Democratic Voice of Burma |
- One group’s struggle to modernise Chin State’s farming techniques
- Kanbawza FC returns to Rangoon
- Police assault protestors in Pegu, say witnesses
- Arakan National Day celebrated in Rangoon
| One group’s struggle to modernise Chin State’s farming techniques Posted: 15 May 2014 04:14 AM PDT A collective of ethnic Matu people – a major sub group of the Chin – are working on an initiative to replace slash and burn farming in Matupi Township. In the Chin hills many people make their living by subsistence farming, and slash and burn techniques are widely used to clear the fields for the next season. The group, called the Matu Forum, aim to introduce sustainable and eco-friendly agricultural methods, in a bid to conserve the environment. "It won't be an easy task bringing an end to shifting cultivation in Matupi and elsewhere in Chin state," said Ngaisak, chairman of the Matu Forum. "Because in order to do so, substitute farming methods should be implemented and the government itself is as yet unable to provide that." The Matu Forum are still researching the best alternative to shifting cultivation – a system where land plots are cultivated temporarily and then abandoned while other plots are farmed. As well as causing deforestation, the slash and burn technique releases carbon into the atmosphere, which contributes to pollution. The Matu Forum are in the process of deciding which crops will be viable to grow in a sustainable way. "We are planning to invite assistance from specialists and experts to determine what to grow – whether elephant foot yam or tea, and whether it will be sufficient," said Ngaisak Related StoriesThe forum's chairman said previous efforts to introduce sustainable agriculture methods to areas in Chin State had failed. "The SPDC [State Peace and Development Council] government experimented with growing tea, which was successful to an extent but not on a commercial scale. So we have a lot of research to do before introducing a substitute method," Ngaisak said. Chin State is the least developed of Burma's 14 administrative regions. The Matu Forum has been promoting agricultural reforms and ecological farming techniques to help protect the environment and to ensure that the local people of Matupi can enjoy a sustainable source of income.
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| Kanbawza FC returns to Rangoon Posted: 15 May 2014 03:52 AM PDT Kanbawza Football Club will relocate from Taunggyi, Shan State to Rangoon for the next season of the Myanmar [Burma] National League. The franchise originated in Rangoon, in the days before the creation of the Myanmar National League allowed for clubs to be established outside of the former capital. Kanbawza is set to abandon its current home ground, Taunggyi Stadium, which it had previously leased from the Shan State government under a 30-year contract signed in 2011. The club had sponsored extensive renovation work and upgrades to the stadium during their stay. "The Myanmar Football Federation will assign us a new ground – we are looking to base in Rangoon," said the club's manager Khin Maung Latt. While one may imagine that Taunggyi locals would be sad to see their team move on, local footballer Khun Kyaw Zin Htun is looking forward to taking advantage of the playing space. "It's good to have the stadium back," said Khun Kyaw Zin Htun, a local resident of Taunggyi. "As it was being used by the club, we had to go and play football at the army-owned field or the ground in Shwe Nyaung [Township]." Burmese football has undergone vast changes in a short period of time, as government and private investment has strengthened domestic competition. Business tycoon Tay Za, whose interests include Htoo Group and Air Bagan, is the owner of Yangon FC, a traditional powerhouse in the Myanmar National League that has also enjoyed success on a continental level. The Burmese national team has also profited from the stability within the Burmese league and saw notable success at home during the Southeast Asian games in December 2013. Kanbawza FC hopes that their move to Rangoon is an auspicious one, as they look to compete in a strengthening Myanmar National League. |
| Police assault protestors in Pegu, say witnesses Posted: 15 May 2014 02:48 AM PDT Local sources say a group of around 20 protestors were set upon and beaten by police on Wednesday in Thegone village tract, Pegu Divison. The attack followed a protest held by a group of farmers demanding return of land and marking the three-month anniversary of a police crackdown on a previous protest. Pegu police were unresponsive to DVB's request for confirmation and comment. In February, more than 100 farmers from Aungon, in Thegone village tract, occupied a vacant plot of land for four days, calling for the return of 1,100 acres of land they say was confiscated by the Burmese military in 1997. On 14 February, some 60 uniformed policemen — accompanied by more than 100 other people not in uniform — beat the farmers before forcibly removing them from the site. Four of the farmers were charged under Article 18 of the Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession Act — which requires permission to protest — in relation to the February sit-in. On Wednesday, two people were seriously injured as 30 policemen assaulted a smaller group of the same farmers, according to Myint Aye, a lawyer. Credible images of the demonstrators and damages allegedly caused to their bodies have since been circulated on social media. "The farmers, when they arrived at Tat village on the way back to Aungon, were attacked by some 30 policemen. A young man named Kaung Htet Kyaw, a farmers' rights activist, was beaten senseless and handcuffed by the police,"said Myint Aye. "Another villager named Daw Nyo was also beaten up and arrested – she was seen being taken into a lockup truck – and a man named Ko Win was also arrested," Myint Aye said. Kaung Htet Kyaw avoided arrest after the local abbot in Tat village pleaded with police to let him free. He said the attack took place after media reporters covering the event had left. Last week, a court hearing led to five of the Thegone campaigners being charged with defamation of the state, Article 505(b) of Burma's penal code. Thant Zin Htet, Pauk Sa, Daw Nyo, Daw Mone and Kyaw Thu were found to have breached the law in their evocation of a curse against the Burmese government, performed in retaliation to February's arrests and beatings. On 6 May, Pauk Sa was refused bail on the state defamation charge. He was taken to Paungde Prison. There more violence ensued as protesters convened outside the prison gates immediately after Pauk Sa's arrival at the prison. The Aungon protestors have vowed to continue their struggle until their lands are returned. |
| Arakan National Day celebrated in Rangoon Posted: 14 May 2014 11:50 PM PDT The first celebration of the newly established Arakan National Day was held in Rangoon on Wednesday. Designated during the Arakan National Congress that took place in Kyaukphyu, Arakan State, in late April, the holiday is not yet officially recognised by the union government. Celebrations were orchestrated by Rangoon's regional Rakhine [Arakan] Ethnic Affairs Ministry. The event kicked off at the Arakanese monastery in front of Shwedagon Pagoda, with more than 60 participants including Aye Thar Aung and Aye Maung of the Rakhine National Party (RNP), and Arakanese civil society figures. Attendees of the Arakan National Congress, held in the western state from 27 April to 5 May, agreed to designate the 1st Waning of Kason – according to the Burmese calendar – as a day of national pride, as it is the date Arakanese people believe that their most-revered Mahamuni Buddha stupa was cast. Arakanese legend holds that the Maha Myat Muni Buddha stupa was cast around 554 BC, modelled directly from Buddha during his lifetime. The treasure was confiscated by the Burmese during an invasion in 1784 and installed in the Mahamuni Temple in Mandalay's Amarapura, where it remains to date. The stupa has long been a popular pilgrimage site and is now a major tourist attraction. "Being able to designate the day the Mahamuni Stupa was cast as the Arakan National Day after more than 60 years of independence, as I see it, signifies a path determined by Arakanese to preserve their race and religion," said Aye Maung, deputy chairman and upper house parliamentarian representing the RNP. Celebrations were held in other parts of the country, as well, with Arakanese communities uniting in their home state, and in both Mandalay and Tavoy [Dawei]. "We, the Arakanese, have a rich history;" said Aye Thar Aung, chairman of the RNP, "our kingship and throne." He said that he and his fellows have long been frustrated by disagreements over the designation of an Arakanese holiday, and that the successful consensus and festivities were a satisfying end. "I am extremely delighted," he said. |
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