Mandalay Times

2009-11-26T03:01:00.001-08:00

2009-11-26T03:01:00.000-08:00

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2009-11-20T07:15:00.000-08:00

Number of the Internet Users Increases in Myanmar

2009-11-12T06:05:00.000-08:00

Despite the military regime's attempts to limit the media, Internet culture is still increasing up to the present time in Myanmar of which the only one Internet service provider is the Myanmar Info Tech.

Since late 1990s, local Internet ?using communities have gradually become larger. Now it is reported that number of the Internet users has increased than before.

Around 1999, Internet cafes were hardly found in any other cities except Yangon, former capital of Myanmar. Later local people become more interested in using the Net, particularly after 2000.

In the beginning, Internet cafes were just like computer training centers, without any other services such as snacks and drinks for the users. There were a lot of notice sheets of paper stuck on the walls of those Internet centers, in which the authorities warned the users not to visit any political and x-rated sites. However, most people tried to browse the restricted websites in different ways, using some popular proxies.

The conflict between the regime and the users of the Internet is still occurring in Myanmar. For example, the authorities block most proxies but the users open new ones through other proxies, like a game of hide and seek.

To build a personal blog is also not allowed here and some popular bloggers were even arrested in order to prevent new blogging.

In such a never ending conflict, most of the young users of the Internet are now addicted to using Google Talk to chat with others. Using Google, many are finding peers and friends online for fun.

Former Myanmar Foreign Minister Dies

2009-11-12T06:04:00.000-08:00

Former Myanmar foreign minister Win Aung died in Insein prison, Yangon, where he was serving a seven-year sentence for corruption, police confirmed on Thursday. Win Aung, 65, died Wednesday morning from a cerebral hemorrhage, close friends of the former minister said. He served as foreign minister and the civilized face for Myanmar's pariah military regime from 1998 to 2004. In 2004, he was found guilty of corruption and sentenced to seven years in jail for selling cars imported tax-free for ministry personnel. Win Aung was a former member of the Military Intelligence and a close associate of Prime Minister General Khin Nyunt, who fell from grace in November 2004, resulting in a purge of his protégés that included the former foreign minister.

US Still Hopes Better Relation With Myanmar

2009-11-12T05:49:00.000-08:00

US Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and his deputy Scot Marciel met with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Prime Minister Thein Sein during their two-day visit to Myanmar.

In a public forum held on Thursday in Bangkok, Thailand, Marciel told that they were willing to move ahead in terms of bilateral relations but they were only going to do that if there was real progress.

Marciel also stated that the United States wanted to see the release of Nobel laureate Suu Kyi and other political prisoners, improvements in human rights and democratic reform ahead of elections promised by the Myanmar military regime in 2010.

He continued expressing that it was "essential" that the opposition leader be allowed regular opportunities to interact with her National League for Democracy (NLD) party.

He stressed the need for this dialogue within Myanmar to include the country's ethnic groups as well as the government and opposition.

The trip was a follow-up action to discussions in New York in September between US and Myanmar officials.

Only One Sahaja Yoga Club in Myanmar Holds Weekly Activities

2009-11-12T04:32:00.000-08:00

Of different types of Yoga, Sahaja Yoga is one of the easiest approaches to the supreme universal power. This was firstly introduced to the world by Sri Mataji Nirmala Devi in 1970.

Sri Mataji had tried to look for the truth since she was a child. Unlike any other children around her, she paid attention to serious matters. It was meditation that actually changed her spiritual life. It is meant that she attained self-realization in the end of her search of truth.

Born in India, she even took part in political activities for freedom from the British administration under the guidance of Mahatma Gandhi. She was a great woman of India but now, she is one of the greatest women of the world. The Reverend Mother is patronizing Sahaja yoga missions all around the world, distributing easy techniques of finding the truth in human bodies. She has proved that truth is not so far away from us that it cannot be easily reached. She teaches people around the globe how to practice Sahaja yoga effectively.

Such an easy technique of yoga was firstly imported to Myanmar by Ms. Celia in late 2008. An event of lecture on Sahaja yoga, held in Sedona Mandalay hotel became the starting point of the mission in Myanmar. In fact, it is not very easy to distribute such a new form of meditation in Myanmar where approximately seventy-five percentage of population believe in Theravada Buddhism and most of the local Buddhists are familiar with their own approaches to spiritual quality.

Anyhow, it is sure that the only one Sahaja yoga club was established in Myanmar. It is based in Mandalay, the former second capital. This small community is organized with around ten members led by Ms. Celia. Weekly activities of practicing yoga are taken place in Sedona Mandalay hotel and in a house of one of the members alternately. They spend two days a week- Thursday and Buddhist Sabbath day- for a group practice and discussion. On other days of the week, they usually take some time for individual practice in different locations such as their homes and offices.

So far members in and around Mandalay, try to come regularly to the target location for a group practice. Some local people are interested in Sahaja yoga and they are freely invited to find out how the members are approaching truth inside their own bodies. They are also introducing basic techniques of that particular form of yoga at one sitting. After such an introductory session, they are invited to be present regularly in order that they will come to understand their inner unknown power, namely, kundalini.

The main problem for the Sahaja yoga in Mandalay is slow progress in organizing new members. Some of the members are still questioning themselves why only very few people came for the first time and never came back again. Anyhow, it can be pointed out that they lack of holding more public awareness programs.