---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Culture Minister's visit to ancient pagodas of Arakan leaves local
astrologers
worried
(2) Forgotten Mon refugees in
(3) Arakanese dies while
fleeing from Malaysian Police
(4) CNF denied involvement in Vaphai
attacked between CIA and
rifle (In
Burmese)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Culture Minister's
visit to ancient pagodas of Arakan leaves local
astrologers worried
==================================================================
Narinjara News
Akyab, Dec 21: Major General Kyi
Aung, culture minister of the military
government, recently made a visit
to
renovated ancient pagodas built by Arakanese kings in several of
Arakan's past dynasties. It was a
rare occurance for a Burmese minister
to visit so many ancient Arakanese pagoda sites.
"The recent visit of the culture minister was really
astonishing for the
Arakan people because he went to a
number of ancient pagodas," a local
monk said. "Previously, no
Burmese ministers have ever been there."
On Dec. 12-13, he visited the Kaung-Hmudaw
Pagoda, built by King Minbar
in
Danyawady, which is near the Mah Muni Buddha Image that
existed between
3325 B.C. and 325 A.D. in
He also visited the Laungkyettaung
Mawshwekyetpha Pagoda, Koethaung
Stupa, Phayaoak
Pagoda and Mingaung Shwetu
Pagoda, Cheinkaik Tri-Pitaka
Chamber, Andaw Ordination Hall and
Laymyethna Pagoda in Mrauk
Oo
Township, the last city of the Arakan dynasty.
Lasty, he also visited the
renovation of Mould Nos. 1, 2 and 5 of the
ancient city of
Pauktaw villages in Mrauk Oo Township.
On Dec. 14, the minister inspected the
of Cultural Institutes and the
Archaeology in Akyab,
or Sittway.
"The Minister's visit to Arakan
may indicate that the SPDC military
government has a plan to soon
renovate Arakanese ancient pagodas and it
is not seen to be just talk, as in
previous times," said a local monk.
Arakanese astrologers worry,
however, about the renovation of these
ancient pagodas because in the past
the SPDC has substituted Burmese
architecture into the ancient Arakanese style pagodas and stupas.
"All Arakanese were angered
when the SPDC's renovation of Shithound
Pagoda, or Ran Aungzaya, one of
the largest pagodas in Arakan,
modernized it to look like a
Burmese style pagoda with the Semen," the
monk said. "Inside the pagodas
there had been 80,000 old Buddha images.
The pagoda was built by King Mibar
in the 15th century after the conquer
of
"Burmese and Arakanese
architecture is very different," he said. "They
should renovate the pagodas by Arakanese architectural standards."
The monk compared Buddha's image in Burmese culture where
the Buddha
statue's ear touches his shoulder,
whereas an Arakanese made Buddha
statue's ears do not touch. There
are many cultural differences between
the Arakanese
and Burmese styles because
Asian country before 1874.
Arakan is a land rich in it's heritage, where there are over 5 million
ancient images of Buddha and
pagodas, most of which have been damaged
and deteriorating for a long time,
without any renovations or restorations.
A local resident of Mrauk Oo said
in the past, the SPDC was not willing
to renovate ancient Arakanese pagodas but now their mind is changing and
their attention has turned to the
ancient Arakanese pagodas, similar to
what they did with Pagan.
He did not remark on the reasons behind the SPDC's willingness to
renovate the Arakan
pagodas.
++++++++++++++++++++
Forgotten Mon
refugees in Malaysia
===================================
KaoWao
(Gong Ong and Kun Yekha in
Four
final interviews with the UNHCR
office in
"No Mon nationals had been recognized as refugees
before," said Nai Khit
Ral Mon, vice president of the Mon
National Democratic Front (liberated
area). More than 100
refugee status in
have fled
According to a refuge seeker, the UNHCR officials accept
only a few
refugees per day, so those seeking
refugee status must queue up and
sleep on the street outside of the
UNHCR office the day before the
registration starts.
"Ethnic Chin and Rohingya
refugees are favorably accepted into the
office more than us because of the
good contacts they have through
missionaries and religious groups.
Many
without having the chance to
register after a long night of waiting. The
UNHCR accepts only a few seekers for registration and then
conducts the
interview. The asylum seekers line
up normally in the evening about 5
o’clock and have to wait until
weekday," claimed Ong Chem Tala,
who fled
by local militia in An Khae, Thanbyu Zayat,
in
"Some worry that the police will come by and arrest
them in front of the
office after spending all night
there, thus losing their chance of
registering," he added.
"It’s unfortunate that we are Buddhists and our case is
forgotten in the
Muslim-dominant country and
Christian-dominant advocacy. Rohingyas are
granted asylum here. Many Chin
refugees are taken to a third country
(such as
the western government. We (Mon
refugees) have no idea how to apply for
refugee status and are not informed
by any advocacy group here," said
Chan Hongsar, leader of the Mon
community in
Mobile teams will be deployed in an urgent effort to
register refugees
hiding in the jungles on the
fringes of Malaysian cities ahead of an
imminent government crackdown on illegal
immigrants, AFP reported Dec. 1.
According to Amnesty International, the Malaysian government
has
announced an amnesty period during
which an estimated 1 million 'illegal
immigrants' can return home without
penalty. Initially from Oct. 29 to
Nov. 14, it has since been extended for an unidentified
period. Mass
deportations could start at any
time after this. Penalties include jail,
fines and caning.
its territory as it is not a party
to the UN Convention on Refugees. In
a significant step forward, the
Malaysian government said in October
that it would provide official
identity documents to Burmese Rohingyas
and so free them from the
deportation process.
The UNHCR in
in November giving them permission
to stay temporarily, thus allowing
freedom of movement around the
country and acquiring work permits.
However, other refugees remain vulnerable to deportation.
"I’m so happy
that I was finally recognized as a
refugee, but am still concerned about
the security of my colleagues,
because now the Malaysian government’s
plans to crack down on
migrants," said Nai Piung
Nyan, a Mon newly
granted refugee status. He fears
that asylum seekers will be swept up
along with hundreds of thousands of
other illegal immigrants in the new
year 2005.
+++++++++++++++++++++
Arakanese dies while fleeing from Malaysian Police
==================================================
Narinjara
permit had a fatal car accident
while fleeing from Malaysian police in
mid-December. The 40-year-old
victim was from Kyauk Taw in Arakan,
tried to flee the sight of police
but was hit by a truck.
According to a member of the Malaysian Arakanese
Welfare Organization,
five family members and close
friends attended the funeral on Friday,
Dec. 17. The funeral was organized by police.
"Only a few people could attend the funeral. We did the
donation ritual
today," Ko
Ba Khaing, an Arakanese, said Dec. 20. "We all are saddened
by his departure, another due to
towards the workers without
permits.
"Some foreigners returned to their countries but many
stay behind hiding
in the jungle, while some Burmese
have stocked up their flats with
necessities and imprisoned
themselves from fear of being arrested."
It is hard to estimate the number of Burmese migrant workers
without
visas living in
10,000 and 20,000 Arakanese
from
*********End*******
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