The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Burma Govt ‘Hampers’ Mandate of UN Rights Envoy
• Pro-Democracy Activist Ko Ko Gyi: ‘I Will Set Up My Own Party’
• Arakan State Suffers Two-Thirds of Flood-Related Fatalities Nationwide
• Flood-Hit Delta Residents Wary of Rising Waters
• All-Inclusive Pact Proves Elusive as Latest Peace Talks Close
• Vice-President’s Candidacy Carries Constitutional Conundrum
• In Flood-Hit Magwe, Prioritizing Lives With Livestock in Mind
• Anger Over NLD Candidate Picks Spills Into Pakokku’s Streets
• Time Called on Myanmar Beer Battle as Military Conglomerate Agrees to Buyout Terms
• Cast Aside by NLD, Nyo Nyo Thin Eyes Lower House as Independent
• An Artist Breathes New Life into Classic Characters
• Aung Ko Win’s KBZ Charity Tops $3.6m in Flood Aid
• Meet the Ladies Leading Burma’s Flood Relief Efforts
• Suu Kyi Warns Against Flood-Linked Vote Tampering
• Former Top Cop Spins Life on Pakistan’s Mean Streets into Novels
• US Senators Demand Documents over Malaysia Trafficking Upgrade
• Jailed Chinese Journalist Gao Yu Has Heart Problems: Lawyer
• Burma’s President Urges People to Leave Delta as Floods Rise
• Three Armed Groups Make Peace Offer As Talks Continue in Rangoon
• Rangoon Police Make Drug Bust Linked to Massive July Narcotics Haul

Burma Govt ‘Hampers’ Mandate of UN Rights Envoy Posted: 07 Aug 2015 09:34 AM PDT Yanghee Lee, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Burma. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — The Burmese government has placed prohibitive limits on the mandate of UN rights envoy Yanghee Lee during her third official visit to the country, the special rapporteur told reporters on Friday at the tail end of a five-day fact finding mission. Reiterating her commitment to continued engagement with the Burmese government and all other stakeholders, Lee expressed "regret" that she was denied requested access to western Burma's Arakan State, limited to half the time of her previous visits and subjected to last minute cancelation of stakeholder meetings. "This, unfortunately, hampers my ability to fulfill my mandate," Lee said, stating her commitment to seek information and report fairly to the UN General Assembly. Lee's annual report on the country is due in October, just before a nationwide general election to be held on Nov. 8. The South Korean children's rights expert, appointed early last year, arrived in Burma amid troubling times. A near miss by Cylclone Komen late last week dropped torrential rains on much of the country, resulting in devastating floods in some of the poorest and most remote parts of the country. The disaster had caused 88 deaths and affected more than 300,000 people as of Friday night, according to figures from the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement. Hardest hit was Arakan State, where 55 deaths have been reported so far. The coastal state was already dealing with another crisis. Riots between Buddhists and Muslims tore through the state in 2012, displacing some 140,000 people. Most of those affected were stateless Rohingya Muslims, who the rapporteur said remain subject to "institutionalized discrimination" in the state of roughly 3.1 million. Upon her last visit to Burma in January of this year, Lee was greeted by protests in Arakan State by Buddhists who accused the United Nations of bias in favor of the Muslim community. Weeks later, a notorious and widely influential Buddhist monk, Wirathu, publicly referred to her as a "bitch" and a "whore". Between then and now, the northern part of the state again came under international scrutiny as a migrant crisis emerged in the Bay of Bengal. An early May crackdown on human trafficking in Thailand led to the exposure of an expansive smuggling syndicate transporting migrants from Bangladesh and refugees from Burma on a dangerous and often deadly passage to Malaysia. A significant number of the migrants, who came to be referred to as "boat people," were found to be Rohingya Muslims fleeing severe limitations on movement and livelihoods in displacement camps. Lee called on Friday for the immediate lifting of restrictions that hinder the community's access to education and freedom of movement. The rapporteur further condemned the disenfranchisement of the Rohingya community, referring to the recent revocation of temporary identification cards—called white cards—which effectively rescinded their right to vote in the forthcoming election. "Some have informed me that these are sensitive issues which should not be raised publicly given the risk of fuelling communal tensions and potential conflict," Lee said, "but I cannot shy away from continuing to highlight serious human rights violations and make principled but constructive recommendations." Regarding the thorny issue of creating a path to citizenship for the beleaguered minority, Lee said that "more has to be done and can be done to address the legal status of the Rohingya and the institutionalized discrimination faced by this community." While Arakan officials, who traveled to Rangoon to meet with the envoy, have claimed that Lee could not visit the state due to extreme weather conditions, the rapporteur said that her request for a stopover "was denied by the government well before my visit had started." This and other pressing rights issues will be addressed in more detail in her report to the UN General Assembly. Those issues, she said, will include the "arbitrary" detention of student protesters, "increased monitoring" of activists and imbalanced application of laws concerning freedoms of expression and assembly. Acknowledging the government's efforts to responsibly address the current flood crisis, facilitate monitoring and provide for her safety, Lee said she would remain committed to her mandate despite restraints. "While I am fully aware of the complexities of the situation in Myanmar and the reform process," Lee said, "I cannot hold Myanmar to a lower standard." The post Burma Govt 'Hampers' Mandate of UN Rights Envoy appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Pro-Democracy Activist Ko Ko Gyi: ‘I Will Set Up My Own Party’ Posted: 07 Aug 2015 07:42 AM PDT Ko Ko Gyi makes a court appearance on July 22. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) Prominent pro-democracy activist Ko Ko Gyi has said that he will set up his own party, though practical constraints and ultimately Burma's Union Election Commission will likely prevent any Ko Ko Gyi-led party from competing in a general election due in three months' time. Speaking to The Irrawaddy by phone, the former student activist who spent several years in prison said: "I told her [Aung San Suu Kyi] that I will set up my own party." Last week, Ko Ko Gyi was not on the candidate list of the Nation League for Democracy, though he and several other prominent figures had put forward their names as interested in contesting the upcoming election for Burma's main opposition party. It is believed that some senior NLD members approached Ko Ko Gyi about submitting his name for a candidacy, but to the surprise of many, his name was omitted from the NLD's candidate list when the party released most of its roster last weekend. As of Thursday, media reports had suggested that the NLD and 88 Generation Peace and Open Society would issue a joint statement. It is not known why the NLD rejected Ko Ko Gyi and several other well-known activists and politicians as candidates. In addition to Ko Ko Gyi, Nyo Nyo Thin, an independent Rangon Division MP for Bahan, was not on the list, despite her having also put her name forward. Party spokesman Nyan Win told Reuters that the NLD's central committee was ultimately the gatekeeper when it came to parliamentary aspirants seeking the party's blessing. "We are choosing the most suitable MPs for the country," he told the news agency. "Everyone have the right to apply as candidates but the committee need to choose the best people." The controversial decision to reject some well-known activists has created divisions within Burma's democracy movement. The former student leader, who spent more than 17 years in prison, told The Irrawaddy that he knows who at the top level of the NLD had made the decision to reject him. He is believed to have ambitions to contest the 2020 general election or by-election before then, since he likely will be unable to contest the coming election. The UEC set an April 30 deadline for political party hopefuls to register to compete in the Nov. 8 election. The commission has allowed some parties to submit their applications after that date, but with the UEC currently juggling registered parties' candidate lists ahead of an Aug. 14 deadline for those submissions, it does not appear likely that Ko Ko Gyi's aspirations will be realized this election cycle. The post Pro-Democracy Activist Ko Ko Gyi: 'I Will Set Up My Own Party' appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Arakan State Suffers Two-Thirds of Flood-Related Fatalities Nationwide Posted: 07 Aug 2015 06:53 AM PDT A hut near the Arakan State capital Sittwe is seen surrounded by floodwaters. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Nearly two-thirds of all deaths linked to widespread flooding in Burma in recent weeks have occurred in western Arakan State, according to the state government's office director Moe Hein, who told The Irrawaddy that the death toll in the northern part of the state alone climbed to 55 on Thursday. According to the latest figures from the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, flooding had killed a total of 88 people across the country as of Friday. The Irrawaddy sought more information from Moe Hein on which townships in Arakan State had been hardest hit, but the official said he was busy handling the visit of President Thein Sein, who arrived there on Thursday. Khine Pyi Soe, the vice chairman of the Arakan National Party (ANP), faulted the regional government for his state's disproportionately high death toll, saying officials had failed to give the public sufficient warning ahead of Cyclone Komen, which made landfall in neighboring Bangladesh late last month but nonetheless drenched Arakan State for days. The senior ANP leader added that the need for relief aid in the state remained high. "All they can do at the moment is to pick up the dead bodies and provide a small amount of rice to the many flood victims," Khine Pyi Soe said. "I don't believe the statement of the government; I think maybe the deaths will approach almost 100." The state government has said that seven of Arakan State's 17 townships were affected by Cyclone Komen, which destroyed several community buildings and damaged farmlands. A statement by the state government said about 200,000 paddy fields were inundated and 5,000 cattle were killed. All told, the state government estimated damages linked to the cyclone and attendant flooding at 35 billion kyats (US$28.4 million). Although relief groups have sprung into action in the wake of the storm, support to flood victims has been hampered by damaged road links and other logistical challenges. The director of the Arakan Social Network, Khin Zaw Win, said his group had been deployed to provide relief supplies in 62 villages in Minbya Township, but he added that with the ASN's limited resources and unpassable roads hindering delivery of aid, local populations' needs—most urgently potable water—continued to go unmet. "Ponds are dirty and these should not even be used to feed animals," he said. Minbya Township administrator Aung Naing told The Irrawaddy on Friday that his jurisdiction had recorded 16 flood-related deaths, but that the situation was improving as waters began to recede. In northern Arakan State's Maungdaw, one of the townships affected by Cyclone Komen, local administrator Khin Maung Lwin said floodwaters there too were receding and the situation had returned to normal, but one person was killed and fish breeding ponds and drinking water reservoirs had been damaged, as were parts of the township's coastal embankment. According to Burma's 2014 census, Arakan State is home to nearly 3.2 million people, including a population of more than 100,000 particularly vulnerable internally displaced persons (IDPs) who have lived for years in temporary camps on the outskirts of the state capital Sittwe and elsewhere. The IDPs have lived in the camps since 2012, when violence between Arakanese Buddhists and the state's minority Rohingya Muslims forced them to flee their homes. The majority of the IDPs are stateless Rohingya, whose movement is restricted by the government. Conditions at the camps have deteriorate over the years and their inhabitants are heavily reliant on humanitarian aid from international NGOs. Asked about the situation at the IDP camps, Moe Hein referred The Irrawaddy to Arakan State Information Department Director Hla Thein. Calls to Hla Thein went unanswered on Friday. The post Arakan State Suffers Two-Thirds of Flood-Related Fatalities Nationwide appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Flood-Hit Delta Residents Wary of Rising Waters Posted: 07 Aug 2015 06:27 AM PDT Click to view slideshow. HINTHADA TOWNSHIP, Irrawaddy Division — While local donors have managed to reach the flood-hit village of Kyauk Ye beside the Irrawaddy River, around 300 displaced people sheltering in a local monastery remain wary of rising flood waters and in need of crucial funds. Kyauk Ye has around 550 homes and is located around five miles by river from the town of Hinthada in Irrawaddy Division. The trip—now impossible by land—from Hinthada to the village by boat is around 45 minutes. While current flood levels in Kyauk Ye, the largest village in Sin Boe village tract, are the highest in recent memory, locals have grown warily accustomed to the annual sight of rising waters in the monsoon season. They are generally practiced at keeping dry and riding out the monsoonal period until the waters recede. But this year is different. Water levels have only left the nipa palm leaf roofs of houses visible, making it impossible for villagers to remain in their homes. "Water levels always rise here, but [this year] we were in trouble and had to take refuge at the monastery," said 58-year-old Daw Htay, adding that she had never seen flooding on such a scale. Water levels are currently 7 feet higher than average monsoonal levels. About 300 locals are sheltering in a monastery, one of the tallest buildings in the village. The local middle-school remains closed to its hundreds of students. "It has been eight days since our school closed," an eighth-grade pupil, still wearing his green and white school uniform, told The Irrawaddy. Most displaced persons at the monastery are women and children, with their husbands and fathers desperately trying to salvage or protect property and livestock around their flooded homes. Most locals depend for their livelihood on cultivating the land, including growing chilies and peanuts. But their work usually ceases in the rainy season when flooding occurs, often causing erosion or more significant landslides. Now villagers have formed groups to take turns managing daily meals, according to 47-year-old local resident Ye Soe. No official aid has yet reached Kyauk Ye, but authorities' have visited to take stock of the situation, according to local, Daw Than Than Shin. The 88 Generation Peace and Open Society sent members to the area on Wednesday and local aid groups have attempted almost daily runs of supplies. While the village has been inundated for the past 15 days, no waterborne diseases or other illnesses have been reported. But two nurses remain in the village on stand-by. "We haven't seen any diseases here yet. Just normal coughs and colds or dizziness. No cases of diarrhea have broken out here," said Daw Cho Thae, a senior nurse stationed in the area. Personal hygiene may be a problem, she said, as people bathe in the dirty river water. "We also have to be careful when the water goes down," she said, alluding to the potential danger posed by snakes. For the first few days, there was no toilet at the monastery, said 35-year-old Kyu Kyu Thin, but a makeshift one has now been built. A key concern for displaced residents is finding the money to pay for food and supplies. "We have enough rice now. But our difficulty is money," said Ye Soe. "It costs us about 180,000 kyat daily [for meals, fuel and supplies]. We need to buy petrol for boats, and diesel to pump water from [artesian wells]. We need to run generators for electricity the whole night. We need money." Rice is not a primary concern, Ye Soe said, as it is provided by aid donors. But he was less certain about the ongoing toll on villagers if flood waters continued to rise. "We don't know when the water will go down. It's now over 15 days," he said. "Not only is it not going down, it's coming up. We don't know what kind of difficulties we will face if the water keeps rising." The post Flood-Hit Delta Residents Wary of Rising Waters appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

All-Inclusive Pact Proves Elusive as Latest Peace Talks Close Posted: 07 Aug 2015 05:57 AM PDT A ninth round of peace talks ended without resolve in Rangoon on August 7, 2015. (Photo: Hein Htet / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Senior leaders of five ethnic armed groups will soon reconvene with government negotiators, representatives said, following the lackluster close of the latest round of peace talks on Friday. The ninth round of discussions, which have unfolded over more than 18 months and aim to secure a nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA), ended without agreement on inclusion for armed groups that are not recognized by the government. Pu Zing Cung, a member of the ethnic negotiating block known as the Senior Delegation, told reporters after the talks that the issue of inclusion was the last remaining point of contention between ethnic leaders and government peace brokers. "We came to express our stance that all of our 17 members are to participate as signatories," Pu Zing Cung said. "We will not compromise this for the sake of the NCA." The two-day talks made some progress on the other remaining issues: security sector integration and whether international observers would be permitted to serve as signatories to the pact. According to delegation spokesman Nai Hong Sar, the five groups who will attend the next round of talks in Naypyidaw will be the Karen National Union (KNU); Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP); Shan State Progressive Party/Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA); New Mon State Party (NMSP) and the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO). Representatives of the five selected groups will meet "soon" with the government's negotiating team, the Union Peacemaking Work Committee (UPWC) at an as yet undisclosed date, the spokesman said. "Neither the UPWC or the [ethnic] delegates could reach an agreement at this meeting, so their respective leaders will meet to find a way to approach [the issue]. It is up to the government to implement all inclusiveness," Nai Hong Sar said. The government and the Burma Army currently do not accept almost one third of the ethnic groups involved in the peace process and accepted into the country's ethnic alliance. Three of the six groups—the Ta'ang National Liberation Army, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and the Arakan Army—proposed an independent peace deal with the government on Wednesday, after months of deadly conflict in eastern Burma's Kokang Region and northern Shan State. The remaining three—the Lahu Democratic Union, the Wa National Organization and the Arakan National Council—were deemed by the government not to have sizeable enough armies to warrant designation as combatants. Hla Maung Shwe of the Myanmar Peace Center, an internationally supported technical support team viewed as partial to the government, said he expected to see an accord reached before a November general election. The post All-Inclusive Pact Proves Elusive as Latest Peace Talks Close appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Vice-President’s Candidacy Carries Constitutional Conundrum Posted: 07 Aug 2015 05:50 AM PDT Burma's Vice President Sai Mauk Kham attends a ceremony marking the anniversary of Martyrs’ Day at the Martyrs Mausoleum in Rangoon. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) RANGOON —Dr Sai Mauk Kham will contest the Union seat of Lashio for the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) in November, potentially putting the vice-president in violation of constitutional prohibitions on campaigning. Tin Maung Shwe, chairman of the Lashio District Union Election Commission office, said that the vice-president personally filed his candidate form on Monday to contest the Lower House seat. Political commentator Dr Yan Myo Thein told The Irrawaddy that participating in party activities while holding executive office was against Article 64 of Burma's Constitution. "The election campaign is a party activity," he said. "In accordance with the constitution, the president, vice presidents, ministers and deputy ministers need to resign from their position if they want to contest the election." Sai Mauk Kham won an Upper House seat in Shan State for the USDP in the 2010 elections before winning a vice-presidential ballot in the Union Parliament the following February, resoundingly defeating rival candidate Aye Maung of the Arakan National Party, who was backed by the legislature's ethnic parties. The ethnic Shan politician is a standing member of the government's Union Peacemaking Working Committee, which has been involved in national ceasefire negotiations with ethnic armed groups since 2012. He is known as an avid golfer, and reportedly played regular matches with Snr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing during the military commander-in-chief's visits to Lashio. It appears unlikely that Sai Mauk Kham will be re-nominated for the vice-presidency, despite his executive record and an informal precedent reserving one of the vice-presidential posts for an ethnic candidate. Yan Myo Thein said that in view of predicted gains by ethnic candidates in the Upper House, there would be other lawmakers jostling to succeed him. "I think the next ethnic vice president will be either Karen or Kachin," he said. Following confirmation in late July, UEC candidate submissions have confirmed that Shwe Mann will not recontest his seat of Zayarthiri in Naypyidaw, instead winning USDP nomination for his hometown constituency of Phyu. The opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) performed strongly in Naypyidaw during the 2012 parliamentary byelections, winning all five seats rendered vacant by the appointment of USDP figures into cabinet. Shwe Mann—who heads the USDP's election campaign committee and is widely considered one of the frontrunners in next year's presidential contest—was also the subject of an impeachment petition being circulated in Zayarthiri Township in July, which accused the speaker of failing to respect the military's role in Parliament. The party had not yet submitted a candidate for the seat of Zabuthiri in Naypyidaw, successfully contested by President Thein Sein in 2010. The president has not yet committed to running in the 2015 poll. Despite reports to the contrary, Sai Mauk Kham's fellow vice-president Nyan Tun will not be contesting the Nov. 8 poll for the USDP. Local outlets reported on Thursday that Nyan Tun, who resigned his commission as commander-in-chief of the Burma Navy to fill the slot left by the retirement of Tin Aung Myint Oo, would by the party's candidate for the Sagaing Division seat of Kani. Tin Oo, chair of the Sagaing Division UEC office, told The Irrawaddy that Kani would be contested by the vice-president's namesake, Brig-Gen Nyan Tun, a native of the township. The vice-president, who came under fire in 2014 for claiming that US$2 was a reasonable living wage for the people of Burma, will not run for office under the USDP banner, according to a member of the party's central committee who asked not to be named. The UEC said on Thursday that by Aug. 4 it had received almost 2,100 candidate forms for the 1,171 Union and divisional seats to be contested in the general election. The USDP has lodged 910 candidate applications, while the NLD has only filed 79—despite the opposition party's central committee announcing over the weekend it had selected candidates for more than 1,000 seats. Meanwhile, UEC chairman Tin Aye met with UN rights envoy Yanghee Lee on Thursday, affirming that the commission would not postpone elections as a result of the recent floods crisis. The UEC has legal authority to postpone elections in specific townships in the event of natural disasters or local conflict. Tin Aye said the commission was taking actions to address concerns about the impact of the flooding, including the extension of candidate registration deadlines and the issuing of voter cards to flood victims, both announced earlier in the week The UEC chairman also pledged to ensure access and scrutiny of polling booths for international observers and the media during the election. Responding to reports that some polling booths would be set up inside military compounds, Tin Aye said that if officials were reluctant to accept outside observers, he would request that the Burma Armed Forces relocate booths outside of military facilities. The post Vice-President's Candidacy Carries Constitutional Conundrum appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

In Flood-Hit Magwe, Prioritizing Lives With Livestock in Mind Posted: 07 Aug 2015 05:38 AM PDT Click to view slideshow. YENANGYAUNG TOWNSHIP, Magwe Division — Media reports of the widespread floods affecting 12 of Burma's 14 states and divisions have generally relied on two metrics to gauge the growing severity of the crisis: people affected (more than 300,000 as of Thursday) and land area inundated (nearly 1.2 million acres of paddy field). Often overlooked has been the toll that rising waters has taken on animals—and for an agrarian nation such as Burma, livestock in particular. As displaced populations have gathered at monasteries, schoolhouses and other temporary shelters, many have brought with them cows, oxen, goats, pigs, buffalo and other farm animals. All of these animals, like their caretakers, require food and clean water to survive, posing challenges and difficult choices for farmers and relief workers who are already struggling to feed the hundreds of thousands of people affected by the floods. In Yenangyaung Township, thousands of animals have been corralled at relief camps, many of them ferried to safety by local authorities as waters in the area rose. According to data released by the local General Administration Department on Wednesday, Yenangyaung has taken in more than twice as many farm animals displaced by flooding as it has people. That includes more than 11,000 cattle, over 1,000 buffalo, about 400 pigs and 738 goats, compared with 6,502 people who are staying at temporary shelters in Yenangyaung Township. Aid groups have arrived to Pwintbyu and Yenangyaung townships in Magwe Division to provide food and water to people displaced by the flooding. They have not been able to extend their generosity, however, to the livestock here. On Thursday morning, The Irrawaddy visited the No. 3 camp in Yenangyaung, where authorities were doing their best to provide food and potable water to the displaced population. The livestock displaced, many for almost a week, were not afforded similar sustenance, supplies being spread too thinly among the human flood victims as it is. "For people, we can get food, but for cows, they do not get enough food like us," said 70-year-old Kyaw Maung from Pauk Kong village in Yenangyaung, who brought five cows to camp No. 3 with help from the township's Forestry Department, which has attempted to rescue livestock along the Irrawaddy River and Mone creek with boats. Amid rising waters, Kyaw Maung had the presence of mind to grab a few bushels of dry hay for his oxen, but pointing his finger toward the provisions, he worried that it would not be enough to see his animals through the current crisis. "One bag of dry hay could only feed two oxen for two days," he said. With potable water in short supply, many cattle in the camp must drink from a dirty stream nearby. Authorities, understandably, have made clear that the needs of livestock are secondary to those of the displaced men, women and children of the camp. "We got some water from them [township authorities], so I saved it for my ox. It is not safe to let them drink water from the stream," said Kyaw Maung. But for Ngwe Lin, a man from Bee Zat Khoung village in Yenangyaung who brought four cows from his village, there simply is not enough potable water available, and tough choices have to be made. "I just let my cows drink water from the stream," he told The Irrawaddy. "I know that water is dirty, but we do not have enough water to let them have what we are using." As one might expect in a country with an agricultural sector encompassing 70 percent of the workforce, most of the people displaced by recent flooding are farmers, and many rely on ox other cattle to plow their fields. For many, the value of their cattle is incalculable, essential as the animals are for tilling fields and other manual labor. Fortunately, most of the township's cattle have safely made it to higher ground, according to displaced locals, who expressed gratitude for the township Forestry Department's efforts to rescue many of the animals by boat. Displaced farmers here say the survival of their cows and oxen is important so that when the floodwaters recede, they will be able to get back to work in the fields. Protection from the elements—scorching sun, torrential downpours—is another thing most of the displaced people here have that their bovine counterparts do not. Ngwe Lin recalled how he was forced to fight against rising floodwaters to guide his four cows to safety. "Firstly, we noticed [water] coming inside our house. We got a little worry, but we kept watching it. But we realized eventually that we needed to leave with our property, the things most important to us," he said. "It took two days to bring my four cows. The water in the stream was very strong and I could manage to swim for myself sometimes, but sometimes I just rode on my cows or I held their tails and followed them when trying to cross stream waters." Nyi Nyi Hlaing, a 40-year-old man from Magwe Township, has begun an effort to provide for the increasingly hungry animals at Yenangyaung. Nyi Nyi Hliang and his local aide group have hired about a dozen locals in Yenangyaung Township, paying them a 1,500 kyats (US$1.20) daily wage to collect fresh grass, cut and pile it on a truck, to be driven back to the town to feed the animals, at no cost to their owners. "Many of us have paid attention only to displaced persons. But, we found later that many of the animals have similar problems to us human beings," he told The Irrawaddy. "They can only eat when their owner offers them food." The post In Flood-Hit Magwe, Prioritizing Lives With Livestock in Mind appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Anger Over NLD Candidate Picks Spills Into Pakokku’s Streets Posted: 07 Aug 2015 05:07 AM PDT A man holds a sign urging the National League for Democracy (NLD) to reconsider its selection of election candidates, during a protest on Friday in Pakokku, Magwe Division. (Photo: Aung Kyaw Myo) MANDALAY — More than 300 people, including members of the National League of Democracy (NLD), staged a demonstration on Friday in Pakokku, Magwe Division, to voice dissatisfaction over the opposition party's roster of local candidates set to contest Burma's general election later this year. Holdings placards and shouting slogans such as "The party's central committee should listen to locals," "Please review the candidates' list," and "Select candidates who will listen to the desires of locals," the demonstrators staged a march along the town's main road. The protesters said they were unhappy with the four candidates chosen by the NLD's central committee to contest races in the Union Parliament and regional legislature. "The central committee neglected the decision and suggestions of the township committee," said Dr. Aung Than, a member of Pakokku Township's NLD branch, referring to a local body set up to screen prospective candidates for the four races. "The chosen candidates are not even on the list of suggested candidates from the township committee." The defiant party member said local candidates were first chosen by the township committee, which then forwarded the names to the NLD's headquarters in Rangoon, only to see the central committee ignore its recommendations. "There are the MPs who participated in the 2012 by-election and new faces [among the NLD central committee's candidates]. We condemn the decision of the central committee for neglecting the suggestions of the township [committee]," Aung Than said, adding that some local NLD members who successfully contested Burma's annulled 1990 election and senior members of the party's branch office were preparing to resign in protest. The protestors said they would not vote for the NLD in the election due Nov. 8 unless the party reviewed its Pakokku candidates and revised the roster in accordance with the suggestions of the township committee. "One of the chosen MPs was elected in the 2012 by-election, but he does nothing for the town and he is useless. The other MPs, we don't even know them," said Nyein Maung, a resident of Pakokku who joined Friday's protest. "We want the NLD to win, but we don't want to vote for people who have done nothing good for us. If we don't see the names of NLD members in whom we can trust, we will not vote for the NLD. We will vote for independent candidates," he added. The central committee's selections for Pakokku constituencies are Pike Ko, who will contest for a seat in the Union Parliament's Lower House, and Upper House hopeful Mya Min Swe, as well as Han Zaw Win and Zin Ni Ni Win, who were selected to compete for Pakokku's two regional legislative seats. The NLD has faced criticism since it released lists of nearly all of its candidates over the weekend, with the omission of several well-known names and parliamentary hopefuls, including prominent pro-democracy activist Ko Ko Gyi, leaving some to question the party's candidate selection process. Meanwhile in Myingyan and Kyaukse townships in Mandalay Division, as well as Monywa in Sagaing Division and the townships of Yenangyaung, Aunglan and Thayet in Magwe Division, NLD members and local residents also spoke out against the list of party candidates selected by the central committee of Aung San Suu Kyi's party in their respective constituencies. "When the township NLD asked us for our suggestions, we told them to choose the individual whom we could rely on, not the one who has been in office since the by-election and done nothing good for the people. But they neglected our suggestion," said Dr. Soe Naing, an elder from Myingyan. "This dissatisfaction over the NLD candidate list is happening countrywide," he claimed. "Since people want change, voters may vote for them because they fall under the NLD name and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. But there will be no benefit or work done when they have to work in the Parliament. If the NLD does not review these cases, it will be the biggest failure in the party's history." The post Anger Over NLD Candidate Picks Spills Into Pakokku's Streets appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Time Called on Myanmar Beer Battle as Military Conglomerate Agrees to Buyout Terms Posted: 07 Aug 2015 03:38 AM PDT A billboard advertising Myanmar Beer, the flagship product of the Myanmar Brewery. (Photo: The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — A longstanding dispute between partners in Burma's most popular beer brand appears to be over, after a Singapore tribunal ordered a local firm to finalize a share purchase in the coming weeks. A subsidiary of the military-owned Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited (UMEHL)—a sprawling conglomerate with interests in banking, mining, transportation and manufacturing—has agreed to pay US$560 million for the 55 percent stake of Singapore-listed beverage company Fraser & Neave in Myanmar Brewery, the producers of Myanmar Beer. The sale will be finalized by a court-ordered date of Aug. 20, following a last-ditch attempt by UMEHL to petition for a 30 percent reduction in the sale price. UMEHL began proceedings in the Singapore International Arbitration Centre in August 2013, claiming that the purchase of a controlling stake in Fraser & Neave by companies belonging to Thai business magnate Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi led to a change in shareholding structure that violated the joint venture agreement signed in 1995. Charoen, listed by Forbes Magazine as one of the world's top 100 richest people, is founding chairman of liquor company Thai Beverage, best known as the brewer of Chang. Thai Beverage was one of the companies used to acquire Fraser & Neave, install Charoen as chairman and secure the tycoon a foothold in the Burmese liquor market. A ruling on Oct. 31 last year gave UMEHL the right to buy Fraser & Neave's stake in Myanmar Brewery, but disagreements continued over how the sale would be priced in foreign exchange. An independent assessment published on July 22 valued the majority share at 500 billion kyats. Fraser & Neave argued that its stake should be sold at the US exchange rate on the day the dispute was first raised in April 2013, pricing the deal at US$560 million. UMEHL sought a court injunction to fix the transaction at the exchange rate listed the day before the eventual purchase—an estimated $400 million at current market rates. The application was dismissed on July 31. Both companies issued separate statements on Thursday, announcing that the sale of Fraser & Neave's stake would proceed at the price originally sought by the company. Growth in liquor sales has prompted a number of international liquor conglomerates to stake their claim in Burma and begin competing against established local brewers. Carlsberg began brewing at a $70 million dollar facility in Bago Division in October 2014, with its Tuborg and Yoma brands hitting shelves in July ahead of an expected September debut of the company's eponymous flagship beer. Heineken commenced local operations in July in a joint venture with Alliance Brewery, and is expected to begin production shortly. The Myanmar Investment Commission is expected to issue another international brewing license in the near future. According to market research firm Ipsos, the people of Burma drank an estimated 10 liters of beer per capita in 2013, nearly double the figure from three years earlier. By contrast, per capita consumption in Thailand was 25 liters and Vietnam was 30 liters in the same year. The post Time Called on Myanmar Beer Battle as Military Conglomerate Agrees to Buyout Terms appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Cast Aside by NLD, Nyo Nyo Thin Eyes Lower House as Independent Posted: 07 Aug 2015 03:31 AM PDT Nyo Nyo Thin, a member of the Rangoon Divisional Parliament, hopes to contest a seat for the NLD in the Lower House during the upcoming election. (Photo: Irrawaddy) RANGOON — An outspoken lawmaker recently shunned by Burma's main opposition party has announced that she will contest upcoming elections as an independent, claiming the party's decision not to include her as a candidate was based on a rift between herself and a small handful of senior members. "This is between me and two or three members of the leadership," said Nyo Nyo Thin, who for the past five years has served s a member of the Rangoon divisional parliament, about her surprise exclusion from the National League for Democracy (NLD). Nyo Nyo Thin declined to name the NLD members with whom she was at odds. "I will no longer answer anything related to the NLD," she said. "If you want to know, ask the NLD." The legal scholar said she had been invited by the NLD to join its ticket as a candidate for the Lower House in a general election to be held on Nov. 8. When the party disclosed the majority of its selected candidates last week, however, her name was not on the list. The omission—as well as that of more than a dozen members of the 88 Generation pro-democracy movement, with which the NLD has long been ideologically associated—shocked political observers and prospective candidates alike, many of whom were confident that they would get the party nod. Some 20 members have since resigned from the party, claiming the selection criteria was flawed, while a number o others have filed formal complaints. Party spokesman Nyan Win has publicly defended the selection process, telling The Irrawaddy earlier this week that Nyo Nyo Thin, as well as veteran activist Ko Ko Gyi "were taken into consideration on fair grounds like other NLD members." The spokesman declined to state the reasons for their exclusion, rather unhelpfully adding that "they are not on the list because they were not selected." Ko Ko Gyi has thus far been silent on the issue, telling The Irrawaddy on Tuesday: "I have no comment. Just ask those who are responsible." Speaking to reporters on Friday, Nyo Nyo Thin said she received "no explanation" for the sudden change of tack, but she now plans to contest a seat in the Lower House for Rangoon's Bahan Township as an independent. "I need to be in Parliament to keep things going," she said, referring to her work as a divisional lawmaker known as a powerful voice of opposition. During her five years in the legislature, Nyo Nyo Thin never failed to question the divisional government on controversial issues—notably a divisive Rangoon City Expansion Plan and now-defunct developments near the Shwedagon Pagoda. Despite her plan to run against the party in her home township, Nyo Nyo Thin said she will still support the NLD elsewhere. "I will keep supporting the NLD," she said, "as they are the one we can rely on, at least." Additional Reporting: Khin Oo Tha. The post Cast Aside by NLD, Nyo Nyo Thin Eyes Lower House as Independent appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

An Artist Breathes New Life into Classic Characters Posted: 07 Aug 2015 03:00 AM PDT Ko Win Ko Aung displays some of his new postcard designs. (Photo: Kyaw Hsu Mon) The comics industry may be struggling, but Ko Win Ko Aung, 29, sees a future in featuring many of the old favorites on postcards.  What gave you the idea? I like the old comics. And I wondered why we needed to import foreign postcards. I think we should promote our own products. That goes for different Myanmar arts products. I want us to modernize what we have, and find international markets too. We should innovate. When did you begin, and with which cartoonists? I started the Arkatha Ginga Company to produce the postcards in December last year. Now we have postcards featuring the work of Tin Aung Ni, Maung Maung Lay, Maung Maung Aung, Saw Min Wai, Po Zar, Ko Shwe Htoo and Arkar. There are two sizes and they cost 800 kyat for a small postcard and 1,200 kyat for a large one. They are selling in bookshops, floral shops and some supermarkets in Yangon and Mandalay and I am looking for distributors in the south. I'm also planning to sell them in Singapore as Myanmar people there are away from home and might be interested. How did you choose which illustrations to feature? Some characters such as Poe Zar's twin sisters Lay Mon and Htwe Mon and Maung Maung Lay and Ko Shwe Htoo's Ko Maung Tint are famous and were obvious choices. Other cartoonists like Saw Min Wai and Maung Maung Aung don't have well-known characters but their designs are famous. I want to introduce more characters in the coming year if we make decent returns. Even if I don't make a profit, I am happy to keep producing these characters, because I like cartoons. Do you have other plans? I want to create more postcards for seasonal events and special days such as mother's day and father's day. And I want to create designs based on our ethnic groups' traditional dress. I am not rich; I will have to do many things to find the money. This article originally appeared in the August 2015 issue of The Irrawaddy magazine. The post An Artist Breathes New Life into Classic Characters appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Aung Ko Win’s KBZ Charity Tops $3.6m in Flood Aid Posted: 07 Aug 2015 02:30 AM PDT Aung Ko Win with his daughter, Nang Lang Kham, at a ceremony in Naypyidaw in 2014. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Aung Ko Win, the well-connected businessman at the helm of Kanbawza Group of Companies, has donated more than US$3.6 million to flood relief efforts in devastated areas across Burma. Made mostly through his charity group, the Brighter Future Myanmar Foundation, the total includes about $1.6 million in cash and other relief items. The sum also accounts for $2 million in services offered by the KBZ and its subsidiaries, such as the use of Air KBZ aircraft for aid delivery missions. The Brighter Future Myanmar Foundation has pledged to continue supporting flood-hit areas with rehabilitation assistance. Flooding has devastated much of the country since Cyclone Komen made landfall in Bangladesh late last week. Huge tracts of Burma's coast and agricultural heartland have been damaged or destroyed by the crisis, which has claimed at least 88 lives and affected more than 300,000 people as of Thursday evening. The post Aung Ko Win's KBZ Charity Tops $3.6m in Flood Aid appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Meet the Ladies Leading Burma’s Flood Relief Efforts Posted: 06 Aug 2015 11:12 PM PDT KBZ's Nang Lang Kham visits flood victims. (Photo: Nang Lang Kham / Facebook) Brave and generous women are pitching in across Burma to offer assistance for hundreds of thousands of people affected by recent flooding. From businesswomen channeling resources to the hardest hit areas, to celebrities using their star power to mobilize money and action, women are up to the task. Here's what a few leading ladies had to say about their relief efforts. Myint Myint Khin Pe, Free Funeral Service Society (FFSS) "I receive donations in Yangon and coordinate with those who go to the flood-hit areas. We at the FFSS went to Sittwe, Kyaukphyu, Ann, Mrauk U and Kyauktaw in Arakan State, Sedottara and Pwintbyu in Magwe Division, and Kawlin in Sagaing. At present, our FFSS teams are going to Nyaungdon and Ingapu in Irrawaddy Division. "We now provide containers for drinking water and purification tablets. We are asking for donations of rice, oil and salt. Now the FFSS has donated more than 200 million kyats in cash and in kind." May Thinza Oo, Actress "I took part in a charity show to help the flood victims, and I also made a cash contribution. I also joined a philanthropic organization called "Let's Lend a Hand". I took part as a citizen rather than an artist, and I'm now thinking about what I can do for rehabilitation. Mainly we will donate cash contributions we collect from a charity fundraiser to groups which really help the flood victims." Nang Lang Kham, chairwoman of the Brighter Future Foundation and executive director of the KBZ Group of Companies Myint Myint Khin Pe of the Free Funeral Service Society (Photo: Myint Myint Khin Pe / Facebook) "We have been trying our best to facilitate transportation of flood relief aid and money with MAI and Air KBZ. We as an organization have also donated life jackets, rice bags, water, medicine, clothing and money. There are various relief workers and charities working effectively, so we provide them with financial support to further their efforts. Our branch staff in affected areas have also been providing food daily to the [emergency relief] camps since mid-July. Our teams are on the ground working together with locals to reach out to the more remote areas by boat. Everyone has united to help those in need. "According to locals, the main problem is logistics because the roads and bridges cannot be used. Hence, food and water have been scarce in flood-affected regions. My friend in Hakha [China State] told me that food, water and clothes are most needed right now, as well as oxygen supplies in the hospitals. "There will be a lot of rebuilding efforts needed. Starting from tackling disease, rebuilding homes, making sure children are healthy and getting back to school, and that the schools have all the teaching materials they need. We will also need to support family businesses so they can restart. There should be carefully thought out programs to support rebuilding lives so people don't become too dependent on aid and donations alone." Read more about the flood crisis in Burma here. The post Meet the Ladies Leading Burma's Flood Relief Efforts appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Suu Kyi Warns Against Flood-Linked Vote Tampering Posted: 06 Aug 2015 10:13 PM PDT A man paddles through a flooded village in Pwintbyu Township, Magwe Division, on Wednesday. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Burma's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi expressed concern Thursday that massive flooding in much of the country might be used as a pretext to undermine November's general election. In a video appealing to the international community to help flood victims, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate drew a parallel with a referendum, carried out under military rule in 2008, that brought in the current much-maligned Constitution. The voting took place during widespread chaos following Cyclone Nargis, which killed an estimated 140,000 people. According to the official results, the charter was overwhelmingly confirmed, but many reports cast doubt on the fairness of the vote and the results. The Constitution was drafted under military supervision and enshrines its dominance in government, making substantial democratic reforms difficult to achieve. Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD), which boycotted the 2010 general election, is expected to pose a strong challenge to the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) this November. The death toll from recent weeks of flooding is at least 69, and more than 259,000 people across 12 of the country's 14 states and regions have been affected, according to the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The floodwaters have been spreading from northern and central Burma to the populous Irrawaddy Delta, the country's rice bowl. "Floods have inundated more than 1 million acres of farmland. Damage to crops and arable land is likely to disrupt the planting season," the agency said in its latest report. It said priority needs include "food, water and sanitation, access to health care, and provision or repair of shelter." "We do not want this natural disaster to be a reason for upsetting the necessary political process without which our country will not be able to make long-term progress," Suu Kyi said in her video, which was posted on her Facebook page. She reminded viewers of the 2008 referendum on the Constitution, which "raised very many questions about the effectiveness of that referendum, about how acceptable the results of that referendum were." "We do not want such questions to be raised this time with regard to our elections. So let us deal with what we need to deal now, and in the best way possible, to make sure that the future of our people, socially, economical and politically, is assured," she said. Suu Kyi distributed aid in flood-hit areas this week, a day after President Thein Sein made a similar trip. She also appealed for donor countries to give aid in what she called a coordinated fashion because "donations which are uncoordinated tend to go astray." She asked for the help to be channeled through the NLD or her charitable foundation or other parties, by implication avoiding the government. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) on Thursday announced US$600,000 in assistance for flood relief. It said its disaster experts are in Burma coordinating with local government and humanitarian partners. New York-based Human Rights Watch said the 2008 referendum had been conducted "in an atmosphere of official coercion and vote tampering." It cited reports of intimidation of voters by the authorities, and cases of voting simply being prevented, as well as other irregularities including the alteration of voting results. Suu Kyi's party has already said it is worried by inaccurate voter lists, which it fears will deny its supporters the right to vote. It boycotted the 2010 polls because it said election rules were unfair, but successfully contested consequent by-elections after changes were made to some of the laws. The post Suu Kyi Warns Against Flood-Linked Vote Tampering appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Former Top Cop Spins Life on Pakistan’s Mean Streets into Novels Posted: 06 Aug 2015 10:00 PM PDT Author and former counterterrorism officer Omar Hamid at a book signing in Islamabad, Pakistan on Thursday. (Photo: Caren Firouz / Reuters) ISLAMABAD — Omar Hamid joined the Pakistani police vowing revenge after a hitman executed his father. Having left the force 12 years later, the Taliban murdered his replacement—the man who had arrested his father’s killer and become his best friend. The two gritty, electrifying novels Hamid has published since are packed with versions of the underworld characters he met as he rose to become a top counter-terrorism cop in the bowels of one of the world’s roughest cities, Karachi. The damp alleys and grandiose mansions of Pakistan’s sweltering, ultra-violent megacity are home to 20 million people. Among them move Taliban insurgents buying arms from gangsters, drug traffickers striking heroin deals, kidnappers, hitmen and mafia dons. Hamid served as head of Karachi’s Crime Investigation Department, a unit charged with hunting militants. The main character in his new book, “The Spinner’s Tale”, is based on Omar Saeed Sheikh, the British-born graduate who beheaded Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl when Hamid was a new recruit. Hamid arrested many educated, young, middle-class men seduced by militancy, a phenomenon that terrifies Western policymakers and fascinated Hamid. “They were men who were very talented and educated, who felt that society hadn’t given them their due,” the softly spoken, bespectacled 37-year-old said. “They wanted desperately to be a part of something that was bigger than themselves…jihad becomes a canvas they can use to project themselves.” “The Spinner’s Tale”, published by Pan Macmillan India, was released in the Indian subcontinent in June. Negotiations are underway for a European release. The story follows two friends, united by their schooldays and a passion for a classmate and cricket, whose paths diverge as one immerses himself in Western culture and the other plunges into violence to destroy it. Hamid says he confronted his own divided loyalties after arresting a young militant recruit. The suspect questioned his integrity and mocked him for chasing justice through a system both knew to be violent and corrupt. Like his first book, “The Prisoner”, Hamid’s characters bleed, agonize and brutalize their way through the pages as he brings alive thinly disguised anecdotes from his years on the streets. “Fiction gives you a lot of license—you can say a lot of hard truths,” Hamid says wryly. That means plots driven by smooth, sinister military officers, self-doubting cops, or hitmen hiring themselves out to mafia-like political parties; like the man convicted and hanged this year for killing Hamid’s father. Hunting such men was an obsession when he joined the force, he says. “One of the best days was when we caught a guy…he was a former police officer who had been involved in the target killings of police officers (involved in political cases),” Hamid recalled. “He worked with a hit team…We were after him for something like six months or so, and in that period, police officers kept dying.” Hamid’s background as the son of a senior civil servant, educated at one of the country’s top schools and British universities, made him an unlikely recruit for Pakistan’s embattled and much maligned police force. Like his police protagonists, ordinary men struggling to find their peace within a corrupt system, he sometimes seems like a genteel outsider in a world that can be brutal, as a few gruesome torture scenes reveal. But the education that set him apart also gave him a voice, he said. “The police is chock-full of amazing stories,” he said. “The best scriptwriter in Hollywood would not come up with something this good…but it's a world (where) we don’t give access to outsiders.” The post Former Top Cop Spins Life on Pakistan’s Mean Streets into Novels appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

US Senators Demand Documents over Malaysia Trafficking Upgrade Posted: 06 Aug 2015 09:54 PM PDT Malaysian police carry a coffin with unidentified remains of a Rohingya person found at a Wang Kelian trafficking camp in May. (Photo: Olivia Harris / Reuters) WASHINGTON — Senators angered by the decision to upgrade Malaysia in the State Department’s human trafficking report threatened a subpoena on Thursday unless they receive all communications related to the annual US ranking of countries’ efforts to combat modern-day slavery. Last month’s report raised Malaysia from the lowest ranking, a change that critics say was related to the country’s involvement in negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a 12-nation trade pact that President Barack Obama is eager to conclude. During a visit to Malaysia for regional security talks, Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters that Malaysia had significantly improved combating what often is described as modern-day slavery. Kerry said he signed off on the report and had no conversations with anyone about links between it and the trade talks. Later, at a Senate hearing, the official who oversees the department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons faced detailed questioning about the rankings for Cuba, India and Malaysia, in particular. Members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee made clear their dissatisfaction with the answers from Undersecretary of State Sarah Sewall. In Malaysia’s case, she cited legal reforms and increases in trafficking investigations and prosecutions during 2014. “This is possibly the most heartless, lacking of substance presentation I have ever seen about a serious topic. I don’t see how anybody could believe that there was integrity in this process,” said the Republican chairman, Sen. Bob Corker. Millions of migrants from poorer Asian countries work in Malaysia in the flesh trade, on plantations and in domestic service. In May, Malaysian authorities found abandoned jungle camps used by human traffickers that held more than 100 graves suspected to contain the remains of Rohingya Muslims from Burma. Earlier, there was a similar discovery by Thailand police. Thailand was among a group of 23 countries, including North Korea, Syria and Iran, that earned the lowest ranking in the most recent trafficking report. Sen. Robert Menendez, a Democrat, raised suspicions about political interference in Malaysia’s upgrade. Menendez, a trade pact opponent, had led the successful push for inclusion in recent trade legislation of a provision that bars the U.S. from entering into trade agreements with nations with the lowest trafficking ranking. Menendez called for the committee to review all the documentation created in relation to this year’s trafficking report. Corker said that if the State Department did not comply immediately, the committee would subpoena the information. A State Department spokesman, Mark Toner, told reporters after the hearing that the department was waiting for the committee to submit a formal request “but speaking generally, of course we try to be responsive to Congress.” Sewall said Malaysia had consulted with civil society groups and drafted amendments to its anti-trafficking law in order to better protect victims. She said trafficking investigations increased by more than 100 percent and prosecutions by 67 percent. But Sen. Ben Cardin, a Democrat, noted that the legal reforms had yet to be implemented and that trafficking convictions had dropped from nine in 2013 to just three in 2014. Sewall also acknowledged that the number of convictions was “inadequate.” “Seems like you are trying to justify a result that’s not there,” he said. The Obama administration also has drawn criticism for upgrading Cuba, a shift that came just a week after the US and Cuba formally restored diplomatic relations, ending a half-century of estrangement. Speaking about Malaysia’s case, Kerry said that despite its upgrade, the government in Kuala Lumpur had “a long way to go” and that it did not mean a “gold seal of approval” from Washington. Malaysia will be demoted next year if it fails to follow through, he said. “We all need to be true to the principle that although money may be used for many things, we must never allow a price tag to be placed on the heart and soul and the mind of a living person,” Kerry said. The post US Senators Demand Documents over Malaysia Trafficking Upgrade appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Jailed Chinese Journalist Gao Yu Has Heart Problems: Lawyer Posted: 06 Aug 2015 09:47 PM PDT Portraits of Chinese journalist Gao Yu are seen in front of the national emblem of China during a demonstration calling for the release of Gao in Hong Kong. (Photo: Tyrone Siu / Reuters) BEIJING — Jailed Chinese journalist Gao Yu has been diagnosed with heart problems and a request for bail on medical grounds is pending, her lawyer said Thursday. Gao, 71, who has been sentenced to seven years in prison on charges of leaking a document detailing the Communist Party leadership’s resolve to aggressively target civil society groups that operate outside of party control, along with press freedoms seen as threats to the party’s monopoly on power. Lawyer Mo Shaoping said Gao was taken to Beijing’s Anzhe Hospital last week and diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, heart problems and high blood pressure. He said Gao was given medication to control her condition and returned to jail. The lawyer last week filed an application for bail on medical grounds on Gao’s behalf, which if granted would allow her to return home at least temporarily. Gao’s conviction, handed down in April, remains on appeal. “At this stage, it is hard to predict whether the application will be approved or not,” Mo said. The Beijing police spokesman’s office did not immediately respond to questions about Gao. Medical complaints are common among imprisoned Chinese, often from the generally poor nutrition and health care available in the institutions. Prominent activist Cao Shunli died in March after five months of pre-trial detention, reportedly after medical treatment was denied. The sentence against Gao for leaking state secrets to an overseas media group appeared to confirm the long-rumored authenticity of the leaked document, a strategy paper known as Document No. 9 that argued for aggressive curbs on the spread of Western democracy, universal values, civil society and press freedom. Gao had denied the charges, which could have carried a life sentence. Overseas human rights groups have called for Gao’s release. Amnesty International said it considers her “a prisoner of conscience, solely imprisoned for challenging the views of the government.” The post Jailed Chinese Journalist Gao Yu Has Heart Problems: Lawyer appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Burma’s President Urges People to Leave Delta as Floods Rise Posted: 06 Aug 2015 09:36 PM PDT Severe flooding in Kyouk Ye village, Hinthada Township, Irrawaddy Division, Aug. 6, 2015. (Photo: Tin Htet Paing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Burma's president urged people to leave a low-lying southern delta region on Thursday with rain water that has inundated much of the country flowing into the area threatening further flooding as rivers reached dangerously high levels. The widespread floods that were triggered last week by heavy monsoon rains have killed 81 people, according to the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement. President Thein Sein told people living in the Irrawaddy delta region to seek shelter as swollen rivers rose higher. "It's best to evacuate to a safe place in advance since natural disasters can't be stopped once they start," he said in a speech broadcast on state television. About 6.2 million people, 12 percent of Burma's population, live in the region, a southwest area where the Irrawaddy and other rivers branch out into a delta leading to the sea. Rangoon, Burma's largest city, despite being near the delta has not experienced flooding. A Reuters witness in Nyaungdon, a town in Irrawaddy Division, said some villages were flooded on Thursday with only roofs visible above the water and residents feared waters would rise. The delta is the country's major rice producing hub, but Soe Tun, Secretary of the Myanmar Rice Federation, said much of the paddy in the area had been spared from flooding. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, 101,000 acres (409 sq km) of paddy in Irrawaddy Division have been flooded, but just 180 acres were destroyed. Country-wide, the impact on agriculture has been far greater. According to the ministry 1.17 million acres of paddy field have been flooded, with 152,500 acres destroyed. The government appealed for international assistance on Monday and supplies had started to arrive from abroad. The call for help marked a change from 2008 when the then-military government shunned most outside aid after a cyclone killed 130,000 people, most in the same delta region. Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who earlier in the week toured flood hit areas, said international aid and donations needed to be organized to increase effectiveness. "Generous donations which are uncoordinated tend to go astray or to prove less effective than they might be if they were part of a well laid plan," she said in a video on Facebook. Kyaw Moe Oo, a deputy director from the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology, said Rangoon was not at risk from floods, but the department was monitoring water levels at reservoirs and dams around the city. The post Burma's President Urges People to Leave Delta as Floods Rise appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Three Armed Groups Make Peace Offer As Talks Continue in Rangoon Posted: 06 Aug 2015 05:30 AM PDT Representatives of the Ta'ang National Liberation Army, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and the Arakan Army at the ethnic summit in Karen State's Law Khee Lar in June, 2015. (Photo: Hein Htet / The Irrawaddy) Three ethnic armed groups involved in ongoing fighting with the Burma Army in recent months have offered an olive branch to the government, as the 9th round of official talks on a nationwide ceasefire agreement continues Thursday in Rangoon. The Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Arakan Army (AA), made a collective peace offer to the government on Wednesday. "We officially make the peace offer with the view that if our three groups cease fire with the government, it would contribute to and expedite the nationwide ceasefire process and political dialogue," Mai Phone Kyaw, TNLA general secretary, told The Irrawaddy. The groups' said the proposal demonstrated their genuine commitment to the ceasefire process, made on the eve of talks between the Union Peacemaking Working Committee and the ethnics' Senior Delegation which is underway in Rangoon. "We intend to show the people and other stakeholders that we ethnic armed groups are really desirous of peace and seriously committed to finding a political solution. [The proposal] will make it easier for the other side [the government] to consider," said AA commander-in-chief Brig-Gen Tun Myat Naing. Tun Myat Lin, spokesperson of the MNDAA, told The Irrawaddy that the Kokang armed group, in coordination with its allies, made the unilateral offer as it wants a nationwide ceasefire despite clashing with government troops almost daily in Laukkai in the Kokang Special Region. He said the MNDAA had not held separate discussions with the government and that the latter had turned down a previous offer from the group to enter negotiations. Ethnic negotiators have repeatedly stated that the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) should be inclusive of all ethnic armed groups. The government has blocked several groups from signing the NCA, including the TNLA, MNDAA and AA and three other groups—the Lahu Democratic Union, the Wa National Organization and the Arakan National Council—it deemed do not possess armies that warrant designation as combatants. The AA commander-in-chief said the nationwide pact would be meaningless and genuine peace would not be achieved if some ethnic armed groups were left out. "The guns will not fall silent because among the groups the government wants to leave out are groups which are clashing [with the government]," Tun Myint Naing said. Flood Donations With much of Burma currently gripped by severe floods which have displaced or otherwise impacted at least 330,000 people nationwide, the three armed groups also made pledges of a different kind on Thursday. Nyo Tun Aung, AA deputy commander-in-chief, told The Irrawaddy the armed group had donated relief materials to flood-affected areas in northern Arakan State. TNLA's communications officer Mai Aike Kyaw also confirmed that his group had donated 30 million kyat worth of aid through the local Sitagu Foundation. The Kokang rebel group MNDAA also made a donation of 50 million kyat to the foundation. A Sitagu Foundation spokesperson confirmed the donations had been received. "MNDAA soldiers and commanders donated money to the flood victims as we… know how hard it would be for them to be displaced. Our people have also experienced displacement, for different reasons," Htun Myat Lin told The Irrawaddy on Thursday.   The post Three Armed Groups Make Peace Offer As Talks Continue in Rangoon appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Rangoon Police Make Drug Bust Linked to Massive July Narcotics Haul Posted: 06 Aug 2015 05:19 AM PDT The shed beside the house where more than 1 million stimulant tablets were stored in Rangoon's North Dagon Township. (Photo: The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — An investigation by Rangoon police into the seizure last month of more than US$100 million worth of methamphetamine pills led police to a house in North Dagon Township this week, where they seized an additional 1.5 million stimulant tablets worth an estimated 7.5 billion kyats ($6.1 million). Police raided three houses in Rangoon's North Dagon Township in connection with the owner of the abandoned shipping truck that the massive narcotics haul was found in last month, discovering the much smaller stash on Monday at a house in Ward 41, North Dagon Township police said. The owner of the home was not at the residence, but some renting tenants were, police said, declining to reveal whether the tenants were being investigated in connection with the find. The packaging of the latest seizure was similar to that of the nearly 27 million methamphetamine tablets discovered on July 26 in Rangoon's Mingaladon Township, and the suspected owner of the shipping truck Hla Maung remains at large, the head of the North Dagon Police Force, Police Maj. Hla Than, told The Irrawaddy. "As we were investigating the drug seizure in Mingaladon, we found the company address of truck owner Ko Hla Maung and traced it to his house in North Dagon. We busted his house and found yellow bags that were packed similarly to bags seized on the truck," said Hla Than, adding that the pills seized were branded with a "WY" logo. Hla Maung runs a nominal fishing company under the name KTT, police said. "The stimulant tablets were placed together with bags of dried tea leaves in a shed beside the house. The tablets are pink in color and were packed in canvas bags," Hla Than said. Police also raided two other houses in North Dagon Township Ward Nos. 40 and 29 on Monday, but said they found nothing illicit. The houses' owners are believed to have fled. "Now we are searching for and piecing together the clues. As the amount of the seizure is huge, we are taking actions in collaboration with other drug squads. Piecing the names of house owners together, they could be brothers," Hla Than said, adding that the investigation is ongoing. The post Rangoon Police Make Drug Bust Linked to Massive July Narcotics Haul appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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