Lashio Anti-Muslims Riots’ Second Day

(Translation of news article direct from the Myanmar Express Blog on 30 May 2013.)

Armed-Burmese-Buddhists on motorbikes patrolling Lashio.

At about 1:30 pm on 29 May 2013 more than 40 Muslim men armed with two swords each came out of Ward-7 the Muslim quarters in Lashio and marched towards the Seit-ta-thu-kha Buddhist Monastery.

The Muslim men were all stout and good fighting age as if they were selected and prepared for this occasion. On their way towards the Buddhist monastery they torched Motorbikes on the streets, destroyed the Buddhist shops, and burned some Buddhist houses.

And the local Buddhists defending their monastery were waiting for them. But when the two crowds met and the violent clashes started the armed-police arrived and tried to separate the two crowds.

Lashio Mosques And Madrassas Burning By Race Riots

(Translation of news articles from various Burmese blogs on 21 May 2013.)

A burnt-down mosque in Lashio of Northern Shan State.

Lashio the capital of Northern Shan State has been under dusk-to-dawn curfew (Act-144) since 8 pm last night (28 May 2013) after violent anti-Muslim race riots broke out there.

The riots were triggered by a fiery attack on Aye Aye Win (24), a petrol retailer (Shan-Buddhist) on Thein-ni Street of 8^th Ward in Lashio, by Ne Win (48) a Muslim (Kalar)  traveller from Kengton’s 2^nd ward. Apparently at about 4:15 pm on May 28 a heated argument broke out between petrol seller Buddhist woman and the Muslim man.

Questions About Burma’s Future

(The OP_ED article by Fred Hiatt direct from the Tribe Live on 25 May2013.)

WASHINGTON: President Thein Sein of Burma, the former general who President Barack Obama hopes is leading a transition from dictatorship to democracy, is not an imposing figure. The longer you talk with him, the less imposing he seems.

That, at least, was my impression after interviewing him for about 45 minutes Sunday, along with The Washington Post's Anne Gearan.

We tried to find out whether the president believes the clause the junta inserted into the constitution effectively barring Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of democracy forces in Burma, from the presidency should remain in effect:

Turkish Writer Takes Off Her Headbag Amidst Threats

(The news article direct from the Muslim Women News on 02 May 2013.)

Bestselling Turkish Writer is receiving death threats, after she took her veil off. Famous Bestselling Turkish Writer is receiving death threats because she decided to uncover her head.

The activist, Rabia Kazan, a columnist for 5 years in Ortadoğu Gazetesi, which is a nationalist Turkish newspaper, and the author of a book titled "Tahran Melekleri" (Angels of Tehran) in which she reviewed temporary marriage in Iran, (a sort of legal prostitution) has been receiving serious death threats from the Fanatic Islamic Community after making her decision to not wear a headscarf, which she was forced to wear by her mother in her childhood. Having gone to the Turkish Police Department, Rabia Kazan declared.

"The headscarf was a decision of my mother and when I uncovered my head, I felt freedom for the first time in my life."

Fading Orwellian Link: Katha Of “Burmese Days”

(The news article direct from the New York Times on 23 May 2013.)

In Myanmar Outpost, a Fading Orwellian Link by Jane Perlez. Left is the British Club in Katha, where male characters of George Orwell's "Burmese Days" lounged and drank tumblers of whiskey and gin. It now houses offices of a cooperative association.

KATHA, Myanmar — George Orwell created his first novel, “Burmese Days,” a scathing portrait of the imperious attitudes of the British, from this former colonial outpost on the banks of the mighty Irrawaddy River. His brutish characters swilled too much whiskey at a whites-only club, and wilted in the vaporous heat. A train that crawled through the jungle from Mandalay provided a lifeline to the outside world.

Local aficionados are encouraging the authorities in Myanmar to restore George Orwell’s house.

Buddhist Exodus Driving Illegal Bengali-Muslims Mad

(The news article direct from the Christian Science Monitor on 24 May 2013.)

Minority Rohingya Muslims who have long alleged persecution by the Buddhists in Myanmar, say Buddhist families from Bangladesh are now being resettled on their land.

Buddhist families from Bangladesh are quietly crossing the border into Myanmar, where local Rakhine Buddhist groups and government agencies are helping them resettle. The move has created pressure on the minority Rohingya Muslims, who have long alleged persecution by the Buddhists to leave.

Muslim Rohingyas, who are not recognized by the state, allege that the Buddhists and the Myanmar government are attempting to throw them out of their villages and take away their land.

“The Buddhists from Bangladesh are being resettled around Rakhine’s Rohingya villages to create more pressure on the local minority community,” says Bangladesh-based Rohingya rights activist Khin Maung Lay.

China Vs US To Operate Rangoon Airport Next 30 Years?

(The OP_ED article by John Hudson direct from the Foreign Policy on 20 May 2013.)

On Monday morning, the White House released a vague agenda for this afternoon's historic bilateral meeting between President Barack Obama and Thein Sein, the first president of Burma, also known as Myanmar, to visit Washington in almost 50 years. While its release ticks off the major issues -- including democratic reform, "ethnic tensions," and economic development -- sources tell The Cable that a contract to operate Burma's Yangon airport will likely be brought up.

The contract, which involves the renovation and operation of the former Burmese capital's airport, is worth $1 billion over 30 years and has attracted bids from some of the most powerful corporations in the world. More importantly, from a geostrategic standpoint, it also pits a U.S. consortium including giants Boeing and McKinsey against a joint venture involving the massive Chinese-owned company China Harbour Engineering and Pioneer Aerodrome Service, a firm connected to Burma's former military regime.

Sanctions-champion Mitch McConnell Reversing

(The press release direct from Senator Mitch McConnell’s site on 21 May 2013.)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following remarks on the Senate floor today regarding the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act import sanctions:

“For the past two decades, I have been coming to the Senate floor to condemn acts of the Burmese regime against its own people.  And for the past decade, for these same reasons, I have sponsored legislation to impose sanctions on the Burmese government. Beginning in 2003, import sanctions have been renewed annually through the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act (the BFDA). The BFDA was later enhanced in 2008 through the Tom Lantos Block Burmese JADE Act, a measure I also cosponsored.   

“Today, however, I come to the floor with a different message. After having given the matter a great deal of thought and review, I do not believe that Congress should reauthorize the BFDA’s import sanctions. Let me repeat that. I do not believe the BFDA import ban should be renewed for another year.

Two Muslim Thugs Beheaded British Soldier in London

 (The news article direct from the YahooSevenNews on 22 May 2013.)

One of the Muslim head-chopping thug. 

LONDON (AFP) - British police shot and wounded two men after a man thought to be a serving soldier was killed outside a London barracks, in an attack Prime Minister David Cameron called "truly shocking".

In a dramatic move, the government's emergency response committee was being summoned following the killing which some eyewitness reports suggested was an attempted beheading using machete-like knives.

Some early reports suggested the attack might be Islamist-related, although there was no official confirmation. The incident took place in broad daylight in a street around 200 metres (yards) from the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, a district of southeast London. Police were called at 2:20 pm (1320 GMT) to reports of one man being assaulted by two others.