Wednesday, June 20, 2018

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Three Local Suspects Sought, 4 in Custody in Record Drug Shipment to Malaysia

Posted: 20 Jun 2018 09:36 AM PDT

YANGON — Three suspects linked to last month's record drug haul in Malaysia are on the run from Myanmar police and another four are in custody in Yangon, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced Wednesday night.

The huge shipment of methamphetamine and heroin worth USD18 million was seized in Malaysia's Port Klang on May 22 after being shipped from Myanmar Industrial Port (MIP). Customs officers stationed at MIP are supposed to screen every single container that leaves the port.

The ministry said it had confiscated at least 18 billion kyats worth of movable and immovable assets at properties belonging to six suspects. The assets are believed to have been paid for using the proceeds from drug trafficking. These include bank accounts and jewelry. The ministry said it had seized property worth an estimated 7 billion kyats from Haj Yassin; more than 8 billion kyats from Qin Jiamu, 45 (also known as Jia Wei or Hnin Oo Lwin), who owns houses in Shan State's capital Taunggyi and Tachileik Township, a notorious drug zone; about 2.7 billion kyats from Dawei Gyi (aka Aung Lwin); about 500 million kyats from Hussein, 44 (aka Mohammed Hussein); 400 million kyats from Zeyar Hein, a brother-in-law of Haj Yassin; and 50 million kyats from customs clearance agent U Min Naing.

The seventh trafficking suspect, according to the ministry statement, is Ahko Gyi, who is at large and believed to be living in Malaysia.

Police opened cases against all the suspects under the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Law of Myanmar. The Home Affairs Ministry also released short profiles of suspect Qin Jiamu, who holds a Myanmar national identity card and is of mixed Li Shaw and Chinese descent; and Hussein. It urged the public to inform the police if they have any information about the suspects' whereabouts.

A police notice issued Wednesday shows the suspects' names and pictures. Shown are (top row from left): Dawei Gyi; Hussein, aka Mohammed Hussein (wanted); and Qin Jiamu; and (bottom row) Ahko Gyi with Qin Jiamu. (Photo: MOHA)

The Irrawaddy has learned that suspects Min Naing, Haj Yassin and Dawei Gyi are friends on Facebook. Dawei Gyi, who is believed to be using Facebook under an assumed name (which is on Haj Yassin's "Friends" list) posted a profile picture in November 2015 that appears to show the three men in Macau. Dawei Gyi is shown in the center. The man at right is believed to be the suspect Ahko Gyi, the husband of Qin Jiamu. Facebook user records for both Dawei Gyi and Ahko Gyi indicate that the two travel frequently around Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and China.

Some Dawei residents told The Irrawaddy that locals mostly know Dawei Gyi as U Pyin Poe, which means "ant" in the Dawei language. They confirmed that the photos collected by The Irrawaddy were correct. According to them, U Pyin Poe's family was very poor but rapidly became wealthy after he returned from Malaysia to set up a hotel business in the town, where he currently operates the Bungaloa Resort on Maungmakan Beach.

A Dawei resident said, "Many Dawei locals are surprised at how quickly U Pyin Poe has become wealthy."

Police said in a statement that they have arrested four suspects in separate locations in Myanmar. U Min Naing, a prominent Customs clearance servicing agent and owner of Nice Guy Clearance Agency, was detained some time prior to the June 6 arrest of Haj Yassin (aka Maung Maung) in Mandalay Division. Zeyar Hein, the brother-in-law of Haj Yassin and operator of a store in Malaysia, was detained by police on June 9 as he returned to Yangon to extend his passport.

Customs agent U Min Naing and his wife Daw Thida Moe, director of U Kaung Trading Co., pose for a picture at a beach in Myanmar. (Photo : Collected by The Irrawaddy)

Haj Yassin and Zeyar Hein confessed to police their involvement in a narcotics trafficking scheme along with three accomplices. A few days later, on June 20, police apprehended Dawei Gyi (aka Aung Lwin) at the Ma Hlwa Taung border checkpoint in Tanitharyi Division with 10 grams of crystal methamphetamine, or "ice", at his house in Dawei Township. Aung Lwin admitted to police that he was once jailed for drug smuggling in Malaysia. Some local publications reported the arrest of Aung Lwin, a well-known businessman, but the police statement did not contain much information on his background.

Aung Lwin told police that Haj Yassin, Zeyar Hein, Qin Jiamu and Ahko Gyi (aka Ka Tone) shipped the narcotics disguised as tea to Malaysia with the help of customs agent U Min Naing. Haj Yassin also confessed to police that tons drugs were transported in various cars from Tachileik, Shan State resident Qin Jiamu to the Nice Guy purified water factory in Hlegu Township on the outskirts of Yangon. The factory is owned by Min Naing's wife Daw Thida Moe, who also serves as director of U Kaung Trading Company located in downtown Kyauktada Township.

Hussein allegedly carried the drugs in a Bongo Box car from the water factory to a warehouse in lower Pazundaung owned by Haj Yassin. After that, Customs agent U Min Naing expedited the paperwork and clearance process and organized a shipping service for Haj Yassin. The Irrawaddy has learned that U Kaung Trading Co. and Nice Guy Clearance Agency belong to U Min Naing's family. While they come from different religious backgrounds (Buddhist and Muslim, respectively) U Min Naing and Haj Yassin have a close relationship, even commenting on each other's Facebook accounts periodically since 2015.

According to Customs procedures, all trading companies must complete a significant amount of documentation relating to the screening process. This includes an export declaration form, and getting step-by-step approval from both Customs and the Myanmar Port Authority (MPA)'s Shipping Agency Department (SAD). Official SAD documents seen by The Irrawaddy last week indicate that U Kaung Trading Co. acted as the shipping agent for Haj Yassin. U Kaung Trading Co. managing director U Aung Soe Moe even signed the shipping instruction letter. It remains unclear whether police have also detained U Aung Soe Moe or if he is on the run.

Even after the shipper successfully clears the documentation process with the Customs agent, the container is still subject to a physical check including an X-ray scan at the port. This applies to all shippers who receive a yellow or red channel designation under the Myanmar Automated Cargo System (MACCS)'s automatic assignment system. Shippers who are designated to the green channel are exempt from an X-ray scan. The Customs Department has not officially revealed whether U Kaung Trading's container went through an X-ray channel or the green channel, and has not identified which Customs officers were on duty at Myanmar Industrial Port during the Water Festival period, when the shipment left the port.

The Home Affairs Ministry's latest statement did not elaborate on how the suspect successfully got the items through an X-ray scan. Some Customs agents explained that there are a couple of possible loopholes that would allow someone to escape an X-ray, including bribing officers to turn a blind eye. On three separate occasions The Irrawaddy sought an interview appointment with relevant Customs officials, but the requests were denied. Customs officials suggested writing an official letter to the department's director general on Wednesday.

The Irrawaddy visited Seik Kan Myo Ma police station on Wednesday and saw suspect U Min Naing in custody alone but was not allowed to speak with his family members or defense lawyer. A police officer on duty there said that Haj Yassin and his brother-in-law Zeyar Hein are being held at an undisclosed location for questioning and that a court hearing would be held next week. In previous statements, police said they had opened multiple charges against the suspects under the Anti-Narcotics Law that could carry the death penalty or an unlimited term of imprisonment.

The post Three Local Suspects Sought, 4 in Custody in Record Drug Shipment to Malaysia appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Foreign Mining Equipment Makers Enabling Rights Abuses, Watchdog Alleges

Posted: 20 Jun 2018 08:08 AM PDT

YANGON — Three of the world's largest mining machinery manufacturers, Caterpillar, Komatsu and Volvo, contribute to human rights abuses in Myanmar by selling equipment to local mining companies with reputations for irresponsible extraction of jade and other resources, according to a human rights and environment watchdog's report published on Wednesday.

"Komatsu, Caterpillar, and Volvo CE appear to be the dominant brands represented in the Hpakant jade mines," said Swedwatch, a Stockholm-based organization investigating the companies in an effort to get them to take responsibility for human rights and the environment.

"Since the early 2000s, the dramatically increased use of heavy mining machinery in Myanmar has enabled the extraction of minerals at an unprecedented speed," Swedwatch says in the report.

Jade mining is a multi-billion-dollar industry for Myanmar, home to the world's largest jade mine complex comprising 20,000-30,000 acres located near Hpakant Township in Kachin State in northern Myanmar. The jade mine is a flashpoint of fighting between ethnic Kachin armed groups and the Myanmar military (or Tatmadaw).

The Tatmadaw's official interests in Myanmar's jade sector are held primarily through its companies Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited and Myanmar Economic Corporation. The jade industry's total revenue in 2014 was US$31 billion — equivalent to half the country's GDP, or 64 times government spending on healthcare, according to a Global Witness report from 2015.

Swedwatch was unable to find reliable statistics on the number of active mining machines in Myanmar, but it estimates that thousands are currently in operation in Hpakant, while a couple hundred more are active in copper mines in Monywa, Sagaing Division. Copper projects linked to the military have stirred controversy over the years due to allegations of forced evictions, unlawful land confiscations, and causing severe pollution that jeopardizes the livelihoods and health of local populations, Swedwatch said.

"None of the [machinery] companies are able to demonstrate adequate efforts to identify, mitigate or prevent risks associated with the use of its equipment, specifically as regard to adverse impacts on human rights and the environment in the nation's mining areas," Swedwatch says in the report.

A jade mine in Hpakant Township, Kachin State in 2016.

According to the report, thousands of people have lost their land, which Swedwatch links to heroin addiction among young people and other harmful effects, especially on the lives of woman and children. It also claims hundreds of people die each year in landslides, flooding and road accidents linked to the mines.

According to media reports from 2015 to 2018, 128 miners were killed in a series of landslides involving mountains of soil deposited at dump sites in the area by mining companies. Self-employed miners commonly scavenge for pieces of jade among the masses of stony waste carried to the sites in huge dump trucks.

Local residents told Swedwatch that in most cases, mining companies obtain the land used for mining by unlawfully confiscating it or pressuring owners to sell it for less than market value.

Miners search for jade stones at a dumpsite near a jade mine in Kachin State's Hpakant Township in 2016.

According to Swedwatch, Caterpillar did not respond to questions about whether its sales of mining equipment in Myanmar were in breach of its own code of conduct. Volvo CE and Komatsu both told Swedwatch they were unaware of any negative impacts on local communities related to the use of the equipment they sold in Myanmar.

Maw Htun Aung, an independent analyst specializing in natural resources governance, told The Irrawaddy that, "Even at the international level, the degree to which a company should be held responsible for the use of its products is still a topic of debate."

He described the situation as "similar to Apple's responsibility to uphold HR standards at its suppliers' factories in China. These machinery companies rarely operate directly in Myanmar. According to their records, [the machines] appear to have been sold [via] Singapore, Malaysian or Chinese companies."

According to Swedwatch's report, the mining machinery used in Myanmar's mines is sourced both through official routes via Yangon, and through unofficial smuggling routes via China. Machines entering through China are generally older and bought on the second-hand market, while machines entering via Yangon tend to be new and sold via a local dealer. The latter channel potentially gives the machinery makers greater control over the use of their products, Swedwatch said.

US-based Caterpillar declined Swedwatch's request to clarify its findings in Myanmar. It merely cited its code of conduct, which pledges that "customers use our products to help build a better world" and "in a manner that promotes human rights."

According to the report, the three companies do not have their own offices in Myanmar, but their distributors and dealers do. Volvo CE and Komatsu share their codes of conduct or similar policies with local business partners in Myanmar, but these partners are not contractually obliged to adhere to them and make no formal agreement to do so.

Volvo CE, which is headquartered in Sweden, explained that its dealers are independent and represent other manufacturers as well. Japan-based Komatsu said its code of conduct only applies to Komatsu group companies, but that its agreement with its distributor in Myanmar contains a provision requiring the distributor to conduct business in a socially responsible and ethical manner.

However, "The companies do not appear to have made any attempts to monitor the extent to which their business partners in Myanmar adhere to the code/policy that has been conveyed," the Swedwatch report says.

"The companies lack adequate safeguards in relation to the risks of being implicated in gross human rights abuses in Myanmar or other high-risk areas where their products are sold," it adds.

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Rakhine Advisory Commission Stands by Recommendations After Review

Posted: 20 Jun 2018 07:22 AM PDT

YANGON — The government’s Advisory Commission on Rakhine State has determined that the recommendations it made 10 months ago to settle communal tensions in the restive region, just before the outbreak of the latest round of violence there, all remain relevant.

The commission, chaired by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, made the determination in early June following meetings in Copenhagen.

In a June 8 report on “Lessons Learned,” the commission said: "Although political realities in Rakhine changed dramatically and tragically after the ARSA [Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army] attack on August 25, 2017, the commission's final report has remained relevant.”

Minister of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement U Win Myat Aye, a senior member of a committee the government set up to implement the commission’s recommendations, said the meetings in the Danish capital were held both to review the relevance of the recommendations and to discuss progress on their implementation.

The meetings were also joined by National Security Adviser U Thaung Tun, who heads the Ministry of the Office of the Union Government; former UN official and historian Thant Myint-U; U Kyaw Yin Hlaing, who was a member of the previous administration’s Rakhine Investigation Commission; other members of the advisory commission; and senior representatives of donors governments, including the US, Canada, Australia, Norway, UK, and Sweden, that had funded the Advisory Commission's work.

The NLD government formed the advisory commission in September 2016 with nine members — six national and three international — to provide it with recommendations on how to solve the ongoing communal violence between the state’s Muslims and Buddhist Arakanese and address the region’s underdeveloped infrastructure.

At the end of its one-year mandate, the commission released its final report in August 2017 with 88 recommendations.

They included full humanitarian and media access to conflict areas, a review of the 1982 Citizenship Law, freedom of movement for all people in the state, a comprehensive plan to close all IDP camps in line with international standards, and more cooperation with Bangladesh.

The government vowed to implement the recommendations as soon as they were released and formed a ministry-level committee to follow through.

Nearly 10 months on, the commission wanted  to review whether the recommendations were still relevant, U Win Myat Aye said, as the situation had changed since they were made.

Only eight hours after the advisory commission's final report was released on Aug. 24, ARSA, a militant Muslim group, launched a coordinated attack on 30 police outposts in Rakhine’s Maungdaw Township.

In the wake of the attacks, the Myanmar army launched a clearance operation in the region that has driven some 700,000 mostly Rohingya to Bangladesh and drawn international condemnation. The UN and US have both accused Myanmar’s army of ethnic cleansing, which it denies.

U Win Myat Aye said the government has started on 80 of the 88 recommendations.

"We also discussed what more we should do based on the current situation," he said, declining to provide more details.

Correction:  A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the meetings were joined by representatives from EU governments. In fact they were attended by senior representatives of donor governments, including the US, Canada, Australia, Norway, the UK and Sweden, that funded the Advisory Commission's work.

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The Need for Mental Health Care in Myanmar

Posted: 20 Jun 2018 05:21 AM PDT

Myanmar is suffering from a hidden mental health epidemic. Years of internal conflict have led to a traumatized society and a multitude of mental health issues. This epidemic is hidden because unlike physical injuries, mental health issues cannot easily be seen. Yet, below the surface, the complications and damage done by mental health issues have ramifications not just for individuals but for the whole of society.

Mental health is vitally important and there is a strong and demonstrated link between mental health and human rights. For individuals, better mental health aids good decision-making, and allows for independence and the ability to live a life in full enjoyment of their human rights. While, for society, healing acute trauma experienced during the armed conflict and military dictatorship, enables people to move forward with their lives free from the weight of the past.

As a joint secretary of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), I have been dealing with many former political prisoners and many victims of human rights abuse. I see many are suffering from trauma, depression, stress and other kinds of common mental health problems. I studied this subject and finally I translated a book called "Counseling for Torture Survivors." That book described former political prisoners' experiences both during interrogation and life in prison, how they are dealing with mental problems and how counselors could help to solve those problems.

Then I met with different psychiatrists from different countries and I explained my ideas for a mental health program in Myanmar. However, initially it didn't work. Finally, I found someone from John Hopkins University (JHU) and they liked my idea and they agreed to support us technically. It was in 2010 and AAPP had the opportunity to work with JHU's Applied Mental Health Research group to implement a novel and promising mental health treatment program called the Common Elements Treatment Approach (CETA).

AAPP's Mental Health Assistance Program (MHAP) is the first counseling program in Myanmar in which qualified counselors offer extensive and long-term support to citizens of all backgrounds through group sessions and trainings as well as individual counseling. MHAP started in 2011 on the Thailand-Myanmar border and expanded into Myanmar in 2012. Not only does MHAP's work raise awareness of mental health and fill the void in adequate service provision, but it also recognizes the causes and treats the symptoms of the trauma that many clients have experienced. MHAP works on reconciling the effects of past human rights abuses and empowers people to move forward.

I believe that alleviating the impact on civilians’ mental health of past wrongdoings and trauma from conflict is essential to the success of the national reconciliation process. The failure to adequately address and compensate for past abuses has been shown in other countries to lead to ongoing tensions and continued human rights violations.

Yet, despite this work being done by organizations like AAPP, there are a number of major obstacles blocking the improvement of the overall quality of mental health in Myanmar.

Firstly, government facilities are under-developed and lacking resources, and therefore, usually struggle to deal with mental health issues. There is a poor quality of, and poor access to, mental health treatment in rural areas. MHAP works in these remote areas trying to fill this gap. MHAP does this by training counselors. Counselors are trained vocationally in the best methods of treating common mental health trauma within communities. By training community members to become counselors, we can ensure that counseling is available in remote communities. While MHAP works with psychiatrists, we train counselors, as this training is shorter and more community members can offer mental health care to those who need it.

Alongside the provision of sufficient resources to address mental health issues, there is an acute need to develop a comprehensive mental health policy. Such a policy would take mental health issues into consideration and have a holistic approach to dealing with the problem. Adequate mental health service provision then, is a necessary step in recognizing the impact that the conflict has had on society, and consequently in making possible a process of collective healing.

There is also need to raise awareness. It is okay to not be okay. Mental health issues do not discriminate. They can, and do, affect anyone and everyone.  Yet for many, mental health issues are likely to be seen as a weakness. This stigma often stops people from seeking the help or treatment they vitally need.

If these issues are addressed, we will see a benefit to human rights as well as a better functioning society.

Yet in the meantime, until these long-term issues are addressed with long-term solutions by the government, programs like MHAP will continue filling in the gaps, providing counseling to those who need it most, and dealing with the country's trauma from decades of civil war and political unrest.

Bo Kyi helped found the AAPP and currently serves as a joint secretary.

The post The Need for Mental Health Care in Myanmar appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Key Federal Issues to Be Left off Agenda at Third UPC Session

Posted: 20 Jun 2018 04:54 AM PDT

YANGON — Discussions of the key federal principles of autonomy and non-secession will not be on the agenda at the upcoming third session of the 21st Century Panglong Union Peace Conference, tentatively slated for the second week of July.

The decision to omit the topics was made by peace negotiators during informal political and security talks late last month.

The secretariat of the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC), a peace-process implementing body, will meet on June 25, followed by three days of working committee meetings on the five key sectors — political, economic, social, security, and land and environment — during which the main negotiations are expected to be held in preparation for next month's conference.

The third Union Peace Conference (UPC) session has seen numerous postponements. However, the secretary of the government's peace commission, U Khin Zaw Oo, said on Tuesday that the session is now scheduled for the second week of July. He was speaking at the commission's ongoing preparatory meetings with government, Parliament and military representatives in Naypyitaw from June 19-21.

Regarding the exact date of the UPC, U Hla Maung Shwe, a member of the UPDJC secretariat, told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that the government will soon respond to the date proposed by the participating ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) of July 10-14.

To be able to convene the upcoming UPC, the negotiators agreed to a "package deal" in which they would omit holding detailed discussions of the subjects of autonomy, drafting state constitutions and non-secession, and to resume talks on these topics at a later date. Non-secession from the Union is a key pledge the Tatmadaw (Myanmar's military) seeks to extract from the ethnic leaders and resulted in a major deadlock at last year's conference.

The package deal was necessary because negotiators "were not able to reach a common understanding" on the issues, said U Myo Win, a coordinator of the informal talks who has served as a peace negotiator since the beginning of the peace process.

Khun Myint Tun, vice chairman of the Pa-O National Liberation Organization, a signatory to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement, said that leaving these topics off the agenda is "an approach aimed at overcoming the stalemate and moving forward with the peace process." He pointed out that the UPC was initially supposed to be held bi-annually but that did not happen. He added that when the conference is convened, it needs to achieve more concrete results.

Negotiators told The Irrawaddy that issues not resolved at the last UPC gathering would be continued at the third session, including the protection of minorities' rights and gender equality.

At last year's conference, 37 basic principles in the political, security, economic, social and land and environment sectors were approved by the Parliament as Part 1 of the Union Accord.

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Analysis: Army Plays Spoiler to Religious Reform

Posted: 20 Jun 2018 03:01 AM PDT

MUDON, Mon State — At a recent interfaith event in Yangon, Religious Affairs and Culture Minister U Aung Ko told Myanmar Muslim Media cryptically that he was facing challenges that were visible and those that were not. He did not say what any of them were.

U Aung Ko, a former army general and member of the previous government, has been working on improving Myanmar’s religious environment amid international pressure over the country’s treatment of its Muslim minority. At the event, the minister said he had been able to carry out some reforms, but not others.

U Aung Ko has tried to take action against U Wirathu, a leading member of Ma Ba Tha, an extremist Buddhist monk group accused of hate speech against Muslims. Though the courts have failed to take action on any of his cases against the incendiary monk, U Wirathu has been relatively quiet of late.

And in February, a small group of young nationalists showed up at a court hearing in Yangon for the alleged conspirators in the murder of prominent Muslim lawyer U Ko Ni wearing T-shirts that read “Eat well.” In Burmese, the phrase is used to tell someone to enjoy a hearty last meal, implying that death is imminent.

A court ordered their arrest, but the police have yet to take action and the young men remain free. When The Irrawaddy inquired as to why the police did not take action, it learned that the Home Affairs Ministry never actually issued the order to arrest them.

The army controls the Home Affairs Ministry, along with the Ministry of Defense and Border Affairs, and the Supreme Court chief justice is another former general.

Under current laws and procedures, the courts and the army hold the power to decide who gets arrested and prosecuted. If and when the Home Affairs Ministry gives the order, the police take action.

Meanwhile, one of the main suspects in U Ko Ni’s assassination, former army officer Aung Win Khaing, remains at large nearly a year and a half after the shooting. Many people wonder if he has magic powers to have evaded capture for so long.

Some at the Ministry of Religious Affairs dislike U Aung Ko and support the army, often making it hard for him to make decisions or take action, according to sources in the ministry.

The minister was appointed to the post by State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and is close to U Shwe Mann, the ex-general and USDP leader now allied with the ruling NLD.

Anti-Muslim sentiment in Myanmar was allowed to spread during the previous government under President U Thein Sein, when Ma Ba Tha enjoyed free rein.

Since taking power in early 2016, however, the NLD-led government has banned Ma Ba Tha and put a dozen nationalists behind bars for protesting either against the ban or against the US for condemning the army’s actions against Rohingya Muslims, raising tensions with the group’s former members.

Many nationalists, including some monks, still support the army more than the NLD but have toned down their actions. They were strongly opposed to recent legal amendments placing new restrictions on protests and were joined by the army, whose representatives in Parliament spoke out against the changes, labeling them undemocratic.

The amendments, which ultimately passed, could make nationalist protests against the government rarer still.

At the recent interfaith event in Yangon, U Aung Ko said his ministry was working on amending and updating other laws to fit the times and bolster religious harmony.

"There are two issues we need to solve in our country to be able to develop our country,” he said. “One is the ethnic issue; we need to negotiate and make peace with ethnic armed groups. Second, we need to have harmony among religious groups; If we don’t, our country will not have peace and development."

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Matriculated Inmates Hope for Continuing Education

Posted: 20 Jun 2018 02:56 AM PDT

MANDALAY — More than half of the inmates in Mandalay's Obo Prison that passed the 2017-18 matriculation examination are serving their time for drug charges, prison warden U Cho Win Tun told The Irrawaddy.

"Youngsters tend to experiment with new things. Sometimes, after they have tried a drug once or twice, they end up mugging people or stealing to get money. As the government is making an effort to fight drug abuse, these youths are imprisoned," he said.

A total of 55 inmates from Obo Prison sat for the matriculation examination and a total of 27 passed—four of them received three distinctions and four others earned two distinctions each.

Fifteen of those who passed are serving their time for drug charges.

"I tried drugs. But one try can ruin your whole life. There are many other inmates in the prison like me who are serving their time for making a bad decision," said inmate Maung Htet Hsan Sit, who received three distinctions.

He was sentenced to eight years in prison for drug abuse and was sent to Obo Prison in 2016. He completed 10th grade studies from prison and passed the 2017-18 matriculation examination with flying colors.

"I want to urge the prison authorities to allow the matriculated inmates to pursue [higher education] outside, Daw Nan Myint Oo, the mother of Maung Htet Hsan Sit, told The Irrawaddy.

Prison authorities say that they will arrange for them to study at the university level.

While some 60 percent of the matriculated inmates are imprisoned in connection with drug cases, the rest are serving their time for theft, human trafficking, mugging, and assisting murder, said the prison warden.

In the 2016-17 academic year, three-distinction winners and one-distinction winners from Obo Prison were released in a presidential amnesty. Inmates who passed the matriculation examination this year hope that this will be the case for them as well.

"We hope that they will be released too," said U Aung Kyaw Moe, head of township education department.

In the 2017-18 academic year, a total of 104 inmates from prisons across the country took the matriculation examination; 47 of them passed—five got three distinctions, five got two distinctions, and 18 got one distinction.

The Home Affairs Ministry and the Education Ministry worked together to teach basic education to inmates from the sixth grade on starting in the 2013-14 academic year. And a matriculation examination was held for inmates at Insein Prison in Yangon beginning that year.

As of the 2016-17 academic year, another examination center was opened in Mandalay Central Prison. That year, seven of 11 inmates passed the exam. One got three distinctions and four got one distinction.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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N. Korea, China Discuss ‘True Peace,’ Denuclearization: KCNA

Posted: 19 Jun 2018 09:29 PM PDT

SEOUL — North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and Chinese President Xi Jinping came to an understanding on issues that were discussed at a summit between the two leaders, including denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, the North’s state media said on Wednesday.

Kim and Xi assessed the historic meeting Kim had with US President Donald Trump in Singapore last week and exchanged opinions on ways to resolve the issue of denuclearization, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

The North Korean leader also promised during a meeting with Xi in Beijing to cooperate with Chinese officials to secure “true peace” in the process of “opening a new future” on the Korean peninsula, it said.

Kim’s two-day visit to Beijing will end later on Wednesday, according to state media from China and North Korea. It follows his Singapore summit, where Kim and Trump reaffirmed a commitment to work towards complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

Trump surprised officials in South Korea and the United States after that meeting by saying he would end “provocative” joint US-South Korean military exercises.

The United States and South Korea said on Tuesday they had agreed to suspend a joint military exercise scheduled for August, although decisions regarding subsequent drills have not yet been made.

On Wednesday, South Korean foreign minister Kang Kyung-hwa said the decision to suspend the exercise could be reconsidered based on future developments with North Korea.

“I think we’ve made it clear this is a goodwill gesture to strengthen dialogue momentum,” Kang said.

“It’s not irreversible. They could come back if the dialogue loses speed, or if North Korea doesn’t live up to its denuclearization commitment,” she said.

Kim is on his third visit to China this year. Xi offered high praise to the North Korean leader on Tuesday for the “positive outcome” of last week’s summit with Trump.

KCNA also reported that Xi said relations between China and North Korea had entered a new level of development since Kim’s first visit in March and that the agreements made between the two leaders were being carried out “one by one.”

Kim also told Xi he was willing to bolster bilateral friendship and cooperation, it said.

It was widely expected that Kim would visit Beijing to brief Xi on his summit with Trump, which included Pyongyang agreeing to hand over the remains of troops missing from the 1950-53 Korean War.

Two US officials told Reuters on Tuesday North Korea could start that process within the next few days.

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Thailand Banks on Tech to End Slavery at Sea as Workers Push for Rights

Posted: 19 Jun 2018 09:18 PM PDT

SAMUT SAKHON/BANGKOK, Thailand — Enslaved on a Thai fishing vessel for 11 years, Tun Lin saw his fellow workers lose their minds one after another, with one fisherman jumping into the sea to end his life.

Some would start murmuring or laughing to themselves as they worked day and night in Indonesian waters on the cramped boat, often surviving on fish they caught and drinking water leaking from an onboard freezer.

“It was like a floating prison – actually, worse than prison,” the Burmese fisherman, who was sold into slavery, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in Samut Sakhon, a Thai fishing hub some 40 km (25 miles) southwest of the capital Bangkok.

The 36-year-old, who was rescued in 2015 after losing four fingers and being stranded on a remote island for years without pay, is now lobbying for fishermen’s rights with the Thai and Migrant Fishers Union Group (TMFG).

Under growing consumer pressure, Thailand has introduced a raft of modern technologies since 2015 – from satellites to optical scanning and electronic payment services – to crack down on abuses in its multibillion-dollar fishing industry.

It is one of a growing number of countries using innovation to deal with modern slavery, from mobile apps in India to blockchain in Moldova, but experts warn against over-reliance on tech as a silver bullet without stronger workers’ rights.

“Technology can be a double-edged sword,” said Patima Tungpuchayakul, co-founder of the Labor Rights Promotion Network Foundation, a Thai advocacy group.

“It has become an excuse the government is using to justify they have done something, but in practice they don’t use it to solve the problem.”

More than half the estimated 600,000 industry workers are migrants, often from poor neighboring countries such as Cambodia and Myanmar, United Nations (UN) data shows.

Tracking Devices

After the European Union threatened to ban fish exports from Thailand, and the US State Department said it was failing to tackle human trafficking, the Southeast Asian country toughened up its laws and increased fines for violations.

It banned the use of workers aged below 18 and ordered fishermen to be given contracts and be paid through electronic bank transfers.

Authorities ordered Thai vessels operating outside national waters to have satellite communications for workers to contact their families or report problems at sea, plus tracking devices to spot illegal fishing.

“We are serious in law enforcement regarding human trafficking and illegal labor cases,” said Weerachon Sukhontapatipak, a Thai government spokesman.

“There might not be abrupt change … it will take time.”

Thailand is also rolling out an ambitious plan, using iris, facial and fingerprint scans to record fishermen’s identities to make sure they are on the boats they are registered with and help inspectors spot trafficking victims.

Rights groups meanwhile have tried to use satellites to pinpoint the location of ships that remain at sea for long periods, potentially indicating enslavement.

But human trafficking expert Benjamin Smith said using satellites to tackle slavery at sea was not easy unless there is a lead on where to track in the vast ocean.

“I think people underestimate the size of the ocean and the ability to pinpoint where something as small as a boat is,” Smith from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said.

“If you have good information, intelligence, then satellite images can be good … It has to be a small part of a much bigger effort.”

Smith also highlighted difficulties prosecuting cross-border trafficking cases and maritime police funding shortages, adding that continued consumer pressure on firms to clean up their supply chains could be a potent force to help end slavery.

“That’s probably the best way you can start,” he said.

Good News

Fishermen remain at risk of forced labor and the wages of some continue to be withheld, the International Labor Organization (ILO) said in March.

To combat slavery, firms must improve workers’ lives, rather than cutting labor costs and recruiting informally to meet demand for cheaper goods, experts say.

“Smaller owners are getting squeezed, and still rely on brokers and agents, who dupe workers and keep them ignorant of their rights and conditions on the boat,” said Sunai Phasuk, a researcher with lobby group Human Rights Watch in Bangkok.

Workers are set to become more vocal with the May launch of the Fishers’ Rights Network, which aims to combat abuses, backed by the world’s largest canned tuna producer, Thai Union, and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF).

“Without enforceable rights at the workplace and the strength that comes from being represented by a union, labor rights violations and the mistreatment will continue,” said Johnny Hansen, chairman of ITF’s fisheries section.

Thailand’s ratification this month of the ILO protocol on forced labor also offers hope. It is the first Asian country to promise to combat all forms of the crime, including trafficking, and to protect and compensate victims.

“We have … committed to changing the law to allow workers to form unions, so we can work together to solve the problems,” said Thanaporn Sriyakul, an advisor to the deputy prime minister. “But the process is long, and it will take time.”

Thailand has also pledged to ratify two other conventions on collective bargaining and the right to organize, which campaigners say would better protect seafood workers.

This would be good news for Lin’s fishermen’s group, which has helped rescue more than 60 people since 2015, but has no legal status as Thai law does not permit fisher unions, leading rights advocates to use other terms, like workers’ groups.

“There are still lots of victims, and I want to help them,” Lin said. “As fishermen who have suffered in a similar manner, we understand each other’s needs and are able to help better.”

The post Thailand Banks on Tech to End Slavery at Sea as Workers Push for Rights appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Hiding from Traffickers in ‘Prison-Like’ Tents, Rohingya Girls Dream of School

Posted: 19 Jun 2018 09:08 PM PDT

NEW DELHI — Trapped inside “prison-like” tents in Bangladesh’s refugee camps because of fears they will be trafficked or sexually harassed, teenage Rohingya girls dream of going to school and playing outside, aid agencies said on Wednesday.

Adolescent girls are confined to one-room bamboo and tarpaulin tents so as to avoid men, only venturing out in the early hours to relieve themselves, the children’s charity Plan International said on World Refugee Day.

“They spend almost every hour of every day inside their sweltering tents, where the only activities they have to keep themselves occupied are cooking and cleaning,” said Orla Murphy, Plan International’s Bangladesh director.

“There is a real hunger for social interaction, the feeling of normality,” she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

The number of Rohingya in camps in Cox’s Bazar has swelled to almost 1 million since last August, when an army operation in Myanmar following Rohingya insurgents’ attacks on security forces prompted an exodus to Bangladesh. With the start of the monsoon season, the government is working to relocate tens of thousands of people amid fears of landslides and waterborne diseases.

Plan International interviewed 300 girls aged between 10 and 19, many of whom said they have little or no freedom to go outside and they only spend time with their families, reminiscing about happier times back home in Myanmar.

“In Myanmar if I wanted to play, I could, but I cannot play here,” 11-year-old Noor told Plan International in a report that described adolescent girls’ lives as 'prison-like.'

“I had friends and went to school. I was really interested to learn English and tailoring. But there is no school here.”

Children’s charities only run temporary “learning centers” for some refugee children up to the age of 14 because Bangladesh does not allow formal schooling in the camps.

With a growing number of Rohinyga refugees being sold to older men as child brides by human traffickers, and widespread domestic abuse, rights groups called for more services to protect girls, from education and security to toilets.

“They become susceptible – sex tourism thrives here,” said Nafeesa Shamsuddin, a spokeswoman for Bangladesh’s BRAC charity.

“Pimps target these vulnerable girls.”

While younger girls can be seen hauling bags of grains and firewood, fetching water or looking after babies, they are forced into isolation when they reach puberty, said Daphnee Cook, a spokeswoman for the British charity Save the Children.

“Many childhoods end around this age,” she said.

“The perception is that these girls are now women and will face more risks.”

The post Hiding from Traffickers in 'Prison-Like' Tents, Rohingya Girls Dream of School appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

US Quits UN Human Rights Body, Citing Bias vs Israel, Alarming Critics

Posted: 19 Jun 2018 08:59 PM PDT

WASHINGTON/UNITED NATIONS — The United States withdrew from a “hypocritical and self-serving” United Nations Human Rights Council on Tuesday over what it called chronic bias against Israel and a lack of reform, a move activists warned would make advancing human rights globally even more difficult.

Standing with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the State Department, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley slammed Russia, China, Cuba and Egypt for thwarting US efforts to reform the council. She also criticized countries that shared US values and encouraged Washington to remain, but “were unwilling to seriously challenge the status quo.”

Washington’s withdrawal is the latest US rejection of multilateral engagement after it pulled out of the Paris climate agreement and the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

It also comes as the United States faces intense criticism for detaining children separated from their immigrant parents at the US-Mexico border. UN human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein on Monday called on Washington to halt its “unconscionable” policy.

“Look at the council membership, and you see an appalling disrespect for the most basic rights,” said Haley, citing Venezuela, China, Cuba and Democratic Republic of Congo. She did not mention Saudi Arabia, which rights groups pushed to be suspended in 2016 over killings of civilians in the Yemen war.

Among reforms the United States had pushed for was to make it easier to kick out member states with egregious rights records. Currently a two-thirds majority vote by the 193-member UN General Assembly is needed to suspend a member state.

Haley also said the “disproportionate focus and unending hostility toward Israel is clear proof that the council is motivated by political bias, not by human rights.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the US decision.

The United States has long shielded its ally Israel at the United Nations. In citing what it says is bias against Israel, the administration of President Donald Trump could further fuel Palestinian arguments that Washington cannot be a neutral mediator as it prepares to roll out a Middle East peace plan. Washington also relocated its embassy to Jerusalem after recognizing it as the capital of Israel, reversing decades of US policy.

The United States is half-way through a three-year term on the 47-member Geneva-based body and the Trump administration had long threatened to quit if it was not overhauled.

"Misguided Policy"

Rights groups have criticized the Trump administration for not making human rights a priority in its foreign policy. Critics say this sends a message that the administration turns a blind eye to human rights abuses in some parts of the world.

“Given the state of human rights in today’s world, the US should be stepping up, not stepping back,” Zeid said after Haley announced the US withdrawal.

Reuters reported last week that talks on reforming the council had failed to meet Washington’s demands, suggesting the Trump administration would quit.

“The Human Rights Council enables abuses by absolving wrongdoers through silence and falsely condemning those that committed no offense,” Pompeo said.

Diplomats have said the US withdrawal could bolster countries such as Cuba, Russia, Egypt and Pakistan, which resist what they see as UN interference in sovereign issues.

Haley said the withdrawal “is not a retreat from our human rights commitments.”

Twelve rights and aid groups, including Human Rights First, Save the Children and CARE, warned Pompeo the US withdrawal would “make it more difficult to advance human rights priorities and aid victims of abuse around the world.”

Jamil Dakwar, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Human Rights Program, said Trump’s “misguided policy of isolationism only harms American interests.”

The EU said Washington’s decision “risks undermining the role of the US as a champion and supporter of democracy on the world stage.” British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said it was regrettable and that the council was the “best tool the international community has to address impunity.”

First Member to Withdraw

The Human Rights Council meets three times a year to examine human rights violations worldwide. It has mandated independent investigators to look at situations including Syria, North Korea, Myanmar and South Sudan. Its resolutions are not legally binding but carry moral authority.

When the Council was created in 2006, US President George W. Bush’s administration shunned the body.

Under President Barack Obama the United States was elected for a maximum two consecutive terms on the council by the UN General Assembly. After a year off, Washington was re-elected in 2016 for its current third term.

UN officials said the United States would be the first member to withdraw from the council.

Haley said a year ago that Washington was reviewing its membership. The body has a permanent standing agenda item on suspected violations committed by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories that Washington wanted removed.

The council last month voted to probe killings in Gaza and accused Israel of using excessive force. The United States and Australia cast the only “no” votes.

“The UN Human Rights Council has played an important role in such countries as North Korea, Syria, Myanmar and South Sudan, but all Trump seems to care about is defending Israel,” said Human Rights Watch executive director Ken Roth.

The post US Quits UN Human Rights Body, Citing Bias vs Israel, Alarming Critics appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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