Free Burma Now

NLD Divided on Party Registration

noreply@blogger.com (GinaDizon) — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 09:51:00 +0000

After announcements that NLD shall boycott the 2010 elections if the junta does not sit for a dialogue (where events obviously say the Junta is not interested in), comes the news that NLD is divided on registering the party for the 2010 elections. NLD now shows an undivided image and clearly shows something definitely wrong happened somewhere in a political scenario which in the first place shows all the odds for NLD to announce its earlier decision. Here's an interview-report from The Irrawaddy.

On March 29, more than 100 National League for Democracy (NLD) party leaders from across the country will meet at the party's Rangoon headquarters to discuss whether to register the party under the junta's election law. Though Aung San Suu Kyi has publicly said she is against her party registering, the party leadership remains divided. Longtime Suu Kyi supporter Win Tin, 80, who was released in September 2008 after more than 19 years in prison said he would probably retire if the majority decide to register. Khin Maung Swe, 67, a leading party official who spent 14 years in prison supports registration and joining the election even though this means the party must expel Suu Kyi under the junta law. Both spoke to The Irrawaddy on the party's future.

Win Tin

Question: Could you give us three specific reasons why you are for or against party registration?

Answer: If we register the party, we have to expel Daw Suu and other detained party leaders. The details of the party registration laws are not clear about whether Daw Suu could rejoin the party after her release and it would be up to the election commission. The second reason is that if we register the party we have to vow to protect the junta's Constitution, which we have repeatedly said is unacceptable. The third factor is that after registration, we will have to police the “illegal” activities of party members and warn them they will be expelled if they continue those activities. This will guarantee that no one in the party will dare express his ideas at the risk of imprisonment.

More here

China Comes to Junta's Rescue Again

noreply@blogger.com (GinaDizon) — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 11:11:00 +0000

China has permanent interests over Burma. With its veto power lording over UN's Security Council, China has repeatedly blocked initiatives to make the junta accountable to human rights violations and now, to a move by UK to raise the issue of the regime's electoral laws. Why can't the UN change it's own system if the present UNSC policies are not helping at all in calling for an international call? The UN continues to aid China which continues to aid the junta if it will not reform some of its suppressive laws. Nonetheless, The Irrawaddy writes here:

Beijing has once again come to the defense of Burma's ruling junta, using its permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to block a move by the UK to raise the issue of the regime's recently announced electoral laws.

“A number of council members support the idea of discussing Burma and getting an update on the situation there. It’s the subject of negotiations with the Chinese at the moment, who are always reluctant on these matters,” a Western diplomat told Reuters on Friday.

Following the announcement of new electoral laws on March 8 that ban Burma’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other dissidents from contesting this year's planned election, Burma's ruling generals have faced a fresh wave of international condemnation.

In an effort to apply pressure on the junta to review the laws, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, whose country is also a permanent member of the UNSC, sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon earlier this week requesting an emergency meeting to discuss the matter.

“Burma has ignored the demands of the UN Security Council, the UN Secretary-General, the US, EU and its neighbors by imposing restrictive and unfair terms on elections,” Brown said on Monday, adding that the UK would seek international support to impose an arms embargo against Burma.

More here in The Irrawaddy

Leaflets distributed in Rangoon condemning 2010 polls

noreply@blogger.com (GinaDizon) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:17:00 +0000

Burmese people say No to 2010 elections! Distributing leaflets to let people be critical to the 2010 elections has made its rounds in Rangoon and other ethnic states of the country. A people's right to information can not be curtailed even in a junta-ruled country. More here in Mizzima.

New Delhi (Mizzima) – In the first signs of blatant dissent towards the 2010 general elections, leaflets were secretly distributed condemning both the polls and the 2008 Constitution in crowded places in Rangoon.

The distribution of leaflets among the people at busy road intersections and bus stops in some townships in Rangoon has come as a surprise.

"These places usually boast advertisement leaflets for tuitions and beauty parlours. People found the portrait of Bogyoke (General) Aung San, independence architect on the top of the leaflet. Two people distributed the leaflets and vanished. Some people tore them after reading, possibly because they were afraid," a man waiting at bus stop in Pansodan township said.pamphlets-2008constitution2

There were similar distributions in Mingala market, Yuzana Plaza and Kyaukmyaung market bus stop in Tamwe Township yesterday morning.

"Young activists have been into such kind of activities since February. Distributing triple folded leaflets cannot be done like selling newspapers and journals so they have to do it in busy places stealthily," Thai based Forum for Democracy in Burma (FDB) General Secretary Dr. Naing Aung said.

Similar leaflet distributions were made since last month by young activists in Burma in Arakan State, Mandalay, Sagaing and Pegu Divisions besides Rangoon, he added.

More in Mizzima

Junta troops killed in clash by Shan rebels

noreply@blogger.com (GinaDizon) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 23:43:00 +0000

Ethnic armed groups are angry and bent on fighting injustice of the junta. Its a victory for the Shan State Army-South (SSA-S) over the Infantry Battalion 525 and 99 in this story by Saw Yan Naing in The Irrawaddy. As expected to happen, the Shan villagers were at the receiving end of the SPDC soldiers' torturing fit to exact their revenge. Such a lofty sacrifice by a people on the road to freedom for Burma. May the ethnic peoples of Burma and the Burmese fighters for democracy continue to have the strength and power to make Burma free. The story unfolds here in The Irrawaddy.

"About 20 Burmese junta soldiers were killed and eight were injured in an ambush in Nam Zam Township in Shan State by Shan State Army-South (SSA-S) soldiers on Saturday, according to a rebel spokesperson.

Sai Lao Hseng told The Irrawaddy on Thursday that based on a military field report the fighting lasted about 3 hours. Three clashes have occurred in Shan State between Burmese troops and the SSA-S this month, he said.

Soldiers of Shan State Army-South (SSA-S) take part in the military drill in their base near the Burma-Thai border in February. (Photo: Reuters)

He said that after the firefight some local villagers who lived near the battle scene were tortured by regime troops. The army told the villagers that they had failed to report information about the Shan rebels and accused them of providing food to the rebels, according to Sai Lao Hseng.

He said that no Shan soldiers were killed or injured during the fighting. The rebels seized some weapons and ammunition after the fighting, he said.

The government troops were from Infantry Battalion 525 and 99 led by Capt Tin Aung Moe, he said.

Recently, Burmese government troops have regularly patrolled and launched offensives against ethnic rebels in eastern Burma.

Many observers say the Burmese regime may soon launch offensives against ethnic cease-fire groups that have refused to transform their troops into a border guard force under the command of the junta.

According to government military sources, more than 70,000 additional regime troops have been sent to northeastern Shan State where strong ethnic cease-fire groups such as United Wa State Army (UWSA) and Kachin Independence Army (KIA) are based."

"Burma VJ' wins HR film festival awards

noreply@blogger.com (GinaDizon) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 01:15:00 +0000

Films about dissident journalists in Myanmar and dangerous river pollution in French Guiana won the top prizes at a human rights film festival and forum in Geneva, AFP reports.

Danish director Anders Hogsbro Ostergaard won the Grand Prix offered by the state of Geneva for his film "Burma VJ-Reporting from a closed country".

The film is about journalists who risked their lives to cover a revolt by Buddhist monks against Myanmar's military junta in 2007.

"By honoring the film, the panel of judges intended to support an entire people on the way towards liberty," the organizers said.

Watch this trailer:

Junta Bans Election News

noreply@blogger.com (GinaDizon) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 04:58:00 +0000

The media in Burma face suppression of writing events as they unfold related to the 2010 elections. Journalists are repressed to write the truth and report the events as they happen with the Press Scrutiny Board censoring their writings. Whatever the people say and think about the 2010 elections is clamped up by a paranoid and control freak Burmese junta. More on this from Irrawaddy:

In the latest sign that this year's vote will be neither free nor fair, Burma's ruling junta has ordered censors to ban reports on new election laws and other controversial election-related issues, according to Rangoon-based journalists.

Street vendors sort newspapers reporting on new election laws in Rangoon.

“Soon after the election laws were announced, we interviewed members of various political parties to get their views on this subject,” said the chief editor of one Rangoon-based journal. “But when we submitted our reports to the censor board, we were told we couldn't publish them.”

Besides the recently announced election laws, the journals are also forbidden to report on the situation of the opposition National League for Democracy, which faces dissolution if it refuses to expel its leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

“Except for 'optimistic' news that is identical to what we can find in the state-run newspapers, we are not permitted to write anything about the election,” the editor said.

“There are pro-government parties and opposition parties. We can't say it's fair if the regime only allows us to report on what the pro-government parties are saying,” said a Rangoon-based reporter.

According to sources in Rangoon, a special body has been formed to oversee the work of the Press Scrutiny Board during the election period. The censor board must now submit draft publications to a “special security force” consisting of high-ranking officials, including Lt-Gen Myint Swe, who is close to junta head Sen-Gen Than Shwe.

Most of the private weekly journals in Rangoon, including The Myanmar Times, Biweekly Eleven, Modern and 7 Day News, have had articles pulled by the censor board because they touched on sensitive issues related to the election, sources said.

Source: Irrawaddy

Ethnic Leaders To Boycott Election

noreply@blogger.com (GinaDizon) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:39:00 +0000

By Lawe Weng

Several ethnic leaders who were elected in 1990 election in Burma reaffirmed they will not participate in the election without a review of the 2008 Constitution and the release of all political prisoners, even if the junta disbands their political parties.

The leaders said their political parties will continue to exist if their people wish them to carry on with political activities and they said they will continue to support the National League for Democracy (NLD) and the Shwegondaing Declaration.

The Shwegoindaing Declaration, released by the NLD in April 2009, calls for a review of the controversial Constitution, political dialogue and the unconditional release of all political prisoners, including its leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.

Sai Leik, the spokesperson of Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) told The Irrawaddy, on Thursday: “We will not participate in the election as our leaders have been detained in prison. No matter whether the government recognizes our party or not, our party will exist if our people wish us to carry on with our duties.”

“This election law is biased. It is not based on the people's wishes. If this were a move to real democracy, then Aung San Suu Kyi and the ethnic leaders who were elected by the people should be able to participate,” he said.

Pu Cin Sian Thang, a spokesman for the United Nationalities Alliance (UNA), a coalition of 12 ethnic parties that contested and won 67 seats in the 1990 elections, said, “The UNA will not participate at election.”

He said they will hold a meeting with all members this week and discuss how they are going to work together in the future for their party.

In February last year, the UNA issued a statement condemning the Constitution as a means to make Burma's ethnic nationalities subordinate to the Burman majority and because it hands “supreme power” to the military's commander in chief.

Aye Thar Aung, the secretary of the Committee Representing the Peoples' Parliament (CRPP) and the acting chairman of the Arakan League for Democracy said: “Our CRPP principle is to recognize the 1990 election result. Accordingly we will keep to our principle and not join this election.”

“Elections are just part of the democratic process. If there is no political space to practice democracy in this election, there will be no democratic or ethnic rights afterward,” he said.

More here in Irrawaddy

An Alternative Solution to Amend the Constitution

noreply@blogger.com (GinaDizon) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:30:00 +0000

Burma’s election this year is now widely regarded domestically and internationally as a means to institutionalize the military’s grip on power under the 2008 Constitution, rather than establishing a democratic system in the country.

It is a widespread belief among the democratic opposition, including the National League for Democracy (NLD), which for 20 years has been attempting to shift the military away from politics and to concentrate on its primary responsibility of “national defense and security.”

The unequivocal denial of Snr-Gen Than Shwe to review the Constitution before the election, as demanded by the NLD, has finally ended the NLD’s long quest to achieve a political dialogue between the junta leader and Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the party which won a landslide victory in the 1990 election but the results of which were never recognized by the junta.

More here in Irrawaddy

Burma's New Election Law Condemned

noreply@blogger.com (GinaDizon) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:00:00 +0000

RANGOON— A decision by Burma's military junta to bar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from upcoming elections drew sharp criticism from around the world, with one of the country's Southeast Asian neighbors Thursday calling it "a complete farce."

A new election law announced Wednesday prohibits anyone convicted of a crime — as Suu Kyi was in August — from being a member of a political party. That makes the detained Nobel Peace Prize laureate ineligible to become a candidate in elections scheduled for some time later this year.

Another law published Thursday in state-owned newspapers formally invalidated the country's last elections, held 20 years ago. Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party won a landslide victory in those polls, but the junta ignored the results and has kept Suu Kyi jailed or under house arrest for 14 years since then.

More here in Irrawaddy

Boycott Burma's 2010 Elections!

noreply@blogger.com (GinaDizon) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 03:18:00 +0000

InterVIEWS by Gina Dizon
and KNGY

The 2010 elections will neither resolve the political crisis nor will it lead to national reconciliation and democracy. - Min Bone Kyew, Secretary General, Palaung State Liberation Front (PSLF) and Secretary General, National Democratic Front (NDF)

The National Democratic Front (NDF) composed of Arakan Liberation Party( ALP), Chin National Front (CNF), Karen National Union (KNU), Lahu Democratic Union ( LDU), New Mon State Party (NMSP), Pa-o National Liberation Organization (PNLO), Palaung State Liberation Front( PSLF) and the Wa National Organization (WNO) reaffirm their statement calling for the boycott of the 2010 elections.

The NDF boycotts the 2010 elections because the 2008 Constitution was adopted by force in order to perpetuate military dictatorship. People have no liberties to exercise their political and social rights. It provides no democracy and there is no guarantee for ethnic rights. There is no freedom of expression and no freedom to organize political parties. The 2008 Constitution gives possession and control of natural resources to the State. It provides for excessive centralization of power instead of providing federal rights in Member States. The 2008 Constitution perpetuates the rule of military dictatorship. The Military government controls the power through the National Security Council which can usurp power from the government anytime.

We see therefore the 2008 Constitution as un-acceptable. We propose instead a Federal constitution.

We call then for a dialogue with the SPDC government to address issues of the 2008 Constitution including release of political prisoners. If it takes a dialogue to talk about our proposal for a federal government, then a dialogue is in order.

We are promoting our calls through the media to the NLD and to ethnic parties. People continue the call for democracy in Burma following the 2004 arrest of Khu Too Oo chairperson of Shan National League for Democracy (SNLD) sentenced for 96 years; and Sai Nyew Lwe, secretary of SNLD sentenced for 80 years.

We ask the international community including the UN, ASEAN, EU to apply more effective pressure upon the SPDC through dialogue and negotiation. We urge the international community to call on SPDC to cease its acts against ethnic nationalities, impose UN arms embargo, block capital investments, impose sanctions, and call on SPDC to hold an inclusive political dialogue for national reconciliation.

(NDF on Border Guard Force: “The position of the main ceasefire organizations, rejecting the SPDC’s proposal to transform their armies into Border Guard Force, is the same as our (NDF) position on the matter.”-Re-affirmed NDF Statement)

***
If there is no release of political prisoners and no review of the Constitution, NLD will boycott the 2010 elections. - Khun Myint Tun, Labor Minister, National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB); member of Parliament, Thaton Constituency, National League of Democracy; Member of Secretariat, National Council of the Union of Burma (NCUB).

National League of Democracy (NLD) leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyii rightly stated “ holding a new election without recognizing the 1990 election results is like playing a dangerous game with the country’s future. That is why we cannot accept a new election”

The NLD won 82% of seats in Parliament during the 1990 elections but their legitimacy was not recognized with the house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi. State Law and Order restoration Council (SLORC) did not convene the Parliament 60 days after the elections. The NLD then met two months after the 1990 elections and passed the Ghandhi Declaration calling for the transfer of power to the NLD as the winning party and convening of the Parliament. In response, the junta issued State Order 1/90 stating that SLORC has the right to exercise legislative, executive, and judicial powers. The State Order also called for the elected Representatives to draft the Constitution and People’s Assembly to be convened. But the SPDC did not convene the Parliament till now.

Recently in April, 2009, the NLD issued the Shwe Gon Daing Declaration which demands release of all political prisoners, review of the 2008 Constitution, and a dialogue. The dialogue calls for the recognition of the 1990 elections and transfer power to the elected members of Parliament. The minimum that we demand from SPDC is to review and amend the 2008 Constitution.

Calls for a dialogue and release political prisoners had been on- going since the 1988 Uprising. Yet, the SPDC never granted a dialogue up to now despite repeated requests. It is obvious that they want to continue their own military rule. In November 11, 2009, NLD sent to General than Shwe reiterating the calls of the Shwe Gon Daing Declaration. Up to now, we did not get a response. Last January 4 on Burma’s Independence Day, General than Than Shwe declared that the SPDC government will continue their military roadmap.

We want to change the system but the SPDC does not want. We want to call for a dialogue for a democratic Burma and ethnic recognition, but the SPDC does not want.

The international community’s help is needed. A recent symposium in Japan in November 23, 2009 on the “Shwe Gon Daing Declaration; Gateway to National Reconciliation on the Union of Burma”, attended by some Japanese Government officials, called for a dialogue with the SPDC government.

The NCGUB on its National Reconciliation Program also sent their intentions to the UN calling for meaningful dialogue to happen with the military regime.

We call on the international community not to recognize the 2010 elections if meaningful dialogue is not granted.

At the same time, we are calling for legal action against the SPDC in the US Federal Court and UN’s International Criminal Court (ICC). Military abuses of persons in power are separately dealt with from the call for meaningful dialogue from the SPDC as the ruling government.
The people in Burma are also getting more enlightened on their rights, and what the 2008 Constitution is as compared to our envisioned Federal Constitution.

***
The 2010 elections is not the solution for a democratic change in Burma.- Khin Ohmar, Chairperson, Network for Democracy and Development (NDD), Foreign Affairs Secretary, Forum for Democracy in Burma (FDB); Coordinator, Burma Partnership.

It is up to us, the people of Burma to come together and work for a common cause. We see ethnic nationalities with people from mainstream Burma coming together. We have diverse youth members from the Students Youth of Burma (SCYB), Nationalities Youth Forum (NYF) and the Women’s League of Burma (WLB). We have members from different parts of Burma joining in the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB); and other networks joining in the call for a principled boycott of the 2010 elections.

If all people combine efforts, we keep the same energy and pace. We continue to cherish and praise diversity.

This overarching issue of democratic rights places a challenge to ethnic identity. I take this struggle for ethnic identity as a normal cause because there is a need for it by the ethnic population. That they should be safe as they have suffered for so long. It is important for people to have that right of self identity. Identity to who they are and to where they belong. But not to confine ourselves in our own ethnic identities. If we confine ourselves to our own particular group and not open up to other groups, then our vision can become limited.

If we see this holistic picture of Burma and if we have a wider perspective, we can see this as a challenge. If, to reach out is the objective of the Federal Union, we step out of our ethnic identities then we can be able to see a common ground among the diversities. It is still a challenge to work and overcome differences to build mutual trust among each other.

We continue to keep fighting. I should be able to do the most that I can for those in prison who fought for democracy in our country. I think of the hope and keep up the struggle if it is the right call for life.

(FDB is a member of the Movement for Democracy and Rights of Ethnic Nationalities composed of 10 alliances including NYF, SCYB, WLB, NCGUB, MPU, NLD-LA, NDF, DAB, and NCUB. Together, the Movement sees the 2010 elections , under the rule of the military’s 2008 constitution will not only fail to address the root cause of Burma’s crisis but will in fact further entrench military rule sowing the seeds for further instability and armed conflict. The Movement then calls for (1) the release of all political prisoners, (2) cessation of all hostilities against ethnic groups and pro-democracy forces, and (3) inclusive dialogue with key stakeholders from democracy groups and ethnic nationalities including a review of the 2008 Constitution. The Movement sees the 2008 Constitution systematically entrenches injustice that will prolong conflict and instability in ethnically diverse Burma.)

***
We call for the boycott of the 2010 elections and oppose the 2008 Constitution which provides for the legitimacy of the Generals to stay in power.- Naw San, Secretary General, Students and Youth Congress of Burma (SYCB)

The SYCB oppose the 2010 elections because the 2008 Constitution which shall be adopted by the Parliament after the 2010 elections, is not democratic and does not grant equality rights for ethnic minorities of Burma.

Also, the election is not inclusive. There is no freedom to organize among political parties. What we see clearly is that there are no political parties joining the election. The National League of Democracy (NLD) is rethinking their position if they will join or not dependent on the following conditions adopted in the Shwe Gon Daing Manifestion in April 29, 2009. These are (1) Release of political prisoners, (2) Review 2008 Constitution and (3) Free and fair elections. If these are not granted, NLD will oppose the 2010 elections. But am sure the regime will not release the political prisoners and they will not review 2008 Constitution.

The SPDC might invite UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and project that elections is the step for democratic change which may lead international leaders to support SPDC. But, we have to look back at the past and take note that the root cause of the problems of Burma is rooted in a Constitution which does not provide democratic rights and equality rights for ethnic minorities. This is noted in the 1974 Constitution and now in the 2008 Constitution. We are slaves to the regime forever if the Constitution will not be changed.

We call for the boycott of the 2010 elections and oppose the 2008 Constitution which provides for the legitimacy of the Generals to stay in power.The Generals want to be ensured of their businesses and their repressive power on the lives of the people.

To boycott the 2010 elections, youth are actively campaigning against the 2010 elections in Burma. They spray the walls in the main cities calling for boycotting the 2010 elections. In the country sides, the youth are active doing education and organizing activities particularly in Shan and Arakan States.

The movement for change and the need for democratic change are felt more so after the Saffron Revolution in 2007. In 2007, there are some 1000 political prisoners. Now, there are 2100 political prisoners.

Even among the military group, unrest is growing. This is very visible on the house arrest of General Khin Nyunt. Police also want increase of salary.

Since the 2008 Constitution is unacceptable, SYCB calls for a Federal Constitution which basically enshrines a democratic Burma and equality rights for ethnic minorities.

SYCB together with the Women’s League of Burma (WLB), National Youth Forum (NYF), FDB (Forum Democratic Burma), National Democratic Front (NDF), DAB ( Democratic Alliance of Burma), MPU (Member Parliament Union) and NCGUB re-affirm a statement calling for the boycott of the 2010 elections.

***
KNGY enjoins the international community not to support the 2010 elections as it does not lead to meaningful democratic change in Burma.-Khun Francis, Foreign Affairs Office, Kayan New Generation Youth (KNGY)

In behalf of KNGY, I don’t support the 2010 elections because there is no guarantee for ethnic people’s rights in the 2008 Constitution which is to be adopted by the winning party. The 2008 Constitution has many weak points for people’s democratic rights. The military is ensured of 25% legislative seats in Government. This makes the military government ensured of its power.

The 2008 Constitution requires that the President should have military experience. Anyone should be qualified to run as President provided he is capable to run the country but not necessarily to place military experience as a qualification for one becoming President of the country.

Also, ethnic peoples are the ones who know what they need so they should have the right to have their own State Constitution and draft their own laws within the context of Federal Union of Burma.

KNGY joins other ethnic groups and political democracy groups to keep on working for democratic rights and gain Federal rights for ethnic peoples.

***
KWYO calls for the review of the 2008 Constitution. That there shall be women’s rights included in the Constitution as to equality on employment, education, and participation in politics.-
Mu Iris, Chairperson, Kayan Youth Women’s Organization (KYWO)

KYWO does not accept the 2010 elections because it will be conducted in the same way as how the 2008 Referendum was done. Besides, the 2008 Constitution does not provide for ethnic rights and rights for women.

Because of this, KYWO will be conducting media campaigns to call for non-participation in the 2010 elections. Education about the 2008 Constitution among women in the Kayan Region shall be done also.

We especially call for women representatives in legislative seats in government because the present patriarchal culture makes it difficult for women to get into political leadership.

***
I want the government to have peaceful dialogue with the people on their concerns. But if the SPDC will be violent, I will join the armed group to fight the SPDC.-
Khun Petpot, Migrant Worker

I am against the 2010 elections. Just like the 2008 Referendum done under fraudulent and coercive conditions, the 2010 elections will also be done in the same manner.

Most people in the ethnic regions say they don’t want to join the 2010 elections but they can’t go against it because they are afraid if the SPDC will hurt them.
Nonetheless, people are getting organized and know more about the political situation in Burma, and learning what the 2008 Constitution is all about in comparison to the Federal Constitution.

LINKS
Northern Philippine Times
Burma Partnership
Burma Democratic Concern
Northern Philippine Times
All Voices

Photo credits here
and here
here

2010 elections 'unacceptable', Burmese activists call Junta for dialogue

noreply@blogger.com (GinaDizon) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:20:00 +0000

(Part 11)
By Gina Dizon

THAILAND- Burmese revolutionaries and activists say the 2010 elections is not the answer for a democratic change in Burma, nor will it lead to national reconciliation. Instead, they ask for a dialogue with the junta-led State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) for a review of the 2008 Constitution, release of all political prisoners, and recognition of the 1990 elections.

Khun Myint Tun (in photo), Labor Minister of the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB) of the National League of Democracy (NLD) considers the 2010 elections as 'unacceptable' with the non-recognition of the 1990 election winners. He agrees with NLD leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi who stated, “Holding a new election without recognizing the 1990 election results is like playing a dangerous game with the country’s future. That is why we cannot accept a new election.”

The transfer of power to the Members of Parliament who won the 1990 elections is a top demand of the NCGUB.

The NLD won 82% of seats in Parliament during the 1990 elections but their legitimacy was not recognized with the house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi. State Law and Order restoration Council (SLORC) then did not convene the Parliament 60 days after the elections. The NLD then met two months after the 1990 elections and passed the Ghandhi Declaration calling for the transfer of power to the NLD as the winning party and convening of the Parliament.

Yet, Khun Myint Tun who is also Member of Secretariat of the National Council of the Union of Burma (NCUB) says, “The SPDC never granted a dialogue up to now despite repeated requests. It is obvious that they want to continue their own military rule. In November 11, 2009, NLD reminded General Than Shwe on the calls of the Shwe Gon Daing Declaration. Up to now, we did not get a response”, he said.

NLD issued the Shwe Gon Doing Declaration in April 1009 which demands release of all political prisoners, review of the 2008 Constitution, and a dialogue. The dialogue calls for the recognition of the 1990 elections and transfer of power to the elected members of Parliament.

“The minimum that we demand from SPDC is to review and amend the 2008 Constitution. But if there is no release of political prisoners and no review of the Constitution, NLD will boycott the 2010 elections”, Khun Myint Tun said.

Release of all political prisoners is a top demand of the Shwe Gon Daing Declaration.

In 2007, there were only a thousand plus political prisoners. Now, there are 2200 political prisoners. “This means, the democratic movement is growing and the people are restless yet hopeful”, Students and Youth Congress of Burma (SCYCB) General Secretary Naw San said.

The Burmese militants and activists are one in saying the democratic movement inside Burma is increasing with more people getting informed and enlightened of their rights.

Democratic activists call for international support “not to support the 2010 elections if meaningful dialogue is not granted”.

National Democratic Front (NDF) spokesperson and Secretary General Min Bone Kyew said, "We ask the international community including the UN, ASEAN and the European Union to apply more effective pressure upon the SPDC. We urge the international community to ask the SPDC to cease its acts against ethnic nationalities, impose UN arms embargo, block capital investments, impose sanctions, and call on SPDC to hold an inclusive political dialogue for national reconciliation.”

“At the same time, we are calling for legal action against the SPDC in the US Federal Court and UN’s International Criminal Court (ICC). Military abuses of persons in power are separately dealt with from the call for meaningful dialogue from the SPDC”, Khun Myint said.

Northern Philippine Times
Burma Partnership
Burma Democratic Concern
All Voices

Burmese activists call for dialogue with the Junta

noreply@blogger.com (GinaDizon) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 07:39:00 +0000

(Part 1)
By Gina Dizon

THAILAND - Burmese revolutionaries and activists are saying a common statement on the country’s 2010 elections. They are boycotting the 2010 elections. The common sentiment is that 2010 elections is not the answer for a democratic change in Burma, nor will it lead to national reconciliation. Instead, they want a dialogue with the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) for a review of the 2008 Constitution, release of all political prisoners, and recognition of the 1990 elections.

National Democratic Front (NDF) Secretary General Min Bone Kyew who also sits as Secretary General of Palaung State Liberation Front (PSLF) said, “The 2008 Constitution perpetuates the rule of military dictatorship.”

The 2008 Constitution approved in the May 2008 Referendum conducted under reported incidents of fraud, ensures 25% legislative seats reserved for personnel of the Defense Services as nominated by the Commander in Chief of the Defense Services. The 2008 Constitution provides for authoritarian military supremacy headed by the Commander in Chief who supervises the Security Council. There are four ministries directly under the Commander in Chief -National Security, Minister of Border Affairs, Minister of Home Affairs, and the Minister of Defense.

The 2008 Constitution shall be adopted by the winning party in the 2010 elections.

Secretary General Naw San of the Students and Youth Congress of Burma (SYCB) says, “The 2008 Constitution provides for the legitimacy of the Generals to stay in power. The Generals want to be ensured of their businesses and their repressive power on the lives of the people.”

With their intention to keep the military junta in power, the SPDC is also trying to get the ethnic armed forces to the Border Guard Force (BGF). Reports however say the ceasefire groups are rejecting the call of the government. This include the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) while no agreement has been reached yet between the United Wa State Army’ (UWSA) and the junta.

As part of the re-affirmed NDF statement calling for a boycott on the 2010 elections, NDF says, “The position of the main ceasefire organizations, rejecting the SPDC’s proposal to transform their armies into Border Guard Force, is the same as our (NDF) position on the matter.”

Democratic activists also call for ethnic rights and equality in the Burma Constitution.

Considering the 2008 Constitution as “ un-acceptable”, Min Bone Kyew said, “The 2008 Constitution provides no ethnic rights.”

Burma is currently made up of seven divisions and seven ethnic states namely Kayah, Mon, Kachin, Chin, Shan, Rachine, and Kayin under a junta government.

Foreign Affairs Officer Khun Francis of Kayan New Generation Youth (KNGY) adds, “Ethnic peoples are the ones who know what they need so they should have the right to have their own State Constitution and draft their own laws within the context of Federal Union of Burma.”

Min Bone Kyew, Khun Francis and Naw San envision a Federal Constitution for the Union of Burma.

The envisioned Federal Constitution drafted by the Federal Constitution Drafting Committee (FCDC) reached its second draft in October 2008. It provides for Member States to formulate their own Constitution. Each independent Member State though shall exist in harmony with the Union of Burma through the principle of power sharing.

The FCDC is composed of the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB), National Council of Union of Burma (NCUB), National Democratic Front (NDF), and United Nationalities League for Democracy Liberated Areas (UNLD-LA), WLB, NY-Forum and SYCB.

The struggle for ethnic identity is seen by Khin Ohmar, Chairperson, Network for Democracy and Development (NDD), as a “normal cause because there is a need for it by the ethnic population. It is important for them to have that right of self identity- to who they are and to where they belong. This overarching issue of democratic rights places a challenge to ethnic identity. If we see this holistic picture of Burma and if we have a wider perspective, we can see this as a challenge to build mutual trust among each other”, Ohmar who also sits as Foreign Affairs Secretary of the Forum for Democracy in Burma (FDB), said.

FDB is a member of the Movement for Democracy and Rights of Ethnic Nationalities composed of 10 alliances including NYF, SCYB, WLB, NCGUB, MPU (Members of Parliament Union), NLD-LA, NDF, DAB ( Democratic Alliance of Burma), and NCUB.

Together, the Movement sees the 2010 elections , under the rule of the military’s 2008 constitution will not only fail to address the root cause of Burma’s crisis but will in fact further entrench military rule sowing the seeds for further instability and armed conflict. The Movement sees the 2008 Constitution “systematically entrenches injustice that will prolong conflict and instability in ethnically diverse Burma.”

Source: Northern Philippine Times
Link Burma Partnership

Burmese Rock Star-Journalist Wins International Award

noreply@blogger.com (GinaDizon) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 14:58:00 +0000

BANGKOK — Win Maw, a 47-year-old activist-rock musician, has won the 2009 Kenji Nagai Memorial Award for his commitment as a freelance journalist in Burma. He is currently serving a total of 17-years imprisonment for his journalistic activities.

Hla Hla Win, a 25-year-old female DVB video journalist who is serving a 27-year sentence in Kathar Prison for interviewing monks in Pakkoku, shared the award with Win Maw. She also was convicted for giving information to an exiled news organization.
Win Maw

“In fact, he didn’t mean to become a journalist, yet, his desire to expose the real situation inside Burma turned him into an undercover journalist for an exile news station,” said his brother, Win Zaw.

In 2006, Win Maw visited Mae Sot on the Thai-Burma border to meet Win Zaw, who had had fled from Burma in 2004. After he returned from the trip, he would occasionally send music, songs, news, photos and videos on various issues to the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB). He was arrested for those activities in 2008.

By that time, he had covered a variety of sensitive news, including activities of the National League for Democracy, the 88 Generation's activities and their members' arrests, and the monk-led Saffron Revolution in September 2007. During the Saffron Revolution, he wrote a song, “May the People’s Desire be Fulfilled.”

On Nov. 27, 2008, Win Maw went to a tea shop on his way back from an Internet café to meet his friends Aung Aung and Myat San, a member of the Tri-Color Student Group.

“The military intelligence agents were already waiting for his friends at the teashop, and he was caught along with them.” said his brother.

Police found a computer disk of data for the DVB in Win Maw's possession. The agents tracked his previous activities during the past year. He was charged and tried in a closed court and found guilty of violating the Immigration Act, damaging public tranquility laws by sending "false" information to an exile news group and illegal border crossing. He was sentenced to 7-years imprisonment. He was sentenced an additional 10-years imprisonment for violation of the Electronic Transmission Act. Currently, he is in Sandway Prison in Arakan State about 590 miles northeast of Rangoon.

During his interrogation, he was tortured. In the early part of his detention, he suffered from asthma, pneumonia and had trouble breathing after being subjected to water torture and a broken nose.

His wife, Tha Zin, said his health has seriously deteriorated.

The award was created by the Japanese video news agency APF and the exile-based Burma Media Association (BMA) one year after the Japanese photojournalist Kenji Nagai was shot dead by Burmese soldiers in Rangoon during the Saffron Revolution in 2007.

“I feel nothing special about the award, except to be proud of my brother,” said Win Zaw, who spent seven years in Thayat Prison in 1997 for writing songs for Burma’s opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. “Although he has done his work without any hope for an award, he will surely be delighted in getting international recognition for his effort.”

As a youth, Win Maw had always wanted to be a successful musician, honing his skills as an artist when he was young.

“He had no other hobby or interest,” said his brother. “Music was his life. His single dream was to play the guitar his whole life.”

In 1980, Win Maw stopped attending Rangoon University where he was a sophomore math major and formed an amateur rock band—Computer Control. The band started with four members including Win Maw, 18, and Win Zaw, 13.

Win Maw and his brother joined the people's uprising in 1988 to bring down the Burma Socialist Program Party led by General Nay Win, who ruled Burma from 1962 to 1988. The following year, Win Maw was introduced to Suu Kyi, who had returned to Burma to look after her ailing mother. After the uprising, he resumed his music career and was not interested in party politics.

Later on, Suu Kyi recognized the brothers’ talents and asked them to support the movement through their music.

Since 1984, the band had been performing nightly in a program on state-run Myanmar TV.

Source: The Irrawaddy

KIO continues to oppose BGF

noreply@blogger.com (GinaDizon) — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 05:03:00 +0000

Ruili (Mizzima) – An adamant Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), continuing to oppose conversion of its armed wing the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) into the Border Guard Force (BGF) said, while marking the 49th Kachin Resistance Day, today that it would continue to demand ethnic rights.

In his address sent to the Kachin Resistance Day celebrations held in Laiza in Kachin State this morning, KIO Chiarman U Zawng Hra said that they wanted ethnic rights as envisaged in the historic Panlong Agreement, which was the key to establishing a Union during the independence struggle.

“Our organization is not for money and not for killing people. We are still into revolutionary struggle for self-determination rights agreed to in the Panlong Agreement long ago but which remain unfulfilled till today. If the junta is adamant about the BGF, we will reiterate our demands based on the Panlong Agreement,” a KIO administrative official who attended the ceremony told Mizzima.

The junta has been pressurizing all ethnic armed ceasefire groups to transform their troops into the BGF. The KIO on its part has had parleys with Burmese Army brass on this contentious issue 11 times till the end of last month but there has been no breakthrough. Amidst the impasse, the KIO Chairman has reiterated the outfit’s position rejecting the BGF in his address today.

The Kachin Resistance Day held in Laiza was on a small scale and attended by 500 guests.

“According to the ceremony agenda, KIO Forest and Agricultural Minister Col. Nau San read out the Chairman’s speech. Then Home Minister Chieftain Dwe Li Sa expounded on the speech. After which the list of enlisted personnel with over 10 to 40 years service was read out,” a KIO officer said.

Most KIO central committee members did not attend today’s ceremony. The sports meet was slated for the afternoon and entertainment programmes for the evening, it is learnt.

The 49th Kachin Resistance Day is being held on a grand scale in areas controlled by KIA’s 1st Brigade in Sumpra Bum Township, Kachin State from February 3 to 6. It is learnt that the junta’s representatives were not invited to the ceremony held today.

KIO reached a ceasefire agreement with the junta in February 1994. It is the only outfit in Kachin State which is still rejecting the regime’s BGF proposal.

There are three ethnic armed Kachin ceasefire groups in Kachin State. Of which, the New Democratic Army – Kachin (NDA-K) led by U Zahkung Ting Ying agreed to transform its troops to BGF. Another, KIO breakaway faction led by U Lasang Awng Wa, based in La Wah Yan village, Wai Maw Township, has converted its troops into a people’s militia toeing the junta’s line.

Each BGF battalion will have 326 personnel of which 30 will be from the Burmese Army and will be under its control. The salaries will be disbursed to all the personnel by the central government.

Edited by Ye Yint Aung in Mizzima

World’s press condemns sentencing of Burmese journalists

noreply@blogger.com (GinaDizon) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 10:06:00 +0000

(BURMA NET NEWS) - The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) and the World Editors Forum have condemned the sentencing of two Burmese journalists to long prison terms and called on the country’s military junta to immediately release them and end its continuing attacks on the media.“We are seriously concerned that the crackdown on sending reports, photos and videos abroad that began in 2007 is intensifying in the run-up to this year’s elections,” said the global press organisations in a letter to General Than Shwe, Chairman of the Burmese State Peace and Development Council, as the ruling junta is known.

“Around 20 journalists and bloggers have been arrested since then and at least 14 are currently in jail, most of them in very harsh conditions,” said the letter. “Under current law, anyone who uses the internet to send information abroad faces prosecution.”

Burmese journalist Ngwe Soe Lin was sentenced to 13 years in prison on 28 January for providing reports to the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), a broadcaster based in Norway.

Mr Lin’s case follows the sentencing late last year of Hla Hla Win, another alleged DVB reporter, to 20 years in jail for sending reports abroad, and another seven years for using an “illegally” acquired motorcycle.

WAN-IFRA represents more than 18,000 publications, 15,000 online sites and over 3,000 companies in more than 120 countries. WEF is the organisation within WAN-IFRA that represents editors-in-chief and other senior newsroom personnel.

More here: BurmaNet News

Burma's Sordid History of Unfair Elections

noreply@blogger.com (GinaDizon) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 09:04:00 +0000

THE IRRAWADDY- With an abusive political state, what changes will the 2010 elections bring for the people of Burma? Besides, the 2008 Constitution which provides for military supremacy is reported to have been fraudulently voted upon under repressive conditions during the May 2008 Referendum as earlier reported.

The following is a report from the Irrawaddy on Burma's sordid history of unfair elections.

People are increasingly concerned about the credibility of the Burmese elections scheduled to be held sometime in 2010.

Ian Kelly, a spokesman for the US State Department, said recently that the military regime has taken no meaningful steps to put in place measures that would lead to a credible election.

What are the steps required for a credible election?

Most Burmese citizens, based on their experience, see the election as just another puppet show. A quick review of the history of Burmese elections shows that their cynicism is to be expected.

They have experienced many elections under different military regimes, following a referendum in 1973 that approved a constitution. Then in the 1990 national elections, a vast majority of citizens cast their votes in favor of democratic reform candidates, only to see the results of that landslide victory ignored by the military government.

Instead, after the 1990 election, the military regime convened a National Convention to draft a new constitution, which took 14 years and 9 months to complete. A Constitution Drafting Commission was finally assembled on Oct. 27, 2007, which took a mere three months to draft the constitution that was voted on in the referendum. Many delegates complained that the drafting process was undemocratic and deeply biased in favor of the junta.

On Feb. 9, 2008, the regime announced that the constitutional referendum would be held in May. Copies of the proposed constitution were finally published on April 9, one month ahead of the referendum, leaving citizens little time to debate and understand the fine points of the draft constitution. The referendum was held on May 10. Clearly, it was a rush to judgment designed to put into place an anti-democratic constitution that ensures the military government's hold on power.

More here in The Irrawaddy

Questions on Burma Polls

noreply@blogger.com (GinaDizon) — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 05:38:00 +0000

WASHINGTON—The United States has voiced skepticism about Burma’s upcoming elections and urged the ruling junta to reach out to ethnic minorities and the opposition led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

“So far we have not seen any meaningful steps by the regime to indicate it is putting in place measures that would lead to credible elections,” State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said.

“Much of the opposition's leadership remains in prison, there is no space for political dissent or debate, and no freedom of press.”

Opposition members were similarly skeptical of polls that the junta has confirmed will occur in 2010.

“Most hope that the election will bring about change and that there might be space for democratic forces to work toward their aspirations,” Daw San San, who was elected to parliament in abortive 1990 elections.

“But ... if the 2010 election is to be held based on the 2008 Constitution, then I don’t think we can hope for any democratic changes,” she said in an interview.

Tint Swe, a minister in the exile cabinet of the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB), said he believes the junta is intentionally giving the opposition too little time to mount a campaign.

“In 1989, Aung San Suu Kyi said a party would need about two years to prepare for an election. Now we don’t know how many months we’ll get. It’s not good for the parties, nor for the people. I suspect the junta is deliberately doing this,” Tint Swe said.

‘Correct choices’

The Southeast Asian country’s military leader, Gen. Than Shwe, has meanwhile urged the Burmese people to make what he called “correct choices” in the polls, though he didn’t indicate what those would be.

In comments to mark Burma’s Independence Day, he called the junta’s seven-stage "road map" to democracy “the sole process for transition.”

No date for elections has been set, but they will be the first since 1990, when the military refused to recognize the opposition’s victory.

Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) won by a landslide but was never permitted to take office.

Aung San Suu Kyi has spent most of the last two decades under house arrest, despite widespread international appeals for her release.

New U.S. tack

U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration has taken a new tack on Burma, after decades of sanctions that have failed to push the regime toward greater openness.

Sen. Jim Webb, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs and a leading U.S. advocate for engagement with Burma, said he was “pleased” by Than Shwe's indication that elections would occur.

“I have expressed my view to the Burmese leadership that the United Nations or other international organizations could provide valuable election assistance, and thus enhance the integrity of the process,” Webb, who held a rare meeting with the reclusive Than Shwe in 2009, said.

“I stand ready to help in all appropriate ways as we work toward the day when the Burmese people can fully rejoin the world community.”

SOURCE:
Original reporting by San San Tin and Zaw Moe Kyaw. Written in English by Sarah Jackson-Han in Radio Free Asia.

Remembering Burma's Saffron Revolution

noreply@blogger.com (GinaDizon) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 11:40:00 +0000

Click here for King Zero on video.

Earlier, in August 2007, the Burma government raised the price of gas. So pro-democracy activists began to lead demonstrations which led to the arrest of many.

Some Buddhist monks joined a demonstration in Pakokku north of Yangon on Sept 5, 2007. The peaceful demonstration was broken up violently by police. Three monks were tied to telephone polls and beaten with rifle butts. Ten monks were arrested.

Later that day, monks captured more than 10 high-ranking government and military officials in Pakokku and held them hostage, demanding the release of the arrested monks. The hostages were released unharmed after six hours, but the monks demanded the government to apologize, giving a deadline of September 17. The deadline expired without apology and tens of thousands of monks took to the streets in Yangon.

By late September, the government junta retaliated with police charging the monks with tear gas and clubs. Monasteries were raided. Hundreds of monks arrested and sent to prison camps. Many monks fled across the borders into Thailand or India. To this day, the number of casualties is unknown.

Monks under the eye of the junta

noreply@blogger.com (GinaDizon) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 10:00:00 +0000

On the two-year anniversary of the monk-led September mass demonstrations, the military junta keeps a close eye on the estimated 400,000 Buddhist monks in Burma with continued surveillance and propaganda in the media.

Security forces are present at the annual examinations for monks from Sept. 14 to 30 at Sangha [Monk] University in Rangoon.

About 60 soldiers are stationed in the university compound, according to monks taking examinations.

Meanwhile, in recent months publications in Rangoon and other cities have printed stories warning people of the dangers of a division between Theravada Buddhists and Mahayana Buddhists. Most Burmese are Theravada Buddhist.

The papers accused well-known Buddhist writers such as Parugu, Aye Maung, Chit Nge, Ashin Thoma Buddhi and Kyaw Hein, a veteran actor turned monk, as fostering confusion among Buddhists.

A main target of the stories is a former political prisoner, Ashin Nyana, a monk who exposes an alternative view of Buddhism that differs from traditional Theravada Buddhism. Since the 1980s, Ashin Nyana has advocated what he calls Paccuppanna [the present] Karma Buddhism. Unlike most monks in Burma who wear saffron robes, he wears sky blue robes.

He was charged with discrediting Buddhism in 1983 and served three years in prison. He was arrested again in 1991and received a 10-year prison sentence. He was released in 1998 in an amnesty.

“People are saying now that these papers were published by the Military Affairs Security [military intelligence] or the government-backed Union Solidarity and Development Association to create dissension among monks,” said a journalist in Rangoon.

In fact, Buddhism actually promotes critical thinking. The Kalama Sutta said: “Do not accept anything by mere tradition...Do not accept anything just because it accords with your scriptures...Do not accept anything merely because it agrees with your pre-conceived notions...But when you know for yourselves—these things are moral, these things are blameless, these things are praised by the wise, these things, when performed and undertaken, conduce to well-being and happiness—then do you live acting accordingly.”

Correspondent Ba Saw Tin contributed reporting from Bangkok.

Source: The Irrawaddy

Junta selects proxy candidates for 2010 elections

noreply@blogger.com (GinaDizon) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 09:00:00 +0000

The Burma junta government wants to make sure that they will hold power again during the 2010 elections, The Irrawaddy reports.

"The Burmese government has selected more than 300 proxy candidates to run in the general election in 2010.

Three hundred candidates were selected from military personnel who are now attending the National Defense University in Naypyidaw.

According to the sources in Rangoon and Naypyidaw, the candidates will run under the banner of the National Politics Party, a proxy party for the military, which has yet to be formed.

The candidates will undergo a three-month training process prior to the election, sources said.

Included among the government-selected candidates will also be members of the junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) and the Myanmar Maternal and Child Welfare Association (MMCWA).

While some members participate with the new political party, the two organizations will retain their current status as "social welfare groups," according to the sources.

Sources also said the government will also provide campaign funds and offer its own candidates to other political parties that will take part in 2010 election.

According to the 2008 constitution, the military is guaranteed control of 25 percent of both the Upper House and Lower House seats in parliament.

Meanwhile, the formation of a new political party, the Democratic Party, was announced on Monday in Rangoon. The party will be headed by the daughter of late Prime Minister U Nu, along with two daughters of former high-ranking political leaders.

The main Burmese opposition party, the National League for Democracy, has said it will not participate in the election unless the government meets certain conditions. It says the election is a sham designed to perpetuate military rule under the guise of democracy."

Kachin reject border guard force 2nd time

noreply@blogger.com (GinaDizon) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 16:46:00 +0000

An ethnic Burmese ceasefire group has learned from history. Based from a story sourced from The Irrawaddy, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), one of the biggest ethnic ceasefire groups, again rejected the military junta’s border guard force plan and called for autonomy in Kachin State.

Read more here from The Irrawaddy.

The meeting between the KIO and Burmese military officials led by Maj-Gen Soe Win, the commander of the Northern Regional Command and head of the transformation committee of the border guard force for the Northern Regional Command, took place in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State and the headquarters of the regional command, on July 8.

KIA recruits pledge to remember the martyrs who gave their lives for the Kachin people.

Representatives of the KIO told the Burmese that the KIO wanted to keep its military wing, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), under its current status and rejected having Burmese military commanders in its ethnic armed forces.

More here

The desperate Burmese junta

noreply@blogger.com (GinaDizon) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 04:27:00 +0000

The Burmese junta is that desperate to put Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on trial so she will not take part in the 2010 elections next year. Putting her on another five-year imprisonment will be another round of happy days for the ruling oppressive State Peace Democratic Council (SPDC).

This means the democratic movement needs to take on fresh and more dynamic moves of how to thwart this atrocious move of SPDC and its generals. While the international movement is pressing the seemingly deaf junta to release San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners, other ways are being undertaken.

One current step are legal moves in the international arena to try the junta’s generals and those responsible for countless numbers of human rights violations and perpetration of crimes of inhumanity in Burma.

While this is so, read the opinion of Kyaw Zwa Moe in The Irrawaddy.

“The trial of Aung San Suu Kyi is an unofficial step in the ruling junta’s seven-step road map. It is an essential one for the generals as they look ahead to the fifth step—the upcoming election in 2010.

The generals must now see, however, that by putting Suu Kyi on trial they took one step forward and two steps back.

The regime had no alternative as it prepared for the upcoming election. For the generals, the election is not only a step towards political legitimacy, but also the apparatus with which they can legalize the role of the military within the country’s political system.

The road map has three more steps—the election, the convening of a parliamentary assembly and the construction of “a modern, developed and democratic nation.”

More here in One Step Forward, Two Steps Back.

United Wa Army brace strength against junta

noreply@blogger.com (GinaDizon) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 06:37:00 +0000

The junta regime here in Burma is consistent in reinforcing its military strength against ethnic armies. This time, against the United Wa State Army (UWSA)in the Shan State in Mong Tong Township.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Tuesday, Sai Sheng Murng, the deputy spokesman of the rival Shan State Army-South (SSA) said seven M120 120 mm mortars were sent to reinforce Burmese Infantry Battalion No 65 on June 20.

The battalion is based in Nakawngmu village, Pong Pa Khem Sub-Township, Mong Tong Township, in eastern Shan State, which is about 29 kilometers from the Thai-Burma border.

Find out more about this in Burma sends mortars to Shan State

Fleeing Karens trapped in Burma as junta tells EU its 'biased report'

noreply@blogger.com (GinaDizon) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 03:35:00 +0000

Fleeing ethnic Burmese who wanted to evade the counter insurgency move of the military junta’s State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) and the State-led Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) against the Karen rebel army, now find themselves trapped in Burma. Military elements of DKBA are guarding the borders and preventing ethnic Karens from leaving the country.

“The villagers are fleeing an offensive against Brigade 7 of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) that began nearly two weeks ago. Civilians are routinely targeted by Burmese troops as part of the regime’s efforts to cripple KNLA resistance,” Irrawaddy reports.

Karens and other ethnic Burmese living near the borders have been running to neighboring countries as Thailand, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Lao to escape the brutalities of the Burmese junta.

What future awaits the hapless civilians is a pressing international concern Burma cannot ignore by saying “don’t interfere in our internal affairs”.

As this developed, Myanmar dismissed European Union concerns about military operations against Karen rebels as political meddling. The EU last week called for an immediate truce.

Burma’s Foreign Ministry said EU's criticism was "unwarranted," "politically motivated" and based on "inaccurate information originating from the insurgent groups and biased media reports", Associated Press reports in Myanmar dismisses EU concerns over Karen refugees.

With dreadful violations of human rights perpetrated by junta regime manifested on suffering ethnic Burmese most especially, more international pressure is needed. What more, a case against the generals for commission of crimes against humanity is wanting .

UN Security Council urged to probe Burma war crimes

noreply@blogger.com (GinaDizon) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 02:51:00 +0000

Pro-democracy activists working for a democratic Burma, gain allies in five jurists from Great Britain, Mongolia, South Africa, the US, and Venezuela. The jurists want the UN Security Council to establish a Commission of Inquiry to probe crimes against humanity committed by Burma's State Peace and Democratic Council (SPDC), as contained in several reports.

"The world cannot wait while the military regime continues its atrocities against the people of Burma," added the jurists, who include South Africa’s Richard Goldstone, Britain’s Sir Geoffrey Nice and Venezuela’s Pedro Nikken. "The report’s findings are both disturbing and compelling."

Irrawaddy reports here:
Jurists want security Council to open Burma war crimes probe
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=15858