No Excuse for Violence: Obama Tells Burma

[Hammer-fist]

Myanmar: Aung San Suu Kyi Silent Over Rohingya Violence, but Decries Crackdown on Anti-China Protest

By Tony Cartalucci
Global Research, December 02, 2012
Land Destroyer
Region: Asia
13 2 1 108



Nobel laureate’s double standards toe line of pro-Western “pivot” toward Asia and the recolonization of Myanmar.

In its article, “Suu Kyi demands apology for mine violence,” Bangkok Post reported that:

Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has demanded an apology for monks hurt in a violent police crackdown at a Chinese copper mine protest, after she held talks with the two sides.

The “monks” form the foundation of Suu Kyi’s so-called “pro-democracy” movement, as well as the leading front carrying out genocidal violence against Myanmar’s Rohingya population. Suu Kyi’s recent demand for an apology stands in stark contrast to her habitual silence over the plight of the Rohingya. The common denominator behind this consistent hypocrisy is the targeting of Chinese interests across the country.

Image: The Western media gladly fills their coverage of the Monywa mine protest with images of battered, “victimized” “monks,” while downplaying both the violence these same “monks” have visited upon Rohingya refugees in Rakhin state, as well as the indefensible silence of Aung San Suu Kyi regarding that violence.

….
The violence against the Rohingya, carried out by Suu Kyi’s own support base, threatens to destabilize the Rakhine state where exists significant Chinese interests including a deep-water port and an oil pipeline terminal that is to connect Sittwe, Myanmar with Kunming, China. Likewise, the protests in Monywa, located further north, target a Chinese mine. The protesters cited “human rights” and “environmental” concerns, mirroring identical efforts by NGOs subsidized by Western corporate-financier interests seeking to supplant China and exploit Myanmar’s vast natural resources themselves, who had targeted and halted the construction of Myitsone Dam.

Image: Praying for genocide. While Associated Press claims these protesters are demonstrating against ethnic violence targeting Rohingya refugees, the sign they carry clearly states that they seek the expulsion of the refugees from Myanmar, and are merely protesting against the Myanmar Army’s use of force to protect the refugees from attacks that have left scores dead and thousands of homes destroyed.

….
One of the most prominent of these NGOs is the “Burma River Network” (BRN). While BRN’s website fails to mention where they get their funding or who they are affiliated with, California-based, Ford Foundation, Sigrid Rausing Trust, Tides Foundation, Open Society-funded “International Rivers (page 3)” who is also active in blocking the development of Myanmar’s rivers, gives them away by listing them as “partners” alongside the “Kachin Development Networking Group” (KDNG).

Together these organizations interlock, cross-reference, and cross-post with other US-funded NGOs operating in Myanmar. These include the Irrawaddy, Era Journal, and the Democratic Voice of Burma, all admitted by the Burma Campaign UK (page 15) to be funded by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) along with “Mizzima” also fully funded by NED and Soros’ Open Society.

The protests at the Monywa mine have been ongoing. They too have been supported by Western corporate-financier funded foundations. The “Burma Partnership” has been particularly prolific in regards to protesting China’s mine. Upon its “About Us” page, is listed a myriad of associations and organizations directly linked to Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party, including the Students and Youth Congress of Burma, the Forum for Democracy in Burma, and the Nationalities Youth Forum, which is directly funded by the Euro-Burma Office (in turn funded by the EU, and US National Endowment for Democracy), and convicted financial criminal George Soros’ Open Society.

A clear pattern has developed, exposing Aung San Suu Kyi’s motives as being purely political. Her indefensible silence over violence against the Ronhingya, while she vocally decries crackdowns on her own Western-funded mobs as they attempt to evict Chinese interests from the country – all pave the way for equal or worse exploitation by uncontested Western corporate-financier hegemony as Western interests prepare to take advantage of the newly “opened” Myanmar as part of their “pivot” toward Asia.


Myanmar: Aung San Suu Kyi Silent Over Rohingya Violence, but Decries Crackdown on Anti-China Protest | Global Research

 

[Hammer-fist]

Myanmar reconciliation a distant dream

By Nhkum Gam

Speaking Freely is an Asia Times Online feature that allows guest writers to have their say. Please click here if you are interested in contributing.

MYITKYINA, Kachin State - It has been a year since fighting between the Myanmar army under the government led by President Thein Sein and the rebel Kachin Independent Organization (KIO) restarted in Kachin State in the north of the country.

The fighting, which ended a 17-year ceasefire, has created thousands of refugees and internally displaced persons, and
made Kachin State into one of the most dangerous places for civilians in the country.

I am from Kachin State and am currently living among the refugees serving as a volunteer. There is little hope for the future among these people, little hope that they will be able any time soon to return to their homes. In this dire and insecure situation, many children are unable to attend school.

From this battle-hit area of Myanmar, local people have no expectations arising from US President Barack Obama’s recent historic visit to the country. While many Kachin people were happy that Obama mentioned the Kachin conflict during his speech this month at the University of Yangon, others felt the reference would prod the government to send more troops to the area.

Recently the fighting has intensified in many places in Kachin State, as well as in the contiguous northern Shan State, after the government sent thousands of additional troops to the areas. The situation on the ground has become worse, with combat between government troops and KIO rebels erupting on a near daily basis and civilians getting caught in the middle.

Thousands of villagers have had to flee their homes and farms, many of which have been destroyed or pilfered by government troops. Many of the villagers, including women and children, are now stuck in Kachin State’s inhospitable jungles, where they are vulnerable to the coming cold season without shelter, relying on scarce food supplies, and facing abuse and violence from state soldiers.

Local people have told this writer that they have been forced to carry ammunition and guns and to act as mine shields for government troops. There have also been reports of rape and torture. On the other side, KIO commanders continue to recruit young people from villages to serve as foot soldiers.

In the village of Ka-mai, along the Ledo road made famous during World War II, government troops recently beat farmers using bamboo sticks while others were tortured and interrogated, according to people familiar with the incident.

Despite these widespread rights violations, Thein Sein's government claims it is aiming to resolve the conflict through political means, including through recent talks via negotiators with the KIO leadership. However, thousands of additional troops were sent to the area during and after the talks.

Many Kachin people feel that, despite the multiple rounds of talks, the government ultimately aims for a military solution to the conflict. Ramped up fighting has made the situation in Kachin State dangerous and difficult, not only for transportation and communications in affected villages, but also for basic civil liberties such as freedom of movement due to government-imposed curfews.

Although the government has deployed tens of thousands of troops to the frontlines of territory controlled mainly by the KIO, they have failed to stabilize and secure the restive regions. Instead, rights abuses have alienated many local villagers, forcing a growing number into makeshift refugee camps established and maintained by local non-governmental organizations and churches.

Of course, many people in Kachin do not want this fight.

If the government was sincere about restoring peace and order to Kachin State, it would make efforts to win the hearts and minds of the local people. Instead, many villagers feel that soldiers have been deployed to loot and undermine their livelihoods. Many say they don't even dare to make eye contact with troops for fear of reprisals.

Many Kachins feel that they have been discriminated against for decades due to their religion and ethnicity. Few trust the government's motivations for initiating peace talks, with many noting that the KIO had already signed a ceasefire with the government in 1994.

To be sure, people in Kachin State are tired of fighting and want peace. But for national reconciliation to be achieved, not just in Kachin State but across Myanmar, the government must establish a framework that aims for political solutions to the country's many unresolved ethnic conflicts.

All of Myanmar's estimated 135 ethnic groups want to enjoy justice, equality and freedom in a new, modern and peaceful Myanmar. But the government's use of excessive force and continued rights abuses in Kachin State mean true national reconciliation will remain a distant prospect.

Nhkum Gam, a pseudonym, is a volunteer teacher based in Myitkyina, Myanmar.

Asia Times Online :: Myanmar reconciliation a distant dream
















Kachin atrocities may be war crimes: US senator

Monday, 26 November 2012 13:51 Mizzima News

The atrocities committed against the Kachin by the Burmese Army may amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity and should be zealously investigated and prosecuted as the evidence warrants, wrote Republican Senator Trent Franks in the Washington Times last week.

The Arizona Republican, who is co-chairman of the International Religious Freedom Caucus, wrote that the plight of the Kachin is often overlooked by the international community, and that humanitarian conditions are seriously deteriorating in Kachin State and Kachin refugee camps.

“The US must be careful to take no action that could be interpreted as endorsement of any misconduct or human rights lapses by the Burmese government or President Thein Sein, particularly while the Burmese government is still dominated by the military with a very brutal past,” he opined.

“President Obama should call for a withdrawal of Burmese troops and the establishment of meaningful political dialogue and a peace process that will result in a political solution for the conflict in Kachin State,” he said.

Sen. Franks also noted that recent reports indicate that Burmese security forces have been complicit with Rakhine Buddhists in carrying out brutal attacks against the Rohingya people.

“Violence by the Burma Army against the Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State also continues with impunity and the Burmese government has failed to end what increasingly appears to be a campaign to forcibly displace thousands of Rohingya,” he wrote.

“Both the Rohingya and Kachin desperately need full access to humanitarian aid for internally displaced peoples and refugees. Indeed, now is the time for the US to ensure the plight of vulnerable Rohingya are not forgotten and stress that this crisis against Burma’s Muslim population will threaten future democracy measures within Burma,” he said.

Currently serving his fourth term in the US Congress, Franks is a Baptist Christian and in addition to co-chairing the International Religious Freedom Caucus, he is an Executive Committee Member of the Tom Lantos Congressional Human Rights Commission.

In 2008, Congress passed the Tom Lantos Block Burmese JADE Act, which banned the importation of rubies and jade from Burma into the United States.

The US has recently eased many economic sanctions on Burma in light of a process of reform under President Thein Sein. However, the JADE act remains in place.

http://www.mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/8453-kachin-atrocities-may-be-war-crimes-us-senator.html

 

[Hammer-fist]

What utter bullshit being posted on this thread. I don't even know where to begin.

Let's help our fascist little friend and proponent of ethnic cleansing out.

Why don't you start with the "utter bullshit" of Senator Trent Franks declaration that war against the Kachins may be war crimes and lead to prosecution of Burmese junta thugs?

Kachin atrocities may be war crimes: US senator

 

[Hammer-fist]

Burmese President Visits Brunei

By | December 4, 2012 |


President Thein Sein arrived in Brunei on Tuesday for an official state visit, the state-run newspaper The New Light of Myanmar reports. He was welcomed by Brunei Foreign Affairs Minister Prince Mohammad Bolkiah. The Burmese president is visiting at the invitation of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. Several senior ministers, a high-ranking Burma Army officer and representatives of the Lower House and Upper House traveled with the president. The newspaper offered few details on the trip, other than mentioning that the delegation went to the Empire Hotel & Country Club.

Burmese President Visits Brunei | The Irrawaddy Magazine

1. Bangladesh should request Brunei and all other Muslim states to downgrade relations with Burma until the Rohingya crisis is solved which entails two things.

a: Restoration of citizenship to Rohingyas

b: Repatriation of all Rohingyas back to Arakan.

 

[Hammer-fist]

Photos emerge of anti-Muslim witch hunt in Burma


By Francis Wade Dec 04, 2012 1:52PM UTC

0 Comments and 32 Reactions

A few weeks ago I warned that a witch-hunt may begin in western Burma after a group of influential monks in the town of Sittwe instructed Arakanese to seek out and harass local Muslims. Following a meeting in October at a local monastery, the monks had circulated a document calling on Arakanese to “expose sympathisers of Bengali Kalars [Kalar is a derogatory term for people of South Asian descent] as national traitors along with photos and spread the information to every township”.

It came in the wake of months of fighting between Muslim and Buddhist communities in Arakan state that has resulted in discoveries of mass graves and apartheid-like segregationist measures.

Now two photos have emerged that apparently show this witch-hunt to be well under way. Two Arakanese men are pictured being paraded around with placards around their neck. One man, allegedly from the town of Myebon near Sittwe, wears one sign that reads “’I am a traitor and slave of Kalar”.

Photo taken from Facebook shows man wearing placard that reads 'I am a traitor and slave of Kalar' being praraded around Myebon in Arakan state (Facebook).

A caption beneath the photo that was circulated on Facebook says, “A man who buys/sells groceries to Kalars in Myebon on public display (a lesson for all Arakanese people to take)”. The photo is dated from August this year.

A second, undated photo shows a different man with a placard that says, “I am a traitor”. Furthermore, it appears he has been forced to wear a woman’s longyi on his head. Burmese males consider the wearing of female garments to be culturally insulting, and a potential threat to the standing of males in society (more on that here).


Man forced to wear a woman's longyi and placard reading "I am a traitor" (Source: M-Media)

The authenticity of the photos cannot be independently confirmed, although both are consistent with a now documented drive in Arakan state (and other parts of Burma) to weed out those who are seen to be helping the Rohingya, a Muslim minority who have borne the brunt of the ethno-religious violence between Buddhists and Muslims that began in June.

There’s something chillingly medieval about the whole affair – both what it means for Arakanese who continue to interact with Muslims (who until June co-existed comparatively harmoniously), and of course for the Muslim community itself, which now exists mainly in camps and urban ghettos. Judging by the expression on the men’s faces, public humiliation has become an effective weapon in this conflict.

And as has been mentioned time and again, the role that monks have played in whipping up this anti-Muslim fervour never ceases to shock.

Photos emerge of anti-Muslim witch hunt in Burma | Asia News – Politics, Media, Education | Asian Correspondent

 

[Hammer-fist]

Burma camp for Rohingyas 'dire' - Valerie Amos

Rohingyas are living in cramped conditions with little access to sanitation or healthcare

The UN's top humanitarian official has said conditions for displaced Burmese Muslim Rohingyas are "dire", and called on Burma to improve them.

Valerie Amos made the comments after visiting camps in Rakhine state.

More than 135,000 people displaced during six months of ethnic conflict are living in camps in the state, the vast majority of them Rohingyas.

The BBC's Jonah Fisher says Rohingyas are living in much worse conditions than Rakhine Buddhists.

He says a camp on the peninsula of Myebon, exclusively for Rakhine Buddhists, had smart tents, working sanitation and a regular delivery of food and medical supplies.

But a short drive up the road - past the burnt-out squares that were once their homes - some 4,000 Rohingya Muslims live crammed together on a fetid pile of mud, surrounded by streams of water filled with sewage, our correspondent adds.

There are Burmese guards on all sides to stop them leaving, he says.

"It's a dire situation and we have to do something about it," Baroness Amos told the BBC.

"Unfortunately we as the United Nations are not able to get in and do the range of work we would like to do with those people, so the conditions are terrible."

She said UN efforts had been hampered by administrative and visa problems, as well as by a lack of funding.

The UN has received less than one-third of the $65m (£40m) it says it needs for Rakhine.

Baroness Amos called for the international community to be more generous, but also said the Burmese authorities had to help with reconciliation.

She said tensions in the area remained "extremely high".

"The government also has a responsibility, they have to take the lead," she said. "They have to work to bring the communities together and that work has got to start now."

Our correspondent says Rakhine Buddhists control all the land around the camp for Rohingyas, and that bringing help is almost impossible.

This separation of communities is now seen across Rakhine, he adds.

BBC News - Burma camp for Rohingyas 'dire' - Valerie Amos

 

[Hammer-fist]

Govt Angrily Denies Reports of ‘Rohingya Genocide’

By ZARNI MANN / THE IRRAWADDY| December 7, 2012 |



Muslim people pass the time at their house in Paik Thay, the site of recent violence between Muslim Rohingyas and Arakanese Buddhists. (Photo: Reuters)
RANGOON—The Burmese government has lashed out at Qatar-based news broadcaster Al Jazeera over an upcoming documentary that warns of Rohingya genocide, saying on Friday that the report was “exaggerating and fabricating” incidents.

The denouncement comes amid ongoing calls on Burma to better support UN relief operations in Arakan State, which has been wracked by inter-communal violence between ethnic Arakanese Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims.

A Dec. 3 post by Al Jazeera’s press office announced the station will broadcast “The Hidden Genocide” from Dec. 9 to 12. It quotes Prof William Schabas, former president of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, as saying there are “warning signs” of Rohingya genocide in Arakan State.

In the report Rohingya testify of “systematic torture, ethnic cleansing and execution-style killings […] at times carried out with the support and participation of the Myanmar military, state security forces and local government officials,” according to Al Jazeera.

In a strongly worded statement, the Foreign Affairs Ministry denounced the report, saying the government “strongly opposes and rejects the attempt made by Al Jazeera to broadcast the documentary by exaggerating and fabricating the incidents in Rakhine [Arakan] State.”

The government “has been handling this matter with full transparency when the violence between Bengalis and the ethnic Rakhine [Arakanese] people broke out,” the ministry said. It pointedly refused to use the term Rohingya, as the government does not recognize the group as an ethnic minority and refuses to grant them citizenship, saying that most are Bengali immigrants.

It said the government has been cooperating with international NGOs, the UN, Muslim countries such as Turkey and Indonesia and the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC), to resolve communal tension and provide relief for victims of the Arakan violence. The OIC has previously also voiced concern over the threat of Rohingya genocide.

Aye Maung, a parliamentarian from the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party, also denied the accusations. “Saying that the problems in Rakhine [Arakan] State are genocide is very far from reality,” he said. “The media should report these issues more carefully.”

“We clearly understand and respect human rights,” he added.

Inter-communal violence has flared up three times throughout Arakan State since June and according to the UN, about 115,000 people—mostly Rohingya—have been displaced, while bloody clashes have killed at least 89 people.

By some estimates Rohingyas number about 800,000 people and form a minority in Buddhist-dominated Arakan State and Burma. International human rights activists have strongly criticized the government for its role in the Arakan violence, but none have leveled charges of genocide.

Human Rights Watch said in November that Rohingya “faced decades of state-sponsored discrimination and abuses,” and that recent attacks on the groups “at times were carried out with support of state security forces and local government officials.”

The UN has said the group is “friendless” in the country and a UN General Assembly committee last month called on the government to improve their plight.

United Nation’s Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos visited Arakan and Kachin states in recent days to inspect the situation of displaced groups and she met with President Thein Sein on Friday.

She urged the government, and in particular local Arakan leaders, to do more to support UN relief operations for displaced groups in the state, most of whom are Rohingya. Aid workers have complained of hostility by local Buddhist communities towards their relief work.

Amos was asked about the accusations of Rohingya genocide, but she cautioned against using the term. “I don’t think it is responsible to use language like that without having evidence,” she said at a press conference on Friday. “It is a complex situation. I think that is important that you don’t make rush comments … First look at the facts, if there’s allegation, that needs to investigated.”

“For me, it is [only] clear there has been inter-communal violence that has had a major impact on both communities,” Amos said.

She said the situation at some of camps in Arakan was dire, while tensions between local groups remained high. Amos urged the government to play a strong role in reconciling the groups and support the UN relief effort, adding that she had discussed these issues with President Thein Sein.

She made no mention, however, of any assurances by the government that it would take steps to improve UN access to camps of displaced villagers in Arakan State.

Govt Angrily Denies Reports of

THIS IS BAD NEWS, VERY BAD NEWS FOR THE BURMESE JUNTA.

WHEN AL-JAZEERA SHOWS THIS, THE MUSLIM WORLD MAY GO UP IN ARMS AGAIN AS THEY DID A FEW MONTHS BACK, WHEN EVEN THE TALIBAN THREATENED THE JUNTA.

The Junta is furious with Al-Jazeera for exposing the Junta's role in the anti-Muslim pogroms. The junta through its state media feeds Buddhist Burmese with a diet of anti-Rohingya hatred and propaganda which fuels anti-Rohingya/Muslim feeling and leeds to bloodshed and then the junta craftily disassociates itself from the violence which it ultimately engineers and promotes.

 

[Sedqal]

"It was not the first time the army had threatened her — eight years ago she committed a crime by getting married, which was punishable by death. The Rohingyas are not permitted to marry in Myanmar because the authorities fear the Muslim ethnic group’s population would increase otherwise. Ms. Begum had to pay a “marriage tax,” which cost the couple all their savings, to escape punishment."

This is an excerpt from the article above. The lines shows how immoral a country's rulers can be. They have found a novel way to confine the Rohingya numbers. It is such a deplorable and inhumane policy that no other country, however racist it may be, has ever adopted.

WTF!! is this for real? They don't allow Muslims to marry because their numbers may increase?

 

[Hammer-fist]

WTF!! is this for real? They don't allow Muslims to marry because their numbers may increase?

Yes, they ban Rohingya Muslims from marrying without state authorization. If they marry secretly they face severe punishment, I think in one case one woman had her baby forcibly aborted/murdered.

 

[Hammer-fist]

KIO retakes post in Pangwa area from Burma army


The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) retook a front-line post held by Burma's military in the Pangwa region (also Pangwah, Pan Wah) of eastern Kachin State on Monday after 9 days of fighting, according to KIA officials reached at the group's Laiza headquarters.

The government side lost a significant number of troops during the last week of fighting, according to KIA officials who also acknowledge that their side lost at least three soldiers on Monday.* Most of the recent fighting took place between boundary markers No. 6 and 7, two pillars that demarcate Burma's border with China's Yunnan province.

The recaptured post at Ura Kawng had previously been lost to government troops on August 14.* The post is located near boundary pillars No. 6 and was retaken by troops from KIA Battalion 33 who serve under the group's 1st Brigade.

Despite the withdrawal of the government troops from Ura Kawng there remain two Burmese military posts with about 200 troops very close by.* Ura Kawng is also very near to a temporary refugee camp housing more than 700 displaced villagers.* The refugee camp is run by the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), the political wing of KIA.* More than 200 new refugees arrived at the camp since fighting began in the area at the beginning of the month, said Doi Pyi Sa, head of the KIO’s IDP and Refugee Relief Committee based in Laiza.

On October 15, a 7-year old boy in the refugee camp was killed following an artillery attack launched by Burmese government troops based at Ura Kawng, said Doi Pyi Sa.

A major point of trade between Burma and China, the Pangwa region was the long territory of the now defunct New Democratic Army-Kachin (NDA-K), a ceasefire group led by Zahkung Ting Ying (also spelled Za Khun Ting Ring).* In 2009 the NDA-K officially ceased to exist when its standing army of about 1,000 troops was absorbed by the national border guard force.

The NDA-K was the successor to a KIO unit led by Ting Ying that broke-away in 1968 to join forces with the Burma Communist Party (BCP). In 1989 following the complete collapse of the BCP, Ting Ying with the support of troops under his command created the NDA-K, quickly reaching a ceasefire with the central government.* The NDA-K's deal with Burma's military regime enabled the group to profit from the cross border timber trade at Kambaiti and Pangwa during a period that saw vast clear cutting of forests in Kachin State.

Army sending more troops to Pangwa area
Eyewitnesses in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State, report that since December 3rd the army has been sending large numbers of reinforcements from the locally based Northern Regional Military Command to Pangwa via military helicopters.

Last week, Brig-Gen Htun Htun Naung a senior official with the Northern Regional Military Command and Ting Ying who now serves as an MP visited Pangwa to cheer on the troops.* A repeat of a similar visit Zahkung Ting Ying made earlier this year when he infamously declared that the KIO would be crushed by the army.

KIO retakes post in Pangwa area from Burma army - Kachin News Group

 

[Hammer-fist]

UN calls for end to Rakhine-Rohingya row


Tue, Dec 11th, 2012 5:07 pm BdST
Yangon, Dec 11 (bdnews24.com) - United Nations humanitarian chief Ashok Nigam has called upon Myanmar's civilian government to grant its agencies "unrestricted access" to the strife-torn Rakhine State, to help achieve reconciliation between the Buddhist Rakhines and Muslim Rohingya communities.

Nigam has just returned from a two-day visit to the Rakhine state, accompanied by Myanmar's Vice-President Sai Mauk Kham.

"Hope must be brought back to these people through livelihoods, reconciliation and addressing the root causes of the conflict. Human rights of all the people in the Rakhine state must be protected," Nigam was quoted by the Burmese news agency Mizzima as saying.

The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator's message comes soon after seventeen top Buddhist leaders from around the world, including Tibetan spiritual guru the Dalai Lama , issued a statement urging their co-religionists in Myanmar to treat the Muslim Rohingyas with "respect and compassion".

"We are concerned about the growing ethnic violence and the targeting of Muslims in Rakhine State and the violence against Muslims and others across the country," the statement said. "The Burmese are a noble people, and Burmese Buddhists carry a long and profound history of upholding the Dharma.

"We wish to reaffirm to the world and to support you in practicing the most fundamental Buddhist principles of non-harming, mutual respect and compassion."

bdnews24.com/sbh/nir/1635h

UN calls for end to Rakhine-Rohingya row | | world.bdnews24.com

 

[Hammer-fist]

Kachin State Fighting Escalates as New Front Opens


By SAW YAN NAING / THE IRRAWADDY| December 14, 2012 |
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KIA troops marching through the jungle of northernmost Burma. (Photo: my.tianya.cn)


As the fighting between Kachin rebels and the Burmese army intensifies in northern Burma, the military tried to open another front on Friday, according to Kachin sources. They reported that government artillery units and helicopters launched attacks in the Lajayang area nearby the rebels’ headquarters, located on the Burma-China border.

Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) spokesman La Nan said army helicopters could be seen and heard from the KIO headquarters in Laiza, as they pounded Kachin ethnic rebel bases in the hills around Lajayang.

“We heard gunfire and mortar shelling from our headquarters. It is the first time they came to fire at our bases near Laiza by using aircrafts,” he said. “The government troops approached our bases as close as four to seven miles from our headquarters, and fired at our bases. They used both air and ground forces.”

La Nan said fighting broke out in the Lajayang region early Friday morning at 5:30 am, as the military launched a heavy attack using three Russian-made Mi 24 helicopter gunships, while ground troops opened artillery fire on Kachin Independence Army (KIA) positions in the region using 105 mm M2A1 howitzer.

“We now informed all our troops in strategic bases to be on high alert as we worry that they [government army] will open more frontlines in the war,” said La Nan, who added that the KIA’s ally All Burmese Student Democratic Front has come to strengthen defense positions in Lajayang region.

Some Burmese army troops were stuck in positions at the frontline in Lajayang region and the military had sustained heavy casualties at the hands of Kachin rebel forces, La Nan claimed, adding that about 40 soldiers died during recent fighting in the area, which falls under KIA Brigade 5’s control.

After a month of calm, the government had sent troops from the Light Infantry Battalions 388, 389 and 40 to try to pressure Kachin forces by open another frontline in Lajayang, he said, adding that it had done so in order to reduce pressure on its troops in the Pangwa region.

Fighting there had escalated in the past week and the Burmese military reportedly sustained heavy casualties in Pangwa, where La Nan estimated 20 government soldiers were killed and injured, along with two KIA soldiers.

During recent fighting, the government army has been accused of using a rocket launcher, the Carl Gustaf, which is produced by Swedish arms manufacturer Saab Bofors Dynamics, according to a Sweden’s Svenska Dagbladet newspaper report by veteran Swedish journalist Bertil Lintner.

KIA rebels said they found rocket shells from the Swedish-made launchers after two army helicopters fired on their bases and refugee camps for civilians displaced during the conflict. The KIA rebels said they recovered one of the launchers.

The Swedish government said it had spoken with Indian officials about the Swedish weapons that had been sent to Burma via India in violation of an European arms embargo.

Kachin State Fighting Escalates as New Front Opens | The Irrawaddy Magazine








Fierce fighting between Burma army and KIO resumes at Lajayang

Heavy fighting between government troops and forces loyal to the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) broke out before dawn this morning at Lajayang near the KIO's Laiza headquarters.

According to an officer from the KIO’s armed-wing, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), more than 50 government soldiers were dead by noon. At least one KIA soldier was also killed, the officer said.

Clashes took place between Lajayang and Nalung, two villages located on the Myitkyina to Manmaw (Bhamo) road. The fighting reportedly started when a large group of government troops attempted to push through to Lung Rawk post near Lajayang as part of an aborted rations delivery.

An estimated 100 Burmese soldiers are trapped at Lung Rawk post, according to the KIA officer. Several recent attempts by the army to resupply the strategic post, located less than 5 miles from the KIO's headquarters have been repeatedly blocked by KIA attacks.

Government forces and the KIA fired artillery shells for much of the morning, according eyewitness living in the area. The government side was aided by Russian made helicopters armed with heavy guns.

After several hours of fighting one of the helicopters appeared to have been damaged by KIA fire and was seen flying back towards Myitkyina with smoke coming from it, said the KIA officer. After the damaged helicopter departed three more government helicopter gunships arrived and continued the attack on KIA targets in Lajayang.

Most of the fighting stopped by the afternoon. The bodies of dozens of dead Burma army soldiers are currently being gathered at local Bhuddhist temple in Lajayang, according to an eyewitness who spoke to the Kachin News Group on the condition of anonymity.

*Fierce fighting between Burma army and KIO resumes at Lajayang - Kachin News Group

 

[Hammer-fist]

Naypyitaw deploys helicopter gunships against KIO


Friday, 14 December 2012 15:41 Phanida

After assurances given by chief negotiator Aung Min that the government would resume peace talks with the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), the Burmese army launched on Friday morning yet another ground assault against Kachin positions near Laiza, the KIO headquarters, with ground troops supported by helicopter gunships, according to KIO spokesman La Nan.


This picture taken on May 12, 2012, shows a Kachin Independence Army (KIA) soldier looking through binoculars at positions of the Burmese army from an outpost some 12 kilometers south of Laiza, a KIA-controlled stronghold in northern Kachin State on the border with China. Photo: AFP

KIO forces have been engaging government troops from Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 383, 388 and Infantry Battalion (IB) 40 near Lajayan village, Dawphoneyan sub-township, La Nan told Mizzima by telephone.

“A fierce battle has been waged since 6 o’clock this morning and is still continuing,” he said. “They sent in two MI-24 helicopter gunships which fired at us. This is the first time helicopter gunships have attacked us so close to Laiza.”

He said that the Burmese army also attacked KIO positions using 105mm howitzers and 120mm mortars.

“They are launching a ground assault and at the same time the helicopter gunships are providing supporting fire,” said La Nan.

He said that, so far, he had received no reports of casualties on either side.

A source in Laiza said that the residents and war refugees in the town were very worried after seeing and hearing the heavy bombardments on Friday morning.

A total of 74 engagements and clashes have occurred between the sides from December 1 to 13, the KIO spokesman said.

President Thein Sein ordered his armed forces to cease operations against the KIO on December 10, 2011, when he issued an order through then Commander-in- Gen. Min Aung Hlaing. However, no less than 1,360 skirmishes or battles have been fought in northern Burma since then, the KIO say.

The Burmese army has not yet deployed reinforcements into the area near Laiza, La Nan said, but after seeing the use of helicopter gunships on Friday morning, the KIO believe a “massive deployment” is highly possible.

Meanwhile, the Union Level Peace-making Work Committee, the official name for the government’s negotiating team, has reportedly extended an offer for another round of peace talks with the KIO.

“We still extend our offer to meet again with the KIO. Minister Aung Min sent an official proposal to them. We are awaiting their reply,” peace broker Hla Maung Shwe told Mizzima.

La Nan said that even if the government extended an official invitation to peace negotiations, it would now be difficult for the Kachins to accept the government’s offer at such a time when fierce battles were being waged using helicopter gunships.

“We cannot consider their offer amid such fierce hostilities,” he told Mizzima.

President’s Office Minister Aung Min assured the KIO that a further meeting between the sides would take place within a month at their last round of talks on October 30.

Naypyitaw deploys helicopter gunships against KIO

 

[Hammer-fist]

Burma Army Reportedly Suffers Mass Casualties in Kachin State

By SAW YAN NAING / THE IRRAWADDY| December 17, 2012 |
5

A Burmese soldier waits for a train in Rangoon with his fellow soldiers as they head to the frontlines of the conflict in Kachin State. (Photo: Reuters)


As war escalates in Burma’s northernmost state, ethnic rebels fighting for their basic rights have killed and injured more than 60 government soldiers in response to an attack on their headquarters, an allied armed group claimed on Monday.

The All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF), an armed group fighting alongside ethnic rebels in northern Kachin State, said government forces suffered the casualties on Friday after launching an offensive in Lajayang region, near the rebels’ headquarters in the town of Laiza, where about 70,000 displaced civilians are staying in refugee camps.

In a one-day battle about 10 km from Laiza, rebel forces killed and injured more than 60 government soldiers and captured many of their weapons, ABSDF soldier Min Htay told The Irrawaddy on Monday.

Speaking from the conflict zone, Min Htay said rebel forces also captured seven government soldiers, including two corporals, during the battle.

The fighting represents an escalation of the 18-month conflict, which began after a 17-year ceasefire broke down in June last year.

According to ABSDF, the Burma Army launched its offensive on KIA headquarters with about 400 foot soldiers and Mi-24 helicopter gunships.

“The fighting started at about 6 am and lasted until 6:30 in the evening,” said Hla Seng of the ABSDF. “They [government troops] came on foot. They used helicopters gunships and fired artillery.”

Houses in some abandoned villages were destroyed by rocket fire during the government offensive, according to ABSDF troops on the frontlines. Residents from the villages had already left with their livestock to seek refuge, including in camps near Laiza.

The government says its soldiers only used helicopters to carry food and military supplies.

“[They] didn’t use helicopters to shoot the KIA,” Zaw Htay, director of the President’s Office, told The Irrawaddy. “It’s not their nature to use helicopter gunships in a civil war.”

Zaw Htay said he learned from media reports that government soldiers had suffered high causalities in the offensive last week.

He said he did not want either side to suffer, urging bilateral dialogue between the government’s peace team and the KIA.

Leaders of the KIA’s political wing, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), have met with the government’s peace team several times, but without tangible results.

“We need to build trust,” Zaw Htay said. “There will be disagreements, but it’s necessary to negotiate.”

However, Min Htay of the ABSDF was not hopeful about prospects for a quick peace agreement, saying he believed the government would continue launching more offensives against KIA headquarters.

ABSDF is an armed group that was formed by Burmese student activists after nationwide pro-democracy protests in 1988. It has been fighting alongside ethnic rebels in Kachin State for months.

About 100,000 civilians have fled their homes during the 18 months of fighting between the government’s army and KIA troops in northern Burma, staying in refugee camps in KIA-controlled areas on the Sino-Burmese border as well as government-controlled areas.

Human rights violations, including rape by Burmese soldiers, have been reported throughout the war.
The Free Burma Rangers, a humanitarian relief group operating in Kachin State and other ethnic areas, reported that government soldiers raped a 58-year-old woman in Pangwa area, on the border with China, in July. She was married and the mother of one child.

The relief group said Burmese soldiers also raped a 39-year-old widowed mother of 12.

Burma Army Reportedly Suffers Mass Casualties in Kachin State | The Irrawaddy Magazine

 

[eastwatch]

The tree-dwelling racist Barmans should be wiped out of this Earth. Burma is a country where the main racial group Barmans are trying to establish their supremacy, but, are being killed in hundreds in this ill motived effort.