Kachin conflict ‘perfect storm’ for human trafficking

Pushed to the Brink

A new report by a Kachin women’s group says that the ongoing conflict in northern Myanmar between government forces and the Kachin Independence army (KIA) has created what they have termed “a perfect storm” of conditions for human trafficking along the Sino-Myanmar border. The report, titled “Pushed to the Brink,” was launched on June 5 by the Kachin Women’s Association Thailand (KWAT). It details how the displacement of over 100,000 people over the past two years, a lack of refugee protection, and shortages of humanitarian aid have become significant new “push factors” fuelling the trafficking of Kachin women to China, already a long-standing problem.+++++read more+++

Ongoing Impunity continued Burma army atrocities against Kachin people

Our short film, Ongoing impunity: Atrocities Against the Kachin People, documents interviews with villagers who have suffered human rights violations by the ...

Harvard plan to restart Irrawaddy dams will not buy peace

By KDNG   A recent proposal by a Harvard University think-tank to restart the Irrawaddy-Myitsone dam project in order to “power the peace process” in Kachin state fails to address the political root causes of the conflict.    The proposal recommends a new tripartite business agreement to build the seven Irrawaddy headwater dams, letting the Kachin state government become a new shareholder together with the Myanmar and Chinese governments.     It is proposed that the business partnership and “substantial revenues” granted to the Kachin state government would persuade Kachins to support the multi-dam project, and “hasten real peace in Kachin and possibly other states”. This proposal incorrectly suggests that money is at the root of opposition to the dams as well as the current conflict. The real root cause is the Kachin people’s lack of decision-making power under the previous and current unitary constitutions.    This lack of power has resulted in decades of exploitation of our natural resources, causing widespread land confiscation, forced relocation, loss of livelihoods and social problems in Kachin State. These experiences have taught us that only the political power to manage and control our own resources will protect our lands and livelihoods, and ensure that development will benefit local people.     “Business deals are no substitute for political reform,” said KDNG spokesperson, Ah Nan. “The Kachin conflict can’t be solved by money. We want self-determination, and the right to decide how our own lands and rivers are managed.”   The paper suggests that the new deal will also benefit China, as they will be able to restart the project, and enjoy increased electricity at “below wholesale prices,” as well as have “enhanced pipeline safety” for their controversial Shwe gas pipeline.   The paper, funded by the Norwegian government, suggests adding another multi-national or bi-lateral aid agency as a minor partner in the Myitsone project. Norway has publicly stated its interest in hydropower investment in Burma.     The full paper “Powering the Peace Process” can be viewed on http://www.ash.harvard.edu/ash/Home/Programs/Institute-for-Asia/Publications/Journal-Articles-Occasional-Papers Contact Ah Nan - +66 84 8854 154 kdngchn@gmail.com, www.kdng.org To download                   :        : The full paper “Powering the Peace Process” , English ၊ Burmese To download statement :       : English ၊ Burmese

Religious persecution, rape still evident in Kachin State

by/ Mizzima News

A UNHCR-supported camp in northern Myanmar for people displaced by conflict in Kachin state. Photo: UNHCR/A. Kirchhof

Sixty-six Christian churches have been burnt down in Kachin state since the conflict erupted in June 2011, according to the Kachin Women’s Association of Thailand (KWAT), a figure that is backed by Myitkyina-based Kachin Baptist Convention.

Speaking at a seminar at Chiang Mai University on Friday, Julia Marip of KWAT said that the burning of churches by Myanmar government forces amounts to religious persecution.

Also on Friday, a group of Roman Catholic bishops in Kachin State called for peace.

According to website CatholicCulture, spokesman Bishop Francis Daw Tang of Myitkyina said, “As a church, we walk with our displaced people, watch their lives being destroyed by war, their families fragmented by the depressing life in the displaced camps.”

He accused government forces were waging “unequal warfare” on Christian holy days.

Kwat’s Marip said there are now 100,000 people displaced by the conflict in Kachin State, 60,000 of whom are sheltered at the Sino-Myanmar border or other areas under Kachin rebel control, and 40,000 in areas under government control.

Marip said her organization had continuing evidence of systematic rape by Myanmar troops against Kachin and other ethnic women. She said KWAT had recorded 30 incidents where 64 women or girls had been sexually assaulted in Kachin State since the conflict began.

“But there could be many more cases that we have not been able to document,” she said, explaining that NGOs were unable to make contact with many rural areas and villages under government control.

“Half of those women raped were killed afterward,” she said.

Myanmar’s rulers are deceiving the world

The Gulf News
ျမန္မာအစိုးရမွ ကမာၻၾကီးကို လွည္႔ဖ်ားေနျခင္း
Myanmar’s rulers are deceiving the world

Token reform measures are a smokecreen to divert attention from the issues of minorities and rights.
Hasty praise, international oversell and overreaction to the so-called efforts by the junta to create an aura of stability in Myanmar, is actually blurring the bigger picture that exists in the country.

It is time the international community took a close-up view of the plight of the minorities and serious human rights abuses that are being committed there.

By opening up the economy, allowing human rights icon Aung San Suu Kyi to contest a by-election, freeing political prisoners and relaxing media censorship laws, the military seems to have shown its reformist face in a bid to win international acceptance and praise. The truth is, however, the opposite.

Nothing has changed in Myanmar as far as ground realities are concerned. The sectarian violence against the Rohingya Muslims in the state of Rakhine is evident of this point. What is being carried out against this minority is ethnic cleansing, which alarmingly is still ongoing.

Tragically, even a national idol like Suu Kyi has not leveraged her domestic and expanding global reputation to restrict the problem. She continues to sit on the fence in a bid to placate the military.

Status quo is not the answer. Democratic reforms do not arrive overnight, but there must be ample proof that wheels have been set in motion.

The current manoeuvrings seem to be a smokescreen by the junta to mislead the world.
ဂိုလ္ရွယ္ေလးမွ ျပန္လည္ေ၀ငွပါသည္

By: Maha Mingyi

A play by ethnic nationalities reflecting current Burma's situation on Kachin Revolution Day in Japan

Army shells KIO positions near Lajayang amid talks

Lachid Kachin's photo.

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Beginning at 1 PM Monday, as representatives of Burma's government met with senior members of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) in the Chinese border city of Ruili, government forces stationed at Lajayang shelled nearby KIO positions, according to witnesses in the area.

During the KIO's 17 year ceasefire with Burma's government the KIO operated a major checkpoint at Laja Yang located less than 6KM from Laiza. Beginning in December Burma's army heavily bombed KIO positions at Laja Yang until the outposts fell.

The fact that the army has continued to shell KIO positions even as peace talks were taking place did little to alleviate Kachin concerns that the government is unwilling to reign in the the army. The talks ended with both sides agreeing to meet again but no major breakthroughs came out of the meeting.

Following the meeting's conclusion Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying was reported in Chinese state-controlled media saying his government was pleased that the two sides were able to sit down together for talks. The talks were formally observed by Chinese government officials, the first such time that they have done so since the fighting began in Kachin state in June 2011.

"China would like congratulate the two parties on the achievements that have been made on significant issues including cease-fire and peace talks, and hopes they will fulfill their commitments and maintain contact," Hua told a press briefing in Beijing.
(KNG)