Monday, August 29, 2011

Democratic Party–Myanmar to help people abused by authorities

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Monday, 29 August 2011 21:18 Tun Tun

New Delhi (Mizzima) – Burmese citizens who have been abused by the government or businessmen can take their complaint to the Democratic Party (Myanmar) (DPM) and it will try to solve their problem.

The party has formed a committee on relations between Parliament and the public that plans to put forward complaints in the areas of health, society, education and business to the Parliament. Dr. Nyo Nyo Thin, an MP in the Rangoon Region Assembly, said the party had already received about 60 complaints from Rangoon Region. Twenty complaints were filed at the DPM office and the remainder were given to Dr. Nyo Nyo Thin. The DPM won three parliamentary seats in the 2010 general election.

“The problems may seem small to us. But these people have suffered, and the problems are really big for them," Nyo Nyo Thin told Mizzima.

Most of the cases involve land confiscation, disputes about ownerships of apartments, child soldier cases, human trafficking, violation of human rights and unfair trials, he said.

The eight-member committee comprises the party’s central executive committee members and MPs. The chairman is Aung Than Myint, a central executive committee member.

“They [the people] filed their complaints at the relevant departments, but nothing happened. So, they’ve asked for our help,” said party chairman Thu Wai.

The committee, formed in July, has an office at the party’s headquarters in Rangoon. In Mandalay, the party is providing similar help to people with complaints.

“They are very poor. Some of them came to the office on foot. One of them only had three sheets of 50 kyat. Without help, none of them could challenge the authorities,” Nyo Nyo Thin said.

To file a complaint, a person must provide comprehensive documents to determine whether the complaint is acceptable or not. Since the party only has Parliamentary seats in Rangoon Region Assembly, it will ask for help from other political parties who are members of the Friends of Democracy Group.

“If we would like to submit a bill, we transfer it to one MP who is a member of our alliance. If we would like to give upper or lower house speakers or deputy speakers a message, they [MPs of other parties] will forward it,” said Thu Wai, the DPM chairman.

The party is ready to submit two proposals to the second regular parliamentary session, which is now in session, and has prepared five questions or motions to submit to regional assemblies, according to committee members.

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