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Showing posts from November, 2010

Army Officer Takes Large Bribes to Send Muslims to Rangoon

Kyauk Pru: A high army officer has been transporting Muslim people to Rangoon from Arakan State in army vehicles for large monetary bribes, said a sergeant who did not wish to be named. He said, "Muslim people in Arakan State are unable to travel to Burma proper from Arakan without permission from high authorities. The army officer takes the opportunity for his own profit and sends them to Rangoon in army vehicles after taking bribes from them." The officer taking the bribes was identified as Lieutenant-Colonel Thaung Hteik Oo, Commander of Light Infantry Battalion 542 based in Kyauk Pru, the second largest city in Arakan. "He sent seven Muslim people by army vehicles last month after taking one million kyat from each traveler. Some officers in the battalion revealed the incident to other fellows after becoming dissatisfied with their commander's misbehavior," the source said. Another army source said that sometimes army officers bring Muslim

Burmese Woman Arrested in Bangladesh with Yaba

Teknaf: One Burmese woman was arrested by Bangladesh security forces from BDR on Sunday in the border town Teknaf in possession of around 800 yaba tablets as she was smuggling the yaba into Bangladesh from Burma, said a witness and an official. The woman was identified as 25-year-old Ma Than Nu from Maungdaw on the western Burmese border near Bangladesh. A witness said, "She was arrested on the ferry boat before the boat harbored in the Teknaf Jetty at noon on the day. A team of BDR halted the ferry that came from Maungdaw on the Bangladesh side of the Naff River to search for smuggled goods. At that time, the woman became afraid and threw the yaba into the river. BDR personnel found the yaba and arrested her." Ma Than Nu was later transferred to the Teknaf police station to face charges in accordance with Bangladesh law. In the last two days Bangladesh border security has seized over 20,000 yaba tablets and arrested four people in connection with trafficking

Solo Protester Demanding Release of Political Prisoners is Tortured by Police

By Tun Tun, Kyauk Pru: A solo protester who staged a protest in Kyauk Pru in Arakan State during Prime Minister Thein Sein's visit to the town, was severely tortured by police for demanding the release of all political prisoners in Burma, reported a family member. 32-year-old U Tun Nu, son U Kyan Lu Maung from Zaydi Ya Village in Kyauk Pru, staged a protest on 25 November by riding around town on a motorbike plastered with posters demanding the release of all political prisoners in Burma. "He started his protest by riding a motorbike demanding the release of political prisoners at 10 am on the day when Prime Minister Thein Sein arrived in Kyauk Pru. Later he was arrested by police and brought to the police station where police tortured him," the family member said. Police officer U Hla Aung, who arrested U Tun Nu, tortured him severely with a solid bamboo rod during his interrogation. "The police officer beat and tortured U Tun Nu by asking

Interview with General Secretary of Arakan League for Democracy (ALD) On His Recent Trip to the Affected Areas of Cyclone Giri and His Assistance to the Victims

Q: We heard that you had gone to the affected areas and helped. Where did you go? A: Mainly I went to Kyauk Pru, Mraybon and Pauktaw Township. Q: What did you contribute there? A: Among the three towns, the biggest damage was felt in Mraybon and Pauktaw. I donated packages of instant noodle soup and clothes. When we were there, we gave 100 bags of rice, 160 pieces of Tarpaulins (12’ x 15’) and 1700 sheets of corrugated roof. To dig water wells, we also donated 500,000 kyat for Angu Village, 400,000 kyat for Taungnyo Village and 300,000 kyat for another village. Q: What do the victims need the most right now? A: The main need would be sampans and fishing nets since they make a living working out at sea. But to tell you from our experience in the Irrawaddy Delta region, the sampans should be the ones that people can actually use for their work. They should be the ones that they can take out to the sea and do fishing. In almost every village, thousands of sampans

Wikileaks release of embassy cables reveals US concerns

Whistle-blowing website Wikileaks has begun releasing extracts from secret cables sent by US embassies, giving an insight into current global concerns. They include reports of some Arab leaders - including Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah - urging the US to attack Iran and end its nuclear weapons programme. Other concerns include the security of Pakistani nuclear material that could be used to make an atomic weapon. The widespread use of computer hacking by China's government is also reported. The US government condemned the release of the documents, which number in the hundreds of thousands, saying they put the lives of diplomats and others at risk. The founder of Wikileaks, Julian Assange, countered by saying the US authorities were afraid of being held to account. So far, Wikileaks has only posted some 200 of the 251,287 messages it says it has obtained. However, the entire bundle of cables has been made available to five publications, including the New York Times

Shelling by North Korea was 'inhumane crime' - Seoul

BBC News Lee Myung-bak warned that the North "will pay the price" for future provocations Continue reading the main story Inside North Korea Why border hot-spot is war relic US resorts to carrier diplomacy Hard choices for South Korea China's muted response South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has described as an "inhumane crime" the North's deadly shelling of a Southern island last Tuesday. Mr Lee said he felt deep responsibility for failing to protect residents of Yeonpyeong island, where four South Koreans were killed. Pyongyang says it was provoked by Seoul's military drill near Yeonpyeong. Tension remains high in the area, where the US and South Korea are currently holding joint military exercises. The North has described the four-day drill in the Yellow Sea, near the disputed border between the two Koreas, as a provocation. Firm language Speak

Plane from Karachi crashes with eight people on board

A plane carrying eight people has crashed shortly after taking off from Karachi airport in Pakistan, killing all those on board. They say it was a Russian-made cargo plane heading to Sudan's capital Khartoum and the crew were Russian. The jet crashed into buildings that were under construction inside a naval base, close to Jinnah airport. TV footage showed rescuers fighting a large fire. Reports say there were also casualties on the ground. There were also reports of explosions. 'Engine on fire' "It (the plane) took off from Karachi at 0145 (2045 GMT) and after one-and-a-half minutes it crashed," Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority spokesman Pervez George told the AFP news agency. Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote My son wasn't asleep and he saw the cockpit on fire and the crash. The plane was in more than two parts. It's totally burnt, it's a wreck” End Quote Ayas Peer Mohammed Eyewitness "It was an IL

Egypt set for key elections marred by clashes

President Hosni Mubarak (left, on poster) has ruled Egypt for nearly 30 years Egyptians are due to go to the polls in parliamentary elections, in a process which has already seen clashes between the opposition and security forces. The ruling NDP party of President Hosni Mubarak is expected to win easily. The Muslim Brotherhood - officially banned - is bidding to retain its position as the country's biggest opposition party. In 2005, its supporters won about a fifth of the seats, standing as independent candidates. Polls around Egypt will open at 0600 GMT and will close at 1700 GMT. Some 42m voters are eligible to cast their ballots, with results expected within several days. Widespread criticism Continue reading the main story EGYPT ELECTIONS Q&A: Egypt's elections The new parliament will have 518 members, 508 of whom will be elected and 10 will be appointed by presidential decree. Each of the 254 constituencies will return two MPs

US and Sorth Korea begin military exercises

BBC News China has expressed concern about military activity so close to its territory Continue reading the main story Inside North Korea Why border hot-spot is war relic US resorts to carrier diplomacy Hard choices for South Korea China's muted response South Korea and the United States have begun four days of joint military exercises in the waters off the Korean west coast. The US says they are defensive exercises designed to deter North Korea from launching further attacks across its border with the South. North Korea's shelling of a South Korean island last week left two marines and two civilians dead. North Korea has condemned the exercises as a provocation. China has also expressed concern about military activity by foreign navies so close to its territory, and has warned the Americans not to stray too close. The BBC's Chris Hogg, in the South Korean capital Seoul, says

RNDP Welcomes Daw Suu's Release

By Maung Aye -------------------- Sittwe: The Rakhine National Development Party, which won 35 seats in the recent election, has welcomed the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi with hopes of working towards national reconciliation. Dr. Aye Maung, President of the RNDP, told Narinjara over the phone, "We welcome the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and everybody should welcome her release because it is very beneficial for all Burmese people and the democracy movement." He also said that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is able to build Burma as a modern federal nation with equal rights among all ethnic groups in Burma in accordance with an agreement that was made between her father Bogyoke Aung San and ethnic nationalities' leaders. "I heard an interview with Daw Aung Suu Kyi by exile media where Daw Suu said that she is going to build national reconciliation in Burma as much as she can. All ethnic nationalities believe that Daw Suu can build national reconciliati

Two Elected Ministers Meet with RNDP Delegates

Sittwe: Two recently elected ministers from the military government - U Aung Taung, Minister of Industry - 1 and U Thein Swe, Minister of Transport - informally met with some delegates from the Rakhine National Development Party, or RNDO, in Sittwe on Wednesday under the arrangement of the Rakhine State Election Commission. The meeting took place when the ministers came to Sittwe accompanied by Burma's Prime Minister Thein Sein to inspect the cyclone-affected areas of the state. Dr. Aye Maung, president of the RNDP, said, "We were invited by the election commission to attend an informal meeting with government ministers who were recently election. So we agreed and attended the meeting." In the meeting, the RNDP and USDP primarily discussed the issue of development in Arakan State. "Minister U Aung Taung told us that he wanted to see Arakan State developed, so he offered us to cooperate with them to upgrade the development of Arakan State. We repli

Complainants Against Railroad Examined by Authority

Mrauk U: Two individuals were interrogated by the Burmese military authority after they complained about the destruction of several cultural heritage sites in Mrauk U to clear space for railroad construction. U Kyaw Tun Aung, a former chief of the archaeology department in Mrauk U and an abbot of Aung Mingalar Monastery were interrogated about their complaints on 23 November by Sittwe District Chairman Major Moe Zaw Soe, at the Aung Mingalar Monastery in Mrauk U. An educated youth from Mrauk U said, "After many cultural heritage sites were destroyed by bulldozers for railroad construction, townspeople, led by several abbots and including the archaeology department, submitted an appeal to high authorities. Because of this complaint, the authority interrogated two leaders about the protest." Moreover, the Sittwe District chairman has warned U Kyaw Tun Aung not to complain in the future using this approach, as U Kyaw Tun Aung is a former governm

CANCER KILLER DISCOVERED

Guyabano , The Soupsop Fruit   The Sour Sop or the fruit from the graviola tree is a miraculous natural cancer cell killer   10,000 times stronger than Chemo . Why are we not aware of this?   Its because some big corporation want to make back their money spent on years of research by   trying to make a synthetic version of it for sale. So, since you know it now you can help a friend in need by letting him know or just drink some sour sop juice yourself as prevention from time to time.   The taste is not bad after all. It’s completely natural and definitely has no side effects.   If you have the space, plant one in your garden. The other parts of the tree are also useful.

Archaeological Sites Bulldozed for Railroad Construction in Arakan

Adjust font size: ------------------- By Maung Aye ------------------- Ancient city in western Burma's Arakan State Mrauk U: Many cultural heritage sites have been destroyed as military authorities have bulldozed a path for constructing a railroad through a major archaeological zone in Mrauk U, an ancient city in western Burma's Arakan State.

Anger at ‘destructive’ railway project

By AHUNT PHONE MYAT Published: 18 November 2010 Andaw Thein pagodas in Mrauk U, where locals complain that a railroad project could damage historic structures (Jean-Marie Hullot) Residents have reacted with anger to a railroad development that will cut through the historically important town of Mrauk U in Arakan state, which at its zenith was a major international trading hub.

Cyclone Victim Hangs Himself

Mray Bon: A cyclone victim hanged himself last week in the town of Mray Bon, the town hardest hit by the cyclone in Arakan, during a fit of depression, said townspeople. The victim was identified as U Aung Kyaw Sein from Alay Pai Ward in central Mray Bon Town. An elder from Mray Bon said, "He committed suicide by hanging himself in the compound of his house during a fit of depression. He lost much property, including his home, when the cyclone struck the town. He seemed to commit suicide after losing so much."

Army Uses Cyclone Victims for Forced Labor

Adjust font size: Mray Bon: Army officials have forced cyclone victims in Kyunt Thaya Village in Mray Bone Township in Arakan State to work at many renovation sites without payment after Cyclone Giri struck the area, report villagers.