Burmese gov’t rejects accusations of excessive force in Rakhine State

Tuesday, 31 July 2012 11:31 Mizzima NewsThe Burmese foreign ministry “strongly rejects the accusations made by some quarters that abuses and excessive use of force were made by the authorities” in dealing with the unrest in Rakhine State, it said in a statement issued on Monday. “The unfortunate incidents are confined to a few townships in Rakhine State [and] it constitutes inter-communal violence...

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Quintana on his way to Rakhine State

Tuesday, 31 July 2012 13:25 Mizzima NewsUN human rights expert on Burma, Tomas Ojea Quintana, left for Rakhine State on Tuesday to look into reports of abuses against Rakhine Muslims. Tomas Ojea QuintanaBurma’s foreign minister told the media on Monday that “maximum restraint” was used in Rakhine State to quell the sectarian violence.Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin made his remarks in a press...

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Proportional representation for Burma?

Tuesday, 31 July 2012 12:33 Mizzima News Burma’s Election Commission chairman and a small group of political party leaders met last week to discuss a proportional electoral system, a representative from the group told Radio Free Asia last week. A European delegation meets with the chairman of the Election Commission Tin Aye, right, in this file photo. Photo: European Commission On the same...

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Burmese top gov’t officials to declare assets

Tuesday, 31 July 2012 14:37 Mizzima NewsBurma’s top leaders will be required to report their financial and property assets, according to the Burmese president's office.The office has notified top Union and state government officials to give reports of their economic assets to the president’s office, the Venus News reported on Tuesday, according to a report by the Xinhua news agency. Burmese President...

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Admiral Nyan Tun to be nominated vice president: source

Tuesday, 31 July 2012 15:48 Mizzima News Rangoon (Mizzima) – The latest guess as to who will be nominated for vice president of Burma is Admiral Nyan Tun, the commander-in-chief of the navy. A source in Naypyitaw has said that the National Defence and Security Council has agreed to nominate Admiral Nyan Tun, who is a graduate of the 16th Intake of Defense Services Academy. The information cannot be confirmed by separate sources. Former Vice President Tin Aung Myint Oo resigned for health reasons. Burma has two vice presidents. Earlier, word...

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Burmese gov’t maintains restrictions on religious freedom: US

Tuesday, 31 July 2012 14:24 Mizzima News The Burmese government has made political reforms, but it did not demonstrate a trend toward either improvement or deterioration in respect to the right to religious freedom, according to a 2012 US report on religious freedom in Burma. The government maintained restrictions on certain religious activities and limited freedom of religion, although it generally...

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Petition drive calls for sacking Lower House MP Aung Thein Lin

Tuesday, 31 July 2012 13:08 Theingi TunRangoon (Mizzima) – An interview in a Chinese newspaper has led to a petition drive in South Okkalapa Township to remove Lower House MP Aung Thein Lin from Parliament. Organizers said the petition will be submited to the Union Election Commission (UEC). Rangoon Region Union Solidarity and Development Party chief Aung Thein Lin at a press conference during...

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Rakhine State medical aid ‘a work in progress’: Red Cross

Tuesday, 31 July 2012 14:12 Mizzima NewsThe International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been providing basic aid and assistance to the injured, ill and displaced in Rakhine State, Anne Ryniker, the ICRC deputy head of operations for Asia and the Pacific, said in an interview released on Monday. “Beyond the damage to lives and property, mutual suspicion and fear continue to hinder the movement...

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Defamation, libel cases filed against Snap Shot journal

Tuesday, 31 July 2012 11:41 PhanidaChiang Mai (Mizzima) – Journalist Herjule, who goes by one name, was granted bail on Monday in a defamation case filed against the Snap Shot journal by the owner of a karaoke shop in Katha Township. Bail was set at US$ 3,371. The Snap Shot Journal The owner of the Valentine Karaoke shop in Katha Township, Sagaing Region, filed a defamation complaint on July...

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UN drug agency expands work to more townships

Tuesday, 31 July 2012 12:52 Mizzima News Upwards of 90 percent of the opium poppies in Burma’s northern region are grown in Shan State, even though farmers are aware that if they grow an illicit crop, it may be eradicated and they could lose everything, says the UN drug agency. After recent cease-fire agreements, the government has allowed the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to work in ...

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Court sets fifth hearing in Snap Shot ‘photo’ case

Tuesday, 31 July 2012 12:03 Thit Nyein A fifth hearing has been set for August 3 in the government’s lawsuit against Snap Shot weekly journal editor-in-chief Myat Khaing, in a case involving the publication of a photograph of the woman who was raped and murdered in Rakhine State on May 28. The suit was filed by the Pazundaung Township administrative chief representing the Rangoon Region government. Editor Myat Khaing is charged for allegedly inciting racial hatred. The case involves the May 28 murder of a Rakhine woman, which set off a series...

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UN human rights expert arrives in Burma

Monday, 30 July 2012 13:39 Mizzima News The UN expert on human rights in Burma arrived in the country on Sunday, as dozens of Muslim governments and organizations have called on Burma to stop human rights abuses against Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State. The UN special reporter on Burma, Tomas Quintana, will meet with government officials this week and travel to Rakhine and Kachine states, said...

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Five int’l airlines prepare to start Burma routes

Monday, 30 July 2012 15:13 Mizzima NewsMore international airlines are set to extend flights to Burma in October, according to domestic media reports.The airlines include Taiwan’s EVA Air, South Korea's KAL, Japan's All Nippon Airways (ANA), Hong Kong-based Dragonair and Qatar Airways, said the Yangon Times. EVA Air Cargo Boeing 747-400F  Photo: Wikipedia EVA will operate flights three...

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UN says 80,000 people displaced in Rakhine State

Monday, 30 July 2012 15:38 Mizzima NewsThe UNHCR has started building shelters in several internally displaced persons camps in Rakhine State, a spokesman said on Friday. Unhcr logoSome 80,000 people are estimated to be displaced as a result of clashes in communities in Rakhine State in western Burma, said the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).In Geneva, UN spokesperson Andrej Mahecic Mahecic...

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Suu Kyi to visit Japan

Monday, 30 July 2012 13:59 Mizzima NewsBurma’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi said she would like to visit Japan when the cherry blossoms bloom, which means around March next year.Suu Kyi made the remark during a visit with Japan's goodwill ambassador to Burma, Yohei Sasakawa, when they met in the capital of Naypyitaw during the weekend.Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba invited Suu Kyi to visit Japan during his visit in Decemb...

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International banking cards in Burma by 2013

Monday, 30 July 2012 14:15 Mizzima NewsThree international banking cards will be introduced in Burma by the start of 2013, domestic media reported on Monday.The three international bank cards are VISA, CUP (China Union Pay) and Japan Credit Bureau (JCB), said 7-Day News. An international banking care Photo: Photo: Flickr / MoneyBlogNewz ATMs of private banks operating under the Myanmar Payment...

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Vietnam eyes big hotels in Burma

Monday, 30 July 2012 12:44 Mizzima NewsVietnam and France are set to become major hotel investors in Rangoon, as investors eye the burgeoning Burmese tourist industry, domestic media reported last week. Indian companies are also looking at hotel investments, officials said. Htay Aung, deputy minister of hotels and tourism Photo: Screenshot The demand for hotel rooms has risen as the number of...

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The politics of Burma’s economic reform: report

Monday, 30 July 2012 13:23 International Crisis Group Burma’s political transition and economic reconstruction are deeply entwined, and the government, the country’s elites and the international community must embrace both for the dramatic reforms underway to succeed, according to a new report by the International Crisis Group (ICG). InternationalcrisisgroupThe report, Myanmar: The Politics of...

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Burmese president to meet with political parties

Monday, 30 July 2012 13:10 Mizzima NewsMany of Burma’s political parties – including ethnic group parties – will meet with Burmese President Thein Sein in the next two weeks to discuss the government’s plans for countrywide reforms, the Kayin People’s Party (KPP) said on Monday.Dr. Simon Tha, the KPP vice chairman, said the government will schedule a series of meetings with all the country’s political...

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South China Sea: Asean’s exit strategies

Monday, 30 July 2012 12:52 Kavi Chongkittavorn(Commentary) - Asean must find a way to put the genie back in the bottle. Otherwise, the tension in the rich South China Sea maritime region will increase further, leading to confrontation – a lose-lose situation the region cannot afford. Kavi Chongkittavorn For the past three weeks, Asean's soft underbelly has been badly exposed. To manage the crisis,...

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200 foreign businesspersons attend agriculture conference

Monday, 30 July 2012 15:52 Theingi Tun Rangoon (Mizzima) – Foreign businesspersons outnumbered Burmese businesspersons at the recently completed  “Into Myanmar: Agri Trade, Investment & Infrastructure Global Summit 2012” at the Sedona Hotel in Rangoon. The conference was hosted by Burma on June 26-27 and nearly 200 businesspersons attended from nine countries: Burma, Singapore, China,...

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Moderate earthquake hits western Burma

Monday, 30 July 2012 13:57 Mizzima News    An earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale struck northwestern Chin state on Sunday morning, according to the Naypyitaw Hydrology and Meteorology Department.The department said the epicenter was about 22.4 kilometers southeast of Hakha and about 216 km northwest of Mandalay.The quake struck at 08:51 local time and was felt in Mandalay and Sagaing regions,.There have been no reports of casualties or damage so far.The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter, with a depth of 68.40...

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Burmese athletes to compete in 7th Asean Para Game

Monday, 30 July 2012 12:09 Lynn Ko Rangoon (Mizzima) – Two hundred Burmese handicapped athletes will contest in 12 sports in the Seventh Asean Para Games (APSF) in Burma in December 2013, Major General Nay Lin, the president of the Myanmar Parasports Federation, said in a meeting in Naypyitaw. Asean-Para-Games-logoBurma will host the 27th SEA Games, followed by the Seventh Asean Para Games held...

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Burma to privatize declining oil refineries

Friday, 27 July 2012 12:18 Mizzima News     Burma’s aging three oil refineries, which produce only a meager number of barrels per daily, will be privatized, say government authorities. The government will privatize all state-owned oil refineries in a bid to have them modernized and turned into effective operations, Biweekly Eleven News reported on Thursday. The oil refinery in Thanlyin Township in Rangoon Region will be the first to be privatized, perhaps by late this year, said the report. Burma’s three existing oil refineries...

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Pakistani Taliban threatens Burma over Rohingya issue

Friday, 27 July 2012 13:53 Mizzima NewsBurma has been threated with attacks by an umbrella group of the Pakistani Taliban over its treatment of Rohingya Muslims in the western area of Burma.Attacks to avenge crimes against the Rohingya will begin, the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) said in a statement on Thursday, unless Pakistan halts all relations with the Burmese government and shuts the country's embassy...

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Japan to open Rangoon office to assist businesses

Friday, 27 July 2012 12:45 Mizzima NewsThe Japan External Trade Organization (Jetro) said it would open a business support center in Rangoon on Sept. 3 to assist Japanese firms planning to do business in Burma.The center will provide short-term office rentals, local information and business consulting services with Japanese advisers, Jetro said in a statement.Three 10-sq.-meter rooms will be available for use as rental offices. Small and medium-size firms will be charged US$ 400 to use an office for 70 days, the maximum for any one company. The...

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UN human rights leader calls for ‘independent’ Rakhine State investigation

Friday, 27 July 2012 17:00 Mizzima NewsThe UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Friday called for a “prompt, independent” investigation into ongoing human rights violations in Burma’s Arakan (Rakhine) State after ongoing violence between the Buddhist and Muslim communities.“We have been receiving a stream of reports from independent sources alleging discriminatory and arbitrary responses by security...

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Suu Kyi speaks to international HIV/AIDS conference

Friday, 27 July 2012 14:13 Mizzima NewsAung San Suu Kyi, speaking via video to the International HIV/AIDS Conference in Washington D.C. on Thursday, said the stigma against HIV/AIDS patients found in many countries must end. Aung San Suu Kyi speaks during a World AIDS Day ceremony at the National League for Democracy headquarters in Rangoon in December 2010. Photo: Mizzima People need to understand...

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