Forever at the Frontline

January 31 marks the 60th anniversary of one of Asia’s oldest rebel movements—the Karen National Union (KNU). It is a day commemorated by Karen people all around the world. 
Since it declared war on the central government in 1949—shortly after Burma declared independence from Great Britain—the KNU has faced a great many ups and downs during its six-decade fight for autonomy.

A Karen soldier at the frontline. (Photo: Steve Sandford)

It has undergone rifts and splits, and breakaway Karen groups have emerged. It suffered defeat at the hands of the Burmese army and in 1995 was forced to abandon its jungle fortress at Manerplaw on the Thai- Burmese border. Its aging leadership is fading away while the number of Karen refugees continues to grow. Discontent is high among the Karen population and thousands of families are currently resettling in Western countries under the auspices of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee (UNHCR).However, unlike so many other armed insurgent groups, the KNU has steadfastly refused to sign a ceasefire agreement with the Rangoon government.  
When the KNU’s founding father, Saw Ba U Gyi, established the rebel movement in 1949, he unveiled his “Four Principles” of resistance: “There shall be no surrender; The recognition of the Karen State must be completed; We shall retain our arms; and We shall decide our own political destiny.”
The KNU has locked itself to those principles through thick and thin for 60 years.
In 1995, the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) split from the KNU and joined forces with the Burmese army. Manerplaw fell soon after. The KNU, led by Gen Bo Mya, scattered while its civilian population joined the exodus into Thai border refugee camps. The KNU lost their only true sources of income: logging and taxation.
After fighting the Burmese army for 30 years, KNU commander Tha Mu He and hundreds of his followers surrendered to the regime in April 1997.        

He told journalists and diplomats that he split from the KNU because of the failed peace talks between the Burmese junta and his mother organization in 1994 and the realization that the conflict would continue indefinitely.    

Soldiers of the Karen National Liberation Army, the oldest rebel group, stand at parade arms at a base near the Thai-Burmese border. (Photo: Reuters)

One year later, Phado Aung San, a central executive member of the KNU, and hundreds of his followers also surrendered to the Rangoon government. He gave the same reasons for laying down his weapons as Tha Mu He had.   

Then in early 2007, another splinter group reached a ceasefire agreement with the Burmese regime. Known as the KNU/ KNLA Peace Council and led by Maj-Gen Htein Maung, it included around 300 defecting KNU soldiers.   Brig-Gen Johnny, head of KNLA Brigade 7, said that Karen breakaway leaders who had reached ceasefire agreements with the Burmese regime had betrayed their people and their comrades who had died for the Karen revolution. 
  
“We have to carry on the unfinished duty for our people. If we give up, it is as if we were betraying our comrades and our leaders who have died for us,” said Brig-Gen Johnny.  
“Our enemy [the Burmese military regime] is trying to divide us every day. We have to be united and always be careful,” he said.     
Meanwhile, the DKBA has boasted that its forces will overrun the KNU’s military wing, the KNLA, by 2010. 
The target of its operation would appear to be Kawkareik Township in southern Karen State, which is rich in gold, teak forest, antimony, zinc and tin. Sources from both the KNU and the DKBA circles have said that the DKBA seeks to control the regions that do business with the Thai authorities.

However, the KNU leadership, as always, remains resolute. 

Tensions Between Ethnic Wa, and Burmese Junta Continue to Rise

Tensions between the Burmese military and the United Wa State Army (UWSA) have been mounting since a 30-member Burmese delegation led by Lt-Gen Ye Myint, the chief of Military Affairs Security, was forced to disarm during a visit to Wa-held territory in Shan State on January 19, according to sources in the area.

Aung Kyaw Zaw, a Burmese analyst based on the Sino-Burmese border, said that the visiting Burmese military officials and accompanying soldiers were told to disarm as they entered Wa-controlled territory to attend a meeting with the UWSA at their headquarters of Panghsang.

According to Mai Aik Phone, who observes Wa affairs, the purpose of the visit was to allow Burmese military leaders to learn how to launch an effective election campaign in the area in 2010. However, sources said that discussions were limited to plans to develop the local economy.

Since last year’s referendum on a military-drafted constitution, the Burmese regime has been sending delegations to different parts of the country to drum up support for an election slated to be held in 2010. The regime claimed to have won overwhelming approval for its new charter, despite charges that the referendum was rigged.

As part of its plans for the future, the junta has stepped up its efforts to persuade ceasefire groups to disarm. However, the Wa have been particularly resistant to this idea, putting renewed pressure on a ceasefire agreement that was reached 20 years ago.

On December 5, Brig-Gen Kyaw Phyoe, the Burmese Army’s regional commander in the Golden Triangle area of Shan State, met with the commander of the UWSA’s 468th Brigade, Col Sai Hsarm, in Mongpawk, south of Panghsang, to pressure him to withdraw troops from the area and “exchange arms for peace.” The Wa leader rejected the demand.

Earlier this month, the UWSA proposed a plan to designate territory under its control as a special autonomous region. Although the Burmese military hasn’t responded to the proposal, the UWSA has already begun to refer to its territory as the “Wa State Government Special Region” in official documents.

The Wa area has been known by the Burmese military as “Shan State Special Region 2” since the UWSA entered into a ceasefire agreement with the regime in 1989.
In 2003, when the United Wa State Party, the political wing of the UWSA, attended a junta-sponsored national constitutional convention, it asked to be allowed to form a Wa State.

Wa political observers estimate that there are 20,000 UWSA soldiers currently deployed along Burma’s borders with Thailand and China, while an estimated 60,000 to 120,000 Wa villagers inhabit areas of lower Shan State.

Global Crisis Hits Burmese Overseas Workers

The global financial crisis is affecting overseas employment agencies in Rangoon, with many agencies likely to close and thousands of Burmese workers’ jobs in jeopardy, according to sources in the former capital.

Of the 132 overseas employment agencies in Rangoon registered with the Ministry of Labor, at least 50 will go out of business in the near future due to the fall in demand for Burmese workers abroad, said the director of an overseas employment agency who preferred to remain anonymous.

All the Rangoon agencies have seen their revenue decrease, with most losing contracts to provide Burmese workers to foreign countries such as Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and the Middle East, according to sources within the agencies.

The demand for migrant laborers—such as construction workers, housemaids, agricultural workers and factory workers—has reduced drastically since the global financial crisis took effect in late 2008.

“We will not renew our company registration this year, because we have no idea when the crisis will end,” said an official from an overseas employment agency in Kyauktada Township in Rangoon.

The Burmese labor ministry doubled the annual fee for overseas employment agencies in February last year. Each agency now has to pay the government an annual fee of 5 million kyat (US $4,739.33).

In addition, each agency must account for no less than 300 workers’ contracts per year. If they are unable to do so, their licenses are revoked.

“We have not received any offers of workers’ contracts since November,” said a staff member at the Thu Kha Su San Service Company, a well-known overseas employment agency in Rangoon.

While most illegal migrants—some estimates run as high as 5 million—head to neighboring Thailand, most of the overseas agencies’ contracted workers are sent to Malaysia. Workers’ rights groups estimate that about 500,000 Burmese migrants work in Malaysia—mostly in restaurants, on construction sites, rubber plantations and in factories—about two-thirds of whom are registered with overseas employment agencies.

However, since the global meltdown began, hundreds of Burmese workers in Malaysia have lost their jobs and have been sent home.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Tuesday, Ye Min Tun from the Malaysia-based Burma Workers' Rights Protection Committee said that more than 700 Burmese migrants have been forced to return home since late November because of the fall in demand, while others have had their times or salaries cut.

He quoted the Human Resources Department in Malaysia as saying recently that more than 6,000 Burmese workers will be sent home after Chinese New Year (January 26) due to the turmoil in global financial markets.

Between 60 and 70 percent of young people (aged 18- 35) are jobless in Burma and many seek work abroad. Jobs in Japan or South Korea have been particularly sought after by young Burmese since the 1990s.

Soaring Burmese Currency Kyat Slows Remittances from Abroad

The black market value of Burma's currency, the kyat, hit a three-year high of nearly 1,000 to the US dollar on Friday, putting a brake on the unofficial cash transfers from abroad known as hundi.
The kyat had been skyrocketing all week, reaching new highs against not only the dollar but also, on Wednesday, the Thai baht (25 kyat), Singapore dollar (714 kyat) and the Chinese yuan (1,639.34), according to hundi services in Bangkok, Singapore and at the Sino-Burmese border.


"We are surprised and shocked,” said one businessman running a hundi service in Bangkok. “Now our service has been halted, and we can’t say when we will restart it. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

The hundi is an underground banking system that uses a network of unofficial currency exchangers and money transmitters in Burma.

The lack of an active and efficient money transaction service run by international and local private financial institutions and untrustworthy government exchange rates cause Burmese expatriates and migrant workers to use the informal services.

Burmese expatriates contacted by The Irrawaddy said they didn’t want to transfer money home at the current rate. Experts said that a fall in remittances from abroad, together with rising unemployment among migrant workers, could have a dire effect on Burma’s rural economy, in which millions of people rely on hundi transfers.

Black market currency dealers, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the illicit nature of their work, said the soaring value of the kyat could not be ascribed to any single reason. The black market rate is linked not only to China's yuan, the US dollar and the price of gold, but also to the volume of border trade.

One observer in Rangoon said the global recession could be a factor because it had resulted in a halt to cross-border trade.

The price of gold in the country is meanwhile falling because of declining demand, according to gold shops in Rangoon. So far this month, the price for a tical of 24 carat gold has dropped from 525,000 kyat to 468,000 kyat. One tical is equal to 0.525 troy ounces.

"Consumers are not buying like before,” said one gold shop owner. “There are more sellers than buyers.”

Scandal of new boat people damaging Thailand

Details Story: please read  HERE

BANGKOK, Thailand – The emerging scandal involving the Thai army’s alleged mistreatment of hundreds of ethnic Rohingya from Burma is slowly getting more and more worrying each day.

This picture taken December 23 by a tourist to Thailand's Similan Islands shows handcuffed refugees under guard.

 

We don’t know yet exactly what happened, but a dark picture of hundreds of deaths at sea is emerging, and some are laying the blame with the Internal Security Operations Command of the Thai army.
The Rohingya have long been persecuted in Burma (or Myanmar as the junta renamed it) - many are stateless, living in horrendous poverty on Burma’s border with Bangladesh, unwanted and downtrodden.

Some 200,000 are on the Bangladeshi side of the border, scraping a living in sprawling refugee camps.
That context perhaps explains why so many thousand each year risk their lives in unseaworthy boats to try and find a better life in south-east Asia.

The men that boarded those boats must have known the journey would be perilous. They kissed good-bye to their wives and children and embarked on a voyage that was fraught with risk, destination unknown, but with the ultimate hope it would be transformative.

Just the slimmest chance of earning a few dollars a day in Malaysia, Indonesia or Thailand made it seem worth gambling with their lives. Watch how the refugees’ plight came to light

Martin Luther King Jr. and Aung San Suu Ky

----
Many people have compared Burma's Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi to Martin Luther King Jr.    

These comparisons came into focus last Sunday -- on the eve of Martin Luther King Jr. day -- when Suu Kyi was given the "Trumpet of Conscience Award" by the Realizing the Dream foundation, which is led by Martin Luther King III.

In a ceremony attended by over 1,000 people in Washington, DC, the award was presented by Jordan's Queen Noor and accepted by U.S. Campaign for Burma co-founder Aung Din on behalf of Aung San Suu Kyi.  Each year, Realizing the Dream honors individuals who embody the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr.  

For the past three years we have organized events on Aung San Suu Kyi's birthday to draw attenton to the struggle of Burma's democracy movement.  Each year, these events grow larger and larger. 

In 2008, then-Senator Barack Obama joined the effort, issuing a statement of support that said "[Aung San Suu Kyi] has sacrificed family and ultimately her freedom to remain true to her people and the cause of liberty. And she has done so using the tools of nonviolent resistance in the great tradition of Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and Martin Luther King, earning the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize."  

This year, we are asking all of our supporters, including you, to help Aung San Suu Kyi and the people of Burma by making a New Years Resolution to host an event for Burma at your home.  You can hold your event at any time between now and Aung San Suu Kyi's birthday on June 19th.  Please join us in this important effort! 

Burma’s Chinese Gear Up for Year of the Ox

Preparations are in full swing for Chinese New Year celebrations in Burma. The New Year is officially observed next Monday, but already Chinese residents of Rangoon and Mandalay are gearing up for four days of celebrations starting this weekend.

One Rangoon resident, Thu Zar, reported that traditional dragon dances were being performed before big crowds in the city’s Chinatown. Stalls were selling traditional products and food.
The lion dances will be performed by 10 amateur groups through this weekend and over the following two days, with an awards presentation on January 30, according to a report from Rangoon by the Chinese news agency Xinhua.

One of the organizers, Zhou Baofu, told Xinhua that the lion dance performances in Rangoon could result in appearances by Burmese-Chinese teams at international events.

In Mandalay, Burmese performers such as rock musicians Lay Phyu and Zaw Win Htut will appear at New Year concerts.

A Mandalay businessman said hoardings wishing people a “Happy Chinese New Year” had appeared for the first time in the city.

Chinese living along the Sino-Burmese border will also be celebrating this weekend.
According to the Chinese zodiac, it will be the Year of the Ox—an animal symbolizing calm, hard work, resolution and tenacity. It could be anything but a calm year, however, because the ox will be in conflict with a fabled Chinese deity—and that’s considered a bad omen.

Come celebrate the 100th anniversary of former UNSG Burma's U Thant's birth!!!

Once Burmese honorary third U.N secertary general U Thant's birthday would have been 100th if he were still alive on Jan 22, 2009.  U.N marks 100th Anniversary of U Thant's birth by issuing stamps. As our Burmese community, we also would like to promote the awareness of our internationally known historic diplomat especially to our younger generation.

 

The attachment is the invitation for U Thant's centennial anniversary in Burmese. There will be some talks about U Thant and some photos, biography and other material display for the event. You are cordially invited to come as well as  to participate and contribute some ideas to make this event more successful. Also please forward this to friends who might be interested.

Obama’s Inauguration Attracts Big Interest in Burma

A Rangoon monk who watched the entire US presidential inauguration on TV summed up the feelings of countless Burmese when he said afterwards: “We’d like to see that happen in Burma, but we don’t know when.”

A young Rangoon journalist said: “We want to freely elect our leader like that, but that’s just a dream.”

Tuesday’s inauguration of Barak Obama as the 44th president of the US attracted huge interest in Burma.

The unnamed journalist said Obama’s path to the White House had been followed especially keenly by the Burmese media and intellectuals.

Burmese from all walks of life, however, watched the inauguration on satellite TV or tuned in to Burmese radios broadcasting from abroad.

Hla Oo, a resident of Mogok in upper Burma, said he believed Obama would offer more help to Burma’s democracy movement than did his predecessor, George W Bush.

A businessman in Bogalay in the Irrawaddy delta said he thought Obama was capable of solving all the problems he faced.

The popular desire for change that swept Obama to power was shared by the people of Burma, the businessman said.

“We want change,” he said. “Change from a system of military rule to democratic rule.
“We are fed up with the military regime. We have lived in fear for a long time. We also want change and liberation.”
        
Most Burmese opposition leaders expect US support for the pro-democracy movement to remain strong under Obama’s administration.

Nyan Win, spokesman for the National League for Democracy (NLD), told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday: “We believe that the US will keep up its support for human rights and the democracy movement in Burma.” 

Some dissidents, however, believe the Burmese people themselves remain the most potent force for political change.

Aye Tha Aung, chairman of the Arakan League for Democracy, said he didn’t expect greater support from the US for political change in Burma.

“The most important forces for change in Burma are the Burmese people, opposition groups and ethnic leaders,” he said.

Ludu Sein Win, a veteran Burmese journalist in Rangoon, said nothing more than condemnation of the regime could be expected from the Obama administration.

“I want to urge the Burmese people: Don’t rely on Obama and [UN Secretary-General] Ban Ki-moon,” Sein Win said. “We must rely on ourselves.”

Burmese astrologers also watched the inauguration with interest—one of the best known, San Zarni Bo, predicted that the new US president could face assassination attempts in 2009, 2010 and 2013.  All attempts would fail, he said.

Karen Refugees Fear More Attacks

Karen refugees in Nu Po refugee camp are living in fear because of repeated clashes between the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and units of the Burmese army and Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) over the weekend.   

Major clashes took place over three days in Kawkareik Township in southern Karen State, where Battalion 103 of the KNLA, the military wing of the Karen National Union (KNU), is based.  
About eight DKBA soldiers were killed, one KNU soldier died and two were seriously injured in the clashes, said Capt Kye Win of Battalion 103. Dozens of causalities on both sides were also reported, he said.       

Karen refugees in Nu Poe camp are afraid of more outbreaks of fighting and a possible attack on the camp, said camp refugees.  
  
“Some people here have been on standby alert for four days. Women especially are very afraid of more fighting,” said Daniel, a refugee in Nu Po camp.

“They’ve pack their belongingness to be ready to flee the camp if attacked, because there is no security here,” he said. 

Capt Kye Win said an estimated 400 DKBA soldiers and Burmese army troops have been reinforced and plan to launch more attacks against KNLA soldiers in Kawkareik Township.

KNLA’s Battalion 103 and 201 are experiencing repeated clashes, he said.     

The DKBA has publicly claimed it army will overrun the KNLA’s military bases on the border by 2010, said Karen sources, who say the aim of the DKBA is to control the region in order to establish business relationships with Thai authorities The region is rich in teak, gold, zinc and tin.

In 1995, after the DKBA split from the KNU, it staged daring attacks on Karen refugee camps on the Thai-Burmese border with the help of Burmese troops.

In 1997 and 1998, Huay Kaloke refugee camp, about 10 km from Mae Sot, was attacked and burned down by the breakaway Karen soldiers, now known as the DKBA.

Burma: CSW condemns crackdown on churches in Rangoon

Details story, please read HERE


Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has received reports of a serious crackdown on churches in Rangoon, the former capital of Burma.

According to the news agency Mizzima, local authorities in Rangoon have ordered at least 100 churches to stop holding worship services.
Mizzima also reports that the order could affect as many as 80 per cent of churches in the city, and that 50 pastors were forced to sign at least five documents promising to cease church services.
The pastors were reportedly warned they could be jailed if they disobeyed the order.

The campaign appears to be particularly targeted at churches meeting in apartment buildings, rather than churches that own their own building and land.
According to a report by the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), officials from the local branch of the Ministry of Religious Affairs summoned the owners of buildings in which churches were meeting, and issued them with an order prohibiting the use of private property for religious purposes.

Human Rights in Burma Deteriorating: Report

WASHINGTON — The human rights situation has worsened in Burma in the months since a large-scale international relief operation began in the wake of Cyclone Nargis, according to a report released on Wednesday by Washington-based Human Rights Watch (HRW).

In its annual report, HRW highlighted both the Burmese regime’s poor handling of the relief and rescue mission in the cyclone-stricken Irrawaddy delta and its continuing crackdown on political dissidents.

The report alleged that the ruling military junta in Burma has systematically denied its citizens basic freedoms, including freedom of expression, association and assembly.
Referring to the series of long-term prison sentences imposed on pro-democracy activists late last year, the report said that the number of political prisoners in the country now stands at more than 2,150.

“In October and November, more than 70 political activists, monks, nuns, labor activists, and journalists were tried in secret proceedings in prison or closed sessions in court,” the report said.
Many of the harshest sentences were handed down to people who participated in the 2007 demonstrations; 14 of them were sentenced to 65 years each. Members of the 88 Generation Students group faced 22 charges, including contact with exiled political groups and unlawfully publishing documents, and faced sentences of 150 years.

Four lawyers representing activists were also jailed for contempt of court after they attempted to withdraw from legal representation to protest the unfair proceedings.

The Burmese military continues to violate the rights of civilians in ethnic conflict areas, the report said. Extrajudicial killings, forced labor, land confiscation without due process and other rights violations continued in these areas in 2008, according to HRW’s annual World Report 2009, which documents human rights abuses and violations across the globe.

The international community in general and the US and European countries in particular continued to oppose the junta in Burma, but its big neighbors, including India, China and Thailand, remained the military’s key supporters.

China, Russia, India and Thailand continue to provide diplomatic support for the Burmese junta and are major trade and investment partners, the report said.

Foreign investment in Burma’s oil and natural gas sector increased in 2008, particularly in connection with a major offshore gas project led by a Korean consortium and a planned overland pipeline to the Burma-China border.

HRW alleged the junta continued widespread and systematic forced recruitment of child soldiers. The non-state armed groups also recruited and deployed children in conflict-prone areas.

BADA Annual General Meeting and Elections successfully completed

Please read this posting online: http://www.badasf. org/2009/ 2009_BADA_ AGM.htm

Dear All,

BADA is an all volunteer-based grassroots, non-profit organization founded on Jan 7, 2001. Since its founding, the organization has been advocating democracy and freedom for the people of Burma and the betterment of the local communities. It has been solely supported by the members and the supporters. As you may be aware, it has constantly worked with many of you – Burma freedom supporters, various community groups and organizations in realizing numerous campaigns, actions and events to help the people of Burma.

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) is held annually in January while its Board of Directors and the Executive Committee are elected by the members at the AGM every two years. We believe that building the strong and effective grassroots organization is important and necessary in effectively assisting the people of Burma in their long struggle for freedom. To that end, please help us by joining the organization as well as attending its upcoming AGM and the Elections on January 17, 2009.

Have a wonderful new year!

Thanks,
Nyunt Than
BADA

“Burma VJ” Set for Film Forum in May, HBO Gets TV Rights

http://www.indiewir e.com/article/ burma_vj_ set_for_film_ forum_in_ may_hbo_gets_ tv_rights/

A scene from "Burma VJ."

HBO has acquired TV rights to Anders Ostergaard’s doc “Burma VJ,” the hit of November’s IDFA. Set for its North American debut on Saturday at the Sundance Film Festival, the film will open theatrically at New York’s Film Forum in May, well ahead of its early 2010 HBO television debut.
The buzz title of IDFA ‘08 back in November, the film looks at last year’s uprising against the military dictatorship in Myanmar, told through secret home video footage and offering a direct look at the movement and it’s organizers. “Burma” won both the Joris Ivens Competition for feature length films and received the Movies That Matter prize at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (and finished near the top in audience award balloting). It was also an award winner at the recent doc festival in Copenhagen.
The mass demonstrations in Rangoon, involving Buddist Monks, drew international attention through secret video footage of a band of journalists known as the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) that was smuggled out of the country and beamed around the world.
Josh Braun of Submarine Entertainment and Esther van Messel of First Hand Films negotiated the pact HBO Documentary Films. Braun plans to meet with theatrical and DVD distributors here in Park City to explore partnerships for the theatrical and home video releases of the film.

Burmese Journalists Look Back at 2008—or was it 1984?

Journalists in Burma faced Orwellian-type scrutiny and were subjected to imprisonment and intimidation throughout 2008 while exiled Burmese media groups were also attacked—via their computers.

2008 should have been a year when Burma’s reporters reached a worldwide audience. The country was constantly in the global spotlight: hundreds of political activists from September 2007’s monk-led demonstrations were imprisoned; the Irrawaddy delta was devastated by a killer cyclone; and a junta-sponsored constitutional referendum was pushed through.

Yet except for the state-run mouthpieces, Burma’s private newspapers, journals and magazines were muzzled while their reporters faced harassment by thugs employed by the Burmese authorities.

At least ten journalists in Burma were detained last year. Some received prison sentences of up to 19 years.

Fortunately, there were no reports of Burmese journalists killed. Nevertheless, international media watchdog Reporters without Borders included Burma in its overview of persecution of journalists in the same breath as Iraq, Somalia and Afghanistan.

2008 was a year in which the officials of Burma’s notorious censorship bureau, the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division, found themselves pouring over pages of print with magnifying glasses and mirrors, looking for hidden anti-regime messages within the texts.

The measure followed a case in February when a poet, Saw Wai, published a verse in the weekly “Love Journal” which contained a hidden message mocking regime chief Snr-Gen Than Shwe. The poet was sentenced for two years.

Other bureaucrats scanned the Internet, moving to plug the flow of information.

The editor of a weekly journal in Rangoon who asked to remain anonymous told The Irrawaddy said that the degree of censorship in Burma had increased from previous years.

He said that many articles submitted to the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division by Burmese publications were rejected in 2008.   

“Reporters in Burma have to be careful about every single word they write and speak,” he said, adding that they could be fired if the authorities didn’t approve of their coverage or found the material too sensitive.


He said editors and publishers in Burma often send expensive gifts to the heads of the Press Scrutiny and Registration Board in the hope of getting favorable treatment and speedy approval of each issue.

“Every editor here, at one time or another, has been reprimanded by the censorship board,” he said.

In August, Saw Myint Than, chief reporter for Rangoon-based weekly Flower News was summoned by police and rebuked for a story he and another reporter has written about the murder of a couple in Rangoon. The authorities do not approve of crime being reported.

In another case, a journalist at 7 Day News Journal was reprimanded by authorities after writing a story about the murder of five people in a house near the residence of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

He was sternly reminded that Suu Kyi’s name cannot be mentioned in the media—unless of course the article seeks to slander the democracy icon.

In spite of the risks and the threats, the salary for a reporter is only 35,000 to 70,000 kyat (US $30—$60) per month. Editors generally make about 80,000 kyat ($70) and a chief editor will take home 200,000 to 300,000 kyat ($170—$260) monthly.  

“For a journalist in Burma, possessing a mobile phone and a laptop is like a dream,” said one reporter, adding that his expenses often exceeded his wages.   

However, publishers are also feeling the pinch. More than 30 local and national journals and magazines were unable to pay their license fees in 2008 and were forced to close down.

2008 also saw an intense campaign by the junta to target citizen journalists, bloggers and Internet users.

In November, well-known blogger Nay Phone Latt, 28, was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for espousing anti-government rhetoric online.

Giving interviews to exiled media publications and radio stations is also a risky affair.

Burma’s best-known comedian, Zarganar, who has his own blogsite, was sentenced to 59 years imprisonment after helping cyclone survivors in the Irrawaddy delta.

Please Help Provide Food & Shelter for Recently Arrived Burmese Refugee Monks

Background:
Eight Buddhist monks resettled to Phoenix as refugees from Mae Sot, Thailand refugee camp. They were deeply involved in last September uprising and had to escape into the jungles from the Burmese Military. They were very brave leaders from the October 2007 Monks uprising.

The resettlement agency provides food and rent for the first three months. They've been here for 4 months now. They are and will be in need of food and shelter as the support from the agency will soon expire. Currently, two Buddhist monks are seeking a place to stay as they are no longer receiving any assistance from the agency. One of the monk is now forced to work because of this desperate situation. The other monks might have to soon follow.

These monks need a Monastery desperately as they will have nowhere to live in a few months. The Burmese community in Arizona is raising funds to obtain a house to act as a Monastery, fixing up of the house, any other amenities for them to sufficiently live.

If we do not help them they will have to abandon their monk hood and become civilians and can no longer practice. These monks risked their lives by escaping through the rough jungles of Burma while being hunted by the brutal military just for peacefully protesting for freedom and basic human right. Please help them, any amount is more than enough. Thank you very much in advance.

With Metta,

Buddhist monastery establishing team

▀▀▀ ▀▀▀ DONATE HERE:▀▀▀ ▀▀▀
https://www. paypal.com/ cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_ id=100609

Any amount is very much appreciated. If there are any questions or concerns please feel free to ask, the Burmese community will be more then happy address them.**

Contact Info

Email:
Website:	https://www. paypal.com/ cgi-bin/webscr?cm...
Office:	PHOENIX, ARIZONA
Location:	Phoenix, AZ

Supporting Burma Key Achievement of Laura Bush

WASHINGTON — Supporting the people of Burma and mobilizing world opinion against the military junta was one of the highlights of Laura Bush’s efforts during her tenure as first lady, the White House said on Monday.

"Mrs. Bush actively supports the people of Burma as they struggle to free themselves from the regime's tyranny," said a statement released by the White House as George W. Bush completes eight years of his administration and leaves the White House on January 20.

First lady Laura Bush gestures while showing off some of the new White House China Service, in the Old Family Dining Room of the White House in Washington last week. (Photo: AP)

The White House noted that the first lady hosted a roundtable at the United Nations Headquarters in 2006 to draw attention in the international community to human rights problems in Burma.

  "In subsequent editorials, interviews and public statements, she has continued to cast the spotlight on the plight of the Burmese people," it said.
As part of her ongoing call to the international community to assist the Burmese people in their struggle for democracy and human rights, Mrs. Bush also traveled to the Thai-Burma border.
In August 2008, she visited the Mae La refugee camp and the Mae Tao medical clinic to learn first-hand of the refugees' plight and their desire for education and freedom. Mae La, the largest of nine camps along the western Thailand border, shelters more than 35,000 refugees and provides free health care to hundreds of refugees each day.

She also protested the violent crackdown of the ruling junta against peaceful protesters and the prolonged detainment of Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Prize laureate and leader of Burma's freely elected, pro-democratic party.

She has repeatedly called on the regime to stop its terror campaign against its own people; to release all political prisoners; to commit to a meaningful, unrestricted dialogue with opposition leaders; and to take steps to foster a democratic transition.

"She has also called on the international community to refrain from purchasing Burmese gemstones, the revenue from which props up the repressive Burmese regime rather helping the people of Burma," the White House said.

On May 5, 2008, Laura Bush held a rare press conference in the White House Press Briefing Room and called on the junta to allow unhindered access for international disaster experts and aid providers so that the Burmese people could receive the assistance they needed in the wake of the devastating Cyclone Nargis.

Nowhere to Hide in Burma

Please read the detailed story HERE

They are constantly running and hiding from the Burmese army. One 62-year-old Karen man said he believed he had fled in fear more than 100 times in his life. They build makeshift shelters in the jungle wherever they can and plant fields that might never see a harvest. With only the clothes on their backs and a few tools in their hands, they build schoolhouses from bamboo and try to give their children an education. More than anything, the Internally Displaced People (IDPs) of Eastern Burma try desperately to keep a candle of hope burning in their hearts.

Karen IDPs flee a Burmese army attack.

It is extremely difficult to reach IDPs in conflict areas. Humanitarian aid from NGOs and the UN World Food Program working in Burma does not stretch to the people of Karen, Karenni and Shan states who require it the most.

  The IDPs of Eastern Burma rely on cross-border aid and intrepid groups such as the Free Burma Rangers (FBR) and the Back Pack Health Worker Teams to deliver it. The logistics are very difficult and the conditions are hazardous. With the dreaded Burmese army, or tatmadaw, controlling checkpoints on all roads, FBR teams must stick to jungle trails and use mules and porters for transportation.

It is a dangerous occupation. FBR teams have had eight members of staff killed since they set up 10 years ago. The tatmadaw often operates a shoot-to-kill policy in areas where villagers previously lived and regularly plant landmines around the villages to deter them from returning.

FBR teams travel into the most remote regions of Eastern Burma, as well as in ethnic areas in the west of the country to help IDPs with supplies of medicines, mosquito nets, blankets, tarpaulins and clothing. Sometimes, the vital aid is supplemented by organisations, such as the Committee for Internally Displaced Karen People or the Karen Office for Relief and Development, but is not enough to meet the desperate needs of the internal refugees.

An FBR medic treats a Karenni IDP.

Naw Eh Moo Paw, 30, from Thong He Der Village in Karen State, told FBR: “My brother was 14 years old when the tatmadaw attacked our village in 1997. We all ran away, but he was not with us at the time and was too young to know how to react. He ran the wrong way—toward the Burmese soldiers. They shot him dead. When I think about him, I am sad. I want to defeat the tatmadaw, but I cannot. And so when they come, I have to run away.”Some 48 full-time FBR teams are in operation around the country. The volunteers are homegrown—drawn from the communities they serve—Arakan, Lahu, Chin, Kachin, Karen, Pa-O, Shan and Karenni ethnic groups. FBR teaches the volunteers how to navigate safely around the areas where they operate, how to interview people and record their stories, and about international human rights. They learn how to cross rivers with ropes and how to disarm landmines. Some are selected to be trained in medicine where they learn to treat the most common illnesses they come across, including acute respiratory infections, malaria, anemia and skin diseases. Some 50,000 people—essentially IDPs—are treated by FBR teams every year.
FBR says its teams bring hope, help and a message of love to the IDPs. One volunteer medic said, “I work with FBR because I want peace.”  Another said, “I have known about the relief teams since I was a little boy and I decided to help our people as best I can.”

It appears the FBR and the Back Pack teams’ tasks will be ongoing—everywhere the IDPs set up home, the Burmese army reacts by hunting them down, attacking them, burning their villages and abusing them. Several organizations have recorded the staggering amount of human rights abuses, killings and rapes that are perpetuated by soldiers of the Burmese army against ethnic villagers in Eastern Burma, but no one seems able to prevent them.

One young villager had this message: “We never think about going to the refugee camps on the border, because we want to live in our own country. 

Top Bush Aide Hopes Obama Will Push Burmese Cause

WASHINGTON — A top aide to US President George W Bush said on Wednesday that he hoped the incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama would continue to push for democracy and protection of human rights in Burma.

“I hope the new administration will continue pushing the cause of human rights and freedom in Burma,” said Bush’s national security advisor, Stephen Hadley, in his valedictory speech at the prestigious Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank.

During its eight years in power, the Bush administration led the international community in imposing sanctions on the Burmese military regime and calling for the restoration of democracy and release of all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi.

Although it was not able to achieve any of these objectives, the Bush administration was successful in putting Burma on the agenda of the UN Security Council.

First Lady Laura Bush also took a strong interest in the people of Burma and often encouraged the administration to take measures against the country’s ruling junta.

Since becoming the president-elect, Obama has remained largely silent on foreign policy issues. Although he and his team have occasionally expressed their views on critical foreign policy issues, they have said nothing so far on Burma.

New Thai Policies Not Junta-Friendly

http://www.ipsnews. net/news. asp?idnews= 45259

BURMA: New Thai Policies Not Junta-Friendly
By Marwaan Macan-Markar

BANGKOK, Dec 30 (IPS) - If Burma's military regime is showing signs of
worry about the change of guard that has taken place in neighbouring
Thailand, there are good reasons.

Thailand's new coalition government in Thailand, headed by the Democrat
Party, plans to unveil a Burma policy that is expected to be a break from
what has largely prevailed since 2001 -- where Bangkok pampered the junta
with diplomatic niceties and offered a protective shield against
international criticism.

Kasit Piromya, the new foreign minister, spelled out what the Burmese
junta could soon expect during a conference for academics and diplomats
held at a university here on the eve of his appointment. ''We are a
democratic society, an open society, and our foreign policy should reflect
this,'' said Kasit, a veteran diplomat who has served in major capitals,
including Washington D.C. and Tokyo.

Bush to Discuss Burma with Ban at White House

WASHINGTON — US President George W Bush will discuss the current situation in Burma along with other issues when he meets with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday in the White House.

It will probably be Bush's last meeting with Ban as the US President, the White House said.
Before handing over the presidency to Barack Obama on January 20, Bush has invited Ban and his wife, Ban Soon-taek, to the White House for lunch.

"This meeting will be an opportunity for the President to thank Secretary-General Ban for his leadership of the United Nations and his cooperation on key issues over the past two years," said White House spokesperson Gordon Johndroe.

"They will discuss the future of the United Nations and the challenges that remain, such as UN reform, the Middle East, Burma, Somalia and peacekeeping in Darfur," Johndroe said.
However, the meeting is unlikely to yield any result for the people of Burma, given that Bush is leaving office and Ban has been unable to make any headway towards restoration of democracy in Burma.

Ban was scheduled to visit Burma in December, but he has postponed his trip until a time when it would yield tangible results.

Johndroe said during the meeting the US President will stress the need for a United Nations that can act effectively to promote freedom, democratic governance, human rights and a world free from terror.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued Friday, one day before the 61st anniversary of Burma's Independence Day, the State Department wished the people of Burma well on the occasion of the 61st anniversary of its independence from the British rule.

"We wish to express our warmest wishes to the people of Burma on this occasion. As we reflect on Burma's independence struggle, led by Gen Aung San, we are reminded of our own history," said the brief statement.

The State Department said the US stands with the Burmese people on in honoring Aung San's vision for an independent, peaceful, and democratic Burma.

The US also looks forward to the day when Burma's citizens will be able to enjoy the fruits of freedom and democracy. "We earnestly hope that day will come soon," the statement said.

Indian coast guards recover bodies of 10 missing migrants

Jan 1: The Indian Coast Guards personnel yesterday recovered ten bodies of suspected Bangladeshi and Myanmar workers, who while on the way to Malaysia were swept by tides to the shores of the remote Andamans Islands . Canadian CBS news network and a host of foreign wire services ran New Delhi datelined stories, quoting the coast guard inspector-general S P Sharma on the Indian islands, which said they discovered more bodies Tuesday, but were unable to reach them in a mangrove swamp, inaccessible by land. Choppy seas and heavy wind hampered approach by boat.  Officials believe more than 300 others were either missing or probably dead.   A 25-metre non-mechanised boat was found Monday adrift with 105 people in the Bay of Bengal, close to the remote island Chain, more than 1,370 kilometres off the India's eastern coast.According to the Indian Coast Guards, its personnel were battling strong wind and rough sea to carry out a vigorous search for around 400 missing Bangladeshi and Myanmarese migrants, who tried in vain to swim ashore, after jumping from the disabled boat Monday. Rescued survivors, taken to Port Blair, the Andamans capital, for shelter, food, clothes and medical care, told the authorities that the vessel carrying more than 400 workers, had set sail from Bangladesh for the Malaysian job market via Thailand, where a guide for the second leg of the journey was supposed to be picked up, Sharma said.Remaining stranded at sea for at least 13 days, aboard the ill-fated boat adrift, 300 of them jumped into the waters spotting lights on one of the islands. Sharma said they had no independent confirmation as to how many people were on the boat, but that the rescued survivors were in a grim state.The overloaded boat had no covering to protect the passengers from the harsh sun, and food and water were inadequate, he said."Some were unconscious, all dehydrated and in a state of shock, traumatized, both mentally and physically," said Sharma.The boat had lost its mast in the rough weather, he said. Earlier in the week, he said, two other survivors were found alive, one of them who had reached the shore told the police about his fellow beleaguered travellers out in the sea.The coast guards, he said, would intensify the rescue efforts for the others. Survivors said that before sending them back to the sea they were detained by Thai authorities for illegally entering their waters.But Thai officials denied having pushed them back into the sea. Speaking on condition of anonymity a Thai police officer said Tuesday night that 91 people were detained in the southern Thai province of Ranong , where they were discovered on a beach Monday. But, he allegedly declined to share further details.It was not immediately clear whether the people, detained in Thailand, and those found afloat-off the Andaman islands, were not different. The bodied of seven, who died during the journey, were put into the sea, the survivors allegedly told officials. The missing men are believed to be between 18 and 60 in age. Foreign Adviser Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury told the news agency on Monday that India , Myanmar and Sri Lanka had been requested for rescuing the ill fated people. Besides, he said, in a general appeal the support of other neighbouring countries were sought for lending all possible support to the beleagured.

Hasina wants release of Suu Kyi

Hasina wants release of Suu Kyi

Awami League Chief and leader of the grand combine Sheikh Hasina said Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest since May, 2003, should be released.

She told a questioner at her first press conference after her alliance's grand victory at Bangladesh-China Friendship International Conference Center that her party always in favour of democracy.

When a foreign journalist asked her to explain her stand on detained Myanmar leader Suu Kyi, Sheikh Hasina said, "We want immediate release of Suu Kyi".
" Burma is a close neighbuoring country of Bangladesh and as such we want good neighbourly relations with Yangon ", Sheikh Hasina said.

"Friendship with all and malice to none" is our cardinal foreign policy she said adding that she wants a peaceful and democratic South Asian region.