Tuesday, October 24, 2017

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Tears in Rain as Thais Gather for Late King’s Funeral

Posted: 24 Oct 2017 06:07 AM PDT

BANGKOK, Thailand — Somber crowds began gathering to pay final respects to Thailand's late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, braving a tropical downpour to camp out along the funeral procession route for a monarch who died last year and was revered by some as a demi-god.

The five-day Buddhist ceremony, which begins on Wednesday, has taken nearly a year to prepare and 3 billion baht (US$90 million) has been set aside to pay for the funeral.

Arriving a day early to guarantee their place for a funeral that is expected to draw 250,000 people, mourners pitched flimsy tents in the middle of Bangkok's old quarter to provide some protection from the torrential rain.

Hotels in the old town neighborhood have been booked up weeks in advance, and a national holiday has been declared for Oct. 26, the day of the cremation.

Although he was a constitutional monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej has been credited with reviving the prestige of the monarchy.

Aged 88 when he died, the king was viewed by many people a pillar of stability in the politically turbulent Southeast Asian country, where a military junta currently holds power.

The king's cremation site, which features gold-tipped pavilions built for the occasion, is a stone’s throw from the Grand Palace, popular with foreign tourists.

Even though the funeral had yet to begin, many of the people gathering had tears in their eyes and were visibly emotional. Hunched beneath a makeshift tent made of cloth and string, Chalermporn Paebutr, a 72-year-old woman from northern Thailand, described her determination to bid farewell to a much-loved monarch.

"I traveled here two days ago so that I could be the first to get a good spot," she told Reuters. "We only have to brave the rain for a few days. This is worth it if we can be near him one last time."

Around 1,000 people had camped overnight in the downpour, police said on Tuesday. Some only had their plastic raincoats for protection.

Thailand has suffered floods since Oct. 10. Nine people have died, and 19 of the country’s 77 provinces have been hit affected.

"The floods will not affect the cremation ceremony in any way," interior minister Anupong Paochinda told reporters.

New King Maha Vajiralongkorn, the late king's only son, will lead the cremation ceremony.

Thailand has a harsh law, known as Article 112, against insulting the monarchy, and prosecutions have skyrocketed since the junta came to power following a coup in 2014.

The United Nations has voiced concern over the use of the law to clamp down on free speech and has repeatedly called on Thailand to amend it.

The post Tears in Rain as Thais Gather for Late King's Funeral appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Rakhine Crisis in Numbers

Posted: 24 Oct 2017 05:58 AM PDT

YANGON — Since Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) attacked police outposts in northern Rakhine State on Aug. 25, security personnel and hundreds of militants have been killed, but undoubtedly civilians have been hit hardest.

The militant attacks and ensuing military operations have thrown scores of Hindus, Arakanese and self-identifying Rohingya Muslims into turmoil. The Irrawaddy illustrates the crisis in the following infographics, which show the total death toll of the crisis, high number of abductions, alleged mass killings, and the stream of Muslim refugees fleeing for Bangladesh—now at more than 600,000.

Outposts Under Attack and Mass Destruction

The map below shows the locations of 30 border police outposts attacked by ARSA on Aug 25 in the entire Maungdaw district. It also provides the positions of villages burnt down in the aftermath of the attacks. International organizations, rights groups, and fleeing self-identifying Rohingya say the military and local Arakanese are behind the arson. The military and government says the culprits are militants and even the Muslim homeowners themselves.

Civilian Deaths Allegedly by Militants

Although ARSA has denied targeting civilians, The Irrawaddy reporters have spoke with Hindus who have given first-hand accounts of an ARSA attack. In addition to Hindus, this bar graph shows the rising number of Muslims and Arakanese reportedly killed by militants prior to the Aug. 25 attacks.

Abductions in Northern Rakhine State

These are the numbers of Hindus, Muslims and Arakanese believed to have been abducted by ARSA for collaborating with the government from 2016 October to 2017 October.

Rakhine Crisis Death Toll

The death toll among ARSA fighters, civilians and government troops based on statistics collected by the UN and the government.

Exodus of Muslims and non-Muslims

Militant violence has displaced nearly 30,000 non-Muslims in Maungdaw district—mainly Arakanese sub-ethnic groups Mro, Thet and Daingnet as well as Hindus. Meanwhile, more than 603,000 self-identifying Rohingyas—locally known as "Bengalis"—have fled to Bangladesh to escape military clearance operations.

Within a few weeks of Aug. 25, the total number of Muslim refugees climbed to a half million on the Bangladeshi border. The Irrawaddy visualizes the beginnings of the mass exodus in the following map using UN statistics.

Refugee Elsewhere

Myanmar's problem of internally displaced people (IDPs) and refugees is not only confined to Rakhine State. The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre documented in 2014 an increase of 140,000 IDPs after 2012 communal riot in Rakhine State.

Moreover, civil wars between the government army and dozens of ethnic armed organizations have resulted in at least 500,000 IDPs in Shan, Kachin, Karen, Mon, Kaya, Bago, and Tanitharyi areas in 2014.

The post Rakhine Crisis in Numbers appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Military, USDP Lawmakers call for Rethink on Fiscal Year Change

Posted: 24 Oct 2017 05:44 AM PDT

NAYPYITAW — Military representatives to Parliament and lawmakers of the opposition Union Solidarity and Development party (USPD) have called for reconsideration of the changing of the fiscal year.

Lawmakers debated at the Union Parliament on Monday the President's proposal to change the fiscal year originally from the period of April 1 to March 30, to the period of October 1 to September 30.

Military representative Maj. Thaung Htike Soe argued against the proposal, saying that the current fiscal year has been practised for the past 40 years, and the change would lead to inconvenience.

"Under the current fiscal year, we can disburse agricultural loans to farmers, which constitute 70 percent of the country's population, prior to the cultivation season [before the rainy season]," he said.

"Now we share the same fiscal year with Japan, one of our donors, and we therefore can receive assistance from it. With the current fiscal year, we don't need to change the Union budget law," he said.

U Thaung Aye, USDP MP in the Lower House, spoke of the risks of scrapping an established system.

"When the new government took office, it reduced the number of existing ministers and combined some ministries. So it was difficult to know the real situation of each department," he said.

"People now are facing financial hardship, limited job opportunities and climate change so it is not yet a good time to change the fiscal year."

According to the President's proposal, the new fiscal year allows construction work to be started immediately after the beginning of the fiscal year and continued for eight consecutive dry months.

However, Maj. Thaung Htike Soe said the current fiscal year keeps balance because construction works can be divided into two periods in a project's lifecycle—six months for preparation and procurement of materials, and another six months for implementing the operation.

The President's proposal also argued that the beginning of the budget year is immediately followed by Thingyan public holidays under the current fiscal year system.

However, Maj. Thaung Htike Soe said Thingyan public holidays have been reduced to five days as of this year, and that period has no significant impact on functions of the fiscal year.

"When a fiscal year starts doesn't matter. What matters is people and departments. If departments which are responsible for administration of the country and all the people can perform their duties in unity and in line with rules and regulations, there won't be any difficulty," said U Aung Min, chairman of the Lower House Public Accounts Committee.

Currently, 12 countries including the United States of America, Thailand and Laos practise the Oct-Sept fiscal year.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

The post Military, USDP Lawmakers call for Rethink on Fiscal Year Change appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Arrest Warrant Stalls for Alleged Sex Predator Who Claimed to be Next Buddha

Posted: 24 Oct 2017 04:37 AM PDT

MAWLAMYINE, Mon State — A 25-year-old man who reportedly postured as the next Buddha in order to seduce young girls is yet to be detained despite state government calls for his arrest.

Khun Tan of Mon State's Thaton Township convinced local Pa-O people he was the reincarnation of influential and respected Pa-O monk Alantaya Sayadaw Ashin Sakka, according to reports.

With many parents in the area believing that their daughters sleeping with Khun Tan would be a blessing, he is said to have seduced hundreds of girls, mostly aged around 15.

Mon State government was planning to issue an arrest warrant against him but was stalled as none of the girls reportedly targeted by Khun Tan has reported him to police for rape or sexual assault.

"Khun Tan is not on the arrest warrant list of the government because no one filed a lawsuit against him," said Daw Khaing Khaing Lei, the chairperson of Mon State Parliament Women and Child Rights Protection Committee.

Khun Tan holding a gun in a jungle in Karen State. (The Irrawaddy)

Khun Tan arrived when he was seven in Thaton, where Pa-O custom advises that a bride thought to be born ill fated can be rebalanced by nominally marrying a man who has good astrological influence.

"I can't establish a case as a guardian of my daughters. My wife and daughters have given him their lives and virginity. If they say Khun Tan didn't even touch them, it is difficult for me to file complaint," said U Win Nyunt, whose two daughters had nominal marriages with Khun Tan.

After the nominal marriage ceremony, Khun Tan took his two daughters to Shan State for about 10 days. In his ward alone, there were seven girls who had nominal marriages with Khun Tan.

"Some parents were even upset that Khun Tan didn't marry their daughter," said U Win Nyunt.

The head of Thaton central police station confirmed to The Irrawaddy that the police station has not received any complaint against him over the last two months or in the past.

In August, Mon State government arrested five monks, who were the members of Alantaya Pagoda Board of Trustees and supporters of Khun Tan, after they defied the order of the Mon State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee—the state Buddhist authority—to stop repairing the pagoda without official permission.

Alantaya Pagoda. (The Irrawaddy)

The trustees were remodeling the pagoda after Yangon's Shwedagon Pagoda. The state government has sought permission from Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture to arrest two more trustees of the pagoda.

"Complaints were only filed against the trustees, and not against Khun Tan. So, Khun Tan was not under warrant," said Daw Khaing Khaing Lei.

Khun Tan reportedly fled to his native Hopong in Shan State's Taunggyi District some two months ago after the arrest of the trustees.

Thaton District General Administration Department is interrogating the administrator of Zayit Chaung village in Alantaya Religious Area for allegedly covering up a rape case committed by Khun Tan, according to the district commissioner.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

The post Arrest Warrant Stalls for Alleged Sex Predator Who Claimed to be Next Buddha appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

US Says it is Considering Sanctions Over Myanmar’s Treatment of Self-Identifying Rohingya

Posted: 23 Oct 2017 10:33 PM PDT

WASHINGTON, United States — The United States is taking steps and considering a range of further actions over Myanmar's treatment of its self-identifying Rohingya Muslim minority, including targeted sanctions under its Global Magnitsky law, the State Department said on Monday.

"We express our gravest concern with recent events in Myanmar's Rakhine state and the violent, traumatic abuses Rohingya and other communities have endured," it said in a statement.

It added: "It is imperative that any individuals or entities responsible for atrocities, including non-state actors and vigilantes, be held accountable."

Self-identifying Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar in large numbers since late August when Muslim insurgent attacks sparked a ferocious military response, with the fleeing people accusing security forces of arson, killings and rape.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Wednesday the United States held Myanmar's military leadership responsible for its crackdown on the self-identiRohingya Muslim minority.

Tillerson stopped short of saying whether the United States would take any action against Myanmar's military leaders over an offensive that has driven more than 600,000 self-identifying Rohingya Muslims out of the country, mostly to neighboring Bangladesh.

The State Department made the announcement ahead of US President Donald Trump's maiden visit to the region early next month when he will attend a summit of ASEAN countries, including Myanmar, in Manila.

It marked the strongest US response so far to the months-long self-identifying Rohingya crisis but came short of applying the most drastic tools at Washington's disposal such as reimposing broader economic sanctions suspended under the Obama administration.

Critics have accused the Trump administration of acting too slowly and timidly in response to the self-identifying Rohingya crisis.

The State Department said on Monday: "We are exploring accountability mechanisms available under US law, including Global Magnitsky targeted sanctions."

Measures already taken include ending travel waivers for current and former members of the military in Myanmar, also known as Burma, and barring units and officers in northern Rakhine State from US assistance, it said.

"We have rescinded invitations for senior Burmese security forces to attend US-sponsored events; we are working with international partners to urge that Burma enables unhindered access to relevant areas for the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission, international humanitarian organizations, and media," the statement said.

In addition, Washington is "consulting with allies and partners on accountability options at the UN, the UN Human Rights Council, and other appropriate venues," it said.

Aimed at top generals?

Interviews with more than a dozen diplomats and government officials based in Washington, Myanmar's capital, Yangon, and Europe have revealed that punitive measures aimed specifically at top generals were among a range of options being discussed in response to the self-identifying Rohingya crisis.

Such measures could include the possibility of imposing asset freezes and prohibiting American citizens from doing business with them.

Washington has worked hard to establish close ties with Myanmar's civilian-led government led by Nobel laureate and former dissident Aung San Suu Kyi in the face of competition from strategic rival China.

Forty-three US lawmakers urged the Trump administration to reimpose US travel bans on Myanmar's military leaders and prepare targeted sanctions against those responsible for the crackdown.

The Magnitsky Act, originally passed in 2012, imposed visa bans and asset freezes on Russian officials linked to the 2009 death in prison of Sergei Magnitsky, a 37-year-old Russian whistleblower. It has since been expanded to become the Global Magnitsky Act, which could be used against the generals in Myanmar.

The post US Says it is Considering Sanctions Over Myanmar's Treatment of Self-Identifying Rohingya appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Ten Things to do in Yangon This Week

Posted: 23 Oct 2017 09:43 PM PDT

Radio Festival

Famous singers will be performing at Myanmar's first radio festival.

Oct. 28, 4 pm. Myanmar Event Park.  Free tickets available at 4 TV Main Showroom at the corner of Pyay Road and Hanthawaddy Street until Oct. 27 between 10 am and 5 pm.

Myanmar Color Festival

Select your favorite colored powder to amazing DJ's and artists from Myanmar and around the world.

Oct. 29, 4 pm. Kandawgyi Park.  Tickets—8,000 kyats per person— available at Parami Pizza restaurants & Union Bar and Grill.

Sai Sai Kham Leng Show

Sai Sai Kham Leng will meet his fans to mark the one-year anniversary of branded cosmetics with his name.

Oct. 29, 1 pm. Junction Square. Free Admission.

Ni Ni Khin Zaw's New Album Promotion

Ni Ni Khin Zaw is releasing her third solo album and will sing for her fans.

Oct. 29, 3 pm. Hledan Center. Free Admission

Employment Fair

More than 30 companies will be hiring at this event.

Oct. 29, 9 am to 4 pm. Rose Garden Hotel, Upper Pansodan Street.

50th Street Halloween

There will be a costume competition with prizes.

Oct. 27, 8 pm to 1 am.  50th Street Café Restaurant Bar.

Wearing Yukata

If you are learning Japanese and want to understand more about the country's culture, you may try wearing Yukata, a casual summer Kimono.  Only 20 persons—male and female—will be allowed. Registration on the Facebook page of the Japan Culture House.

Oct. 27, 11 am, and 2 pm. Japan Culture House, Room 322B, 2nd Floor, Building C, Pearl Condo, Kabaraye Pagoda Road.

World Police Band Concert

Police bands of Myanmar, Japan, Singapore and Vietnam will perform as part of the 22nd World Police Band Concert.

Oct. 28-29. Along Sule Pagoda Road, Strand Road and Bogyoke Aung San Road.

Moon Light: Art Exhibition

Paintings of U Ngwe Kai, U Ba Kyi, Paw Oo Thet, Kin Maung Yin—some of Myanmar's most renowned and respected late artists—will be showcased.

Oct. 21-27. Moon Art Gallery, 35th Street (Middle Block)

The 5th Grand Art Stream 2017: Lun Family Art Exhibition

This exhibition will feature over 100 paintings by artist Lun Gywe and his family members.

Oct. 28-30. Yangon Gallery.

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