News - Mizzima News

Written by Phanida Friday,
08 August 2008

Chiang Mai - Commemorating the 20th anniversary of the '8.8.88' uprising today, at least 20 youths in Taungup town in Burma's Arakan state were arrested after they took to the streets and began marching in protest. The protesters, mainly youths from Nat Maw village, were whisked away by the police as they marched across Taungup township police station, sources said. Thein Naing, Joint Secretary of the Taungup Township National League for Democracy, Burma 's main opposition party, told Mizzima that about 25 people from Nat Maw village on Friday marched along the streets of Taungup town.

They begun marching from Chaung Kauk ward and came along Ottama street but when they arrived in front of the township police station, the road was blocked with barbed wire barricades. They were taken away by the authorities," Thein Naing said. Villagers of Nat Maw, about three miles from Taungup town, on Thursday held a similar protest march joined by a larger crowd of nearly 200 people.

On Thursday, about 200 villagers of Nat Maw held a commemoration service on the eve of the 20th anniversary of '8.8.88' protests at two Buddhist monasteries and held a brief demonstration in front of the monasteries. About 200 students, and youths including youth members of the NLD offered 'Swan' to the monks in commemoration of fallen comrades and held a brief demonstration in front of the monasteries," Thein Naing said. While it was not clear, how the demonstrations were held on Thursday, so far there are no reports of any arrest related to the event.

Sources said, authorities had tightened security, with security personnel seen everywhere in and around Taungup town. Thein Naing said, Burmese Army LIB 544 based in Taungup had taken charge of security and police had blocked the road as well as the water way. "Soldiers in full battle gear are seen every where in the town. I think I saw at least 60 of them," Thein Naing said. Taungup town is about 250 miles northwest of Rangoon , Burma 's former capital.

Meanwhile, in Rangoon , sources said heavy security presence is felt, with soldiers seen everywhere in important street junctions and squares including Sule Pagoda square in the heart of the city, and Shwe Dagon Pagoda, the holiest shrine of the country. Observers believe the heavy security presence is preventive measures by the junta to stop any movement or protests by activists in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of popular protests in August 8, 2008, which was brutally suppressed by killing at least 3000 people.

8/8/2008
Sittwe: A teacher from the Government Technical College in Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State, committed suicide on Tuesday. The reason behind the suicide remains unknown. U Aung Win Naing, aged about 45 years, committed suicide by taking poison. The authority from the college has not publicly disclosed the incident because they are anxious that the news may provoke unrest among the students. Despite this, the information has been spreading among the students, many of who are mourning his death. A source from Sittwe said the funeral was held on Thursday in Sittwe and many people, including teachers and students, were in attendance. According to a report the authority is now conducting an enquiry to learn why the teacher committed suicide.

8/7/2008

Sittwe:Rumors that anti-govern- ment protests will occur soon in Sittwe have been spreading throughout the city, while additional security forces are being deployed by authorities at many key areas in the Arakan State capital, said a town elder.
He said, "I do not if the rumor is true or not, but many people are talking about it. The people are enthusiastically watching events in Sittwe since the rumor began."

Since the rumor began, the high authority has deployed many additional security forces at key places in Sittwe, including Tows hall, U Ottama garden, Lawkar Nanda, Bura Gri temple, U Raykyaw Thu monastery, the inland water jetties, and the former Sittwe college compound.  A monk from Sittwe said over the phone that, "There are many sorts of rumors in Sittwe. One of them is that anti-government demonstrations will break out in Sittwe in the month of August. Nevertheless, I am taking care and do not allow the young monks to visit outside the monastery except at food offering times." 

According to a source from Sittwe, the military authorities are closely watching many monasteries in Sittwe that played a leading role in last year's Saffron Revolution. Some monasteries are facing questions by a local intelligence unit about whether monks from rural towns have come to stay at the monasteries.

A shopkeeper from Sittwe said, "The situation in Sittwe is normal in the daytime, but at night, many security forces can be seen on the streets and at important government buildings. It may be that something will happen in the near future."

Security forced are being deployed at key places throughout the city at night after some unidentified people spread anti-government posters in the streets and markets of Sittwe.

The posters urged Arakanese people to stage demonstrations against the military government. "It is proof, because some democracy activists, including monks, are preparing to stage a demonstration in Sittwe. If they were not planning it, why the anti-government posters spread in Sittwe?" the shopkeeper said.

It has also been learned that many people in Sittwe are waiting anxiously after the rumor of anti-government protests began spreading.

Mrauk U: The Mrauk U Township authority has issued warrants for 17 farmers from a remote village in the township for being unable to pay money to the township authority in accordance with their demand, reports one farmer in the group. He said, "U Hla Myo, Chairman of Mrauk U Township, issued the warrant for us as we could not afford his demands for leasing farms from the authority."

The farmers are from Out Thakan Village under Bu Wrat Village Tract in Mrauk U Township, and they are now attempting to avoid arrest by the authority.

A village source said the 17 farmers from the village began cultivating 48.13 acres of vacant land in 1997. Afterwards, the township authority announced the farmlands were owned by the state, and locals were not allowed to cultivate the land without the authorities' permission.

After the announcement, the villagers appealed to the Chairman of Mrauk U Township to lease the lands to them on a yearly basis.

U Hla Myo agreed to lease the land to the farmers and ordered them to pay 15 tinns of paddy per acre during the harvest season to Mrauk U Township.

"We have given the paddy to the authority every year in accordance with their demand since 1997, but last year U Hla Myo asked for 60,000 kyats per acre from us. We could not pay that high amount. So now the authority has issued a warrant to arrest us. So now we are culprits because we could not pay the demand," he said.

On 22 July, 2008, a group of police led by Senior Clerk U Maung Ni and Village Chairman U Maung Hla Aung came to the village to arrest the men, but they had luckily managed to escape being arrested that day.

The village source said the police force had come to look for U Kyaw Zan, U Aung Kyaw Thein, U Kyaw Tun Oo, U Maung Gri Chay, and U Tun Aung to arrest because they could not pay the authorities' demand for leasing the farmland.

Saturday, 02 August 2008 Maungdaw, Arakan: An officer of the Maungdaw Income Tax Department, U Aye Win was arrested by the special Crime Investigation Department of Maungdaw on July 30, said a local businessman.

The officer was posted on the Burma-Bangladesh special trading gate in Maungdwa town and his duty was to check and collect tax on export-import goods from Burma and Bangladesh , he added.

On a tip off, the officer was arrested after investigations at the outpost revealed that he allowed contraband goods to be exported to Bangladesh after taking bribes from traders of Maungdaw. He allowed mostly liquor and other contraband goods which are not listed as export items, said a trader who operates through the point.

This is the first time an income tax officer has been arrested on the border trading point.  His file has been sent to the authorities for necessary action. Exemplary punishment to the culprit has been recommended as a lesson to other officers working on the Burma- Bangladesh border trading points, said a source in the Customs Department.

From BNI