Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Democratic Voice of Burma

Democratic Voice of Burma

No relief for jailed New Zealander as ‘Buddha Bar’ storm continues

Posted: 13 Jan 2015 05:21 AM PST

Phil Blackwood, 33, remains incarcerated in Rangoon’s notorious Insein Prison, accused of offending religion.

He has accepted responsibility for a Facebook post that depicted the Buddha wearing headphones and promoted discounted alcoholic drinks at the V Gastro Bar.

Options are running out for the New Zealand national who fronted court for a fifth time on Wednesday, alongside two Burmese codefendants, Tun Thurein and Htut Ko Ko Lwin.

Blackwood’s defence lawyer remains downbeat, in a case closely watched by a devoutly Buddhist nation.

The post No relief for jailed New Zealander as ‘Buddha Bar’ storm continues appeared first on DVB Multimedia Group.

DVB Bulletin: 13 January 2015

Posted: 13 Jan 2015 05:09 AM PST

On tonight's bulletin:

  • Political prisoners, freedom of assembly slated for US-Burma rights talks
  • Burmese woman executed in Saudi Arabia
  • Nay Myo Zin, Naw Ohn Hla face Rangoon court
  • Trade in raw timber has plummeted says Govt

You can watch DVB Bulletin every weeknight on DVB TV after the 7 o'clock news.

The post DVB Bulletin: 13 January 2015 appeared first on DVB Multimedia Group.

Minhla farmers call for return of land used for ordnance factory

Posted: 13 Jan 2015 01:44 AM PST

Farmers in Minhla Township in Magwe Division are calling on the Burmese military to return some 300 acres of land they say was seized from them in 1992.

The farmland allegedly belonged to residents of Sissano village, but was confiscated by the military more than two decades ago for use at a nearby ordnance factory. The land was then leased back to the original owners in exchange for a cut of their annual sesame harvest yield.

"Previously the army charged us four baskets of sesame, but later the amount was increased to eight baskets," a local farmer told DVB.

"Around 300 acres of land belonging to 40 local farmers was appropriated by the army to build a gun range. We are now ineligible for loans from the agricultural department when we work the land," he added.

The farmers called on the military to return the land to the original owners.

"Some of the land is being used as a gun range, which is preventing rural development in the area. If the army allowed us to reclaim ownership, we would be delighted," said one.

In December 2014, the Burmese army announced that it intended to return farmland that had been confiscated, mostly during the period of the previous ruling military junta.

The post Minhla farmers call for return of land used for ordnance factory appeared first on DVB Multimedia Group.

Eyes on Rangoon’s precious heritage

Posted: 13 Jan 2015 01:17 AM PST

An international forum focusing on the need to safeguard the fabric of Rangoon's heritage will begin in the city this week. The 'forum on sustainable development' event is organised by the World Monuments Fund (WMF) and Yangon Heritage Trust (YHT) and will run from 15-17 January.

At a time when Burma is undergoing social and economic development at a rapid pace, Rangoon still contains many of its buildings of historical and cultural interest. The city was included in the 2014 World Monuments Watch list.

Bonnie Burnham, WMF president, said that, "Yangon [Rangoon] is one of the few historic cities in Asia with much of its historic character still in place. The most important priority for safeguarding the historic centre of Yangon is to make clear its relevance as an economic and development asset and to bring this message to the leaders of the country."

In a statement released on Monday, the partnership identified challenges to architectural protection in Burma as the weak regulatory framework, limited professional planning expertise, and mounting pressures for development, all of which leave Rangoon vulnerable to hasty decision making.

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The forum will assist Burma in the task of heritage preservation as it aims to "raise practical suggestions, based on Myanmar [Burma] realities, including the pressing legal, financial, and other challenges facing conservation and urban development in Yangon. The Yangon government has made huge progress in urban conservation, far more than many Asian cities at similar periods in their development; I hope this forum will encourage them further and provide real solutions to the thorny issues they face on a daily basis," says the chairman of YHT, Dr. Thant Myint-U.

Attendees will include representatives from national and municipal government agencies, private groups, civil society organisations and NGOs, as well as international institutions such as the European Union, Asian Development Bank, World Bank and Association of South East Asian Nations, as well as members of the media.

The post Eyes on Rangoon's precious heritage appeared first on DVB Multimedia Group.

President hosts multi-party meeting in Naypyidaw

Posted: 12 Jan 2015 11:28 PM PST

Burma's President Thein Sein hosted opposition leaders, ministers for ethnic affairs, ethnic representatives, parliamentary speakers and military leaders for talks at the presidential palace in Naypyidaw on Monday.

Attendees included Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Gen. Soe Win; chairperson of the National League for Democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi; and leaders of Kachin, Karenni, Karen, Chin, Mon, Arakan and Shan ethnic-based political parties, as well as state- and regional-level ethnic affairs ministers, totalling 48 participants.

In his opening speech, Thein Sein said that the meeting had been organised to realise proposals "in the interests of the people", adding that representatives of the various groups were invited because "it is necessary to include the viewpoints of the majority of national races".

The Burmese president spoke about the need for political dialogue to overcome differences so that the country could become a "union based on flourishing democracy and federalism".

While changes in government rhetoric and an increased dialogue with ethnic groups in Burma has been welcomed by some observers, concerns remain about the reconciliation process. Armed conflict is still raging in some areas of the country, including Kachin and Shan states.

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Some ethnic leaders vented frustration about the pace of change.

Dr Manam Tuja, the chairman of the Kachin State Democracy Party, said, "There may be a degree of international recognition on the [reform] effort but for the country's population there has been no progress at the pace they expected. In my opinion, the main challenges faced by the government are due to a group of people who do not want reform."

Zaw Aye Maung, the Arakan ethnic affairs minister of Rangoon Division, told DVB that he spoke in the meeting of the need to prioritise political dialogue ahead of the ceasefire – not after.

"I believe successful dialogue will help to implement the ceasefire," he said, adding that "when we say peace, we should not only look at peace between the government and armed groups, but also at situations like the unrest in Arakan State."

A quadripartite meeting that took place on 30 October of last year – held to discuss democratic reforms, constitutional amendments and the ongoing peace process – was met with a lukewarm response from some at the time, according to Information Minister Ye Htut.

"The four parties at the meeting were each given 10 minutes to express their thoughts, and in the end the representatives were asked if there were any general issues they wanted to discuss. This was not the kind of quadripartite meeting we envisioned," said Suu Kyi, who was in attendance.

Thein Sein said that this week's negotiations were "held in accordance with the agreement reached among the participants at the 30 October meeting".

Regarding the issue of constitutional reform – said by some to be the acid test of Burma's transition – he remarked that, "We always keep in mind that a state constitution should be amended at an appropriate time … Constitutional amendments will be based on the results of political dialogues and the peace process, and in line with the 2008 Constitution."

However, some feel the need for urgency regarding statutory reform, and pointed to previous commitments by Thein Sein.

Saw Tun Aung Myint, the chairperson of Kayin People's Party and Karen Ethnic Affairs Minister of Rangoon division, told DVB: "I suggested to urgently facilitate talks for constitutional reform as the general election is drawing closer, and to implement the nationwide ceasefire as soon as possible. Let's make it happen on 12 February as per the president's wishes."

He also spoke of the need for "ethnic affairs ministers and political parties to ensure free and fair elections; and for them to also be included in campaigns promoting religious harmony" at all levels.

However, after attending the meeting, Suu Kyi was critical of this idea, saying at a press conference that the meeting "included Ethnic Affairs ministers who are essentially part of the government's cabinet. I cannot fathom as to why these individuals were invited to a meeting that is supposed to be between the government and political parties."

A previously planned meeting, scheduled to bring together Suu Kyi, President Thein Sein, Commander-in-Chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, house speakers Shwe Mann and Khin Aung Myint, and Arakanese politician Aye Maung as a representative of ethnic political parties, was abruptly cancelled at the end of last year.

Speaking on Monday, Suu Kyi said "This meeting will not make up for the [proposed] sexpartite dialogue. It did not resemble the sexpartite dialogue."

The post President hosts multi-party meeting in Naypyidaw appeared first on DVB Multimedia Group.

Taunggyi wedding party sentenced on terrorism charges

Posted: 12 Jan 2015 09:07 PM PST

A group of 20 Muslims, including a groom and bride-to-be arrested on their wedding day, were on Monday sentenced to lengthy prison terms on terrorism charges by a district court in Taunggyi, Shan State.

However, according to one of the lawyers representing the defendants, no evidence was submitted in court that linked any of the accused to the charges of involvement with explosives or affiliation with an armed group.

In August, 14 Muslims from Taunggyi and Kyaukse were detained at a military checkpoint while en route to a wedding in Kunhein, some 100km northeast of Taunggyi. They were accused of having connections with a terrorist organisation or armed group. Soon after, six more Muslims, including the groom and bride-to-be, were also arrested.

The group were detained under the 1950 Emergency Provisions Act on charges of: undermining the security of the state (Article 5(j)); and offences involving arms and explosives (Article 5(l)). Each charge carries a sentence of up to seven years in prison.

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The father of one of the defendants, who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the case, told DVB on Monday that 18 of the accused were each sentenced to 14 years imprisonment, the maximum sentence for each charge. One of the defendants, facing an additional charge of unlawful association, was given a further five years, and a 15-year-old who stood accused of one charge was found guilty and sentenced to seven year's imprisonment, he said.

"Eighteen defendants, including the bride and groom, were sentenced to 14 years each in prison," he said. "Another was handed 19 years and the 15-year-old got seven years."

He said that two vehicles used for the wedding party and the bride's jewellery were also seized as assets.

Speaking to DVB last week, defence lawyer Khin Moh Moh said her team had presented their final argument to the court on 1 January.

"I asked the prosecutors and their witnesses if there was any evidence to support the Article 5(j) charge against my defendants, such as documents that could potentially undermine the security of the state, or anything that was seized when they were detained on the way to the wedding," she said. "They conceded that there was no such evidence.

"With regard to charges under article 5(l), no explosive items or ordnance were seized from the defendants. The only thing the officials confiscated were their national ID cards, civil servant IDs, driver licenses and mobile phones."

She said the defendants plan to file an appeal at the regional high court.

The post Taunggyi wedding party sentenced on terrorism charges appeared first on DVB Multimedia Group.
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