Democratic Voice of Burma

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Suu Kyi reiterates call for constitutional amendments Posted: 19 Oct 2013 07:40 PM PDT Burmese opposition leader Aung Suu Kyi on Saturday said the 2015 elections in her country will not be democratic without constitutional changes. “The constitution must be amended,” the Nobel laureate said as she met European Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso in Brussels. “If the constitution is not amended, the 2015 election cannot be free or fair.” Burma will hold parliamentary polls in 2015, with the new parliament then choosing a president, and Suu Kyi has said she wants to run for the presidency. The current Burmese constitution, crafted under the former military regime, blocks Suu Kyi from becoming president as it excludes anyone whose spouses or children are foreign nationals from holding the post. Suu Kyi’s two sons are British nationals through their father, the late scholar Michael Aris. Barroso said the 2015 elections “must be credible, transparent and inclusive.” Suu Kyi spent 15 years under house arrest under military rule in Burmese, before she was freed after controversial elections in 2010. The democracy icon is now an opposition lawmaker as part of sweeping reforms under a new quasi-civilian regime that took office in 2011. Related Stories Suu Kyi heads to Europe amid criticisms of EU Burma policy Suu Kyi calls for ‘cool heads’ in wake of bombings Ninety percent of Karen locals want constitution changed: survey She is meeting European leaders this weekend before heading to Luxembourg to pick up the European Union’s main human rights prize that she won 23 years ago. At a ceremony at the European Parliament in Strasbourg Tuesday, Suu Kyi will finally receive the Sakharov prize she won in 1990 at the height of the Burmese military crackdown. On Monday she is due to hold talks with the EU’s 28 foreign ministers in Luxembourg.

Burmese festival highlights disabled artists Posted: 19 Oct 2013 06:51 PM PDT Artists and performers who don't often have the chance to perform on stage are in the limelight during a festival in Rangoon from 17 to 19 October. The event, "Immense Spectrum: Myanmar Arts Festival of Disabled Artists", is organised by the Myanmar Independent Living Initiative, MILI. It opened on 17 October in Rangoon's Mayangone township, with a variety of performances by almost 300 disabled people. “The event we are holding now is only Burma-focused and includes 270 artists”, said artist Aung Ko Myint from MILI. There are 10 major support groups for people living with disabilities in Burma, and around 1,500 members in the MILI. Although many people joined the event, Aung Ko Myint said he missed some of the groups who did not get involved. “We would like to urge other groups to get involved too, because this is not for the individual success of just a single person or an organisation, but a national cause. If more groups joined up, we would be able to create more opportunities for disabled people during our coordination period and also for our successors – for the disabled generations in the future.” The festival is part of the preparations for the ASEAN Disability Arts Festival. The winning artists of this event will receive training for the bigger competition which will be held in Burma in the middle of 2014. Related Stories Young artists shine at Hong Kong contemporary art show Burma's traditional lanterns lose out to Chinese versions Puppetry – a dying art in Burma

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