Suu Kyi must have role in politics: Myanmar

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Tuesday, 26 February 2008

Myanmar's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi must be allowed to play a role in the nation's political process, her party said yesterday, adding the ruling junta was wrong to bar her from elections.Foreign Minister Nyan Win last week confirmed to his Southeast Asian counterparts that the military's new constitution would bar Aung San Suu Kyi from running in elections that have been slated for May.Her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), warned in a statement that the junta was wrong to rule her out before voters were given a chance to decide on the charter in a referendum set for May.

"Aung San Suu Kyi is someone who definitely must be involved in Myanmar's political process," the NLD said."It's completely unlawful for an unauthorised person to comment on the election, because there is still no constitution and no election law," the party said, referring to Nyan Win."This comment is a personal and political attack on Ms Aung San Suu Kyi, and it also sounds like a pre-determined decision to not allow her to participate in elections," it said.

Nyan Win told a regional gathering in Singapore that the new constitution would ban Aung San Suu Kyi from politics because she married a Briton and her two sons have British nationality.But the party insisted that Aung San Suu Kyi's family has unrivaled nationalist credentials, because her father General Aung San gave his life to lead the struggle for independence from Britain.

Nyan Win's comments could "harm the national reconciliation process and the country's peace and stability," the party said.Myanmar's military has ruled the country formerly known as Burma since 1962.If held, the promised elections would be the first since Aung San Suu Kyi led the NLD to a landslide victory in 1990 polls.The junta has never recognised the result, and instead has kept the Nobel peace prize winner under house arrest for 12 of the last 18 years.The United States has ridiculed Myanmar's proposed constitution, urging the regime to "start from scratch" and draft a new one with NLD's participation.

Three Chinese marine police hurt in Myanmar shootout: officials

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Tuesday, 26 February 2008

Three Chinese marine police have been injured in a gunfight with Myanmar drug traffickers in the notorious Golden Triangle along the Mekong river, Thai officials said yesterday.The Chinese boat was patrolling the river where it flows between Myanmar and Laos, under a regional co-operation scheme aimed at fighting drug trafficking in an area renowned for opium and now a major producer of amphetamines.
A second boat carrying half a dozen suspected drug traffickers opened fire as it approached the Chinese vessel, Thai navy officials said.As the boats neared, the Myanmar gang boarded the Chinese craft, shooting and stabbing some of the six police before jumping back on their own vessel to escape, said Commander Pakorn Pothichai of the Thai Navy Mission for the Mekong.The clash lasted about five minutes. The three wounded Chinese police have been hospitalised in the northern Thai town of Chiang Rai, he added.Pakorn said the gang was believed to be working to protect a drugs shipment on the river."Chinese officials apparently had a tip-off of about the drugs delivery, so the drug traffickers were trying to stop them," he said.Myanmar is the world's second-largest producer of opium after Afghanistan.
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime said in October that after nearly a decade of decline, opium production in Myanmar was up 46 percent on the previous year.The UN agency blamed the jump on "corruption, high-level collusion and weak border security."In recent years, Myanmar has also become a major producer of amphetamines.
The United States says several hundred million amphetamine tablets are produced in Myanmar every year and shipped by gangs to neighbouring China and Thailand.China, one of Myanmar's few supporters, has also publicly pressured the junta to do more to reduce the drug problem.China blames drugs from Myanmar for high rates of addiction and HIV in its southwestern Yunnan province.

CALL ME IRRESPONSIBLE

A Fire Broke out in Mandalay of Burma

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A fire broke out this morning at Yadanpon Market in Burma's second largest city of Mandalay.
The fire started at 8:00 a.m. (local time) and continues to burn at the time of this filing, 9:00 a.m. (local time).
It is the second such incident within a week in Mandalay.
Eyewitnesses say the fire is continuing and is reportedly heading towards the 'AM Fashion' store in the market.
"If the fire continues for another hour, everything will be consumed," a witness told Mizzima.
Yadanapon Teleport is also reportedly beginning to catch the fire.
The fire broke out as vendors at the market began opening their shops this morning. While the cause of the fire is still unclear, initial reports claim that the cause of the fire was an electrical wire shock.
With heavy smoke choking the air, firefighters are reportedly finding it difficult to enter the market to extinguish the fire.
"Shop owners and others stood desperately and watched the fire consume the market," an eyewitness recounted.
On February 24, a fire erupted at Mandalay's 84th Street, 25th – 26th Street Junction. Reports suggest that there were casualties during the fire.
The Yadanpon Market is located at the 32nd and 78th Street junction, and has several stores popular nation-wide, including service centers such as the Myanmar Information and Communication Technology Park (MICT Park), Skywalk sales room and Orange supermarket.
The Market complex, the second largest in Mandalay after Zegyoe Market, was built in 2003. Besides hosting a range of stores, it also has entertainment venues such as snooker rooms and restaurants.
With no more adjacent buildings to which the fire could spread, the inferno gradually burnt itself out at approximately 11 a.m. (local time).
A local resident said that blasts from gas cylinders in the Market's restaurant complex could be distinctly heard throughout the area.

Indian company to explore gas in Myanmar inland block

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February 21, 2008
Indian oil company, the Essar, will start drilling test well to explore natural gas at an inland block in Myanmar's western coastal Rakhine state during this year under a production sharing contract with Myanmar initiated more than two years ago, the leading local weekly Yangon Times reported Wednesday.

The drilling will be undertaken at Block-L in Sittway of the state. Block-L stands one of the two blocks which the Indian company is to explore gas under the contract signed with the state-run Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise in May 2005.

The gas exploration on another block A-2 lying off the Rakhine coast will follow later, the report said. The Essar is another Indian company engaged in oil and gas exploration in Myanmar after the ONGC Videsh Ltd of India and the Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL), both of which are being involved in similar activities since 2000 at Block A-1 and A-3 in the same offshore area in partnership with South Korea's Daewoo International Corporation and South Korea Gas Corporation.

The consortium is led by Daewoo. In September last year, the ONGC signed separate production sharing contracts with Myanmar to explore natural gas in three deep-sea blocks of AD-2, AD-3 and AD-9 in the Rakhine offshore areas, according to earlier official report. Myanmar has abundance of natural gas resources especially in the offshore areas. With three main large offshore oil and gas fields and 19 onshore ones, Myanmar has proven recoverable reserve of 18.012 trillion cubic-feet (TCF) or 510 billion cubic-meters (BCM) out of 89.722 TCF or 2.54 trillion cubic-meters (TCM)'s estimated reserve of offshore and onshore gas, experts said, adding that the country is also estimated to have 3.2 billion barrels of recoverable crude oil reserve.

According to the Central Statistical Organization, in the fiscal year 2006-07, Myanmar produced 7.707 million barrels of crude oil and 13.039 BCM of gas. Gas export during the year went to 13.028 BCM, gaining 2.03 billion U.S. dollars. The latest figures indicate that in the first half (April-September) of 2007-08, the country's crude oil production amounted to 3.857 million barrels, while its gas output 6.74 BCM. Gas export was registered at 9.17 BCM during the period, obtaining 1.531 billion dollars.

More statistics reveal that foreign investment in Myanmar's oil and gas sector had reached 3.243 billion dollars in 85 projects as of the end of 2007 since the country opened to such investment in late 1988, standing the second in the country's foreign investment in this sector after electricity industry. Currently, 13 foreign oil companies, mainly from Australia, Britain, Canada, China, Indonesia, India, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and Russia, are involved in oil and gas projects in Myanmar, according to official sources.

Source:Xinhua

Golden Yellow New History By Thiri_Nyunt

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Dedicated Song to the Monks of Burma democratization movement under the miitary junta.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_m-N76yDqY

Enjoy and You have to unity for freedom to democracy.

Myanmar's gas exports to Thailand surge 55pc

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Saturday, February 23, 2008YANGON:
Military-ruled Myanmar, facing a spate of sanctions from the West for its human rights record, saw its natural gas exports to neighbouring Thailand soar 55 per cent in the first half of the current fiscal year.The state-run Central Statistical Organisation said in a recent report the junta made $1.56 billion from exports of 324,109 million cubic feet of natural gas in April-September 2007, a 76 per cent jump in value from the same period last year.

Thailand, which uses natural gas as its prime fuel for power production and which is the sole importer of Myanmar gas, buys between 15 per cent and 20 per cent of its gas requirements from its western neighbour.The two countries signed an agreement in 1995 for the sale of gas from Myanmar's two offshore fields, and delivery of gas started through a cross-border pipeline in July 1998.

Myanmar gets most of its export earnings from selling gas to Thailand, which is competing against China and India for a slice of the country's abundant gas reserves, despite international calls for it to shun trading with the junta. The United States, which imposed a ban on new investment in Myanmar in 1997, tightened sanctions after the bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests in September last year, in which at least 31 people were killed.

Good Website for Arakanese

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> http://www.arakanmusic.com/bb2/viewtopic.php?t=92> http://www.arakanmusic.com/bb2/viewtopic.php?t=92> http://www.arakanmusic.com/bb2/viewtopic.php?t=92>

KNU: More Leaders Targeted for Assassination

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Two more senior military leaders of the Karen National Union (KNU) are on Karen splinter groups’ hit lists, according to KNU sources.
Speaking to The Irrawaddy by phone on Friday and Saturday, a KNU senior officer said that Gen Mu Tu, commander in chief of the KNU’s military wing, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), and Brig-Gen Jonny, commander of KNLA Brigade 7, were targets for assassination by both the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) and the KNU/KNLA Peace Council.

The claims follow the assassination of Mahn Sha, general secretary of the KNU, on Thursday.
“Ever since Htain Maung defected, he has always planned to kill the KNU’s top leaders,” said a KNU source who works closely with the KNU leadership.
Maj-Gen Htain Maung led some 300 soldiers from Brigade 7 in defecting to the Burmese army in February 2007. His splinter group is now known as KNU/KNLA Peace Council.

Another KNU source said that speculation had been rife that Mahn Sha was assassinated by the DKBA, which who split from the rebel coalition in 1995.
Mahn Sha was secretary general of the KNU, an ethnic rebel group that has been fighting for independence since 1949.

The source said that two days ago before Mahn Sha’s assassination, a DKBA member named Soe Myint, also known as San Pyote, called a friend of hers who was living in the same house as Mahn Sha and asked for the address of his home. San Pyote said that he was interested in buying Mahn Sha's car.
San Pyote belongs to the DKBA Battalion 999.
However, a DKBA source has denied the accusation.

He said, “It is not possible—the DKBA split from the KNU more than 10 years ago. After Mahn Sha was killed, even some of the DKBA’s leadership called me and asked me what happened.”
Mahn Sha had received phone threats before his assassination, said Blooming Night Zar, an acting contact person regarding the death of Mahn Sha.
She said, “On Karen Revolution Day, an unknown man phoned Mahn Sha and said to him, ‘I will come and shoot you!’”

KNU sources claim that prior to Thursday’s assassination, about 20 spies from the DKBA were assigned and deployed in the Mae Sot area for purposes of assassination. Sources believe the plot to kill Mahn Sha was well planned weeks in advance.

Assassinations among the KNU, the DKBA and the KNU/KNLA Peace Council have increased since the defection of Htain Maung’s faction.
After the assassinations of Lt-Col Kyi Linn, a commander of the KNLA, in August 2007, who met secretly with Lt-Col Min Chit Oo of the Burmese Southeast Military Affairs Security department, and Col Ler Moo, the son-in-law of Htain Maung, who was killed last month, Mahn Sha and Jonny were blamed for masterminding the plots and were targeted for assassination, a KNU source said.

Meanwhile, opposition groups in exile have accused the Burmese military regime of being responsible for Mahn Sha’s assassination.
In November 2007, San Pyote tried to kill Brig-Gen Jonny, a KNU official from Brigade 7.

“All this is enough to make the Burmese government very happy,” Brig-Gen Jonny told The Irrawaddy. “We Karen people should be unified. If we are divided, we will never achieve self-determination and the rights we demand.”

BURMESE RAMAYANA IN NYC

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One of the famous drama in Budhhist's history, Ramayana ,that was born in India, will be held in New York city as a Burmese Ramayana.Featuring and directed by Shwe Man Win Maung, son of Shwe Man Tha Bin, and the epic Ramayana will be portrayed as a dance-drama by his 14 fellow members in the following timetable.

Burmese Ramayana

Friday: March 7,2008...8:00P.M.

Saturday: March 8,2008....2:00P.M and 8:00P.M.

Place: The Hudson Guild Theater

441 West 26th Street

Admission: $100,$30,$20

UN Chief Convenes Burma Meeting

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UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on Wednesday convened a meeting of his “Group of Friends” on Burma to discuss the situation arising out of the Burmese military government’s unilateral decision to hold a referendum on its draft constitution followed by general elections.

This was the second meeting of the Secretary-General’ s “Group of Friends” on Burma, the first being in December.
The group comprises 14 members, including Burma’s neighbors India, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam. The permanent members of the Security Council—China, the US, Britain, Russia and France—were also involved, as was Slovenia, in its capacity as European Union president, as well as Australia, Norway and Japan, the largest donor country to Burma.

While details of the meeting held at the UN headquarters were not immediately available, it is understood that some of the key international players, such as the US, France and Britain, observed that such an announcement coming from the Burmese military regime is in “open defiance” to the view of the international community.

In October, in a presidential statement, the UN Security Council urged the Burmese junta to initiate dialogue toward the restoration of democracy in the country with Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League of Democracy and the ethnic groups. The statement also called for the immediate release of all political prisoners and an all-inclusive and transparent process toward a new democratic constitution and the protection of human rights.

The US, Britain and France are believed to have argued the case for stronger UN intervention and a binding Security Council resolution in this regard. They also urged countries like India and China, which hold a considerable degree of influence over the military regime, to play a more assertive role.
On the other hand, countries like China, India and Thailand are understood to have taken the stance that the Burmese junta’s announcement must be respected and that this is the first step toward the restoration of democracy in the country.

Addressing the representatives of the 14 countries, Ban Ki-moon is believed to have said that, at this juncture, it is important that UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari visits the country as soon as possible.
According to the official Chinese news agency, Xinhua, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday exchanged views by telephone regarding a planned visit to China by Gambari.
Ban informed the “Group of Friends” that the special envoy is scheduled to visit Beijing from February 18 to 19, followed by trips to Jakarta and Singapore.

Death Video of KNU's assassination

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here is the video released a few minutes from the Thailand-Burma border.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OQYJy40XMk

KNU name new leader

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The Karen National Union (KNU), a leading ethnic rebel group in Burma, has named a new leader following the mysterious murder of its chief.
It also vowed to continue its decades-long struggle against the country's military junta.

KNU general secretary Mahn Sha was shot by two gunmen on Thursday at his home in the Thailand border town of Mae Sot, according to Thai police.
"We lost one of our leaders but nothing will affect our movement," said Ba Thien, president of the KNU, who blamed the killing on troops loyal to the junta.

"The struggle for our cause will continue."
Thai police who investigated the shooting said the murder may have been the result of internal differences in the rebel group.
The KNU's number two official, Htoo Htoo Lay, 61, automatically became the group's new leader, according to the KNU's constitution.

The killing came less than a week after Burma's military government announced plans for a referendum on a new constitution in May, to be followed by a general election in 2010.
The plans have been denounced by the KNU and other opponents of the regime as a sham devised to perpetuate military rule.

Sourced By: The Associated Press

CSW condemns assassination of Karen leader in Burma

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Christian Today-Posted: Friday, February 15, 2008, 9:17 (GMT)

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has expressed its “deep shock, sadness and outrage” at the assassination of the General Secretary of the Karen National Union (KNU), Padoh Mahn Sha, in Thailand on Thursday.

Mahn Sha, one of Burma’s most prominent ethnic leaders, was shot dead at his home on the Thai-Burmese border on Wednesday afternoon. It is believed that the murder was ordered by Burma’s military regime.

A delegation from CSW had met with Mahn Sha and other KNU leaders in his home just three days earlier, on Monday.

CSW’s Advocacy Officer Benedict Rogers said: “I knew Padoh Mahn Sha personally, considered him a friend, and met with him many times.
"His assassination is shocking, and robs Burma and its ethnic nationalities of a wise, courageous, humble, principled leader who has now paid the ultimate sacrifice for his people and their cause.

"He was held in great respect by many people, and was deeply committed to freedom, democracy and human rights for the whole nation of Burma. On behalf of CSW, I wish to express our very deepest condolences to his family and friends, and to all Karen people. We join in their mourning, and hold them in our prayers.”

CSW is currently in the region on a fact-finding visit and has obtained fresh evidence of systematic and widespread human rights violations including forced labour, rape and torture.

First-hand testimonies were obtained from Burmese monks who fled as a result of the September crackdown, Shan and Karen internally displaced people and refugees.
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/csw.condemns.assassination.of.karen.leader.in.burma/16892.htm

Arakanese and Burmese Interpreters Needed!!!

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Freelance Interpreters Needed!!!

Reply to: dilnoza.djurahodjaeva@lionbridge.com

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If you would like to become a Lionbridge interpreter, send your resume to Dilnoza.Djurahodjaeva@Lionbridge.com. Please put the language(s) you speak and your city in the subject line of the email. To learn more about Lionbridge, please visit our website: www.lionbridge.com http://interpretation.lionbridge.com/
Location: Philadelphia
Compensation: Competitive

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Padoh Mahn Sha Lah Phan
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Padoh Mahn Sha Lah Phan, 64, a leader of the Karen National Union, one of the biggest ethnic groups fighting Myanmar's military government, was killed by gunmen on 14.02.2008 at his home in Maesot, Thailand.

The tragic death of Padoh Mahn Sha is an immeasurable loss for all freedom loving people of Burma and it indeed is a deadly blow to the entire pro-democracy and human rights movement of all people of all ethnic races in Burma.

Biography:

Secretary-General and spokesperson for the Karen National Union
Born on the 5th July 1943, in Taw Gyaung village, Pan Tanaw Township, Maaubin District, Delta division, Burma.
He is a Buddhist, Poe Karen with have two sons and two daughters.
Padoh Mahn Sha graduated from Rangoon University in 1966 with a degree in History. He then joined Karen Revolution led by KNU in 1966. Before joining KNU, He was one of the KNU – UG from 1963 to 1966.
From 1966 to 1974, He had visited Ethnic revolution in Kareni, Shan and Kachin states several times. During that period, He traveled to China two times to talk with BCP and CPC.

From 1975 to 1984, He became a Joint Secretary of KNU, Nyaung Lay Bin District. In November 1984, He became a member of KNU central committee and moved to KNU Headquarters.

After joining the Karen Revolution in 1966, later he became a personal secretary of General Saw Bo Mya in 1988, the time when Saw Bo Mya was the president of KNU, DAB and NCUB.
In 1995 KNU 11th congress, He was elected as a Joint General Secretary, and in 2000 KNU 12th congress, he was elected as a General Secretary of KNU. Simultaneously he became a member of National Council of the Union of Burma (NCUB) secretariat.

Mahn Sha was elected General Secretary of the KNU again in 2004 KNU 13th congress and remains in that position until today.

US Senators Introduce Bill to Grant Burma's Nobel Peace Prize Recipient Congress' Most Prestigious Honor, Congressional Gold Medal

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For Immediate Release to Media: February 13th, 2008, 2:15 PM

Contact: Jeremy Woodrum (202) 234-8022(Washington, DC)

Weeks after the House of Representatives voted 400 - 0 to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the leader of Burma's democracy movement Aung San Suu Kyi, 75 US Senators have introduced an identical measure today in the US Senate.The effort is spearheaded in the US Senate by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY). The measure is supported by Presidential front-runners Hillary Clinton, John McCain, and Barack Obama.

"Thousands of our members across the United States have worked very hard to ensure that this great honor is bestowed on Aung San Suu Kyi," said Aung Din, executive director of the US Campaign for Burma and a former political prisoner in Burma. "Aung San Suu Kyi is a giant for human rights and democracy, and we hope this award will strengthen her efforts even further."

Added Jack Healey, Director of the Human Rights Action Center, "We also want this award to send a strong signal to China. China has paralyzed United Nations efforts on Burma while providing billions in arms to Burma's military regime. There should be no 'business as usual' between China and the US as long as China continues to prop up this brutal regime."

The Congressional Gold Medal, launched in 1776, is considered the most prominent award given by the United States government. The first medal was awarded by the Second Continental Congress to then-General George Washington during the American Revolutionary War.

Recipients include Thomas Edison, Sir Winston Churchill, Robert Kennedy, Elie Wiesel, Mother Theresa, Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks, the Rev Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King.Since the Gold Medal's inception 232 years ago, only 19 foreigners have received the award, and Aung San Suu Kyi would be the 20th.

Under Congressional rules, 2/3 of both the House and Senate must co-sponsor and pass resolutions authorizing the award. The 75 Senators introducing the bill exceed the required number of co-sponsors.In the House, the effort was led by Representatives Joseph Crowley (D-NY) and Donald Manzullo (R-IL).

Reads the legislation: "[Aung San Suu Kyi] is the world's only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize recipient, spending more than 12 of the past 17 years under house arrest." The bill further states that "Despite an assassination attempt against her life, her prolonged illegal imprisonment, the constant public vilification of her character, and her inability to see her children or to see her husband before his death, Ms. Suu Kyi remains committed to peaceful dialogue with her captors, Burma's military regime, and Burma's ethnic minorities towards bringing democracy, human rights, and national reconciliation to Burma."Aung San Suu Kyi is the leader of Burma's democracy movement, rising to national prominence in 1988 after the country's military regime gunned down up to 10,000 civilians during nationwide nonviolent marches calling for an end to military rule.

Subsequently, she led her political party the National League for Democracy to win 82% of the seats in parliament in Burma's last democratic election in 1990. The military annulled the results of the election and locked up hundreds of her supporters. She has been held under house arrest for 12 of the past 18 years while her supporters wage a peaceful struggle for human rights and democracy.

Burma was catapulted onto the front pages of newspaper in September and October 2007 when Buddhist monks and students led nationwide peaceful demonstrations calling for an end to military rule.Suu Kyi's admirers around the world include Nobel Peace laureates Desmond Tutu, Jody Williams, and Adolfo Perez Esquivel, musicians R.E.M., Damien Rice, and Ani DiFranco, and Hollywood stars Jim Carrey, Anjelica Huston, Julie Benz, Jennifer Aniston, Eric Szmanda, Walter Koenig, and many more. Successive US administrations under Presidents Clinton and Bush have stood strongly in support of Suu Kyi, while 60 former Presidents and Prime Ministers signed a united call for her release in June 2007.

Progress in Burma has been mainly blocked by China, which serves as the Burmese military regime's chief supplier of military hardware. China also vetoed a peaceful resolution at the UN Security Council that would have required Burma's military regime to participate in negotiations with Aung San Suu Kyi. China scheduled the opening of the 2008 Olympics on the anniversary of a major democracy uprising in Burma, and activists plan to use the occasion to focus attention on how China is unilaterally paralyzing UN and international efforts to support peaceful change in Burma.

UNION DAY IN JAPAN

FREEDOM TO DEMOCRACY IN BURMA

Under the agreement of Pin-Lon treaty in 1947 FEBRUARY 12, the 61st anniversary of Union day of Burma are being held around the world.

Here is a ceremony of Union Day that was held in TOKYO, Japan in February 10,2008.

Ashin Nayaka,visiting scholar of Columbia university of United States, has gave an address on that event and he pointed many things out to Burma military regime.

Here is a video documentary at the youtube and you may enjoy.

http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=U0ay8z7H8JA

Military Junta lied Again ???

FREEDOM TO DEMOCRACY IN BURMA

Myanmar's surprise announcement that it will hold a vote on a new constitution this May and a general election in 2010 drew little enthusiasm Sunday among the military regime's critics and the public at large. The official announcements late Saturday of the constitutional referendum and the election were the first moves by the junta to set dates for stages of its so-called road map to democracy."The time has now come to change from military rule to democratic civilian rule," said the announcement for the 2010 polls, broadcast on state TV and radio.

"I am not interested in their referendum because the results are known already," said 48-year old noodle salad seller Mar Mar Aye, echoing the popular belief that the government is confident its constitution will be approved.

"The announcement is vague, incomplete and strange," NLD party spokesman Nyan Win said Saturday night.

Scheduling the referendum for May makes it difficult for the junta's critics to mount a campaign against it, particularly because most of the country's leading pro-democracy activists are in jail, many detained in connection with last year's anti-government demonstrations.

Myanmar has been under military rule since 1962 and has not had a constitution since the last one was scrapped in 1988, when the army brutally put down earlier pro-democracy demonstrations and the current junta took power.

Guidelines for a new constitution were adopted by a military-managed national convention last year, and a government-appointe d commission is now drafting the document.

Myanmar's ethnic minority groups, some of whom have been seeking greater autonomy for decades, complained the constitution would give the central government greater powers even as the minorities have been seeking more administrative and judicial autonomy in their home areas.

A clause in the draft guidelines guarantees the military 25 percent of the seats in the country's parliament, with the representatives nominated by the commander in chief. The guidelines also disqualify presidential candidates who are "entitled to the rights and privileges of a ... foreign country." The clause would bar Suu Kyi, because her late husband was British, thus conferring on her some of the privileges of British nationality.

who will be responsible for Freedom to Democracy in Burma?

FREEDOM TO DEMOCRACY IN BURMA

After taking free Independence from the British, the politics have been collapsed in Burma. The Bamar leaders,not minority ethnics,firstly intended to get monopolize in their power.They actually betrayed and lied to the other ehtincs. Under the Pinlon agreement treaty, every ethnic will have to get freedom and equal chance to demcracy.

During 1948's, as mojority Bamar leaders have been lied and they did not want to listen about FEDERAL LAW.

Actually they feared for the federal law. So they played only for politics and seeing for power control. So the KNU fought for freedom first that was led by Saw Ba Oo Gyi. On that time ,the Rangoon Government had been known in Burma.

In 1958~1962, the priminster ,U Nu,pointed the military out to take a coup in Burma.On that time,the military regime understood how feel was best for their life....

Sourced by; Minbargyi (NY)

Myanmar junta to hold elections in 2010

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Reuters -

Sunday, February 10YANGON, Feb 9 (Reuters) -

Army-ruled Myanmar said on Saturday it will hold a referendum on a new constitution in May followed by elections in 2010, a move critics said was aimed at deflecting pressure after last year's crackdown on protesters."We have achieved success in economic, social and other sectors and in restoring peace and stability," the junta announced on state television four months after the army crushed monk led, pro-democracy protests, killing at least 31 people.

"So multi-party, democratic elections will be held in 2010," said the statement issued in the name of Secretary Number One Lieutenant-General Tin Aung Myint Oo, a top member of the junta.The elections would be the first held in the former Burma since 1990, when Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) won multi-party elections later rejected by the military, which has ruled in various guises since 1962.The NLD, which boycotted a constitution- drafting convention while its leader, Nobel Peace laureate Suu Kyi, remains under house arrest, called the announcement "erratic".

"They have now fixed a date for the election before knowing the results of the referendum. I can't help but wonder how the referendum will be conducted," NLD spokesman Nyan Win said.The Burma Campaign UK, a London-based pro-democracy group, called the announcement "public relations spin"."It is no coincidence that the announcement comes at a time when the regime is facing increasing economic sanctions following its brutal crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations, " Campaign director Mark Farmaner said in a statement.

He said it was a "move away from democracy, not towards it," noting that the draft constitution would enshrine military rule by giving it veto power over decisions made by parliament.In Bangkok, a spokesman for a group of exiled MPs elected in 1990 but who fled after the junta rejected the result, said the news meant nothing unless Suu Kyi was freed and took part."Without the participation of Suu Kyi, the NLD and ethnic parties the people will not accept this constitution, " said Zin Linn of the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma.Saturday's announcement from the junta did not make clear whether the NLD would be allowed to take part, but the constitution is believed likely to disbar Suu Kyi from office by ruling out anyone married to a foreigner.Suu Kyi's husband, British academic Michael Aris, died in March 1999.

The new constitution, now being drafted after the completion of a national convention first convened in the 1990s, will be finished soon, the statement added."In accord with the fourth step of the seven-step roadmap to democracy, a nationwide referendum will be held in May 2008 to ratify the newly drafted constitution, " it said.The government announced the seven-step roadmap in 2003 but had refused to set a firm timetable until now.Some Southeast Asia neighbours have been increasingly critical of Myanmar's foot-dragging on reforms, while the West has tried to pressure China, one of Myanmar's few friends, to coax the generals to change.Beijing, which has interests in Myanmar's resource wealth such as natural gas and timber, has refused to back sanctions against the regime. But last month it urged the regime to allow U.N. special envoy Ibrahim Gambari to return to Myanmar soon to promote a genuine dialogue between the junta and opposition.

"China may have put pressure on them to announce something acceptable. They may have used the Olympic Games as a bargaining chip," a Yangon-based Asian diplomat said of the junta's announcement.Rights groups have seized upon the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games as a chance to exert pressure on China for everything from the conflict in Darfur to Beijing's support of Myanmar's junta.

SOURCED BY: UNG HLA TUN

BURMESE DEMONSTRATION IN NY CITY

FREEDOM TO DEMOCRACY IN BURMA

NY 02/09/2008 11:00p.m

There was a demonstration happened at the front of the United Nations building in New York city today. 20 people of Burmese people gathered and asked for release Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners immediately. Officially today is a weekend day and it rained a little bit and the weather is getting freezing.

Most of them looked like freezing and colder. However they want to get freedom for Burma and they are ready to help to the Burmese people under the Military rule.

The current situation is getting worse and the military regime getting growing and threatened to neighboorhood countries in ASEAN. Singapore is a very good back ground and heaven for the military junta. All invesments and money laundry of Burmese military group that has been in Singapore and China.

The Burmese military tortured to the people especially to the other ethnics in many ways.The regime only care for the western power and they believed that there will be no more battle for fredom in Burma.

As a Burmese, they feel like that they are fighting for second Independence battle. Under the military rule, every one getting poorer and they are starving for rice and tea. Even in Yangon,capital of Burma, the basic groceries rates and living costs are getting higher that everyday. The inflation cannot be estimated because of they control in every thing. No one can be discussed about even the cost of living in their whole life. They feel like they want to freedom without military rules.

released by:ZMO(NY)

Three Video Halls Shut Down in Sittwe

Sittwe: Three video movie halls in Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State, were closed by the military authority on accusations they had displayed images of the Saffron Revolution to monks, said one owner on condition of anonymity.

"The authority closed down my own video showrooms along with the another two without notice. They also seized all equipment related to the video showroom after accusing us of displaying anti-government pictures in our rooms," said the owner.

The three closed video halls are San Htoo, Thit Ten, and Pyi Pyo, all of which are located in downtown Sittwe.

The owner said, "The authority accused us not only of displaying Saffron Revolution pictures but also distributing Saffron Revolution CDs to the public after making copies in the rooms on the video players. They could not find any evidence from us, but they seized all the equipment in our show halls."

A town elder told Narinjara yesterday over the phone that the authority publicized among the public that they had to close the video halls for illegally showing foreign movies to the people.

The authorities in Arakan have not allowed any video halls to show foreign movies to the public anywhere in the state. The authorities have never explained why foreign movies have been prohibited in Arakan State, said the town elder.
People in Arakan State are very poor and most can not afford to buy TV sets for their homes. Many people depend on video halls for entertainment to see movies and international sports competitions such as football games.

Sourced by: Narinjara News

Mahar Nway or Supreme Song of Arakanese

Composor :Win Ko Khaing

Song: Mahar Nway or Supreme Song of Arakanese

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VPBZTkFFRA

With Regards,

ZMO

Arakanse Students demonstration in New York

Here is the video attachment concern with Araknase student demonstration infront of Burmese Permanent Mission Office in New York City.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iNX_bmKlKg

with sincerely,

ZMO

One died, two missing while crossing Naff River in Arakan State

Teknaf, Bangladesh : One died, two missing while some Burmese nationals crossing the Naf River through the Nattaung Para point of Teknaf yesterday after sinking the ferry rowboat, at about 7:30 pm, nearby the Bangladesh side.

A ferry rowboat carrying 35 Burmese nationals from Maungdaw Township , Arakan State , crossing the Naff River , which demarcates Burma and Bangladesh , unfortunately it was sunk nearby the Bangladesh side. One died after reaching on the bank and two have been missing and the rest were, however, rescued by other fishing boats. They crossed the Burma-Bangladesh border for medical treatment and to see their relatives in the refugee camps, according to a relative of the victims.

Meanwhile, some fishing boats from Naf River and two other boats from Bangladesh side went to the spot hearing the hue and cry, to escape them from the Naf River and carried them to the bank of Bangladesh side.

After reaching the Bangladesh side, the Burmese nationals immediately disappeared as fear of arrest by the Bangladesh concerned authorities.

On information, 4 -BDR, or Bangladesh Rifles from Teknaf BDR Battalion No. 23 went to the spot and met a woman named Shuna Mher (55), who was on critical condition because of cold biting. Seeing her in critical condition, the BDR ordered her relatives to carry her in safe place. So, her relatives brought her to the Nayapara refugee camp, where her relatives have been living. However, she was dead after half an hour, said a refugee from the camp on condition of anonymity.

Today, her relatives are preparing in Nayapara refugee camp to bury the dead body nearby grave yard without giving information to concerned police station.

The missing two have been identified as Halima Khatun (40), and Noor Nahar (10). All the rowboat passengers are Burmese nationals from Maungdaw Township .

The boatmen (ferry carrier) were identified as Abul Kalam from Burma side, and Islam, Mahadu and Kalaya from Bangladesh side, said a fisherman from Nattaung Para of Teknaf.

Sourced By: Kaladan News

Burmese Army Loots Rice From Traders

Soldiers from the Burmese army stationed in Buthidaung have looted several tons of rice from local traders transporting the rice from Sittwe on board the Danyawaddy ferry ship to be sold in Buthidaung markets, one woman trader told Narinjara over the phone yesterday.

The incident took place on place on the ferry ship on 25 January, 2008, on the way to Buthidaung from Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State. The woman said that several rice traders were transporting many tons of rice from Sittwe to Buthidaung, where the price of rice is double that in the capital, after bribing local law enforcement officials at the Sittwe jetty and shipescorts.

The authority in Arakan State does not allow the transport of rice from the middle of the state to the north in order to control the ricemarket in Arakan, so traders must bribe local authorities in order to transport rice to the north. Transportingrice to Buthidaung and other parts of northern Arakan is a lucrative business for poor traders, and many unemployed people are involved in the business, the trader said. On the ferry ship on the day in question, a platoon of about 50 army personnel boardedalong with other passengers, but soon began drinking a lot on board, she said.When theship began to approach Buthidaung, the soldiers started to look for rice, accusing the traders of smuggling.

Afterward,the soldiers took the rice from the traders and began throwing it into the water from the ship. Many rice traders were crying as their rice was thrown overboard. Some traders were attempting to drag their rice bags away fromthe army men in hopes of holding on to it, and the atmosphere on the ship became chaotic and confusing.Although they threw many bags overboard, many army personnel secretly stowed some of the looted rice in their own bags and packages to bring back to the barracks and tosell in the markets, the woman added.

Referrenced By:Narinjara News

Burmese Monks without Shelter

Many Burmese monks who've recently arrived in Bangladesh'scapital Dhaka from Burma to apply for refugee status with the UNHCR are facing trouble with finding shelter. Monk UPayna Dissa said, “There is no accommodation for monks in Dhaka. We have difficulties staying in Dhaka when we come here to apply for refugee status at the UNHCR."In Dhaka, there are a few Buddhist monasteries, but the Buddhist monks are unable to stay there because they donot have valid travel documents.

The monasteries in Dhaka also worry that Bangladesh authorities might take action against them if the undocumented monks take shelter there. Many monks in Burma have recently come to Bangladesh to escape arrest by the Burmese military authorities after the monk-led protests last fall. Some Burmese refugees requested that the UNHCR office in Dhaka set up a room for the Burmese monks to stay in when they come to Dhaka to seek asylum, but the request was denied. In Dhaka, there are a few offices belonging to democratic activists working for the Burmese democracy movement, and all offices are now crowded with many Burmese people who have fled Burma seeking safety after the Saffron Revolution.

The director of Narinjara News also reports that the Narinjara office will have tomove to another location at the beginning of March as their landlord has refused to continue renting to them after so many people have had to come and stay there. Other Burmese democratic activists in Dhaka are facing similar problems as Burmese people come to themfor shelter. U PaynaDissa has made a plea through Narinjara to democratic activists in exile,including monk organizations abroad, to consider how they can help the Burmesemonks in Dhaka in finding shelter.

Sourced By: Narinjara News

President Bush Vows to Support Burma Democracy

January 29, 2008


The United States president, George W Bush, on Monday reiterated his commitment to help the people of Burma suffering from years of authoritarian rule under the Burmese military junta.
Delivering his last “State of the Union” address, Bush said: “We support freedom in countries from Cuba and Zimbabwe to Belarus and Burma.”
Although Burma figured only once in the president’s speech, a few hours before the “State of the Union” address, a White House official explained that the US was reiterating its commitment for freedom, democracy and human rights to the people of Burma.
A 36-page document, prepared by the White House for the occasion, described in detail the steps that the Bush administration had announced over the past six months to help Burmese people bring peaceful change to their country, where the president said the Burmese junta has imposed a 19-year reign of fear.
It also said that the first lady, Laura Bush, continued to support the Burmese people's demands for national reconciliation and basic human rights, such as freedom of speech, worship, association and assembly.

In the past six months, the US has tightened existing economic sanctions and levied new sanctions against the leaders of the regime and their financial backers. It imposed an expanded visa ban on those responsible for the most egregious violations of human rights, as well as their family members.

Besides continuing to support Burmese who seek a peaceful, democratic transition, he called on the government of Burma to uphold its obligations to the United Nations Security Council. Bush also voiced support for the efforts of humanitarian groups working to alleviate suffering in Burma and tightened the US Commerce Department's export control regulations against Burma.

Aung Kyi meets with party members

BURMA'S detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi today met with top members of her party as well as with a government liaison officer.The talks lasted about 90 minutes and took place at a military facility near her lakeside home in Rangoon, where she has spent 12 of the past 18 years under house arrest, an official said.

The Nobel peace prize winner was taken to and from her home in an official convoy, witnesses said. During the talks, she was allowed to speak with members of the Central Executive Committee of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party and with the liaison officer, Labour Minister Aung Kyi, the official said. Aung San Suu Kyi was last allowed to meet with her party's leadership on November 9, when she spoke with four top party members for about one hour at the same military compound. The facility has also been the site of her four previous meetings with Aung Kyi, who was appointed as liaison officer in the wake of a deadly crackdown on pro-democracy protests in September. Their last talks were held on January 11. The talks came as the ruling military junta intensified the pressure on political dissidents. A popular blogger who belongs to the NLD was arrested along with another party member yesterday, apparently for defying the military's tough internet controls, party spokesman Nyan Win said.

Ten leaders of last year's protests have been also charged with violating the nation's strict publishing law, a crime punishable by up to seven years in prison, the party said yesterday. US State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey denounced the charges as ``further evidence that the regime is rejecting all efforts to promote dialogue and national reconciliation' '. The protests spearheaded by Buddhist monks in September were the biggest threat to military rule in nearly two decades. The United Nations says at least 31 people were killed during the suppression, and 74 remain missing.

Hoping to quell international outrage at the bloodshed, Burma made a series of conciliatory gestures, including allowing UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari and a UN rights investigator to visit the country. Mr Gambari made two trips to Burma, but when he requested to make a third this month, the junta pushed him off until April. Meanwhile censors have tightened controls on the media, banning one newspaper for a week over an article that said the government had backtracked on a huge hike in fees for satellite television. Another paper was placed under investigation over a love poem that carried a secret message calling junta leader Than Shwe "power crazy''.
.

January 30, 2008—Burma's detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been given permission to meet leaders of her political party at a state guest house in Rangoon on Wednesday, party sources said.
It was not known which National League for Democracy (NLD) figures would be allowed to attend.

Party number two Tin Oo, who like Suu Kyi has been under house arrest since May 2003, was barred from attending a meeting with Suu Kyi and other NLD leaders in November.

That meeting stemmed from unprecedented international pressure on the former Burma's military rulers after their bloody crackdown on mass protests in September against decades of army rule and declining living standards.
At least 31 people were killed in the crackdown, the United Nations says.
UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari has been allowed into the country twice since the protests, although he failed to obtain a third visa in December to try to kick-start formal talks between the junta and Suu Kyi.

Suu Kyi and the NLD won an election landslide in 1990 but were denied power by the military, which has ruled in one form or another since a 1962 coup. During that time, the once-promising economy has collapsed.Nobel laureate Suu Kyi has spent more than 12 of the last 18 years in prison or under house arrest.

UN Report Accuses Regime, Armed Ethnic Groups of Recruiting Children

January 30, 2008

A United Nations report released on Tuesday accused the Burmese armed forces, the country’s Tatmadaw, and armed ethnic groups of recruiting children to serve as soldiers.

The groups named in the report are the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), Karen National Union-Karen National Liberation Army Peace Council; Kachin Independence Army (KIA); Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), Karenni Army (KA), Karenni National People’s Liberation Front (KNPLF), Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and Shan State Army-South (SSA-S).

This is more than double the number of armed ethnic groups named in last year’s “Children and Armed Conflict” report, which listed only three—the KNLA, KA and United Wa State Army.
In the 45-page report, submitted to the UN Security Council and General Assembly, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon alleged that the Burmese armed forces have also been responsible for killing and maiming children and denying humanitarian access.
Besides Burma, the report said child soldiers were being recruited in recruitment in Afghanistan, Burundi, Chad, the Central African Republic, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nepal, the Philippines, Somalia, Sudan, Sri Lanka and Uganda.

The report recommended the use of a range of measures, including bans on military aid and travel restrictions, against parties to armed conflict who continued to systematically commit grave violations against children.
It also urged the Security Council to refer violations against children in armed conflict to the International Criminal Court.

The report said that, despite regime denials, reliable reports from UN partners indicate that attempts to recruit children forcibly for Tatmadaw service were still occurring. “It is difficult to systematically verify the extent of recruitment or the number of children in military camps owing to access limitations,” it added.
The report said the UN had not received any reports of new recruitment of children by the KNLA, KA or KNPP in the period under review.
However, the limitations imposed by the junta on UN access to areas of operations and on dialogue with the KNLA and KA hampered efforts to verify whether those groups had in fact stopped recruiting children.
Reports had been received indicating that a breakaway faction of the KNU, the KNU-KNLA Peace Council, had recruited children from the Mae La refugee camp and villages in the border areas.

“Sources suggest that several boys were deceived into crossing the border by promises of pay and participation in celebrations but were subsequently coerced into joining the armed group,” the report said. “While most of the children have returned, four boys are reportedly still missing. It is not known whether the KNU-KNLA Peace Council continues recruitment, and the UN has not been able to verify the reports of recruitment.”

Reports had been received of a “one child per family” recruitment policy by the KIA. In early 2007, the UN verified a report of a 15-year-old girl recruited by the KIA when she returned to her home village from school in Myitkyina, Kachin State. “To date, the girl remains with KIA,” the report said.

Eyewitness accounts had been received of children serving with the United Wa State Army in northern Shan State, despite the UWSA’s recent statement to the UN special representative that no children had been recruited since the ceasefire agreement reached by the group with the Burmese regime.
“There are reports of Shan State Army-South recruiting children as part of a new mandatory recruitment policy,” the report said. “Children are also recruited and used by Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (Kokang) in northern Shan State.”

Information had also been received that children were serving with the KNPLF and DKBA. “However, in-depth monitoring is hampered by access limitations to areas of operations of these groups,” the report said.

Meanwhile Maj-Gen Thura Myint Aung, who heads a panel charged with ending the practice of forcing minors into the army, told that from 2002 to 2007, officials had returned 792 children from the military to their parents.
The junta's mouthpiece New Light of Myanmar quoted him as saying the authorities had "taken action" against 43 military personnel, including some officers. The paper, however, gave no details on the punishments.

Aung San Su Kyi and Military Junta in Burma

Aung Kyi insisted Suu Kyi to endorse the regime`s " Seven step roadmap during the meetings
In the reconciliation talks between Burma’s democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the junta’s liaison officer, Aung Kyi, most of the time is taken up on trivial subjects, according to sources in the National League of Democracy.

Senior members of the NLD who asked for anonymity told on Thursday that sometimes an hour- long meeting is filled up with explanations and questions, such as “What is cooperation?” and “What is collaboration?” by the junta liaison officer, Suu Kyi told a group of NLD members whom she met with on Wednesday just prior to her fifth meeting with Aung Kyi.
Suu Kyi said she has spoken to Aung Kyi about important issues, and he replies that he will report her remarks to top officials and then a month goes by with no discussions, NLD sources said.
Suu Kyi told her colleagues that Aung Kyi told her to endorse the regime’s “seven-step road map” to democracy because it’s the foundation of the junta’s plan for the country.

Instead, Suu Kyi suggested an inclusive reconciliation process that includes participation by ethnic group leaders in any talks about the country’s future.
“She [Suu Kyi] is not pleased with the talks,” said an NLD member. “She does not mean the process is hopeless, but it is being drawn out and prolonged.”
Suu Kyi’s request to meet with the head of the military junta, Snr-Gen Than Shwe, has received no response from the junta, and the talks are proceeding without a time frame.

Suu Kyi said she does not want to give false hope to the people of Burma, but in such conditions something positive could happen.
On Wednesday, she said she recalled her father Aung San’s famous remark before he held talks with the British government in London during the pre-independence period, “Let’s hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.”
A veteran journalist in Rangoon, Sein Hla Oo, commenting on the talks, said, “She [Suu Kyi] is not satisfied with the process. She thinks meaningful dialogue is very important for the country, but others think it is not important.”
Suu Kyi reportedly told her NLD colleagues to move forward without her, said the source. Sometimes she can lead the party; sometimes she will follow others’ leadership within the party, he said.

She suggested that sometimes the party needs to push and sometime it needs to pull, and if it is necessary, everyone needs to give up everything, he said.
He said she asked authorities to allow NLD deputy leader Tin Oo to participate in the meeting on Wednesday, but the authorities rejected the proposal.

ARAKANESE AND BURMESE REFUGEES

Here is the slides of Arakanese and Burmese refugees...

http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=DbfyB4Zm1No

ZMO

Burmese blogger Nay Phone Latt, mysteriously missing

February 1, 2008

The Burmese blogger, Nay Phone Latt, allegedly arrested by the police on Tuesday has mysteriously gone missing, family members complained.Daw Aye Aye Than, mother of blogger and writer, Nay Phone Latt, said, the whereabouts of her son cannot be confirmed as authorities including police officers in Thuwana and Thingan Kyun police stations and Ministry of Home Affairs deny detaining him.Daw Aye Aye Than said her son left home on Tuesday at about noon but when they tried to contact him on cell phone at about 1:00 p.m. he could not be contacted."And at around 2:30 p.m. the authorities came to our house but did not ask for Nay Phone Latt. They looked around the house. So I think he must have been arrested before they came to us," Daw Aye Aye Than told Mizzima.She added that the police team led by Maj. Hein Htet while not mentioning their purpose searched around the house, as if looking for someone in hiding.

"We went to the office of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Tingankyun and Thuwana police stations to inquire about him but all the authorities would tell us was they don't know him and he is not here," Daw Aye Aye Than said.Daw Aye Aye Than said she is worried for her son and could not understand the reason for his mysterious disappearance."I am very sad for this kind of unlawful action, I don't understand why they [authorities] are doing this to my son because he is not involved in any illegal activities and does all his work openly," Daw Aye Aye Than said.Nay Phone Latt, who has a blogsite www.nayphonelatt. blogspot. com, reportedly disappeared on Tuesday. While many of his colleagues believe he has been arrested by the police, there are, so far no eyewitness accounts.While earlier, some friends said he was taken away by the police from an internet café in Thingan Kyun township in Rangoon, his mother's version indicates that he was arrested while on the road.While either version cannot be independently verified, it is still uncertain that the authorities have taken him away, as there are no eyewitnesses.

SOURCED BY: MIZIIMA

UN envoy ends visit to India on Myanmar

NEW DELHI (AFP) - India said it was "worried" Myanmar was not moving fast enough on democratic reforms, although New Delhi remained opposed to imposing sanctions on the regime to speed up the process.

A senior foreign ministry official made the comment as United Nations envoy on Myanmar Ibrahim Gambari ended a three-day visit to New Delhi for talks with Indian leaders on its military-run neighbour."What worries us is that (Myanmar's) transition to democracy ... has not made rapid progress ... has not moved as fast as we would want," said the official who did not wish to be identified.The official said New Delhi would continue to "encourage" Myanmar to hold talks with pro-democracy groups "because we need a peaceful" neighbourhood.Gambari met with top Vice President Mohammed Hamid Ansari, Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon during his visit.Indian leaders have come in for heavy criticism over their muted reaction to the junta's violent crackdown on anti-government protests led by Buddhist monks last year.But Gambari said during a visit here in October that he was "encouraged" by Indian pledges to support efforts to resolve the Myanmar crisis.India's prime minister also emphasised the also met with his Myanmar counterpartIndia has cultivated close ties with Myanmar's military rulers in recent years, citing its huge energy requirements as well as its need to jointly battle separatist rebels who are active along the two countries' jungle border.

The country is also competing for influence with its main Asian rival, China.The official said Thursday New Delhi supported UN efforts for a return to democracy in Myanmar but opposed sanctions as "regimes like that know how to ride sanctions." "Many years of sanctions have not worked... we need to work together" to bring in democracy, he added.

Top US diplomat in Myanmar wants international pressure on junta for reforms

Top US diplomat in Myanmar wants international pressure on junta for reformsBy GRANT PECK,Associated Press Writer AP - Saturday, February 2BANGKOK, Thailand - Fresh international pressure is necessary to push Myanmar's military rulers toward reform because the momentum for change after last year's demonstrations has been lost, the top U.S. diplomat in the country said Friday.The appeal by Shari Villarosa, charge d'affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Yangon, followed signs that the ruling junta was again stepping up repression of dissidents.It also came after Myanmar's detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi said Wednesday she was dissatisfied with the progress of her reconciliation talks with the junta, and cautioned the public to "hope for the best and prepare for the worst."Myanmar's crisis attracted world attention when Buddhist monks last September began leading anti-government protests, the biggest in two decades. At least 30 people are believed to have been killed when the government suppressed the demonstrations, and thousands detained, though most have since been released.

Under pressure from U.N. special envoy Ibrahim Gambari, the junta appointed a "Minister for Relations" to talk with Suu Kyi, but their few meetings have borne no results, and junta leader Senior Gen. Than Shwe has made no further moves toward reconciliation."I think everybody hoped that there was genuine will on the part of Than Shwe and his senior generals to begin a real dialogue, and what is increasingly evident is that they have no intention whatsoever in engaging in a genuine dialogue," Villarosa said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press in Bangkok.Earlier this week, lawyers working with the pro-democracy movement said that about two dozen members of the 88 Generation Students group, whose small protests against a fuel price hike mushroomed into last September's massive demonstrations, would face trial.

They are charged with making illegal statements and could face up to seven years in prison if convicted.Last week, human rights group Amnesty International said the ruling military had continued to arrest political activists, despite its promise to the United Nations that it would halt arrests following September's demonstrations.Amnesty International said 1,850 political prisoners were behind bars, including 96 imprisoned since early November when the government told the world body it had stopped all arrests.Villarosa said it was crucial for Myanmar's fellow members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, along with its giant neighbors China and India, to push the junta to open up to dialogue and reconciliation with its opponents. The U.N. also needs to be involved, she said.

Laura Bush pushes Security Council on Myanmar

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (AFP) -

US First Lady Laura Bush has pressed Panama, which holds the UN Security Council's rotating presidency, to help keep pressure on Myanmar's junta, the White House said Friday.Bush, in New York for a heart disease awareness event on Thursday, met with Panamanian President Martin Torrijos, who was receptive to her message, spokesman Tony Fratto told reporters.

"Mrs Bush took the opportunity to remind and reinforce the importance for the UN Security Council to keep pressure on the military junta in Burma," said Fratto."President Torrijos said that he would of course want to keep the pressure on Burma to make the democratic changes that we all have been calling for," the spokesman said.In mid-January, the UN Security Council bemoaned the slow progress in initiating democratic reforms in Myanmar, where the junta in September crushed the biggest pro-democracy protests in nearly 20 years.

Myanmar junta takes aim at latest Rambo movie

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Police in Myanmar have given DVD hawkers strict orders not to stock the new Rambo movie, which features the Vietnam War veteran taking on the former Burma's ruling military junta, a Yangon resident told Reuters on Friday. Despite the prohibition, pirated copies of the movie are widely available on the streets of the former capital, where it is fast becoming a talking point among a population eager to shake off 45 years of military rule."People are going crazy with the quote 'Live for nothing, die for something'," one resident said, referring to the tagline of the fourth Rambo installment, which opened in the United States this week.

Even though it received lukewarm reviews, it is likely to be a sure-fire hit with opponents of the junta, with some even hoping it could spur a change of regime in the impoverished southeast Asian nation."This movie could fuel the sentiment of Myanmar people to invite American troops to help save them from the junta," one Yangon resident told Reuters by e-mail.In the movie, John Rambo, played by Hollywood superstar Sylvester Stallone, comes out of retirement in Bangkok to save a group of Christian missionaries taken captive by troops in the jungles of eastern Myanmar.As with previous Rambo films, it is short on plot and long on blood and guts -- although viewers appear to think it is all relative."Rambo acted very cruelly, but his cruelty is nothing compared to that of the military junta," a Myanmar student in Thailand, who did not wish to be named, told Reuters.