Monks step in to avert clashes at mine site - Online Burma/Myanmar ...

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Trial begins for
seven accused over
killing of monk
By Win Ko Ko Latt
THE second hearing in
the trial of seven Muslims
accused of killing a
Buddhist monk during
unrest in Meiktila last
month was held on
Tuesday, a police official
said.
The death of the monk
prompted an escalation
of the Meiktila unrest,
which saw more than 40
people killed. The monk,
U Thawbita from Hanzar
village in Thazi township,
was killed on March 20
while visiting Meiktila to
buy items for a donation
ceremony.
“The first hearing was
on April 22 and we had
the second hearing on
April 23,” said an official
from Meiktila’s No 2 police
station. The accused are
next due in court on April
29.
The head of the station,
U Myint Than, is acting as
the plaintiff in the case. He
sent the case to Meiktila
District Court on April 10
and U Aye Lwin, head of
Central
Myanmar
sees seven
tremors in
22 days
the district court, accepted
the case.
“The [seven suspects]
are accused of killing a
Buddhist monk and have
been charged with murder,
causing serious injuries,
arson, and aiding and
abetting,” he said.
He said six lawyers
are representing the
defendants, while the
‘ The court will
decide whether
they are guilty.’
prosecution has one lawyer.
He refused to comment
further, other than that
security had been tightened
around the court. “The
court will decide whether
they are guilty,” he said.
Meiktila residents said
they were following the
case closely and wanted to
see an impartial judgement.
“We are interested in the
case but unfortunately the
court won’t let people in to
watch,” said Ko Thu Ra, 32.
By Win Ko Ko Latt
REHABILITATION efforts
in Meiktila should be
completed within three
months, an official said
on April 20, a month after
violence broke out in the
Mandalay Region town.
A dispute in a gold shop
on March 20 sparked days
of bloody violence in the
town, which left at least
44 people dead. The unrest
later spread to Bago Region.
“Our recovery plan for
Meiktila won’t take as long
as in Rakhine State because
there was not as much
damage and it was not as
widespread. Recovery will
likely be completed within
two or three months,” U
Sa William French, deputy
director of the Relief and
Resettlement Department,
told The Myanmar Times
in Meiktila.
He said the government
has enough food for those
displaced, with more than
6000 bags of rice and other
items. As of April 20, about
K490 million in donations
in cash and kind had been
received.
The United Nations
Office for the Coordination
of Humanitarian Affairs
said in a situation report
released on April 9 that
more than 8400 displaced
people were still living in
relief camps, while 1594
homes were destroyed or
damaged by arson. Some
will be transferred to other
locations as the schools
they are staying in are due
to reopen, U Sa William
French said.
“Under the first step of our
rehabilitation plan we sent
refugees from the Teacher
Training College to the
transportation school. ... We
are also planning to relocate
2317 refugees staying at
government schools to other
places,” he said.
Mandalay Region
Attorney General U Ye
Aung Myint said the
regional government plans
to build low-cost houses, at
an estimated cost of K3.5
million each, for those who
lost their homes in the
violence.
Upper Myanmar
However, he would not
say when construction
would begin.
“We will wait for the
situation to be stable. If we
think it is okay between the
two communities we will
start building houses,” U Ye
Aung Myint said.
But Ma Nge, a 30-yearold
Muslim resident of
Thirimingalar ward whose
home was destroyed, said
the financial and emotional
impact of the violence will
April 29 - May 5, 2013
Meiktila recovery complete
within three months: official
Monks walk past a burning truck during riots in Meiktila
in late March. Pic: Si Thu Lwin
linger long after houses are
rebuilt.
She said she cannot
afford to send her sixyear-old
son to school and
worries whether “he may
be discriminated against
because I am Muslim”.
“We have lost everything,
including my father [who
was killed in the violence].
I do not know what to do in
the future. Refugee camps
only can give us food,” she
said.
SEVEN minor earthquakes
were recorded between April
1 and 22, the Department of
Meteorology and Hydrology
said.
The first earthquake was
recorded about 11pm on
April 3 and measured 5.5
on the Richter scale. The
epicentre of the quake was
49 miles south of Nay Pyi
Taw, or 190 miles southwest
of the Mandalay earthquake
measuring centre that
records seismic events.
The next day, a second
earthquake hit at 5:30am,
40 miles southwest of Nay
Pyi Taw, and was measured
at 4.7. Just before 10pm that
night, another earthquake,
this one with a force of 5.4,
struck 40 miles southwest of
Nay Pyi Taw. And at 1:15pm
the next day, on April 5, an
earthquake measuring 3.5
on the Richter scale struck
33 miles west of Taungoo.
On April 12, another
quake shook the area 29
miles southwest of Nay
Pyi Taw just after 3pm,
measuring 4.8. A week later,
on April 18, an earthquake
struck 50 miles northwest of
Katha, with a measurement
of 4.5. Yet another was
felt on April 22, this one
measuring 4.6, five miles
north of Haka in Chin State.
Four earthquakes were
recorded in January, while
three were detected in
March – Than Naing Soe,
translated by Thit Lwin