Democratic Voice of Burma

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• DVB Bulletin: 1 December 2014
• Rangoon death sparks allegations of police brutality
• To dye for?
• Student leaders face charges after Education Bill rally in Taungoo

DVB Bulletin: 1 December 2014 Posted: 01 Dec 2014 05:16 AM PST On tonight's bulletin: Rangoon death sparks allegations of police brutality NGO positive on International Aids Day FDA conducting food tests across Burma You can watch DVB Bulletin every weeknight on DVB TV after the 7 o'clock news. The post DVB Bulletin: 1 December 2014 appeared first on DVB Multimedia Group.

Rangoon death sparks allegations of police brutality Posted: 01 Dec 2014 05:00 AM PST The family of a Rangoon man who died of a brain haemorrhage one week after being arrested by police have filed a complaint to the Myanmar National Human Rights Council, alleging police brutality. His family say that his condition was caused by a brutal physical interrogation and that they have the photos to prove it. Related Stories 88 Gen leader Hla Myo Naung, passes away, aged 47 Latpadaung mine 'must be halted' pending EIA, says Amnesty MPs approve Suu Kyi bill to speed-up bylaws Tamwe police deny beating Than Lwin, who they had arrested on suspicion of smashing a car windshield. The post Rangoon death sparks allegations of police brutality appeared first on DVB Multimedia Group.

To dye for? Posted: 01 Dec 2014 01:01 AM PST Burma's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says it is cracking down on the use of use of prohibited chemical dyes in food and cosmetics. Dr Tun Zaw, the director-general of the FDA, told DVB that it has just concluded inspecting marketplaces in Rangoon as part of a nationwide programme. He said the FDA, which is a branch of the Ministry of Health, has employed health officials who work out of two "mobile laboratories" which have been patrolling towns and cities across the country testing food and cosmetic products for chemical dyes. "We have found prohibited dyes still being used in food products such as chilli powder, turmeric powder, bamboo shoots, tea leaves, nga-pi (fermented fish) and pickles," said the official, adding that the use of prohibited dyes in tea leaves – locally known as laphat­ – has declined over the years. "Our mobile labs are also capable of testing for formalin which is used as a preservative agent in milk and squid," he said. Related Stories KFC coming to Burma next year Searching for a delicacy in a vanishing jungle FDA advises using only reputable beauty products Tun Zaw said cosmetics products were also inspected for bleaching agents, and that products that cannot be tested immediately in the mobile labs are sent to laboratories at the Ministry of Health for inspection. The inspection teams provide the test results to concerned shop owners and municipal market officials. Tun Zaw said the teams have now finished inspections in Rangoon, Pegu [Bago], Mandalay and Taungoo, and next plans to hit Naypyidaw, Irrawaddy Division and northern Shan State. The Mandalay Daily on Sunday reported that the mobile teams were checking products for "dangerous agents". The Ministry of Health has warned that manufacturers who add prohibited chemical dyes to food products will face legal action under the National Food Law Article 28(a).   The post To dye for? appeared first on DVB Multimedia Group.

Student leaders face charges after Education Bill rally in Taungoo Posted: 30 Nov 2014 09:29 PM PST Six activists from the All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU) are facing charges in Pegu Division under the Peaceful Procession and Peaceful Assembly Law for organising a public rally without official permission. The six ABFSU leaders – Min Thwe Thit, Myat Thu, Aung Htet, Aung Ko Khant, Min Min Zaw and Aung Nay Paing – led about 100 activists in a protest against the National Education Bill on 29 November in the city of Taungoo. Min Thwe Thit said that the group has decided not to comply with a court summons and will instead face arrest. Students' protests against the recently adopted National Education Bill have taken place in cities across Burma, including Rangoon, Mandalay, Monywa and Myingyan. Related Stories DVB Debate: Empowering disabled people Mandalay students, profs parlay after Education Bill protest EU earmarks $300m a year for Burma A delegation of student activists met with university professors at the Masoyein Monastery in Mandalay a day after the ABFSU led a public demonstration in the city denouncing the bill, which was passed on 30 September by President Thein Sein despite widespread objections from student and teaching bodies. The bill provides for the creation of a National Education Commission, which civil society organisations such as the National Network for Education Reform believe will keep the education sector under tight government control. The ABFSU has become involved in several campaigns over the past year, including rallies in support of farmers who have allegedly been the victims of land grabs by the military. On 14 May, ABFSU members joined a group of villagers protesting in Pegu [Bago] to demand the return of confiscated farmlands. After the rally, the group alleges it was assaulted by more than 60 police officers and about 100 plain-clothed thugs. Then, on 13 September, Phyu Hnin Htwe, an ABFSU member and second-year student at Mandalay's Yadanabon University, was arrested on charges of kidnapping in respect to a case involving villagers near the Latpadaung copper mine site in Monywa detaining two Chinese employees of the Chinese firm, Wanbao, one of the mine's joint partners. She was released in October when the charges against her were dropped. The post Student leaders face charges after Education Bill rally in Taungoo appeared first on DVB Multimedia Group.

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