MyanmarTalk Community Forum : Issues and Debates http://www.myanmartalk.com/forum/ Myanmar/Burma Community Forum: Issues and Debates in Myanmar/Burmese Community en Sat, 19 May 2012 19:30:55 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.myanmartalk.com/forum/images/styles/TotallyPro/misc/rss.png MyanmarTalk Community Forum : Issues and Debates http://www.myanmartalk.com/forum/ Invitation to Dhamma class and TBYG program on May 2012 http://www.myanmartalk.com/forum/showthread.php/1615-Invitation-to-Dhamma-class-and-TBYG-program-on-May-2012?goto=newpost Fri, 18 May 2012 01:07:34 GMT *Theravada Dhamma Society **(**San Francisco Bay Area, USA)* *Dear Dhamma Friends: * *We would like to invite you to **Dhamma class and...
Theravada Dhamma Society
(San Francisco Bay Area, USA)
Dear Dhamma Friends:
We would like to invite you to Dhamma class and TBYG program on month of May 2012.

Dhamma Class with Vipassana Meditation.

*Lecturer *Sayadaw U Gositabhivansa*
Mettananda Vihara ( Fremont CA)

Subject: : From learning to practicing Vipassana Meditation.
Language : :Burmese

Date: :Every Saturday, May 12th, 19th, 26th 2012.
Time: :7:00 pm to 9:00 pm..Dhamma Lecture and Vipassana Meditation.
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*Lecturer *Sayadaw U Osadha*
Dhamma Nanda Vihara( Half Moon Bay- CA)

Subject: : Maha Samaya Sutta.
Language : :Burmese

Date : : Every Sunday May 13th, 20th, 27th 2012.
Time : : 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.Dhamma Lecture and Vipassana Meditation.
--------------------------------------------------------------
*TBYG program*{ Theravada Buddhist Youth Group}
Teaching Buddhism and culture for youth.

Date: : Saturday, May 19th, 2012
Time: : 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm

1:00 pm to 2:30 pm:

Religion: :Youth Buddhism & Discussion :
·Pay homage to Buddha. (Buddha Puja)
·Take Observance of five precept. (Pañca-sila)
·Sharing Merit and Spreading Metta { Loving Kindness }.
·Meditation practice.
·Group Practice.

Group Discussion
Language: English
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2:30 pm to 2:45 pm: :Brake time.
[FONT='Times New Roman', serif]
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2:45 pm to 4:00 pm:
Group Activities



Language: English



Venue: Theravada Dhamma Society. Dhamma Hall.
Serramonte Del Rey. Room ( 101 ), 699 Serramonte Blvd, Daly City. CA 94015. (Former Jefferson Union High School, 2 blocks above the Serramonte shopping center)

Please pass this message to your Dhamma friends.We would like to encourage to come to Dhamma class.
With Metta,

Theravada Dhamma Society,
San Francisco Bay Area.USA
----------------------------------------------------------------
Recorded live videos,
Please click following link and watch Dhamma from previously recorded Dhamma classvideos .
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/dhamma-class/videos


-------------------------------------------------------------------

Live broadcasting on internet .

Web address::
http://www.ustream.tv/user/tdsusa/videos and click at live now window.
(Please bookmark above link on your computer or smart phone.)


Live broadcasting on every weekend 6:45 pm to 9:00 pm ( US pacific time)
If you have any suggestion, please email us at tds.usa2007@gmail.com or Ph: ( 650 ) 993-8770. ]]> Myanmar/Burmese Community in USA Webmaster http://www.myanmartalk.com/forum/showthread.php/1615-Invitation-to-Dhamma-class-and-TBYG-program-on-May-2012 2012 Thingyan Thet Gyi Pu Zaw Pwe Invitation to TDS! http://www.myanmartalk.com/forum/showthread.php/1614-2012-Thingyan-Thet-Gyi-Pu-Zaw-Pwe-Invitation-to-TDS%21?goto=newpost Wed, 16 May 2012 05:32:05 GMT Dear Theravada Dhamma Society (TDS),

Thank you so much for participating and supporting in the "Thet Gyi Pu Zaw Pwe" of the community Thingyan Festival in San Francisco Bay Area on May 27th, 2012.
We really appreciate your help and your members' donation for our "Paying Respect to the Elders of our Burmese community" program.

We couldn't have initiated that tradition without your kindness.

If possible, can you please forward the information and the invitation of Thingyan Thet Gyi Pu Zaw Pwe to your members and friends?
Please kindly let us know if some donors want to donate for the Thet Gyi Pu Zaw Pwe too.

Thanks and see you all in the Thingyan Festival!

With much respect,

Wai Phyo
on behalf of
SF Bay Area Community Thingyan Committee
For more information: http://bmccfr-events.blogspot.com/ ]]> Myanmar/Burmese Community in USA Webmaster http://www.myanmartalk.com/forum/showthread.php/1614-2012-Thingyan-Thet-Gyi-Pu-Zaw-Pwe-Invitation-to-TDS%21 Biodiversity could be casualty of Myanmar openness http://www.myanmartalk.com/forum/showthread.php/1613-Biodiversity-could-be-casualty-of-Myanmar-openness?goto=newpost Mon, 07 May 2012 07:49:18 GMT As many as 40,000 gorgeously plumed birds known as the Gurney's pitta thrive in the lowland rainforests of economically backward Myanmar. Across the border, Thailand's last five pairs are guarded around the clock against snakes and human predators.

The bird's status is among many reasons Myanmar is regarded as one of Asia's last bastions of biodiversity, and why environmentalists view the country's steps toward opening its doors with some fear.

Myanmar has avoided the rapid, often rampant development seen in Thailand and other parts of Asia because of decades of isolation brought on by harsh military rule. But as foreign investors begin pouring in, activists in what was once known as Burma say endemic corruption, virtually nonexistent environmental laws and a long-repressed civil society make it "ripe for environmental rape."

They hope that it will at least prove a race: pro-democracy reformers and conservationists are urging the government to put more safeguards in place against the unscrupulous eager to take advantage of their absence.

The rush is already on. Airplanes bound for Yangon, the nation's largest city, are booked up with businessmen looking for deals, along with throngs of tourists. Singapore dispatched a delegation with 74 company representatives in March while the Malaysians sent a high-level investment mission focused on property development, tourism, rubber and oil palm plantations. U.S. and European countries are not as involved because sanctions against Myanmar prevent them from starting new businesses there.

"The 'development invasion' will speed up environmental destruction and is also likely to lead to more human rights abuses," says Pianporn Deetes of the U.S.-based International Rivers Network. "Industries will move very fast, while civil society is just beginning to learn about the impacts."

Under President Thein Sein, the government last year began to loosen the military's grip on power, instituting some reforms and even allowing democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi to run, and win, a seat in Parliament. Reasons for the changes remain murky, but years as an international pariah have left Myanmar poor and in need of foreign investment.

Environmentally, Myanmar is certainly no longer pristine, but it has been spared some of the wholesale ravages seen in the economically booming, more open societies across Asia.

Positioned at the core of one of the world's richest biodiversity hotspots, it's endowed with plant and animal life of the flanking Himalayas, Malay peninsula, Indian subcontinent and mainland Southeast Asia.

Only three countries in the world have more extensive tropical forests: Brazil, India and the Congo. Myanmar is home to 1,099 of Southeast Asia's 1,324 bird species, and to extensive coral reefs. Unexploited rivers, on- and offshore oil deposits and minerals abound.

"The scale is just massive. It just dwarfs everything else in surrounding countries," says Robert J. Tizard, who heads the office of the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society in Myanmar. "It could be a curse that they have so many resources."

Environmentalists say Myanmar's government, which remains dominated by the military, has an abysmal record of protecting its resources, which are often exploited by enterprises linked to generals and their cronies.

One such enterprise, the Yuzana Company, operates in the Hukaung Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, which the government established with considerable fanfare as the world's largest tiger reserve in 2001. Yuzana has razed forests in the area to plant sugar cane, and gold mining is rife.

According to spokesman Ah Nah of the Kachin Development Networking Group, which has been monitoring the valley since 2007, virtually all the concessions are within the reserve boundaries. WCS, which pushed the regime to set up the sanctuary, says only 25 percent of Yuzana's plantations are in the park.

The Myanmar company's owner, tycoon Htay Myint, enjoys close links to the military. The country's largest money-spinning industries – energy, mining and electricity – and those related to the environment are all led by retired generals.

Jonathan Eames of BirdLife International, which has been tracking the status of the Gurney's pitta, says efforts to create a park to protect bird's habitat failed because of the military's push to replace forests with oil palm plantations in the Tenasserim Range. Similar clearing occurred earlier across the bird's territory in Thailand.

Myanmar operators proved less than competent so deforestation has slowed, but Eames expects it to accelerate again as Malaysians, Indonesians and Thais, experts at plantation management, move in.

Foreign enterprises already have taken advantage elsewhere. Thai companies, particularly in the 1990s, decimated teak forests in eastern Myanmar and are poised to become major players at Dawei, a deep sea port and vast industrial estate being built by Thailand's largest construction enterprise, Italian-Thai Development. It has recently drawn protests by locals fearing pollution of what is now an unsullied region.

Pianporn says a number of Thai companies, faced with increasingly tougher environmental laws at home, are planning to relocate their "dirty industries," including petrochemical and coal-fired plants, next door.

A surge in hydroelectric projects is also expected, with China, the No. 1 investor in Myanmar, leading the charge. In face of strong domestic protests, the regime last September suspended construction of the Myitsone dam on the Irrawaddy River although environmental groups recently report that work by the China Power Investment company quietly continues around the dam site.

Chinese loggers have stripped large areas of northern Kachin state and others threaten southern regions.

Activists stress that environmentally harmful projects often go hand-in-hand with human rights abuses such as forced labor and mass relocations.

Myanmar officials say they are not blind to the dangers.

Ko Ko Hlaing, an adviser to the president, said bids by foreign investors will be scrutinized to ensure they adhere to a policy of sustainable development.

"We Myanmar citizens are quite aware of the consequences. We cannot allow our cherished motherland to be destroyed by greedy foreign investors," he said in a statement to The Associated Press.

In his inaugural address, Thein Sein pledged "serious attention" to protecting forests and wildlife, reducing air and water pollution and controlling dumping of industrial waste.

But the good intentions could be dashed given Myanmar's vulnerabilities.

The country ranked 180 out of 183 countries on Global Transparency's 2011 corruption index and is only now debating an environmental law in Parliament. Only sketchy guidelines for sustainable development exist.

None of the some 50 major hydro projects completed, under construction or on the drawing boards are known to have any environmental impact statements that would meet international standards, according to International Rivers Network and other environmental watchdogs.

The Ministry of Environment Conservation and Forestry was formed only last year and is still without a conservation division. Tizard, who works closely with the ministry, says it has some officials who are dedicated to their work, but he and other environmentalists note that their efforts can be easily subverted.

"Under-the-table deals are likely to continue because the military is so entrenched. They or their cronies control most of the businesses while civil society is still very weak. It needs a lot of education," says Wong Aung, of the Burma Environmental Working Group, a network of 10 grass-roots organizations.

"It's a double-edged sword. There will be economic development and you are going to have trade-offs with the environment," says Robert Mather, head of the IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, in Southeast Asia.

There are, he says, some grounds for optimism.

Myanmar has a conservation tradition, including sound forestry practices that are lacking in many surrounding countries, and it appears eager to seek outside assistance. A number of international environmental organizations are already planning to set up there, some in partnership with the growing number of local groups. The Wildlife Conservation Society is currently the only major one with a permanent presence.

Mather says Myanmar, as "the last frontier," could play hard to get – picking only those investors with a history of transparency and environmental sensitivity.

The selection would expand greatly if economic sanctions by Western nations were lifted. The European Union announced last month it will suspend most sanctions for a year while it assesses the country's progress toward democracy, while the United States is taking a wait-and-see attitude.

"You are going back to Thailand in the 1950s with a conservation practices of the 21st century, so there is a lot of opportunity to do it right," Tizard says. "If they follow some of the best practices they could do incredibly well."

Associated Press writers Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur and Alex Kennedy in Singapore contributed to this report.

Source: Biodiversity could be casualty of Myanmar openness May 7, 2012 ]]> Off-Topic Webmaster http://www.myanmartalk.com/forum/showthread.php/1613-Biodiversity-could-be-casualty-of-Myanmar-openness Hardline Myanmar vice president resigns, says report http://www.myanmartalk.com/forum/showthread.php/1612-Hardline-Myanmar-vice-president-resigns-says-report?goto=newpost Sun, 06 May 2012 07:56:17 GMT (Reuters) - A former top general close to Myanmar's retired dictator Than Shwe has resigned as vice-president, Burmese media reported, ending the hardliner's role in the reformist government.

Tin Aung Myint Oo, 61, submitted his resignation on May 3 for health reasons after returning from Singapore for medical treatment, the Myanmar language service of Voice of America reported on Sunday.

The report could not be immediately confirmed.

Tin Aung Myint Oo, a former four-star general, was one of two vice-presidents and considered a leader among hardliners in the year-old military-backed government that replaced the often-brutal junta who ruled for half a century.

Tin Aung Myint Oo graduated from the Defence Services Academy in 1970, becoming northeastern military commander near the Chinese border late 1990s.

He was promoted to Secretary-1 of the former junta in 1997, a year when the army rounded up hundreds of pro-democracy activists in Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy to prevent them from attending a party congress.

Suu Kyi and 42 other members of her party took their seats in parliament last week following a historic by-election in a year of dramatic reforms in the former British colony also known as Burma.

In 2009, Tin Aung Myint Oo was appointed military advisor to then-Senior General Than Shwe. He was elected to the lower house a year later as a candidate for the army-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party, and was quickly nominated as vice president by military delegates.

(Reporting by Aung Hla Tun; Writing by Jason Szep; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)

Source: Hardline Myanmar vice president resigns, says report Sun May 6, 2012 ]]> Myanmar/Burma Today Webmaster http://www.myanmartalk.com/forum/showthread.php/1612-Hardline-Myanmar-vice-president-resigns-says-report As West hails Myanmar, dissidents await freedom http://www.myanmartalk.com/forum/showthread.php/1611-As-West-hails-Myanmar-dissidents-await-freedom?goto=newpost Sun, 06 May 2012 07:48:07 GMT YANGON (May 5, 2012): While the West lauds Myanmar for its steps towards democracy and starts to roll back sanctions, hundreds of political prisoners... YANGON (May 5, 2012): While the West lauds Myanmar for its steps towards democracy and starts to roll back sanctions, hundreds of political prisoners languishing in prison are still waiting to hear their fate.



Their families hope they will not become the forgotten victims of decades of authoritarian rule in the rush to reward the new quasi-civilian government for its sweeping political reforms.

Freedom has not yet come for Aye Aung, who was arrested in 1998 and sentenced to 59 years in jail on charges including violating the emergency act as well as illegally printing and distributing leaflets.

His sentence has since been reduced to 29 years, but he was not among those to walk free in a major prisoner amnesty in January, to the dismay of his elderly parents.

"We truly expected his release," his father Thaung Sein told AFP at his Yangon home, where a photo of a laughing Aye Aung playing a guitar hangs alongside another of him receiving an essay prize from opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

"It was really painful. His mother almost collapsed when she heard, and she wept. As you know, so many people were released in the January amnesty. They didn't give any reason for not including him. My son also said he had no idea why he was not released yet, the 60-year-old said.

"I felt so sad," added his mother San Myint, her eyes filling with tears.

Amnesty International considers Aye Aung, now 36, to be a "prisoner of conscience" who was detained because of peaceful activities such as distributing leaflets and organising student demonstrations.

His parents last visited him in March at Kalay prison in northwest Sagaing Division.

"He has hemorrhoids and a gastric problem. We had to buy medicines for him. Because it is a malaria area, he sometimes feels sick," his father said.

According to Burma Campaign UK, after his arrest Aye Aung was detained for more than four months for interrogation during which he was "tortured brutally".

Myanmar said it freed more than 300 political prisoners in an amnesty in January, a move which prompted the United States to pledge it would restore full diplomatic ties.

About 200 others were let out in October 2011, and estimates of the number still behind bars vary.

The Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners says that more than 900 political prisoners remain locked up in Myanmar, while Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party estimates their number at about 330.

The 88 Generation Students Group, a pro-democracy movement whose key members were at the forefront of a 1988 uprising, believes there are still more than 600 political detainees, said one of their leaders.

"We have asked the home affairs ministry to release the remaining political prisoners," Thet Zaw, who was released from prison in January, told AFP.

He said even those who were accused of contact with armed rebel groups or linked to bombings should be freed because their acts were politically related.

"So we will also ask for their release as soon as possible for national reconciliation," Thet Zaw added.

Myanmar, which languished for decades under a repressive junta, has announced a series of reforms since a controversial 2010 election brought a civilian government to power -- albeit one with close links to the military.

The regime has welcomed Suu Kyi's NLD party to return to mainstream politics, leading to her election to parliament for the first time in the April 1 by-elections.

The European Union has responded to what it said were "historic changes" by suspending for one year a wide range of sanctions, although it left intact an arms embargo.

At the same time the West continues to press for the release of remaining political prisoners.

The European Union's top diplomat Catherine Ashton, who visited Myanmar this week, said she had discussed the issue with President Thein Sein.

"When I asked him about political prisoners, he said they will continue to look further at who should be released and how quickly," Ashton said in a statement.

Aye Aung's parents are hopeful that the changes under way in Myanmar will lead to their son's freedom in the near future.

"The government said it is walking a path to democracy. My son also struggled for democracy. So they now have the same stance. And if they are really implementing democracy, they must release him," said his mother. – AFP

Source: As West hails Myanmar, dissidents await freedom 6 May 2012 ]]> Myanmar/Burma Today Webmaster http://www.myanmartalk.com/forum/showthread.php/1611-As-West-hails-Myanmar-dissidents-await-freedom Emerging drug-resistant strain a fierce foe in malaria battle http://www.myanmartalk.com/forum/showthread.php/1610-Emerging-drug-resistant-strain-a-fierce-foe-in-malaria-battle?goto=newpost Sun, 06 May 2012 02:50:33 GMT Local and international health organisations are struggling to prevent a wider outbreak of the disease which is becoming increasingly prevalent in... Local and international health organisations are struggling to prevent a wider outbreak of the disease which is becoming increasingly prevalent in border areas and for which conventional therapies have proven useless.



Malaria remains a public health concern in Thailand even though the number of infected patients has declined tremendously from 125,000 in 1998 to 35,600 in 2007 and 34,002 in 2011. What's causing alarm among officials now, however, is the emerging resistance of Plasmodium falciparum _ the parasite responsible for malaria _ to conventional drugs.

More than 50% of malaria cases recorded in Thailand involve Myanmar and Cambodian citizens working here or engaging in cross-border trade.

The areas along the Thai-Cambodian border, especially in the provinces of Chanthaburi and Trat, and Pailin in Cambodia are considered the epicentre of multi-drug resistance.

''Malaria drug resistance has been found here before other areas. The parasite resists all drugs now in use and we fear that it may spread to other areas,'' said Dr Vichai Stimai, director of the Vector-borne Disease Control Office of the Public Health Ministry.

A study by the ministry has found the current artemisinin-based combination therapies can cure only 78% of patients along the Thai-Cambodian border. This is below the acceptable success rate of 90%. To solve this problem, international health organisations have provided financial assistance to the Thai government to try to eradicate the disease.

For example, the Public Health Ministry has received US$80 million (2.5 billion baht) to implement its five-year project from the Global Fund, an international financing institution which helps countries fight Aids, tuberculosis and malaria. In addition, the Bill Gates Foundation has provided $4 million for a two-year project. USAID provides $340,000 annually to Thailand and about five times that amount to Myanmar to eradicate malaria.

According to a study published by the Lancet last month, scientists have found malarial drug-resistant strains in areas along the Thai-Myanmar border.

The Global Malaria Programme urged the team of scientists responsible for the report, led by professor Francois Nosten, to conduct a follow-up study on whether the drug-resistant parasites have spread from the same area where the first drug-resistant strains were found earlier along the Thai-Cambodian border.

In the Thai border province of Tak, where there are a large number of migrant workers and traders from Myanmar, more than 12,160 malaria patients _ the highest number in the country _ sought treatment at clinics and hospitals last year. Of these patients, almost 80% were from Myanmar.

Chantarapa Nontasee Chindathong, a social worker at Umphang Hospital in Tak, said last year the hospital provided treatment to 830 malaria patients. Almost 70% were non-Thais with no access to any health plan.

''They are poor people. The hospital has to shoulder the financial burden,'' she said.

In the southern coastal province of Ranong, which is also home to a large number of migrant workers from Myanmar, the number of patients has declined.

But at the same time more malaria patients are showing resistance to the standard treatment. Dr Vichai said that 80% to 87% are cured while 20% respond poorly to to the artemisinin-based combination.

Malarial drug resistance may recur several times.

In 2001, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended the use of artemisinin-based combination therapies in countries where falciparum malaria had become resistant to chloroquine and other anti-malaria medicines.

However, many countries still use artemisinin as a monotherapy drug because of its low price.

The WHO first issued a warning about the threat of artemisinin resistance in the Greater Mekong subregion in 2005, after routine efficacy studies showed that the P falciparum parasite was taking longer to clear from patients' bloodstreams. Then the first cases of confirmed artemisinin resistance were found in western Cambodia, along the Thai-Cambodia border in late 2006.

The WHO requested that drug companies stop marketing artemisinin monotherapies following evidence of potential resistance to the drugs. However, the WHO maintains the efficacy of the therapy for malaria treatment in border areas. Despite artemisinin resistance, the WHO says other drugs included in the combination are still effective, even though it takes longer to treat the patient.

According to Dr Vichai, part of the problem is the incorrect use of artemisinin, and the use of fake or substandard drugs. One solution, he said, is to set up many malaria clinics to educate people on how to protect themselves from the disease.

At present such clinics have been established in 460 villages. ''This enables more people in remote areas to get medical treatment and good quality medicine,'' said Dr Vichai.

In addition, the health officers provide blood checks for people in risk areas. Anyone infected with the disease will be treated free of charge.

But containing the resistant strains is not an easy task in a highly mobile population. ''We have problems with Burmese workers who move frequently from place to place, especially those who come to work in rubber plantations,'' said a health worker in Ranong.

When it is confirmed that artemisinin-based combination therapies are not as effective as before, healthcare providers try to provide new treatments for the patient. ''It would be unjust for the people if we continue to cure them with ineffective medicine,'' said Dr Vichai.

Different malarial treatments, including malarone combination therapy, have been been given to patients along the Thai-Cambodian border where the drug resistance problem first appeared a few years ago. The treatment costs about 2,700 baht for a three-day dose, compared to 180-200 baht for the artemisinin-based treatment. Treatments other than those that are artemisinin-based are strictly controlled and available only at university and government hospitals.

These alternative therapies have also been been used for malaria patients in Chanthaburi and Trat provinces, and will soon be used in Pailin in Cambodia on a temporary basis. ''In addition to a successful cure for patients, it is hoped that the resistant strain will be controlled or destroyed [by alternative therapies],'' said Dr Vichai, adding that these therapies should help contain the resistant strains and keep them from spreading to other areas as is feared.

Meanwhile, Mahidol University's tropical medicine faculty, which has been doing ongoing research into anti-malarial drugs, has provided therapies that have been used and followed up on in Thai-Myanmar border provinces.

Dr Vichai said that more changes need to be made in the treatment of malaria in the next few years to benefit patients and prevent new outbreaks, but he cautioned that thorough consideration should be given before any changes are made.

Source: Emerging drug-resistant strain a fierce foe in malaria battle 6/05/2012 ]]> Off-Topic Webmaster http://www.myanmartalk.com/forum/showthread.php/1610-Emerging-drug-resistant-strain-a-fierce-foe-in-malaria-battle Myanmar to re-grant visa-on-arrival, business visa starting June http://www.myanmartalk.com/forum/showthread.php/1609-Myanmar-to-re-grant-visa-on-arrival-business-visa-starting-June?goto=newpost Sun, 06 May 2012 02:45:16 GMT YANGON, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar will re-grant the visa-on- arrival and business visa starting June 1 aimed at facilitating foreign travelers and... YANGON, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar will re-grant the visa-on- arrival and business visa starting June 1 aimed at facilitating foreign travelers and promoting the number of tourists arrival in the country, local media reported Friday.

Of the two categories of visa, the visa-on-arrival was halted in September 2010 ahead of then Myanmar's general election in November of the year.

Regarding business visa, priority will be given to applicants of those countries which mostly do business with Myanmar while the visa-on-arrival will be provided to travelers from member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said the Yangon Time.

According to official statistics, the number of tourists arrival at Myanmar's Yangon International Airport alone reached 359,359 in 2011.

The figure is expected to reach 1.5 million in 2012 for the gateway.

Other statistics of Ministry of Hotels and Tourism show that such arrival at all entry points totaled over 800,000 in 2011, up more than 24,000 or 3 percent from over 790,000 in 2010.

The figures for the two months of January and February 2012 represented 98,486 who came mainly from North America, West Europe, East Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, according to the Myanmar Tourism Promotion Board.

Meanwhile, as of February 2012, there was a total of 739 hotels in Myanmar including 22 foreign invested hotels, 4 joint-venture hotels, 6 government hotels and 707 private-owned ones.

Myanmar earned 319 million USD in 2011 from hotel and tourism sector, up 26 percent from 254 million USD in 2010.

Source: Myanmar to re-grant visa-on-arrival, business visa starting June 2012-05-04 ]]> Myanmar/Burma Today Webmaster http://www.myanmartalk.com/forum/showthread.php/1609-Myanmar-to-re-grant-visa-on-arrival-business-visa-starting-June Rent a manor and give sight to 300 Burmese ex-soldiers http://www.myanmartalk.com/forum/showthread.php/1608-Rent-a-manor-and-give-sight-to-300-Burmese-ex-soldiers?goto=newpost Sun, 06 May 2012 02:42:30 GMT *A WOMAN is renting out her manor to tourists during the Olympic Games to help fund eye surgery for 300 blind Burmese ex-soldiers.* ... A WOMAN is renting out her manor to tourists during the Olympic Games to help fund eye surgery for 300 blind Burmese ex-soldiers.



Sherry Scott MBE, of Tyringham Hall, Cuddington, will be travelling to Burma alongside a German surgeon to give back sight to hundreds of soldiers who fought under her late husband Lieutenant-Colonel Ray Scott in the Second World War.

Mrs Scott, vice chairman of The Burma Forces Welfare Association and the representative for the British Commonwealth, said she will need to raise around £20,000 for the project.

And to help raise funds for the project, Mrs Scott will be renting out her medieval home, complete with a tennis court, a swimming pool and an acre of land which boasts various gardens, such as a vegetable allotment.

“Imagine being able to get your sight back – some of these soldiers have been blind for years,” she said.

“So many of them have said to me all they want is to be able to see their grandchildren.

“There are around 300 ex-soldiers we plan to treat and, while we cannot be certain we can help all of them, the surgeon carrying out the procedures has said she believes many of them will have cataracts – as a result of the strong sunlight over there.”

Mrs Scott will be travelling over to Burma during the Olympics with surgeon Therese Worstmann, in memory of Mrs Scott’s late husband who supported the soldiers for many years until his death in 2002.

“On the morning of Ray’s funeral, the British Embassy in Burma flew the flag at half mast and crowds of soldiers gathered outside with flags and rags at half mast on poles,” added Mrs Scott.

“But at the time, under the dictatorship, anyone who gathered in groups could have been shot – so the British Ambassador called me.

“He said ‘I’m sorry to bother you on the morning of your husband’s funeral, but these soldiers are gathering saying the only man who ever helped them has died – I’m afraid there’s going to be an incident’. So I agreed to take over from Ray, and continue his work.

“When Ray came back from Burma he told me these soldiers were the reason he survived. Many soldiers had a very traumatic time during the war, and Ray said if we had no foreign holidays and didn’t eat out, we could afford to help them.

“This new project is very exciting, but it is going to take an awful lot of work to get going.”

Mrs Scott hopes to raise £17,000 by renting out her home for the month, while she will be in Burma helping to treat the men.

The project’s total estimated cost of £20,000 is for the travel and accommodation for the soldiers, who mostly live in the mountains to the north of Burma, to Rangoon in the south. The surgery must also be prepared, and medication gathered before operations can take place.

Source: Rent a manor and give sight to 300 Burmese ex-soldiers Saturday 5 May 2012 07:00 ]]> Myanmar/Burma Today Webmaster http://www.myanmartalk.com/forum/showthread.php/1608-Rent-a-manor-and-give-sight-to-300-Burmese-ex-soldiers Behold, Burma! http://www.myanmartalk.com/forum/showthread.php/1607-Behold-Burma%21?goto=newpost Sun, 06 May 2012 02:38:51 GMT Belatedly, we read the guidebook and realized that we had ignored some very good advice. Fifteen months ago, we took the sleeper train from Yangon... Belatedly, we read the guidebook and realized that we had ignored some very good advice.

Fifteen months ago, we took the sleeper train from Yangon to Old Bagan, a horrific 16-hour ride.

“Trains to Bagan are very slow and not very practical,” Lonely Planet says and, just to rub it in: “It’s often the same old train on the same old tracks… There are as many opinions of Myanmar’s oft-maligned train service as there are people riding it. For some, a train ride on narrow-gauge tracks is like going by horse, with the old carriages rocking back and forth and bounding everyone… on the hard chairs.”

Yes, 16 hours of that. It took advanced balancing skills to use the urinal. Plus, the toilet roof leaked; we brought an umbrella each time we went.

For my grandson, Raja, only 12 at the time, that train ride was the biggest thrill. Then again, he lives dangerously. It was he who earlier asked the tour van driver to please just go past the house of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi—another no-no for tourists, filed under “Don’t Implicate the Locals.”

I will never again take that train ride, but I’d do all the rest of that unforgettable week in Burma (aka Myanmar) at least one more time. Retracing our steps for this narrative, I am infatuated anew with this beguiling piece of the planet.

Burma’s political situation has kept it under the radar of most travellers. There are many reasons not to go, one of them expressed in a cryptic line by well-meaning guidebooks: “Writers and journalists should declare their dream jobs instead when applying for a visa.”

An outstanding reason out of just a handful that encourages visits is that the Burmese people are eager for conversation with the rest of the world, if only to be assured that they are not forgotten. “Keep in touch with new friends that you make there,” the traveller is urged—and this is yet another counsel that we failed to heed.

Raja has misplaced the e-mail address of Naing, a hilariously cheerful jewelry storekeeper in Aung San Bogyoke Market, named for “The Lady’s” revered late father. Naing’s jokes, delivered in impressive English, kept us coming back to his shop, more than the fabulous discounts he gave. “E-mail me our pictures,” he told Raja. “Even without pictures, you write to me, okay?”

The motivation for our trip was a lot more tourist-y and a little less noble. Old Bagan (or, more politically correct, Bagan Archaeological Zone) is home to an astounding number of centuries-old temples—4,400 across a 26-square-mile plain. Thus, it is said to rival Cambodia’s Angkor Wat complex in terms of grandeur and bolt-from-the-blue factor. I had found it, in fact, while cross-checking facts following an intoxicating week in Angkor. “Siem Reap’s (Cambodian temple land) sister city,” was one website’s description of Bagan, a place I had never heard of till then. The posted images were enthralling, and I knew I would be going soon to see for myself.

Smitten with Shwedagon

It took a year to pull off this adventure with Raja and two other friends. We were so focused on Bagan, the ancient capital, that Yangon, the current one, seemed just an inconsequential stopover.

That changed soon enough. Stepping out of the international airport terminal was like stepping into an old movie set. We were immediately fascinated by the sight of men in sarong-like skirts called longyi, and the women sporting stripes and/or dollops of tree-bark powder, thanakha, on their faces.

None of us was prepared for the spell of Shwedagon Paya. Located north of central Yangon, Shwedagon (shwe means gold; Dagon is the old name of Yangon) can be seen from almost anywhere in the city, particularly its great dome, also referred to as a zedi (shrine) or stupa, estimated to be 2,500 years old. The whole temple complex, covering about five hectares, is far from being the remains of a magnificent place of worship. It is a magnificent place of worship still—alive and bustling with devotional rituals, sparkling and magical in escalating degrees from sunrise to sundown, no small thanks to 5,448 diamonds, 2,371 rubies and emeralds on the main dome’s crown or umbrella (hti).

Zedi are supposed to house relics of the Buddha. Enshrined in Shwedagon, we were told, are relics of the past four Buddhas, including eight strands of hair from the Gautama.

It is said that there is more gold plastered onto the sides of Shwedagon than in all the vaults of the Bank of England. For those sufficiently intrigued at this point, there is a whole legend woven into historical fact about this and recorded by major search engines.

In his book “Letters from the East” (1890) the British poet Rudyard Kipling wrote of Shwedagon: “A golden mystery upheaved (sic) itself on the horizon—a beautiful winking wonder that blazed in the sun, of a shape that was neither Muslim nor Hindu temple spire.”

Lonely Planet rhapsodizes: “It is the very heart and soul of this country… the reason for all the smiles in Myanmar, and witness to all of the tears as well. Once seen, it can never be forgotten.”

In Yangon, we also visited Chauk-Htat-Kyi, which houses a 65-meter-long reclining Buddha image. Elsewhere in the world, this alone could be the main tourist attraction.

City tracking

Before our eventful 16-hour journey, we had taken a much shorter train ride on the city route, during which we felt right at home with the commuters who were not shy to communicate via sign language.

An old woman motioned for Raja to sit beside her, then pointed to my camera. Of course I took their picture.

A van in Bagan

Aung San Suu Kyi—who was portrayed by Malaysian actress Michelle Yeow in a bio pic—has been quoted as saying that visitors who “go around in air-conditioned taxis” are not really seeing Burma.

“If you’re in a hurry,” says the guide book, “try not to be.” We had two days in a land of 4,400 temples, so of course we were in a rush. As it was, we knew there was no way we could see even a tenth of those, even if many were really small pagodas, like personal prayer rooms, with even smaller Buddha images inside them.

The Manuha Paya (11th century) was a perfect first stop. “Paya” literally means “holy one” and can refer to people, deities and places associated with religion. Our guide Ye was quick to point out that it was still an “active” temple, like most of the bigger ones—and that devotees hold a big annual celebration here in February or March.

There are three seated Buddhas up front, but Ye’s obvious favorite was the huge reclining Buddha in the back. I wondered aloud why the images were in such tight enclosures. The explanation was that the pagoda was a memorial to an imprisoned monarch. But I would see later that huge Buddhas in small spaces were sort of the norm.

Near sundown, we had to decide where we wanted to watch the vaunted Bagan sunset from. Most visitors pick Shwesandaw Paya but Ye said there would be a lot of people there. He opted for the less crowded Lawka-Ou-Shaung (12th century), where we found no more than 20 tourists and local guides already waiting.

When the sun, with a gradual muting of its blinding light, signified that it was about to begin its descent, a slight chill and a hush fell on the small crowd. From our perch on the temple’s third-level terrace, we beheld a spectacular sight—hundreds of pagodas as far as the eye could see, in red bricks made to look even redder by the fading sun. Among these stood some of the most splendid structures of worship I had ever seen, their domes softly shining like tempered gold.

A great distance from where we sat, three hot air balloons glided across the plain.

No one dared break the exquisite silence on the terrace. I glimpsed more temples below, in the opposite direction, and next to me, faces gleamed as though in front of a fireplace, each one in a half- smile, exuding goodwill. Raja turned to me and said, “Thank you.” My cup ran over.

Sunrise theater

Next morning before dawn, we took a short walk from our hotel, the Bagan Thande, to Mee Nyein Gone (12th century), a wise choice for a sunrise “theater.” Ye said everyone would again be in Shwesandaw. It was very dark in this little-known, therefore almost deserted, temple and the steps leading to the second-level terrace seemed to have been made for toddlers. But there were a few other tourists already positioned among the stupas, and we had missed the first sliver of light. Already we could make out silhouettes of pagodas below.

If sunset was a prize, sunrise was a bonus. One by one, or in tiny groups, the pagodas presented themselves to the daylight, as though emerging from the ground, roused from sleep. I seriously thought I might be dreaming.

I decided at that point that I had seen everything I had come for. But more was coming.

At the Alo Taw Pyi (11th century) temple we joined devotees in a traditional festival and offering to the monks. Although we looked markedly different from the colourfully outfitted locals on account of our attire, we were soon feeling comfortable enough to join them in a scramble for lucky coins tossed by some officials from a tower. In an open reception hall, the faithful paid their respects to a “healing monk.”

Next we went to the market, which I had earlier seen on YouTube. I bought a beggar-monk puppet and a tarnished wooden Buddha head.

Shwezigon Paya (11th century), to our delight, was like a smaller-scale Shwedagon. Htilominlo (13th century) stirred up my most dreamy sighs but it was Gubyaukgyi (12th century), with its richly tinted murals that pre-date the Sistine chapel by at least three centuries that made me very proud, indeed, to be Asian.

Ye had pointed out Ananda Paya (12th c) to us on Day 1. At last we stepped inside its courtyard that was studded with souvenir stands but was still remarkably quiet. Perfectly proportioned, Ananda is the largest and best-preserved in Bagan, most dramatic showcase of the national enthusiasm for religious monuments. Also, at last, we set foot on Shwesandaw (11th century), which we had viewed twice from afar. We understood why Ye hadn’t taken us there for sunset or sunrise: The steps were narrow and steep. But the vast terrace could accommodate about a hundred people at a time without looking crowded. We were there at high noon, however, and it was delightfully deserted.

At the end of our visit, we had barely scratched the surface of this blessed plain.

Bagan, to be cliché-ish about is, is more than a destination; it could be the end of a search for many pilgrims. In 1996, a government campaign for tourists, “Visit Myanmar Year” was dampened by Aung San Suu Kyi’s impassioned plea to “visit us later.” Burma (before the recent elections that saw Aung San’s landslide win) is the longest-running military dictatorship, but the obstinate traveller is bound to ignore the political basis of such a supplication, of course.

The good news is that even the pro-democracy leaders who have consistently bucked the military government’s tourism efforts, seem to have softened their stance and are now agreeable to throwing the country’s doors wide open to the world.

Source: Behold, Burma! Saturday, May 5th, 2012 ]]> Webmaster http://www.myanmartalk.com/forum/showthread.php/1607-Behold-Burma%21 Twin blasts in Myitkyina injure two police http://www.myanmartalk.com/forum/showthread.php/1606-Twin-blasts-in-Myitkyina-injure-two-police?goto=newpost Sun, 06 May 2012 02:27:05 GMT May 5 — Two police were injured after twin bombs exploded this morning at the same location in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin state in Northern Burma.



The explosion occurred on Shwe Hlan-ma (Golden Road) near a roadside restaurant in Tatkone quarter first at about 6 am and then again at 7 am. The second blast injured police who were investigating the first explosion, said eyewitnesses.

The injured police have been hospitalized in General Public Hospital in Myitkyina, said hospital sources.

Since fighting began last year in Kachin state Myitkyina has experienced a series of explosions.

The government has blamed the armed-wing of the Kachin Independence Organization for the blasts however the group has repeatedly stated it does not target civilian areas.

Source: Twin blasts in Myitkyina injure two police 05 May 2012 ]]> Myanmar/Burma Today Webmaster http://www.myanmartalk.com/forum/showthread.php/1606-Twin-blasts-in-Myitkyina-injure-two-police Burma army flies in reinforcements in bid to retake Pangwa http://www.myanmartalk.com/forum/showthread.php/1605-Burma-army-flies-in-reinforcements-in-bid-to-retake-Pangwa?goto=newpost Sun, 06 May 2012 02:23:24 GMT Burma army helicopters airlifted an estimated 200 troops to reinforce government positions near the town of Pangwa last week, as the army tries to... Burma army helicopters airlifted an estimated 200 troops to reinforce government positions near the town of Pangwa last week, as the army tries to retake the town located on the Kachin-China border.


Helicopters sent Burmese troops from Myitkyina to Pangwa that has been circled by KIA troops since April 26.

Pangwa came under the control of the Kachin Independence Organization in late April after troops from the government controlled Border Guard Force who were previously in an KIO breakaway faction joined the resistance.

The fall of Pangwa has been a major embarrassment to the army which has responded by sending more reinforcements to Pangwa over the past week, according to KIO sources currently stationed in the Pangwa area. The army's Northern Regional Command based in Myitkyina is also sending ground troops to Pangwa through the Myitkyina-Waingmaw-Chipwi road, however the troops cannot reach Pangwa due to strong resistance from Kachin forces along the route, say local villagers.

Once a stronghold for the now defunct New Democratic Army-Kachin (NDAK), Pangwa is an important trading area due to its proximity to Myitkyina the Kachin state capital.

In 2009 the NDA-K officially ceased to exist when its standing army of about 1,000 troops was officially absorbed by the national border guard force. Many NDA-K soldiers were upset with their leader Zahkung Ting Ying's decision dissolve the group and join the border guard force.

The NDA-K was the successor to a unit that broke-away from the KIO in 1968 to join forces with the Burma Communist Party (BCP). Following the dissolution of the BCP in 1989, the NDA-K leadership reached a lucrative ceasefire agreement with Burma's central government that enabled the group to profit from the cross border timber trade at Kambaiti and Pangwa.

Zahkung Ting Ying's is currently an independent MP in Burma's parliament. Following the outbreak of fighting last year between the KIO and army troops Zahkung was placed under house arrest despite the fact he hadn't been in the KIO for more than 40 years.

KIO destroys five army trucks at Chipwi
According to villagers in Chipwi, KIO forces destroyed five army trucks near Chipwi on May 1, in a bid to block the army from sending troop reinforcements to army positions at Pangwa.

Source: Burma army flies in reinforcements in bid to retake Pangwa 05 May 2012 ]]> Myanmar/Burma Today Webmaster http://www.myanmartalk.com/forum/showthread.php/1605-Burma-army-flies-in-reinforcements-in-bid-to-retake-Pangwa KIA armed group continues destructive acts http://www.myanmartalk.com/forum/showthread.php/1604-KIA-armed-group-continues-destructive-acts?goto=newpost Sun, 06 May 2012 02:20:03 GMT As a mine planted by KIA (Kachin) armed group at the nearside place of a RC-type bridge on Shwe Road in Eden region (4) in Tatkon Ward in Myitkyina... As a mine planted by KIA (Kachin) armed group at the nearside place of a RC-type bridge on Shwe Road in Eden region (4) in Tatkon Ward in Myitkyina in Kachin State blasted at 6:00 am today, the police cleared the scene.

Two of them got injured from another blast, about 50 feet far from the first explosion, while they were doing clearance. Similarly, the KIA’s mine exploded the Hilux motorcar carrying bags of rice on Moemauk-Lwijye Road at 8:00 am of 4 May, and it claimed the bus-conductor’s life and left the driver injured.

Besides, another mine blast hit the KIA armed group continues destructive acts bridge No.677/0 on Mandalay-Myitkyina Railroad near Khamti at 7:25 pm on 4 May. With an aim of making the public shocked and peace and stability of the State deteriorated, the KIA armed group has been committing destructive acts such as destroying roads and bridges, opening fire on villages with heavy weapons and killing innocent civilians and service personnel. As now is the time when the government, the Tatmadaw and national races armed groups make peace each other, the public willingly has a wish for all armed groups including KIA armed group to live together in peace.

MNA

Source: KIA armed group continues destructive acts NAY PYI TAW, 5 May ]]> Myanmar/Burma Today Webmaster http://www.myanmartalk.com/forum/showthread.php/1604-KIA-armed-group-continues-destructive-acts Burma-China Pipelines Bring Benefits, Complaints http://www.myanmartalk.com/forum/showthread.php/1603-Burma-China-Pipelines-Bring-Benefits-Complaints?goto=newpost Sat, 05 May 2012 03:16:08 GMT In Burma, workers are building one of the most lucrative foreign-funded development projects in the country’s history. Twin oil and gas pipelines... In Burma, workers are building one of the most lucrative foreign-funded development projects in the country’s history. Twin oil and gas pipelines will stretch from Burma’s west coast to its northeast border and into energy-hungry China. They are expected to earn Burma about $1 billion per year, but, not everyone is a supporter.

At Mandalay Hill’s Su Taung Pyai Pagoda a Chinese visitor makes a ritual cleansing prayer.

China is Burma’s biggest investor and here in the country’s second largest city residents say an influx of Chinese immigrants now dominate the busy downtown.

Former Mandalay Trader’s Association general secretary Sai Kyaw Zaw, says that Burmese businesses can no longer compete.

“Seventy-five percent of businesses here are invested by Chinese either legally and illegally. We can see it clearly after Mandalay was razed by heavy fire in 1985," Sai Kyaw Zaw explained. "Most Chinese could re-build their houses immediately with support from mainland China. After that, all of downtown Mandalay became China Town.”

Outside Mandalay, a Chinese company building pipelines is bringing controversy to the country

The network will carry domestic oil and gas and also offload tankers from the Middle East and Africa in the Bay of Bengal.

A group of foreign investors backed the project but most of the financing is from China. So are many of the workers, known by their red jump suits.

Skilled local hires can earn about $250 a month says bulldozer driver Ko Hla Maung. “I don’t know the details of this project. I just come and work here for daily wages,” he said.

While the project brings jobs, some landowners have objections. Monks at the Asia A Linn Yaung Monastery in Pyin Oo Lwin Township were initially offered nothing for part of their property - until the news media published their complaints.

Senior monk U Sein Di Tha says local farmers are too afraid to speak out.

"The government will take their land and continue pipeline construction whether they agree to it or not," he said. "That is why they try to be content with the compensation. Nobody wants to give up their land."

To win over local critics, China National Petroleum Corporation is donating several million dollars to build new health clinics, wells and schools.

In Hman Pin Village, a new school for 300 students was welcomed by Hla Myint, the village head.

“I am very happy to have a new school at my village because it is not possible to build it with our own funds. The old school lasted over 40 years but was in very poor condition.”

Engineers say the pipeline should be completed next year - another big Chinese development project bringing in jobs and also mixed feelings among the people of Burma.

Source: Burma-China Pipelines Bring Benefits, Complaints May 04, 2012 ]]> Myanmar/Burma Today Webmaster http://www.myanmartalk.com/forum/showthread.php/1603-Burma-China-Pipelines-Bring-Benefits-Complaints Lift all economic sanctions against Burma http://www.myanmartalk.com/forum/showthread.php/1602-Lift-all-economic-sanctions-against-Burma?goto=newpost Sat, 05 May 2012 03:12:29 GMT Sen. Jim Webb, whose historic trip to Burma in 2009 set the stage for a new direction in U.S. policy toward that country, today called for the... Sen. Jim Webb, whose historic trip to Burma in 2009 set the stage for a new direction in U.S. policy toward that country, today called for the Administration “to facilitate reforms in Burma (Myanmar) through the lifting of economic sanctions.”



Sen. Webb, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations East Asian and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee, was joined in his letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by subcommittee ranking member James Inhofe.

“This letter is the result of years of thought and effort, and I am confident that lifting economic sanctions is the best course of action,” commented Sen. Webb. “The President has the power to do that. It’s time for him to act.”

In 2009, Sen. Webb was the first American leader to visit Burma in more than 10 years, and remains the only American official ever to meet with General Than Shwe, the former leader of the country’s former military regime. During that visit, Senator Webb also met with Thein Sein, who now serves as President, and Aung San Suu Kyi, who at that time remained under house arrest. Sen. Webb made his third visit to Burma in April, shortly after that country’s national parliamentary by-elections. He then chaired a subcommittee hearing on April 26, 2012, with senior officials from the Departments of Treasury and State and USAID, as well as outside experts, to provide a clearer understanding of the range of sanctions in place and the obstacles to removing them.

“At this critical moment, it is imperative that our policy toward Burma be forward thinking, providing incentives for further reforms and building the capacity of reformers in the government to push for additional change,” Sen. Webb, joined by Sen. Inhofe, wrote. “We urge the Administration to take action under its own authority, and seize this opportunity to support the Burmese people in their efforts to form an open, democratic government that respects and protects the rights of all.”

In response to questions raised at the April 26 subcommittee hearing, Office of Foreign Assets Control Director Adam Szubin testified that the main categories of sanctions imposed by statute or executive order can be lifted by the President via licenses, rescission of executive orders, or issuance of waivers on national security. He noted that executive decisions to remove sanctions can still target and blacklist the assets or activities of specific “bad actors” from the previous military junta so that they will not benefit from economic relations with the United States.

In their joint letter, the senators warned against lifting sanctions sector by sector, noting that retaining sanctions on individual industries such as petroleum would be “a strategic mistake. The United States should not be picking winners and losers in our economic engagement abroad, but rather should be encouraging the business community as a whole to take on the risk of investing in human development in Burma. Their involvement can foster an open, transparent business environment that supports the rule of law and a level playing field for foreign investment.”

“Progress in Burma toward the goals we all share—greater freedom and prosperity for the people of Burma—is ultimately tied to the sanctions that are in place,” wrote the senators. “Unlike some other countries in the region, most notably China and Vietnam, Burma’s new leadership has moved forward with political change ahead of economic change. It is important to note that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi herself, speaking as an elected representative of the government of Burma, publicly announced her support for the EU’s decision to suspend sanctions in response to democratic reforms in the country. The process of reform in Burma is still far from complete, but the positive steps that have been taken should be met with a positive response from our own government.”

Source: Lift all economic sanctions against Burma ay 4, 2012 ]]> Myanmar/Burma Today Webmaster http://www.myanmartalk.com/forum/showthread.php/1602-Lift-all-economic-sanctions-against-Burma <![CDATA[ေဒါ့ဖုန္းယန္ျမိဳ႕ထဲ ျမန္မာစစ္ေၾကာင္း(]]> http://www.myanmartalk.com/forum/showthread.php/1601-%E1%80%B1%E1%80%92%E1%80%AB%E1%80%B7%E1%80%96%E1%80%AF%E1%80%94%E1%80%B9%E1%80%B8%E1%80%9A%E1%80%94%E1%80%B9%E1%80%BB%E1%80%99%E1%80%AD%E1%80%B3%E1%82%95%E1%80%91%E1%80%B2-%E1%80%BB%E1%80%99%E1%80%94%E1%80%B9%E1%80%99%E1%80%AC%E1%80%85%E1%80%85%E1%80%B9%E1%80%B1%E1%81%BE%E1%80%80%E1%80%AC%E1%80%84%E1%80%B9%E1%80%B8-40?goto=newpost Fri, 04 May 2012 10:22:28 GMT ေမ ၃ ရက္ — ကခ်င္ျပည္နယ္ ဗန္းေမာ္ (မန္ေမာ္) ခရိုင္ ေဒါ့ဖုန္းယန္ျမိဳ႕သို႔ ၀င္သာေသာ ျမန္မာအစိုးရ စစ္ေၾကာင္းကို ကခ်င္လြတ္ေျမာက္ေရးတပ္ဖြဲ႔ (KIA)မွ ဗံုး၊ လက္နက္ငယ္မ်ားျဖင့္ တိုက္ခိုက္ခဲ့ေၾကာင္း ေဒသခံမ်ားဆိုသည္။



နံနက္ ၈ နာရီခန္႔က ျမစ္ၾကီးနား-ဗန္းေမာ္ (မန္ေမာ္) လမ္းေၾကာင္း နားလုံေက်းရြာမွ ေဒါ့ဖုန္းယန္သို႔ ၀င္လာသည့္ အစိုးရစစ္ေၾကာင္းကို KIA စစ္သားမ်ားမွ ဗံုးေဖာက္ခြဲၿပီး လက္နက္ငယ္ပစ္ခတ္ခဲ့သည္ဟု KIA အရာရွိမ်ား ေျပာသည္။

တိုက္ခိုက္မႈတြင္ ျမန္မာစစ္သား က်ဆံုး ဒဏ္ရာရရွိသူမ်ား ၁၀ ဦး အထက္ရိွမည္ဟု KIA ကဆိုေသာ္လည္း ကခ်င္သတင္းဌာန(KNG) က သီးျခားအတည္ျပဳခ်က္ မရရွိေသးပါ။

Source: ေဒါ့ဖုန္းယန္ျမိဳ႕ထဲ ျမန္မာစစ္ေၾကာင္းကို KIA တိုက္ခိုက္4.5.12 ]]> Myanmar/Burma Today Webmaster http://www.myanmartalk.com/forum/showthread.php/1601-%E1%80%B1%E1%80%92%E1%80%AB%E1%80%B7%E1%80%96%E1%80%AF%E1%80%94%E1%80%B9%E1%80%B8%E1%80%9A%E1%80%94%E1%80%B9%E1%80%BB%E1%80%99%E1%80%AD%E1%80%B3%E1%82%95%E1%80%91%E1%80%B2-%E1%80%BB%E1%80%99%E1%80%94%E1%80%B9%E1%80%99%E1%80%AC%E1%80%85%E1%80%85%E1%80%B9%E1%80%B1%E1%81%BE%E1%80%80%E1%80%AC%E1%80%84%E1%80%B9%E1%80%B8-40