The Irrawaddy Magazine |
- Photo of the week (Jan 03, 2014)
- Protestors Gather in Rangoon to Call for Constitutional Amendments
- Student Complain of Poor Conditions at Mandalay University
- Two Military Intelligence Officials Released, Re-Detained Amid Mass Amnesties
- Body of Burmese Man Repatriated After Alleged Murder in Malaysia
- 3 Dead as Cambodian Forces Open Fire at Factory Strikes
- Workers to Sue Mandalay Factory in Labor Dispute
- Malaysia’s Islamic Authorities Seize Bibles as Allah Row Deepens
- Government Commutes Death Sentences, Jail Terms
- China Denounces US for Sending Uighur ‘Terrorists’ to Slovakia
- Cambodian Troops Quash Protest at Garment Factory
| Photo of the week (Jan 03, 2014) Posted: 03 Jan 2014 06:10 AM PST
The post Photo of the week (Jan 03, 2014) appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| Protestors Gather in Rangoon to Call for Constitutional Amendments Posted: 03 Jan 2014 05:32 AM PST  About 70 protestors gathered in Rangoon on Friday to demand constitutional changes. (Photo: Sai Zaw / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Several dozen activists gathered in front of Rangoon's City Hall on Friday to protest and demand that Burma's Parliament amends provisions in the Constitution that prevent opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from becoming president. About 70 protestors gathered at City Hall carrying banners on Friday morning and Zaw Win, a member of a small activist group called Democratic Forces, said the demonstration was meant to focus public attention on the ongoing controversy surrounding Burma's military-drafted Constitution. The 2008 Constitution is widely viewed as being undemocratic as it grants sweeping political powers to the military and because Article 59 (f) prevents National League for Democracy (NLD) leader Suu Kyi from becoming president. The article states that a president's spouse or children cannot be citizens of a foreign country. Suu Kyi was married to British national Micheal Aris, who died in 1999, and she has two sons who are British subjects. "We don't want such an article. Without it, we can freely vote for our leader. We want to urge the government to listen to our voices," said a protestor named Hla Myint. "We will continue with our demands as we think it is our civic right to choose our leader for the presidency," said another protester called Kay Thi Nwe. "The NLD also has many demands for constitutional amendments, but the key is the people's desires, these must not be ignored," said Rakha Wuntha, a monk from Magway Monastic School in Rangoon, who participated in the gathering. Since becoming an MP in 2012, Suu Kyi has called for broad-ranging changes to the Constitution, but the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) has thus far dragged their feet on such discussions. On Monday, however, the USDP announced that it was putting forth 57 amendments to the Constitution, including an amendment to Article 59 (f) that could allow Suu Kyi to become president as long as her two sons renounce their British citizenship and become Burmese citizens. It remains unclear what Suu Kyi thinks of the amendments suggested by the ruling party, which is closely affiliated with Burma's powerful military. On Thursday, President Thein Sein said that he supports efforts to change the Constitution and remove restrictions that currently prevent opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from becoming president. Speaking in a monthly radio address, Thein Sein said "a healthy Constitution must be amended from time to time to address the national, economic and social needs of our society." The post Protestors Gather in Rangoon to Call for Constitutional Amendments appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| Student Complain of Poor Conditions at Mandalay University Posted: 03 Jan 2014 05:17 AM PST  The main building of Mandalay University. (Photo: Zarni Mann / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Undergraduate students arriving at the recently reopened Mandalay University have complained that living facilities at the campus are inadequate and underfunded, as they are being offered poor food and are forced to stay in dirty hostels with little in the way of amenities. When Mandalay University opened last month, after having been shut down for decades by Burma's government, more than 1,000 undergraduate students began their studies. About 300 students reside permanently on the campus, but many have since found that little was done to prepare for their arrival. "The food provided at the hostels is so poor and so little that we are afraid it will not be sufficient for our nutrition. Rooms are untidy and lack enough bathroom and toilets. We are restricted in usage of electricity as well," said a first-year botany student, who only gave her name as Yamin. Another student said he had to live on Mandalay University campus because his family lived far from the city, but he now faced an unpleasant stay there. "We thought that the hostels on the campus will be the best way to live and study. As the government has announced the university will reopen and provide good education, we thought that we will be provided good facilities too. But now, our expectation to enjoy campus life is being ruined," said the student, who asked his name be withheld. A lecturer of the Student Affairs Office at Mandalay University said a lack of government funding forced the university to charge the students about $1 for the two daily meals they are being served. "We do not receive any budget from the government or the ministry. We have to collect charges from the students," said the woman. "The students are only complaining and reporting to journalists without knowing the difficulties we are facing." Girl students said they have been forced to move out of Shwebo Hostel, which is being turned into a boys' hostel, and are being forced to stay in the new Inya hostel that is still being renovated and lacks finished toilets and bathrooms. "The hostel is still under renovation, so how can we stay there safely? There is a written notice warning us to walk slowly as the ceiling underneath might collapse. How can we live with that kind of condition?" said one undergraduate student. The girl students said they were planning to collect signatures for a petition to demand that university authorities let them stay at Shwebo Hostel until Inya Hostel is completed. However, they said they were facing pressure from lecturers who warned them not to submit any complaints. "The teachers said we might face difficulties when we search for a job after graduation if we file complaints during our student time. So most of us afraid to sign a petition and gave up. We were even warned not to talk to the media," said one student. "We don't know what to do now, but have no choice and have to live in this unsafe hostel," she added. Apart from the difficult living conditions on the campus, students also complained that the new academic programs were identical to the modules and syllabus at the long-distance university programs that were used before Mandalay University reopened. "When all students met with a professor of the university last week, we asked about this, but he didn't give an answer and left the room," said an undergraduate student. "We just want to know what will be our future if we are given the same education as with the other [long-distance] universities." For decades under Burma's former military government, Rangoon and Mandalay universities remained closed as the campuses were seen as hotbeds of dissent. Long-distance university courses were used to continue higher education, but the quality of education at Burma's universities, once-renowned throughout Asia, fell sharply. Last year, the Universities Education Council, comprising teachers and professors throughout Burma, decided to reopen the old Rangoon and Mandalay universities. The institutions now operate Center of Excellence programs, which can only be accessed by students who have obtained more than 490 marks during their matriculation exams. The post Student Complain of Poor Conditions at Mandalay University appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| Two Military Intelligence Officials Released, Re-Detained Amid Mass Amnesties Posted: 03 Jan 2014 04:52 AM PST  A crowd waits outside Insein Prison in Rangoon last year on Jan. 3, 2012, after President Thein Sein announced a pardon for prisoners in honor of the country's Independence Day on Jan. 4. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — After being released from prison as part of a mass presidential amnesty, two high-ranking Military Intelligence officials have been detained again, a presidential spokesman said Friday. The officials were freed from separate jails after President Thein Sein granted pardons on Monday to people convicted of or charged with a number of political offenses, but were put back into detention the same day because they still face other criminal charges. "They were not re-arrested. They have extra charges—this is why they were detained again," said Ye Htut, the official spokesman for President Thein Sein. "In the case of these two people, they are not political prisoners, they are just normal prisoners." Col Tin Oo was released Monday from a prison in Lashio, northern Shan State, but detained again by authorities while attempting to board a flight back to Rangoon. Col Moe Thu was detained at Rangoon airport after being released from a prison in Pa-an, Karen State. "We received news that he came out of prison, but we did not get any more details about why he did not come home," his brother Myat Thu told The Irrawaddy on Friday. "Later we heard he was detained again. I think there are some other cases and he may be detained again for a while." The two men were among 20 former MI officials who were detained in 2004, after then-dictator Gen Than Shwe abolished the feared MI unit and ousted then-Prime Minister Khin Nyunt, who had once been the unit's chief. At the time, some suspected a power struggle between Than Shwe and Khin Nyunt. MI officials were responsible for locking up thousands of anti-government dissenters in prisons under military rule. They were jailed for treason in 2004 and are technically classified as political prisoners, but proposals to release them have been controversial. Thein Sein has released hundreds of prisoners over the past week. On Monday he called for the release of all the dozens of remaining political prisoners, including many members of ethnic armed groups. On Thursday night, he commuted the sentences of hundreds of other prisoners detained on criminal charges in honor of Burma's Independence Day on Saturday. The Political Prisoners Scrutinizing Committee, a government-backed group tasked with counting the number of political prisoners behind bars and working toward their release, says it requested the release of former MI officials. As part of the Independence Day presidential pardon for non-political prisoners, local media reported that at least 800 people were released Friday, but the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), which is represented on the Political Prisoners Scrutinizing Committee, said only three political prisoners were among them. Presidential spokesman Ye Htut could not confirm how many people were released Friday. Thein Sein in July pledged to free all remaining political prisoners by 2014. As of mid-December, dozens remained behind bars. At least five political prisoners were released Monday from prisons around the country, and more have been freed since then, with others expected to be released in coming days. The post Two Military Intelligence Officials Released, Re-Detained Amid Mass Amnesties appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| Body of Burmese Man Repatriated After Alleged Murder in Malaysia Posted: 03 Jan 2014 03:42 AM PST  Aung Myo Oo, a Burmese migrant who was attacked by unknown assailants on June 3, 2013, lies in a hospital bed in Kuala Lumpur while recovering from his injuries. (Photo: The Irrawaddy) The body of a Burmese man who is believed to have been murdered last weekend in Malaysia will be sent back to Burma on Saturday, in a case that highlights rising tensions over the past year for Burmese nationals living in Malaysia. Bo Bo Han Nyein Kyaw, 30, had lived in Malaysia for three years with his brother, most recently working at a factory in Kuala Lumpur that produces fire protection equipment. Authorities believe he was killed last Sunday in Puchong, a major town in Selangor State, about midway between Kuala Lumpur and the country's administrative capital. "We found his body the next morning. He was stabbed to death, according to the Malaysian police," said the man's brother, Myat Htut, adding that three suspects had been arrested. San Win, chairman of the Malaysia Myanmar Free Funeral Service, a Kuala Lumpur-based group that assists Burmese migrants, said the body would be returned to Burma on Saturday. It is the second time since June that a body has been repatriated. "The body will be transported on a flight tomorrow, as we have received permission from the embassy. It will be transported to his parents, who live in Latpantan Township, Pegu Division," San Win told The Irrawaddy on Friday. He added that the Rangoon-based Free Funeral Service Society, led by former actor and social activist Kyaw Thu, would cover transportation inside Burma. Malaysia's state-run newspaper also reported this week on the alleged murders of other Burmese nationals in Malaysia. In the first case, a 25-year-old man was found dead, lying in a pool of blood, in Malacca State on Tuesday, with police suspecting that he had been stabbed in a drunken brawl with three compatriots. Two Burmese women were also found dead in Penang this week. The Malaysian newspaper reported that Burmese suspects had been detained. Malaysian law enforcement have reported a rise in murder cases involving Burmese nationals since May, when clashes broke out between Burmese Buddhists and Malaysian Muslims that were believed to have been triggered by sectarian violence in Burma between Buddhists and Muslims. Malaysia, a Muslim-majority country, began assisting Buddhist-majority Burma in efforts to repatriate hundreds of Burmese nationals amid the clashes in May and June. At least six Burmese migrants were killed, including one whose body was repatriated in June. About 250,000 Burmese nationals are believed to live in Malaysia, often taking low-paid jobs, including at restaurants and construction sites, with help from labor agencies. About 110,000 Burmese nationals in the country lack proper legal documentation, according to Burma's Ministry of Labor. The Malaysia Myanmar Free Funeral Service has provided free burial services since April 2011 for nearly 300 people who have died of various causes, including workplace incidents, poor health, violent fights and attacks. It says it has offered assistance for six to 13 cases monthly. San Win said 2013 saw the highest number of deaths of Burmese nationals in Malaysia, and that many were murdered or stabbed in brawls. About 15 people were murdered over six months, he said. The post Body of Burmese Man Repatriated After Alleged Murder in Malaysia appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| 3 Dead as Cambodian Forces Open Fire at Factory Strikes Posted: 03 Jan 2014 01:29 AM PST  An injured garment worker is helped by his colleagues after clashes broke out during a protest in Phnom Penh on Friday. (Photo: Reuters / Pring Samrang) PHNOM PENH — Cambodian military police opened fire with assault rifles on Friday to quell a protest by stone-throwing garment factory workers demanding higher pay, killing at least three people, witnesses said. Chaos during nationwide strikes erupted for a second day as security forces were deployed to break up the demonstration by thousands of workers, who refused to move and threw bottles, stones and petrol bombs outside a factory in Phnom Penh. The clash represents an escalation of a political crisis in Cambodia, where striking workers and anti-government protesters have come together in a loose movement led by the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP). Unions representing disgruntled garment workers have joined opposition supporters protesting against the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen to demand a re-run of an election in July that the opposition says was rigged. Military police confronting the protesters fired live ammunition, Reuters journalists said, and bullet casings were later seen scattered across the ground at the scene. Two witnesses said they had seen at least three dead bodies during the chaos. Military police spokesman Kheng Tito, however, said only one protester was killed. "We are sorry we heard one was killed and some were injured," he said. "But we were just following our duty, role and tasks. Now, we are securing the situation." It followed a similar crackdown on Thursday in another part of the city, when armed troops struck demonstrators with batons. Witnesses said at least 20 people were wounded. "If violence continues to happen and there are no talks, more violence will break out," said Chheng Sophors of the human rights group Licardo. "Protesters have become angry." The CNRP, led by former finance minister Sam Rainsy, has courted some 350,000 garment workers from nearly 500 factories across the country by promising to nearly double the monthly minimum wage to $160 if it wins a re-run of the July election, which Hun Sen is refusing to hold. Crisis Over Wages The opposition alleges 2.3 million of its votes were stolen to allow the ruling Cambodia People’s Party (CPP) to return to office. The CPP won 68 seats in the election to the CNRP’s 55, according to the National Election Committee, but the CNRP says the commission is one of many agencies under CPP influence. The government is refusing to raise the wage beyond $100 dollars a month and has ordered factories to reopen to prevent damage and job losses in an industry worth $5 billion a year to what is one of the world’s poorest countries. Until this week, security forces had exercised restraint to try to cool tempers as pressure mounted on a government facing some of the biggest protests ever seen in Cambodia. The strikes and rallies represent a rare challenge to the 28-year rule of Hun Sen, who has been credited with attracting investment and creating jobs in what was once a failed state scarred by war and the bloody 1970s Khmer Rouge era. He has also earned a reputation for being intolerant of opposition and rights groups say abuses are common. Hun Sen’s rule was tested last year when a once weak opposition of various parties amalgamated and won votes from Cambodians upset by low wages, graft and a substantial number of forced evictions from farmland and city slums. Garment manufacturing is Cambodia’s biggest foreign currency earner, a major employer and a vital source of income for many rural families who complain they can barely survive on the wages that are lower than neighboring Thailand and Vietnam. Big brands like Gap Adidas, Nike and Puma outsource footwear and apparel to Cambodian factories, in part due to the cheaper labour costs than China. The post 3 Dead as Cambodian Forces Open Fire at Factory Strikes appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| Workers to Sue Mandalay Factory in Labor Dispute Posted: 03 Jan 2014 12:54 AM PST  Workers protesting at Thazin Biscuit Factory in Mandalay on Friday. (Photo: Zarni Mann / The Irrawaddy) MANDALAY — Workers at a Mandalay biscuit factory said they are planning to file a lawsuit against the factory owner, who they accuse of breaching a labor condition agreement and forcing them to work long hours and on holidays. In early December, about 130 workers at Thazin Biscuit Factory, located in Pyigyidagun's industrial zone in Mandalay, organized a protest in order to demand better working conditions. During negotiations, brokered by the Mandalay Division's Labor Department, workers reached an agreement with the factor owner, who promised to address their demands for better pay for working overtime and time off during national holidays and on Sundays. This week, however, protests resumed as laborers claimed that the factory had failed to keep to the agreement. "We already have the agreement that we don't work on Sunday, but 26 workers were fired last week as they did not come to work on Sunday," said Thandar Lwin, one of the protesting workers. "They complained to the factory, but the administration gave no answer and only said that we will have to work on Sunday," she added. Thandar Lwin said the workers now wanted to file a lawsuit against the factory. "There are 15 points in our agreements. The factory is still not following the agreement," she said. "We just want justice. That's why we are protesting again and now preparing for a lawsuit. We will consult with lawyers." Aung Kyaw Oo, secretary of the Mandalay Division labor department, said officials could do little to resolve the dispute, as the factory was breaching the agreement that was signed last month. "We are no longer able to negotiate between them," he said. "If one party broke the agreement another party can prepare the lawsuit to solve the problem." The post Workers to Sue Mandalay Factory in Labor Dispute appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| Malaysia’s Islamic Authorities Seize Bibles as Allah Row Deepens Posted: 02 Jan 2014 09:49 PM PST  A Muslim demonstrator displays a flag outside Malaysia's Court of Appeals in Putrajaya, outside Kuala Lumpur, in August. A Malaysian court in October ruled that the Arabic word Allah was exclusive to Muslims, most of whom are ethnic Malays, the largest ethnic group in the country alongside sizeable Christian, Hindu and Buddhist minorities. (Photo: Reuters) KUALA LUMPUR — Islamic authorities in Malaysia on Thursday seized 321 Bibles from a Christian group because they used the word Allah to refer to God, signaling growing intolerance that may inflame ethnic and religious tension in the Southeast Asian country. The raid comes after a Malaysian court in October ruled that the Arabic word was exclusive to Muslims, most of whom are ethnic Malays, the largest ethnic group in the country alongside sizeable Christian, Hindu and Buddhist minorities. That ruling overturned a court decision that allowed a Roman Catholic newspaper printed in Malay, the country's national language, to use Allah. The change has heightened concern that religious authorities, which issue rulings for Muslims and operate alongside civil courts, now have more legal muscle. Analysts say new rulings that affect non-Muslims could be a way of deflecting anger against Prime Minister Najib Razak's government from poor Malay Muslims over subsidy cuts likely to force up electricity, petrol and sugar prices. On Thursday, the top Islamic authority in the richest and most populous state of Selangor seized the Malay-language Bibles from the Bible Society. The society said authority officials escorted two of its officials to a police station to make statements after which they were released on bail. "We were told that we were under investigation for breaking a Selangor state law banning non-Muslims from using the word Allah," said Bible Society of Malaysia Chairman Lee Min Choon. Christians from Malaysia's rural states of Sabah and Sarawak in Borneo, who have used the word Allah for centuries, have moved in droves to Selangor and other parts of peninsular Malaysia in recent years to look for work. The main political party within Najib's ruling coalition, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), said its Selangor members would protest at all churches in the state on Sunday against unauthorized use of the word Allah. "There are laws in Selangor and there was a decree by his Royal Highness the Sultan. So what they are doing is carrying out the Sultan's decree," Deputy Prime Minister and UMNO Deputy President Muhyiddin Yassin was quoted by media as saying. "They are not doing anything against the law." The Sultan of Selangor, one of nine sultans that serve in turn as titular Malaysian head of state, decreed last year that non-Muslims must refrain from using Allah in Bibles. He asked Muslims to unite against "bad elements" that misuse the word. The increasingly assertive stand by holders of the largely ceremonial office show that Muslim leaders have become increasingly vocal about their role in defending Islam. In 2010, arsonists firebombed several churches over the initial ruling that allowed the Catholic newspaper to use the Arabic word. Two Malay men were found guilty for setting fire to one of the churches. The post Malaysia's Islamic Authorities Seize Bibles as Allah Row Deepens appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| Government Commutes Death Sentences, Jail Terms Posted: 02 Jan 2014 09:26 PM PST  Aung Min Naing, an activist jailed for violating the Peaceful Assembly Law, was released on Tuesday from Insein Prison. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Burma’s president on Thursday commuted the death sentences of some convicts and slashed the jail terms of others, but it was unclear whether any political prisoners would be freed through his order. President Thein Sein had granted pardons Monday to those convicted of or charged with a variety of political offenses. The amnesty followed a promise by Thein Sein in July that all political prisoners would be freed by the end of the year. State television and radio said Thursday’s order commuted death sentences to life imprisonment, reduced jail sentences of more than 40 years to 40 years, and cut sentences of 40 years or less by one-fourth. It said the order was made on humanitarian grounds and to mark the 66th anniversary of the country’s independence this Saturday. It was not immediately clear how many prisoners would benefit from the order or whether any political prisoners would be freed. “Many prisoners from various prisons, including criminals, will be freed under this order,” said Bo Kyi of Burma’s Assistance Association for Political Prisoners and a member of the Political Prisoner Scrutinizing Body formed by the government. “I want to wait until tomorrow to see if the political prisoners that we have requested to be freed are among those released.” Bo Kyi said the names of 46 political prisoners deserving freedom had been submitted to the president. While concerns focus on prisoners who belonged to the country’s pro-democracy, anti-military movements as well as several ethnic minorities, there are others who fall into the category of political prisoners, including former military officers who ended up on the losing sides in factional battles. Bo Kyi said many of the top former military intelligence officers who are serving lengthy jail terms will have their sentences reduced but will remain in prison. It is also expected that a Foreign Ministry official and a retired army major will have their death sentences commuted to life. The ministry official and the former major were sentenced in 2010 for allegedly leaking official information about a secret 2008 trip to North Korea by the third-ranking member of what was then Burma’s ruling junta, Shwe Mann, who now is chairman of the country’s elected Parliament. The leaked details of the link between the two rogue nations prompted the United States to express concern and call on Burma to sever military ties with North Korea. Thein Sein on Monday granted pardons to those convicted of or charged with a variety of political offenses, such as unlawful association, high treason, contempt of government, security laws and violations of the peaceful assembly law. Since Thein Sein became president in 2011, he has freed about 1,300 political prisoners, according to former detainees. Thein Sein, a former general who became an elected president after five decades of repressive military rule, has instituted political and financial reforms to lift Burma’s sagging economy. The country had faced sanctions from Western nations because of its poor human rights record and undemocratic rule, but most of them have been lifted. The release of political detainees is a benchmark used by Western nations to judge Thein Sein’s administration, and previous releases have been a major factor in decisions by those nations to ease sanctions. The post Government Commutes Death Sentences, Jail Terms appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| China Denounces US for Sending Uighur ‘Terrorists’ to Slovakia Posted: 02 Jan 2014 09:11 PM PST  The Northeast gate marks the end of US soil as the road leads into Cuba at Guantanamo Bay US Naval Base, March 8, 2013. (Photo: Reuters) BEIJING — China's Foreign Ministry criticized the United States on Thursday for sending the last three Uighur Chinese inmates at the Guantanamo Bay detention center to Slovakia, saying they were "terrorists" who posed a real security danger. Yusef Abbas, Saidullah Khalik, and Hajiakbar Abdul Ghuper are the last of 22 Muslim minority Chinese nationals to be moved from the Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba, according to the Pentagon. Slovakia's Interior Ministry confirmed that it would take in the three. Uighurs are a Turkic-speaking Muslim people from China's far western region of Xinjiang. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said the three were members of the separatist East Turkestan Islamic Movement, which Beijing labels a terrorist group. "They are genuine terrorists. They not only threaten China's security, they will threaten the security of the country that receives them," he told a daily news briefing. "China hopes that the relevant country … does not give asylum to terrorists, and sends them back to China as soon as possible." Qin added that China did not appreciate a recent US State Department call for Chinese security forces to exercise restraint following the latest outbreak of violence in Xinjiang, also blamed by Beijing on "terrorists." "These remarks neglect the facts and are feeble," he said. "We urge the United States to abandon their double standards when it comes to terrorism, and immediately stop saying one thing and doing another, to avoid sending the wrong message to violent terrorist forces." The United States said it was grateful to Slovakia for its "humanitarian gesture." Most of the Uighurs at Guantanamo were captured near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in late 2001, and were believed to have trained with the Taliban. US officials have deemed they pose no threat to the United States. In 2008, a US court ordered that they be released. They have been resettled in El Salvador, Switzerland, Bermuda, Albania, and the Pacific island nation of Palau. The US government has said it will not return the Uighurs to China because they would face persecution there. "We've long maintained our position that we will not repatriate Uighurs to China from Guantanamo due to our humane treatment policies," US State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said at a briefing in Washington on Thursday. "We remain deeply concerned about discrimination and restrictions placed on Uighurs and other Muslims in China," she said. Many Uighurs chafe at restrictions on their culture, language and religion, though the Chinese government insists it grants them broad freedoms. The region has been beset by violence with at least 91 people, including several police, killed in unrest in Xinjiang since April, according to state media reports. China has blamed some of the violence on Islamist militants with connections to foreign groups, including al Qaeda, plotting holy war. Many rights groups and exiles say China exaggerates the militant threat to justify its firm grip on energy-rich Xinjiang, which abuts Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. The post China Denounces US for Sending Uighur 'Terrorists' to Slovakia appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
| Cambodian Troops Quash Protest at Garment Factory Posted: 02 Jan 2014 08:56 PM PST  A worker who had been taking part in a protest is escorted by Cambodian soldiers after clashes broke out, on the outskirts of Phnom Penh Jan. 2, 2014. (Photo: Reuters) PHNOM PENH — Cambodian soldiers forcefully quelled a demonstration by garment factory workers who were striking for better pay Thursday, detaining Buddhist monks and labor leaders. Soldiers from a military special command unit carrying metal pipes, knives, AK-47 rifles, slingshots and batons clashed with workers at a factory in an outlying area of Phnom Penh, local human rights group LICADHO said. Its statement said 10 people were taken into military custody and that monks and workers were beaten. National Military Police spokesman Kheng Tito said those arrested had led hundreds of protesting workers in trying to destroy factory property by throwing stones and iron objects. Workers at most of the country's more than 500 garment factories are on strike, demanding an increase in the minimum wage to US$160 a month, double the current rate. The government has offered $100 a month. The violence comes at a time of political stress, as the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party has protested daily for Prime Minister Hun Sen to step down and call new elections. Hun Sen won elections last July that extended his 28-year rule in the poor Southeast Asia nation, but protesters led by opposition head Sam Rainsy accuse him of rigging the vote. Hun Sen has rejected their demand. Although the wage and election issues are not directly linked, Cambodia's opposition has had long and close ties with the country's labor movement. The workers represent a potent political force, because the garment industry is Cambodia's biggest export earner, employing about 500,000 people in garment and shoe factories. In 2012, the Southeast Asian country shipped more $4 billion worth of products to the United States and Europe. On Sunday, many workers joined a massive political rally organized by the opposition. The Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia has called for factory owners to close their plants, ostensibly for fear of damage by protesters. The situation puts pressure both on the workers, who go without pay, and the government, which relies on garment exports to power the economy. In an evident effort to increase the pressure on Hun Sen, the association on Thursday sent a letter to the government asking that their members be allowed to export capital equipment to other countries, because they were unable to operate in Cambodia. There was no immediate response from the government. LICADHO said that "The use of [military] Special Command Unit 911 to suppress demonstrations near Yak Jin factory in Phnom Penh's Pursenchey district is unprecedented and signals a disturbing new tactic by authorities to quash what have been largely peaceful protests." "Some of those held are believed to have been severely beaten as they were arrested," it said. The post Cambodian Troops Quash Protest at Garment Factory appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine. |
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