Help needed:Subject: Request Assistance in the Arrest/Detention of Ko Kyaw Zaw Lwin at Rangoon Mingaladon International Airport (US Burma Citizen)

Request Assistance in the Arrest/Detention of Ko Kyaw Zaw Lwin
September 7, 2009 in Burma’s News World News
Hi There,
Any other questions please send e-mail to Ma Wa (wawamaw@gmail.com). We have to stand for our brotherhood —real and pure 88’s blood. More updated will send to you again.
keeps on eyes for him.
with respect,                                                                                                                          

September 3, 2009 Mr. Colin P. Furst
Consul
U.S. Embassy
Rangoon, Burma
Fax: 95-1-650480
ConsularRangoon@state.gov

URGENT

Subject: Request Assistance in the Arrest/Detention of Ko Kyaw Zaw Lwin at Rangoon Mingaladon International Airport

Dear Mr. Furst,
I write to request your urgent assistance in obtaining the release of Ko Kyaw Zaw Lwin (aka) Nyi Nyi Aung upon entry at Rangoon Mingaladon International Airport on Thursday, Sep 3, 2009. He is a United States citizen and entered Rangoon with a valid Burmese visa (social visit) issued at the Burmese Embassy, Bangkok, Thailand. His detention came as a surprise and I believe he was taken by the Military Security personnel.
Below is info as it appears on his U.S. Passport No 711851465:
Name- LWIN, KYAW ZAW
Nationality- United States of America
Date of Birth- 28 Oct, 1969
Place of Birth- Burma
Date of Issue- 14 Dec, 2006
Date of Expiration- 13 Dec, 2016
He departed Bangkok on TG 305 to Rangoon at 17:50 Sep 3, 2009.

We thank you in anticipation for your kind help. We are friends of Kyaw Zaw Lwin and we are requesting to assist in locating Ko Kyaw Zaw Lwin’s whereabouts and in obtaining his immediate release

Sincerely,

Names, SSN, and address
http://saffronburma.wordpress.com/2009/09/07/request-assistance-in-the-arrestdetention-of-ko-kyaw-zaw-lwin/

A US citizen Nyi Nyi Aung (aka) Kyaw Zaw Lwin, brother of Burmese activist Thet Thet Aung, went missing after he landed in Burma on Thursday, September 3, 2009. His sister Thet Thet Anug, 35, mother of 3 boys, was sentenced 65 years in prison for her pro-democracy activities. Her activist husband Chit Ko Lay was also sentenced 11 years. Kyaw Zaw Lwin’s mother is serving a 5-year imprisonment. His aunt & cousin are also severing at least 6-year in prison.

China government overlooks grave risks of new energy corridor through Burma-report on

Mon 07 Sep 2009, IMNA,
The Chinese government has overlooked the grave risks of building a new energy corridor through Burma, a new report published by Shwe Gas Movement, states.

The report title, “Corridor of Power”, documents the Chinese governments decision to ignore conditions in Burma – financial and political risks from social unrest, re-ignition of fighting along the route and potential public relations disasters – to begin construction on a nearly 4,000 kilometer dual oil and gas pipeline across the heartland of Burma.

“These Chinese international investments are fueling human rights abuses and makes the country unstable. Recently, conflict with a Burmese ethnic armed group has already explode in the area and the situation inside the Burmese country is unstable as [groups] try to change political policy in the country,” said Shwe Gas Movement spokesperson, Wong Aung, during a phone interview with IMNA. ”So in looking at this situation, the Chinese government starting construction on the pipeline is like they are ignoring the Burmese country.”

The fuel power transportation along this pipeline is important for the development of both China and Burma, so that as a “Power Corridor”, this pipeline will be strategically crucial to both governments, added Wong Aung. China’s largest oil and gas producer, the Chinese National Petroleum Corporation, will begin construction on the pipeline this month. The project will provide the military junta with $29 billion over a 30 year period.

Landmine explosion maims Karen splinter group soldier

on 07 Sep 2009, IMNA, Rai Maraoh
After a Karen splinter group advanced into territory controlled by the Karen army, a soldier from the splinter group lost his leg after stepping on a landmine in the Maketa forest, Karen State.

The Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) unit, commanded by captain Saw Aye One, advance into the Karen National Union (KNU) controlled area in Maketa old village, after having taken control of Maketa last week. On September 5th at 3 pm, as the DKBA pushed forward, a soldier was injured in a landmine detonation.

“We heard about one of Captain Saw Aye One’s soldiers getting injured by a landmine explosion,” said a Three Pagoda Pass (TPP) resident who is close to members of the DKBA. “Then they sent the soldier to Kanchanaburi hospital in Thailand, where they amputated his leg.”

DKBA Battalion No. 907 entered into KNU controlled Maketa area on August 30th. Afterwards 30 solders from the Burmese army LIB No. 283 combined with the DKBA group in Maketa.

“We don’t hear about landmine explosions in the KNU controlled area – this time is the first time,” a TPP resident commented. “But in the DKBA control area this has happened before.”

The resident added that in 2005 a Karen villager was injured by a landmine in DKBA controlled Tong Wai area, based near Three Pagoda Pass Town.

The Burmese military junta on Monday invited six local journalists to Burma’s North-eastern Shan State to show them around the just occupied Loa Kai town in the Kokang region.

Junta invites journalists to Kokang
by Mizzima News
Monday, 07 September 2009 19:32

New Delhi (Mizzima) – The Burmese military junta on Monday invited six local journalists to Burma’s North-eastern Shan State to show them around the just occupied Loa Kai town in the Kokang region.

The Ministry of Information selected the six journalists, who are to be taken from northern Shan State’s major town of Lashio to Lao Kai, in a lottery system.

The Burmese Army, after two-days of clashes with the Peng Jiasheng led Kokang Army, propped up Bai Suoqing, the deputy of the group, as the new leader of the Kokang.

FranklinCovey to set up offices in Afghanistan, Burma

Mumbai, Sept. 6

FranklinCovey, a manpower training and consultancy firm, is exploring options of setting-up offices in Afghanistan and Myanmar.

Its office in Gurgaon (Haryana) is, incidentally, the headquarters for India and South Asia. There are about 240 employees with key customers being large IT firms and financial institutions.

The company is now keen to offer services to local entities in Afghanistan and Myanmar as well as Indian corporates with operations there, Mr Rajan Kaicker, Executive Chairman, FranklinCovey India and South-Asia, told Business Line.

Plans are on to set-up centres in these two countries early next fiscal. Mr Stephen Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, is one of the co-founders of the company.

FranklinCovey already provides consultancy and training services to the United Nations Development Programme in Afghanistan and is in talks with Afghan Telecom.

On the rationale to focus on Afghanistan, Mr Kaicker said, “In order to bring the country back to normalcy, private-public partnerships are going to be the way forward. Many private partnerships are going to come either from the US or Indian ventures.”

Moreover, not too many expatriate officials would be thrilled about settling in Afghanistan and locals there need to be trained to take-up responsibility and leadership positions, he added. “I am not saying it is a windfall market. We will have to develop it.”

In Myanmar, the company has already initiated talks with large companies. Mr Kaicker is of the view that the Indian market for people development services is beginning to look-up after going through a period of belt-tightening.

“From February to late June this year, there was significant belt-tightening and it was more to do with next year’s budgets being finalised and pragmatic views being taken in terms of what we should be given preference. Many companies were conserving cash just because of the negative market sentiments,” he said.

Since end-June, most companies’ people development programmes are back on track. “The willingness to experiment is gone. Companies are only going for tried and tested players and this is benefiting a global player like us,” said Mr Kaicker.

With operations in nearly 150 countries, FranklinCovey provides manpower training and consulting services to a whole lot of Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies.
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2009/09/07/stories/2009090751010200.htm

The Arakan National News August 09

View this document on Scribd

Corridor of Power – China’s Trans-Burma Oil and Gas pipelines

View this document on Scribd

Burma’s New Constitution Privileges Soldiers above Civilians

By HTET AUNG Monday, September 7, 2009

For decades, politics in Burma has been in crisis and the eventual outcome is often violence and oppression. Subjected to extreme poverty, armed conflicts and natural disaster, the people, like it or not, approved a new constitution in 2008.

The average Burmese citizen probably expects life to be less oppressive under a new civilian government. However, there is no escaping the fact that Burma’s third constitution was designed by the junta to institutionalize its role in politics.

Born with the nation’s independence struggle and believing its role is to safeguard the country from disintegration—a conventional excuse by military leaders to claim legitimacy—the Burmese military has constructed a legal fortress in the new constitution, which it calls its “national political leadership role of the State.”

This is the heart of the military-designed constitution and exemplifies its distrust of civilian politicians, and the role of the public in forming a consensus in society.

In democratic theory, if a single party wins a majority of seats in parliament, a country can enjoy stability and development with the support of the majority of the population. It can also avoid a coalition form of government that can often create instability in politics.

But Burma’s constitution is different, and it is constructed to avoid the dominance of a single civilian party, which could provide a viable opposition to the military rulers.

Soldiers and the Making of Laws

Therefore, the constitution was built around a theory of “disciplined democracy” with 25 percent of the bicameral parliament comprised of military representatives—a maneuver that is intended to avoid another 1990-style election in which the opposition party won a landslide victory. continue

Election Watch

Burma Democratic Concern (BDC) raising awareness about plight of Burmese People at the Zimfest

see the pics from London Zimbabwe Info Weekend

BDC Blog

The examination of the Indian government’s witnesses in the trial of 34 Arakanese and Karen freedom fighters came to a close on 2 September after the last witness was questioned by the judge in the Kolkata court in West Bengal Province

according to a source close to the freedom fighters on trial.

The source said, “The examination of the Indian government’s plaintiff witnesses ended on Wednesday after the judge examined the last witness of the plaintiff.”

In the next stage of the trial, the court will examine the 34 freedom fighters on 14 and 15 September.

“The court ordered that the trial of the 34 Burmese freedom fighters resume on 14 September and that it will finish on 16 September,” the source added.

The court will also examine the defendants’ witnesses after the defendants themselves take the stand for questioning.

According to the source, the trial of the 34 freedom fighters will conclude this year, but the future of the men is uncertain because the UNHCR has refused to grant them recognized refugee status.

The 34 freedom fighters are from the Arakan Army and Karen National Liberation Army.

According to an Arakan Army source, the freedom fighters have been detained in India since 1998, when the Indian army escorted them to the Andaman Islands along with high Arakan Army officials on the pretense of building a naval base there under an agreement with India.

When the group arrived at the island, the Indian army officials brought the six Arakanese and Karen leaders, including Arakan Army Chief Bo Raza, to receive an Indian general they were told had also traveled to the island for the occasion.

While the six leaders were standing at attention to receive the general, Indian soldiers hiding nearby opened fire and shot them in the back, killing them at the scene. Soon after carrying out the assassination, the Indian soldiers were heard calling out loudly, “The operation is successful.”

Many Indian human rights activists have denounced the shameful operation against the rebel army men who were innocent of any crime against India.
Narinjara