Chin State Assembly asks for 25 million kyat from central government

New Delhi (Mizzima) – The Chin State Assembly on Tuesday approved a motion asking for 25 million kyat (about USD $31,645) from the central government to meet a budget shortfall. 

Chin State Chief Minister Hung Ngai. Photo: khonumthung.org

Kyaw Nyein, a Chin Progressive Party MP and Chin State Forestry and Mines minister, said, “Chin State needs about six billion kyat. But, the central authorities have said Chin State is the state that begs too much, so we cannot ask for all of it. We will do with as much as we have.”
 
The Chin State Assembly speaker will officially submit the proposal to the Union monetary fund.
 
Chin State MP Zozam, chairman of the Chin National Party, told Mizzima that MPs discussed the budget after  Chin State Chief Minister Hung Ngai and the head of the budget department submitted the plan. 

MPs had five days to prepare for questions and they did not have enough time, according to observers.

Pu Shein Tun, the CPP general-secretary, said, “It was not systematic, so the opposition parties did not have enough time to prepare.” 

MP Zozam said opposition members are taking part in a multi-party system, but only one party [the USDP] is taking the “leading role.”

Under parliamentary procedures, questions and motions must be submitted 10 days in advance to the parliamentary office. 

The second regular session of Chin State Assembly was held on Tuesday. A total of 12 questions were put to various ministers.

In the first regular assembly session, all Chin State MPs could do was approve the motions submitted by the Union Assembly; no questions were raised and no motions were put forward, observers said.
 
On October 22, a special assembly was convened and civil engineer Ngun San Aung was appointed as Transport and Construction Minister.
 
The Chin State Assembly comprises five MPs from the CPP, five MPs from the
CNP, one MP from the Ethnic National Development Party, seven MPs from the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and six military representatives, totaling 24 MPs.

Chin State ministries are Finance and Planning, Security and Border, Administrative and Industry, Mining and Forestry), Communication and Construction, Agriculture, Commerce, Social, Energy, Transport and Electricity. Of the nine Chin State ministers, one minister is from the CNN and one is from the CNP. The remaining seven ministers are military representatives and USDP members.




Src  : Mizzima

DKBA battalion signs a cease-fire with the Burmese government

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – One battalion of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) and the Burmese government agreed to a cease-fire on Thursday, the leader of the battalion said.

DKBA Major General Saw La Bwe,
aka Bo Moustache.

Major General Saw La Bwe, aka Bo Moustache, said the cease-fire would go into effect on Sunday.

According to the agreement, the headquarters of the battalion will be in the Soneseemyaing area in Myawaddy District, on the east side of Dawna Mountain in Karen State. The battalion’s troops in Karen State will remain in place.

The cease-fire agreement was achieved at the second meeting between the battalion and government representatives. The battalion has an estimated 1,000 soldiers, and it had refused to transform itself into a Border Guard Force (BGF), leading it to break away from its brother units in the DKBA.

Also representing the battalion were Deputy Chief of Staff Brigadier General Mo Shay, Colonel E Do, Colonel Sein Win and Colonel Maung Lay.

In the negotiations, the government did not urge the unit to transform itself into a BGF, said the DKBA.

Under the agreement, the DKBA will have the right to collect taxes in its control area.

Recently, the government has been involved in trying to achieve cease-fires with several ethnic armed groups. It has reached cease-fire agreements with the United Wa State Army (Wa Region 2), and the Mong La group (Special Region 4). The DKBA battalion is the third group to achieve a cease-fire in recent government talks.  

DKBA Brigadier General Mo Shay told Mizzima earlier that the first meeting with government representatives was held on October 26 in Mawlamyaing, Mon State, in which both sides agreed not to undertake activities outside their respective control areas. At that time, the DKBA requested permits to open DKBA offices in Hpaan (the capital of Karen State), Kyainseikkyi, Three Pagoda Pass, Kyaikdon, Kawkareik and Myawaddy townships in Karen State.

The DKBA battalion fought government troops starting on November 8, 2010, with assistance from the Karen National Union [KNU] and the All Burma Students' Democratic Front. Meanwhile, a small DKBA group led by Major Saw Bi, which earlier had transformed itself into a BGF, went underground again and has now established an alliance with the KNU.

The DKBA separated from the KNU in 1994. On August 18, 2010, many DKBA battalions agreed to transform into BGFs under the command of the Ministry of Defence.


Src  :  Mizzima

Tear gas used on Occupy protesters

Tear gas used on Occupy protesters

Occupy protests turns violent in Oakland

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• In Oakland, police say they sprayed tear gas after a crowd hit them with paint
• In Atlanta, demonstrators are arrested at Woodruff Park
• "It hurts to see America do this to people who want change," an Atlanta man says

(CNN) -- Authorities made a series of arrests at Occupy Wall Street protests in California and Georgia Tuesday with clashes in one city that involved tear gas being used on demonstrators.

Police said they sprayed protesters in Oakland, California, after the crowd hit them with paint and other objects.

The crowd of about 500 people defied calls to leave an area of downtown Oakland on Tuesday, according to police. Protesters had camped for weeks in several areas in the city, including near City Hall, police said.

"The city remains committed to respecting free speech as well as maintaining the city's responsibility to protect public health and safety," Oakland police said in a statement.

Police arrested demonstrators at Woodruff Park in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, overnight. The arrests came after Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said he sent ministers to the park "to see if we can find a way to resolve this amicably." A protester at the park said he was scared.

"It's very intimidating," said Malcolm McKenzie. "I believe what we're doing is right, but we're going to jail. It hurts to see America do this to people who want change."

It was unclear how many people were arrested in both cities. CNN affiliate KGO reported that at least 85 people were arrested during an early morning raid in one part of Oakland and there were other arrests throughout the day.

Oakland and Atlanta are two of many cities worldwide dealing with the Occupy Wall Street protests, the leaderless movement that started in New York in September.

Demonstrators have typically railed against what they describe as corporate greed, arrogance and power, as well as repeatedly stated their assertion that the nation's wealthiest 1% held inordinate sway over the remaining 99% of the population.

CNN's Nick Valencia, Jessica Jordan and Rich Phillips contributed to this report

Src  :  CNN