Friday, November 10, 2017

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Child Rights Groups Campaign Against Corporal Punishment

Posted: 10 Nov 2017 04:15 AM PST

YANGON — For the first time, child rights groups in Myanmar will conduct a campaign to raise public awareness about eliminating all corporal punishment against children from Nov. 11 to 18, ahead of Universal Children's day.

Daw Ni Ni Hla, Head of Program of Child Rights Governance of Save the Children, told The Irrawaddy that the campaign hopes to raise public awareness of positive alternative methods for the benefit of children as opposed to the physical or mental abuse sometimes inflicted.

"It seems like it's no big deal. But it could undermine self-value and self-respect of children and make them grow fearful…If they don't learn to respect themselves, they won't respect others. The physical admonition is just being used as a means to assert authority."

Hitting or beating children— in other words, corporal punishment—and verbal abuse for indiscretions are regarded as normal behavior among many adults in Myanmar society.

But with a handful of cases of harsh punishment against children going viral on social media, netizens voiced anger over the disciplinary method.

In a recent case, a teacher at a primary school in Bago Region gave two girls and three boys in her classroom the punishment of standing in front of the class half naked. In another case in 2015, a household maid repeatedly beat a naked 8-year-old girl living in the home of a military lawmaker in Bahan Township of Yangon.

The "Stop Corporal Punishment Campaign," which was organized by the NGOs Child Rights Working Group (NCRWG) will start on social media platforms, sharing campaign posts and videos on Save the Children in Myanmar page and local artists' pages, from Nov. 11 to 17.

As part of the campaign, an estimated 1,000 to 3,000 campaigners will also gather at Mahabandoola Park in Yangon from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Nov. 18. The campaign will also be conducted in Karenni and Shan states, and Magwe Region along with Yangon.

Daw Ni Ni Hla from the Save the Children said under the draft bill of the revised 1993 Child Law, corporal punishment against children is prohibited. Physical or mental abuse against children, including beating or any kind of punishment, by anyone including parents, teachers or employees will bring a month to two years imprisonment or a fine of between 300, 000 kyats and 500, 000 kyats, or both, as penalties.

The child or the representative in respect of his or her rights can file complaint under the law.

Daw Ni Ni Hla stressed that public awareness of the law and the directive issued by the government that said corporal punishment shouldn't be used at schools needs to be raised widely.

"When the public shares incidents of child abuse, they also need to be aware that they should cover the kids' private areas and faces. But most aren't aware," she added.

She said the rights groups will consult with the parliamentary Bill Committee in the coming weeks ahead of the revised Child Law going to Parliament.

NCRWG, formed in 2009, is a working group of more than 50 child-focused INGOs and local NGOs that work together to fulfill the rights of children in Myanmar.

The post Child Rights Groups Campaign Against Corporal Punishment appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Analysis: How will the Myanmar Army React to US Sanctions?

Posted: 10 Nov 2017 03:56 AM PST

YANGON — It has been nearly a month now since the EU and US State Department issued announcements on taking action against Myanmar's military leadership and the consideration of targeted sanctions. But the military is yet to officially respond.

Both the EU and US suspended invitations to the Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces and other senior military officers and pledged to review all practical defense cooperation due to the disproportionate use of force against Rohingya Muslims in northern Rakhine State.

The military leadership has remained tight-lipped on the US sanctions. The Facebook page of the military chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing has been radio silent on the issue.

The page normally posts important statements as well as lengthy meeting minutes between the Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing and international dignitaries in which the army chief talks about the Rakhine issue and how the army is operating on the ground.

Only the country's defence minister Lt-Gen Sein Win told the media at a sideline interview that they were not concerned about the restrictions against the military leadership on Oct 15, one day before the EU's announcement to cut ties with the Myanmar military.

"We are not much worried about what other people said [about the sanctions] as we are doing right things to defend the country," he said.

The State Counselor Office's director-general U Zaw Htay told The Irrawaddy that the US actions could hinder the government's ongoing peace process, development and democratization as a whole.

"Their actions are not compatible with where we are heading now. Ordinary people are the most vulnerable when it comes to sanctions," he said.

Analysts said the sanctions were meant to shame the Myanmar military in to pursuing the army's accountability for human rights abuses in Rakhine State.

On the other hand, it's interesting to know if the sanctions would put more strain on relations between the Myanmar military leadership and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

It has been reported that the government and the military—the most powerful and established institution in Myanmar—are not stable. When asked in an interview with Radio Free Asia, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi described relations as "normal." But other signs suggest relations are not good, the most recent example being the declaration of a state of emergency in Rakhine State.

For the recent sanctions, the military leadership would surely feel annoyed, for they have been identified in the Rakhine issue as a main culprit of the atrocities there. The military has historically been suspicious of the Lady given her proximity to the West. What if they think Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is behind the sanctions against them in an effort to divert mounting international pressure on the Rohingya issue?

If they really have that impression, the national reconciliation between the armed forces and the Daw Aung San Suu Kyi-led government would be rockier.

Once again, State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi would be walking a difficult tightrope, as she can't officially defend the military against the sanctions.

Any act to stand with the army on the Rakhine issue would severely tarnish her global reputation, one that has already been tainted due to her silence on the Rohingya issue. But she is also in danger of being seen as an accomplice in the sanctions.

So far, she hasn't made any comments about the issue. The strongest statements she has made about the army operation was in her diplomatic briefing in September: "Human rights violations and all other acts that impair stability and harmony and undermine the rule of law will be addressed in accordance with strict norms of justice."

Next week will see Rex Tillerson's visit to Myanmar, where he is supposed to meet with the country's leaders, including Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing. It should be taken for granted that the army chief and the secretary of state will discuss the sanctions in more detail.

Actually, they already had a conversation right after the US sanction announcement, but the outcome hasn't been publicized yet. Hopefully, next week's meetings in Naypyitaw will shed more light on the issue, and the US will learn more about how the Myanmar military really feels about the return of sanctions.

The post Analysis: How will the Myanmar Army React to US Sanctions? appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Police Confirm Protest Ban in Downtown Yangon

Posted: 10 Nov 2017 02:57 AM PST

YANGON — Yangon police have confirmed that demonstrations and rallies will no longer be permitted in the city's downtown and other dense urban areas, according to an order from the Regional Home Affairs Ministry.

The 11 townships covered by the protest ban are Kyauktada, Pabedan, Latha, Lanmadaw, Botahtaung, Bahan, Sanchaung, Dagon, Ahlone, Mingalar Taung Nyunt and Pazundaung.

The areas are in critical parts of the city and have thoroughfares used by the public and VIPs. Rallies interrupt commuter traffic, cause a nuisance to the public, and raise safety concerns, the directive said.

Groups applying to hold rallies within the 11 townships will be directed to Hit Taing field in Tamwe Township. Police officials from Botahtaung and Pabedan townships confirmed to The Irrawaddy that they had received the order on Wednesday.

Yangon's City Hall is located in Kyauktada Township in the heart of downtown and is one of the most concentrated areas in the city. Most rallies and demonstrations are held outside Mahabandoola Park, which is located in front of City Hall, to draw attention from the public.

The latest gatherings to be held in front of City Hall were an interfaith peace rally organized by the Yangon chapter of the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party on Oct. 31 and attended by Divisional Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein, and a pro-military and nationalist rally, in which thousands of people participated.

The rallies caused severe traffic congestion and attracted complaints from commuters.

U Kyaw Zay Ya, a regional lawmaker representing Dagon Township, told The Irrawaddy that the move would inconvenience those who wanted to hold rallies.

"Prohibiting protests in specific areas where there is a school or government offices is acceptable but restricting them in a whole area [township] is not logical," he said.

Myanmar's Peaceful Assembly and Procession Law requires demonstrators to notify local authorities 48 hours in advance of staging a protest or rally in a public area.

The post Police Confirm Protest Ban in Downtown Yangon appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Journalists Sentenced Under Unexpected Charge for Flying Drone Over Parliament

Posted: 10 Nov 2017 02:41 AM PST

YANGON — Two foreign journalists and two Myanmar nationals were sentenced to two months in jail at a Naypyitaw court today under an unexpected charge after attempting to fly a drone near Myanmar's Parliament.

Journalists Lau Hon Meng from Singapore and Mok Choy Lin from Malaysia along with interpreter Aung Naing Soe and driver Hla Tin were charged under the colonial-era 1934 Myanmar Aircraft Act.

The four also face charges under the 2012 Export and Import Law for illegally bringing the drone into the country, which carries a penalty of up to three years in jail. They have been in custody since Oct. 27 and will face the charge in the next trial on Nov. 16.

The defendants and their lawyers were aware of the export/import charge, but the plaintiff's lawyer informed the court today of another complaint under the aircraft act.

Mok Choy Lin asked the judge of the punishment for breaching the aircraft act, who replied it would be either three months' imprisonment or a 50,000 kyats fine, according to U Khin Maung Zaw, the lawyer for Aung Naing Soe, Hla Tin and Mok Choy Lin.

Mok Choy Lin and Lau Hon Meng agreed to each pay the fine and admitted to the charge. Initially, Aung Naing Soe and Hla Tin rejected the complaint, arguing they were not journalists.

The judge told the driver and interpreter he would call for witnesses and investigate whether they breached the aircraft act, which would lengthen the court process.

On the advice of their lawyer, the pair then accepted the complaint. However, the judge sentenced the four to two months' imprisonment.

"We did not expect this charge," said the lawyer, who had prepared a defence only for the export/import charge. This case is the first time the aircraft act has been used to penalize drone flying.

When The Irrawaddy asked the lawyer whether it was legal to add a new charge during the trial, he replied: "They can do it based on the rule of law in Burma."

The journalists were working for Turkish state broadcaster TRT World, which stated Lau Hon Meng, a camera operator, and producer Lau Hon Meng had entered Myanmar on journalist visas on Oct. 21. The journalists had already informed authorities about their plans to film beforehand, according to TRT World.

Attending the trial were the families of Lau Hon Meng, Aung Naing Soe and Hla Tin, and a friend of Mok Choy Lin. It was the first time relatives and friends could see the defendants since their arrest, as authorities blocked visits due to the "ongoing investigation."

Rights activists criticized the refusal of visiting rights, saying the defendants had not been charged with a serious crime. Previous cases against media members, including under the Unlawful Association Act, have also barred visitors.

The two foreign journalists were being held at No. 1 Police Station in Naypyitaw and the two Myanmar nationals were being held at Pyinmana Prison, also in Naypyitaw. After the trial they were taken to No. 1 Police Station and will be transferred to Yamethin Prison in Mandalay Region later this evening, according to Ko Ye Htoo, a close friend of Aung Naing Soe.

The sentencing marks the first time the authorities have taken action against journalists since the outbreak of the latest Rohingya crisis in late August.

Aung Naing Soe is well respected among Myanmar's journalistic community as a fixer, photographer and cameraman. As a Muslim, he has faced anti-Muslim sentiment while working—including being blocked entry to some hardline nationalist monk meetings.

The post Journalists Sentenced Under Unexpected Charge for Flying Drone Over Parliament appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

1 of 24 State-owned Factories Operating at a Loss Starts to Yield Profits

Posted: 09 Nov 2017 11:43 PM PST

NAYPYITAW — The National League for Democracy (NLD)-led government has made one of 24 state-owned factories operating at a loss profitable, said Union Industry Minister U Khin Maung Cho.

A textile factory in Myingyan Township of Mandalay Region has started to yield profits after 18 months of overhaul and partnership with a private company, said the minister.

"We had to innovate in order to improve product quality and design for customer satisfaction. The process took around a year and a half," said the minister.

However, the minister did not disclose the detailed profits and losses of the factory.

The parliamentary Investment and Industrial Development Committee has formed two teams comprised of officials from the Planning and Finance Ministry, Ministry of Industry and representatives of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) to inspect these state-owned factories to assess their financials.

"We have invited expression of interest from businesspeople to operate these factories. We'll discuss with interested parties and privatize some, turn some into joint ventures, and terminate some as necessary," said U Aung Kyaw Kyaw Oo, who is a member of the parliamentary committee.

The Ministry of Industry has partnered with private companies to operate 12 of 24 of the factories operating at a loss. The rest are currently suspended, said minister U Khin Maung Cho.

Steel plants in Mandalay Region's Myingyan and Shan State's Pangpet, paper mills in Irrawaddy Region's Thabaung Township, and heavy industry in Bago Region's Thagara are among the biggest factories to be inspected, said Myingyan Township lawmaker U Paw Khaing, who is also the secretary of the parliamentary committee.

"Those factories were not able to produce products beneficial to the country. The product portfolio just didn't fit the needs of the country," said minister U Khin Maung Cho.

"We the new government will try to manufacture practical products for the country. And we are cooperating [with the private sector] to acquire technology," said U Khin Maung Cho.

The minister also wants to re-operate the suspended Myingyan Steel Plant, and is waiting for the approval of the parliament.

"The steel plant is ready [for resumption]. It is a massive investment, and we don't want to waste it. We will run it again to make up for losses. We have hired international experts, and they have recommended [resumption]," said the minister.

According to the minister, his ministry will also cooperate with Japan's Hitachi Co for power generation from tidal waves, which is the latest in energy technology, in Mon State's Thaton Industrial Zone.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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Rohingya row to Bangladesh as Myanmar’s Suu Kyi Runs Summit Gauntlet

Posted: 09 Nov 2017 08:48 PM PST

COX'S BAZAR/YANGON — Blessed by calmer seas, several hundred more Rohingya Muslims on Thursday joined a multitude of refugees in Bangladesh, as calls grew for upcoming regional summits to exert more pressure on Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi to stem the crisis.

A Myanmar military operation has driven out more than 600,000 Rohingya since late August and the latest refugees to find sanctuary in predominantly Muslim Bangladesh say many thousands more are still trying to leave.

Ariful Islam, of Bangladesh's Border Guard, said about 200 people arrived on Thursday morning on the stretch of coast he commands at Teknaf, at the southern tip of Cox's Bazar district.

More than 200 Rohingya have drowned in the strong currents and high surf trying to reach Bangladesh from Buddhist-majority Myanmar over the past two months.

But the sea was fairly flat on Thursday morning as Abdus Sabir came ashore at Shamlapur along with a large group of Rohingya after a six-hour boat journey to complete an escape begun weeks ago.

"We fled because the military is still burning our houses," Abdus, who had abandoned his home in the Rathedaung region of Myanmar's Rakhine State, told Reuters.

Nearby, Husain Shorif, from the Buthidaung region, said he had rowed for four hours to help bring across 56 people on a raft cobbled together from bamboo and plastic jerrycans.

"Some boatmen were asking for huge money we didn't have. So we made our own boat and came," Shorif said, adding that thousands more Rohingya were still stranded at Pa Nyaung Pin Gyi at the mouth of the Naf river.

Reuters was unable to verify that claim as Myanmar's military has restricted access to northern parts of Rakhine, where it launched a clearance operation it says was aimed at Rohingya militants behind attacks on 30 security posts on Aug. 25.

UN officials described the operation as "ethnic cleansing," an accusation Myanmar has denied.

The storm of opprobrium over the humanitarian crisis will expose Myanmar to more diplomatic pressure, at least from leaders of Muslim-majority countries and the United States, during three summits hosted by Vietnam and the Philippines.

Suu Kyi, the de facto leader of Myanmar's less than two-year-old civilian administration, left on Thursday to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Vietnam’s central seaside resort of Danang.

Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for standing up to the generals who had ruled the country for nearly half a century, Suu Kyi now has to share power with them, under a constitution drawn up in 2008 when junta was still in control, and has little control over what they do.

After Friday's APEC gathering, Suu Kyi will meet leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) grouping in Manila on Sunday, followed by an East Asia Summit in Angeles, just north of the Philippine capital.

Outcry

Setting up a regional trade block, and concerns over North Korea's ambitions to become a nuclear-armed state are priorities, but New York-based Human Rights Watch beseeched the Asian leaders to ensure stronger action by Myanmar to end the crisis.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will meet Suu Kyi on Nov. 15 for talks on the Rohingya crisis, and they are expected to hold a joint news conference.

"World leaders shouldn't return home from these summits without agreeing to targeted sanctions to pressure Burma to end its abuses and allow in independent observers and aid groups," Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch, said in a statement that referred to Myanmar by its old name.

Desperate for help to cope with the massive influx of people, Bangladesh is lobbying furiously for pressure to be put on Myanmar.

"We want international communities to continue building pressure on Myanmar. Otherwise, they won't resolve the crisis," a foreign ministry official in Dhaka told Reuters, adding that ministers from Germany, China, Japan and Sweden were expected to visit both countries later this month.

HRW's Adams said leaders meeting Asia should discuss how to investigate alleged rights abuses and atrocities in Rakhine, and refer them to the International Criminal Court in the Hague.

The rights group also urged the Security Council to impose an arms embargo, economic sanctions and travel bans targeting Myanmar military officials.

Some US senators are pressing for the United States to impose its own sanctions, also targeting the military.

The Security Council this week opted for a strongly worded statement scolding Myanmar, as diplomats said China and Russia would have vetoed any resolution.

China has publicly supported the Myanmar government's efforts to "maintain stability" in Rakhine. The stance taken by China and other Southeast Asian governments fighting insurgencies by Muslim militants should spare Myanmar from any harsh spotlight in the summits' final communiques.

"On the Rohingya, the leaders will agree that there is no quick fix to the long-standing inter-communal problem with deep historical roots that needs to be carefully managed," an ASEAN diplomat told Reuters, adding that the group aimed to deliver US$500,000 of relief supplies to Myanmar.

The post Rohingya row to Bangladesh as Myanmar's Suu Kyi Runs Summit Gauntlet appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Trump Praises “Highly Respected” Xi; China Media Says Visit Set New Blueprint for US-China Ties

Posted: 09 Nov 2017 08:31 PM PST

BEIJING — US President Donald Trump praised Chinese leader Xi Jinping as "highly respected" on Friday as he left Beijing for Vietnam, ending a visit which Chinese media declared set a "new blueprint" for handling US-China relations and differences.

Trump pressed China to do more to rein in North Korea and said bilateral trade had been unfair to the United States, but lauded Xi's pledge that China would be more open to foreign firms.

The two also oversaw the signing of about $250 billion in commercial deals, but there was little progress reported on US firms' complaints about market access or US government probes into issues like intellectual property theft.

Shortly before flying off to Vietnam, where he will attend the APEC summit of Asia Pacific leaders, Trump tweeted: "My meetings with President Xi Jinping were very productive on both trade and the subject of North Korea."

"He is a highly respected and powerful representative of his people. It was great being with him and Madame Peng Liyuan!" Trump added, referring to Xi's wife.

Trump reiterated comments from the previous day that he didn't blame China for the trade difficulties between the two countries.

"I don’t blame China, I blame the incompetence of past Admins for allowing China to take advantage of the US on trade leading up to a point where the US is losing $100's of billions. How can you blame China for taking advantage of people that had no clue? I would've done same!"

China lavished attention on Trump and his wife Melania during their visit, with Xi personally chaperoning them on a tour of the Forbidden City, part of what the Chinese government referred to as a "state visit plus."

There were no obvious gaffes, and Trump and Xi seemed to enjoy being in each other's company.

At a banquet on Thursday in the Great Hall of the People, Trump and Xi dined on coconut chicken soup, spicy chicken, stewed beef with tomatoes and grouper fillets.

Trump came to China pledging to ask Xi to play a bigger role in reining in North Korea, whose repeated nuclear and missile tests have angered both Washington and Beijing.

Xi, at least in public, went no further than reiterating China's determination to achieve denuclearization through talks.

Chinese state media on Friday said the tone and outcome of Trump's visit had been largely positive, saying Trump and Xi were setting a new blueprint for handling relations and managing their differences.

"China has tried its utmost, even at the sacrifice of Sino-North Korean relations," influential tabloid the Global Times wrote in its editorial.

"Trump has gradually learned that Beijing is indeed making selfless contributions to promoting the denuclearization of the peninsula. He can't demand more."

China has repeatedly said it is committed to enforcing United Nations sanctions against North Korea, which does some 90 percent of its trade with China, but that more efforts need to be made to get everyone back to the negotiating table.

"Although the differences that had been pestering bilateral ties have not instantly disappeared, the most important takeaway from their talks in Beijing has been the constructive approach to these issues the two leaders demonstrated," the official China Daily said in an editorial.

"Both expressed their willingness to work with, instead of against, the other in dealing with the differences between their two countries, in particular over trade and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's nuclear program," it added, using North Korea's formal name.

Su Xiaohui of the Foreign Ministry think-tank, the China Institute of International Studies, wrote in a front page commentary of the overseas edition of the ruling Communist Party's People's Daily that Sino-US cooperation was the only correct choice for both countries. "A new blueprint for China-US relations is gradually unfolding," Su wrote.

The post Trump Praises "Highly Respected" Xi; China Media Says Visit Set New Blueprint for US-China Ties appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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