MYANMAR: Few options for the blind
YANGON, 15 September 2009 (IRIN) - Myanmar has one of the highest rates of blindness in Asia, yet the country has scant resources to help visually impaired people, medical researchers and aid workers say.
The World Health Organization (WHO) in 2008 identified avoidable blindness as an emerging health issue in the country, while aid organizations say it is a major public health concern in impoverished rural areas.
Researchers and aid workers say there is a lack of eye care services and resources in Myanmar.
According to the Vision Myanmar Programme, a training and research project run by the South Australian Institute of Ophthalmology, there are only 200 eye surgeons or ophthalmologists for Myanmar’s population of over 50 million. Most are in Yangon and Mandalay. Outside of these two cities, there is one ophthalmologist for every half a million people, it said.
“Of course there is a shortage of doctors… There simply aren’t enough surgeons,” the programme’s founder, Henry Newland, told IRIN from Adelaide, Australia.
The Vision Myanmar Programme started a four-year programme in 2008, primarily funded by AusAID, to provide training for eye surgeons, as well as provide equipment and facility upgrades.
In 2005, the programme conducted a population-based blindness survey of over 2,000 people in rural villages in central Myanmar and identified a blindness prevalence rate of 8.1 percent among people over 40, which it said is the highest published rate in the world.
And according to 2001 figures published by WHO, Myanmar had a blindness prevalence rate of 0.9 percent of its population, among the highest in the region. Thailand had a blindness prevalence rate of 0.3 percent, while India’s was 0.7 percent.
Avoidable blindness
Most of Myanmar’s visually impaired people suffer from avoidable blindness, which can either be treated or prevented. Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness, followed by glaucoma, while Vitamin A deficiency causes blindness in children.
“Eighty percent of these cases are avoidable by either preventive measures or curative measures, surgery,” said Newland.
Hoping to make a living, Myo Myint Oo studied cane weaving for several years. Despite his efforts, the blind 39-year-old has been unable to find anyone to employ him.
Unable to feed or shelter himself, Myo Myint Oo is forced to rely on the government-run School for the Blind (Kyimyindine) in Yangon, where he learnt the cane craft.
"I want to stand on my own feet … But how can I, when nobody wants to employ a blind person like me?" he said.
Stigmatized
Like other disabled groups, blind people in Myanmar are stigmatized as unproductive members of society and find it difficult to live independent lives.
"Visually impaired people are still being isolated and excluded from society, “Maung Maung Tar, the principal of the school, told IRIN, adding that there was a need to change attitudes to the affliction.
Myanmar has a policy of inclusive education, which means disabled students, including those who are blind, are allowed to attend classes in mainstream schools.
However, there are challenges to implementing the policy, since schools lack the required resources and facilities.
“The schools should be equipped with teaching materials in Braille, and teachers who know how to teach the blind by using Braille,” said Thein Lwin, the general secretary of the Myanmar Christian Fellowship of the Blind (MCFB) NGO, which runs two schools for the blind.
Despite official policy, mainstream schools are not properly equipped to cater for blind students, meaning that most children are forced to attend specialist schools. However, there are just seven state and NGO-run schools for blind children in the whole country, where over 700 blind and visually impaired students receive a formal or vocational education.
Few options
Although a small percentage of blind students strive for as much education as possible, most do not finish high school.
"There are almost no job opportunities for blind graduates, which discourages them from pursuing higher formal education," said Aung Ko Myint, secretary-general of the Myanmar National Association of the Blind (MNAB).
"So, most of the blind prefer vocational education to formal education," he said.
In an effort to help the blind find jobs, organizations provide vocational training. But there are commonly just two types of vocational training on offer - cane craft and massage - leaving blind people with few career options, experts complain.
“We should create different kinds of vocational courses (for the blind) so they can get more choices,” said the MCFB’s Thein Lwin.
YANGON, 15 September 2009 (IRIN) - Myanmar has one of the highest rates of blindness in Asia, yet the country has scant resources to help visually impaired people, medical researchers and aid workers say.
The World Health Organization (WHO) in 2008 identified avoidable blindness as an emerging health issue in the country, while aid organizations say it is a major public health concern in impoverished rural areas.
Researchers and aid workers say there is a lack of eye care services and resources in Myanmar.
According to the Vision Myanmar Programme, a training and research project run by the South Australian Institute of Ophthalmology, there are only 200 eye surgeons or ophthalmologists for Myanmar’s population of over 50 million. Most are in Yangon and Mandalay. Outside of these two cities, there is one ophthalmologist for every half a million people, it said.
“Of course there is a shortage of doctors… There simply aren’t enough surgeons,” the programme’s founder, Henry Newland, told IRIN from Adelaide, Australia.
The Vision Myanmar Programme started a four-year programme in 2008, primarily funded by AusAID, to provide training for eye surgeons, as well as provide equipment and facility upgrades.
In 2005, the programme conducted a population-based blindness survey of over 2,000 people in rural villages in central Myanmar and identified a blindness prevalence rate of 8.1 percent among people over 40, which it said is the highest published rate in the world.
And according to 2001 figures published by WHO, Myanmar had a blindness prevalence rate of 0.9 percent of its population, among the highest in the region. Thailand had a blindness prevalence rate of 0.3 percent, while India’s was 0.7 percent.
Avoidable blindness
Most of Myanmar’s visually impaired people suffer from avoidable blindness, which can either be treated or prevented. Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness, followed by glaucoma, while Vitamin A deficiency causes blindness in children.
“Eighty percent of these cases are avoidable by either preventive measures or curative measures, surgery,” said Newland.
Hoping to make a living, Myo Myint Oo studied cane weaving for several years. Despite his efforts, the blind 39-year-old has been unable to find anyone to employ him.
Unable to feed or shelter himself, Myo Myint Oo is forced to rely on the government-run School for the Blind (Kyimyindine) in Yangon, where he learnt the cane craft.
"I want to stand on my own feet … But how can I, when nobody wants to employ a blind person like me?" he said.
Stigmatized
Like other disabled groups, blind people in Myanmar are stigmatized as unproductive members of society and find it difficult to live independent lives.
"Visually impaired people are still being isolated and excluded from society, “Maung Maung Tar, the principal of the school, told IRIN, adding that there was a need to change attitudes to the affliction.
Myanmar has a policy of inclusive education, which means disabled students, including those who are blind, are allowed to attend classes in mainstream schools.
However, there are challenges to implementing the policy, since schools lack the required resources and facilities.
“The schools should be equipped with teaching materials in Braille, and teachers who know how to teach the blind by using Braille,” said Thein Lwin, the general secretary of the Myanmar Christian Fellowship of the Blind (MCFB) NGO, which runs two schools for the blind.
Despite official policy, mainstream schools are not properly equipped to cater for blind students, meaning that most children are forced to attend specialist schools. However, there are just seven state and NGO-run schools for blind children in the whole country, where over 700 blind and visually impaired students receive a formal or vocational education.
Few options
Although a small percentage of blind students strive for as much education as possible, most do not finish high school.
"There are almost no job opportunities for blind graduates, which discourages them from pursuing higher formal education," said Aung Ko Myint, secretary-general of the Myanmar National Association of the Blind (MNAB).
"So, most of the blind prefer vocational education to formal education," he said.
In an effort to help the blind find jobs, organizations provide vocational training. But there are commonly just two types of vocational training on offer - cane craft and massage - leaving blind people with few career options, experts complain.
“We should create different kinds of vocational courses (for the blind) so they can get more choices,” said the MCFB’s Thein Lwin.
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RFA - Conflict Children in Forced Labor
2009-09-14
Burmese refugees say more and more youngsters are being press-ganged into working as military porters.
NORTHERN THAILAND—Children as young as 10 are being forced to work as porters for the Burmese military and ethnic minority Karen troops amid intensifying conflict near the border with Thailand, according to refugees in northern Thailand.
One village here in a Karen region houses 95 Burmese refugees, including 39 children under age 12. All say they were taken from their villages in Burma and forced to work as military porters.
The increased press-ganging of villagers, including children, into work as porters comes in the wake of intensified fighting in recent months between Burmese government forces supported by elements of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) on the one side and the mostly Christian Karen National Union (KNU) troops on the other, the refugees said.
Thousands more are believed also to have fled their homes in Burma since June and to be hiding in villages on the Thai side of the border, according to human rights and aid workers.
The prolonged military conflict in the region has meant that none of the Karen children has ever been able to attend school.
"I am 10 years old," one shy girl told a visiting reporter.
Another, who said she is 16, said she had had to carry dozens of cans of rice in a basket on her back for five days at a stretch and was only given rice with salt and chili peppers to eat.
"When it rained we had to sleep under trees, so we would get completely wet from the rain," she added.
Pulling children through the jungle
Burmese soldiers forced anyone who had no physical disability to carry goods and ammunition for them, the refugees said. No one was paid for his or her labor.
The porters said they don't know if the troops who have press-ganged them into service belong to the DKBA or a joint force comprising soldiers for the DKBA and the ruling junta.
Fathers with children able to walk on their own but not big enough to work as porters themselves must hold onto their children while carrying ammunition on their backs, sometimes pulling the children through heavy jungle vegetation, they said.
Parents and children are required to sleep separately to prevent them from running away, they said, and the men are told their wives will be taken by soldiers if they try to flee.
Parents in the camp said they had no choice but to bring their children, as the only people left behind in their villages were very elderly or too disabled to look after anyone but themselves.
One woman carrying her three-year-old son in a sling in front of her demonstrated how she had to carry artillery shells in a basket on her back at the same time.
If her child cried, she was told to put her hand over his face to silence him or face a reprimand from the soldiers.
She said she had had to carry the shells for four days at a time and was allowed to stop and rest only two or three times a day.
Stepped-up recruiting
"In the past, they would need porters once a month only," said the head of the village that the group of refugees left behind them.
"But now they need them three or four times a month, and we would even have to go to the front line. We would have to supply three soldiers per village, and if the village was bigger we would have had to supply up to 20 soldiers," he said.
"If we cannot supply the soldiers we would have to pay 30,000 baht (about U.S. $880). If we cannot give them the money, they would send us to jail," he added.
Karen refugees have so far received no aid from international agencies, nor from the Thai government, they said. Sometimes, soldiers from the DKBA stole their goods, even on the Thai side of the border, they added.
"When I left I brought with me the best bullock I had, but when I got to Thailand the DKBA stole the bullock from me," she said.
"I had to pay them 1,500 baht (U.S. $44) to get my bullock back."
According to the Burma-based Karen Human Rights Group, the DKBA began a stepped-up recruitment drive in August 2008 in response to an escalating series of DKBA and joint DKBA/government attacks on KNU and Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) positions in the Dooplaya and Pa'an Districts of Karen state.
Those attacks have greatly intensified since the start of the year, the group said in a report published on its Web site.
Partly under the control of the Burmese government, the DKBA has again increased recruitment as it prepares to transform itself into a Border Guard Force as required by the military junta ahead of elections in 2011.
"By June 7, over 3,000 villagers, including the Ler Per Her camp population of just over 1,200 people as well as nearly 2,000 residents from other villages in the area, had fled to neighboring Thailand to avoid fighting as well as forced conscription into work as porters and human minesweepers for DKBA and SPDC forces," the group said Aug. 25.
The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, says there are more than 100,000 registered Burmese refugees inside Thailand today, most of them Karen.
2009-09-14
Burmese refugees say more and more youngsters are being press-ganged into working as military porters.
NORTHERN THAILAND—Children as young as 10 are being forced to work as porters for the Burmese military and ethnic minority Karen troops amid intensifying conflict near the border with Thailand, according to refugees in northern Thailand.
One village here in a Karen region houses 95 Burmese refugees, including 39 children under age 12. All say they were taken from their villages in Burma and forced to work as military porters.
The increased press-ganging of villagers, including children, into work as porters comes in the wake of intensified fighting in recent months between Burmese government forces supported by elements of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) on the one side and the mostly Christian Karen National Union (KNU) troops on the other, the refugees said.
Thousands more are believed also to have fled their homes in Burma since June and to be hiding in villages on the Thai side of the border, according to human rights and aid workers.
The prolonged military conflict in the region has meant that none of the Karen children has ever been able to attend school.
"I am 10 years old," one shy girl told a visiting reporter.
Another, who said she is 16, said she had had to carry dozens of cans of rice in a basket on her back for five days at a stretch and was only given rice with salt and chili peppers to eat.
"When it rained we had to sleep under trees, so we would get completely wet from the rain," she added.
Pulling children through the jungle
Burmese soldiers forced anyone who had no physical disability to carry goods and ammunition for them, the refugees said. No one was paid for his or her labor.
The porters said they don't know if the troops who have press-ganged them into service belong to the DKBA or a joint force comprising soldiers for the DKBA and the ruling junta.
Fathers with children able to walk on their own but not big enough to work as porters themselves must hold onto their children while carrying ammunition on their backs, sometimes pulling the children through heavy jungle vegetation, they said.
Parents and children are required to sleep separately to prevent them from running away, they said, and the men are told their wives will be taken by soldiers if they try to flee.
Parents in the camp said they had no choice but to bring their children, as the only people left behind in their villages were very elderly or too disabled to look after anyone but themselves.
One woman carrying her three-year-old son in a sling in front of her demonstrated how she had to carry artillery shells in a basket on her back at the same time.
If her child cried, she was told to put her hand over his face to silence him or face a reprimand from the soldiers.
She said she had had to carry the shells for four days at a time and was allowed to stop and rest only two or three times a day.
Stepped-up recruiting
"In the past, they would need porters once a month only," said the head of the village that the group of refugees left behind them.
"But now they need them three or four times a month, and we would even have to go to the front line. We would have to supply three soldiers per village, and if the village was bigger we would have had to supply up to 20 soldiers," he said.
"If we cannot supply the soldiers we would have to pay 30,000 baht (about U.S. $880). If we cannot give them the money, they would send us to jail," he added.
Karen refugees have so far received no aid from international agencies, nor from the Thai government, they said. Sometimes, soldiers from the DKBA stole their goods, even on the Thai side of the border, they added.
"When I left I brought with me the best bullock I had, but when I got to Thailand the DKBA stole the bullock from me," she said.
"I had to pay them 1,500 baht (U.S. $44) to get my bullock back."
According to the Burma-based Karen Human Rights Group, the DKBA began a stepped-up recruitment drive in August 2008 in response to an escalating series of DKBA and joint DKBA/government attacks on KNU and Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) positions in the Dooplaya and Pa'an Districts of Karen state.
Those attacks have greatly intensified since the start of the year, the group said in a report published on its Web site.
Partly under the control of the Burmese government, the DKBA has again increased recruitment as it prepares to transform itself into a Border Guard Force as required by the military junta ahead of elections in 2011.
"By June 7, over 3,000 villagers, including the Ler Per Her camp population of just over 1,200 people as well as nearly 2,000 residents from other villages in the area, had fled to neighboring Thailand to avoid fighting as well as forced conscription into work as porters and human minesweepers for DKBA and SPDC forces," the group said Aug. 25.
The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, says there are more than 100,000 registered Burmese refugees inside Thailand today, most of them Karen.
***************************************************************
EarthTimes - Myanmar prime minister to attend UN General Assembly
Posted : Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:56:20 GMT
Yangon - Myanmar's prime minister, General Thein Sein, plans to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York during the last week of September, a government official said Tuesday. The prime minister would be the highest ranking official to attend a UN General Assembly since General Maung Aye, currently vice senior general, attended the 50th Anniversary Special Commemorative Session of the United Nations General Assembly in October 1995.
Political sources in Yangon said Thein Sein was likely to outline the ruling junta's plan to introduce limited political reform in his speech to the assembly.
In recent years Myanmar has sent its foreign minister to attend the gathering.
An official from the United States embassy in Yangon said he did not know about the prime minister's decision. It was uncertain whether Thein Sein would meet with US officials during his stay in New York.
The decision to send Thein Sein follows a visit to Yangon last month by US Senator Jim Webb, Democrat from Virginia, in what some analysts have seen as a slight thaw in the frosty diplomatic relations between Washington and Yangon.
"It may be a significant trip," an observer in Yangon commented on the prime minister's planned visit to New York.
Posted : Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:56:20 GMT
Yangon - Myanmar's prime minister, General Thein Sein, plans to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York during the last week of September, a government official said Tuesday. The prime minister would be the highest ranking official to attend a UN General Assembly since General Maung Aye, currently vice senior general, attended the 50th Anniversary Special Commemorative Session of the United Nations General Assembly in October 1995.
Political sources in Yangon said Thein Sein was likely to outline the ruling junta's plan to introduce limited political reform in his speech to the assembly.
In recent years Myanmar has sent its foreign minister to attend the gathering.
An official from the United States embassy in Yangon said he did not know about the prime minister's decision. It was uncertain whether Thein Sein would meet with US officials during his stay in New York.
The decision to send Thein Sein follows a visit to Yangon last month by US Senator Jim Webb, Democrat from Virginia, in what some analysts have seen as a slight thaw in the frosty diplomatic relations between Washington and Yangon.
"It may be a significant trip," an observer in Yangon commented on the prime minister's planned visit to New York.
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September 15, 2009 17:21 PM
Myanmar National Gets 12 Years' Jail For Death Of Countryman
SHAH ALAM, Sept 15 (Bernama) -- A Myanmar national was sentenced to 12 years' jail by the High Court here today after he pleaded guilty to causing the death of his fellow countryman four years ago.
Judicial Commissioner Datuk Asmabi Mohamad ordered Ayob Khan Hussin, 27, to serve the sentence from the date of his arrest on Sept 7, 2005.
Mohd Ayob, an assistant at a wholesale market, pleaded guilty to an amended charge with causing the death of his colleague and countryman, Khirola Armad, 35, at a children's playground of the Puteri Impian apartment, Taman Pinggiran Putera, Serdang, at about 11.45pm on May 8, 2005.
He was initially charged with murder, an offence which carries the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.
However, before trial began, the court, on Sept 11, decided to amend the charge to that of causing death by negligence and Mohd Ayob changed his plea from not guilty to guilty.
In her judgment, Asmabi said a deterrent sentence should be handed down as a lesson to others in an effort to reduce crime.
Although Mohd Ayob pleaded guilty to the offence, she said, it was not a mitigation factor.
"The facts of the case should also be taken into account where Mohd Ayob left the scene (of the murder) and the victim to die. He did not surrender, but was arrested four months after the incident," she added.
Asmabi also said she took into account Mohd Ayob's mitigation of being remorseful for his action and on the deportation of his wife and son.
According to the facts of the case, Khirola was stabbed on the chest in a fight with Mohd Ayob, allegedly over protection money of RM400 which the victim was alleged to have demanded.
In mitigation, lawyer Adam Yap, who represented Mohd Ayob, said, his client had no motive to kill Khirola and that the incident happened because Mohd Ayob was provoked.
He said Mohd Ayob's wife, who was then five-months pregnant, was also arrested and later gave birth in the Kajang Prison, adding that mother and son had been deported to their country of origin.
Myanmar National Gets 12 Years' Jail For Death Of Countryman
SHAH ALAM, Sept 15 (Bernama) -- A Myanmar national was sentenced to 12 years' jail by the High Court here today after he pleaded guilty to causing the death of his fellow countryman four years ago.
Judicial Commissioner Datuk Asmabi Mohamad ordered Ayob Khan Hussin, 27, to serve the sentence from the date of his arrest on Sept 7, 2005.
Mohd Ayob, an assistant at a wholesale market, pleaded guilty to an amended charge with causing the death of his colleague and countryman, Khirola Armad, 35, at a children's playground of the Puteri Impian apartment, Taman Pinggiran Putera, Serdang, at about 11.45pm on May 8, 2005.
He was initially charged with murder, an offence which carries the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.
However, before trial began, the court, on Sept 11, decided to amend the charge to that of causing death by negligence and Mohd Ayob changed his plea from not guilty to guilty.
In her judgment, Asmabi said a deterrent sentence should be handed down as a lesson to others in an effort to reduce crime.
Although Mohd Ayob pleaded guilty to the offence, she said, it was not a mitigation factor.
"The facts of the case should also be taken into account where Mohd Ayob left the scene (of the murder) and the victim to die. He did not surrender, but was arrested four months after the incident," she added.
Asmabi also said she took into account Mohd Ayob's mitigation of being remorseful for his action and on the deportation of his wife and son.
According to the facts of the case, Khirola was stabbed on the chest in a fight with Mohd Ayob, allegedly over protection money of RM400 which the victim was alleged to have demanded.
In mitigation, lawyer Adam Yap, who represented Mohd Ayob, said, his client had no motive to kill Khirola and that the incident happened because Mohd Ayob was provoked.
He said Mohd Ayob's wife, who was then five-months pregnant, was also arrested and later gave birth in the Kajang Prison, adding that mother and son had been deported to their country of origin.
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Myanmar's ethnic peace groups urged to adhere to new constitution
www.chinaview.cn 2009-09-15 15:07:29
YANGON, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar's official media on Tuesday urged ethnic peace groups in the country to adhere to the approved new state constitution in light of the upcoming general election next year.
"The national race armed groups will have to reconsider formation of their political parties if they wish to work for their regional development within the framework of the constitution," the New Light of Myanmar said in an article in the pen name of Ye Kyaw.
"To do so, those groups that existed as armed organizations for many years will have to seek ways to transform themselves into political parties," the article said.
"Some anti-government groups have worked to keep their own forces as national race armed organizations that have made peace with the state," the article complained, warning this would cause disintegration of the union.
"Before the elections to be held in 2010, the national race armed groups that have made peace with the state are to act in accord with the constitution regarding their armed forces if they want to stand for elections," the article said.
The article disclosed that the government had made arrangements for the ethnic armed groups wishing to form political parties to retire for the engagement and to reconstitute their existing armed groups as frontier forces.
Criticizing calls by some anti-government groups for more time to undergo transformation, the article said peace agreements had been in place for a couple of decades, allowing plenty of time.
According to the government's seven-step roadmap announced in 2003, a multi-party democracy general election is to be held next year in accordance with the 2008 new state constitution to produce parliament representatives and form a new civilian government.
Since the present government came to power in late 1988, 17 major anti-government ethnic armed groups and more than 20 small groups had returned to the legal fold by signing respective ceasefire agreements with the government.
Some of the armed groups were resettled in special regions with arms retained, conditionally enjoying self-administration.
There also remain 10 legal political parties in Myanmar.
www.chinaview.cn 2009-09-15 15:07:29
YANGON, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar's official media on Tuesday urged ethnic peace groups in the country to adhere to the approved new state constitution in light of the upcoming general election next year.
"The national race armed groups will have to reconsider formation of their political parties if they wish to work for their regional development within the framework of the constitution," the New Light of Myanmar said in an article in the pen name of Ye Kyaw.
"To do so, those groups that existed as armed organizations for many years will have to seek ways to transform themselves into political parties," the article said.
"Some anti-government groups have worked to keep their own forces as national race armed organizations that have made peace with the state," the article complained, warning this would cause disintegration of the union.
"Before the elections to be held in 2010, the national race armed groups that have made peace with the state are to act in accord with the constitution regarding their armed forces if they want to stand for elections," the article said.
The article disclosed that the government had made arrangements for the ethnic armed groups wishing to form political parties to retire for the engagement and to reconstitute their existing armed groups as frontier forces.
Criticizing calls by some anti-government groups for more time to undergo transformation, the article said peace agreements had been in place for a couple of decades, allowing plenty of time.
According to the government's seven-step roadmap announced in 2003, a multi-party democracy general election is to be held next year in accordance with the 2008 new state constitution to produce parliament representatives and form a new civilian government.
Since the present government came to power in late 1988, 17 major anti-government ethnic armed groups and more than 20 small groups had returned to the legal fold by signing respective ceasefire agreements with the government.
Some of the armed groups were resettled in special regions with arms retained, conditionally enjoying self-administration.
There also remain 10 legal political parties in Myanmar.
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Myanmar PM warns against disturbances
www.chinaview.cn 2009-09-15 11:02:34
YANGON, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar Prime Minister General Thein Sein has warned against any disturbances that may arise in the country, stressing the need for the administrative bodies at various levels to constantly know about the state policies and objectives, the official newspaper New Light of Myanmar reported Tuesday.
"It is necessary to strive for the emergence of a peaceful, modern and developed nation by upholding out three main national causes as it is a national policy forever so long as the state exists," Thein Sein said in his address to the administrative officials from some six townships in Pyay district of Bago division when he inspected the areas on Sunday.
"At a time when the state is in its important state, constant measures are to be taken to ensure the rule of law in order to thwart any disturbances," he emphasized, saying that high civil administrative capability is the main factor that will contribute much towards community peace and stability.
"To ensure high administrative capability and the rule of law, the strength of ward and village peace and development councils is needed," he added.
Under the government's fifth step of its seven-step roadmap announced in 2003, a multi-party democracy general election is to be held next year in accordance with the 2008 new state constitution to produce parliament representatives and form a new civilian government.
Under the 2008 new state constitution, which prescribes that all the armed forces in the union shall be under the command of the Defense Services, the government has initiated a program for ethnic armed groups in the country, which have cease fired and returned to the legal fold, to be formed into frontier forces under the control of the Commander-in-chief of the Defense Services to pave way for the upcoming election, according to official media.
"The leaders of the peace groups will have the rights to stand for 2010 election and take seats in the administrative organs of the regions concerned in consistent with the law," the official media said, claiming that a transition period for the move is underway.
Necessary laws will also be passed in time for the 2010 election and political parties will get registered and canvass for votes, the media added.
www.chinaview.cn 2009-09-15 11:02:34
YANGON, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar Prime Minister General Thein Sein has warned against any disturbances that may arise in the country, stressing the need for the administrative bodies at various levels to constantly know about the state policies and objectives, the official newspaper New Light of Myanmar reported Tuesday.
"It is necessary to strive for the emergence of a peaceful, modern and developed nation by upholding out three main national causes as it is a national policy forever so long as the state exists," Thein Sein said in his address to the administrative officials from some six townships in Pyay district of Bago division when he inspected the areas on Sunday.
"At a time when the state is in its important state, constant measures are to be taken to ensure the rule of law in order to thwart any disturbances," he emphasized, saying that high civil administrative capability is the main factor that will contribute much towards community peace and stability.
"To ensure high administrative capability and the rule of law, the strength of ward and village peace and development councils is needed," he added.
Under the government's fifth step of its seven-step roadmap announced in 2003, a multi-party democracy general election is to be held next year in accordance with the 2008 new state constitution to produce parliament representatives and form a new civilian government.
Under the 2008 new state constitution, which prescribes that all the armed forces in the union shall be under the command of the Defense Services, the government has initiated a program for ethnic armed groups in the country, which have cease fired and returned to the legal fold, to be formed into frontier forces under the control of the Commander-in-chief of the Defense Services to pave way for the upcoming election, according to official media.
"The leaders of the peace groups will have the rights to stand for 2010 election and take seats in the administrative organs of the regions concerned in consistent with the law," the official media said, claiming that a transition period for the move is underway.
Necessary laws will also be passed in time for the 2010 election and political parties will get registered and canvass for votes, the media added.
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Bangkok Post - Literacy has no nationality
The education of stateless children along the Thai-Burmese border remains a problem in search of a solution
Writer: Story and photos by PURICH TRIVITAYAKHUN - TAK
Published: 15/09/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Learningpost
There are 580km of border between Thailand and Burma in Tak, a province in northern Thailand. Immigrants, some of whom are refugees, have been settling in Tak for decades. Many generations have since been born on Thai soil. Many of these immigrants, as well as their children, remain stateless - not recognised as a citizen of any country.
This article explores education opportunities for these stateless children and how the government is trying to ensure that they receive proper and standard education.
"It is the principal duty of the Ministry of Education (MOE) to ensure that all children, regardless of nationality, who live in Thailand are given equal learning opportunities," says Deputy Minister of Education Chaiwuti Bannawat.
Learning centres
"There are no Thai students," Wichuda Daengthoen responds quickly after being asked for the number of Thai students in Namtok School. "Most of the students here are the offspring of immigrants who work in the agricultural industry," she says.
Wichuda is a Thai-language instructor and the only Thai teacher in Namtok School, which is located at the centre of the Phop Phra cultivation area.
The moderate temperatures and the fertile ground present in Phop Phra, a Thai-Burmese-border district about 120km west of Tak provincial city, make it and its surrounding areas one of Thailand's largest vegetable and flower suppliers. Crops and fruits in this region are produced by a large number of foreign immigrants.
She says that many students return home to help their parents in the fields after they graduate from the school.
Currently, Namtok School hosts 252 students and 10 teachers and has classes from Anuban to Prathom 6 (kindergarten to Grade 6). Its student body comprises Burmese, Karen, Mon and other ethnic minorities, but no Thais. Other than the Thai-language class, all subjects are taught in Burmese and English.
Even though the name Namtok School is written on a small wooden board in front of the building, this establishment is actually a learning centre.
In Thailand, around 60,000 stateless children are enrolled in private and public schools. At the same time, more than 100,000 other students with the same political status are being educated in learning centres similar to Namtok School and schools located in shelter areas, which are mostly run by non-govermental organisations (NGOs), scattered along the Thai-Burmese border.
In Tak province alone, there are 61 registered learning centres and several unregistered similar establishments. The registered centres are hosts to about 10,800 students and 625 teachers. Nearly all of the students and teachers are foreigners and ethnic minorities.
Tak Educational Service Area Office 2 (Tak ESAO 2) has joined hands with the World Education Consortium to develop a curriculum for science and mathematics that have been translated into the Burmese and Karen languages and based on Thailand's 2001 Curriculum for Basic Education for Prathom 1 to 3 (Grades 1 to 3). Also, the consortium developed a simplified course for teachers to use when teaching the Thai language.
Conflicts and solutions
Although several learning centres are registered, Namtok School for instance, and are thus under the collaborative supervision of the government and NGOs, the majority of them continue operating as rogue centres, making it difficult to know the content of their teaching ideology or its impact on the students.
"While we commend the learning centres for their meritorious actions in looking after the interests of the students, more problems may arise if we continue to let them run in different directions as we don't know what they are teaching the students," comments Mr Chaiwuti, adding that letting these centres operate unregulated might also have serious effects on national security as well as on the students themselves.
According to the minister, an existing problem with learning centres is that they have divergent standards and curricula. Moreover, they tend to have many volunteer teachers who entered the country illegally. Additionally, there is a lack of continuity in the learning process of many students due to high student turnover rates that occur when their parents relocate.
Finally, many of the centres do not provide lessons on the Thai language, Thai culture and Thai laws. Knowledge of these subjects is vital for students planning to remain in Thailand.
"These issues need to be addressed by all government agencies. It is also important that the private sector and NGOs participate in solving the problems," Mr Chaiwuti says.
He suggests that learning centres that have potential to meet the prescribed standards be promoted to the level of private education institutions. Once they are upgraded, they will be eligible to benefit from the government's free education policy.
As for the rest of the centres, the ministry is drafting a Prime Minister's Office regulation to control and assist learning centres to enable them to deliver a national-standard curriculum. It is likely to be presented to the Cabinet for consideration soon, according to Mr Chai-wuti.
The regulation will enable the establishment of provincial committees that can supervise and control the centres.
The long-term challenges, as far as providing a national-standard education to all stateless children is concerned, says the minister, is solving the problem of student turnover and the issuance of professional licences to volunteer teachers who enter the country illegally. This is not permitted under prevailing laws. It is also important to put in place a national standard curriculum for use in learning centres attended by stateless children, he adds.
'School within a School'
An example of successful delivery of education to stateless children, an approach that deserves to be applied at other learning centres, can be seen at Ban Tha Ard School, located a few kilometres north of Mae Sot, a large district along the Thai-Burmese border, which is 80km west of the provincial city. The school is just a few steps away from the border, represented by the Moei River.
The school is under the jurisdiction of Obec (Office of the Basic Education Commission) and hosts 426 students and 18 teachers. Only 50 of the students are Thai. The rest are Burmese, Mon, Karen and other ethnic minorities.
This year, Ban Tha Ard School started its "School within a School" project, under which the school invites teachers and students from other learning centres to teach and study in Ban Tha Ard School. The school has signed a memorandum of understanding with five learning centres in nearby areas.
"We want to provide learning opportunities, not only for Thai students, to be educated in a school. More importantly, with this system, we can exercise close supervision and instil gratitude towards Thailand, the monarchy, and Thai norms," says Sutep Thamajak, the school's director.
According to Mr Sutep, the contracted learning centres bring an additional 351 rotating students to be taught in the school. Ban Tha Ard School delivers the Thai and mathematics lessons, while the other subjects are delivered by teachers from the associate education facilities.
Two other schools under the jurisdiction of Tak ESAO 2 have adopted the "School within a School" concept. They are Ban Mae Pa Nua School and Ban Mae Tao School.Education sans borders
One interesting fact about Ban Tha Ard School is that 40 students cross the Moei River from Burma each day to study at the school.
The free-education policy of the MOE appears to be luring students from the neighbouring country to flock into Thai schools. However, Mr Chaiwuti argues that this school is an unusual case as it is very close to the border and that when one looks at the history of the area, the people of the two countries have always been living as sisters and brothers.
"Previously, the parents of the 40 students worked in Thailand. They are so impressed by our education system and the Thai people that they have decided to send their children to this Thai school even though they have returned to their home country," explains Mr Sutep.
"I don't have to pay any tuition fees. Besides, I get a free lunch every school day," says Wallapa Norcheu, a Prathom 5 (Grade 5) student who travels back and forth between Burma and the school.
NGO support
Namtok School is one of 37 registered learning centres run by the Burmese Migrant Workers Education Committee (BMWEC). The organisation provides education opportunities to nearly 8,000 stateless children through its learning centres.
Paw Ray Rattanachairuedi, chair-person of the BMWEC, agrees to have her centres regulated by the Thai government.
She accepts the notion that quality learning centres should be promoted to private schools, while allowing the rest of the learning centres to continue to exist under the joint supervision of the government and her organisation.
"My preference is for 60 percent of the centres managing their own teaching and learning matters and the remaining 40 percent to be under the responsibility of Obec," comments Ms Paw Ray.
Her learning centres hosts approximately 463 teachers, of which approximately 50 are Thai. She disclosed that there is still a shortage of Thai teachers.
To improve the situation, she would like the government to provide more Thai teachers, arrange teacher-training programmes and grant financial assistance once her centres are regulated.
Currently, her teachers are paid 3,000 to 5,000 baht each month according to their seniority.
She says that the BMWEC receives support from organisations in the US and UK, but due to the economic downturn, some of the organisations have had to reduce their donations.
"Last year, the grant for students was 1,000 baht per head per year, but this year the amount has been reduced to 600 baht," the chairperson bemoans. Some parents contribute a 50-to-100-baht fee per student per year in the smaller centres, and up to 500 baht per student per year in the larger centres.
Ultimately, whether or not stateless children will receive a standard education depends on whether the so-far unauthorised learning centres are upgraded and recognised by the MOE as proper schools so as to receive the benefits of the collaboration between the government, the private sector and related entities.
The education of stateless children along the Thai-Burmese border remains a problem in search of a solution
Writer: Story and photos by PURICH TRIVITAYAKHUN - TAK
Published: 15/09/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Learningpost
There are 580km of border between Thailand and Burma in Tak, a province in northern Thailand. Immigrants, some of whom are refugees, have been settling in Tak for decades. Many generations have since been born on Thai soil. Many of these immigrants, as well as their children, remain stateless - not recognised as a citizen of any country.
This article explores education opportunities for these stateless children and how the government is trying to ensure that they receive proper and standard education.
"It is the principal duty of the Ministry of Education (MOE) to ensure that all children, regardless of nationality, who live in Thailand are given equal learning opportunities," says Deputy Minister of Education Chaiwuti Bannawat.
Learning centres
"There are no Thai students," Wichuda Daengthoen responds quickly after being asked for the number of Thai students in Namtok School. "Most of the students here are the offspring of immigrants who work in the agricultural industry," she says.
Wichuda is a Thai-language instructor and the only Thai teacher in Namtok School, which is located at the centre of the Phop Phra cultivation area.
The moderate temperatures and the fertile ground present in Phop Phra, a Thai-Burmese-border district about 120km west of Tak provincial city, make it and its surrounding areas one of Thailand's largest vegetable and flower suppliers. Crops and fruits in this region are produced by a large number of foreign immigrants.
She says that many students return home to help their parents in the fields after they graduate from the school.
Currently, Namtok School hosts 252 students and 10 teachers and has classes from Anuban to Prathom 6 (kindergarten to Grade 6). Its student body comprises Burmese, Karen, Mon and other ethnic minorities, but no Thais. Other than the Thai-language class, all subjects are taught in Burmese and English.
Even though the name Namtok School is written on a small wooden board in front of the building, this establishment is actually a learning centre.
In Thailand, around 60,000 stateless children are enrolled in private and public schools. At the same time, more than 100,000 other students with the same political status are being educated in learning centres similar to Namtok School and schools located in shelter areas, which are mostly run by non-govermental organisations (NGOs), scattered along the Thai-Burmese border.
In Tak province alone, there are 61 registered learning centres and several unregistered similar establishments. The registered centres are hosts to about 10,800 students and 625 teachers. Nearly all of the students and teachers are foreigners and ethnic minorities.
Tak Educational Service Area Office 2 (Tak ESAO 2) has joined hands with the World Education Consortium to develop a curriculum for science and mathematics that have been translated into the Burmese and Karen languages and based on Thailand's 2001 Curriculum for Basic Education for Prathom 1 to 3 (Grades 1 to 3). Also, the consortium developed a simplified course for teachers to use when teaching the Thai language.
Conflicts and solutions
Although several learning centres are registered, Namtok School for instance, and are thus under the collaborative supervision of the government and NGOs, the majority of them continue operating as rogue centres, making it difficult to know the content of their teaching ideology or its impact on the students.
"While we commend the learning centres for their meritorious actions in looking after the interests of the students, more problems may arise if we continue to let them run in different directions as we don't know what they are teaching the students," comments Mr Chaiwuti, adding that letting these centres operate unregulated might also have serious effects on national security as well as on the students themselves.
According to the minister, an existing problem with learning centres is that they have divergent standards and curricula. Moreover, they tend to have many volunteer teachers who entered the country illegally. Additionally, there is a lack of continuity in the learning process of many students due to high student turnover rates that occur when their parents relocate.
Finally, many of the centres do not provide lessons on the Thai language, Thai culture and Thai laws. Knowledge of these subjects is vital for students planning to remain in Thailand.
"These issues need to be addressed by all government agencies. It is also important that the private sector and NGOs participate in solving the problems," Mr Chaiwuti says.
He suggests that learning centres that have potential to meet the prescribed standards be promoted to the level of private education institutions. Once they are upgraded, they will be eligible to benefit from the government's free education policy.
As for the rest of the centres, the ministry is drafting a Prime Minister's Office regulation to control and assist learning centres to enable them to deliver a national-standard curriculum. It is likely to be presented to the Cabinet for consideration soon, according to Mr Chai-wuti.
The regulation will enable the establishment of provincial committees that can supervise and control the centres.
The long-term challenges, as far as providing a national-standard education to all stateless children is concerned, says the minister, is solving the problem of student turnover and the issuance of professional licences to volunteer teachers who enter the country illegally. This is not permitted under prevailing laws. It is also important to put in place a national standard curriculum for use in learning centres attended by stateless children, he adds.
'School within a School'
An example of successful delivery of education to stateless children, an approach that deserves to be applied at other learning centres, can be seen at Ban Tha Ard School, located a few kilometres north of Mae Sot, a large district along the Thai-Burmese border, which is 80km west of the provincial city. The school is just a few steps away from the border, represented by the Moei River.
The school is under the jurisdiction of Obec (Office of the Basic Education Commission) and hosts 426 students and 18 teachers. Only 50 of the students are Thai. The rest are Burmese, Mon, Karen and other ethnic minorities.
This year, Ban Tha Ard School started its "School within a School" project, under which the school invites teachers and students from other learning centres to teach and study in Ban Tha Ard School. The school has signed a memorandum of understanding with five learning centres in nearby areas.
"We want to provide learning opportunities, not only for Thai students, to be educated in a school. More importantly, with this system, we can exercise close supervision and instil gratitude towards Thailand, the monarchy, and Thai norms," says Sutep Thamajak, the school's director.
According to Mr Sutep, the contracted learning centres bring an additional 351 rotating students to be taught in the school. Ban Tha Ard School delivers the Thai and mathematics lessons, while the other subjects are delivered by teachers from the associate education facilities.
Two other schools under the jurisdiction of Tak ESAO 2 have adopted the "School within a School" concept. They are Ban Mae Pa Nua School and Ban Mae Tao School.Education sans borders
One interesting fact about Ban Tha Ard School is that 40 students cross the Moei River from Burma each day to study at the school.
The free-education policy of the MOE appears to be luring students from the neighbouring country to flock into Thai schools. However, Mr Chaiwuti argues that this school is an unusual case as it is very close to the border and that when one looks at the history of the area, the people of the two countries have always been living as sisters and brothers.
"Previously, the parents of the 40 students worked in Thailand. They are so impressed by our education system and the Thai people that they have decided to send their children to this Thai school even though they have returned to their home country," explains Mr Sutep.
"I don't have to pay any tuition fees. Besides, I get a free lunch every school day," says Wallapa Norcheu, a Prathom 5 (Grade 5) student who travels back and forth between Burma and the school.
NGO support
Namtok School is one of 37 registered learning centres run by the Burmese Migrant Workers Education Committee (BMWEC). The organisation provides education opportunities to nearly 8,000 stateless children through its learning centres.
Paw Ray Rattanachairuedi, chair-person of the BMWEC, agrees to have her centres regulated by the Thai government.
She accepts the notion that quality learning centres should be promoted to private schools, while allowing the rest of the learning centres to continue to exist under the joint supervision of the government and her organisation.
"My preference is for 60 percent of the centres managing their own teaching and learning matters and the remaining 40 percent to be under the responsibility of Obec," comments Ms Paw Ray.
Her learning centres hosts approximately 463 teachers, of which approximately 50 are Thai. She disclosed that there is still a shortage of Thai teachers.
To improve the situation, she would like the government to provide more Thai teachers, arrange teacher-training programmes and grant financial assistance once her centres are regulated.
Currently, her teachers are paid 3,000 to 5,000 baht each month according to their seniority.
She says that the BMWEC receives support from organisations in the US and UK, but due to the economic downturn, some of the organisations have had to reduce their donations.
"Last year, the grant for students was 1,000 baht per head per year, but this year the amount has been reduced to 600 baht," the chairperson bemoans. Some parents contribute a 50-to-100-baht fee per student per year in the smaller centres, and up to 500 baht per student per year in the larger centres.
Ultimately, whether or not stateless children will receive a standard education depends on whether the so-far unauthorised learning centres are upgraded and recognised by the MOE as proper schools so as to receive the benefits of the collaboration between the government, the private sector and related entities.
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The Irrawaddy - Was Win Tin Speaking for Suu Kyi?
By KO HTWE, Tuesday, September 15, 2009
There is growing speculation among Burma observers that an opinion piece that appeared in The Washington Post last week actually expressed the views of National League for Democracy (NLD) leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The commentary, written by senior NLD member Win Tin, denounced next year’s planned election as a sham and criticized US Senator James Webb, who recently visited Burma, for advocating engagement with Burma’s ruling regime.
Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Tuesday, Win Tin denied suggestions that he wrote the piece on Suu Kyi’s behalf.
“If the commentary reflects Suu Kyi’s opinions, [it’s because] we have very similar thinking. But we haven’t met for ages, so I don’t know what she is thinking now,” he said.
He added that the fact he quoted Suu Kyi in the commentary shows that her views are similar to his own, which he said were fundamentally in line with the party’s political stance.
“I’m a hardliner in the NLD, but I don’t go against the party,” he said.
Win Tin was summoned for questioning for several hours on Saturday. He said he was taken into custody because the authorities wanted to ask him about financial support he allegedly received from a foreign country, as well as his contact with opposition members who were arrested earlier this month.
Some suspect that his arrest might also have had something to do with his commentary, which strongly rebuked Webb for urging the democratic opposition to participate in next year’s election.
“That commentary was a response to the meeting between Suu Kyi and Webb, and to Webb’s comments. It accurately reflected Suu Kyi’s views,” said Moe Zaw Oo, the secretary of the National League for Democracy (Liberated Area) Foreign Affairs Committee.
Thakin Chan Tun, a veteran politician and diplomat, said, “Win Tin and Suu Kyi have the same goal. He is one of the leaders of the NLD and will not neglect his view. Most members of the party agree with him.”
Eighty-year-old Win Tin spent 19 years in Rangoon’s notorious Insein Prison until his release last year. Since then, he has spoken frequently to international and Burmese exiled media, often criticizing the ruling regime’s plans to create a military-backed civilian government.
“Some international observers view next year’s planned elections as an opportunity. But under the circumstances imposed by the military’s constitution, the election will be a sham,” he wrote in his commentary.
By KO HTWE, Tuesday, September 15, 2009
There is growing speculation among Burma observers that an opinion piece that appeared in The Washington Post last week actually expressed the views of National League for Democracy (NLD) leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The commentary, written by senior NLD member Win Tin, denounced next year’s planned election as a sham and criticized US Senator James Webb, who recently visited Burma, for advocating engagement with Burma’s ruling regime.
Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Tuesday, Win Tin denied suggestions that he wrote the piece on Suu Kyi’s behalf.
“If the commentary reflects Suu Kyi’s opinions, [it’s because] we have very similar thinking. But we haven’t met for ages, so I don’t know what she is thinking now,” he said.
He added that the fact he quoted Suu Kyi in the commentary shows that her views are similar to his own, which he said were fundamentally in line with the party’s political stance.
“I’m a hardliner in the NLD, but I don’t go against the party,” he said.
Win Tin was summoned for questioning for several hours on Saturday. He said he was taken into custody because the authorities wanted to ask him about financial support he allegedly received from a foreign country, as well as his contact with opposition members who were arrested earlier this month.
Some suspect that his arrest might also have had something to do with his commentary, which strongly rebuked Webb for urging the democratic opposition to participate in next year’s election.
“That commentary was a response to the meeting between Suu Kyi and Webb, and to Webb’s comments. It accurately reflected Suu Kyi’s views,” said Moe Zaw Oo, the secretary of the National League for Democracy (Liberated Area) Foreign Affairs Committee.
Thakin Chan Tun, a veteran politician and diplomat, said, “Win Tin and Suu Kyi have the same goal. He is one of the leaders of the NLD and will not neglect his view. Most members of the party agree with him.”
Eighty-year-old Win Tin spent 19 years in Rangoon’s notorious Insein Prison until his release last year. Since then, he has spoken frequently to international and Burmese exiled media, often criticizing the ruling regime’s plans to create a military-backed civilian government.
“Some international observers view next year’s planned elections as an opportunity. But under the circumstances imposed by the military’s constitution, the election will be a sham,” he wrote in his commentary.
***************************************************************
The Irrawaddy - Monks under the Eye of the Junta
By WAI MOE, Tuesday, September 15, 2009
On the two-year anniversary of the monk-led September mass demonstrations, the military junta keeps a close eye on the estimated 400,000 Buddhist monks in Burma with continued surveillance and propaganda in the media.
Security forces are present at the annual examinations for monks from Sept. 14 to 30 at Sangha [Monk] University in Rangoon.
About 60 soldiers are stationed in the university compound, according to monks taking examinations.
Meanwhile, in recent months publications in Rangoon and other cities have printed stories warning people of the dangers of a division between Theravada Buddhists and Mahayana Buddhists. Most Burmese are Theravada Buddhist.
The papers accused well-known Buddhist writers such as Parugu, Aye Maung, Chit Nge, Ashin Thoma Buddhi and Kyaw Hein, a veteran actor turned monk, as fostering confusion among Buddhists.
A main target of the stories is a former political prisoner, Ashin Nyana, a monk who exposes an alternative view of Buddhism that differs from traditional Theravada Buddhism.
Since the 1980s, Ashin Nyana has advocated what he calls Paccuppanna [the present] Karma Buddhism. Unlike most monks in Burma who wear saffron robes, he wears sky blue robes.
He was charged with discrediting Buddhism in 1983 and served three years in prison. He was arrested again in 1991and received a 10-year prison sentence. He was released in 1998 in an amnesty.
“People are saying now that these papers were published by the Military Affairs Security [military intelligence] or the government-backed Union Solidarity and Development Association to create dissension among monks,” said a journalist in Rangoon.
In fact, Buddhism actually promotes critical thinking. The Kalama Sutta said: “Do not accept anything by mere tradition...Do not accept anything just because it accords with your scriptures...Do not accept anything merely because it agrees with your pre-conceived notions...But when you know for yourselves—these things are moral, these things are blameless, these things are praised by the wise, these things, when performed and undertaken, conduce to well-being and happiness—then do you live acting accordingly.”
By WAI MOE, Tuesday, September 15, 2009
On the two-year anniversary of the monk-led September mass demonstrations, the military junta keeps a close eye on the estimated 400,000 Buddhist monks in Burma with continued surveillance and propaganda in the media.
Security forces are present at the annual examinations for monks from Sept. 14 to 30 at Sangha [Monk] University in Rangoon.
About 60 soldiers are stationed in the university compound, according to monks taking examinations.
Meanwhile, in recent months publications in Rangoon and other cities have printed stories warning people of the dangers of a division between Theravada Buddhists and Mahayana Buddhists. Most Burmese are Theravada Buddhist.
The papers accused well-known Buddhist writers such as Parugu, Aye Maung, Chit Nge, Ashin Thoma Buddhi and Kyaw Hein, a veteran actor turned monk, as fostering confusion among Buddhists.
A main target of the stories is a former political prisoner, Ashin Nyana, a monk who exposes an alternative view of Buddhism that differs from traditional Theravada Buddhism.
Since the 1980s, Ashin Nyana has advocated what he calls Paccuppanna [the present] Karma Buddhism. Unlike most monks in Burma who wear saffron robes, he wears sky blue robes.
He was charged with discrediting Buddhism in 1983 and served three years in prison. He was arrested again in 1991and received a 10-year prison sentence. He was released in 1998 in an amnesty.
“People are saying now that these papers were published by the Military Affairs Security [military intelligence] or the government-backed Union Solidarity and Development Association to create dissension among monks,” said a journalist in Rangoon.
In fact, Buddhism actually promotes critical thinking. The Kalama Sutta said: “Do not accept anything by mere tradition...Do not accept anything just because it accords with your scriptures...Do not accept anything merely because it agrees with your pre-conceived notions...But when you know for yourselves—these things are moral, these things are blameless, these things are praised by the wise, these things, when performed and undertaken, conduce to well-being and happiness—then do you live acting accordingly.”
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Suu Kyi denied permission to attend appeal hearing
by Myint Maung
Tuesday, 15 September 2009 21:14
New Delhi (Mizzima) – Aung San Suu Kyi’s request to the Rangoon Division of the Special Branch of Police to allow her to be present in court, which will hear her appeal against the lower court’s verdict, has been rejected.
The Rangoon Divisional court will hear arguments by her lawyers on September 18 on her appeal. She sent a letter of request to the Special Branch (SB) of Police on September 11 to allow her to be present in court on that day but it was rejected by SB through her lawyers the next day.
“Daw Suu applied on September 11, but the SB called us to their office on September 12 and told us about rejecting her request saying that the matter concerned only the court,” her lawyer Nyan Win told Mizzima.
Regarding the nature of the court hearing, Nyan Win said, if the accused wanted to be present in the court during the hearing of appeal and the court had no objections, the accused can be allowed into the court.
“But If this person is in prison, the prison authorities must accompany the person to the court. In this case, Daw Suu is being detained by the SB. So the SB must take her to the court. So we applied to the SB,” he added.
As per the 8-point restriction in her detention clause at her home on University Avenue in Rangoon, she can send request letters for whatever she wants. So she sent a letter to the Rangoon Divisional SB to let her be present at the court hearing.
After an American John William Yettaw entered her house in early May this year, the military regime tried her and sentenced her and her two live-in party colleagues to three years in prison with hard labour on September 11.
But an executive order by the junta Supremo Senior Gen. Than Shwe reduced her sentence by half and allowed her to serve time at her home.
Aung San Suu Kyi’s lawyers defended her in the district court on the ground that the 1974 Constitution under which the case was filed, is no longer in force.
In paragraph 3 of the Preamble of the 2008 Constitution, it says ‘the 1974 Constitution came to an end because of the general situation occurred in 1988’. Moreover Senior Gen. Than Shwe signed an ordinance on 29 May 2008 which says the 1974 Constitution has come to an end and is null and void.
The Burmese pro-democracy leader’s lawyers filed an appeal case against the lower court’s verdict in the Rangoon Divisional Court on September 4. The divisional court agreed to hear the argument by her lawyers and fixed the hearing date on September 18 at 10 a.m.
by Myint Maung
Tuesday, 15 September 2009 21:14
New Delhi (Mizzima) – Aung San Suu Kyi’s request to the Rangoon Division of the Special Branch of Police to allow her to be present in court, which will hear her appeal against the lower court’s verdict, has been rejected.
The Rangoon Divisional court will hear arguments by her lawyers on September 18 on her appeal. She sent a letter of request to the Special Branch (SB) of Police on September 11 to allow her to be present in court on that day but it was rejected by SB through her lawyers the next day.
“Daw Suu applied on September 11, but the SB called us to their office on September 12 and told us about rejecting her request saying that the matter concerned only the court,” her lawyer Nyan Win told Mizzima.
Regarding the nature of the court hearing, Nyan Win said, if the accused wanted to be present in the court during the hearing of appeal and the court had no objections, the accused can be allowed into the court.
“But If this person is in prison, the prison authorities must accompany the person to the court. In this case, Daw Suu is being detained by the SB. So the SB must take her to the court. So we applied to the SB,” he added.
As per the 8-point restriction in her detention clause at her home on University Avenue in Rangoon, she can send request letters for whatever she wants. So she sent a letter to the Rangoon Divisional SB to let her be present at the court hearing.
After an American John William Yettaw entered her house in early May this year, the military regime tried her and sentenced her and her two live-in party colleagues to three years in prison with hard labour on September 11.
But an executive order by the junta Supremo Senior Gen. Than Shwe reduced her sentence by half and allowed her to serve time at her home.
Aung San Suu Kyi’s lawyers defended her in the district court on the ground that the 1974 Constitution under which the case was filed, is no longer in force.
In paragraph 3 of the Preamble of the 2008 Constitution, it says ‘the 1974 Constitution came to an end because of the general situation occurred in 1988’. Moreover Senior Gen. Than Shwe signed an ordinance on 29 May 2008 which says the 1974 Constitution has come to an end and is null and void.
The Burmese pro-democracy leader’s lawyers filed an appeal case against the lower court’s verdict in the Rangoon Divisional Court on September 4. The divisional court agreed to hear the argument by her lawyers and fixed the hearing date on September 18 at 10 a.m.
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NLD ‘Youth Working Groups’ set up in 69 townships
by Myint Maung
Tuesday, 15 September 2009 20:08
New Delhi (Mizzima) – National League for Democracy, Burma’s main opposition party, is consolidating its youth and women party members across the country and has formed ‘Youth Working Groups’ in 69 townships in the past six months.
The Central Youth Working Group has formed regional youth working groups in 69 townships in Rangoon, Mandalay, Irrawaddy, Pegu, Tenasserim divisions and Kachin, Arakan and Mon states.
“We have formed these working groups and are infusing new blood in our party to get it ready and consolidate systematically. The new groups will be a bridge between the masses and the youth and masses and leaders. We are training them to emerge as a potent force,” the In-charge (2) of the NLD’s Central Youth Working Group told Mizzima.
The Central Youth Advisory Committee member Ohn Kyaing said, “Yes, we have been doing this work for about four to five months. We are coordinating with the Township and Divisional Organizing Committees in implementing it”.
Each of these township-wise youth working groups is comprised of 5 to 14 members and they are being given trainings in democracy, human rights and ethnic rights.
“We are reconsolidating these scattered youth forces. We educate them about democracy and human rights, which have been lost in Burma. We train them and make them aware of the current situation in the country, which is deprived of democracy, human rights, fundamental rights of the people and ethnic rights,” the youth in-charge said.
The Youth Working Groups members from the States and Divisions are called to the Rangoon party head office and given training in law, politics, labour, farmers and human rights, computer, and English language among others.
However, the Central Youth Wing members are not left without harassment by local authorities, who are keeping close watch over their movements, in their efforts to form local youth working groups in various township.
Ohn Kyaing said, members of the pro-junta civilian organization - Union Solidarity and Development Association – had harassed the NLD youths from forming working committees in Madaya township of Mandalay Division.
“We have to submit the list of the local youth wing members to the local authorities. Then the Madaya USDA threatened the youth wing members with arrest if they join this youth working group,” Khin Maung Than, Chairman of the Madaya Township NLD told Mizzima.
Similar harassments and difficulties were encountered in Kachin State while forming the local youth working groups. Despite of the harassments, the NLD youths said, they were able to set up local units in Monyin, Mogaung and Tanai Townships.
The NLD youths, who began the campaign for forming youth working groups in March, had been so far successful in forming such working groups across Burma with 24 units in Rangoon Division, 14 in Mandalay Division, 11 in Irrawaddy Division, three in Kachin State, one in Arakan State, and five in Tenasserim Division, totaling 69.
The NLD Youths said, they will continue the campaign in other parts of the country as part of their efforts to create awareness on the current political situation of Burma.
by Myint Maung
Tuesday, 15 September 2009 20:08
New Delhi (Mizzima) – National League for Democracy, Burma’s main opposition party, is consolidating its youth and women party members across the country and has formed ‘Youth Working Groups’ in 69 townships in the past six months.
The Central Youth Working Group has formed regional youth working groups in 69 townships in Rangoon, Mandalay, Irrawaddy, Pegu, Tenasserim divisions and Kachin, Arakan and Mon states.
“We have formed these working groups and are infusing new blood in our party to get it ready and consolidate systematically. The new groups will be a bridge between the masses and the youth and masses and leaders. We are training them to emerge as a potent force,” the In-charge (2) of the NLD’s Central Youth Working Group told Mizzima.
The Central Youth Advisory Committee member Ohn Kyaing said, “Yes, we have been doing this work for about four to five months. We are coordinating with the Township and Divisional Organizing Committees in implementing it”.
Each of these township-wise youth working groups is comprised of 5 to 14 members and they are being given trainings in democracy, human rights and ethnic rights.
“We are reconsolidating these scattered youth forces. We educate them about democracy and human rights, which have been lost in Burma. We train them and make them aware of the current situation in the country, which is deprived of democracy, human rights, fundamental rights of the people and ethnic rights,” the youth in-charge said.
The Youth Working Groups members from the States and Divisions are called to the Rangoon party head office and given training in law, politics, labour, farmers and human rights, computer, and English language among others.
However, the Central Youth Wing members are not left without harassment by local authorities, who are keeping close watch over their movements, in their efforts to form local youth working groups in various township.
Ohn Kyaing said, members of the pro-junta civilian organization - Union Solidarity and Development Association – had harassed the NLD youths from forming working committees in Madaya township of Mandalay Division.
“We have to submit the list of the local youth wing members to the local authorities. Then the Madaya USDA threatened the youth wing members with arrest if they join this youth working group,” Khin Maung Than, Chairman of the Madaya Township NLD told Mizzima.
Similar harassments and difficulties were encountered in Kachin State while forming the local youth working groups. Despite of the harassments, the NLD youths said, they were able to set up local units in Monyin, Mogaung and Tanai Townships.
The NLD youths, who began the campaign for forming youth working groups in March, had been so far successful in forming such working groups across Burma with 24 units in Rangoon Division, 14 in Mandalay Division, 11 in Irrawaddy Division, three in Kachin State, one in Arakan State, and five in Tenasserim Division, totaling 69.
The NLD Youths said, they will continue the campaign in other parts of the country as part of their efforts to create awareness on the current political situation of Burma.
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Burma junta ‘fears domination’ by China
Sept 14, 2009 (DVB)–The strength of relations between Burma and China should not be overstated, according to a think tank who said today that continued reliance on China to affect change in Burma is misguided.
The Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG) released a report today countering the widely held belief that China holds the key to Burma’s future.
“While China has substantial political, economic and strategic stakes in Myanmar [Burma], its influence is overstated” said the report, China’s Myanmar Dilemma.
“The relationship between China and Myanmar is best characterised as a marriage of convenience rather than a love match,” it said, adding that the nationalistic junta leaders “do not take orders from anyone”.
China is the ruling junta’s principal ally, whose power of veto in the United Nations has on a number of occasions saved Burma from Security Council action.
Business relations are growing stronger, with China this month beginning work on a multi-billion dollar project to construct oil and gas pipelines across Burma connecting southern China with the Bay of Bengal.
Yet according to the ICG, political instability in Burma could prove costly for Chinese business interests across the border.
“China should recognise that its economic interests are threatened by the status quo, where Myanmar is identified as one of the most corrupt countries,” Donald Steinberg, deputy president of the ICG, told DVB today, adding that instability in Burma “could thwart those interests”.
Furthermore, according to the report, regional competition over Burma’s resources “has allowed Myanmar to counterbalance China by strengthening cooperation with other countries such as India, Russia, Thailand, Singapore, North Korea and Malaysia”.
Relations between the two countries appeared fragile last month after fighting between Burmese troops and an armed ethnic group in northeastern Burma forced some 37,000 refugees across the border into China.
In a rare rebuke from Beijing, the Chinese foreign ministry urged Burma to "properly deal with its domestic issue to safeguard the regional stability in the China-Myanmar [Burma] border area".
The ICG urged the international community to recognise the limitations of both China’s influence, and actual desire to influence, the Burmese government, but that all regional stakeholder’s “should take part in a meaningful and concerted effort to address the transition in Myanmar.”
Reporting by Francis Wade and Than Win Htut
Sept 14, 2009 (DVB)–The strength of relations between Burma and China should not be overstated, according to a think tank who said today that continued reliance on China to affect change in Burma is misguided.
The Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG) released a report today countering the widely held belief that China holds the key to Burma’s future.
“While China has substantial political, economic and strategic stakes in Myanmar [Burma], its influence is overstated” said the report, China’s Myanmar Dilemma.
“The relationship between China and Myanmar is best characterised as a marriage of convenience rather than a love match,” it said, adding that the nationalistic junta leaders “do not take orders from anyone”.
China is the ruling junta’s principal ally, whose power of veto in the United Nations has on a number of occasions saved Burma from Security Council action.
Business relations are growing stronger, with China this month beginning work on a multi-billion dollar project to construct oil and gas pipelines across Burma connecting southern China with the Bay of Bengal.
Yet according to the ICG, political instability in Burma could prove costly for Chinese business interests across the border.
“China should recognise that its economic interests are threatened by the status quo, where Myanmar is identified as one of the most corrupt countries,” Donald Steinberg, deputy president of the ICG, told DVB today, adding that instability in Burma “could thwart those interests”.
Furthermore, according to the report, regional competition over Burma’s resources “has allowed Myanmar to counterbalance China by strengthening cooperation with other countries such as India, Russia, Thailand, Singapore, North Korea and Malaysia”.
Relations between the two countries appeared fragile last month after fighting between Burmese troops and an armed ethnic group in northeastern Burma forced some 37,000 refugees across the border into China.
In a rare rebuke from Beijing, the Chinese foreign ministry urged Burma to "properly deal with its domestic issue to safeguard the regional stability in the China-Myanmar [Burma] border area".
The ICG urged the international community to recognise the limitations of both China’s influence, and actual desire to influence, the Burmese government, but that all regional stakeholder’s “should take part in a meaningful and concerted effort to address the transition in Myanmar.”
Reporting by Francis Wade and Than Win Htut
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Karen troops ambush Burmese army
Sept 15, 2009 (DVB)–Four government soldiers were killed and eight were injured after an ambush by ethnic Karen troops on Sunday near to the Thai-Burma border, according to Karen officials.
The attack occurred on a highway about 15 miles outside of Payathonsu (Three Pagodas Pass) border crossing point in southern Karen state.
Troops from the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the armed wing of the Karen National Union (KNU), carried out ambush against government troops allegedly mobilized in the area for an offensive against the KNLA.
“This was a well planned battle and it didn’t take that long before ending,” said a KNLA official.
“[The government army] suffered four deaths and eight injuries… we only target military personals so we avoided fighting in areas with civilian presence.”
He added that the injured government soldiers are now being treated at a hospital in Three Pagodas Pass.
Meanwhile, a resident in Payathonsu said that another ambush by the KNLA that took place on the same day near the town has left at least three government soldiers injured.
“About seven Karen fighters ambushed the government troops patrolling in the area,” said the resident.
“Three [government] soldiers were hit, including a sergeant, and now they are at the Payathonsu hospital.” The Payathonsu town hospital was unavailable for comments.
On 9 September, two bombs exploded at a militia checkpoint about half a kilometer outside of Payathonsu.
No casualties were reported and the government troops, backed by the proxy Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) in the region, are said to be investigating.
And another bomb exploded yesterday evening close to government buildings in Payathonsu, injuring one child. A KNU official denied involvement.
Reporting by Naw Noreen
Sept 15, 2009 (DVB)–Four government soldiers were killed and eight were injured after an ambush by ethnic Karen troops on Sunday near to the Thai-Burma border, according to Karen officials.
The attack occurred on a highway about 15 miles outside of Payathonsu (Three Pagodas Pass) border crossing point in southern Karen state.
Troops from the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the armed wing of the Karen National Union (KNU), carried out ambush against government troops allegedly mobilized in the area for an offensive against the KNLA.
“This was a well planned battle and it didn’t take that long before ending,” said a KNLA official.
“[The government army] suffered four deaths and eight injuries… we only target military personals so we avoided fighting in areas with civilian presence.”
He added that the injured government soldiers are now being treated at a hospital in Three Pagodas Pass.
Meanwhile, a resident in Payathonsu said that another ambush by the KNLA that took place on the same day near the town has left at least three government soldiers injured.
“About seven Karen fighters ambushed the government troops patrolling in the area,” said the resident.
“Three [government] soldiers were hit, including a sergeant, and now they are at the Payathonsu hospital.” The Payathonsu town hospital was unavailable for comments.
On 9 September, two bombs exploded at a militia checkpoint about half a kilometer outside of Payathonsu.
No casualties were reported and the government troops, backed by the proxy Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) in the region, are said to be investigating.
And another bomb exploded yesterday evening close to government buildings in Payathonsu, injuring one child. A KNU official denied involvement.
Reporting by Naw Noreen
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