At least 50 youths hailing from central Burma?s Mandalay division were forcibly enlisted on June 1 by the Burmese Army to work as porters to carry military material such as rations and equipment,  local villagers said.

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) - At least 50 youths hailing from central Burma?s Mandalay division were forcibly enlisted on June 1 by the Burmese Army to work as porters to carry military material such as rations and equipment,  local villagers said.

Youths, from at least seven villages in Mandalay division?s Thabeikkyin region, known for its gold mines, were forcibly enlisted to work as porters to carry army paraphernalia on the evening of June 1.

?The youths were whisked away in five army trucks. The young men here use to relax at night in teashops. The troops arrived suddenly and took them away,? a local told Mizzima over telephone.

Another local resident revealed, ?We have never seen anything like this here in Thabeikkyin town. This is the first time such a thing has happened. But people said those taken away came back by shelling out 100,000 kyat (USD 100) each. About five have reportedly come back.?

While it is still not clear which battalion of the army had taken them away to wok as porters, locals believe that it could the Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 148, based near Kyuak Hlebe village in Thabeikkyin Township.

Thabiekkyin Township is well known for gold mining activity and it attracts businessmen as well as people from other townships including Wutlet, Ayardaw and Thantse.  Many come and work in the mines.

Twenty-one Burmese activists were briefly detained by Bangladesh police on Monday for holding a demonstration in front of the Indian Embassy in Dhaka demanding the immediate,..

New Delhi (Mizzima) ? Twenty-one Burmese activists were briefly detained by Bangladesh police on Monday for holding a demonstration in front of the Indian Embassy in Dhaka demanding the immediate release of 34 Burmese rebels currently lodged in an Indian jail and facing trial.

The activists, who were later released in the evening, call on the Indian government to immediately release the 34 ethnic Karen and Arakanese rebels as they are ?Freedom Fighters? and not insurgents or gun-runners.

?We were calling for the release of the 34 Burmese Freedom Fighters in front of the Indian Embassy. We were shouting slogans but the police came and took us away,? Kan Myint, Secretary 2 of the All Arakan Student and Youth Congress (AASYC), the group organising the protest, told Mizzima from the police station.

The protest rally was conducted as part of the ?Global Day of Action? for the release of the 34 Burmese rebels, who were arrested by Indian authorities in February 1998. As part of the campaign, activists held demonstrations in Thailand, Bangladesh, Australia, Germany, Sweden and the UK.

The 34 Burmese rebels, members of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and National Unity Party of Arakan (NUPA), armed groups fighting against the Burmese junta, were arrested on Landfall Island of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands by Indian authorities during a joint military exercise known as ?Operation Leech? in February 1998.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), acting as the prosecution, has charged the rebels for gun-running, but the rebels say they were tricked by an Indian intelligence officer who promised them a base in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in return for monitoring Chinese naval activities.

They were subsequently detained on Andaman Island for more than eight years without any legal charge-sheet filed. But in October 2006, after an appeal by human rights lawyer Nandita Haksar, the Supreme Court ordered a transfer to Kolkata and the conduct of a day-to-day trial.

On Monday, the court in Kolkata was supposed to have resumed the trial but Akshya Kumar Sharma, one of the defense counsels, said the judge instead adjourned court and fixed the next hearing for August 3.

According to the defense team, the 34 rebels, if found guilty, could be further detained and face deportation. Moreover, even if they are proved innocent, since they are foreigners they are still vulnerable to deportation unless granted asylum under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and accepted by a third country for protection.

Activists and campaigners have expressed concern that if they are deported to Burma it would be like sending them to the gallows to meet their end, and call on the Indian government to immediately release them and allow them to resettle in a third country.

?This global day of action is to call on the Indian government to end the trial, release the freedom fighters and allow them to resettle in a third country,? May Pearl Tun of the Karen Community Association UK said in a statement.

?Laws concerning terrorists should not be used against these people who have engaged only for their right of freedom for their country. This case is damaging India?s reputation. Today?s day of action is the start of a new global campaign for justice,? said the letter submitted by activists to Indian Embassies in six countries.

The Czech Republic and East Timor previously expressed their willingness to accept the freedom fighters into their countries.   

Additional information contributed by Salai Pi Pi & Niang Boi

Burma?s opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has thanked the thousands of people both at home and abroad who wished her a ?Happy 64th Birthday?,...
Chiang Mai (mizzima) - Burma?s opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has thanked the thousands of people both at home and abroad who wished her a ?Happy 64th Birthday? on June 19, which she spent confined in Rangoon's Insein Prison.

The Burmese pro-democracy leader, during a meeting with her lawyers on Monday, conveyed her sincere gratitude to all supporters and well-wishers for remembering her on her birthday and wishing her good health.

Nyan Win, one of her lawyers as well as her party?s spokesperson, relayed the following message on her behalf, ?As I am in no place to personally reply to all those who wish me well on my birthday, please convey my gratitude to all on my behalf.?

On Friday, June 19, as the Burma?s democracy icon turned 64, supporters, activists and well-wishers both inside Burma and abroad held various activities to mark her birthday and to call for her release. Birthday activities ranged from simple protests rallies to solidarity concerts and internet messaging.

World leaders including British Prime Minister Gordon Brown as well as celebrities including David Beckham and Julia Roberts sent a 64-word birthday message through the website 64wordsforsuu.com, created explicitly for the occasion.

The birthday wishes and activities calling for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi came as the Burmese opposition leader is facing trial in Insein prison under charges of breaching her detention law, which could find her spending another five years under detention if convicted.

On Monday, her legal team of four lawyers ? Nyan Win, Kyi Win, Hla Myo Myint and Daw Khin Htay Kywe ? was allowed a meeting with her in Insein Prison for about three hours to discuss the case and ongoing trial.

Nyan Win, however, declined to explain further details of their discussion.

Last week, the High Court accepted an appeal by her lawyers to review an earlier ruling to bar two out of the four defense witnesses. Arguments for the inclusion of all defense witnesses are scheduled to be heard tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the case against Aung San Suu Kyi is currently set to reconvene on Friday with the testimony of the second defense.

Authorities in Thailand are allegedly encouraging ethnic Karen refugees recently arrived in the wake of fresh fighting in eastern Burma to return to their homes, according to,...
New Delhi (mizzima) - Authorities in Thailand are allegedly encouraging ethnic Karen refugees recently arrived in the wake of fresh fighting in eastern Burma to return to their homes, according to humanitarian aid workers along the Thai-Burma border.

Iris, Coordinator of the Committee for Internally Displaced Karen People (CIDKP), a group working to help internally displaced persons inside Burma, told Mizzima on Monday that Thailand?s border security forces have urged Karen refugees to return to their homes, assuming the fighting to be over.

?The authorities are urging the refugees to go back but the situation back home is not yet conducive with the fighting still unabated. Nobody is daring to go back home, because their lives are not safe there,? explained Iris.

She said in June the Burmese Army killed three internally displaced persons in Karen State, a pregnant woman and two teenage girls as they were hiding in the forest.

?They [refugees] face a danger to their lives,? reiterated Iris.

Since early June, the Burmese Army and its military ally the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) have launched a military offensive against the Karen National Liberation Army, Burma?s longest surviving ethnic armed resistance group and the armed wing of the Karen National Union (KNU).

The fresh conflict has forced thousands of Karen villagers to flee their homes and cross into Thailand seeking refuge.

According to the CIDKP list, thus far 3,447 refugees have fled to Thailand and more than 1,000 have entered refugee camps, while over 2,000 remain waiting outside the camps.

?At this moment the safest place for them [refugees] is the camps,? said Iris.

David Thaw, a central committee member of the KNU, confirmed that Thai border security personnel have been attempting to persuade refugees to return home as they believe the fighting has ceased.

?They [Thai authorities] said since the fighting is over, it would be safe for the refugees to return home. But it is not a strong pressure, rather it is like a suggestion, as the refugees have no proper accommodation in which to live [along the border],? David Thaw told Mizzima.

According to him, while some refugees are squeezed into existing camps, the rest are left to live outside the camps where there is no proper shelter or regular food supply.

Thailand?s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday told Mizzima that they are not aware of any government order to repatriate the Karen refugees and directed Mizzima to contact the Ministry of Defense, which was not immediately available for comment.

However, Zoya Phan, International Coordinator for Burma Campaign UK (BCUK), said since June 16th at least three families have been forced back into Burma by Thai authorities.

?They [refugees] fear for their lives if they return home. They cannot stay there until the military operations stop,? said Zoya Phan.

?We urge the Thai government to accept these refugees, and allow them to stay in their country and help them,? she added.

Meanwhile, David Takarpaw, Vice-Chairman of the KNU, said to date minor battles continue across the border in Karen State.

Last week, the Burmese Army and the DKBA overran one of the KNU?s strongest outposts, the 7th Brigade.

He said civilians were compelled to flee because they fear not only the Burmese Army but also the DKBA, who force people into military service and collect money from them if they refuse.

?They fear both the DKBA and Burmese Army, so they have no choice but to flee,? emphasized Takarpaw.