USDP charity clinic, Phyo Saydanar. During the 2010 general election, he ran a charity mobile health clinic while campaigning.         

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Gambira’s rapid release a sign of greater scrutiny?

Tuesday, 14 February 2012 19:13 Mizzima News

(Analysis) – It had the look of a classic right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing. 

The arrest of Ashin Gambira on Friday by security police and his release only a few hours later had the earmarks of a problem cited by Burmese activists over and over.  While the government’s leaders are encouraging participation of civil society in Burmese affairs, lower-level officials are exercising the same old heavy-handed tactics of repression, harassment and arrests on flimsy grounds.

Ashin Gambira, 33, was one of the leaders of the so-called Saffron Revolution, a 2007 anti-government uprising led by Buddhist monks against the then-ruling junta. He was detained shortly after a military crackdown on protesters and released Jan. 13 as part of a mass prisoner release that has been hailed as a sign of Burma new government's willingness to make reforms.

Friday's detention of Gambira had the dark echoes of the previous military government, which was known for whisking away opposition members in middle of the night raids on their homes or monasteries.

Gambira’s detention had immediate repercussions; signally the eyes of the world’s governments are evaluating every government action for signs of backsliding. It came at a time when many Burmese exiles are thinking of returning, but still have some doubts about the sincerity of the government, especially lower-level government workers who are often afraid of making personal decisions that differ from their past actions.

In Washington, hours after the detention and before word of Gambira's release, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland expressed deep U.S. concern over the detention of the monk, who remains a skeptic of the true colors of President Thein Sein’s government.

The U.S. said it wanted to see Burma live up to its words on greater freedom and tolerance: "Given the Burmese government's stated commitment to reform and democratization, we call on Burmese authorities to protect the fundamental freedoms of all its citizens, including all of those recently released from detention," Nuland told a news briefing.

An official from the Home Ministry said that Gambira had been “taken away” from the Yangon monastery where he was staying and brought for “questioning in relation to incidents that happened after his release.” The official, who spoke on condition on anonymity, said that Gambira and other monks had illegally entered monasteries that had been shut after the 2007 uprising.

Authorities detained Gambira after he ignored a summons to report for questioning, the official said. He said Gambira was sent back to Maggin Monastery in the evening. It had been sealed by the authorities after the 2007 protests, but was reopened that evening, he said.

Observes note that the current government still seems to be especially sensitive to two areas of Burmese society: the sangha and the media.

The state sangha authority this week issued another one-year ban on preaching by a popular abbot known for his support of opposition groups. The ban on Ashin Pyinnyar Thiha of Thadu Pariyatti Monastery in Kyimyindaing Township in Rangoon follows a one-year preaching ban in 2011. The order followed his eviction from his teaching monastery by authorities.         

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Antimony companies suspend operations

Tuesday, 14 February 2012 21:28 Kun Chan

(Mizzima) – Extracting antimony in Kyainseikkyi Township in Karen State is not financially worthwhile, say three companies that have suspended operations, according to sources close to the companies.

A fall in antimony prices and high taxes have forced several companies including Mya Pan, Htoo Aung Myat and Thuzana Pwint to suspend mining; the Nawarat and Aung Myay companies are still operating antimony mines.

“Antimony prices fell sharply and companies need to pay more money to obtain permits, so extracting antimony is not financially worthwhile. Only big companies can continue to run mines,” a manager of a company that suspended operation told Mizzima.

For a permit covering a 50-acre antimony block, a company must pay 250,000 baht (US$ 8,098) per year to the Karen National Union (KNU). Moreover, they must pay taxes to the Burmese government.

Kyainseikkyi Township is in the Dupalaya District controlled by the KNU.

Captain Htet Nay of KNU Brigade No. 6 said, “This year, there is only one big company, the Nawarat Company. The remaining are medium and small companies.”

In early 2011, the price of 40-percent quality raw antimony was 60,000 baht (US$ 1,943) per ton. Since June 2011, the price has gradually fallen; the current price is 36,000 baht (US$1,166) per ton.

Thabyu mine has been well known since the British colonial era. It is located 30 miles northeast of Three Pagoda Pass. To run a mine, companies need to buy blocks from the KNU Mining Department, register the business with the Burmese government and purchase the blocks (again) from the Burmese government.

In 2003-2004, the Nawarat Company, in the name of the Thabyu Mining Company Limited, started extracting antimony in the KNU area and since then other companies began moving into the area.

The KNU forbade timber production in the area controlled by Brigade No.6 since mid-2010, but it continues to give permits to companies to extract antimony.

“The KNU has allowed companies to run antimony mines with the agreement of the residents. The KNU allows companies to operate narrow blocks in which four or five people can work,” Captain Htet Nay told Mizzima.  

The antimony produced from the Thabyu mine has been bought by China, Germany, Korea, Japan and Thailand. Antimony is exported via the Muse route to the Sino-Burmese border and via Three Pagoda Pass to the Thai-Burmese border.

Because of lower prices, many companies are storing antimony for sale later. It’s likely that they will sell antimony in March when prices are likely to increase, according to an owner of a company that extracts antimony.         

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Thai adviser pitches Salween water plan

Tuesday, 14 February 2012 13:07 Mizzima News

(Mizzima) – An adviser to Thailand’s prime minister has dusted off a plan to build a dam on the Salween River to solve floods and droughts in Thailand as well as to produce electricity for Thailand.

Uthen Chatphinyo, a Pheu Thai member and former chief of the committee overseeing water drainage to the south, said he would propose the plan to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, whose brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin, proposed the plan, according to an article in The Bangkok Post on Monday.

According to a Thai study, water from Salween River bordering Thailand and Burma, could be diverted to the Mae Taeng River in Chiang Mai Province and channeled south.

Uthen said  proposed 7,000-megawatt hydropower plant would be located about 200km down from the controversial Hut Gyi dam on the Salween River.

An 88-km water tunnel would be built from the dam reservoir to divert water to Thailand, the article said.

Thailand is a joint developer of the Hut Gyi dam, which has been suspended following conflicts between the dam developers, minority groups and environmental groups.

The Salween dam plan would allow major dams in Thailand to discharge water ahead of the rainy season without having to worry about possible water shortages in the dry season, Uthen said, noting also the improved political situation in Burma.         

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Health crisis in eastern Burma: NGO survey

Tuesday, 14 February 2012 12:35 Mizzima News

(Mizzima) – A widespread public health emergency exists in the decades-old conflict zones in eastern Burma, says a health report released by the Ibis Reproductive Health group.

Its consequences include maternal death rates that far surpass the rates in Thailand and Burma as a whole, leaving women in eastern Burma with the worst pregnancy outcomes anywhere in Asia. The group’s findings were released last week.

According to Dr. Angel Foster of Ibis and the University of Ottawa, “Our report finds that millions of Burmese and ethnic minorities both inside Burma and along the Thai border have limited or no access to family planning, safe abortion, and general reproductive health care. The toll on women has been particularly severe.”

Negative effects include high numbers of unplanned pregnancies, she said, and high rates of maternal mortality and unsafe abortions.

“In fact, post-partum hemorrhage and unsafe abortion are the leading causes of maternal death and injury,”

she said. “The absence of health care infrastructure inside eastern Burma, as well as for those Burmese living illegally as migrants in Thailand, has produced a kind of reproductive health ‘perfect storm.’”

She said denial of health care has been an official policy of the Burmese military in ethnic areas, where women and men, especially adolescents, know little about family planning practices and voluntary sterilization.

Populations that are on the run or outside their home countries are often unable to gain access to reproductive healthcare, say health workers.

Without skilled birth attendants or contraception, complications from unsafe abortions and post-partum hemorrhage are common along the Thai-Burmese border, where there are more than 150,000 Burmese refugees, according to the report.

Nationwide, only 37 percent of women gave birth with a trained birth attendant in 2007, according to the most recent government data reported to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Despite the fact that rape and sexual violence are extensive problems within both the conflict zones of eastern Burma and in migrant communities in Thailand, she said the study found that the few health workers that do exist generally lack the knowledge and supplies to dispense critical medicines like emergency contraceptive pills, which can prevent pregnancy after sexual assault.

“Even within refugee camps inside Thailand, leaders and organizations working there often adopt policies that prevent unmarried people from accessing family planning information or supplies,” she said. “ Finally, abortion is illegal in Burma unless a woman’s life is at risk and restricted in Thailand.

A consultant with Ibis, Cari Siestra, said, “Our hope is that the new Burmese government will someday make it possible for more organizations to provide aid and resources to the people in eastern Burma where outside groups are currently banned. The time has come to rebuild the health and human rights of the millions of men, women, and children affected by this conflict.”

For more information on the report, go to http://www.ibisreproductivehealth.org/work/other/thaiburmaborder.cfm

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Tai Yai labour strike deadlocked

Tuesday, 14 February 2012 12:14 Kyaw Kha

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Striking workers at the Tai Yai footware factory in Rangoon, the owner and government officials could not reach a settlement on Monday, as the strike went into its nineth day. Workers are asking for more pay and improved working conditions.

On February 9, workers at two nearby factories, the New Way footwear factory and the Thonehtutgyi garment factory, also staged strikes, which were quickly settled after a negotiated settlement.

However, a delegation of 38 workers from the Tai Yai factory, the factory’s Chinese owner and Director General Chit Shein of the  Labour department could not reach a negotiated settlement.

The strikers asked for an increase in basic pay to 216 kyat (US$ 0.27 cents) per hour from 75 kyat (10 cents) per hour. They reduced their demand to 150 kyat (19 cents) after the first negotiations failed. The factory owner offered 100 kyat (13 cents) per hour, which the workers rejected. The working hours at the factory are from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

“Their stand is no more wage increase, take it or leave it,” Moe Wei, a strike leader told Mizzima.

The strikers demands include higher basic pay, removal of an absentee penalty fine, no deduction of wages from the cost of accidental damage of footwear on the production line, adequate drinking water and toilet facilities, and leave during family emergencies.

Under the current wage, many workers can’t make ends meet, they said.

“The rent for accommodation for each worker will cost them at least 8,000 Kyat (US$ 100),” said Moe Wei. “The cost for meals for each worker is about 25,000 kyat (US$ 31). So the total cost for their living expenses will reach more than 40,000 kyat (US$ 50). The highest wages they get is not more than 70,000 kyat (US$ 87) and they have no benefits and perks other than their wages.”

Most of the workers hail from central Burma, Rakhine, Shan and Irrawaddy regions and states. They come to Rangoon for jobs because there is little work in their home areas.

Mizzima contacted the Hlaing Tharyar Township Labour department and the Tai Yi footwear factory, but officials declined to answer questions.

A labour lawyer, Pho Phyu, who is advising the workers, said that he would represent them regarding legal matters until a settlement is reached.

The Tai Yi factory is owned by a Chinese national and since 2010, it has faced labour strikes for three years in row.

The strike this year is the longest so far.         

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EU gives $200 million aid package

Tuesday, 14 February 2012 12:03 Mizzima News

(Mizzima) – EU Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs announced on Monday the release of a significant aid package to Burma, earmarked to benefit the health, education and infrastructure. 

He announced an aid package of nearly $200 million after a meeting with President Thein Sein on Monday.

Piebalgs said Thein Sein had spoken positively about Aung San Suu Kyi, who is now seeking a seat in Parliament.

He said the president noted that in spite of major reforms in Burma, the EU sanctions were still in place.

Piebalgs said that if the April 1 by-elections are free and fair, “then everyone would expect the easing of sanctions to continue.”

“The president mentioned a lot about Aung San Suu Kyi and it was all positive. That was unexpected,” Piebalgs said. “He said she was extremely important in the country and her participation in the political process was crucial. That's a very positive sign.”

Piebalgs will meet  Suu Kyi at her home in the former capital, Rangoon, on Tuesday.

Economic sanctions the EU and the U.S. are definitely affecting Burmese growth and hindering potential for foreign investment, he said.

An end to EU sanctions would require the consensus of 27 EU countries, something that is “not such an easy thing to achieve,” he said. It is expected that after the by-elections some Western sanctions will be withdrawn.

It iwasthe first trip to Myanmar by a top EU official after the new government took office in March 2011 and started reforms.

Reports from Brussels said that on April 23, EU foreign ministers will explore the possibility of a new substantial reduction of sanctions on Burma.         

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World Bank can encourage human rights: HRW

Tuesday, 14 February 2012 13:33

(Mizzima) – The World Bank has a chance to promote human rights development in Burma by ensuring participation of civil society in the bank’s work in Burma, says Human Rights Watch (HRW).

HRW has sent the board of directors a letter prior to its scheduled meeting on Thursday to discuss future programs in Burma.

“The World Bank has an opportunity to ensure that the Burmese people are at the center of the development agenda,” said Arvind Ganesan of HRW. “For more than 20 years, Burma has been closed to the world. Now the bank and the Burmese government can make sure engagement is open and inclusive.”

HRW noted that the World Bank has not provided financial aid to Burma since 1987 because the country has not met its loan repayments or instituted economic and other reforms. Burma is ranked 149 out of 187 – below the regional average - in the United Nations Human Development Index.

In its letter to World Bank President Robert Zoellick, HRW urged the Burmese government to carry out systemic reforms such as allowing open public debate, eliminating forced labor, and providing land tenure for the Burmese people, particularly farmers.

“The Bank can have a significant impact on human rights in Burma by promoting public participation in the country's development,” HRW said.

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Activist monk Gambira is detained

Friday, 10 February 2012 14:31 Mizzima News

(Mizzima) – Ashin Gambira, one of the leaders of the “Saffron Revolution” in 2007, was removed from his monastery by authorities in Rangoon on Friday.

A fellow monk told CNN that around 10 men in plain clothes took Gambira away in a car. He said the men told him that Gambira was not under arrest, but he was wanted for questioning.

A leader of the All-Burmese Monks Alliance who was serving 68 years in prison before his release in January in an amnesty, Gambira may have been arrested because he tried to enter monasteries that were closed and locked by the military regime following the monk-led street protests in 2007, said a fellow monk.

According to Agence France Presse, Gambira was being questioned for “breaching regulations.”

The officials were from the government religious authority department and Rangoon division government, said AFP.

After he was freed last month, Gambira had reportedly been trying to reopen monasteries that were closed and locked up by the authorities.

“He was taken this morning from his monastery for questioning because he broke the locks of three monasteries since his release,” an anonymous source told AFP.

In many interviews after his release, Gambira said he did not trust the democratic reforms that have taken place during the past year.

The 31-year-old monk was arrested in November 2007 after the street protests. Three weeks later, he was jailed for 68 years.

He was one of about 600 people freed in January in an amnesty directed toward national reconciliation and encouraging the lifting of sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United States.

Since his release, Gambira had moved in to Meggin Monastery in Rangoon with hopes of rebuilding the monastery that was destroyed by the military regime following the 2007 demonstrations. The monastery’s monks were beaten and many were imprisoned. It is one of more than 60 monasteries that were raided, closed, and destroyed during the crackdown following the protests.

Gambira said in a recent interview that the government still must apologize to the Buddhist sangha for its actions against monks.

“The government has transformed its external appearance into a civilian one, but their efforts to implement democracy are still rather weak, while many cases of human rights violations continue,” he was quoted as saying.         

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The election will offer ‘intense rivalries’: NUP

Friday, 10 February 2012 21:37 Nyi Thit

(Mizzima) – The National Unity Party (NUP says its main competitors in the by-election will be the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and the National League for Democracy (NLD). It expects a hard fought election.

Joint General-Secretary Khin Maung Gyi said, “This by-election will be different than the 2010 general elections. Besides our party, a big party like the NLD will also contest. Also, the smaller parties that contested in the 2010 election are stronger. There will be intense rivalry.”

The NUP contested for 995 parliamentary seats in the 2010 elections. It is the second largest party after the ruling USDP. The NUP won 61 seats.

The party now has about 700,000 members; it will contest in 23 constituencies in the April 1 by-election.

This election will reflect the real desires of people, he said, and there cannot be any electoral fraud like in the 2010 elections, he said.

“The electoral commission has been reformed,” he said. “And the parties will manage to watch carefully to avoid electoral fraud.” He all the parties need to educate people to understand the voting system in order to avoid invalid votes.

“People need to avoid spoilt votes. Parties should prepare the voters,” Khin Maung Gyi said.

He welcomed Aung San Suu Kyi’s decision to stand for the by-election and said this is the era of women. A female NUP candidate will run in the Mingalar Taung Nyunt constituency in Rangoon.

If Aung San Suu Kyi can enter the Parliament, the situation can change depending on her leadership and motions, he said.

He would not comment on the NUP ideas about amending the 2008 Constitution.

The NUP, formed in 1988, has many retired top military officers in leadership posts. It is a reincarnation of the Burma Socialist Programme Party.         

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Water bills to rise in Rangoon

Friday, 10 February 2012 18:58 Min Thet

Rangoon (Mizzima) – Water in Rangoon, already in short supply in some areas, is going to cost more starting April 1. The Rangoon City Development Committee announced on Thursday that water bills would increase from 25 to 40 pya per gallon for non-commercial use. 

Soe Myaing, the head of the committee’s Engineering Department, explain the increase: “The cost of one gallon of water is 47 pya [a unit of Burmese money worth 0.01 kyat]. But we collect just 25 pya per one gallon for non-commercial use and 35 pya per one gallon for commercial use, so we’ve suffered financial losses.”

Until July 2005, the development committee collected 3 pya per gallon and from August 2005 to March 2012; 25 pya per one gallon for non-commercial use and government offices; and 35 pya for commercial use.

Starting from April 1, it will collect 40 pya per a gallon for non-commercial use and 50 pya for commercial use.

For government offices, the existing rate, 25 pya, will remain the same, Soe Myiang said.

“In Rangoon, if the amount is calculated according to water units, we [presently] collect 55 kyat (US$ 0.14) per unit [220 gallons] for non-commercial use and 77 kyat per unit for commercial use.

The water rate of neighbouring countries are : US$ 0.26 [208 kyat] per  unit in Thailand; US$ 0.96 [768 kyat] in Singapore; US$ 0.36 [288 kyat] in Philippines; US$ 0.45 [360 kyat] in Malaysia; US$ 0.14 [112 kyat] in Cambodia; US$ 0.09 [72 kyat] in Laos; US$ 0.7 [560 kyat] in Indonesia; US$ 0.1 [80 kyat] in China; US$ 0.1 [80 kyat] in India; US$ 0.8 [640 kyat] in Bingladesh; and US$ 0.069 [55 kyat] in Burma.

Soe Myiang also said all customers must install a water meter.

“Some people have installed water meters in Rangoon but for some customers who have not installed water meters, we have to collect the charges with a fix rate. In that case, we assume that a person will use 30 gallon of water a day and a house has five family members and then we calculate the amount of money using that formula. So, there is waste of water. We cannot get money in line with the usage of water,” he said.

From a total of about 230,000 water users, more than 70,000 customers have not installed water meters in the Rangoon municipal area, according officials.

According to government date, Rangoon distributes 160 million gallons of water daily from Gyophyu Reservoir, Hlawgar Reservoir, Phoogyi Reservoir and Ngamoeyeik Reservoir.

On November 2, 2011, the Rangoon Region Assembly rejected a motion, put forward by U Kyaw of the Thingangyun Township constituency, to distribute more water to the city.
 
In the discussion, Kyaw said that the drinking water distributed by the Rangoon City Development Committee to the outskirts of Rangoon was insufficient, and he urged the City Development Committee to distribute more water.

“Most of the people in our township are poor. To get water, they have to wait until late at night, so they cannot sleep. Because of insufficient water there are health problems,” Kyaw told the Rangoon Region assembly.

In response to Kyaw’s motion, the Rangoon mayor said there were plans to distribute more water.         

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Rohingya issues discussed in Norway

Friday, 10 February 2012 15:59 Mizzima News

(Mizzima) – Maung Tun Khin (aka) Ziaul Gaffar, the president of the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK, visited with Norwegian officials in Oslo recently, where he met with the former prime minister.   

Maung Tun Khin met the former prime minister, Kjell Magne Bondevik, who is the director of the Oslo Centre for Peace and Human Rights.

“I had an extremely valuable discussion with the former prime minister. I express our gratitude for his long-time efforts for human rights and democracy for Burma. I urged him to continue to put pressure on the Thein Sein regime to stop human rights violations in ethnic areas, particularly in Arakan State where Rohingyas are facing serious persecution,” he said in a statement.

The Norwegian government is now engaging with the Thein Sein government and recently cancelled its earlier calls for Norwegian companies not to do business or invest in Burma.

In meetings with officials, Maung Tun Khin said, “We called on them to urge the regime to restore Rohingya citizenship rights, ethnic rights, to lift restrictions on marriage, movement, education, and to find a permanent solution for Rohingya refugees who are living in Bangladesh, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Malaysia.”

He said he also met with various officials, parliamentary members and NGO groups, where he raised awareness about the suffering of the people of Burma, and particularly the plight of the Rohingyas.

“I delivered the message that if the Thein Sein regime wants to do genuine reform they have to stop human rights violations against ethnic areas. The regime is not showing even little signs of change on the Rohingya, instead tagging Rohingyas as foreigners. Recent changes might be just to ease sanctions from Western governments.” He said it was too early to lift the sanctions on Burma.         

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Rangoon factory workers’ protest spreads

Friday, 10 February 2012 12:32 Kyaw Kha

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – A four-day workers’ strike at the Tai Yi footwear factory in an industrial zone in Rangoon Region on Thursday spread to a nearby factory. 

More than 1,000 workers at the New Way footwear factory, located nearby, went on strike on Thursday, in the same Hlaing Tharyar industrial zone.  In both strikes, workers are seeking higher wages and other rights.

More than 1,800 workers from the Tai Yi factory began their strike on Monday.

“The New Way factory started their protest today [Thursday],” said lawyer Pho Phyu, who works on labour related issues. “The factory officials came and negotiated with the workers but have not yet resolve the problem. Tai Yi is continuing its protest, and they will stage a strike tomorrow too. A lot of workers joined the protest.”

The workers at the New Way factory have also submitted a range of issues, including more pay, overtime pay, a bonus for no absences, and the granting of sick leave. Currently, workers are penalized 4,000 kyat (US$ 5) per day for sick leave.

Officials at the Tai Yi factory have issued a notice increasing basic pay by 10 kyat per hour and overtime pay by 21 kyat per hour. Those who accept the offer can report for work on Saturday. Those who do not accept the offer will lose their jobs, the notice said.

The previous pay rate at the Tai Yi factory was 75 kyat per hour for basic pay, 162 kyat per hour for overtime pay, and an absentee penalty deduction of 4,000 kyat per day.

A Tai Yi factory official said, “We have increased the pay as much as we can. Those who cannot accept our offer can withdraw their wages due. If we have to accept their demand, the net pay increase will be about 40,000 (US$ 50) per head. We cannot give in to their demand to pay these rates for over 2,000 workers.”

The workers have asked for a basic pay of 50,000 kyat (US$ 62) a month, no absentee penalty, no deduction for accidental damage of footwear products, adequate drinking water, freedom to go to the toilet facilities, and work leave when they have family issues.

Worker Win Mar at the Tai Yi factory said, “Our wages cannot meet our ends even though I have free accommodation at my auntie’s house. We have to spend for conveyance too. Most of the workers come from rural areas, and they live in rented rooms. For these workers, they are in debt because their wages don’t cover their minimum expenses.”

The Tai Yi factory is owned by Chinese nationals and has faced labour strikes for three years in a row since 2010, Hlaing Tharyar industrial zone committee chairman Myat Thin Aung told Mizzima.

A labour worker, Suu Suu New, and lawyer Pho Phyu will meet and negotiate with factory officials and officials from the labour department on Friday. The workers said they would take the issue to court if an agreement cannot be reached with factory officials.         

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Writers’ talks banned in Magway region

Friday, 10 February 2012 12:05 Myo Thant

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – During the past month, township chiefs in Magway Region have not allowed seven planned literary events to be held, according to writers who tried to speak in the area.

One banned writer told Mizzima that the writers had planned to talk about rebuilding the country, changing the mindset of the public, national hero General Aung San and other topics.

Writer Maung Tha Cho said that he had planned to deliver literary talks in Aunglan Township and Myitchay Township in Magway Region in January and February, but local authorities refused his request.

“When we went there, the organizers had already built pavilions. When the literary talks drew closer, authorities informed them they would not allow the talks,” Maung Tha Cho told Mizzima.

Similarly, the well–known Burmese meteorologist Tun Lwin told Mizzima that authorities did not allow his planned talk to be held in Thayat Township on January 9.

Tun Lwin said he always talked about meteorology, changing weather conditions and environmental conservation on the talk shows and banning his talk prevents him him from educating people about meteorological issues.

“I was rather upset,” he said. “In my opinion, this cannot benefit the people. Something is wrong, I think. It’s sure that it should not happen. I felt sorry for the villagers, and I’m upset,” Tun Lwin said.

The cartoonist Aw P Kyel was also affected by the ban. From January 9 until February 8, he was prevented from giving talks in Thayat, Chauk, Seikphyu, Pakokku, Yaysakyo and Myitchay townships in Magway Region.

Talking about Lower House Speaker Shwe Mann’s speech on Tuesday to bring about genuine reforms, cartoonist Aw P Kyel told Mizzima, “If they take steps forward [for democracy], we will accept it, otherwise we won’t.”

According to several of the writers, they have been able to give literary talks freely across the country except in Magway Region. Meteorologist Tun Lwin told Mizzima, “We did not face the ban in any other region or state. It happened only in Magway Region. Other writers’ planning literary talks were also refused.”

On Tuesday, Mann, in a reform-oriented speech, told MPs in the Union Assembly, “[You] just need to learn lessons from the mistakes in the past and to boldly make changes. You need to make actual reforms.”

Talking about Shwe Mann’s speech, writer Than Myint Aung said, “The president and the government members said good things, but the lower-level officials do not obey the instructions given from their superior officials.”

Her planned talk to be held in Magway in December 2011 was banned. Similarly, the organizers informed her on Friday that her talk planned for Saturday in Mankaleik village in Kunchankone Township in Rangoon would not be allowed, Than Myint Aung told Mizzima.

Banned talks in Magway Region
No	Date	Township	Speakers
1	January 9	Thayat	Tun Lwin, Aung Kyi Nyunt, Aw P Kyel
2	January 20	Aung Lan	Pe Myint, Kyaw Win, Maung Tha Cho
3	February 3	Chauk	Aw P Kyel and two other writers
4	February 4	Seikphyu	Aw P Kyel and two other writers
5	February 6	Pakokku	San San New (Tharyarwaddy), Nu Nu Yi (Innwa), Aw P Kyel
6	February 7	Yaysakyo	Nu Nu Yi (Innwa), Maung Tha Cho, Aw P Kyel
7	February 8	Myit Chay	Than Myint Aung, Maung Tha Cho, Aw P Kyel

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