The Irrawaddy Magazine |
- Mining Companies Found to Be Polluting in Sagaing
- Suu Kyi Calls for ‘Panglong-Style’ Peace Summit by June
- Parliamentary Committee: 6,000 Land Confiscation Complaints Yet to Be Addressed
- New Travel Restrictions Limit Rohingya Access to Healthcare
- China Set to Pass Law Tightening Controls on Foreign NGOs
- Suu Kyi to Meet With Burma Army, Ethnic Armed Groups
- Al-Qaida Says It Killed Bangladesh Gay Activist, Friend
| Mining Companies Found to Be Polluting in Sagaing Posted: 27 Apr 2016 07:28 AM PDT  A woman works on a paddy field beside a mining dump site in Sagaing Division on Sept. 13, 2012. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters) RANGOON — Seven coal mining firms in Kalaywa, Sagaing Division, are operating without any regard for the environmental impact of their projects, according to a report released Wednesday by a joint task force made up of environmental NGOs, civil society organizations and the Ministry of Mines. The firms that failed to conduct and follow the guidelines of environmental and social impact assessments have polluted the ground surrounding their mines, according to Kyaw Thet, a high-ranking official at the Ministry of Mines in Naypyidaw. He said the pollution was not as bad as it could have been, however, because the sites were not near water sources. Of the nine companies the joint commission investigated, only two—Htoo Group and Max Myanmar, both crony-related conglomerates—were found to have followed environmental guidelines. This is the first time the ministry has cooperated with NGOs and local organizations to research the private sector's environmental impacts. "We have a lot more to do, but now is not a good time to reveal the nature of our future work," the mining official said. His ministry and its responsibilities are set to be subsumed by another under a plan by the new government to consolidate the bureaucracy, in part by reducing the number of Union-level ministries from 36 to 21. "The findings of the report are not surprising because even big firms like Htoo and Max are unable to meet international standards at this time," said Win Myo Thu, a member of the joint commission and director of the Economically Progressive Ecosystem Development Group (EcoDev). "The joint committee did not use the most rigorous evaluation methodology because it is still in the initial phase of learning how to carry out proper oversight." The issue of government mismanagement also concerns Win Myo Thu, who pointed out that even though the Ministry of Mines has blocked small- and medium-sized mining projects, they still often receive approval from local governments. This may account for the discrepancy between the government's and EcoDev's count of mining projects around the country. The ministry officially accounts for 1,800 mines. However, EcoDev's satellite analysis, also released Wednesday, shows that there are at least 2,340 mines operating in Burma, and there are potentially over 570 more sites that the environmental NGO's analysis could not confirm due to their potential location underground or underwater. The post Mining Companies Found to Be Polluting in Sagaing appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Suu Kyi Calls for ‘Panglong-Style’ Peace Summit by June Posted: 27 Apr 2016 06:49 AM PDT  State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, upper right, meets with members of the Joint Monitoring Committee in Naypyidaw on Wednesday. (Photo: Hein Htet / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma's state counselor and de facto leader of the new National League for Democracy (NLD) government, met with eight non-state armed groups and the Burma Army on Wednesday, calling for the convening of a "Panglong-style" peace conference within two months and encouraging all stakeholders to help make that happen. Speaking in Naypyidaw at a meeting with the Joint Monitoring Committee, a body that monitors adherence to the so-called Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) inked among those present, Suu Kyi said she "didn't want to take much time before holding a Panglong-style conference." The Panglong Conference was convened by Suu Kyi's father, Gen. Aung San, and leaders from three of the country's ethnic minority groups on the eve of independence, and is widely praised for the spirit of inclusiveness and cooperation that it fostered between the dominant Burman majority and ethnic minorities at the time. Suu Kyi on Wednesday emphasized that a lasting peace was vitally needed in Burma as civilians in conflict zones continued to suffer the daily hardships of poverty and war. "I want [all parties] to try helping to hold the peace conference in one or two months because we need peace in our country. Our people are suffering every day due to the lack of peace. It is not a small suffering for a person who suffers from dangers 24 hours [a day]," said Suu Kyi. She also said action would be more important than words in any accord to achieve a lasting peace, and urged all parties involved in the peace process to be committed to consolidating the ceasefire. "In fact, achieving a firm, lasting ceasefire is a really important task. Signing [a ceasefire] is just a first step. If there is no genuine lasting ceasefire, we can't move forward to peace," Suu Kyi said. Burma Army representatives including Lt-Gen Yar Pyae, who chairs the Joint Monitoring Committee, joined the eight groups that signed the NCA and were present at Wednesday's meeting. The Joint Monitoring Committee was formed last November under the administration of former President Thein Sein and includes representatives from the eight NCA armed group signatories, the military and former government, and a handful of outside civilians. Notably absent from the Naypyidaw meeting were delegations from about a dozen other ethnic armed groups that have not signed the NCA, either due to abstention or exclusion by the previous government. Suu Kyi, however, said the lack of inclusivity at the moment should not discourage stakeholders. "Even though they [non-NCA signatories] are not yet included, we will try to include them. We need to consider about it. There is no reason that we can't make it work if there is sincere empathy," Suu Kyi contended. The NLD chairwoman said she recognized the importance of the work done by the Joint Monitoring Committee, but would need to review and reform it if deemed necessary. She also welcomed advice and input from the committee in order to achieve a lasting peace. "As I understand and have heard, almost 90 percent of ceasefire accords can be broken. So it shows that's how important the work of the JMC [Joint Monitoring Committee] is," said Suu Kyi. Her coming evaluation will include an appraisal of who is best involved in the Joint Monitoring Committee, and of the pros and cons of the committee as currently constituted, with an eye toward possible reforms. "The immediate job of the JMC is to respond to any violation of the ceasefire. For long-term purposes, we want to know how the JMC will participate in helping to further peace negotiations and peace conferences. We want to get good advice from them. We welcome it," said Suu Kyi. The challenges ahead are formidable, such as the obvious absence of a large majority of the nation's myriad ethnic armed groups. The Karen National Union (KNU) and Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) are NCA signatories that sent representatives to Naypyidaw this week and wield considerable influence and manpower in their respective areas of control, but some of country's largest non-state armies are non-signatories, including the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and United Wa State Army (UWSA). Bertil Lintner, a Burma expert who has penned several books about the country, wrote this week that more than four-fifths of ethnic combatants nationwide owed allegiance to ethnic armed groups not signed on to the ceasefire and thus not in the room on Wednesday. The post Suu Kyi Calls for 'Panglong-Style' Peace Summit by June appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Parliamentary Committee: 6,000 Land Confiscation Complaints Yet to Be Addressed Posted: 27 Apr 2016 06:44 AM PDT  A farmer in Irrawaddy Division. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Some 6,000 outstanding complaints of farmland seizure from the previous parliamentary body are slated to be investigated by the current legislative body, the Upper House's farmer affairs committee said on Wednesday. "About 6,000 letters of complaint [out of an estimated 18,000] are to be handled this parliamentary term," committee chair Ba Myo Thein told The Irrawaddy, adding that since early April alone, the new committee had received over 80 additional letters. Among those accused of farmland confiscation are the Burma Army, government ministries and private development companies. According to the letters of complaint, the land was allegedly seized for the development of infrastructure and industrial zones, with most incidents occurring in Mandalay Division and Karen State, Ba Myo Thein said. He added that the Parliament's first move will be to form a commission with relevant MPs to review the complaints and conduct field investigations. He also told The Irrawaddy that the issue of farmland confiscation could not be avoided in a country where development and infrastructure are considered essential for growth. "These complaints are a consequence of neglecting our country's existing laws," he said. "We will try to solve this problem in accordance with land use laws." On Wednesday, the state-owned Global New Light of Myanmar said that, to date, the committee had revealed that some 200,000 acres of farmland had been confiscated nationwide, although Ba Myo Thein was unable to confirm this figure for The Irrawaddy. From a legal standpoint, Ko Ni, a lawyer, does not think that the handling of the issue will be so straightforward. "There's no such distinction within existing laws between military-owned land and ministry-owned land. There's only state-owned land," he said. He explained that under Burma's military regime, hundreds of thousands of acres of land were confiscated by the military, government ministries and private companies for multiple reasons. There is not yet a law in place to address these particular cases. "A specific law should be created that includes relevant references [to military-owned and ministry-owned land] so that there will be no controversy [going forward] in regards to how to effectively [and legally] handle land grab issues," Ko Ni said. The post Parliamentary Committee: 6,000 Land Confiscation Complaints Yet to Be Addressed appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| New Travel Restrictions Limit Rohingya Access to Healthcare Posted: 27 Apr 2016 04:58 AM PDT  Rohingya outside a displaced people's camp in Arakan State in 2014. (Photo: Lawi Weng / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — Authorities in Arakan State have imposed new restrictions on the Rohingya minority's access to medical treatment in Rangoon, after local sources reported that many patients did not return to the region after traveling to hospitals in the commercial capital. Authorities including police, immigration officers, and the border affairs minister hosted a meeting with approximately 40 Rohingya community leaders in the Arakan State capital of Sittwe on Tuesday. Chief regional immigration officer Wai Lwin reportedly informed those at the meeting of the stricter regulations to be imposed on the Muslim minority, who are denied citizenship in Burma. According to Aung Win, a Rohingya rights activist who participated in the meeting, the new rules state that Rohingya who are sick must now first visit the public hospital in Sittwe for an assessment of their condition; if further treatment is needed, they can apply for permission to travel to Rangoon. Patients would now be required to obtain a recommendation from the head of the Sittwe hospital in order to make such a trip. Aung Win estimated that up to 80 percent of those who had previously traveled to Rangoon for medical care did not return to the displaced people's camps in Arakan State where over 100,000 Rohingya have been confined since ethnoreligious violence broke out in the area in 2012. "They went to work in Ruili [on the Chinese border], Malaysia and Thailand," he said. Before the new restrictions came into effect, community leaders said that the Rohingya had avoided going to hospitals in Sittwe, where they reported experiencing discrimination. The medical care they received, they alleged, was not equal to that provided to the local Buddhist Arakanese population. Maung Maung Sein, another Rohingya representative present at the meeting, told The Irrawaddy that the new rules would place extra financial strain on those in the camps. "We need security to travel to the hospital in Sittwe. We have to pay at least 20,000 to 30,000 kyats (US$17 to $26) to rent a car to travel from the camp to the town," he said, adding that patients would need food and accommodation in order to be able to stay in the hospital away from their homes. Paying for this expense is made particularly difficult by limitations placed on the Rohingyas' ability to seek employment in the region. Maung Maung Sein explained that Rohingya who could afford to do so once sought treatment in Rangoon, reportedly after obtaining permission from an immigration officer for the journey; without the correct paperwork, Rohingya attempting to travel outside of the region can be imprisoned. "There were brokers who could help get recommendations from Immigration. We had to pay a lot of money to get the recommendation," he said. Burmese government authorities have allowed some clinics to open in the displaced people's camps, but challenges regarding staffing and patient access remain ongoing. Doctors and nurses from the camp hospitals will not be eligible to provide the recommendation needed for travel to Rangoon to seek more advanced treatment. The post New Travel Restrictions Limit Rohingya Access to Healthcare appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| China Set to Pass Law Tightening Controls on Foreign NGOs Posted: 26 Apr 2016 11:41 PM PDT  An officer stands outside the Great Hall of the People, the venue of the National People's Congress, China's parliament, in Beijing on June 18, 2015. (Photo: Reuters) BEIJING — China's national legislature is poised to vote this week on a draft law criticized by overseas governments for tightening controls over foreign non-governmental groups by bringing them under direct police supervision. The proposed law requires that such groups accept police supervision and state the sources of their funding and how their budgets are spent, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Tuesday. Police would also be permitted to interview administrators and force Chinese partner organizations to terminate any program considered a threat to state security, Xinhua said. Groups seeking to "subvert the state and split the nation" would be banned, it said. The proposed legislation has drawn criticism from US and European officials and business and academic organizations concerned it would severely restrict the operations of a wide range of groups, further limiting the growth of civil society in China and hindering non-governmental exchanges between China and the rest of the world. Several hundred NGOs founded, run or financed by foreigners are now operating in China in fields ranging from animal protection to human rights law. Many overseas NGOs have partnered with Chinese academic and social groups, but operate in a legal gray area that leaves them vulnerable to crackdowns by security forces. In one recent example, China in January released and immediately deported a Swedish man it accused of training and funding unlicensed lawyers in the country. The third and final draft of the foreign NGO law is expected to be voted on by the National People's Congress Standing Committee at its bi-monthly meeting this week. The committee handles the bulk of the congress's legislative work outside of the full body's annual two-week session. Cooperative agreements between Chinese and overseas colleges, hospitals and science and engineering research institutes will continue to be handled under separate regulations. Responding to some criticisms, the new draft would allow foreign NGOs to set up branches in multiple locations, eliminate a five-year limit on operating in China, and remove restrictions on hiring volunteers and staff. It says the foreign NGOs would no longer need to seek approval for occasional programs but their Chinese partners need to register with local authorities 15 days before the activities. The draft says the foreign NGOs, whether running permanent offices or operating occasional programs in China, generally would not be allowed to recruit new members except for those sanctioned by the state council. That's mainly because China is encouraging its scientists to join influential international organizations on science and technology. Of greatest concern to foreign groups and governments has been the naming of the Public Security Ministry as the overall body to govern foreign NGOs, something seen as casting those groups under undo suspicion. Those critics have suggested that the Civil Affairs Ministry would be a more logical oversight body. Critics fear the law may lead to an onerous degree of scrutiny over administrators, with Xinhua saying police could bring investigations at will and demand the termination of any cooperation program "considered to undermine state security." "Overseas NGOs, which engage in illegal activities including those to subvert the state and split the nation, will be blacklisted by police and banned from operating on the mainland," Xinhua said. The post China Set to Pass Law Tightening Controls on Foreign NGOs appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Suu Kyi to Meet With Burma Army, Ethnic Armed Groups Posted: 26 Apr 2016 11:31 PM PDT  State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi is due to meet with the Burma Army and armed ethnic group leaders in Naypyitaw on Wednesday afternoon. RANGOON — A new chapter of peace talks is set to open as Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma's state counselor and de facto leader, will meet with the Burma Army and representatives of ethnic armed groups on Wednesday in Naypyidaw, according to a military officer. Lt-Gen Ya Pyayt, chairman of the Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC), a body that monitors the ceasefire process, said in a speech in Burma's capital on Tuesday that the monitoring body and ethnic representatives who signed a so-called Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) in October will meet and talk with Suu Kyi, who will lead the peace process moving forward. The parties will "discuss guidelines and procedures relating to the Union-level ceasefire agreement. The meeting also focused upon the formation of Mon State- and Karen State-level ceasefire monitoring bodies," according to the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar daily. This will mark the first time Suu Kyi has met with the army and ethnic groups after taking office on April 1. Only eight NCA signatory members will be present at the meeting, however, leaving out many ethnic armed groups who were not involved in last year's agreement. Of the eight signatories, only about half are capable of fielding a formidable fighting force. Larger groups, like the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the United Wa State Army (UWSA), withheld their signatures, and a handful of other groups in ongoing conflict with the Burma Army were effectively shut out of the NCA by the previous government. The Joint Monitoring Committee has been holding ongoing meetings in Naypyidaw to monitor the ceasefire agreement, which was signed on Oct. 15. "As these political issues have been solved through use of arm line policy [sic], the country has been suffering for decades with officers and other ranks from both sides having sacrificed their lives and limbs," Gen. Saw Isaac Poe of the KNU, who is also vice chairman of the JMC, said to the state-run newspaper. Hopes for a breakthrough in the peace process now largely rest on the new government's shoulders. But Suu Kyi has not given details about how she plans to proceed with negotiations, and it is unclear whether she will carry on the work of Aung Min, the previous government's top peace envoy, or design her own approach.
The post Suu Kyi to Meet With Burma Army, Ethnic Armed Groups appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Al-Qaida Says It Killed Bangladesh Gay Activist, Friend Posted: 26 Apr 2016 10:38 PM PDT  Xulhaz Mannan, left, was the founder of Bangladesh's first and only LGBTQ magazine. (Photo: Samantha Power / Facebook) NEW DELHI — The Bangladeshi branch of al-Qaida claimed responsibility Tuesday for the killing of a gay rights activist and his friend, undermining the prime minister's insistence just hours earlier that her political opponents were to blame for the attack and for a rising tide of violence against secular activists and writers. The claim by Ansar-al Islam—which said it targeted the two men on Monday night because they were "pioneers of practicing and promoting homosexuality"—raised doubts about Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's repeated assurances that authorities have the security situation under control. The victims of the attack were identified as Xulhaz Mannan, an activist who also worked for the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and his friend, theater actor Tanay Majumder. Mannan, a cousin of former Foreign Minister Dipu Moni of the governing party, was also an editor of Bangladesh's first gay rights magazine, Roopbaan. Majumder sometimes helped with the publishing, local media said. At the White House, Press Secretary Josh Earnest took note of Mannan's advocacy for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender causes and said there were "reports that indicate that he was targeted because of his advocacy for these human rights and that makes his death even more tragic than it seems." He said the US government had been in touch with the government of Bangladesh to make clear that a thorough criminal investigation should be a priority. At a funeral for Mannan on Tuesday, his brother said free speech was something Islam should protect. "A true Muslim will always consider that he has freedom of expression," Minhaz Mannan Emon said. "We should respect that opinion. We hope… particularly I, on behalf of the family, hope that no other family loses their child or brother like us in the future." Mannan had written openly about the frustration of living "in the closet" as a gay man in Bangladesh, where homosexual relations are considered a crime. In a May 2014 blog, he said gays and lesbians in Bangladesh experience "A country where the predominant religions say you are a sinner, the law of the land says you are a criminal, the social norms say you are a pervert, the culture considers you as imported." He launched the magazine in 2014, giving the country's small and secretive LGBT community its first open platform. Earlier this month, he tried to organize a Rainbow Rally in the capital, but was foiled when police briefly detained him and three others. Ansar-al Islam, the Bangladeshi branch of al-Qaida on the Indian subcontinent, or AQIS, claimed responsibility in a Twitter message on Tuesday for what it called a "blessed attack" on Mannan and Majumder. It said the two were killed because they were "pioneers of practicing and promoting homosexuality in Bangladesh" and were "working day and night to promote homosexuality … with the help of their masters, the US crusaders and its Indian allies." State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters the United States could not confirm the claim of responsibility, but also did not have a reason to believe "this was not the case." But just hours before the claim of responsibility, the prime minister had pointed the finger at her political opponents, the fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami group and its ally, the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party. "Everybody knows who are behind these killings," Hasina told policymakers in her secular Awami League party Monday night, repeating her government's allegation that the opposition was orchestrating the attacks. "The BNP-Jamaat clique has been involved in such secret and heinous murders to destabilize the country." The opposition denies the allegations, saying they are being scapegoated for Hasina's failure to maintain security and placate the country's desire for Islamic rule. Police said no arrests have yet been made in connection with Monday's attack, which involved at least five young men who posed as courier service employees to gain access to Mannan's apartment building. A security guard working at the building said he was injured when one of the attackers hit him with a knife while fleeing. Crime scene investigators recovered a mobile phone and bag apparently left by the attackers. The national police chief, A.K.M. Shahidul Hoque, expressed confidence the attackers would be caught and acknowledged there were similarities in how the killings were being carried out. He said authorities were making progress in cracking down on radicals' hideouts and weapons caches. "We are investigating all the cases very seriously," Hoque said. "Many arrests have been made involving previous killings, we have busted their dens for making bombs." Security analysts warned that the government could lose the people's trust if it does not act quickly to curb the attacks. "It is high time to set up special tribunals to handle these cases," suggested retired Maj. Gen. Abdur Rashid. "It has to be dealt with more seriously and with a clearer and quicker process. … There has been a lack of confidence among people about the investigation and justice system. We must fix these issues immediately." US Secretary of State John Kerry condemned the "barbaric" murders in a statement. Earlier this month, the United States said it was considering granting refuge to a select number of secular bloggers in Bangladesh facing imminent danger. The State Department said Monday that remains an option. The post Al-Qaida Says It Killed Bangladesh Gay Activist, Friend appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
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