Burma Related News - Dec 30, 2009.
TIN KYI
BURMA RELATED NEWS - DECEMBER 30, 2009
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AFP - Britain's Brown writes to Suu Kyi pledging support
AFP - Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh refuse repatriation
UN News Centre - Britain’s ‘Curry King’ shows Myanmar refugees way to
nutritious food at UN event
Malaysia Star - Myanmar mamasan fails to strike out detention order
Florida Baptist Witness - Myanmar refugees find spiritual ally in
cultural maze
The Australian - US passport is no protection from Rangoon goons
The Irrawaddy - Burma Very High Risk: The Economist
The Irrawaddy - Living Poor on Soldiers' Pay
Mizzima News - NLD keen on holding CEC plenary meet
DVB News - Authorities demand data on opposition party
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Britain's Brown writes to Suu Kyi pledging support
Wed Dec 30, 12:30 am ET
LONDON (AFP) – British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has written a
personal letter to Aung San Suu Kyi, pledging his ongoing support for
Myanmar's pro-democracy icon and praising her courage.
Brown also reiterated his call for Myanmar's military rulers to ensure
elections promised for 2010 were free and fair, warning anything less
would condemn the impoverished country to more hardship and isolation.
"If the scheduled elections proceed under a rigged constitution, with
opposition leaders excluded and with no international oversight, the
military rulers will be condemning Burma to more years of diplomatic
isolation and economic stagnation," he said in the letter released by
Downing Street Tuesday.
The premier said Britain stood "immovably" with the Nobel peace
laureate, and urged the regime to start a "genuine dialogue" with her.
"Your continuing detention is only the most visible evidence of the
bad faith of a regime which has so far shown no signs of listening to
regional or international calls for an end to its violent behaviour,"
he said.
"I continue to call upon the regime to engage with you and allow you
further contact with diplomats in Rangoon, and to start a genuine
dialogue that can give the Burmese people back their future and their
hope," he said.
Brown's letter has been passed to authorities in Myanmar -- which has
been under military rule since 1962 -- by the British embassy in
Yangon.
Aung San Suu Kyi has been locked up for 14 of the past 20 years and
was ordered in August to spend another 18 months in detention after
being convicted over an incident in which an American man swam to her
house.
The extension of her detention sparked international outrage as it
effectively keeps her off the stage for the elections promised by the
regime some time in 2010.
If the polls go ahead they will be the first since 1990, when the
junta refused to recognise her party's landslide victory.
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Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh refuse repatriation
Wed Dec 30, 7:12 am ET
DHAKA (AFP) – Bangladesh's plans to repatriate 9,000 Myanmar Muslim
refugees to their homeland hit trouble on Wednesday when a leader of
the minority said they would refuse to leave.
Bangladesh's top foreign ministry official, Mirajul Quayes, said
Tuesday that neighbouring Myanmar had agreed to take back 9,000
Rohingya refugees in what was seen as a breakthrough in a decade-long
problem.
Quayes, the foreign secretary, said during talks with Myanmar deputy
foreign minister Maung Myint in Dhaka that the military regime had
agreed to accept nearly one-third of the officially recognised
refugees now in Bangladesh.
Jalal Uddin, who is the secretary of the UN-recognised Kutupalong
camp, said Rohingya refugees "are always ready to go back home" but
stressed that rights as Myanmar citizens could not be guaranteed.
"(But) we don't have any rights in Myanmar," he told AFP by phone. "If
we go back, the armed forces will use us as bonded labour.
"Many will be sent to jail. There are still curbs on practising our
religion or movement from one place to another without the army's
permission."
Described by the United Nations as one of the most persecuted
minorities, some 250,000 Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh in the early
1990s. But some 230,000 were later taken back by Myanmar following a
UN-brokered deal.
Since then, thousands of Rohingyas from Buddhist-majority Myanmar's
northern Rakhaine state have streamed across the border every year and
are now estimated to number nearly 400,000.
But only 28,000 of them have been granted official refugee status and
are allowed to stay in two UN-assisted camps in the country's Cox's
Bazar district just miles (kilometres) across the Myanmar border.
"Some 9,000, are ready to be repatriated following verification, as
the Myanmar government has assured us today that they are also ready.
And it can begin within the shortest possible time," Quayes said
Tuesday.
Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Dipu Moni last August said the
undocumented refugees put a "heavy burden" on Dhaka, causing major
social, economic problems.
Quayes expressed his concern about the increased influx of Rohingyas
in recent months and urged Myanmar to take them back. "We've pressed
the Myanmar government to take steps to get them back," he said.
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UN News Centre - Britain’s ‘Curry King’ shows Myanmar refugees way to
nutritious food at UN event
30 December 2009 – Britain’s renowned “Curry King” has been giving
poor refugee women in Bangladesh lessons on concocting nutritious
dishes using United Nations food rations along with locally grown
fruit and vegetables.
“I believe that the tips and stories that I have shared will give
women leaders the confidence to develop positive health behaviours in
their homes and community,” star chef Tommy Miah said, thanking the UN
World Food Programme (WFP) for organizing the event at Kutupalong camp
in Cox’s Bazar, eastern Bangladesh, home to some 11,000 Rohingya
Muslims refugees who have fled neighbouring Myanmar.
Mr. Miah, a British celebrity chef of Bangladeshi origin, involved
women community leaders in the demonstration as he cooked mushroom
fried rice, pumpkin and lentil soup, vegetable pakora, garlic
mushrooms, spinach with potatoes and banana fritters – a dessert
consisting of banana, sweet syrup and WFP’s fortified Wheat Soya Blend
(WSB) formula.
Looking at the tiny kitchens available to refugee women, he passed on
tips on how to cook nutritious food with locally available cheap
ingredients, while WFP field monitor Masing Newar explained the types
of vitamins and minerals found in the foods and educated them on the
causes and consequences of under-nutrition.
“I have learnt that to retain the nutrition content of vegetables it’s
better not to wash them after cutting [as I currently do] but they
should be washed beforehand,” said Jahura, a 45-year-old mother with
eight family members to cook for.
Sobmeraj, a 35-year-old mother with seven family members to provide
for, said she had never thought before that such a nutritious and
tasty meal could be prepared with such limited and cheap items. “I
realized that cleanliness and good presentation are important in
enjoying our meals, and I believe they're good for our health as
well,” she added.
WFP runs its programmes in the two refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar in
conjunction with a number of UN and non-governmental organization
(NGO) partners.
“Today’s experiences and demonstrations, if practised widely in the
camp, can make needed changes at the community level, without
disturbing traditions,” said Selina Akhter, Nutrition worker of Action
Contre la Faim (ACF), a NGO providing a package of nutrition services
including assisting mothers of undernourished children to grow
vegetables in their homes.
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Published: Wednesday December 30, 2009 MYT 3:11:00 PM
Malaysia Star - Myanmar mamasan fails to strike out detention order
KUALA LUMPUR: A Myanmar woman, who is a member of a prostitution ring,
failed in her bid to get a release from two-year detention order
issued by the Home Ministry.
Ra Himah and her accomplice were said to have resorted to using
electric shock, among others, to force prostitutes to follow their
orders.
Judicial Commissioner Zainal Azman Ab Aziz on Wednesday ruled that the
detention order dated Dec 12, last year against Ra Himah was valid.
He said Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh had
taken into account facts in a report against Ra Himah before making
such an order.
He said Wan Ahmad signed the detention order in accordance to Section 4
(1) of the Emergency (Public Order and Prevention of Crime Ordinance
1969. "It is clear that the minister had observed the facts in the
investigations and have applied his mind properly to the facts when
signing the order," he said in rejecting an application by Ra Himah
for her release.
Documents filed by the ministry stated that Ra Himah and her
accomplice had organised prostitution activities in Bukit Mertajam,
Penang and forcing Thai and local women to become prostitutes since
1994.
Wan Ahmad had stated that the order against Ra Himah was made on
grounds to prevent her from committing any actions that would affect
public order, to eliminate violence and avoid crime involving force.
Justice Zainal Azman said Ra Himah failed to show to the court that
she has sufficient cause for her release.
Her lawyer Karpal Singh said he would file an appeal against the court
ruling.
Ra Himah was ordered to be detained at a rehabilitation centre in Batu
Gajah for two years from Dec 12 last year.
Ra Himah filed a habeas corpus (wrongful detention) application and
named Wan Ahmad and Batu Gajah rehabilitation centre superintendent as
respondents.
In her affidavit, Ra Himah claimed that there had been procedural non-
compliance by Wan Ahmad with the provisions of Section 4(1) of the
Ordinance.
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Florida Baptist Witness - Myanmar refugees find spiritual ally in
cultural maze
Dec 30, 2009
By BARBARA DENMAN
Florida Baptist Convention
JACKSONVILLE (FBC)—They escaped the jungles of Asian country once
known as Burma a persecuted people, fearing death from a hostile and
Buddhist dominated Myanmar government.
Exiled to refugee camps along the Thailand border, many waited for
decades for God to deliver them.
Now living in low-income housing in the shadows of Jacksonville’s
skyscrapers, the Karen people are coping with a new life in a foreign
land unable to speak the language and ignorant of the culture.
In their times of crisis, they have found an ally, willing to walk
with them while interpreting their journey; a companion ready to make
personal sacrifices in Christ’s name.
“We call her ‘Pi.’” explains Ta Yah Htoo, a 19-year-old mother who was
born in a border refugee camp. “It means grandmother and great honor.”
“We feel like she is our mom. We call her at midnight and she answers.
We love her so much. We know that God gave her a spirit and heart for
the Karen people and he gave us a special mom.”
Brenda Forlines, or “Pi” as she is endearingly called, retired three
years ago as director of the Florida Baptist Convention’s Church and
Community Ministries department,
where she spent 23 years on the road, crisscrossing the state
assisting congregations develop ministries to their community.
Once retired, the North American Mission Board missionary spent the
next nine months recuperating, “cleaning house” and visiting friends
and family. But she was not destined to sit still in retirement.
“I began praying that God would give me a ministry, but I wanted a
community ministry,” she explained. When asked to take over the ESL
(English as a second language) ministry at her church, Southside
Baptist Church in Jacksonville’s San Marco community, she discovered
the Karen people, eager to learn as they took careful steps to
assimilate into the community.
“I started to be available and become involved in their lives,”
recalled Forlines. One young woman asked Forlines to help her pick out
wedding rings; another asked her to read and explain a letter.
It evolved from there into 40-plus hours of volunteer ministry each
week. The day begins with Forlines armed with a calendar of daily
appointments on the Karens’ behalf.
A life-long single adult, Forlines has assisted in the delivery of at
least 14 babies, translating doctor’s orders in the delivery room. She
now has a car seat in her SUV to transport mothers and children to
their medical appointments for immunizations and physicals.
Medical and government offices know Forlines by name as she helps the
Karen navigate the health care and social services maze. She reads
and explains bills, letters from schools, insurance forms and
government paperwork. She helps them complete job applications and
drives them to interviews. If a child is sick, the local elementary
school calls Forlines.
When they have needs or experiences crises—no furniture, no jobs, not
enough money to pay the rent—Forlines steps in, finding resources to
help, even paying some expenses out of her own pocket. She is always
amazed at how God provides the financial resources, “This is not my
ministry,” she said. “It’s God’s ministry and if He wants it to
happen, He will touch the hearts of people.”
The Karen are “hard working,” Forlines said, “but it has been tough
for them without a lot of job skills and without the ability to speak
English. They are frugal and sweet, precious people. I don’t know how
they survive but they do.”
Upon entering the states, resettlement agencies provide the newly
arrived refugees with three months’ financial assistance for rent and
electricity. But with the faltering economy, unskilled jobs are
difficult to find that will provide the nearly $600 required for the
fourth month’s rent. Some of the fathers move to other states to find
work.
According to Forlines nearly 300 Karen live in Jacksonville. But the
First Coast city is also home to other Burmese refugees, including the
Chen and Ka’Chen people groups.
Other Baptist churches in the city—Cedar Hills, San Jose and Crown
Point—minister to them.
These groups, like the Karen, are Christians—which is a source of the
intolerance in their primarily Buddhist country—and seek out Baptist
churches, having been evangelized by Burmese Baptist churches, the
legacy of Adoniram Judson, pioneer Baptist missionary.
Nearly 110 Karen worship each Sunday at Southside Church, in services
in their own “heart language,” and along with the Anglo congregation.
Their children are assimilated in the church’s English-speaking Sunday
school program.
Southside Pastor Gary Webber said the church must “think more globally
in the 21st century. That doesn’t just mean international missions or
travel to foreign countries, but beginning to find out that God is
bringing the world here with immigrants seeking refuge here.”
Understanding that, Forlines continues to dedicate her time and
resources to the “precious people.”
“Imagine if every church would establish on-going ministries as a way
of meeting needs and sharing Christ with the people in their
community,” she said. “Perhaps like the early disciples, we would
turn our portion of the world upside down and people would be drawn to
the church and Christ.”
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The Australian - US passport is no protection from Rangoon goons
Wa Wa Kyaw
From: The Australian
December 30, 2009 12:00AM
EARLY on September 3, my phone rang. I picked up, thinking it might be
my fiance, Nyi Nyi Aung, who was visiting family in Bangkok, Thailand.
But it was Nyi Nyi's brother.
Nyi Nyi, he said, had boarded a plane to our native Burma earlier that
day, hoping to visit his mother, who has cancer. But according to
friends waiting at the baggage claim, he never arrived. In all
likelihood, agents of the military junta seized him. Nyi Nyi is an
American citizen, I thought. How could this happen? Then, it hit me: I
might never see him again.
I called the US embassy in Rangoon; I wrote to our congressional
representatives. And I waited. On September 20, 17 days after Nyi Nyi
disappeared, the junta acknowledged his arrest. The charge, according
to the state-run newspaper, was "plotting riots and sabotage". I felt
sick but not surprised: although Nyi Nyi has always been a nonviolent
activist, the junta will say anything to justify its actions. Then,
after the embassy was allowed a brief visit, I learned the worst: he
was tortured. He was denied food for over a week. Kicked in his face.
Beaten on his back. Not allowed to sleep.
As a peaceful participant in the 1988 Burmese student protests, Nyi
Nyi had once before been detained and tortured by the junta. I, too,
had been involved in the student uprising and fled to Thailand after
the brutal August 1988 military crackdown. That's where Nyi Nyi and I
met. While in Thailand, he worked with organisations helping refugees,
while continuing to advocate on behalf of Burmese democracy and human
rights.
In 1991, drawn to the US, I decided to resettle there; he followed two
years later. He received a computer science degree and started working
for hi-tech companies. He became a naturalised US citizen, like me. We
became engaged. But he never forgot Burma. He continued quietly
assisting groups organising peaceful opposition to the junta. As part
of this work he returned to Burma five
times, each time with his US passport and a valid visa. The first four
trips he went unmolested. The fifth trip was different.
Nyi Nyi is to stand trial in Burma. The terrorism charges have been
dropped, but he is facing sham charges of fraud and forgery relating
to his alleged possession of a fake Burmese identity card even though
he clearly had no need of fake identification, given his US passport
and valid visa.
He has also been charged with illegally importing Burmese currency and
failing to declare US currency at customs. But he was arrested before
he had a chance to go through customs. He faces a maximum sentence of
17 years. The courts in Burma are tools of the junta, and there is
little doubt that he will be convicted.
Recently, the Barack Obama administration completed its Burma policy
review. Sanctions will remain, but the administration has signalled
that it will pursue greater engagement with the junta. Recently, US
Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell travelled to Rangoon,
becoming the most senior US diplomat to visit Burma in more than a
decade. I hope and pray he raised Nyi Nyi's case.
But Nyi Nyi is far from alone. He is the only American political
prisoner in Burma, but there are more than 2000 Burmese prisoners of
conscience. This number includes my nephew, Nyi Nyi's mother and two
of his cousins. Their crime? Peaceful support for freedom and human
rights.
Several months before his arrest, Nyi Nyi went to New York City to
deliver a petition to the UN urging the release of all political
prisoners in Burma. Now I must speak for Nyi Nyi, as he has so often
spoken for others. His arrest, detention and treatment has been
condemned by the international community. And so I say: your words
show you take this issue seriously. But what will you do?
Wa Wa Kyaw is the fiancee of imprisoned Burmese-American human rights
activist Nyi Nyi Aung.
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The Irrawaddy - Burma Very High Risk: The Economist
By WAI MOE - Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Military-ruled Burma is one of 22 countries in the world that is at
very high risk of social unrest in the coming year, according to
influential magazine The Economist.
According to a chart coined “Global Tinderbox” published on Monday by
the UK-based magazine, Burma and 21 other countries are at a “very
high risk” of social unrest in 2010 while 52 countries are classified
as “high risk.” only 37 countries are ranked at a “low risk of
unrest.”
Burma is joined by neighbors Bangladesh and conflict-ravaged countries
in South Asia, the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa, such as
Afghanistan, Somalia and Iraq.
Thailand, Cambodia and China are among the 52 countries which are
estimated to be at high risk of social unrest in 2010.
The magazine said the world will see 60 million more people unemployed
than in 2008, and about 200 million workers worldwide will be living
on less than US $2 a day.
The rate of development in Burma, which is rich in natural resources,
is one of the worst in the world. The United Nations Development
Programme has warned that most people in Burma survive on less than $1
a day. Many people in the outskirts of cities survive on a day-to-day
basis, according to NGO workers in Burma, and many people under the
poverty line are suffering from malnutrition.
“But poverty alone does not spark unrest— exaggerated income
inequalities, poor governance, lack of social provisions and ethnic
tensions are all elements of the brew that foments unrest,” The
Economist said.
Burma is ranked as the third most corrupt country in the world after
anarchic Somalia and war-torn Afghanistan, according to Berlin-based
Transparency International.
Burma is scheduled to hold a general election in the year ahead.
However, the ruling junta still keeps more than 2,000 political
prisoners under arrest, including pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu
Kyi.
The military government has yet to announce an electoral law and a
timetable for the election. To date, any dissident opinions and
political activity are forcefully suppressed.
Ethnic tensions around the country are also running high. The Burmese
ruling generals have called on all ethnic ceasefire groups to join the
central government’s border guard force plan. With the exception of
three groups, all the ethnic cease-fire groups have yet to agree to
the plan.
The junta extended the deadline for the ethnic groups to accept the
border guard proposal to the end of December. With one day to go and
no word of any compromises, many observers say that conflict is
inevitable with the government forces preparing to launch fresh
offensives on resistance groups.
However, leaders of the United Wa State Army, the largest cease-fire
group in the country with an estimated 20,000 troops, have reportedly
vowed that they won’t give up an inch of their territory or disarm.
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The Irrawaddy - Living Poor on Soldiers' Pay
By KYI WAI - Wednesday, December 30, 2009
RANGOON — Sgt Aung walks through Mingladon market, searching for
ammunition to restock his cartridge magazine, which he sold when he
needed some extra money to support his family.
He quickly found several shops in the military equipment area, selling
all types of military hardware: uniforms, field equipment, cartridges,
magazines and various brands of weapons.
Similar shops can be found in many markets around military
installations in Rangoon, such as Htauk Kyant, Hlegu and Hmaw Bi
markets.
Most of the shops rely on poor soldiers, who are often forced to sell
their army-issued property when they need money and then must
repurchase it when they have funds.
Sgt Aung (not his real name) sold his cartridges six months ago for
8,000 kyat (US $7) when he needed money. They cost 15,000 kyat to buy
back now, but the shop owner offered a 2,500 kyat discount. Still, Sgt
Aung is put off by the price.
He earns 35,000 kyat ($32) a month. He decides to walk around the
market and think about it. Finally, he decides he can't afford to
replace the cartridges.If he has an inspection and is found out, he
could be suspended from duty or imprisoned.
"The poverty of soldiers isn't even comparable to civilians,” he said.
“We suffer from scarcity not only on the front line, but also in rear-
base areas. We see almost no money."
As a sergeant in the Burmese army, he could earn an extra 5,000 kyat a
month if he serves in a high-risk area.
However, his pay is never enough to meet the needs of his four family
members, Aung said.
Since 2007, he has been indebted. His wife and children try to cut
back on everything, but he still can't afford to buy even the cheapest
toothpaste or tooth brushes.
The economic strain is showing. Sgt Aung is haggard, weary and his
cheek bones sharply outline his face. His uniform is faded. He said he
can't recall how many times he has repaired family members' flip-
flops.
A lance corporal also shared his story with The Irrawaddy.
"I earn less than 40,000 kyat (US $37) a month including regular
salary, hazardous duty pay and other assistance. My family can't
survive on my salary. We have no more possessions to sell. I can't
even provide school fees for my children, and my wife sends them to
her relatives for schooling," he said.
The army provides 3,000 ($2.70) kyat for each dependent child to help
with school fees, but it's still insufficient to pay expanses, he
said.
Soldiers are not allowed to work outside the military, but if their
wives can work, many find it almost possible to stay even financially.
However, he said the army sometimes demands full-time labor from
family members on army farms and other production facilities.
"The family members of army men are like slaves,” he said. “Not only
do we soldiers serve, but our family members are often required to
work for the army too."
Some servicemen receive an extra benefit when officers allow a few
family members to start small businesses within an army unit's area,
such as snack or tea shops while others sell groceries or illegal
liquor.
Some families breed poultry and pigs for extra income, and some earn
money with illegal or underground businesses such as selling illegal
lottery tickets or betting on soccer matches. Some soldiers run short-
haul, motorcycle-taxi services.
A private in a battalion in Mingladon Township said, "You can buy
illegal lottery tickets in our unit. Some army families just keep
books for the tickets. If you want to bet on a soccer match, they will
help you to access outside book makers."
Since April 1, 2006, a private earns 16,000 kyat ($14) a month; a
major-general earns 800,000 kyat ($$750) a month. The army pays 5,000
kyat a month for hazardous duty pay for the ranks of private through
colonel.
"The salary gap between the generals and ordinary soldiers is very
large, and the privileges are also very different. The generals earn 1
million kyat extra a month for state defense and administration fees,"
said a colonel who asked for anonymity.
Since 1988, the regime has raised the salary scale four times for
public employees and military servicemen, in order to cope with
inflation and raising commodity prices.
Sometimes the government or army officers order an army unit to be
self-reliant. A soldier said a military commander in northern Shan
State ordered the units under his command to find operational cost on
their own, and the army units cut and sold timber in the area.
"It was not only our unit, but almost all army units in that area that
cut and sold logs,” he said.
Nowadays, many servicemen are given oral orders by officers to try to
find girls to marry from well-off families, who can help support an
army man's family.
A captain said, "For army officers, it's an unwritten law that we
should marry a rich lady or an educated lady."
Typically, the army will summarily dismiss soldiers infected with AIDS/
HIV, Hepatitis B or those who sustain physical disabilities, sources
said.
A medic said there are many cases of suicide if a soldier contracts
AIDS/HIV or Hepatitis B, because they can't face returning to their
native region.
"If the infected person is an officer, he may be transferred to a
civil administration post, but if the patient is a non-commissioned
soldier, he is kicked out. For those who are injured in a fighting,
they are treated at a national rehabilitation hospital and then asked
to retire," the medic said.
A veteran who lost a limb said: "If they can still walk, the veterans
may try to sell books and magazines on the street. They sell things in
market. If the veterans can't walk, they knit rattan furniture and
some work as carpenters. Some go out to the streets as beggars. The
veterans get no assistance anymore from the government, and they are
not even recognized as army veterans. They say we disgrace the pride
of the Tatmadaw."
A veteran who is now surviving by begging in Insein Township said
military officials told him not to beg while wearing any military
clothing and not to say he was a veteran. He was then ordered not to
beg in a public park.
Ironically, a lance-corporal from a Than-Lyin-based battalion said,
"We would be better off if I resigned from the army and begged on the
street. I could earn more money."
Pay scale for army servicemen (April 1, 2006):
1. private: 16,000 kyat basic pay. after two years, 21,000 kyats
2. lance-corporal: 22,000 kyat; after several years, 27,000 kyat.
3. corporal: 28,000 kyat; after several years, 33,000 kyat
4. sergeant: 34,000 kyat; after several years, 39,000 kyat
5. company sergeant: 40,000 kyat; after several years, 45,000 kyat
6. warrant officer II: 46,000 kyat; after several years, 51,000 kyat
7. warrant officer I: 52,000 kyat; after several years, 57,000 kyat
8. second lieutenant:100,000 kyat
9. lieutenant: 120,000 kyat.
10. captain: 130,000 kyat; after two years, 140,000 kyat
11. major: 150,000 kyat; after several years, 160,000 kyat
12. lieutenant colonel: 170,000 kyat; after several years, 180,000
kyat
13. colonel: 190,000 kyat; after several years, 200,000 kyat
14. brigadier general: 300,000 kyat
15. major-general: 400,000 kyat
16. lieutenant-general: 600,000 kyats
17. general: 800,000 kyat
18. vice-senior general : 1,000,000 kyat
19. senior-general: 1,200,000 kyat
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NLD keen on holding CEC plenary meet
Wednesday, 30 December 2009 13:34 Myint Maung
New Delhi (Mizzima) – The National League for Democracy party is keen
on holding its CEC plenary meeting with all 11 members for
reorganizing and expansion of the CEC.
“This is related to our party’s future plan so the regime must permit
us. Even if they don’t allow us we will hold the meeting when the
political parties’ registration law and other related laws and
regulations are declared,” party spokesman Khin Maung Swe told
Mizzima.
“If the junta does not allow us to hold such a meeting, the current
CEC must go ahead with the plan and inform Aung San Suu Kyi,” he
added.
Ageing party leaders Chairman Aung Shwe, Secretary U Lwin and CEC
member Lun Tin agreed to expand the current CEC when they met Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi on December 16 at Green Bank State Guest House in Rangoon.
Aung San Suu Kyi who has been detained for over 14 of the past 20
years sent a letter to the junta supremo Senior Gen. Than Shwe in
November, requesting him to let her meet all 11 CEC members including
detained Vice-Chairman Tin Oo. But she has not yet been allowed to
meet the CEC members.
Though the party elders agreed to expand and reorganize the current
CEC, they could not take a final decision without holding a plenary
CEC meeting because they are awaiting permission from the military
regime, Khin Maung Swe said.
On December 9 the NLD announced the list of current CEC members. They
are Aung Swhe (Chairman), Tin Oo (Vice-Chairman), Aung San Suu Kyi
(General Secretary), U Lwin (Secretary) and members Win Tin, Than Tun,
Soe Myint, Hla Pe, Lun Tin, Nyunt Wei and Khin Maung Swe.
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Authorities demand data on opposition party
Dec 30, 2009 (DVB)–Opposition party members in Burma are being forced
to divulge personal details about their families and jobs to
intelligence officers, reportedly on instruction from senior
government.
Lists of National League for Democracy (NLD) members in Mandalay
division, Kachin state and Bago division have been drawn up, while
birth dates of divisional members of Mandalay’s Chanmyayttharzan
township were collected recently, NLD organizing member Myo Naing
said.
“They didn’t come openly; local authorities came to ask our dates of
birth,” he said. “They said they did it under order of senior
authorities. I saw the list of the names of four to five NLD members
in our ward.”
Another NLD member in Mandalay division, Tun Tun, said that it was not
clear why surveillance was being stepped up.
“They are mainly collecting [data] in rural areas. In urban areas,
they collect them in satellite towns,” he said. “When I asked them
they said they do it under instruction from the top.”
In Kachin state’s Mohnyin, NLD members are being photographed and told
to answer questionnaires. They are also told to list their siblings,
their addresses and jobs.
At the same time, NLD leaders in Mandalay sent a directive to
colleagues not to reveal data of party members, Mandalay Northwest
township MP-elect Tin Aung Aung said.
Khin Maung Swe, from the NLD’s information wing, said that authorities
have no right to collect data.
“It is not in accordance with the law for non-NLD party members to
collect details of party members,” he said. “If they did, we will
investigate it and carry out appropriate action.”
The Burmese government is preparing to hold elections next year,
although the NLD is yet to announce whether it will participate.
Critics of the government say that the 2008 constitution will entrench
military rule in the country, while detained NLD leader Aung San Suu
Kyi is barred from running for office.
Reporting by Khin Hnin Htet
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