Junta extends U Tin Oo's house arrest

The Burmese government yesterday extended the house arrest of U Tin Oo, deputy chairperson of the National League for Democracy, for one more year, according to NLD officials.


U Nyan Win, a legal expert and member of NLD’s information committee, told DVB that government officials went to U Tin Oo’s house yesterday at around 6pm and read out an official order stating that his house arrest had been extended for another year.

U Nyan Win criticised the regime’s decision to continue to hold the 80-year-old deputy opposition leader.

“U Tin Oo poses no threat to the government as he has been kept inside his house for all these years,” he said.

“Extending house arrest for such a vulnerable person is very unfair, and shows that the government is not keen to bring about national reconciliation.”

U Tin Oo was the commander-in-chief of the Burmese armed forces before he was forced to retire in 1976.

He has detained since the Depayin massacre in May 2003, when a convoy carrying U Tin Oo and NLD leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi came under attack from a pro-junta mob.

Burma: referendum, election dates announced

The Burmese military government has set a date for a referendum on a new constitution: it is to be held in May of this year, with a general election to follow in 2010.

The regime had set out what it called a roadmap for democracy but had not previously given any firm timetable.

It made the announcement in a statement on state television and radio.

"It is suitable to change the military administration to a democratic, civil administrative system, as good fundamentals have been established," the regime said.

The Burmese have not voted since 1990, when the army invalidated an election won by the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD).

The country has been without a constitution for two decades: a new one is in the last stages of being drafted by a Convention appointed by the ruling generals, from which the NLD has been excluded.

The United Nations and western powers have dismissed the work of the Convention as a sham.

Monastery stops free education service

A free tuition service at Ngway Kyar Yan monastery in South Okkalapa township, Rangoon, that provided extra classes to students from 10 townships in the surrounding area, has been suspended.


Ngway Kyar Yan monastery has been inviting respected tutors to teach extra classes at the monastery every year for the past 14 years, and around 2,000 to 3,000 students have attended each year.

Burmese students often rely on outside tuition to supplement the low standard of teaching in schools, but many are unable to afford a private tutor.

The monastery was running its classes in the lead-up to the grade 10 exams, which are the level required for university entrance and take place in February each year, and monks were able to get popular teachers to provide their services to the monastery free of charge.

One student said that educational opportunities for poorer students would suffer without the free classes.

“This is very bad for students who cannot afford to pay private tutors, because the education programme at Ngway Kyar Yan monastery was taught by well-known tutors and the monastery also provided all the teaching materials, textbooks and notebooks,” the student said.

A monk who was involved in running the service also believed that it would prevent some students from accessing a good education.

“This free education service is necessary for people who want to pursue an education but can’t afford it,” he said.

“These services are helping our nation by building the capacity of our students, and this is something the country should be happy about.”

It is not clear why the classes have been stopped, but students speculated that it was due to the participation of monks from the monastery in last year’s demonstrations.

Ngway Kyar Yan is a lecturing monastery, where over 1000 monks were studying before raids on the monastery following the monk-led protests in September last year.

Since the crackdown, only 40 monks have been left at the monastery.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is said to be unhappy with the way the talks are going with U Aung Kyi, the Liaison Minister of the military government.

She is said to have called for meetings between her and the decision makers of the military government.

Some fear that the military government is regarding the talks between them and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as SPDC-Daw Aung San Suu Kyi talks.

Do you think the SPDC accepts the argument that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is representing the people of Burma because she is the leader of the NLD, National League for Democracy, which won the 1990 General Elections?

How can you make the SPDC accept such an argument? What do you think about that argument?

THE WORLD FAMOUS CHEE 4 CHEE

Family members denied visits to Insein prison
Jan 22, 2008 Relatives of people detained in Insein prison were turned away yesterday due to stricter regulations on family visits requiring them to bring original copies of their household lists.


Daw Tin Tin Win, the 70-year-old mother of 88 generation student leader Ant Bwe Kyaw, was denied a visit because she only had a copy of the document.

"It was very disappointing. They said I would not be allowed to see my son unless I brought the original copy of our household list,” she said.

“They told me to just leave the items I'd brought for my son and go if I didn't have it."

Relatives of All-Burmese Monk Alliance leader U Gambira, who travelled from Mandalay to see him, were told the same thing by the prison officials.

88 generation student leader Ko Mya Aye and Ma Lay Lay Mon's families from Rangoon were also turned away, and had to go back home to pick up the original copies of their household lists.

Two NLD members arrested in Taunggok
Jan 22, 2008 –Two members of the National League for Democracy have been arrested for staging a short protest calling for democracy today in Taunggok township, Arakan state.


Soe Min Oo and Kalar Shae were riding their bicycles in the township and shouting for democracy and freedom for detained NLD leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi when they were detained by authorities at around 1pm.

They are now being held at Taunggok police station.

Security has been tight in Taunggok since a planned demonstration over commodity prices was disrupted on 17 January.

NLD members arrested in Magwe division
Jan 15, 2008 –Two members of the National League for Democracy in Taung Twin Gyi township, Magwe division, were arrested on 13 January by unidentified government officials, according to fellow NLD members.


Township NLD communications committee member U Par Lay was arrested at his house in Chaung Nat village, six miles outside Taung Twin Gyi at around 1pm on Sunday, members of the communications committee told DVB.

Deputy chairman U Maung Soe was arrested at his home in Taung Pyin ward at around 4pm the same day.

The two men were arrested by about six officials, who arrived in a car with a government licence plate and were accompanied by local police officers.

The men were both blindfolded and handcuffed by the officials, who arrested them as their families looked on.

When family members asked the officials which department they were from, the officials refused to say, though they were assumed to be from Military Affairs Security.

STATEMENT OF INTERNATIONAL BURMESE MONKS ORG

(1/2008)

Burmese military, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi meet again

The detained pro-democracy leader in Burma, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, has held another meeting with a representative of the military government.

She was taken from her home in the capital, Rangoon, to a government guest house for the talks, which lasted about an hour.

No announcement was made ahead of the meeting and no details of the discussions were given afterwards.

It's the fourth such meeting since the ruling military council agreed -- under international pressure -- to talk to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, after the anti-government protests last September. The BBC south-east Asia correspondent says little has come out of the meetings so far.

STILL OPEN PRISION FOR STATEMEN

NLD chairperson in San Chaung arrested
The chairman of the National League for Democracy in San Chaung township, Rangoon, was arrested by authorities while attending a court hearing on Wednesday.


An eyewitness said the San Chaung NLD chairman and former political prisoner U Thet Wei, 50, was arrested by police at Kyauktada township court at a hearing for solo demonstrator U Ohn Than.

"It was around 1pm in the afternoon when I saw him having an argument with a police officer at the court," said the eyewitness.

"The deputy police chief arrived and he and another police officer took U Thet Wei into an empty room where they questioned him for about 30 minutes. Then the security vehicle arrived and took him to Kyauktada police station."

U Thet Wei's family said their enquiries about him at the police station met with no response yesterday.

An NLD spokesperson, U Nyan Win, said that the party was frustrated by the continued arrests and harassment of NLD members.

"There are currently 102 people detained; some awaiting trial and some are serving prison sentences,” he said.

“It is unclear on what grounds they have been given these punishments; we are getting very frustrated with this."

As of 9 January, six NLD party members and five other people had been arrested so far this year.

The NLD members were Ko Kyaw Kyaw, Ko Kyaw Zin Win and two others from Daw Pon township, and Ma Htet Htet Aung from [New] South Dagon township.

Ko Ko Maung and Ko Min Han from Mingalardon township were among the other people detained, along with an unknown monk and two students.

BOMB EXPLODES

Bomb explodes near Naypyidaw
Jan 11, 2008 bomb exploded at Pyinmanar railway station near the new Burmese capital Naypyidaw at around 4am this morning, killing one woman, local sources said.


A Pyinmanar railway official said that the explosion took place outside the station near the employee quarters.

“We assume that the woman who died in the blast was the actual bomber herself, and that she blew herself up by mistake,” he said.

The railway official said that there were no other casualties, and trains were running as usual.

An official from Pyinmanar hospital confirmed that the body of an unidentified female with blast wounds all over her body was brought to the hospital this morning and has now been sent to the mortuary.

"She was about 40 years old, possibly an ethnic Karen, and so far we have learnt that she was a resident of Laybin village in Htantabin township, in Bago division's Taung-ngu district," said the hospital official.

Local residents said soldiers are now providing heavy security around the station and railway line

NLD STATEMENT 2008

PROTESTOR'S FAMILY TO SUE FOR WRONGFUL ARREST

The father of a protestor jailed in August has said he will file charges against Union Solidarity and Development Association and Swan Arr Shin members for unlawfully arresting his son.


Than Zaw Myint was arrested by USDA and Swan Arr Shin members on 28 August at Hle Dan junction in Kamar Yut township, Rangoon after joining a protest against the increase in fuel prices.

San Win, Thant Zin Myo, Kyaw Soe Win and another protestor from Hle Dan junction were arrested along with Than Zaw Myint.

The five are currently being held at Insein prison in Rangoon and are due to appear before Kamar Yut court on 31 December charged with violating sections 505 (b) and 147 of the penal code.

Section 505 (b) outlaws incitement to offences against the public tranquility and carries a maximum two-year prison sentence, while section 147 covers rioting and also mandates up to two years’ imprisonment.

Tin Yu, Than Zaw Myint’s father, said he intended to file charges against Swan Arr Shin and USDA members for their violent arrest of his son and the other demonstrators.

“There are photos everywhere of the event, which give evidence of the USDA and Swan Arr Shin members’ behaviour,” Tin Yu said.

“Since Swan Arr Shin and USDA claim to be civilians, they don’t have the authority to make arrests – in fact, only the ministry of home affairs of the riot police can do that.”