Democratic Voice of Burma

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• Mahasantisukha monks lodge high court appeal
• Bullet Points: 23 September 2014
• ‘Colonial style’ red tape blamed for delay in returning seized land
• Murdered Karen soldier’s body found in Myawaddy
• Burmese pop stars sing about war and peace at Netherlands concert
• Crunch time for ceasefire talks as delegates meet in Rangoon

Mahasantisukha monks lodge high court appeal Posted: 23 Sep 2014 05:44 AM PDT Ashin Uttara, a British monk arrested and disrobed in June, lodged an appeal at Rangoon High Court on Monday alongside four fellow clerics. Uttara and his colleagues have been charged with both "defaming religion" and "insubordination" of the state monastic council. The charges were laid mid-year, as the monastic council reclaimed the Mahasantisuka Monestary with the help of riot police in a midnight raid. The complex had been the focus of a draw out ownership dispute, between the council and a Malaysia-based monk with links to the 2007 Saffron Revolution. The state monastic council, known officially as the National Sangha Mahanayaka Committee, pressed the charge of "insubordination", which the quintet will defend in court. The charge of defaming Buddhism, however, was brought against the monks by the Rangoon Religious Affairs Department. The monks believe that the latter charge is out of order, and lodged an appeal at Rangoon High Court on Monday to see it stricken. "The Rangoon Division Religious Affairs officials abused the judicial system by disrobing us and sending us to Insein Prison," Uttara said outside the colonial-era courthouse on Monday. "At the hearing today we argued that detaining us in prison was outside legal parameters, because pressing charges against us had not been recommended by the National Sangha Mahanayaka Committee." "The fact that they continued to press charges for insubordination was completely unethical." The high profile case has seen many twists and turns, including the sacking of Religious Affairs Minister Hsan Hsint for his alleged mishandling of the affair. Outside the high court on Monday, Uttara told reporters that the Rangoon Division Religious Affairs Department might be exerting undue pressure on the court. Related Stories Myit Chae mob ransacks mosque after domestic servant's dispute Arakan govt moves to protect heritage sites Latpadaung locals shunned from sacred site "We have a question as to who is behind this attempt to imprison us. The prosecutor in the case is U Sein Maw, Rangoon Division Religious Affairs Director, but he would not say under whose instruction he was acting," Uttara continued. "Nonetheless, we believe the Rangoon Division High Court is not under the influence of the National Sangha Mahanayaka Committee and we regard it as an independent judicial body." The high court is expected to announce within the next month whether the Rangoon Division Religious Department's deformation charge will be upheld.

Bullet Points: 23 September 2014 Posted: 23 Sep 2014 04:53 AM PDT On today's edition of Bullet Points: Murdered Karen soldier's body found in Myawaddy Mahasantisukha saga continues Burma continues Asian games success You can watch Bullet Points every weeknight on DVB TV after the 7 o'clock news.

‘Colonial style’ red tape blamed for delay in returning seized land Posted: 23 Sep 2014 04:14 AM PDT Burma's parliamentary Farmland Investigation Commission has cited the overwhelming layers of bureaucracy – said to resemble archaic practices from the days of colonial rule – as the foremost cause for delays in returning confiscated land to its original owners. Presenting a damning report before the legislative assembly in Naypyidaw on Monday, the Commission said its findings were based on the feedback of 11 teams sent across Burma to monitor the implementation of land return schemes. Nan Say Awa, a Karen State MP and commission member who co-presented the report, slammed local government authorities for a lack of accountability and what he called "evidence of corruption". "It must be concluded that despite our leaders encouraging good clean governance, corruption and opportunism still prevails at a local authority level," she told assembled lawmakers. "Instead of swiftly and objectively executing land returns, local government bodies are still practicing a system of red tape that resembles the bureaucratic machine back in the colonial era," she exclaimed. "This causes huge delays in implementing policy." Related Stories Farmers face eviction in Mandalay Protesting Karenni farmers threatened by army commander Hpa-an farmers march for return of seized lands Aung Thein Linn, a lower house MP and commission secretary, who is also a former mayor of Rangoon, said, "According to our findings, only 58 cases have been resolved so far. Based on the pace of development, it is obvious that the relevant authorities will not give up the land easily." He also pointed to issues relating to compensation for the landowners involved. He said the Commission found that compensation was only being paid after it had been approved from "higher up" – a system that involved multiple tiers, from local and regional levels, proceeding to the Housing Department which in turn referred each case to the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement for approval. The report accused government departments and ministries of assigning junior officials who lack decision-making powers to land ownership and compensation claims. The Commission also criticised regional-level Land Management Committees for a lack of accountability. According to a report at the union government's first quarterly meeting this year, the Ministry of Defence took back over 210,000 acres of farmland across the country that had previously been confiscated under military junta rule. However the report noted that only 46,000 acres out of that figure had so far been returned to the farmers who previously owned it, the remainder still appeared to be in the hands of state and regional governments.

Murdered Karen soldier’s body found in Myawaddy Posted: 23 Sep 2014 03:44 AM PDT The body of a soldier from the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) has been found, handcuffed and badly mutilated, in the eastern Burmese border town of Myawaddy. Saw Tanoe, a private in KNLA Brigade-6's elite unit, went missing on 16 September while travelling on a motorbike taxi back from Myawaddy District's Maehtaw Thalay area to his unit's headquarters. Speaking to DVB on Tuesday, the KNLA's liaison officer in Myawaddy, Maj. Saw Zorro, said Brigade 6 learned the soldier had been handcuffed and abducted by troops from the Border Guard Force (BGF) unit 1022 at one of their checkpoints, based on the account of the motorbike taxi driver who was apparently let go. Related Stories Mayhem in Myawaddy as Karen rebel dies in drunken shootout Karen rebels respond to orders to disarm Karen groups call for KNU to reconcile with UNFC BGF-1022 is a former Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) battalion, which accepted a Burmese government-brokered deal to form a BGF in August 2010. "Saw Tanoe was travelling back to his mother unit when he was stopped at a checkpoint by BGF-1022," said Saw Zorro. "They apparently told the motorbike taxi driver to leave, telling him it was not his concern. "Our man had not been seen since then, and yesterday his body was uncovered, still handcuffed." He said KNLA Brigade 6 will be seeking answers from BGF-1022 officials. Representatives of BGF-1022 could not be reached for comment. Saw Tanoe becomes the second Karen fighter killed in the Myawaddy area after an incident on 19 September when a drunken DKBA soldier was shot dead by Burmese government forces and BGF troops.

Burmese pop stars sing about war and peace at Netherlands concert Posted: 22 Sep 2014 11:10 PM PDT Burmese pop icons Phyu Phyu Kyaw Thein and L Lun Wah performed at the "MasterPeace" concert in Netherlands, held on Sunday to commemorate International Peace Day. The concert aired across 45 countries and featured artists from conflict-ridden countries. MasterPeace is an initiative by a like-minded group of entrepreneurs, musicians and artists to foster intercultural understanding and fuel peace-building in regions of armed conflict. In Amsterdam's Ziggo Dome, against the backdrop of a busy backstage, where musicians from Congo, Ukraine and Columbia were rehearsing, DVB got an exclusive interview with the Burmese artistes. Energetic, despite hours of rehearsal, Phyu Phyu Kyaw Thein makes no secret of the fact that she was excited to perform and represent Burma in front of a diverse audience. Phyu Phyu Kyaw Thein and L Lun Wah selected a song called "War" to perform. They said they wrote this song specially for the occasion as they wanted to stress before a global audience that "a nation cannot be built with bullets". "We're crying out loud in our song to stop the fighting, to stop the war" said Phyu Phyu Kyaw Thein. Back home, Phyu Phyu Thein is often considered the Lady Gaga of Burma due to her extravagant dress sense and energy-packed performances. Having launched her career at the age of 19, Phyu Phyu became a controversial pop star in Burma with most TV channels refusing to air her bold videos. The censorship only enhanced her image among youngsters and she went ahead to become the best-selling Burmese singer in both 2012 and 2013 Neither Phyu Phyu nor L Lun Wah are strangers to the implications of war and how it tears apart a country. L Lun Wah, born in Kachin State, witnessed armed conflict at an early age. Through the lyrics of their song, the artists said they desire to convey a strong message to the world. "The name of our country has been long forgotten, while we have one of the longest running civil wars in the world," said Phyu Phyu Kyaw Thein. She further pointed out that "The impact is so big, not only at the frontier, but also in the cities. It affects our economy, our education, our healthcare. We are all suffering." L Lun Wah adds a simple message that sums up the rationale of his performance on Sunday night: "We are all humans. Maybe we don't have the same thoughts, but we have to help each other because we are all humans". Both artists said they recognise how important a platform this is for them to spread the word about Burma. "What is important is that we have been recognized, not just us, but our country, our people, by being part of this event. But at this international concert, where we collaborate, also with our different ethnic backgrounds, it means a lot. It is recognition for Burma again, that there are problems with peace in our country and that people are suffering and dying." Their performance was welcomed by an audience of 7,000 in Amsterdam, and by perhaps hundreds of thousands if not millions of viewers around the globe. The concert is scheduled to be aired in Burma on Skynet on 28 September. Phyu Phyu Kyaw Thein said that "War" will be included on a new album called "Nar mei kyan nay yit" [Thou shall be remembered] which will be released before the end of the year, and will be available on iTunes worldwide. Related Stories Netherlands to help Burma manage water   President Thein Sein embarks for Europe Bullet Points: 1 August 2014

Crunch time for ceasefire talks as delegates meet in Rangoon Posted: 22 Sep 2014 07:45 PM PDT The Burmese government's Union Peace-making Work Committee (UPWC) and the ethnic armed groups' Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT) kicked off a sixth round of negotiations at the Myanmar Peace Centre in Rangoon on Monday. Hopes are high that the talks, scheduled for five days, will result in a single-text agreement for a nationwide ceasefire; it was announced at the end of the last round in August that only five points were left to be discussed. Notwithstanding, some crucial military issues need to be resolved. "We expect to wrap up discussions on the draft as soon as possible, but we have to keep on amending it until we finally reach the point where we can all agree – we still have issues left to discuss on military issues, such as troop deployment and such," said Maj-Gen Gun Maw of the Kachin Independence Organisation. "And of course there will still be a lot of work to be done after an agreement is signed, so this round of negotiations should not be regarded as end of the peace-building process." Leading the government delegation is Minister Aung Min, the deputy head of the UPWC. Speaking to DVB on Monday, he said, "For the moment we at the fourth-draft stage of a single-text agreement containing 104 points – we have only five left to discuss." Related Stories Karen rebels respond to orders to disarm NLD 'not invited' to political conference Political parties gear up for post-ceasefire dialogue He added: "Our main objective is to find a solution to political problems via political means – to facilitate an all-inclusive political dialogue." A newly appointed government representative, Lt-Gen Khin Zaw Oo, attended the Rangoon parlay alongside chief negotiator Aung Min, while the ethnic alliance was headed by Nai Hongsa of the New Mon State Party. This week's talks are expected to see conclusive discussions on: a framework for political dialogue; who will sign the nationwide ceasefire agreement; troop deployment; a code of conduct for troops; the formation of a ceasefire monitoring joint-committee; and whether or not to prohibit recruitment drives. The last point, according to the current draft, prohibits ethnic armed groups from recruiting soldiers in the post-ceasefire period, a contentious point as, of course, as the country's national armed forces, the Burmese government side will continue recruiting. Naypyidaw has previously stated an intention to begin political dialogue by the beginning of 2015.

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