Saturday, October 25, 2014

Democratic Voice of Burma

Democratic Voice of Burma

Two Burmese arrested for murder of Thai duck farmer & wife

Posted: 25 Oct 2014 03:33 AM PDT

Two Burmese migrant workers have been arrested for the murder of a duck farm owner and his wife in Photharam, about 100km west of Bangkok in central Thailand.

Ratchaburi regional police announced this week that four Burmese migrant workers were involved in the double murder of Chukiat Nimnual, 65, and his 35-year-old Burmese wife, Ma Mee, who were killed on the night of 19 October.

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Two of the suspects, named simply as Yao, aged 26, and Ek, 16, have been arrested and charged, while two other Burmese suspects, Sue and Leik, were on the run, police said at a press conference on Thursday.

Police said the suspects had confessed that they killed the couple for money. They said the migrant workers had knocked on the farm house door and called to the farmer's wife that snakes were eating her duck eggs. When Ma Mee came and opened the door, they allegedly stabbed her with a knife, before cutting her husband's neck with a knife while he slept. The suspects then stole around 150,000 baht (US$5,000) from the couple's bedroom, police said, noting that they also recovered three mobile phones, one motorbike and a pickup truck, all presumably property of the duck farmers.

The news comes at the same time as another high-profile murder case in Thailand where two Burmese migrants have been arrested for the 15 September murder of two British tourists on the island of Koh Tao.

 

Rangoon police nab 12,000 drivers in a week

Posted: 25 Oct 2014 03:02 AM PDT

Rangoon traffic police have announced that they charged 12,000 drivers for traffic violations in just one week.

In an announcement on Friday, traffic authorities in the former Burmese capital said that during the previous seven days, they had caught some 12,000 drivers violating traffic regulations within the city. Typical offences, they said, were buses failing to keep to the right-hand lanes; vehicles driving on the wrong side of the road; highway buses driving within the city limits; and driving without a vehicle permit or correct documentation.

Fines for breaking traffic rules generally incurred a 1,500 kyat (US$1.50) fine, police authorities said.

There are around 600,000 registered vehicles in Rangoon Division, but only 1,000 traffic police, only 500 of whom were on patrol at any given time, the announcement said.

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Karen musician, 13, dazzles online

Posted: 25 Oct 2014 01:29 AM PDT

At 13 years of age, Jasmin is not your ordinary teenage girl. She has already performed on a Thai talent show while a YouTube video of her singing and playing guitar has already been watched by over 300,000 people. Although Jasmin grew up in Thailand, she is Sgaw Karen and her family is from Burma. Jasmin—whose Thai name is Patchalaware Damrongtamprasroet—can speak Burmese, Karen and Thai. But many of her songs, including her latest YouTube hit, are English-language cover songs.

Burmese women accepts peace award in Bangkok

Posted: 25 Oct 2014 01:19 AM PDT

Two women from Burma's Democracy and Peace Women Network received N-Peace awards in Bangkok on October 24.

Presented by the United Nations Development Programme, a "Peace Generation" award went to ex-political prisoner Wai Wai Nu for "defending the rights of marginalised women", while Mon activist Mi Khin Khin Kyu received the "Untold Stories" award for "working tirelessly to build a voice and fight for the rights of minority women".

In addition, the Democracy and Peace Women Network itself was awarded the title "Thinking Outside the Box" for 2014. The prize was collected by organisation coordinator Naw Ohn Hla, who is renowned in Burma for her leading role in opposing the Latpadaung copper mine in Sagaing Division.

The Democracy and Peace Women Network is a Rangoon-based civil society organisation made up of volunteers, who strive "to connect with those most in need in Myanmar, individuals and communities whose rights and freedoms have been marginalised," according to the N-Peace Network.

The Burmese women travelled to Bangkok to accept the awards at a ceremony from 24– 25 October.

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Accepting her award, Wai Wai Nu said, "Firstly, I am proud to get the prize as a Burmese citizen because we need a lot of support during this transition period in Burma. And, if you look around the region, our country was left behind. We need support and recognition. That's why I am happy to receive such an award. I feel this is a form of recognition for us. I will continue working for peace, justice and democracy in our country.”

Wai Wai Nu's entire family has spent time in detention for their activism. She herself was sentenced to 17 years imprisonment when aged just 18. She was released in a presidential amnesty in 2012, and has since continued to campaign for democracy and human rights in Burma.

Accepting the award in Bangkok on behalf of her organisation, Naw Ohn Hla said she too would continue working for peace in Burma.

"In our country, as we all know, human right abuses have been ongoing. There is a lot of things we can do for our country and our people. My aim since the beginning was to achieve peace in the country as well as human rights, rights of equality, and to protect women from oppression. We need to keep working on these issues."

The N-Peace Award was initiated in 2011 and is supported by AusAid.
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