The Burmese ruling junta’s Prime Minister General Thein Sein has become involved in a fresh civilian-owned land confiscation scam for gold mines in Burma’s northern Kachin State, said local sources

Burmese PM in fresh land scam for gold mining in Kachin State
Written by KNG
Wednesday, 15 April 2009 18:02
The Burmese ruling junta’s Prime Minister General Thein Sein has become involved in a fresh civilian-owned land confiscation scam for gold mines in Burma’s northern Kachin State, said local sources.

A large gold mining company, which is yet to be identified, owned by relatives of the junta’s PM General Then Sein is mining gold in land confiscated from civilians in Nam San Yang village, located between Myitkyina-Bhamo Highway in Waingmaw Township east of Kachin State, said local land owners.

Burma’s Prime Minister General Thein Sein

Touting that they had been authorized by the country’s capital Naypyitaw, Burmese Army soldiers seized hundreds of acres of rice-paddy fields, orange plantation and bamboo groves as a government-owned land from village’s near the river called Nam San Hka early last March, said residents of Nam San Yang.

Before the soldiers confiscated rice-paddy fields along Nam San Hka, farmers were promised reasonable cash compensation for losing paddy fields, said farmers.

Rising tide of boatpeople: another vessel lands as Indonesia says it is powerless to help

YET another group of asylum seekers has reached Australian waters – the fourth in a fortnight – as Indonesian police yesterday admitted they were powerless to stop a rising tide of boatpeople heading for our shores.

Navy patrol boat HMAS Albany intercepted 49 suspected asylum seekers – thought to be mostly Afghan men – two nautical miles off Ashmore Reef, 610km north of Broome at about midday yesterday.

It was the sixth boat to arrive this year, and the 13th since September, when the Rudd Government announced measures aimed at softening Australia’s treatment of refugees from the hardline approach adopted by the Howard government.

This year’s boats have ferried 264 passengers to Australia and 12 crew members – a total of 276 unauthorised arrivals compared with seven boats last year carrying a total of 179 people, including crew.

There have now been 455 unauthorised arrivals since the Rudd Government announced the changes last year.

The latest arrival came as it was revealed yesterday that Indonesia last week also stopped 40 Iraqi asylum seekers from setting off from a tourist harbour in Jakarta bound for Christmas Island in a 20m wooden boat.

Indonesian police have expressed frustration at a lack of laws that would let them prosecute the ringleaders.

Despite naming the man they believe is responsible for organising that failed crossing – an Iraqi, Abu Aqeel Moslem Jubair Alhahbi – they say they cannot act against people-smugglers without the much-anticipated laws.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono promised during a visit by Kevin Rudd to Bali last December that he would push through legislation enabling criminal prosecution of people-smugglers.

However, the laws have not been implemented and at present the stiffest penalties applicable in Indonesia relate only to immigration violations.

China newspaper urges government name quake dead

Reuters[Wednesday, April 15, 2009 13:22]

BEIJING, April 15 – A Chinese state newspaper has urged the government to swiftly release a full list of those killed in last year’s devastating earthquake, including schoolchildren, saying official vows to improve rights demand such disclosure.

The call was made on Wednesday by the Southern Metropolitan Daily, a popular and outspoken tabloid published in the southern city of Guangzhou.

“If we let the names of the dead lie buried, human rights can have no place of trust,” the paper said in an editorial.

The call comes at a sensitive time, a month before the first anniversary of the May 12 quake across southwest China that killed 80,000 or more people, mostly in Sichuan province.

Volunteers led by Beijing artist Ai Weiwei have sought to compile a list of thousands of children killed in schools that parents said were shoddily built, and Ai has spoken of official harassment.

Police in Sichuan province recently detained writer Tan Zuoren, who was trying to make a list of children killed.

Officials have said they are still compiling a list of child victims and have refused to say how many died, prompting parents and critics to accuse them of a cover-up.

On Monday, China issued the first “human rights action plan” for the Communist Party-run nation, and it promised to gather the names of the quake victims and make them “known to the public”.

With the first anniversary fast approaching, the newspaper said local officials should act swiftly.

“Local governments in the quake area should make public the lists they have at hand and thoroughly check for any names left out. These human rights name lists belong to the public.”

Tibetan prisoners paraded to intimidate residents, monks arrested in Kardze

Phayul[Wednesday, April 15, 2009 16:09]
Dharamsala April 15 – The Chinese authorities in Kardze paraded 15 Tibetan political prisoners in the streets to intimidate the residents, Gelong, a monk of Sera monastery in south India, told Phayul.

The incident took place on April 5 in Kardze where Tibetans arrested earlier for protest demonstrations and refusing to farm were paraded in an army truck followed by armed security forces in about 20 other vehicles. The Tibetan prisoners had their heads shaven, their hands and legs chained at the parade that is aimed to frighten the Tibetans in the area, said Gelong.

The authorities announced through a loudspeaker that anybody who protested the Chinese government would face similar consequences.

Out of the fifteen, 3 have been identified as Jampa Dhondup, aged 27; Taphel, 56; and Tsering Wangrap; 42.

In another incident, 5 monks of Tsitsang monastery in Kardze have been arrested on April 1, according to the Trehor community based here. Chinese security forces ransacked the monastery and took away 5 monks on arbitrary charges, said a press release of the Trehor community. One of them has been identified as Sonam Nyima, administrative member of the monastery.

With yesterday’s news that China has vetoed plans for an Asian Development Bank loan to India for development of the Arunachal Pradesh region, we take a look at why the region is disputed, where it is, and the commodities and economic benefits possession of the area brings.

Border Disputes: Arunachal Pradesh India or South Tibet?

2point6billion.com[Tuesday, April 14, 2009 11:04]
by Chris Devonshire-Ellis

Apr. 14 – With yesterday’s news that China has vetoed plans for an Asian Development Bank loan to India for development of the Arunachal Pradesh region, we take a look at why the region is disputed, where it is, and the commodities and economic benefits possession of the area brings.

The political problems with the region go back to the days of the British Raj, and predate the current government of China’s authority. Indeed, Taiwan claims ownership also under its position as an alleged government of China. Historically, the region was a kingdom, with several mentions of it being made in a number of Vedic texts. It is also mentioned in the Indian epic, the Mahabharata, although it is usually acknowledged that much of the region was a de facto vassal state of Tibet, and that tributes were paid to the Dalai Lama in Lhasa.

Parts of the region however are known to have been administered by Bhutan, and to the east, Burma, until the British annexed India completely in 1858. The region was an important trading route with Lhasa, and connected Tibet to the nearest port, at Calcutta. The sixth Dalai Lama was born in Tawang, in the northwest of the region.

A secret plan to hatch reconciliation talks between splinter groups of Burma’s Karen people is gaining momentum.

Karen factions look to reconcile
by Daniel Pedersen on Apr.12, 2009, under Burma reportage

Mae Sod
April 13, 2009
A secret plan to hatch reconciliation talks between splinter groups of Burma’s Karen people is gaining momentum.
The Norwegian government has been approached to host talks between the Karen National Union, the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army and the KNU/KNLA Peace Council.
The DKBA and the Peace Council have joined forces with Burma’s ruling military junta, the State Peace and Development Council.
The DKBA’s split with the KNU in 1994 lead to the fall of the KNU’s jungle stronghold of Mannerplaw in early 1995, home to myriad opposition groups from various ethnic minorities and considered a nursery of dissent by Burma’s military junta.
The KNU/KNLA Peace Council split in early 2007 further weakened the Karen resistance, which has fought against successive Burman-dominated military regimes since 1949.
The KNU is now considered to be at its weakest since formation more than 60 years ago.
The potential bid to reconcile these groups comes at a time when Thailand has proposed itself as a potential mediator of peace to preside over talks between the KNU and Burma’s ruling military junta, the State Peace and Development Council.
Sources within the Karen movement have confirmed a low-key visit by Norwegian officials is planned soon.
The first step, said the source, would be a “sounding-out” process of all parties individually, to establish the likelihood of success.
The visit will be unofficial.

MaesodThingyan pics by Dr.Lunswe

http://picasaweb.google.com/lunswe/MaesodThingyan15409#5324888232037817682

Abuses by SPDC Soldiers in Burma-VDO

http://www.guba.com/watch/3000042787

click on

NLD Picture slideshow

http://s542.photobucket.com/albums/gg426/minhtetnaing96/?albumview=slideshow

Arakan Refugee Relief Committee (Malaysia)The ARRC Weekly Newsletter)

http://arrc-newsletter.blogspot.com/

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