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Showing posts from December, 2015

Fighting Flares Between Arakan Army and Govt Troops

By   MOE MYINT / THE IRRAWADDY |  Monday, December 28, 2015  The Arakan Army’s 5th anniversary celebrations in Laiza, Kachin State, April 2014. (Photo: Moe Myint / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Fighting broke out on Sunday between the Arakan Army (AA) and government troops in Kyauktaw Township of northern Arakan State, according to the ethnic armed group, which released information on the skirmish on Monday. The fighting took place near the Sittwe-Rangoon highway in Kyauktaw Township, around 6 km from the Mahamuni Pagoda, and continued on Monday morning when government troops called in reinforcements. The Arakan Army claimed several Burma Army troops were wounded but said it was still assessing casualties. Hla May, founder of the Kyauktaw Women’s Network, confirmed that fighting had broken out in a sparsely populated area near Ram Chaung tributary. “Residents are worried about the conflict because in previous fighting, some villagers were detained and interrogated on accusatio

Death sentence for Myanmar men prompts protest at “shameless” Thais

Zaw Lin (right) and Wai Phyo (left) escorted by a Thai police officer after they were sentenced to death at the Samui Provincial Court, on Koh Samui Island, southern Thailand, Dec 24, 2015. PHOTO: EPA YANGON/BANGKOK (REUTERS) – Hundreds called for the release of two Myanmar migrant workers in a protest in Yangon, Myanmar’s biggest city, on Friday (Dec 25), a day after a Thai court sentenced the two to death for the 2014 murders of two young British tourists. The court convicted Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun of the brutal murder of Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, on the Thai holiday island of Koh Tao, a case mired in controversy and questions about the police investigation and Thailand’s treatment of migrant workers. Around 1,000 people gathered in front of the Thai embassy in Yangon on Friday (Dec 25), police said, calling for the two to be freed. Dozens of police stood guard and closed a lane in front of the building. Some protesters held signs saying: “Shameless Tha

BREAKING NEWS: Myanmar pair guilty of Koh Tao murders, get death sentence

KOH SAMUI: Two Myanmar men were found guilty and sentenced to death on Thursday (December 24) in the high-profile murder case of two British backpackers found bludgeoned on Koh Tao last year, a gruesome crime that focused global attention on tourist safety and police conduct in the country. Win Zaw Htun and Zaw Lin, both 22, were sentenced to death for the rape and murder of Hannah Witherridge, 23, and the killing of David Miller, 24, on the resort island Sept 15, 2014, plus two extra years for theft and illegal entry into the kingdom. "Both defendants are guilty of murder for which the penalty is the death sentence," an unnamed judge told the court, adding they were also "found guilty of rape and conspiracy to hide the crime." Both men are expected to appeal. The defendants had pleaded innocent, saying they were tortured by police to make initial confessions to the crimes. Human rights groups repeatedly called for an independent investigation and raised c

BREAKING: Two Myanmar Men Convicted of Koh Tao Murders and Rape. Death Sentence For Both.

By Teeranai Charuvastra Staff Reporter SAMUI — The court today found two Myanmar workers guilty of killing two British backpackers in southern Thailand more than a year ago. The court on Samui island this morning ruled that there is sufficient evidence to implicate the two defendants, Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, in the double murder of British nationals David Miller and Hannah Witheridge in September 2014. Although there were no direct witnesses, the DNA found on the defendants was enough, according to the court. The case which has since attracted intense media coverage and public scrutiny. Miller, 24, and Witheridge, 23, were found dead on Sai Ree Beach on Koh Tao in the early morning of Sep. 15, 2014. Two weeks after the murders, Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo were arrested and identified as the killers. The pair were also accused of raping Witheridge. Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo have been held at a prison on Samui island since their arrests. They have both been sentenced to death for the doub

Court sentences Myanmar pair to death for Koh Tao murders

KOH SAMUI – Two Myanmar men were sentenced to death on Thursday for murdering two British backpackers on Koh Tao last year in an internationally watched case that raised questions about the the kingdom’s justice system and tourist safety. Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun were found guilty of killing David Miller, 24, and the rape and murder of Hannah Witheridge, 23, whose bodies were found on the resort island's Sai Ree beach on Sept 15 last year. The two migrants were arrested about two weeks after the murders. Police said the pair confessed to the killings and that DNA samples linked them to the crimes. Both men later retracted their confessions, saying they had been coerced by the police and prosecutors shone an international spotlight on supposed holes in the evidence. The court, however, put aside minor details, focusing principally on personal accounts and physical evidence. "Both defendants are guilty of murder for which the penalty is the death sentence," an unna

Thailand backpacker murders: Burmese workers face death penalty over Hannah Witheridge and David Miller killings

Two Burmese workers have been convicted of the murder of two British backpackers in Thailand. Hannah Witheridge, 23, from Norfolk, and 24-year-old David Miller, from Jersey, were killed by Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, a judge ruled. The case had been mired in criticism over the judicial process, with international human rights observers criticising the Thai authorities handling of the case. But sentencing on Wednesday, the judge ruled the DNA evidence used to connect the two men, both 22 years old, to the brutal rape and double murder was “up to international standard”. Mr Miller’s brother Michael, standing alongside parents Ian and Sue, said the court had reached the “correct decision”. Ms Witheridge’s family did not attend the final trial, although they had visited Thailand in order to witness the process. "We believe the result today represents justice for David and Hannah," Michael Miller said outside court. “We came to realise that the police investigation and the f

Background check: Myanmar's banking history

By Wade Guyitt   |   Monday, 14 July 2014 This timeline could not have been assembled without the invaluable history of Myanmar’s economy, Sean Turnell’s Fiery Dragons: Banks, Moneylenders and Microfinance in Burma (2009). 1826 First Anglo-Burmese war brings part of Burma under British Empire. Alongside British troops, Indian moneylenders called Chettiars – members of an ethnic group specialising in finance – arrive. In the coming century, Chettiars would spread as far as British India did, introducing many lending and bookkeeping innovations and employing the hundi system of informal remittance. By 1930 there were 1650 offices country-wide, making them the primary financial movers of Burma under British rule, more important than any official financial entity prior to World War II. 1852 Second Anglo-Burmese War. Lower Burma falls to British. King Mindon founds Royal Mint in Mandalay. In the first formal currency ever issued in the country, gold and silver coins are struck fo

Mandalay Monk Shortlisted for Global Teacher Prize

By   ZARNI MANN / THE IRRAWADDY |   Wednesday, December 9, 2015 Sayadaw U Nayaka, principal of the Phaung Daw Oo school. (Photo: Teza Haing / The Irrawaddy) MANDALAY — A leading Buddhist educator in Mandalay, known for developing a a teaching method radically different that usually encountered in Burma’s moribund public education system, has been shortlisted for the prestigious Global Teacher Prize. Sayadaw U Nayaka, the cofounder and principal of Mandalay’s Phaung Daw Oo Monastic School is among the 50 finalists selected for the prize, shortlisted from 8,000 nominees spread over 148 countries. U Nayaka is the first Buddhist monk and the first Burmese teacher to be shortlisted for the award. “I’m glad, although I’m just a finalist. I hope this pushes me to do more for the development of our school, and helps to change the education system in the country,” he said. Unlike government schools, which are the only source of education for most of Burma’s youth, monastic schools

A letter to our daughter by MARK ZUCKERBERG

Dear Max, Your mother and I don't yet have the words to describe the hope you give us for the future. Your new life is full of promise, and we hope you will be happy and healthy so you can explore it fully. You've already given us a reason to reflect on the world we hope you live in. Like all parents, we want you to grow up in a world better than ours today. While headlines often focus on what's wrong, in many ways the world is getting better. Health is improving. Poverty is shrinking. Knowledge is growing. People are connecting. Technological progress in every field means your life should be dramatically better than ours today. We will do our part to make this happen, not only because we love you, but also because we have a moral responsibility to all children in the next generation. We believe all lives have equal value, and that includes the many more people who will live in future generations than live today. Our society has an obligation to invest now to i