| Revolutionaries, Not ‘Rebels,’ Insists Burma’s First Hijacker Posted: 18 Dec 2013 04:28 AM PST  Saw Kyaw Aye, seated center with hat, poses for a photo with some of the cast of the upcoming film 'With the Dawn.' (Photo: Kyaw Hsu Mon / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — At a promotional event for an upcoming film that will tell the story of Burma's first hijacking, the perpetrator of the daring aerial commandeering said he hoped the movie would accurately reflect his motivations at a time of intense conflict between the government and the country's ethnic Karen minority. "I don't want the audience to think we were thabon," Saw Kyaw Aye said, using a word that roughly translates to "rebels," but in the Burmese language carries with it a negative connotation. Now 90, Saw Kyaw Aye was 30 years old when he and two other members of the Karen National Defense Organization (KNDO) hijacked a Dakota plane en route to Sittwe, Arakan State, from Rangoon on June 25, 1954. At a time when the ethnic armed resistance mounted by the KNDO was sputtering due to a lack of funds, medicine and weapons, Saw Kyaw Aye and his colleagues hijacked the plane in hopes of using it to access a cache of weapons thought to have been left behind by the Japanese high in the Karen State mountains. Their attempt ended in at least partial failure: After landing in Arakan State's Gwa Township, the plane did not have enough fuel to continue to where the weapons were thought to be stashed. The hijacking trio abandoned the plane, but made off with nearly 800,000 kyats (US$800) in cash that was onboard the aircraft. With filming set to begin later this month, Saw Kyaw Aye on Wednesday said the hijacking should be understood in the context of the Karen people's struggle against a government that had systematically oppressed the ethnic minority. "I am glad that Antony is going to shoot my true story. I was a Karen revolutionary since 1948. We were not 'thabon,' and I would like to ask director to communicate this to the audience," he told The Irrawaddy, adding that it was never the hijackers' intention to harm anyone on the flight. Invited to Wednesday's promotional event for the film to come, 84-year-old Than Swe, who was one of 14 civilian passengers on the flight that day, said he was 24 when he boarded the fateful Rangoon-Sittwe flight. "This hijacking, I have never forgotten it," said the former professor at Burma's National Defense Academy, who escaped the incident unharmed. The film, "With the Dawn," is set to begin shooting on Dec. 25, but its director Antony is still waiting to find out whether the government will allow him to use one of the only two remaining Dakota planes in existence, which belong to the Air Force. The 60th anniversary of the hijacking will be next year in June, and the director aims to release his film at that time. "My acting team is getting ready now and I've already chosen who will act as Saw Kyaw Aye," Antony said. "The crew from Thailand has arrived, but the only thing I need to wait the permission from the Air Force to use a real Dakota airplane. Though I sent a proposal letter to them, I still have not yet received the permission." The film team hopes to conclude shooting in February, in time to premier June 25, 2014. The post Revolutionaries, Not 'Rebels,' Insists Burma's First Hijacker appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| Despite a Frugal Existence, a Former Inmate Spends and Spends Posted: 18 Dec 2013 03:30 AM PST  Win Tin speaks to The Irrawaddy at his modest lodgings in Rangoon this month. (Photo: Kyaw Phyo Tha / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Though he is an old man with empty pockets, Win Tin has so far spent nearly one hundred grand in just under two years. At the grand old age of 83, after spending 20 years behind bars for his political beliefs, he has neither a retirement pension nor his own savings. He survives on free meals provided by a life-long friend who also lets him stay in his garden cabin. The Burmese veteran journalist has no living immediate family members, so he lives alone in the two-room shack. "I have nothing, except the clothes I'm standing in," said the former political prisoner, who still every day puts on a blue prison-issue shirt—a protest against the continued incarceration of political prisoners in Burma. "I'm not boasting," Win Tin, one of the founding members of Burma's main opposition party, the National League for Democracy, added cheerfully. Contrary to his stark pennilessness, Win Tin has so far donated more than 90 million kyats (more than US$90,000) to 304 people through a foundation he founded last year to give assistance to current and former political prisoners, as well as his fellow journalists who lack the financial security to cope with their day-to-day lives. The 21-month-old Hanthawaddy U Win Tin Foundation has given cash donations at two-month intervals, 11 times now, to 53 current prisoners of conscience plus 251 ex-political prisoners and media men. Even though Burma already has Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) and the Former Political Prisoners Group helping political prisoners and their families, these organizations are limited in their activities. Their help mostly goes to those arrested in 1988, when the military junta put thousands of people in jail to stifle a nationwide uprising, and during the subsequent political struggle. "I have to admit, our help reaches out to a wider range than others," said Kyaw Aung, the secretary of Hanthawaddy U Win Tin, explaining that the foundation's recipient lists include former political prisoners who served time in the 1960s, to people arrest during 1988, to more recent detainees and people currently serving sentences. Burmese prisons saw a sharp increase in political prisoner numbers after the 1988 uprisings. Although an exact number is not available, many estimate that several thousand political activists were jailed in prisons across the country. Win Tin personally guessed the number at "up to ten thousand." Since he took office in 2011, Burmese President Thein Sein has released more than 1,300 political prisoners, and has promised that there will be no political prisoners in Burma by the end of this year. But at least 44 are still serving sentences, and according to the Political Prisoners Review Committee, there are more than 200 political activists currently facing charges under a law limiting peaceful assembly for their involvement in protests against land confiscations. "Once you have been a political prisoner, you are entitled to our assistance, whether you are released or under detention," Win Tin said. "Even the family members of deceased ex-political prisoners" are included, he added. But how can the old man who claims himself indigent afford to undertake this kind of mission? "It's only made possible by well-wishers," Win Tin explained. In fact, the bespectacled man with silvery hair is long famous for his generosity. He is never reluctant to give what he has to anyone in need. In his younger days, he was happy to pay tuition fees for students when their parents couldn't afford their schooling. Long before AAPP, he spent half of his monthly income in the 1950s—when he worked for the Mirror newspaper—helping the families of his fellow journalists who were arrested for their political beliefs. Seemingly, Win Tin has reaped what he has sown. As soon as he was released from prison in 2008, he found himself awash with cash donations from admirers at home and abroad. "He started to give out anything he had, as he did before," Kyaw Aung remembered. At the suggestion of colleagues and friends, Win Tin decided to establish a foundation to put the donations he received to meaningful causes. "I decided to help political prisoners with the money I got from well-wishers," he said. "Partly because I myself used to be of one of them, too." Since his release, Win Tin has said publicly that the former military government is responsible for the atrocities they committed against political prisoners, and has demanded an apology from members of the regime. Furthermore, he said, they should take care of rehabilitation for former prisoners of conscience. "Now we are doing what they are supposed to do," he said. Apart from donations from well-wishers, Win Tin has contributed what he has to the foundation. He also channeled to good causes all loyalties for his books—which range from his prison memoir to works of journalism to tomes on European art appreciation. Mann Pho Aye was arrested twice and sentenced to 12 years for his political activities. When he was released in 2007, he found no one to help him. Worse, he had contracted hearing problems during his detention. Last month, he got US$300 cash assistance from Win Tin's foundation, along with 32 other people. "I spent nearly US$150 on a hearing aid," the 69-year-old told The Irrawaddy, before adding that he gave the rest to his family. "Were it not for the U Win Tin Foundation, I wouldn't have been able to afford to buy the device that I really need for my life." Even though he is open to donations from any well-wishers, Win Tin sets a limit. Last year, he was paid a visit by Zaw Zaw, a Burmese business tycoon and chairman of the Max Myanmar Group of Companies, who has been blacklisted by the US government for his close business ties to key figures in the former ruling military junta. "He said he wanted to donate to my foundation," the former political prisoner recalled. "I told him frankly that 'Sorry, I don't like you because you are a crony.'" But, Win Tin said, he didn't want good causes to lose out on money that could be useful, so he set up a liaison office to channel the crony's funds. According to the foundation's latest press release, the businessman who got rich under the junta has so far donated more than more than 90 million kyats (more than US$90,000) to ex-political prisoners and for their children's education. "We are on our own and have nothing to do with him," Win Tin insisted. Despite what his foundation has done so far, the 83-year-old founder, who was hospitalized with breathing difficulties in September, worried about the future of his charity. "My health is not good, so I urge everyone involved to keep our mission alive," he told The Irrawaddy. He explained that even when there are no political prisoners in Burma, there will remain the needs of families and the need for rehabilitation for former inmates. "We have to keep going," he said. "I've poured all I have into the foundation. God only knows whether it will sustain or not." The post Despite a Frugal Existence, a Former Inmate Spends and Spends appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| Academic Freedom, but Perhaps No Degrees, at Rangoon University’s First Int’l Program Posted: 18 Dec 2013 03:20 AM PST  The old Convocation Hall of Rangoon University. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Academic freedom was not a problem for the first-ever internationally run program at Rangoon University. Somewhat surprisingly, the biggest headache for students has not been too much government interference, but rather too little interference, which has created major questions around accreditation. The commencement ceremony is on Saturday for the first class of an international relations program run entirely by US-based Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and South Korea's Chung-Ang University through the International Center of Excellence (ICOE) at Rangoon University. But as graduation day nears, administrators say it is unclear what qualifications students will walk away with. "There was no plan for which degree level would be given initially," said Sai Khaing Myo Tun, a Rangoon-based chairman of the University Teachers Association, a national teachers union that has dealt with complaints about the ICOE and other student issues. Rangoon University is the oldest and best known university in Burma, and its prestige was once known regionally. But the country's former military rulers saw education as a threat, and after failed student uprisings in 1988 they shut down urban campuses and restricted what could be taught. Since a quasi-civilian government took power in 2011, there has been a push to revitalize Rangoon University. The ICOE was seen as a way of bringing outside knowledge and expertise back to the university after decades of government neglect, and its international relations program, which launched earlier this year in January, was seen as an early success in academic freedom. After the ICOE signed a memorandum of understanding with Rangoon University to operate on campus grounds, the university agreed to allow complete independence to the program. American and Korean professors taught 16 graduate-level courses on international relations and development to the first graduating class of 33 fellows. A second, larger class began courses in November and will graduate next year. Although the program was advertised as master's level, the ICOE lacks accreditation to offer master's degrees. As an independent center, it can only hand out diplomas—which in Burma signify the completion of one year of study but serve little use in the job application process. The ICOE can also give lower level certificate of attendance. The authority to offer master's degrees lies with Rangoon University, whose department of international relations is reluctant to get involved in the ICOE program now, after being removed from the application, teaching and grading processes. "The department is in a difficult situation to decide whether to take [responsibility], as they were not initially part of the plan," said Sai Khaing Myo Tun of the teachers union, adding that the memorandum of understanding was signed by a university administrative body and not by the department of international relations. Students preparing for graduation are not pleased. "They should have specified that this course was a diploma certificate course when they called for applications. …The rector also referred to the program as a master's program when he talked to us. Students from this batch do not know what we will receive at graduation. We are looking forward and wondering what we will get," Aung Kyaw Phyo, a student in the program who also works as a tutor at the Yangon University of Foreign Language, told The Irrawaddy. Another student, Kyaw Swa Hein, agreed. "They announced that this was a master's equivalent program but we are not sure whether we will get an MA [Master of Arts] or a diploma," said the student, who is also a tutor at East Yangon University. Kim Taehyun, director of the first class of the ICOE program, said students graduating this year would likely receive a diploma if they had submitted a thesis, and a certificate of attendance if they had not. May Htet Hlaing, a spokeswoman for the ICOE press team, said on Tuesday that the question of degrees was still up in the air. "We can't confirm what they will get yet, as they [the center] are in the process of initiating with Yangon [Rangoon] University's Senate," she told The Irrawaddy. "The program is MA level but they are making decisions on what degree qualifications to give because this is the first time." She said that after the problem was sorted for this year's commencement, there would not be a question over degrees when the second batch of students who began classes in November graduate next year. Some have criticized the university's unwillingness to offer degrees for graduates of the international program. "They say they really want to reform education—they should avoid their ego. They have not considered how this [program] is benefiting the country's education. They don't want to accept international academics. Their lack of willingness to accept this is quite bad," said Chaw Su Mar Win, assistant lecturer at Rangoon University's Burmese linguistic department. Karl Jackson, head of the ICOE program and director of the Asian and Southeast Asian studies programs at SAIS, did not responded to email requests for comment. The post Academic Freedom, but Perhaps No Degrees, at Rangoon University's First Int'l Program appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| In Dala, Development Misses the Boat Posted: 18 Dec 2013 03:06 AM PST  People queue at Rangoon's Pansodan Terminal as the ferry from Dala approaches. (Photo: Sai Zaw / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — The men and women rushing to catch the ferry at Pansodan Terminal in Rangoon seem too hurried to appreciate the beauty of sunset on the Rangoon River. If they make the last boat, they'll be back on land before dark, but some must journey farther than Dala, the boat's destination, to homes that may be more than four hours' drive away. Middle-aged laborers carrying lunchboxes mix with elderly street vendors toting baskets and boxes as a jumbled queue forms. A mass of bodies surges to the quay as the ferry readies to take on one last load of passengers for the evening. The faces of Dala look tired by the end of a day's work, eyes drifting toward the seagulls that flap above the ferry terminal, or scavenge for food left behind by the boarding passengers. The attire of these maritime commuters is a far cry from the slick business suits increasingly seen in the commercial capital, where foreign prospectors and Burma's own business class make corporate deals and network in an economy considered one of Asia's last frontiers. As nighttime descends, the boat heads south toward Dala, where its passengers' families await their return. About 30,000 people make the ferry trip from Dala to Rangoon every day, according to the state-owned Inland Water Transport firm. Most are day laborers and vendors who sell at Kyimyindaing Market, the major wholesale market for fishery products in Rangoon. Others sell boiled corn, eggs and produce in downtown Rangoon. Sprinkled among the ranks are government employees. Numbering some 130,000 people, the population of Dala Township relies heavily on two government-owned ferries, the Kyan Sit Khar and Anawyahta. Dala borders the Rangoon River to its north and east, Tontay to the west, and Kawhmu in the south. Its location means people who earn their livelihoods in Rangoon but live in Tontay and Kawhmu also depend on the ferries, and are bused in to sleepy Dala before crossing the river to Rangoon. The bus stop near the ferry terminal is easily the busiest and most lively part of town. Smaller boats can be chartered for commuters in a hurry, but the 100 kyats (US$0.10) ferry ticket is the cheaper—and preferred—option. Early in the morning, at about 5am, the ferry pushes off from Dala for the first time. It will make the journey 23 times by the time the sun sets and the last of the returnees from Rangoon disembark. Some sellers of fishery products board the early morning ferries to Rangoon after setting off from Tontay by bus at 2am. Compared with four-hour bus rides to Dala, the ferry ride is short—just 10 minutes from point to point. "I am busy preparing at about 6am to sell watermelon on the Yangon [Rangoon] side. One day's profit is around 5,000 kyats. Even if there was a bridge from Dala to Yangon, I would take the ferry because it is convenient, not crowded like a bus," said 32-year-old Ka Yin Ma from Dala. The ferries are old and as a result, the safety of passengers is by no means assured, but for tens of thousands of people every day, they are a reliable means of transport. Fishery products vendors also tend to find the boat passenger crowd to be more tolerant of the smells emanating from their catch than their bus-riding counterparts. River-crossing operations will get a major capacity boost next year. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has plans to donate three new ferries in April or May. The boats are currently being assembled in Japan. "I believe it would be much more convenient, but what about the price? We cannot afford it if the price for the ferry goes up," said Kit Kit, who sells cold water near the riverbank on the Rangoon side. The price has not been determined yet, but will be within the means of Dala's commuters, said Myo Naing, assistant general manager of the Inland Water Transport, a state enterprise housed under the Ministry of Transport. The 200-feet-long by 150-feet-wide boats will be able to carry 500 to 600 passengers. JICA's support will also include upgrades to the port on the Dala side. However, Aung Min, a day laborer at construction sites in Rangoon, said a bridge from Dala to the city of 5 million would be preferable, both in terms of convenience and the development prospects that a road link would provide. Other townships near Rangoon, such as Thanlyin and Hlaing Tharyar, are linked with the commercial capital by bridges and are noticeably more developed than pastoral Dala. "Dala is like a village compared to Thanlyin and Hlaing Tharyar, where the communities have improved ahead of Dala, even though Dala has been here for many years," Aung Min said. A proposal from the South Korean government to build a Rangoon-Dala bridge was postponed by the government in September amid reports of a tenfold increase in land price in Dala since talks of the bridge emerged. President's Office Minister Soe Thein seemed to indicate at the time that a bridge would not threaten the brisk trade in Dala ferry passengers—nor bring economic development—any time soon. In ancient times, Dala was ruled alternately by ethnic Burmans and Mons, and was the scene of battles between the two powerful kingdoms. Nowadays, for the 200,000 people that live in the Dala-Tontay-Kawhmu region, life is much different than in the times of territorial warfare, but there is an equally notable difference between the lives they lead here and the scene across the river, where new construction projects abound and more cars crowd the streets every day. The seagulls that flock the Rangoon River are interspersed with crows as the ferry grows closer and closer to the Rangoon side. And in the contrast between the crows' black feathers and the water birds' white, a parallel, perhaps, to the starkly different realities that the river has created. The post In Dala, Development Misses the Boat appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| Burmese Woman Wins 5,000-Meter Race at SEA Games Posted: 18 Dec 2013 01:56 AM PST  A Vietnamese runner celebrates winning the gold medal at the 100-meter dash. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) NAYPYIDAW — Burma took gold and bronze on Tuesday at the women's 5,000-meter race, with Indonesia claiming silver, at the track and field competition of the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games). In Burma's first major win in the track and field events, Phyu Wah Thet finished first in the middle-distance race at Wunna Theidhi Stadium in Naypyidaw, while her teammate Khin Mar Se finished third. In the men's 5,000-meter race, Vietnam's Nguyen Van Lai took gold on Tuesday morning, beating out Thailand in second and Indonesia in third. Burma is hosting the 27th SEA Games for the first time in over four decades, with events in Naypyidaw, Rangoon, Mandalay and Ngwe Saung Beach. The five-day track and field competition in Naypyidaw ends on Thursday. Finals for the men's discus throw and high jump, the women's long jump and javelin throw, the men and women's 200-meter dash and the men's 1,500-meter run take place on Wednesday. Finals for the men's 10,000-meter run, the men's triple jump and shot put, the women's discus throw and high jump, the men's 100-meter hurdles, the men and women's 1,500-meter run, and the men and women's 4 by 400-meter relay are Thursday. As of Wednesday, an overall medal tally for all sports at the SEA Games, published by state-run media, put Thailand in first with 173 medals, followed by Indonesia with 157 medals, Vietnam with 143 medals and Burma with 127 medals. The SEA Games end on Dec. 22. The post Burmese Woman Wins 5,000-Meter Race at SEA Games appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| Concerns in Laos That Burma’s Opening Could Slow Tourism Growth Posted: 18 Dec 2013 01:19 AM PST  The sun sets over the Mekong River in Luang Prabang, Laos. (Photo: Simon Roughneen / The Irrawaddy) VIENTIANE — Businesses in Laos, itself a nascent tourist draw, are concerned that growth in the sector could be stalled by Burma's recent opening-up, which could see some visitors opting for one country over the other when planning holidays. More than 3.3 million tourists visited Laos last year, a 22 percent increase on 2011, with the influx contributing US$513.5 million to Laos' modest $19 billion economy. To compare, in 2012 just over one million people visited Burma—a much bigger country with an estimated 50-60 million population, compared with Laos' 6.5 million. But Burma is aiming for almost 2 million visitors over the course of 2013, with hopes that numbers will increase to 3 million by 2015 and to over 7 million by 2020. Oudet Souvannavong, vice president of the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told The Irrawaddy that "We are a bit affected, as people are starting to go to Myanmar rather than Laos."
Pulling in more Western tourists, who according to Laos government statistics stay longer and spend more than visitors from neighboring countries, is key to the country's tourism plans going forward. Around 2.8 million visitors to Laos in 2012 came from Asia and stayed on average one to three nights. And of the total, one million Thais visited Laos and stayed just one night in the country, with an average daily expenditure of $20 per person, generating a total $21 million in revenue. Steven Schipani, social sector specialist at the Asian Development Bank's Thailand Mission, said Laos could learn from neighbors such as Vietnam and Thailand, and figure out how "to get more people to stay longer when they visit and to spend more." In 2012, 470,000 visitors to Laos came from outside the region and spent $275.1 million, prompting hopes that longer-haul visitor numbers could increase. But since Burma's reforms started in 2011, visitor numbers to Laos from the West have not been as high as hoped-for, Souvannavong said. "It has been at the reduction of tourism from Europe and America," he lamented, referring to the impact of Burma's opening-up. Burma's Tourism Minister Htay Aung believes, however, that both countries can grow their tourism sectors in tandem, rather than compete. "We can attract tourists, they can attract tourists," he told The Irrawaddy. "We don't wish to compete with Laos, which is a neighbor in the region." The two countries share a 235-km border with a new frontier bridge crossing the Mekong River near Tachileik in Burma's Shan State. The bridge is due to open for business in 2015. Htay Aung told The Irrawaddy that the bridge, once ready, would facilitate people crossing over and back between the two countries, and would reduce the need for long-haul visitors who land in perennially popular Thailand to then have to choose between Burma or Laos as a next destination. "When the Friendship Bridge is completed, it will allow people to cross easily," he said. As well as the short frontier, the Southeast Asian neighbors share some other features in common. Both countries are majority-Buddhist, with the temple architecture to match. And as Burma has Bagan, a plain dotted with several thousand old Buddhist temples, Laos has Xieng Khouang, site of the Plain of Jars, a mass Iron Age burial site. Much of the Plain of Jars is off-limits, however, due to US bombing runs over Laos during the Indochina Wars of the 1960s and 70s, while some of Burma's attractions—the scenic mountains of Kachin State in the country's north, for example, are difficult to access due to ongoing conflict between the national army and ethnic Kachin fighters. And despite high recent growth on the back of mining and hydropower exports, Laos' infrastructure is decrepit, particularly in rural areas—similar to Burma on both counts. Laos roads are arguably worse than those in Burma, with journey times made longer by the country's mountainous terrain. Luang Prabang, the old capital, is a scenic Unesco world heritage site on the Mekong River that sits a 10-hour drive north of Vientiane, the sedate modern day capital. In its favor, Laos has better mobile phone coverage, with four network providers and with the World Bank listing 103 out of 100 Laos people as having cellphone access, compared with 11 out of 100 in Burma, where the arrival of foreign network providers should see improved services by late 2014. Electricity supply in Laos covers 75 percent of the country, compared with less than 30 percent in Burma, while hotel rooms are generally less expensive in Laos, compared to a Burma where the already-high prices are jacked-up during the tourism high season. "Laos is still less expensive and I think, I hope, better value than Myanmar," said Souvannavong. In Burma's favor, however, the tourism minister contends, are its long coastline and beaches, something landlocked Laos lacks, as well as having snow-capped mountains in the north. "This combination is something unique in the region," Htay Aung said. Burma is arguably a better-known country internationally, with recent high profile reforms generating significant business interest and giving the former military-ruled country a niche status as the new go-to destination on the Southeast Asia trail. Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi remains a recognizable figure whose speeches and travel keeps Burma in the news, with Laos not having any internationally known personality to match the profile of Burma's lauded opposition leader, who support a tourism boycott during Burma's military rule era. Laos, a smaller and relatively obscure one-party state, rarely features in Western media coverage, save for abuses such as the disappearance in December 2012 of activist Sombath Somphone. He has not been heard from since being detained by police, prompting some complaints by Western governments that the Laos government has not done much to try finding the missing man. However, the undemocratic and arbitrary government system in Laos has not prompted anything near the international ire that Burma's decades of army rule prompted in the past, and there seems little chance of Laos undertaking reforms akin to Burma's post-2011 changes. Tourism to Burma and Laos could be affected in the longer term by political protests in Bangkok, the main international air gateway to mainland Southeast Asia. With an election due in February 2014, unrest in Bangkok—though mainly confined to areas close to Thai government buildings—could continue or perhaps spread, cutting into tourist numbers landing at Suvarnabhumi Airport. "That could have a knock-on impact on Myanmar and Laos," Schipani told The Irrawaddy. The post Concerns in Laos That Burma's Opening Could Slow Tourism Growth appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| ‘Fanning’ the Flames of Burma’s Football Reputation Posted: 17 Dec 2013 11:32 PM PST |
| Bad Weather Sinks Hopes for Burma’s Teen Sailors at SEA Games Posted: 17 Dec 2013 10:56 PM PST  Thailand's youth yachting team poses after a win at the Southeast Asian Games on Tuesday at Ngwe Saung Beach. (Photo: Nyein Nyein / The Irrawaddy) NGWE SAUNG, Irrawaddy Division — Malaysia is leading the overall standings for yachting at the Southeast Asian Games, ahead of Burma and four other countries with three days of competition to go. On Tuesday, Thailand finished first in the youth team sailing competition at Ngwe Saung Beach, beating out yachters between the ages of 12 and 15 from five other countries. Singapore, which has been a strong competitor for Thailand's youth team in the past, finished in second, followed by Malaysia, Burma and Indonesia. "They trained every day at sea near Pattaya, for three months after school," Bundit Kongyai, general manager of the Thailand yacht racing association, said of the young Thai sailors, many of whom began sailing when they were just 7 years old. Pattaya is a popular beach resort city in Thailand. Burma's squad had hoped for a better finish in the three-hour youth team race but blamed windy conditions. "We expected gold medals in the majority of competitions, but we will have to accept the results because bad weather can be tricky," Myint Win, vice chairman of the Yangon Sailing Club, told The Irrawaddy. The youth team competition is one of 13 classes of yachting at the SEA Games, a biennial sporting event hosted in Burma this year for the first time in over four decades. The other yachting lasses, including individual and team races for adult men and women, as well as two crew races, will continue this week. One class is the half-rater competition, where sailors head out on boats made from wood rather than metal. Half-rater boats, which were first developed by the British at the end of the 19th century, have long been used in Burma, and the Burmese team is currently ranked first in this class after two days of a four-day half-rater competition. "We expect a gold medal," Phone Kyaw Moe Myint of Burma's half-rater team told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday. "We did well for the first half, but we have to compete in another six rounds over the remaining days." Six countries—Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines—are competing in the 13 classes of yachting at Ngwe Saung Beach, near Pathein in Irrawaddy Division. The competition kicked off Sunday and closes Friday. The post Bad Weather Sinks Hopes for Burma's Teen Sailors at SEA Games appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| UN: Poverty Pushing Burma Opium Output Higher Posted: 17 Dec 2013 10:14 PM PST  Farmers harvest opium poppies in northern Karenni State. (Photo: KADAC) BANGKOK — Official efforts to stamp out opium production in Burma are falling flat because poor farmers don't have alternative ways to make a living, a UN agency said Wednesday. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime estimated in its annual Southeast Asia Opium Survey that Burma will produce 870 metric tons of opium in 2013, remaining the world's second-largest grower after Afghanistan. That would be a 26 percent rise over 2012 production. The agency said last month that Afghanistan's opium production this year was 5,500 metric tons, a 49 percent rise. The report said rising demand in Asia for illicit drugs has also fueled Burma's increase. The UN agency said the trend is particularly alarming as economic integration and improved infrastructure binding Southeast Asia and southern China facilitate opportunities for criminal trafficking. The drug-producing heartland where the borders of Burma, Thailand and Laos converge, the infamous Golden Triangle, is also a major source of methamphetamine as well as heroin, which is derived from opium. "The organized criminal networks that benefit from Southeast Asia's illicit drug trade are well positioned to take advantage of regional integration," UNODC representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific Jeremy Douglas said in a statement. The report said that just over 9 metric tons of heroin was seized in East and Southeast Asia in 2012, compared to 6.5 metric tons in 2010, while 2.7 metric tons of opium was seized in 2012 compared to 2 metric tons in 2010. "The figures make clear that efforts to address the root causes of cultivation and promote alternative development need to be stepped up," UNODC executive director Yury Fedotov said in a foreword to the report. "Surveys of farmers in poppy-growing villages indicate that the money made from poppy cultivation remains an essential part of family income. Villagers threatened with food insecurity and poverty need sustainable alternatives, or they will continue out of desperation to turn to growing this cash crop." The report also noted that "opium cultivation is generally linked to the absence of peace and security, which indicates the need for both political and economic solutions." A reformist, elected government in Burma, which in 2011 replaced almost five decades of military rule, is striving to make peace with ethnic minority rebels who have been battling for autonomy for decades. Burma in 1999 declared a plan to eliminate illicit crop production by 2014, and production slipped to a low of 315 metric tons in 2006, but since then has been increasing. The report recalled that Burma in the 1980s had been the world's largest producer of illicit opium. Although Afghanistan replaced it in 1991 as the largest producer, Burma's output climbed to a high of 1,600 metric tons in 1996. The post UN: Poverty Pushing Burma Opium Output Higher appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| US Blacklists Burma Firms for North Korea Arms Trade Posted: 17 Dec 2013 10:13 PM PST  Lt-Gen Thein Htay, Burma's former minister for border affairs, was added in July to the US blacklist over arms procurement from North Korea. (Photo: Reuters) WASHINGTON — The United States imposed sanctions Tuesday on a Burmese military officer and three companies it accuses of involvement in the continuing, illicit arms trade with North Korea. The designations do not directly target Burma's government but will deepen doubts over the nation's compliance with UN Security Council resolutions. Cutting Burma's military ties with North Korea has been a key goal of the US policy to end Burma's long international isolation after its democratic reforms. In response to the reforms in the country, Washington has eased its longstanding restrictions on trade and investment, although not on export of arms. In a sign of enduring US concerns, the Treasury has periodically expanded the blacklist of individuals and companies it considers to be bad actors. As of Tuesday, they include Lt. Col. Kyaw Nyunt Oo, said to act on behalf of the Burmese Directorate of Defense Industries, or DDI, which is already sanctioned. Its chief, a general, was blacklisted in July. Treasury also targeted Soe Min Htike Co. Ltd. and Excellence Mineral, describing them in Tuesday's statement as Burmese companies working with North Korean officials to import materiel for military weapons programs as recently this June; and Asia Metal, said to have constructed buildings and supplied construction materials for a DDI factory compound where approximately 30 North Koreans were still working as of December 2012. Burma's government has said its arms trade with North Korea has stopped and it complies with the UN sanctions which are intended to deny Pyongyang revenue for expanding nuclear and ballistic missile programs. US officials say Burma has curtailed the trade, but not ended it. "The revenues from these continuing military sales directly support North Korea's illicit activities," Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen said in a statement. "We will continue to target this activity in Burma, and the region, as we work with our international partners to shut down North Korea's dangerous and destabilizing weapons proliferation." Designation of a company or individual on the Treasury list prohibits US persons from transactions with them, and freezes any assets they may have subject to US jurisdiction. The military cooperation with North Korea was forged during Burma's international isolation. The State Department has said that in late 2008, when Burmese officers visited Pyongyang, they signed a memorandum of understanding with North Korea on assistance to build medium range, liquid-fueled ballistic missiles. The post US Blacklists Burma Firms for North Korea Arms Trade appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| India Removes US Embassy Security Barriers in Spat Posted: 17 Dec 2013 10:11 PM PST  India's anticorruption activist Anna Hazare reacts in front of the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi, at the Ramlila Grounds in New Delhi, India, in August 2011. (Photo: AP) NEW DELHI/NEW YORK — Indian police removed concrete security barriers outside the US Embassy in New Delhi on Tuesday in apparent retaliation for the treatment of an Indian diplomat who was strip-searched after her arrest in New York last week. The diplomatic spat was triggered by the Dec. 12 arrest of Devyani Khobragade, a deputy consul general at the Indian Consulate in New York, on charges of visa fraud and making false statements for allegedly lying about how much she paid her housekeeper, an Indian national. On Tuesday, New Delhi police used tow trucks and a backhoe loader to drag away long concrete blocks from roads running past the embassy and leading up to gates of the compound, a Reuters witness said. The low barriers had prevented vehicles from approaching the compound at high speeds and were presumably designed to help protect the embassy against attack from suicide bombers. The embassy has multiple layers of security and is also protected by a high wall. Indian police and government officials declined repeated requests for comment on why the barricades were taken away, but Indian television networks, citing unnamed sources, said their removal was one of several retaliatory measures India planned. In Washington, the US State Department said it had told the Indian government at a "high" level that Washington expects New Delhi to protect its embassy and stressed it did not want the incident with the Indian diplomat to hurt bilateral ties. "We understand there are sensitive issues involved here," said State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf. "We don't want this to negatively impact our bilateral relationship." A senior Indian official, who asked not to be named, said police posted in the area would ensure continued security. "We take the security of all diplomatic missions in India very seriously. Checkposts are provided. This is only an issue related to traffic flows," the official said. Strip Search The US Marshals Service, part of the Justice Department, for the first time confirmed on Tuesday that Khobragade had been strip-searched. Indian media had previously reported this. In a statement, the Marshals Service said it took custody of Khobragade after her arrest by the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security. It confirmed she was strip-searched, saying it followed "standard arrestee intake procedures." As the dispute over the diplomat's treatment grew, Indian politicians, including the leaders of the two main political parties and the national security adviser, refused to meet with a delegation of US lawmakers visiting India this week. Indian National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon branded as "barbaric" the treatment of the diplomat, who according to Indian media was handcuffed upon arrest last week and strip-searched before being released on bail. Khobragade, who was released on $250,000 bail after giving up her passport and pleading not guilty to the charges, faces a maximum of 15 years in jail if convicted on both counts. Her attorney Daniel Arshack was not immediately available for comment. According to Harf, the State Department spokeswoman, there are different types of diplomatic immunity. Khobragade had what is known as "consular immunity," which applies only to acts committed in connection with official duties, she said. India has become a close trade and security partner of the United States over the past decade, but the two countries have not totally overcome a history of ties marked by distrust. "Everything that can be done will be done, I assure you. We take this thing very seriously," Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid told TV news network CNN-IBN. "We have put in motion what we believe will be an effective way of addressing this issue but also put in motion such steps that we believe need to be taken to protect her dignity." Indian TV networks said the other steps included checking the salaries paid by U.S. Embassy staff to domestic helpers and withdrawing consular identification cards and privileges such as access to airport lounges for some U.S. diplomats and families. India's Foreign Ministry and the US Embassy said they were unable to comment on the media reports. Khobragade's arrest triggered a fierce debate in India over how to respond to the alleged mistreatment of the helper. Shashi Tharoor, an Indian government minister and former UN diplomat, said many envoys in New York from developing nations were themselves paid less than US minimum wage, adding it was unrealistic to expect them to pay domestic staff more. Eyes on Election Khobragade falsely stated in her nanny's visa application that she would be paid US$9.75 an hour, a figure that would have been in line with the minimum rates required by US law, according to a statement issued last week by the US attorney for the Southern District of New York. The diplomat had privately agreed with the domestic worker that she would receive just over a third of that rate, the US attorney said. With general elections due in less than six months, Indian politicians are determined not to be called soft or unpatriotic. Narendra Modi, the prime ministerial candidate for the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, and Rahul Gandhi, the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi family that leads India's ruling Congress party, both declined to meet the US delegation. "Refused to meet the visiting USA delegation in solidarity with our nation, protesting ill-treatment meted [out] to our lady diplomat in USA," Modi said in a tweet. A senior member of Modi's socially conservative party, currently the favorite to form the next government, said India should retaliate by putting partners of gay US diplomats in the country behind bars. India's Supreme Court last week effectively ruled homosexuality to be illegal. "The reason why they have arrested this Indian diplomat in New York is violation of the law of the land in the United States. Now the same violation is taking place wherever US Embassy official have obtained visas for their partners of the same sex," former finance minister Yashwant Sinha told Reuters. "If American law can apply to Indian diplomats in New York, the India law can apply here," he said. The post India Removes US Embassy Security Barriers in Spat appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| Indian Parliament Approves Landmark Anti-Graft Bill as Elections Near Posted: 17 Dec 2013 10:00 PM PST  India's anticorruption activist Anna Hazare reacts in front of the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi, at the Ramlila Grounds in New Delhi, India, in August 2011. (Photo: AP) NEW DELHI — India's Parliament voted on Tuesday for the appointment of a powerful anti-graft ombudsman to investigate wrongdoing in government, ending years of dithering, as public anger has mounted over a string of corruption scandals. The ruling Congress party, which suffered big losses in state elections over the past month in part over allegations of a pervasive culture of corruption, rushed through the Lokpal or ombudsman bill in the Upper House of Parliament. "We must listen to the voices outside the House. I hope that the bill creates history," said Law Minister Kapil Sibal after the bill was cleared by a voice vote. It will now go to the lower house of Parliament for final passage on Wednesday. India is due to hold a national election by next May, and corruption and clean governance are expected to be top campaign issues. Under the new law, the prime minister's office and all top government servants and departments will come under the purview of the ombudsman. The bill's progress came as anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare continued his hunger strike for an eighth day on Tuesday to put pressure on politicians to act on the measure that was proposed 46 years ago. He told cheering supporters gathered at his village in western Maharashtra that he was happy political parties had finally agreed on the measure to combat corruption, but he would wait for the final passage of the bill on Wednesday. Hazare's fast in 2011 and massive public protests forced the government to introduce the legislation in parliament. An associate of Hazare's later set up a political group called the Common Man's Party that finished second in a stunning debut in elections to the Delhi assembly this month, underlining public support for more accountability in governance. "The bill is the result of the government realizing which way the wind was blowing on corruption," said Arun Jaitley, a leader of the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party. Only the regional Samajwadi Party opposed the bill on Tuesday saying it would further paralyze government decision-making as officials would be too scared to take decisions for fear of investigation. The ombudsman will be appointed by an independent committee comprising the prime minister, the head of the Supreme Court, the leader of the opposition and an eminent jurist. India has existing laws to tackle corruption but civil rights activists have argued that these are not enough in the light of the large number and scale of scandals in one of the world's fastest-growing economies. India is ranked 94th in a list of 177 countries on Transparency International's 2013 global corruption index, rated as worse than China, South Africa and Brazil in terms of graft. The post Indian Parliament Approves Landmark Anti-Graft Bill as Elections Near appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| US Boosts Support for Philippines Security Forces Posted: 17 Dec 2013 09:54 PM PST  US Secretary of State John Kerry looks at a map of the World War II Battle for Leyte Gulf at the Manila American Cemetery in Manila on Dec. 17, 2013. (Photo: Reuters / Brian Snyder) MANILA — The United States will provide the Philippines' security forces with US$40 million in new assistance in part to help the country protect its territorial waters amid rising tensions with China over disputes in the South China Sea, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday while urging all the nations involved to "lower the intensity." The money, from a US program known as the Global Security Contingency Fund, will be spent over three years and will be split between improving the Philippines Coast Guard's maritime security abilities and boosting counterterrorism capacity for the Philippines National Police in the nation's restive southern islands, where Washington has also backed a decade-long campaign against al-Qaida-linked local militants. The new aid is intended to complement a $32.5 million assistance package, which Kerry announced Monday in Vietnam, that will help Southeast Asian nations protect their territorial waters. Up to $18 million of that money will go to provide the Vietnamese Coast Guard with five new fast patrol boats. Both Vietnam and the Philippines have competing claims with China over territory in the South China Sea and are concerned with growing Chinese assertiveness after Beijing's unilateral declaration of an East China Sea air defense zone. That zone has dramatically raised tension between China and Japan. "The United States does not recognize that zone and does not accept it," Kerry said during a news conference Tuesday with Philippines Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario. "The zone should not be implemented and China should refrain from taking similar unilateral actions elsewhere in the region, particularly over the South China Sea." Chinese officials have suggested that a similar zone could be established over the South China Sea. Del Rosario said: "China, in doing this, effectively is attempting to transform an air zone into its own domestic airspace, and we think that this could lead to compromising freedom of flight, in terms of civil aviation, and also compromise safety and security of affected nations." If China establishes an air defense zone in the South China Sea, del Rosario said, "that for us will be a problem." Kerry said the United States would stand with its friends in the Asia-Pacific. "The United States strongly opposes the use of intimidation, coercion or aggression to advance territorial claims and I assured the foreign secretary that the United States remains firmly committed to the security of the Philippines and of the region," he said. Kerry stressed the need for negotiated resolutions to the disputes. "The United States will stand with our friends in this region who are asserting their [claims] through that kind of legal, peaceful process," he said. "I hope that ultimately the leaders in China will see the wisdom of engaging." The Philippines lost control of a disputed reef in the South China Sea last year after a standoff with China. The United States is also helping equip the Philippines with ships and radar, and is also in negotiations with Manila to increase the American military presence there. However, officials have stressed they have no plans to reopen former US military bases in the Philippines. Kerry maintained that his announcements in the Philippines and Vietnam were not directly aimed at China but rather a normal part of the Obama administration decision to refocus on Asia. "We do not support unilateral actions that have the impact of being provocative and raising the temperature of potential conflict," Kerry said. "We are not approaching this with any particular view towards China except to say that when China makes a unilateral move we will state our position and make clear what we agree or disagree with." However, the increased aid is almost certain to anger Beijing, which bristles at what it sees as US interference in areas it views as China's "core interest." Beijing looks dimly on Washington's push to increase the US military presence and strengthen its alliances in Asia as it ends a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, calling it an attempt to contain China. In a reminder of the high stakes in play, US and Chinese naval vessels came close to colliding in the South China Sea on Dec. 5, the most serious incident between the two navies since 2009. The US Pacific Fleet said Saturday that the USS Cowpens was operating in international waters and had to maneuver to avoid hitting China's lone aircraft carrier. The Liaoning, a symbol of China's ambition to develop a navy that operates farther from its own shores, only entered service last year and was on its first sea trials in the South China Sea. Beijing has not formally commented on the incident, but the state-run Global Times newspaper reported Monday that the US ship had first harassed the Liaoning and its group of support ships, getting too close to a Chinese naval drill and entering within 30 miles of the Chinese fleet's "inner defense layer." As China expands its navy's reach and starts to challenge decades of American military predominance in the region, it's becoming more common for vessels of the two nations to operate in close proximity. The Obama administration has made it a priority to seek closer military cooperation with China to prevent misunderstandings that could spark a clash—part of a broader push to foster friendly ties between the established world power and the emerging one. Kerry is in the Philippines on the last leg of a trip to the Middle East and Asia. Before heading for home Wednesday he will visit the Philippine city of Tacloban, which was hard hit by last month's deadly Typhoon Haiyan. The United States was a major contributor of relief after the disaster and Kerry is expected to announce additional support during a brief inspection tour of the storm-ravaged area. The post US Boosts Support for Philippines Security Forces appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| Thai Protesters Say They Will Rally to Hound Yingluck From Office Posted: 17 Dec 2013 09:09 PM PST  An anti-government protestor sits in front of a gate at Government House in Bangkok. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy) BANGKOK — Anti-government demonstrators in Thailand said they will step up their protests in an attempt to force Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra from office and push through electoral reforms before a general election is held. The number of protesters camped on the street in the capital has dwindled to around 2,000 over the past week but their leader, former deputy premier Suthep Thaugsuban, called for marches along main roads in central Bangkok on Thursday and Friday, followed by a big rally on Sunday. "We will chase Yingluck out this Sunday after she made it clear she will not step down as caretaker prime minister," he said late on Tuesday. Suthep massed 160,000 protesters around Yingluck's office on Dec. 9, when she called a snap election for Feb. 2 to try to defuse the crisis. Yingluck remains caretaker prime minister. He has sought the backing of the influential military but has so far been rebuffed. Thailand's military—a frequent actor in Thai politics—ousted Yingluck's brother, the self-exiled Thaksin Shinawatra, when he was premier in 2006. "We will walk until the number of people who come out to join us outnumber those who elected Yingluck. We will march until the military and civil servants finally join us," Suthep told reporters. Thailand's eight-year political conflict centers on Thaksin, a former telecommunications tycoon popular among the rural poor because of cheap health care and other policies brought in while he was in power. Yingluck won a landslide victory in 2011 and her Pheu Thai Party is well placed to win again because of Thaksin's bedrock support in the populous, rural north and northeast. Ranged against him are a royalist establishment that feels threatened by Thaksin's rise and—in the past, at least—the army. Some academics see him as a corrupt rights abuser, while the middle class resent what they see as their taxes being spent on wasteful populist policies that amount to vote-buying. Thaksin chose to live in exile after fleeing in 2008 just before being sentenced to jail for abuse of power in a trial that he says was politically motivated. Even if the election takes place on Feb. 2, its legitimacy could be undermined if the main opposition Democrat Party decides not to take part. At a two-day conference that ended on Tuesday, it reappointed former premier Abhisit Vejjajiva as its leader. However, its members could not agree whether to run in the election or back the street protesters. Democrat lawmakers resigned from parliament this month to march with Suthep, who was a deputy prime minister in Abhisit's government until 2011. Some agree with his call for reforms to be implemented before another election is held, but others believe their party, Thailand's oldest, should respect the democratic process and run for office. A decision is expected on Saturday. Suthep's program remains vague and it is unclear how long it would take his proposed "people's council" to implement any reforms. He wants to wipe out vote-buying and electoral fraud and has also promised "forceful laws to eradicate corruption," decentralization, the end of "superficial populist policies that enable corruption," and the reform of "certain state agencies such as the police force." Suthep's protest gained impetus in early November after Yingluck's government tried to push through a political amnesty bill that would have allowed Thaksin to return home a free man. Additional reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat. The post Thai Protesters Say They Will Rally to Hound Yingluck From Office appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
