AllSBNews: 02/26/16

Friday, February 26, 2016

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Interfaith Activists Sentenced to Two Years Imprisonment With Hard Labor
Activists, Lawyers Condemn Recent Arrest of Nilar Thein
Military MPs Stand Up To Copper Mine Criticism
Govt Officials Fail to Front Parliament to Discuss Urgent Proposals
Women in Rangoon Confront Harassment as Opponents, Not Victims
Telenor Holds Charity SIM Card Auction for Vanity Numbers
‘When We Come Back, We’ll Come With Weapons’: Anti-Opium Group
Dubai’s Emirates to Launch Flights to Rangoon
Burma Army on the Move in Northern Shan State, Clashes Reported: TNLA
The Lawmakers’ Library
At Mrauk U, Living Heritage and Crumbling Splendor in Need of Conservation
A Subway Tunnel under Singapore’s Rainforest? No Way, Say Activists
Bangkok Shrine Bombers First Targeted Pier for Chinese Tourists

Interfaith Activists Sentenced to Two Years Imprisonment With Hard Labor

Posted: 26 Feb 2016 05:40 AM PST

From left to right, interfaith activists Pwint Phyu Latt, Zaw Zaw Latt and Zaw Win Bo at a Mandalay court, where they were sentenced to two years in prison with hard labor for allegedly violating Burma's immigration act, a charge which they deny. (Photo: Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy)

MANDALAY — A court in Mandalay's Chan Aye Thar Zan Township sentenced three interfaith activists to a two-year term of imprisonment with hard labor on Friday for illegally crossing the border, a violation of Burma's immigration act.

Zaw Zaw Latt, Pwint Phyu Latt and Zaw Win Bo—Muslim and Hindu interfaith activists, according to the advocacy group Fortify Rights—were arrested for photos shared on social media which depicted a visit across the Indo-Burma border to Mizoram State in 2014.

"We visited the border town legally and took those pictures with the approval of both of the immigration officers. We are not guilty of that and our sentence shows there's no rule of law," said Zaw Zaw Latt after the court appearance, before being sent to prison.

The 28-year-old from Mandalay has been detained by local police since July 2015, after posting a Facebook photo of himself holding an assault rifle. He was accused of having relations with an illegal organization, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), and then charged under Burma's unlawful organization act.

A few days after his arrest, Zaw Zaw Latt's colleagues, Pwint Phyu Latt and Zaw Win Bo, were also apprehended by the authorities.

Zaw Zaw Latt's family claimed that the photo was taken when he and his friends went to Kachin State's conflict zone as part of a charity trip in 2013.

While he was in custody, the immigration office added the charge of illegal border crossing. Zaw Zaw Latt and Pwint Phyu Latt still are awaiting trial for the alleged violation of the unlawful organization act. The court hearing is scheduled for March 9.

Zaw Zaw Latt and Pwint Phyu Latt once worked with the National League for Democracy (NLD), the political party chaired by Aung San Suu Kyi. Zaw Zaw Latt was an information officer for a youth department within the organization.

The post Interfaith Activists Sentenced to Two Years Imprisonment With Hard Labor appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Activists, Lawyers Condemn Recent Arrest of Nilar Thein

Posted: 26 Feb 2016 05:27 AM PST

88 Generation Peace and Open Society members including Nilar Thein (standing) and student activists at a press conference in Rangoon in March 2015. (Photo: Nobel Zaw / The Irrawaddy)

RANGOON — Activists have condemned the administration of outgoing president Thein Sein over the recent arrest of 88 Generation Peace and Open Society activist Nilar Thein for her role in a protest one year ago in support of students demanding education reform.

Local lawyers and civil society leaders have accused authorities of dredging up old charges against activists under oppressive laws as the government's term nears its end.

On Wednesday, a leading member of the 88 Generation Peace and Open Society Nilar Thein was arrested by police from Bayinnaung Police Station in Rangoon Division and charged under Article 18 of the Peaceful Assembly Law for allegedly participating in a protest in Rangoon in February last year in solidarity with students demonstrating against the National Education Law.

She made a brief appearance at Mayangone Township Court on Wednesday where she declined to appeal for bail and is being held in Insein Prison.

Frequently used to imprison peaceful activists, Article 18 of the Peaceful Assembly Law prescribes sentences of up to six months for individuals found guilty of participating in an unlawful protest.

Lawyer Robert San Aung said that more than a dozen activists in Rangoon had been detained and charged under Article 18 this year for their participation in protests as far back as 2014.

"They keep arresting and charging activists on old cases which should be closed," he said. "It looks like they are taking revenge before their term expires and creating a political crisis for the incoming government."

Nilar Thein's husband Jimmy, who is also a member of the 88 Generation group, said they will respond against the police warrant, which labels the activist a fugitive, in accordance with the law.

"We are carefully watching as they are arresting activists when the transfer of power is close," he said.

Lawyer Ko Ni said the authorities were acting "based on grudges."

"They are targeting activists who pointed out their wrongdoings and arresting many other protesters," he said.

Burma's information minister on Friday rejected the assertion that the arrest of activists was politically inspired.

"It is the Myanmar Police Force's duty to investigate the accused until the case is closed according to their procedures. They will carry this out, not only under U Thein Sein's government, but also under the NLD government," he told The Irrawaddy. "It is not related with our transition. They are just fulfilling their tasks according to the law."

Burma Campaign UK and the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) also called for the immediate release of Nilar Thein on Thursday.

"Nilar Thein's case shows how activists are continuing to get arrested under the repressive laws in Burma. The arrest is unlawful and she should be released immediately," Wai Hnin, campaigns officer at Burma Campaign UK, said in a press release on Thursday.

There are currently 88 political prisoners behind bars and 412 political activists awaiting trial, according to AAPP.

The post Activists, Lawyers Condemn Recent Arrest of Nilar Thein appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Military MPs Stand Up To Copper Mine Criticism

Posted: 26 Feb 2016 03:52 AM PST

Lower House military lawmakers at the parliamentary complex in Naypyidaw on Friday. (Photo: Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy)

RANGOON — Military lawmakers in Burma's Lower House of Parliament on Friday rejected a statement read by a National League for Democracy (NLD) MP on the controversial Letpadaung copper mine, expressing their opposition by collectively standing up.

Kyaw Aung Lwin, an NLD MP representing Sidoktaya Township in Magwe Division, was speaking in support of a proposal tabled by Khin San Hlaing on Thursday requesting that the government address the apparent quick-fire sale of state-owned land and projects during the country's protracted transition period.

Kyaw Aung Lwin began speaking about the Chinese-backed Letpadaung copper mine in Sagaing Division, which has drawn sustained opposition from locals and been the site of several crackdowns by authorities. He described the suffering of local residents due to the project, drawing a warning from the Lower House speaker for veering off the topic of the proposal.

Military MPs reacted by standing up as a group and cutting the NLD member off before one of their number, Moe Kyaw Oo, responded by detailing various facts and figures related to the project.

He said a new contract was inked, according to the advice of a review committee that was headed by Aung San Suu Kyi, and that $US2 million would be put toward "rehabilitation" when the project was concluded.

Lower House lawmakers ultimately voted to pass Khin San Hlaing's original proposal, with 271 of 437 attending MPs in favor, 128 rejections and seven abstentions.

The post Military MPs Stand Up To Copper Mine Criticism appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Govt Officials Fail to Front Parliament to Discuss Urgent Proposals

Posted: 26 Feb 2016 02:31 AM PST

Lower House lawmakers at the parliamentary complex in Naypyidaw on Friday. (Photo: Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy)

RANGOON — Despite lawmakers' requests, relevant government officials failed to appear before Parliament this week, as MPs discussed urgent proposals on providing support to anti-poppy activists in Kachin State and on the apparent quick-fire sale of state-owned land and projects during the country's protracted transition period.

On Thursday, the Lower House discussed a proposal, tabled the previous day, calling on the government to provide assistance to a Christian anti-drugs group known as Pat Jasan. No government official was present for the discussion which took place shortly after news broke that the group was attacked in Kachin State's Waingmaw Township on their way to destroying poppy fields.

Lower House Speaker Win Myint said on Thursday that the legislature had invited relevant officials to speak on the matter.

"We arranged for discussions involving the Union-level authorities concerned, but they failed to show up," he told lawmakers on Thursday.

On Friday, government officials again failed to front the Lower House to discuss a proposal tabled by the National League for Democracy (NLD)'s Khin San Hlaing urging authorities to review permissions to sell or lease state-owned factories, facilities and projects before a new government takes power on April 1. The proposal, which was approved by lawmakers on Friday, also included for discussion the plight of squatters after large-scale evictions were carried out in Rangoon last month.

A letter sent to the Parliament from the central government and read by the Lower House speaker on Friday stated that officials were busy with the transition process and not yet ready to respond on the matter.

Khin San Hlaing said in the Parliament that the government had missed an opportunity to explain to the people the handling of state assets.

"The proposal was not intended to create a misunderstanding but to give a chance to responsible officials to explain from their side," Khin San Hlaing said during Friday's parliamentary session.

Burma's information minister Ye Htut defended officials' absence from the Parliament, saying the government would explain the facts directly to citizens.

"Whether the incumbent Union government should be accountable to the second parliament or not is an issue to be reviewed according to the constitution," Ye Htut said, as quoted in the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar.

The post Govt Officials Fail to Front Parliament to Discuss Urgent Proposals appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Women in Rangoon Confront Harassment as Opponents, Not Victims

Posted: 26 Feb 2016 01:43 AM PST

A woman reads an information pamphlet at the newly launched Myanmar Women's Self Defense Center. (Photo: Tin Htet Paing / The Irrawaddy)

RANGOON — A female-only self-defense training center was launched in Rangoon on Wednesday with the aim of teaching women how to protect themselves from violence.

The Myanmar Women's Self Defense Center was founded by five women who said that they hope to build other Burmese women's knowledge of how to protect themselves when faced with sexual harassment.

"Be an opponent, not a victim," is the center's motto.

A month-long course meeting twice weekly will cost attendees 40,000 kyats (US$32). The course will include six sessions in self-defense skills, one briefing concerning Burmese laws related to women, and an introduction to sexuality.

Michelle, a trainer at the center, is a Burmese woman in her early twenties who has been studying martial arts since she was 18 years old. She feels that society is becoming increasingly unsafe and noted that parents, spouses and families of Burmese women often discourage them from going out in public alone and instead want them to stay at home.

"I want Burmese women to have confidence that they can protect themselves through self-defense skills and feel safe wherever or whenever they go out," she told The Irrawaddy. "I want them to feel no fear."

Thirty-six-year-old Saw Yu Ko, the owner of the center, said that the training would at least provide a confidence boost for local women, regardless if they encounter a threatening situation in which they have to put the skills to use.

"The skill would deter any behavior that could cause them to feel either mentally or physically harassed," she told The Irrawaddy.

Rhoda Linton, of the Metta Foundation, is also one of the founders. She said that the session on sexuality was an important addition to the course, because it would teach women to better understand their bodies, and use that knowledge to respond to harassment.

"Women will know their bodies very well, be able to value their bodies and then learn to protect their bodies with self-defense," she said.

One of 15 trainees in the center's first course, Zara, is in her late teens and signed up due to her interest in self-defense. She said she has never experienced physical harassment, but has been catcalled at a few times, which made her uncomfortable.

"Some men make me feel mentally insecure. Sometimes, I don't have confidence to walk in a crowd and I don't feel safe at all," Zara told The Irrawaddy. "I want to learn how to respond to these kinds of situations."

The training was advertised on social media during the second week of February and drew much attention from Burmese women of diverse backgrounds and ages. The center's first three courses are already full, according to the founders.

The post Women in Rangoon Confront Harassment as Opponents, Not Victims appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Telenor Holds Charity SIM Card Auction for Vanity Numbers

Posted: 26 Feb 2016 12:05 AM PST

Telenor employees serve customers at the company's launch in Rangoon on Oct. 26, 2014. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy)

RANGOON — Telenor on Thursday held its first public charity auction for mobile SIM cards, netting a total of 483.5 million kyats (about US$390,000) for 55 vanity numbers.

The highest bid for a SIM from the Norwegian telecoms operator was for nearly $10,000 for the number 097 7777 7777.

"All the money collected will be given to myME [Myanmar Mobile Education] and support our plans to provide [digital] education to more than 5,000 to 10,000 children in 2016," said Petter Furberg, chief executive officer of Telenor.

However, some Burmese social network users took umbrage at the auction, pointing out that there are some people who can hardly afford a meal each day, while others are wealthy enough to spend thousands of dollars for a special phone number.

"It's really amazing that some people in Myanmar are so rich that they can spend so much money for a SIM," commented one Facebook user.

Telenor has been a partner to myME since 2014, providing financial support enabling myME to provide vocational training particularly to children working in tea shops. More than 900 children were enrolled in the program by the end of 2015.

Thursday's auction took place in Rangoon, Burma's financial capital, but Telenor said that it has plans to hold future auctions in other states and divisions across the country.

State-owned telco Myanma Posts and Telecommunications (MPT) held a similar event in December for 126 phone numbers, raking in more than 300 million kyats (US$230,500), including a single bid of 22 million kyats ($16,900) for a number with seven recurring digits.

Under military rule, local SIM cards could cost up to $1,500. But since the government allowed foreign competitors into the sector in 2013, retail prices have fallen dramatically, to approximately 1,500 kyats ($1.15).

The post Telenor Holds Charity SIM Card Auction for Vanity Numbers appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

‘When We Come Back, We’ll Come With Weapons’: Anti-Opium Group

Posted: 25 Feb 2016 10:45 PM PST

Tuu Naw, a leader within the vigilante anti-opium group Pat Jasan, in Waingmaw Township, Kachin State. (Photo: Nang Lwin Hnin Pwint / The Irrawaddy)

WAINGMAW, Kachin State — Over twenty Kachin anti-opium campaigners, members of the vigilante group Pat Jasan, were injured after being attacked en route to destroy poppy fields in Kachin State's Waingmaw Township on February 25; they are currently recovering in a Myitkyina hospital.

After guns, small hand grenades and stones were used in the assault on two of their convoys, Pat Jasan reported that they were able to detain 19 of the attackers. A truck being used by the group was set on fire by owners of the poppy fields and members of a local militia. Property, including walkie-talkies and clothes, was also destroyed.

After the attacks, The Irrawaddy's Nang Lwin Hnin Pwint spoke with Tuu Naw, one of the victims of the attack and also the head of the Pat Jasan's Group No. 2.

Could you tell us what happened in the attack?

Last [Wednesday] night, we went together with the police and met with the Tatmadaw troops from [Battalion] No. 37. They told us to rest on a bit higher ground. There were police [nearby] and it was a good place to rest, so we slept there. The next morning, we talked with our elders and leaders and started the destruction of the poppy fields. When we were about to leave, they [the attackers] arrived and shot us from every side. They had many different guns. They shot us with hand grenades too.

Since we did not have weapons like guns, we could not resist. The attackers shot at us, but we could not shoot back as we only had knives. So we retreated, but they followed us and kept shooting. We dispersed and around 10 people disappeared. Four people were wounded by shrapnel from bombs. The number of injured people has reached more than 20 now.

What were the police, who travel with you for security, doing at that time?

They were near us, but they were also afraid. All [the attackers] surrounded us and shot at us. But the police could not shoot back. I do not want to comment on them, because we don't know what kinds of orders they were given.

How many poppy plantations are there in the area?

They are all over the area, as everyone traveling in the region can see. They are west of the border guard force and also near the troops. A lot of poppy fields are located next to the government school. The fields are everywhere, on every mountain—there are more than ten thousand acres. They could also be growing it in areas that we cannot see from afar.

How did you feel while you were attacked on the way to destroy the poppy fields?

We felt safe as we were traveling with a police security detail, and also there was a discussion [about poppy plantations] in the Parliament. We had also informed the Kachin State parliament as well as the President's Office. It had gone smoothly. So we went to focus on the destruction of the poppies, which are not only an enemy of the Kachin people, but also of the world. Our groups slept well without even having a [security] patrol.

After what happened, it shows that there is no stability in the region. We cannot think of what more the poppy growers could do to us. Our group feels sad. Since the other side is using weapons to attack us, I don't think we can continue the destruction of poppies unless we have weapons, too.

Are you saying that you would bring weapons when you return to your work of destroying poppy fields?

We will have to discuss with our elders and the respective government officials. The attackers include the poppy growers, as well as the militia members, who are given guns by the government. A bit farther away, shooters in military uniform were shooting up into the sky. We only have knives, which are used for poppy destruction. Therefore, I think that when we come back, we must come with weapons and security forces.

The post 'When We Come Back, We'll Come With Weapons': Anti-Opium Group appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Dubai’s Emirates to Launch Flights to Rangoon

Posted: 25 Feb 2016 10:33 PM PST

An Emirates Airlines Airbus A380-800, with Tail Number A6-EOF, lands at San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco, California, April 16, 2015. (Photo: Louis Nastro / Reuters)

RANGOON — Dubai's Emirates airline will schedule flights to Rangoon starting in August, the airline said on Thursday, with local tourism experts welcoming the launch.

Emirates will begin the daily service from Dubai to Rangoon, as well as to Hanoi, Vietnam, starting August 3. The new route is anticipated to strengthen Emirates' network in Southeast Asia and to offer a new flight option to passengers traveling between Hanoi and Rangoon.

Adnan Kazim, Emirates' divisional senior vice president of strategic planning, revenue optimization and aero-political affairs, said in the announcement, "With the opening of this service, Emirates will enhance its Southeast Asia offering and offer more choices for travelers in Myanmar and Vietnam to conveniently connect to 39 cities in Europe, 16 in the Middle East as well as a number of destinations across our extensive network in Africa and the Americas."

Round-trip flights to Rangoon and Hanoi will depart daily from Dubai at 02:50 am, arriving at Rangoon International Airport at 11:05 am. Flights will then depart from Rangoon at 12:35pm and arrive at Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport at 2:50pm. The return flight will depart Hanoi at 10:50 pm, arriving in Rangoon at 12:20 am the following day. Flights will then depart from Rangoon at 1:50 am and arrive at Dubai International Airport at 05:05 am.

"Emirates' first air service to Myanmar supports the country's tourism master plan to target 7.5 million tourist arrivals by 2020," Kazim said.

Burma welcomed 4.68 million tourists in 2015, according to figures from the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, which was an increase of 52 percent from the previous year.

Aung Myat Kyaw, vice president of the Myanmar Tourism Federation, praised Emirates' future presence in the region and said that he expects more tourists to visit Burma, particularly from Europe, the United States and other western countries.

"This is connecting us to the world. It's good news. More passengers will come here from western countries. They [Emirates] know the potential of Myanmar," he said.

In the statement, Emirates said that Burma has continued to witness an increase in foreign tourist arrivals since its pivot away from isolationism in 2011, in particular attracting those interested in eco-tourism and the country's many ancient temples.

The post Dubai's Emirates to Launch Flights to Rangoon appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Burma Army on the Move in Northern Shan State, Clashes Reported: TNLA

Posted: 25 Feb 2016 10:19 PM PST

A TNLA officer talks on his radio near Lwel Khan village in Kyaukme Township, northern Shan State, July 2014. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy)

Hundreds of Burma Army troops have reportedly been deployed to areas of northern Shan State where the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) operates, according to the armed group.

Tar Bang Hla, a communications officer with the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), said up to 2,000 Burma Army troops were deployed in recent days in the wake of recent clashes between the TNLA and the Shan State Army-South (SSA-S).

"They have come since Feb. 23 and they are in our control area now. For us, we will not withdraw our troops. We will use our defensive forces [if necessary]," he said.

A clash was reported in Kutkai Township on Thursday between the Burma Army and the TNLA, according to a report issued by the Ta'ang armed group. Video footage posted online by residents of Lashio purports to show army trucks carrying troops and military provisions to Namhsan.

There will be more fighting in our area as more of their troops are coming, Tar Bang Hla said.

Fighting intensified between the Ta'ang and Shan armed groups earlier this month, displacing over 3,000 civilians in Kyaukme Township and over 1,000 civilians in Namkham Township, according to the UN's humanitarian body.

Hostilities first flared in November, one month after eight armed groups signed the so-called nationwide ceasefire agreement with the central government. The SSA-S was among the signatories while the TNLA was sidelined by Naypyidaw from the negotiations.

An article in the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar on Wednesday, quoting the defense ministry, said government troops were conducting "combined operations in Shan State," without elaborating.

Hla Maung Shwe of the Myanmar Peace Center told The Irrawaddy that the Tatmadaw, Burma's armed forces, wanted both ethnic armed groups to return to their "respective territories… Otherwise, the Tatmadaw will clear them out."

The TNLA has repeatedly accused the SSA-S of cooperating with the Burma Army—allegations refuted by the Shan force.

Col. Robert, who heads the TNLA's Brigade 2 in Kyaukme, claimed the group was attacked by both government troops and the SSA-S, also referred to by its political arm, the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), during recent conflict.

"Our troops were in the middle. We had to fight both sides," he alleged. "They play a very dirty game the Burma Army. They came at the back of our troops to attack us while we fought the RCSS."

The post Burma Army on the Move in Northern Shan State, Clashes Reported: TNLA appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

The Lawmakers’ Library

Posted: 25 Feb 2016 10:00 PM PST

Click to view slideshow.

A little-known perk within Burma's legislature is the presence of libraries and reading rooms, boasting thousands of books to which lawmakers—both civilian and military—have access.

There are two libraries, one in the Upper House and the other in the Union Parliament itself, and a reading room located in the Lower House; all were established in 2011.

"All parliamentarians and staff can borrow books for two weeks for free from the reading room. More than 100 lawmakers use [it] each day," said Khin Mar Aye, the assistant director of the Lower House's reading room.

In libraries, over 20,000 books and e-books are available, including historical records and photos from previous parliamentary sessions.

The reading room is home to over 2,000 books on subjects ranging from politics to business to education to history, as well as daily and weekly newspapers and free wifi.

The post The Lawmakers' Library appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

At Mrauk U, Living Heritage and Crumbling Splendor in Need of Conservation

Posted: 25 Feb 2016 09:28 PM PST

The sun rises over the temples of Mrauk U, Arakan State. (Photo: Thin Lei Win / Myanmar Now)

MRAUK U, ARAKAN STATE — The archeological museum chronicling the ancient Arakan kingdom of Mrauk U, one of Burma's most important cultural sites, is housed in an unassuming, one-story building with a worn-out sign that has letters missing.

Located on the old palace grounds, it has one main room and three side rooms where you can find intricate stone carvings, exquisite bronze Buddhas and beautiful glazed tiles. Some of the art on display dates back to the 8th century, while much stems from 15th and 16th centuries, when the Arakan Kingdom of Mrauk U, located in the north of present-day Arakan State, was at its zenith.

Low-ceilinged, badly lit, devoid of visitors and with the treasures displayed in a seemingly random manner, the state of the museum reflects the state of this ancient city—full of forgotten, magnificent ruins in urgent need of concerted conservation efforts.

I actually didn't come to the town of Mrauk U on a recent visit to enjoy the sights, but to attend and help moderate an ethnic media conference held here. I also planned to interview Arakanese villagers affected by the December fighting between the rebels of the Arakan Army and the military. The latter plan, however, was scuttled by Burma's notoriously vague and confusing bureaucracy

To visit the affected villages, I was told, I needed permission from the Arakan State Ministry of Information in Sittwe. But once there, I was informed I needed permission from four other offices, including the Ministry of Border Affairs and Ministry of Immigration and Population, a requirement for which there was no time. In Mrauk U, the township administrator simply suggested I travel back to Sittwe to gain the necessary authorizations.

Determined not to waste my trip, I decided to visit Mrauk U, a legendary but difficult to reach heritage site I had long wanted to visit. What I found was a small, dusty but lively town situated among the crumbling splendor of 15th and 16th century Buddhist temples.

Old-World Feel

The Buddhist zedis in Mrauk U are dark, its bricks stained with moss as a result of the region's hot summers and heavy monsoon season. This gives the stupas a more austere, old-world feel, unlike the heavily gilded ones common in Burma. Some no longer have roofs and many have vegetation growing around the temples and Buddha statues, reinforcing the feeling that you are seeing things through a filter, or have been transported to a bygone era.

Inside, they evoke awe, with long, secluded stone passageways decorated with intricately carved figurines and thousands of Buddhas in varying shapes and sizes. There aren't as many pagodas here as in Bagan, the ancient Buddhist complex in central Burma, where the authorities have evicted villages from the archeological zone to promote tourism and hotel construction by well-connected companies.

Here, the history is exists amid a bustling ethnic Arakanese community, creating a unique sense of a continued and living history. Mrauk U was the capital of the Arakan Kingdom, which fell in 1784 to the Burmese Konbaung Dynasty. At the height of their power, Arakanese kings controlled an area covering parts of eastern Bengal, modern-day Arakan State and western part of lower Burma.

Compared to Bagan, Mrauk U gets a tiny fraction of tourists, partly due to the difficulty of getting there. There are no direct flights and the only way to the site is a three-hour boat ride from Rakhine's capital Sittwe on the Mrauk U River, or a lengthy car journey. The uncertainty ahead of the November 8 elections deterred many tourists this year too, locals say, while the town suffered its worst floods in 50 years six months ago, damaging local businesses and worsening the dusty, pot-holed roads.

Another deterrent—one that locals don't like talk about—is the 2012 communal violence in Mrauk U and other northern Arakan townships, which left both Rohingya Muslims and Arakanese Buddhist communities deeply scarred and segregated, and has made international headlines ever since.

Conservation and Restoration, Not Renovation

One of the most famous and impressive sites is the Shite-thaung Temple, meaning "80,000 Images," built in 1535, where five passageways boast 80,000 Buddha images, statues and carvings.

Despite its beauty, ill-planned renovation to the temple several years ago by local authorities provides a warning of what could occur if construction methods are applied that damage the historic structures. At Shite-thaung stupa, the top was rebuilt using concrete, at odds with the rest of the building material. Not only does it look new and out of place, locals say it is not going to age the same way.

Therein lies the dilemma facing Mrauk U. It sorely needs support and funding to maintain its rich cultural heritage, which is deteriorating rapidly. But if it is to retain its heritage, it is crucially important that ancient structures are conserved and restored, not renovated, as overzealous officials did to many ancient temples in Bagan until they were barely distinguishable from new ones.

In 2014, UNESCO officials began discussions with Burma on Bagan's listing as a World Heritage site, but efforts were complicated by the former junta's controversial renovations—once called a 'Disney-style fantasy' by UN officials—hotel expansion and forced evictions of villages.

At Mrauk U, archeologists and conservation experts, not bureaucrats and construction companies, should be leading conservation and restoration efforts.

"There's a plethora of challenges facing conservation of ancient buildings. The city of Mrauk U was once Southeast Asia's greatest fortified cantonment," Khin Than, chairperson of the Mrauk U Ancient Cultural Heritage Conservation Group, told Myitmakha News Agency recently.

"Tenders were put out for restorations of areas of Mrauk U, but a great deal of highly valued Rakhine [Arakan] cultural handiworks—found in pagodas, walls and brick walls—were destroyed as those carrying out the restorations were not archaeologists."

Funding is another major challenge. The same news story said the Arakan State government had allocated 600 million kyats (US$491,000) for conservation for 2015-16 fiscal year to cover the sprawling area with hundreds of temples and other structures.

As we left the archeological museum and palace grounds, we chanced upon a group of men building a wire fence around a pond.

Called "Nan Thar Kan," or a pond for palace residents, they recently unearthed the square pond using those funds. The work revealed a stone tablet, stone carvings of a deity and an ogre in each corner (as protection, apparently) and a cascade of old bricks leading down into it. What looked like an ordinary pond is now transformed into a beautiful, historic site.

A supervisor there said at least 10 more feet of sand still needed to be removed to completely uncover the pond. When will that happen, I asked? "We don't know because we don't know if, or when, we will get more funding," he said.

This story first appeared on Myanmar Now.

The post At Mrauk U, Living Heritage and Crumbling Splendor in Need of Conservation appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

A Subway Tunnel under Singapore’s Rainforest? No Way, Say Activists

Posted: 25 Feb 2016 08:55 PM PST

A view of the skyline of Singapore, February 22, 2016. (Photo: Edgar Su / Reuters)

SINGAPORE — A plan to build a subway tunnel under Singapore's largest patch of primary rainforest has drawn sharp protests from environmental groups and activists who say it could irreversibly damage the habitats of hundreds of plant and animal species.

They are appealing to the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to re-route the 50 km (31 mile) Cross Island Line around the Central Catchment Nature Reserve near the MacRitchie Reservoir, rather than through it.

The city-state is spending billions of dollars to upgrade its subway system to cope with a rising population in one of the most densely populated countries, which penalizes car ownership through hefty taxes.

But the LTA's plan is not going down well with nature-lovers, which are organizing guided walks around the reserve, exhibitions and talks, and producing music videos to lobby for the route to be changed.

An online petition supporting the re-routing of the line away from the nature reserve has received over 7,790 signatures.

"A lot of our forests have already been lost to development and we can't afford to lose much more of them because there's so little left," said Sankar Ananthanarayanan, co-founder of the Herpetological Society and a life-sciences university student.

A network of freshwater streams in the reserve supports a rich diversity of flora and fauna, including more than 1,000 species of flowering plants and over 500 species of animals.

LTA Chief Executive Chew Men Leong said in a letter in the Straits Times Forum page this week that taking the new line around the reserve would cost an extra S$2 billion ($1.4 billion) to build. Industry experts estimate the overall cost could amount could be as much as S$40.7 billion.

He said the government was studying both options for the underground route but had not yet made a decision.

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Bangkok Shrine Bombers First Targeted Pier for Chinese Tourists

Posted: 25 Feb 2016 08:06 PM PST

Chinese tourists wait for a boat at a pier at Chao Phraya River in Bangkok on February 16, 2016. The perpetrators of last year's deadly explosion at a Bangkok shrine originally chose a pier packed with Chinese tourists as their primary target. (Photo: Jorge Silva / Reuters)

BANGKOK — The perpetrators of last year's deadly explosion at a Bangkok shrine originally chose a pier packed with Chinese tourists as their primary target and had amassed enough chemicals to make 10 equally powerful bombs, the chief of Thailand's police bomb squad told Reuters.

A bomb planted at the Erawan Shrine on Aug. 17 killed 20 people and turned a popular tourist site into a scene of carnage.

Another device, which was left at a crowded pier on Bangkok's Chao Phraya river but failed to explode, might have inflicted much greater casualties, said a leading security analyst.

Bomb squad chief Police Colonel Kamthorn Auicharoen's disclosures to Reuters bolster a widely held theory that the perpetrators of the shrine bombing were trying to kill Chinese tourists.

The Thai police have maintained that the motive for the Erawan bombing was Thailand's earlier crackdown on human smuggling networks.

But many analysts, diplomats and even Thai officials say the Aug. 17 bombing was likely an act of revenge for Thailand's deportation to China of more than 100 Uighur Muslims in July.

Acknowledging that Chinese tourists were intentionally targeted could dent one of Thailand's biggest industries. A record 7.9 million Chinese visited the kingdom in 2015, or more than a quarter of the 28 million tourists that year.

Tourism is one of the few thriving sectors of an economy that has floundered since the military seized power in a May 2014 coup.

When asked about the Bangkok bombers' possible targeting of Chinese citizens, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters on Thursday that attacks against civilians around the world, including Chinese, were increasing.

"We believe Thai authorities can severely punish the murderers according to law," said Hua.

Thai police have uncovered evidence in the shrine bombing that points to a large and well-organised network, according to experts and documents reviewed by Reuters.

Dangerous chemicals and other materials discovered in Bangkok apartments connected to two suspects could have made ten more bombs, said bomb squad chief Kamthorn.

Warrants For 15

Yusufu Mieraili and Adem Karadag, the two suspects arrested last year by Thai police, are Uighur Muslims from China's restive Xinjiang region. Hundreds of people have died in recent years in unrest in Xinjiang, where most Uighurs live, and in attacks elsewhere in China attributed to Uighurs.

Exiles and human rights groups say those Uighurs engaging in violence are lashing out at oppressive government policies that restrict their culture and religion. Beijing denies this and blames Islamist militants for the rise in violence.

The two suspects appeared in a Bangkok military court on Feb. 16 to hear the ten charges against them, including murder and illegal possession of explosives. Both men say they are innocent.

Police have issued arrest warrants for 15 other suspects, many of whom are thought to be Turkish or in Turkey. Thai police turned down repeated requests by Reuters for information about the investigation. National police chief Jakthip Chaijinda declined several interview requests.

The military indictment, which Reuters reviewed, accuses the men of planting the first bomb at the Chao Phraya Princess Pier where hundreds of Chinese tourists gather each day to board dinner cruises along the river.

It failed to detonate, and after two or three hours, was taken away by a blue-shirted figure later identified in an arrest warrant as an "Asian man".

He was then caught on security cameras further upriver, kicking a bag thought to contain the bomb into the water. It exploded harmlessly the next day.

The Erawan shrine bomb went off at around 7 pm on Aug. 17, killing mostly Chinese or ethnic Chinese tourists. Kamthorn believes the bomb "might not have happened" had the bomb at the pier functioned.

Higher Casualties

Assuming it was a target on Aug. 17, the pier would "certainly make sense" because it caters almost exclusively to tour groups mainly from China, said Anthony Davis, a Bangkok-based analyst at security consulting firm IHS-Jane's.

"Had a device similar to that used at the Erawan Shrine exploded there, casualties would almost certainly have been significantly higher and overwhelmingly from mainland China," he said.

The choice of the pier, which doesn't cater to regular commuter ferry services, suggested the attackers had "clearly done their homework," Davis added.

"Most Bangkokians would be unaware of the existence of this pier and its importance to the Chinese tourist industry in the city," he said.

The attackers had also stockpiled a long list of chemicals and explosives at two Bangkok apartments, according to the indictment by Thai military prosecutors seen by Reuters.

These included two, 5-litre bottles of what the indictment said was triacetone triperoxide (TATP), a highly unstable explosive which has long been favored by militants.

The seven men who attacked Paris in November, killing 130 people, wore suicide vests packed with TATP. It was also used in the London attacks in 2005 and by "shoe-bomber" Richard Reid who tried to blow up an airliner in 2001.

"TATP has no commercial or military application, is only encountered in terrorist weapons and devices, and must be synthesized," said Sean Doyle, formerly principal scientist at the Forensic Explosives Laboratory, an agency of Britain's defence ministry.

Pipes and Ball Bearings

Also found in the Bangkok apartments were three chemicals which, according to global security consultancy Allen Vanguard Counter-Threat Solutions (AVCTS), could have made another 20 to 30 kg of TATP, depending on the method used and other factors.

The number of potential bombs this could have made was "variable" and depended on the size of the devices, said AVCTS.

A police document, seen by Reuters, detailed other materials found at the apartments.

These included dozens of short pipes, similar to those police believed were used in the two Bangkok bombs, as well as bags of ball bearings, commonly used as shrapnel.

The Chao Phraya Princess Pier was still crowded with Chinese tourists when Reuters reporters visited recently.

The unarmed soldiers who now patrol the area for suspicious packages said the pier had recently been fitted with extra security cameras.

One soldier pointed over the heads of waiting passengers to a spot near a waste bin where he said the bomb had been planted.

"I don't want to think what would have happened if it had exploded," he said, declining to give his name. "Look at how many people are here."

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