The Irrawaddy Magazine

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Devotees Flock to ‘Japan Pagoda’ in Rangoon Posted: 22 Oct 2014 05:00 PM PDT The popular Aung Zabu Tawya Dhamma Yeiktha monastery in Rangoon's Hmawbi Township features 301 Buddha images donated by a Japanese man. (Photo: Sai Zaw / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Pilgrims from all corners of Burma have been flocking to a monastery in Rangoon's Hmawbi Township, where a Japanese man has donated hundreds of ancient Buddha images from seven different historical eras. A total of 301 Buddha images are kept at the Aung Zabu Tawya Dhamma Yeiktha monastery in Yepya village, Hmawbi Township. Since the Buddha images were donated by the Japanese national, the holy site has been better known to devotees simply as "Japan Pagoda." According to U Pandda Wuntha, the abbot of the monastery, the Japanese man named Kumano was formerly a Christian and converted to Buddhism of his own volition after visiting Bagan, the famed temple-studded plain in central Burma. Kumano is married to a Burmese woman and has two children. He dreamed frequently of Buddha images and pagodas after he converted to Buddhism, according to the abbot, who said Kumano then sought permission from the government and restored some Buddha images and pagodas in Bagan. But when he continued to dream of pagodas, he began collecting ancient Buddha images. He kept them at his house for obeisance at first, U Pandda Wuntha told The Irrawaddy. "It is really astonishing that he could collect ancient Buddha images from seven different [historical] periods. He has collected very rare ancient Buddha images," said the abbot. "Then, he donated the images to me and said that he did not want to see ancient Buddha images of Burma brought outside the country," he added. Kumano started collecting Buddha images even before his marriage. On Nov. 15, 2012, he told Aung Zabu abbot that he wanted to donate the Buddha images, and handed over a total of 301 Buddha images from the Pagan, Pinnya, Ava, Toungoo, Nyaungyan, Tagaung and Konbaung periods. The number of pilgrims has increased as news of the collection has spread. The holy site is only open on Thursdays, Fridays and weekends, and thousands of devotees visit the site on these days. The post Devotees Flock to 'Japan Pagoda' in Rangoon appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

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Democratic Voice of Burma

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• Bullet Points: 23 October 2014
• Burmese migrants march against ‘conmen’
• DVB to switch from shortwave radio to online broadcast
• Military MPs will not support changing 436

Bullet Points: 23 October 2014 Posted: 23 Oct 2014 05:24 AM PDT On tonight's edition of Bullet Points: Tatmadaw MPs intend to retain constitutional veto powers Burmese migrants protest fraud in Bangkok UNFC condemns recent fighting as KNU meets for key summit You can watch Bullet Points every weeknight on DVB TV after the 7 o'clock news.

Burmese migrants march against ‘conmen’ Posted: 23 Oct 2014 04:28 AM PDT Hundreds of Burmese migrant workers on Wednesday marched in the streets of Bangkok demanding legal action against a company that allegedly cheated them. Around 700 protesters marched to the Royal Thai Police's Crime Suppression Division headquarters in Bangkok to file a complaint against Sunjaoping Partnership Ltd, a company that allegedly conned millions of baht from over 2,000 Burmese migrants this year by luring them into buying shares in the company at 10,000 baht (US$300) per share. The migrant workers bought the company's shares based on assurances that each "shareholder" would earn back 40,000 baht per share after four months. But following the four-month period, the migrants say they were not given any returns, and their attempts to get their money back were unsuccessful. DVB spoke with one of the protesters, Kyaw Lin Oo, who said the company conned Burmese migrants nearly 30 million baht, nearly $1 million. He and the other protestors told the police what happened and provided them with physical evidence. "More than 700 protesters were individually questioned by the police about the case. I showed them all the evidence that I have—including contracts and other documents—and answered all the questions the police asked me," said Kyaw Lin Oo. Sandar, a migrant who works at a shoe factory, said that "shareholders" were also obligated to purchase 1,000 baht worth of personal care products such as shampoo, shower cream and body lotion every month for five months. They were also required to pay a 2,500 baht registration fee and pay for various services such as life insurance and "study tours". "I trusted the company because they have two Burmese employees—and these guys are still around conning people." Khine Kyi, secretary of a migrant advocacy group called the Myanmar Association in Thailand (MAT), said that it received complaints from several migrants about four months ago. Shortly after receiving the complaints MAT staff went to several police stations to help the migrants file a fraud case, but they were consistently rejected by the Thai police. "We reached out to concerned government offices and the police about four months ago hoping to solve the problem in a subtle way, but they rejected our claim on grounds that fraud cases can only be entertained in Thai courts if at least five million baht is involved," said Khine Kyi. Related Stories Burma, Japan and Thailand sign MoU to build Myeik power plant Koh Tao murders: 'Third man' released, returning to Burma Koh Tao 'murderers' were tortured, says Burmese embassy lawyer "There were only about ten people who complained at the time, so the total amount of fraud was less than five million baht and the police refused to investigate the case. After that, we tried approaching the military and they responded the same way, so we made an announcement online encouraging all victims to come forward. We were finally able to file a case after 559 migrants went to a police station in Bangkok on 18 October." Khine Kyi told DVB that although he did not harbour much hope that all the money would be returned, he believe that the migrants would at least learn not to be deceived so easily in the future. Before registering Sunjaoping Partnership Ltd and allegedly hatching this elaborate fraud scheme, the owners of the company—two Thai individuals—claimed they worked at Amway, an American multi-level marketing company based in Michigan State whose employees sell various personal care, health and beauty products. Forbes listed Amway as the 25th largest private company in the US in 2012, and the company has been very successful in Asia. Apparently, the two alleged fraudsters enticed Burmese migrants into buying Sunjaoping Partnership shares by claiming they had experience at Amway and hiring two Burmese employees to sell the phony stock.

DVB to switch from shortwave radio to online broadcast Posted: 23 Oct 2014 02:43 AM PDT Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), the country's longest running exile broadcaster, which first aired in 1992, will enter a new phase on 26 October, switching from shortwave to online radio. "Surveys show fewer people listen to shortwave nowadays, therefore DVB is focusing more of its content on new digital media and TV output, which will also be available via Internet and mobile phones," said Aye Chan Naing, executive director of DVB Multimedia Group. October 2014 marks the end of an era for DVB radio, which was arguably the pioneer of Burmese exile broadcasting. Journalist Maung Too, who was a field reporter for DVB since its inception as a voice for the All Burma Students Democratic Front (ABSDF), reminisced about the days when Burma was iron curtained. His colleagues fondly tease him as a rebel by day who moonlighted as a reporter. "We are talking of a time when nobody knew what was happening inside the country; there was war and fighting and human rights violations, a repressive political atmosphere and information control," said Maung Too. The then exiled Burmese prime minister, Sein Win, requested assistance from the Norwegian government to help establish a radio station to reach Burma with information that the military regime would otherwise censor.Thus from Oslo, on 19 July 1992, the first shortwave transmission was broadcast. The demographic disposition of Burma, with large-scale poverty and illiteracy in remote regions, made radio news a permeable, feasible and ultimately popular medium among the public. Related Stories DVB talks to Norwegian politician Anniken Huitfeldt Hardliner announces ABSDF split Land disputes must be solved right and fast: Dr Thaung Htun The process of broadcasting one single episode seemed tenuous and long, but as Maung Too recounts the early years, one cannot miss the adventure that outlined the production of each episode. "In those days the process of broadcasting news in itself was a struggle, as we were not allowed inside Burma," he said, explaining how each episode was recorded on tape and sent to Bangkok, from where it would be sent to Oslo to be transmitted. "In a way, [DVB] always echoed the unified voices of all the ethnic groups in Burma – Shan, Karen, Chin , Mon – against the injustice of the military government, " said a senior DVB reporter. DVB radio gained notoriety with the Burmese military junta to the extent that the regime described it as "a killer broadcast designed to cause troubles" which was "sowing hatred among the people". DVB radio was often accused of being biased towards Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy. However it has always maintained that it was never affiliated to any party but rather considered itself a part of the movement fighting for change in Burma's political system. "We have maintained a policy of giving voice to the democratic movement in Burma," says DVB Deputy Executive Director Khin Maung Win. In 2005, DVB expanded into the domain of TV broadcasting. Asked if video was effectively killing off radio, Khin Maung Win said, "I don't think so. We are just entering a new phase." He explained that there is a possibility that the contents of the radio shows would be aired via other mediums and partnerships in Burma. DVB will also apply for FM radio licenses in Burma, he added. The last episode of DVB radio will be broadcast from its Chiang Mai station on Sunday morning, 26 October, from 6 -7 am. DVB press release HERE

Military MPs will not support changing 436 Posted: 22 Oct 2014 11:56 PM PDT Military MPs in Burma's parliament will not support any proposal to amend Article 436, according to a report submitted by the Constitution Amendment Implementation Committee on Wednesday. Committee secretary Aye Mauk told DVB that a survey conducted for the report indicated that military parliamentarians in both houses have overwhelmingly indicated that they do not support changing or repealing Articles 436 (a) and (b), which stipulate that any constitutional amendment requires the approval of 75 percent of parliament. Critics, which include the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), say that the clause is undemocratic because it provides the military – which is appointed 25 percent of parliamentary seats – veto power on any proposed amendments. "The military MPs have overwhelmingly expressed the opinion that they wish to keep Article 436 as it is written now," said Aye Mauk. "We still don't know what the outcome of parliamentary debate will be, because the military MPs, while asserting that they will not support changing Article 436, have indicated an agreement to amend, repeal abolish or replace many of the 210 of 457 constitutional articles proposed by the Committee for amendment. Earlier this year, the NLD launched a public awareness campaign calling for support to amend Article 436. The campaign was spearheaded by party chairperson Aung San Suu Kyi, who canvassed the country urging the public to support the proposal and collecting up to 5 million signatures. Related Stories Former Min. of Religious Affairs sentenced to 13 years' imprisonment Journalists sentenced to 2 years for sedition NLD, 88GPOS activists’ trial postponed again in Magwe "There's quite a lot to say about this [Constitution Amendment Implementation Committee] report and MPs will speak out when the time comes," said Suu Kyi, who was mobbed by reporters at the parliament building in Naypyidaw on Wednesday. NLD MP Win Htein said the party's efforts to amend the constitution will not stop. "The effort to amend the constitution will not stop here. If we don't succeed at this juncture, we'll keep trying and explore other avenues," he said. "We refused to take part in the 2010 elections because we did not support the 2008 Constitution. However we later agreed to participate in the by-elections as we established some common ground during talks between President U Thein Sein and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. After being elected to the parliament, our lawmakers have worked together with Thein Sein government while expressing our objections and criticisms on matters we don't agree with." Perhaps the sorest sticking point in the NLD's campaign for constitutional reform is Article 59(f), which effectively bars Suu Kyi from running for the presidency due to her children and spouse having foreign citizenship. House Speaker Shwe Mann urged MPs on Wednesday to debate the constitutional amendment proposal with "positive attitudes" and with an emphasis on "the stability and development of the country; national unity and reconciliation; peace; rule of law; democratic transition; and the interests of the nation and its citizens."

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National News

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• Myanmar Medical Council to review Victoria Hospital malpractice complaint
• Information minister to raise journalists’ case with president
• Pyin Oo Lwin accused opposes venue change
• Quarry workers bring wage cut to tribunal
• Commission to hold human rights and agribusiness workshop
• Birth registration drive targets 30pc without certificates
• Marionette groups band together
• EU meets civil society to discuss support

Myanmar Medical Council to review Victoria Hospital malpractice complaint Posted: 23 Oct 2014 04:44 AM PDT The MMCl is yet to consider a malpractice complaint against a prominent obstetrician and gynaecologist and private hospital, after the death of a newborn child earlier this month.

Information minister to raise journalists’ case with president Posted: 23 Oct 2014 04:41 AM PDT Minister for Information U Ye Htut has promised to raise the case of five journalists jailed on incitement charges with President U Thein Sein.

Pyin Oo Lwin accused opposes venue change Posted: 23 Oct 2014 04:27 AM PDT A farmers' rights advocate who stands accused of disturbing the peace told a Pyin Oo Lwin courtroom on October 20 shifting his case to Mandalay would hamper his defence.

Quarry workers bring wage cut to tribunal Posted: 23 Oct 2014 04:18 AM PDT Quality, not quantity – that's the new pay scheme for rocks at AAA cement factory in southern Shan State.

Commission to hold human rights and agribusiness workshop Posted: 23 Oct 2014 04:06 AM PDT Land grabs and other issues involving human rights are to be investigated by the country's top human rights body.

Birth registration drive targets 30pc without certificates Posted: 23 Oct 2014 04:01 AM PDT Birth registration is coming to the countryside, as the authorities act to increase the number of children with birth certificates and proper registration.

Marionette groups band together Posted: 23 Oct 2014 03:56 AM PDT Striving to keep one of the country's best-known art forms alive, puppeteers have formed the Myanmar Marionette Organisation.

EU meets civil society to discuss support Posted: 23 Oct 2014 03:53 AM PDT Nearly 80 civil society organisations met with European Union representatives in Yangon last week to find out how the EU can support the transition to democracy in Myanmar.

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