Democratic Voice of Burma

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• DVB Bulletin: 11 December 2014
• Thein Sein calls for greater regional unity in ASEAN-Korea summit
• NZ bar manager arrested in Buddha insult storm
• Professors voice support for student protests
• Par Gyi’s widow slams state inquiry into his death
• Koh Tao murders: Trial to start 26 Dec

DVB Bulletin: 11 December 2014 Posted: 11 Dec 2014 04:43 AM PST On tonight's bulletin: Thein Sein in South Korea for ASEAN talks Sittwe reporter beaten while on Kaladan investigation Bago farmers march for land return NZ citizen among in court over ‘buddha’ bar scandal You can watch DVB Bulletin every weeknight on DVB TV after the 7 o'clock news. The post DVB Bulletin: 11 December 2014 appeared first on DVB Multimedia Group.

Thein Sein calls for greater regional unity in ASEAN-Korea summit Posted: 11 Dec 2014 03:59 AM PST Burmese President Thein Sein encouraged business leaders in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to build ties for future economic growth on Thursday. Over 400 business leaders from South Korea and Southeast Asian countries are attending the 2014 ASEAN-Korea CEO Summit to discuss regional and global economics. He was joined in this call for greater business unity by his South Korean counterpart and the host of this year's summit, President Park Geun-hye. But with with renewed scrutiny on Burmese politics, Burma's international reputation may be at odds with the amount of business the country wishes to attract. The summit will continue for until Friday. Related Stories Irrawaddy riverbank squatters return after eviction Modern trams to follow historical route Burma ratifies biological weapons treaty The post Thein Sein calls for greater regional unity in ASEAN-Korea summit appeared first on DVB Multimedia Group.

NZ bar manager arrested in Buddha insult storm Posted: 11 Dec 2014 12:34 AM PST A New Zealander is appearing in a Rangoon court on Thursday after being arrested for insulting religion by using an image of the Buddha wearing headphones in a bar promotion. He could face jail or deportation. Three managers of V Gastro bar – a newly opened tapas restaurant and nightclub in the upmarket Golden Valley neighbourhood of Rangoon's Bahan Township – were detained for questioning by police while the bar-restaurant was shut down following an official complaint by the Religious Affairs Department. Police named the three as: general manager Philip Blackwood, 32, from New Zealand; owner Tun Thurein, 40; and manager Htut Ko Ko Lwin, 26. The promotional advertisement has now been taken down from the V Gastro Facebook page, but not before it sparked heavy criticism and howls of protest online. Furious netizens – some shouting for the bar managers to be lynched – were joined by monks from the fundamentalist Buddhist group, ma-ba-tha, in front of the establishment on Wednesday evening, prompting police and local authorities to intervene and mediate. Related Stories Rangoon govt tackles traffic congestion Magwe monks march in support of race protection laws Wirathu rejects 'self-immolation' rumours The management of the nightclub issued an apology online: "VGastro management would like to express our sincere regret if we have offended the citizens of this wonderful city, who have welcomed us so warmly and generously. Our intention was never to cause offense to anyone or toward any religious group. Our ignorance is embarrassing for us and we will attempt to correct it by learning more about Myanmar’s religions, culture and history, characteristics that make this such a rich and unique society. We thank the citizens of Yangon for their patience and kindness and sincerely hope that our apology will be accepted." The poster for the newly opened nightspot portrayed a psychedelic mock-up of the Buddha wearing DJ headphones as part of a drinks promotion for an event on Sunday night. "According to Mr Philip's statement, they were trying to promote the bar. Buddha grabs people's interest. However Buddhists cannot accept this," Bahan police deputy-superintendent Sgt-Maj Thein Win told reporters late on Wednesday. He said the three have been charged under articles 295 and 295(a) of the Penal Code for "insulting religion" and 'hurting religious feelings'. He added that police may seek a closure of the nightclub under Article 188. Religious incidents have spiralled in recent years in post-dictatorship Burma, with a series of attacks on Muslims. Fundamentalist pro-Buddhist groups such as 969 are frequently accused of stoking violence. The post NZ bar manager arrested in Buddha insult storm appeared first on DVB Multimedia Group.

Professors voice support for student protests Posted: 10 Dec 2014 09:47 PM PST The Rangoon University Teachers' Association (RUTA) has announced its support for students protesting the National Education Bill. In a 12-point statement released on 10 December, RUTA said it supports protests held in various cities across the country by students and university lecturers against enactment of the controversial draft law, and is confident that their "selfless acts are aimed at serving the best interests of future generations". Universities across Burma have been invited to send representatives – one professor and one lecturer each – to a conference at Rangoon University's Diamond Jubilee Hall, which organisers hope to host this weekend. RUTA joint-secretary Pyeit Phyo Kyaw said the statement was released prior to the event to reflect the Teachers' Association's stance on the issue. "We have been invited to send two representatives to the talk – one member of the Association and one professor. If we participate, we will base our discussions on the 12 points of the statement," he said. Related Stories Student leaders face charges after Education Bill rally in Taungoo DVB Debate: Empowering disabled people Mandalay students, profs parlay after Education Bill protest The RUTA joint-secretary said the Association was also joining efforts to establish an education body that would allow transparency and the inclusion of lecturers and students when making appointments to university departments. The controversial National Education Law was enacted by the Union Parliament in July this year, triggering student protests across the country. Protest leaders last month issued a 60-day deadline to amend the law, threatening to step up demonstrations if demands were not met. The bill provides for the creation of a National Education Commission, which civil society organisations such as the National Network for Education Reform say they believe will keep the education sector under tight government control. Burma's education system was stymied under decades of military rule, a period which also saw the imposition of policies geared towards disenfranchisement of the nation's minorities. The country is sorely short of highly-skilled instructors and the budget allocated for the school system is under six percent of national spending. The post Professors voice support for student protests appeared first on DVB Multimedia Group.

Par Gyi’s widow slams state inquiry into his death Posted: 10 Dec 2014 08:24 PM PST The widow of Burmese journalist Par Gyi, who died while in Burmese army custody last month, has rejected findings from the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission's (MNHRC) report into his death. In a statement released on 10 December, Ma Thandar blasted the official inquiry as neither comprehensive nor impartial, and called for a new and independent investigation into her husband's death. She highlighted the shortcomings in the MNHRC report, such as failure to mention the Kyeikmayaw police handing him over to the Burmese army without court procedures, and what she maintains are the inaccurate details of injuries Par Gyi sustained. The statement was addressed to nine government departments, including the President's Office, the military commander-in-chief and the MNHRC. The case has garnered much international attention and Burma has received appeals to be more transparent regarding the details of Par Gyi's death. Various accounts have contradicted the official line, including allegations he was tortured while in army custody. Related Stories Calls for probe into army killing of Kachin girl, 14 Tatmadaw expanding presence, says Karenni NGO Koh Tao murders: Burmese pair indicted Thandar wrote: "Although it can be concluded that the wounds on Ko Par Gyi's body show he died from torture, the commission reported biasedly that there were no witness accounts." Speaking to DVB earlier this week, Ma Thandar said the report only mentioned superficially her husband's rights as a Burmese citizen. "I find it unacceptable that the report did not highlight anything regarding his citizen rights – it failed to mention that the army had no authority to take him into a war zone without approval from a judge and that he was handed over to the army by the local police station without any paperwork," she said. "That is basically the same as what human traffickers do." Ma Thandar, a former political prisoner, said in the statement that the MNHRC's current chairman, Win Zaw, was the former director of the notorious Insein prison where she had been held, where he personally ordered her one-year solitary confinement after she complained about a human rights situation in the prison. She also attacked the commission's profile of her lawyer, Robert San Aung, a certified Supreme Court practitioner, by referring to him in the report as "a so-called lawyer". The post Par Gyi's widow slams state inquiry into his death appeared first on DVB Multimedia Group.

Koh Tao murders: Trial to start 26 Dec Posted: 10 Dec 2014 07:12 PM PST Attorneys for two Burmese men charged with killing two British backpackers on the Thai island of Koh Tao are scrambling to prepare their defence after a court moved up the first hearing date by two months. Koh Samui Provincial Court asked public prosecutors and lawyers for Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun (a.k.a. Wai Phyo) to submit their cases a week ahead of the 26 December hearing. Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo had pleaded not guilty on Monday. The court had initially set the first hearing — where evidence would be examined and the first witnesses summoned — for 25 February, but pushed it forward to speed up the case that has been under intense international scrutiny. The new schedule was confirmed by Tawatchai Siengjaew, chief of the Office of Public Prosecution Region 8, in an interview with INN. The two are charged with murdering David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, on Sairee beach on Koh Tao in Surat Thani province, southern Thailand, on 15 September. They are also charged with raping Witheridge. The two Burmese migrants had confessed the crimes to investigators and later retracted on grounds that they were tortured and threatened. Police have denied their accusations. Related Stories Taunggyi trial: Muslims complain of threats Burmese defendants plead not guilty to Koh Tao murders Koh Tao murders: Burmese pair indicted Thailand's national police chief Pol Gen Somyot Pumpunmuang met Keith Bristow, the director-general of the National Crime Agency, in London on Tuesday to explain the case to British authorities. Police spokesman Pol Lt Gen Prawut Thawornsiri, who was also there, said British police were satisfied with the Thai investigation that eventually led to the arrest of the two suspects in early October. The defendants have been detained at Koh Samui prison since 4 October. The two wrote an open letter on 3 December calling for justice and again on Tuesday calling for help from Burma's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. ”We were not involved in this crime. We think it is injustice that we are in jail. We want justice and equality,” said the letter, written in Burmese. The families of the two Britons murdered on the resort island said on Friday the evidence against the two Burmese migrants accused of the crime was "convincing".   This article was originally published in the Bangkok Post on 10 December 2014. The post Koh Tao murders: Trial to start 26 Dec appeared first on DVB Multimedia Group.

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