*****************************************************
BURMA RELATED NEWS - APRIL 21, 2008
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HEADLINES
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AP - Six Thais to be charged with death by negligence in case of 54
Myanmar migrants
Reuters - Myanmar detainees riot, set fire at Malaysian camp
AFP - Political detainees should vote in Myanmar poll: Suu Kyi's party
rediff.com - Govt seeks trade route through Myanmar
Energy Bangla - Gas Im****t from Myanmar, Qatar too costly: Special
Aide Dr Tamim
The New Nation - High-power team to visit Myanmar: Bangladesh to
replicate contract farming
Jakarta Post - Opinion: Indonesia can do more for the good of Asia
Taipei Times - Myanmar detains voters opposed to coming referendum
The Nation - EDITORIALS: The problem of being a good neighbour
Irrawaddy - Burma Army Offensive Drives Villagers into Hiding
Mizzima News - Historic bridge in Burma collapses
******************************************************
Six Thais to be charged with death by negligence in case of 54 Myanmar
migrants
AP - Monday, April 21
BANGKOK, Thailand - Thai police say that six Thai nationals will be
charged with death by negligence in the case of 54 illegal migrants
from Myanmar who suffocated while being smuggled through Thailand in a
tiny, locked truck.
However, they do not yet have grounds to prosecute the six _ including
the truck's driver _ for human trafficking, immigration police
commander Lt-Gen. Chatchawal Suksomjit said Monday.
The 54 dead were among some 120 job seekers from Myanmar crammed
inside the truck, which was abandoned by the driver when he saw that
some of the passengers were dying.
Police originally declared 121 migrants were on the truck, but said
later their original count incorrectly included a Thai man who had
fainted at the scene and was hospitalized.
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Myanmar detainees riot, set fire at Malaysian camp
21 Apr 2008 13:38:00 GMT
KUALA LUMPUR, April 21 (Reuters) - Detainees from Myanmar rioted at a
Malaysian holding camp on Monday, torching a building, after hearing
they had been denied asylum in a third country, the authorities said.
Some 72 Myanmarese, who were being held at a camp just outside the
capital Kuala Lumpur, forced their way into an administrative block
and set it ablaze, the Immigration Department's head of enforcement,
Ishak Mohammad, said.
"They were disappointed on hearing the UNHCR (the U.N. Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees) couldn't get a placement for them in a
third country," he told Reuters. Malaysia considers them to be illegal
immigrants.
Police said the rioters, who were unarmed, would be charged with
arson. No one was injured.
"They set fire at the ground floor causing damage to office furniture
and computers," the local Star newspaper quoted Osman Abdullah, the
police chief in the southwestern Negeri Sembilan state, as saying in
its online edition. The camp is located at Lenggeng in the state.
The camp, housing some 800 illegal immigrants including Banglade****s
and Indonesians, would be closed tem****arily, the immigration
department said.
Malaysia is home to around 3 million foreign workers, 1 million of
whom are working illegally, Home Minister Syed Albar said at the
weekend.
The country currently has about 39,000 refugees registered with the
UNHCR, the body said.
Of the total, about 13,000 are members of Myanmar's Rohingya Muslim
minority and another 12,000 are members of other Myanmar minority
ethnic groups.
The Rohingyas came in the 1990s from Myanmar, but the government there
disputes their origin and refuses to let them return.
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Political detainees should vote in Myanmar poll: Suu Kyi's party
21 Apr 2008 8:49 ET
YANGON (AFP) - Myanmar's main opposition party led by Aung San Suu Kyi
said Monday that political prisoners must be allowed to vote in a
referendum next month on a proposed military-backed constitution.
The National League for Democracy (NLD) urged the ruling junta to
allow imprisoned activists including Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been
under house arrest for 12 of the last 18 years, to cast their vote on
May 10.
"The authorities have the responsibility for those detainees as their
names should be on the voters' list and they have the right to vote
according to the law," the party said in a statement.
Authorities in the military-run country have been carrying out a door-
to-door census and will use that information to produce a voters'
list, which will be published at temples seven days ahead of the
referendum.
Anyone not on the list has only one week to appeal.
People who have been convicted of a crime are not allowed to vote, but
many political prisoners have never faced trial.
Rights groups say there are about 1,850 political prisoners in
Myanmar, at least 700 of whom were arrested after anti-junta
demonstrations last September.
The military crushed those protests in an operation the UN says killed
at least 31 people.
Next month's referendum will be the first balloting in Myanmar since
1990, when Aung San Suu Kyi led the NLD to a landslide victory, which
was never recognised by the junta.
The regime says the referendum will pave the way for multi-party
elections in 2010 but analysts say the charter simply enshrines the
military's role.
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rediff.com
Govt seeks trade route through Myanmar
K Anurag in Guwahati | April 21, 2008 19:03 IST
The Government of India is in constant touch with its counterpart in
Myanmar for opening a trade route to link the land locked North-East
Indian states to markets in ASEAN countries, through Myanmar.
The Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), R S Gujral, had
disclosed that discussion with the Myanmar government was on regarding
opening of the trade route through that country.
He hoped that it would come through for the benefit of ex****ters from
the landlocked N-E that is located over 1100 kilometers away from the
nearest sea ****t at Kolkata. He was talking at an interaction on
Foreign Trade Policy with ex****ters from North East India.
However, he said the ideal situation would have been when traders from
the region could get access through Chitagong sea ****t in Bangladesh
and said that efforts were on at political and diplomatic levels for
such a move.
Ex****ters based in the land locked North Eastern states on Monday
demanded a special package of incentives under the new FTP for
augmenting the volume of ex****ts from the region during the
interaction with Gujral in Guwahati.
The N-E ex****ters cited want of proper infrastructure facilities,
trans****t bottleneck and complex bureaucratic procedures as major
hurdles and sought a special package under the current FTP to boost
ex****t from the region.
As on date the total worth of volume of ex****t of different items from
the region including tea and coal stands in the range of Rs 125 crore
(Rs 1.25 billion) per year and that is not much significance compared
to total volume of annual ex****t from the country.
The DGFT said while the Commerce Ministry had set a target to achieve
5 per cent of World's Trade in Goods and Services by the year 2020, it
was the ex****t community of the country that would have to take up the
challenge, while the Government could only extend a helping hand.
The ex****ters from the North East India exhorted upon the DGFT to take
initiative for setting up of more Inland Container Depots (ICDs) in
the region. The only ICD located at Amingaon in Guwahati is about 1100
kilometers away from Kolkata ****t.
Gujral acknowledges, "North East does face tremendous bottleneck and
hard****p and the Government of India is conscious of the region."
He assured that the Government would try to resolve the issues raised
by the ex****ters from the region by involving all the state
governments in the region.
He called upon the ex****ters to take the initiative to identify areas
in the North East where ICDs could be set up and assured to take up
the issue with concerned ministries in the Union Government.
******************************************************
Energy Bangla
Gas Im****t from Myanmar, Qatar too costly: Special Aide Dr Tamim
Monday, 04.21.2008, 02:47pm (GMT)
Interests of local residents in the coal mining areas have to be given
topmost priority in finalizing coal policy, said Dr M Tamim.
=93Bangladesh has to swift to other power sources as natural gas is
about to exhaust. Coal is most likely the next option but its
extraction strategy must have to ensure interests of local
livelihood,=94 said the Special Aide to Chief Adviser for the Ministry
of Power and Energy.
According to him, it is high time for Bangladesh to develop its
coalmines. But finalization of national coal policy must be
considering social, geo-political and geological situation of the
particular mining area. Involving local experts and ensuring full
compensation is must in coal sector development, he added.
=93Beside compensation, coalmine development plan needs to generate
employment, particularly for local women. This would ensure local
cooperation in the development process,=94 said Dr Tamim.
He was addressing at a seminar yesterday on =91Mining and Community
Livelihood in Bangladesh=92, organised by Petrobangla at its auditorium
in the capital. Energy Secretary Mohammad Mohsin and Chairman
Petrobangla Jalal Ahmed also spoke at the seminar.
"We can't wait. Whatever the decision is, it has to be taken very fast
in a transparent and accountable manner," he added.
It has to be worked out how the impacts on the environment and local
community could be minimized apart from setting the priorities between
food and energy security.
=93It is the duty of Government to ensure that the displaced people in
coal mining areas would get more benefits than those who were
displaced in the Uttara and Purbachal town development projects,
because coal mining is more profitable business," he added.
He also said that the reserve of gas, the countries main source of
energy on which 85 percent of power generation depends, is depleting
very first.
The CA=92s Special Assistant said there might be more undiscovered gas
reserves.
"If we want to discover this gas reserve, about $8 billion investment
will be required. Can we afford to take risk in this huge investment?"
he asked.
Mentioning the unaffordable cost involved in gas im****t from Myanmar
and Qatar, he said the cost would be from $5 to $7 per 1000 cubic feet
(mcf) against about 2.5 US dollars in Bangladesh.
Similarly, he said, the cost of coal is going up fast like that of
petroleum fuel. He said a few years back the price of per metric ton
of coal was $30-40, now it has gone up to $160.
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The New Nation - Internet Edition. April 21, 2008
High-power team to visit Myanmar: Bangladesh to replicate contract
farming
Staff Re****ter
Bangladesh will conduct an *****sment on Chinese and Thai contract
farming practices at Myanmar to introduce it in case of Bangladesh,
official sources said.
A high-powered Banglade**** delegation comprising Agriculture Ministry
and Foreign Ministry officials will visit Myanmar next month to see
how China and Thailand are doing contract farming there.
Myanmar proposed to Bangladesh to take lease of at least 50,000 acres
of land in its Rakhine state for 'contract farming' during the first
annual consultation between the two countries, held in Myanmar on May
19 to 20, 2007. The Myanmar authority further restated their proposal
in a Dhaka-Yangon bilateral talks held in Dhaka this year.
Bangladesh responded to Myanmar's proposal positively and is willing
to sign a deal in this connection after conducting feasibility
*****sment within this year, a high official of the Foreign Ministry
said. "We are hopeful that around 10,000 Banglade**** farmers mostly
from Chittagong region could be employed if the country accepted
Myanmar's proposal," the official said preferring anonymity.
He said Banglade**** farmers have innovative knowledge on farming and
they will be able to bring a huge expense of Myanmar land under
contract farming in future. This will help Bangladesh to ease food
crisis that it is facing these days.
Chairman of Bangladesh-Myanmar business promotion council Syed
Mahmudul Huq told newsmen that Banglade**** farmers may primarily
concentrate on producing three types of agricultural products-paddy,
pulse and maize-under contract farming in Myanmar.
Bangladesh is also considering updating the existing border trade
rules with Myanmar to expand the border trade with the neighbouring
country.
The government decided to increase border trade from current US$
10,000 to US$ 20,000. The decision was taken at a meeting of the inter-
ministerial sub-committee on Bangladesh-Myanmar trade. Commerce
Secretary Feroz Ahmed presided over the meeting held at the Commerce
Ministry conference room recently.
Bangladesh Bank has already agreed to allow enhancement of the border
trade to facilitate im****t of more essential commodities like rice and
pulses.
The meeting also decided to take initiative so that the infrastructure
of border trade could be ****fted from Teknaf to Chittagong.
"Myanmar has the potential - because of its climate, topography, soil
conditions, rainfall, waterways, agricultural land resources, fishery
resources and human resources - to produce an extensive variety of
competitively priced agricultural, livestock and fishery products," a
high official of the Commerce Ministry said.
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Jakarta Post - April 21, 2008
Opinion: Indonesia can do more for the good of Asia
Carl Bildt, Stockholm
Asia's global im****tance is growing apace. While the impressive
economic performances of China and India are already well known, the
increasing economic and political significance of ASEAN and its
largest economy, Indonesia, is increasingly attracting the attention
of the world.
That the development in Asia is also of global concern, is evident in
fundamental international issues such as peace and security, economic
and social development, including democracy and respect for human
rights, stability of the world economy, and increasingly environmental
issues.
In this context we are witnessing the growing im****tance of ASEAN as a
vital driver in fostering regional integration in southeast Asia and
in Asia as a whole, and the resulting new op****tunities for Europe and
southeast Asia to forge closer political and economic links.
Indonesia, as one of ASEAN's founding members and home to its
secretariat, is a key player in this development. The im****tant
democratization that has taken place in this country during the last
ten years is another reason why my country Sweden considers Indonesia
a most valuable partner.
Furthermore, Indonesia is a dynamic market with a large potential for
increased trade in both directions. In fact, our trade relations date
as far back as to the 18th century when the Swedish trading ****p
"G=94theborg" sailed these waters.
Several Swedish companies have had a presence in Indonesia since as
early as the beginning of the last century. The Swedish telecom
company Ericsson, who celebrated its 100 year anniversary in Indonesia
last year, is one prominent example. Today, bilateral trade is
developing rapidly.
Our bilateral relations have never been better and our cooperation
covers several im****tant areas. During my visit, Foreign Minister
Hassan Wirajuda and I will launch the Sweden-Indonesia Human Rights
Dialogue which should be seen as tangible evidence of the strength of
our relations.
For Sweden, Indonesia is a key partner with whom we are keen to work
closely in meeting global challenges ahead. Last December, Sweden
participated in the United Nations Climate Change Summit in Bali, and
is grateful to Indonesia for successfully having hosted this im****tant
event.
We regard the Bali Road Map as a vital outcome to guide our work
towards a new global climate regime, to be adopted in Copenhagen in
December 2009. We are looking forward to a close cooperation with
Indonesia in the area of environment and sustainable development. In
connection to my visit, a seminar on "Sustainable Cities -- Challenges
for Indonesia and Sweden" will be held to exchange experiences in this
field.
There are other examples of our good relations in the last years.
After the tsunami in December 2004 that devastated northern Sumatra,
Sweden, bilaterally and via the EU, showed solidarity to help the
people of Aceh and assist in resolving the internal conflict in the
region. Sweden has bilaterally so far contributed almost US$50 million
in humanitarian and reconstruction assistance to Aceh.
In addition, we seconded personnel to the EU-ASEAN Aceh Monitoring
Mission (AMM), which successfully completed its mandate in 2006. We
strongly commend the commitment of the Indonesian government to
building sustainable peace in Aceh.
Indonesia is in a position to play an increasingly im****tant role in
the world as a global political broker, fostering good relations
between countries at different stages of development, between
established and emerging democracies and between the Muslim world and
the west.
In this light, we commend the Indonesian government's current efforts
regarding the continued volatile situation in Burma/Myanmar. While
this is an im****tant challenge for the international community as a
whole, I believe that the regional neighbors of Burma/Myanmar have an
im****tant role to play in convincing the leaders of Burma/Myanmar of
the need for democratic reforms and adherence to international human
rights standards. I am encouraged by Minister Wirajuda's recent call
to the military junta to release Aung San Suu Kui and to enter into a
true dialogue with all stakeholders.
Looking ahead, I am convinced that ASEAN will continue to develop as
an organization promoting further integration and being a force for
stability in the region. It will likely be done "the ASEAN way" and
indeed, every organization needs to choose its own and unique way
forward based on international law, but in that process we can
hopefully learn from each other.
To achieve a successful integration of the countries of Europe into a
European Union its member states have had to commit vast resources as
well as sustained political will, effort and courage.
Today the European Union is the world's largest trading group as well
as the largest donor of development aid, with close to 600 million
citizens amongst its present 27 member states, and with more countries
wi****ng to join.
It has contributed greatly to the welfare and prosperity of its
members and, ultimately to peace and security in Europe. Our
experiences in Europe might be of interest to ASEAN governments.
Sweden will hold the Presidency of the European Union in the autumn of
2009. During this period we will continue our efforts to further
deepen and broaden the relations between the EU and ASEAN. I also
remain convinced that the good relations between Sweden and Indonesia
will continue to develop. I look forward to ever closer relations
between our governments and peoples on a political as well as on a
personal level.
The writer is Foreign Minister of Sweden. He will be in Jakarta from a
two-day visit until Tuesday.
******************************************************
The Taipei Times
Myanmar detains voters opposed to coming referendum
AGENCIES, YANGON, MYANMAR
Monday, Apr 21, 2008, Page 5
Myanmar=92s junta is intensifying its campaign of intimidation against
dissidents and conducting a propaganda drive to ensure its new
constitution gets passed in a referendum next month, opposition
leaders said yesterday.
At least 60 people have been arrested in Sittwe, capital of northwest
Rakhine state, since last week=92s traditional New Year celebrations for
wearing T-****rts urging people to vote =93no=94 in the May 10 plebiscite.
=93More than 30 have been released but at least 20 are still in
detention, and the arrests are still going on,=94 said Ko Thein Hlaing,
a senior member of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD)
in Rakhine.
The NLD, whose leader, Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, remains under
house arrest, is leading the campaign to reject the constitution,
which has been drafted over the last 14 years by an army-picked
committee.
The draft constitution is now available in many bookstores in Yangon,
albeit at a price of nearly US$1 =97 far beyond the means of most people
in the country.
Than Than, a 45-year-old housewife, has no plans to splash out for the
hefty 194-page law.
=93We don=92t even need to read that book. Even a housewife like me has
enough experience under military rule. I think it was just prepared to
secure their power,=94 she said.
BOYCOTT
The NLD boycotted the process because of Aung San Suu Kyi=92s detention
and a refusal to accept some of the main clauses of the charter, in
particular those that guarantee the army 25 percent of seats in
parliament and the right to suspend the constitution at will.
Other opposition groups are also pu****ng for the country=92s 53 million
people to reject the charter, most notably the =9388 Generation
Students=94 who led a brutally crushed 1988 uprising against decades of
military rule.
In addition to the Sittwe arrests, NLD spokesman Nyan Win said one
party official had been arrested in Yangon for putting up a =93no=94
poster, and several other party members had been beaten or assaulted
for campaigning.
Mindful of 1990, when they allowed an election only to suffer a
humiliating defeat =97 which they then ignored =97 the generals are also
pulling out all the stops to ensure the charter p*****.
State-run newspapers have been telling people how to vote.
=93To approve the state constitution is a national duty of the entire
people today,=94 the New Light of Myanmar, the junta=92s official
mouthpiece, blared in a headline.
DISSING DISSIDENTS
Inside, the paper carried a commentary accusing dissidents of being
=93the axe-handles and mouthpiece of the colonialists.=94
Amid the tense atmosphere, people were weighing up their choice in the
first poll to be held in Myanmar in 18 years.
=93People are so stubborn. They should be aware that if we vote =91Yes=92,
the military will step down in two years, if not it will take another
10 years,=94 a Myanmar engineer said.
This story has been viewed 266 times.
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The Nation
EDITORIALS: The problem of being a good neighbour
Published on Apr 22, 2008
Thailand must stop pandering to the Burmese junta and do more to bring
positive change
Burmese Prime Minister Thein Sein is coming to Thailand for a two-day
visit next week. His purpose is to strengthen ties and forge closer
economic and development cooperation.
Indeed, it is a good time to tell the visiting guest what our country
has in mind about his junta. First of all, our government should stop
pandering to Burmese wishes. Both under the Thaksin government and the
current one, Thailand has been acting like a marionette for the
Burmese junta. Our leaders are often ready to defend Burma at all
costs, whenever need be.
When PM Samak Sundaravej visited Burma, he came back making world
headlines with his comments. He said the Burmese leaders meditate and
the country lives in peace. Normally any leader of a peaceful country
would not kill monks. Samak's comments showed how naive our leaders
can be. His observation sent shock waves throughout the world and
immediately turned him into a joke. But that has not stopped him
commenting on foreign affairs.
Secondly, Thailand should impress on Burma democratic lessons. People
must be free to speak up and vote without any imposition by the state.
Moreover, the Burmese media must be given liberty to re****t the truth.
The authorities must stop intimidating voters to vote "yes" for the
referendum, which aims to give power to the military. Thailand must
not behave like South Africa, which has refused to condemn Robert
Mugabe and the atrocities he has committed. We must not turn a blind
eye towards Burma. Unfortunately, Samak is following South African
president Thabo Mbeki by rendering sup****t to junta leaders condemned
throughout the world.
Thirdly, Thailand must continue to engage the international community
to help end the Burmese quagmire. Since the 1988 pro-democracy
crackdown, Thailand has been on the receiving end of problems created
by the junta. Just look at the recent 54 deaths of Burmese migrant
workers. The Thai side should be blamed for taking bribes, including
those accomplices at the border. But we have to tackle the root cause
of the current malaise in Burma, where the junta rules without
consent. It is amazing how Thai leaders can become so timid when
dealing face-to-face with the junta leaders.
Thailand must sup****t the UN and its current effort to find a solution
to the Burmese quagmire. We should encourage UN Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon to tackle this issue more seriously. He missed a good chance
when he was here earlier this year but failed to go to Burma. He went
to Africa to make his presence and concern felt on Mugabe. Why can't
he do the same in this part of the world? His special envoy, Ibrahim
Gambari was useless in delivering international concerns to the junta
leaders.
Of course, the Thai authorities would immediately argue that it is
difficult for Thailand to get tough on Burma. Both countries share a
long common border and Thailand depends on im****ted energy from Burma.
Pending dam construction along the Salween River will provide much-
needed hydro-electricity in the future. We also need cheap Burmese
labour. Over three million Burmese sweat to promote the Thai
livelihood. So goes the conventional wisdom which impairs Thailand's
sense of good judgement. We have mistreated the Burmese labourers.
Worse, we are colluding with the junta under the disguise of bilateral
cooperation to suppress democracy in Burma. Quite a few economic
cooperation plans are in place, which benefit the junta more than the
people. This government still promotes interests that benefit the
regime.
It is a shame for Thailand, as a front-line state, to behave the way
it has done all these years. So, when Thein Sein and his team come to
town next Tuesday, let us be bold and tell it like it is. It cannot
get worse than this.
******************************************************
The Irrawaddy - Monday, April 21, 2008
Burma Army Offensive Drives Villagers into Hiding
By SAW YAN NAING
An ongoing Burmese army offensive has forced more than 2,000 Karen
villagers from Mon and Kyauk Gyi Town****ps in eastern Burma=92s Pegu
Division to seek shelter in the jungle, according to relief agencies
active in the area.
The latest wave of Internally Displaced Persons began in early April
following attacks by the Burmese army=92s Light Infantry Battalions 247
and 276 under Military Operations Command 16, according to the
Committee for Internally Displaced Karen People (CIDKP), a Karen
relief group.
The Burmese army has been building new camps in the area since the
beginning of the month, fueling fears of further attacks, said CIDKP
coordinator Saw Steve.
=93More than 200 villagers are from Kyauk Gyi Town****p and over 2,000
are from Mon Town****p,=94 Kyaw Ber, a relief worker who recently
returned from the area, told The Irrawaddy on Monday. =93They are still
hiding in the jungle without sufficient food and medicine. They are
also afraid of going back to work on their farms.=94
The Burmese troops are now patrolling around the villages, said Kyaw
Ber. Villagers will likely remain in the jungle as long as the Burmese
troops remain in the area, he added.
Similarly, more than 2,000 Karen villagers from eight villages in
Karen State=92s Papun District have been forced to flee into the jungle
since early March following fresh attacks by the Burmese army,
according a Karen relief group, the Free Burma Rangers (FBR).
A joint campaign against ethnic Karen rebels was launched by Military
Operations Commands 4 and 16 in northern Karen State, according to a
recent FBR re****t. It added that government troops have been
destroying any food or property they can find, and are hunting down
villagers seeking shelter in the jungle.
The Burmese army has constructed over 60 new military camps in
northern Karen State since the beginning of its dry-season offensive
in 2006 and has completed a new road through Papun District, according
to the FBR re****t.
A Burmese military offensive that began in February of 2006 in
northern Karen State has killed more than 370 villagers, including
children, and displaced more than 30,000 people. More than 5,000
displaced persons fled to the Thai-Burmese border area, according to
relief groups.
******************************************************
Mizzima News - April 21, 2008
Historic bridge in Burma collapses
Phanida
Chiang Mai - The world's oldest and longest wooden bridge in Burma's
second largest city of Mandalay collapsed last week, when it failed to
sup****t a large number of people, who came to the historic bridge
during Burma's new year's festival of Thingyan.
The U Pein Bridge, made of pure teak wood, collapsed on April 15, the
second day of the Burmese New Year Festival, when several people, both
young and old walked along the bridge celebrating the water festival.
"The bridge collapsed because a lot of people were walking on it and
besides, the bridge was very old. It broke in the middle. It is yet to
be repaired," a resident of Mandalay told Mizzima.
The U Pein Bridge was built across the Taung Thaman Lake in southern
Mandalay, and is about 1.2 kilometres in length.
"So far we are not aware of any casualties. And it has not been
repaired yet, so the bridge cannot be used," the local added.
However, another local said, "a child re****tedly tumbled along with
the wood of the bridge into the water and the mother panicked. But
nobody knows what happened to the child."
The bridge, the longest and oldest, built with pure teak wood without
the use of any metal, is one of the best tourist attractions in
Mandalay.
Since the bridge has not yet been repaired, it has become more
difficult to cross the lake because it requires people to go around
the lake to reach the other side, the local said.
The U Pein Bridge was built in the 18th century when the Innwa king
transferred his palace to Amarapura and presented all his teak to the
city mayor's secretary U Pein. U Pein then built the bridge with the
teak and it came to be known as the 'U Pein Bridge'.
The U Pein Bridge, which is wonderfully built only with wood, was
built with 1060 teak slats.
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