The Irrawaddy Magazine

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• Mon State Govt to Replace Brahminy Duck Statue, Removed by Former Junta
• As Suu Kyi Preps For Thai Trip, Migrant Workers Hope For More Rights
• Local Bankers Face Competition from Mobile Service Providers
• Rangoon To Review Suspensions on High-Rises
• Burmese Jade Mining Film Scoops Awards at Rangoon Festival
• Wa and Mongla Armed Groups to Attend ‘Pre-Panglong’ Peace Meeting
• Hoping For Riches, Jade Miners Instead Find Addiction

Mon State Govt to Replace Brahminy Duck Statue, Removed by Former Junta Posted: 20 Jun 2016 05:56 AM PDT The chief minister from Mon State checks the damage done to a Brahminy Duck statue, a cultural symbol for the ethnic Mon people. (Photo: Bayar Chamdar / Facebook) RANGOON — The Mon State government will replace the Brahminy Duck (hintha) statue, a cultural symbol at the entrance of the Mon State capital Moulmein that was removed under ex-junta leader Snr-Gen Than Shwe. The Brahminy Duck is a national symbol for millions of ethnic Mon people living in southern Burma. The military junta removed the figure in January 2008, without approval from the local ethnic people. According to Mon community leaders, the junta removed it at night when no one was around. The statue has been abandoned in a municipal office for the past nine years. The former military regime replaced the duck with a large alms bowl at Moulmein's entrance, which Mon leaders say Than Shwe did to bring himself good luck. Min Kyi Win, Mon State's natural resources and environmental conservation minister, told The Irrawaddy that the local government was trying to replace the statue as soon as possible. "The chief minister went to see where it had been abandoned and how much damage it had suffered. He also visited the entrance to Moulmein to see if the statue's foundation needed repair," said Min Kyi Win. The Mon State government tasked Min Kyi Win with arranging the statue's return. He said that after meeting with involved parties, including Mon Buddhist leaders and an engineer to settle problems with the original foundation, it would be returned as soon as possible. Min Htin Aung Han, Mon State's minister of energy and electric power, told Viva Video, "It is the symbol of the Mon. It is better to bring it back. This will even help ethnic unity with the Mon." The post Mon State Govt to Replace Brahminy Duck Statue, Removed by Former Junta appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

As Suu Kyi Preps For Thai Trip, Migrant Workers Hope For More Rights Posted: 20 Jun 2016 05:48 AM PDT A migrant worker from Burma looks out from inside a building where she lives in the port town of Mahachai, near Bangkok, on Sept. 24, 2011. (Photo: Reuters / Soe Zeya Tun) CHIANG MAI, Thailand — Burmese migrant workers living in Thailand hope to receive greater labor rights protection after State Counselor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi visits Bangkok later this week, according to advocacy groups on Monday. It is expected that the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Labor Cooperation and the Agreement on the Employment of Workers will be signed during her bilateral meetings with the Thai prime minister and foreign minister Don Pramudwinai. The state counselor, upon the invitation of the Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha, will also visit migrant worker communities in Samut Sakhon as well as the isolated Tham Hin refugee camp in Ratchaburi, during her three-day trip running Thursday to Saturday. Migrants hope the new agreement and MOU on the employment of workers will ensure their labor rights by addressing issues around the minimum wage, workplace discrimination and legal support. Min Oo, the coordinator of the Migrant Labor Program at the Foundation for Education Development, said, "There are common demands about a minimum wage, legal protection and discriminatory working environments that are being advocated for by the migrant rights groups, and we hope these will be brought up in a new agreement between Thailand and Burma." The labor rights activist said the State Counselor will meet migrant workers before she has bilateral meetings on labor cooperation, in which she will be joined by Burma's ministers of Labor, Immigration and Population and of Planning and Finance, along with her deputy minister of Foreign Affairs. Sai Sai, a migrant worker and member of the Migrant Worker Rights Network, said he hopes Suu Kyi's trip "yields a lot of benefits for migrant workers." "I have heard that the migrants' rights groups are advocating for changes in the MOU and are asking for the minimum wage to be equalized for the Burmese migrant workers across Thailand," he said. In spite of Thailand's minimum wage of 300 baht (US$9) per day, migrant workers in different sectors still earn different amounts, and those working as domestic helpers or in sweatshops receive significantly less. Burmese migrant workers are often vulnerable to employment agents who take advantage of Thailand's 2009 "National Verification" program and the 2012 memorandum, which are considered to be unfavorable to the workers. Beginning last year, migrants with expired passports were given pink working permits, lasting for two years. Min Oo said the new MOU seems to endorse this scheme, which would save the cost of obtaining new official documents. In order to obtain official documents, migrant workers have to use employment agents, who charge at least three times the official rate. Migrants usually have to spend more than 10,000 to 12,000 baht for the visa, a health check-up and a work permit. Officially these procedures cost around 3,000-6,000 baht. After going through unethical agents, some Burmese migrants end up with a fake stamp on their passports, which could result in jail time. Kyaw Thaung, the director of the Migrant Association of Thailand said the current MOU between the governments of Burma and Thailand, which was introduced in 2012, should be revised because it benefits agents more than the workers. "I would like to request Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to talk openly about stopping the government-to-government MOU which encourages corruption," he told The Irrawaddy. The post As Suu Kyi Preps For Thai Trip, Migrant Workers Hope For More Rights appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Local Bankers Face Competition from Mobile Service Providers Posted: 20 Jun 2016 05:41 AM PDT Petter Furburg, Burma Chief Executive Officer-Designate for Telenor (R), speaks during the launch of Telenor's services at the company's Rangoon headquarters in September 2014. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) Rangoon — Local bankers are concerned as traditional financial services face competition from mobile financial service providers, following the approval of industry regulations by the Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM). The Central Bank announced in April that any interested party could apply for a mobile financial service license under the Financial Institution Law. Proponents of mobile banking trumpet the move as a means to dramatically expand the financial services industry in Myanmar, by assisting mobile operators to partner with local banks in an effort to reach Burma's millions who live in rural areas with limited access to physical bank branches. One such license was given to a joint venture between Norway-based telecom company Telenor and Yoma Bank for a mobile money transfer service app called Wave Money. Mobile financial service providers allow customers to open mobile accounts and deposit, transfer and withdraw money directly between people without having to go through a traditional bank. People-to-people, people-to-government, people-to-business and business-to-business money transfers will be permitted under CMB regulations, which critics say undermines the traditional banking sector. "It is a threat for us. If we can't compete with them [mobile financial service providers] we will lose in the market," said Thein Tun, chairman of the Tun Foundation. He added that while banks cannot reach the majority of Burma's rural population, about 75 percent of the country's people use mobile phones, allowing mobile financial services a greater reach than traditional bank branches. "They have massive investment, which we can't compete with. The government should make sure that local investors don't lose in the game," he said. Soe Thein, executive director of Asian Green Development Bank, said the competition from mobile banking services will only continue to grow and banks have been forced to find new strategies to compete. "Some banks can't open branches in small cities where mobile financial services can reach, but they can offer other banking service products to attract customers," Soe Thein said. Zaw Lin Htut, chief executive officer of the Myanmar Payment Union, said that while the number of mobile phone users in Burma continues to increase, local banks have a chance to survive if fair regulations are implemented. "Telecoms companies have a bigger network here than banks. I think that the government should standardize it so that there is a level playing field. We are in the early stages of the banking sector here, and there should be fair competition," he said. Recently, 22 private lenders were awarded banking licenses. Norway's Telenor, Qatar's Ooredoo, Vietnam's Viettel and state-owned Myanma Posts and Telecommunications (MPT) currently hold the country's four telecom licenses. The post Local Bankers Face Competition from Mobile Service Providers appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Rangoon To Review Suspensions on High-Rises Posted: 20 Jun 2016 05:36 AM PDT Aerial view of Rangoon (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) RANGOON — The Rangoon divisional government formed a review committee for building construction in the former capital after it suspended in May construction on more than 80 high-rise buildings in Rangoon that had not received the proper approvals. The 13-member committee was formed last week, according to the divisional government. The committee is led by Rangoon division's Electric, Industry, Transportation Minister Nilar Kyaw while other members include the chairmen of the Association for Myanmar Architects (AMA) and the Myanmar Engineering Society (MES), a civil engineering expert from the Committee for Quality Control of High-Rise Building Construction Projects, a director from the Yangon Heritage Trust, the general secretary from Myanmar Seismological Association and an electrical expert. In addition to the experts, the board also includes a director from the Rangoon divisional government and a secretary from Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC). The committee will form review teams, each made up of 14 people, including members of parliament from townships where buildings are under review, township administrators, representatives from AMA and MES, and officials from YCDC, all of whom will jointly conduct on-the-ground inspections. The post Rangoon To Review Suspensions on High-Rises appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Burmese Jade Mining Film Scoops Awards at Rangoon Festival Posted: 20 Jun 2016 05:20 AM PDT Gender Equality Award presented at the Human Rights Human Dignity International Film Festival in Rangoon. (Photo: Susanna Soe / Facebook) RANGOON — A documentary about the deadly jade mining industry in Hpakant, Kachin State—where landslides have killed scores of small-scale miners over the last year—won two out of ten awards at the Human Rights Human Dignity International Film Festival held last week in Rangoon. The 30-minute film, "Vein," by Ko Jet, Htet Aung San and Phyo Zayar Kyaw, won the Aung San Suu Kyi Award (National) and the Hantharwady U Win Tin award at the ceremony held on June 19 to coincide with the birthday of Aung San Suu Kyi, to whom the festival is dedicated. Filmmaker Ko Jet told The Irrawaddy that "Vein" highlighted the human tragedy behind the jade industry in Hpakant: the death of small-scale miners, the families deprived of a father and a source of income, and the harm wrought on the environment in the absence of safeguards. "[Mining] should not be done to excess. The unruly pursuit of money is damaging the environment," Ko Jet said. This year, prizes were awarded to eight Burmese and two foreign documentaries. Included were two new prizes, the VOA Award, referring to the US public broadcaster Voice of America, and the Gender Equality Award. The VOA Award went to the "Lovely Bone" by director Nwaye Zar Che Soe, about the struggles faced by a disabled breadwinner in a rural area of Burma. Four documentaries competed for the "Gender Equality Award," which was won by "A Woman with a Gun" by Mary and Yu Par Mo Mo. It tells a story of an ethnic Rawang woman from Putao in Kachin State who has a talent for shooting firearms. "I wanted to show that although a woman can perform just as well as a man, she is given lower positions than men because she is a woman. She is not valued," Mary said. "I was really happy to receive awards for my two first documentaries, and also for 'A Woman with a Gun,'" Mary added. Staged for the fourth year running, the festival featured free screenings of 42 Burmese and 25 foreign documentaries between June 14-19 across three Rangoon cinemas: Naypyitaw, Junction Square and Junction Mawtin. "Twilight Over Burma," a film about the marriage of an Austrian women to the last Shan prince of Hsipaw—before he was arrested during Ne Win's 1962 coup and never seen again—was scheduled for the opening night. However, Burma’s film censorship board refused permission for the film to be shown during the festival, because it "could damage the ethnic unity of the state." On the festival's Facebook page, the organizers apologized for being unable to screen the film: "Our mission is 'A Society of Dignity.' But it is failed [sic]." The post Burmese Jade Mining Film Scoops Awards at Rangoon Festival appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Wa and Mongla Armed Groups to Attend ‘Pre-Panglong’ Peace Meeting Posted: 20 Jun 2016 01:59 AM PDT Representatives of ethnic Wa and Mongla armed groups pose with the government's peace delegation on June 17 in Mongla, an autonomous area of eastern Shan State. (Photo: Khin Zaw Oo / Facebook) RANGOON — Ethnic Wa and Mongla armed groups have agreed to participate in a political dialogue framework review meeting ahead of the "21 century Panglong" peace conference, according to a member of the government's peace delegation. The union peace conference is scheduled for late July. Although part of the process envisaged the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) signed between the previous government and a minority of Burma's ethnic armed groups last year, the current government has been trying to persuade NCA non-signatory groups to take part in it. The United Wa State Army (UWSA), Burma's largest non-state armed group, and the Nationalities Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), known also as the Mongla group, refused to sign the NCA. Both are based along the Chinese border in Shan State. Khin Zaw Oo, a retired Burmese army general who is part of the government's 21 Century Panglong Preparatory Sub-Committee 2, posted on Facebook that the UWSA and the NDAA had agreed over the weekend to join the framework review meeting. However, the armed groups themselves have yet to confirm. Khin Zaw Oo said that the UWSA and NDAA leaders had also signaled willingness to attend the "Panglong" peace conference, and will meet with the government in Naypyidaw to follow up at an unspecified time. The government’s peace delegation, led by Tin Myo Win—the personal physician and long-time confidant of State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi—traveled to Kengtung in eastern Shan State on Friday last week before meeting with the two armed groups in Mongla, the NDAA's base in Special Region 4, a 1.5 hour drive from Kengtung. The post Wa and Mongla Armed Groups to Attend 'Pre-Panglong' Peace Meeting appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Hoping For Riches, Jade Miners Instead Find Addiction Posted: 19 Jun 2016 11:33 PM PDT Jade miners gather to use drugs at a trash- and syringe-littered camp near Sai Taung village in Hpakant Township. (Photo: Htet Khaung Linn / Myanmar Now) HPAKANT, Kachin State — On a hill overlooking the scarred landscape of the Hpakant jade mines, five men huddled together in a dirty makeshift hut made from tarpaulins. In hushed tones they help each other tie their forearms and inject heroin. Then they wait for the drug's high to kick in and slip into oblivion. In another ten huts at the site, which is located Sai Taung village and littered with trash and used syringes, dozens more miners are gathered to spend their hard-earned cash on opium, cheap methamphetamine and low-quality heroin. One of them is a 23-year-old, frail-looking man nicknamed Ko Shan Shei—or Brother Long Hair—for his long unkempt locks. He left his poor village in Sagaing Division's Ye U Township for the mines in northern Burma's Kachin State five years ago and worked here until drugs took over his life. "Now I am addicted to drugs and I also sell them to others," said Ko Shan Shei. "I buy two small tubes of opium the size of a fingertip and then I take a small amount to sell to other users so I can buy food." He is one the estimated 300,000 migrant workers who have come from across Burma to scavenge through mining waste in the hope of finding jade stones. Daily income levels are good in Hpakant, but living conditions are harsh and deadly landslides are common. Yet, the biggest threat to the men's health is drug addiction. Though there are no official estimates on narcotics use in Hpakant, local community leaders, such as Rev. Sai Naw, think that up to half of the miners use drugs. Tint Soe, a National League for Democracy (NLD) parliamentarian from Hpakant Township, said there could be as many as 60 drug user camps spread out among the mines. Across all of Burma there are about 83,000 injecting drug users, according to estimates from the UN Office of Drugs and Crime. There is, however, a dearth of data and the organization is currently conducting the first nationwide survey on the issue. Drugs Are An Easy Choice Opium, heroin and meth are easily available in Hpakant and produced by ethnic rebel groups, pro-government militias and criminal gangs in lawless parts of Kachin and Shan states. Like many of the men doing hard work at the mines, Ko Shan Shei said he began using drugs to relax and relieve physical pain—in his case he smoked opium to ease a persistent cough. But soon he found himself spending much of his daily income—around US$ 7—on heroin, which is far more addictive due to the strong high induced when injected. "The hard work makes laborers want to relax with alcohol, drugs and sex workers. Drugs are an easy choice for the men here." he said. "Illegal drugs can be purchased easily and money can be earned without much difficulty, so there is a high risk for developing a drug addiction." One of the greatest risks for injecting drug users is HIV infection, which can occur when users share needles. A government service and several NGOs, such as the Asia Harm Reduction Network, provide methadone, clean syringes, as well as counselling and HIV testing for thousands of users in Hpakant. Médecins Sans Frontières said it runs a clinic that provides antiretroviral drugs and other medicine to nearly 2,000 HIV/Aids patients in Hpakant, while it helps another 8,000 patients in four clinics in Kachin State. Some NGOs that formed the Drug Advocacy Group have called on the new NLD government to scale up such services and shift to a rights- and healthcare-based approach to drug abuse problem. Corrupt Authorities While there are harm reduction services for the miners, law enforcement by authorities is largely absent and users at the site near Sai Taung village made no effort to hide drug abuse. Some walked around with needles still hanging from their veins so they could easily shoot up again later. Tint Soe, the parliamentarian, said drug dealers operate freely because they pay off local officials, police and military officers, while local authorities also lack capacity to control the vast mining area. "Law enforcement cannot reach remote areas where there are [jade] scavengers, who are the regular customers for illegal drug dealers," he said. Pat Ja San, the vigilante anti-drug movement set up by the Kachin Baptist Convention, is also active in Hpakant and has deployed its hardline tactics of sending groups of volunteers to apprehend dealers and users. "We normally arrest drug dealers. When we find drug abusers, we seize the drugs and release them," said Khu Lwam, a local Pat Ja San member. He said last October the group nabbed a female member of a local drug-dealing ring who carried a ledger that recorded nearly half a million dollars in bribes paid to top officials, police and army commanders in Hpakant over the course of 58 days. Pat Ja San has held on to the ledger out of distrust of local authorities and Tint Soe raised the allegations in the Lower House in February. "I Deeply Regret My Situation" The Baptist Church-led movement also operates a rehabilitation center near Hpakant called Uru Htwe San, a spartan camp with simple sleeping quarters that are surrounded by barbed-wire fences to prevent addicts from running away. Rev. Sai Naw leads the camp where he tries to help about 50 men and women end their addiction solely through bible teaching—a method that has been criticized by groups promoting alternative treatments. "We have a difficult task to provide for all of them. We need land, food and accommodation. We cannot afford anything. There are so many [users] in need in the Hpakant area and we can help a small number of them," he said. A 29-year-old Kachin woman named Gar Lew said her husband, who earns about $8 per day from jade trading, sent her to the center to end her opium addiction after she failed to care for their two children. "I was willing to do so but could not control myself. I was angry when they brought me to the rehabilitation centre, but I am okay now," she said. Ko Shan Shei said he had returned to his native village twice to end his addiction, but relapsed every time he came back to Hpakant. He said he felt ashamed of his life as a homeless addict. "During the Water Festival, I saw some people happily celebrating but I was in dirty clothes," Ko Shan Shei said. "I deeply regretted my situation when I compared myself with other people." He added, "As I am still young I think I have enough strength to quit drugs. Hopefully, I will succeed this time." The post Hoping For Riches, Jade Miners Instead Find Addiction appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

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National News

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• Officials deny ‘squatters’ census
• Arakan Army soldiers convicted of unlawful association
• UN special rapporteur starts 12-day tour
• MPs push for international university in Nay Pyi Taw
• Malaysia bolsters efforts to attract medical tourists from Myanmar
• Husband wields knife against family, wife charged with murder
• Jade miners’ hopes of fortune often become tragedy of addiction
• New rural healthcare centres aim to improve maternal, child health

Officials deny ‘squatters’ census Posted: 19 Jun 2016 02:30 PM PDT Yangon township administrators have denied stories carried by state-owned and other media stating that officials are conducting a census of Yangon Region's squatter population. They say the immigration department is in fact preparing household lists for workers across the country who moved from their home state or region and have been living at their current address for more than six months.

Arakan Army soldiers convicted of unlawful association Posted: 19 Jun 2016 02:30 PM PDT Soldiers of the Arakan Army were convicted under Myanmar's Unlawful Association Act and sentenced to three years in prison with hard labour last week.

UN special rapporteur starts 12-day tour Posted: 19 Jun 2016 02:30 PM PDT The United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar begins her fourth official field visit to the country today.

MPs push for international university in Nay Pyi Taw Posted: 19 Jun 2016 02:30 PM PDT Several parliamentarians are hoping to establish a new university in the nation's capital, which now only has an agricultural institution of higher learning.

Malaysia bolsters efforts to attract medical tourists from Myanmar Posted: 19 Jun 2016 02:30 PM PDT Malaysia is stepping up efforts to compete with Singapore and Thailand to attract Myanmar medical tourists.

Husband wields knife against family, wife charged with murder Posted: 19 Jun 2016 02:30 PM PDT A woman in Yangon Region has been charged with murder after allegedly seizing a knife wielded by her drunken husband and stabbing him once. The man subsequently died of his wound.

Jade miners’ hopes of fortune often become tragedy of addiction Posted: 19 Jun 2016 02:30 PM PDT Tens of thousands of poor labourers from across Myanmar seek riches at Hpakant's jade mines, only to see their lives ruined by drug addiction.

New rural healthcare centres aim to improve maternal, child health Posted: 19 Jun 2016 02:30 PM PDT Nearly 80 health centres will be built in rural Myanmar to improve services and reduce inequality, according to the Three Millennium Development Goal Fund.

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Shan Herald Agency for News

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• UWSA and NDAA to attend new ‘Panglong’ conference
• REVISITING CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY: Burma's struggle to overcome the negative past
• Civil society must be part of peace process, says 88 Generation leader

UWSA and NDAA to attend new ‘Panglong’ conference Posted: 20 Jun 2016 03:26 AM PDT Leaders of the United Wa State Army (UWSA) and the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA) have confirmed that they will participate in what has been termed the "21st Century Panglong Conference," championed by Burma's State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi. Dr. Tin Myo Win, the chairman of the 21st Century Panglong Conference Preparation Committee (21-CPCPC), and his government-backed team on Friday sat for talks with representatives of the UWSA, led by Zhao Guo-ang, and a delegation from the NDAA, headed by Sai Leun, at the latter's headquarters in Mongla, close to the Burma-China border. According to an official from the NDAA who attended the meeting: "After we both held separate talks with the 21-CPCPC delegation, we [NDAA] and the UWSA representatives held a further meeting with the government delegates, and we agreed to attend the conference." The decision will mark the first time that the UWSA, widely regarded as the strongest ethnic armed force, and its ally the NDAA have agreed to sit down at the same table for peace talks with the central government. Neither group signed the so-called Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) with the then Thein Sein government in October last year, declining on the basis that they already signed bilateral accords with Naypyidaw. Both the Wa and Mongla representatives did, however, agree to continue talks with the government. Earlier this month, a government-backed peace negotiation team met with delegations from the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), an ethnic bloc comprising non-NCA signatory groups, including the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Kokang-based Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA). The 21st Century Panglong Conference is scheduled to be held some time next month in the Burmese capital, Naypyidaw. In 1947, the leaders of the Shan, Kachin and Chin peoples met with Burma's independence hero, Gen. Aung San, the father of Aung San Suu Kyi, in the Shan town of Panglong, where they drafted a constitution as part of steps to attain independence from Britain. The 1947 constitution guaranteed the frontier people the right to secede 10 years after the formation of the Union. However, Aung San was assassinated just months after the agreement was made, and the ethnic peoples' hopes of autonomy were further shattered in 1962 when a military coup was staged, led by his successor Gen. Ne Win. BY Staff/Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)

REVISITING CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY: Burma's struggle to overcome the negative past Posted: 19 Jun 2016 07:43 PM PDT The government film review committee's prohibiting the screening of a movie that portrays the disappearance of Saohpa Sao Kya Seng, who was traditional ruler of Hsipaw principality, have created an unusual uproar, as the tragic past have caught up with the guilt-denying regime's responsible functionaries of the present. Actually, an Austrian lady Inge Sargent,  known also known as the Mahadhevi Dhusandi due to  her marriage to the late Shan prince or Saohpa of Hsipaw Sao Kya Seng, could have been just a normal love story, of a European lady living together happily ever after with a traditional Shan ruler. But instead part of the plot that becomes the central theme revealed the tragic, unexplained disappearance of the prince, who was taken away, more appropriately abducted, by the Burmese military at the Eastern Command gate, and transported to the military garrison town of Bathoo, when he was travelling from Taunggyi to Heho Airport to catch a plane to Lashio, and was never seen again since 1962 onwards any more. It was said that General Ne Win, the military coup leader of 1962, had ordered his former aide-de-camp Colonel Hla Moe to apprehend him. Government's reason behind the ban According to the Reuters news, "Twilight Over Burma: My Life as a Shan Princess", directed by Austrian filmmaker Sabine Derflinger, was pulled from the opening night of the Human Rights Human Dignity International Film Festival (HRHDIFF) in Yangon on Tuesday, after being rejected by the censorship board," which called itself the "Film Certification Board". The film censorship board is made up of 15 representatives, mainly from the Ministry of Information's Myanmar Motion Picture Development Department, and other different associations including the Myanmar Motion Picture Organization (MMPO), the Myanmar Music Association and the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture. The military-controlled Home Affairs ministry is also represented on the board. (Source: The Irrawaddy – 15 June 2016) An official from the Ministry of Information's (MOI) 15-member film review committee told the AFP news agency that screening the film could cause difficulties. "We were worried and afraid that unnecessary problems could arise because of this (film) while we are working on achieving national reconciliation," said Thida Tin, deputy chairman of MOI's film review committee. In an interview with the BBC Thida Lin claimed that the film was banned for the sake of "national unity and also the stability of the country and of our people," reported SHAN on 16 June. According to the recent 15 June VOA interview regarding the banning of the film, "Although the Ministry of Information is headed by the new government, the majority working there are former military people and thus the idea to ban the film (might have been decided)," said Daw Mon Mon Myat, member of the Human Dignity Film Institute. She said that their petition to review the ban to the concerned Minister was not successful, as he was unable to influence the censorship board's decision. U Zaw Htay, director of the President's Office, told The Myanmar Times on 15 June that while he had not been part of the decision-making process about the film, he had "checked the censorship board's report". "[The board concluded that] Twilight over Burma was based on an insufficient history of Myanmar," he said, clarifying that some aspects of the film have been significantly modified from the source material. As the country is trying to hold the Panglong Conference, to which Shan groups are invited, the board does not want the public to "misunderstand the military" and destroy any chance at national reconciliation, he said. U Zaw Htay added that if the board had decided to cut scenes rather than censor the whole film, it would have been "nonsense". This episode is already a 54 years old tragedy and in fact should be able to reflect on it and learn from it. But instead, denial and failing to address the truth were what the responsible functionaries of the government have chosen to do, under the pretext of not wanting to rock the boat of "national reconciliation". Responses to the issue The SHAN report of 16 June wrote that these claims did not sit well with Sao Kya Seng's nephew, Khun Tun Oo, a prominent Shan politician and leader of the Shan National League for Democracy (SNLD). "It's irrational that this film will destroy unity," said Khun Tun Oo. "This film is based on a true story," he explained. " The person portrayed in the film is still missing. No one knows whether he is dead or alive. He departed from his daughters since one daughter was only 5 and another was only 7." "It's unreasonable that the film will damage unity. It is just an individual right. Thus, it means there are no rights," Khun Tun Oo added. "Has there been any national unity? If there has not (been any unity), how can this film destroy unity?" The DVB report of 15 June said that Charm Tong, a prominent Shan activist, also said the decision to ban the film was unfortunate, because failing to face the past would only make it more difficult to deal with ethnic tensions in the country. "I think it should have been allowed. We must accept the fact that this is a true event in our history. In promoting national reconciliation and ethnic unity, we must accept the things that happened in the past," she said.  On the same day, Reuters wrote that Sai Aung Lwin, a prominent Shan journalist, said screening "Twilight Over Burma" was an important step in addressing the past. "This film should definitely be allowed to be shown in public so that we can learn lessons from it for our future," he said. The former Commander-in-Chief and patron of the National League for Democracy (NLD), U Tin U was said to be very eager to view the film, when he was giving an opening speech at the film festival. He said: "Twilight Over Burma is a very tragic and the lost of human rights for a human being that shouldn't have happened. This will be shown on how it had happened and it is very interesting for me," according to the VOA recent report. Call for justice and learning from negative historical past While prominent Shan activists, journalists and politicians have voiced their concern to observe the negative historical past as it had really happened and should be made known to the public, the call for redressing, leading to repentance of the culprit might still be a little too early, according to a German term or notion of "Vergangenheitsbewältigung", which could be roughly translated as "to  struggle to overcome the [negatives of the] past". For according to the well known German political scientist, Professor Eckhard Jesse's principle or definition, the "Vergangenheitsbewältigung"term must observe that firstly, the crime committed has to be established, secondly its completion and thirdly democratization [process has to be achieved]. Only when the three aspects are present together will the term be worthy of the name and gain ground. Analysis Theoretically, as Professor Eckhard Jesse outlined the struggle to overcome the [negatives of the] past cannot materialize, due to the fact that the third aspect of achieving democratization process has not been materialized. Besides, even though the second aspect of the crime completion could be established, specifically in the extra-judicial killing of Sao Kya Seng, albeit no official investigation has been conducted under the successive military regimes, the guilt acceptance of the perpetrators' organization – in this sense the Burmese military – is also simply not there, but only denial. As such, it is questionable if one could consider that this could be taken as being fully completed, in a true sense and ready for repentance. Thus only the first aspect of the crime committed could be established from the three crucial aspects, as outlined by  Professor Eckhard Jesse. From the artistic freedom of expression point of view,  it is definitely a minus point in a country eager to show the world that it is on its way, or at least trying,  to become a democratic society according to its principles. Regarding political cost and pragmatic approach, what Igor Blaževič, a human rights campaigner, founder of One World—Europe's biggest human rights documentary film festival—and jury member at HRHDIFF, told The Irrawaddy could be regarded as the only logical approach, where striving for reconciliation is concerned.  "Banning the film does not help reconciliation," he said. "Censoring the truth is harming reconciliation. Honest recognition about the [wrongdoings] which have happened before—and which are still happening—will do much more for reconciliation." As the denial to address the more than five decades old crime against humanity were met with disappointment and public uproar, a new unresolved well known case of the two Kachin teachers that were raped and murdered by the military last year, in northern Shan State, continues to trouble the Kachin and as well the other ethnic nationalities, which also urgently need to be addressed and redressed. Short of guilt acceptance and eventual repentance still not in sight, the military should first dwell on abdicating from its self-employed saviour of the country, which the majority of the people have rejected all along, and changing its indoctrinated mindset that all non-Bamar ethnic nationalities' population are enemies and abstain from committing human rights violations on them. Then and only then, will we be in a position to talk about the "struggle to overcome the [negatives of the] past", not before.

Civil society must be part of peace process, says 88 Generation leader Posted: 19 Jun 2016 09:37 AM PDT The public and youth can play an important role in solving political issues says Ko Ko Gyi, one of the leaders of the 88 Generation Peace and Open Society. Speaking before the Myanmar Youth Forum held in Monywa on June 11th, the veteran student activist said that it was important for youth and civil society to be involved in the ongoing national peace process. Civil society groups will not be participating in the upcoming Panglong conference however because of a new policy implemented by Aung San Suu Kyi.  During his speech Ko Ko Gyi urged youths to think beyond normal problem-solving methods when thinking about the solving the civil war and ethnic issues. "The problem is not a new one. It's an old one. It's older than us. Attempting to find solutions for an old problem with old ways of thinking has still not been successful up until now. So, youth need to find new ways of thinking and new solutions. It's not enough to solve this between the armed groups. The role of the public is important. The voices of youth and civil society organizations need to be included," said U Ko Ko Gyi. State Counselor, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, announced recently that political parties that have failed to win at least one seat in parliament will not be allowed to directly participate in the 21st Century Panglong Conference. Those parties not represented in parliament and civil society groups can instead submit their suggestions and comments to the conference through the Civil Society Organization Forum. Civil society organizations were allowed to take part in the peace conferences held by former President U Thein Sein's administration. But civil society organizations like the 88 Generation Peace and Society will not be allowed to attend the 21st Century Panglong Conference due to Aung San Suu Kyi's new policy change. Human rights activists and civil society organizations from ethnic areas will only be allowed to attend the Civil Society Organization Forum. "Civil society needs to be allowed to participate directly. Civil society organizations held a peace forum in Mon State recently. Civil society groups have called for the right to participate in peace conferences," said Min Min Nwe, an official from a Mon State-based civil society organization. Observers say that civil society organizations have played a major role in the peace process in successful transitions in foreign countries. "Not asking youths [to do something] or giving them tasks in fear of them making mistakes is a hindrance on the qualifications of youths. They will learn as they work. When they make mistakes, they will fix them. There isn't much time left to fix the mistakes made by adults. Youths still have much time left to fix their mistakes. The development of the history of mankind is a process of fixing the mistakes," said Ko Ko Gyi.

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