The Voices of Occupy Oakland Should the voices of the majority of a country fall on deaf ears of said country’s one percent? The one percent of America has too much money, too much power, and is making decisions…
Category: Current
Current Issues & News on Burma & Burmese people with the sub sections – News, Feature, Interview, Photo-News, Op-Ed and so on
Why Dictators Dare by Junior Win
A dictatorship is a type of government in which a person or group of people rules a country with absolute power. Dictatorships can be established through violence and maintained through physical force and a limitation of people’s freedom of speech and behavior. They may also employ techniques of mass propaganda in order to sustain their public support.
Burmese Children on Freedom of Expression by Khet Mar
Ei Ei Aung: “I should have chance to say what I want.”
Today there are over 1,600 political prisoners in Burma. Because they said what they wanted to say, the government considers them enemies.
Are Burmese Censorship Chief’s Promises Beyond Belief by Olivia Stransky
The History of the Burmses Kyat by Zaw Aung
US$, Sin$, and Burmese Kyat’s History by Zaw Aung, translated by Hla Oo
In 1990, one American Dollar was 30 kyats, one Singapore Dollar was 45 kyats, an average apartment was 300,000 kyats, a Toyota Hilux pickup truck was 300,000 kyats as well, the telephone connection with a handset was 300,000 kyats too, and a plate of Biriani (Dan-bouk) was just 5 kyats.
Samposonia Way Interviews Aw Pi Kyeh
Aw Pi Kyeh: “About 300 of my Cartoons were Censored in my Life.”
Aw Pi Kyeh (APK) chose this pen name because it means ‘loudspeaker’ in Burmese. His cartoons dare to shout out loud about the military junta that rules Burma. In 2007 he was banned from publishing inside Burma after he supported monks in their peaceful protests during the Saffron Revolution. Following that, colleagues who even mentioned his name in an article were suppressed.
Interview with Burmese Rapper Zayar Thaw by Khet Mar
Burmese Rapper Zayar Thaw: The Left Hand of a Boxer
Burmese Hip-Hop singer Zayar Thaw. Photo: DVB
A Day in Phyu Phyu Thin’s Life
“A day in Phyu Phyu Thin’s life start with a phone call in the morning. She then tends to her patients and helps them out according to their needs. In spite of all her hard work, she does not look tired at all. In fact, she is graceful and smiling with whatever work she has to do.”
Oakland Digital hosts first meeting between Burmese Community & White House AAPI Chair
an article written by our host Oakland Digital.
http://us1.campaign-archive1.com/?u=09263c5f2e79b9a7cad2d6807&id=1bd43a4a7d&e=7939de2352
On Thursday, August 18th 2011, Oakland Digital Arts & Literacy Center (ODALC) hosted the first meeting between the Burmese Community and Daphne Kwok, Chair of President Barack Obama’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders. This historic gathering in downtown Oakland was part of the White House Initiative for positive change in the AAPI community.
The Role of Students in the 8888 People’s Uprising in Burma
By Assistant Association for Political Prisoners (Burma)
August 8th 2011
Twenty three years ago today, on 8 August 1988, hundreds of thousands of people flooded the streets of Burma demanding an end to the suffocating military rule which had isolated and bankrupted the country since 1962. Their united cries for a transition to democracy shook the core of the country, bringing Burma to a crippling halt. Hope radiated throughout the country. Teashop owners replaced their store signs with signs of protest, dock workers left behind jobs to join the swelling crowds, and even some soldiers were reported to have been so moved by the demonstrations to lay down their arms and join the protestors. There was so much promise.
SF Bay Area Burmese Successfully Hosts 88 Commenmoration
The Burmese Community was able to successfully host the Commenmoration of the 23rd Anniversay of 8.8.88, which was held in Ceasar Chavez Education Center in Oakland, CA. The event was sponsored by 10 activist and ethnic organizations and around 100 guests attended. Stage performances, exhibitions, and presentations were part of said event.
“Is he out of touch from reality?”
Question for U Win Tin from MoeMaKa
July 25th, 2011
It has been a while we could not get interview with U Win Tin due to the poor phone line and also due to his health condition. As he was spending time in hospital, it was hard for us to get the phone connection with him too. Some has concerns for missing our weekly interview with U Win Tin but a few told us to give up doing interview pieces with U Win Tin because he became old, fragile and sick so that he had misses and out of touch with NLD and the current situation in Burma. However, we MoeMaKa as soon as we had chance to talk to him, we made interview with him again.
Suu goes to Martyrs’ Mausoleum to pay her respects
Maung Yit – Internet Activism in Burma and Challenges
Introduction
These notes were prepared when invited to attend the Al Jazeer Forum on May 17th 2011. I was invited and introduced on the forum page at (http://forum.aljazeera.net/us/node/425) as follows; ” Maung Yit is Founder and Editor of MoeMaKa News Group for Burmese Community founded in 2003. He works as an IT consultant at day and works as news blogger and editor at night for MoeMaKa News Group and with anonymous citizen journalists and writers/ artists from Burma. His mission is to promote and raise awareness of the struggle for democracy and freedom under the current repressive Burmese regime. He has published interviews with Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, U Win Tin and other Burmese activists from Burma on his website, blog and online publication.”
Even though attending the forum was a great experience for me and my participation in the “Stream” had some time limitation to express all my notes at the show, I have to take the liberty at our own website to post my notes for further reference to readers and interested audience.
Rangoon View 1st Week of March 2011- MoeMaKa Street Journalist
Delaying the parliament’s schedule, the present military government is speeding up its moves, to sell country’s natural resources and to give its cronies lucrative contracts to manage state-owned properties, at the same time.
It has been seen that not only the passenger buses, but also the luxurious cars like ‘Mark Two’, join the business of queuing up for petrol at the private stations for hours and reselling it on black market, to earn extra money of 10000 kyat.
The junta does not try to formulate the effective economic policies – letting private enterprises do business freely – to control the consumer goods prices, nor to enforce essential laws so as to be competitive in the market. Thus it is likely to cause inflation and social crises after junta’s plan to raise salaries.