Democratic Voice of Burma |
- Shan Army celebrates 50 years of resistance
- Factory explosion in Namhkam fuels suspicions
- BURMA BUSINESS THIS WEEK
- Suu Kyi suggests turning Win Tin’s house into museum
- DVB Debate: Does cultural exchange mean changing culture?
- Madrassa fire verdict: Imams given 8 years for negligence
| Shan Army celebrates 50 years of resistance Posted: 25 Apr 2014 04:58 AM PDT The Shan State Army-North (SSA-N) marked its 50th anniversary on Thursday in Wanhai, Kehsi Township, in eastern Burma. The ethnic armed organisation, which is still engaged in intermittent combat with the Burmese military despite signing a 2012 ceasefire pact, vowed to continue their armed struggle until a true federalist system is established. "Our patron, [Lt-Gen] Hso Ten, reminded us of the origin of the Shan State Army in his opening remarks. We took up arms because the Burmese government denied ethnic rights and did not respect the Panglong Agreement," said Sai La, spokesperson for the SSA-N. "He urged members of the SSA-N not to forget this history, and to keep on with the struggle until our goal of ethnic equality is achieved." Lt-Gen Hso Ten and six other Shan leaders were arrested in 2005 and sentenced to 106 years in prison on charges including high treason. He was released under an amnesty by President Thein Sein in 2011. SSA-N chairman, Lt-Gen Pang Fa, also addressed the crowds, expressing gratitude for half a century of public support for the Shan movement. Representatives of the Shan State Army-South, the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, Shan Nationalities Democratic Party, Taileng (Red Shan) National Development Party, and civil society groups joined with about 3,000 supporters for the 24 April event. Founded in 1964, the SSA-N reached a ceasefire agreement in 1989 with the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), the military junta at that time. War with government forces resumed in 2011 after the group refused to accept the Border Guard Force scheme that would have co-opted them under the command of the Burmese military. The SSA-N reached a new peace pact with the government in 2012, though as many as 100 instances of combat with the Burmese army or its allied militias have been reported since that time.
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| Factory explosion in Namhkam fuels suspicions Posted: 25 Apr 2014 04:45 AM PDT An explosion at a cigarette factory in Namhkam township, northern Shan State, on Wednesday afternoon has left several people hospitalised. No casualties have been reported. The factory is owned by pro-government militia leader Kyaw Myint, fuelling suspicions that the explosion was an attack by an opposing rebel army. Sai Hseng Wan, the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party chairman in Namhkam, said police are still trying to establish the number of people injured while authorities have pledged to provide security after dark in the hope of preventing further incidents. "The local police superintendent said people were injured in the incident and are being treated at the hospital, but I don't know how many," said Sai Hseng Wan. "The local authorities have taken responsibility for providing security in the town during the evenings." Factory owner Kyaw Myint is leader of the Panhsay People's Militia Force (PPMF). In 2009, the PPMG was subsumed by the Border Guard Force (BGF), a standing army made of pro-government ethnic fighters under the command of the Burmese military. Kyaw Myint is also an elected USDP member of the Shan State government. While Namhkam police have not yet identified those responsible for the attack, there is a history of tension between the PPMF and armed rebel groups including the Ta-ang (Palaung) National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Shan State Army North (SSA-N). The TNLA have previously alleged that the PPMF are responsible for "extensive drug trafficking", and has accused them of disrupting TNLA drug eradication projects. The TNLA claims to have killed ten and wounded over twenty Burmese and PPMF troops during clashes in opium fields on 11 September 2013. The group also claims that the TNLA launched two deadly assaults against the Burmese army on 23 April in nearby Sakhanthit and Kyusai villages. Related StoriesWednesday's attack follows more than a week of fighting between government forces and rebels in Kachin and northern Shan states that caused thousands to flee their homes, many to Namhkam. The United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), an alliance of armed ethnic organisations, on Thursday condemned the Burmese government's "positioning and deployment of an overwhelming force with the aim of encircling and annihilating the KIA, TNLA and SSA-N." The coalition warned that recent hostilities seriously undermine any trust reached during the nation's protracted peace negotiations. The Burmese government has yet to comment on the incident. |
| Posted: 25 Apr 2014 04:32 AM PDT
Ups and Downs The buying rate for Burmese currency is stable at 961 kyat to the US dollar, but the selling rate has risen slightly from 963 to 966. The price of gold in Burma has been going up and down recently: on 12 April it rose sharply to 674,200 kyat per tical; it has since fallen back to 661,900 kyat. Fuel remains unchanged: petrol is 820 kyat per litre; diesel 950 kyat; and octane 920 kyat a litre.
Rangoon to host electronics expo this weekend Burma is hosting the International Security and Modern Electronics Expo at Tatmadaw Hall in Rangoon on 25- 27 April. Members of the public are invited to browse the latest in technology from international brands such as Bosch, Panasonic, Samsung, Sony, Secom, Nikon, Canon and Hitachi. Seminars on “Private security products and Services” and “Private Security Law” will be held on 26 and 27 April, respectively.
32 percent hike in revenue for Burma's taxman Burma's Internal Revenue Department has announced a 32 percent increase in tax collected in the 2013-14 fiscal year, with payments totalling 3.5 trillion kyat (over US$3.5 billion). The increase is lower than the previous year which saw a 75 percent hike in tax collected. According to the World Bank, Burma's economy is projected to grow at 6.8 percent in 2013-14. However, in November it raised concerns about the country's inflation which hit 7.3 percent in August 2013.
Mandalay leads hotel rush Mandalay Region leads other cities and tourist destinations in Burma with 302 new hotels approved, according to data from the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism. Out of 960 hotels granted operating licences across the country over the last year, 90 percent were located in the popular tourism areas of Rangoon, Irrawaddy, Pegu, Shan State and Arakan State. A total of 238 new hotels and guest houses opened in Rangoon.
Burma's border trade booming Trade across Burma's borders hit US$4.585 billion in the fiscal year 2013-14, up over $830 million from the year before, local media reported last Saturday. Exports stood at $2.757 billion while imports were valued at $1.827 billion, said the Daily Eleven. Fourteen gateways provide access to four neighboring countries – China, Thailand, Bangladesh and India, of whom China is the leading trading partner.
Garment factories bid for Thilawa
Mitsubishi Electric opens in Rangoon Japanese industrial giant Mitsubishi Electric Corp opened a Rangoon office on Friday, 25 April. Operating under a Singapore-based subsidiary, Mitsubishi Electric Asia Pte Ltd, the new branch will be based in Bahan Township and is to coordinate Mitsubishi Electric’s efforts to expand business in Burma by conducting market research, collecting information, and providing support for infrastructure projects and local distributors, the firm said on Thursday.
Three Asian firms bid for new airport Three of four previous contenders to construct Hantharwaddy International Airport have resubmitted their bids, according to an official in Burma's Department of Civil Aviation (DCA). French firm Vinci have not rebid, but Singapore's Yangnam, South Korea's Incheon and Japan's Taisei have all tendered offers for the airport 80km north of Rangoon, tipped to be the country's biggest gateway for tourists when it opens in 2018. DCA said the deadline for bids ended on 22 April and the winner will be announced in May.
Red Bull wants to energise Burma's job market Red Bull Co Ltd, distributor of the world-famous energy drink, has announced it will create over 600 jobs in Burma, including positions 300 sales staff, 200 drivers and administration staff. The drink, highly popular in Burma, was officially banned from broadcasting advertisements on TV under the previous military junta when authorities claimed the drink could cause severe mental problems. Nonetheless it was smuggled into the country due to huge demand.
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| Suu Kyi suggests turning Win Tin’s house into museum Posted: 25 Apr 2014 02:52 AM PDT National League for Democracy (NLD) leader Aung San Suu Kyi has called for a museum to be opened, dedicated to her colleague Win Tin, the party's co-founder, who passed away earlier this week. When visiting Win Tin's modest home in Rangoon's Yankin Township shortly after the veteran politician's death on Monday, Suu Kyi suggested converting the house into a museum with his books and personal belongings lying where he left them. "Daw Suu visited here and gave us some words of advice," said Zaw Myo Aung, Win Tin's close aide and executive member of the Win Tin Foundation. "It was to keep the house and his belongings intact so that the building could be moved to a different location and be opened to the public as a museum." The Win Tin Foundation provides assistance for the rehabilitation of former political prisoners, and is run on private donations and international awards received by Win Tin, as well as from the profits of books he published. Win Tin was long respected for his humble lifestyle– a modest man with few possessions, mostly books. His personal items are currently under the care of his close friend, Ohn Tun, who owns the house. "About three years ago, the old reading glasses he wore in prison were sold to someone in the United States for around US$60,000," said Zaw Myo Aung. "We will preserve his belongings and transfer them to the museum when it takes shape, so that future generations will know what kind of person U Win Tin was, and appreciate the humble way he lived." Win Tin died from kidney failure in Rangoon General Hospital on 21 April. His funeral was held on 23 April. |
| DVB Debate: Does cultural exchange mean changing culture? Posted: 25 Apr 2014 01:24 AM PDT Burma's culture is heavily influenced by Buddhism, but in recent years some traditional celebrations have become commercialised. Over the Buddhist New Year the symbolic sprinkling of water to cleanse sins has been replaced by hoses and pumping music, while many young people use the holiday as a chance to let their hair down. On DVB Debate's panel this week: young writer Yu Ya; rapper Yone Lay; school teacher Hlaing Tint; and model Jessica Dada. Panellists discussed whether the true meaning of Thingyan has been lost. "Thingyan today is a mixture of happiness and disorder. Rather than enjoying Thingyan, it's more like enjoying alcohol. Some people don't even know the true meaning of Thingyan," she said. "When we see these people, they are so drunk that they can't even stand up. As a young person, I accept drinking alcohol, but don't go to extremes, Yu Ya said. Phyo Phyo Aung from the All Burma Federation of Student Unions said he believed Thingyan is the only time of year that young people can really be free to do what they want. "As young people are oppressed in many different ways, they see Thingyan as an opportunity. That's why, during Thingyan, they explode and do whatever they want. They know no one will stop or control them, so they use it as a chance to escape," she said. Women's rights activist Nan Khine Yone, however, blamed the sale of alcohol for the unruly behaviour seen during Thingyan.  Cartoon: DVB Debate "In the past, alcohol and beer could not be bought freely. The seller just wouldn't sell it to anyone without checking. Nowadays, they even sell booze to children. There are no restrictions," she said. The panellists discussed whether kissing on the mouth is unacceptable in Burmese society. In 2012, Yone Lay's music video "Stupid" caused controversy for showing a kissing scene criticised for being insulting to the national culture. He insists it is just artistic expression. "I was just trying to present the feelings I had when I was composing the song. I had no relationship with that girl. I told her 'For the kissing scene, we will shoot it like this', and so we that's how we did it," the rapper said. Assistant lecturer at Yangon East University Hlaing Tint said artists have a responsibility to protect young people from viewing potentially offensive scenes. "If these kind of images reach universities, schools or underage children, they might start to do the same thing all the time and in public. We need to control it," he said. Audience member Pyae Zaw Htet from Yangon School of Political Science argued that sexually explicit scenes in videos are not corrupting the youth of Burma. "This sort of thing is just cultural change," he said. "In my opinion, society is not being ruined by kissing, society is being ruined because people are less competent in their careers and education." As the country opens up and embraces global trends, many Burmese traditions are changing. Popular culture shared through increased television and Internet access is beginning to influence the way that people dress, act and speak. Panellists argued about the ethical implications of the changing trends. "We cannot always blame someone and say they are at fault. Whether or not they are acting inappropriately depends more on their attitude and mindset than the way they dress," said Yu Ya. UFL Student Khin Myat Mon said society shouldn't try to control how people dress. "Last year, we all went out. People like me – university students – went out wearing shorts. But not all shorts are provocative," she said. Interviewed separately from the debate, artist and influential student leader Min Ko Naing said the focus should be on morality, not culture. "We should be asking how can we change our ideas and our normative values. The way we dress and maintain culture is a separate matter. Culture is about the dignity of nationality and it is very delicate issue," he said.
You can join the debate and watch the full programme in Burmese at dvbdebate.com Or share your views with us by commenting on our website at dvb.no
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| Madrassa fire verdict: Imams given 8 years for negligence Posted: 24 Apr 2014 10:26 PM PDT Two imams accused of criminal negligence after a fire killed 13 students at an Islamic school in Rangoon one year ago were each sentenced to eight years in prison by Botahtaung Township Court on Thursday. Zayar Phyo and Khin Maung Oo were found guilty on charges of negligent homicide after it was found that an electrical fault caused a fire that ripped through the madrassa at a mosque on Rangoon's 48th Street in the early hours of 2 April, 2013, leading to the death of 13 students. Defence lawyer Aung Myint said he planned to file an appeal as his clients did not start the fire intentionally. "Both of my clients were given two years' sentences under the penal code Article 285 [negligence with respect to fire] and an additional six years under Article 304(a) [negligent homicide] – they have already spent over a year in custody," he said. "I don't want to comment on the decision made by the court. The judge acted within his mandate – we are set to file an appeal," he added. In the immediate wake of the tragedy, the Rangoon Division government formed a commission to investigate the blaze. The inquiry concluded that the catalyst for the fire was an overheated power transformer. |
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