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Workers tailor and arrange clothing at a garment factory at Hlaing Tar Yar industry zone in Rangoon. (PHOTO: Reuters)
Forty-five steelworkers have continued their hunger strike for a third day at Yangon Crown Steel Factory in Myauntakar Industrial Zone in Rangoon’s Hmawbi Township as representatives of the workers entered into talks on Monday with the factory manager and Director General of the Worker Supervisory Office Win Shein.
In addition to the hunger strikers, some 400 workers out of a factory staff of 700 are on strike for a ninth consecutive day in protest at refused wage demands.
“Forty-five men are on hunger strike for a third day,� said labor activist Kyaw Wunna. “Of that number, seven men have collapsed and one has been hospitalized.�
On Friday, 25 men went on hunger strike when the factory owner refused to meet workers’ demands for increased pay. Workers at the steel factory earn a basic wage of 160 kyat (less than US $0.20) a day. The 25 were joined by an additional 20 men over the weekend. Monthly incomes, including overtime and various allowances, range from 4,500 to 10,000 kyat ($5.35 to $12). The workers are demanding an increase to a minimum daily wage of 1,600 kyat across the board.
“The hunger strikers said they will stop when the salary demands are met,� said Kyaw Wunna.
Well-known Buddhist monk Shwe Nya War Sayadaw U Pinnyasiha has been providing lunch and dinner for the remaining strikers at Myauntakar factory, as well as at a factory in Taikkyi, in northern Rangoon Division, where several hundred workers are also on strike demanding wage increases from the South Korean-owned EMG garment factory.
Speaking to The Irrawaddy, Sayadaw U Pinnyasiha said, “I have urged the men to stop the hunger strike, but they are strong willed and are continuing.�
In the meantime, workers’ strikes have apparently gained momentum and spread to factories in Hlaing Tharyar, Shwepyithar, Hmawbi and Taikkyi.
However, factory workers resumed work over the weekend at seven Rangoon factories: Toe Myat Aung knitting factory; YJ [garments]; Nay Min Aung [garments]; Pearl [garments]; Asia Rose [garments]; Sapae Pwint Garment Factory; and Miss Tai shoe factory—which are owned by either South Korean, Chinese or Japanese firms.
U Htay, a lawyer acting as consultant for the workers, said, “The employees [at the seven factories] had to go back to work because they cannot survive any longer, and need to support their families.�
On the other hand, Hi Mo wig factory workers said they will continue strike action until their demands are met despite some strikers suffering from health problems.
Myo Aung, the director-general of Naypyidaw’s Labour Registration Department, met with Hi Mo workers and their representatives on Monday.
Thida Htun, a female employee at Hi Mo factory, told The Irrawaddy on Monday afternoon that no agreement has yet been reached.
“We want our salaries increased as per the agreement we made three weeks ago,� she added.
She said that the director-general had handed the workers’ representatives a form letter to fill in which would address their concerns.
“We will submit this letter to five departments, including the Labour Office,� Thida Htun said. “And we hope that they will honour the agreement [to increase salaries to 30,000 kyat per month] which was made three weeks ago.�

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It is said that when the Buddha achieved enlightenment, a giant Kala dragon awoke from its long sleep. According to the legend, the dragon was disturbed by the sound that the Buddha’s bowl made when it dropped after floating away on the Naranjara River. The dragon briefly stirred from its slumber to acknowledge that a new Buddha had come into being, and then returned to its slumber.
As this is the Year of the Dragon on the Chinese calendar, many observers have noted that Asia now has another newly awakened dragon: Burma. “Don’t wake a sleeping dragon,â€� Napoleon supposedly once said of China. Now many pundits are expressing concern that the rise of Burma may have a negative impact on some neighboring countries. The Burmese people, on the other hand, are quietly hoping the dragon doesn’t fall asleep again.
The last time Burma woke up was 64 years ago, when it emerged from colonial rule. But this wasn’t to last, and within a decade and a half, the country succumbed to the soporific influence of military rule. Now, more than half a century later, it is still having trouble waking completely from that nightmare.
Of course, as dragons go, Burma is no match for China in terms of being a potential menace to others. It is not of the fire-breathing variety, and it is only when our yearning for democracy reawakens that the world notices our rumbling and watches in apprehension.
At this stage, we can’t say how long this long-suppressed desire for freedom will continue to animate the country. The ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), which has tried to harness this latent energy, is now wondering if it can keep it under control. It are no doubt more nervous than most, knowing that a fully democratic Burma will probably have little use for this vestige of the past. Meanwhile, the party has to contend with internal divisions—between the the Upper and Lower Houses of Parliament, between sub-committees and cabinet ministers, between the Lower House speaker and the president, and so on.
Lacking any ideological backbone, the USDP feels abandoned by its patron and mentor, Snr-Gen Than Shwe. Without the old dictator in charge, the party is flailing like a headless body. Aung Thaung and Tin Aung Myint Oo, his trusted minions, formed a hardline group to keep the discipline in Than Shwe’s “disciplined democracy.â€� But even more effective than their efforts to keep the dragon in check has been the deadweight of a bureaucracy built up under decades of military rule.
And then there’s President Thein Sein, who is like the head of a dragon in a traditional Chinese dragon dance. Despite his best efforts, the dragon’s body lies almost motionless behind him, stubbornly refusing to get in the spirit of things.
By contrast, the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) is full of enthusiasm after its April 1 by-election landslide. But it still lacks any viable power base in Parliament, and desperately needs to restructure itself and recruit and nurture new talent. Long led by old warriors, they will also have their work cut out for them as Burma undergoes dramatic changes and a new generation emerges.
But the NLD is nothing if not ambitious. On top of its internal overhaul, it has set itself the task of amending the 2008 Constitution, which is also designed to keep the dragon in chains. During the election, the party vowed to make sweeping changes to this military-drafted charter, and now it must deliver on those promises.
Even if it lacks the numbers to dominate Parliament, the NLD can use the national legislature as a stage on which to demonstrate its ability to tackle the state’s affairs. Before the next election in 2015, it must formulate and actively pursue comprehensive socioeconomic policies if it hopes to form the next government. New laws must be put in place to protect the interests of the people.
In the meantime, the USDP is still holding all the cards. If it wants to remain at all relevant, it will have to use this advantage to make the system more transparent and credible. Although it has paid lip service to the need for democratic reforms, it must go much further in abandoning the old ways if it wants to build a workable economy, which is the only thing it can do to legitimize itself in the eyes of ordinary Burmese.
Thein Sein has repeatedly prodded his advisers to mix and match the best of the old and new ways of doing things. Nobody expects the USDP to fundamentally change its ways, and nobody believes that the party has a genuine mandate, but with competent, trustworthy cabinet ministers, it could do much to redeem itself. One legacy of the old regime, however, is that it put many of the wrong people in positions of power in the new government. The sooner it can get rid of them, the better it will be for the USDP and for Burma. But that will be easier said than done.
First and foremost, the USDP must abandon the notion that only army personnel can be trusted to run any organization of importance. Professionals and scholars are needed to run a modern government, not men in uniform. Ministers should be chosen on the basis of their qualifications and good reputations, not on their loyalty to an antiquated system of military patronage. For example, in the areas that are most urgently in need of repair—the agricultural and educational sectors—the government should bring in genuine experts, rather than leaving policy in the hands of military men and those close to them.
Of course, even the best people will be powerless to make a difference if the whole group cannot work together harmoniously, like a dancing dragon. To achieve that, however, changes will need to be made. In some cases, those who are now dragging their feet can be taught to keep the rhythm with the rest. But for those who refuse to move, there may be only one solution: heads must roll.

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Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, right, talks with Burmese President Thein Sein during their meeting in Naypyidaw on Monday. (Photo: Reuters)
India signed 12 bilateral agreements with Burma on Monday including a US $500 million credit deal to boost economic ties and development in border areas between the two neighbors, according to reports from Naypyidaw.
The agreements come during Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s three-day visit to Burma. Issues including border security, development, trade, investment and transportation links have been discussed. The $500m credit deal was reached between India’s Export-Import Bank and the Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank, reports the BBC.
The two countries also signed a Memorandum of Understanding for joint development projects including the establishment of border trade complexes, schools and health centers along the 1,000-mile frontier dividing the two countries.
Singh will meet leaders of the main opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), including party chairwoman Aung San Suu Kyi, in Rangoon on Tuesday to demonstrate New Delhi’s support for the military-dominated nation’s fledgling transition to democracy.
The business delegation accompanying the Indian prime minister also has plans to meet with officials from the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry during the trip.
“Since India has a strong tradition with Burma and might not want to make the government who they are interacting with lose face, they are not highlighting much about the meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi and the genuine changes of Burma,� said Tint Swe, who won a seat for the NLD at the overturned 1990 general elections.
“Due to their ‘Look-East’ policy, they have always kept silent on the democratic matters of Burma,� said Kyaw Than, the president of All Burma Student League.
“If [Singh] only welcomes and praises the so-called changes in the Burmese government and focuses on ensuring economic ties, then his visit will not significantly support the genuine changes in Burma.�
India is Burma’s fourth largest trading partner after China, Thailand and Singapore and its 13th biggest investor. There are an estimated 10,000 Burmese refugees currently living in India.
Since Western sanction on Burma, officially known as Myanmar, were recently eased, international businesses have renewed their interest in investing in the Southeast Asian nation. The International Monetary Fund has predicted that the Burmese economy will grow by 5.5 percent next year.

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Refugees from Kachin State cook meals at a temporary camp by the Chinese border. (Photo: Reuters)
United Nations (UN) aid agencies will provide supplies to war refugees in conflict-ridden Kachin State for only the third time since March after the Burmese government agreed to let relief workers access the main rebel-controlled area.
Samang Kada Doi Pyi Sa, the chairman of the IDPs and Refugees Relief Committee (IRRC), told The Irrawaddy on Monday that the UN has already informed his group that they will soon arrive in Laiza.
“They told us they will come in the first week of June,� he said.
The UN has been forbidden from traveling to rebel-held areas until now due to escalating fighting between government troops and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the military wing of Kachin Independence Organization (KIO).
Local Kachin aid groups have reported difficulties providing food and supplies to the estimated 70,000 refugees sheltering in Pangwa, Laiza, Mai Ja Yang and other parts of China’s southeastern Yunnan Province after UN agencies were refused access.
“We have many problems if we have to stay,� said Samang Kada Doi Pyi Sa. “We have to build enough shelters and schools for children as it is rainy. Many of the children cannot join classes yet as we are still building the schools. They may able to join in the middle of June.�
Regarding the lack of safety for UN agencies to travel in KIA areas, Samang Kada Doi Pyi Sa said it depends on the government. If they told their ground troops to stop fighting then there will be sufficient security, he said.
Local aid groups said that the UN agencies will only come to Laiza this time and not the other refugee camps in Pangwa, Mai Ja Yang and other parts of Yunnan Province. There are around 10,000 refugees in Laiza alone, according to the IRRC.
Mai Li Awng, a spokesperson for Wun Tawng Ningtwey (Light for the Kachin People) local relief group based in Mai Ja Yang, said they do not have enough food for refugees next month.
“We are thinking about what to provide them next month because we will soon run out of food,� she said.
“For me, I want the UN to come as soon as possible,� she added. “There is no fighting in Mai Ja Yang now. They have only deployed more troops. That is not a good reason to say there is no security and they cannot come.�
UN agencies sent aid in March and early April but have not been unable to do so for two weeks while clashes escalate due to more government troops being deployed around the KIA’s headquarters in Laiza.
The intensifying conflict has also led to an increase in the number of refugees arriving at camps near Laiza and Pangwa. Mai Li Awng said that there are around 1,000 refugees in Pangwa and her group was unable to provide them with enough to eat.
The IRRC is a relief team set up by the KIO which coordinates efforts to build more shelters for refugees, but it is not clear if they have sufficient materials available to provide for everyone living in the already overcrowded camps.
Fighting in Kachin State broke out last June ending a 17-year-old ceasefire. The conflict has continued since that time despite repeated attempts at negotiations.
Aung Min, Naypyidaw’s Railways Minister and a leading peace negotiator, held an informal meeting with KIO leaders last week in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand.
A report from New York-based human rights group Amnesty International last week accused the Burmese government of crimes against humanity as its troops have launched military offensives against the Kachin rebels which have led to civilians suffering serious abuses.

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Small plane crashes at airport in southern Utah, killing 4 < br />
2012-05-28 15:03:54 GMT+7 (ICT)

ST. GEORGE, UTAH (BNO NEWS) -- Four people were killed on early Saturday morning when a small plane crashed at an airport in southern Utah, but it took more than four hours before the wreckage was discovered, local and federal officials said on Sunday.


The accident is believed to have happened at around 1:30 a.m. local time on Saturday when the single-engine Cessna 172 fixed-wing airplane took off from St. George Municipal Airport, located near St. George in Washington County. The aircraft was carrying four young men on board.


But because the airport is not staffed at night and instead uses an automated system, the wreckage of the plane was not discovered until 6 a.m. during a routine security check of the airport's property. The plane was found about 300 yards (365 meters) from the runway, and rescue workers confirmed there were no survivors.


The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is investigating the cause of the accident, said a security camera at the airport captured the plane flying at a low altitude above the runway before it made a rapid ascent. It was not immediately clear if the video showed the actual crash.


The victims were identified as 28-year-old Colby Hafen, 20-year-old Christopher Chapman, 23-year-old Tanner Holt, and 22-year-old Alexander Metzger. It is unknown if they died immediately upon impact, but officials said they have no reason to believe anyone was alive after the aircraft went down.


The cause of the accident is under investigation.


-- thaivisa.com © BNO News All rights reserved 2012-05-28