Thursday, July 3, 2025
မြန်မာ
Earthquake Update
Home Blog Page 2179

Burmese political prisoner count ‘doubled’ since 2007

By
Staff Reporter
-
0

Sept 16, 2009 (DVB), The number of political prisoners in Burma has more than doubled in the past two years, according to a report published by a New York-based rights group.

Unless the 2,200 political prisoners are released soon, the elections scheduled for March 2010 will hold no credibility, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW), who today released 'Burma's Forgotten Prisoners'.

The 35-page reports documents dozens of activists, monks and journalists who have been imprisoned since the September 2007 monk-led uprising.

"Burma’s generals are planning elections next year that will be a sham if their opponents are in prison," said Tom Malinowski, Washington advocacy director at Human Rights Watch.

"Despite recent conciliatory visits by [United Nations] and foreign officials, the military government is actually increasing the number of critics it is throwing into its squalid prisons."

The report coincides with the start of HRW's '2100 for 2010' campaign, which aims to pressure the ruling junta into releasing all political prisoners by 2010.

"We named the campaign '2100 by 2010′ in July – but since then, the number has grown to approximately 2250," said Malinowski.

"The United States, China, India, and Burma’s neighbors in Southeast Asia should make the release of all political prisoners a central goal of their engagement with Burma, and use every tool of influence and leverage they have to achieve it."

Burma opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was in August sentenced to a further 18 months under house arrest in a move widely seen by critics of the junta as a ploy to keep her in detention during the elections.

Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party is yet to announce whether they will run in the elections, which many see as a foregone conclusion given that the redrafted 2008 constitution appears to guarantee continuation of military rule.

According to the constitution, even prior to voting at least 25 percent of parliamentary seats will be awarded to military generals.

A constitutional clause also bars Suu Kyi from running for office, were she to be released, because she was married to a foreigner.

Reporting by Francis Wade

US slams ‘failed’ anti-drug efforts in Burma

By
Staff Reporter
-
0

Sept 16, 2009 (DVB), Burma is one of three countries that have 'failed demonstrably' to stem the production and trade in illegal drugs over the past year, the United States announced yesterday.

Twenty countries have been recognized as "major drug-transit or drug-producing countries" by the US, under its Foreign Relations Authorization Act (FAA).

Burma remains alongside Venezuela and Bolivia on the blacklist of countries that are failing to tackle the drugs trade.

The three countries were emphasized in the annual report to have "'failed demonstrably' during the last 12 months to adhere to international counternarcotic agreements and take counternarcotic measures set forth in US law," State Department spokesperson Ian Kelly said.

President Barrack Obama has, however, issued Bolivia and Venezuela with a "national interest waiver" allowing the US to "continue to support specific programs to benefit the Bolivian and Venezuelan people".

US-led drug eradication campaigns in Central and South America have come under fire in recent weeks, with several governments backing away from cooperation in the so-called 'War on Drugs'.

In contrast, the US has had little active involvement in Burma's anti-drug efforts, instead relying on verbal pressure to coerce the ruling junta.

Burma remains the world's second largest producer of opium after Afghanistan, although levels have declined in the past decade.

A United Nations report released in June measured Burma's annual opium production levels at around 410 metric tons.

Production of synthetic drugs, such as methamphetamine, has increased in conjunction with a global rise in the consumption of synthetic drugs.

This year has seen several huge drugs hauls, many of which occurred at crossing points on Burma's border with Thailand.

Burmese state-run media today announced that more than five million amphetamine pills were found in a cave near to a town on the Burma-China border.

Reporting by Francis Wade

Over 5 million amphetamine pills found in cave

By
Staff Reporter
-
0

Sept 16, 2009 (DVB), More than five million methamphetamine pills have been found by anti-drugs police in a cave in Shan state in northeastern Burma, state-run media reported today.

The discovery was made on Monday outside Yinsin village near to the China-Burma border town of Laukkai, according to the New Light of Myanmar newspaper.

Along with 5,313,000 brown methamphetamine (or 'yaba') pills, the Kunlon special anti-drugs squad also found 3,024,000 caffeine pills and 83 kilos of an unidentified white powder.

During a search of a house the previous day, police found vast quantities of liquid chemicals, including 20 gallons of mixed ether. Police are reportedly investigating the source of the drugs.

The seizure comes on top of a number of significant drugs hauls this year, the majority of which have been made at the Thai-Burma border town of Tachilek.

On 11 September, police found nearly three million amphetamine pills in two separate discoveries in Tachilek.

In July nearly 1,000 kilograms of heroin were discovered at a checkpoint just outside of Tachilek.

Drug production in Shan state is a key factor in making Burma the world's second largest source of opium behind Afghanistan, although production has declined in recent years.

Use of synthetic drugs, such as methamphetamine, has increased in Thailand and Burma in recent years, with Burma being the region's main supply point.

A crackdown by Thai authorities on methamphetamine trafficking that began with the Shinawatra government has meant that increased quantities now circulate inside Burma, instead of being sold in Thailand.

Reporting by Francis Wade

Mon groups merge for new political party

By
Staff Reporter
-
14

Sept 16, 2009 (DVB), A new political party is being formed in Burma comprising members of a prominent ceasefire group and a party that won seats in the 1990 elections.

Members of the New Mon State Party (NMSP) and the Mon National Democratic Front (MNDF), which won five seats in 1990, have merged, although are yet to announce whether they will contest the 2010 elections.

Min Soe Linn, joint secretary of the NMDF and former political prisoner, said a 15-member committee was formed in early June this year.

"The committee contains eight members from the NMDF including myself and also young and educated former NMSP members," said Min Soe Linn.

"Rather than having about four different Mon parties we think it's better to just have one," he said, adding that they are undecided about the elections next year.

Board members of the new party include MNDF chairman Nai Tun Thein and deputy chairman Nai Ngwe Thein, who are also members of the Committee Representing the People's Parliament (CRPP).

He added that the committee has no connection with those groups as it only stands as a working group to organise a future party.

"The new party, after being formed, will draw up its policies, work procedures and regulations. Then they will decide whether to enter the 2010 elections or not," he said.

"We are calling a meeting on 24 September. This is pretty much the responsibility of [the committee.]"

Elections are scheduled for March next year, although critics of Burma's ruling junta claim that the constitution guarantees continuation of military rule in the country.

The government has been embarking on a campaign in recent months to transform ceasefire groups into border patrol forces, thereby bringing them back into what it calls the 'legal fold'.

Ceasefire groups allied with the government are also being pressured to form political parties to contest the elections, although the majority have resisted.

Growing pressure from the government on ceasefire groups sparked heavy fighting in northeastern Burma's Shan state last month, between government troops and an ethnic Kokang ceasefire group.

Reporting by Htet Aung Kyaw

Suu Kyi barred from courtroom

By
Staff Reporter
-
0

Sept 15, 2009 (DVB), Burma opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been denied entrance to the Rangoon courtroom where she is due to lodge an appeal against her conviction, according to her lawyer.

Lawyer Nyan Win on Friday submitted a letter requesting that she be allowed to attend the hearing, set for 18 September, but the following day the request was rejected by the Special Police Information Branch.

"We said [in the letter] that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was willing to attend the hearing in person," he said.

"There was no solid reason given for the denial. They told us to make the request to the court but actually the court doesn't have authority to decide."

"[Under normal circumstances] court hearings are open for public listeners and there is no law prohibiting people from attending the hearing of the case they are involved in," he said.

Nyan Win said last week that the defence team was lodging an appeal comprising 11 points. Lawyers had met with Suu Kyi on 10 September to finalise the appeal.

The National League for Democracy (NLD) party leader was sentenced in August to 18 months under house arrest, commuted from three years with hard labour.

The detention was triggered by the visit of US citizen John Yettaw to Suu Kyi's Rangoon compound in May. Yettaw was originally given seven years with hard labour, but was released following a visit to Burma by US senator Jim Webb.

Suu Kyi has been under house arrest for 14 of the past 20 years. Her last spell in detention was due to expire only weeks after Yettaw visited.

According to her lawyers, the conditions of her current house arrest are stricter than before, with Suu Kyi denied access to her family doctor, who has been replaced by a government doctor.

Reporting by Khin Hnin Htet

Karen troops ambush Burmese army

By
Staff Reporter
-
9

Sept 15, 2009 (DVB), Four government soldiers were killed and eight were injured after an ambush by ethnic Karen troops on Sunday near to the Thai-Burma border, according to Karen officials.

The attack occurred on a highway about 15 miles outside of Payathonsu (Three Pagodas Pass) border crossing point in southern Karen state.

Troops from the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the armed wing of the Karen National Union (KNU), carried out ambush against government troops allegedly mobilized in the area for an offensive against the KNLA.

"This was a well planned battle and it didn't take that long before ending," said a KNLA official.

"[The government army] suffered four deaths and eight injuries, we only target military personals so we avoided fighting in areas with civilian presence."

He added that the injured government soldiers are now being treated at a hospital in Three Pagodas Pass.

Meanwhile, a resident in Payathonsu said that another ambush by the KNLA that took place on the same day near the town has left at least three government soldiers injured.

"About seven Karen fighters ambushed the government troops patrolling in the area," said the resident.

"Three [government] soldiers were hit, including a sergeant, and now they are at the Payathonsu hospital." The Payathonsu town hospital was unavailable for comments.

On 9 September, two bombs exploded at a militia checkpoint about half a kilometer outside of Payathonsu.

No casualties were reported and the government troops, backed by the proxy Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) in the region, are said to be investigating.

And another bomb exploded yesterday evening close to government buildings in Payathonsu, injuring one child. A KNU official denied involvement.

Reporting by Naw Noreen

1...2,1782,1792,180...2,634Page 2,179 of 2,634

EDITOR'S PICKS

LONG READS

FOLLOW US

ABOUT DVB

The Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) publishes daily independent news and information across Myanmar and around the world by satellite TV and the internet. DVB was founded in 1992 and is registered as a non-profit association in Thailand.

© Democratic Voice of Burma 2024.

Contact

Feel the passion for press freedom ignite within you.

Join us as a valued contributor to our vibrant community, where your voice harmonizes with the symphony of truth. Together, we'll amplify the power of free journalism.

Support DVB

Free Member

Receive DVB’s Daily Briefing newsletter

Paid Member

Experience DVB ads free and receive DVB’s Daily Briefing newsletter

Already a member? Login

Lost Password?
Contact