Day: April 1, 2010
Deported Karen boy killed by grenade
A five-year-old boy who was sent back to eastern Burma’s Karen state by the Thai military recently has died and his brother seriously injured after triggering an unexploded grenade.
The boy had been staying at the Mae Usu refugee camp in Thailand’s western Tha Song Yang district until he was repatriated to Burma earlier this year.
Nearly all 2,400 Karen refugees in Mae Usu and nearby Nong Bua have since followed suit, despite warnings that conditions in Karen state remain dangerous. Another 600 returned yesterday, leaving the two camps almost empty.
The seven-year-old survivor was yesterday taken to hospital in Thailand’s border town of Mae Sot. Matt Finch from the Karen Human Right Group (KHRG) said that his condition remains critical.
“As far as I know he has not woken up and he is in a critical condition; it’ll be two or three days before the hospital knows whether he’ll live or not,” he said. Continue reading “Deported Karen boy killed by grenade”
“Mon Working Committee” splits over 2010 election registration
5 dissenters from 15 members “Mon Working Committee” formed in 2009 have split from the group, following a March 30th meeting where the majority of the committee’s members voted that the committee boycott the 2010 elections. The 5 rogue members have decided to register as a separate private political party.
The committee met earlier this month on March 15th, to discuss registering and running in the upcoming elections. IMNA’s March 18th coverage of the event shared how the meeting was inconclusive, as a large faction of the party refused to support Burma’s 2008 constitution, a mandate for registering as a political party. A second meeting was rescheduled for March 31st. IMNA’s reporter learned that the date for the second meeting was bumped ahead, after Burma’s National League for Democracy (NLD) announced its decision not to run in the 2010 elections.
IMNA’s reporter learned that the 5 individuals planning to register as a party in the 2010 Burmese elections are: Dr Min Nwe Soe, Nai Hla Aung from the Mon Literature Organization, university organizer Nai San Tin, former New Mon State Party (NMSP) colonel Nai Myint Swe, and Dr Banya Aung Moe.
“Our committee members have disagreed with the 2008 constitution since the beginning and they could not go ahead with the 2010 elections. In the March 30th meeting, we decided not to organize a political party, certainly” a member of the committee, who voted against political party registration.
IMNA’s reporter learned that the 5 members of the nascent political party are in the midst of the political registration process and are busily drafting their new organization’s political platform; however the group refused to release its platform’s details at the present time
According to one of the 5 dissenters, who asked to remain anonymous, the quintet has decided to join the elections in order to represent the Mon people; he claimed that without their party, voters in Mon state would be entirely devoid of any party from their ethnic group to vote for in October. Continue reading ““Mon Working Committee” splits over 2010 election registration”
BURMA: We MUST implement Shwe-Gone-Daing Declaration
Dear Friends,
Aung San Suu Kyi led National League for Democracy (NLD) decided unanimously on 29 March 2010, not to re-register the party to participate in the junta’s planned sham 2010 election due to its unfair electoral laws. NLD is effectively boycotting junta’s sham 2010 election which is designed to legitimise military rule in Burma.
National League for Democracy (NLD), unanimous victor of 1990 election, stands firmly on “Shew-Gone-Daing” declaration of which all four main principals are equally important that needs to place in order to have true national reconciliation in Burma, i.e.
• To release all political prisoners
• To take place genuine dialogue
• To revise 2008 constitution
• To recognize 1990 election results
On 29 March 2010, Aung San Suu Kyi’s gave six points@ analysis rejecting party registration which can be laterally translated into guidelines for the democracy activists to implement them.
They are:
(1) She doesn’t accept 2008 constitution and upholds the Shwe-Gone-Daing Declaration. [The declaration, issued in April by the National League for Democracy, called for the release of all political prisoners, to hold a political dialogue, to review the constitution and to recognize the result of the 1990 election.]
(2) She doesn’t accept the Junta’s unjust and one-sided Political Party Registration, which is undemocratic.
(3) She said the NLD is neither her property nor anyone else.
(4) She doesn’t favor or accept any attempt to create factions within the party.
(5) She would like to say to the people that she is committed to democracy and will continue her struggle.
(6) She won’t recognize that the NLD is abolished, even if it is dissolved by the military regime
Continue reading “BURMA: We MUST implement Shwe-Gone-Daing Declaration”
01Apr10 ENC Annual Meeting Statement
Ethnic council opposes junta electoral laws
The Ethnic Nationalities Council (ENC-Union of Burma), a coalition of ethnic political organizations, announced yesterday that the council would not accept the Burma’s electoral laws as they were patently one sided laws drawn by the military junta for itself.
The announcement was made after its five-day long meeting held from 27 to 31 March at an undisclosed place on the Thai-Burma border. It was attended by 35 representatives from 7 ethnic states: Kachin, Karen, Karenni, Arakan, Chin, Mon and Shan states.
According to the council resolutions, the group will oppose not only the electoral laws, but also the military junta’s 2008 constitution which it says is undemocratic. At the same time, the group expressed its support for the National League for Democracy (NLD) on its decision on 29 March not to re-register as a political party.
On the other hand, the council will not oppose or condemn ethnic organizations and individuals planning to contest in the forthcoming elections, or the people who will vote in the elections even though its position does not support the elections.
The newly elected Chairman Tu Tu Lay urged all state representatives to prevent discord among those who are participating in the elections and those against the elections.
According to a participant at the meeting, there are people, even though they are against the 2008 constitution, who has decided to contest elections.
One of them is veteran Shan politician Shwe Ohn, who formed a new party; Union Democratic Alliance Organization (UDAO), last year saying if there are no opposition parties, the military junta’s candidates will win by acclamation. Continue reading “01Apr10 ENC Annual Meeting Statement”
democracy for burma 
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