AllSBNews: 06/29/16

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Burma Army Chief Backs Panglong Conference: Source
Rights Group Pushes for Freedom of Speech in Burma
Seizure of Large Quantities of Illegal Timber Continues
Premier Coffee Sued for Breaking Labor Laws
Thailand and Burma Restart Border Demarcation Talks
Suu Kyi and Public Patience
Burmese Court Lays New Charges Against Saffron Revolution Leader
Sluggish Economy Casts Shadow Over Mongolian Elections
Smiles and Selfies as Cambodia PM Tells Foreign Powers to Stop Interfering

Burma Army Chief Backs Panglong Conference: Source

Posted: 29 Jun 2016 07:38 AM PDT

Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing meets with a delegation of ethnic armed groups, the Peace Process Steering Team, in Naypyidaw on Wednesday.

RANGOON — The Burma Army commander-in-chief, has reportedly told a delegation of ethnic armed organizations that he hopes the country's Union Peace Conference, also known as the "21st Century Panglong Conference," will be successful.

Khun Myint Tun, chairman of the Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO), attended a meeting in Naypyidaw on Wednesday with Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing. He told The Irrawaddy that, during this time, the army chief spent about two hours with the Peace Process Steering Team (PPST), a delegation made up of representatives from the eight armed groups which acted as signatories to the 2015 nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA).

"[Min Aung Hlaing] said he wanted the 21st Century Panglong Conference to be successful. His desire is to move forward [with the peace process] in accordance with the NCA. He said the Panglong Conference must be successful so that there will be peace and stability in the country. Then the country will be able to develop," said Khun Myint Tun.

According to Khun Myint Tun, Min Aung Hlaing also said he is open to talks with the ethnic armed organizations who have not signed the NCA.

The PPST that met the Snr-Gen was made up of members of the Karen National Union (KNU), the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), the Chin National Front (CNF), the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP) as well as the armed Burmese dissident organization, the All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF).

Min Aung Hlaing did not specifically address the inclusion of the Arakan Army, the Ta'ang National Liberation Army or the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army—three groups that have drawn the ire of the Burma Army recently—but Khun Myint Tun said the Snr-Gen claimed he would welcome all NCA non-signatories.

The army chief also said he was not opposed to the upcoming summit of ethnic armed organizations which is planned to be held in Mai Ja Yang, a conflict-torn region in Kachin State in mid-July. All ethnic armed groups will reportedly be invited to attend the pre-Panglong summit.

Burmese army representatives including Vice Snr-Gen Soe Win and Lt-Gen Myat Htun Oo and top-ranked military officials also attended the meeting with the PPST.

The PPST delegation submitted a plan on the Kachin State summit to State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi when they met her in Naypyidaw on Tuesday. Suu Kyi also said she did not oppose the summit, but asked the ethnic delegation to submit details of the agenda for the meeting.

During the meeting with Suu Kyi on Tuesday, the NCA signatories' delegation also agreed to hold the 21st Century Panglong Conference by the last week in August.

The post Burma Army Chief Backs Panglong Conference: Source appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Rights Group Pushes for Freedom of Speech in Burma

Posted: 29 Jun 2016 07:11 AM PDT

Police beat a student protester who had attempted to turn himself in during a crackdown on activists in Letpadan, Pegu Division on March 10, 2015. (Photo: Sai Zaw / The Irrawaddy)

RANGOON — Burma has undergone political reforms, but the government still needs to provide for more freedom of expression in order to bring true democracy and to protect human rights, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW), which held a press conference on Wednesday in Rangoon.

HRW recommended that the National League for Democracy (NLD) government amend, repeal and abolish laws restricting freedom of expression.

The rights group issued a report on Wednesday entitled "They Can Arrest You at Any Time: The Criminalization of Peaceful Expression in Burma," referring to the country's laws that are still used to punish activists or journalists who try to exercise their freedom of speech.

Those laws need be further amended in order to meet international standards, said Linda Lakhdhir, a legal advisor at the Asia Division of HRW and a co-author of the new report.

The report revealed that 150 people have been detained under Article 505(b) of Burma's penal code—which allows for the arrest of those who cause or intend to cause "fear or alarm" to the public—since the country's new elected lawmakers first took their oaths in Parliament in February of this year.

Lakhdhir emphasized that while some charges have since been dropped and the government has granted amnesty to certain political prisoners, the oppressive laws still remain on the books.

She added that since 505(b) has been used against students calling for the amendment of a controversial national education law, as well as to punish activists and journalists, HRW was recommending its repeal.

The report also documented the use and abuse of other vaguely worded laws that criminalize peaceful expression, and includes debates on matters of public interest, as well as specific recommendations to revoke or amend the laws in question. HRW draws on interviews with individuals prosecuted under these laws, as well as journalists, civil society activists and lawyers.

"We must recognize the previous government of U Thein Sein, and he did make some improvements in human rights conditions, like the open space for this meeting today," said David Mathieson, HRW's senior researcher on Burma. "The new government led by President U Htin Kyaw and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has further opened space for the promotion of human rights and has discussed freedom of expression in Myanmar. But, major problems and challenges remain throughout Myanmar. There are very serious human rights challenges."

HRW called on the government to listen to the people of Burma and recommended that the authorities maintain transparency during the process of changing legal mechanisms.

"Freedom of speech is important in a democracy because it leads to the protection of other rights," said Linda Lakhdhir. "We advise the government to protect the rights of people to speak freely, and criticize the government where that criticism is warranted, and do these things without fear of punishment."

The post Rights Group Pushes for Freedom of Speech in Burma appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Seizure of Large Quantities of Illegal Timber Continues

Posted: 29 Jun 2016 07:07 AM PDT

An elephant labors at a teak logging camp in Pinlebu Township, Sagaing Division. (Photo: Reuters)

RANGOON — With a crackdown announced on the illegal timber trade—and a proposed nationwide logging ban by the end of the fiscal year in March 2017—seizures of illegally cut logs have exceeded 10,000 tons in the first quarter from April to June.

Myo Min, director of the Forestry Department in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation, maintains, however, that trends are continuing to move in a positive direction. Based on the current figures, he expects seizure quantities for this fiscal year to be lower than the 46,153 tons seized during the 2015-16 fiscal year.

From the beginning of April until June 23, 12,844 tons of timber were seized, according to the ministry's figures. The most commonly seized log varieties were teak, followed by other hardwoods. The largest hauls were in Sagaing Division, at nearly 3,450 tons, followed by over 2,178 tons in Karenni State and 1,406 tons in Pegu Division.

"Along the Irrawaddy River, we have inspection teams checking for illegally cut logs and detaining culprits, and we are conducting ambushes in different states and divisions in cooperation with the forestry police. We're providing more security for every forest in the country," Myo Min said.

The ministry said it has filed 614 criminal cases related to 2,545 interventions during this three-month period. During the entire 2015-16 fiscal year, 2,246 cases were filed out of 13,003 interventions.

Burma lost an average of 1.7 percent of its forests annually from 2010-15, leaving total forest cover at 45 percent (around 29 million hectares), according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Fifteen years before, this stood at 65 percent, the agency said.

Government data for the fiscal year ending in March 2013, reported by Reuters, put Burma's total timber exports past 1.24 million cubic tons, generating more than US$1 billion, of which teak comprised $359 million. However, it is generally thought that this was far below the actual quantity of timber traded—and money made—on the black market.

Since 2014, the legal logging sector—whose methods, under the state-owned Myanmar Timber Enterprise, have received a large part of the blame for Burma's deforestation—has been restricted according to an annual quota. Log exports were then suspended from April the same year.

After the formation of the new government in April, Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation Ohn Win declared that a nationwide ban on logging would be imposed by the end of the current fiscal year in March 2017.

This followed initial media reports in April that the ban would be be imposed immediately, due largely to a statement from Saw John Shwe Ba, managing director at the ministry, that the government had "decided to stop logging completely."

Environmental groups blamed the uncertainty this caused for spurring a temporary flurry of logging activity in different parts of the country.

Baba Cho, a consultant to the Myanmar Timber Merchants Association, said the government needed to enhance law enforcement to prevent illegal logging, which continues at significant rates across the country.

"Last year, some forest police were murdered in this country. If law enforcement remains weak in certain areas, mafia-type logging networks will only go stronger," he said.

"Some have blamed cronies [for deforestation] but, as can be easily seen, villagers around [logging] areas also participate because of poverty. We have to consider such things when trying to enforce a stop," he said.

Baba Cho added that, for logging to be successfully curbed, the government cannot work alone but must also collaborate with locals and stakeholder organizations.

The post Seizure of Large Quantities of Illegal Timber Continues appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Premier Coffee Sued for Breaking Labor Laws

Posted: 29 Jun 2016 05:42 AM PDT

Premier Coffee was sued by Myanmar's Ministry of Labor for breaking labor laws. (Photo: Hein Htet / The Irrawaddy)

RANGOON — The Ministry of Labor, Immigration and Population filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against Premier Coffee for breaking labor laws and regulations.

Nyunt Win, one of ministry's spokespersons and deputy director of the Factories and General Labor Laws Inspection Department under the ministry, told The Irrawaddy that they received complaints from about 300 workers from the Premier Coffee factory in Rangoon's Hlaing Tharyar Industrial Zone who claimed that the company failed to give days off or provide full payment for overtime hours worked.

He said that under Burma's 1951 Leave and Holiday Act, employers must allow for at least one day off each week without cutting salaries. But, the company failed to provide time off or full payment for overtime in accordance with the law, which also states that overtime is to be paid at twice the standard rate.

"As we found the complaints to be true, we filed the case against the company owner and HR manager of the factory at Hlaing Tharyar Township Court on Tuesday and the court accepted the case," the deputy director said.

The popular local coffee is a brand of the Capital Diamond Star Group, a conglomerate owned by Burmese businessman Ko Ko Gyi. The firm runs many businesses including Grab and Go convenience stores, Capital Hypermarket and import and export businesses.

Nyunt Win said that the Factories and General Labor Laws Inspection Department filed the suit because the company violated labor laws directly related to the department.

He said that they receive the most complaints against garment factories; this is the first time they have heard complaints about Premier coffee.

If the company is found guilty, the minimum punishment is three months imprisonment and a 2 million kyat fine (over US$1,600) under the 1951 Factories Act.

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Thailand and Burma Restart Border Demarcation Talks

Posted: 29 Jun 2016 03:25 AM PDT

State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha meet at the Thai Foreign Ministry in Bangkok during her state visit on June 24, 2016. (Photo: Burma State Counselor's Office / Facebook)

RANGOON — Thailand and Burma have agreed to renew negotiations over disputed border demarcations, which had stalled under Burma's previous government.

The agreement was reached during State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi's recent visit to Thailand, according to Burma’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

A statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday stated that Burma would host a joint boundary committee to negotiate the renewal of the demarcation process.

Burma shares its eastern and southeastern borders with Thailand, some of which territory is under the control of Burma's ethnic armed organizations. Ethnic Wa, Shan, Karen, Karenni and Mon each control land to which the Thai government has also staked its claims.

Observers say that Thailand wants to solve the border disputes for business interests and security concerns.

In early June, Thai authorities had proposed building a trading post and upgrading the border gate at Three Pagodas Pass in Thailand’s Sangkhlaburi Province to stimulate trade and development. However, the Burmese government rejected the proposal, according to the state-owned Global New Light of Myanmar.

Non-state armed organizations—the Karen National Union (KNU) and the New Mon State Party (NMSP)—previously controlled areas around Three Pagodas Pass, but it is now partially controlled by the Burma Army. However, Thailand had already constructed buildings and a highway in what the Burmese government firmly considers its own territory.

In late May, during a bilateral meeting on border security, Thai military officials asked their Burma Army counterparts to help convince the powerful ethnic Wa armed group, the United Wa State Army (UWSA), to withdraw its military bases on the Thai-Burma border in Thailand's northern provinces of Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Song, according to Thai military officials. More than a dozen UWSA bases are in southern Shan State, on or over the Thai border.

According to the Ministry of Commerce, Burma currently has 16 border trading posts, four of which border Thailand.

The post Thailand and Burma Restart Border Demarcation Talks appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Suu Kyi and Public Patience

Posted: 29 Jun 2016 03:16 AM PDT

A woman of many jobs: Aung San Suu Kyi (center) is Burma's State Counselor, Foreign Minister and President's Office Minister. (Photo: Htet Naing Zaw/The Irrawaddy)

"We need to stay patient and tolerant, and let her get on with it, since she is new and inexperienced."

Such are the words uttered by many in Burma who were happy to see the veteran pro-democracy campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi assume de facto leadership of the new government at the end of March.

This is the first properly civilian government—baring the military's continued control of three key ministries and a 25 per cent chunk of all parliaments—for over 50 years. Weaknesses have emerged, and the challenges are great after so many decades of misrule.

Right after the transfer of power, the new government enacted a 5 percent tax on mobile phone usage. Many in the country, including myself, were unhappy with this move, but most stood by the prevailing sentiment of tolerance because they wanted to see a strong civilian government.

The previous government of President Thein Sein had tried to impose such a tax in June last year, but a public outcry prompted them to postpone implementation till after the end of the fiscal year on March 31—precisely coinciding with the entry of the new government.

That the Burmese people have now accepted the tax with few audible complaints seems attributable to the vastly greater popularity of Aung San Suu Kyi—with whom the new government is so closely associated—compared to Thein Sein and his colleagues from the military.

Lawi Weng is a Senior Reporter for The Irrawaddy English edition.

Also notable was the rather muted response of the public to extended power cuts in Rangoon and elsewhere during this year's hot season (March-May). Less frequent outages had caused uproar during Thein Sein's tenure.

How fair are such reactions?

Thein Sein, whatever his baggage as a former regime loyalist, laid out a path for peace with Burma's various ethnic armed groups that Suu Kyi and the new government has largely chosen to follow, for better or worse.

The new government inherited the assets of the Myanmar Peace Center, formed under the government of Thein Sein to facilitate peace negotiations, and has effectively rebranded it as the "National Reconciliation and Peace Center," hiring several of the same advisors used by the previous government.

The structure for negotiations with ethnic armed groups laid out in the nationwide ceasefire accord (NCA), signed in October last year, has also been adopted by Suu Kyi.

The Union Peace Conference envisaged in the NCA has been smartly re-labeled the "21st Century Panglong Conference," to echo the Panglong Agreement reached between her father, independence hero Aung San, and the leaders of some of Burma's ethnic minority groups in 1947.

"Political dialogue"—one of the keystones of the NCA, in which a settlement on federalism and ethnic rights would be discussed—has not yet undergone re-branding.

In all this, the approach of Suu Kyi and her colleagues owes much to the military-backed government of Thein Sein.

Ethnic armed group leaders have largely adopted a wait-and-see approach to the peace process in recent months, yet many of them have been willing to support the new government's initiative—verbally at least—out of concern for a future resurfacing of military power.

However, Suu Kyi has yet to gain full support from Burma's military on the peace talks, with the military insisting that armed groups such as the Arakan Army, the Ta'ang National Liberation Army and the Myanmar Nationalities Democratic Alliance Army fully disarm before taking part. Suu Kyi has been pushing a more inclusive line, inviting all groups to the table.

In her reform efforts, Suu Kyi has to be constantly mindful of the military. She would not make any dramatic moves without their consent.

But she should also be mindful of the international community, which may not maintain its current overall tolerance regarding the failure to address ongoing human rights abuses by the military and branches of the government.

Discrimination towards, and the denial of citizenship to, the Rohingya in particular will continue to perpetuate a bad image of the country and the government to the outside world.

In other news, the US State Department has decided to downgrade Burma in its annual Trafficking in Persons report, placing it among the worst offenders in human trafficking—due largely to its failure to curb forced labor practices and the recruitment of child soldiers.

Many in Burma may downplay these issues—particularly the Rohingya—citing the peace process with ethnic armed groups as far more urgent.

But the new government must take comprehensive action against all human rights violations in Burma, if the tolerance of both the public and the international community are to be truly earned.

Otherwise, tolerance may go to the wind, and the country may be vulnerable to new forms of authoritarianism.

The post Suu Kyi and Public Patience appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Burmese Court Lays New Charges Against Saffron Revolution Leader

Posted: 29 Jun 2016 12:12 AM PDT

Former Buddhist monk Gambira was recently moved to Yangon's Insein prison to face additional criminal charges. (Photo: Reuters)

RANGOON — A Burmese court laid additional charges against a former monk and leader of the 2007 "Saffron Revolution" anti-junta uprising on Tuesday, accusing him of trespass and "mischief" committed four years ago.

Nyi Nyi Lwin, better known as Gambira, was arrested in January for illegally entering Burma from neighboring Thailand.

The new charges relate to the reopening of monasteries that were sealed off after the monk-led protests. The alleged violations took place in 2012, after Gambira’s release from prison where he had served time for his involvement in the demonstrations.

"Gambira force-opened the gates of three monasteries in Rangoon, which were sealed off by the military in the crackdown on the protests, since the activist monks couldn’t find anywhere to live after their release in the amnesty in 2012," said Gambira’s lawyer, Robert San Aung.

The charges were laid days before he was about to be released from prison, where he has been serving time for allegedly crossing the Thai-Burma border without an official visa.

He has now been moved to Rangoon's notorious Insein Prison from Mandalay to face the new charges.

The fact that a high-profile political prisoner is moved around the country and charged for seemingly minor offences committed years ago shows democratic reforms in Burma under Aung San Suu Kyi’s leadership are still in their early stages, as many junta-era institutions, mechanisms and laws remain unchanged.

"He was due to be freed on July 1, but the authorities seem afraid of him and don’t want to let him out," said Robert San Aung.

The government cracked down harshly on the 2007 demonstrations, opening fire on protesters and sweeping up those who took part. At least 31 people were killed by security forces and thousands arrested, according to the United Nations.

Gambira was freed from prison during a 2012 general amnesty, a year after the junta handed power to a semi-civilian government, following 49 years of direct rule of the Southeast Asian nation.

Since his release, he has divided his time between Burma and Thailand, but Burmese authorities have re-arrested him several times in what rights groups have described as continued harassment for his criticism of the previous military-backed government.

"It just shows things still remain as bad as they were under the former regime," political analyst Yan Myo Thein told Reuters. "They always find some pretext whenever they don’t want to free a prominent politician or an activist."

The post Burmese Court Lays New Charges Against Saffron Revolution Leader appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Sluggish Economy Casts Shadow Over Mongolian Elections

Posted: 28 Jun 2016 10:48 PM PDT

Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj walks towards the media after casting his vote for the parliamentary elections at a polling station in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, June 29, 2016. (Photo: Jason Lee / Reuters)

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia — Mongolians vote in parliamentary elections Wednesday with sentiment weighed by a sharp downturn in the landlocked Asian nation’s crucial mining sector, rising unemployment and political disillusionment.

The Democratic Party could lose its majority in parliament, known as the State Great Khural, to the opposition Mongolian People’s Party a year ahead of the 2017 presidential election. But with no major policy offerings on the table and an economy pummeled by the global slump in commodity prices, it’s unclear what options Mongolia has for reviving its fortunes.

The parliamentary elections are the seventh since the country made a peaceful transition to democracy in 1990. Yet disillusionment with the political process in the country — recently dubbed "an oasis of democracy" by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry — is growing among younger voters, whose turnout has steadily declined in recent years.

Amgalan Sukh-Ochir, 30, who works in marketing, said he plans to boycott the elections.

"In the last elections when the DP made all these great promises for prospering, I decided to support them, but look where we are now. I don’t think they’ve achieved much," he said.

Mongolia’s mining- and animal herding-dependent economy has been dragged down by weak domestic demand and a sharp decline in exports, impoverishing thousands of former herders who had moved to its few cities looking for jobs. Economic growth has slipped from 17.5 percent in 2011 to just 2.3 percent last year in the resource-rich nation of 3 million people, one-fifth of whom live in poverty.

Both the ruling Democratic Party and its main rival have campaigned on the promise of more jobs.

"The main issue is, No. 1, to revive the economy," said Bulgantuya Khurelbaatar, secretary of the opposition Mongolian People’s Party. She said the party aims to build 100 factories in 21 provinces that would create about 40,000 new jobs, though she didn’t say how.

It’s unclear what measures or resources are available to stimulate the flagging economy.

Coal, copper and other mineral resources make up 94 percent of Mongolia’s exports. But with demand in China weakening as its economy cools, Mongolia’s own growth is forecast to fall below 1 percent this year.

Foreign investment in the country has slowed to a trickle, though mining giant Rio Tinto announced in May the launch of the next stage of a multibillion-dollar gold and copper mine.

Still, critics of government agreements with mining companies complain that too little of Mongolia’s mineral wealth benefits the general public.

Some observers see recent changes to the electoral process as handicapping smaller parties and female candidates.

"They have closed some space for smaller political parties, as majoritarian systems do tend to benefit two main political parties," said Ashleigh Whelan, country director for the International Republican Institute, a U.S.-based group with the stated aim of promoting democracy globally.

"This can reduce the opportunity for lesser-known candidates, new candidates, youth, women and those candidates who may not be a guarantee in terms of winning," Whelan said. Her organization does not expect either party to secure an overwhelming majority.

In its latest National Human Development Report, the United Nations Development Program found that only about 45 percent of Mongolians aged 18-34 have voted in recent elections, compared to an overall turnout of 65 percent in 2012.

Skepticism has grown after the ruling party recently offered citizens 300,000 tugriks ($155) to sell 30 percent of their promised shares in the state-owned coal mine, Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi. So far 1.2 million of 1.65 million shareholders have applied to sell their shares to the government.

"I think it’s illegal to tell you the truth," said Khurelbaatar of the opposition party. "This is right before elections. It seems to all political parties that they’re actually trying to buy off votes."

The Democratic Party did not respond to requests for comment.

The post Sluggish Economy Casts Shadow Over Mongolian Elections appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Smiles and Selfies as Cambodia PM Tells Foreign Powers to Stop Interfering

Posted: 28 Jun 2016 09:45 PM PDT

A Cambodian Muslim supporter takes a selfie with President of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party and Prime Minister Hun Sen (C), after a ceremony in Phnom Penh on June 28, 2016. (Photo: Samrang Pring / Reuters)

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — International powers should keep out of Cambodian domestic politics, Prime Minister Hun Sen warned on Tuesday, as he posed for selfies with supporters and played down tension between his ruling party and the opposition.

An opposition win in an election due in 2018 could tip the country back into civil war, the quixotic Cambodian strongman has warned. Foreign governments have accused him of intimidating his political opponents ahead of the vote.

Those who portrayed the country as experiencing a political crisis were guilty of a "dishonest trick to deceive public opinion," Hun Sen said in the capital, Phnom Penh.

"They must not misconstrue individual mistakes as political issues and put pressure on the courts," he added, in a reference to foreign governments and international institutions.

"That is an insult to people, state institutions and a dangerous adventure for the nation."

Last month, the European parliament threatened to review nearly half a billion dollars of aid to Cambodia if Hun Sen’s government continued to harass political opponents. The United Nations and the United States have called for dialogue between the two sides.

Tension has risen in Cambodia as opposition leaders Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha face legal charges they say have been trumped up by a judiciary in thrall to Hun Sen.

The Cambodian prime minister says if they have committed crimes, they must face the legal consequences.

The opposition says the prime minister has started a campaign against it early, to weaken its campaigning ahead of the election.

At the last vote in 2013, a strong performance by the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) nearly cost Hun Sen the premiership.

Sokha has spent one month in hiding inside the CNRP headquarters as he seeks to evade arrest, while Rainsy is in self-imposed exile to avoid arrest on charges for which he had previously received a royal pardon.

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