21 – 27 May: Protests Demanding Increased Power Supply Illustrates Burma’s Unpreparedness for Influx of Foreign Investment

May 28, 2012

Last week saw various inspiring actions bravely undertaken by the people against injustice and the government’s irresponsibility in fulfilling their daily needs such as electricity. There were actions against land confiscations, low wages, violations of labor rights, and, largest of all, against the significant shortage of power in various areas across Burma.

During the past few weeks there have been worker strikes in as many as 20 different factories. These include the 25 people on hunger strike that continued into its second day on Saturday at Yangon Crown Steel factory in Hmawbi, Yangon Division, where almost 400 workers have been on strike since May 20. Despite the number of worker strikes, only a few have had successful negotiations with factory owners. Many have suggested that this is due to the lack of a government policy outlining a minimum wage and laws that protect the rights of workers. This is a reminder again of how the government is unprepared to accommodate foreign investment and manage the type of development it will bring.

Farmers are at high risk of being victims of land confiscations as more companies move into the country. There have been many cases of farmers taking steps against such abuses, demanding fair compensation from perpetrators. These are among the major cases Burma Partnership has compiled in the new People’s Voices feature on our website.

Among all the actions taken by the people, the largest have been the peaceful demonstrations that started in Mandalay on 20 May and grew to the biggest protests in the five years since the Saffron Revolution. More than 1,000 people in Mandalay took to the streets where they staged a candle-lit protest against power shortages and demanded 24-hour electricity. More people joined in the following days. The protests spread to other areas of Burma, such as Monywa, Rangoon, and Pyay despite the authorities denying permission to protest, claiming that detailed rules and procedures for the Peaceful Protest Law are yet to be issued and therefore protestors are subject to arrests. The protests were supported and joined by artists and activists like 88 Generation Students leaders. As she addressed the crowd at the opening of NLD branch office in East Dagon Township in Rangoon, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said she was “pleased with the people holding non-violent protests to express their will” and called on government officials “to listen to the people and fulfill their desires.”

Instead of fulfilling the desires of the people, the government unsurprisingly began detaining protestors they believed to be leaders of the protests. As many as 40 protesters were detained for questions in Mandalay on the second day of the protests and five NLD members were briefly detained during the protest in the Town of Pyay, Pegu Division. Moreover, the government’s lack of understanding was exemplified in Presidential advisor Ko Ko Hlaing’s comment in a press conference, in which he said, “Switch off the light and light up your candles at home and everything will be fine,” fuelling anger among protesters.

In the state-run New Light of Myanmar, the government attempted to explain that the reduction in the power supply was unavoidable due to the shortage of rain that consequently led to the reduced capacity of hydropower dams. They also blamed a bomb attack that targeted the electric towers in Kachin State claiming, as they have repeatedly in the past, that the Kachin Independence Army was responsible. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said that the reasons the government gave for power shortages were not good enough. While the protesters raised concerns about the amount of electricity being sold to China, Daw Suu stressed that Burma has enough natural resources to produce sufficient electricity and that it is the system that has cursed the people of a rich country to be poor.

The latest push of investors has left people wondering what the logic is behind the huge investments coming to Burma when there is no steady supply of electricity. Thailand’s recent approval of 203 projects worth over 30 billion baht to support the development of the Tavoy Deep Sea Port is a recent example. Others, such as Japan, have begun talks to develop an investment treaty in preparation for the imminent influx of business. With the government’s lack of preparation and capacity, how much the people of Burma will benefit from these investments will depend only on how ethical the investors are.

With the rush of companies into Burma, the international community has increasingly failed to address the issues of political prisoners and the need for legal reform, the ongoing armed conflict in ethnic areas and the suffering in particular of the Kachin people, and even the rightful desire of the people for such a basic need as electricity. These persistent problems prove that the changes the international community has been praising have yet to improve the daily life of the people. Rather than forging ahead with business at the expense of the people, the international community has a crucial role to play in ensuring that the government undertake legal and policy reforms in order to prepare for sustainable development that will have lasting benefits for all the people of Burma.

News Highlights

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will address the World Economic Forum on East Asia in Bangkok on 1 June, the International Labour Organization conference in Geneva on 14 June and the UK Parliament on 21 June during her first trip outside of Burma in 24 years

Inside Burma

Hardliners of the former military regime are reportedly being pushed out over corruption to allow the government’s reform process to continue

Fresh fighting breaks out between the Burma Army and the Shan State Army-South despite the signing of a peace agreement last weekend, which comprised a landmark decision to resettle all displaced Shan families in southern Shan State

Humanitarian groups warn that a growing number of Kachin women being trafficked over the Chinese border

The Voice Weekly wins a rare court victory and will not have to reveal the name of its reporter who wrote about corruption at government ministries

Officials order six mining companies to suspend their activities after villagers file a lawsuit claiming their land has been contaminated with mercury

An investment summit will take place in Rangoon in June to discuss investment outlook and opportunities

WPP becomes the first foreign advertising group to invest since sanctions were lifted

Regional

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh becomes the first Indian prime minister in 25 years to visit Burma

India’s National Human Rights Commission asks the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission to take up the issue of migration from Burma to India due to reported fear of systematic persecution

ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan says authorities need to keep calm and avoid violence in the face of protests against electricity shortages

The President of the Burmese Rohingya Association of Thailand asks Daw Suu to help the Rohingya reclaim their rights

Representatives from refugee support agencies and international NGOs meet with officials to discuss plans for resettlement of internally displaced persons and war refugees

Singapore to invest in Burma tourism

International

Norway’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Torgeir Larsen to meet with leaders of the Karen National Union

A leaked UN report detailing allegations surrounding North Korean weapon smuggling cites Lower House Speaker Shwe Man

Opinion

Norway Outlines Burma ‘Peace Initiative’
By Francis Wade
The Democratic Voice of Burma

How the Optimism About Burma is Subverted By Its Never-Ending Civil War
By Sebastian Strangio
The New Republic

New Rights, Old Wrongs in Myanmar
By Benjamin Zawacki and Donna Jean Guest
Asia Times

Latest From the Blog

International Community Neglects to Take a Stand as Humanitarian Crisis Deepens in Kachin State
By Burma Partnership

Actions

President Thein Sein’s economic advisor calls for the restoration of Rangoon University and its student union building

69 people from Shan State sign letter to President Thein Sein calling for 24-hour electricity and sufficient water supply

Statements and Press Releases

Burma: Release Critically Ill Phyo Wai Aung Without Delay
By Asian Human Rights Commission

Burma: Allow Early Release of 3 Political Prisoners Facing Imminent Threats to Life Due to Critical Health Conditions
By Assistance Association for Political Prisoners – Burma

Peaceful Protestors Face Violence by Burma’s Police
By Assistance Association for Political Prisoners – Burma

China Power Investment Seeks Backing of Global Dam Industry to Push Ahead with Myitsone Project
By Kachin Development Networking Group

Statement on the Current Reforms in Burma
By Mae Tao Clinic

US Suspends Economic Sanctions Without Meeting Human Rights Benchmarks
By Women’s League of Burma, Forum for Democracy in Burma, Nationalities Youth Forum, Student and Youth Congress of Burma