Global Voices » Burmese

Myanmar: Reflections on Election Results

Chan Myae Khine — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 03:55:14 +0000

Myanmar voters celebrated in the streets while netizens on Facebook are expressing their elation over the by-election results which saw an unprecedented landslide victory for the opposition.

Results [my] showed that 43 out of 45 parliament seats went to the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), including one for its leader and global democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi. Though the number of opposition seats is relatively small compared to the total 600 seats in parliament, Myanmar citizens believe that the victory of opposition candidates is part of the transition towards democracy.

Wai Soe happily ~~notes~~ [dead link] that Facebook comments were mostly about the elections and not April Fools' Day during the by-elections:

Aung San Suu Kyi

Today very happy coz all I've seen today facebook page are not april fool ………… :) :) :) ♥ ♥ ♥ ,,, smiling on every face

Su Myat Lwin simply expressed her happiness with this phrase:

We win!

“We” could refer to more than 50 million Myanmar citizens.

Voters who participated in the 1990 election which was dominated by NLD are happy that Aung San Suu Kyi's party emerged successful again this year. But for younger voters, especially first-time voters, many are proud of Zay Yar Thaw, one of the four pioneers of Hip-Hop music in Myanmar, who won a seat for NLD. Yan Yan Chan, a rapper from ACID music group, posted a photo of his friend made by Linn Yaung.

Than Thar Win who is a well-known singer posted the activities and celebrations on the street where the NLD Headquarters is located:

just got back home..People are celebrating in front of NLD's main office at Shwegone dine. Yayyyy!!!

Despite the spontaneous celebrations by huge crowds, Aung San Suu Kyi sent a reminder[my] to the representatives of her party to avoid the activites that could let other parties and their members down.

On the other hand, some emphasized the need to promote more reforms in governance by taking the success of this election as the first important step in the journey towards democracy. Cho Zin Wint ~~commented~~ [dead link] on an article shared by Nyein Chan Htwe:

Yes, we all need to understand that it may take quite sometimes to reform.. We shouldn't expect a lot..

Myint Mo Oo shared her feelings and thoughts for the future of the country as well:

The day we've been waiting for. Our dream finally coming true. Now it's our duty to be united, uphold discipline and be respectful towards each other so that we can successfully and peacefully build a better future for our country and its people.

At the same time, the key words “Aung San Suu Kyi” trended on Twitter as a result of large interest from the international community on the by-elections in Myanmar. Tracy Nang ~~posted~~ [dead link] a screen shot of worldwide Twitter trend that included Aung San Suu Kyi:

I am shaking. Can't believe still. We tried so many times to trend her name. Today was a fairytale!!!!! Aung San Suu Kyi. Top 7, WORLDWIDE TREND.

After the results are confirmed by government news agency MRTV, Myanmar netizens switched topics in their conversations from election related things to the list of TIME's Top 100 influential people in 2012. The list includes both the president of Myanmar and the country's main opposition leader.

Myanmar: Construction Resumes in Suspended Dam Project

tan — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 16:53:03 +0000

Weekly Eleven reported that construction of the controversial Myit Sone Dam in Kachin State in Myanmar which was suspended last year by the government has been resumed.

Myanmar: Monitoring the Elections Through Facebook

Chan Myae Khine — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 09:45:54 +0000

Myanmar has been implementing a lot of reforms in the past years which included the release from prison of democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, the suspension of a controversial dam project and the unprecedented release of hundreds of political prisoners. And now, it's time for by-elections.

Two major parties namely National League for Democracy (NLD) which is led by Aung San Suu Kyi and Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) dominated by former military generals are competing for all 45 places in parliament while some other parties such as The Democratic Party, New National Democracy Party (NDP), National Unity Party (NUP) and so on are competing for fewer places.

Myanmar Facebook users are overwhelmed with different news regarding the election which is coincidentally on April Fools' Day.

Khin Nyein Chan posted a photo of a USDP campaign in which they were using a photo of United States (US) Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to Myanmar last November. Many Facebook users have commented that such campaigning is inappropriate.

Lion tries to fly intimating peacock,
Couldn't fly and fall

Mg Mg Lwin Eu wrote [my] the rhyme above about a photo of a USDP election campaign posted by Demo Waiyan where some people were believed to have been forced to attend a speech event comparing to NLD's massive success in campaign activities, since the lion is the icon of USDP and the peacock is that of NLD.

Election rally in Myanmar

There are also news reports and rumours from unknown sources, whose impact could be large and may affect the result of the elections. Demo Waiyan shared [my] news he heard that the blank spaces to tick on ballot paper are wax coated in some places so that voters won't be able to vote properly.

Some rumours which are believed to have really happened, sounded like real April Fools' Day stuff. One of those claimed [my] that the USDP tried to give away a shirt and a cap to a beggar in Mandalay and he declined to accept the gifts. Some said [my] that a USDP member in Tadar Oo, Mandalay kept on insulting NLD with loud speakers for a whole night.

The most famous rumour [my] about USDP lately is that they were campaigning for election by treating Briyani to public in East Dagon, Yangon. It is also mentioned [my] that a USDP representative gave away cash during his campaign speech.

Despite the best efforts made by USDP, majority of people are eagerly supporting NLD even though not all of them are eligible to vote for this by-election. In a small survey [my] made on Facebook, 974 people said they are going to vote for NLD while only 24 people chose USDP.

We'll go and vote for NLD tomorrow 5 AM.

This was posted [my] by Myint Myint Khin Pe, wife of actor Kyaw Thu and one of the founders of Free Funeral Services Society on her Facebook.

Election campaign by USDP

Htoo Tay Zar, a blogger and citizen media journalist, wrote about his views on NLD and USDP:

Most people always said NLD Party as opposition party… For me, USDP Party is more like opposition party… Today, I just witnessed USDP Party's campaigning trip around Khawmu township.. No one pays attention to em.. they are also not very active.. party members are just like sleeping on the truck… after all, They are opposition party and they oppose people's desires… =)

Active Facebook users in Myanmar have been expressing support for NLD and Aung San Suu Kyi. Aung San Suu Kyi arrived in Kawt Hmu where she hopes to represent the NLD in the parliament. DVB posted a video [my] of her arriving in Kawt Hmu where people have high expectations for the elections. There are also many comments which read “Good Luck Myanmar” on Facebook

Myanmar: Life Inside a Refugee Camp

tan — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 02:52:01 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage on Refugees.

Nine months have passed since clashes broke out between the Myanmar Army and Kachin Independence Organization (KIO). Thousands of people have fled to refugee camps in other areas in Kachin State, and in villages near China's border.

At least 66 refugees camps have been set-up in government-controlled areas, while others are in Kachin Independence controlled areas and on the China side of the border.

Based in Yangon, Burmese blogger Nang Nyi and her friends visited one of those refugee camps near the China border in mid-February, and she wrote about her experience there. In part one of her blog entry, she started her story by saying:

As everyone know, I am just a normal girl. I do not get involve in politics, nor do I understand it, and I don't hold onto or participate in any parties or organizations or any ideology. I only believe in freedom, justice, and humanitarianism. So I would like to share back my experience in the way I've seen it and I've felt it.

There were four other friends who went along on the trip with her. They travelled from Yangon to Mandalay and then to Muse, in Shan State. They then crossed over to Chinese's border town of Shwe Li to buy the necessary things for the refugees. The next day, they went to the refugee camp:

Map of the Trip Made by Nang Nyi and her Friends

When war broke in Kachin State, refugees ran away to the nearest border to escape. Loizer Refugee Camp is a well-known camp. But the refugee camps we went to were at the borders near Lwe Je. The camps are in the Chinese area of Lai Yin, next to Lwe Je. The refugee camps near Lai Yin were managed by a Kachin group called Wunpawng Ninghtoi (WPN). “Wunpaung” in Kachin means “All Kachins”, and “Ninghtoi” means “Light”. So you can say that this group is the “Light of Kachins”.

When she entered the refugee camp, she saw many kids, but the kids seemed to be afraid of her:

A Kachin Kid (Photo by Nang Nyi)

I have volunteered at orphanages and monastic education centres, so I was used to being delighted at seeing the kids and greeting them enthusiastically. But here, we can not get near these kids. We were sad to see that kids ran away from us because we were unfamiliar faces and our looks showed that we were Bamar.

She also commented about the conditions of the refugee camp:

Tents at the Refugee Camp (Photo by Nang Nyi)

One thing we faced when we got there was (not having enough) toilets. In a refugee camp that had over 1000 people, they only had 11 toilets. The water for the toilet has to be retrieved from an almost-dry stream over a mile away. In the whole camp, there was one well. They use that water for drinking. The camp was built on an old dump site between the sugarcane fields at the outskirts of a Chinese village.There were no big trees around the area, so during day time, it was dusty and hot air blew. At night, the cold winter wind passed through the waterproof canvases and gets very chilly.

In part two of her blog entry, she wrote about visiting old mills, or coal factories to find out about their needs. She wrote more about that in her post:

Kids Playing at the Refugee Camp (Photo by Nang Nyi)

Some of the camps that they lived in are very near to the places where the fightings were going on. We also got to a place where they said over a field of corn and a field of sugarcanes, they'll be back to their old village. At such camps, they go back to their old villages to get drinking water. They had to watch out for the situation, and avoid the gunfights. On the morning that we were leaving, a man who went to harvest sugarcanes in a sugarcane field died of a bomb explosion. Also, many people have died in those camps because of diarrhea.

On the second day of her trip, they and the responsible people from the camp held a small meeting to discuss about what the refugees needed, and what they can give back in return:

This Woman Sells Brooms and Sell them at Chinese Markets (Photo by Nang Nyi)

The main things that they need are drinking water, water for cooking, and toilets. After that, medicines, and then foodstuff. Clothes, kitchen items, blankets and pillows are sufficient due to donations from the Chinese villages. But what they gave us were sweaters and pants, so they still need longyis for the women. So we immediately donated the left-over money so that they can dig a well there.

In part three of her entry, Nang Nyi wrote about the terrible ordeals that the Kachin villagers faced:

One evening, the (Burmese) army came to the place where the villagers were hiding, and started shooting at them. The villagers grabbed their children who were playing near the village and stream, and tried to run away, but a woman who had just given birth, her new seven-days-old child, a 4-year-old kid, and her mother were left at the village.

The villagers who were hiding in th forests heard the children crying all night, but they dared not go back into the village. So they didn't run very far away, and waited all night. Only after the soldiers left in early morning, the father of the 7-day-old-child, and the grandfather of the 4-year-old kid went back to look. The two kids couldn't make a sound anymore due to crying all night. The corpse of the mother of 7-day-old child, who had an bayonet wound from left rib to right rib, was found under a rock. The villagers were not able to take her with them, nor bury her, so they just carried the kids, and left. The mother of the 4-year-old kid was abducted by the soldiers, and haven't heard since.

She also wrote about what a Kachin villager had told them during the meeting:

A note written by a Kachin refugee, which says: "We all love you. When you go back to Yangon, will you give us your phone number? When you get back to Yangon, will you send us our photos? We all love you"

“I am so happy that the Bamar kids are visiting us. We do love the Bamar people. After all, we are all human, so we ‘re happy and thankful that you came and helped us in anyway you can. This is not because of how much you donated us, but because of your kind hearts. We are happy that you will be helping us with the things we need, but what we really need are not those. We want peace. We want to go home. We want to live peaceful in our own farm, in our own land, and in our own home with our families. So please help us for that.” - the villager told us with tears in his eyes.

When Nang Nyi and her friends left the camp, the villagers came along with them to their car. She wrote about their farewell message:

A Group Photo of the Villagers at the Refugee Camp (Photo by Nang Nyi)

We told them, “We will see you again, but not here. In Kachin State.” They cried when they heard that. They replied, “Yes, we also want to see you again, but not here. We will meet you in our own villages”.

The fulfillment of the wishes of the Kachin refugees may not be too far away. Delegates of the KIO Army and representatives of the Burmese government will be meeting in Ruili for the third round of talks for ceasefire negotiation this week. Before departing for Ruili, Sumlut Gam, Head of the Kachin delegates, said:

I'm optimistic. Everything will be better.”

This post is part of our special coverage on Refugees.

Myanmar: Visiting the Kachin Refugee Camp

tan — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 12:54:17 +0000

Nang Nyi wrote about her experience when she and her friends visited a Kachin Refugee camp near the Shan State borders of Myanmar and China. Over 1000 Kachin people have been staying at this refugee camp ever since fighting broke out between the government army and the Kachin Independence Army

Myanmar: Freed Blogger's First Post

tan — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:24:14 +0000

Myanmar Blogger Nay Phone Latt, who was released on January 13th along with other prominent political prisoners after being imprisoned for 4 years, wrote his first blog post about his experience in prison.

Myanmar's ‘Beautiful Friday the 13th'

Chan Myae Khine — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 12:46:51 +0000

Myanmar President Thein Sein proved that the new government is serious in implementing democratic reforms by releasing almost all political prisoners today. According to a news report by a government television channel, a total of 651 dissidents were released from detention.

The release of prominent political prisoners is cited as an important step towards the Myanmar democracy journey. Among those who were freed included 88 generation activists Min Ko Naing, Ko Ko Gyi, Mya Aye, Jimmy, and Ni Lar Thein, monk activist Ashin Gambira, the former Prime Minister Khin Nyunt and his sons, and the blogger Nay Phone Latt. Both local and exile news agencies have interviewed some of these well-known personalities after their release.

Hundreds of Myanmar political prisoners were released on 'Beautiful Friday the 13th'

Khin Nyunt, the former prime minister, agrees [my] with Aung San Suu Kyi, the global democracy icon of Myanmar, that the recent decision of the government is a step in the right direction. Here's the report from the Eleven Media Group:

Current government is great. Because they have met with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. And the efforts made by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, efforts made by the president, the efforts made by both of them would lead to the good future of the country, I think.

The Democratic Voice of Burma posted the speeches of Min Ko Naing and Ni Lar Thein. Min Ko Naing was welcomed by more than a thousand people:

Thank you all, I have been in prison for about 20 years. But I am still quite healthy as you can see because of the love of the public. For the democracy that the public is hoping, we promise that we will carry on till we get to the target.

But Ni lar Thein also confirmed she hasn't signed any document for the release.

Many people around the country expressed their elation on social networks after the release was announced. Brownboy commented on the news update of Eleven Media Group :

Now people are happy inside & out. Appraising our Government… This is really tangible result that everyone can see..
Why they didn't do it the first place…?
Anyway, this is the moment we should celebrate…
Long live our People & Country!!!

KHZ1994, another commenter, expressed [my] his happiness :

I couldn't even go out for lunch. Because I am reading this news and the comments. Today is the day for the public with tears of happiness.

Myanmar netizens on Facebook posted status updates such as “Beautiful Friday 13″, “We are free”, “Thanks Mr. President” and “Today is a fairy tale” in reaction to the news. Some netizens even opined that substantial change will define Myanmar's immediate future.

Maung Maung San posted an artwork for the president saying:

That's a really bold move Mr. Thein Sein. I can see removal of sanctions and economic boom in a short future. A good friday the 13th.

TeZa Hlaing posted [my] his belief on facebook:

2012 is not the year the world would end but the year Myanmar would start.

SG_Lion mentioned [my] his thoughts on the country's future:

Let's try for our country to be able to stand proudly in the world by forgetting the past. Sanctions would be removed and Europe, US and international investments will improve in Myanmar. May the day when we can say “I'm Myanmar” proudly arrive very soon.

According to The Myanmar Times, Aung San Suu Kyi commented [my] after meeting with a U.S Congressman :

I have mentioned that they would be released. And now, they are free.

Myanmar: A Year After Suu Kyi's Release

tan — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 23:47:45 +0000

The Burmese people in Myanmar and the whole world rejoiced after Aung San Suu Kyi's release last year on November 13, 2010. Now it has almost been a year since she had been released.

Maydarwii wrote on her blog as soon as Suu Kyi was released:

I thought that I will blog again only after I finished my exams, but today, I will blog because of a happy occassion. Because of the vague news I've been hearing, my mind was in a limbo since yesterday. For this kind of news is heard all the time, but they sometimes turned out to be false. I wished that this news was correct but not feeling too positive about it. While eating breakfast that morning before going out, my uncle told me that the news I heard yesterday was still unconfirmed so I was feeling a bit let down. After coming back home at 1pm, I was hungry so was preparing lunch when my uncle came into the kitchen happily announcing, “She's been released!” We left our lunches at the table, and came in front of the TV watching the news for a long time. We forgot that we were hungry. After all, we have been waiting to hear this news for many years.

I was feeling so overjoyed to see the joyous crowd in front of Daw Suu's house which made me feel goosebumps and tears were forming in my eyes. I couldn't stop looking at Daw Suu's blurry face on TV. I feel so happy and sad at the same time. Indescribable feelings overwhelmed my heart.

Aung San Suu Kyi, 8 October, 2011. Image by Flickr user Utenriksdept (CC BY-ND 2.0).

Htoo Tayzar was one of the Burmese bloggers who went to NLD Headquarters to listen to her speech to the Burmese people the next day after release. He wrote:

At 10:30am, there was a lot of people already, and many of them was holding “We Love Su” posters. I noticed that there was no uniformed men around there, except for the traffic police. There are also a lot of people at the betel nut shops and tea shops which were directly in front of the headquarters. I saw that many grand dads and grand moms came, holding little kids by the hand. People who came were from different generations

He took many photos at the event, even though “it was too crowded to even stand properly and had to be stand on tip-toe to take these photos.”

Meanwhile, Kyaw Thu, a Burmese actor who has also won many hearts because of his Free Funeral Service Society, gave paintings he drew to Suu Kyi. When asked how he feels about Suu Kyi's release, he said:

We now have a warm light in our lives. I don't want us to lose our goals. I don't want us to have a life that prevents us from working because of fear. Now “Mother” Suu can lead and guide us on our way. We can't just be happy for her release. It is important that we will follow her guidance.

Many local news journals were not allowed to put her release as headline and reporting about her release was heavily censored. However, a local sports journal was reportedly suspended for two weeks due to its headline which read, “Sunderland Freeze Chelsea,” “United Stunned by Villa” & “Arsenal Advance to Grab Their Hope”, but with light-colour letters in the headline can be read out as “Su Free. Unite & Advance to Grab The Hope.”

Furthermore, nine other local journals were suspended for a week for putting Suu Kyi's release news on front page.

However, after the new government has been inaugurated in 2011, there were relaxations of press censorship on news about Aung San Su Kyi. An article written by her, called “My Holidays” was featured on Pyi Thu Khit Journal.

She traveled to Bagan with her son in July 2011. It was her first trip outside Yangon after being released from house arrest. She greeted hundreds of local residents, and many were elated to be able to meet her.

A resident said:

“I'm so happy to see our country's daughter,” said a 70-year old flower seller at the pagoda. “Nobody but Suu Kyi can unite this country.”

She was also against the implementation of Myitsone Dam Project in Kachin State. She also seemed to be catching up with social and cultural events after having been imprisoned for years. She attended several events, such as “Sketch of A River Art Exhibition“, 150th Anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore at the Indian Embassy, a football match and the recent opening of Baydar Library. She will also be sponsoring the Art of Freedom Film Festival, where she took financial responsibilities for awarding the entries.

In August 2011, she met with Myanmar's President U Thein Sein for the first time, and said she was “satisfied” with the talks.

She also met with other foreign dignitaries, such as United States Senator John McCain.

Meanwhile, Suu Kyi said that she wil make a decision about re-registering her party National League for Democracy (NLD) after parliament amends the election laws. She said:

Whether we re-register our NLD party depends on the law. That is the reason why we will need to wait until that law has been endorsed to decide about this. When this law has been endorsed, we will hold a meeting according to party laws and decide on this issue. We are very precise. We only do things according to the law. That is why I cannot decide yet because I haven't seen the law.”

On November 13, 2011, she will be holding a press conference in the NLD headquarters in celebration of her one-year freedom.

Myanmar Netizens to BBC: Apologize Now

Chan Myae Khine — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 17:53:03 +0000

Some Myanmar netizens are asking BBC to apologize for publishing an ‘inaccurate' map of Myanmar's ethnic groups. They claim that BBC reporter Anna Jones used an inaccurate map in an article she wrote on November 5, 2010 titled “Bleak outlook for Burma's Ethnic Groups.”

According to them, the map showed that Rakhine (Arakan) State is represented by Rohingya who are identified as a minority group in Myanmar even though the state is inhabited by Rakhine People (Arakanese). Furthermore, they said the map wrongfully depicted the Shan State to be represented not only by “Shan” ethnics but also by “Wa”; and that the Ayeyarwaddy Division and Kayah are represented by Karen and so on which are not in conformity with Myanmar's official ethnic and state definitions.

Myanmar netizens flooded a BBC Burmese Facebook page with comments asking the media network to issue an official apology letter to Myanmar citizens for saying that Rohingya is one of the ethnic groups in Myanmar.

Thein Tun Zan wrote about the relationship between Rakhine People and Rohingyas and requested an apology letter from BBC on behalf of all Myanmar citizens.

The presence of Muslim Bengali immigrants in Arakan State in Myanmar (Burma) is similar to the presence of Christian English people in Hong kong, Macau, South Africa and etc.

It is no different to having Muslim immigrants from Arab world in the Great Britain itself. The presence of Muslim Arabs does not make Britain an Arabic Country or the state of Arab Muslim.

As such, Arakan State is by no mean a state of immigrant Bengali Muslims. Calling them Rohinjas or whatsoever does not make them an indigenous ethnic Arakanese people who has founded Arakan Kingdoms and lived for thousands of years.

Dear BBC, the wrongful presentation and bias representation of ethnic profile in Anna Jones article is a serious mistake and oversight that BBC has done to damage the genuine Arakanese people.

Therefore, I and all those who “like” and support on this wall post, demand you, “BBC”, to immediately correct the Article of Anna Jones and issue an apology for your mistake.

Another netizen, Khaing Minn Nyo posted his comments on the Facebook page

Dear BBC Burmese News, and its Editor Group, your broadcasting center should do something for wrong information about the article of Anna Jones. If your News really wants to change Burma to Democracy, you are not ought to broadcast the wrong information. Good Luck BBC. I am waiting for your response.

Nyan Myint Aung also expressed his disappointment [my].

I don't know their aim. But it's absolutely wrong. I'm totally against it.

Aye Maung, a Rakhine ethnic who studied in University of Aberdeen, Scotland affirms the rights of the Rohingyas although he is worried about the demand of the group to create a new state. Meanwhile, Naing Zaw compared the Rohingyas in Myanmar and the Burmese in Thailand.

There are 4-6 million Burmese who are currently residing in Thailand… That's like 10% of total population of Thailand…. Do BBC dare to flag up Myanmar people on Thailand map so that we can ask for citizenship or recognized ethnicity??? Most of them are denied even the basic human rights and exploited on all accounts, thanks to ajar door policy on immigration…. If your purpose of presenting information is truly genuine to the interest of the people of Myanmar, try to gain insights and report and speak out these terrible and inhumane exploitations on behalf of “Genuine” Myanmar people.

After hundreds of complaints were posted on the BBC Burmese Facebook Page, BBC first removed the map from both articles without announcing anything officially. Then, they put it back after modifying the map by putting Rakhine (Arakanese) together with Rohingya representing Rakhine (Arakan) State. The article in the website was updated with this note

UPDATE 28 October 2011: The map in this article was temporarily removed on 27 October 2011 to make some changes. It has now been replaced with an updated version which includes a section on the Rakhine people.

Some netizens sent a formal complaint to BBC though this has not yet been listed in the “Responses to Complaints”. The BBC Burmese posted on their Facebook page a reply from BBC News Online.

Thank you for your comments. The map was not intended as an exhaustive look at every ethnic group in Burma. Rather it was intended to flag up minority peoples in Burma's border regions who are prominent because they are engaged in either disputes or conflict with the Burmese government. The line linking the Rohingya to Arakan state was not intended to imply ownership of the state or to marginalise the Rakhine people, but simply to show readers the state in which the Rohingya live. The text linked to the image of the Rohingya makes it clear that they are not granted Burmese citizenship. We have now adjusted the line on our map to give a clearer picture of where the Rohingya are to be found. We have also added a section featuring the Rakhine people. On the second page, we have amended our text to make a distinction between minority groups and recognised ethnic groups. Thank you for reading the BBC News website.

About 70 people responded it within an hour and most of them mentioned that BBC still need to apologise for the wrong facts and inaccurate visualisation about Myanmar's ethnic groups. Chan Myae Khine commented that

Though it was not intended to imply ownership of Rakhine (Arakan) State, the readers with less knowledge will surely think Rohingyas were one of important ethnic groups of Myanmar. Plus, if they honestly wish to point out the minority groups of people, they MUST put Le Su, Inn Thar, Myo, Thet and many more 100+ ethnics on the map.

Using such a wrong visualisation is just persuading readers to believe the wrong situation and history of Myanmar. Therefore, BBC and the journalist and whoever sketched this map MUST apologise to all Myanmar citizens!!!

Myanmar: Release of Several Political Prisoners

Chan Myae Khine — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 04:20:02 +0000

Eleven Media reported that several political prisoners in Myanmar like Ko Thu Ya (Famous Comedian), Ko Ko Gyi (San Chaung), Monks from 2007 Saffron Revolution and members of opposition party NLD have been released this morning.

Myanmar: Did Thai Prime Minister Snub Aung San Suu Kyi?

Chan Myae Khine — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 23:35:26 +0000

Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra visited Myanmar last week, intriguing some netizens because she only visited Nay Pyi Taw where Myanmar officials are residing and not Yangon, Myanmar's former capital.

Wai Myo Chit left a comment on the facebook Page of The Irrawaddy (Burmese Version) [my]:

I think she is coming to negotiate the current rice export policy of the Myanmar government. She promised Thai farmers to increase the price of rice - double the current market value - during the election. Maybe to confirm that Myanmar government's rice export policy won't disturb her plan, she offers an ‘exchange policy' to entertain our blind military heroes. Anyway, whether her plan will be successful or not, the price of rice will go up in Myanmar ! I am sorry for the poor people who have to pay the higher price for rice because of this impact! But maybe it seems unavoidable because our country has a lot of great businessmen and policy makers.

Yingluck Shinawatra during a press conference in Bangkok, Thailand. Image by Alexander Widding, copyright Demotix (27/06/2011).

Some are puzzled why Yingluck didn't show any interest to visit Aung San Suu Kyi, the global democracy icon from Myanmar. Nainglwin discussed [my] it in the Eleven Media website.

why did she fail to meet Aung San Suu Kyi? Is our people's leader not important to her? She needs to respect our leader.

Yingluck also visited Mr. Zaw Zaw who is the President of Myanmar Football Federation. An anonymous commenter expressed [my] disappointment over this visit in the Irrawaddy News Blog [my].

Hello,
Is Zaw2[Zaw Zaw], the minister or what post is he holding now? That Pepsi's Thein Htun, son-in-law, has become high authority in this so-called new government? Why did this Thai Prime Minister visit him? Are they friends or what? Why didn't Thai Prime Minister meet with Daw A.S.S.K. [Aung San Suu Kyi]? Is Zaw2 more important than the people's leader? She shouldn't do this,SO BAD.

Global democracy icon, Aung San Suu Kyi

On the other hand, some Myanmar citizens welcomed her visit to Myanmar. Oonayoo gave [my] his opinion on a news saying “Yingluck Shinawatra will visit Myanmar” on Eleven Media [my] and some readers agreed with him.

It's okay. Don't meet with Aunty Suu [Aung San Suu Kyi]. I do not wish to see her busy/involving in every matters without adequate authority. Nevertheless, I'm listening and clapping the new steps by the President these days.

icecoolcandy@gmail.com also expressed his/her feeling on Yingluck's visit there.

Let's welcome the very first female Prime Minister of Thailand. May they discuss and make effort for the benefit of both countries.

MK expressed his feelings on Google Buzz as well.

Why people are so serious about not visiting Daw Aung San Suu Kyi? What is so strange with it? Has a regional leader visited her in Myanmar?

Myanmar: President Suspends Dam Project

Chan Myae Khine — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 04:43:53 +0000

Construction of the controversial hydroelectric dam project on the Ayeyarwaddy River located in the northern part of Myanmar has been suspended by the government. President Thein Sein sent a letter to Parliament informing them that the dam project will be postponed for the sake of public interest.

The project is one of the infrastructure investments by China in Myanmar. The plan was to export the power generated from this plant to China.

Last month, Minister of Electric Power Zaw Min told reporters that the government will not suspend the project despite the concerns raised by some groups. But public activities like petition signing, workshops and community seminars urging the government to stop the dam construction intensified in the past few weeks. Even media organizations echoed the side of the public including well-known individuals who asked the president to cancel the project.

Ayeyarwaddy River, Myanmar. Photo from Flickr page of DamienHR used under CC license Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Myanmar netizens expressed support to the decision made by the government. HeinHlyan528 commented on the news page of Eleven Media Group, a well-known media outlet in Myanmar:

First of all, I’d like to say thank you to Mr. President who postponed the dam project. Everybody who is interested in Myanmar affairs would know how it would have been difficult to make such decision. I wholeheartedly thank Mr. President for making a courageous decision by fulfilling the public wish despite its impact on the long term energy needs of China which protected Myanmar in the Security Council of the UN; and the legal repercussion of voiding the contracts that have been signed already. It would be a historic act. I, as a Myanmar citizen, wish to know how our beloved China will response to this matter.

Another commenter, babymilo, mentioned:

From postponing till demolishing, we still need to march together.

Eleven Media gathered the reactions of the public. A 60-year old local from Myitkyina expressed her relief over the cancellation of the project

Did the government really postpone it? I’m so glad. It doesn’t need to be mentioned how I have been really worried about this project. Not only me but the whole town, the whole country. That [project] would destroy the nature. All would get in trouble. I’m so glad to hear this news.

Meanwhile, NayOoPeople posted this comment on the Facebook page of the Voice Weekly, another popular journal in Myanmar.

Great!!!! This is a beginning of the successful trust building process between DASSK, Burmese citizens, ethnic groups, and the present government!!

But not all citizens believe that the suspension of the project is a sign of change in the country. An anonymous commenter left this message on the Irrawaddy News blog

They can now announce themselves as so called government of the people. But they didn’t mention if it will be stopped for good. They will make profit out of it. Even if they couldn’t, they will need to wait only five years. It cannot be said that it’s for public. It cannot be said that the situation has changed in Myanmar, too.

Tint Kyaw Naing also cautioned against premature celebration

Does it mean that if it would not continue under the democracy government, it would be implemented under the army government in the future? If so, it has to be continued!

The Irrawaddy News also mentioned that global democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi welcomed the President’s decision during a meeting with Minister Aung Kyi.

Myanmar: Bomb Blasts in Three Cities

tan — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 16:00:14 +0000

Bombs have exploded almost simultaneously in the capital city Naypyidaw, Mandalay and Pyin Oo Lwin on Friday, June 24, 2011.

A Car Bomb Blast in Mandalay, Myanmar. Source: Eleven Media.

According to Mizzima, the two bomb explosions in Naypyidaw and Mandalay happened almost at the same time. The bomb explosion in Mandalay was planted on a car parked in front of Zaycho Hotel. Eyewitnesses saw two injured people being carried away by ambulances.

The Voice Weekly has posted photos of the bomb explosion at Mandalay on their Facebook page.

Another bomb explosion in Naypyitaw happened at a home on Ngu War St. near Tha Pyay Kone market place. An eyewitness said:

The explosion was very severe and I saw the debris from the explosion landing as far as 80 feet. Officials are now investigating in the area, and I also saw them bring a mine-searching dog.”

The bomb explosion in Pyin Oo Lwin was also at a vacant home. An eyewitness said the bomb explosion caused the whole house to collapse.

Myanmar: Post-Earthquake Stories from Aid Workers

tan — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 15:57:14 +0000

A 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit the northern Shan State in Myanmar on Thursday, and according to a state-run TV report, the death toll has increased to 74 people, and the number of injured has climbed past 100 people.

According to an updated report from Weekly Eleven, several aftershocks have been recorded in areas near the eastern Shan State spreading fear among the residents. One resident in Oak Kyin village said on March 26, around 12pm:

There was another earthquake last night and one this morning also. I don't dare to stay in my house anymore. The shaking is felt more because my house is ground-based. Nothing can be predicted because it is a nature event. I will let fate decide.

Residents also said that because of the earthquake, the death toll in Tarchileik, Tarle, Nar Yaung village, Mine Lin village, and Mine Koe village is estimated to be more than a hundred, with Mine Lin village having the most number of casualties.

Earthquake damage in Myanmar. Photo from blog of akm-kunta

In the same report by Weekly Eleven, an aid worker described the situation in Tarle:

Wounded people have been sent to Tarchileik Hospital and Mine Phyat Hospital. Aid groups from Tarchileik and Kyaing Tong have based their camps in Tarle. I can say that the situation has calmed down a little. Reconstructions have begun. Rehabilitation camps have been opened in Tarle and Nar Yaung village.

An aid worker who went to Tarle, one of the worst-hit areas, was interviewed by The Irrawaddy:

I arrived in Tarle around 10am. Most of the 3-storey buildings on the side of the road only has 2 stories now. Many 2-storey buildings have also collapsed. Monasteries were also included in those collapsed buildings. Some of these buildings are more than 20 years old, so it made things worse.

Not only residents of Tarle, but also the residents in Tarchileik had to sleep on tarpaulins. When I arrived in Tarle, I saw that some people were clearing the things at their house by themselves. Some were crying in front of relative's houses. I also saw some crying because they lost their relatives. I couldn't ask them anything. I should say some were lucky to be alive.

The government hasn't done anything yet. Some were sent to hospitals. But I didn't go to the hospital so I don't know what's happening there. As far as I see, I see that there are about 60 deaths in Tachileik. There were about 20-30 deaths there (in Tarle). Death toll would be above that.

I donated some materials, instant noodles and water. I gave all of them to residential officials. I don't know what they will do with these things. They have opened temporary shelters. Those who have relatives go and live at their house.

Now, the highway has been closed temporarily. They said that it will be going under maintenance.

Another aid worker from Tarchileik said:

The earthquake happened on March 24, 8:25pm. Some hours after, officials from Tarchileik came and asked me to volunteer so I went with them. I arrived in Tarle at midnight.

On the road to Tarle, there is one big bridge. When we reached that place, our car cannot go forward anymore. So we had to cross the bridge on foot and continue on to Tarle. The road at the edge of the bridge had moved down about 5 feet. There was a great deal of destruction. With some houses, only the roof was visible and the whole house has went down into the ground.

What I had to do there was to send wounded people to Tarchileik hospital. There is a hospital at Tarle, but that hospital had also collapsed. So at first, we had to place the patients at the empty yard in front of the hospital and give them treatment. Afterwards, they were carried by stretchers to the car at the other side of the bridge. The walk there takes about 15 minutes.

When we get to the other side of the bridge, we can't immediately send the patients to the hospital. Because we didn't have many available stretchers, we had to take that stretcher back to the hospital and carry another patient. There wasn't enough cars so we couldn't send one patient to Tarchileik hospital with one car. Therefore, the patient who was sent first to the car had to wait for other patients to arrive.

Another thing is we had to wait for many levels of officials' approval for clearance in order for the car to leave to the hospital. That wastes a lot of valuable time. In the car I had to drive, one patient died when we were about to reach Tarchileik Hospital. There were people who had survived the earthquake, but died when they shouldn't have because they were not treated in time for their sustained injuries. It really makes me sad.

U Win Swe, president of Myanmar Geological Society, said to Weekly Eleven:

In the past, strong earthquakes have occured in areas around Shan State. But it has been awhile since that has happened. Earthquakes usually reoccur in areas that were previously hit before. It was only a matter of how frequent. In areas among the quake fault line, there is a tendency for after shocks to follow after a big earthquake has hit.

He also warned that because the Indian plate keeps pushing into Asia, Myanmar should be on alert for earthquakes in the future.

Japan: Earthquake, “how to protect yourself” in 30 languages

Scilla Alecci — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 17:43:59 +0000

TUFS students launched a website with advices on risk management translated in more than 30 languages.
The website provides “a basic guide in several languages to what to do when you have to evacuate because of the earthquake.”