Friday, September 28, 2018

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

To Advance Peace Process, Gov’t Urged to Build a Union All Groups Want to Join

Posted: 28 Sep 2018 08:48 AM PDT

CHIANG MAI, Thailand—To resolve the current standoff over the issue of non-secession, observers of the peace process urged the government at a stakeholders meeting in Yangon on Friday to focus its efforts on building a Union whose conditions would make it unnecessary to extract a pledge of non-separation from ethnic groups.

The Myanmar military currently demands that ethnic groups pledge never to seek secession from the Union as a prerequisite for moving ahead with the peace process. Ethnic groups have balked at the request, believing it would put them at a disadvantage as the process moves forward.

"[The secession] issue is a stumbling block, because [Myanmar's military says] that without a pledge not to seek secession, we cannot draft a state constitution. Our suggestion is that instead of asking for this promise, which is merely words on paper, what if we build a Union from which no one wants to separate in the first place?" said U Maung Maung Soe, an analyst who closely follows ethnic and political affairs.

The government invited nearly 40 people to a meeting of stakeholders in Myanmar's peace process and sought their perspectives at Yangon's National Reconciliation and Peace Center on Friday.

It was the second such meeting to be held under the National League for Democracy-led government. The first, in July 2017, was attended mainly by descendants of the signatories of the original 1947 Panglong peace agreement, along with a few other experts.

Friday's discussion was attended by some representatives of Kachin, Shan, Rakhine, Karen and Bamar political parties; civil society groups and think-tanks working on the peace process and related policy; former Myanmar Peace Center employees; and writers and journalists. They spent a day discussing the current peace process and sharing insights. All of the participants were close followers of the peace process.

The secretary of the government's Peace Commission, U Khin Zaw Oo, and State Counselor's Office director-general U Zaw Htay shared details of the government's efforts and the challenges it faces dealing with the country's ethnic armed organizations during peace talks, and offered their views on why the process has been delayed.

"After listening to the government's explanation of its efforts, I expressed my view that we must all think in terms of the whole country's sovereignty, not in terms of individual [groups'] sovereignty, so that we can move forward onthe peace building journey and build a federal state," said U Khin Maung Swe, the chairman of the National Democratic Force (NDF) party. 

The 29 participants in Friday's discussion shared their opinions, while the government negotiators were able to clarify some of the misunderstanding that exist regarding the peace negotiations, said U Hla Maung Shwe, an adviser to the Commission.

Some of the invitees, such as former peace negotiators U Aung Min and U Khin Yi, were not able to attend due to schedule conflicts. Others were unable to travel to Yangon.

"Every issue related to the peace process was discussed," U Hla Maung Shwe told The Irrawaddy, though he declined to discuss details.

Among the main hurdles to progress in the peace process are non-secession, prohibitions on the holding of ethnic political dialogues in Shan and Rakhine states, and the absence of negotiations between the government and northern-based ethnic armed organizations, including the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).

U Hla Maung Shwe said he was glad that Yup Zau Khawng, a leader of the Kachin Peace-talkCreation Group (PCG) based in Myitkyina, was able to participate. The PCG served as a key peace broker during talks between the KIA and the previous government.

"Such discussions are good if we can spare time for [regular] meetings," he said, because they allow the majority of participants to air their concerns, while the government gets a chance to respond.

Such stakeholder discussions were held frequently under the previous administration of former President U Thein Sein.

The post To Advance Peace Process, Gov't Urged to Build a Union All Groups Want to Join appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

New Online Comic Hero Butman Tackles Yangon’s Problems with Humor

Posted: 28 Sep 2018 08:05 AM PDT

YANGON — Superheroes wear colorful, custom-made costumes and fight bad guys, monsters and aliens to save the day with their uncanny powers. The best-known among them —Spider Man, Thor, Captain America, Batman, the Hulk, Superman, Wonder Woman — hale from either the Marvel or DC universes.

Fans of superhero comics and movies truly love the stories and have no doubts that their favorite characters will always prevail. But some aren’t satisfied with just the comics or movies and don their favorite hero’s costume; they love the stories that much.

A local group of talented designers and superhero lovers has started its own online comic label called Myanga, and its series Butman is trending with young fans.

The Butman comic series in print in the Myanmar Times. / Htet Wai / The Irrawaddy

"The Butman name and style is inspired by DC superhero Batman, but our superhero doesn't have any superpowers," said Kaung Myat Maung, 21, who leads the Myanga team and is one of the character’s creators.

"Actually, it's But….Man. That's the meaning of the hero. Even though he wants to help the city and people, he always ends up with the opposite result. So he tries, but he can't do it on his own. He's just a man."

"The characters are inspired by American comic books but the structure of the stories is inspired by Japanese Manga. Manga means comic in Japanese. So we chose the name Myanga because it’s a comic in the Myanmar language," Kaung Myat Maung said.

Kaung Myat Maung works on a drawing. / Htet Wai / The Irrawaddy

Butman mixes the serious with the comic, and the team thinks of the series as edutainment — a portmanteau of education and entertainment — because it aims to educate readers about social problems and complex issues with a heavy dose of fun.

"We have a total of 10 members in the team and everyone has their own tasks. I'm the team leader, but the story lines come from our teacher, Ko Nyi Nyi Htwe," said Kaung Myat Maung.

Nyi Nyi Htwe, who also goes by Yangon Bee, is a famous local designer and illustrator behind the Hexagon Creative Academy, a school for young people interested in graphic design and illustration. Kaung Myat Maung was one of his students and went to work for Hexagon after finishing the academy. He and Nyi Nyi Htwe started Myanga as a side-project.

Members of the Myanga team at work at the Hexagon Creative Academy. / Htet Wai / The Irrawaddy

"Ko Nyi Nyi Htwe gives us the ideas and stories, and I lead the team," Kaung Myat Maung said.

One chapter can take two weeks to produce, sometimes a month.

"It is easy to read one page or one chapter, but it isn't easy creating the characters," Kaung Myat Maung said.

The process started with the drawing team. Their drawings then get filled in with colors and finally sent to the designers.

Butman is Myanga’s second series and has already published two issues, “Rangoon City” and “The Flooded Land.”

In “Rangoon City,” piles of garbage turn into a giant, smelly monster that rampages across the city, sending the hapless populace fleeing in terror. Butman hops into his car to race to the scene, but gets stuck in traffic. The car’s GPS doesn’t work, either, because of a bad internet connection.

Kaung Myat Maung. / Htet Wai / The Irrawaddy

In “The Flooded Land,” Butman is eating breakfast while watching the news on TV. When the anchor announces that Yangon is about the flood because of a heavy rain, he quickly changes into his costume, a traditional man’s cotton shirt, a longyi for a cape and another around his waist, and slippers. His nemesis again is a monster made of the wastewater and trash in the city’s drains, clogged because of all the garbage people have thrown into the street. If you want to find out whether our hero saves the day, you’ll just have to read the story.

"We're sending a message about society's problems and we hope the audience gets it," said Kaung Myat Maung.

Butman is published online in Burmese and in English in the Myanmar Times’ weekend edition.

Myanga’s first series was “T, The Huntsman” and was inspired by Toot P, a local comic book character popular with young and old alike. T is published online in Burmese and already has three episodes under his belt.

"We are now creating a Myanga application. After that, we will publish all the stories in Burmese, English and Japanese," said Kaung Myat Maung.

"Burmese comic culture has nearly vanished, but the kids and youth still want to read them. So we want to build up the comic culture again," he said.

Hein Htet, 27, an American comic book fan, likes what he sees.

"Myanga is really cool and their ideas are awesome,” he said. “Love that web comic."

The post New Online Comic Hero Butman Tackles Yangon’s Problems with Humor appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Analysis: History Suggests Int’l Targeting of Tatmadaw over Rohingya Is Misguided

Posted: 28 Sep 2018 05:42 AM PDT

YANGON—In its latest attempt to bring to account those responsible for atrocities against the Rohingya, the UN Human Rights Council on Thursday voted to set up a body to prepare evidence for use in any future prosecution brought by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Earlier this week, the rights group Amnesty International (AI) plastered "wanted" pictures of Myanmar military chief Senior-General Min Aung Hlaing around New York City. The posters read: "Wanted for mass murder – Don't let him get away with it."

The public shaming campaign and the UN vote were the latest in a series of moves intended to ratchet up international pressure on Myanmar's top general for his troops' alleged atrocities against Rohingya in northern Rakhine State. In August last year, nearly 700,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh to escape security forces' clearance operations. The operations were triggered by a series of attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) on police outposts in the area. The Myanmar government has denounced ARSA as a terrorist group.

Since then, Snr-Gen. Min Aung Hlaing has faced mounting international pressure. A recent UN Fact Finding Mission (FFM) recommended that he and his subordinates be referred to the ICC for ethnic cleansing and acting with "genocidal intent" against the Rohingya. During a visit to Myanmar two weeks ago, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the international community should consider referring Myanmar to the ICC over its treatment of the Rohingya if those responsible are not tried and held accountable inside the country. This was followed by AI's poster campaign and the UN Human Rights Council vote.

In its relentless lobbying for action against the leadership of the Myanmar military (or Tatmadaw) over the Rohingya's plight, the international community appears to be trying to exploit the issue to oust the military from Myanmar's politics. The country's controversial 2008 Constitution enshrines the Tatmadaw's political role by reserving 25 percent of the seats in Parliament for military appointees and handing the military the reins of three security-related ministries.

It's taken for granted that not everyone in Myanmar is pleased with the military's involvement in the country's politics. Over nearly five decades of military rule until 2011, Myanmar's citizens watched the men in uniform turn their country from the most developed nation in Southeast Asia into one of its least developed. That's why the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) continues to push for amendments to the charter that will keep the military out of politics. It has achieved no tangible results so far, due to resistance from the military, but the country's de facto leader, State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, said in Singapore last month that "We shall do that through negotiation and step by step, keeping in mind our need for national reconciliation."

On Sept. 24, 2018, the first day of the UN General Assembly, Amnesty International plastered "wanted" posters of Myanmar military chief Senior-General Min Aung Hlaing around New York City. /Amnesty International

By "national reconciliation", she means establishing sufficient mutual trust with the armed forces to convince military leaders that the government can be entrusted to handle pressing national issues such as the peace process and constitutional amendment.

Is it therefore realistic for the international community to treat the Rohingya crisis—probably the country's most controversial and militarily sensitive issue—as an opportunity to try to force the military out of politics using harsh measures?

"That's wishful thinking and shows a lack of understanding of how Myanmar's military officers think of themselves," said Myanmar expert Bertil Lintner, a Swedish journalist who has covered Myanmar and Asia for nearly four decades.

Lintner said he didn't think Snr-Gen. Min Aung Hlaing had much to fear, as the officer corps was loyal to him and would remain so even after he retires.

"No one is going to hand him over to any international court. And as long as he has the backing of powerful nations like China and Russia, he is safe," he said.

NLD spokesperson U Myo Nyunt said outsiders who attempt to push the military out of politics are taking the wrong approach, as the military has traditionally never kowtowed to outside pressure. History shows how defiant the Myanmar military can be. Examples can be seen in its refusal to hand over power to the NLD after the 1990 general election, as well as its crackdown on the Buddhist monk-led Saffron Revolution, the 11th anniversary of which is marked this week.

"To do so [submit to international pressure] now would be a source of shame to them," he said.

The spokesperson said trying to exploit the Rohingya crisis to oust the military from politics would be counterproductive, as most people in Myanmar stand with the military on the issue.

"Harsh measures would only turn the public against the West," U Myo Nyunt said.

Rather than using pressure, he said, the international community should cooperate with the military to expedite the process of repatriating the Rohingya to Myanmar.

"If they do so, it would be very effective [for the repatriation process]," he said, because only the military has the ability to convince the refugees that it is safe to return.

He is not the only one calling for international engagement. In its recent report on China's role in Myanmar's internal conflicts, the United States Institute of Peace recommends that

Washington consider ways to both apply pressure and appropriately engage the Myanmar military in a way that empowers democratic institutions in Myanmar, moves toward resolution of the Rakhine crisis, and continues the progress of reform inside the country.

Yangon-based political analyst U Maung Maung Soe said the international community, including the UN, should focus more on pressing issues like repatriation, rather than taking action against military leaders.

"What they are doing now is sort of inflaming the military's anger. The more they are getting pissed off, the more difficult repatriation will be," he said.

And the military leadership is showing signs of displeasure. Snr-Gen. Min Aung Hlaing last week rejected Hunt's request for a meeting and would not even allow his deputies to receive the minister. This was a break from the military leader's previous approach of painstakingly explaining the Tatmadaw's view of the Rohingya issue to nearly every international dignitary he met, insisting that his troops had followed normal rules of engagement in Rakhine. Presumably, he sees the U.K. as one of the countries lobbying for his referral to the ICC. Later that week, the armed forces chief warned against foreign interference, saying, "As countries set different standards and norms, any country, organization and group has no right to interfere in and make decision[s] over [the] sovereignty of a country." It was his first public comment on the issue since the UN fact-finding mission released its report calling for the prosecution of Myanmar's military leadership at the ICC.

U Maung Maung Soe expressed concern that the scenario could force the military to cling even more firmly to power—dimming hopes of its exit from politics.

"Even with the power they have now, they are being referred to the ICC. They fear they would be more vulnerable if they have no power," he explained.

For Lintner, the most likely scenario is that Myanmar will remain under military rule for the foreseeable future. If change ever comes, he said, it will have to come from within the military.

But he said that's not likely to happen any time soon, and even less so now while the military is under international pressure. Instead of giving up power, he added, the military will dig in, fortify its defenses even more vigorously and wait for the international criticism and condemnation to die down.

"That's exactly what they did after the massacres of pro-democracy demonstrators in August and September 1988. And it worked then."

The post Analysis: History Suggests Int'l Targeting of Tatmadaw over Rohingya Is Misguided appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Hotels Near Bagan Temples Can Stay Put For UNESCO Bid, Minister Says

Posted: 28 Sep 2018 05:30 AM PDT

NAYPYITAW — Religious Affairs and Culture Minister U Aung Ko said hotels will not have to be moved out of the Bagan Archeological Zone in order for Myanmar to nominate it for approval as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

He said the ministry would submit recently approved amendments to the Protection and Preservation of Cultural Heritage Regions Law to UNESCO, the UN’s culture and heritage body, by February. The amendments seek Bagan's nomination as a World Heritage Site without having to move existing hotels out of the archeological zone or prevent new hotels from going up inside.

Bagan is home to some 3,000 pagodas and temples dating from the 9th to 13th centuries —when the Kingdom of Bagan ruled over much of lowland Myanmar — and is considered Myanmar's main tourist draw, on par with Cambodia's Angkor Wat.

Since 1994, the country has sought to register the area as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But its initial application was rejected for a lack of management plans addressing sub-standard, inauthentic restorations and because of controversial hotel developments in the archaeological zone completed under previous governments.

In 2014 the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture nominated Bagan for a UNESCO World Heritage Site listing again. It submitted the first draft of a new nomination dossier in 2016 and a final version in January.

The ministry says there are now 40 hotels standing or under construction in the archeological zone.

The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), a UNESCO advisory body, recently carried out a ground inspection of the area in order to offer its assessment of Bagan's bid.

"They surveyed Bagan for about 10 days, and they also interviewed hoteliers and local residents. They said we prepared what we stated in the dossier properly and that we passed the test, and that they would present their findings to the World Heritage Committee meeting next year," said U Aung Ko.

ICOMOS has already submitted a 2,000-page report on the pagodas, temples, murals, inscriptions and pagoda festivals of Bagan to the UNESCO World Heritage Center in France.

The 43rd session of the World Heritage Committee will decide whether Bagan should be named a World Heritage Site when it convenes in Azerbaijan in July.

Ko Kaung Myat Min, a souvenir vendor in Bagan, is optimistic.

"There will surely be more visitors if Bagan is listed as a UNESCO heritage site. The more the visitors, the more they will enjoy Bagan," she said.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

The post Hotels Near Bagan Temples Can Stay Put For UNESCO Bid, Minister Says appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Yangon Govt to Sign Deal with Swiss Company for Youth Innovation Hub

Posted: 28 Sep 2018 04:33 AM PDT

YANGON — The Yangon regional government is to sign with a Swiss-based company to implement Yangon Innovation Center (YIC), a project that aims to be an innovation and entrepreneurship hub for youth.

Yangon Region's Kayin Ethnic Affairs Minister, Naw Pan Thinzar Myo, one of the government representatives involved in negotiations on the project, said in Parliament on Friday that YIC will target the young people of the city in creating a platform for innovation, nurturing start-ups, emerging entrepreneurship and creating networks between local and international startups.

The government invited tender for the project in January, receiving six bids. The company selected was Swiss-based Seedstars, a company which has experience in entrepreneurship and international startups in 85 countries around the world, she said.

Naw Pan Thinzar Myo said, "We already prepared the contract. We also sent a draft of the contract to the Union Attorney General for his legal advice. We will sign very soon."

Yangon Innovation Center will be implemented at Nanthidar Jetty on Strand Road on the banks of the Hlaing River, also known as Rangoon River, in downtown Yangon. The construction is estimated to measure more than 930 square meters (10,000 square feet).

Naw Pan Thinzar Myo explained that the company will transform the compound of the building into an IT-accessible place for young people by upgrading both the inside and outside spaces.

The Yangon government revealed in 2016 a plan to establish a public waterfront downtown on the banks of the Hlaing River. The area currently has limited public access due to the large number of walled-in compounds of warehouses, jetties and ports scattered along the banks. In April 2017, the government announced its plan to implement the YIC project and began looking for a suitable operator.

According to the draft contract agreement, an initial sum of $20,0000 will be used to upgrade the site. The total budget for the five-year project is expected to be $1.1 million.

"We agreed that the company will hold an entrepreneurial program called Seedstars Academy for youth twice a year. The company will have to invite other external investors for the project as well," Naw Pan Thinzar Myo said.

According to the agreement with the government, she said, the company will have to persuade about 50 Myanmar startup companies to invest in YIC.

The Yangon regional government has said that, as there are more than 10 universities in Yangon which collectively produce thousands of graduates every year, the YIC is expected to be a main source of job opportunities, support youth innovations and access to IT companies.

The post Yangon Govt to Sign Deal with Swiss Company for Youth Innovation Hub appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

UWSA Detains Lahu Christian Leaders, Forces Students into Military Service, Baptist Group Says

Posted: 28 Sep 2018 04:16 AM PDT

The United Wa State Army (UWSA) has detained 92 Lahu Christian leaders and 42 Wa students in Shan State, and the students have been forced to serve as soldiers, the Christian group said.

Based in northern Shan, the UWSA is Myanmar's largest ethnic armed group.

In a statement dated Sept. 25, LBC (Lahu Baptist Convention) said that 52 churches had been closed and stripped of all Christian symbols. Three other churches were demolished, and religious schools have been shut down, it said. The LBC is based in Kengtung, eastern Shan.

"We sent our statement to [the UWSA], but they haven't replied yet," said Rev. Dr. Lazarus, general secretary of the LBC.

However, contacted after the LBC statement was released, Lashio-based UWSA spokesman Nyi Rang told The Irrawaddy that his organization had detained the group's religious leaders because there were "extremists" among them. In an earlier comment made last week, he told The Irrawaddy that the UWSA's actions against Christian groups in the area were intended to prevent extremist religious leaders from destabilizing the region.

The LBC asked other Baptist groups in Myanmar to pray for the detainees' release.

"We are very worried about our members who have been detained because we have lost contact with them. We heard that when they were taken, they were not allowed to take their clothes with them. The weather in Mong Pauk is cold," Rev. Dr. Lazarus said.

"We heard the UWSA plans to hold the detainees until the group celebrates the 30th anniversary of its ceasefire with the Myanmar government [in April 2019]," he said.

The 42 students are all ethnic Wa, according to Rev. Dr. Lazarus. The UWSA initially detained more students but released those who were not Wa. The 42 students have been pressed into military service by the UWSA, the reverend said.

"We want them to be released as soon as possible. Our Baptist members are all praying for them," he said.

The UWSA has also shut down churches belonging to the Kachin Baptist Convention and the Wa Baptist Convention, according to local sources.

The LBC is based in Mong Pauk Township, which is a majority ethnic Lahu community. There are about 400 churches in eastern Shan, according to Rev. Dr. Lazarus.

The UWSA began ordering churches in the area under its control to shut down earlier this month. It issued an order that all "illegal" churches built without its permission should be destroyed.

According to a Burmese-language translation of a UWSA statement issued in the Wa language on Sept. 13, all churches built after 1992 would be destroyed, as they had been built illegally. Only churches built between 1989 and 1992 were legal, it said.

The post UWSA Detains Lahu Christian Leaders, Forces Students into Military Service, Baptist Group Says appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

KBZ Bank to Finance Restoration of the Secretariat

Posted: 28 Sep 2018 02:15 AM PDT

YANGON — One of Myanmar's largest private banks, KBZ, announced that it would finance the entire restoration of the Secretariat, one of the most prominent historic and colonial architecturally significant buildings in Yangon.

A statement from the bank released on Thursday said the restoration was expected to be completed by the end of the year. It added that the restoration would reimagine the entire venue and create new public and commercial spaces for modern Myanmar citizens to gather, learn about their heritage and reimagine their futures.

The bank didn't disclose the amount of the loan.

U Aung Kyaw Myo, the deputy CEO at KBZ Bank, said the restoration would revitalize not just the immediate area, but also all of Yangon.

"Our shared views on the potential for the Secretariat to contribute to economic and national development were reaffirming. In addition, the developers demonstrated a strong commitment to environmental standards that are in line with our own values and criteria," he said.

Built in 1890, few colonial structures in present-day Burma are as historically important as the magisterial Victorian-era complex located at No. 300 Thein Phyu Road. It served as the headquarters for the British-Burma administration during colonial times. In 1947, Burma's independence hero Gen. Aung San, father of State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and his colleagues were assassinated in an upstairs room in the west wing of the complex.

An aerial view of the Secretariat, Yangon, Aug. 2016. / The Irrawaddy

Standing in the center of the Secretariat courtyard is a flagstaff where the flag of a newly independent Burma was first raised on Jan. 4, 1948. After the 1962 military coup, the complex became the Minister's Office. It was used in this capacity until 2005, when it was abandoned as the military regime suddenly made Naypyitaw its administrative capital.

Currently, renovation at the complex is now underway with a Conservation Management Plan commission by the Yangon Heritage Trust, by the Secretariat conservation group run by Myanmar Cultural Heritage Co Ltd, which is collaborating with Anaw Mar Group. The Anaw Mar Group won rights from the Myanmar Investment Commission in 2012 to restore the building's architecture and preserve it as a historical museum and arts and cultural center. The group is owned by family members of former junta general Tun Kyi.

Dr. Maung Maung Thein, director of the Myanmar Cultural Heritage Co. Ltd., said in a statement that it was an honor to be working with KBZ on the restoration project.

"Upon completion, this is a destination that all Myanmar citizens will be proud of and will refer to for generations to come," he said.

The post KBZ Bank to Finance Restoration of the Secretariat appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Monk Accused of Defaming Military Chief Turns Self In, Released on Bail

Posted: 28 Sep 2018 01:18 AM PDT

MANDALAY — A Buddhist monk accused of defaming Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing on Facebook turned himself in to police in Mandalay on Friday and was released on bail.

Lieutenant Colonel Myo Khaing Win, who is stationed with the military’s Central Command in Mandalay, filed a complaint with police in Amarapura Township on Sunday requesting legal action against U Thawbita for Facebook posts critical of the military and commander-in-chief.

U Thawbita, who heads the Bawa Alin charity, was away from his monastery in Amarapura when police went to search for him there. The Mahagandaryone monastery expelled the monk on Tuesday, claiming he had abused its rules and regulations.

"The police stormed the monastery by force while I was away and I don't like their manners. I walked into the police station myself to face the accuser," U Thawbita told reporters at the station.

"I'm saddened by the decision of the senior abbot of the monastery to expel me,” he said, adding that the senior monks may have been pressured to kick him out by authorities.

Dozens of monks and activists were at the station to show their support for the monk, who was questioned over his alleged breach of Article 66 (d) of the Telecommunications Act, which covers criminal defamation, and released on bail.

The police will continue to investigate the case and submit a report to the local court, which will decide whether to press charges. Under recent legal amendments, anyone accused of defamation can only be sued by the party the accused allegedly defamed or the party’s legal representative.

U Thawbita denied any wrongdoing.

“What I wrote on Facebook does not defame anyone," he said.

The offending posts claim that Snr-Gen. Min Aung Hlaing may have orchestrated a prison break in Karen State earlier this month, liken the military chief to a cow, and describe the military as more destructive than a natural disaster.

U Thawbita has repeatedly posted messages on Facebook criticizing the military and supporting State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her ruling National League for Democracy party.

The post Monk Accused of Defaming Military Chief Turns Self In, Released on Bail appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Yangon Public Accounts Committee Criticizes Budget Miscalculations

Posted: 28 Sep 2018 01:00 AM PDT

YANGON — The Public Accounts Committee of the Yangon Region Parliament has criticized regional government departments for budget miscalculations.

The committee submitted a report and remarks on the 2018-19 fiscal year budget bill on Wednesday, pointing out that there were large gaps between the possible costs and estimated costs in the proposed budget.

According to secretary Daw Thet Htar Nwe Win of the Public Accounts Committee, the departments get about three months to review the proposed budget after the submission of the first draft to Parliament in June.

"Most of the departments failed to calculate their proposed projects in detail, design their projects in advance, conduct relevant surveys on the ground and calculate estimated costs," she said.

State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, according to the report of the Public Accounts Committee, has called for the careful calculation of timeframes, break-even points and cost of projects, adding that failure to undertake feasibility studies could result in unnecessary costs.

According to the findings of the committee, the Yangon Electricity Supply Corporation (YESC) asked for a budget of nearly 1.5 billion kyats for 19 projects, which have already been implemented either by the YESC itself or the Union government.

Moreover, the YESC made some miscalculations in electricity supply projects in the outskirts of Yangon. It overestimated the costs by more than 2 billion kyats in 47 projects and underestimated by more than 650 million kyats in 42 projects.

"It is important that only necessary projects are implemented because the budget is limited, and we have to use it wisely. If the same project is to be implemented in two places, we've suggested giving priority to suburban areas. We have made surveys and found that many [proposed] projects are unnecessary," said Kyauktada Township lawmaker Daw Kyi Pyar.

The Public Accounts Committee also found gaps in budgets proposed by other departments, ranging from 10-100 million kyats.

Yangon regional lawmakers say they are also not happy that the Union Parliament did not scrap a proposed $5 million investment in the Yangon City Bank by the Yangon municipality despite their bitter opposition.

The municipality proposed in June that it would invest the equivalent of US$5 million in kyats in the Yangon City Bank to provide foreign banking services. At that time, the amount was equivalent to 6.8 billion kyats, but with the weakened kyat-dollar exchange rate over the past few months, the amount is now nearly 8 billion kyats.

The Public Accounts Committee called for spending that money on development works of townships in the city if foreign banking is still unnecessary.

"That money should be used for development work instead," Dagon Township lawmaker U Kyaw Zeya told the regional Parliament.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

The post Yangon Public Accounts Committee Criticizes Budget Miscalculations appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Vietnam Jails Another Facebook User For Comments Critical of Government

Posted: 27 Sep 2018 09:56 PM PDT

HANOI — A court in Vietnam has jailed a Facebook user for 2-1/2 years over anti-government comments he posted on the social media website, police said on Thursday, as the Southeast Asian country continues its crackdown on dissent.

Despite sweeping economic reform and increasing openness to social change, Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party retains tight media censorship and does not tolerate criticism.

Thursday’s decision comes days after Vietnam jailed another Facebook user for two years and three months on the same charges.

Bui Manh Dong, 40, was convicted of “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the state” at a trial in the Mekong Delta province of Can Tho, the Ministry of Public Security said on its official news website.

He was accused of writing posts on his two Facebook accounts that “distorted the guidelines and policies of the party and the state, and defamed party and state leaders,” the ministry said in the statement, citing the court indictment.

Dong’s activities “hurt the prestige and leading role of the party and the state,” police said.

Reuters could not trace contact details for Dong’s lawyer to seek comment. Calls to the court went unanswered.

Facebook’s presence in Vietnam has drawn increasing scrutiny after lawmakers approved a controversial cyber security law for global tech companies to store within the country “important” personal data on users and open offices there.

The law, which takes effect on Jan. 1, also requires social media companies to remove offending content within a day of receiving a request from the authorities.

Facebook already has a direct channel for Vietnam’s Information Ministry to seek the blocking or removal of accounts, content or posts deemed to violate the law.

Many activists have complained about growing blocking of content this year.

Not all the ministry’s requests are met, however, and Acting Information Minister Nguyen Manh Hung this month proposed to set up a working group to improve communications between the government and Facebook.

Facebook did not immediately respond to a request from Reuters for comment.

The post Vietnam Jails Another Facebook User For Comments Critical of Government appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

China says Rohingya Issue Should Not Be ‘Internationalized’

Posted: 27 Sep 2018 09:49 PM PDT

BEIJING — The Rohingya issue should not be complicated, expanded or "internationalized," China’s top diplomat said, as the United Nations prepares to set up a body to prepare evidence of human rights abuses in Myanmar.

The UN Human Rights Council voted on Thursday to establish the body, which will also look into possible genocide in Myanmar’s western state of Rakhine.

China, the Philippines and Burundi voted against the move, which was said to be supported by more than 100 countries.

Over the last year, more than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled the Buddhist-majority country to neighboring Bangladesh following a military response to attacks on security posts by Rohingya insurgents.

The United Nations has called Myanmar’s actions "ethnic cleansing," a charge Myanmar rejects, blaming Rohingya "terrorists" for most accounts of atrocities.

China has close relations with Myanmar, and backs what Myanmar officials call a legitimate counter-insurgency operation in Rakhine. Beijing has helped to block a resolution on the crisis at the UN Security Council.

Speaking to Bangladesh Foreign Minister Abul Hasan Mahmood Ali and Myanmar’s minister of the office of the State Counsellor Kyaw Tint Swe in New York on Thursday, China’s State Councilor Wang Yi said the Rakhine issue was a complex, historical one.

"The Rakhine State issue is in essence an issue between Myanmar and Bangladesh. China does not approve of complicating, expanding or internationalizing this issue," Wang said, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement issued on Friday.

China hopes that Myanmar and Bangladesh can find a resolution via talks, and China is willing to continue to help provide a platform for this communication, he added.

"The international community, including the United Nations, can also play a constructive role on this," Wang said.

The statement added that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also attended the meeting, held on the sidelines of a UN summit.

The post China says Rohingya Issue Should Not Be 'Internationalized' appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

UN Sets Up Body to Prepare Myanmar Atrocity Prosecution Files

Posted: 27 Sep 2018 09:41 PM PDT

GENEVA — The UN Human Rights Council voted on Thursday to set up a body to prepare evidence of human rights abuses in Myanmar, including possible genocide, for any future prosecution.

The 47-member Council voted by 35 votes to three, with seven abstentions, in favor of a resolution brought by the European Union and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

China, the Philippines and Burundi voted against the move, whose backers said it was supported by more than 100 countries.

Myanmar Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun said the resolution was based on the report of a UN fact-finding mission (FFM) that his government had categorically rejected, and which was unbalanced, one-sided and encouraged disunity of the country.

“The draft resolution is based on serious but unverified accusations and recommendations of the FFM that could even endanger the national unity of the country,” he said.

He said the resolution’s intrusive language and demands would not contribute to finding lasting resolutions to the delicate situation in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.

The resolution sets up a body to “collect, consolidate, preserve and analyze evidence of the most serious international crimes and violations of international law committed in Myanmar since 2011, and to prepare files in order to facilitate and expedite fair and independent criminal proceedings."

The new agency is to work closely with any future prosecution brought by the ICC, which said earlier this month that it had jurisdiction over alleged deportations of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar to Bangladesh.

A year ago, government troops led a brutal crackdown in Myanmar’s Rakhine State in response to attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) on 30 Myanmar police posts and a military base. More than 700,000 Rohingya fled the crackdown and most are now living in refugee camps in neighboring Bangladesh.

The FFM report said Myanmar’s military had carried out mass killings and gang rapes of Rohingya with “genocidal intent” and called for commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing and five named generals to be prosecuted for the gravest crimes.

In Thursday’s resolution, the Council said there was enough information to warrant a competent court “to determine their liability for genocide."

Chinese diplomat Chen Cheng told the Council that Beijing opposed the resolution because it was very likely to exacerbate the tensions. “This is in no one’s interest,” he said.

The post UN Sets Up Body to Prepare Myanmar Atrocity Prosecution Files appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Malaysian State to Cane a Third Woman for Infringing Islamic Law

Posted: 27 Sep 2018 09:34 PM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR — A religious court in a Malaysian state ruled by an Islamist party has ordered the jailing and caning of a woman who pleaded guilty to offering sexual services, a prosecutor said on Thursday.

The woman, sentenced under Islamic laws forbidding prostitution, will be the third to be caned in the conservative eastern state of Terengganu, ruled by the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), following similar punishments in the past month.

“Even though the offense does not involve a victim, it has a negative impact by destroying societal institutions, introducing sexually-transmitted diseases, and has a bad influence on the youth,” said the prosecutor, Muhammad Khasmizan Abdullah.

The 30-year-old single mother, who was caught by Islamic enforcement officers at a hotel on Sept. 17, had sought leniency, saying she turned to prostitution to raise her child and received no financial support from her former husband.

The court ordered a jail term of six months and six strokes of the cane, however, said Muhammad Khasmizan, adding that the caning would be administered in prison within 14 days.

The woman could not be reached for comment and she was not represented in court.

Muslim-majority Malaysia operates a dual-track legal system, with Islamic criminal and family laws applicable to Muslims running alongside civil laws.

Women cannot be caned under civil laws but the punishment is allowed under Islamic laws in some states.

On Sept. 3, two women were whipped six times each in front of dozens of people at a Terengganu sharia court for attempting to have lesbian sex, prompting an outcry from human rights groups, who described the punishment as torture.

A Muslim women’s group, Sisters in Islam, said it was “disappointed” that the Terengganu court had again sentenced a woman to caning.

As a first-time offender, her personal hardship should have been taken into account, said Rozana Isa, executive director of the group.

“Today’s case clearly demonstrates that the humiliation experienced by women before, during and after the whipping is not considered a relevant factor of their pain, when in fact humiliation is a key aspect of the punishment,” she said in a statement.

But the humiliation caused lasting psychological trauma, she added.

The state had merely prosecuted crimes in which the offenders happened to be women, Muhammad Khasmizan said.

“Men are caned if they commit such crimes too, so the issue of gender does not arise.”

The post Malaysian State to Cane a Third Woman for Infringing Islamic Law appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)