WEEKLY NEWS PACKAGE:
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INTERNATIONAL
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INSIDE BURMA
New Computer Technology and Science University in Rangoon Closed Down
April 12, 2004 Independent Mon News Agency: A computer technology and
science university in Ragoon has been closed down
with no limited time, after more than a hundred of student who dismissed from
the exam, protested for allowing them to exam in this year.
The university is in Thar Du
Kan, Hlaw Kar, it closed on
March 20, after the government education minister met the protester who did not
attend 75% school time at the school and dismissed from the exam for this year
by the university teacher.
Most of the protester are final student and they protested peacefully by asking
in front of headmaster and repeal letter signed by all of them.
Although the student gathered around the headmaster and asking, the headmaster
did not agree for the exam.
According to the protested student, Min Nyan Sadoa said the Chief Professor, Dr Pite
Thin agreed to the protested student for allowing to exam. But
while the student protesting, the government minister arrived and denied on
what student asked.
And, the deputy education minister ordered to close the university and all of the student lost for this year exam.
But, chief professor Dir Pite Thin promised to the
student he will try to get school to open and to have exam in May, Nyan added.
In
It is a new university and even the government made it a university, it was
only college level, no internet and no E-mail.
Because of lack of the technology, a lot of the student from this university
joins learning about computer in the private computer-training center while
they learning in the university. More and more student preferred joining
private computer-training center and lost attending the class in the
university. According to the student, the number of the student absent the
school increased and because of they need to learn e-mail and internet at the
shop.
The student said they have learned nothing from the school after they finished
the university and can do nothing.
*** *** *** ***
SPDC Sidelines Arakanese Political Parties from
National Convention
Akyab, April 13. Narinjara
News: The SPDC has not invited Arakanese political
parties to attend the National Convention to be held on
According to a member of the Arakan League for
Democracy (ALD) from Akyab, “The SPDC junta didn’t
invite any of the registered parties or even the parties that won seats in the
1990 election.” Instead, the SPDC hand-picked some Arakanese
and branded them as representatives of the Arakanese
people. One of these hand-picked people was the former Communist leader U Saw Htun who surrendered to the junta in 1996.
“They should invite the ALD, which has represented the Arakanese
people since they won the 1990 election in Arakan.
The ALD can work for the interests of the people. It is the most popular party
and the best representative of the people. If they really want peace for the
whole country, they should get representatives of the political parties in the
discussion,” said an Arakanese activist in
Since the SPDC is not inviting Arakanese Political
Parties, including the ALD, most Arakanese people do
not have any faith in the SPDC National Convention.
Ten Arakanese political parties contested the 1990
General Election, including The Arakan League for
Democracy (ALD), The Arakan Nationalities Party, the Arakan People’s Democratic Alliance, the Arakan National United Party (RaTaNga),
the Kaman League for Democracy and the Mro(a) Khame National United.
The Arakan League for Democracy won 11 seats in Arakan state, while Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s
National League for Democracy won 9 seats in the state.#
** *** ***
Permit Auctions Cause Pain for Arakanese People
Akyab, April 14 Narinjara
News: The military junta in Arakan is auctioning
permits for people to operate markets, ports, bus stations and even to sell
alcohol. The price of all permits has been rising, and the public is facing economic
hardship.
These permits do not have any guidelines for acquiring fees from the ventures.
The permit issuers are charging as much as they like.
According to a local source, Ko Aung Tha and Ko Khin Maung Wae from Myo Thu Gree Quarter in Akyab, who bought permits to use the Pha
Du and Soe Mae Gee rivers
at a very high price from the junta. They stop all
boats passing along the river to Akyab, and force
them to sell Nga Nee Du
dried fish at half the market price, collecting 500 kyats for a Ru Za Na fish and 130 kyats from
the fisherman for a small amount of fish. When the fishermen had had enough of
the fee collection, they attacked people working for the businessman Ko Aung Tha, and some of Ko Aung tha’s workers have been
hospitalized due to injuries suffered during the attack.
Similarly, rights to use the sea near Akyab have been
bought in an auction by U Sein Kyaw Maung for a price
of 70 million kyats. The businessman is trying to recover his costs by
demanding high tolls from the fishing boats. When the boats can’t pay the full
fee, he takes their fish away. Hence, Lawyer U Saw Maung is suing U Kyaw Sein Maung with a charge of robbery.
According to a businessman from Kyae Bin Gree quarter, U Kuran Khan Aung
and U Nga Mee Daung bought a permit to operate the central Municipal
Market for which they bid 20 million Kyats. On top of the normal fees, they
charge traders 50 kyats each to use smaller boats to transport people and goods
from the larger boats to the market.
The local authorities have turned a blind eye to the permit owners charging
such high prices, so the auctioning system has proved to be a great impediment
to the life of ordinary Arakanese.
Through the auctioning system, the military junta can get money from the people
via the contractors. The system is an attempt by the junta to make the Arakanese people poor, an Arakanese
politician told Narinjara.#
*** *** *** ***
People's Farm Makes Funds for Army
Minbra, April 15 Narinjara
News: The local army authority has confiscated the public pasture of Htane Pin Village tract in Minbra,
Arakan, and is making money by rehiring it back to
the local people.
A 50-acre plot of land was confiscated by the Min Bya
Military Intelligence (10) and the Sin Gri Bran-based
Light Infantry Division (LIB 380). The local authority then asked for 30
baskets of rice for the use of a single acre of the confiscated land, and the
rice has been collected for the troops, according to a farmer whose land has
been confiscated.
The confiscated pastoral land, where communities of Arakanese
and Chin are living together, has traditionally been left unfarmed as it was
used as pasture for farm animals. Since the confiscation, the farmers are
facing a severe shortage of cattle fodder.
*** *** ***
Chin Nationals Hold Consensus-Building Meeting
It is the first time for Chin political representatives, student organizers and
social organizations to come together '' to discuss the stance of the Chins
towards the National Convention that the military junta is to convene,” said
Mr. Thang Yen, Secretary of the Chin National Front
(CNF), a member of the convening board.
The conference, which started on April 7 and ended on April 10, was attended by
96 representatives, and passed a resolution to hold a "Chin National
Assembly" biannualy. The conference also formed
a "Political Affairs Committee of Chin State".
Though the military has sent invitations to the National Convention, which will
be held on May 17, to write a new constitution,
it is unclear how many participants have been invited. There is no certainty that the main opposition party, the
National League for Democracy (NLD), will attend the National Convention while
its leader Aung San Suu Kyi is being held under house arrest.
*** *** *** ***
Burmese Child Dies in
Manne, aged 11 years, came to
Manne earned a small income by working in the paddy
fields of Assamese farmers. In February, the Digboi
police arrested Manne and another Burmese youth at a
check-point. After spending about 30 days in police custody, the children were
brought to the orphanage in Jorhat where it was
discovered that Manne was suffering from
tuberculosis.
He was later admitted to the Assam Medical College (AMC) in a critical
condition. After his recovery, he was again brought to the orphanage where he
became sick again and died yesterday.
Digboi police sources told Mizzima
that Manne's actual identity could not be determined
due to differences in language. "According
to our information, Manne and another child were
brought by a ULFA leader from
The second Burmese child is still living in the Jorhat
orphanage. This is not an isolated case. There are many Burmese children living
in
Police sources believe that poor Burmese villagers send their sons to
"We have information that these children are used to help the ULFA cadres
to carry their goods between the different camps", they said.
*** *** ***
USDA disturbs formation of NLD Social
Support Committee
U Aung Yin, a former school teacher who is the Chairman of Tamu
district USDA, urged the leaders of NLD in Tamu not
to form a social support group, otherwise it could harm their business.
The NLD Headquarters in
The NLD has formed social support groups around the country to support and help
political prisoners and their families since 2001. The groups are headed by the
party’s vice chairman U Tin Oo.
On April 13, the Burmese military government released party Chairman U Aung
Shwe and Secretary U Lwin, but on the other hand, the
government-back USDA is causing a disturbance to the formation of an NLD social
support group in Tamu township.
*** *** ***
Thingyan (Water Festival) Ends in Cox’s Bazar
Cox’s Bazar, April 22 Kaladan
News: A three-day Thingyan (Water Festival) of the
Burmese community (Rakhaing) ended in Cox’s
Groups of young Rakhaing Boys and girls in new
dresses gathered under a huge canopy and participated in water pouring--- a
game of sprinkling water on each other, to celebrate the Rakhaing
New Year. Canopies were set up in different areas of Cox’s Bazar
for the occasion.
Kathing Aung, a Rakhaing
leader and the principal of Cox’
It is believed that participation in water sprinkling game of Thingyan helps Rakhaing youths
wash out all their impurities and start a New Year of prosperity and happiness.
The Burmese community (Rakhaings) in Cox’s Bazar, together with Bangladeshi Rakhaings,
celebrated the water festival without any difficulties or problems from
Bangladeshi authorities. The festival of both Bangaldeshi
and Arakanese Rakhaings is
very similar, as most of the abbots in monasteries of
However, Burmese communities in
"I have been in
*** *** ***
Rebels Kill Three
(Police said rebels sneaked in from Burma)
20 April 2004 Mizzima News: In a pre-election
offensive, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of Manipur is suspected of
shooting three Assam Rifles personnel and snatching three guns from the victims
at Sajatambak in Chandel
district.
According to Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Phiroz
Khan, a 20-member underground group of the PLA attacked a convoy of The Assam
Rifles near Sajatambak, 20 km from Moreh.
”The militant group entered the area from Namphalang
in
Asked whether the incident could affect the polling process, he said that
efforts had been made so that the people can cast their vote without fear.
Replying to a question, the SDPO revealed, ”We have
evidence that underground members, after undergoing training in areas bordering
There was no report of causalities from the underground group.
The vice president of the Indo-Burma Traders Union, T Samarendra
Singh, said that the incident might affect trade in Moreh
for some days. Sajatambak is located very near the Moreh trade point and as such it is likely to create
problems for the traders.
After the announcement of a poll boycott was given by the underground
organizations of Manipur, security had been tightened.
Sajatambak is located along the Indo-Burma border and
of late it is where several underground groups have made a strong base .Though
Assam Rifles personnel have been deployed, they have not been able to contain
the insurgents’ activities. -
*** *** ***
Friend of Prisoners who were Jailed for Contacting ILO
Flees to Border
Independent Mon News Agency
A Mon national who is a friend of two convict who were jailed for
contacting ILO fled to Thai-Burma border after being interogated
by Burmese authorities.
Nai Mraok Done is a friend
of Shwe Marn and Min Kyi who contacted with ILO and
have been sentenced to death by the military government .Because of being
friend with them Mraok also been
interrogated and checked by the government Military Intelligent (MI) many time.
Nai Mraok Done is a Pegu youth member and his parents are the member of
People Patriotic Party, led by U Nu and they
joined UN as a refugee and moved to United State four years ago.
“When the government arrested Shwe Marn and Min Kyi
and also when MI examined Shwe Marn and Mi Kyi house, they came examined everything in my
home too When MI cant find nothing, they changed aspect about my parents,
joined UN again,” Nai Mraok
said with slow depression voice.
“From that time, MI came to my home regularly and asked about my parents and interrogated me that do I make contact with
outside organization, made appointment with me to go to
“I can’t stay there longer, whatever I can’t stay there longer
because MI came to my house and ask me to go to their office
.Beside they tried to arrest me on the road such the manners
that they did on me many time,” Mraok said
depress fully.
Mraok worked with Shwe Marn
and Min Kyi for the Mon community in Pegu and he is
also a TV repairer in Pegu and had a baby. His
parents are U Aung Myat and Daw Kalar
Ma Nyaut, a leader of People Patriotic Party in Mon
group.
His parents left him since he was two years old and after that, he lived in
*** *** ***
Corruption in Three Pagoda
April 21, 2004Independent Mon News Agency: Quarter Peace and Development
Council in
Three
The family had land wider than the measurement the PDC officer confiscated the
more space land and sold it to other people who did not have land for housing
and to the owner again.
For the land that did not have grant and registered, the PDC officer
confiscated all and sold it to the people again, even the people paid to PDC
officer when they buy these land from the PDC officer in the past.
Now the people whose land did not have grant paid twice to PDC officer and PDC
officer measured 13 measurements and sold it all in today.
PDC officer sold 3,000 Baht a measurement. According to the people from Quarter
No.3, PDC officer announced to people these land sell for
However, some low ranks PDC officer and the people who close to the PDC officer
said these money are not for military spent, town
health and development. This money is for the personal of Quarter No.3 PDC
officers and surveyor.
Military army based in Three Pagoda already announced to people they will not
collect the money from to people for the military spent and they had their own
fund from tax on the logging business and car.
For the health and development, the government gave some budget for Three
Pagoda town and this town is becoming a business zone between Thai and
Because of Quarter PDC doing that, the people in this Quarter No.3 discussing
about selling land to complaint Township PDC in this evening.
Quarter No.3 has more than a thousand household and four quarters in Three
Pagoda town.
*** *** *** ***
INTERNATIONAL
Havel and Nobel Laureates Call for Release of Suu Kyi
and Burmese Writers
April 14, 2004 Mizzima News: Fourteen Nobel
Laureates, as well as former Czech President and the President of International
PEN, have called for the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and imprisoned Burmese
writers and artists.
Vaclav Havel, former President of the Czech Republic
and recipient of the Gandhi Peace Prize in 2003, and Jiri
Grusa, the President of International PEN, and
fourteen Nobel Laureates urged the Burmese military government to immediately
and unconditionally release Burmese pro-democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
and other imprisoned writers, journalists and artists.
In a letter addressed to Senior General Than Shwe,
Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), they stated that
they are "profoundly" disturbed by the accelerating suppression of
the democracy movement and by the denial of freedom of expression in
Havel and the International PEN President wrote in
their letter: "(We) are urgently concerned for the welfare of all who are
currently prosecuted simply for exercising their essential right of freedom of
speech and expression."
The appeal letter was co-signed by fourteen Nobel Literature Laureates namely
J. M. Coetzee, Naguib Mahfouz, Seamus Heaney , Nadine Gordimer , Kenzaburo Oe, Wole Soyinka , Toni Morrison, Wislawa Szymborska, Czeslaw Milosz , V. S. Naipaul, Günter Grass, Claude Simon, Jose Saramago and Imre Kertesz.
Vaclav Havel, who himself is a renowned playwright,
received India's prestigious Gandhi Peace Prize in 2003 for his contribution to
world peace and upholding human rights through Gandhian
means in the most difficult situations.
He nominated Daw Aung San Suu Kyi for her 1991 Nobel Peace Prize, saying that
he holds "her, and her nonviolent struggle for democracy, in high
regard."
The appeal also states that dozens of writers and journalists who had dedicated
themselves to the cause of freedom were either already in jail or destined for arrest, and out of the 1,400 political prisoners languishing
in
"If political prisoners, writers, journalists and other citizens cannot
discuss the future of their country without fear, all announcements of
political reform lack credibility. All historical experience teaches us that
freedom of speech and free and open public debate cannot stand at the end of a
road to democracy, but must be at the very beginning of any meaningful
reform".
The letter was delivered to Burmese embassies in Bangkok, Berlin, London, New
Delhi, Tokyo, Washington DC and others cities worldwide. Havel
and Jiri Grusa launched the
appeal together at the opening ceremony of the One World International Human
Rights Film Festival at the Archa Theatre in
The letter also states "The changes in Central and
*** *** ***
The task force also favoured initiating immediate
steps to include more items on the trade list in order for traders from both
countries to receive maximum benefit.
The five-member delegation from the Union of Myanmar Federation of the Chamber
of Commerce (UMFCCI) headed by Win Myint also
appealed to Indian traders to boost trade with
The task force agreed to look into credit-related matters, an issue which
currently forms a major obstacle to trade expansion. It also agreed to identify
key areas for future investment.
In an interview with Mizzima, Dipankar
Chatterji, Chairman of the Confederation of Indian
Industry (CII), north-east chapter, said that the task force would submit its
report to both governments and would urge them to increase the volume of trade
in near future.
"We are also in the process of discussing the constitution of the Special
Economic Zones (SEZs) [to be established] in the
border areas", he said.
A delegation of the UMFCCI will visit the states of the north-eastern region in
the near future in order to explore future possibilities of investment in tourism
and other sectors.
Chatterji said that the
*** End ***
Burma News International is a network of seven
exiled media groups such as Mizzima News, Khonumthung News Group, Narinjara
News, Kaladan Press Network, Independent Mon News
Agency, Karenni Information Network Group and Network Media Group.
For more information, contact duty editor of BNI at:
Phone: +66 1 530 2837
E-mail: [email protected]