Candle4Burma
Candle4Burma was created on Christmasday 2008 to support the suffering people of Burma.
Candle4Burma
Burma v Myanmar
Using the name Burma, rather than
the official name Myanmar, is a
politically sensitive choice, as the
opposition and several Western
countries refuse to recognise the
name change instigated by the junta.
Most Burmese people still use the
old name in private conversations,
which is why ‘Burma’ is used here.
Contributors to Candle4Burma are free to choose which name to use. The term ‘Burmese’ is used for any person originally coming from Burma, while the term ‘Burman’ is used for people from the ethnic majority group.
Groups
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Candle for Myo Yan Naung…
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Candle4Kenji Nagai
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Candle for Nay Phone Latt
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Candle for Min Ko Naing
15 members
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Candle for U Gambira
11 members
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Candle for the Internall…
6 members
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FREEDOM FOR BURMA
11 members
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Candle for Zaganar
19 members
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Candle for Ko Ko Gyi
14 members
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Candle for Nilar Thein
10 members
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Candle for The Free Burm…
12 members
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Candle for Daw Aung San…
11 members
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Candle for Buddhism in B…
29 members
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Candle for the Refugees
11 members
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All About Burma
8 members
Photos
Videos
Inside Burma news
‘Wave of Arrests’ in Burma
The ruling junta is again rounding up critics and activists, but the reasons are unclear.BANGKOK—Burma’s military junta has stepped up detentions of its political opponents and social activists in recent weeks, with as many as 50 people arrested in the last month, according to activists and residents.
“In recent days, they have been arresting mainly journalists and former prisoners,” said Ko Tak Naing, secretary of the rights group Association for Assistance to Political Prisoners (AAPP), which is based in the Thai-Burmese border region.
“Amongst the journalists, we are certain at least 10 have been arrested,” he said.
“They are journalists such as Ko Soe Moe, Ko Nyi Nyi Tun, and Khan Min Htet, who have been arrested in the last few days.”
Reasons unclear
While activists and local people are unsure of the reason behind the apparent crackdown, some say it is linked to stepped-up security measures around the former capital, Rangoon.
Other reported detainees included two young journalists and seven young men who were actively involved in private relief efforts in the wake of last year’s devastating Tropical Cyclone Nargis.
Journalists Ko Thant Zin Soe from The Voice weekly magazine and freelance journalist Ko Paing Soe Oo are believed to have been detained around midnight on Oct. 27, sources in Rangoon said.
Further detentions were reported at Rangoon’s Cultural University, according to a resident there.
“They all live in the Sittaung housing estate in the Yuzana Garden city,” said a woman at the university.
“They were all students attending the university.”
At first the detentions were linked to the students’ failure to register as overnight guests, but local authorities denied carrying out any inspections in the area, she said.
“We don’t know why they say this. But they did take the youths away,” she said.
Nargis links
The seven students are all believed to have been working with a social organization called Lin Let Kyair, formed two years ago after Nargis killed an estimated 140,000 people.
Villagers in the worst-hit regions said they have been unable to rebuild their lives in the wake of the storm, which left millions with no home or livelihood.
Local and overseas aid workers said Burma’s ruling military junta deliberately blocked aid to victims of Nargis, and failed to ensure that fields were ploughed in time for the harvest. It has also jailed a number of private citizens, some of them well-known, for aiding cyclone victims.
Lin Let Kyair is a nonprofit voluntary social organization that has been helping victims in poverty-stricken villages to dig wells, build schools and libraries, and provide educational assistance for children.
New checkpoints
Rangoon residents said a series of checkpoints had been springing up around Rangoon in recent weeks, with travelers and former political prisoners under close surveillance.
“In recent days the police have been stopping cars and checking them out in front of the Tamwe High School,” said the Rangoon resident who lives near the Cultural University.
“They have been asked to open their trunks. Also at the entrance to Yuzana Garden they would stop cars and inspect the belongings of the occupants,” she said.
“They are doing the same at the Central Mall, and in Rangoon at the traffic light at the front of the [opposition National League for Democracy] office,” she added.
Authorities were also keeping a close watch on the activities of 7,000 former prisoners, especially those who were political prisoners, who were released in a recent amnesty.
“Their houses have been specifically picked for search and inspection by the police,” she said.
Original reporting in Burmese by Ingjin Naing and Son Moe Wai. Burmese service director: Nancy Shwe. Translated by Soe Thinn. Written for the Web in English by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Sarah Jackson-Han.
rfa
BNN-Opinion and News
General Mecchadihtti Than Shwe, A Condemned Man
With the *All Burma Monks Alliance declaration of the excommunication of Than Shwe, his generals and all soldiers who ally themselves with him at least Than shwe will not be alone in the afterlife. Compounded by what’s been called the Curse of the Three Pagoda’s even his soothsayer’s stand powerless. In fact, his astrologers share the dubious honor of excommunication as Pattanikujjana, (the refusal of accepting offerings by this group of people by turning their bowls over), reigns throughout Burma and the world.In effect the Tatmadaw, (Burmese Military) has become an enemy of Buddhism severing the only link with Burma as a nation. They are no better than the colonizers who enslaved this nation in the past. But in all reality Buddhism was nothing more than a tool to control the masses. I am still haunted by the rape and butchery of a 5 year old girl whose body was then place in a Buddhist temple like some kind of sacrifice or offering. This is not Buddhism and is more reflective of the rituals performed by followers of Kali, The Dark Mother. So in some convoluted way Than Shwe made it official who he and his legions really are because they surely are not Buddhist, never was and never will. And now they all share Than Shwe’s eternity of unspeakable hells in the afterlife.
Though Than Shwe and his motley crew of thugs, rapists and murders went through the motions of being Buddhist they were only fooling themselves. There are no secrets within the confines of the spirit world and the truth is known by every type of being that walks on the other side. Some are almost rabid with excitement in anticipation of Generalissimo Supermo Mecchadihtti Than Shwe’s arrival and have prepared a very “warm” reception whence he arrives. His revered Tatmadaw also are in for the surprise of their new eternity whence they cross over. Every one of them will have their own personal receptions to look forward to. If they forgot exactly who they murdered, that is not a problem for they will soon be reminded. The spirits of the afterlife have pulled all the stops in preparation of their arrival.
Every nuance of their conduct has been recorded. No details have been overlooked or ignored and soon they will cry out in agony but it will not be short lived as in the case of their innocent victims. They will exist suffering in pain and agony exactly like the people they killed but it will last for an eternity. I see their journey in my visions and I hear the spirits as they giggle with excitement with a hint of revenge in their voices. They say, “We are waiting for you Than Shwe for death is inevitable”. Like the old street adage goes, you can run but you can’t hide and one day soon Than Shwe will scream out in pain as his body is ripped apart over and over again while spirits play with his entrails laughing at his cries for mercy, forever. His crew will face their own horror as their fallow cries go unanswered as they reap what they have sown on Earth for an eternity. Now that they are excommunicated from the Buddhist faith they will be less than alone in the afterlife. They will enjoy their own personal hells for they condemned themselves in the high court of humanity. It is a befitting fate since the universal law of retribution is just and always gets their man. And Kali, The Dark Mother, will be waiting.
* http://www.burmesesangha.com/
Your Devil’s Advocate
Buffalohair
Burma’s UNconstitution
Reading Than Shwe’s latest literary disaster, *The Constitution of 2008, you must ask yourself, how far beyond stupid is that? Filled with double speak and thinly veiled power points where the junta retains power it’s as worthless as the new money Than Shwe has begun printing. There is no constitution since it simply gives ultimate power to the junta, pardons or gives amnesty to murders, rapist and criminals against humanity. It’s a get out of jail free card for the most reprehensibly criminally corrupt group of people in Burma’s history. It also whitewashes the industries who’ve continued to violate the international sanctions that were imposed.The fact he chose to push the ballot initiative at the peak of disaster, Cyclone Nargis, while using extortion and threats of death should have been an eye opener for the world. Forced to reveal who they were and how they voted, the citizens of Burma had few choices. The Constitutional Referendum was gun barrel politics at its best. It was the launch pad for the bogus 2010 Election and it bought worthless dialogue that gleaned no results other than buying Than Shwe the critical time he needed. Like the greatest show on earth, Than Shwe set the stage for yet another academy award winning performance.
Ah but not all is well in Camelot and like a train wreck in slow motion Than Shwe is loosing his magic as generals wait for his ultimate demise. Word is out that Papa Than is going to hand the scepter of power to his kid to the chagrin of his generals. Sadly once Than Shwe dies his reign and spell is finished. With factions at serious odds with one another the issue of his son taking power becomes a non issue with a single gun shot to the head. None of his generals will go for a punk kid dictator, democracy or no democracy. It would not be surprising another constitution suddenly sprang up the day after Than died. It would also become open season on his family and they would be sitting ducks. The names of people who flaunted their association with Than Shwe adorn many hit lists and that’s an understatement. The ones with the longest knives will win the day when vendetta echoes through the ranks. Major divisions between the officer and soldier are terminal at best. With desertions at an all time high it is clear loyalty has become a novelty.
Its open season on NLD members, opposition and monk these days as the junta’s kangaroo courts dole out prison terms equal to death sentences underneath the worlds noses. Rape and genocide continue unabated throughout the ethnic regions. The mass exodus of refugees to centers along the Bangladesh, Thai and Chinese borders should be an indicator. Camps are filling beyond capacity in many regions and shortages of food and medication are rampant. But its business as usual as the world panders to empty gestures, fruitless words and jumps through hoops while Than Shwe quietly commits genocide. The new constitution does not address “Burmanization”. That’s the systematic process by soldiers of raping ethnic woman under Than Shwe’s Moto, “Leave Your Blood”. The constitution does not include ethnic groups. The 2010 Election is nothing more than a stage act and the constitution is just a pointless script filled with rhetoric and contradictions. Generals have the final say lock, stock and tomahawk.
* http://rspas.anu.edu.au/rmap/newmandala/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/myanmar_constitution-2008-en.pdf
Your Devil’s Advocate
Buffalohair
BNN- Burma FrontPage News
Eastern Burma ‘Comparable’ to Darfur: TBBC
The growing instability in eastern Burma from ongoing military conflict is forcing thousands of ethnic people to become internally displaced persons (IDPs), according to a press release from the Thailand Burma Border Consortium (TBBC) on Thursday.The statement said at least 75,000 people in eastern Burma were forced to leave their homes during the past year, meaning the number of IDPs in the area now exceeds half a million. TBBC compared the scale of displacement to that of Darfur in eastern Sudan.
“After 25 years of responding to the consequences of conflict in eastern Burma, it is tragic to see the causes remain unaddressed and the situation is likely to further deteriorate during the next 12 months.” Jack Dunford, the executive director of TBBC said in the statement.
Bangkok-based TBBC, an umbrella group of aid agencies that supplies a high percentage of humanitarian aid to IDPs and refugees at the Thai-Burmese border, said that between August 2008 and July 2009, some 120 communities were destroyed, making a total of more than 3,500 villages and “hiding sites” in eastern Burma that have been destroyed or forcibly relocated since 1996.
The main threats to human security in eastern Burma are related to militarization, TBBC said. While military patrols and landmines are the most significant and fastest growing threats to civilian safety and security, forced labor and restrictions on movement are the most pervasive threats to livelihoods.
Duncan McArthur, a coordinator of emergency relief for the TBBC, told The Irrawaddy on Thursday: “The people don’t have any security and our survey indicates the situation is getting worse.
“We have documented the situation to highlight the ongoing problems for ethnic people in eastern Burma,” he said.
The northern Karen area and southern Shan State have the highest rates of recent displacement, according to the report. Almost 60,000 Karen villagers are in hiding in the mountains of Kyaukgyi, Thandaung and Papun townships, a third of who fled from artillery attacks or the threat of Burmese government troop patrols during the past year.
In Shan State, nearly 20,000 civilians from 30 villages were forcibly relocated by the Burmese government forces in retaliation for Shan State Army-South operations in Laikha, Mong Kung and Keh Si townships, said TBBC.
The statement said that the scale of displaced villages has been recognized as the strongest single indicator of crimes against humanity in eastern Burma
irrawaddy
Help & Human Rights in Burma
TBBC Members
- CARITAS(Switserland)
- Christian-aid(UK)
- Church World Service(USA)
- DanChurchAid (Denmark)
- ICCO (NL)
- International Rescue Committee (USA)
- Christian World Service (Australia)
- Norwegian Church Aid
- Refugee Care Netherlands
- ICCO BURMA
Human Rights Organisations
- altsean.org
- Amnesty Int.
- Assistance Association for Political Prisoners-Burma
- Peace Way Foundation
- Christian Solidarity Worldwide
- EarthRights International
- freeburmarangers.org
- Human Rights Foundation Monland
- Human Rights Watch
- Karen Human Rights Group
- Women of Burma
- Dictatorwatch.org
- Canadian friends of Burma
- burmacampaign.org.uk
- uscampaignforburma.org
- Shan Women’s Action Network
- Witness
- Chin Human Rights Organization
- Human Rights Foundation of Monland – Burma
- karenni.org
- shanwomen.org
- karenwomen.org
- Karen Human Rights Group
- Free Burma Rangers
- Foreign Prisoner Support Service - Burma
- Free Burma’s Political Prisoners Now! (FBPPN)
- Burma Media Association (BMA)
- Storm International Corp
- chinrelief.org
- burmeserefugeeproject.org
INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT & Landmine monitoring
REFUGEES
BURMA Human Rights Reports(PDF)
- Internal Displacements Eastern Burma
- Burma's displaced people
- Internal-Displacement report
- Human rights violations at Yadana Pipeline
- NEW HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT UN
- Torture report Burma
- Berkeley Burma Report 2007
- HRW Report "Child soldiers
- Amnesty Birma report 2007
- Junta's Biofuel Disaster report
- Growing Up under Militarisation
- Burma arrest list
- Burma death list
- Monasteries Raided
- Burma Missing list
- Political Prisoners list Burma Arrested on August 19 to September 17, 2007
- Conclict and Health
WHY ‘A CANDLE FOR BURMA’?
Burma is the most religious Buddhist country in terms of proportion of monks in the population and proportion of income spent on religion. Monks are treasured and revered by the Burmese community.
Burma is ruled by one of the most brutal regimes in the World. This was brought sharply to the world’s attention by the Saffron Revolution in September ’07. Tragically, many people where killed, jailed or went missing. Many monks where killed and many disappeared from the face of the earth forever ...and the world stood by and did nothing....
In Thai / Burma border region there are more than 10 refugee camps. These camps are occupied by more than 300,000 people. The Burmese army attacks its own people, burning down villages almost every day. Villagers on the run get shot or they are killed by landmines. Refugees who live in the jungle have nothing. Mothers, fathers, babies, children and elderly people live in fear of the junta army. People are arrested and forced into hard labour by the Junta. Civilians are used as minesweepers by the army. The army takes young children out of their schools to be soldiers for the Junta. In Burma there are more then 70,000 child soldiers.
In Burma there are more then 2000 political prisoners. People are been given long term jail sentences. Prisoners are being tortured and killed by the Junta. The most famous of these noble political prisoners, is Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. She won the Burmese presidential elections but has been under house arrest for almost 19 years.
Then there was the cyclone "Nargis'... which killed more than a 100,000 people. Thousands went missing but the Junta would not let any aid into the country.
Burma is in crisis. The UN is silent, The USA is silent, The EU is silent. ...the Junta continues killing its own people.
This is why Candle4burma has been created. May our candles create enough light to wake the world up to the suffering of the people of Burma. May the candles burn till the day Burma is free.
Please support this Network and encourage your friends and family participate in Candle4burma. Please do your bit to bring awareness to the world about this tragedy of our fellow human beings
Thank you and many blessings
Candle4Burma
Prayer for Freedom From Suffering
May all beings everywhere plagued
with sufferings of body and mind
quickly be freed from their illnesses.
May those frightened cease to be afraid,
and may those bound be free.
May the powerless find power,
and may people think of befriending
one another.
May those who find themselves in trackless,
fearful wilderness–
the children, the aged, the unprotected–
be guarded by beneficent celestials,
and may they swiftly attain Buddhahood.
The Buddha
Blog Posts
Annual Report 2009 AAPP Political Prisoner Review 29 January 2009
Posted by Aung Kyaw Oo on February 4, 2010 at 7:59am
UK Government on Burma Junta's 2008 Constitution & Planned Elections
Burma Democratic Concern (BDC) today welcomes the British Government stands on Burmese junta’s 2008 constitution and planned 2010 election. British Government said that as long as the elections are contested on the current constitution, whatever the outcome they cannot be recognised by the international… Continue
Posted by Myo Thein on February 2, 2010 at 1:57am
PENETRATION OF SOUND ROOT TANTRA OF DZOGCHEN*ATI YOGA UPADESHA
PENETRATION OF SOUND ROOT TANTRA Alive Dharma teaching, Jan.31,2010
Homage to primordial Buddha Samantabhadra*Samantabhadri,
Lineage holder of intentional lineage of Nyingma… Continue
Posted by HELama Tara Tulku Drimed Drolkha on January 31, 2010 at 6:18pm
Burma: United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Must Declare Burmese Junta’s 2008 Constitution as NULL and VOID
26 January 2010
Global Action for Burma (GAB) today calls for United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to declare the unilaterally adopted Burmese junta's 2008 sham constitution, which is designed to legitimize military rule permanently in Burma, as NULL and VOID.
The very junta who is ruling the country held the election in 1990 in which Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, National League for Democracy (NLD) won landslide victory but until now the results are still yet to be honored. Instead of ho… Continue
Global Action for Burma (GAB) today calls for United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to declare the unilaterally adopted Burmese junta's 2008 sham constitution, which is designed to legitimize military rule permanently in Burma, as NULL and VOID.
The very junta who is ruling the country held the election in 1990 in which Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, National League for Democracy (NLD) won landslide victory but until now the results are still yet to be honored. Instead of ho… Continue
Posted by Myo Thein on January 26, 2010 at 10:28pm
ATIYOGA * DZOGCHEN : CUT THROUGH & LEAP OVER
ATIYOGA * DZOGCHEN: CUT THROUGH AND LEAP OVER
Alive Dharma teaching, Jan. 17,2010
Atiyoga * Dzogchen Dharma : Cutt through and Leap over
There is no self. What is there to self-liberate ?!
Simply… Continue
Posted by HELama Tara Tulku Drimed Drolkha on January 17, 2010 at 3:37pm
This is Burma! (Warning if you are a sensitive viewer, some photo's may capture shocking, tragic and heart breaking true life situations
Candle4Burma Human Rights News
Concern over forced relocation of 60 Kachin villages
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Over 60 villages are in the process of forced relocation from two dam sites in Burma’s northern Kachin State, said the latest report released on Tuesday by a Kachin Environmental group.The Kachin Development Networking Group, (KDNG) a network of civil society groups and development organizations in Kachin State, Burma released a report “Resisting the Flood” on Tuesday. It has monitored developments and the likely impact of the 2,000-megawatt Chibwe Dam on the N’Mai River, work on which has already begun, and the Irrawaddy Myitsone Dam.
“Over 60 villages with approximately 15,000 people are in the process of being forcibly relocated without informed consent. This dislocation will cause many secondary social problems including conflicts over jobs and land, and an increase in migration and trafficking to neighbouring countries. Women will be particularly impacted,” the report said.
The group also sent an open letter on Tuesday to China Power Investment urging it to immediately stop construction of the Myitsone Dam and other dams in Kachin State “to avoid being complicit in multiple serious human rights abuses associated with the project”.
According to a statement from the group, on October 9, residents of Tanghpre village at the planned Myitsone dam site on the confluence at the source of the Irrawaddy handed an open letter directly to Burma’s Northern military commander, objecting to the dam.
In August military authorities informed residents that they had less than two months to begin moving out. “We cannot bring our farms with us when we move” said a representative of the Tanghpre Village Housewives Group in a meeting with the commander on October 10. “We do not want to move and we appeal to you to bring our concerns to Naypyidaw for consideration,” the statement noted.
On the same day, 300 residents assembled at the confluence for a public prayer ceremony to protect the rivers. Several historical churches will be submerged by the Myitsone Dam project, which will also flood forests in one of the world’s “hottest hotspots” of biodiversity, impact downstream riverine ecosystems that are home to the endangered Irrawaddy Dolphin and affect the delta region, which provides nearly 60 per cent of Burma’s rice.
The KDNG noted in the report that the project has no environmental, social or health impact assessments, which have been publicly disclosed, locally-affected residents have not been consulted about the project; their attempts to voice concerns have been ignored.
The report also noted that it is well-documented that development projects in Burma are accompanied by increased militarization and human rights abuses, including forced labour and rape.
The group mentioned that the location of the dams are insecure because it is in a ceasefire area that is extremely unstable; an outbreak of fighting would put local people, the project, and Chinese personnel at risk, and it faces risks from earthquake because it is located a mere 100 kilometers from a major fault line in an earthquake-prone area.
China Power Investment is planning a series of seven dams on the Irrawaddy and its two main tributaries. The majority of the electricity from all the dams will be transmitted to China.
On June 21 2009, Burma’s Ambassador to China Thein Lwin and the President of China Power Investment Corporation Mr. Lu Qizhou signed the Memorandum of Agreement between Burma’s Department of Hydropower Implementation and CPI for “the Development, Operation and Transfer of Hydropower Projects in the Maykha, Malikha and Upstream Ayeyawady-Myitsone River Basins.”
Rohingya Forced to Work on Border Fence
Burmese junta troops force 200 Rohingya to build a wire fence on the Bangladesh-Burmese border in Burma’s northern Arakan State each day.Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Wednesday, Tun Tun, a resident on the Bangladeshi side of the Bangladesh-Burmese border said troops from the Burmese junta’s Light Infantry Battalions No. 233, 234, and 236 ordered headmen to martial 200 people daily to build a wire fence along the border.
“The headmen are told to, ‘Volunteer labor to develop your country’,” Tun Tun said.
The junta troops use forced labor rotated from four villages near the border in Maungdaw Township, he said.
Chris Lewa, coordinator of the Arakan Project, said that the junta’s troops have used forced labor since they started building the fence in March. She said they sometimes pay 500 kyat (US 50 cents) a day to each worker.
“Villagers can buy exemption from forced labor duties,” Lewa said, “but most Rohingyas have very little money and cannot avoid it.”
Two refugees who fled to Bangladesh recently told Tun Tun they were forced to work three days a week.
“They told me every man in the village had to work on the fence if he wanted to continue living in the village,” Tun Tun said.
The Burmese resumed building the wire fence in Maungdaw Township on the border with Bangladesh in October.
Burmese authorities started the 200-kilometer wire fence earlier this year, saying it was to stop human trafficking along the border with Bangladesh.
Bangladesh and Burma share a 320-kilometer border, partly demarcated by the Naf River, a regular route for smuggling and illegal crossings by Muslim refugees.
Many Rohingya refugees from Burma cross the border to look for work in Bangladesh, but many end up in UN refugee camps in Cox’s Bazaar District in Bangladesh.
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) estimate that 400,000 unregistered Rohingya refugees live in two camps near Cox’s Bazaar.
The Rohingya are a stateless Muslim minority who face severe discrimination in Burma. Many have fled the country to escape human rights abuses, including forced labor for Burmese junta forces.
Bangladesh authorities have cracked down on Rohingyas living illegally in Bangladesh recently. More than 1,000 people have been arrested and pushed back across the border into Burma in recent months, Lewa said.
irrawaddy
Journalists, Volunteer Relief Workers Arrested in Rangoon
About a dozen people including journalists and Nargis Cyclone volunteer relief workers were arrested throughout October as the Burmese government cracked down on overseas private donations for cyclone victims.According to Burmese journalists, authorities arrested at least 12 people in the past weeks, including eight journalists.
“As far as we know, at least 12 people were detained and eight journalists were among those arrested,” said a journalist based in Rangoon, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
A Burmese human rights group in exile, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners-Burma (AAPP), confirmed that since early October, Burmese authorities have conducted arrest raids on the homes of journalists and activists.
“We confirmed at least nine people were detained,” said Tate Naing, the secretary of the AAPP. “The number of arrests has increased recently. We are following the recent crackdown.”
Tate Naing said former pro-democracy activists were among those arrested.
According to sources in Rangoon, journalists Jay Paing, a freelance journalist; Thant Zin Soe, a news editor at Foreign Affairs; and Min Satta were identified as among those arrested.
However, when contacted by The Irrawaddy, an official at Living Color Media Group, the publisher of Foreign Affairs, said it had no information about whether Thant Zin Soe was arrested or had just disappeared.
“These days, Burmese intelligence agents are closely watching journalists,” said a Rangoon journalist.
Members of the independent relief group, Lin Lat Kyal, were among those arrested, allegedly for accepting relief donations from abroad.
A group of journalists and private citizens founded Lin Lat Kyal shortly after Cyclone Nargis hit Burma in May 2008. Authorities suspect that overseas Burmese students and Burmese living in Singapore and the United Kingdom fund the group with private donations.
A Lin Lat Kyal member said authorities told his arrested colleagues that they wanted information about the group.
In military-ruled Burma, most activities by independent relief works or civil society groups are not allowed by authorities. The regime requires such groups to be under the authority of government agencies or state-sponsored groups such as the Union Solidarity and Development Association.
Dozens of private citizens who responded to help the cyclone victims in the days following the disaster, including the well-known comedian Zarganar, have been arrested during the past two years. Currently, 19 arrested relief workers are being detained.
Sources said businessmen who conducted money remittance transactions were also among those detained recently.
“About seven people who were involved in remittance were taken away by the Special Branch,” said a Rangoon businessman, who spoke on condition of anonymity. He said government agents interrogated them to determine who had received funds from abroad.
In September, the Burmese regime granted amnesty to 7,114 prisoners. Human rights groups said 128 political prisoners were among those released. According to the AAPP, there are currently 2,119 political prisoners in Burma including 46 journalists.
irrawaddy
11 Political Activists Sentenced at Insein Prison
Eleven political activists, including one Buddhist monk, were sentenced to between five and 10 years on Tuesday at Rangoon Northern District Court in Insein Prison.The court also passed down a sentence in absentia on two monks, Ashin Pyinnya Jota and Ashin Sandardika, from the All Burma Monks’ Alliance, who have fled abroad.
Sources close to prison authorities in Insein told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that Ashin Sandimar (aka Tun Naung), Kyaw Zin Min (aka Zaw Moe), Wunna Nwe and Zin Min Shein were sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for violating the Explosives Law (Section 3) and the Unlawful Association Law (Section 6).
Meanwhile, Saw Maung, Aung Moe Lwin, Moe Htet Nay, Tun Lin Aung, Zaw Latt, Naing Win and Tun Lin Oo were sentenced to five years for violating Section 6.
In 2008, Ashin Sandimar, Wunna Nwe and Saw Maung were sentenced to eight years imprisonment for violating the Immigration Act (13/1) and the Illegal Organization Act (17/1), while Zin Min Shein and Tun Lwin Aung are already serving 13-year sentences for other offences related to political activities.
Therefore, Ashin Sandimar, Wunna Nwe and Tun Lwin Aung have now been convicted and sentenced to 18 years each, while Saw Maung has received 13 years, and Zin Min Shein a total of 23 years.
Bo Kyi, the joint-secretary of the Thailand-based rights group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma), said, “We can say with certainty there was no free and fair verdict. They [the activists] were tortured during interrogation and were forced to admit violating these acts.”
Sources have said that some of the activists—perhaps even some of those already behind bars—tried to organize demonstrations on the second anniversary of the Saffron Revolution in September, but the authorities caught them and accused them of belonging to illegal organizations, of being terrorists, and of planning to create unrest.
Meanwhile, Burmese-American activist Nyi Nyi Aung (aka Kyaw Zaw Lwin), who was arrested in early September at Rangoon Airport, appeared in court for the first time on Wednesday.
“He has been accused of violating the Cheating Offence - Section 420, and forgery,” said his lawyer, Nyan Win.
Shortly after the arrest of Nyi Nyi Aung, 16 ethnic Arakan youths were arrested—seven in Rangoon and the others in Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State. They were accused of maintaining links with the Thailand-based All Arakan Students’ and Youths’ Congress.
According to Assistance Association for Political Prisoner (Burma), 2,119 political prisoners are being held in prisons across the country.
irrawaddy
Many Burmese Monks Arrested
At least 30 monks were arrested in Burma in September and October, the two-year anniversary of the Saffron Revolution, sources said.Sources familiar with the Sangha, the institution of monks nationwide, said 13 monks from Meiktila and 10 monks from Kyaukpadaung townships in Mandalay Division were arrested in late September, in an effort by the military junta to discourage or break up potential demonstrations by monks.
An official in Meiktila who requested anonymity said monks from the Nagar Yone Monastery in the township were among those arrested.
A Burmese human rights group in exile, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners-Burma (AAPP), confirmed that dozens of monks were arrested in the past two months.
“More than 20 monks were detained throughout September,” Bo Kyi, the joint-secretary of the AAPP, told The Irrawaddy on Thursday. “We’ve gotten reports of seven monks arrested recently.”
The AAPP said the recent arrests took place in Arakan State, and Rangoon, Mandalay and Magwe divisions.
There are 224 monks among the 2,119 political prisoners in Burma, said the AAPP, not including the recent arrests.
In September, the Burmese regime announced an amnesty for prisoners. The number of political prisoners released totaled 127, including four monks, of the 7,114 prisoners who received amnesty.
The All Burma Monks’ Alliance, which led the 2007 demonstrations, has renewed its call for the regime to apologize for the beating and arrests of monks in Pakokku two years ago and to release all monks who were imprisoned during the subsequent crackdown.
The monks set an Oct. 3 deadline for the regime to respond, saying that if there is no apology, monks will start another boycott of alms offered by all military and government personnel, known in Buddhism as “patta ni kozana kan.”
Burmese authorities responded to the monks’ call by increasing security in Rangoon early this month.
irrawaddy
Police beats man to death
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – A father, who dropped into the North Okkalapa Township police station to inquire about his detained son, was beaten to death by the police, his family said.Kyawt Maung (56) from No. 2 Ward went to the police station to find out about his son, who was being held in the Rangoon Division, North Okkalapa Township police station. Police private Pan Thee and former 100-households head of Ward level Peace and Development Council, Win Cho beat him to death on October 8 near the Thumalar junction, his family said.
Kyawt Maung ran a school bus business. His son Thet Oo Maung used to take part in the Tuesday prayer meeting campaign to free the opposition leader.
“The doctor said my father died of a blood clot in his brain. He was admitted to North Okkalapa hospital on October 8 at about 10 p.m. The doctor referred him to the Rangoon General Hospital, Brain and Nervous System Ward. But he died at 6:45 a.m. before being sent to the referral hospital, a close relative told Mizzima.
The accused Win Cho has been arrested by the North Okkalapa police station, but police private Pan Thee is still at large.
An eyewitness close to the bereaved family said, “Win Cho and the policeman handcuffed him when he reached Thumalar junction. Kyawt Maung asked them why he was being arrested. But the policeman hit him on his mouth and he fell down. Then the policeman stomped on his neck and kicked him in the stomach after which he fell unconscious. Then they grabbed him by his hair and banged his head on the asphalt road”.
A family member, who was also the Chairman of the ‘Self-reliance road maintenance Committee’, filed a murder case against the policeman and Win Cho in the North Okkalapa police station.
An inquest was conducted on the body of Kyawt Maung. He will be cremated at Ye Way cemetery today, the bereaved family said.
The police arrested Thet Oo Maung in connection with the case of 9th grade students from a North Okkalapa High School having a scuffle and altercation in front of North Okkalapa Myint Myat tea shop.
Kyawth Maung is survived by his wife, son and two daughters.
mizzima
2,000 Karen villagers have been forced to relocate by the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA)
About 2,000 Karen villagers have been forced to relocate by the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) since May, as the pro-junta ethnic army takes up position to move into northern Karen State where the Karen National Union’s (KNU) Brigade 5 is based, according to Karen sources.According to a Karen relief group, the Karen Office for Relief and Development (KORD), the estimated 2,000 Karen villagers are from six villages in Papun District and were forced to relocate to a makeshift jungle camp known as Thapepan, which is controlled by the DKBA.
Maw Law, a KORD field relief worker who recently returned from northern Karen State, said the DKBA has recently been recruiting members from among the villagers and has forbidden them from leaving the relocation site.
“They won’t even let villagers go out of the camp to forage for food,” said Maw Law.
He speculated that the DKBA wants to cut the Karen villagers’ lines of communication with the KNU’s military wing, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA).
About 35 villagers escaped and ran away from the relocation camp due to the restrictions, said Maw Law.
After seizing KNLA Brigade 7 in June, the DKBA vowed to launch a military operation against KNLA Brigade 5 in Papun District by September.
A member of the Free Burma Rangers, a locally based relief group, said DKBA battalions are active in Mae Mwe areas in Papun District and that the DKBA soldiers were trying to “clean up” KNLA Brigade 5 in Papun district.
Fighting in Papun district is now reported every day, he said.
Col Chit Thu, the commander of DKBA Battalion 999, had planned to establish a new battalion in Mae Mwe and personally take command of the operation in KNLA Brigade 5, Karen sources said.
However, he was reportedly forced to abandon his plan when he had to undergo an urgent medical operation.
The DKBA has in recent months been recruiting locals as soldiers as it looks to increase its troop strength from 6,000 to 9,000, which will help balance the Burmese army-dominated border guard force in the area.
Due to forced recruitment and fighting in KNLA Brigade 7 in June, more than 3,000 Karen villagers fled into Thailand’s Tha Song Yang District.
Karen sources on the Thai-Burmese border said DKBA soldiers will replace Burmese government troops positioned along the Salween River border in Papun District by 2010.
Trade at Brigade 5 on the Thai-Burmese border includes building supplies, food and cattle.
One shopkeeper in Mae Sam Leap, a border port where many traders operate, said businessmen in the town were worried about restrictions on trade should the DKBA control the border zone.
Some Karen sources said that restrictions will also impact on Karen relief groups and the KNU, with humanitarian assistance such as medical supplies, foods, clothes and other commodities being confiscated or highly taxed.
Brigade 5 is the main channel where aid and supplies pass en route to KNU brigades 1, 2 and 3.
“Transportation will be restricted if the DKBA takes control because they don’t really have law and order,” Maw Law said. “They just do whatever they want.”
irrawaddy
16 houses destroyed by TPDC in Maungdaw
Maungdaw, Arakan State: Sixteen houses were destroyed by Township Peace and Development Council (TPDC) with the help of Burma’s border security force (Nasaka) in Maungdaw Township on September 26, over the allegation that the houses were built on farm lands, said a house owner whose house was destroyed by the authority.These houses had been built at Shita Purika village of Maungdaw Township since 100 years ago on said land. But, recently, the SPDC authorities declared an order to destroy the houses which were built on farm land and collected the list of houses which were built on the farm land.
Regarding the order, the villagers did not comply with the order, so the Chairman of TPDC accompanied by some Nasaka from Inn Din Nasaka camp, went to the village on that day and destroyed the said houses by villagers, added the house owner.
But, the authority did not pay any compensation to the victims and mentioned no place where to go to re-build the houses. Therefore, the victims went nearby villages and stay at their relatives houses and make temporarily tents at their relatives’ compounds, said another villager preferring not to be named.
The houses were abolished by the authority while the rain has been falling cat and dog. As a result, the victims were facing acute difficulties in the rainy season. The authority concerned deliberately chose the rainy season to destroy the Rohingyas’ houses to suffer more trouble, said a local elder on condition of anonymity.
The concerned authorities always find new things to harass the Rohingya people at the intention of to flee the Rohingya people from their mother land, said a village elder.
The authorities have been threatening the villagers that any one who does not comply with the order he/she will be jailed for 7 years.
The owners of the destroyed houses are as follows: Serazul Hoque( 35), son of Islam, Abu Taher(33), son of Abdu Salam, Rofique(21), son of Skaker Mohamed, Sayed Ullah ( 29), Rahimullah (35), Sona Ullah (40), son of Jaffar Ahmed, Rashidullah (36), Eliyas (37), son of Nurul Hoque, Lal Meah (55), Mosi Ullah ( 50), Esaque (80), now he is in Buthidaung prison, Abdul Hashim (29), Hamid Hussain (35), son of Fazal Ahmed, Salaman (47), Salaman(2) (50), and Rashid Ahmed (51), son of Ahmed. They all belong to Shita Purika village, said one of the house owners.
bnionline
Three villagers arrested for renovation of mosque in Maungdaw
Maungdaw, arakan State: Three villagers were arrested by Burma’s border security force (Nasaka) in the second week of last month on the allegation that they renovated a village mosque in Maungdaw Township without permission, said a trader on condition of anonymity.Renovation or new construction of religious buildings such as---mosque, Madrasa (religious schools) --- etc in northern Arakan are not allowed.
Two years ago, the village mosque of Shita Porika was renovated by villagers without permission from authorities, the trader added.
Regarding this, two years ago, four villagers were arrested and sentenced to seven years in jail each. They were Molvi Habi Ullah (60), son of Molvi Abdu Shukur, Moni Ullah (45), son of Anu Meah, Issaque (80), and Abdul Hoque (65), son of Islam. They all belong to Shita Porika Village of Maungdaw Township, said a local villager who did not want to be named.
However, last month of the second week, again three villagers were arrested for renovation of the said mosque. They have been identified as Shoffique Ahmed (50), son of Shoffi Ullah, Khobir Ahmed (45), son of Boshir Ahmed and Nurul Islam (45), son of Salim Ullah. They all belong to Shita Porika village of Maungdaw Township, the local villager added.
The authorities had filed a case against 27 villagers for renovation of the mosque. Among them seven villagers were arrested and jailed for seven years each, and the rest 20 villagers have been absconding, said a religious leader from the locality.
A schoolteacher on condition of anonymity said, “For mosque renovation, seven villagers were jailed and 20 others are absconding to avoid arrest. So, the authorities concerned destroyed the lives of 27 families at a time.”
However, the ruling military junta has declared and boasts that Burma is a country with religious freedom. Actually, there is no country like Burma in the world, in terms of religious persecution, said a businessman from the locality.
bnionline
Arrests Continue in Arakan
Sittwe: The Burmese military authority has continued arresting Arakanese youth and students on Monday, with the number arrested reaching 16 after a youth from Buthidaung Township in northern Arakan was taken into custody on Monday.21-year-old Maung Naing Soe, the son of U Maung Tha Pru from Nyung Chaung Village in Buthidaung Township was arrested by officers from Special Police Force No. 2 in Rangoon.
A relative of the youth told Narinjara over the phone that a special force police officer from Rangoon came to the village of Nyung Chaung and arrested him with the help of local police.
Afterwards, Maung Naing Soe was taken to Buthidaung and detained at the police lock-up there.
According to the source, the youth will be brought on Tuesday from Buthidaung to Rangoon where at least ten Arakanese youth have been detained since the first week of this month. The Burmese special police force has arrested many Arakanese youth in Rangoon and Arakan State since early this month on suspicion that they have connections with exiled Arakanese student groups based on the Thai-Burma border.
On 7 September, special police forces arrested seven Arakanese youth and students from Layden Ward near the former University of Rangoon Art and Science in a raid of a hostel where they were living.
The youth and students were identified as Ko Tun Lin, Ko Kyaw Zaw Oo, Ko Kyaw Win, Ko Khin Maung Htay, Ko Kyaw San Hlaing, Ko Zaw Tun Oo, along with one other unidentified youth. All are from Arakan State and some of them are college graduates.
On 13 September, special police forces arrested another four youths in Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State. Those youth are Htoo Htoo Chay, Khing Moe Zaw, Kalur Chay, and Maung Thu.
Among them, Htoo Htoo Chay is a son of well-known businessman U Kyaw Thein, who is known by local Arakanese people as Kiss Kyaw Thein. Htoo Htoo Chay is also a singer and owner of the Kiss Internet Cafe in Sittwe.
A student from Sittwe said a police team raided his internet cafe and seized many documents from the shop after he was arrested.
On 15 September, two youths from Mrauk U, the ancient city of Arakan, were arrested by Special Police Force No. 2 in their town and were brought to Rangoon for interrogation.
On 19 September, Ko Aung Moe Zaw and another unidentified student, both from Ponna Kyunt 20 miles north of Sittwe, were arrested by special police forces.
A lawyer from Sittwe confirmed the arrest and said that all the youths will be brought to Rangoon for interrogation because the case is being investigated by police there.
Because authorities have been arresting Arakanese youth and activists in Arakan, many other youth and students have gone into hiding to avoid arrest themselves.
It has also been learned that a youth who had been working at the Thai-Burma border revealed the inside networks of the All Arakan Student's and Youth Congress to the Burmese military junta after he surrendered and was taken into custody. The arrests began shortly thereafter.
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NGOs aid 14 year-old rape victim in Mae Sot
WCRP, Mae Sot: Phyi Thu Saythana and World Vision, two Mae Sot-based NGOs, are providing for the legal services, shelter, and education of a 14-year-old Mon child raped by her stepfather 2 months ago.According to the victim’s family, the crime occurred on August 20th at the victim’s home on a corn plantation near Gawe Pon village, in Mae Ramat district, in the northwestern part of Tak province, northern Thailand. The victim and her family are migrant farmers originally from Thanat Pin Town, Pegu division.
According to Nai Aung Chit, the Phyi Thu Saythana NGO member who served as the victim’s legal advocate for this case, “On the 22nd of August at 12:00 pm, the victim’s relatives contacted our organization. They told us about the crime, and asked us to arrest the man who raped the victim, her stepfather. After learning about this crime, our organization immediately located this man, took him into custody, and turned him over to the Gawe Pon police.”
Nai Aung Chit told WCRP that the crime reportedly happened while the victim’s mother was hospitalized for a week in August, after a stomach operation; the victim was left in her stepfather’s care. The victim informed her mother and extended family of the rape upon her mother’s return. According to the report given by the victim to Phyi Thu Saythana, the revelation sparked a vicious physical confrontation between the victim’s mother and stepfather.
The victim and her mother arrived at the Phyi Thu Saythana safe house on August 24th; on September 1st, Phyi Thu Saythana and World Vision met to discuss the case, and sent the victim to get a medical examination the same day. A nurse who examined the victim at Mae Sot Hospital told NGO that the hospital collected evidence of rape, and documented it in preparation for legal proceedings.
Nai Ko Aung Chit informed WCRP that the victim’s stepfather had to be arrested twice, after initially being taken into custody on August 22nd. After escaping police custody in Gawe Pon village, he was detained again on September 2nd on the corn plantation where he was employed, and sent to Mae Ramat district Court, which handled the case.
Phyi Thu Saythana confirmed for WCRP that on September 10th, the Mae Ramat district Court sentenced the victim’s stepfather to 7 years in prison for rape. His sentence was reduced after the victim’s mother, in an attempt to lessen her husband’s jail-time, took partial responsibility for her daughter’s rape in court. The victim’s mother received a sentence of 4 years in prison.
Nai Aung Chit told WCRP that Phyi Thu Saythana’s mission is to, “help anyone who is facing a terrible situation, we aid them however we can, without favoring Mon, Karen, or any other ethnic group.”
Dao, a World Version member, announced to the victim’s relatives after the trial that her NGO plans to personally oversee the victim’s future development and education. She said, “We will care for her, save for her future’ and continue her education. We want to get papers to adopt her from her mother.”
The victim is now living in World Vision-run housing, where her education has been provided for.
rehmonnya
BNN-PRESS RELEASE
Environmental Abuses Result in Deaths in Kachin State
At the Hpakant Jade Mine in Kachin State Burma mining companies are causing pollution, erosion, and flooding that results in severe health problems, loss of homes and long term environmental damage.Firms from Burma, China and other countries conduct jade mining in this area along the Uru River. Mining is taking place very close to the river and the debris and tailings from the mines are often dumped into the river or stacked high along its banks. It is estimated that around 30 people die each year and hundreds of homes are lost from mudslides and flooding along the Uru River as a direct result of this environmentally irresponsible mining. In addition to the destruction brought about by jade, gold, and ruby mining, teak logging is also rampant and threatens the environment. Apart from our own observations, it was reported by 'Kachin News' that after heavy flooding and mudslides in July of this year, the Burmese military made no effort to offer relief services or help the affected civilians. Villages in this area also have a problem with contaminated water, as the amount of silt in the river is so high.
This area used to be controlled by the Kachin Independence Organization but after signing a cease-fire agreement with the Burma Army in 1994, the regime allowed outside companies to mine this area with no repercussions for environmental abuses. There is widespread drug use around the mining communities, with many sharing needles to inject opiates, leading to blood infections including HIV.
In Hkanti Township, Sagaing Division, Burma, the villagers living in this area suffer from a large number of medical problems including malaria, skin diseases and typhoid. This is primarily a result of the Burmese authorities charging such a high rate for medicine that the villagers cannot afford to buy the necessary treatment. The Burma Army in this area uses the villagers as forced labor for the military and this does not allow the villagers to spend enough time to farm. As a result the people are not able to get enough nutrition or sell their crops and buy medicine.
In addition to gathering information we provided medical care and medication for more than 100 patients in the seven villagers we visited on this mission.
FBR/BNN
At least 76 political prisoners released
(Mae Sot – Thailand)The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma)
(AAPP) can confirm that so far 76 political prisoners have been released from
15 different prisons in Burma.
The 76 released include 33 members of the National League
for Democracy, including 3 MPs; 15 women; 10 former political prisoners; 4
monks; 4 journalists; 4 members of the 88 Generation Students; and 1 lawyer.
On the evening of September 17, 2009 in Rangoon,
state-run MRTV carried a news bulletin announcing that 7,114 prisoners were to be
released “on humanitarian grounds.”
The list of political prisoners released will be continually
updated at our web site www.aappb.org as AAPP receives more information.
1. Eimt Khaing Oo, Female (Insein prison) – journalist;
Cyclone Nargis volunteer
2. Tin Mya (Insein prison) - National League for Democracy Township chairperson, Former Political
Prisoner
3. Nyi Nyi Min (Buthidaung prison) – NLD member
4. Kyaw Kyaw Thant (Insein prison) – journalist; Cyclone
Nargis volunteer
5. Monywar Aung Shin (a) U Aye Kyu (Insein prison) -
Member of NLD and poet
6. Nine Nine (Insein prison) – NLD MP, Former Political
Prisoner
7. Tin Tin Myint, (Female) (Insein prison) – third year
chemistry student
8. Than Than Htay, (Female) (Insein prison) – student
9. Than Than Sint, (Female) (Insein prison)
10. Thin Min Soe, (Female) (Insein prison) – labour activist
11. Kyi Kyi Min, (Female) (Insein prison) – NLD member
12. Zaw Htet Aung (Kale prison) - student
13. Tin Myo Htut (a) Kyaw Oo (Insein prison) – Generation
Wave; former political prisoner
14. Win Myint (Insein prison) – NLD member
15. Kyaw Maung (Myitkyina prison) – NLD MP
16. Nay Win (Myintkyina prison) – NLD Township Organizer
17. Kyi Lin (Myintkyina prison) – NLD member
18. Soe Wai (a) Than Zaw (Myitkyina prison)
19. Shin Sandaw Batha, Monk (Insein prison) – All Burma
Monks’ Alliance
20. Aung Gyi (Insein prison) - student
21. Mi Mi Sein, (Female) (Insein prison) – NLD Township Joint-Secretary
22. Soe Han (Lashio prison) – lawyer; Chair of the National League for Democracy’s (NLD) legal
advisory body
23. Bo Gyi (Pegu prison)
24. Khin Khin Lay (a) Khin Lay, (Female) (Pegu prison) – NLD member
25. Pe Tin (Pegu prison) – NLD member
26. Tin Myint (Insein prison) – NLD member
27. Cho Mar Htwe, (Female) (Moulmein prison) – NLD member
28. Moe Hlaing (Moulmein prison)
29. Moe Lwin (Moulmein prison) – individual activist
30. Myo Min Lwin (Moulmein prison)
31. Ma Htay (a) San San Myint, (Female) (Insein prison)
32. Thet Oo (Taungoo prison) – Human Rights Defenders and
Promoters member
33. U Pannita (a) Myint Aye (Taungoo prison) – monk; Human
Rights Defenders and Promoters member
34. Zaw Tun (Taungoo prison)
35. Bo Bo (Myingyan prison)
36. Sandar, (Female) (Myingyan prison) – NLD member
37. Pyae Phyo Aung (a) Hnan Mue (Pa-An prison)
38. Wunna Soe (Pa-An prison) – Democratic Party for a New
Society member
39. Ba Chit (Tharawaddy prison) – Ex-captain in the army
40. Aye Min (a) Aye Min Min (Tharawaddy prison) – private
tutor
41. Tin Tun (a) Kyaw Swa (Tharawaddy prison) – UN
Development Program staff (New Era journal distributor)
42. Shwe Thar (a) Tin Win (Tharawaddy prison) – Karen
National Union member
43. Hlaing Aye (Kale prison) - NLD MP, Former Political
Prisoner
44. San Pwint (Kale prison) – NLD member; teacher
45. Thet Zin (a) Maung Zin (Kale prison) – journalist;
former political prisoner; member of the All Burma Federation of Student Unions
and the Democratic Party for a New Society
46. Michael Win Kyaw (Kale prison) – 88 Generation Students
member; former political prisoner
47. Nyo Mya (Kale prison) – NLD member
48. Ba Min (Kale prison) – NLD member
49. Aung Gyi @ Aung Thwin (Shwebo prison) – journalist,
former political prisoner, 88 Generation Students
50. Aung Myo (Shwebo prison) – NLD Township Organiser
51. Than Tun (Shwebo prison)
52. Maung Maung Htwe (Shwebo prison)
53. Tin Maung Nyunt (Shwebo prison) – NLD Township
Organiser
54. Tun Tun Oo (a) Nanda Malar (Taungoo prison) – monk
55. Aung Swe (Shwebo prison) - NLD member
56. Khin Maung Thein (Shwebo prison) – NLD member
57. Maw Si (Shwebo prison) – NLD Youth member
58. U Zawana (a) Soe Myint (Taungoo prison) - monk
59. Than Min (a) Tin Tun Aung, (Taungoo prison) – NLD member
60. Tun Oo (a) Ngar Kalar (Taungoo prison)
61. Aung Naing (Insein prison) – NLD member
62. Khin Moe Aye (a) Moe Moe (Female), (Myingyan prison) –
88 Generation Students member; former political prisoner
63. Khaing Kaung Zan, (Thayet prison) – Arakan League for
Democracy in exile member
64. Htay Win (a) Bo Luu, (Thayet prison) – NLD Youth member
65. Thar Cho, (Thayet prison) – NLD Township Organizer
66. Tun Tun Nyein, (Thayet prison) – NLD Youth member
67. Saw Taw Kyi (Thayet prison) – Karen National Union
member
68. Zin Mar Aung (female) (Mandalay prison) – student; NLD member
69. Moe Kyaw Thu (a) Bo Bo (Mandalay prison)
70. Myint Oo (a) Ni Ni (Mandalay prison) – NLD Township organizer; former political
prisoner
71. Tin Mar Swe (female) (Mandalay prison)
72. Yan Naing Min (a) Nan Wai (Mandalay prison) – student; member of the All
Burma Federation of Student Unions, Foreign Affairs Committee
73. Angaelay (Mandalay prison) - student
74. Yan Aung Shwe (Thayet prison) – All Burma Students
Democratic Front member
75. Myint Oo (Thayet prison) – NLD Township Joint Secretary
76. Sandar Min (a) Shwee, (Myaungmya) – 88 Generation
Students, Former Political Prisoner
BNN/AAPP
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Bodhicitta
"May I become food and drink in the aeons of famine for those poverty-stricken suffers.
May I be a doctor, medicine and nurse for all sick beings in the world until everyone is cured.
May I become never-ending wish-fulfilling treasures materialising in front of each of them as all the enjoyments they need.
May I be a guide for those who do not have a guide, a leader for those who journey, a boat for those who want to cross over, and all sorts of ships, bridges, beautiful parks for those who desire them, and light for those who need light.
And may I become beds for those who need a rest, and a servant to all who need servants.
May I also become the basic conditions for all sentient beings, such as earth or even the sky, which is indestructible.
May I always be the living conditions for all sentient beings until all sentient beings are enlightened."
Shantideva
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Junta Continues to Suppress Religious Freedom: US
WASHINGTON — The Burmese military junta continues to oppress people on religious grounds and actively promotes Theravada Buddhism, said a US report on religion released on Monday."It systematically restricted efforts by Buddhist clergy to promote human rights and political freedom," the State Department said in its annual International Religious Freedom Report 2009.
"Adherence to Buddhism remains generally a prerequisite for promotion to senior government and military ranks. Anti-Muslim violence continued, as did the close monitoring of Muslims' activities. Restrictions on Christians and other non-Buddhist minority groups also continued throughout the country," the report said.
The report examined how governments in 198 countries and territories protect or fail to protect religious freedom, calling attention to abuse and positive steps taken by many countries to promote freedom and interreligious harmony."
The Burma section of the report noted that many of the Buddhist monks arrested in the violent crackdown that followed the pro-democracy demonstrations of September 2007, including prominent activist monk U Gambira, remain in prison serving long sentences.
Noting that the Burmese military junta systematically restricted efforts by Buddhist clergy to promote human rights and political freedom, the report said the junta actively promoted Theravada Buddhism, particularly among minority ethnic groups.
"Although there were no new reports of forced conversions of non-Buddhists, the government applied pressure on students and poor youth to convert to Buddhism," it said.
This is the first report of the Obama administration on international religious freedom, which becomes in factor in the United States designating countries into various categories. Earlier this year, days before the Bush administration left office, it put Burma along with China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan under the category of "Countries of Particular Concern (CPC)."
Michael H. Posner, the assistant secretary of state for Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, said a new CPC list is expected in the next few months.
"We are eager to at least get it done by January, and I'd like to say sooner. We have the ability throughout the year to make designations or remove countries," he said.
Burma was first designated a CPC in 1999 and most recently was re-designated on Jan. 16, 2009.
irrawaddy
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