Date:
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(1) 57 of Karen Nation Day (In Burmese)
(2) ASEAN Urged To Say No to
(3) Shan leaders take state-financed 'holiday'
(4)
(5)
neighbours
(6) Four Missing, One Wounded on
(7) SPDC soldiers killed innocent villager
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Note: For Burmese story read in www.bnionline.net
ASEAN Urged To Say No to
Mizzima News (www.mizzima.com)
A Philippine non-governmental organization (NGO) has urged
its
government to take over the
chairmanship of the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations(ASEAN) instead of
giving it to
"We know perfectly well that despite internal changes
in the military
junta in
followed. How can our conscience allow ASEAN be ruled by a gang of
human rights violators? The
instead assume that responsibility
in the region," said Gus Miclat of
Initiatives for International Dialogue(IID)
in a statement released
today.The
"To surrender the Asean seat
to
human rights abuses happening in
that country. The Asean countries
should not allow themselves to
promote an inherently illegitimate
government," Miclat added.
Council (SPDC), became a member of ASEAN in 1997 despite
condemnation
from the opposition and the West of
the military junta's human rights
record.
IID also criticized ASEAN's constructive engagement policy
in dealing
with
push the junta to adopt democratic
reforms.
"With continuous violations of the rights of their own
laborers, women
and girls, and ethnic
nationalities, and disregard for existing
international laws,
Miclat concluded.
ASEAN derived slowly from its traditional
interference-shunning policy
after a crisis over the lack of
democracy in
Inter-Praliamenatary Causus, formed by legislators from
to send a fact-finding team to
and opposition leaders.
According to the Jakarta Post on Feb. 3, Lim Kit Siang, a caucus member
of the Malaysian parliamentary
opposition leaders, said the group will
encourage dialogue between the
junta, the National League for
Democracy(NLD)opposition Party, and
ethnic groups, and press for freeing
NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
However, the paper added, Ade Nasution, vice chairman of the
IIC, said earlier that the caucus was for individual
legislators who
shared the same concerns, and was
not endorsed by the House.
+++++
Shan leaders take state-financed 'holiday'
S.H.A.N
Nine Shan leaders received invitations from state officials
during the
past three days and have not
returned home since, Hawkeye reported from
Maesai at
On Feb. 7, U Myint Than "Math" of New Generation (
Ten of Shan State Peace Council, Maj. Han Aung, Capt Oo Hseng and an
unidentified member of NG (SS) were
summoned to the Taunggyi-based
Eastern Region Command headquarters.
They were later "asked to make
themselves at home for a
while," as the regional commander Maj-Gen Khin
Maung Myint was still
"stranded" in
Loilem, 47 miles away.
On the next day, Sai Hla Aung and another unidentified member of the
Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, who were on their
way to attend
the party's executive committee
meeting in
Toungoo.
Finally, at
Nyunt Lwin a.k.a
Sai Nood, SNLD president
and general secretary
respectively, were visited by
police officers at their
residences and told they had been
"invited" by
Yi. Though next-door neighbors,
they were driven away in separate cars,
according to sources.
Unconfirmed reports said two more SNLD members from Kengtung, Suraphon
and Hsarmtip
Kenglarn , also appeared to have been detained on
their way
to
Col. Gaifah, general secretary of
both the SSPC and Joint Action
Committee (of which SNLD is a member), was quoted as saying,
"All our
leaders should be released as
soon as possible to ensure the
participation of our members in the
upcoming session of the National
Convention (that will resume on
Feb.17)."
Sao Gaifah had led the
eight-member delegation of the SSPC attending
the Comvention's
May 17-July 9 session.
Sources were as yet unable to pinpoint the reason behind the
detention
of their leaders. "As far as
we know, Hkun Htoon Oo is
to attend the
Union Day ceremony at the NLD headquarters on Feb. 12,"
said one. "He is
also scheduled to hold a dinner
party at his home in the evening."
February 12 has been designated since 1947 as Union Day to
commemorate
the signing of the Panglong Agreement that endorsed the principles of
Autonomy, Democracy and Human Rights for
all member states.
+++++++
Narinjara News
upcoming' technical committee'
meeting of the proposed tri-nation gas
pipeline project, to be held in
meeting is to be attended by
representatives of
A press release issued by the Indian High Commission in
named the Indian representatives
for the meeting scheduled to be held in
the second week of February.
Those named are Ak Srivastava, joint secretary of the Ministry of
Petroleum and Natural Gas, Swami Singh, director of the
Ministry of
Petroleum and Natural Gas, Rajeev Khanna,
executive director of Business
Development for the Gas Authority of India Ltd., and a
senior
representative of ONGC Videsh Ltd. (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation).
The names of those appointed were given to the
Indian government Jan. 24.
the meeting, while the Burmese
authority proposed on earlier date, Feb. 14.
The Indian press release also expressed hope that the
technical
committee deliberations in
the way for the early signing of
the memorandum of understanding (MOU)
for the gas pipeline.
The committee is to hold discussions in all three countries
in order to
determine the pipeline route and
work out ownership and other technical
issues. The committee plans to
prepare and submit an MOU to facilitate
the signing of the tri-partisan
agreement by April.
Narinjara News
district very close to
link between
according to a Feb. 9 report of the
Shipping Ministry of Bangladesh.
The cost of construction for the project is estimated to be
more than
30,000 million taka (US$500 million).
The proposed location of the
future seaport is the offshore
islands of Kutubdia Moheshkhali
in the
Cox's Bazar
district of Bangladesh.
The Burmese Military government also decided recently to
build a deep
seaport on
the two neighboring countries
decided to build respective deep sea ports
at the same time," said a
business analyst, adding that both countries
expect to extend business with
business to
country. In its 'Look East Policy,'
point between
The
1,364 million taka for a 130-kilometer-long road to connect
their two
countries. The Bangladeshi
authority hopes annual revenue will increase
after construction of the
seaport and they will be able to carry cargo
from the landlocked states of
According to the Bangladeshi Shipping Ministry's report,
annual revenue taka from the
million taka after construction of
a deep seaport which now provides
6,000 million taka in annual income for
+++++++++
Four Missing, One Wounded on
Kaladan News, Maungdaw,
Feb. 09: Nasaka (Burmese Border Security Forces)
left one man wounded and four missing
at the mouth of the
a boat tried to smuggle sacks of
rice into
26, a trader from Inn Din , who
recently crossed the border on business,
said on condition of anonymity.
He said a smuggler, Sayedur Rahman, with four others from
in
rice onto the boat with the
cooperation of partners from the village,
the boat was returning to
Meanwhile, a speedboat of the Burmese border security forces
led by
Myint Thein,
commander of the Inn Din Outpost, patrolling the Naaf
River, signaled the smugglers to
stop. But defying the signal, they
continued on. The security forces
then opened fire on the boat, leaving
one dead and four missing, They siezed the boat with its goods and the
wounded man, said Kalam, a relative of the wounded man, from Saint
Sayedur Rahman,
whose left leg was hit by a bullet, was detained in the
Inn Din Outpost of Nasaka
Sector No. 8 in
allegations linking them as
partners of the Bangladeshi smugglers,
Nasaka also arrested Abu Taher, 50, Mohammad Taher, 36,
and Baila Mia,
26, sons of Gula
Hussain; and Abu Naser,
26, son of Abu Taher, all from
Inn Din; and Abdu Shukkur, 25, from Myint Hlut (Merolla),
villages of
Maungdaw. The response of officials
of
detainee is still unknown, he
added.
However, a controversy spread among the people over whether
the four
missing are still alive and hiding
in
killed, their bodies were buried
secretly by the Nasaka, sources said.
++++++++
SPDC soldiers killed innocent villager
Khonumthung News Group
Aizawl
An innocent villager has allegedly been killed by SPDC
soldiers in Chin
state on the Indian border. SPDC
soldiers from Light Infantry Battalion
No.266 murdered 18-year-old Samuel, from Selawn village in Falam, on
Jan 19, reported Chan Hlei Thang, chairman of the Selawn
village Peace
and Development Council.
SPDC soldiers slaughtered Samuel because he was accused of
being part of
the Chin Integrated Army (CIA), one
of the Chin rebel armed groups, he said.
SPDC soldiers led by Captain Tin Myo Win took Samuel to show
the way to
the spot where weapons were hidden
by the CIA. When they reached near to
Hmawng Kawn,
he was killed by SPDC soldiers, a Hmawng Kawn villager
explained.
Samuel was said to have been captured by SPDC soldiers at Tio, where the
bridge connects
village. They then took him
on the footpath from Selawn to Hmawng
Kawn
village. He was then killed two
miles from Hmawng Kawn
village.
A hunter fron Selawn
village, who preferred to remain unnamed,
elaborated: "His hat was left
at the spot where he was killed. I found
the blood stain on the ground
but did not find his corpse there. He,
Samuel, had no contact connection
with CIA at all. All the villagers
knew he was an ordinary farmer and
an honest man. "
Samuel was the youngest son of U Chan Hlei
Thang, who was accused of
having CIA connections by the SPDC.
Samuel's parents fled to
avoid SPDC threats. His two
brothers are detained in Tibawl military
camp in Falam.
Villagers around Rid township have
been searching for CIA hidden weapons
since clashes broke out Dec. 11
between the CIA headed by Ngun Uk
Lian
and Assam Rifle soldiers. The CIA
hid the weapons and ammunition in an
unknown place and fled because
planning a joint military operation
against the CIA.
*****End*****
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Burma News International is a network of nine exiled media
groups
such as Mizzima
News, Shan Herald Agency for News, Kao Wao News Group,
Khonumthung News Group, Narinjara News, Kaladan Press
Network,
Independent Mon News Agency, Karenni Information
Network Group and Network Media Group.
.........................
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