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Judges sacked in corruption probe

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Oct 15, 2009 (DVB), Two senior judges and one legal advisor in Burma's northeastern Shan state have been sacked after government officials accused them of corruption in a drugs trial, a court official said.

State judge Win Myint Oo was summoned to the capital Naypyidaw last month and dismissed. Another judge, Thawtar Min from Shan state's Taunggyi and legal advisor Bo Min Phyu, were also dismissed.

The three men had been involved in a trial in Taunggyi in June this year in which four individuals were charged in relation to a drugs seizure in Rangoon. The court acquitted three of the defendants, and passed a 20-year sentence on the final defendant.

A court official speaking under condition of anonymity said however that the three men escaped conviction because of a 100 million kyat ($US100,000) bribe paid to the judges and the state military commander by the owner of a local mattress shop, Chit Kabar.

The wife of Taunggyi-based military commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Maung Maung Myint, was found dead in August after apparently committing suicide. Her death came shortly after she was questioned by the government's Bureau of Special Investigation (BSI), which is investigating the corruption allegations.

Local residents in Taunggyi said that she was suspected of playing a key role in persuading judges to take the bribe.

The mattress-shop owner, Khin Win, is being charged for her involvement in case and is being interrogated by the BSI, according to the court source, who added that more people were under investigation.

"Police chief Hla Htut and a deputy chief of the [Taunggyi] Special Narcotic Taskforce have been sacked and they are now under detention where they are being interrogated," he said.

The three men previously aquitted by the court have reportedly been rearrested and are to face trial alongside Khin Win.

Reporting by Naw Say Phaw

Opposition party meets with Western envoys

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Oct 15, 2009 (DVB), Around 20 Western diplomats met with Burma's main opposition party yesterday to hear its views on democratic reform in the military-ruled country, a party spokesperson said.

The delegation, which included eight ambassadors from countries including Sweden, France and the United Kingdom, met with National League for Democracy (NLD) party members at their headquarters in Rangoon.

Party spokesperson Khin Maung Swe said that it was the largest foreign delegation to meet with the NLD in nearly a decade, adding that this was a sign that "they have an interest in Burma's democratic transformation".

The meeting reportedly focused on three points, including how the NLD will approach next year's controversial elections, and a follow-up on party leader Aung San Suu Kyi's discussion with foreign diplomats last week on sanctions.

"Lastly, they wanted to know whether it was true that we have been calling for an amendment on the basic construction because we wanted a share of power," Khin Maung Swe said.

Communication between the NLD and foreign envoys has stepped up a notch in recent weeks, with the detained Suu Kyi on 8 October holding a rare meeting with diplomats from Australia, the US and UK.

The meeting followed a letter sent by Suu Kyi to junta leader Than Shwe urging dialogue between the two on the lifting of sanctions.

Khin Maung Swe said that the party was offering "full support" on Suu Kyi's sanctions proposal. As for whether the NLD would enter the elections or not, he said it depended on whether demands set by the party are met.

"We said the decision would only be made after the NLD has called a convention with its township and state-level leaders after the election laws are out," he said.

He added that the party was not calling for an overhaul of the constitution, ratified by an alleged 92 percent of the population in the weeks following cyclone Nargis last May, but for "amendments to democratise constitution".

"We were just concerned with a promise made by the government on the elections [to] take Burmese people to a new democratic society," he said.

Reporting by Htet Aung Kyaw

Monk among 11 activists sentenced

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Staff Reporter
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Oct 15, 2009 (DVB), Prison sentences of up to 10 years have been handed down to 11 activists, including one monk, by a prison court in Burma, family sources say.

Five of those sentenced on Tuesday were already serving lengthy detentions for activity related to the September 2007 protests.

A monk, U Sandimar, of the All Burma Monks Alliance (ABMA), was sentenced to 10 years under the Explosives Law and Unlawful Associations Act. Three others Kyaw Zin Min, Wunna Nwe and Zin Min Shein, were sentenced under the same charges.

The ABMA told DVB today that they so far have no information on the sentencing.

The lawyer for Sandimar, Maung Maung Latt, has said that his client and co-defendants claimed they were tortured during interrogation by authorities.

"They all said they were physically and mentally tortured and denied food and during interrogation by Rangoon division's intelligence unit," he said, adding that he is preparing to submit an appeal for his client at a higher court.

The remaining seven activists, Aung Moe Lwin, Moe Htet Nay, Htun Lin Aung, Zaw Latt, Naing Win and Htun Lin Oo, Saw Maung, the latter a member of the Generation Wave activist group, received five-year sentences for violation of the Unlawful Associations Act.

U Sandimar and Wunna Nwe were both a year into an eight-year sentence for breaching the Immigration Law and Unlawful Association Act.

A source close to the family of Zin Min Shein said that he will now face a total of 23 years in prison, having already been sentenced in October 2008 to 13 years under the Unlawful Association Act.

Htun Lin Aung, who was sentenced in 2008 alongside Zin Min Shein, will now serve a total of 18 years.

Reporting by Khin Hnin Htet and Matthew Cunningham

Bangladesh digging bunkers along Burma border

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Staff Reporter
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Oct 15, 2009 (DVB), Bangladeshi troops are digging bunkers along its border with Burma following further deployment of personnel to the region, according to a source on the border.

Troops have been sent by Dhaka to the border area near to Teknaf, the southernmost point of mainland Bangladesh. Teknaf lies opposite Maungdaw district in Burma's western Arakan state.

Tension along the border has risen in recent weeks as Burma resumes construction of its controversial border fence, with army units being reinforced on both sides.

"Bunkers are being dug with hired workers alongside the Naf river on the Bangladeshi side of the border," said the source.

He added that a senior Burmese military official and the chief of Burma's border security force, Nasaka, traveled to Maungdaw on 12 October to inspect the fence.

On the same day it was reported that Bangladesh's chief of defence also arrived in the Teknaf area to inspect the situation.

The Burmese army has also been constructing and renovating outposts along the border for defensive action, according to sources quoted recently by Narinjara news agency.

Construction of the border fence, aimed at stopping cross-border smuggling, has aggrieved local residents who complain about greater militarization of the region.

Although the project began in February, it was stalled in April following talks between Dhaka and Naypyidaw. Construction resumed at the beginning of October, which marked the start of the dry season.

Bangladesh and Burma are also involved in a fiery dispute over maritime boundaries in the Bay of Bengal, with both countries' navies reportedly lined up against one another in the event of conflict.

A lawyer representing Dhaka in a UN arbitration over the dispute said yesterday that Burmese warships had been "intimidating" two foreign oil companies contracted by Dhaka to explore in the area.

Reporting by Nan Kham Kaew

Burmese warships ‘intimidating’ oil companies

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Staff Reporter
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Oct 14, 2009 (DVB), Burmese warships stationed in the Bay of Bengal are intimidating two oil companies exploring in waters claimed by Bangladesh, a lawyer representing Dhaka has said.

The confrontational behaviour of Burmese ships in the area has "prevented Bangladesh from exploiting potentially huge deposits of oil and natural gas located off its coast", said Paul Reichler, in a statement released by US-based law firm Foley Hoag.

Foley Hoag is representing Bangladesh in a United Nations arbitration over a maritime dispute between Burma and Bangladesh.

The Dhaka-based Daily Star reported on Monday that Burma had sent 12 warships and a frigate to the area, while Bangladesh was "preparing 30 warships in Chittagong and Khulna".

The two companies, US-based ConocoPhillips and UK-based Tullow Oil, hold exploration licenses from Bangladesh.

A staff member at Tullow Oil who spoke to DVB today refused to comment on the situation.

According to Foley Hoag, Bangladesh accuses Burma of granting concessions to oil companies that "have engaged in drilling and other exploratory activities in disputed areas without prior notice to or consent by Bangladesh".

Reichler said however that Burma's claims to maritime territory near to the lucrative oil and gas blocks were "exaggerated".

A Bangladeshi government official, Mohamed Mijarul Quayes, was quoted in the statement as saying that the UN arbitration "will allow us to once and for all settle this dispute with our neighbours, to ensure that our sovereign rights to the natural resources in the sea are fully respected."

"It is in keeping with our obligations under the Charter of the United Nations to seek a solution to disputes by peaceful means," she added.

The maritime dispute has further strained relations between Naypyidaw and Dhaka following rising tension over the construction of Burma's controversial fence along its border with Bangladesh.

The border fence has reportedly aggrieved local residents who claim that the project has caused greater militarization of the region.

Bangladesh's foreign minister, Dipu Moni, on Monday played down reports that Burmese troops were amassing on the border, and said it was "routine practice, not a build up".

It followed comments from Colonel Azam from the Bangladeshi Rifles (BDR), a border paramilitary force, that a "massive build-up" and "abnormal movement" of troops and armour was occurring on the Burmese side.

The BDR had last week sent three troop battalions to the border following the resumption in construction of Burma's controversial border fence.

Reporting by Joseph Allchin

DKBA moves towards border guard change

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Staff Reporter
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Oct 14, 2009 (DVB), The pro-junta Democratic Karen Buddhist Army is to present the Burmese government with a list of battalions that will be transformed into border guard forces, officials from the group said.

The list is due to be sent tomorrow to the government's military affairs security chief, Lieutenant General Ye Myint.

The ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) has been urging ceasefire groups in Burma to transform into border guard forces prior to the 2010 elections, although many have so far refused.

A Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) official said that those appointed to the border guard group would be given military and administration training in December in Moulmein, the capital of Burma's eastern Mon state.

"There would be 360 personnel, including 30 Burmese army members, in each new battalion," said the DKBA official. "We don't know how many battalions would be formed."

He said that DKBA leaders are now holding a five-day conference, due to end tomorrow, in Karen state.

The government has reportedly told the DKBA that new border guard forces would be under the direct control of the commander-in-chief of the country's Defence Services.

The highest position in the group would be major's rank, while the age range for personnel in each battalion will be 18 to 50 years old.

Another DKBA official said Ye Myint came to the DKBA headquarters at the end of September and told the group to dismantle its Tactical Operation Command unit.

An official at the DKBA's 999th Battalion said some members within the group were disappointed with the age and rank limits for the border militia group.

A number of battalions accommodate people who are over 50 years old, many of whom rank above major, who would face demotion once the transformation has taken place.

Resistance to the government's border guard plan has come from the majority of Burma's ceasefire groups, who claim that the move would erode their autonomy and significantly weaken their clout.

The government is attempting to bring more armed groups back into the "legal fold", and thus permit them to create political parties, prior elections next. Ostensibly the move would bring more support for the government.

Reporting by Naw Noreen

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