Tuesday, September 19, 2017

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Vox Pop: Public Figures Respond to State Counselor’s Speech on Rakhine

Posted: 19 Sep 2017 07:30 AM PDT

YANGON — Myanmar's State Counselor and de-facto leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi called on the international community to help find peace in Myanmar and probe the reasons why hundreds of thousands have fled their homes in the latest Rakhine State crisis, in her first public speech since militant attacks in August left the state reeling.

Speaking in front of an audience of foreign diplomats, UN representatives, government officials and journalists in Naypyitaw on Tuesday, the State Counselor condemned all human rights violations and unlawful violence in Rakhine and said action would be taken against anyone, regardless of race, religion, or political standpoint, who violated human rights in Myanmar.

She acknowledged there had been "allegations and counter-allegations" of human rights abuses, but said she would not comment as she wanted to bring understanding and harmony rather than more conflict.

She said Myanmar was ready to begin the verification process of refugees in Bangladesh and invite them back to the country "at any time," in line with the 1993 agreement between the two countries.

Thousands of people gathered at spots in Yangon, Mandalay, Monywa and Taungoo to watch the highly anticipated 30-minute diplomatic address and show their support.

The Irrawaddy asked political analysts, historians and politicians to share their views on the speech.

U Maung Maung Soe, Political Analyst

With this message, she boldly expresses her stance on the issue. She blames nobody [for the Rakhine crisis], but takes a central approach. She presented it in a way so as to take a careful look into the reality and solve the problem. The fact that she boldly expressed her path will help her achieve her goal—to deepen foreign diplomats' understanding of the government, or win greater support from them for her. My view is that her speech will help her win greater support from the United States of America and European countries.

According to her message, she is ready to solve those problems [in Rakhine] and she doesn't accept extreme attitudes from either side. She also said she would handle those who fled [Rakhine State] according to the agreement [with Bangladesh], and that she also doesn't like terrorism.

On the other hand, she may be condemned for failing to talk about the killings of Bengalis, and at the same time, she may also be criticized for not saying to take decisive actions against ARSA [Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army] militants. The yardstick we should use to measure the impact of her speech is international governments' support for her. I hope we'll see it soon.

[Editor's note: Many in Myanmar refer to the population of Muslims in northern Rakhine State as "Bengali." The group self-identifies as Rohingya.].

Al Haj U Aye Lwin, Chief Convener for the Islamic Centre of Myanmar, and Member of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State

Because of the outward denial, foreign countries do not have trust in news reported by Myanmar. In her speech, she did not make any outward denials. This is a new approach to the problem. She invited diplomats in the country to observe this problem. She asked them to study why the problem has happened. It is a very fair statement. They should provide remarks [on the crisis] only after accepting her invitation.

Another fact [to highlight] is her courage. She said very politely that Myanmar is a responsible country that understands and considers the concerns of the international community, but at the same time she said that she is not afraid of being pressured. She said the same thing at the previous UN Assembly. She reflected [her father] Aung San's blood.

According to her speech, she accepts and is proud of racial and religious diversity in the country. It is good that schools will promote interfaith friendship.

She also urged followers of Islam to cooperate with the [citizenship] verification process. In the time of their grandparents, [Muslim residents in Rakhine] had tri-fold [identification] cards. Muslims have handed over their documents. It is true that they don't understand [the process] and that they don't cooperate. [The government] must explain it to them patiently.

There was corruption by civil servants in Rakhine State in the past, and that's why the verification process became too strict, and there are people afraid that [civil servants] might work with misconduct. Concerned parties on the two sides should understand this process.

Thant Myint-U, Historian and Founder of the Yangon Heritage Trust

The most important part of the speech was the pledge to allow for the return of refugees under the principles adopted for the 1993 repatriation from Bangladesh, though we'll have to wait and see exactly how these principles are interpreted and implemented.

My guess is that the harshest international critics of the government will be far from satisfied; but that the vast majority of Burmese people and at least some foreign governments will feel she's steering toward the only realistic course she can under very complex circumstances.

Dr. Thaung Tun, Executive Director for the Institute for Peace and Social Justice

[Daw Aung San Suu Kyi] talked about implementing the recommendations of Kofi Annan's Commission step by step, and giving humanitarian assistance to all the communities in Rakhine. There should be greater transparency in implementation and actions regarding this issue…especially concerning press freedom and media access. State media alone is not enough to report on the implementation of the things she said in her speech. The government should enable independent local and foreign media to collect news freely, because we have to make an assessment based on news reported by them.

As journalists don't have unfettered access to information, we are seeing reports from outside. The international community doesn't accept terrorism: nobody would accept it. But the question is about the extent of restraint in handling those who are not involved in terrorism. The international community alleged that there are human rights violations and the government needs to address this. Just saying there have been no human rights violations won't work. Though it won't be able to expose 100 percent of the cases, the government needs to expose as many as it can and take harsh actions.

U Tun Zaw, General Secretary of Arakan National Council (ANC)

What she said is pragmatic. We support it. She said she won't attend the UN General Assembly which starts on Sept. 20. She attended it last year and she also talked about what she said at last year's session. This is a fair statement, I think.

Mainly she urged the international community to observe the reality, so that they can better understand what is happening on the ground. And she made a point while talking about this situation: she called on people not to only look at the problems, but also toward a peaceful existence.

She urged [the international community] to ask questions of the people of both communities on the ground and observe why some have fled and some have stayed, and why they were able to stay peacefully. [She also said to] listen to various voices and make fair considerations, and cooperate with the government to find a solution.

This is quite a fair statement and an invitation directed toward problem solving, I think.

Another good point she made is that she also talked about our society and the situation on the ground to correct the international community's misunderstanding of it. Generally, the world only knows that it is a problem between Muslim and Buddhists, and Arakanese and Bengalis.

But it is not just Arakanese and Bengali. There are also minorities who also suffered: Mro, Thet, Daingnet and Hindus also suffered. She talked about the situation of the society on the ground to make the international community know that those people are also suffering.

I think it is an important message to the international community as she oriented her speech toward problem solving and peace.

Dr. Nandar Hla Myint, Spokesperson of the Union Solidarity and Development Party

According to my understanding, the main point of her speech was to urge the international community to cooperate in a pragmatic and constructive way.

She urged the international community to try to understand rather than place blame for conflicts in Myanmar, I think.

But if she would implement the recommendations made by the Kofi Annan-led commission, she should consider certain recommendations related to local ethnicities and the sovereignty of the state. We are concerned that implementation of those recommendations would be harmful to the sovereignty of the country and the rights of citizens. We have said that we don't accept the commission's recommendation that the government should consider amending the [1982] Citizenship Law.

The post Vox Pop: Public Figures Respond to State Counselor's Speech on Rakhine appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

TNLA Accuses Myanmar Army of Abusing Civilians

Posted: 19 Sep 2017 05:29 AM PDT

The Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and other local organizations have accused the Myanmar Army of detaining five civilians in Namkham Township in northern Shan State amid ongoing clashes in Ta'ang-occupied areas throughout September.

TNLA spokesperson Mong Aik Kyaw told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that the seven clashes—in Kyaukme, Namtu and Namsang townships—were due to Myanmar Army offensives and that there were also two clashes in August.

Chair of the Ta'ang Cultural and Literature Organization (Namkham) U Myint Kyaw said Tatmadaw Battalion 88 soldiers arrested five residents from Mankham village on Sunday morning: Tar Aik Lay, Tar Aik Lar, Tar Yein Kyaw, Tar Tun Thit, and Mong Aik Myint.

Three of the villagers were released the same day after community elders appealed to the Tatmadaw, while the other two were released on Monday, U Myint Kyaw said.

"The villagers said the military didn't torture them," he told The Irrawaddy, explaining that the Myanmar Army had been known to charge locals under Article 17(1) of the Unlawful Association Act, alleging a connection to ethnic armed groups, but that this was not the case this time.

The Irrawaddy was not able to obtain comment from military spokesperson Maj-Gen Aung Ye Win regarding the claims.

Several ethnic human rights groups have reported recent arrests of civilians in conflict zones due to suspicion of contact with ethnic armed groups.

Last week, the Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF) released a statement detailing the arrest and subsequent forced labor of Shan civilians in Mongyai Township by the Myanmar Army Infantry Battalion 325.

The SHRF statement said that on Sept. 10, the battalion detained three villagers overnight, upon suspicion that they were affiliated with an ethnic armed group. They were released once a community elder came and vouched for them.

"One was beaten, causing his left eye to become bruised. They forced him to carry their military bags," the report said.

On the same day, Battalion 325 reportedly started shooting after being surprised by a landmine blast. SHRF said that the shooting led residents of Wan Loi Yoi village in Mongyai Township—about 300 people—to flee their homes into another nearby village tract, as well as into the jungle.

A Ta'ang Women's Organization report from June 2016 detailed alleged war crimes against civilians in Ta'ang areas of northern Shan State, including evidence of torture, shelling, and forced labor.

The TNLA is a member of the Federal Political Negotiation Consultative Committee (FPNCC) led by United Wa State Army (UWSA).

The group also includes the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the Shan State Army-North (SSA-N), the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), the Arakan Army, and the TNLA.

The TNLA operates in the townships of Nawnghkio, Kyaukme, Hsipaw, Kutkai, Namtu, Mongton, Nansang, Namkham, Muse, Mongmit, Mongkhet in northern Shan State and calls for self-determination for ethnic Ta'ang and a genuine federal Union in Myanmar.

The TNLA spokesperson said the group was founded to oppose dictatorship and discrimination.

The post TNLA Accuses Myanmar Army of Abusing Civilians appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

State Counselor Condemns Rights Violations, Violence in Rakhine

Posted: 19 Sep 2017 12:44 AM PDT

YANGON — Myanmar's State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi condemned any human rights violations and unlawful violence in Rakhine State and said she was "concerned" about the hundreds of thousands of Muslims fleeing across the border to Bangladesh in a diplomatic address in the capital Naypyitaw on Tuesday.

"We are committed to the restoration of peace and stability and rule of law throughout the state," she told the gathering of foreign diplomats, UN officials, representatives of Myanmar's ministries, and local and international journalists.

She called on the international community to assist in investigating the latest crisis in Rakhine, saying: "We want to find out why this exodus is happening. We would like to talk to those who have fled as well as those who have stayed." She explained that 50 percent of Muslim villages remained intact.

It was her first public address since violence flared again in Rakhine when Muslim militant group the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) attacked 30 police posts on Aug. 25—killing 13 members of government security forces.

Subsequent clashes and Myanmar Army-led security operations have left hundreds dead and hundreds of thousands displaced, including an estimated 410,000 self-identifying Rohingya Muslims who have fled to Bangladesh with reports of killings, rape, and destruction of property by government forces.

The State Counselor acknowledged there had been "allegations and counter-allegations" of human rights abuses, but said she would not comment as she wanted to bring understanding and harmony rather than more conflict.

Action would be taken against anyone, regardless of race, religion, or political standpoint, who violated human rights in Myanmar, she said.

"We would like to bring an end to the suffering of our peoples as quickly as possible," she said, and claimed there had been no armed violence or security operations since Sept. 5.

Myanmar was ready, she said, to begin the verification process of refugees in Bangladesh and invite them back to to the country "at any time," in line with the 1993 agreement between the two countries.

Self-identifying Rohingya Muslims—referred to as "Bengali" by the government and others to infer they are interlopers from Bangladesh—are denied citizenship, freedom of movement, and access to healthcare and education despite many of them having lived in the country for generations.

Crowds gather outside downtown Yangon's City Hall to watch Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's speech.
(Tin Htet Paing/The irrawaddy)

'Open Door'

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said there was an "open door" and invited diplomats and officials to visit troubled areas of the country and called for them help find innovative, and "even daring solutions" to conflict in Rakhine.

Describing Myanmar as a "young and fragile democracy facing many problems," she stressed the importance of support from the UN and the international community and said she did not fear international scrutiny.

Myanmar has consistently blocked a UN fact-finding mission mandated with investigating allegations of human rights abuses in military operations sparked by ARSA attacks in October 2016.

The UN has denounced in strong terms the recent bout of violence, with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein labeling security operations in Rakhine State "a textbook example of ethnic cleansing."

Ahead of the UN General Assembly in New York this week, the US, Britain, Australia, and France have all called for the end of military operations and for civilians to be allowed to return home, though China defended Myanmar's actions.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi had been scheduled to attend the UN General Assembly in New York this week but sent Vice-President U Henry Van Thio instead so she could concentrate on domestic issues.

She asked all international "friends" to help Muslim leaders to convince Rakhine State Muslims to enroll in the government's controversial national verification process, as the community has "nothing to lose."

Supporters of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi at Manawyaman grounds in Mandalay.(Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy)

'Mother Suu'

Large television screens were set up in more than 20 big towns and cities across the country including in Sagaing Region's Monywa, Magwe Region's Pakokku, Shan State's Taunggyi and Irrawaddy Region's Pathein.

Hundreds of people gathered outside City Hall in downtown Yangon to watch a live stream of the diplomatic address.

As the State Counselor spoke in English, members of the crowd who spoke to The Irrawaddy said they didn't understand her whole speech but that it was important for them to show solidarity with her.

The heart of the city was filled with people holding posters and banners saying "We Stand with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi." The crowd sang Myanmar's national anthem after her 30-minute speech.

Twenty-one-year-old Ma Su Taryar Lin told The Irrawaddy she took leave from work to show solidarity with the State Counselor, referring to her as "Mother Daw Aung San Suu Kyi."

"She needed to say something to the world," she said.

Attendee U Kyaw Win said all Myanmar citizens were responsible for showing support for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and rejected international criticism of the leader.

The 68-year-old from Hlegu Township had been waiting for the speech since 8.30 a.m and said "as a leader, she knows best what to do and understands how to solve this issue.”

More than 5,000 locals gathered at Manawyaman grounds in Mandalay to watch the speech, including Mandalay Chief Minister U Zaw Myint Maung and dozens of Buddhist Monks.

Beauty salon owner Ma Saw Myat Thu, who came to the grounds to hand out drinking water, said: "We can watch Mother Suu's speech at home, but to show solidarity with her to the world, we came here."

U Thein Myint, who can understand English, said he was satisfied with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi speaking in English as she was addressing the world and believed she will explain her speech in Burmese at a later stage.

Additional reporting by Kyaw Phyo Tha, Tin Htet Paing in Yangon and Zarni Mann in Mandalay.

The post State Counselor Condemns Rights Violations, Violence in Rakhine appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

China Offers Support to Myanmar at UN Amid Rakhine Crisis

Posted: 18 Sep 2017 10:35 PM PDT

BEIJING — China supports efforts by the Myanmar government to protect its national security and opposes recent violent attacks in the country's Rakhine State, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

The military response to insurgent attacks in the western region of Myanmar last month sent more than 410,000 self-identifying Rohingya Muslims fleeing to neighboring Bangladesh, escaping what the United Nations has branded ethnic cleansing.

Myanmar's government says about 400 people have been killed in the fighting.

Britain, France and Australia urged Myanmar leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday to push for an end to military violence against self-identifying Rohingya Muslims. Her national security adviser said those who had fled could return but the process had to be discussed.

Wang told Guterres at a meeting at the United Nations on Monday China "understands and supports" Myanmar's efforts to protect its security in Rakhine and hopes the "fire of war" can soon be extinguished, China's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

China expresses sympathy with those who have fled into Bangladesh and will send humanitarian aid to Bangladesh, Wang said.

"China advocates Myanmar and Bangladesh resolving the problem via dialogue and consultation," the Foreign Ministry cited Wang as saying.

"China is willing to continue promoting peace talks in its own way, and hopes the international community can play a constructive role to ease the situation and promote dialogue," he said.

China and Myanmar have close economic and diplomatic ties and China has defied expectations that democratization in the former Burma could lead to weaker relations between the two countries.

About a million self-identifying Rohingya lived in Rakhine State until the recent violence. Most face draconian travel restrictions and are denied citizenship in a country where many Buddhists regard them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

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The Internally Displaced Women of Rakhine

Posted: 18 Sep 2017 10:11 PM PDT

SITTWE & MAUNGDAW, Rakhine State – Everyone flees, except for a few men left in the villages to take care of our livestock, said Ma Hla Aye Mon, an ethnic Daingnet woman in her 30s. She has been taking shelter at a monastery in Ponnagyun Township, some 33 kilometers northeast of Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine State.

"We are afraid that if the kalar militants dared to attack these 30 security outposts, what would they do to us, to the ordinary civilians?" she told The Irrawaddy in early September, referring to the Aug. 25 attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA). "Kalar," a derogatory term, is used by many in Myanmar to refer to those of South Asian descent.

Ma Hla Aye Mon's fear reflects that of ten of thousands internally displaced persons in Rakhine State. She is from the Daingnet village of Taung Maw in Buthidaung Township. Taung Maw is home to about 80 households and sits close to the Mayu mountain range. Villagers rely on farming, and catching crabs, frogs and fish, but since the Aug. 25 incident, they can no longer go out to work, Ma Hla Aye Mon explained.

Myanmar's Daingnet population is estimated to be less than 20,000, but more than 100,000 reside in India and Bangladesh, calling themselves "Chakma." It is one of six sub-ethnicity of the Arakanese, which include Mro, Daingnet, Thet, Maramagyi, Kami and Kaman.

After August's militant attacks against Myanmar security forces in Maungdaw—and in the "clearance operations" which followed—women have arguably suffered more than their male counterparts, fleeing from their homes with newborns, young children and the elderly.

Across the border in Bangladesh, more than 400,000 self-identifying Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar, according to United Nations estimates. The refugees consistently state that Burmese security troops destroyed their homes and forced them out of the country; their plight has been widely covered in international media. Meanwhile, the displaced within Myanmar speak of living in fear of militants active in the area.

In Myanmar, the government only allows journalists access to coverage within "safe zones" or areas under the control of armed forces, in southern Maungdaw, where some 30,000 ethnic minorities, like the Daingnet, are internally displaced. The majority of Muslims who have fled are in the northern part of the state, close to the Bangladeshi border.

This lack of access has meant that stories from groups like the Daingnet have remained largely unknown to the outside world.

The women with whom The Irrawaddy spoke—including Daingnet, Arakanese, and Hindus—said they feel there is no security for them in their villages. Recent attacks by Muslim militants, they said, have led them to fear that their groups "could be wiped out." Muslim women also expressed fear that they could be mistaken for militants by the army, or be accused by the militants of acting as government informers.

Rakhine State's official population of nearly 3.2 million has a majority of Buddhist Arakanese, and includes more than 1 million self-identifying Rohingya Muslims who are largely stateless and were not enumerated in the 2014 census. The government does not recognize the term "Rohingya," and instead required them to register as "Bengali," classifying them as immigrants from Bangladesh; many refused.

Violence between Buddhists and Muslims broke out in 1994 and in 2012, displacing thousands. Trust and further coexistence between the state's various religious communities now seems to have disappeared.

U Chan Sein Hla, a 60-year-old Daingnet man from Thein Taung Pyin village said that since 2012, his community has lived in fear. The women and girls in his community have since left for Yangon's industrial zone, where he says they believe they'll be safer.

He added that his village had never received support from the government or international NGOs.

Daingnet women take shelter with over 200 others at a monastery in Ponnagyun Township. Photo taken on Sept. 2, 2017. (Photo: Nyein Nyein / The Irrawaddy)

'Why is This Happening?'

Ma Thet, an Arakanese Buddhist resident of the mixed Buddhist and Muslim Alethankyaw village, said that on Aug. 24, the day before the attacks, she sensed an uneasiness in the community. Later, homes from both religious groups were burned down.

Residents of 176 Muslim villages have fled to Bangladesh, and remain in 261 villages. The government's information committee has said that those who have fled are affiliated with the ARSA, which it has declared a terrorist organization. It also claims to have killed some 400 suspected militants in more than 90 clashes.

Daw Shwe Nu, a 64-year-old Muslim woman from Myoma Ka Nyin Tan quarter in Maungdaw, told the reporters that she "does not want to leave" her village. Her quarter has thus far been spared arson or attack.

"I feel very sad for this instability. Why is this happening?" she told the reporters during a government-organized reporting trip in early September.

An escape to the border does not come cheap—those fleeing often have to pay for a ferry across the Naf River to Bangladesh.

"We cannot go as we have to have money to pay for it. They ask 100-200,000 kyats (US$73-147)," Daw Shwe Nu said.

A tourist from Germany, Reinhart Unverricht, spoke to this Irrawaddy reporter in Ponnagyun. He said that he was surprised by the difficult conditions within Rakhine State.

"You are never sure if you see the truth, from this side or other side," he explained "It is very difficult for us."

Referring to media based in the West, Unverricht said that he had seen much coverage from the perspective of reporters stationed on the Bangladeshi side of the border. "They do not show the side from here. Here is also horrible," he said, referring to the displaced Daingnet in temporary shelters.

The post The Internally Displaced Women of Rakhine appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Ten Things to do in Yangon This Week

Posted: 18 Sep 2017 07:28 PM PDT

Myanmar Democracy Anyeint Competition

Several Anyeint troupes will compete in the event to promote democracy in Myanmar.

Sept. 20-21, 6 pm. National Theater, Myoma Kyaung Street. Free Admission.

European Film Festival

The 26th European Film Festival Yangon will present award-winning movies from eleven European countries.

Sept. 22 – Oct 1. Two shows per day at 3:30 and 6:30 pm. Naypyitaw Cinema. Free tickets.

Monsoon Madness Music Festival

Dozens of international and foreign singers and dance groups are scheduled to perform.

Sept. 23, at 4:00 pm, Thuwunna Stadium. Tickets range from 30,000 to 1 million kyats at Seinn Lann So Pyay Garden, Balance Fitness 1 & 2, Vestige Cafe (Myanmar Plaza & Junction City), Mingalar Cineplex (Gamonepwint – San Yeik Nyein) 

Musical Show

Some of the most popular singers from the 1990s, including Zaw Win Htut, San Lin, Myo Kyawt Myaing, Chaw Su Khin, May Sweet, Hay Mar Nay Win will perform at this event.

Sept. 23, 7:00 pm. National Theater, Myoma Kyaung Street. Tickets are 10,000 to 50,000 kyats at Thida Myanmar Kitchen on Min Dhamma Street.

Four Ladies Show Music Concert

Phyu Phyu Kyaw Thein, Ni Ni Khin Zaw, Wyne Lay and Sophia will perform at this concert.

Sept 23, 6:00 pm. Rose Garden Hotel, Pansodan Street (Upper Block). Free tickets at Dior by Heart Studio & Wedding Dress at U Chit Maung Street.

Sale of Translated Books

Translators will celebrate International Translation Day with a translators' gathering and discussion, plus a display of first-edition translated books and discounts on translated books.

Sept 23-24, 9:00 am to 7:00 pm. Yangon Book Plaza, 5th Floor, Than Zay Market. Free admission.

Shwe Property Expo

Over 50 developers will showcase more than 350 housing projects across the country, with prices of homes starting at 20 million kyats (US$14,720).

Sept 22-24. Myanmar Plaza.

 

Into the Forest: Pann Kyi

Artist Pann Kyi's fourth solo show will feature paintings plus hundreds of papier-maché dolls.

Sept 23-27, Yangon Gallery, People's Park.

The Death of Two Flowers: Moethee Zun

This exhibition features the works of one of the student leaders of Myanmar's pro-democracy uprising depicting the political landscapes in Myanmar.

Sept. 23-25. Pansodan Art Gallery. No. 144, Pansodan Street (Middle Block).

Waves in Minds: Ye Min

Artist Ye Min's solo art exhibition will showcase 13 paintings.

Sept. 23-29. Nawady Tharlar Art Gallery at Room No. 304, 20/B, Yaw Min Gyi Road, Dagon Tsp.

The post Ten Things to do in Yangon This Week appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Remembering Revolution: The Dilemmas of a Journalist

Posted: 18 Sep 2017 06:28 PM PDT

YANGON — With a pair of two-inch foldable scissors that she borrowed from a girl beside her, Shin Daewe quickly and discretely cut off her long curly hair so that other people in the vehicle would not notice her doing it. She was in an army truck with dozens of other people arrested by the Myanmar military.

"I thought security officers wouldn't recognize me so easily if I cut my hair short" former journalist Shin Daewe said, as she recounted the day she got arrested after documenting demonstrations in downtown Yangon known as the Saffron Revolution. She was working as an underground video journalist for exiled broadcast media the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) when the demonstrations that shook the entire country ten years ago took place.

"I had reported what I saw on the streets to my editor through a mobile phone, with my long hair worn loose." The slim woman in her mid-forties told The Irrawaddy that she decided to chop her long curly hair off since it was the most visible and recognizable aspect of her appearance.

Shin Daewe also explained that anyone who held a camera could be targeted by authorities and those who covered protests, in particular, risked jail during military rule in Myanmar.

She was not a stranger to demonstrations and detention. Shin Daewe was an activist involved in many protests following the military coup after the '88 democracy uprising. She was jailed for one month in 1990 and a year in 1991 for her involvement in demonstrations.

Covering the Saffron Revolution was, however, not an easy decision for her, especially as she mostly covered social issues rather than news reports on politics or current affairs after joining DVB in 2005.

She had been out of town for over 10 days doing a video feature and although she had heard radio reports of the protests, Shin Daewe was overwhelmed seeing all the demonstrations led by monks on streets across the city when she arrived in Yangon on Sept. 24.

"It was shocking and hard for me to cope with what had happened to Yangon and its people," she recalled. "At the same time, I felt very excited as well because I got to see such a revolution again in my life," she said.

Increasing fuel prices and the cost of basic commodities sparked the revolution. The 88 Generation student activists who were also prominent government dissidents led initial demonstrations in August.

The crackdown on a peaceful demonstration in Sagaing Region's Pakokku in early September resulted in three monks being injured and other monks holding government officials hostage and demanding an apology by Sept. 17. The military ignored the demand and disrobed some monks.

From Sept. 22, demonstrations spread to major cities including Mandalay and Yangon, where thousands of monks and nuns gathered at the foot of the Shwedagon Pagoda and marched to City Hall.

Buddhist monks march under the watchful eyes of security forces in Yangon in September, 2007. / Khin Maung Win

Shin Daewe started taking footage of the protests in the city on Sept. 25—a day after she got back to Yangon and when the military imposed a curfew for 60 days.

"I told myself that I would film fast, run fast and go into hiding to avoid getting arrested," Shin Daewe said. She failed to stick to her plan, however, as activism conflicted with professionalism.

As an anti-government activist who committed herself to opposing the junta when she was in college as a teenager, she participated in many demonstrations protesting the government, which she described as very "satisfying" for her.

"I felt happy and excited whenever there were protests," she said.

"Working as a journalist, I held the camera and I knew that I could not participate in demonstrations as I used to," she said of her dilemma between activism and profession on that day in 2007. "I remember very well that controlling myself with journalism ethics was extremely difficult at that time."

On Sept. 26, security forces dispersed the crowd of protesting monks and nuns with tear gas at the Shwedagon Pagoda.  Thousands of people joined the crowd and the military's crackdown began. In total, more than 50 monasteries across the nation were raided.

On Sept. 27, she and her husband drove around the city to observe the situation. They rushed to Ngwe Kyar Yan monastery in northern Yangon when she heard security forces had raided and arrested several monks there the night before.

"I did not dare enter the monastery. I was afraid that there could still be security officers inside the compound and I would get arrested if I entered, so we just drove passed the monastery," she recalled.

Hundreds of local people, including student protesters, filled the streets. It had been nearly two decades since she last saw demonstrations of this size in Yangon, she said.

When she heard that there was a brutal crackdown near Sule Pagoda in downtown Yangon in which many people had been killed, she felt terrified and muddled. She first went back home to calm herself down.

"After noon, I decided to go [and take videos]. I told my husband that it was for my own reputation and I must go," she told The Irrawaddy, saying that she wanted to be responsible and have a clear conscience in her profession.

Shin Daewe and her husband hired a driver to take them downtown. The pair agreed that both of them couldn't get arrested and that one would try to escape whatever happened, she said.

When Shin Daewe arrived downtown, she couldn't get close to Sule Pagoda. Soldiers and policemen blocked the roads and fired into the crowds, sending hundreds of protesters running the opposite way.

She saw bloodstains and shoes on the road. She later learned that by the time she arrived, the crowd in Sule had already been dispersed and Japanese photojournalist Kenji Nagai had been shot dead.

She tried to film protesters on Bogyoke Road, but at the same time, she was concerned that they would not want her to film their faces. As she had protested on streets like them before, she was also worried about their security because the military could identify them from her footage.

"Hiding myself behind a tall Indian man, I filmed through his underarm so that soldiers didn't see me filming," she described.

She saw people throw rocks down onto army trucks driving along Bogyoke Road from Pansodan Bridge. She rushed to Tamwe Township as she heard there was another group of protesters there. She didn't yet know that that was the day she had to throw away her own camera in exchange for possible imprisonment, as she had no official journalist identification, acting as an underground reporter for DVB.

A few dozen protesters and some monks were trapped by soldiers in a street in Tamwe where Shin Daewe and her husband arrived. She asked her husband to remain in the car and rolled down into an open drain beside the street where many other people were already hiding.

She held the camera up above the drain to record the scene, while other people in the drain scolded her for drawing attention to their hiding place.

Even though she managed to film the incident while hiding in the drain, she never got to use the footage, as she got arrested along with many other people that day, including her husband who was hiding in the car. She managed to throw her camera away before her captors noticed.

"I spent seven days in detention but didn't get sentenced to jail time," Shin Daewe said. "I told them, crying, that I was a housewife and just came to watch the protest," she added, explaining that intelligence officers didn't discover her activist background or previous imprisonments.

Her husband, however, was detained for one month because, they assume, he was wearing a t-shirt depicting Argentina's revolutionary leader Che Guevara.

"They seemed really annoyed about the t-shirt, they asked him if he knew his revolutionary hero [Che Guevara] was a communist while we were demanding democracy," she said of her husband's imprisonment.

Shin Daewe and her husband Ko Oo. (Ko Oo / Facebook)

Two months after the release of her husband, the couple decided to move to a different township in Yangon as they felt they were under scrutiny by authorities.

According to state media, only about ten people died in the protests, but observers believe more than 100 were killed by military and police. Thousands of protesters, including monks, were arrested.

Saying she was "not a good journalist" covering the Saffron Revolution, Shin Daewe shared that she still feels irresponsible for not being able to get good footage of the historical demonstrations during the Saffron Revolution.

"The fact that I was detained is not something I feel proud of. It's just a memory," she said. "I should have been more courageous, fearless and calm."

With a dedication to expose the country's political and social issues, Shin Daewe now continues her career as an award-winning documentary filmmaker. She has produced and directed dozens of documentaries covering civil war, education and political transformation in Myanmar.

"I only know how to do one job—which is working with a camera," she said. "I will continue doing this no matter what."

The post Remembering Revolution: The Dilemmas of a Journalist appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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