Friday, March 9, 2018

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

New Luxury Resort Offers Stunning Views of Inle Lake

Posted: 09 Mar 2018 07:28 AM PST

The country's newest luxury boutique resort, the 5-star Sofitel Inle Lake Myat Min, opened its doors on March 5.

Located near Thale Oo village in Nyaung Shwe, Shan State, and operated by Accor Hotels Group, the resort sits on the shore of picturesque Inle Lake amid 20 acres of rice fields and floating gardens with gorgeous views of the Shan Mountains.

The hotel is on the central eastern shore of Inle Lake, 45 minutes drive from Nyaung Shwe and 70 minutes from Heho Airport.

The resort's design mixes local and Western styles, and its suites are furnished with authentic local art and craft works.

Swimming pool and exterior of the all-day dining room(Photo: Supplied)

There are a total of 101 suites and villas in five different room types: 36 Luxury rooms, 25 Junior suites, 12 Prestige suites, 27 Opera suites and one Imperial Suite. I spent one night in a bungalow-style Luxury room. All the rooms of this type are located on land, and have more of a garden view.

The room was really spacious and clean, with a luxurious feel and facilities. The furniture was top-class and the room was equipped with the latest technology including high-speed Internet, Bluetooth speakers and IPTV (Internet Protocol Television).

The room came with a comfortable twin bed and the bathroom was equipped with both an oversized soaking bathtub and a rain shower, creating a serene feeling of wellbeing.

From the balcony I got a stunning panoramic view of the Shan Mountains; it feels like you're waking up in the middle of the mountains. The room was positioned to receive warm sunlight  — I loved it.

All the other suites face onto the hotel's floating organic tomato garden, the mountains or Inle Lake. The rooms are all spacious, varying in size from 70sqm to 250sqm.

The pool at Sofitel Inle Lake Myat Min (Photo: Supplied)

At Sofitel Inle Lake Myat Min, guests are immersed in the Shan way of life thanks to the resort's sustainability initiatives, which offer opportunities to experience the local culture, said David Daguise, cluster general manager at Sofitel and Novotel Inle Lake Myat Min.

"At every turn, they will experience the richness of the surroundings, from the vibrant sunset to the reflections of the mountains on the water at dusk and the fragrant scent of the vegetation," he said.

After placing my bags in my room, I checked out the hotel compound, which was clean, green and pretty. The compound is spacious and if you love to take walks in the evenings and mornings, Sofitel is perfect for you.

The hotel has its own organic garden, and I'd been told they used the vegetables as ingredients in the dishes served in the hotel's restaurants. So I was eager to taste them.

I ate dinner in the signature dining room beside the lake. If you sit down to eat at sunset, you'll be treated to the perfect romantic setting.

Infinity Pool and Sunset Bar facing Inle Lake (Photo: Supplied)

I had a really tasty dinner. The restaurant staff were friendly and helpful, listing the ingredients in each dish and explaining how it would be prepared.

The hotel has two restaurants offering a selection of international and local cuisines. Buffet and à la carte options are available for lunch and dinner.

The resort has two bars and two swimming pools. One is near the all-day dining room and the other Infinity Pool is right on Inle Lake; at sunset, the view from the pool is breathtaking.

The breakfast menu is extensive and delicious. The wait staff are never far away and always ready to offer friendly service.

A spa service, and fitness and wellness center, are also available. The hotel also provides private and enclosed outdoor parking.

Fast Wi-Fi connections were available in both the lobby areas and in the rooms.

Hotel room interior(Photo: Supplied)

The hotel area is quiet and there's only one grocery. Staffs will arrange both road and water transport upon request.

Sofitel Inle Lake Myat Min is opening with special rate starting at $130 per night. The offer includes accommodation in a Luxury Room inclusive of breakfast for two and a 10-percent discount on spa treatments. Normal rates for a Luxury Room start at $198. This offer is available for bookings until June 30.

Overall, the service at the Sofitel was perfect and the staff were wonderful. So, if you want to relax in a quiet place with stunning views of world famous Inle Lake, I thoroughly recommended this hotel.

The post New Luxury Resort Offers Stunning Views of Inle Lake appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Suspects in NLD Lawyer’s Killing Will Ask to Review Indictment at Divisional Court

Posted: 09 Mar 2018 06:57 AM PST

YANGON—The defense lawyers for the four suspects in the killing of prominent lawyer U Ko Ni will present a criminal revision petition to the Yangon Division High Court next week, requesting that the judge reconsider the indictment order issued by the Northern District Court.

U Kyaw Kyaw Htike, the defense lawyer for accused gunman Kyi Lin, told The Irrawaddy after the 48th court hearing for U Ko Ni's murder trial on Friday that he will present the criminal revision to the divisional court on March 16 on behalf of all of the defendants.

U Ko Ni, a constitutional lawyer and legal adviser to the ruling National League for Democracy party, was gunned down outside Yangon International Airport on Jan. 29 last year. Police detained four suspects in connection with the crime: accused gunman Kyi Lin and three alleged co-conspirators Zeya Phyo, Aung Win Zaw and Aung Win Tun.

After nearly a year of preliminary hearings, the court charged Aung Win Tun under the Penal Code's Article 212, which prohibits harboring an offender but allowed him to stand trial on bail last month after he deposited 50 million kyats (about US$37,300) for his release from custody. The other three suspects were indicted for premeditated murder, which carries life sentences.

The man accused of masterminding the murder, former Lieutenant-Colonel Aung Win Khaing, remains at large. The court also ordered the confiscation of the fugitive Aung Win Khaing's movable and immovable property under the Criminal Procedure's Article 88.

Until this week's hearings on Thursday and Friday, the court had finished examining 28 out of 40 witnesses who were called to re-testify. Daw Pa Pa Win, the defense lawyer for Zeya Phyo, tried to cross-examine the witnesses to prove that there is not enough evidence showing that her client financed the murder or was involved in planning the murder.

U Khin Maung Htay, one of the lawyers who represents U Ko Ni's family, in court raised questions over controversial video footage that had been presented by the prosecutor's side. The footage—similar to a viral video of U Ko Ni's murder outside the airport but shot from a different place—was never revealed on social media. Reporters were unable to see the video on Friday.

Yangon International Airport's CCTV control room officers testified that it was not footage obtained by their security cameras when the defense asked about the video. The police had presented the footage to the court since the beginning but the defense had never questioned it before, U Khin Maung Htay said.

"An individual or an organization might have already known about the crime even before Kyi Lin shot U Ko Ni," he said.

The video was shot from a place where the general public did not have access, according to U Khin Maung Htay. He added that the real question was who had access to such a place, who knew about the killing even before Kyi Lin fired, and why the defense asked about the video just now.

The next hearing will be on March 15.

Tin Htet Paing is a freelance journalist and photographer based in Yangon. She previously worked at The Irrawaddy as a reporter for three years.

The post Suspects in NLD Lawyer's Killing Will Ask to Review Indictment at Divisional Court appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Uncertainty on the Waterfront

Posted: 09 Mar 2018 06:47 AM PST

In recent years, downtown Yangon has become a cool place to hang out, its history written on the walls of its picturesque old buildings, its streets filled with hipster cafes and trendy boutiques. Photographers often turn this area into their sets, posing models on trishaws against the backdrop of the Yangon River at sunset. Some people take budget cruises, floating along the river to see the sights or take in some fresh air. Few, however, venture across to the other shore.

A five-minute boat ride away, the river's south side is far less sophisticated, teeming with motorcycles, teashops blaring music from loudspeakers, and small huts offering betel nut and snacks. Known as Dala Township, this area offers a reminder of a less developed era, despite being just minutes from the heart of the country's commercial capital.

Since the country embarked on its transition to democracy, former and current government leaders have vowed that a bridge will be built to allow the city to expand and to improve the lives of the people in south Yangon. In February 2017, Yangon Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein announced a master plan including a Special Economic Zone (SZE) in Dala and a 590-meter, four-lane bridge. According to state media, construction of the Yangon-Dala Bridge will begin in April 2018 and is expected to be complete in 2021. In January, the Ministry of Construction released a video explaining that the bridge will start from the clock tower at Bo Min Yaung Road in Dala and end at the junction of Phone Gyi and Bogyoke Aung San roads.

Passengers board a ferry at a terminal on the Dala side. ( Photo: Theingi Lynn)

For the time being, such headlines don't particularly bother U Manchu, who has been helming ferries to-and-from from Hmaw Sat jetty, one of the 10 jetties in Dala and located across from Lanmaddaw Township.

"We'll be fine as long as the villages on the riverbank remain," U Manchu said.

He is one of approximately 400 ferry operators working at the 10 jetties located from Thamada Beach to the Kyaung Su area in Dala Township. Although three commuter ferries provided by JICA ply the waterway, smaller boats like U Manchu's are still an important means of transport for the large number of commuters who cross the river on a daily basis.

He serves an average of 200 passengers daily; most are blue-collar or office workers, but some are traders moving goods. After Hmaw Sat Ferry Cooperative Ltd gets its 30-percent cut and fuel is paid for, his average daily income is around 8,000-9,000 kyats. That would just about cover the cost of a cocktail at one the overpriced, extravagantly decorated bars across the river.

"Even if they build the bridge, this is an occupation that feeds both my family and my soul," said U Han Shwe, one of the members of Hmaw Sat Ferry Cooperative.

Hmaw Sat Ferry Cooperative Ltd, one of five such cooperatives, is based in Hmaw Sat ward of Dala Township. Its 38 members operate 31 vessels. As a country that has struggled with the transition to democracy, Myanmar could learn a thing or two from the cooperative's democratic ways; it elects a new chairman and secretary every five years. Its main responsibility is to assign boats and schedules to members — who take turns operating the service — and to remind boat owners to prepare for maintenance when Inland Water Transport officials show up.

U Kyin Hla, chairman of Hmaw Sat Ferry Cooperative Limited and a veteran ferry captain, reckons there will always be a certain number of people who prefer to cross the river by boat.

Ferries stand by during rush hour on the Dala side. ( Photo: Theingi Lynn)

He said, "I heard there will be a bus service that will go around Dala in a loop to pick up passengers. The question is how long this bus service will take to get to the other side, when it only takes our ferries five minutes. We can't predict anything, but the duration of the river crossing is what we should consider." He concedes that there will likely be a drop in the number of passengers at his jetty, however.

Daw Kyaing, who runs a bike-storage shed near the jetty, plans to continue riding ferries, which she said are the most convenient option for her.

"I'd still use boats to cross the river. They're closer and faster," she said.

On the other hand, Ei Phyo Thwe, a Dala resident who crosses the river on a daily basis for her job in Pazundaung Township, is looking forward to traveling via the new bridge. She can't swim, and lives in fear of a boating accident.

"I'd rather use the bridge. I am always hesitant to take ferries but now I have to, even when it rains, and even when I don't want to," Ei Phyo Thwe said as she returned from the city on a full moon day that saw the water level rise to its highest, with choppy swells coming in from the Andaman Sea.

Currently, the jetties along the Yangon River serve as a major mode of transport not only for people from Hmaw Sat ward in Dala Township, but also for people from townships further afield such as Pyawbwe and Kawhmu, as well as small towns in Ayeyarwaddy Region such as Bogalay and Pyapon.

People from these delta region towns usually take the bus to Dala to trade their rice and fish products in Yangon. The Dala-Yangon Bridge would make their journey easier, faster and cheaper.

With a bridge from Yangon's Central Business District in the works, Dala now has the potential to develop into a major urban center housing businesses and tourist attractions. The Dala riverfront could become a place resembling Bangkok's Asiatique, offering opportunities for retailers and other small businesses, as well as jobs for its residents. The much-anticipated construction of the bridge will enhance trading activity in nearby townships and improve the lives of Dala's residents. Consequently, Dala will finally be able to grow to its full potential as a port city situated one bridge away from the country's commercial capital.

Inevitably, some people will be asked to make sacrifices in the name of development. While the Yangon-Dala Bridge will be beneficial in many ways, ferry captains will definitely face a drop in their daily income.

U Kyin Hla said, "We haven't thought about what our next step is, but we will figure something out as an alternative to maintain our income."

For the time being, all the ferry captains and owners can do is to try to save some money, as the bridge construction will take at least three years. While continuing their routine of connecting lives on the two sides of the river, the men at Hmaw Sat Jetty hope their decades-old vocations will be allowed to continue.

"I think our jetty will remain in business," said U Kyin Hla confidently.

The post Uncertainty on the Waterfront appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

NLD Lawmakers Debate Pros, Cons of Proposed Protest Law Amendments

Posted: 09 Mar 2018 05:45 AM PST

NAYPYITAW — The Peaceful Assembly and Procession Law needs to be amended because it does not comply with the military-drafted 2008 Constitution, said lawmaker U Tun Tun Hein, a Central Executive Committee member of the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD).

"This law is fine for people who want to stage a protest with good intentions. But if it is applied for destructive purposes, we have to do what it takes in the interests of the country," U Tun Tun Hein told reporters in Naypyitaw.

Activists and rights groups have protested against the bill in recent weeks, complaining that proposed amendments contain broad and vague terms they worry could be exploited to stifle political dissent. On Friday, the Bill Committee presented its report on the bill to the Lower House, which is scheduled to discuss the amendments next week.

The bill amending the Peaceful Assembly and Procession Law was passed by the Upper House on Wednesday with 113 lawmakers voting in favor and 78 voting against, despite the fact that some NLD lawmakers argued against the changes. Representatives of Myanmar’s military, which is guaranteed 25 percent of parliamentary seats by the Constitution, also opposed the changes.

Though Article 354 of the Constitution guarantees freedom of expression and assembly, hiring people to stage a demonstration with bad intents was not acceptable, argued U Tun Tun Hein, who represents Nawnghkio Township in Shan State.

The proposed amendment was identical to Article 354, he said, adding that existing laws had to comply with the Constitution or would otherwise be invalid.

"We heard that there are cases of people being hired for demonstrations. What we want is that citizens express their real wishes," he said.

If the changes do make it into the law, Article 4 (d) will require would-be protesters planning peaceful assemblies and processions to inform police in advance of not only their agenda and estimated numbers, but also the estimated cost of the event and the identities of the people or organizations paying for it.

The most controversial part of the bill would stipulate jail terms for those convicted of provoking or exhorting others to organize or participate in demonstrations by bribing or paying them or doing anything else with the intention of harming the stability, rule of law, peace and tranquility of the community.

The provision has been criticized as being too broadly written; activists warn it could be exploited to stifle political dissent.

"The Constitution of the United States says that no law shall be enacted to restrict liberty and individual expression. The original Peaceful Assembly and Procession Law already restricts the freedom of an individual, and the new changes restrict it further," Lower House NLD lawmaker U Aung Hlaing Win told The Irrawaddy.

U Ye Htun, a former lawmaker who represented Shan State’s Hsipaw Township, said the proposed amendments would also make it legal to fund demonstrations. He argued that funding should not be allowed at all and that demonstrations should be staged by people on their own accord.

"In Ukraine, demonstrators were paid through NGOs by foreign agencies. As a result, many took to the streets, and finally the president was toppled. That's what we should restrict, but not the instigation [of protests] if it is not for violence."

The NLD made amending the military-drafted Constitution one of its top priorities while campaigning for the 2015 election. Since winning the election, however, the party has made almost no effort to reform it in Parliament.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

The post NLD Lawmakers Debate Pros, Cons of Proposed Protest Law Amendments appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Mandalay Police Find Over 28 M Meth Tablets Inside Abandoned Car

Posted: 09 Mar 2018 04:26 AM PST

MANDALAY — Police in Mandalay found more than 28 million methamphetamine tablets and other drugs inside an abandoned car on Friday.

According to police, the Toyota Crown Royal Saloon was abandoned on 73rd Street, between Khing Shwe War Street and Zalatwar Street, about four days ago.

"We received the information that the car was there for about four days and, suspecting something illegal, we checked it and found the drugs," said police Captain T Khaung Lwan.

The police said the initial count included 28 million methamphetamine tablets packed inside pet food bags, 4.7 kg of heroin and about 1 kg of crystal methamphetamine packed inside soap boxes. Police also found 0.15 kg of Sodium hydroxide, which they suspect was to be used to make more drugs, and some sex toys.

"We are still counting the drugs and calculating the value because there is so much. The police have opened a case under the National Drug Law and we are still investigating to find the owner of the car and related drug abuse cases," the police captain said.

According to Mandalay Region’s counter-narcotics unit, Friday’s drug seizure may have been the largest this year.

The largest drug seizure of all, in Mandalay Region’s Pyigyidagun Township in July 2017, netted a haul estimated at over 60 billion kyats ($44.7 million).

The post Mandalay Police Find Over 28 M Meth Tablets Inside Abandoned Car appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Kachin Finally Allowed to Retrieve Two Missing IDPs

Posted: 09 Mar 2018 03:59 AM PST

The Myanmar Army on Friday evening allowed a group of people to retrieve the bodies of two Kachin internally displaced persons who had disappeared in January, after local people reported discovering their bodies in a grave in Mansi Township. Army personnel had prevented the group from heading to the site for several hours earlier in the day.

The two IDPs disappeared on Jan. 31 while trying to return to their village from the Maing Hkawng IDP camp, and were reportedly last seen being detained by military personnel.

"They have all left the camp, as the army finally allowed them to go," said Naw Mai, a community leader at the camp.

Some local people told The Irrawaddy that the Myanmar Army's Infantry Battalion 206 had earlier blocked the group.

According to Naw Mai, an army captain was behind the original decision to prevent the group from leaving. "He said he was waiting for orders from his superiors. So, he did not let us go."

However, the captain relented at 2 p.m. local time and allowed the group to travel the approximately 6 miles from the camp to the village where the two men were apparently killed, according to community leaders.

"The army said they would accompany the group part of the way, but would not make the entire trip," Naw Mai said.

Hpaugan Yaw, 65, and Nhkum Naw San, 31, were last seen being detained at their village on Jan. 31 by Battalion 206 personnel, according to the IDPs' families.

The group traveling to retrieve the bodies comprised more than 20 people including police, doctors with expertise in forensic medicine and community leaders from the IDP camp.

The gravesite was being guarded by 24 people, according to local sources. Police and medical specialists had instructed them not to disturb the bodies so that an investigation could be carried out.

Initially, the army refused to allow people from the camp even to search for the missing men, who had returned to their home village from the IDP camp to tend to their animals. They were among residents who were forced to flee the village to avoid fighting between the Myanmar Army and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).

A group of people from the IDP camp went to search for the missing men on Friday without informing the army or telling them where they had found the bodies.

"We searched for them based on witness accounts. We found the two bodies just outside the village," said Ann Kham, an IDP from the camp who was part of Friday's search party.

"[The original discoverers of the bodies] cut down a small tree and put it on the grave. We weren't sure about it, so we dug into the grave, and found the two bodies," he said.

The grave contained two bodies — an older one underneath, and a younger one on top, he said.

Relatives of the two victims opened charges over the disappearance of the two persons at the police station in Mansi town, according to Hkun Nawng, a lawyer and Kachin Legal Aid Network official based in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State, who was helping to locate the missing pair.

"We will monitor how the police will build this case to charge the persons responsible for this murder. We are ready to help the police, too, if they need help with the investigation," Hkun Nawng said.

Right abuses are a common occurrence in Kachin and northern Shan, which has been the scene of ongoing fighting between the Myanmar Army and ethnic rebels. There have been instances in the past of the army detaining, torturing and killing villagers suspected of being rebels.

The army has even blocked humanitarian aid from UN agencies intended for Kachin IDPs. Most IDPs rely on aid from local Kachin religious groups such as the Kachin Baptist Convention.

The Maing Hkawng IDP camp houses about 2,500 IDPs. Fighting broke out in the area in 2011, causing many people to flee their homes. Last year, about 50 IDPs attempted to return to their homes, but they were forced to return when fighting flared in January.

In January, six Myanmar Army soldiers were each sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment with hard labor for killing three IDPs from Maing Hkawng last year. The IDPs had been foraging for firewood in the forest.

The Kachin Independence Army has two bases in the area, housing its Battalion 12 and Battalion 27. The Tatmadaw has ordered the KIA to withdraw from these areas but it has refused, fueling the tension.

The post Kachin Finally Allowed to Retrieve Two Missing IDPs appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Yangon Govt to Curb Fuel Prices

Posted: 08 Mar 2018 11:44 PM PST

YANGON — The Yangon regional government will curb fuel price hikes as of this year, said Yangon Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein.

The minister made the remark at a monthly meeting between Vice-President 1 U Myint Swe and businessmen at the office of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) on Wednesday.

"We can stockpile millions of tons of fuel; we will be able to control fuel prices. But currently, it is under the control of licensed importers. The regional government is taking steps to control this. We are trying to establish companies."

The chief minister agreed that the price of diesel and petrol is fairly high in Myanmar, while it is essential for commodity flow.

The chief minister suggested that prices could be controlled if enough fuel were stockpiled to last six months.

"It is not a commodity for which we need to calculate the price on a daily basis. We can buy fuel for a year's time while prices are lowest and then send it to Yangon. But, we need a place to store it," said U Phyo Min Thein.

"In case of an emergency in the country, we will be able to control political stability if we have fuel for long-term use stored. So, we are taking steps to bring down the price," said the chief minister.

Myanmar Fuel Importer and Distributor Association secretary U Win Myint said that the current market price of fuel is reasonable.

"Our interest is just 1 to 2 percent," he said.

U Win Myint added that he welcomed the regional government's plan to enter the fuel import and distribution business, but that permission should be given to all eligible companies rather than favoring a particular company.

The wholesale price of diesel per liter in Yangon as of Wednesday was 750 kyats, RON 91, 758 kyats, RON 95, 750 kyats, and the retail prices vary at filing stations depending on costs for storage and transportation.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

The post Yangon Govt to Curb Fuel Prices appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Trump Agreed to Meet Kim Because He Is North Korea’s Decision-maker: Official

Posted: 08 Mar 2018 11:36 PM PST

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump agreed to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un because Kim is the ultimate decision-maker in his country, a senior administration official said on Thursday.

“President Trump has made his reputation on making deals,” the official said in a briefing with reporters after Trump’s agreement to meet Kim at a time and place to be chosen in what would be the first-ever US-North Korea summit.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the message from Kim was relayed orally to Trump by a South Korean delegation in the Oval Office. There was no letter from Kim, the official said.

“Kim Jong Un is the one person who is able to make decisions under their authoritarian, uniquely authoritarian, or totalitarian system, and so it made sense to accept an invitation to met with the one person who can actually make decisions instead of repeating the sort of long slog of the past,” said the official.

The United States will settle for nothing less than permanent denuclearization of North Korea, the official said.

Trump spoke to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe about the development, the official added.

The post Trump Agreed to Meet Kim Because He Is North Korea's Decision-maker: Official appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Yearlong Preaching Ban on Firebrand Monk Almost Up

Posted: 08 Mar 2018 11:03 PM PST

YANGON — U Wirathu, the firebrand nationalist monk who in 2017 was banned from preaching for one year, will be free to resume his sermons on Saturday.

The State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee, the highest Buddhist authority of Myanmar, better known by its Burmese acronym Ma Ha Na, banned U Wirathu from preaching for one year on March 9, 2017, for spreading hate speech, which it said could lead to religious conflict.

"There is no new instruction from Ma Ha Na about U Wirathu," U Tun Nyunt, director of the Religious Affairs Department, told The Irrawaddy.

Ma Ha Na's annual meeting in February did not see any discussion related to U Wirathu, he added.

U Wirathu declined The Irrawaddy's request for an interview about the expiry of the ban.

"I've boycotted both local and foreign media as I have no trust in them, so I have no comment," he said.

The monk, who is notorious for his anti-Muslim rhetoric since communal violence broke out in Rakhine State in 2012, has made the cover of Time Magazine as the “Face of Buddhist Terror.”

Despite the ban, U Wirathu has shared a number of videos on social media over the past year in which he claimed to be the mentor of Kyi Lin, the accused assassin of prominent Muslim lawyer U Ko Ni, and thanked the gunman and other alleged co-conspirators. In another video, he asked the National League for Democracy (NLD) government, which he has continuously accused of favoring Muslims over Buddhists, to step down.

In late February, AFP reported that Facebook had removed U Wirathu’s page because of his incendiary posts about Muslims as it faces pressure to clamp down on hate speech.

But his videos have continued to spread on Facebook. In a Feb. 7 video he criticized the government and the lawyer prosecuting Kyi Lin, telling them to "Eat Well."

The phrase in Burmese is used as a threat to show one's anger and to warn of impending revenge.

Calling himself the mentor of Kyi Lin, he said in the video: "Those who insult good people, eat well. Those who disrespect monks, eat well. Those who ban preaching, eat well. Those who disturb (preaching), eat well. When you go to hell, you don't even have time to eat. So eat well now."

His open support for Kyi Lin has drawn strong criticism from both monks and laypeople, with some monks calling for legal action against him.

During Ma Ha Na’s annual meeting in late February, Union Minister for Religious Affairs and Culture Thura U Aung Ko urged the committee to take action against monks who disgrace Buddhism through their activities or speech.

The minister said a lack of consensus in society about the proper political role for Buddhist monks had made it difficult for the government to take action against rowdy monks even as some of them were becoming increasingly reckless.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

The post Yearlong Preaching Ban on Firebrand Monk Almost Up appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Sri Lanka Arrests 10 for Anti-Muslim Violence as Towns Smolder

Posted: 08 Mar 2018 09:27 PM PST

KANDY, Sri Lanka — Police in Sri Lanka said on Thursday that they had arrested the suspected leader and nine other suspects behind a wave of anti-Muslim attacks by Sinhalese Buddhist hardliners in a central highlands region this week.

Sri Lanka’s Kandy district has been rocked by communal clashes since Sunday following attacks on members of the minority Muslim community by nationalist crowds from the Sinhalese majority. At least two people have been killed.

President Maithripala Sirisena decreed a state of emergency in Kandy on Wednesday but crowds carried out more attacks targeting mosques and businesses belonging to Muslims overnight, residents told Reuters.

Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said all 10 people arrested belonged to a hardline Buddhist group. He named the suspected leader as Amith Jeewan Weerasinghe and said he belonged to a group called Mahason Balakaya.

He said this group had published videos of hate speech directed against Muslims.

Most of Sri Lanka’s Muslims live in the east and center of the island and make up about 9 percent of its 21 million people. Buddhists make up about 70 percent and ethnic Tamils, most of whom are Hindus, about 13 percent.

Residents in Kandy district said the death of a Buddhist youth after an altercation with a group of Muslims had triggered the violence.

Two days after the death, a large crowd of Buddhists brought a symbolic coffin to protest against the death of the driver in Digana town, where most of the shops are either owned or rented by Muslims, residents said.

“First they burnt the mosque. There were even women among the attackers. Then they started to burn all the Muslim shops,” said 30-year-old Mohamed Shifan. He said he had 3.7 million rupees ($23,817) lying in his car that he had collected to start a new electric goods business.

But a crowd set fire to his car and beat him up before he could escape.

Nationalists

Some Buddhist nationalists have protested against the presence in Sri Lanka of Muslim Rohingya asylum-seekers from mostly Buddhist Myanmar, where Buddhist nationalism has also been on the rise.

“An upsurge of attacks against Muslims by Sinhala Buddhist militants in Sri Lanka has raised fears of a new round of communal violence,” the International Crisis Group said in a report.

On Thursday, shops were still smoldering in Katugasthota town, where also mobs went on a rampage picking on the small stores and eateries run by Muslims. Groceries were strewn on the street.

Soldiers stood guard outside mosques in the area.

“The situation is improving and there have been no major incidents of violence reported in the last 12 hours,” said Major General Rukman Dias, the army commander in the area.

But he said the curfew would be re-imposed in Kandy as a measure of precaution.

President Sirisena appointed Public Administration Minister Ranjith Madduma Bandara as the new law and order minister, a portfolio temporarily held by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe after public criticism over the government’s inaction to curb violence.

The Tourism Ministry said it did not expect any major impact of the seven-day emergency on the $4 billion industry.

Kandy is a prime destination for foreign travellers, famous for its Tooth temple in honor of Buddha, tea gardens and natural beauty.

“For tourists, this is not the ideal situation,” Henry Venturini, a 51-year-old Italian tourist told Reuters. “There was nobody on the street when we went out in the evening.”

Sri Lanka was for decades plagued by war between government forces and Tamil separatists. The government defeated the rebels in 2009.

EU ambassadors said in a statement that the latest attacks were “very worrying” and that it was important that the government bring the perpetrators to justice.

The post Sri Lanka Arrests 10 for Anti-Muslim Violence as Towns Smolder appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

China Resources Beer in Talks to Acquire Heineken’s China Business: Sources

Posted: 08 Mar 2018 08:39 PM PST

HONG KONG — China Resources Beer (Holdings) Co Ltd is in talks to acquire Heineken NV's China business in a deal that could be worth more than $1 billion, as the country’s largest brewer seeks new growth from premium brands, five people close to the discussions said. The negotiations come as global beer giants such as Heineken, AB InBev (ABI.BR) and Carlsberg (CARLb.CO) are facing fierce competition from local rivals and each other in emerging markets, which have been touted as the growth engine for the world’s biggest brewers.

China is the world’s largest beer market by volume. CR Beer’s biggest brand, Snow, is the world’s top-selling beer, but is almost exclusively sold in China.

One of the sources said the deal between CR Beer and Heineken would most likely include three breweries – in Guangdong, Hainan and Zhejiang provinces – Heineken’s distribution operation and its brands in China.

The two brewers have discussed a share-swap as part of the transaction, the source said.

Details have not been finalized and talks could yet fall apart, the sources said. They declined to be identified, as the information is not public.

CR Beer did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Heineken declined to comment.

Shares of CR Beer jumped as much as 14.4 percent Friday to an all-time high of HK$35.30. Heineken’s stock price went up 3 percent on Thursday.

Heineken, which entered China in 1983, has struggled to set up a strong distribution network and to make a mark with its flagship Heineken lager, which lags far behind AB InBev’s Budweiser in the premium market, industry analysts say.

The Dutch brewer had a 0.5 percent share of the China market by volume in 2016, according to research firm Euromonitor International, while CR Beer accounted for more than a quarter.

Heineken sells its premium lagers Heineken, Tiger and Sol in China, along with cheaper local brands Anchor and Hainan Beer.

The company has invested millions of dollars in promoting Heineken as the global lager of choice, predominantly through sports, including soccer and Formula One. Next month will mark its second time as prime sponsor of the Chinese Grand Prix.

Beer sales volume in China has been declining since 2013 and is forecast to continue to fall, according to Euromonitor. Sales of higher-margin premium beers, however, have been growing at a double-digit rate each year during the same period.

“CR Beer doesn't have super-premium lagers, while Heineken has high-end brands but lacks scale in China,” said one source. “Heineken is a natural target for CR Beer.”

Heineken’s eponymous brand sells for three times the price of Snow in China. Chinese beer drinkers are overwhelmingly consumers of low-margin inexpensive beer, which makes up 80 percent of the market by volume, compared with an average of 18 percent in big developed markets, according to Nomura analysts.

Last year Japan’s Asahi Group Holdings sold its 19.9 percent stake in Tsingtao Brewery Co – CR Beer’s biggest domestic rival – for $937 million as it decided to focus on Europe and elsewhere in Asia.

CR Beer’s interest in Heineken’s China unit follows its takeover in 2016 of SABMiller’s 49 percent stake in its CR Snow venture for $1.6 billion.

That acquisition helped the Chinese brewer turn around its business. In 2016 it reported its first annual profit in three years after a renewed focus on the Snow brand and expanded sales in key Chinese cities.

Heineken trades on an enterprise value – market capitalization plus debt – of 12 times its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization in the last year. That is above Carlsberg’s multiple of 10 but far short of CR Beer’s 23.

The post China Resources Beer in Talks to Acquire Heineken's China Business: Sources appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Myanmar Says it Would Like to See ‘Clear Evidence’ of Genocide

Posted: 08 Mar 2018 08:30 PM PST

GENEVA — Myanmar wants to see clear evidence to support accusations that ethnic cleansing or genocide has been perpetrated against its Muslim minority in Rakhine State, National Security Adviser Thaung Tun said on Thursday.

“The vast majority of the Muslim community that was living in Rakhine remain,” he told reporters in Geneva. “If it was a genocide, they would all be driven out."

Nearly 700,000 Rohingya have fled Rakhine into neighboring Bangladesh since insurgent attacks sparked a security crackdown in August, joining 200,000 refugees from a previous exodus.

On Wednesday, UN human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein said he strongly suspected “acts of genocide”, while Myanmar’s military published a lengthy response to widespread allegations over its campaign in Rakhine, saying its investigations had cleared troops of almost all alleged abuses.

Zeid told the UN Human Rights Council that reports of bulldozing of alleged mass graves were a “deliberate attempt by the authorities to destroy evidence of potential international crimes, including possible crimes against humanity."

Thaung Tun said charges of ethnic cleansing and genocide were very serious and should not be bandied about lightly.

“We have often heard many accusations that there is ethnic cleansing or even genocide in Myanmar. And I've said it before and I'll say it again – it is not the policy of the government, and this we can assure you. Although there are accusations, we would like to have clear evidence,” he said.

“We should look into that before making a pronouncement on whether there is ethnic cleansing or genocide.”

Myanmar has not allowed UN investigators into the country to investigate. A UN fact-finding mission is due to report on Monday on its initial findings, based on interviews with victims and survivors in Bangladesh and other countries.

Thaung Tun added that Myanmar was willing to accept back people who had fled and provide safety and dignity for them, showing that it did not want them out of the country, and that only a minority of Rakhine’s population of 3 million had left.

He said the Muslims who fled largely did so because the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) armed group had sowed fear. He accused ARSA of having forced villagers to join their attacks on the security forces and had insisted on a scorched earth policy, burning villages in retreat.

Rohingya trace their presence in Rakhine back centuries. But most people in majority-Buddhist Myanmar consider them to be unwanted Muslim immigrants from Bangladesh. The army refers to the Rohingya as “Bengalis,” and most lack citizenship.

Thaung Tun said former residents would be welcomed back if they were willing to “participate in the life of the nation," for example by learning the Burmese language.

“Those who want to become citizens of Myanmar, we are happy to welcome them, but they have to go through a process. There cannot be automatic citizenship,” he said.

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