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The RCSS Mid-year Regular Meeting and the decisions
The SPDC regime and its controversial constitution
Cash rewards for referendum commissioners
Air Mandalay stops Thailand flights
UN expert concerned about Myanmar comedian's arrest

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The RCSS Mid-year Regular Meeting and the decisions
Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS)
(02-03.06.2008)

On June 02-03, 2008, the RCSS had successfully completed its mid-year meeting and came up with four decisions.

1. The RCSS decided to hold a “Shan State National Patriotic Council” in 2008. This effort is to apply and materialize one of the RCSS sixth policies, “National Unity”. This council will be participating by different organizations, ethnic nationalities and three representatives from each province (the provinces that RCSS could reach). The meeting will hold once a year. The RCSS will take the responsibility of the meeting expense.

The participants would be:

a. Members of the Central Executive Committee of RCSS,
b. Shan State political parties,
c. Independent organizations,
d. Individuals whom invited by the RCSS,
e. Representatives from the overseas Shan organizations.

The council will be working on three objectives:

(1) To cooperate and tackle with the political issues related to the Shan State and its people.
(2) To find a common stance and to be able to form a single united front. 
(3) Each organization would attend the council and discuss, consult their different ideas, perspective and to find a solution to be able to work together.

2. The RCSS has evaluated its work for the past six months. After that, some shortcomings and misconducts were readdressed and congratulated the ones that achieved their duties.

3. The RCSS deeply feel sad and sorry for the thousands of people who were killed and homeless by cyclone nargis in the Irrawaddy Delta, Burma. Thus, the RCSS sent some donation to the victims within its limited ability. At the same time, the RCSS strongly condemn the Burmese military regime for its ill attitudes to the cyclone-hit victims by refusing the international assistance. Therefore, we urge the regime to allow the international aid workers to fully help and access to the victims unconditionally.

4. Finally, the RCSS also would like to send its condolence to the Chinese people who were trapped and killed by a massive earthquake in Southern China, May 12. Therefore, together with our condolence, we have donated 10,000 yuans in an effort of helping the earthquake victims.

Restoration Council of Shan State

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The SPDC regime and its controversial constitution
Lert Tai
June 03,2008

A national referendum held by the SPDC regime claims 92.4 % support for the new constitution. Unbelievably, the result did not include the population that was hit by the cyclone nargis in the Irrawaddy Delta and the millions of Burmese migrant workers in Thailand.

Whilst people were in shock by the cyclone-hit news, the regime was busy with the national referendum in order to make sure that people support the constitution.

Since the independence of Burma, two constitutions have been written. The first one was in 1947 with the participation of the Burman and non-Burman representatives. It was the first constitution that guaranteed the existence of Kachin State. 

It will be a big surprise if the Kachin people voted “Yes” for the present constitution as it would automatically abolish the 1947 constitution and would lead to the disappearance of Kachin State. This, the Kachin and its young generation are not willing to see and should not let it happen.

The second one mended in 1974 after Gen. Ne Win staged a coup in 1958 that was simply in favour of unitary system.

Again, the current regime has called on the people to cast their votes for the new constitution and ignore the calls from the opposition political groups and the international community. It is loud and clear that the regime just cares to hang on power.

Moreover, the new complicated constitution does not represent the people but a faked one to prolong the dictatorship power.

The longer the regime holds on to power, the more problems will be lining ahead. The regime must find a political settlement for the concerned parties. A good, clean, honest constitution could end and solve the long civil war and political conflicts. Thus, the regime must restate the 1947 constitution in attempts of restoring peace and stability. If the regime fails to recognize the 1947 constitution, it must be responsible for the continuing conflicts. 

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Cash rewards for referendum commissioners
By Hseng Khio Fah
No.07- 6/2008
8 June 2008
Politics

Local constitutional referendum commissioners in Namkham, northern Shan State, have been given cash rewards by authorities after the result of the referendum on May 10 was announced, according to sources from the Sino-Burma border.

On June 2 members of Namkham Township Peace and Development Council (TPDC) including Chairman U Tin Hlaing and Secretary Myo Thu at TPDC office granted cash to every member of local referendum commissioners and staff for their work and the cost of building polling booths, a source said.

Namkham has been the township where the regime had suffered defeat. Tin Hlaing had said that at the event of defeat, he would also be punished. “He must have been spared in the end,” said a source, “after juggling the result of the poll.”

Each commissioner received Kyat 3,000 (US$ 2.2) and polling station staff was given 1,000 Kyat (US$ 0.7) . The authorities paid Kyat 3,000 (US$ 2.2) for the expense of building each polling booth. Every person who received money had to sign, according to the source.

 “Actually, it cost us at least Kyat 80,000 (US$ 59.2) for one polling station. They [authorities] just paid back Kyat 3,000 (US$ 2.2).  We used the village’s fund for building polling stations,” said a local.

A government source says each of the 45 members of the Convening Commission of nationwide referendum was also given a house and a car. Three of them are from eastern Shan State.

The junta on May 30 announced that the draft constitution had been approved by 92.48 per cent of voters in referendums held on May 10 and 24, where the total turnout was 98.12 percent.

http://shanland.org/politics/2008/cash-rewards-for-referendum-commissioners

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Air Mandalay stops Thailand flights
By Hseng Khio Fah

Air Mandalay has temporarily stopped its Thailand flights due to fewer passengers and tourists coming to Burma after Cyclone Nagis hit southern Burma on 2-3 May, according to a regular traveler.

Air Mandalay

There used to be more than 60 passengers each flight from Chiang Mai or Bangkok to Rangoon, but the number of passengers has significantly dropped, sometimes to 5 or 6, said the source.

“Before, there were no less than 50 passengers. Today, we just have 23 people. I heard that they [Air Mandalay] will stop flights until the end of August. This was the last flight,” said a passenger who flied from Rangoon to Chiang Mai on 5 June.

A staff from Air Mandalay office in Chiang Mai confirmed that Rangoon-Thailand flights will stop until 7 August 2008.

The number of border-cross tourists has also dropped, said a tourist guide from Mae Sai-Tachilek border.

After cyclone Nargis devastated the Irrawaddy delta and some parts of southern Burma, tourists who had often visited Burma in the past stopped coming, said the source.

"We used to receive guests at least 3- 4 times a month. Right now, those who had made bookings earlier have canceled their trips. Even though it is high season there are no tourists because of unstable situation in Burma," the source said.

Since November, 2007 some foreign tourism companies based in Rangoon have also closed their businesses, according a Rangoon-based tourist guide.

On 2 -3 May tropical Cyclone Nargis hit the coast of Burma and devastated large parts of the low-lying Irrawaddy delta, leaving at least 134,000 dead or missing and up to 2.5 million people homeless. 

http://shanland.org/general/2008-1/air-mandalay-stops-thailand-flights

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UN expert concerned about Myanmar comedian's arrest
AP
By ELIANE ENGELER, Associated Press Writer

The United Nations' expert on human rights in Myanmar said Monday he was very worried about the arrest of a well-known comedian who was trying to help survivors of last month's devastating cyclone.

Comedian Maung Thura — whose stage name is Zarganar — was taken from his home in Yangon by police Wednesday night after going to the Irrawaddy delta to donate relief items to survivors, a relative said.

"I'm very concerned because I don't know so far about his whereabouts," said Tomas Ojea Quintana, the U.N. Human Rights Council's new investigator for Myanmar.

Quintana, from Argentina, said he asked the government for clarification about Zarganar's arrest.

The relative said Friday that the family had heard nothing from Zarganar since the arrest and that the ruling military junta had given no reason for the arrest.

Zarganar was leading a team of around 40 people assisting cyclone victims, said Quintana, adding that other actors, comedians and writers were part of the group.

The U.N. estimates a total of 2.4 million people were made homeless or were otherwise affected when Cyclone Nargis hit May 2-3, and has warned that more than 1 million of those still need help, mostly in the hard-to-reach delta.

The 46-year old comedian and his team had made videos of their relief activities, and Zarganar gave interviews critical of the government's relief effort to foreign media, including the British Broadcasting Corp., whose news broadcasts are popular in Myanmar.

In an interview with the Thailand-based magazine Irrawaddy before his arrest, Zarganar was quoted as saying some areas in the delta had not been reached by the government or international aid groups. Zarganar said his group distributed food, blankets, mosquito nets and other aid.

Quintana, who on Friday presented a 16-page report to the U.N. council on the situation of basic rights in Myanmar, said he didn't have information about other members of Zarganar's team being arrested.

But "the detention of Zarganar concerns me a lot," he told reporters.

Zarganar, known for his anti-government jibes, has previously been arrested together with other actors for openly supporting demonstrations against the military junta.

U.N. officials and aid groups have criticized the regime for hindering cyclone relief efforts.

Quintana said if a government is unable to help its people after a disaster, it has to accept outside aid.

"All states have the obligation to guarantee their people all the rights with all the available means," he said. "If the means inside the country are not enough ... there is an obligation to use means from the international community."

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