Irreplaceable lost for Myanmar

U Ko Ni is a prominent Burmese lawyer and an expert on constitutional law. He was a founder of Laurel Law Firm, member of Independent Lawyers' Association, International Bar Association, Myanmar Writers' Association and legal advisor to National League for Democracy (NLD) whose legal support led the de facto leadership of Aung San Suu Kyi over the government to bypass the constitution. He was actively involved in advocating constitutional change in Myanmar.^[4] He wrote six books on human rights issues and democratic elections, and was actively involved in the interfaith movement.^[5]
He was assassinated on 29 January 2017 at Yangon International Airport on his way back from attending a senior leadership programme in Indonesia with a group led by Pe Myint, the Union Minister for Information.^[6]
Ko Ni was born near Katha in Sagaing Division. A Burmese Muslim, he was the son of a Muslim Bengali father from India and a Burmese mother. His father had come to Burma in the early 1900s through his work with the British Indian army. His mother was a Burmese Buddhist, but she herself had a Muslim father and a Buddhist mother.
Ref: Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ko_Ni

Justice for Laywer U Ko Ni

U Ko Ni, a prominent human rights lawyer and a legal adviser to Myanmar’s leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, was fatally shot at Yangon International Airport on Sunday.

Mr. Ko Ni, 65, a Muslim and a member of the ruling National League for Democracy, was returning from Indonesia with about 20 other government officials and civic leaders, who had traveled there as part of a government-organized trip to discuss democracy and conflict resolution.

He was shot in the head at close range as he was about to leave the airport in his family car, according to witnesses.

“During the shooting, he was holding his grandchild,” said U Aung Myint Oo, an airport security guard. “He fell down bleeding on the ground and died on the spot.”

As the gunman tried to flee, he shot and killed a taxi driver, U Ne Win, who had tried to stop him. Other taxi drivers detained the gunman until the police arrived and arrested him, seizing two handguns. He was identified by police as U Kyi Lin from Mandalay, Myanmar.

According to taxi drivers who witnessed the attack, the gunman shouted, “You can’t act like that,” before opening fire.

At Yangon International airport (photo: Internet)

U Ko Ni, a prominent member of Myanmar’s Muslim minority and legal adviser for Myanmar’s ruling National League for Democracy, is seen during an interview in Yangon last January. Credit Reuters 

 

The police were seen searching the house of Mr. Kyi Lyn in a neighborhood of Mandalay.

No motive for the killing has been given. Mr. Ko Ni was one of the best-known Muslims in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, serving as a legal adviser to the National League for Democracy. He was the author of six books on human rights issues and democratic elections, and was actively involved in the interfaith peace movement.

“It seems the gunman knew the exact time of his arrival and was waiting to shoot him,” said a member of the team who traveled with Mr. Ko Ni to Indonesia, and who spoke on the condition of anonymity over concern for his safety. “I was shocked and scared. It is unsafe here.”

A spokesman for the National League for Democracy, U Win Htein, said during a telephone interview from Naypyidaw, Myanmar’s capital, that Mr. Ko Ni was a key adviser in recent years to Ms. Suu Kyi, the former opposition leader turned leader of Myanmar, on constitutional amendments.

“His assassination was a big blow to the National League for Democracy, and it would be very difficult for us to replace him,” Mr. Win Htein said. “We lost a hero. It is a bad situation here.”

Amnesty International, which worked with Mr. Ko Ni on human rights issues in Myanmar, called for an independent investigation into his death.

“The killing of prominent lawyer U Ko Ni in Yangon today is an appalling act that has all the hallmarks of an assassination,” Josef Benedict, the organization’s deputy campaigns director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said in a statement.

“It demands that the authorities immediately launch a thorough, independent and impartial investigation,” Mr. Benedict added. “The authorities must send a clear message that such violence will not be tolerated and will not go unpunished.”

Saw Nang contributed reporting from Mandalay, Myanmar.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/29/world/asia/myanmar-u-ko-ni-yangon-assassination-daw-aung-san-suu-kyi.html 

We hope for the best and prepare for the worst": Aung San Suu Kyi on #MyanmarElection.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/live-blog-millions-in/2245876.html

November 8th 2015

I am overwhelmed with the excited happiness for the election day of my country , Myanmar. The citizens of Myanmar are trying their best to become a better nation ruled by the democracy. I would not stay quite for the feelings of today which I can't even express with the exact words. Good job , Myanmar citizens !!! May God bless Daw Aung Sann Su Kyi! Be Strong ,everyone! I'm so happy today and also look forward to see the better future days lead by our beloved mother.

Photo of the day

I am honestly wishing for the better change of my country lead by our beloved and admired Aunty Su

Photo: Internet

Look forward to the election in November 2015

Fake Buddhist Monks in NYC

Real monks are prohibited from even touching money, what more begging for money. Alms to Buddhist monks mean food, not money! Monks ask for foods, never money. If you see their bowls with money in it, then you'll know they're fake. Secondly, as far as I know, genuine monks ask for alms in the morning only, before 12 noon.
HOW TO IDENTIFY THE REAL DEAL FROM THE LOAD OF BULL
When you encounter a Buddhist ‘monk’ coming up to you to solicit for ‘donations’ or alms money, you do the following:
1) Ask the monk to chant “salutation to the Buddha” followed by another Sutta
Salutation to the Buddha means:
Namo tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma Sambudhhasa (three times)
Then, you ask the “monk” to chant another Sutta like the ‘loving kindness’ or Metta Sutta. If he cannot or mumbles incoherently – you have a fake on your hands. Politely tell him to get lost!

2) If the “monk” approaches you while you are dining, offer him food instead
See his reaction. Look at his face. If he gets angry, shoo him away. Once again – monks are supposed to only beg for alms food. Not money. And if he accepts food – it’s NOT after midday!
If you really want to give a donation, go to a real Buddhist temple instead. Don’t encourage these shams from giving Buddhism a bad name.
http://nypost.com/2015/06/14/fake-buddhist-monks-are-the-new-squeegee-men-of-new-york/

Photo: Internet 

Humanitariam vs Justice

It has been a conflict between Burma and International organizations regarding the Rohingya refugees fleeing from Bangladesh to South-East Asia countries by boats. 

Photo: Internet 

A message from the library

I have visited to the New York Public Library in midtown Manhattan last weekend. The grace of such a magnificent historic building has been written by many visitors who love to visit there and learners who love to study there. I am one of them and I cannot say better than them about the beauty of the building. However, the message I got from there will be always in my heart. Although I don't remember each and every single word of the sentence, the meaning is " We come from different places to here, the New York Public Library. We will learn together  and try together in the country where ruled by democracy."  

Speech of the day

We should be “paying attention all the time because we consider those kids our kids, and we think they’re important and that they shouldn’t be living in poverty and violence.” –President Obama

We Trust Him

We, most of the medical professions from Myanmar trust his character and attitude not only in medical practice as a talented physician but also as a good husband for his beloved wife and a father for his beloved daughter. I trust Dr. UTM from the bottom of my heart  both as a “diligent and dedicated doctor” in the NHS and in the wider community, and was held in high regard by numerous people of high standing. Dr Maung came from a medical family and had worked in the NHS since moving to the UK in 2000, and was held in high regard both professionally and personally. Therefore, there is a page named " We Trust You Dr UTM" on a social media;facebook, in order to collect testimonials and letters about the good character and good standing of Dr UTM. We are supporting his appeal and his family.

Justice for a GP in UK

Dr Maung is a diligent and dedicated doctor in Burmese community. I've respected him as a senior doctor in UK. This news is difficult to accept for me and I feel like something is wrong in the investigation and decision in this case.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3044811/Married-locum-GP-fondled-teenager-s-breasts-moment-madness-came-chest-pains-jailed.html

တရားဥပေဒ စိုးမိုး ေရး

I respect our leader Daw Aung San Su Kyi and believe her. Every single word of her speech is valuable for our future country and generations.

ျပည္သူ႕လႊတ္ေတာ္ တရားဥပေဒ စိုးမိုးေရး ေကာ္မတီ ၏ လုပ္ေဆာင္ခ်က္မ်ား

Photo: Internet

Ref News : NLD chair person

Quote of the day

Each generation brings with it a fresh burst of enthusiasm, energy, vitality. Each generation is fired by its vision of the ideal society in an ideal world. The ideal never be achieved but because men have ideals, those society progress.
Lee Kuan Yew
24th January 1988
( R.I.P Mr Lee)

Free Phyo Phyo Aung

Phyoe Phyoe Aung (27) was an engineering student in Burma when she was arrested for advocating for democracy during the Saffron Revolution in 2007. After her release, despite having endured 4 years of brutality and privations in prison, Phyoe Phyoe and her then fiancé, Lin Htet Naing, continued to advocate for democracy, most especially educational opportunities for Burmese youth. They started the Wings Capacity Building Project--an NGO devoted to holding free educational seminars and programs for Burma's youth--something that was badly needed in Burma's educational climate. 

Photo: Internet

Good Behavior

Forcing good behavior is itself a bad behavior. You can only teach good behavior by living it. — Bryant McGill

Interview with Dr Thein Lwin ( NNER)

A core group of about 200 student demonstrators and their supporters were violently dispersed by police in Letpadan, Pegu Division, on Tuesday morning. Several were injured, many were arrested, and some fled into nearby homes and jungles to escape the vicious scene.
As the dust began to settle, The Irrawaddy spoke with Thein Lwin of the National Network for Education Reform (NNER) about what sparked the brutal crackdown and what transpired in Letpadan.

Dr Thein Lwin ( NNER) Photo :Internet

http://www.irrawaddy.org/interview/this-was-too-brutal.html
http://burma.irrawaddy.org/interview/2015/03/11/72422.html

Another bad image

Student demonstrators who are demanding education reform were chased down and kicked and beaten police wielding batons on March 10, 2015 in Latpatan. European Press Photo Agency (EPA) staff photographer Nyein Chan Naing, who also was on the scene, said, “The student protesters tried to break through the police line and police stood against the student protesters. Suddenly someone threw a water bottle or something, then the violence started."
It is a shameful  image of Myanmar government, police and authority handling with student demonstrators. And many have been worrying for 2015 election and the process of democracy.
http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-myanmar-police-clash-with-protesting-students/2674139.html

We the People

"The single-most powerful word in our democracy is the word 'we.' We the People. We shall overcome. Yes we can. That word is owned by no one. It belongs to everyone. Oh, what a glorious task we are given, to continually try to improve this great nation of ours." —President Obama

Photo: Internet

 https://medium.com/@WhiteHouse/president-obama-s-speech-in-selma-8336cdedf37c

Simple Reminder

Photo: Simple Reminder (Internet)