ARAKAN INDOBHASA Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from September, 2011

Telangana: India new state protest enters 18th day

Protests have taken place in the capital, Hyderabad Continue reading the main story Related Stories India opens Pandora's box India's 'Tiger of Telangana' feted India sets up new state committee A strike in favour of a new state in the Telangana region of southern India's Andhra Pradesh state has entered its 18th day. Some 800,000 protesting government employees have stopped work, leading to a shutdown of offices, schools and colleges. Public transport is off the roads and widespread power outages are being reported from the region. Andhra Pradesh saw violent protests for and against the proposal last year. With a population of 40 million, the proposed Telangana state comprises 10 of Andhra Pradesh's 23 districts, including the state capital and India's sixth most populous city, Hyderabad. Normal life in Hyderabad has come to a standstill on Friday after a fresh strike call by pro-Telangana activists, the BBC's Omer Farooq say

Philippine immigrant maid wins landmark Hong Kong case

By Katie Hunt Business reporter, BBC News Evangeline Banao Vallejos' lawyer, Mark Daly: "It's a good win for the rule of law" Continue reading the main story Related Stories Discontent grows in Hong Kong despite boom Hong Kong introduces minimum wage Hong Kong workers see wages rise Hong Kong's High Court has ruled that a domestic helper from the Philippines should be allowed to apply for permanent residency in the city. The case was brought by Evangeline Banao Vallejos, who has lived in Hong Kong since 1986. The ruling follows a landmark judicial review and could lead to more than 100,000 other foreign maids winning rights to residency. The government has said that it will appeal against the ruling. The case has sparked widespread debate on equal treatment for foreign maids. Mark Daly, the lawyer acting on behalf of Ms Vallejos, said that she was very pleased by the ruling. "When

Burma dam: Work halted on divisive Myitsone project

The project had sparked a rare campaign of opposition, joined by Aung San Suu Kyi Continue reading the main story Burma: Battle for Democracy Viewpoint: Change one step at a time Burma sets up human rights panel Burma's exiled satirists go home Burma's political prisoners Burma's president has suspended construction of a controversial Chinese-backed hydroelectric dam. In a letter read out in parliament on Friday, Thein Sein said the $3.6bn (£2.3bn) Myitsone dam was contrary to the will of the people. The project fuelled fighting between the army and ethnic Kachin rebels. Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who recently joined the anti-dam campaign, welcomed the move, seen as a rare victory for social activists. The BBC's South East Asia correspondent Rachel Harvey says it appears to be further evidence of the new leadership's desire to seek legitimacy

Rwanda genocide court jails former ministers

All four ex-ministers were accused of calling for the massacre of Tutsis in meetings and speeches Continue reading the main story Rwanda: Haunted Nation Slow pace of justice Kagame: Visionary or tyrant? Paul Kagame's hold on Rwandans Children of rape Two former Rwandan ministers have been sentenced to 30 years in jail by the UN war crimes tribunal for involvement in Rwanda's genocide in 1994. Former civil service minister Prosper Mugiraneza and former trade minister Justin Mugenzi were convicted of complicity to commit genocide and incitement to commit genocide. But two other former ministers were acquitted due to lack of evidence. The judgements come nearly eight years after the trial began. They come 12 years since the former ministers were arrested. The tribunal, based in the Tanzanian town of Arusha, was formed in late 1994 to try the alleged perpetrators of the genocide

Libya forces take airport in Gaddafi-stronghold Sirte

Fighters posed inside the airport terminal Continue reading the main story Libya Crisis Loyalists sit tight in Sirte Hunt for Gaddafi Pain resurfaces Chaotic fighting Forces loyal to Libya's transitional authorities have taken the airport in the city of Sirte, the birthplace of fugitive leader Muammar Gaddafi. Fighters moved through the partially destroyed terminal buildings tearing down symbols of the Gaddafi regime. The whereabouts of the ousted leader remain unknown but several members of his family have fled Libya. His son Saadi is in Niger. Hours after an arrest warrant was issued, Niger's PM said he would not be extradited. International police agency Interpol's "red notice" for Saadi Gaddafi's arrest says he is wanted on allegations of misappropriating properties through force and armed intimidation when he headed the Libyan Football Federatio

Islamist cleric Anwar al-Awlaki killed in Yemen

US officials said Anwar al-Awlaki had played a significant role in attacks on US interests Continue reading the main story Awlaki killing Profile: Anwar al-Awlaki In pictures: Anwar al-Awlaki Profile: Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula In quotes: Anwar al-Awlaki US-born radical Islamist cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, a key al-Qaeda leader, has been killed in Yemen, the country's defence ministry said. US President Barack Obama said his death was a major blow to al-Qaeda. Awlaki, of Yemeni descent, has been on the run in Yemen since December 2007. The US said that as a key figure in al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), he had played a "significant role" in plots to blow up US airliners and had sought use poison to kill US citizens. Mr Obama is said to have personally ordered his killing last year. Yemen's defence ministry statement said only that Awlaki had die

Ailing Youth Detained in Lieu of Activist Brother in Arakan's Capital

Sittwe: An ailing youth was reportedly arrested by police instead of his brother who is suspected of activist activities in Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State, in an operation to ward off any untoward events marking the 4th anniversary of the monk-led protest popularly known as the Saffron Revolution. A local youth activist told Narinjara that the police have arrested and are holding the youth in detention because they could not find his older brother - identified as Zaw Chay (a) Zaw Zaw - during their raid on his residence in Ohntapun Ward in Sittwe. "The police raided Zaw Chay's residence at 11 pm last Monday, [26 September, 2011], to arrest him, but as they could not find him, they have taken away his ailing younger brother and are holding him in custody at Police Station No. 1 in the town instead," said the activist. He said the police were following Zaw Chay because he was involved in leading commemoration of the 72nd anniversary of Venerable U Ott

Army Major Sells Farmer Owned Arable Lands to Indian Company for 40 million kyat

Kyauk Pru: An army major who once served on the district council of Kyauk Pru, the second largest city in Arakan state, has sold off arable lands owned by local farmers to an Indian company for 40 million kyat, said local farmers in the area. Major San Maung Maung sold off the arable farms and pastures to an Indian company, Punj LIoyd, for 40 million kyat. They are located at Pyatay Village in Kyaukpru Township in western Burma’s Arakan State. The lands sold by Major San Maung Maung has been bulldozed by Punj Lioyd for its projects. ( Photos by Narinjara) The land is 24 acres wide and located at a strategic point, which will be used for the construction of a oil and gas related factory. The major sold the lands to Indian company after the lands were registered in his name at the survey department at some point over last a few years through bribery, when he was in Kyauk Pru district council. A social activist who recently visited the village reported said, “Major

Villagers Complain to President of Shrimp Farm Confiscation by Army

Kyauk Pru: Shrimp farm owners from Kyaukpru Township in western Burma's Arakan State have sent a written complaint to the president after army forces based in the area recently confiscated 80 acres of their shrimp farms. One of the villagers said they sent the signed letter of complaint to the president on 18 September, 2011. "Our farms were confiscated by Military Police (10) of the Western Command based in Ann on 27 August. During the confiscation, the forces drove us away from our farms by intimidating us with their guns. Now those forces are catching and selling the fish and shrimp from our farms. That is totally unfair and an act of force by the armed forces , so we have written a complaint to the president," said the villager. He added that copies of the letter were also sent to the union minister, the agriculture and forestry minister, the chief of defense services, the state general administrator , the chief minister of Arakan State, the ag

Peaceful Protest Marks Saffron Revolution Anniversary

Dozens of Rangoon residents marched peacefully through the city on Monday to mark the fourth anniversary of the Saffron Revolution only to be stopped by security forces, according to local sources. Onlookers watched around 200 marchers, some of them were wearing yellow shirts, set off peacefully from Sule Pagoda in downtown Rangoon at around 1 pm local time towards Kabar Aye Pagoda in North Okkalapa Township.   Slide Show ( View ) Some of the participants' T-shirts bore the slogan “release political prisoners.” The Saffron Revolution was led by Buddhist monks across Burma in September 2007. The peaceful protests were brutally quashed by government troops in a crackdown which claimed 31 lives including many monks, according to government figures.  Security guards closely followed and monitored Monday's protest with many officers also deployed near Sule Pagoda. But there is no violent crackdown against the protesters and the event took place peacefully. “They d

Campaigners Send Petition for Release of Political Prisoners

The Burmese Democracy Network (BDN), an unofficial group formed at the urging of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, has sent a petition calling for the release of political prisoners to President Thein Sein, according to one of the campaign's organizers. Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Monday, former political prisoner Toe Kyaw Hlaing said it was the fourth time the group had sent a petition to demand the release of political detainees. “We collected signatures from across Burma. This time we reached 100,000,” said Toe Kyaw Hlaing, adding that the BDN started its latest campaign in April. The petition calls on the new government, formed by Thein Sein in March, to release all political prisoners unconditionally and create an environment where Burmese people living abroad, including members of political organizations in exile and refugees, can return home safely. Toe Kyaw Hlaing said many people signed the latest petition because people realize that the release of the polit

Japan looks to Burma for rare earths

A worker walks through billowing smoke at a smelting workshop for rare earth metals in Inner Mongolia. China hs stopped supplying to Japan, prompting Tokyo to look to Burma (Reuters) Japan is looking to jointly develop mining for rare earth metals with the Burmese government, reports say, as it looks to diversify supply away from China. The Kyodo news agency said that the Japanese would attempt a deal with Burma’s foreign minister, Wunna Maung Lwin, on his next visit to Tokyo. “Japan is informally sounding out Myanmar [Burma] about sending Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin to Japan later this year to advance the plan,” said the Kyodo news agency. Rare earth metals are 17 compounds that are essential for the manufacture of many electronic devices, including mobile phones, cells for hybrid cars, and wind turbines. China currently supplies 90 percent of the world’s rare earth supply, but sent shockwaves through the supply chain by announcing new environmental legisla

Burmese Central Bank gives green light to offer consumer loans

Chiang Mai ( Mizzima ) – The Burmese Central Bank has given a green light for banks to begin offering installment loans under a “hire-purchase system” to private citizens in cooperation with commercial companies and banks. An official from the Central Bank in Naypyitaw told Mizzima : “The central bank has informed all state-owned banks and private banks that they can now do hire-purchase loans if they wish to do so.” The advisory was sent to all state-owned and private banks on September 15. The new Central Bank of Burma in Naypyitaw. Photo: popularmyanmar.com Banks that want to participate in loans, known as “installment loans” in the West, must provide information from the companies, the agreement signed by customers and the terms and conditions between a customer and the bank. After checking the documents, the central bank would authorize a bank to make the loan, said an official of the Central Bank. Ye Min Oo, an official at the Asia Green Development Bank, a pri

Burmese government offensive prevents halt to fighting: KIO

Chiang Mai ( Mizzima ) - Fresh fighting between more than 800 Burmese government soldiers and Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) troops started four days ago during a government offensive, making it difficult to achieve a cease-fire agreement, according to KIO spokesman La Nang. KIO troops at headquarters in a training session. They are now engaged in renewed fighting with Burmese government troops. Photo: Mizzima “To stop the fighting now is not easy. As long as their troops are in the area, there is a serious possibility of a civil war. The fighting in the area of our Brigade No. 4 has occurred because of the government offensive,” La Nang told Mizzima . Burmese government troops fired 120 mm, 150 mm, 81 mm and 75 mm mortars into KIO bases. The KIO responds by using guerilla tactics. In the fighting in Muse and Kutkai areas in Shan State, at least 100 government soldiers have died and about 50 are injured, according to La Nang. He said one KIO military office

About 400 security personnel disperse demonstrators in Rangoon

Chiang Mai ( Mizzima ) – A joint force of about 400 riot personnel and police on Monday dispersed about 200 protestors who tried to march from Dagon Myothit (East) to Sule Pagoda to mark the fourth anniversary of Burma’s “Saffron Revolution.” Protestors say “loving kindness” prayers on the platform near the Meteorology and Hydrology Department on Kabaraye Pagoda Road in Rangoon on Monday, September 26, 2011, to mark the fourth anniversary of the “Saffron Revolution.” The protesters were stopped and dispersed by police as they attempted to go to Sule Pagoda. Photo: Mizzima The group was walking to Sule Pagoda to conduct prayers when they were stopped in front of the Meteorology and Hydrology office near the Sartite bus top in Mayangon Township and told to return home. Mayangon Township Police Chief Khin Maung Soe told them to disperse or they could be punished under existing laws, an organizer, Wai Lu, told Mizzima . “They said that section 354 of the 2008 Constitut

The KIO prison break out

(Interview) – Fifty-five prisoners in a Burmese government labour camp in Muse in northern Shan State were set free by soldiers of the Kachin Impendence Organization 4th Brigade of the 9th Battalion on Wednesday. According to KIO spokesman La Nang, soldiers were passing near the Shwe Pyi Thit labour camp when prison guards shot at them, forcing the Kachin rebels to respond. The incident occurred on September 21 (the International Day of Peace). Meanwhile, the Burmese government is preparing a major offensive against the KIO. Mizzima reporter Phanida talked with La Nang about the incident and the government’s offensive. Question: The government labour camp where the prisoners were released has a varied history, correct? Answer: Yes. It’s a great distance from the headquarters of Battalion No. 9. After the cease-fire agreement was reached, they set up a drug rehabilitation centre in 2000. But after some officials there were changed, the drug rehabilitation camp was tran

Myitsone Dam study should be made public: Dr. Htin Hla

(Interview) – The chairman of the Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association (BANCA), which conducted a study of the ecological and environmental impact of the Myitsone Dam project, has urged the Burmese government and Chinese company behind the project to allow the study to be made public. Under an agreement, BANCA does not have the authority to release the study, he said. BANCA studied the ecological and environmental impacts on the Irrawaddy valley for five months. A portion of the study was submitted to a government workshop in Naypyitaw on September 17. Mizzima reporter Tun Tun interviewed Htin Hla on the study and its findings. Q: Rumours said that BANCA would soon hold a press conference on your Myitsone Dam study. Is that correct? A: No, it’s not true. Soe Nyunt who works in ornithology and environment conservation misused my name and gave this information to the media without my permission. He didn’t consult me. They spread this information without inf

Buddhist Monk in Arakan Put Under House Arrest

Sittwe: A 29-year-old monk in Arakan has been put under house arrest by authorities for suspicion of leading the 4th anniversary of the Saffron Revolution protests in Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State. U Kaythara laid the wreath in front of Ottama monument in Sittwe on 9 September 2011. The monk, U Kaythara from Pathein Monastery in Sittwe, was forced on 23 September, 2011, by authorities to leave his monastery for a remote monastery in Rathidaung Township, 20 miles north of Sittwe, to be put under house arrest. A colleague of U Kaythara in Sittwe told Narinjara over the phone yesterday that he is now in Alawdo Pyi Monastery in Kraydawra Pagoda in Rathidaung Township, where he has been put under house arrest. The authorities and their forces detained and took away Ven. U Kaythara along with two other monks - Pynya Wan Tha and Pandita - around 2 pm on 23 September to a police station in Sittwe from Pathein Monastery. Minister of Security and Border Affairs of

Enforcement of Mandatory Electricity Minimums Troubles Consumers in Arakan

Kyauk Pru: Consumers of electricity in Kyaukpru, the second largest city in western Burma's Arakan State, are facing trouble as the Light Committee in the town is enforcing a mandatory minimum of 18 units of electricity per month. It has been 63 years since Burma became independent, but all towns including Kyaukpru in Arakan State are still lacking proper grid electricity that is being rationed from the powerful electric lines by the EPC. Instead, they have to use electricity supplied by and generated from diesel engines by the town light committees at high prices. "The government has allowed use of 10 units of electricity at a price of 25 Kyat per unit, but the town light committee has ordered us to use at least 18 units of electricity per month, and must pay for the extra 8 units at a price of 500 Kyat per unit," said U Thandar Maung, a resident from downtown Kyaukpru. He said that because of the new order by the committee, the consumers in the town hav

Kyaing Tong: Town in the Beautiful Valley

by: Hpone Thant Photos: Sonny Nyein To the east of Myanmar there is a beautiful valley between the high misty mountains of the Shan Plateau and the Mekong and the Thanlwin (Salween) Rivers. Called the Kyaing Tong Valley this is an area steeped in history for it is the homeland of the Gon Shan, the Akhas, the Lisu, the Wa and the White and Black Lahu. Sandwiched between the Chinese region of Xishanungbanna, Laos and Thailand this area also boast of spectacular scenery and diverse ethnicity. Kyaing Tong( previously called Keng Tung) is the capital of this land. It was known in history by many names: Sandra Kun, Khemarat, Tongapuri but in modern times it is known only as Kyaing Tong. It was said that from1243 A.D (605 Myanmr Era) to the last sawbwa's reign there were altogether 45 sawbaws who ruled here. The sawbwas' Cemetery, where the old rulers were buried is still kept intact in the town. Although the