mandalar blog

According to the news, Papua New Guinea will remain one of the most corrupt pacific countries. In east Asia, Burma and in middle east, Iraq are at the bottom of the list of most corrupted countries. Civil servants corrupt by saying their salary is quite low.

Malaysia�s score in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) has not improved this year. The country�s ranking declined to 47 out of 180 countries in 2008, compared to 36 out of 91 countries in 2001 and 43 out of 179 countries in 2007. Source. Thailand has risen from 84th to 80th in the rankings. Source

The UK had dropped from a score of 8.4 out of 10 to 7.7 out of 10 in the last 12 months – the first time it has ever fallen below 8. That means the score put the UK joint 16th on the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), alongside Ireland but one place above the USA. Denmark, Sweden and New Zealand were judged to have the lowest levels of corruption on a score of 9.3, followed by Singapore on 9.2 and Finland and Switzerland on 9.0. Somalia was bottom of the list with a score of 1.0, with Burma and Iraq on 1.3, Haiti on 1.4 and Afghanistan on 1.5. (Source).

Full result is here.

As far as I remember, in Burma (Myanmar), teachers corrupt. Students have to give bribes in the name of gift in order to pass exam or to secure a high mark. Doctors corrupt. Most give more medical attention on paid patients who gave extra cash. Judges corrupt for less or heavier sentences. Income tax officers corrupt for less taxation. Immigration officers corrupt. I saw some Chinese with Myanmar passport in London. They never speak Burmese. Bribery is everywhere at hospital gates, at the check-points at border areas, On the streets when traffic police stopped the cars, at the offices. At the same time, partiality is very common in employments, company permits, export and import permits. Many thousands of partiality going on.

The worst thing is people in Burma are no longer aware that they have been corrupting. They think that it is a usual thing they are doing.

by Steve

It is a good news among thousands of bad news from Burma. An elderly political prisoner, U Win Tin has been released from prison lately. It is claimed that he is a Burma’s longest-serving political prisoner. He has been a free man after staying for nearly 2 decades in Burma’s notorious prisons.

He announced that “I will keep fighting until the emergence of democracy in this country,”

The 79-year old was arrested in 1989 and sentenced to jail. The reason was for giving shelter to a girl thought to have received an abortion which is illegal in Burma. In that world’s poorest Buddhist nation, government and majority of people rarely show their sympathy and empathy to those with troubles. They normally believe that human and animals have to pay back for what they did wrong things in the past.

Ok, You may know or may not know U Win Tin. Here is some facts about him available on Wikipedia.

U Win Tin (born March 12, 1929) is being held prisoner in Burma (Myanmar) because of his senior position in the National League for Democracy (NLD) and for his writings. Arrested in July 1989, he has spent the last 17 years in prison.

U Win Tin is serving a 20-year sentence on charges including “anti-government propaganda.”

One of the reasons for his detention is his attempt to inform the United Nations of ongoing human rights violations in Burmese prisons. At 76 years of age, he is in a poor state of health, exacerbated by his treatment in prison, which has included torture, inadequate access to medical treatment, being held in a cell designed for military dogs, without bedding, and being deprived of food and water for long periods of time.

Since the start of 2006 he has not been able to receive visits from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

In 2001, U Win Tin was awarded the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize for his efforts to defend and promote and right to freedom of expression. That year, he was also awarded the World Association of Newspapers’ Golden Pen of Freedom Award.

Today Myanmar news on internet shows::

Burma opposition offered guns by Islamists

Daniel Pedersen in Mae Sot, Thailand

September 20, 2008 03:18am

ISLAMIC fundamentalists have offered weapons to Burma’s opposition groups with which to fight the ruling military junta.

And the resistance groups – which feel they have been left high and dry by the international community – are seriously considering the offer.

Former students, who were forced to flee Rangoon after pro-democracy protests in 1988 were violently put down, are said to be discussing the offer in the Thai border town of Mae Sot. Full article:::::::::

If you read above news article, I am sure you are not happy. Anti-government activists might take armed weapons from Muslims to fight back against Myanmar government.

Consequences would be:

1. Myanmar no longer safe or less safe
2. US and EU will no longer recognise those anti-government groups with weapons
3. Myanmar government will have more reasons to arrest more people.

Hmmmmmmmmm….

also posted on mandalar wp

It was in 1988. Many people in Burma were expecting Aung San Oo to come back and take a lead. But it never happened. For me, it is understandable that people may be struggling for their survival, prioritizing personal or financial matters. But now, it is over 20 years on. He is still silent while Burma has been passing through several man-made disasters and natural disasters. What he has done are building a luxury mansion house in historic area of Bagan and trying to own her late mother�s lakeside property in Yangon.

Many Burmese wonder why he did not pay attention to own people. Being a naturalized American is not an enough reason. Is he a workaholic? Is he an alcoholic? Is he a schizophrenic? Was he in jail when the country needed him? Is he a womaniser? or has he been chasing young boys?

Those questions came to our mind. Because many believe that Aung San Oo has been ethically doing wrong. His father, General Aung San, was a national leader, whose performance in such a short time was fantastic, while fathering unpopular Aung San Oo and Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. But now Aung San Oo has been where?

According to the Burmese tradition, the eldest son ,like Aung San Oo, has a moral duty to complete what his assassinated father wanted. He should support Burmese people who are in the hell these days. He just neglects.

There is an English proverb. Like father, like son. In Aung San Oo’s case, Father national hero, Son the useless.

But, as a doctor, whenever I see people, I have got a habit of checking from the medical point of view, from their pattern of walking, their appearance to the way of their thought and believe. Everybody has their own reason why they do or do not. You can�t blame easily. Some people may have some sort of phobias. Some people have fear of open space. This condition is called Agoraphobia. Other examples of phobic conditions are:

-Entomophobia-Fear of Insect (common among young girls)
-Spectrophobia- Fear of specters or ghosts. (common among Buddhism)
-Xenoglossophobia- Fear of foreign languages. (a proportion of Myanmar bloggers, they keep posting only in Burmese, claiming that they love Burmese language, Burmese culture)
-Xenophobia- Fear of strangers or foreigners (the majority of officials in Burma)
-Ochlophobia- Fear of crowds or mobs. (In Burma, gathering of people not allowed)

Do you think Aung San Oo has a kind of phobia?
Tell me he has what kind of phobia?

posted on

Lately, Thaksin’s Pm left the office after uprising in Bangkok. Now one more arrest warrant over Myanmar loan has been issued. I heard that he has applied for asylum in Britain.� He flied to London after attending China olympic opening ceremony.

A billionare man from Russia exiled in the UK few years ago. When I checked on wiki, his name is Boris Berezovsky.

Roman Abramovich, Chelsea FC owner,� is also� a well-known Billionaire from Russia who is attached to Britain. He is not an asylum seeker.

If all of the the wealth of above 3 persons moved to London, it would keep stand as a rich city for a few more years while China economy has been growing fast.
AFP: New arrest warrant issued for Thaksin over Myanmar loan

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Gender-bending chemical used in plastic bottles ‘doubles risk of heart disease’ | Mail Online

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It is talking about elephant which has got an artificail limb after getting amputated due to landmine in Burmese territory.

At the Elephant Hospital in Lampang, 31-month-old Mo Cha, who stepped on a landmine in Burma and lost her front right leg two years ago, walks and plays in a pool of sand after being fitted with the world’s first artificial leg for pachyderms. She lifts and curls her trunk as if to thank Dr Therdchai.

More

Aung San Suu Kyi halts food rations boycott

Detained opposition leader accepts rations for first time in a month after regime grants demands over living conditions

More

Sainsbury’s say that the private dentist clinic in its Sale branch is the first in a supermarket in the UK.

It will be open seven days a week and follows the opening of a GP surgery at a Sainsbury’s supermarket at Heaton Park, Manchester, in March. more on

by steve

It is a great news. World number 6, Scottish tennis player kicked out powerful Nandal in US open semi-final. It likes an xbox or PS game. Andy Murray is to play with Ferderer at final. Regardless of any outcome, Andy Murray has made his own record.�

�

Murray upends Nadal to reach U.S. Open final

Flushing Meadows, NY (Sports Network) – Sixth-seeded Andy Murray advanced to his first ever Grand Slam final with a 6-2, 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 6-4 victory over top-ranked Rafael Nadal on Sunday at the U.S. Open.

The match was suspended on Saturday because of the deluge Tropical Storm Hanna brought, after Murray had won the first two sets and Nadal had taken the lead in the third.

Nadal rallied to win the third set on Sunday, and had pulled away to a 3-1 lead in the fourth. But the Scotsman Murray rallied and the set was tied at 4-4. Murray served to easily win the ninth game, then broke Nadal’s serve with a backhand passing shot to win the match. Source:

Beckham kicking at 2008 China olympic hand-over celebration. This is the �first time I saw in this year he played with a ball. maybe because I did not watch sky sport.