Democratic Voice of Burma

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• Searching for a delicacy in a vanishing jungle
• DVB talks to Norwegian politician Anniken Huitfeldt
• 7 dead, 3 missing in Burmese flash floods
• Suu Kyi reiterates call for national reconciliation

Searching for a delicacy in a vanishing jungle Posted: 20 Sep 2014 01:40 AM PDT Thick bamboo forests cast northern Shan State in a deep shade of green. Today, that picturesque landscape is fast fading. Industrial deforestation and increasing trade in jungle commodities is thinning out the once thick forest.  Now, increasing demand in China for a Shan delicacy, fired-smoked bamboo shoots known as Waboe, is exacerbating the problem. Villagers have long supplemented their meager plantation wages by foraging for the tender bamboo shoots. When the harvest season is over, many villagers find themselves out of work and the hunt for the shoots intensifies. “We have to search far and wide. In the village, if we don’t cut them, other people will,” says one bamboo forager. After the shoots are cut and the casing pruned, they are sliced and smoked over an open flame, in a time consuming and energy intensive process. "In China, Waboe sells for about 15,000 kyat [US$15] per viss [1.65 kg]," says one local trader. But the shoots shrink as they are smoked. Once the process is complete, the shoots are a quarter of their raw weight. "It takes around four viss of fresh bamboo shoots to produce just one viss of the finished product," the trader said. He points out the disparity between wages earned by Shan foragers and the prices that their product fetches in Chinese markets. "Chinese traders buy it from us for 200 kyat per viss," he said. "They invest thousands – but we know that their profits are in the tens of thousands." The Forest across this area of northern Shan state is thinning out as tens of thousands of bamboo saplings are being cut from the ground. Compounding the problem is the amount of trees that are felled in order to keep the smokehouse fires burning. A huge stockpile of firewood cut from the surrounding forest must be kept on hand. Related Stories 7 dead, 3 missing in Burmese flash floods Floods sweep Shan border town Burma reveals initial census data "To dry all these bamboo shoots, a lot of firewood is needed. Thousands of trees are cut for firewood, maybe 30,000 to 40,000 trees a year." The trader said that his village alone uses three fireplaces to smoke around 3,000 bamboo shoots per day. "[Foragers] start work in August, and continue through to October. If you consider the total cut down, it is a huge number of bamboo shoots disappearing from the forests." Bamboo is becoming difficult to find around the village as the forests are shrinking. That is forcing up the local market price and pushing a once staple product out of the reach of villagers. The Bamboo boom is undoubtedly adding to the rapid deforestation in Burma's north. And as the harvest earnings are moving to China along with the staple commodity, many villagers fear they may soon be left with nothing.

DVB talks to Norwegian politician Anniken Huitfeldt Posted: 20 Sep 2014 01:07 AM PDT Since 1991, when Burma's democracy icon, Aung San Suu Kyi, was presented with the Nobel Peace Prize in absentia, Norway has led the international community in its concerted support for the Burmese democracy movement. When President Thein Sein launched his reform process in 2011, Norway was one of the first to embrace the new changes in the former pariah state. Norway pared back unilateral sanctions in late 2012, paving the way for heavy investment from Norwegian majority state-owned firms Statoil and Telenor. DVB Interview International's Khin Maung Win spoke to Anniken Huitfeldt, chair of Norway's Parliamentary Committee for Foreign Affairs and Defence, during her recent visit to Burma. When asked about her general impressions of Burma in 2014, Huitfeldt highlighted the release of political prisoners, more freedom of movement and greater freedom of the press as indicative of a changing country. "There is a strong pressure for further reforms," Huitfeldt added. "And my view on this visit is to express that these changes must continue in order to develop a democracy." DVB asked Huitfeldt if she was aware of backslides on press freedom in 2014, particularly the recent sentencing of five journalists from Unity Weekly to ten years in prison with hard labour. "We had a meeting about the press situation in Myanmar before we came down [to Burma], so we are aware of the situation, and we have been talking about the importance of a free press in building a new democracy because it is crucial to always have these critical voices in a society." Huitfeldt said it was an honour to meet Suu Kyi. "She is an icon in Norway since she got the Nobel Peace Prize." In light of a recent meeting between the Norwegian delegation and Burma's ministry of Defence, DVB asked whether Norway intended to follow in the footsteps of the United Kingdom and the United States by committing to training programmes with Burmese police and military figures. "We had a very fruitful discussion on the military's role in transforming this society, that was the focus of discussions," she said. "If you look upon other transformation processes, there are always some people who are in favour of changes and others who want to resist changes. Today my role was to express a strong support for further changes in this society." Related Stories Over 1,000 in Mandalay protest mining activities Bullet Points: 27 August 2014 Bullet Points: 26 August 2014 DVB asked Huitfeldt about her view of the current peace process, considering Norway's long history of support for the Burmese democracy movement. "I do support the government when it comes to this," she said. "Speaking on behalf of the [Norwegian] Labour party, we do support the government." DVB asked whether Huitfeldt had a special message for the people of Burma. "We have had cooperation with the opposition [movement in Burma] for years," she said, "and we feel a commitment to continue this peace process. There will be obstacles, but we need to move forward."

7 dead, 3 missing in Burmese flash floods Posted: 19 Sep 2014 10:53 PM PDT Seven people, including a baby, lost their lives and three are still missing as heavy flash floods hit rural areas of Mandalay and Sagaing divisions on Friday morning. Speaking to DVB on Friday, Katha-based writer Hercules said that three people were killed when a flash flood swept them away in the middle of the night in Inn Daw Township in Katha, Sagaing Division. "Torrential rains started at 2:55am on Friday and continued for about three hours. Rainfall measured 4.92 inches," he said. "A strong flash flood developed from a mountain stream and it destroyed five houses. Two women were carried away in the current, a 58-year-old mother and her 20-year-old daughter. Their bodies were discovered among some bushes at around 10 the next morning. "In the afternoon, the body of 47-year-old Ko Yan Aye was found. But nobody else has been reported missing. Some cows were killed, and lots of paddy fields were inundated. All the concrete and iron bridges in the area were destroyed.” Hercules said that this was the worst flooding that Katha has ever endured. The Katha news and information officer for the National League for Democracy (NLD), Shin Tant, told DVB that the whole town had been swamped by the flood. Related Stories Searching for a delicacy in a vanishing jungle Severe floods swamp Shan border Govt says Tasang dam will benefit Burma "At around 5:30am this morning a stream inundated the town and left most houses and the local market underwater," he said by telephone on Friday. "Most areas were two or three feet underwater. We believe that the reason for the flash flood is the depletion of forests upstream [on the Irrawaddy River] in Kachin State." Flash floods and deaths were also reported in villages in Sinku Township in Mandalay Division. Four people including a baby were declared missing after water broke through a small dam at a gold mine, said Sinku's NLD information officer Maung Maung Win. He said that the body of the baby was later recovered. "A joint-venture gold mine company had blocked the stream," he said. "Local residents had previously told them not to do it, but they didn’t listen. When the torrential rains came down, the weight of the water broke the dyke and flooded the villages downstream. Silt and sand covered everything up to eight or nine feet deep. "Four people were carried away in the current," Maung Maung Win said. "The child's body has been found but the others are still missing." This was the worst ever flood in Sinku, he said, adding that almost all of the 100 households in Yay Myat village were destroyed, and that he was still waiting for details of any casualties. Several villages in Sinku, most notably Bone Thak Kone, were heavily impacted by a 6.8 earthquake which struck the Shwebo region in 2012, killing 13 people. Burma's national weather department had earlier in the week warned of heavy rain and landslides in some areas, including lower parts of Sagaing Region, due to a typhoon in the South China Sea.

Suu Kyi reiterates call for national reconciliation Posted: 19 Sep 2014 09:54 PM PDT National League for Democracy (NLD) Chairperson Aung San Suu Kyi has called on the ethnic minority peoples of Burma to keep alive the spirit of national reconciliation. Speaking in Naypyidaw on Thursday to NLD members who had travelled in from Karen State, she said, "I would like to urge you to keep alive the spirit of national reconciliation, which brings about mutual understanding and mutual respect, and allows us to help each other, whether it be among our own ethnic people or among all [Burmese] citizens – all the people of the union, regardless of race, religion, language or place of birth." Addressing 260 representatives from across Karen State, Suu Kyi proclaimed that the NLD is an "all-ethnic party" and would compete as such in the next general election. "Elections are one of the unavoidable processes you must pass through if you want democracy," she said. "But elections alone do not make a democracy. Of course, there is no democracy without free and fair elections, but they are not the only thing. There are other things [to consider]. Related Stories Magwe protestors charged with trespassing NLD 'not invited' to political conference Fresh population data will affect voting: NLD "That's why I have told our members many times that if you want democracy, you must be responsible. You must be responsible to achieve and maintain the rights you seek. We must try hard. If you try hard and contest the 2015 elections in the correct way, it will help to establish the Union that the people desire." Following the meeting, the NLD chairperson for Karen State, Nan Khin Htwe Myint, spoke to DVB. "We want people from rural areas to know that they can visit parliament," she said. "In the past, people thought parliament was unrelated to them. I brought people in from the countryside. We met Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Our study group includes Karen, Mon and Pa-O ethnic nationalities. It was colorful with them wearing their traditional costumes."

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The Irrawaddy Magazine

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The Irrawaddy Business Roundup (September 20, 2014) Posted: 19 Sep 2014 05:30 PM PDT US Investment in Burma Remains Modest Since Sanctions Were Lifted Investment from the United States since Washington lifted economic sanctions in 2012 remains small at US$243 million, a report said. The figure is no higher than US investment recorded in 2001, according to Naypyidaw's Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA) quoted by Eleven Media. However, the Wall Street Journal quoted the US Department of State recently saying "about US$612 million" had been invested since sanctions were first eased. Even this higher figure is small compared with US$14 billion from China, US$10 billion from Thailand and US$4.7 billion from Singapore, the Journal said. One reason for the small official US figure is that many American firms are investing in Burma via their subsidiaries in other Asian countries, said DICA. But earlier this month the Journal reported that despite US government encouragement, American businesses investment is "hindered by the legacy of sanctions". "Few US banks are willing to transfer money into or out of the country. And even money transfers through a third country like Singapore often get blocked by US firms if Myanmar [Burma] appears in a company name," Journal said. Thai Gas Explorer PTTEP Invests More in Burma, but Few Jobs Created Thailand's state oil and gas giant PTT Exploration & Production Company said it will spend US$3.3 billion in Burma in the five years up to the end of 2018. The investment is 20 percent of the Bangkok-based company's overall international capital spending for the period, chief executive Tevin Vongvanich announced. The investment will be pumped into seven exploration projects, including three onshore blocks recently awarded to PTTEP, The Nation newspaper in Bangkok reported. PTTEP this month celebrated 25 years of operations in Burma. However, the firm's high-tech activities and investment have not created many Burmese jobs—250 in total, according to The Nation. Most of PTTEP's investment to date has gone into offshore natural gas projects, the latest being the Zawtika field in the Gulf of Martaban. The Zawtika field began producing gas this year. Under the terms of a contract signed with the former Naypyidaw military regime, 80 percent of the gas from the field will go to Thailand. Thailand now imports about 25 percent of its annual gas consumption from Burma, and this is rising as Thai domestic production slowly declines, said industry analysts. Proven reserves in the field are at least 1.76 trillion cubic feet— 50 billion cubic meters—and this is expected to grow with new exploratory drilling, said Asia Oil & Gas Monitor magazine. Naypyidaw Policies 'Not Creating Enough Jobs,' Business Leader Says Burma is failing to attract the level of high job creation businesses needed to put the country firmly on the road to equitable economic growth, a leading Burmese businessman said. The number of jobs created by incoming investors over the last two years had "fallen short of the desired results", Serge Pun told an investment forum in Naypyidaw this week, The Myanmar Times reported. Government efforts to attract foreign direct investment needed to focus on manufacturers who would establish high employment factories, he said. "Serge Pun said it should be possible to attract 1,000 factories employing 1,000 people each for a total of 1 million jobs, noting Bangladesh has 3,600 such factories and southern China has 32,000," the Times said. "Technicians and management employees can be found through job fairs in places like Singapore, but employment for lower-level workers is needed, he said." Serge Pun heads Yoma Strategic Holdings which has interests in real estate, agriculture, vehicles and tourism, as well as telecommunications. The forum also heard a call from International Finance Corporation Vice President for Asia Pacific Karin Finkelston for more "inclusivity of growth" in Burma by encouraging job creation outside the main cities. Burma's 'Shrunken Population' is Bad News for Consumer Businesses The recent census showing Burma's population to be 10 million less than previously believed could deter consumer-orientated businesses from investing in the country, a report said. "The downward revision of nearly 10 million people is a significant development. Chiefly, the revision will affect consumer-oriented firms looking to move into or expand operations in [Burma], as nearly 20 percent of their target population has seemingly vanished overnight," Business Monitor International (BMI) said. The British risk assessor also said the census illustrated the "country's statistical shortcomings" for companies planning to invest in Burma, making it difficult to estimate operations. The census showed that Burma's population is 51.4 million compared with previous estimates under the former military regime of 61 million, BMI said. 40% Boost in Tourist Arrivals Aids Target of 3 Million Visitors This Year Burma is on target to reach 3 million tourist visits this year, travel trade magazine TTR Weekly said. The target has been boosted by a 40-percent increase in visitors between April and August compared with the same period of 2013, it quoted Tourism Minister Htay Aung saying. "If this trend continues the number of tourist arrivals could surpass 3 million by the end of the year," the minister said. Htay Aung admitted, though, that the new visa system via the Internet intended to speed up applications was experiencing some technical problems since its introduction at the beginning of this month. "The main disadvantage is that it takes a week to gain approval for the e-visa. Also, airlines are reluctant to accept e-visas believing there is a chance immigration officials could turn down entry at the airport and they would have to repatriate the traveller," TTR Weekly said. The post The Irrawaddy Business Roundup (September 20, 2014) appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

A Winning Formula at Rangoon’s The Lab Posted: 19 Sep 2014 05:00 PM PDT The Lab's co-owners Raouf Baccouche, left, and Amine Zlaoui. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — In a small, dimly lit room with exposed terracotta brickwork, a crush of well-heeled people squeeze around high wooden tables, talking animatedly and sipping cocktails late into the evening. This could be any chic bar in any hip neighborhood across the world—say London, New York or Madrid. But this is Burma, and this is The Lab, Rangoon's first tapas bar. Open for just four months, the place has established a firm reputation on the small but growing circuit of classy restaurants and bars across Rangoon—so much so that its owners describe many of their customers as regulars, so loyal that "they have become our friends." With single-minded dedication to locally sourced, high-quality ingredients and choice dishes served in a trendy but intimate atmosphere, it is not hard to see why. "This is the secret: just to have decent food, decent drinks, reasonable prices, very good service—and then it goes by itself," explains restaurateur Amine Zlaoui, one half of the French-Tunisian duo who founded and run The Lab. "There was no tapas bar here, and it is the kind of food you cannot find here," says business partner Raouf Baccouche. "So the idea was to bring something different." The menu is a hybrid of traditional Middle Eastern and North African cuisines combined with Spanish, French and Mediterranean dishes, and a few unusual additions such as mini beef burgers and Asian pork skewers. Prices are reasonable, ranging from 3,000 kyats (US$3) to 4,500 kyats for individual dishes, and upwards of 21,000 kyats for sharing platters. Only open in the evenings, a rotating selection of specials keeps things lively, as do regular offers like the daily 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. happy hour; Wednesday 2-for-1 mojito nights; and a 15 percent discount on all tapas dishes every Sunday. The pair's attention to detail and passion for creating carefully selected, authentic food makes this place stand out. For those starved of decent Middle Eastern fare, it is a delight to find somewhere in Burma that takes such pride in serving genuinely delicious cuisine from the region. The pair are ruthless in sourcing ingredients, and buy the majority of their food locally. "For us, it doesn't make sense to have some items on the menu with imported stuff. … Many people are coming for a very specific item they crave, like falafel or quesadillas, and you have to have it," explains Zlaoui. Hummus, the classic Middle Eastern snack, is a hard thing to get right—there are about as many variations on hummus as there are opinions in the Middle East. But drawing on a traditional Palestinian recipe, Zlauoi and Baccouche excel and the result is just the right balance of salty, sour and smoky, with a lovely hint of cumin. It is worth coming here for the hummus alone. Good cheese is in equally short supply in Burma, so The Lab is a haven for cheese lovers. Their share platters feature an impressive selection of hard, blue and goat cheeses. Labne, a soft yogurt cheese, is made fresh on site, and the result, served with flatbread, is creamy and tangy. The gently toasted mozzarella di buffalo is melt-in-the mouth delicious, while the sautéed calamari is delicate and fresh. Admitting that their expertise lies more with food than behind the bar, the Tunisian duo have been lucky to find Win Naing Su, an expert bartender recently returned from London. Win Naing Su is the creative brains behind many of the drinks on offer, and "Yangon Night," a Lab original cocktail, was entered into Burma's first-ever bartending competition this year. Next year, says Zlaoui, they are in it to win. But still in its infancy, The Lab has a few creases to iron out. The size of the space guarantees an atmosphere that feels buzzing with only a few patrons, but as the place fills up, it quickly becomes noisy with the din of loud music and shouted conversations. Poor ventilation means the air is rapidly thick with cigarette smoke, making a meal here best enjoyed earlier, before the smoke is choking. Despite this, regular customers will be pleased to hear that there are new dishes in the pipeline. Zlaoui and Baccouche are experimenting with a Vietnamese-inspired squid and shitake mushroom dish, Italian arancini stuffed rice balls and French petit farcis stuffed red bell peppers. When will these be on the menu? "When we are ready!" Zlaoui laughs. "We don't want to be in a hurry." And this is exactly the sort of attitude that is making The Lab so popular. The Lab is located at 70/A Shwe Gon Daing Road, just off the Kabaye Pagoda Road junction. Open every evening, Tuesday to Sunday, 5:30 p.m. until late. www.thelab-yangon.com | www.facebook.com/thelab Ph# 09250537979 | 09250675289 The post A Winning Formula at Rangoon's The Lab appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

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