The Narinjara News

(10 June 2009)

www.narinjara.com

 

 

NEWS IN ENGLISH

 

Indian MPs for release of Suu Kyi

SPDC Extends Ethnic Radio Program for Propaganda

Over One Million Taka of Yaba Seized on Border

 

 

NEWS IN BURMESE

http://www.narinjara.com/burmese.asp

 

 

Sittwe FM radio to extend Irrawaddy division

Over One Million Taka of Yaba Seized on Border

Heavy Monsoon rain in Arakan

Abuse of Labor rights in Arakan

 

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Narinjara News

New Delhi, 10 June 2009

 

Indian MPs for release of Suu Kyi

 

by Nava Thakuria

 

New Delhi: More than 100 Indian MPs have called uopn the Government of India to intervene for the release of Burmese Democratic Leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

 

The Indian Parliamentarian Forum for Democracy in Burma (IPFDB) has submitted the petition on behalf of 118 Indian MPs from both houses to call on New Delhi to intervene for the release of Suu Kyi and for the restoration of democracy in Burma, informed Thin Thin Aung of Women’s League of Burma.

 

IPFDB sent the petition to both Prime Minister and External Affairs Minister of India and call on the Indian government to intervene in the current situation to urge upon the Burmese generals through all possible diplomatic and other demarches to release the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and the recipient of the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding.

 

“We, the parliamentarian, who has signed and has not signed, will pressure the Government of India to take action in this particular issue for immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi and restoration of democracy in Burma,” said Abani Roy, member of the Rajya Sabha at the

press conference in New Delhi.

 

“Despite the fact that India has its own interest to cooperate with the Burmese generals to tackle the northeast insurgency problems, it should not comprise on principles of democracy at any cost” said another member of the upper house of Indian parliament, Sharad Joshi who also attended the press conference.

 

“We should help Burma become democracy like we helped in our other neighboring countries like Nepal and Bangladesh”.

 

Indian parliamentarians also strongly call on the Burmese military government to release the Great lady unconditionally and immediately in separate letter to Senior General Than Shwe sent through the Burmese Embassy in New Delhi.

 

Dr Tint Swe, exiled Burmese MP from the National League for Democracy (NLD) based in India urged the Indian government to actively engage with the United Nations’ effort to create the political dialogue between Suu Kyi led democratic forces, Ethnic forces and the military

generals.

 

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Narinjara News

Sittwe, 10 June 2009

 

 

SPDC Extends Ethnic Radio Program for Propaganda

 

The Burmese military junta has extended its ethnic radio programs to one hour long in order to propagate its strategies and activities among the ethnic nationalities of Burma.

 

One listener said, "The ethnic radio program for seven major nationalities in Burma was being aired through Myanmar Broadcasting Service in Naypyidaw and each nationality gets one hour on air per day in their respective languages."

 

The seven major nationalities that are represented in the radio program are Arakanese, Mon, Kachin, Shan, Karen, Kayah, and Chin.

 

"The Arakanese program is aired every day from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm. Most of the time is used for Arakanese national songs. But the radio airs the policies of the military junta between the songs, one after one, using up nearly 30 minutes," the listener said.

 

The Burmese military authority did not allow the airing of Arakanese nationalist songs in the past, but is now attempting to draw Arakanese to listen to the radio program.

 

According to a local source, even though the Arakanese radio program airs Arakanese songs through the Myanmar Broadcasting Service, the program is less popular than the BBC, VOA, and RFA. The majority of people are still listening to the BBC, VOA, and RFA to get accurate and unbiased news stories about Burma.

 

When asked over the phone about Sittwe FM radio, a monk told Narinjara that Burma Information Minister Brig-Gen Kyaw Hsan once told a senior monk in Sittwe that the Burmese military junta has been defeated in the media war with opposition groups, despite the junta having the upper hand in other sectors.

 

The military junta recently set up a FM radio station in Sittwe to propagate its policies. Before the radio program, the junta had set up a printing house in Sittwe to publish its newspapers - Kaymon and New Light of Myanmar - for local distribution to Arakanese. However, these attempts to target people with media have apparently failed to gain the support of Arakanese.

 

Radio Free Asia (Burmese) and the Democratic Voice of Burma also air programs every day in the various ethnic languages, and all major ethnic nationalities in Burma receive nearly 30 minutes a day of programming in their language.

 

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Narinjara News

Cox’sbazar, 10 June 2009

 

 

Over One Million Taka of Yaba Seized on Border

 

Bangladesh Rifles on Sunday seized over one million taka worth of yaba tablets on the border when checking a bus at a routine checkpoint on the Teknaf - Cox's Bazar highway in southern Bangladesh.

 

A BDR official said the yaba was seized at Palong Khali checkpost in the early morning hours of Sunday from the vehicle, but no one was arrested in the incident.

 

The total number of yaba tablets seized was reported as 2,018, which has a street value of 1,007,000 taka in Bangladesh. The drugs were allegedly being transported from Maungdaw in Burma.

 

This is the first large haul of yaba from Burma that has been seized by BDR officials in 2009 on the route bordering Burma.

 

BDR officials turned over the drugs to customs officials in Cox's Bazar after the seizure.

 

Burmese-made yaba is used by wealthier people in Bangladesh, supporting trafficking syndicates that smuggle the yaba into Bangladesh from Burma.

 

A Burmese businessman living in Maungdaw said that Maungdaw is a major transit point for yaba being smuggled to Bangladesh. Many traffickers smuggle the drugs to Bangladesh in motor boats crossing the Naff River.

 

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Narinjara News (NN) was founded by a group of Arakanese in exile in Bangladesh from Burma in 2001 seeking to voice for the people depriving of human and democratic rights and to pave the way for them who are struggling for those rights. The Narinjara News is an independent organization, not affiliated with any political party or organization. Any opinion or advice relating to our News Agency is warmly welcomed and please email to: narinjara@...

 

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