Tuesday, November 22, 2016

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Challenges Await as Burma is Vetted for EU Timber Trading Partnership

Posted: 22 Nov 2016 08:20 AM PST

For recognition within the FLEGT, Burma must prove it is combating illegal logging and adhering to effective forest governance.

The post Challenges Await as Burma is Vetted for EU Timber Trading Partnership appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Govt Must Publicly Address Deputy Minister’s Dismissal

Posted: 22 Nov 2016 08:01 AM PST

Are NLD party members meddling in the duties of the Union government?

The post Govt Must Publicly Address Deputy Minister's Dismissal appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

NLD Member Charged Under Article 66(d)

Posted: 22 Nov 2016 05:57 AM PST

Amid growing controversy over Article 66(d) of Burma's Telecommunications Law, a National League for Democracy member is sued under the provision.

The post NLD Member Charged Under Article 66(d) appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Shan State Clashes Disrupt China Border Trade

Posted: 22 Nov 2016 05:52 AM PST

Government minister says at least 50 large trucks are stuck inside the Muse 105-mile trade zone due to clashes between Burma Army and ethnic armed groups.

The post Shan State Clashes Disrupt China Border Trade appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

TNLA Spokesman: ‘The Joint Offensive is Necessary’

Posted: 22 Nov 2016 04:14 AM PST

The Irrawaddy interviews TNLA spokesperson Col Tar Bong Kyaw about the joint offensive launched in Shan State by the TNLA, KIA, MNDAA and AA.

The post TNLA Spokesman: 'The Joint Offensive is Necessary' appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

At Least 10 People Killed in Shan State Conflict

Posted: 22 Nov 2016 04:06 AM PST

Another 29 have been injured in the renewed fighting, and thousands of residents are displaced from their homes.

The post At Least 10 People Killed in Shan State Conflict appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Lawmaker Urges Action on Illegal Fishing in Arakan State

Posted: 22 Nov 2016 03:27 AM PST

Arakan State lawmaker questions government failure to protect the livelihoods of local fisherman at risk from Bangladeshi trawlers.

The post Lawmaker Urges Action on Illegal Fishing in Arakan State appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Ten Things to Do in Rangoon This Week

Posted: 22 Nov 2016 02:10 AM PST

An '80s night, an international boxing match, a dim sum eating contest, a circus, and several art exhibition options.

The post Ten Things to Do in Rangoon This Week appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Hundreds Flee across Burma Border into Bangladesh, Aid Workers Report

Posted: 21 Nov 2016 11:55 PM PST

Refugees are seeking shelter from escalating violence in Arakan State that has killed at least 86 people and displaced some 30,000.

The post Hundreds Flee across Burma Border into Bangladesh, Aid Workers Report appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

China Says 3,000 Flee Burma after Shan State Clashes

Posted: 21 Nov 2016 11:42 PM PST

Injured Burmese citizens taken to hospital in China's Yunnan province as thousands flee fighting between Burma Army and armed ethnic groups.

The post China Says 3,000 Flee Burma after Shan State Clashes appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Tsunami Hits Japan after Strong Quake near Fukushima Disaster Site

Posted: 21 Nov 2016 09:55 PM PST

The 7.4 magnitude earthquake, felt in Tokyo, sends thousands of residents fleeing for higher ground as dawn breaks along the northeastern coast.

The post Tsunami Hits Japan after Strong Quake near Fukushima Disaster Site appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Rangoon’s Returnees Scramble to Build New Lives

Posted: 21 Nov 2016 09:30 PM PST

Recent returnees to Rangoon believed they could start new lives under an NLD-led government but their homecoming hasn't played out as they hoped.

The post Rangoon's Returnees Scramble to Build New Lives appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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National News

National News

‘Homemade explosives’ blamed for Capital Hypermarket blasts

Posted: 22 Nov 2016 12:20 AM PST

Four different explosions that rocked a supermarket in Yangon on November 20 were caused by "homemade explosives" planted throughout the shopping complex, according to managers at the market. The explosives appear to have caused limited damage and no injuries.

China calls for ‘restraint’ in wake of coordinated Shan State border attacks

Posted: 22 Nov 2016 12:13 AM PST

The Chinese embassy in Yangon yesterday urged all parties in the conflict that flared this week in northern Shan State "to exercise restraint by taking concrete and effective measures for an immediate ceasefire, so as to resume peace in the China-Myanmar border area as soon as possible".

HRW satellite data shows 1250 Maungdaw structures destroyed

Posted: 22 Nov 2016 12:12 AM PST

More than 1200 houses have been destroyed in northern Rakhine State, according to an analysis of satellite images by Human Rights Watch released yesterday.

USDP tackles economics at Nay Pyi Taw seminar

Posted: 22 Nov 2016 12:06 AM PST

Ending 12 months of near-silence, the former ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party has attacked the current government's failure to improve the social and economic conditions of the country.

Hydropower review taskforce stalls, waiting for instructions

Posted: 22 Nov 2016 12:04 AM PST

A commission member on the taskforce reviewing hydropower projects said the team has yet to hear back from the president about the first submitted report, which is believed to have advised cancelling the controversial, Chinese-backed Myitsone dam.

Protest seeks K5600 minimum wage

Posted: 22 Nov 2016 12:02 AM PST

More than 2000 factory workers staged a protest this weekend in Yangon's Hlaing Tharyar township, demanding that the government increase the daily minimum wage in light of rising costs of living and inflation.

Advocates to push hluttaw for more spending on children

Posted: 22 Nov 2016 12:00 AM PST

The Ministry of Social Welfare is eyeing a special fund for children, with a request set to go before the hluttaw as budgets for the 2017-18 financial year go up for assessment.

Parliament approves amended ward, village tract law

Posted: 21 Nov 2016 11:58 PM PST

The third iteration of an amendment bill to the controversial Ward and Village Tract Administration Law cleared the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw yesterday, after protracted discussions – and some disagreement – between the two houses of parliament.

Mandalay chief minister warns civil servants against corruption

Posted: 21 Nov 2016 11:42 PM PST

In the wake of a Pyin Oo Lwin bribery scandal, Mandalay's chief minister pleaded with the region's public servants to stamp out corruption in their ranks and put the people they serve first.

Two MPs replaced by NLD runners-up

Posted: 21 Nov 2016 11:41 PM PST

Two Union Solidarity and Development Party lawmakers who were stripped of their seats last week have been replaced by a pair of National League for Democracy representatives following the decision of a special electoral tribunal.
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Shan Herald Agency for News

Shan Herald Agency for News

Streets empty in Muse as residents flee to China

Posted: 22 Nov 2016 02:55 AM PST

Rumors of renewed hostilities between ethnic armed groups and Burmese government forces in Muse Township have prompted local shopkeepers to close their doors and join other residents in fleeing across the border to China.

Photo by Toung Hwe Li Group- A picture of Muse city taking in the morning of November 22  
Sai Yi, a resident in Muse, told Shan Herald that the townsfolk had fled to the Chinese side of the border because they feared that fighting would break out again in the northern Shan State town.

"Business owners said they were requested to close their shops and stay inside until noon," he said. "However, no one knew who had spread this information. Some said they believe the ethnic armed groups had taken control of some parts of the city."

He added: "Now, all the streets are empty. All the shops are closed, and there is no one on the streets."

Sai Yi said he believed some 30,000 people had left their homes, and are now staying with relatives or in makeshift shelters provided by the Chinese government.

Photo by Toung Hwe Li Group- Muse residents at China border
Local sources told Shan Herald that electricity was cut last night from 8pm to 11pm. Some said that, during this time, they saw military trucks carrying artillery into Muse.

Yesterday, the Arakan Army (AA), Kachin Independence Army (KIA), Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) released a joint-statement, requesting civilians in the area to take precautions.

Early on Sunday, the ethnic militias launched a joint military operation against Burmese government outposts and police stations in the Muse Township villages of 105 Mile, Mong Koe and Parng Zai, as well as in Namkham and Kutkai areas.

According to the State Counsellor's Office Information Committee, at least eight people have been killed and another 29 injured since clashes broke out on November 20.

By Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)

To Hopeland and Back: The 23rd trip

Posted: 22 Nov 2016 02:11 AM PST

Day Three. Wednesday, 7 November 2016

A drug is not bad. A drug is a chemical compound.
The problem comes in when people who take drugs treat them like a license to behave like an asshole.
Frank Zapap (1940-1993)

American musician, songwriter, composer, guitarist, and others

Tom Kramer (Photo: idpc.net)
Today is the day made for learning. Which is all right with me, because I know there's a lot I need to catch up.

 The opening speech for the 8th Asia Informal Drug Policy Dialogue by Police Brigadier General Myint Htoo, Joint Secretary of CCDAC. The following are the excerpts:

·         Efforts to address the world drug problem have not produced the expected results
·         (There are) links between drug and conflict for efforts to bring peace and reconciliation to our country
·         The UNGASS (UN General Assembly Special Session on drugs which was held last April in New York) outcome document must be applied as policy framework for member states to develop national drug policies

Secretary-General Visits UNODC Project in Shan State,
 Myanmar Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon meets 
local villagers in Kyauk Ka Char, Shan State, Myanmar, 
where he visited the Government and 
UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) co-sponsored
 "Drug Alternative Development Project" being implemented
 in the area. Kyauk Ka Char, Myanmar (Photo: UNODC)
The other opening speeches by Tom Kramer, who imposes a strict Chattham House Rule, and Ms Katrin Buder from Germany's GIZ, are not long. So before we know what's what, we are treated to an early coffee break.

One of the police officers sitting across the table, in reply to a question, says outright the UN alternative development project at Kyauk Ka Cha, near Taunggyi, where UN chief Ban Ki-Moon visited in April 2012, was a flop. "To make any (drug) programme work," he explains, "we need three things: the leadership by the regional government, effective assistance from the outside, and the people's participation. 

The first session, which begins right after the break, is about regional trends in drug markets, policy responses and drug policy reform:

CCDAC:       The new drug control policy is expected to be adopted by April next year (Earlier it was reported by Myanmar Times that the proposed changes to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Law would likely decriminalize drug addiction, sending users to rehabilitation centers instead of jail)

Thailand:         30 years ago, heroin was the rage in the kingdom. Then came meth. The three most common types of illicit drugs in use are cannabis, meth and kratom (a substance derived from Mitregyna speciosa)
                        Globally, data has suggested that strict drug control policies do not always translate into lower level of drug use.

The result is that the present justice minister Paiboon Koomchaya is pushing for reform, backed by royally-initiated Khamlangjai Project.

The Philippines:       More body counts which go hand in hand with the upsurge in the president's popularity.

The participants, especially those from the unofficial side, don't appear to be in favor of the UNGASS outcome. While several celebrities and world leaders had called for a change to the response to drugs that promotes global health, security and human rights, they say the UNGASS resolution is continuing existing approaches. For instance, decriminalization of drug use was nowhere mentioned.

The afternoon session is about alternative development. Here are some notes I have jotted down:

Mae Fah Luang:          The motto is 3-S: Survival, Sufficiency, and Sustainability
Foreign participant:    Eradication first policy doesn't work.
Domestic participant: If we look at what has happened in the Wa area (after the opium ban in 2005), we may find that it's a classic case of: the operation's a success, only the patient died.


Today's programme ends with a dinner party at Shwe Yin Chuan, a Chinese restaurant. 
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