Friday, August 28, 2015

Independent radio or government radio--from 2001 and 2012, but still relevant--

This is the woman who got into trouble for interviewing Mullah Ohmar, Taliban leader.


I did not see this article at the time, as after 8 months out of work, in Oct. I was hired by The Burma Fund.

Then my colleagues and I were invited to a session downtown where I think, starting Radio Free Afghanistan was discussed. Often you can't tell what the objective of these sessions are. I remember a woman from Internews in a red dress seemed happy to get funding to broadcast to Afghanistan.

The later Internews founder, had worked at the station while I was there.

During the break, I heard 2 people talking near me, and by their conversation, I realized the woman was this Pashtun broadcaster chatting with a man who was an Afghanistan expert.

He asked her something like, "Oh, are you still there? I thought you were fired."

And she said something or the other.

I knew about it as I had been reading William Safire in the NYTs.

These sorts of problems still remain in the govt radio stations, as I call them.

At RFA Burmese, in c. 1998 they ran into problems for interviewing Brigadier Aung Gyi who said on air (a 2 part interview by THS) he had come to America with money from his wife selling her diamond ear rings.

When the flack broke, they asked me to translate, and big bust honey voice or flat chest croaking voice like a frog, depending on wh way you look at it, came into my cubicle and tried to do damage control and manipulate my translation.

I was so angry I handed the big Marantz tape recorder back to her, "Here, why don't you do it yourself, you know English and you know Burmese."

Presently, the asst VP Alex C, came and asked me to please finish the translation.

So I did, and I translated it exactly as it was worded in Burmese by THS and broadcast.

When I finished, of course I did not give it to THS. The jerk boss at the time was in SE Asia.

I told Pat Lute, the PR person at that time, and Pat came to my desk and Click, she sent it direct to the US Embassy email in Rangoon.

So flat chest and jerk were very angry with me, but why did they broadcast that junk to begin with.

So you see, these sorts of problems are not instrinsic to the Pashtun section alone.

It was alleged that these 2 were children of navy officials and pro-junta.

The woman went back to London.

The man lost his job about 2006 or 7, for asking an interviewee their beloved trick question,

"If we ask you to speak badly of D. ASSK will you do it?"

There was a gender discrimination case as they hired a woman and I found this all out by reading DC Superior Court Records/Archives on line.

The man was then fired as on acct of him, the Court ruled the station pay the plaintiff 300,000 in damages.

Great manager.

When harassing me, he used to say, "But then they (his superiors) will say I am not doing my job."

When did "good management" mean manipulating and harassing your staff.

Anyway, I think their karma will catch up with them, as it has to some extent already.

They also had to pay the staff they
fired in 2012, right when Daw Suu was in town.

One of the posts in Burmese I put up recently came from 1988 group email in 2012, and complained about the rude way the other woman, now section head, interviewed Daw S.

It's true, she leaned back in her seat, asked offensive questions and to top it all off, was ugly too.

Daw S. handled it well with her customary elan and cool.



KMKaung
8-28-2015








Quote from movie No Escape wiki--

From movie No Escape wiki--

The film was approved for release in Thailand after the film-makers agreed not to identify the country where it was filmed or to portray it negatively. Co-writer Drew Dowdle says, "'We worked very closely with the Thai government and there were a lot of things they wanted us to shy away from....So although the film shows a coup breaking out in a South-east Asian city,...it never specified the country. We were very careful not to make it Thailand in the movie, so there was no Thai language used'", said Drew. "'None of the signage is Thai and most of the language that the native population is speaking is a combination of Laotian, hill-tribe languages and other languages.'"

The film-makers were also instructed not to use images of the Thai monarchy and to "'never show the king or the colour yellow because that's the colour of the king'". John Dowdle, who directed the movie, says they were also told "'no Buddhas....don't do anything bad in front of a Buddha.'"[12]
Controversy

After trailers for the film were released a social uproar occurred in Cambodia over the use of upside down Khmer lettering on the police shields. The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts has since prohibited the film from being shown in Cambodia.

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Your late summer reading--go back to Ayuthia and the Burmese invasion--

Your late summer reading--go back in time to Ayuthia and the Burmese invasion.


The Rider of Crocodiles
Dr. Kaung was traveling in Thailand when a colleague told her his great great grandfather was not killed in Ayuthia in 1767 when the Burmese invaded, as he knew how to ride crocodiles.
print edition
Kindle edition
--



Monday, August 24, 2015

Your late summer reading--

Your late summer reading--
praised by Dr Sean Turnell and Dr Khin Nyo Nyo--Saw Thandar Kyaw.

Dr. Turnell said it was very inspiring and Ma Ma Nyo said
she loved the title.

Sigh of relief--KMK.

Non-fiction:
Print.
Kindle edition below:




Thursday, August 20, 2015

James Mawdsley's Iron Road

James Mawdsley's The Iron Road.

I liked this book. I interviewed him in person when he came to DC in 2002 and interviewed his father David Mawdsley while he was in prison.


It's a lot better than current f-ing "reform/transition" books.

KMKaung
8-20-2015

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Concert for flood relief on Thursday Aug 20th at Strand Hotel, Rangoon.











Gitameik "Music-Friend" founder Kit Young is having a concert for charity at the Strand Hotel on Aug. 20th, this Thursday.

Pl confirm the concert times with Gitameik, Ms. Young or the Strand Hotel.

She has kindly allowed my colleagues to do some short readings out of our joint book, Let it Fly with the Flowers:  Essays about the Inst. of Ecos, Rangoon.

To my colleagues, thanks for going to read.  Books will be on sale for proceeds to go to flood relief.

--Comrades--maybe you might like to read something fr those who can't be there--e.g. UHPC, DTHN, Dr. KSN etc.

Photos, from concert in 2008 at Burma Studies Center, seated, Daw Mar Mar Aye.

Ms. Kit Young also played with the Burmese musicians, but I am not sure I took a picture.

Other photos--Daw Mar Mar Aye, famous Burmese singer, artist Htein Lin and his art and performance art.  Sketches by Nargis children.  Chicago from the air, etc.


Sunday, August 09, 2015

After fake democracy, fake monasteries--

General Warning--

I am hearing from trusted sources that regime has made/built 4 star hotel style "monasteries" in the USA, and that some people (Burmese) my source knows have been "legitimately robbed" of hundreds of 000s of $$ in "donations."

He/she (my source) thinks these are part of plans to bring in junta people with false names as religious persons on religious visas.

According to him, these people are currently already in residence, and his friends wife was denied right to donate (food) to the monk after the building was finished--the monk would not eat her food--i.e. ostracized her once they got the money and kyaung pyee taw "the monastery is finished."

I strongly urge you not to be too gullible when donating in Burma, also with flood aid.

The above sounds like a well laid plan.

On US Treasury website, the Persons of Concern, some have 48 pseudonyms.

I plan to write this as fiction, as even the victims were afraid to speak out.

FYI even Afghan and other charities, such as "Ten Cups of Tea" Google Greg Mortenson, have been accused of wrong doing.

ALWAYS check and ask around.

You don't want to finance thugs, someone's nth Mercedes, or find out yr money has gone into a private acct in Dubai or "S'pore"

best--

k
8-9-2015

Saturday, August 08, 2015

Quote of the day--from 2006

quote of the day--from 2006--sound familiar?


Time Asia: Going nowhere – Michael Schuman
Mon 23 Jan 2006
Filed under: International,News

January 22: By doing business with Burma, Asian countries help its brutal military regime stay in power-while the Burmese people remain trapped in a time warp of poverty, oppression and economic misrule

Friday, August 07, 2015

Anniversary of 8-8-88 coming up-

Collage from 1988 news footage, incld NW's infamous threat--"If in future you do like this, soo soo poo poo (agitation), remember this, an army when it shoots shoots to kill, it does not point (guns) in the air just to frighten you."

https://vimeo.com/11380959

My novel Wolf opens on the first day Sept 18, of the crackdown in 1988.

kmk
8-7-2015

Monday, August 03, 2015

Published my first book of photo essays--The Beach Anomie: A Photo Essay

It will be available on Amazon

print edition CreateSpace $15 + e edition Createspace

and Kindle e edition $4.99

in a few business days--CreateSpace e edition is available now, but I have to check the link.

KMKaung
8-3-2015

Hot off the presses--essays by Burmese economists.

This selection of essays by a number of Burmese-born economists, or about Burma and its economy (obliquely) perhaps won't give you the answers to why are there floods there now,

but you will certainly see how the educated have been sidelined by the military regime.

http://www.amazon.com/Let-Fly-Flowers-Institute-Economics/dp/1514616378

Report from the fllod lines -- from Facebook--

Very disturbing post, seems to be typed verbatim from what one woman said, no help for people stuck in their homes, were helped by monks who girded their robes up and helped them out.
Then le Presdt's motorcade passed by.
Water in bottles was stacked up, but they said they would only distribute when the VIP arrived.
One woman said, If you come and give it to us, when the water recedes, we will throw it away. There seemed to be enough rice packets.  Her mother, a school principal, was asked to put on her school uniform and come to welcome the Presdt (this when they had fled with only one set of clothes they were wearing).  Were also asked to bring fruit for his refreshment.  What do they think, the Presdt is coming to eat an apple?  If only the cars with only one v i p in each had been used to transport and rescue people!  Some said they would distribute life vests, then put on the life vests and took photos of themselves.  (Yes, true, saw these photos)
Then Skynet (govt TV) comes and covers news.
One woman grabbed the mike and said, We don't want money, we don't want food or help, just close the dams,  Let all the water through, then shut down the dams.  The Skynet grabbed back the mike and then a heavily made up overdressed woman took over and lauded the presdt this and that.
They have no damned shame, while we are suffering, said, Pl vote for us!
Reports of people going around stealing roofing sheets and solar panels.
To be blunt, have no confidence in this gov at all.  (Informal translation fr Mi Chan post below)

{I knew this would happen. In 1970s when a foreign steamer rammed into a Burmese vessel, or vice versa, the Burmese captain was drunk and steering with his feet, the collective scream cld be heard from Inya Rd, where I heard it.  Reports then were the foreign boats threw down floats etc anything that would float, and the sampan people went around pushing the drowning people down with their oars and taking the floats.  I have even incld this scene in my upcoming novel Wolf.}

What a great country, transitioning to democracy.   kmk 8-3-2015



Sunday, August 02, 2015

Burma flood disaster relief--where to send money--copied and pasted from Facebook--

  • Donate through Sae Taw Win II web page through PayP. I can personally guarantee your donations will be sent to 88 Peace and Transparancy Organization in Ygn as speedily as possible. Your donations will also be tax deductible.
  • Thynn Thynn Thanks KM for sharing
    Like · Reply · 1 hr
  • Kyi May Kaung No problem--I guess that is Min Ko Naing's outfit and as you are both set up as non-profits, that is a good way to do it. Thanks for moving so fast.
  • Thynn Thynn Since our Center is already set up for accepting and transmitting donations previously during the tsunami of Sri Lanka we have the ready made mechanism to raise funds immediately. As soon as the funds come in I will be rushing off the donations to Burma overnight.

    88 people are already traveling to the flood zones to deliver disaster relief measures. See on fb.
    Unlike · Reply · 1 · 2 mins
  • Kyi May Kaung Thank you. I will copy and paste to my blog also.
  • Thynn Thynn Yes KM that is Min Ko Naing's outfit and I have already informed the officials. I will also be writing to MKN himself. Thanks so much for your support my friend.
    • Kyi May Kaung
      Write a reply...

  • Kyi May Kaung No problem, I am not doing that much. Regards, KM.

Specialpost--Ellen Bernstein--expose of World Bank Rohingya project--

https://www.irrawaddy.com/culture/books/hellfire-and-damnation-in-myanmar-ex-world-bank-country-head-recounts-rohingya-catastrophe-response....