In Unity for Her Liberty: a Peace Vigil for Daw Aung San Suu Kyis Freedom-SingaporeVDO

Burmese deputy foreign minister Maung Myint :“Actually, it is Thailand that needs to forge national reconciliation. Thailand saw year-long demonstrations in which different groups in red, yellow and blue made an attempt to oust the government and jeopardize the Asean Summit.”

Hints of Burma-Thailand Tension Appear in State-run Media

The Burmese state-run-media hinted on Tuesday of increased tension between the military junta and the current Thai chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) over comments he made about the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Burmese newspapers published a story about the Asean-EU meeting in Phnom Penh on May 27-28 which Burmese deputy foreign minister Maung Myint attended.

The story briefly outlined Thailand’s expression of concern over charges against Suu Kyi at an informal meeting on May 27.

In response, Maung Myint was quoted as saying, “The matter no longer needs to be put on the agenda of the Asean-EU meeting,” contending it had already been discussed during the Hanoi meeting.

Like other Burmese officials, Maung Myint called Suu Kyi’s trial “a matter of internal legal process.”

Burmese newspapers reported that Maung Myint said “some neighboring nations were unreasonably interested in the hearing of the case” at the Asean-EU meeting on May 28.

The deputy minister was quoted as saying at the meeting, “Actually, it is Thailand that needs to forge national reconciliation. Thailand saw year-long demonstrations in which different groups in red, yellow and blue made an attempt to oust the government and jeopardize the Asean Summit.”

Rejecting the reactions of the international community over Suu Kyi’s trial, Maung Myint said the case was not “a political or human rights issue.”

A separate Thailand-Burma story published in Myanma Alin under the headline: “Thailand should not be tension [sic] with Burma, warned Gen Sonthi.”

Ko Myoe,s Photos – FIGHT FOR FREEDOM BURMA – BLOODY HELL DOGS ON THE LOOSE IN BURMA…

Call for the release of NLD Vice-Chairman Tin Oo

by Salai Pi Pi
Tuesday, 02 June 2009 19:45

New Delhi (Mizzima) – While the world remains fixated on the trial of National League for Democracy (NLD) Chairman Aung San Suu Kyi, a veteran politician has called on the international community to press equally hard for the release of the party’s Vice-Chairman, Tin Oo, who is being held under house arrest.

Win Tin, veteran journalist and Central Executive Committee member of the National League for Democracy (NLD), on Tuesday said while monitoring the trial against party leader Aung San Suu Kyi and pressing for her release is important, the international community should also push the military rulers to release Tin Oo.

“I would like to urge the authorities to release him because his five years [detention] is already completed,” Win Tin told Mizzima.

Tin Oo, a retired military General, was arrested along with Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi on May 31, 2003, after a brutal attack on their motorcade by a junta-backed mob during a political tour in the town of Depayin in upper Burma.

Amnesty International Report 2009:”…there were more long-standing political prisoners behind bars in Myanmar than at any other time since the mass pro-democracy uprising in 1988″

n February, the government announced that a referendum would be held later in the year on a draft constitution, followed by elections in 2010. In May – only a week before the scheduled day for the referendum – Cyclone Nargis devastated parts of southern Myanmar, affecting approximately 2.4 million people. More than 84,500 people died and more than 19,000 were injured, while nearly 54,000 remained unaccounted for. In its aftermath the government delayed or placed conditions on aid delivery, and refused international donors permission to provide humanitarian assistance. Following a visit by the UN Secretary-General in late May, access improved, but the government continued to obstruct aid and forcibly evict survivors from shelters.
Also in May the government extended the house arrest of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, General Secretary of the National League for Democracy (NLD), the main opposition party. By the end of the year there were more than 2,100 other political prisoners. Many were given sentences relating to the 2007 mass demonstrations after unfair trials. In eastern Myanmar, a military offensive targeting ethnic Karen civilians, amounting to crimes against humanity, continued into its fourth year. The government’s development of oil, natural gas and hydropower projects in partnership with private and state-owned firms led to a range of human rights abuses. continue

http://thereport.amnesty.org/en/regions/asia-pacific/myanmar

Myanmar Junta Lies :Civil Servants Briefed on Suu Kyi ‘Scandal’

Naypyidaw sources said that the content of the statement that was read out to government employees went along the lines of: “… Suu Kyi had an affair with an Indian gardener while she lived in India. After moving to England, she lived with a Burmese man before she got married to Michael Aris. The British government paid the travel costs for her return trip to Burma.”

RANGOON — The Burmese military government has ordered its civil servants in Naypyidaw not to criticize the junta and not to get involved in anti-government demonstrations, according to sources close to government officials in Naypyidaw.

In May, at governmental monthly meetings in Burma’s remote capital, Naypyidaw, all ministry officials instructed department heads to tell their subordinates to obey the order. Otherwise, they were told they would be punished or forced to resign.

A deputy director who works at a government ministry in Naypyidaw and who didn’t want to be named said that department heads were instructed to read out an order to their staff and to inform them about the Aung San Suu Kyi “scandal.”

Naypyidaw sources said that the content of the statement that was read out to government employees went along the lines of: “… Suu Kyi had an affair with an Indian gardener while she lived in India. After moving to England, she lived with a Burmese man before she got married to Michael Aris. The British government paid the travel costs for her return trip to Burma.”

The statement also alleged that some members of her party, the National League for Democracy, didn’t like her.

With regard to the current trial of Suu Kyi, ministry heads were reportedly ordered to tell their staff that the government had warned her many times about creating political instability in the country. However, she hadn’t heeded the warnings and was, therefore, being held in detention.

The statement went on to say that the military junta planned to release her on May 27; however, she accepted an American citizen into her house and so she was charged in accordance with the law.

The internal statement also reportedly included a denial by the junta that it had anything to do with the Depayin Massacre in 2003 when dozens of NLD supporters were beaten to death.

Department heads were told to conclude the statement by telling staff that the Nobel Peace Prize laureate is a puppet of Western nations and that the West will put more pressure on Burma’s civil service if she is sentenced to jail. That is why, government employees were told, they should not become involved in the matter.

China and Russia will neither think of discussing it [the matter of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi], nor easily accept it.

‘We Won’t Have another Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’

Khin Ohmar is a secretary of Forum for Democracy in Burma and a spokesperson for a campaign calling for the release of all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi. The campaign started on March 13, Burma’s Human Rights Day. On May 26, the campaign announced that it collected more than 650,000 signatures from more than 150 countries around the world. Ohmar spoke to The Irrawaddy regarding the trial of Suu Kyi.
Question: What is your opinion of the current international pressure on the junta?

Answer: In this situation, the obvious factor is that international response is very important at this moment. The junta didn’t perhaps expect this much pressure. It has been so obvious to see how much the international community admires and respects Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. They were seen to try to take actions rather than issuing statements as they did before. For example, there was huge support from the United Kingdom, as a government, which created a Web site with the intention of describing Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. At least, the United Nations Security Council issued a statement. China and Russia will neither think of discussing it [the matter of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi], nor easily accept it. But due to the immediate response of the UK, US and France, a statement came out. Also, Asean and Thailand issued strong statements [on the trial of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi].

Anyway, it is clear that most of the governments have plans to continue follow-up actions, not just issue their statements. It is different from what we saw before.

Q: What will the international community do if the junta puts Aung San Suu Kyi in prison?

DKBA Starts Border Guard Recruitment

The Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), a ceasefire group, has begun forcibly recruiting people to serve as border guards in compliance with orders from Burma’s ruling junta, according to Karen sources.

A Karen source close to the DKBA said that the ceasefire group recently started a three-month recruitment drive in villages in its territory. New recruits will then receive training from the Burmese army, said the source.
Saw Steve, a head of the Committee for Internally Displaced Karen People, a Karen relief group, said the DKBA started rounding up villagers to serve as border guards in areas under its control, including Thaton and Pa-an districts, last month.
Some villagers were threatened with arrest by DKBA soldiers if they refused to join the new border security force, he said. In January, the DKBA was told by the Burmese regime in Naypyidaw to provide border guards under the terms of Burma’s new constitution.

Burmese army training police and civilians in crowd suppression for 2010 election

HURFOM: The Burmese army continues training police and civilian groups in crowd control and combat tactics in Ye Township, Mon State. HURFOM sources suspect training is in preparation for political suppression in the coming 2010 election.
During the first week of May, the Military Organization Management Command (MOMC) No. 19, carried out a training for 60 police officers and United Solidarity Development Association (USDA) members in various protest suppression techniques, according to a villager who lives near the MOMC army headquarters in Ye town. The two-week training included lessons in crowd dispersal, group combat tactics and intimidation. While participants were also trained in weapons use, no weapons were permanently issued.
“This training is special because now the higher ranking police officers are being prepared for protection and crowd control in the coming 2010 election.” Said one villager whose police officer friend had taken part in the training.
During the third week of March, Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) No. 106 in Monekanine also carried out a similar training for police officers from villages around Monekanine. More then 50 police officers attended the training. A villager who lived near the LIB No. 106 camp reported lots of gunfire, shouting of orders and yelling from the police officers. No definitive word has been received on how broad training will be, nor if they will also be organized in Moulmein or Thanbyuzayat township.
A retired analyst from the New Mon State Party (NMSP), who follows Burmese army training and community organization, said to HURFOM that this kind of situation indicates the Burmese government is preparing for potential unrest during the 2010 election. He added that police officer training has never been combined with training from local army troops and that these recent trainings have involved soldiers, police officers, as well as members of the USDA all at the same time.
The analyst added, “I am sure the SPDC is preparing for the coming election; they surely know people will not stop their resistance activities. A big mass of people will stand up at that time.”

Hurfom:Wearing Mon dress, three Mon children are arrested for swearing

HURFOM: 3 children were arrested for using fowl language, though sources dispute this account saying family claims the arrest was over the children’s wearing of Mon dress.
On May 16th 3 Mon children, all 13 years old, were sitting by the side of the road, in Kamawet Sub-Township, Mon state, when they were detained by 4 plain-clothes police officers Burmese police for swearing at them. After taking the children to Kamawet jail, one of the children, who was the child of the headman, went to his father to notified the other parents of the arrest. The parents arrived at the jail and had to pay the police department 5,000 kyat, the 4 arresting officers 10,000 kyat, and an additional 5,000 kyat to the headman.
May 16th was the 252nd anniversary of Mon Kingdom Fallen Day, a holiday marking the destruction of the Mon capitol, Hongsawatoi, by the Burmese Ruler Aungsaya, and the subsequent torture and genocide of the Mon people. As a celebration of remembrance and nationalism for the fallen Mon state, Mon people wear traditional Mon clothes.
Though the reason for the arrest by police was that the children were swearing, according to sources, parents claim that the arrest was because the children were wearing Mon clothes. A source also said that one of the families also claims that the local police intimidated the parents, forcing them to pay for their children’s release.
According to a source that had spoke to one of the families of a child that had been arrested, “The children were sitting on the bridge. At that time 4 local police, who were not wearing police uniforms, came and asked them ‘what are you doing here and why are you wearing the Mon uniform today?’ After that they arrested the children and took them to Kamawet jail until their parents arrived. The children were arrested at 7:00 am and released them at 10:00 am, at which time the parents arrived to pay and pick them up.”
Also according to a source who had spoken to one of the families, they claimed that one of the police said, “the government only allows Mons to ware Mon dress on Mon National Day. The children are braking the law, therefore we have the right to detain them.’ We had to pay 20,000 Kyat to take our children back home.”