Massage shop owner murdered on Thai-Burma border

July 13th, 2010

Although Thailand-Burma border is close, massage and brothel businesses in Three Pagoda Pass town is in operation

IMNA : A massage and restaurant owner who ran his business along the Thai-Burma border was killed near Boe Pow Yeik Tha last night, according to the witness.

He owner of the massage and restaurant facility, Saw Than Aung, 38, was a member of the Karen ceasefire group the Karen Peace Council (KPC). IMNA has learned, that in addition Saw Than Aung had previously been a member of the Karen Peace Force (KPF).

Both the KPC and KPF are pro government Karen ceasefire groups that split from the Karen National Union’s (KNU) armed wing in 2007 and 1997 respectively. The KPF and KPC are not militarily engaged with each other.

According to a witness, people found the body near an older persons retirement home in quarter No. 4, Three Pagoda Pass (TPP) Township. The mouth and neck were bound with copper wire rope, the face and head had been hacked at by a knife and the body then put in a hammock.

Saw Than Aung has been missing since 9 pm last night after left to go back home from his massage shop, but didn’t arrived home by dawn, said a source that had been close to him.

The witness who found the body informed the local Burmese authorities after which it was sent to the mortuary. An investigation by police has not yet been started.

The source close to Saw Than Aung, told IMNA that Saw Than Aung also used to sell amphetamines when he was with the KPF. It is not clear when Saw Than Aung shifted his allegiance from the KPF to the KPC.

His massage shop had been open about 3 years. Only two massage shops with restaurants are open in TPP Town.

Thai drug arrest seizes 10,100 amphetamine pills near Sangkhalaburi, Thailand

July 12th, 2010

IMNA : Thai authorities have made the largest drug bust in Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand this year. The arrest came after a week of heightened security and manning checkpoints for 24 hrs a day.

On July 9th, Thai authorities reported seizing nearly 10,100 amphetamine pills that were being smuggled from Burma to Thailand, and arrested the carrier Friday morning near Sangkhalaburi, Thailand.

A source close to Thai authorities said, “according to [their] investigation he is the only carrier [involved in this bust] and that it is his second time [smuggling drugs over the border]. He is a member of a group that smuggles drugs.” After the arrest the smuggler was sent to a Police station in Kanchanaburi Province for booking.

The accused, Nai Mix, an ethnic Karen, is from Three Pagoda Pass (TPP) Township, Karen State, near the Thai/Burma border and possessed a fake Thai ID card.

The Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) noted in their 2008 report, Protecting their rice pots the frequently with which TPP is used as a portal for drug smuggling as well as other illegal trade.

One Thai official announced, “The defendant said he accepted about 65,000 baht for carrying [pills] at one time”. He was arrested while carrying the amphetamines in his motorbike,.

Nai Mix was arrested on the way to Kanchanaburi Province carrying the amphetamine pills in his motorbike, a Wave 100 (N0- 514), after acting noticeably strange when being routinely stopped at the check point near Lantee Chaung (Lantee river). Thai Immigration police, army, and people’s militia had been manning the checkpoint 24 hours a day.

The current arrest and seizer of pills is the largest of its kind in Sangkhalaburi this year.

The Thai/Burma border is well known to be a broad route thorough which a wide variety of drugs pass into more economically stable Thailand. Earlier this year on May 9th, IMNA reported on the instance in which 10 members of the pro-junta ceasefire group, Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), were arrested with 90,000 amphetamine pills smuggled from the border town of Mae Sot to Bangkok.

Thai authorities have assumed that seized amphetamine was coming from the Three Pagoda Pass (TPP) area and believe the 10,100 pills to be connected with, as they described a, “Karen peace group”.

The arrests come only shortly after the United Nation’s Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) highlighted in their latest world drug report a massive increase in amphetamine production in northern Burma.

Houses in Mudon Town Fumigated

July 9th, 2010

The rain in Mudon. Rain season attached with growth of mosquitoes and health problems – dengue and malaria in Mon State

Jury Chai :For the first time the Health Department is fumigating mosquito ridden houses in Mudon Town, Mon State.

Residents, who want their houses’ fumigated, have to pay and register their addresses with the Mudon Health Department. According to residents, the standard price for fumigation is 100,000 kyat; households that want additional spraying reported paying close to 200,000 kyat.

“I can only afford to have my house sprayed, I can’t pay for the whole quarter,” said a Mudon resident, who had her house fumigated. “I had to pay the Health Department about 100,000 kyat, and they sprayed around my house, but they didn’t spray any of the other houses.” Mudon Town is divided into eight quarters and estimated to have 15,000 households.

According to IMNA field reporters, residents that can afford to have their houses fumigated are doing so because of the growing number of Malaria and Dengue Hemorrhagic fever cases in Mudon town. These diseases are spread by Aedes Aegypti and Aedes Albopictus mosquitoes that tend to feed during the day time. For many Mudon residents however, fumigation is not affordable.

“I can’t spend 100,000 kyat, I don’t want [them] to spray mosquito repellent in my home because I have no money,” said a resident who could not afford to have her house fumigated. “Many houses in Mudon town have paid for the fumigation. Homes that can’t pay, can’t get the mosquito repellent spray.”

The Mudon Health Department started fumigating houses in June, around the same time as the Dengue Hemorrhagic fever outbreak peaked. As mentioned in previous IMNA articles, hospitals in Mon State have been unable to properly address and contain the outbreak.

The Mudon resident added, “Every rainy season someone from the Mudon Health Department checks every house in every quarter [for mosquitoes], but this year they did not come and check.”

In past years, the Health Department staff checked every house in Mon State for mosquito larvas in free standing bodies of water and other residential areas. This year the Health Department substituted checking households with fumigation, however since the fumigation is limited to prepaid individual households, villagers are concerned the mosquito infestation and disease outbreak are unlikely to be contained.

Pro-government ceasefire groups slide by license crackdown

July 8th, 2010

Asah : Although the government announced that they will arrest drivers without legal licenses, and confiscate the vehicles, pro-government ceasefire groups and police continue to trade products from Myawaddy with out restriction.

At the end of June the Burmese State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) announced a campaign to crack down on illegal drivers. However IMNA has found that in the border trade town of Myawaddy the Burmese secret police (SP) and pro government ceasefire groups of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) and the Karen Peace Force (KPF) all continue to operate unlicensed trade trucks.

Most of the normally 500 four wheels trucks, which run the routes from Hpa-an to Myawaddy or Moulmein to Myawaddy, have no licenses. However since the crackdown, a little over 100 hundred trucks now run the route.

One truck owner who is close to a member of the KPF, but has since had to return to Hpa-an due to his lack of a licenses, said “After we heard the news about them arresting the cars which has no licenses in June, just the DKBA, KPF, SP’s trucks run.”

“I had to stop running my truck because I’m afraid [of being] arrested,” added the truck driver from Hpa-an. “That is why I had to sleep two nights in Myawaddy. It is very bad for people who have accesses to truck organizations [unions]. Some of the organization’s trucks have to [make the] run and avoid [the authorities].”

As a result of fewer trucks now making the trips to Myawaddy, truck drivers with licenses are cashing in.

From Hpa-an to Myawaddy truck owners – those with legal licenses as well as SP, DKBA, and KPF drivers – are asking for increased fare prices by 2X, according to one of traveler.

He explained, “[Before] we had to pay 5,000 kyat for the Hpa-an to Myawaddy [route] but now we have to pay 10,000 for one person…It is beneficial for traders in trading goods.”

A trader who trades commodities from Myawaddy to Hpa-an told IMNA, “As they still are arresting and checking, we are afraid to trade goods. Many of merchants have to stop because of the situation. Then we heard that special police from Nay Pyi Daw had arrived in Myawaddy.”

However many traders, rather then face the prospect of arrest and confiscation of truck and goods, instead have opted to sell their products to local shops and dealers in Myawaddy, or store their goods until the security crack down on licenses passes.

Headmen pressured to handpick for USDP membership

July 6th, 2010

Jaloon Htaw : Contrary to election laws laid out by Burma’s 2010 election commission, the new government backed political party is pressuring village headmen in Mon State to gather up to 50 residents from each village to join their party.

Last week members of the military government political party, the Union Solidarity Development Party, (USDP) visited village headman from Mudon Township, requesting that they organize 40 to 50 villagers in each village in Mudon township, Mon State, to join their party.

The 2010 election commission which initially announce laws surrounding the election has required all currently registered parties to have recruited 1,000 members within 90 days of the party’s initial registration. Failure to do so will result in the parties deregistration and abolition.

“How can I organize more villagers like this?” a Mudon Township headman said. “The villagers don’t want to join. No one is interested that party.”

The USDP has already made requests to village headman for securing villager support. According to one resident, in the last week of May the USDP asked the village headman to gather 2 people from with in the community member to join the party’s election committee. Later during the first week of June the USDP asked for just 2 members to join the party.

However, for the USDP, which shares subtle connections to the notorious government run civilian community group the Union Solidarity Development Association, the new membership demands seem to indicate the USDP will ostensibly be required to meet the election commission deadline.

“Every village has USDA members. But the villagers aren’t interested in joining the USDP party,” explained the Mudon resident. “So the headman chooses who is close to the headman in the village and who has power in the village for joining as a member with the USDP.”

According to the villager form Kamarwat village, MudonTownship, the village headman has been told he must organize 50 villagers for the USDP.

A local political observer based in Mudon town, told IMNA that he estimated only 25% of the community would be interested in joining the USDP from Mudon township, impart due to a vigorous campaign by the USDA to win villager support for the government by distributing GSM phones to its members previously this year.

The political observer, who is ethnically Mon, added, “I’m not interested in the USDP, and other [Mon] imitation party’s. Now we only think for the Mon party to get more votes and for [them to] win in the election. So we will join the Mon party.”

USDP efforts to organize spread beyond Mudon Township, according to a resident from Chaungzone Township. He stated that with in his community the village headmen had been told to organize 20 to 50 villagers for the USDP.

A university student from Chaungzone who is close to USDA members explained, “They [USDP] came to the village headmen. And the headmen is still organizing now…[but] the villagers don’t want to join.”

Speaking to IMNA about the USDP tactics, Phyo Min Thein, chairman of the Union Development Party (UDP) commented that the party was apparently using the power of current government’s administration to organize support amongst members of the ethic minority groups.

In contrast, the UDP says it will organize in Mandalay, Sagine, Magwe, Tenasserim and Irrawaddy divisions, but faces restrictions after the recently announced election commission No. 2/2010 law that requires party gatherings to give the election commission 1 weeks notice, and also bans slogans and chanting.

Phyo Min Thein added, “All political groups should organize under the rules of election. The USDP should not [be able to] organize like that. It is not allowed by the election rules.”

Lower water reveals historic pagodas and potential concerns in dam safety

July 5th, 2010

The origonal Three Pagodas are seen at an unknown date prior to their flooding by the Vajiralongkorn reservoir

Akka : Three ancient pagodas rise up from now dry land which, only a few months ago, was submerged below river waters. Sangkhlaburi, along with other lakeside communities popular with tourists, have been experiencing dramatic decreases in its water levels.

Villagers have reported to IMNA that they do not remember ever being able to see the ancient Pagoda.

However due to low water level, researchers and tourists from all over Thailand have been coming to see the historical Pagoda. The amount of interest being generated for this site from researchers and tourists has been further raised due to the Government’s recent initiative to promote Thailand’s pagodas.

The Three Pagodas were made by Mon people over 400 years ago. Many Mon fled to Thailand during this time because the Mon Kingdom was defeated by the Burmese army in1594. The Three Pagodas mark what used to be the border with Burma.Once arriving in Thailand the Mon built several pagodas, such as this one, the pagoda was built as a tribute to peace and ending conflict.

The remains of the Three Pagodas are seen rising up out of the water as the Vajiralongkorn reservoir empties

Despite the pagoda’s historical significance, in 1984 the Thai Government completed the construction of a hydroelectric dam based in Thom Pha Phum to serve Kanchanaburi District. As a result the water flooded the old town of Songkhalaburi and the Three Pagodas.

The Dam, first named the Khao Laem Dam, and later renamed to Vajiralongkorn Dam, powers three 100MW hydroelectric turbines, powering Kanchanaburi province. Additionally, according to EGAT the dam controls seasonal flooding and provides irrigation water for farmers.

The reservoir is fed by three rivers, the Sangkhlaburi, BeKey and Landdi. While water levels typically drop during hot season, Thailand is suffering from a significant drought that has emptied the lake into area irrigation ditches. According to Thai news sources, twenty-seven of the dams in Thailand have experienced nearly fifty percent water evaporation.

However some area residents also suspect the unseasonably low water level is due to the formation of a crack near the Vajalonkorn dam in Tong Pa Pume after a minor earthquake in 2006. The dam, which is situated over a fault line, has been considered a high-risk area for earthquake damage, according to the Thai newspaper The Nation.

Residents in Tong Pa Pume have reported that the dam has been opening all three of its run off gates in the evenings, and traffic towards the dam face is restricted.

Despite the attraction of the previously submerged pagodas, residents have reported some negative impacts including the cleanliness of drinking water and more frequent disruption of electricity. For reservoir side villages, a continued drop in water levels could impact local economy including, tourism, trade, and fishing.

Nai Chit Nge, who has lived in a houseboat on reservoir for over twenty five years, reported to IMNA that “We have been lived here for a long time. The water was at 226 inches at this time last year, while it is at 108 inches now.”

Kawthaung Temporary Passport Office to move to Ranoung

July 2nd, 2010

BY Akka : The Temporary Passport Office for migrant workers in Kwathaung is moving to Ranoung starting on 1 July 2010.

From 1 July through to 30 September, the temporary passport office will be moved after an agreement was reached between the Thai and Burmese governments.

According to one of public service personnel at Ranoung, the office is being moved because it is much safer and more convenient for Burmese migrant workers in Thailand without ID cards.

“Now that the office has moved here, it is much easier and cheaper for migrant workers to obtain temporary passports, which mean that they don’t need to worry about being arrested.”

She explained that 15 public service police from Burma had already arrived at Ranoung and also over 100 migrants workers have received passports, so as of this week operations are proceeding smoothly.

On an average day at the passport office in Kawthaung, around 400 migrant workers were issued with temporary passports. At the office in Ranoung thanks to a large wide office, around 1000 migrants can be issued with passports in a day, according to one of traveler service.

There are 14 Service Companies in Thailand that assist Burmese migrant workers who want to obtain a temporary passport.

A temporary passport holder can legally go to the whole of Thailand and Burma. Additionally, they hold the same rights as Thai citizens, such as health support, and in the case of violence, the right to make a report to the Human Rights Department.

Although the Thai government initially gave migrant workers without temporary passports until 28 February 2010 to obtain one, they have extended that deadline until 28 February 2012.

There are three temporary passport offices on Thai-Burma border. Ranoung, Myawaddy and Tachileik have all been assigned different registration codes as of 26 May 2010.

Burma Labour Solidarity Organization estimates that there are 2 million illegal and legal Burmese migrant workers in Thailand.