Shan Herald Agency for News |
- More on Unity
- Finnwatch Researcher Andy Hall to Face Police Investigators to Defend Latest Natural Fruit Company Ltd. Criminal Charges in Thailand on 19th May
- Peacemakers need to work fast and furious
- En people don’t believe their man is guilty
- Shan congratulates to newest degree holders-Shan monks in abroad
- If Wa granted self determination, others must be too, says paper
| Posted: 20 May 2014 05:49 AM PDT Unity is difficult to define, and all these years our people have been shouting "ais are not united" "We need unity" - I don't think they really know where, when and why we need to be united.  Sao Noan Oo Therefore to me, Unity is when people who want the same things, think and feel the same way and have the same value or principles work together for a common good. The decision to do so should come from the decision and heart of the individual, talking and listening to each other's point of views. The dictatorial armed forces are united, but their "unity" is uniformity of the mind and body. They are indoctrinated or conditioned to think the same, act the same and feel the same. They have no freedom of choice or respect for the individual. In the case of the Shan State, all the groups be it Pa-O, Palaung, Wa or Tai/Shan, they want peace and the rights to be free, free from fear, free from the control of the Burmese Armed forces. As citizens of the Shan State they want to have a say in how the resources are used for development and welfare of the people- They believe in equality, truth, justice and fairness. The groups have many things in common, but they have been denied them by the common foe. In order to achieve the things they want they have to unite to fight against the foe, preferably by non-violence means. This is their purpose or cause or goal. Without achieving this the peoples of the Shan States cannot move forward. Fighting for the common cause should therefore be their priority. Each group in the Shan State also has its own language, culture and religion, and each want their own autonomous region. As the population of the Shan State is diverse there will be issues in some areas, which can be resolved only by debate and discussion or votes. If they are to live together in peace, there will have to be understanding, tolerance and consideration for each other. But, this second process cannot take place while the Shan State is still under the control of the dictatorial regime, therefore it is important that everybody knows that these are minor compared to the to fighting for their cause. Now we come to the question of how can we achieve our goal? I think we must recognise that we are freedom fighters, fighting for liberty and freedom from oppression by a very strong institution of terrorists, who use terror tactics, killing indiscriminately to gain maximum impact. Many people have fought for freedom from slavery and these freedom fighters have struck blow after blow against the institution, rallying for Black unity, freedom, rights and power. Nelson Mandela fought hard and long in his struggle against apartheid. There are many infamous freedom fighters who fought hard for their cause, but somewhere along the way were branded terrorists, like the regime does to the ethnic resistant fighters. Freedom fighters can be politicians, religious leaders or ordinary men and women. At one time it was the top people who lead people to rebel, but now it is the voice and will of ordinary people that count. But as you know our people's knowledge of politics is so far below the rest of the world. After being threatened for half a century to stay away from politics, they are still being psychologically infected with FEAR. The dictators are bullies, they use political violence to intimidate, physical violence to inject fear and emotional violence to undermine. The more you show the bullies that you are frightened of them, the more they will bully you. This is seen in the behaviour of a bully even in the school play ground. First and foremost we should encourage people to confront their fear, while at the same time make them understand that we are freedom fighters trying to change the fabric of society, and in order to succeed we must work together. Creating inner power within each of us will create confidence to tackle and confront the difficulties ahead of us. The Marn (Burmese) generals are also cowards, they dare not compete with other ethnic nationalities on the same level, so they make sure they have a handicap by building a huge army. They are afraid that the ethnic nationalities will secede from Burma, leaving them stranded in the centre of nowhere. They go about the wrong way, by using force instead of trying to establish friendship. The teaching of Buddhism and their duty and responsibility towards their Motherland can entice different groups to want to work together, although talking about Buddhism too much might alienate Christians. It would be a good idea to have a network of people to explain and spread your political ideas and principles around the population. Although many youth organisations have sprung up, the Shan State also needs the voice and will of the ordinary to bring the dictators down. (By a necessary war? because such situation cannot go on forever) I have written what comes into my mind- I hope it makes sense. The contributor is the daughter of the ruling prince of Lawksawk and the author of "My Vanishing World". |
| Posted: 20 May 2014 05:48 AM PDT PRESS RELEASE 16th MAY 2014 Finnwatch Researcher Andy Hall to Face Police Investigators to Defend Latest Natural Fruit Company Ltd. Criminal Charges in Thailand on 19th May For more information on this media advisory, please contact:
British migrant rights activist Andy Hall, who campaigns to improve conditions for migrant workers in Thailand, has appointed investigators at Bangna Police Station in Bangkok on Mon. 19th May 10am to give evidence against the latest criminal charges filed against him by Natural Fruit Company Ltd., a pineapple exporter based in Prachuap Kiri Khan, Thailand. Human and labour rights abuses against Natural Fruit's workers have now been the subject of two Finnwatch research reports, the first to which Hall contributed. The latest criminal charges filed against Hall by Natural Fruit Company Ltd. at Bangna Police Station, the 3rd set of charges filed against him so far, reportedly relate to defamatory remarks made by Hall in an interview to Aljazeera in Myanmar. The Aljazeera story featured Hall's reflections on migrant conditions in Thailand and also charges of criminal defamation and breaches of the Computers Crimes Act and a 300 million baht (US$10m) civil defamation case filed against him by Natural Fruit. If a court finds Hall guilty of the criminal charges laid against him, he could face a maximum of 7 years imprisonment per count. This has raised strong concerns from 6 UN human rights Rapporteurs. All the charges reportedly relate to his role in conducting interviews with migrants from Myanmar to assist Finnwatch to compile a report, Cheap Has a High Price. This report, released in Jan 2013 (available here) outlined poor labour conditions in various seafood and pineapple export companies in Thailand. A follow up report, released in Jan 2014 (available here), outlined how all previously researched companies still failed to remedy abuses reported in the original report. According to interviewed Natural Fruit workers, the company still confiscated work permits, prevented workers from changing employer and made deductions from unlawful salaries. The problems highlighted in Thai officials own investigation of conditions at the Natural Fruit factory still persisted. Natural Fruit has responded to Finnwatch's findings denying all illegalities. Hall previously reported to Bangna Police Station on 28 Sep. 2013 after the British Embassy in Bangkok notified him of fresh criminal charges filed against him but refused to provide details. During this visit, an officer attempted to get Hall to sign a Thai language confession accepting guilt. Hall refused to sign the document, requested a copy and left the station. Hall later filed complaints against police misconduct to the Commander of the Thai Police Force, Thailand's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Thailand's National Human Rights Commission and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London. In a Nov. 2013 letter, Bangna Police stated officials had already informed Hall of the charges against him in compliance with law and no unfair conduct was present. The letter did not mention the confession statement Hall was asked to sign. Hall continues to insist the latest criminal charges against him at Bangna Police Station have no legal basis as they relate to an interview given to Aljazeera outside of Thailand. In any case, prior to pressing defamation charges, Natural Fruit Company Ltd. only listened to part of the interview he gave to Aljazeera that was disseminiated. In order to assess admissibility of such a case, police officers should first obtain all related evidence, including a copy of the full interview, prior to deciding whether to proceed with the case. Hall understands officers didnt adequately investigate charges against him prior to his previous station visit. According to internal documents obtained by Hall under the UK's Freedom of Information Act, by the end of Sep 2013 the British Embassy in Bangkok was informed by Bangna Police Station that an arrest warrant against Hall was pending in relation to the latest charges and likely to be issued in Oct 2013. Following this, Hall would be apprehended by Immigration officials should he arrive to Thailand from overseas. The same documents described how the Embassy planned not to inform Hall of these developments as they were 'unable to interfere in the judicial process.' However, following Hall's Sep 2013 attendance at Bangna Police Station and the reported confession documents, in Oct 2013 the British Ambassador to Thailand, Mr. Mark Kent, wrote a letter to Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stating that 'Any accusation of attempted coercion to sign a confession is of course a serious claim and we hope that the Thai authorities will look into this as a matter of urgency.' The initial 2 criminal and civil cases filed by Natural Fruit Company against Hall have yet to proceed due to the failure to serve case summons on him. However, Hall considers it important that in the latest case filed at Bangna Police Station he should again attend the police station to deny the charges and defend himself. In addition, on 19th May, Hall will again press officers to drop the latest case as there is no legal jurisdiction to prosecute and the full interview he gave to Aljazeera has yet to be obtained. Hall also accepts the Thai criminal justice process and respects the need to face police officers to defend charges laid against him. Finnwatch continues to demand that Natural Fruit Company drop all criminal and civil charges filed against Andy Hall and address poor labour conditions in it's factory. Finnwatch, alongside the Finnish League of Human Rights, also continues to express it's dissatisfaction at the validity of Thai officials inspections of Natural Fruit's factory and urges the Thai authorities to properly investigate labour conditions at Natural Fruit's factory again more thoroughly and without further delay. |
| Peacemakers need to work fast and furious Posted: 20 May 2014 05:46 AM PDT  Following the 6th meeting between Naypyitaw's Union Peacemaking Work Committee (UPWC) and the ethnic armies' Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT), Lt-Gen Myint Soe, head of the Burma Army's Bureau of Special Operations (BSO) #2, reportedly told the media the long-awaited Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) could be signed by 1 August.Perhaps not to be outdone, the NCCT's Dr Lian Hmung Sakhong responded by saying it could be done earlier, probably by May. Since then the two sides had met again from 5-8 April when they successfully worked out a single text document for the NCA. Dr Lian later said both found each other 50% in consensus. However when the NCCT met again on 28-19 April in Chiangmai, they found too many wordings both were in disagreement (such as whether to designate the non-Burman armed opposition "Ethnic Armed Movements" or "Armed Ethnic Movements") plus a few but serious differences in principles (such as disagreements between the two sides will be arbitrated by the government's most powerful organ, National Defense and Security Council (NDSC)), popularly known as "Ka-Long". Simple people like the writer and the rest may scoff and say, "What's in a name?" But for the NCCT, made up by members some of whom are well-versed in legal matters, words and names do matter. "We concluded that we would need to focus more on the concepts rather than the wordings themselves," Dr Lian told SHAN. "If we find out that both sides share the same concepts, then a rose by any other names would smell just as sweet." The NCCT is reportedly holding a last minute meeting in the Kachin resistance capital of Laiza to finalize its proposals to the planned 8th UPWC-NCCT meeting on 19-20 May, which has been postponed to 21-22 May. It is not known whether the UPWC is having its own meeting in the meantime. But judging from the situation, it is unlikely the NCA could be signed anytime soon unless and until, as Naypyitaw's chief negotiator U Aung Min said, both sides are ready to meet halfway with each other. Part of that halfway should preferably be to push most of the political issues (such as adherence to federalism and the 2008 constitution) to where they should be i.e. the next stages: negotiations for framework for political dialogue and most particularly the political dialogue itself. That would save a lot of space and time for the NCA. Another important point is that the two sides, instead of meeting once or twice a month, should meet every day to work out the NCA together. That will at least help ease well-founded fears that either each is or both sides are deliberately trying to forestall the much-anticipated political dialogue. Now we all wait for the upcoming meeting in Rangoon on Wednesday, 21 May, in suspense. |
| En people don’t believe their man is guilty Posted: 20 May 2014 05:44 AM PDT On 5 May, Sai Ai Keng, chairman of village level Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) from Pengtao tract, Kengtung, township was detained by government authorities and has been accused of having a gun given by the Restoration Council of Shan State / Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA). The En are known in Shan State as "the gentlest" of all the races there. "No more honest people can be found anywhere," according to both Shan and Lahu sources. All of the sources inquired by SHAN believe Ai Keng must have been framed by the authorities. The following is an article from 'Undercurrents', an annual newsletter published by the Lahu National Development Organization (LNDO) on the En.  |
| Shan congratulates to newest degree holders-Shan monks in abroad Posted: 20 May 2014 05:43 AM PDT CHIANG MAI-MAY 20. Over 600 Shan people congratulated to the newest degree holders—Shan monks convocation at the public Buddhist university-Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University, Ayuthaya, Thailand on May 18, 2014. There were over 10 Shan monks attained university degrees, both undergraduate and postgraduate.  The Shan monks taking a group-photo on the convocation at the Mahachulalongkornrajvidhayalaya university, on May 18, 2014. (Photo: Shan Music) According to Sai Hseng Harn, the Shan people gathered and congratulated to the monks every year, but this was the biggest ever if compared to few years back. About 30 Shan people from Shan State also came to celebrate at the convocation.  The graduated monks taking a group-photo with the devotees on the convocation at the Mahachulalongkornrajvidhayalaya university, on May 18, 2014. (Photo: Shan Music) Sai Kyaw Oo said "Congratulations, but please do not forget to bring your knowledge and skills to go back and develop your home country." There are hundreds of Burmese monks study at Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya, including Burman, Shan, Karen, and Pa-O monks study at the public Buddhist university, Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University. There are about 20-30 Shan monks come to study in Thailand every year, at the Buddhist Universities. |
| If Wa granted self determination, others must be too, says paper Posted: 20 May 2014 05:41 AM PDT Of all the non-Burman ethnic nationalities, only the Wa are enjoying their right to self determination at the expense of others seeking similar ends, according to Legal Aid Network (LAN) paper which was released Thursday, 16 May.  Legal Aid Network (LAN)'s logo The State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), that came to power during the 1988 democratic uprisings, it says, had entered a ceasefire with the United Wa State Party/United Wa State Army (UWSP/UWSA), formed by the Wa mutineers following their overthrow of the Communist Party of Burma (CPB), and provided a formal recognition of the existence of its territory, organization and army, "by violating laws in force." Scrutinizing the situation from the aspect of the Rule of Law, one of whose principles, is that equal situations must be treated equally, it argues the action of the Burmese government is discriminatory and against the Rule of Law. "Undisputed facts indicate that other non-Myanmar ethnic states such as Kachin, Chin, Shan, Arakan, Mon, Karen, Karenni etc …. (had) existed independently in history.".. They should therefore "also have the right to enjoy equal status, at minimum, similar to Wa. Unfortunately, this is not taking place. The right to self determination of other non-Myanmar ethnic nationalities have been consistently denied by successive military regimes although such right has been granted to Wa nationals in practice since May 19899." In view of this, it reasons that "the 2008 constitution and other organic laws need to be amended." The paper however not only dwells an legal as pects but also on actual situation on the ground. It points out to the fact that the UWSP/UWSA is being let off while Naypyitaw is still dealing with other ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) until they "have been annihilated — or, at minimum, neutralized — by the regime after the nationwide ceasefire. Hence, it means that the UWSA survives now at the expense of the other EAOs (but like them), it may also face a similar fate in the end." It sums up its argument this way: The government does not operate under the law but merely through it. |
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