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(New York, November 30, 2006) – Thousands of Burmese civilians forced to flee from army attacks in Karen state are trekking through free-fire zones in search of safety and food aid, Human Rights Watch said today. More than 200 civilians have reached camps near the Thai border, but another 3,000 are still on the move, according to credible recent reports received by Human Rights Watch.

In Karen state, a year-long military offensive against Karen resistance fighters has displaced 27,000 civilians, with at least 45 civilians killed by government forces. Recent attacks have killed seven villagers and forced more than 1,450 to flee in Mon Township of Nyaunglebin District in eastern Burma. Across the country, more than 82,000 have been forced to flee conflict.

“The Burmese military attacks villages, uses civilians for forced labor and steals their food and money, forcing people to flee,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “But the military campaign also prevents villagers from eking out even the meanest existence. The military acts like an occupying army, using the population as expendable pawns.”

Human Rights Watch has received recent reports that more than 200 civilians have arrived at settlements for the internally displaced close to the Thai border, such as Ei Tu Hta. Most had walked for 17 days through free-fire zones to reach safety and receive food aid. Some 3,000 civilians are reportedly moving toward the border settlement in dangerous conditions, because food shortages resulting from Burmese army operations forced them to flee.

Human Rights Watch has documented patterns of displacement in Karen state and interviewed many people who have fled from Burmese army oppression and violence. There is clear, reliable evidence that civilians are being punished as a military strategy. Since the start of 2006 alone, 232 villages have been destroyed in Burma as part of the army’s campaign against ethnic insurgents, and 82,000 people have been forced to flee as a direct result of armed conflict.

Human Rights Watch called on the Burmese Army to end its attacks on Karen villagers and to stop the other abuses prompting a new wave of internally displaced people.

In September 2006, the Burmese army introduced new light infantry divisions into northern Karen state, apparently preparing to prevent civilians from harvesting their crops. Human Rights Watch warned of grave concern for the food security of the local population if the army attempts to disrupt the harvest in order to take over food stocks for its troops. The army has previously taken measures to disrupt the harvest, including laying thousands of landmines around houses and fields to deter civilians from approaching their villages and crops.

“The Burmese army is driving thousands toward the border with Thailand and herding villagers into squalid relocation sites or into the jungle away from their ruined homes and dying crops,” said Adams. “It’s no wonder that thousands of Burmese have to flee from their own army.”

Since 1996, it is estimated that 3,077 villages have been destroyed by the army and more than 1 million people displaced. More than 500,000 civilians are living as internally displaced people along the eastern Burma border with Thailand, but this figure likely underestimates the true numbers, since some areas are too dangerous to survey.

The findings of the annual internally displaced persons (IDP) survey by the Bangkok-based Thailand Burma Border Consortium (TBBC), a humanitarian group, released last month, concluded that militarization and Burmese army human rights violations are the major factors behind internal displacement in Burma. There are three main types of internally displaced populations in eastern Burma. The most desperate are an estimated 95,000 people hiding out in conflict zones, with limited access to food, health and education. Around 287,000 civilians are said to be sheltering in dozens of locations in areas where the army and ethnic insurgents have called ceasefires. The third group, people forcibly removed from villages destroyed by government forces, are living in government-controlled relocation camps. The 118,000 people estimated to be living in these camps are often used as an easy pool of labor and food supplies by Burmese army soldiers.

The 2006 TBBC estimate of how many people are considered to be internally displaced is slightly lower than last year; this may be due to the difficulty of accurately assessing numbers when many people are hiding out in rugged terrain or gravitating toward urban centers in search of food and work. Many people continue to live in desperate circumstances with little international assistance.

The agony of internal displacement is exacerbated by the dire health situation in eastern Burma. Recent surveys show that health indicators among the displaced population are some of the worst in the world, with 12 percent of the population suffering at any time from the most serious form of malaria, widespread malnutrition, high risk of injury from landmines and armed conflict, and high rates of infant mortality. These highly vulnerable populations receive little if any international assistance.

Human Rights Watch said the army attacks continued even as Ibrahim Gambari, the UN undersecretary-general for political affairs, visited Burma this month for talks with senior leaders. The United States is seeking a Security Council resolution calling on Burma to end attacks on civilians and to stop causing displacement, among other things.

“Even with Burma on the UN agenda the army continues to attack its own people,” Adams said. “But civilians shouldn’t be paying the price for the military’s war against insurgents.”

Democratic Voice of Burma
www.dvb.no

Nov 20, 2006 — The Karen Human Rights Group and the Karen National Union are warning of increased Burmese military attacks against Karen civilians during the dry season as troops amass in Toungoo district.

In November 2005, the Burmese military launched their largest offensive against the Karen resistance since 1997, resulting in the forced displacement of more than 20,000 civilians from Toungoo, Nyaunglebin, and Mutraw Districts.

A report released by the KHRG on Friday, titled 'One year on: Continuing abuses in Toungoo District', says that attacks against the Karen are likely to increase with the end of the rainy season.

". . . The [State Peace and Development Council] has moved thousands more soldiers into Toungoo District to assist the soldiers already present . . .," the report says.

"Many new army camps have been built and the soldiers have continually ordered villagers to re-supply these and existing camps with food and munitions. The combination of these factors suggests that the SPDC is preparing to launch renewed attacks on the villages of Toungoo District as soon as the weather permits them to do so."

The ongoing attacks in Karen State have sparked increased condemnation of the military regime with stories of village burnings, beatings, rape, torture and forced relocation sweeping the international media.

The Free Burma rangers—a grassroots humanitarian group operating in Karen State—released fresh reports from Toungoo District on the weekend, detailing the deaths of more than 50 civilians at the hands of the military in the past few months.

According to the reports, a 47-year-old Karen father of six was burned alive in his home by Burmese troops in Toungoo District on November 1.

"Burma Army troops are murdering villagers and porters, burning down houses and farms, looting and destroying property, and using forced labor," the FBR report says.

General Secretary of the KNU Padoh Manh Shar told DVB today the group's armed wing, the Karen National Liberation Army was involved in daily skirmishes with Burmese troops in northern Nyaunglebin District.

"There are three of four bursts of fighting now everyday around our northern base . . . The fighting is increasing with the coming dry season," Padoh Manh Shar said, despite a gentlemen's ceasefire agreement between the KNU and the SPDC.

Touted as the world's longest running insurgency, the KNU has fought the Burmese military since 1949. Since then, dry season attacks against the Karen have been frequent but this year the military continued assaults against villages throughout the monsoon.

"The very fact that SPDC Army columns have continued to mount patrols under these conditions can not be dismissed nor taken lightly," the KHRG report said.

The group says the number of Burmese military battalions operating in Toungoo District has increased in the past few months, resulting in the construction of a number of new army camps.

Both the KHRG and the FBR say the increased military presence in the area means increases in forced labour, relocations and portering. The groups also say the military has laid thousands of landmines in the area.

"One year on, and the situation has far from improved; if anything, the opposite has occurred. The conditions facing villagers living in SPDC-controlled villages as well as those confronted by the internally displaced have deteriorated and are expected to decline even further before the year is out," the KHRG report warns.

"Attacks on civilian villages and all associated human rights violations perpetrated by SPDC Army soldiers must therefore be entirely stopped. Without an immediate cessation of such abuses, many more villagers will continue to suffer at the hands of the SPDC."

By News Desk
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Wednesday, November 15. 2006

Saying violence has no place in a democracy, foreign chambers of commerce and multinational companies made an unprecedented call on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s administration to put an end to political killings or risk losing aid and investments.

The statement was issued by the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce (JFC) in the Philippines, comprising business groups from the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Europe, Japan and Korea, and the Philippine Association of Multinational Companies Regional Headquarters.

A similar plea was made in a letter sent to Arroyo on Thursday that was signed by local officials of the US-based apparel companies Gap, Polo Ralph Lauren, Wal-Mart, Liz Claiborne, American Eagle Outfitters, Jones Apparel Group and Phillips Van Heusen.

The business groups’ appeals came amid unabated attacks on media people and leftist and religious groups, Ms Arroyo’s vow to end before her term expires in four years the 37-year-old insurgency waged by the Communist Party of the Philippines, and a legal offensive against leftist members of Congress facing rebellion charges.

In the latest incident, two motorcycle-riding gunmen shot and killed Joey Javier, 42, a director of a farmer’s cooperative, in Baggao town, Cagayan province, on Saturday. He was the 71st victim of political killing this year. Its tally last year was 79.

The human rights group Karapatan lists 765 victims of political violence since Arroyo assumed the presidency in 2001. The Inquirer puts the figure at 256.

“Such violence has no place in a modern democratic state,” said a joint statement issued by the six foreign chambers of commerce and the group of multinational companies with regional headquarters in the Philippines.

“For the sake of justice and to deter continued killings, these murders should be investigated thoroughly and those found responsible punished under the law,” the chambers said.

Serious blemish

They welcomed Arroyo’s establishment of the Melo Commission to investigate the killings, but urged the probe body “to hasten the investigation and … to bring an end to a serious blemish on the country’s national image, which could impact negatively on future foreign investment and foreign economic assistance.”

The JFC has said an estimated $8.5 billion in foreign direct investment could flow into the Philippine economy over the next four years, generating employment for 2.9 million Filipinos, if the country’s investment climate, labor quality and infrastructure improve.

“The policy of government is clear -- we don’t condone these killings,” Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said, adding that the President’s instruction was for investigators “not to leave any stone unturned.”

“We appeal to the members of families of the victims and other responsible members of communities to help authorities look into these cases,” said Bunye.

He said that during a trip to Europe in September, Arroyo met with representatives of Amnesty International and sought the assistance of the European Community in the investigation of the killings.

Public distrust on probe

“Some representatives will be coming over precisely to look into the investigation. That is how focused the President is as far as this case is concerned,” Bunye said.

Arroyo herself has condemned the killings and vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice, but human rights groups say the government is not doing enough.

Leftist and human rights groups have been boycotting hearings of the commission headed by retired Supreme Court Justice Jose Melo, 74, questioning its independence and preventing the panel from proceeding with its fact-finding mission. Only three generals and a resource person have appeared before the commission since it was convened in late August.

A Human Rights Watch report in September found deep public distrust of the government’s investigative effort, widespread fear among witnesses and victims’ families, and a climate of fear in areas where the killings occurred.

Police Deputy Director Avelino Razon said over the weekend that authorities had narrowed down the number of suspected politically motivated killings to 136 since 2001 and solved 62 cases.

Razon didn’t say how many suspects had been arrested and expressed doubt over the higher figure cited by Karapatan.

US apparel makers alarmed

In their letter to Arroyo, the apparel firms expressed alarm over the murder of Bishop Alberto Ramento inside his rectory in Tarlac City in October and the reports of violent attacks against striking workers at the Cavite Economic Zone (CEZ).

They urged the Philippine government to “take proactive measures to ensure the physical safety” of the workers and work for the protection of the rights of workers and labor rights promoters.

The companies, which buy apparel from the Philippines, asked for an impartial investigation into the killing of Ramento, chair of the Board of Directors of the Workers Assistance Center, and the shooting of Gerardo Cristobal, former union president and member of the Solidarity of Cavite Workers (SCW).

On Oct. 23, the striking workers of Philippines-Jeon Garments Inc. and Chong Won Fashion Inc., both Korean-owned garment factories in the CEZ, filed charges with the Commission on Human Rights against officials of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority and the local Cavite police for alleged violent dispersals of their picket line last month.

The workers in the two companies have been on strike since the last week of September due to the refusal of the management to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement (CBA).

Illegal dismissals

Marlene Gonzales, former employee of Chong Won and now president of the SCW, said the workers doubted the “sincerity of the companies’ commitment to the workers’ plight.”

“They (companies) must ensure reinstatement of those workers who were illegally dismissed. They should assure us that Chong Won would negotiate with the union on a CBA and refrain from violently attacking workers in the strike,” said Gonzales.

Chong Won Fashion Inc. supplies products to Wal-Mart in the United States, such as T-shirts, ladies’ blouses, polo shirts, pants, jogging pants, sleepwear and other apparel. Philippines-Jeon produces apparel for such firms as Al Assel and Zico in Saudi Arabia, CNI in the United States and Dream Station in Japan

BBC News

At least 45 civilians have been killed in eastern Sri Lanka after army shells hit a camp for people displaced by the fighting, Tamil Tiger rebels say.

Independent monitors who visited the scene confirm that many people were killed or injured. They say the attack seems to have come from army areas.

Another 125 were wounded in the shelling in the Vakarai region, rebel spokesman S Puleedevan told the BBC.

The army accused rebels of using civilians as human shields in the area.

Ceasefire monitors from the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) say they have counted 23 bodies, and there could be many more.

"It seems a school where some internally-displaced people were residing has been hit in the attack," an SLMM spokesperson said.

"We can confirm lots of people are dead," the spokesperson said. "The numbers are unclear, but initial reports show 50 to 60 people have been killed. The injured could number several hundred."

Tamil Tiger rebels say the number of deaths could be as high as 100.

Military spokesman Brig Samarasinghe said there had been "heavy artillery" exchanges in the Batticaloa area.

'Massive incident'

The government agent for Batticaloa, S Puniyamoorthy, said more than 1,000 refugees were living in the camp - a school building in the town of Kathiraveli near Vakarai.

According to reports, bombs fell in the area for about an hour around midday.

A doctor at a local hospital, Muthulingam Atchuthan, said he had been told about a "massive incident" and that he had dispatched 10 ambulances and a bus to recover casualties.

The Red Cross said their aid workers have seen 18 corpses, Reuters news agency reports. They said 50 wounded had been taken to a hospital in Vakarai.

Brig Samarasinghe said the two sides had been exchanging artillery fire in the area for the past few days.

"This morning, the rebels intensified their attack. Five of our soldiers were wounded. We also retaliated," he said.

Sri Lanka's defence ministry later suggested that there may have been civilian casualties when troops retaliated after rebel shelling.

"The Tigers had been planning this situation since the beginning of this month by detaining the innocent civilians in those areas by force to be used as a human shield when the time arises," a statement said.

Violence

The government and the SLMM, a group of European observers overseeing a 2002 ceasefire which now exists only in name, say more than 3,000 civilians have been killed in violence since the beginning of this year.

The Tigers and the Sri Lankan military have clashed several times in the recent days since peace talks collapsed in Geneva in late October.

The Sri Lankan air force has repeatedly shelled Tiger areas since the failure of the talks.

Democratic Voice of Burmawww.dvb.no
Nov 05, 2006 (DVB) -
Opinion By Dale Stewart


It's usually satisfying when the situation in Burma reaches the international headlines. But then there is the coverage given to the leaked wedding video of senior general Than Shwe's daughter Thandar Shwe.


First seen on Burmese internet forums a week ago, the video shows Thandar Shwe and her groom major Zaw Phyo Win, deputy director of the Ministry of Commerce, at a lavish ceremony held in July.

Thandar Shwe appears wrapped to the back teeth in jewels and surrounded by the sort of finery that the average Burmese person can only dream of. The ceremony obviously represents a vulgar display of wealth in a country where many people struggle to make ends meet. Frankly, it's disgusting.

But there are several problems with the extensive coverage of the video being leaked in and outside Burma. The first flaw is simple. The only Burma story thought newsworthy enough to run this week is about a wedding that happened four months ago?

I think the internally displaced Karen civilians might have something to say about that, along with the political prisoners, the oppressed opposition and the activists working toward a Security Council resolution.

Searching for serious Burma-related news through Google in the past few days has proved a frustrating and fruitless exercise. Every second headline reads something like, "Lavish wedding video sparks outcry in Burma".

This headline screams the second problem with the coverage. Outcry? Says who?

I'll wager the miniscule amount of people inside Burma able to afford internet access who have taken the time needed to download to full video are pretty disgruntled. So too may be the small number of people willing to waste their VCD allowance on something that contains footage of Than Shwe's family.

But, 'outcry in Burma'? It just doesn't wash. The vast majority of Burmese people have probably not seen the video and are unlikely to. It's hard to imagine how this 'outrage' and 'furor' is going to spread in a country where most people don't have either a computer or a television, or even electricity.

Most of the stories run in the international press have interviewed between two and three Burmese people, many of whom are living in exile. Their feelings of repulsion at the video, while justified, hardly constitute widespread outrage among the masses.

It's a shame to sensationalise news on Burma. The situation in the country really is bad enough without it needing to be falsely presented in beaten up stories that contribute nothing to outsiders' understanding of Burma's problems.

The video of Thandar Shwe's opulent marital ceremony may well be disgusting to people who watch it. But let's have some perspective.

Wedding of the year? More like sensationalist story of the century.

By Carlos Conde
International Herald Tribune
Monday, November 6. 2006

Arroyo indictment doesn't stop killings

MANILA: The killing of political activists and rights advocates continues here as a gunman murdered the leader of a human-rights group in front of a church in a central Philippines province Sunday morning.The murder of Rodrigo Catayong, who was also a professor at a state university, came just a few days after another shooting, of the leader of a peasant group, in a northern province. The victim, Emerlito Dizon of the Peasant Movement of the Philippines, is in critical condition.

These attacks came on the heels of efforts by human-rights and leftist groups to bring to international attention the series of summary executions in the Philippines. Last week, they successfully convinced the Permanent Peoples' Tribunal in The Hague to try President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for the killings of activists.

The tribunal has tried world leaders in the past, among them Ferdinand Marcos, the late Philippine dictator, for human-rights abuses. Although its rulings are nonbinding, the Filipino complainants said the tribunal is credible enough to influence the United Nations, which they have been lobbying to look into the human-rights situation here.

In a summary of charges filed to the tribunal, Romeo Capulong, the chief prosecutor for the complainants, said that they were indicting and holding accountable the president and several of her key officials "for gross and systematic violations of civil and political rights."

According to Karapatan, a human- rights group, nearly 800 activists have been murdered since Arroyo came to power in 2001. Amnesty International said in a report that it has documented 51 political killings here in the first half of 2006 and that there were 66 such murders during the whole of last year.

Catayong, the secretary general of Karapatan's office in Eastern Samar Province in the central Philippines, was the 27th human-rights worker to have been allegedly killed by state security forces under Arroyo.

Activists have routinely accused the government of being behind these murders, as part of its alleged war of attrition against activists and communists, whom the military considers one and the same.

But the Arroyo administration has consistently denied this charge. Eduardo Ermita, Arroyo's executive secretary, labeled as a publicity stunt the impending trial of Arroyo before the tribunal. "They are always body- punching the government," he told reporters last week.

Arroyo has created a commission to investigate the murders, but it has been hampered by lack of funds, an absence of clear mandate and the unwillingness of activists and the families of victims to testify. It has so far only heard the testimony of military officials.

According to the New Patriotic Alliance, the tribunal decided to hear the case against Arroyo because the Philippines "is a model case where the old dictatorships are now being replaced by low intensity war conducted by governments" and that the Philippines "is a model where a climate of silence reigns in the face of the grave human rights abuses being committed because of a serious lack of awareness and concern by the international community."

The tribunal has scheduled the formal trial proceedings to begin in March next year in The Hague. The Arroyo administration has not yet said if it will defend itself before the tribunal, nor whether it recognizes the proceedings.