Construction workers from Thailand are building two big factories in Hukawng (Hugawng) Valley in Burma’s northern Kachin State under the supervision of Rangoon-based Yuzana Company owned by U Htay Myint.

Over 40 Thai construction workers are into building the factories. The buildings are being constructed in exactly the same-style as those in Thailand, said Tsa Ji, who has watched the construction and is a general secretary of the Kachin Development Networking Group (KDNG).The two factory buildings are being built on Yuzana Company’s land beside the Ledo or Stilwell Road between Bangkok village and Warazup village. The stretch was purchased from the Burmese junta in 2006 without consulting native Kachin landlords, said locals.

The police have made arbitrary arrests of 12 ethnic Kachin students in Myitkyina, capital of Burma’s northern Kachin State and are demanding fines from them, sources among students’ said.

he teenaged students are from Edin (Eden) village from near Myitkyina downtown. They were put in a prison cell in the No. 1 Police Station downtown on Friday day morning for mocking three policemen passing by, said students.

No. 1 Police Station in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State, northern Burma.

After being detained in the prison cell in the police station for over 10 hours, the students and their parents were forced to sign confessions. They were released on bail on the same night at about 8:30 p.m. by the police station in-charge Myint Swe, parents of the students’ said.

The police also photographed the parents along with their sons and blamed them for not being able to control students in the village, said a student’s mother.

Witness told that road blocks around the home of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi where she was held house arrest were seen extended to wider parameters just before the Thagyan celebration.

Parameter of Road Block Extended near Aung San Suu Kyi’s home

Tin Kyaw Kyaw Soe (Freedom News Group), Rangoon

April 8, 2009

Witness told that road blocks around the home of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi where she was held house arrest were seen extended to wider parameters just before the Thagyan celebration. At the west side, the road block was moved to Thanlwin intersection and at the east, at Kabaraye Pagodaw Road junction.

“It was blocked in front of the monastery near her house but later this afternoon, the moved the road block near to “Lolane” madat, a water festival performance stage” told one Burmese young man who was one of the builders of stage near “Inyar Lake” on University Avenue where Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s home located.

During her last 20 years in Burma, she was placed under house arrest for 14 years so that there’s only 6 times that she could witness Burmese New Year Celebration of Burma freely.

(photo – Internet, undated picture, in front of Suu’s home)

moemaka

Opposition group refuses to disarm despite talks

Apr 11, 2009 (DVB)–A senior member of Burma’s principal armed opposition group has said they will refuse to lay down arms despite agreeing to talks with the government aimed at catalyzing progress towards reconciliation.

Talks between the government and the Karen National Union, whose conflict is thought to be the world’s longest-running, have been on the cards for some time.
Thailand, who currently holds the revolving chair of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations, has offered to facilitate the negotiations. The KNU have welcomed the offer.
“We have a policy of settling political problems with political means,” said KNU vice-president David Thackrabaw, adding that that is a consistent policy of the KNU.
“If they [the government] demand us to lay down arms, then of course the talks will stop.”
Earlier this week KNU leaders held a meeting to discuss who will take part in the negotiations. A time and location for the talks has not yet been agreed.
Thackrabaw was reluctant to predict the results of the talks. The KNU has so far held talks on five occasions with the government, but each time they have failed largely because of the junta’s request that the KNU disarm.
The junta’s leader, Senior General Than Shwe is unlikely to attend the talks. The KNU have demanded that the talks be held in a neutral location.

vdo-Burmese Opposition Aligned for ‘United Front’

Junta sentences six relief volunteers

by Phanida
Saturday, 11 April 2009 16:36

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – A Special Court in the notorious Insein prison precincts in Rangoon on Friday, sentenced relief workers, who were helping victims of Cyclone Nargis, to prison terms ranging from two to four years.

Former political prisoner, Dr Nay Win, along with his daughter Phyo Phyo Aung and four others were helping villagers in the cyclone-hit delta, to cremate corpses. They were arrested and charged under Sections 6 and 7 of Unlawful Association.

Advocate Khin Maung Myint, who was in court, told Mizzima that Aung Thant Zin Oo, Phyo Phyo Aung and Shein Yarza Tun were sentenced to four years each, while Nay Win, Aung Kyaw San and Phone Pye Kywe were sentenced to two years each.

Defense Counsel, Khin Maung Myint, said his clients were charged for having contact with 88 Generation Student Leader, Tun Myint Aung, and for communicating with the foreign media.

The six people were arrested in June 2008, by Military Affairs Security (MAS), on their way back from Bogale Township in Irrawaddy Division, where they had been helping cremate victims of Cyclone Nargis.

Mizzima News

STOP THIS FASCIST ILLEGAL JUNTA

vdo-Arrests of Burmese Workers at IC Concert (VOA Burmese)

Burma’s popular rock band, Iron Cross (IC) performed in Bangkok, Thailand on March 29. Hundreds of Burmese migrant workers & residents showed up to watch the concert. Including the IC members, over 200 Burmese were detained by Thai police. Later, IC members were released and permitted to perform.

Asian Human Rights Commission – Urgent Appeals:BURMA: Journalist jailed on wrong charge for shooting video of referendum vote

ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION – URGENT APPEALS PROGRAMME

Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-040-2009

9 April 2009
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BURMA: Journalist jailed on wrong charge for shooting video of referendum vote

ISSUES: Rule of law; rights to liberty and security; military government; judicial system; illegal detention; freedom of expression; torture
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NEW BLOG NEW BLOG NEW BLOG
PYITHU HITTAING: AHRC BURMESE-LANGUAGE BLOG
http://burma.blog.humanrights.asia/

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Dear friends,

Last week the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) issued an appeal on the case of two journalists jailed in Burma for trying to help people left homeless after Cyclone Nargis to visit international agencies. In this appeal we bring the case of another journalist jailed in Burma, in his case for taking video of voting at the constitutional referendum lat year. Although he was charged with a completely unrelated offence for which the police could not give any details and of which they had no evidence, a court sentenced him to three years’ jail.

CASE DETAILS:

On 10 May 2008, the day of the referendum on a new army-arranged constitution in Burma, Aung Htun Myint came to see and record proceedings at a polling booth in Hmawbi, a few miles from Rangoon. He had been working as a reporter for the Seven Day news journal, and had with him two video cameras that he was using for that purpose.

Inner City Press: with the Secretary-General attending the [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] ASEAN trip in Thailand, does he have any comment on the unrest that’s taking place there? Does he have any kind of, I guess either guidance, I mean I know on Moldova he said things should be done peacefully. Why in Moldova and not Thailand? Is there some, is the Thailand street violence less serious or what’s the distinction?

UNITED NATIONS, April 11 — With the Thai government having been forced by protests to call off today’s ASEAN summit in Pattaya, from Laos UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s issued an “urgent” statement that “I deeply regret the postponement of the ASEAN and related summits and the consequent postponement of my attendance to the events. I understand the circumstances that led the Thai Government to take this difficult decision.”

Days earlier in New York, Ban’s spokesperson Michele Montas had been asked if she or Ban had any views or comments on the already mounting protests in Thailand. On April 8 at the UN’s noon briefing, Inner City Press asked Ms. Montas, video here —

http://www.innercitypress.com/ban1asia041109.html

Sagaing division north western Burma, people are using their own paper which is self stamped instead of currency as Kyat 100, 200 currency notes

PEOPLE USE SELF STAMP AS CURRENCY

April 9, 2009: In Kalemyo, Sagaing division north western Burma, people are using their own paper which is self stamped instead of currency as Kyat 100, 200 currency notes have no value like Kyat 500 and 1000 do. People are facing problems while making purchases in the market.

There are no coins to return while making purchases in the market as the Burmese government has stopped minting coins for almost a year. People are therefore, using their own stamp paper as coins or small money as of March 2009.

“Shop owners make their own stamp on the paper when they have no coins to return which buyers use to purchase items later,” said a local in Kalemyo.

“The sellers of tea, snacks, beetle nuts and vegetables are facing severe problem regarding coins as the smallest amount circulating is Kyat 500 and 1000 only. People buying train tickets also faced lots of problems. They lose some of their money as no change (coins) can be given back. On the other hand, ticket sellers get additional money to the tune of a thousand a day,” said another local in Kalemyo.

Similarly, the people Burma have many problems regarding this matter as the government has discontinued producing currency notes and coins. It is especially difficult while paying bus and other fares. Some shop owners are using cigarettes, sweets and other small items as small notes or coins. – Khonumthung News