Democratic Voice of Burma

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• Burma’s fourth estate meet in Rangoon
• Bullet Points: 18 September 2014
• Severe floods swamp Shan border
• Karen rebels respond to orders to disarm
• Burmese migrants cleared as search goes on for Koh Tao killer

Burma’s fourth estate meet in Rangoon Posted: 18 Sep 2014 06:03 AM PDT The heavyweight players in Burma's press arena were in Rangoon on Thursday for a conference on media development. Ye Htut, recently promoted to the position of information minister, opened day one of the UNESCO-sponsored event. The event has been held yearly since 2012, when President Thein Sein began a programme of media reform by relaxing pre-publication censorship laws. The information minister emphasised the importance of media freedom during Burma’s democratisation. "As we already know, media reform is the most important process in President U Thein Sein's reform.To implement the reform process we didn't have enough experience of the press role in a democracy." The Interim Press Council was created by presidential decree in 2012, creating a singular body to mediate the often-malign relationship between Burma's government and fourth estate. Council members Ko Ko and Myint Kyaw were among the council representatives present on Thursday to discuss ethics and transparency in journalism. The involvement of former “exile” media organisations such as Mizzima and the Democratic Voice of Burma pointed to advances in press freedom in Burma since 2012. However, the conference comes almost exactly two months after five journalists were sentenced to ten years with hard labour for their work. Related Stories Picking on the little guys: Phuketwan British activist's defamation trial begins in Bangkok Unity five launch last appeal against harsh sentence The journalists, from Rangoon-based Unity Weekly journal, published a report in January alleging the existence of a secret chemical weapons factory. Eleven Media's Ma Khine and DVB's Zaw Pe also served prison terms this year, indicating what some call a backslide in media freedom in Burma.

Bullet Points: 18 September 2014 Posted: 18 Sep 2014 05:36 AM PDT On today's edition of Bullet Points: Search for missing mountaineers continues ABSFU condemn member’s detention Ye Htut opens Rangoon media conference You can watch Bullet Points every weeknight on DVB TV after the 7 o'clock news.

Severe floods swamp Shan border Posted: 18 Sep 2014 03:44 AM PDT Five residential areas of Tachilek, on the border between Shan State and northern Thailand, were devastated by floods on Wednesday evening. Heavy rains caused nearby mountain streams to overflow and sweep through low-lying towns. Houses in Talaw , Ponhtwan, Makahohkam, San Sai and Mae Khao in Tachilek town are reportedly submerged in several feet of water, and many stranded civilians were in need of rescue. "The water was about neck-deep and even higher in some areas," said Hla Moe, chairman of a local charity group, Tachilek Funeral Assistance Association. "We had to evacuate some residents in badly hit areas, physically carrying them out of their houses, where their beds and furniture were floating in the water." Schools in the region are closed until further notice. No deaths have been reported. While the extent of the damages have not been fully assessed, many market stalls in the town –which is a major trade hub between Burma and Thailand — were reported to be severely damaged. Earlier this month, Tachilek witnessed its worst flooding in 15 years, with more than 4,000 people forced to flee their homes, 800 houses submerged and large scale destruction of property and business assets.   Related Stories Karen rebels respond to orders to disarm Burmese migrants cleared as search goes on for Koh Tao killer Govt says Tasang dam will benefit Burma

Karen rebels respond to orders to disarm Posted: 18 Sep 2014 01:49 AM PDT An ethnic Karen rebel group has responded in kind to an order by the Burmese Army not to wear uniforms or carry firearms in certain government-controlled territory. A Burmese Army commander allegedly issued an order on 14 September to several ethnic armed groups in the area, prohibiting rebel uniforms and weapons in the Thai-Burmese border town of Myawaddy, Karen State. The KNU/KNLA Peace Council (KPC), a splinter group of the region's dominant Karen National Union (KNU), responded to the order by issuing a letter to the commander stating that Burmese troops are now likewise forbidden to enter KPC territories with uniforms or firearms. "The Burmese Army told us not to carry weapons or wear uniforms in their territories, so we issued the same restrictions against their troops," said KPC information officer Saw Min Win. Related Stories Severe floods swamp Shan border Burmese migrants cleared as search goes on for Koh Tao killer Govt says Tasang dam will benefit Burma The original order from the Burmese Army was reportedly sent to the KPC, the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) and another small armed group, the Klohtoobaw Karen Organisation, which was a splinter group formed out of the DKBA. A member of the KNU has denied receipt of the order, but told reporters earlier this week that they do not regularly wear uniforms or carry firearms in the town. According to the KPC, the order also required the armed groups to give prior notice to the Burmese Army if they must enter the town "for urgent reasons". The number of troops, weapons and vehicles must be disclosed in advance, the KPC officer said. Saw Min Win said that the issue will be on the agenda during upcoming talks between ethnic and government peace negotiators, scheduled to take place on 22 September in Rangoon. The KPC, a small ethnic armed group established in 2007 by former members of the KNU, signed a fresh peace pact with the government in February 2012. The group is a member of the ethnic peace negotiation bloc, Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team, but is not represented on the ethnic political alliance United Nationalities Federation Council.

Burmese migrants cleared as search goes on for Koh Tao killer Posted: 17 Sep 2014 10:55 PM PDT DNA tests have failed to provide a match and police are still working to identify the brutal beach killer of two British tourists on Koh Tao, southern Thailand, early Monday.   Police had initially detained and questioned three male migrant workers from Burma, but DNA tests and other evidence have ruled them out of the investigation. Investigators confirmed on Wednesday they are now questioning the roommate of the male victim for possible involvement in the savage murders which left the victims mutilated. Police sources said Christopher Alan Ware, 25, was stopped as he was about to leave Suvarnabhumi airport on Tuesday and placed under police questioning after police found what they thought was a pair of his bloodstained trousers in the luggage of the male victim David William Miller, 24.  Miller and Hannah Victoria Witheridge, 23, were found battered to death on a rocky beach on the island early on Monday morning following a party at a nearby resort. Investigators who searched Miller’s room found a pair of cream-coloured trousers with what they believed were bloodstains on both legs stuffed in Miller’s luggage, one of the sources said.  Several witnesses confirmed that Ware, who left the island for Bangkok on Monday evening, was wearing the trousers the night the two victims were murdered, the same source said.  Miller and Witheridge were seen partying on the beach with a group of about six people the night they were murdered, the source said.  The stained garment was immediately sent for analysis by the Institute of Forensic Medicine (IFM) at the Police General Hospital in Bangkok, the source said.  Ware was staying in the same room as Miller while on Koh Tao. Witheridge shared a bungalow with a female friend.  Following the deaths of Miller and Witheridge, police ordered Ware to undergo a physical examination after they found some bruises on his body and cuts on the back of his hands. The check, however, suggested the bruises and cuts probably occurred long before the murders. Ware has been questioned since his detention at the airport on Tuesday, the same police source said.  A DNA test was being conducted to compare his DNA with that taken from a lock of hair found in one of Witheridge’s hands, the source said.  Related Stories Severe floods swamp Shan border Karen rebels respond to orders to disarm Govt says Tasang dam will benefit Burma Ware had the same colour hair as that in Witheridge’s hand, the source said.  Royal Thai Police adviser Jarumporn Suramanee said on Wednesday that the DNA of 12 people had been tested, including nine samples from Burmese migrant workers and one from Ware.  The tests found none of the DNA matched that collected from semen found in the female victim’s body, he said.  However, the tests found that DNA from a cigarette near the scene matched the semen.  He said the stain found on the trousers was unlikely to be blood but a chemical substance.  A police officer who asked not to be named said as police investigators were trying to piece together the murders based on the evidence found and the findings from an initial inspection of the victims’ bodies, they believed Miller was attacked from behind. The victim was also believed to have engaged in a struggle with his assailant. Witheridge, meanwhile, was dragged away from the first attack spot, said the same police officer.  The officer said Witheridge did manage to run for some distance but was hit repeatedly in the face with a hoe which suggested whoever attacked her could have held a personal grudge against her.  Pol-Col Prachum Ruangthong, chief of Koh Phangan police station, said police were still looking at all possible scenarios for the murder, including a theory that the killing might have been committed by a man of Asian appearance captured on a security camera at the crime scene. Pol-Lt-Gen Panya Mamen, chief of Provincial Police Region 8, said later on Wednesday that the Asian-looking man in question had already been detained and was being questioned. He did not elaborate on the man’s identity, however. Pol-Maj-Gen Pornchai Suthirakhun, chief of the IFM, meanwhile, told reporters that forensic experts who performed post postmortems on the bodies of the victims have confirmed that they had found semen inside Witheridge’s body. The IFM was working to find out if the semen belonged to one or more men, he said. The IFM would also next compare the DNA from semen with DNA samples of the people considered as suspects in this case, Pol-Maj-Gen Pornchai said.  The IFM chief said the wounds to Miller’s hands and bruises on his back suggested he probably fought with his attacker before being dragged to the ground.  Witheridge was found to have died from head injuries. Miller appeared to have also died from head injuries. Water was also found in his lungs, Pol-Maj-Gen Pornchai said.  There were no signs that Miller had been sexually assaulted, he added.  “From the wounds [to both victims' heads] it cannot be certain what exact type of weapons the attacker used on their victims. The only fact known here is the weapons were blunt objects,” he said.  The autopsies were completed and the bodies could now be released to their families, he said.  Pol-Maj-Gen Pornchai said the families of both victims were on their way to Thailand.  Pol-Lt-Gen Panya said that six migrant workers and several Thai nationals had already been questioned. In response to media reports that some British tourists associated with the two murdered Britons had already returned home in the UK, he said that only three females who were friends of Witheridge had already left Thailand. This article was first published in the Bangkok Post on 17 September 2014.

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The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Most Pillars of Mandalay’s Golden Palace Monastery to Be Replaced
• 26 Years After Coup, Military Still in the Driving Seat on Road to Reform
• From Berlin to Burma, Democracy’s Uneven March
• Burmese Migrants Cleared of Tourist Killings in Thailand
• Pair of Burmese Migrants Slashed to Death in Malaysia
• Search for Missing Hkakabo Razi Climbers Gets International Boost
• ‘It Was a Tragic Scene to See the Dead Bodies of Our Brothers and Sisters’
• Army Tortured 6 Chin Farmers, Rights Group Alleges
• Chinese Hacked US Military Contractors, Senate Panel Finds
• Cambodia Deploys Troops as Garment Workers Renew Wage Campaign
• New al Qaeda Wing in South Asia Claims Major Attack
• Business With Bounce

Most Pillars of Mandalay’s Golden Palace Monastery to Be Replaced Posted: 18 Sep 2014 06:49 AM PDT The Golden Palace Monastery, also known as Shwe Nan Daw Kyaung Monastery. (Photo: Tay Za Hlaing / The Irrawaddy) MANDALAY — International experts of the World Monument Fund who are involved in restoring Mandalay's Golden Palace Monastery said most of the pillars of the century-old, teak wood building have to be replaced as the wood has rotted away or was eaten by termites. "The pillars under the terrace are in a bad condition. We found some pillars are decaying, some have huge amount of fungus inside. Some pillars are hollow at the center because of termites," said Brian Ridout of Ridout Associates, a consultant hired by the World Monument Fund for the project. "The wood getting wet is not the problem, but if wood gets wet and stays wet, the fungus and termites will start to attack. In the case of these pillars, the water is getting in and just sitting there," said Ridout, who specializes in timber decay in historic buildings. He said that 70 to 80 percent of the numerous pillars were damaged, adding that, "We need to replace the seriously damaged timbers. We need to apply a treatment to the timber that we can retain. "We need to make sure the caps fit on the top of the pillars so that the water cannot get down to the site. We need to repair the concrete underneath so the water isn't sopping in." Jeff Allen, program director of World Monument Fund for the conservation project, said the team was also carrying out three-dimensional scans of the building that would help it plan the restoration work. "The laser-scanning team will be back in Mandalay soon with the 3-D images," he said. "Studying from those images will let us understand the structure and environs of Shwe Kyaung. From that we will be able to know the best way forward for the restoration works." Naing Win, an officer from Department of Archaeology of the Culture Ministry, said, "We are currently doing the research and conservation works together. In January next year, we will do the major repairs. Currently, we are still investigating." The Ministry of Culture is working with the World Monument Fund to implement the two-year, US $500,000 restoration project, which started in February and is being funded by the US Embassy. The Golden Palace Monastery, also known as Shwe Nan Daw Kyaung Monastery, was originally covered with gold leaf, inside and out, glass mosaics inside and decorated from roof to floor with wood carvings that show Buddhist myths. It was originally a royal chamber of King Mindon and was located inside Mandalay Palace compound. After King Mindon passed away, his son, Khing Thibaw moved it out of the palace compound and turned it into a monastery. During World War II, aerial bombards destroyed the central palace compound and most of the historical buildings in Mandalay. However, the Golden Palace Monastery survived and remains as the only original structure of 19th century palace’s buildings. The post Most Pillars of Mandalay's Golden Palace Monastery to Be Replaced appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

26 Years After Coup, Military Still in the Driving Seat on Road to Reform Posted: 18 Sep 2014 06:43 AM PDT Exactly 26 years ago, shortly after the Burma Army had seized power through a coup d'état, I met up with friends in the safety of a shuttered tea shop in downtown Rangoon. As we spoke, I could see convoys of soldiers drive through the streets, passing by the bodies of unarmed protesters who still lay there after having been shot earlier that day or the night before. Outside, a shot was fired at a young man who was brave enough to defy the soldiers and raise his fist. In the shop, we quickly ducked to the ground. The generals who seized power that day stayed on through more than two decades of repression. They are the same people who carefully planned to open up Burma in a managed transition to nominally civilian rule, after first ensuring themselves a role in the new government by rigging the 2010 elections. When I first went back to the country in 2012, after having left in late 1988, I quickly noticed that Burma's celebrated transition had left the same military and political elite in control of politics, economy and wealth. Former and active generals still run the show, and continue to dictate how the Burmese public, opposition, activists and media should behave. We don't need international political analysts, the UN and other big donor institutions to produce piles of assessments and country reports to analyze the intentions of this government—for many of the military's long-time critics it has already become clear. Though President Thein Sein said in his speeches that he welcomes Burmese exiles back to develop our impoverished country, we have experienced that the reality is different and his message lacks sincerity. Aung Zaw is founder and editor of the Irrawaddy magazine. He can be reached at aungzaw@irrawaddy.org. Even to enter Burma is becoming difficult again these days, with exiles, activists and journalists struggling to obtain visas, while those who are critical of the current government are at risk of being deported or barred from entry. On the one hand, exiles who signaled that they are willing to relinquish politics, critical journalism and activism can be invited to cooperate with the government, especially through business deals or apolitical development projects that bring in donor funding. But those who want to continue to highlight government wrongdoings, fight against rights abuses and push for political change will find a government that has no intention of welcoming them. Despite the lifting of junta-style, draconian media controls in recent years, us exiled journalists, who decided to bring back skills, experience and news organizations to our own country, have found it difficult because we continue critical reporting. The Ministry of Information, under control of the recently-appointed Minister Ye Htut, is filled with ex-army officers seeking to curb independent journalism and to spread the government's message through state-controlled media, much as it did under the previous military regime. With abundant government resources, the ministry now plans to transform state-run newspapers, radio and television—the regime's old propaganda outlets—into more modern-sounding "public service media", probably with the aim of drowning out and undercutting the market for independent media. It seems unlikely that public service radio and television will become sufficiently independent from the government, and Ye Htut has indicated that Burma will become one of the few countries in the world that will continue to have state-owned daily newspapers. "We will create public service [print] media because most of our public gets information from print media—our digital penetration rate is low. We will make it successful," Ye Htut told the 3rd Conference on Media Development in Myanmar, in Rangoon on Thursday. However, it is important for activists, journalists and former exiles in Burma to remember the past decades of repression and remain critical of this government and "not drink the Kool-Aid". The late journalist and pro-democracy activists Win Tin told everyone, "I don't trust this government." Indeed, it is not our job as journalists to trust the government, and certainly not one filled with former military men who have yet to apologize for crushing democracy 26 years ago. The post 26 Years After Coup, Military Still in the Driving Seat on Road to Reform appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

From Berlin to Burma, Democracy’s Uneven March Posted: 18 Sep 2014 06:35 AM PDT People mark the 26th anniversary of Burma's Aug. 8, 1988, uprising in Rangoon earlier this year. (Photo: Sai Zaw / The Irrawaddy) The 8-8-88 uprising occurred in Burma (as it was then known) more than 26 years ago, but it was only 25 years later, in August 2013, that the people of Myanmar (as it is now called) were officially allowed to commemorate it. Today marks another significant anniversary in the country's long struggle for democracy: Sept. 18, the day 26 years ago that a military coup brought about the violent suppression of the 1988 uprising. A little over a month ago, the anniversary of another blow for global democracy transpired. Aug. 13 marked the 53rd anniversary of the start of construction on the Berlin Wall, which was subsequently "torn down" on Nov. 9, 1989. Whereas the Berlin Wall lasted "only" 28 years, communism in East Germany lasted about 41 years, from 1949 until 1990. But unlike the Berlin Wall, the edifice of authoritarianism first constructed by the late Gen. Ne Win's military coup in 1962—only a few months after the Berlin Wall's construction began—lingers on. In the early 1980s, I recall watching on television as the late US President Ronald Reagan confidently reply in the affirmative when asked whether Berlin would one day be one city again. And as in almost all of his extraordinarily lucky life, "The Gipper" was again fortunate to see his prediction come to fruition when, on Oct. 3, 1990, Berlin was reunited. In the lead up to that historic moment, Reagan on June 12, 1987, delivered a famous speech in which he demanded, "Mr. Gorbachev: Tear down this wall," in front of the Brandenburg Gate, a stone's throw from the Berlin Wall dividing East and West Germany. Less than 30 months later, the Berlin Wall was literally "torn down," with jubilant East and West Germans using sledgehammers and the like to pulverize the partition. Yet "one more" for the Gipper. But I do not want to see this note serve as a paean for the Gipper, who was also known as "The Great Communicator." Bucking conventional wisdom, I argue that it was NOT Reagan and the late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's policies (at least not solely, or even significantly) that led to communism's downfall in most—but not all—of Cold War communist countries. It was, to borrow a communist term itself, the "inner contradictions" of communism that largely led to its downfall. The father of communism Karl Marx said capitalism would eventually "fall" due to its inner contradictions. Instead, internal instability, injustices within communist regimes, and general economic mismanagement were mainly responsible for communism's supposed downfall in many countries. Reagan and Thatcher just happened to be in power at the time. Even 25 years after the fall of communism in Eastern Europe and the countries of the former Soviet Union, at least five countries can be said to remain communist, at least in terms of a political orientation by which only a single communist party is allowed to exist. They are North Korea, China, Cuba, Vietnam and Laos. With China alone, more than one-sixth of the world's population can be said to be governed by political communism. Has communism really fallen? Though democrats are keen to trumpet their Cold War "triumph," the events of the late 1980s and early 1990s should not be considered the last word in a supposed global consensus on systems of governance. Before China cracked down on pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square and the tide turned against the former Soviet Union, in another part of the world Burma for a few weeks in 1988 looked itself to be on the verge of a historic change. I think it was the US Congressmen Stephen Solarz who told BBC Radio at the height of the failed uprising in August 1988 that "the Burmese people will get democracy whether as a result of [further bloodshed] or not." Well, he was wrong, at least up to this point. There was further bloodshed, when the Burmese Army crushed the 1988 uprising beginning with the military coup of Sept. 18. And again yet more blood was spilled during the failed Saffron Revolution of 2007. In the quarter century since the 1988 uprising, only in the last few years have the Burmese gotten a taste of a few dollops of "trickle down democracy," a concept which Reagan, at least economically, could appreciate. President Thein Sein apparently has said, in effect, that we should not "rush" to democracy so I surmise that democracy à la Thein Sein must "trickle down" to the people in a "disciplined manner." On Sept. 10, 1988, the one-party legislature (Pyithu Hluttaw in Burmese) adopted a resolution to hold "multiparty elections" within three months. The late Dr. Maung Maung, at the time the president of the Pyithu Hluttaw, said it might take 20 to 25 years to determine whether a multiparty system would work for Burma. More than 25 years after Maung Maung's speech, the Burmese still do not have a genuine multiparty system. Instead, in my not-so-humble, unapologetic view, we have at best a quasi-civilian praetorian system in which the Army still dominates the so-called "disciplined democracy" that the generals themselves created. So much for the predictions of Stephen Solarz about the Burmese people "getting" democracy. And also the observations of the late Dr. Maung Maung about the time that it would take to evaluate how a genuine multiparty system would work in practice. On this, the 26th anniversary of Burma's most recent military coup, it's worth noting how far we've yet to go. Authoritarian praetorianism in Burma is proving to be a much tougher wall to climb—let alone tear down—than its Berlinian counterpart. The post From Berlin to Burma, Democracy's Uneven March appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Burmese Migrants Cleared of Tourist Killings in Thailand Posted: 18 Sep 2014 05:57 AM PDT Pictures of killed British tourists David Miller and Hannah Witheridge and a message of support is displayed during special prayers at Koh Tao island on Sept. 18, 2014. (Photo: Reuters / Sitthipong Charoenjai) CHIANG MAI, Thailand – Six Burmese migrants were released by Thai police on Wednesday, two days after they were detained on suspicion of involvement in the grisly murder of two British tourists on the resort island of Koh Tao. The investigation, however, is ongoing into the deaths of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller, whose battered bodies were found on a beach on Monday in southern Thailand. Htoo Chit, executive director of the Thailand-based migrant rights group Foundation for Education and Development, said the six Burmese migrant workers were released after Thai police questioned them and administered DNA tests. "Police conducted DNA tests on all of them. And their DNA had nothing to do with the murder, so they were not guilty. They all were released on Wednesday," Htoo Chit said. Thai police also detained and questioned British brothers Christopher and Alan Ware, who were friends of Miller, but released them after DNA tests failed to link them to the murders. So far, DNA tests have matched none of the 12 suspects detained by police. Htoo Chit said the swift rounding up of the six migrants was symptomatic of widespread discrimination against Burmese nationals, who represent the largest contingent of Thailand's foreign workforce. "If something bad happens here, they [Thai authorities] usually eye or blame Burmese migrant workers. They [Burmese migrants] will be the first to be summoned for questioning. It is standard practice." At the same time, Burmese migrants are particularly vulnerable to abuse or mistreated in Thailand, Htoo Chit said, citing the murders last month of two Burmese nationals. Hla Thein and Aung Min Thein were found dead in Phangan, Surat Thani province, on Aug. 15, their bodies having suffered both knife and gun wounds. There has been no indication that an investigation has been opened into the case, Htoo Chit said, adding that the Burmese Embassy in Bangkok had also neglected the case. "So far, no one knows who killed the two Burmese brothers," Htoo Chit said. "The [Burmese] government should deal with the case to protect Burmese people who come to work in Thailand," he added. The number of Burmese nationals working in Thailand is estimated to be as high as 3 million, with hundreds of thousands undocumented. The post Burmese Migrants Cleared of Tourist Killings in Thailand appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Pair of Burmese Migrants Slashed to Death in Malaysia Posted: 18 Sep 2014 03:54 AM PDT Myo Pai, a leader of a Kuala Lumpur-based free funeral services group, standing right in a white shirt, beside the coffin of Ko Tony on July 9. Myo Pai was killed later that same day. (Photo: Sakhunna Ung) Two more Burmese migrant workers in Malaysia's Penang State were murdered on Sunday, bringing the number killed this year in the fellow Southeast Asian nation to about 20, according to a Kuala Lumpur-based migrant advocacy group. San Win, chairman of the Myanmar Free Funeral Service in the Malaysian capital, said one man was stabbed repeatedly in his abdomen and ribs and the other victim had had his throat slit. Their bodies were found by police in an oil palm plantation on Monday. "They worked in a factory in Butterworth town, in Seberang Perai in Penang," San Win said. "They did not arrive home on Sunday, September 14, after work. Their friends thought they were visiting around, but they did not show up for work on Monday morning and friends started to look for them. When they reported their disappearance to the Malaysian police, the police told them about the two dead bodies found in the plantation." The two men—both ethnic Arakanese—were identified by their friends as Kyaw Thar Hla, 32, from Mrauk U, and Kyaw Aye Hlaing, 29, from Rathedaung Township. San Win said Malaysia police were investigating the case, but had not yet announced any arrests. "Their bodies have been placed at the Seberang Jaya hospital before cremation," he said. Lin Maung Maung, the assistant to the secretaries of the Burmese Embassy in Malaysia, said the embassy had been notified of the two men's deaths. Nine Burmese were killed and 15 others were injured in Malaysia last May when anti-Muslim riots broke out in the Burmese towns of Meikhtila and Lashio. San Win said since then, at least two migrants were victims of grisly murders every month. In August, a Burmese man from Prome Township in Pegu Division was slashed to pieces in Penang. In early July, four Burmese were killed by unknown attackers in Penang. Malaysian online media reported that Kyaw Thar Hla and Kyaw Aye Hlaing were the victims of "communal murders" between the Burmese Buddhist and Muslim Rohingya communities in Malaysia. Lin Maung Maung, however, cautioned against drawing premature conclusions. "Because the murders happen mostly at night, finding the killers is hard as there are no eyewitnesses," he said. "All we can do is remind the Malaysian police to keep investigating." San Win said the Burmese government should put pressure on Malaysian authorities to crack the unsolved murder cases. On Monday, Brig-Gen Kyaw Zan Myint, Burma's minister of home affairs, was asked by a parliamentarian about government efforts to protect Burma's overseas workers. The minister said authorities were "working on the matter," adding that Burma's police were working with their Malaysian counterparts on the spate of killings. The post Pair of Burmese Migrants Slashed to Death in Malaysia appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Search for Missing Hkakabo Razi Climbers Gets International Boost Posted: 18 Sep 2014 03:40 AM PDT A helicopter used in search efforts for two Burmese mountaineers in Kachin State. (Photo: Facebook / Htoo Foundation) RANGOON — A pair of US mountaineers will join the search for two Burmese climbers who have been missing for more than two weeks on Hkakabo Razi, regarded as Southeast Asia's tallest mountain, after a Chinese crew decided to relaunch its rescue efforts from Tibet. Phyo Ko Ko, a spokesperson from the Htoo Foundation, told The Irrawaddy that the Chinese team that traveled to Burma last week returned to China in the face of bad weather and other hardships encountered in northern Kachin State's Putao Township. Htoo Foundation, the philanthropic branch of Burmese tycoon Tay Za's sprawling business conglomerate, has pledged to aid in the search. "They said they will try to ascend Hkakabo Razi from the Chinese side with the help of other rescue teams in China," Phyo Ko Ko said. The Chinese Embassy in Rangoon posted a message on its Facebook page on Wednesday, quoting a representative from the search team: "We will not delay or stop the rescue operation for any reason," the spokesperson for the Blue Sky Search team was quoted as saying. "Now time is of the essence. We will try our best to be successful in the rescue." The Htoo Foundation spokesman Phyo Ko Ko said two pilots from Thailand, who are veterans of a previous rescue mission of Tay Za himself, arrived in Putao on Wednesday with a B4 helicopter to use in the operation. A team from Nepal and more Americans are also expected to join the effort, Phyo Ko Ko said. "We offered the international rescue teams to make the search effectively, safely and to find them as fast as we can. We have offered professional rescue teams from America, Nepal, and Thailand since the rescue mission started," he said, adding that four helicopters were being used in the search efforts. Phyo Ko Ko said the Americans would arrive to Rangoon on Friday morning, and would then travel onward to Putao. They were part of a team that summited Gamlang Razi last year, at the time sparking a controversy over which of the two mountain peaks was actually Southeast Asia's tallest. Eight climbers set out to summit Hkakabo Razi on July 31. However, only two climbers—Aung Myint Myat and Wai Yan Min Thu—were able to continue to the top because the final stretch of the climb was too narrow. Providing their GPS location, the two men sent a message on Aug. 31 to the others when they reached the peak, becoming the first Burmese climbers to do so. They were supposed to meet back at base camp on Sept. 9 but lost contact on their descent down the mountain and have not been heard from since. The post Search for Missing Hkakabo Razi Climbers Gets International Boost appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

‘It Was a Tragic Scene to See the Dead Bodies of Our Brothers and Sisters’ Posted: 18 Sep 2014 01:56 AM PDT The iconic photo in which medical student Win Zaw (L) and house surgeon Dr Saw Lwin carry 16-year-old pro-democracy protestor Win Maw Oo to an ambulance after she was fatally shot on September 18, 1988. (Photo: S. Lehman / Visions) On Sept 18, 1988, the Burma Army carried out a coup d'état after having launched a brutal crackdown on a democratic uprising that was sweeping through Burma's towns and cities. It was the beginning another two decades of brutal repression. The story below, which first appeared on Aug 5, 2013, talks to two doctors who were involved in saving those who were injured during the crackdown.  RANGOON — Twenty five years ago, the streets of Rangoon swelled with hundreds of thousands of protestors demanding an end to Burma's military dictatorship. After government troops opened fire on them, hundreds were seriously injured. Many would have died if it had not been for Dr Myat Htoo Razak and Dr Win Zaw. Like many doctors and nurses, the young house surgeon and medical student worked around the clock to save the lives of injured protestors during the hectic days of the 8888 Uprising. Myat Htoo Rrazak recalled the unforgettable scenes that he witnessed on August 9, 1988, one day after popular, nationwide pro-democracy demonstrations started in Rangoon and other cities across Burma. "Some of them were shot in their chests, arms and legs," he said in a recent interview with The Irrawaddy. "Two of them were seriously injured; one was shot in his head and another one shot in his eye." Dr Myat Htoo Razak, 49, recalls saving the lives of injured 8888 demonstrators. (Photo: Jpaing / The Irrawaddy) The then 24-year-old house surgeon and his team had arrived at the Maternal and Child Welfare Association in Rangoon's North Okkalapa Township shortly before troops began to fire on crowds of peaceful demonstrators, who had gathered nearby. One monk who made a speech urging protestors to keep marching was fatally shot. Many protestors ran into the building to flee the gunfire, some were bleeding from bullet wounds in their torsos, arms and legs. The medical team, which came from North Okkalapa Hospital, had already prepared emergency treatment facilities as they feared that authorities might launch a violent crackdown on the demonstrations. Myat Htoo Razak and three other house surgeons (young doctors who are still undergoing practical training) and nurses started treating the many wounded. But soon, soldiers surrounded the Maternal and Child Welfare Association and two captains entered building to intimidate the demonstrators. "We just used rubber bullets. Or else, you would have all been dead," one of them said looking at injured protestors. The captain's heartless words infuriated Myat Htoo Razak but he tried to cope with his anger for the sake of his patients. The would-be doctor then asked the officers to transport two seriously wounded patients to North Okkalapa Hospital. In the meantime, more injured people were coming into the building. Myat Htoo Razak and his small team kept treating the injured until late afternoon. When he got back to North Okkalapa Hospital, the troops were shooting right in front of the building. "We didn't even need to go too far to carry patients as they were shooting in front of the hospital. The injured people were just carried into the hospital. Inside, we treated many of the injured people," he said. While the doctors like Myat Htoo Razak worked ceaselessly to operate on the many wounded, pools of blood covered the hospital floors and numerous bodies arrived at the mortuary. "It was a tragic scene to see the dead bodies of our brothers and sisters," he said. For 10 days, government violence continued and wounded pro-democracy demonstrators filled the wards of hospitals and clinics in Rangoon and across Burma. When Dr Maung Maung, a civilian, became interim president on August 19 the shootings ended and people from all walks of life joined the demonstrations, which had now spread nationwide, from Burma's big cities to tiny villages throughout the country. On September 18, the military staged a coup d'état and the crackdown worsened. Troops shot down many more demonstrators, including schoolchildren, students, civil servants and housewives. An estimated total of 3,000 people were killed and many more protestors were injured in August and September of 1988. For the injured, doctors, nurses and house surgeons like Myat Htoo Razak, provided life-saving care at a critical moment in the country's history. The 88' pro-democracy movement was the biggest people power uprising that Burma had seen since gaining independence from Britain in 1948. It toppled the country's oppressive authoritarian regime of military strongman Ne Win and his Burma Socialist Programme Party, which had ruled the country for 26 years. The military coup and subsequent crackdown on the 8888 Uprising, however, would leave the army in charge for two more decades. Another medical student who helped treat Burma's brave protestors at the time was Win Zaw. Doctors, nurses and medical staffs not only treated the injured, but also took part in the demonstrations, and 23-year-old Win Zaw joined a group of medical students who staged a hunger strike on September 18 at Rangoon's University of Medicine. After the army staged a coup at 4 pm that day, it announced that all demonstrators should disperse and leave their camps and the streets. Dr. Win Zaw, 48, treated numerous injured protestors in 1988. (Photo: Jpaing / The Irrawaddy) Win Zaw and his fellow students went to Rangoon General Hospital and spent the night helping doctors in treating hundreds of demonstrators who had been shot by troops as they tried to clear the streets of Rangoon. The next morning, at about 10:30 am, Win Zaw and doctors got news that the troops had again opened fire on protestors. Win Zaw quickly joined a small team that included a surgeon named Win Ko, two doctors and another house surgeon by the name of Dr Saw Lwin. They drove through the streets collecting the wounded, putting as many as 15 patients into their small ambulance. After two runs to pick up the victims, they heard that shots had been fired at a demonstration near Sule Pagoda in central Rangoon As they reached the pagoda, it became clear that the troops had committed a massacre. "It is a scene that I can never forget for the rest of life. There were a lot of bodies and injured people on street," Win Zaw recalled in an interview. "A photo of our Bogyoke [Aung San] was on the street, our fighting peacock flag [the symbol of students' movement] was also down, sandals were scattered and pools of blood were everywhere." As they looked among the numerous bodies for protestors who were still alive, Win Zaw noticed one young girl who was breathing faintly. He approached and heard her murmur, "Brother, help me." Win Zaw lifted the girl by her arms while house surgeon Saw Lwin held her legs. Wearing white physician duty coats, they carried her to the nearby ambulance. At that time, he noticed a flash of a camera and heard one of the soldiers bellowing: "Don't take pictures! Or else, we'll shoot!" At that time, Win Zaw had no idea the picture would become an internationally well-known, historic picture that symbolized just how brutal the army's crackdown on innocent protestors had been. Later, he found out that the young girl's name was Win Maw Oo, a 16-year-old high school student. On that dark day, September 19, 1988, Win Zaw's team made seven runs to collect the wounded from Rangoon's blood-covered streets. Another ambulance team of Rangoon General Hospital conducted a similar number of emergency rescues. By the evening, he learned Win Maw Oo was being treated at the intensive care unit and that she was still alive after having suffered gunshot wounds in one arm, one leg and a lung. At 5:35 pm, however, she died. The medical staff also risked their lives by going out and collecting wounded protestors from Rangoon's streets. Myat Htoo Razak remembers that at least one medical student was shot and killed, while another required a life-saving operation. Myat Htoo Razak and a senior surgeon, Dr Kyaw Myint Naing, operated on final-year medical student Moe Thu Win for six and a half hours after a bullet had shredded the main artery in his arm. The doctors thought they might have to amputate the limb, but eventually the operation was successful. During 10 days of bloody repression in 1988, the doctors continuously treated injured protestors, although some of the wounded didn't dare to come to hospitals out of fear that the military would arrest them there. For some medical staff, their work would have repercussions later. The military had taken note of Win Zaw and Saw Lwin after the photo of their rescue of the young girl Win Maw Oo became famous the world over. Four years later, the notorious Military Intelligence's unit-6, better known as MI-6, detained Dr Win Zaw for five days and asked him about the details of the events of that day. For his colleague Dr Saw Lwin the consequences would be far greater, however. The military authorities forced Saw Lwin's father to retire from his position as the director of a government department. This pressure on his family caused Saw Lwin to sink into a deep depression. Years later, he committed suicide. Until this day, Win Zaw said, Saw Lwin's family cannot bear to watch the tragic picture of their rescue attempt. For both Dr Win Zaw and Dr Myat Htoo Razak the events of 1988 were life defining moments, and all these years later both say they are still dedicated to establishing genuine democracy in Burma. "The 88 uprising shaped our lives," said Myat Htoo Razak, who now lives in the United States and has worked on HIV/Aids research and strengthening health care systems in Asia and Africa. Win Zaw, who is now secretary of the Myanmar Medical Association's General Practitioners Society, said, "In fact, we are still waiting to get what we demanded 25 years ago." The post 'It Was a Tragic Scene to See the Dead Bodies of Our Brothers and Sisters' appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Army Tortured 6 Chin Farmers, Rights Group Alleges Posted: 18 Sep 2014 01:25 AM PDT Chin activists and a farmer speak during a press conference in Rangoon on Wednesday, during which they accused the Burma Army of torturing six Chin farmers. (Photo: Yen Snaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Chin human rights activists and politicians have accused a Burma Army unit of the arbitrary detention and torture of six ethnic Chin farmers, saying that the soldiers beat the men during nine days in custody because they suspected them of supporting Chin rebels. During a press conference in Rangoon on Wednesday, Chin activists and a politician alleged that Maj. Tin Htut Oo of the Light Infantry Unit 344 in Chin State's Palatwa Township ordered the arrest of the farmers during a harvest festival held in Kone Pyin village on Aug 24. Thirteen soldiers arrested six farmers in the village after three armed members of the Chin National Front (CNF) attended the festival and were offered a meal. The villagers were allegedly held in custody for nine days, during which they were tied up and received beatings while being questioned about their affiliation with the Chin rebels. They were released after being forced to sign a statement pledging that they would no longer have any contact with the CNF. Aung Kyaw Hla, one of the farmers, said, "We held a harvest festival on the farm. Three soldiers from CNF arrived to look for [vegetables and meat] while we were eating, and so they ate with us. "The soldiers of the [Burma] army arrived and said: 'Why did you invite them, not us?' Then they were angry and they beat us." Aung Kyaw Hla was visiting Rangoon with the support of Chin activists in order to receive treatment for a neck injury and a possible blood clot in his brain, injuries he sustained as a result of his detention, journalists at the press conference were told. The six farmers also received support to file an official complaint against the Burma Army unit major in a letter sent to the Chin State chief minister. Chin National Democratic Party Secretary Ceu Bik Thawng called for an investigation and punishment for the involved officers. "We are calling on authorities to take action against those who tortured [the farmers] without any concrete reason, while the farmers were just living at their village peacefully," he said. Isaac Khen, director of the Gender Development Institute in Rangoon, said the soldiers could not arrest Chin farmers for having contact with the CNF because the group has signed a ceasefire with the central government. "Whether the CNF has breached ceasefire agreement conditions or not, does not concern ordinary Chin… If the [Burmese] military want to accuse CNF soldiers of carrying weapons, they can go through the [ceasefire] complaint mechanism," he said. Lian Bawi Thang, country program coordinator of the Chin Human Rights Organization, said the abuse of Chin villagers by soldiers was common and a clear violation of civilians' rights. "We have noticed that there is a lack of rule of law [in Chin State]. We have seen torture, threats and forced confession," he said. For decades, the Burma Army has been accused of carrying out rights abuses, such as torture, rape and extrajudicial killings, against the ethnic civilians in the country's rugged periphery, where dozens of ethnic rebel groups have fought a long-running insurgency. Rights group said the violations are committed with impunity and that soldiers often go unpunished or come away with light sentences at military tribunals. Under past military regimes, the draconian Unlawful Association Law was often used to detain and charge ethnic civilians and politicians for suspected contact with banned armed group. Since 2012, when President Thein Sein's reformist government began signing ceasefires with numerous rebel groups, the law has been used less frequently. The post Army Tortured 6 Chin Farmers, Rights Group Alleges appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Chinese Hacked US Military Contractors, Senate Panel Finds Posted: 17 Sep 2014 10:13 PM PDT Motorcyclists ride past ‘Unit 61398′, a secretive Chinese military unit, in the outskirts of Shanghai February 19, 2013. The unit is believed to be behind a series of hacking attacks, a U.S. computer security company said. (Photo: Reuters) WASHINGTON — Hackers associated with the Chinese government have repeatedly infiltrated the computer systems of U.S. airlines, technology companies and other contractors involved in the movement of U.S. troops and military equipment, a U.S. Senate panel has found. The Senate Armed Services Committee’s year-long probe, concluded in March but made public on Wednesday, found the military’s U.S. Transportation Command, or Transcom, was aware of only two out of at least 20 such cyber intrusions within a single year. The investigation also found gaps in reporting requirements and a lack of information sharing among U.S. government entities. That in turn left the U.S. military largely unaware of computer compromises of its contractors. "These peacetime intrusions into the networks of key defense contractors are more evidence of China’s aggressive actions in cyberspace," Democratic Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, the committee’s chairman, said in releasing the report. Officials with the Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately comment. Cybersecurity expert Dmitri Alperovitch, chief technology officer with the security firm Crowdstrike, said China had for years shown a keen interest in th the logistical patterns of the U.S. military. The investigation focused on the U.S. military’s ability to seamlessly tap civilian air, shipping and other transportation assets for tasks including troop deployments and the timely arrival of supplies from food to ammunition to fuel. Those companies typically do not have the level of defense against hackers as major weapons makers or the military itself. "The military uses secret or top-secret networks that are not on the Internet, but private companies do not," said Alperovitch. "That’s a real challenge." The FBI said in a statement that it "continues to aggressively investigate cyber intrusions emanating from state-sponsored actors and other criminals. "We remain committed to working with our interagency partners to identify threats, protect the nation’s infrastructure from potential harm, and hold accountable those groups and individuals that pose a threat in cyberspace," the statement added. In a 12-month period beginning June 1, 2012, there were about 50 intrusions or other cyber events into the computer networks of Transcom contractors, the 52-page report stated. At least 20 of those were successful intrusions attributed to an "advanced persistent threat," a term used to designate sophisticated threats commonly associated with attacks against governments. All of those intrusions were attributed to China. Senator Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, the committee’s top Republican, called for a "central clearinghouse" that makes it easy for contractors to report suspicious cyber activity. "We must ensure that cyber intrusions cannot disrupt our mission readiness," Inhofe said. The investigation found that a "Chinese military intrusion" into a Transcom contractor between 2008 and 2010 "compromised emails, documents, user passwords and computer code." In 2012, another intrusion was made into multiple systems of a commercial ship contracted by Transcom, the report said. The Senate probe could further increase tensions between the two world powers over cyber spying. In May U.S. authorities charged five Chinese military officers, accusing them of hacking into American nuclear, metal and solar companies to steal trade secrets. Last month, Community Health Systems, one of the largest U.S. hospital groups, said Chinese hackers had stolen Social Security numbers and other personal data from some 4.5 million patients. The post Chinese Hacked US Military Contractors, Senate Panel Finds appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Cambodia Deploys Troops as Garment Workers Renew Wage Campaign Posted: 17 Sep 2014 10:03 PM PDT Garment workers shout during a protest calling for higher wages in Phnom Penh on Sept. 17, 2014. (Photo: Reuters / Samrang Pring) PHNOM PENH — Cambodia deployed armed troops in its capital on Wednesday as garment workers held rallies to revive a campaign for higher wages that had helped to stoke a year-long political crisis. About 500 textile workers rallied in an industrial suburb of Phnom Penh, demanding a sharp hike in the monthly minimum wage to US$177 from US$100, as dozens of soldiers armed with assault rifles watched. Witnesses said army helicopters flew over the factories earlier. About 100 police were also deployed at economic zones in Svay Rieng province, bordering Vietnam, where garment workers also gathered, Pav Sina, president of the Collective Union Movement of Workers, told Reuters. "Why is our government so afraid of its own people, especially people who are only protesting to earn a basic salary?" said Naly Pilorge, director of rights group Licadho. Licardo said two union leaders were arrested by police. But no incidents of violence were reported. The growth of the garment sector has become a vital but troublesome issue for the government of long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen. It has been a boon for the fledgling economy, providing as many as half a million jobs and generating $5 billion annually, but frequent protests by increasingly assertive unions have tested the government's patience. At stake if the campaign leads to prolonged strikes is the possibility of reduced orders from firms that outsource to Cambodian factories, such as Gap, Nike, H & M Hennes & Mauritz and Zara, owned by Inditex. "We want to send a message to all buyers that they must provide a basic wage," Ath Thon, president of the biggest independent union, the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers Democratic Union, told reporters at the rally. Cambodia's garment sector is dwarfed by those in China and Vietnam, but lower wages have lured brands to the country. However, complaints about "sweat shop" working conditions and a crackdown by security forces in January, which killed at least five people, could damage the reputations of the brands. Instability in Cambodia comes as Burma offers generous tax breaks to manufacturers and Vietnam, which exported $18 billion worth of textiles last year, negotiates a raft of global trade deals to slash tariffs. Ath Thon said an alliance of union activists was also lending support for Wednesday's campaign in numerous capital cities by delivering petitions to Cambodian embassies and high street stores selling garments made in Cambodia. IndustriALL, which represents 50 million workers in 140 countries, said campaign activities had taken place in Australia, Belgium and Switzerland. "They understand that Cambodia's garment sector has victimized many workers and when they couldn't receive the basic wage, they protested and got killed," Ath Thon said, adding that 400,000 Cambodian textile workers participated in the campaign. The long-running dispute over pay looked to have been settled prior to last year's election, when the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia agreed to gradually raise the minimum wage to $160 by 2018. But things changed when the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) made an election campaign pledge to raise the figure further. CNRP won support from textile unions during its months of street protests to demand a re-run of a July 2013 poll it said was rigged by the ruling party. CNRP struck a deal with the Cambodian People's Party two months ago to end its year-long parliamentary boycott and a fragile truce remains, although it is unclear whether CNRP is backing the latest wage campaign. The post Cambodia Deploys Troops as Garment Workers Renew Wage Campaign appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

New al Qaeda Wing in South Asia Claims Major Attack Posted: 17 Sep 2014 09:55 PM PDT Pakistan Navy Zulfiqar-class frigate PNS Shamsheer docks at Port Sudan in Sudan's Red Sea State on Nov. 29, 2012. (Photo: Reuters) ISLAMABAD — Al Qaeda's South Asia wing has claimed responsibility for hijacking a Pakistani naval ship and trying to use it to fire rockets at US vessels in the Arabian Sea, in the first major assault by the newly created group. The SITE monitoring service quoted its spokesman, Usama Mahmoud, as saying a group of militants had succeeded in seizing control of the Pakistani frigate PNS Zulfiqar and tried to use it to attack nearby US vessels. "These mujahideen had taken control of the Pakistani ship, and they were advancing towards the American fleet when the Pakistani army stopped them," he said. "As a result, the mujahideen, the lions of Allah and benefactors of the Ummah, sacrificed their lives for Allah, and the Pakistani soldiers spoiled their hereafter by giving up their lives in defense of the enemies of the Ummah the Americans." SITE said Mahmoud's statement also provided a picture and a detailed layout of the PNS Zulfiqar. The navy and the army's press wing were not immediately available for comment. The naval yard on Pakistan's Arabian Sea coast is a strategically important facility at the center of US-Pakistani security, anti-terrorism and anti-trafficking cooperation. The foiled attack comes at a time when regional powers are already concerned about stability as US-led forces continue to withdraw from neighboring Afghanistan, potentially creating a security gap for insurgents to exploit. The attack, which lasted several hours, also shows just how much the Islamist militants are capable of striking at the heart of Pakistan's vast security apparatus and raises questions about the nuclear-armed nation's ability to guard its installations. The Pakistani Taliban, closely allied with al Qaeda, had earlier said that the Sept. 6 attack was carried out with the help of insiders. Pakistan later arrested a number of navy personnel on suspicion of collaborating with the attackers. Al Qaeda announced the formation of the new group on Sept. 4, with its chief, Ayman al-Zawahri, promising to spread Islamic rule and "raise the flag of jihad" across South Asia, home to more than 400 million Muslims. Analysts say the move is part of al Qaeda's plan to take advantage of the planned withdrawal of US-led forces from Afghanistan and boost its influence in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region as well as India. It also comes against the backdrop of a full-scale operation launched by Pakistan's military against Taliban militants in the lawless region of North Waziristan following a deadly attack on the airport in the city of Karachi in June. The post New al Qaeda Wing in South Asia Claims Major Attack appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Business With Bounce Posted: 17 Sep 2014 05:00 PM PDT The founder of Sein & Mya Mattress Industry Co., U Kyaw Min. (Photo courtesy of Sein & Mya) Mandalay-based Sein & Mya Mattress Industry Co., Ltd. is one of the country's leading manufacturers of mattresses. Founded in 1994, it has two factories in Mandalay and seven stores nationwide, including one in Yangon. The Irrawaddy's Kyaw Hsu Mon talked to the company's founder U Kyaw Min about what it takes to succeed in Myanmar as an entrepreneur. Question: When you started your mattress business 20 years ago, how much capital did you have? Answer:I opened this business in 1994 with just two million kyats [roughly US$2,000 at the current exchange rate] and 15 employees. I started out producing silk-cotton mattresses and related accessories. We just had a small retail store. My wife sold the mattresses, while I sold mattress accessories door-to-door around Mandalay. The business kept growing, and now we have 200 employees at seven branches around the country. We also have two factories. This year, the president [U Thein Sein] named me the number one medium-sized manufacturer in Myanmar. Q: What kind of factories do you have? A: I have a spring-mattress factory and a furniture factory. We will also have a foam-mattress factory that will begin operation soon, and I plan to open another in Yangon in the near future. Q: Do you only compete in the local market? Who are your main competitors? A: Yes, our main market is local. This business is quite broad, with many other local manufacturers producing a variety of goods. But I don't think in terms of competing with anyone else. I just focus on improving our products. Q: What is your share of the market? And do you plan to expand to foreign markets? A: It's always difficult to get exact figures in Myanmar, because nobody is doing proper research. It's especially difficult to know in this business, because it includes such a wide range of companies. But if I had to guess, I would say that our share of the domestic market is about 30 percent. And yes, we plan to start exporting in the future. Q: Where do you get the materials and technology you need for this business? A: The raw materials mostly come from Thailand and China, while the technology is from Europe. Q: What is the key to your success? A: The most important thing is quality control and constantly creating new products to meet the customers' needs and the market situation. Customers are always our top priority. Q: Would you agree with those who say that local products are inferior? Are you confident that you can compete with imported goods? A: As long as we maintain quality control, we will do fine. We have a dedicated quality-control team, and all of our employees are trained to pay close attention to the quality of our products. Q: Are you concerned about next year, when the Asean Free Trade Agreement will go into effect? How prepared are you for the changes this will bring? A: I'm pretty confident that we can compete. We already have a well-established brand and fully functioning factories. We can also provide better after-sales service than foreign companies. And we also sell some foreign products ourselves, including Darling spring mattresses from Thailand and mattresses and leather beds from Baland, a US-registered company. We also import mattresses from Vietnam. Q: What kind of support do local manufacturers need from the government? Is the lack of infrastructure a problem for you? A: The major thing we need is financial support. We need better access to credit so that we can improve our technological capacity and human resources. We're also at a disadvantage when it comes to raw materials, because foreign companies have an easier time getting the materials they need, whereas it takes us a lot more time and effort. But mainly, I would say the biggest problem is credit, and the relatively high interest rates in this country. The post Business With Bounce appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

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National News

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• Parliament to press Malaysia on unsolved killings
• Coal debate fires up in Pathein
• Cattle smuggling causes animal shortfall in delta
• Govt seeks approval for $270m in foreign loans
• Upper house calls for Rakhine development

Parliament to press Malaysia on unsolved killings Posted: 17 Sep 2014 09:20 PM PDT Upper house speaker U Khin Aung Myint has promised to send a letter to his counterpart in Malaysia expressing concern at the number of Myanmar citizens who have been killed in the country in recent years.

Coal debate fires up in Pathein Posted: 17 Sep 2014 08:34 PM PDT The debate on the building of a coal-fired power plant in Ayeyarwady Region's Pathein township has intensified.

Cattle smuggling causes animal shortfall in delta Posted: 17 Sep 2014 08:25 PM PDT Farmers in Ayeyarwady Region say cattle smuggling is on the rise, with animals illicitly spirited out of the delta and sold for meat in China and Thailand.

Govt seeks approval for $270m in foreign loans Posted: 17 Sep 2014 08:14 PM PDT The government has requested parliament approval for US$270 million in low-interest and interest-free loans from the World Bank, South Korea and Italy.

Upper house calls for Rakhine development Posted: 17 Sep 2014 08:09 PM PDT Speaker U Khin Aung Myint urges the government to speed up development projects in Rakhine State to combat widespread poverty.

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