Tuesday, September 25, 2018

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

Eight Arakanese Re-Arrested after Completing Sentence for Mrauk-U Protest

Posted: 25 Sep 2018 08:22 AM PDT

YANGON—Eight Arakanese freed by a Sittwe court on Monday after spending months in detention for participating in a protest in Mrauk-U in were abruptly re-arrested on the orders of the Ministry of Home Affairs on the same day on a separate charge and sent to the No. 1 Sittwe Police Station.

The eight were freed after the Sittwe court ruled their detention period counted toward their initial sentence. Family members had gathered to await their release, but their joy turned to sadness within an hour when they learned of the ministry's order.

The suspects spent about eight months in prison after the state police sued them for involvement in an unauthorized protest in Mrauk-U, the ancient Arakanese capital, earlier this year. The spontaneous rally began when Arakanese took to the streets to protest authorities' banning of an event to mark the 233rd anniversary of the fall of the Arakan Kingdom to the Burmese Kong Baung dynasty in the 18th century.

When hundreds of protesters rallied in front of the government offices in Mrauk-U, police fired into the crowd, killing seven civilians and severely wounding nearly a dozen. No officials faced any kind of disciplinary action over the killing of the protesters. The eight detained Arakanese—who were charged under Article 6 (1) for destroying public assets—were among the wounded.

Defense lawyer Daw Aye Nu Sein, who also serves as a vice chairwoman of the Arakan National Party (ANP), told The Irrawaddy over the phone on Tuesday that the judge sentenced the convicts to eight-month jail terms at about 1 p.m. on Monday. Taking their detention periods into account, the judge ordered their release. However, instead of freeing them, the police took the detainees to a jail in Sittwe, citing the need for more paperwork to be done.

In the evening, Police Captain Thein Naing, who was also a plaintiff in the previous case against the eight, asked the judge to remand them in custody as he planned to charge the detainees under Article 16 of the Union Flag Law. He transported the detainees to No. 1 Sittwe police station about 8 p.m. Sittwe residents who witnessed the events unfolding live-streamed scenes of the family members crying outside the court and following the eight to the police station.

The chief officer at the police station said the arrests were made by made by Mrauk-U police and declined to answer further questions on Tuesday.

A regional lawmaker representing the ANP in the Rakhine Parliament, U Tun Thar Sein, who witnessed the gathering at Sittwe Police Station, said the surprise move by police drew public intention and several hundred Sittwe locals gathered right in front of the police station at 9 p.m. Top leaders from the ANP urged the public not to react aggressively to the police. The lawmaker said the situation between the police and the public was quite intense and had the potential to turn into a riot.

"I really doubt the case as it appears to be a deliberate attempt to create a [conflict] situation in the state," said MP U Tun Thar Sein.

An Arakanese commentator, Ko Tun Tun Naing, who contributes articles to local publications, said releasing someone in the morning and re-arresting them in the afternoon was an inappropriate act by police. He said the surprise arrest indicated that civilians are badly suffering from a lack of legal protections, and sent a direct message that anyone can be unconditionally arrested.

“As a consequence we civilians feel unsafe and there will be more distrust in the government,” said Tun Tun Naing.

The ANP’s vice chairwoman Daw Aye Nu Sein elaborated that the prosecutor should have filed all the charges against the protestors as part of the same case. She said a law enacted in 1973, the Interpretation of Expressions Law, stipulates that a case against a suspect shall not be opened in separate stages. It's unclear whether the judge granted the police's remand request in line with the law or not.

Lawmaker U Tun Thar Sein said opening a new case after a conviction without filing the case during the detention period raised serious questions about the judicial system in the country.

“It seems they want to keep them [the accused] behind bars forever,” Daw Aye Nu Sein said.

The post Eight Arakanese Re-Arrested after Completing Sentence for Mrauk-U Protest appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Caves Are More than Sites for Buddhist Shrines: Expert 

Posted: 25 Sep 2018 07:40 AM PDT

YANGON—While caves themselves have not generally been the subject of environmental conservation efforts in Myanmar, the widespread custom among the country's Buddhist majority of placing Buddha images or building stupas and shrines on mountains and hills, as well as inside caves, has helped to protect them from total destruction.

Buddhist religious sites are considered places of worship for adult pilgrims and a wonderland in which to play for children. One of the few people who turned this childhood wonder into an adult effort to preserve such sites is climber and cave researcher Ko Nyi Nyi Aung. He has been a mountaineer for 14 years and participated in the Myanmar Everest Expedition in 2016, in which two of his colleagues became the first climbers from Myanmar to reach the summit of the world's highest peak.

"I became interest in hiking and mountain climbing when I was about 7, while accompanying my father on visits to pagodas—like the mountaintop Kyaiktiyo in Mon State and other famous pagodas in nearby Karen State and around the country—to meditate," Ko Nyi Nyi Aung said.

At university, he joined the Invitation of Nature climbing club in order to achieve his dream of "climbing a snow-capped mountain."

Two years ago, Ko Nyi Nyi Aung built on his climbing skills and began learning speleology—the study and exploration of caves. He is also a main coordinator of the Myanmar Cave Documentation Project (MCDP), a group of experienced speleologists founded by Joerg Dreybrodt and a few other international experts in September 2008. They provided cave documentation training to local spelunkers in collaboration with Fauna and Flora International (FFI) in June 2017.

Nineteen Myanmar cave documenters participated in a joint expedition team with international speleologists early this year in February and March. Prior to that, cave expeditions in Myanmar were mostly limited to international speleologists, as few Myanmar people have been involved in cave surveying.

Ko Nyi Nyi Aung conducts a survey in Otter Cave, a vertical cave in Kayah state, during an expedition in February-March, 2018. / Diego Sanz / supplied

"Some of the caves we found are not even easily noticeable as caves, as [their entrances] are located near villages, or in the middle of plantation fields," Ko Nyi Nyi Aung said. When they proceed inside such sites, away from the entrance, they realize they have found an unexplored cave. MCDP has surveyed and mapped more than 600 caves.

The longest caves in Myanmar are located in Shan State's Ywangan and Pinlaung townships and Kayah State's Loikaw, Hpruso and Bawlakhe townships. Surveying of these caves began in 2012 and is ongoing. Additionally, since 2009, international speleologist expeditions have conducted yearly surveys of caves in Karen, Kayah and Shan states, as well as in Mandalay and on the Myeik archipelago in Tannitharyi Region.

Among tourists, the most popular caves in Myanmar are connected to religious sites, such as the Pindaya and Htam Sam caves in Shan state; Peik Chin Myaung in Pyin Oo Lwin, Mandalay Region; Saddan, Kawgun and Yathay Pyan caves in Karen State; and U Min Thonze cave and Pho Win Daung cave Sagaing Region.

Preservation is the responsibility of the pagodas' trustees or local communities; such efforts currently lack wider support from the government's Archeological Department. The government only takes an active part in preserving a few caves considered historic landmarks such Padah-Lin cave in Ywangan, an archeological site founded in 1960.

Some caves close to mining areas are in particular danger of being destroyed, Ko Nyi Nyi Aung said. Some limestone caves are near quarry sites; the presence of armed guards at these locations hinders access to the caves by study teams.

In Myanmar, cement companies tend to have a lot of information about limestone caves, as they conduct surveys to extract limestone in specific areas.

Ko Nyi Nyi Aung said, "Many of our caves are spared from complete destruction as they are protected by Buddhist monks. We are familiar with the caves as pilgrims sites, and have had some exposure to them, but we lack deeper knowledge about these caves for various reasons."

"It is true that the ecosystems of these caves are sometimes destroyed when structures are built in them, sometimes using cement; but [at least] they are preserved as caves. So there are both advantages and drawbacks [to their religious use]," he added.

Ko Nyi Nyi Aung (left) trains local tour guides at the Elephant Whirlpool River Cave in Kyauk Nget village, Ywangan, southern Shan State, this year. / Nyi Nyi Aung / supplied

Having existed for millions of years, caves are "natural museums" allowing scientists to study various species of animals and other natural phenomena, Ko Nyi Nyi Aung said. Awareness of the need for preservation is growing among local residents, he said, thanks to FFI's workshops to educate villagers.

He said that from his experience, locals are often already aware that guano (droppings) deposited by bats inside caves makes good natural fertilizer for agricultural use, adding that many villagers are now also aware that bats play a role in pollination, and that every species is vital to the survival of its particular ecosystem.

"Locals realize that the stalactites and stalagmites in the caves take millions of years to form. If they preserve the caves, they will attract tourists and thus could increase their income. Now they have become aware of that," he said.

Acknowledging the need for further awareness raising, Ko Nyi Nyi Aung said he understands that local villagers sometimes cause unintentional damage to the natural environment in their efforts to make a living from the land.

"If they were aware, they would surely preserve these natural resources, but it will take time," said Ko Nyi Nyi Aung, adding that there is already a strong network of speleologists, local teachers and residents working to preserve the caves.

The view inside Elephant Whirlpool River Cave in Kyauk Nget village, Ywangan, southern Shan State. / Nyi Nyi Aung / supplied

FFI's preservation workshops have also encouraged locals to develop more ideas for ecotourism businesses, as well as to become more aware of good safety habits. At the Elephant Whirlpool River cave in Ywangan's Kyauk Nget village, he said, the local tea shop outside the cave reminds the tourists to use helmets for their safety, and also makes money by selling batteries and other necessities to those entering the caves.

"Also, at that cave, the locals' awareness is strong. Though they are Buddhists, they have refrained from putting up any Buddha images or stupas inside the cave," Ko Nyi Nyi Aung said. "The stairs are made from bamboo, not concrete. Sandbags are used for steps and these are regularly changed and not allowed to decay. And we don't see any writing in correction markers on the walls of the caves. They do a really good job of preserving their caves and this is an example for all of us to follow," he said.

The post Caves Are More than Sites for Buddhist Shrines: Expert  appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

High Court Takes Up Corruption Case Against Yangon Attorney General, Others

Posted: 25 Sep 2018 05:34 AM PDT

YANGON — The Yangon Region High Court on Tuesday agreed to investigate the region’s attorney general and five other officials arrested earlier this month on suspicion of taking bribes to drop a murder case against the alleged killers of Facebook comedian Aung Yell Htwe.

On Sept. 13 the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed cases under two articles of the Anti-Corruption Law against Yangon Region Attorney General U Han Htoo, Yangon Eastern District Court Judge U Aung Kyi, Yangon Region law officer U Thein Zaw, Yangon Eastern District law officer U Ko Ko Lay, Yangon Eastern District deputy law officer Daw Thit Thit Khin, and police Lieutenant Chit Ko Ko.

They were all detained the same day and sent to Insein Prison on Tuesday. U Han Htoo was expelled from his post soon after the arrests.

The commission said it had found sufficient evidence that the six were involved in accepting more than 70 million kyats (about $46,300) from the father of one of the murder suspects to drop the case.

High Court Deputy Director and spokeswoman Daw Nwe Nwe Oo said on Tuesday that the court accepted the graft case against U Han Htoo under Article 55 of the Anti-Corruption Law and against the five others under Article 56.

If found guilty, they will face between 10 and 15 years in jail.

The court will begin questioning the suspects on Oct. 4.

The ACC claims that the accused received a total 72 million kyats in cash and other gifts, including bottles of Blue and Gold Label Scotch Whisky, as bribes. Judge U Aung Kyi allegedly received the largest sum — 33 million kyats — while the attorney general allegedly received 15 million kyats.

On Monday, the High Court annulled a lower court's decision to drop the case into Aung Yell Htwe’s fatal beating and release the three suspects. The High Court also ruled that the murder case proceed to trial.

U Kyee Myint, a veteran lawyer and co-founder of the Myanmar Lawyers Network, told The Irrawaddy last month that it would be difficult to uncover the truth about the murder if the case resumed from where it left off.

He suggested the case be re-investigated and said it would also be necessary to call additional eyewitnesses who were with Aung Yell Htwe when he was attacked.

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11 Years On, Monk Protesters Still Await an Apology for Brutal Public Beatings

Posted: 25 Sep 2018 05:07 AM PDT

MANDALAY — On Tuesday, Buddhist monks of Mandalay and their supporters who participated in the Saffron Revolution in September 2007, commemorated the 11-year anniversary of the event.

Though 11 years have passed, Buddhist monks and laypersons who participated in the uprising say they still feel there is a lack of peace, rule of law and democracy in the country.

"Although there have been many changes and developments in the political situation over 11 years, we still feel there is a lack of peace, rule of law and democracy, because the 2008 Constitution does not give full power to the [civilian] government," said U Seindita, a monk from Pakokku who participated in the protests in 2007.

"If we cannot amend the Constitution, there will be no peace or development in politics and this could affect the development of the country," he added.

In August 2007, under the military regime, a sudden increase in the price of commodities brought about by a hike in fuel prices which sparked a series of protests resulting in the arrest and imprisonment of about a dozen activists.

Prominent activists U Min Ko Naing, U Min Zeya, U Ko Ko Gyi, U Arnt Bwe Kyaw, U Mya Aye, Daw Nilar Thein, Daw Mee Mee and U Htin Kyaw were among those placed under arrest and later accused by the military government of being the leaders who fanned the unrest.

On Sept. 5 that year, in Pakokku Township, Magwe Division, Buddhists monks marched along the main streets of the city of Pakokku, chanting prayers and urging the military government to release the detained activists and to handle the spike in commodity prices.

A brutal crackdown followed in which three Buddhist monks participating in the march were tied to lamp-posts and beaten by soldiers, causing rage among Buddhist monks across the country.

The following day, when local government officials came to a monastery to urge the monks to end the protest, they were taken hostage and their vehicle burnt down.

As the situation between the monks and government officials became more hostile, the monks demanded an apology for the beating of their three counterparts, naming Sept. 17 as the deadline.

On Sept. 22, as an apology had still not been issued, hundreds of monks in Yangon took to the streets in a peaceful march. They were joined by those from Mandalay and other cities as well Buddhist nuns and laypeople.

After four days of peaceful protests, on Sept. 26 the military government launched a brutal crackdown on those gathered in Yangon with riot police and soldiers opening fire on the crowds, shooting tear gas and beating up protesters.

The crackdown continued the next day with raids of monasteries across Yangon during which dozens of Buddhist monks were reportedly arrested, de-robed and detained.

More than 200 Buddhist monks and 500 activists and protestors across the country were arrested and put behind bars in the following days.

Although all of the detained were released following the swearing in of Gen. U Thein Sein as president in 2011, most of the Buddhists monks were not allowed to return their monasteries.

"There are many monks who still cannot return to their original monasteries and are being rejected for being activists. Some have to stay at their friends' monasteries and this limits their abilities to study the Buddhist scriptures," said U Arsariya, another Buddhist monk who participated the protest.

Meanwhile, the monks who participated in the uprising 11 years ago are still waiting for the military to apologize for what was done to their fellow monks.

"We are still disappointed with the military government of that time who acted inhumanly and still fail to make an apology. We are still boycotting them by not accepting donations or offerings from them," said U Arsariya.

The post 11 Years On, Monk Protesters Still Await an Apology for Brutal Public Beatings appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Union Parliament Rejects Yangon Govt Request for VIP Vehicles

Posted: 25 Sep 2018 04:17 AM PDT

YANGON — The Union Parliament has rejected the Yangon regional government's proposed budget for the purchase of a fleet of Ford cars for use by government ministers.

The funds will be used to fulfill the needs of various townships in the city instead, regional Planning and Finance Minister U Myint Thaung told the regional Parliament on Monday as he presented the city's proposed budget for fiscal 2018-19.

During a debate in June on the regional government's proposed spending for fiscal 2018-19, regional lawmakers voiced fierce opposition to the Yangon government's plan to purchase 10 Ford vehicles at a cost of 1 billion kyats (US$700,000).

At the time, U Myint Thaung insisted the purchase would go ahead, adding that the vehicles were needed to ensure the safe transportation of regional ministers and important guests, including state and international leaders invited to attend Yangon government functions.

But after lawmakers insisted that priority be given to the needs of the general public over the purchase of official vehicles, the proposal was forwarded to the Union Parliament for a final decision.

The budget of 1.089 billion kyats earmarked for 76 vehicles including the 10 Fords will instead be used to build an overpass for the dockyard in Dawbon Township as well as pay compensation for [confiscated] lands," U Myint Thaung said.

In place of the Fords, the regional government will request vehicles from the Central Equipment Statistics and Inspection Department under the Ministry of Planning and Finance. The department keeps a pool of vehicles that have been confiscated for various reasons.

In June, the Yangon Parliament's Finance, Planning and Economic Committee also asked that a proposed 6.8-billion kyat ($5.05-million) investment in the Yangon City Bank by Yangon municipality be scrapped.

The Union Parliament, however, did not scrap the proposed budget, and the Yangon regional Parliament will debate it again.

"The Union Parliament has cut the budget for [Ford] cars, but the Union [government] will provide [the regional government with cars]. The proposed investment in Yangon City Bank was not cut [by the Union Parliament] despite our opposition. We have to debate it again," regional lawmaker for Dagon Township U Kyaw Zeya told The Irrawaddy.

The regional government has received a budget of 650.194 billion kyats for fiscal 2018-19. It spent over 336 billion kyats in fiscal 2016-17, and its proposed budget for 2017-18 fiscal was 400 billion kyats.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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Ethnic Armed Group Claims Govt Offered Timber Deal to Sign NCA

Posted: 25 Sep 2018 03:53 AM PDT

Mon State — A leader of the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) says the government will let it transport 5,000 tons of logged timber currently stuck in the jungle on one condition — that the ethnic armed group sign the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA).

But Khu Daniel, a member of the KNPP’s central committee, said the group has rejected the offer.

The KNPP asked the government’s National Reconciliation and Peace Center (NRPC) to transport the logs last year.

"We sent a letter asking them for permission. They replied that they could not allow it," Khu Daniel said. “But some members of the NRPC, included senior member U Aung Soe, kept trying to convince us to sign the NCA first and then they would allow it.

"They even told us whenever we met that after signing the NCA it would not be difficult to get permission,” he added.

According to Khu Daniel, the KNPP told the government it did not want to mix business with politics.

The KNPP received permission to harvest the logs in 2013 and 2014, after signing a bilateral ceasefire agreement with the quasi-civilian government of the time under U Thein Sein. But it claims that the current government has not allowed the group to move them.

U Aung Soe denied that he or the rest of the NRPC offered the KNPP a guaranteed quid pro quo. However, he said that when the NRPC met with the group in May it did say that if it signed the NCA it could enter separate negotiations with the government for a deal to move the logs, and that permission was possible.

"When we have peace negotiations, we have to deal with what we can give," said U Aung Soe.

The government has struck logging deals with armed groups it has signed peace deals with in the past, a practice some rights groups blame for much of Myanmar’s deforestation.

The government recently gave the Karenni National People’s Liberation Front (KNPLF) permission to log 5,000 tons of timber in Karenni State.

The London-based Environmental Investigation Agency criticized the deal, calling it a “shadow agreement.” it said the deal undermined the government’s policy of improving forest governance in a country already suffering one of the highest rates of forest loss in the world.

At a press conference on Friday in Naypyitaw, President’s Office spokesman U Zaw Htay said the government’s agreement with the KNPLF would be its last logging deal with an armed group.

The post Ethnic Armed Group Claims Govt Offered Timber Deal to Sign NCA appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Objections Against Use of President’s and State Counselor’s Images in By-Election Campaign

Posted: 25 Sep 2018 02:27 AM PDT

NAYPYITAW — The National League for Democracy (NLD) said that it would continue to use the images of President U Win Myint and State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in campaigns for the November by-election, said spokesperson of the ruling party U Myo Nyunt.

"We are sure that it is not against the law, so we will continue using [their images] boldly," the spokesperson told the media in Naypyitaw on Sunday.

The party consulted with legal experts several times before making the decision to use their pictures in by-election campaigns. The then-ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) also used images of President U Thein Sein wearing presidential regalia during the 2015 general elections, he said.

"Because of this previous example, we have asked [candidates] to do it boldly. We are, however, taking extra caution and have instructed [candidates] not to use the picture of President U Win Myint in a golden sash, which is the symbol of the executive branch," he said.

USDP candidate U Myo Win Kyaw of Tamwe Township, Yangon has filed a complaint with the township election commission against his NLD rival U Toe Win who used pictures of U Win Myint and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on his campaign trail.

"The Constitution bars the president and Union ministers from engaging in their parties' activities so we have lodged a complaint. If they continue using their pictures, we will file a complaint after the by-election results are out on the grounds of unfairness," the USDP spokesperson told The Irrawaddy.

The Union Election Commission (UEC) is responsible for holding a free and fair election, and the USDP will wait and see what the commission will do in response, he said.

If pictures of the president, who is ranked at the top in the government protocol, can be used, pictures of State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who ranks second, can also be used, said U Myo Nyunt.

"[The USDP] is bitterly opposing it because Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has substantial influence over the public. It is not because it is against the law. They are giving excuses to avoid Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's pictures being used [in the election campaign]. She won't personally engage in [the election campaign], so don't worry too much," said U Myo Nyunt.

The USDP has not filed a complaint with the UEC, said commission member U Myint Naing. "Using pictures only doesn't violate the laws," he told The Irrawaddy.

When the USDP used a photo of former president U Thein Sein in the 2015 general election campaign, the President's Office minister explained in Parliament that it is not against the law.

The USDP has previously said that it has no trust in the UEC, claiming that it is biased toward the NLD.

Election campaigns kicked off on Sept. 3 for the November election. Four seats in the Lower House, one seat in the Upper House, eight seats in the regional parliaments, totaling 13 seats will be up for grabs in the Nov. 3 election, according to the election commission.

The NLD will contest for all 13 vacant seats, and the USDP will contest in the constituencies outside ethnic regions.

The four seats vacant in the Lower House are Chin State's Kanpetlet Township, Shan State's Laihka Township, Mandalay's Myingyan Township and Yangon's Tamwe Township. The vacant seat in the Upper House is Kachin State Constituency 2. Vacant seats in the regional parliaments are Chin State's Matupi Township, Sagaing's Tamu Township, Bago's Oktwin Township, Rakhine State's Rathedaung Township, Magwe's Minbu Township, Yangon's Seikkan Township and the ethnic Shan constituency for Mandalay's Regional Parliament.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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Home Affairs Ministry Investigates Alleged Currency Manipulators

Posted: 25 Sep 2018 12:44 AM PDT

NAYPYITAW — The Bureau of Special Investigation under the Home Affairs Ministry has interrogated as of Monday some currency and gold dealers on Yangon's Shwebontha Street who are believed to be involved in the manipulation of dollar prices.

"We are examining their dealings. I cannot say how many dealers we are investigating because it is an ongoing case. We are investigating according to the instruction of upper-level authorities," bureau director U Aung Myo told The Irrawaddy.

President's Office spokesperson U Zaw Htay said at a press conference in Naypyitaw on Friday that there are only a few currency dealers who make "hollow transactions of the greenback" to manipulate the market. The transactions he refers to are similar to the concept of no-interest credit—buying only verbally without paying the cash.

The government is conducting an investigation and will then take appropriate action, he said.

The exchange rate fell from more than 1,600 kyats per US dollar to around 1,590 kyats per dollar on Monday evening. However, the price of gold remains at more than 1 million kyats per tical—a drastic increase from around 930,000 kyats per tical in January.

U Aung Myo declined to comment on what actions would be taken against the currency dealers.

One currency dealer said there are fewer than 10 big currency dealers in the commercial capital and some of them also trade with Mandalay. The total value of hollow transactions of the US dollar in the market could be millions per day, he said.

"Of course, the manipulators should be interrogated. But that is not the solution. If the kyat does strengthen, it will just be temporary. The right solution is to boost exports," said Yangon-based businessman Dr. Soe Tun.

The suspension of issuing re-export licenses is also a temporary solution, he said, as the government has suspended issuing these licenses to bring down the dollar value in the past.

"The detention and investigation will let the kyat appreciate for a while, but then it will weaken again. It is just a temporary solution and will not solve the problem," he said.

Fuel prices have increased due to a weakening exchange rate and people have had to spend more on basic foods as well, Yangon resident U Ye Naing Win complained.

"What some eight currency dealers have done has affected the whole country. The manipulators will play the market and stop for a while when authorities interrogate them. Then they will play again. Heavy penalties should be imposed against them so that they dare not manipulate the market again," he said.

The Central Bank of Myanmar, the government agency primarily responsible for the monetary and financial matters of the country, has not commented on the depreciation of the kyat and has avoided media interviews.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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Ten Things to Do in Yangon This Week

Posted: 24 Sep 2018 11:17 PM PDT

City Mall Anniversary

There will be games and big sales at City Mall St. John.

Sept. 26, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. City Mall, corner of Min Ye Kyaw Swa Road and Pyay Road.

The Promise of Decentralization

The panel discussion will focus on fiscal autonomy and peace in subnational governance.

Sept. 30, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Parami Institute of Liberal Arts and Sciences, 3rd floor, Shwe Gone Plaza. Register here.

Cosplay and Mini Gaming

This event is for teenagers who love anime, manga and cosplay culture.

Sept. 30, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. MICT Park. Tickets are 5,000 kyats. Tel: 09-773369962, 09-693587213.

Hip Hop & Trap Night

DJ Zaw Gyi and DJ Aung Htet will perform.

Sept. 26, 10 p.m. till late. YRITE, No. 37 Kaba Aye Pagoda Road, near Inya Lake Hotel. Tel: 09-258835885 for reservations.

Business Talk

Leading businessmen will discuss the causes of Myanmar's economic decline.

Sept. 29, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Min Ye Kyaw Swar Street. Free admission. Register here.

European Film Festival

European films will be screened.

Sept. 22 to 30. Two shows daily, at 3:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Nay Pyi Taw Cinema. Free admission.

Latin Dance Night

Latin music, dance performances and free lessons.

Sept. 28, 7:30 p.m. till late. Yangon Yangon Rooftop Bar, Sakura Tower. Tel: 01-255131 for reservations.

 

In the Land of Giants

Aung Khaing, Aung Win and Than Htay exhibit their giant creation.

Sept. 22 to 30, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Junction City, 5th floor.

The Readers

This exhibition features works by Sandar Khaing.

Sept. 22 to 28, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nawaday Tharlar Gallery (room 304), 20/B Yawmingyi Road, Dagon township

Silent Poetry

Women artists showcase their works.

Sept. 21 to 30, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pansuriya Gallery, No. 100 Bogalay Zay Street, Botatung Township.

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H&M Accused of Failing to Ensure Fair Wages for Global Factory Workers

Posted: 24 Sep 2018 10:08 PM PDT

LONDON — Fashion giant H&M is failing to fulfill a pledge to ensure garment workers who supply its high-street stores are paid a fair “living wage," forcing many employees to work excessive hours in order to survive, civil society groups said on Monday.

Based on interviews with 62 people in six H&M supplier factories in Bulgaria, Turkey, India and Cambodia, campaigners said none of the workers earned anything near a so-called living wage that would allow them to cover their families’ basic needs.

Major brands are under growing pressure from campaigners and consumers alike to improve working conditions along their global supply chains and render them free of exploitation and slavery.

The Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) said Sweden’s H&M—the world’s second-largest fashion retailer after Zara owner Inditex—had not met a commitment made in 2013 to ensure its suppliers would pay a living wage to some 850,000 textile workers by 2018.

“H&M needs to take action immediately to stop the scandal of poverty wages and workers’ rights violations,” said Bettina Musiolek of the CCC, an alliance of labor unions and charities.

However, H&M, which has more than 4,800 stores in 69 nations, said it had reached at least 600 factories and 930,000 garment workers with its fair living wage strategy, and did not share the CCC’s view of how to create change in the textile industry.

“There is no universally agreed level for living wages, and wage levels should be defined and set by parties on the labor market through fair negotiations between employers and workers representatives, not by Western brands,” a H&M spokeswoman said.

The CCC report found that workers in H&M supplier factories in Cambodia earned less than half the estimated living wage, dropping to about a third for those living in India and Turkey.

Many worked overtime hours that exceeded the legal limit without being properly paid, while others were only paid the minimum wage if they worked extra hours and met their quota, which the United Nations defines as forced labor, the CCC said.

“Instead of empty public relations talk, we want to see transparent changes in the real wages of workers in H&M’s supply chain,” Judy Gearhart, executive director of the US-based International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF), said in a statement.

The ILRF urged H&M to publish a roadmap with time-bound, measurable wage increase targets and outline how they will change purchasing practices to ensure workers get a living wage.

“However the issue of living wages is bigger than one brand, and too few companies have initiatives to drive up wages,” said Peter McAllister of the Ethical Trading Initiative, a group of trade unions, companies and charities of which H&M is a member.

“If we are to make sure all garment workers receive a decent wage then encouraging industry-wide action must be a priority,” the group’s chief executive told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

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Myanmar Army Chief Says ‘No Right to Interfere’ as UN Weighs Rohingya Crisis

Posted: 24 Sep 2018 09:49 PM PDT

YANGON — Myanmar’s army chief on Monday warned against foreign interference as world leaders gather at the United Nations to find ways to hold the country’s powerful generals accountable for atrocities against Rohingya Muslims last year.

In his first public comments on the subject since a report by a UN fact-finding mission this month, Min Aung Hlaing said Myanmar abided by UN pacts, but warned that “talks to meddle in internal affairs” cause “misunderstanding."

“As countries set different standards and norms, any country, organization and group has no right to interfere in and make decision(s) over sovereignty of a country,” Min Aung Hlaing said in comments reported in English on his website.

The remarks, made during a trip to Myanmar’s northeast on Sunday, were also published in a military-run newspaper on Monday.

A military spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.

The UN mission called for Min Aung Hlaing and five other generals to be prosecuted for crimes against humanity and genocide over allegations of mass killings and gang rapes.

A military crackdown unleashed in the western state of Rakhine last year after attacks by Rohingya militants on police and army posts drove more than 700,000 of the largely stateless minority across the border with Bangladesh.

Myanmar denied entry to the UN mission’s investigators and rejected their findings, insisting that security forces conducted a legitimate operation to root out “terrorists."

In his remarks, Min Aung Hlaing referred to the Rohingya as Bengalis, suggesting they belong in Bangladesh, and said they must “accept scrutiny” under the country’s 1982 Citizenship Law.

The law limits citizenship for those, like the Rohingya, who are not members of officially decreed ethnic groups.

Elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi shares power with the military under a 2008 constitution written by the generals who ruled Myanmar for decades.

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has begun examining the alleged forced deportation of Rohingya to Bangladesh. Myanmar has said it wants to repatriate Rohingya who fled.

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Vietnam Has First Female President, but Activists Are Unimpressed

Posted: 24 Sep 2018 09:46 PM PDT

Vietnam’s appointment of its first female president belies a deep gender imbalance in the communist country’s politics and society and will do little to improve women’s rights, advocates said on Monday.

Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh was named acting president on Sunday following the death of Tran Dai Quang, a former chief of internal security appointed to the presidency in 2016.

“I think while Ngoc Thinh’s appointment is symbolically important, its wider significance is limited to some women who are Communist Party members,” said activist and dissident Do Nguyen Mai Khoi in an email.

“We should however remember that, as an unelected leader who is not accountable to the public, this appointment is not likely to improve conditions for most women in Vietnam.”

Vietnam ranked 61 out 193 countries in a survey last year of women’s participation in parliament conducted by the Genveva-based Inter-Parliamentary Union. The Southeast Asian nation was ranked 166 for women in ministerial positions.

Vietnam’s National Assembly elected Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh as vice president in 2016. She was born in 1959 and holds a bachelor of law and a master's degree in party building, according to state media reports.

“The appointment of a woman as Vietnam’s president may be historic, but it has more to do with internal party politics than gender,” said Andrea Giorgetta, Asia director for the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights.

“The reality is that the number of women in decision-making positions at all political levels in Vietnam remains low and reflects firmly-rooted gender stereotypes about the role women in the country’s society,” Giorgetta told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Vietnam has no paramount ruler and is officially led by four “pillars” – its president, prime minister, the chief of its Communist Party and the national assembly chair.

The president sits on the powerful decision-making politburo, but is considered to have a more ceremonial role.

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US Accuses Myanmar Military of ‘Planned and Coordinated’ Rohingya Atrocities

Posted: 24 Sep 2018 09:37 PM PDT

WASHINGTON — A US government investigation has found that Myanmar's military waged a “well-planned and coordinated” campaign of mass killings, gang rapes and other atrocities against the Southeast Asian nation's Rohingya Muslim minority.

The US State Department report, which was released on Monday, could be used to justify further US sanctions or other punitive measures against Myanmar authorities, US officials told Reuters.

But it stopped short of describing the crackdown as genocide or crimes against humanity, an issue that other US officials said was the subject of fierce internal debate that delayed the report’s rollout for nearly a month.

The report, which was first reported by Reuters, resulted from more than a thousand interviews of Rohingya men and women in refugee camps in neighboring Bangladesh, where almost 700,000 Rohingya have fled after a military campaign last year in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.

"The survey reveals that the recent violence in northern Rakhine State was extreme, large-scale, widespread, and seemingly geared toward both terrorizing the population and driving out the Rohingya residents," according to the 20-page report. "The scope and scale of the military's operations indicate they were well-planned and coordinated."

Survivors described in harrowing detail what they had witnessed, including soldiers killing infants and small children, the shooting of unarmed men, and victims buried alive or thrown into pits of mass graves. They told of widespread sexual assault by Myanmar's military of Rohingya women, often carried out in public.

One witness described four Rohingya girls who were abducted, tied up with ropes and raped for three days. They were left “half dead,” he said, according to the report.

Human rights groups and Rohingya activists have put the death toll in the thousands from the crackdown, which followed attacks by Rohingya insurgents on security forces in Rakhine State in August 2017.

UN Report Found "Genocidal Intent"

The results of the US investigation were released in low-key fashion – posted on the State Department’s website – nearly a month after UN investigators issued their own report accusing Myanmar's military of acting with “genocidal intent” and calling for the country's commander-in-chief and five generals to be prosecuted under international law.

The military in Myanmar, previously known as Burma, where Buddhism is the main religion, has denied accusations of ethnic cleansing and says its actions were part of a fight against terrorism.

US Senior State Department officials said the objective of the investigation was not to determine genocide but to “document the facts” on the atrocities to guide US policy aimed at holding the perpetrators accountable. The report, however, proposes no new steps.

One of the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it would be up to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo whether to make such a “legal” designation in the future and did not rule out the possibility.

A declaration of genocide by the US government, which has only gone as far as labeling the crackdown “ethnic cleansing,” could have legal implications of committing Washington to stronger punitive measures against Myanmar. This has made some in the Trump administration wary of issuing such an assessment.

The International Criminal Court last week said it had begun an examination of whether the alleged forced deportations of Rohingya could constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity.

Asked whether the new US findings could be used to bolster such international prosecution, the State Department official said no decision had been made on seeking “judicial accountability” over the Rohingya crisis.

The Trump administration, which has been criticized by human rights groups and some US lawmakers for a cautious response to Myanmar, could now face added pressure to take a tougher stand.

Sarah Margon, director of the Washington office of Human Right Watch, said: “What’s missing now is a clear indication of whether the US government intends to pursue meaningful accountability and help ensure justice for so many victims.”

The United States on Monday announced it was almost doubling its aid for displaced Rohingya Muslims in Bangladesh and Myanmar, with an extra $185 million.

“The stories from some refugees show a pattern of planning and pre-meditation,” the report said, citing the military’s confiscation in advance of knives and other tools that could be used as weapons.

About 80 percent of refugees surveyed said they witnessed a killing, most often by military or police, according to the report.

"Reports of mutilation included the cutting and spreading of entrails, severed limbs or hands/feet, pulling out nails or burning beards and genitals to force a confession, or being burned alive,” the report said.

Later on Monday, the Public International Law and Policy Group, a Washington-based human rights law firm contracted by the State Department to conduct the refugee interviews, issued a companion report saying it provided 15,000 pages of documentation of “atrocity crimes.”

The State Department's investigation was modeled on a US forensic examination of mass atrocities in Sudan’s Darfur region in 2004, which led to a US declaration of genocide that culminated in sanctions against the Sudanese government.

Any stiffer measures against Myanmar authorities could be tempered, though, by US concerns about complicating relations between civilian leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and the powerful military which might push Myanmar closer to China.

The US government on Aug. 17 imposed sanctions on four military and police commanders and two army units but Myanmar's military chief, Min Aung Hlaing, was spared. Further targeted sanctions have been under consideration, officials said earlier.

The Rohingya, who regard themselves as native to Rakhine State, are widely considered as interlopers by Myanmar’s Buddhist majority and are denied citizenship.

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US Almost Doubles Aid For Rohingya in Bangladesh, Myanmar

Posted: 24 Sep 2018 09:24 PM PDT

NEW YORK — The United States almost doubled its aid for displaced Rohingya Muslims in Bangladesh and Myanmar, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley announced on Monday as Britain hosted a ministerial meeting on the crisis.

A Myanmar military crackdown unleashed in the western state of Rakhine last year after attacks by Rohingya militants on police and army posts drove more than 700,000 of the largely stateless minority across the border with Bangladesh.

UN-mandated investigators have said the military carried out mass killings and gang rapes of Rohingya with “genocidal intent.” Myanmar rejected the findings as “one-sided” and said it was a legitimate counterinsurgency operation.

“We continue to call on the Burmese government to do more to hold those who have engaged in ethnic cleansing accountable for their atrocities‎, end the violence and allow full humanitarian and free press access,” Haley said in a statement.

She said the United States would give an extra $185 million, of which $156 million would go to refugees and host communities in Bangladesh, taking its total humanitarian aid for the crisis to nearly $389 million in the past year.

The aid pledge comes as Haley said US President Donald Trump would “lay down a marker” on US foreign aid during his speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.

“While the US is generous, we’re going to be generous to those that share our values, generous to those that want to work with us and not those that try and stop the US or say they hate America and are counterproductive,” she told reporters on Thursday.

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt hosted a closed-door ministerial meeting on the crisis, which diplomats said would focus on accountability, on the sidelines of the annual UN gathering of world leaders in New York on Monday.

Hunt visited Myanmar last week and said the government must ensure there is “no hiding place” for those responsible for crimes. Myanmar’s army chief on Monday warned against foreign interference.

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has begun examining the alleged forced deportation of Rohingya to Bangladesh. Myanmar has said it wants to repatriate Rohingya who fled.

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