"Myanmar rioting death toll at 42" Associated Press, March 29, 2013
YANGON, Myanmar — President Thein Sein said Thursday that his government would use force if necessary to quell deadly religious rioting that started last week, as attacks on Muslims by Buddhist mobs continued in several towns.
I was taught that real Buddhists were nonviolent and peaceful.
In his first comments on the violence, Thein Sein warned in a televised speech that he would make all legal efforts to stop political opportunists and religious extremists trying to sow hatred between faiths.
Gee, who would want to do that?
Police announced Thursday that 42 people have been killed, 37 religious buildings and 1,227 houses have been damaged or destroyed, and 68 arrests have been made in the three regions since the recent unrest started on March 20.
The violence began with rioting by Buddhists targeting minority Muslims in the central city of Meikhtila, which drove about 12,000 people from their homes. It spread this week to several towns in the Bago region, about 100 miles north of the country’s biggest city, Yangon. One incident was reported near Naypyitaw, the capital.
Although curfews and bans on public gatherings have been imposed in the affected areas, state television reported that groups of people attacked houses, shops, and religious buildings on Thursday in two towns in Bago. On Wednesday, it reported that security forces fired shots into the air to break up attacks, which residents said targeted Muslim properties.
‘‘In general, I do not endorse the use of force to solve problems,’’ Thein Sein said. “However, I will not hesitate to use force as a last resort to protect the lives and safeguard the property of the general public.’’
What other choice does he have?
--more--"
"Ethnic clashes in Myanmar leave 56 dead" Associated Press, October 26, 2012
KYAUKTAW, Myanmar — At least 56 people were killed and nearly 2,000 homes destroyed in the latest outbreak of ethnic violence in western Myanmar, a government official said Thursday.
In June, ethnic violence in the state left at least 90 people dead and destroyed more than 3,000 homes. Tens of thousands of people remain in refugee camps.
--more--"
"Survivors criticize Myanmar government over clashes" Associated Press, October 30, 2012
--more--"
"Survivors criticize Myanmar government over clashes" Associated Press, October 30, 2012
SITTWE, Myanmar — Survivors of ethnic clashes in western Myanmar lashed out at the government Monday for failing to prevent violence between Muslims and Buddhists that has displaced some 28,000 people over the last week.
The crisis, which began in June, has raised international concern and posed one of the biggest challenges yet to President Thein Sein, a reformist who inherited power from a xenophobic military junta last year.
See what I'm saying? If you read between the agenda-pushing intelligence operation we call ma$$ media over here you can see it being used as a tool. The why comes below.
The latest violence between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims began Oct. 21 and has left at least 84 people dead and 129 injured, government officials say. Human rights groups believe that the toll could be far higher.
‘‘The authorities are not solving the problem, and soldiers are not defending us,’’ said Kyaw Myint, a Muslim who took refuge at Thechaung camp outside Sittwe. He fled his home in nearby Pauktaw when it was torched Wednesday.
A 37-year-old Rakhine trader named Maung Than Naing, reached by phone in the village of Kyauktaw, expressed anger over the government’s handling of the violence.
‘‘We are helpless because the government is not dealing with the root of the problem,’’ he said. ‘‘We no longer want to live with the Muslims.’’
A tense calm has held across the region since Saturday, Rakhine state spokesman Myo Thant said.--more--"
How can they get it stirred back up?
Myanmar monks protest mine
"Myanmar cracks down on protesters, dozens of monks hurt" by Thomas Fuller | New York Times, November 30, 2012
The crisis, which began in June, has raised international concern and posed one of the biggest challenges yet to President Thein Sein, a reformist who inherited power from a xenophobic military junta last year.
See what I'm saying? If you read between the agenda-pushing intelligence operation we call ma$$ media over here you can see it being used as a tool. The why comes below.
The latest violence between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims began Oct. 21 and has left at least 84 people dead and 129 injured, government officials say. Human rights groups believe that the toll could be far higher.
‘‘The authorities are not solving the problem, and soldiers are not defending us,’’ said Kyaw Myint, a Muslim who took refuge at Thechaung camp outside Sittwe. He fled his home in nearby Pauktaw when it was torched Wednesday.
A 37-year-old Rakhine trader named Maung Than Naing, reached by phone in the village of Kyauktaw, expressed anger over the government’s handling of the violence.
‘‘We are helpless because the government is not dealing with the root of the problem,’’ he said. ‘‘We no longer want to live with the Muslims.’’
A tense calm has held across the region since Saturday, Rakhine state spokesman Myo Thant said.--more--"
How can they get it stirred back up?
Myanmar monks protest mine
"Myanmar cracks down on protesters, dozens of monks hurt" by Thomas Fuller | New York Times, November 30, 2012
BANGKOK — Myanmar began its largest crackdown on protesters since the civilian government of President Thein Sein came to power 20 months ago, mounting a raid on Thursday on hundreds of Buddhist monks and villagers opposed to the expansion of a Chinese-led copper mine project in central Myanmar.
Witnesses said dozens of monks and other protesters were injured when security forces used incendiary devices that set fire to protesters’ encampments outside the offices of the Chinese company, which has a partnership with the powerful military in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.
Possible war crimes charge there.
Photos from online Burmese news sites showed monks, who are highly revered in the country and often involved in political causes, with singed saffron robes stuck to their badly seared skin.
The raid came hours before a scheduled visit to the area by Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel laureate and leader of the opposition in Parliament. The trip by such a high-profile figure as Suu Kyi to the city of Monywa, near the mine, underlined the support and resonance that the protests had across the country before Thursday’s raid.
I'm getting the feeling of another covert intelligence operation using controlled opposition.
Analysts said the brutal way that the crackdown was carried out could hurt the popularity of Thein Sein as he tries to convince the country that his government has made a clean break from the military regime that ruled for five decades.
‘‘There will be political consequences,’’ said U Thiha Saw, the editor of Open News Journal and Myanma Danna magazine. ‘‘This may be the start of an uglier phase for the government. Things may get a little more complicated.’’
The crackdown was conducted by security forces inexperienced in modern crowd control. During five decades of military rule, which ended early last year, dissent was brutally repressed and on several occasions protesters were shot dead in the streets.
On Thursday, the security forces fired what one witness described as ‘‘black balls that exploded into fire.’’ The authorities had set a Wednesday deadline for the dispersal of protesters.
Factory workers, villagers, and ethnic minorities have taken advantage of new freedoms under Thein Sein’s government and carried out limited demonstrations and strikes in recent months. But protests at the copper mine were by far the largest since the military junta ceded power to the civilian government in March 2011.
By dealing so forcefully with the protests, the government risks being seen as defending the vested interests of the old regime. The project was typical of the opaque deals that took place during military rule — and which made many generals rich.
No disrespect intended, but I can no longer tolerate this pot-hollering-kettle jewsmedia.
The military has been so deeply involved in businesses that it has its own holding company, the Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings, which is listed as a part owner of the copper mine.
The deal between Myanmar’s military and the Chinese company, a subsidiary of a state-owned Chinese arms manufacturer, was signed two years ago when Thein Sein was prime minister in the military junta.
According to a US diplomatic cable made public by WikiLeaks, the deal was brokered by U Tay Za, a tycoon who became rich through his connections to the military regime, especially the country’s former dictator, Senior General Than Shwe.
Oh, my pri$m of a paper decided to go and get that, huh?
Thursday’s crackdown also complicates the investment picture for China, which has struggled with the perception in Myanmar that it is mainly interested in extracting natural resources from the country.
That's the EUSrael Empire's goal, too!
The Global Times, a state-owned Chinese newspaper, published an article Thursday before the crackdown that accused the West and advocacy groups of instigating the protests and said shutting down the mine would be ‘‘a lose-lose situation’’ for China and Myanmar.
That I believe because the "enemy" is saying it in my newspaper. Isn't that sad?
‘‘Chinese companies’ investments in Myanmar are facing huge challenges,’’ the article said. ‘‘What we see in the country is the inevitable impact of its democratization.’’
Anti-Chinese sentiment was a major factor in the cancellation of a hydroelectric dam project last year in northern Myanmar that would have exported electricity to China. The project was suspended after an outcry.
See: Slow Saturday Special: Dam Democracy in Myanmar
Thursday’s raid came in the predawn hours. Ashin Visara, a 28-year-old monk who was injured in the crackdown, said security forces threw ‘‘explosive devices’’ into the areas where protesters were camped out.
‘‘That started fires at the protest sites,’’ he said. ‘‘And then they attacked us.’’
U Nway Oo, a student activist from Monywa who assisted the injured, said many protesters fled into the surrounding villages or the jungle.
“There were no medical personnel or ambulances around before the crackdown,’’ he said.
--more--"
Witnesses said dozens of monks and other protesters were injured when security forces used incendiary devices that set fire to protesters’ encampments outside the offices of the Chinese company, which has a partnership with the powerful military in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.
Possible war crimes charge there.
Photos from online Burmese news sites showed monks, who are highly revered in the country and often involved in political causes, with singed saffron robes stuck to their badly seared skin.
The raid came hours before a scheduled visit to the area by Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel laureate and leader of the opposition in Parliament. The trip by such a high-profile figure as Suu Kyi to the city of Monywa, near the mine, underlined the support and resonance that the protests had across the country before Thursday’s raid.
I'm getting the feeling of another covert intelligence operation using controlled opposition.
Analysts said the brutal way that the crackdown was carried out could hurt the popularity of Thein Sein as he tries to convince the country that his government has made a clean break from the military regime that ruled for five decades.
‘‘There will be political consequences,’’ said U Thiha Saw, the editor of Open News Journal and Myanma Danna magazine. ‘‘This may be the start of an uglier phase for the government. Things may get a little more complicated.’’
The crackdown was conducted by security forces inexperienced in modern crowd control. During five decades of military rule, which ended early last year, dissent was brutally repressed and on several occasions protesters were shot dead in the streets.
On Thursday, the security forces fired what one witness described as ‘‘black balls that exploded into fire.’’ The authorities had set a Wednesday deadline for the dispersal of protesters.
Factory workers, villagers, and ethnic minorities have taken advantage of new freedoms under Thein Sein’s government and carried out limited demonstrations and strikes in recent months. But protests at the copper mine were by far the largest since the military junta ceded power to the civilian government in March 2011.
By dealing so forcefully with the protests, the government risks being seen as defending the vested interests of the old regime. The project was typical of the opaque deals that took place during military rule — and which made many generals rich.
No disrespect intended, but I can no longer tolerate this pot-hollering-kettle jewsmedia.
The military has been so deeply involved in businesses that it has its own holding company, the Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings, which is listed as a part owner of the copper mine.
The deal between Myanmar’s military and the Chinese company, a subsidiary of a state-owned Chinese arms manufacturer, was signed two years ago when Thein Sein was prime minister in the military junta.
According to a US diplomatic cable made public by WikiLeaks, the deal was brokered by U Tay Za, a tycoon who became rich through his connections to the military regime, especially the country’s former dictator, Senior General Than Shwe.
Oh, my pri$m of a paper decided to go and get that, huh?
Thursday’s crackdown also complicates the investment picture for China, which has struggled with the perception in Myanmar that it is mainly interested in extracting natural resources from the country.
That's the EUSrael Empire's goal, too!
The Global Times, a state-owned Chinese newspaper, published an article Thursday before the crackdown that accused the West and advocacy groups of instigating the protests and said shutting down the mine would be ‘‘a lose-lose situation’’ for China and Myanmar.
That I believe because the "enemy" is saying it in my newspaper. Isn't that sad?
‘‘Chinese companies’ investments in Myanmar are facing huge challenges,’’ the article said. ‘‘What we see in the country is the inevitable impact of its democratization.’’
Anti-Chinese sentiment was a major factor in the cancellation of a hydroelectric dam project last year in northern Myanmar that would have exported electricity to China. The project was suspended after an outcry.
See: Slow Saturday Special: Dam Democracy in Myanmar
Thursday’s raid came in the predawn hours. Ashin Visara, a 28-year-old monk who was injured in the crackdown, said security forces threw ‘‘explosive devices’’ into the areas where protesters were camped out.
‘‘That started fires at the protest sites,’’ he said. ‘‘And then they attacked us.’’
U Nway Oo, a student activist from Monywa who assisted the injured, said many protesters fled into the surrounding villages or the jungle.
“There were no medical personnel or ambulances around before the crackdown,’’ he said.
--more--"
"8 killed in Myanmar-related prison riot" by Binsar Bakkara | Associated Press, April 06, 2013
BELAWAN, Indonesia — Sectarian and ethnic tensions running high in Myanmar boiled over far outside the country’s borders Friday, when Buddhist fishermen and Muslim asylum seekers from the country brawled with knives and rocks at an Indonesian immigration detention center, leaving eight dead and another 15 injured.
The melee broke out in North Sumatra province, where more than 100 Rohingya migrants — most intercepted off Indonesia’s coast after fleeing their homeland in rickety boats — and 11 Buddhists accused of illegal fishing were being housed together, said local police chief Endro Kiswanto.
He said witnesses told police the clash started early Friday after a Rohingya Muslim cleric and a fisherman got into a heated debate about sectarian violence that erupted last month in central Myanmar when mobs of armed Buddhists torched Muslim-owned homes and shops, killing dozens and forcing thousands to flee.
The argument apparently started after the Rohingya migrants saw photos showing destruction caused by the recent violence, said Yusuf Umardani, detention center chief. Insults were traded, and the cleric was allegedly attacked by a fisherman. When the cleric screamed, his friends jumped in to help. From there, the fight broke out so quickly, security guards were too late to stop it.
‘‘The violence took place so fast, and it was completely unexpected because they had been living peacefully here so far,’’ Umardani said. ‘‘Most of the dead victims suffered severe head injuries. Apparently, they fought using anything that they could get — rocks, wood, chairs, and knives.’’
Eight Buddhists were killed, and 15 Rohingya were injured. Local police spokesman Colonel Raden Heru Prakoso said 18 Rohingya detainees have been named as suspects.
About 280 people are crammed into the overcrowded detention center — more than double its capacity.
--more--"
"Myanmar areas give Muslims 2-child limit" Associated Press, May 26, 2013
YANGON, Myanmar — Authorities in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state have imposed a two-child limit for Muslim Rohingya families, a policy that does not apply to Buddhists in the area and comes amid accusations of ethnic cleansing in the aftermath of sectarian violence.
Local officials said Saturday that the new measure would be applied to two Rakhine townships that border Bangladesh and have the highest Muslim populations in the state. The townships, Buthidaung and Maundaw, are about 95 percent Muslim.
The unusual order makes Myanmar perhaps the only country in the world to impose such a restriction on a religious group, and is likely to fuel further criticism that Muslims are being discriminated against in the Buddhist-majority country.
China has a one-child policy, but it is not based on religion and exceptions apply to minority ethnic groups. India briefly practiced forced sterilization of men in a bid to control the population in the mid-1970s when civil liberties were suspended during a period of emergency rule, but a nationwide outcry quickly shut down the program.
But governments don't do that sort of thing! That's conspiracy talk!
But governments don't do that sort of thing! That's conspiracy talk!
Rakhine state spokesman Win Myaing said the new program was meant to stem rapid population growth in the Muslim community, which a government-appointed commission identified as one of the causes of the sectarian violence.
You u$le$$ eaters, you!
You u$le$$ eaters, you!
Although Muslims are the majority in the two townships in which the new policy applies, they account for only about 4 percent of Myanmar’s roughly 60 million people.
The measure was enacted a week ago after the commission recommended family planning programs to stem population growth among Muslims, Win Myaing said.
The commission also recommended doubling the number of security forces in the volatile region.
‘‘The population growth of Rohingya Muslims is 10 times higher than that of the Rakhine [Buddhists],’’ Win Myaing said. ‘‘Overpopulation is one of the causes of tension.’’
I hate that kind of talk when there are plenty of resources to take care of the entire planet. It's money-addicted cretins and corporations that are ruining it for the rest.
Sectarian violence in Myanmar first flared nearly a year ago in Rakhine state between the region’s Rakhine Buddhists and Muslim Rohingya. Mobs of Buddhists armed with machetes razed thousands of Muslim homes, leaving hundreds of people dead and forcing 125,000 to flee, mostly Muslims.
I hate that kind of talk when there are plenty of resources to take care of the entire planet. It's money-addicted cretins and corporations that are ruining it for the rest.
Sectarian violence in Myanmar first flared nearly a year ago in Rakhine state between the region’s Rakhine Buddhists and Muslim Rohingya. Mobs of Buddhists armed with machetes razed thousands of Muslim homes, leaving hundreds of people dead and forcing 125,000 to flee, mostly Muslims.
Witnesses and human rights groups say riot police stood by as crowds attacked Muslims and burned their villages.
New York-based Human Rights Watch has accused authorities in Rakhine of fomenting an organized campaign of ‘‘ethnic cleansing’’ against the Rohingya.
Who is Human Rights Watch anyway?
Who is Human Rights Watch anyway?
Since the violence, religious unrest has morphed into a campaign against the country’s Muslim communities in other regions.
Containing the strife has posed a serious challenge to President Thein Sein’s reformist government as it attempts to make democratic reforms after nearly half a century of harsh military rule.
It has also tarnished the image of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been criticized for failing to speak out strongly in defense of the country’s embattled Muslim community.
Okay, she did, are you happy now?
Related:
‘‘There are those who say I shouldn’t say I would like to be president,’’ Suu Kyi told a panel in a broadcast on the World Economic Forum’s website. Myanmar may attract $100 billion in foreign direct investment during the next two decades if it spends enough to achieve its economic growth potential, McKinsey Global Institute said in a May 30 report. Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace laureate, also defended herself against criticism that she has not said enough to defend the country’s minority Muslim Rohingya. Human Rights Watch has accused the government of ethnic cleansing."
It's Juman Rights Watch.
Suu Kyi knits for party fund-raiser
Not tarni$hed that much.
Okay, she did, are you happy now?
Related:
‘‘There are those who say I shouldn’t say I would like to be president,’’ Suu Kyi told a panel in a broadcast on the World Economic Forum’s website. Myanmar may attract $100 billion in foreign direct investment during the next two decades if it spends enough to achieve its economic growth potential, McKinsey Global Institute said in a May 30 report. Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace laureate, also defended herself against criticism that she has not said enough to defend the country’s minority Muslim Rohingya. Human Rights Watch has accused the government of ethnic cleansing."
It's Juman Rights Watch.
Suu Kyi knits for party fund-raiser
Not tarni$hed that much.
The central government has not made any statement about the two-child policy, which was introduced at a local level.
Calls seeking comment Saturday from two government spokesmen were not immediately returned, but Rakhine state official Myo Than said all local policies require ‘‘consent from the central government.’’
--more--"
It's now a state of emergency with a fresh round of sectarian violence mostly by Buddhists(?) drawing criticism of Thein Sein?
Myanmar frees prisoners ahead of regional summit
It's all about appeasing the westerners and their concerns about a relapse in relations with China.
"Myanmar activist will lead investigation at copper mine" by Yadana Htun | Associated Press, December 02, 2012
MANDALAY, Myanmar — Myanmar’s government has appointed a commission led by opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to investigate the recent violent dispersal of peaceful protesters at a copper mine and advise whether the project should continue....
Security forces on Thursday ousted protesters at the Letpadaung mine near Monywa in northwestern Myanmar. Dozens of villagers and Buddhist monks were hurt, mostly with burns they said were caused by incendiary devices.
The crackdown was the biggest use of force against demonstrators since the reformist government of President Thein Sein took office last year.
The protesters say the mine is causing environmental, social, and health problems.
I do not doubt that.
The project is a joint venture between a Chinese firm and a company controlled by Myanmar’s military.
The appointment of Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, to head the investigation gives it credibility that the army-backed government lacks, even though political and economic liberalization under Thein Sein has won praise from Western governments....
Many in Myanmar remain suspicious of the military and regard China as an aggressive and exploitative investor that helped support its rule.
Suu Kyi visited the area after the crackdown, meeting with mining company officials, activists, and injured protesters, as well as security officials.
In speeches to residents, she said the use of force was not justified, but also suggested that protesters might have to compromise on the mine issue because Myanmar was honor-bound to respect contracts, even if they were done under the previous military regime.
Government officials have said repeatedly that shutting down the project could scare off much-needed foreign investment.
Monks were among the most seriously wounded protesters, many with severe burns, and fellow monks have been holding protests to demand an apology from the authorities.
The previous military government cracked down violently on monks who were leading prodemocracy protests in 2007 that came to be known as the ‘‘saffron revolution,’’ from the color of their robes.
When it gets a color or a name it's an agenda-advancing intelligence operation and attempted coup!
In a possible sign of government nervousness about possible unrest, police in Yangon on Saturday night detained a prominent former activist monk, Shin Gambira, his mother said.
Shin Gambira, whose lay name is Nyi Nyi Lwin, played a prominent role in the 2007 demonstrations until he was arrested. He was released from prison in January. It was unclear whether his detention Saturday was related to protests in Yangon against the crackdown at the Letpadaung mine.
--more--"
It's now a state of emergency with a fresh round of sectarian violence mostly by Buddhists(?) drawing criticism of Thein Sein?
Myanmar frees prisoners ahead of regional summit
It's all about appeasing the westerners and their concerns about a relapse in relations with China.
"Myanmar activist will lead investigation at copper mine" by Yadana Htun | Associated Press, December 02, 2012
MANDALAY, Myanmar — Myanmar’s government has appointed a commission led by opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to investigate the recent violent dispersal of peaceful protesters at a copper mine and advise whether the project should continue....
Security forces on Thursday ousted protesters at the Letpadaung mine near Monywa in northwestern Myanmar. Dozens of villagers and Buddhist monks were hurt, mostly with burns they said were caused by incendiary devices.
The crackdown was the biggest use of force against demonstrators since the reformist government of President Thein Sein took office last year.
The protesters say the mine is causing environmental, social, and health problems.
I do not doubt that.
The project is a joint venture between a Chinese firm and a company controlled by Myanmar’s military.
The appointment of Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, to head the investigation gives it credibility that the army-backed government lacks, even though political and economic liberalization under Thein Sein has won praise from Western governments....
Many in Myanmar remain suspicious of the military and regard China as an aggressive and exploitative investor that helped support its rule.
Suu Kyi visited the area after the crackdown, meeting with mining company officials, activists, and injured protesters, as well as security officials.
In speeches to residents, she said the use of force was not justified, but also suggested that protesters might have to compromise on the mine issue because Myanmar was honor-bound to respect contracts, even if they were done under the previous military regime.
Government officials have said repeatedly that shutting down the project could scare off much-needed foreign investment.
Monks were among the most seriously wounded protesters, many with severe burns, and fellow monks have been holding protests to demand an apology from the authorities.
The previous military government cracked down violently on monks who were leading prodemocracy protests in 2007 that came to be known as the ‘‘saffron revolution,’’ from the color of their robes.
When it gets a color or a name it's an agenda-advancing intelligence operation and attempted coup!
In a possible sign of government nervousness about possible unrest, police in Yangon on Saturday night detained a prominent former activist monk, Shin Gambira, his mother said.
Shin Gambira, whose lay name is Nyi Nyi Lwin, played a prominent role in the 2007 demonstrations until he was arrested. He was released from prison in January. It was unclear whether his detention Saturday was related to protests in Yangon against the crackdown at the Letpadaung mine.
--more--"
