Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Election round-up November 11
Ma Ba Tha donors demand money back
U Wirathu and other Ma Ba Tha leaders are believed to have gone into hiding after angry donors demanded their money back following a landslide victory for the NLD in Sunday’s elections.
One angry former donor told Burma Tha Din, “We gave them millions of kyat to reduce the NLD vote, but their vote has gone up! They had a job to do and didn’t do it, so it is correct for them to give us our money back.”
British Foreign Secretary not at all patronising to the people of Burma
British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has issued a statement on the elections stating, “I congratulate the people of Burma on the calm and orderly manner in which elections took place on 8 November. Normally natives in former colonies get very excited in these situations and start throwing spears at each other. Orderly queues epitomise the best of British culture and it’s wonderful to see this colonial legacy alive and well in Burma today.”
Newspaper apologises for article on election
The New York Herald Post has apologised for publishing an article about the election in Burma without using the worlds ‘landmark’ and ‘historic’. The article caused a storm on social media with one NLD supporter in Burma tweeting: “This is an insult to our nation. If the foreign journalist who wrote this is still in our country he should be jailed and then deported.”
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Government sponsored anti-Muslim strategy backfires
From our correspondents across the country
Burma Tha Din correspondents conducting interviews at polling stations on Sunday have made a surprising discovery.
Many voters have said they did not vote for the green party because they are the Muslims Ma Ba Tha warned them about. Green is the official campaign colour of the current ruling party, the Union Solidarity Development Party (USDP). It is also the official colour of Islam.
The USDP appear to be heading for a crushing defeat in the elections.
“I saw the USDP colour is the same colour as the bibles the Muslims have, so I know these are the ones trying to make our country Muslim,” said one voter.
“Ma Ba Tha came to our village and warned us about a political party trying to make our country Muslim,” said another voter. “Of course when I see the green logo I know this is the Muslim party.”
“This would be a big irony,” said political commentator Thein Myo Yan, who under Burmese media law must be quoted in at least ten percent of all articles on Burmese politics.
The USDP refused to respond to Burma Tha Din’s request for comment.
Burma Tha Din correspondents conducting interviews at polling stations on Sunday have made a surprising discovery.
Many voters have said they did not vote for the green party because they are the Muslims Ma Ba Tha warned them about. Green is the official campaign colour of the current ruling party, the Union Solidarity Development Party (USDP). It is also the official colour of Islam.
The USDP appear to be heading for a crushing defeat in the elections.
“I saw the USDP colour is the same colour as the bibles the Muslims have, so I know these are the ones trying to make our country Muslim,” said one voter.
“Ma Ba Tha came to our village and warned us about a political party trying to make our country Muslim,” said another voter. “Of course when I see the green logo I know this is the Muslim party.”
“This would be a big irony,” said political commentator Thein Myo Yan, who under Burmese media law must be quoted in at least ten percent of all articles on Burmese politics.
The USDP refused to respond to Burma Tha Din’s request for comment.
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Burma election roundup November 5th 2015
Balloons over Bagan confirm NLD balloon sale
Balloons over Bagan have confirmed to Burma Tha Din that officials from Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's office have ordered a hot air balloon. The balloon will be red with the fighting peacock logo of the NLD.
"They have told us that after the election we have to deliver it to Nay Pyi Daw, where it will be tethered over the Presidents office. It will be used exclusively for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi so the basket underneath only needs to be big enough for herself, Dr Tin Mar Aung, and the western person who is visiting her."
Daw Suu Sets Guinness World Record?
Guinness World Records has confirmed to Burma Tha Din that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi may enter it's hallowed records, following her press conference to foreign media in Yangon this morning.
"We are pretty sure that no politician has ever answered so many questions in such a short space of time and in such a concise manner", said an official from Guiness World Records.
"The fact that the answers were rarely very enlightening is not a factor in deciding the entry. Our records are about quantity, not quality."
Internet speeds slow as journalists pile in
Burma's internet appears to be struggling to cope with hoards of journalists arriving to cover the elections. Military owned UMEH has confirmed it is struggling to cope with the surge in demand for its Myanmar Beer. Pharmacies are also reporting booming sales of antibiotics for food poisoning.
Fighting in ethnic states escalates
Burma Tha Din has received reports that a new military offensive by the Burmese Army in Shan State in the past month has displaced thousands of people and that civilians are being tortured and killed. Burmese Army offensives in Kachin State are also continuing.
However, this is not happening in Yangon, isn't about Aung San Suu Kyi or Shwe Mann or Muslims, and doesn't fit the narrative, so we haven't bothered sending anyone to report it.
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Rare sighting of policy debate in Burma's election?
From our correspondent in NayPyiDaw
Social media in Burma is today awash with rumours that there has been an argument over a specific policy in Burma's election campaign.
Posts disagreed on whether the policy argument was over health, education, employment or economic policy.
If the rumours are true, it would mark the first time in the election that there has been an argument between parties over a specific policy issue.
Burma Tha Din has been unable to track down the source of the rumours or confirm a discussion on a specific policy between any of Burma’s ninety plus political parties has actually taken place.
We were unable to speak to either of the two people the NLD has authorised to speak to media about policy, but a spokesperson told us that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has repeatedly stated that people are voting for the party. Not the candidate or policies.
An exasperated Ye Htut, speaking on behalf of the government, told our correspondent; "We gave you reforms and democracy and now you want bloody policies as well? As our President says, there is enough change, so go away before I report you."
A spokesperson for the ethnic Karen Plone-Sgaw Democratic Party told Burma Tha Din; “Our policy is that we are Karen. So far we have had very good response from Karen people to this policy.”
Dr Maung Eicke Aye from the Arakan National Party told Burma Tha Din: “Our policy is to get rid of all Bengali (Rohingya). There can be no debate on this policy. If anyone disagrees with us, we'll burn their house down."
Social media in Burma is today awash with rumours that there has been an argument over a specific policy in Burma's election campaign.
Posts disagreed on whether the policy argument was over health, education, employment or economic policy.
If the rumours are true, it would mark the first time in the election that there has been an argument between parties over a specific policy issue.
Burma Tha Din has been unable to track down the source of the rumours or confirm a discussion on a specific policy between any of Burma’s ninety plus political parties has actually taken place.
We were unable to speak to either of the two people the NLD has authorised to speak to media about policy, but a spokesperson told us that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has repeatedly stated that people are voting for the party. Not the candidate or policies.
An exasperated Ye Htut, speaking on behalf of the government, told our correspondent; "We gave you reforms and democracy and now you want bloody policies as well? As our President says, there is enough change, so go away before I report you."
A spokesperson for the ethnic Karen Plone-Sgaw Democratic Party told Burma Tha Din; “Our policy is that we are Karen. So far we have had very good response from Karen people to this policy.”
Dr Maung Eicke Aye from the Arakan National Party told Burma Tha Din: “Our policy is to get rid of all Bengali (Rohingya). There can be no debate on this policy. If anyone disagrees with us, we'll burn their house down."
Monday, November 2, 2015
Election not good for democracy say activist groups
From our correspondent in Bangkok
International human rights and Burma campaign groups have expressed concern that elections taking place in Burma are not good for democracy in the country, according to several reports they have published.
As Burma enters the final week of Burma's most free elections since 1990, with tens of millions of people able to vote for over ninety political parties, and the NLD expected to win a landslide victory and form the first civilian government in 54 years, they are warning that the elections will continue military rule and parties don't respect human rights.
The human rights organisations are claiming the military, which handed over power to a nominally civilian government in 2011, is not genuine in its support for the reform process. This statement is likely to send shockwaves through the US State Department, British Foreign Office and European External Action Service, which has wholeheartedly endorsed the reforms and helped pay for the elections.
"We tried to warn them not to lift sanctions but they wouldn't listen," sighed Mark Stothard from the Alternative Campaign for Burma.
International human rights and Burma campaign groups have expressed concern that elections taking place in Burma are not good for democracy in the country, according to several reports they have published.
As Burma enters the final week of Burma's most free elections since 1990, with tens of millions of people able to vote for over ninety political parties, and the NLD expected to win a landslide victory and form the first civilian government in 54 years, they are warning that the elections will continue military rule and parties don't respect human rights.
The human rights organisations are claiming the military, which handed over power to a nominally civilian government in 2011, is not genuine in its support for the reform process. This statement is likely to send shockwaves through the US State Department, British Foreign Office and European External Action Service, which has wholeheartedly endorsed the reforms and helped pay for the elections.
"We tried to warn them not to lift sanctions but they wouldn't listen," sighed Mark Stothard from the Alternative Campaign for Burma.
Genocide 'not helpful' to Rohingya say Rohingya
From our correspondent in Singapore
In an email today to the Straits Times, Rohingya community leaders today expressed concern that genocide against the Rohingya is 'not helpful' to the Rohingya.
The comments come in response to independent analysts who have worked for governments, the United Nations and several international organisations with political agendas in Burma, who have expressed concern about people expressing concern about possible genocide against the Rohingya.
The analysts, with no legal experience and qualifications, described a legal analysis by respected organisations specialising in international law and made up of experts in international law as ‘incendiary rhetoric’ and called instead for an ‘accurate diagnosis’. They instead used the well-known accepted legally defined terms of the situation of the Rohingya being ‘extreme discrimination’ and ‘heavily marginalised’, which doesn’t sound nearly as bad and certainly won’t upset the Burmese government as much.
Another former UN official, fresh from a glorious success working on the peace process and who doesn’t sound at all bitter, argued that calling genocide, genocide makes it harder to stop genocide. He also said that the reports that genocide may be taking place, which have been widely reported around the world, were ‘distracting attention’ from broader issues.
In an email today to the Straits Times, Rohingya community leaders today expressed concern that genocide against the Rohingya is 'not helpful' to the Rohingya.
The comments come in response to independent analysts who have worked for governments, the United Nations and several international organisations with political agendas in Burma, who have expressed concern about people expressing concern about possible genocide against the Rohingya.
The analysts, with no legal experience and qualifications, described a legal analysis by respected organisations specialising in international law and made up of experts in international law as ‘incendiary rhetoric’ and called instead for an ‘accurate diagnosis’. They instead used the well-known accepted legally defined terms of the situation of the Rohingya being ‘extreme discrimination’ and ‘heavily marginalised’, which doesn’t sound nearly as bad and certainly won’t upset the Burmese government as much.
Another former UN official, fresh from a glorious success working on the peace process and who doesn’t sound at all bitter, argued that calling genocide, genocide makes it harder to stop genocide. He also said that the reports that genocide may be taking place, which have been widely reported around the world, were ‘distracting attention’ from broader issues.
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Rohingya to refer to Europeans as Eurasian Christians
From our correspondent in Sittwe
A coalition of Rohingya community and political organisations in Burma and abroad have agreed that henceforth they will call Europeans 'Eurasian Christians'.
"If the European Union can call Rohingya, a Muslim minority in the northwest of Rakhine State, Rakhine Muslims, then we can call Europeans, a Christian minority on the northwest of the Eurasian continent, Eurasian Christians," said Abu Maung, a Rohingya community leader.
European and UN officials have come under fire from Rohingya and human rights organisations for not using the name Rohingya because the government of Burma objects to the term. They argue that by not using the name, they are co-operating with a Myanmar government strategy of denying the Rohingya ethnic identity exists.
"The Eurasian Christian delegation office in Myanmar has been one of the softest on the Myanmar government," complained Abu Maung. "They lifted sanctions months after an ethnic cleansing campaign against us, were the first to stop using the name Rohingya, and are backing an election which for the first time in Burmese history excludes the Rohingya."
When asked about UN agencies in Burma, which also avoid using the word Rohingya for fear of upsetting the Myanmar government, and if Rohingya organisations were also planning to use an alternative name for them, Abu Maung responded, "We already have, ‘complicit’."
Sunday, September 20, 2015
Burma Tha Din Election Jargon Buster Guide
With the election due on November 8th, Burma Tha Din has produced this handy new jargon buster for the many journalists, observers and diplomats visiting Burma for the first time.
Disciplined democracy = authoritarian government backed by the military.
Nationwide = some parts of some ethnic states.
Media freedom = we’re watching you.
Independent analyst = someone with a political agenda which they don’t want to publicly admit to.
Bengali = Term many Burmese use for Rohingya
Rakhine Muslim = term many UN, EU and other government officials use for Rohingya
Rohingya = term Rohingya ethnic minority use for Rohingya
Ashley South Syndrome = sufferers of this syndrome usually live in Burma, or have worked on Burma related issues for a long time. The main symptom is the belief that only they ‘get it’ about Burma and truly understand the country and its problems properly. If only Burmese people and the international community listened to them and did things their way real progress could be made. They believe most other people working on Burma issues are missing the obvious, blinded by political agendas, doing more harm than good, or simply idiots. They also apply this to Burmese people. If you are coming to Burma for the first time, you will definitely meet people suffering from this syndrome. Avoiding air conditioned coffee shops can help reduce the chance of exposure.
Miracle = getting a quote from the European Union delegation office before your copy deadline.
Bloody miracle = getting a quote from the European Union delegation office which is interesting enough to be worth quoting.
Tonkinitis = A termed coined by human rights activists suffering extreme irritation, disbelief and frustration after receiving a pedantic email from Network Myanmar telling them everything they are doing to promote human rights in Burma is pointless and wrong.
Unity = term used by many Burmese democracy and human rights activists which translates most accurately as ‘lip service.’
Happy Hour = Key to your schedule. Where journalists, UN officials, aid workers, diplomats and other expats, often the best paid people in Burma, go for cheap drinks and free food at one or more bars every night.
It’s a very complicated/complex issue = term used by diplomats when they know they ought to be doing something but don’t really want to.
969 = Buddhist nationalist movement which is anti-Muslim.
999 = Shan noodle house where white people go to eat noodles.
Transparent election = diplomatic speak for ‘please don’t stuff the ballot box like you did in 2010.'
Credible election = diplomatic speak for ‘even we can’t claim the election will be free and fair so this word will do as good as any instead.'
Inclusive election = diplomatic speak for ‘look, we weren’t going to make a fuss about the disenfranchisement of the Rohingya but banning Muslim candidates as well is a bit over the top.’
Supporting elections = diplomatic speak for funding elections.
Setbacks in the reform process = diplomatic speak for ‘everything’s going to shit.’
Watch the process closely = diplomatic speak for exactly that, watching elections. Nothing more.
Toyota’d = the sudden desire to sign any ceasefire agreement after coming into possession of a four wheel drive vehicle.
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Keep hate speech and violence on the streets, not on Facebook, says Burma President
From our correspondent in Nay Pyi Daw
The Office of President Thein Sein has pledged to work with Facebook to ban accounts spreading hate speech in the run up to nationwide elections on November the 8th.
Presidential spokesperson Zaw Htay said the government will use draconian legal powers to apply their interpretation of Facebook community standards.
Amongst the banned activities on Facebook are: threats, intimidation, hateful or disturbing speech, releasing personal information, infringing copyrights, and inciting violence.
“When Myanmar citizens use Facebook they should not be using threats, intimidation, hateful or disturbing speech, or inciting violence. That’s the government’s job,” said Zaw Htay.
The President is reportedly concerned that momentum in promoting hate against religious and ethnic minorities, which has increased dramatically since Thein Sein became President, could be lost if confined to social media sites such as Facebook.
“We haven’t driven hundreds of thousands of Bengali’s out of Myanmar by posting rude Facebook messages,” a Presidential advisor told Burma Tha Din off the record. “We need violence on the streets. If we close the accounts of people spreading hate speech they will be forced onto the streets to spread the word, which is much more effective, as most people in Burma still don’t have internet access.”
The advisor said the proposals were a win win for the President, as he would receive praise from the international community for taking action on hate speech, whilst at the same time as promoting and using hate speech on the streets to counter the popularity of the NLD.
Ma Ba Tha, the government’s official hate speech organisation, also welcomed the move. Wirathu, described by President Thein Sein as a son of Buddha, told Burma Tha Din: “Facebook can be a useful tool, but with so many parts of Burma without internet or good communication, we find preaching hate speech on the ground with the people is the best way to spread the word about the dangers of the Saudi Arabian funded NLD turning Myanmar into a Caliphate. In any case, people keep hacking my accounts.”
Explaining the thinking of the President further, the advisor told Burma Tha Din: “Look at the Tatmadaw, they are making a practical difference on the ground, raping ethnic women, bombing the Kachin, slaughtering farmers in Kokang areas. Our party, the USDP, and the NLD, have banned Muslims from being MP candidates. Ma Ba Tha is preaching hate in every township across Burma, and even in meetings Parliament. And we have passed four anti-Muslim laws in just a few months. This is why the priority is to take action to stop hate speech on the Facebook social media site.”
Burma Tha Din is now on Twitter!: @BurmaThaDin
Monday, September 7, 2015
Muslim detectors to be installed at polling stations
From our correspondent in Nay Pyi Daw
Burma Tha Din has uncovered plans by the Union Election Commission (UEC) to install Muslim detectors, similar to airport style metal detectors, at entrances to polling stations for election due on November 8th.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a UEC official confirmed the plans but said they were not yet ready to formally announce them.
"What else can we do”, asked the official "First we took away the Bingli's right to vote, then rejected their candidates for MPs. The USDP and NLD rejected candidates who are Muslim, and we rejected so many candidates from the Muslim party that their party will now be banned as they can't meet minimum candidate numbers. But these bloody Muslims can't take a hint, and it is learned that many Muslims are still planning to vote."
Questioned about whether there is any way a scanner can detect someone’s religion, the official admitted he also privately had doubts, but said that a consortium of Burmese business men, rumoured to include Tay Za, had promised they had the technology and could offer a very good price.
“Even with the discount we don’t have the funding to install this technology at every polling station, so we are reaching out to international donors for assistance. Sweden, the UK and several other countries helped fund the census which excluded the Rohingya, and as the election will also exclude the Rohingya, we are hoping they will fund this as well. And we can count on the United Nations agencies in Myanmar, who always agree to everything we ask without making a fuss.”
Ma Ba Tha leader, The Venerable U Goebbels, speaking from his private jet en-route from meetings in Nay Pyi Daw, welcomed the proposed move, telling Burma Tha Din; “President Thein Sein truly is a son of Buddha. This is a very cool idea. It’s definitely a good excuse to throw another party!”
Canvassing public opinion on the move, Burma Tha Din found widespread support, with one shopkeeper telling our correspondent; “I totally agree with this, no matter what it costs we must do it. I can’t tell you how worried I have been that I’ll wake up on November 9th to find myself living in a Caliphate and my daughters married to men with beards.”
Burma Tha Din asked an NLD spokesperson for comment but he just gave us the phone number for the local Ma Ba Tha office, muttered something about cutting out the middle man, all these years of sacrifice for what, and then informed us of his resignation.
As the European Union has been a staunch supporter of the election process and is sending election monitors, Burma Tha Din asked for their reaction. However, we were told that the European Union had been unable to reach consensus on a statement as several European Union countries were very interested in purchasing the detectors themselves.
Thursday, August 20, 2015
NLD has a policy (but it’s secret unless you ask for it)
By our correspondent in Yangon
As exclusively predicted by Burma Tha Din in November 2014, the National League for Democracy has a policy. The Myanmar Times has reported this week that the NLD has a secret economic policy, based on five pillars.
Believed to be the first policy the NLD has had since at least the mid 1990’s, the party has decided not to make it public. That is, unless someone finds out they have this policy, and asks for a copy, in which case, they can have a copy. So it is public. Except officially it isn’t. The reason for the ‘not public except it can be if you ask’ policy has not been explained.
It is not clear if there is a plan to let all 1,112 NLD MP candidates know that there is an economic policy, or whether they will all individually have to ask for a copy.
Most NLD members and activists approached by Burma Tha Din for comment about the policy were unaware of its existence. One candidate, speaking off the record because NLD candidates have to sign an agreement promising not to give their opinions to the media unless it is something Aung San Suu Kyi has already said publicly, questioned the timing of having a new policy; “Why is the HQ wasting time on policies, they should be focussing on winning the election instead.” Others expressed doubt that it really existed.
An NLD spokesperson denied rumours that it had been drafted with assistance from Angela Merkel, despite its apparent similarity to the economic austerity plan imposed on Greece.
As exclusively predicted by Burma Tha Din in November 2014, the National League for Democracy has a policy. The Myanmar Times has reported this week that the NLD has a secret economic policy, based on five pillars.
Believed to be the first policy the NLD has had since at least the mid 1990’s, the party has decided not to make it public. That is, unless someone finds out they have this policy, and asks for a copy, in which case, they can have a copy. So it is public. Except officially it isn’t. The reason for the ‘not public except it can be if you ask’ policy has not been explained.
It is not clear if there is a plan to let all 1,112 NLD MP candidates know that there is an economic policy, or whether they will all individually have to ask for a copy.
Most NLD members and activists approached by Burma Tha Din for comment about the policy were unaware of its existence. One candidate, speaking off the record because NLD candidates have to sign an agreement promising not to give their opinions to the media unless it is something Aung San Suu Kyi has already said publicly, questioned the timing of having a new policy; “Why is the HQ wasting time on policies, they should be focussing on winning the election instead.” Others expressed doubt that it really existed.
An NLD spokesperson denied rumours that it had been drafted with assistance from Angela Merkel, despite its apparent similarity to the economic austerity plan imposed on Greece.
Saturday, May 23, 2015
NLD announces 24 hour expiry date on all future statements
NLD announces 24 hour expiry date on all future statements
By our correspondent in Yangon
The NLD has announced that in future all statements that it and its spokespeople make will only be valid for 24 hours, following controversy over NLD spokesperson U Nyan Win stating and then denying that the Rohingya should be given citizenship.
The denial by U Nyan Win that he had said Rohingya should be given citizenship was widely expected, but is still an embarrassment for the party, as it is becoming a fairly regular occurrence. There was also controversy recently when the NLD denied a report by Reuters that Aung San Suu Kyi was considering a political deal with former General and current Parliamentary Speaker Thura Shwe Mann, even though two senior members had told Reuters this was the case.
“It is very confusing for the people to have statements made and then denied,” said Dr Yan Myo Sein, a political analyst who always seems to be randomly quoted in Myanmar media. “We don’t know if is official policy, just the opinion of the person who made the statement, or if it is secret policy they don’t want people to know. If we know that whatever is said is only valid for 24 hours, that will make things much clearer.”
Asked if Aung San Suu Kyi had instructed U Nyan Win to make the latest denial, and insider at NLD headquarters told Burma Tha Din, “I have no idea, no-one here has seen A May for months. Mr Phil Robertson for Human Rights Watch understands best. It is as he said, if A May says it, then that is the policy.”
Another NLD insider told Burma Tha Din that the new policy came directly from Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s office in Nay Pyi Daw, and was partly inspired when Daw Suu saw house staff watching the Mission Impossible movie where messages automatically self-destruct after being read.
By our correspondent in Yangon
The NLD has announced that in future all statements that it and its spokespeople make will only be valid for 24 hours, following controversy over NLD spokesperson U Nyan Win stating and then denying that the Rohingya should be given citizenship.
The denial by U Nyan Win that he had said Rohingya should be given citizenship was widely expected, but is still an embarrassment for the party, as it is becoming a fairly regular occurrence. There was also controversy recently when the NLD denied a report by Reuters that Aung San Suu Kyi was considering a political deal with former General and current Parliamentary Speaker Thura Shwe Mann, even though two senior members had told Reuters this was the case.
“It is very confusing for the people to have statements made and then denied,” said Dr Yan Myo Sein, a political analyst who always seems to be randomly quoted in Myanmar media. “We don’t know if is official policy, just the opinion of the person who made the statement, or if it is secret policy they don’t want people to know. If we know that whatever is said is only valid for 24 hours, that will make things much clearer.”
Asked if Aung San Suu Kyi had instructed U Nyan Win to make the latest denial, and insider at NLD headquarters told Burma Tha Din, “I have no idea, no-one here has seen A May for months. Mr Phil Robertson for Human Rights Watch understands best. It is as he said, if A May says it, then that is the policy.”
Another NLD insider told Burma Tha Din that the new policy came directly from Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s office in Nay Pyi Daw, and was partly inspired when Daw Suu saw house staff watching the Mission Impossible movie where messages automatically self-destruct after being read.
Friday, March 20, 2015
President Thein Sein – Bears shit in woods
By our correspondent in Nay Pyi Daw
President Thein Sein was forced to admit that bears shit in woods during a hard-hitting interview by the BBC.
The surprise admission has caused a storm on social media in Burma, with one Facebook user commenting: “At last, the BBC put the difficult questions to our President, and he is exposed.” Another user posted “It is so good to see our President forced to admit the truth at last.”
The President was clearly put on the back foot in the interview, forcing him to make the surprise admission.
Analyst Richard (Independent) South, who is an independent analyst, told Burma Tha Din, “As an independent analyst, I can say that whilst some are interpreting this as another negative development in the reform process, I don’t think that is correct, and is fact is a sign of how more open Burma is becoming.”
U Wirapoo, speaking on behalf of the Ma Ba Tha movement, conceded that the comments could be seen as an insult to Buddhism, but said it was unlikely they would take any action as they really like the President.
Presidential spokesperson and Information Minister U Ye Htut played down the significance of the comment by the President, posting on his Facebook Page: “What is the big deal, it’s not like he was forced to say something really bad, like the Pope is Catholic?”
President Thein Sein was forced to admit that bears shit in woods during a hard-hitting interview by the BBC.
The surprise admission has caused a storm on social media in Burma, with one Facebook user commenting: “At last, the BBC put the difficult questions to our President, and he is exposed.” Another user posted “It is so good to see our President forced to admit the truth at last.”
The President was clearly put on the back foot in the interview, forcing him to make the surprise admission.
Analyst Richard (Independent) South, who is an independent analyst, told Burma Tha Din, “As an independent analyst, I can say that whilst some are interpreting this as another negative development in the reform process, I don’t think that is correct, and is fact is a sign of how more open Burma is becoming.”
U Wirapoo, speaking on behalf of the Ma Ba Tha movement, conceded that the comments could be seen as an insult to Buddhism, but said it was unlikely they would take any action as they really like the President.
Presidential spokesperson and Information Minister U Ye Htut played down the significance of the comment by the President, posting on his Facebook Page: “What is the big deal, it’s not like he was forced to say something really bad, like the Pope is Catholic?”
Solar impulse narrowly avoids gas pipeline crash – exclusive
By our correspondent in Mandalay
Burma Tha Din Network can exclusively reveal that the Solar Impulse solar powered plane narrowly avoided crashing after entering Burmese airspace.
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Pilot Bertrand Piccard struggled to control the plane after running into a smog cloud produced by one of Burma’s new coal fired power stations.
“Everything had been going smoothly, I was just cruising over the oil and gas platforms off the coast of Myanmar, but when I got over land I hit the smog cloud and briefly lost control of the plane,” said Bertrand Piccard. “The plane dipped and when we cleared the smog I saw we were heading towards a pipeline. I have to confess I had a moment of fear.”
Bertrand Piccard managed to regain control of the plane, and continued his journey, flying over the camps for 150,000 of Burma’s ethnic Muslim Rohingya minority, displaced from their homes in Rakhine State, which has huge offshore oil and gas reserves, by violence in 2012.
The rest of his journey to Mandalay went smoothly, and he was surprised to be personally greeted by President Thein Sein, who had recently confirmed that the military will continue to play a dominant role in Burmese politics.
“We are in Myanmar to spread the message that renewable energies are the root of prosperity, peace and progress,” tweeted Piccard when he landed. “We have a huge support from the authorities in Myanmar, who are aware of the importance of public relations.”
Burma Tha Din Network can exclusively reveal that the Solar Impulse solar powered plane narrowly avoided crashing after entering Burmese airspace.
2.jpg)
Pilot Bertrand Piccard struggled to control the plane after running into a smog cloud produced by one of Burma’s new coal fired power stations.
“Everything had been going smoothly, I was just cruising over the oil and gas platforms off the coast of Myanmar, but when I got over land I hit the smog cloud and briefly lost control of the plane,” said Bertrand Piccard. “The plane dipped and when we cleared the smog I saw we were heading towards a pipeline. I have to confess I had a moment of fear.”
Bertrand Piccard managed to regain control of the plane, and continued his journey, flying over the camps for 150,000 of Burma’s ethnic Muslim Rohingya minority, displaced from their homes in Rakhine State, which has huge offshore oil and gas reserves, by violence in 2012.
The rest of his journey to Mandalay went smoothly, and he was surprised to be personally greeted by President Thein Sein, who had recently confirmed that the military will continue to play a dominant role in Burmese politics.
“We are in Myanmar to spread the message that renewable energies are the root of prosperity, peace and progress,” tweeted Piccard when he landed. “We have a huge support from the authorities in Myanmar, who are aware of the importance of public relations.”
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