News & Articles on Burma-08 August, 2013

Ruling Party Joins Burma Crackdown Event Burmas President urged to make an apology for 1988 killings Suu Kyi urges progress as thousands mark Myanmar uprising Inter-faith leaders attempt to ease sectarian tensions in Myanmar U.S. extends ban on gems imports from Myanmar Myanmar draws mixed reviews on anniversary As Myanmar Opens Up, A Look Back On A 1988 Uprising Thousands mark Myanmar's 8888 anniversary Myanmar marks 25 years of '88 uprising Suu Kyi urges progress as thousands mark Myanmar uprising Activists celebrate anniversary of uprising in Myanmar Ooredoo appoints legal counsel for Myanmar telecom project -------------------------------------- Ruling Party Joins Burma Crackdown Event VOA - August 08, 2013 Burma's ruling party has for the first time joined public commemorations of the 1988 pro-democracy uprising that the military crushed. Ruling party vice-chairman and former general Htay Oo joined pro-democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi and a crowd of more than 5,000 at an event in the Myanmar Convention Center in Rangoon Thursday. Min Ko Naing, a prominent student leader in 1988, spoke at the commemoration. "For a time period, those who hold power could portray or write the history as what they want. But the truth would be revealed at last. It shows that how courageous people those joined today commemorate this special day, the student leader said. It is a huge shift from previous years, when the military government banned any public mentions of the bloody 1988 crackdown, in which more than 3,000 people died. Since a nominally civilian government took power in 2011, Burma has released hundreds of political prisoners, reduced government censorship, and allowed democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi to successfully run for parliament. Earlier, activists laid wreaths at Rangoon's Sule Pagoda, the site of the initial crackdown. Dozens of protesters also marched peacefully through Rangoon. Mark Farmaner of the Burma Campaign UK says despite recent reforms, Burma's government has never held accountable those responsible for the deaths. "The government, the military, and President Thein Sein himself are not acknowledging that what happened was wrong, and they're not revealing what their own role was. There is no process of justice, accountability, truth or reconciliation at all," he said. However, Farmaner said that increased openness is reflected in the government's willingness to allow what he calls unprecedented commemorations of the 1988 protests. "It's one of the paradoxes that you've got in Burma at the moment. Basically, you've got the same people in charge, and you've got many of the same issues - people arrested for peacefully protesting, the Burmese army still attacking ethnic minorities," he explained. "Yet at the same time they're allowing more freedom of expression, there's a bit more political space in the country. People can talk more openly about the problems, but at the same time those problems are not being fully addressed." Earlier this week, Human Rights Watch called on President Thein Sein to commit to an independent investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the deaths. The New York-based group called the issue an "unaddressed open wound that challenges the government's rhetoric of reform." It said addressing the abuses is "absolutely necessary for Burmese society to move forward." This report was produced in collaboration with the VOA Burmese service http://www.voanews.com/content/burma-marks-25-years-since-88-uprising/1725732.html ----------------------------------- Burmas President urged to make an apology for 1988 killings By Zin Linn Aug 08, 2013 11:50PM UTC On this 8 August, 2013, democracy-longing Burmese people around the country have been launching the 25th Anniversary of the 1988 Peoples Democracy Revolution. In the past, no remembrances will be allowed to mark the 8888 anniversary in Burma, and heavy police security will be seen in big cities especially in Rangoon (Yangon) around Shwedagon Pagoda to fend off any protests. This time of Silver Jubilee, students and people from all walks of life mark the historic peoples revolution by saluting the fallen heroes around the country especially in the big cities such as Rangoon and Mandalay. Members of Myanmar's prominent 88 generation students group hold wreaths during a march to mark the 25th anniversary of Myanmar's pro-democracy uprising in Yangon, Myanmar, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2013. The uprising against the 26-year socialist military dictatorship which spread nationwide on Aug. 8, 1988 was referred to as 8888 uprising. (AP Photo/Khin Maung Win) Burmas major umbrella students organization has released a statement in commemoration of the Silver Jubilee of the 1988, 8 August Peoples Revolution calling an apology from the ruling government for the bloodshed crackdown on a 1988 pro-democracy civil disobedience. Concurrently, two ministers of President Thein Seins government unusually attended an event on Wednesday to mark the 25th anniversary of the blood-spattered uprising. The uprising was cracked down on 8- 8-88 by the then-ruling military junta in which Thein Sein and several senior military officers in existing quasi-civilian government were guilty commanders in the previous regime blamed for various brutalities and human right violations. In September 1987, Burmas then dictator General Ne Win made mismanagement with downgrading general economy by abruptly revoking certain value of the currency notes. As a superstitious man, he wanted only 45 and 90 kyat denomination notes in circulation. He made such foolish decision, because they were divisible by nine, which he considered a lucky number for his destiny. However, cancelling existing currency notes which people keep as their savings were done away with overnight. Protests in relation to the swelling economic catastrophe were started by students of Burma, particularly in Rangoon. On 13 March 1988, students protesting in front of the Rangoon Institute of Technology ran into the security police plus military personnel and some students including Phone Maw, a fourth year engineering student, were shot dead. The students death provoked more and more mass protests, which draw ordinary citizens and Burmas much revered monks together with the avant-garde students. Myanmar activists hold a protesting poster in front of the Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, on Wednesday, Aug 8, 2012. -- PHOTO: AP On 8 August 1988 well-known as 8-8-88 Democracy Movement hundreds of thousands of people took part in protests across the country, calling for democracy. During this time, dissenting newspapers were freely brought out, banners of fighting-peacock were flying everywhere, coordinated demonstrations were held and many democratic speakers appeared in public meetings. On 26 August, Aung San Suu Kyi, the daughter of independence icon Aung San who had come back to Burma to look after her ailing mother, made a speech at Shwedagon Pagoda where roughly half million supporters appeared and subsequently she became the public figure of the 1988 democracy movement. Eventually, General Ne Win resigned as ruling socialist-party boss on 23 July. However, he made a last warning that when the army shoots, it shoots in a straight line. On 18 September, the military seized power supporting General Ne Wins words. Soldiers gunned down protesters using automatic rifle. They sprayed bullets into crowds of dissidents. Hundreds of activists were taken away in army-trucks and most of them were never seen again. According to observers, analysts and Human rights watchers declared that more than 3,000 innocent citizens were killed. After 18 September coup d鴡t made by the then military Chief General Saw Maung, Aung San Suu Kyi led founding the NLD, but she was put under house arrest in July 1989. Despite her detention, the NLD party won staggering 82% of the seats in Parliament in the 1990 parliamentary election, but, the military junta refused to convene the parliament and also refused to recognize the results, and have since ruled the country as the State Peace and Development Council. Since her initial arrest, she has been allowed only a few brief years of freedom. Since that time on, thousands of political prisoners have been came under arbitrary arrests and thrown into jail under unfair laws and trials in the absence of their lawyers. The military governments penal code allows imposing excessive sentences against political activists. For instance, article 5 (j) of the penal code allows authorities to impose 7 to 20 year prison terms on anyone who joined in peaceful protest or showing different opinion against the regime. Another article 505 provides an indefinite prison term for criticizing the authorities policies or behaviors. According to international legal standard, all political prisoners have committed no crime at all. So, for the current President Thein Sein government, releasing of political prisoners should be the first and foremost of the political reform urgently requires today. Subsequently, the above mentioned undemocratic laws must be done away with as a necessity for change. According to critics and watchdogs, the 7 November 2010 election, won by the military-backed political proxies, was flawed by widespread complaints of vote rigging and the exclusion of the party led by Aung San Suu Kyi, who was released from house arrest shortly after the polls. If Thein Sein government has decided to stick to the political reform course, it must pledge to amend the undemocratic 2008 Constitution with respect to the self-determination of the ethnic people. Moreover, the government has to acknowledge the burning desires of the people participated in 1988 democracy movement. Although the successive military-backed rulers try to eliminate the history of 1988 peoples democracy movement, their attempts are in vain. In the same way, they also do their utmost to do away with the peoples demands in the 1988 movement. But, it is also with little hope as yet. Therefore, President Thein Sein should honor the historic 8888-uprising as a cornerstone of the countrys democracy foundation. Moreover, he needs to take accountability for the bloodshed crackdown on the 1988 pro-democracy insurrection as the students call an apology from the government. http://asiancorrespondent.com/111694/burmas-president-urged-to-make-an-apology-for-1988-killings/ ------------------------------------ Suu Kyi urges progress as thousands mark Myanmar uprising AFP Updated August 9, 2013, 10:15 am YANGON (AFP) - Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi urged further progress on democratic reforms in a speech to thousands Thursday marking the anniversary of a huge popular uprising in 1988, the largest ever such commemoration. Some 5,000 people crammed into a convention centre and thousands more watched large television screens outside to witness a landmark ceremony recalling the mass student protests 25 years ago that were brutally crushed by the then-junta. The event, attended by members of the opposition and ruling parties, diplomats and Buddhist monks, comes amid sweeping changes in Myanmar since the end of outright military dictatorship two years ago. "Time doesn't wait for us. We have to move forward," opposition leader Suu Kyi told the crowd, listing the tasks still to be completed in the fast-changing nation, including country-wide peace, constitutional reform and rule of law. "On this 8888 (as the anniversary is known) revolution silver jubilee day, I would like to urge everyone to continue working bravely and in unity for what we have to do for the future of our country," she said, adding that it was a "good sign" that so many people had gathered together to mark the event. On August 8, 1988 widespread student-led demonstrations against Myanmar's military rulers were brutally suppressed in an army assault in Yangon. But they marked the start of a huge popular uprising against the junta. Hundreds of thousands took to the streets across the country calling for democracy, in protests that came to a brutal end the following month with an army crackdown that killed more than 3,000. Suu Kyi, who had been living in London but returned to Yangon in 1988 to nurse her sick mother, was quick to take a leading role in the pro-democracy movement, delivering speeches to the masses at Yangon's Shwedagon Pagoda. The Nobel laureate, who spent much of the following two decades under house arrest until she was freed just after controversial elections in 2010, is now an MP as part of sweeping reforms under a new quasi-civilian regime that came to power in 2011. Other changes that have seen the country lauded by the international community have included freeing hundreds of political prisoners -- many of whom were jailed for their roles in the 1988 rallies -- and ceasefires with major ethnic rebel groups. Ko Ko Gyi, a key figure in the 1988 protests and a leader of the 88 Generation activist group, said campaigns to push Myanmar further on the path to democracy should maintain "the spirit" of the student rallies. "We cannot erase history. The situation of the country today is a result of the 1988 people's movement. Although we have not reached the situation we want, we are at the beginning of the road," he told AFP. Earlier, hundreds of people watched some 50 campaigners march through downtown Yangon in an unauthorised procession that irked local law enforcers. Marchers refused to halt when the head of police in the area asked them to stop. Police allowed them to continue, standing aside but taking pictures of those involved. "I don't think we need to get permission... we do not want to protest, we just want to express our respect. We are just walking," said Tun Tun Oo, a 49-year-old businessman who was a student protester in 1988. Activists also laid wreaths at Sule Pagoda in the centre of Yangon, which was at the heart of the August 8 crackdown. Win Min, a former student protester, said the scene in the area 25 years ago was "the worst and most unforgettable of my life". "We want to show our sorrow for the dead today and to show them we are moving forward to the goal of democracy... we promised them we would continue," he told AFP. http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/18419005/suu-kyi-urges-progress-as-thousands-mark-myanmar-rising/ ----------------------------------- Inter-faith leaders attempt to ease sectarian tensions in Myanmar By May Wong POSTED: 08 Aug 2013 11:39 PM YANGON: To help tackle anti-religious and anti-ethnic conflicts in Myanmar, inter-faith leaders have come together for a social cause - to help mothers learn how to care for their young. The Religions for Peace Myanmar organisation believes this is also a good way to showcase unity among various faiths. Myanmar has seen pockets of communal violence recently, and various non-governmental organisations are looking at ways to ease sectarian tensions. Religions for Peace Myanmar feels it is not about preaching the different beliefs. Instead, it is to lead by example to show the citizens that different religious leaders are collaborating for the benefit of the people. Aye Lwin, chief convener at The Islamic Centre of Myanmar, said: "The religious leaders, intellectuals, we've been holding seminars, workshops, prayer meetings. We are getting along very well. We need to trickle down to the grassroots level because there were some people who are trying to have this hate campaign. So we need to clarify all these things and prove practically that these allegations are not true." Rev Kyoichi Sugino, deputy secretary-general at Religions for Peace Myanmar, said: Unless we take concrete action now to create cultural collaboration, dialogue and working together among different ethnic and religious groups, the conflict may occur more frequently and exacerbate." For 36-year-old home-maker San San Win, it was the first time attending an event which offers tips on why vaccinations and regular health checkups are important for her child. More significantly, it was held in a room with people from different religions. She said: "I thank them for bringing the message of peace here. We have different religions with different beliefs. But now, I'm happy all religions have come together to experience harmony." Religions for Peace Myanmar hopes to teach parents how to better care for their children and encourage residents to mingle with one another freely regardless of their faiths. It is hoped the people will go back to their village and forge closer friendships and understand that they can all live together in harmony no matter what religion they belong to. The participants also agreed that religious leaders must continue to spread the message of the importance of understanding and tolerance among their followers. Father George Shwe Htun, pro-creator at Yangon Catholic Archdiocese, said: "Religious leaders, their voices are very loud. They can give the message easily to the people. Especially for me, being a priest, in giving the homily and during the mass, we can give this message to them so that they may accept. Resolving religious conflicts is part and parcel of Myanmar's political growth and development and it is something the international community is watching closely. Myint Swe, president and Buddhist representative at Ratana Metta Organisation, said: "Now, outside Myanmar, they misunderstand Buddhists. It's not good for the coming year if we are (chairing) ASEAN and doing the meetings and conference." Religions for Peace Myanmar also wants to engage youths in violence-stricken southwestern Rakhine state next month. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/inter-faith-leaders/769770.html -------------------------------- U.S. extends ban on gems imports from Myanmar August 9, 2013 The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP)--The Obama administration on Wednesday extended a ban on imports of rubies and jade from Myanmar, reflecting worries about the powerful militarys continuing involvement in the murky industry based in conflict-wracked border regions. Washington remains concerned about human rights abuses against ethnic minorities and the role of the army in Myanmar despite democratic reforms that have seen a shift from decades of authoritarian rule. The reforms have led to a dramatic improvement in U.S. relations with the Southeast Asian nation, also known as Burma, and the overall trend remains a positive one for the government of President Thein Sein. President Barack Obama issued Wednesdays executive order to extend the gems ban because wide-ranging sanctions legislation lapsed when it was up for renewal in late July. The original sponsor, senior Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell, announced in May he would not seek to extend the 2003 legislation because of Myanmars democratic progress. McConnell was for years one of the harshest critics in Congress of Myanmars military rulers and a fervent supporter of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act he sponsored had imposed a broad ban on all imports from Myanmar. Obama waived its provisions in November other than on gems. Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said in a statement Wednesday that it is part of the administrations efforts to promote responsible trade and investment in support of Burmas reform process. Engaging Myanmar has been a rare area of agreement between Obama and McConnell, largely because of Suu Kyis support for building relations with Thein Seins reformist government. The Republican senator is also supportive of the administrations intent to gradually build ties between the U.S. and Myanmar militaries. But other U.S. lawmakers have pushed back against that, and had cautioned that allowing the 2003 sanctions legislation to lapse could allow conflict gems into America. Rhodes said the administration was maintaining the ban due to continuing concerns, including with respect to labor and human rights. Kachin activists last month wrote to Obama and congressional leaders complaining that Myanmars central government retains control of ruby and jade mining concessions in Kachin and northern Shan State. Some 10,000 Kachin people have been displaced by fighting in the gem-rich area of Hpakant as Myanmar troops sought to secure control of gem mining interests, the activists said. Despite the U.S. sanctions backed by the threat of stiff fines and even jail terms for violators--gems remain an important source of revenue for the impoverished nation. Myanmar is one of the worlds biggest producers of jade and by some estimates, source of up to 90 percent of its rubies. http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0000443896 -------------------------------- Special Reports Myanmar draws mixed reviews on anniversary Published: Aug. 8, 2013 at 12:16 PM LONDON, Aug. 8 (UPI) -- The 25th anniversary of large-scale pro-democracy protests in Myanmar gives the government a chance to look to an open future, the British government said. Thursday marks the 25th anniversary of the so-called Generation '88 pro-democracy movement in Myanmar. Hundreds of people were killed when the military regime responded with force to the protests. Hugo Swire, British foreign minister for Asian affairs, said the anniversary is an opportunity to memorialize those who fought for democracy in Myanmar, known then as Burma. "It is also a chance to look forward to the future," he said. Some protest leaders visited recently with British officials. Swire said their freedom to do so is a testament to political reforms in Myanmar, which started with general elections in 2010. The United Nations and members of the human rights community have expressed concern about Myanmar's reform agenda given ongoing violence and political abuses. The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders said Thursday it was frustrated by the arrest of three pro-democracy leaders in Myanmar. It said Ko Htin Kyaw, leader of the Movement for Democracy Current Force, and his supporters face three years in prison for insulting the state during a July protest. The rights group described the measure as evidence of "judicial harassment." Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2013/08/08/Myanmar-draws-mixed-reviews-on-anniversary/UPI-18741375978611/#ixzz2bQmI9qg7 -------------------------------------- As Myanmar Opens Up, A Look Back On A 1988 Uprising by Radio Diaries August 08, 2013 4:48 PM Until two years ago, Myanmar, also known as Burma, was ruled by the longest-running military dictatorship in the world. In 2010, the military began to loosen its grip on the country, increasing civil freedoms and offering some political and economic opportunity for citizens. But some are wondering whether the country can truly transition to democracy if it fails to reconcile with its brutal past. This week marks the 25th anniversary of a violent chapter in the country's history: the nationwide democracy uprising of Aug. 8, 1988, and the harsh military crackdown that ended it. Despite being rich in resources, the country went into a long period of economic stagnation following a 1962 military takeover. "The government remained in power through fear. It reached the point where people were unwilling to even mention the name of the dictator," Ne Win, says Burt Levin, the American ambassador in Rangoon at the time. "In the summer of 1988, the population finally said, 'Enough is enough.' " Students began to voice their resentment over the economy and the government's wide restrictions on personal freedom. More From Radio Diaries Read more, including biographies of the individuals heard in the story, . "We students had no hopes for any jobs after school," says Htay Kywe, an early student leader. "We were totally lost." A disagreement in a tea shop between university students and people linked to the government eventually grew into a student-led movement calling for democracy in the summer of 1988. Demonstrators march on a street in downtown Rangoon in August 1988. Students, civil servants, monks and others joined the protests that summer. 8/8/88 Weeks of organizing crested with a nationwide general strike known as "8/8/88," a date chosen for its numerological power. Thousands of people marched on the streets of Rangoon, the capital at the time, and in cities and towns around the country. "It was like you were watching waves at the beach," says student activist Khin Ohmar. Demonstrators sang the national anthem and chanted slogans like, "End the military dictatorship! Daw Aye, Daw Aye! (Our cause, our cause!) To set up democracy: Daw Aye, Daw Aye!" In Rangoon, the marchers converged at City Hall, where a festive mood prevailed into the evening. "This is the first time people talk freely, they talk how they feel and how they suffer," remembers Moethee Zun, another student leader. Shortly before midnight on Aug. 8, troops opened fire on demonstrators there and elsewhere in Rangoon. Despite this, demonstrations continued to grow and spread throughout August. "People were scared, but at the same time, the momentum continued to increase," says Khin Ohmar. "The Buddhist monks, the housewives union they were all joining in the street." A Leader Emerges As the protests grew from a student-led movement into a nationwide uprising, people started to search for leadership. In late summer, Aung San Suu Kyi, future Nobel Laureate, stepped onto the scene. Suu Kyi, the daughter of Burmese independence leader Aung San, was in the country by coincidence. She had lived abroad most of her life and had returned to Burma only in March to take care of her ill mother. Student activists convinced her to join the movement and, on Aug. 26, she made her first major speech at Rangoon's Shwedagon Pagoda. "At first I had some doubts about Aung San Suu Kyi," says Myo Myint, a former soldier and 1988 activist who went to Shwedagon to hear her speech. Related NPR Stories Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been under fire for working with the government on a number of issues. Here, she meets in March with protesters who oppose a copper mine backed by Chinese investors. She supports the mining project. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (right) walks with Myanmar's then-prime minister, Gen. Thein Sein, at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on March 16, 2009. Both men are former military officers, leading their Southeast Asian nations along a sometimes rocky path to democracy. A Myanmarese girl carries away a tin roof in Meiktila, Myanmar. Violence between Buddhists and Muslims in March destroyed large areas of the town and left thousands of Muslims homeless. But he, like many in the crowd of half-million that day, was convinced by the time Suu Kyi was finished talking. The democracy movement finally had its leader. Long-ruling dictator Ne Win had stepped down in late July, but most Burmese understood that he remained the master behind his replacements in the regime. As the protests continued through the summer, the rulers promised multiparty elections, but this failed to satisfy the demonstrators. By September, much of the government administration had collapsed as civil servants, police units and even some soldiers joined the protests. Activists organized citizens to take up a number of basic government tasks. Student leaders and a handful of older politicians began to build what they hoped would be the foundation of a transitional government. The Military Cracks Down The nationwide movement came to a screeching halt on Sept. 18, when the government announced a new military ruler, imposed martial law and banned all public demonstrations. The following day the military began a coordinated crackdown across the country. "We could see from the embassy, students cowering behind trees without any weapons, and they were being shot," says Levin, the former ambassador. "It was bone chilling." When the shooting finally ended, approximately 3,000 people had been killed in the uprising. Another 3,000 Burmese were put in prison, and some 10,000 activists had fled the country. Looking To Elections In 2015 In 1990, the military government finally held the elections first promised in 1988. And, to everyone's surprise, they were considered free and fair. Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won 80 percent of the parliamentary seats. The government ignored the results and rounded up a number of opposition politicians, including Suu Kyi. She spent years under house arrest. She was released in 2010, and, last year, was elected to parliament along with a handful of other members of her National League for Democracy. She's planning to run for president in the nationwide elections planned for 2015. Many students who first became activists in 1988 spent much of the last 25 years in jail or in exile. Today they're continuing their democracy and human rights work. Many of them are meeting in Rangoon this week to mark the 25th anniversary of 8/8/88. Produced by Bruce Wallace, Sarah Kate Kramer and Joe Richman of . Edited by Deborah George and Ben Shapiro. http://www.npr.org/2013/08/08/209919791/as-myanmar-opens-up-a-look-back-on-a-1988-uprising?ft=1&f=1001 ----------------------------- Thousands mark Myanmar's 8888 anniversary Date August 8, 2013 - 10:30PM Thousands of demonstrators massed in Yangon to mark the anniversary of a bloody crackdown on Myanmar rallies 25 years ago, in a historic commemoration urging further democratic reform. About five thousand people crammed into a convention centre on Thursday and thousands more watched large television screens outside to witness a landmark ceremony recalling the huge 1988 student protests that were brutally crushed by the then-junta. The event, attended by members of the opposition and ruling parties, diplomats and Buddhist monks, comes amid sweeping changes in Myanmar since the end of outright military dictatorship two years ago. Win Kyu, left, and his wife Khin Htay Win hold a portrait of their 16-year-old daughter Win Maw Oo, who was killed during the 1988 protests. The photo behind them of their badly injured daughter came to symbolise the brutality of the crackdown. Win Kyu, left, and his wife Khin Htay Win hold a portrait of their 16-year-old daughter Win Maw Oo, who was killed during the 1988 protests. The photo behind them of their badly injured daughter came to symbolise the brutality of the crackdown. Photo: AP It was aimed at further propelling democratic reforms. Advertisement Activists expressed jubilation at the scale of the event, but urged even more people to join in. "8888 (as the anniversary is known) is the biggest milestone in our history. It's unforgettable," Aye Myint, who joined in the protests in 1988, told AFP. "Many more people should join the event. It's just a few if you compare with the people who participated in the democracy uprising 25 years ago." A vicious military assault on student-led demonstrations against Myanmar's military rulers on August 8, 1988 sparked a huge popular uprising against the junta. Hundreds of thousands took to the streets across the country calling for democracy, in protests that came to a brutal end the following month with an army crackdown that killed more than 3000. Myanmar has undergone sweeping political changes since a quasi-civilian regime replaced junta rule in 2011. Reforms have included the freeing of hundreds of political prisoners many of whom were jailed for their roles in the 1988 rallies and the welcoming of democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi and her party into parliament. The Nobel laureate, who took part in Thursday's commemorations, rose to prominence during the protests. She had been living in London but returned to Yangon in 1988 to nurse her sick mother, and was quick to take a leading role in the pro-democracy movement, delivering speeches to the masses at Yangon's Shwedagon Pagoda. Ko Ko Gyi, a key figure in the 1988 protests and a leader of the 88 Generation activist group, said campaigns to push Myanmar further on the path to democracy should maintain "the spirit" of the student rallies. "We cannot erase history. The situation of the country today is a result of the 1988 people's movement. Although we have not reached the situation we want, we are at the beginning of the road," he told AFP. Earlier, hundreds of people watched some 50 campaigners march through downtown Yangon in an unauthorised procession that irked local law enforcers. Marchers refused to halt when the head of police in the area asked them to stop. Police allowed them to continue, standing aside but taking pictures of those involved. "I don't think we need to get permission . . . we do not want to protest, we just want to express our respect. We are just walking," said Tun Tun Oo, a 49-year-old businessman who was a student protester in 1988. Activists also laid wreaths at Sule Pagoda in the centre of Yangon, which was at the heart of the August 8 crackdown. Win Min, a former student protester, said the scene in the area 25 years ago was "the worst and most unforgettable of my life". "We want to show our sorrow for the dead today and to show them we are moving forward to the goal of democracy . . . we promised them we would continue," he told AFP. AFP Read more: http://www.watoday.com.au/world/thousands-mark-myanmars-8888-anniversary-20130808-2rky4.html#ixzz2bQlS6CMl -------------------------------- The Hindu Published: August 8, 2013 15:59 IST | Updated: August 8, 2013 16:29 IST Myanmar marks 25 years of '88 uprising Twenty-five years later, you can still see the fear in the eyes of the two young men both doctors carrying a schoolgirl, her blouse drenched in blood, through streets where soldiers were brutally crushing pro-democracy protests. The photograph, thrust to prominence when it ran on the cover of Newsweek, came to symbolise the defeat of a 1988 uprising in the nation then called Burma. The revolts end cemented the power of the military, sent thousands of activists to prison and helped bring a future Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, to prominence. Only now, a generation after the events of the day known as 8.8.88, is Win Zaw beginning to talk about it all. The door is only open a little bit, says Win, now 48, taking long pauses as he tries to find the right words. I want to talk, for the sake of history, and all those who died. In my heart, I feel like this is the right time. But still I feel insecure. It is a story from so many nations that have struggled with the aftermaths of their own horrors. When is the right time to push long-hidden conversations into the open, to deal with the past, to cope? Argentina faced this in the years after the Dirty War of the 1970s, when the nation tried to move past decades of military oppression. It happened in Cambodia, where the savagery of Pol Pots regime trained an entire nation to remain silent. It has happened repeatedly in modern China, where the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown remains a largely forbidden topic, and where even the half-century-old historical realities of the Great Leap Forward Mao Zedongs disastrous policies that led to widespread famine and the deaths of tens of millions in the late 1950s and early 1960s have come into the open only recently. We avoided even making reference to it, said Dali Yang, a political scientist at the University of Chicago who was born and raised in China. Theres still a constant tug of war, between the censors and the people who want to tell the truth ... Subtly, gradually, though, this is beginning to change. When change does come, though, where does it come from? How do fear and silence eventually get out of the way so that a country can openly discuss its own history? The power of time Some of it is simply the power of time. Powerful politicians die. Historys traumatic events are eclipsed by more recent traumas. Small steps toward truth cascade into more. Eventually, details begin to emerge. The truth about famine, for example, had long been known in rough outlines outside China but was known inside the country by only the political elite and a handful of scholars. In recent years, even the government has begun to acknowledge that Maos policies were partly to blame. Generations of pessimists Myanmar, like China, is a nation where dictatorial rule has become less harsh, though it remains far from truly democratic. And Myanmars history has bred generations of pessimists. After Gen. Ne Win seized control in a 1962 coup, it went from being one of Asias wealthiest nations to one of the worlds poorest. Resentment over Ne Wins corrupt and inefficient policies began to grow in 1987 and simmered until Aug. 8, 1988, when a nation-wide strike led to widespread protests and quick military repression. A civilian President, named amid the bloodshed, lasted less than a month before being ousted in a September 18 coup. No government officials have ever been held accountable for the violence, which left an estimated 3,000 people dead. It was during protests that followed the September coup when Win Zaw, then a doctor at Yangons main hospital, heard that demonstrators had been shot by soldiers and needed medical help. Working with an older colleague, Saw Lwin, he repeatedly travelled by ambulance into the protest zone, carrying the injured to the hospital. On the third trip, as they rounded the corner on to Merchant Road, one of the citys main streets, they saw dozens of dead and injured demonstrators. Blood was everywhere. The two doctors spotted a young girl, badly injured. Many of the fiercest protesters were students, and the girl was wearing the uniform of a high school student a dark wrap-around longyi and white blouse. The shirt was almost completely red with blood. I listened carefully and found that her heart was still beating, Win said. She whispered, Brother, help me. Urging her not to give up, the two doctors ran with 16-year-old Win Maw Oo to the ambulance. That is where Steve Lehman, a 24-year-old American photographer, captured them, their fear and exhaustion obvious, their doctors coats flapping. The girl would never see the photograph. She died the same evening. Weeks later, when the photo appeared on Newsweeks cover, Win Zaw feared there would be trouble. In 1992, he was detained by the military, blindfolded, taken to an interrogation centre and held for five days. While he was not tortured, he was deeply shaken by the arrest. He was also black-listed by the government, and could not get a passport for nearly 20 years. He ended up running a private clinic. Things went far worse for Saw Lwin. His father, a top executive for the state broadcaster, was forced to retire. Saw, feeling responsible for what happened to his father, grew depressed. In 1996, he killed himself. I lost a comrade, a friend, Win Zaw said. Twenty-five years after the crackdown, much remains unspoken in Myanmar. Thousands disappeared into the countrys prisons during military rule, some for many years and often for doing nothing more than distributing leaflets. The torturers of the interrogation centres remain free, as do the jailers and the men who gave them orders. If the government recognises past atrocities and commits to accountability, the anniversary of 8.8.88 could be a pivotal moment in addressing decades of repressive rule, Brad Adams, Asia director for Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. It could even be the start of a new era if the military and Government move from denial to admission and from impunity to justice. But if activists are calling for investigations or even a South African-style Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the powerful generals and the Government are eager to put history behind them, to welcome the end of sanctions and watch the economy blossom. Tourists now flock to Myanmar. Trade deals are being signed. And Win Zaw is writing a book. While he is nervous about going public, he says what happened during those protests needs to be remembered: 8.8.88 should not be forgotten. We have to keep the spirit alive. http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/south-asia/25-years-after-unrest-much-remains-unspoken-in-myanmar/article5003385.ece ----------------------------------- Suu Kyi urges progress as thousands mark Myanmar uprising AFP Updated August 9, 2013, 10:15 am YANGON (AFP) - Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi urged further progress on democratic reforms in a speech to thousands Thursday marking the anniversary of a huge popular uprising in 1988, the largest ever such commemoration. Some 5,000 people crammed into a convention centre and thousands more watched large television screens outside to witness a landmark ceremony recalling the mass student protests 25 years ago that were brutally crushed by the then-junta. The event, attended by members of the opposition and ruling parties, diplomats and Buddhist monks, comes amid sweeping changes in Myanmar since the end of outright military dictatorship two years ago. "Time doesn't wait for us. We have to move forward," opposition leader Suu Kyi told the crowd, listing the tasks still to be completed in the fast-changing nation, including country-wide peace, constitutional reform and rule of law. "On this 8888 (as the anniversary is known) revolution silver jubilee day, I would like to urge everyone to continue working bravely and in unity for what we have to do for the future of our country," she said, adding that it was a "good sign" that so many people had gathered together to mark the event. On August 8, 1988 widespread student-led demonstrations against Myanmar's military rulers were brutally suppressed in an army assault in Yangon. But they marked the start of a huge popular uprising against the junta. Hundreds of thousands took to the streets across the country calling for democracy, in protests that came to a brutal end the following month with an army crackdown that killed more than 3,000. Suu Kyi, who had been living in London but returned to Yangon in 1988 to nurse her sick mother, was quick to take a leading role in the pro-democracy movement, delivering speeches to the masses at Yangon's Shwedagon Pagoda. The Nobel laureate, who spent much of the following two decades under house arrest until she was freed just after controversial elections in 2010, is now an MP as part of sweeping reforms under a new quasi-civilian regime that came to power in 2011. Other changes that have seen the country lauded by the international community have included freeing hundreds of political prisoners -- many of whom were jailed for their roles in the 1988 rallies -- and ceasefires with major ethnic rebel groups. Ko Ko Gyi, a key figure in the 1988 protests and a leader of the 88 Generation activist group, said campaigns to push Myanmar further on the path to democracy should maintain "the spirit" of the student rallies. "We cannot erase history. The situation of the country today is a result of the 1988 people's movement. Although we have not reached the situation we want, we are at the beginning of the road," he told AFP. Earlier, hundreds of people watched some 50 campaigners march through downtown Yangon in an unauthorised procession that irked local law enforcers. Marchers refused to halt when the head of police in the area asked them to stop. Police allowed them to continue, standing aside but taking pictures of those involved. "I don't think we need to get permission... we do not want to protest, we just want to express our respect. We are just walking," said Tun Tun Oo, a 49-year-old businessman who was a student protester in 1988. Activists also laid wreaths at Sule Pagoda in the centre of Yangon, which was at the heart of the August 8 crackdown. Win Min, a former student protester, said the scene in the area 25 years ago was "the worst and most unforgettable of my life". "We want to show our sorrow for the dead today and to show them we are moving forward to the goal of democracy... we promised them we would continue," he told AFP. http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/18419005/thousands-mark-anniversary-of-myanmar-junta-crackdown/ --------------------------------- Activists celebrate anniversary of uprising in Myanmar Published: Aug. 8, 2013 at 5:45 PM YANGON, Myanmar, Aug. 8 (UPI) -- Activists took to the streets of Yangon, Myanmar, Thursday to mark the 25th anniversary of the 1988 pro-democracy uprising squashed by the military. The protesters, some of whom were involved in the 1988 demonstrations, marched throughout the city to remember the uprising, during which more than 3,000 people were killed, Voice of American reported. Demonstrators refused to stop along the route when police asked them if they had complied with a law requiring state approval for protests. Meanwhile, British Foreign Office Minister Hugo Swire released a statement marking the anniversary. "This anniversary is a chance to remember all those who have struggled for greater democracy in Burma, in particular the many who lost their lives in 1988 or spent years in prison because of their beliefs," Swire said. "The British government will continue to work together with the Burmese [Myanmar] government, opposition forces including Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy, and all of Burma's ethnic groups to support the desires of the people of Burma for peace, and greater economic and political reform." Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2013/08/08/Activists-celebrate-anniversary-of-uprising-in-Myanmar/UPI-41821375998358/#ixzz2bQjxPiA5 -------------------------------- Ooredoo appoints legal counsel for Myanmar telecom project 8 August 2013 | By Yun Kriegler Ooredoo, one of the two winning bidders for Myanmars hotly contested foreign telecommunications licences, has appointed Norton Rose Fulbright and Australian boutique firm Webb Henderson to assist its multi-billion dollar project in the country. At the end of June, Ooredoo, formerly known as Qarter Telecom, won the first two licences for foreign companies to provide telecommunications services in Myanmar. Norwegian telecom company Telenor is the other foreign licensee, which was advised by Allen & Overy in the bidding process (17 July 2013). Ooredoos legal advice for the bid was largely done by the companys in-house team, headed by Asia general counsel Scott Weenink, who is based in Singapore. Weenink will also oversees the legal affairs arising from the project developments. The company has appointed Norton Rose Fulbright as the lead international counsel to support its greenfields deployment of a multi-billion dollar mobile telecoms network in Myanmar. The firms team is being jointly led by IT/IP partner Gigi Cheah in Singapore and corporate partner Martyn Taylor in Sydney. It is understood that Norton Rose Fulbright also played a support role in Ooredoos application process. The selection process was fiercely contested, attracting some 91 expressions of interest. Myanmar has huge economic potential and the rollout of advanced mobile services will have a dramatic socio-economic impact, said Taylor. Ooredoo has also instructed Sydney-based regulatory boutique Webb Henderson to provide legal and regulatory advice on strategic regulatory, corporate and commercial matters as it prepares to launch its new telecoms business in Myanmar next year. Webb Hendersons Sydney partners Malcolm Webb, Ara Margossian and Angus Henderson are leading the advice to Ooredoo in Myanmar. The firm has been advising the Ooredoo group in Qatar and elsewhere in the Middle East for a number of years. Ooredoo is a leading communications company operating across the Middle East, North Africa and South East Asia. Ooredoo is listed on the Qatar Exchange, the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange and the London Stock Exchange. It has a market capitalisation of over US$10 billion and reported 2012 revenues of US$9.3 billion. Ooredoo has approximately 91 million customers across its footprint. http://www.thelawyer.com/news/regions/asia-pacific-news/ooredoo-appoints-legal-counsel-for-myanmar-telecom-project/3008335.article __._,_.___