The Stateless Rohingya Blog

By NYEIN NYEIN / THE IRRAWADDY Phyo Phyo Aung, front row, third from left, sits among fellow members of the ABFSU's organizing committe (Photo: abfsu.net ) When Cyclone Nargis struck the Irrawaddy Delta region of Burma in May 2008, student activist Phyo Phyo Aung was in hiding. She had gone underground six months earlier following the government’s brutal crackdown on the Saffron Revolution, a mass monk-led uprising in which she played a prominent role.

By Mizzima News Burma’s Union Election Commission abolished two newly registered political parties for their failure to run for at least three vacant seats in the coming April 1 by-elections, according to Xinhua news agency. A total of 17 political parties including 11 old and six newly registered parties will run in by-elections, according to local media. An election commission announcement on Wednesday said the two political parties are the Democratic Alliance Party and 88-Forces of People's Party. There are 48 vacant seats in Parliament at three levels available for contest in the by-elections. Of the 48 seats in constituencies in 10 regions or states, 40 are for the Lower House, six for Upper House and two for region or state parliaments. Both the main opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), and the ruling party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), will contest in all 48 vacant constituencies. In the lead-up to the election, n...

By Kaladan News Kamal (not his real name) lives in the town of Maungdaw, in north-western Arakan State, western Burma. The 40-year-old Rohingya struggles daily to support his family while operating a small tea shop. However, he wept when he told me in an recent interview he just can’t seem to make enough money and is deeply worried his family cannot not survive their present financial crisis. As I sat with him in his shop, he told me he is the only wage earner in the family, supporting his wife and his children. He has no alternative way to take care of his family members as his eldest son is also unemployed. He rents the tea-shop for 6,000 Kyat per day from a Rohingya. He said he also has to pay tax to the concerned authority (but he didn’t mention how much he has to pay for fear of being identified).

By Kaladan News Maungdaw, Arakan State: A fight between members of Burma’s border security force (Nasaka) and village sentries occurred on the night of January 26th, after the Nasaka officers assaulted the sentries, according to a local trader who spoke on condition of anonymity. The source said four Nasaka personnel from Mangala (Tharet Oo) camp went to the sentry post in the village to check the men on duty there. While the Nasaka personnel were approaching the post secretly, the sentries stopped them and asked them who they were, which made the Nasaka personnel very angry.

By Zimbabwemetro Zimmetro — In the 1940-1950s, Myanmar was the wealthiest nation in Southeast Asia, a country who was on its way to become the second developed nation in Asia after Japan. By 1950, Myanmar was the first Asian economic tiger, whose economy was on fast-track development. At the end of 1960 Myanmar had built up the largest pool of qualified, educated workforce in Southeast Asia. The country is extremely rich in natural resources, it has oil, gas, teak & timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, marble & limestone, gems, plus huge hydro-power and agricultural capacities. It was once the world’s largest exporter of rice, with Myanmar helping to alleviate severe famines in India last time, but today it is the one plagued by starvation. The country supplied 75% of the world’s teak, and is also well-known for its precious stones like sapphires, pearls and jade. 90% of the world’s rubies come from Myanmar, whose red stones are prized for their ...

By Kaladan Press Maungdaw, Arakan: A face-to-face fight between Burma’s border security force (Nasaka) and village sentry men was occurred on January 26, at night as Nasaka’s unlawful torture to the sentry men, said a local trader from the locality on condition of anonymity.

By Kaladan News Maungdaw, Arakan State: Western Command Commander, Brigadiers Gen Soe Thein accompanied by State Prime Minister U Hla Haung Tin arrived at Maungdaw from Akyab (Sittwe) on December 29, evening, said a close Nasaka aide on condition of anonymity. “The commander accompanied by Arakan State Prime Minister U Hla Maung Tin, Tactical operational Commander (TOC) of Buthidaung, Nasaka director Lt Col Aung Gyi, Nasaka Headquarters, Gyigan Pyin (Kawar Bill) of Maungdaw Township and other army officers went to the Nasaka area No.1 Amtola camp, which is the northern side of Maungdaw Township and the border of Bangladesh at about 7:00am on December30. The Commander held a meeting there inviting other army officers. But, it did not expose to public why they held the meeting.”