Democratic Voice of Burma

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• President Thein Sein blames ‘outsiders’ for Sandoway riots
• Parliament approves farmers’ bill
• Miss Universe winner ‘feels like a soldier’
• Govt, NLD battle for high ground on constitutional reform

President Thein Sein blames ‘outsiders’ for Sandoway riots Posted: 04 Oct 2013 04:16 AM PDT President Thein Sein has accused "outsiders" of orchestrating this week's outbreak of communal violence in Sandoway in western Burma, suggesting it was a premeditated attack intended to undermine his first ever visit to the conflict-torn region. In a report published in state media, Thein Sein said he was "suspicious of the motives" behind the Sandoway riots, which left five Muslims dead and dozens of homes destroyed, and called for the perpetrators to be held to account. "Participation of [everyone] is needed to expose and arrest those who got involved in the incident and those instigating the conflict behind the scene," he told a gathering of Sandoway elders, including Kaman Muslims and Arakan Buddhists, according to Thursday's edition of the New Light of Myanmar. He reportedly blamed individuals driven by "external motives" for turning a trivial argument between a Muslim shop owner and Buddhist trishaw driver into an "unacceptable" outbreak of racial and religious violence. Thein Sein insisted that the government would take swift action to identify and prosecute rioters without discriminating on the basis of religion, and called on community leaders to teach local youths not to be "deceived by instigators". The newspaper also reported that Gen Hla Htay Win from the Ministry of Defence, who was accompanying Thein Sein on a pre-scheduled tour of Arakan state, met with Sandoway locals to inspect the damage caused in the three-day clashes. The article notes that Buddhist Sasana flags had been used to mark houses in order to avoid coming under attack – echoing reports from Meikhtila, where locals said Buddhists had distributed 969 stickers a week before similar violence flared in March. The 969 movement is an extremist Buddhist group preaching that Muslims are planning to take over the country and urged followers not to trade with them. According to the New Light, Buddhist locals in Sandoway had been instructed to buy the flags from some unidentified local organisations, fuelling speculation that 969-aligned groups were behind the violence. The report added that an investigation would be held to uncover who was responsible for distributing the Buddhist flags. On Wednesday, the Sandoway chairman of the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party, known for its inflammatory anti-Muslim rhetoric, and two members of a local nationalist group were held for questioning about their role in the unrest. Burma has been swept by a tide of religious violence, increasingly targeting its minority Muslim population, since last year when Rohingya Muslims – who are denied citizenship and popularly reviled – clashed with Buddhists in northern Arakan state. The unrest has since spread through Burma's heartlands, including Mandalay and the commercial capital Rangoon, targeting all Muslim communities. Thein Sein has also come under fire for a perceived failure to stem the violence, which has already displaced over 140,000 mostly Muslims and claimed at least 200 lives. Related Stories Political party leader detained in connection with Sandoway riots Sandoway: latest victim of communal chaos Terrified Muslims hiding in forests: AP Earlier this summer he defended 969 as a peaceful movement and banned a controversial edition of TIME Magazine that branded its main proponent, monk Wirathu, "The Face of Buddhist Terror". Although the state-backed monks' association, the Sangha Maha Nayaka, has since moved to ban 969 gatherings, there is little evidence that its leaders have been reproached. Many foreign governments and the UN have urged Burma to do more. Thursday's admission is the strongest signal yet that Burma is willing to recognise the role of nationalist extremists groups in stirring up communal tensions. The government's inertia has fuelled speculation that it is tacitly, if not actively, condoning abuses against Muslims, especially the Rohingya minority. But rights groups continue to question the government's commitment to tackle Buddhist extremism. Matthew Smith, the executive director at Fortify Rights International, described Thein Sein's comments as "vague" and unsatisfactory. "His remarks appear to be an attempt to direct attention to an unseen mastermind, diverting attention from a mountain of damning evidence against his own government for its role in ongoing violence and abuses against large segments of the Muslim population," he told DVB on Friday. He slammed Thein Sein for doing nothing to address the plight of the Rohingya, who unlike the Kaman Muslims in Sandoway, are denied basic rights such as freedom of movement and the right to an education. "The international community should disabuse itself of the convenient notion that the central government bears no responsibility for what is happening in Arakan state," he said. "We would all like to believe their hands are clean but it’s simply untrue."

Parliament approves farmers’ bill Posted: 04 Oct 2013 03:32 AM PDT Burma's parliament on Thursday approved the Farmers Rights Protection and Raising Interest Bill, ignoring President Thein Sein's recommended amendments. Win Myint, lower house MP for Bassein [Pathein] township, said: "This bill provides for the formation of a farm products administration board, and regional governments are to assign appropriate and experienced individuals to it for approval. "The bill will allow agricultural stipends for farmers, and keep product prices balanced," he said. "The administration will be tasked with stepping in whenever necessary to enforce a control on prices." A day earlier, on 2 October, the lower house of parliament approved a bill amending the 1954 State Insignia (Restricting Ornaments) Act, with a clause that includes a punishment for using images of Gen Aung San in public protests. As per the amendment, individuals caught using such pictures or paraphernalia during a public demonstration can be sentenced to one year imprisonment or a fine no more than 50,000 kyat (US$50) or both. Related Stories Farmers warned against 'fragmentary' new law Activists slam Association Law that would 'criminalise' dissent Burma's lower house to discuss amending electronics law

Miss Universe winner ‘feels like a soldier’ Posted: 04 Oct 2013 03:04 AM PDT Burma has crowned a Miss Universe contestant for the first time in over 50 years. Twenty-five-year-old Moe Set Wine, a business graduate, won over judges and the audience at the Miss Universe Myanmar competition at the National Theatre in Rangoon on Thursday evening. And she was clearly delighted to have won. "I still can't believe it, but I feel really happy because now I get the chance to represent my country," she said. The beauty pageant, hosted by Burmese hip hop star Sai Sai and model Tin Moe Lwin, featured 20 contestants who competed in three rounds – traditional dress, swimwear and ball gowns. Moe Set Wine will now go on to represent her country at the international Miss Universe competition in Moscow in November, the first time a Burmese woman has competed at the event since 1961. Organisers hope that Moe Set Wine's participation will bring Burma more recognition in the international arena. "Now this is the first goal for Myanmar [Burma], we are ready to go to an international stage and we want to show our Myanmar heart and that we're really happy and very proud to be Myanmar," said co-host and model Tin Moe Lwin. The revival of the competition, which included performances that referred to the ongoing civil war in the country, is a sign of continuing reform. "I feel like now I am a part of history, I feel like a soldier that is doing something for my country and my people," said the new Miss Universe Myanmar.

Govt, NLD battle for high ground on constitutional reform Posted: 04 Oct 2013 12:19 AM PDT Burma's Joint-house Committee for Reviewing the Constitution has announced through state media that it is seeking advice from political, legal, administrative and public stakeholders on how to proceed with moves to either amend or rewrite the 2008 constitution. According to a statement on Friday in the government-run The New Light of Myanmar, the committee said it "would seek assessment and advice from the Legislative Pillar, Administrative Pillar and Judicial Pillar through Pyidaungsu Hluttaw [the Union Assembly], and would seek assessment and advice of political parties, organisations and individuals." The 109-member Committee set a deadline of 15 November for the submission of such advice and assessment. The statement coincides with an announcement by the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) that it is conducting public surveys across Burma to request public opinion on whether to amend or completely rewrite the constitution. Lawyer Ko Ni, a member of the NLD's Constitution Amendment Committee, said the party has formed a team to conduct workshops in cities and towns across Burma to explain to people the issues surrounding the constitution and to listen to their opinions. Related Stories NUP calls for constitution to be amended, not re-written Women's groups call for new constitution USDP open to constitutional amendments "We plan to educate the public about the constitution – what it is and how it is important for the country," he said. "A democratic constitution should: (a) be based on the public's will; (b) vest state powers to the public. The 2008 constitution is not in accord with either of these requirements. It was drafted without the public's accord and it does not offer power to the public. That's why we would like to change it. "But a lot of tough challenges lie ahead – there are many articles to change so we want the public to choose—whether to amend or completely rewrite the constitution." He said the party is discussing plans to organise workshops at district and township levels but aims to complete the survey no later than the end of November when it will forward its findings to the Burmese parliament's Joint-house Committee for Reviewing the Constitution. Meanwhile, the United States on Thursday voiced hope that Burma would reform its constitution in time for the 2015 elections. “We hope constitutional reform will occur in time to ensure that Burma’s next elections in 2015 will be fully free and fair and provide the Burmese people the ability to freely choose their country’s leadership,” said Jason Rebholz, a US State Department spokesman. The current constitution of Burma was approved in a referendum in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis which devastated the southwest of the country in May 2008. The referendum was roundly condemned by observers; however the government claimed that 92 percent of the voting population had supported it at the polls.

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