News Briefs (June 2008)

Friday, June 27, 2008

Father Kills Two Children, Himself

A depressed trishaw driver struggling to earn a livelihood in Arakan State gave his two children insecticide to drink and then drank it himself on June 18. 

Maung Maung Soe, a 38-year-old resident of Min Gan Village located between Sittwe and Rangoon, had been struggling to earn enough money to support his family following the death of his wife.

According to a neighbor, Maung Maung Soe was recently arrested and his trishaw confiscated by local authorities because he could not afford a license fee to operate the  trishaw.

Residents say he was depressed and couldn’t control himself.

“Nothing like this has ever happened in our community,” said a neighbor, who said the economy was very poor. “He gave insecticide to his two children first and then took it himself.”

A neighbor said a trishaw operator must pay about 20,000 kyat (US $15) per year for a license. Most trishaw drivers make less than 2,000 kyat ($1.50) per day. 
 

Burma Most Corrupt Country

Burma has been ranked 179th on the 180-nation Global Corruption Report 2008 released by Transparency International. Along with Somalia in Africa, Burma was given a mere 1.4 points out of 10 in the latest corruption index, which has ranked countries since 1995. Zero signified total corruption and 10 signified highly honest. Denmark, Finland and New Zealand topped the list with 9.4; Singapore and Sweden each scored 9.3 points. Among Burma's neighbors, China and India each ranked 72nd with 3.5 points; Thailand, 84th with 3.3 points; Malaysia, 43rd; Indonesia, 143rd; Vietnam, 123rd; Bangladesh, 162nd; and Laos, 168th.

Japanese Police Warn of Cyclone Fraud

Japanese police have warned the public to be aware of a deceitful group allegedly collecting donations for the survivors of Cyclone Nargis in Burma and the earthquake in China, according to Japan’s largest news agency, Kyodo. The leaflets were delivered inside newspapers until a suspicious reader reported the matter to police. According to the police report, the leaflets were delivered with about 15,000 editions of six morning newspapers on Wednesday, requesting donations to a postal bank account held in the name of Hiroshi Sato, a representative of a charity group in Tokyo.

There are no financial damages connected to the alleged fraud as the police have frozen the group’s designated bank account during the investigation, said the police. Police also believe that this is the first case of attempted charity fraud in Japan aimed at taking advantage of the victims of Asia’s two most recent natural disasters.

Nine Burmese Taken Hostage by Somali Pirates

Nine Burmese were among the 15 crewmembers taken hostage when Somali pirates hijacked a German vessel last week. The German ship, which has a Russian captain, was hijacked late May; however no demands from the pirates have been received, according to a representative of the ship’s owner. The German foreign ministry was informed about the incident. A ministry source said they had established contact with Somalia authorities.

Somali pirates have hijacked three ships from Germany, Turkey and the Netherlands over the last week, bringing to a total 26 hijacked vessels offshore Somalia this year. On May 27, pirates hijacked a dry cargo ship belonging to a Dutch shipping company and demanded US $1.1 million ransom. Last year, more than 25 ships were attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden, the International Maritime Bureau reports.

Piracy in Somalia, one of the poorest countries in Africa, has become a rampant and lucrative business, Somalia’s authorities say, because Western companies are willing to pay sizeable ransoms for seamen captured by pirates.

Tuesday, June 2, 2008

Khin Ohmar Wins International Award

Burma democracy advocate Khin Ohmar has won the Anna Lindh prize for her efforts to fight prejudice and oppression in Burma. The prize includes a cash award of US $42,000.

The prize was established to honor Anna Lindh, the Swedish foreign minister stabbed to death in 2003.

Khin Ohmar, 46, is the head of the Burma Partnership Network, based in Chiang Mai, Thailand, which seeks to promote democracy in Burma. She is also the chairperson of the Network for Democracy and Development.