breaking news-Fire breaks out in Mandalay palace

by Mizzima News
Monday, 30 March 2009 22:02

Mandalay (Mizzima) – According to the Mandalay Division Fire Brigade, a fire broke out inside the Army Officers’ Mess in Mandalay palace yesterday evening.

The fire originated in the Garrison Engineer Officers’ Mess near the western gate of Mandalay palace at the corner of 80th and 21st Streets at about 6:30 p.m. on Sunday evening.

“The fire started in the kitchen of the Garrison Engineer Officers’ Mess and lasted over 20 minutes,” an official from the Mandalay Fire Brigade confirmed.

The fire destroyed only some army buildings and did not damage the ancient palace buildings, he said. However, most of the ancient palace in question was only rebuilt over the course of the last 15 years.

Artifacts and royal memorabilia used by Burmese kings, along with examples of royal architecture, are displayed at the Mandalay Palace Museum.

Photo of the day by Mr.Creator

Thank you Mr.Creator

Ethnic Karen armed group announces new, official presence in Three Pagodas Pass

Mon 30 Mar 2009, Mon Son and Blai Mon, IMNA
An ethnic Karen armed group has opened a new office in Three Pagodas Pass. The new presence in the border town follows reports that the group would be given control of territory for a new “economic development zone” after agreeing to turn its soldiers into a border guard force for the Burmese army.

Yesterday morning, the KNU/KNLA Peace Council (KPC) formally opened an office at a meeting with other armed ceasefire groups and officials from the Burmese government. The meeting, held at an office announced as the “KPC Communications Office” on a signboard outside, began at 8am and ended before lunch.

Prior to opening the office, the KPC had no official presence in Three Pagodas Pass. How the opening of the office was related to recent reports of the economic zone and border force agreement could not be confirmed; IMNA could obtain no comment from the KPC.

Details of the economic zone have also remained sketchy. Last month, sources in Three Pagodas reported to IMNA that the group had been granted 100 acres adjacent to territory officially controlled by the New Mon State Party (NMSP) since the Mon group agreed to a ceasefire in 1995. The agreement followed reports published by the Irrawaddy that the KPC would act as government controlled border guards.

However, today the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) is an ally of the military junta and now they are fighting their own people.

MYANMAR – Karen Christians Face Joint Army and Buddhist Onslaught
Myanmar is beset by many internal problems and the current military junta desires to crush all opposition. Therefore, many minorities fear a fresh onslaught because regional powers desire to exploit the resources of Myanmar or they hope to gain an important leverage because of the geopolitical element.

Either way, it spells disaster for the main ethnic and religious groups which desire either greater autonomy, a federal state or independence. Added to this tragedy, is the betrayal of Karen Buddhists who have allied themselves with the military junta in their struggle to defeat Karen Christian forces. So can the Karen Christian leadership hold out against the joint forces of the military junta and the Karen Buddhist army ?

Before focusing on this it is important to mention the nature of this Karen Buddhist military betrayal because in the past the Karen had only one enemy, the military junta. However, today the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) is an ally of the military junta and now they are fighting their own people. Therefore, the Christian dominated Karen National Union (KNU) faces an uphill struggle because they face both external and internal forces, which seek to crush the KNU and all other opposition to the military junta.

The Karen follow different religions and the majority are still Buddhist and others are Animist, or they fuse both faiths together, however, the Christian religion is also vibrant. Within the KNU it is clear that Christians have major power and influence but the KNU is open to all faiths and many Buddhists within the Karen community despise the military junta. However, for the DKBA they seek to crush the KNU and other opposition to the military junta within the Karen community.

Instructions have recently been circulated to police stations around Burma by the chief of police in Naypyidaw to arrest all police deserters, as nearly half of them have been involved in crimes, said a police official on the condition of anonymity.

Authority Issues Orders on Police Deserters
“We received the instruction signed by Brigadier Khin Yee, the chief of police, telling us to arrest all police deserters and send them to jail,” he said, adding that “it has come out after nearly half of police deserters have been involved in many crimes in some way.”
However, the police official did not mention the details of the kind or location of crimes these police deserters have allegedly been involved in.
“We are going to carry out the assignment from the beginning of April, but we are currently hunting for police deserters in our township,” he said.
According to the police department, ten percent of police have deserted their posts within the last decade due to insufficient salaries and subsequently poor living standards.
It was also learned that the plan to arrest police deserters was decided upon in the third round of meetings in the last quarter in Naypyidaw in 2008. #
Narinjara News

vdo Naytthit school closing 2009

Naytthit School Closing 2009

click on

http://jacbaburma.blogspot.com/2009/03/blog-post_30.html

A Burmese ethnic Mon ceasefire group, New Mon State Party (NMSP), has denied a rumor of possible further talks in the near future between the organization and Burma’s military junta.

Immediate talks unlikely between NMSP and junta
Speaking to Mizzima, Nai Ohn Mange, spokesperson for the NMSP, on Monday said the organization has no exact schedule for continuing talks with Burma’s generals following a secret meeting with junta officials in southeast Burma during the first week of March.

“At present, it is impossible that we are going to have further talks with them [Burmese regime],” Mange said.

The rejection by Mon officials of additional talks came after the exile-based Independent Mon News Agency (IMNA) on Friday carried a report that said the NMSP had decided to meet with Burmese generals on matters related to the upcoming 2010 election.

IMNA also said Lieutenant General Ye Myint pressed delegates of the NMSP to contest the forthcoming polls.

Mange said, regarding the upcoming 2010 election, the NMSP will continue to adhere to the electoral resolution passed at its party congress held on January. The resolution states the party will not consider contesting the election unless the regime allows a review of the newly adopted constitution.

“We will keep on holding to the resolution of the Party Congress,” Mange reaffirmed.

When Snr-Gen Than Shwe promoted Thiha Thura Tin Aung Myint Oo to the rank of four-star general last Wednesday, two days before Armed Forces Day, he was not just rewarding a junior colleague for his loyal service: he was undercutting potential rivals for power.

General’s Promotion Signals Power Struggles at the Top

Burma’s top-ranking generals know that they must hang together or risk hanging separately. But that doesn’t mean that there are no real rivalries among the men who rule the country with an iron fist.

When Snr-Gen Than Shwe promoted Thiha Thura Tin Aung Myint Oo to the rank of four-star general last Wednesday, two days before Armed Forces Day, he was not just rewarding a junior colleague for his loyal service: he was undercutting potential rivals for power.
Tin Aung Myint Oo, who is now one of only three four-star generals in the country, is reportedly close to the regime’s second-most powerful figure, Vice Snr-Gen Maung Aye. By promoting him, however, Than Shwe has ensured that Tin Aung Myint Oo’s first loyalty will now be to the senior general.

movement inside Burma 29.march(pics BDC)

http://bdc-burma.blogspot.com/

ASEAN PRESS RELEASE:Pressing need for recovery support in the delta

Date: 30 Mar 2009

Yangon, Myanmar, 30 March 2009 – People affected by Cyclone Nargis need substantial support to fully restore their lives. The Tripartite Core Group, comprising the Government of the Union of Myanmar, ASEAN and UN, appeals to the international community to continue supporting early- and medium term recovery efforts. The efforts required are described in the three-year Post-Nargis Recovery and Preparedness Plan (PONREPP) with an estimated cost of US$ 691 million.

“Although much work has been done to restore the cyclone affected communities, great needs remain. A rapid provision of funds at this juncture will help strengthen the positive gains made over the last ten months,” said the TCG Chairman and Chairman of the Civil Service Selection and Training Board of Myanmar, U Kyaw Thu.

The funding shortfall for urgent needs in the shelter and agriculture sectors since the Revised Appeal launched in July last year needs to be addressed to cover pre-monsoon priority needs, while the planned PONREPP funding and recovery activities await financing for medium-term assistance in these areas.

“With the onset of the monsoon season only four weeks away, the needs for necessary funding are immediate, particularly in the sectors of shelter and agriculture,” said Senior ASEAN member of the TCG and Thailand’s Ambassador to Myanmar, H. E. Mr. Bansarn Bunnag.

Almost 800 000 houses were destroyed or damaged by the cyclone, according to the Post-Nargis Joint Assessment (PONJA). More than a hundred thousand families remain in vulnerable shelters which provide only minimal protection from the possible severe weather conditions. A great need remains to restock small animals, poultry and draught animals, essential to the livelihoods of many vulnerable landless households. Further assistance to farmers will help restore full production potential, revitalize the local economy and revive the numerous Delta livelihoods based on or related to agriculture. Improving access to education particularly for girls, as well as improving the quality of health facilities, food security and livelihoods activities are other examples of areas that need support, as suggested in the PONREPP.

“Experience from natural disasters of similar scale of destruction has shown that recovery support will be required for years to come. It is not until now, that the recovery efforts after the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami may begin to phase out,” said the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Bishow Parajuli, adding that the UN is arranging another donor meeting in Yangon this week.

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/PSLG-7QMGZ2?OpenDocument
http://www.aseansec.org/CN.htm

Don,t forget Than Shwes Bank asking for donor