Friday, October 13, 2017

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Myanmar Army to Release Probe into Alleged Atrocities in Rakhine

Posted: 13 Oct 2017 05:13 AM PDT

YANGON — The Myanmar Army has announced it will release the findings of an investigation into any misconduct by government forces in Rakhine State following accusations surrounding its clearance operations late last year and this year.

The Tatmadaw's True News Information Team said on Tuesday evening that an investigation team led by Inspector General Lt-Gen Aye Win was probing whether security forces followed their duties and regulations during the operations, which were intensified after militant attacks on Aug. 25.

"We will officially release the report upon [when] we have had comprehensive information," the statement said.

The announcement follows an exodus of more than 500,000 self-identifying Rohingya Muslims from northern Rakhine State for Bangladesh since the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) Aug. 25 offensive on 30 police and army outposts.

In what it called a hunt for the militants, the army's clearance operations drew international condemnation, with accusations of extrajudicial killings, rape, and the burning of Muslim villages.

The UN described the actions a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing" with the Myanmar Army purposely driving out the Muslim population and destroying their property to prevent them from returning.

The information team's announcement did not say when the investigation report would be released.

It would not be the first internal military investigation into alleged abuses. In February the military formed a five-member team led by Lt-Gen Aye Win in response to a UN report based on interviews in January with more than 200 self-identifying Rohingya refugees among some 70,000 who fled Myanmar for Bangladesh following militant attacks on police outposts in October.

The United Nation's Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights report stated security forces committed mass killings and gang rapes of Muslims in a campaign that "very likely" amounted to crimes against humanity.

The state-run newspaper in May summarized the internal military inquiry, rejecting the allegations and saying the report was "based on lies and invented statements."

Military investigators, among others, interviewed nearly 3,000 villagers from 29 villages and "wrote down" testimony from 408 villagers, 184 military officers and troops, it said.

It added that three low-ranking soldiers were jailed for minor offences, such as stealing a motorbike or beating up villagers in one incident.

With the new investigation focusing on operations after Aug. 25, it was unclear whether the report would include retrospective findings from last year.

Military spokesperson Maj Gen. Aung Ye Win was not available for comment on Friday.

On Thursday, Myanmar Army chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing told the Japanese ambassador for Myanmar that the army has conducted an investigation into any misconduct by security forces occurring after the Aug 25 attacks.

"Now we are trying to have a factually comprehensive report," he said during the meeting with the ambassador in Naypyitaw, according to a report posted on the army's chief Facebook. It did not mention a release date for the findings.

The latest investigation revealed that the security forces' actions were within the legal framework, as they were strictly ordered to take action in accordance with law and used the lowest number of troops possible, according to the post.

In January, the government detained several police officers over a video showing policemen beating self-identifying Rohingya in November last year that went viral.

Three police officers were sentenced to two months detention in a jail for police over the video, according to AFP, with security forces saying those involved had "no intention" to cause harm.

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Female Participation in Peace Process Improving, But More to be Done

Posted: 13 Oct 2017 05:07 AM PDT

YANGON — Stakeholders and activists welcomed a slight increase in women involved in Myanmar's peace process but cautioned there were challenges to meet the target of 30 percent female participation.

Women's rights groups have been advocating for a minimum 30 percent female representatives of nationwide peace negotiations launched in 2011.

On Oct. 15, 2015, eight of Myanmar's 21 ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) signed landmark peace accord the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) which stated:  "We shall include a reasonable number of women representatives in the political dialogue process."

The country's framework for political dialogue later added an official commitment to "make efforts to achieve 30 percent female participation in all political dialogues."

Women were largely excluded from Union-level peace conferences held in January and August last year and May this year, however.

Only seven percent of the 700 attendees of the January 2016 Union Peace Conference were women.

The number slightly improved to 13 percent of 663 attendees in the August conference last year and 17 percent of 910 attendees in May this year.

Myanmar's failure to reach the 30 percent target was discussed at an international seminar on the roles of women in Myanmar's peace process held by Ar Yone Oo's Social Development Association and the Peace Research Institute Oslo in Yangon on Monday.

Naw Susana Hla Hla Soe, a prominent women's rights activist who is now an Upper House lawmaker, said representation of more than half of Myanmar's population in the peace process was very low, particularly at national-level peace dialogues and among decision-making bodies.

She said she was only ever permitted involvement in social affairs discussions at political dialogues in Karen State, despite wanting to join political discussions.

"There is an idea that women are only concerned with social affairs," she said, adding it is important to include women's voices in the planning and implementation of all parts of the peace process.

Daw Thandar Oo, founder of Women and Peace Action Network of Shan State (WPAN), echoed Naw Susuan Hla Hla Soe's comments and said female participation in political and security affairs was lacking.

"Excluding women's voices is to ignore the majority of voices," she said, adding that without including or taking consideration of women's experiences and opinions in all sectors, it will be impossible to implement peace.

Zaceu Lian, liaison officer of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, said when each group select delegates for their quota to attend the peace talks, they experienced difficulties finding representatives as they chose experts on the issue who can debate well with the military.

"[Peace negotiations] are not a place to train [women], but a place to debate with the military and other groups. When they see a woman they think they are not ready, which is why no women were included in discussions on security," he said.

Chin Chin, a technical adviser to the Chin National Front, argued that the 23 political parties with parliamentary seats are only allowed to send about five people each to peace talks and therefore usually choose party's chairman or secretary general.

"In this case, we need to reconsider the structure of political parties which are dominated by men at the top levels," said Chin Chin.

Daw Thandar Oo of WPAN, who attended the three previous Union peace conferences said: "There has always been a question of how much women know and how skillful they are in being involved in peace dialogues."

"Where does skill come from," she asked. "It comes from our experience, that's why we need to open more spaces for women."

Hkun Okker, a leading patron of the Pa-Oh National Liberation Organization (PNLO), said: "We have agreed to include at least 30 percent. The groups which attend peace conferences need to try to meet that in choosing representatives. They have a responsibility for that," adding that he hopes the number will be met in the upcoming peace conference which is expected to be held in December.

State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who is chairperson of Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee, has also called greater female participation in the country's peace process.

"There are ongoing movements calling for 30 percent participation in the peace process. I want more than that; I want 50 percent," she said at an International Women's Day celebration in Naypyitaw in March, adding that participation did not just mean sitting in on the conference.

The post Female Participation in Peace Process Improving, But More to be Done appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Artist Depicts Love for Traditional Myanmar Life

Posted: 13 Oct 2017 04:34 AM PDT

What are the typical customs and ways of life of the Myanmar people? Traditionally, Myanmar people work on farms, go to pagodas and monasteries, enjoy festivals, and hold maternal love in high esteem.

Yangon-based painter Nay Tun is inspired by traditional Myanmar life.

All these aspects are on display at Nay Tun's seventh solo exhibition at OK Gallery from Oct. 14 to 18.

Nay Tun came to fame for expressing his profound love for Myanmar tradition and customs, which he has dedicated his artistry to since his first solo show in 2009.

Yangon-based painter Nay Tun is inspired by traditional Myanmar life.

Born in 1955 in Yangon, he went to State School of Fine Art, and has participated in more than 100 group shows so over the course of his career.

The artist said: "I really love what late artists U Kin Maung (Bank), Baji Aung Soe, U Aung Khin, and Rahula have said. They said that regardless of techniques, what you draw about Myanmar tradition should be distinctive to viewers. I love Myanmar tradition also and have therefore created these paintings."

Yangon-based painter Nay Tun is inspired by traditional Myanmar life.

His paintings depict monks collecting alms, a horse and cart rolling through Bagan, women growing rice on farm, Mingun Bell, the second largest bell in the world, hanging in grandeur.

There will be 40 paintings on show at OK Gallery in Aung San Stadium (North Wing) in Yangon, each priced US$300.

Yangon-based painter Nay Tun is inspired by traditional Myanmar life.

The post Artist Depicts Love for Traditional Myanmar Life appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Non-Signatories Forgo Sending Delegation to NCA Anniversary

Posted: 13 Oct 2017 03:38 AM PDT

YANGON — Non-signatories of the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) will not attend an event in Naypyitaw on Sunday to mark the two-year anniversary of the signing of the accord.

Ethnic bloc United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) stated it would not attend because it had little time to prepare for the event.

The government accepted on Tuesday the request of eight NCA signatories to allow NCA non-signatories to join the event—just four days before the event scheduled on Sunday.

The UNFC comprises the New Mon State Party (NMSP), Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), Lahu Democratic Union (LDU) and Arakan National Council (ANC).

NMSP is considering signing the NCA before the third session of the 21st Century Panglong, which is expected to take place in November.

Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee (FPNCC)—a United Wa State Army (UWSA)-led group of seven ethnic armed groups based in northern Myanmar—will not attend the event because the government only invited some of the group's members and not the entire bloc.

FPNCC comprises the UWSA, Kachin Independence Army (KIA), National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP), Myanmar Nationalities Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), and Arakan Army (AA).

The Myanmar Army has repeatedly said it would not hold peace talks with the MNDAA, TNLA and AA because they came to existence only after the emergence of a democratic government, in contrast to other long-established ethnic armed groups.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

The post Non-Signatories Forgo Sending Delegation to NCA Anniversary appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

The EU-Myanmar IPA Threatens Emerging Democracy

Posted: 13 Oct 2017 01:52 AM PDT

Recently, the press had a field day with the leaked footage of British foreign minister Boris Johnson attempting to recite Rudyard Kipling's colonial-era Road To Mandalay in the grounds of Shwedagon Paya (it could have been worse). While such gaffes that call to mind the bad old days of colonialism are in bad taste, more pertinent stories about the West and its neo-colonial endeavors in Myanmar are going largely unreported. Since the so-called transition to democracy— a transition often misunderstood and much exaggerated— Myanmar has been the center of a "gold rush", as businesses from Asia and the West hope to make money from what has been called "Asia's last economic frontier".

The EU accounts for about 10 percent of foreign direct investment in Myanmar and is keen to raise that number with its planned Investment Protection Agreement (IPA), a wide-ranging agreement on trade that has been in-negotiation in recent years. Yet, it has raised considerable concerns from civil society groups about the lack of transparency in these negotiations, and the potential negative impacts of the treaty. In 2016, more than 500 CSOs jointly wrote to the EU commissioner, Cecilia Malmström, expressing their frustration with a "consultation process" run by consulting agency "Development Solutions"— one that amounted to little more than a few "workshops" in Yangon and a scant questionnaire. "…[O]ne key question is missing: the question whether we at all want an IPA," the letter states.

A key part of the IPA is that it would bring the Myanmar government under an Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) regime in regards to its dealings with EU companies. ISDS is a mechanism which allows investors to sue governments in independent arbitration courts, and its inclusion in recent multilateral treaties such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership have opened up a public debate about both its effectiveness and fairness towards developing countries.

In theory, an ISDS helps give confidence to foreign investors by protecting them against unstable governments that might renege on investment agreements. However, in practice, the mechanism has often been used to punish governments seeking to regulate industries, even if the regulation is in the interests of public safety. In 1997, over concerns about public health, the Canadian government effectively banned the chemical MMT. Following this, they were challenged by Ethyl, a US corporation that manufactured MMT in Canada. Ethyl argued that banning MMT violated the terms of the NAFTA agreement. Rather than go to an international tribunal, the Canadian government ended up repealing the ban and paying US$13 million to Ethyl in a settlement.

In 2016, the Ukrainian government was sued for $820 million by the US pharmaceutical company, Gilead. This was made possible by a 1994 US-Ukraine bilateral treaty which included an ISDS. Gilead, which was selling the anti-hepatitis C drug, Sofosbuvir, in the country was angered by the introduction of cheaper generic versions of the drug and wanted Ukraine to preserve its monopoly within the country. In early 2017, Gilead withdrew the threat and came to an agreement with Ukraine: They would lower their price, but competitors offering lower prices would be banned.

ISDS, once in place, effectively acts to put companies above the law, and this has chilling effects on democracy and on the ability of countries to legislate against and reform damaging corporate behavior. In Indonesia, following the dictatorial reign of Suharto, the government enacted laws against open-pit mining. A recent investigation by Buzzfeed News found that an Australian mining company, Newcrest, made veiled threats to the Indonesian government, stating that unless they were able to continue mining, they would bring in international tribunals. This wasn't an empty threat as the country had already suffered a $261 million loss at one of these tribunals, when Indonesia was forced to pay a US energy company, Karaha Bodas, for loss of potential future profits after the government closed down a power plant project due to lack of funds.

Concerns over ISDS were a focal point of an open letter in 2016 from almost 200 local CSOs in Myanmar calling for a suspension of the EU-Myanmar IPA: "Inclusion of an investor-state dispute settlement mechanism in the EU-Myanmar IPA will seriously hamper any initiatives for equitable and sustainable development by laying Myanmar wide open to multimillion dollar law suits by foreign investors should the governments introduce new and tighter regulation to protect public health, access to water, access to public services, degradation of the environment and regulation supporting a sustainable peace in Myanmar."

Yet, the EU seems determined to push through the law. In an interview earlier this year, the eagerness of resident EU Ambassador, Roland Kobia, to see the deal through seemed to be almost tangible as he warned that "Myanmar needs to get its act together" or investors would go elsewhere. Would they really though? There's no real evidence that such agreements have any effect on the number of investments at all. Even business-centric publications such as the Financial Times have begun to question the usefulness of ISDS in bilateral treaties.

In September, a consortium of Myanmar and international NGOs jointly launched a report "Myths and risks of the EU-Myanmar Investment Protection Agreement." Among other valuable insights, the report showed how the idea that the treaty would encourage investment was without solid grounding in evidence and how claims that it would help workers rights were mere aspirations. In fact, the opposite could be true, as there is already a precedent for companies suing governments for increasing the minimum wage, for example. It also outlined the potential chilling effects of the agreement on democratic and judicial reform, and the peace process, as well as the continued concerns about a lack of transparency.

Myanmar knows what it's like to have corporations play the bully. The British invasion of Mandalay in 1885, that deposed Thibaw, was kick-started by the actions of the Bombay Burmah Company, which misled the Burmese government about how much teak it was extracting and underpaid its employees. When the Burmese sanctioned them for this, the British suggested arbitration (run by the British, of course), a proto-ISDS, if you will. The arbitration never happened and the rest is history. It was a convenient excuse for the British to invade, yet while the West isn't going to march armies up the Irrawaddy anymore, it still pays to be cautious when foreign investors come knocking.

Back to the current day, on October 2 it was reported that the IPA had been suspended, due to the ongoing unrest in Rakhine State. While the reprieve is welcomed, the cynical will see it as merely optics rather than principles. When the EU inevitably resumes work on the IPA, will it finally listen to civil society?

Ewan Cameron is a teacher and writer living in Myanmar. He currently works for the Kachinland School of Arts and Sciences, part of the Humanity Institute.

This article originally appeared in Tea Circle, a forum hosted at Oxford University for emerging research and perspectives on Burma/Myanmar.

The post The EU-Myanmar IPA Threatens Emerging Democracy appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Govt Aims to Provide Electricity for Troubled Rakhine Townships in 2018

Posted: 13 Oct 2017 01:42 AM PDT

NAYPYITAW — The government has earmarked US$5.75 billion to provide electricity next year to more than 40 villages in the troubled northern Rakhine State townships of Buthidaung, Maungdaw and Rathedaung.

More than 500,000 self-identifying Rohingya Muslims have fled the region since militant attacks on police and army outposts mostly concentrated in Maungdaw triggered an army crackdown that has involved extrajudicial killings, rape, and the burning of Muslim villages, according to refugees in Bangladesh and satellite imagery.

Access to the area is heavily restricted, but a UN Human Rights Office report released on Oct. 11 based on 65 interviews conducted in Bangladesh with individuals and groups stated the security operations began before the militant attacks, with the intent not only to drive out the population but also prevent them from returning to their homes.

Some 30,000 ethnic Arakanese, Mro, Daignet and Hindus were also displaced by militant violence, according to the government, which denies international claims of ethnic cleansing.

The Myanmar Army chief has said the number fleeing to Bangladesh has been "exaggerated" and denies accusations of abuse by its  troops.

Deputy director-general of the electricity and energy ministry U Ye Toe Thwin told a press conference on Friday that Rakhine townships Ponnagyun and Sittwe have already been connected to the national power grid.

"We have started work to deliver electricity from Ponnagyun to Rathedaung, Buthidaung, and Maungdaw," he said. "According to the plan, we'll be able to provide electricity to Rathedaung in March 2018, and Buthidaung in June 2018, and Maungdaw by the end of 2018."

Tender has been invited for electrification of 18 villages in Rathedaung, 11 in Buthidaung and 15 in Maungdaw, according to the ministry.

"I had a question about electricity supply [for Rakhine State] from the national grid, and [the electricity ministry] promised to implement it in 2018," U Aung Thaung Shwe, a Lower House lawmaker in Rakhine State, told The Irrawaddy.

"I heard tender has been invited for it, but I don't see any work on the ground. I doubt if all the works could be implemented within a year," he said.

He explained that Maungdaw, Buthitaung and Rathedaung townships used to have electricity 3.5 hr to 5 hr a day, and  only around ten percent of the whole Rakhine State has electricity.

Maungdaw has a community-based electricity supply committee that buys electricity from local private suppliers.

In Buthidaung, the government currently provides electricity with two generators. It previously provided electricity for five hours a day. After the outbreak of violence in the area, electricity—at 35 kyats per unit—is being supplied from 6.30 p.m. to 4.30 a.m. daily, according to Buthidaung local Ko Aung.

Only 38 percent of the country's population is connected to the national grid, leaving 62 percent of the population, most of them in rural areas, without access to government-supplied electricity, deputy electricity minister Dr. Tun Lwin told Parliament in June.

The production cost of electricity by state-owned and private power plants is around 92 kyats per unit, but the price sold to users is 69 kyats on average. The government had to subsidize the gap, which created a loss of 337 billion kyats during the 2016-17 fiscal year, said the deputy minister.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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Thousands Evacuated in Vietnam as Floods, Landslides Kill 46

Posted: 12 Oct 2017 10:39 PM PDT

HANOI, Vietnam — Heavy rain in northern and central Vietnam triggered floods and landslides that killed 46 people and 33 people were missing in the worst such disaster in years, the search and rescue committee said on Thursday.

Vietnam often suffers destructive storms and floods due to its long coastline. More than 200 people were killed in storms last year.

“In the past 10 years, we haven’t suffered from such severe and intense floods,” state-run Vietnam Television quoted agriculture minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong as saying.

A typhoon tore a destructive path across central Vietnam just last month, flooding and damaging homes and knocking out power lines.

The latest floods hit Vietnam on Monday.

“Our entire village has had sleepless nights…it’s impossible to fight against this water, it’s the strongest in years,” a resident in northwestern Hoa Binh province was quoted by VTV as saying.

Vietnam’s Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control said authorities were discharging water from dams to control water levels.

Some 317 homes had collapsed, while more than 34,000 other houses were submerged or had been damaged.

Earlier reports said more than 8,000 hectares (19,800 acres) of rice had been damaged and around 40,000 animals were killed or washed away.

Hoa Binh province in the northwest declared a state of emergency and opened eight gates to discharge water at Hoa Binh dam, Vietnam’s largest hydroelectric dam, the first time it has done so in years, VTV reported.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc visited northern Ninh Binh province where water levels in the Hoang Long river are their highest since 1985.

Rising sea levels are also threatening Vietnam’s more than 3,260 km (2,000 mile) coastline, resulting in increased flooding of low lying coastal regions, erosion and salt water intrusion.

Floods have also affected seven of 77 provinces in Thailand, Vietnam’s neighbour to the west, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said on Thursday. More than 480,000 hectares (1.2 million acres) of agricultural land have been hit, the department said.

Thailand is the world’s second-biggest exporter of rice.

“It is still too soon to tell whether there will be damage to rice crops because most of the rice has already been harvested,” Charoen Laothamatas, president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, told Reuters.

In 2011, Thailand was hit by its worst flooding in half a century. The floods killed hundreds and crippled industry, including the country’s key automotive sector.

The post Thousands Evacuated in Vietnam as Floods, Landslides Kill 46 appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

State Counselor Forms Enterprise on Rakhine State, Calls for ‘Unity’

Posted: 12 Oct 2017 10:14 PM PDT

State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will lead the newly-formed Union Enterprise for Humanitarian Assistance, Resettlement and Development in Rakhine, a mechanism to bring stakeholders, the Union government, and local and international aid organizations together to tackle the humanitarian and human rights crisis in Rakhine State.

She announced the new enterprise during a public address on Thursday evening, the second speech she has delivered since dawn attacks on police and military outposts by Muslims militants the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) in northern Rakhine State on Aug. 25 killed 12 and plunged the region into violence.

On Sept. 19, she held a diplomatic briefing in Naypyitaw and explained her government's efforts on Rakhine State affairs with regard to national reconciliation and peace.

In the past seven weeks, more than 500,000 self-identifying Rohingya Muslims have fled northern Rakhine State in what the UN has described as a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing" with the Myanmar Army purposely driving out the Muslim population and destroying their property to prevent them from returning.

There have also been widespread allegations of rape, torture, extrajudicial killings committed by Myanmar security forces.

Some 30,000 ethnic Arakanese, Mro, Daignet, and Hindus were also displaced by ARSA violence, and more than a hundred civilians were killed by militants, according to the government.

The enterprise will tackle three main tasks: Repatriating and providing aid for those who have fled to Bangladesh, the resettlement and rehabilitation of returnees regardless of their race and religion, and establishing peace and bringing development to the region.

The vice chairman of the enterprise is Dr. Win Myat Aye, the union minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, who is also the chairman of the implementation committee for the recommendations of Dr. Kofi Annan's Advisory Commission on Rakhine State.

Myanmar needs to continue doing the things that needs to be done, and "should be done correctly, bravely and effectively," the state counselor emphasized.

"Rather than rebutting criticism and allegations with words, we will show the world by our actions and our deeds," she said in reference to myriad reports of human rights abuses and criticism of the Myanmar government on the world stage.

She said: "We need to understand international opinion. However, just as no one can fully understand the situation of our country the way we do, no one can desire peace and development for our country more than us. That is why we need to tackle these problems based on the strength of our unity."

As the Rakhine State affair is "a matter of national importance," Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said, government would take a leading role at both Union and state level and give "serious consideration the sincere offers of cooperation made at home and from abroad."

She invited non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations and business leaders as well as the international partners, UN agencies, financial institutions like the World Bank and ADB, INGOs like the Japan's Nippon Foundation and friendly countries, to join hands and cooperate with the government.

In her nine-minute long speech titled "Report to the People," Daw Aung San Sui Kyi said, she places "great hope in our Union's nationals" living within the country and abroad, and calling "all the sons and daughters of our Union" to give a helping a hand in resolving the Rakhine State issue.

She repeatedly emphasized, as in her previous speeches, the need to overcome the challenges with the power of people and extended her thanks to the public for the support they have been shown these days.

"There is no power which can compare with the support of the people, trust of the people and the unity of the people. I believe that no matter whatever difficulties we face, we can overcome, with the unity of our people," she said.

The post State Counselor Forms Enterprise on Rakhine State, Calls for 'Unity' appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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