Suu Kyi, Thein Sein in Bangkok next week

Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and President Thein Sein will both attend the World Economic Forum on Asia in Bangkok starting Wednesday. It will mark Suu Kyi first trip outside Burma in 24 years.

Aung San Suu Kyi and President Thein Sein after a meeting in Naypyitaw. In the background is a picture of Suu Kyi's father, Aung San, who is widely admired as the father of the country. 

Thein Sein is expected to attend the forum, said a spokesperson for the National League for Democracy. There has been no confirmation by the government that Thein Sein would attend.
The forum is expected to focus on issues affecting the 10-member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), which together form an important strategic and economic region with a combined population of over 600 million people, a nominal GDP exceeding US$ 1.8 trillion, and a growth rate for the region expected to exceed 5 percent in 2012 despite ongoing economic turmoil in the Eurozone and the United States, according to the event’s website.
The Asean Economic Blueprint has established concrete targets to form a single market and production base by 2015.
To achieve this stronger linkages across Southeast Asia are needed to ensure a competitive and connected region, as well as to reinforce ongoing integration efforts.
The region’s connectivity will see a major acceleration in linking the region’s institutional and physical infrastructure, presenting unparalleled opportunities for investment and growth in areas such as the transportation network, energy, mobile health, tourism, financial services and agriculture, said the website.
At the same time, corporate and government decision-makers must ensure that the necessary risk response mechanisms are well developed to manage such issues as natural disasters, widening income inequality and resource scarcity.
As demonstrated by heavy flooding across the region last year, vulnerability to climate change has led to significant disruptions to the region’s production and supply chains and exacerbated socio-economic disparities.
Among the issues expected to be discussed are:

• How can the high economic growth economies of ASEAN help to rebalance both the global and the regional overall economic outlook?
• How will governments and institutions develop the financial policies to manage inflation, capital outflows, commodity price volatility and balanced growth towards greater domestic and regional demand?
• How will the region leverage its demographic dividend and technology base to develop the models to increase growth through innovation, improve talent mobility, entrepreneurship and skill building?

Nasaka collects money from Rohingya villagers in Maungdaw

Maungdaw, Arakan State: Burma border security force (Nasaka) has been collecting money from Rohingya villagers in Maungdaw township since May first week while  crossing  Nasaka check-posts  and bridges with goods, said a business man who denied to be named.

“Every day villagers have to go to Maungdaw municipal market to buy and to sell goods. In the way to  Maungdaw or return with goods, Nasaka - Bridge security personnel- collects money from them at the bridges of --- Shwe Zarr, Labaw Zaar, Hlapoe Khung( Sarfordin Bil), Thu Oo Lah (Kullabil) and Ywet Nyo Taung--- of Maungdaw north. The Nasaka collect Kyat 300 per 50 kg bag of goods of any item and extra Kyat 1,000 per car.”

“As a result, the business men have to increase the price of essentials while selling to the local customers. If a villager wants to cross the said five bridges at once to reach at the market or his/ her home, he/she will pay Kyat 1,500 to the Nasaka only for 50 kg bag of any kind of good. So, the people have to pay extra money for the goods of necessary things.”

Besides, Rohingya villagers of Maungdaw north have to pay money to the Nasaka check-posts while carrying goods such as bamboo, rice, dried fish, stitched nipa leaves and other edible goods from Buthidaung Town to Maungdaw north villagers such as--- Zin Paing Nyar, Taung Bru, Thu Oo lah, Ywet Nyo Taung, Yai Twin Kyub (Yet Myet bil), Kyauk Hlai Khar (Dargua Dil), Hlapoe Khung( Sarfordin Bil), Labaw Zaar, Poung Zaar(Ashika Para), Kyauk Pyin Seik( Nari Bil), Myaw Taung( Salifang), Dah Gyi Zaar (Sauraw Gazibil) and Thayet oat (Mun Gala). All these villages have Nasaka check-posts which collect money from Rohingya villagers while travelling with goods from one place to another, said a village elder from the locality on condition of anonymity.  

“The Nasaka collects Kyat 500 per 50 kg bag, Kyat 500 per 100 bamboos, Kyat 2,000 per 1,000 stitched Nipa leaves, and Kyat 500 per person who has no identity card.”

Similarly, the Nasaka collect money from Rohingya at Bridges and check-post in Maungdaw south.So, the villagers have been suffering from stern arbitrary collecting money from their goods while carrying to market or home for their daily livelihoods, according to a schoolteacher from Aley Thankyaw village of Maungdaw south.

“There is no change and decades of persecutions by the government still exist and the government views Rohingya with suspicion. In northern Arakan, there is no future for us,” said an elder from inside Arakan.

"While the new government has engaged in a series of reforms toward democratization, there has been no real progress for the Rohingya, no change at the policy level and very little on the ground. Forced labor, marriage restrictions, restrictions on movement, and arbitrary arrests and extortion of money continue."

“If the arbitrary collection of money from bridges security and Nasaka check-posts is not stopped immediately, the local people will be more vulnerable in future.”

Nasaka is a combined force consists of army, police, immigration, custom and Sarapa (Military Intelligence), especially for Abakan State. They are free from higher authority’s punishment if they commit any kind of persecution against the Rohingya community.  The Nasaka is rewarded who frequently gives harassments to the Rohingya community.  They are especially trained how to destroy the whole Rohingya community in economically, socially, politically, religiously and educationally to flee from Arakan State, said another  business man from Maungdaw.

Rohingya nominates in 2011 US the Human Rights Defenders Award

Chittagong, Bangladesh: The U.S. Department of State is pleased to announce the winners of the 2011 Human Rights Defenders Award and the nominees all over the world where one Rohingya human rights activists included on May 18, according to Media note of Office of the Spokesperson, the U.S. Department of State.

Zaw Min Htut,  Rohingya Human rights activist living in Japan
“This year’s nominees came from every corner of the world. Common World and the Little Bird Mutual Assistance Hotline in China, as well as the Mutual Support Group and the Center for Legal Action in Human Rights, from Guatemala were nominated organizations, as were an impressive group of individual nominees: Jorge Molano of Colombia, Adilur Rahman Khan from Bangladesh, George Freeman from Sierra Leone, Govinda Prasad Sharma Koirala of Nepal, Swaziland’s Justice Thomas Masuku, Igor Kalyapin from Russia, Zarganar from Burma, and Zaw Min Htut, a Rohingya rights activist living in Japan.”

“The US Department of State has granted its 2011 Human Rights Defenders Award to Ales Byalyatski, the imprisoned chairman of a Belarusian human rights group called Vyasna (Spring) shared the award with Uganda's Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights and Constitutional Law.”

Two Burmese citizens - Zarganar and Zaw Min Htut - were selected in the nominees list. Zarganar was selected as rights activist from Burma and Zaw Min Htut alias Lukman Hakim as Rohingya rights activist from Japan.

“I had left my home country (Burma) in 1998 and joined Burmese Rohingya Association in Japan (BRAJ)-working for Democracy and Human Rights- in 1999 and became Secretary General in   2000. In 2001, I was elected as the president of BRAJ. I have been fighting Rohingyas legal status in Japan together with Japanese lawyers and Human Rights NGOs, Academician since 1999,” Zaw Min Htut told Kaladan Press Network (KPN).

“200 Rohingyas are living in Japan; among them more than 150 are with the legally residing. For the rest, we are still fighting from the legal point.”

“I wrote a Rohingya History book-let -"The Unoin of Burma and Ethnic Rohingya" in 2001 to expose the world about the Rohingyas true history and “Human Rights Violation and Discrimination on Rohingyas” wrote based on own experienced and eyewitness to expose the world community how Rohingya people are suffering under the tyrannical government.”

Zaw Min Htut alias Lukman Hakim was born from Rohingya family in 1972, Dodang Village, Maungdaw Township and graduated from Rangoon University in 1995. The State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) detained several weeks for participating in University student uprising against SPDC as a leading Human Rights activist  in 1996 while studying master course in University, said Maung Maung, a closed frind of Zaw Min Htut.

Creates disorder in village to press opposition in Maungdaw

Maungdaw, Arakan State: U Sein Aung, the Village Administration Officer of Oh-Daung village under the Maungdaw south by using devious means against his anti-group, extorting money and makes Rohingya villagers in terrified position recently, said one of the villagers who was released after paying money. 

“On May 1, said village administrator U Sein Aung killed a villager of Oh-Daung named Sayedur Rahman (37), son of Moktar Ahmed through his pro-local villagers namely Karim Mullah, Rashidullah, Hashim Ullah, Hashim and Abdu Shukur. They all belong to Oh-Daung village and the supporters of U Sein Aung.  There are two groups in the village, one group supports to U Sein Maung, the present village administration officer and the second group supports to ex-village chairman.  Therefore, each group tries to press other group whenever they get chance.”

Sayedur Rahman was U Sein Aung’s close agent and was also killed by U Seing Maung’s supporters to bottle up the opposition group led by ex-village chairman,  said a local elder from the village preferring not to be named. 

“After killing Sayedur Rahman, U Sein Aung accused nearly 20 innocent villagers in the murder case and arrested 7 villagers by police of Maungdaw Town. However, they were released after paying Kyat 500,000 to one million per each. Those who are not able to pay the money have been going into hiding after the incident. Even, their family members are not sleeping in their homes as every night; police from Maungdaw went to the village and try to arrest them.”

Sayedur Rahman was abducted from his house, at about 2:00 pm, and was brought to nearby a hill where he was killed by slitting. He has left his 4 children and his wife, said a close relative of the victim. 

U Sein Aung, the village admin officer is a Natala villager, originally from Sittwe who was settled Oh-daung north village. The Natala village has about 150 households.

This policy pushes Rohingya villagers into poverty line because they have to pay money to the concerned authority after selling their possessions such as --- gold ornaments or land to others with throwing price. Some villagers have to flee or hiding to avoid arrest and torture of concerned authorities, said a schoolteacher from the locality.

U Sein Aung makes this village into damage, destabilized the Rpohingya villagers, extorted money, and will compel the villagers to flee the village. This is the latest policy against the Rohingya community using by the concerned author, said a local youth.

Last two months ago, in Buthidaung Township, such kind of chaos made by army in two villages. Army from Ngakin Tauk battalion committed robbery in Zedon and Ngaran chaung villages, but some innocent villagers were accused in the robbery and arrested till now, 10 villagers are in Buthidaung jail.  It was clear that the robbery were committed by army, said an elder.