Friday, 01 August 2008

The Iron Cross (IC), the popular and famous music band in Rangoon has had to postpone its live performance to raise funds for Cyclone Nargis victims at the Thuwanha stadium because of the dilatory tactics of the ruling Burmese junta. The authorities told the music band earlier that they (authorities) had shifted dates from July 16 to August 24 because the military sports had to be held, according to source close to the IC. According to the source, "The authorities have delayed the live show thrice and if they delay it again the IC will not be able do the show to collect funds". Lay Phyu, Ahnge, Myo Gyi, and Wai Wai were to perform in the live show. According to IC fans, the authorities do not have much love for the IC because the band has not ever sung Burmese propaganda music. The IC band also planned to perform in Mon State earlier but the Southeast Command banned them after youths quarreled in the festival. However IC plans to have a stage show after the end of the Buddhist Lent in Kamawet village at the Kyaik Kamort Pagoda Festival in October 20, 2008. News - IMNA

Prominent writer and astrologer Min Thein Kha died on Friday morning at a private clinic in Rangoon after suffering from numerous ailments.

Min Thein Kha, (70) was a renowned writer and a famous astrologer. He and was suffering from diabetes, high blood pressure, and other ailments over the last five years. He passed away on Friday at Rangoon's ThukhaKaba clinic, one of his pupil said.

"He died this morning at about 6 a.m. He was hospitalized since July 4. Doctors on July 15 discharged him from the clinic but since his health deteriorated, we took him to the clinic again yesterday," the pupil told Mizzima over telephone.

Min Thein Kha, who owns a ranch known as 'Ayudaw Mingalar' at Hmawbe Township, is known for his adventurous novels, fictional detective and historical and legendary stories. His characters including 'Sarpalin Hninmaung and Sanay Maung Maung' are popular among readers in Burma.

He was also famous for his astrological predictions and particularly known for giving names to famous actors, actresses and singers before they began their careers as celebrities.

In Burma, despite the modern lifestyle fast being adapted, people still believe in superstitious practices like renaming themselves before they choose a career to be successful.

Despite his later popularity Min Thein Kha did not have a successful beginning. As a young man, he worked hard as a waiter in a teashop in Central Burma's Chuak town in Magwe division.

He was also famously known for his benevolence in providing free food to whoever came to his 'Ayudaw Mingalar' ranch in Hmawbe township near Rangoon.

From Mizzima News

Sittwe: Many villagers have been forced by local authorities to work at a castor oil plantation in Sittwe Township, Arakan State, without any compensation, said a villager from the area.
The villager said, "The military government announced in 2000 that there is no forced labor in Burma, but in our area, forced labor is still alive and it has been used by the local authorities."

Villagers from Kwee Day, Amyint Kyunt, Par Dalike, Nga Tauk, and Chi Li Byint in Sittwe Township have been summoned by village authorities to work at the castor oil plantations.

"The forced labor is being used by the village council, Rayaka, on the orders of the Sittwe Township authority, and the villagers have to work at the castor oil plantation whenever the authority needs forced labor for the plantation," the villager said.

The authority has planted the castor oil plants on many acres of land in the area, after confiscating grazing lands that had been owned by local residents.

"Recently our villagers had to go to the castor plantation to work without any wage. We had to work there at many tasks, including putting up fences, making drains or gutters, and cleaning up brush on the plantation," the villager said.

The villagers in the area have been used by authorities at all times of the year, during both the rainy season and the dry season.

The Burmese military authorities have announced that there is no forced labor in Burma, but there have been reports that local authorities are using people as forced labor in many areas in Arakan State, where people are unable to complain of the violation to the ILO office inRangoon.

From Narinjara News

Sittwe: The
Burmese military government donated food worth 70 million kyat recently to monasteries in Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State, in order to protect against a food shortage in the city's monasteries during the rainy season, said an abbot from Sittwe.

The abbot said, "The donation was made by newly appointed Western Command Commander General Thaung Aye on behalf of the government recently in a donation ceremony that was held at Lawkarnada temple in Sittwe."

At the donation ceremony, 110 abbots from several monasteries in Sittwe attended and received the donation. The western command commander handed over the goods to each monastery during the ceremony.

A local source said that the biggest monastery in Sittwe, Pathein, received 170 rice bags, while another large monastery, Myoma, received 120 rice bags from the government.

"All monasteries in Sittwe received the donation of rice and other goods from the Burmese military government, but there was not equal distribution among the monasteries. If a monastery is close to the authority, it received more rice from the government," the abbot said.

The government donation included three staples - rice, cooking oil, and salt. Some monasteries, however, refused to accept the government's donation. Zawdi Karron monastery was among those that refused the donation.

The abbot said, "I do not know why the monastery refused to accept the donation, but the monastery maybe wants to live peacefully without any connection to the government."

Government representatives said during the ceremony that the donation is intended to secure food in all the monasteries in Sittwe, and that it is a goodwill present from the military government to the monks in Sittwe.

Many people in Sittwe, though, believe that the donation is intended to aid in organizing monks in support of the military government, and to lure the monks away from involvement with any anti-government protests in Sittwe in the future.

Such a large donation to monks in Sittwe has never been done before by the military government. Because of this, people suppose that thedonation has more to do with politics than goodwill.

From Narinjara

My friend sent to me the following post. I feel sad reading this. What had happened to the morality of our mankind if religious learders are doing all those things.

posted by: Ran Marm Nine

According to this web site, Buddha Tooth Relic from Buddha Tooth Relic Temple Singapore is “a present” given by an Arakanese Monk, Venerable Cakkapala of MraukU, Myanmar to Venerable Shi Fazhau in 2002.

But unknown to most people, according to the Archaeological Act of Myanmar (1958-59), any antiquity, which is illegally taken outside the country of Myanmar, is demarcated as “ILLEGALLY STOLEN” (in Burmese: khoe-htoke-tae/ or tayar-ma-win-khoe-htoke-tae, Shi Fzhau committed a crime by bringing the tooth relic outside of Myanmar.

Since the Venerable Shi Fazhau illegally brought the “tooth relic” (Andaw Datt) of the ancient Arakanese property from Myanmar, according to the Archaeological Act of Myanmar, he is punishable by law in Myanmar. Furthermore according to the “vinaya” (rules and regulations) for the Buddhist monks to which Shi Fazhau professed, the acts of Shi Fazhau are sinful actions, which as a Buddhist, Venerable Shi Fazhau should clearly denounce.

As a matter of fact, dental experts such as Dr Pamela Craig, (University of Melbourne/ School of Dental Science, Australia) and Professor David Whittaker (Cardiff University, Britain) gave their comments in the Nation newspaper dated 15th July, 2007, that it cannot be a human tooth. Dr. Aye Chan of Kanda University, Japan, who specialized in Arakanese History, also expressed doubts in wao-mail group on the authenticity of this Buddha’s tooth relic. However, Dr Aye Chan expressed his unhappiness for the loss of Arakanese national treasure.

Even so, this tooth relic is still a true ancient cultural heritage of Arakan. According to archaeology, any object, which is hundreds of years old, is defined as “antiquity” or “ancient heritage”. In the Archaeological Act of Myanmar, any material, which is more than 100-year-old, is demarcated “antiquity”.

It is said that this Buddha tooth relic was discovered inside the ruins of a pagoda at the Ba-Gan-Taung Hill, Mrauk-U in 1980. Based on the architectural style, the pagoda might to be built during the Mrauk-U period (AD 1430-1784). So, the veneration of this tooth relic in Arakan is as old as at least 224 years!! Therefore, it is a true Arakanese heritage.

There were two acclaimed Buddha’s molar-tooth Relics in MraukU, the ancient capital of the former kingdom of Arakan, now a province of Myanmar. One is now located at Buddha Tooth Relic Temple in Singapore, and the next one is still at Andaw-thein temple (16th century AD) in Mrauk-U. Previously both resided in the Bandula monastery of the late Cakkapala.

According to the informal news of the local people at Mrauk-U and Sittwe from Arakan, it was said that the both were sold to Venerable Shi Fazhau by Venerable Cakkapala in 2002 because the latter needed a lot of money to cure his deadly cancerous disease. Venerable Shi Fazhau succeeded in illegal taking of the first Bagan-taung Buddha’s tooth relic to Singapore from Myanmar. In the second time, the team of Venerable Shi Fazhau, carrying the Buddha’s tooth relic of Andaw-thein, was blocked by the Military Intelligence (MI) at Sittwe airport. Because of this seize, the 16th-century Buddha tooth relic was safely sent back to Mrauk-U. According to the record, this Buddha tooth relic is the 400-year-old cultural heritage of Arakan.