News & Articles on Burma, Saturday, 13 June 2009
Jun 13th, 2009
Czech ForMin to promote tough sanctions against Burmese junta
Burmese and DKBA Troops Block Civilians Fleeing Conflict
MSF plans healthcare in refugee camp
Prevalence of HIV in drug users increases in Myanmar
RI woos India, China over Suu Kyi
Myanmar high court sets date for Suu Kyi appeal
Myanmar to expedite precautionary measures against new flu
EU calls for a ceasefire in Eastern Burma
Free Aung San Suu Kyi
Local People Key to Mangrove Forest Restoration
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Czech ForMin to promote tough sanctions against Burmese junta
published: 12.06.2009, 13:52 | updated: 12.06.2009 14:02:56
Prague – Czech Foreign Minister Jan Kohout today received a petition in support of the release of political prisoners in Burma submitted to him by the People in Need group and the Burma Centre Prague, and pledged to push for the EU to impose further sanctions against the Burmese military junta.
Kohout said at the EU foreign ministers’ meeting next Monday, which he will chair on behalf of the Czech EU presidency, he will promote further EU sanctions on the junta over its keeping political prisoners.
“It should be targeted sanctions that should mainly affect those who are responsible for the whole situation,” said Kohout.
He said restrictive measures against the Burmese regime are supported by all 27 EU countries, but the ministers must yet agree on their exact formulation.
“On behalf of the Czech presidency I can say we will seek to have the sanctions clear, strong, tough and targeted,” Kohout said.
More than 5,000 Czechs signed the petition, a part of the global appeal to U.S. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to personally push for the release of political prisoners in Burma.
Marie Perinova, from People in Need, said over 2,000 political prisoners are detained in Burma now. Their number considerably increased after the regime suppressed a wave of demonstration in autumn 2007, she told CTK.
“Many of them have been given extremely high sentences and many have been transferred to prisons that are far from Yangon where their families live,” Perinova said.
The persecuted Burmese dissidents include Nobel Peace Prize holder Aung San Suu Kyi, who is being tried for suspected breach of house arrest. Her trial has provoked sharp protests from the international community.
http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/
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Burmese and DKBA Troops Block Civilians Fleeing Conflict
By SAW YAN NAING Saturday, June 13, 2009
Karen villagers trying to reach the relative safety of Thailand after weeks of heavy fighting in Karen State are trapped and hiding in the jungle, as Burmese junta troops and their allies try to prevent them from joining the four thousand civilians who have already crossed the border.
Recent fighting in southern Karen State has sent a new wave of refugees fleeing for the relative safety of the Thai-Burmese border. (Photo: FBR)
Saw Hla Htun, the chairman of the Karen Youth Organization, told The Irrawaddy on Saturday that several hundred villagers from Pa-an District in southern Karen State were unable to reach the border because Burmese soldiers and troops from the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) are blocking their way.
The villagers are fleeing an offensive against Brigade 7 of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) that began nearly two weeks ago. Civilians are routinely targeted by Burmese troops as part of the regime’s efforts to cripple KNLA resistance.
Karen sources on the border said that refugees who have reached Thailand since the recent fighting began are now seeking shelter in Noh Bo, Oo Thu Hta and Mae Salit, in the district of Tha Song Yang in Thailand’s Tak Province.
According to the sources, Burmese troops are still shelling areas under the control of KNLA Brigade 7. They added that about six mortars have landed in Thai territory.
On Friday, a mortar landed near the village of Mae Salit in Tha Song Yang, putting local villagers on alert against the possibility of further cross-border attacks by the Burmese troops.
Schools in Mae Salit were also temporarily closed as a precaution, as villagers stand ready to evacuate, according to a Karen news organization known as Kwe Ka Lu.
Due to the ongoing attack, about five KNLA soldiers have been hospitalized in the Thai border town of Mae Sot, said officials from the Karen National Union (KNU), the political wing of the KNLA.
KNU officials claimed that the fighting had killed about 20 soldiers from the combined Burmese and DKBA force, while around 50 others had been injured. Some local reports put the total number of dead and wounded at around 100.
Meanwhile, a couple of DKBA soldiers were also reportedly found in Thailand, according to KNU sources.
One DKBA soldiers from Battalion 555 was arrested on Friday after crossing the Moei River separating Thailand and Burma. He has been taken into custody and is being questioned by the Thai army, sources said.
The joint force of Burmese and DKBA troops has been attacking the area controlled by KNLA Brigade 7 since the first week of June. The combined force has launched few grounds attacks, fearing landmines planted by the KNLA, relying instead on heavy mortar shelling.
On Friday, fighting at the frontline increased in areas where KNLA Battalion 21 is based, according to the Free Burma Rangers, a relief group that assists civilian victims of the fighting deep inside the conflict zone.
The Burmese army also fired about 20 mortars into KNLA Brigade 7 areas on Friday, according to the KNU’s joint secretary (1), Maj Hla Ngwe. Further attacks and more refugees are also expected, he added.
Also, Burmese military sources reported that about 10 Burmese battalions under Military Operation Command 4 based in Phugyi, Rangoon Division, recently arrived in southern Karen Sate as reinforcements.
A source close to the Thai army said that the buildup is in preparation for a planned escalation of attacks on the KNLA. A major battle could take place within the next two days, he added.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/
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MSF plans healthcare in refugee camp
Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has said that it would launch an emergency healthcare programme for Rohingya refugees in southeastern Bangladesh where tens of thousands of the Myanmar nationals have lived in squalid camps for years.
“In response to the situation, MSF is in the process of starting an emergency programme providing basic healthcare to children under five years of age, running an outpatient and inpatient feeding programme, and taking measures to improve the water and sanitation in the camps,” the humanitarian organisation said on Thursday.
It said that MSF was recently alerted to a growing health crisis in Kutupalong camp, located in Cox’s Bazar district, adjacent to Myanmar’s Rakhine state from where tens of thousands of Rohingyas have fled to Bangladesh to avoid political persecution by the junta in Myanmar.
The Rohingyas are struggling to survive unassisted in a makeshift camp. An estimated 20,000 people were found to be living in foul conditions, with little access to safe drinking water or sanitation, according to an assessment by an MSF team in Bangladesh.
“In (the) Kutupalong unofficial camp the water and sanitation situation is appalling and needs to be addressed urgently,” said Michel Becks, MSF water and sanitation expert.
Becks added that with the forthcoming rainy season presenting a threat to the health of the population, urgent intervention is required to prevent the further spread of disease.
The makeshift Kutupalong camp is situated next to an official refugee camp operated by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The makeshift camp has reportedly been in existence for over a year, gradually increasing in population size.
The camp is populated by Muslim Rohingyas, a people who for decades have fled the persecution and discrimination they face in Myanmar.
Few of them find the assistance they hope for and many go on to suffer countless indignities in the countries to which they have fled, according to MSF.
Bangladesh has recently asked the Myanmar authorities to begin the repatriation of Rohingyas.
The repatriation process has been stalled for more than five years. According to official estimates, as many as 22,000 Rohingyas are sheltering in camps.
Unofficial counts say more than 200,000 other Myanmar nationals, mostly minority Muslims, have taken refuge in Bangladesh over the past decade.
Dhaka has increased vigilance on the Myanmar border to prevent the influx of the Rohingyas as the Myanmar border guards drive many of their Muslim minorities into Bangladesh, a predominately Muslim country. IANS
http://www.gulf-times.com/
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Prevalence of HIV in drug users increases in Myanmar
www.chinaview.cn 2009-06-13 10:32:52
YANGON, June 13 (Xinhua) — Prevalence of HIV in drug users in Myanmar’s two cities of Yangon and Myitgyinar increased by three times in 2008 compared with 2007, according to the health ministry Saturday.
Of the drug users carrying HIV, those in Myitgyinar took 54.5 percent, while those in Yangon 19 percent, the sources said, adding that most are aged from 30 to 34 taking 46.79 percent of the total.
Meanwhile, Myanmar has introduced a project on HIV prevention for migrant workers moving into the country’s two border areas of Tachilek and Muse for livelihood.
The project, to be implemented by Myanmar’s Anti-Narcotics Association (MANA) with the cooperation of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), directs at young migrant workers including women coming to work at the border areas or crossing border.
Prevention against the spreading of HIV among them and reproductive health education are being covered by the project as an initial phase.
According to the health ministry, HIV prevalence rate in Myanmar has attained the most critical point especially in the border areas where socio-economic status is complicated.
The authorities have launched education campaign in eastern Shan state’s Tachilek in 2008 and the campaign on HIV prevention is being extended to Muse in northern Shan state.
Moreover, two Myanmar cities in the northern part — Lashio and Mandalay were found with most HIV-carrying sex workers, according to the ministry.
Of the 945 sex workers examined during a census conducted for six areas in the country in 2007, 147 were found infected with HIV with those from Lashio accounting for 22.7 percent, Mandalay 22.6 percent, Myitgyina 17.9 percent, Taunggyi 14.4 percent, Yangon 9.6percent and Kengtung 1.2 percent.
The HIV victims, aged from 30 to 34, took 22.8 percent, while those from 25 to 29 represented 18 percent, 20 to 24 17.3 percent, the figures showed.
More figures revealed that a total of 2,190 people, engaged in the sector, were exposed as carrying HIV in 2008.
However, according to a latest report of the UNAIDS, the number of people infected with HIV in Myanmar dropped to 240,000 in 2007 from 300,000 in 2001, thanks to the government’s anti-HIV efforts for years.
HIV/AIDS is among the three major communicable diseases of national concern designated by Myanmar. The other two diseases are tuberculosis and malaria.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/
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Saturday, June 13, 2009 1:54 PM
RI woos India, China over Suu Kyi
Lilian Budianto , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Sat, 06/13/2009 1:17 PM | World
Indonesia has sought support from Asian giants India and China to push reforms in military-ruled Myanmar, following the latest twist in the trial against its opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Both communist China and democratic India have kept backing Myanmar’s notorious junta with close economic ties in a time when the Western countries and international organizations have considered imposing more economic sanctions on Yangon, following a fresh round of trumped-up charges against the Nobel laureate.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said Friday Jakarta made the request to China and India to push Myanmar for reforms in a UN forum, which convened envoys from India, China, Myanmar and Japan, as well as a representative from the multilateral body.
“Those countries play a key role to find a settlement in Myanmar’s issue… and we very much would like to see them urge Myanmar to embrace the value of human rights.”
Faizasyah revealed, however, there had been reluctance from India to act tough on Myanmar as “it might hurt its national interests”.
London-based International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) reported Myanmar has become China’s closest ally in Southeast Asia. Yangon has been a major recipient of Chinese military hardware and a potential springboard for projecting Chinese military power in the region since 1988.
The report says India has also cemented ties with the junta by shifting its strategy away from supporting Myanmar’s opposition movement. New Delhi has offered Myanmar favorable trade relations and cooperation against ethnic insurgents along the Indo-Myanmarese frontier.
“To exert more *pressure* on Myanmar, we want to bring the UN forum into a ministerial level forum but the idea has not been welcomed by India, citing concerns of its national interests,” Faizasyah said.
The international world has exhausted unsuccessful efforts to push reform in the country ruled by the military junta since 1962.
The regional body of ASEAN, in which Myanmar is a member, has failed to hold Yangon to its commitment to enforcing human rights and democracy despite its ratification of the ASEAN Charter last year.
Indonesia came under international spotlight to further support Suu Kyi’s plight, as the third-largest democracy in the world has boasted leverage to spearhead rights reforms among the ten member states, which have varying degrees of political maturity.
During an official visit to the US on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda said Indonesia stood firm in pushing Myanmar to hold democracy but saying there should be more “engagement” methods instead of economic sanctions that might hurt locals.
The economic sanctions by the EU and United States have barred Myanmar from trade relations with themselves.
Suu Kyi has been charged with violating her terms of arrests by allowing an uninvited American man, who swam secretly to her closely-guarded lake side house, to stay two nights.
The 63-year-old has been under house arrest for 13 of the past 19 years after the party won a landslide victory in the 1990 election.
She faces up to five years imprisonment if convicted guilty.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/
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Myanmar high court sets date for Suu Kyi appeal
AFP
YANGON (AFP) – Myanmar’s high court has set a date for a hearing on Aung San Suu Kyi’s appeal against a ban on two witnesses in her trial on charges of breaking her house arrest rules, the opposition leader’s party said.
The Supreme Court will hear the application on June 17 after previously saying this would be postponed to a later date, said Nyan Win, one of Aung San Suu Kyi’s lawyers and spokesman for her National League for Democracy (NLD).
“The Supreme Court announced the date on the notice board yesterday… We have to give our arguments for admission (of the appeal) on that day,” he said
The 63-year-old Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi faces up to five years in jail if convicted on charges that she allowed an uninvited American man to swim to hear lakeside home in May.
Her main trial, at a special court in Yangon’s notorious Insein prison, has been adjourned until June 26.
The two witnesses who have been banned from testifying in Aung San Suu Kyi’s defence are Win Tin, a journalist and Myanmar’s longest-serving political prisoner until his release in September, and detained deputy NLD leader Tin Oo.
The hearings have been criticised as a “show trial” by US President Barack Obama and have drawn condemnation from politicians worldwide.
Aung San Suu Kyi has spent 13 of the last 19 years in detention since the junta refused to recognise the NLD’s landslide victory in the country’s last elections, in 1990.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/
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Myanmar to expedite precautionary measures against new flu
www.chinaview.cn 2009-06-13 10:25:56
YANGON, June 13 (Xinhua) — Myanmar is seeking more ways to scale up preventive measures against new influenza A/H1N1 pandemic although no such case is reported so far in the country, the official newspaper New Light of Myanmar reported Saturday.
The Ministry of Health is continuing to carry out surveillance work at the country’s international airports, ports and border check points in order that the pandemic does not spread to Myanmar.
Such checks have been done since April 25.
The ministry called for further cooperation among related departments in the aspects as a national duty, stressing the need to step up giving educative talks and raise public awareness about the pandemic through suitable communication means and calling on people on their part to follow the public notices exactly to inform the authorities if a suspicious case is found.
A total of 74 countries have found 28,774 confirmed new influenza A/H1N1 cases and there were 144 deaths from April 17 to June 11.
The World Health Organization has warned that the new influenzaA/H1N1 is spreading as a pandemic and has reached phase-6.
Meanwhile, Myanmar’s Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department and the World Animal Health Organization (OIE) have metrecently in Yangon and discussed matters related to veterinary services meeting the set standards of OIE.
Special Report: World Tackles A/H1N1 Flu http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/
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EU calls for a ceasefire in Eastern Burma
Source: The Irrawaddy
Date: 12 Jun 2009
By ARKAR MOE
The European Union council under the Czech Presidency voiced serious concern at the growing Burmese military offensive against Karen rebels on Thursday, June 11, and called for an immediate truce.
The Burma Campaign UK warmly welcomed the EU declaration condemning the Burmese Army offensive.
The EU declaration calls on the Burmese army to ceasefire and to comply with international humanitarian and human rights law.
It is the first time the European Union has made a statement specifically about the present crisis in Eastern Burma. The declaration came following the offensive launched by the Burmese Army and its allies against the Karen National Union (KNU), Burma’s longest armed resistant group, early in June.
“The EU has noted with serious concern the mounting offensive of the Burmese Army and its allies against the Karen National Liberation Army, which has resulted in large numbers of civilians fleeing from the conflict area in Kayin/Karen State to Thailand,” the statement said.
David Takarpaw, vice-chairman of the KNU, told The Irrawaddy on Friday that, “Many camps for refugees and internally displaced persons—so-called IDPs— as well as schools and houses have been destroyed by the Burmese military offensive. Although the EU has called for an immediate truce, the attacks are continuing.”
“Over 4,000 Karen villagers have fled their homes in eastern Burma to Thailand,” he said.
The EU statement said, “The EU calls for an immediate ceasefire and requests the authorities and military operators to ensure the protection of civilians at all times and to comply with international humanitarian and human rights law.”
David Takarpaw said, “We warmly welcome the EU statement because it is the first time the European Union has issued a specific condemnation over this crisis. Although we had been hoping to discuss a cease-fire with the Burmese military junta, they have launched heavy attacks to divert attention from the Suu Kyi trial.”
“The EU is strongly concerned about the humanitarian situation of the thousands of newly displaced persons in Thailand,” said the declaration, affirming that the EU is ready to “provide more assistance where possible.”
The Burma Campaign UK said that the EU statement referred to a joint Burmese army and Democratic Karen Buddhist Army force that began a new offensive, forcing more than 4,000 people to flee their homes.
Up to 200 people have been used as forced labor to carry military equipment for the Burmese Army and their allies, they said.
The Karen, Karenni and Shan States in Eastern Burma have been suffering from one of the worst human rights and humanitarian crisis in the country, the Burma Campaign UK stated, adding that more than 3,300 villages had been destroyed in the past 15 years.
The United Nations has accused the dictatorship of breaking the Geneva Conventions by deliberately targeting civilians, they said.
Zoya Phan, a Karen refugee who is the international coordinator for Burma Campaign UK said, “It is very welcome that the European Union has spoken out about these new attacks against the Karen people, and demanded an immediate ceasefire.”
“For too long the international community has ignored what is going on in eastern Burma. If the dictatorship does not implement a ceasefire, we need to see the EU apply practical pressure, including building support for a global arms embargo against Burma, and supporting a commission of inquiry into these human rights abuses,” she said.
David Takarpaw said, “International and EU ambassadors should apply strong diplomatic pressure on their respective Burmese ambassadors and diplomats. The international community needs to take action against the Burmese military.”
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/
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Op-Ed Contributor
Free Aung San Suu Kyi
By BERNARD KOUCHNER
Published: June 12, 2009
PARIS — “Freedom from fear.” These words, uttered by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in 1990, resound more than ever as a call for help at a time when the Burmese junta has initiated proceedings against her that are as absurd as they are unjustified. We are not fooled: This is a poor pretext to prevent her from participating in the upcoming elections.
“Freedom from fear.” How can one not cry out for freedom for this great lady, Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1991? I met her in Yangon at the end of 2002, just a few months before her endless enforced isolation began. Since her arrest on Thursday, May 14, the thoughts of all those who admire and support her are with the “Lady of Yangon,” a woman full of dignity and finesse, energy and calm, intelligence and compassion.
“Freedom from fear.” It was the living incarnation of these few words who appeared before an audience both mesmerized and awed by this living legend. Her every word was heard by a silent, respectful public, a public that did not dare to sit while she spoke. Simple, yet firm words. Innocent words. Calm and fearless words.
For over 20 years, Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi has been struggling in silence and with unshakeable courage, supported by the conviction that “it is not power that corrupts, but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it, and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it.” For over 20 years, her refusal of fear accompanies us, mobilizes us, forces us to defend her against a despicable regime.
How can one accept that a woman, whom some call the Gandhi of Burma, could be considered a criminal so dangerous that she must be kept away from all contact with the rest of humanity? For six years, this incredibly determined woman has been under house arrest. She lives in the sole company of two companions in misfortune. Six years of an enforced isolation, even crueler than prison. Six years with no outside contact other than sporadic medical visits, before the arrest of her doctor; or, even more rarely, a meeting with a diplomat.
Six years of isolation, but in reality 19 years of deprivation of freedom. Since the 1990 elections, which saw the victory of the opposition and which should have made her the leader of her country, the junta has deprived the Burmese people of their rights. Freedom has fled this country. For 19 years, the “Lady of Yangon” has known only brief moments of freedom. Her husband died before she could see him again.
This inhumane isolation could have ended on May 27, with the official end of her house arrest, if new proceedings had not been initiated against her under false pretenses. Once again, Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi is being persecuted, even though her health is deteriorating and she risks being sentenced to five years of imprisonment, which she may not survive.
The Burmese regime cannot continue to turn a deaf ear to the appeals from all over Europe, America and Asia calling for her release and that of other political prisoners. It cannot ignore indefinitely the demand made with a single voice by the Asia-Europe Ministerial Meeting on May 26 in Hanoi, or the call for dialogue in Myanmar launched a few days earlier, in an unprecedented gesture, by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations — an organization of which Myanmar is a member.
I reiterate forcefully that the release of Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi is a matter of urgency, as Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Nicolas Sarkozy strongly reminded us at their joint press conference on Thursday. Only dialogue with the opposition will bestow legitimacy on the upcoming 2010 elections.
Twenty years after the elections that saw the victory of the National League for Democracy, these elections are vital for the future of this martyred country. Myanmar can no longer remain isolated from the rest of the world. On the contrary, it must rejoin the rest of the world, and the international community is ready to help.
As a start, the military junta should admit that no solution can be found without including Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi in the electoral process. Senior General Than Shwe must understand that she is his best asset to guarantee the unity, the stability and finally the prosperity of the country, and that she is not a threat to his power. If the generals were to listen to the Burmese people, they would in turn free themselves from the fear that their people instill in them.
Bernard Kouchner is the minister of foreign and European affairs of France.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/
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Local People Key to Mangrove Forest Restoration
By WAI SANN Saturday, June 13, 2009
RANGOON —Local people have taken up the effort to restore the mangrove forests devastated in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis in the Irrawaddy delta, say local environmentalists.
“Now, people have come to understand the importance of the mangrove forests while facing natural disasters, which is what we solely needed in our restoration efforts,” an official with the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) said on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media.
Mangrove forest restoration agencies must work hand in hand with local people, he said, to replant and conserve the mangrove forests which were destroyed or heavily damaged in the cyclone that struck in May 2008, leaving behind nearly 140,000 dead or missing, and 2 million survivors, many of whom are still struggling to survive.
Environmentalists contend that the restoration of the mangrove forests is now more important than ever and work must move ahead even as efforts to help survivors of Cyclone Nargis continue to demand the attention of domestic and international relief agencies.
“Without the participation of local people, there is little chance that efforts to restore the mangrove forests will succeed,” said a marine biologist working on the project.
According to the Post-Nargis Joint Assessment (Ponja) report, 16,800 hectares (30 percent) of the mangrove forest were destroyed and an estimated 20,999 hectares of forest plantations were damaged in Rangoon and Irrawaddy divisions.
In areas where there were dense mangrove forests, thousands of people escaped death and serious injury in the cyclone.
In Gway Chaung Village in the Kadonkani forest reserve in Bogalay Township, 700 out of 1,000 villagers were reportedly saved by the mangrove plantations, which acted as natural barriers.
Additionally, about two-thirds of the inhabitants of Nga Pwe Tan Village in Bogalay Township were saved from the killer storm and 10-foot tidal surge.
In Kan Bala Tabin Village in Laputta Township, 293 inhabitants out of 300 escaped the deadly cyclone and storm surge, thanks to 380 hectares of mangrove forests that had been conserved by the villagers.
“We now know the value of the [mangrove] forest, and are ready to participate in restoring activities,” said a resident of Nga Pwe Tan Village.
Mangrove forests also serve as a source of direct and indirect income for a large number of artisans, fishermen, landless poor and marginal farmers.
The government has a five-year plan restore mangrove and non-mangrove plantations, river bank plantations and forests.
However, it will not be an easy task to replace the lost forests in a short time, environmentalists said, and will require many years.
Win Sein Naing, the chairman of the Mangrove Service Network (MSN), was quoted as saying there is now a shortage of seedlings, and there are insufficient funds to fully support the restoration program.
Cyclone Nargis struck during flowering time and seeds from some mangrove species could not be collected, which is holding back restoration efforts along the southern coast.
To increase awareness of environmental issues, ecologists are urging local people to participate in community forestry, which involves the sustainable use of forests as part of a long-term project.
Even before the cyclone, a vast amount of mangrove forest area had been lost or degraded by human activity, said environmentalists.
Farmers and businessmen in the Irrawaddy delta had cleared large tracts of coastal mangrove forests to expand rice fields and to use the trees for timber and charcoal manufacturing.
In the 1990s, agricultural encroachment and the introduction of shrimp farms further degraded the mangrove forests.
A mangrove forest conservation agency has estimated that in 1924, mangrove forests covered more than 242,811 hectares in the delta area. In 1998, only one-fifth of that area, or 48,562 hectares, remained. Much of the loss was attributed to a boom in the charcoal industry in the 1970s.
Copyright © 2008 Irrawaddy Publishing Group | www.irrawaddy.org
June 14th, 2009 at 3:06 am
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