Myanmar sets April date for by-elections

Myanmar's parliament is dominated by the military, through reserved seats and pro-military parties

Government says voting to be held on April 1, with Aung San Suu Kyi's party set to run for first time in 20 years.
Myanmar has set April 1 as the date for parliamentary by-elections, which will see pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party return to mainstream politics for the first time in two decades.
Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) has said that it will run for each of the 48 seats being contested in the by-election.
The government announced the date for elections late on Friday.
The NLD boycotted last year's general elections because of what it termed restrictive rules, including one that disallowed Suu Kyi from being a candidate. The government has since then removed many of those proscriptions.
Most of the seats to be contested in the April poll were vacated by members of parliament who became cabinet ministers after the first parliamentary session in January.
The military is guaranteed 110 seats in the 440-seat lower house, and 56 seats in the 224-seat upper house. The pro-military party occupies 80 per cent of the remaining 498 seats in both houses.
Forty of the seats to be contested on April 1 are in the lower house, six in the upper house and two in the regional assemblies.
'Road to democracy'
According to the official announcement on Friday, political parties that wish to contest the by-elections must submit their candidate lists by January 31.
Nyan Win, an official with the NLD, said that Suu Kyi is expected to run for the lower house in the Kawhmu constituency, about 30km south of Myanmar's commercial hub Yangon, where she lives.
The NLD re-registered as a political party on December 23, after having been stripped of official status following the boycott of the 2010 polls.
The by-elections will be a test of the national popularity of the NLD, and Suu Kyi has cautioned that "the road ahead is full of difficulties and the road to democracy is endless".
The NLD won an overwhelming majority in the 1990 elections, but the results were ignored by the country's military government.
Last year's elections were the first to take place since 1990.

Forced labor still uses in Maungdaw

Maungdaw, Arakan State: Burma’s border security force, Nasaka, has been pressing villagers from Maungdaw north into forced labor since December 20, 2011, a village elder whose son was sent once to the Nasaka camp to build latrines said.

“The villagers are forced to work in the Kwanthipin Nasaka camp of Maungdaw Township, doing road building near the camp, constructing new buildings and renovating barracks in the camp, as well as constructing latrines, cleaning up the camp compound and renovating fences in the compound,” he said.

Ten residents from each village have to go to the Nasaka camp every day to work, while providing their own food. The villagers have to be there by 8:00 am and are released after 5:00 pm.

The villagers from Kwanthipin Village Tract and Kurkhali (Lakeya) Village are forced to work in the Nasaka camp at Maungdaw north without any help from the Nasaka.

Villagers are also forced to report for sentry duty. Previously, four villagers had to go to each sentry post. However, eight villagers have to go to each of the three to four sentry posts in each village per night now. The sentries are not able to work the next day because they could not sleep, according to a local trader who asked not to be named.

The Rohingya community is being forced to work without compensation for government troops despite claims by local people and members of the international community that there has been movement toward democratic change in Burma since the new government came into power.

In reality, there has been no positive change for the Rohingya community according to a businessman from Maungdaw. However, they hope something will change in future, he said.

No Rohingya : Township Administrator officer

Maungdaw, Arakan State: Maungdaw Township Administration officer told the village administration officers not to use the word “Rohingya” as their reports and official corresponding to other government offices, said a village administration officer.

U Kyi San, The Township administration officer had ordered not to use the word “Rohingy” to the village administration officers who attend the monthly meeting at Township administration office on January 1, 2012.”  

The township officer told in the meeting that the word “Rohingy” was not accepted by the official and will not use it while they are corresponding with government office and the officer had no rights to Rohingya in the office, said an officer from Maungdaw Township administration office. 

The word “Rohingya” is using in the Rohingya community inside Arakan and exile as per Ancient Arakan historical prospect and the international and national media (exile) also using the word “Rohingya” in their reports. It is first time, the high officer from Maungdaw is giving direction not to use word “Rohingya” in the northern Arakan, said a politician from Maungdaw.
“The most extensive exodus was due to the harshness of Dragon King Operation in 1978. Nearly 300.000 fled to Bangladesh. First Burma denied them to be Burmese citizens or residents. Later signed the agreement on 7th July 1978 to receive the refugees back, as they were residents of Burma and finally repatriated all under a bilateral agreement between Bangladesh and Burma.”
“Historically Arakan has many names. Most of the names are nearer in pronunciation. Different people who had contacts with Arakan pronounced its name in their own languages, which sound a bit different from each other. Rakhasa, Rakhasha, Rakhapura were the names called by Indians.  Arkhaung, Rakhanj, Rakham, Recon, Rachami and Rakhang were mostly used by Armenians, Moors, Arabs and Persians Recon, Rakan, Rachan, Rakao, Arkao and finally Arakan were the names found in the records of Dutch, Portuguese, French, Italian and English peoples.Rakan, Rakham, Rohang and Roshang were found in medieval Bengali, Tripura and Indian literatures. People in Arakan (mostly the Muslims, Hindus and Bruwas) called their country Rowang or Rohang or Roshang. From Rohang, its people are Rohingyas.”
In traditional Bengali literature, Arakan amply and wider has been described as “Rohang”. Thus from Rohang its people is Rohingya, according to Dr. Kunango, History Chittagong, vol: 1, 1978 and Etymology of Arakan by one researcher in Rakhine, “Thahara” magazine, 2002.

U Nu, the Union Prime Minister, on the radio speech relayed from BBS (Burma Broadcasting Service) on 25th September 1954 at 8:00 PM explained that the people living in Maungdaw and Buthidaung regions are our national brethren.They are called Rohingyas according to U Nu's radio speech .5th Sep.1954. P-3.

Both Prime Minister U Nu and then Defense Minister U Ba Swe in November 03, 04 1959 made public speeches to the mass public gatherings in Maungdaw and Buthidaung. There, they assured the public that the government was clean and clear in regard of Rohingya's Burmese citizenship. They told Rohingyas were at the same par in the status of nationality with Kachin, Kayah, Karen, Mon, Rakhine and Shan.
"The people in this district (May Yu) now northern Arakan are Ruhingya. On the other side of the border, there are Muslims too. They are Pakistanis (Now Bangli). Muslims in Arakan side are Rohingyas. Some other ethnic people live on the both sides of the border, not only in this border, but also in our borders with India, China and Thailand. So, frankly speaking people living in this May Yu region are our national brothers, and one of our national minorities. So, we had any wrongs in the past, forget them. From today, you all are our Union citizens. Feel yourself as our family members, not strangers,” according to Brigadier Aung Gyi, Deputy Chief of Staff, had given the speeches on Mujahids surrendered ceremonies on 8/7/61 and 15/11/61 which were published in a booklet, named “Future of May Yu”.

Nasaka arrests fire victim, extorts Kyat 500,000 in Maungdaw

Maungdaw, Arakan State: Burma’s border security force (Nasaka) arrested a fire victim from Maungdaw Township on December 29, and was released today after taking Kyat 500,000, said a close relative of the victim preferring not to be named. 

“The victim was identified as Abu Sayed (25), son of Jamal, hailed from Naribill west village of Nasaka area No. 6 of Maungdaw Township.”

Syed was sleeping in his shop nearby his house after lighting a candle in his shop which caught on fire while he was going to sleep very soundly on December 29 at about 9:15pm.

A villager saw the fire in Syed’s shop while he was going to a house  near  the shop, and made hue and cry, so that nearby villagers rushed to the spot and they can able to  extinguish  the fire and Sayed was rescued by the villagers, said a local elder who denied to be named.

“Syed lost Kyat about Kyat 400, 000 in his shop,” said one of the relative.

Being informed, a group of Nasaka personnel from outpost camp near the village under Nasaka area No.6 came to the spot where observed the situation and arrested Syed and kept detained in their outpost camp.

“Syed lost his shop and his property, concerned authority fined 500,000 kyat  more than which he lost in his shop,” said a friend of the victim.

In other countries, fire victims are supported by local people and the government. But, in Burma, fire victims are arrested and fined for careless of fire, said a local schoolteacher.

Collecting family list, group photos in Maungdaw

Maungdaw, Arakan State: Since January 2, the Immigration of Maungdaw has been collecting family lists and group photos from villagers of Nasaka area No.6 and 5 of Maungdaw Township, said a local trader elder who did not wish to be identified.

Every year, at the beginning of January, the Burma’s border security force (Nasaka) and Immigration separately collect family lists and group photos of Rohingya villagers in north Arakan.

At present, the immigrations are collecting money from Kyauk Hla Gaar village of Nasaka area No.6 and Nga Kura Village of Nasaka area No.5 for family list and taking photographs.  The rest villages will be carried out soon. 

The immigration personnel have been collecting Kyat 6,000 for reducing off dead body from the family list, Kyat 8,000 to enlist new born child to the family list, and Kyat 1,500 to 2,000 per family for group photo, said a local elder who give money for dead body to remove from family list. 

Besides, they also collect Kyat 8,000 -10,000 per one who wants to transfer from one family list to another because of marriage. So, villagers are forced to pay huge money to the immigration while the villagers have been facing acute poverty on account of jobless and movement restriction.

Nasaka is composed of army, Sarapa (Military Intelligence) police, custom and immigration to oversee all the activities of Rohingya community including--- social, political, religious, economical, educational activities etc.  

A local trader not identifying his name said, “Since 1992, the Nasaka strictly rules the northern Arakan dividing into nine Nasaka areas to depopulate and cripple the whole economy of Rohingya people in Arakan State. This is one of the parts of their policy; otherwise, it is not needed to list and check of the Rohingya community every year excluding the other community.”

A local youth preferring not to be named said, “The present ruling regime, so called Democratic government does not decrease their brutal activities against the Rohingya community.”

According to army’s secret report, there are 0.42% Burmese (Bama), 14.26% Rakhine, and 85.31% Bengali in Buthidaung Township, and 0.1% Burmese (Bama), 6.2% Rakhine and 93.71% Bengali are living in Maungdaw Township. So far, the army calls Rohingya people as Bengali

200 kyat for a family list photocopy

Maungdaw, Arakan State: A village administration office staff forced villagers to pay 200 kyat for a photocopy of family list, according to a village administration office member from Maungdaw.

“One photocopy cost only 30 kyats in Maungdaw, but collecting 200 kyats for one. Shwezarr is only one mile far awayfrom main Town”

“Ms.Nay Myo Than, the clerk , Shwe Zarr village tract  is collecting  money from villagers since the Burma border security force (Nasaka) and Immigration separately collect family lists and group photos of Rohingya villagers from Shwezarr village tract.”

She was taking all the family list after  Nasaka and Immigration checked and took the photograph and  told the villagers that she need the population list of village, said a school teacher from Shwezarr.

“If need to collect the population list, can able to work in the place where the other authority were doing. But, she refused to worked and said need 200 kyats for photocopy.”

“We offered to work with her to help the list which she need and told her it need the villagers in the night for Nasaka checking or authority check anytime,” said a group of student from the village.

“She doesn’t want the list, but need money from Rohingya community.”

The Nasaka and immigration checking the family list and photographing is same but collecting money are not same even one Nasaka area. It is only making to extort money and checking how many the authority reduced Rohingya population from northern Arakan, said a politician from Maungdaw.

“In Rohingya traditional, bride will be transfer to her husband family resident, which the authority had already given the marriage permission; it means that the authority had permitted to marry and able to stay in her husband’s house. Why the couple had to pay money to authority to transfer the wife or husband to stay freely in a place for their future life?”

“It is just made a cause to extort the money from this oppress community “Rohingya” only not for other ethnic group.”