The Irrawaddy Magazine |
- Analysis: Still Hope Kofi Annan Recommendations will Bring Stability to Rakhine
- Police Bring Five Charges Against Son of Former Sports Minister
- Two Dead in Kandawgyi Palace Hotel Fire
- Five Miners Shot Dead at Kachin Jade Mine
- Tanintharyi Land Protest Canceled at Last Minute
- Wreckage of Missing Military Jet Found
- Myanmar set for First Off-Road Motorbike Competition
| Analysis: Still Hope Kofi Annan Recommendations will Bring Stability to Rakhine Posted: 19 Oct 2017 05:51 AM PDT YANGON — During his five-day trip to Myanmar, the United Nation's under-secretary-general for political affairs urged the government and military to comprehensively implement the recommendations from the Kofi Annan-led Advisory Commission on Rakhine State. Under-Secretary-General Jeffrey Feltman is the highest UN official so far to urge the government and the country's powerful military to implement the recommendations. His visit came days after ex-UN chief Kofi Annan's briefing to UN Security Council members in his capacity as chair of the advisory commission, which was mandated to make recommendations for improving the situation in the state on conflict prevention, humanitarian assistance, reconciliation, institution-building and development. He said the recommendations of the advisory commission could still serve as a solid framework for achieving lasting peace in Rakhine before he highlighted some of the central issues the commission addressed in its recommendations. The issues include poverty, citizenship verification, closing internally displaced people (IDP) camps, border security and enhancing inter-communal dialogue between Arakanese and Muslims. "Implementation of our recommendations could help to stabilize the situation and address the humanitarian crisis," he told the council members on Friday. Soon after the release of the recommendations, Muslim militant group the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) attacked 30 police outposts and an army base in northern Rakhine. The attacks triggered Myanmar Army clearance operations, which forced more than 536,000 self-identifying Rohingya Muslims to flee for Bangladesh, bringing with them reports of indiscriminate killing, rape and arson by security forces. Tens of thousands of Arakanese have fled militant violence to other parts of the state, with the government denouncing ARSA as a terrorist group and saying it kills civilians. Kofi Annan said at the press briefing of the Security Council meeting that everybody present agreed on the short-term requirements—the cessation of violence, provision of humanitarian assistance to those in need, and work for the eventual voluntary return of those who in Bangladesh. Based on the discussion with Security Council members on Oct. 13, he said, the international community was prepared to engage with Myanmar, working on all the issues the commission has recommended in order to stabilize the situation. "If we don't, we are going to have a long term frustrating problem in the region which can be very serious down the line," he warned. Despite his encouragement to implement the recommendations, Kofi Annan acknowledged that it was difficult to get coherent and coordinated implementation of these recommendations because of the duality in the Myanmar leadership—both government and military hold powerful positions. "But we need to press ahead to work with the both sides and make sure that as a government they work together," he said. "I think it's important for Myanmar that [if] Rakhine is settled, that would give them time and space to focus on other major problems in the country at large because it can take lots of time and effort and resources," he added. The Myanmar government has welcomed the recommendations and vowed to implement them in the shortest possible time frame, according to a statement from the State Counselor's Office shortly after the report's release. But the ARSA offensive has delayed the implementations. Only on Sep. 12—18 days after the attacks—was a ministerial committee formed for the recommendations' rapid implementations. Some pilot projects were under way earlier this week, such as resettlement for Rakhine and Muslims villagers whose houses were burnt down. At the same time, national verifications cards for the citizenship process are being issued to Muslims at Shwezar village tract in Rakhine's Maungdaw Township, according to local media reports. The post Analysis: Still Hope Kofi Annan Recommendations will Bring Stability to Rakhine appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Police Bring Five Charges Against Son of Former Sports Minister Posted: 19 Oct 2017 05:10 AM PDT NAYPYITAW —Police have brought three more charges against U Phyo Ko Ko Tint San, bringing the total number of charges to five. The son of former sports minister U Tint San has been in detention in Naypyitaw since Sunday for illegal possession of firearms and illicit drugs. "Dekkhinathiri Police Station has filed three more charges against U Phyo Ko Ko Tint San," police captain Myint Soe of Dekkhinathiri central police station told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday. New charges include Article 67 of the Telecommunications Law for keeping walkie-talkies, Article 8 of the Export/Import Law for keeping drones, and Article 61(a) of the State Secrets Act for unauthorized use of National Security Council (NSC) logos in cars, and possession of bullet-proof jackets and camouflage jackets with SWAT badges similar to those worn by bodyguards of President U Htin Kyaw and State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Permanent secretary of the home affairs ministry U Tin Myint said an agency with such a badge and uniform did not exist, and that only the Union government could form such an agency. "There are incumbent officials and staff [of the ministry] who we've assigned security duties. And we are investigating to take actions against those who form [unofficial security agencies] themselves and hold guns," he said. According to the police investigation, U Phyo Ko Ko Tint San had been planning to establish a security company, but the badges and logos discovered in his property were problematic, said lawyer U Than Zaw Aung. "Can a private security company use terms like 'national' and 'council'? Normally 'special force' is the term used only by an armed organization and there is a need to find out his intention," he said. According to the police, violation of Article 67 of the Telecommunications Law is punishable by one year's imprisonment, Article 8 of the Export/Import Law, three years' imprisonment and Article 61(a) State Secrets Act, two years' imprisonment. On Sunday evening, police detained U Phyo Ko Ko Tint San at Naypyitaw Airport after discovering WY tablets, methamphetamine, two pistols and 72 bullets in his backpack. Police have so far detained 12 people in connection with the case, and reportedly seized over 20 firearms, and thousands of bullets at his house, company and hotel in Naypyitaw and Yangon. U Phyo Ko Ko Tint San is the chairman of ACE Co and contested in the 2012 by-election in Irrawaddy Region's Myaungmya Township, but lost. Additional Reporting by Htun Htun The post Police Bring Five Charges Against Son of Former Sports Minister appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Two Dead in Kandawgyi Palace Hotel Fire Posted: 19 Oct 2017 04:37 AM PDT YANGON — Two people were killed and another two were injured in a fire that gutted the Kandawgyi Palace Hotel in central Yangon on Thursday morning. The body of a Japanese businessman in his sixties was identified by the Japanese Embassy on Thursday and the body of a second person, found on the hotel's fifth floor, was sent to Yangon Hospital for a post-mortem, said U Htay Lwin, spokesperson of Htoo Group of Companies which operates the hotel. "We are still identifying the nationality of the victim. We'll check CCTV records and publish the findings. But for the time being, we don't know the cause of the fire," he said. A fire broke out on the fifth floor of the hotel around 3 a.m. on Thursday morning, and a Chinese woman from Macao jumped from the 3rd floor of the hotel to escape the fire, causing hip injuries. Firefighter U Kyaw Swar Lin sustained a head injury after a wooden beam fell on him and broke apart his helmet. He was then rushed to Yangon People's Hospital and underwent an emergency operation.  After police questioned managers U Thiha and U Kyaw Min Soe of the hotel, they were charged with causing accidental death under Article 304 (a) of the Penal Code and causing the fire, according to U Hla Htay, lawmaker representing Mingalar Taung Nyunt Township in the Yangon regional parliament. "The hotel was already on fire when I heard two blasts. I was at the scene around 3.30 a.m. It was an intense blaze, then I heard blasts of something like gas cylinders and oil tanks," said a witness who lives at an apartment near the hotel. According to U Htay Lwin, the hotel has fire insurance with Myanma Insurance, and also has insurance for guests at a foreign insurance company. At the time of the outbreak, 141 guests—most of them foreigners—were lodging at the hotel. Guests were transferred to the Chatrium Hotel and Rose Garden Hotel. The fire damaged about 80 percent of the hotel, and the company is yet to calculate financial loss, said U Htay Lwin.  The location of the Kandawgyi Palace Hotel is said, according to the hotel's website, to be the place famous Mon Queen Shin Saw Bu took her last breathe. The oldest parts of the existing building were built during the era of British Burma and became the exclusive "Boat Club" in 1934, where it served as home to the European community in what was then known as Rangoon. The place became the site of the Rangoon Rowing Club, a popular haunt with British officers and elite expatriates in the 1930s. During World War II, the two-story, red-brick building was used by the Japanese as a welfare department. In 1948, the property became the National Biological Museum and in 1979, the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism took over the site and converted it into a hotel, featuring 10 teak bungalows, which in 1993 were replaced by a larger lakeside building. The building that was burnt down on Thursday morning was built in the design of golden-teak Thai architecture, as operators Baiyoke Group of Hotels hail from Bangkok, according to the Kandawgyi Palace Hotel. It has been operated by Htoo Group of Companies under his hospitality business until now.  The post Two Dead in Kandawgyi Palace Hotel Fire appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Five Miners Shot Dead at Kachin Jade Mine Posted: 19 Oct 2017 04:10 AM PDT MANDALAY — Five freelance miners were shot dead and at least 20 injured when security forces opened fire on them for scavenging for jade scraps on Wednesday evening in the Lone Kin mining area of Kachin State. According to witnesses, police tried to stop a couple of prospectors who were searching for residues of jade at the operation of Myanmar-China joint venture Triple One Company in the Ngopin Phawar jade mining area of Sankhar village. A witness who did not want to be named out of fear for their safety said a prospector complained of being injured by a stone thrown by police. "Angry prospectors gathered later and confronted the police," said the witness. A group of prospectors then attacked the police, who were providing security for the mining company, and destroyed a piece of heavy machinery, according to first-hand accounts. "The prospectors and the police threw stones at each other. Both sides were hurt and later the police opened fire, killing five prospectors on the spot," said the witness, adding that out of the injured, nine were in a serious condition. Two policemen, one of them a colonel, were also injured, said witnesses. The police station in Lone Kin said the incident is under investigation and declined to comment further. Local lawmakers told The Irrawaddy those who sustained serious injuries were sent to Myitkyina Hospital in the Kachin capital while others were sent to Lone Kin Hospital for treatment. "The prospectors are allowed to work under a time limit in certain areas. We heard the prospectors went before the opening time and clashed with the police there," said U Lashi Daseng, MP of Hpakant. The lawmaker said the situation in the area is under control and calm. In Lone Kin and Hpakant jade mining areas, clashes between freelance miners, jade mining firms and security forces are not uncommon, as the firms do not want the prospectors to work in their areas. Local administration offices have mediated negotiations between the prospectors and firms in order to allow prospectors restricted access to the areas. The post Five Miners Shot Dead at Kachin Jade Mine appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Tanintharyi Land Protest Canceled at Last Minute Posted: 19 Oct 2017 02:54 AM PDT MAWLAMYINE, Mon State — Some 200 demonstrators canceled a protest against Tanintharyi Region's chief minister, agriculture and irrigation minister and municipal minister over land confiscation for Dawei Urban Development Project at the last minute on Wednesday morning. At first demonstrators refused to disperse though police discouraged them from staging a protest, saying that the placards and slogans prepared by the demonstrators are against the peaceful assembly and procession law. The placards labeled the Tanintharyi Region government inefficient and also called for the resignations of the chief minister and two other ministers. "At the last minute, we protest leaders negotiated with participants and decided to cancel the protest in consideration of regional law and order. We decided not to stage the protest because we were not allowed to hold those placards," Ma Yi Yi Htwe, a protest leader told The Irrawaddy.  The placards reflect the voices of farmers and people and protestors decided not to stage a protest without those placards, she said. The regional government said that over 350 acres of land in what is now the Dawei Urban Development Project area were confiscated for government ownership since 1990, but farmers said they paid to farm the land until 2011. The U Thein Sein government leased out the land to private companies to build government buildings, residential apartments and shopping centers in an urban development project, leading to clashes between the authorities, company employees and local farmers. The Tanintharyi regional government said in a statement on Sept. 17, 2017 that 40 by 60 foot plots of land in other locations have been recompensed to 63 of 70 farmers whose farmlands are in the urban development project area. The statement also said the regional government would recompense land plots for the seven remaining farmers. However, the farmers have refused to accept land compensation, and called for talks with the government and private companies. The government of the National League for Democracy (NLD) continued leasing out farmlands to private businesspeople though local farmers hoped that it would return those lands instead, said Ma Yi Yi Htwe. "Chief minister Dr. Lei Lei Maw, and the agricultural and municipal ministers are mainly responsible for this. So, we planned to stage a demonstration to call for their resignation," said Ma Yi Yi Htwe. Dawei Public Development Co has won most of the contracts for property development on the controversial lands and has been building residences for ministers, apartments for parliament staff, and residential buildings. About 20 farmers have been sued in clashes with company employees since construction started, according to Ma Yi Yi Htwe. The Irrawaddy was not able to contact concerned police officers, lawmakers and the speaker of the regional parliament for their remarks. The post Tanintharyi Land Protest Canceled at Last Minute appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Wreckage of Missing Military Jet Found Posted: 19 Oct 2017 01:12 AM PDT PATHEIN, Irrawaddy Region — The wreckage of a Myanmar Air Force training jet that went missing more than one month ago was found on Wednesday evening, some 12 miles south of Gwa Township in Rakhine State. The G-4 military training aircraft flown by two pilots disappeared during a training exercise over Pathein, Gwa, Hinthada, and back to Pathein, the capital of Irrawaddy Region, on Sept. 5. The plane lost contact about 36 miles northwest of Pathein. A senior military officer who joined the search for the aircraft confirmed on the condition of anonymity to The Irrawaddy that the wreckage was recovered on Wednesday evening. He said more troops would be brought on the area on Thursday to continue the search. Ground troops carried out the search for the missing aircraft, with help from the air force's aircraft and helicopters. On Wednesday—the 44th day of the search and rescue mission—troops found the plane's nose cone, one wheel, two wings, and machine parts, according to a statement from the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services. The statement also said "seat" and "parachute" were recovered but did not clarify whether it was one or two. The search continues for pilot Maj. Kaung Htike and co-pilot Capt. Thaw Zin Soe along with the rest of the wreckage. An investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing. The incident came two months after a Chinese-made Y-8-200F Myanmar military transport plane crashed into the Andaman Sea on route to Yangon, killing all 122 soldiers, family members and crew on board. State media in July said the plane nosedived into the sea because of bad weather. Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko. The post Wreckage of Missing Military Jet Found appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
| Myanmar set for First Off-Road Motorbike Competition Posted: 18 Oct 2017 11:37 PM PDT MANDALAY — Off-road motorcyclists are preparing for Myanmar's first enduro competition, a long-distance cross-country time trial to be held in Mandalay. The Myanmar Enduro Competition 2017 will take place on Nov. 18 on Nay Kar Hill Range in Patheingyi Township, about 10 kilometers east of Mandalay city center, and include a 17.5 kilometer track. "We organized this as the country's first, to unearth the skilled enduro riders of the country as well as to create awareness about the enduro motorcycles and the sport," said the organizer Ko Aung Win Tun, a member of Mandalay Free Rider group. Mandalay is not only known as Myanmar's cultural capital but also as a city of motorbikes, with the population having the highest rate of motorbike ownership in the country. Many young motorcyclists ride enduro motorcycles such as the Yamaha Street Tracker and Honda Grom, not to race but to ride for pleasure on the streets on Mandalay. Although there has been high interest in competitions, motorcyclists have been hampered by a lack of racing circuits to practice off-road. Many risk their own and other lives by practicing stunts and racing on city roads. "From this competition, we would like to show how these off-road motorcycles are used. We are also hoping to open the racing opportunities for the sport enthusiasts and to have racing circuits in the future, too," said Ko Aung Win Tun. The competition is exclusively for Myanmar riders. However, riders from five enduro clubs from China, Thailand and Indonesia will ride with the Myanmar competitors as honorary guests. According to the organizers, the competition has no restrictions on the type or brand of motorcycle used. There will be two types of race groups split by engine power: 125-230CC and 231-650CC. "There will be a challenge race at the base camp, on that day, just for the amateur riders, just for fun. Anyone who is interested can participate in this walk-in competition. We have no limitations on the motorcycles for that race," he added. A photography competition for photographers across the country will run along with the enduro competition. The distribution of competition entry forms will begin this weekend at motorbike stores in Mandalay. Organizers are hoping dozens of riders will enter. The post Myanmar set for First Off-Road Motorbike Competition appeared first on The Irrawaddy. |
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