Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Democratic Voice of Burma

Democratic Voice of Burma

Yingluck backs out of SEA Games opening ceremony

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 04:25 AM PST

Thailand's prime minister and Singapore's deputy prime minister planned to attend the opening ceremony of the 27th SEA Games in Burma on Wednesday, but cancelled their visits due to political unrest in their respective countries, according to an official at Burma's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA).

Burma sent invitations to the opening ceremony of the SEA Games to heads of states and foreign ministers from all ASEAN member states. Sein Oo, deputy director-general of the MoFA's Consular and Legal Affairs Department, said Thai premier Yingluck Shinawatra and Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean have responded that they will not arrive as scheduled.

"We have been informed by Thailand that Prime Minister [Yingluck] won't be able to attend the ceremony and the deputy prime minister will be making an appearance in her stead. As for Singapore, they have informed us that their deputy prime minister won't be arriving here on 9 December as previously planned, due to the political situation in the country. Though they didn't specify whether he will be able to attend the ceremony [on 11 December]," said the official.

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Thailand's capital city Bangkok has been rocked by weeks of anti-government protests that have left four people dead and culminated in the dissolution of parliament on Tuesday. Meanwhile, an anomalous rash of riots erupted near Singapore's Little India on Sunday night after a bus hit and killed a foreign labourer.

As of now, the Lao president, China's deputy prime minister, the sports ministers from Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam, and National Olympic Committee chairpersons from the Philippines, Cambodia and Brunei have confirmed that they will attend the ceremony. Timor Leste will not be sending a delegate to the event.

Tens of thousands of athletes from 11 ASEAN member states are in Burma for the 27th SEA Games, hosted in the country for the first time in over 40 years. The opening ceremony of the games will be held at the Wunna Thedi Stadium in Naypyidaw on 11 December.

Naw Ohn Hla charged on religious offences from 2007

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 04:08 AM PST

Political activist Naw Ohn Hla was on Tuesday charged under Article 296 of the Burmese penal code – for disturbing a religious assembly. The charge supposedly relates to her organising weekly prayer sessions at Shwedagon Pagoda back in 2007 when she led supporters in praying for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, then under house arrest, and other political prisoners in detention.

This is the second charge against her this month following her release from Mandalay prison on 15 November in a presidential amnesty. She had been jailed in August on charges of sedition for protesting against the Latpadaung copper mine.

Following her release in November, Naw Ohn Hla did not take long to hit the headlines again – she was arrested and jailed last week for burning a Chinese flag in front of China's embassy in Rangoon to mark the first anniversary of the Latpadaung crackdown. She was subsequently arrested and charged again for sedition – under Article 505(b) of the Penal Code.

On Tuesday, Naw Ohn Hla's lawyer Robert San Aung said the new charge against her, filed by Shwedagon Pagoda Board of Trustees almost seven years after the alleged crime, signifies that the police have failed to perform their duty throughout the period of time which has elapsed.

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"Naw Ohn Hla told the court she had not been aware of the charge from 2007 and that she has made no attempt to evade any charges," he told DVB. "My client has been living in Rangoon throughout this period and has no idea why she is only being charged now. Pressing an untimely charge against her just shows how the police have failed in performing their duties."

Meanwhile another activist, Htin Kyaw, a former political prisoner who rose to fame by organising a rare protest in early 2007 against a hike in commodity prices, has been sentenced to over two years by courts in Rangoon's Mingalar Taungnyunt, Pabedan and Kyauktada townships on similar charges to Naw Ohn Hla – under Article 18, the Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Processions Law, and Article 505(b) for sedition.

He is currently awaiting further verdicts in Rangoon's Kyauktada and North Okkalapa townships, said his wife Than Than Maw.

Burma through to semis in pencak silat

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 02:04 AM PST

Burma's Zayer has beaten Laos’ Thanphonh Simphilavong in the first round of the men’s pencak silat event in Naypyidaw.

Zayer, who is competing in the 45-50 kg weight category, now goes through to the semi-finals, which will be held on Wednesday in Naypyidaw's Zayar Thiri Stadium.

At the beginning of the fight, the Lao player was leading on points, however the Burmese managed to fight back, and with the roaring partisan crowd behind him, Zayer secured a 5-point lead to bring the final score to 20-15.

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Zayer's coach, Tin Oo, spoke to DVB after the fight and said, this year, the event has strong competitors.

"Everyone played well – both our team and the other countries," said the Burmese pencak silat team's head coach.

"This is a competition featuring only good players so it should be a tough road ahead. We are hoping to win four gold medals at this games."

Pencak Silat is an Indonesian martial art. Players score points by making a direct hit to their opponent's chest and body with their hands or feet. There are three rounds to each match and two minutes per round.

Seven dead in pre-dawn fire at Rangoon beauty spa

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 02:01 AM PST

Seven people died in a pre-dawn fire at the Gandamar Wholesale Centre in Rangoon's Mayangon township early Tuesday. Allegedly caused by an electrical failure, the fire broke out in the Venus Garden Beauty Spa on the shopping centre's third floor, killing seven people who were asleep inside the facility.

The fire broke out around 1am and was suppressed within an hour.

Aung Linn Oo, deputy-commander of the Bayinnaung Fire Department, told DVB just after the incident that the victims likely died from asphyxiation caused by smoke.

The official added that the interior and ceilings of the spa were destroyed by the fire and the department was still investigating the cause. A police report released on Tuesday stated that the fire was caused by an iron left connected overnight.

The report also announced that one man will be charged under Article 304 (a) of Burma's penal code – causing death by negligence.

Mayangon township police Commander Than Naing said that of the seven victims, three were male, two female and two had yet to be unidentified.

"The first victim we found succumbed to injuries at the hospital and the other six were assumed to have died inside the spa, probably from asphyxiation," said the police commander.

"We are working with the electricity department and fire department to investigate the cause of the fire – whether the fire started from a wire shock or something else."

This is not the first deadly fire to occur in Rangoon this year; in April, 13 young boys died in a fire at a mosque also believed to have been caused by an electrical failure due to old and faulty wiring.

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KNU urges all sub-groups to unite as Karen for census

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 12:33 AM PST

The Karen National Union (KNU) has urged the various ethnic sub-groups within Karen state to register in next year's nationwide census as "Karen" when identifying their ethnicity in the questionnaire.

Pado Saw Kwe Htoo Win, the general-secretary of the KNU, said that the Karen rebel leadership concluded that it is necessary for all ethnic sub-groups to be listed as simply Karen in order to calculate the precise population of their ethnicity.

Speaking at the conclusion of the KNU's Permanent Central Committee meeting in Hpa-an district from 2- 7 December, Pado Saw Kwe Htoo Win said, "We are assuming the duty of carrying out the census in our territories and are appointing personnel for the task. We believe that the ethnic sub-groups should not register under any other name than 'Karen' so that we can get the precise number of the Karen population."

The Kayin People's Party (KPP) also announced that it wanted to remind all Karen people to list themselves as Karen or Kayin, the main ethnic group, as opposed to any of the smaller sub-factions of the Karen on the list of the 135 recognised ethnicities in Burma.

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The KPP said it had proposed to the regional government in Irrawaddy division that it be allowed to provide assistance to the large Karen population in the delta to ensure they register correctly for the census.

Saw Say Wah, the deputy-chairman of the KPP, said: "We are also reminding Karen people to use the titles 'Saw' for men and 'Naw' for women, instead of the Burmese equivalents, 'U' and 'Daw'."

Another Karen state-based political party, the Phalon-Sawaw Democratic Party, has said it is cooperating with the immigration authorities and the Norwegian Refugee Council to issue ID cards to locals who were yet to acquire one, according to the Karen News.

Burma Immigration Minister Khin Yi previously announced that the nationwide census will be carried out from 30 March to 10 April 2014, and will ask each citizen to select which of the 135 recognised ethnic groups in the country he or she belongs to.

The recognised sub-groups of the Karen are: the Kayinpyu, the Pa-le-Chi, the Mon-Kayin, the Sgaw, the Ta-Lay-Pwa, the Paku, the Bwe, the Monnepwa, the Shu, and the Monpwa.

Burmese toddler drowns as refugee boat sinks en route to Christmas Island

Posted: 09 Dec 2013 10:23 PM PST

Three asylum seekers including a toddler died when their Australia-bound boat sank in rough seas off Indonesia’s Java island but 29 others were rescued, police said Tuesday.

Hundreds of asylum seekers have died trying to make the sea voyage to Australia in recent years, and Australian Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said the sinking highlighted the dangers of people-smuggling.

The vessel had been carrying 32 people – including members of the Rohingya Muslim minority from Burma, officially known as Myanmar, Iranians and a Bangladeshi – who wanted to reach the Australian territory of Christmas Island, police said.

But the small, wooden vessel sank off West Java province early Monday after being battered by big waves, provincial police spokesman Martinus Sitompul told AFP.

“Fishermen found the boat off Ciawi beach in Garut district,” he said.

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The Bangladeshi asylum seeker and two from Burma – including a two-year-old – drowned but the other 29 were rescued by the fishermen and handed over to immigration authorities, he said.

Morrison said no request was or had been made for Australian assistance, by either passengers onboard the vessel or the Indonesian authorities involved in the rescue.

“This further loss of life is as tragic as all those that preceded it in similar circumstances, and we extend sympathies to the families of those affected,” Morrison said.

“It is especially tragic as these deaths were needless and avoidable.”

While Australia would meet its obligations regarding the safety of life at sea, Morrison said that did not mean there was a “safety net” for voyages undertaken on people-smuggling boats.

“This latest incident highlights once again the fatal consequences of people-smuggling, particularly in this most dangerous time of the year,” he said, referring to the annual monsoon season.

Asylum-seeker boat arrivals have dropped dramatically under the new conservative government of Prime Minister Tony Abbott, which has retained the policy of the former administration of sending all boatpeople to Papua New Guinea or Nauru for permanent resettlement.

But there has been a recent spike, with close to 200 people arriving on four boats in the week up to December 6.

Burma maintains unbeaten run in SEA Games football

Posted: 09 Dec 2013 10:07 PM PST

The Burmese men's football team survived a scare to beat Timor Leste 3-1 at the Thuwunna Stadium in Rangoon on Monday. Burma started strongly and midfielder Kyaw Zayar Win scored with a deflected free kick after just 12 minutes, but the East Timorese fought back and stunned the Burmese fans with a goal in the 36th minute.

Burma had to wait until the 70th minute of the game when Kyaw Ko Ko stepped up to slot home a penalty. Kyi Lin clinched victory seven minutes later.

Michaungkan protestors hold down the fort

Posted: 09 Dec 2013 09:58 PM PST

Despite an ultimatum issued by Rangoon township authorities, around 200 protestors are refusing to leave their camp site in Michaungkan township on the eastern outskirts of Rangoon. The protestors, who are demanding the return of farmlands they say were seized by the military in 1990, were told to leave the site or face forceful eviction following a dispute on Saturday during which at least eight people were injured.

Authorities warned the protestors, who have set up camp outside the town's Myasaryan pagoda, to clear out before 6pm on Monday. DVB reporters confirmed that as of 2am Tuesday the site was still occupied, the deadline passing without incident.

"We are not preparing to defend ourselves – let them come and shoot us if they want; we are not going to back down now," said a 76-year old woman at the protest site. "We are just here to ask for our land back. I am 76 now and don't care if I die – I'm not going anywhere."

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Villagers of Michaungkan have been contesting the alleged land-grab for more than a year, staging over seven demonstrations at three different sites. In mid-November, three villagers were convicted for organising a protest about the same disputed lands back in March 2012. Htin Kyaw, Sein Than and Kyaw Lwin were charged under Burma's infamous Article 18 – the Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Processions Law – each receiving 18 month prison sentences, according to a Radio Free Asia report.

Last week, DVB reported that 400 villagers went to the protest site and received funeral rites from monks, saying that they are "ready to die protesting."

While Thein Nyunt, an MP representing Thingangyun constituency, has vowed to compensate villagers for the land, the activists say that the offer is insufficient. The protest leaders have drawn up a list of seven demands including the return of all lands in question, full compensation for those whose lands cannot be restored, and the release and amnesty of those charged for prior demonstrations.

 

Burma wrestlers add to gold rush at SEA Games

Posted: 09 Dec 2013 09:07 PM PST

Burma's wrestlers added to the country's surging medal count with two golds, a silver and a bronze on the first day of competition at the SEA Games in Rangoon on Monday.

May Thazin Phu took gold in the women's 67-kg freestyle competition at the National Indoor Stadium in Thingyangun township, Rangoon, while Myint Zin won the top honour in the men's 120-kg Greco-Roman wrestling competition.

Burma now leads the SEA Games medal table with 13 golds, three silvers and six bronze.

Meanwhile, the Burmese men's football team survived a scare to beat Timor Leste 3-1 at the Thuwunna Stadium in Rangoon on Monday. Burma started strongly and midfielder Kyaw Zayar Win scored with a deflected free kick after just 12 minutes, but the East Timorese fought back and stunned the Burmese fans with a goal in the 36th minute.

Burma had to wait until the 70th minute of the game when Kyaw Ko Ko stepped up to slot home a penalty. Kyi Lin clinched victory seven minutes later.

In the other match on Monday, Indonesia beat Cambodia 1-0.

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The highly anticipated women's football tournament kicks off on Tuesday with Burma scheduled to play the Philippines at 4pm in Mandalay.

But the women's football competition suffered its second defection with Indonesia confirming that they will not compete in the games following a similar withdrawal by Timor Leste. Now the two groups will each have only three teams participating. Group A features Burma, Vietnam and the Philippines; Group B consists of Thailand, Laos and Malaysia. Fans who purchased tickets for the Indonesia–Burma match will be refunded, said the Myanmar Football Federation.

 

Tuesdays' schedule also features the finals of the water polo and wushu, along with basketball, boxing, pencak silat, badminton, canoeing, futsal and sepak takraw.

On Tuesday, the eve of the SEA Games opening ceremony, Burmese state media announced that both the opening and closing ceremonies will be held on a "grand scale".
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