Cyclone Giri - Two Years On - Burma Action Ireland

141 Pages·2012·1.14 MB·English

Arakan Human Rights and Development Organisation
Cyclone Giri: Two Years On
Arakan Human Rights and Development Organisation
Cyclone Giri: Two Years On
Voices from the Arakan State of Western Burma (Myanmar)
A report by
Arakan Human Rights and Development Organisation (AHRDO)
December 2012
Cyclone Giri: Two Years On
Documented and published by
Arakan Human Rights and Development Organisation(AHRDO)
December 2012
Contact:
[email protected]
Tel. / Fax : + 66 (0) 55 030 249
Mobile: + 66 (0) 816 736 326
P.O Box-113, Mae Sot, Tak-63110, Thailand
Arakan Human Rights and Development Organisation
[ P A R T I ]
FOREWORDS
In October of 2010, Cyclone Giri struck Arakan State on the west coast of Burma. As with Cyclone
Nargis the military junta’s response to the disaster was characterised by a lack of regard for its own
citizens. Limited and misleading warnings of the approaching storm were issued, aid workers were
denied immediate access to the worst hit areas and a proportion of the aid provided was misappropriated
and sold for profit on the black market. While the victims of the cyclone struggled to stay alive and
support their families, the generals were focusing solely on preparing and campaigning for the general
election held 16 days after Giri struck.
This report, Cyclone Giri: Two Years On, by Arakan Human Rights and Development Organisation
(AHRDO) aims to give a voice to the survivors. It is the first independent assessment of the disaster
response which documents the uncensored voices of the survivors. In numerous interviews they detail
the systematic obstruction of relief aid, willful acts of theft, and the sale of relief supplies. Most significantly,
the survivors faced intimidation and the threat of withdrawal of aid supplies if they failed to vote for the
government’s Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) in the general election.
Other reports have detailed the statistics of the relief effort and some local media have endeavoured to
comment on the human rights abuses. Unlike Cyclone Nargis, the international media have largely ignored
Cyclone Giri. This report is the first to provide accurate information on the full impact of the cyclone, as
provided by local independent relief workers and survivors in Arakan. The people of Burma, especially
the people of Arakan State, are entitled to truth, transparency, accountability and respect for their human
rights. The crimes against the people of Burma must stop, and those who have committed them must be
held accountable. Cyclone Giri: Two Years On is a critical step toward that accountability. The people
of Burma deserve no less.
Dr Cynthia Maung
Coordinator, Emergency Assistance and Relief Team (EART)
Founder Mae Tao Clinic, Mae Sot, Thailand
On 22 October 2010, Cyclone Giri lashed Arakan State on the west coast of Burma with wind speeds of
up to 120-160 mph (193-257 km/h) according to NASA, causing approximately 300 deaths and widespread
damage to homes, paddy farms, fishing equipment and infrastructure.
The military regime allowed international NGOs and relief agencies only limited access to the most
affected areas preventing immediate relief from reaching the already vulnerable people of Arakan State,
causing increased suffering. Worse still, the State backed Union Solidarity and Development Party
(USDP) exploited and intimidated the Cyclone Giri affected communities during the 2010 general election
that was held just 16 days after the cyclone. They provided relief supplies in return for votes and withdrew
relief supplies from those who did not vote for the USDP. Consequently, a large number of survivors
continue to face hardships in rebuilding their homes and livelihoods even two years after the cyclone.
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Cyclone Giri: Two Years On
Cyclone Giri: Two Years On, by the Arakan Human Rights and Development Organisation (AHRDO)
is the first independent assessment of the disaster response to publish the uncensored voices of cyclone
victims, local community leaders and independent relief workers in Arakan State. I hope that this report
will enlighten the new Burmese government and the international community about the situation in
Arakan State two years after Cyclone Giri.
Aung Myo Min
Director
Human Rights Education Institute of Burma (HREIB)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Firstly, we would like to thank all interviewees and field workers, who took lots of risks and overcame
many transportation and communication difficulties in remote affected areas, as well as friends and
donors for their financial assistance for this report.
Secondly, our heartfelt thanks also go out to all the organisations, especially the Arakanese community
groups inside Burma and the Giri Relief Committee, that have provided information, interviews, photos,
etc., and help in various ways toward the publication of this report.
Thirdly, our special thanks go to our Executive Director, Aung Marm Oo, for overseeing the writing of
the report, as well as co-workers and volunteers who processed data, prepared drafts and made translations.
We would like to render recognition and credit to them and have their contributions documented, but
their names must be kept confidential due to security reasons. We also express our gratitude to the
people whose invaluable inputs and suggestions have been an integral part of this report. Without their
assistance and extensive efforts, this report would not have been possible.
Finally, we would also like to give a special mention to the members of the Arakan Human Rights and
Development Organisation (AHRDO), who were responsible for the design and layout of the final
publication.
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Arakan Human Rights and Development Organisation
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FOREWORD................................................................................................................................ i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...........................................................................................................ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS.............................................................................................................. iii
LIST OF MAPS, TABLES AND BOXES.....................................................................................iv
LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS.........................................................................v
PRELIMINARY REMARKS……………………………………………….………………...........vi
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY............................................................................................................ 1
SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………..........2
SECTION 2: BACKGROUND OF ARAKAN...............................................................................8
2.1 Pre-Independence Arakan ………………………………………………….....................9
2.2 Post-Independence Arakan…………………………………………………………........ 9
2.3 Socio-economic Underdevelopment under the military Regimes……………………...... 10
2.4 Healthcare and Education..........................................................……………………...... 11
2.5 Increased Militarisation……………………………………………………………..........13
SECTION 3: METHODOLOGY…………………………………………………………….........14
SECTION 4: FEW LESSONS LEARNED FROM PREVIOUS CYCLONES……………......... 14
4.1 Misleading early Warning…………………………………………………………….......16
4.2 Lack of Mitigation Measures………………………………………………………......... 18
4.3 Deforestation of Mangrove Forests…………………………………………………....... 19
4.4 Nargis: a watershed in “lessons learned”……………………………………………...... 22
SECTION 5: VOICES FROM ARAKAN STATE - FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION…….….....24
5.1 Impact of Cyclone Giri……………………………………………………………….......24
5.2 Relief Efforts………………………………………………………………………..........28
5.3 Misappropriation of Aid…………………………………………………………….........31
5.4 2010 General Election………………………………………………………………........32
5.5 Weak Media Coverage………………………………………………………………....... 34
5.6 Negligence of the Burmese Opposition……………………………………………......... 36
SECTION 6: VOICES FROM ARAKAN STATE AFTER THE CYCLONE............................... 37
6.1 Lessons to learn from Giri…………………………………………………………......... 37
6.2 Torrential Rains and Flooding.……………………………………………………...........40
6.3 Starvation and Water Shortages…………………………………………………….........43
6.4 Healthcare and Education………………………………………………………….......... 46
6.5 Migration……………………………………………………………………………....... 47
6.6 Two Years On: An Overview………………………………………………………......... 49
SECTION 7: CONCLUSIONS………………………………………………………………........46
SECTION 8: RECOMMENDATIONS………………………………………………………....... 59
8.1 To the Burmese Government………………………………………………………......... 59
8.2 To the Donors………………………………………………………………………........ 60
8.3 To the United Nations…………………………………………………………................60
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Cyclone Giri: Two Years On
8.4 To local NGOs and INGOs……………………………………………………………… 61
8.5 To Local and International Media……………………………………………………...... 61
8.6 To Burmese Opposition Groups……………………………………………………........ 61
8.7 To ASEAN…………………………………………………………………………......... 61
Arakan Human Rights and Development Organisation (AHRDO)………………………….......61
Background - Vision - Mission – Objectives – Activities - Working Departments
ANNEXURES………………………………………………………………………………….......63
ANNEXURE I: Excerpts of Interviews in 2011.................................................................... 70
ANNEXURE II: Petitions……………………………………………...................................83
ANNEXURE III: Interviews in 2012………………………………......................................73
ANNEXURE IV: Timeline………………………………………………………………......102
ANNEXURE V: 20 most devastating Cyclones striking Arakan (1884-2010)……….............103
ENDNOTES…………………………………………………………………………………..........104
LIST OF TABLES AND BOXES
Table 1.1: INGO Expenditure in Burma and South Arakan State (2007-2010)
Table 2.1: 2010 Development Indicators of Arakan State
Table 2.2: 2010 Health Indicators of Arakan State
Table 2.3: 2010 Education Indicators of Arakan State
Table 4.1: Chronology of a Disaster wrongly Foretold: DMH observations of Cyclone Giri
Table 5.1: Death Toll
Table 5.2: Fatalities by Township
Table 5.3: Sample: Details of Death Toll in Mraybon Township by Village
Table 5.4: Livestock killed in Kyaukphru, Marmbra, Mraybon and Pauktaw
Table 5.5: Infrastructural Damage by Township
Table 5.6: Sample: Details of Damage in Htoo Chay Village, Mraybon Township
Table 6.1: Access to Quality Roofing in Burma and Arakan State (2005-2010)
Table 6.2: Post-Giri aggregated Food Price and Wage Changes in the worst hit Townships
Table 6.3: Potable Water Access for Giri Survivors’ Households
Table 6.4: Reasons for Primary School Absenteeism in Mraybon, Pauktaw, Kyaukphru, Marmbra
Table 6.5: Relief Effort 1 Month After Cyclone Giri
Table 6.6: Relief Effort 2 Months After Cyclone Giri
Table 6.7: Relief Effort 3 Months After Cyclone Giri
Table 6.8: Relief Effort 6 Months After Cyclone Giri
Table 6.9: Needs of Giri Survivors in the worst hit Townships 1,2,3,4,6 and 9 Months on
Table 6.10: Type of Assistance received by Households in the worst hit Townships 4 Months on
Table 6.11: Funding Shortfall for Giri Victims Recovery 6 Months on
Table 7.1: Comparative Table of Interview Findings of Cyclone Nargis and Giri Survivors
and Relief Workers
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Arakan Human Rights and Development Organisation
Box 1.1: Arakanese Observe Day of the Cyclone Rice Massacre
Box 2.1: Deprivation of Education in Arakan, Burma
Box 4.1: Burma’s pre-Giri Participation in Disaster Risk Reduction “Lessons Learned” Action
Plans/Organisations (1986-2010)
Box 4.2: The Bangladesh Comprehensive Cyclone Preparedness Programme (CCP)
Box 4.3: Size doesn’t matter: Why the same-sized Cyclone had different Impacts in Bangladesh
and Burma
Box 4.4: Burma Dashes ASEAN and UN Hopes of Disaster Cooperation
Box 5.1: Consequences of Junta telling the UN to keep the Humanitarian Operation “low profile”
Box 5.2: Burma: Internet Enemy
Box 6.1: Burma’s Policy Decisions on Disaster Risk Reduction (2010-2011)
Box 6.2: Floods Hit Hardest on Farmers in Arakan
Box 6.3: Climate-related Migration is a serious Threat
Box 6.4: (I)NGO Reasons hindering Giri Relief/Recovery Programmes or causing Delays
LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS
AASYC All Arakan Students’ and Youths’ Congress
ACF Action Contre la Faim (Action against Hunger)
ADB Asian Development Bank
ADRC Asian Disaster Reduction Centre
AHRDO Arakan Human Rights and Development Organisation
AICHR ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights
ALD Arakan League for Democracy
ALNAP Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance in
Humanitarian Action
AMCDRR Asian Ministerial Conference on DRR
ASEAN Association of South East Asian Nations
BBB Build Back Better
BNI Burma News International
BSPP Burma Socialist Programme Party
CBO Community Based Organisation
DKBA Democratic Karen Buddhist Army
DMH Department of Meteorology and Hydrology
DPDC District Peace and Development Council
DPT Diphtheria, Pertussis, and Tetanus
DREF Disaster Relief Emergency Fund
DRR Disaster Risk Reduction
DVB Democratic Voice of Burma
EAT Emergency Assistance Team
ESCAP UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
FAO (UN) Food and Agricultural Organisation
FGT Foster-Greer-Thorbecke
GDP Gross Domestic Product
GONGO Government Organised Non-Governmental Organisation
GRC Giri Relief Committee
HC (UN) Humanitarian Co-ordinator
HFA Hyogo Framework for Action
HRW Human Rights Watch
IA RTE Inter-Agency Real Time Evaluation (of response to Cyclone Nargis)
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Cyclone Giri: Two Years On
IDP Internally Displaced Person
IIGA Immediate Income Generating Activities
ILO International Labour Organisation
IMD Indian Meteorology Department
INGO International Non-Governmental Organisation
IFRC International Federation of the Red Cross & Red Crescent Societies
IRIN (UN) Integrated Regional Information Networks
LCD Least Developed Country
LIB Light Infantry Battalion
MDG Millennium Development Goal
MIMU Myanmar Information Management Unit
MMT The Myanmar Times
MRCS Myanmar Red Cross Society
MRTV Myanmar Radio and Television
MSF Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders)
MT Metric Tons
NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NDPCC National Disaster Preparedness Central Committee
NGO Non-Governmental Organisation
NLD National League for Democracy
NLM The New Light of Myanmar
NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
OCHA (UN) Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
ODA Official Development Assistance
RC (UN) Resident Co-ordinator
Res. Resolution
RNDP Rakhine Nationalities Development Party
RSMC Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre
RSWM Relief and Social Welfare Ministry
SPDC State Peace and Development Council
TPDC Township Peace and Development Council
UEC Union Election Commission
UN United Nations
UNDP UN Development Programme
UNGA UN General Assembly
UNHCR UN High Commissioner for Refugees
UNIC UN Information Centre (Rangoon)
UNICEF UN International Children’s Emergency Fund
UNISDR UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction
USDA Union Solidarity and Development Association
USDP Union Solidarity and Development Party
UTC Co-ordinated Universal Time
VPDC Village Peace and Development Council
WASH Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
WFP World Food Programme
WMO World Meteorological Organisation
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