Kachin Political Prisoner Overlooked in NLD’s Early Amnesties

Burma’s newly installed National League for Democracy (NLD) government has pardoned and released more than 200 political prisoners and detainees facing politically motivated charges since it took power in April, including jailed student activists and journalists. The amnesties have been welcomed by rights groups, but despite the change in government, freedom remains elusive for Lahpai Gam, a 55-year-old refugee farmer from war-torn Kachin State. Lahpai Gam’s arrest by the military in 2012 and subsequent trial and conviction for committing crimes against the state is, according to his supporters, a major miscarriage of justice.

In a decision released in November 2013, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found that Lahpai Gam’s original trial was conducted under circumstances that were highly unfair and ruled that his continued detention was illegal under international law. The committee found Lahpai Gam’s claims—that during his interrogation by army personnel he was severely tortured and subject to a series of horrific abuses that included being forced to commit sex acts on his co-accused—to be credible. The UN group concluded that “such pervasive use of torture to extract evidence nullifies the possibility to fulfill the guarantee of the right to a fair trial.” (Courtesy of irrawaddy.com)

Door-to-Door Voter Registration To Be Launched In Late June

Burma’s Lower House said that they will conduct door-to-door voter registration across the country to compile accurate voter lists for the next general election.

During a session of Parliament on Monday, Lower House lawmaker Nay Myo Htet, representing Rangoon’s Kyauktada district for the National League for Democracy, questioned the Union Election Commission (UEC) on its plan for assembling voter lists, citing the inaccuracy of the lists made for last year’s election.

The 2015 lists were highly controversial, with reports of the names of deceased people included and large numbers of ethnic minorities excluded. (Courtesy of irrawaddy.com)

Bangkok Wants Wa Army Bases Withdrawn From Thai Territory

Thai military officials have asked their Burma Army counterparts to help in convincing a powerful ethnic Wa armed group, the United Wa State Army (UWSA), to withdraw its bases on the Thai-Burma border, where some are on Thai territory.

The Thai authorities made the appeal during a meeting between Thai and Burmese border security officials held in the Thai border town of Mae Sai, which sits adjacent Burma’s Tachileik town, on Monday, according to sources close to both the Thai and Burmese militaries.

The request comes just a few days after the Burma Army chief, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, visited the Thai capital of Bangkok on Thursday, when he met with top-ranking Thai military brass including junta leader Gen. Prayuth Chan-Ocha, who is also the country’s prime minister. (Courtesy of irrawaddy.com)

Myanmar's Suu Kyi to lead new effort on restive Rakhine State

Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi will lead a new effort to bring peace and development to Rakhine State where violence between majority Buddhists and minority Muslims in recent years has cast a cloud over progress on democratic reforms.

More than 100 people were killed in violence in the western state in 2012, and some 125,000 Rohingya Muslims, who are stateless, took refuge in camps where their movements are severely restricted.

Thousands have fled persecution and poverty in an exodus by boat to neighbouring South and Southeast Asian countries. (Courtesy of uk.reuters.com)