Merry X'mas to you all. We had a Christmas party at the Digital Divide Data Laos office.

Well, my Christmas this year was untypical. I worked during the day since Christmas was not an official holiday in Laos. Unfortunately, because of multinational businesses' taking advantage of law in countries like Laos, they have to work on Saturdays, meaning Christmas was a working day. :-)

However, we had a nice little Christmas party after work even though most of the staff were Buddhists and didn't know anything what Christmas meant. I didn't know if one of the Laos Christians explained about Christmas because everything was happening in Laos. All I know in Laos is how to say "I am hungry", "how much is it?" and "I love you" :-) I am picking up more words, though :-)

Well, the weather here is, of course, not snowing. A perfect Fall day, you would say, if you are from the Mid-west of America. The weather in Bethlehem was not snowing, either :-) 42 F with clear sky recorded in Jerusalem today according to CNN.

Even though most people in the office are Buddhists, they celebrated Christmas for fun :-) Here is a picture of a Buddhist shrine with Santa.

This is the article I read today. Something to think about Burma. In "Mystique outweighs morality for Myanmar tourists", the author mentioned the desire of many tourists who want to visit Burma instead of sanctions and political problems. A good remark by a Swiss backpacker:

“If you start thinking about not coming here because of the government, you will have to start thinking about whether to go to China, Laos, Tibet, or even the United States,” said Swiss backpacker Marcel Schonenberger.

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/todaysfeatures/2004/December/todaysfeatures_December45.xml&section=todaysfeatures

I read this article about Burmese economy.

http://independent-bangladesh.com/news/dec/13/13122004bs.htm#A5

In this article, Amyotheryei Win Naing said that "Free reporting by the media sources on abuses of power by government employees" is needed for the change in Burma. Are we ever going to get there? Everything he writes is scrutinized by the Board of Censors if he wants to publish it in Burma. The Irrawaddy, where he wrote his article, is not available in Burma unless the techie kid goes around the firewall using proxies.

Our country sure stands at a dead lock today. What should we all do to help it solve all its economic, social and political problems?

An interesting read about China-Burma border trade:

http://www.irrawaddy.org/aviewer.asp?a=4210&z=104

I called Neil and Diana Sowards in the US today. I was testing my cell phone. I tried to call Burma and it never went through. At least I was able to talk to people in the US. It cost me 40 cents a minute to the US. It's 70 cents to Burma but my call never went through because the phone network in Burma is congested.

I bought an Alcatel 735 cell phone. The phone is dual band (900/1800 MHz) and it works in almost all countries in the world except the USA and Canada :-) I bought a phone card to use with my cell phone. The phone card cost me about $ 5 and I talked to Neil, Diana and Auntie Hteemu about 11 minutes. I still have some money left over on my card. It's basically cheap to have a phone here compared to Burma. I feel sad for Burmese people. Burma hasn't to be this way. Laos is catching up with the International telecommunication sector. I used the government company's phone card to call the US. Just think how cheap compared to Burma, from where it would cost $ 4.5 a min to the US. The regime in Burma doesn't know what they are doing. They should come to Laos and learn from the Communist government here in Laos :-)

Communication is everything when you want to get jobs done. In Burma, we have a big problem for that.

Here is a picture of us eating dinner at the Digital Divide Data Laos office. It's much fun to learn about Laos and the culture and the people :-)

People in the picture: (Left - right) Lwin Moe, Moukda, Phonekham, Teuanchit, Somkhith, Keo.

ALOHA 18

I got to Vientiane, Laos today.

I left for Bangkok today. I was picked up at the airport by Uncle Tun Thein, Uncle Soe Myint and Ko Zaw Zaw. I felt strange to be in Bangkok. Bangkok has changed to be an International city. I felt like I was in America to be in Bangkok except for Asian faces and Thai characters on bill-boards.

The Bridge on the River Kwai

Mon dress at the museum of Mon Studies Center

A Karen family at a village near Thai-Burma border

Lwin Moe with a Karen family at a village near Thai-Burma border

Three pagodas on Thai-Burma border

From Three pagodas on Thai-Burma border

Sweet December!

Ko Htay Kywe and me. The picture was taken this morning. Ko Htay Kywe spent about 14 years in prison for his political involvment in 1988 student movement

I have been using www.anonymization.net to read news and go to banned sites. The following is a screen shot of www.irrawaddy.org through anonymization proxy.

However, I found this interesting. I couldn't go to http://www.geocities.com/zawmoethann using anonymization.net.

I managed to visit the site http://www.geocities.com/zawmoethann using a different proxy service. (Disclaimer: I don't know the validity of the story on that page. I am just testing technical aspects of proxy services inside Burma.)

My conclusion: The ISP knows that people are using anonymization services, but they deliberately allowed it turing a blind eye to the services. When there is something they really don't want people to read, they banned it even through the proxy service they know. I was able to get around using a different proxy service they don't know. Um.... strange.

I finally got my passport today. What a long and depressing headache to go through! I applied for it on October 5. I even wrote some experiences in my ALOHA.

Cute Burmese kids playing!

I was trying to register with some free web hosting services. After a lot of "DansGuardian - Access Denied" messages, I was successfully able to register at a few sites. However, when I tried to log into one of the services, I found my access completely denied because the server was using port 445 to listen to my log-in attempt. My proxy server from BaganNet didn't allow any traffic to non-standard (non-8080/80) ports. It was a bummer.

This morning, I went to Kan Daw Gyi Park in Rangoon (Yangon) because BARS computer science students had a retreat to welcome freshmen. Here are some pictures.

The Sign said "10,000 Kyats Fine for Trashing"

A Beautiful Scene in Kan Daw Gyi Park

The taxi driver on my way home from University Avenue told me how people were upset with the recent political changes and how many people had real difficulties making ends meet these days. I paid him Kyats 1,800 for the trip. It's 9 % of my monthly salary at the Myanmar Institute of Theology. Guess how much I make a month :-) :-)

I think this news piece relates to my own experiences. Back in 1994, 95, 96, there were more job opportunities compared to today. Many young people are now leaving for Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore for blue-collar jobs. More brain drains.

http://www.irrawaddy.org/aviewer.asp?a=4115&z=109

The Trade Policy Council

Deputy Sr-Gen Maung Aye's record as chairman of the Trade Policy Council gives little cause for optimism.

In 1998 the Trade Policy Council was set up with overall control of all issues related to private sector commerce. The council was probably formed to weaken the position of Khin Nyunt, who had loyalists in charge of all the relevant ministries that would have to answer to it.

Maung Aye immediately rolled back many of the modest economic reforms put in place over the previous nine years (most of the liberalization happened 1989-94 under Brig-Gen David Abel). It became very difficult to get import permits or the licenses required to open a factory. Issuing permits became a major instrument of patronage.

Unable to get import permits for raw materials, foreign businesses pulled out; Burma became possibly the most expensive place in the world to buy a second-hand car; the economy continued its downward spiral.

Recent changes in Burmese politics cause delays in my passport application process. The power struggle between the generals reminds me of the days of the Burmese dynasty. It's like killing each other to get the throne. Unfortunately, those who suffer are people like us, the powerless and the poor.

I am hoping to get my passport soon. My consultant job in Laos is impatiently waiting for me.

Passport Office in Yangon

The joke I heard from one of my friends. He told of his professor who said,

"The current military government doesn't want the disintegration of the country, so they hold on to power to systematically destroy the integrity of it."

The following quote is also proved to be true for the people of Burma. "The more you tighten your grip, the more slips through your fingers."

Nothing much new lately. Except for political changes in Burma.

ALOHA 17

I read the news that www.georgewbush.com rejects non-US visitors. I don't know the reason why. The largest democracy in the world demoting free speech.

http://news.netcraft.com/archives/2004/10/26/bush_campaign_web_site_rejects_nonus_visitors.html

This is a good sign for Burma and shows that sanction is bad. :-) :-)

http://www.irrawaddy.org/aviewer.asp?a=4055&z=24

Check this news out.

http://www.bagan.net.mm/mynnews/new_detail.asp?news_no=2109

I have learned that the officials who worked for the government a few years ago in that area are now millionaires, getting a lot of bribes from traders both from Burma and Thailand.

I checked this web site for e-passports in Burma. The only problem is that it's not ready for ordinary citizens like us, yet :-)

http://www.passport.gov.mm

I read the news about FBI taking the hard drives of Independent Media Center servers in the UK. The reasons are still unknown.

Today is the first BARS Graduation. Here is the program sheet in PDF format.

Lwin Moe and a business student, Awng Di

Photo Session before BARS graduation today. All students and faculty are showing off their caps and gowns.

BARS Business students being happy one day before graduation

BARS students, Zambar, Ja Seng Nai and Steven (from left to right)

Bob Winter (English professor) and Lwin Moe

Dial-up Account Termination

Today is my last day with my lovely ISP, www.bagan.net.mm My dial-up account will be cancelled starting from tomorrow. I am hoping to go to Laos as soon as I get my passport.

A good informational website about Burma

http://www.mchronicle.com.mm

Old Floppies Thrown Away

I threw away all the floppies from my old days at Purdue. I can't believe things have changed so fast. I don't use floppies much these days anymore. I use thumb drive mostly.

Bands Back Burma Activist Suu Kyi

This is from BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3679512.stm

The First BARS Baccalaureate Service

The very first BARS baccalaureate service was today at the Thamaing Karen Baptist Church at David Shwe Nu street. The graduating seniors from BARS program were very happy and their parents smiling. Tony Hayes had words of encouragement for all the seniors. His speech was very encouraging and touching for all of us, not only the seniors.

BARS graduating seniors in front of MIT

From left to right: Moonlight (Lone Lone) and Eh Dah Wah are Sgaw Karens. San Mwe Kan and Nyein Nwe are Shan girls. Sha Mwe Hla is a Po Karen.

Consultant Job in Laos

I just want to let you know that I got the IT consultant job in Laos. I will start getting ready, applying passport and everything. I will have to be in Laos by mid-October.

I will start to breathe the air of freedom again. For about six months, of course.

Gmail banned in Burma

I just found out that www.gmail.com was banned in Burma two days after I got the account. Gmail is a free web mail in beta testing stage from www.google.com, the best search engine I ever used. Only a beta tester can sign up for the account. The public can't get an account from gmail yet. But my lovely ISP, BaganNet, banned the site two days after I got the account. So love its customers that they take care of our well beings. :-) Well, can't wait to get out and surf the web freely without any "access denied" message. I love Burma and BARS, but I want to feel what it is like to be free again, at least for 6 months. :-)

Access Denied Message from my lovely ISP

This is the news I read from the Irrawaddy.

http://www.irrawaddy.org/aviewer.asp?a=3937&z=24

Burmese Military Officers Depart for Russia
By Kyaw Zwa Moe and Nandar Chann
September 14, 2004

About 400 young military officers from Burma left for Russia early Tuesday morning for military and computer training, said a relative of one of the officers who left today.

Two Russian aircraft carrying hundreds of lieutenants left the Mandalay International Airport at about 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. today, said the relative in Mandalay.

The officers, selected from across the country, left for the Mandalay airport on Monday afternoon from Maymyo, 42 miles (68 km) north of Mandalay, the relative said by telephone. Maymyo, renamed Pyin Oo Lwin by the junta, is home to military training centers such as the Defense Service Academy and Defense Service Technology Academy, or DSTA. It is also reportedly the site of a new Russian-built ordnance factory, near the DSTA, although the Russian Ambassador to Rangoon, Oleg Kabarov, flatly denied the allegation in recent months.

Another resident in Mandalay said that on Monday airport officials told him about the trip.

In 2002, Russia reportedly agreed to sell Burma a nuclear reactor for medical research, providing assistance for its construction and operation. Burma’s military government recruited hundreds of students and sent them to study nuclear engineering and science in Russia. But the program was reportedly abandoned because the junta could no longer afford the costs. The junta denies it plans to develop a nuclear reactor.

The relative in Mandalay said some of the military officers would study computer science in Russia and the others would receive military training.

The relative said that courses for computer students would take three and half years to complete, while military courses, the details of which are unclear, require three years. If the courses are completed successfully, the source added, the officers would be promoted to captain.

The government provided each officer 60,000 kyat (about US $63), one Western-style navy blue suit and a military jacket before the trip, the source said, adding that an unnamed high-ranking military officer briefed the Russian-bound lieutenants in Maymyo before their departure.

The source also said that before the trip, the officers received language training from an unknown number of Russian teachers who have been sent to Maymyo and paid a monthly salary of $1,000. More officers would be sent to Russia in the future, the source added. Other groups of Burmese military officers are still studying in Russia, the source said.

In late 2002, the junta purchased eight MiG-29B-12 air superiority combat aircraft and two dual-seat MiG-29UB trainers from Russia, at a reported cost of about $130 million.

I read this news. I also read the report by the government in the official newspaper.

http://www.irrawaddy.org/aviewer.asp?a=3889&z=24

The government newspaper denied it saying "the government would take necessary action if the cases were reported. In fact, there was no such case reported." Something to think about is in terms of Burmese culture, those rape cases were hardly reported. No girls take their cases to the police. Those cases happened and went unheard. It seems the officials are either lying outright or living away from the lives of the general public. If they go to remote areas like those, they go there like kings with bodyguards and they are not getting the real pictures of the real lives of those locals.

ALOHA 16

I read this news today.

Burmese Factory Workers Suffer Food Poisoning

http://www.irrawaddy.org/aviewer.asp?a=3871&z=24

Check this out if you want to know how much phones we have in Burma.

Burma Aims to Triple Number of Phones by 2006

http://www.irrawaddy.org/aviewer.asp?a=3868&z=24

Si Baw Mi's 19th birthday. The following picture was taken at the Yangon Zoo. (from left-right: Samuel, Naing Thit Sar, Si Baw Mi, Sui Dawt Men)

Today is my birthday. I am 28 today. Wow, I am getting old :-) :-)

I have been talking to my friends in the US and Germany using Skype VoIP software. The technology is changing fast and the cost for me to talk to them is free.

I read this news (Terror no-fly list singled out Kennedy: Senator was stopped 5 times at airports). The American government is starting to get as bad as the Burmese military in the name of homeland security. The same is true in Burma. Everybody's rights have been stripped in the name of national solidarity. :-) In America, in the name of homeland security --- In Burma, in the name of national solidarity. If you think that the American government is good, think it twice. But at least, the American citizens have the American Civil Liberties Union trying to protect their rights. In Burma, who do we look up to for our rights? :-)

Hotmail to Go 2Gig, Will Apple's .Mac follow?

Read this article:

http://www.osviews.com/modules.html?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=2037&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0

I am just wondering when yahoo or hotmail will be available in Burma. :-) Or BaganMail (the only ISP in Burma) will improve its service or allow competitors. :-) So much for the homeland security, huh? Not much different than the States. All the governments are bad. Both the States and the Burmese military.

One of the nice things about working at the Myanmar Institute of Theology (MIT) is occasional gifts from friends outside and inside Burma. An annonymous friend donated a gift of 25,000 kyats (US$ 25) to all the staff a few months ago. It really helped.

I had about 100 Kyats in my wallet a few days ago. Paul Aita walked into the computer lab where I was working. He had an envelope. Written on it was:

To: Lwin Moe
From: Gail & Paul Aita on behalf of American Baptist Women

Inside the envelope was 22,000 kyats (US$ 22). It was the right time I needed some money. It is still the middle of the month and my paycheck won't come until the end of the month. I am still surviving with that 22,000 kyats so far :-) :-) probably until the end of the month :-) Thanks to the Aitas and the American Baptist Women.

Anyways, MIT is really thriving with the staff who are overworked and underpaid. It's really amazing how people can work so hard just in faith. Occassional gifts really makes a difference in their lives, especially those with kids and wife. It is also true in many seminaries and churches in Burma.

ALOHA 15

I read this article from the Irrawaddy. I don't know if this is true. It sure is something to think about, though.

The Boss is Cribbing

Myanmar Times editor Ross Dunkley has taken plenty of heat for claiming that his weekly newspaper is “exercis[ing] responsible journalism” to “creat[e] a more favorable environment for all of the media” in Burma—a dubious assertion perhaps, but not altogether unfounded. The Times is one of the country’s most reliable and readable journals.

The above quotes are taken from his Guest Column for The Irrawaddy in March [“A Parallax View”, Vol 12, No 3], about the Times’ role in improving journalistic standards in Burma. But Dunkley committed a blunder that casts doubt on his professed achievements. The first four paragraphs of his opinion piece for The Irrawaddy were lifted directly from a front-page article written by former Times Time Out section editor Hanna Ingber. The article originally appeared in the February 9-15 edition of the Times.

A former Times staffer said Dunkley also cribbed some passages from an article written by the paper’s columnist Ma Thanegi, for an art competition in Rangoon.

Ingber first learned of the plagiarism on May 5 from a colleague at the paper and confronted Dunkley the next day. Nine days later, she received an apology letter from her editor.

The highest form of flattery, or irresponsible journalism? We report, you decide.

Another news is the death of pop star, Htoo Ein Thin. The following is the news from Democratic Voice of Burma.

Burmese pop star dies

The famous Burmese pop star Htoo Ein Thin died from heart attack on 14 August at a private clinic in Rangoon.

He is survived by his wife Ma Thwe Thwe Htway and their eight year old daughter Mi Gwan Htaw.

Htoo Ein Thin became known in artist circle in early 1980s with his series of songs called ‘Teardrops from the Clock’ and won the hearts and support of young people in Burma.

He actively got involved in the 1988 nationwide uprising demanding human rights and democracy in Burma, and fled to the Thai-Burma border when the army seized power in September of that year.

He suffered several bouts of malaria attack while he was living in the jungles and was said to be missing his mother more than anyone. There, he wrote several revolutionary songs for Burmese students.

He returned to Burma legally in September 1989 and continued his artistic profession.

He was known to be a very friendly and quiet person who craved for no material gains devoting his whole life to art and the freedom of Burma.

May he rest in peace!

A Great Poet and Scholar, Min Thu Wun, Died

Min Thu Wun died yesterday on Sunday. Here is his obituary from the Irrawaddy. Min Thu Wun is a legend in Burma’s literary circles. He is a great poet and scholar. He was born in Mon State, Burma. He graduated from Oxford University.

Burma's Garment Industry

The pictures from this article were taken by my friend whom I helped keep up with the IT knowledge. The article is about Burma’s garment industry and whether the sanctions has done damages or not.

Brain Drain for Burma

This article, the Road to Riches, has touched on the future of the educated people in Burma. The smart kids are leaving Burma, seeking better future in developed countries. If our country does not change its political and economic system, the future remains bleak.

The following picture was taken in Mandalay on July 30, 3:44 PM Burmese Standard Time. That's a university building on the water due to the recent flood..

This is a picture of an old Lisu lady from Mogok in the northern Burma. Mogok is the city of gem mines. It is also called the land of rubies. Lisu is hill-tribe people who live in Burma, China and Thailand.

The following is a beautiful scene of Mandalay. The moat surrounding the Mandalay Palace.

The electricity has been really good lately. We are having almost 24 hour electricity now. It's been raining hard lately, too. Many places have suffered from floods. Myitkyina, up in Kachin State, was badly hit by the flood. The following news is confirmed to be true to the best of my knowledge. I checked with my students from Myitkyina.

http://www.irrawaddy.org/aviewer.asp?a=3756&z=24

My Sermon

I had to preach at the chapel service at the Myanmar Institute of Theology today.

Here is the note I wrote for it.

Accidents in Life

It was raining heavily outside. I was on a bus on the way back home from downtown. When I got off the bus, it was still raining and I didn't have my umbrella with me. I thought "Well, I should wait at the teashop for the rain to stop." I went into a teashop near the bus stop. Sitting in the teashop, I finally had a chance to do some thinking.

First of all, it was by chance that the rain started right after I got off the bus. It wasn't planned either that I would go into the teashop to get shelter from the rain. It was just a coincidence.

Accidents happen all the time in our lives. I had a car accident. Accidents happened and we broke our legs while playing football, right? Coincidence is just like events that happen at the same time by accident. Even in history, a lot of great things have come out because of accidents. Alexander Fleming discovered Penicillin because of an accident.

Besides, think of Isaac Newton. He thought out the law of gravity because an apple fell onto the ground. A cartoon said he was able to figure out the law of gravity because it was an apple that fell on his head. An apple! If it were a fruit from the tree in front of our house that fell on his head, he would be dead before he could write up the law of gravity. You know what that fruit is? It's Durian. It has all the prickly rinds. Therefore, Newton would probably be dead if it were Durian that fell on his head. Anyway, this example taught us a lot.

In addition, accidents, coincidences and small things later tend to become important in our lives. Accidents will happen in our lives. We just can't avoid them. Small things that we wouldn't even notice might have some big impacts on somebody else's lives.

Moreover, I would like to tell you one example. It was six years ago. I was about 20 something at that time. I had to speak at a church in Michigan. It was like a month after I got to the States. I was so scared and nervous. My listening skill was great. But my speaking skill? It was lousy. Even in Burmese, let alone in English. I think I did quite a lousy job that Sunday. But after the service, an old lady came to me and said "Lwin, wonderful, you were doing a great job!" You know how much it had helped me at that time. I was afraid to speak. But after that, I wasn't afraid any more. I spoke again and again and again. I still do a lousy job but I am getting better. J J What I am getting at is that small and kind gesture from the old lady has helped me move on. That's how a small thing has done to somebody's lives in a good and positive way.

However, there can also be negative things. To illustrate that, I would like to tell you another story of my own. I usually walked home after my classes at the Myanmar Institute of Theology. The buses were usually crowded. I chose to walk for exercise and for doing deep thinking while walking. One night, it was really dark because there was no electricity. About half way home, I stepped on a frog and it was dead. I thought to myself. Well, I didn't mean to step on that frog. Yet, it was dead. Was if my fault? Or was it its fault? I don't think it was mine because I didn't mean to kill it and I didn't mean to step on it. I just didn't see it because it was dark. It was just an accident but I killed the frog. It had a big impact on the frog's life.

Eventually, accidents will happen in our lives. Those accidents or small things will have impacts on others either in a positive or negative way. The frog that I stepped on was dead even though I didn't mean to kill it. It was just an accident. We won't just know the consequences of an accident because two people can look at the same thing and see it differently. All we can do is pray and hope for the best. Whatever you do, please ...

1. Do it with love for God.
2. Do it with love for the people around you
3. Do it with love for yourself.

In conclusion, please remember accidents will happen. It will lead to positives or negatives. Yet, please do everything in love.

May God bless you all!

Love in Christ, Lwin Moe

Today is my youngest brother's birthday.

I read this news about Grand Haven, Michigan today. It has become the first city in America to have Wireless Internet access.

http://www.walkersands.com/Grand-Haven-First-Citywide-WiFi.htm

They are paying less than what I am paying for my dial-up access here in Burma. I want to move to that city :-) Right now I am paying about $ 30 a month for my 56 kbps dial-up connection.

Monthly prices for always-on broadband Internet starts at $19.99 for 256 kbps, and unlimited mobile VoIP calling is $29.99. Connections up to 1 Mbps and per-day pricing options are also available.

ALOHA 14

The following pictures were taken by Waw Lay, a friend of mine, using my camera.

Rainbow seen in Mogok

Mogok

Lisu hunting equipments

If you think that I am the only one being overloaded at the Myanmar Institute of Theology, I suggest you have a look at this article by Paul and Gail Aita.

http://www.abc-usa.org/inmissn/wint01/wint01e.htm

Here is the description of their second trip to Burma.

http://www.abc-usa.org/inmissn/2003_6/2003_6_myanmar.pdf

I was reading the news about the Indonesian Embassy being bugged by the Burmese military.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1530&ncid=731&e=7&u=/afp/20040713/wl_asia_afp/indonesia_myanmar

I was wondering if all of my e-mails were stored and checked. :-) :-)

It seems a while I have a chance to update my diary. My webserver http://dmw.mine.nu is down and I couldn't find out a reason yet. I contacted my another friend in Germany who said he could help. Now my site is up again on another address.

A lot has happened recently. I have been giving speeches on Information Technology and education at several places in Mon State.

I also met a Swedish pastor whose group helped the Myanmar Institute of Theology buy some new computers for the library use. They also helped many other projects here in Burma. I have been extremely busy buying, maintaining those computers and giving speeches at several places. I enjoy I have a chance to change many lives.

Here is a picture of me and Owe Kennerberg buying new computers for MIT library. Owe Kennerberg is a senior lecturer in Systematic Theology at the Stockholm School of Theology in Sweden.

Money to buy new computers

I will update more after my dmw.mine.nu server is up. It will be a while. Check my site later. Bye for now.

Pictures from BARS

BARS is a liberal arts program from Myanmar Institute of Theology. We have students of different ethnic groups from all over Burma. Here are pictures of students with their own ethnic dresses.

The pictures are taken at the Myanmar Institute of Theology (www.mitheology.net) where I teach. They are my students and I like them very much.

Lahu, Kachin (with knife) and Karen

BARS students with their ethnic costumes in the computer lab

BARS students in front of Diamond Jubilee building at the Myanmar Institute of Theology

I heard news from a friend from Wah Gone village near Myeik in Southern Burma. Some people were trying to go to Thailand to work and they were stopped by the police or Immigration officers on the way to Myeik. They were all released after paying Ks. 100,000 each. Mon State, Karen State, Shan State and Tin Nin Tha Yee divisions are borders to Thailand and many people from those areas work in Thailand illegally.

I can't read www.freebsddiary.orgbecause it was banned in Burma by my ISP.

Not much electricity lately. BaganNet has allowed its dial-up users the Internet access through tight firewall rules using DansGuardian content filtering software and squid proxy server. Many websites are still banned. http://www.wired.com is one of them. http://mail.yahoo.com, www.hotmail.com, and almost all free web hosting services. Definitely www.irrawaddy.org The list goes on.

Still people are figuring out how to bypass the firewall. I have seen local kids going to banned sites using proxy services even at the local Internet cafes.

Free e-mails are banned but kids are figuring out how to use thousands of open free e-mail sites. Such as coolpets.com, centralpets.com, newyork.com, and the list goes on.

Kids are definitely catching up. If we only had freedom of speech, these kids would compete with the international students.

Oh, no ssh, ftp access for its dial-up users yet.

The price of the dial-up access has gone down from 48,000 Kyats to 28,000 Kyats.

By the way, famous actor Lwin Moe from Burma has got his website up and running at www.lwinmoe.com Not to be confused with me.

I am not an actor. I am not a star and I don't even have my own car :-) Here is an ordianary citizen, me, listening to BBC in Nan Sam Yang village, northern Burma in Kachin State.

While I was writing my diary, the electricity went out. So I was able to finish up to the picture of Taung Gyi, the above one. The electricity is not reliable these days. We have electricity every other night. Shortage of energy causes blackouts a lot. I was going to write about a failure of electrical power in my Aloha news, but then I couldn't because I couldn't use my computer without electricity. My school days in the States have spoiled me, and I didn't want to write with pen and paper. Blackout has caused me to update my diary intermittently.

The View from Nam San Yang Church, Northern Burma in Kachin State

It was cloudy outside. We were all sitting inside the Nam San Yang church. The speaker was preaching in a language that I didn't understand. The advantage of being in a worship service where you didn't understand the language was that you can let your mind wander. My mind was wandering, my eyes gazing at the clouds through the window behind the speaker, the mountains murmuring in a language that I could almost understand.

My mind wandered back to the beginning. I didn't want to live in Yangon during summer. I traveled all over Burma during the last two months. Among many trips I took, Nam San Yang trip was very exciting. Here is how it all began. It was back in Rangoon.

People were sleepy in front of the gate of Myanmar Railways. All of them were there to get in line for buying train tickets. It was about 9:00 PM and the night was still young. The ticket wouldn't go on sale until 6:00 AM. Yet people were overzealous. Brang Mai, a student of mine, and I went to a friend's house near the train station. We came back at about 11:00 PM to the station. We sat there in front of the gate, feeling sleepy.

They opened the gate at 1:00 AM. People rushed in, pushing each other, some even ignoring their sandals. It was a complete chaos. Almost nobody gave priority to women and children. It was 2:00 AM when we were settled, getting our place in line. We were pretty far back. Being sleepy, I wished traveling in Burma would be a bit more comfortable. A young woman was sitting not very far from us. Her baby was sleeping in her lap. Her eyes were closed, being tired. Her face looked weary. Yet she was there in line to get the tickets she wanted. Finally, we got our tickets at 6:15 AM.

We left Rangoon the following evening. It was a 15-hour train ride to Mandalay. Arriving in Mandalay, we had breakfast. Satisfied because we no longer felt hungry, we had to start working on getting train tickets to Myitkyina. We were able to get 2 tickets from the black market paying 3 times the cost. Still being short of one more ticket, we stood in line to buy the without-seat ticket (ticket you can ride the train, but you are not assigned any seats, so you might have to sit on the floor). It was sold out before our turn. Since we already had gotten two tickets, we decided that our friend would ride the train without any ticket. We took the Myitkyina train for 30 hours. It was about 700 miles from Mandalay to Myitkyina. We spent two nights in Myitkyina to visit some interesting places there. We left for Nam San Yang, a village 40 miles southeast of Myitkyina.

We spent about 10 days in Nan Sam Yang. We taught English to the kids from the village. One truth I have found is that there are kids who want education, but are not fortunate enough to go to cities where good schools are. It would be challenging for an educated person to go live in those places to teach them. I hope there will be more educated people from the region to train them effectively.

The kids sang 'Yehowa hpe kabu gara ai myit hte dawjau nga mu.' They are singing in Kachin that they will serve the Lord. I prayed that one day they will be educated and help develop the area.

Please keep in your prayers those kids from the area and those who are serving there for the development of the area.

KIO (Kachin Independent Organization) female police officer and male soldier in Laiza, Kachin State (Bordertown near China)

Brang Mai, a student of mine, and Shai Awng Ja, a local kid. The house in the background is the pastor's.

Shai Awng Ja playing in the stream

Hydropower in villages

The above picture is the generator run by waterpower to produce 1 KiloWatt electricity. They use hydropower in villages near Bamaw in Kachin State. It was very interesting and self-sufficient.

A Cowboy in Kachin State, Northern Burma

A local kid helping his parents, on the way back home from their farm.

Justice in remote villages

Nan Sam Yang bridge was being repaired. Every car wanting to cross the bridge had to wait except this one van owned by a military officer.

Other people had to cross this way.

Sunrise in Mandalay

The stream from where the village gets hydropower

Natural Beehive

A privately-owned and semi-illegal gasoline station in Burma

Bamaw Church in Kachin State, built with stones from the Irrawaddy River

Pa Oh Lady selling orchids from the forest on the streets of Taunggyi, Shan State, eastern Burma

Taung Gyi, a city on the plateau

Lwin Moe in Taunggyi with a friend's kid

The road to leave Taunggyi

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I have been travelling all over Burma. I will write more about those trips later. I am in Nam Sam Yang, Kachin state.

Mayka-Malika confluence near Myitkyina

Mayka-Malika confluence near Myitkyina

Lwin Moe pissing at the Mayka-Malika confluence :-) I am polluting the environment :-) Brang Mai, my student, took this picture without my knowledge :-)

Don't get me wrong. I just want to show the importance of pollution issues that our beautiful country is going to face in the very near future.

Lwin Moe fetching water at the Mayka-Malika confluence

A house in a village near the Mayka-Malika confluence

Trash near the Irrawaddy (Aye Yar Waddy) river

Trash in the stream running on the Chinese border at Laiza, Kachin state

Lwin Moe walking on the main road in Namsam Yang

An owl

Lwin Moe in Bammaw, Kachin state

The following pictures were from my trip to Wahgone village near Myeik in Southern Burma. Mon Baptist Churches Union had a convention there.

The house we stayed in Wah Gone village

The kid from the family we stayed with.

The kids from the village eating dinner

Toilet in a village

We had to dig our own toilet in Wah Gone village.

Having a bath in the village

Buffalo

Cattle

Christian youths having fun playing games

Excursion around the area

Lwin Moe with a motorbike on Mawlamyine-Thanbyuzayet Highway

The house of Than Byu Zayet Mon Baptist Church's Pastor Aung Gyi; His wife and kid.

Lwin Moe with Mon shirt and Kachin Longyi

The following pictures were from my trip with BARS students to Ngapali beach in Western Burma.

Lwin Moe at Ngapali Beach

My BARS students having fun at Ngapali beach

A boat near the shore

Brang Mai and Chaw Chaw at the beach

Lwin Moe with the mermaid in Ngapali

Ngapali Sandoway Beach

Coconut tree at Ngapali Beach

BARS students had 'Jesus Christ Superstar' performance at MIT today.

Lwin Moe and Naw Kanyaw Paw

Naw Kanyaw Paw is a young, and smart lady who graduated from US like me. She is doing many development projects in Burma now.

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Pictures

BARS students on the way to Inn Ye Kyun for a picnic

A lady working on the boat

On the way to Inn Ye Kyun

Inn Ye Kyun

Happy New Year! I hope you had fun welcoming a new year.

The Newspaper

I read the New Light of Myanmar today. I have noticed that the newspaper is quoting news reports from "The Internet." I am wondering how reliable the news would be. Any crazy people can post anything they want on the Internet like I am doing right now :-) It would be nice if the newspaper put it as "http://www.cnn.com/….." because the New Light of Myanmar is one of the only two official newspapers in the country. It's not surprising that most people listen to BBC, Radio Free Asia and VOA for the news.

My Internet Access

I am still pissed that my dial-up account doesn't have telnet, ssh access to a server outside Burma. I am thinking about leaving Burma. Burma is not going to change if the government still blocks access to free information. What a shame! Signing up for free e-mails from yahoo and hotmail is also banned.

The following picture is the denied access page to Yahoo free e-mail site.

Google search for Diversity Visa Lottery from US banned

BARS (Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies program at Myanmar Institute of Theology)

BARS started again last week after Christmas break. It was wonderful to be back from our mission trip. We went to Kya Inn Seik Ky, southern Burma. We had learned so much about rural lives from the trip. Watching "Survivor," it doesn't feel like a real thing. Here is the real people living the real lives.

Some of the students from our group washed their faces using the water to wash visitors' feet. In villages, they have big pots of water in front of their houses for their visitors to wash their feet.

Students and I have so much fun and excitement from the trip. The following picture was taken while we were crossing the river on the way to one of the villages. The primary means of transportation was bullock cart.

The villagers earn their living by farming. Here are a lot of palm trees.

BARS students on the bus from Mudon to Kya Inn Seik Gyi

Palm trees along the road

Lwin Moe, a traveller: Burmese style

The moon and a star

Trip to Than Daung Gyi

I took another trip to Than Daung Gyi, northern Karen State, right after Kya Inn Seik Kyi grip. Than Daung Gyi is a small town up on the mountain. The weather is nice up there. We slept in a building on the top of the mountain new-year night. The sun-rise was so beautiful on new-year day. Here is a picture of the sun-rise and me on a new-year day.

Lwin Moe on Naw Mu Paw mountain

Steve on Naw Mu Paw mountain

A View from Than Daung Gyi

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