Thread: Aung San Suu Kyi appears at protest in Burma

Originally Posted by Mid

Riot at concert after rapper arrested

Nov 19, 2007 (DVB)–Burmese rapper G-Tone was taken away by police as he left the stage at a concert last night after he showed a religious tattoo to the crowd during his performance, according to an audience member.

During a hip hop festival at Mya Yeik Nyo hotel at around 9pm, G-Tone took off his shirt and turned his back to the audience to reveal a tattoo of two hands clasped in a prayer position holding prayer beads.

Immediately after the gesture, police and fire brigade officials went towards the stage to arrest him, but were persuaded by other musicians to wait until the end of his set to avoid making a scene.

As soon as G-Tone left the stage, he was arrested and handcuffed by the police, still in view of the crowd.

The rapper’s arrest provoked an angry reaction from the crowd, who started shouting at the police.

In response, the police went into the crowd and began beating up audience members, who were mostly young people and high school students, including 8th and 9th graders.

The incident grew into a riot as the audience became increasingly angry at the police.

When other musicians tried to intervene to stop the police, they too were hit, including popular hip hop musicians Kyat Pha and Yatha, who was kicked when he tried to stop the police.

Kyat Pha’s band 9mm has been banned by the regime for distributing political songs by other artists at a concert.

The manager of the Mya Yeik Nyo hotel told the other musicians to calm the crowd by telling them G-Tone had gone home and had not been arrested, and the show was brought to a premature end.

It is not clear if G-Tone is being held by police or has been released.

Reporting by Aye Nai
english.dvb.no

Burmese rapper banned from performing


Nov 22, 2007 (DVB)–Following a disturbance at a hip hop concert on Sunday, Burmese rapper G-Tone and his band Cyclone have been banned from performing on stage for one year.
The Music Association imposed the ban against G-Tone and the two other group members, Thuta and Pyi Tha, after police action against the rapper sparked a riot at the concert venue.

G-Tone had removed his shirt during his performance to reveal a tattoo on his back of two hands clasped in prayer holding prayer beads.

Police officials handcuffed the rapper as soon as he left the stage, having been persuaded by other musicians at the event to wait until his set was over.

G-Tone was not taken into custody by the police, but their actions towards him provoked an angry reaction from the crowd.

The police responded by beating audience members, escalating the incident.

Hip hop star Yatha, who tried to intervene to stop police from beating concert-goers, was also warned by the authorities not to get involved in this kind of activity again.


Reporting by Aye Nai
english.dvb.no


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Singers to submit bio-data prior to show

Ko Dee

November 22, 2007 - A decision by the Myanmar Music Association today will require singers and vocalists to submit their bio-data before performing on stage in the future. This is to prevent any unseemly scenes during the show.

The meeting of the Association today was held after a commotion broke out during the November 17 concert at the Mya Yeik Nyo Hotel in Rangoon.

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mizzima.com


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Thai PM says not ready to receive Myanmar leaders as he must prepare for HM the King’s birthday anniversary ceremony

In response to the planned visit of Myanmmar's junta chief Than Shwe to Thailand, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior General Surayud Chulanont said that he will be too occupied with the upcoming general election as well as preparing for events to celebrate His Majesty the King's 80th birthday anniversary . Gen Surayud further added that Gen Than Shwe's visit was routine and part of the Myanmar leader’s newly acquired position.

General Surayud has asked that the Myanmar leader move his visit until after the New Year or election. At the moment no set plans have been made concerning the time frame for Gen Than Shwe's visit.

The Prime Minister stated that Thailand’s stance on the Myanmar issue is still as was agreed on during the ASEAN summit in which time will be given to Myanmar to deal with its own internal affairs.

thainews.prd.go.th


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UWSA and KIO Abstain from Condemning Suu Kyi
By Saw Yan Naing
November 22, 2007

Two major ceasefire groups, the United Wa State Army and the Kachin Independence Organization, have been showing obvious signals of defiance against the Burmese junta—most recently by not condemning the statement, released by UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari on behalf of detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, calling for dialogue and national reconciliation.

The military government had previously requested all ethnic ceasefire groups, including UWSA and KIO, to release statements criticizing the statement.

Several pro-junta groups, such as Union Pa-Oh National Organization, Pa-Oh National Organization, New Democratic Army-Kachin and some of the junta’s so-called “representatives of ethnicities” had obeyed the regime’s orders, claiming that Suu Kyi’s statement did not represent the ethnic groups.

However, UWSA and KIO, the two main players of 17 ethnic groups that have signed ceasefire agreements with the junta, paid no attention to the regime’s demands.

Meanwhile, the New Mon State Party also refused the order and released a statement on November 16 completely contradicting what junta had asked for. In the NMSP statement, the organization said it supported the “political dialogue” called for by Aung San Suu Kyi in her statement.

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irrawaddy.org


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ASEAN Summit:

Philippines Committed To Myanmar Democracy, Bilateral Agreements With China & New Zealand
Mike Cohen, Pacific News Center Correspondent 23.NOV.07

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Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo pledged to continue calling for democratic reforms in Myanmar and for the release of detained political leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Press Secretary and presidential spokesperson Ignacio R. Bunye said today at the close of the summit.

Bunye said the President's position is "in representation" of the Philippines' stand and will be pursued in various forums that she will be attending in the future.

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pacificnewscenter.com


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Arroyo might raise Myanmar issue in next China trip
By Tetch Torres
Last updated 07:07pm (Mla time) 11/22/2007

SINGAPORE (Via PLDT) -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo might raise the issue of Myanmar during her next visit to China, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said.

"The President acknowledges the fact that China is a very important player and China is in a position to influence the events in this part of the region," Bunye said Thursday.

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globalnation.inquirer.net


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Attention drawn to Burma's women leaders

November 23, 2007 - Burma's women's leadership does not stop with detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. A new publication profiles and draws attention to the detention and plight of some twenty other women who performed critical functions during the protests of August and September.

Accordingly, a group of rights activists is calling for 16 days of campaigning to bring attention to the plight of Burmese women activists in the country's ongoing struggle for human rights and democracy, from November 25, International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, to December 10, International Human Rights Day,

"For women of Burma who face and are under state-sanctioned violence this call cannot be more relevant than ever and the international community needs to have strong commitment and will to work harder towards protecting and securing women's human rights," reads a statement from the Asia-Pacific Peoples' Partnership for Burma (APPPB).

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mizzima.com



Courage to Resist:
A new report details how women activists have been hunted down, assaulted, tortured and framed with false charges, and their family members threatened and held hostage in the recent crackdown in Burma.

- English


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Than Shwe Finds Burma’s Fate in the Stars
By Wai Moe
November 23, 2007

Burmese junta leader Snr-Gen Than Shwe’s wife Kyaing Kyaing recently visited the celebrated Shit Myet Hna pagoda in her husband’s birthplace, Kyaukse, in central Burma, but she wasn’t just sightseeing or calling on friends and relatives.

The revered site is known as the “Eight Faces” pagoda because it faces eight points of the compass. Kyaing Kyaing is reported to have prayed symbolically there for support from all sides for her beleaguered husband and his despised regime.

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irrawaddy.org


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Burma activist wins exile fight
Friday, 23 November 2007,


Mr Naing said he now wanted to get a job and support his family

A Burmese dissident who faced deportation to his troubled homeland has won his battle to stay in Britain.

Lay Naing and his family fled Burma last year after being imprisoned and beaten for distributing literature critical of the military junta.

His asylum claim was thrown out and three appeals rejected. But the Prime Minister ordered a review of the case after being challenged in the Commons.

Mr Naing, who lives in Wakefield, West Yorks, has now been told he can stay. The 34-year-old, who works as a volunteer for the Refugee Council in Leeds, received a letter from Gordon Brown to say he would be given humanitarian protection status.

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news.bbc.co.uk


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Monk group calls for exam boycott


Nov 23, 2007 (DVB)–The Representative Monks Association has called on student monks not to participate in their annual examinations, in a statement issued yesterday.
The examinations are organised by the state, and would usually be taken by monks studying at lecturing monasteries.

The RPA represents leaders of the All-Burmese Monks Alliance who are currently in hiding.

The statement calls on monks, students and others not to forget about the monk-led demonstrations and government crackdown in September, and urges monks and civilians to continue with the movement and not give up.

The group also says it appreciates the work of United Nations special representatives Ibrahim Gambari and Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, and of detained democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and world leaders.

The statement was signed by the RPA director, who is among those monks in hiding from the authorities.

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Reporting by Aye Nai
english.dvb.no


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Buddhist ceremony postponed in South Dagon

Nov 23, 2007

(DVB)–An annual ceremony in South Dagon township, Rangoon, has been postponed after organisers refused to pay money for troops to local authorities.

The Buddhist ceremony, which has been held around 22 to 26 November every year for the past 13 years, was to involve sermons from monks.

When the organising committee went to local temple authorities as usual to ask permission to hold the event, they were told they would have to pay 40,000 kyat towards troop mobilisations if they wanted to hold it at this time.

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Reporting by Aye Nai
english.dvb.no


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Norwegian NGO Stops Funding Burmese Student Army
By Shah Paung
November 23, 2007

A Norwegian non-governmental organization that works exclusively with Burma has stopped its financial support to a Burmese students’ armed group this week, according to a leading member of the exiled students group.

According to a letter dated November 21 from the Norwegian Burma Committee sent to the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front, the NBC is “disappointed and very concerned” to learn that the ABSDF released a statement on October 4, 2007, in which it declared its decision to conduct active military action against the military regime in Burma.

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irrawaddy.org


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USDA Accused of Corruption in Water Project
By Wai Moe
November 23, 2007

The Union Solitary and Development Association is extorting local people while it manages a water supply and pipeline project in Dagon Myothit Township in the suburbs of Rangoon, according to sources.

Sources close to the USDA told The Irrawaddy on Friday that leading members of the USDA are involved in corruption. Secretary Soe Win and Joint-Secretary Than Oo of the UDSA in Dagon Myothit Township (North) were specifically mentioned and are currently being interrogated for corruption

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irrawaddy.org


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khitpyaing.org