Suu Kyi to advocate charter change in her speech in Mandalay

The opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) has joined hands with the 88 Generation Peace and Open Society to organise public talks on constitutional change across the country.

“We are trying to obtain a venue,” said Tin Htut Oo, chairman of the Mandalay branch of the National League for Democracy (NLD). “The 88 Generation group will also join the talk [and] Suu Kyi will give a talk in person. The topic she will focus on is the charter change. We just need a venue.” 

88 Group activists Min Ko Naing, Ko Ko Gyi, Htay Kywe, Mya Aye, Jimmy and Pyone Cho met Suu Kyi at her residence on April 21, to plan meetings on constitutional amendment in May. A committee for constitutional amendment was formed in parliament on February 3 in 2014. 

Shwe Mann, the speaker of the Union Assembly, said earlier that constitutional amendments should be finalised at least six months before the 2015 elections.

“All including democracy, internal peace with the ethnics and federal Union depend upon the 2008 charter change. It is not easy to amend the Chapter 12 of the 2008 Constitution,” said Aye Tha Aung, the leader of United Nationalities Alliance (UNA). 

 

Locals protest oil refinery project in Launglon

Local residents on Tuesday staged a protest against a refinery project in Launglon Township, Taninthayi Region.

The project is a joint venture between the military-owned Union of Myanmar Economic Holding Ltd (UMEHL), Htoo Trading Ltd and Chinese company GTZR. When operational, it is expected to produce 5 million tonnes of petrol a year.

The protesters marched from Nyin Maw Buddhist Monastery to the project site for one and half hours yesterday morning, holding placards calling for an end to the project and to stop the forced relocation of villages in the project area.

“We protest against the refinery project because it is harmful to the environment. The factory is located in Nyin Maw Village but the nearby places will also suffer environmental consequences. So, the local people here do not want the refinery at all,” said Chit Oo, a resident of Nyin Maw Village.

Residents said they had to apply six times to get permission from local authorities for the protest and were rejected five times. 

“The authorities mentioned traffic jams and educational events as reasons for their rejection. This time, the township police chief allowed us to protest on the outskirts but did not allow us to pass in front of schools and offices. As long as the refinery project is going on, we will continue protests,” added Chit Oo. 

Six villages fall in the area of the refinery project site. The project is located on a 1,600-acre palm oil plantation bought by UMEHL from the Ministry of Industry at a cost of Ks 2.6 billion (US$ 2.6 million).

Myanmar is rushing the construction of new refineries, to satisfy the growing oil demand in the country. The country now houses three small refineries. The first at Thalyin, constructed in 1955, has the capacity of only 11,400 barrels per day (bpd). The second one at Chauk was built in 1951. Its current capacity is 2,285 bpd. The third one, part of the Thanbayarkan petrochemical complex of Mitsubishi Heavy Industry, was operational in 1982 with capacity of 100,000 bpd. 

Domestic demand has been on the rise, in line with the country’s economic growth. 

After the government opened up car imports in 2012, up to 10,000 cars a month are currently being imported to Myanmar. 

It is estimated that there are about 500,000 registered cars in the country, and several foreign companies are looking at establishing refineries in the country.

Thai Oil, the biggest refiner in Thailand, also wants to build a facility with a capacity of 150,000 bpd, which would make it the biggest in the country. 

 

Indian navy conducts joint exercises with Myanmar

Two battleships and a coast guard frigate from the Indian navy arrived at Yangon’s Thilawa port on April 27 to conduct joint exercises with the Myanmar navy. 

India navy attache Manish Bandari said that the navy often conducts drills with its Myanmar counterparts and the frequent training helps improve skills.

Up to 400 navy officers on board the Gharial, Sujata and Varuna gave free medical treatment at the Thanlyin General Hospital on April 28. The also played in a friendly volleyball match at Aung San Stadium and performed at the National Convention Centereon the following day. An Australian navy battleship also paid a friendly visit on January 20 for five days, while three Royal Thai Navy battleships with 700 officers on board visited on February 19. Nan Hnin Wai Phu  

 

Strident calls for release of journalists 

Protesters have resumed demonstrations against the imprisonment of journalists in front of the Yangon City Hall on Tuesday. 

“Jailing and hindering journalists means blocking people’s access to information. That’s why we demonstrate today for the sake of information access. We did not apply the permission for the peaceful assembly from the authorities,” protester Than Swe told Eleven Media. About 30 protesters participated in the demonstration holding placards exclaiming “We demand the release of DVB reporter Zaw Pe and other detained journalists” as well as wearing T-shirts saying: “No Wanbao” and “No U Paing Company.”

This followed a protest on April 25 as journalists agreed to join forces to defend their rights as the government creates new restrictions on local journalists, as well as shorter visa allowances on foreign journalists working in Myanmar.

Mizzima reporter Yae Khae was charged after the protest for holding an illegal demonstration in support of Zaw Pe, who was recently imprisoned for reporting a story back in 2012. 

Four reporters of Unity Journal are also under a trial for a report on a weapons factory. On Wednesday, at the trial of four Unity Journal journalists and CEO, five out of six witnesses said the police showed no search warrants when confiscating materials relating to the case. 

This is the eighth court hearing of the four journalists and CEO of Unity Journal, which began on Monday at the Pauk Township Court. The five face charges of leaking state secrets when they reported the existence of a secret weapons factory in Pauk Township in January. 

Plaintiff witness Naing Win Soe said he was among the search witness while Police Deputy Superintendent Maung Maung Than searched the mobile phone of journalist Lu Maw Naing’ wife. He confessed he had no idea that a search warrant was needed and that the police showed no search warrant despite confiscating private property.