Free Republic

MYANMAR (ANS) -- Two soldiers in the Burmese Army who defected to the Karenni forces on April 25 have testified to the widespread use of chemical weapons. According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), Myo Min, 15, had been in the Burma Army for one month and Soe Thu, 16, had been in the Burma Army for two months. When asked about 'chemical or poison' weapons, Myo Min told CSW's International President, Dr Martin Panter, that he had to carry boxes of chemical weapons to the front line almost from the day he arrived. Dr Panter visited the region between April...

The Burma Army has displaced more than 1,200 people in attacks against villages and hiding places of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Southern Karenni State.  Troops from Burma carried out their attacks against villagers on December 23. Soldiers burned down 26 houses in Gee Gaw Ber village, forcing all 610 residents of the village into hiding.  A further 341 people from the nearby village of Toe Ka Htoo fled in fear, while 255 people from Pah Poe are also in hiding. Those newly displaced are now in hiding without shelter and the temperatures in the area are very low....

The Burmese military government is reportedly stepping up pressure on pro-democracy activists to refrain from openly criticizing the resumed National Convention.   Several members of the National League for Democracy, other activists and opposition lawyers have been called in to hear warnings from the authorities since the National Convention resumed its work on December 5 to draw up a national constitution.   They say they were warned not to discuss the National Convention with outside media. Win Mya Mya, an organizer of the Mandalay branch of the NLD, said she had been summoned to meet the authorities earlier this...

The following draft of the blueprint attempting to address not only the current situation between the government of Union of Myanmar and International Labor Office but also the issue of forced labor in Myanmar: - 1. The ILO liaison officer ad. Interim continues to carry out his functions in Myanmar. ILO does not continue, in its Conventions and Conferences, receiving the reports of those who are neither delegates of a member state nor representatives of the member country concerned, the Union of Myanmar, effectively denying the due respect to Myanmar. 2. The Joint Plan of Action which originates from the...

The Burmese government imposed more restrictions on the access of internet from yesterday morning. "Almost all of the sites, including the one I am using are banned and nobody is getting access", said a Rangoon resident. The Bagan Cybertech, the main internet service provider, however, announced that it was because of "internet backbone down". But many do not believe the reason given by Bagan Cybertech. "It is just to make sure the all websites are blocked and the traffic is filtered," a user said. Only the ISP owned by Myanmar Post and Telecommunication is now running. With the purge of...

BANGKOK (AFP) - Myanmar's army continues to target civilians while fighting ethnic Karen rebels, with extrajudicial killings and forcible displacements of some people up to 100 times in their lives, Human Rights Watch says. Sexual violence, forced labour and looting of villages are common practice for an "unreformed and unaccountable" Myanmar army, US-based Human Rights Watch said in a new report. Yangon also keeps conscripting villages, including children, despite repeated denials, the report said. "The government still allows the Burmese army to kill and drive people out of their villages with complete impunity," Human Rights Watch Asia director Brad Adams...

The henchmen of Burma’s military junta, State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), are planning to systematically “penetrate” and infiltrate diplomatic and pro-democracy Burmese communities in the United States, Europe, Australia and Asia. The henchmen of SPDC chairman Gen Than Shwe have been assigned to “penetrate” the US and Europe, and the vice-chairman Gen Maung Aye’s men, Australia and Asia, according to sources close to Rangoon military HQs. Brig Gen Than Tun, the SPDC ambassador to Italy is taking the “penetrating” duties in Europe and Brig Gen Thet Win is to be in charge of Australia. Than Tun carried out his...

Amnesty International says Burma's migrant workers in Thailand face a lack of basic human rights and are routinely abused. In a memorandum with Burma's government, Thailand has guaranteed registered migrant workers the same rights as Thai nationals. "However, in practice migrant workers are routinely not paid the legal minimum wage, nor are they permitted to enter into collective bargaining, the Amnesty report said. The report says arbitrary arrests are common and the deaths of labourers attempting to fleeThai authorities have been reported. One 23-year-old migrant told Amnesty: "The Thai people regard us as garbage -- they don't see the Burmese...

Burma’s military junta, State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) has been tightening security measures, not because it wants to capture the real culprits who planted recent deadly bombs in Rangoon, but conmen who cheated money from the children of top generals, according to sources close to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). The conmen are said to be the brother in law of former minister of Agriculture and Irrigation Ministry Maj Gen Nyunt Tin, U Myo Hein, and the son in law of Naval officer Maj Gen Paw Tun, U Thant Sin. Myo Hein is the managing director of a Singapore-based...

The Third Army yesterday defended its decision to push back 2,000 Shan civilians taking shelter from a disputed Thai-Burmese border territory, saying its reasons were security-based. Deputy commander Maj-Gen Manas Paorik said the repatriation was justified as the Shans were not classified as refugees fleeing fighting, but illegal migrants. He said some had been in the area for more than a year and were relatives of Shan soldiers. The plan, that calls for the repatriation of Shan civilians, including 200 orphans, drew criticism from human rights groups and Shan State Army chief Col Yawd Serk. Human Rights Watch has called...

Open Letter to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee Date: 3.5.2005 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee Case Postale 2500 CH-1211 Geneva 2 Depot Suisse Subject: Request for regaining of losing status and safety of life for POCs (person of concerned) at UNHCR Around 8:45 P.M on 27 April 2005 a group of drunken Thai militias who are guarding our Ban Don Yang refugee camp threatened Mr. Khin Mg Win (NI-50280) with gun at his temporary shelter inside the camp and fired three shots without reason. Khin Mg Win was a member of ABFSU (All Burma Federation of Student Unions)...

If someone inside Burma happened to browse www.mizzima.com in the past, he or she must have found the following page: ----------------------------------------- ACCESS HAS BEEN DENIED - Access to the page: http://www.mizzima.com/archives/news-in-2004/news-in-jul/21-jul04-21.htm ... has been denied for the following reason: Banned site: mizzima.com You are seeing this error because the page you attempted to access contains, or is labelled as containing, material that has been deemed inappropriate. If you have any queries contact your ICT Co-ordinator or Network Manager. Powered by DansGuardian --------------------------------- It is not because Mizzima News is a pornographic website or that of a terrorist organisation. It is...

Burma's government says rebels trained abroad by a "superpower" were behind last week's bombings at three shopping centres in the capital, Rangoon.

Legislators from seven Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) grouped in the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Caucus (IPC) will send a fact-finding team to Myanmar to meet government officials and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Lim Kit Siang, a member of the caucus and Malaysian parliamentary opposition leader, said that the group would convey the legislators' aspirations for democratization in the country, to free Suu Kyi from house arrest and to encourage a tripartite dialog between the junta, the National League for Democracy (Suu Kyi's party) and the ethnic groups. Lim, a parliamentarian from opposition Democratic Action Party, said that the...

In October 2004, one of 2 displaced women who were gathering bamboo shoots was raped and killed by a group of SPDC troops in the forest about 2 miles north of Larng-Khur town, Larng-Khur township. On 19 October 2004, Naang Seng Lu, aged 18 and Naang Ser (not her real name), from a relocation site on the outskirts of Larng-Khur town, went together into the forest to gather bamboo shoots. Both of them were originally from Wan Kyawng village in Son Oi village tract, Larng-Khur township, which had been forcibly relocated to the outskirts of the town in 1997 by...

Dear Comrades! It is a clear message to the world that Junta are plotting to harm Daw Suu by removing all her security. Actually, a woman under house arrest need not secuity except there is a negative plot. So removing security out of her is making best position to shoot the target in point blank range. Khin Nyunt is tied up and only the daredevils remained in Junta. Soe Win, a daredevil who orchestrated open assasination in Depeyin is now holding the nation's scissor to cut and pierce among the opposition groups. The criminals released their counterparts ( human weapons...

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today voiced his serious concern over the withdrawal of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's personal security detail, and further restrictions on the already limited access to the Nobel Peace Laureate by her doctor. Mr. Annan "reminds the Myanmar authorities of their responsibility to ensure Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's security and well-being," said a statement issued by a UN spokesman in New York. The statement also the reiterated the Secretary-General's previous calls on the authorities to honour their expressed commitments to the UN and to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) by lifting all...

The following is the unofficial translation of the NLD statement issued on 15th December 2004 regarding the safety of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi after all of personal security members were expelled from her compound on 14 December. The General Secretary of National League for Democracy, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was detained for the first time, from 19 July 1989 to 10 July 1995 at her home and compound address; No. 54/56 University Avenue, Bahan Township, Rangoon. She was again detained at her home, for the second time, with the above mentioned address from 21 September 2000 to 6...