No press freedom for Myanmar constitution vote

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Myanmar's junta has barred domestic media from reporting on opposition to next month's referendum on a new constitution, media rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders said Thursday. RSF and the Burma Media Association said they were "outraged" by the methods used by the junta to prevent reporting on opposition to the charter, which pro-democracy activists say will allow the generals to entrench their rule."The military government is stopping at nothing to rig a referendum that looks as though it is going to be a sham rather than a free and transparent election," the two organisations said in a joint statement."

The supporters of a 'No' vote must be able to express themselves freely in the media, and journalists must be allowed to report all viewpoints."They said no Myanmar media had been allowed to publish the views of supporters of a "No" vote in the May 10 referendum.RSF also called on the authorities "to let the press do its work without prior censorship and to allow foreign reporters to visit Burma freely.

This is a condition for the international community's recognition of the validity of this election."State media have been running extensive editorials and junta slogans calling for a "Yes" vote but have not reported on opposition to the charter."To approve the state constitution is a national duty of the entire people today. Let us all cast 'Yes' vote in the national interest," the English-language New Light of Myanmar said in a front-page banner on Thursday.The back page urged all those who are real patriots, and "loathe foreign interference and manipulation" to "VOTE 'YES' for ratification of the constitution. "The paper has also published daily poems and cartoons praising the constitution and calling for a "Yes" vote.

Detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) has called on the public to vote "No" and said any attempts to campaign against the constitution were being suppressed, sometimes violently."An intimidating atmosphere for the people is created by physically assaulting some of the members of (the) NLD," it said in a statement earlier this month."For these reasons, it is now obvious that the forthcoming referendum cannot be free and fair."The European Union said Wednesday it hoped for a free vote but was preparing to extend sanctions against the regime, while the United States announced it would resubmit a draft statement in the UN Security Council to insist on a "credible" referendum.Washington's ambassador to the UN Zalmay Khalilzad cited "disturbing signs that the process (in Myanmar) is not a credible process.""It is very important that given the upcoming referendum and elections, the council sends a strong message, a clear message that the process needs to be credible," he added.

The referendum will be the first balloting in Myanmar since 1990, when Aung San Suu Kyi led the NLD to a landslide victory that was never recognised by the junta.The generals say the referendum will pave the way for democratic elections in 2010, but analysts say the constitution enshrines the role of the military which has ruled since 1962 and leaves political parties with little room to campaign.

Popular Burmese Rap Performer Arrested

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Burmese authorities have arrested popular rap and hip-hop performer Yan Yan Chan in a continuing round-up of celebrities who support the pro-democracy movement.
A resident of Monywa Township in Upper Burma who knows Yan Yan well said he was arrested with a friend, Mie Mie, early Thursday. They were arrested at the house of a mutual friend in Monywa Township, the resident said.

Yan Yan Chan and three musicians founded Burma’s first hip-hop band, ACID in late 2000 and became very popular on the country’s music scene.
A singer who is a friend of Yan Yan Chan said the pop star had been under observation by the authorities since the arrest of his friend Zayar Thaw, another member of ACID, in late February. Zayar Thaw was sent to Rangoon’s notorious Insein Prison.

Burmese authorities have become increasingly nervous about the activities of the country’s pop music community and Internet bloggers since the monk-led demonstrations of September 2007.
Musician Win Maw, leader of the Shwe Thansin group, was arrested last November 27 in a Rangoon teashop. He had already been sentenced to seven years imprisonment in 1997 for writing songs in support of Burma’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

In January this year, the authorities arrested one of Burma’s best known bloggers, Nay Phone Latt, whose Internet sites were a major source of information about the protests and the regime’s brutal crackdown.
Nay Phone Latt, a youth member of the opposition National League for Democracy, owned the Explorer Internet café in Rangoon’s Papedan Township, the Heaven Internet café in Thingangyun Township and a third in the same suburb.

The authorities have also tried to break contacts between Burmese bloggers and the outside world by blocking and slowing down Internet transmission speeds.

http://irrawaddy.%20org/article.%20php?art_id=

BY:min lwin

Myanmar junta identifies bombing suspect as member of anti-government group

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YANGON, Myanmar - Myanmar's military junta says it has identified a suspect wanted in two weekend bombings as a member of an exiled anti-government group, state media reported Tuesday.Security cameras behind the Traders Hotel in Yangon, the biggest city in Myanmar, filmed a man "carrying explosives" on Sunday evening before blasts went off in the area, The New Light of Myanmar reported.

The newspaper reprinted a snapshot from the security camera, showing a blurry image of a man in a T-shirt and knee-length shorts holding what appears to be a small bag and another nondescript item.Citing anonymous sources, the state-run newspaper said the man has been identified as a member of the exiled group, Vigorous Burma Student Warriors.

The paper said the man went by the code name Storm, and had entered Myanmar after attending explosive training courses in an unnamed country.Authorities appealed to the public for help in finding the suspect.The second explosion on Sunday went off behind the luxurious Traders Hotel, about an hour after a blast nearby in downtown Yangon.The blasts were caused by explosives planted under cars and caused no injuries, the newspaper said.

Myanmar anti-junta protester dies after setting himself ablaze, hospital officials say

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YANGON, Myanmar - A man who set himself on fire at Myanmar's most revered Buddhist temple to protest military rule has died of his injuries, hospital officials said Tuesday.Kyaw Zin Naing suffered burns to more than 60 percent of his body in his March 21 protest at the Shwedagon pagoda in the city of Yangon, the officials said on condition of anonymity because they could be punished for revealing information about a politically sensitive matter.

The 26-year-old man died April 17, they said.Kyaw Zin Naing's protest was the first known case of self-immolation in Myanmar since the military took power in 1962. According to witnesses, the man shouted "Down with the military regime," before dousing himself with gasoline and setting himself ablaze.His action came at a time of heightened political tension in Myanmar, which has been preparing for a referendum on a new military-backed constitution.The junta's critics charge that the charter _ a stage on the junta's so-called "roadmap to democracy" _ was drafted in an undemocratic way, and that it would perpetuate military rule.

The National League for Democracy party of detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has urged voters to reject the draft constitution, but long-standing restrictions on freedom of speech and harassment of pro-democracy activists have made it difficult to mount a campaign against the proposed charter.Thousands of pilgrims were at the pagoda for a Buddhist holy day when Kyaw Zin Naing set himself alight.The Shwedagon temple has a history of being a center for mass political gatherings, and was a focus for Buddhist monks and pro-democracy protests last September. At least 31 people were killed and thousands more were detained when the country's military rulers cracked down on the peaceful demonstrations.

Myanmar has had no constitution since 1988 when the current junta took power and scrapped the previous charter after violently quashing mass pro-democracy demonstrations.Suu Kyi's party won the last general election in 1990, but the military refused to hand over power, instead stepping up its repression of dissidents.

2 bombs explode in Myanmar's biggest city of Yangon

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YANGON, Myanmar - Witnesses say two bombs have exploded in the biggest city of military-ruled Myanmar. No casualties were reported and the cause of the blasts Sunday was unclear.Witnesses, who insisted on anonymity for fear of official reprisal, said the first explosion took place on the street in the downtown area of Yangon at around 8 p.m.The second blast occurred on a different street in the downtown area, about an hour later.No further details were immediately available, and there were no immediate claims of responsibility. The government has not blamed any group.

Suu Kyi can vote in Myanmar charter poll, her party says

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YANGON (AFP) - Myanmar's detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has the right to vote in a referendum next month on a military-backed constitution, her political party said Tuesday. "According to the law, (Aung San Suu Kyi) has the right to vote at the referendum as her detention was not a court order or sentence," said Nyan Win, spokesman for the National League for Democracy (NLD)."It was just an administrative function," he told AFP.Aung San Suu Kyi has spent 12 of the past 18 years locked away by the ruling military junta in her sprawling lakeside home in Yangon.

Her latest period of detention began in 2003 after a deadly attack on her convoy by supporters of the junta, and has been periodically extended since, with little sign that the generals plan to free her.The regime has called a referendum on May 10 on the proposed new charter, which they claim will -- if approved -- lead to general elections in 2010.Under the new constitution, which was drafted by a committee hand-picked by the junta, Aung San Suu Kyi would be barred from running for office because she was married to a foreigner, Michael Aris, a British citizen who died in 1999.People convicted of a crime by a court are not allowed to vote in the referendum, but detainees who have not faced trial can cast a ballot.There are currently about 1,850 political prisoners in Myanmar, at least 700 of whom were arrested after anti-junta demonstrations last September, which the military crushed, killing at least 31 people, the UN says.

Next month's referendum will be the first balloting in Myanmar since 1990, when Aung San Suu Kyi led the NLD to a landslide victory, which was never recognised by the junta.The NLD and other activists are calling for a "No" vote on the charter, which analysts say simply enshrines the military's role.

British Envoy Says 'Atmosphere of Intimidation' Clouds Burma Polls

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BANGKOK (AFP) -- A top British envoy on Myanmar [Burma] said Friday an "atmosphere of intimidation" was clouding next month's referendum on a new constitution and urged the military-ruled country to let opposition forces take part.Michael Williams, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's envoy on Myanmar, said Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party must be allowed to participate in the May 10 poll.Williams, who was in Bangkok for discussions with Thai officials, told reporters that he hoped the vote "will have credibility and legitimacy and will allow participation and inclusion of all Myanmar's social and political forces.""At the moment, for the UK, we are concerned there is an atmosphere of intimidation prevailing about the country," he added."The process falls short of what the UK would like to see," Williams said on the last leg of his four-country Asian tour.

The NLD is urging people to vote against the junta-backed charter, which activists say will simply entrench the army's role in Myanmar, which has been ruled by the military since 1962.At least 23 anti-charter activists were arrested on Tuesday for wearing T-Shirts emblazoned with the world 'No,' the NLD reported.The party has also said that any attempts to campaign against the constitution were being suppressed.Official NLD documents were being confiscated by authorities, they said, while local party organisers had been detained and interrogated,The referendum will be the first balloting in military-run Myanmar since 1990, when Aung San Suu Kyi led the NLD to a landslide victory that was never recognised by the junta.

She remains under house arrest.The regime says the referendum will pave the way for multi-party elections in 2010, but activists say the constitution was drafted with no public input.The NLD and other pro-democracy groups are calling for a "No" vote, but they have little ability to campaign effectively because the junta has outlawed speeches and leaflets about the referendum.

Hundreds protest Dalai Lama in Seattle

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SEATTLE - In a showing of pro-Chinese support, hundreds of demonstrators protested outside a college arena Monday as the Dalai Lama spoke to students on solving problems through dialogue.

Thousands of people have flocked to Seattle to hear the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader speak since he arrived Thursday for a five-day conference on compassion, but the city's Chinese community had remained largely silent until Monday.
Demonstrators held signs alleging media bias and protesting the violence from rioting by Tibetan monks.
Some echoed Beijing's stand that the Dalai Lama is behind the recent uprising against five decades of Chinese rule. Signs called the Dalai Lama a liar and a "CIA-funded militant." Many people waved large Chinese flags.
"I think that people are misinformed. They have media discrimination," demonstrator Jiange Li said. "Tibet was freed — 50 years ago."

The group chanted "We love Tibet," "Stop lying" and "Dalai, your smiles charm, your actions harm," as thousands of people filed into the University of Washington arena. A small plane flew overhead with a banner mirroring the chants.
The China-born community is the largest Asian immigrant group in Seattle, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures.
However, Seattle has historically been friendly to the Tibetan cause. The Dalai Lama has visited the city several times and has always been warmly welcomed.
Inside the arena, the Dalai Lama received an honorary degree and spoke of the importance of employing dialogue and mutual respect to solve problems.
He was greeted by a standing ovation. University president Mark Emmert welcomed the Tibetan leader, calling him the "pre-eminent spiritual leader of our time."

"You will make this century of peace," the Dalai Lama told students. "Today's world (is) heavily interdependent. Destruction of your neighbor or enemy is destruction of yourself."
He said dialogue is the only way to solve conflict, especially because he sees poverty and environmental problems increasing in the future.
While his visit to the United States was billed as nonpolitical, the Dalai Lama is expected to meet with a senior U.S. official next week to discuss China's crackdown on anti-Beijing protesters in Tibet.

Suu Kyi's party calls for 'No' vote on Myanmar constitution

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Aung San Suu Kyi's pro-democracy party Wednesday urged voters to reject an army-backed constitution, turning next month's referendum into Myanmar's first battle for ballots in nearly 20 years. The National League for Democracy (NLD) issued a statement calling on the public "to clearly and bravely vote 'No' when you mark your ballots."The party accused Myanmar's ruling junta of handpicking the drafters of the constitution, saying it was written without consulting any opposing voices.The final version of the constitution has not been released to the public, but leaked copies show the basic law would give the military continued dominance over the government even after elections slated for 2010.Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel peace prize winner who is under house arrest, would be barred from running for president because she married a Briton.The military would also receive broad powers to declare a state of emergency, allowing the generals to take direct control of the government while granting them immunity from prosecution.

The NLD said the constitution would not bring democracy to Myanmar, the Southeast Asian nation formerly known as Burma, which has been ruled by the military since 1962."It cannot give any guarantee for democracy and human rights, which are strongly needed by the people," the party said."It is not in accord with the basic democratic principle that the sovereign power of the state is derived from the people," it added.The referendum in May will be the first balloting in Myanmar since 1990, when the NLD won a landslide victory that was never recognised by the junta.

The junta says the referendum will pave the way to multiparty elections in 2010, but analysts say the constitution leave political parties with little room to campaign for the polls.Many of Myanmar's 54 million people have never voted before, so the NLD also issued a one-page guide explaining exactly how ballots are cast -- instructing people how to inspect the voter roll, tick the ballot, and then ensure it is kept secret as it goes into the box.The statement was the party's official stand on the referendum, although the NLD's youth wing had last week joined other dissidents in campaigning against the charter.

Myanmar's secretive regime surprised the world by announcing its election timetable in February.The junta says it is building a "discipline- flourishing democracy," but critics accuse the generals of trying to enshrine their control of the government while distracting the world's attention from its deadly crackdown on protests last year.Buddhist monks in September led the biggest anti-government marches seen in nearly two decades, but the military responded by opening fire on the crowds and beating protesters in the streets.The United Nations estimates that at least 31 people were killed, while Amnesty International says more than 700 remain behind bars.The junta last month rebuffed an offer by a UN envoy to send observers and provide technical support for the polls.

The regime has outlawed speeches and leaflets about the referendum, and the NLD's ability to campaign is severely hampered because the party is only allowed to maintain one office in Yangon. Aung San Suu Kyi has been confined to her home for 12 of the last 18 years, and her top lieutenant is also under house arrest. Myanmar has not had a constitution since 1988, when the current junta took power by crushing a pro-democracy uprising, leaving at least 3,000 dead.

NLD urge the people to make their protest vote in referendum

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Dear all,NLD EC announced today that that they reject the SPDC's constitution and urge the people to cast their pretest vote.

http://burmese.dvb.no/news.php?id=4198

Prayer Service for Thingyan New Year

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You are cordially invited to participate with family and friends at the Thingyan New Year Prayer Service to be held by the Buddhist Missionary Society, New York. The ceremony will be conducted with the following programs. It will be a good opportunity to meet new friends, renew acquaintance and perform meritorious deeds on the auspicious occasion of Thingyan New Year.


Programs:


Date: April 20, 2008 (Sunday)

Time: From 10:00 am to 2:00 pm

Place: PS 222 (86-15)

FF Christopher A. Santora School
37th Ave, Between 86th and 87 Street
Jackson Heights, NY 11372

Subway: Take # 7 train and get off 90th Street.

Phones: (718) 898 8274/ (718) 899 6081




In the service of Dharma
Buddhist Missionary Society
New York
May you be full of bliss

The HUMAN RIGHTS Council must follow up on Myanmar

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The UN special expert on Myanmar has just presented his report to the Human Rights Council. In it, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro talks of systematic and extremely serious human rights violations and calls on the Council now to follow up on its own resolutions on Myanmar.

Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the Special Rapporteur on Myanmar, presented two reports during the 7th session of the Human Rights Council on Thursday (March 13). The first was on the general situation in the country, the second on events following the peaceful uprising in September 2007, bloodily put down by the ruling Junta. The renewal of the Rapporteur’s mandate is due to be reviewed during this session.
For seven years Pinheiro has worked on the issue of human rights in Myanmar. “I did not create my mandate. You have entrusted me with the follow-up of your resolutions” he told Council members. He said there has been no progress on the Council’s recommendations of December 2007. "Read the resolutions that you have adopted and see if they have been respected or not in Myanmar,” he demanded.
The sombre atmosphere in the room reflected the gravity of the human rights violations listed in his report: summary executions, torture, forced labour, sexual violence, recruitment of child soldiers, detention of political prisoners, forced displacement, confiscation of land, restrictions on the rights of assembly, on humanitarian aid, on the opposition, on freedom of the press, the culture of impunity. But it is not an exhaustive list.

Sham Reforms

In 2004 the Burmese authorities announced a seven-point road map leading to democratic transition. A referendum on a new constitution is due to take place in May 2008, as well as multiparty elections in 2010. In between came the peaceful demonstrations of September 2007 and their bloody repression by the military junta.
Since December 2007, the government has not given Mr Pinheiro permission to visit the country. He did however, make a report. “At least 31 people have been killed, between 3,000 and 4,000 people were arrested between September and October 2007 and at least 74 disappearance cases merit serious investigation” said Mr Pinheiro, adding that, “at least 1850 political prisoners are behind bars”.
He also revealed that, “activists, human right defenders, and journalists are hunted down and arrested for such reasons as having a copy of my last report to the Council. I am extremely concerned that official reports by this Council can be used as proof of criminal activity”.

Only 15 dead

For its part, the Burmese delegation totally rejected both the Pinheiro reports, considering them “completely lacking in objectivity and impartiality. It accused the Special Rapporteur of interfering in the country’s internal affairs and stressed Mayanmar’s “positive and significant” development towards a democratic state. The Ambassador explained the reasons for refusing to give permission for Mr Pinheiro to visit Myanmar since December 2007. “The timing is not opportune…the government has had a very busy and important schedule” in the run up to the referendum. He also told the Council “we would like to restate that only 15 people died” in the crackdown on the peaceful demonstrations.
Twenty- one delegations and eight NGOs responded to his remarks. China said it hopes Myanmar will adopt a more conciliatory attitude in the Council. India called for a “process involving all sections of society including Mrs Aung San Suu-Kyi and ethnic groups”. The International Commission of Jurists said “the situation is a test for the Council as well for all its members to exercise their responsibility so that the government of Myanmar is held to account”
“If the Council wants to have meaning, said Pinheiro, taking the floor for the last time. "I think it is fundamental that its resolutions are respected. It is time to check what is applied and what is not”.
His final words received thunderous applause broke out. According to seasoned Council observers, “it was a rare moment within these walls”.

At least 40 protesters convicted in secret Myanmar trials

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BANGKOK (AFP) - At least 40 protesters in Myanmar, including seven Buddhist monks, have been sentenced to prison after secret trials over last year's pro-democracy marches, Amnesty International said Tuesday. In September, Buddhist monks spearheaded the biggest anti-government protests in Yangon in nearly 20 years, but the military regime violently suppressed the movement by opening fire on crowds and beating people in the streets.Officially, more than 3,000 people were arrested during the crackdown.

The junta says the vast majority have been released.But Amnesty said in a statement that at least 700 are still behind bars, and at least 40 of them have been sentenced to prison after secret trials.The rights watchdog said its research found protesters had been convicted "for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression and assembly.""Three people were sentenced merely for giving water to monks on the street," the statement said.

The group urged the UN Security Council to pass a resolution reflecting the international community's concerns over the country, after a visit in March by UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari yielded no progress on the human rights situation."Rather than comply with the Security Council's appeals, the Myanmar authorities have instead moved to the next phase of their crackdown and suppression of the human rights of the Myanmar people with these sentences," Amnesty said."The Council cannot allow this to continue."

The United Nations estimates that at least 31 people were killed during the crackdown six months ago.In addition to the 700 jailed protesters, Myanmar has another 1,150 political prisoners held prior to the monks' marches in September.Most famous among them is Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel peace prize winner who has spent 12 of the last 18 years under house arrest.

Myanmar Deports Tibetan Activists

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BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) — An ethnic minority group that was pressured by Beijing has deported to China two key Tibetan political activists who were hiding in northern Myanmar, a dissident group said.
The two, who had been hunted by authorities after they fled from China's Yunnan province, were turned over to the Chinese shortly after their capture Sunday, the Kachin News Group said in a press release Monday.
The activists, who were not identified, were captured by the Kachin Independence Organization, or KIO, one of several ethnic minority groups that has signed cease-fire agreements with Myanmar's ruling junta after decades of rebellion.
The Kachin News Group, one of several news agencies based in Thailand that are operated by anti-junta activists, said the two Tibetans were arrested by the KIO in the Myanmar town of Laiza.
The KIO could not immediately be reached for comment.
The KIO exercises some autonomy in areas under its control, and its military wing has been allowed to retain its weapons, but tensions between the Kachin and the central government have been reported in recent years.
China has tightened security in Tibetan areas of Yunnan province following bloody anti-Chinese riots in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa.
Myanmar's military government, which has close ties with Beijing, said last week that it opposed any moves to link recent unrest in Tibet with the Beijing Olympics in August. It said the unrest in Tibet was "purely the internal affairs" of China.

Russian Ambassador Opposes UN ‘Presidential Statement’ on Referendum

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A tentative move by the United States to have a new UN Security Council presidential statement on the Burmese constitutional referendum was met with opposition by the Russian ambassador to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, on Monday.
Churkin made his remarks on his last day as president of the Security Council, which rotates each month among its 15 members. South Africa takes over the presidency for the month of April starting on Tuesday.

The Russian ambassador indicated that his country, which has the power of veto in the Security Council, would oppose any proposal to issue a new presidential statement in regard to the referendum on a draft constitution in Burma in May.
The Burmese draft constitution is loaded heavily in favor of the military junta, say critics. It would prevent Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the National League for Democracy opposition group, from running in the election and does not include safeguards for democracy and ethnic groups.
Referring to the UN Security Council meeting on Burma last month, which was addressed by the UN Special Envoy to Burma, Ibrahim Gambari, the Russian ambassador said: “In the course of the consultation, one delegation said that maybe we should have another presidential statement.”
The statement was made by the US ambassador to the UN, Zalmay Khalilzad.
“In fact, the way it was described by the authors of that idea was that the presidential statement should be focused very heavily on the way the referendum is going to be conducted in Myanmar [Burma]: listing some criteria for the success or openness or the democratic nature of that referendum,” Churkin said.
“Responding off the top of my head, I said to the members of the Council that the way I heard this idea, to me it is somewhat improper for the Security Council to go into describing modalities for a referendum or an election because we are not an election board,” he said.
“We are the Security Council; we are dealing with issues of threats to international peace and security,” he said.
Noting that there are other institutions within the UN that can provide recommendations or set criteria for elections, Churkin said: “To involve the Security Council in this kind of exercise, to me, did not sound like something which is justified; not because of the Myanmar situation but as a general proposition of the role of the Security Council and prerogative of the Security Council.”
Churkin noted that there has been no proposal for a presidential statement so far.
“If they were to propose something, we would be looking into it, but I would like to remind you that we do have a Presidential Statement on the Security Council on Myanmar (October 2007), and Gambari’s mandate derives from the General Assembly. So we have to keep those two things in mind when we look at things that could be done by the Security Council,” he said.