Democratic Voice of Burma

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• Five gold mine protestors to be charged with sedition
• USDP discuss ‘crucial clauses’ of constitution
• Framework for ceasefire talks ‘80 percent in place’, says observer
• NLD says it will not boycott 2015 elections

Five gold mine protestors to be charged with sedition Posted: 30 Dec 2013 12:47 AM PST Miners protesting against the suspension of the Moehti Moemi gold mine in Mandalay division's Yamethin have condemned the issuing of arrest warrants for protest leaders who are being charged for sedition under Article 505(b) of the Burmese penal code. On 26 December, authorities in Yamethin township issued arrest warrants for five protest leaders following a clash with police a week earlier when nine miners including a pregnant woman, and two policemen were injured. Related Stories Michaungkan protestors hold down the fort Funeral rites for land grab protestors in Michaungkan Magwe residents fuming over petrol risks The miners, occupying at a sit-in rally camp on Shwemyintin Hill, said they were running low on food as the police were blocking sympathisers and supporters from bringing supplies to the protesting workers. "We have around 15 children in the camp who also face food shortages," said protestor Nan Ei Phyo. "We are determined to stay here and fight, but the children aren't strong enough." Earlier this month, U Wimala, the abbot of Seitta Thukha Monastery on nearby Shweyinhmyaw Hill, was evicted from the site for allowing a protest camp to be situated in the monastery compounds. Thousands of miners in Yamethin have held protests and sit-ins since the Ministry of Mining demanded the suspension of all small-scale mining operations across the country in mid-2012, leaving them jobless. The protestors claim the ministry ousted the small mining firms so that it could invite bids from major international mining companies.

USDP discuss ‘crucial clauses’ of constitution Posted: 30 Dec 2013 12:13 AM PST Burma's ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) will on Monday discuss proposals to amend about 80 clauses in the 2008 Constitution, including clause 59(f) which sees denotes qualifications for the President and Vice-Presidents' positions, according to a party representative speaking on the second day of Central Committee talks in Naypyidaw on Sunday. The USDP representative said the party's Central Committee will on Monday vote on what he called some "crucial clauses". The press was not invited to cover the USDP Central Committee meeting which has taken place since Saturday. Related Stories NLD says it will not boycott 2015 elections 150 constitutional clauses should be amended, says NLD SEA Games triumph for Burma

Framework for ceasefire talks ‘80 percent in place’, says observer Posted: 29 Dec 2013 11:47 PM PST The Burmese government has reached what one observer said was an 80 percent consensus with the ethnic groups on a framework to implement a nationwide ceasefire agreement. The news comes after a meeting in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on Sunday between the Internal Peace Making Work Committee (IPMWC) and a Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT) representing the ethnic parties. Hla Maung Shwe, an official from the Myanmar Peace Centre which has mediated talks between the two sides, said: "I believe the negotiations between the two sides are becoming more and more meaningful as they become more frequent. When they previously met in Rangoon following the Myitkyina talks, the NCCT stated that they had reached a 50 agreement on framework; this time around, they are more than 80 agreed in principle." The two delegations are due to meet again on 10 January ahead of scheduled talks between the IPMWC, led by the President's Office Minister Aung Min, and the ethnic armed groups in eastern Burma's Karen state capital Hpa-an on 24- 25 January. The armed groups are also holding an exclusive meeting between themselves in the same region on 20, 21 and 22 January ahead of the Hpa-an talks. The NCCT consists of representatives from 13 ethnic armed groups and was formed at a meeting in the Kachin Independence Organisation's Laiza headquarters in northern Burma on 2 November. Related Stories The real story behind the Mansi military offensive KNU shelve Hpa-an talks till next year Ethnic rebels discuss nationwide ceasefire in Chiang Mai

NLD says it will not boycott 2015 elections Posted: 29 Dec 2013 10:15 PM PST Burma's opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) has laid to rest reports it may boycott the next general election, saying that it will definitely contest the polls in 2015. Speaking at a press conference to conclude a Central Committee meeting in Rangoon on Saturday, NLD spokesman Nyan Win said that party leader Aung San Suu Kyi did not previously intend to indicate that the NLD would not participate in the elections if constitutional amendments were not enacted. "Daw Aung San Suu Kyi did not mean the party will not compete in the 2015 elections – she was only talking about an idea," he said. "In principal, it would not be ideal to compete in the elections without amending the constitution. To be precise, the NLD is definitely going to run in the 2015 elections – that decision was not made at today's meeting; we made it much earlier. Now we are reiterating that we will definitely take part in the elections." The NLD spokesman also announced on Saturday that the party was recommending 168 amendments to the constitution in a letter to the parliamentary Joint-Committee for Amending the Constitution. Related Stories USDP discuss 'crucial clauses' of constitution 150 constitutional clauses should be amended, says NLD Suu Kyi told to put her feet up Central Executive Committee member Win Myint said, "There are 168 clauses we are looking to amend in 14 chapters of the constitution; nine amendments to the Chapter 1 (Basic Principles of the Union); 23 in Chapter 3 (Head of State); 18 in Chapter 4 (Legislature); 54 in Chapter 5 (Executive); 32 in Chapter 6 (Judiciary); two in Chapter 7 (Defence Services); three in Chapter 8 (Citizenship, Fundamental Rights and Duties of Citizens); 10 in Chapter 9 (Elections); three in Chapter 10 (Political Parties); four in Chapter 11 (State of Emergency); two in Chapter 12 (Amendments to the Constitution); one in Chapter 13 (State Flag, State Seal, National Anthem and the Capital); six in Chapter 14 (Transitory Provisions); and one in Chapter 15 (General Provisions)." Responding to a reporter's question on whether he thought the 2015 elections would be free or fair, Nyan Win said, "We do have doubts about the fairness of the elections, but there might be some freedom. People will be allowed to vote freely but whether their votes are treated fairly is something we are concerned about. "As at the [April 2013] by-elections, monitors and observers should be present and we should be able to collect data from them," said Nyan Win. "Since the formation of our [Constitution Amendment Committee], we have taken steps to ensure that ethnic-based political parties are included within our framework," he continued. "The difference between amending and completely rewriting the constitution is that – when weighing up which would be more practical to implement – we see that procedures to amend the constitution are already provided in Chapter 12. We have therefore decided to choose this option since there is already a legal framework in place." He said there was still no response on a previous request by the party to sit with the President, parliamentary speakers and the military commander-in-chief to discuss amending the constitution. Over the past few months the NLD has conducted public surveys across the country and declared that the majority of people they polled said they wished to see the constitution amended.

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