Democratic Voice of Burma

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• Monks and religious leaders back interfaith marriage ban
• Tonnes of narcotics burned in Burma
• Migrant school to teach Burmese curriculum in Thailand
• Burma bans Time Magazine’s ‘Buddhist Terror’ edition

Monks and religious leaders back interfaith marriage ban Posted: 26 Jun 2013 05:58 AM PDT A growing number of monks and religious leaders have come out in support of Burma's controversial proposal to ban interfaith marriages, despite accusations that it would violate basic human and women's rights. The backing comes on the same week that its main architect and leader of the ultra-nationalists "969" movement, Wirathu, prepares to present another draft of the law to a monks' convention in Rangoon. An earlier draft of the law was sidelined by religious leaders during another religious meeting earlier this month, after it attracted outrage from political and civil society leaders. But Wirathu says the latest draft is "more balanced" and has garnered significant support through the collection of signatures. Senior religious figures told DVB that the law, which would force Buddhist women to obtain permission from the authorities before marrying a Muslim, is "necessary" to protect their religion. "This law is necessary for Burma because it is a loss for Buddhists when [Buddhist women] get married to foreigners and those from other religions," said Aung Myaing, chairperson of the Theravada Dharma Network, a Burmese religious network. "Our Buddhist women are not intelligent enough to protect themselves." A monk from Kaythara Rama monastery in Rangoon added that the law was drafted with support from legal experts, as well as the government-backed monastic body, the Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee. This seems to contradict government claims that they do not actively support Wirathu's "969" movement, which calls for Buddhists to boycott Muslim shops and businesses. The monk also slammed opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who recently criticised the law for violating human rights and women's liberty. "Now a major political party's chairperson is claiming this law violates human rights and she is absolutely wrong – she needs to change her statement," said Monk Kaythara in an interview. "This law doesn't say one cannot have interfaith marriage and so in no way violates human rights." The law demands that any Muslim man, who wants to marry a Buddhist woman, must first convert to her religion. Meanwhile, Buddhist women are obliged to obtain permission from her parents and local authorities before marrying a Muslim man. Women's rights groups have lashed out against the proposal and said that they would lobby against its implementation. But reports suggest that some women, who have spoken out against the proposal have been hounded and abused on social media by supporters of Wirathu. However, in a parliamentary session today, the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Kyaw Kyaw Tun, insisted that there were no plans to adopt new legislation addressing religious or racial tensions in Burma. "Existing laws are sufficient," he said. More moderate voices have also condemned the proposed marriage ban. "I don't think we need that in our country," said Thet Zin, the chief editor of Today's Era Magazine. "Our country is inhabited by majority Buddhists and Buddha himself never taught or suggested forcing people into Buddhism." Burma's national human rights commission has also slammed the proposal as unconstitutional. "It's only necessary to have mutual respect between the two religions," said secretary Sitt Myaing. The proposed marriage ban comes amid escalating tensions over a recent cover of Time Magazine, which brands Wirathu "The Buddhist Face of Terror". The edition was banned from publication by the government on Tuesday, after a flurry of outrage from political parties and local media. Describing him as a "son of Buddha", President Thein Sein on Sunday defended both Wirathu and his "969" movement as committed to peace. In an interview with DVB on Monday, the president's spokesperson, Ye Htut, also backed the notorious monk, who has been described as a "hate preacher" by most rights groups, adding that it was not his responsibility to monitor or restrict the content of his sermons. But rights groups insist that it is the government's job to both protect free speech and prevent incitement to religious violence. "Unfortunately what we can see here is that the government is failing to do either," Oliver Spencer from the free speech group, Article 19, told DVB. Burma has seen a rise in religious tensions since last year, when Buddhists clashed with Rohingya Muslims in Arakan state, displacing some 140,000 people and killing over 200. Since March, renewed bouts of anti-Muslim violence, which have been directly linked to Wirathu’s “969″ campaign, have claimed another 44 lives.

Tonnes of narcotics burned in Burma Posted: 26 Jun 2013 05:55 AM PDT In several cities around Burma ceremonies were held to incinerate massive hauls of drugs seized over the last year, in a bid to raise awareness on World Drug Day.

Migrant school to teach Burmese curriculum in Thailand Posted: 26 Jun 2013 03:01 AM PDT A new primary school for migrant children is set to open near Bangkok next month, where students will be able to study their native curriculum in the Burmese language for the first time, according to local sources. The school will open in Thailand's Samut Sakhon's Mahachai district on 1 July as part of a non-governmental initiative to improve education for Burmese migrant children and help prevent the use of underage labour. Classes will be taught exclusively in the Burmese language using Burma's national curriculum in a bid to expand educational opportunities for migrant children, who otherwise may not attend school. The project – a joint initiative by the migrant rights advocacy group Human Rights and Development Foundation (HRDF), local religious groups and NGOs — is expected to boost school attendance among Burmese school children in Thailand's swelling migrant population. "We aim to improve education for migrant children inThailandby officially teaching in the Burmese language," said U Toe from HRDF. "[We] also [want] to prevent them from becoming child workers." Although there are a number of other NGO schools for migrant children in Mahachai, none of them offer the Burmese curriculum taught in their national language, said U Toe. Burma's labour attaché in Bangkok, Kyaw Kyaw Lwin, told DVB they were planning to negotiate with the Thai government to obtain official recognition for the new school. "We gave social assistance for the school's foundation but it requires negotiations with Thai authorities to become official – we see potential for the meeting [with the Thai government]," said Kyaw Kyaw Lwin. In May, the Burmese embassy announced that it would begin issuing passports for migrant children in a bid to grant them legal status in the Kingdom. Although Thai law stipulates that all children, regardless of their status, are allowed to attend school, migrant children are often excluded for practical reasons, such as financial or language barriers, and forced to start working instead. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), over 200,000 Burmese children under the age of 17 live in Thailand. Less than 20 percent are estimated to attend school, mostly through specialist programmes set up by local NGOs. Migrants in Thailand make up about five percent of the county's workforce, and provide a crucial pool of labour for low-skilled, often dangerous, industries such as fishing and construction. Up to three million people, or about 80 percent, are estimated to come from Burma. There are around 60 migrant schools along the Thai-Burma border in western Thailand's Tak Province, while around 15 at Mahachai in Samut Sakhon near Bangkok. None are formally recognised by the Thai Ministry of Education.

Burma bans Time Magazine’s ‘Buddhist Terror’ edition Posted: 25 Jun 2013 10:09 PM PDT Burma late Tuesday banned a controversial Time magazine cover story on Buddhist-Muslim religious violence “to prevent further conflict”, according to a government spokesman, after days of angry reaction to the article. The ban of the piece, which carried a front page photograph of a prominent radical Buddhist monk accused of fuelling anti-Muslim violence with the headline ‘The Face of Buddhist Terror’, comes despite the apparent easing of censorship rules in a reforming nation whose former military regime closely controlled the media. Government spokesman Ye Htut posted news of the ban on his Facebook page, attributing the decision to a committee investigating deadly religious violence that has rocked the country as it undergoes democratic reforms. “The article entitled ‘The Face of Buddhist Terror’ in Time magazine 1 July issue is prohibited from being produced, sold or and distributed in original copy or photocopy in order to prevent further racial and religious conflicts,” Ye Htut’s post said, adding that further details will be in Wednesday’s newspapers. It was unclear how the front cover and accompanying article will be censored in print and online. Under the junta articles deemed inflammatory or dissenting were often torn from newspapers and magazines or inked out altogether. Social media users in the former junta-ruled nation have voiced dismay at the front page, which shows a photograph of Mandalay monk Wirathu, whose anti-Muslim remarks have come under scrutiny following a wave of deadly religious violence. The presidential office on Sunday said it “creates a misunderstanding of Buddhism” and undercut efforts to dampen tensions after two major bouts of violence in which scores have died — mainly Muslims — and thousands been driven from their homes by mobs. The use of the words “Buddhist” and “Terror” in the article upset all followers of the faith, which is peaceful “and not for terrorists,” a message accompanying an online petition which had garnered more than 60,000 names said late Tuesday. Eye-witnesses to violence which flared in March in central Burma said people dressed in monks’ robes were involved in the unrest. Radical monks have led a campaign to shun shops owned by Muslims. Wirathu has also called for a law to restrict marriages between Buddhist women and men of other faiths. Senior monks, however, have accused foreign media of one-sided reporting of the Buddhist-Muslim conflict. Several episodes of religious fighting have exposed deep rifts in the Buddhist-majority country and cast a shadow over widely praised political reforms since military rule ended two years ago. In March at least 44 people were killed in sectarian strife in central Burma with thousands of homes set ablaze. Communal unrest last year in the western state of Arakan left about 200 people dead and up to 140,000 displaced, mainly Rohingya Muslims.

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