Month: March 2009

Burmese Tea Leaf Salad with Yellow Coloring banned

  Burmese Tea Leaf Salad with Yellow Coloring banned MoeMaKa Photo News Marhc 12, 2009           43 brands that produced Burmese Tea Leaf Salad, a popular Burmese traditional dessert in ready-made packaged-food were banned from the store shelf, Burmese ministry…

Daw May Win Myint from NLD party returns

Daw May Win Myint from NLD party returns MoeMaKa Photo News March 12, 2009 (Photo – Daw May Win Myint, December 2008, file photo)           Daw May Win Myint who had been detained for several years in Insein Prison was…

U Win Tin marked his 79th Birthday first time outside Prison

U Win Tin marked his 79th Birthday first time outside Prison

MoeMaKa Reporter (Rangoon)

March 12, 2009

Hanthawaddy U Win Tin, one of the opposition leader and high ranking official of NLD party, marked his 79th birthday first time outside of the prison after release from 19 years jail terms.

            It was hosted by his close former newspaper colleges and friends at one small restaurant in KyiMyinDine Township, Rangoon. 30 of his close friends attended his private birthday party as a reunion with old friends.

            He did not make any birthday speech at the event and he told them that all the things he wanted to talk were said through radio program outside of Burma. It was seen as reunion party with old friends chatting of good old days and memories. The event started around 4:30 pm and ended at 7:30 pm while military intelligence persons were heavily present and closely monitoring the occasion, some witnesses told MoeMaKa.

Khin Myo Chit – Pagodas and What They Mean to Buddhists

Pagodas and What They Mean to Buddhists

Khin Myo Chit

 

Pagodas: Romance and Legend

It all began, long before I was old enough to understand that stupas and pagodas symbolize the great wisdom and compassion of the Buddha to whom we owe our way of life, our philosophy, our culture and above all, our fortitude that helps us to survive all trials that life has to offer.

My earliest memories are of the green wooded hills rising out of the wide flowing river Ayeyawady. On every hill top I saw one lone pagoda or a group of threes and fours, some gilded, others whitewashed and gleaming. Since I had many opportunities to make trips up and down the river, pagodas on hill tops remain one of my happiest recollections of childhood.

Of the first things I learned about pagodas nothing had to do with the intellectual side of Buddhism but all was full of colour and romance. Once, while we were crossing the river from Mandalay to Sagaing in a small flat-bottomed boat (it was long before the beautiful Inwa bridge was built) we headed towards the long dark range of thickly wooded hills, crested with shining pagodas, and the tinkling bells from their htis as the fretted wrought iron spires on top of the pagodas are called, chimed welcome to us. Colonnaded stair-ways zig-zagged through the flowering foliages. They looked so inviting that I could hardly wait to run up the steps and reach the pagodas up there.

Khin Myo Chit – Electra Triumphs

Electra Triumphs

A short story by Daw Khin Myo Chit

 

Looking down from the window of the thatched bamboo house, I feel happy and relaxed. My long sojourn in the city had taken away from me the leisurely ways I had been used to here as a small-town girl. Now, it’s a free and easy life for me again during my holidays in the village.

The moon beams frisk and jump on the flapping banana leaves slipping every now and then onto the grassy ground. By the banana grove is a dais about three feet high, its undulating bamboo flooring smooth and brown with age and use. I remember how I had in my younger days lain there, letting the soothing coolness of the bamboo sink into my body. This dais remains a rendezvous for young and old who gather in the twilight to talk over pots of tea, seasoned tea leaves and cheroots.

My host, an elderly man of 70, looks as robust as any man in his prime. I see him now sitting on the dais alone with his teapot. His cotton paso with its bold yellow and black check pattern can be seen from a distance in the moonlight, a signal to his neighbours that he is ready for evening gossip.

Khin Myo Chit – Facets of Life at Shwedagon Pagoda

FACETS OF LIFE AT SHWEDAGON PAGODA

from: Colorful Myanmar

by Khin Myo Chit

Of the many things that intrigue the visitor to the precincts of the Shwedagon Pagoda, nothing is so baffling and complicated as the figurines of mythical animals, each perched on its red signboard at the eight points of the compass.

Keeping the great stupa on the right, the visitor starts at the northeast comer, where the figure of the mythical garuna bird represents the sun, the ruling celestial body on Sunday. The unwary visitor probably does not have an inkling that he or she is being taken on a tour through the planetary regions, at least not yet.

A well-meaning friend may tell the visitor that the days of the week are assigned respectively to each point of the compass, each with its ruling planet or celestial body and its mythical symbol.

“But there are only seven days in the week. One point of the compass will be vacant,” the visitor ventures to comment; the visitor of course has not taken into account Myanmar ingenuity in taking liberties with the days of the week. The midweek day, Wednesday, is split into two parts so that the distribution is even.

KHIN MYO CHIT (1915-1999)

KHIN MYO CHIT (1915-1999)
La Grande Dame de la Burmese Writing

by
Dr.Khin Mauug Win

Very few people know that her real name is Ma Khin Mya. Her close relatives and friends call her by her real name. Young people call her Ma Ma Mya or Aunty Mya. Older people call her Ma Khin Mya. But to most people she was known under her pen name, “Khin Myo Chit”.

She was born at the time when people generally had low expectations of woman, when no parent would hear of a young respectable lady entering  a profession, and a humanatarian education may be permitted, but only to be able to write B.A under one’s name and make impressions on people. “What a pity she’s a girl.” that’s what she always heard people saying all the time.

Her grandmother had been a maid of honour at the court of King Mindon. Many times, she recounted to her the events leading to the mass execution of King Thibaw’s royal relatives by the Queen Suphayalait. “It’s a blot on our history”, she used to say. She then related to her how the great warrior princes like the Prince Kanaung, the Thonsaire Minthagyi (literally translated the great Prince Thirty, so named because he could climb up a wall of thirty yards in height using his bare hands and feet) and many others were executed during an internal intrigue.” We lost all the great warrior princes, so that when the British marched to the capital city of Upper Burma, there was not even one person to throw a stone at the invaders.”

USDA, Burmese Regime’s instrument charming public

USDA, Burmese Regime’s instrument charming public Win Myat March 10, 2009 Union Solidarity & Development Association (USDA), an instrument organization backed by Burmese regime, was found recently charming Burmese public with charity work such as organizing after school study group…

NLD reopened its party’s office in KunChanKone township

NLD reopened its party’s office in KunChanKone township

MoeMaKa Reporter (Rangoon)

March 9th, 2009

          While opposition media were reporting that NLD party was being cut off communication channel and abused by Burmese regime supported thugs, they however managed to reopen party office on 8th March 2009 in KonChanKone Township battered badly by Cyclone Nargis back in May 2008. In the reported photos, among the party township organizers, some prominent leaders from the Rangoon’s headquarter such as U Win Tin, Dr Win Naing, U Ba Swe and Dr Myo Aung were present.

9th Anniversary of Passing of Zaw (Pyinmanar), a Burmese poet

9th Anniversary of Passing of Zaw (Pyinmanar), a Burmese poet MoeMaKa Reporter (Rangoon) March 4, 2009             On last March 1st of 2009, at “Aung Metta” hall of “Thudhammayon” monastery, in Shwedagon Pagoda compound, remaining family members, fellow poets and…