Friday, January 10, 2014

Democratic Voice of Burma

Democratic Voice of Burma

Poetry in motion

Posted: 10 Jan 2014 04:35 AM PST

Mention the name yoke thé to anyone in Burma and you'll likely see their eyes light up. Then, perhaps after enthusing about the wonders of this ancient art form for a minute or two, their eyes might glaze over as they sadly try to remember the last time they were treated to a show of Burmese puppetry.

Seeped in a history that dates back hundreds if not thousands of years, yoke thé was once the preserve of Burma's royalty, and the king's favourite puppeteers were the celebrities of their day.

Nowadays it is rare to see a yoke thé show advertised, though that may well be changing as an influx in foreign tourists ensures that these magnificent marionettes are brought back to life at culture shows across the country.

Intricately hand-made, hand-painted and embroidered with jewels and sequins, each puppet is a labour of love. Puppet-masters learn the craft young, and they need dexterity of fingers to deftly tweak each arm, each knee, the heads, the hands and even the eyelashes of these charming little dolls.

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First-time visitors to a Burmese puppet show may sense something of a Bollywood theme, but in fact most of the tales being told on the stage recount proverbs told by the Buddha or are scenes from Hindu mythology.

Spectators will learn to anticipate several recurring characters – the monkey, the hermit, the wizard and the village idiot.

Of course, endless love stories about princes and princesses are enduringly popular. The romantic wooing of a fair maiden, the poor girl who dreams of a dashing prince, the devilish villain who seduces through deceit – all these themes resonate in both Hindi epics and Western fairy tales as they do in puppet shows throughout Southeast Asia.

Performed mainly as operas, with poems and ballads as accompaniment, the tragedy and passion of the yoke thé performers might leave you teary-eyed.

Then perhaps next time, when someone asked you if you have ever seen yoke thé, you too may get that glazy look in your eyes.

 

 

Human Trafficking: better or worse in 2013?

Posted: 10 Jan 2014 02:12 AM PST

One hundred and two cases of human trafficking were reported in Burma throughout 2013, according to the Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force (ATTF), a special unit of the Burmese police force.

Police Lt-Col Min Naing of the ATTF in Naypyidaw said that of the 102 trafficked persons, 59 were taken to China, 21 to Thailand and 22 remained in-country. The vast majority of victims were from Burma's war-torn eastern Shan State.

More than half of the cases, he said, resulted in forced marriage, while another 24 involved forced prostitution. Also reported were 20 cases of enslavement and two cases of forced adoption.

"There was also one case of enslavement for debt, which is unique," said the official.

The Lt-Col said the human trafficking rate in 2013 had declined in recent years because of improvements in governmental cooperation along the borders, but the Palaung Women's Organisation (PWO) says otherwise.

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"We have not seen the rate decline yet; it has increased," said De De Poe Jaine, general-secretary of the NGO, which is based in Lashio, ShanState. "There are at least 4 or 5 human trafficking cases in every [Palaung] village."

De De Poe Jaine told DVB that the problem affects nearly every village in northern Shan State, a region riddled with heroin addiction and scarred by ongoing civil conflict between the Burmese army and several ethnic militias, including the Ta'ang (Palaung) National Liberation Army, which is allied with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in the area.

The PWO insists that despite reports of improvement by the police force, trafficking remains an enormous threat to Shan State ethnic villagers, particularly young women.

"There are drug issues in the Palaung region, civil conflict and economic decline, forcing local populations to leave their villages," said De De Poe Jaine.

Likewise, the Kachin Women's Association of Thailand reported in June 2013 that the protracted conflict between the KIA and the Burmese Army has intensified pressure on Kachin villagers to flee across the Sino-Burmese border, resulting in extreme and increased vulnerability to trafficking.

 

 

Civil servants, students urged to boycott Suu Kyi rallies in Chin State, says NLD

Posted: 09 Jan 2014 11:42 PM PST

Civil servants and students in Chin State were instructed by regional authorities not to show public support or welcome Aung San Suu Kyi during this week's tour of the remote western Burma state, according to a National League for Democracy (NLD) party official.

Hla Oo, a member of the NLD Youth Conference Organising Central Commission who accompanied Suu Kyi's delegation to Chin State, said, "We were told that civil servants and students were instructed not to welcome the party or attend any of our public events – some were instructed verbally but other individuals were asked to sign an agreement pledging not to attend NLD rallies."

Speaking at one such public rally in the town of Falam on Wednesday, NLD leader Suu Kyi said she would demand an explanation from the Chin authorities on why her supporters were prevented from attending the event, and she suggested that such an action should be considered a crime.

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"Nobody has the right to stop people like this," she declared. "I am personally going to demand to know who handed down these instructions and why. And I will officially denounce the Chin State government if we find evidence that they are responsible."

The Burmese opposition leader continued: "This is very unfair – an insult to the public, and a violation of democracy which I view as a crime."

The NLD delegation arrived in Chin State capital Hakha on Wednesday evening and held a public rally in the town the following morning, when Suu Kyi addressed some 5,000 local supporters on her party's views and efforts to amend the 2008 Constitution.

Hoke Chun, chairman of the NLD in Chin State, said Suu Kyi reminded party supporters that the upcoming elections in 2015 will not bring genuine democracy to Burma unless the Constitution is amended, and that it is the responsibility of all citizens to push for constitutional reform.

He said that "almost everyone" at the rally voiced support for Suu Kyi's recommendations to amend the Constitution.

Following the Hakha rally, the NLD delegation returned to Kale in neighbouring Sagaing Division where Suu Kyi was due to speak at another event on Friday morning.

 

Ministry may cut deal for woodworkers

Posted: 09 Jan 2014 11:41 PM PST

Sculptors who work with wood may soon have easier access to raw material.

The government's Myanmar Timber Enterprise (MTE) is planning to start a tender bidding system to conveniently sell wood to sculptors, as there is currently no direct channel for business with artists.

Bar Bar Cho is joint-secretary of the Myanmar Timber Merchants Association (MTMA).

"As the [sculptors] have no [buyer] registration, there is no convenient way to sell them wood collectively under a transparent system", he said. "As of now, they have to submit applications individually to buy wood, and the government, in order to make this easier, is planning to sell wood to them collectively under a tender bidding system."

Burmese sculptors have long wished for new regulations to facilitate the buying of wood.

"There are sculptors in towns all across Burma, and if they are allowed convenient access to buy and carve wood in their locations, they will be able to penetrate the international market easily", said sculptor Kyaw Kyaw Win. "So the long and difficult procedures, incomprehensible for the sculptors, should be eased to allow them to penetrate the international market. We have the human resources, and access to raw material should be made convenient, as we won't cause deforestation no matter how many sculptures we make."

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One reason why it's more difficult for the MTMA to sell the sculptors wood is that the majority of them are registered with the Ministry of Cooperatives.

"The sculptors are not part of the MTMA, most of them are registered under the Cooperatives Ministry's Cottage Industry Department", said Bar Bar Cho. "They were provided access to buy wood from the MTE via the Ministry for raw material, and the MTMA were unable to help them as they are not associated with us."

The Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry has talked about introducing a new system, to sell only a limited amount of timber to merchants, in accordance with environmental standards.

A ban on the export of raw timber is also set to become effective on 1 April this year.
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