BURMA BULLETIN

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∞A month-in-review of events in Burma∞
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A L T E R N A T I V E A S E A N N E T W O R K O N B U R M A
campaigns, advocacy & capacity-building for human rights & democracy

Issue 46 October 2010

• UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Burma For comprehensive monitoring of the

Tomás Ojea Quintana slams the SPDC’s election 2010 elections, please visit the “2010
process, saying it is “deeply flawed” and not Election Watch” at www.altsean.org

“inclusive, free and fair.”

• Harassment, threats, intimidation, vote buying, and IN THIS ISSUE
forced recruitment by regime officials and USDP
members continue. KEY STORY
2 UN slams election process
• SPDC Election Commission bars foreign journalists 2 Restrictions and harassment
and international election monitors from observing 2 Independent monitors banned
the polls. 3 Mass release of prisoners?
3 NLD boycott campaign
• Cyclone Giri leaves 71,000 people homeless. The 3 Anti-election protests intensify
SPDC prevents international staff from UN and 3 SPDC pressures ethnic groups
NGOs from visiting affected areas. 4 New flag unfurled
4 Int’l criticism of election process
• A new report documents dismal health conditions
and human rights abuses in Eastern Burma and says INSIDE BURMA
5 Cyclone Giri strikes Burma
that Eastern Burma’s demographics show patterns 6 Health emergency in E. Burma
more comparable to recent war zones such as Sierra
Leone. HUMAN RIGHTS
7 Ojea Quintana calls for CoI
• Deteriorating relations between the SPDC and two 7 Freedom of information
key ethnic ceasefire groups causes renewed conflict 7 Detention conditions
in Kachin and Mon States. 8 Forced labor
DISPLACEMENT
• Ojea Quintana urges the creation of a Commission 8 SPDC displaces 73,000 people
of Inquiry on serious international crimes in Burma 8 Migrant workers in Thailand
to prevent impunity and future human rights 8 Thailand and repatriation
violations. INTERNATIONAL
• A new report reveals the SPDC’s offensive in 9 RP and RI criticize SPDC polls
Eastern Burma has destroyed or forcibly relocated 9 Daw Suu’s release uncertain
113 villages and displaced 73,000 people between 10 Ban Ki-moon “frustrated”
10 Relations with Laos & Thailand
August 2009 and July 2010.
ECONOMY
• At the 17th ASEAN Summit, ASEAN leaders reiterate 10 Tavoy deep-sea port
previous statements that call on the SPDC to hold its 11 Burma’s corruption
“free, fair, and inclusive” elections. Only Indonesia 11 Toyota pulls out of Burma
and the Philippines criticize the SPDC polls. 11 Explosion at oil pipeline
11 OTHER BURMA NEWS
• UN Sec-Gen Ban Ki-Moon says the SPDC’s lack of
12 REPORTS
engagement with the UN is “deeply frustrating.” _____________________________________
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KEY STORY

UN slams election process

On 20 October, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Burma Tomás Ojea Quintana delivered
harsh criticism of the SPDC’s election process. Presenting his annual report to the UN General
Assembly, Ojea Quintana said that the election process was “deeply flawed” and not “inclusive, free
and fair.”1 In his report the Special Rapporteur said that the SPDC failed to “establish an environment
for credible, inclusive elections.”2 The report stressed that:3

• The SPDC appointed the 17 members of the Election Commission without any public consultation.
Moreover, the decisions of the Commission cannot be appealed to any court.
• The electoral framework and its implementation by the SPDC Election Commission further restricted
freedom of expression, assembly, and association.
• The ban on political prisoners from joining or remaining members of political parties limited the right
to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
• Prohibitive costs and time pressure to register members and field candidates restricted the political
parties’ ability to contest the elections.

On 29 October, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said in a statement that
“conditions for genuine elections that meet international standards” had not been reached.4

Restrictions, harassment, and coercion continue

As Election Day drew near, regime officials and Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP)
members continued to harass, threaten, and intimidate voters and members of other political parties.5
Reports also emerged of widespread vote buying and forced recruitment by USDP members.6

International monitors banned, supervised local diplomats allowed

The SPDC banned independent observers and journalists from monitoring the electoral process. On 18
October, SPDC Election Commission Chairman Thein Soe said that international monitors would not
be allowed to observe the upcoming elections.7 Thein Soe also said that foreign journalists would not be
allowed to enter Burma to cover the polls.8 On 31 October, the SPDC Information Ministry said that

1
AP (21 Oct 10) UN envoy appeals to Myanmar for 'strong signal' it will hold genuine election; UN News Centre (21 Oct 10) UN
rights expert calls Myanmar election process ‘deeply flawed’; DPA (20 Oct 10) UN: Myanmar's elections process "deeply flawed"
(Roundup); NYT (21 Oct 10) UN Doubts Fairness of Election in Myanmar; VOA (21 Oct 10) UN Expert: Burma Conditions for
Genuine Elections 'Limited'
2
Irrawaddy (19 Oct 10) Election to Offer Little Change: UN Rapporteur
3
UNGA, 65th session, Situation of human rights in Myanmar - Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in
Myanmar, 15 September 2010, UN Doc A/65/368
4
OHCHR (29 Oct 10) Myanmar: UN Human Rights chief calls for “genuine elections that meet international standards”; AFP (29
Oct 10) UN rights chief slates Burma election
5
SHAN (06 Oct 10) Local junta authorities, Shan party at odds; Kachin News Group (12 Oct 10) NDF election campaign banned
in some parts of Myitkyina; SHAN (08 Oct 10) Shan, Taang parties face campaign restrictions; IMNA (11 Oct 10) VPDC prohibits
Mon Party from public campaigning; Kaladan News (11 Oct 10) USDP targets day laborers ahead of elections; Kaladan News (07
Oct 10) USDP candidates and supporters threaten voters in Arakan State; Kaladan News (16 Oct 10) USDP supporters destroy
rival party's campaign billboard; Narinjara News (18 Oct 10) Two Political Parties Clash During Vote Canvassing; Kaladan News
(20 Oct 10) Tension mounts among political parties in Maungdaw; Irrawaddy (22 Oct 10) Rohingya Party Prevented from
Campaigning; KIC (22 Oct 10) Strong arm tactics by USDP; army to get votes
6
Irrawaddy (06 Oct 10) USDP Blatantly Flouts Election Law; Khonumthung News (12 Oct 10) Junta funds USDP poll campaign;
Narinjara News (13 Oct 10) Fishery workers in Arakan forced to join USDP; Kaladan News (14 Oct 10) USDP a hard sell for
Maungdaw youth; Kaladan News (20 Oct 10) Tension mounts among political parties in Maungdaw; KIC (21 Oct 10) Education
department staff campaign for USDP
7
AP (18 Oct 10) Foreign media barred from covering Myanmar vote; Reuters (18 Oct 10) Myanmar bars foreign monitors and
reporters from poll; AFP (18 Oct 10) Myanmar bars foreign monitors, media for election; Xinhua (18 Oct 10) Myanmar to hold free
and fair election: election commission; VOA (18 Oct 10) Burma Bars Foreign Observers, Journalists From Elections; CNN (18 Oct
10) Myanmar blocks international monitors for elections; Irrawaddy (18 Oct 10) Government Bars Foreign Media and Observers
From Poll; DVB (18 Oct 10) Foreign media barred during polls
8
AP (18 Oct 10) Foreign media barred from covering Myanmar vote; Reuters (18 Oct 10) Myanmar bars foreign monitors and
reporters from poll; DPA (18 Oct 10) Myanmar refuses to invite foreign election observers; AFP (18 Oct 10) Myanmar bars foreign
monitors, media for election; AP (18 Oct 10) Myanmar: Foreign Journalists Barred from Covering National Elections; Xinhua (18
Oct 10) Myanmar to hold free and fair election: election commission; VOA (18 Oct 10) Burma Bars Foreign Observers, Journalists

2
local journalists representing foreign news organizations would be sent to various locations across
Burma to accompany diplomats on state-sponsored tours. The Information Ministry also said that media
must remain at least 50 meters away from polling stations on 7 November.9

Mass release of prisoners?

On 10 October, an SPDC official from the Department of Corrections said that the regime would
release about 11,000 inmates from prisons nationwide to allow them to vote in the elections. It was
unclear whether any political prisoners would be among those released.10 In addition, the SPDC
announced it was making arrangements to allow the over 6,000 detainees who were awaiting trial to
cast their vote in the polls.11

NLD campaigns for boycott

NLD leaders continued their tour across Burma to promote the election boycott. On 12 October, NLD
leaders, led by Central Executive Committee member Ohn Kyaing, embarked on a campaign tour of
Mandalay Division and Kachin State.12 Another group of NLD leaders toured Southern Shan State and
Western Pegu Division.13

On 12 October, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said that she would not vote in the elections because casting
her ballot would not be “in accordance with the law.”14 On 26 October, the NLD said that the upcoming
polls would only prolong military dictatorship and noted that citizens had the right not to vote. The
NLD said the elections would activate the 2008 constitution, which “does not guarantee ethnic rights,
civil rights, basic human rights and other democratic rights.”15

Anti-election protests intensify

• 5 October: Youth activists in 15 villages across Arakan State posted signs that urged people to
boycott the elections.16
• 20 October: Activists put up about 50 anti-election leaflets around Myitkyina, Kachin State.17
• 23 October: SPDC authorities in Rangoon arrested at least two Buddhist monks who were handing
out pamphlets protesting the election near the Shwedagon pagoda.18
• 27 October: It was reported that about 1,200 people from over 150 villages demonstrated against the
elections in Ye and Thanbyuzayat Townships in Mon State and Kyainnseikyi Township in Karen
State.19

SPDC steps up pressure on Mon and Kachin groups

In October, the relations between the SPDC and two key ethnic ceasefire groups continued to
deteriorate, paving the way for renewed conflict in Kachin and Mon States. On 9 October, SPDC
authorities ordered the New Mon State Party (NMSP) to submit to the junta information about guests

From Elections; Irrawaddy (18 Oct 10) Government Bars Foreign Media and Observers From Poll; DVB (18 Oct 10) Foreign
media barred during polls
9
Reuters (31 Oct 10) Myanmar to keep close watch on media before poll
10
AFP (10 Oct 10) Myanmar plans to free 11,000 prisoners for vote: officials; DPA (10 Oct 10) Myanmar to release 11,000
inmates before polls; Myanmar Times (11 Oct 10) Up to 11,000 prisoners to get chance to vote
11
Myanmar Times (04 Oct 10) Accused awaiting trial set to vote in election
12
Mizzima News (13 Oct 10) Ethnic leaders join NLD vote-boycott roadshow; DVB (14 Oct 10) Suu Kyi fights law with law;
Irrawaddy (16 Oct 10) NLD and Ethnic Leaders Tour Kachin State
13
Mizzima News (13 Oct 10) Ethnic leaders join NLD vote-boycott roadshow
14
AFP (12 Oct 10) Suu Kyi ‘will refuse to vote in Myanmar election’; BBC (13 Oct 10) Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi 'will not vote';
AP (12 Oct 10) Myanmar's Suu Kyi says she won't vote in election; DPA (12 Oct 10) Myanmar democracy icon turns down
permission to vote; VOA (12 Oct 10) Lawyer Says Burma's Opposition Leader Won't Vote; CNN (14 Oct 10) Suu Kyi: I won't vote
in coming Myanmar election; UPI (14 Oct 10) Suu Kyi won't vote, lawyer says
15
AP (26 Oct 10) Pro-democracy party says upcoming election to prolong military rule in Myanmar; AFP (26 Oct 10) Suu Kyi
party says Myanmar vote will prolong dictatorship
16
Mizzima News (07 Oct 10) Arakanese activists post notices urging poll boycott
17
Kachin News Group (20 Oct 10) People use posters to show they reject election in Northern Burma
18
Irrawaddy (23 Oct 10) Security Tight in Rangoon Amid Rumors of Protests
19
New Zealand Herald (28 Oct 10) Villagers defy regime with boycott call

3
who visit NMSP offices.20 On 18 October, the NMSP risked further repercussions when it urged people
to boycott the 7 November elections because the SPDC constitution would not guarantee ethnic rights.21

In Kachin State, the junta backed up its rhetoric with arrests. On 15 October, state-run newspapers
described the ceasefire Kachin Independence Army (KIA) as “insurgents” in a report blaming the group
for a 13 October mine blast that kill two people in Kachin State.22 It was the first time that the SPDC
referred to the KIA as insurgents since the two sides signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994.23 On 18
October, SPDC Army troops raided KIA offices in Mohnyin Township, Kachin State, and detained
three KIA officers.24 As a result, the KIA distributed weapons to villagers along the Sino-Burma border
and told them to shoot SPDC Army troops if they approached their villages.25

New flag unfurled

On 21 October, at 3 pm, the SPDC unexpectedly unfurled

Burma’s new flag.26 Observers noted that the junta’s sudden
decision appeared to be based on the advice of astrologers.27 The
new flag, along with the state seal, the national anthem, and the
country’s official name - Republic of the Union of Myanmar -
should have become official only after the entry into force of the
2008 constitution as a result of the elections.28 The SPDC
Censorship Board barred news journals from publishing reports
about Burma’s new flag that did not conform to official reports
in state-run newspapers.29

International leaders still critical of SPDC elections

Burma’s upcoming election and internal human rights issues remained front and center in statements by
leaders in the international community.

• 5 October: European and Asian leaders at the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) urged the SPDC to
ensure that the elections would be free, fair, and inclusive. ASEM also called for the release of
political prisoners. UK Vice-PM Nick Clegg told ASEM delegates that the elections would do no
more than reinstate the military government and would not be free or fair.30
• 12 October: US State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said that the US had expressed its concerns
about the elections, which it did not believe would be free or fair.31
• 19 October: US State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said that the SPDC’s decision to deny
media and outside observers for the elections was “par for the course” given the junta’s track record.32
• 26 October: The ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC) said the elections were
“cosmetic surgery to secure the military junta’s grip on power” and legitimize continued military
rule.33

20
IMNA (12 Oct 10) SPDC treats NMSP as a illegal party
21
Irrawaddy (24 Oct 10) Mon Cease-fire Group Urges Election Boycott
22
Irrawaddy (15 Oct 10) Junta Calls KIA “Insurgents”; Kachin News Group (15 Oct 10) Junta Calls KIA “Insurgents”; DVB (18 Oct
10) Junta tries old tactics on new ‘insurgents’
23
Irrawaddy (15 Oct 10) Junta Calls KIA “Insurgents”; Kachin News Group (15 Oct 10) Junta Calls KIA “Insurgents”; DVB (18 Oct
10) Junta tries old tactics on new ‘insurgents’
24
Irrawaddy (19 Oct 10) Burmese Army Raids KIA Offices; Kachin News Group (19 Oct 10) Burmese and Kachin troops surround
each other in northern Burma; DVB (20 Oct 10) Police raid escalates tension in Kachin state
25
Irrawaddy (20 Oct 10) KIA Issues Alert
26
Reuters (21 Oct 10) Myanmar gets new flag, official name, anthem; Xinhua (21 Oct 10) Myanmar formally use new state flag
under new constitution; NLM (22 Oct 10) State Flag Law, State Seal Law, National Anthem Law, State Flag Rules, State Seal
Rules and National Anthem Rules issued
27
Reuters (21 Oct 10) Myanmar gets new flag, official name, anthem; Mizzima News (22 Oct 10) Junta raises new flags
throughout the country; Irrawaddy (21 Oct 10) New Flag Flying in Burma
28
Mizzima News (22 Oct 10) Junta raises new flags throughout the country; DVB (22 Oct 10) Cries of foul play as ‘new Burma’ is
hoisted
29
Irrawaddy (27 Oct 10) Censors Restrict New Flag Reporting
30
EU Observer (06 Oct 10) EU-Asia summit calls for Myanmar prisoner release
31
Irrawaddy (13 Oct 10) US Hopes New Gov't Will Take Different Approach
32
Irrawaddy (19 Oct 10) Election Media Ban 'Unfortunate': US
33
AFP (28 Oct 10) Burma FM hints at Suu Kyi’s release

4
• 27 October: US Under Secretary of State William Burns said that the elections would not be or fair
election unless the SPDC releases political prisoners including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.34
• 28 October: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that elections were “deeply flawed”.35 US
State Department PJ Crowley accused the SPDC of “craven manipulation” by indicating it may
release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi after the election. Crowley called on the SPDC to let Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi and others fully participate fully in the polls.36
• 29 October:
o Australia’s FM Kevin Rudd said the SPDC’s election fell far short of democratic norms.37
o At the Mekong River Summit, Japan, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam called for free and
fair elections in Burma.38
o New Zealand’s PM John Key told SPDC PM Thein Sein that New Zealand wanted to see a proper
democratic election.39
o US Department of State spokesman PJ Crowley said that the election in Burma lacked credibility
and would not be free and fair.40
o UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said that genuine elections that meet
international standards should be part of the transition process in Burma.41
• 30 October: Japan’s FM Seiji Maehara urged the SPDC to conduct the election in an open and fair
manner.42
• 31 October: Australian FM Kevin Rudd said that Australia had “very grave reservations” about the
elections that were being conducted “under patently unfair election laws.”43

INSIDE BURMA

Cyclone Giri strikes Arakan State

On 22 October, a category four cyclone named Giri made

landfall in Arakan State with winds reaching 258 kilometers
(155 miles) per hour.44 The storm caused significant damage
and destruction to homes, public buildings, infrastructure, and
affected around 200,000 people.45 The coastal town of
Kyaukpyu was the worst-hit with an estimated 70% of the
town destroyed.46 Other affected areas included Ann, Minbya,
Manaung, Myebon, Pauktaw, Ramree, Ponnagyun, and Akyab
Townships.47 Around 71,000 people lost their homes and were
in desperate need of shelter, clean drinking water, and food.48
In Kyaukpyu alone over 10,000 cyclone victims sought shelter
at schools and monasteries.49 An outbreak of diarrhea from
contaminated drinking water led to the deaths of at least three

34
Irrawaddy (28 Oct 10) US Still Not Ready to Appoint Special Burma Envoy
35
Irrawaddy (29 Oct 10) US Reaffirms Support for UN Commission of Inquiry
36
AFP (28 Oct 10) Myanmar offer on Suu Kyi 'craven manipulation': US
37
ABC (29 Oct 10) Burma a major concern, says Rudd
38
DPA (29 Oct 10) Mekong countries, Japan call for fair elections in Myanmar
39
NZPA (30 Oct 10) Key voices concerns about Myanmar election
40
Irrawaddy (30 Oct 10) Views Differ on UN Commission of Inquiry on Burma: US
41
UN News Center (29 Oct 10) Myanmar: top UN officials call for credible democratic transition
42
Japan Today (31 Oct 10) Maehara renews call for Myanmar's early release of Suu Kyi
43
Reuters(31 Oct 10) Australia has "grave reservations" about Myanmar elections
44
NASA (22 Oct 10) Cat 4 Cyclone Giri Hits Burma, NASA Satellite Sees Heavy Rainfall
45
OCHA (29 Oct 10) Myanmar Cyclonic Storm GIRI Situation Report #4; UNDP (27 Oct 10) Myanmar: More than 170,000 people
affected by cyclone Giri; CNN (27 Oct 10) UN: 70,000 people in Myanmar are homeless in wake of cyclone; DPA (24 Oct 10)
Myanmar state media mum on Cyclone Giri destruction
46
AFP (23 Oct 10) Myanmar cyclone leaves at least one dead, thousands affected; Al Jazeera (23 Oct 10) Cyclone Giri batters
Myanmar
47
DPA (24 Oct 10) Myanmar state media mum on Cyclone Giri destruction; Xinhua (24 Oct 10) Myanmar lifts storm warning;
Xinhua (24 Oct 10) Myanmar announces fade-out of cyclone Giri; AP (25 Oct 10) Myanmar mum on cyclone damage; UNDP (27
Oct 10) Myanmar: More than 170,000 people affected by cyclone Giri; Al Jazeera (25 Oct 10) Dozens dead in Myanmar cyclone;
Xinhua (25 Oct 10) At least 12 people die in cyclone Giri in Myanmar: local media
48
UNDP (27 Oct 10) Myanmar: More than 170,000 people affected by cyclone Giri; CNN (27 Oct 10) UN: 70,000 people in
Myanmar are homeless in wake of cyclone; DVB (25 Oct 10) Death toll rises on cyclone-hit coast
49
Narinjara News (24 Oct 10) Thousands homeless, entire villages submerged after Cyclone Giri lashes Arakan Coast

5
people in Myebon and Minbya Townships.50 Buddhist monks and local NGOs provided the majority of
the initial assistance to cyclone victims, while some areas reported that they had not yet received aid
from the junta.51

The regime gave no immediate estimate of casualties or damage.52 Three days later, on 25 October, the
SPDC announced that 27 people had been killed, and 15 were missing in Arakan State.53 Local
residents however put the death toll at over 100.54 As with cyclone Nargis, the SPDC prevented
international staff from the UN and international NGOs from entering the cyclone-affected areas and
banned local journalists from taking photographs of the devastation.55 In addition, the SPDC failed to
respond to a US offer of US$100,000 in humanitarian assistance to cyclone victims.56

Health emergency in Eastern Burma

On 19 October, a group of NGOs57 that work on health issues in Burma and along the Thai-Burma
border released the report “Diagnosis: Critical - Health and Human Rights in Eastern Burma.” The
report painted a grim picture of health conditions for people living in conflict zones in Eastern Burma.
The report’s findings showed that Eastern Burma remains in a state of chronic health emergency
because of the SPDC’s disinvestment in healthcare and ongoing human rights abuses:

Health
• Over 41% of children under five are Eastern Burma Thailand MDG target
Burma for Burma
acutely malnourished. for 2015
• Sixty percent of deaths in children under Maternal mortality
the age of five are from preventable and ratio (deaths per
100,000 live births)
721 240 48 50

treatable diseases, including acute Under-5 mortality

respiratory infection, malaria, and rate (per 1,000 live 138 71 14 39
births)
diarrhea. Infant mortality rate
73 54 12 28
• Eastern Burma’s demographics are (per 1,000 births)
characterized by high birth rates, high
death rates, and the significant absence of men under the age of 45 - patterns more comparable to
recent war zones such as Sierra Leone than to Burma’s national demographics.
• Child mortality rates are nearly twice as high in eastern Burma and the maternal mortality ratio is
triple the official national figure.
• The indirect health impacts of the conflict are much graver, with preventable losses of life accounting
for 59.1% of all deaths and malaria alone accounting for 24.7%.
• One in 14 women was infected with malaria, among the highest rates of infection in the world.

Health and human rights abuses 58

• Nearly one third of all households experienced at least one type of human rights abuse within the
preceding year.
• Children in households that were internally displaced in the prior year were 4.8 times more likely to
suffer severe acute malnutrition in comparison to those from households that were not internally
displaced.

50
Narinjara News (27 Oct 10) Diarrhea Outbreak in Cyclone Affected Area in Arakan
51
Irrawaddy (27 Oct 10) Cyclone Victims Seek Shelter, Aid; Kaladan News (25 Oct 10) Cyclone Giri ravages western Arakan;
Narinjara News (29 Oct 10) Cyclone Surge Kills 9 People and Washes Away Villages in Pauk Taw
52
BBC (25 Oct 10) Cyclone Giri pummels west Burma
53
AP (25 Oct 10) 27 Were Killed in Cyclone, Myanmar Government Says; Canadian Press (25 Oct 10) Cyclone kills 27 people in
western Myanmar, 15 missing after storm flattens thousands of homes; Al Jazeera (25 Oct 10) Dozens dead in Myanmar cyclone;
DPA (25 Oct 10) At least 27 dead in Myanmar cyclone (Roundup)
54
Irrawaddy (30 Oct 10) Relief Efforts Slow to Reach Arakan's Devastated Coast
55
IRIN (25 Oct 10) Cyclone Giri tests government-aid agency relations; Irrawaddy (25 Oct 10) Arakan’s Woes; Irrawaddy (30 Oct
10) Relief Efforts Slow to Reach Arakan's Devastated Coast
56
AFP (26 Oct 10) US offers aid to cyclone-hit Myanmar; Chinland Guardian (27 Oct 10) US to Assist Cyclone Vicims in Arakan
State; DVB (27 Oct 10) Cyclone deaths top 100 as US pledges aid
57
The Burma Medical Association, National Health and Education Committee, Back Pack Health Worker Team and ethnic health
organizations serving the Karen, Karenni, Mon, Shan, and Palaung communities - Technical support was provided by the Global
Health Access Program and the Center for Public Health and Human Rights, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
58
Note: Data was collected from October 2008 through January 2009

6
• The odds of dying within the first year of life were increased 2.5 times for infants in households that
were forced to provide labor compared to those in households that were not.

HUMAN RIGHTS

Ojea Quintana urges creation of CoI

In his annual report to the UN General Assembly, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in
Burma Tomás Ojea Quintana reiterated the need for the establishment of a UN-mandated Commission
of Inquiry (CoI) to investigate allegations of crimes against humanity and war crimes in Burma. Ojea
Quintana pointed out that a CoI should be seen as a “possible tool” to help Burma “to address impunity
and prevent future human rights violations,” rather than a punitive measure against the SPDC.59 Ojea
Quintana said the creation of a CoI was even more urgent given “the possibility of impunity” for the
SPDC, which is enshrined in the 2008 constitution.60

Responding to some UN members’ preference for engagement over accountability, Ojea Quintana said:
“This is a false dichotomy. An investigation of this kind would not preclude international engagement
with the new government.”61

On 28 October, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton underscored the US commitment to seek

accountability for the SPDC’s human rights violations by working to establish a CoI.62

Freedom of information

On 20 October, Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) released its annual Press Freedom Index. Burma
ranked 174th out of the 178 countries surveyed.63 RSF said that “freedom is not allowed any space in
Burma.”64 Events in October confirmed RSF’s assessment:

• 12 October: It was reported that the SPDC Censorship Board barred local news journals from
reporting about the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to imprisoned Chinese human rights activist Liu
Xiaobo.65
• 13 October: Rangoon’s Seikkan Township Court sentenced Kantarawaddy news journal editor Nyi
Nyi Tun to 13 years in prison under the Unlawful Association Act, the Immigration Act, and the
Wireless Act.66
• Late October: Internet café owners across Burma reported slow or no internet connection in the lead-
up to the elections.67

Detention conditions

• 8 October: It was reported that prison authorities in Sandoway prison, Arakan State, charged inmates
40,000 to 80,000 kyat (about US$45 to US$90) for a bed. In addition, it was reported that prison
authorities provided insufficient food to inmates and that the prison was overcrowded.68

59
UN News Centre (21 Oct 10) UN rights expert calls Myanmar election process ‘deeply flawed’; VOA (21 Oct 10) UN Expert:
Burma Conditions for Genuine Elections 'Limited'
60
Irrawaddy (19 Oct 10) Election to Offer Little Change: UN Rapporteur
61
IPS (24 Oct 10) Looking Beyond Burma's 2010 Elections
62
AFP (28 Oct 10) Clinton backs probe on Myanmar rights
63
RSF (20 Oct 10) Press Freedom Index 2010
64
Irrawaddy (20 Oct 10) No Country for Journalists; DVB (20 Oct 10) Burma press freedom ‘amongst worst’; Mizzima News (21
Oct 10) Zero growth in Burma press freedom, watchdog says; Chinland Guardian (31 Oct 10) Slow Connections Cause Internet
Cafes to Close
65
Irrawaddy (12 Oct 10) Junta Restricts Nobel News
66
Mizzima News (15 Oct 10) Editor faces 13 years behind bars; DPA (23 Oct 10) Journalist protection group condemns Myanmar
editor's sentence; CPJ (25 Oct 10) Burmese editor sentenced to 13 years in prison; DVB (29 Oct 10) News editor tortured, given
13 years
67
Mizzima News (27 Oct 10) Junta accused of slowing, cutting Net ahead of polls; IMNA (29 Oct 10) Internet cafés forced to
close before the 2010 election
68
Narinjara News (08 Oct 10) Prison Authority Sells Bed Space in Thandwe Prison

7
• 13 October: SPDC authorities transferred Buddhist monk Uk Kong Sah from Rangoon’s Insein
prison to Bassein prison in Irrawaddy Division.69

Forced labor

“Diagnosis: Critical Health and Human Rights in Eastern Burma” [See above Health emergency in
Eastern Burma] also reported an alarming prevalence of forced labor in Eastern Burma. The report
stated that of all surveyed areas, 8.7% of households had at least one occupant who had been forced to
provide labor in the year prior to the survey.70 On average, a person had to do forced labor 22.7 days per
year.71 In October, the following forced labor incidents were reported:

• 1 October: SPDC Army soldiers from LIB 325, in Tangyan Township, Shan State, ordered local
villagers to build a fence around its new camp.
• 3 October: SPDC Army soldiers from IB 32 forced six local residents to act as porters when the
battalion left Three Pagodas Pass, Karen State.72
• 9 October: SPDC Army soldiers forced six men and four women from Tekpu Village, Htantabin
Township, Pegu Division, to porter army rations.73

DISPLACEMENT

SPDC displaces 73,000 people in past year

On 28 October, the Thailand Burma Border Consortium (TBBC) released its annual survey on
internally displaced persons titled “Protracted Displacement and Chronic Poverty in Eastern
Burma/Myanmar.” According to the report, between August 2009 and July 2010 the SPDC destroyed or
forcibly relocated 113 villages and forced at least 73,000 people to leave their homes.74 SPDC Army
attacks against civilians and eviction orders displaced around 26,000 villagers in Karen areas alone. In
Mon areas, more than 8,000 villagers fled instability and conflict as a result of forced relocations and
the regime’s Border Guard Force ultimatum.75 According to the TBBC’s conservative estimates, at least
446,000 people remained internally displaced in Eastern Burma, and the actual figure is likely well over
500,000.76

Registered migrants in Thailand still fighting for justice

Despite assurances that nationality verification and registration would protect migrant workers’ rights,
Thai factories continued to exploit Burmese migrants. In early October, more than 900 Burmese
migrant workers at the Dechapanich Fishing Net Factory in Khon Kaen, Thailand, staged a sit-in strike
because factory owners had not followed through with their September agreement to fully compensate
them and return their passports [See September 2010 Burma Bulletin].77 After failed attempts to
intimidate the workers with hired gunmen and threats of legal action and deportation, on 13 October the
owners finally compensated the workers and returned their documents.78

Thailand backtracks on repatriation

In October, Thailand backtracked on a 30 September statement made by Thai FM Kasit Piromya, who
said that Thailand was working on a plan to repatriate Burmese refugees and “intellectuals” after the 7

69
IMNA (13 Oct 10) Prison transfer for Mon monk
70
Data was collected from October 2008 through January 2009
71
“Diagnosis: Critical Health and Human Rights in Eastern Burma” (19 Oct 10) The Burma Medical Association, et al.
72
IMNA (05 Oct 10) IB No. 32 forces locals to porter goods
73
KIC (15 Oct 10) Forced labour by army in Htan Ta Pin township
74
TBBC (28 Oct 10) Protracted Displacement and Chronic Poverty in Eastern Burma/Myanmar – 2010 Survey
75
TBBC (28 Oct 10) Protracted Displacement and Chronic Poverty in Eastern Burma/Myanmar – 2010 Survey
76
TBBC (28 Oct 10) Protracted Displacement and Chronic Poverty in Eastern Burma/Myanmar – 2010 Survey
77
Irrawaddy (08 Oct 10) Migrant Worker Protest Ongoing At Thai Company
78
Bangkok Post (21 Oct 10) Migrants win back passports; Mizzima News (13 Oct 10) Burmese at Thai factory hold out for pay
today

8
November elections.79 On 7 October, the Thai Foreign Ministry said that Kasit had been misinterpreted
and that there was no such plan.80 On 22 October, Kasit said that Thailand would not forcefully
repatriate Burmese refugees and would only send them back if the political situation in Burma
improved after the polls.81

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Philippines and Indonesia criticize SPDC’s elections at ASEAN Summit

On 28 October, at the ASEAN Summit in Hanoi. ASEAN leaders reiterated its previous statements that
called on the SPDC to hold its election “in a free, fair, and inclusive manner.”82 The Philippines and
Indonesia were the only countries who criticized of the SPDC’s unwillingness to make the election
transparent and inclusive.

• 18 October: Indonesia criticized the SPDC’s announcement that foreign reporters and monitors
would be barred from covering the polls. Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said that the
long-awaited election would “serve its purpose best with thorough media coverage.”83
• 27 October:
o Indonesia’s FM Marty Natalegawa said that the SPDC’s election preparations suffered from a
“credibility deficit.”84
o Philippines’ FM Alberto Romulo said that ASEAN’s push for observers to supervise the voting was
“not the point.” Romulo said that election would only be credible if Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and
other political prisoners were part of the process.85
• 28 October: Indonesia’s FM Marty Natalegawa said that the results of the election were almost a
foregone conclusion.86 He also said was also important to recognize those who are not participating in
the elections, like Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her supporters.87
• 29 October:
o Philippines’ President Benigno Aquino said that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi should be released and the
election was not free, fair or inclusive.88
• 30 October: Philippines FM Alberto Romulo said that the SPDC’s flawed elections will cost ASEAN
its goodwill.89

Daw Suu’s release - anything but certain

During the ASEAN Summit, both SPDC FM Nyan Win and PM Thein Sein eluded direct answers
about the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. During a dinner meeting on 27 October, SPDC
representatives did not give any indication that the 13 November release date would be amended, but
did not confirm her release, either.90 The SPDC lack of specificity did not sit well with everyone.
Philippines’ FM Alberto Romulo expressed dissatisfaction. Romulo said that not only did he want the
SPDC to give its assurance that Daw Suu would be released, he wanted it to happen and that no new
charges would be filed against her.91

79
Guardian (03 Oct 10) Thailand plans to repatriate Burmese asylum seekers after election; DVB (04 Oct 10) Thailand planning
Burma refugee return; Irrawaddy (02 Oct 10) Thailand to Send Refugees and Opposition Back to Burma?
80
DVB (08 Oct 10) Thailand ‘will not’ return Burma refugees
81
Bangkok Post (24 Oct 10) Kasit vows not to repatriate refugees until Burma 'stable'; Irrawaddy (22 Oct 10) No forced
repatriation: Thai FM
82
vea.gov.vn/en/icorperation/Projects/.../TuyenboChairman-BNG.doc
83
Mizzima News (19 Oct 10) Indonesia criticises junta decision to bar journalists
84
Reuters (27 Oct 10) Philippines dubs Myanmar election a “farce”
85
AFP (27 Oct 10) Burma under pressure to act on poll 'credibility deficit'
86
Bloomberg (28 Oct 10) Suu Kyi May Be Freed After Myanmar Vote in November, Asean Ministers Say
87
AFP (28 Oct 10) Burma FM hints at Suu Kyi’s release
88
Bangkok Post (29 Oct 10) Asean and Burma must work to bridge expectation gap: Abhisit
89
AP (30 Oct 10) Philippines: Flawed Burma Vote Will Damage Asean
90
Irrawaddy (28 Oct 10) Asean Leaders Ignore Burma Issues; Bloomberg (28 Oct 10) Suu Kyi May Be Freed After Myanmar Vote
in November, Asean Ministers Say
91
AFP (28 Oct 10) Myanmar says Suu Kyi may be freed after elections

9
Ban Ki-moon ”frustrated”

On 15 October, UN Sec-Gen Ban Ki-moon reported on Burma to the UN General Assembly. In his
report, Ban said that the SPDC’s lack of engagement was “deeply frustrating” and contradicted the
SPDC’s stated policy of cooperation with the UN. Ban noted that it was necessary for the SPDC to
ensure that the elections were conducted in an inclusive, credible, participatory, and transparent
manner. In this regard, Ban said that the release of all political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi, would be the clearest signal of such commitments.92 In addition to his report to the UNGA, Ban
made the following statements on the SPDC’s planned elections.

• 6 October: He urged the SPDC to hold a “credible and inclusive” election and to free all political
prisoners before the polls.93
• 26 October: He urged the SPDC to release political prisoners before the elections and said it was
“not too late” to make the polls more fair and inclusive.94
• 28 October: He, once again, urged the SPDC to release all political prisoners so that the elections
could be more inclusive and more participatory and credible.95
• 29 October: He said that ASEAN and the UN agreed on the need for a credible democratic transition
and national reconciliation in Burma.96

Than Shwe travels to Laos, Thai PM goes to Naypyidaw

After recent state visits to China and India, on 1 October SPDC Chairman Sr Gen Than Shwe arrived in
Laos where he briefed officials on the junta’s preparations for the upcoming elections.97 Lao President
Choummaly Sayasone said that Laos fully supported the SPDC’s upcoming elections.98

On 11 October, Thai PM Abhisit Vejjajiva traveled to Naypyidaw on a one-day visit. Abhisit met with
SPDC Chairman Sr Gen Than Shwe and held discussions with SPDC PM Thein Sein on bilateral trade
and investment issues.99 [See below Tavoy deep-sea port moves closer to reality] On 12 October,
Abhisit said he offered Thailand’s assistance for the elections and also conveyed concerns from the
international community. Abhisit said that SPDC leaders were “aware of the concerns, but did not want
any outside help.”100 Abhisit also reported that that the months-long border closure between Burma and
Thailand at Mae Sot in Tak Province remained unresolved.101

ECONOMY

Tavoy deep-sea port moves closer to reality

During his visit to Burma on 11 October, Thai PM Abhisit Vejjajiva and the SPDC agreed to develop a
deep-sea port at Tavoy in Tenasserim Division.102 Thai construction company Italian-Thai Development
is expected sign a contract worth US$13 billion with the Myanmar Port Authority to develop the
project, which includes building transport links, power plants and steel mills.103 While construction is
not expected to commence until early 2011, it was reported that SPDC authorities had already ordered
villagers living near the planned construction site to relocate.104

92
AFP (15 Oct 10) UN chief slams Myanmar junta on rights ahead of election; UNGA 65th Session (15 Oct 10) Report of the
Secretary-General Situation of human rights in Myanmar [A/65/367]
93
Irrawaddy (07 Oct 10) Release Political Prisoners before Election: Ban
94
AP (26 Oct 10) UN chief urges Myanmar to free political prisoners
95
AP (28 Oct 10) ASEAN presses Myanmar to free Aung San Suu Kyi
96
AFP (29 Oct 10) Release prisoners, UN urges Myanmar
97
AFP (01 Oct 10) Myanmar junta boss visits Laos: official
98
DPA (04 Oct 10) Laos, Myanmar to step up cooperation on immigration, drugs
99
Irrawaddy (12 Oct 10) Border Closure Remains Unresolved: Thai PM
100
AP (12 Oct 10) Thai prime minister says Myanmar rejected offer of assistance with election
101
Irrawaddy (12 Oct 10) Border Closure Remains Unresolved: Thai PM
102
Bangkok Post (12 Oct 10) Deal struck on deep-sea port; RFA (13 Oct 10) Burma Inks Port Deal ; Mizzima News (13 Oct 10)
Thai-Burmese leaders reach port deal
103
Reuters (07 Oct 10) 1-Builder Italian-Thai to sign $13 bln Myanmar deal; Nation (08 Oct 10) ITD to ink Bt400 bn deal with
Burma on Dawei port
104
IMNA (15 Oct 10) Tavoy deep-sea port project brings fears of relocation

10
Burma ranks as the world’s second most corrupt country

On 26 October, Transparency International released its 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index. The report
ranked the SPDC as the second most corrupt government in the world after Somalia.105

Toyota pulls out of Burma

In October, Toyota subsidiary Toyota Tsusho confirmed that in June it had sold its stake in a joint
venture with Japan’s Suzuki Corporation and the SPDC Ministry of Industry to produce trucks, cars,
and motorcycles in Burma. US investors had long pressured Toyota to pull out of the venture because
of the SPDC’s poor human rights record. The company did not disclose to whom it had sold its stake.106

Explosion at oil pipeline kills scores

On 24 October, an explosion at a leaking oil pipeline in Pakokku Township, Magwe Division, killed
about 100 people and injured around 100 more. The pipeline, which transports oil between Magwe and
Sagaing Divisions, caught fire while local villagers were tapping the leak for oil.107

OTHER BURMA NEWS IN OCTOBER

1 An officer and three soldiers from SPDC Army LIB 103 rob and stab to death an elderly Mon woman
from Kyuak Kadin Village, in Yebyu Township, Tenasserim Division.
3 The father of a 24-year-old woman in Kyauktaw Township, Arakan State, kills an SPDC Army LIB 539
soldier after the attempted rape of his daughter.
5 NLD lawyers file a lawsuit against the SPDC over the dissolution of the party with Burma’s Supreme
Court.
5 Former Special Rapporteurs on human rights in Burma Paulo Sergio Pinheiro and Yozo Yokota urge the
EU to support the establishment of a UN Commission of Inquiry to investigate crimes against humanity
and war crimes in Burma.
6 SPDC Army LIB 63 orders local SPDC officials in Ye Township, Mon State, to collect 700,000 kyat in
order to create more people’s militias.
6 Inter Parliamentary Union’s Human Rights Committee adopts a resolution that urges the SPDC to
immediately and unconditionally release 12 MPs elected in the 1990 from jail ahead of the upcoming
elections.
7 Burma’s Supreme Court announces it will hold a hearing on the special appeal lodged by Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi against her house arrest.
7 A vehicle carrying Burmese migrant workers crashes on the way from Ranong to Samut Sakhon,
Thailand, injuring 39 workers.
7 Bangladesh border security forces seize 11,000 amphetamine tablets from two individuals as they are
smuggling the drugs into Bangladesh from Burma.
11 SSA-S troops kill an SPDC army solider in an ambush of an SPDC Army convoy in Mong Yawng
Township, Southern Shan State.
12 A group of SSA-S soldiers kill a police officer at an attack on a police checkpoint in Mongyawng
Township, Shan State.
13 ASEAN Sec-Gen Surin Pitsuwan says that he hopes Burma’s elections will offer a chance for national
reconciliation and help end the country's international isolation.
13 A New Zealand Parliament resolution calls on the SPDC to immediately release all political prisoners.
13 A landmine explosion in Mogaung Township, Kachin State, kills two local villagers and injures one.
15 Daw Aung San Suu Kyi says the Burmese people should voice their discontent against the SPDC during
the upcoming elections.
16 Karenni Army troops kill four SPDC Army soldiers from IB 247 in a surprise raid on a SPDC Army
outpost in Loikaw Township, Karenni State.
16 An unknown armed group kills an SPDC Army IB 286 soldier from in an ambush in Mongyawng
Township, Shan State.
17 SPDC authorities in Kyaukkyi Township, Eastern Pegu Division, order local villagers in ten village-tracts

105
Transparency International (26 Oct 10) 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index
106
Reuters (05 Oct 10) Toyota arm sells Myanmar joint venture stake; Bloomberg (05 Oct 10) Toyota Affiliate Exits Suzuki
Venture in Myanmar; Irrawaddy (23 Oct 10) Toyota Quits Burma Joint Venture after Pressure from US Investors
107
DVB (27 Oct 10) Oil blaze death toll soars

11
 to pay four million kyat (about US$4,600) for construction of army barracks.
18 Daw Aung San Suu Kyi says she wants to get a Twitter account once she is released from house arrest.
18 SPDC Army troops from IB 124 and 603 begin people’s militia training for 50 villagers from five wards
in Than Taung Gyi Town, Taungoo District, Pegu Division.
18 Thai Army Task Force Commander in Tak Province Col Padung Yingpaiboonsuk says that Thailand has
increased border security along the Thai-Burma border.
20 A clash between the UWSA and SPDC Army LIB 65 and a Lahu militia unit near Mae Ken Village,
Mongton Township, Eastern Shan State, results in the deaths of two Wa soldiers and one Lahu soldier.
20 Nobel Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen calls for the establishment of a UN investigation into
alleged crimes against humanity committed by the SPDC.
25 BDR personnel arrest 58 unregistered Rohingya refugees from Leda makeshift camp and send them to
Cox’s Bazaar jail.
26 KNLA forces kill two SPDC Army soldiers from IB 405 in an ambush on a military column escorting two
Township Election Sub-commission officials near Three Pagodas Pass, Karen State.
27 BDR personnel arrest 130 Rohingya in Teknaf and send them to Cox’s Bazaar jail.
27 The Mon Peace Group hands over arms and ammunition to the SPDC in Moulmein, Mon State.
27 SPDC authorities say they arrested five men suspected of planning to carry out bomb attacks in public
places in Mandalay, Naypyidaw, and Rangoon.
28 BDR personnel arrest 12 Rohingya near the Leda makeshift camp and send them to Cox’s Bazaar jail.
28 Thai government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn says that ASEAN should look beyond the election to
stability, continuity, and openness in Burma.
29 Burma’s Supreme Court holds hears closing arguments on Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s appeal on her
conviction to 18 months under house arrest.
29 Thai PM Abhisit Vejjajiva says that ASEAN and Burma must work together to narrow the expectation
gap within the international community with regard to the upcoming elections.
31 Australia FM Kevin Rudd says that Australia will maintain sanctions on Burma.

REPORTS ON BURMA RELEASED IN OCTOBER

“Unlevel Playing Field: Burma’s Election Landscape”, Transnational institute (TNI) – Burma Centrum
Netherlands
http://www.tni.org/sites/www.tni.org/files/download/bpb3.pdf

“Democratic and Peaceful Change in Burma/Myanmar”, Crisis Management Initiative (CMI)

http://www.cmi.fi/images/stories/publications/burmareport2010.pdf

“Diagnosis Critical: Health and human rights in Eastern Burma”, Burma Medical Association et al.,
https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http://maetaoclinic.org/wp-
content/uploads/pdf/Diagnosis%2520critical%2520-%2520English%2520web%2520version.pdf

“Protracted Displacement and Chronic Poverty in Eastern Burma/Myanmar”, Thailand Burma Border
Consortium (TBBC)
http://www.tbbc.org/idps/report-2010-idp-en.zip

“Situation of human rights in Myanmar”, Special Rapporteur on human rights in Burma Tomás Ojea Quintana
http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs09/SRM2010-rep-A65-368(en).pdf

“Situation of human rights in Myanmar”, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/retrieveattachments?openagent&shortid=EGUA-
8A9U4A&file=Full_Report.pdf

“Press Freedom Index 2010”, Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF)

http://en.rsf.org/press-freedom-index-2010,1034.html

“2010 Corruption Perceptions Index”, Transparency International,

http://www.transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/cpi/2010/results

“Myanmar: Cyclonic Storm GIRI Situation Report # 4, 29 October 2010”, United Nations Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/retrieveattachments?openagent&shortid=VVOS-
8APKPW&file=Full_Report.pdf

12