Day: August 24, 2009
The demonstrators hoisted the flag of the ‘fighting peacock’, a symbol representing the spirit of revolution in front of “The New Otani” hotel in Tokyo, where Htay Oo is putting up
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Burmese activists on Monday held a protest rally against the secret visit to Japan by Htay Oo, Secretary of the pro-junta civilian organization – the Union Solidarity and Development Association – outside the hotel where he is staying.
The demonstrators hoisted the flag of the ‘fighting peacock’, a symbol representing the spirit of revolution in front of “The New Otani” hotel in Tokyo, where Htay Oo is putting up.
The flag fluttered along with that of China, Japan, Burma and Thai flags for a while before it was removed by security personnel.
“The security personnel didn’t notice it because we went and hoisted it at 5 am. They noticed it at 10 am and pulled it down. But we did it. Now they are treating the case seriously,” a demonstrator told Mizzima.
“The action was meant to send a message to the junta, to embarrass it and to humiliate its political status. It is a warning against the regime’s human rights violations,” he added.
Maj-Gen Htay Oo, Minister for Agriculture and Irrigation, who arrived in Japan on August 20, has kept his visit low profile. However, Mizzima reported on his trip before his departure from Rangoon.
In another incident, at least 80 Burmese pro-democracy activists held demonstrations on Monday in front of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, protesting against welcoming members of the junta and the leader of the USDA, which was founded by the military regime. Continue reading “The demonstrators hoisted the flag of the ‘fighting peacock’, a symbol representing the spirit of revolution in front of “The New Otani” hotel in Tokyo, where Htay Oo is putting up”
Burma Visa Runners Face Temperature Checks
Monday, August 24, 2009
Burma Visa Run Photo Album Above
VISA RUNNERS from Phuket to Ranong who cross to Victoria Point will be greeted in Burma these days by a couple of nurses in surgical masks.
One of the nurses will pop a fancy thermometer in your ear and check your temperature. The other will attend to a hand-written list.
It’s quite strange to see this kind of medical technology being applied on shore beside the pier at Victoria Point, which, like most of Burma, is usually free of sophistication, especially when it comes to health.
“We don’t know if she can accept guests or whether the guests have to first seek permission. Even we, her lawyers, are not sure of the implications of the eight-point condition,” Nyan Win said.
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Detained Burmese democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi’s situation under house arrest this time around is worse than her earlier term, her lawyer Nyan Win said.
The Burmese opposition leader was escorted back to her lakeside house on August 11, after her three-year prison with hard labour was commuted to 18 months.
“But since her return, the situation under which she is detained seems to be far more complicated and is worse than her earlier house arrest term,” said Nyan Win, who is also the spokesperson for her party – the National League for Democracy.
He said, the eight-point condition imposed on her by the regime is amorphous and has created far more confusion.
“We don’t know if she can accept guests or whether the guests have to first seek permission. Even we, her lawyers, are not sure of the implications of the eight-point condition,” Nyan Win said.
Aung San Suu Kyi’s sentence was commuted from three years with hard labour by an executive order from the junta supremo Snr Gen Than Shwe, which was read out in the court on August 11. The order also imposed eight conditions that she had to abide by.
Than Shwe’s order, however, said she could be released if she is found serving her suspended sentence without violating the conditions. Continue reading ““We don’t know if she can accept guests or whether the guests have to first seek permission. Even we, her lawyers, are not sure of the implications of the eight-point condition,” Nyan Win said.”
Nyan Win, one of Suu Kyi’s lawyer, told The Irrawaddy on Monday that since she returned home on August 11, the authorities sent another doctor to check on her health.
Burma’s pro-democracy leader is seeking to have her regular physician, Tin Myo Win, reinstated as her primary doctor, following her return to her home after being sentenced to 18-months of house arrest.
Nyan Win, one of Suu Kyi’s lawyer, told The Irrawaddy on Monday that since she returned home on August 11, the authorities sent another doctor to check on her health.“She told officials that she wanted her family physician, Dr Tin Myo Win, to take care of her health,” Nyan Win said. “So far, I don’t think Dr Tin Myo Win has been able to visit her.”
Tin Myo Win was a leading pro-democracy activist during the 1988 uprising that toppled the 26-year rule of the late dictator Ne Win.
After the military coup in September 1988, Tin Myo Win became a member of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD). In the following year, he was jailed. Continue reading “Nyan Win, one of Suu Kyi’s lawyer, told The Irrawaddy on Monday that since she returned home on August 11, the authorities sent another doctor to check on her health.”
The Myanmar search engine competiton is probably a trap
Pandia Search Engine News, Norway
Burma launches a search engine contest. Pandia suspects it is a ploy designed to develop censorship technology.
According to Alt Search Engines The Myanmar Computer Professional Association (MCPA) has invited individuals and groups to compete for the MCPA Challenge Winner 2009 under the title of the Myanmar Search Engine Contest.
The Alt Search Engine article looks like a rewrite of a press release, and is fetched from TMC.net. It says:
“The research-based contest is held with the aim of encouraging the development of the country’s information and communication technology (ICT), expanding the use of the yanmar language in ICT sector and enhancing the youth’s interest in the creation and ICT research.”
The contestants are given six months’ time to prepare for the research and the best contributor will be awarded 3,000 U.S. dollars in cash. That’s a lot of money in a poor country like Burma.
This must be a ploy blessed by the Burmese military dictatorship.
Censorship in Burma
The Economist reports that in Burma (AKA Myanmar) access to the internet is so tightly controlled that the few people who are allowed to go online, mostly government officials, are easy to monitor.
The government restricts Internet access through software-based censorship, including software provided by U.S. company Fortinet.
There are apparently internet cafes that try to get around the government’s proxy servers, but they are having a hard time doing it. The government recently took over the second ISP of Burma, apparently for political reasons.
For the rest access to the web is banned. To enforce this, the country’s military regime imposes jail terms of up to 15 years for unauthorized use of a modem.
What do they want?
Such a competition could not have been launched without the blessing of the regime. The regime is not interested in developing an Internet infrastructure that gives people full access to the Internet. This means that the competition has been launched to help the regime control the use of digital technology.
As far as we can see, there may be two options:
One could be to smoke out young Burmese with computer skills. If you identify them, you can stop them from developing technology that threatens the regime.
We know of activists that have managed to get around the walls of the censors. The opposition often use proxy servers and special software to get access to information.
Another one could be to get the winners of the competition to serve the regime by developing a search engine that can be used to block any kind of unwanted information.
It seems like the competition is open for non-Burmese as well, which means that they could hope to enlist politically naive computer experts in their fight against democracy.
There is only one possible conclusion in our mind: a total boycott of this competition.
A commander of KNU’s military wing, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), who asked to remain anonymous, said he is ready to buy weapons and has enough money to purchase what he needs, but he cannot find a broker who will sell to him.
KNU Struggles to Acquire Arms
Despite being a major player in one of the longest-running civil wars in the world, the guerilla soldiers of the Karen National Union (KNU) are currently finding it difficult to acquire weapons of any description for their armed struggle against the Burmese military regime.
A commander of KNU’s military wing, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), who asked to remain anonymous, said he is ready to buy weapons and has enough money to purchase what he needs, but he cannot find a broker who will sell to him. “We have enough money,” he said. “We are in the market to buy dozens of assault rifles, preferable AK-47s, but it is proving hard to get them.
“We are careful with our old weapons and maintain them very well, so we can use them for a long time,” he said.
The KNLA produces some explosives, especially landmines; however, it is commonly believed that the Karen rebels do not have the capacity to produce high-grade weaponry, such as assault rifles, RPGs or mortars.
The KNLA commander said that the insurgents are able to pay for arms from the income they generate from local businesses, taxation and border trade with Thailand, including logging and the sale of gold and zinc.
He noted that the supply of arms has decreased greatly since the civil war ended in Cambodia and since the KNLA lost its base of Thai support.
The Times magazine in London reported in March that the KNU leadership was losing the support of the Thai government which it had previously been able to rely on for a supply of weapons.
Earlier this year, all KNLA commanders were asked to vacate Thai soil and return to areas under their control.
Founded in 1947, the KNU is the oldest rebel force in Burma and has been fighting for self-determination, autonomy and equality ever since the Burmese central government declared independence from Britain colonial rule in 1948.
Irrawaddy
democracy for burma 
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