Day: December 24, 2008

for someone,who doesn,t know Pado Mahn Sha… short info

On By Burma Myanmar newsIn Burma, Human Rights, KarenLeave a comment

MAE SOT, Thailand (Reuters) – A leader of Myanmar’s biggest rebel group was assassinated at his home in the Thai border town of Mae Sot on Thursday, his wife told Reuters. Mahn Sha Lar Phan, secretary-general of the Karen National Union, was shot at his two-storey wooden home by two men who arrived in a pickup truck, his wife Kim Suay told Reuters at the scene. He died instantly.“One of them walked up to the house and said in Karen ‘How are you, uncle?’ Then the other man joined him after parking the truck and they both shot him with two pistols,” she said, her voice shaking with emotion.

In an interview with Reuters on Monday, he had predicted a possible increase in violence ahead of a constitutional referendum in the former Burma in May.

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you can see many pictures of Pado Mahn Sha,he was a great Hero,we miss him,thanks to Dr.Lun Swe for pics

http://picasaweb.google.com/lunswe70/PDMS#

Death of Karen leader blow to Myanmar groups – 15 Feb 08


Myanmar’s Karen mourn KNU leader’s death – 23 Feb 08

Junta Militants Arrested in Thailand: BBC

On By Burma Myanmar newsIn Burma, Human Rights, KarenLeave a comment

Thai authorities in the border town of Mae Sot have arrested an armed group of Burmese nationals, including women, who reportedly said that the Burmese military government had sent them to Thailand, according to BBC Burmese radio on Monday.

The BBC Burmese service said that 10 members of an unknown armed group were arrested and weapons were seized from at least four of them.

Sources in Mae Sot said that the Burmese junta has targeted prominent opposition leaders in exile in the past, as well as leaders of armed ethnic groups, pro-democracy organizations and human rights organizations, especially those based in Mae Sot.

Several dissidents along the Thai-Burmese border have claimed that assassinations have been ordered by the junta and suggested that Karen National Union General Secretary Mahn Sha was gunned down on February 14 by junta-backed assassins, although the murder was never officially solved.

Twenty undercover agents from the Burmese military authorities have been assigned and deployed in Thailand’s Mae Sot area to carry out assassinations, said opposition sources on the Thai-Burmese border. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=14839

Political Prisoner Commits Suicide

On By Burma Myanmar newsIn Burma, Human RightsLeave a comment

A Burmese political prisoner, Maung San, committed suicide in Pegu Prison in central Burma on Dec. 19, according to sources in Pegu Division.

Maung San, who was about 35 years old, was serving a two-year prison term.

He committed suicide in a prison restroom, following the refusal of prison authorities to provide proper medical treatment outside the prison. He suffered from intestinal problems and liver disease, sources said.

A source said Maung San’s decision to take his own life stemmed from frustration over medical treatment, and his inability to talk freely with his family.

“He suffered from a serious illness, and he thought it would be better if he died instead of suffered,” said the source. continue
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=14840

24.12 – Burma: weekly suspended for reporting news that was permitted, then banned – Reporter Without Borders

On By Burma Myanmar newsIn Burma, Human RightsLeave a comment

24.12 – Burma: weekly suspended for reporting news that was permitted, then banned

7 Days News Journal, a weekly, has been suspended for a week for reporting that residents of Rangoon would soon be able to use prepaid phone cards. The military government’s censorship office had originally given the media permission to report this, but then ordered them to stop.

The ministry of posts and telecommunications had planned to introduce a system of prepaid Sim cards for mobile phones, primarily intended for use by visiting foreigners. Few people have mobile phones in Burma because of the cost. A Sim card costs between 1.5 million and 2 million kyats (about 900 euros) on the black market.
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http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=29790

Korean Government Rejects OECD Complaint Against Daewoo International and KOGAS Complicity in Human Rights Abuses in Burma (Myanmar) Insufficient to Begin Investigation

On By Burma Myanmar newsIn Burma, Human RightsLeave a comment

Negative social and environmental impacts on-going and set to increase; affected communities ignored
December 23, 2008 — The Government of Korea has rejected a complaint filed by EarthRights International on behalf of the Shwe Gas Movement (SGM) and nine Korea-based organizations alleging Daewoo International and the Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS) are in breach of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises related to their involvement in a large-scale natural gas development project in military-ruled Burma. As an OECD-member state, Korea has committed to promote the Guidelines, which are a set of principles for corporate responsibility.
The 48-page Korean-language complaint, filed in person in Seoul on October 29, 2008 by representatives of ERI and the Shwe Gas Movement (SGM), alleges that Daewoo and KOGAS have failed to take the steps necessary to proactively prevent negative human rights and environmental impacts of the Shwe Gas Project in Burma, and are currently and potentially in violation of at least six of the OECD Guidelines for: failure to respect human rights; failure to promote sustainable development; failure to disclose information about the project; failure to consult with local populations and failure to conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) according to international standards.
The complaint called on the companies and the Korean government to postpone the Shwe Project until breaches of the Guidelines are investigated and addressed. The Korean Ministry of Knowledge Economy (MKE), the governmental ministry of the OECD National Contact Point (NCP), rejected the complaint on all counts, expressing opinions uniformly consistent with those of Daewoo International. Moreover, the MKE opined that the general situation in Burma and specifically around the Shwe Project does not merit an investigation or arbitration between the companies and the complainants. The MKE’s position flies in the face of evidence from groups and communities from within the proposed pipeline area in Burma.
Read the full text of the complaint – English & Korean versions available
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http://www.earthrights.org/content/view/599/114/

Two more die in hospital after trafficking car crash

On By Burma Myanmar newsIn Burma, Human RightsLeave a comment

Two more people have died in hospital after a major road crash that killed 6 migrant workers from Burma plus the Thai driver on December 15th 2008.

A truck carrying migrant workers smashed into a tree after the driver tried to run through a check point at Sai Yok Thasao, Kanchanaburi Province on Monday December 15, 2008. The 6 passengers and the driver died on the scene and 8 people were sent to Kanchanaburi Hospital with serious injuries, among the 8 injured, 2 have died in the hospital.
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read all http://www.kaowao.org/index.php

‘Burma’s human rights defence lawyers’ BURMA’S PERSONS OF THE YEAR 2008

On By Burma Myanmar newsIn Burma, Human RightsLeave a comment

BURMA DIGEST magazine, with the support of our readers’ online votes, has chosen ‘Burma’s human rights defence lawyers’ as Burma’s Persons of the Year 2008, for the following reasons _

* to highlight the incredibly long prison sentences recently given to all kinds of pro-democracy activists, including not only politicians but also students, monks, musicians, poets, comedians, bloggers, lawyers, etc
* to highlight regime’s attempts to eliminate ALL political opposition before going to elections in 2010
* to highlight human rights lawyers’ courageous efforts to legally defend pro-democracy activists facing severe persecution in regime’s kangaroo courts
* to highlight regime’s TOTAL & COMPLETE persecution, jailing not only pro-democracy activists but also their lawyers as well
* to highlight essential need for continued legal defence of pro-democracy activists, despite regime’s crack down on human rights defence lawyers
* to highlight the need to establish credible free and autonomous judicial and legal systems in Burma
* to highlight the “Rule of Law” being an indispensable ingredient in building any respectable form of democracy

As usual, Persons of the year is chosen based on two factors _

1. the number of votes cast by the readers for a particular person(s)
2. the merits of choosing that person as the POY.

As the “Person of the Year” is not an election or an opinion poll, votes alone cannot make the decision on the POY, the characteristics of the nominated persons need to be taken into consideration as well. For example _

* POY Burma should be a person living inside Burma in the same difficult poor conditions suffered by the people, and standing in front of the people on the streets, bravely defending their rights. Only in very very exceptional circumstances may we consider an exile person to be the POY.
* Important politicians/persons may have died during the last 12 months, some in tragic circumstances, and they may be nominated by their admirers, and may even get quite a number of votes. But a POY should be a living person, a person after becoming the POY can still carry on his/her noble works of fighting for the human rights of people in Burma.
* Some followers of a leading politician may do repeated block voting for their leader. Such votes may not carry much weight.

These are only a few examples, not an exhaustive list of rules.

But, anyway, no vote is lost or wasted, every nominated person is given a consideration. Finally the persons most appropriate, given the current circumstances inside Burma, have to become the POY (Persons of the Year).

* The views expressed by authors in the articles are their own, but not necessarily reflect the policy standpoint of BURMA DIGEST editorial team.
http://burmadigest.info/2008/12/23/burmas-persons-of-the-year-2008/