OnIslam & Newspapers

CAIRO – After decades of peaceful co-existence with the Buddhist majority, fears and mistrust are prevailing among the Muslim community in Burma in the wake of deadly bouts of sectarian attacks.

“We are losing trust with each other,” U Aye, a Muslim used-car salesman, told The New York Times on Wednesday, July 3.

“Any business transaction between a Buddhist and a Muslim can turn into an incident.”

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Fears have been gripping Burmese Muslims after repeated attacks by Buddhists in recent months since last year’s sectarian violence which killed more than 200 people and displaced thousands.

Anti-Muslim violence engulfed central Burma last April after an argument between a Buddhist couple and gold shop owners, leaving at least 42 people dead.

David Cundall  vows to return to continue quest for buried Castle-Bromwich built planes

THE hunt for long-lost Birmingham-built Spitfires isn’t over. The iconic fighter planes are rumoured to be buried in Burma and a new dig to try to find them will resume in 2014. Justine Halifax reports.

Spitfire hunter David Cundall will return to Burma to start a new dig for a lost squadron of buried Castle Bromwich-built Spitfires early next year, it can be revealed today.

The news comes a week after the aviation enthusiast revealed he had unearthed fresh evidence suggesting he had found the exact location of the buried planes.

It has emerged that Mr Cundall, whose team is now 90 per cent sure that it has found the Spitfires, is working towards starting to dig for the squadron of aircraft at the new site in January 2014.

He has dismissed claims by some that the story of the buried Burma bombers is nothing more than a “captivating legend” and that the Spitfires were never delivered to Burma.

Eleven Media Group/Asia News Network

Harsh action will be taken against those fuelling hatred between different religions said President Thein Sein on July 2 in a radio broadcast.

“A particular group in the country is misusing our noble beliefs as a stepping stone to extremist acts and fuelling tensions between different faiths.

“Such groups are taking advantage of the political and economic situation in our country which has resulted in riots and created greater insecurity and concerns for Myanmar citizens working abroad,” he said.

Thein Sein did not mention which groups in particular he was referring to but gave a stern warning to anyone instigating violence in Myanmar.

“Severe actions must be taken against those instigating hatred in the country in accordance with the law. Concerted efforts must be escalated in the prevention of further possible violence,” he said.

AFP

WASHINGTON — The United States placed a Myanmar general on its sanctions blacklist Tuesday for arms deals with North Korea that violated the U.N. Security Council embargo on buying weapons from Pyongyang.

Weeks after a landmark visit to Washington by Myanmar President Thein Sein celebrated the thaw in relations, the U.S. Treasury named Lieutenant General Thein Htay, the head of Myanmar’s Directorate of Defense Industries, for the sanctions.

The Treasury said the general was involved in buying North Korean military goods despite his government’s support for the Security Council ban.

It said he acted on behalf of the directorate, a Myanmar military agency that was placed on the U.S. sanctions blacklist in July 2012 for arms deals with North Korea.

The Treasury stressed in a statement that the Myanmar government, which until 2011 endured years of isolation and condemnation by the international community for rights abuses, was not targeted by the sanctions.

KUALA LUMPUR: Three Myanmar construction workers were killed while another sustained a broken leg following a landslide at a construction site in Taman Sierra, Ukay Perdana, here yesterday.

The three who died were Mohd Alam, Kowrin and Romzo Ali, aged between 29 and 34, who were buried under the debris.

Assistant operations director of the Selangor Fire and Rescue Department Mohd Sani Harul said the incident occurred at 11.29 yesterday morning when eight workers were working on the drainage system.

“The collapsed wall, which was three metres high, had crashed on four workers but one of them sustained a broken leg and firemen rescued him together with four other workers, who were working near the landslide area.

“We took half-an-hour to pull out the three victims who were buried under the debris. The one who was injured is being treated at the Ampang Hospital,” he said at a media conference at the site.

By Agencies

The Myanmar government will form more anti-riot squads and give them training in accordance with international standards, official media reported Thursday, citing a Myanmar Home Ministry official.

Disturbance acts by illegal organization could negatively impact the interest of the country and the people, warned Deputy Home Minister Brigadier-General Kyaw Zan Myint at the ongoing seventh session of the House of Representatives, or Lower House, on Wednesday.

“Police battalions had been formed to quell violence and riots and plans were underway to form one more battalion in Meikhtila and to add three more security companies to auxiliary forces in Nay Phi Taw and states and regions,” he said.

“After modifying the current anti-riot manual, police forces in states and regions would be trained in accordance with the new manual and training courses organized by Myanmar Police Force,” he added.

Blogger and activist Nay Phone Latt has called for an amendment to the 2004 Electronic Transactions Act that saw him sentenced to 15 years jail in 2008.

He made the comments following the launch of his latest book, which is a series of letters he wrote in prison before he was released during a political amnesty in 2012.

“We have some extent of freedom. But we are not safe,” he said in an interview with Mizzima. “This law still exists. There are no clear definitions in the laws and anyone can be targeted.

“Most people write freely and don’t worry about it, but we are always vulnerable to political change if it is not amended,” he said.

Under the current law, Internet users can be sentenced for a minimum of seven years up to a maximum of 15 for writing material deemed offensive or dangerous. Critics argue that the law—enacted by the military government—is purposely vague.