Democratic Voice of Burma

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• Demonstrators vent anger over journalist’s killing
• Bullet Points: 27 October 2014
• Suu Kyi calls for PR referendum
• Celebrities brawl at charity football match
• 7 sentenced to 7 years each for Taunggup lynchings: DPA
• Burma govt ‘wants ethnic armed groups eliminated’: KIO chairman

Demonstrators vent anger over journalist’s killing Posted: 27 Oct 2014 06:06 AM PDT Three hundred people gathered in central Rangoon on Sunday to denounce the extrajudicial killing of Par Gyi. The freelancer was shot while in military custody in Mon State earlier this month. Civil society leaders called for an open investigation into his death. Related Stories Missing journalist allegedly killed by Burmese army Military MPs will not support changing 436 Ye Htut meets with journalists to discuss press freedom

Bullet Points: 27 October 2014 Posted: 27 Oct 2014 05:57 AM PDT On tonight's edition of Bullet Points: 7 sentenced over 2012 Rakhine lynching Protesters vent anger at Par Gyi murder Women’s only bus on route in Rangoon Charity football match turns sour You can watch Bullet Points every weeknight on DVB TV after the 7 o'clock news.

Suu Kyi calls for PR referendum Posted: 27 Oct 2014 05:18 AM PDT During a debate today in Burma's lower house of parliament, opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi said a referendum should be held to gauge public opinion on the various types of voting systems proposed for the 2015 elections. In particular, Suu Kyi said the public should be given a chance to express whether they support a proportional representation (PR) system because the public never asked for it in the first place. Khin San Hlaing, a lower house National League for Democracy (NLD) representative, said: "We don't see why the current 'first-past-the-post' [FPTP] system should be changed unless it causes a major problem." "More importantly, we think it doesn't matter which voting method is used—so long as the people understand and accept it." After the upper house passed a proposal in June recommending that Burma adopt a PR system for all future elections, the proposal was sent to the lower house, which formed a review committee on the topic. The lower house review committee recently suggested eight different voting systems for the 2015 elections, and during today's debate the NLD signalled that it wants voters to have some input on this important issue. Ironically, both the NLD and the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) have previously expressed support for a PR voting system, whereas ethnic groups have been wary of changing the current FPTP system—even though PR systems are designed, in part, to give minorities more representation in government. Related Stories Ye Htut meets with journalists to discuss press freedom Upper house approves TV & Broadcasting Bill Will Burma's Reforms Sideline Suu Kyi's Political Influence? PR systems usually have large voting districts, which means that each voting district has many representatives. Citizens then vote for political parties rather than individual candidates, and the parties make a list of their top candidates for each district. If, for example, a party wins 20% of the votes in a 100-seat district, then that party's top 20 candidates automatically win a seat in the district. PR systems are thought to benefit (e.g. ethnic) minorities because even if a minority comprises only 3% of a 100-seat district, then that minority will likely win three seats (assuming everyone votes along ethnic lines) and therefore have a voice in government. A potential drawback of PR systems is that districts tend to be large, so voters might not be familiar with the parties' candidates or policies. Similarly, a party's top candidates might not know or care about issues in a voter's local area. As a result, voters in PR systems must trust the party they vote for because it's the parties that select the candidates. The voters only vote for their favorite party, which may or may not choose good candidates.

Celebrities brawl at charity football match Posted: 27 Oct 2014 02:16 AM PDT A charity football match involving Burmese celebrities descended into chaos when fights broke out in each half between players of opposing teams. Hosted on Sunday at Aung San Stadium in Rangoon, the supposed "friendly" soccer game was a fundraiser for the National Paralympic Committee of Myanmar, and featured 11 members of Comedians FC playing against a team calling themselves Bioscope FC, which consisted of well-known male actors, including former-model-turned-rapper-turned-actor Sai Sai Kham Leng. Related Stories Heartbreak, pride for Burma in football semis Burma fined after unruly fans invade football pitch, rip up seats Burma’s U-19 football team qualifies for World Cup But fans were shocked when a fight broke out after 25 minutes, causing the referee to stop play. Then again in the second half, the TV stars went at it again; this time a mass brawl involving players and coaching staff, which officials and stadium volunteers tried to break up. The comedians eventually got the last laugh, winning the match 1-0. The incident casts yet another shadow over Burmese football; earlier his month, the Myanmar Football Federation was ordered to pay a US$24,000 fine and play one competitive international match behind closed doors within the next two years due to the unruly behaviour of fans at the U-19s games against Iran and United Arab Emirates.

7 sentenced to 7 years each for Taunggup lynchings: DPA Posted: 26 Oct 2014 09:51 PM PDT An Arakanese court has sentenced seven Buddhists each to seven years in jail over the killing of 10 Muslim pilgrims in an attack on a passenger bus in 2012, according to the Deutsche Presse-Agentur  (DPA) news group, citing the men's lawyer on Saturday. The seven had appealed the sentence at the district court in Sandoway [Thandwe] in July. They were originally convicted of murder in May under Penal Code articles 302 and 34. In an incident that was one of the main precursors of the communal violence erupting in Arakan State, in early June 2012 hundreds of people in Taunggup dragged ten individuals off a bus filled with Muslim pilgrims and beat them to death. The bus was then set ablaze as members of the mob urinated on the victims. The attack was sparked by an incident the month before when three men, two of whom were assumed to be Muslim, were accused of raping and murdering a local Buddhist woman. Two of the suspects were sentenced to death while the third committed suicide in prison. Arakanese police originally arrested 30 persons in connection with the lynching of the 10 Muslim pilgrims. Eye-witnesses reported that local police in Taunggup stood by and watched as the lynch mob murdered the pilgrims. Related Stories Four men found guilty of Mandalay murder Myit Chae mob ransacks mosque after domestic servant's dispute Anti-Muslim anthem heightens tension in Sandoway

Burma govt ‘wants ethnic armed groups eliminated’: KIO chairman Posted: 26 Oct 2014 09:05 PM PDT Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) Chairman Lanyaw Zawng Hra, in a message commemorating the 54th anniversary of the founding of the organisation on Saturday, urged all party members to stay vigilant as there are many unexpected troubles, palpable tensions, unsettled political problems and possible battles that lie ahead in the future. Lanyaw Zawng Hra said KIO came to the negotiating table with an honest hope that Burma's decades-old political problems will be solved but the Burmese government has its own agenda and wants ethnic armed groups eliminated. Learning lessons from the past, ethnic armed groups' NCCT firmly stands on the principle that a nationwide ceasefire agreement guarantees future political dialogues for ethnic rights. We want a continuous process to achieve political settlements not a nationwide ceasefire that is an end in itself, said Zawng Hra. Related Stories ABSDF, 88 Gen discuss constitutional reform UNFC questions Burmese military commitment to peace Burma govt tables liaison body proposal to SSA-N "Major attacks on groups that have signed ceasefire agreements and increased military deployment in ethnic areas clearly suggest that Burmese government and its army are not yet willing to solve political problems with political means through negotiations," added Zawng Hra. "We ourselves have to be prepared." KIO chairman also urged all Kachin nationals to actively participate in drug elimination campaigns and encouraged IDPs to continue to endure their present hardship until genuine peace returns. Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) was founded on Oct 25, 1960 at Hsenwi (Thein Ni) in northern Shan State by 19 founding members. Kachin Independence Army (KIA), an armed wing of KIO, was established the following year at Lashio on Feb 5, 1961. On Sept 26, 1958, then Burma's prime minister U Nu addressed to the nation in political turmoil that the head of the army General Ne Win was called upon to handle the disturbances and placate the situation necessary for conducting a free and fair general election. Gen. Ne Win took the power from elected government and forcefully ruled the country from Oct 28, 1958 to Feb 6, 1960. Clean faction of AFPFL led by U Nu again won the election in Feb, 1960. U Nu-led democratic government proclaimed Buddhism as state religion and handed three Kachin villages (Hpi Maw, Gaw Lam and Kam Hpang) that encompassed about 58 square miles over to China. Changing policy of Burman-led government, gradually losing inherited rights to govern their own territories and manage their own affairs compelled Kachin leaders and university students, who had endured broken Panglong promises made by AFPFL leader General Aung San, to begin an armed revolution as a last resort to rebellion against tyranny and injustice.

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