News Hour: Exile source said Senior General and vice senior general stepped down

Sunday, June 22, 2008
Exile source said that Than Shwe and Maung Aye stepped down from military commander in chief and deputy commander in chief. However, it wasn’t cleared that they also stepped down from military council and SPDC. Replacement for their positions is General Thura Shwe Mann and Gen Myint Swe, sources said.

BurmaDD has contacted one of the close associates with SPDC and said that this news shouldn’t be regarded and there is very unlikely because there have no news of this historical changes until yesterday from generals. If so, mid level generals could have very much work loads because of new bosses. But regime source noted that both Gen Shwe Mann and Myint Swe have been unofficially promoted to handle major operation responsibility behalf of both Than Shwe and Maung Aye in post Saffron Revolution in 2007.

One of the very well known journalists stressed if this news is true, both are ready to enter 2010 election and ready to be president and vice president. He does think these news could be wondering.

4 NLD memember arrested

a youth was holding a paper on which" who will help, when people are in tourble" and Lay Bay Lae Dotkha Nay yae Lae Dotkha is written.
the crowd who pray for the freedom of the lady in front of the NLD office clapped and welcome him.
Then, he entered in to the NLD office.

not very soon he has entered into the office, a car(dina) of Swenarrshin had arrived
Then they (Swenarrshin) started to challenge the NLD youths by shouthing at them . min dot might lar.
might yin come
Then, they caught nld youths by randon
Then they hit and kick whoever they could .

most of the nld youths entered into the office
some of them made human chain in order to protect their collegues.
Meanwhile, other usda members and authority(NOt in uniform) sorrounded the office.
4 NLD MEMBERS were arrested at that time.
the number of Swenarrshin in front of the office were estimately 50s.
but there were at least 500 combine with swenarrshin and usda and police at the other side of the west shwegondine road.
before arresting west shwegondine road was blocked. no bus comming.
then, Nld youths blocked the entrance of the office by using bench.
then they ordered every members to stay in the office.
Twanty minutes later, four people who said themselve as the old locals (yet mi yet pha) came to the office and asked to allow them to enter in to the office.
their aim was to meet the responsible person from the office(NLD).
The locals said " they don't want any riot, therefore, NLD should stay clamly".
if nld stay clam they will pardom the authority to allow the nld to celebrate the birthday.
Then situation was getting stable.
ကိုထြန္းျမင့္ (ဗဟန္းအတြင္းေ၇းမွဴး) (ကားေပၚမွာအထိ ေျခနွင့္ကန္ေက်ာက္ထိုးၾကိတ္ျခင္းျပင္းထန္စြာခံ၇သူ)

ကိုေမာင္ေမာင္သိန္း(မင္ဂလာဒံုစည္းအဖဲြ ့၀င္)

7:48 PM ဦးလွေအး (လွိုင္သာယာ ဥကၠဌ)

အမည္မသိ ဘုန္းဘုန္းတပါး

Junta is like fox

News Release - June 19 - Upload a Document to Scribd

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breaking news

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) -- Security was stepped up around detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's house Tuesday, as Myanmar's military junta faced a deadline to decide whether to release her or extend her house arrest for another year.
art.suukyi.afp.jpg

A poster of Aung San Suu Kyi stands outside the National League for Democracy offices in Yangon in early May.
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Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been detained continuously since May 2003, has long been the symbol of the regime's brutality and the focus of a worldwide campaign that has lobbied for her release.

Her house arrest -- which has been renewed annually -- is believed to expire at midnight Tuesday, said Nyan Win, spokesman for her National League for Democracy party. With the regime saying nothing, there has been uncertainly about the exact expiration.

The ruling generals have given no sign they will release Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been confined for more than 12 of the past 18 years. Her latest period of arrest began in 2003.

The decision comes at a delicate time for the junta.

It already is facing international condemnation for the way it failed the relief effort, with more than half of the 2.4 million survivors of Cyclone Nargis still desperately needing food, clean water and shelter more than three weeks after the disaster.

And the law would seem to be on Aung San Suu Kyi's side. No one can be held longer than five years without being released or put on trial, said U.S. lawyer Jared Genser, hired by Aung San Suu Kyi's family to push for her release. But few expect her to be released, despite urging by both the United Nations and some members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
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"Their failure to abide by their own law by refusing to release (Aung San Suu Kyi) ... is a clear slap in the face to (U.N. Secretary-General) Ban Ki-moon and the ASEAN diplomats," Genser said earlier this week. "They are out of time to hold her under their own law."

Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda called Tuesday for her release, saying it would be a way of thanking the international community for its generosity after the cyclone, which killed at least 78,000 people and left another 56,000 missing.

"I hope for the best but to be frank I'm not optimistic," he said.

About 20 plain clothes police officers stood guard outside Aung San Suu Kyi's lakeside house, while six truckloads of riot police were on guard near her National League for Democracy headquarters.

Standing in front of the dilapidated headquarters, about 30 supporters held a banner calling for her release and chanted, "Aung San Suu Kyi. Release her immediately."

Nearby, plainclothes police videotaped and photographed the participants.

Does UN involve itself in committing massacre in Burma?

MAY 26, 2008
MyintmoMedia

While the people in Burma are facing danger of life, Bankimoon and Junta held donor conference in Sedona hotel yesterday. The electricity was cut off in whole Yankin Township. With intention to show Bankimoon, 50 new tents were built in Latputta and 18 in Mawlamyinegyun where Bankimoon likely to visit and Bankimoon interviewed the fake victims organized by authourities. On the same day Bankimoon arrived, 10 aid workers who are actively involved in relief activities were arrested.

In preparation for Bankimoon’s visit, the starving people who were begging on the road were sent back by force to original places, Laputa and Bokalay from MaAubin rescue camp being provided only two bottles of water. The affected areas of cyclone are full of corpses and drinking water is not available. In Mawlamyinegyun area, among total 100 villages, 40 villages disappear in cyclone and only 15 to 20 people survive. Some villagers were brought to nearby towns by their relatives. But the authorities threatened the host not to accept them saying that the people who accept villagers will be imprisoned. The military forces threatened the villagers with killing them if they remain in town and brought back to original places by force, providing only eight milk-cans of rice, two bottles of water and 5000 kyats.

In Hyinegyi and Pyinkayine islands, many thousands of people are being helpless, homeless, and also are starving and suffering from diarrhea and some infectious diseases. Bankimoon visited only the places well arranged by junta and did not go the places where the transportation is difficult, and the helpless and starving children are dying daily. In Pyinkayine and Zeegone village tract, there are about 10135 survivors being homeless and living on rocky hills. There are many places like that. The rescue team cannot access these places and the people have to rely on rain water for drinking as water is contaminated with corpses.

After Bankimoon discussed with Senior General Than Shwe, starting from 25th May, the authorities waited at the Hlainthayar Bridge and confiscated the private volunteers’ cars on the way back from Irrawady division which are used to send the goods for rescue. The authorities threatened the owners of cars with charging them with degrading government’s dignity by doing charity. Until now, 20 cars were already confiscated. On 26th May, no more private volunteers’ cars for donation were allowed to go to Irrawaddy division.

The actors and volunteers actively doing for rescue sent 8 copies of video discs officially to UNDP office in order to let Bankimoon knows real situation of victims of cyclone in Burma. But UNDP office destroyed them and gave the reason that they missed those discs. “We are not sure whether Bankimoon knows this event or not.” an actor said.

After the conference, Bankimoon informed French rescue ships to unload at Bangkok, Puket and he said he took responsibility for Than Shwe who promised him to let in all international aid workers.

The junta who has promised Bankimoon to accept international support sets fire Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok on 26th May, with intention to delay in issuing visa and the whole upstairs was destroyed including passport section of office. They said it was due to wire-accident. But there has never happened this kind of event in Myanmar embassy. They set intentionally to make delay visa process.

Every UN’s intervention make in favor of junta within 20 years and it was obvious in reviewing the conduct of UN representatives. It is not the time to compromise. While the people are facing in threat of lives, junta makes the action delay with the visit of Bankimoon. The people are still suffering and starving after 20 days of cyclone. Neglecting millions of Burmese victims, Bankimoon makes the rescue ships return according to the murder, junta’s wish. Regarding the conduct of UN, people inside Burma criticize UN for committing massacre in collaboration with junta.

Myanmar junta tightens security near Suu Kyi home

1 hour, 15 minutes ago

YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar's military rulers tightened security around the home of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday, the day her latest year-long stretch of house arrest is due to expire.
Few expect the military to do anything but roll over the 62-year-old Nobel laureate's detention order, even though such a move is bound to create tensions with Western nations who have promised millions of dollars in cyclone aid.

Donors pledged nearly $50 million in aid at a landmark conference on Sunday in the wake of Cyclone Nargis which has left 134,000 people dead or missing and another 2.4 million clinging to survival.

A Reuters reporter saw at least six police trucks, a prison van and a fire engine parked near the headquarters of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party, which is due to hold a ceremony at 2 p.m. (0730 GMT).

Amid rumors of a planned NLD march to Suu Kyi's house, police moved a wooden and barbed-wired barricade across the road up to the nearest major intersection, making it impossible even to approach the lakeside villa.

Suu Kyi has spent more than 12 of the last 18 years in prison or under house arrest. Her party won more than 80 percent of seats in a 1990 election, but was denied power by the military, which has ruled since a 1962 coup.

Her latest stretch of detention started "for her own protection" after clashes between her supporters and pro-junta thugs near the northern town of Depayin on May 30, 2003.

However, her formal house arrest under a state security law did not start until November 27 of that year. It was renewed once for six months, and has since been renewed every year on or around May 27.

(Reporting by Aung Hla Tun, Writing by Ed Cropley; Editing by Ed Davies and Valerie Lee)

Referendum Farce in Burma _ by Vaclav Havel

May 26th, 2008

_ by Vaclav Havel / et al



[Václav Havel is a former President of the Czech Republic, Desmond Tutu is a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Richard von Weizsäcker is a former President of Germany, Karel Schwarzenberg is Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic, André Glucksmann is a French philosopher, Frederik Willem de Klerk is a former President of South Africa, Mike Moore is a former Director of the World Trade Organization, Grigory Yavlinsky is leader of the Yabloko party in Russia.]

The enormous suffering of the Burmese people caused by the recent cyclone, which has caused tens of thousands of deaths, deserves the sympathy of the entire world. But more than sympathy is needed, because the Burmese military junta’s incompetence and brutal oppression are further aggravating the tragic consequences of this natural disaster.

In the midst of the cyclone’s devastation, Burma’s ruling generals went ahead and held a referendum on a new constitution. But, according to Burma’s Constitutional Referendum Act, members of religious organizations, those subject to criminal prosecution, and members of ethnic groups that have not agreed to a ceasefire with the government were barred from voting. Thus, all current and former political prisoners, about 500,000 Buddhist monks, and more than twice as many members of ethnic minority groups living close to the borders were banned from the vote.

Moreover, according to the new constitution that was supposedly “approved” by the “referendum,” Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who has never been prosecuted and still remains under house arrest, is barred from standing in the 2010 general elections under the pretext that her deceased husband was British. Is the world really willing to accept such an absurdity?

We strongly support the Burmese opposition’s campaign calling on the country’s citizens to reject the constitution, which does not promote human rights, but only confirms the military’s political role. Many democracy activists have been arrested throughout the country. The regime’s draconian “law” (5/96) prohibits participants from criticizing the draft constitution; those who dare to challenge the regime face a 20-year prison sentence.

Given the violent suppression of last September’s mass demonstrations (the “Saffron Revolution”) led by Burma’s Buddhist monks, and the constant repression in the country, it is not surprising that the military junta tries to shroud its despotic tendencies in pseudo-democratic measures such as the sham electoral process of the referendum.

Sadly, the international community did not respond to last autumn’s mass arrests of human rights defenders. The 88 Generation leaders, including Min Ko Naing, Ko Ko Gyi, women activists like Su Su Nway, and others bravely expressed their grievances time and again in letters, statements, and public demonstrations prior to the Saffron Revolution. Their courageous calls fell on deaf ears; they now remain imprisoned.

It is time to strongly condemn the exclusion of a considerable number of people from voting and to insist on the release of Burma’s political prisoners. The United Nations and the European Union should be ready to reject conclusively the result of the referendum and strengthen sanctions against the regime. Burma’s neighbors in ASEAN should stop looking the other way as Burma’s rulers trample on Burma’s citizens.

The UN Security Council should consider introducing a universal arms embargo, and the EU should adopt banking sanctions that target the regime and its cronies. Moreover, the UN should not only condemn, but without further delay put a stop to today’s greatest atrocity: the regime’s obstruction of foreign assistance to victims of the cyclone. Their deaths are the sole responsibility of the military junta, which deliberately and with knowledge of the likely consequences has closed the door to humanitarian aid and workers from all over the world. Their actions represent an appalling crime against humanity.

The military-run referendum will not bring democracy to Burma, nor will it help the Burmese people, who now are suffering not only from the authoritarian regime and poverty, but also from a grave natural disaster and its totally inept handling by the cynical generals. Burma’s rulers have failed in their duty to protect the Burmese people, but active and decisive political action by the international community towards the regime may yet do so.