Democratic Voice of Burma

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• Thousands march in Mogok to protect iconic lake
• DVB Bulletin: 14 January 2015
• NMSP accused of extortion in highway scheme
• Army major finally appears for Brang Shawng trial
• Political prisoners, Arakan violence hold US attention
• Two Rohingyas die in Thai police custody: DPA
• Latpadaung activists’ court hearing postponed

Thousands march in Mogok to protect iconic lake Posted: 14 Jan 2015 05:12 AM PST Over three thousand protesters turned out in Mogok, northern Mandalay Division on Sunday. Deep concern has been felt in the community for the health of the iconic lake which sits in the centre of the historic ruby mining town. Protesters say they must act now, to save the lake from developers. The post Thousands march in Mogok to protect iconic lake appeared first on DVB Multimedia Group.

DVB Bulletin: 14 January 2015 Posted: 14 Jan 2015 05:00 AM PST On tonight's bulletin: Rights Commission release Latpdaung findings Two Rohingyas die in Thai police custody: DPA HRW pen letter to President Thein Sein Cross-border timber trade a ‘breach of sovereignty’ You can watch DVB Bulletin every weeknight on DVB TV after the 7 o'clock news. The post DVB Bulletin: 14 January 2015 appeared first on DVB Multimedia Group.

NMSP accused of extortion in highway scheme Posted: 14 Jan 2015 02:33 AM PST A local family in the Thai-Burmese border town of Three Pagodas Pass have complained that Mon rebels are extorting them of payments from a construction company that is building a highway through their land. Mi Aye Khine told DVB on Tuesday that the Yamanya International firm had previously agreed to pay 120 Thai baht (US$4) to her family and 350 baht to the New Mon State Party (NMSP) per truckload of rocks excavated from her land as part of a project to build a four-lane highway connecting the area with Thailand. "The construction company has been mining rocks on our land, providing us with120 baht for each 10-wheel truckload," she said. "Now the NMSP have told us they will be taking all of our cut as well as their own." "The NMSP said the land does not belong to us. But in fact we bought it from another local in Payathonzu [Three Pagodas Pass] in 1996," she said. "My father has been longing to build a house on the land, but now the Mon army says he must seek permission from them to do so, because the land falls under its territory." Mi Aye Khine said she has complained directly and sent letters to local political parties. Nai Chan Tain Mon, the NMSP chairperson in Payathonzu, insisted the land belonged to the ethnic army as it falls under their demarcated territory, as do the natural resources on the land. "Kyandaw Hill is nearby and is very resource-rich," he said. "Such an area should only belong to the government or an armed group. We cannot allow private individuals to be making profits from it." Related Stories DVB Debate: Ethnic perspectives Slain reporter’s widow calls for inquiry Demonstrators vent anger over journalist’s killing He said farmers can make profits from growing crops on the land, but all natural resources – including rocks and pebbles – are property of the NMSP. Nai Thein Zaw, an official in the All Mon Region Democracy Party, confirmed that the party had received Mi Aye Khine's complaint. "It is hard to speak for the family as they have no land ownership paperwork," he said. "We explained the 2012 Farmland Law and asked them to make a list of plants and crops they have grown on the land, as well as providing any photographic evidence of their ownership." The NMSP is one of more than a dozen armed ethnic groups presently involved in ceasefire negotiations with the Burmese government. The post NMSP accused of extortion in highway scheme appeared first on DVB Multimedia Group.

Army major finally appears for Brang Shawng trial Posted: 14 Jan 2015 12:16 AM PST A Burmese army major who brought a case against the father of a girl who was allegedly killed by the army – accusing him of false accusation – has appeared in court after being absent from many hearings. Brang Shawng, a villager from Hpakant in Kachin State, filed a report to the government and Myanmar National Human Rights Commission regarding the death of his 14-year-old daughter Ja Seng Ing. He says that she was fatally shot by the Burmese army while on her way home from the school, amid clashes in the area in September 2012. Maj. Zarni Min Pike subsequently filed a lawsuit against him. The trial began in 2013 but stalled as the plaintiff was repeatedly absent from proceedings. The hearing was re-adjourned around 50 times. Zarni Min Pike finally made an appearance at Hpakant court on Monday. Related Stories DVB Roadshow: Kachin ghost villages Burmese army captures KIA outpost near Hpakant Drug protests spread to Moenyin Brang Shawn told DVB on Tuesday that his lawyer “had continued cross examination on the outstanding issues." Prosecution witnesses and Brang Shawng also gave evidence in court on Tuesday. Various international human rights groups have called on the Burmese government to drop all charges against Brang Shawng. The post Army major finally appears for Brang Shawng trial appeared first on DVB Multimedia Group.

Political prisoners, Arakan violence hold US attention Posted: 13 Jan 2015 10:36 PM PST A US human rights delegation is meeting with Burmese government officials on Wednesday in Naypyidaw for the first of two days of talks, spearheading the continued scrutiny of the human rights situation in Burma by Washington. The delegation, led by Tom Malinowski, the assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labour, will engage in talks with Thein Sein's government on "rule of law, freedom of speech, religious tension and conflict, protecting minorities, the situation in Rakhine [Arakan] State, and democratic and military reform," according to a statement from the US embassy in Rangoon. The discussions will "provide an opportunity to review progress, discuss challenges, and find ways to cooperate to improve the human rights situation in the country," the statement says. Malinowski is due to hold a press conference at the US embassy in Rangoon on Friday. Representatives from civil society groups focusing on political prisoners, human rights, women's rights and disabled rights issues met with the delegation on Tuesday in advance of the official talks for a fact-finding meeting, Aung Myo Min, executive director of Equality Myanmar, told DVB after attending the event. Related Stories Two Rohingyas die in Thai police custody: DPA IOM announces support for Burmese refugees Rohingya dies of suffocation in Thai smuggling truck Speaking about Tuesday's meeting, Aung Myo Min said, "We mainly discussed political prisoners and democratic transition. Most of the questions the delegation asked us were about prisoners of conscience. We talked about the Political Prisoner Affairs Committee, and also reviewed human rights issues in Burma." He characterised the meeting as "frank and open", saying that it saw the delegation seeking data and information from a "collection of the voices of civil society." Aung Myo Min said that that the increasing human rights violations, particularly the detention of peaceful protestors, needs to be prioritised, telling DVB, "The main issue is the misuse of both old and new laws." He highlighted the abuse of Article 505(b) (defamation of the state) and Article 18 (peaceful assembly law) as particularly problematic, adding, "We want to abolish this kind of law and make sure everyone has the right to enjoy and practice freedom of association and freedom of assembly, as mentioned in our own Constitution." The group of US representatives have also visited Internally Displaced People camps in Burma's northern Kachin State. In remarks made at the University of Louisville in Kentucky, USA, earlier this week, the Obama administration's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Samantha Power said that while the US has gone some way to ease sanctions and reintroduce diplomacy, Burma is "still a long way away from being a rights-respecting democracy," adding that "the civilian government is still subordinate to the military." She highlighted the continued constitutional bias towards the military. Power paid particular attention in her comments to the ongoing conflict in Arakan State and the plight of the Muslim Rohingya community, denouncing the lack of accountability for the violence and acknowledging the role of "extremist monks" in exacerbating tensions. She was especially critical of newly proposed legislation that would see Rohingyas being made to renounce their ethnic identity in order to receive recognition as Burmese citizens. Power identified the role of the US in encouraging reform as incentivising progress; "Shining a bright light on the government's shortcomings"; and targeting individuals such as Aung Thaung, the Burmese businessman who has been on the receiving end of US business sanctions. She said that the US "still have great hope for Burma's future", mentioning the country's youth who, having now experienced the freedom to talk about the hardships they have encountered, are "not likely to give that right up without a struggle." The post Political prisoners, Arakan violence hold US attention appeared first on DVB Multimedia Group.

Two Rohingyas die in Thai police custody: DPA Posted: 13 Jan 2015 09:43 PM PST Two Rohingya men from Burma have died in police custody in Thailand, DPA has reported, citing local authorities on Wednesday. One man died from dehydration and another from an infection, Pol Capt Suwit Nuansoong is reported saying. The victims were among 98 ethnic Rohingya migrants crammed into the back of five pickup trucks which were stopped at a checkpoint by police early Monday in the southern Thai province of Nakhon Sri Thammarat. A woman was found crushed to death at the scene, while the rest of the group was detained. Early reports indicate that the migrants may be part of a trafficking ring and were en route to find work in Malaysia. Related Stories Political prisoners, Arakan violence hold US attention IOM announces support for Burmese refugees Police bust amphetamine smugglers on Moei River The post Two Rohingyas die in Thai police custody: DPA appeared first on DVB Multimedia Group.

Latpadaung activists’ court hearing postponed Posted: 13 Jan 2015 09:19 PM PST A court hearing for Latpadaung activists Naw Ohn Hla, Nay Myo Zin, Sein Htay and Tin Htut Paing was postponed on Tuesday on the grounds that not all defendants were present. "The hearing was reappointed for 20 January as only four of the seven defendants in this case had been detained to date," said defence lawyer Robert San Aung. "Then, following the judge's decision to postpone the hearing, a fifth defendant, San San Win, turned herself in." He said two other defendants, Thant Zin and Mya Nyunt, are still at large. The activists have been charged with: defamation of the state; and disturbing officials on duty. As supporters and media gathered in a scrum outside the Dagon Township courthouse, Naw Ohn Hla told reporters that "none of this would be happening if police had not closed the road that demonstrators [against the Latpadaung copper mine project] were marching on." Related Stories Thousands march in Mogok to protect iconic lake No sweet deal for striking factory workers Latpadaung investigators probe locals on Khin Win's death On 29 December, hundreds of protestors held a rally in Rangoon and attempted to lay a wreath in front of the Chinese embassy to condemn the death of Latpadaung villager Khin Win who was fatally shot in a confrontation with riot police at the site of the Chinese-backed copper mine project near Monywa in Sagaing Division. The Chinese embassy in Rangoon released a statement on 25 December, expressing its "deep condolences" over the death of villager Khin Win, who was shot in the head on 22 December while protesting the laying of fences around disputed plots of land at the copper mine site. The embassy further remarked that Chinese workers have been attacked at the site while peacefully implementing the project. "The Letpadaung mining project is an important joint [venture] between China and Myanmar, and we support the Letpadaung project [being] implemented in a peaceful and secure manner, and oppose any kind of violence," the statement said. Hundreds of local villagers and their supporters have been protesting the Latpadaung copper mine since its inception more than 10 years ago. Many have been displaced to make way for the project, which was originally contracted to a Canadian firm, Ivanhoe Mines. The controversial mine was temporarily suspended when activists and Buddhist monks staged a mass sit-in protest in 2012. The protest was broken up brutally by riot police on 29 November that year when some 80 protestors were injured, including several monks, many with horrific burns that experts have attributed to white phosphorous. A subsequent investigation headed by opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi failed to pronounce anyone guilty for the violent crackdown, and to many villagers' dismay, recommended to the government that the project be resumed. Since Khin Win's killing, Suu Kyi has blamed the violence on the Latpadaung Working Committee, accusing it of failing to implement the suggestions of her investigative commission. Tin Myint, secretary of the committee, rejected Suu Kyi's remarks and told reporters on 8 January that his committee is seriously evaluating and implementing the suggestions of the commission. The post Latpadaung activists' court hearing postponed appeared first on DVB Multimedia Group.

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The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Palaung Rebels Celebrates Insurgent History in Mountain Enclave
• NGOs Raise Concerns With US Official Over Human Rights, Lack of Reforms
• NGOs Seek Key Changes to Election Monitoring Rules
• Rangoon Police Launch Video Shop Crackdown After North Korean Pressure
• Burma’s Rising Imports Drive Overall Trade Boost
• Activists in Mandalay Call for Meeting on ‘Government Negligence’
• Villages, Residents Stand in Way of Dawei Rubber Farm
• Japan Proposes Record $42b Military Budget to Counter China’s Rise
• Critics Dog Cambodia’s Hun Sen as He Marks 30 Years in Power 
• Activists, Executives Advise Thailand How to Tackle Trafficking
• A Barber and a Bus Conductor

Palaung Rebels Celebrates Insurgent History in Mountain Enclave Posted: 14 Jan 2015 05:47 AM PST In the cold mountain weather, TNLA troops huddle near a fire to keep warm during the celebrations for the 52nd anniversary of Revolution Day. (Photo: Hein Htet / The Irrawaddy) MAR WONG, Shan State — In an isolated mountaintop hamlet of northern Shan State, as hundreds of people celebrated the anniversary of the Palaung insurrection against the Ne Win government, the leader of one of the few ethnic armies yet to reach a ceasefire agreement with the Burmese government has said that a peace settlement remains a distant prospect. More than 650 troops from the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the insurgent group representing the Palaung people, marched in honor of the Revolution Day anniversary on Monday to the cheers of hundreds of onlookers, some of whom had traveled on motorbike for more than six hours from as far away as Lashio and Hsipaw . The TNLA has existed for less than four years, its two senior leaders were until recently based in the Thai border town of Mae Sot, and the people whose interests it claims to represent—a Buddhist minority of around half a million—are scattered across the sparsely populated expanse of northern Shan State and the Palaung Self-Administered Zone. The impressive turnout to the anniversary celebrations, at a remote and inaccessible part of the country and in temperatures barely above freezing, is a measure of the Palaung community's depth of hostility towards the government and the Burma Army. Revolution Day marks the beginning of the Palaung insurrection against the Burmese government on Jan. 12, 1963, a year after Ne Win's military government seized power in a coup, ushering in an era of increased Bamar dominance of politics and the military, and the often violent repression of ethnic identity and aspirations. “We should not forget our armed revolution," Tar Aik Bong, the TNLA chairman, told The Irrawaddy on Monday. "We should not forget the people who sacrificed their lives for our revolution. Our revolution cannot end yet, as our demands have not been met. Our people have the duty to carry out an armed revolution." While the TNLA does not have a long history, the re-emergence of a Palaung armed group is unsurprising in the context of the recent history of northern Shan State. After the Palaung State Liberation Organization (PSLO) signed a ceasefire agreement in 1991, it was forced to disarm by the Burma Army in 2005. In the time since, locals had to contend both with army harassment and pro-government militias, who took over former PSLO territory and conscripted young men into their forces. The pernicious opium trade, long used to finance ethnic armies and pro-government militias, also led to devastating consequences in Palaung communities after it was introduced following the PSLO disarmament. In the Palaung Self-Administered Zone township of Mantong, where the PSLO had ceremoniously handed over their weapons to government troops, the Palaung Women's Organization estimated in 2009 that 85 percent of the male population over the age of 15 were addicted to opium The group has claimed that pro-government militias are mostly responsible for peddling the drug in Palaung communities and are given free range to do so by authorities. In 2011, Tar Aik Bong and general secretary Tar Bone Kyaw sought military training from the Karen National Union and the Kachin Independence Army, with the intention of returning to Palaung territory and forming a new armed group. Four years on, backed by a formidable fighting force, Tar Aik Bong told The Irrawaddy that the Palaung people would not find a new peace with the Burmese government without significant concessions, particularly after the bitter experience of the PSLO's disarmament. "We have some difficulties which prevent us from signing a peace agreement," he said. "We found this during our last talks in September. There was a standoff during that time. The Burmese Army did not want to talk about a federal army. They did not want to talk about a military code of conduct. They did not want to talk about power sharing and governance issues." "If we look back at all of these together, they did not want to grant rights for our people. The reason we have to hold our guns is that we want to fight for our political rights, and we want to protect our land. If we don't get our political rights, our people will continue to use an armed revolution," he said. Fighting between the Palaung and the Burma Army has been ongoing in northern Shan State, which borders southern China's Yunnan Province. Leaders of the TNLA argue that most fighting was the result of self-defense, breaking out when the army came into their areas of control. They contend that the Burmese government is not interested in solving the conflict through political dialogue, and the incursions are part of an attempt to pressure the group into a ceasefire agreement. There was a triumphant air in Mar Wong on Monday, as the TNLA showed the crowd eight guns and ammunition confiscated from the Burma Army during recent fighting. The army claims a fighting force of 4,000 across six brigades, with Tar Aik Bong bullish about his force's prospects for future growth. Other estimates of TNLA troop numbers, however, have put the figure closer to 1,000 fighters. "As far as military equipment is concerned, it is easy to buy from China. We have no problem buying it if we have money," he said. "As for manpower, more and more people are coming to join our troops. Our people feel they have been oppressed for long enough already." Despite the chairman's optimism, the armed group faces financial difficulties in sustaining its operations. According to communications officer Mai Aike Kyaw, the TNLA's monthly food budget is 150 million kyats, (US$146,000), a sum which would equate to about 25,000 kyats (US$24) per soldier under the army's assessment of its own strength. Lacking a border zone with China under their control, the TNLA cannot sustain its operations with a lucrative sideline in smuggled goods to the same extent as the Kachin Independence Army and the United Wa State Army, which both maintain control over large swathes of border territory Tar Aik Bong says that allied armed groups are providing funding for the TNLA, with extra finances donated by Palaung businessmen and levied on Chinese trucks passing through the group's area of control. The TNLA is known to have close links with the KIA and has fought alongside the Shan State Army-North and the Kokang militia during the past year. With no headquarters, its soldiers operate out of temporary bases deep within their territory or are billeted in Palaung villages while they travel. "Our military's bases are at our feet. We do our work where we sit," said Mai Pan Sein, a TNLA leader. The TNLA met with the Burmese government in July 2013 and faced considerable pressure to sign a ceasefire agreement. While announcing their intention to refuse any settlement that omits specific political guarantees, the TNLA say they have sought more discussions with the government, only to be met with outright refusals and more troop deployments in response. "We could not conclude a ceasefire agreement after only meeting one time," Tar Aik Bong told his supporters on Monday. "We have not been given the right of negotiation. Based on our experience, we could not sign a peace agreement now. We could only sign a ceasefire agreement when we are given the right to more talks." The post Palaung Rebels Celebrates Insurgent History in Mountain Enclave appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

NGOs Raise Concerns With US Official Over Human Rights, Lack of Reforms Posted: 14 Jan 2015 05:40 AM PST Tom Malinowski, United States Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, is visiting Burma this week. (Photo: State Department) RANGOON — Dozens of local NGO representatives and activists met with a senior US official during several meetings in Rangoon in recent days to voice their concerns over Burma's human rights situation, a lack of democratic and judicial reforms, and lawmaking by Parliament. A United States delegation led by Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Tom Malinowski is visiting Burma this week to participate in the second bilateral human rights dialogue between Burmese and US officials in Naypyidaw on Wednesday and Thursday. Prior to the discussion, Malinowski visited Myitkyina, capital of conflict-affected Kachin State, and met with civil society organizations, religious leaders, political leaders, and international humanitarian organizations in Rangoon. Aung Myo Min, executive director of Equality Myanmar, said the talks he attended had focused on political prisoners and the rights situation, democratic reforms, and the social and rights impact of new laws passed by Parliament and President Thein Sein's nominally-civilian government. He said activists had complained to Malinowski that remaining colonial- and junta-era laws and the lack of an independent judicial system were impeding democratic reforms. "New laws that have emerged—mostly the well-known Peaceful Assembly Law's Article 18 and 19—are giving us lots of trouble too," he said, referring to clauses that set out prison terms of up to six months for holding unauthorized protests. "There are over 200 land rights and human rights activists who have been charged with Article 18 and 19," Aung Myo Min added. May Sabae Phyu, director of the Gender Equality Network, said activists voiced concerns over parliamentary lawmaking—such as the approval of the Education Bill last year, which is being vehemently opposed by student organizations—and plans to vote on four faith-related bills. The latter package of legislation is being pushed by nationalist Buddhist groups that have been fanning anti-Muslim sentiments; the bills would set out restrictions on interfaith marriage, religious conversion, polygamy and population controls. Khin Ohmar, coordinator of the Burma Partnership, an alliance of NGOs, said she had told the visiting US official that the Burmese government has showed little inclination to cooperate with civil society organizations and had taken to harassing them. "Democratic activists are treated as enemies by the government," she said. "They couldn't directly threaten us like they do to farmers and student activists, but they are finding ways to intimidate us." Khin Ohmar added that reforms of long-standing repressive laws were overdue as activists would like see "rule of law. We don't accept being ruled by oppressive law." Over the past year, concerns have grown over backsliding on Burma's political transition as democratic reforms and the country's peace process have stalled, while anti-Muslim violence has continued and repression of rights activists increased. US lawmakers and the White House officials have spoken out about the apparent backsliding on reforms, but have stopped short of calling for actions against the Burmese government. Earlier this week, US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power told a foreign policy event hosted by an influential US Congressman that Burma "is still a long way from being a rights-respecting democracy." The post NGOs Raise Concerns With US Official Over Human Rights, Lack of Reforms appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

NGOs Seek Key Changes to Election Monitoring Rules Posted: 14 Jan 2015 05:35 AM PST An election official shows ballots with votes for Burma’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s NLD as votes are counted in Rangoon during the 2012 by-election. (Photo: Reuters) RANGOON — Local and international civil society organizations will request Burma's Union Election Committee (UEC) this week to make a number of important changes to the draft rules for independent election monitoring during the general elections in late 2015. NGO representatives said overall they were satisfied with the first draft of "the ethics, rules and procedures for election monitoring," which the commission sent to the NGOs for consultation in mid-December, but they suggested that several provisions need to be changed in order to bring the rules in line with international standards and address outstanding concerns. In late October or early November 2015, Burma is tentatively scheduled to hold its first free and fair democratic elections after decades of direct military rule. Dozens of local and several international NGOs will carry out independent monitoring of the polls. Some 30 NGOs are participating in the consultation process on the monitoring rules, which is being supported by the US-based International Foundation of Electoral Systems. On Thursday they will submit their suggested amendments to the commission. Thant Zin, project manager at Election Education Observation Partnerships, a group of local NGOs involved in the consultation, said the commission should amend Article 6 of the Code of Ethics as it bans monitors from conducting post-polling interviews with voters to determine for which party they voted. Few countries that have allowed independent election monitors have imposed a blanket restriction on conducting exit polls, which offer an important method of independently gathering information on how the public has voted. Thant Zin said it was important to amend Article 6 and allow monitors to interview voters, perhaps by specifying that such interviews can only be conducted at a certain distance from polling stations. Ye Kyaw Swar Myint, executive director of the People's Alliance for Credible Elections, said Chapter 5 of the draft lacks details on application and registration procedures for monitoring organizations. He said an article should be added to specify the criteria for accepting an organization's registration. "There are no criteria for rejecting registration and it means that the decision depends on the commission, so we want to know the exact criteria [for registration]… and how we can appeal if we are rejected," said Ye Kyaw Swar Myint, whose group was among eight NGOs that met on Monday to discuss the draft rules. Other points of concern include a provision in Chapter 7 that requires individual domestic monitors to register their ethnicity with the Election Commission. "In some ethnic states, there could be problems related to disclosing the ethnicity [of the monitor]. So we suggested to the UEC that they drop it," said Ye Kyaw Swar Myint. He said clarification is needed for vague language in Article 16, as it could be potentially be used to prevent monitors from publicly discussing polling irregularities. The article currently states monitors cannot speak out about results they observe during vote counting and "other related information" until the commission does. Some NGO representatives believe Article 19 needs to be clarified as it mentions that monitors can receive accreditation from the commission only 15 days before the election. Monitoring activities generally start months in advance of the polls and NGOs would need to know what activities they can carry out before receiving accreditation. Bidhayak Das, Burma country representative at the Asian Network for Free Elections, which participated in the consultation, said the draft rules "look like a well-researched document, expect for some sections that need more clarity. "For now all I can say is that we like all others are part of the process of submitting our feedback and we hope that all the questions asked will find meaningful answers." Su Su Hlaing, program manager of Karen Woman Empowerment Group said, her organization wanted Article 33 to be amended and drop the requirement for monitors to register with the local police station "and other departments" before they commence monitoring activities. Su Su Hlaing also criticized the one-month consultation period, saying it was too short for NGOs to provide the Election Commission with well-prepared suggestions for amendments to the monitoring rules. "I don't like the draft and they should have provided more time for commenting on the draft, as we need to discuss it [with NGOs] in other states and divisions," she said. "Most of the polling stations are situated in rural areas and we have to make sure that the draft rules are suitable for the people doing the monitoring in rural areas." Election Commission officials could not be reached for comment on the monitoring rules Wednesday. During the 2015 elections, the National League for Democracy of popular opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is the main challenger to the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), a political organization filled with ex-junta members. In the past, concerns have been raised over the independence of the Election Commission, which is chaired by Tin Aye, a former junta general and ex-USDP lawmaker who was appointed by President Thein Sein in 2011. The commission's actions are being closely watched to see if it will be a fair arbiter in the important 2015 poll. The post NGOs Seek Key Changes to Election Monitoring Rules appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Rangoon Police Launch Video Shop Crackdown After North Korean Pressure Posted: 14 Jan 2015 04:36 AM PST The promotional poster for The Interview, a Hollywood satirical comedy film depicting an assassination plot against North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. (Photo: Rick Wilking / Reuters) CHIANG MAI, Thailand — Rangoon Police have moved to charge distributors and seize copies of satirical comedy film The Interview, which depicts an assassination plot against North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, following pressure from the North Korean Embassy. After a meeting of Rangoon Division Chief Minister Myint Swe and North Korean ambassador Mr Kim Sok Chol on Sunday, the embassy sent a facsimile to the divisional government requesting "proper action immediately to stop the copying, distributing and selling" of The Interview in Rangoon, according to a document seen by The Irrawaddy. The office of the Rangoon Division government refused to comment when asked about the message. Two movie stores in Botahtaung and Latha Township were named in the message as distributors of the film, including the M2M Shop on Latha Bounkyi Street, which was raided on Monday by township police officers who seized over 180 copies of foreign films. "The seizure is part of the regular crackdown on uncensored films, and The Interview was among the foreign films seized," said Latha Township deputy police chief Kyaw Kyaw Aung, who said the raid was a response to complaints. "The owner of the shop has now been charged under the Video Act." The junta-era 1996 Television and Video Act prevents the illegal copying of films and the distribution of films contrary to censorship directives, with a maximum penalty of three years imprisonment or a fine of 100,000 kyats (US$97). Other movie sellers have shut their doors this week, with shop owners in Yuzana Plaza and Kyauktada Township telling The Irrawaddy they had been warned of possible arrest if found with copies of The Interview in their possession. Nonetheless, copies of The Interview remain freely available in the streets of Rangoon for 500 kyats (US$0.49). Released by a subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment, The Interview depicts two American journalists, played by Seth Rogen and James Franco, who are coerced by the United States government into assassinating North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-un. Referred to by the North Korean Embassy's facsimile as a "psychological plot" movie, Sony Pictures initially pulled the film after the company's computer networks were compromised, allegedly by state-sponsored North Korean hackers. The film has since been screened in the US, but Sony has stated that the film will not receive a public release in the Asia-Pacific region outside of Australia and New Zealand. The North Korean Embassy in Rangoon was sought for comment. Additional Reporting by Nyein Nyein. The post Rangoon Police Launch Video Shop Crackdown After North Korean Pressure appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Burma’s Rising Imports Drive Overall Trade Boost Posted: 14 Jan 2015 04:27 AM PST Trucks filled with goods cross the Friendship Bridge from Mae Sot in Thailand to Myawaddy in Burma. (Photo: Moe Kyaw / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Burma's total trade volume this fiscal year is expected to rise by least US$5 billion compared with the previous 12 months, government data show, but economists warn that a rising trade deficit threatens to undermine that growth. In the nine months from April 1, 2014, to Jan. 2, the total trade volume reached nearly $21 billion, according to Ministry of Commerce figures, surpassing the previous fiscal year's $18.6 billion in trade. Of the total trade, exports decreased slightly to $8.6 billion, while imports increased by $2.5 billion to reach $12.3 billion. Yan Naing Tun, the deputy director general at the Ministry of Commerce, confirmed the rising import-export disparity but declined to offer a reason for the widening trade deficit when asked by The Irrawaddy. Burma's main imports are electronics, agriculture-based equipment, automobiles, refined oil products, processed foods and machinery, while the country's biggest exports are commodities like rice, timber, jade and gems, oil and gas, and beans and pulses. Out of last year's total trade, exports accounted for $8.9 billion while imports totaled $9.8 billion. The 2013-14 full-year trade deficit was only $866 million, compared with just under $3.7 billion through the first nine months of the current fiscal year. Dr. Maung Maung Lay, the vice chairman of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI), said the government needed to lower the trade deficit by limiting "unnecessary" imported goods to Burma. "Actually, for developing countries, the imported products are always higher than exported goods, but the government has to control the trade deficit not to become an extreme amount. If not, inflation will become an issue soon," he said. "As far as I know, the government is considering canceling unnecessary projects, and trying to collect more taxes to control the trade deficit," he added. Maung Maung Lay said that in looking for the unnecessary, the government could target high-value imports such as luxury items. The value of the Burmese kyat has taken a hit over the last year, in part due to the US dollar's resurgence but also potentially linked to the widening trade deficit. The kyat has weakened about 20 percent since it was floated in April 2012, with the Central Bank on Wednesday listing it at 1,025 kyats to the dollar. "The floating currency rate is a related concern in terms of the trade deficit's impact," Maung Maung Lay said. He added that if frequently smuggled goods—such as timber, jade and other precious stones—were included in Burma's export total, the trade deficit would shrink considerably. "It is certain that if these smuggled goods were legal exports, export volume would rise. That's why mobile teams are seriously checking for these smuggled goods now," he said. Illicit goods including gemstones, timber, wildlife parts and precursor drugs have been seized along the Sino-Burmese border near Muse, with an estimated total value of $27 million over the past two years, Ministry of Commerce officials said recently. Thaung Win, the executive director of the rice exporter Myanmar Agribusiness Public Corporation, echoed calls for a government role in curbing the deficit. "With the rice export market, China banned Burmese rice [imports] last year. Export is legal from our side, but not on the China side. That's why there were problems with agricultural products' export," he said. "But even if we can export rice regularly, the amount of imported goods is increasing—you can see that there are a lot of cars imported, electronics and goods used for construction and factories, so import volume will continue to increase in future." The post Burma's Rising Imports Drive Overall Trade Boost appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Activists in Mandalay Call for Meeting on ‘Government Negligence’ Posted: 14 Jan 2015 04:18 AM PST   A flyer advertises a public meeting in Mandalay, planned for this upcoming Friday, to call out the government on problems facing Burma. (Photo: The Irrawaddy) MANDALAY — Activists in Mandalay are preparing to hold a public meeting this week in Burma's second city, with thousands of farmers, laborers, students and average citizens expected to join a gathering aimed at spotlighting government shortcomings. The organizers have said that the meeting on Friday has been called to create public awareness about the lack of rule of law, right abuses and other failings of Burma's government. "There are many things happening in our country that show the lack of rule of law and negligence of the government. A recent example is the death of Khin Win, a farmer from Letpadaung. The government is still neglecting to take action against the police," said Thein Aung Myint from the Movement for Democracy Current Force, one of the organizers of the meeting. Khin Win was shot dead by police last month when protestors clashed with officers at the controversial Letpadaung copper mine in central Burma. Friday's meeting will aim to inform the public and the government, according to organizers, that the latter is handling an array of issues poorly, from labor rights abuses and conflicts drawn along ethnic or religious lines to oppression of journalists and land rights conflicts nationwide. "The government has handled these matters poorly so that the problems still exist. If these matters are neglected, they will become the main obstacles to becoming a democratic country," said activist Aye Thein. "And, we want to urge the government to act fairly—to lessen the oppression of students, political activists and Buddhist monks, and to better control communal conflicts that threaten stability and peace," he added. Organizers, mainly made up of rights activists and young Buddhist monks, said they would not seek permission from authorities to hold the meeting, raising the possibility that they could be charged with violating Burma's Peaceful Assembly Law. The 8am gathering will take place at Phayagyi A Lae Tike Monastery, located south of Mandalay's well-known Mahamuni Pagoda. "The meeting is open and welcomes whoever is interested in justice and wants to create a better country. We will submit the results from the meeting to government officials, and local and international organizations, to push the government to perform its best for its citizens," said Moe Htet Nay, a student activist from Mandalay. Calls for the meeting come at a time of growing disillusionment at home and abroad over a reform program in Burma that began in 2011 but appears to have lost steam in recent months.   The post Activists in Mandalay Call for Meeting on 'Government Negligence' appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Villages, Residents Stand in Way of Dawei Rubber Farm Posted: 14 Jan 2015 12:49 AM PST A new gravel road cuts through the forested Tanintharyi Mountains and connects the planned Dawei SEZ with nearby Thailand. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) Sixteen villages inhabited largely by indigenous ethnic Karen people in Dawei district, where a major special economic zone in southern Burma is planned, will be leveled to make way for a large-scale rubber plantation, according to local residents. The 50,000-acre plantation in southernmost Tenasserim Division will be operated by Myanmar Mahar Dahna Co. Ltd. in the Thein Baw Oo village tract of Tenasserim Township. The first phase of the project will cover 5,000 acres across an area in which six villages are currently sited, local inhabitants say. Paw Say Wah, a rights advocate from the Candle Light Group, a community-based organization in Dawei district, told The Irrawaddy that local villagers and organizations are against the project because of its anticipated effects on local inhabitants of the six villages and surrounding farmlands. "The government granted 5,000 acres to them [Myanmar Mahar Dahna]. But now villagers are against the project. They don't want to lose their lands and villages. We are trying to speak out against it in advance, before the company brings their machines and destroys everything," said Paw Say Wah. Locals say there are about 500 villagers living in the six villages that will initially be affected by the rubber plantation. According to documents obtained by The Irrawaddy, the office of the Tenasserim Division government granted permission to Myanmar Mahar Dahna Co. Ltd. to cultivate 5,000 acres of rubber trees in the project's preliminary phase. A senior official at Myanmar Mahar Dahna on Wednesday confirmed that local authorities had granted permission to begin developing the 5,000-acre plot. He added that the company was ready to start clearing land, but has not yet started the work due to local opposition to the project. "We stand with civilians. We planned to establish the business in order to help local people. Most of them are ethnic Karen and they are very poor. We will provide work skills for free. When the project happens, we will even provide them with jobs and salaries," said the senior company official, who asked for anonymity. "We are ready to start the project, but we still have to deal with local people to manage their opposition to our project. So, we are holding off on the project," said the official. He denied local villagers' assertion that there are six villages located within the 5,000 acres of the project's first phase. "There are no villages there. It is virgin land. … We will discuss it with local villagers," said the official, adding that Myanmar Mahar Dahna was not like other companies that conduct their business operations without considering the will of local people. The official also said that the company planned to operate the rubber plantation with the aim to support Burmese refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs), should they decide to return to the area amid ongoing negotiations between the government and ethnic Karen rebels. A significant portion of the populations in Burma's ethnic regions have been displaced over the course of decades of civil war. Myanmar Mahar Dahna applied for the 50,000-acre concession in Tenasserim Division and signed a joint venture agreement with Thai Hua Rubber Holdings, a company that operates rubber plantations and manufactures rubber-based products in Thailand. According to the ethnic media outlet Karen News, Myanmar Mahar Dahna also plans to construct an antimony processing plant in southern Karen State's Hlaing Bwe Township. As economic and political reforms have opened Burma up to unprecedented domestic and foreign investment, development projects have mushroomed across the country, often resulting in land disputes. Both the Thai and Burmese governments have ambitious plans for Tenasserim Division, where the multi-billion dollar Dawei special economic zone (SEZ) is envisioned. The project, which will include a deep-sea port and industrial park, would better link Thailand and Burma, but has struggled to attract investment. The post Villages, Residents Stand in Way of Dawei Rubber Farm appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Japan Proposes Record $42b Military Budget to Counter China’s Rise Posted: 13 Jan 2015 10:22 PM PST Japan’s Defense Minister Gen Nakatani speaks during an annual military exercise in Funabashi, east of Tokyo on Jan. 11. (Photo: Yuya Shino / Reuters) TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government approved a record $42 billion military budget on Wednesday, with outlays rising for a third year to counter China’s rising military might. The draft budget for the fiscal year from April includes a 2.8 percent rise in defence spending to 4.98 trillion yen, for items such as planes, naval vessels and fighting vehicles to guard waters bordering China, which has a long-running dispute with Tokyo over Japanese-held islands in the East China Sea. "The situation around Japan is changing," Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said on Sunday. "The level of defence spending reflects the amount necessary to protect Japan’s air, sea and land, and guard the lives and property of our citizens." Abe has reversed a decade of military spending cuts as he seeks a more robust posture for the long-pacifist government, although his modest increases are dwarfed by China’s double-digit rises in defence spending. Beijing said last March it was raising annual defence spending by 12 percent to $130 billion. Japan’s new outlays will help pay for troop-carrying Boeing Co Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, Northrop Grumman Corp Global Hawk surveillance drones, Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 stealth fighters, and Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd’s P-1 submarine hunting planes and stealthy Soryu submarine. The budget also includes spending to relocate US troops away from Okinawa island, where locals have protested a heavy American presence. The post Japan Proposes Record $42b Military Budget to Counter China’s Rise appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Critics Dog Cambodia’s Hun Sen as He Marks 30 Years in Power  Posted: 13 Jan 2015 09:11 PM PST Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen speaks to reporters during a news conference at the Council of Ministers in Phnom Penh July 22, 2011. (Photo: Reuters) NEAK LOEUNG, Cambodia — Hun Sen, Cambodia’s tough and wily prime minister, marked 30 years in power Wednesday, one of only a handful of political strongmen worldwide who have managed to cling to their posts for three decades. Since first taking up the job of prime minister at age 33, he has consolidated power with violence and intimidation of opponents that continue to draw criticism from human rights advocates. But he could also take some credit for bringing modest economic growth and stability in a country devastated by the communist Khmer Rouge’s regime in the 1970s, which Hun Sen had abandoned as they left some 1.7 million people dead from starvation, disease and executions. In a speech inaugurating the country’s longest, 2,200 meter (7,200 foot) bridge across the Mekong River on Wednesday, Hun Sen, 62, defended his record, saying that only he was daring enough to tackle the Khmer Rouge and help bring peace to Cambodia. "If Hun Sen hadn’t been willing to enter the tigers’ den, how could we have caught the tigers?" he said. He acknowledged some shortcomings, but pleaded for observers to see the good as well as the bad in his leadership. Born to a peasant family in east-central Cambodia, Hun Sen initially joined the Khmer Rouge against a pro-American government. He defected to Vietnam in 1977, and accompanied the Vietnamese invasion that toppled his former comrades in 1979. The timely change of sides led to his being appointed foreign minister, then prime minister of the Vietnamese-supported regime in 1985. Since then, he has never left the top post despite being forced to temporarily accept the title of "co-prime minister" after his party came in second in a 1993 U.N.-supervised election. Four years later, he deposed his coalition partner in a bloody coup. "It is superficially true that relative peace and stability occurred during the reign of Hun Sen’s three decades in power. But Hun Sen’s ‘achievements’ are only relative to the blackness of the Khmer Rouge," said Theary Seng, a Cambodian-American lawyer and human rights activist. Historian David Chandler, a Cambodia expert at Australia’s Monash University, has characterized Hun Sen as "intelligent, combative, tactical, and self-absorbed." According to the New York-based group Human Rights Watch, Hun Sen has been linked to a wide range of serious human rights violations: extrajudicial killings, torture, arbitrary arrests, summary trials, censorship, bans on assembly and association, and a national network of spies and informers intended to frighten and intimidate the public into submission." In 2013 elections, it seemed Hun Sen’s grip on power had been shaken when the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party mounted an unexpectedly strong challenge, winning 55 seats in the National Assembly and leaving Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party with 68. The opposition alleged the results were rigged and its lawmakers at first boycotted the legislature. But then, Hun Sen brokered a deal with opposition leader Sam Rainsy and the parliament resumed work, with the longtime leader again appearing unscathed. Human Rights Watch said in Wednesday’s report that "Cambodia is in the process of reverting to a one-party state." "After 30 years of experience, there is no reason to believe that Hun Sen will wake up one day and decide to govern Cambodia in a more open, inclusive, tolerant, and rights-respecting manner," said the Asia director at Human Rights Watch, Brad Adams, who authored the report. "The international community should begin listening to those Cambodians who have increasingly demanded the protection and promotion of their basic human rights." The post Critics Dog Cambodia's Hun Sen as He Marks 30 Years in Power  appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Activists, Executives Advise Thailand How to Tackle Trafficking Posted: 13 Jan 2015 08:47 PM PST Armed police provide security to Police Maj-Gen Thatchai Pitaneelaboot, who leads a campaign against human trafficking in Thailand, as they sail up a river in toward a trafficking camp in Satun, southern Thailand, on March 27, 2014. (Photo: Reuters) BANGKOK — Thailand must empower victims of trafficking and forced labor to complain and must crack down on corrupt officials if it wants to tackle its human trafficking problem, activists and food industry executives say. Thailand is scrambling to clean up its act after the US State Department named it in June as one of the world's worst centers for human trafficking, saying it was a source, destination and transit country for forced labor. The State Department said most victims of trafficking in Thailand were from neighboring countries and were forced or defrauded into labor, with tens of thousands exploited in the commercial sex trade, on fishing boats or as domestic servants. As it prepares to submit a report on 2014 to the State Department by March, Thailand has announced a slew of measures including steep fines for offenders and a budget to hire 700 anti-corruption staff to investigate cases. In interviews with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, rights activists, Thai food industry association leaders and executives of the world's largest seafood companies—some of which have been accused of exploiting trafficked and forced labor—said serious law enforcement was key. "The law enforcement system is broken and corrupt. The people responsible for enforcing the law and ensuring security often are the people who are complicit in the abuses," said Andy Hall, a migrant rights researcher and activist. "It's not like it's a secret. It's not like it's difficult to investigate and punish people involved. … There needs to be a push to stop this kind of behavior. There needs to be a crackdown." Deputy Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai reiterated on Monday a government vow to go after perpetrators of human trafficking "no matter what uniform they're wearing." Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch said this empty promise has been repeated over the years but never yields results. "What makes this Thai government think the outcome of yet another 'corrupt officials' campaign is going to be any different this time? At best, a couple of officials who are small fish and less well connected than others will be caught and made examples of, but not much will change," Robertson said. Robertson and other activists urged the Thai government to empower migrant workers from Burma, Cambodia and Laos—the majority of trafficking victims—to defend themselves. The government has registered 1.6 million previously undocumented migrant workers, which should help combat trafficking by giving them legal papers. What this means, in principle, is that "no one can stop them on the street, no one can arbitrarily detain them or deport them or ask them for money," said Jeff Labovitz, the head of the International Organization for Migration in Thailand. However, activists say workers must have freedom of movement and the right to change employers as they wish. Many migrants have their passports and documents confiscated by employers or labor agents, making them vulnerable to arrest, harassment or extortion. They should also be able to complain without retaliation. "Empowered migrant communities will fight back against traffickers, and could become the Thai government's best ally in identifying human traffickers and going after them," Robertson said. In addition to registering migrants, the Thai Frozen Foods Association proposed registering brokers and setting clear limits on their fees to prevent them from deceiving laborers. Thiraphong Chansiri, the president and CEO of Thai Union Group—the world's largest producer of canned tuna which owns Chicken of the Sea and recently purchased Bumble Bee Seafoods for US$1.5 billion—urged closer coordination among government agencies. He also pressed the private sector to ensure their operations upheld good labor practices and complied with labor laws in the entire supply chain. Charoen Phokphand Foods Plc (CP Foods)—which a probe by Britain's Guardian newspaper last year alleged had labor violations in its shrimp supply chain—offered the most concrete examples of efforts to ensure a clean supply chain. "While we found no evidence of labor abuses in our entire supply chain, we have nonetheless completely locked down our supply chain to 30 fishmeal plants and 380 fishing vessels, for which we have full visibility and traceability on sustainability and social issues," said Andy Lohawatanakul, senior vice president of CP Foods. The company is conducting on-site audits of fishmeal producers with the Department of Labor Welfare and Protection and the Department of Fisheries, he said. "Only those fish meal suppliers [and the fishing vessels they work with] who agree that they will record crew manifests at every arrival and departure from port, record and keep full vessel fishing logs, and agree to regular audits will be approved as suppliers to CP Foods." The post Activists, Executives Advise Thailand How to Tackle Trafficking appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

A Barber and a Bus Conductor Posted: 13 Jan 2015 04:00 PM PST A still showing a scene from "The Barber." (Photo: Yangon Film School) YANGON — In a small, unassuming shopfront in North Dagon Township, U Tin Htun reflects on the sense of shame he felt as a child after his father told him to learn the barber trade, a station in life he thought well beneath his talents. Years later, after he was pensioned off by the Ministry of Industry and left scrambling for a means to provide for his son's education, U Tin Htun sharpens a pair of scissors in preparation for the day's trade as he playfully concedes the merits of his father's advice. The languid working life of U Tin Htun is the subject of "The Barber," a new featurette by Anna Biak Tha Mawi, a first-time director and recent graduate of the Yangon Film School. Now in its ninth year, the school has cultivated something of an austere house style among its filmmakers that is unembellished by narration and firmly in keeping with the guiding principles of the cinéma vérité movement. The resulting films offer a remarkable window into Myanmar's social and cultural fabric which, in "The Barber," is channelled through U Tin Htun's gentle benevolence and refined sense of irony. Shot over two days, a steady stream of clients are captured on the barber's chair, some the silent recipients of his good humor, others eager to impart their own wisdom. In one instance, U Tin Htun notices a scar on the back of a trishaw driver's neck. The barber gently remonstrates with him when told it's the product of a recent fight with his wife before offering a 100 kyat discount when he learns the customer is short of cash after a night's drinking. In between jobs, U Tin Htun recalls being picked up one morning to cut the hair of a former government minister. Refusing to have his hair trimmed and dyed in the office, the minister asks the barber to come to the pagoda instead. After official business intrudes, he eventually accompanies the minister by car to Bago, and on a plane to Bagan and then Mandalay. It is after midnight and U Tin Htun is 700 kilometres from home before the haircut is finished. For the director, the barber's candid warmth made him a compelling subject, allowing her to immortalize a profession in flux, as old-fashioned, sole-proprietor street barbershops in Yangon gradually give way to more modern hair salons. "I like his way of talking and his behavior towards each customer," said Anna Biak Tha Mawi. "He is very friendly and adapts easily to customers of different ages and different backgrounds. He gives special care to his customers and he really values his job." Premiering on Dec. 6 at the Yangon Film School's annual showcase, "The Barber" was accompanied by another debut by recent graduates centered on 29-year-old Ma Myat Su Mon, the eponymous subject of "The Bus Conductor." Supplementing her husband's meager income as a driver and supporting a young daughter, Ma Myat Su Mon rises early each morning to shepherd passengers on, off and around a clapped out bus as it travels through downtown streets and outer townships. Passengers stand bemused by the rare sight of a female conductor, and her methods of gentle persuasion, in a vocation where barked orders and jostling are much more par for the course. Naturally, Yangon's decrepit bus fleet posed its own logistical problems for the filmmakers. "The cameraman and sound recorder had to work in very difficult conditions," said director Daw Ngwe Ngwe Khine. "The buses in Myanmar are very fast and very crowded and they had to shout to get space for us to pass. We explained the sort of film we were making and eventually everyone was happy to participate." Both documentaries display a remarkable finesse—a feat made all the more impressive by the Yangon Film School's swift crash course for new talent. Lindsey Merrison, the founder and director of the Yangon Film School, attributes the success of the films to the school's prevailing format. "We bring them from zero to quite competent filmmakers in the space of seven weeks," she said. "The films [our graduates make] are portraits because it's suitable for people with no experience of making documentaries—the day-in-a-life portrait provides a natural trajectory to work around." The Yangon Film School has benefitted from a transparent and upfront relationship with the government over the last decade, partnering with organizations such as the Myanmar Motion Picture Organization for a screenwriting program and establishing itself as a cultivator of local talent and production skills. With the advent of a somewhat less censorious oversight regime, the school was able to do something previously unthinkable in 2012 by hosting a screening of its award-winning Cyclone Nargis documentary and appending the real names of its crew to the final credits. Publicizing such insights into the powerful as those proffered by U Tin Htun, would also likely have been out of the question in years gone by. While the school undergoes an audacious expansion of its activities, including the launch of a fellowship program and plans to produce more feature-length and dramatic works, risk assessments remain the final determinant of whether a project goes ahead. The organization is always conscious of the uncharted lines which determine what productions are acceptable. "Things are more relaxed than they used to be, though you still have to be careful," said Ms. Merrison. "Anyone wielding a camera in this country needs to exercise some caution." Additional reporting by Nobel Zaw. This article first appeared in the January 2014 print edition of The Irrawaddy Magazine.  The post A Barber and a Bus Conductor appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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BURMA PEACE PROCESS: Will Thein Sein's Targeted NCA Signing Ceremony On Union Day Materialize? Posted: 14 Jan 2015 12:25 AM PST President Thein Sein's proposal, or rather his ad hoc lobbying, regarding the signing of National Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) on 12 January, Monday, to be held on the coming 12 February, which  falls on the Union Day 68th Anniversary, is met with affirmative and as well, negative responses  within the Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) and non-Burman ethnic groups as a whole. The meeting on Monday was attended by 48 leaders representing ethnic, military and political parties' representatives. The Irrawaddy reports. on 12 January, that among the attendees were Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services Vice Snr-Gen Soe Win; parliamentary Speakers Shwe Mann and Khin Aung Myint; Vice Chairman of the Union Solidarity and development Party Htay Oo; Chairwoman of the National League for Democracy Aung San Suu Kyi; Chairman of the National Unity Party Than Tin; Khin Maung Swe of the Federal Democratic Alliance; Sai Ai Bao of the Nationalities Brotherhood Federation; Khun Htun Oo of the United Nationalities Alliance; Dr. Manan Tu Ja of the Kachin Democratic party; Chairman of the All Nationals' Democracy Party Phoe Yel; and ethnic affairs ministers representing Lisu, Rawan Pa-O and several other minorities. Prior to this latest round of peace initiative, the President had met with the political parties and EAOs on two occasions. According to RFA report on 12 January, the president met with lawmakers from more than 60 political parties on Nov. 26 in the commercial capital Yangon. And on Jan. 5, he urged leaders from 12 of the country's 16 armed ethnic groups, represented in the Nationwide Ceasefire Negotiating Team (NCCT), to strive hard to reach a nationwide cease-fire accord with the government by Feb. 12. The meeting agenda, according to various news outlets was said to focus on continued efforts for democratization and reform, holding of political talks for national reconciliation, and holding of free and fair elections in 2015. Presidential spokesman U Ye Htut was said to be satisfied with the transparent, open and successful discussion of the meeting, while Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the NLD, was openly against the posture that only the parliament has the sole responsibility to amend the constitution, according to the RFA report. Khun Okkar's VOA Interview Although according to various sources the Commander-in Chief Min Aung Hlaing is said to be acceptable to the multi-party system way of governance and the presidential leadership making the political decision, as evident by the participation of the Independence Day military parade, on 4 January, with mass procession, NCCT leader, Khun Okkar's recent interview, on 7 January, with U Kyaw Zarn Thar, casts doubt on where he stands, regarding the constitutional amendment issue. When asked, whether Commander-in-Chief toes the line of the President - identical to the NCCT & Union Peacemaking Work Committee (UPWC) Single Text - on the issues of ceasefire agreement, political dialogue, and formation of federal union, Khun Okkar replied: " The Commander-in-Chief stands on his six guiding principles and explains at length on the concept, which we also understood. Of his six principles, the first four is acceptable with no problem, but the number five and six, which is to obey the current, existing laws and adherence of the 2008 Constitution, becomes problematic and have to think it over. We will have to discuss and work on that." Khun Okkar further said that although Min Aung Hlaing didn't say it directly regarding the acceptance of federalism, he took it that Min Aung Hlaing would toe the line of President for he stated two or three times that since the President is the head of state, all have to follow his lead, which means he won't object to the President's endorsement of federalism. Thein Sein Quotes On Federalism President Thein Sein has time and again said that he is for the formation of a federal union, according to the aspirations of the people. A speech was broadcast across the country on state radio on the morning of 2 December 2014, stating "A firm political agreement on forming a federal union, which is vital to the peace process, has been reached." He continued that "Furthermore, an agreement has also been reached to discuss all other issues - except for secession and anything that might harm the sovereignty of the nation." The Global - New Light of Myanmar - the government mouthpiece, on 1 January 2015, reported the President's speech with a bold, front page, headline "We will be able to establish a Federal Union on the basis of agreements we will reach at political dialogue My Fellow Citizens".   A paragraph emphasizing his political conviction in the speech writes: "It is critical and imperative to merge the developments arising from the 2015 elections with the national reconciliation process originating from the peace process. The day we can do this is the day we can begin to build a new nation based on the ideals of a federal union and finally fulfill the needs of our nation and society at large." Views Of  Aung San Suu Kyi, Nai Han Thar, And Padoe Kwe Htoo Win Showing displeasure to the recent meeting, Aung San Suu Kyi, chairperson of the of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), who had originally pushed for four-party talks among herself, Thein Sein, speaker of the lower house of parliament Shwe Mann and Min Aung Hlaing, called for six-party talks for national reconciliation after Monday's meeting, according to RFA report of 12 January. "We believe we must hold six-party talks," said Aung San Suu Kyi. "Today's discussion was not like a six-party talk. I don't accept the idea that only parliament has the responsibility to amend the constitution. Everybody has a responsibility to do this." On Tuesday, 13 January, Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party released a statement saying the 48-party discussion had likewise been "hardly a fruitful one", according to The Irrawaddy report on the same day. In an interview with the RFA, on 11 January 2015, Nai Han Thar, regarding the proposed signing of Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) on Union Day by the President said: " Without first coming to term, clear view and opinion, it shouldn't be speculated that the agreement will be signed on the Union Day. This cannot happen also. Since we are still looking for ways to overcome the different views that have blocked the ceasefire process and not even able to widen the scope enough to tackle the issue, signing the agreement on Union Day would be practically impossible." According to Myanmar Times report of 12 January 2015, NCCT deputy leader Padoe Saw Kwe Htoo Win of the Karen National Union said last week he favours a Union Day deal. "We have reached agreement on almost all points. Signing would make that Union Day a historic day for our country. Both sides are trying to achieve that." According to RFA, Myanmar Service, on 12 January, Khin Maung Shwe, leader of the National Democratic Force (NDF) party, said that Thein Sein met with the 48 leaders from the country's ethnic, military and political groups in a bid to press them to sign a nationwide cease-fire deal on Myanmar's Union Day, Feb. 12, so the country can move forward with next phase of political dialogue. Khin Maung Swe said the participants had 10 minutes each to discuss their positions, although some took only three to five minutes. If needed, Thein Sein will create a "third force group," in addition to the government's Union Peacemaking Work Committee (UPWC) and the National Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT), an alliance of armed ethnic organizations, to push those involved in the process to reach a deal by Feb. 12, Khin Maung Swe said. With the NCCT split along the line of "sign first talk later", KNU led camp, and "basic political agreement first sign later" KIO/KIA headed faction, the Thein Sein regime would be forced to rethink its previous "open book" strategy, if he is determined to materialize his target date of achieving NCA by Union Day. The only problem will be the loss of face for not achieving the much lauded NCA and perhaps the withdrawal of ear-marked development aid, which is closely linked to the ending of the ongoing armed conflict. Either way, we are all back to where we have started and the realization of equitable sharing of power and resources, based on federalism and democracy remains a distance dream. And if the USDP-Military regime of Thein Sein will just continue to play with words, without real concrete political commitment, we will be going round and round in a vicious circle without end. For now, we won't be able to say whether Min Aung Hlaing is just a reluctant follower of President Thein Sein or playing "bad-cop" within the same team. In the same vein, it will also be hard to pin point if Thein Sein is a real reformer or taking the role of a "good-cop", in the interest of all the other military top brass. But for a start, just to dispel the lingering doubts of the non-Burman ethnic nationalities and to show its good will, the regime could declare unilateral ceasefire, withdraw its troops from all front-line positions and pledge its concrete political commitment like using the phrase "establishment of a federal union based on equality, rights of self-determination and democracy in all-inclusive manner", prior to the political dialogue phase to be included in the NCA document, instead of the vague wording like "building a federal union on the basis of agreements we will reach at political dialogue". If such a move is made, Thein Sein could be sure that his target date of signing the NCA will materialize, without any hitch, by the Union Day celebration. The contributor is ex-General Secretary of the dormant Shan Democratic Union (SDU) - Editor

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