From the KNO:

A gang-rape case in Putao

March 22nd, 2007

On February 2nd, 2007, shocking news broke out from the highland plains of Duk Dang Village, Putao. This day of infamy will go down in history as evidence of the State Peace and Development Council's savagery, brutality, and oppression. Over a month has passed but we, the Kachin people around the world, have not forgotten the despicable act committed by Maj. Zaw Min Thet, Capt. Win Myint Oo, Capt. Kyaw Ze Ya, and four other service members of Infantry Battalion 138.

More than 10 years ago our Kachin people decided to try and resolve over 30 years of war with the central government by peaceful means. With solicitation from our Burmese counterparts we thought we could bury our differences and begin the mission of rebuilding our homeland. We have now reached 13 years since the ceasefire agreement and the results are extremely discouraging. Kachinland has been reduced to an international hotspot for the raging HIV epidemic, illicit drug production and deforestation is rampant, malnutrition among children is on the rise, and human rights violations continue unabated as the structures of civil society are weakened and torn down.   more »

I see you have an article up about a vineyard in Shan State. It was a somewhat interesting article, though to be honest I'm not really a wine person, so I didn't find the details terribly interesting. But I wanted to talk to you about that title. I mean really, are you serious? I'm sure some editor there was like, "Get it? FER-menting a revolution! Hah!" Someone must have thought it was clever, because you actually printed it. Now, don't get me wrong, I often enjoy a good pun myself, but here's the thing - "ferments a revolution in Burma" isn't funny. It's kind of offensive.   more »

The CHRO has released a new edition of the Rhododendron, their newsletter covering events in Chin State and the Chin community worldwide. They should have a regular version available on their website soon, or you can read the attached pdf here. Posted below is the text of Lian Hmung Sakhong's acceptance speech for the Martin Luther King prize.   more »

As per my previous post, this is an appeal to write letters to the Malaysian government calling for an end to the abuse and arrests of asylum-seekers and refugees. The Home Affairs Minister and Foreign Minister have recently made comments that government does not recognize the authority of the UNHCR, and will not recognize refugees in Malaysia. They have announced plans to arrest up to half a million illegal migrants, and are using the People's Volunteer Corps, Rela, to conduct raids. Many victims have recounted abuse and violence at the hands of Rela volunteers, and registered refugees as well as legal visa holders have been arrested and harassed.

Please write to the Malaysian ministers and let them know that their attitude and disregard for the human rights of migrants and refugees is not acceptable and that people are paying attention. They've justified their policies and the use of Rela by saying they have the support of the Malaysian people, and by playing on fears of invasion by floods of illegal migrants. But immigration policy should be shaped by reason and logic, not xenophobia, and economics is never a justification to deny people their human rights.

Here are a few points to request in your letters:   more »

Immigration raids and arrests have been steadily increasing in Malaysia, as the government announced plans to arrest up to half a million illegal migrants this year. Rela, the People's Volunteer Corps, has been mobilized to do immigration's dirty work. Rela has become known for their violent raids and abuse of power. Suaram, the Malaysian human rights NGO, reported last year on several incidents of abuse by Rela officers, including beatings, theft during raids, and arrest of individuals with valid documents. One raid on a market was followed by five bodies being pulled from a nearby lake.

More recently, on March 12, Rela conducted a raid in Jalan Imbi, a neighborhood known to be home to a large number of Burmese nationals - mostly asylum-seekers and refugees from Chin State. The Chin Refugee Center is also located in Jalan Imbi. According to the Chinland Guardian,

"The raid began around 1:00 am and continued for several hours. Forty-eight Chin asylum seekers from Burma, including ten women, have been taken to Seminyah detention camp, where they will await deportation.

Among those arrested and detained is, Salai Ni Kio, a resettled refugee visiting from Denmark on valid travel documents. According to our sources, the Malaysian authorities have confiscated his travel documents and are refusing to release him. The Danish Embassy has been notified about the situation."

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I received an email update the other day concerning the case of the four Kachin girls who were first gang raped by SPDC soldiers and then imprisoned because the story was leaked to the press.

The appeal below was also published at the Kachin News, although I'm not sure where it originated apart from the OMCT- and I couldn't find the original on that website. I'm posting here not only because it's an important case, but because the appeal includes the contact addresses, phone numbers, and emails of several key Burmese officials. I'm sure many people, and hopefully spambots, will be able to put this information to good use.   more »

I've come across some good new blogs in the last couple of months, and have just updated my blog links, so I thought I'd do a little link round-up for your interwebbing pleasure.

There are a few new Burma blogs that have popped up lately, The Crooked Line is written by a PhD student working on the Thai-Burma border. His thesis is "looking at how issues around displacement and identity are explored through the cultural expression of [the Karen]."

Fifty Viss has been around a couple months already, and is written by Aung Htin Kyaw, a high school student from southern California.

Karen Refugee is a new blog set up for students of the engineering study program in the Mae La refugee camp in Thailand. It's not likely to be updated as frequently as some blogs, but it already has posts up and it's a rare chance to read blogs from residents inside the refugee camps.   more »

March 8th was International Women's Day, and although this post is a day late, it's still a good time to reflect on the issue of women's rights. The International Women's Day 2007 site has a history of IWD. I find it unfortunate that in reading that page, I didn't come across one bit of information that I already knew. According to the site, the first National Women's Day was observed in the U.S on February 28th, a year after 15,000 women marched through New York city demanding better work conditions and the right to vote. In 1911, "More than one million women and men attended IWD rallies campaigning for women's rights to work, vote, be trained, to hold public office and end discrimination."   more »