First Burmese Muslim Conference

Dear Sir/Madam,

As-salaam-u-alaikum.

The Burmese Muslim Association is pleased to invite you to its first ever International Conference to be held in New York, NY, U.S.A., on July 19 and 20, 2008. The venue of the conference is the Muslim Center of New York, 137-58 Geranium Avenue, Flushing, NY 11355, Website: www.muslimcenter.org.

As you may be aware, the Association was founded in 2006, with the primary objectives of working together with other like-minded organizations world-wide for Fundamental Human Rights, Democracy and Genuine Federalism for all the citizens of Burma; and to safeguard and promote equal opportunity for the Muslims of Burma. Our Mission Statement and Objectives are attached for your further information.

We request your participation in this historic conference both by your presence, and active involvement. You may contribute a paper of your choice. Should you wish to present a paper, it is requested that the topic be submitted to the Planning Committee. A copy of the written material should be submitted not later than a week before the conference. The Committee may provide a slot for you in the program to present a summarized version of your paper. The paper in its entirety will be published in the proceedings of the conference after its conclusion.

The Planning Committee will be pleased to make arrangements to receive and accommodate you. Hotel arrangements can be made at the reasonable rate, but the expenses will be borne by the participants. The food and beverage will be served throughout the conference by Planning Committee.

A Registration form is attached for your use. It can also be downloaded from the BMA web site: www.bmnetwork.org. It will be appreciated if you will send the registration form as soon as possible, to enable the Planning Committee to make necessary arrangements for the success of our conference. The conference will conduct primarily in Burmese language.

We look forward to your participation in this historic event.

Yours-in-Islam,

Sincerely,


Bilal Raschid
tinraschid@igc.org,
Chair
Conference Planning Committee

For more information;

(1) Ko Zaw Win Maung Tel: 1-646-821-1475 E-mail: kozaw@bmnetwork.org
(2) U Aung DinTel: 1-347-406-4167 E-mail: aungdin1@gmail.com
(3) U Soe MinTel: 1-310-650-1535 E-mail: soemin2003@yahoo.com
(4) U Hla Than Tel: 1- E-mail: nyinyihla07@gmail.com
(5) U Myo Kyi Tel: 1-646-257-7304 E-mail: komyokyi@yahoo.com
(6) Ko Ye Win LattTel: 1-812-679-8933 E-mail: koyewin@bmnetwork.org
(7) Ko Htay LwinTel: 1-315-275-5203 E-mail: kohtaylwin@hotmail.com
(8) U Aung Tin Tel: 647 343 7872 E-mail uaungtin@yahoo.com


Here is address for Conference room.

137-58 Geranium Ave, Flushing, NY 11355
Tel :( 718) 460-3000 / 445-2642, Fax (718) 445-2175
Please visit: www.muslimcenter.org/

Hotel Information

Comfort Inn -
133-43 37th Avenue, Flushing, NY 11354
Phone: (718) 939-5000 Fax: (718) 939-4000
Hotel - 6 floors, 48 rooms
Located in Flushing Chinatown
2 miles from USTA Tennis Center
2.5 miles from Flushing Meadows Corona Park
Free high-speed Internet access in every room
Not pet friendly - no pets allowed - updated Mar 2008
No parking at hotel - public parking nearby
Guest review: Front desk service needed improvement - don't recommend - Feb 2008
Guest review: Only 10 minutes from LaGuardia - room was clean and recently upgraded - staff was friendly - fine stay - Sep 2007
Guest review: Walk to the US Open - good value - comfortable room with a king-sized bed - service was excellent - Aug 2007
Guest review: Good restaurants nearby - OK hotel - room was a good size, but a little bit shabby - suitable for a quick overnight stay before going to the airport - Jul 2007
Guest review: Good location - nice and clean - staff was friendly - needed better parking - Jun 2007
Info - Photos | Map | Rates - Reservations

Flushing YMCA
138-46 Northern Blvd, Flushing, NY 11354
(718) 961-6880
http://www.ymcanyc.org/



Registration Form



1. Name

2. Position and Org. (Optional)

3. Address

4. Phone number

5. Email address

Great Quotes from Great Leaders

"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest."



"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security, will deserve neither and lose both."



"Life's tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late."



"All mankind is divided into three classes: those that are immoveable, those that are moveable, and those that move."



"Words may show a man's wit but actions his meaning."



"Take time for all things: great haste makes great waste."



"He does not possess wealth; it possesses him."



"Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today."



"Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing."



"Well done is better than well said."

burmese generals scared foreign troops not dare

Dear Friends,
Junta, Burmese Generals, is so crazy and scared now. The army trucks carrying heavy weapons were moving to Thilawa Port in the evening of 16th May. Firstly, thought that junta was transporting weapons from Russian ship. But later, people came to know that junta moved weapons to Thilawa Port to prepare for defending foreign forces if they enter from sea. Junta is full of fear to be attacked and lost the power. It is right time to persuade UN and US to invade and help Burmese victims with forces.
This regime always in fear because they done so evil to own people. But they don't have ability to defend if western troops would attack them.
Most of its soldiers would defect if foreign troops invade to Burma to help people. UK foreign secretary Mr. David Milband doesn't realise Burmese army. They are only good in torturing, killing of normal public who has no any weapon.
As a Burmese people and my father was from Burmese Air Force before he fought back to regime, I know Burmese army well. Don't forget that these soldiers are descent from ordinary public not generals.
Burmese people are waiting for the foreign troop with high expectation as they don't have anyone else to help them.

Indian rebels into business in Maungdaw Town

An Indian insurgent group from Manipur State (one of the seven sister states in northeast India ) has set up an office in Maungdaw Town and are doing business in a big way, said a source on condition of anonymity.

The rebel group of Kathee community of India established an office at Myoma Ka Nyin Tan (Sidar Para) village in Maungdaw Township last year. They have mobile phones and computers in the office. They communicate with the world through the internet. Four to five people are staying in the office and they speak broken Bengali language to communicate with local people and speak in the Manipuri language with each other. The also speak in English with local officers.

The rebels have bought buses, Dina cars and jeeps and hired it to other people to ply the vehicles on the Maungdaw-Buthidaing high way.

Since 2002, the Indian insurgent group has been living in Nasaka ( Burma 's border security force) area No. 2 in Maungdaw's northern side near the Bangladesh border. The State Peace and Development Council, or SPDC authorities have built houses for them by forcing villagers into labor. The Nasaka provides them full security wherever they go.

Sometimes, some of the Indian rebels go to the local markets and even to Maungd Daw town for marketing. They speak Urdu with shopkeepers while marketing and buy good things. The have adequate money. Their living standard is high, a shopkeeper in Maungdaw said.

According to villagers of Waladaung village of Maungdaw Township, the rebel group grows heroin and other narcotic drugs in the jungle where the local people are prohibited from going.

Local villagers and other intellectuals of Maungdaw Township said that the ruling military junta is supporting them in every way with a purpose.

Interestingly, however, The SPDC and the Indian government have a good relation and earlier the Burmese military attacked some Indian rebel groups who were sheltered in Burma on the Indian government's say so. India also provided military equipment to Burma to push back the Indian insurgent groups. The question therefore remains why the Burmese government is providing shelter to the Manipuri rebels, the intellectuals wondered.

The $3 trillion war in Iraq

Only two winners have emerged from the conflict: oil companies and defence contractors

Mar 12, 2008 04:30 AM
Joseph Stiglitz


With March 20 marking the fifth anniversary of the United States-led invasion of Iraq, it's time to take stock of what has happened.

In our new book The Three Trillion Dollar War, Harvard's Linda Bilmes and I conservatively estimate the economic cost of the war to the U.S. to be $3 trillion, and the costs to the rest of the world to be another $3 trillion – far higher than the Bush administration's estimates before the war.

The Bush team not only misled the world about the war's possible costs, but has also sought to obscure the costs as the war has gone on.

This is not surprising. After all, the Bush administration lied about everything else, from Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction to his supposed link with Al Qaeda. Indeed, only after the U.S.-led invasion did Iraq become a breeding ground for terrorists.

The Bush administration said the war would cost $50 billion. The U.S. now spends that amount in Iraq every three months.

To put that number in context: For one-sixth of the cost of the war, the U.S. could put its social security system on a sound footing for more than a half-century, without cutting benefits or raising contributions.

Moreover, the Bush administration cut taxes for the rich as it went to war, despite running a budget deficit. As a result, it has had to use deficit spending – much of it financed from abroad – to pay for the war.

This is the first war in American history that has not demanded some sacrifice from citizens through higher taxes; instead, the entire cost is being passed onto future generations.

Unless things change, the U.S. national debt – which was $5.7 trillion when Bush became president – will be $2 trillion higher because of the war (in addition to the $800 billion increase under Bush before the war).

Was this incompetence or dishonesty?

Almost surely both.

Cash accounting meant that the Bush administration focused on today's costs, not future costs, including disability and health care for returning veterans.

Only years after the war began did the administration order the specially armoured vehicles that would have saved the lives of many killed by roadside bombs.

Not wanting to reintroduce a draft, and finding it difficult to recruit for an unpopular war, troops have been forced into two, three or four stress-filled deployments.

The administration has tried to keep the war's costs from the American public. Veterans groups have used the Freedom of Information Act to discover the total number of injured – 15 times the number of fatalities.

Already, 52,000 returning veterans have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. The U.S. government will need to provide disability compensation to an estimated 40 per cent of the 1.65 million troops that have already been deployed.

And, of course, the bleeding will continue as long as the war continues, with the health-care and disability bill amounting to more than $600 billion (in present-value terms).

Ideology and profiteering have also played a role in driving up the war's costs. America has relied on private contractors, which have not come cheap.

A Blackwater Security guard can cost more than $1,000 per day, not including disability and life insurance, which is paid for by the government.

When unemployment rates in Iraq soared to 60 per cent, hiring Iraqis would have made sense; but the contractors preferred to import cheap labour from Nepal, the Philippines and other countries.

The war has had only two winners: oil companies and defence contractors. The stock price of Halliburton, Vice-President Dick Cheney's old company, has soared. But even as the government turned increasingly to contractors, it reduced its oversight.

The largest cost of this mismanaged war has been borne by Iraq. Half of Iraq's doctors have been killed or have left the country, unemployment stands at 25 per cent and, five years after the war's start, Baghdad still has less than eight hours of electricity a day.

Out of Iraq's total population of around 28 million, 4 million are displaced and 2 million have fled the country.

The thousands of violent deaths have inured most Westerners to what is going on: A bomb blast that kills 25 hardly seems newsworthy anymore.

But statistical studies of death rates before and after the invasion tell some of the grim reality. They suggest additional deaths from a low of around 450,000 in the first 40 months of the war (150,000 of them violent deaths) to 600,000.

With so many people in Iraq suffering so much in so many ways, it may seem callous to discuss the economic costs.

And it may seem particularly self-absorbed to focus on the economic costs to America, which embarked on this war in violation of international law. But the economic costs are enormous, and they go well beyond budgetary outlays.

Americans like to say that there is no such thing as a free lunch. Nor is there such a thing as a free war. The U.S. – and the world – will be paying the price for decades to come.



Joseph Stiglitz, winner of the 2001 Nobel Prize in economics, is professor of economics at Columbia University and co-author, with Linda Bilmes, of The Three Trillion Dollar War: The True Costs of the Iraq Conflict.