Britain's Brown writes to Suu Kyi pledging support
Wed Dec 30, 12:30 am ET
LONDON (AFP) – British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has written a personal letter to Aung San Suu Kyi, pledging his ongoing support for Myanmar's pro-democracy icon and praising her courage.
Brown also reiterated his call for Myanmar's military rulers to ensure elections promised for 2010 were free and fair, warning anything less would condemn the impoverished country to more hardship and isolation.
"If the scheduled elections proceed under a rigged constitution, with opposition leaders excluded and with no international oversight, the military rulers will be condemning Burma to more years of diplomatic isolation and economic stagnation," he said in the letter released by Downing Street Tuesday.
The premier said Britain stood "immovably" with the Nobel peace laureate, and urged the regime to start a "genuine dialogue" with her.
"Your continuing detention is only the most visible evidence of the bad faith of a regime which has so far shown no signs of listening to regional or international calls for an end to its violent behaviour," he said.
"I continue to call upon the regime to engage with you and allow you further contact with diplomats in Rangoon, and to start a genuine dialogue that can give the Burmese people back their future and their hope," he said.
Brown's letter has been passed to authorities in Myanmar -- which has been under military rule since 1962 -- by the British embassy in Yangon.
Aung San Suu Kyi has been locked up for 14 of the past 20 years and was ordered in August to spend another 18 months in detention after being convicted over an incident in which an American man swam to her house.
The extension of her detention sparked international outrage as it effectively keeps her off the stage for the elections promised by the regime some time in 2010.
If the polls go ahead they will be the first since 1990, when the junta refused to recognise her party's landslide victory.
Wed Dec 30, 12:30 am ET
LONDON (AFP) – British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has written a personal letter to Aung San Suu Kyi, pledging his ongoing support for Myanmar's pro-democracy icon and praising her courage.
Brown also reiterated his call for Myanmar's military rulers to ensure elections promised for 2010 were free and fair, warning anything less would condemn the impoverished country to more hardship and isolation.
"If the scheduled elections proceed under a rigged constitution, with opposition leaders excluded and with no international oversight, the military rulers will be condemning Burma to more years of diplomatic isolation and economic stagnation," he said in the letter released by Downing Street Tuesday.
The premier said Britain stood "immovably" with the Nobel peace laureate, and urged the regime to start a "genuine dialogue" with her.
"Your continuing detention is only the most visible evidence of the bad faith of a regime which has so far shown no signs of listening to regional or international calls for an end to its violent behaviour," he said.
"I continue to call upon the regime to engage with you and allow you further contact with diplomats in Rangoon, and to start a genuine dialogue that can give the Burmese people back their future and their hope," he said.
Brown's letter has been passed to authorities in Myanmar -- which has been under military rule since 1962 -- by the British embassy in Yangon.
Aung San Suu Kyi has been locked up for 14 of the past 20 years and was ordered in August to spend another 18 months in detention after being convicted over an incident in which an American man swam to her house.
The extension of her detention sparked international outrage as it effectively keeps her off the stage for the elections promised by the regime some time in 2010.
If the polls go ahead they will be the first since 1990, when the junta refused to recognise her party's landslide victory.
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Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh refuse repatriation
Wed Dec 30, 7:12 am ET
DHAKA (AFP) – Bangladesh's plans to repatriate 9,000 Myanmar Muslim refugees to their homeland hit trouble on Wednesday when a leader of the minority said they would refuse to leave.
Bangladesh's top foreign ministry official, Mirajul Quayes, said Tuesday that neighbouring Myanmar had agreed to take back 9,000 Rohingya refugees in what was seen as a breakthrough in a decade-long problem.
Quayes, the foreign secretary, said during talks with Myanmar deputy foreign minister Maung Myint in Dhaka that the military regime had agreed to accept nearly one-third of the officially recognised refugees now in Bangladesh.
Jalal Uddin, who is the secretary of the UN-recognised Kutupalong camp, said Rohingya refugees "are always ready to go back home" but stressed that rights as Myanmar citizens could not be guaranteed.
"(But) we don't have any rights in Myanmar," he told AFP by phone. "If we go back, the armed forces will use us as bonded labour.
"Many will be sent to jail. There are still curbs on practising our religion or movement from one place to another without the army's permission."
Described by the United Nations as one of the most persecuted minorities, some 250,000 Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh in the early 1990s. But some 230,000 were later taken back by Myanmar following a UN-brokered deal.
Since then, thousands of Rohingyas from Buddhist-majority Myanmar's northern Rakhaine state have streamed across the border every year and are now estimated to number nearly 400,000.
But only 28,000 of them have been granted official refugee status and are allowed to stay in two UN-assisted camps in the country's Cox's Bazar district just miles (kilometres) across the Myanmar border.
"Some 9,000, are ready to be repatriated following verification, as the Myanmar government has assured us today that they are also ready. And it can begin within the shortest possible time," Quayes said Tuesday.
Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Dipu Moni last August said the undocumented refugees put a "heavy burden" on Dhaka, causing major social, economic problems.
Quayes expressed his concern about the increased influx of Rohingyas in recent months and urged Myanmar to take them back. "We've pressed the Myanmar government to take steps to get them back," he said.
Wed Dec 30, 7:12 am ET
DHAKA (AFP) – Bangladesh's plans to repatriate 9,000 Myanmar Muslim refugees to their homeland hit trouble on Wednesday when a leader of the minority said they would refuse to leave.
Bangladesh's top foreign ministry official, Mirajul Quayes, said Tuesday that neighbouring Myanmar had agreed to take back 9,000 Rohingya refugees in what was seen as a breakthrough in a decade-long problem.
Quayes, the foreign secretary, said during talks with Myanmar deputy foreign minister Maung Myint in Dhaka that the military regime had agreed to accept nearly one-third of the officially recognised refugees now in Bangladesh.
Jalal Uddin, who is the secretary of the UN-recognised Kutupalong camp, said Rohingya refugees "are always ready to go back home" but stressed that rights as Myanmar citizens could not be guaranteed.
"(But) we don't have any rights in Myanmar," he told AFP by phone. "If we go back, the armed forces will use us as bonded labour.
"Many will be sent to jail. There are still curbs on practising our religion or movement from one place to another without the army's permission."
Described by the United Nations as one of the most persecuted minorities, some 250,000 Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh in the early 1990s. But some 230,000 were later taken back by Myanmar following a UN-brokered deal.
Since then, thousands of Rohingyas from Buddhist-majority Myanmar's northern Rakhaine state have streamed across the border every year and are now estimated to number nearly 400,000.
But only 28,000 of them have been granted official refugee status and are allowed to stay in two UN-assisted camps in the country's Cox's Bazar district just miles (kilometres) across the Myanmar border.
"Some 9,000, are ready to be repatriated following verification, as the Myanmar government has assured us today that they are also ready. And it can begin within the shortest possible time," Quayes said Tuesday.
Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Dipu Moni last August said the undocumented refugees put a "heavy burden" on Dhaka, causing major social, economic problems.
Quayes expressed his concern about the increased influx of Rohingyas in recent months and urged Myanmar to take them back. "We've pressed the Myanmar government to take steps to get them back," he said.
*************************************************************
UN News Centre - Britain’s ‘Curry King’ shows Myanmar refugees way to nutritious food at UN event
30 December 2009 – Britain’s renowned “Curry King” has been giving poor refugee women in Bangladesh lessons on concocting nutritious dishes using United Nations food rations along with locally grown fruit and vegetables.
“I believe that the tips and stories that I have shared will give women leaders the confidence to develop positive health behaviours in their homes and community,” star chef Tommy Miah said, thanking the UN World Food Programme (WFP) for organizing the event at Kutupalong camp in Cox’s Bazar, eastern Bangladesh, home to some 11,000 Rohingya Muslims refugees who have fled neighbouring Myanmar.
Mr. Miah, a British celebrity chef of Bangladeshi origin, involved women community leaders in the demonstration as he cooked mushroom fried rice, pumpkin and lentil soup, vegetable pakora, garlic mushrooms, spinach with potatoes and banana fritters – a dessert consisting of banana, sweet syrup and WFP’s fortified Wheat Soya Blend (WSB) formula.
Looking at the tiny kitchens available to refugee women, he passed on tips on how to cook nutritious food with locally available cheap ingredients, while WFP field monitor Masing Newar explained the types of vitamins and minerals found in the foods and educated them on the causes and consequences of under-nutrition.
“I have learnt that to retain the nutrition content of vegetables it’s better not to wash them after cutting [as I currently do] but they should be washed beforehand,” said Jahura, a 45-year-old mother with eight family members to cook for.
Sobmeraj, a 35-year-old mother with seven family members to provide for, said she had never thought before that such a nutritious and tasty meal could be prepared with such limited and cheap items. “I realized that cleanliness and good presentation are important in enjoying our meals, and I believe they're good for our health as well,” she added.
WFP runs its programmes in the two refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar in conjunction with a number of UN and non-governmental organization (NGO) partners.
“Today’s experiences and demonstrations, if practised widely in the camp, can make needed changes at the community level, without disturbing traditions,” said Selina Akhter, Nutrition worker of Action Contre la Faim (ACF), a NGO providing a package of nutrition services including assisting mothers of undernourished children to grow vegetables in their homes.
30 December 2009 – Britain’s renowned “Curry King” has been giving poor refugee women in Bangladesh lessons on concocting nutritious dishes using United Nations food rations along with locally grown fruit and vegetables.
“I believe that the tips and stories that I have shared will give women leaders the confidence to develop positive health behaviours in their homes and community,” star chef Tommy Miah said, thanking the UN World Food Programme (WFP) for organizing the event at Kutupalong camp in Cox’s Bazar, eastern Bangladesh, home to some 11,000 Rohingya Muslims refugees who have fled neighbouring Myanmar.
Mr. Miah, a British celebrity chef of Bangladeshi origin, involved women community leaders in the demonstration as he cooked mushroom fried rice, pumpkin and lentil soup, vegetable pakora, garlic mushrooms, spinach with potatoes and banana fritters – a dessert consisting of banana, sweet syrup and WFP’s fortified Wheat Soya Blend (WSB) formula.
Looking at the tiny kitchens available to refugee women, he passed on tips on how to cook nutritious food with locally available cheap ingredients, while WFP field monitor Masing Newar explained the types of vitamins and minerals found in the foods and educated them on the causes and consequences of under-nutrition.
“I have learnt that to retain the nutrition content of vegetables it’s better not to wash them after cutting [as I currently do] but they should be washed beforehand,” said Jahura, a 45-year-old mother with eight family members to cook for.
Sobmeraj, a 35-year-old mother with seven family members to provide for, said she had never thought before that such a nutritious and tasty meal could be prepared with such limited and cheap items. “I realized that cleanliness and good presentation are important in enjoying our meals, and I believe they're good for our health as well,” she added.
WFP runs its programmes in the two refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar in conjunction with a number of UN and non-governmental organization (NGO) partners.
“Today’s experiences and demonstrations, if practised widely in the camp, can make needed changes at the community level, without disturbing traditions,” said Selina Akhter, Nutrition worker of Action Contre la Faim (ACF), a NGO providing a package of nutrition services including assisting mothers of undernourished children to grow vegetables in their homes.
*************************************************************
Published: Wednesday December 30, 2009 MYT 3:11:00 PM
Malaysia Star - Myanmar mamasan fails to strike out detention order
KUALA LUMPUR: A Myanmar woman, who is a member of a prostitution ring, failed in her bid to get a release from two-year detention order issued by the Home Ministry.
Ra Himah and her accomplice were said to have resorted to using electric shock, among others, to force prostitutes to follow their orders.
Judicial Commissioner Zainal Azman Ab Aziz on Wednesday ruled that the detention order dated Dec 12, last year against Ra Himah was valid.
He said Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh had taken into account facts in a report against Ra Himah before making such an order.
He said Wan Ahmad signed the detention order in accordance to Section 4(1) of the Emergency (Public Order and Prevention of Crime Ordinance 1969. "It is clear that the minister had observed the facts in the investigations and have applied his mind properly to the facts when signing the order," he said in rejecting an application by Ra Himah for her release.
Documents filed by the ministry stated that Ra Himah and her accomplice had organised prostitution activities in Bukit Mertajam, Penang and forcing Thai and local women to become prostitutes since 1994.
Wan Ahmad had stated that the order against Ra Himah was made on grounds to prevent her from committing any actions that would affect public order, to eliminate violence and avoid crime involving force.
Justice Zainal Azman said Ra Himah failed to show to the court that she has sufficient cause for her release.
Her lawyer Karpal Singh said he would file an appeal against the court ruling.
Ra Himah was ordered to be detained at a rehabilitation centre in Batu Gajah for two years from Dec 12 last year.
Ra Himah filed a habeas corpus (wrongful detention) application and named Wan Ahmad and Batu Gajah rehabilitation centre superintendent as respondents.
In her affidavit, Ra Himah claimed that there had been procedural non-compliance by Wan Ahmad with the provisions of Section 4(1) of the Ordinance.
Malaysia Star - Myanmar mamasan fails to strike out detention order
KUALA LUMPUR: A Myanmar woman, who is a member of a prostitution ring, failed in her bid to get a release from two-year detention order issued by the Home Ministry.
Ra Himah and her accomplice were said to have resorted to using electric shock, among others, to force prostitutes to follow their orders.
Judicial Commissioner Zainal Azman Ab Aziz on Wednesday ruled that the detention order dated Dec 12, last year against Ra Himah was valid.
He said Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh had taken into account facts in a report against Ra Himah before making such an order.
He said Wan Ahmad signed the detention order in accordance to Section 4(1) of the Emergency (Public Order and Prevention of Crime Ordinance 1969. "It is clear that the minister had observed the facts in the investigations and have applied his mind properly to the facts when signing the order," he said in rejecting an application by Ra Himah for her release.
Documents filed by the ministry stated that Ra Himah and her accomplice had organised prostitution activities in Bukit Mertajam, Penang and forcing Thai and local women to become prostitutes since 1994.
Wan Ahmad had stated that the order against Ra Himah was made on grounds to prevent her from committing any actions that would affect public order, to eliminate violence and avoid crime involving force.
Justice Zainal Azman said Ra Himah failed to show to the court that she has sufficient cause for her release.
Her lawyer Karpal Singh said he would file an appeal against the court ruling.
Ra Himah was ordered to be detained at a rehabilitation centre in Batu Gajah for two years from Dec 12 last year.
Ra Himah filed a habeas corpus (wrongful detention) application and named Wan Ahmad and Batu Gajah rehabilitation centre superintendent as respondents.
In her affidavit, Ra Himah claimed that there had been procedural non-compliance by Wan Ahmad with the provisions of Section 4(1) of the Ordinance.
*************************************************************
Florida Baptist Witness - Myanmar refugees find spiritual ally in cultural maze
Dec 30, 2009
By BARBARA DENMAN
Florida Baptist Convention
JACKSONVILLE (FBC)—They escaped the jungles of Asian country once known as Burma a persecuted people, fearing death from a hostile and Buddhist dominated Myanmar government.
Exiled to refugee camps along the Thailand border, many waited for decades for God to deliver them.
Now living in low-income housing in the shadows of Jacksonville’s skyscrapers, the Karen people are coping with a new life in a foreign land unable to speak the language and ignorant of the culture.
In their times of crisis, they have found an ally, willing to walk with them while interpreting their journey; a companion ready to make personal sacrifices in Christ’s name.
“We call her ‘Pi.’” explains Ta Yah Htoo, a 19-year-old mother who was born in a border refugee camp. “It means grandmother and great honor.”
“We feel like she is our mom. We call her at midnight and she answers. We love her so much. We know that God gave her a spirit and heart for the Karen people and he gave us a special mom.”
Brenda Forlines, or “Pi” as she is endearingly called, retired three years ago as director of the Florida Baptist Convention’s Church and Community Ministries department,
where she spent 23 years on the road, crisscrossing the state assisting congregations develop ministries to their community.
Once retired, the North American Mission Board missionary spent the next nine months recuperating, “cleaning house” and visiting friends and family. But she was not destined to sit still in retirement.
“I began praying that God would give me a ministry, but I wanted a community ministry,” she explained. When asked to take over the ESL (English as a second language) ministry at her church, Southside Baptist Church in Jacksonville’s San Marco community, she discovered the Karen people, eager to learn as they took careful steps to assimilate into the community.
“I started to be available and become involved in their lives,” recalled Forlines. One young woman asked Forlines to help her pick out wedding rings; another asked her to read and explain a letter.
It evolved from there into 40-plus hours of volunteer ministry each week. The day begins with Forlines armed with a calendar of daily appointments on the Karens’ behalf.
A life-long single adult, Forlines has assisted in the delivery of at least 14 babies, translating doctor’s orders in the delivery room. She now has a car seat in her SUV to transport mothers and children to their medical appointments for immunizations and physicals.
Medical and government offices know Forlines by name as she helps the Karen navigate the health care and social services maze. She reads and explains bills, letters from schools, insurance forms and government paperwork. She helps them complete job applications and drives them to interviews. If a child is sick, the local elementary school calls Forlines.
When they have needs or experiences crises—no furniture, no jobs, not enough money to pay the rent—Forlines steps in, finding resources to help, even paying some expenses out of her own pocket. She is always amazed at how God provides the financial resources, “This is not my ministry,” she said. “It’s God’s ministry and if He wants it to happen, He will touch the hearts of people.”
The Karen are “hard working,” Forlines said, “but it has been tough for them without a lot of job skills and without the ability to speak English. They are frugal and sweet, precious people. I don’t know how they survive but they do.”
Upon entering the states, resettlement agencies provide the newly arrived refugees with three months’ financial assistance for rent and electricity. But with the faltering economy, unskilled jobs are difficult to find that will provide the nearly $600 required for the fourth month’s rent. Some of the fathers move to other states to find work.
According to Forlines nearly 300 Karen live in Jacksonville. But the First Coast city is also home to other Burmese refugees, including the Chen and Ka’Chen people groups.
Other Baptist churches in the city—Cedar Hills, San Jose and Crown Point—minister to them.
These groups, like the Karen, are Christians—which is a source of the intolerance in their primarily Buddhist country—and seek out Baptist churches, having been evangelized by Burmese Baptist churches, the legacy of Adoniram Judson, pioneer Baptist missionary.
Nearly 110 Karen worship each Sunday at Southside Church, in services in their own “heart language,” and along with the Anglo congregation. Their children are assimilated in the church’s English-speaking Sunday school program.
Southside Pastor Gary Webber said the church must “think more globally in the 21st century. That doesn’t just mean international missions or travel to foreign countries, but beginning to find out that God is bringing the world here with immigrants seeking refuge here.”
Understanding that, Forlines continues to dedicate her time and resources to the “precious people.”
“Imagine if every church would establish on-going ministries as a way of meeting needs and sharing Christ with the people in their community,” she said. “Perhaps like the early disciples, we would turn our portion of the world upside down and people would be drawn to the church and Christ.”
Dec 30, 2009
By BARBARA DENMAN
Florida Baptist Convention
JACKSONVILLE (FBC)—They escaped the jungles of Asian country once known as Burma a persecuted people, fearing death from a hostile and Buddhist dominated Myanmar government.
Exiled to refugee camps along the Thailand border, many waited for decades for God to deliver them.
Now living in low-income housing in the shadows of Jacksonville’s skyscrapers, the Karen people are coping with a new life in a foreign land unable to speak the language and ignorant of the culture.
In their times of crisis, they have found an ally, willing to walk with them while interpreting their journey; a companion ready to make personal sacrifices in Christ’s name.
“We call her ‘Pi.’” explains Ta Yah Htoo, a 19-year-old mother who was born in a border refugee camp. “It means grandmother and great honor.”
“We feel like she is our mom. We call her at midnight and she answers. We love her so much. We know that God gave her a spirit and heart for the Karen people and he gave us a special mom.”
Brenda Forlines, or “Pi” as she is endearingly called, retired three years ago as director of the Florida Baptist Convention’s Church and Community Ministries department,
where she spent 23 years on the road, crisscrossing the state assisting congregations develop ministries to their community.
Once retired, the North American Mission Board missionary spent the next nine months recuperating, “cleaning house” and visiting friends and family. But she was not destined to sit still in retirement.
“I began praying that God would give me a ministry, but I wanted a community ministry,” she explained. When asked to take over the ESL (English as a second language) ministry at her church, Southside Baptist Church in Jacksonville’s San Marco community, she discovered the Karen people, eager to learn as they took careful steps to assimilate into the community.
“I started to be available and become involved in their lives,” recalled Forlines. One young woman asked Forlines to help her pick out wedding rings; another asked her to read and explain a letter.
It evolved from there into 40-plus hours of volunteer ministry each week. The day begins with Forlines armed with a calendar of daily appointments on the Karens’ behalf.
A life-long single adult, Forlines has assisted in the delivery of at least 14 babies, translating doctor’s orders in the delivery room. She now has a car seat in her SUV to transport mothers and children to their medical appointments for immunizations and physicals.
Medical and government offices know Forlines by name as she helps the Karen navigate the health care and social services maze. She reads and explains bills, letters from schools, insurance forms and government paperwork. She helps them complete job applications and drives them to interviews. If a child is sick, the local elementary school calls Forlines.
When they have needs or experiences crises—no furniture, no jobs, not enough money to pay the rent—Forlines steps in, finding resources to help, even paying some expenses out of her own pocket. She is always amazed at how God provides the financial resources, “This is not my ministry,” she said. “It’s God’s ministry and if He wants it to happen, He will touch the hearts of people.”
The Karen are “hard working,” Forlines said, “but it has been tough for them without a lot of job skills and without the ability to speak English. They are frugal and sweet, precious people. I don’t know how they survive but they do.”
Upon entering the states, resettlement agencies provide the newly arrived refugees with three months’ financial assistance for rent and electricity. But with the faltering economy, unskilled jobs are difficult to find that will provide the nearly $600 required for the fourth month’s rent. Some of the fathers move to other states to find work.
According to Forlines nearly 300 Karen live in Jacksonville. But the First Coast city is also home to other Burmese refugees, including the Chen and Ka’Chen people groups.
Other Baptist churches in the city—Cedar Hills, San Jose and Crown Point—minister to them.
These groups, like the Karen, are Christians—which is a source of the intolerance in their primarily Buddhist country—and seek out Baptist churches, having been evangelized by Burmese Baptist churches, the legacy of Adoniram Judson, pioneer Baptist missionary.
Nearly 110 Karen worship each Sunday at Southside Church, in services in their own “heart language,” and along with the Anglo congregation. Their children are assimilated in the church’s English-speaking Sunday school program.
Southside Pastor Gary Webber said the church must “think more globally in the 21st century. That doesn’t just mean international missions or travel to foreign countries, but beginning to find out that God is bringing the world here with immigrants seeking refuge here.”
Understanding that, Forlines continues to dedicate her time and resources to the “precious people.”
“Imagine if every church would establish on-going ministries as a way of meeting needs and sharing Christ with the people in their community,” she said. “Perhaps like the early disciples, we would turn our portion of the world upside down and people would be drawn to the church and Christ.”
*************************************************************
The Australian - US passport is no protection from Rangoon goons
Wa Wa Kyaw
From: The Australian
December 30, 2009 12:00AM
EARLY on September 3, my phone rang. I picked up, thinking it might be my fiance, Nyi Nyi Aung, who was visiting family in Bangkok, Thailand. But it was Nyi Nyi's brother.
Nyi Nyi, he said, had boarded a plane to our native Burma earlier that day, hoping to visit his mother, who has cancer. But according to friends waiting at the baggage claim, he never arrived. In all likelihood, agents of the military junta seized him. Nyi Nyi is an American citizen, I thought. How could this happen? Then, it hit me: I might never see him again.
I called the US embassy in Rangoon; I wrote to our congressional representatives. And I waited. On September 20, 17 days after Nyi Nyi disappeared, the junta acknowledged his arrest. The charge, according to the state-run newspaper, was "plotting riots and sabotage". I felt sick but not surprised: although Nyi Nyi has always been a nonviolent activist, the junta will say anything to justify its actions. Then, after the embassy was allowed a brief visit, I learned the worst: he was tortured. He was denied food for over a week. Kicked in his face. Beaten on his back. Not allowed to sleep.
As a peaceful participant in the 1988 Burmese student protests, Nyi Nyi had once before been detained and tortured by the junta. I, too, had been involved in the student uprising and fled to Thailand after the brutal August 1988 military crackdown. That's where Nyi Nyi and I met. While in Thailand, he worked with organisations helping refugees, while continuing to advocate on behalf of Burmese democracy and human rights.
In 1991, drawn to the US, I decided to resettle there; he followed two years later. He received a computer science degree and started working for hi-tech companies. He became a naturalised US citizen, like me. We became engaged. But he never forgot Burma. He continued quietly assisting groups organising peaceful opposition to the junta. As part of this work he returned to Burma five
times, each time with his US passport and a valid visa. The first four trips he went unmolested. The fifth trip was different.
Nyi Nyi is to stand trial in Burma. The terrorism charges have been dropped, but he is facing sham charges of fraud and forgery relating to his alleged possession of a fake Burmese identity card even though he clearly had no need of fake identification, given his US passport and valid visa.
He has also been charged with illegally importing Burmese currency and failing to declare US currency at customs. But he was arrested before he had a chance to go through customs. He faces a maximum sentence of 17 years. The courts in Burma are tools of the junta, and there is little doubt that he will be convicted.
Recently, the Barack Obama administration completed its Burma policy review. Sanctions will remain, but the administration has signalled that it will pursue greater engagement with the junta. Recently, US Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell travelled to Rangoon, becoming the most senior US diplomat to visit Burma in more than a decade. I hope and pray he raised Nyi Nyi's case.
But Nyi Nyi is far from alone. He is the only American political prisoner in Burma, but there are more than 2000 Burmese prisoners of conscience. This number includes my nephew, Nyi Nyi's mother and two of his cousins. Their crime? Peaceful support for freedom and human rights.
Several months before his arrest, Nyi Nyi went to New York City to deliver a petition to the UN urging the release of all political prisoners in Burma. Now I must speak for Nyi Nyi, as he has so often spoken for others. His arrest, detention and treatment has been condemned by the international community. And so I say: your words show you take this issue seriously. But what will you do?
Wa Wa Kyaw is the fiancee of imprisoned Burmese-American human rights activist Nyi Nyi Aung.
Wa Wa Kyaw
From: The Australian
December 30, 2009 12:00AM
EARLY on September 3, my phone rang. I picked up, thinking it might be my fiance, Nyi Nyi Aung, who was visiting family in Bangkok, Thailand. But it was Nyi Nyi's brother.
Nyi Nyi, he said, had boarded a plane to our native Burma earlier that day, hoping to visit his mother, who has cancer. But according to friends waiting at the baggage claim, he never arrived. In all likelihood, agents of the military junta seized him. Nyi Nyi is an American citizen, I thought. How could this happen? Then, it hit me: I might never see him again.
I called the US embassy in Rangoon; I wrote to our congressional representatives. And I waited. On September 20, 17 days after Nyi Nyi disappeared, the junta acknowledged his arrest. The charge, according to the state-run newspaper, was "plotting riots and sabotage". I felt sick but not surprised: although Nyi Nyi has always been a nonviolent activist, the junta will say anything to justify its actions. Then, after the embassy was allowed a brief visit, I learned the worst: he was tortured. He was denied food for over a week. Kicked in his face. Beaten on his back. Not allowed to sleep.
As a peaceful participant in the 1988 Burmese student protests, Nyi Nyi had once before been detained and tortured by the junta. I, too, had been involved in the student uprising and fled to Thailand after the brutal August 1988 military crackdown. That's where Nyi Nyi and I met. While in Thailand, he worked with organisations helping refugees, while continuing to advocate on behalf of Burmese democracy and human rights.
In 1991, drawn to the US, I decided to resettle there; he followed two years later. He received a computer science degree and started working for hi-tech companies. He became a naturalised US citizen, like me. We became engaged. But he never forgot Burma. He continued quietly assisting groups organising peaceful opposition to the junta. As part of this work he returned to Burma five
times, each time with his US passport and a valid visa. The first four trips he went unmolested. The fifth trip was different.
Nyi Nyi is to stand trial in Burma. The terrorism charges have been dropped, but he is facing sham charges of fraud and forgery relating to his alleged possession of a fake Burmese identity card even though he clearly had no need of fake identification, given his US passport and valid visa.
He has also been charged with illegally importing Burmese currency and failing to declare US currency at customs. But he was arrested before he had a chance to go through customs. He faces a maximum sentence of 17 years. The courts in Burma are tools of the junta, and there is little doubt that he will be convicted.
Recently, the Barack Obama administration completed its Burma policy review. Sanctions will remain, but the administration has signalled that it will pursue greater engagement with the junta. Recently, US Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell travelled to Rangoon, becoming the most senior US diplomat to visit Burma in more than a decade. I hope and pray he raised Nyi Nyi's case.
But Nyi Nyi is far from alone. He is the only American political prisoner in Burma, but there are more than 2000 Burmese prisoners of conscience. This number includes my nephew, Nyi Nyi's mother and two of his cousins. Their crime? Peaceful support for freedom and human rights.
Several months before his arrest, Nyi Nyi went to New York City to deliver a petition to the UN urging the release of all political prisoners in Burma. Now I must speak for Nyi Nyi, as he has so often spoken for others. His arrest, detention and treatment has been condemned by the international community. And so I say: your words show you take this issue seriously. But what will you do?
Wa Wa Kyaw is the fiancee of imprisoned Burmese-American human rights activist Nyi Nyi Aung.
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The Irrawaddy - Burma Very High Risk: The Economist
By WAI MOE - Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Military-ruled Burma is one of 22 countries in the world that is at very high risk of social unrest in the coming year, according to influential magazine The Economist.
According to a chart coined “Global Tinderbox” published on Monday by the UK-based magazine, Burma and 21 other countries are at a “very high risk” of social unrest in 2010 while 52 countries are classified as “high risk.” only 37 countries are ranked at a “low risk of unrest.”
Burma is joined by neighbors Bangladesh and conflict-ravaged countries in South Asia, the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa, such as Afghanistan, Somalia and Iraq.
Thailand, Cambodia and China are among the 52 countries which are estimated to be at high risk of social unrest in 2010.
The magazine said the world will see 60 million more people unemployed than in 2008, and about 200 million workers worldwide will be living on less than US $2 a day.
The rate of development in Burma, which is rich in natural resources, is one of the worst in the world. The United Nations Development Programme has warned that most people in Burma survive on less than $1 a day. Many people in the outskirts of cities survive on a day-to-day basis, according to NGO workers in Burma, and many people under the poverty line are suffering from malnutrition.
“But poverty alone does not spark unrest— exaggerated income inequalities, poor governance, lack of social provisions and ethnic tensions are all elements of the brew that foments unrest,” The Economist said.
Burma is ranked as the third most corrupt country in the world after anarchic Somalia and war-torn Afghanistan, according to Berlin-based Transparency International.
Burma is scheduled to hold a general election in the year ahead. However, the ruling junta still keeps more than 2,000 political prisoners under arrest, including pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The military government has yet to announce an electoral law and a timetable for the election. To date, any dissident opinions and political activity are forcefully suppressed.
Ethnic tensions around the country are also running high. The Burmese ruling generals have called on all ethnic ceasefire groups to join the central government’s border guard force plan. With the exception of three groups, all the ethnic cease-fire groups have yet to agree to the plan.
The junta extended the deadline for the ethnic groups to accept the border guard proposal to the end of December. With one day to go and no word of any compromises, many observers say that conflict is inevitable with the government forces preparing to launch fresh offensives on resistance groups.
However, leaders of the United Wa State Army, the largest cease-fire group in the country with an estimated 20,000 troops, have reportedly vowed that they won’t give up an inch of their territory or disarm.
By WAI MOE - Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Military-ruled Burma is one of 22 countries in the world that is at very high risk of social unrest in the coming year, according to influential magazine The Economist.
According to a chart coined “Global Tinderbox” published on Monday by the UK-based magazine, Burma and 21 other countries are at a “very high risk” of social unrest in 2010 while 52 countries are classified as “high risk.” only 37 countries are ranked at a “low risk of unrest.”
Burma is joined by neighbors Bangladesh and conflict-ravaged countries in South Asia, the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa, such as Afghanistan, Somalia and Iraq.
Thailand, Cambodia and China are among the 52 countries which are estimated to be at high risk of social unrest in 2010.
The magazine said the world will see 60 million more people unemployed than in 2008, and about 200 million workers worldwide will be living on less than US $2 a day.
The rate of development in Burma, which is rich in natural resources, is one of the worst in the world. The United Nations Development Programme has warned that most people in Burma survive on less than $1 a day. Many people in the outskirts of cities survive on a day-to-day basis, according to NGO workers in Burma, and many people under the poverty line are suffering from malnutrition.
“But poverty alone does not spark unrest— exaggerated income inequalities, poor governance, lack of social provisions and ethnic tensions are all elements of the brew that foments unrest,” The Economist said.
Burma is ranked as the third most corrupt country in the world after anarchic Somalia and war-torn Afghanistan, according to Berlin-based Transparency International.
Burma is scheduled to hold a general election in the year ahead. However, the ruling junta still keeps more than 2,000 political prisoners under arrest, including pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The military government has yet to announce an electoral law and a timetable for the election. To date, any dissident opinions and political activity are forcefully suppressed.
Ethnic tensions around the country are also running high. The Burmese ruling generals have called on all ethnic ceasefire groups to join the central government’s border guard force plan. With the exception of three groups, all the ethnic cease-fire groups have yet to agree to the plan.
The junta extended the deadline for the ethnic groups to accept the border guard proposal to the end of December. With one day to go and no word of any compromises, many observers say that conflict is inevitable with the government forces preparing to launch fresh offensives on resistance groups.
However, leaders of the United Wa State Army, the largest cease-fire group in the country with an estimated 20,000 troops, have reportedly vowed that they won’t give up an inch of their territory or disarm.
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The Irrawaddy - Living Poor on Soldiers' Pay
By KYI WAI - Wednesday, December 30, 2009
RANGOON — Sgt Aung walks through Mingladon market, searching for ammunition to restock his cartridge magazine, which he sold when he needed some extra money to support his family.
He quickly found several shops in the military equipment area, selling all types of military hardware: uniforms, field equipment, cartridges, magazines and various brands of weapons.
Similar shops can be found in many markets around military installations in Rangoon, such as Htauk Kyant, Hlegu and Hmaw Bi markets.
Most of the shops rely on poor soldiers, who are often forced to sell their army-issued property when they need money and then must repurchase it when they have funds.
Sgt Aung (not his real name) sold his cartridges six months ago for 8,000 kyat (US $7) when he needed money. They cost 15,000 kyat to buy back now, but the shop owner offered a 2,500 kyat discount. Still, Sgt Aung is put off by the price.
He earns 35,000 kyat ($32) a month. He decides to walk around the market and think about it. Finally, he decides he can't afford to replace the cartridges.If he has an inspection and is found out, he could be suspended from duty or imprisoned.
"The poverty of soldiers isn't even comparable to civilians,” he said. “We suffer from scarcity not only on the front line, but also in rear-base areas. We see almost no money."
As a sergeant in the Burmese army, he could earn an extra 5,000 kyat a month if he serves in a high-risk area.
However, his pay is never enough to meet the needs of his four family members, Aung said.
Since 2007, he has been indebted. His wife and children try to cut back on everything, but he still can't afford to buy even the cheapest toothpaste or tooth brushes.
The economic strain is showing. Sgt Aung is haggard, weary and his cheek bones sharply outline his face. His uniform is faded. He said he can't recall how many times he has repaired family members' flip-flops.
A lance corporal also shared his story with The Irrawaddy.
"I earn less than 40,000 kyat (US $37) a month including regular salary, hazardous duty pay and other assistance. My family can't survive on my salary. We have no more possessions to sell. I can't even provide school fees for my children, and my wife sends them to her relatives for schooling," he said.
The army provides 3,000 ($2.70) kyat for each dependent child to help with school fees, but it's still insufficient to pay expanses, he said.
Soldiers are not allowed to work outside the military, but if their wives can work, many find it almost possible to stay even financially. However, he said the army sometimes demands full-time labor from family members on army farms and other production facilities.
"The family members of army men are like slaves,” he said. “Not only do we soldiers serve, but our family members are often required to work for the army too."
Some servicemen receive an extra benefit when officers allow a few family members to start small businesses within an army unit's area, such as snack or tea shops while others sell groceries or illegal liquor.
Some families breed poultry and pigs for extra income, and some earn money with illegal or underground businesses such as selling illegal lottery tickets or betting on soccer matches. Some soldiers run short-haul, motorcycle-taxi services.
A private in a battalion in Mingladon Township said, "You can buy illegal lottery tickets in our unit. Some army families just keep books for the tickets. If you want to bet on a soccer match, they will help you to access outside book makers."
Since April 1, 2006, a private earns 16,000 kyat ($14) a month; a major-general earns 800,000 kyat ($$750) a month. The army pays 5,000 kyat a month for hazardous duty pay for the ranks of private through colonel.
"The salary gap between the generals and ordinary soldiers is very large, and the privileges are also very different. The generals earn 1 million kyat extra a month for state defense and administration fees," said a colonel who asked for anonymity.
Since 1988, the regime has raised the salary scale four times for public employees and military servicemen, in order to cope with inflation and raising commodity prices.
Sometimes the government or army officers order an army unit to be self-reliant. A soldier said a military commander in northern Shan State ordered the units under his command to find operational cost on their own, and the army units cut and sold timber in the area.
"It was not only our unit, but almost all army units in that area that cut and sold logs,” he said.
Nowadays, many servicemen are given oral orders by officers to try to find girls to marry from well-off families, who can help support an army man's family.
A captain said, "For army officers, it's an unwritten law that we should marry a rich lady or an educated lady."
Typically, the army will summarily dismiss soldiers infected with AIDS/HIV, Hepatitis B or those who sustain physical disabilities, sources said.
A medic said there are many cases of suicide if a soldier contracts AIDS/HIV or Hepatitis B, because they can't face returning to their native region.
"If the infected person is an officer, he may be transferred to a civil administration post, but if the patient is a non-commissioned soldier, he is kicked out. For those who are injured in a fighting, they are treated at a national rehabilitation hospital and then asked to retire," the medic said.
A veteran who lost a limb said: "If they can still walk, the veterans may try to sell books and magazines on the street. They sell things in market. If the veterans can't walk, they knit rattan furniture and some work as carpenters. Some go out to the streets as beggars. The veterans get no assistance anymore from the government, and they are not even recognized as army veterans. They say we disgrace the pride of the Tatmadaw."
A veteran who is now surviving by begging in Insein Township said military officials told him not to beg while wearing any military clothing and not to say he was a veteran. He was then ordered not to beg in a public park.
Ironically, a lance-corporal from a Than-Lyin-based battalion said, "We would be better off if I resigned from the army and begged on the street. I could earn more money."
Pay scale for army servicemen (April 1, 2006):
1. private: 16,000 kyat basic pay. after two years, 21,000 kyats
2. lance-corporal: 22,000 kyat; after several years, 27,000 kyat.
3. corporal: 28,000 kyat; after several years, 33,000 kyat
4. sergeant: 34,000 kyat; after several years, 39,000 kyat
5. company sergeant: 40,000 kyat; after several years, 45,000 kyat
6. warrant officer II: 46,000 kyat; after several years, 51,000 kyat
7. warrant officer I: 52,000 kyat; after several years, 57,000 kyat
8. second lieutenant:100,000 kyat
9. lieutenant: 120,000 kyat.
10. captain: 130,000 kyat; after two years, 140,000 kyat
11. major: 150,000 kyat; after several years, 160,000 kyat
12. lieutenant colonel: 170,000 kyat; after several years, 180,000 kyat
13. colonel: 190,000 kyat; after several years, 200,000 kyat
14. brigadier general: 300,000 kyat
15. major-general: 400,000 kyat
16. lieutenant-general: 600,000 kyats
17. general: 800,000 kyat
18. vice-senior general : 1,000,000 kyat
19. senior-general: 1,200,000 kyat
By KYI WAI - Wednesday, December 30, 2009
RANGOON — Sgt Aung walks through Mingladon market, searching for ammunition to restock his cartridge magazine, which he sold when he needed some extra money to support his family.
He quickly found several shops in the military equipment area, selling all types of military hardware: uniforms, field equipment, cartridges, magazines and various brands of weapons.
Similar shops can be found in many markets around military installations in Rangoon, such as Htauk Kyant, Hlegu and Hmaw Bi markets.
Most of the shops rely on poor soldiers, who are often forced to sell their army-issued property when they need money and then must repurchase it when they have funds.
Sgt Aung (not his real name) sold his cartridges six months ago for 8,000 kyat (US $7) when he needed money. They cost 15,000 kyat to buy back now, but the shop owner offered a 2,500 kyat discount. Still, Sgt Aung is put off by the price.
He earns 35,000 kyat ($32) a month. He decides to walk around the market and think about it. Finally, he decides he can't afford to replace the cartridges.If he has an inspection and is found out, he could be suspended from duty or imprisoned.
"The poverty of soldiers isn't even comparable to civilians,” he said. “We suffer from scarcity not only on the front line, but also in rear-base areas. We see almost no money."
As a sergeant in the Burmese army, he could earn an extra 5,000 kyat a month if he serves in a high-risk area.
However, his pay is never enough to meet the needs of his four family members, Aung said.
Since 2007, he has been indebted. His wife and children try to cut back on everything, but he still can't afford to buy even the cheapest toothpaste or tooth brushes.
The economic strain is showing. Sgt Aung is haggard, weary and his cheek bones sharply outline his face. His uniform is faded. He said he can't recall how many times he has repaired family members' flip-flops.
A lance corporal also shared his story with The Irrawaddy.
"I earn less than 40,000 kyat (US $37) a month including regular salary, hazardous duty pay and other assistance. My family can't survive on my salary. We have no more possessions to sell. I can't even provide school fees for my children, and my wife sends them to her relatives for schooling," he said.
The army provides 3,000 ($2.70) kyat for each dependent child to help with school fees, but it's still insufficient to pay expanses, he said.
Soldiers are not allowed to work outside the military, but if their wives can work, many find it almost possible to stay even financially. However, he said the army sometimes demands full-time labor from family members on army farms and other production facilities.
"The family members of army men are like slaves,” he said. “Not only do we soldiers serve, but our family members are often required to work for the army too."
Some servicemen receive an extra benefit when officers allow a few family members to start small businesses within an army unit's area, such as snack or tea shops while others sell groceries or illegal liquor.
Some families breed poultry and pigs for extra income, and some earn money with illegal or underground businesses such as selling illegal lottery tickets or betting on soccer matches. Some soldiers run short-haul, motorcycle-taxi services.
A private in a battalion in Mingladon Township said, "You can buy illegal lottery tickets in our unit. Some army families just keep books for the tickets. If you want to bet on a soccer match, they will help you to access outside book makers."
Since April 1, 2006, a private earns 16,000 kyat ($14) a month; a major-general earns 800,000 kyat ($$750) a month. The army pays 5,000 kyat a month for hazardous duty pay for the ranks of private through colonel.
"The salary gap between the generals and ordinary soldiers is very large, and the privileges are also very different. The generals earn 1 million kyat extra a month for state defense and administration fees," said a colonel who asked for anonymity.
Since 1988, the regime has raised the salary scale four times for public employees and military servicemen, in order to cope with inflation and raising commodity prices.
Sometimes the government or army officers order an army unit to be self-reliant. A soldier said a military commander in northern Shan State ordered the units under his command to find operational cost on their own, and the army units cut and sold timber in the area.
"It was not only our unit, but almost all army units in that area that cut and sold logs,” he said.
Nowadays, many servicemen are given oral orders by officers to try to find girls to marry from well-off families, who can help support an army man's family.
A captain said, "For army officers, it's an unwritten law that we should marry a rich lady or an educated lady."
Typically, the army will summarily dismiss soldiers infected with AIDS/HIV, Hepatitis B or those who sustain physical disabilities, sources said.
A medic said there are many cases of suicide if a soldier contracts AIDS/HIV or Hepatitis B, because they can't face returning to their native region.
"If the infected person is an officer, he may be transferred to a civil administration post, but if the patient is a non-commissioned soldier, he is kicked out. For those who are injured in a fighting, they are treated at a national rehabilitation hospital and then asked to retire," the medic said.
A veteran who lost a limb said: "If they can still walk, the veterans may try to sell books and magazines on the street. They sell things in market. If the veterans can't walk, they knit rattan furniture and some work as carpenters. Some go out to the streets as beggars. The veterans get no assistance anymore from the government, and they are not even recognized as army veterans. They say we disgrace the pride of the Tatmadaw."
A veteran who is now surviving by begging in Insein Township said military officials told him not to beg while wearing any military clothing and not to say he was a veteran. He was then ordered not to beg in a public park.
Ironically, a lance-corporal from a Than-Lyin-based battalion said, "We would be better off if I resigned from the army and begged on the street. I could earn more money."
Pay scale for army servicemen (April 1, 2006):
1. private: 16,000 kyat basic pay. after two years, 21,000 kyats
2. lance-corporal: 22,000 kyat; after several years, 27,000 kyat.
3. corporal: 28,000 kyat; after several years, 33,000 kyat
4. sergeant: 34,000 kyat; after several years, 39,000 kyat
5. company sergeant: 40,000 kyat; after several years, 45,000 kyat
6. warrant officer II: 46,000 kyat; after several years, 51,000 kyat
7. warrant officer I: 52,000 kyat; after several years, 57,000 kyat
8. second lieutenant:100,000 kyat
9. lieutenant: 120,000 kyat.
10. captain: 130,000 kyat; after two years, 140,000 kyat
11. major: 150,000 kyat; after several years, 160,000 kyat
12. lieutenant colonel: 170,000 kyat; after several years, 180,000 kyat
13. colonel: 190,000 kyat; after several years, 200,000 kyat
14. brigadier general: 300,000 kyat
15. major-general: 400,000 kyat
16. lieutenant-general: 600,000 kyats
17. general: 800,000 kyat
18. vice-senior general : 1,000,000 kyat
19. senior-general: 1,200,000 kyat
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NLD keen on holding CEC plenary meet
Wednesday, 30 December 2009 13:34 Myint Maung
New Delhi (Mizzima) – The National League for Democracy party is keen on holding its CEC plenary meeting with all 11 members for reorganizing and expansion of the CEC.
“This is related to our party’s future plan so the regime must permit us. Even if they don’t allow us we will hold the meeting when the political parties’ registration law and other related laws and regulations are declared,” party spokesman Khin Maung Swe told Mizzima.
“If the junta does not allow us to hold such a meeting, the current CEC must go ahead with the plan and inform Aung San Suu Kyi,” he added.
Ageing party leaders Chairman Aung Shwe, Secretary U Lwin and CEC member Lun Tin agreed to expand the current CEC when they met Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on December 16 at Green Bank State Guest House in Rangoon.
Aung San Suu Kyi who has been detained for over 14 of the past 20 years sent a letter to the junta supremo Senior Gen. Than Shwe in November, requesting him to let her meet all 11 CEC members including detained Vice-Chairman Tin Oo. But she has not yet been allowed to meet the CEC members.
Though the party elders agreed to expand and reorganize the current CEC, they could not take a final decision without holding a plenary CEC meeting because they are awaiting permission from the military regime, Khin Maung Swe said.
On December 9 the NLD announced the list of current CEC members. They are Aung Swhe (Chairman), Tin Oo (Vice-Chairman), Aung San Suu Kyi (General Secretary), U Lwin (Secretary) and members Win Tin, Than Tun, Soe Myint, Hla Pe, Lun Tin, Nyunt Wei and Khin Maung Swe.
Wednesday, 30 December 2009 13:34 Myint Maung
New Delhi (Mizzima) – The National League for Democracy party is keen on holding its CEC plenary meeting with all 11 members for reorganizing and expansion of the CEC.
“This is related to our party’s future plan so the regime must permit us. Even if they don’t allow us we will hold the meeting when the political parties’ registration law and other related laws and regulations are declared,” party spokesman Khin Maung Swe told Mizzima.
“If the junta does not allow us to hold such a meeting, the current CEC must go ahead with the plan and inform Aung San Suu Kyi,” he added.
Ageing party leaders Chairman Aung Shwe, Secretary U Lwin and CEC member Lun Tin agreed to expand the current CEC when they met Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on December 16 at Green Bank State Guest House in Rangoon.
Aung San Suu Kyi who has been detained for over 14 of the past 20 years sent a letter to the junta supremo Senior Gen. Than Shwe in November, requesting him to let her meet all 11 CEC members including detained Vice-Chairman Tin Oo. But she has not yet been allowed to meet the CEC members.
Though the party elders agreed to expand and reorganize the current CEC, they could not take a final decision without holding a plenary CEC meeting because they are awaiting permission from the military regime, Khin Maung Swe said.
On December 9 the NLD announced the list of current CEC members. They are Aung Swhe (Chairman), Tin Oo (Vice-Chairman), Aung San Suu Kyi (General Secretary), U Lwin (Secretary) and members Win Tin, Than Tun, Soe Myint, Hla Pe, Lun Tin, Nyunt Wei and Khin Maung Swe.
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Authorities demand data on opposition party
Dec 30, 2009 (DVB)–Opposition party members in Burma are being forced to divulge personal details about their families and jobs to intelligence officers, reportedly on instruction from senior government.
Lists of National League for Democracy (NLD) members in Mandalay division, Kachin state and Bago division have been drawn up, while birth dates of divisional members of Mandalay’s Chanmyayttharzan township were collected recently, NLD organizing member Myo Naing said.
“They didn’t come openly; local authorities came to ask our dates of birth,” he said. “They said they did it under order of senior authorities. I saw the list of the names of four to five NLD members in our ward.”
Another NLD member in Mandalay division, Tun Tun, said that it was not clear why surveillance was being stepped up.
“They are mainly collecting [data] in rural areas. In urban areas, they collect them in satellite towns,” he said. “When I asked them they said they do it under instruction from the top.”
In Kachin state’s Mohnyin, NLD members are being photographed and told to answer questionnaires. They are also told to list their siblings, their addresses and jobs.
At the same time, NLD leaders in Mandalay sent a directive to colleagues not to reveal data of party members, Mandalay Northwest township MP-elect Tin Aung Aung said.
Khin Maung Swe, from the NLD’s information wing, said that authorities have no right to collect data.
“It is not in accordance with the law for non-NLD party members to collect details of party members,” he said. “If they did, we will investigate it and carry out appropriate action.”
The Burmese government is preparing to hold elections next year, although the NLD is yet to announce whether it will participate.
Critics of the government say that the 2008 constitution will entrench military rule in the country, while detained NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi is barred from running for office.
Reporting by Khin Hnin Htet
Dec 30, 2009 (DVB)–Opposition party members in Burma are being forced to divulge personal details about their families and jobs to intelligence officers, reportedly on instruction from senior government.
Lists of National League for Democracy (NLD) members in Mandalay division, Kachin state and Bago division have been drawn up, while birth dates of divisional members of Mandalay’s Chanmyayttharzan township were collected recently, NLD organizing member Myo Naing said.
“They didn’t come openly; local authorities came to ask our dates of birth,” he said. “They said they did it under order of senior authorities. I saw the list of the names of four to five NLD members in our ward.”
Another NLD member in Mandalay division, Tun Tun, said that it was not clear why surveillance was being stepped up.
“They are mainly collecting [data] in rural areas. In urban areas, they collect them in satellite towns,” he said. “When I asked them they said they do it under instruction from the top.”
In Kachin state’s Mohnyin, NLD members are being photographed and told to answer questionnaires. They are also told to list their siblings, their addresses and jobs.
At the same time, NLD leaders in Mandalay sent a directive to colleagues not to reveal data of party members, Mandalay Northwest township MP-elect Tin Aung Aung said.
Khin Maung Swe, from the NLD’s information wing, said that authorities have no right to collect data.
“It is not in accordance with the law for non-NLD party members to collect details of party members,” he said. “If they did, we will investigate it and carry out appropriate action.”
The Burmese government is preparing to hold elections next year, although the NLD is yet to announce whether it will participate.
Critics of the government say that the 2008 constitution will entrench military rule in the country, while detained NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi is barred from running for office.
Reporting by Khin Hnin Htet
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