Author: Eliane Coates, RSIS

Renewed violence between Buddhists and Muslims in Myanmar appears to be spreading regionally, with tensions threatening to spill over to Malaysia and Indonesia. In particular, there are concerns that the violence among Myanmar nationals in Malaysia may radicalise Muslims outside Myanmar, which could lead to a vicious cycle of reprisals and counter-reprisals. Such radicalisation, as noted by ASEAN’s former Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan, ‘would have wider strategic and security implications for the region’.

Approximately 200 people, mostly Muslims, have died in the expanding sectarian fighting between Buddhists and Muslims in Myanmar since June 2012. While the violence was still centred in Rakhine State in 2012, it has now spread throughout the country. In May, the violence flared again in northeast Myanmar after a riot between Muslims and Buddhists in the township of Lashio in Shan State, where ‘Buddhist mobs’ set fire to Muslim homes and engaged in indiscriminate killings. These attacks have been associated with the ‘969 campaign’, which promotes the boycotting of Muslim businesses and the segregation of Buddhists and Muslims in Myanmar.

There are, as we all know, loads of foreign buyers snapping up property in Britain. Most of London, according to the headlines at least, is owned by a super-rich cabal of Russian, Middle Eastern, Chinese etc investors. But you don’t often here about Myanmar.

And yet Knight Frank’s latest Wealth Report suggests that buyers from the nation-formerly-known-as-Burma accounted for just shy of 1% of all £2m+ properties bought in the UK in the 12 months to April 2013. That’s in the same range as buyers from Switzerland and Hong Kong, who get far more column inches.

“The Golden Land” is in the process of shaking off a resolutely shocking human rights record and opening up to the rest of the world. A year after the military Junta was dissolved, and despite visits from President Obama and Tony Blair last year, there are still some tough questions about just how far that human rights record has come, with rumours of ethnic cleansing in the West of the country circulating as recently as April this year. But international economic and military sanctions have been eased or removed over the last couple of years, and now it looks like the UK’s property industry is going in gung ho.

London-based property advisor LondonDom is opening an affiliated office in Yangon in Myanmar, with MD George Shishkovsky heading over there in early July to talk-the-talk face-to-face with potential Burmese clients. The firm has a decent track record in tapping overseas markets, having marketed prime central London properties to buyers in Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan since 2004.

By NYEIN NYEIN / THE IRRAWADDY

Authorities in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, have been rounding up more than 200 Burmese migrant workers on allegations that they are involved in crimes or lack legal permits to stay in the country.

Migrant rights groups complain however, that Thai authorities have started a major crackdown on registered or unregistered Burmese migrants.

Last week, police began setting up checkpoints around Chiang Mai in order to identify migrants and dozens were arrested in subsequent days.

Toom Mawk Harn, a coordinator at the Migrants Assistance Program, said authorities were carrying out a city-wide operation that targeted Shan migrants from Burma. “It has been over a week that we hear about the detention of the migrants, mostly near the Shan communities,” he said.

Foreign ministers of Burma and Bangladesh have met in Brunei to discuss on various bilateral issues. In the sidelines of 20th 0207-aseanRegional Forum Ministerial Meeting, the foreign ministers of both the neighbouring countries sat together on Tuesday for bilateral discussion, said a diplomatic source.

In the bilateral meeting, the Bangladeshi foreign minister Dipu Moni has offered her Burmese counterpart Wunna Maung Lwin to cooperate in various socio-economic activities in Burma including the Bangladesh bordering Burmese province of Arakan (also known as Rakhine).

She also urged the Burmese foreign minister to resume the voluntary repatriation of refugees from Bangladesh.

Wunna Maung Lwin responded positively to her that the Burmese government would actively consider resuming the repatriation process of the already verified refugees.

By Zin Linn

The President Thein Sein government has publicly declared its political and economic reforms including national reconciliation since it took office in March 2011. However, the government failed to handle its armed forces to keep up consistently with the peacemaking efforts.

Currently, Burma Army’s actions are not likely supporting the peace plan strived by its government. If it was a fictional story, the people would consider the president’s reform plans as sham and farce. The consequences of the army’s confusing acts will push the country into an additional disintegration.

Last month, Burma Army opened fire on a Buddhist temple in central Shan State during an attack violating the ceasefire agreement with the Shan State Army-North (SSA-N), the Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF) released a press statement on 2 July. As the government army turned the temple into a military base, dozens of monks had to abandon their sanctuary became internally displaced persons, SHRF said.

As said by the SHRF, on June 23, after sending in reconnaissance planes, over the Light Infantry Battalions 525 and 569 launched an artillery attack on the village of Wan-Warb, 30 kilometers north-west of the SSA-N headquarters at Wan Hai, in Ke See township. As government soldiers used 60 mm and 79 mm field gun, the Buddhist temple and seven houses were smashed, injuring four villagers. Besides, a 90-year-old woman died of fright when shells hit her residence.

Military confrontation between the United Wa State Army (UWSA) and the Burma Army (BA) that began in May has yet to show any signs of let-up and is slowly building up to showdown, according to local and Thai border sources.

“Wa villagers (who had moved down to the Thai Burmese border since 1999) are no longer arrogant toward their Shan and Lahu neighbors as before,” said a respected local. “They are selling their livestock cheap and saying they’ll take refuge on the Thai side of the border once the shooting begins.”

shih-kuo-neng

According to sources, the Burma Army has issued a series of demands to the UWSA’s 171st Military Region that is holding several areas along the border in two townships: Mongton in the west and Monghsat in the east, opposite Maehongson, Chiangmai and Chiangrai provinces:

    No expansion of rubber plantations and founding of new towns without permission
    Not to travel through BA controlled areas bearing arms and wearing UWSA uniforms
    To present a list of the UWSA outposts and bases together with the names of the commanders and strengths.
    To pull out from outposts in 4 locations: Kiulom in Mongjawd; and Namzarm, Hsarm Hsoom and an unidentified location in Monghsat by Sunday, 7 July 2013

Action Targets North Korean Military Sales to Burma

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Treasury designated Lt. General Thein Htay, the head of Burma’s Directorate of Defense Industries (DDI), pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13619, which targets those involved in arms trading between North Korea and Burma.  This action specifically targets Thein Htay, who is involved in the illicit trade of North Korean arms to Burma; it does not target the Government of Burma, which has continued to take positive steps in severing its military ties with North Korea.  In November 2012, the Government of Burma publicly announced its intention to abide by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1874, which prohibits the procurement of military goods and assistance from North Korea.

“Thein Htay has disregarded international requirements to stop purchasing military goods from North Korea, the revenues from which directly support North Korea’s illicit activities,” said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen.  “We will continue our efforts, alongside our international partners, to shut down North Korea’s dangerous and destabilizing weapons proliferation.”